ã€ŠAce Of Terransã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Metropia, The Capital of The Federation. Year 2021B.

    The earth has now be The Federation. There was just one government, one military, and no borders. Humanity hase a long way from a time when people used to discriminate against each other based on their ethnicity and skin tone.

    It was said that only in times of peril did people band together. Such a time came when a terrible virus hit humanity with a death toll that changed the way of life known to the people. For Humanity¡¯s survival, nations dissolved all borders and merged into one. The Earth has be known as The Federation with the embodiment of one government, one military, and no borders. The Federation pooled its resources together in efforts for a better life.

    Thebined effort led them to scale the project toward the starry sky. Gradually, The Federation colonized every possible in the sr system, making it liveable ording to the human standard. On the other hand, the huge advancement in science and technology also allowed them to develop a gic serum that pushed the human body past the norms. The result was a generation and civilization that were far stronger than its original predecessors.

    ¡­

    At such a prosperous age, a boy was shuttling through the heavily crowded sidewalks. The boy was a teenager, with handsome features. He was almost two meters tall and lean with slightly longer hair bouncing off his forehead as he ran with a bag slung over his shoulders. The boy was dressed in ck pants, and a white shirt, paired with a maroon zer and tie. He had ck shoes neatly tied on his feet.

    On the left chest pocket, there were an insignia of two swords diagonally intersecting each other. At the bottom of the crest, a few words were also inscribed, ¡°Federation Star Academy.¡±

    The Federation Star Academy was the most prestigious school in the whole world. At the moment, the boy, who was a weak-looking schr and a student in the university tech department, was rushing to his ss without a minute to spare. This was the second time that he waste for ss. The reason was that he had overslept. He mumbled to himself, ¡°Shit, I¡¯m gonna miss the monorail again. Ms. Rosa is going to eat me alive if I don¡¯t make it, not even my bones will be spared.¡±

    Shi Lang lived near the outskirts of the capital with his parents, who were both ordinary people with normal day-to-day jobs. And, despite the advancement and speed of the monorail, it still took him about an hour from his house to get to his school.

    Not to mention, a few minutes dyed can make the situation a whole lot messier.

    Just when Shi Lang arrived at the Monorail Terminal, he watched his ride to school, and hope vanished in front of his eyes. He sighed and slumped down on a nearby bench, waiting for the next monorail to arrive. He fished out a pen from his pocket and clicked on the side of it. A holographic screen projected out from the pen and into the void. He looked at the date and mumbled, ¡°A few days more.¡±

    His eyes shed with a mysterious glint. But in a blink of an eye, it disappeared and returned to normal. After a few minutes of skimming through the front news, he sighed, ¡°Another is conquered, oh, I mean allied. Terran reporters surely know how to justify things.¡±

    The strength of Terrans was divided by gic barriers. These barriers were called the nine-star level. After breaking through the third-star level, humans all acquired special abilities. Moreover, these abilities were divided into three subcategories known as ranks: low, medium, and high. Ranks decide the number of resources and future prospects of a person for the rest of their life

    Shi Lang was only a one-star Terran. Normally, with his strength, he did not meet the standard requirement to enroll as a student and neither was he wealthy enough. The reason that he was allowed to pursue his study here was that he made it to the top of the schrship program offered by the academy.

    If he could not get to the level of a three-star within two months, then his school terms will end and he will not be able to join The Federation Military. This was his only one-way ticket to ensure a better life for his parents and to see the rest of the world. No matter what, he was not willing to be the frog at the bottom of the well.

    Shi Lang sat on the bench, lost in thoughts when the monorail had finally entered the terminal. The boy hurriedly stood up and boarded the monorail with the crowd. As a tech student, he couldn¡¯t help but admire the level of engineering and sophistication to achieve this level. This vehicle used electromaism to run at speeds almost close to that of sound. It was truly the dark horse of all monorails.

    During themute, Shi Lang stood in an inconspicuous corner with his eyes closed and head down.

    This was his daily routine. A mechanical voice sounded, ¡°Next Stop, Federation Star Academy. Thank you for joining us today.¡±

    Shi Lang opened his eyes, and as the automated doors opened, he rushed out. He paid no mind to his surroundings and moved quickly, tagged his wristwatch, and bolted toward his ss. He only had three minutes to cover a two kilometers distance.

    He strapped his bag on both shoulders as he dodged and weaved through the crowd. The speed was faster than any normal person, but still a lot slower than the few other students, who have already surpassed him. It seems that he was not the only e.

    Shi Lang was a one-star Terran. If he could not get to the level of a three-star within two months, then his school terms will end and he will not be able to join The Federation Military. That was his only one-way ticket to ensure a better life for his parents and to see the rest of the world. He wished to live a life with no regrets but did not want to limit himself to Earth and be a frog at the bottom of the well.

    Normally, with his strength, he did not meet the standard requirement to enroll as a student and neither was he wealthy. The reason that he was allowed to pursue his study here was that he made it to the top of the schrship program offered by the academy. As these thoughts ran through his mind, he further increased his speed, and finally, entered the technology department building.

    He climbed the stairs to not dy a second on the elevator and made it to the second floor where his ss was held. As soon as he reached and opened the ssroom doors, he froze meeting the cold, hard gaze of Professor Rosa.

    She said, ¡°Student Lang. I assume you know what time it is?¡±

 Chapter 2

    Shi Lang gulped as he heard the calm voice. He gave a wry smile on his face and said, ¡°Miss Rosa, Good Morning to you. The time is 8 o¡¯clock. I apologize for the dy in seconds. I remember you have taught us that a dy of even a second in the execution of tasks can cost an unprecedented price. However, I could not control the monorail door from opening and a youngdy pushed me aside to get ahead.¡±

    He gave the maturedy a bow. Thisdy was called Rosa Blue. She was his homeroom teacher and a retired technological team leader in the Federation Military. She also invented some top-secret technology and was asked to cultivate more talents like her. She had no problem with this. She spent fifteen years of her life in the military and as ady in her mid-thirties, she was tired of the constant tension.

    She has now been teaching for two years. However, do not go on her stats. She looks like a beauty in herte twenties. Rosa was a three-star Terran when she had joined the military and by the time she came out, she was a level five. Her special ability was precision. She could calcte things to the level of precision where even quantumputers might have a slight error.

    This was her capital of arrogance. She gazed at Shi Lang and said, ¡°Student Shi, you might think that you can get away with this, but you might have forgotten that I can precisely calcte almost everything. Now, would you like to volunteer for the punishment or should I pass it out myself?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Miss, I follow yourmands, but can you please exempt me from visiting the battle ss? I promise I will try not to bete ever again.¡±

    The battle ss he mentioned was a ce where geniuses gathered. They were all people from big families and were already three-star Terrans. Strength has always been a factor that affected a lot of things, regardless of what time it was. The people in the battle ss looked down upon the people from other courses. Shi Lang has suffered humiliation a bit more than a few times.

    Rosa Blues was aware of the situation among the students, but the school did not interfere in how the studentspeted with each other. The Federation had rules, strict ones at that, but Star Military Academy was a ce where the future of the Federation was prepared. How can they avoid some rough treatment?

    She sighed and said, ¡°You will report to Mech Bay after the sses. You are to help with the maintenance. Understood?¡±

    Shi Lang gave her a bright smile and said, ¡°Yes, Miss Blues. Thank you.¡± as he entered the ss. The technology branch was a bunch of merry people. Even the strongest of the ss did not have a high-level ability and thus they all grouped well together.

    There were fifty students in the ss, all had a standard single-person desk designated as their seats. Rosa stood up on the podium and said, ¡°ess the holop, to bring up page number twenty-nine of unit thirty-seven. We resume our studies.¡±

    That said, she began to teach the people. The sssted for three hours before Rosa Blues switched with an old man with a gentle smile on his face. This man was the teacher of a subject called Astro Mathematics. He taught the bunch of youngsters about how to calcte in space if they did get to join the military.

    After two hours, the ss finished and the people got out to enjoy the lunch break. Shi Lang followed the crowd out when he suddenly felt a strong pat on his shoulder. He did not turn around and asked, ¡°I thought you did note to school today, given how quiet you were.¡±

    A deep voice replied to him, ¡°Shut up, I am upset, treat me to strawberry jelly buns.¡±

    Shi Lang did not know how to react to this. He asked, ¡°Did you forget that you are allergic to strawberry jelly? Also, what happened to give you Lord Lucas, the mighty, a frown?¡±

    The guy who had his arm around Shi Lang¡¯s shoulder was his best friend, Lucas Long. The guy had blonde hair, almost two meters tall, with an average physique. He had handsome features, slightly lower than Shi Lang, but above mediocre. Well, none of the people were ¡®ugly¡¯ anymore.

    Lucas belonged to a well-off family but he had yet to discover his ability because he had not reached the three-star barrier. He replied, ¡°Lady Tsubaki did note to my dreamsst night again. I have begun to wonder what it is that she dislikes about me.¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes at him and shook his head. His best friend was a goof. Lucas raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°Hey what is up with that expression?¡±

    The two people were walking through the corridors and had already reached the canteen designated to their branch. However, before Shi Lang could reply, he saw that a lot of ssmates were standing outside. He walked over to one of his ssmates and asked, ¡°Hey Jane, what happened?¡±

    Jane was also a member of their group. She was two heads shorter than Shi Lang and was very beautiful. She had also reached a two-star level. They have been friends since childhood, but since their seats shuffled every year, they would get together during recess. She said, ¡°Lang, you go back to the ss, I will get you your lunch.¡± Her tone was anxious and wary.

    Shi Lang suspected something and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    A girl who stood beside Jane replied, ¡°Those Battle ss bullies are here, they seem to be looking for you. They said that we are not allowed to go inside until you are handed over.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and did not know what sin he hadmitted for this to happen. He was aware that if he hid away now, then these troublesome stronger people would find other methods to trouble him. He said, ¡°It is fine, I will go inside to check what is going on.¡±

    Jane said, ¡°Are you mad? Have you forgotten that you had to wear a brace on your hand thest time because of them? Go back to ss.¡± she was not asking this time. Jane was a girl with a mother hen temperament. She would defend her chicks at all costs and be mad if something happened to them. Shi Lang was her chick.

    Shi Lang felt warm in his heart, but then he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can handle it. It is better than the whole ss going hungry.¡± he may be weak but he never liked to have others suffer because of him. That said, he walked to the entrance of the canteen. He was spotted by a few battle ss students who stood guard.

    Watching him arrive, one of the guys looked inside and said, ¡°Yo, Jenkins, he is here.¡±

    Jenkins was the strongest among the battle ss. His name was enough to deter almost the whole student body. Not only was it because of his strength, but also the family name behind him. Jenkins Edwards. Son of the First general.

    Shi Lang stood at the entrance with a calm face. Following the announcement of his arrival, he heard a voice, ¡°Let him in along with his ssmates.¡±

    The cronies at the gate motioned him to get in along with his whole ss. Shi Lang followed in and immediately looked for the viin, Jenkins Edwards. Gray hair, two meters tall, burly physique, handsome face. The aura he radiated was nothing that ordinary people couldpare with. He sat on the chair with a standard alert stance.

    He waited for Shi Lang toe closer. Then he spoke in a deep voice, ¡°You are the guy who came to our ssst time for cleaning, right?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Did you forget that you are not allowed to wear shoes inside our ss?¡±

    Yes, this was the rule of the battle ss that none of the outsiders were allowed to wear shoes inside their sses. They were not to contaminate their holy space. Shi Lang nodded. Jenkins asked, ¡°What is your defense?¡±

    ¡°Sir, I was aware that your sses will start soon, but I was dyed by my other duties, so in a hurry, I crossed the ssroom threshold with my shoes on. But I did not take anymore than one step. I apologize to you and the rest of the battle ss students.¡± Shi Lang did not raise his eyes during the whole time but kept looking at the floor.

    The students of the technology ss saw this and silently gritted their jaws, and the hatred in their hearts was raised to another level. Shi Lang was the most humble guy in the ss. His goodwill outgrew that of the ss representative, Tim. He was on friendly terms with everyone. Thest time another ssmate made a mistake, Shi Lang stepped forward to substitute the punishment and got his hand broken.

    The mistake the other studentmitted was to identally touch Jenkin as she was pushed by thetter¡¯s ssmate. This was the level of their tyranny.

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°Since you ept your mistake, I will be lenient in punishing you this time. I will take a step on you as well.¡±

    The people had not yet processed his words when Jenkins had stood up and kicked Shi Lang in the chest. The impact was so strong that the people all heard a cracking sound as Shi Lang flew over a distance and fell outside the canteen doors.

    Jenkins left after kicking the boy, and the rest of his ssmates followed him as they snickered. Lucas and Jane were the first to rush over to check their friend. They found Shi Lang holding his ribs, with blood seeping out of his mouth.

    Tim, the ss representative, had already called over Rosa Blues. Thedy happened to arrive only when Shi Lang was being carried to the infirmary. She wanted to approach him, but Jane said with a cold expression, ¡°You do not have to worry about us, Miss Blues. We are weak, so we have to suffer. Thank you for taking out time toe here and watch the show.¡±

    Their whole ss held Rosa Blues ountable for the humiliation they have suffered over and over ever since she hade over to teach them. With gritted jaws, they escorted Shi Lang to the infirmary.

 Chapter 3

    The academy was designed normally, like the architect in the old days. The technology is the only part that has been added to the blend without messing up the old aesthetics. The humans may have a new name, but their tastes remain the same.

    Shi Lang was brought to the infirmary where the on-premise doctor took care of him. He performed a scan with a handheld device and detected that three of the ribs were fractured from multiple ces and they were almost piercing through the lungs.

    The doctor said, ¡°You kid sure are frivolous. A bit more and it could have been a critical case. Who did this? Does he have no regard for human life? You all are ssmates at any rate.¡±

    Jane replied, ¡°The favorite of our school, Jenkins Edwards, did this. Would you still stick with your lecture, doctor?¡±

    Her words made the doctor almost bite his tongue between his teeth. He did not know that the patient was a victim of the battle ss champion. He could not say that what happened was wrong, but he cannot favor this as well.

    Everyone in the school was aware that Jenkins Edwards was a petty person if he suffered a loss or found anyone remotely against him. He would use every mean at his disposal to make their lives miserable.

    However, it was his strength and family background that scared everyone from taking an action against him. The doctor gave up on the lecture and administered medicine for Shi Lang. He said, ¡°This student will need to stay here for observation. You all can leave. He can move normally in a couple of hours, but no heavy lifts and strenuous movements for a week.¡±

    Lucas nodded and asked everyone to return to the ssroom. The next ss happened to be a free period. The teacher was upied with event preparation. Tim stood up from his seat, came to the door, closed it, and then came to stand on the podium.

    His movements attracted everyone¡¯s attention. He said, ¡°We all know that this Battle ss has crossed the all-time bottom line again and again. The people who were supposed to monitor the school management, are closing their eyes in the name of weeding out the weak. Let alone others, our headteacher has been throwing undermining us by making us do things in the battle ss as if we are pigs.

    How long do we have to suffer? Last time, Margot almost suffered humiliation, and Lang had to step forward. Ever since then, he has been doing our tasks of the battle ss for us. Today, he suffered an injury that could have killed him.

    The responsible of this is not the battle ss tyrants, but us. The weaklings of technology. Do you guys n to suffer such shame always? Do you not want to prove them wrong? Do you not want to walk with your head held high?¡±

    The people all had a burning desire in their eyes, but they did not speak. They were all not as strong as the people of the battle ss. Going against was not something they could think of. Lucas stood up and said, ¡°I have an idea. If this yed in our favor, then we can p the battle ss down from their throne.¡±

    The people all turned their heads towards him. Lucas coughed lightly at this and said, ¡°In a week, the school will be holding the intermediate examinations. The technology branch always takes the first in the theory courses. Those of the battle ss are the kings of the Mech control and group battles.¡±

    Tim asked, ¡°This is the obvious fact, but what do you mean by stating it?¡±

    Jane stood up on her desk and said, ¡°He means we should aim to topple the throne of the battle ss in the Mech Control, and group battles.¡±

    The people all gasped at this while Lucas gave Jane a thumbs up for tactical understanding.

    Lucas said, ¡°See, the technology used in Mech Control, we can also use it. Also, given our level of understanding, we can even make do it better than them. The point of group battle, that exam is held in a simted environment. I ask you, is there a better gamer than us tech nerds? We have just never tried hard enough.¡±

    The whole ss descended into silence. They did not realize this thing ever before. Tim suddenly said, ¡°We will need to get our hands on a Mech to learn the actual controls. Do you know that the mechs in the school are a property reserved for the battle babies? That group battle one is still feasible, but how do we deal with their abilities? Whole Battle ss is a three-star Terran. That Jenkins is almost a four-star.¡±

    This made the excited students fall into silence. Jane said, ¡°The best analysts of our ss. We have the data of the battle ss from their practice matches. Can you analyze their abilities based on their performances?¡±

    Abilities were kept a secret until the day of graduation. Some people do not even reveal it when they graduate. So this was a very hard task. A guy with long hair said, ¡°Why do we have to analyze when I can just get their data off the school server?¡±

    Jane nodded, ¡°That would be the best, but do not get caught and this data cannot be leaked outside at any cost.¡±

    The boy with long hair nodded and gave her an ¡®OK¡¯ signal. Jane continued, ¡°With this, we can get their abilities and form a better n for the group battle. Now, what about the Mech, and who will pilot it through that obstacle?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°We can put money together and buy a retired unit. Later, with the help of the school mech bay, we can repair and modify it. We can state that it is a collective project of ours to learn about the Mechs. The school will pass it. As for the pilot, Shi Lang could have done it but he is injured.¡±

    The people fell into thought. Tim shook his head. Shi Lang was the best mech pilot among them all. They all found out about it during their practice session. While the Battle ss can practice any time, they wish for the Technology branch, students were only allowed to get it once a month.

    Tim nodded and said, ¡°This is good. But how much would it cost to buy a retired Mech?¡±

    Lucas said with a bitter smile, ¡°I think around ten thousand units.¡±

    The people all gasped. Tim smiled bitterly, ¡°Ten thousand units. We cannot afford it at any cost. The whole round of donations from everyone will only add up to a few thousand units, we will also need to pay the spare parts cost. You know that will be a new high.¡±

    Suddenly, the ssroom door flung open. Rosa Blues walked over in her high heels. She sensed a lot of negative vibes pointed at her. She sighed and said, ¡°I apologize if you thought that I have been on the side of the battle ss. What I did was for you all to know that without strength we are all bottom feeders, and only when we are together can we work things through.

    I will pitch in twenty thousand units. Get a good mech and spare parts. I will also help you all apply for the time slot to ¡®study¡¯ the mech at the course.¡±

    The ss was surprised by this sudden wave of teacher-student bond in the ss. They did not expect Rosa Blues to say this to them. Suddenly, a lot of ripples were set off by the stone falling.

 Chapter 4

    Jane and the rest could not believe why Rosa would donate such a big amount. The teacher did not back away and said, ¡°I used to think that the students of this batch had no concept of dignity. You all let the battle ss walk all over you a bit too much. Since you had no care for yourself. Why should I care about you?¡±

    Her words made the people fall silent. They did not expect such an exnation. However, upon thinking they found out that it was indeed them who had been living in the shadows of the battle ss.

    Lucas asked, ¡°Miss, you know that it could all go to vain?¡±

    Rosa nodded and said with a faint smile on her lips, ¡°If you fail, then you will learn what you should not do. If you win, you will learn what you should have done. This is the purpose of schools. Understand?¡±

    Lucas nodded to her. Tim said, ¡°All rise.¡± in a vibrato.

    The students stood up and bowed to Rosa Blues. This time the bow was not for the sake of rules and regtions but from the bottom of their hearts.

    Rosa transferred the money to Lucas and allowed him and Tim to go and buy the mech they were discussing. She had given them special permission and also helped the ss prepare several tactical formations and responses to the situation in the group battle.

    The whole technology ss was not going to take part in the physical assessment but they pooled all the resources for one team. The physical assessment for them was an optional subject. So it did not matter if they took part in it or not.

    Rosa came out as the ace of their ss. She disyed her skills to the fullest. The students were surprised to see her enthusiasm. Jane had been watching her silently. The day came to an end when a student, who was supposed to watch over Shi Lang in the infirmary, came over with a frustrated face.

    He came over to the ss and found everyone packing their bags. He said with an exasperated expression, ¡°Do you people want to go home so early? Lang is still sweating in the mech bay. He ignored everything I said and went to report for the cleaning task.¡±

    Rosa was surprised. She asked, ¡±Does he feel no pain?¡±

    Jane snorted and replied, ¡°Of course, he does. But tomorrow is Wednesday. The day for those battle ss pricks will have their regr ss in the mech bay. Do you know what will happen if they find the ce not clean?

    Teacher, with all due respect, what you have done today surprised me. However, the moment you gave Shi Lang that punishment and reported it in the daily logs of the teacher. The system already registered his visit to the mech bay today.

    The Battle ss is given special privileges, that is why they can look at who will do what. Your punishment entry disabled the bots responsible for cleaning. It will all fall over his shoulders.¡± she sighed after this and said to the people in the ss. The system in her mouth was aputer system that recorded all the major highlights of the day.

    A teacher will enter all the major things they did during the day, such as punishing the students, any good talents discovered, test scores, etc. This system will then make adjustments to the rest of the school equipment based on these details. such as switching off the bots responsible for cleaning the Mech Bay in the school.

    The motive was to make sure that the students follow the punishments and also keep a track of their growth and such. However, this system also became the bane for those who were not strong enough, when used by those who sought glory in bullying the weak.

    ¡°Guys, now that we have already jumped on the train to see things through together, then let us go and help them dimwit clean Mech Bay together?¡± she implored the people.

    Jane was the ss beauty and she could have the guys in the ss do her bidding like a queen but she was a righteousdy. This made the people follow her even more. Tim was only the ss rep because of his strength. The technology branch could be seen as the diamond covered in the dust. The students here had good academic and moral values. The overall unity was good too, the only thing that did not favor them was their strength.

    The federation was a ce where being weak gave you a few privileges like exemption from war, monthly free ration, free medical treatment, but this all came at the cost of humiliation by those who were strong. Humans acknowledged their weakness, but they did not wish to be looked down upon and be humiliated. They were not made the same, so why could someone else look down upon them?

    Not every strong man was as such. Yet good and bad were all sides of the same coin. The strong were the rulers and the weak were the victims. That was the truth of the Terran civilization. Yes, the reason still exists but that is only valid if you have the capital that can make you be heard.

    The technology branch students all reached the Mech Bay with Rosa. They found Shi Lang tying up two wash brushes on his feet and skating on the floor to clean it. Jane looked down and found that the floor was all sprinkled with detergent water.

    The people all sighed when they saw the boy having fun and walked over to join him. Shi Lang waved and smiled at all of them as he taught them how to use his method. This was the reason he was favored by all. He could make tedious things seem funny. Rosa finally found out why the ss was unlike other batches. She might have noticed this earlier but acknowledged it today only.

    She found that this weakest link of the chain to be the one holding the chain together. Ever since she had joined the school, she had seen how the ss would pull it together in times where others would be panicking. Shi Lang, despite his weak physical strength, was the topper of the ss. He did well in sports as well.

    Terrans liked their sports without any spices. They had categories divided by star levels. Shi Lang was one star, but he excelled at his level. He would teach all his ssmates what he had learned and help them to the best of his capabilities. He would also y peacemaker if any disputes urred.

    The ss had always been a team. They were putting an effort into cleaning the mech bay and also facing the battle ss with all they had. Rosa was very happy watching their team effort. The weak can be strong. So strong that they can uproot mountains.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5 (Mech)

    Tim and Lucas had taken a ride on the monorail toe to a ce called Rust Sector. This ce was a dump yard of the city. The official name was Sector 09. Lucas had a distant rtive who worked here in the dump yard security. The things thrown here were not needed by anyone, so you can pay the guards and buy the junk if you can find anything usable.

    This trade was legally acknowledged by the Federation government. The sry of the security staff was not high, so this can help them make some extra bucks. Someone¡¯s trash is someone¡¯s treasure.

    Lucas and Tim got off the monorail and while discussing what sort of mech they should look for, they put on two see-through air purification masks on their faces. This ce had a terrible stench. It was a dump yard, after all. Since they could not let the junk umte into piles, they had an incinerator ced here. This cleaner was the reason for the stench.

    After walking out of the station, the two boys came to the entrance of the dump yard. Lucas said to the guy on the security door, ¡°I need to find Jacob Ashburn. Can you tell me where he might be?¡±

    The entry process was easy. Just show your ID, let it be recorded in the system and you can waltz until you disturb the work process. The security guard told them where they could locate the said person.

    Inside the dump yard, things were not as chaotic and messy as the people would expect them to be. Every junk had a specific type, and they were all segregated. The dump yard spanned over two kilometers. Lucas and Tim took a look at the few things on their way and bought them after haggling down the price.

    After half an hour they finally found the person they were looking for. The security personnel were not allowed to use phones on duty, to keep them sharp. Jacob Ashburn, grey hair and a fat body. He was a two-star Terran. Lucas came up to him and said, ¡°Yo, Jake.¡±

    Jacob was scrubbing the rust off a motor. Hearing the voice, he raised his head and said with a surprised expression, ¡°Yo, Luke, what wing blew you, an SMA student here?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°I will tell you about it, first meet my ssmate and ss Representative, Tim Hallworth. He is a three-star Terran, just so you know.¡± This was more like a threat than an introduction.

    He was deterring the fat man from giving them some ck and keeping things clean. Jacob gave up the motor as he stood up and rubbed his hand off his grey shirt, and extended his hand toward Tim.

    Thetter shook it with no disdain. He may be putting up a high stance now but he was also from a normal household. Lucas said, ¡°We want to buy an operating mech. You have one?¡±

    Jacob¡¯s eyes turned into the symbol of units as soon as he heard this. He nodded heavily and said, ¡°We have three units that are working at the moment. Youe with me, I show you. But know that the price will not be cheap. They are all fresh.¡±

    Lucas nodded and followed him deep inside the dump yard with Tim. The security guards here were responsible for guarding the piles of different sorts of junk. The situation wasx. Jacob led them to a ce where an old man was responsible for guarding the junk.

    The old man sat in a chair and behind him stood the mechs, all nine feet high. Their condition was not good at a nce, but the price was a hundred times lower than a new mech. Jacob said to the old man, ¡°Chief, they want to buy a mech.¡±

    The old man looked at the two boys. He saw their uniforms and asked, ¡°What branch student are you guys?¡±

    Tim replied, ¡°Technology Department, Sir.¡± He replied crisply because he could guess that this old man was once in the army. His eyes were enough to tell him that. No matter how minimal your role was with the war front, you experience things that change your gaze.

    The old man nodded, and said, ¡°You want a unit or salvage?¡±

    Lucas asked respectfully, ¡°Sir, what will be the price if we salvage?¡±

    ¡°You guys do not seem to be wealthy. I will give you a straight price. No haggling. Twelve Thousand Units. If you ept, you can salvage, but if you do not, then take any one of them for eight thousand units.¡± said the old man calmly.

    Lucas and Tim exchanged a nce and nodded. Tim agreed with the price. After they made a safe wireless transfer, they salvaged the three mechs. The Mechs they had dumped here were all civilian use Mechs.

    After salvaging, they found one with an almost mint chassis. The rest were dismantled for all the usable parts, like legs and internal parts. The cockpit was also an important part, so the two people took apart every inch of the three mechs.

    It took them almost the whole day toplete the task, but they did not give up. The dump yard had given them the tools they needed. After three Mechs have turned into a pile of parts, they arrange for them to be carried away. Tim and Lucas stayed in the school dorms. They came back with arge truck and called Rosa over to help them with the formalities.

    She had assigned a collective ss project to the ss, which was to refurbish a mech. This was a bogus project, but it was approved by the higher management. The guards did not ask much and let them get in. Shi Lang had gone home by the time they hade back. Rosa said to the two students, ¡°I have arranged for a corner of the Mech bay to be used by our ss. You can get the stuff unloaded there.¡±

    Lucas nodded, and they moved the truck inside. They saw Jane standing in front of the Mech Bay. The girl did not wait for them to ask anything. She said, ¡°We are not putting stuff inside before someone talks to the Battle Bastards. They will trouble us again. At best we will have to work outside, here. If anyone asks why we are outside, tell them that the Battle ss will be disturbed. How?¡±

    Tim raised his thumb and said, ¡°Sometimes I think I am useless.¡±

    Lucas sighed and said, ¡°You finally realized that you are just the mascot. The real yer is ourdy here.¡±

    Jane said, ¡°Who is yourdy? Get to work, plebeians. Her Highness has to catch up on her beauty sleep before tomorrow¡¯sbor. Humph.¡±

    Her words made the three peopleugh. After the stuff was dumped. They covered it with a sheet to prevent it from getting wet in case it rained. As they all came to sleep in their dorms, they waited for the sun to rise with anticipation in their eyes.

 Chapter 6

    While everyone was sleeping with anticipation for the next day. Shi Lang was gazing at the ceiling of his room. His house was a simple two-bedroom apartment, with one room upied by his parents and the other one was his. They weren¡¯t rich, but the house was clean and well maintained.

    The room consisted of a bed that was next to a window. Along with it was a small study table that had a few books and amp on it. Right above the table was a shelf that held trophies momentous Shi Lang won in his academics.

    The upant of the room himself was lying on the bed, wearing a lower on his lower body, but the torso was exposed to the pale moonlight pouring from the window. Even though it was dark, it was easily visible that his chest was covered with a bruise. The weather in the city was pleasant all year round, and a light breeze blew at night.

    His body was covered in sweat. As the breeze blew in from the window, he shivered. Earlier, in the evening when he was cleaning the mech bay, he did not use his hands. He was told by his ssmates that they all nned to topple the Battle ss in practical exams. He was surprised, but he did not falter. Shi Lang supported the people in their decision and volunteered for anything that he could do.

    Aftering home, he got a message from his parents that they will be working overtime, so he consumed a pack of instant noodles. Due to the medication prescribed by the doctor at the school, he slowly drifted into thend of slumber. As he slept, he dreamed of a scene from his past.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood over a cliff as he gazed down at the wide horizon in front of him. The sky was clear and a cool breeze caressed his long hair and handsome face. He sighed and mumbled, ¡°A good scenery, indeed.¡±

    He seemed to be a young man in histe twenties, with a physique simr to what he had now. His hair was long, and he wore an ancient white hanfu. This was Shi Lang in his previous life.

    He was a loose cultivator, who was just one step away from ascending to the realm of immortals. The current scene was the moment just before his tribtion came. Shi Lang did not know how many years it had been since he had set out on the path of cultivation. He had reached this level with his hard work, faced betrayals, massacred people.

    Shi Lang fell into the category of people who were neither good nor bad. He did not falter or let himself fly when he achieved something. As soon as he finished admiring the scenery in front of him, a lot of dark clouds gathered in the sky. Heavenly lightning swarmed in the shroud of darkness.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang sensed something odd. He ignored the clouds and looked at the horizon once again. To ascend, he needed the spiritual energy of the world and to resist the tribtion. However, as soon as he started gathering the energy, the world around him began to die.

    Shi Lang was shocked to see this, but soon he realized what was going on. A bitter smile surfaced on his face as he mumbled, ¡°Such a heavy choice?¡±

    At this moment, if he resisted the tribtion with the spiritual energy, his home, the world will die and life on the will wither away as well. If he does not resist, then the lightning will kill him. Shi Lang closed his eyes and sighed, ¡°Whatever.¡±

    As soon as the sigh escaped his mouth, the lightning fell and hit him. Shi Lang did not resist the lightning. He chose his home and the people residing in it above himself. He did not wish for his deed to be known, nor did he want any glory. He just turned into a mound of ash, scattered along the horizon he was enjoying.

    Shi Lang always wished to leave no regrets in his heart and that is what he did. Leaving the world with no regrets in his heart. He had lived for a time too long and seen enough.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang gazed at the ceiling and mumbled, ¡°It has been a while since I dreamt of this.¡± subconsciously his hand was ced on his chest as if looking for something.

    Just above his heart, a ck triangle-shaped tattoo appeared out of nowhere. The tattoo had been in the same spot in his previous life and it seemed to have followed him in this life. This tattoo was the spiritual space where a treasure was stored. Sensing his thoughts, the tattoo turned to a rectangle and an oval stone appeared in his hand.

    Shi Lang sighed and asked, ¡°What are you?¡±

    The boy never knew what this stone was, even in his previous life. He only kept it because it looked pretty. The stone had a scaly texture to it and a radiance that seemed to grow very slowly. After pondering over what the stone could be, he put it back on his chest, letting it disappear in the spiritual space.

    The world lost its spiritual energy to support a cultivator, but it still allowed small operations. Putting his thoughts away, Shi Lang went back to sleep. He did not wish to be the strongest, but he wished to live a life with no regrets.

    However, for some reason, his strength in this life became his biggest regret. He fell asleep with his mind pondering over how to grow strong enough so that he could not be burdened in his heart.

    ¡­

    The night passed by in a blink, and Shi Lang woke up to the rm on his phone. His parents had note back home all night. This was the usual routine. They will work overtime at least twice a week. The boy freshened up, got dressed to go to school.

    The bruise on his chest has lightened a lot. He grabbed a pack of meat buns from the monorail station for breakfast. Today Shi Lang was notte. Whenever he dreamt of hisst moments in the previous life, he would be agitated and restless. However, until now, it did not pinch him. As he sat on a seat gazing outside at the scenery flickering at a high speed, he thought, if the way he is living now is the correct one.

    He had been a proud man who almost transcended mortal shackles, a man who gave up everything in just one moment, yet he never had regrets. Ever since he was reincarnated, he thought of living a normal life, but now it seems that normal life was not without regrets. He has been to the top, the strongest, but now he sought a life with no regrets.

    Thinking about it a smile surfaced on his face. The chance was in front of him, all he needed to do was to grasp it. His aura suddenly changed, from a face in the crowd to a light shining in the dark. A lot of people in the monorail gave him a second look but could not spot what was different about this boy.

    Shi Lang arrived at the school gates and went in at a calm pace. When he arrived at his ss, he found nobody was present there. He was surprised, and suddenly his phone rang. The phone has now be a pen. He clicked to receive the call and Lucas informed him toe to the Mech Bay.

    Shi Lang was aware that they were going to get a Mech, but this efficiency shocked him. He made his way to the Mech Bay and found that the situation was not very merry as he had expected it to be. The technology ss was standing next to a pile of parts and in front of them stood the Battle ss. He sighed and walked over to his ssmate. Upon asking, he discovered that these guys were not doing anything but staring at them for the past ten minutes.

    Their stare was intimidating enough. He came to the front and said to Tim, ¡°How about I talk to them?¡±

    Tim did not know where this guy hit his head and became so confident, and before he could even react, Shi Lang gave him a nod and walked over to the battle ss. Lucas hurriedly followed him.

    The distance between the two groups was not more than ten meters. Shi Lang came and stood three meters away from Jenkins Edwards. He bowed slightly and said, ¡°Good Morning to you, Council Chief Edwards.¡±

    Jenkins Edwards, the first student in the battle ss, and head of the student council. Jenkins nodded and asked, ¡°What is going on? Why has your department dumped the trash here?¡±

    Shi Lang replied calmly with his eyes looking down, ¡°We were given a project by the headteacher to refurbish a Mech from spare parts. These parts are for that only.¡±

    Jenkins raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Meaning, you will be upying the Mech Bay?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°The outside is fine, Council Head. However, we might require some of your valuable output, such as your experience in the cockpit and things you dislike inside a mech. We hope you can guide us.¡±

    Jenkins had an indifferent expression on his face. He said, ¡°We will see if we have enough time. Try to keep the voice low. I do not wish to be disturbed.¡±

    Shi Lang bowed to him and so did Lucas as they said, ¡°Thank You.¡± in one voice. Jenkins nodded and left the ce with his ss.

    After they went inside, did Lucas ask his best friend in a low voice, ¡°What was that?¡±

    He did not understand why Shi Lang said all that and what was even more, it all worked well. How could Shi Lang tell him that coaxing these kids to do what he wanted was easier than pleasing someone in his old life? He only said, ¡°Nothing else matters but the oue. Let us go. We have a lot to do.¡±

    Indeed, the technology branch setting out to fight the Battle ss was an oue of thetter¡¯s tyranny. That was all that mattered, and it was time things changed.

 Chapter 7

    Shi Lang came back to the rest of the ss and, under everyone¡¯s surprised gazes, he could not help but stagnate. He sighed and said, ¡°We cannot win without scheming.¡±

    The people came to understand at once what his meaning was with just one sentence. Jane did not point it out, but unlike in the past, Shi Lang did not wait to be reeled in by the battle ss. He was brown-nosing the face of the battle ss and having him think that he was doing everything ording to what the other party may want.

    The people all sensed that Shi Lang had changed a little. They began to work with the parts by segregating them from the load first.

    ¡­

    As the technology ss worked outside, the battle ss was busy practicing with the mech. A guy with grey hair stood with Jenkins and asked, ¡°Why do I think something was fishy with the way the nerd acted just now?¡±

    Jenkins Edwards nodded. He deserved to be the first student of the course. His IQ was not low as he said, ¡°He was brown-nosing me. So that I do not make them leave. These guys only have theoretical exams, and this little project of theirs must be important. I hit that guy yesterday. He must have been in a lot of pain, so he came over asking for permission.

    The fishy thing you spotted was his calmness, right?¡±

    The guy nodded, Jenkins Edwards smirked and said, ¡°In the past one month, that guy has suffered humiliation for his mistakes more than a couple of times, so he has be trained. Like a little puppy back at home. You reward it for being good, punish it for being out of discipline. Gradually the puppy bes calm and well behaved, it will please you, just like that guy outside.¡±

    His arrogance had risen to this level that he thought he was designing against an eons-old monster. If Shi Lang was to know this, he would be happy with this and say, ¡°Whatever rocks your socks.¡±

    ¡­

    The sky had slight clouds, giving the people some shade. Shi Lang said, ¡°We should erect a big rain cover at twelve feet. What do you think?¡±

    Tim nodded and said, ¡°You focus on the design, I will handle this with the guys.¡± He was not good at the delicate stuff, so took over the manualbor tasks.

    Lucas was the same as him. Jane stood beside Shi Lang and said, ¡°So what sort of Mech do you have in mind?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Well, not a conventional one. The design limit is too much. The human body is not the pinnacle of strength, you know.¡±

    Jane nodded and said, ¡°You wish to design something like that dynamic exoskeleton of yours?¡¯

    The dynamic exoskeleton was something designed by Shi Lang in a science fair organized by the school, and the design was appreciated by the visitors a lot. Jenkins Edwards ssified it as ugly and the project never received any school rmendations. The line of ideas behind that project was to have the elements of nature incorporated with machines.

    Shi Lang made a set of exoskeleton legs, based on the fastest two-legged creature in the world, the ostrich. The functionality of the legs was very simple. Converting the weight of the user into kic energy. The speed of the user increased exponentially twice.

    That model could have made it big, but some people did not like the idea of having an ugly tool to aid their glorious selves. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°We can keep the body as light as possible, reverse joint legs, simr to the exoskeleton legs. This will give users better agility in the obstacle race¡­¡±

    He kept on talking while Jane took down the notes. The parts were all segregated by the rest of the ss and the rain covers were also set. When the ss regrouped after a couple of hours, they spotted the basic design blueprint in Shi Lang¡¯s hand.

    The blueprint was drawn on holographic software on his phone. As the technology team was discussing the ideas and suggesting more ideas to Shi Lang, a deep voice surprised them all, ¡°Good design.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest looked at the source and found an old man wearing a military uniform gazing at them with a scoring gaze. They all stood up and greeted, ¡°Good morning, instructor Tyson.¡±

    Tyson was a man who had once taught army recruits. He was a mech expert and was also one of the people who pressed the ingenuity of the exoskeleton designed back then. He believed that the task of a machine was to enhance a human¡¯s performance and eliminate the limits. Too bad. Not many people followed this line of thought.

    The old man nodded and said, ¡°Keep Going, if you need any tools, you can get them from the Mech Bay. Use my set, I authorize you. I look forward to your Mech.¡±

    His words helped boost the morale of the people a lot and they all bowed to him in gratitude. Shi Lang said, ¡°Let us get started. Um, start with the inner frame first.¡±

    A Mech had three main parts, an inner frame to hold the body together, outer armor, an engine, and the rest ounted forputers and the electronic nervous system. It may seem like a handful of parts, but even the simplest joint needed twelve things connected.

    The ss divided tasks among themselves, based on their strong suits. Shi Lang was in charge of supervising and aiding the people, as he could not do much heavy lifting, anyway. His chest will take at least three more days. Just in time to test the new Mech they made and refine it.

    Every time the ss worked, they would stay connected with each other. Shi Lang suddenly stood up and said to Jane, ¡°I will go inside and extract information.¡±

    He intended to have the battle ss students teach him the basic stuff. They all were almost full-fledged Mech Pilots, so their experiences will help him a lot in understanding the calibration of the controls. This way his time efficiency in understanding the Mech will lower, improving his performance.

    Everything in life came down to fate¡¯s design. Shi Lang was designing, not only the Mech, but also a path from between a garden of thorny bushes. While the Battle ss was thinking that it was their design to train the weaker people into their loyal followers that wereing to bear fruit.

    Shi Lang walked inside the mech bay, located Jenkins Edwards, who wasing down from adder, seemingly finished his training. He walked over and waited patiently for thetter to look at him. Jenkins asked, ¡°What do you need?¡±

    His words sounded generous, but the irritation in his eyes fed people the bitter reality. He did not like talking to people during his training. He was quite dedicated apart from being a scum. Shi Lang said, ¡°Council head, I needed to collect some input from the maintenance staff. We only have theoretical knowledge andck experience. So, I came to ask for your permission.¡±

    This was Shi Lang¡¯s hard and soft. Giving Jenkins an idea of being the supreme one. Thetter nodded and Shi Lang left after a bow.

    The grey-haired boy came down from his mech and asked, ¡°I thought he had be independent in the morning.¡±

    Jenkins scoffed and said, ¡°Treat a dog good and it will ask you for everything, even shit, thinking that it is we are following their wish. Their request was just like that. Let us go, we have other things to do.¡±

    ¡­

    How could Shi Lang not know what Jenkins thought of him and his ss? He did not bother with it. To him, the battle ss was a whetting stone. A stone that he designed against and let it make himself sharper. With a sneer in his heart, Shi Lang talked to the staff members and asked a lot of questions. The staff also liked the technology branch as they were once a part of the same branch, so they answered everything clearly and concisely.

 Chapter 8

    Shi Lang was taking tips from a few staff members, some of them even generously offered to teach them after their shifts. The boy gratefully epted their offer. After an hour, he came back and found the ss standing like puppets.

    He followed their gazes and found that Jane was dragging a big frame piece that looked like a leg. He hurriedly rushed over and asked, ¡°What are you doing, Jane? Stop. You will damage the frame.¡±

    Jane stopped and said, ¡°These guys were not able to decide what they should start building first, so after discussion, I dragged this out. Now we will start building the mech from down to up.¡± with a smile on her face.

    Shi Lang turned to face the guys, and they all lowered their heads in shame. Jane was the tech student, but she was good at sitting behind theputer and not physicalbor. They did not expect her to do this.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°If you guys do not mind, then I would like to distribute your tasks. We do this in rotation. Tim, you and Lucas will be responsible for cleaning for the first round. Second Jake, and Aron¡­.¡±

    Following that, he gave the physical tasks to the boys in the ss. The parts were damaged from the wear and tear. They also umted some dust in the dump yard. Some minor damage was to be fixed before the parts could be ced inside a proper Mech.

    Then he asked the girls to take out a bench and use theputer system to use the automated design assembly software to help them keep track of things. This software will help them with following the design they havee up with. He asked the rest of the girls to brainstorm if they could improve the functions withoutpromising the quality.

    The people all agreed with the tasks and they began to work. Shi Lang was not allowed to do heavybor, so he was supervising the people. The stronger you are the faster you heal. He would take a week topletely recover from his injury. Otherwise, a normal human could have died from that kick.

    The people changed shifts every couple of hours. Only Shi Lang was the one who had yet to take a break after four rotations. He was standing the whole eight hours and guided the ssmates. He meticulously checked every refurbished part.

    The old instructor Tyson watched all this from inside the Mech Bay and nodded in appreciation. It has been a long time since he has spotted such a hard-working student. It was not that he was impressed with Shi Lang standing for eight hours, but he appreciated his patience with his ssmates, how he carefully and cautiously checked everything.

    If he knew that this guy was an old relic and not a normal young teenager, then he would topple his workbench in shock or might have a cardiac arrest. Well, the battle ss students were tired and left without paying much attention to the technological ss.

    Some scoffed in silence, a whole day and they have not even assembled the basic shape so they thought this was not going to be anywhere. Shi Lang did not bother with these people when it was sunset, and the school was about to close. Only then did he go back home.

    They did not bother with the parts being safe. Tyson arranged for the guard to give special attention to the parts. Shi Lang came home, had dinner with his parents, and went to sleep right away.

    He was exhausted from all the standing and moving, but he did not tell people. His parents did not ask him anything as well. They were aware that he was weaker than the people and with the examsing close, he must have been working hard, so being tired was fine.

    The next day, Shi Lang woke up and after getting ready, he ate the breakfast his mother made, and with thest bite in his mouth, he ran out. He reached in time and directly began to set the tasks for the people for the day. Today they finally began to assemble the mech.

    The girls hade up with some suggestions. Shi Lang and the rest discussed and then decided to ask the staff of the Mech Bay, today Battle ss did not have Mech pilot lessons so they helped Shi Lang without any problems. The progress was good and the help from the experienced people was the key part here.

    It took them two days to assemble the frame and then two more days to put the parts into ce and finally on the sixth day, they finally created the mech. It had an ugly look, but Shi Lang personally took over the painting to change the ugly looks. It was as if the whole machine was exchanged.

    Jane and the girls did not expect the ck and white contrast to turn the ugly mech into what looked like a domineering machine. The height of this mech was 9 feet. The body did not look like the standard mech.

    The standard mechs all had an appearance that was close to human beings. However, this mech was peculiar. The legs were reverse joints, the arms did not have ws but were either. The arms were designed in such a way that they could change between various weapons in the minimum time. The cockpit was also a spherical cabin that was meticulously designed to reduce drag and also had a better bullet deflection surface.

    Tyson could not help but praise the technological branch more than he saw this. The ingenuity of the design made him pleased. The body was very not bulky but slender and the curves were eye-pleasing. Tyson circled the mech and asked Shi Lang, ¡°Kid, what is the idea of those steel braids at the back of the head?¡±

    The mech had a lot of steel wires braided together, protruding from the back of the head. Shi Lang said, ¡°Those have two uses. One, they are to counterbnce the mech when it changes to different weapons, the second, well, that is a surprise forter.¡±

    Tyson saw a mysterious smile on his face and asked in a low voice, ¡°You n to take on Mech battles?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to him as he said, ¡°It has been a long time, Sir. They need to know that we are all Terran.¡±

    Tyson was familiar with the sentiment and nodded. He wished them luck and left. The Battle ss never thought much of this ¡®egg¡¯. They named the mech, Egg, because of the design. Shi Lang spent the night in school as a guest. He shared his room with Lucas.

    The students of the battle ss were all happy with the build. They were rejoicing in their moment of aplishment. The parts were all not handmade. The girls used an industrial three-dimensional printer for this. The armor coating on the mech was all molded in the three-dimensional printer. The oue was quality and precision.

    They were students who have never done something like this. They were taught how to maintain a Mech, but creating one was never done by students in history. Rosa Blues came forward and registered for their work in the Terran Mech Certification Organization.

    The Mech was odd in design, but it passed all the criteria of a mech. However, how can everything go so smoothly? In the wee hours, the technology branch was all gathered in the infirmary. They were informed by Rosa.

    She received a call from the infirmary that the patrol guards found two of her students near the washroom, and they were both injured seriously. She called over the rest of the ss immediately. The two students had their arms fractured and their jaws dislocated. The doctor said that it is done with the same method. People of the technology branch were all two-star Terrans, except Shi Lang.

    Rosa pulled out the surveince, and they found a grey-haired boy moving away as he avoided the CCTV. Everyone knew that this guy was a person from the battle ss, but they did not have any evidence and thus could only grit their teeth.

    Upon waking up, the two students told everyone that they were discussing the mech they made. Suddenly the battle ss guy came in. They did not say anything, but the guy deliberately started to humiliate them. Calling them chickens who made eggs. They were angry but held back and the guy looked at their expressions and picked up the fight.

    The dorms of the two sses were in the same building, the battle ss was on the left side, while the technology ss was on the right. They ¡®shared¡¯ themon area and washrooms. Shi Lang heard the ount and was angry. Just because he was a sunny guy did not mean he would allow people to walk over his face.

    He left the infirmary and came to the dorm room. He did find Jenkins and his croniesing out of the building but ignored them like they were wind. This irked the battle ss, however, they could not act in the open. The warden of the dorms was right there in front of them. The school did not mindpetition in the shadows, but if they were excessive in the open, they would have to pay the price.

    Shi Lang came back to calm down his rage. He was not a person to lose his mind easily, but the pressure kept building up, and if he did not find a way to vent. Then he willmit some actions that might regret forever.

 Chapter 9

    Shi Lang sat inside the room and began to meditate. His mind was flooded with rage. He was not as helpless as it looked like. As a cultivator, just one treasure was not the only thing that had followed him in this life. He could have easily assassinated the whole battle ss had he wished it to be.

    However, he was not such a person. The more he tried to calm himself, the more agitated he became. The situation worsened so much that a trace of blood leaked out from the corner of his lips. However, he did not bother with it. The only way for him to fairly deal with this was to increase his strength.

    The strength of a Terran came from the core. It was akin to spiritual cultivation, but not quite exact. A terran¡¯s strength came from the depth of their blood. The predecessors of the Terrans had all taken gene evolution serums and external means. The result was a generation that did not need any external help to exceed human standards. As generations came, the effects became even stronger.

    Theter generations discovered that the strength of a Terran can be evolved further by unlocking the gene locks. They did not need to consume anything but temper their bodies. The more they temper their bodies, the more their gene chain purifies, enhancing their prowess. However, not everyone was the same.

    Different people needed different degrees of tempering. The more potent the effect of the gene serum in the predecessor, the better the future generation. Shi Lang¡¯s ancestors in this life were not rich people, but they received basic gene evolution serums and the follow-up result was him.

    The degree of tempering he needed was ten times that of Jenkins Edwards. However, tempering also came at a price that he could not afford. This was the reason he was so weak, and at this moment, this helplessness was what he hated.

    As Shi Lang was trying toe up with some solution, the drop of his blood sold down his throat and was about to the fabric on his shirt when he sensed a strong tremoring from his spirit storage tattoo.

    The boy was surprised to sense this tremor. He had only one treasure. He calmed down and called Lucas.

    He asked as soon as the call connected, ¡°How are things there?¡±

    Lucas replied, ¡°They are yet to be discharged, so everyone is here. What happened to you? Left all of a sudden.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Just frustrated. I will go to bed. So, I will lock the door.¡±

    Lucas nodded and said, ¡°It is okay, I will hog at Tim¡¯s.¡±

    The two disconnected after a short dialog. The reason he did this was that he did not want his friend to walk in and find him in some unexinable situation. He had never used that treasure, so he did not know what might happen.

    He took off his shirt and interacted with the spirit storage tattoo. The stone egg appeared in his right hand as the tattoo turned to a rectangle. Shi Lang nced at the stone egg in his hand and said, ¡°I am the most useless cultivator ever.¡±

    Then he rubbed his left thumb on the trail of blood and then rubbed the thick blood on the surface of the stone egg. He mumbled the earlier sentence because he had never dripped his blood on the stone egg. In any of his lives. Thest time it worked was not exinable by him.

    As soon as he rubbed the blood on the stone egg, it started to tremble. Shi Lang sensed something and let go of the egg. The treasure did not fall to the ground, but levitated in the void. The scaly texture on the egg moved. It was like a lockerbination dial. All the scale-rings turned and after a while, they stopped with a click.

    Shi Lang saw that all the scales were aligned together. The egg split open from the middle, revealing three gem-like round pills inside. A strong fragrance hit Shi Lang¡¯s nostrils, making his blood agitated. His face turned red with a blush.

    He eximed, ¡°Fucking, Spirit pills.¡±

    Spirit pills were medicines developed in the era of spiritual cultivation. The material used to refine these pills was heavenly natural treasures. He never expected to witness a spirit pill ever again. He scolded himself. If only he had known earlier.

    Three spirit pills all had different colors. Shi Lang picked the first one. This pill was grey, but like a marble of liquid ink, shining. The spirit pills were high grade, all had their own spirits and transferred Shi Lang to the details.

    ¡®Nirvana resurrection pill, even if the body is destroyed, it can reincarnate the soul of the bearer once.¡¯

    As soon as this strand of information was transmitted to Shi Lang. The pill in his palm turned to dust. The boy was surprised but recalling how he came back to life. He figured that this pill was already used by him indirectly.

    He was not let down with this. After all, the pill saved him. He blew away the dust in his palm and picked up a red pill from the stone egg. The information was poured into his mind almost instantly.

    ¡®Dragon Spear, once taken, the consumer can battle nine days and nine nights nonstop. No side effects on kidneys, though might lose mental bnce.¡¯

    Shi Lang almost did not throw the pill off. Turned out this high-level pill was an aphrodisiac. Turned out the earlier agitation of blood was because of this. He shook his head at this. Imagine such a high-level alchemist. Would it be to refine such a pill? He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°You be the moment ofst life.¡±

    He ced the pill back in the stone egg, letting it float like before. Thest pill was crystal clear. It did not give off any smell. He sighed and picked up the pill with no expectation in his heart. The information came to his mind. He almost yelled out like a monster.

    ¡®Heavenly Marrow Washing Pill. Can clear the bloodline of impurities permanently, enhancing bloodline talent by ten times.¡¯

    Shi Lang smiled and mumbled, ¡°Battle Star Jenkins Edwards, your reignes to an end.¡±

    He did not even think twice. With a wave of his hand the stone egg closed and locked itself again. Then it flew back inside his chest. Shi Lang gulped the pill in an instant. The pill melted in his mouth and a warm fluid was sensed flowing down to his stomach.

    Shi Lang took off his clothes as he sat in the middle of the room and turned off the lights. The window of the room was open, but no one could see it from the outside. His body began to heat up. Slowly, he felt as if millions of ants were crawling over his body. However, he could sense that his blood was being cleansed.

    If someone was to ask Shi Lang, was it really going to improve ten times? He would have replied, the one who made this pill underestimated the effect, as for by what degree? He did not know. His body was being cleansed, and it was estimated that the process willst the whole night.

    Shi Lang looked forward to the morning toe.

 Chapter 10

    Shi Lang sat on the floor the whole night with his legs folded under his body. His body was heating up from the effect of the pill taken. After a certain point, it became unbearably painful, yet he gritted his teeth and waited for the process to finish.

    As a cultivator in his previous life, he was aware that the more he endured, the better the oue will be. The time flew by and his body began to secrete all the impurities inside his bloodline from his pores in the form of a ck, oily substance.

    This was just the beginning. Soon the oily substance became thicker, and it even had traces of blood inside it. Shi Lang was going through a lot of pain but he has been tempering his body for a long time. As for his will, it was tempered for two lifetimes. The tenacity he had was not something others couldpare to.

    Shi Lang endured the pain with a firm determination to defeat the battle ss. However, he was afraid of something as well. Jenkins Edwards was not from an ordinary household and had a shallow mindset. If he did something to his parents or dear ones to avenge his defeat. How will he handle that?

    He was not worried about him being taken on. He wished if something was going to happen, then it should happen to him only, and if Jenkins came at him head-on, then he was confident in taking him down. That said, Shi Lang began to focus on driving the energy from the pill in his body.

    The blood circted his body, through every single capiry, cleaning and nurturing his cells. He sensed a strong force erupting from within him. Never has Shi Lang sensed something like this since his early days of cultivation.

    Soon the impure blood began to dry on his skin. The pores of his body, all closed to the original state, to prevent the impurities from settling back in. The heat in his body faded slowly. Shi Lang was aware that the process of purification had ended.

    He opened his eyes and tried to stand up. He could hear the subtle crackling sounds from deep within his body. His muscles were packed with explosive strength, ready to erupt. As he stretched his hand, the scabbed dry oil and blood substances fell off his body. It was like a butterfly shedding cocoon, or a bird breaking the eggshell.

    After shedding this cocoon, Shi Lang will start anew. He walked in front of a mirror on the walk, to help students dress up properly, and his gaze fell on his body. The changes were obvious and Shi Lang knew full well that his strength had taken a big leap.

    He put on his clothes. Lucas lived in a very messy manner. His room would have snack wrappings spread all over the floor. Who knew these wrappings will help him cover his trails? He collected the scabs in the leftover instant noodle wrappings. The dried blood and impurities did not give much stench, but it was not pleasing. The collected trash was dumped inside a dustbin in the room.

    Then he took a set of spare toiletries from Lucas¡¯s cupboard and walked to themon bathroom. Although he was not dirty, he still wanted to freshen up. As he walked, he spotted the backs of the battle ss students. These guys were arrogant, but they all had discipline as well. They would spend nights inside the gravity chamber, tempering themselves.

    Shi Lang ignored them and went to themon bathroom to freshen up. By the time he came out, faint activity was noticeable in the corridors. Today was the day forprehensive exams. They will all have to take a written paper, with a time limit of two hours. Then after thirty minutes, they will have a strength test to check their physical improvements.

    Then in the evening, they will have a simted group battle. Shi Lang came back to the room and happened to meet Lucas, who was standing outside the room. Thetter gazed at Shi Lang with confusion on his face.

    Shi Lang did not bother with it and opened the door of the room with Lucas¡¯s key card. Lucas reacted and asked, ¡°Excuse me, ssmate, may I ask, where did Shi Lang go?¡±

    Shi Lang turned to him in surprise and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°I left my key card to Shi Lang, but now it is in your hand. So, did he leave you the card?¡±

    ¡°Oye, Lucas, wake up already. I am Shi Lang. What is wrong with your brain?¡± replied Shi Lang.

    Lucas did not hear his ears. He shook his head like a rattle and used his fingers to pick his ears and asked, ¡°For real?¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Yes, for real, bean head.¡±

    Lucas covered his mouth with his hand and said, ¡°How, when, wait,st night, you came back early. That was when you breakthrough?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Go get ready, I will make a trip to the gym, I need to grasp the strengthpletely.¡±

    With that said, he tossed the key card to Lucas and went outside. The gym was equipped with all thetest pieces of equipment one needed to train. At this hour, the battle ss students would not be there. They have just finished the gravity room tempering. Despite being strength seeking narrow-minded maniacs, these guys also needed rest.

    Shi Lang arrived at the gym and found it empty, as he expected. He was wearing a ck tracksuit from Lucas¡¯s wardrobe. The first thing he did was to take off his jacket. Inside the tracksuit, he wore a grey vest. His arms looked as if they were chiseled. Shi Lang has a physique that cannot be judged until he takes off his clothes.

    Even as a one-star Terran. His physique was not too shabby, the muscles were always taut and firm. He did some warm-up routines and then came to stand in front of a pir. This pir had padding wrapped around it.

    This was a pressure-sensitive pir used by the students to test their strengths. Shi Lang took a standard boxing stance and, with a deep breath, he started to rain down punches over the pir. He did not unleash his whole strength from the get-go. It gradually increased.

    As his power increased, his movements became rxed. The more he punched, the more concentrated he became. However, his awareness also increased a lot. He could sense everything that was happening around him. As he progressed, his movements changed as well.

    He began to use his elbows and kicks. The impact of his strength caused muffled booms to echo in the gym. He did not look at the screen that indicated his strength, but focused on hitting the pir in front of him. Soon, he was able to hear a slight ¡®whiz¡¯ as he punched.

    It was his fists cutting through the wind to hit the target, thepact his movements became the harder the impact. Shi Lang was rediscovering all the fighting skills he had gained in his previous life. He may not have been the most powerful back then, but now he had the memory that was more lethal than his strength.

    Shi Lang suddenly stopped in his movements and said, ¡°I can sense you, please show yourself.¡±

    It seemed at first that he was talking to the air, then he turned his head and gazed at the entrance. Normal people would have thought that he was crazy. However, a graceful figure materialized in the path of his gaze.

    It was a girl. She wore a white tracksuit, with her hair tied in a pony reaching her waist. She had sparkling green eyes, an oval face, petal-like lips. Her appearance was enough to set the federation on fire. At this moment, her eyes were filled with surprise.

    Shi Lang knew that this girl was a person from the battle ss. He did not wish to have any intersections with the whole ss, so he walked to the wall, picked up his jacket from the floor, and put it on as he walked toward the entrance.

    The girl was shocked to see his behavior. Never has she ever been ignored like this. She could sense the reluctance in Shi Lang¡¯s eyes. She asked, ¡°You can obviously rise above the technology branch. Why do you hold back?¡±

    Shi Lang stopped and replied without turning back to her, ¡°I do not like snobs. Also, not showing off does not mean holding back.¡±

    His voice was calm and did not waver like normal times. He was not the Shi Lang of the past. The girl was surprised. From his voice she could tell that he had not turned to answer her. She asked again, ¡°Do you think you can take on the whole ss alone?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°If I have to, I will.¡± and with that, he left the gym. He did not intend to talk to this girl.

    The girl around, to watch his stout back walking out of the gym at a steady pace. She had nevere across someone who could confidently say that they will try to fight against the battle ss on their own, but this guy, he even dered to take them on. She turned to look at the pir and mumbled, ¡°He can do it.¡±

    The strength meter disyed three stars on the screen. Shi Lang was equal to Jenkins Edwards. The girl smiled and mumbled, ¡°Jenkins, how will you survive this eruption?¡±

 Chapter 11

    Shi Lang did not turn back to the gym after he left. To him, that girl was just a passing encounter. He did not want to give her any second thought. Soon, he came to Lucas¡¯ room. Then he changed his clothes and got ready for ss. Lucas was already dressed for the ss when he got back.

    The two people walked through the lobbies with their bags slung on their shoulders. Lucas asked, ¡°What do you think? How strong is Jenkins?¡±

    He was concerned about the uing bouts as well. Shi Lang replied, ¡°Almost four-stars. However, this stage is a major stumble block. So it might take him a couple of years to get over it. So do not expect him to be erupting with power all of a sudden.¡±

    Lucas nodded and said, ¡°I do not think he will erupt with power, but he will have cards under his sleeve.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to thisment. It will not be possible to be the first student of the grade, without some cards up his sleeves. His family was also strong so the number of cards must not be less. He was also trying to figure out what Jenkins might be holding in the store.

    Lucas said, ¡°Lang, what is your strength?¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly froze and ced his palm on his forehead. He said, ¡°I forgot to check the strength reading in the gym.¡±

    Lucas looked at him in surprise and shook his head, ¡°I told you, despite all the brain you miss the crucial things.¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes, and said, ¡°Will we not know in the physical assessment? What is crucial.¡± In his heart, however, he agreed with Lucas more thanpletely. After all, if any cultivator knew that he found a relic treasure and forgot to bind it with his blood for two lifetimes. He will be a walking mockery.

    The two arrived at the ss. After asking Rosa for permission to enter, they got inside. They were notte, the teacher came early today. This was her usual routine on exam day. She wille in early to help the students rx. Her method of rxation was to go through all the main topics of the course.

    Suddenly, she saw Shi Lang and said, ¡°ssmate, you are here for?¡±

    Lucas snickered and Shi Lang sighed. He replied, ¡°HeadTeacher, I am Shi Lang.¡±

    His words made the people who were burying their heads in the holographic books. The people were surprised to hear the same maic voice but the charm of the face was ten folds more. Shi Lang was handsome but never dazzling. At this moment, he was dazzling. Sensing the disbelief in everyone¡¯s gaze. He took out his ID card and after letting his thumbprint be scanned. His details came up.

    Rosa Blues was stunned, she still regained herposure, ¡°Student Lang, you broke through?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. The umted tempering helpedst night, and the barriers came down.¡±

    Rosa nodded and went on to ask, whether he checked his strength. The boy told her what happened at the gym. The teacher nodded and said, ¡°We will know in the physical assessment. Try not to hold back. Your true scores are kept confidential. Even the battle ss cannot see it. Do not worry about the rest.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised when he heard that the battle ss cannot see their scores. He did not expect such a thing to exist. If this was true then he can unleash his full strength. That said, Shi Lang sat in his chair and began to revise the main topics like the rest.

    The clock on the wall struck nine and the holographic screens were locked. In the whole school, no digital device will work now. This was the school¡¯s policy to prevent cheating. The exams were held the old ways, the ancient way. The school provided them all with a pen and paper. The question paper was printed with three sets, and every student got a different set.

    Shi Lang gazed at the papers and he began to answer it all smoothly. It may seem like he was not strong, but he still used the sparse spirit energy to nourish his brain. He was a bookworm and had excellent grades. The reason was his understanding that only knowledge can make him grow in this future world.

    After two hours the people finished the general exam. Next was an interval and a physical exam. Tomorrow they all will be sent to the Mech Arena, and group battle. The students all had a light and nutritious breakfast during break time and then they were taken to the gym.

    The battle ss had their physical assessment when the technology branch had their general exam. Rosa led the students to the gym. A special Invigtor was called from the army for the physical examination.

    This time a middle-aged man was the invigtor. Rosa took a deep breath as soon as she saw this. She walked forward and performed a crisp salute, with her right arm bend from the elbow, the back of her palm touching her forehead. She said, ¡°Greetings, Major Rackham.¡±

    Jane whispered, ¡°Shit, our invigtor is Titan of Salvador.¡± her words made everyone take in a deep breath.

    Lucas said in a low voice, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Keep Calm. Things are not always bad. He is strong but not prejudiced.¡±

    His words made the people calm down. The middle-aged man wore an emerald green coat, decorated with lots of medals. A ck hat rested on his forehead. He nodded at the salute and said, ¡°Your students are ready?¡±

    Rosa replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Major Rackham said, ¡°Well, let me tell them the rules.¡±

    Rosa nodded and gestured the ss to step forward. The students came inside the gym and stood up in ten rows of five students each. The major gazed at them and said, ¡°Your task is to defeat me. Defeat me, and you pass.¡±

    His words were like a bomb on the people. This was totally unexpected. Even more than Shi Lang¡¯s breakthrough.

 Chapter 12

    The technological ss had never thought of facing a decorated military officer. The difference between them and the person in front of them was not only the title but also how Rackham had been to the forefront of the conquest and he has seen a lot of blood and gore.

    The moment the man said, ¡°Defeat me, and you pass.¡± his eyes had transformed into that of a beast. That gaze was enough to make them all wary.

    However, if the door was closed, you can look out through the windows. Shi Lang was a cultivator and the number of battles he had seen was not less either. He said in a low voice, ¡°We outnumber him.¡±

    His simple phrase made the people wake up from the dreadful illusion. Rosa Blues did not hear the words from his mouth and asked, ¡°Sir, how to proceed.¡±

    Rackham said, ¡°Divide them into teams of five, then we can begin. They have to defeat me in twenty minutes. This time limit is only for the technological branch. The battle ss was given five minutes only.¡±

    Rosa sighed and nodded. In reality, the test was supposed to record the growth of the students by putting them on a few tests but not a duel. However, the other party was known to be reckless even in the ranks. She could only bring this up with the school administration. Otherwise, her ss would fail.

    She turned to face her students with a bitter expression on her face and said, ¡°You heard the Major. Form teams. You have five minutes.¡±

    The students replied, ¡°Yes, Head Teacher.¡±

    They were confused about how the team should be made when Shi Lang said, ¡°We have twenty girls, thirty boys. To bnce the teams, we need two girls and three boys in each team. Girls, your task is to analyze the opponent. We are the nerds as these normies call us. Let them see what a powerful brain can do whenpared with an able body.

    Given our stamina, the three boys can only hold up for seven minutes. We need to work together to get through this guy in seven minutes.¡±

    Tim said, ¡°Shi Lang is right, we can do this. The difference between him and us is that he is a battle-hardened person and we are rookies. However, he will be underestimating how calctive we teenagers can be.¡±

    The morale of the ss was raised and teams were formed. Shi Lang had asked everyone to pay attention to the moves and also to their ssmates. This way they cane up with a better n. The key was decisiveness. However, some things were left unsaid, after all, the ss needed to learn some things on their own.

    Rosa Blues nodded watching them prepare and soon the time limit expired. Rackham moved to the center of the gym. The center of the floor was a twenty feet wide empty square. The floor was marked with red paint. The four corners had pirs but no visible boundaries were present. The four pirs could be used from the outside and a strong maic field would form around the ring acting as the bounds.

    ¡­

    Rackham stood in the center of the ring with five students around him. He saw that the three boys were in the front and they had formed a circle around him. He said, ¡°The time starts now.¡±

    The students were aware that they will not get anywhere if they did not take the initiative. Thus the onenky boy in the lead took action. He charged at the opponent while holding his stance. The attack was not reckless and neither was it too conservative, a standard boxing stance followed by a jab at the forehead.

    Rackham could see all this and dodge but he did not see any other student acting against him. He was a reckless character but not an idiot. He sensed something fishy. However, the student in front of him gained enough confidence to keep attacking him.

    His fists were falling all over Rackham¡¯s vital spots. This was all learned in the one week when they were building the mech. Thanks to their brain being better than those muscle mongers of the battle ss that they could learn all these physical skills. Rackham thought this student was the best in the ss. He was honestly surprised by this attack being performed against him.

    However, that was it. Rackham suddenly jumped in the air and tried to roundhouse the student. At the moment he took a step back, the other students on the standby charged forward. Major Rackham had an ability, that was called double impact. His blows carried double the impact, this was a public secret.

    The match continued and after six minutes, the studentspletednding an attack on Rackham. That moment, Rackham stopped the duel and said, ¡°You pass. Next batch.¡±

    His stamina was too high. The attack was notnded by the guys but the girl at the back, and she had struck him at a ce where he would undoubtedly die if this was a real battle. He did not care where the students were strong or not. He was well aware that smartness can make the tallest titans fall.

    The batches kept changing and the results kept improving. Rosa Blues and the few other faculty on the sides were surprised by the pace. As the results kept on improving the surprise became confusion and finally shock. They did not expect the Technology branch toe out so ferocious. Some of the upper echelons have left eyeliners in the faculty. These eyeliners were reporting the events to the upper board in real-time.

    The people above did not believe them until they watched the live footage. After a couple of hours, only one team was left. This team was led by Shi Lang. In the ring, the boy said, ¡°Sir, I wish to ask you a question.¡±

    Rackham raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Can you allow me to take the test alone?¡±

    His words did not surprise anyone except the faculty and the invigtor. He could not believe why this guy was so confident n facing him openly. However, looking at the calm deep eyes, Rackham nodded.

    Shi Lang took a step outside the ring and said to his ssmates, ¡°Do your best.¡±

    This time a change urred, Jane stood at the forefront and the two boys were beside her, another girl was going to analyze. Rackham suddenly asked, ¡°You are the best batch of the ss?¡±

    The people in this batch were all calm and focused. Unlike the rest, he had dealt with. The students shrugged. They were the reckless ones as well. This batch had the best of the ss, Lucas, Tim, Jane, and Erica.

    Erica was super-smart and could calcte everything down to the level of a basicputer. Jane was strong. She did not have much martial prowess, but brute strength and high brainpower. Lucas was reliable and efficient in getting inside the head of the opponent, while Tim, despite his looks and aura was a cunning one. He could create opportunities and exploit them as well.

    Rosa sighed, ¡°Turns out it was the invigtor Rackham who will struggle against them.¡±

 Chapter 13

    Four students and one invigtor stood facing each other, ready to duel. Shi Lang stood outside the ring with his hands crossed in front of his chest. Major Rackham nodded and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    The next moment, Jane¡¯s fist was magnifying in his peripheral vision. The speed was something he did not expect at all. Even the agility-type ability awakeners cannot have this sort of speed when they are in the three-star realm. The reason was that your body was not strong enough.

    The human body was tempered and the cultivation enhanced, however, using physical ability at full power came with a price. The abilities will consume the energy from the body quicker than normal. The stamina will reduce. It needed special training to learn how to switch on and off between abilities.

    Major Rackham was fast enough to avoid the punch but someone at the same level would have a concussion to their head. He took a step to the side and Lucas came inside the y from the side. Major Rackham was thinking of a usible way to regain his centre of gravity to counter but was upied by the two people he did not know when Tim got behind him and was now grasping his legs.

    What followed next was an overhead drop. Major Rackham was lured to the trap by Lucas¡¯s advance. However, he was not to be so easily subdued, he used his hands and avoided being overthrown by the grappling technique. Erica said, ¡°Jane, the ground.¡±

    She was the calctive genius, and her job was not like the other bystanders. She was leading the trio with her mind and notying in taking an opportunity to make the fatal blow. Jane nodded and her fistnded on the ground.

    Although the material used in the ring creation was like a rubbery substance that could absorb all the shocks without letting it channel through the floor, Jane still managed to cause it to tremor a little. These slight shocks disturbed the ground where Rackham was trying to gain his bnce. Tim had let go of his legs.

    Lucas moved in, using his legs to kick at the veteran¡¯s hands. Rackham avoided the kick by jumping into the air. He had quicklynded but suddenly froze. Erica appeared in front of him with her leg aimed at his balls. Despite everything, this spot was still sensitive for men. Just one more inch and Erica could have dealt some serious damage to him.

    Jane and the rest of thedies blushed a bit but Erica had no expression on her face. What she did was a calctive move and was not something to be embarrassed about. Major Rackham was the same as Erica. He nodded and said, ¡°You pass.¡±

    Erica retracted her leg and backed away with her gaze locked with the man in front of her. She did not let her guard down till the maic barrier was taken down. The four people came out and Shi Lang stepped inside the ring. He asked, ¡°Sir, would you really not use some time to revitalize?¡±

    Major Rackham raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°To deal with you one on one, I can still hold my end, kid.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I am sure that you can, Sir. However, your leg was injured in the battles over time. That injury res up from heavy exercises. The reason I ask you to take a rest is not that I look down on you, but being able to fight you at your peak. That will be the true test for me.¡±

    His attitude was polite, the people did not expect him to ask this old guy to revitalize. Major Rackham also did not hit his smiling face and sat down in the ring itself to revitalize his energy. The ss had sent the weak students to fight with him first, and the best cameter. This was quite the opposite of what should have been done.

    The strategy was implied like this because they were afraid, if they sent in the strong ones first, then the veteran might have raised his guard against all the rest to follow. That was not in line with them all passing the test. Thus they took a gamble.

    Shi Lang also sat in front of Rackham, but he did not fold his legs like Rackham, but he crossed them and sat with his palms ced on his knees. The people did not know what his stance was, but it was not something they were taught at the school. Rosa said, ¡°He is meditating. This is a meditation stance. It helps him focus his thoughts.¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°I do not know how this works. He taught me about this but I find my thoughts to be so agitated like this.¡±

    Janemented, ¡°You are just dumb, it is to let go of the thoughts and the chaos bes peace.¡±

    Lucas scoffed and said, ¡°As if you know.¡±

    The two red at each other but Rosa hummed and they fell silent. After ten minutes, Rackham stood up and said, ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up as well. His calm was something Rackham and many of the present people expected it to be. He took a proper stance. He also took a stance, and when he gazed at Shi Lang¡¯s eyes he became dizzy for a moment. Those ck eyes were so deep and serene as if they were the sea of stars.

    Shi Lang blinked and the veteran woke up. He said, ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    Shi Lang did not bother to advance; he was aware that Rackham would take the initiative to send himself at the door. Because his words earlier were no less than a challenge. The reckless Titan Of Salvador was not good at digesting challenges, whether direct or indirect.

    Just as predicted, the veteran rushed in with a punch aimed at his face. Shi Lang weaved his head around the punch to dodge. Then he bravely took half a step forward and countered Rackham with a punch to his chest.

 Chapter 14

    The punchnded on Rackham¡¯s ribs, giving him a wake-up call. He was an expert of four-star, he did not expect the boy in front of him to be so sharp that he would avoid his punch and counter him. The more important thing was that the attack was aimed at his vital point.

    This showed that the other party was serious in his attacks. Shi Lang had not had a good spar in ages, the reason he was not able to do so earlier was his limited strength in this life. However, today he has finally found a worthy opponent. He did not wish to hold back.

    However, Major Rackham was not a rusted person like Shi Lang. The punch woke him up and the next moment he kicked Shi Lang in the stomach with his right knee. The boy expected something to being his way earlier and moved back afternding a hit on the person in front of him.

    Major Rackham raised his eyebrow and moved in. Suddenly his footwork changed and he made a kick at Shi Lang¡¯s leg. The guy was not expecting it toe at such a spot. He was guarding his upper body and not his legs. The kicknded on his leg. Making him lose his bnce. Shi Lang stumbled back from the impact.

    Rackham thought of it as a chance and charged in to beat up the guy. Shi Lang suddenly ducked and spun his body while his right leg extended outside like a whip connected to the opponent¡¯s leg.

    Rackham stumbled with a grimace on his face. He did not expect the boy to use the imbnce in his favor. Shi Lang attacked quickly and he jumped up with one foot and his right leg continued attacking andnded a roundhouse kick to the old major. The person defended himself with his forearms.

    Shi Lang interrupted his charge and stood upon the ground. He suddenly let go of his guard. He stood facing the middle-aged man. The old man also gained his bnce and gave up his guard with a smirk on his face.

    He also wanted a fight. The two men stepped up and they fought with each other. They were duking it out. The speed of the punches began to increase, the punches did notnd down on their bodies but they kept hitting each other on the fists. The people were surprised, they did not expect this to be a fist fest.

    The two people were punching so each other so happy that they both had a smile on their faces. Shi Lang did not back out of the fight. He was suppressed by the cultivation but his instincts were higher than Rackham. His old self was opening up a bit by bit and that was his motive behind calling out for a separate duel.

    After four minutes he had exhausted the middle-aged veteran to the limits and then the fight froze, Shi Lang¡¯s fist was resting against the man¡¯s temple. He did not carry on with his attack but hitting the temple at the peak of their strength, would make them at least disorientated. This will spell death for them.

    Major Rackham said, ¡°You pass.¡±

    Shi Lang took back his fist and bowed to the man in respect. The major also surprised everyone and bowed back to the boy. He said, ¡°Your blows have given me an inspiration. Thank you.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised but he smiled. Their ss dispersed after the duel. Unlike other sses, they did not talk about what happened in the test. The unity of the technology branch was that high. It was alreadyte in the evening when the people got back to their rooms.

    Lucas was asked to share the room with Shi Lang again. Rosa had called the boy¡¯s family and assured them of his safety and the reason he was staying in the hostel. That was because tomorrow morning they will have a mecha control test followed by a mock group battle.

    The family was at peace and so was the night. This was the calm before a storm. Shi Lang did not spend much time talking with his ssmates. He got inside the room and after taking off his upper clothes, he sat down on the floor with his legs folded under his body. He ced his hands on his knees and began to cultivate ording to the new method of Terran cultivation.

    Lucas came into the room a few minutester, he was surprised to see that his best friend¡¯s shoulders were swollen, his forearms were covered with blue and red bruises. He wanted to ask what happened but then he figured out that it could be because of the fight with Rackham.

    The situation seemed terrible but since Shi Lang did not say anything, then he decided to see how things will y in the morning before calling the teacher. Lucas also sat down on his bed and began to cultivate, they needed every bit of strength and stamina tomorrow, because they will be going against the battle ss.

    The results of the tests today were already out and Battle ss was confused and agitated. The evening, the school announced that the technology ss all passed the physical assessment and that Shi Lang was the best student in the assessment.

    Jenkins Edwards was standing in front of the principal in his office. He was seeking an exnation behind the result. The principal looked at him with a nd gaze and said, ¡°Mr. Edwards, perhaps you have forgotten that I am the principal and you are the student here. This is the school and not your family¡¯s mansion. The school is fair in its criteria to grade the students. You should not have any doubts about results.¡±

    Jenkins grit his teeth and asked, ¡°Why did that waste from the technology branch get the top spot?¡±

    The principal sighed and said, ¡°Student Lang topped the theory knowledge and his improvement in terms of strength is also the best. If you know the purpose of the exams you will know why and how aced the exams. Now, if your questions have been answered, please leave, I have more pressing arrangements.¡±

    He dismissed Jenkins Edwards. The principal may turn blind eye to the struggle between the students but he was a man with an eight-star base. So he will not let his students just treat him like an errand boy.

    Jenkins came out of the cabin with his fists clenched and jaws grit. His eyes were burning with fighting spirit. He wanted to crush Shi Lang below his shoes like an ant. He wanted to get the top spot back. However, all that can be done tomorrow morning. He left the ce with rage in his heart.

 Chapter 15

    Jenkins Edwards came to the gravity chamber seething in rage. The aura from his body was so rampant that the others did not approach him. Soon, they all began to talk about what might the reason be behind his anger.

    A few people did not bother to participate in the discussion. These people were all toppers of the battle ss, but they were all suppressed by Jenkins. The means of suppression were not fair always. Jenkins Edwards was in line to take up the mantle of his father and lead his family in the future. He could only do that when he was confident enough and could suppress otherspeting with him. So, ever since he was a child he would suppress the people around him using all means necessary.

    This was the reason, only sneaky dogs roamed around him. It may look like he was too much of a scum but that is how the people in power held the power. The people who did not participate in the assessment were aware of the reason why this control freak was so irked. They all sneered in their hearts.

    The bullishness of the battle ss was not actually something led by everyone, it was Jenkins only who had grown up like this. He used to think that anyone without strength was not worthy to be in his face. He tolerated the existence of the technological branch in the same school building but he disdained when they came to their ss for things. Thus, they were all bullied by him at even the slightest miss up.

    He was the one who set the rules of how the weak should act in front of the strong. Today he found a person rising from the ground to the top. How can he tolerate that? To him finishing second was even worse than finishingst. To calm himself down, he entered the training room reserved for the topper of the ss and began to vent.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang on the other hand was sitting in his room. He was already aware of the true face Jenkins covered with the mask of the strong. He was aware that Jenkins was hypocritic and a sore loser. However, he was confident in his strength now. He may be a level below Jenkins, but his skills were way too much for the other party to deal with.

    He cultivated all night long without a single minute spared on rest. He did not feel any exhaustion but was energized. His body¡¯s talent was improved after the pill and every time he cultivated his progress was significant. At least at this level where he had newly unlocked the levels, his foundation was thirsty and needed to be quenched with practice.

    The sun came up on the sky, Lucas woke up from his practice and found Shi Lang sitting in the same position as he was earlier. Even the hair was in the same ce as if the wind had avoided his body. He shook his head and was about to raise his hand to wake up Shi Lang.

    The monk on the floor suddenly moved and his hand sped the wrist approaching him in a blink. The reaction was so fast that Lucas had no idea what even happened. Shi Lang reacted based on his instincts and intercepted the iing hand like a viper biting at its prey. Lucas was shocked at his reaction.

    He did not expect Shi Lang to be so alert. However, what made him freeze in his spot was not the grip around his wrist, but the pair of cold eyes, it was as if Shi Lang had turned into a killing beast. Lucas shivered and the hair on his body stood up on their ends. However, after taking a deep breath, Shi Lang calmed down and asked, ¡°What is the matter?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°The sun is up. Time for the Mech Test.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed outside the window and nodded. He stood up from the ground and decided to go out to take a shower. The scene was tense and the campus was silent. Shi Lang was very well aware that it was all because of him acing the result in physical assessment. That was not all, the whole technological branch passed. This had caused an uproar in the school.

    The teaching faculty of the vocational and side courses were all surprised to see the result. The technological branch would pass each time but they would always manage to scratch the margin. And Shi Lang the tail feather of the whole school seemed to have be the crown. Jenkins¡¯s behavior and mindset were a public secret.

    While some were looking forward to the chaos, some were hoping the situation to not elevate. Shi Lang came to themon bathroom and found a few battle-ss people standing there. They were waiting for him. If it was earlier, Shi Lang would have stopped and asked them what was happing but times and changed. He has changed.

    The boy walked over and bypassed the group of four boys. One of them was irritated by the ignorance and without saying anything, he punched at the back of Shi Lang¡¯s head. The back of the head was a weak spot and can leave permanent damage. It was a fatal blow.

    Shi Lang could sense things around him now, he tilted his head to the side, raised his hand to catch the fist passing over his shoulder. Nobody expected his reaction to be so quick, and the next moment something even more unbelievable happened. Shi Lang raised his strength and tipped over the assant over his shoulder.

    As soon as the assant was put down, Shi Lang kicked his underarm and a click was heard, followed by a loud wail. The boy frowned and pressed the head of the guy under his feet to silent him. The three boys behind him froze. At this moment, Jenkins happened to walk over the other side of the corridor.

    He saw the scene and grit his teeth. He locked his gaze with Shi Lang and was about to say something, when thetter said, ¡°Jenkins Edwards, you better put your dogs on a tight leash. Bad pets mean bad masters. You might be despised for raising these trashy rabid things. Also, do not think, it is my sudden power that has made me arrogant. You will be defeated real hard if you underestimated me.¡±

    With a jerk, he let go of the hand of his attacker and walked inside the shared bathroom. The people were frozen in their spots, not because of his audacity but the real cold they sensed from him. Jenkins had never known fear but this time he was tense when the boy looked at him with a gaze as if he was an insignificant dead body.

 Chapter 16

    Shi Lang did not care about what Jenkins or the other top students of the battle ss thought about him He just wanted to take a shower and then go to the mech bay to participate in the test. He cleaned himself up and came outside the bathroom but there stood a familiar face waiting for him.

    It was the girl who he hade across in the gym. The boy was ready to bypass her when she said, ¡°Did you deliberately challenge the whole Battle ss?¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply and kept on walking. The girl did not get irritated and said, ¡°You have just pushed your whole ss into a pit. Jenkins will now take out all his rage at your ssmates. Do you not care about that?¡±

    Shi Lang frowned and stopped at some distance from her. The girl continued and said, ¡°Do you know that the group battle may be held in a virtual space, it will still have a degree of real impact?¡±

    The boy sighed and said, ¡°What is it that you want?¡±

    The girl was surprised and said, ¡°You think, I came here to inform you because I need something?¡±

    Shi Lang did not turn back and said, ¡°Amelia Knight. The only daughter of war maiden, General Charlotte Knight. Perspective bride of the Edward Family. The groom candidate, Jenkins ¡®the jerk¡¯ Edwards. If you think I will believe youing here out of the kindness in your heart. You are the biggest fool.¡±

    When Shi Lang hade back yesterday he had looked for the girl in the school result list. The list was updated with a name and a photo of the student. From there he had searched for herst name. General Knight had the samest name and after some search, he found out the details that were made public by the general.

    Her daughter¡¯s name and face were not listed in that information, however, he was smart enough to put one plus one together. The media had always kept an eye on the family activities of the high-ranking people of the race. The two generals were among such people and the news of their household was leaked out as well.

    So Shi Lang has done his homework. His words surprised the girl so much that her mouth was wide open. It was to the point where one can fix an egg inside without breaking it. She grit her teeth. This affair was not known to more than a select few in both families and even Jenkins himself was unaware of this.

    Her mother asked her opinion on this and she refused right away as she was very well aware of Jenkins¡¯s character ws. Her mother was in a tough spot and replied to General Edwards that if Jenkins was the best in the student assessment she will consider the arrangement. This gave Amelia a spurt to grow andpete with Jenkins and at the same time, if she could defeat the guy, her mother had a perfect reason to deny the arrangement without making things sullied.

    She recalled something and said, ¡°I have a bet, if I lost I will have to marry Jenkins. If I won, I can be free. I am on the four-star as well but my level is not as good as Jenkins yet. That day in the gym I saw how your blows were so sharp. You could sense me from a distance of ten meters. Jenkins can never do that. So I decided to put my bet on you. I ask for your help.¡±

    Since she was aware of her weaknesses and the chances, why not bluntly ept them. The other thing was, she had a gut feeling that Shi Lang was not disying his full capabilities. The boy did not reply for a few seconds. Amelia thought he will not help her. She gave a bitter smile and was about to walk away when Shi Lang asked, ¡°What will I get in return?¡±

    Amelia froze, she could not believe that he would seek his gain in such a situation. Well, men usually sumb to the plea of beauty. However, despite her beauty, Shi Lang was able to keep calm, she was surprised.

    She replied facing his back, ¡°As long as it is something in my power. I will get it for you.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Three things. One, the mech design must not be shut down if it proves to be good enough and the credit must be given to my whole ss. Two, I want a level two gene enhancement serum. Third, safeguard my parent¡¯s safety and happiness. Jenkins Edwards is a narrow-minded prick if he did anything to the people around me. I will kill him regardless of anything. If you ept. Then we have a deal.¡±

    His voice was calm and the aura he radiated was confident enough to make Amelia believe that he will do what he just said. She weighed the pros and the cons in her mind for a few moments. She said, ¡°Very well. I ept. But all this is applied only when you can defeat him in the Mech Test and group battle.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I hope you keep your word.¡± with that said he walked away. Never once did he turn back to look at her or say anything more than necessary. The marriage news was a faint murmur and the details of the topic were kept secret. He could predict what was going on with his deduction and research, this impressed Amelia a lot.

    She gazed at his broad back a few seconds before turning away. She mumbled, ¡°You better keep your words.¡±

    Shi Lang was thest ray of hope she had, otherwise, she might have to try and assassinate Jenkins Edwards. The two people were now in a deal, trying to make the best out of things for themselves.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang dressed up in his uniform and walked out to the mech bay. That was where the event will start. The mech test will not be a simple driving test. The invigtors from Mech Regiment will check their builds, only after clearing the check will they be allowed to take the test.

    The test will require them to make the Mech go around an obstacle course and the one to do this in the shortest time will win. The race was not a simple obstacle course. Shi Lang rushed over to the Mech Bay in ten minutes and found that his whole ss was present there. However, the scene was odd.

    A few of the Battle ss students were standing between them and their Mech. Shi Lang frowned at this and walked over to see what the fuss was about.

 Chapter 17

    Shi Lang walked forward to check up on what the fuss was about. He heard an arrogant tone, ¡°Say, nerd club, what is the name of this ugly thing?¡±

    None of the technology ss students spoke, the arrogant boy was ack from Jenkins club. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°So, Jenkins, sent one more of his rabid pups to be treated.¡±

    His words and tone were no less arrogant than the person who spoke earlier. Yet the shock they brought to the people of his own ss was even bigger. They have never seen Shi Lang like this. The aura he radiated was domineering and suffocating. The guy looked at Shi Lang with a gritted jaw and said, ¡°What did you say again?¡±

    Shi Lang walked through the crowd and stood in front of the boy. He said, ¡°I said, Jenkins, sent one more of his rabid pups to be treated.¡±

    He spoke one word at a time at a calm pace. The person raised his hand and wanted to punch Shi Lang when thetter said, ¡°If you wish to be disabled before the exam,e on.¡±

    The person on the opposite side was aware of what Shi Lang was capable of. He just said, ¡°I want to see for how long can you hold on to that smirk. Trash.¡±

    Shi Lang replied nomittally, ¡°Long enough for you to despair.¡±

    The person wished he could attack Shi Lang but they were now in the open. Shing said, ¡°You better go back to your dog house and lick Jenkins¡¯s feet. We have to prepare.¡±

    With that said, Shi Lang raised his hand and slightly pushed the boy away. Tyson was watching all this happening from the side of the Mech Bay entrance. He had no intention to intervene, at least not until they started to get physical. The technological ss students passed the exams this time and they were now being watched by the whole school.

    They were now precious stones waiting to be carved into treasures. Shi Lang was the crown jewel. This fact was well known to the old soul inside the boy. He was sure of one thing, humans may have changed their ways and names a bit but they were still the same human at the core of it. They will protect their interests at any cost.

    Shi Lang had interested them in himself. Till he was not doing anything excessive they will be protecting him. The technology ss began to do the final check on the Mech before the invigtor. The Battle ss did not have any such thing to do, there were technicians.

    Jane asked Shi Lang in a low voice, ¡°Boy, what were you thinking by provoking these guys?¡±

    Shi Lang showed her his trademark smile and said, ¡°What happens when you lose your calm?¡±

    Jane rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You get angry?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You think too shallow, anger is the enemy of your wisdom. If you face an enemy with your mind clouded with anger, you will be defeated, and thoroughly at that. I wish for them to have a clouded mindset. Their strength will be for naught if they came to the group battles like that.¡±

    Jane was surprised by this logic of his. She did not think that the ssmate she has been with three years, could be so scheming. She spat, ¡°Sneaky thing you are, Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang just winked at her and they finished the checks. Soon the invigtors came over wearing Blue formal coats. They all had one badge on thepel of their zers. The badge was made in the shape of a mech.

    After they checked the Mechs from the school. They came to check the mech made by the technological ss. The design made them both have aplicated look. One of the men had a hooked nose and grey hair. He asked Shi Lang, ¡°What is the logic of such a design?¡±

    His voice was filled with contempt. This was a design that went against the trend. He could not find it in himself to appreciate it.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Sir, what is the purpose of a Mech?¡±

    The man replied, ¡°To enhance the destructive capability of a soldier when facing the enemy.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°My mech can do that. That is the reason and logic behind this design.¡±

    The man raised his eyebrow. He did not expect to be shot down by a teenager. However, this did not prove anything. He will never acknowledge this odd design. Tyson was aware of the mindset this person had and he did not want them to escte the situation. So he stepped forward and said, ¡°Eckhart, finish with the inspection. The time is short.¡±

    The man nodded reluctantly and began to perform checks on the mechs with his partner. Contrary to him, the partner was a younger man, and he was very eager to watch Shi Lang perform. After five minutes they performed all the checks and Eckhart nodded to Tyson. He turned his head to gaze at Shi Lang and then he left the mech bay.

    Shi Lang watched his leaving back and said, ¡°Lucas, go check it once more. Throughout. Tally each and every part of the mech with our initial built list, use the blueprint to go through the check.¡±

    He was wary of Eckhart, the gaze he received when the invigtor left, he did not know why but gave him a bad premonition. Lucas and Tim wanted to ask more but watched his paranoid expression. They still performed the check on the Mech.

    ¡­

    Tyson looked at his clock and said, ¡°Okay, all pilots suit up. You will beter piloting the mechs. Go.¡±

    Shi Lang was also asked to suit up in his pilot uniform. The suits of a mech pilot were very costly, so he could not buy one, but the school still gave him a standard one, the ck, and white matched with the Mech.

    He went to the dressing room only after the battle ss was done with the changing. The technological ss in the meantime. Finished working with the mech and waited for his return.

 Chapter 18

    Shi Lang was dressed in a tight-fitting white suit with maroon streaks on the edges. On the left chest side, the school insignia was printed in ck color. He closed the zipper to close his jacket and carrying a helmet in his hand walked out of the dressing room. The helmet was designed with matching colors and had a school insignia on the backside.

    The boy walked out and saw all his ssmates waiting for him. He smile at them and said, ¡°What is with the look?¡±

    They were all looking at him with a confused reaction. His voice woke them up from their stupor and Lucas coughed as he said, ¡°Never expected a wimp like you to look so heroic.¡±

    Shi Lang squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Someone sure is jealous.¡±

    The rest of the people could not help but stifle a chuckle when they saw Lucas¡¯s flushed face. This new Shi Lang was too funny at times. The boy heard a crisp sound of heels knocking on the ground, he did not need to turn his head to know that it was their headteacher walking over. Rosa Blues had a frown on her face. She said, ¡°The battle ss is all doing too good. Jenkins has broken his record.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You all overestimate the enemy while looking down on your own. The reason they are doing too good is because of the provocation and rage in their minds. Do you not calcte the toll of mech driving on their stamina. They will not be at their peak when theye down in the group battle.¡±

    He spoke and woke up the people. They were indeed overestimating the battle ss. To drive a mech, one needed to connect their neural link with the mech and use the controls at the same time. The neural link was to provide them with subtle sensations that the machine will receive when driven on the ground.

    There were monitor systems in the mech to watch over the damage taken and the performance status, however, the neural connection was to provide the pilot with better response time. They will be able to sense all sorts of changes in the body of a mech. It was also to provide the pilot a sense of unity with the machine for a better connection.

    However, despite everything being good, it came at a cost. To make the performance optimal, the pilot was needed to achieve a better sync rate with the machine. The higher the sync rate, the higher the performance, and the higher the exhaustion. Yes, the neural link will put a double pressure on the brain of the pilot making his performance drop over time.

    Shi Lang did not wish to say anything more as his meaning was evident. He said, ¡°How long before we can take the exam? Also, can we watch them perform?¡±

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°You can get inside the mech and practice, but you cannot watch them perform. The reason, you all know.¡±

    The school did not allow the slightest chance of ¡®learning from the other¡¯s mistake¡¯, this was their motto to weed out the weak ones. The principal was a man, who believed, ¡°Those who cannot make an effort and learn from their own mistakes, they will never be able to learn from other¡¯s mistakes, and they were not worthy. Thus no watch other people perform.¡±

    Shi Lang had no problem with this and with a nod, he walked to the mech. Beside the mech, there was a big metaldder, which was used to get inside the mech. Just like fighter nes back in the times.

    He climbed up half thedder and ced his hand on the left thigh of the mech. There was a small palm scanner embedded in that area, which was used to ess the cockpit. This ess point was Jane¡¯s idea, because, the cockpit door was a bit too special. The whole front spherical shield of the mech suddenly emitted a click.

    The front spherical screen which made up the whole torso was lifted open. The whole ss wanted to have an analog way of essing the cockpit but Jane said, ¡°Analog will look ugly, and it will also add weight to the mech. Also, the enemy can directly hit that analog switch and open the cockpit in the middle of the fight. There goes your victory and life.¡±

    Her logic had some credibility and thus this scanner was installed under the armor ting. The cockpit lifted and a console appeared in Shi Lang¡¯s sight. He would have to jump over the console to get to the pilot chair. Well, this thing waspleted in seven days, they did not have the time to consider and troubleshoot so much.

    Shi Lang got inside the cockpit with a skip and sat down in the chair. He said, ¡°Put on your headsets.¡±

    As he pressed a button on the console and closed the cockpit. He put on the helmet and leaned back on the seat. He pressed another button on the console and a small module emerged from the headrest. The module stuck on to the helmet and it began to glow with a dim light. Shi Lang heard a mechanical voice in his ear, ¡°Neural Link, initiated. Wee, Pilot Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang had his credentials loaded in the system. The system was an interactive user support system. The boy replied, ¡°Initiate fuel cell.¡±

    ¡°Command confirmed, Fuel cell up and running.¡± replied the mechanical voice.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Set UAS interaction to mute. Only priority system details are to be reported.¡±

    ¡°Confirmed.¡± and with that, the User Aid System was put to mute. Shi Lang held on to two joysticks on the two sides. These joysticks were used to control the arm movements of the mech. He ced his foot on the two pedals on the floor of the cockpit. These were standard elerators and brakes. The direction of movement was controlled by the neural link.

    Jane¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Lang, the basic check isplete, you are good to go.¡±

    The ssmates were hismunication center. They all were allowed to watch his performance as the whole ss registered for the mech test. Usually, the technological ss will never take part in this exam, because they were not given much time with the mech¡¯s in the bay so they did not have even the standard knowledge to pilot a mech.

    The boy replied, ¡°Alright.¡±

    The neural link worked with his mind, as he thought the pictures from outside began to project in his mind. He could see everything outside as if he was standing outside only. This was the magic of the neural link that made the pilot one with the mech. He exerted slight pressure on the right pedal and the mech lifted up its foot slowly to walk forward.

    The technology ss all became excited. This was the first time, their mech will be going in a real test. Rosa smiled and said, ¡°Have him move to the trial area.¡±

    Jane ryed the message and the mech walked around the campus to the mech test area. This ce was slightly away from the teaching campus and on the way, a lot of the people caught sight of this weird yet stylish mech. A few technology ss faculty members were happy to see this and they all came forward to check out what was going on.

    After ten minutes, Shi Lang was in front of a big ground. He was walking very slowly because the campus was prone to casualties. In front of Shi Lang stood a red humanoid mech. This mech was piloted by the invigtor of this test. Commander Aries Arkham, the mech titan.

    The red mech emitted a voice, ¡°You have worked hard on your mech. I wish you good luck. However, the test will be performed using live ordnance, I hope you know when to pull back.¡±

    All the mech systems were tuned tomunicate at a standard frequency. Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, Sir. I will keep it in mind.¡±

    Commander Aries Arkham, a name that scared a lot of enemies, was actually a nice guy. However, Shi Lang was aware that the test was anything but nice. In front of his visiony a big battlefield, and a few corpses were visible to him. With sparkling eyes and an overflowing battle spirit, Shi Lang moved the mech to enter the test battlefield.

 Chapter 19

    Shi Lang stood in front of aser barrier. The test will start when thisser disappears. The invigting Commander Aries had his red Mech standing in the center of the field. He spoke on a radio channel.

    ¡°Since you are participating in the assessment for the first time, I will now have you go through the rules one more time.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    ¡­

    The field was essible only to Mech pilots, that too one at a time. However, the assessment was still watched by a lot of high officials and college board via live telecast. Adjacent to the test field was a building. Here every non-participant student can observe the proceedings of the exam.

    The whole technology ss stood there with Rosa Blues and the rest of the teaching faculty. Surprisingly enough this time the battle ss geniuses were also here. They had never taken interest in any ss other than themselves, but this was the first time they had visited here to watch the other ss perform.

    Jenkins Edwards stood in front of the people and Amelia was watching all this from the back of the ss. The atmosphere was tense. After all, the technology ss was taking the assessment for the first time. The two groups had a lot of bad blood.

    The technological ss was also aware of the other group¡¯s presence they were unaffected. Jane asked, ¡°Headteacher, can you tell us how the exam will proceed?¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°The participants will be assessed in their piloting skills in various conditions. The field inside is a mix-up of all those scenarios. The first zone, basic piloting. The one who canplete basic maneuvers in the straight path sprint in the shortest time will get the best result.¡±

    ¡­

    As soon as Rosa stopped speaking, Commander Aries said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Theser barrier in front of Shi Lang vanished. Unlike the slow approach on the campus, he floored the pedal and the mech shot. The reverse joint legs had one extra feature. This round was to test the pilot¡¯smand over speed and maneuverability skills. Shi Lang pressed a button on the console and a spring mechanism deployed from the foot of the mechs.

    The mechanism was simple, a high durability spring was ced between a high-quality metal. As soon as the mechanism was deployed the speed of the mech was multiplied by two times. The reverse joint leg was ced on the weight of the body forward and the spring mechanism converted the potential discharged from the weight shift into kic energy.

    The speed increased not by two folds but three folds in a few seconds. Shi Lang¡¯s mech was taking a step that was thrice the normal size. The mech was nine feet tall, so it covered five feet in one step at a slow pace. However, the mechanism changed the picture, by providing the whole thing a bounce and making the speed high.

    Humanoid Mechs could never do that.

    ¡­

    The battle ss was surprised while the technology ss was enjoying bliss. The faculty members have all taken note of the design and nodded in admiration. This was way better than the humanoid mechs.

    Jane smirked as she looked at Jenkins¡¯s surprised expression sneakily.

    ¡­

    On the field. Shi Lang controlled the mech with his mind to make a swift zig-zag between the high pirs. These pirs all had strong electricity following through them. On the side of the track, a few broken mech limbs were visible. This was the result of getting too close to the pirs.

    After crossing the pirs, Shi Lang was to leap over a wall. The wall was twenty feet high. As soon as, Egg was just fifteen feet away from the wall, Shi Lang made it jump, the mechnded five feet away from the wall, both legs bent in reverse a bit and then the springs on the feet gave him a high bounce.

    Shi Lang did not use any other leverage and he got past the wall, clear of any obstructions. As hended on the ground he again initiated the sprint. This was the end of the basic movements. The next round was upon him but he had no intention to slow down.

    ¡­

    The observation center erupted in cheers as Shi Lang crossed the wall. The cheers were obviously, technology ss. Only, Amelia among the battle ss had a smile on her face. She was looking forward to what the boy will do ahead. She wished to have a fruitful deal with him.

    Jane asked, ¡°Teacher Rosa, what is the second round?¡±

    Rosa Blues smiled and said, ¡°Mechbat. The enemy will be the invigtor.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was now rushing towards the center of the field where stood Aries. The egg came and stopped twenty meters away from the Invigtor. The red mech pilot said, ¡°You have tost against my attacks for five minutes. You can pick any weapon.¡±

    From inside the cockpit, Shi Lang looked at the weapons rack at a distance. However, he did not approach it. He asked, ¡°Sir, can I use my own Mech weapons?¡±

    Aries was surprised and then gave him verbal permission. Shi Lang pressed the button on the control panel and a couple of braids on the head of the mech detached and fell on the ground. The braids were all as thick as a newborn baby¡¯s arm. The hands of the mech were made in such a way that it could wield the weapons and switch between them quickly too.

    The hands were unlike human hands, they were Robo ws. They only had one purpose, grasping and grabbing onto things. The guns of mechs were operated like olf fighter nes. The ws opened wide and picked up the wire. The wires were all maized in a certain manner and they formed a stick.

    Aries asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Shi Lang held the stick within his ws and replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Aries took out a giant ax and charged at Shi Lang.

    ¡­

    Inside the observation room, Jenkins mumbled, ¡°This is over.¡± he was very optimistic that the Commander will be able to break this ugly egg to pieces. Well, whatever helped him sleep better worked.

 Chapter 20

    Shi Lang and Aries rushed forward at each other. People were filled with various emotions as they saw the two mechs charging at each other. When used in the army, the mechs were all equipped with psionic cannons and guns. However, closebat was the only thing that could project the control a pilot had over the machine and the unity they have.

    It was a fact that the person sitting inside the machine was in sync with it and could sense the machine as he could his own body, however, it must be noted that the human brain was working at a lot of tasks at the same time. This put a lot of strain on the brain, one slight mistake, and game over.

    ¡­

    The difference between the two mechs was visible. Aries had noticed that Shi Lang¡¯s mech was faster than his mech. So, he had already developed a strategy in his mind. He did not move at his full speed but waited for the Egg to roll over to his side.

    Shi Lang would have been caught in the trap if he was a rookie. The moment he charged forward with the stick in his hands. He noticed the small step taken by the Commander.

    Aries controlled his mech and the right arm of the mech shed the great ax at Shi Lang. The boy timed his charge and deliberately pressed the brakes as soon as the mechpleted one step. The attack would havended if Shi Lang had moved even an inch forward.

    The next scene made everyone open their eyes wide. The great ax shed down but it was a miss. Aries was surprised by this abrupt nullification in Shi Lang¡¯s mech. The boy inside the mech smiled and pressed the elerator again as the ax missed his mech by half a meter.

    Aries wanted to retract his arm when Shi Lang struck directly at his mech¡¯s elbow joint as he stabbed the makeshift staff in his mech arms.

    CLANG!!

    This sh of metallic surfaces resonated with the heartbeat of the people in the observation center. Jenkins sensed his blood rushing to his head making his face blush profusely. He could not exin what was happening to him at the moment. He had never felt so humiliated in his life. He clenched his fists as he recalled all the scenes where Shi Lang had taunted and looked down on him recently.

    While the battle ss students were having aplicated and embarrassed expression, the technology ss students were all fired up. They did not expect Shi Lang to take the initiative and attack themander. They all felt as if it was their achievement.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stabbed the elbow joint of the red mech in front of him. Egg moved forward and Shi Lang again used his mech¡¯s jumping ability. The mech was in the air, however, the body had turned upside down. The braids on the back of the mech¡¯s head were all hanging down.

    While in the air, Shi Lang let go of the stick in his hands and his robotic ws grabbed the head of the red mech. Nobody expected something like this to happen. They never imagined that this boy would be so daring.

    Aries was surprised but he was not that easy of a cookie to be dealt the death blow by a kid. However, he did not know that Shi Lang was actually an old relic. He wanted to counter but the boy did not give him a chance.

    Shi Lang had the ws designed in a manner where the tips of the w couldtch onto any groovy surface. The neck joint of the red mech had a grove where his ws were stuck. The weight of his mech shifted again as he controlled the braid wires on the mech¡¯s head by neural link.

    With a thump, Eggnded on the ground and trapped in his ws the head of the red mech. Aries was overwhelmed by a strong sense of pain as the head of his mech was torn apart. The neural link would make it so that every time the mech was attacked the pilot will sense pain in the corresponding part of their body.

    ¡­

    The people in the observation center all stood up from the shock they received when Shi Lang¡¯s mech beheaded the Commander¡¯s mech. Jenkins was shivering, his blood was churning from this scene, he was the topper, the ace of the year.

    He has always been the ace of any ss or group he had taken part in. The sudden change gave him a scar that will stay by his side forever but only he will be able to see it. This scar was burned in the depth of his heart. What happened in front of him was no less than a p on his handsome face and making him bleed.

    As the boy thought and lost control of his emotions, his aura became rampant and the strength that made him stronger became the means of his destruction. The rapid blood flow gave him internal injury and he could not help but cough up a mouthful of blood as he stood in front of his ssmates.

    The strong pain in his chest made him kneel. The teachers saw this and immediately woke up from the daze. They rushed over to take the boy to the infirmary. The technology ss did not pay attention to this scene happening a few meters away from but them. They were all in a daze ever since Shi Lang had jumped up in the air and caught hold of the head of Commander Aries¡¯s mech.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not make much movement afternding on the ground. He was a bit dizzy from the pressure on his mind. The movement he had just performed was not difficult but the weight shifting of this mech had taken a toll on him.

    Commander Aries said, ¡°The second round has finished, you pass.¡± he could not see anything that was happening on the outside as the camera modules and other visual inputs had stopped, however, themunications of the mech were still operating.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    Themunication of the two was heard by everyone in the observation and the student of the technology ss broke into cheers. They did not pay attention to the fact Egg had fallen on the ground as the left leg of the mech suddenly broke apart, ending up with the mech rolling down.

    The school also had amunity for students to interact and a few secondster a post was made on the tform with a rather hrious title, ¡°Egg On The Roll.¡±

 Chapter 21

    Shi Lang was inside the mech wincing in pain he received from the mech¡¯s fall. He heard a mechanical voice, ¡°Left leg unresponsive.¡±

    The boy sighed and said, ¡°Power down the mech, disconnect the neural link.¡±

    ¡°Command epted.¡± with that said, the module sticking to the back of his helmet disconnected. The cockpit door opened and Shi Langbored his way out.

    He saw that a bulky man was also standing beside his mech looking at him with great curiosity. The man was wearing a military-colored pilot suit. The grey suit with silver thread circles embroidered on his shoulders. The man had slightly longer hair, he had taken off his helmet already.

    The man said, ¡°You broke my mech.¡±

    Shi Lang flinched a bit and raised his hand to scratch his head only to touch the smooth helmet. He hurriedly took it down. He ced his right palm over his heart and said, ¡°I apologize, Sir.¡±

    Aries was a man with dashing features. He nodded and said, ¡°You did well.¡± He also ced his right palm over his heart with a smile.

    The heart over the heart was a standard salute in The Federation. Shi Lang respected Aries for the level he has achieved. While Aries respected the boy for his capabilities. The two people had developed a mutual respect for each other through the duel.

    Aries said, ¡°You seem to be against the humanoid design of mechs?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised but he did not hide and nodded in all honesty. Aries asked him, ¡°Why so?¡±

    Shi Lang replied calmly, ¡°Sir, the humanoid design has its limitations. You are more aware of it than I am.¡±

    Aries nodded and said, ¡°You have a point but do you think that you are the only one who had spotted these limitations?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised again. He had never thought of such a thing. However, what Aries said was also true, there were countless researchers in The Federation. He realized that he was being too naive. He asked, ¡°Then why have the designs never been changed?¡±

    Aries replied, ¡°If you consider your mech as a machine, you may add good things to it. Making it explode with power, however, the familiarity you have with controlling a human body is better than controlling an odd machine.

    The neural link is heavy taxing on the human brain as it is, what do you think when you give a soldier an unfamiliar design mech on a battlefield. The toll will increase and decrease the performance output. will decrease. For example, your mech just now gave you a good burst of speed and helped you take me down, but what about it? In a battle, you do not face an individual enemy. The consequence of unfamiliarity with your machine and a rapid decrease in strength is death.

    Younded slightly heavier on the left side and the result was the disabled leg, also you rushed the battle not because you were that skilled with mech pilot but because I underestimated you and thus I lost. However, you will not be so lucky forever. You have good potential. Try not to look at things from a materialistic perceptive.¡±

    Shi Lang felt enlightened. This was true, he was looking at it all too subjectively. He saluted the man again. Aries nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Your ss must be waiting for you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and walked out of the trail grounds with Aries. They had to walk for two kilometers and took it slow. The boy asked the Commander a lot of questions about the military and some things that have always bothered him.

    Aries patiently replied to him, but he only divulged the knowledge known to other people. Themander said, ¡°Do your best in the uing recruit assessment, let us see if we have a fate.¡±

    Shi Lang froze for a bit and then nodded. Themander had hinted at him to join his battalion. The temperament of this man was to his liking and thus, Shi Lang decided to do his best in the assessment three monthster. The two people came out of the trial field. All Shi Lang saw was a crowd rushing up to him and then he felt his body leaving the ground as his friends tossed him in the air to cheer.

    Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang.

    They chanted with excitement and happiness. Today was the first time a technology branch student could get out of the shadows and take the lead. What was even more, he yed all the cards right to make the best of the situation he was caught in. The battle ss may have passed the exam but they all only survived. However, Shi Lang defeated the invigtor. For the second time.

    After Rosa scolded the student did they put down the hero of their course. Shi Lang looked around and found that Aries had already left the ce. Jane stepped forward from the crowd of boys and said excitedly, ¡°Jenkins ¡®the jerk¡¯ Edwards coughed up blood. You did well. I am proud of you.¡± as she patted his shoulders like an elder.

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°We are still one step away from the celebration. Get your asses to the ssroom. We have toe up with something to get the group battle cleared.¡±

    The students nodded and Rosa walked up to Shi Lang. However, the boy detected that her eyes were filled with hesitation. He took the initiative and asked, ¡°What is going on, Head Teacher?¡±

    Rosa sighed and said, ¡°The principal has called for you.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow in surprise and said, ¡°Could it be because we came forward to outshine his pets?¡±

    Rosa red at him and said, ¡°Watch yournguage, Young Man. Do not overthink before you get to the depth of it. Go to his office now.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at her visage for a few seconds and then left without a word. Rosa ground her teeth and sighed as she heard a voice behind her, ¡°True to his name. A stone that will make huge waves in the sea.¡±

    Thedy turned around and found Aries standing behind her. She did not say anything but the man said, ¡°I will deal with the principal. The first general is a fair man, do not worry.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Commander, I have to go to my ss. Thank you for your help.¡±

    Aries nodded and left to the principal office before Shi Lang could get there. The boy had created some waves, however, they were too big for him to face at the moment.

 Chapter 22

    Shi Lang walked inside the locker room and changed his clothes. He put on his school uniform and came out. Amelia stood leaning against the opposite wall, the boy understood she was waiting for him there.

    She was about to say something when Shi Lang said, ¡°You cane and talk after the group battle.¡±

    Amelia raised her eyes brows, ¡°Do you not want any help?¡±

    The boy replied with indifference, ¡°The deal was for me to defeat Jenkins Edwards and not for you to help me.¡±

    ¡°You think, I am helping you so that I can back off from my pay up?¡± asked Amelia. She was surprised, this guy did not say it but in a way, he was looking down on her. She clenched her fist and said, ¡°Listen here¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Shi Lang snapped his fingers interrupting her. He said, ¡°I do not look down on you and your promise. However, your help is not needed. I can handle things on my own.¡±

    With that said, he did not intend to listen to her and walked away, leaving behind a stunneddy. Amelia Knight was a person who was always met with respect. When has anyone ever talked to her like that? She mumbled, ¡°Shi Lang, you better not fail.¡±

    She also left after flicking her hair.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not care about Amelia, his mind was upied by the visit to the principal¡¯s office. He did not know when he trekked his way through the campus with his mind clouded with thoughts. He was trying to specte what could the principal want with him. He came to a big wooden door and knocked on it gently. An old voice sounded from inside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang pushed the door open slightly and walked inside. He stood took one step inside the office. The ce had almost no decoration. A simple modern style chandelier illuminated the office. A couch was ced at the left of the room, while a big table was ced at the rear end of the room.

    Behind the table sat a man. The person was old and he wore a formal suit. However, his face did not have any exaggerated wrinkles on his face. The only indication of his age was the head full of grey hair, Shi Lang was surprised but he asked, ¡°You called for me, Sir?¡±

    The man nodded and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and walked over to the table. He sat down on the chair opposite the man and waited patiently. The old man did not talk as soon as Shi Lang sat down, he gazed at his face for a few minutes before he said, ¡°You intend to contend against the battle ss?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to him silently. The old man asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    The boy took a deep breath and said, ¡°The school does not take any actions when we the technology branch get brutalized. So we have to take an action by ourselves.¡±

    The principal said, ¡°I would like to tell you that it is a way of the school to inspire the students topete and excel. The frontier is not an easy ce and without going to the frontier, the future is just enough to get by.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Indeed, I understand that. I do not think if there is something wrong if your propaganda is being achieved.¡±

    His voice was calm and his gaze was confident. The principal was surprised. He did not expect this boy to be so witty. However, his method of showing his stance was not ugly. The old man sighed and said, ¡°You know that Jenkins Edwards belongs to the family of the first general of the federation?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and the old man continued, ¡°Despite his family, the boy is still narrow-minded and can make sly moves in the dark. Are you not worried about your family and friends?¡±

    ¡°If he did something that he should not. I can also do the same thing. In your youth, you were the rare tech and battle genius. I do not know why you backed off from the frontier and came here, but I know this Principal Stevenson, you also dealt with someone simr to Jenkins Edwards and prevailed.¡± said the boy in a calm manner.

    Principal Stevenson, retired from the military at the designation of Major General. His merits and achievements were enough to get him the title of the first general. However, he suddenly took retirement from the frontier and became the principal of the Federation Star Academy. He was a rare genius, who had both technological and battle skills.

    Shi Lang was a cautious guy, and when he cleared the schrship exam, he had looked up the details of every faculty member. The principal raised his eyebrow and his gaze turned cold. A terrifying aura radiated from him. He asked, ¡°How do you know, what I faced back in the days?¡±

    Shi Lang replied calmly, ¡°The federation is five sr systems big, one can find anything they want to only if they know where to look. Your choice of name, Spykar, the master hacker is quite simr to your code name, Spike is quite simr.¡±

    The old man was shocked now. He could not believe that this brat could dig out the name he used in his youth when he dealt with a person who tried to obstruct him. He also noticed that the boy was not affected by his aura. He asked, ¡°How can you a three-star practitioner avoid my aura?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled brightly and said, ¡°Aura is just a mental image. You circte your blood and make your expressions cold. While doing that your blood radiates energy within. Only when someone looks in your eyes will they be affected by this mental projection of yours. You might think that I am looking in your eyes, however, the entire time, I am looking over your shoulder.¡±

    Stevenson almost wanted to dissect the brain of this guy in front of him. He did not understand how this youngster could pick up the secret of Aura. However, he did not intend to ask, this boy was definitely not as simple as he looked to be. Since he had given him a warning and this person is ready to face what wille at him. He decided to let him be.

    He sighed and said, ¡°You can leave.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up from the chair and after greeting the man he left. Old principal gazed at the door and mumbled, ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do Mr. Shi Lang.¡±

    ¡­

    The boy came back to his ss and saw that Rosa was giving them some ideas for the group battle. His arrival attracted a lot of attention from the people. The boy said, ¡°We will be losing the group battle.¡±

    The people all opened their eyes wide. Rosa frowned. Shi Lang said, ¡°They will being at us with the intent to kill, and they will overpower us. Any strategy will be wasted in front of brute strength.¡±

    Jane stood up and said, ¡°Lang, you better get us to win or I will kick your marbles to the pulp.¡±

    Shi Lang felt a twitch at the corner of his eyes. He sighed and said, ¡°Head teacher, I will take over from here.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Shi Lang stood on the podium. He had just finisheding up with the strategy for the group battle and the ss looked all excited. The n the boy hade up with was risky but it did note without a chance of victory.

    Jane pped the table and said, ¡°I am in.¡±

    The rest also stood up one by one and began to show their support. They all were aware that it was theirst chance to ever defeat the battle ss, this was the only chance they will ever get to break the cage and walk out of their shadows. They did not want to give up even if they went down trying, they will ept it.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Time to get them. It is now, do or die.¡±

    Lucas and the rest nodded and they all walked out of the ss in a neat queue. They were feeling like soldiers charging to their final war. This was one of the things that Shi Lang had told them, their mindset will change the game. They needed to feel like a soldier to act like a soldier.

    However, the boy thought that he had made a mistake in exnation. He shook his head as the ss walked to the simtion hall. The group battle was to be held here. The vocational courses were all exempted from group battles. Only the main courses like the technology branch and the battle ss were to fight in the group battles.

    The students all sat down inside the simtion hall. This hall could hold a total of one hundred and twenty students which was equivalent to the strength of two sses. Shi Lang sat on the seat allocated to him by the school. They all leaned back in the seat and closed their eyes.

    Opposite to the technology ss sat the students of the battle ss. Jenkins was also present in the crowd, however, his presence was a bit weak. Shi Lang had not taken notice of him and neither did he intend to.

    ¡­

    As the students closed their eyes and rxed, the darkness in their vision lit up. They now stood surrounded by what seemed to be a boundless white domain. A mechanical voice sounded in their ears, ¡°Wee to the simtion center. Please select a battle uniform for yourself.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and selected the standard ck suit used by the army training units. The suit was body tight with some pads and protection gear added on the joints and crucial muscle group. It was indeed capable of stoping any harm to befall on the wearer.

    The mechanical voice sounded again, ¡°Attire selected, please select a primary weapon, a melee weapon, and side items.¡±

    This dialog allowed the students to select the weapons on their own. Shi Lang scrolled through the big list and picked up a submachine gun, a drill-like knife called, Feng HDD along with one grenade, three smoke grenades, and one EMP.

    He did not pick up a first aid supply and focused on getting himself weapons because once the battle started, he will not be able to get a re-supply. He was not reckless, this was their strategy, the snipers did not need to carry guns, so they carried a lot of medicinal supplies.

    The ss was divided into several groups. They were as such, Snipers, Gueris, Decoys, and Medics.

    The job ss is self definitive. The mechanical voice echoed again, ¡°You will now be transported to the game. May the best Terran win.¡±

    As soon as the voice stopped, Shi Lang only sensed the scenery changed. The boy was standing in a clearing of a forest, as it seemed to be. He was holding his gun and other chosen supplies. This was the magic of the simtion room. The chair they were resting on was not only for rxing them but also, to transport their consciousness to a big map, where the students can duke it out. This was called the Simted Domain.

    Shi Lang did not appear alone, he looked around and found that his ssmates also spawned beside him. After a few seconds, sixty people stood in a group. Tim said, ¡°I may be the ss leader, however, we all know that Shi Lang is much more capable than me to get us to victory. So let us follow hismand?¡±

    The people all nodded to show their agreement. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Very well. Stand in rows ording to your departments.¡±

    Tim replied, ¡°Snipers with me.¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°Decoys with me.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Gueris with me.¡±

    A girl said, ¡°Medics,e here.¡±

    There were ten snipers, ten decoys, ten medics, and the gueris had thirty people. Shi Lang said, ¡°Medics, give the gueris one pack of basic first aid. Decoys will be luring the enemy, Gueri and Sniper will cooperate with the decoys to take ambush the enemy. Medics, you are to hide ande out only to help the rest with medication. Hide well, and do not move until called upon. Understood?¡±

    The people nodded and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Following that students all divided. The spawning area was a safe ce and the medics will stay back. The map they all spawned upon was a forest map, that had an area of twenty square kilometers. It would have been a big distance for a normal human but Terrans were able tob this area easily.

    The team distribution was three gueris, one decoy, and one sniper. The spawning zone was a corner area, so the teams covered the first nine kilometers around this corner. Five teams in the front and four at the back with each team responsible for a circr area of one-kilometer diameter. The decoys were all two-star Terrans.

    Thest team was led by Shi Lang. They were the hunter team, bringing the war to the enemy camp. However, they were not the only ones to have ns.

    ¡­

    The few people in the battle ss were all proud beasts, they were divided into camps from within and some had already left the ce. Only Jenkins Edwards and thirty of his loyal followers were left. One of the guys asked, ¡°Jenkins, what is the n?¡±

    Jenkins said coldly, ¡°Hunt them down. Comb the whole forest. Kill those you see. We charge at their spawn camps.¡±

 Chapter 24

    The two sses engaging in wars were all visible to the school faculty and the other invigtors. The strategy from the two groups was visible to the experienced people. Aries and Rackham sat together with the school faculty observing the match.

    Suddenly, Igor Dmitri, the headteacher of the battle ss said, ¡°Teacher Rosa had done a good job this time. The students from your ss surely are surprising.¡±

    Rosa smiled at him formally and returned her focus to the screen. How can she not understand that this guy was trying to lead her into a trap and then make her do something that might reflect badly upon her students and her career? The principal of the school was also present at the spot. He heard these words and recalled his meeting with Shi Lang.

    He said, ¡°Instructor Igor is indeed correct. There are some really good talents in the technology ss this year. Instructor Rosa did a good job.¡±

    The other faculty members also supported her with a kind smile and nods of acknowledgment. Igor wanted to say something more but, he suddenly heard Aries say, ¡°Technology branch took the initiative.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and his team were setting up the traps when the decoy sent them a signal. The people nodded and hid inside the forest. This team consisted of the best yers in the ss, Lucas was the decoy, Shi Lang, Jane, Simon, were the gueri¡¯s and Tim hid among the virtual leaves as the sniper.

    Lucas went ahead of them and found a group of three people heading toward their position, so before he alerted the enemy, he sent a brief message back to Shi Lang through themunication equipment.

    ¡°Shi, three tangos, assaulters,¡± said Lucas.

    Assaulter was a term used to describe a trooper who had assault-oriented equipment over themselves. These assaulters were the vanguard of the military. Theirbat level could be said to be horrifying. A team of five official assaulters alone could level down a mob of fifty, three-star Terrans.

    Shi Lang replied to him with a go-ahead and Lucas drew attention to himself by stepping on a twig under his feet and then he ran back. He deliberately exposed his back to the enemy while shuttling through the trees. He had to make sure that the three did not find anything wrong and kept chasing him.

    He did not run back blindly, on the way he took cover behind some trees and fired shots at his pursuers. One of his shots grazed the shoulder of the wingman, the rest flew around them. The battle ss students were triggered by the injury their friend suffered. They began to chase after Lucas to avenge this humiliation.

    What else could Shi Lang want? They kept hiding behind their covers as they saw Lucas moving closer to them. Shi Lang spoke in thems, ¡°Hide your breath like I told you and also, do not point your vision at their backs, and face. Watch their legs and shadows.¡±

    He did not only give them pointers in their studies but also told them all the martial skills that he could. They were all people who longed for strength, despite their Star status they all wished to improve and thus Shi Lang parted his knowledge on martial skills at them as well.

    At first, some people asked him how he found this all out. After all, he was the weakest of them all. So, he just said that it was learned from old books. The students learned from him and tried these tricks in games they yed with each other. The results shocked them to the core. These things actually worked.

    Shi Lang was the weakest but he was the most dangerous of them all. He would always target the weakness they would expose. Only when he faced brute force will he be defeated. As soon as they heard hismands, they all followed without hesitation.

    Lucas suddenly tripped on the ground and before he could get up a stun bullet hit him in the back. Shi Lang had yet to give out any signals to attack. He was waiting patiently. The three assaulters charged up to Lucas, immediately surrounding him. The boy in the lead said, ¡°Technology trash dares to hurt us. Who gave you the guts?¡±

    With that said, the boy kicked Lucas hard in his ribs. Lucas applied the trick held his breath to lower the damage on his body. His body still skidded on the ground from the impact. The other guy raised his gun and said, ¡°Why to waste an effort, clean him up and find the other trash. They dared to fight us. Humph.¡±

    He aimed at the boy and said, ¡°Tata.¡± as the corner of his lips raised.

    Followed by that a light shed. Shi Lang took out his tactical knife and charged at the person closest to him, this guy was the one who kicked Lucas earlier. Jane also reacted and attacked the third guy with her knife. The light sh earlier was the shot Tim took at the guy who was about to kill Lucas.

    The actions werepleted in one blink. Shi Lang and Jane burst forward with explosive strength and before the assaulters even had a chance to react, they had cold knives stuck in their necks. The armor only left a neck unguarded and thus it was exploited by the technology ss.

    They had no fear of the blood pouring on their hands making them warm and sticky. They all had been ying such battles in the games from a young age. The two assaulted slowly sensed life seeping out of them and fell to the ground.

    Shi Lang cleaned his knife before storing it on his thigh sheath. He raised his head and signaled Tim to get moving. He said, ¡°Simon, Rig them?¡±

    Simon nodded and rigged the three bodies together and they left the ce.

    ¡­

    Igor mmed the table, ¡°Vicious snakes, how dare they do something like this to the dead bodies of theirrades? Teacher Rosa is this what you taught them?¡±

    Rosa raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°Where were you when your students called my kids, Trash? They are fighting against each other, so whatrades? Do I need to tell you the treatment my students face from your ss? You better shut up before I file a legalint on how you and your faculty look at the mental quality of your rabid students.¡±

    Her words were aggressive and her eyes were cold. She did not show it but if someone dared to call out her students lowly and stuff, she was an angry hen protecting the eggs. Her retort surprised a lot of higher-ups and Igor was stunned. Principal Stevenson said, ¡°Calm down the two of you, the exam is still ongoing. I do not like theck of decorum.¡±

    His solemn tone and aura radiated from him made the people shiver and they all settled down.

 Chapter 25

    Shi Lang and the team had left the ce. They decided to tactically retreat. Lucas was shot with a stun bullet and was unable to move for the next ten minutes. Who knows the people from the Battle ss found out and charged in their location?

    Lucas was being carried by Shi Lang and said, ¡°Dude that kick hurt a lot.¡±

    Jane was running along with them, and she heard the sound. She said, ¡°Who asked you to y dead? You could have just stood in front of them and died like a man.¡±

    Lucas only felt a twitch on his eyebrow. They moved and hid inside the forest. Tim sat on top of a tree, monitoring the situation from the cover. He had spent all his mind on acquiring equipment that would help him hide and monitor. He gave up any defense armorpletely.

    Shi Lang had told him that those who hide and attack from the shadows, put down their guard once they get defensive. Theck of instincts makes it harder for them to be alert to their surroundings. Thus the boy had picked up stealth over the defense. He looked in a direction and said, ¡°Lang, tango approaching.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest were taking a break to catch up on their breath. He asked, ¡°How many?¡±

    Tim said, ¡°One.¡±

    Shi Lang dived down the tree and steadilynded on the ground. He said, ¡°I will take him on. Mark the target.¡±

    Tim replied, ¡°Roger.¡±

    The people all wore a mini radar on their wrists. Tim had a piece of monitoring equipment that allowed him a higher range. He marked the target and the location was shared with everyone in the team. Such features wereplicated to use but they were all tech nerds. They could pass the system limits and overhaul it with a few tricks.

    Shi Lang got the location of the target and ran through the forest quickly and silently. The boy was like a ghost. The radar showed that the target was moving through the forest, one kilometer away from him. Thus he began the charge.

    ¡­

    Stevenson raised his eyebrow. Aries and Rackham also nodded. In the overall scoring Technological team was leading. They had taken down three assaulters, rescued their teammate. The other thing that gave the technology ss high evaluation was the use of terrain and resources. They had an army consisting of different sses and sub-sses in the mix.

    The other thing that impressed the judges was the traps that Shi Lang and his team had set on the way. Igor saw this and clenched his fist. He stood up and wanted to go out of the room when he heard Stevenson speak, ¡°Instructor Igor, where might you be going. The exam had be interesting.¡±

    Igor replied, ¡°I need to use the toilet.¡±

    Stevenson said, ¡°Very well. Take your leave.¡± however, his eyes were not as kind and calm as his voice. He tapped his finger on the table and watched the figure of the instructor. He said, ¡°Major Rackham, I will have to trouble you to check if the simtion hall is fine. Do not let anyone approach the ce at all.¡±

    Rackham stood up and after saluting the man he walked out of the observation room. He did not understand what this old guy wanted him to do, but since he was asked to monitor then he will do it. The major left the room and Rosa cast a gaze at the screen. Both her palms were sped together, filled with sweat.

    She was anxious to see the result.

    ¡­

    On the other side, Shi Lang arrived in the vicinity of the target. He stood next to a tree and leaned his ear onto the bark of the tree. As a three-star Terran, the boy had hypersensitivity so he could sense the slight tremors in the bark of the tree. The assaulted gear was heavy and this gear made the footsteps of the enemy heavier, making the vibrations travel through the ground and to the tree.

    Shi Lang stood calmly and converted his aura to the point where if the enemy might overlook him unless he stood in front of him. He was aiming for that and that was what he got. Shi Lang took out his knife from his thigh strap and held it in a reverse grip.

    It may be a coincidence or something, but the moment the enemy appeared an explosion sounded, shaking the entire forest. The enemy turned his head away to look in the direction where the explosion came from, giving Shi Lang the most needed opportunity. He rushed at the guy who stood with his back facing him.

    However, just as Shi Lang was about to attack, he retracted his hand and jumped up from the ground. The assaulted was not a careless guy, he had not given up his guard and turned around. Shi Lang had sensed his movementing in and jumped overhead.

    He stabbed the knife after a flip, the knife hit the helmet, and the tip of the knife, which looked like a drill, stabbed through the head in one time only. Aries stood up from the chair as he said, ¡°Principal Stevenson, I want this boy under mypany as soon as he graduates. Screw the entrance, just tell me his enrollment number. I will groom him myself.¡±

    His agitated reaction made the people surprised they did not expect this calm and sunny guy to yell out like this. Stevenson chuckled and said, ¡°Aries, you have taken a liking to him?¡±

    Themander nodded and said, ¡°I have. This guy was able to predict the reaction of the assaulter. Imagine what he can do if he was given the resources to train himself.¡±

    The rest of the people could not help but nod at the statement. They did not expect the boy to react so fast and take down the assaulter before the other party can even figure out what happened.

    One of the faculty members of the battle ss said, ¡°The guy taken down was Matthew Miller.¡±

    This sent another shock to the people. Matthew Miller was a top student in the ss and ranked among the top ten. His ability was to harden his entire body to the level akin to iron. However, Shi Lang still stabbed through his skull.

    Rosa asked, ¡°How did he do it?¡±

    She had less to no knowledge about the battle. Aries replied, ¡°Using the momentum from the charge, he flipped his body into the air. Then gathered all the umted momentum onto the tip of the knife and stabbed it through the calvaria. It is the weakest part of the body in normal times. Shi Lang¡¯s knife is a high-grade killing tool, that can pierce through metal like mud if used properly.¡±

    This assessment had brought the people a great shock and the magnitude became bigger and bigger.

 Chapter 26

    While the people inside the monitoring room were shocked by Shi Lang¡¯s performance, they also were taking notice of the other people. The students of the technology group were not all weaklings. Shi Lang had told them to act ordingly and cooperate. His team was dedicated to hunting and luring the strong people.

    The examination continued, while some acted in the open, some acted in the shadows. One of the people sneaking inside the shadow was the head instructor of the battle ss, Igor. He came out of the monitoring room and walked around the campus in the guise of calming down. However, he was not aware that he has been seen through by the principal.

    Major Rackham was also monitoring the instructor. The famed officer had to raise his eyebrow as he mumbled, ¡°Worthy of his title.¡±

    The reason he said this was how Igor was moving around the campus avoiding the surveince in the school corridors. He followed him for quite a bit and found that Igor was heading to the simtion room. Major Rackham was asked by the principal to check the simtion room. So he did manage to connect the dots.

    Stevenson was suspicious of this guy that was why he asked the Major to check on the room. His doubt came true. Major Rackham decided to clean up the ce whilst he was here. He changed his track and decided to catch the person in the act.

    During the simtion, a teacher can use administrative control and connect with the students. This was done to guide them. However, it can also be exploited by the teacher in such situations. As Igor moved to the simtion room.

    Jenkins was also walking through the forest slowly. He was not in the hurry to face off with the people in the technology the reason? He did not think they were worthy of him acting against them. All he cared about was Shi Lang. That boy gave him a threatful feeling. That gaze of the boy as if he could see through him and his mind was getting him antsy.

    However, he did not find him because if Shi Lang could not deal with the ¡®leftovers¡¯ of the battle ss, then what was the point? Jenkins may seem like an arrogant guy but the truth was that he was indeed very hardworking and discipline when it came to his training, however, his attitude towards others was the opposite.

    The boy was five years old when hest saw his father. He asked his mother many times but after a couple of years when his mother was on herst leg, told him that the reason his father did not see him was that he lost.

    The schooling provided to Jenkins was the ultimate, he was taught to do well and be at the peak of everything he did. When he was five years old, Jenkinspeted in a game, simr to the one right now but, the boy lost. His father did not console him but said, ¡°Only the day you stop crying,e to me.¡±

    What the man meant was to not cry over losing but Jenkins thought he was abandoned because he lost. Since then he had be a machine. His only goal was to show his father that he will not cry. However, his father had never asked him to be as such and now he did not wish to see what his son had be.

    Suddenly, Jenkins heard a voice in his head, ¡°Kill Shi Lang, he has taken out five people of my ss, do you understand Student Jenkins. His position is¡­¡±

    Jenkins was walking through the forest when he heard this message, he recognized that the voice belonged to none other than his teacher, Igor. However, when he heard the message that Shi Lang had taken down five people he was surprised. He checked the status of hismunicator and found that the message was correct. He mumbled, ¡°You bloody insect. You will pay the price.¡±

    He did not get the location of Shi Lang, but he knew what he had to do. With a n in mind, he moved into the forest.

    ¡­

    Igor was standing inside the simtion room with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was surprised at the sudden appearance of the shackles. He could not even sense when he was sneaked upon. He heard a nonchnt voice, ¡°For disrupting the fairness of the exam, you are arrested under The Federation Penal Code. You have the right to stay silent, everything you do or say will be used against you in the trial.¡±

    Igor smirked and said, ¡°You think I am afraid of anything? Do not forget that I am a Six-star Terran. I can get away based on my merits.¡±

    Major Rackham did not answer and yanked thetter outside the room. He had already arrived when Igor hade in front of the console, but he waited and let himy the line. The evidence was concise and only then did he make his move. He pulled the guy back to the observation room where Principal Stevenson was waiting.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang finished of a target solo and rushed back after rigging the body with traps. On the way, he checked themunicator of his team and found that some teams were engaged with the enemy team while some had already died. He was aware that they cannot avoid casualtiespletely, so the mental stress was not too much.

    He checked the score, the technology ss was in a tie with the battle ss. The reason was their strategy that made it difficult for the battle ss. He suddenly saw one team vanishing from his radar in quick session and used themunicator to ry a message.

    ¡°All teams, this is Alpha, immediate change of ns. The tiger is out of the den. Begin n B. Injured are to move to the medics for immediate assistance. Recover and relieve will begin together as well. Move it.¡±

    He received a confirmation and the gears began to spin. Tiger was the code they had designated for Jenkins. Despite the terrible personality of this guy Shi Lang gave himplete respect. He was aware of what can an underestimated enemy do to them.

    The people who were watching the exam from outside were all surprised by how quickly the boy had acted. Jenkins was the only guy who would take down his teams out so quickly. His own team also came over to regroup after themand was delivered to everyone.

 Chapter 27

    Aries stood up from the chair and mmed the table hard. His eyes were brimming with anger when he saw Major Rackham bringing in the instructor of the battle ss inside with his hands shackled. He shouted, ¡°How dare you? Do you not understand your responsibility? A teacher is supposed to be fair. What you did was out of line and a shady act that stained the profession of a teacher. You shameful scum.¡±

    He was having a real hard time controlling himself from killing Igor. The teacher had a smug expression on his face and he had no regrets. He said, ¡°I know, you all look down on me but weak people have no right to contend against the strong. The war front is not as fair as you all think it is. You do not know what they will have to face. Did you all forget the massacre of Athena?¡±

    Athena was a The Federation had colonized. However, right after they thought the crusade wasplete, the inhabitants of the revolted. The Federation had a force of fifty thousand people posted there, but none survived in the onught. The tragedy of Athena made the people realize that they were not the only ones who had the strength.

    Igor¡¯s words woke up the people. Only now did they realize why Igor pushed his ss so much. He did not want them all to perish on the battlefield and believed that only those who were ruthless can survive the battlefield.

    Stevenson said, ¡°You will be dealt withter on. Now focus on the battle.¡±

    His words made the people turn their heads back at the monitoring screens. They saw Jenkins attacking and Shi Lang changing the strategies. Aries and Rackham raised their eyebrows at how the teams had begun to behave.

    The decoys were now running away and the gueris were sneaking up like usual but this time, thebat was not decisive enough, they would sh and after a strike or two, the technology ss would vanish in the forest. The snipers all kept hidden, they did not attack and even did not breathe when the enemy was close to them.

    The people in the monitoring room were confused. Suddenly, Teacher Rosa said, ¡°Can we have an infrared scene of the whole map? Highlight the technology team in green and the battle ss in red.¡±

    Stevenson was curious and nodded. A technician tapped a digital tab a few times and the scene on the screen changed. Rosa stood up from her chair and said, ¡°Edward ploy?¡±

    Edward Ploy, a strategy used by the first general in a battle inside an asteroid belt. Stevenson nodded and said, ¡°Decoys are to lead, gueris are to pressure, thest strike belongs to the snipers. Just like using gunships as a decoy, Fighter ss as gueris and hiding the dreadnaughts behind the asteroids. Gathering the enemy in a pool and taking them down all at once.¡±

    The people nodded and one of the guys from the battle ss faculty said, ¡°The leader seems to be student Lang. He has done a good job in executing this n.¡±

    The rest of the teachers could not help but agree more.

    ¡­

    Inside the battle map, the battle ss was led by their noses, Shi Lang¡¯s n was executed perfectly. Everyone was a tech nerd and they were all aware of you to use their brains to the fullest. Jenkins was looking for more people to kill but oddly enough he could not find any. He was enraged and confused at the same time.

    He used his miniputer but it only showed the position of his teammates. He found them all moving in seemingly random directions or circles. He did not have any idea of what was going on so he decided to make a beeline towards the enemy spawn spot. On the other side, Shi Lang was the same.

    He said to his team, ¡°The match will finish when we capture the spawn spot of the enemy team. Since the battle ss is upied, how about we also do the same?¡±

    Tim and the rest thought for a bit and then nodded. They all moved forward and the confident battle ss had never thought about the ¡®weak¡¯ ss to be able to reach their doorsteps and thus they had not left a single fighter to guard the ce.

    Shi Lang and the rest walked inside freely and Lucas erected the g of their team to capture the area. However, after a few minutes, the battle did not end. When Shi Lang was about to use the console to contact the people outside, an announcement was made.

    ¡°This is the principal of the school, Technology team has captured the spawn spot of the battle ss. Congrattions.¡± he took a pause and let the technology ss enjoy their victory. However, just after the people erupted in cheers.

    The voice rang out again, ¡°The final round has a little twist. The captain of the battle team is now given a choice. One he can challenge the captain of the opposite team and redeem the win after a duel. Or pick ten minutes toplete this group battle and snatch back the medallion of victory.¡±

    Jenkins did not hesitate and said, ¡°I choose Second.¡±

    The principal replied, ¡°All the best to you.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked by the announcement and the decision made by Jenkins. But he still expected thetter to hunt down his people. He used themunications and said, ¡°Take down every single battle ss monkey with you as you can I will take on Jenkins.¡±

    Then he mumbled to himself, ¡°It has been ages since I had gotten the rust off.¡±

    ¡­

    Rosa red at the people with a cold gaze and said, ¡°Hypocrites all of you.¡±

    Stevenson did not reply but his gaze was stuck to the screen as he saw the students act with a determined face. He said, ¡°The face-off, begins. Show me what you are made of Shi Lang. Let me see your true worth.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Shi Lang and his team rushed back towards their spawning camp. While Jenkins ordered the battle ss to deal with the ¡®rats of the technology ss¡¯ he said. The situation was not as easily solved as thetter thought it would be.

    The vice-captain of the technological team spoke in themunicator, ¡°Captain, we are being heavily attacked. They are using their special abilities, what do you suggest?¡±

    The very next moment he heard a calm voice, ¡°Remember what we discussed back in the ssroom?¡±

    The vice-captain nodded and said, ¡°Yes. I wille up with something.¡±

    They were aware that the people outside would be able to monitor their conversation. Every word spoken by Shi Lang will be used by the invigtors to mark him. In the ssroom, they had reached a point where all the strategies failed against the brute strength of the battle ss.

    The vice-captain of the team was the third most intelligent student in the ss. This guy would stay quiet most of the time, and that was why Shi Lang asked him to be the vice-captain when their teams were separated. He did not have much confidence in himself but Shi Lang told him that those who are quiet in a crowd would always be good at observing the situation.

    Not only this the two had a private small talk where Shi Lang told him that casualties are inevitable, but since it was a game, they needed to use the casualties. Han Shu was surprised at this. However, when he thought about it, he nodded with a trace of determination in his mind. He had told Shi Lang an idea that was put up as a fail-safe or ast resort.

    Han Shu spoke in hismunicator, ¡°We charge for Valha.¡±

    The speed of the technological ss¡¯s escape increased. They were now running ahead with all their might, they did not even use the cover of the trees in the forest. They were making a beeline to the regroup spot.

    The snipers, gueris, and decoys all gave up the cover and sustained injuries from the chasing assaulters. However, they focused on safeguarding their vitals as they ran. Jenkins was the only one who found this action fishy. He did not want to act before things were clear for him. Or more like, he will not act before he knew what was happening.

    Slowly, his speed decreased and he fell at the back of the pack.

    The technological ss had gathered at a clearing and the people suddenly stopped in their tracks. The assaulting group now had found that something was wrong and approached them all with a calm and steady pace. Jenkins had given amand just a second ago, ¡°Act with caution, something is wrong.¡±

    The leading person asked, ¡°Do you intend to surrender?¡±

    Han Shu stepped forward and said, ¡°Yes, we are tired.¡±

    Then he raised his hands up and ced them behind his head. The technological ss was surrounded by all sides, however, the people looked at the back of Han Shu¡¯s head. The battle ss did not take notice of Han Shu¡¯s fingers. They all thought that the ss was feeling emotional at the brave front of their vice-captain.

    They had all heard the announcement from the Principal. It will take fifty seconds for Shi Lang and his group to arrive here. They wanted to use this chance to take down the main forces of the technological ss.

    The total number of surrendering students was forty-five. Excluding ten medics, and Shi Lang¡¯s band. This was the majority of the technological ss. The assaulters were five meters away from Hao Shu when the person tilted his head with a smile.

    Following that, a roar echoed in the space, ¡°TO VALHALLA.¡±

    The assaulters froze and then they received heavy fire from the so-called surrendering students. They did not imagine the technological ss to use such a low blow against them. They began to fight with the outer circles of the team and failed to notice that the technological ss was standing in a circr formation.

    They had a total of fouryers, three were gueris troops. The outeryers were used by those behind as meat shields. They were far crueler than the battle ss had imagined them to be. The snipers were all taking opportunistic shots, making a big difference.

    The assault group had lost twenty people and this made the rest be aggressive. They all wanted to avenge theirrades, and they charged forward with their abilities. However, what awaited them was a cruel reality. Inside the innermostyer, the decoys were connecting all the phaser-nades. A version of the hand grenade, that had an impact equal to hundred of traditional grenades.

    Jenkins had noticed something and hemanded, ¡°Fall back.¡±

    However, his dyed reaction had allowed the technological team toplete their goal. The next thing was a bright light eruption followed by a loud boom.

    ¡­

    Suddenly, Stevenson said, ¡°Valha? Was that not the code used by General Tallus, for hisst battle suicide charge in the year of 1600B, the charge to Valha.¡±

    Rosa picked up his words, ¡°His log mentioned that the federation forces were weak inparison to the ambushers in the tundra star system, to safeguard the arriving reinforcements. He decisively detonated the nuclear cores of his ships. Most of the crew was sent out in escape pods but the denotation was manual. Not willing to leave any of his men behind, General Tallus, stayed behind and became an immortal.¡±

    Stevenson nodded, this ount was correct. Aries said, ¡°The resolve of the technology branch requires special consideration. They all can quit and end this, it has happened in the past when the technological ss will give up on the battle. However, this time, in my opinion, they have shown the true capabilities of their ss.

    Whether it is the strategy, execution, teamwork, or decisiveness. If they had enough star-level, then they could have been on par with the battle ss.¡±

    The rest of the teachers nodded. They could not pick up anything wrong in what Commander Aries had said. Igor stood silently in the corner watching the battle on the screen. It was not that the battle ss had performed badly, it was his action of intervention with the exam that had put his ss in a bad light.

    Jenkins¡¯s action had also been taken notice of. His retreat was good but he did not notify his team about it. That was not expected of a leader. The army had a principal, live for the force, die for yourrades. Jenkins defied the second part. It was his dy that caused this scenario. It could have been avoided earlier.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and his team were running through the forest, when they heard the explosion, they were only ten seconds away from the epicenter. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Be careful, the defensive ability ones might have survived this st. Go take them down.¡±

    Jane said, ¡°Lang, remember, a wounded tiger is more dangerous.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Do you think, I gave him that code name to glorify him? I know about this already. Make sure to act together and be fast, do not let the fisherman win the battle.¡±

    Those were thest words before the teams split up. Shi Lang rushed to the center of the charred clearing. The people of the team moved around the circle to deal with everyone.

    Shi Lang stopped in his tracks, like the one he has been looking for appeared in front of him. Jenkins had tattered armor. The guy was not looking like his glorious self. His hair was unkempt, and his shoulders were dropped. Shi Lang first scanned the sides and found that a few people of the battle ss were alive, however, they were all incapable of action.

    Shi Lang heard Jenkins speak, ¡°You really had a good n.¡±

    Thetter just shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°It was all Han Shu. I really had no idea. But well, it did achieve the goal.¡±

 Chapter 29

    Shi Lang and Jenkins stood facing each other but given their posture it did not look like they were about to fight. While the former stood with his hands behind his back, thetter stood with his shoulders drooping forward and his hands hung as if they had no strength in them.

    The small dialog earlier ended abruptly. They stood gazing at each other with a gaze so cold that it made the other people freeze. It was as if they were waiting for something. A signal that will allow them to shoot forward their best attack.

    Jenkins had lost his weapons and only a knife was left hanging on his thigh strap. Jane and the three boys were cleaning stuff up but they were not as eased as they were earlier. Two people would end the guys while the other two would be guards. To reduce the risk they kept their movement pattern obscure as well.

    Suddenly, Tim said, ¡°I think¡­¡±

    Before he couldplete it, Jane ced her knife on his neck and said, ¡°You have a crow¡¯s mouth. You better shut up and do not jinx him.¡±

    Tim gulped and swallowed back the words in his mouth along with the saliva inside. He did not doubt that she will spare him. Jane has been Shi Lang¡¯s guardian in the ss. The reason, no one knew. They got back to their task. The stare-it-out had reached a very crucial situation. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew and with that, the people moved.

    Shi Lang and Jenkins covered a distance of ten-meter each with one step, Jenkins attacked the former with his right w aimed at his chest. Shi Lang simply shifted his weight letting the attack miss as he used the momentum in his charge to get the right side of Jenkins, however, the next moment his right knee made contact with thetter¡¯s torso.

    Shi Lang was not unscathed, Jenkins had retracted his w and bent the hand to strike with his elbow. The mutual exchange of the blows canceled out the force behind their attacks, and they both recoiled back after the exchange but they had no intention to stop.

    Jenkins was a master in abat art called Tiger Brawling. Using the attack instincts and movement tactics of a tiger this martial skill was developed by some experts. It ranked among the best skills out there. To learn this skill one needed to pay a very high price, that was not mary.

    Shi Lang on the other hand was using a set of skills that he had mastered in his past life, Tiger Sutra. Aplete set that included, movement, breathing, and attack and defense patterns. Unlike Jenkins, the tiger in this skill was just a stand-in with the word courage.

    The two people charged at each other and close-quarterbat began. They both aimed at each other¡¯s vital spots. However, none of them bore fruits of thebor because they were equal. Yes, this development had shocked everyone, whether it was those inside the simtion or outside it.

    ¡­

    Aries nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°They both are very strong.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded at this. However, Stevenson said, ¡°They only have five minutes to finish this duel and thirty seconds have passed already. If Shi Lang could not deliver some significant damage to Jenkins, thetter will be an advantage with his superior star grade. Shi Lang will lose.¡±

    The people nodded, they all had spected something like this to happen. Aries said, ¡°Shi Lang has a more refined technique, I wonder how he got this skill set.¡±

    Stevenson nodded and asked, ¡°Instructor Rosa, what is this skill he is using?¡±

    Rosa gave a wry smile and shook her head indicating that she has no idea what the boy was doing. She could only reply, ¡°Self-taught.¡±

    Two worlds made the people all look at her as if they had seen a ghost. Major Rackham asked, ¡°What do you mean by that? How can that be possible? Such finesse in the martial technique, this must be some skill he had learned from the federation Library.¡±

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°Sir, Shi Lang used to be a one-star Terran three days ago. He is top of the ss when ites to his grades. His athletic skills are also top-notch. Command andbat, tech and execution, he is top-notch. It is as if he is a sponge, I have given him harder topics every time, but he always delivered the results.

    What is more, he had read human anatomy in his pass time. His understanding of the human body is enough topete with a normal orthopedic. So, it is possible, that he taught himself.¡±

    This exnation made them all stumped. The reason was that the invigtors did not know Shi Lang¡¯s academic skills. The principal had never taken much interest in the technological branch after he hade over here. It was not that he did not wish to but because the skills of the people in the technological knowledge were low, and Shi Lang was just a one-star Terran.

    ¡­

    While the people were reeling in from the shock, Shi Lang and Jenkins were going at it like no tomorrow. Shi Lang was bleeding from his forehead, one of Jenkins w attacks managed to graze the side of his forehead and cut open his skin.

    Even if he was injured his output did not stop. On the contrary, his fighting spirit increased. His blows became sharper and concise. The damage of apact punch or kick would make Jenkins take back a step every time he made contact with it. It was not only that his attack has peaked out but even his defense also increased.

    Slowly, he was evading all the attacks thrown at him. His ability to sense everything around him was in y now,pared to him what made Jenkins so strong was that his body will lose senses after he became focused on the fight. He would feel no pain in his body as the attacks connected.

    Shing said, ¡°You cannot win.¡±

    The boy had been holding on for two minutes and now he had umted enough momentum to deliver his final strike.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Here Ie.¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°I am not backing off,e.¡±

    Shi Lang uttered, ¡°Tiger Fist Barrage.¡± following that his hands turned into after images. Jenkins was not slow either, he countered with his best technique and a secret card up his sleeves.

    He said, ¡°Fang Fist.¡±

    ¡­

    Aries stood up and said, ¡°Two tigers on a mountain, forgiving misery and pain. They fight to prove their might, two tigers won¡¯t back down without a fight.¡±

 Chapter 30

    Shi Lang and Jenkins began to trade blows at a high speed. The impact was so high that they both could feel their bodies shivering from every blow that they came across. The people around them were surprised by the ferocity of this exchange.

    Shi Lang had a smile on his face, while Jenkins hadplicated emotions in his eyes. He had never imagined such a highpetitioning from someone in his peers. He could sense that Shi Lang did not have as much strength as him, however, he did not expect him to meet him so fearlessly.

    He thought to himself, ¡®It could be that this is a simtion realm that he is so carefree.¡¯

    However, the next moment, he contradicted his notion, after all, the simtion realm did not iste the pain the people would face from the injuries they suffer inside this ce. Shi Lang must have been facing a tremendous amount of pain, and so was he, but still he moved forward with a subtle smile on his face and fearless gaze.

    Shi Lang said as he weaved his body from side to side to avoid the attacks being thrown at him, ¡°You are very strong Jenkins, everyone know that. However, you are missing something that could have made you defeat me.¡±

    Jenkins did not reply, neither did he slow down in his barrage, however, in his mind a thought did arise. He wanted to ask Shi Lang what was it that hecked. He had everything that anyone could have asked for, talent, skills, resources, everything. What was it that hecked?

    Shing said, ¡°Youck the heart of the strong.¡±

    The boy answered the question, and it was not intended to make the Jenkins falter in his charge but was to show him the difference. He said, ¡°Now, my turn.¡±

    As soon as his words dropped the attack began. All the blows were focused on Jenkins vitals, suddenly, Shi Lang unleashed his whole potential. His legs, elbows, palms, shoulders, and even thighs and knees became his weapons. The barrage was so terrifying that those watching him were shocked to the depth of their cores.

    ¡­

    Rackham said, ¡°Why is his stance like that of First General Edwards.¡±

    Stevenson said, ¡°It is not like First General Edwards, but it is the same, Hero¡¯s charge.¡±

    Hero¡¯s charge was a stance to a special attack technique. This technique was a secret technique of the First General Edwards.

    Aries asked, ¡°How does he know this stance?¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°Ummm, the first general visited the academy a few times in the past. He once gave a speech where he assumed the charge stance. Shi Lang has been studying that video for two years and he has been trying toe up with his variant of hero¡¯s charge. He had written aplete thesis on this and submitted it back to the school.¡±

    Stevenson asked, ¡°Why did I not know about something like this?¡±

    Rosa rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You were not interested in holding an award ceremony for the literature thesis winners.¡±

    The old man felt a twitch on his lips and said, ¡°What sort of monster is this kid? Jack of all trades?¡±

    Aries said, ¡°More like an Ace among Terrans.¡±

    The people did not know that the words spoken by Aries were going to be reality. They put this at the back of their heads as they watched the two boys struggle against each other.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not move back, as he started to attack Jenkins ceaselessly. His speed also did not slow down but increased. Jenkins could not face up against such a frantic charge. He was shocked when he saw Shi Lang stand with legs one in front of the other and his hands were held in front of his body. For a second he imagined that he was facing his father.

    Jenkins knew that the stance was simr to Hero¡¯s charge to the point where it looked the same. However, that was all that it was about. Shi Lang was not attacking like how his father would engage his enemies.

    This was not a shock for him, but the realization that even after such a frantic attack sequence, Shi Lang did not leave a single opening in his attacks, and that Shing was mixing up his attacks with feints and sometimes he would radiate killing intent was confusing him. This was a charge that did not assault a person on the physical but also mental front. He had no idea what he should do to stop Shing.

    It was not that he did not have any skill, but as he was defending himself, he worked up an attack sequence in his mind, however, all the thoughts and calctions made him conclude the duel with a defeat. Shi Lang was using a weird technique that allowed him to almost bypass his defense and damage him internally.

    He did not have the confidence to attack him while the charge was on. If Shi Lang somehow managed to take advantage of his attacks, then things will end up bad. As he was lost in his thoughts, his guard becamex, and Shi Lang delivered him two hits on the guts.

    The attack was perfectly delivered and the feedback was proper as well, Jenkins sensed his body keel over, and the next moment he sensed a strong paining from his nape. He raised his hand to feel around his nape. He was having difficulty in breathing and found a dagger buried in his flesh.

    He raised his head to look at Shi Lang. Thetter stood in front of him, panting. Shi Lang sensed his gaze and said, ¡°You are strong, but I needed to win, the next time, I will have aplete bout with you. Also, you are very strong, you should understand that if you always focus on winning without knowing the meaning of defeat, you will never cherish your victory.

    When we are lost, we feel sad, and sometimes even cry. I would cry every time you beat me or my friends, but that did not mean I will focus on winning by hook or by crook, but to grow strong enough to stand up from a defeat and start again. That is the truth behind strength. The will to get up and stand once more. That is the truth one needs to be truly strong.¡±

    Jenkins could not hear anything after that because his consciousness had retracted back to his own body. Shi Lang walked back to where he had dropped his gun. He picked up his gun and after carefully checking that his gun still had enough ammunition. He aimed it in one particr direction and said, ¡°Would you like to surrender?¡±

    Jane and the rest had walked over to him after Jenkins¡¯s body fell on the ground. They wanted to ask him what he was doing, aiming at the void when they froze. A girl manifested in front of them. The girl raised her head over her head and said, ¡°I surrender.¡±

    Amelia Knight was thest candidate from the Battle ss and she was responsible for recon and assassinating. To be honest, she did want to act upon the two people when they were fighting but in the duel, Shi Lang had been casting a gaze at her when she moved. It was as if he could see her like a normal person.

    Suddenly, they heard a mechanical voice, ¡°The group battle has ended. The winner is the technology ss, with fifteen members alive. The Battle ss has only one member alive. The simtion will now end.¡±

    The group battle now came to an end and finally, the technological ss emerged victoriously. They had won back their pride and they had done it with style and ss. Shi Lang had yed the role of their Ace impably.

 Chapter 31

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people slowly opened their eyes, feeling sore all over their bodies. The pain from the self-detonation and other injuries they had suffered was kicking in now and it would take a few hours before they all restore their peak.

    Shi Lang did not hurry to stand up from his chair. He kept staring at the white ceiling of the room and kept thinking about what happened inside the simtion realm. The boy did not notice what his ssmates were doing at the moment. His senses were cut off from everything around him.

    There was another person lost in a daze like he was. This person was Jenkins Edwards. The two sses were sitting inside the same simtion room just separated by a walkway. Jenkins could not believe that he had lost. When his consciousness returned to his body, his mind was flooding with the words that Shing had told him during their fight.

    He did not know how to react to it and thus he was lost in a daze. The rest of the ss wasparatively better than him. They all sat up and looked at each other and then their gaze fell at the technology ss who were either hugging each other with a smile on their face, while some were so emotionally driven that they were crying hard as they held on to their friends.

    Shi Lang suddenly stood up from his chair. The people wanted to hug him but he shook his head with a solemn expression. He walked over to the battle ss side and stood in front of Jenkins¡¯s chair. The students of the battle ss all thought he came over to attack Jenkins with a taunt or something.

    Shi Lang looked at Jenkins and said, ¡°You still thinking about what happened inside?¡± He reached out his hand and dragged Jenkins from his cor. The gaze of the two people was locked. Jenkins did not react to his face.

    ¡°I thought you were very strong. I came to respect you when we exchanged blows. But to think that your heart was nothing but a piece of ss. To think I gave you the code of Tiger. What a waste of talent and spirit you are. If you cannot even stand up from this ande back stronger, you are not worthy of being acknowledged by anyone.¡±

    With that said, Shi Lang pushed him back inside the seat. Hisst sentence had made Jenkins gain his rity. Thetter stood up and grabbed Shi Lang¡¯s shoulder and he said, ¡°You may have won today, but I will beat you in the army entrance exam. I will be better than you.¡±

    He turned around and wanted to walk away when Shing chuckled and said, ¡°You idiot, you are already better than me. The reason you lost was that your fists did not carry enough weight and spirit in them. The day you stopped thinking about winning or losing and began to focus on just being a better version of yourself. No one will be able to stop you.

    The better version is not limited to only your strength but heart and spirit. The day you can walk toward that aim, that will be the day you will have a glimpse at true strength. You may think that you can do that by leaving behind everything, but were you not alone today as well? A punch is formed with your fingers held tightly together and not spread over. Get a grip ande to me whenever you wish to fight.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s words were like a spree of enlightenment for the people inside the simtion room. Jenkins had a light sh in his eyes as he walked away after Shi Lang finished speaking, no one knew what he was thinking. However, one thing was sure, the change in his aura.

    Shi Lang also left the simtion room with his ssmates. They were all in high spirits after their win. The boy did not say anything much and just smiled andughed with his friends. When he reached the ssroom, Rosa Blues was already waiting for them with a big smile on her face.

    She gestured them all to take a seat as she said, ¡°I am very proud to announce that you all have done very well. Especially, Shi Lang, the crane tail of our ss became the crown of the phoenix. Thank you for your hard work and congrattions on getting the overall first rank in the assessment.¡±

    The ss erupted in cheers and apuse. Rosa Blue chuckled and said, ¡°Now, now, calm down. The battle is notpletely won, the next goal is the uing army entrance exam. You all have to work hard for this. I do not want any single one of you missing the recruitment. Given your skills, you can get a decent job anywhere, but Federation Army service will be a huge advantage. You all try to rush yourself as much as you can without depleting your current performance. Okay?¡±

    The students all nodded and replied sonorously, ¡°Yes.¡±

    After a brief encouragement and guidance speech, the students all got out of the ssroom to go back home. The results of the assessment were all shown and sent to their parents on phone. Shi Lang was thest one to get out after he took his stuff from Lucas¡¯s dormitory.

    As he was traversing through the campus, he came across Amelia Knight. The girl said, ¡°You kept your end of the bargain. I have kept mine. This case has a gene serum, and your parents are safe. However, the mech research and development will take a while.¡±

    Shi Lang took the silver briefcase from her hand and said, ¡°You have paid off. The mech project has lost its significance. Just get the creation acknowledgment certificate for my ss name.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I will get that done.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and walked away from the scene in silence. Amelia stood there for a few minutes, and mumbled, ¡°To think I applied a lip gloss before meeting him. This stone will die single.¡±

    Then she also left the school campus. She did not know that Shi Lang was sighing after getting away from her. He mumbled, ¡°Why is she so beautiful?¡±

    With this, the event came to closure. Shi Lang was unaware that he has made strong waves among the military circle. Many top families in the military had their children going to the same school and they were now all aware of his skills and talents. The future of the boy had taken a hike without him realizing it. After all, he wished to be a guy with no regrets and not some big shot.

 Chapter 32

    Shi Lang held the silver case containing the gene serum and walked to the school gate. He found some of his ssmates nning to celebrate the night. However, he refused politely and said, his parents were waiting for him.

    In his mind, something other than his cultivation and strength growth was going on. The boy had never shown it, but he has been in love. The person he loved was none other than Jane, his best friend. When he had joined the school. It was Jane, who talked to him for the first time and slowly the two people had be friends.

    He never took a step forward because he was not confident with his strength being held back. His practicality held him back, after all, he did not want to hold her back. After the examination result, when he saw Jane, the previously buried feelings began to surface again. As he was thinking about what to do and how to confess his feeling, he spotted two people standing at a distance.

    He recognized their silhouettes and smiled. They were none other than Lucas, Tim, and Jane. The boy picked up his pace and walked over to them. As he was getting close to them, he saw Lucas and Jane not noticing him, and Tim made a silent gesture to him to keep quiet. He was smart enough to realize what was going on and stopped in his tracks.

    He saw Lucas leaning in on Jane as the girl just stood there. The two people shared a kiss. They expressed their love to each other openly. Tim smiled and cheered from the side. He was genuinely happy for his two friends to get the girl he liked. Jane realized that she had kissed Lucas in presence of other people, and pushed him back.

    The two people woke up from their daze. Lucas cursed at Tim for ruining his moment, while Jane turned her face with a faint blush, only to notice Shi Lang running away. She said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Lang?¡±

    Tim said, ¡°Huh? Why is that guy not here? I saw himing in when you two were busy kissing.¡±

    Lucas and Jane exchanged a nce. They have known Shi Lang the best. They could sense the ambiguity of his behavior. Jane chased in the direction Shi Lang had left, and Lucas followed. They never realized that Shi Lang could have feelings for Jane, until now.

    In that one nce, they came to understand, how Shi Lang was the most tolerant and patient with Jane. The rest of the ss including Lucas would sometimes snap at her but never him. Tim also followed the two to find what was happening. However, they did not find Shi Lang anywhere.

    Jane took out her phone and was about to call the person when her phone rang. She picked up the call and asked, ¡°Lang, where are you? We¡­¡±

    She wanted to say some things but she could not bring them up. However, before she could figure out a way to express theplications in her heart. She heard a calm voice from the other side.

    ¡°I boarded a ride back home. Dad called and said, It was urgent. Do not worry, I will bring you and that doofus the best gift. Also, congrattions to you two. Spare me for the day.¡± the speaker was Shi Lang.

    Jane sighed and smiled as she said, ¡°You know I thought you fell in love with me, and now this scene hurt you. I was getting worried, you idiot.¡±

    Shi Lang erupted in a peal ofughter as he said, ¡°I do love you but as a friend. Why would I be sad? Go have fun with him. Give him a punch from my side.¡± then he disconnected the call after Jane said bye to him.

    Jane had reddish eyes and mumbled, ¡°You cannot lie, Lang.¡±

    She was feeling guilty because she ignored his feelings. Women were not insensitive, they just never paid attention to time. Lucas came over to her side and asked, ¡°What did he say?¡±

    Jane did not want the secret to spill and break another heart. She had already hurt Shi Lang and now if she let it out, the bond between her and Lucas will be strained, the same will happen to Lucas and Shi Lang. She shook her head and made an excuse.

    Lucas hugged her as she said, she is just emotionally overwhelmed. Three people knew what happened today, they all heard a lot of things that were left unsaid. Two people were on the listening side, and the things they heard were clearly stating for them to move on happily as the one who said all this was moving on as well.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sat inside a lev vehicle with his head resting on the seat headrest. Beside him sat, Aries. This vehicle was an army vehicle, and Aries hade across Shi Lang when the boy almost ran under his vehicle. He had something to talk to this boy and asked if he needed a ride. Shi Lang agreed and in a blink, he got inside the car.

    Aries was not a brawn for brain idiot. He could understand the teenage crisis Shi Lang had faced. He wanted to say some motivational words, when the boy asked him in a calm voice, ¡°Sir, what was it that you wanted to talk about?¡±

    Aries was surprised, he regained his control and asked, ¡°Are you sure you do not want to take a few more moments? We can talkter, you know?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Pondering over broken dreams gives one nothing but regrets. Please tell me what you wanted to talk about?¡±

    Aries sighed and said, ¡°It is good if you are thinking like this. What I was searching you for is to extend an invitation.¡±

    Shi Lang asked in a curious tone, ¡°What invitation could it be that you came forward personally, Sir.?¡±

    Aries smiled as he stirred the vehicle and said, ¡°Invitation to join the elite training camp under the guidance of General Knight. The location is secret but the gains are good.¡±

    Shi Lang heard this and raised his eyebrow. He asked after some thought, ¡°What is the catch?¡±

    Aries chuckled and said, ¡°You do not miss anything, do you?¡±

    Shi Lang did not answer making the smile on Aries¡¯s face stagnate. The man said, ¡°The mortality rate of this camp is high. Five out of Ten die.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked. He asked, ¡°What sort of camp are you inviting me to? That too, General Knight, as in Amelia¡¯s mother?¡±

    Aries nodded with a solemn expression and said, ¡°This camp only takes in thirteen people each year. Half of them die, the remaining half break down from the pressure. In the past two decades years, there has not been a single guy or girl who had survived and not has the scars left from what they experienced in there.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What is the point of this camp then? The Federation is wasting money and time.¡±

    Aries said, ¡°Do not jump the gun. Your principal was thest person toe out of this camp. His prowess, I do not need to say anything. It is not known why he pulled back, but well. He was the one who suggested this idea to me.¡±

    He watched Shi Lang lost in thoughts and said, ¡°The campsts three months, you will be given abstinence from school. You can train there, ande back for the military entrance exam. You surely have the capabilities and potential for this camp. It will not only make you strong but also help you ease up things for your parent¡¯s livelihood. The rest you know well.¡±

    That said, he stopped the car. Shi Lang looked around and found that he has arrived at the ce near his home. He said, ¡°I will need some time to think about it.¡±

    Aries said, ¡°I can only wait till tomorrow morning. Call me on this number if you make a positive decision. Otherwise, I will see you at the entrance exam. My brigade needs people like you.¡± as he extended a card to him.

    Shi Lang nodded and got down the car. He saluted the man as he drove away and carrying his back and gene serum case, he walked on the road, lost in thoughts.

 Chapter 33

    Shi Lang did not take any public transport on his way back home. He walked slowly lost in thoughts. The people around were also rushing in their own lives so no one paid attention to a dazed teenager walking on the sidewalk.

    Shi Lang was thinking about what was going on with his heart at the moment. He was a cultivator in the past life and had seen countless situations. However, this was the first time he had suffered a heartbreak sort of situation. as he thought about Jane, his heart became heavier, eyes gathered water.

    His footsteps also became heavy. Despite being overridden with grief, Shi Lang was able to assess his situation. He mumbled, ¡°Even a grade three phantom cobra¡¯s poison might make me feel like this.¡±

    As soon as he thought about this, he chuckled. As he blinked the tears welling up in his eyes fell to the asphalt. Shi Lang walked forward on his path, slowly his pace normalized and his shoulders were squared. He realized that joy and sorrow were constant in life, but that did not mean that he should stop moving forward and keep on sulking over it.

    He arrived home and found his parents present in the living room. They had big smiles on their faces, Shi Lang had topped the results in the assessment. They were a family of three. Shi Lang¡¯s grandparents had passed away when he was just ten. So, the three people celebrated on their own.

    Shi Lang spend the night chatting with them and finally went to his room. The boy entered his room and sat down in front of his table. The gene serum case was ced over it. He sighed and leaning back in his chair he began to think about what he should do.

    His only aim was to live a life with no regret, however, he now had the chance to get stronger. If he stayed at the level he was now, his life will be mediocre, but he will be able to stay safe and live with his family. However, deep inside, his instincts as a person who lived to defy the heavens and broke through the shackles of humanity and mortality back in the time wanted to grab hold of this chance.

    As he was lost in thought, he heard a knock on the door. He asked, ¡°Yes.¡±

    The door of the room was pushed open, and his father walked inside. Shi Lang¡¯s father was a humble-looking man, a set of sses resting on his nose, with wellbed hair. He was called Shi John.

    Shi was his family name while his mother was western in ancient terms so John. The man smiled at Shi Lang and said, ¡°This thing is a gene serum?¡±

    The boy nodded, he did not see a point in hiding such a thing if his father had already found out. Shi John nodded and said, ¡°I will not dwell over on how you acquired it. Ever since you came home, I get this feeling that something is going on in your mind. I may not be very smart but sharing things help.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and with a sigh, he said, ¡°I have always wanted to live a life with no regrets. However, now I have a chance to be stronger. This serum is one of them. The other thing is joining a special camp for three months, before the army entrance exam.¡±

    Shi John asked, ¡°So, what seems to be the problem?¡±

    The boy replied, ¡°The pursuit of strength will take me away from you all. I will not be able to spend much time with you guys. Then my friends will be left behind too.¡±

    Shi Jogn chuckled and said, ¡°Despite all the grown-up aura around. You are still a teenager. Well, listen here, Young Man. You are worrying too much. We only meet at night. Sometimes even that is not possible. However, if you can be strong, we both will be able to stay calm. If you won glory, we will bask in the shine too.

    As for your friends, they will always be your friends, if you move away, you will make new friends. Those people who suffer together are better friends than those who shareughter.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised to hear all this. He realized that due to his unstable mindset, his thinking as the cultivator has be chaotic. The boy sighed and said, ¡°Thank you for your advice, Dad.¡±

    Shi John smiled and patted his shoulder. He said, ¡°Try to get some sleep kiddo. You have been working hardtely. The rest is well earned.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile on his face, with that small talk, his father left the room. The boy stretched his body while sitting in the chair and picked up the card that Commander Aries had left him with. After failing the number on his phone, he waited for the other side to answer it.

    Soon enough a calm yet deep voice sounded, ¡°This is Aries.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Sir, this is Shi Lang. I would like to take up on your invitation.¡±

    Aries replied, ¡°Report at the crossroad we split today. Make sure you are there on time. Sharp eight hundred hours. I will not be sparing one more minute for you.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, Commander,¡± replied Shi Lang.

    That said the call was disconnected. Shi Lang had made the decision and felt like his heart has eased up a lot. His gaze fell on the gene serum container. The container was a small square briefcase. The boy used his thumbs to open the case. The holding grip was equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

    The whole box had a simr thing applied all over the surface. Only when the registered fingerprint holder touches the case would it open. Inside the case,id a bottle filled with glittery liquid. The cylindrical bottle was only as big as a human palm.

    Shi Lang picked up the bottle from the foam casing inside the case and he also picked up gun-shaped injector equipment. He fixed the bottle at the back of the injection and held it in his right hand. He clenched his left fist hard, making the veins bulge over his arm like worms inside his fair skin.

    The boy did not hesitate and injected the needle directly into his vein and squeezed the trigger mechanism, making the liquid from the bottle spill inside his body. After the bottle was emptied, Shi Lang stood up from the chair and sat down in the center of the room after removing his t-shirt.

    His face did not show it but his body was going through tremendous pain and irritation. It was as if his blood was set on fire. The boy did not let out even as much as a whimper. His tolerance alone was enough to shock the people. The gene serum was nurturing his DNA chain on a cellr level. Shi Lang could sense that his ability to sense the things around him was improving to a frightening level.

    If earlier he was able to sense things around him during battle, it could now be used normally. This was his special ability. It was like a radar inside his brain. Shi Lang personally thought it was just like the spiritual sense he had in his past life. The process of gic enhancementsted almost theplete night. When it finished, the clock was already ticking five hundred hours.

    Shi Lang stood up and decided to get ready. He had to make a stop before he met with Aries.

 Chapter 34

    Shi Lang got out of his room, dressed in white and blue track gear. He found his mother inside the kitchen as usual. The parents had to leave early in the morning so his mother would get up early to deal with chores. He stood at the door of the kitchen and said, ¡°Mom, do you know about my training camp?¡±

    Thedy replied without turning her head toward him, ¡°Yes, your father me about it. What do you want to talk about?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Nothing, just checking if you are upset and do not want me to go?¡±

    Thedy turned her head towards her with her eyes filled with tears and said, ¡°Do you really wish for me to cry for all my life? Go out there, make some name and get me a robot to chop onions. These things are my natural bane.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and startedughing. His mother Luna Mancini was allergic to onion and her biggest dream was to get a chef bot inside the kitchen. Shing had a cheerful family. Luna scoffed and said, ¡°You are heading out for something right? Go or you will bete.¡±

    The boy rushed up to her, hugged her from behind, and after pecking on her cheek, he said, ¡°You are the best, mom.¡± and then he left.

    He heard Luna saying, ¡°Be careful on the road.¡±

    Shi Lang replied to her with a long okay and then he rushed out of the house at a fast pace. The boy was going to see Jane. He did not want her to feel like he was running away from the two of them. Lucas lived in the dorm, while Jane lived with her family. So, he decided to see Jane first.

    He was going to head to her house directly as he would usually do. jane lived a few blocks away from his house, so he would have taken a bus to get there but since now he was strong, he decided to check the effects of his serum enhancement procedure as well. The boy moved his legs and began to jog, the pace slowly increased, and began sprinting.

    The boy shed through the streets like he was a specter. Thankfully the civilians in the city did note out of their nests so early in the morning. He ran a distance of two kilometers within five minutes. The boy stood in front of Jane¡¯s apartment building.

    The apartment door was locked and could only be opened by the upants from inside. Shi Lang pressed the button adjacent to the unit number where Jane and her family lived. A soft voice asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    The boy replied, ¡°It is me Aunt Martha, Shi Lang.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Lang, dear, wait I am opening it for you.¡± said, and with a click, the door of the apartment was opened up. Shi Lang got inside and ignoring the elevator he climbed the thirteen floors steps. He was trying to get used to his physical strength by doing this. As he arrived in front of the door, he found it open already.

    He got inside and found Martha, Jane¡¯s mother to be getting back to the kitchen. He said, ¡°Good Morning Aunt Martha.¡±

    Thedy was surprised and turned around, ¡°Good morning Lang. I see our boy has be stronger. Topped the school in this assignment?¡±

    Shi Lang showed her a bashful smile and said, ¡°You glorify me too much. Also, I smell jam toast. I will take five no six.¡±

    Martha smiled and said, ¡°I feel generous for our star, so I will throw in a juice for you.¡±

    The two people chuckled and then Martha entered the kitchen. Martha and Luna both worked at the same ce, and they had a long friendship. However, Martha was his mother¡¯s boss. Despite being paid better they had to manage like Shi Lang¡¯s family as Jane¡¯s school fees were that high. However, Shi Lang had only be close to them after he came across Jane at the school.

    Shi Lang walked inside the house as if it was his own ce. He came to a room that had a (Stay Out) poster and pushed the door open. Inside was a messy room. This room belonged to Jane. The boy sighed and said, ¡°She will make a pet out of Lucas.¡±

    His gaze fell on ady who was sleeping in a weird stance. It was like she was st on the wall with the way her limbs were looking. He said, ¡°Jane, wake up.¡±

    His voice was soft, and thedy did not wake up. The dim light from the windows was pouring. Shi Lang walked close to her bed and said, ¡°Jane, Jenkins said he will beat up anybody who likes you. He said, he has a secret crush on you.¡±

    Jane only replied, ¡°Lang, if you dared to lie anymore about this. I will bust your teeth out.¡±

    She spoke but she still did not get up from the bed. Shi Lang smiled and asked, ¡°Oh, seems like someone cannot sleep with all the excitement in her heart.¡±

    Jane snorted and did not reply. Shi Lang said, ¡°Okay, do not throw a tantrum at me now. I came here to see you off. I am leaving for a training camp with Commander Aries.¡±

    Jane sat up in her bed with a flinch. She looked at the boy in her room with a dazed expression. Shi Lang knew that he cannot hide it forever so he said, ¡°I will not make an excuse, I was indeed hurt when Lucas kissed you. I mean, I was nning to confess but okay. It does not mean our friendship ended or something. Knowing your brain, you probably found out yesterday only. He must have too.

    However, do not worry, it is not something too saddening. We are friends before I had any other thoughts on you.¡±

    Jane nodded, she was aware that Shi Lang was very level-minded so it was not a big deal for him to get over it in just one night. She asked, ¡°Then why the training camp?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that, it is an invitation from Commander Aries, under the rmendation of Principal Stevenson,¡± said Shi Lang.

    Jane nodded with thoughtfulness. She asked, ¡°When will you be back?¡±

    ¡°Before Army Enterance.¡± told the boy.

    Jane said, ¡°Good, now go make me proud. I will look after your parents.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°You better look after this minefield of your room. Spare my parents. Also, tell Lucas not to think too much. Also, if he dared to chase someone else. He will have it from me.¡±

    Jane smirked and said, ¡°I dare him.¡±

    The two people chuckled and after a small talk, Shi Lang came out of the room. While Jane went back to her sleep, the boy ate a hearty breakfast and met Jane¡¯s father. The school had given them a day off after the exams.

    He left after saying bye to Martha and her husband. When he got home, he only found a note from his parents. They had already gone off for work and left him their good wishes on a piece of paper. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Howe they are so easy about this?¡±

    He packed his bag with his training gear inside it and then he left the house. He left a text to Lucas, Jane, and Tim and to his parents about his departure as he came to the crossroad. He was early but he saw that Aries was already waiting for him in a heavy lev vehicle.

    The man said, ¡°You are a punctual kid. Let us go.¡±

    Shi Lang took his bag off from his shoulder and got inside the vehicle.

 Chapter 35

    Shi Lang was taken away by Commander Aries in a heavy lev vehicle. The man drove the thing like it was nothing. Shi Lang was prepared for this but he did not expect him to be such a fast driver. The man grunted, ¡°These things, can they not have some more friction with the asphalt? Too difficult to drift around the corner.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Sir, that is why it does not have tires in it.¡±

    Aries red at him and then shifted his gaze back at the road. He said, ¡°Do you know, that only this is the ce where you have the privilege of driving these lev-cars. Outside the primary sr system, The Federation is still the same old earth. We use the tired jeeps at the battlefront.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, ¡°What? But that is opposite of what they show you on the recruitment video.¡±

    Aries chuckled and said, ¡°I want you to enroll?¡± His chuckle turned into a burst ofughter. They stopped at a signal and he said, ¡°Kid, I will tell you now. The recruitment video is made at the ces where The Federation has a firm foothold and that ce is under ourmand, you think, they will wage wars ons while equipping the soldiers with a lev vehicle. Do you not know the conditions you need to drive these around?¡±

    What he said was true, the lev vehicles needed a special maic node inside the road to be driven and without that, it was not possible. That was why Lev-cars could only stay on the roads and never do they get involved in an ident on the sidewalk or the road divider. Who, in their right minds will install the maic nodes on a war front?

    So, Shi Lang digested the fact given to him. The boy said, ¡°So where is this camp?¡±

    Aries smirked and said, ¡°You will find out soon.¡±

    The signal turned green and the lev vehicle moved again.

    ¡­

    After twenty minutes, Shi Lang stood in front of the porthole window as he watched the where he spent his whole life, turning into a distant object. He could not believe what was happening to him. The boy suddenly heard a voice, ¡°Everyone, this is your captain speaking, please strap in, we are now going in space jump.¡±

    Space Jump, using advanced tech, the speed of the vehicle can be increased to the point where it can make the ship travel faster than light. It was more like scrambling the particles of the ship, projecting them at a calcted distance in a matter of seconds, and putting them back together. All this was to be done within a second. However, those who go through this taking-apart and putting back up feel like this second was akin to a long time.

    Shi Lang sat down on a chair and pressed a button on the handrest, an automatic seat belt strapped him in. Aries sat beside him and said, ¡°Kid, hold on to the paper bag for me.¡±

    Shi Lang did not know what the man meant but he did it anyway. The next moment, the teenager could have sworn that he was regretting his decision of epting the camp invitation. As he was cursing himself, the squeezing stopped, followed by strong dizziness and then flushing his guts.

    He brought the paper bag close to his mouth and puked out all he ate in the morning. Aries just undid his straps and got up. The man stretched his bodyzily and said, ¡°It always feels light after a good squeeze. Huh, how the good things cannotst.¡±

    With that said, he walked out of the passenger cabin. Shi Lang did not pay attention to this guy and mumbled, ¡°This is what happens when you rece spiritws with technologies. You knock-offs.¡±

    He was feeling grumpy at this moment. The boy had never felt such sour in his mouth. After ten minutes, it was announced that the ship was about to be docked at the port. He stood up with effort and circted his blood. The cirction made him revitalize and sighed as the wariness shook off his body.

    He stood up and exited the passenger cabin. This cabin was big enough to hold hundred people but at this moment, only Shi Lang and Aries were traveling along with the crew. The boy got out and following the lights on the corridor ceiling came to the exit port. Before he boarded the ship, he was told to follow the lights and not to wander around the ship, if he did not wish to be shot at sight.

    Aries told him this was a military vessel and thus, the strictness. He spotted Commander Aries standing in wait. The man said, ¡°Took you long enough to get your shit together.¡±

    The boy did not reply, he realized that he was slow in his recovery. Themander gestured and the two people got off the ship through the hatch door. Shi Lang looked around and found himself in a big military port, the ce was crawling with soldiers and mech patrols. They all carried thetest guns and armor.

    Slight tension was there in the wind. The boy asked, ¡°Is this a war front?¡±

    Commander Aries nodded and said, ¡°Wee to Ao. This is located at the border of the frontier, this is the second closest to the frontier. The enemy force here is called Shamantis. These people specialize in something we might call witchcraft. They are ferocious fighters. The situation of this warfront has been stagnant for the past two decades.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why had the Federation not pulled back?¡±

    Aries said, ¡°This ce is rich in one thing, Ores. There you have the answers, and there you have your camp.¡± the man lifted his finger and pointed at the entrance of a deste-lookingpound.

    Above the entrance, sharp words wrote Camp Ragnarok.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°No wonder the survival rate is low.¡± as he stepped forward. Aries said, ¡°All the best, I will not be going inside. See you if you manage toe out.¡±

    He did not take a step inside, however, Shi Lang had already crossed the entrance threshold. He turned around and found that the way back was now blocked with a maic field. He raised his eyebrow and took a step to the side. A hole appeared in the ground where he stood.

    An eery voice sounded, ¡°Good reflexes and keen perception. You pass the first test. Wee to camp Ragnarok.¡±

    Shi Lang looked around and found nobody, he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The boy was smart enough to know that the person who struck at him, does not want to show himself. So, even if he asked, it will be a waste of time. The voice did not react, ¡°Follow the lights and report to the camp master.¡±

    A few meters ahead from the entrance was a cottage. Other than that it was all just a smallpound. At the entrance of thepound, a bulb was blinking. The boy sighed and walked over.

    ¡­

    Inside a dim-lit room, a screen was projecting Shi Lang¡¯s performance in the group battle a day ago. In front of the screen sat five people shrouded in darkness. One of them said, ¡°He is brave.¡±

    The rest of the people did not react, one man said, ¡°Can I have my fun with this one? He does not look like those dolls.¡±

    A sigh sounded and ady spoke up, ¡°Carlos, when can you stop talking like a psychopath?¡±

    The man chuckled and thedy said, ¡°Take it easy on the start. See what is his limit. Slowly break his limit and increase it. Understand?¡±

    Four voices replied, ¡°Understood, Campmaster.¡±

    The speaker was General Knight, a.k.a. the war maiden of The Federation. The lights of the room came back on but the other people were already gone. Only General Charlotte Knight was left, as she raised her head the screen disyed how Shi Lang was making his way to her office. She mumbled, ¡°Let me see if you are what they told me you are student Shi Lang.¡±

 Chapter 36

    Shi Lang entered the cottage and found that inside the cottage was a staircase leading to the underground. At the side of the stairs, small bulbs blinked. He did not move ahead without thinking. He had started using his ability to sense the things around him after it was confirmed that there was no other living being around him.

    Shi Lang took off his shoes to step on the stairs. The reason he did this was to narrow down the risk of triggering some sort of trigger mechanism inside the floor. People might call him paranoid but he would rather be paranoid than die miserably. The shot earlier at the entrance was a wake-up call for him. If he dared to let go of his guard even a little then he would surely die.

    Ever since he had taken a step inside this premise, he could sense a killing intent locked at his back, as if waiting for a slip-up. He could not allow that to happen. With that thought in his mind, he slowly stepped down on the edge of the stairs. He took a sigh of relief when after taking five steps on the stairs he did not trigger anything, but he did not rx.

    He had twenty more steps to descend before reaching the end of this staircase. He used his hands to lean against the sidewall and ced his legs on the wall. Then he began to slowly begin to descend. His feet were on the wall and his hands were on the wall too. After the first few steps, he had been extremely alert and sensed a deadly threat, so he decided to give up the stairs altogether.

    He slowly crawled along the wall and descended the stairway. The boy nced below him and mumbled, ¡°I was thinking about a jumpnding.¡±

    Below him was a glistening pressure te. The boy sighed as he understood that no matter what he did, he must at least trigger one trap, so he exerted pressure on his foot and palms as he pushed himself off the sidewall andnded on the ground.

    As soon as hended on the floor he sensed the pressure te sink a little and just at that moment, Shi Lang rolled on the ground. The next thing was a light beam shower. These beams were all shots fired from phaser guns that had been triggered by the pressure te.

    The boypleted one roll and as soon as his feet came to touch with the ground he stood up and made a straight dash. The surroundings were dimly lit by the light beam fire or the bulbs blinking through the alleyway. His ability to sense things around him waspletely fired up as he ran forward.

    The floor was covered with caltrops. Shi Lang cursed those who designed such a sadistic trap but he was still keeping up with the firing guns chasing him and the caltrops on the floor. The guns were hidden inside the walls. They kept firing at him without a break. If he stopped for even a second he will die. He could tell this from the heat in the air.

    Light beams burned everything in their way, even the air. Shi Lang ran while trying to keep a lookout for the blinking lights to follow because that was the safest passage and that was how he was told to report to the camp master. Suddenly, he noticed that he had taken two steps ahead of the path that he was supposed to take, the next moment he was overwhelmed by a frightful sensation.

    He turned back while he ducked and quickly crawled his back to the path he was supposed to take, the reason he moved in such a manner wasn¡¯t that he was paranoid but a cut on his right cheek. If not for his sensory ability, the boy would have died from a needle in his forehead. He only sensed the needle when it was ten inches away from him.

    He got back on the path and faced a lot of things, like scythe des falling from the ceiling, electrocuting floor tiles. Sleeping gas and trip mines. He did note out unscathed, his cheek had a bleeding cut, and his feet were scalded. On his back, there were a seven inches long bleeding gash. This gash was made from a miscalction he made while avoiding the falling scythe.

    At this moment, he was barely holding on to his consciousness. He had lost a lot of blood that made him weak. Thankfully, he was a peak three-star Terran and almost reaching the four-star. His body had a good self-healing capability, thus the bleeding stopped before it was critical. However, the constant strain in such an injured situation had made his mind extremely weak.

    He had been using his special ability to get away from the traps or he would have died. He knocked on the door and asked, ¡°May. Ie in camp Master.¡±

    A soft voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    He pushed open the door and got inside the room. He did not enter casually but sensed everything inside the room, he stopped believing that these people were kind. Their way of training was to swing him at the edge of life and death like a pendulum.

    The boy walked slowly and in a discreetly decorated room, behind a table sat a woman dealing with some holographic documents. The boy did not have the energy to pay attention to her face and saluted her with his right hand on his chest, ¡°Student Shi Lang reporting, CampMaster.¡±

    Thedy nodded without raising her head and said, ¡°Your attendance has been noted student Lang, you are dismissed, for the time being, tend to your injuries and we will talk in the morning.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and was about to turn around when he found the world spinning as the surroundings became darker. With a dull thud, he fell to the ground.

    Charlotte Knight, finally, raised her head. She said, ¡°Dalia, he is left in your care.¡±

    Ady walked inside the office from the same door as Shi Lang. She wore a ck skin-fit suit with a whiteb coat over her body. She was a beautifuldy, blonde hair, light brown eyes, pink petal-like lips. She nodded to Charlotte and said, ¡°As youmand, CampMaster.¡±

    Then she crouched down and caressed Shi Lang¡¯s hair gently as she said, ¡°You poor child.¡± Her hand was ced on the back of Shi Lang¡¯s cor and then she dragged him away like a rag doll.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang woke up to a warm sensation but he did not act immediately. He circted his blood at a high speed to restore himself. He could sense that his feet were slightly colder, and his back was itchy. After half an hour, he stopped circting his blood to cultivate, when he heard someone approaching him.

    A warm voice sounded, ¡°A, so you woke up. Good. Would you like to eat something?¡±

    Shi Lang sat up on his bed and tracked the source of this sound. He was not surprised to see a beautifuldy, however, he did not reply to her. He checked his body and found that he could now stand on his feet. So, he got down the bed and saluted thedy with a serious expression on his face, as he said, ¡°Student Shi Lang reporting, Madam.¡±

    Dalia nodded and asked again, ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±

    Shi Lang did not know how to reply so he said, ¡°Standard militarypressed food?¡±

    Dalia let out a peal ofughter and said, ¡°You are so cute, do not worry, in camp Ragnarok, the only peace time is meal time. Come along, I will show you the mess hall.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Shi Lang was taken to the mess hall through the corridors. The boy followed her in silence. Dalia asked, ¡°Do you not feel that it is confusing to walk inside this maze?¡±

    The boy replied, ¡°Not actually. I am counting my steps and directions.¡± his tone was calm.

    Dalia was surprised and nodded. She said, ¡°You are the first one to adapt so quickly.¡±

    Shi Lang smile warily and said, ¡°Instructor, the first step inside the camp limits told me if I did not adapt quickly then I will die.¡±

    Dalia chuckled and said, ¡°Smart enough to figure that out.¡±

    The two people reached a flight of stairs and Shi Lang followed Dalia. His footsteps were the same as thedy. He did not dare to let his guard down. Staircases gave him a bad feeling. Dalia said, ¡°You are being too cautious, overworking your brain will make you paranoid.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I cannot help but be vignt here at every step. Gradually it will be a second habit. Paranoia will not happen to me if I could control my mind. Is that not the goal of this camp?¡±

    Dalia could not help but stop for a second and asked, ¡°How did you even figure that out?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°When I reached the office of the camp master, she did not cast me even a single nce, this would have caused a big let down in my mind, thinking that all my effort was for nothing. However, the treatment given to my wounds is something very expensive.¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°How is that relevant?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°On the side table of my room, there was a clock, I have been unconscious for a day. The gash on my back, would not heal magically on its own.¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°Can I dissect your brain?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, ¡°Not before I die.¡±

    Thedy clicked her tongue and led him to the mess hall.

    ¡­

    The mess hall was nothing more than a few tables and a few automated food dispenser machines. Shi Lang spotted four people eating the food on the table not far away. Dalia led him to the side of the food dispensing machine, they picked up some disposable tes and thedy said, ¡°You can choose whatever you want to eat. After you have done it, thene to that table, I will introduce you to the other instructors.

    Shi Lang nodded and began to look through the interaction screen on the food dispenser. The boy clicked a few times and the machine produced the meal he asked for. He carried his te to the table where all the instructors were eating.

    Dalia smiled at him and said, ¡°Come have a seat.¡±

    Shi Lang ced his te on the table and saluted the people before taking the seat. The people nodded back at him. Dalia said, ¡°Time for an introduction.¡±

    Then she pointed at a middle-aged man, as she said, ¡°Colonel Carlos, a survival expert. He will teach you how to live behind enemy lines.¡±

    Carlos had a creepy smile on his face. Shi Lang almost wanted to ask him, if he was the one who spread caltrops inside the corridors. Still, he held it back.

    Dalia pointed at a slender and lean man as she said, ¡°This is John, the assassination and spying expert. He is also an expert sniper. He will teach you how to infiltrate the enemy lines and take out specific targets.¡±

    John nodded at Shi Lang with a poker face. His gaze, however, sent chills down thetter¡¯s spine. Shi Lang did not expect that he woulde across as such a terrifying character. This person had a lot of blood on his hands.

    Dalia pointed at ady who wore her hair down and said, ¡°This is Yuu, she is a weapon expert, capable of using weapons both cold and hot, ancient and advanced. While she is also the expert in closebat, after all, the human body is the best weapon.¡±

    Yuu did not nce at Shi Lang but kept eating the food in front of her. Dalia said, ¡°I am Dalia, a medical expert. I will teach you how to live if you are injured and how to kill without injuring and fighting the enemy. My second major is poison.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance.¡±

    Carlos chuckled and said, ¡°I see you are a good boy. Do not think this will make us go easy on you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded but did not reply. He began to eat the food on his te. Dalia nodded and said, ¡°You have met the camp master. She will be responsible for your test assignments. You can only get the next level of knowledge once you havepleted these assignments. I do not think I need to tell you that if you did not perform your best, you will die.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I understand, Instructor Dalia.¡±

    Dalia nodded and the people began to eat. Shi Lang could tell that the people were all different from what they seemed to be. He could tell that all these people were like this because of the mealtime. If they were training him, he would again take swings at the edge of life and death.

    He ate his food and kept thinking of what he could have done to avoid injuries in the first test. He raised his head and did not know when but the people had all vanished from around him. He did not have a watch on his body so he could not tell the time, but he was sure that it had only been five minutes.

    He stood up and came to the dustbin at the side to dispose of his te. As soon as he let go of his te, the boy rushed to the side. His hair stood at the ends from a dangerous sensation. The ce where he stood was now upied by Yuu. A cold voice echoed in his ears. If you can survive my chase for ten minutes, you are eligible for my training program. Your time starts, now.¡±

    Shi Lang cursed his daze and rolled to the side. He avoided a kick aimed at his temple. His training began.

 Chapter 38

    Shi Lang rushed outside the mess hall. He unleashed his ability to sense the surroundings as he ran. However, more than his ability it was his instinct that was helpful to him. Many times, he would find that Instructor Yuu hase up close to him and her attacks were all aimed at his vital spots. The boy was understood that she was holding back her strength.

    However, as the chase continued, the intensity was also increased. Shi Lang was now running inside a tight corridor when he sensed a strong impact on his back and his body was thrown off-bnce. He fell to the ground but the next moment he turned the fall into a roll and stood up from the ground.

    Then he punched at the void in front of him. It looked as if he was punching the empty void but it was as if Instructor Yuu had run into his punch. The fist connected with her face and since she was unprepared, it sent her ten feet back. The next moment, Shi Lang ran away from her.

    Yuu, the strongestbatant among the instructors of this camp was struck in a daze. She did not expect this boy to be attacking her andnding a hit. She raised her head and mumbled, ¡°Good perception.¡±

    Then she vanished from her ce.

    ¡­

    Carlos spoke, ¡°Did that brat justnd a hit on Yuu?¡± his tone brimming with surprise.

    The rest of the people nodded. Dalia said, ¡°This kid is not easy or normal. His brain works differently. You all do not underestimate him.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, this boy is not a random teenager. He won the rmendation of Retired Veteran, General Stevenson. He must have a skill or two. Looks like, I will have to give him an assignment soon enough.¡±

    The three people nodded. Carlos asked, ¡°I understand everything but, how was he able tond such a punch, so early in his training?¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°He has been calcting. The corridor is too narrow and Yuu has been making a few moves a bit too much. He predicted that pattern permutation. How he did that can only be exined by the term instinctual memory.¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°He must have been trying to get familiar with a feeling you get when targeted by someone. What he did not was to separate two feelings. One is the sensation of being watched constantly, the other is when a certain part of your body is targeted. Yuu did not converge her breathing on purpose. Shi Lang adapted to it and countered after calctions.¡±

    John nodded and said, ¡°He will make a fine assassin if he survived Yuu¡¯s rage.¡±

    The people turned their heads on the screen to watch how the training proceeded.

    ¡­

    Inside the corridors, Shi Lang had been trying his best to survive the onught he was facing from thisdy. Yuu had let go of all her hesitations and she was now attacking him with all her strength, what was, even more, Shi Lang was having trouble sensing her approach.

    Yuu had converged her breathing and she was using her ability to assault him. Her ability was speed. She could run at a speed of three hundred kilometers per hour. However, she could only go so fast for a few seconds. At this moment she was not using her top speed, but she had lowered her speed to two hundred kilometers per hour, to increase the duration of usage.

    Shi Lang was beaten ck and blue but he protected his vital organs and tried to evade as many attacks as he could. Six minutes had passed from the start to end and the boy was almost reaching the limit of his consciousness. The reason behind this was Yuu was ruthless, and her attacks not only dealt damage to his muscles and bones but also his blood flow.

    She was using her speed to send vibrations inside Shi Lang¡¯s body and these vibrations were disrupting his blood flow, his breathing, and even his sensory controls. The boy had no idea when did he meet such a ruthless person in his times of cultivation.

    He could have sworn that the people who cultivated in ancient times were all soft toyspared to thisdy. She was destroying him. He could sense her drive to kill him. Her attacks were so hard that after all the effort a couple of bones weremunicated.

    However, he was aware that he will get treated if he survived this, so he held on to the shred of his consciousness and the boy did his best to survive. For thest one minute, he turned into a turtle. He rolled on the ground with his head tucked under his arms and legs sticking close to his body. He was a ball.

    Yuu did not stop, she kept on kicking him hard as he was stuck against a wall. His shin broke after the first twenty seconds under the impact of a seven-star Terran¡¯s strength. His legs were numb. At this moment Shi Lang started to meditate. How could it be that easy for him to achieve the result he wanted.

    Terran¡¯s had developed a way to control their blood flow. That was what they used to cultivate. Shi Lang followed that method and began to control his blood flow. His legs were left alone and his blood coursed through his vital organs. This gave him more time to survive. Since he could not close his eyes to meditate, he began to circte his blood with his eyes open.

    ¡­

    Carlos said, ¡°He has the patience needed to survive and get stronger. I will give him that much.¡±

    John nodded and said, ¡°He has a good degree of control over his body.¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°Demon Yuu has made my job harder. I will have to go now. I need to prepare the medicines he needs to get on his feet by tomorrow.¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°You can train him the way you want and try to leave him able-bodied, the time we have to train him is three months only. It is not much before he goes to appear in the army entrance exam.¡±

    The people nodded. However, they had no intention to go easy on Shi Lang. General Charlotte was aware of their ideas and shook her head in exasperation.

    ¡­

    Yuu stopped kicking and said to the boy below, ¡°You survived, tomorrow, report to the weaponry.¡±

    With those words, she walked away from the ce. Shi Lang was about to pass out when a soft voice echoed in the corridor, ¡°Trainee Lang, please follow the lights and report to the infirmary for treatment.¡±

    He was aware that no one wille to take him. He was needed to crawl his way back to the infirmary. His shoulder, and legs were broken so he could only crawl. This was the humiliation of being weak.

    The purpose of this camp was not to train their bodies but also his mind. Because without a tempered mind, a tempered body was useless and vice versa.

 Chapter 39

    Shi Lang rested for a couple of minutes before he decided to endure the pain and moved in the direction indicated by the blinking lights. While running away from Yuu, the whole ce had lights on, and he could not tell where he was going. He did not have the luxury to count his steps under the onught of thedy.

    He crawled on the ground, inch by inch, like a worm. His body was riddled with wounds of varying degrees. His shoulders were broken, his legs were broken. He could not use his limbs to crawl or drag his body faster. The only relief he had was his intact torso. His bncing senses were restored when he was rest earlier.

    As a Terran Cultivator, Shi Lang had a strong sense of endurance. But if somebody asked him to rate the beatings he received today, he would say that Jenkins¡¯s hit was a ticklepared to this. The body was aching all over, every cell was crying in pain due to the vibrations sent inside his body. Every inch Shi Lang crawled, did not break him down but built him up.

    As he crawled he became adamant about beating Instructor Yuu to the floor. He was not one of those who gave up in the face of disparity. He was the species that would endure and umte, and gradually they wille to stand in front of you and look down on you from the heights of the strong skies.

    Shi Lang had always believed that his name meant for him to be like a stone in the waves, while it also meant for him to be a stone that could make waves. Thus, he decided to be the stone in the waves, and endure it all till he bes strong enough to make waves. The boy took a couple of hours to crawl his way back to the infirmary.

    Dalia sat on a chair, behind the open doors. She saw him crawl inside the ce and said, ¡°Be d that I gave you the route where you could avoid the stairs.¡±

    That said, she stood up and came to his side. She bent down and held Shi Lang up by the back of his neck as if he was a chicken. The jerk was so strong that it made the boy pass out. Dalia showed no mercy and flung his body on the bed. She was also a seven-star Terran. Her strength was not to be underestimated because she was a military doctor.

    After she ced him on the bed, the treatment began.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not know how much time he had been unconscious but he could sense that his wounds were being healed rapidly. During the rest time, his consciousness would slip in and out. At first, he would wake up from strong pain in his broken bones, the pain was so intense that he would wake up and then again faint.

    Gradually the pain reduced and the boy could tell that his bones were repairing at a fast pace. He woke up to a simr white ceiling. He circted the blood inside his body ording to the technique he has been taught in the school. He sensed that his body was now healed and sat up slowly in the bed.

    He looked around to check the time when he sensed something tied on his left wrist. He raised his left arm and found that it was amunicator watch on his wrist. This watch allowed him to not only monitor time but also contact people and track his position as well. This was federal military gear. He wanted to ask why he was given this watch.

    As if sensing his thoughts themunicator¡¯s watch vibrated. The disy showed an iing call notification. He gestured to ept the call and heard a cold voice, ¡°Report to the mess hall.¡±

    This voice was his recent nightmare, and he dared not forget it. Shi Lang found that his clothes were changed. He was now wearing a ck T-shirt and grey training pants. He spotted a set of grey shoes at the side. He liked the shoes as soon as he put them on. He had been to this room earlier and had counted the steps so he rushed out based on his memory.

    ¡­

    When Shi Lang reached the mess hall, only Yuu was sitting on the dining table with a tray of food in front of her. The boy came to her side and saluted as he said, ¡°Trainee Shi Lang, reporting, Madam.¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Get some food.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and quickly got himself some food. Yuu did not ask him anything and said, ¡°Today we will start learning aboutbat knowledge.¡±

    She paused, then continued, ¡°Combat is of three ranges, Close-range, Long-range, and Mid-range. We will start with Melee. Eat up and then we will leave.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and began to swallow the food. After five minutes they left the ce. Yuu did not speak much and guided him silently through the corridors. The boy also did not speak and followed her steps in silence. After a few minutes, they arrived at the staircase that led them upstairs.

    Shi Lang found himself standing in a scenery covered with concrete and metal. He spotted a simtion chair at the side. He was confused when Yuu said, ¡°The time is less so we will practice inside the simtions, but have no doubts, this one can amplify the pain hundred percent. If I cut off your limb, then you will feel the same pain in the reality as well.¡±

    Shi Lang gulped and cursed the inventor of this device. He sat down on a chair after Yuu and the two got inside the simtion realm.

    ¡­

    Three hours ago, Shi Lang woke up and let out strong wails of pain. His body was intact, but the pain was killing him. Yuu did not react much to his wails and said, ¡°Learn tobat with pain. Pain is the worst opponent, if you can defeat pain, you can defeat anyone.¡±

    Shi Lang wanted to say that she was spouting bull shit but he did not have the energy. Thus,bat began with him losing his limbspletely, five times before the simtion ended.

 Chapter 40

    Shi Lang recovered from the pain and took an hour to do so. He asked, ¡°Instructor, can we start again?¡±

    Yuu nced at him from behind her bangs and said, ¡°Only if you are ready to take it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and climbed up the simtion chair again. Yuu nced at him and nodded slightly. The pain he suffered inside the simtion was not a light thing. The amputating sensation was transmitted to his neurons directly and then to the brain. The intensity was manipted to twice that of the original pain.

    Shi Lang was not aware of this. This was the training, the higher the pain the more a person tries to avoid it. The boy was not weak, but Yuu was too strong of an opponent for him to deal with. He had no idea how to stop her once she started using her strength. He had tried everything that he could even the skills and knowledge of his old life did note in handy to him.

    It was said that in martial arts, the strongest attack can be defended and the strongest defense can be broken but speed had no match. However, Shi Lang was aware that this was only a metaphor. To conquer speed, one needed to get faster. The boy had researched about the Terran body limits, the result was to raise the star level to increase the output cap.

    Shi Lang could not catch up to the level of a seven-star Terran, however, he was using every second inside this ce as a tempering session and moving forward topleting the criteria his body needed to meet to get past the barrier of a three-star Terran.

    The two people began to train inside the simtion realm and this time Shi Lang focused on ousting the explosive speed barrage of attack thrown at him by Yuu.

    ¡­

    Charlotte was walking around the military region with Carlos and John following her half a step behind. The soldiers on duty all saluted her as she passed by. John said, ¡°This kid is getting stronger every minute.¡±

    Carlos nced at hismunicator and nodded. Their watches could monitor every moment of Shi Lang. They could see how the boy had recovered as quickly as possible and got on the training chair again. Just when they were about to raise this question. Dalia initiated a group called for the instructors.

    The call connected and Carlos asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°I found out how he recovered so soon?¡±

    Charlotte asked, ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°He circted his blood focusing near the nerves that transmitted the pain signal to his brain. Another thing that he did was conquer the sensation of pain inside his mind. In his file, it is mentioned that Shi Lang is capable of meditating. It is something that the people in the ancient times used to do, to conquer their thoughts and ovee mental obstacles.¡±

    Carlos nodded and said, ¡°This method is still used by the army. What do you mean to say exactly? This generic method helped him regain his footing?¡±

    He did not believe it. Meditation was treated as a method of treatment for those who could not handle the stress of the frontier. Dalia said, ¡°Yes, he knows that true meditation can not only relieve the stress but also help one toughen p their will. That is what he did, to conquer the pain, he strengthened his will.¡±

    The instructors nodded and they discussed it as they moved around on the base to make inspections on the discipline and security of the base.

    ¡­

    Inside the simtion realm, Shi Lang stood holding a sword in his right hand. The left handy at the side. It has been amputated by Yuu within the first ten minutes of the battle. However, Shing stood tall and calm. He could sense a lot of pain in his left arm. This was his test. He closed his eyes and let go of his thoughts. Then he entered a state of peace and calm.

    Then he took the initiative to attack Yuu. The boy rushed forward and his sword shed down at the instructor. Yuu did not expect him to take the initiative of a sudden. However, she still escaped the strong attack, but Shi Lang did not stop and their two swords shed loud and wild. It was as if they were fighting for life and death.

    Shi Lang suddenly kicked out his leg at the stomach of the opponent, Yuu took a step back, and Shi Lang advanced, with his sword. Yuu parried his sword and kicked at his exposed knee. The attack was precise and it made the boy kneel down, the next moment he tried to duck his head and roll on the side when he was overwhelmed by a strong wave of pain.

    Yuu said, ¡°It is not necessary to behead the opponent every time, stabbing in the spinal cord and twisting the sword also works.¡±

    That was what she had done just now. Last time, Shi Lang had been beheaded and this time he tried to avoid that. However, he still fell for her tricks. Shi Lang tried to recall the battle experience from his past life but the memories were very clogged up. If he tried to take even one second of his time to recall the martial skills in an ongoing battle, he was already dead.

    He decided to rebuild himself, and this time hepletely gave up on recalling the old skills andsted ten seconds more than thest round. He was helpless in front of Yuu, who did not hold back and used herplete strength to beat him. Shi Lang woke up outside the simtion realm and grunts sounded from his mouth.

    Yuu did not say anything but quietly waited at the side. The boy tolerated the pain as he sweated, his clothes were drenched with sweat but he did not have any intention of giving up. It took him lesser time than thest round and he adapted to the pain. Then the next round began again.

    In the whole day, Shi Langpleted seven sessions of pain, and in thest round he was able tond a hit on Yuu, be it a fluke or not, his growth was already impressive. At the end of the day, Yuu said, ¡°Tomorrow we will participate in the reality, I hope you are ready to do your best, I have not yed enough so try not to die so early.¡±

    Shi Lang gulped and nodded. However, he had no idea what was waiting for him.

 Chapter 41

    Shi Lang went to sleep inside his room, with his body sore all over. He dragged himself to the bed directly. What he needed was to rest. The food he ate gave him enough energy, also the training inside the simtion did not consume much energy, however, his brain was stressed.

    As hey in his bed, the boy began to slowlyprehend the things he had learned in the battle today. He did not know when his consciousness failed to keep up and he fell asleep. The night passed very silently and the next morning he woke up with his body recharged with brand new energy.

    He clenched his fist and after he stood up he threw a few punches in the void and warmed up his body. Then he mumbled, ¡°I am close to breaking through to the next level.¡±

    Shi Lang freshened up and walked back to the mess hall. He did not find any of the instructors on the way and quickly finished his meal. Then he made his way to the weapon practice area. The familiar simtion chair was missing, instead, a few weapon racks were ced at the side of the region.

    He sighed and mumbled, ¡°She was serious.¡±

    ¡°Did you think I was making a joke with you?¡± a nd voice replied to him from the side.

    Yuu walked over and said, ¡°I will fight you at a strength of six-stars Terran. You have to hold on for ten minutes and that will be considered as your win. However, if you ended up like a maggot on the ground, crawling on his tummy, I will be ending your sad life.¡±

    Shi Lang gulped and nodded. He did not even sense her approaching him. The next moment thedy walked to the center of the battling area and said, ¡°See the ck line on the floor? That is the battling area. One step out means elimination, by that, I mean death. Understood?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded as he had no other option. He did not even have his friends who could help him here. Since he hade over with his own decision toe here then he will see things through the end. With that in his mind, Shi Lang went to the weapon rack and picked up a spear.

    Then he came to stand in front of Yuu, who also came from the other side, holding a spear in her hands. She was wearingmon military training gear. A ck shirt and ck cargo pants paired with ck jeans. Her hair still covered half of her face.

    Shi Lang stood in contrast to her. He was wearing a white t-shirt, that stuck close to his torso, with a white lower and a pair of white sports shoes. He held the spear parallel to his body.

    Yuu took the stance first. She directly pointed the spearhead at Shi Lang¡¯s face as she held the shaft with both her hands and her legs were parted slightly. She lowered her body slightly to get a better center of gravity.

    The boy against her moved his wrist and the spear came parallel to the ground. He still held it with one hand. Yuu did notment on it. Yesterday, she had told him that it did not matter how the boy approached the battle, what stance he took, what mattered was the end result.

    A gust of wind blew and thedy charged at Shi Lang. She used her quick speed and stabbed with the spear in her hand. The boy did not react. However, his hand jerked and the spear slid forward. Shi Lang held the seven feet long spear from the end of its shaft. He parted his legs and stabbed forward.

    A good spear was not only strong but also flexible, so Shi Lang¡¯s spear bent a little from the middle, but the boy seemed to have no problem. The bent spear in his hand seemed to have grown eyes as it collided with the iing attack. The flexibility in the shaft did not hold it back but even helped in rebounding the attack.

    Shi Lang was not only going to passively defend. He understood that the best attack was the best defense against someone as strong as Yuu. So, his attackmenced. The spearhead was stabbed at Yuu in quick session. The attack was heavy and it was very precisely aimed at the vitals. Shi Lang knew this will not in the long run.

    The opponent in front of him neither feared pain, nor wounds, if he kept attacking at the vitals then she will just charge at him while defending herself. She will not hesitate to trade blows with him. Given her physique, this will eventually y in her favor.

    Shi Lang thought about something and it was at this movement thedy vanished from his sight. The hair on his back stood up as he sensed a wind blow behind him. He pulled back the extended spear in his hand and let go of his grip. Then he did a quick burpee and stood up. The spear was still being pulled back, Shi Lang took hold of the middle of the shaft and began to swing it around him as if a vertical helicopter rotor.

    The burpee earlier was to avoid the spear stabbed at his heart by his cruel instructor. As he swung the spear the momentum umted and he moved forward deflecting the stabs aimed at him from all sides.

    Yuu was surprised to see that she could notnd a hit at him. Despite his ability to sense things from a certain distance, he was quite a rookie in her eyes. However, what she saw today was not a rookie but a full-fledged master.

    Shi Lang hade near a weapon rack. He picked up a Kusarigama. This was a unique weapon. It had an iron chain, with one end hooked to the handle of a sickle while the other end had a heavy iron ball with spikes protruding from it.

    Yuu raised her eyebrow, the unique the weapon the higher the difficulty to master it. Yet this guy picked up this weapon? She became curious and also by the way he was holding the weapon it seemed that he had a degree of familiarity with it. Kusarigama was not only difficult to use but also difficult to resist as the chain and sickle were tricky.

    Yuu quickly thrust the spear in her hand forward, Shi Lang gently sidestepped and then he spun the iron ball end a few times in his hand, and when the momentum was satisfactory, he waited for Yuu¡¯s attack toe. Thedy did not know what he was cooking but now that he was able to react to her speed, she decided to see what he was cooking in his mind.

    The next moment she stabbed the spear. Shi Lang took a diagonal side-step and before Yuu could retract the spear, the boy flung out his chain at the spear. The chain coiled around the shaft like a snake. Yuu had exerted her strength to retract the spear quickly, but now with the iron ball connected to the spear, she tugged at Shi Lang at the same time.

    The boy did not resist but he timed it perfectly, the next moment his body flew forward. The instructor sensed something and gave up her weapon as she retreated. Shi Lang had taken a stand to sh with the Sickle at her. She retreated but gave up her weapon.

    Shi Lang also stopped moving forward but he shook the chain and undid the bond on the shaft. The next moment he took hold of the free spear with his right hand and with a strong jerk he threw the spread at Yuu.

    The speed of the spear was very fast and it sliced through the air. Yuu sneered and moved at a high speed. She underestimated Shi Lang, the boy broke the chain from the end of the sickle, and with a swing, he threw it away. It may seem like this move was random. However, the ce he threw the chain happened to be where the instructor would stop.

    This was a simple calction, during the training yesterday, Shi Lang was not slow, he was calcting. Calcting the direction and the speed of Yuu when she moved, by noting the dust she left behind her steps.

    Yuu stopped within one meter of the predicted spot and the chain tied itself around her leg. The girl was surprised and before she could react, a sickle chopped off her head.

    Yes, Shi Lang killed Yuu.

    ¡­

    The other instructors inside the monitoring room stood up in shock. Carlos asked in a shivering voice, ¡°Yuu, lost to this brat?¡±

    Charlotte Knight was shocked but her eyes were filled with brilliant sparkles. She said, ¡°This is the reality. Go end the simtion. This kid needs special consideration.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood in front of Yuu¡¯s corpse and said, ¡°Are you alright, Instructor? Why has the simtion not ended?¡±

    As soon as his words dropped Yuu¡¯s chopped-off head attached itself to her neck and she asked, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled charmingly, as she looked at the beautiful eyes hidden behind her bangs.

 Chapter 42

    The people in the monitoring room were shocked when they heard his statement. Charlotte was looking forward to the meeting now. She said, ¡°Have them report here.¡±

    ¡­

    Yuu was still holding her head in pain when she heard his words. She was overwhelmed by the pain and surprise she sensed at this moment. This teenager not only did he defeat her, he even figured out that they were inside a simtion.

    She wanted to cut open his head and check what his brain was like. However, at the moment she was feeling strong pain in her head and neck, this guy beheaded her. After a few minutes she calmed down, and with that, the simtion ended. Unlike Shi Lang, who takes half an hour to ovee the pain, she did it within a few minutes. This was the advantage of her higher star level.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and found himself under the sky. This was the ce where he hade yesterday to train. He sat up in his chair and looked to the side, the instructor was covered with sweat, her breathing was still not calm. He stood up and came to her side. He wanted to ask her if she was fine when Yuu said, ¡°We need to report to the camp master, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Then he saw Yuu standing up and walking out to report to Charlotte Knight. He followed her half a step behind her. The two people did not talk at all as they were walking back to the camp master¡¯s office.

    Shi Lang did not have any certain sympathy with the instructor as she had decisively done the same thing to him a day before. It took them ten minutes to reach the camp master¡¯s office. This was the second the boy hade here. He did not know why he was called in here but he had his guard up and prepared a lot of strategies in his mind to catch whatever they throw at him.

    Yuu stood in front of the door and knocked twice. A soft voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Yuu pushed open the door and took a step inside. She saluted thedy behind the table and asked, ¡°What are your orders, Madam?¡±

    Charlotte shook her head and said, ¡°Call in Student Shi Lang. I want to ask him some things.¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Student Shi Lang, March In.¡±

    The door was pushed open and Shi Lang walked inside the office calmly with his back straight and shoulder taut. He saluted thedy in front of him with his right hand ced on his heart. He said, ¡°Student Shi Lang reporting, Madam Camp master.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°At ease.¡±

    Unlike thest time, she had her eyes set on the boy who stood in front of her. She said, ¡°You have done good in the test today, congrattions.¡±

    Shi Lang retired with a courteous thank you and said nothing more. Charlotte asked, ¡°I would like to ask you, how did you find out that you were inside a simtion?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised but since it was a senior asking him. He still came clear. He said, ¡°I drool.¡±

    Charlotte raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°borate.¡±

    ¡°I deliberately drool an amount of saliva on my pillow¡¯s corner. The dampness and the stain are always there. But when I woke up today it was not there. Secondly, when I climbed the stairs, by mistake I took a step slightly to the right. That spot was the pressure te until you can remove and change the trap triggers daily, which has a very low possibility, it should have triggered. The final hint was when I beheaded the instructor, she did not bleed.¡±

    Charlotte stood up from her chair and pped. She said, ¡°Marvellous. You are very smart. I will give you that. However, did you behead your instructor just to check that?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and calmly said, ¡°Until the enemy is dead, the battle is still on. If it was a match where a referee was present I would not have killed her simtion but since there was no one and the day before she had stated that if, I did not try my best she will kill me. I did not hesitate.¡±

    He did not have a shred of remorse in his heart. Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°Tell me how you defeated Yuu? The performance was really strong.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I have studied all sorts of weapons avable back in the academy. The spear was one of them. I have a slightly higher control on it too. Since yesterday she was training me inside the simtion I decided to study her movements and behavior to understand the enemy better too.

    In a book you wrote, you mentioned, Knowing yourself makes you strong but knowing the enemy keeps you alive because strength is not invincible but the correct application of strength is.¡±

    Charlotte could not help but not when she heard this sentence. She sighed and said, ¡°You did well. You can go out to explore the base. Tomorrow you will start with Carlos and learn what he has in store for you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then after saluting the two people he walked out of the room. He did what he wasmanded to, he was exploring, but he did not leave the camp facility. The camp facility was base for him and he began to carefully explore this whole ce. The maze of pathways they used to take was all loaded with traps. So the boy used his ability to sense where were the triggers hidden.

    ¡­

    The evening passed like that and he came to sleep on his bed in the night. The night was calm as well. When he woke up in the morning, he touched the corner of his pillow and smiled.

    Then he got dressed and walked out of the room. He used the general passage to head to the mess and came to eat his breakfast. He had just served his food and was about to take a bite when he heard a voice, ¡°Student Shi Lang, follow the blinking lights and report to Instructor Carlos.¡±

    The voice was mechanical and unfeeling. The boy stood up with a wry smile on his face and said, ¡°So, hungry morning again.¡± with that said, he began to follow the glowing lights inside the facility and came to where he found Carlos waiting for him.

    The man smiled and said, ¡°Are you ready for training with me?¡±

    Shi Lang saluted him and said, ¡°Yes, Sir. I am looking forward to this simtion as well.¡±

    Carlos chuckled and said, ¡°Good kid, how did you know¡­¡±

    His chuckle and words froze even before he could finish them.

    ¡­

    Inside the monitoring room, Yuu asked, ¡°How did he know?¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°I cannot believe this kid outsmarted us.¡±

    John asked, ¡°What you mean to say is that he deliberately led us in? This kid is capable of that?¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°It will be possible only when he is interrogated about it. John, do not hold back¡±

    John nodded and stood up, after a salute she left the room.

    ¡­

    Carlos undid the simtion and got off the chair, Shi Lang was also gradually waking up but the next moment the instructor chopped at his neck, making him fall unconscious again. The assassin came over to the ce after a few minutes and he held the boy from the back of his neck and dragged him to the interrogation room.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang woke up and found himself sitting in a small dim-lit room. The boy tried to struggle and found that his legs and forearms were locked to the armrest and the legs of the chair. He had no room to move at all. The next thing that his brain registered was that he had no clothes. Yes, he was sitting naked in the chair.

    He took a deep breath and calmed his mind. He heard a voice that seemed to be echoing in the room, ¡°Do you think you outsmarted us, so we shall reward you or something?¡±

    Shi Lang did not answer. He could not make out if the voice was a male or a female. This thing confused him a lot. A vague figure appeared in front of him, but due to dim light, Shi Lang could not make out who it was. The figure in front of him threw a good punch at his face.

    The chair almost flipped, and this blow left Shi Lang with a deep cut on the inside of his lower lip, making him spit out some blood. The person asked him, ¡°Tell me what did you do and I will let you go?¡±

    However, Shi Lang did not say anything. The figure said, ¡°Very Well.¡± Then he started to punch him repeatedly. The boy was in pain, but it was still lower than being beheaded. So he only grunted and did not say anything at all.

    The person beating him stopped and said, ¡°Do you know that in face of raw strength, a good n is as good as a window paper. Now, would you tell me what you did, or Should I continue?¡±

    Shi Lang had a battered face. His nose was broken and his face was cut. His eyelids were swollen and his face was covered in his blood. The man had purposefully avoided hitting his jaw, if it broke then there was no chance for them to get anything out of him.

    It seemed more like a prison than a training camp. The instructors brutalized him when he did something good. He said in a feeble voice, ¡°I tell you¡­¡±

    The person said, ¡°Good, tell me what you did.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not drool, I¡­¡±

 Chapter 43

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not drool, I¡­¡±

    The person in front of him seemed to be impatient and punched his face again. Then followed a cold voice, ¡°You better speak when you can speak in one go, or I will break your face to bits and pieces.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s head was lulling over to the side. The boy seemed to have lost consciousness. The figure checked his responses and did not attack again. He mumbled, ¡°I have all the time in the world. Let¡¯s say when you will wake up. Or on the other hand, I might hurry things up, the sooner you break the better.¡±

    The figure opened the door of the room and walked outside. Shi Lang was unconscious and had no idea what was happening to him. However, he did understand what was happening to him. The reason he was naked and tied to a chair was to impose the psychological effect of his weakness on himself.

    When people are naked under the eyes of someone who had malicious intent toward them, they will be overwhelmed by a sense of weakness and inferiority. This will help the enemy get the information they want from these people even easier.

    The next thing the enemy did to him was to punch his face, the attacks were all focused on his face, to make him feel even more worthless. Earlier when the boy was talking, he was about to give up but then he recalled a simple thing that he had read in the books. Torture is all about who is more tenacious.

    He was the most stubborn person when it came to things like this. They wanted to know how he outsmarted them, so he will tell them anything but that. He was just thinking about what to do when the person in front of him knocked him out.

    With a click sound, the door of the room opened and the vague figure returned holding a bucket and a plier in his hand. He scooped some water from the bucket in his hand and sshed it over Shi Lang. The boy did not wake up he did feel some difort, it was as if his face was being prickly and itchy.

    This sensation caused him to wake up. He regained his consciousness and heard a cold genderless voice, ¡°I will give you a chance, tell me what I want to know and you will be spared.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°No.¡±

    The person was surprised for a second and then the voice sounded again, ¡°Very well. You leave me no option.¡±

    The figure squatted down and undid the tape wrapped around Shi Lang¡¯s left foot. Then he took out the plier and held Shi Lang¡¯s small toenail with it. He said, ¡°Wee to paradise.¡±

    Then he jerked his hand, ripping off the nail from the finger. Shi Lang wailed in agony. The screams were the true evidence of how much pain he was in. His body was twitching and struggling in the chair but to no effect. The man did not hurry for the next step but waited for the pain to settle in Shi Langpletely.

    This was a tactic to increase the intensity of the pain one suffered. When the pain starts to reduce on its own as the body gets used to it. That was the moment you act again and amplify it. The cold voice said, ¡°I will ask you to tell me, how you did what you did.¡±

    Shi Lang was in agony like never before but he still shook his head in denial. The man raised his leg and put it inside the bucket. The itchy feeling that came from Shi Lang being sshed by saltwater was amplified and this time it was his injured small toe.

    The boy tried to move his leg out of the bucked but the person in front of him just held his leg inside and chuckled. This person was a sadist, enjoying the pain other people suffered. He asked again, ¡°Are you willing to tell me now?¡±

    Shi Lang grit his teeth and said, ¡°NO.¡±

    He said it in a loud voice, the voice seemed to be boosting and reaffirming his own ideas and thoughts. The person did not act but said, ¡°Do you know, it is said that if a person does not break when their first nail is clipped, they will not break at all. However, I have a strong curiosity about how long can theyst. Would you like me to test that with you?¡±

    Shi Lang grit his teeth and watched as the man took out his leg of the bucket and let out a peal of creepyughter.

    ¡­

    In the monitoring room, Dalia said with a frown, ¡°Camp Master. If the injuries are too harsh, then I will not take care of him. You understand I have to train him about medicines and other things too, but he is not the guinea pig.¡±

    Charlotte Knight smiled and said, ¡°You can ask him to bandage himself if his limbs can move. Or dump him in the simtion cabin, let him learn medicine while he recovers. You can teach him poison detection and resistance.¡±

    Dalia furrowed her brows, seemingly unpleased with this whole suggestion, and then said, ¡°Okay. I will do just that.¡±

    Carlos chirped from the side, ¡°When do I get to train this pup?¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°When he passes the first level of medical knowledge. I will send him outside the base. He will have to survive in no man¡¯snd. You can monitor him and guide him remotely. But that is only limited to the rules, we can discusster.¡±

    Carlos smirked and said, ¡°Nothing is better than hands-on experience.¡±

    ¡­

    Inside the small room, Shi Lang was again lying unconscious. All twenty of his nails were lying on the floor while his fingers were bleeding and swelling. The figure in front of him spat on his body. He muttered, ¡°You ousted the whole thing. I will know to try to bring you an experience that will make you beg for death.¡±

    Then he went outside the room. Shi Lang was really unconscious and did not wake up until the man came back with a lot of things. He took out a vial from his pocket and snapped it open in front of Shi Lang¡¯s nose. The strong pungent smell made the boy wake up, grunting with pain.

    The person said, ¡°Good morning sunshine. Now we will have you shine just like fire.¡±

    Then he picked up a sprayer from the ground and said, ¡°This is a special herbal mix of this. It is akin to kerosene but it does not vaporize when left out in contact with air. We call it Maki-abura.¡±

    Then he pressed the switch and a stream was sprayed over Shi Lang¡¯s chest. Then the man took out a zippo lighter from his pocket and said, ¡°This little oil on your chest canst till ten minutes. Do you know how much pain it causes when you continuously burn for ten minutes.¡± at the end of the sentence was an unprecedented excitement followed by a creepy peal ofughter.

    The man ignited his lighter and waved the me in front of the oil ssh. Amber mes ignited on Shi Lang¡¯s chest as he let out deafening screams. The person disliked his screams. So he suddenly kicked on his jaw, breaking it.

    Shi Lang¡¯s lower jaw was hanging free on his face as he let out wailing sounds. Since his jaw could not move, the sounds became nd. The man said, ¡°Oh made a mistake. Looks like we will have to stop here. But I can let you feel the pain from the burns.¡±

    ¡­

    Dalia stood up and rushed out of the monitoring room but not before she said, ¡°Camp Master, you better have this guy bring that kid to the infirmary or I will poison him.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and sent out a message to John, who was responsible for torturing the boy. John did not want to help Shi Lang but Dalia insisted on it. The reason she did this was because of the burn Shi Lang suffered. His chest had a seven-inch patch of flesh that was missing and his internal organs were visible as if a three-dimensional model.

    Although Terrans were strong, they were still prone to infections. They might have be stronger, but thes they explored, they were getting stronger and different too. John held Shi Lang from his leg and dragged him across the floor like a rag. Dalia grit her teeth and said, ¡°Sadist Asshole, if this kid died, Stevenson will fuck you like a sex ve.¡±

    John was surprised by this but then he said, ¡°Mind yournguage. You are ady. Also, did that old guy not know what we were doing here? Why will I be med?¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°Did you forget the condition on which he let Camp Master continue this camp? Or do I have to bring out the memory in your clutzy brain?¡±

    John thought and said, ¡°OHH, I will try not to be so hard the next time, but it was Camp Master¡¯s order.¡±

    Dalia did not listen and said, ¡°Get out of here. I have work to do.¡±

 Chapter 44

    Shi Lang was put on the table and John left the infirmary. Dalia shook her head when she checked the boy¡¯s condition and then carried him to pod-like equipment. The equipment was like a pod, on the sides of the pod, there were injection mechanisms attached.

    She ced the boy inside and pressed a few buttons on the side panel. The transparent pod hatch closed, Dalia again pressed a few buttons, and the injecting mechanism came into y. The substance injected inside his body was all high-grade medicines. The effect was instant and the swelling on his face began to reduce visibly.

    ¡­

    Charlotte Knight made a call to Dalia and asked, ¡°What is the situation?¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°It will take twenty-four hours before he ispletely healed. The skull is riddled with hairline fractures, the wound on the chest needs flesh regeneration. The ripped-away toenails are also needed to regrow.¡±

    The camp master sighed and said, ¡°Very well, fix him up and teach him medical knowledge needed for him to pass the training.¡±

    Dalia nodded and began toplete her work. She nced at the simtion pod and shook her head. She mumbled, ¡°Why did you opt toe here, kid?¡±

    She sighed and initiated the simtion program from the console on the side.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and found himself inside ab space. He looked around to find various apparatus set up on the shelves, with a lot of other stuff. Suddenly, Shi Lang heard Dalia¡¯s voice, ¡°Student Lang, this is a simtion. In the time your body heals, I suggest that you learn some medical knowledge. The rest will be described to you by the automated voice. All the best.¡±

    Shi Lang became alert when he heard the words, ¡®All the best¡¯

    As Dalia said, the automated voice began to feed Shi Lang the knowledge he needed. Inside the simtion, the time flow could be adjusted, it was a trick that made the neurons think they had spent a long time inside. The boy was like a sponge, he absorbed everything the system taught him. His self-studies during school also yed a big role in this.

    Shi Lang thought that he spent a week inside theb learning various things regarding the human body. He learned a variety of ailments and cures one could face on the battlefield. The cures surprised him sometimes while sometimes he felt grossed by it.

    One of such gross cures was, if you are poisoned outside the base on this, then you should look for a reptile, boon lizard, a name designated by terrans. This lizard was one of the most poisonous creatures on this and its flesh could detox every poison until it belonged to itself. The only disgusting feature was that this lizard smelled like shit.

    The pearls of knowledge were bestowed to Shi Lang with all generosity and the boy memorized almost all of them. When the simtion ended, Shi Lang was told that he had spent twenty-four hours inside the simtion.

    The boy opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He found himself inside a pod. Dalia¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Go, your training of firearms will begin slowly.¡±

    The boy nodded and after saying thank you to thedy he left. Next, he trained with Yuu and mastered as many weapons, both cold and hot, as he can. Then from John, he learned things on how to move in around unnoticed and even better, suffered brutal torture. Later he would be patched up in the infirmary and the cycle repeated itself.

    However, even after all the torment, Shi Lang did not let his guard down, in the past few weeks he suffered twenty-five sneak attacks, even in the infirmary. These attacks were all fatal and he was using his ability constantly. Carlos was a sadist as they said he was.

    This guy would bring him out and intentionally trigger traps inside the maze hallways, Shi Lang would have to do aplete course run and if he did not follow the path Carlos decided for him, the traps will be certain kill pits.

    After a few weeks, even the angel in his mind, Dalia changed into a demoness from the depth of hell. She began to ¡®teach¡¯ him about poisons. After every session, he would be left with a different color and twitching or other symptoms. These sessions made him develop a resistance to the poisons to some extent. He also became more proficient in detecting poisons.

    Just when thest week was left to survive, Shi Lang was called by Charlotte Knight. The guy heard the message on themunicator and had a bad feeling about this. He walked to the office and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± a voice sounded.

    Shi Lang entered and saw the War Maiden sitting behind the desk. He saluted her and said, ¡°Student Shi Lang reporting madam.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°At ease.¡±

    Shi Lang acknowledge and thedy continued, ¡°You are called here because the graduation task for you has been determined.¡±

    Shi Lang gulped and nodded. Charlotte continued with a poker face, ¡°You will be promoted to the status of an honorary cadet in for the next one week. You will be dropped at a location in the middle of nowhere. You will be given a terrain map and an advanced weapon pack. Your task is to assassinate the leader of a shamantis n. This guy is responsible for killing two hundred assaulters.

    We offered them a settlement, but this guy did not. If he had killed the assaulters only it would not have been so enraging but they removed their organs to feast on. You only have to assassinate this guy. Do you ept?¡±

    Shi Lang thought in his mind, ¡®Who said you should go iming theirnd? And you ask me as if I have a choice, do I not know that you will kill me if I said no?¡¯

    He nodded and said, ¡°I ept, Madam.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°Good. Find Yuu, she will lead you to the army base, where you will get your gear and supplies. Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted and walked out of the cabin. He closed the door and sighed. Then he made his way to the weapon training grounds. Yuu would spend most of her time there, ying.

    When he reached the ce, he found Yuu was already wiping off her sweat. She nodded to him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shi Lang followed her silently. After a few minutes, Yuu said, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The boy asked, ¡°I was just thinking if they will give me some condiments. I would like to hunt some game.¡±

    Yuu said, ¡°Good, positive attitude helps you stay calm in distressing situations.¡±

    The two had be more open with each other and Yuu was aplete ck belly tsundere. They came to the threshold of the camp and Shi Lang suddenly jumped two steps forward. Yuu held a knife in her hand, and if not for the jump, it would have been stabbed inside the guts of the former.

    Thedy nodded and led him to the ce called the armory. The base was very simple. It had one huge building, which consisted of amanding room, amodations, pantry, and weapon depot. It was a wholeplex, but to make it safer they made it all in one building. Yuu was not stopped anywhere and the soldiers even saluted her at every turn.

    Shi Lang could tell that her rank was high. However, he did not ask anything and kept on following her silently. Thedy led him to the armory. On the way, Shi Lang passed the pantry and mess hall and he smelled the fragrance in the air.

    He asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, can I have a meal here?¡±

    Yuu replied, ¡°If you manage to not be a meal out there. It will be my treat.¡±

    Shi Lang felt a twitch on his lip and thought, ¡®You just wait, I will eat you bankrupt.¡¯

    Inside the armory, thedy asked him to scan hismunicator watch in a module. His credentials showed the words, Hon. Cad. Shi Lang.

    Then he was asked to select a gear for himself. The boy selected a sniper rifle, three trip mines, three grenades, one standard army sword, and a knife for weapons, for gear a standard camouge suit, and boots. For supplies, he choose clean water and some high-energypressed chocte bars.

    Yuu then led him to the tarmac where he was to board a nuclear-powered helicopter. This flight will drop him at the target location. He saluted Yuu and walked to the chopper. Only to hear a faint, ¡°Take care out there ande back alive.¡±

    He turned back to see a faint cloud of dust where Yuu was standing earlier. He shook his head and with the gear over his body boarded the chopper. The pilot asked, ¡°Ready?¡±

    He gave him a go signal and the flight took off.

    ¡­

    In the monitoring room, John walked in and said, ¡°I found out how he knew that we put him in a simtion.¡±

    Dalia asked, ¡°How?¡± the others also looked at him.

    John said, ¡°A few strands of hair fell on his pillow. We did not take them into ount and that was it.¡±

    Charlotte chuckled and said, ¡°I see, interesting fellow.¡±

    ¡­

    As they were discussing him, Shi Lang was looking outside the window and he was monitoring the terrain. He sighed and said, ¡°This will be tricky.¡± and the chopper kept on moving through the clouds.

 Chapter 45

    Shi Lang was sitting inside an air-bound vehicle, this thing looked simr to the helicopters used by humans in old times but were overhauled. They were powered by a nuclear battery and the rotors were soundless. Overall, the vehicle had a camouging ability. Once initiated, nothing can detect it, unless they have a thermal vision.

    The boy did not know where he was being dropped off, but he was looking through the holographic map on hismunicator. Yuu had told him that the boy could only be able to monitor his real-time location only when he hadnded. However, he still wanted to know a bit more about the surroundings.

    Ao, was a green, the ce where the military base and the camp were located was called, Will Peak. This peak was the only high ground area in the tropical forest around it. The humans named this forest Woods of death. That was the unofficial name but that was all Shi Lang needed to know.

    This forest was spread to ten thousand miles and was inhabited, not only deadly flora and fauna but also, the residents of this ce, the Shamantis. Hismunicator was filled with a lot of data regarding the Shamantis and the flora and fauna of the ce. The boy read it all, turned out the Shamantis were purple-colored humanoid creatures.

    They had six fingers at the end of each toe and were thin built. They used animal skin or nts as their outfits. The Shamanti females were only distinguished by their long hair, otherwise, they all looked the same. Shi Lang did not have any thoughts about this, but something attracted his attention, the shamanti women were stronger than the men.

    The data stated clearly that these women were more adept at using their skills of so-called witchcraft. Witchcraft used by Shamantis was something very mysterious and not defined in the data, it was said that they can conjure up fireballs, summon beasts and insects to attack the people. The data also stated that in the case, of capture. One should kill themselves before they are put to torture and cursed to death.

    Turns out these Shamatis will not take you in if you have not died by their attacks. Shi Lang read all this and the boy sighed. The pilot suddenly said, ¡°Drop zoneing up. Ready?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Ready.¡±

    The pilot pressed a button on the console and a green indicator lit up. Then he signaled Shi Lang to jump.

    The boy did not hesitate and jumped out from the opening in the cabin. The helicopter had no door to improve the time of deployment of the soldiers so Shi Lang had no problem jumping out. Shi Lang was wearing gear that had a wingsuit in it. The technology was amazing, this wingsuit was made of smart nanomaterial.

    It would only deploy when the user willed it to. This wingsuit did not reduce the speed much but unlike a parachute, it did not make the soldier a target in the air. The other thing was that Terrans had a strong enough physique to handle the stress from thending. That was not all, the gear was also capable ofplete camouge until they made any big moments.

    Shi Lang gazed at the ground below and decided tond near the biggest tree he could find in the vicinity and descended there. He dropped his sniper rifle and sword before hended to not encounter posture difficulties. He rolled his body as soon as hended and rushed to recover his equipment.

    The task was now about to start, but since he could sense the things around him and did not find any movement around him. The gun and the sword were nearby, it was easily recovered. Shi Lang returned to the tree and climbed it up. He first needed to determine where he was and what route he should take to even reach the Shamanti settlement.

    After he concealed himself inside the canopy of the tree, he operated hismunicator and began to determine his next few steps.

    ¡­

    Inside the monitoring room, all the instructors were sitting around a table watching the boy through a satellite. Carlos said, ¡°His reactions are quick and he is decisive, however, this can spell both good and bad for him.¡±

    The others did notment. They might not be experts but they were aware of what he was talking about. Due to his quick movements, Shi Lang had left traces around the ce and he did not clean them up.

    Charlotte was about to say something when themunicator on her wrist rang. She pressed the ept toggle and a voice sounded, ¡°This is Cadet Lang, permission tomence incursion.¡±

    Charlotte replied, ¡°Status acknowledged, permission denied. Your readiness ismendable, but before you proceed, you have a few objectives that must be met without fail. You must report to the monitormand every hour, and you will be advised by Carlos on the mistakes you have made. It may be a task, but consider it a hands-on experience. Do you receive?¡±

    Shi Lang replied in a monotonous voice, ¡°Copy that, Monitor Command.¡±

    Charlotte nodded to Carlos and the man said, ¡°Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. That is how you move through the forest, without leaving traces. Remember, that Shamantis have hounds, they might not be patrolling this area now, but it is not sure when they decide to, so be very careful. How you do that, I will leave it to you.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Understood, Instructor.¡±

    Hearing his reply, Charlotte said, ¡°You are permitted to advance.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sighed, ¡°They sure are the experts and I am losing my touch. Well, I was a loose cultivator and the geniuses had all advanced long before me. Guess I didck a lot of skills. time to learn them all.¡±

    With that said, he got down the tree and began to move through the forest slowly and this time he made sure to not leave any traces.

 Chapter 46

    Shi Lang got down the tree and after setting up a few milestones on hismunicator watch he moved through the woods slowly. His pace was akin to a snail if one asked, however, he made sure not to leave any traces this time.

    His first location was a swamp. It did not have any operation significance but it was necessary for him because, despite everything, he could not get rid of the out-of-the-world smell on his body. He has read the data. Shamantis have a breed of creatures simr to dogs but a hundred times more sensitive to smell. These creatures were called Inu. They were a part of the patrol and guard teams. Impable hunting animals.

    Shi Lang did not want to be chased and hunted by dogs so, the first thing was to remove his smell. How to do so? Simple, dip in the stinky swamp, use the local flora as a deodorant. He could not only use the flowers or nts enzyme. The data showed that a lot of abundantly growing nts were toxic, they might not kill him, but imagine having terrible blisters on your balls when you identally rub a toxic flower down there.

    The swamp mud will act as ayer of protective gear and prevent the nt poison from acting on him. This way his stealth will be higher and he would have a chance of getting past the patrols. On the way to the swamp, Shi Lang found that sometimes the soil beneath his feet was too soft and inevitably it will leave footprints, at some ces the area would be covered with moss, which too will leave footprints.

    So he climbed a tree around him and then he cut down two big leaves from inside the canopy. Then the leaves were used to cover his feet and tied up with ayer of gauze bandage. Yes, he used his medical supply for this thing. This was done to avoid footprints on the ground. While the unknown impressions will disturb the patrol.

    ¡­

    Monitoring room, Dalia raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°Do we have a marking system? I want to fail him directly.¡±

    Carlos retorted, ¡°What do you know? If he can conceal his presence in there and get in and out undetected, he will not need those bandages. This is called prevention to avoid curing. Let me watch in silence.¡±

    He was really irritable when watching other people trying to survive inside the forest. Shi Lang had kept up with all his goals, he would report his status every one hour and he will do it while keeping on the move. It took him three hours to reach a swamp twenty kilometers away from his drop location.

    The boy took down his weapons and bags, hid them inside a bush, and then he dived inside the swamp. Five minutester when he came out his body was covered with stinky mud. This mud will stop stinking when it driester. Shi Lang did not n to wait here till the mud went dry, he picked up some nts around and squeezed them over his body, mixing their enzymes with the mud on his body.

    Usually, it should have been done without his gear or clothes on his body, however, Shi Lang did not follow that method. He decided to follow his mind. After collecting his arms and supplies, the boy walked through the forest stealthily. When he reported his status, Carlos replied to him, ¡°Cadet Shi Lang, will you care to exin why did you cover the gear with mud?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Sir, the invisibility provided by the suit leaves a few outlines that can expose my whereabouts, so I came up with the idea to cover it with mud. This way I will have a better camouge.¡±

    Carlos nodded and said, ¡°Carry on.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang replied and cut off themunication as he continued inside the forest. He did not hunt or neither did he set any traps. The shamantis were capable of long-distancemunication as well, he did not wish for someone to notice or fall in his trap and then alert the nearby allies. Then he will be the hunted instead of the hunter.

    He walked slowly and soon found himself near a ce that looked like a cave. This was his second milestone. To spend the night, as the tribe where his target lived was two hundred kilometers away from his drop location. He had covered seventy-five kilometers in a day. The lousy speed was because of his slow pace, otherwise, he could have just covered double the distance.

    Shi Lang found himself near a small stream of water and decided to spend the night here. He found a thick big tree and climbed out swiftly. This tree was in his data, it was known as the fragrant pine tree. The fruit that grew on this tree was simr to the pine fruit back on the earth. However, if you break the fruit before it is ripened, you can kill yourself. The smell was neurotoxic.

    He carefully climbed the tree andid down on the crown of the tree. He did not sleeppletely, every slight click ground he would open his eyes. This was how things became on the battlefield. Once you let go of your guard, you will die.

    He maintained a state of vignce and survived the night with calm. He woke up with the sun and consumed a portion of his protein chocte. After rinsing his mouth with a sip of water he got down the tree and continued his path. He did not intend to take a break and refresh.

    ¡­

    Monitoring room, Yuu asked, why did he only take a sip of the water and not drink properly?¡±

    Carlos said, ¡°He is lowering the need to relieve himself. If he did that he will be leaving traces, the distance is very close to the patrol route, he does not want to take any risks.¡±

    The rest of the people understood. Once he took a tinkle, it will leave a strong smell for the Inu to pick it up and hunt him down.

    ¡­

    The boy continued through the forest holding a sword in his hand. However, he did not cut any bush or hunted any animal. His aura and breathing were converged to the level where no one might notice him until they saw him in front of them. Shi Lang was moving through the woods using shadows to cover his body.

    The day was simr to thest one, however, it was not entirely boring. A few times, Shi Lang noticed the tracks of the patrols in the area and he hid in the thick canopy of the fragrant pine trees. The Shamantis did not have any problem with this tree, but the Inu hated it. the strong stink was poison for their noses.

    Shi Lang did not stop in the night, the patrols were limited to the vicinity of the tribe settlements, as they were aware that the forest was dangerous at night. The boy moved quickly using the cover of the night. The insects made noises and acted as cover for his footsteps. What he exploited here was an unspokenw between the beasts and the Shamantis.

    You will not move around in my territory at night and I will not hunt in yours. So, the beasts also did not approach the settlements of these big ns. Shi Lang found a big tree, that gave him a clear sight of the Tribe entrance andid down there. His brain was making strategies on how toplete the task.

    After a few minutes, he made the status report and asked for permission for the radio silence. The night was not entirely silent, but it was not loud enough to cover his words. The other party agreed and Shi Lang disconnected themunications. Heid in one position with his gun aimed at the door.

    The data he received had taught him that the Shamantis will be switching shifts to guards at the peek of wee hours. The data was based on satellite surveince. This period of two minutes was the most vulnerable one for them, however, they did not expect ounders to reach the borders of their tribe settlements.

    ¡­

    Charlotte and the rest were taking turns to observe the development this whole time, but as Shi Lang reached closer to the entry gates, the people all gathered to watch the final moments.

    Carlos said, ¡°This kid, actually managed to get this close. John, bring up the satellite feed of the route he has followed. The shamantis have a random patrol route, I want to see if they picked up his trace.¡±

    John nodded and tapped a few buttons visible on the interactive table in front of them. The screen split in two. The left side showed Shi Lang¡¯s location while the right side disyed his travel route and the patrol routes in highlight.

    Carlos said, ¡°What do you guys think?¡±

    John replied, ¡°Calction. The data log he was provided contained every single detail. Hismunicator ess log also disys that he was observing these patrol routes every fifteen minutes.¡±

    Yuu asked, ¡°How can he calcte this?¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°Could it be that he noticed a pattern?¡±

    Carlos said, ¡°Highly likely, even if they are not military trained. The Shamantis are great hunters and assassins, so I will not say that they arepletely random with something rted to the security of their home.¡±

    John suddenly thought of something and zoomed out on the patrol route scans. Everyone observing the screen smiled after a few minutes and Charlotte said, ¡°Stone in the river.¡±

 Chapter 47

    Shi Lang was lying under the crown of the tree with his eyes peeking through from time to time. He was trying toe up with what to do next. His brain was filled with a lot of ideas, since he could not decide what he should do, he decided on what not to do.

    He could not go inside the tribe settlement, no way he was that strong at the moment. He could not make much noise, or it might attract a problem too big for him to handle. On the way, he was supported by the data and previous satellite surveince footage. However, never could the people cross the ten-kilometer threshold.

    The reason he could do it was his skills. When he was the weakest in the school, he used his brain and tenacity to excel and stand out among his peers, this time it seemed to be the same. In the past, he could not take on Jenkins because he did not have the strength to back his skills. This time he had the strength but that could only support him to a limit. If not for the data and the details he was taught about this ce in the training it would have been a suicide mission.

    John trained him to be an assassin, other than torture, he would go through the simtions in the pod. Where John will hunt him and he will have to defend himself. These simtions were really brief and not highlighted, but these simtions were all set in the forest of Ao. Thus, his subconscious was used to this ce.

    The people training him are not dumb to send him to a ce with zero survival chance. The Shamantis used a random and irregr pattern of patrol and left a lot of small windows where one can sneak through.

    Shi Lang was thinking about the things he could not do to narrow down the usible choices of assault strategy he could use. The best option was to lure the chief out of the tribe. How to do so? Provocation.

    How to provoke them? Shi Lang would have to take down a Shamanti and then do something. He decided to retreat a small distance and then deal with a patrol to lure out the chief. He quickly carried his gun on the back and moved down the tree. The boy was decisive, now that he had a strategy, why will he hesitate.

    He thought it was like a fist retracting before the punch is thrown out. He moved through the dimly lit forest at a faster pace, using the dark for his advantage. He wanted to finish this task soon. However, he had just retreated a hundred meters when he suddenly, froze in his ce.

    He clicked his tongue and mumbled, ¡°Overconfident fool.¡±

    He took out his sword from the sheath tied around his waist and said loudly, ¡°Come out.¡±

    As if waiting for his words to drop at least thirty shadows appeared from behind the trees. Shi Lang could swear that he would not have found them out even if he was leaning against them a moment ago. His back was covered with a little cold sweat but he could not give up.

    He could sense that the number of the assants was around ten, their strength, he did not know. There was no data to ssify how strong these inhabitants were in the data he was provided. He cursed the instructors in his heart.

    ¡­

    Carlos chuckled and said, ¡°Stone in the water, indeed, surrounded by water. Finally, the fun began.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded. Charlotte said, ¡°Now, I would like to see if he is still as good as he was in our simtions? I wonder if he would be able to look for blinking light in the forest.¡±

    They all chuckled. They never said this task was going to be easy for him. They never said they willpletely support him. A soldier can only be an ace when he suffers tribtions and distress on the battlefield. The maximum number of people who died in the camp Ragnarok did not survive the training, those who survived died in the task.

    Only Stevenson was the one person, who managed to clear up this ce. He was the only survivor of this hell hole.

    Dalia said, ¡°Camp Master, the condition imposed by Stevenson, it is still applicable. You know what will happen if he died?¡±

    Charlotte said with an indifferent expression, ¡°I was given the responsibility to train a cadet who could stand in line with the great first general and other big shots and take up the mantle of an ace. Do you think, a card that has not been tested can be an Ace? Stevenson said that he will kill me if this kid died. He cane and kill me for all I care.

    I, Charlotte Knight, have always seen through my orders, and I always will. Regardless of his threats or hatred. I do not care about the future but in the present, mymands are supreme. Do you understand?¡±

    Dalia nodded and replied solemnly, ¡°I apologize, Camp Master.¡±

    Charlotte did not say anything else. She just turned her gaze back at the screen where Shi Lang had begun struggling against the assants.

    ¡­

    The boy was wearing a ck suit, the material was skin stuck and highlighted his muscles vaguely. Lean yet filled with explosive power. His face was covered with a ck helmet and a visor that provided him with thermal vision. His whole body was covered, his ck boots had a pad of green leaves tied around them.

    Shi Lang had taken down his arms and supplies and held a sword in his right hand while he held a tactical knife in his left hand, with a reverse grip. He was fighting for his life. Either the enemy died or he will be ughtered brutally. He was surrounded and the only way to survive was to fight it out.

 Chapter 48

    Shi Lang charged at the Shamanti assant standing closest to him. He did not see any of them holding any weapons, however, he could sense that none of the enemies were weak. The target seemed to have sensed his approach and was prepared to counter. At the same movement, the other Shamanti warriors also jumped into action.

    ¡­

    Dalia asked, ¡°Did you not say that he will not need the gauze bandage if he can get in silently. Why is this happening?¡±

    She was not an expert in the field, although she had the skill to take down a lot of people, she used poison and medical knowledge as her arms. Carlos heard her question and sighed.

    He said, ¡°Did you think that if a cadet can get inside, our military cannot? The reason we cannot get inside is that it is too dangerous. These random-looking cavemen, are so cunning that they deliberately expose the openings and lead you in. It is the exit that is his true task.¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°Sometimes, even if you have the ace, you do not use it. You need to hold on to it and wait for the game-changing chance. Shi Lang has no such experience. I ept that is far more talented than the other candidates we have read or seen out there, but he stillcks the edge. A sword is only sharp when it is whetted.¡±

    ¡­

    The data had stated that the Shamantis were all impably strong in their way of witchcraft. However, they also had a weakness. It was like a group of people ying a role-ying game and their skills had limited parameters and cooldown time. This was the reason why they moved around in groups.

    Shi Lang was aware of this and he would have to deal with these people with a calm head. He would be needed to prevent himself from taking damage while putting these people down. This was easier said than done. He spotted a scimitar in the hand of the Shamanti warrior he attacked.

    It was only possible when he found the ck weapon glowing in the glow from the sun falling over the de surface. Shi Lang suddenly sensed the wind around his neck move and he took half a step back. His pupils dted to the limits. Just now if not for the retreat, he would have been beheaded.

    The attack was so fast that he could not keep up with it. Thankfully he still had his ability and instincts. Shi Lang sensed an attacking at his back, as soon as he finished dodging the sh on his neck. He moved diagonally to the right of the assant who attacked him earlier. The distance between the two people, when they crossed each other, was just one meter.

    The assant did not expect Shi Lang to avoid his attack and was surprised, but the attack on the back was also evaded with a power dash. The speed of this dash was not slow, thanks to running in the maze, the endurance and alertness have increased a lot, along with the explosive power in his legs.

    When passing the guy Shi Lang did not forget to attack at the elbow of the Shamanti warrior. The tactical knife was very sharp and was stabbed in the joint. The warrior let out a wail. He tried to attack with the scimitar in his other hand but the sword held by Shi Lang had already made its way through his neck and with a jerk, his head was chopped off.

    The Shamantis had a differentnguage, but they all roared in anger at the death of their partner, as they charged at Shi Lang. The boy could not leave too far as his supplies were all dropped here, but in their anger, the assants ignored his stuff and engaged him with a strong and relentless attack.

    Shi Lang did not run away, he began to use his energy to run his ability to the strongest as he parried and dodged the iing attacks. He could only make out the vague outline of the weapons when he would see the sunlight reflecting from them. He made sure to line himself in such a manner.

    He was not invincible to have survived under a chain of nine attacks, without a scratch. The boy had a few cuts on his body and a big three inches gash splitting his eyebrow horizontally. Thankfully he had the ability to control the blood flow inside his body, and he manage to not faint from blood loss.

    However, this whole time he was not just saving his ass, but also, calcting how but the cold won time was. After three waves of attack, he found what the y was. as soon as the attack was parried this time, Shi Lang took a step forward, and the sword in his hand blocked the iing attack at his sides, but the knife in his hand flew off and was stabbed in the throat of the assant he chased.

    The group of Shamantis again burst up in a roar. Thebat turned out to be burdensome for the boy. Shi Lang decided to kite up all these people in order to save his effort and stamina. His n worked as well, the purple humans were killed but it took him ten minutes to do so. Do not think ten minutes were very short. Shi Lang would have died three times at the least in this battle. In the end, Shi Lang was covered with three deep wounds on his body, and the rest was bruises and shallow cuts.

    He did not use weapons but he was aware that he had already attracted a lot of attention and beasts too. He rushed his way to collect his gear and after taking a quick healing palette he rushed away from this ce. He was not a fool to realize that he has fallen into the trap. To survive was his first priority.

    ¡­

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°He did well inbat.¡±

    Dalia nodded, ¡°He did well in applying medicine to his wounds as well.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°He will emerge from this task, a new. You have to make sure of his safety.¡±

    Carlos said, ¡°Silence, I want to sees something.¡±

    With that said, the people turned back in the direction of the screen and continued watching as the boy shuttled through the forest.

 Chapter 49

    Shi Lang ran away from the encounter site with an injured body. He made a beeline for the swamp. That was the only ce he could think of to provide him with a temporary refuge. The shamantis will be chasing after him like mad dogs out for blood.

    He was aware that despite the mud and other things over his body, his open wounds will leave a slight trace of blood in the wind. The Inu could distinguish a scent from others like day and night and they were trained to sniff out Terrans in the territory. How could he be safe with gashes over his body?

    The boy did not spare any effort to think at the moment. He was first going to hide, and let these wounds scab. The medicines he had were strong enough to aid him with this. The journey that earlier took him two days, was nowpleted in one. That was not all, on the way he dide across three patrol units and shed with them.

    He used the same, knife and sword style to fight with these guys. The medicines he consumed earlier were able to keep him stable. He took down ten Shamantis earlier so taking on five at a time was easier. However, the good times came to an end, when he encountered the fourth patrol. They were five Shamantis with five Inu.

    Inu was said to be a dog but this thing was as big as an adult wolf and five of them were not something Shi Lang was confident in dealing with. He quickly climbed a tree and using his strength he jumped from branch to branch to escape their chase. The boy was gritting his teeth hard the whole way.

    When the Shamanti patrol saw him earlier they did not bother to engage him but set these dogs at him. This was a humiliation and it wounded Shi Lang¡¯s pride. He epted that he was weak, but that did not mean he would let someone trample his pride. As a warrior that much was due but why would the enemy care about his pride?

    The Inu could not climb the trees, they kept chasing him on the ground. Shi Lang camp up with an idea and jumped down the tree, while holding an unclipped grenade in his hand. The Inu came at him with their three inches long canines. He tossed the grenade in the mouth of the leading dog and kicked his jaw before he climbed the tree and rushed away.

    This was not a standard nade. This nade was a phaser-nade. Enough to level a city block into a parking lot. The boy rushed after the nade was gulped by the Inu. Phaser-nades were smaller than the standard nades but the impact was greater. The Inu leader slowed down and whined a bit, the entire pack slowed down.

    Wolfs always prioritize the pack over the prey. This dy gave Shi Lang enough time to run away and then ten secondster, a loud sound rang out in the surroundings.

    BOOM!!!

    ¡­

    Inside the monitoring room, the people saw a bright spot of light emerge on the spot where Inus and Shi Lang had an encounter. They were shocked. This shock was a gradual feeling. They were surprised that Shi Lang met the pack head-on. Then the pack slowed down and the boy ran away, leaving a crater in his wake. They did not notice when he took off the phaser-nade and ced it near the Inu.

    Carlos asked, ¡°It is about time for him to report in.¡±

    As soon as he spoke themunicators rang. He epted the connection and the other side spoke, ¡°This is cadet Lang, permission to speak freely.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and Carlos ryed, ¡°Go ahead, cadet.¡±

    ¡°FUCK YOU. Do you think it was very smart of you to test me like this? You should have told me earlier, about all this. I swear if I got strong enough, I will make you all pay.¡± he was enraged and did not care if they were his superiors.

    John said in a cold voice, ¡°Did you forget that we are your superiors?¡±

    Shi Lang retorted, ¡°Shove your rank up your ass. I am an honorary cadet. What will you do if I talk to you like this? Bar me from the military? As if you can. If you have the guts take down the so-called leader of the tribe by yourselves. Do not give me this order and code bull shit. Did Iin even once about your train methods? But you fucking retards put me in danger for some bullshit test of yours? You call yourselves superiors?

    Charlotte Knight, I respected you a lot but you are nothing but a twisted menopausal woman. As for the rest of the task, I will do it my way and fuck your hourly reports and daily reports. Fuck you all.¡±

    With that, the connection was ended. Shi Lang was allowed to skip the hourly reports when he a day ago and that objective was turned into a daily report. However, now, he decided to not do that as well.

    The monitoring room was silent. None of the people expected this silent and calm Cadet to burst up like this. He gave them no face. After a few seconds, Dalia could not help herself and stifled a peal ofughter.

    She stood up and said, ¡°I will be right back.¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°You canugh here.¡± as soon as she said that, the whole room erupted inughter.

    They only calmed down after a few minutes and Dalia asked, ¡°How will you punish him?¡±

    Charlotte shook her head and said, ¡°His outburst was necessary. It will help him focus on the task better.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded. Shi Lang had vented and now he will be calm. They again turned their attention to the monitoring screen.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was the person who reincarnated, you need to understand that his soul was not reincarnated before eons of slumber. When he found himself in this new world, he tried to adapt and he did that, however, there is a limit to everything. His knowledge of the spiritual era was null in the era without spiritual energy.

    His talent back in the first life was not good and he reached the peak when everyone else was already gone miles ahead of him. In this life, he luckily, or thanks to his foolishness, got a second chance, but that too did note before he suffered humiliation and beatings. Now that he thought he had some strength, these instructors of his sent him outside in a ce like this with half the information. That was even more dangerous than giving him no information.

    Shi Lang severely underestimated the cunning of the enemy. They let him inside so that they can trap him. Why was he alive then? It was because he had the will to live and also, the enemy looked down on him for falling into the trap.

    At the moment he was closing in on the swamp. He picked up a shoot from the ground, it was simr to the bamboo. He looked for a ce where the mud was not very dense and after cing the shoot in his mouth, he submerged his head under the surface.

    It will take him three hours topletely heal. And the Shamanties will bebing the area soon as well. He began to think of a new strategy.

    ¡­

    Inside the Shamanti tribe settlement. A purple male was walking all over the floor, with his hands tied to the back. The man had his brows furrowed. The room was simple, made from wooden nks. However, the decoration was anything but pretty. On the right wall, on a big shelf one can spot a lot of jars filled with clear liquid.

    Inside these jars were parts of terrans that the man had killed. This man had his body covered with animal skin pelts. His body was muscr and his eyes were cold. The features were all sharp. This person was the leader of this tribe of the Shamantis. The reason he was moving around was not stress or panic.

    On the contrary, he was excitedly waiting for his people to drag the Terran who dared to trespass this territory. He wanted to taste the blood of a Terran. Just as he was devising ideas on how to eat the Terran, a man walked into the room and knelt on the floor.

    The man said, ¡°Lord, the prey has escaped, we have mobilized patrols. He will be caught and brought here.¡±

    The ¡°Lord¡± clicked his tongue in disappointment and said, ¡°You can leave, you have a day before I take action on my own, andter I will expect your head to serve as my pisspot.¡±

    The kneeling man did not refute and said, ¡°Thank you for your trust and grace, My Lord. I willplete the task.¡±

    ¡°Lord¡± waved his hand and dismissed the person. He mumbled, ¡°Terran flesh, ah so nourishing.¡±

 Chapter 50

    Shi Lang was hiding inside the swamp. He was not aware of the Shamanti leader had sent out the forces tob through the area for him. He was waiting to heal his wounds and get out of this ce. Then he will lure the target outside by hook or by crook.

    On the other hand, the Shamantis were given only one day to find him. Have no confusion, one day meant from sunrise to sunset. The night was when predatory beasts fed, so moving through the woods was not a good idea. They will not be sacrificing themselves for a single Terran.

    ¡­

    After an hour, Shi Lang peeked outside the swamp and found no movement around him. He was sure that while escaping, he might have left some sort of trace. He raised his head and looked at the sky. Then he thought for a bit and went back into hiding. The swamp was not too deep so, he was able to stand on the mud bed and breath through the make-shift snorkel.

    He made sure to keep his breathing low and slow. Inu, have stronger senses than a Shamanti. If one of these mutts noticed his breathing, or if his movement rmed their beast instincts, then he will be dead meat. Thus, he was very cautious. To make sure that he survived the few hours left before sunset he entered a meditative state.

    It was still the third day, he still had four more days toplete his task and exfiltrate the area. That mentioned, Shi Lang spent four hours inside the swamp, before he finally noticed movement on the shore. Despite meditating the boy was able to sense things around him. His slow breathing came to a pause.

    ¡­

    Outside the shore, three warriors stood apanied by two Inu. The leader said, ¡°There seems to be no movement in the swamp. Why did the trace lead us here?¡± they spoke in an obscurenguage.

    The Inu sniffed around the shore and repeatedly looked at the swamp, but the stink from the swamp eliminated any other scent. The Shamanti talked among themselves, and after they found nothing they turned around to leave. Shi Lang waited for a few minutes and peeked out. He found that the patrol has retreated.

    This was also the time for him to execute his n. He has been thinking about it all the time he was inside the swamp. The boy walked out of the swamp and climbed a tree nearby. He checked his sniper rifle and other supplies. He took apart the gun cleaned it carefully and then put it back together.

    The Shamantis were very confident in their abilities to track other people, since they could not find him near the swamp, they started searching around. They did not think that Shi Lang will be able to survive in that stenchy swamp, since they cannot tolerate that, how can a mere Terran do that?

    Well, their understanding of the Terran body was too shallow. The reason Shi Lang could get through that stench was that when a Terran steps into the fourth-star realm, they have the ability to bar the neural connection between a few neurons. Dalia had trained him to improve this Terran ability in the simtions by feeding him poison and having him recognize herbs by smelling them.

    Thus, he was able to get through this. After putting the gun back together, he got down the tree, the first target was the Inu. These beasts would only make things difficult for him. The sunset was a few minutes ago, and now the Shamantis were going back to the tribe. They would have their backs exposed to Shi Lang and that was what he needed.

    He mumbled while shuttling through the trees, ¡°You like to leave gaps right? I will give you as many gaps as you could ever ask for.¡±

    He did not catch up to the retreating warriors but decided to gamble. Only when the shamantis were one kilometer away from their tribe entrance, did he strike.

    Shi Lang opened the scope of his sniper rifle and shot at the Inu inside the group of people. The bullet was a small dab of light and it shed through the Inu. The boy did not stop, he aimed at the other beast and took a shot. His marksmanship was good and took out nine beasts in ten rapid shots. Thest shot was dyed and the people were already alert by this time.

    Shi Lang could see through his scope that the warriors were hiding behind the trees. When firing shots to hunt the Inu, Shi Lang moved through the darker areas, to not let them figure out his position. His slow movements helped the camouge of the suit was activated and along with the mud covering him, helped him a lot.

    He was making his way to a nking position. Since these shamantis were all going to hide in the cover, he will nk them. After careful movement, the boy arrived at his desired position. Using the thermal scope of the rifle he could see a lot of Shamantis. Some sat with their backs stuck to the trees while some were peeking through the trees, in the direction he came from.

    Shi Lang did not hastily shoot, he observed. He observed these warriors, his motive was to spot the leader. Take out the leader and this group will be a bunch of headless flies. He patiently observed and found a Shamanti, who stood without making an excessive movement. This person evenmunicated with signnguage.

    The significant difference was spotted when Shi Lang spotted this guy to be wearing a pauldron. The others did not have it. thermal image. Shi Lang aimed his gun and squeezed the trigger, with no hesitation. He did not have any thoughts passing through his mind that would alert the target as his gaze scanned him.

    After this shot, he did not wait to confirm whether he hit the target or not but quickly changed his position. The dab of light, shing through the void, pierced through the head of the leading warrior with a subtle ¡®Puff¡¯ sound.

    The silence in the forest became audible. The Shamantis were able to see in the dark, one of them let out some weird animal voice to alert the others about the death of their leader. The shamantis were strong warriors and would rather die than retreat. However, they were scared that the enemy was in the shadows, and they could not do anything to him.

    The time was passing, anyone making any movements was being shot. They did not move, but the sun has gone down and it was time for them to return otherwise they will be a morsel to the predators. They were tribals and thews of the forest were to be followed. One of them let out some sounds again, and the remaining forty people made a run for it.

    They were fifty in total, and Shi Lang took thirty minutes to snipe ten of them along with the dogs. The Inu earlier were killed but all of that happened in just a few moments. As they ran, Shi Lang did not shoot, but slowly followed them and climbed a tree. The warriors were a hundred meters away from the tribe gate when Shi Lang started to shoot them from nine hundred meters away.

    The same spot where he was earlier. The boy squeezed the trigger and the dab of lightnded on the targets furthest from him and closest to the tribe gate. The guards on the door, saw, how the warrior was shot through the back of his head. Yet he kept running forward a few steps, then his body fell down in front of the tribe door.

    Shi Lang had no intention of stopping though. His sniper rifle was slow, but it was still capable of shooting a hundred and twenty rounds in one minute. These two seconds were enough.

    After the fleeing person, Shi Lang aimed at the guards on the gate, then he went back to camp for the Shamantis hiding and trying to get through the doors. Some tried to get over the fence but the result was the same.

    Shi Lang lying on the tallest tree, and the Shamantis had cleared an area of five hundred meters around the n fence. Thus, he was able to see everything. His tree was twice the length, and so were those trees around him. The n must have shortened these other trees for some reason, but someone¡¯s loss is someone¡¯s gain.

    The killings at the gate were witnessed by some people and they immediately informed their leader. Shi Lang spared onest person from the fleeing group and got down the tree. He was very well aware that after losing so many members to a ¡®mere¡¯ Terran, the leader will be pissed and he wille out at that time.

    However, he had no trace of hesitation, but excitement. He mumbled, ¡°Come out, little rabit. I will show you something nice.¡±

 Chapter 51

    Shi Lang ran back into the forest but stopped when he heard a strong roar from the direction of the tribe. He smirked and left the ce, leaving traces all over.

    He did not conceal his movements and moved to the ce where he had the first encounter with the Shamantis. The corpses of those who fought him were yet to be taken back, the warriors were asked to prioritize the search of the Terran. Shi Lang gathered the corpses and took out his knife. He began to carve some sort of design on the chest of the dead bodies.

    He tied the ten bodies with the vines of a tree nearby and dragged them all to the crater where he dealt with the Inu pack. The ten corpses wereid in a circle, in a way with their heads pointing toward the inside. Shi Lang made it look like the corpses were holding hands. Then he buried a trip mine inside the center and cut off the heads of the corpses. Carefully ced them around the trip mine.

    He searched the ground and gathered a lot of twigs quickly. Then, he ced those twigs near the cut-off neck of the dead Shamantis and set them alight. Ten bodies, and ten fires. His idea behind these actions was simply to confuse and trap the enemy. As for the fire, it was to attract the attention of the predators and at the same time the angry Shamanti avenging forces.

    After this was done, the boy himself climbed a tree two hundred meters away. Now he needed to wait for the enemy.

    ¡­

    In the monitoring room, Carlos, tilted his head and asked, ¡°I get it that he is pissed, but what is with all the corpse assembling? He left traces all over the ce. I get it that he might be trying to lure the enemy but does he not know that there are a lot of predators inside those woods that can kill him?¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°He has covered his body with the scent that repels the predators.¡±

    Charlotte asked, ¡°What do you mean? Why can other Terran soldiers not get this thing? You know most of the casualtiese from the attack of the predators?¡± she was surprised and thus asked. This information could help the Terran forces a lot.

    Dalia said, ¡°Can these troops, soak inside that swamp for three hours? Let me tell you after that guyes back, you all better have him soak in a serious shower for twenty-four hours. You do not want him around you with that stink.¡± she scrunched her nose as she said this.

    Charlotte understood what she meant. It was like Shi Lang marinated his body in the swamp and merged his body with the scent. So now he did not have his scent on his body, but a strong repulsive smell. Inu was a domesticated animal, while the beasts in the forest had even sharper senses, why will they eat something that does not smell good to them.

    John said, ¡°The facade of the dead bodies is to give an illusion of witchcraft. This is a guess. He is using reverse psychology. The Shamantis like to dwell in such practices so he is trying to confuse them.¡± his voice was stable and calm, like a machine.

    Only Yuu sat with her gaze fixed at the screen. She did notment. The rest also discussed for a bit and then started to pay attention to the screen.

    ¡­

    When Shi Lang finished shooting the Shamantis and left the ce, a few tribe members approached the tribe leader and told him about the shooting. The guy rushed out of the hut and came to the door of the tribe. He saw his tribesmen lying in a pool of their blood, some were hanging over the fence, while some stared at the sky with their eyes open.

    The guy let out a roar, shaking the surroundings, andmanded, ¡°Sha-lun, you are to guard the tribe. I will chase this Terran bastard.¡±

    Sha-lun was the vice leader of the tribe. He wanted to say something against this order but thews of the Shamantis were adamant, the big the fist the bigger the voice. He nodded and said, ¡°Lord, be cautious, the forest at night is not safe to traverse in.¡±

    However, the angry leader did not say anything and rushed out of the tribe. The Lord has given up all sanity, his mind was clouded by bloodlust. He did not bring out his weapons. The reason? The Shamantis had a lot of fights with the Terrans but never had their people die at the door. Never have they been so humiliated by Terrans.

    The most annoying thing was that this was just one Terran. How can, they, the Shamantis, who fought and pushed back hundred of Terrans lose like this to just one ounder. The man left the tribe and rushed through the woods. He had the strongest skills in the tribe and they were not for naught. He could sense where Shi Lang had passed through.

    As he passed through the site where Shi Lang had carved the bodies of his warriors, his eye had turned blood red. He picked up the weapons on the ground and armed himself. Then he proceeded to the site where the drag trails were left all over the ground.

    However, when he reached closer to the site where Shi Lang had arranged all the corpses to look like it was some sorcery ritual, he was stunned. He never expected that he would see something in the forest. The lord seemed to have forgotten all his hatred and rage. He looked around and roared in hisnguage.

    It seemed as if he was calling Shi Lang to show himself. However, the Terran did not understand and sat hidden in the tree crown. The gun in his hand was aimed at the Lord of the Shamantis, and it was a clear shot. He squeezed the trigger, and then he squeezed it again quickly.

    The dash of light flew through the void, and just when they were about tond on the body of the lord¡­

 Chapter 52

    Shi Lang fired two shots at the leader of the Shamanti n. As the beam was about tond on the body of the leader, something happened. The whole person vanished from the ce. However, that was just the first beam

    The second shot was shot at a calcted spot. Shi Lang had seen the small dust cloud rising from the ground when the first shot was fired. The senses of the enemy were very sharp and he quickly evaded the iing shot.

    The thermal scope picked up the trace of dust rising and Shi Lang shot at the calcted distance. He did not think this guy will be able to deploy such a quick motion for a long time, since the force he generated to avoid the earlier shot was not too big.

    The dy between the two shots was two seconds. At this speed, this time was enough for the tables to turn. However, Shi Lang had calcted that as well. He had given up on his gun and jumped from the tree. He took out his sword and knife in his hand to meet the assant.

    The lord of the Shamantis stopped at a distance and saw a young ounder charging at him. He recalled the deaths of his tribesmen and rushed forward in rage. Suddenly, he sensed a hot tingling sensation in his shoulder. However, before he could check what happened to him, the enemy was upon him.

    Shi Lang shed his de at the enemy from the left side. The lord of the Shamanti n had a sword in his hand as well, he countered the attack, but Shi Lang attacked the same area again. The weapons collided and the two people were embroiled in battle.

    Shi Lang was weaker than the enemy and had received a few blows. However, the bot was not too much behind, there were sh cuts on Shamanti¡¯s body. When he stepped forward, his knee seemed to be aching. Shi Lang had stomped on his knee during the battle.

    Suddenly, the Terran boy changed his attack style and aimed at the right side of the body. This whole time the rapid session of attacks was focused on the left side of the Shamanti leader. Whenever he tried to use his right hand to attack him, Shi Lang would kick the shamanti leader¡¯s legs. The reason was that the right shoulder was hit with the second shot Shi Lang fired earlier, and he did not want this person to use the right hand, because that way the boy will be left powerless. So he only attacked where the enemy can parry him with ease. Giving him a false impression of his weakness.

    The Shamanti leader roared, but he was rendered powerless, by Shi Lang. If he did not fail to regain his center of gravity then this kid will kill him. As the battle continued, the injuries worsened. Shi Lang was the first to cough up blood as the leader of the shamanti kicked him in the stomach.

    However, the next moment, the leader of the Shamanti stumbled on the ground. A long sh could be noticed on the side of his leg. While his kick connected with Shi Lang, the boy stabbed his leg with a backhand sh. The gash left on the leg was deep and it definitely affected the movement of the Shamanti Leader.

    The ce they were fighting at was dimly lit with the light from the bonfires Shi Lang had set earlier. Shi Lang could sense that the ce was being lurked by a lot of predatory beasts. Some were ready to hunt, some just looking for an opportunity to scavenge. The Shamanti leader roared, grit his teeth, and rushed forward at Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang did not move back this time, because the charge of this guy was weak from the leg injury. He rushed forward instead. The shamanti leader sneered and the sword in his hand was thrown out at Shi Lang. However, his dream came to an end when Shi Lang turned his head to the side and avoided the attack.

    Shi Lang threw a phasor nade to the left of the Shamanti Leader and rushed to stand inside the circle of the corpse and startedughing loudly and chanted, ¡°Lord make him fall for it. Please, My ribs are broken, and I am tired.¡±

    He used a melodic rhythm to make these words sound like a chant. The Shamanti leader was confused and took a step towards Shi Lang. The boy frowned and deliberately put up a feared expression. Then he looked at the center of the circle and back at the Shamanti leader.

    This action was continued a few more times before the Shamanti leader also looked at the center of the circle. He walked inside the circle and Shi Lang stood in front of him, making angry roaring noises. This action of his made the Shamanti leader thinks, that the crux of this witchcraft spelly in the center of the circle.

    He gave a roundhouse kick to the boy, whichnded and the impact was strong. Shi Lang¡¯s body was flung outside the circle. The Shamanti leader advanced to the center of the circle and then he observed the head ced in the circle carefully. Trying to find something. Shi Lang raised his head to see this and wailed.

    His actions were only telling the Shamanti leader to get away from there. The boy would make gestures and angry sounds. When he thought that it is not enough to make the leader take the bait. He flung his sword, aimed the Shamanti Leader.

    The Shamanti did not attack Shi Lang. His curiosity to know this weird ritual was more than getting even with this weak ounder. He can deal with him any time he thought. The lord of the Shamanti tribe moved to the side and let the sword pass by him. The trajectory of the de was as such that it hit the skulls and made one of them,nd over the trip mine buried in the soil below.

    The Shamanti leader was overwhelmed by a dangerous feeling and tried to lead back, but it was toote. The trip mine was triggered and a loud bang rang out in the forest. The impact was so strong that it made the predators in the dark run away. Their animal instinct was strongly telling them, not to approach that area, with the strong vibration.

    Shi Lang was already crunching on the ground with his head covered with his arms, looking like a human version of an armadillo. The boy was stunned by the explosion but he still got up quickly. His ears were ringing and the world was spinning. He looked around, to search for the remains of the Shamanti Leader but he could not see properly.

    Suddenly, hismunicator rang. He tapped the screen and themunication was established. A voice rang out in his ear, ¡°Good Job Cadet. Task Complete. Prepare for exfiltaration.¡±

    Shi Lang stood there numb. He walked up to the ce where he had dropped that Phaser-nade and picked it up. His senses were normalizing slowly. He looked around and said, ¡°I need rest. A lot of it.¡±

 Chapter 53

    Inside the monitoring room, the people sat watching the scene in a daze. They just saw Shi Lang fighting with a guy stronger than him. The strength of the Shamanti leader was so strong, that a kick was enough to fling Shi Lang¡¯s whole body to a distance of a few tens of meters. Yet the boy immobilized his right hand with precise calction.

    They did not know that Shi Lang¡¯s ribs were cracked slightly when the two people duked it out. The other thing that surprised them was how the boy lured the enemy inside the circle with his weird actions. They did not have an audio feed going on here, or they would beughing to death. When they confirmed that the target was destroyed/evaporated, they ordered a chopper to head out and pick up Shi Lang.

    It was night time but the boy had finished his task three days before the due time. He has earned his ride back home. Charlotte said, ¡°Dalia, you will be passing on his orders, I have to report to Kantor base, things came up.¡±

    Dalia stood up and said, ¡°Yes, General.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and after passing on hermands to the few of them, she stood up and left the ce. She was to report to another base and take charge of the situation there as soon as this camp ended. Good thing, now she can just go early.

    Yuu asked, ¡°Whopiled the data given to him?¡±

    John said, ¡°I did. Why?¡±

    The girl looked at him and said, ¡°Just curious.¡± with that said, the meeting was adjourned.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang kept holding the phasor-nade in his hand in case any predator became curious and found his way over to him. The boy did not want to engage in another fight, after gaining some energy, he decided to move further away from this ce. He climbed the tree, consumed some ration, and picked up his gun.

    Then he made his way away from the site. He did not take the risk of being attacked by the Shamanti forces. Who knew if they sent reinforcements? So, he moved to a slightly further distance and hid. He was exhausted to the core. In the past four days, constantly maintaining his vigil and traveling through the forest resulted in the umtion of slight tiredness, but the bigger cause was the mental strength.

    To think that he almost died in a trap. He was cursing himself for taking up this camp. However, he also realized that he has learned a lot of things, and in just a span of twenty-one days he had be stronger. As he thought about it, he found that all the training he had received was linked to one thing, his ability to sense things.

    He had seen how strong the abilities of the instructors were. Yuu had great speed, John could meld in the shadows, Dalia was a super-brain. He did not know about Carlos and Charlotte. The abilities were all kept a secret. Diluting the details to everyone will make it a security issue, and if the details are unveiled to someone with a malicious heart, the result could only be imagined.

    Shi Lang was lost in thoughts and was sleepy but he did not dare to close his eyes even for a second. At night, the forest was active, and a lot of noises could be heard. predators feasting, insectsing to life, all of it. He gazed at the sky through the foliage of the trees and mumbled,

    ¡°Roars and howls,

    Wolves and Owls,

    Silent on Sun,

    Come at night to have fun.

    Rules of the forest always prevail,

    If you are loud, you will wail.¡±

    As he recited a broken poem, hismunicator vibrated. He sat up and spotted a distortion in the sky This was the chopper sent to pick him up. Shi Lang rushed over and found a rope hanging down from the vehicle. At the end of the rope was a hoop. Shi Lang ced his foot inside the hoop and held onto the rope tightly.

    The chopper seemed to have no intention of letting him up and the boy was taken back, hanging from the vehicle. It took them a couple of hours to reach the base, and Shi Lang set foot on the concrete floor. He looked around and found no one approaching him. Hismunicator vibrated and he heard a calm voice, ¡°Until you are clear of that stench, do not take a step outside the bathroom. Also, burn down your gear, it is of no use.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Then he made his way to the camp and through the same door and maze pathway, he came to his room and took off his clothes in a jiffy, and made a beeline to the bathroom. Dalia has told him, if you cut off themunication with your nerves for prolonged periods, they will degenerate. Thus he had been keeping a switch on his nasal neurons.

    While Shi Lang was drowning himself in shampoo and shower. Things in Metropia were getting hyped up. The entrance exam for the military ranks wasing up. Those who were not eligible to be enlisted in the army were asked to take the tests for the civilian tests. Even the richest civilian could not hold a candle against a military officer.

    Those were the rules of the federation. The strong protect the weak. It could be said, that the strong could also bully the weak, but they were not given a chance to. The strong were sent at the fronts and with just a limited time toe home. So. they would just spend time with their family and rx.

    Also, the federation also had a monitoring department, they were the stronger ones keeping the bnce in the society.

    ¡­

    Principal Stevenson stood in front of a window, overlooking the campus grounds. He sighed and mumbled, ¡°Let us see, what waves your return will bring, Student Shi Lang.¡±

 Chapter 54

    Shi Lang finished showering and erased the smell on him. His body odor was back to normal. He dried himself with a towel and dressed in a clean set of ck cargo pants, a round-necked ck t-shirt, and ck high ankle leather boots. This was military training gear, on the back of the t-shirt a few words were printed in bold.

    Ragnarok.

    Shi Lang walked outside and made his way to the camp master¡¯s office, these were his instructions. He knocked on the door and a voice said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    He walked inside and saw Dalia sitting in the chair of the camp master. He ced his right hand over his heart and said, ¡°Cadet Shi Lang, reporting madam camp Master.¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°You did good in the task. Somehow, well there were a lot of loopholes, that optimal data report has been sent to yourmunicator. Your training has now officially ended, you can go back to The Federation and report for the military entrance exam. Also, the merit points forpleting the task will be added to your examination final score. If you ce among the top ten in the federation, then you can choose the unit you want to report on your own. Any questions?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and Dalia said, ¡°Go on?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Where can I find Instructor Yuu? She promised me a meal.¡±

    Dalia smiled and said, ¡°She is in the mess hall of the main base. You are dismissed if you have nothing else to ask.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Can I keep themunicator?¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°It will not be used by anyone else, and as soon as you are in the civilian region it will be locked for minimalmunication, like your mobile. Until it is an emergency nearby and the federation needs you to help out.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted her and left the room. He looked around and was trying to find the other instructors but he did not spot John or Carlos. Before he knew it, he was outside the camp. He walked in confident strides and entered the main base facility building. Hismunicator was his Id and thus he was not stopped.

    After recalling the pathway, he came to the mess hall and found a big table where Yuu sat with a te of food in front of her. None of the soldiers sat with her. Shi Lang walked over and saluted as he said, ¡°Cadet Shi Lang reporting Instructor.¡±

    Yuu said, ¡°Good to make it back alive, you know while watching the monitoring screen, I could find ten ways to kill you. You had a piece of good luck in your pocket to have made it out of there.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°It was all your blessing.¡±

    Yuu scoffed and said, ¡°Cheeky, go order what you want, it is my treat. The ship departs in thirty minutes, You have twenty minutes to eat.¡±

    Shi Lang froze and then chuckled as he said, ¡°Good plot.¡±

    Yuu smirked lightly. The surrounding soldiers who saw this scene were shocked. Shi Lang queued up and one of the brawny men came over. The man asked him, ¡°Kid, you from that ghost camp?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded. The man gulped and asked, ¡°Where did they send you?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not think I can divulge that? Can I, big brother?¡±

    The man nodded and said, ¡°You can. We all know, those of the ghost camp are all reapers. Instructor Yuu is one of those everyone is scared of.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°scouted a Shamanti tribe and came back.¡± since he had to tell he just told them, he told them half the truth.

    The soldiers nodded and praised him. Soon it was his turn, he only ordered protein jelly and came back to the sit down with Yuu. Thedy asked, ¡°Why not eat more?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The space jump will make me puke it all. I better have this.¡±

    Yuu took a deep breath as she stopped her chuckle. She thought heplimented her plot of limited time, but he wasplimenting her for this as well. He ate quietly with a disposable spoon. Yuu asked, ¡°Do you resent the instructors?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded instantly without any hesitation. Thedy asked again, ¡°Is it because of the cruel training or the wrong intel data on the task/¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Latter.¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I will leave it at that.¡±

    She would have to tell him better if he was to resent the training but since it was the deliberate exposure to danger, she would not say anything. It was their mistake after all, and he could have died. As she said earlier, it was his good luck to have survived. There were many times when he could have been torn to shreds under the hands of the Shamantis, however, he survived. This was a deliberate mistake on their part.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I resent you all, but it is fine, when I get a rank high enough, I will have you salute me and stand in attention for a whole day to settle the ount.¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°I will wait for that day toe.¡±

    Shi Lang and Yuu chatted in low voices for a few minutes and the boy finished his food. He stood up and after a parting salute made his way to the spaceship. As he reached the hatch door, he found Aries standing at the side in his uniform.

    The boy saluted him and Aries returned the gesture. Thetter asked, ¡°Ready to go home, Cadet?¡±

    The boy nodded and they both boarded the ship.

    ¡­

    After a few hours, Shi Lang stood at the porthole window again, watching The Federation growing bigger in size. Aries asked, ¡°Kid, you fine?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You visit hell ande back, I will ask you the same,mander.¡±

    Ariesughed out loud at this.

 Chapter 55

    Shi Lang¡¯s shipnded on the dock and the two people made their way out to the interchange hub. The Federation had developed a space elevator, leading to the space station where all the small ships would dock and the passengers would transit.

    Shi Lang and Aries were in the queue to get down when a calm voice attracted their attention, ¡°Commander Aries.¡±

    Aries turned around along with Shi Lang and found a youngdy wearing a military uniform and skirt standing at a distance. Themander suddenly became stiff. Thedy walked over and said, ¡°What are you standing in the queue for?¡±

    Aries replied, ¡°That, Captain Archie, we have to get down through the space elevator, but we had no prior announcements so we were told to wait.¡±

    Thedy was very beautiful and had a sense of heroism around her, Aries was stiff but thedy was like a natural flow of water. Her features could not be expressed, filled in the right ces, and pleasing to the gazes.

    She asked, ¡°We?¡± with a slight frown.

    Commander Aries hurriedly introduced Shi Lang. He pointed at him and said, ¡°This is Cadet Shi Lang, he came from a special training camp and I am responsible for his safety on the road.¡±

    Captain Archie took notice of a handsome boy standing beside him, and her frown washed away. She nodded and said, ¡°I am also going down, I have a reservation, follow me, if you do not mind.¡±

    Commander Aries nodded like a chicken pecking rice. Captain Archie walked ahead of the queue and used her ID as the two people followed her. The space elevator was used by both military and civilian passengers, the military personnel was asked to dere their visit in advance.

    The space station had twenty such elevators, all capable of transporting hundred people in one go. The flow of passengers was strictly controlled because who knows when something happens to the elevator. Three people boarded the elevator with ny-seven other military officers.

    Shi Lang stood in front of Captain Archie and with a proper salute he said, ¡°Forgive me for my dereliction of manners, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Captain Archie nodded and said, ¡°You are free.¡± she did not give him anytime early and thus he saluted her now. She gave him free rein because he was just a cadet in her vision.

    Shi Lang nodded and turned around to walk to stand near the transparent graphene wall and gazed at the scenery outside. Captian Archie looked at the words printed on the back of his t-shirt. She asked in surprise, ¡°He came from there?¡±

    Aries nodded and said, ¡°He only had three months approximately, not anymore.¡±

    Captain Archie let out a breath, she asked, ¡°His mental health?¡± her voice was low but waspletely concerned. She had heard about people bing weird when theye back from Ragnarok, and a lot of them do not survive to tell the tale.

    Aries said, ¡°He is cleared. His mental health is stable, and his strength is on par with a five-star Terran.¡± his voice was calm yet revealed a trace of excitement.

    Captain Archie asked, ¡°What about the task?¡±

    Aries shook his head, indicating he was not told. The two began to chat and the topics evolved from the blues. The topics were their personal life and also the battlefront situations. Suddenly Shi Lang came over and stood by quietly.

    Aries asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    The boy opened hismunicator and asked, ¡°The rules of the assessment have changed.¡±

    Commander Aries was shocked and asked, ¡°What do you mean? How can they change the rules of the military examination?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder and said, ¡°How would I know?¡±

    Captain Archie asked, ¡°What are the changes?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°This is published on the inte. The candidates are to answer scenarios created in the question papers, other than that, they will have to go through a physical assessment. The third round of the simtion battles is canceled. The groups will battle in real.¡±

    Commander Aries said, ¡°This does not seem to be very candidate friendly. In the past, they did this and the result was casualties and drop in recruitment rate.¡±

    Captain Archie nodded and asked, ¡°Is there no other information?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It says here that the details of the changed rules will be told to the candidates upon arriving at the school. Why is this? What is the Military High Command thinking?¡±

    Captain Archie said, ¡°How about I help you look into it when we get down?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, will this not affect you? Calling in to check something secret would need you to use a lot of chips. Also, will we not find it out at the school?¡±

    He realized that she will be calling in a favor with someone strong. How can he let her do that? If she called a favor for him, then he will owe her one. He did not want to owe any random passer-by.

    Captain Archie smiled and said, ¡°I will call up a favor for you, in return I want you to give priority to my division when joining the ranks. My favor will help all your ssmates if you are willing to be a bigger man.¡± she knew that this guy was indirectly telling her, he did not want to owe her, so she decided to bare it all.

    Shi Lang shook his head and asked, ¡°How can I do that? I do not even know what division you are from.¡±

    Commander Aries said, ¡°Kid, listen to what your elder sister says, you will not regret joining her division. Believe me.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at him and saw the middle-aged man standing with no fluctuation on his face. He said, ¡°I will be needing a few details at least the basic ones. I will never trust anyone I do not know. You sent me on a trip to hell using this good-man aura of yoursmander, I am not falling for it again. Also, how is she my sister?¡±

    Captain Archie let out a chuckle. The expression on Aries¡¯ face was too amusing. Contracted and scrunched up. She had not seen him like this in a long time. She said, ¡°Cadet Shi Lang, let me introduce myself, I am Captain Archie Arkham, the niece of Commander Aries Arkham, also known as, Goodman Mech Titan.¡±

    Aries said, ¡°Girl are you forgetting your rank?¡± his voice was heavy and deep.

    Archie replied, ¡°Do you really want to pull off ranks with me?¡± she raised her eyebrow in provocation but the man just sighed.

    Archie turned her head to look at Shi Lang and said, ¡°Have you ever heard of the Justice Massacre?¡±

    Shi Lang was well versed in his history of major events of the federation. This event, the justice massacre, was a scene where a series of assassinations took ce. In one night, two hundred high-ranking officials were killed, next to their bodies were evidence of their corruption and sins. The entire world was shocked.

    He quickly caught on the hint she passed and his pupils dted, he asked, ¡°If what I think is your hint, then some things are better unsaid.¡±

    Archie nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, some things are better left unsaid, but they are true.¡±

    Her statement confirmed his doubt, it was heard division that took steps andmitted that entire incident. He said, ¡°If I join, what will I get?¡±

    Archie smirked and said, ¡°Individuality, and me as your team leader.¡±

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and nodded. The three people descended in the space elevator, and Shi Lang had no idea that he would chance upon such a thing. The division that can deal with internal conflicts was stronger than the ones in the external frontier.

    He looked outside the elevator and gazed at the endless horizon as he though, ¡®Chance, huh?¡¯

 Chapter 56

    Shi Lang got down with Captian Archie and Commander Aries. Thedy used hermunicator to send out a few messages and found the details of the rules. The oue was surprising, but the boy did not show much expression.

    When he departed the, Aries has taken him directly by a military spaceship from the ground base. However, when he came back they came from the space elevator. He did not know why this happened but he did not intend to ask.

    Aries said, ¡°Kid, here is your ticket, I have to report to the HQ. You must be thinking why we did not go to the ground base. Well, this way I will have it easy, plus you can use some workout. Go, get on a bus, we are just a few hours away from metropia city limits.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°d that you know your age.¡± He saluted thedy and left.

    Aries sensed the corner of his mouth twitching and he said, ¡°Boy do you that insulting a senior officer is a capital offense?¡±

    Shi Lang did not turn back but said, ¡°Captain, he is trying to scare your recruit.¡± as he left.

    Archieughed even louder and asked the man beside her, ¡°Does he look like you in your ¡®Youth¡¯?¡±

    Aries had a vein building on his forehead and said, ¡°Girl, you get home and I will deal with you.¡±

    ¡­

    The space elevator was a heavily guarded ce. So when The Federation united, they decided to build the government and Military HQ around this ce only. The security was increased and the ce was neutral.

    Shi Lang walked along with the passengers and a soldier beside him asked, ¡°Yo, rookie. Where did youe from?¡±

    Soldiers were just like that. They all clung to the moments they can rx from all the stress. The boy replied, ¡°Ao.¡±

    The soldier thought a bit and said, ¡°Found any native beauties there?¡± as he chuckled.

    Shi Lang wanted to say, ¡®Yeah, they are big purple and can curse your soul to hell.¡¯ but he silently shook his head.

    The soldier said, ¡°Must be a sad ce.¡±

    He introduced Shing to some of his brothers-in-arms and they began to chat about the various things they have experienced in the military. It was like Shi Lang¡¯s inauguration. The boy did not mind them chapping.

    They got on the bus, Shi Lang was sitting on the aisle side, and the smooth ride gave him a chance to shut his eyes and sleep. However, whenever someone moved around him he would open his eyes slightly to take a look. This was his constant sleeping state now.

    Always alert as a soldier should be. His body has grown one whole size with the breaking through to four-star level and he has be more handsome. The bus ride took him three hours before reaching Metropia.

    On the way, there were quite a lot of cities, but Metropia was thest stop. Shi Lang got down the bus and raised his left hand to check on the time. He had a backpack on flung over his right shoulder. He decided something and after getting out of the bus terminal, he waved down a taxi.

    The driver asked, ¡°Where to?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Federation Star Academy.¡±

    The driver nodded and the car whooshed off. It took Shi Lang a couple of hours to reach the school after navigating through the web of roads in this glorified concrete jungle. He paid the driver and got off holding his bag to the side.

    He walked up to the gate and found it closed. The guard standing on the post asked, ¡°Sir, the school gate will open after the final sses have finished.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Can you contact the principal and tell him Student Shi Lang has returned? You will not be reprimanded.¡±

    The guard hesitated, after all, it was not a small thing to call the principal. Even the guard was a two-star Terran. But when he saw the confident gaze of the boy he picked up themunication walkie and said a few words. He got a reply instantly.

    The guard looked at the boy and said, ¡°Sir, you are being called inside.¡±

    He pressed a button and a small door within the gate opened. Shi Lang thanked the man and walked inside the campus. His pace was slow and calm. It has been three months since he hase here and it felt like he has been away for a much too long period.

    He made his way to the principal¡¯s office and knocked on the door. A hoarse voice sounded, ¡°Come In.¡±

    Shi Lang pushed the door and slowly walked inside. He stood up as soon as he entered and saluted the man. The old man said, ¡°Charlotte took good care of you?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile. Stevenson asked, ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, the old man said, ¡°You can go and visit your ssmates.¡±

    The boy nodded and with a salute he walked outside. He did not know why, but he was not in the mood to speak anymore. This change in his psyche was abrupt. He recalled that he was still jolly with Aries and even pulled his leg, but why was he not able to get him to talk now?

    He was walking around the campus in a daze. The first ce that he passed by was the ssroom for the battle ss. He stopped in his tracks and knocked on the side of the door. He noticed that Igor, the old instructor was gone and he was reced by someone new.

    The teacher asked, ¡°Yes, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Technical branch, Shi Lang,¡± he replied calmly. The teacher sensed something radiating from the boy. He asked, ¡°What made youe here?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Jenkins Edwards.¡± his voice still did not waver.

    The teacher was surprised and nced at the boy called upon. Jenkins was already standing when Shi Lang came by. He was aware of why this guy was here. He nced at the teacher and the man nodded.

    Jenkins walked out of the ss and the two came to stand a few meters away. He asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°The rules of the assessment have changed, you must have found the details already, be careful when you go for the third round.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°You too, this time I will not lose.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and left. He did not know that Jenkins¡¯s back was covered in faint sweat. As Shi Lang walked away he mumbled, ¡°Why does he have the aura of death over him?¡±

 Chapter 57

    Shi Lang walked away from Jenkins while pondering over the changes inside his mindset. After a few moments, he concluded that it is because of the ease he felt around him upon returning from Ao.

    He walked through the corridors and reached the technical ss. He saw Rosa Blues standing on the podium and exining something to the students. The boy did not knock on the door and slightly tilted his hand and found that everyone was busy paying attention. As if sensing his gaze, a boy raised his head and was surprised.

    He stood up and shouted, ¡°Lang, you bastard, you have the gall to show your face.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised by such a strong reaction and the others in the ss were the same. Rose Blues was surprised and turned her head to look at the handsome boy standing outside the door. She smiled at said, ¡°Student Lang, why are you standing outside? Come in.¡±

    In the past, the boy would have scratched the back of his head but this time he walked inside with confident strides and saluted thedy. He said, ¡°Student Shi Lang reporting back to ss, Head Teacher.¡±

    Rosa Blues nodded and said, ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Then she raised her head and said, ¡°The studies will be suspended here. Tomorrow is the day for the entrance exam so you all better pay attention to rxation as well. Do not worry much and just do your best. Okay?¡±

    The students nodded and the boy who had shouted at Shi Lang could not wait to run over with his fist-waving at thetter. Shing took half a step to the side avoiding the punch and using his hands, grappled the boy from his underarm, blocking his movements.

    The boy said, ¡°You bastard, how dare you leave without saying anything?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Who told you to go dating without telling me?¡± his tone was calm and a faint smile hung on his lips.

    The students chuckled and Tim said, ¡°You cannot say anything now, can you Lucas?¡±

    Shi Lang let him go and then he shook hands with every guy and greeted the girls with a faint gesture. Jane said, ¡°Lang, why are your hair long? Did they not give you a haircut there?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head slightly and said, ¡°It is fine like this. I like this new style, it is simr to one of my instructors.¡±

    The people began to chat and asked Shi Lang how was the camp. The boy did not hide the basic details, such as the frontier camp and conditions of life. However, he did not disclose the identity of those who trained him or the things he did there. He just told them that the ce was not yet conquered and will take a long time.

    The ssmates were fascinated and scared. Shi Langid it thick on them when it came to the dangers and risks of being on the frontline. Rosa Blues did not say anything but quietly heard his anecdotes. She had noticed the words printed on the back of his t-shirt. When she read those words her expressions changed slightly but then it became normal.

    In the evening, the boy said, ¡°I will take my leave now guys, I need to meet my parents.¡±

    Everyone said bye and wished each other the best for the exam tomorrow. The protagonist held his bag over his shoulder and walked through the corridors at a calm pace. Jane, Tim, and Lucas followed him. However, the boy did not speak, he was not like the old him.

    Shi Lang thought in his mind, ¡®I am getting more like the cultivator I was back then. A true old relic. Huh, and to think I wished to start anew and be normal.¡¯

    Lucas asked, ¡°Lang, are you upset about me and Jane being together?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked the guy, ¡°Where did thate from?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°No, I mean, ever since you have returned, I noticed you have not talked much to her. So, I thought it was because of me dating her?¡±

    Shi Lang scoffed and said, ¡°You sure have a vivid imagination. Why should I be upset with her? She is my friend, however, after camp, the mindset has changed a bit. So, this is me giving you two a chance to get closer. Go hug her now and go mushy.¡±

    Tim chuckled, while Jane said, ¡°Oi, did you get too ck-bellied in that camp?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and ced his arm over her shoulder as she happen to be walking beside him. He asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Jane said, ¡°You have be a narcissist as well.¡±

    The four of them chuckled along and came to the school Gate. Shi Lang stopped in his tracks when he saw a figure standing there. The figure was a girl, Amelia, who asked, ¡°Can I have some of your time?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°I will be walking back home.¡±

    Amelia nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°Guys, I will go around with her. See you all tomorrow and remember, what I told you earlier.¡±

    They all shook hands and parted up. Watching Shi Lang walking side by side with Amelia, Jane said, ¡°Lang seems different.¡±

    Tim nodded and said, ¡°He must have gone something drastic to change like this.¡±

    They exchanged a nce and went on their ways.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why did you look for me?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°My mother contacted me, she wanted to ask if you would like to go to her division?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Although the offer is brilliant, I havemitted to someone else.¡±

    Amelia was surprised, she asked, ¡°Someone can be better than the secondbat force? Your skills and ability are all in line with that division, then why not?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Because Imitted to someone else. Let us see if I get transferredter on.¡±

    Amelia nodded and went on to speak, ¡°I want to know, how my mother knew about you?¡±

    Shi Lang cast her a sideways nce and asked, ¡°Do you really not know?¡±

    Amelia tucked a strand of her loose hair behind her ear and shook her head as she said, ¡°I do not. I thought mom sent someone to pay attention to me but she denied so, I guess only you can tell me.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Your mother was the person, who trained me for the past three months. Well sorta, I had interaction with other people more, your mother only guided those people.¡±

    Amelia was surprised, she asked him, ¡°You went to that ce?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°How do you know that ce?¡± his tone was calm, but it sent a shiver to Amelia.

    The girl said, ¡°I do not know the exact details but once I heard her say that there is a hellish training camp, where either youe back as a hero or you do note back.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°I did not know, Campmaster was so funny.¡±

    The two people walked along on the sidewalk slowly while talking. They looked like a happy couple going home in the sunset.

 Chapter 58

    Shi Lang and Amelia walked on the sidewalks, their conversation was revolving around the future aspects. The girl was now free from the burden of marriage arrangements and thus she was confident in herself.

    She did thank the boy for helping her out but the guy shrugged it off as a business deal. To be honest, Amelia herself did not know why she was talking to him for so long. Neither did the boy realize that he has walked all the way home while talking and bantering with this girl.

    Shi Lang heard someone from the neighborhood greeting him and only then did he realize that he has reached home. He said to Amelia, ¡°Would you like toe over and have something?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and was about to say no when a surprised female voice was heard, ¡°Lang.¡±

    Before Amelia could react a figure walked over and hugged Shi Lang. The boy replied, ¡°Mom.¡± and he hugged her gently.

    Amelia thought she should go away when a deep voice sounded, ¡°Kid, you did not tell us about bringing over a girlfriend.¡± the speaker was Shi John.

    Shi Lang froze, Amelia froze, Luna Mancini (Shi Lang¡¯s mom) turned to look at the situation so fast, that she might have snapped her neck. The moment Lunaid eyes on Amelia she was surprised. Then she smiled and said, ¡°The heavens are not blind, finally they bestow my idiot son a beautiful girl.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s face turned dark and Amelia was still frozen.

    ¡­

    Five minutester, Amelia and Shi Lang sat on a sofa in the living room while Shi John and Luna Mancini sat in front of them, gazing at them without blinking. The boy finally could not take more and said, ¡°This is not like what you think it is.¡±

    Amelia nodded vigorously. She honestly wanted to use her ability and vanished earlier but Luna grabbed her hand and with an affectionate gaze she asked, ¡°You wille over for a cup of tea, right?¡±

    How could she cruelly say, no? So, here they were. Luna ignored her son and asked Amelia in a soft voice, ¡°Dear, for how long have you known each other?¡±

    Shi Lang was about to speak when he was given a death re by his mother. The girl said, ¡°Around four months.¡±

    Luna asked, ¡°Is he good to you? Does he bully you?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°No, no, he is a good guy.¡±

    Shi John on the side shook his head, and said as his gazended on his son, ¡°I used to think, you were good at all that you do. I used to take pride in you. However, a youngdy calling you a good guy was something I have never thought about even in my worst nightmares. I am disappointed in you.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, and he wanted to ask, ¡®Hey, what, when, how?; but his thoughts were killed by his mother¡¯s cold gaze. Amelia was surprised when he heard the tongue of his father. Only now did she realize what happened. Thinking about it she could not help but let out a peal ofughter.

    Shi Lang sighed and gave up on the whole scene. He stood up and went to his room with his droopy shoulders. None of his parents made an effort to stop him, they were busy attending Amelia. It was as if she was their long-lost daughter. Closing the door of his room, he mumbled, ¡°Such is the life of a man.¡±

    The teasted for an hour before Amelia¡¯s phone rang. Her mother had called her. Luna asked her to go inside Shi Lang¡¯s room to talk and called the boy outside. Luna said, ¡°If you dared to break up with this girl, I will disown you.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, ¡°What love potion did she feed you? You will give up your son? What is this logic.¡±

    Shi John said, ¡°We see that girl as our daughter-inw. Be nice to her young man, or I will kick your ass out of the house, and family tree.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised. He did not expect his parents to be so strict with him. He said, ¡°Did you even ask her about this whole thing? Do you know her family is way too higher than ours?¡±

    Luna said, ¡°Well, that will not matter, I think?¡± she was unsure when it came to all this. She ignored such crucial topics in her excitement.

    Shi Lang was about to reply when the door of his room was opened and Amelia slowly walked over to his side and said, ¡°Aunty, my mother would like to talk to you.¡± as she passed her phone. The digital hologram of her mother was visible.

    Luna was surprised and took the phone. Charlotte Knight spoke from the other side, ¡°Hello, I am Charlotte Knight. Amelia¡¯s mother.¡± with a kind smile on her face.

    Shi John said, ¡°It is an honor, General. I am Shi John, and this is Luna Mancini, my wife. We have seen you on the telecastwork a lot of times. We did not know that Amelia was your daughter¡­¡±

    Charlotte Knight said, ¡°Yes, this is the exact reason, I would like to ask you if you would be happy to engage our children?¡±

    Shi Lang felt that he was in a dream. Amelia was the same, she did not expect her mother to take the initiative. Luna was shocked and asked, ¡°Madam, how can that happen? You¡­¡±

    Charlotte Knight said, ¡°You did not know her origins, and you treated her so well. That is why it is possible to have this engagement established. A lot of people treat you good when they know your status.¡± her voice was calm and she had a smile on her face.

    Luna and Shi John exchanged a nce and thedy said, ¡°If you consider our boy to be eptable, we have no problem.¡±

    Shi Lang wanted to yell that he had a problem but her father¡¯s cold gaze made him silent. He was aware these two people will really disown him. He said, ¡°Amelia, I am sorry, I should not have brought you here.¡±

    The girl did not reply and Shi Lang thought she was hurt. Charlotte Knight said, ¡°My daughter has taken a liking of Shi Lang when he helped her previously, so I have no problem either. So, from now on, Shi Lang is my son-inw and Amelia is your Daughter-inw.¡±

    Luna shook her head and said, ¡°General, Amelia is like my own daughter. I like her very much.¡±

    Charlotte Knight said, ¡°Sister Luna, we are a family now. Do not use my rank to address me. We will hold a banquet after their results.¡±

    Thedies developed an understanding and Shi Lang stood there like a puppet, he did not know when has Amelia taken a liking of him, and why was this girl blushing. Like that, in a snap, Shi Lang was engaged to Amelia Knight.

 Chapter 59

    The night was not something the two people have expected. After the parents of the two acknowledged the matter, they left them alone. In the end, Luna, Shi John, and Charlotte threatened Shi Lang to take care of Amelia and never to let her cry.

    Amelia was blessed by his parents and doted to the point where Shi Lang doubted if he was their real son. After dinner, Shi Lang was asked to drop the girl downstairs at the vehicle, that came to pick her up.

    Shi Lang did not say anything and neither did the girl say anything. The two people walked side by side, when they came to the ground floor, Shi Lang said, ¡°I am sorry, if we had not walked over to my ce then you would not have been implicated.¡±

    Amelia raised her head and looked at him, and said, ¡°I do not know what to say to you my mother is also responsible for this matter. I will talk to her about this. Do not worry if you do not want this tie. I will help you resolve it.¡±

    Her voice was calm and she was being honest with her words. Shi Lang suddenly said, ¡°Who said I do not want it?¡±

    Amelia was shocked, and the one who said this was shocked himself. He had never experienced love outside the boundaries of his family. He has be cold ever since he had stepped out of the space elevator in the morning. Even when he was with his friends, the warmth he showed was forcefully brought out.

    Later when he was walking with Amelia, it felt as if he had been enchanted by her. He could not exin why he was so calm when he was talking to Amelia and he did not know why he exposed his inner thoughts to her just now. Amelia did not expect such an answer from him, she looked down and said, ¡°I will be going now, see you tomorrow.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded stiffly as the figure in front of him rushed away to the car like a butterfly. Watching her receding slender back he smiled faintly and sighed. He mumbled, ¡°Seems like I will not die single.¡±

    With that said, he walked back to his house with his hands inside his pockets. The night shed away quickly and Shi Lang slept peacefully. This sleep was not like the one in the bus where he was half asleep and half awake, he was sleeping properly.

    He woke up to the vibration in hismunicator. The time zone was different and just to make sure that he was notte, he set up an rm. The boy took a shower and then dressed up in his school uniform. The shirt was made of synthetic smart fiber which could adjust to any size, and it fit perfectly.

    His parents were already eating breakfast at the dining table when he came out. His mother¡¯s eyes were still red from the onion chopping. Shi Lang did not say much and ate his food in silence. Thedy spoke up, ¡°Lang, are you fine with the engagement?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Mom, I am fine, but I ask you to not sh it around in your family or friends. We are not old enough to be engaged or something, now we both are focusing on our careers.¡± his tone was calm.

    Luna nodded and said, ¡°Do not worry, I have not told anyone, and neither will I tell. But you must take care of Amelia, she is a sweet child.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and ate his food silently. After the boy was done eating he stood up and left the house without his bag, he stuffed his ID card and a pen to do with the theoretical exam. He did not board the bus or metro but decided to jog to the school. With his current physique, this much distance could be covered easily, and running had be a habit of his.

    As he started running on the sidewalk, he noticed a lot of people were also walking there, his training worked now, it was as if an instinct, he moved through the gaps swiftly and his speed kept on increasing. He liked this rush, the obstacles were moving, however, what gave him some pressure was to make sure that none of the obstacles were affected by his speed and approach.

    He would jump through stalls while running and the people will look at him in astonishment. Some of them did not even react while Shi Lang vanished. After half an hour, he reached the school. The guard on the duty saw him and let him pass.

    Shi Lang raised his left hand to check the time and found that it was only one minute before reporting time. He made a quick sprint to the ssroom so that he was not reprimanded by the head teacher.

    On the way, he saw Amelia, who was lost in a daze. He spoke, ¡°All the best, wife.¡± as he brushed past her. He made sure to keep his voice low enough that it was audible to only the two of them. The girl woke up from her daze and was about to say something to him, but she only caught a glimpse of the end of his zer as Shi Lang turned around the corner.

    She sighed as her gaze looked at the corner, and suddenly the head of a handsome boy peeked at her and cheekily blew a kiss at her. She blushed and looked around if anyone else saw it while clenching her fists. She wanted to react to the boy but thetter had vanished.

    She mumbled, ¡°After the exams, I will beat you up.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stepped inside the ss, and the bell rang. He released a sigh of relief and walked to his seat as the others all smiled and greeted him. Rosa Blues stepped inside the ss wearing her usual ck heels and came to stand on the podium. She said, ¡°Okay, so everyone, today is the day when you decide the rest of your life. Do not panic, just do the best that you can.¡±

    The ss replied in unison, ¡°Yes, Headteacher.¡±

    Rosa Blues said, ¡°Use the holo-desk, the question papers are inside, inside the box storage, there is paper sheet. Do record your answers on it. You have one hour. Begin.¡±

    The students were asked to record the answers down on the paper sheets, with respect to the roots of humanity. The answers written in the final graduation examination were considered as the final mark left by students before they join the society and build status for themselves.

    Shi Lang took out the paper sheet with one hand while his other hand was already using the holo-desk. His gaze scanned the questions and after taking out the pen from the pocket, he began to write. He has not only been trained to manage himself but also, to lead people.

    The teacher of his strategy studies was none other than Charlotte Knight, the war maiden. She would give him data to read and some already public war data. She wouldter ask him questions and they would y a version of chess that was styled like the modern army. He was trained for it all.

    The punishment of losing was a session of brutal pain endurance with John. Sometimes to give him a change, they will poison his food. However, the boy endured it all, and this was also the reason why he used brashnguage to them when he was out to do a task.

    Time seemed to have grown wings. The whole technical ss was filled with nerds who all had a nick for analysis and decision making, they were all just limited by their potential to grow physically stronger. Thus they could only be adjuvants to the lower-level officers and the monitoring crew in the military.

    Shi Lang answered the questions swiftly and then did a double-take on them. The next thing was topose an essay on how to motivate yourself in the face of defeat. This was a freebie he cashed in.

    The boy was done with his answers and then he raised his hand to indicate that he was done with the paper. There were still five minutes left. Rosa Blues walked over and took over his paper. If you can finish the exam early then you will get an extra point for that. This was the reward to geniuses. Also, a motivating candy for the rest.

    An extra point would be a remark on the passing certificate that can be said to be a beam of bright light on your face when you enter the stage of recruits. After the teacher collected the exam Shi Lang silently stood up and walked outside the ss from the back door. He did not leave and leaned against the wall with his hands inside his pockets.

    He was thinking about what to do in the next rounds, because, they were not as easy as the theory exam. The biggest worry in his head was the real group battle. This battle was something that will change the entire nature of the exam. He really wanted to cut open the brains of the person who came up with this idea.

    As he was pondering a voice called him, ¡°Lang, what are you thinking?¡±

    The speaker was Jane, she had also finished her exam and came out of the room. The boy did not turn his gaze back and said, ¡°Hmmm, about how to tell you guys that I got engagedst night?¡±

    His words left Jane shocked, he did not want her to be worried but this news was even more drastic than his thoughts about the group battle.

 Chapter 60

    Jane stood there like a statue of stone when she heard his words. The boy looked at her straight and then he startedughing with a hand on his mouth. Loud noise in the corridor can disturb the other students and Shing did not want to be scolded for this but the expression on Jane¡¯s face was like that.

    The girl had her eyes wide open and her mouth was big enough to fit an egg inside without breaking it. When she saw the boyughing she pushed him away and said, ¡°Bastard, trying to y me for a fool. See how I beat you to the pulp.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled lightly and said, ¡°I surrender, almighty Jane. By the way, how is the physical growth of the ss?¡±

    He choose to divert the topic because he did not wish to tell her about his engagement with Amelia just now. Although he did flirt with the battle ss beauty, that was between them and until they knew each other well enough, he would not be divulging the information without the acknowledgment of thetter.

    Jane replied, ¡°Everyone made tremendous growth. They all stepped into the three-star level. The battle skills are also good enough topete with the battle ss now.¡± her head was raised slightly as she took pride in this.

    The majority of the ss was two-star Terrans, now they have stepped into a three-star level, which will allow them to hold the rank of an officer in the technical department at least. If any of them wished to go to the battle division, then they will be given the role of an advisor. One of the highest ranks for a technical soldier.

    Advisor was a rank that acted as a mastermind in any battle. The general battle division troops have the same strategies and other knowledge as them too, but when the battle division focused on physical training, the technical students focused on the psychological aspect of war. They specte and create mental models of how the enemy will react, what could be the possible scenarios and how they could counter negative situations.

    A good advisor can turn the tables in extremely adverse conditions but can if the advisor is not good enough, then he/she can easily cause the annihtion of the whole division. Thus, being an advisor was very difficult.

    Soon, the bell rang and the theory exams finished. The students came out of the ssroom, Lucas moved up and came over to Jane. He asked, ¡°Jane, how was your exam.¡±

    Jane replied to him that it was okay, the two people cast a look at Shi Lang, only to find him lost in thoughts. Lucas asked him, ¡°Where did you go to train?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Did I not tell you yesterday? I cannot leak out all this information.¡± while rolling his eyes.

    Lucas said, ¡°Is it that sensitive?¡± in a doubtful tone.

    Shi Lang nced at him sideways and said, ¡°As sensitive as Lady Tsubaki in someone¡¯s dreams.¡±

    Lucas froze up and cast a gaze at Jane, the girl had already left to talk with some other girls from the ss and discuss the answers. He sighed and said, ¡°Lang, you bitch. Do not say it in front of her, or she might castrate me. Besides I dream of Jane now.¡±

    Shing raised his eyebrow and said in a loud voice, ¡°Jane, Lucas said he dreams of you.¡±

    Jane froze up, and a blush covered the bottom of her neck. The rest of the ss was aware of the two of them dating and they started tough when they saw how the two of them were blushing. Shi Lang had already run away to escape their beatings and threats. He was going to the battle ss and checking up on Amelia.

    ¡­

    As he came to the corridor where the Battle ss was located he found Jenkins standing outside, the rest were also discussing but Jenkins was alone. He sighed and walked up to him and stood next to the battle ss genius, leaning against the wall.

    He asked, ¡°How was it?¡±

    Thetter replied, ¡°Fine. What about you?¡±

    ¡°Same, I guess,¡± said Shi Lang.

    He did not bother with the gazes of the other students. Jenkins asked, ¡°Do you really think that the group battle will be like that?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°They raised the bar of this time. They do not need vases. The frontier is boiling, you know that better than me.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and was about to say something when he noticed Shi Lang gazing at Amelia. He asked, ¡°Do you have any ideas on her?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Do not tell me you do?¡±

    Jenkins shook her head and said, ¡°I am not interested in puppy love. I bless you.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and turned sideways to look at Jenkins and said, ¡°ssmate Jenkins, I did not expect you to be so generous.¡±

    His expression was that of a fanboy. Jenkins looked at him and stifled augh. This was not going along with his image of the cold hard gray character. However, Shi Lang, suddenly, put his hand over his shoulder and whispered in his ears, ¡°You shouldugh more, and be more honest about your emotions. You might have made mistakes in the past, but now you should learn by correcting them, believe me, it will open your locked heart and you would be able to see the world clearly, bing stronger.¡±

    Thetter thought about it and nodded slightly as he asked, ¡°How do you know all this?¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, ¡°You typical brawn for brains, go read some romance.¡±

    Then he took his hand back and walked over to Amelia, who was talking to a friend. He did not talk to Amelia and said to the girl with a smile on his face, ¡°ssmate, may I borrow your friend for a few moments?¡±

    The ssmate nodded with a smile, the atmosphere of the Battle ss had changed ever since they lost, they have be more humane and did not have to follow the rat race of brawn chasing boys. She walked away from the ce, leaving Amelia and Shi Lang some privacy.

    The boy then asked, ¡°How was the exam?¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I am doubtful about one question. The rest was fine. They gave us all different questions.¡± her voice was calm.

    Shi Lang nodded. He said, ¡°You are correct. Also, I have been meaning to ask, how about, I tell people you are my girlfriend?¡± his tone was serious.

    Amelia said, ¡°Yes.¡± she was not actually paying much attention to him and did not hear the second half of the sentence properly. However, when her mind registered what happened. Shi Lang was smiling widely.

    Amelia had a bad premonition in her heart and looked around, to find the rest of the ss looking at her with ambiguous smiles. She blushed profusely and turned to face Shi Lang, who still had a cheeky grin on his face. She said with clenched teeth, ¡°I will tell my mom about this.¡±

    Shi Lang whispered, ¡°It was her idea.¡±

    Amelia raised her finger to point at his nose and said, ¡°You¡­ you¡­ I will tell your mother.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled even more widely and said, ¡°Aww, calling me the big guns, are we? Though, are you sure they will not say, Young people should mind their own business? Also, who was the one to ask if I am okay with this or not. I am telling you, Amelia Knight, you have to be responsible for me now.¡±

    Amelia froze, and the next thing she heard was her ssmates whispering to each other. Shi Lang whispered, ¡°Do you want them to stop? Then just admit it.¡±

    Amelia wished for nothing more than to swipe the cheeky grin off his face with her punch but she was aware of his strength. She clenched her jaws and said, ¡°Okay, I admit. But if you dared to wrong me. I will kill you.¡±

    Her aura was cold, and she was serious. Although, only she knew that this was a front she had put up to make people think she was being forced. Last night she had not slept properly because she was busy thinking about this boy. She has never experienced butterflies in her stomach. This was not something she was used to.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°See you after the exam. I will treat you to dinner.¡±

    That said, he walked back to his ss. In just one day, he decided to take a leap and have his rtionship with Amelia prominently known to the people, because, she was able to bring out his natural self of his. All the time he was putting up a facade and only she was able to get through him.

    Amelia was not aware of how important she had be for the boy in just a matter of a walk. She just watched him walk back as she was surrounded by her close friends who were keen on getting in on the gossip. On the way back, Shi Lang made a fist gesture to Jenkins, who smiled and bumped his fist in return.

    The two people became friends when they exchanged fists and their rtionship also took a leap. Shi Lang had nowpletely assimted himself in this new life, and doing all that he wanted to and live without regret.

 Chapter 61

    Shi Lang ignored the gazes and walked back to where his ssmates were gathered. The physical assessment was the next thing. After how the technical ss performed in thest assessment, the school had allocated a separate gym room for them. They were free to enter and practice when they wished.

    This was also the reason that the ss had all stepped into the third-star level. When Shi Lang walked over he found that the invigtor had arrived. The man was a standard captain rank officer. These officers were sent from the federation military headquarters to have the students go through standard physical examinations.

    The captain said, ¡°You all will be going through the standard examination. The rules are already clear to you, but I will tell you once more. Before the assessment, a blood sample will be drawn from you all, and it will be screened for the presence of any illegal boosting medicines. If you have taken any such medicines, other than gene enhancement serum, thene forward now, or you will be barred from enrollment.¡±

    The students were aware of this rule and none of them came forward. The captain nodded and said, ¡°Do not me meter.¡±

    He was not picking on them, he was just stating a fact to them. The students all walked over to a medical screening module in a queue and let a robotic arm draw a sample of their blood. Shi Lang was among the queue as well. After the blood was screened and none of the people were found to be faulty.

    The captain said, ¡°Do move forward, following the same order as your blood test and the first test will be your physical strength. You have to punch at the gong-tube as hard as you can. You have to hit the device with all your limbs.¡±

    The students nodded and they all began to move forward. The gong-tube was a metallic hollow cylindrical tube, equipped with sensors to calcte the force of impact carried behind the punch. The power of a punch throw by your dominant hand and weaker hand will have a weaker strength. This was crucial data.

    Soon the gym began to echo with sounds like TONG! TUNNG!

    The students were all punching and kicking the gong-tube with their best blows. After thirty minutes it was Shi Lang¡¯s turn. The average force disyed by the students was nearing three hundred kilograms. The captain at the side took down notes on them, he was impressed when he found that the stance and implementation of these blows were so good that it squeezed out theirplete strength.

    Shi Lang stood in front of the gong-tube with his legs parted and his hands raised up in a standard boxing pose. He took a deep breath and stepped in with his right foot and locked his waist in, then his left fistpactly moved forward with his fist swinging inward.

    The captain was shocked but the next moment, he thought he was dreaming, the punchnded on the device and a loud metal nking sound echoed in his ears like a ring. The gong-tube was left with a first impression.

    Lucas sucked in a cold breath and said, ¡°Monster.¡±

    The strength disyed on the screen was five hundred thirty. The number meant this much kilogram of weight will be delivered to the enemy if they were hit by the proper blow from Shi Lang.

    Jane asked, ¡°He is right-handed. What do you guys think he can bring out with that?¡±

    The people all began to make estimates. Shi Lang had turned deaf to theirments and using the same technique he delivered a punch right at the device and the impact was simr. The number on the screen did not change. The people were surprised and Shi Lang said, ¡°Ambidextrous. This was a part of the camp.¡±

    When fighting Yuu, he was told taught how to use any weapon with both his arms simultaneously, John taught him how to use his arms for different things at the same time. The captain took a note of this. He did not expect to find someone like this in the technical branch. This was the best military school in the capital, even in the whole of the federation. The federal Star Academy was the trend setter. So, he was not entirely baffled.

    Shi Lang proceeded with the kicks and the impact was simr again. The ss then began to test their neural response. The boy left everyone behind by a big margin in this as well. It took him only a blink of an eye to responding to aser pointed at him.

    The captain was surprised and he kept taking notes. The scores of this boy were already first grade. Shi Lang did not say anything and silently participated in all the tests, scoring the best.

    The final round was to face a standard military officer. The strength was not much different from the students but the techniques were more refined. This was easy stuff, when Shi Lang came to trial, the opponent did not even get to throw the second punch.

    The first punch was dealt with a style of hard and soft. The whole body of the soldier was flicked over the shoulder, and then he was punched in the temple, making him fall in love with the stic floor of thebat ring.

    The captain took note of everything and said, ¡°You all can wait outside and prepare for the group battle. Also, those who are interested in taking the technical department, should go to theboratory and have the specialized experts check on you.¡±

    The students replied with a bright yes and they all came out of the gym. Shi Lang was approached by Tim. The ss representative asked, ¡°Lang, will you be taking the technical tests?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡®¡±I will not.¡±

    He did not have the ambition to sit behind a screen and monitor various things. He was longing for frontalbat, and his dream was to fight, however, in the past because of his weak body he was limited to joining the army as a technical soldier and then hoping that one day something will happen and he will be able to get to the front.

    Things have changed now, and he has changed as well. He will not be hiding in thefort of an office and grow old. He will go out on an adventure. This was his dream and wish. He did not go through the brutal suffering in the camp just to be a technical soldier.

    He noticed that the people were casting him a weird nce. The boy said, ¡°I have my own dreams and so do you. Do not worry, I will be fine. However, as I told you all yesterday, the group battle this time is not easy and it will be dangerous. If you really want to jump in that pit of fire, do not be hesitant and do not hold back.

    On the other hand, if you have the slightest worry or something that needs you to be safe, you better take the technical tests. You do know, what I mean to say, right?¡±

    His gazended on Lucas and Jane, and the two people understood what he meant. They nodded and so did the others. The group battle will be held on the same day and the candidates will be sent to a war front. They will be given a specific time, and the task will be to act as a group of soldiers. They will take part in frontalbat and if they could survive a day, they will be considered to have passed the exam.

    If they found themselves at the wit¡¯s end, they will forfeit and return. They will be given a rank in the army but never allowed to take part in frontalbat if the situation did not demand it. Shi Lang did not wish to see his ssmatesmit suicide, because, with just one visit to Ao, he hade to the severity of a proper battle front.

    Shi Lang was about to walk away from them all when he found Amelia walking in his direction. He came to stand still and he saw her tranquil expression. The technical ss students were confused by this sudden visit of hers.

    However, what happened next shocked them. Amelia Knight, the cold princess of the battle ss, came to stand next to Shi Lang and took hold of his hand, and asked with a heart-melting smile, ¡°How was your assessment?¡±

    The crowd was stunned. Shi Lang was aware that this girl was out here for revenge and replied with a warm doting expression, ¡°It was nice, but not as nice as you.¡± The second half was ambiguously whispered in her ears, making her look down on the floor and blush. She had forgotten the purpose of her impromptu visit.

    She wanted to leave him speechless as he did to her in front of her ss. However, what happened next shocked her even more, Shi Lang turned to her ss, and said, ¡°Guys, this is my girlfriend, Amelia Knight.¡±

    Then he cheekily stole a peck on her cheek, in front of everyone, and made her freeze like a stone statue.

 Chapter 62

    Shi Lang held Amelia¡¯s hand in front of his whole ss, was a shock they never expected. They had no idea when these two came together. Jane the protective hen, walked forward and directly grasped Shi Lang¡¯s cor and asked, ¡°Why was I not told?¡±

    The boy smiled and said, ¡°We have been in touch with each other since thest assessment, andst night only did she confess to me. So, I epted it, how can I break her heart. I was just thinking about how to break it to you guys when she came over to my rescue. Hehehe¡­¡±

    He skilfully shifted everything on Amelia, making the already frozen girl doubt her life. If anyone could hear the thoughts going inside the mind of the young girl, they will hear, ¡°This is not real, Amelia, wake up this is a nightmare.¡±

    Jane let go of his clothes and came to stand in front of Amelia and smiled faintly, ¡°Hello, I am Jane, this guy is my best friend. He is silly and shameless at times, if you encounter any problems with him, give me a call. I will help you fix him up.¡±

    She stretched her hand forward to shake hand with Amelia, who had just been pulled out of the ocean of daze. Thetter shook her hand and said, ¡°Thank you, I am Amelia, nice to meet you.¡±

    The whole ss took turns to introduce themselves, while the boys called her sister-inw directly, the girls called her sister or addressed her by her name. Just when the people were about to fire a heavy artillery question round on her Rosa Blues walked over and said, ¡°You people, do you not have to take the technical exams. Get moving. Also, who is going to the group battle? You will have to report to the battle ss. You are a team from now on.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will be going ahead, headteacher.¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°All the best.¡± her voice was gentle and soft. Like a mother sending off her child. Shi Lang had been the weakest student in her ss, yet his IQ was higher than the rest. What was even more, now this kid had be an inspiration for the ss. So, she had a very good impression of him.

    The boy wished all his ssmates all the best and walked over to the battle ss. He was about to put his hand inside his pocket when he heard a low voice, ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±

    Shi Lang looked below and found that he was still holding her hand. He let out a peal of embarrassedughter and asked, ¡°Should I let go of your hand?¡±

    The girl blushed and could not decide what she wanted in her heart, this was the first time she held hands with an opposite-gender person. She was feeling very warm in her heart and butterflies. She could not decide what to say and what not to say.

    Shi Lang smiled at this. The two walked to the battle ss and the group was again shocked to see how things were progressing fast. Jenkins looked at the former and could not believe what was happening, he has known Amelia but she was a cold person and never interacted much with others. However, now she was holding hands with this guy.

    Shi Lang whispered, ¡°I will be back after reporting.¡±

    He let go of her hand and walked forward. Amelia lowered her head to look at her palm and did not know how to express the storm in her heart. Shi Lang did not know this and walked forward to the headteacher of the battle ss and saluted him in a crisp fashion as he said, ¡°Student Shi Lang, technical branch, reporting for group battle, Sir.¡±

    The teacher raised his head and said, ¡°At ease, you may address me as Instructor Den. Now, please stand in the queue with the rest, in a few minutes we will be departing.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± and walked to his position behind Amelia, who stood at the end of the queue.

    She disliked the crowd, while this boy attracted gazes everywhere he went. Shi Lang silently took a hold of her left palm again. This time he held it from behind, and the movements were natural as if he was used to holding hands with her for ages.

    Amelia was surprised at this but she did not protest. Shi Lang had created a deep image in her heart during thest assessment, during the final fight he was definitely on the losing end, but he persisted, and through his sheer will defeat Jenkins. Then he went to a ce where almost no one ever returned in one piece from.

    During the past three months, she did think about him, if he was alright, sometimes she even med herself for making that deal with him, otherwise, why will he have to go to that ce? She recalled his cold attitude towards her. However, she suddenly became his fiancee orally. The other thing was that this guy was not cold to her anymore. She was looking for a chance to ask him this question.

    Just as she was about to ask the teacher said, ¡°Let us go, you all will be provided the gear at our location, your parents have been informed. You will be debriefed about the rules on board the ship. Move out.¡±

    The students all walked, and Shi Lang had to let go of Amelia¡¯s hand. They boarded a school bus and the two tactfully selected thest seat in the back. The teacher sat in the front. However, the bus was silent. Amelia felt as if her heart was being crawled at by thousands of ants. Suddenly she saw the boy beside her raising his hand and operating themunicator.

    He seemed to be typing something on the screen and showed it to her after he was done. The girl read the text silently, ¡°Do you want to say something?¡±

    Amelia nodded. Shi Lang thanked Dalia and John for teaching him about human psychology and reading minute changes in expressions. The girl was obviously very nervous, he could tell from her fluttering eyshes and how she peeked at him sneakily. She was hesitating to ask something. He typed again on themunicator, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Amelia bit her lower lip lightly before she took the charge of hismunicator and then typed, ¡°Why did you suddenly be so warm to me?¡±

    The question was simple. She did not know how to do things in a roundabout manner and was direct in her words and thoughts. Shi Lang looked at the message and smiled. He typed an answer, ¡°When I came back from the training, I was in a weird state of mind, always looking around at things, being wary of others. Even when I met my friends in the school upon returning, I was acting most of the time. Then you came and we talked while walking.

    I did not know I will be admitting this so soon, but you made me bring out the real me. The me that might have died inside that camp. Only when I was talking to you was I able to rx. Later, when you asked me if I wanted to call it off, I said no, because I would like to know you more and eventually be in love with you. Right now, it is more like teenage romance.¡±

    He also did not hide what he felt andid it all in front of Amelia like an open book, but only she was allowed to read it. Amelia held his extended arm gently and ced it in herp. She was shy but it did not mean, she did not have emotions. She was shy that was why she did not confess to Shi Lang as he did.

    On a personal thought, women may like cold men, but warm men also had their charm, no girl dislikes a sincere expression of emotions. She might not reciprocate it but at least they will not call you insensitive and stuff. Just saying.

    Shi Lang did not say anything either the two just sat at the end of the bus, enjoying the subtle silence and calm around them as the bus traveled to the ship port inside the city. They were aware that the group battle will be somethingpletely different from what they have fought in the past.

    This silence was not only the representation of the calm in their hearts but also, the calm before the storm.

    ¡­

    After a few minutes, the people reached the ship port and the students boarded the spaceship. They all sat down neatly in the sits arranged for them by name. Shi Lang sat down on a seat in the front row. Instructor Den stood in front of them and said, ¡°Ready for the battle?¡±

    The students replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    With that, the spaceship took off.

 Chapter 63

    The students of the battle ss had no idea where they were going and this was also the first time they were inside a military-grade spaceship. This thing was a fortress, with nothing that was remotely luxurious. The students were surprised, Jenkins asked, ¡°Shi Lang, have you been in a military-grade spaceship before?¡±

    His voice captured the attention of everyone, and they focused on thetter to hear his answer. The boy to their surprise nodded calmly. Before anyone could say anything, Shi Lang said, ¡°The details are ssified.¡±

    They were all military students, they knew what it meant when someone said, it is ssified. So they did not ask him anything more. The instructor of the battle ss raised his eyebrow to take a look at the boy sitting in a different row. Suddenly, Shi Lang said, ¡°Take out a paper bag under your seat and hold on to it¡±

    The students were confused and the next moment a monotonous voice sounded, ¡°Please be seated and put on your seat belts. The ship will space jump in five, four, three, two, one¡­¡±

    The next thing everyone experienced was a strong squeezing force acting all over them. It was as if they were put inside a dye and were being pushed through a pinhole. The sensationsted only a few seconds. However, as soon as the students gained consciousness, they all grabbed a bag under the seat and flushed their bodies with every piece of food and other things.

    Shi Lang was a little dizzy but he was not as strongly moved as they all were. The only person who did not use a bag other than him was the instructor of the battle ss, Den. The man undid his safety belts and stood up inside the cabin. The military ships were all equipped with artificial gravity modules.

    The man spoke, ¡°This time the group battle is changed to realbat, the reason because the front need capable officers. Officers who are able to get down from the high chair and lead a toon in the battle. Also, only Federal Star Academy students were given this special preference. In a few minutes, the ship willnd on a called, Ja-sum.

    This ce is inhabited by a race called, Burats. The rest of the data is inside the Digi-tabs under your seats, please read it out.¡±

    The students took out the Digi-tabs under their seats and they began to read the various details recorded inside. It said that the Burats were a warrior civilization. They were crude but technologically advanced. Their weaponry was on par with the Federation, which meant, phaser weapons.

    They were taller than the Terrans, basically humanoids but they had four eyes on their face. The rest of the data was simr to the Terrans. Burats did not have a special ability. Den waited for five minutes and said, ¡°The Ja-sum, was being controlled by the Burats Royalty. Federal forces had a hard fight and they took over the majority of this¡¯s control. However, the royalty still stands tall inside their pce. Your task is to get take down the royal forces, and have their royal heir surrender. Any questions?¡±

    Jenkins and Shi Lang raised their hands the quickest and so did a few others. Den nodded to Jenkins and the boy asked, ¡°I would like to ask if Mechs are allowed.¡±

    Den shook his head and said, ¡°Burats have electromaic pulse weapons, Mechs will be useless.¡± then he turned his head to Shi Lang and nodded.

    The boy asked, ¡°Sir, why do we need the royal representative?¡± his voice was calm.

    Den nodded and said, ¡°Burats only serve the royals, they are humanoids but their society is more like an ant nest. Without the royals, this ce will be a deadnd.¡±

    Then the man began to answer the questions of the rest of the people. In the end, Den said, ¡°I will leave the selection of the team leader on you guys. You have five minutes before we touch down, be quick.¡±

    That said, the man walked outside the cabin leaving sixty-one teenagers sitting and looking at each other. They did not know who they should choose as the leader of the group. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°We are sixty people, even if we have a person expert inmanding all of us, themunication willg. How about we form ten teams of six each? We can assign the strongest in the team as the leader, then these team leaders canmunicate with the group leader.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°This is the tactic you used in thest group battle against us. Right?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and he said, ¡°We have to be very cautious and avoid casualties. The target is like a cornered beast, if we pushed too hard, it will backfire, who knows what trumps they are holding up their sleeves?¡±

    The other people nodded. They all agreed upon this and they began to select teams. Amelia has taken the initiative to give up her seat and sit down next to Shi Lang. The boy smiled and patted the back of her palm gently. Jenkins asked, ¡°Who will be the team leader?¡±

    Shi Lang did notment, he waited for the others, none of them was confident enough to take the lead, so he said, ¡°Can I take this up?¡±

    His words made all the eyes be locked on his visage, he calmly continued, ¡°It was just a suggestion, no need to hate me.¡±

    Jenkins chuckled and so did the rest. A guy suddenly said, ¡°You defeated our ss in thest battle so I trust you. You have the capability.¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Thank you for the vote of confidence. However, it will not be as easy as the game. This thing is real. I will deliver a fewmands and tactics beforehand. If you guys can still disy the same amount of confidence in me then fine, let us take on these guys.¡±

    He stood up from the seat after undoing the belt and said, ¡°First, mymands are to be followed in an instant, without any questions asked. If I say you shoot yourself, then you shoot yourself. Is that clear?¡±

    ¡°CLEAR!¡± resounded through the cabin.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°We are going to shuffle the teams. Raise your hands if you have an ability that is suited for scouting?¡±

    Nine people raised their hands, and the boy said, ¡°Move your butts, each team gets one scout.¡±

    The students all heard hismand and quickly moved. Shi Lang delivered a few moremands, like the formation of the movement, the method of engagement. In the end, he said, ¡°You all remember, do not be a liability. If you are hurt, retreat, do not hinder the team¡¯s performance. I have assigned a medic to each team and a sniper. Snipers will focus on hiding and providing cover for their teams, Medics will y the role of the spotters.

    The rest of the teams are assault forces, The location of the pce inside the map is a typical, easy to defend, hard to attack one. We will use kiting wave tactic, but we will not capture the points, our goal is a sure victory. When the enemy is pressured and is calling for reinforcements, we will retreat. Thankfully that gave us a week¡¯s time.¡±

    He has just finished speaking when Den walked inside and said, ¡°Get ready, we arending, I hope that you all keep calm and follow the training you have received. Even if you are all ambitious, remember to walk out of this alive, and only then you might have a chance to realize your ambitions.¡±

    ¡­

    The shipnded and the students walked out of the hatch door. An officer on duty briefed them about a few things to keep in mind and then took the people to the armory to select their gear.

    Shi Lang looked around at the whole ce and when the group reached the armory he said, ¡°Take a note of a few things, ¡°This is dry, like a desert, Snipers take an armor that has better camouge in the surroundings. Medics do the same. Also, I want everyone to take a pack of stic explosives and a detonator. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± responded the group. Shi Lang picked his gear and said, ¡°Amelia, you do not move solo, try to get as close to the enemy as you can without alerting, since they have ant structure, I think their royals have telepathy or something that enables them to sense the surroundings in arge area.¡±

    The girl heard his low voice and nodded. They all tactically selected hypervisors. These helmets came with a screen covering their face and showed a lot of different data needed. They were given a free rein to select from. Shi Lang had all teams, select one heavy phasor machine gun, and the rest hadmon high durability assault rifles. The HPMG was to be used in case the enemy troops swarmed over them, and this will give them some time to flee.

    After an hour, the group was assembled, in front of them stood five helicopters. Shi Lang faced the people and said, ¡°Ready?¡± in a loud voice.

    The students replied, ¡°READY!¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s Go.¡± And then everyone boarded the helicopters. The storm wasing.

 Chapter 64

    The choppers flew in the sky, all headed for thest Terran outpost, which was where the students will be dropped. The Burat Royal family was coping inside a pce made in the center of the valley. The data provided to Shi Lang and the rest showed these details clearly.

    The chopper in the front was boarded by all the team leaders. They were not given time toe up with a proper strategy. So Shi Lang decided to use the travel time to their advantage and narrow down all the risk factors. In the center of the cabin, a holographic representation of the whole region was rotating.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The red area is under enemy control.¡±

    The model was represented in red and green color grounds, with white lines creating the three-dimensional model. Jenkins said, ¡°The enemy forces are not budging at all. We do not have a buffer area. As soon as we step in the red area, we will be under their crosshair.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°They have allowed us some support aids but we can only use it twice.¡±

    The data they read back in the spaceship did not only list the things about enemy and task but also stated the resources at their disposal. They could call in two waves of heavy artillery support cover, twice. Artillery cover was a precious resource. If they could use it properly, it will be a crucial asset in their victory. However, messing up the usage will cost them a lot. They could even lose their lives.

    Matthew, a top student in Battle ss, said, ¡°We can use one heavy artillery shower to get ourselves a buffer distance. Can we not?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°Not good, the enemy will retaliate after suffering damage, the shower will fuel their rage. They will be like caged beasts and they could do something unexpected, we will be exposed to unounted risk.¡± she said calmly.

    The analysis was correct. If the burats found that the enemy forces pushing them back, the resistance will increase and they will have to face more trouble. The cabin descended in silence. Shi Lang said, ¡°They use EMP to scramblemunication, right?¡±

    The rest nodded, Shi Lang said, ¡°We can try and have themand exchange the artillery cover with two long-duration EMP. What do you think?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°I will contact them right now.¡±

    He used his armymunicator and connected to the highmand. A monotonous voice sounded, ¡°This is Ja-sum Terran Command, state your designation, ID, and purpose.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Honorary Cadet, Edwards Jenkins. Requesting connection with C.O Den.¡±

    Instructor Den was theirmanding officer during this task. The operator confirmed the details and said, ¡°Connecting.¡±

    A beep sounded and Den¡¯s voice was heard, ¡°This is Den.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°This is Jenkins, Sir, is it possible for us to exchange the two artillery cover showers with two long-duration EMP bursts?¡±

    Den was surprised and then after a few seconds he said, ¡°Have you considered everything by this request?¡±

    Jenkins raised his head to look at Shi Lang who nodded to him silently. The former said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Den replied, ¡°Granted, I will inform the ground post in charge about this. Colonel Jacob will execute the strike upon your request. Also, the next time you contact, use code names, over and out.¡±

    That said, themunication was suspended. A boy from the group said, ¡°Wait, if we fire EMP would it not disable our ownmunications?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°If you switch off all the electronic devices, then fire an EMP burst, it will not affect us. We know the timing of the attack, the enemy does not. The long duration EMP will give us an hour. We will have to clear out the enemy in the front during this one hour. Also, the bigger problem is the telepathic connection of the Burat Royalties with the forces.

    We do not know if they have a specific range ofmunication or not, but if they can reallymunicate, then we will have to watch out for sudden reinforcements on the enemy side.¡±

    The people nodded, Amelia said, ¡°What you said is correct, but this is a risk we cannot avoid. What is the engagement n?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°They are using trenches to make things difficult. We have ten teams, five teams lead assaulters to create false attacks, the rest nk and invade. Group A will have the snipers cover the frontal fire squad. Group B will take out strongholds and heavy weapon operators.

    Group B Assaulters are to get inside the trenches and sweep the ce. Our objective is to move as deep as we can. Take the point to defend it. Scouts are not allowed to attack. They are to be the concealed strength. Is this clear?¡±

    The people nodded and said, ¡°How much deeper can we go?¡±

    Matthew said, ¡°A lot, it will be a ughter in the effective range of EMP burst. Their technology is simr to ours and might lose their phaser weaponry to the burst, but we should assume they have some sort of backup ready in case they face an EMP burst.¡±

    Jenkins nodded, ¡°Correct, however, in case of an EMP they will have either propelled ammunition or cold weapons. Either way, we can take them on. Worst case scenario will be them holding micro nukes.¡±

    The people chuckled. Mirco Nuclear weapons might sound small but the damage will be enough to vaporize a few blocks. It would not be so easy for the enemy to hold on to such a weapon. Shi Lang said, ¡°We have our abilities. Keep the defense ability assaulters in both grounds in the front. Attack type ability users side by side with them.¡±

    The people nodded and they all ryed the messages to their own teams.

    ¡­

    In themand center, Den was sitting with a few more high-ranking officers. They were all watching the monitoring screen, and listening to all that was been talked about inside the chopper cabin.

    One of the officersmented, ¡°They have a usibly good strategy, but I want to know, how they will execute it, after all, it is not like only they coulde up with this strategy.¡±

    Den nodded and said, ¡°To my surprise, they actually appointed Shi Lang as the group leader. His analysis skills are acute, the way he assigned them based on their abilities, this can be a crucial point.¡±

    A grumpy-looking man said, ¡°I want to see what he can do, personally. This guy has been to Ragnarok and came back. My clearance level allowed me to take a look at his records inside the camp, I would say, he is hiding his skills a way too deeply at the moment.¡±

    The people nodded and Den said, ¡°It is expected of those who go to that ce and live to tale the tale. He may not say much just yet, but the frontier will bring out what he has learned over there. We can watch it then.¡±

    The people nodded as they agreed with this opinion.

    ¡­

    After twenty minutes, the choppersnded on the helipads made in thest guard outpost of Terranmand. Shi Lang and the rest of the people disembarked and the boy said, ¡°Assemble.¡±

    The teams all fell in neet queues and columns. Shi Lang said, ¡°Attention. Jenkins, Takemand, I will go and report to the outpost In charge.¡±

    Jenkins stepped forward and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang turned around and walked to the small make-shift office. This was where the outpost in charge would be present. The boy rapped on the door and said, ¡°Honorary Cadet Shi Lang reporting, Sir.¡±

    A cold voice sounded from inside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang walked inside and saluted the officer sitting on a wooden chair. The officer was ady. She wore an eye patch and had a cold vibe about her. Shi Lang said, ¡°My team would like your permission to act, Sir.¡±

    The officer nodded and said, ¡°You can begin. I will have them let you pass the gates. Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted and with a thank you, he left the office. He came back to his group of students and said, ¡°We are about to begin so, put aside everything. You have your objectives, now I will tell you about your duties.

    First, your life belongs to the military.

    Second, you will guard yourrade at the cost of your lives.

    Third, if you can make it out alive, you can capture some rich tough nuts among you, and have them drown you in booze.

    Understood?¡±

    The group replied, ¡°YES, SIR.¡±

    This small speech had gotten their morale high and soaring. The surrounding soldiers also shared the emotion with them and they cheered, ¡°GODSPEED.¡±

    This was a gesture used to bless those who were going to battle. Shi Lang and the others thanked the soldiers on duty with a crisp salute and then the group marched to the outpost gates. As the people stood in front of the gates, Shi Lang said, ¡°Contact Artillery Squad, we begin now. We will have five minutes to switch offms and other equipment. We are beginning.¡±

    ¡­

    *

 Chapter 65

    Shi Lang gave the order to the teams and they all turned off the electronic devices on their bodies. The outpost was surrounded by metallic walls, and the bulk doors were manually operated. Yes, they used the improvised ancient chain and pulley system for opening and closing the door. This was done to reduce the risk of being choked inside.

    The soldiers operating the door mechanism wished them simrly to the others, ¡°Godspeed.¡± and they pulled the levers to open the doors. Shi Lang and the team rushed out holding onto their guns.

    They were just about to cross the threshold when they heard a slight buzz passing their ears. Shi Lang reacted and said, ¡°Teams Split. Five minutes to take cover and then restart all your equipment.¡±

    The people nodded and they all moved. Shi Lang was at the helm as he did not have a team for himself. He was themander of this group. The rest were following him in neat formations. The boy had sensing ability but someone Matthew had the ability to see further than a normal human, he was a sniper with additional zoom in his eyes.

    Matthew called out, ¡°Enemy trenches one kilometer ahead.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Find the nks and wait for assaultmands. The rest follow me, we are charging ahead.¡±

    The valley where the Burats were holing up, used to be a forest, but to make sure that the enemy cannot take advantage of the cover and sneak up they had shaved down the trees. They took shelter in this ce when they had no other way to survive. The resistance forces had acted quickly and dug trenches to create a cover for themselves.

    However, since they acted with haste, they did not have the time to takepletely uproot the trees. The ce was filled with thick trunk stumps. Shi Lang nned to use these trunks as their covers. The boy used hand gestures and the teams split up.

    Amelia was the only one who stayed behind him. They all had sprinted for a distance of a kilometer but they were still breathing as if normal. Shi Lang pressed a button on the back of his helmet and then he switched on hismunicator. The first thing he did was not tomand the teams to attack but to connect themand office.

    Themunication was established, and the boy said, ¡°This is Incursion Group Leader, Shi Lang, Command, do you copy?¡±

    Den spoke non-emotionally, ¡°Assign a codename.¡±

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, ¡°This is Ace. Command, do you copy?¡±

    He did not know why he said that name, but it was something that he heard from Aries during their journey back to the Federation. Den replied, ¡°Copy, go ahead, Ace.¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Commencing Operation, over and out.¡±

    ¡°Godspeed,mand out,¡± said Den.

    Shi Lang nodded and gave a verbalmand to the team leaders using hismunicator.

    Jenkins said, ¡°Nades away.¡±

    Every team had four assaulters, they all tossed one grenade to the enemy trenches, twenty-four grenades fell inside the trenches, and before the enemy could react¡­

    BOOM¡­

    The explosions were all changed and sounded like one. Shi Lang called out, ¡°Charge.¡±

    The group advanced while they initiated suppressing fire at the second trench. They jumped the first trench. The sniper teams perfectly used the time they used in charge to take out the half-alive enemies. Shi Lang and the rest sessfully attracted enemy attention.

    ¡­

    At the back of the enemy trench camp, a few high-ranking officers were gathered, they all heard the sound and the glow of the explosion at the front. A tall Burat dressed in ck military uniform sneered, ¡°Cannot hold anymore.¡±

    A subordinate nodded and said, ¡°These aliens are detestable. What is themand, sir?¡±

    The officer said, ¡°What else, kill the intruders. Then strip them and tie them up to poles in front of the trench. This shall avenge those who died in the explosion and show these aliens their ce.¡±

    His orders were ryed and the forces started to take action.

    ¡­

    Shi Langmanded, ¡°Point assault teams will rotate, do not advance to the next trench until this one is clear. Leave two guards at every inter trench connecting point. Group B, you will act only onmand, follow the nk along with us.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledge, Group Leader.¡± responded the rest of the team leaders.

    Shi Lang let out anothermand, ¡°Snipers, take out the overhead targets. Do not wait for them to get close to us. Spotters, mark us on your visors and call out in case of enemy bombardment.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Group Leader.¡± responded the Snipers of Group A.

    Shi Lang was not leading the point position, his mind was upied with the thoughts of how the enemy will react. The good thing was the battle was being fought inside the trenches and they were not exposed to the barrage of phasor beams.

    ¡­

    Den and the highermanding officers sat inside the monitoring room. They heard and saw it all. The senior officer said, ¡°This boy can sure narrow down the risk.¡±

    Another guy said, ¡°Indeed, he took such a haughty code name. I like his balls.¡±

    Den nodded and said, ¡°This boy has the grasp of all the elements. I like how he asked the point assaulters to rotate every five minutes.¡±

    The old officer asked, ¡°Why do you say so, would it not be detrimental to reset that position so frequently?¡±

    Den replied, ¡°Sir, you ask as if you do not know the reason, but since you have asked, I will tell you. These students are used to practicing in simtions and they have no idea of the unexpected factors of the battlefield. If they ignored a potential overhead attack, they will be dead. Shi Langmanded them to rotate in order to keep them all alert, and at the same time provide them all experience of realbat.¡±

    The other officers nodded. The room did not only have the officers but also, some ground-level soldiers, and they all were surprised to see this kid thinking so deeply in face of enemy resistance.

    ¡­

    Due to the early EMP burst, the Burat forces were basicallymbs up for ughter in front of Shi Lang and his team. The teams did not hesitate and shot down every target in front of them. The phasor beams that could pass through iron like butter, were reduced to leave gruesome flesh wounds. The wounds were caused by harsh burns that melted the armor on the enemy and then the organs at the point of impact.

    All the wounds were at least, five inches deep, so Burat forces died with much agony. Shi Lang and group A cleared three out of ten trenches. And the pressure on the Burat side, increased.

    ¡­

    Inside the Burat royal pce, a figure draped in folder robe-like attire stood in front of a virtual screen and the situation of the battlefield was visible to him. He asked in a cold voice, ¡°What is Sher-al doing? These ounders are barging in like a tide. How many soldiers have been martyred? Yet I do not see the enemy losing even one.¡±

    Behind the figure, an old Burat stood tall. He replied, ¡°Do not worry your highness, General Sher-al will stop these aliens.¡±

    The prince snorted and left the ce fuming.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was now leading point with Amelia. His gun was stuck close to his shoulder and he was shooting every soldier in front of him with dead uracy. He used his ability and dealt with the enemy at the corners swiftly as well. His speed was faster than everyone else who had led the point charge.

    Just when they were about to advance ahead through the inter trench connections, he jerked back and said, ¡°Halt. No one advances.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not know, but the instincts cried loud as soon as I took a step in the connecting alley. Have the nk team do a reckoning.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and ryed the orders to the group hiding around the nk positions. Group A was all leaning against the walls of the trench. The enemies were taller than them and the trenches yed a perfect barrier for them.

    Matthew said, ¡°I feel excited, this is the heat of the battle.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Control this heat, or it will burn us all. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, group leader.¡± said the boy.

    Group B sent the report and the situation was something they did not expect. The enemy was holding traditional gunpowder ammunition. Their bodies might be strong and their armor might be strong as well, but the impact of a fifty cal. would still leave them with some broken bones.

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and issued amand, ¡°Let Group B engage. Group A Snipers will provide support. You all make sure to spot and aim at the enemies who try to manipte the heavy caliber weapons. As soon as group B attracts the attention, we will move ahead.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Group Leader.¡± responded Group B.

 Chapter 66

    Shi Lang issuedmands and the teams began to work. The strategy of using a medic as a spotter was very handy. This made the snipers attack and take out a lot of enemy soldiers, who sat behind the big guns.

    On the other side, Eric, a top student from the battle ss, was leading Group B. Earlier when the group split up they decided to follow one person who will tell them how to execute themands passed by Shi Lang.

    Eric had replied to Shi Lang with an affirmative answer and then he gestured the nking group. They all moved in wing formation, adapting to apletely trigger-happy role. They were aware that the enemy will not surrender to them so easily, and they still had forty-five minutes to get even deeper into the trenches.

    The enemy troops were caught off guard they did not expect the enemy to have more forces to attack them from the slopes on the side. The trenches were dug in the rtively in base of the valley. The hills were able to hold proper vegetation. This lush treeline was to serve as an obstacle to therge enemy forces.

    But small teams can still get through. The Burats were not simple as well, they had rigged the tree lines withndmines. Thendmines were all advanced pieces of technology and the EMP burse earlier had turned them into dummy mines.

    Shi Lang had told them if they find any ideas that can help them better, they were free to report and execute them. So, as the assaulters opened fire, Eric thought of something and used hismunicator, and said, ¡°Group leader, this is Eric. I would like to report something.¡±

    Shi Lang gave him a go and Eric said, ¡°The tree line is rigged with mines, our visors are able to scan it. The mines have be useless after the EMP burst. However, they should still explode if they are shot at. So I n to do this¡­¡±

    The two people discussed for two minutes and Eric said, ¡°All the scouts, dig out the mines and make sure that the area is cleared. Spotters will support you all, I want all the mines within a hundred meters in front of me ASAP. Move it.¡±

    The Burats had no idea that their traps were being taken apart and will be used against them. They kept on returning fire and this time some Terrans received casualties. The metal bullets fired from a concealed fifty caliber machine gun were strong enough to shred the tree wood and then injure the Terran soldiers.

    There were no life tolls but the soldiers all suffered bruises. Eric was patient and the soldiers were not weak either, they clenched their teeth and fought back. The snipers all returned fire and concentrated on taking out the fifty-caliber machine gun lines. The normal assault rifle carrying enemy was dealt by the assaulters.

    Group A had left the snipers behind to make sure they did not get raided from the air. Shi Lang was afraid the enemy might hurl grenades over them as they did.

    Erics wait came to an end, he said, ¡°Strength ability Terrans regroup.¡±

    Five people in his whole group of thirty were able to use super strength. Eric said, ¡°Your task is to hurl these mines as far as possible into the enemy trench. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Leader.¡± said the five troops.

    Eric said, ¡°Snipers, you will wait for the mines to descend on the trenches and try to shoot them as close to the enemy as possible. The priority target is the fifty-caliber guns near us. As soon as you take them out, we will charge in for closebat. Understood?¡±

    His ears rang with a positive answer and they executed themands.

    ¡­

    Everyone was able to hear the discussions going on. They were soldiers, they did not speak much, but as group leader, Shi Lang thought it would be better to have the rest of them aware of their next moves was a good idea. This way the cooperation would be better. Jenkins asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The trench is six hundred meters long, spread through one end of the slope to the other end of the slope. Given that a Terran with three-star strength can hurl the object to three hundred meters, with the boost of the strength ability, covering six hundred meters will not be a problem.

    They have thirty, fifty caliber machine guns set up in this distance. This can be managed if the snipers could make the bullets count. We might be able to get to the fifth or sixth trench by the time the EMP burst effect ends.¡±

    Jenkins heard his analysis and nodded. Shi Lang turned to check on the others and found Amelia squatting against the wall. He asked, ¡°You okay?¡±

    The girl nodded and said, ¡°Should I sneak in and assassinate the trenchmander?¡±

    The trenchmander was an officer responsible for the operations inside one trench. Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°It is easier to fight an organized attack than a bunch of panicked suicide soldiers. We should not provoke the enemy more than needed. If we found it difficult to advance, then I will let you move and take initiative.¡±

    Amelia nodded and stood up silently. She had never felt such agitation oveing her mind. Shi Lang patted her shoulder to calm her down. The next moment, an explosion was heard followed by a message in his ears, ¡°Bunk Down.¡±

    The location where the enemy had nted fifty caliber weapons was named Bunk, and this message by a sniper confirmed that they had taken down one such bunk. They had twenty-nine more to deal with. What followed was a series of explosions inside Burat Trenches.

    ¡­

    Sher-al, themanding general of the Burat resistance army was standing in his high bunker, overlooking the situation with his obsidian eyes. His subordinate said, ¡°Sir, why are we not firing an EMP bomb too. This will take down their phaser weapons.¡±

    Sher-al clenched his fist and said, ¡°Then what? They fired EMP earlier to disable our mines and sneaked in. During thest few days strifes, our EMP bombs have been reduced greatly. They are still far from a point of no return. Even if I fire an EMP now, they will flee, the men we have lost cannot be brought back. We only have One EMP left, if we used it, then we will have no chance. Just like us, they also have gunpowder weapons. Do you think anyone can conquer our so easily?

    The leader of this assault force is a wise and strong opponent. Have the troops in the fourth trench to prepare for sacrifice. Seal the entrance to the fifth trench. They will have toe out of the covers, take out as many of them as you can. Burats Rules Eternal.¡±

    The subordinate stood in attention and said, ¡°Burats Rules Eternal.¡± and walked away to ry themands.

    ¡­

    Den and the officers in the monitoring room were gazing at the screen with a ss of liquor poured in front of each one of them. The old officer said, ¡°When do you n to tell them that they passed the exam the moment they showed the guts to confront the enemy?¡±

    Yes, the exam was just a test of courage. However, Den actually sent them all into a real fight. The instructor said, ¡°Principal Stevenson said, do not tell them until they cannot take it anymore. However, these bunch of teenagers is holding their end quite strongly.¡±

    The officers nodded. They did not know what the principal of the Federal Star Academy was thinking, but this was indeed beyond their expectation. Not only did the students show, courage, but also, disyed great skills.

    They were all working like one person and they were alsoing up with solutions to the potential threats. Den was about to take a sip from his ss of sparkling golden liquid when he saw and heard the sound of an explosion and followed by which a series of explosions. His hands froze in mid-air and he gulped.

    He said, ¡°Are they really going to ughter their way in?¡±

    ¡­

    Matthew took down thest bunk after confirming that the target waspletely finished. He said, ¡°Group Leader, you are clear to advance.¡±

    Shi Lang from the other side replied, ¡°You are to take a position inside the first trench. We are moving ahead.¡±

    Matthew agreed and moved ahead.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang moved forward through the trench connections after he reminded everyone to take caution of tripwires and other traps. They came to the fourth trench and engaged in an attack with the nk team.

    The nk team had charged inside as soon as the first bunk on their side was taken down. The two groups working as one were more efficient. However, the Burat soldiers were attacking them without caring to take cover. They all had heavy machine guns. The impact of the bullets was strong and this crazy attack left a lot of Terran soldiers injured with fractures.

    Shi Lang asked for the report after clearing the trench, fifteen assaulters out of forty were injured and would need time to rest. Eric rushed over to his side and said, ¡°Sir, the trench connections are sealed.¡±

    Shi Lang frowned and said, ¡°Have the injured move back to the medics. The team leaders will report to me in five minutes we are calling in for a meeting. We have half an hour of EMP burst effect left. Let us make it count.¡±

 Chapter 67

    Shi Lang issuedmands for everyone and the group moved quickly. The injured were all riddled with fractures of varying degrees, so it will take them a few minutes toe back for duty. The medicine was all advanced.

    The team leaders advanced and formed a circle around Shi Lang. The boy said, ¡°We are changing tactics. We are going to move into four groups, Assaulters, Scouts, Medics, and Snipers.

    Objectives are as such, Assaulter will engage in a gunfight to attract attention. Scouts will sneak through and dig out the mines. How many people have abilities simr to Amelia? Have them carry the dug-up mines inside the enemy lines. One trench at a time. Medics are spotters, their task is to alert the scouts of potential threats. Snipers will have to take engage the precise suppressed fire. Make sure our scouts sneak in and get out safely. Any suggestions?¡±

    Jenkins spoke, ¡°Amelia can erase her presence almostpletely, why not let her stay inside the trench and report us if they have any specific movement? The rest canplete the sabotaging task.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°I see no problem, but we have to make sure that her presence is not sensed, the telepathic ability mentioned in the data is a headache. We cannot let the enemy know our movements.¡±

    The people nodded, Amelia was listening on the side. She was following beside Shi Lang this whole time, and she felt that this boy was deliberately trying to protect her. Although she was warm in her heart by his concern this was not the way she wanted to be, she wanted to be strong like her mother. She took a step forward and said, ¡°Report, Group Leader.¡±

    Shi Lang heard the formal and taut tone, he sighed weakly, and said, ¡°Go on.¡±

    Amelia took a deep breath and said, ¡°This is a battlefield, we are all vulnerable to unexpected deaths at any time. reckon behind enemy lines is a calcted risk. I would like to take this task. This can greatly help us.¡±

    Shi Lang could tell that no matter what he said, this girl will find a way to counter him and if he persisted a bit too much, it will make the other members of the group unsatisfied, after all, they were all in the same position, he was only a group leader, his first duty was to his whole group and not being partial to his girlfriend.

    He was reluctant but nodded as he said, ¡°You have the permission to move in and reckon, but if you sense anything unusual, retreat first and talkter. I do not want any of us to die in this. The higher-ups think too highly of us. This was a six-star Terran task, but they sent us ahead.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded and expressed their agreement to the statement. They had to deal with six more trenches before they can get inside the pce at the back. Who knows what was being held by these people.

    Amelia saluted him. Shi Lang said, ¡°Scouts move out, Snipers on stand-by. The action begins when the assaulters will report back to duty. Take a breather and eat some energy bars. This is the first time we all faced a real battle we are slowly umting mental stress. It will show once the body is unable to hold, so replenish bodies.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Group Leader.¡± the surrounding people replied and they all moved toplete the instructions given by Shi Lang.

    ¡­

    While Amelia infiltrated the fifth trench from the right nk and the scouts sneakily dug out the mines from the treeline. Sher-al and the high-level officers of Burats resistance were holding a meeting inside the high bunker.

    An officer said, ¡°General, these people are not attacking anymore. They must be preparing for a counter. Right?¡±

    Sher-al nodded and another officer said, ¡°Sir, how about we take the initiative? We can send in heavy machine gun cavalry to swipe the trenches and kill them.¡±

    The general raised his head and said, ¡°Jord(yord) do not be too hasty. They must be waiting for us to do something like this. They took out our heavy machine gun posts first, and they are aware that we have measures to deal with an EMP burst.

    They must be waiting for us to send our people in. If their snipers took out our forces, then we will lose. The losses are already heavy. You also know, we have a limited force here. Just try and dy them for the night. In the morning, we will have special troop infantry arrive here from the hell banks.¡±

    The officers all stood up. The special troop infantry was the elite of elites in the burats army and hell banks was a special camp where they were stationed. The officers all became happy. The meeting concluded that the enemy aimed to dy the intruding forces. The orders were sent out quickly.

    ¡­

    Amelia was squatting in a corner like a cat hiding in the shadows. In front of her was a bunk where a few Burats soldiers stood. Suddenly a soldier came over and said, ¡°Report Captain Shu.¡±

    The captain nodded and said, ¡°What is the order?¡±

    The soldier ryed the whole order and left. The adjutant beside the Captain (Trench leader) said, ¡°This is great, now we just have to hold these bastards back and see how they die when the special troops arrive in the morning.¡±

    It was sunset already, which left Shi Lang and his team just a few more hours at hand. Amelia was listening to all this. Since these people could not sense her presence, she had be suspicious of the telepathy, but now witnessing that the officer came and ryed the order. Her suspicion had be confirmation. She smirked and sneakily moved away.

    However, in her rush, she bumped into an officering around the corner. Her ability had a weakness, once she is touched, it will vanish. Every ability had such weakness. Amelia did not close her calm, the officer suddenly saw someone materialize in front of him out of thin air, and was stunned.

    Amelia pushed her palm over the person¡¯s mouth and then the dagger at the side flickered, leaving a violet line on the throat of the officer. Then she stepped back and vanished again before running back.

    She underestimated the vitality and patriotism of these soldiers. The dying officer held, with trembling hands took out the pistol tied on his thigh and then took an aim and squeezed the trigger.

    BANG!!!

    A gunshot echoed in the fifth trench and all the Burats were alerted. The soldiers immediately acted.

    A lot of voices sounded, ¡°Who goes there?¡±

    Amelia was not wounded, but her ability was disabled for the second time and this happened when she was near a bunch of soldiers. She did not wait and dropped a Phasor-nade on the ground. Then she ran leaving a strong explosion in her wake.

    ¡­

    The strong explosion attracted attention from all sides. Shi Lang was about to ask for the situation when a voice sounded inside his visor, ¡°Group Leader, Shadows are discovered.¡±

    Shi Lang immediately said, ¡°Provide cover and coordinate with the troops parallel to their position. Have them roll out some nades or smoke bombs and push back the enemies. Shadows retreat. I do not care what are you all doing, drop it and retreat, be careful the enemy has been alerted.¡±

    Shadows, the code name they designated for the scouts. Shi Lang was not at ease when he saw his troops behind the enemy lines under enemy fire. He was aware that the people will not die due to the metal bullets thanks to the special armors and Terran dexterity, however, they will be wounded and that will dy the performance.

    The snipers did not dare to dy the execution and delivered suppressing fire to the points where the enemy was trying to capture theirrades, they also had some of the soldiers on the parallel position drop out smoke bombs and nades just as Shi Lang said. The people were being rescued.

    The ce where Amelia collided with the enemy soldier was two hundred meters away from the ce where the trench leader was. So, they did not think that she heard all this. They all thought that a soldier detected her presence and was killed.

    ¡­

    Ten minutester, Amelia and the rest of the scouts had been rescued from the enemy hands and they all stood in front of Shi Lang to report the status. Amelia looked a little paler, she had multiple fractures in her bones because of the bullets shot at her.

    She saluted and said, ¡°Group leader, I have some important intel¡­¡±

    She did not give Shi Lang the time to ask how she was doing but told the boy about what the enemy was aiming at. The more she spoke the more grim Shi Lang¡¯s appearance became. In the end, he said, ¡°You know what guys, I really want to stick a long stick through the ears of these so-called higher-ups to see if they have brains inside their skulls or not. Motherfucker, sending my group to their deaths, old pieces of sticky shits¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Den and the rest of the officers who heard all this through the monitor room could not help but spit out the liquor in their mouths. The soldiers on the side were all clenching their jaws to notugh.

    The old officer said, ¡°Den, call them back. They have passed the test and they have passed splendidly. Your aim has been achieved, they all qualify.¡±

 Chapter 68

    Shi Lang did not know what was happening inside the monitoring room, none of the students were aware that the armors were bugged and they were under the watch of the senior officers.

    Suddenly a voice sounded inside the earpieces of all the soldiers, ¡°This ismand center, you all have passed the examination. You are now ordered to retreat and hand over the rest to themanding officer in the outpost.

    Just when the people were doubting their lives, the message was repeated. Jenkins nced at Shi Lang and thetter returned the gesture. They heaved a sigh and Shi Lang said, ¡°Retreat, we are done here.¡±

    He did not understand why they weremanded to return but as a soldier, the first thing was to follow the orders. Shi Lang had the injured people move first and he patiently waited in the end for the rest of the people. This was his duty, to make sure his group retreats safely.

    Jenkins stood there by him and asked, ¡°Are you thinking why did they pull us out?¡±

    Thetter nodded, and replied, ¡°I can deduce a few reasons behind this order but there is something more.¡± his tone was calm as they moved through the trenches.

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Howe they pulled us out exactly as the intel was acquired?¡± questioned.

    Jenkins was puzzled and then he said, ¡°You mean, we are being watched?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°If I did not know any better I would have thought that they had telepathy. If you recall, in the data we were provided, the objective of the task was not included.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and added, ¡°Indeed, it was all oral. Wait, do you mean the task was not to get the pce?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°If I am to specte, I would say, our armors are bugged, and they can hear everything we did, second, you know how they first take down the satellites of the enemy when the attack to disablemunication. So, they can also have been monitoring the movements of the enemy. However, since the other party called in for special forces, then it must have something special. We are general students, how can they ce the bet on us?¡± the boy was using a tone that was just stating facts.

    Jenkins said, ¡°You, nerd, can you stop analyZing it all? I might revolt knowing all this.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°When I get a rank higher than these old people, I want them to run tenps in the ground while doing a handstand.¡±

    Jenkins chuckled and said, ¡°Are you not too cruel to the heroes?¡±

    Old military officers were treated as heroes. Their effort made the whole race so prosper. Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I am using them to motivate youth. Also, I want to abolish this, how the people manipte us, students. All the instructors are the same. I tell you, Teacher Rosa used to grind me, then that brutal training camp, and now this. The whole experience of the student life is dampened by these paranoid teachers.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Did you not say that the armor is bugged?¡±

    He was hinting that everything being spoken here is heard by the higher-ups in themand center. Shi Lang said, ¡°I will do ten rounds in the ground while doing handstands.¡±

    The two fell silent andughed out loud.

    ¡­

    The interaction was heard by the old military officers in themand center and their foreheads were covered with ck lines. The old officer said, ¡°Den, I want these two for an hour.¡±

    He was clenching his fists in anger. How dare these two people defy the respect of a senior officer? Den was about to nod when hismunicator rang. The man epted the call and his facial expression changed between surprise, shock, in the end, the man gulped a mouthful of saliva before responding, ¡°Yes, acknowledged.¡±

    He solemnly disconnected the call and the old man asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Den said, ¡°You cannot have them for an hour. I passed their results as soon as they took the first shot. Shi Lang turns out to have been recruited already. He is not under yourmand and the same goes for Jenkins.¡±

    The old man asked with a surprised expression, ¡°Oh, which division did they choose?¡±

    Den took a deep breath and said, ¡°Jenkins is going to be posted to the first cavalry as a private. His father, General Edwards wishes for him to work his way from the ground.

    Shi Lang¡¯s matters are a bitplicated, I am told that my level of authority is not high enough to know, so I think he is going to some secret division. You know how the secret divisions are.¡±

    The old man and the other officer opened their eyes wide as a saucer. The old man said, ¡°There are so many secret divisions located on different conquereds. The lowest rank is that of a captain. The captain is still to be seen by a major or a colonel with respect. This kid literally struck gold this time.¡±

    The rest of them nodded. Den excused himself in the name of weing his students.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people came back to the outpost and found the troops moving out to take charge of the cleared trenches. The boy ordered the group to stand at the side in attention and let the soldiers pass. He said, ¡°GODSPEED.¡±

    The rest of the group echoed the same and the soldiers replied, ¡°HAA.¡±

    This grunt was a symbol of their acknowledgment and at the same time, respect for the good wish. The speed of the troops was faster than the group behind Shi Lang. The aura was alsopletely different. Unknowingly, watching such a big troupe charging ahead made the students affected. They were reeled in the domineering effect of the deathly aura surrounding the soldiers marching out.

    Shi Lang had spent time in the camp on Ao. He had some knowledge about what the aura of a soldier was. They were people always ready to stake their lives on a momentary notice. He had developed some immunity against this aura as to not get lost in the might of it, however, the group behind him was not like him.

    He shouted, ¡°Wake Up.¡±

    His voice resounded in the ears of the group and they all woke up from the daze. Shi Lang said, ¡°Look at them and learn. This is the spirit of those who overcame the fears in their heart. This is the spirit of those who live at the edge of life and death.

    Do you think they are the same as you? They all have families, they all have a home, yet here they are, staking their lives at the front. What for? So that the weak back at home can rest easy. Remember that only those with strength are asked to make sacrifices and not the other way around.¡±

    As he stopped speaking, almost half of the students behind him bowed their heads in shame, they were the bullies back at school, and today only did they realize what it meant to be a soldier. Until a nt faces winds and sunlight, it cannot be a tree. The students were also greenhouse nts and today only did they face their first wind.

    They waited for the troops to pass, only then did they move inside the outpost limits. Shi Lang had the group on stand-by and came to the Outpost In-charge office. He knocked on the door and the same indifferent voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang pushed open the door and walked inside, he took off his helmet and saluted thedy sitting on the chair in front of him. He said, ¡°Cadet Shi Lang reporting ma¡¯am.¡±

    Thedy nodded and said, ¡°Your entire movement is recorded in the system, you are not needed to provide a detailed report. If you have any casualties, then take medical aid. If not, then five minutester you are cleared to board the choppers and go back to the main spaceport.

    Shi Lang nodded and after taking the orders he moved out of the office. The group did not have anyone injured seriously, and those who were injured had been treated earlier. Still, he asked them if anyone needed medical help? The group refused and they all moved to board the helicopters.

    The pilots seemed to have received orders in advance. They only asked, ¡°Rookie, take the headcount.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°All ounted for big brother.¡±

    The pilot nodded with a slight smile and then the convoy took off. The rest of the journey was insignificant, however, the umted mental fatigue washed over them during this period. Some people recalled the scene where they killed people with their hands. Shi Lang was aware this would happen but only these people can help themselves.

    Mental demons can only be conquered by those who suffer them. When the helicoptersnded at the spaceport, the students got down with heavy hearts.

 Chapter 69

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people returned to the spaceport. The group did not seem to be the same as they were before. Some girls were holding each other while shivering. Even the team leaders were somewhat pale. They were just keeping up the facade in front of everyone.

    Looking at them, Shi Lang sighed, this scene reminded him of the first time his de imed a life in the past life. When he killed the Shamantis in this life, he was just rusty but his soul remembered the sensation of killing people. That was not something new to him and in just a few breathes the boy adjusted himself to the reality.

    One must harden their own will to get over this. In all this chaos, Shi Lang noticed that two people were still normal. He walked over to a boy and asked, ¡°Jenkins, is this sensation of killing someone not overwhelming you?¡±

    He did not lower his voice deliberately, the others also heard this. In situations where the mind is not sure about what to do it will look at others for opinion.

    Jenkins shook his head and said, ¡°I have killed people earlier. My father would arrange for me to go and deal the final blow to death row inmates or people responsible for war crimes. So, gradually I got used to it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and finding that he will not be able to channel anything useful from this statement, the boy moved to Amelia, who was also standing aside from the group. He asked in a calm voice, ¡°Are you fine?¡±

    She nodded, her expression was a little different from the indifference on Jenkin¡¯s face. He asked, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    The girl said, ¡°Inside that trench while retreating I made a slip-up and bumped into an officer. I acted quickly and was discovered. I acted based on my instinct and shed my knife at the throat of that officer and ran away. However, that person still shot at my back.

    I was already invisible, yet he was able to hit me with a bullet. Then followed a rain of bullets, I could sense my bones cracking when the bullet hit me from a close range, but I ran out. In those few seconds, I sensed the fear of death. I was really afraid. Thinking about it now I realized that if I had been any less willing to kill them, I would have died.¡±

    Shi Lang ced his palm on her around her shoulder as he stood beside her and gave her a gentle squeeze. He said, ¡°I would have hated you if you died so early. We have yet to drink the wine at our weddings.¡±

    Amelia was stumped and blushed. However, this random remark made her rx, she replied in a calm voice, ¡°Who is going to marry you?¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything and cast his gaze over the rest of the group. Some people heard their conversation and they slowly got over the shock. Instructor Den happened to walk over at this movement. Shi Lang noticed his arrival and said, ¡°Attention.¡±

    The group reacted quickly and all stood up in attention. They saluted to Den and the man said, ¡°At ease.¡±

    The people parted their legs and held their hands behind their backs in a neat movement. They were all still dressed in war gear. Den cast a scrutinizing gaze and said, ¡°You all have done well in the final round of the Military entrance examination. I am d to announce that you have all passed the exam.¡±

    The group was excited but they did not show anything on their faces. This was a military site. Den saw them all maintaining theirposure and nodded. He said, ¡°Now, you will all surrender your firearms and other ammunition to the store in charge over there.¡± he pointed to a building in the distance and continued.

    ¡°You can keep the knife if you want to but only for a moment. After this, we will board the spaceship and head back home.

    You will be given a day off before your graduation ceremony, on the same day you will be told where to report to your divisions. Now dismissed, you all have half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± replied the students.

    The group moved quickly and within twenty minutes they had returned the arms, ammunition, and also the armor. Their uniforms were returned to them and they changed into them. Surprisingly, they all decided to keep the knife as a memento.

    ¡­

    The spaceship came out of space jump and everyone held onto the stic bags. Den asked Shi Lang, ¡°Do you think what you said after finding out the special troops was a brave or very good thing?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will ept it may not be a glorious thing to hear as you people were on the other end. However, you all put our lives in danger. As a group leader, It is my duty to vent the emotions of my group, simrly like I have to protect their safety and make sure they do not die because of my mistake.

    If we had not found out about the special forces and kept on pushing then we all might have been killed with the break of dawn. You cannot shrug away this on my head, Sir.¡±

    Den was stumped by his reply and after a few minutes he said, ¡°Do you know that in military ranks, I am superior to you?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Sir, you might also know that I am now an official member of that division. You are not my superior, and as for the fact of you being my instructor. I am not a student of the battle ss.¡±

    His nd tone and a clear hint of ¡®Shove your rank up your ass¡¯ made a vein bulge on Den¡¯s forehead. It just so happen that the two people were sitting beside each other and the whole exchange was done in a hushed voice, and the rest were still dizzy from the space jump so no harm came to the dignity of the instructor.

    The spaceshipnded in the spaceport of Metropia. The students came out the hatch door and they all boarded a dedicated bus for them. The students wereter dismissed by Den. Those who lived in the dormitory moved to the dormitory as the fatigue came washing over them. Those who had been putting up outside moved to their homes as well.

    Amelia was walking to the school gate as well to board her car, when a soft voice made her freeze, ¡°Amy..¡±

    This voice, she recognized, belonged to Shi Lang. The boy came up to her from behind and asked, ¡°What are you doing tomorrow?¡±

    Amelia shook her head indicating that she had no ns. The boy said, ¡°Then would you like to go on a date with me?¡±

    The sudden proposal stumped her. The boy said, ¡°You see, we will be given our posting orders tomorrow and I do not know when we will be able to meet, so, I thought maybe you would like to go out and spend some time together.¡±

    Amelia thought about it and nodded in agreement. She did not say much but the sparkle in her eyes and the faint blush was evidence of her happiness. Shi Lang was standing beside her and unable to control himself, he stole a peck on her cheek. The girl opened her eyes and before she could react, the boy ran away.

    Amelia stomped her foot on the ground. She did not know the reason she never put up her guard around him. To think that a few months ago both of them were just using each other and showing off their pride and ego.

    The girl boarded a car sent to pick her up and sigh, ¡°Maybe this is the reason why I like you.¡±

    The vehicle drove away merging with the rest of the traffic.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was running through the crowd on the sidewalk when he suddenly froze and gazed at the dark alleyway on the side. He got inside and said, ¡°Come out.¡±

    A figure wearing ck clothes, walked out of the shadow, forming a vague outline from the dim sunlight reflecting off her armor. The figure was that of a female. Her face was covered with a hood, and a soft voice sounded, ¡°Captain Arkham has invited you to meet.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow, ¡°Why should I?¡±

    He was not a fool to believe any shady figure popping out of the shadow. Thedy also did not make things difficult and slowly used hermunicator and said, ¡°Did you not receive a message?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I did, however, I will be joining the division only the day after tomorrow, so I have no obligation to follow you up. Please leave.¡±

    That said, the boy moved and merged between the crowd before thedy could even react. She chased after him secretly but his traces were not to be found. She gritted her teeth and raised hermunicator. After the call connected, she said, ¡°Captain, he refused¡­¡±

    After exining the scene, thedy was told to not lose her calm and go back.

    ¡­

    In a dim-lit office, Captain Arkham said with a musing smile on her face, ¡°Things are about to be interesting.¡±

 Chapter 70

    Shi Lang mixed inside the crowd and vanished from the sights of the agent. The reason he was able to sense someone monitoring him was not only because of his ability. These were the sharp instincts he had trained during his time in Ragnarok.

    He was aware that these people were not easy to lose. They had all the details and information about him. They were the secret division and it was not just a name they made to make themselves look mysterious. Secret divisions were spread all over the federations and colonies. They watched over those who sat in positions of power.

    The secret division was a sword for those who neglected their duties. There have been times when the masses and some people in power had questioned who will watch over the secret division? Well, the answer was, everyone who questioned them was investigated and they all were dealt with harshlyter.

    The secret division was a de in dark, waiting for you to slip and it wille striking over to you. One of the modern and most feared incidents was the Justice Massacre. The case started from the death of a whole toon forced to guard a surrounded post for a prolonged period. The reason for the dy in their rescue was because the rescue helicopters were diverted to save the son of a big shot.

    The secret division took charge and they investigated the matter when the masses questioned. in one week it was discovered that such incidents had taken ce in the past as well, and they rounded up each and every officer. They rounded up two hundred such people and killed them all within one night. The storm set by this incident made the higher-ups wake up and they all became honest.

    Thus, Shi Lang might have be one of them, but he did not trust thempletely. After all, a sword that could watch over everything was something everyone should be wary of. He reached home and found that his parents were home. They looked at him with shining eyes.

    The boy asked, ¡°Mom, what is it?¡±

    Luna Mancini said, ¡°How was your exam?¡± with an expectant expression.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It was good. We will have the graduation ceremony the day after tomorrow.¡±

    He changed his shoes and went inside the living room and sat down on the couch across from his father. He asked, ¡°Old boy, what is going on with you two love birds?¡±

    The son and father had a good bonding and they would often talk to each other like this. Shi John did not mind and smirked, ¡°You sleeky brat,nded a date so quickly.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    This was supposed to be a secret between the young couple, how could they find out. He was actually just curious about this and not embarrassed or something. His mother said, ¡°My inw told me. Anyments.¡±

    Shaking his head, Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a nice dinner. I have to go out early in the morning. This is the first date of my life, I must make it good. Also, dad, lend me ten thousand creds.¡±

    Shi John raised his eyebrow first but then smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I will transfer them to you in a bit. Let us have dinner.¡±

    Shi Lang has almost never asked them for something extravagant. This was the first time his son had asked him for something like this. How could he refuse? The trio had a sumptuous meal and then they all went off to bed. Shi Lang did not straight go to sleep, but he meditated a bit and then cultivated.

    This was his habit, he wouldprehend everything that happened in the day. The night passed away quickly and sunlight broke out on the horizon as well. Shi Lang opened his eyes and got up toplete his morning regime of workout. He dressed up and it was already ten in the morning. After finishing his breakfast, the boy rushed out of his home.

    His parents saw his eagerness and shook their heads at this. Love can really make one act differently.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang rushed downstairs and found a ck lev car parked at the entrance. This vehicle belonged to no one else but Amelia¡¯s house. The boy sighed and walked up to the vehicle. He knocked gently on the back seat window and waited for it to roll down.

    Amelia rolled down the window and asked, ¡°Why are you not getting in the vehicle?¡±

    Shi Lang said with a sigh, ¡°My dear Amelia, today is the day we both go out together, why do we have to bring along a third wheel?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Mr. Thalus is my bodyguard.¡± with a confused expression.

    Shi Lang red at her and said, ¡°I will guard your body strictly. This person can follow you in the shadows. Come now.¡±

    He stretched out his hand to her and demanded her to step down the vehicle. Amelia gazed at his visage and she was aware that he will not be giving in in exasperation, she got off the car for him. Shi Lang took hold of her hand and led her away.

    Amelia was blushing slightly because Shi Lang was leading her by her hand. She did not know how to react in such situations. The boy in front of him was so confident while she waspletely different. Recalling her true nature she matched pace with him and the two people walking on the sidewalk.

    The boy asked, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Wherever you decide.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°What if I sold you in the ck market?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°I have guards in shadows, and they all have arms.¡± with a smirk on her face.

    Shi Lang chuckled, ¡°So wary of me that they are carrying guns?¡±

    Amelia did not reply and the two people soon came to a bus stop. They boarded the bus with other passengers. The buses all had a smart ticket system. So, either you scan the code with your mobile or you scan it with yourmunicator you will get tickets. Shi Lang used thetter and the two people headed to the Zoo.

    Amelia said, ¡°Why are we going to the zoo? Do you take me for a kid?¡± the vexation in her voice was clearly audible.

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°It is not that, I treat you as a child, but I want you to recall those past days of your childhood.¡±

    His tone was calm and gentle. Amelia blushed and looked at the floor of the bus. She was not used topliments. Shi Lang leaned closer to her ear and whispered, ¡°You look very pretty today.¡±

    Shi Lang was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans paired with white sneakers and the girl was dressed in a one-piece. The dress was very beautiful, the shoulders were snowhite and the hem above her knees was blue. She happened to be wearing a pair of white sneakers too.

    The people around them all gazed at them with knowing nces. Making the couple more conscious and Amelia who was already blushing from Shi Lang¡¯s flirting with her made her even shyer and embarrassed.

    The boy chuckled and said, ¡°Uncles, Aunties, Big brother, and Big sister, I want you all to know that this girl is my girlfriend.¡±

    Amelia stepped closer to Shi Lang and said, ¡°Why are you saying this out loud.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Yes, to the whole world on military broadcast but they will not allow me, so you can wait for now. As for this, consider this bus our world for now.¡±

    Amelia pouted but her palm still did not let go of the sleeve she took hold of earlier. She was falling for him with all her senses intact. She has never sensed such warmth and concern from a boy she was in a rtionship with. The bus moved to the zoo and the driver at the front said, ¡°Have fun you two. Hahaha¡­¡±

    How can he miss the chance to tease the loving couple? The couple alighted the bus and they came inside the zoo ticket line. There were not many people in the queue. After all, today was not a weekend and neither were the people interested in looking at some animals caged inside glorified cages.

    The two came inside and Amelia said, ¡°Can we go to the bird section first?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Anything you wish for, Amy.¡±

    Amelia smiled brightly and the two people moved to the bird section on feet. The zoo was a piece of green left there to preserve a sense of greenery in the high and shiny concrete jungle. Shi Lang was happy to be here and Amelia was the same. She said, ¡°Lang, thank you for the date.¡±

    The boy chuckled and said, ¡°Idiot, the day has just begun. Let us go watch some birds.¡±

 Chapter 71

    Shi Lang and Amelia came to the bird enclosure holding hands with each other. The girl was full of smiles as she stood in front of a big cage, watching colorful small birds flying around. She said, ¡°You know Lang, once there was a time when these little ones almost went extinct. I wonder, how our predecessors became so blind that they could not see the consequences of their actions?¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything for a few minutes, as his gaze lingered upon the birds flying and tweeting inside the cage. He said, ¡°I have read in a lot of books that humans tried to learn from the creatures to assimte better with the nature around. However, before they could do that, they were almost on the verge of copse. I guess the ancient saying of the destruction of the old is necessary for the creation of new, is correct and true. The good thing is that humanity corrected its ways.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°They realized facts and acted upon it, united otherwise, these birds would cease to exist and so would the world.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I am thankful that those wise men existed, otherwise, I would not have met you.¡±

    Amelia blushed at this statement of his. She said, ¡°You have a sweet mouth.¡±

    Shi Lang pretended to be confused and asked, ¡°When did you taste it, baby?¡±

    Amelia blushed even more profusely and ran away from him with her head down. In her mind she was thinking, ¡®What is with this guy, how can he just tease me like this every time? Has he no fear for me in his heart? Humph, I have to tell aunty that he bullies me.¡¯

    Shi Lang followed her quietly as the two people watched the birds in cages, some big some small. They did a full tour of the birds and then Amelia asked him if they can go to the Mammal section. The boy agreed with a smile on his face. He would follow her anywhere. The two came to stand in front of a tiger enclosure.

    Amelia asked, ¡°Lang, why do the beast lose their wild spark when they are caged?¡± it was not that she was not spiritually intelligent. She just wanted to talk about something with the boy.

    Shi Lang replied calmly, ¡°When they are forced to act the way others want them, they be tamed and thus they lose that wild spark you talked about before. In the wild, they all have the freedom to do what they want, but here, where is the freedom? This is the only zoo left in the federation because this ce is a memorial.¡±

    He scoffed and said, ¡°A memorial of how humans thought of themselves being supreme. A memorial of the mistakesmitted by our ancestors. Want to know the fun fact? To keep this memorial going on they are using real animals from the wild. Committing another mistake in the long term. Humph, I wonder if any civilization thought of humans or terrans as an animal to be kept in a siege.¡±

    Amelia ced her palm on his shoulders. She did not realize her casual question will make him say all this. Although she was aware that this ce was a mistake and the government should have abolished this long ago. She did not know what to say after Shi Lang burst out like this.

    The boy took a deep breath while gazing at the tiger inside the enclosure, and said, ¡°I am sorry, I just do not understand a few things. Thisck of understanding makes me feel agitated.¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°I never took you for an extremist.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and gazed into her eyes as he said, ¡°I am not an extremist about everything and neither am I free to all. I believe that everything should be fine when done in moderation. Even extremism is fine but only when you know when to stop. You can do whatever you want until you harm someone or yourself. That is the point of moderation.¡±

    Amelia nodded and the two began to chat while walking around. The topic revolved around the ideology of them both as an individual. Shi Lang did not say much but this was his goal. To have an in-depth conversation with the girl and get to know her better. Amelia was also curious when they hade to this ce, and now only did she discover that Shi Lang wanted to know her better.

    The girl was pleased about this and subconsciously the two people became closer. Form holding each other¡¯s palm, Amelia was now hooking her elbow with Shi Lang. They did not notice this change while they were lost in a world that had only the two of them.

    They did not even take care of food and kept on moving around. Only when the sun went down, and the speakers on the side announced, ¡°Dear visitors, it is time for the zoo to close. Please head towards the nearest exit.¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia exchanged a nce and they both moved outside. They came out and before Amelia could say something, the boy¡¯s stomach made a low grumbling sound. The two exchanged a nce and chuckled, while the boy was trying to omit the awkwardness of the situation, Amelia wasughing at his cute reaction.

    She said, ¡°Let us find a ce nearby.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I booked a table at a ce I know. Let us go there.¡±

    The girl nodded and the two called a cab and headed to the pub Shi Lang mentioned. This ce was called Sunset Line. This ce was a mediocre joint where the ambiance and crowd belonged to people who liked good food and good music. They did not have any fancy arrangements, but still, this ce made good business.

    Shi Lang¡¯s maternal Aunt was the owner of this ce she ran it together with her husband. That was also the reason the boy could book the table. His aunt has given him everything for free when she found out that the boy wasing over for his first date. She had a good rtionship with their family and was quite young as well, so she and Shi Lang were more like friends.

    The cab came to stop in front of an entertainment zone entry point. Shi Lang paid the cabbie and walked out with Amelia, who held his arm ever since they walked out of the zoo. They walked around and attracted a lot of gazes. They were a young couple thatplimented each other¡¯s look perfectly and even more, they were wearing couple outfits.

    Amelia blushed slightly and said, ¡°Why are these people gazing at us?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Because you look beautiful.¡±

    He was not lying, people gaze at you when they are outside, and they look beautiful. They walked through the crowd and a market filled with entrances to different ces, The entertainment zone was a ce, that had restaurants, pubs, bars, gaming centers spread around in a circrplex. The entireplex had eight entry points and theplex building had two floors.

    Shi Lang and Amelia took a leisurely stroll around the ce before they came took a flight of stairs to reach the second floor where behind a small table stood a burly guy. He asked in a muffled voice, ¡°How may I help you?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Is M inside?¡±

    The man became alert and said, ¡°You are Shi Lang? M¡¯s nephew?¡±

    The boy nodded, the guard smiled and said, ¡°I apologize, Sir. I am new here, M had told us early on. Please go inside, she is there.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It is okay. The two people got inside the ce.¡±

    What weed them was a row of tables and chairs with people eating their food as they talked andughed. The walls were all painted in a dusky amber shade with some positive quotes painted over them in multicolor. The lights were all hanging over the tables. The ce did not look tacky and had a positive vibe about itself.

    Amelia has never been to such a ce before and looked around, but without losing the calm expression on her face. She did not want to look like a bumpkin in front of M. Shi Lang had told her about the ce and the owner. Shi Lang and Amelia walked inside and a voice sounded behind him, ¡°Langu baby.¡±

    Shi Lang facepalmed himself and retorted, ¡°Aunt, can you drop that UU from the name. I am not a baby anymore.¡±

    He turned around and was met with a warm embrace. The person who hugged him was ady who was the spitting image of his mother, the only difference was her curly hair. She wore a ck floral print skirt and a pair of ck ankle-strap heels. She smiled and said, ¡°Okay, Baby Lang. Happy now.¡±

    Shi Lang was about to reply when she kissed him on his cheeks. He said, ¡°I missed you too Aunt.¡±

    M held his ear directly and said, ¡°You brat, onlye here after half a year and dare to say that to me.¡±

    Shi Lang faked a wincing expression and Ameliaughed. Herughter attracted M¡¯s attention as thedy said, ¡°Is this your girlfriend? How did you get so lucky?¡±

 Chapter 72

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes at his aunt and thedy took hold of Amelia¡¯s hand gently and with a soft smile, she said, ¡°I am M Mancini, younger sister of Shi Lang¡¯s mother, Luna. I am just ten minutes younger than her. Wee to the small shop.¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°Hello, Aunt, I am Amelia. Thank you for having me at your ce.¡±

    M shook her head gently and said, ¡°Truly beautiful,e I have arranged the best seat in the house for you guys.¡±

    Then she led the couple by their hands to a table ced outside in the balcony. The cafe had a small balcony for itself, it happened to overview the sunset view on the horizon. This seat was the most expensive table in the cafe and it was never free. When yesterday Shi Lang called her and told her that he will be bringing over his girlfriend she decided to not take any reservations for this spot.

    A small round table with an exquisite candle stand. Although the candle had undergone tremendous change, from its wax ancestor to bing a slender marker like a stencil with a light-emitting diode on the tip, giving off a warm light, the vibe was still there.

    M said, ¡°I will be getting you guys a drink and the food you can order slowly.¡± with that said, she patted her nephew on the back and left. Shi Lang pulled a chair for Amelia and doing a bowing gesture he said, ¡°Please.¡±

    Amelia chuckled and with a lofty stance sat down on the chair. Shi Lang helped her adjust the chair in afortable position before he came to take a chair for himself. A waiter came and asked, ¡°What would you two will be having?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Amy what will you have?¡±

    The girl said, ¡°You can order, I have yet to taste spirits.¡± indicating that she wanted to try something new.

    The boy smiled and said, ¡°I would like to have a scotch on the rocks and a Mexicano(Mojito futuristic version) for thedy.¡±

    The waiter nodded and left quickly. Amelia said, ¡°Howe everything in the world changed except for liquor? This thing is still the same as it used to be in our ancestor¡¯s era.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Who knows. However, I think it might taste well if they did not change it. You know.¡± the two of them have never drank hard liquor. The boy might have tasted wine in his past life but that was too old of a memory.

    The two chatted as they watched the sunset from the balcony and the waiter had already ced the drinks on the table, and knowing that the two people were having a good time he left after a light cough to indicate them.

    The couple raised their sses and clinked them together and said, ¡°To you.¡± in unison.

    This phrase was an oral acknowledgment that they like each other in their time. This phrase became popr when a big celebrity said this after raising a ss in front of the live broadcast and proposing to his girlfriend.

    The two people smiled at this and they took a light sip of their drinks. The two winced slightly and when they noticed the look on each other they chuckled. They began chatting again. Suddenly the music in the background stopped.

    The people all noticed the sudden quiet and they called over the waiters. M came out from behind her counter and pped her hands loudly. She gathered everyone¡¯s attention and said, ¡°A few weeks ago, a customer suggested that it would be nice if they could sing and dance here too. Well, although I agree with the suggestion the space of our ce is too small and we cannot have a dancing space. But,dies and gentlemen, we decided that our ce can still allow people to sing.

    We have arranged some not so space-consuming instruments and you all cane forward to sing whatever song you want to express your mood.¡±

    The crowd was surprised and after a few minutes, they all pped their hands. M said, ¡°If one cane over here and sing an original song, based on the response of the rest of the crowd, you will have a chance to win one free meal from your one and only, M. How about that? Sounds tempting? Then get on with it.¡±

    Amelia and Shi Lang heard this and they two also pped. Amelia said, ¡°Aunt M sure can hold the crowd.¡±

    The boy nodded and said, ¡°So, do you want to sing?¡±

    The girl shook her head and said, ¡°I have always given my time to military education, where do I have the time to learn music.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled at her and said, ¡°Silly girl, musices from inside the heart.¡±

    Amelia chuckled and said, ¡°Oh, says who? Great Musician Master Shi Lang?¡±

    The boy smiled along with her but did not say anything. They saw a few customers standing up and singing songs from some idols. They did not use the instruments, because they probably did not know how to, but the crowd pped along with them and sometimes even sang the chorus.

    The couple called for food and they ate nicely. Just when they finished their meal a customer stood in the center, holding the mic said, ¡°A lot of people have sung but the young couple on the best table is yet to sing. So, I would like to ask you, young man, do you dare to express what you feel in your heart?¡±

    YAY!!!

    The crowd cheered as they heard the challenge being sent out. The night was young and they all had something more than blood running through their veins, something that made them all a bit blunter.

    Shi Lang was surprised, and then he heard Amelia speaking in a low voice, ¡°Musices from the heart, right Lang?¡±

    Shi Lang squinted his eyes at her and said, ¡°Okay, you will see.¡± he held the filled with his fourth drink for the night and chugged it down in one go. Then he stood up from his chair and walked over to the mic.

    He and the challenger shook hands before he took the mic. He was slightly light-headed but other than that he was still fine. He said, ¡°I have never sung in my life. However, I believe that musices from the heart. Our hearts beat in a rhythm we call the music of life. We all find someone to be in love with, just like I found this beautiful girl sitting over there.¡±

    He raised his finger and pointed at Amelia, making her blush. She was surprised as well when she saw this guy confessing to her in public. The next thing was even more surprising. Shi Lang said, ¡°I have never sung but M, being my lovely godmother, did teach me how to dawdle with the guitar as a child. So, I will try and sing for you.¡±

    His eyes were locked with Amelia and this statement was meant for her only. The girl was watching him with sparkling light in her eyes and the crowd was pping as they watched this young man proiming his love.

    Shi Lang walked to the wall near the ce M sat on her high chair and took the guitar off the hook. Then he put the strap over his shoulder and walked back to stand in front of the mic. He tuned the guitar a bit and gave it a gentle strum.

    The crowd fell quiet. Shi Lang stood there with his eyes closed as if thinking something. After five minutes, the crowd thought that he would not sing anymore. The boy started to strum the guitar and sang in his slightly heavy voice.

    ¡°There you are sitting under the sky,

    Easing my pain with your dazzling smile.

    When we first met I had no clue,

    That my smiles will be meant for you.

    Yeah, for you, they are meant for you¡­

    My words may sound too good to be true,

    I give up my heart and soul for you.

    You are the sky and you are the stars,

    Look past the cliche and hold my arms.

    Yeah, for you, they are meant for you¡­

    After all that I said, I still don¡¯t know.

    What is love,

    And What is life,

    All I know is that under the sky, I am made just for you¡­

    Yeah, for you, I am meant just for you¡­¡±

    The boy sang with all his heart and the hands strummed the strings of the guitar. The crowd was pping along with him enjoying the crude verses he wrote for the girl he loved. M was recording the video of her nephew¡¯s singing sneakily.

    After the song came to an end, Amelia stood up from her chair and walked over to Shi Lang. She was one head smaller than him even after her heels. She tip-toed and kissed his lips without saying a single word. Shi Lang was not surprised, because he was still immersed in the mental imagery of the song. He instinctively kissed back.

    This was not a passionate kiss, but a small gentle one, that defined the emotion contained in both their hearts perfectly. The crowd cheered and the two woke up. Amelia hugged him and buried her head his Shi Lang¡¯s chest to hide her shyness, as her slender fingers moved on his back writing, ¡°I am for you.¡±

 Chapter 73

    Shi Lang did not know when he reached home. The kiss from earlier had left him in a daze. He just remember that he send Amelia to the car from her house that was standing downstairs and then he took a cab and came back home. On the way, Amelia called him to ask if he reached safely and that was it.

    The boy felt he could fly on the clouds after the call from the girl he loved. With the sweet aftertaste, the boy fell asleep. The next morning he woke up with a smile on his face and went out for a run. His speed was faster than usual today but he did not care.

    His parents had already taken a day off to attend his graduation ceremony. This day was very important as it will mark the official beginning of Shi Lang¡¯s career and they wanted to see their child standing ahead of his ss. Although they knew that he has be stronger but the extent of his strength was not clear to them.

    Shi Lang came back home humming a soft tune from the song he sangst night and went straight to the shower. Luna spoke to her husband in a low voice, ¡°Look at him. Tell him not to be too make a fool out of himself outside. There will be a lot of people out there today.¡±

    She was worried that this love-sick person will make a fool out of himself by being in a daze during the ceremony. The man did not say anything but shook his head. LUna red at him and with a sigh, Shi John said, ¡°Can you have a little faith in your son?¡±

    Thedy found no way around this question and became quiet. Shi Lang came out of the shower, put on his crisp white shirt, ck trouser, and marron tie. Then he walked out of the room holding his zer. His slightly long locks seemed to have been carefully back brushed. He came to the dining table looking all dapper.

    The family of three ate their meal in silence. When they were about to leave, Shi John asked, ¡°Lang, I gave you ten thousand credits yesterday, were they enough?¡±

    The boy smiled and said, ¡°They were too much. We did not use any of the money. Only paid for the cab rides and zoo tickets. I transferred them back to you just a few minutes ago. Do not worry.¡±

    Luna frowned and said, ¡°You were supposed to buy my daughter-inw a gift. Yet you did not, no wonder your handsome face is useless.¡±

    Shi Lang had his forehead covered in lines and said, ¡°You can call your sister and ask her if my gift was good or not. I will go ahead, you guyse at your pace.¡±

    He flunked his jacket over his shoulder, with the cor hooked by his finger, and left the house with a defiant vibe. Luna said, ¡°This kid gave me attitude?¡±

    Shi John chuckled and said, ¡°Who asked you to undermine him for your daughter-inw. Do not be partial in the future.¡± and he went inside his room to put on a suit as well.

    The graduation ceremony will start with a dy, before that the students will be given some time to say their goodbyes to their ssmates and faculty members. After all, who knew when they will return to the ce.

    Shi Lang got out of the house and walked to the nearby train station. This was his usual method ofmuting to school. He got on the train and watched the familiar scenery shing by out of the window. Soon the train came to the station and Shi Lang got down.

    He walked at a calm pace and spotted a lot of ssmates and juniors pouring in the school gates. Some people knew him and some did not. The boy nodded to those he knew in greeting and kept walking towards his ss. On the way, he saw a few of the battle ss students gathered in front and said hello to them.

    He looked around and found that Amelia was not here yet. He sighed in depression for a second and was about to go back when he heard a soft voice in his ears, ¡°Why do you sigh?¡±

    The voice belonged to Amelia, he smiled and said, ¡°I came to look for you.¡± and turned around to see a girl dressed in a royal blue zer and a matching tie. A pleated ck skirt with a white shirt and high ck socks.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Howe I never noticed you looked so beautiful in uniform.¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°I do not wear the uniform, I wear training gear. I wore it today only.¡±

    The boy nodded and teased, ¡°I forgot you are one of the battle geeks.¡±

    Amelia kicked his shin lightly and said, ¡°Tech nerd.¡±

    The boy winced and the girl smirked. However, when she was counting it as her victory, Shi Lang sneakily pecked her lips and ran away with a limp. Amelia stood there watching him receding back in a daze. Matthew whistled and said, ¡°Looks like the princess has been captured.¡±

    Amelia woke up and red at him, making the boy be docile immediately. She did have a faint blush on her face, but the mild warmth on her lips made her feel very warm. She went inside her ss thinking about the events ofst night.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang reached the ss and found that the students were all talking with each other and the headteacher was not present at the moment. He walked in and said hello to everyone. Jane said, ¡°Lang, after the graduation ceremony, we all n to go and hang out. You areing.¡±

    The boy was aware of her temperament and said, ¡°Okay, well say, how about we ask the battle ss as well to tag along?¡±

    Lucas came and ced his arm around his shoulder and said, ¡°You can bring sister-inw. However, the rest of the battle group, it might not be a good idea.¡±

    Shi Lang did not think much and said, ¡°You do not need to think too much. I can just ask them if theye that is fine if they do not that is fine too. Also, we are all contributing. This will apply to them as well.¡±

    The people heard his words and nodded. Suddenly they heard a crisp clicking sound from the corridor and immediately scurried to their seats. Rosa Blue was wearing her military uniform today. A ck military coat with two stars on herpels. With a name badge over her right chest position and a few medals on the left chest position. She wore matching ck trousers and military shoes.

    She said, ¡°After today, you will have to face a lot of things and deal with them on your own. Like you had me in the school, there will be senior officers in the camps. You all qualified for the military tech department and I am proud of you all. However, do not let this go to your head¡­¡±

    She gave them an emotional speech and the students all listened to it in silence. Some of the girls already had tears sliding down their cheeks. Shi Lang was the only one who did not show any emotion on his face. Rosa Blues said, ¡°Lang, you are the most outstanding student I have taught. Thank you for all your hard work and for following my whimsical instructions.¡±

    She was emotional today, this was her ss, and she had taught them all for three years, in these three years she has always been a strict teacher, who punished them harshly and never cared about their sufferings. Shi Lang was the victim of hershes most of the time.

    The boy stood up from his chair and said, ¡°You shame me, head teacher. If not for your instructions, I would have never been able to stand where I am today. I could not have beaten these guys to theter ranks if not for your guidance. I am grateful to you. Thank you.¡±

    With that said, he took a bow to the teacher. Every ssmate stood up and bowed to Rosa Blues as they said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Head teacher.¡±

    The atmosphere becamepletely emotional and the students could not help but cry, as they realized that today was thest day of school. They will all be moving on to different postings in the future. Shi Lang patted the back of his friends in order to calm them down. After half an hour, Rosa Blues said, ¡°Let us go, the graduation ceremony is about to begin. The principal will be mad if we made him wait.¡±

    The students restored their images and they walked out of the ss in a neat queue. The graduation ceremony was going to be held on the ground of the school. Soon, they reached the ce and found the battle ss already standing in neat formation.

 Chapter 74

    In the center of the Federation Star Academy, there was a big ground. This was where the school held important events like the monthly assembly and martial exhibition for the army officials at times. This ground has witnessed a lot of batches passing out of the school through the times. Today one more batch of students will be added to that list.

    At a side of the ground there was a big stone podium, where the higher authorities of the school were standing at the moment and in front of them stood the students forming neat queues and columns. Each ss had six rows of ten students each. They were standing in square formation giving off an elegant and stoic aura.

    There were four courses in the school. The battle ss, the technical ss, the administrator ss, andst the business ss. The federation military forces were not all just fighting and killing. In the distant past when interster travel and conquest was just a newborn baby, the higher-ups in the military realized that they were too dependent on the budget given to them by the government. The government earned money from the taxes from the masses.

    Thus the military began to engage in the field of business. With the security of beginning a military gship, the business soared, and not only that, while the otherpanies were still being strictly policed the military took advantage and they became the ster mining giants. The military mined the barrens and using the resources they started small-scale terra-forming projects.

    Thanks to the head start the federal army was three-generation ahead of anypany in the whole of humanity when it came to terraforming. However, the money cycle needed for terraforming was too much for them to handle alone, and thus they formed an organization with the help of otherpanies called, Terra-Forum. Thanks to the money pool of this organization they terraformed the moon at a cost of three hundred trillion.

    The price significantly decreased as they all researched and improved the technology. These business ss people were to be employed in these military-owned businesses. The business ranged from medical to transportation and import-export firms. None else could beat Militarypanies in credibility.

    The style of the uniforms of the four sses was the same except for the color of their zer and necktie. The battle ss wore royal blue color, while the technical ss was given the marron color. The administrators who were going to join the government offices had white zers, while the business ss had an emerald green zer and tie.

    The parents of the students sat on the peripheral areas of the ground. Suddenly, everyone felt a change in the air, it became heavy suddenly. The principal of the school, Retired Lieutenant General Stevenson, was climbing the stairs of the raised podium, wearing his ck military uniform. The left side of the coat was as if made of medals only, a hard-peaked cap rested on his head, on the center of the cap was the insignia of the federation, the earth in silver and ck color.

    The man came and stood up in front of the microphone and gazed at all the students. It was as if the students were driven by something like a subconscious response. They all stood up in attention and saluted the man crisply. The movement was all in sync as if they had rehearsed this for a long time. Think about what sort of mental image was being cast over the students to react in the same way.

    Stevenson said, ¡°At ease. I have never been known to talk too much, and nor do I n to overturn my image today. You all stand here today because you have shed your blood and sweat for it. You do not have to be thankful to anyone, you did it for yourself. Keep working hard and you will keep progressing.

    Now we shall get down with the oath of a soldier. However, before you all take this oath, I will give you all one chance to back off, after joining the force if you had second thoughts, then your hesitation might result in the death of not only you but your whole unit, your whole toon and even worse, the whole brigade. This applies to every one of you, whether you are from administration or the business ss. Now, I will give you ten minutes to think.¡±

    The parents were tense, but the students were having a different opinion. Some even wanted to ask if the old man on the stage ate too spicy in the breakfast. However, they dared not. Ten minutes passed very quickly. Stevenson said, ¡°Very well, now the guest of the honor, Major General Charlotte Knight will be granting you all, the military coat, your rank stars, and hat. Come over the stage when you are named.¡±

    Charlotte Knight came forward and a faculty member began to read the names of the students alphabetically. The first was the administration ss, followed by the battle ss, then the business ss, andstly the Technical ss.

    Shi Lang happened to be thest student as well. After an hour, his name was called over. The boy calmly walked over the stage from the stairs under the gazes of the whole school and all the parents. Shi Lang stood in front of Charlotte Knight and saluted her with a poker face. Thedy nodded and two officers came forward to take off his maroon zer and quickly put on a ck coat on him. Then Charlotte picked up star badges from the tray held by an attendant on the side and pinned them to thepel of his zer.

    The surrounding audience gasped at this. The people were all aware that the highest rank a new graduate was given was lieutenant. Which was disyed by two stars on thepel, however, Shi Lang was given a three-star badge. The boy did not show any reaction on his face, and Charlotte Knight picked up a ck peaked hat from the side and ced it on his head.

    Thedy said, ¡°Now, as the first officer among your batch, I would like to have Captain Shi Lang stand beside me and recite the oath of allegiance after me and you all will follow along with him.

    I, ¡­, do swear in name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of The Federation as by thew established and that I will, as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully serve in the Federation Military forces and go wherever ordered bynd, sea, air or space, and that I will observe and obey allmands of any officer set over me even to the peril of my life.¡±

    The woman did not speak one sentence at a time. The memory of the Terrans was not that shabby. The students all heard his sonorous voice and they felt their blood boiling. With a deep breath, they all recited the oath of allegiance. The air seemed to be reverberating with their voice. The audience were all shivering with excitement as they heard the strong voice.

    After the oath wasplete the students did not move but they all stood on their spots. Stevenson walked forward and said, ¡°Now you are all respected officers of the Federation Military forces. Carry yourself with the pride and dignity of an officer. Lastly, I would like to ask the first officer toe forward and say a few words to encourage his peers.¡±

    Shi Lang wanted to scold the old man because never had a first officer, the topper of the batch, was asked to speak on the stage. However, since he was ordered to move forward by a senior officer, although retired, it did only made the rank even heavier. The retirees were to be honored, and thus Shi Lang came and stood up in front of the mic.

    He gazed at everyone, and said, ¡°When earlier we stood here, we all had a different color. However, at the moment, we all have the same ck color draping us. This is to tell us that we are nowrades. When out there on the fronts you feel pressured and scared of any problem that you may face, remember, that you are not alone. This uniform is not to show your status and profession, but to tell you, that you carry the spirits of all the brothers who wear these colors.

    Far from home therades with these colors will be your family and the base of operation will be home, so go out there, and do your best. The family away from family not only bleeds the same, but they wear the same too. Remember, your family is your strength. Do you understand?¡±

    The speech emphasized the fact that the military will be a family they all joined. This emphasis made the students excited and they all subconsciously replied, ¡°UNDERSTOOD, SIR.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted them and the crowd returned his gesture. Then the boy did the same for the two old foxes on the stage and walked off. Stevenson said, ¡°Disperse, your posting orders will be dispatched on yourmunicators.¡±

    With that the graduation ceremony came to an end.

 Chapter 75

    Shi Lang and the rest of the students did not disperse but all tookmemorative pictures with each other, however, their bearings changedpletely after they put on the military coat. They all were excited and took pictures with their parents as well.

    Shi Lang was standing over with his parents with a faint smile on his face when he found Jenkins walking over to his side. The boy nodded and introduced his parents to Jenkins. The couple of civilians had idolized Jenkins¡¯s father a lot from the spoils of his glory they heard on news. They greeted Jenkins with smiles and then gave the two people some room.

    Jenkins said, ¡°I have my orders. I will be reporting to the first division. The location is not yet confirmed, but I am sure it will be fun.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Just be careful out there. I will see you when you get promoted. Pass on your Comm ID.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and they exchanged am ID. This ID could be used tomunicate with each other when they were posted at different ces through the space. Themunication was not instant but with ag depending on the location, since the message will have to channel through a lot of rys.

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What about your posting?¡± when they were done with the exchange.

    Shi Lang smiled but did not say anything. Jenkins was not a doofus, his father was the first general and he was aware of many things the others did not know. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Secret Divisions?¡±

    Shi Lang winked and confirmed his guess. Jenkins sighed and hammered a punch on Shi Lang¡¯s shoulder as he said, ¡°Lucky swine. How did you get this? They do not recruit fresh meat.¡±

    Jenkins¡¯s demeanor has gone under tremendous change after he started interacting with the people around him. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I cannot really tell you that, you know.¡±

    Jenkins shook his head and said, ¡°Well, whatever, just do not die. Ping me some days. I will take my leave now. I am called immediately.¡±

    The two exchanged a fist bump and thetter walked away. Suddenly, Shi Lang heard a small voice behind him, ¡°What did he say?¡±

    Shi Lang did not turn around and said, ¡°He has immediate orders. Will youe with me? The ss is nning to hang out for the farewell.¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°I have my orders too. Immediate posting on Ao. You know that ce?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Scout Division?¡± he could guess why they have posted her there. First, that ce was under themand of Charlotte, and second, scouting and exploring a hostile territory will help Amelia rake up military merit points a lot faster to help her climb the ranks. The boy said, ¡°Be careful and do not underestimate the inhabitants. Also, do not trust anyone in that base.¡±

    A voice interrupted him, ¡°Boy are you sowing discord among us daughter and mother?¡±

    Shi Lang turned around and saw Charlotte Knight standing with his parents, behind Amelia. Even his own parents were giving him a death stare, but the boy did not budge and said, ¡°With all due respect General Knight. You know very well, what I am talking about, and if you think this much will be enough to sow discord then I ask you to have some more trust in your daughter. Also, if I found that she suffered grievance at the hands of the people, I do not mind going rogue and hunting down everyone including you.¡±

    That said, he did not wait for anyone and lightly kissed Amelia¡¯s lips and said, ¡°I will see you soon. Exchange your Comm ID.¡±

    Amelia did not expect him to kiss her so gently in front of her mother and his parents and obediently gave him herm ID. Then Shi Lang walked away from the spot. His parents and Charlotte were all shocked at what happened in front of them. Charlotte said, ¡°He is ignoring me? I am his superior officer.¡±

    She did not like the threat and the disy of affection between her treasured daughter and this rascal. However, Amelia said as she watched him walk away, ¡°You cannot counter him. He will say that he has not yet taken charge of his duty and his orders have not arrived yet.¡±

    Charlotte was left speechless, her daughter has never taken the side of an outsider in front of her, and that too in such a soft voice. She sighed and said, ¡°Go, say goodbye to Uncle and Aunty and we will leave.¡±

    The girl said bye to Shi Lang¡¯s parents. The couple blessed her and Luna said, ¡°Madam Charlotte, when the two reach eighteen, I think we can have them officially engaged?¡±

    Charlotte nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Sister Luna, we are inws, who are you calling madam?¡±

    The two elders chatted a few minutes before parting. Shi Lang had already walked away to join his ssmates for the farewell party. Some of the battle-ss people also came over. Most of them had received the immediate posting orders. Shi Lang and the rest of the group attracted a lot of attention when theymuted together in the metro or when they walked around.

    They were all walking in a neat formation and looked like a parade on the sidewalks. The people sneakily clicked pictures. The students all reached the bar they had reserved earlier and began to indulge in vanity. It was evening when they finished their party and they all scattered to get back home.

    Shi Lang was walking through the crowd when hismunicator buzzed. The boy came to stand still and checked the mail. It was his posting order. The ce listed in the mail was on Federation, metropia.

    He did not take this order lightly and got back home. There he found his parents and the rest of the neighborhood gathered together below the building. He was aware that they all wanted to party but he did not have any time left. So he tugged at the sleeve of his Aunt, M, who was also present at their home.

    Thedy asked, ¡°What is it, Baby?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I have to leave, my posting is immediate. I do not have much time to amodate them all. Can you handle this for me please?¡± he lowered his voice to keep things between just the two of them.

    M winked at him with an OK gesture. The boy nodded and calmly excused himself to go upstairs. He needed to pack up a few things before he could leave. M was not a cafe owner for nothing, she handled the situation and told the people that Shi Lang has to leave right away and he did not want to feel too heavy in his heart so she hoped they bless him and give the family some room before the parting.

    The people nodded and after greeting Shi John and Luna they left. The four elders walked up the stairs only to find Shi Lang holding a small duffle bag in his hand. Luna walked forward and hugged him gently. The boy was emotional as well and returned the gesture. He said, ¡°You all must be nice to each other when I am gone. Men must look after women and not bully them, if I found my twodiesining then you two old guys will have it hard.¡±

    The men chuckled as they closed their eyes to hide their tears. M and Luna were not strong and to the former Shi Lang was a son too. So they softly sobbed while they hugged him. The boy sighed and said, ¡°You guys, be strong. I will be fine. Chill.¡±

    Thedies exhorted for him to be careful and if he found something too hard then just quit ande back. Shi Lang nodded and after giving a fist bump to the men, he left. He came out of the residentialplex and found an inconspicuous ck levitating vehicle parked not far away. He walked up and knocked on the window.

    He waited for a few seconds and nothing happened. He sighed and using his fingers he wrote a few words on the ss. The window rolled down and a cloaked figure asked, ¡°What?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You have been following me for two days and keeping watch at my home as well. take me to Captain Arkham.¡±

    The cloaked figure only had her eyes visible, her gaze was spewing fire all over Shi Lang. If gazes could kill then the boy might have vaporized. She said, ¡°How did you find me?¡±

    She was sure that she did not reveal herself to him. The boy said, ¡°My senses are better than the rest. Can we go now?¡±

    Thedy nodded after letting out a sigh and opened the co-pilot seat door. Shi Lang put his bag in the back and then fastened the seat belt and the vehicle moved.

 Chapter 76

    Shi Lang was sitting in the vehicle observing the scene shing outside. He was not told where they were going and neither did he ask. He did not even ask for the name of thedy driving the car. Finally, after two hours, thedy spoke up first, ¡°Are you not curious?¡±

    The boy asked, ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Things like, Where are we heading? Who am I? etcetera, etcetera?¡± said the girl.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We are heading to the base of Shadow Executioner Division¡¯s regional headquarters. Your name, I do not think is important for me to know.¡± then he fell silent again. His tone had a strong indifference.

    Thedy almost did not choke on this behavior. She asked, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and asked, ¡°How many times have you read the code of a soldier when you were in the academy?¡±

    Thedy replied, ¡°A dozen times at least, why?¡±

    ¡°Howe you still ask me this stupid question? The code of soldiers clearly states that one must report to the regional headquarters of the division,¡± he said with contempt on his face. Then closed his eyes as if he did not notice the girl tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She could have sworn that she will kill him if not for the fact that this boy was sought out after her boss.

    The vehicle became silent and whenever thedy tried to look at the boy¡¯s visage, she would find him opening his eyes and looking back at her. She sighed and focused on driving the vehicle. After two and a half-hour ofmute, they reached a town. The towns had undergone a lot of change in the age of technology however, they were not crowded like the city.

    The vehicle entered the town borders and Shi Lang sat up straight. He looked outside carefully and could sense a lot of eyes locked on the vehicle. He mumbled, ¡°This whole town is under our division?¡±

    Thedy in the driver¡¯s seat nodded. She said, ¡°This town is a secret location. It is not shown on the map, and civilians are not allowed within a hundred kilometers of this town. This ce is ssified as a military research facility and thus not many people have the idea to visit.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and understood why the civilian vehicles on thest hundred kilometers were scarce. Thedy continued speaking, ¡°The vehicles you saw on the road were all operatives being dispatched for tasks or vacation.¡±

    The boy nodded listening to her exnation. Thedy moved the vehicle to the center of the town, where a building with old architecture style stood tall. The building looked very mundane, and unguarded, it looked like a town hall. Shi Lang could tell that if someone tried to even point their fingers at the walls, they will turn into blood mist.

    He said, ¡°The security is overwhelming.¡±

    Thedy nodded and said, ¡°That is necessary, otherwise, how will the secrets be kept safe? We have to stay ready for all contingencies no matter how small the chance.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, the car stopped in front of the building entrance and the two people alighted the vehicle. Then, without any words, he followed thedy. Subconsciously he traced her footsteps. This has be his habit, when he was inside an unknown area, he would follow and trace a local¡¯s footsteps.

    Upon entering the building the two of them were checked for security reasons and then let go. Thedy in the front said, ¡°I will take you to Commander Arkham now.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and walked behind her watching the surroundings and registering them to his memory. The town hall was not very big. It took them a few minutes to walk over to a room with a big mahogany door. Thedy knocked on the door and said, ¡°Commander, may Ie in?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± sounded a voice. Thedy gazed at Shi Lang indicating him to stand by. The boy nodded and thedy entered.

    ¡­

    Inside the room, there were no decorations, only a professional smart table, and a chair. The lights were embedded in the ceiling. The room was a square box. Behind the table sat Archie Arkham, reading through some holographic documents.

    She raised her head and saw thedy in ck saluting her. She nodded and said, ¡°Gamma, is he here?¡±

    Thedy was called Gamma, one of the three most adept trackers in the division. Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Standing-by outside.¡±

    Archie said, ¡°March him in.¡± and went back to her work.

    Gamma said in a loud voice, ¡°Captain Shi Lang, March In.¡±

    The only way to get through the soundproofing of this room was to make a six-star Terran shout at the top of their lungs.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang heard the voice and walked in with a stoic face. He pushed open the door and walked up in a standard military march style, quick and crisp. Then he turned to face right using his heels. Then followed by two loud stomps he stood in attention with his right hand on top of his heart position as he said, ¡°Captain Shi Lang reporting for duty, Sir.¡±

    Archie Arkham raised her head and smiled at him. She said, ¡°You did well in the entrance exam. My favor was not used in vain, I guess. The colors also look good on you.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you for your praise, Commander.¡±

    Archie said, ¡°You will be following, Gamma. She reports directly to me. I wish I could have given you the time to learn the ways of the secret division, however, time is our eternal enemy. Gamma will lead you to the holding cells, and you will have your inauguration ceremony today itself. I would like to have the results on my table after dinner so that I can enjoy them as my dessert. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡± in a loud tone.

    ¡°Dismissed.¡± said thedy and send the two of them away.¡±

    Gamma and Shi Lang saluted her before they moved out. The two people closed the door and Shi Lang asked, ¡°How do I address you, Sir?¡±

    Gamma was surprised by his change of tone and said, ¡°I am Lieutenant Colonel Sabrina Gamma. You will call me LC Gamma. Understood.¡±

    Shi Lang replied with a clear, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°I prefer, Ma¡¯am.¡± and then she walked ahead.

    Shi Lang walked behind her. Usually, the senior officers were all addressed as Sir. The ranks are gender-neutral, and this address was to show that the males acknowledged the equality of the females. This was an amendment made by a female Joint Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking military officer. Second only to the Federation President.

    The two walked outside the town hall and Gamma said, ¡°Check yourmunicator, your recent missionsmands are sent to you. Read the relevant data and details before we reach the holding cells.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and essed hismunicator. He would salute any senior officer that he met on the way and Gamma would introduce him as her junior. The people were all at the least six-star terrans and they gave off a strong killing intent. Shi Lang finished reading the material and asked, ¡°This case is not simple, right?¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°What is your opinion? Tell me?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Brigadier Jun, posted on a remote is used of rape, arson, and genocide. He has been in service for thirty years now and is a decorated officer. There have been no priorints about him. His record is clean. The usation was filed by his juniors and then the military police investigated.

    The usations were found to be true, however, the culprit pleaded non-guilty. He even asked for the secret division to take over at the cost of his service merits. This is definitely not simple. How desperate was he to use his service merits for the secret division to be involved? Later on, your team discovered a lead, and a suspect was taken under custody, this person is an adjutant beside the used.

    The more curious thing is the ce this event happened is a remote called Carta-shyn. The inhabitants are peace-loving species and they all surrendered at the first notice. No blood was shed, so what made the brigadier go on such a rampage?

    Either he broke down mentally or someone is pulling a big number on him. However, it is not simple. After thirty years of service, the mentality should not break down in face of non-violent masses. Moreover, if it is a number being pulled, then what is the motive, because the brigadier looks to be just person.¡±

    Gamma was surprised by listening to his deduction and then she nodded after regaining herposure. She said, ¡°We will be interrogating the suspect, or to be precise, you will be. Extract the intel from her and then we will proceed.¡±

    ¡­

    A special mention and thank you to Daoist9qZqni, for bestowing three ice c¡¯s to my thirsty soul. Thank you very much, I am gratified.

 Chapter 77

    Shi Lang nodded and the two of them walked to the holding cells. These cells looked like normal houses from the outside. The roof was covered with red tiles, the walls were all cemented and painted neatly. The boy mumbled this ce looks more like a model.

    Gamma did not say anything over thisment. They were all disciplined military cadres, how could they not have the ce clean? They reached a house that looked no different from any other in the town except for the number on the door.

    A man sat outside the house on a rocking chair. Gamma said, ¡°Stephan, are you not resting a bit too much on the job? Should I let the boss know?¡±

    Stephan was a middle-aged man with a burly physique. He sighed as he stood up and said, ¡°Boss, can you not drag big boss in this conversation? You know my ability makes me like this.¡±

    The man showed a bitter look on his face. Gamma sighed and said, ¡°Open the cell, we have to interrogate her.¡±

    The man nced at Shi Lang but watching him standing behind Gamma he did not say anything and walked to the door of the house with his palm ced on the door he pushed it slightly. The door opened up like it was never closed. his was the advanced security system.

    Gamma and Shi Lang followed Stephan. The boy saw ady sitting on a wooden chair. That was the only furniture spotted by the boy inside the room. Gamma said, ¡°Captain Lang, what do you need?¡±

    The boy looked around and said, ¡°A fruit knife will do, and please tie her up from the ceiling. Hanging sometimes rxes the mind.¡±

    His voice sounded calm and his tone was polite as if suggesting someone therapy but Stephan for some weird reason had his hair standing on the end. He never thought such simple words can make him feel. Gamma did not know what Shi Lang¡¯s origin was, or that he has been to Ragnarok. She was just aware that Archie asked for this guy directly, and even before the test, his details were filled in.

    She nodded and said, ¡°Stefan tie her up.¡±

    The adjutant was unconscious and her body had been put in shackles. Stephan flung the chain in her shackles over the hook after he made thedy stand up. Shi Lang took off his peaked cap and walked inside the few rooms of the house. Finally, inside the kitchen, he found what he was looking for.

    A pail of cold water, and a fruit knife. He walked back to the living room and ced the pail on the chair. He asked, ¡°If she died in the interrogation? ¡±

    This question was aimed at Gamma, who shrugged her hands and said, ¡°You can kill her but only after the intel is extracted.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Then I would like to ask you if you have some medical supplies in this ce.¡±

    Gamma raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Yes, we do.¡±

    The boy nodded and walked forward to thedy hanging from the ceiling. He raised his hand and checked ced it on her nape. He checked her pulse and said, ¡°She wille out of sedation in a few minutes. Is she discharged of her duties officially?¡±

    Gamma shook her head and said, ¡°No, she is still under investigation.¡±

    The boy then raised his hands and neatly undid the buttons of his prey¡¯s uniform. Gamma was surprised by his actions but she did not say anything. Stephan wanted to intervene but was stopped by a stern gaze from Gamma.

    The boy only opened the adjutant¡¯s shirt and stepped back. He picked up the pail of cold water and sshed it hard on her head. The cold water broke thest effect of sedatives and thedy woke up with a big gasp. She looked around and tried to move when she heard a cold voice, ¡°Do not struggle.¡±

    The intimidation from the voice gave her a sense of dread, making all her body feel soft. Shi Lang said, ¡°A few things before we begin, I will ask the questions, you will answer the truth and only the truth. Every time you lie, I will know and you will receive a lesson. The lesson will make you realize that death can be better than life. For example.¡±

    Then he took out the fruit knife from his pocket and stepped forward to thedy, then he ced the knife between her ribs and slowly stabbed it inside. Thedy experienced tremendous pain, she was a four-star Terran but her body was not tempered through strong warfare or bloodshed. The boy did not say anything, letting her struggle.

    After five minutes when she became used to the pain only did her struggle stop. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You are good, did not even groan. I wailed like a bitch in the first cut. Well, so getting back to business.¡±

    He held the hilt of the knife and pulled it out slowly and this time thedy groaned. The boy was careful to make sure that there is no blood spraying over him. He asked, ¡°Your name?¡±

    Thedy red at him but did not reply. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Seventy-two stabs. Each more painful than thest, will not let you die and you will be at the peak of your consciousness.¡± then followed a slow second stab. The cut was made at the diaphragm.

    This time thedy grunted loudly. She was trying to hold back the pain. Shi Lang waited and said, ¡°I have all the time in the world, and I have all the means in the world. The dossier tells me that your family has a long lineage of military servants? You are the only one in your generation, so how about I call your family and give them the news that you turned out to be a twisted prick and conspired against yourmanding officer, who holds so much merit?¡±

    Thedy was shocked when these words came out. Not only her but even the rest of the people were surprised. This was a cruel mind game. Gamma did not expect this boy to aim at breaking thedypletely, by any means necessary.

 Chapter 78

    Thedy was shocked pale from fright when she heard Shi Lang dragging her family in between and he evenid down a strong usation of conspiracy against a senior officer. Shi Lang did not only read the dossier but also used hismunication to check a few details of her family. His clearance was not high enough but he was able to check the details but he could see that the people of her family were servicemen.

    Thedy said, ¡°Do not drag them into this. I did nothing wrong.¡± her tone was harsh and she would not hesitate to kill Shi Lang this very moment.

    If the family was dragged in and smeared with dirt in front of the circle they will not be able to tolerate this. Shi Lang said, ¡°Oh, and what is your defense?¡±

    Thedy did not say anything and Shi Lang smiled and wielded his knife. The next minute a scream rang out from thedy¡¯s mouth. The boy had stabbed her again. The stab was very painful, it made her lungs burn when she gasped.

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°The third stab will act as a catalyst, every time you breathe your lungs will burn and it will make your body more sensitive to the pain. Now, what is your name?¡±

    Thedy was scared by his chuckle. She realized that this kid was a demon from hell. She replied in a groaning tone, ¡°Captain Loius Lampard.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I am a captain as well you see.¡± then he pointed at the stars on hispel.

    Thedy did not know what to say. Shi Lang asked, ¡°So, what can you tell me about Brigadier Jun going on such a crime spree, Captain Louis.¡±

    ¡°I do not know, I was not beside him all the time,¡± replied Louis.

    Shi Lang smiled and walked forward with a smile on his face, he said, ¡°You looked sideways, your killing intent for me wavered. You lied.¡±

    Louis was about to say something when the knife again sunk in her body and she wailed harder. Shi Lang did not stop at one stab but continued to make five more. Captain Louis was hanging from the ceiling and her wails had be hoarser with every passing second. After ten minutes of pain, her body was hanging from the hook with no strength left in it.

    The blood from her wounds stained her torso and her skirt but Shi Lang pressed a few acupoints around her wounds and it stopped. The boy mped her chin between his thumb and index finger and asked, ¡°Do you feel your lungs burning and your body itch more with every stab? Do you want to end this misery? You heard what LC Gamma told me right? I cannot let you die before you let out the intel.

    Is it really worth it for you to tolerate such pain for someone? Do you really not care about your family¡¯s reputation?¡±

    Louis raised her eyes and gazed at him. The boy noticed a struggle in her eyes. She was holding back. He pressed an acupoint on her neck and thedy fainted. The boy smiled and said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, was her body frisked before she came here?¡±

    Gamma nodded. Stephan also said, ¡°Yes, she was checked thoroughly, why do you ask?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Sir, I mean medically? Did you give her aplete check-up?¡±

    Gamma looked at Stephan, and the man shook her head. He said, ¡°She was at the peak of her fitness a few minutes before.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°Did you not see her struggle when her family was mentioned? That was her real reaction. The one we saw just now, defending herself, was a different person altogether. She is affected by either a drug or under the effect of a maniption ability.¡±

    Stephan was surprised and asked, ¡°What do you mean? How can you be so sure?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The signs of struggle she showed just now, they were not simple.¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°The effects of the ability cannot work here. She is alone here, and the person who took control of her can not affect her at such a distance. So, it must be a drug.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°It has been three days since she has been arrested. Any drug would have worn off by now. However, the ability also cannot affect her like this. There must be something else.¡±

    As he was speaking the boy had his gaze locked on thedy hanging from the ceiling. His gaze fell on her wounds. Then it clicked, he said, ¡°Send her to the infirmary, tell them to put her inside a healing pod and initiate a simtion in there. We will interrogate her inside the simtion realm. That way the control will be rendered useless. Also, the doctors will be able to notice anything unusual happening to her body when we interrogate her.¡±

    Gamma was surprised and asked, ¡°Why do youe up with this? I will not allow you free rein.¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Healing ability of a four-star Terran should have made the bleeding stop by itself after thirty seconds. However, I had to plug it up. That is enough to state that something was wrong with her body. Second, she will not have a controlled reaction inside the simtion realm, it will be all her unconscious brain. Things will be fast.¡±

    Stephan nodded subconsciously at this remark and Gamma said, ¡°Very well, you will carry her to the infirmary, rookie. This is your idea.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up in attention and said, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Thedy nodded and then Louis was taken down the hook and the trio rushed to the infirmary. The people on the way did cast them a few odd gazes but that was normal, who did not do a bit weird stuff inside the secret division.

    ¡­

    Louis opened her eyes and found herself hanging down the same hook and the three people were sitting on chairs around her like before. She cast her gaze upon Shi Lang and shivered a little. The boy seemed to have sensed her movements and raised his head to look at her with a smile.

    That smile sent shivers down her spine. She could have sworn that this smiling boy was a demon incarnated.

 Chapter 79

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Woke up, Captain Louis Lampard? How was your sleep?¡±

    Then he stood up from his chair and fished out the fruit knife from his pocket. Thedy shivered and said, ¡°No, please do not do this anymore. It is not my fault. I did nothing, Brigadier Jun and the other people are all being framed.¡±

    Shi Lang stopped and looked at her with an indifferent face. He was sure that this was a subconscious reaction of her, which was triggered by his stabbing action. She seemed to have developed a strong psychological impression of him. The boy asked, ¡°Why did you not say all this earlier?¡±

    Thedy said, ¡°I could not, I do not know how can I speak the truth now, but believe me please, this is all true.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at Gamma, who nodded at him to keep going. The boy asked, ¡°Then do tell me the in and outs of this matter from the very beginning, also, please be concise in details do not miss out on anything.¡±

    Louis nodded and said, ¡°Two months ago, the federalmand ordered us to reckon Carta-shyn. the brigade set off and soon we arrived at the ster coordinates. The rest of the procedure was followed by the federal war action code. We asked the natives to surrender and they did. Uponnding, we found out that the ce was a premedieval civilization.

    The inhabitants had characteristics crossing between humans and animals. Upon research it was discovered that they were just like us terrans, they awakened abilities and these abilities gave them powers like animals, however, they acquired them at birth only.

    The peace talks were concluded very peacefully and the people of the were all very calm about it. However, one day there was a storm near our location. Brigadier Jun and the rest of the highmanding officers were embroiled in it.

    When we got out of the storm we found something weird, the whole base was covered with corpses. Brigadier and the rest of the people were sure that all this was done by the natives, and thus we weremanded to erase the vige nearby. The higher officers were seven-star officers and with brigadier, they rummaged the whole ce.

    In the end, the senior of the natives killed three highermands before he was killed by Brigadier Jun. The battlested two days, and after exhausting their whole strength we passed out. When we woke up the Military police had already taken us in.¡±

    Shi Lang did not know what to make of it. He asked, ¡°Any proof to justify your statement?¡±

    Louis said, ¡°Sir, you can check the memories inside the brain, I do not have anything else to prove myself.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°We have indeed watched your memories, however, nothing that you orally convey does match with the clips in the memory.¡±

    Louis Lampard was shocked. Shi Lang said, ¡°I will y the clip we found inside your memories.¡±

    ¡­

    As the scene progressed, Louis became even more restless. Her ount had no problem till the point they came out of the storm. After the storm, there was no such bloody scene as she told the people. The actions on the screen were heinous. It was as if the highermand will not leave a single corpse intact.

    Shi Lang gazed at the girl and said, ¡°You want to tell me that all this happened because the inhabitants acted first? Also, you all did not take care of the medical guidelines, issued by the federation.

    Do you have no idea that you need to wear the oxygen extractor on your face when you are out in a new uncharted territory? You people are too careless for your own good. Do you think that you all will get away from this? Tch, shame.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Miss Louis Lampard, I would like to ask for a few questions. Do you mind?¡±

    Louis nodded her head and said, ¡°I do not mind, you can ask.¡±

    Thedy nodded and Stephan took Shi Lang outside.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang asked Stephan, ¡°Why did wee out?¡±

    The man said, ¡°Boss, wanted to interact with her for thest time. Do not worry, she will double-check her statement. If it is a lie then her statement will change. Being alone with a Terran whose star level is higher than you is intimidating. Plus boss had a special ability. You, on the other hand, rookie, did quite a work on her.

    Tell me, how did you think this simtion realm will work in our favor?¡±

    They were still standing inside the simtion realm and the whole space was projecting the scene of the holding cells in the real world. Shi Lang smiled and shook his head. He did not want to answer this guy too much.

    ¡­

    After ten minutes, Gamma came out of the ce and said, ¡°What she said is the truth in her mind. I cross-checked multiple times. Now the rest depends upon the medical reports, if we did not find anything, Commander will have us on a tter.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Let us check the medical records. I have a strong hunch something is up with her body.¡±

    The people nodded and Gamma asked the operator outside to turn off the simtion realm.

    ¡­

    Three of them opened their eyes slowly and stood up. They walked out of the simtion room and came to the infirmary where Louis was being treated. Gamma nced at the few people gathered at the side and asked, ¡°Doctor Kyle, anything useful?¡±

    Doctor Kyle was in charge of Louis¡¯s check-up. He seemed to be in histe twenties and had a good bearing. His roughlybed hair made him look aloof. The man said, ¡°Madam, there is something odd that we never expected.¡±

    He walked over to her side and passed her a tablet. He said, ¡°This is a scan of her spine and central nervous system. Her entire nervous system is cluttered with some sort of living organism. We have extracted some of it and found that this thing is a parasitic bug. The size is microscopic but the ability is terrifying.¡±

    Gamma was surprised and asked, ¡°Go on.¡±

    The doctor pushed his sses back up on his nose and said, ¡°This little guy is capable of causing people to hallucinate, and do things that they never had imagined. Not only that, it can even take over their consciousness to the point where the people will be a different self of theirs. It slows down the rest of the functions of the body. Like self-healing ability is slowed down by a lot.

    If not for the fact that the body is a four-star Terran, then you can forget about her being of any use. She is a victim. Also, these little bugs work like bees, inside the billions of bugs, there is a supreme bug that is controlling them all.¡±

    Shi Lang was not much surprised but Gamma and Stephan were. The former asked, ¡°Doctor is there a chance that those whoe in contact with her can get infected?¡±

    Kyle replied with furrowed brows, ¡°I do not know, but it is better to have you and all those who came in contact with her to get tested.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Then do test us, we have to submit a report afterward. Also, is there a way to cure this situation?¡±

    His hint was at Louis Lampard. Kyle replied, ¡°We are trying to determine where the queen bug is so that we can do aser procedure, and we are also trying to develop a drug that can be used in this situation.¡±

    The three nodded and then they all followed to get tested. Kyle personally presided over the scans. he watched the three of them being cleared. Shi Lang and Gamma did not dy and moved back to the town hall to report to themander.

    Shi Lang took the lead to knock on the door. Archie spoke, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The boy pushed open the door and waited for Gamma to enter before him. She was his senior officer, this was his etiquette. The boy got inside and saluted Archie.

    Thedy asked, ¡°Progress?¡±

    Gamma gestured for Shi Lang to speak. The boy nodded and said, ¡°Reporting to themander, the suspect has confessed a few facts in the simtion realm. The memory tapping also revealed that half of her statement was correct, however, the incident is done under the influence of the parasitic people inside her and the other officer¡¯s bodies. The fact has been confirmed by the medical team. However, the source of these parasites inside the body of these people is unknown.¡±

    Then he walked forward and handed him a tablet to him, this contained all the details about the interrogation and the case. Thedy took a thorough look at it and said, ¡°Good, LC Gamma, you are to take a team and investigate the source of these parasites. The base of operation is Carta-shyn. At the same time, you will try to re-establish the peace talks. Captain Shi-Lang is your first assistant. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± replied the two.

 Chapter 80

    Shi Lang and Gamma came out of the room and thedy said, ¡°Captain Lang, you will head with me directly to the spaceport and we will depart right away. Do you have any problem?¡±

    The boy asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, is it possible for us to grab clothes and supplies before we depart?¡±

    Gamma smiled, ¡°Rookie, the supplies like toiletries are all avable in the spaceship as for clothes, Do not worry, you can find them inside the ship as well. Our secret divisions all have some perks that others do not.¡± she seemed to be very proud about it.

    The boy did not say anything either and they walked outside. Gamma asked, ¡°Do you know how to drive?¡±

    The boy replied in a clear voice, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Gamma took out a key card from her pocket and handed it over to Shi Lang. She said, ¡°You are the rookie so you will be the driving, the rest of the team has been informed and they will be gathering up at the spaceport. Let us go.¡±

    Shi Lang had no opinion and walked behind her. She was using her authority as the senior officer and he was fine with it. The two of them came to the parking and found that Stephan, whom Yang Dao had met earlier was already standing beside the vehicle.

    He saluted Gamma and then extended his hand to Shi Lang, ¡°Major Stephan Dmitri. d to have you onboard.¡±

    Stephan was a burly man, however, his vibes were very calm. Shi Lang exchanged the handshake with him and guessed that this person was at least a six-star Terran. Gamma said, ¡°You can y friend-friendter, get moving.¡±

    The boy moved around the vehicle and after pressing the key-card to the door surface he unlocked the vehicle and jumped in the driver¡¯s seat. Stephan sat in co-pilot with him while Gamma took the back.

    The operation of the vehicle was simple. Shi Lang pressed a button on the dashboard and a slight vibration around his feet made him realize that the vehicle engine was on. He pressed on the pedal and the vehicle moved.

    The thing looked like an SUV but moved like a supercar. Thanks to the maglev technology. Shi Lang drove the vehicle and they swiftly left the town. Gamma said, ¡°Stephan, Captain Lang will be my first assistant,mander¡¯s order. You will keep those guys in line, I have a lot on my te as it is.¡±

    Stephan nodded and said, ¡°Very well boss. Lang has the skills and I can be the witness to that, I will teach those guys, you do not worry.¡±

    Gamma nodded and leaned back in the seat. Shi Lang acted as if he heard nothing. After a few minutes, he said, ¡°Permission to ask a question, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Go ahead, Captain.¡±

    ¡°The data regarding the might lead us astray.¡± said the boy.

    Gamma raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Continue.¡±

    She was meaning to ask him what was the logic behind this statement of his. The boy said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, the federal army had been investigating this ce only for a couple of months, I do not think it is in our favor to bet on unverified data. This thing could be a trap.

    The parasites could originate from anywhere. What if this is a way the inhabitants are trying to keep the forces at bay. The previous investigation team made a mistake by not following the medical guidelines. I suggest we start topile the facts on our own after getting there and cross-examine the results of Brigadier Jun¡¯s exploration.¡±

    Stephan said, ¡°It will take too much time.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Indeed, we do not have much time on our hands. Plus we have to restore the peaceful status of the ce as well. From what I can see, since the elders of the inhabitants had killed a few of our high-ranking members, the stationed forces will be eager to seek bloodshed. We cannot let this happen.¡± her tone was solemn.

    There were too many things that were taking ce at the same time making the situation tooplex. They wanted to solve the problem and theseplexities made the situation delicate like a ss too. One mistake and they will be on the verge of war.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The first objective is to appease the stationed troops.¡¯

    Gamma nodded, ¡°Correct. That is the most important thing to do right now. How long before we arrive at the port?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Ten minutes.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Inside the dash cab, there are a few sample masks, choose one and cover your face. Secret Division does not show their face. Remove the name badge on your coat. Your code name will be self-assigned. So choose a good one.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am¡±

    The vehicle turned silent after that.

    ¡­

    Ten minutester the vehicle entered the spaceport¡¯s military mobilization terminal, MMT for short. Stephan got down first and Shi Lang followedter. Gamma came out at the end. She was wearing skin-fit ck attire which looked seamless and her head was covered with a hoodie and her face was covered with a mask, even her eyes were covered with a colored lens.

    Shi Lang had a mask on his face, that looked too in, however, the rest of his clothes were the same as earlier. Stephan had also put on his hoodie and mask, his burly figure was the only differentiating point from Gamma.

    The trio arrived in front of a ck spaceship. This one was smaller in size. Stephan said, ¡°Do not make a mistake, this one is a fighter spaceship. Exclusive to secret divisions like us. They are faster and the attack capacity is enough to take down a dreadnaught. Plus they can sneak in easily as well.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and just then his gazended upon a group of four people standing and talking to each other near the ship. Their attire was enough for him to know their identities. They were his teammates. The boy did not have any high hopes of gaining their cooperation. However, since he has been thrown into this situation, he shall prevail.

    Gamma came and stopped in front and the four people immediately became alert. They saluted thedy, who nodded back to them, and pointing at Shi Lang she said, ¡°This is Captain Shi Lang, he will be my first assistant in this task.¡±

    The people cast their gazes at Shi Lang, even though they had a mask covering their gazes the boy could sense the intensity. Stephan said, ¡°Do not try to intimidate him, he has the skills and also the order came for Commander Arkham. Do you haveins and opinions now?¡±

    The people shook their heads and Gamma nodded to them. Then she took them all over the ship. The crew of seven people had three males and four females, including Shi Lang. The crew was not in a hurry to make introductions. Gamma said, ¡°Carole, Luby, get us up and running.¡±

    Twodies replied, ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± and they rushed to the cockpit. The spaceship can be operated by two people, aided by an artificial intelligence system.

    The avability and development of AI were very constricted as the Terrans were even more paranoid than humans. They did not like giving off control to machinespletely. The solution to making an AI too powerful, they divided them into categories, like household management systems, and finance monitoring systems. This way the AI will not be able to be an all-knowing existence and they will be safer. This ideology faced a lot of criticism but the government did not budge.

    A soft voice sounded, ¡°Allure wees you onboard, Lieutenant Colonel Gamma. Where might we be flying to today?¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Sector ZXI09, designation, Carta-Shyn.¡± her voice was unfeeling.

    The AI responded, ¡°Location coordinates have been confirmed, please put on your seat belts, we are up.¡±

    The people put on the belts and the next moment the ship took off. The vertical climb was slow then suddenly the ship elerated. A voice sounded in the speaker again, ¡°Leaving earth¡¯s atmosphere in five seconds.¡±

    The AI was providing every minute detail about the journey. After two minutes, the AI said, ¡°Leaving gravitational pull zone.¡±

    The speed of the spaceship was very fast. After an hour, the AI voice sounded again, ¡°Initiating space jump.¡±

    The next moment, Shi Lang sensed his body being squeezed and the sensation was not pleasant for him. This time the sensationsted for a few moments longer than thest few journeys. After the ship came out of the space jump, the AI voice sounded again, ¡°Engine cooling down, will reinitiate the space jump sequence in twenty minutes.¡±

    Stephan said, ¡°Seems like, we are deployed a bit too far.¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Sector ZXI09 is a war front where the military is discovering news with life. So, it is the edge of the federation umbre.¡±

 Chapter 81

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people did not talk much. Gamma said, ¡°Lang, put on the squad uniform. It is ced under the chair.¡±

    The boy undid the safety belt and bent down to take out the neatly folded ck set of clothes. He stood up and walked out of the holding cabin. The ship had a smaller holding cabin, allowing ten people to sit in, and had onevatory. The rest of the sections in this ship were weapon stations and one pantry.

    This ship was designed in a manner where if the damage exceeds a limit of twenty percent the crew could take up the weapon stations and with the aid of the AI system act more efficiently. The AI would always have a set ofmands to prioritize but manual or sub-manual control could help the people avoid it.

    Shi Lang came to thevatory and quickly changed his clothes. He was dressed in ck attire, that stuck to his skin but was breathable and at the same time soft. This uniform had a semi camouge system inbuilt in it. The mask on his face had lenses, and a HUD feeding him various data. What was even more the uniform came with a drill-like knife that Shi Lang liked a lot.

    He walked out of thevatory with his old uniform neatly folded and ced it under his seat. Gamma said, ¡°Introduce yourself to the team.¡±

    The two pilots have alsoe back, as at this moment the ship was floating in the boundless space. Shi Lang saluted and said, ¡°Captain Shi Lang, graduated from Federal Star Academy, topper of the batch. Been in service for thirteen hours.¡±

    The people were surprised, even Stephan could not help but gawk at him. He asked, ¡°How did a fresh graduate be a captain. What have you done?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I cannot disclose that to you, Sir.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°I have the clearance, I can check.¡± she gave him a choice to spill it or she will look at it herself.

    Stephan said, ¡°Boss, what are you waiting for, do it.¡±

    What followedter was Shi Lang¡¯s academic record, his battle skill videos, his enrollment in a top-secret camp, and then his performance in the army entrance exam. Gamma was surprised to see that there was a camp that was top-secret even with her rank.

    She asked, ¡°Tell me, what was the rank of those instructors at your camp? This is not sensitive information.¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, ¡°General of the fleet served as the camp master.¡±

    There were twenty fleets in the federation army now and each one of them was so big that a squad could be seen as a speck of dust in a sandbox. The people were shocked when they heard the rank. Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Now, a few rules and regtions, after you put on that mask, you will only use your code names to call each other.

    You are not to take off your masks at any time during the mission. If you are caught by the enemy forces, then either you kill them all, or you kill yourself. That is all. Now the team shall introduce themselves to you.¡±

    The people nodded, the pilots stepped forward, ¡°I am, Luby, vehicle expert. The rest of my introduction will be after the missionpletion.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, then he was introduced to the rest of the members, Carole, Sharpnel, Tian, Hunk, and Gamma. The boy greeted them all and got back on his seat.

    Hunk was Stephan¡¯s code name. Gamma used her code name as thest name. She asked, ¡°What is your code name, rookie?¡±

    The boy smiled and said, ¡°Ace.¡±

    ¡­

    The space wrapped and a ship came out like a bullet prating window paper. The spaceship quickly began to descend through the atmosphere of the in front of them. Thendscape became more detailed as they descended and the ship came tond safely on the tarmac of the military base.

    Shi Lang looked through the porthole window and found that the base situation was simr to Ao. Gamma and the rest stood and they walked out of the hatch door of the ship. They were greeted by the actingmanding officer of the post.

    Gamma and the team stood in a neat formation and a man wearing a ck military outfit walked forward. His face was covered with a transparent mask. This was the high-tech oxygen extractor. It worked as the name suggested. Shi Lang and the others did not need to wear this as their masks already had this feature embedded.

    The man came forward and crisply saluted Gamma as he said, ¡°Acting Commander, Major General Stalin, wees, Investigator Gamma on the base.¡±

    They all had their code names reported earlier to make themunication easier. Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Show me the control room.¡±

    The man nodded and then briskly led forward the people. Shi Lang sensed a lot of gazes focused on him. He became vignt and Stephan said, ¡°Be on guard, who knows which one of them is infected.¡±

    The rest of the squad nodded and they raised their subconscious guard. The moment the shipnded on the tarmac, they had entered the enemy territory. This base belonged to the federation military site, however, they did not trust anyone. What if the source of the parasites was hidden inside the base? What if the parasites were the ability of one of the soldiers and not something originating from this?

    The federation had its internal struggles, those who did not believe in the civilization to be charging ahead in the space and conquering others as if they were ves. The squad quickly came to the main building and they were led to the control room on the top floor.

    Expect for the actingmand officer and his adjutant, the rest of the soldiers and staff were asked to leave. The squad took control of the pieces of equipment they needed and Shi Lang stood next to Gamma.

    In the center of the control room, therey a holographic model projector. This thing was used to project a real-time model of the surface with the help of satellite surveince. Gamma said, ¡°Ace, take control.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stepped forward, and asked, ¡°Point out the spot of the massacre.¡±

    The adjutant beside the actingmander nodded and stepped forward. He turned a trackball on the side of the table, anti-clockwise to zoom out of the map, and then scrolled the same ball to make the map move. Then a red spot came to the center of the map and the adjutant zoomed in again.

    Shi Lang looked at the model and found the ce to be a valley. He asked, ¡°What were the suspects doing here?¡±

    The actingmander said, ¡°We had received intel from the inhabitants that this ce as ake traveling through the hidden caves near the valley and the water of thisck could cure a lot of physical ailments. Brigadier Jun sent a small reckon group at first, however, the reckoning reported that the ce was filled with native wildlife.

    The beasts here are very violent and deadly, a five-star Terran might die if they were not careful. Brigadier Jun did not want to risk the lives of the troops so he took action himself and brought along some other high-levelrades. Then after camping for a week, they returned to the base, but before they came inside, suddenly they all rushed back to the valley. We found them on a rampage through the surveince and rushed to stop them.

    We reached the native settlements toote, their elders had taken action and three of ourrades were killed.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Why was Adjutant Louis not handed over to the military police right away?¡±

    Acting Commander Stalin said, ¡°Adjutant Louis was one of the people who were trying to stop the Brigadier and the rest before she was knocked out and injured by them. Thus she was inside the infirmary.¡±

    Shi Lang turned and looked at Gamma, who nodded and said, ¡°That will be enough for now, MG Stalin, you can retire from the room now.¡±

    The man saluted and left the control room with his adjutant. Shi Lang followed them and closed the door of the control room from the inside. Gamma said, ¡°Carole, pull out the medical records of Captain Louis Lampard from the mainframe. I want to see what treatment and tests were done on her.¡±

    The girl nodded and began to work around theputer. Shi Lang said, ¡°If they had given her a medical check-up then why did not discover the parasites. Ma¡¯am, we should swipe this ce for bugs and transmitters.¡±

    Gamma nodded and Shi Lang began to look around the control room. Something really fishy was going on here and they needed to find it. As the boy was searching the control room, Carole said, ¡°Boss, the report is found, the injuries Captain Louis suffered were light and she was not given any in detail tests.¡±

    Thedy took over the tablet and looked at the content of the report. She said, ¡°Check the doctor¡¯s record. It is not that she was not tested, even basic tests were not conducted. This is not in ordance with the protocol.¡±

 Chapter 82

    Sharpnel, Tian, Hunk, Carole, Luby, Gamma, Ace.

    Gamma issued an investigation order for the doctor on the base. She found it fishy that the doctor did not perform even the normal scans to Captain Louis Lampard after she was admitted to the infirmary. Carole began to take out the inter base surveince videos and log reports to find anything odd about the doctor.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°They should maintain the meeting log for anyone who came in contact with Captain Louis Lampard prior to her apprehension. Take a look at that as well, the doctor is fishy but it is very much possible that he is not the only one involved in this.¡±

    The people nodded and they began to take action. After an hour of search, Carole said, ¡°The doctor looks clean, follows his daily routine religiously. Nobody came to meet the adjutant during her time in the infirmary.¡±

    Shi Lang held his masked chin in his palm and said, ¡°Tell me something, was this news of Captian Louis Lampard being apprehended under the charges of war crimes leaked to anyone?¡±

    Carole shook her head. Shi Lang tilted his head and asked, ¡°How bad must your reputation be to have everyone ignore you when you lie in a hospital bed?¡±

    Gamma cast him a deep gaze. She found it within the range of reason, and said, ¡°Indeed, until this news was leaked, there must be someone who must havee to meet Captian Louis Lampard. This means there are moles inside this base, who leaked this news on purpose.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Can you check a few people who had a good rtion with Captain Louis Lampard before this incident?¡±

    Carole said, ¡°Hmmm, I can check her file. But no hopes.¡±

    Sharpnel who was sitting at the side silently said, ¡°Should I bring in the doctor?¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°It might arouse the snakes. For the time being let them think that they are safe, take hunk with you, and search for clues around the base. You can use your abilities better that way.¡±

    The man nodded and stood up, then he cast a gaze on Hunk and after a salute two of them left the control room. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I suggest, we take statements around the base. We need to appease the soldiers and rectify the moles inside the base at the same time.¡±

    Gamma sat down on themander¡¯s chair and leaned back slightly, she said, ¡°You are right about that but make sure to not let out any hints about what we intend to do and we have already noted the presence of a mole. Tian will go with you, her ability is very handy for this.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the calmdy in ck and nodded. He stood up and took a vacant tablet with him. The boy then said, ¡°Carole, can you pull out them-IDs of all the personnel on this base and in this brigade? I will use themter.¡±

    Carole nced at Gamma, who nodded. Thetter was aware that this boy was not as simple as he looked. Shi Lang and Tian left the control room and they began to ask a few questions to the soldiers on duty around the base. Tian was responsible for recording the answers on the tablet while Shi Lang was responsible for asking the questions.

    The questions were, ¡°Did you notice anything weird around the base, anyone acting out of the normal?

    What is your impression of Adjutant Captain Louis Lampard?

    How was Brigadier Jun with the others on the brigade?¡±

    It took them six hours toplete this set of random questions across the base. The soldiers did not find anything out of the normal, but a few of them asked why were they being integrated. Shi Lang said, ¡°This was to keep up the pretense, we are looking for the main reason behind this assault from the Brigadier. I hope that you co-operate with us or if the Brigadier is convicted of these charges, it will leave a stain on the image of this brigade itself.

    I will not lie to you brother, but the higher-ups might disband the brigade if things became a bit too much, so just hold on and do not go on fighting with the natives. You all are the honor of The Federal Military, if you all gave in and took such drastic steps, like fighting the natives, our civilization will be looked down upon and those people who are against the Terrans moving ahead will raise a big storm over this.¡±

    His words were like cold water over the hot-blooded people. They all had been together for a long time now, and if they were disbanded, they will all be re-assigned to new units and nobody wanted to lose their friends. Thest part about them is the honor of the civilization, which was the carrot after he stuck them on their heads.

    The two returned to the control room with Shi Lang a little dazed. Tian spoke, ¡°Three of them lied.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I know, actually it is four who lied. That guy, who exined things in a detail where even his dates were included in the testimony, was a lier.¡±

    Tian opened her eyes wide and asked, ¡°What is your ability?¡±

    The boy shook his head and said, ¡°I judged them based upon their actions and bodynguage when they were being interrogated. Only those who lie have such actions.¡±

    They reached the control room and found Sharpnel and Hunk had already returned. Shi Lang and Tian saluted Gamma and the former reported the matters. In the end, he said, ¡°We have four people who lied. The doctor has not been interrogated yet.¡±

    Carole asked, ¡°Why do you say these four were liars?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Three were confirmed by Tian, the fourth one was too extensive on details. One more thing, despite using different bowls they all served me the same soup.¡±

    The people were confused and Gamma said, ¡°He means, despite different words they all said the same thing.¡±

    Hunk asked, ¡°What are those things, Ace?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°They said, that Brigadier Jun acted by himself which was weird and unusual. The others did not even point this out. This is called respect and trust for the leader. They did not trust their leader and their statement can have the brigadier convicted. You tell me if they lied or not.¡±

    Sharpnel nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. Gamma said, ¡°You have a nice train of thoughts, so what shall we do now?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Iste them all but do not let them find out. Then get me the doctor and next, we y a game of rectification.¡±

    Hunk said, ¡°There goes the sadist again.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled. Gamma shook her head and said, ¡°Ace has the lowest strength among us so he will not take action this time. Carole, Hunk, Sharpnel, Tian. We have some big things to do.¡±

    Hunk asked, ¡°Boss, what is the n?¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Your task is to keep the four people inside their cabins, at no condition are they allowed to leave. Do you understand?¡±

    The four people stood up crisply and saluted her to show that they understood. They moved quickly. The reason stated for this istion was that someone among the stationed troops did not like their statements and might try to harm them, thus they were silently guarding them before they can be transported at the dawn.

    The four people showed no resistance and they all stayed inside their rooms. As for the doctor, Gamma took action herself. She went over to the infirmary and stunned the man down. Then she used her ability, to merge with the shadows and brought the guy to the control room and tied him up.

    Shi Lang in the meantime sat in front of a holoputer and his fingers were flying over the keyboard. Behind him, Carole stood with a dazed set of eyes. She asked, ¡°Are you sure you are going to do this?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°What do you mean to do this? I already did it.¡±

    Gamma asked, ¡°What is going on?¡±

    Carole turned around and said, ¡°This guy is hacking into themunicators and bypassing the firewalls to initiate a conversation with the other four. Boss, if the firewalls were triggered by his invasion, this thing will blow.¡±

    Gamma was surprised after all this was illegal. Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not worry, have trust in my skill. It will not blow up. Rx. Now, time to y the game.¡±

    ¡­

    Inside the cabin, a man was gazing at the ceiling when hismunicator vibrated. The man checked the message and said, ¡°I am fleeing the base right away, they know that something was wrong with Louis and the others. You all too, get out quickly.¡±

    The man sat up straight in the bed and replied, ¡°What do you mean? How did they find out? Who snitched?¡±

    As the conversation continued, it became clear that the five of them were aplices. Now only the doctor was left to deal with.

 Chapter 83

    Shi Lang has been sitting in front of a holoputer with his fingers flying all over the keyboard as he extracted information from the four people. He has been cross-examining every single detail they uttered. He had the skills to heck in and initiate a conversation but he was not proficient enough to check the conversation history of the people.

    Themunicators were programmed in such a way that every single operational code had a separate set of firewalls protecting it. Shi Lang was exhausting himself just to keep the hole open while he was conversing. After an hour, he sighed and let go of the keyboard. He said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, we are done here. The conversation is enough to show that the doctor has the ability to produce other living organisms by manipting his body, and this guy can use this ability for both creation and destruction.¡±

    Gamma raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Imagine a nano-bot put inside your body in the name of curing and monitoring your bodily functions. However, some psychopath decides to take control of the nano-bots and embed them inside your central nervous system. Imagine the power that, the operator will have over your body? In this case, the hallucinogen is the add-on.¡±

    Gamma heard his analysis and stood up from her chair. She said, ¡°This sort of ability-user is kept under strong surveince, how can he do such a thing?¡±

    Luby said, ¡°What if the people in the surveince had no idea of the ability being so potentially dangerous?¡±

    Gamma shook her head and said, ¡°The surveince is not so useless, they have people to specte what the extent an ability can be used to. They even take into ount the possibility of mutation. What is going on here?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Why are we using so many brain cells, we have the evidence and the culprit in our hands, it is time we have him do some work.¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Should I leave this task to you? Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°It will be my pleasure. Also, I would like those four to be escorted here and have the video to be broadcast directly throughout the whole base. Before we begin, do tell everyone that these four were our precious moles.¡±

    Gamma and Luby shivered at this thought and the former asked, ¡°Why do you want the whole base to see this?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°They need to recognize their friends and foes clearly. They let down their guard and they allowed these moles to sneak in. If their n was executed perfectly then this whole brigade would have been wiped out. Do you understand what that would mean? Did you forget what the federal government did to the in the sector- ACU32? The forces were annihted and the was bombed with a killer psion beam. The whole, billions of lives were erased in a blink.

    The soldiers must understand that their job is not only to kill but also to safeguard lives. From the moment they epted the surrender of the natives, it was their job and duty to save them from that massacre, on the contrary, these blood-thirsty ignorant dicks want to raise their guns over entities who only killed for self-defense? Shame on them calling themselves the Federal Military forces.¡±

    He spoke calmly but the emotion was conveyed properly. Gamma looked at him with faint admiration. She nodded and using hermunicator she told the four of her squad to drag the four culprits over to the control room and before she did this, thedy pressed a button on the controlling console in front of themander seat.

    ¡­

    The soldiers were performing their patrol duties and other tasks when they all heard an announcement on the speakers.

    ¡°This is Gamma, the leader of the investigation team. During our proceedings during the day, it was discovered that the brigade stationed here has been infiltrated by a few moles. These moles were the main culprits behind the massacre. These five people have been apprehended and their identities will be released to you all after a few minutes.

    Firstly, the security level has risen to level red. Second, all the patrol teams will retreat from the periphery and they will be stationed on the sentry posts to guard the base as they watch the following broadcast. That¡¯s all. Those who do not want to follow themands will be used of being an aplice with the moles.¡±

    Her cold voice echoed through the base and the people were shocked they did not expect the culprit to be hiding amidst them. The actingmander did notg behind by much and issued the samemands as Gamma and got the soldiers to move quickly.

    Gamma was aware that the actingmander would be able to get the soldiers and she called him to the control room with his adjutant. The man was aware of the unspoken facts and he quickly rushed over. Sharpnel, Hunk, Tian, and Carole had already bought over with the other four and they had been strapped to the chairs.

    To make them all behave properly, Sharpnel had tied a booby bomb to their bodies. This bomb would vaporize everything within five meters around them if he were to detonate it. Shi Lang released the content of his conversations to the intr on the base. Every soldier was able to see through the details and they felt ashamed of ming the natives, who were clearly the victims.

    When everything was ready, Shi Lang stood in front of the doctor tied to the chair and he held a syringe filled with a red and blue liquid inside it. This was something the boy made with the substance avable to him inside the base¡¯s medical supplies. The effect of this liquid was to render the ability of the person in front of him useless for a limited time, approximately six hours.

    Shi Lang walked over to the doctor and injected the liquid inside his jugr vein. Carole was responsible to film everything happening inside the control room. Ten minutes after the liquid was injected Shi Lang pped the doctor.

    The person had no idea what happened to him and from the strong impact on his face, he woke up with a loud shouting from his mouth, ¡°WHO THE¡­¡±

    However the voice died down as soon as he saw his four aplices sitting behind the man in ck (Shi Lang)

    The boy asked in a cheerful voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t youplete what you just wanted to say, Doctor?¡±

    His voice drew back the doctor¡¯s attention to him and he continued, ¡°The four people behind him have already given me enough evidence to kill you right now, but I would like to know a few more things from you personally, I hope for your non-cooperation.¡±

    The doctor acted as if he heard something wrong. Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Do not be surprised, I will not have my fun if you told me everything I wanted to know so easily. Let me work hard, you know.¡±

    He walked over and crouched down in front of the man. He asked, ¡°What is your name doctor?¡±

    The man gulped and said, ¡°I am Major Santana Dacosta.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Would you like to shine some light on the matter of you using your ability to take control of the higher rank officers in the base?¡±

    Santana Dacosta suddenly smirked and said, ¡°Since you already know all this, why do you ask? I did not expect anyone to figure out the oddity.¡±

    His voice did not have a shred of shame but even pride. His admittance made the base descend in silence. It was as if he had done some great merit. Shi Lang smiled and suddenly caught hold of the pinky finger of the right hand. Then he exerted strength and a crisp click was heard throughout the base.

    Followed by that was a high-pitched scream. Shi Lang took out a silver needle box, he had taken earlier from the infirmary and stabbed a point on the hand, this eased up the pain for Santana. His forehead was covered with sweat. Shi Lang said, ¡°How wondrous is it that despite the strength of a five-star Terran, you can still wail when your finger is broken. Do you know why?¡±

    The man shook his head subconsciously. Shi Lang said, ¡°Ask me then. Like I am asking you.¡±

    The man asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I took away your ability with medicine. The medicine I injected into your body can cure your cold and cough, but the side effect is that it can increase your sensitivity to ten times. Hehe, do you like this medicine?¡±

    His words sent shivers down everyone¡¯s spine and not only Santana sitting in front of him. Hunk could not help but text Gamma using hismunicator, ¡°Boss, you sure this kid ate his medicine in the morning?¡±

 Chapter 84

    Shi Lang chuckled as he revealed the truth to everyone. However, not only was Santana shocked, even his teammates shivered when they heard this. Despite your strength, you will still feel the obvious pain if you get hurt. Strength only helped you grow tolerant of the pain and does not make you insensitive to it.

    Today, they saw a boy who could make the pain be ten times more potent, which would render the strengthpletely meaningless. Shi Lang said, ¡°Now, would you like the medicine to cure you, and shall I operate on you, Doctor?¡±

    The mask on his face made Shi Lang look very spooky. Even the eyes were covered from the visor sses. However, the glee contained in his voice made the doctor shiver. He clenched his teeth and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Do what you can. But you will not get anything out of my mouth.¡±

    Shi Lang pped and said, ¡°Bravo, I admire brave people. Now, let me see where your illness hides.¡±

    Then he undid the restraints on his body and dragged him by hair. The ¡®medicine¡¯ had rendered his ability useless and the pain he felt from even the slightest of violent contact was strong enough to make him grunt. Even if Shi Lang was weaker than him, the pain yed a key factor against him. The boy dragged the man from his hair and put him directly on the table in the center of the room.

    He then picked up a medical toolbox, he bought from the infirmary earlier and said, ¡°Thedies can leave the room for a bit. It is about to get gory here.¡±

    After that, he did not bother paying attention to them and fished out a scalpel. cing the scalpel at the side of the table, he used his bare hands to undo the military uniform on Santana¡¯s body and said, ¡°Hunk, Sharpnel, can you hold him steady for me?¡±

    The two people looked at Gamma who nodded and they moved forward. Shi Lang said, ¡°Now, I will look inside you, if you feel like you are ready to tell me your symptoms, do not hesitate.¡± his tone was filled with concern and care.

    Shi Lang was telling the guy to spill the things he know when he said tell me your symptoms. Hunk and Sharpnel stepped forward, while the former held Santana¡¯s hands thetter held his legs. The majority of his torso was spread over the table.

    Shi Lang held the scalpel like a pencil in his right hand. The difference was that his index finger was ced behind the de and not at the side, while the scalpel was held by his thumb and middle finger as the handle passed above his hand. He ced the de near Santana¡¯s vicle and made a smooth incision to his left shoulder.

    The man hissed with pain and clenched his jaw. Shi Lang said, ¡°Hunk, dislocate his jaw for me, please. I forgot that earlier. Do not break it though.¡±

    Hunk did not say anything much, and biting the bullet he held Santana¡¯s jaw and exerted his strength on the joint, with a click the jaw was dislocated like it was artificial, to begin with. The human body was akin to a statue of lego, if you know where to exert strength it can be taken down without breaking apart.

    Then Shi Lang followed to make cuts on the edges of the torso. Marking a red rectangle on Santana¡¯s body while the man issued loud obscure screams. His jaw was dislocated to prevent him from fainting himself by biting on his tongue and to make sure that he screams.

    (A lot of people asked why Shi Lang was put through the torture. Well, it was done so that he can be merciless. His innate nature is that of a Mr. Goody two shoes. If it still does not make sense, then, by all means, think what you wish to)

    The boy asked, ¡°Now, Doctor, I will be lifting your skin covers to seek inside your body. I am aplete novice so I apologize if I disorganize your organs after the check-up. I hope you recall your symptoms and help me, help you.¡±

    Shi Lang looked through the toolbox and picked up a tool that looked like a big scissor but was the thead. He purposefully did this in front of Santana¡¯s eyes. The doctor on the table could imagine what was going to happen to him. Shi Lang looked at the man in front of him while he tapped the tongs against his face as if thinking.

    However, his free hand was moving on the empty area of the table. Hunk was standing on his left-hand side, he saw this and asked, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Hmm, I am thinking how to remove this skin to open his torso. I can slowly hold it with the tong and pull it upward inch by inch or I can just hold it in the tongs and roll it up like those cream rolls back home.¡±

    Hunk gulped at the imagination and asked, ¡°What is the difference?¡±

    ¡°The pain remains the same, thetter is easy for me to perform but has no artistic value to it, but the second one is a slightly exerting on my wrists, but it looks cool you know,¡± said Shi Lang and his words made the people shed cold sweat.

    Santana heard this through the burning pain in his body. The man shook his head issuing louder screams. Shi Lang acted as if he did not hear anything at all. Gamma stepped forward as she saw the boy lifting the tongs and said, ¡°Hunk, fix his jaws, he wants to say something.¡±

    Hunk acted more quickly than anything, and with a click connected the jaw of the person. Shi Lang turned his face at Gamma and said, ¡°This is not fair.¡±

    He was acting like a sadistic maniac the whole time but it was all done to make the person¡¯s mentality break. Inflicting physical pain is not enough to do that. The people needed to break the mental barrier as well to get inside the enemy¡¯s brain and extract information. That was the reason behind torture.

    Gamma asked, ¡°Doctor Santana, do you have anything to confess?¡±

    Santana said in a low voice, ¡°I confess everything, please make him stop. I beg you.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Ace, stand down.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted and came to stand behind her like a robot. Gamma said, ¡°Now, go on and spill.¡±

    Santana said, ¡°I am a member of an organization called the Guardian Humanity. I was tasked by the people above to sabotage the peace talk going on here¡­¡±

    He began to spill out everything like water in ake, flowing smoothly and undisturbed. Shi Lang nodded and recorded everything on the side, while the confession and the video were being broadcasted the whole ce.

    The people throughout the base were shocked and enraged. They served in the military and treated this person as their brother, they put their lives in his hands and he used his ability to almost put them all to death. If not for the fact that the natives were peace-loving, they might have charged at them with all their might and the brigade would have been wiped out.

    After half an hour when the confession ended Shi Lang said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I suggest we keep this guy under induced sedation and interrogate him further inside the simtion realm lest he uses his ability again.¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°Hunk, knock him out and put him inside the healing pod and initiate the simtion. The other four are to be locked up in solitary confinement and guarded, if you find anyone other than the team approaching them, feel free to shoot. Carole, inform the higher-ups of the situation and have them send some people to take custody of these moles.¡±

    Then she turned her head to the actingmander and said, ¡°Prepare a vehicle, we are going to meet the natives. The peace talks will be continued as they were nned and I will have youe forward and provide them an exnation. You people have caused this huge scene and it is about time you take the responsibility.¡±

    The man nodded and immediately issuedmands. Within five minutes a convoy was prepared and Gamma said, ¡°Ace, you have full authority to handle the peace talks, I will have to stay here, just in case some fish escaped the decides to resurface. Tian will go with you.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted and left the control room with the actingmander. Tian also saluted Gamma and left the control room. Gamma looked at the camera and said, ¡°You all have seen what happened here. I hope you all understand the importance of keeping your guard up. Trusting people is not bad, but trusting blindly is. You are the strength of the civilization, try not to let others exploit you as such.¡±

    She then waved her hand to signal the end of broadcast.

 Chapter 85

    Shi Lang and Tian left the base riding on an off-road old hummer jeep. To think that the civilization was still using vehicles based on the old designs, despite overhauling them with advanced technology.

    The terrain of Carta-shyn was like a mountainous region with rocks scattered everywhere. Stalin, the actingmander of the Terran base was sitting in the front seat while Shi Lang and Tian sat in the back. Stalin¡¯s adjutant was responsible for driving. Behind them, another vehicle was following.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Tell us the situation in the native settlement and how did you guys reach peace?¡±

    Stalin said, ¡°When we firstnded here and deployed the base, the natives were attracted to our movements. Brigadier Jun was the person who interacted with the elders of the natives and the elder calmly stated that they do not wish for struggle and let us do what we wanted to.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Do you know how big is this and what is the poption residing here?¡±

    Stalin nodded and said, ¡°This ce is twenty-five thousand four hundred eighty-five kilometers in diameter. Slightly bigger than the Federation. Thendmass and water are in the same ratio as the Federation. However, the poption is scarce, other than the flora and fauna. Intelligent species is low.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Did you all think that one settlement is peace-loving so the rest are the same as well?¡±

    Stalin said, ¡°Sir, we are just a frontier recon brigade. Our task was to secure anding site and the main forces wille over in the next six months to take charge. We had no idea something like this would happen.¡±

    Tian said, ¡°This is nothing but an excuse. This is the reason why we from the secret division will have toe over every time and wipe your butts clean.¡± her tone did not hide any sign of tant disdain and contempt she held in her mind for the frontier forces.

    Shi Lang noticed that the two people in the front clenched their jaws at this remark. He said, ¡°I understand that your jobs are not easy and that your life is at risk at any given point during deployment, but that is all the more reason for you to be cautious. As for Tian, do not mind what she said. She is not very good with words.¡±

    Thedy gave him a sideway nce and returned to her silent form. Shi Lang said, ¡°How long before we can reach them?¡±

    Stalin said, ¡°Five minutes.¡± in a slightly colder tone.

    ¡­

    Five minutester the two vehicles stood in front of a wooden fence. Shi Lang and Tian got off and the boy said, ¡°You all can stand down here, we will walk inside alone. I do not wish to entice the people here toe out go ballistic because of your appearances.¡±

    Stalin nodded and they all stood up. Shi Lang took out his service phasor hand gun and handed it to Stalin and Tian did the same. Thetter was confused by his actions and the boy said, ¡°To earn peace one must give up weapons.¡±

    Then he turned around and walked over to what seemed like the gate to the settlement. Tian stood half a step behind him and asked, ¡°How do we go about it?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°We wait and lower ourselves in front of them. This is their turf and our people already dealt them mental damage despite them being amodating. We no longer have an equal foothold. Thanks to the dimwitted people.¡±

    Tian nodded. What Shi Lang said was true. She said, ¡°Have you turned on the smart trantor in the mask?¡±

    The boy nodded. The reckon brigade had already recorded the videos and audio files of the people conversing in the quantumputer on the ship and with that, they have decoded thenguage. The mask they wore could help them trante thenguage into their own and what they speak in the native tongue. The settlement looked very peaceful from the outside.

    Shi Lang stood there patiently and soon a native spotted them. The native had calves like a goat and the torso of a human, He wore a coat made of wool. The native walked over cautiously after issuing a few loud sounds in the nativenguage. The noise was caught in the mask interceptor and after trantion, it came out, ¡°Elder Thie, there are ounders at the gates.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Wee to apologize.¡± his voice was quite loud and then he knelt on the ground using one knee.

    He said, to Tian, ¡°Follow my actions, I can sense their hostility. Look vulnerable and only when things are out of tolerance should you show resistance or pride.¡±

    Tian nodded and followed his actions. She could sense the hostilitying from the people as well. The native walked over to the gate and after he saw the two people kneeling on the ground he stopped. His facial features were simr to an average human. He snarled and said, ¡°Why do you blood-thirsty animalse here? Have you be addicted to killing us?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Wee here to provide you with an exnation of what happened. We had no intention of going on a rampage. The people who did this are all punished and killed back at our home already. Please listen to what we have to say.¡±

    Before the man-goat in front of him could say anything, a deep voice sounded in the mask, ¡°Youe here and say that you will provide an exnation, however, will your mere words, bring back my brethren? What can you do to appease the orphans and the widows? Can you make their families whole again? Once the souls are stained with blood they can never be cleaned. Begone, we have no intention ofmunicating with you.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Elder, Ie here with due sincerity. I cannot do anything out of the ordinary, I am not a god. I can kill those who did this but other than that nothing. The forces here are not the true strength of my people. Out leaders will not hesitate to destroy entires for what they want, you can call them cruel but this is how the strong see the world.

    If they do not get what they ask for nicely, they just snatch it. I hope you do not wish that to happen to your people. I am nothing but a foot soldier and I also do not wish to see bloodshed. It saddens me to hear what happened in the past. But I seek your co-operation so that the rest of you can live peacefully. I guarantee this, my leaders will not do anything harmful if they are not met with resistance. Please consider this elder.¡±

    He fell silent after this. The reason Shi Lang uttered all this was that the person in front of him had a golden mane like a lion and his facial features resembled that of the beast. His body was bulky and the strength that he radiated was stronger than a seven-star Terran. Even if Gamma was here, she would not survive the attacks if she was to fight it out.

    Shi Lang cleared his status as the foot soldier who was following orders and was forced to do things. He also stated that the whole can be destroyed if they were to resist too much. Resources can be obtained from the debris of the brokens.

    Elder Thei cast him a nce and asked, ¡°Since you seek peace, I shall think about it, if you can fulfill a few of my demands.¡±

    The other natives standing around him gawked at him and Shi Lang asked, ¡°What is it that you demand?¡±

    The lion-man said, ¡°I want the culprits of those heinous acts to be left at my disposal. This is what my tribe deserves. If you cannot even do that, then get lost.¡±

    Shi Lang thought a bit and said, ¡°Elder, allow me to contact my superiors and then I shalle back to you.¡±

    Thei said, ¡°Come back when you have them, otherwise, the answer will be the same, and next time I will kill you to send a message to your people.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up from the ground but kept his head low. Tian did the same and they walked after turning around. Tian asked in a low voice, ¡°Is it okay to show them or back?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and they came back to the convoy where Stalin had been watching them. He asked, ¡°Why did you kneel? Do you not know that it was humiliating, you carry the honor of the federal army, and now you beg them peace?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and before anyone could react he appeared in front of the Actingmander and his knife was resting on thetter¡¯s neck, as he said, ¡°If you had the honor, then you would not have let the moles dig in your base if you know your duties than you would not have let thingse to this point.

    You hypocritic bastards, do you know that they have natives stronger than a seven-star Terran? If that person decided to raid the base, he can ughter at least half of your mongrels before you can take him down. Yet they allowed you peace. Frontier forces really need to have their brains and breed checked.¡±

    He was pissed off, the natives had put him in a position where either they surrender their own or they go to war. Either way it will cost lives, the question was how many.

 Chapter 86

    Shi Lang and Tian got inside the vehicle and they returned to the base. The situation at the base was the same as it was when they had left. The two of them walked inside the control room in a beeline. The aura they radiated was very depressing and the Gamma could discern this at a nce.

    Shi Lang came to stand in front of her and gave her a salute. Tian followed his actions in perfect sync. Gamma nodded to them as she sat in hermander chair and she asked, ¡°What happened that made you so depressed?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, the situation is not as easy as we thought it would be earlier.¡±

    He paused and then described the scene at the native settlement as it was. Gamma turned her gaze to look at Tian and thetter nodded. She asked, ¡°You mean to say they have people stronger than a seven-star Terran living among them?¡±

    She was not very surprised to hear this, after all, the existence of such a strong civilization is not rare or umon. As we venture closer to the center of the milky way such species have bemon.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Also, you have heard their demands. What do you think we should do? If we did not show any credibility and the higher-ups decided to just make this, rubble, then it will be regretful.¡±

    Gamma asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We can learn a lot from them, you know that they all look like a mix between humans and animals. They have their uniqueness. If the higher-ups destroyed the, then we will just me those rebel groups, such situations will happen even more.¡±

    Gamma nodded at his words. The others also agreed, after all, these anti-Terran organizations surfaced after the government decided to destroy a. She said, ¡°I will have the message ryed to themander, and it will take a few days before they could make a decision but do not worry, I will submit all your views and suggestions in the report.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Gamma said, ¡°We will go back to our ship. The base will work just fine now. The soldiers have all been screened and given medication. The culprits are locked up and Hunk and Sharpnel will guard them in turns. The rest of the crew will stay on stand-by till the higher-ups make a decision.¡±

    The people replied, ¡°YES.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest of the crew walked out of the control room letting the frontier forces take control of the base. However, the holding cells were still kept off-limits. None of the soldiers put up any protest or opinion about this.

    They were aware that if they were to guard the prisoners, they would be vulnerable, after all, the prisoners were people they all counted on as their brothers just a few hours ago.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang, Tian, Carole, and Luby sat in the holding cabin while Gamma was resting in a small bunk-bed meant for the captain only. The atmosphere was very tense. Carole asked, ¡°Ace, what do you think the higher-ups will do?¡±

    The boy leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°Depends on who the higher-up is.¡±

    Carole asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The federation is too big for the president to be bothered with decisions about a single. The council has its hands full with the movements of the fleets and the exploration of the new sectors. The ranking is tooplex. Let us start from the lowestary unit ranks.

    Reckon Brigade will have five thousand soldiers. They will scan thes with life for potential threats. Then they will report to the infantry divisions with a force equivalent to three brigades. After the colony is established the division will move ahead.

    A corp equal to two or more divisions will be responsible for maintaining order and surveince in a sr system. A field Army or a fleet maintains order in one sector which has ten sr systems. How many people are there from high to low ranks do the report has to go through to get a decision?

    If it was Commander of our division I would not have doubted but the frontier forces are a different case all over.¡±

    Carole and Luby nodded at the exnation. Tian said, ¡°How is this exnation rted to her question?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I am getting to that.¡±

    He paused and continued, ¡°If the Corp leader decides that this will be detrimental for the future order, they will destroy it. Humans have always been afraid of what they do not understand. The strength of the natives and the new situations is simr to that. So if they all perceived this to be a threat then game over.

    If the person decided to take our suggestions into ount then well and good. However, all our effort is unrted to them. So we cannot guess what they might do, without knowing what the higher-up was thinking.¡±

    The two girls nodded and Tian said, ¡°You still spouted unrted non-sense.¡±

    Shi Lang did not hold back this time and chuckled. The rest also chuckled. The boy had no way to tell them what the decision might be. However, the tension in the squad was getting to him, plus the way he tortured the culprit, it was making him go back to a monotonous state like when he returned from the camp.

    He did not wish for that to happen and thus he decided to divert his mind. A whole day passed and they sat in the chairs. Suddenly, Gamma walked inside the holding cabin and said, ¡°We have orders.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest stood up. Gamma said, ¡°Brigadier Jun is being transported here. Along with an ambassador and an assault squad. After handing over the situation to them we are to head back.¡±

    The boy was surprised and raised his hand. Gamma said, ¡°Go ahead, Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why are they sending an Ambassador? Is that not supposed to be done when they do not want a colony but a mutually beneficialary connection?¡±

    Gamma nodded and said, ¡°That is what they want. This ce is a tactical stronghold to get hold of theet mining.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed, ¡°The Military Business.¡±

    Gamma nodded and then she left. Shi Lang and the rest sat down and the boy began to meditate. Turned out that the whole became aet mining stronghold point for the civilization and that saved the natives from impending doom.

    Tian and thedies also did not talk much. The next day, they followed Gamma outside the ship when they found a special shipnding on the base spaceport. The size of the ship was twice theirs and it carried a group of stronger people.

    An assault squad, all seven-star Terran, ten men team. If they sensed anyone attacking the base or the target of their security, they will act mercilessly. Brigadier Jun was wearing a green jumpsuit and his body was shackled. His face was dripping with shame and humility. Gamma asked the ambassador if they were going to hand him over, after all, the brigadier was also a victim.

    The ambassador told her that they will clear the situation to the natives and the rest will depend upon them. Jun did not say a word from start to end as if he had lost his will to live. Well, this is what happens when a man is deprived of something he loved because of someone else. They despair and they give in to it.

    Shi Lang and the rest had no obligation to stop or intervene with the procedure going on. It was not like the ambassador had no sympathy for Brigadier Jun. Although the investigation cleared his name from being a war criminal, his spirit could not be revived instantly. It will take a long time for the man to even stand up and ept the reality that the uniform he put on for so many years with so much passion that it was akin to a second skin to him was no longer there.

    After the handover, Shi Lang and the rest departed from Carta-Shyn. Hunk asked, ¡°Ace, what do you think of this mission?¡±

    The boy did not reply instantly and thought. After some thought, he said, ¡°I did not expect it to be such a thing. The significance of the mission lies in the internal rectification. I never thought that these dark organizations will be able to reach inside the frontier forces so deep. However, the mental growth from such a mission is also a good thing. I got to see that the Terran Civilization is not as invulnerable as it may seem back at the Federation.

    In the academy, my principal used to say, ¡®Only when you go at the front will you realize the price paid for your safety and freedom.¡¯ I realized a little of that price just now.¡±

 Chapter 87

    Shi Lang stopped talking and the ship left the gravitational range of Carta-shyn. Luby¡¯s voice sounded through the speakers, ¡°Space Jump sequence initiated.¡±

    The squeezing feeling took over the crew as they traveled through the sea of stars. A few secondster the feeling washed away. Shi Lang said, ¡°This feeling may be a bit hard to get used to, but it feels like a massage after a few times.¡±

    Hunk chuckled and said, ¡°I remember someone who thought just like you.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Hunk shook his head and said, ¡°An old friend.¡±

    That said the conversation came to an end. Shi Lang did not dwell on it further and began to meditate as he sat in his chair. After twenty minutes, Luby notified them again and the space jump was initiated one more time. The next stop was The Federation. After the ship entered the atmosphere, Luby took them directly to the spaceport near Metropia.

    The spot where theynded was the same as the one they took off from. Shi Lang and the rest got down and boarded the off-road vehicle with Shi Lang sitting behind the steering. They came back to the base and made a beeline to the Commander¡¯s cabin. Archie Arkham was already inside the room working on some documents like usual.

    She said, ¡°Come in when the door was knocked on.¡±

    Gamma walked back inside the room and saluted. Gamma was slightly older than Archie, however, rank was never decided based on age when it came to military units. Archie asked, ¡°How was it?¡±

    Gamma reported everything to her the way it was. Archie nodded and said, ¡°You can go and rest, send in Captian Lang.¡±

    Gamma saluted and left the room. Archie bowed her head to look at the documents again. After a few moments, Shi Lang knocked on the door and she said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The boy walked inside the room and took off his hood before he saluted her crisply and asked, ¡°Captain Shi Lang reporting, Commander.¡±

    Archie said, ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    The boy did not hesitate and walked over to take a seat across from thedy. He waited for her to speak her intention of calling him here. Archie took a few minutes to finish reading the file in her holoputer and then she asked, ¡°What do you think of the mission?¡±

    Shi Lang replied to her the same way he did to the crew back on the ship. Archie nodded and said, ¡°Good. Now, what do you think of the mission?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Itcked the fighting I thought might be involved.¡±

    Archie smirked and said, ¡°Finally said what you had been holding back on. I will assign more action-packed tasks for you in the future. Also, good job on tracking down the moles.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, Commander.¡±

    Archie said, ¡°You can go and rest for a day before you will have to depart for your next task. Unlike other divisions, we have our hands full with cases andints to investigate and rectify.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I do not mind. This task was just mentally affecting I am still fine physically.¡±

    Archie said, ¡°I understand what you mean, but I would like it if you can use the tempering rooms in the base, and grow stronger physically as well. A good brain and an able body is the worstbination the people fear.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I agree. I shall now take my leave, Commander.¡±

    Then he stood up from the chair and saluted thedy. The boy then left the room and came outside. He found that Gamma was still waiting for him. She asked, ¡°Anything?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°She told me to rest and get ready for the next task, and also to focus n my cultivation. I shall spend the rest of the day in the practice room¡­ ¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°You are taking asleep first. You have not rested properly and the mental stress of the first task is not as easy to take on as it may seem. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Okay, you are the boss.¡± then with a sigh, he followed her to a room assigned to him.

    The room was simple, consisting of a simple wooden bed, a cupboard, and a table. He took off his uniform and put it on a chair and slumped in the bed wearing just his undergarments. The exhaustion was too much. It was not like he had never seen bloodshed, but witnessing the dispirited officer, who was victimized by the others, was not something he could process with ease.

    The whole journey back home, his mind was upied with the scene of Brigadier Jun walking with dim eyes wearing a green jumpsuit, tied in shackles. He noticed the pitiable gazes of the rest of the soldiers, how some of them were even crying. The price that Shi Lang was talking about was not just the lives.

    The price of freedom was sometimes, the honor and dignity, the will to move forward, the respect of those whom you led at the front. All this was too heavy and sentimental for him to handle or process. He did not know, how long was he asleep. Suddenly hismunicator vibrated making him open his eyes.

    Shi Lang looked at themunicator and found it was a message from Amelia. She went out on a scout operation and the message contained a scenery she spotted during the ops. Shi Lang replied to her with a smile and some warm words. He checked the time and found out that he has been sleeping for nearly twenty hours.

    He sat in the bed and stared at the void for a few minutes. Then he sighed and walked to the washroom, he came out after taking a shower and brushing his teeth. After changing into a fresh pair of uniforms he walked out of his room.

    The room was inside a vi, this vi acted like a dormitory for the whole squad and could amodate eight people at a time. Shi Lang walked to the kitchen and found a girl cooking something.

    He said, ¡°Hello, Carole.¡±

    Carole was a simple-looking girl, with a girl next door vibe emitting from her. She was surprised at first when someone called her out. She turned around to look at Shi Lang and said, ¡°Oh, Ace. It is you. Do you also want to eat?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the girl said, ¡°Shall I make you eggs?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± replied the boy.

    Carole introduced herself to him as she cooked the eggs for him. Her real name was Martha Carole Cullen. She used her not so prominently known middle name as a code name. She was a weapons specialist and tech support. She was thirty-two years old and was a single mother. Her child lived with Carole¡¯s mother.

    Her husband had passed away a few years ago when her son was still in the womb, the man was a special division elite. After she was done, Shi Lang gave her his introduction and thedy patiently taught him about the things inside the secret division and the boy learned them all quickly.

    The working method of Secret Divisions was different from the frontier forces and also, different from the police. They could investigate anyone, from civilians to top brass of the military and government. Time passed as the two of them discussed.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Where are the others?¡±

    Carole said, ¡°They all went outside, don¡¯t you know that on the rest day you can travel around the Federation, except for being sighted in your hometown, the whole is yours to explore.¡±

    Shi Lang felt a strong pain in his teeth as he clenched his jaws. After a while, he sighed and said, ¡°me me for sleeping like a pig.¡±

    Carole chuckled and said, ¡°It is fine, the psychological burden of witnessing such a scene, where you cannot do anything even if you want to is very taxing on the mind. It was good that you slept. Otherwise, it might affect your work.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°This is a good reason as well. What do you think our next task would be like?¡±

    Carole said, ¡°Probably incursion in a hostile. Or exploring some lifelesss, to see if they can be terra-formed.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Is that not the work of the science team?¡±

    Carole shook her head as she replied, ¡°The science team needs a stable and safe environment to conduct tests, why will they go to some uncertain in and dug up there when they might get killed by a space storm? We do the job of sample collection while enjoying the raw beauty of nature before the civilization starts to change the face of that sight, if possible.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Turns out, our job profile epasses a lot of things.¡±

    The door of the Vi was pushed open and Gamma walked in on the two. She said, ¡°Woke up? I hope you are ready for your next task.¡±

 Chapter 88

    Shi Lang and Carole stood up to salute Gamma. Thedy said, ¡°The rest of the crew has been called over, they will assemble soon and we will be on the roll soon. Better save the chit-chat and make a run to the tempering room.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°May I ask what sort of mission is it?¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°You will know when the rest are here.¡±

    With those words, thedy went back into her room. Carole said, ¡°Do not mind her, this is her usual mode. Let us go try one round in the tempering room. I want to see your skills in battle.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the two people left the vi and came to the central area of the town. There were a lot of other soldiers in the area. Carole seemed to know almost everyone and they all would smile and greet her with friendly gestures.

    Shi Lang could not help but say, ¡°You seem like a celebrity here.¡±

    Carole chuckled and said, ¡°Well, we did win the inter-division gamesst time and I happened to have garnered a lot of attention in the jeep race. Let me check if any room is free for us.¡±

    The people gathered here were all those who were on rest. The size of the secret division was quiterger than what Shi Lang expected it to be. The mood around the square was not strict, after all, they were all here for rest and fun.

    As Shi Lang was looking around the square, Carole came back and tapped on his shoulder, ¡°Rookie,e along. I will bring you to the tempering room.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and followed her. They came inside a building where a lot of rooms were built in a circr formation. Carole said, ¡°The rooms all use an artificial gravity generation system. It is embedded in the floor. They can increase the gravitational pull by twenty folds than the original. Ready?¡±

    The boy nodded and the two entered a room Carole had registered under their names. The space inside the room was as big as thirty feet. Carole said, ¡°Hand-to-hand?¡±

    Shi Lang did not waste another second and took a standard boxing stance. His fists below his chin and his elbows stuck to his torso. His feet were ced one ahead of the other and his shoulders moved sideways slowly. Carole chuckled and said, ¡°Start the gravitational field and increase the pressure by one time every ten minutes.¡±

    As she finished speaking Carole moved forward without any intention of holding back. The boy also did not hold back or underestimate her in the slightest. He unleashed his full strength and ability right from the start as he faced the iing attack.

    Carole had shown a stance to punch him while as she approached close to him, she ducked and delivered a kick to his waist. Shi Lang did not waste much time, his reaction was quite fast, he took one step back and as the kick passed the void, he advanced and in a quick motion, abination of punches was delivered to Carole¡¯s face.

    The attack shunned her off and thedy was shocked to see that the boy couldnd an attack on her. The reason behind this attacknding sessfully on the mark was that the boy had impable execution timing. The next thing was him stepping in diagonally, he stuck close to Carole¡¯s body and grappled her waist.

    He lifted her overhead and bent his back to form an arch parallel to the ground and Carole, who was stunned by two jabs at her chin was dropped in a guillotine with a bang on the ground. Shi Lang did not engage her anymore but moved to back to open up space between them

    Although his attacksnded, the resilience of a six-star Terran did not disappoint him. Carole flipped back up on her feet and said, ¡°Not bad, rookie. You do have a skill or two.¡±

    Then she charged forward and the boy also attacked back at her. The two people were exchanging blows and Shi Lang did not shirk back. He was using the high-intensity attacks as a means of tempering. His hands and ribs already had shallow bruises. Carole did not have any effects but she was surprised by his speed and skills.

    Carole had her forehead covered with a thinyer of sweat. Suddenly, Shi Lang¡¯s attackgged and she instinctively kicked his ribs. However, thisg was intentional, and as the kicknded, the boy sped her leg under his arm and flung her through the void like a sack.

    BOOM

    Carole hit the wall and her posture was anything but elegant. It has been only five minutes since they began to fight. The two people had no problem moving normally. Carole quickly got back on her feet and they broke out in a fight again.

    Punches and kicks flew around in the room, dull thumps and thuds were creating a rhythm of their own. As soon as ten minutes passed, a mechanical voice sounded, ¡°Two-fold gravity.¡±

    Carole became faster or rather, Shi Lang became slower. The attacks lost the power behind them as well. Shi Lang took the defensive strategy and began to dodge the attacks. Carole was also a veteran and did not lose her cool, she patiently followed her rhythm and did not leave him any room to counter her. She was not someone who believed in tricking the weaker opponent.

    The boy was two realms lower than her and he did not push her that far just yet. Carole was surprised by this whole sparring session. This boy was quick in attacks, sharp in tricking the opponent and he was able to keep up with her flow of attacks. Usual people would be slower in a two-fold gravity and the other thing that surprised her was his resilience to keep going.

    She could see him panting and his bruised arms. She was sure that his chest was also filled with bruises and a couple of her kicks did manage to leave traces on his ribcage. However, he still stood tall and kepting at her.

    ¡­

    Another ten minutes passed, and the mechanical voice sounded again, ¡°Three-fold Gravity.¡±

    Carole moved a little slower and her punchnded through the gap in his arms on his diaphragm. The blow left Shi Lang out of breath. His lungs were as if they inhaled fire. Yet he did not give up, only his shoulders dropped slightly.

    Carole opened her eyes wide and said, ¡°How are you still standing? Do you not feel pain?¡±

    Shi Lang said in a weak voice, ¡°I do, but once you feel it too often, you get used to it.¡±

    Carole sighed and said, ¡°Good, let us stop here, the rest of the time will be used to temper the body slowly.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up in a horse stance. The gravity affected all his limbs and muscles and the boy slowly cultivated. Carole sat on the ground with her legs bent as she cultivated. She did not know what the boy was doing and she left him to his own means.

    ¡­

    After twenty more minutes before the mechanical voice could sound, Carole said, ¡°Cancel the artificial gravity.¡±

    A ding sounded and the pressure acting on them resided. Carole stood up and said, ¡°Lang, do you want to stay more? I am done, I would like to go out.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I am tired, I would like to go out as well.¡±

    It was not that he has reached his limit but he did not wish to waste time here. His body has changed since the day he consumed that pill. He did not need such hard training anymore, the level or potential had increased and he could excel more with ease.

    The two people came out of the room and Carole asked, ¡°What did you have to face to develop such terrifying skill?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and did not reply. Carole did not push him any further as well. She was aware that not everything shall be asked. The two mingled around with the people for a few minutes and Carole introduced Shi Lang to some friends before they made their way back to the vi.

    When they reached home, the rest of the crew was already present. The people were all sitting in the lounge and Stephan raised his head to smile at them. He said, ¡°Seems like Carole gave you a good beating.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°How was your rest?¡±

    The man winked and said, ¡°Fantastic.¡±

    Shi Lang took his hint and shook his head. He also saw the faces of the three other people. Just when they were about to get into the details Gamma walked over in her ck uniform.

    Everyone stood up and saluted her. Gamma said, ¡°We have orders. Assassination target, space pirates. Are you all ready?¡±

    The team replied in a loud voice, ¡°YES, MA¡¯AM.¡±

 Chapter 89

    Shi Lang was excited when he heard that the target of their mission this time was a band of pirates. Gamma heard their answer and said, ¡°Calm down a bit. We are up against a group that has been wanted through the federation system for the past five years. The charges against them are ravaging, extortion, arson, and raids.

    This band of pirates is called Celestial Drifters. They have a small fleet of five spaceships. Our task is to track their hideout, then take them all down once and for all. We will be operating in teams of four. Tian you are with Luby. Carole with Ace. Sharpnel and Hunk. I will be taking a solo fighter this time. Our probe agent spotted the pirates in the outer periphery of Rafa-tik, sector BX10. We will take fighters, you can select what role you want to y.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest nodded and the Gamma said, ¡°Okay, roll out. Take bikes.¡±

    The people saluted and said, ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±

    They put on their masks and walked out of the vi. This time Shi Lang did not have to report to Commander Archie Arkham. The secret division teams were all given a lot of vehicles, two maglev cars, ten bikes, five spacebat fighters, and one special ss spaceship. A team was allowed to have ten members in a team and the provisions were to amodate them to the fullest.

    They all came to a garage next to the vi and got on their bikes. All the vehicles in the division had the same number and the same output. As soon as theirmunicator came in close contact with the bike the engine ignited. This was a smart ignition system only the army could use these bikes.

    Shi Lang was the first to activate his bike despite being thest. He did not wait like the others to put on a helmet, neither did he take care to wear the gloves. He jumped on the seat and then twisted the throttle. With a whoosh, his bike shot out like a bullet. The rest of the people were surprised and Carole said, ¡°This kid is challenging us. Let us race to the spaceport.¡±

    The rest nodded and shouted before they rushed out. However, Gamma was still the faster one among them. She moved faster, as she did not waste any time discussing with them.

    Seven ck figures riding ck bikes shed on the road making the people ogle at them. Soon the bikes caught up to Shi Lang, however, the boy did not react much. He leaned his chest closer to the bike and when he entered turns, he used his entire body to shift the weight and move ahead. After twenty minutes, they were all standing at the spaceport.

    Shi Lang was the first to reach and the boy was patted on his back for this. They all liked to have fun after all. Gamma and they arrived near a spot where their special spaceship was standing. Gamma said, ¡°Get on the fighters, we are going to hitch a ride with a dreadnaught and then scout on our own.¡±

    The crew saluted her and then they all got inside abat ss spaceship. This vehicle did not have an engine capable to enable them to take a space jump. The seats were arranged like those in the old fighter jets. One higher and one lower. Carole said, ¡°Ace, I am good at weapon control and navigation.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I will take the flightmand.¡±

    The training in Ragnarok was not only brutal torture. They had made this kid a one-man army if he had the strength. Shi Lang clicked a few buttons on the panel and he adjusted his seat a bit. As he grasped the joystick. A voice sounded inside the cockpit.

    ¡°This is Gamma, do you all copy?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Ace and Carole, Copy.¡±

    ¡­

    After a few basic flightmand instructions and introductions of their roles, the people took off vertically, and soon after they reached a height of two thousand meters the ship moved with a boom, breaking the speed of sound in a mere second. They flew in a wing formation. Shi Lang was at the left side of Gamma, while the other two took the right.

    Shi Lang did not say anything but controlled the fighter manually. He could use the assistance of the auto-pilot system but he had no such idea. He was trained to fly this vehicle with his own skills and he followed his training.

    He said, ¡°We are leaving the gravitational pull.¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Yes, our ride is just a few kilometers ahead.¡±

    ¡­

    Another hour passed by, and fourbat-ss fighters stood inside the belly of a cargo ship operated by a military businesspany. None of the secret division people got down the ships. They did not mingle with those outside their division when they were on a mission. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Carole, what do you think they are transporting in this hunk?¡±

    Carole shrugged and said, ¡°Who knows? I bet they are on their way to ship something back here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You have a high chance of being correct.¡±

    ¡­

    The cargo ship entered space jump in a few moments and then it came out of it. After a few minutes, when the crew had all gathered their wits, Gamma said, ¡°We are moving out.¡±

    The teams all replied, ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡­

    Four ckbat ss space ships came out of the hatch door and they moved out tob through the space. Shi Lang controlled the ship and followed the rest. Gamma said, ¡°You are free to search alone, we will move all over the outer periphery of Rafa-tik. You can pick one. If you find any traces, contact the others and do not engage alone. Is that clear?¡±

    The crew replied, ¡°Clear, Boss.¡±

    Carole suggested that Shi Lang move the ship ording to her. The boy moved on her instructions and his speed was fast. The energy source of the ship was a nuclear fusion battery which was almost endless fuel. He did not save anything forter and moved forward. Suddenly he said, ¡°Carole, the radar is showing that we are getting closer to the meteor cluster of Rafa-tik.¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Yes, the meteor belt is the best ce to hide.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It is also the best graveyard. You know that they all move at different speeds, right? A pebble could poke holes through the hull.¡±

    Carole nodded and said, ¡°I know Ace, but you also know that they can hide inside those destroyer ss meteors?¡±

    Shi Lang thought of the possibility and nodded. He said, ¡°I think they can do that. Now that you mention it, Rafa-tik does have a few hundred destroyer ss rocks revolving around it.¡±

    Carole nodded and said, ¡°That is the goal.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Boss, this is Ace, we intend to check the destroyer ss rocks, to see if the rats dug themselves a hole.¡±

    Themunication through space in the same region was as fast as they would do on earth. Gamma reverted back to him in an instant, ¡°Go ahead, be wary. Call if you find them, Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang moved the ship using a clever thruster maniption to search through miles of rocks and rocks. The ship was standing at the edge of the Meteor ring. Carole said, ¡°The more beautiful it is, the deadlier it is.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Indeed, true.¡±

    They searched slowly and lost count of time. The ship cockpit did have a lot of dry ration stuffed inside for the pilots. The boy said as he was chewing a protein bar. Suddenly the radar went off.

    Carole said, ¡°We havepany.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Ugh, of all the times, they could not have chosen another five minutes to show up.¡±

    Carole said, ¡°Boss, we have movement in the meteor belt.¡±

    The message was reverted instantly, ¡°All teams are moving over to your position, do not be discovered before we reach there.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Boss, it is a bitte for that. These guys have counter-tracking systems. We are discovered.¡±

    ¡­

    The boy put down the protein bar and took control of the ship. He moved through the meteor belt as he found ships moving towards them. Carole said, ¡°Ace, they have us locked down with phaser beams.¡±

    Shi Lang cursed, ¡°Fuck, I am moving in the open. If a bloody rock hit, it will kill us earlier than the phasor.¡±

    Carole said, ¡°Do what you want, I will handle the defense shields and counter-attack.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡­

    The boy moved the ship to the outside of the meteor belt when they received an iingmunication request. Carole said, ¡°What to do?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Ry it to me.¡±

    The next moment a silky voice sounded in the cockpit, ¡°Brave soldiers of The Federation. I invite you to the humble abode of Celestial Drifters.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Who might you be to invite us, kind sir?¡±

    The person chuckled and said, ¡°I am the leader of the drifters, Man Hua.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Man Hua, I will take a rain check on this invitation. See you.¡±

    Themunication was disconnected and the chase began.

 Chapter 90

    Carole said, ¡°Ace, what do you want to do?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Not get captured.¡±

    Carole chuckled and said, ¡°You have my vote on that. Well here is the basic analysis of the pirate vessel. It is a battle-ss spaceship. Initially made to carry cargo, these salvagers have modified it and installed a lot of phaser cannons over the ship. Another thing, they have a better range of attack than us.¡±

    Shing nodded and said, ¡°We go close to them, you unleash the cannons on their canons, leave the dodging to me.¡±

    Carole was surprised and asked, ¡°Do you know the speed of a phasor beam? How do you n to dodge it at a close range?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Pilot neural link, like the mecha. The ship also has that right? I will use my ability in correspondence to the controls and it will work. I can sense things faster than others. You just focus on the attacks.¡±

    Carole hesitated and then said, ¡°Okay, boy I am putting my hands in your hands. Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and the two engaged in a dog fight. The ship they were riding had six thrusters and it looked like a streamlined bomber jet. Speed was able to push the whole metallic beast to Mach seven. They were faster than the space pirates but the destruction capacity of the enemy was higher than them.

    As the distance increases, they will lose the range of impact because they had smaller canons and the enemy will find it easier to calcte their path and the attacks will be easier. Since they have been discovered they could not afford to get away from them as the Space Pirates would definitely initiate a space jump.

    One of the conditions of space jump was that the vessel must be undisturbed. If they were given a shock then the space jump will disrupt and the whole ship will explode and the people will die from the vacuum inside. Thus, the space pirates also directly engaged inbat.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang moved the joystick and avoided a phasor beam aimed at the tail of their ship. The boy said, ¡°Initiate Neural Link.¡±

    A module popped open from behind the headrest of his chair and a helmet covered Shi Lang¡¯s head. This was the advanced neural link equipped in only the secret division or higher military divisions vehicles. The helmet covered Shi Lang¡¯s eyeline but the images of the scene around him were all being disyed directly inside his brain.

    The boy said, ¡°Carole, we are going in.¡±

    Carole said, ¡°Roger that Ace, I will ry this to the boss.¡±

    Then she went on and pressed a small button on the console in front of her and said, ¡°Boss, we are engaged in spacebat. Back-up is requested.¡±

    Gamma replied, ¡°You just hold on for four minutes, I will reach on-site with the others.¡±

    Suddenly, Hunk and Sharpnel¡¯s voices sounded in themunicator, ¡°Boss, we found three bogeys. They seem to be salvagers. We are engaged in a game of tag.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°SHIT.¡±

    Shi Lang did not stay quiet and said, ¡°Boss, you and Luby should move to give them a hand first, we have this big guy under control.¡±

    Carole saw what he did as he spoke and she nearly screamed. The ship just made a drift like it was a car on the ground. Shi Lang used the thrusters in opposite direction to move the whole ship in this manner. The risk was that if the control of the thrustersgged even by a second then there is a chance that the ship might break in two. After all thews of physics were still applicable in space.

    Imagine the stress put on the whole ship when it suddenly changes the trajectory by one eighty degrees at a speed seven times higher than sound. Shi Lang just did that. Then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s roll.¡±

    The ship shot forward at full speed.

    ¡­

    A man with a chiseled face stood in the cockpit of the space pirate vessel gazing at the situation in front of him. A technician said, ¡°Boss, this guy is mad, he is charging at us at full speed. Is it nning to suicide bomb us?¡±

    The man scoffed and said, ¡°This is why you are still a technician after so much time, Salvador. That person must have something up his sleeve that he is rushing here. Be on guard, set the canons on full auto. I want to see what he has.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Carole reached the enemy vessel at a fast speed. Thetter said, ¡°Ace, they are locking on us with all the cannons.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Calm your tittiesdy. We are going to make it through. Trust me.¡±

    Carole was surprised by his remark, and she was brought back to her senses when the enemyunched at least twenty phasor beams at them. However, she sensed their ship rolling over as it moved forward. She said, ¡°Good move, Ace. Time to give them some bitter love. Initiating all canons.¡±

    Seeing that the pilot kept his promise and slipped through the phasers aimed at them, her heart fell back in its ce.

    Their ship had four canons but all of them held a superior standard in closebat. Carole took the manualmand and instead of damaging the hull of the enemy vessel, she aimed at the enemy canons. The enemy ship may have a make-shift battle system, but the onboardputer made sure that the timing of the phasor beams was timed and left almost no major gap in the cycle.

    Carole took aim and unleashed the canons with a simple click on her joystick. The weapon system on their ship allowed the phasor beams to rain down continuously. It was like a battling gun firing in the old times just a lot more destructive. Two thousand phasor beams in one minute. It only needed two seconds to shower a canon module to make it immovable.

    Carole was smart enough to aim at the canon located furthest in the back. She said, ¡°Ace, you can see where I am aiming, right?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Will keep it as steady as possible. Can you take down one canon in one cycle?¡±

    Carole nodded and said, ¡°I can.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Okay, the first twenty to make them lose movement, and the rest will be done without the neural link. Okay?¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡­

    The two people raised hell outside and the people inside the ship became anxious and nervous. They did not know how it was humanly possible for this pilot to dodge the phasor beams at such a close distance. The technicians were sweating profusely, as they did not havepletemand on the manual control of the canons and they did not have resources to train too, they reigned in this region thanks to theputer onboard.

    However, their illusion was broken today when Shi Lang came on their radar. This person decisively engaged in a dog fight with them. Nobody spoke a single syble. They were all hoping for the canons tond an attack sessfully and then they will space jump away from here.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang hadpleted twenty rounds and the modules of the canons were fixed in different directions. He moved in irregr patterns to make sure that theputer onboard could not predict their movements. He said, ¡°Neural Link disengage.¡±

    The helmet was lifted from his head and the boy took a deep breath. He said, ¡°We will move slowly now, Carole. Can you kill the canonspletely?¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡­

    Ten more rounds at a speed of match five, Carole showed super skills in aiming down on the canons and destroyed thempletely. Just as the canons were destroyed, Gamma and the rest came over. Carole tried to talk to Shi Lang but the boy replied very weakly. He said, ¡°Carole, my brain is overtaxed by this fight. Do not make me talk.¡±

    Carole chuckled and said, ¡°Boss, Ace was the hero of this dog fight. He used the neural link to take down the canons.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°I get it. Time to wrap it up and go home. Ace will get a promotion for this.¡±

    ¡­

    The rest of the process was for them to contact the military business cargo ship that had brought them here and then a frontier force ship to take custody of the pirates on board the pirate ship. Gamma and the others again hitched a ride with the military business cargoship.

    They came back to the federation and rode their bikes back to the base. Shi Lang had yet to get back to the vi when Commander Archie Arkham called him over. He sighed and said, ¡°No rest for a soldier.¡±

    Gamma said with a chuckle, ¡°Boy you have earned yourself a reward on this one. You did not kill any space pirate. We scored a full score, the pirates will be used to provide us a lot of intel about the space and then they will be sent to the rehab before they are supported to integrate into the society. Well, those who are responsible for serious crimes like murders and piging will be sentenced to death. Do not worry. They will all be judged fairly. Go get the reward.¡±

 Chapter 91

    Shi Lang had recovered from the fatigue of using the neural link in thebat spaceship. The boy walked outside the vi and made his way to the Town Hall. Since Archie has summoned him personally then it might be something important. While he was walking around, he saw a few familiar faces and exchanged smiles with them.

    After a few moments, he came to the town hall and arrived in front of the door leading inside Archie¡¯s office. He knocked on the door and a calm voice sounded from the inside, ¡°Come In.¡±

    Shi Lang walked in and came to stand in front of the table. He saluted thedy sitting behind the table and said, ¡°Reporting, Sir.¡±

    Archie Arkham raised her head and nodded to him with a faint smile. She said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Shi Lang walked forward and pulled himself a chair. As he sat down, he waited for thedy to speak first. He was the junior in the room. Archie Arkham gazed at him for a few minutes and then said, ¡°I heard from Gamma that you performed really well in both the missions till now and the result was also very satisfactory.¡±

    Shi Lang sat calmly in his chair and did not reply. Archie Arkham continued, ¡°I now have a rewarding task for you. If you couldplete this task, then I will allow you to go and take on solo tasks. However, if you failed you will not get such a chance till next year. Also, if you passed, then you might be assigned to a new crew of solo agents. What do you think?¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply immediately and fell in thought. After ten minutes he said, ¡°I ept.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Check yourmunicator. I am assigning you the task to fish a bad fish in the pond on Celestia-Ruby. This fish is spoiling the surrounding fish as well. Thus it must be hunted. You are eligible for this task.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°May I be given the details of this fish? Also, is this mission a covert one?¡±

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°It is a covert mission. You will leave tomorrow. The target will not stay in this ce for more than three days and that is all the time that you will get to execute the orders. Understood?¡±

    Shi Lang stood up and saluted thedy and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°Your orders are effective immediately and after you have finished this task, I will allow you two days off.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then walked out. He jogged his way back to the crew vi. He found that most of the people had gone back to bed, but Gamma was still sitting in the living room. She said, ¡°I know that you must have epted the reward task. Go, be careful, and do not underestimate your goal at any cost.¡±

    Since this was a covert operation he was not allowed to show his status as a secret division soldier. He was given an ¡®On Vacation¡¯ status in the dossier of the military. He went inside his room and took out hismon military uniform. After changing his clothes, the boy walked out looking all dapper. He came outside the vi and rode a bike to the spaceport.

    The ck coat and ck pants made him look strikingly handsome and a cold look on his face attracted a lot of gazes as he arrived at the military business passenger ship heading to the designated. The military business organization was involved in all sorts of things that could be necessary for inter celestial travel or survival.

    Shi Lang had read the document in hism unit. The details of Celestia-Ruby dered that the waspletely colonized. However, the present administrator of the ce was a pain in the butt of the federation. The man had terrorized the natives and a lot many times the situation waspletely close to a rebellion. Thanks to timely intervention the situation stabilized.

    The main reason for this task to be handed over to the secret division was because the investigations never bore any fruit. It was high time and the fleet general of the regionmissioned the hit. He did not find any proof after the rigorous investigation. The people around the administrator were like a close-knit. They all were scratching their backs and not leaving any loopholes.

    Shi Lang was allowed to board the passenger ship when he submitted his permits. Celestia-ruby did not have a big specialty but it was famous for its native poption. The natives of this ce were a species of beings that looked like cat-men. Yes, they all had features that crossed with a cat, vertical pupils, cat ears, a tail. Other than this thedies were particrly beautiful.

    They all had an innate grace and charm that many Terran men could not help but sumb to. However, the current administrator was the one who had fallen the most in this pit. The person negotiated the peace treaty with the queens of the natives, after the Terran forces took down all the male representatives from them.

    The cat-men were not fools. They had long established a council of the rulers and came together to put up a resistance against the Terran forces. The war was fought for several months before thest Male Cat-men fell. Thedies took the council and signed the treaty of peace so that the youth of their races is not extinguished.

    Everything was fine for the past few years before the new administrator took over the office. This man was nothing more than a lustful beast. In the reports it was said that he almost raped a queen of the council under influence, however, he managed to put out all the witnesses and got away with it. The natives found this out and tried to rebel but the queens came forward to calm them down.

    Shi Lang read the data provided to him and his expression became colder by the second. He did not realize when the passenger ship got out the atmosphere. He only woke up from his thoughts when the boy heard the announcement that the ship was entering space jump. Celestia-Ruby was a Terran name assigned for the. The reason he was given three days for this task was because the administrator was going back to the federation to report for something.

    It was possible that someone from his family was trying to get him back home to save him from imminent death. Family was called family for a reason. Shi Lang had read a lot and his brain was like cogs turning over, trying toe up with an assassination n.

    As the ship, exited the space jump, Shi Lang realized why the was called Celestia-Ruby. This round sphere was a work of art with red and white colors spread over it. The red was thendmass while the white was water. The scenery was so dazzling that he could not help but click a picture of this ce from hismunicator.

    ¡­

    Soon the shipnded on the space port. This ce was visited by a lot of Terrans not only because of the beautiful females, but a lot more reasons, the handicrafts and other things crafted by the artisans here were not matched by any other civilization in the gxy.

    Shi Lang used hismunicator and decided to travel to the capital of this, Xenati. The means of transport was the same Maglev train that he used to go to college back on The Federation. He found himself a seat and squinted for the time it took him to reach the destination. He was traveling to Xenati was that the council of Xena, the native government representatives were located their.

    After the peace treaty was signed the queens moved to live in the capital making it the stronghold of their race. They did not wish to ignite their world with the mes of wars until they could not resort to any other means. Shi Lang was going tomunicate with them directly and ask for some aid.

    The train followed the track at a high speed and it came to the capital city in six hours. Shi Lang got down and decided to find himself an inn to stay the night. The other thing that he was looking for was to find some traditional garbs before he could meet the Queens in the council.

    He operated quickly due to the time constrain on him. He got down and took a cab to the market nearby. He came to a shop that was run by the military. They dealt with traditional garbs and sold them to theing Terrans in exchange of Terran credits.

    Shi Lang was a captain so he could over draft or take things on a credit. He decided to use that privilege and have Archie renumerate himter. Inside the shop, he looked around and turned out that the traditional garbs here looked like a vest and a slightly higher pants, with an unbuttoned overcoat. The sandals were simr to the gypsy sandals back at the federation.

    Shi Lang decided to by a white set of clothes and walked outside. He lodged himself in a nearby inn and took a shower. After he cleaned himself, the guy sat down on the bed and he moved his fingers to use themunicator to the limit of its capabilities. He found that he could only meet the queens after he reserved an appointment in advance. However, that appointment might take him quite a few months to arrive.

    He took a deep breath and got dressed in his secret division uniform. He packed the traditional garbs he bought in a ck back pack and jumped out of the window. The sun had gone out and the sky had no moonlight. For someone like him, who was trained by a terrifyingly toxic and sadistic assassin, it was easy to use the covers of the shadows and move through the city. He was going to sneak inside the headquarters of the council of Xena.

    Shi Lang moved quickly. The architecture of the city was not high rising skyscrapers but anciet looking stone buildings none higher than nine or seven floors. Only the headquarter of the council was fifteen floor high, being the tallest building in the city. Shi Lang moved through the abandoned alleyways and hopped from terrace to terrace as the buildings were closely built.

    The ce had a lot of people living inside. So the congestion was normal and Shi Lang was thankful for it. The boy moved quickly and decisively. He had taken up one day already and he could not afford to dy any longer.

    It took him a couple of hours to make his way through the concrete jungle and reach the headquarters of the council of Xena. Shi Lang did not enter theplex as soon as he arrived near, he hid in a dark alleyway. The soldiers of the cat-men were guarding this ce with very high vignce and they all gave off a blood thirsty aura. Shi Lang did not wish to get into fight with them at any cost.

    He changed his clothes into a traditional garb and hid his bag before he began his incursion inside the beehive.

 Chapter 92

    Shi Lang walked out of the alleyway and stood near the wall of the Council Headquarters. He raised his hand and tapped on hismunicator a few times. Then his fingers began to move in the air. He was checking into the high-tech security system around the building to find himself a hole in the wall.

    The technological advancement of this ce was not good as The Federation. He found it difficult in the first few minutes to get used to the algorithms, after getting used to the algorithms the boy found what he was looking for. To sneak inside the centralmand of the natives had to be done step by step. He hacked inside the system without triggering the firewalls. The next step was to disable theser barrier fence over the twenty-meter tall wall.

    The boy tapped on the holo-keyboard in front of him for a few seconds and then jumped up. Terrans could control the contraction of their muscles and explode with super strength for a few crucial moments. The window he had created for himself was just a few blinks and not even a second, any longer than that and he would be exposed.

    The jump made him reach theser fence in a blink, however, the barrier was not down yet. If he was monitored then people might have arranged for his funeral already, because the barrier was capable of splitting his body into pieces. Just when he reached closed to the barrier, it blinked and Shi Lang¡¯s head crossed the line.

    This guy was not her to have fun and every movement was made after careful calction. Shi Lang tipped the weight of his body in a way that his legs were facing the sky and only his head was to fall in the path of theser barrier. After the jump was executed, his body weight again began to tip and hended on his toes.

    Shi Lang did not waste any time observing the scenery and followed the shadows to allocate himself an entrance. The main and primary entrance of the building could not be essed due to super tight security. So he decided to create a path for himself. The building was white in color and that was why Shi Lang had taken up the white garbs.

    He had decided to climb the building from the walls. The walls were made of a coarse stone, and he was going to use a tool used by the Cat-men as a weapon. He was going to use what the natives called tiger ws. It was a weapon worn around the knuckles, improving the grasp on things, if used to grapple the enemy, every grab will result in the enemy losing a pound of flesh.

    Shi Lang was going to use the nano-bot version of this tool, which was better than the traditional weapons. He crept close to the building and squatted in a dark shadow. Then he used hismunicator to program the nanobots he was carrying along. The main purpose of the nanobots was to help him with killing the administrator unnoticed.

    After he was done programming, he took out a vail from his waistband and poured out the content. The nano-bots squirmed and they formed a w-like small weapon. Shi Lang took out another vail and the same thing happened. The grooves at the back of the weapon allowed him to put it on his fingers. After making sure that his tools were set, the boy used his palm to hold on to the wall. The ws worked really well, and the boy could exert strength on the wall to drag himself up.

    The boy moved stably on the surface. It took him two minutes to climb up to the second floor. He was about to continue climbing when he sensed something above his head. Shi Lang bent his neck to look up and cursed inwardly, ¡°Fuck.¡±

    He did not know that the cat-men had erected aser system every two floors. This system was the same as the one they had erected on the wall. He clenched his jaws and moved sideways on the wall using his tiger ws. After five minutes, he came to a window, the only good thing was, that the window was left open.

    Shi Lang took a hold of the sill, after confirming, that the space inside was empty, he took a deep breath and entered the building. In his mind, a strong sense of irritation was brewing, he did not like uncertainties. Especially when his life was at the stake. The outside was dim but still better lit than this room.

    Cat-men did not need to light up the whole ce bright like day to monitor it, their eyes might fail the best night-vision in the market. So, if the people were to sneak inside, they will have a hard time moving in the dark. These people used the situationpletely in their favor. Shi Lang walked inside the building and after sensing the terrain, he determined that he was inside a room.

    This room was rather big, he could sense a bed a closet, and a few things thatpleted a bedroom. He walked up to the door depending on his sensing ability, but just as he was about to pry it open and check the situation outside, he heard a voice, ¡°Your Majesty, they are too overbearing. We might be the smallest empire, that does not mean we are any weaker than them.¡±

    An irritated raunchy voice could be heard through the door. However, rather than the context of the conversation, the boy was more focused on how they were approaching the room. Yes, the distance of the voices was getting closer to the room. Shi Lang almost cursed out loud. He looked around and decided to hide.

    ¡­

    Outside the room, ady dressed in white hanfu-like garbs was walking steadily in her high heels. She had a slender figure, her beauty was capable of toppling the countries. She had an almond-shaped face, a long slender nose, petal-like lips, brown eyes with a vertical slit, and bronze hair curling down her shoulder. She had bronze-colored cat ears protruding from her skull.

    Her face did not show any emotions, the aura she gave off belonged to someone in a high position. She furrowed her brows as she heard theints spouted by the girl following behind her, thedy said, ¡°Calm down, Samara. All is not lost yet.¡±

    The majesty in her tone did not leave any room for thetter toment or counter. The two reached the door, and thedy in white said, ¡°I would like to stay alone for some time, Samara.¡±

    The knight behind her nodded and said, ¡°I understand your majesty.¡±

    Thedy nodded and pushed the door open and walked inside. Samara was about to stand guard when thedy suddenly stopped and said, ¡°Samara, can you get me something to eat?¡±

    The knight did not ask more and after nodding she left. Thedy entered the room and after she closed the door, she switched on the lights. She said, ¡°I can sense that you do not have any malice in your heart,e out.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was surprised, he walked out from behind the headrest of the big bed. He was hiding in the groove between the bed and the wall. His movements were calm. When he came to stand in front of thedy, he bowed his head, without taking his gaze off thedy, and said, ¡°I am Ace, I seek audience with the council of Xena.¡±

 Chapter 93

    Thedy was impressed by hisposure and asked, ¡°Why do you seek audience with the council of Xena?¡±

    She did not waste time asking stupid and obvious questions, like, why was Shi Lang in this building and how did he get there. The queen was smart enough to deduce things and since the person, who sneaked inside the headquarters of the council had such a calm temperament and was able to speak his purpose in front of her. It meant that he was here on an urgent basis.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It is about the administrator of the ounders.¡±

    Thedy in the white frowned and said, ¡°Why should I believe you, after all, you are an ounder yourself.¡±

    Her caution was called for, after all, their race was suffering in such a manner because of the ounders. She would not trust the personpletely. She thought that Shi Lang came here to give her some tip, to stop rallying the people against the administrator or something, however, she was shocked when she heard his next words.

    ¡°I have been tasked to assassinate the administrator.¡± his tone was still calm. He was not worried about thedy in front of him snitching him out. In the data given to him regarding the mission, thisdy was marked in bolds and italics. She was the youngest empress of the cat-men and she was also the one, who almost got raped by the administrator.

    Shi Lang, who thought of himself as an unfortunate person was now feeling very fortunate. The entire might not support him in killing the administrator, but thisdy surely will. She was called, Xenon, the empress of the youngest empire on this. She was the most beautiful of the ten empresses.

    Xenon was a stubborn and grudgefuldy. She was wise, but if someone made her suffer the slightest of injustice, then she will make them pay the appropriate price. The administrator was someone she hated with a passion. She had been rallying fellow victims against him and she intended to kill him.

    Hearing what Shi Lang said, she chuckled and said, ¡°Why shall I believe you?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It is your choice, whether to believe me or not, your majesty. However, I have no reason to lie to you. The government of my homnd has deemed this person as a scourge and threat to the peace we had established between the two worlds. So, whether you help me or not, I will go forward with the task assigned to me.¡±

    His words were paced calmly and he gave off an adamant aura. Xenon nodded and said, ¡°Let us have a closed discussion, Mister Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang had no problem and nodded to her. Just before Xenon could speak, the door was knocked on. She said, ¡°You shall wait in the washroom.¡±

    Shi Langplied and walked inside the washroom. Xenon walked to the door and allowed Samara to ce the food trolley inside, and then she asked her to guard outside and not to step inside until she called for her.

    After Samara left, Xenon called the boy out of the washroom. She sat down on the couch and said, ¡°What do you need from us? You are an ounder, can you not kill the administrator better? Or do you think that we will be fools to lend you a hand and when the things are discovered, your forces will ughter our people under the tag of vengeance?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Your majesty, I only need you to lure the guy out of the Terran Command Outpost. That ce is made in a way where abilities will not be able to help much. The administrator has a strong one level above me and what I seek is his idental death. My mission is to kill that guy and not to deepen the rift between the two parties, more than it already is.¡±

    Xenon nodded and asked, ¡°So, how do you n to do this? Do you think luring that turtle will be easy? He hides inside thatmand outpost to protect himself from our rage. Otherwise, he would have long died.¡± the hatred in her voice could not be described in words.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°What you said is true. He is a turtle, however, when you flip the creature on its back, things be easy.¡± his voice was calm.

    Xenon raised her willow-like eyebrow and said, ¡°Indeed, but to flip that turtle we would need to take him by surprise. How will you do that?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I beg your pardon, your majesty, but you are the key to flipping the turtle.¡±

    Xenon red at him, Shi Lang looked unaffected on the surface but if thisdy went berserk at this point, then even his corpse might not make it out of here. He continued, ¡°Your Majesty, you have seen what is the weakness of that guy and what can flip himpletely. I am not saying that you will have to do something demeaning. I only need your help to call that guy outside themand outpost.¡±

    Xenon raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°What do you n to do? Only when I know the ins and outs will I lend my help to you, ounder.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and began to tell her what he had in mind, an hour passed for the two people to collude in the conspiracy. Xenon was impressed by this young boy in front of him. Do not judge thedy with the title of the youngest in the crown club. She was in her early thirties. She said, ¡°Very well, Young Ounder, I will help you in this. However, none of my people should be inflicted. Otherwise, even if we go down, we will go down fighting. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Your Majesty, rest assured, the n will not fail. Also, you will receive your share of reward on your contribution.¡±

    ¡­

    NOTE: Shi Lang is not wearing a mask, because he is supposed toplete this task without being spotted, and secret division troops are always standing out so he is ying this one like a normal solider and avoid limelight.

 Chapter 94

    After the discussion, Shi Lang left the council building after Xenon had agreed to help him with his ns. The boy was quick in his movements and left just like he came to the ce. Xenon has given him an encryptedmunicator to talk with her.

    The second phase of the n had kicked in at this moment. Shi Lang was not sitting on his bed, with his eyes closed. The night has just ended and he was cultivating when suddenly his militarymunicator rang. He opened his eyes and tapped on the ept button. The call connected and the hologram of Archie Arkham formed.

    Thedy asked, ¡°What is the progress?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Reached alliance with the youngest Empress of the native government leaders. She was the one who suffered a rape attempt from the Administrator. She has the reason to align with me and in return, I can put a good word about her to the new administrator. That way her standing among her peer will improve. Mutual benefit.¡±

    Archie nodded but then asked, ¡°How sure are you that she will help you?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°If she wants her standing and status to improve, then a hundred percent. Do not worry about this boss. I still have a few things to do. Tonight is when we take action.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Godspeed, Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Godspeed, Commander.¡±

    The call disconnected and Shi Lang picked up the encryptedmunicator given to him by Xenon. This was a phone with one contact inside only, and since Shi Lang did not know how to read or write in thenguage of the people here, Xenon had to teach him how to initiate a call.

    Themunicator in his hand looked like a mobile, he pressed a few icons on the screen, and then a call was connected. After a few rings, Xenon¡¯s cold and calm voice sounded from the other side.

    ¡°What is the progress?¡± asked Shi Lang.

    Thedy replied, ¡°My messenger has set out, I will inform you in a few minutes. He wille you do not have to worry.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°For both our sakes, I hope that he agrees. The rest of the things?¡±

    ¡°They are ready, the package is delivered at the location we discussed. You can find the ce on your militarymunicator. I hope that you do not falter.¡± replied Xenon.

    The boy replied, ¡°I will not. Till then, Your Majesty.¡±

    He disconnected the call and got off the bed to take a shower and get ready to execute the task.

    ¡­

    While Shi Lang was getting ready, in the Terran Military Command Outpost, a native appeared in front of the main gates. The soldiers on duty aimed at her with their guns, making thedy shiver. She said, ¡°I have an urgent message for Sir Administrator. It is very important that he sees it. Please contact him.¡±

    A guard retorted, ¡°Why should we? What is this message and who sent you? We cannot allow just anyone to get inside the base.¡± he was correct.

    The girl said, ¡°Sir, I cannot mention the source who sent me here. But if you can forward a message, I believe the Administrator will be happy to praise you.¡±

    The soldiers all exchanged nces and one of them asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Thedy slowly took out a letter from her bosom and extended it to the guard with both hands. She said, ¡°Sire, this is the letter that you should give to the administrator. Only he is to receive this. The information inside is very sensitive.¡±

    Thedy was wearing a cloak and hiding her face. The guards only heard her voice and the sweetness and weakness of her tone made them all be gentler towards her. The scent that this girl gave off was not something they have ever sensed before. A guard took the letter and said, ¡°Okay, I will help you with this. Go now, you should not spend too much time here.¡±

    Thedy bowed to thank the person and left the ce quickly. The ck cloak hid her face and headpletely. She was aware that if she infiltrated the base, she will be discovered and shot at sight. The surveince was that high inside since her empress has told her to deliver this message secretively, then she decided to charm the guards in the front and have them do it for her.

    The girl walked inside an alley and took off her ck cloak, revealing a head filled with violet hair. She was very beautiful. A small scar on her chin seemed to give her an aloof charm. The girl fished out a simrly encryptedmunicator from under her cloak and after dialing a call she waited. When the call was connected, thedy said, ¡°Your Majesty, the letter has been delivered. I used the whisper daisies to get things done.¡±

    Xenon on the other side said, ¡°You have done well Poem. Now hide and wait for the prey toe out and inform me.¡±

    Poem nodded and the call was disconnected. She had applied the enzymes of Whisper Daisy on her body, to make the people slightly absent-minded. This daisy was medicine the natives used to make them calm down hyperactivity. Cat-men can be really hyperactive at times which may result in them losing control. This nt and its, enzymes were used to counter it.

    ¡­

    The guards were slightly light-headed but they did not know the cause of this. They have spent many years on this and the atmosphere was not hostile to them. Thus a few months ago they had been cleared from wearing any masks. They were not aware of the effects of whisper daisy. They have never tried it and given theck of skills without a machine, even the best medical personnel might not notice anything out of ordinary.

    The guard did not think much and walked inside the base to hand over the letter to the Administrator. It took him five minutes to reach the ce and then he knocked on the metal door. A hoarse and irritated voice sounded from the inside, ¡°WHO IS IT?¡±

    The guard sighed as if resigning to his destiny and said, ¡°Sir, someone sent you a message.¡±

    The man on the inside asked, ¡°Oh, what is this message?¡±

    ¡°Sir, it is a sealed letter.¡± said the guard. His words piqued the curiosity of the man inside the room. A few secondster, the door slid open revealing a man wearing a white military uniform. The man was handsome and could be called a male god. He gazed at the guard with his eagle-like gaze and said, ¡°What letter?¡±

    The guard hurriedly raised the letter with both hands, and the man snatched it before closing the door back. He was a major rank administrator and the guard was only a private, where was thetter to show his dissatisfaction?

    The handsome man recognized the seal on the envelope and opened the letter carefully, but not before he took a deep sniff of the scent lingering on the surface of this paper. The man read the content written on the page with beautiful handwriting. As an administrator, he had learned thenguage of this. It was vital for him to do so.

    He read out aloud, ¡°Dear Administrator Marshall. I am writing this letter to you because I cannot keep my feelings bottled up inside my heart. This is also to tell you that you are very cruel. That night when you tried to take me on the cold stone floor, I had to protest despite liking your dominant style.

    I am an Empress, I cannot engage with you in public eyes, yet you never took the initiative to approach me again after that incident. Now, I found that you will be departing from this ce, going back to your home, If possible, I would like to spend some time with you alone.¡±

    This letter was filled with loopholes, but the big sniff before reading and the fire of lust inside his heart made the guy¡¯s sense of reasoning dull. He did read ahead and found a ce and time was mentioned in the letter. It was mentioned in the letter to destroy the paper after reading as to not have it tracked back. Administrator Marshal took out his cigar lighter and set the page alight in front of his eyes.

    The negligible fumes of the paper were inhaled by him, making his senses even dimmer. The paper material had whisper daisies in it. Marshall sat down on the couch with his gaze locked on the watch on hismunicator.

    He was waiting for the opportune time to arrive. The man did not know that he was like a moth driven to the fire that will vaporize him. The web around him has been spun, now all that it need to set the end game was Shi Lang to make his move.

 Chapter 95

    Administrator Marshall sat in his room, peculiarly content and calmly. It was odd for him to stay sitting in one ce. Administrator Marshall had a habit of walking around the base and checking out the conditions and inspecting the discipline. He especially favored the females. Well, if not for the rules and surveince and thedies avoiding him like a gue, it would have been a ball for him.

    The reason behind his uncontroble lust and urges to copte was his gic disorder. One time, after the twenty-eight-year-old, twenty-two then. The officer decided to use a gic serum to boost his prowess. The gic serum did boost him but it also caused a disorder in his gene chain. His libido was improved, that was what he thought at the start. He was having bliss, like a horse in a mating farm.

    By the time he discovered himself to be a walking hard-on, the damage was permanent. That was it, he would have to take medicine to suppress the condition. However, when he took charge of this position, he was stacked with work, the handover, and he skipped his dosage, and then he met Xenon, who was dressed to impress. (Do not take it wrong, everyone wants to look good. She had no other motives.)

    Marshall unleashed himself on her, damaging both the people,ter he was suspended, but then he started a racket of officers like him who liked to have fun from time to time, they would pick up cat-women and enjoy themselves. As long as, the out-of-line deputies gave him newdies, he would close one eye and open the other.

    The situation escted to the point that when the natives objected to their exploitation the blood was spilled and led to Administrator Marshal¡¯s homing. However, the godsend opportunity was dropped in hisp just the two days before he would leave. So, he controlled himself as much as he could and sat down in his spot to meditate.

    He did not respond to anyone¡¯s approach. He was waiting for the time to arrive, nning the excuses in his mind.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood amidst a lush forest. This ce was on the outskirts of the capital. The movement was scarce, and beside him stood Samara, the guard beside Xenon. Thedy had a feel of heroism about herself, and she was ring at Shi Lang with stone-cold eyes. Her intimidation did not bear fruit though.

    Shi Lang was gazing around silently as well. Samara asked, ¡°What are we doing here?¡±

    ¡°The herbs that, Her Majesty mentioned, shall be found here, right?¡± asked the boy.

    Samara asked, ¡°Whisper Daisy?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy pointed at white patches scattered all over the ground, adding color to the green scenery. She asked, ¡°What do you need them for?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°I need you to help me collect as much as possible without disturbing the scene too much. They are the medicine we need to cure people thoroughly.¡±

    Samara could deduce the n of action vaguely but she was not very sure. Shi Lang jumped from the tree and began to collect the whisper daisies. He did not collect the entire patches but made sure to only collect a small amount of them. After ten minutes, he regrouped with Samara, and they had gathered a small pile of the herbs.

    Then Shi Lang said, ¡°Now we wait for the guy.¡±

    Samara nodded in silence.

    ¡­

    The administrator walked out of his room and made his way to the entrance of the base camp. The man did not take any vehicle or any escort with him. His face was calm, and upon being asked by the people inside the base camp, he said, ¡°It is myst night here, I would like to explore the ce for onest time on my own.¡±

    The people nodded and let him go. They had no particr affection for him, so, they were not worried about it. He walked through the streets. He moved through the market and purchased a simple ck cloak to cover himself up. His white uniform was standing out in the crowd. With his head bowed, he mixed up with the crowd and moved through.

    It took him three hours to get to the location of decided upon. The woods and the darkness did not affect him much, the man was a seven-star Terran. Yes, defected but strong. He walked through the forest and came to the clearing. What met his eyes was a bonfire and a feminine figure sitting near it.

    The weather on this was colder at night. He walked over with excitement. His control was fading slowly. He almost could not stop himself from jumping over at thedy in front of him. As he walked closer he found thedy to be dressed in a white hood and covering her face.

    He wanted to speak when thedy said, ¡°Come, sit near me, Administrator Marshall, let us enjoy the subtle silence before our sounds drown the scenery.¡±

    The soft voice lingered with a seductive tone, made him shiver uncontrobly and the man arrived next to thedy in a blink. He sat down beside her with much difficulty, he took a heavy sniff of the scent given off by thedy. The spear in his pants softened a lot, and the man mumbled, ¡°Your scent seems to ease my pains.¡±

    Thedy chuckled slightly and did not say much. Marshall also sat down in his ce, gazing at the dancing mes in front of him. As time passed he became more aloof, and the sharpness in his eyes dimmed. Thedy beside him adjusted the logs in the bonfire to keep the mes burning intensely.

    After half an hour, Marshall was high on whisper daisy fumes that he had been inhaling for so long. Thedy sitting beside him said, ¡°Marshall, my darling, I have heard that your people cannot cultivate by reverse circting your blood?¡±

    Marshall nodded in a daze. Thedy continued, ¡°Then I have a challenge for you, if you can be the first man to cultivate in reverse, I will let you be the first man to do me in the rear hole.¡±

    The voice had a hint of shyness, bubble, and seduction. Marshall gulped and said, ¡°I shall do it, it is no big deal.¡±

    As soon as his words dropped he began to control his blood flow and made it go reverse. The reason reverse cultivation was not allowed until it was a life or death situation, was that it gave you a super boost but it shortened one¡¯s life one year every minute.

    Marshall forgot all about it and circted his blood in reverse, as he proceeded his body began to heat, it was as if he was set on fire. However, he did not utter a single sound, thedy beside him kept cheering him with moans and dirty talks, ring his imagination and greed to trigger him.

    The reverse cirction was to burn away all the traces of whispering Daisy inside his body and wake him up. However, the quantity of the drug inside him was enough tost for two hours. Even a seven-star Terran did not have that long of a lifetime. After ten minutes of reverse flow, the changes were obvious.

    Marshall had lost a quarter of his muscle mass, his eyes were sunk to the bottom and his face was dry. Samara, who stood far in a distance, was shocked and asked, ¡°Was this your n?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Do you think it is very simple to get this done?¡±

    Samara subconsciously nodded and the boy shook his head, ¡°Thank the gic defect in his body that let us exploit the loophole. The real n will begin after the rest of his partners are dealt with.¡±

    Samara said, ¡°You n to kill them all?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°The dignity of the uniform must not be stained. Theymitted crimes toward you and sin towards us, they must pay. My orders were to clean them all, and that is what I will do.¡±

    Samara gulped and said, ¡°Cruel to your own people. How can you do this?¡±

    Shi Lang turned his face to gaze at her and while looking dead in her eyes, he said, ¡°Those who do not respect the colors on their bodies, they do not deserve to be my people. It is simple as that.¡±

    One hour had passed and instead of a bulky Terran, just a breathing skeleton was sitting in Marshall¡¯s ce. Shi Lang walked out of the shadows and thedy beside the administrator said, ¡°Darling, you can stop now.¡±

    Marshall stopped as if he was being controlled by remote control. The man had regained some of his senses and asked with much difficulty, ¡°Why?¡±

    Shi Lang walked over and crouched in front of him, ¡°For the sins, youmitted towards the civilization and the colors on your body, you are sentenced to death. May you be a better soldier in the army of the dead.¡±

    This was amon greeting used by the secret division people to send off their targets. As soon as, Shi Lang¡¯s words dropped, the man sensed a prick on his chest, and then his eyes gradually lost rity. Shi Lang ended his life with a needle to the heart.

 Chapter 96

    Shi Lang killed the Administrator, he made sure that the death looks like an ident but still strike fear in the heart of the rest. He turned his head to thedy in white and said, ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±

    Thedy chuckled and took down her hood, revealing a head full of ck hair. She was beautiful, with an almond face with big eyes. The distinct feature about her was the different colors of her eyes. She said, ¡°Well, it was an easy taskpared to the rest, plus I had some ount to settle with this guy.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and using his militarymunicator he clicked some pictures of the corpse and mailed them to Archie Arkham. He said, ¡°Lady Samara, we should begin the next step.¡±

    The knight sighed and said, ¡°Very well. Get moving.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the next step of the n began.

    ¡­

    Three hours after Administrator Marshall had left themand post, a few people were gathered in the control room. They were all the officers, who exploited the natives by exploiting Marshall¡¯s weakness. They all had received a text message from theirmunicator that address them to gather in the control room.

    A man with a slightly crooked nose asked, ¡°What does he want with us?¡±

    The man was not wearing any uniform, he was from a Military Business firm. He was here to ask them what happened. Another person said, ¡°He probably awakened his conscience.¡±

    The people chuckled when suddenly the door of the control room was essed and the person in question walked inside. Administrator Marshall stood in front of him looking nothing out of the ordinary. Do not be so surprised, this was not Administrator Marshall but Shi Lang, who was doing a white uniform that belonged to the former, and his face was covered by a skin mask prepared earlier by the empress for him.

    The people became quiet yet in their eyes, they loathe and disgust was evident. The strength of a Terran could not be detected by naked eyes. As a four-star powerhouse, Shi Lang could adjust the muscle dispositioning of his body to look like Administrator Marshall.

    Marshall¡¯s deposition was quite simple, a man of a few words, to keep up the noble pretense. Shi Lang ran his gaze to scan everyone present in the room. The control room should be filled with the soldiers on duty but since the officers of different departments were called here, they left the room to catch a breather.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°In the noon, I received a letter. Here it is.¡±

    He fished out a letter from inside the inner right pocket of his coat and handed it to the man standing nearest to him. The person had a hooked nose and sharp gaze, like a hawk. He opened the letter slowly and began to read it out allowed.

    ¡°Hello, Administrator.

    Hope you are doing well, I would like to bring it to your attention that we have a force for most of your crimes, and also against your people. The evidence is conclusive enough to make you all perish on my homnd.

    However, we Xenites believe in benevolence, so, I put forward a choice for you all. Either you all confess openly andmit suicide? Or you all wait for the war to break out. You might think that we have nothing to threaten you, well, you are correct, but know this, we also do not have anything to lose anymore.

    You ounders are causing our future to perish with all your atrocious deeds. Thus, we decided to put an end to this, the council that serves us no longer holds any significance, you have till sunrise. Choose well.

    Yours Sincerely,

    A troubled native.¡±

    The atmosphere of the control room turned solemn, the people all had unsightly faces. They slowly pointed all their gazes at Marshall. The man stood there calmly and said, ¡°What?¡±

    The hooked nose guy said, ¡°Marshall, you are leaving tomorrow, but what about us? Do you know the significance of this threat? If the masses can reach inside the depth of ourmand base, then we have all the reasons to assume that they have been preparing secretly for this.¡±

    A grumpy middle-aged man with thick eyebrows asked, ¡°What does this signify? Nothing, a bunch of cats trying to go against our mechs? Foolishness, utter foolishness. You are thinking a bit too much Dave. Rx.¡±

    Dave was the hooked nose person and he was Marshall¡¯s adjutant from day one and the two people were friendly enough to forget ranks when discussing something like this. Dave snorted and replied, ¡°Do you have a brain or is it your balls inside your skull? Do you think we have an unlimited supply of ammunition? When the masses rage forward, the use of bullets and any physical violence will only make us war criminals.

    Their government has surrendered and this is not done by them, do you really wish to kill enraged civilians and have the government turn against us as well? Wake up Sasha, this is not a war zone.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°What Dave says is correct. We cannot initiate any attacks, or the highermand will charge us with genocide and you all know the punishment for that. However, Sasha, you can defend the base with mechs, I will give you themand letter in the morning.¡±

    They were a group of six people. Marshall, the Administrator.

    Dave, the right hand of the Administrator, Chief Adjutant.

    Sasha, the head of Mech division stationed on the base.

    Darius, the logistics in charge of the base.

    The other two people were the deputies of the scout division. They were responsible for monitoring the masses. The two people were twin brothers, Xer and Shin.

    Thest two were timider than the rest and Shin said, ¡°I have been mentioning to you all that the masses are being a bit too quiettely, this could be the calm before the strength, yet you all did not heed our reports.¡±

    Sasha scoffed and said, ¡°Shut up kid. You are here telling us that what we do is wrong? Did you forget how you two paired up to rape that native girl together at the same time? Preach only when you are free of sin. Otherwise, you can shut up.¡±

    Shin clenched his jaw and Xer narrowed his gaze at the middle-aged man as he said, ¡°We raped her, yes, and what about you? Did you forget how the vige in block z vanished overnight after you took a walk there, in your mech? You are a sadist bastard, okay, our sins look like an act of stealing candies inparison to you.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked to hear all this. The people were pointing fingers at each other, calling out their sins. The protagonist was thankful that he came prepared. The whole scene was being broadcasted to the person responsible for this sector directly, and the people did not know anything about it.

    Before any of this began, Shi Lang had ryed his n to Archie Arkham and asked for the cooperation of the leaders above. This way they will be able to gather evidence and give an exnation back home. The citizens of the federation were all sensitive about the deaths of their people outside in the sea of stars. Shi Lang helped the frontier forces to provide the people back home with an exnation.

    No one will raise chaos now. The highermand was aware that Administrator Marshall had already passed away and these five will be soon given a judgment on the spot. The trigger or it all lied in the letter, the second letter was done by Samara, on Shi Lang¡¯s instruction. He had used the clothes and face mask of Marshall, he also covered the marks of the mask with nanobots.

    Shi Lang did not stop the people from arguing and calmly waited. In the vision of the other five, he was just a sex-hungry bastard and nothing much. As the argument became heated, Shi Lang rxed more. He was enraged to the point where killing these people was thest thing on his mind, he wanted to make them beg.

    He walked behind themand desk and after opening the drawer he took out a bottle of spirit from the cab and a few sses, this was their daily routine, they would share a drink in the name of reporting. He made everyone a drink while keeping an eye on the people. He added a little something in the drink to make it nice for them.

    The people were not paying attention to him they were at each other¡¯s necks. Shi Lang took a deep breath and smacked the table hard. The voice attracted the people and they all turned silent all of a sudden.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Pick up the sses, we are in this together, it is not the time to turn against each other. We need to think.¡± as he sat down on the chair with a ss in his hand. Other people also hesitated and red at each other for a bit before they picked up the sses and sipped on the spirits slowly.

    Suddenly, Dave sniffed and before he could react, Shin and Xer fell to the ground. Sasha followed them next, with Darius and Dave, the adjutant gazed at Shi Lang and asked, ¡°Why?¡± before he lost consciousness.

    Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°For fun, I guess.¡±

 Chapter 97

    After the people lost consciousness, Shi Lang called the security guard and said: ¡°Arrest them all and give them sedatives. Someone from the secret division will arrive to take charge of them.¡±

    The guards didn¡¯t know how to react to such an order, but since this was the army, they had to obey and they did. After lifting five men from the ground, they were all moved to the containment cells and administered strong sedatives to prevent chaos.

    Shi Lang deliberately ignored this news to be circted. Then he called the person responsible for Base Security. This position was independent and only responsible for maintaining order within the Basecamp. After a while, an indifferent old man entered the control room.

    Shi Lang didn¡¯t mind his expression and said, ¡°Command the base. There¡¯s onest thing I need to do outside the base. If I don¡¯te back within six hours, send a search party.¡±

    The man was startled by these words but nodded his head as if nothing had happened anyway. Shiran nodded and left. This time he took a few guards with him. He needed witnesses to make sure the n was executed as he wished, and Marshall was the only one responsible for this. This was a requirement of his mission.

    Neither the Terran army nor the natives should be involved in this issue. Shi Lang, pretending to be an administrator, traveled around the city with two guards. The guards weren¡¯t very strong, but they were still not underestimated. As professional soldiers, their vignce was at apletely different level. Guards continued to monitor as Shi Lang entered the market and slowly started shopping.

    The guards knew nothing about Shi Lang telling the actingmander of the base that he could send a search team if he did not return within six hours. After walking for an hour, Shi Lang took the two guards to an alley and suddenly stopped. A figure wearing a ck cloak appeared at the exit of the alley. Shi Lang didn¡¯t say anything, but the guards moved. As soon as they turned, so did Shi Lang and he stabbed them with a fine needle coated with a whispering daisy enzyme.

    The cloaked person walked close and asked, ¡°Is that the only way?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    The person nodded, prepared a bit. Shi Lang was given two rough rag sacks and a cloak. Shi Lang ced the two unconscious guards inside the big sacks while wrapping himself with the cloak. Many workers carried heavy loads on their shoulders and moved through the market draped in cloaks, so their movements were not very noticeable.

    The cloaked figure led to an inconspicuous building. They approached the door and the cloaked person knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern. The door was shortly opened and they went inside. The space inside was the size of a room with two simtion pods ced there.

    These pods were a gift from the Terran government to Xenites. However, the natives didn¡¯t use them because they believed the person who used them would be a traitor. The night Shi Lang went to the council building, he discussed all of this with xenon. All aspects of the strategy were nned and well thought out. For this reason, Xenon agreed to give him the help he needed.

    Shi Lang took down the bag and asked the cloaked person, ¡°Lady Samara, can you help me with these two people? I need to set the simtion code. ¡±

    The cloaked person was none other than the Knight guard of the Empress. She nodded, and with the help of her subordinates who opened the door, took out the unconscious guards. Meanwhile, Shi Lang sat down in front of theputer and turned it on.

    After the screen brightened, his fingers began to fly, filling the room with clicking sounds. Samara was surprised to see his actions. She didn¡¯t expect him to operate these machines so well, and within 10 minutes, Shi Lang was able to program the system to suit his needs.

    They put two guards in their chairs and started the system. After another 10 minutes, the simtion was finished. The boy turned to Samara and asked, ¡°Is there a sedative here?¡±

    Samara nodded, and her subordinate brought two vials of emerald liquid. Shi Lang immediately sedated the two guards and said, ¡°They will get up two hourster. Hurry to take them to the destination.¡±

    Samara and her subordinate shifted the two soldiers to the car parked behind the building. Meanwhile, Shi Lang changed his clothes and took off the white uniform. He said to Samara: ¡°Lady Samara, make sure you dressed the corpse correctly.¡±

    The woman nodded and gazed at the man in traditional Xenite dress, ¡°May the moon watch over you. ¡± and she left.

    Shi Lang also left the building and came to the hotel he was lodged in. Without wasting time he called Archie Arkham to correct my travel log and make it real. Wearing his ck secret division uniform, he headed to the HQ outpost. His face was now hidden behind a ndly styled ck mask.

    His movements were calm and bnced. When he arrived at the gates of the base, the guards remained vignt. Shi Lang dered his credentials and after confirmation, he was allowed to go inside. Shi Lang asked for directions to the control room, where he was met, Bet Baker, themander¡¯s deputy security officer at the outpost, also the actingmander.

    Shi Lang could be captain and the other being a major, but the former had a higher status as a member of the Secret Division. Thetter saluted and said, ¡°Wee to Celestial Ruby. Please take a seat, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, ¡°At ease, Major. Thank you for your hospitality, but I have no time to rx, please lead me to the prisoners.¡± His voice was calm yet the coldness radiating from it was too much for Major Baker to handle.

    The man nodded and personally led Shi Lang to the holding cells. The five people were still sedated. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Where is the Administrator of this?¡±

    Major Baker replied, ¡°He went out for an errand and will return soon.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at him for a few seconds longer and then nodded. He said, ¡°The orders are to publically execute punishment that I deem fit for them. Please arrange a meeting with the native government. I need to set things right before the next administrator takes charge.¡±

    Major Baker nodded and then moved quickly to contact the council of the natives. The process was swift and the natives replied quickly. They also did not seek war, but Administrator Marshall was not a good listener when he was in front of them. Major Baker had told the natives that the authorities have changed.

    The natives asked the ce of the meeting, Shi Lang asked them if he could visit the council headquarters. The Xenite leadership was shocked by this, after all, they were basically on the verge of war, and in such a tense situation, the Ounder wanted to visit them. Shi Lang even said that hees bearing gifts.

    These gifts made the leaders confused but they all agreed in the end. The meeting was set to be held in the morning. After Baker told Shi Lang about the arrangements and thetter told the people to keep the prisoners in sedation till then.

    All this happened within a couple of hours of Shi Lang`s arrival, and just before the deadline given by Marshall was about to end, Major Baker received a distress call from the two guards. He mobilized a team of his deputies and the news shocked everyone, Administrator Marshallmitted suicide by reverse circting his blood and he stated that he wished he could reverse the time and undo the sins he hadmitted. This was his penance and disgrace. He apologized to the Terran Military and sought forgiveness from the Natives.

    The team dispatched by Major Baker investigated the whole scene and found nothing out of ordinary. The time of death was also within an hour. Shi Lang administered some corpse preserving drugs on Marshall to fake it. The corpse was taken back to the base, and, the guards testified to the confession made by Marshal inside the Simtor. The simtion was designed in a way that made them wake up inside the alley, it was like a blink of an eye, and Marshall stood in front of them facing the cloaked figure. ¡°I made my choice, I confess,¡± he said. The figure wearing the cloak disappeared after a few words.

    Marshall took them both into the woods and sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree. He took his own life after confessing most of his sins and saying a lot, including adjusting his cycle to reverse it. Shi Lang heard all this with a faint smile on his masked face.

    Reports of his activities had already been submitted to Archie Arkham, and she was shocked to see how well he handled andpleted the work. He was brave and foolish enough to enter the Zenit Central Command room, and that alone could have promoted him, but he aplished his mission without any mistakes. It wasmendable work. ¡°Prepare to meet with local leaders,¡± Shi Lang said while waiting for the testimony to end.

 Chapter 98

    As the sun rose above the horizon, Major Baker entered the control room, where Shi Lang sat in themand chair. He slept the entire night in the chair. Shi Lang stood up from his chair when he felt someone approaching him, and after confirming that it was Major Baker, he asked, ¡°Is it time yet?¡±

    ¡°It is time, Sir,¡± Major Baker said, nodding.

    They were about to meet with the native government leaders, and the major hade over to ask Shi Lang to apany him in a helicopter convoy. After all, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose when it came to demonstrating how prosperous their civilization was.

    They made their way through the base and arrived at the transportation zone.

    Shi Lang gave the order, ¡°Have the inmates shackled and transferred to the same chopper as mine.

    They are apanying us.¡±

    Major Baker was taken aback at this point. He did not, however, dare to question the orders.

    Last night, he used his connections to conduct a cross-check through the ranks and discovered that the Higher Command had indeed given the secret division the authority to deal with this scene as they saw fit, with only the results mattering, and the result must be peace between the two parties.

    Major Baker replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    The soldiers reacted quickly and dragged the still slightly dizzy inmates to the helicopter.

    All five of them were restrained. They didn¡¯t resemble their previous cheerful and permed selves.

    They had put up a lot of resistance and stated their ranks profusely when they were pushed to the transportation zone. The struggle ended when they saw the man in the ck hood and pants standing in front of them.

    For those whomitted crimes while wearing federal army uniforms, the ck dress was a synonym for death. They hade to realize that it was the end for them as they watched Shi Lang stare at them with a mask that concealed everything and gave off an ominous vibe.

    Major Baker personally ensured that the five people boarded the chopper. Shi Lang waited for them to be properly tied down before saying, ¡°Take off.¡± His tone was cool but calm.

    The five people sat on the seats, their heads bowed. They¡¯d been in service long enough to know that once they were marked by the ck hoods, they¡¯d never be able to escape. Putting up resistance, such a thought would lead them and those close to them to the depths of hell and pain. Even criminals do not want their close ones to suffer.

    Shi Lang remained silent throughout the ride. His mind was racing with the potential arguments and situations they would face once they arrived at the Native government council. The choppernded on a patch of open ground near the Council building, and the ride came to an end when the pilot was allowed tond.

    Shi Lang was the first to disembark, followed by three Terran soldiers holding phasor guns and dressed in assaulter ss gear. Major Bekar followed with five shackled people.

    ¡°Guard the captives; they are not to make any noise,¡± he said.

    The soldiers did not respond with words, but rather with actions. Shi Lang was led ahead by Major Baker. A group of twentydies stood in the distance, ten wearing glorious gowns and dresses and the other ten wearing armor, giving off a heroic vibe. The empresses and their knight guards were among them.

    Major Baker and Shi Lang approached them and said, ¡°Greetings Your Excellencies, I am Major Be Baker, and this person is our temporary representative, Commander Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang used his alias here. ¡°Greetings, your excellencies,¡± he said as he looked at thedies and bowed slightly.

    ¡°Please ept my apologies for the losses and pain these maggots have caused you; I am embarrassed to say that they are a part of my race. They are also the gifts I would like to present to you; please use them as you see fit. I came up one short because the prime used, took his life, but you can have the shriveled corpse if you wish to.¡±

    Everyone, including thedies and Major Baker, was taken aback when he jumped right into the topic. Shi Lang didn¡¯t even give them a chance to respond before continuing, ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking that I¡¯m a little too quick to jump into this. However, I hope you will all agree that in the current economic climate, time is not a luxury we can afford. While the¡¯s original citizen is tormented and ready to take up arms. If war breaks out, you all understand the horrors of it better than I do. I hope we can all agree on amon goal here.¡±

    An elderdy spoke, ¡°Commander Ace, I for one appreciate you speaking open-mindedly with us. However, do you not think, you will lose the momentum by taking the lead?¡±

    Shi Lang let out a chuckle and said, ¡°When you seek peace, you do not need momentum but patience, Your Majesty. Am I wrong?¡±

    Thedies were all surprised once more. The olddy nodded and said, ¡°Pleasee inside the meeting hall, we shall discuss it there.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and turned to face Major Baker, he said, ¡°Take off their uniforms and hand them over to the authorities here.¡±

    His words were intended for the five captives, and Major Baker was smart enough to pick up the hint. He moved quickly and got things done, while Shi Lang headed to the meeting hall along with thedies. He noticed that the building decoration was all very sophisticated. It took them a few minutes to reach the said meeting hall.

    The setup was simr to the conference hall in the office buildings on the federation. He did not sit down until thedies did. Shi Lang was wearing a mask and one of the Empress could not help but ask, ¡°Why do you wear this mask?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°My division is not very liked by the frontier forces, so the mask helps us ward evil and hide demons.¡± his replies amused thedies.

    They have usually only met with men who would follow protocols and stuff, this was the first time they have met such an unorthodox person. They did not know that all this was being done on a purpose. Shi Lang¡¯s goofy behavior made them lower their guards around him. The group chatted about trivia and the atmosphere shifted.

    Shi Lang found an opportunity and asked, ¡°Your Majesties, may I ask, what do you think about maintaining peace on the terms set in the old treaty.¡±

    His words abruptly changed the topic and ady raised her hand and said, ¡°Commander Ace, we do not think it is fair to continue the old terms, after all, the damage we have suffered in the past few years was not the part of the agreement and it was your kind, who did this.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded but he stayed silent, another empress chimed in, ¡°I agree with Empress Vivian, we need to redraw the agreement.¡±

    The fellow empresses also put forward the same thing. Shi Lang watched the situation and after thedies stopped speaking, he turned his head to look at Xenon, who was sitting closest to him, and asked, ¡°Your Majesty, do you not have any opinion to put forward?¡±

    Xenon turned to look at him and was about to say something when the olddy said, ¡°She is the youngest among us, and she has a lot to learn yet. I wonder that is why she choose silence.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and his chuckle turned into a burst ofughter, such an expression was undoubtedly rude. However, before thedies in the higher position could get angry, Shi Lang said, ¡°I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but you have a very deep misunderstanding here.¡±

    His words raised a lot of eyebrows, Shi Lang said, ¡°I hope for the sake of peace, what I am about to say now, does not go outside these walls.¡±

    The atmosphere turned solemn all of a sudden, and Shi Lang carried on, ¡°The reason these five people were convicted was only possible because of the help provided by Her Majesty, Empress Xenon. You all should be thankful that she is young enough to muster up her courage and fight for the sake of her people without seeking any credits for it.¡±

    His words set a wave of shock among the olderdies. He did not stop though and said, ¡°You might be wanting to seek evidence to support my im, well here you go.¡±

    He manipted hismunicator and a holographic recording of the scene between him and Xenon began to y. After the recording finished, Shi Lang said, ¡°I hope you all now understand, what might happen if the recording was to go out.¡±

    This time, his words were enough to intimidate the council. Xenon stood up and said, ¡°I never seemed anything other than respect. Like all your husbands, my husband also gave his life. It might sound a bit too much, but other than our blessed physical capabilities, we were weaker than the ounders, but fake pride stopped them from thinking of the race, and the way you all behave is the same as them in my eyes.¡±

    Only now did the negotiations begin.

 Chapter 99

    Xenon¡¯s words pierced the hearts of the other Empresses like a shard. Shing did not rush to help her; instead, he waited for the right moment, when his assistance was truly needed.

    Vivian, the previous speaker, clenched her fists and inquired, ¡°So, Your Majesty Xenon, what do you think we should do? Shall we ignore our people¡¯s pain and suffering? Should we let the outsiders take advantage of our tolerance? Please enlighten us.¡±

    ¡°Only a fool would think that I¡¯m suggesting something like this,¡± Xenon scoffed. Her majestic demeanor was unlike anything the audience had ever witnessed. They suppressed her because she was known to be calm and patient.

    Before anyone else could speak, Xenon said, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk with you all. Allow me to take the initiative this time.¡± ¡°There are a few conditions that your government will have to fulfill, otherwise, you are wee toe at us,¡± she said to Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang nodded and inquired, ¡°Please tell, Your Majesty. I will ry them to highermand, but the final decision is theirs.¡±

    Xenon said with a nod, ¡°Your administration implied that we needed to disband our military in order to suppress the possibility of rebellion; however, theck of a native force allowed your side such unfettered ess something which allowed our people to be molested and murdered.

    This is the Xena Council¡¯s first condition. We will keep our native forces, and your side will not interfere in it.¡±

    Her words shocked the other empresses, but Shi Lang knew she would go for it.

    ¡°You can keep going, Your Majesty,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°Every word you say will be channeled directly to my superiors, and you can expect a response within a night.¡± this was a convenient lie. There was no way for him to establish such a fastmunication but he said it to make the people believe that Terrans were looking for peace with sincerity.

    Xenon nodded and went on, ¡°Your people consume resources from our home; from now on, anything you extract will be limited so as not to harm our home¡¯s ecosystem. I know you¡¯re all stronger, but if you push us into a corner, you¡¯ll have a lot of casualties on your hands. Armies with rules and discipline are easier to deal with than a swarm of rebels.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, surprised, but it was a pleasant surprise. The federation had frequently encountered leaders who would sacrifice their dignity for the sake of survival. However, there was a policy in the Terran Constitution that stated that if the forces came across a worthy rival, they were to befriend them rather than make enemies.

    Shi Lang recognized that adversary in Xenon. The conditions had not been discussed previously, and the way she prioritized the welfare of her people, transforming colonization into a business partnership, blew Shi Lang¡¯s mind. The young empress proposed twenty such conditions, more than half of which were coborative and economically beneficial to Xena and The Federation.

    Shi Lang stated: ¡°Your Majesty, you havepletely transformed my perception of this council.

    Thank you very much.¡± In front of all the other Empresses, he stood up and bowed to Xenon.

    The older ones had no chance to speak up because the more they thought about what Xenon said, the more surprised they became; they never expected her to be so good.

    They were obstinate but not stupid. It may have taken them some time to acknowledge Xenon, but their silence in theter stages was the same. Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you another gift because you¡¯ve met all of the requirements. Celestia Ruby is the name of this in my¡¯s directory. Back on my home, Ruby is a red gemstone, and Celestia is a word for space. I would request that my superiors change the name in our annulments to Xena.¡±

    ¡°Whatever the oue, I thank you for your cooperation,¡± Xenon said, with a faint smile and a slight bow.

    Shi Lang nodded, and the group exited the building. The knight guards trailed their lieges by half a step. Major Baker was still standing at the helipad, securing the prisoners. When he saw Shi Lang approaching, his heart began to race. The situation was not as straightforward as it appeared to others. It was a diplomatic gathering with representatives from another.

    The significance could not be expressed in words. Shi Lang approached the prisoners and, without saying a word, snatched the silver stars and insignias from their coatpels. ¡°You are terminated,¡± he said.

    Then, turning to face Xenon, he said, ¡°Terrans understand how to admit and correct their errors.

    They are at your disposal, Your Majesty, and may the moon watch over you.¡±

    He used the traditional greeting to bid Xenon farewell, and everyone else on the Xena Council returned the greeting, ¡°May the moon watch over you as well.¡±

    Shi Lang gestured to Major Baker, who took the hint and handed the prisoners over to the Knight guards before boarding the helicopter. The other Terran guards followed him as well. They were all aware of the actions that hadnded their superiors in this position. They didn¡¯t want to line with such people.

    One fact was that all of these war criminals acted alone; they never used a subordinate to do the dirty work, not because they didn¡¯t want to be implicated, but because they didn¡¯t trust anyone else. After all, if any good person reported them, they would not even face a trial. They¡¯d all be dead in an instant if there was evidence of war crimes.

    What happened this time was no different. Shi Lang began working as soon as the helicopter took off. He used hismunicator to type in the meeting report, borating on every detail and the conditions proposed by the Xenite Empress. He purposefully included how she coborated with him in carrying out the administrator¡¯s demise, as well as her wisdom.

    He made a point of emphasizing the benefits that the Federation can derive from this location, as well as the importance of adhering to the ideology enshrined in the constitution. The report had been delivered to Archie Arkham, who would forward it to the superior of frontier forces. The report had been typed and sent by the time the choppernded back at the base.

    Shi Lang stepped off the chopper, and Major Baker followed. Shi Lang was supposed to wait until the new administrator did not arrive before reporting and taking over the reins. When they inquired, they discovered that the new administrator would be arriving in a couple of hours. When Major Baker read the file and details about the new boss, he became concerned.

    He sighed, drawing Shi Lang¡¯s attention. The youngster inquired, ¡°What transpired? Do you have any reservations about the new administrator? Major.¡±

    ¡°No, sir; it¡¯s just that the individual is known to be very practical. People have always criticized his decisions for being too profit-driven. What if he also abuses his position of power?¡± Major Baker voiced his concerns.

    Shi Lang said with a shake of his head, ¡°You¡¯re overreacting; the outlook for the situation here has shifted. Do you understand the distinction between a Military Colony and a Business Colony?¡±

    Major Baker¡¯s eyes widened and he asked, ¡°Do you mean, Celestia Ruby is now a Federal Business Partner?¡±

    Shi Lang said with a nod, ¡°That appears to be the case based on the decision to post this person here. I was surprised that the report was sent so quickly. If they acted so quickly, the higher-ups must have been at their wits¡¯ end.¡±

    Major Baker said with a nod, ¡°If a war breaks out, we will lose some people. Dark organizations are very active these days, and the government is having difficulty dealing with them. As a result, they do not want the war to break out.¡±

    Shi Lang said with a nod, ¡°That,bined with the fact that this location is not only rich in resources but also has apetent poption, can help us advance in our space conquest if inter-species rtions can be strengthened. You are aware that this is on the eve of the border?

    The territory ahead of us is unexplored. A solid foothold here will give us a significant advantageter on.¡±

    Major Baker said with a nod, ¡°That is correct, but it will take a very long time. Expansion or exploration will be costly. The Federation is unlikely to have that much.¡±

    Shi Lang made a shaky motion with his head ¡°They have what it takes to move forward and explore, but uncertainty adds to the toll on someone¡¯s lives. Lives cannot be staked in such a short period of time.¡±

    The two people were discussing various aspects of the military strategy that could be implied on this and lost the track of time. They only stopped when a subordinate informed them about an inbound spaceship. The new Administrator of this has arrived.

 Chapter 100

    Shi Lang and Major Baker came to the transportation area. Shi Lang was here to take a look at the new Administrator and hand over the charge to him. Also, to check the confirmation order issued by the federation. The higher-ups have agreed to the conditions put forward by the Council Of Xena.

    Major Baker looked around and said, ¡°Sir, the new administrator hase in using a single officer pod.¡± as he read the update on hismunicator.

    Shi Lang nodded and they came to the corresponding area. At this moment, a ground staff member was checking the documents of identification provided by the neer. The person was a standard Terran, six feet tall, fair face, sharp features, he was wearing a white uniform, signifying his status as the Administrator.

    After the inspection, the ground staff saluted the neer and let the man advance. Major Baker walked forward and said, ¡°Wee to Celestia Ruby, Administrator Walker.¡±

    The man faintly smiled and returned his salute, he replied, ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Major Baker. Also, this is now renamed, Xena. We all shall follow themands from above.¡±

    Major Baker was surprised and then chuckled. Administrator Walker turned his focus to Shi Lang and suddenly became stiff when he sensed an indifferent gaze from behind the mask. This was the psychological effect caused by the mask and the aura. A handy trick he picked up in the training camp. John would practice this almost every time someone was around him.

    ¡°Major Willian Walker reporting for duty, Commander Ace.¡± saluted the man in white.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°At ease, Major. May I have your clearance?¡±

    The man quickly nodded and took out a small ss panel from his pocket and tapped it to start a holographic projection of the letter. Shi Lang read the document calmly and said, ¡°Very well. I will leave the rest of the process to you. I have one suggestion.¡±

    Administration Walker nodded and asked, ¡°Please instruct, Sir.¡±

    ¡°The youngest Empress, Xenon, she has a lot of skills. She may not be the enemy yet, but she certainly is not foolish enough to put in all her trust into ounders. Be cautious when dealing with her. Try to win her over and get things set up.¡± replied the youngster.

    Walker nodded and replied, ¡°Thank you very much, sir. I did read a copy of the report on my way, and I do agree with your words. Thank you for reminding me.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the trio went inside themand outpost. Shi Lang then waited toplete the official hand over and after signing the documents he left the ce. He was going to board the public vessel out of this ce and return back to the federation.

    ¡­

    One dayter, the boynded back in the federation and reported to Archie Arkham.

    Shi Lang knocked on the door and Archie Arkham¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The boy moved pushed the door in and walked inside, he saluted thedy and said, ¡°Captain Shi Lang reporting, Sir. Mission aplished.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°You did good, Captain. Do collect your promotion orders and insignia¡¯s from your team lodgings. Now, the next task for you is to rest and get stronger.¡±

    Shi Lang was confused. He did not understand what this task meant. Archie Arkham continued, ¡°You are to stay grounded until you have pushed through the five-star level. The missions for your rank will not be easy like these. I will not send you anywhere until you get the level to defend yourself.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted and replied, ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±

    Archie said, ¡°Dismissed.¡±

    Shi Lang left the room and walked around the basecamp. He came to the vi allocated to his team and went inside. There seemed to be no one inside the vi so he walked back to his room and after taking a shower, he went to bed. The space travel, the nning, the negotiations. All this happened in just two days.

    He was mentally exhausted, he did not know when he drifted to the slumbend, only a loud voice from outside the room woke him up. His first reaction was to reach out for the service phasor handgun he was provided after reporting but never used it. Then he stopped and carefully heard the sound.

    Putting up a pair of t-shirt and shorts he walked out of the room and said, ¡°Carole, why did you let him drink so much?¡±

    At this moment, Stefan was crying loudly while Carole was patting his back to console him. The scene was out of the ordinary and this was what woke up Shi Lang. Carole turned around and smiled widely at him and said, ¡°d to have you back, Major Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Good to be back, Major Carole. Where are the rest?¡±

    Carole said, ¡°They all were given separate missions. I had some free time and this pile of meat took me to a bar, and I had to carry him back, talk about low tolerance, irritating.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and without speaking walked inside the kitchen, after two minutes he came back with a spoonful of thick liquid. Carole asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Take Hunk outside the house, I will cure him.¡± replied the youngster.

    Carole nodded and dragged the bawling hunk outside the vi, into the garden. Shi Lang pinched on Hunk¡¯s nose and shoved the spoon inside his mouth. Stefan tried to breathe with his mouth when his nose was pinched, but the next moment, he was flushing out his innards in the garden.

    Carole and Shi Lang were sitting back inside the living room, sharing a drink to celebrate thetter¡¯s promotion. The drink was nothing but a fruit punch. They both decided to share a hard liquor drink when the whole team is together. After thirty minutes, Stefan sobered up and walked inside the room to find the two chatting happily.

    Three people chatted for a bit before Carole and Stefan retired for bed. Shi Lang decided to use this free time to contact his friends and check upon them. He sent out messages to all his ssmates, checked up on his parents, they were on federation itself but did not reply to him because it was veryte.

    He left a long message to Amelia, telling her how he missed her. Suddenly an idea clicked to him. He stood up and made a beeline straight to the town hall. Archie Arkham seemed to be turning in for the day and was about to leave the office when she heard someone knocking at her door. She sighed and said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang walked in and hurriedly saluted her. She tilted her head and asked, ¡°Major Lang, may I ask, what made you rush here in such a manner?¡±

    He was still wearing his sleeping clothes, the boy took a deep breath and said, ¡°I apologize for theck of demeanor Commander, but I thought it was better that I asked you right away and get this settled soon.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and replied, ¡°I am listening.¡±

    The youngster asked, ¡°Sir, can I go back to Ao, to train in the camp?¡± his words shocked Archie.

    She asked with wide-open eyes, ¡°Are you certain, you want to go back to that ce?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Sir, the camp is a ce where I learned all that I have, and it is also a ce where I can easily get stronger.¡±

    Archie Arkham sighed and said, ¡°I expected you toe up with a better excuse.¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly coughed hard and Archie Arkham said, ¡°Since you have decided to lie about this, then you can go to Ao. But within a week, I want you to break into the five-star level. Or you can forget about your little ¡®lovey-dovey¡¯ time.¡±

    Her words made the youngster gulp a mouthful of saliva and he took a few minutes to think about it clearly. After exhaling a heavy breath the guy nodded and said, ¡°Commander, I ept the conditions.¡±

    Archie Arkham smirked and said, ¡°Ohh, don¡¯t we have a brave one. Very well, but you cannot use a gene enhancement serum for the breakthrough, have no doubts, I will have your blood examined after your return.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and was about to turn around and go pack, when he heard thedy speak again, ¡°If you failed, then, I will have you clean the toilets and water the trees of the whole base camp. Do you understand now?¡±

    This was even more shameful than getting whipped in the square. Shi Lang sighed and decided to fight for it. He nodded and then left the town hall. Archie Arkham waited a few minutes before picking up hermunicator and contacting someone. She said, ¡°General Knight, how are you?¡±

    Charlotte Knight spoke from the other side, ¡°Commander Spade, what can I help you with?¡±

    Archie Arkham¡¯s code name was a spade. Thedy said, ¡°General, I am dispatching an agent from my ce to Ao. If you have any matters that may need special treatment. Feel free to tell us.¡±

    Charlotte did not reply immediately and then said, ¡°I shall do it then.¡±

 Chapter 101

    Shi Lang rushed back to the vi and packed his bag. Changed in the regr military uniform and walked out to the garage. He picked up a bike and rode it to the transportation base, designated to the secret divisions. Today he was going to use his privilege as a Major. He was going to use his privilege as a Major.

    He showed his ess to the guards in the bay and came inside where the solo space fighters were docked. He was going to use this vehicle for his travels. Since he was given just one week, he will hitch a ride on other big-ss military spaceships. Getting on the spaceship, familiarized himself with the cockpit and put on the helmet.

    He spoke, ¡°ATC, ATC, this is phantom fighter pilot, Ace. Do you copy?¡±

    The connection was established and the person on the other end replied, ¡°This is ATC, go ahead, Ace.¡±

    Since Shi Lang was using the vehicle designated to the secret division specifically, he needed to use his registered codename or they will not allow him to fly. Well, such were protocols and conducts. Shi Lang replied, ¡°Requesting permission to take off.¡±

    The Air Traffic Control replied, ¡°You can take off, the window to breach the stratosphere is five minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang confirmed a few more things with them and pressed the ignition button. The ship flew up vertically at a high speed. After a thousand meters in the void, Shi Lang maneuvered and said, ¡°Ace going Mach two.¡±

    Then he pushed the throttle control and with a boom, the vehicle moved. It went straight through the clouds. Shi Lang increased the speed and kept announcing it to the ATC transmission, until a few momentster when the fighter ship got past the atmosphere.

    Shi Lang contacted a few military ships in the vicinity and hitched multiple rides to get through the sea of stars.

    ¡­

    At this moment, Amelia had just entered the basecamp, with her body covered in mud and dust. Her face was anything but beautiful. However, the girl went straight inside the main building and reported to themander about her expedition.

    Themander of this base was a Major ranked five-star Terran, called Tiberius Dawn. He was a man in his mid-twenties and was considered a genius, however, he was a typical one, as soon as he found Amelia, he was head over heels for her. The girl did not find that it was necessary to make her engaged status clear to him.

    He was not important to her. The man was trying every possible way to woo the cold goddess. He was unaware of his own folly. Amelia entered the room, with the guy sitting in his chair. She saluted and said, ¡°Commander, the expedition proved useful, the route discovered by the satellite is secure from Shamanti threat. However, there is something else.¡±

    Tiberius was listening to her in a daze, he asked, ¡°What is it?¡± with a voice so soft that it made many females inside the room envious.

    Amelia replied with her indifference, ¡°They have a next of hostile bug beasts in there. The bug is as small as a pea, however, the speed is akin to a bullet and they attack in swarms.¡±

    Tiberius nodded and said, ¡°You might be tired, do that rest for the time being. Shall I get you something?¡±

    Amelia saluted him and was about to walk out of the control room, without caring for the guy¡¯s embarrassment. Suddenly, a soldier spoke up, ¡°Commander, an unidentified space ship passed through the atmosphere and will be upon us in a few seconds. What are your orders?¡±

    Tiberius raised his brows and said, ¡°Shoot it down.¡±

    He did not ask the origins of the spaceship or tried to establish the contact, but directly gave assaultmands. Amelia stopped in her tracks for a bit but then walked out of the control room. She did not care if this guy did anything wrong, he would always find a way to get away from it.

    The soldier hesitated and pressed a few buttons on the console, initiating the air defense system to take down the iing spaceship. His hand was about to press the fire button when themunication system of the control room activated by itself and a cold voice sounded, ¡°This is Agent Ace, secret division. Here to report to Camp Ragnarok. Stand down. Or I will return fire and raze your building to a parking lot.¡±

    His voice was enough to send shivers across the room. Everyone shivered from fright because of thebinations of a few words. Secret Division, Camp Ragnarok, I will fire. They did not expect it to be such a person. Everyone turned their gaze to look at Tiberius, who was standing there in a daze.

    He said, ¡°Do not panic, stand down. I will deal with this.¡± his voice was quite calm.

    He turned back to find Amelia gazing at the console and shivering slightly. Tiberius thought that she was shivering because of the threat they received on the transmission. He walked over and said, ¡°Lieutenant, you do not have to feel scared. I will deal with this person. You will not be implicated.¡±

    Amelia suddenly went stiff and then rxed. She said, ¡°Commander, I am not afraid. I wonder if you will be going to attend the secret division officer?¡±

    Tiberius failed to catch the hint of mischief in her voice and said, ¡°Yes, I am themander of this base, it is only reasonable that I wee the guest.¡±

    Amelia nodded and gestured for him to take the lead. The man smiled and straightened his back to walk out in the front. His adjutant was also a girl and caught up with Amelia. The two were aware of the hedonistic personality of their superior and banded together. The adjutant asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    She was not a lusty wolf who lost her sense of measure in heat, she did catch the tinge of mischief in Amelia¡¯s voice earlier and thus questioned her. Thetter smiled and winked at her, indicating to be patient. This was the smile that Tiberius was so eager for.

    ¡­

    A team of soldiers took defensive formation around a single-man fighter spaceship that had justnded in the transportation area. They all had their arms at ready, suddenly they heard a hissing sounding from the cockpit hatch. The cockpit door moved back and a figure dressed in a ck uniform jumped out from it.

    The people saw the ck dress and they were all shocked. They gulped in a mouthful of saliva and took half a step back. It was not because they feared the strength of the person but his position. The ck dress belonged to the secret divisions. They all may be from different divisions, but they all had one dress, one purpose, and they were all very cruel.

    The secret divisions were viewed as monster legions. Each and every one of them was so cunning and cruel that they could even make your shadows betray you. It was at this moment that Tiberius walked over with his crew.

    He spoke in a cheery tone, ¡°Wee, Sir¡­¡±

    His greeting was not even finished when Shi Lang raised his head to gaze at him. The nd mask and vermillion zed lense as his eyes sent out sirens in Tiberius¡¯s mind. And he was not wrong. Shi Lang took a hold of the hand gun strapped to his tight and directly aimed at the Basemander¡¯s head.

    However, none of the people in the defensive parameter dared to raise their gun against him. Shi Lang did not fire but walked closer to the man slowly. He stuck the barrel of the hand gun to Tiberius¡¯s chin and asked in a somber tone, ¡°How does it feel to be at the gun point for no reason?¡±

    Tiberius could tell that the man in front of him had the intention to kill him. He put away his ass-kissing attitude and said, ¡°I apologize for the misconduct sir.¡±

    Shi Lang snorted and said, ¡°If it was a civilian ship seeking your help and they were met with those guns you moved as you wished, I would have to take a trip here and bring their rtives your head on a silver tter. Remember, that the chair you sit ones with burdens and is not meant for you to rest. Be responsible and tedious in your duty, or I do not mind making a special mention to the seniors.¡±

    Tiberius was scared shitless. He did not dare doubt a single syble Shi Lang had said just now. He did not have the courage to say anything and just nodded with a drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face.

    Shi Lang took back his gun and turned to look at Amelia, and after taking down his mask, he said, ¡°Surpris¡­¡±

    Amelia, on the other hand, thew herself in his embrace and said, ¡°I missed you, Honey.¡±

    Her tone was so sweet that Shi Lang was surprised. Well, he was not the only one to experience the same.

 Chapter 102

    Shi Lang stood stiffly as the girl hugged him tightly. He only woke up when her embrace gave her slight pain. He could sense her fast-beating heart, her ragged breathing. A longing emotion brimming from her eyes and the truth in her voice. He did not expect her to be like this. After he woke up from his daze, he wrapped her arms around her waist and said, ¡°I missed you too, my love.¡±

    He did not hold her tightly, but calmly, as if a gentle flower in his embrace. Amelia could sense the care he held for her in his heart. His gentle voice was like a nket for her chilling heart. Ever since they spent the evening in M¡¯s cafe, she had been unable to get over that moment, when Shi Lang stood in front of unknown people, tipsy bit, and then sang a song for her.

    She had recorded that moment and when sometimes she missed that moment, the video would allow her to go back in time. The two might not have a strong rtionship in terms of time, yet the emotions they had inside were fueled by the loneliness they faced inside the base camps, betting their lives daily.

    The two people seemed to have forgotten that the world around them existed. The soldiers in the surroundings could not help but cheer or whistle. This made the two teenagers blush while Tiberius fumed with rage. He took a deep breath to calm his anger and coughed hard.

    Shi Lang raised his head to look at him while holding the girl in his arms. He asked, ¡°Is there a problem Major?¡±

    Tiberius replied, ¡°If you do not care about your image, care about Lieutenant Amelia¡¯s image. The people are watching.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°One, she took the initiative. Two, we are engaged. Three, she is off duty. As for her image, I do not need you to worry about, Major Tiberius, your image in themand is self-evident.¡±

    Tiberius clenched his jaw and said, ¡°I know that since you are an officer from another division, I cannotmand you. But I have the right tomand my lieutenant.

    Lieutenant Knight, report back to your room, you are not allowed to meet anyone.¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and patted Amelia on the back and said, ¡°Baby, let me handle this.¡±

    Amelia heard him call her baby in such a low and gentle voice, that she shivered, and then let go of him. She came to stand behind him and hid behind his back. The guy put on his mask and said, ¡°I am here by themand of my superior. My task is a secret one and I need Lieutenant Amelia to apany me. Here are the orders.¡±

    He fished out a ss card from the inside pocket of his jacket and flicked it to the adjutant in the back to check. Thedy blushed faintly and scanned the ss card. When the orders were confirmed of their authenticity, the adjutant nodded said, ¡°Sir, the documents are clear.¡±

    Tiberius clenched his teeth and Shi Lang said, ¡°Do you have anyone around with a superior position?¡±

    His words stabbed Tiberius right in the heart, making him hate Shi Lang even more. He did not want to say anything else. He did not need to. Tiberius nodded and said with a smirk, ¡°They are inside the camp building, Do you know the way or shall I show you?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I am clear enough about the way around, I hope you do not by mistake walk inside the camp threshold, or we might need a dustpan to collect your¡­ well shreds I guess. Come, Amy, you are to work beside me the next few days.¡±

    That said, he grasped her warm palm and walked into the camp direction, without looking back. Amelia was the same, she also did not look back. Tiberius clenched his fist and was about to mumble something when hismunicator rang. Influenced by how Shi Lang took away the girl he has been chasing and humiliated him in front of his entire toon, he picked up the call and spat, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    A cold voice sounded in his ears, ¡°Have you forgotten your discipline to the point where you do not greet your superiors, Major Tiberius.¡±

    This one sentence cleared up the fog in his brain and immediately he replied, ¡°I apologize, Sir. Major Tiberius reporting, General.¡±

    The person on the other side was General Charlotte Knight. Incharge of the sector. She would randomly call up the basemander for checkups and ask them about all big and small activities. She was a really scary person, thest person in Tiberius¡¯s position was changed because of his dereliction.

    ¡°Hmmm, the reason I contacted you is to make it clear that under no circumstances are you to obstruct the secret division officer who should have arrived by now. His task is very crucial, and we need him to seed. Understood? I will be monitoring you, and I need yourplete cooperation in this matter.¡± said thedy in a stern manner.

    Tiberius was left baffled by this, he replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, that is all.¡± and the call was disconnected from the other end. In his heart, Tiberius thought that Charlotte only wanted to make a cozy environment for her daughter and son-inw. He could not be any more wrong.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Amelia walked to the threshold of the camp and the guy asked in a soft voice, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    He brushed her dirty, sticky hair aside as his gaze trailed her face as if trying to melt it under his gaze. Amelia was the same, she gazed at his face, subconsciously, touched his hair, and said, ¡°They have grown longer. Do you not have rules in the secret division? Also, what is with your rank elevation? Did you get promoted?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I have rules, but not the time. Yes, I did get promoted, you are the first one I have told other than my crew. Do you like my surprise, Amy?¡± at the end of the sentence he was so soft that Amelia really thought it was a dream.

    She leaned closer and her pink lips covered his rough lips. Shi Lang was not surprised and took the initiative to hold her closer to his body as they shared a loving moment. The kiss was very gentle, abstained from all the lust and physical profanity. It was a pure expression of love between two people who came in contact out of necessity.

    Amelia wanted to beat Jenkins, and thetter wanted to make some gains and get a gene strengthening serum out of the deal. The two people moved away from each other after that. When they met again, they discovered something, Shi Lang could be the normal him around the girl, while the girl also did not have to put up any pretenses around him.

    After that evening inside the cafe, their hearts were totally charmed by each other. Shi Lang would be lying if he said that he did not enjoy teasing her at the start. However, the rtionship progressed very quickly, and the distance put up after graduation was a good thing for them.

    The two broke away from the kiss when they heard a slight cough from the side. Shi Lang did not panic like Amelia, and said, ¡°Long time no see, Instructor John.¡±

    He turned to his left and found, John standing with his arms crossed in front of him. The man nodded and asked, ¡°Do you n to bring in your girlfriend?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°No, Sir, I would rather not have her step inside, as I am sure I will attempt to kill you all if you hurt her even in the slightest. You are smart enough to discern if I am lying.¡±

    Amelia was surprised to see her fiancee talking to the instructor of the camp where not even monsters would whimper in such a tone. This was a big deal for her. She was moved by his actions. John on the other side raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°What if, I knock you out and then skin her alive?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Please be my guest, and just in case you do not know, she is the general¡¯s daughter. If you touch a strand of her hair without any sufficient reasons, then you will pay.¡± his voice did not waver. He was calm and stable.

    John nodded and said, ¡°Good, you did not lose your temper like before. You have grown up. What is the purpose of your visit?¡±

    Shi Lang stood up straight and saluted the person as he said, ¡°Sir, I would like to achieve the Five-star Terran cultivation level, here. By your permission.¡±

    John nodded and said, ¡°Wee home Major Lang.¡± the man saluted him back and left.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Amy, why are you so dazed?¡±

    Amelia asked, ¡°Why did youe here?¡±

    Shi Lang embraced her in his arms and put his chin above her head as he said, ¡°For you.¡±

 Chapter 103

    Amelia heard his soft voice and almost melt in his embrace as if a puddle of jelly. Shi Lang patted her back gently and said, ¡°Go clean up, we will go outter. I will meet the instructors and discuss the premises of my task.¡±

    Amelia hummed but she did not let go of him. Shi Lang smiled faintly as he saw this girl being so clingy of him. He spoke with an emphasizing tone, ¡°Amy.¡±

    Amelia let go of him and said, ¡°You will contact me when you are done, right?¡±

    Shi Lang pecked her hairline and said, ¡°Yes. go now.¡±

    The girl gave him a good look and suddenly she remembered something, turned away and ran away at her top speed. Shi Lang was surprised, and after a moment only did he chuckle. He found her actions funny. Well, every girl wanted to look pristine and perm in front of the one she loves, but at this moment she was covered with dust, mud, and slimes from her trip outside, yet this guy did not hesitate in holding her close, although his actions warmed her heart, she still felt embarrassed.

    Shi Lang turned around and took a long nce at the que and the scenery that reminded him of his most painful experiences in this life. The boy would be lying if he called himself to be the most talented cultivator in the old ancient times. At most he was just a guy who sometimes got lucky and by the time he was on hisst leg he finally managed to climb the peak, that too when the peak was abandoned by the talents.

    This ce reminded him of the pain he had suffered but also the things he discovered aftering back to life, he was surprised to discover that life without spiritual energy was also possible and that his knowledge about a lot of things that he thought would go to waste was still applicable.

    He took a deep breath and raised his foot to step inside the camp threshold. The next thing he did was to run. He made a sprint to get to the door of the shack in front of him because his senses were crying that he was locked on by a lot of phasor guns. During his time inside the ce, Shi Lang discovered that the ce was surrounded by a holographic projection.

    Shi Lang had discovered that the projection was used to hide the guns aimed in all directions to stop the intruders from getting close. Just earlier when Shi Lang met John, he was aware that the entry inside the ce will not be as simple as it may seem to be. Thus he ran forward, and without even calcting the path he will take.

    His reaction was correct, the instructors had the ceced with cameras and smart assaulted phasor rifles, these rifles could analyze and predict the path of your movement. Since Shi Lang himself did not know what path he was going to take, theputer also found it difficult to intercept him.

    The system worked on judging the direction from various factors based on bodynguage. But Shi Lang messed himself up on purpose and made his way through the shing phasor beams, like a specter. His reactions and speed had increased more than even his time at the camp.

    ¡­

    Back in the monitoring room, the four people were sitting in front of the screen and Yuu spoke, ¡°His movements are decisive yet unpredictable.¡±

    Carlos said, ¡°My, my has the doll grown up. Look at his eyes, the look on his face is as if a predator is running from the hunters.¡±

    Dalia nodded, she said while looking at a different screen, that showed the muscle structure of Shi Lang and said, ¡°His body has grown very tenuous and the quality has refined as well. It seems he came here seeking the opportunity to step into the fifth-star level.¡±

    John interjected, ¡°I hate to break it to you all, but he came here because the daughter of the camp master is his little sweetheart. Not because he was missing our torture.¡± his voice was the usual monotone.

    Shi Lang reached the gate of the shack and did not waste any time, pushing it open and entering the ce. The test was, unfortunately for him, not over. The traps inside the staircase were all triggered as if to wee him on a tour around hell. He did not lose his cool and directly moved downstairs.

    He made sure to run faster than the traps could catch him. Yes, he had given up the caution to prevent his steps from adding on to his troubles. He ran as fast he could without stopping. The maze that made him crawl back to the infirmary. But today he ran through it without breaking a sweat.

    After an hour, he arrived in front of the camp master¡¯s office and knocked at the door. From inside he heard a voice, ¡°Come in.¡±

    He pushed the door open and entered the familiar room. The person behind the big mahogany table sat Dalia. The ever-smiling witch doctor, as what Shi Lang called her. He did not smile and presented her with a crisp salute. He replied, Trainee Shi Lang has returned, Camp Master Dalia.¡±

    Dalia smiled and replied, ¡°At ease, firstly you are now an alumnus, second, wee back. I am sure that you did note in here o greet us, after all, we were your nightmares. What is it?¡±

    ¡°It is two things actually, one is to visit my fiancee, and second, I need to get past the barrier of gene lock and reach the five-star realm, the premise is without using a gene serum,¡± said Shi Lang.

    Dalia raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°Ah, so I see. Indeed a correct choice that you made. Why the rush though?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I wanted to meet my fiancee after I got an off for promotion, but since that required me to travel away from the base of my division, Commander imposed the condition.¡± he did not dare to lie to thisdy who could read the faces like books on public exhibition.

    Dalia smiled as she asked, ¡°What else?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Commander will punish me to clean all the toilets in the base.¡±

    The room echoed with a chuckle and Dalia said, ¡°Good thing, you can go back, I will not help you.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything and with a salute, he decided to walk away. Dalia wanted to see how far will he go. However, the boy did not even flinch and maintained a stone face. As he was about to turn the knob and get out, she asked, ¡°What are you nning inside your head?¡±

    Shi Lang turned around and said, ¡°Camp Master, mymander is aware of my training here, and she is also aware that only you can help me get past the barrier without a gene enhancement serum. If you turn me away like this, it will only make her look down on you, I am given a neigh impossible task so she will not me me much, but looking down on you cannot be avoided.¡±

    Dalia hated to be looked down on by others and was apetitivedy. She said, ¡°Brat, I know you are using reverse psychology on me, but I will allow it. Go out in the forest and get me three twigs of evangelica. Along with the corpse of a me leopard. If you can do it, then I will get you to step into the five-star realm. Since you are the only student of mine, I will throw in a little extra, unlock your gene chain.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Okay, I will get it. Do we have any specific location to find those things you mentioned?¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°Twenty clicks inside the western woods. I have no idea how you will get there but that¡¯s the only ce to find the me leopard. Evangelica only grows in the area where me Leopard shits.¡±

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Why do I have to deal with shit again. The teacher did you not say I will not have to deal with shit anymore.¡± he still remembered how she got him to extract the undigested pieces of wild herbs to make poisonous potions and then she would test them on her.¡±

    Dalia shrugged her shoulders and said, ¡°That was then, this is now. You want to move to the next realm, and not to go back to your ce and wash shit? Either you deal with that shit or this. The choice is yours.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed as he held his face in his palm. He said, ¡°Okay, I will get you the materials. I will meet the restter.¡±

    Dalia smiled and said, ¡°You sure, you want to make them wait?¡±

    The youngster understood that if he dyed anymore, the other instructors might beat him into a bag of broken bones. Sighing, he resigned to his destiny and left the camp master¡¯s office.

 Chapter 104

    Shi Lang got outside the office of the camp master and made his way to the mess hall. That was where all the instructors would gather most of the time. This time he did not have to face any traps. His journey was smoother and faster. As he entered the mess hall, he spotted, Carlos, John, and Yuu.

    He came to stand in front of them and saluted. The three people gazed at him and nodded. Carlos said, ¡°Kid, I heard you are venturing outside on the western woods?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±

    Carlos nodded and said, ¡°Since you passed the weing ceremony with flying colors, I will be giving you a tip. Capture a blue fowl, that will make your hunt easy.¡±

    Shi Lang took a mental note of the tip and said, ¡°Thank you very much, Sir.¡±

    John said, ¡°Maintain the contrast. Things in the western woods are not as simple as they might seem to be.¡± his voice was calm yet cold as always.

    Yuu said, ¡°Lang, make sure that you bring enough ammunition, and tell that girl to maintain a distance with you. She is not yet good enough to get deep inside the western woods.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am, thank you very much. I will remember them.¡±

    He was not confused about why these people did not ask him how he was or anything else. They were all battle-hardened people and they had created an image in his mind that was nothing less than a nightmare in his mind. They did not want to look mushy in front of him. Carlos said, ¡°If you manage to capture and keep the fowl alive, then bring it back, I will roast us all a local delicacy.¡±

    With that said, he stood up from his seat and walked out of the ce. Shi Lang stood there maintaining his salute to his departing back. Yuu said, ¡°I will cover you two in the officer mess. Come back safe, Lang.¡±

    Yuu was not as awkward as she was in the past, she came forward and patted his shoulder as she said, ¡°You did a good job to get promoted in your first month.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Yuu nodded and walked out of the room, while John was already nowhere to be seen. He was never much of a talker, well, not unless you are tied to a chair in his interrogation room. Shi Lang sighed at their backs and scratched his head. Then after shaking his head, the boy walked out of the mess hall.

    He came outside the camp building and using hismunicator he called for Amelia. The girl agreed to see him at the transportation area in ten minutes. She was done bathing and eating, ready to meet him. Dalia had sent him an intel report, telling him about the things he should be attentive towards and things that he should avoid at all costs.

    She also mentioned several times inside the file that he has three days toplete the task and only then will she be able to make him the solution that can get him to the five-star realm without the help of a gene enhancing serum.

    Shi Lang was reading the data using his mask¡¯s visor to save time. He located Amelia standing near a corner, wearing her tactical gear. The youngster came to her side and said, ¡°Amy, what is the code name you use when out on a mission?¡±

    Amelia was surprised but then she replied, ¡°Wazir. The one that sees it all, and can change it all.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Wazir. I am Ace.¡±

    Amelia nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Sir. d to work with you.¡±

    She was surprised to see how Shi Lang¡¯s temperament has changed since he put on the nd mask on his face. His voice lost that softness, she realized that the mission was going to be dangerous. Since the gravity of the situation was notpletely known to her. She put on her game face as well.

    The two came to a chopper and the flight crew immediately put away the smiles on their faces. Shi Lang said, ¡°Drop as at coordinates, XXX, YYY, in the western area of the woods.¡±

    He was not asking them but telling them. The captain was aware that Shi Lang was not a low-rank person and he could even make their boss work like a junior, so they saluted and said, ¡°Sir, we can take off in five minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and turned to face Amelia. Then he walked to the side, letting the flight crew perform the pre-flight checks. Amelia naturally followed him. She was about to ask what the mission was about, when the guy said, ¡°We need to hunt for a beast inside the woods. Avoiding the shamantis. That is the main objective. To achieve that we will have to follow a few tips.

    We will move through the shadows in the noon and moonlight at night. We need to capture a blue-colored fowl. That will serve the purpose of bait. Also, you will follow each and every instruction inside the woods. The ce is not as calm as it may seem, check your gear ammunition, if you think it is enough, then fine, otherwise, go replenish your supplies, I will wait here.¡±

    Amelia was listening to all that he said, with rapt attention. She could sense that things wereplicated and he was scared about her safety. So, she said, ¡°I have double-checked the supplies, Sir. There is no problem.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then he went on to tell her about the n in detail, after five minutes, the pilot of the chopper ran over and reported that they could now take off. The couple got onboard, and the rotors took them to the skies.

    ¡­

    Camp Ragnarok, monitoring room.

    Yuu asked, ¡°Dalia, was it necessary to send him in the woods, like this? You know that he hates us forst time because of iplete intel?¡±

    Dalia shook her head and said, ¡°I gave himplete data. Otherwise, even I will kill us all, let alone him. Plus the daughter of the boss is also tagging along. I dare not try anything.¡±

    John scoffed but did not say anything. Carlos did not hold back anything and said, ¡°You all are hypocrites. Was Shi Lang an expandable piece, when the boss put him out there thest time? Now that her daughter is tagging along you all y safe? Do you not know it by now? Amelia¡¯s talent is far behind that of Lang. This boy can represent us all in the¡­¡±

    Dalia snapped, ¡°Carlos, shut it. I am not having any arguments with you. The boy is too young to know the existence of that thing. He must step into six-star Terran without the help of a gene-enhancing serum. Otherwise, we all know what might be the result. Now shut up and watch them all. Be ready to take emergency actions if they need help.¡±

    Yuu said, ¡°The illness we ignore for too long a time, bes a rotting poison, corroding our organs, and then we have to cut off that organ from the body.¡±

    Dalia understood what they meant. She sighed and said, ¡°This guy is the budding star of the secret division, he will get to know it sooner thanter. Do not worry, you all know that it is not our ce to tell him all this. The higher authority and the Fleet Council is the only one with enough authority to appoint people as the deck.¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Yes, you are right, but this is still not the way things should be done.¡±

    John shook his head and decided to overturn the solemn atmosphere, ¡°We need to monitor the cubs well. The me leopard is a beast that can best a bloody five-star Terran with ease. As for these two four-stars? They are too emotionally attached to not risk their lives.¡±

    Carlos, said, ¡°Shi Lang might manage to handle this task alone better than in a group. You know that Dalia.¡±

    The blondedy nodded and said, ¡°Amelia, awakened the ability too rare among us. You all know that she will only grow under constant grinding. She needs both mental and physical whetting. Shi Lang is the best guy to trigger that.¡±

    Yuu wanted to say something but she kept it to herself. This was one of the reasons behind Shi Lang¡¯s task. Amelia has been growing stronger with every day spent out in the woods scouting. Yet, her growth potential was not being triggered. She was just too privileged because she had such skills instilled in her from childhood.

    Her basic foundation was too good. Later when she awakened an ability to turn invisible and vanish from the sensory radar of others, did she came out like a diamond. Although, a gem, but it needed to be carved before it could shine out like a true piece of natural art.

 Chapter 105

    As the people inside the monitoring room were discussing Amelia and Shi Lang being useful, the couple was flying through the skies having a discussion of their own.

    Shi Lang ced his elbows on his thighs and leaned forward and said in a serious tone, ¡°Wazir, I will not be tolerating any mistakes or emotional hindrance during the task. Do you understand?¡±

    He was clearing up things from the get-go. He did not want her to let the emotional side of their rtion to bing a liability. Amelia replied, ¡°Do not worry, Ace. I understand all this. What I am more interested in, is the action n. You said the primary objective is to hunt a me Leopard. Our system has negligible information about this beast. How do weplete the task.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I was told that the me leopard is fond of a blue fowl. Although I do not know what is the logic behind this or what reports have made the superiorse to this conclusion, the information is reliable.

    To lure the beast out, we will capture the blue fowl. I have read the data, we have enough information regarding this bird.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Alright. The movement n, you have already told me before boarding the flight, but don¡¯t you think it is unsafe for us to avoid the shadows at the night? Also, tonight it will be a full moon. I am unsure.¡±

    Shi Lang turned his masked face to look at the girl and said, ¡°Orders are to be followed and not thought over. At the moment, you are my subordinate, and you will do as I say. If you proved to be a liability, then I will make sure that you can never put on the colors of the military again.¡±

    Amelia was stunned, she was not a member of the secret division and did not have a mask to cover her face like Shi Lang in front of her, and the pain caused by thetter¡¯s remark was visible in her eyes as clear as the day.

    Shi Lang did not bother to exin anything to her and waited for them to enter thending zone. Soon, the wait came to an end and the pilot¡¯s voice rang through the speakers, ¡°Sir, we are nearing the coordinates, do you need us tond on the ground or¡­¡±

    The pilot was a low-ranking officer in front of the guy sitting inside the cabin of his vehicle, who could not be judged by the conventional ranking system. He could not just ask him to get him to jump off the chopper to descend on the ground, can he?

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We will dive.¡±

    The pilot heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Yes, Sir. We are in the dive zone. You can go any moment now.¡±

    Shi Lang undid his safety belt and stood up from the chair. A somewhat dazed Amelia also followed him and stood up from the chair. The chopper had two doors and both were open, so the couple did not waste any more time and jumped down the chopper. Their suits were equipped with the state of the art flight suits. They would deploy instantly when the smart fabric sensed their movements and vital telemetry.

    The two peoplemunicated with hand signs and soon breached the tree canopy one after the other, with Shi Lang in lead. Theynded on the ground and broke into a roll to unload the impact force from thending. Shi Lang gave a signal to Amelia to hide inside the shadows of the tree.

    The reason? The guy had been using his ability from the moment they dived out of the chopper. He could sense someone watching the open areas inside the woods. This sensation gave him an uncanny vibe. He did not wish to take any risks and followed John¡¯s advice.

    He used another hand signal to tell Amelia, ¡°Use your ability and scout the ce.¡±

    Amelia gave him a thumbs up, meaning, ¡°I got it.¡± the next moment, she turned invisible and left the ce to scout.

    Shi Lang then looked up at the sky and made some weird symbols using his hands. This was to inform the observant instructors back at the monitoring room.

    ¡­

    Yuu gazed at the screen and then she said, ¡°Lang turned in a silent report.¡±

    John nodded and said, ¡°About time he realized, that he canmunicate with us via ¡®Eye in the sky.''¡±

    Carlos said, ¡°Move the secondary scout and use the thermal screening to locate Amelia, she is out there in the western woods and our doll sent her to do the heavy tasks. I am worried that she might get tagged by those native savages. Their noses are too powerful.¡±

    Yuu nodded and tapped the holographic panel on the table to get the secondary camera to aim at the girl. They were fed with the live thermal scans of the area, and they could tell that the girl was sticking to the instructions. They heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡­

    After waiting for twenty minutes, Shi Lang found Amelia appearing at the position she was in earlier. The girl gave him a lot of signals, informing him that there were a lot of things that she could not understand.

    Number one, Amelia has never seen a ce inside the wild woods that could be as silent as this one.

    Number two, She moved half an inch of her finger out of the shade. The following thing almost made her scream from fright. She sensed a gaze so intense that her mind jolted back to reality. She was only trying to see if things were really as serious as Shi Lang had told her. The result did surprise her, as she did not expect it to be true.

    The guy did not mention how stupid she was for breaking the rules. He sat down, with his back leaned against a tree. Amelia asked, ¡°What now, Ace?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Either it is some powerful beast that rules this area of the woods, or some native settlement nearby that can cause the ce to be so silent. We better stick to the shadows till we reach our destination. We are still three clicks away from our designated zone.¡±

    Amelia nodded and the people moved through the shadows.

    ¡­

    Dalia came inside the monitoring room and asked for the status update. She was told how far the couple had gone with their task. She nodded to the people and after asking them all to be on stand-by, she left the ce again.

    Dalia made her way to her dedicated office and contacted Charlotte Knight. The call request was answered within five minutes, and thedy said, ¡°Madam, is it really okay to have Amelia move outside in uncharted territories. We only have vague details of that ce.¡±

    Charlotte was anything but a softie, she loved her daughter, but she wanted her to be strong, emotionally and physically. Shi Lang was the best student she had taught and this was the only way to make Amelia learn from the boy.

    She replied, ¡°Dal, how many times do I have to tell you. Do not worry, Lang will be able to get her back safe. Have some faith, I am not blind.¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°Very well, Commander.¡± then she put in her report on the growth of the couple before themunication came to an end.

    She could only sigh at the present situation.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Amelia were moving through the shadows. Suddenly, they heard nking sounds at some distance. The former moved like a specter and found that the sounds were originating from the battles.

    The battle was being carried out between a group of twenty humanoids, and one beast. The beast was a leopard, as big as two humans standing on their legs. The tiger was covered with a ming red pattern and ording to the data, this beast was none other than the ming leopard.

    Shi Lang confirmed that the beast was something he needed to hunt, but then he changed his attention to the people fighting with the beasts. Upon squinting his eyes, the youngster found that the people looked simr to the natives he has faced before, they were wearing animal skin. Amelia appeared behind him and said in a low voice, ¡°These are the natives. Ruling this part of the woods. What shall we do?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We shall learn. Learn how to counter this beast. This thing is the primary objective. Ofcourse, we cannot let the others seed so, if they are close enough to kill this guy, then disrupt them and let the cat run away. We will get itter as it heals with its wounds.¡±

    Amelia was surprised by his cunning and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang signaled her to climb the crown of a tree to monitor the situation before acting any further.

 Chapter 106

    Shi Lang and Amelia hid inside the crown of a tree watching three shamanti warriors facing a ferocious beast, the ming leopard. They were carrying ck metal weapons. Shi Lang asked using hand signals, ¡°Do you have any idea of what these weapons are made of?¡±

    Amelia nodded and using hermunicator, she shared with him the data gathered by the on-ground staff. Some time ago, she was able to get hold of such a weapon from a patrol team troop, and they researched it. The discovery, however, made the people surprised and shocked. The weapons were crafted from oxidized metal mined by the natives.

    Shi Lang read the reports and sighed. Amelia asked him using hand signals, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°To think, these aggressive people were capable of such craft.¡± replied the boy.

    They watched the fight happening on the ground below. The falling leopard was swift in movement and quick in reaction. The beast had no fear in his gaze as it stood against the three natives. Their weapons were incapable of damaging the beast anyhow, but the natives were not getting impatient, they were all moving around and dodging the ws very swiftly.

    Amelia was also not impatient and watched the whole proceeding. She had be used to waiting in one spot for hours, ever since she had picked up scouting missions. Shi Lang used hand signs to make the girl shift her focus to the fourth Shamanti hiding in the bush a few meters away.

    Amelia did not have the support of high tech equipment with her, so she took out a binocr and observed the direction mentioned by him. She spotted a native squatting within the bushes. It was a male, he seemed to be holding something in his hands. Upon a closer look, Amelia discovered that it was a caged blue bird.

    She sharply turned her head to check with Shi Lang, only to find him missing from the ce. She did not panic as she knew that the guy had better skills then her. She shifted her focus back to the natives fighting with the beast. Now that Shi Lang has made his move, her job was to provide him cover.

    She was smart enough to predict that Shi Lang was going to take out the native holding the blue bird. The blue bird seemed to be have a very crucial role in whatever the natives were ning. So, she took out herpound bow and knocked an arrow to aim at the natives, ready to take them out whenever she found an opportunity.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang moved quickly through the surroundings, he deliberately took the long route to position himself behind the hiding native. He held his ck drill like dagger in a reverse grip as he moved forward slowly with his back bend and weight evenly distributed. His steps were slow, but they did not make any noise, preventing the hidden native from catching any wind of his approach.

    As the distance between the two reduced the noise of the blue bird became obvious. The native did not seem to care about the bird flickering and jittering. His focus was upied by the battle in the front. Shi Lang was aware that the reflexes of the natives was better than the ounders. Otherwise, he could have noticed Shi Lang¡¯s approach.

    The boy was not going to under estimate these cunning natives. He almost visited the underworld under their hands once, never will he be over confident of his own capabilities. Shi Lang was ten meters away from the native when he crouched down on the ground, shifted his weight forward and raised his knife in level with his sight.

    It was like a beast lying in wait for his prey to drop the guard. He blinked and calmed his aura, and then by exerting force in his legs, his whole body propelled forward like a bullet. Ten meters were covered in a blink and before the native could even react, a drill-like knife was inserted in the back of his neck.

    Shi Lang did not hesitate and pulled the knife out, and then made a second stab at the back of the skull. The native was dead before he could even guess what attacked him. Shi Lang carefully took out his knife, flicked it swiftly and cleaned it. Then he took a look at the small cage lying on the ground, and the fluttering bird inside it.

    He used hismunicator and typed in a message for Amelia, ¡°Take out the tangos.¡±

    ¡­

    Amelia was waiting for his signal and as soon as she got the message, she decided on the target and let go of the arrow. The arrow whooshed through the air and lodged itself in the skull of the native standing at the back of the fighter team.

    The natives were facing the beast with impable teamwork, a momentarypse caused them to suffer. After a native finished his attack and retreated, the next attack did not link with the chain and the beast found an opportunity to attack exercise vengeance. The leopard opened its big mouth wide open and bite at the head of the native, who had just finished attacking it.

    Thest Shamanti warrior wailed at the death of his twopanions, and turned to look in the direction where Shi Lang was, but before he could shout, Shi Lang shot at the guy with his phasor hand gun. Then he walked out of the bushholding a cage in his hands. The shamanti warrior was shocked at his abrupt appearance. While the ming leopard, that was about to attack the remaining native, froze.

    It growled at Shi Lang. The youngster however, just aimed his hand gun at the beast and after fidgeting with the back of the gun with his thumb took a shot at the beast, hitting the hind leg of the leopard. The attack hurt the beast, and with the presence of the blue bird, it gave up all its intention of attacking and exercising revenge on the natives.

    It rushed away, vanishing in the woods. Amelia jumped off the tree, and quickly came beside Shi Lang. The guy said, ¡°The beast was tagged with a tracking shot, we can track it back. First, we need to deal with this native. Would you like to take make the call?¡±

    Amelia shook his head and said, ¡°They are your kill. You do it.¡± she was clear. I do not want to owe you anything.

    Shi Lang nodded and using hismunicator, connected to the camp monitoring room. The call was answered quickly and an excited voice greeted him, ¡°Brat, get me that native, alive, I have dispatched a chopper, I want to extract information from him.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes, instructor Dalia. How long do I have to wait? If it extends five minutes, then this guy will die. I shot next to his heart.¡± his tone held no regards for her superiority.

    Dalia replied, ¡°The chopper is inbound to your location, in two minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Roger that. Wazir made good contribution by taking down one guy too.¡±

    Dalia replied, ¡°We saw it all, calm your balls, romeo. Hand over the situation to the cleaning group and go get that cat.¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply and turned off themunication. He said to Amelia, ¡°Wazir, lets wait for the chopper toe over, and the second phase will begin.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Sir, I have a question.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the girl replied, ¡°Sir, the tracking bullet can onlyst up to twenty kilometers, the range of satellite tracking is only ten kilometers on the standard zoom. We cannot contact the base for any support, how do we proceed about this?¡±

    ¡°The range of twenty kilometers is enough for us to catch up with the beast, and if by a chance it does outrun us, it will be leaving a lot of traces on the way, with a data left all over the distance, I can caliberate the sensors in my mask to track it further.¡± replied the youngster.

    Amelia put forward a few more questions and Shi Lang patiently replied to her, quickly two minutes passed away and they could hear the slight buzzing from the stealth chopper over head. Ropes fell down from the chopper and three people jumped off, they were a group of two assaulters and one medic.

    They saluted Shi Lang and thetter replied, ¡°Take charge of the situation. Mangle the corpses to look like that, and take away the half dead after dragging it in that direction. Let the natives think they died while hunting.¡±

    The soldiers nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang turned to face Amelia and after exchanging a nce they moved to chase the fleeing leopard, with the boy carrying the caged blue bird. Amelia followed him with a distance of two steps. Suddenly, the guy said, ¡°Shit, Wazir, use your ability from now on. We are near a native settlement.¡±

 Chapter 107

    Shi Lang and Amelia dashed through the woods, following the ming Leopard¡¯s tracks when Shi Lang asked the girl to use her ability to be invisible. Amelia had no doubts and immediately followed his instructions.

    Shi Lang did not want to take any chances, so he moved slowly through the woods, taking care not to cross paths with a group of natives. He was aware of how the Shamantis would purposefully leave loopholes in their patrol routes to entice any intruders. He took advantage of the loopholes because, just as they can be used to get to the center of the trap, they can also be used to get outside.

    Shi Lang¡¯s hand was on his handgun as they moved, something that Amelia noticed. She also increased her vignce and became acutely aware of every movement in her surroundings. They continued to move through the forest, following the shadows.

    Shi Lang said quietly after traversing for twenty kilometers, ¡°We¡¯ve gotten away from the native settlement. We can take a break. I¡¯ll re-calibrate my mask and then we can go in search of the beast. The traces havee to a halt here.¡±

    Amelia said with a nod, ¡°Sir, I suggest we hide in the crown before you begin the recalibration process. I sensed someone staring at us earlier when we were moving from shadow to shadow, every time we moved through the light. I¡¯m not sure what it was, but it did send shivers down my spine.¡±

    Shi Lang said with a nod, ¡°What you said is correct; there must be some kind of beast in this part of the woods. Let us climb up.¡±

    They moved from the ground to the tree¡¯s crown. Shi Lang settled the small cage in his hand to the side and began to re-calibrate his mask with hismunicator and asked, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    His words were clearly intended for Amelia, who was still upset with him for his rude behavior earlier. Nheless, she responded, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing fine. Thank you for taking the time to express your concern.¡±

    Shi Lang said with a shake of his head, ¡°You¡¯re still upset about what I said earlier, aren¡¯t you? I do not regret it, if I have to, I¡¯ll do it again. You have such power over me that if I find you in a dangerous situation, I will panic and both of us will die. It is my responsibility as a senior officer to make things as clear to you as possible so that you do not suffer.¡±

    Amelia gazed at him with her sparkling eyes, she could tell that he was caring for her by shunning her away from himself in this situation, but was she a normaldy? She replied, ¡°You do not have to do such things. I have spent a lot of time in this ce and I understand what you said. Do not worry too much. I am strong enough.¡±

    Shi Lang paused his operation to look at her through his mask. He gave her a simple nod and then his hand began moving again. After a few minutes, he finished re-calibration of the mask and said, ¡°Time to move.¡±

    Amelia nodded, and they descended from the tree and began moving through the shadows cast by the canopy of the trees. Shi Lang was moving fast and decisively, his mask was able to pick up the traces left by the ming leopard. The minimal paw imprint on the ground, fur strands on the tree barks.

    It was as if they could see the leopard in front of them, Amelia asked, ¡°Is this all not too simple?¡±

    Shi Lang nced at the cage he held, as he was moving along. The young man said, ¡°Would you rather have us fight with a whole group of Shamantis?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°I mean, it is like a game of tag. Too simple and childish.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°You might think that all the military tasks are filled with blood and flesh, but that is not true, sometimes it can really be a game of tag. Let us pick up the pace.¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Try to conserve energy, this might not be as simple as it may seem. The beasts on this, especially predators, have a vast territory.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°I understand. Some of the other scouts must have taken note of this beast¡¯s movements, right? Maybe we can ask the base to send us some basic data about it?¡±

    The girl nodded and the two people dashed through the woods. The bird inside the cage seemed to have grown tired from all the wild fluttering. It calmed down and the couple continued chasing after the leopard. Amelia contacted the base camp and requested them to provide her with the data regarding the ming Leopard.

    However, she was given a monotonous excuse that the staff is busy at the moment and they will only be able to help them after a few hours of dy. Shi Lang understood, who caused this dy. Themanding officer, Major Tiberius. He said, ¡°Call them back and tell them, to patch Major Tiberius to mymunicator.¡±

    Amelia nodded and contacted the base, as soon as themunication was established she said, ¡°This is Wazir, Agent Ace requesting an emergencym patch to Commander.¡±

    The officer on the other side stayed silent for a few minutes and then a somber voice sounded from the other end, ¡°This is Commander Tiberius, go ahead.¡±

    Shi Lang had already patched on and said, ¡°Do you not understand that you need to use a codename while interacting with an officer outside themand outpost?¡±

    His solemn tone was even thicker than Tiberius¡¯. Thetter did not expect to be reprimanded as soon as he took over themunication request. Shi Lang did not give him a chance to retort, and went on, ¡°I heard that the base encountered an emergency situation. Do you need me to provide support?¡±

    Tiberius replied, ¡°No, sir. The situation is under control.¡± his acting was fine, he talked in a calm manner despite being impatient.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Since the situation is under control, then the data regarding the ming tiger shall be provided to us. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡­

    Tiberius on the other hand clenched his jaw and balled his fists. He said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    His face was turning into a weird shade of purple and pink. He disconnected themunication and said to an officer sitting in front of the console, ¡°Transfer them the data they need.¡±

    Then he marched outside the control room. The officers all exchanged nces and the guy transferred the data with a smirk on his face. They had long been troubled by this person. It was about time this guy learned his ce.

    ¡­

    As themunication came to an end, Amelia could not help but chuckle. She did not expect this guy to be so good at dampening the mood for others. She wanted to give him a big hug, but at the moment they were on a mission and she did not wish to disturb his state of mind. The couple moved through the woods while reading the data on Amelia¡¯smunicator.

    Shi Lang would stop every now and then. He would pick up some herbs from the ground, using a pair of forceps and after he did this action seven times, Amelia asked, ¡°What is that? It is very smelly.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You do not need to know.¡±

    That said, he ended the conversation at this point only. He did not want to tell his fiancee that he was shoveling shit and that it was important for his gene lock serum. He ced the vacuum-locked transport package. This allowed him to collect seven strands of the herbs mentioned by Dalia. Now all that was left was to get the leopard.

    Shi Lang and Amelia had found a lot of precious herbs and took some of them from the wild. Amelia was curious but she did not get any answers. The data had told them that the me Leopard had a territory of a hundred-kilometer radius. The two of them traversed through the woods without resting.

    The night spread over the horizon and now they moved through the patches of moonlight, the forest was much more active than it was in the day. They could hear a lot of wild noises. Shi Lang and Amelia came across a smallke, the ce was clear of any trees and shades. The youngster said, ¡°Wazir, we can camp here for the night.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything more and knelt on the bank of the river and said, ¡°I will take the first watch. Stay out of the shadows.¡±

    Amelia nodded sat with her legs crossed across him. The murmurs in the night were helping him stay awake, after a few hours, Shi Lang gazed at the blue bird inside the cage and said, ¡°It is here, Wazir, wake up.¡±

 Chapter 108

    Shi Lang alerted Amelia slowly as he sensed a gaze focused on his back. The youngster did not panic, he was aware that this would happen. Earlier when he faced off with the beast, there was a moment when the beast froze as Shi Lang entered the battlefield.

    It may seem that the beast was afraid of something, but Shi Lang would never forget the look a beast had when they are given their favorite food. The blue bird was a temptation the beast could not avoid. Shi Lang had caught this minute detail and he understood how the natives caught lured this beast to them.

    Amelia was a trained soldier and she was ready to act at a moment¡¯s notice. She acted quickly and used her ability to turn invisible. Shi Lang on the other hand slowly stood up. He did this to prevent his movements from triggering the assault from the beast. Quick movements can attract a reflex action from the beast.

    He stood up and turned to look in the direction of the beast. He said in a hushed tone, ¡°Wazir, use your handgun to shoot it with tranquilizers. One after every five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± said Amelia. She did not say anything more than that. Shi Lang took out his drill knife slowly and then he charged at the beast with no hesitation in his mind. ming leopard, a beast known for its quick reactions and me pattern fur.

    The strength of the beast can give even an average five-star Terran, run for his money. Shi Lang was not a five-star Terran but he was not average either. He understood that aiming at the weakness of the beast was the best way to put it down.

    The beast sensed the annoying creature, who injured him again, rushing towards itself. It reacted, brandishing its ws at the iing meat. Shi Lang¡¯s knife failed inparison to the ws of the beast. The ws had a gleam like a diamond, reflecting the moonlight. The youngster was aware that if the attacknded on his body, it will be shredded.

    He moved forward, and suddenly ducked down to let the w pass over his head, as the beast was standing on its hind legs, making it taller than Shi Lang by one meter. The masked youngster held his knife in a reverse grip and stabbed it at the forelimb joint of the beast. He wanted to immobilize the weapons of the beast.

    As the knife dug inside the fire and flesh, Amelia shot the Leopard with a tranquilizer dart, the ce she decided to target was just below the stab wound. The pain from the knife stab had numbed that spot a bit and provided cover for the tranquilizer dart. Shi Lang retreated after attacking the beast. Now, he needed to make the beaste after him, the tranquilizers will work better when the drug is circted through the body.

    Cirction improved when the movement was higher. Shi Lang wanted to take down this beast alive. It was not because he had any adventurous wishes in this matter, but because he was unable to kill the beast. The reasony inside the body of the beast. It had a stone-like fur, even a cruise missile might not be able to put up a wound on the skin. The tranquilizers were blunt-ended bullets, they would scatter some powder over the target¡¯s wound. The powder was actually a low dose of sedative, which will enter the blood stream and constantly slow down the body from the inside.

    The stab wound worked because Shi Lang executed it with his precision skills. Shi Lang could tell the weak spots of this stone-fur armor. The fur was just like the hair on a human head, they had gaps between. Otherwise, he would have failed miserably and ended up as minced meat. The beast let out a roar from the pain channeling through its body. This was why Shi Lang was not ordinary, and this was his knowledge from facing spirit beasts in his past life.

    Spirit beasts and this ming leopard were iparable. Shi Lang could pinpoint the openings revealed by the attacks made by the beasts and he also had a grasp of how fragile can a muscle be. This was all his knowledge. He moved around the ce, with the cage ced behind him all the time and the beast kept charging at him, with an injured leg. The speed and reactions were obviously affected a lot.

    Amelia waited for five minutes, and she fired another shot at the same point. The beast noticed the sound emitted by the handgun and dodged to the side, however, the tranquilizer dart still found its way to nail the target. Amelia said, ¡°Sir, the aim missed by two millimeters.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Do not worry it is alright. Keep up the tranquilizers.¡±

    That said, he approached the beast again and kicked it from the side, the impact of the kick was high enough that it flung the leopard over to a distance, crashing in a tree at the side. The leopard roared from the injuries and stood up wobbly. Shi Lang said, ¡°This is thest assault.¡±

    Amelia nodded and decisively shot the leopard right in the middle of the brows. Shi Lang did not put down his guard just yet. He was not sure that the beast was done for good. He watched the beast roaring at them and slumping on the ground. The bitterness and unwillingness, inside the beast¡¯s eyes, were too obvious.

    The youngster waited patiently till the beast closed its eyes and its breathing turned even and calm. Shi Lang used hismunicator and after the call was established, he heard Carlos speak, ¡°The chopper is inbound. It will reach your position in five minutes. Also, a pack of natives is moving in your direction, they will arrive in three minutes. What do you n on doing?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will think of something.¡±

    The battle with the beast was small, yet the hunter Shamantis seemed to have caught a trace of themselves. Shi Lang said, ¡°The base suggests that we have somepany. I suggest that we that the initiative to greet them early. What do you say?¡±

    Amelia nodded with a calm face and said, ¡°Tag-team?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. Let us go.¡±

    Tag-team was a tactic implied, when two people faced against a group. One of them will stay behind, while the other attacks. When the first has generated all the agro, the second wille in and begin silent assassinations from the back of the pack.

    It was risky, but the group will focus on the one they had seen earlier and believed to be dealt with sooner. This was psychological fishing. Amelia came up with this tactic because she could basically waltz in and out of this ce. Shi Lang had no objection because, with his ability, he will be able to pinpoint where Amelia was, and then they would be able to kill the natives quickly.

    They only needed to intimidate the natives till their chopper arrives. After that everything will lose its meaning and they will be able to get out of the ce. Shi Lang and Amelia moved through the forest to intercept the iing natives. Amelia had enabled her ability and split up from Shi Lang.

    The ck-clothed Shi Lang was moving through the patches of moonlight and was cautious enough to not step inside the shadows. His handgun was loaded and ready to shoot. After running for one minute, he spotted the enemies rushing in his direction, he mumbled in hismunicator, ¡°Enemy spotted. Engaging inbat.¡±

    Amelia reverted back, ¡°I have you in my sight. Ready to move.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his hand and swiftly aimed the barrel at the person in front and tapped the trigger. A phaser beam shot forth, the Shamanti warrior, was alert as well and dodged the attack, however, the beam grazed his shoulder and left him with a hissing pain.

    Shi Lang did not waste time and charged forward. Shamantis flung their projectile weapons at him, mainly darts and small knives. The speed was akin to a bullet. Shi Lang could dodge bullets easily, and that was what he did, but purposefully took one of the knives in his shoulder. The group of natives had five people and one of them was already injured.

    Amelia waited for the two parties to get closer and acted. She took out the injured Shamanti with a phaser beam through the back of his skull. The other Shamanti warriors noticed this. While two people charged at Shi Lang, the two slightly behind were distracted and turned their heads to check out the situation.

    Shi Lang dodged the attacks and delivered a quick stab at the nape of one of the assants. Amelia shot the other guy in his guts and moved away from her position. The two proficient warriors, whom Shi Lang bypassed earlier roared in their obscure voices. Shi Lang did not stop. He moved around the ce facing the attack of the two Shamantis.

    Amelia could not find a chance to get close to them as one of the assants was paying attention to the surroundings. Both the parties were now using tag team tactics. Shi Lang was in a bind as the assants wobbled around him.

 Chapter 109

    Shi Lang faced the two enemies, tolerating their snarling onught. He was not given a single chance of counterattack, and Amelia on the side could not find a clean shot to take out the Shamanti warrior.

    As soon as she would aim at the person fighting with Shi Lang, the other guy would jump in and disrupt the rhythm. She was not a fool, she could deduce that this warrior was sensitive to her killing intent and that was why he would disrupt her thoughts by a sudden move and retreat.

    After one minute, Amelia recalled the scene where Shi Lang led the technological ss against the battle ss back in school. How they were all able to sneak attack without rousing the rms. She lowered her handgun and knelt on the ground as she stood in a patch of moonlight. All her weapons were coated with ayer of camouge and were almost invisible after blending with the surroundings.

    Shi Lang had told her during their date about his meditation technique and how it helped him clear his mind and enter a focused state. Amelia never tried it before, she closed her eyes and let go of the control she had on her thoughts. Time seemed to have elerated inside her consciousness, but she was unaffected. Shi Lang had described it all to her.

    She found calm in the chaos of wandering thoughts. When her mind turned nk, the girl opened her eyes and stood up. She did not aim at the guy who was fighting with Shi Lang, but the one observing the surroundings. Then without a moment of dy, she squeezed the trigger. The phasor beam shed through the void and the shamanti warrior could not even react.

    It was because he could not sense the intentions radiated from Amelia. This was a nk shot, not many people can discern this. The shamanti warrior fell on the ground after the phasor beam poked a hole in his head.

    The warrior standing against Shi Lang sensed this and his concentration wavered for a blink, and this blink was enough for Shi Lang to stab his knife in the assant¡¯s rib cage, he did not even give the target a chance to groan from the pain, as his right hand twisted the hilt of the knife, his raised his left hand and with the tip of his fingers, stabbed the throat of the Shamanti warrior.

    The breathing was disrupted, Shi Lang extracted his knife, and back away. He took out his handgun and in a jiffy, poked a hole through the shamanti warrior¡¯s head. Then he bowed to the corpse, and said, ¡°You were a strong one, may you rest in peace.¡±

    Amelia tilted her head at this act ofpassion from him. She could notprehend, and just as she was about to ask him, the guy raised his left hand and tapped themunicator. He turned to look at her and said, ¡°Let us go, the chopper is here.¡±

    Amelia nodded and they turned back. The whole encounter with the shamanti teamsted for two minutes. This was the speed and intensity of the fight. Shi Lang was not as unscathed as he seemed to be. The youngster had his ck uniform riddled with cut marks. The scimitar of the warrior was very close to taking his life. Thankfully it was just his clothes, otherwise, Dalia might test some poison on his body in the name of treatment.

    They returned to the shore, where the me leopard was lying unconscious, and the blue bird inside the cage was back to its fluttering ruckus. Shi Lang picked up the cage and the bird turned silent. The chopper lowered itself and came to hover above theke. Three Terran soldiers got down and after saluting Shi Lang, they began to transport the leopard inside the helicopter.

    The trip back to the base was quiet for Amelia and Shi Lang, while the other three soldiers were shocked beyond their wits. They did not expect this ck-clothed officer to be this ferocious. To venture deep inside the woods, and then to kill a few shamanti warriors, and even capture this big beast?

    The ming leopard was so big that it upied the whole floor after they curled its body. The groans from the beasts were good enough to scare the shit out of the people. It took then three hours to get back to the base. The speed of the chopper was a lot faster and they did not have to take any turns in the sky.

    When the choppernded inside the base, a lot of soldiers gathered in a distance to see, what sort of mission did the secret division guy finish. They were not the only bystanders, themanding officer, Major Tiberius, also stood at the forefront with his chest popped out.

    Shi Lang asked the soldiers to administer a dose of sedative on the beast and deliver it to the gates of the campsite. He turned to face Amelia and said, ¡°You can take a rest, Lieutenant. I will handle the mission report.¡±

    Amelia saluted the guy and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± then she left after giving him a hug. The mission was finished the moment, he gave her the orders to take a rest.

    Tiberius fumed at this public disy of affection and said, ¡°Agent Ace, would you mind telling me the information of the mission, and why are you, a strong person wearing tatters? Do not tell me that it is because the cat scratched you a bit too hard.¡±

    He was covering his intent of insult with a chuckle, Shi Lang was not a fool to not be able to differentiate. He said, ¡°I would have loved to entertain you, Major Tiberius, but, I have a report to finish, and goods to deliver.¡±

    Then he turned on his heels and walked away leaving Tiberius standing with a smirk. This arrogant guy thought that Shi Lang was being quiet because he was weak. Silence is often interpreted as weakness, this was nothing new. So he decided to poke one more time. He said, ¡°Agent Ace, I would like to invite you to spar with me when you are done with the report. I wonder if you would be interested?¡±

    Shi Lang did not turn back and said, ¡°You can pick the ce, I will pick the time. See you.¡±

    He was not going to let all these pricks walk over them. Earlier themander had deliberately dyed their mission progress by not handing over the information. He was pissed because of that, but since his magnanimity was not valued, he decided to settle all the ounts together.

    Shi Lang walked inside the camp and found, Carlos and John pushing a stretcher with the ming leopard on it inside the infirmary. The cage with the blue bird was missing. Carlos noticed his expressions and said, ¡°Do not worry, I promised you a delicacy, I will get you one, finish the spar with that mutt ande back here with your girl. I will treat you.¡±

    Shi Lang almost could not believe that this rude person was being so kind to him. He did not say anything except a thank you. John nodded and said, ¡°You performed well, thest two warriors were at the peak of five-star Terran level by our systems, you held your grounds and even took them down with nothing more than tattered clothes, good. However, do not get high on sess, you still have a lot to improve.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and epted the advice. They pushed the stretcher inside the infirmary and Shi Lang took out the herbs mentioned by Dalia using forceps. He had been carrying them inside his utility belt. He said, ¡°Ma¡¯am there are a few more than what you asked me for, I hope they prove useful to your experiments.¡±

    Dalia smiled charmingly and said in a soft voice, ¡°A, young Lang is trying to seduce teacher.¡±

    Shi Lang could swear that his head almost exploded like a ripe watermelon when he heard thisment. He shook his head and asked with a poker face, ¡°Ma¡¯am how long till you can get me that tonic to breakthrough?¡±

    Dalia smiled and said, ¡°I had that tonic made for you already, I only needed you to pay for it so the mission was designed, also, I would like you to provide a detailed exnation of the ce you just scouted for us in the mission report. You see, that region is the least explored, so, you have done us a big favor.¡±

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and with a nod, he left the room. He was aware that it was not useful to fight and argue with these silly old people. They would always have him do the things that bring them some sort of entertainment.

    He went to the mess hall and began to type a ¡®detailed¡¯ report of his mission on hismunicator to submit it to the higher-ups. He did not have the mind to think about the uing spar at all.

 Chapter 110

    Shi Lang spent an hour on making a detailed report and then after submitting it to the hismanding officer, Dalia, he went to get some sleep. However, his destination was not within the confounds of Camp Ragnarok.

    He used hismunicator and dialed Amelia, who happened to be as eager as he was and picked up the call in a blink. She spoke in a shy voice, ¡°Hello.¡±

    The youngster could not help but smile when he heard this conservative tone, he replied, ¡°Hello, love. Did you miss me?¡±

    He did not have any scientific exnation on how to justify this unconsciously cheesy behavior of his, but he liked it. Amelia replied, ¡°Yes and no.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow as he watched her face in the hologram, and said, ¡°Oh, so ying mysterious, are we?¡±

    The girl stuck out her tongue, and the boy asked, ¡°What was your room number?¡±

    Themand base looked small on the surface, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The military made all the personnel quarters under the ground. Well, it was to optimize the usage of a structure as a bunker at the same time as a military facility.

    Amelia replied, ¡°B-17, why do you ask?¡± she was unsure of his intentions.

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Just asking. Okay, I will contact you once I have finished the report brief with my superior. Give me twenty minutes.¡±

    Amelia nodded with a sweet smile on her face, she was not mad at him when she recalled all the things that happened in the battlefield. She was most happy about their tag team coordination and solving five shamanti warriors in just three minutes. That was not something that could have been achieved, without quick thinking, andplete trust.

    While the girl was lost in fresh nostalgia, Shi Lang came to Dalia¡¯s cabin and asked her, ¡°Madam, when can we perform the procedure?¡±

    Dalia was busy dissecting the me Leopard and without lifting her head she said, ¡°Tomorrow, now go date, leave me alone.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled sheepishly and saluted her before leaving. Dalia raised her head to look at his receding silhouette and shook her head as she mumbled, ¡°It is good to be young.¡±

    The boy rushed through the camp maze, and got inside themand outpost building under the keen eyes of the frontier forces, Shi Lang was not wearing his mask now, he was dressed in themon training gear, a ck t-shirt and a ck cargo pants with boots on it.

    He did not interact with anyone and using his COMM ID, he got in the amodation area, and made his way to the room number told by Amelia. He stood in front of the door, and knocked at the metallic surface twice to attract a soft response from the inside.

    ¡°Coming.¡± said a feminine voice, which belonged to Amelia.

    A few secondster, the door slid open and Shi Lang found himself standing in front of a Amelia, who was dressed in a white silk pajamas, with her hair spread over her shoulder like a shawl. The girl saw Shi Lang standing in front of her and was shocked stiff. She did not expect him toe in here.

    She regained herposure and peeked her head out of the threshold and checked if anyone was paying attention to her spot on both sides. After confirming that no one was there, she grabbed Shi Lang by the cor of his shirt and jousted him inside the room, then with a quick press of the buzzer switch on the side panel, closed the door.

    Shi Lang did not expect such a reaction from her and stumbled inside. He asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Amelia replied with furrowed brows, ¡°How would I exin your presence here, if someone was to see you?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Baby, you do realize that I am your fiancee? Also, were you not the one to hug me so tight in front of everyone when I hade here four days ago?¡±

    A faint blush emerged at the bottom of her neck and Amelia did not know what to say to his words. To cover her embarrassment she walked up to Shi Lang and punched him in his guts. The boy had quick reflexes and caught her fist before it could leave any damage, he gave her a swirl and made it so that her back was facing him and pulled her closer in his embrace.

    The girl was shocked and he was smug about it. Before Amelia could process any of this, Shi Lang ced his chin over her shoulder and said, ¡°I have to spar with Tiberius in the morning, do not injure me, or what if I lost to him?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°You will not lose to him.¡± her voice was calm and soft, she did not put any resistance as the boy held her in his warm embrace. She was overwhelmed by the security she felt in his arms.

    Shi Lang asked her again, ¡°How do you know, that I will not lose?¡±

    Amelia scoffed and said, ¡°That guy has sub-par skills. His weaknesses are so repetitive that if you used a little of your intelligence, then you will be having him walk away with a dirty floor.¡±

    Hearing her words, a chuckle escaped his lips and said, ¡°You have be so much haughty after joining the frontier.¡±

    Amelia also chuckled and asked, ¡°So why are you here again?¡± although she hid it from Shi Lang, her voice was filled with a lot of anticipation. She could not pinpoint it but her stomach felt like it was flooded with butterflies.

    Shi Lang pecked the top of her ear gently and said, ¡°I will be spending my night today with you. I have to undergo some special procedure tomorrow, and after that I will not have much time.¡±

    Amelia stiffened up like a block of stone. She did not know what to say to him. She wanted for this to happen one day but she was not ready to do it yet. She spoke up with a stammer, ¡°Lang, I¡­ can¡­ you know..¡±

    Shi Lang found her behavior odd and said, ¡°What happened? Are you feeling okay? Shall we get you to the infirmary?¡±

    Amelia shook her head, but a blush was creeping up to the root of her ears. Shi Lang turned her over and the girl evaded his gaze, he ced the back of his forehead over her forehead and asked, ¡°You seem a little hot. What happened? Are you alright?¡±

    He began to worry thinking that her health was not right. Amelia caught a sight of his anxious expression and felt guilty. She said in a low voice, ¡°Can we just hug each other tonight, I am not ready for it yet.¡±

    Shi Lang was able to hear very little sounds very clearly, so how could he miss this? He froze in his position. His eyes locked with Amelia¡¯s face, the girl sensed his intense gaze and turned her face away, but when she sensed that the boy was still not saying anything, she thought he was disappointed with her, she turned to look at him, and said, ¡°I am sorry.¡±

    Shi Lang snapped out of his daze and took her into his embrace, then he whispered, ¡°Amy, I came here to spend a night with you, sleep with you in my arms, but not to do anything obscene. We are not yet ready for it. Our rtionship is not past that point. I like you and I love spending time with you, do not worry, I will do just as you said, hold you in my arms as we sleep, and not do anything bad.¡±

    Amelia was surprised by his words and raised her gaze to match his and then subconsciously, the two people kissed each other.

    ¡­

    The couple did not know when they ended up in the bed amidst their kissing and cuddling. They were like two pages stuck together with strong adhesive. In the morning, they woke up when Shi Lang¡¯smunicator vibrated like the world has came to an end. He peeked through his squinted eyes and found that it was a message bomb from Major Tiberius and sighed.

    Shi Lang replied for the other guy to wait for fifteen minutes. He gazed at the girl sleeping in his arms, with a serene expression and a smile crept up his lips. He caressed her face gently, but it still made the girl wake up. She opened her eyes and smiled as she said, ¡°Good morning.¡±

    ¡°Good Morning, my love.¡± said Shi Lang as he leaned in to kiss her lips gently. Amelia reciprocated his kiss silently.

    After breaking from the kiss the young boy stated, ¡°Amy, I need to go and clean up the floor, someone is making it dirty.¡±

    The girl let out a chuckle and said, ¡°Go easy on him, he is still my CO.¡±

    Shi Lang winked at her and the two people got up from the bed.

 Chapter 111

    Shi Lang got out of the bed, sorted his clothes, and after Amelia fixed his sleepy hair, he left the room. Amelia was a girl and she needed a little more time to get dressed. The youngster made his way from the amodation to the drill ground.

    It was a small area within the confounds of themand outpost, the soldiers will gather here ording to when their shifts allowed them to regte their condition by practicing drills, mock battles, sparing sessions, etc.

    Today, happened to be a special drill session so almost all the free soldiers were present on the ground, at this moment, they were watching two people sparing with each other, these two people were their Commanding officer, Major Tiberius, and his deputy, Captain Rudolf. The two were not doing any extensive exercise, but sparing with a set of basic military boxing as a warm-up.

    A few soldiers in the crowd were specting about the uing duel. The spar was a term used by their Commander to cover up, they all were aware that their superior wanted to flex his skills in front of the girl.

    A guy with brawny arms said in a hushed tone, ¡°Yo, Ty, what do you think? Will that other guy evene here?¡±

    Ty was the person standing next to him who replied, ¡°I hope he does.¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you betting against our CO? Traitor.¡± said the brawny one.

    ¡°You say as if you did not? Hmph, hypocrite.¡± scoffed Ty back.

    The soldiers did not have it easy on this ce, they wanted to explore or fight, but the highermand has not given them the orders to, and theirmanding officer was a person who loved to throw his weight around. In the name of protecting women, he would not give them tasks like patrolling around the wall, same for the other risky and priority tasks.

    The people were aware that he was a master in the art of covering chuavanism with chivalry. The only reason Amelia was allowed to get out of the base and perform scouting and exploration missions was because her orders were checked by General Charlotte Knight.

    Watching him inviting the secret division person over to spar, they all wished to watch him getting his ass kicked. However, Shi Lang was not here yet. After ten minutes, Tiberius stopped fighting and exhaled a heavy breath. He wiped of some sweat from his forehead and the ran his gaze around, he frowned upon not finding Shi Lang, and was about to raise his hand to contact the person, but before he could act, a voice gathered everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Good morning everyone, I apologize for the dy. Major Tiberius, you look all prepared. Shall we get started?¡± asked Shi Lang. Yes, it was he, who had just made an appearance.

    Tiberius grinned smugly when he saw this guy walking over to his side through the crowd. He scrutinied the man from head to toe. He was looking for spots where he will hit him harder. However, as soon as his gazended on Shi Lang¡¯s neck, his expression turned stiff. He did not know how to react and he was not a fool to not know what he saw.

    Everybody noticed his gaze and when they scrutinized Shi Lang, they found out the cause of this stiffness presented by their Commander. A lot of soldiers, gave Shi Lang a thumbs up in their hearts. Tiberius asked in a low voice, ¡°Sir, what are those marks on your neck?¡±

    Shi Lang stopped and used his hand to trace the skin of his neck. After his hand finished caressing his skin he chuckled and said, ¡°Do not worry, I am fine, my fiancee missed me more than I expected her to.¡± followed by a sheepish smile on his face. The marks were left after gentle bites and hickies left by Amelia.

    His words were pping the guys face directly. Shi Lang did not n to hold back from demolishing this guypletely. Tiberius fumed and grit his teeth. Then he took a few deep breathes to calm himself down and said, ¡°Come let us spar, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Tiberius said loudly, ¡°Take three steps back.¡± this order was for the surrounding the crowd. He wanted to vent out his rage on Shi Lang with no obstruction. Shi Lang came to stand five steps away from themander and assumed a boxing stance.

    Tiberius also assumed a stance, but it was different from Shi Lang¡¯s. Nobody knew when, but Yuu appeared at the side and said, ¡°On my signal, you may begin.¡±

    Nobody raised an objection because they knew thisdy was capable of busting all their teeth out. She gazed at the two people looking each other in the eye and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not move as everyone anticipated. He let Tiberius take the initiative and waited for the iing attack. His right hand moved and he parried the left punch thrown at him, then with a quick side step he turned around, earlier when he parried the blow, he redirected the energy invested in the blow by Tiberius and used his disbnce as an advantage. He positioned himself behind themanding officer and ducked down to make a sweeping kick at the heel of the person.

    Tiberius seemed to be aware that the attack wasing at his heel and immediately jumped. Shi Lang was not going to miss this opportunity and jumped up using his supporting leg and delivered a beautiful round house kick to the back of Tiberius¡¯ head. Themanding officer was knocked out and he fell to the ground, out cold.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Spar like you will fight on the battle field. Remember to conserve energy while you fight in meleebat. Try to deal with the nut case fast but not ignoring the surrounding. Understood?¡±

    The soldiers at the side replied, ¡°Yes Sir.¡±

    The anticipated long fight was finished with one blow. Shi Lang demolished themanding officer and that too in front of the whole townfare. Yuu sighed and said, ¡°Battle finish. winner, Shi Lang.¡±

 Chapter 112

    Shi Lang had knocked down themanding officer of their base in just one kick and the soldiers had learned a lot from what he just said. As they were registering the moment in their minds, Amelia came over and watched everyone standing in silence, she asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head around to watch her but the expression on his face was not a pleasant one. He exerted strength in his legs and moved to the side quickly. The moment he took his eyes off Tiberius, the man sprawled on the floor quickly managed to wake up and attack him. Tiberius did not care about the fact that Yuu had announced the match in favor of Shi Lang.

    He hated sneak attacks, however, the fault was his, he let down his guard without confirming that the opponent was solved. The crowd was taken by surprise one more time. They did not expect that theirmanding officer would y possum. He faked his defeat to catch the opponent unprepared.

    Too bad he missed the chance. Yuumented from the side, ¡°Lesson?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Learned. Time to reciprocate the gesture.¡±

    Tiberius charged forward at Shi Lang and thetter weed him, however, he did not wish to settle this quickly. He was going to make sure this man crawls on his feet and admits defeat. Shi Lang loosened his clenched knuckles and began to fight in closebat.

    The crowd parted and allowed Amelia to stand in the front row to watch the two men brawling over her. Well, this was unnecessary as she had no ideas about Tiberius but since he insisted, then who was she to stop him.

    Shi Lang fought with his palms open, this helped him divert and distribute the impact better while at the same time, the soft and hard principles he implied troubled Tiberius a lot as well. Shi Lang did not take a step back while facing the attack, he would move his feet but shift the wait for his body.

    After three minutes, when Tiberius revealed a smirk and changed his attack from punches and retreated to create some room and kick Shi Lang, thetter stepped in and delivered a punch right between the chest cavity.

    Tiberius still retreated and raised his leg to kick at Shi Lang¡¯s waist, but when the leg came in contact with Shi Lang¡¯s body, he could not exert the strength he desired in his attack. The young boy smiled and said, ¡°The earlier palms thatnded on your body were not to frisk you, they were to block some of your blood vessels, and the punch just now, disrupted your breathing. You taught me a very important lesson, in a battle of life and death, there will be no judge, there will be no proctor. That means until the enemy is dead, the fight is on.¡±

    Tiberius sensed a strange cold radiating from the eyes of the boy in front of him. Never had he ever sensed something like this. This was not a look people gave to the one they want to kill, but to the one who they already consider dead. That unfeeling, cold, indifferent gaze, that strikes fear in one¡¯s heart.

    Tiberius was rambled by the gaze. After the punch, his breathing was disrupted and his limbs had lost strength. He took a step back to retreat but he fell down on his butt. Shi Lang slowly walked forward, one step at a time. His lips were moving but Tiberius could not listen to what he was saying. His mind was overtaken by fear for his life.

    He was covered in sweat as if he had showered. This reaction of his, to one gaze, shocked the people. They did not understand the pressure put on by Shi Lang as they were not looked back at directly, however, Amelia could tell that her guy was not in his usual character. She wanted to say something when a slender yet calloused palm waved in front of her.

    Yuu stopped her. She spoke, ¡°Enough.¡± the might of one syble was enough to shake off Shi Lang¡¯s aura over Tiberius. The man regained his bearings, still shaken, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I admit defeat.¡±

    Then he stood up and slowly left the ce after saluting Yuu and Shi Lang. Yuu gazed at Shi Lang and said, ¡°Get ready, Dalia has called you over.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and turned to cast a gaze at Amelia. The girl watched his smile and a smile emerged on her face too. Shi Lang winked at her and sent her a flying kiss, she blushed and waved her fist at him. Then with a wave, he left the ce to go to the camp and take his medicine to try and breakthrough to the five-star Terran realm.

    The two of them had a good enough tactic understanding and did not need tomunicate with their words.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang came to the camp and got inside the infirmary to meet Dalia. Thedy was waiting there for him with a small vail filled with red liquid. Shi Lang gazed at the wail and said, ¡°This medicine is just an experimental one, but do not worry if it failed to help you it will not harm you. Then you can take a gene enhancement serum to get past this level.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and with a sigh walked closer to her. Dalia stopped him and pointed at a chair, which had a lot of straps on it. The youth cast her a questioning gaze and thedy said, ¡°What if the drug made you agitated and you destroyed the ce?¡±

    He learned another lesson, never to trust the people in this camp. He sat down on the chair and Dalia fastened the straps around him. Then she said, ¡°Injection or oral?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Injection.¡± he did not know what this medicine was made from and how so he would rather not take it orally.

    Dalia smirked and patted his shoulder as she said, ¡°Attaboy.¡±

    Shi Lang realized that he yet again made a grave mistake. Picking up a choice presented by her without question the reasons. He realized that life itself was a lesson. A never-ending one at that.

 Chapter 113

    Shi Lang sat strapped to a chair and Dalia held a scissor in her hand. The youth in the chair asked, ¡°What are you going to do with the scissors?¡±

    Dalia replied, ¡°Hmmm, you see, the drug that will help you starts losing its effects as soon as it enters the bloodstream. So, to optimize the effect, it is needed to be injected directly into your heart.¡±

    Her voice was calm and patient. Shi Lang looked at her with his eyes wide open and then he sighed in resigning to his fate. He was aware that either he would tolerate this, or he would have to clean up toilets for the next month. He said, ¡°I would like to have something to grit on.¡±

    Dalia matched his gaze and nodded, she said, ¡°Let me cut off your shirt, and then, while the AIA injects you, I will get you that thing to grit on.¡± with that said the scissors flew and split the ck t-shirt on Shi Lang¡¯s body.

    Dalia said, ¡°Initiate Intracardiac Injection Sequence.¡± and the robotic arm at the side of the table began to buzz and whir. Thedy turned around and from one of the cabs ced in the corner of the room, she took out a brown article.

    She said, ¡°This is hand weaved from the ming leopard¡¯s leather you caught. Be sure not to cut it.¡±

    As she ced a woven leather stick-like thing between Shi Lang¡¯s teeth. Right at that moment, theser from the Automated Injecting Arm finished detecting the point of incursion, and a mechanical voice sounded, ¡°Myocardiam detected, injecting the patient now.¡±

    Machines had no emotion, they did not go shaky while performing such a delicate procedure. Shi Lang was conscious as his heart was stabbed with the solution that was supposedly going to help him breakthrough. As soon as the solution contained in the syringe entered his bloodstream, his body began to heat up.

    Dalia said, ¡°Cultivate, increase the blood flow cycle, the faster the better. Godspeed.¡± her voice contained a tint of seriousness.

    The solution she used just now was an experimental drug and Shi Lang was the first person to experience it. He was used as a guinea pig but with consent. The youth understood what it meant to have such a drug. If this medicine could make him breakthrough, then the whole Terran civilization would have scored a big one.

    The gene enhancement serums had their own side effects in the long term. This medicine, on the other hand, should not have any side effects, well as Dalia stated. As the medicine was spread through his entire body, his body began to absorb it and began to heat up.

    Every breath brought him seething pain, setting his lungs on fire. If someone asked Shi Lang how fast was his heart beating, he would have replied, ¡°As fast as a cheetah would run after its prey.¡±

    The cultivation process of the Terrans was to absorb the energy contained in the blood so fast that it unlocks the next level in gic evolution. To do this, they developed a gene evolution serum to allow their bodies to develop faster absorptions, as an extra benefit, they gained better conscious control over their bodies. They were able to control their organs at will.

    Shi Lang was doing just that at the moment. He was controlling his organs to process the energy contained within the solution faster, other than this, he was also suppressing his autoimmune system. The human body has advanced and so did the autoimmune system. Any foreign object that enters the body gets faced with ten times the immunity.

    Imagine equipping your white blood cells with an assault rifle. So, he needed to control his blood cells as much as he could before they isted the solution mixed with his blood. The process put a lot of strain on the brain. The brain, although evolved, can still take on a limited amount of pressure, if you run a program that defies the primary code, the system will show error, and breaking through in the Terran cultivation system was exactly that.

    Now, after the brain reaches its limit, one is needed to control the body to transfer the leftover energy from the external source, that is the solution in this case, to the brain and aid the machine to evolve the primary directive. This evolution was called breakthrough and the pain was not something that could be expressed by a numerical value on some chart or list.

    Shi Lang suppressed his immune system and his body began to absorb the energy inside the solution. He could not see that on the outside, his physique has grown by one size, and his body was emitting steam and blush.

    Dalia on the side was busy making notes on this situation and recording the video. She was not doing this for research work, but to make sure that if something goes wrong with the child then she will be able to retrace her steps back and cure him. She mumbled, the symptoms show that the subject has exceeded the level of a four-star Terran, the breakthrough was sessful, however, the reaction is still ongoing.¡±

    This was recorded in the video. She had no idea what was happening because the energy contained inside the solution should have been absorbed by now, yet it was still growing stronger. Her heart was not calm as always at the moment, if Shi Lang was to die on the table, then she will definitely hold herself in a pang of lifelong guilt.

    On the table, Shi Lang was unaware of what was going on inside Dalia¡¯s mind, he was busy trying to figure out why his body gained a better sense of control after the breakthrough wasplete. When Terrans entered the five-star level, they would be able to see through inside their consciousness. It can be referred to as something simr to the soul sea.

    It was like the brain would be able to produce a three-dimensional image of the human body for conscious analysis. Shi Lang was experiencing just that at the moment. However, he noticed something different in this scan. His muscles seemed to have be denser than before, and his brain was processing information faster.

    The other thing that captured his attention was that the organs were working better as well. This was not something normal, the progress in his body was better than the data he had read about the other five-star Terrans. His neural responses were better as well. Shi Lang was wrapping his mind around this when he suddenly, sensed that his body became lighter.

    This was in contradiction with what was happening to him. His muscle mass improved significantly so the body must feel heavy, why was it feeling light. This made him fall into thought and analyze what was happening to him when the extra energy contained in the solution started to get out of control.

    After letting out a hypothetical sigh, the guy gathered his thoughts again and began to distribute this energy all over his body evenly, otherwise, if one of his organs or muscles caught an imbnced amount of this energy, then either he might explode, or develop a deformity. Imagine this him with a thicker leg, surely notfortable.

    Dalia was recording everything that was happening inside his body, the chair was not there just to strap him down, but also to keep an eye on his vitals and brain activity. When she found the readings on his neural activity fluctuating, she sighed and mumbled, ¡°Is it just me or did he really let go of the control during such a critical process?¡±

    Shi Lang on the table spat out the leather piece and said, ¡°Doctor, next time you inject such a drug into someone, please lower the dosage. This thing almost sent me to the afterlife.¡± his voice was low.

    Dalia snapped back and quickly came to his side. She asked, ¡°How are you feeling? Any symptoms of going crazy andmitting a massacre and eating fellow Terrans?¡±

    ¡°I feel like something unlocked inside of me.¡± said the youngster.

    While she was bbering, her hands werepleting some primary checks, like making sure that Shi Lang was still sane and sober. She used her finger to check his vision and then she pushed took off the straps that were tying down the guy. She said, ¡°Before you are clear to get out of this ce, I would like to conduct a few checks to make sure that you are healthy both physically and mentally.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and epted her instructions without a word. After some thought, he said, ¡°While you are preparing for the medical scans, can I go to the physical assessment room and start one for myself?¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°You will not be allowed to level the medical wing though. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and saluted her, then he walked outside the infirmary and came to the next room where all the physical assessment equipment were stored.

 Chapter 114

    Shi Lang came inside the physical assessment room and gazed at the different equipment ced around. He could sense the changes in his body better than the others, if he used words to describe it then he would say, ¡°I feel like I am dynamite, ready to explode.¡±

    The guy did not switch on the lights in the room but he was able to walk around perfectly, to him the dim illuminationing from the corridor was enough to provide him with a high-definition picture of the room.

    He picked up themunicator and dialed for Dalia, and after thedy picked it up before she could ask anything, the youngster said, ¡°Madam, my eyesight has improved, I can watch it all without needing to turn on the lights.¡±

    Dalia asked, ¡°Are you sure? Could it be that you are not using your ability to sense?¡±

    Shi Lang replied in the affirmative. Dalia said, ¡°I wille over now, do not move. I want to see your physical assessment personally.¡±

    The young soldier could not say otherwise. He was experiencing a state of surprise himself. The vision enhancement almost made him capable of walking in the dark and killing the enemies without being noticed. He could not understand, how it worked.

    Two minutester, Dalia walked into the room and the first thing she did was switch on the lights. She said, ¡°I can understand that you are able to see things better in the dark than others, however, it should not work in theplete absence of any radiance. Even pet cats can see things in the dark but that is because of the bigger cornea and pupils they have. Your eyes look normal.¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I am not so knowledgable about gene science. But could it be possible that the medicine you procured for me is the reason for all these changes?¡±

    Dalia crossed her arms and said, ¡°We will know when the gene map from your blood cells is produced. For now, let us see what are the other changes.¡±

    Her words were reasonable, how was she to say anything without results from the tests. Shi Lang nodded and he came to stand in front of a padded pir. Dalia said, ¡°Start with the lightest and then increase your strength slowly to the maximum. I will start the hyper cameras they will be able to record the changes in your muscle structure as well.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and waited for Dalia to give him a go signal. Thedy tapped on hermunicator and said, ¡°Go.¡±

    Bang!

    The first right punchnded on the pir, creating a loud bang noise. Dalia was not shocked, this sound was lower than what she had produced back when she was a five-star Terran. Shi Lang kept on attacking, he used all the blows in his quiver. Kicks,binations, direct punches. The pir was riddled with dents and holes. The reason was that Shi Lang¡¯s power was exceeding the limits of the equipment.

    Dalia did not bother to stop him, she was looking at a tablet held in her hands, her eyes revealed a look of surprise and she raised an eyebrow. The other thing was that Shi Lang was still not at the top of his strength.

    After five minutes when thest blownded, it left a fist-sized hole inside the pir. The power rating disyed on the screen was something that Dalia had never predicted. It was directly showing the peak of five-star Terran. She raised her head and without a change in her expression, she said, ¡°Your attack power isparable to the peak of the five-star realm.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°The reason?¡±

    ¡°The density and dexterity of muscle fibers have changed qualitatively. They are more flexible than before and can deal with the shock impact better. The bones have be stronger as well. Nothing else. We do not know much about your kicks but let us leave that to you to discoverter. Do you feel any changes when you enable your ability?¡± asked thedy. Although she only stated what the machine showed her, it was the truth.

    Shi Lang enabled his ability and closed his eyes to check the surroundings with the help of his abilities only. After a minute he said, ¡°I can sense your bpm without taking your pulse.¡±

    Dalia nodded and said, ¡°I expected the growth in your abilities but this is truly surprising. You are like a walking stethoscope.¡±

    This remark made dark lines appear on Shi Lang¡¯s forehead. He did not know what to say in reply. The two then went on toplete a few more tests and in the physical assessment, Shi Lang showed the results that matched with a peak five-star Terran. He asked, ¡°Madam, is it possible to mass-produce this drug?¡±

    Dalia shook her head and said, ¡°Unfortunately, no. The crucial ingredient of this medicine is a nt called, Ambroden. However, this flower is very important to the natives and they have removed almost all the pods surrounding our basecamp. Not only that, but you are the only person who tasted this medicine and live to tell the tale.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow when he heard thest sentence, he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Dalia said, ¡°There were other versions of this medicine and a lot of volunteers, it took me ten years but I finally made the non-harmful drug. However, only you managed to survive.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°You said, this was the first time you have made such a drug.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did not lie but the form was something my seniors researched upon. I only extended it. The reason why I cannot recreate this is that one of the ingredients came from the extinct, the one Federation blew to pieces. We tried to collect the debris in the space, and recreate the environmental setting in a contained atmosphere, but nothing worked. Federation is not yet strong enough and I doubt that it ever will be, to recreate thes and things it destroyed.¡±

    Her calm and slow-paced words shocked Shi Lang. He asked, ¡°Madam, do we not have to report that the medicine is finished? If someone found out then, I think the secret divisions might be after us, with me as their clone breeder.¡±

    Dalia chuckled and said, ¡°Nothing like that is going to happen, your control is at the peak of five-star Terran level. You can fake your power levels and the tests they will conduct back at home, don¡¯t worry, I will help you with that. No one will know if you don¡¯t tell.¡±

    Shi Lang took a step back in shock, this was purgery. He did not want to be deceitful to the colors he wore. At some point in time, the heart of a carefree cultivator has transitioned into a dutiful soldier. He did not wish to do something that mighte back and haunt him.

    Dalia noticed his expression and let out a chuckle. She said, ¡°Good, you pass. I was only joking, there are others like you who have received this medicine, you will meet them in the future. Just that their growth potential was not equal to yours.¡±

    Shi Lang clenched his fists for a second and then he let them go with a deep breath. Dalia said, ¡°Cover up, your time to departure is near. The reports of your tests have been transmitted to yourmanding officer. By the time you get home, they will have discerned the originality of the matter so do not worry.¡±

    With that said, she walked outside the room. Shi Lang shook his head and went to take a shower in his room. Dalia came to the monitoring room and greeted Yuu, John, and Carlos. The three people were gazing at her with aplicated expressions. Dalia sighed and asked, ¡°What is this about?¡±

    Yuu asked, ¡°Why give him that medicine now? Would it not be better to try after he reaches six-star level?¡±

    Dalia took a seat and shook her head. She said, ¡°Shing has only once ever consumed Gene-enhancement serum, his body and blood should not have been able to reach this level. The enhancement of his genes should have diluted and regressed in the absence of the gene-enhancement serums to support it or make it permanent.

    Yet, he is able toe to the four-star level, then which means, his potential is higher than the rest of those, so I bet my chance now, as the result his body has gone qualitative change. His results are all in front of you. In the future, he will be better as a six-star Terran than the others by at least one whole level.¡±

    John and Carlos exchanged nces and thetter said, ¡°I hope this doll can catch up with his skills. He is loyal enough to say that he will notmit purgery. Dalia, arrange for him to move closer with that group. It is time he bes part of a new world.¡±

    The four people all had solemn expressions on their faces. Shi Lang did not know what a big change was going to take ce with him at the helm of it.

 Chapter 115

    Shi Lang had finished taking shower and greeted the instructors onest time before he left the base. Yuu kept her promise, she met with Amelia and treated the two people in themand outpost mess. The atmosphere among the people was very joyous. Yuu, the silent shadow was smiling more often during the conversation.

    Shi Lang wanted to ask her what happened when thedy shot him a re from behind her bangs. The youngster stifled his words and the meal came to an end. After saying his farewell to Amelia, Shi Lang did not waste any time and came to the transportation bay wearing his regr army uniform.

    His spaceship was ready and after some initial checks, he coordinated with the authorities in the base and took to the starry seas. Tiberius watched his ship fly away from the base, and his mood improved a bit, Shi Lang was the dread of his happiness. However, his bad time did not end at this, Shi Lang had posted his inappropriate behavior in the reports he submitted. Soon, Major Tiberius will be transferred from this ce and nevere back to bother Amelia again.

    Well, even though he was a mature person, he did not want to let someone, who dared to hit on his girl so easily. Shi Lang again hitched rides with the bigger space vessels he found on the way for better speed. It took him one whole day to get close to the federation.

    It was nighttime when hended at the military spaceport. Taking his bike back to the base, he came directly to the town hall. He wanted to report to the senior officer first. This was the basic protocol. He walked inside the town hall and came to stand in front of the door leading to Archie Arkham¡¯s office.

    He rapped at the door and an exhausted voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang pushed open the door and aftering to stand in front of the table, he saluted and said, ¡°Major Shi Lang reporting back for duty, Sir.¡±

    Archie raised her gaze and said, ¡°At ease, Major. Have a seat.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and he had no reason to deny the offer, so he sat down on the chair across from Archie Arkham. Thedy said, ¡°I understand that you have achieved the goals you set before this trip.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to her words confirming that he has indeed achieved his goals. Archie Arkham said, ¡°Well, I have good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?¡±

    The youngster gazed at her face deeply and said, ¡°Whichever one you would like to share first, Commander.¡±

    Archie nodded and said, ¡°Luby and Tian, were deployed to investigate a big military family situation. They should have reported back yesterday, but till now there is no word. I want you to get this cleared up and bring our people back here. Can you do it?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°The rest of your crew is already deployed at the site. Gamma is out of the sector at the moment, you have the authority to lead the team at your own discretion.¡± her words surprised Shi Lang.

    Archie Arkham was an experienced officer and she could tell from his expression that something was bothering him. She said, ¡°Do not worry, the team will never overlook a directmand. You can rest assured they will be following you to the best of their abilities.¡±

    Shing sighed and said, ¡°Commander, that is not what I am worried about. I understand that they all will be following me to the best of their abilities, however, now that you have asked me to takemand of this rescue operation, if they were to suffer, I will always be burdened under this weight.¡±

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°The stars on yourpel are not just for show, Major. They are the representation of the weight you carry. It is about time you get used to it. The reason I asked whether you would like to ept the mission earlier or not was simply a test to see how loyal you were to your teammates, if you were to hesitate in the slightest, I would have put a hole through your skull regardless of your past achievements, now get moving.¡±

    Shi Lang sucked in a cold breath and he stood up from the chair. Thedy in front may seem exhausted but the aura she gave off surprised the youngster. He asked, ¡°What are my dispatch orders?¡±

    Archie shook her head and said, ¡°This time, you have to sneak in and out without the help of document maniptions. The other party got hold of the information and they dealt with Luby and Tian, I will not take the risk to expose any more details to them. Your task is simple, rescue your teammates and assassinate those who were involved in this. The crimes are proved, the military is just looking for a silent way to dispose of these people.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and saluted thedy. He turned on his heels and walked out of the town hall. The first thing he did was toe back to the vi his team lived in. His secret division uniform had been damaged so he needed a different set. While Shi Lang stood in his room, changing his clothes, the youngster¡¯s gaze fell on his chest.

    He said, ¡°What a shame of a cultivator was I?¡± he circted the thin trace of spirit energy in his body and activated the spiritual tattoo hidden on the left upper chest. Since he was needed to move around with stealth, might as well hide a few things for emergency usage. He ced a set of secret division uniforms inside the tattoo space.

    Then he rummaged the vi, to find any cold and projectile weapons, and did the same as he did with the uniform. Dressed in casual attire, he came out of the secret division camp and headed to the bus stop nearby. On his shoulder, a small bag was nged. This was going to be his cover for the time being.

    He did not look like a military officer at all. After waiting for a few minutes, he caught a bus and headed to the space elevator. The n was to sneak up on a passenger spaceship and make his way to the said.

    Shi Lang reached the destination in the morning and came to the counter inside the main building, he bought a ticket to Aries, the now mars, the purpose of his visit was mentioned as fun and vacation.

    After obtaining the tickets, he boarded the elevator and got on a spaceship. If anyone was watching his movements, then this was it. This was a cruise spaceship, it will take twenty days to tour the sea of stars before they arrived at Aries. Shi Lang got himself a premium ticket, this was from the reward he collected from the previous tasks, yes, they were given bonuses.

    The premium ticket got him ess to a private cabin inside the ship. Now, there was a catch, every cabin had a hidden hatch built inside it. Shi Lang had prior knowledge of this, he found out about this on the bus. Inside the cabin he changed into his ck uniform and put on the mask, then using this hatch, he left the spaceship before the ship could leave the spaceport.

    There was no way to find, how he got out because the details of this emergency hatch were avable only to the manufacturers of the spaceship or the secret divisions. This hatch was designed in order to counter hijackers if there were any.

    Shi Lang used this to his advantage, the hatch led to a secret area where the secret division soldiers were present to act at any moment. When the on-duty guards spotted Shi Lang, they aimed at him with phasors and said, ¡°Halt.¡±

    The boy raised his hands and stopped n his tracks, he replied, ¡°Agent Ace. Shadow Executioner.¡±

    His ID was reported and the om-duty guards moved their hands quickly to see through the data and found his ims to be correct. They put down the guns and saluted him. Shi Lang returned the salute and said, ¡°We are all secret division people, so we are all brothers, I need a favor.¡±

    A hoarse voice sounded from the darkness behind the guards, ¡°What do you need brother?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I need to sneak on a to rescue my crew.¡±

    His words made the atmosphere even tenser. The hoarse voice said, ¡°Someone dared to take our secret forces captive, they sure have galls of a tiger. What is the name of this?¡±

    ¡°Wei-Wai.¡± replied Shi Lang.

    ¡°Tch, that rat hole, it must me the Duke household. Don¡¯t worry brother, you can board the business freighter heading in that direction, but you will have to steal an escape pod tond on yourself.¡± replied the other party.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I can do that, now can you tell me how to get to this freighter?¡±

    ¡°Right away.¡± said the man. Shi Lang could see that the person hiding inside the shadow was wearing a ck uniform simr to him but with a sword emblem on the shoulder. However, he did not say anything, his first priority was to go out of this ce and board the freighter. After all, who knew, what might his teammates be suffering?

 Chapter 116

    Shi Lang hitched a ride on a freighter with the help of fellow Secret Division soldiers. They might be from different subdivisions but they all had one thing inmon, their identities were secret yet they all had the same purpose, the rectification of scum from the forces and keeping them clean and integral.

    The freighter was going to move through the region closer to the Shi Lang needed to be at and to get down on the, he needed to steal an emergency escape pod from the freighter. This was not going to be a simple thing for him to do. However, it was not impossible.

    At the moment, Shi Lang was sitting on his knees inside the cargo hold of the ship. He was smuggled inside the cargo hold by the secret division members, just when the ship undocked with the spaceport bay it revealed a gap inside the docking point. Through that gap, Shi Lang got inside the ship.

    After he got in, the docking point closed, and the ship corrected the air pressure inside. At this moment he was wearing a ck spacesuit, this attire stuck to his body, with almost no weight, a helmet enabled with a HUD, and thermal sensors. Shi Lang crawled his way to the cargo bay using a small duct left by the manufacturer for the movement usage of the secret divisions.

    This was a standard safety protocol, a hundred years ago, space pirates would sneak inside the passenger ships, they would hack the systems and hijack the ship. The manufacturers tried to overhaul the software but every now and then incidents would take ce. A secret division head suggested this suggestion and within a month of implementation, the hijacking was reduced to zero.

    Secret Division forces would use single pilot ships and dock with the hijacked ships. Those ships would go undetected and then simrly to Shi Lang, the forces will take action. Shi Lang raised his hand and began to use hismunicator.

    After entering the ship¡¯s mainframe, he sneaked into the onboard surveincework. This was a freighter but it was monitored by military personnel and robotic units. He needed to go undetected if he wanted to make use of the escape pod. So, he took notes of the surveince routes and patrol timings.

    Shi Lang sighed, ¡°This is getting so difficult.¡±

    After taking notes, he hacked into the robotic unitwork and made it so that one of the units will trigger an rm every ten seconds. The location of the units will stay random. He was going to raise chaos inside the freighter. The goal of this chaos was to force the control team to reboot the robotic units.

    This reboot will take five minutes, after all, the whole ship would be guarded by only human forces. Shi Lang will have no trouble slipping past the web of humans patrols by exploiting the loopholes they left. The reboot was going to provide him cover for another motive.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang made a touching gesture and at the holographic panel in front of him and Chaos began.

    ¡­

    Inside the control room of the freighter all the people were sitting in front of their work panels monitoring the status of the sections they were responsible. Suddenly, a young man said, ¡°Captain, we have code blue rm triggered in the star board section, near the pantry.¡±

    The captain was an old man, he pressed a button on the hand rest of his chair and said, ¡°Patrol Unit thirty, search the are around Pantry, we might have uninvited guests on board.¡±

    He has just stopped giving out the instructions when another rm was triggered, this came from another section inside the freighter. The captain raised his brows and mobilized multiple teams. Soon, every robotic unit on the ship was ring with sirens. The people had no idea what was going on.

    The search reports also came back negative. They did not have any idea of what was going on with the robotic units. Old Captain said, ¡°Private Sans, scan the mainframe for any bugs.¡±

    Private Sans was the person responsible for maintaining the shipsputer system. He replied, ¡°I have already checked, Sir. The mainframe is clear just the roboticwork has a glitch in the code.¡±

    The captain asked, ¡°What is the solution?¡± his voice was solemn.

    ¡°Sir, it can be fixed with a reboot. If I want to search the code manually then given the amount of data, it might take days. A reboot will only take five minutes.¡± replied the Private.

    Captain sighed, and said, ¡°If we choose the reboot, then the ship¡¯s security will bepromised. However, if we do not, these rms will make me go crazy. Well, go do what you must.¡±

    Here the captain issued the permission to reboot the robotic units. Inside the Cargo hold, Shi Lang moved. He was aware that the ship had a no blind spot surveince, so, he slipped in a code that will trigger the surveince reboot as well. He moved quickly and quietly. The patrols had there hands full with searching the areas where the rms were triggered.

    Shi Lang moved quickly to the escape pod bay. This freighter was equipped with hundred escape pods, equal to the amount of people traveling on it. Shi Lang came inside the bay with ease and taking advantage of the fact that the ship was going under a reboot process. He hacked into the ess console and got inside the escape pod.

    He quickly bypassed the escape pod surveince system to hide his presence, as he essed the escape pod, the system will trigger a priority rm. If someone checked the inside images they will find Shi Lang sitting in the pod and it will make things go south.

    ¡­

    Private Sans did check the surveince but due to the bypassmitted by Shi Lang, he only found the pictures of an empty pod and discarded the rm as a glitch. The reboot wasplete and all systems were working in order.

    After the scans wereplete, Captain gave the order for the space jump, and there stop was going to be near the that Shi Lang intended to reach. Inside the escape pod, the youngster was able to hear every instruction given by the captain. He sneak inside the intrams.

    The space jumpsted for five minutes and as soon as the ship exited the space jump sequence. Two escape pods wereunched from the ship. The rms on the screen disyed the information to the crew in the control room. Finally, the old captain lost his temper and said, ¡°What the fuck is happening on my ship? Who can tell me, which bastard deserted us?¡±

    Private Sans spoke up, ¡°Sir, the escape pods are empty, it is the virus from earlier that is causing this. We need to get the ship inside a spaceport and conduct a proper diagnosis to reach the roots of this.¡±

    The old man red at him and said, ¡°I thought you said, the reboot will fix this goddamn thing.¡±

    Private Sans did not dare to answer back, the old captain said, ¡°Make course to the nearest spaceport. And someone keep an eye on the pods. We need to salvage themter.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not know what fury his actions caused. He leaned back in the chair of the pod and waited tond on the. The escape pod looked like a pea, and it was equipped with anding gear and a small engine to break the fall.

    After slight turbulence, the pod entered the atmosphere and the first thing Shi Lang did afternding, was to contact his team. He got a hold of Hunk, and the person gave him a location. The ce where Shi Lang hadnded was on the other side of this. Upon confirming the coordinates, the youngster almost cursed himself for not taking this factor in ount any sooner.

    Shi Lang searched the map for the nearest Terran settlement and decided to steal a vehicle from there. That was the only way he can get to the coordinates to meet with his team. In hismunication earlier, Hunk reported that the two hostages were alive. The enemy was trying to extract information from them and the people were being put through torture.

    Shi Lang was angry about this and it gave him a sense of urgency, because when he was told that the enemy would give send them both to the healing pod after they were done torturing, he understood that things were not looking up for them.

    Another thing that he was worried about was if the enemy decided to put them through any shameful methods, then the two people might be able to preserve the information they have, but their souls will break, thus he quickly rushed on foot to the nearest settlement. He was going to save them and kill the enemy at all costs.

 Chapter 117

    Shi Lang ran the distance of a few dozen kilometers on his feet, the ce his escape podnded was nothing but a barren patch, away from any source of residence and civilization. Fortunately, both his speed and power had increased and he covered the distance quite easily. His performance was a surprise to himself, as he ran and his body got used to this new pace he found that if he exerted himself, then his output could match a six-star Terran.

    He reached the road and using hismunicator, he began to run. This road will lead him to a human settlement or he might encounter a passing convoy and hitch a ride. Well, fine, asking them to hand him the vehicle is a better way to put it.

    He changed into a casual set of clothes. If other cultivators were to find out that the spiritual tattoo space of a fellow cultivator has changed to a portable wardrobe, then would they die fromughter? I guess that is a question we will never find the answer to.

    Shi Lang ran for a couple of hours at a speed that could put a normal car to shame. Suddenly, he sensed a slight vibrationing from behind the road. He slowed down and as predicted an old-designed motorcycle was moving in his direction. The outer shell was old, but the engine inside was a mini nuclear battery.

    The bike was moving in his direction at a fast speed. Shi Lang did not budge from his spot in the middle of the road. However, the biker seemed to have been irritated by his presence and turned the elerator more to hit him. As the vehicle moved closer, Shi Lang reached out inside his shirt and took out his phasor handgun. He said, ¡°Stop or die.¡±

    The rider was baffled at the scene, he was not going to hit the guy in front of him, and would have just shaved close, but he did not expect the guy to take out a gun and point it at him. The confused rider was aware that if he did not stop then the guy might shoot him dead. He slowed down his bike and came to a stop.

    Shi Lang did not give him time to say anything and charged right over. He ced his handgun at the temples of the rider and said, ¡°I need you to sit back and let me take you for ap. How does the deal sound? Till the next Terran Settlement.¡±

    The rider was surprised but then he thought about it, ¡®This guy must have been robbed or stranded here by his partner, thus he needs a ride to get back to the settlement, no wonder he took out the gun so quickly.¡¯

    He nodded and Shi Lang waved the gun in his hand, asking the guy to sit back. He sat down on the front seat and said, ¡°Do not try to y a good samaritan, I can shoot you without looking back, and even more, I can push you off the bike.¡±

    His aura and voice were so cold that the boy shivered. He did not utter a word, even breathing felt stifling to him. Shi Lang sat down on the bike and put the handgun back in his t-shirt. He ignited the bike and said, ¡°Hold tight.¡±

    The passenger did not dare to take his words lightly and grabbed onto the support grooves made at the back of the bike. Then Shi Lang twisted the throttle and the boke shot.

    ¡­

    Sharpnel and Hunk were standing, stuck to a wall. Hunk asked, ¡°When will Ace be here?¡±

    Sharpnel replied, ¡°My guess is as better as your brother. He shared his location with you?¡±

    Hunk did not reply and shook his head. Carole was sitting on the ground and said, ¡°Do not worry, his skills are good enough to take get things done.¡±

    ¡°I am not doubting his skills, Commander must have set him over us for some reason only. However, the more time he takes, the lesser chances girls will have inside. If they thought that we have given up on them¡­¡± said Sharpnel.

    Carole shook her head and said, ¡°You think too shallow of us, Sharpnel. As a member of the secret division, we all were aware of the risks. We were told that if you are to be captured, then it is better to end your misery before it begins. This is the first time I think such an incident has happened that two agents were caught at the same time and the team was allowed to rescue them.¡±

    Her words were true, never before have they heard of such a rescue task. Hunk said, ¡°Calm down and maintain strict surveince at the duke¡¯s manor. These bastards, god knows what they are doing all holed up.¡±

    Carole nodded as sheid down on the ground to peek through a high magnification lens. She was a sniper and her rifle was the perfect device to monitor a target. After five minutes she said, ¡°They took them to torture yet again.¡±

    These words made them clench their fists, this inhumane behavior wasmitted by a family that has devoted themselves to the military for generations. This was unfathomable.

    ¡­

    While on one hand the team at stakeout was getting frustrated from all the waiting. Shi Lang, on the other hand, was riding a bike at the highest speed possible. The passenger behind was already half dead from the speed his bike was traveling. He checked the meter from looking over the shoulder and when he found the bike moving at the top speed almost every time, he was afraid that the rider want him tomit a double suicide, but that was not it as Shi Lang would let him experience a close shave, almost everything on the road including the road.

    Shi Lang did not know what the person riding along with him was thinking, but if he did, then Shi Lang would probably start crying and cursing at how slow the bike is. It was close to sunset when Shi Lang reached the destination. He did not have any time to console the weeping passenger and quickly got off the bike and rushed for it.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sneaked inside an abandoned building two kilometers away from the manor. His movements were noticed by the stakeout team. Or it could be said that he alerted them on purpose. Hunk sat on the stairs with his gun aimed below to intercept the intruder.

    Suddenly, he heard a calm voice, ¡°What are you doing with that gun pointed at my face?¡±

    Hunk shivered and said, ¡°Captain Ace.¡± as he lowered his gun.

    Since the team had only code names, his designation as the leader was highlighted by the word ¡®Captain.¡¯ Shi Lang climbed the stairs quickly and found Sharpnel holding the gun simr to Hunk. Carole was still in a bubble, gazing at the duke¡¯s manor.

    Sharpnel saluted Shi Lang who nodded to him and asked, ¡°What is the status?¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Captives are just brought back to the holding cell. This is the third day of capture and I get the feeling they are not going to hold back any sooner before they implement extreme measures.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Do we have any map of this manor?¡±

    Hunk nodded and said, ¡°We do.¡± he tapped on hismunicator and brought up a holographic three dimensional map of the manor.

    Shi Lang studied the map for a few minutes and then marked a few points. The manor was built with an early victoria style of architecture. He said while pointing at the highest tower, ¡°Carole, Hunk, you two will secure this point to y the eyes in the sky.¡±

    Then he pointed at the several points marked around the manor, ¡°Sharpnel, you will cover these bases with your bombs. Make sure that when wee out after rescuing our people, nothing that stands for stepping over our heads shall remain standing, either it be a man or a monument.¡±

    His words made Sharpnel and the rest shiver. Shi Lang said, ¡°I will be taking down their sentries and patrols. Carole, before we I would like to hack in their systems and record a loop of their patrol movement, so that when we are taking them down the main forces do not react before we want them to.¡±

    The n was ready, all that was left now was to take action and get it over with. Shi Lang did not waste a minute of his time and got on hismunicator to breach the monitor system and start killing people. As they were waiting to act, Sharpnel asked, ¡°Captain, how many people do you think they have inside thepound?¡±

    The youngster replied, ¡°A few hundred at the least. Why?¡±

    Sharpnel asked, ¡°Are these people allbatants?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, ¡°The dukes are a military family, they start training at the age of five. So set the gun at stun when you deal with children below ten.¡±

    The atmosphere became tense, tonight was going to be a long one.

 Chapter 118

    Shi Lang gave instructions and the people got to work. They were going to wait for a few hours before they started the raid. The n was divided into steps and the roles were clearly highlighted. The strategy was not something too simple and it was not something tooplex.

    As the curtain of night thickened, Shi Lang said, ¡°Go.¡±

    With that one word, Carole and Hunk set off the stake outpost to the duke¡¯s mansion. Their goal was to im the highest watchtower inside theplex. Hunk may look big and bulky but he had a special skill, he could easily sneak through even the most heavily guarded ces. The two moved like a unit. Hunk was tasked to kill the ground units of the enemy side. While Carole was to provide him cover from the shadows and advance at his pace. They were not to go to the watchtower directly.

    Shi Lang would enter the manorplex not far behind them and he will be dealing with the active patrols. His job was to make sure that Sharpnel was not disturbed while nting explosives and traps for the reinforcements.

    ¡­

    Hunk stood under the wall of the manor and Carole ran towards him. Hunk lowered his center of gravity and extended his hands outwards. Carole jumped andnded on his palms. The next moment, like a springboard Hunk, gave her a push in the air. The strength was so much that Carole got past a thirty feet high wall like it was nothing.

    Well, that was one of the perks of having super strength. Carole did not fall down the wall but stood on the peak of it. With her sniper rifle tied behind her back, she lowered herself carefully. Then she took out a metal rope from her utility belt. One end of the belt was tied to her waist while the other end was held by Hunk.

    The man tugged the rope twice and Carole jumped off, Hunk used his legs to push off the ground, and the counterweight of thedy at the other end of the rope gave him enough boost to climb the wall in just a matter of blinks.

    Sharpnel was keeping watch on the two of them with a set of binocrs and said, ¡°Captain, the two are in. What now?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will go in from the front gate. You will follow me at a distance of a few meters. Make sure to hide properly, Do not exceed thirty meters range.¡± his tone was calm and cold.

    Sharpnel could have sworn that this kid was not going to leave anyone alive. He did not want to get in the crosshairs by telling Shi Lang to calm down. He nodded and the two moved. Shi Lang did not intend to give anyone even a second to react.

    With a set order of targets, he raised his handgun as he ran towards the gate. The gate of the mansion was guarded by six guards. The boy leaned forward and his feet moved swiftly. In his left was his handgun while in his right hand his knife was ready tosh out at the enemies. As he got closer to the gate, the guards detected his actions, but before they could call it out.

    A ck gleam shone through the air, and a guard was lodged to the very gate he was guarding. The others were shocked, and Shi Lang raised his handgun, exploiting the shock in the hearts of the rest of the people. He made three consecutive shots. With all headshots, the three guards fell to the ground before they could even understand what happened.

    The two that were not yet shot and attacked, were about to raise the rm when Shi Lang was already close to them. He jumped in the air and his heelnded on the right temple of a guy, stunning him for a few seconds, and the other guy raised his assault rifle to take a shot but Shi Lang had somehow used the head of the enemy he had just kicked as a springboard, sessfully flipped his body in the air,nded behind the gunner.

    Snap!!!

    Shi Lang had sessfully snapped the head of the gunner and then he charged at the stunned guy, his fingers seemed to have be knives, as he stabbed at the throat of thest guy, making him choke to death. Sharpnel, who was following him at some distance watched all this happening within a few blinks, and could not help but mumble, ¡°What sort of a demon is he?¡±

    Shi Lang did not have the time to appreciate his work, so he took out the knife from the corpse nailed at the door. Then he dragged the guard closest to the side and used his palm print to ess the scanner and get inside the manor gates.

    A few hours ago, he had already finished hacking into the system and had ced the footage on a loop. Before anyone found out what was wrong with the monitoring system, he will be half done with his task to clean the patrols.

    After getting inside the manor, Shi Lang had turned into a bloody man, wherever he passed, he would be leaving death and blood in his wake.

    Sharpnel was following him through theplex setting up explosives throughout the premises. He was scared to see how cold the aura of Shi Lang was. He did not seem to have any emotions but one thing he hade to admit was the skills Shi Langmanded. He was decisive and once he enters the battle hismitment was astounding.

    Shi Lang had dealt with at least five people at a time minimum yet he was able to leave it without a sound. Sharpnel did not know how much practise one needed toe this far in his way ofbat.

    If he was to know that Shi Lang was just using the skills he had acquired in his past life, he would have been shocked. Shi Lang was not a genius cultivator in his past life. He was a scavenger, someone who lived off the opportunities snatched off from people.

    Someone¡¯s trash was someone else¡¯s treasure. Shi Lang was a man who lived day to day. If we go looking for a proper term to describe his way of life, then Shi Lang might be someone the people called, A cut throat.

    His senses inbat were so high because he would be constantly battling, sometimes to snatch off a chance, or sometimes to cling to his life and live for another day. The edge of life and death can make a person grow strong at a terrifying pace.

    Shi Lang suddenly stopped moving forward and said, ¡°Carole, is the point secure?¡±

    In the earpiece of his mask, Carole¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Affirmative Captain.¡±

    Shi Lang reverted back again, ¡°Go trigger happy, if you find someone cking, take it into count.¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Roger that, going trigger happy.¡±

    Hunk was standing behind thedy as she scoped down the targets through her lens. Hunk said, ¡°You risk exposing the position if you fire the weapon.¡±

    Carole said, ¡°Do you think I am unaware of this fact?¡± Her words choked Hunk.

    The next moment as if waiting for her queue, the sky thundered. Hunk raised his head and found it raining. Carole chuckled and said, ¡°Remember my ability?¡±

    Hunk clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Annoying wishes.¡±

    Carole chuckled and then in perfect sync with the lightning sh in the sky, she pressed the trigger and in a distance a sentry fell to the ground.

    This was her ability, perfect weather control. She could use it only once in a few months. The ability needed umtion and only when she was in a situation like this, where she was staking out. Plus the ability just needed her to trigger it once and then forget, perfectly in line with her job as a sniper.

    Hunk said, ¡°It is said, that the water of this is red in color.¡±

    Carole took a shot and said, ¡°Good for us, the red rain will cover the tracks.¡±

    ¡­

    Sharpnel followed Shi Lang and said, ¡°Captain, i have covered up all the points. What do we do now?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded after cleaning his knife and said, ¡°Time to enter and kill them. Or shall we lure them out.¡±

    Sharpnel said, ¡°Captain, I suggest we lure them out?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Detonate the bombs around the holding cells. For the sake of our people I hope you have set controlled charges.¡±

    Sharpnel nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Captain, I did use the controlled charges. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and gave him a go sign, while he contacted Hunk and said, ¡°Regroup with us, I need you to smash some people.¡±

    Hismands were all simple enough to understand and Hunk said, ¡°Be right over Captain.¡±

 Chapter 119

    Shi Lang told Sharpnel to set off the charges around the holding cells for two reasons, first was to make the enemy think that they did not care about the two prisoners. The second was to give their captured teammates a heads up, that they were here.

    Given the tactic understanding they have developed over the years, it was easy for them to guess who was the person responsible for the explosions around the holding area. Sharpnel got to work as the two people hid in the corner, waiting for Hunk to arrive.

    ¡­

    Inside the Holding Cell, Luby and Tian sat back to back, with their limbs tied to a motion-sensing bomb. Their faces were riddled with wounds and bruises. Their mouths were stuffed with a thick cloth. They had their freedom restricted and even voices were taken away. However, they were stillmunicating.

    How? They used their backs to sense each other¡¯s breathing. The code may seem to be a bit too far fetched but once you have spent a long enough time in the ces where words are not actually usable, you develop such methods to talk, If they had been made to sit away from each other, then they would have found some other way tomunicate. It could be anything, from blinking eyes to a flicker of the fingers.

    They had as many means as they had body parts. At this moment the topic of their conversation was something totally opposite from what anyone could have expected.

    Luby asked, ¡°What do you think is going on outside?¡± using her breathing pattern as a morse code. The most basic way of covertmunication in the textbooks of the human civilization could be used in any form as long as it forms a dot and a dash. Terrans did not discard all their roots after all.

    Tian replied while adjusting her breathing pattern, ¡°There seems to be some movement outside, the guards seem to be fidgety.¡±

    Luby showed her agreement with a slight change in her breathing, then she began talking again and asked, ¡°What could be the reason for this movement?¡±

    Tian replied, ¡°Someone came to get us?¡± her breathing did not disy any vigor as she said this, signifying that she was not sure about what happened here.

    Luby could not help but cough through her choked mouth. She corrected her breathing and asked, ¡°Are you out of your mind to even think such a thing. Do you not know that even the enemy is aware of the rules of our divisions? They have immobilized us in such a way because they did not want us to bemitting suicide. No one wille over to pick us up.¡±

    Tian let out a sigh as she was aware that this was never going to happen. Luby was correct, after all, the first rule of the secret division was to suicide but never let yourself be captured. However, they broke this rule, if the highmand found this, then they both will be hunted down by every single secret division soldier. They were in vition of the code, in the army, which meant only one thing, death.

    However, before thedies could continue theirmunications, they sensed strong vibrationsing from the walls of the holding cells. The next thing was something they did not expect. The vibrations did note from just one side, but all of them, the whole holding cell was shivering. Luby and Tianmunicated using their breaths and both said one thing, ¡°Sharpnel¡¯s chain control.¡±

    Chain control was the name Sharpnel had given this style of the explosions, and they remembered it as they have heard, sensed, and watched it all happen many times over. They could possibly call this out in their worst nightmares.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Sharpnel were squatting under the shadows cast by the trees around them when Hunkmunicated and said, ¡°Captain, I am here.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at Sharpnel and nodded to give him a go, and thetter tapped on themunicator triggering the chain of explosions around the holding cells. A few secondster, the whole Duke Manor woke up from their sleep, both with eyes closed or open. A hoarse voice sounded, ¡°What is going on here. Someone check if there are shadows inside the Manor.¡±

    This voice echoed through the whole manor, and Sharpnel said, ¡°Captain, that is a seven-star expert, what do you think we should do?¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°Do not enter the center of the manor and kill every guard you see, before he can make a call and tell his superiors that there are intruders. I do not wish to see that seven-star Terran just yet.¡±

    Sharpnel nodded and the same task was conveyed to Hunk, who was rushing over to meet them under his earliermands. Hunk was not simply rushing over, he was neutralizing people on the way. Shi Lang said, ¡°You two will kill anyone you set sight upon, I will be responsible for luring the forces outside. Do you need a solo space to work and kill or will you be able to work better together?¡±

    At this moment, Carole spoke up from the watchtower, she said, ¡°Captain, can I ask you to line up the enemies in a straight line?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We can certainly try, let us go.¡±

    Sharpnel and Hunk nodded, as they stood up side by side, while Shi Lang was rushing over to the enemy regrouping point with the help of Carole¡¯s guidance. She was cleaning up anyone who caught sight of him from her location and Shi Lang was drawing aggro. He would be seen running around with his handgun.

    This was enough evidence for the people to me him for all the deaths. Shi Lang did not even fight with their hand to hand, but they were sure that it was all done by Shi Lang. He did not seem to care and rushed through the explosions sights drawing the attention of all the other soldiers or guards who spotted him.

    If he spotted someone as strong as him, Shi Lang would go in for the kill. By the time he came back to where Sharpnel and Hunk were waiting for him, he had gathered at least twenty men, and then Shi Lang moved past them saying, ¡°They are all yours.¡± in a muffled voice.

    This voice was enough to give them precipitations. The two replied, ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and moved around to capture another batch of officers until everyone was done. Sharpnel and Hunk partnered up, while Carole stuck to cover Shi Lang. She was Shi Lang¡¯s guardian, every time a sneak attack was to find its way toward him, Carole would neutralize the target.

    She was like an urate machine for killing and since she was firing her weapon, she will not let herself be discovered. Thus, as soon as someone managed to catch a sniff of her existence, the girl took action and killed the person.

    Shi Lang was also not simply running all over the scene, he would try to find a chance to get a high-ranking enemy down. These high-ranking enemies will be the ones who would trouble himter when they fight against the seven-star Terran inside the core area of the manor. Shi Lang was also trying to pinpoint the location of the two captives.

    Luby and Tian must be secured before they face the Seven-star Terran. Otherwise, they will be a bargaining chip to the old man. This would put them at a disadvantage and TADA. Shi Lang did not want this to happen. Carole said, ¡°Captain, this is thest group of people you need to gather, after this, we can look at our girls.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed as he crossed des with a man in front of him and said, ¡°This is not going to be that simple, Carole. That seven-star Terran might be on to us already.¡±

    Carole asked, ¡°What shall we do then?¡±

    Shi Lang replied after he killed the guy obstructing him with a sharp stab to the neck, ¡°I am afraid we might need a mutual sacrifice in the end.¡±

    His words shocked Carole and she shivered. She regained herposure quickly and asked, ¡°Who do you n to use, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Myself, who else?¡± replied Shi Lang.

    Thedy was surprised, she did not expect that the boy had already taken this on himself. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Captain, you know that there are a lot of factors that state how great your future can be, why do you wish to put yourself into such a position.¡±

    ¡°If you concentrate on a future where you will not be able to interact with any other person. I suggest that you kill yourself now, and if you think that you should take care of your people now, then again, die for them. It is as simple as that.¡± said Shi Lang.

 Chapter 120

    As soon as the youngster finished his words, he stopped in his tracks, he said, ¡°I have located our girls. I will now rush over to get them out, Carole you are to shoot only when necessary, that Seven-star Terran might be looking for any chance to pinpoint your location.¡±

    Carole was aware of such a possibility, after all, the speed of a phaser beam from a sniper rifle was as fast as the speed of light, how can a Terran, regardless of the power level evade it? Thus Carole understood themand and stopped firing. Shi Lang moved through the debris of fallen walls and rooms, heading towards the holding cell.

    Carole ryed the message to Sharpnel and Hunk, and they began to finish the leftover enemies quickly. They were all veterans and were aware that the seven-star Terran might be taking action soon. They had been killing people for a few minutes now, and the strength of the enemy was never above five stars. As secret division officers, they all were strong enough to walk through waves of people with strengths simr to theirs. Such was the quality of their skills.

    Hunk, who was swinging an enemy like a nun-chucks asked, ¡°Why are all the enemies, five stars? I have not spotted a single six-star till now in the crowd.¡±

    Carole replied, ¡°Captain took them down personally. Deal with what you have on hand quickly and go to aid him. I have a bad feeling about this.¡±

    Hunk and Sharpnel nodded and picked up the pace. Hunk was an expert in hand to handbat, he used his super strength to boost his speed as well, and moved like a meteor, he would use his enemies as a a speed breaker. Well, he was like a truck with no breaks. He would stop only when the enemies have broken his momentum.

    Sharpnel on the other hand was an even bigger menace, he would use, mini bombs, his ability was dulpicacy, he could make a fake double of his body, though the clone would be a fragile thing, a slight shock will make it vanish or disappear. However, while the clone is out, Sharpnel gets to stay invisible.

    Tada, this guy would use this trick and sneakily nt micro bombs over all his enemies. In the after math, corpses with missing limbs would be found scattered all over the ce. This was his skill, and that was why he was more dangerous than Hunk. Imagine, if he was to ce his clone in a secluded ce, and move into a crowded area, nt a big bomb in there?

    That being said, as the two of them killed enemies, Shi Lang had arrived at the in front of the holding area. He found that the guards of this ce had not moved, this made him curious. He slowly crept closer to the people, wanting to hear what was going on here. After all, he had killed so many people yet the guards in this ce were still all standing rooted to their ce. There must be something special about this ce.

    Guard One: ¡°What do you think is happening out there? The explosions must be some enemy attack.¡±

    Guard Two: ¡°Do you have to guess? It must be someone who came to rescue Old Man Duke.¡±

    Guard One took a deep breath and asked, ¡°What do you think the possibilities of their sess is? After all, Master Duke gave out the order to search the manor, the forces must have found someone at least.¡±

    Guard two shook his head, ¡°I do not know.¡±

    Guard one nodded and asked, ¡°Why are they doing this to the old man?¡±

    Guard two said, ¡°I heard from a guy close to the adjutant of Master Duke, the old man seemed to be opposing the Master when he expressed his notion of taking this for himself.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow at this. No wonder the secret division had ced this whole family on the assassination list. They were brewing the notion of a rebellion. Shi Lang took out his handgun and rushed towards the guards, his actions were so well timed and surprising, that the guards could not even react.

    Two beams of light shed, shortly after Shi Lang got past the gate of the holding area, and the two guards fell down on the ground, with holes in their forehead. The boy got inside the holding area with two motives, one was to free his teammates, and second was to use the old man duke. He moved quickly. His senses were enough to tell him that most of the cells were empty, so avoiding the needless inspection, he moved to the ones where he spotted the two girls.

    ¡­

    A special mention to Charles Duncan, the reader who has been supporting both my works for such a long time. I thank you from the depths of my heart. Thank ou for the dragon and the massage chair you gifted me on this book. Means a lot to me, if you are reading this, the I hope you contact me on discord, THE WORDSMITH

 Chapter 121

    Shi Lang shivered when the voice passed through his ears. He exerted his strength on the iron rope tied to the bar of the holding cell and yanked it towards himself. Hunk also joined his struggle and together they were able to bend the bar slightly. The old man inside the cell senses their determination and punched the bar where the iron rope was tied.

    The power of the punch was so strong that just catching a glimpse of the movement raised red gs for the two soldiers outside. Shi Lang kicked Hunk on his waist and the two people moved away from the trajectory of the iing punch.

    TONG!!!

    The impact of the punch was so strong that the door of the holding cell began to vibrate from it. The vibration produced some high-frequency sounds that made Shi Lang and Hunk slightly dizzy. But they could still see an old man climbing out from the space left from the deformation of the bar.

    The strong voice sounded again, ¡°Who?¡± this time the person did not get the chance to say anything more when the old man interrupted him in a cold sonorous voice, ¡°Your Father, I regret the day you were born, Alkaid Duke. You harbinger of the Duke family.¡± with that said, the old man rushed to the outside of the holding area.

    Shi Lang gazed at Hunk, who nodded, to confirm his suspicion. The prime target and the ¡®must kill¡¯ person of their mission, Alkaid Duke has shown up. Shi Lang did not have the time to meddle with the pair of father and son, he quickly came back to the cell where Luby and Tian were, he found that Sharpnel was tinkering with the motion-sensing shackles tied to Luby¡¯s feet.

    Click!

    The shackle was undone and Sharpnel said, ¡°They can move, but Captain, we might need to carry Luby, her nerves are a bit too sensitive at the moment.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Hunk, carry them both and moved to the rendezvous point.¡±

    Hunk nodded and easily lifted up Luby from the ground, they did not have any shyness persisting between them, as soldiers, they were aware that the situation was critical and as injuries thedy was, she will only dy the mission and be a burden on the team. However, that was not the case with Tian.

    She said, ¡°Captain, my ability wille in handy. Please let me stay.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Give me an exnation.¡± that was all. He was asking her why she thought that her ability mighte in handy.

    Tian nodded and said, ¡°My ability allows me to take control of the I wish for five seconds. I can control all the movements and even the speech of a person. If you allow me to use this ability on Alkaid Duke, then this battle shall wrap up immediately.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, the people heard loud banging soundsing from the outside of the holding cell. Shing was aware that he did not have the luxury to consider all aspects of the fight and said, ¡°Very well, you will follow behind Sharpnel, and will not engage in frontalbat. Is that clear?¡±

    Tian nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze on Hunk and said, ¡°Take Luby with you and ask Carole to clear up the loose fish. Time to close in the. Let us go, we need to deal with that old man and his son.¡±

    Hunk nodded and left the ce with Luby in his arms. Given his super strength he did not have to worry about fatigue or anything, Luby in his arms was nothing more than an overgrown flower. The two rushed away, ShIng asked Tian again, ¡°Are you sure you can take further pressure?¡±

    Tian nodded and assured him that she can. Shi Lang and Sharpnel took the lead to get out of the holding area with Tian in tow. As they reached the doors, they could hear the bangs and the boomsing from the surroundings.

    Sharpnel said, ¡°This is the level of a seven-star Terran. ¡± his voice contained a hint of awe and respect, after all, the strong were to be respected.

    Shing had never seen the extent of strength as a seven-star Terran fought, this was like the door of a new world to him. The way the Terrans were moving so fast that they almost disappeared from the eyes and if not for the water drops from the rain were being pushed away.

    The youngster could not help butpare this strength level to the levels of cultivation from his past life, he sighed and mumbled, ¡°Spirit formation.¡±

    However, no one among the two of hispanions was paying attention to his words. They were looking at the fight in front of them. The two people were fighting with no concern for safety. After all, they both were aware that their ns have reached a dead end. Suddenly, a figure flew across the scene and crashed hard on the debris scattered around.

    Tian was the first one to recognize the person, she said in a low voice, ¡°Alkaid Duke.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Calm your anger, take action when you find a good chance.¡±

    Tian nodded. She understood that anger will do them no good, sometimes in eagerness to kill someone you might die before the other person. Sharpnel said, ¡°How shameful. A dignified Seven-star Terran getting into such a mess and even inflicting a guaranteed death sentence by harming the secret forces.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Do not think too much about these guys. As you said, they inflicted this upon themselves.¡±

    While Shi Lang and the two were watching the fight from the side, the old man walked over to his son slowly as he spoke, ¡°Your greed for power made you so narrow-minded that you did not even count the decline of your own family.¡±

    Alkaid Duke was hurt but he still had the power to talk back, and he said, ¡°Who do you think made me like this, it was your teachings. Your pride made me greedy, if not for all the rules you imposed on me, do you think I would have been limited to this ce? There is no war, no battle. I spent my whole life outside walking through corpses, yet you called me back. Why? Why did you restrict me?¡±

    Shi Lang has read the data, it said that Alkaid Duke was a budding general at the frontier and he was renowned for his skills. Hismanding ability was good enough to make him a fleet general, however, all of a sudden, his father, the retired fleet general called him back. ording to the intel gathered by the secret divisions, Alkaid Duke was asked to train the younger generation of the family to grow up like him.

    Following the assessment of the analysts of the investigation division, Alkaid seemed to have developed the idea of creating his own power under the impression that he was very strong. His delusional state led him to rebel. However, he conveniently pushed the me on his father.

    The old man said, ¡°I constricted you? Do you think I am not aware of your battle lust? Do you think that the analysts at the front will not see through your concealed actions to entice trouble with the natives of a warring? You shamed me, that was the reason I called you back. You shamed the name of my family, that was why I called you back. Yet you imprisoned me inside my house. You dared to provoke those who watch over the order of the military forces. You are just a degenerate.¡±

    While he was talking he was already closer to Alkaid, the old man was among the taller people in the Terran race. Hisnky body cast a towering physique on Alkaid Duke. He raised his arm to punch down at the head of thetter when suddenly, Alkaid Duke fished out a phasor gun from a holster behind his back.

    He was about to aim at the old man and take a shot when his body froze. Tian had made her move, her body lost control and was about to fall to the ground when Sharpnel caught her, the old man saw his son aiming a gun at him, the rage in his heart exploded like a volcano and his fist fell down.

    Just as the fist distorted Alkaid¡¯s head from the pressure alone, Tian woke up. Her face was pale, she did not look good. Shi Lang did not ask her what happened, he was smart enough to understand that it was the bacsh of her ability. On the other hand, a loud boom indicated the end of Alkaid Duke.

    His head exploded like a ripe watermelon. Shi Lang looked at the old man. He held his handgun and walked over. The old man was aware of this, and said, ¡°Before you make me rest, can I, at least, give my family a proper funeral. They might havemitted a crime of rebellion but it was not out of a free will. The Duke Family itself is an army and the family members were bred like soldiers from birth, they would have followed all and every instruction of the leader without hesitation.

    This is all due to us the old people imposing prideful ways on the young. I apologize to the federation on behalf of my family.¡±

    Shi Lang heard his words and said, ¡°You can arrange for a mass funeral. I hope you understand that the time on our hands is short. If I do not report thepletion of the mission soon, then the secret divisions will mobilize and hunt down everyone rted to your duke family.¡±

    With that said, the old man began to arrange for a funeral of his family, he dug pits and buried them all personally, and he shed tears under the red rain. Tears of regret and remorse, but this world did not have a medicine of that.

 Chapter 122

    Shi Lang waited for the old man toplete the funeral patiently. The rest of the team was also on guard, after all, this old man was an eight-star Terran. If he decided to kill them all, it might not even take a few seconds. After the old man finished saying his prayers, he said, ¡°I have served the colors ever since I was a youth like you all. I have upheld the honor of the colors, so, if you do not mind, I would like to leave with the colors on me.¡±

    He meant that he would like to die with honor as a soldier would, dressed in his uniform. Shi Lang thought for a bit and nodded to the old man. Thetter thanked him and went inside the still-intact part of the manor. At this moment Carole, who was ying a sentry at the high watchtower said, ¡°Captain, we have three choppers inbound. Presumably trying to investigate the big movement here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, ¡°Do not worry.¡± he turned his gaze at Luby and said, ¡°Hail them, tell them that the secret divisions are handling business here. If they wish to be held in contempt, feel free to pass by.¡±

    Luby nodded and using hermunicator, did the same. When they were captured, theirmunicators were not taken off, it was because the device of the secret divisions all had special passcodes on them, if you take themunicator without entering the passcode, it will explode. The intensity will be high enough to vaporize both the one who removed themunicator and the one who was wearing it.

    Luby ryed the message from Shi Lang and Carole reported shortly after, ¡°Clear.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Copy that.¡±

    As they cleared up the choppers, the old man returned wearing his ck military uniform. He had cleaned up his beard and his hair was trimmed as well. The old man carried the uniform with all the etiquettes of the military. Shi Lang did not catch the name of the old man earlier but now, the uniform spoke of his name.

    Shi Lang saluted the man as he stood in front of him, and after the initial surprise, the old man returned the salute. The old man said, ¡°You may proceed now, Sir.¡±

    Secret Division was to be respected despite the rank you hold. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°You are a brave soldier, General Victor Duke. May you watch over us from the stars, and may you wear the colors again. Godspeed.¡±

    Behind Shi Lang, the whole team said in unison, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    This was how the medics would send off the soldiers who had no chance of recovery. The old man smiled and nodded, then he walked up to stand in front of the grave of his family and said, ¡°Please bury me along with them.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, ¡°Carole, do it please.¡±

    Carole was surprised but replied, ¡°Roger that captain.¡± she aimed at the heart of the old man and took a shot. The phasor beam passed through the heart leaving a prick-like hole. The heart was punctured, gradually it will leak and the old man will lose consciousness until he falls into an evesting slumber.

    The phasor beams would carbonize the cells and stop them from regenerating, thus death was inevitable for the old man. After a few seconds, when the old man drowned in his blood, Tian said, ¡°Captain, his life signs are null.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Put him to rest with his family. Then we leave.¡±

    Hunk nodded and Sharpnel helped him bury the old man with his family. While Shi Lang used hismunicator to submit a detailed report to the higher-ups. He reported the number of casualties on the other side and also stated in bold letters that General Victor Duke was the one, who took down his own son and the prime target, Alkaid Duke to help them and restore the honor of his family.

    He was not someone who would swallow the credit of other people¡¯s deeds. After ten minutes, Hunk and Sharpnel told him that they were done and Shi Lang ordered the team to move out. Their work here was done.

    Carole, Hunk, and Sharpnel hade over in the guise of normal tourists, so they will be leaving like that only, while Luby and Tian hade in their own ships. Shi Lang was the only one who sneaked in without any procedure. So he used the same way to get back. He sneaked inside the tourist ship that Hunk and the other two used. The ships all had secret passages and Shi Lang used them to his advantage.

    ¡­

    After two days, the whole team stood in front of Gamma and Commander Archie Arkham. Thetter had furrowed brows as she gazed at the two people. She said, ¡°Do you two understand what could have happened if any information from your mouth was to leak?¡±

    Luby and Tian nodded and replied in a clear voice, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Archie Arkham asked again, ¡°Do you know how the information of your arrival was leaked?¡±

    Tian and Luby exchanged a nce but did not answer, Archie Arkham snapped, ¡°I asked you a question.¡±

    Both thedies shivered and replied, ¡°We do.¡±

    ¡°Tell me then, what was the reason for this situation?¡± asked Archie Arkham.

    Luby said, ¡°The ce was inplete control of the Duke Family. We used our special ships to get in and rattled the snake.¡± she stated calmly.

    Tian picked up where she left, ¡°We did not take ount of the Duke Family people inside the colonialmand center. It was a mistake on our part.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°d that you understand, as a punishment, you two are grounded for any new missions with the team, for the next three months. Any objections?¡±

    ¡°No, Sir.¡± replied the twodies. Objections you asked them? Why not directly court-martial them.

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Agent Ace, you did well in this mission. Here is your reward.¡±

    She picked up an envelope from the table and extended it towards Shi Lang. The boy was surprised because the reward was an envelope. These things were so rare that one could have raised their own toon at the price to buy this.

    Shi Lang took off his ck gloves and held the paper envelope in his palms gently. He ran his fingers over the coarse paper to sense the texture, ignoring the envious gazes of his teammates. Archie Arkham said, ¡°Do you not want to see what is inside?¡±

    The youngster raised his head, to look at thedy from behind his mask. His eyes were brimming with surprise. He flipped over the envelope and another wave of shock hit him. His body trembled, on the seal, there was a red stamp mark, which said, ¡®Top Secret¡¯ in red color.

    Shi Lang raised his head and asked, ¡°Sir, may I have the permission to leave?¡± his voice was barely able to hide his excitement.

    Archie Arkham nodded and Shi Lang dashed out without even saluting her. Gamma raised her eyebrow and was about to reprimand him for this insolent behavior when thedy inmand said, ¡°It is fine. He has been working himself to the ground ever since he got his deployment order and each task was finished without a hitch. He has earned that envelope and an exemption from saluting.¡±

    Carole could not help but ask, ¡°Commander, if I may ask you something.¡±

    Archie nodded and said, ¡°You all want to know what is inside that envelope?¡±

    The team nodded like robots. Archie Arkham sighed and said, ¡°This thing must not be mentioned again, not even to yourself, even in your dreams.¡±

    She waited for the people to nod and said, ¡°Ace got selected for a seat in the Card ss.¡±

    The words shocked everyone. Tian mumbled, ¡°Is that ce not where those phenomenal geniuses go?¡±

    Archie nodded, she said, ¡°This kid was just a one-star Terran half a year ago, yet now he is at the peak of five-star level. Do you think he is anything less than phenomena as it is?¡±

    Carole sighed and said, ¡°I knew this kid would be standing out soon enough. However, is this not too early Commander? After all, he is only about to reach seventeen.¡±

    Archie Arkham shook her head and said, ¡°Themands are issued directly from the Fleet Generals. Whether it is too soon or not, we will find out during the test. Now, do not tell a second soul about this and leave. I have a lot of work to do. Luby, Tian, you two will be handling the clerical work in the town hall from now till your punishment is over.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± everyone replied and they moved out.

    Gamma was the only one who stayed inside the cabin and asked, ¡°Commander, is that letter really from the Card ss? Does that mean Shing consumed that special drug?¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°He did, and this drug seemed o have worked on him better than the others. He is deliberately hiding his power in front of us. The reason isx control. The envelope came at the right time, I was not expecting him to finish a triple SSS level task and rake up his merit. Somehow, the secret division is too shallow for his talents.¡±

    With that said, Archie Arkham fell deep into thinking, while Shi Lang had alreadye to his room and was carefully removing the seal from the letter.

 Chapter 123

    Shi Lang carefully took out the letter from the envelope and took a deep breath. The paper of this letter was very delicate because it was so old that even the foundation of Terran Civilization seemed like a toddler.

    After he unfolded the letter, he read the content written in a beautiful cursive font:

    Major Shi Lang,

    You have been invited to the Card ss.

    Simple and concise, no extra words, and no boosting the ego. This was the style of the letter but this was enough. On the footer of the letter, a number was mentioned. Shi Lang took another deep breath and used hismunicator to initiatemunication. The number was a COMM ID.

    The holographic disy showed ¡®connecting¡­¡¯ and Shi Lang sensed his heartbeat picking up the pace. After five seconds the words shed, ¡®connected¡­¡¯ then a masked face appeared in the hologram.

    The person on the other side said, ¡°Since you have taken the initiative to contact, then that means you have agreed and made up your mind to join the card ss.¡±

    Shi Lang did not speak but nodded slightly. The man on the other side replied, ¡°Very Well, the coordinates of the base camp have been sent on your Communicator. You have one week to report. Unable to do that will lead to an automatic dismissal from services. Have a good day.¡±

    That said, the call was disconnected. Shi Lang did not wait for anything else. He grabbed a handful of clothes, ced them inside his backpack, and rushed out of the room. The team had all returned but before they could say anything. Shi Lang spoke up in a hurry, ¡°I have to leave, we will have a party when Ie back.¡±

    Gamma said, ¡°Go.¡± she understood that the boy was definitely excited and could not stay still for even a minute. So, she asked him to go. Shi Lang saluted them and rushed out again. He needed to report to Archie Arkham before leaving the base.

    On the way while he was rushing ahead, he dropped a message to Amelia, saying he was going out on a task and might not have permission to contact her, will return to her messages when he could. He did not know when he came in front of the town hall and got inside. He knocked on the door of themander¡¯s office.

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°I know it is you, Major Lang, feel free to leave. Have a good journey. Come back soon.¡±

    She did not like to waste time in goodbyes and thus Shi Lang turned on his heels and left. He came to the garage of the vi as he forgot to take the bike in his excitement and after fastening a helmet, he rode away.

    Inside the vi, Tian asked, ¡°Is this much excitement really called for?¡±

    Gamma replied, ¡°Have you read the legends of the Card ss?¡±

    Luby replied, ¡°Do they not have any tint of exaggeration, like can you imagine one person taking out the whole brigade of enemies? Also, what do they even do? Why do we only know the records they have made and not how they made it?¡±

    Gamma shook her head and said, ¡°Nope, they are not exaggerated. We do not know any details because this lies in the gray area of the military. None is supposed to know. Now I am issuing a gag order, do not publicize that your crewmate was selected for the ss. Understand?¡±

    The people all replied in affirmation. Gamma nodded and they all began to discuss the situation back at Wei-wai.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was rushing to the spaceport at full speed when he suddenly recalled something. He took the next U-turn and called his father. As soon as the call was connected Shi John¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Lang, how are you doing? Where are you?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I am rushing home, I have to leave for an urgent task and have a few hours on my hand so, I thought to see you guys, I am on a bike and will reach in a couple of hours, can you call Aunt M over as well?¡± his voice was a bit muffled due to the wind.

    Shi John was surprised and asked, ¡°They are already here, we had our days off so we decided to call them over. Come over, and be safe on the road.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say much and disconnected after a bye. He turned the throttle and the lev bike whooshed through the traffic. He did not ride within the parameters of the traffic rules but when the traffic camera¡¯s scanned his ck military bike and uniform, he was not imposed with tickets.

    The rules were made to keep the civilians in line. As a Military Personnel, Shi Lang was supposed to have a better head on his shoulders and not misuse his powers. However, this only saved him from speed tickets. If he did cause an ident, then he will be dealt withws like civilians.

    After a couple of hours, Shi Lang parked the bike below his apartment and climbed up the stairs at a speed faster than the elevator. He stood in front of the door, holding a helmet in his hand, and knocked.

    The door was opened from inside after a few seconds. The person who greeted him was his mother. The young man gave her a sunny smile as she plunged into his embrace. Shi Lang patted her back and said, ¡°I am home.¡±

    Luna replied to him with a gentle humm. She asked, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I have been good. What about you?¡±

    Luna nodded and said, ¡°I have been fine.¡± She had yet to leave his embrace when another voice sounded, ¡°Luna, he only had a few hours and you are hogging him for yourself, this is unfair.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and he took his mother inside. His aunt was sitting on the couch, and her reaction was the same as his mother¡¯s as she hugged him tight and asked him a couple of mandatory questions.

    His father and Uncle were made to sit on the sidelines after a manly greeting between them. Shing used hismunicator and transferred all the sry he had earned till now to his mother¡¯s ount and some share was given to his aunt. He said, ¡°You all get along nicely, so why not buy a bigger home in the inner city and shift there, live together. You can be there for each other and do not have to worry about the money, I will set it in a way that you will receive my monthly sry in your ounts.¡±

    Luna was surprised by his words and said, ¡°We will think about it. And for your sry, well you are out there, so do not give it all to us, who knows what you might need and how much it will cost. The privileges of a captain are not very high.¡±

    Shi Lang pped his forehead and said, ¡°I forgot to tell you all, I am now a major. My privileges are higher. Do not worry.¡±

    The people were in a daze, they did not expect their son to be so shockingly amazing to have been promoted in such a short period. Time seemed to have grown wings and in just a blink, a couple of hours passed. (The author has the power to control time inside the book. Lmao)

    Shi Lang grabbed a meal with the people before he left home on his bike. The family took a picture of him standing with them in his uniform and his stars as a major. This was a proud moment for them. Riding his bike, Shing arrived at the spaceport. He was about to move to his own single-man ship when he heard a voice, ¡°Lang?¡±

    He turned around and was surprised to see an acquaintance, he smiled and called back, ¡°Jenkins. When did youe back?¡±

    The person who called him was none other than the son of First General Edward, Jenkins Edward. The blonde youth replied, ¡°I am being redeployed, what about you? How is life at Secret division?¡±

    He was aware that Shing was in a secret division but his identity was concealed. Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±

    Jenkins nodded and Shi Lang replied, ¡°I will have to kill you if I dissolved any information regarding the division.¡±

    Jenkins chuckled and said, ¡°Well, I know the rules, I will not mention it again.¡± As he walked closer to Shi Lang, however, as he came closer his pupil dted and he asked, ¡°When did you get promoted.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and the two bantered with each other, Jenkins told him that he was being deployed for a secret task at the front and could not stay longer, after a few minutes, they went separate ways after a knuckle bump. After Jenkins left Shi Langr received a message from Gamma asking him if he was still on the port. The boy replied with a yes and thedy asked him to stay put.

    She said, they were going out for a leisurely trip and decided to give him a lift to the point he says. Shi Lang could not bring them to the location he was provided but could use a lift that will save him time. So, he did not refuse and waited patiently.

 Chapter 124

    Shi Lang waited for the team members toe over to the spaceport. He was aware that ever since his eyes fell on that envelope, his mind has be very frantic. He found a spot inside the hangar and sat down with his legs crossed and began to meditate. The ce he was going to need him to be calm and focused.

    The Card ss was unexplored territory for him. Defeat originates from ignorance, that was what he believed in and while he was excited he would not be able to dedicate hisplete focus and that will be the moment he bes ignorant, and who knows what the consequences might be. As he meditated, the boy gradually forgot about time.

    He only woke up when he sensed hismunicator vibrate. He opened his eyes and found his teammates standing not far away from him. He raised his wrist to check who called him and found it was Carole. He tilted his head in confusion and thedy replied, ¡°Captain said not to approach you physically when you are in meditation.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and he stood up. Gamma said, ¡°Lang, you will have to use the escape pod to get off our vessel. However, that leaves you without any defense, as you know, escape pods have no weapons on them.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I know, you just need to drop me at the edge of the Terran Territory, I will deal with the restter. In case, things go south, I hope you can pass on a few messages to my parents.¡±

    Gamma was shocked to hear him say such a thing. So were the other three, only now did they realize the depth of the situation. They wanted to say something more, but no words came out of their mouths. They gazed at Shi Lang with mixed emotions. Suddenly, Carole said, ¡°Captain, a word.¡±

    Gamma turned to look at her and nodded. The two moved to a corner and whispered a few things to each other. Hunk, Sharpnel, and Shi Lang watched the expressions on their faces change as the two discussed something.

    Hunk nudged Sharpnel with his elbow and asked, ¡°What do you think are they talking about?¡±

    Sharpnel shook his head and replied, ¡°My guess is as good as yours.¡±

    Before the two could ask Shi Lang about his opinion, Gamma turned around and walked forward with Carole in tow. She said, ¡°Lang, you have been a member of our team for a very small time, however, you have proved your worth with your skills and during thest task, you led the team in my stead, you did a splendid job bringing them all back home safe and sound. So, to thank you and to honor you, I have decided that the transport vessel of our team, will be given to you.¡±

    Her words had one meaning, the main spaceship that the whole team used to travel was now being assigned to Shi Lang alone for personal use. The words surprised everyone. Shi Lang was about to say no when the Captain said, ¡°The ce you are going to is a secret location inside the uncharted territory. Before you act modest and humble yourself in front of us, think, is it not better to have a vessel of your own. The ship can be operated by a single pilot and in case youe across a hostile situation, you can use theputer system on board to use the weapon system.¡±

    Hearing her points, Shi Lang could not refuse to her anymore and nodded. Gamma nodded and then she manipted hermunicator. As the team leader she was the person thsi ship was allocated to. As the members of secret division, if they had umted enough merit points they can exchange them for resources.

    Gamma sent a secret message to all the team members except Shi Lang to contribute merit points so that the ship could be upied. The price of this ship was ten thousand military merit points. Sounds low? Then imagine yourself doing something like facing a peak expert like Victor Duke, or entering a new andmitting assassinations, for a meager sum of twenty or thirty merit points?

    Yeah, sounds expensive now, right? So, after the team members all donated their hard earned merit points to get Shi Lang a spaceship, Gamma transferred the ownership to him. The system worked fast, their credentials were verified from the military database and period, it was done.

    Gamma said, ¡°Go, now, she is yours, but make sure that you do not end up causing any menace, or we all will be put behind bars in charges of aiding a criminal.¡± she had a smile on her face.

    Shi Lang felt warm in his heart and said, ¡°When I went to the camp for training my father said, in military you will find friends who will be willing to suffer with you. It seems he was correct. Thank you for your merit points Captain.¡± he saluted her and the others.

    Hunk was getting emotional at this scene and he came forward to give Shi Lang a bear hug. Sharpnel was next in line. Carole also briefly hugged Shi Lang before Gamma said her farewells. The team waited for Shi Lang to get inside the ship and log in to the system before the left the hanger.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sat in the main pilot seat and mumbled, ¡°Lets do this.¡±

    Then he operated the ship console skillfully and aftermunicating with the hangar mechanism, the ship took off vertically from the overhead passage. Shi Lang did not have any problem in controlling the ship as it came with a flight control artificial intelligence.

    As the ship took off, Gamma led the team out of the spaceport. Sharpnel asked, ¡°Boss, was it worth it to spend so many merit points for the kid?¡±

    Gamma nodded without hesitation and said, ¡°Someone from our team got selected in the card ss, you tell me, was it not worth it?¡±

    Hunk said, ¡°He saved the lives of Luby and Tian, if he needed my life, I would have given it with a smile let alone some points I can earn back.¡± he stated mly, with Carole nodding in approval of the statement.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was unaware of the situation and thoughts of his teammates as he entered the coordinates to the location mentioned by the masked man. The system informed him that the coordinates lie outside Terran territory and that it will take sixteen space jumps to reach the nearest border.

    The youngster put away the warnings, and initiated the space jump. The journey was nd. One space jump and the jump engines will need to rest and reset. In the meantime, Shi Lang wrote down his will for his parents and Amelia in encrypted messages. The messages will need the biometrics of the receivant to be opened and read.

    After he was done with the messages, he sent them to Gamma, so that thedy could hand them to his parents if something was to happen to him. He explored the ship mechanism to kill time and moved after the jump engines were reset. The process was repeated for fifteen times before he wrapped at the edge of Terran Borders.

    After this post he would need only one more space jump to get to his destination. It has been three days since he set off, and not once had he slept. This journey was not easy, but was a test. Sixteen space jumps put pressure on the body and mind like nothing else. The Card ss was not somece that could be entered without paying a price.

    Shi Lang decided to take a day to rest at the edge. He controlled his ship to enter a stealth mode and went to sleep after setting the security at the highest priority level. He did not want anyone toe over and raid his ship while he grabbed rest.

    After all this was done, Shi Lang slept inside the captain room. He did not remove anything that Gamma had ced in her room, leaving it all the way it was, he intended to return this ship back to the team after the usage was finished.

    Shi Lang fell asleep for two days, and when he woke up, he decided to leave the ce immediately. Because there was a military patrol nearby, he woke up because the system detected the patrol and alerted Shi Lang. It was not that he was afraid of the patrol, but things will be unnecessarilyplicated and time consuming if he did not move now.

    The youngster got inside the pilot seat and tapped a few buttons on the console to enter the final coordinates and initiated the jump sequence. It took just one moment and the ship elerated at the speed of light. When the ship stopped, Shi Lang found himself close to a that looked green and blue.

    If he had not known better he would have thought that this ce was The Federation. Shi Lang controlled the ship and entered the atmosphere of the. As soon as he got inside, his shipmunicator turned on, ¡°State your identity.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Agent Ace, Shadow Executions, Citizen of the federation.¡±

    The other side was silent for a few seconds, and then a monotonous voice sounded again, ¡°You will be following the headings provided by us.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Roger that, but can you tell me what is this ce.¡±

    The voice replied after a few seconds, ¡°Wee to Mythya.¡±

 Chapter 125

    Shi Lang received the headings and other information and controlled his ship to move in that direction. After five minutes, the systems detected a base with a couple of spaceships docked inside. Themunications sounded again, ¡°You have been spotted, proceed to dock at bay three.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Copy that.¡± and did as he was told. Earlier when the system detected the building, it also detected that the ship was locked on with all the weapons inside the base. it would be alike to say that he was neither frightened nor enraged.

    He did not like to be at the hollow end of the guns, no matter what size. However, since he hade to this ce where he had no jurisdiction, no authority, he had to swallow down his pride. The ship docked at the bay and he stood up from the seat. The person responsible formunication said, ¡°Leave all your weapons, inside the ship ande out.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and put down his handgun and knife inside the ship and left. As he came out of the ship, he found three people dressed in fullbat gear standing in a distance with some unknown model of phaser gun at him. Shi Lan could tell that if he made a sudden move, these people will not hesitate to shoot.

    The youngster slowly moved forward to the people. A person among the three said, ¡°Raise your hands.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at him with a in face and said, ¡°No.¡±

    Things had to be done within a limit. They locked on his ship with canons, had him give up his arms, and now he was being treated like a criminal. Might as well go ahead and shoot him and see if he cared.

    The person was shocked and said, ¡°I will not repeat.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You can repeat as many times as you want but I will not budge. You are also Terran forces, yet you treat me like a criminal. Believe me, if not for the fact that this ce is unknown to me and I am alone, I would have broken you piece by piece.¡± throughout his dialogue, the voice was calm and unmoved.

    His eyes were cold and unfeeling. The person who asked Shi Lang to raise his hands raised his gun and aimed at him, but Shi Lang showed no movement in his defense. A ray of light shed, yet Shi Lang stood there like a mountain. The ray of light was the phasor beam shot from the gun, it did not harm him but passed just two inches above his shoulder.

    The person did not shoot again and lowered the gun. He said, ¡°Follow us.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded but did not speak. On the surface he was calm, but the moment that phasor beam shed in his vision, his heart did skip a beat. Putting aside everything, he followed the people. They led him to the door at the side of the spaceport. They moved climbed a flight of stairs and the three men came to a stop.

    The one in the lead pressed his thumb on the side panel of the door. The door opened and the man said, ¡°Go in.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and entered the room, he had yet to register the room set when the door closed from outside. The dim light was not a problem for him. He could see that this ce was more like a meeting room. At the end of the room, behind the table sat a man with a mask.

    This was the person who told Shi Lang the coordinates toe over to this ce. The man spoke in his muffled indifferent voice, ¡°Wee to Mythya.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded gently and the man said, ¡°I am X. This is our home base, Including the three people you saw outside, we have a poption of fifty-one Terrans. Now with you taken in the count, we are fifty-two. You can ask questions now.¡±

    ¡°What is the purpose of this ce?¡± asked Shi Lang without any second thought.

    X raised his head and said, ¡°The purpose of this ce is tomunicate with other forces.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, ¡°What do you mean by other forces?¡±

    He could guess what the man meant but he would rather have this fact cleared. X replied, ¡°Other forces means, other life forms that are capable of celestial conquest. These life forms could look like us, or a pet that you might have back home, but they are all strong enough to wage war with the federal empire.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked, he could not help but open his eyes wide. This information was never made public that there are forces, other than the Terran civilization that is capable of celestial conquest, and one day they might attack them. He could guess why they did not make it public, it would have caused a massive uproar through the whole and even frontier forces.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°How do we interact with these forces?¡±

    X replied, ¡°Frontal and covert battles. Do you think we would have toe so far from home for diplomatic talks?¡±

    The youngster shook his head and X continued, ¡°You can go out, settle inside your room. You have the ess tomunication back home, but if you mentioned anything rted to Mythya, to anyone, that person will be apprehended, and executed for the sake of security while you will be imprisoned for your whole life.¡±

    Shi Lang did not listen to what he said as his head was still lost in the thoughts of other civilizations that wereparable to Terrans. He wanted to ask, how can a poption of fifty-two people stand against the whole civilization, like this was too overpowered. Yet, no one back home knew about this.

    X seemed to have seen through his thoughts and said, ¡°You will know the rest in the future, for now. Go back to your room and rest. The journey was long. Even if you stayed back at the edge of the border to rest, it was not aplete one.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked again, how did this guy know about his rest at the edge? The youngster stood up with a lot of questions in his mind. He saluted the man and walked back to the door he came inside from. X pressed a button on the table and the door opened.

    ¡­

    Outside the room, the three people led him to a room, and said, ¡°This is where you will be living.¡± They upgraded his biometrics inside the system earlier when Shi Lang was talking to X. So the guy just had to ce his hand on the scanner and the door opened. On the other side was a generic room. A bed, a table, a cupboard, and a washroom. No windows but a venttion duct.

    Shi Lang got inside and closed the door. He took off his clothes and united with the bed. As he was thinking about what the future will hold for him, his mind drifted to sleep.

    ¡­

    Somewhere in the vast space, a huge warship was floating. Inside the warship, a secret meeting was being held. The host of this meeting was the first general of the Federation, General Edwards. The attendees were all his counterparts.

    On the head chair, a middle-aged man with a sharp face sat, while gazing at all the attendees. One of them was Charlotte Knight. General Edwards said, ¡°Neomons have agreed to the student exchange program. Any rmendations?¡±

    Charlotte Knight asked, ¡°How many slots do we have?¡±

    Edwards said, ¡°One.¡± his voice was calm.

    The other generals began to discuss with each other. A man asked, ¡°Sir, how many representatives does Neomons want to send over?¡±

    Edwards only raised his finger, indicating the sign one. Charlotte Knight said, ¡°Let X decide which one he wants to send over. The Card ss has better people than any of the proteges we can find.¡±

    Edwards gazed at the others and they all nodded. After all, the card ss was their trump. The first general nodded and said, ¡°I will issue themands after the meeting.¡±

    Then they moved on to other topics. Edwards and Charlotte Knight sat quietly most of the time, after all, they hadpletemand of the sectors they were in charge of. After a couple of hours, the meeting was finished and the generals all disconnected their connections. They all attended the meeting digitally.

    As Charlotte Knight was about to go, Edwards asked, ¡°Your son-inw, he made it to the Card ss.¡±

    Charlotte frowned and asked, ¡°So quickly? How?¡±

    ¡°Hepleted a SSS level task from his secret division to rescue his teammates. This was the first time they issued such a task. However, the boy did a splendid job and attracted X¡¯s gaze.¡± said General Edwards.

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°If that boy knows, you were impressed by him, I would probably start walking upside down.¡±

 Chapter 126

    Shi Lang was sleeping in his room when hismunicator vibrated. The youngster woke up quickly and found that it was a message from X. He got up and after taking a shower got dressed in the attire of this ce. A ck spacesuit with a trace of white on the abdominal and the shoulders. There were no markings on the suit whatsoever.

    Before going out of the room, he memorized the map on the back of the door. Aftering out, he followed the directions and came to a ce that looked like a ssroom from the outside. At the moment inside the room sat thirty people. Shi Lang saw X standing at the podium gazing in front of him.

    He took a deep breath and knocked at the door. The knock was like thunder in the barrennd. All the eyes turned to gaze at Shi Lang, who could only pretend to be calm because he could tell that none of these people were easy to deal with, they all gave him a feeling like he had just walked inside a cave full of hungry beasts. But was he to be taken advantage of or scared away so easily? He returned their gaze with an indifferent face.

    X saw this exchange between everyone and said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang walked inside the ss and came to stand in front of X. He saluted him n a crisp fashion and the man said, ¡°Introduce yourself to the ssmates.¡±

    The youngster turned around and after a salute said, ¡°Major Shi Lang, age seventeen, five-star Terran.¡±

    That was it. X said, ¡°Take a seat in the front. The lecture is about to begin.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and took to the empty seat in the front of the ss, he could feel the gazes lingering on his back. He shrugged this feeling off and waited for X to start speaking.

    X cleared his throat and said, ¡°The topic we are going to discuss today is the next target of engagement. Neomons. Does anyone knows about them?¡±

    A person seemed to have raised their hand after this question. X nodded to the person, and a pleasant voice sounded inside the room, ¡°Neomons, a humanoid species, are located ten light-years away from Mythya. Their home is called Nestia. Their technological development is higher than ours, but the poption has been dwindling. Neomons are a species dominated by females, heaven for feminists.¡±

    X said, ¡°That will be enough, Quinn. Sit down.¡± after Quinn sat down, X said, ¡°Now, let me borate on the topic. As Quinn said, the technological development of the target is higher than ours, however, they do not only depend on their technology but also know how to harvest the elements of nature. Unlike the Federation, Neomons have never faced a threat to their existence. The reason their poption is dwindling has something to do with the psychological change in the mentality of the males and females of their species.¡±

    The people were all listening to him with rapt attention, X continued to discuss the species and the key factors rted to them. He asked, ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his hand, him being a newbie in the room, everyone was attracted to his movements. X nodded to him and Shi Lang asked, ¡°Sir, you mentioned that Neomons use different means of transport, may I ask what they are?¡±

    X asked, ¡°Why do you want to know that?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You mentioned that they are still using the natural renewable sources of energy at some ces of their world, which is simr to what our predecessors used, so I wanted to know if their mode of transportation is alsomon.¡± his voice was calm.

    X nodded and said, ¡°Their modes of transportation range from space ships to native species of horses. They do not have cars. Despite the technological advancement, their society is still based upon monarchial values.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the lecture continued. The other students also raised their hands over time and X patiently told them all the answers. They did not notice that the sun had alreadye down and it was night. Shi Lang also did not move or question anything. He was aware that this was not his school where the lecture will end after an hour.

    X said, ¡°I would like you all to know, that in theing week, you will all be out in the woods to hunt. One more thing,petition is good, but if you let arade die or are severely injured on your watch, I will have your backs broken and let you live like a worm for the rest of the time. Understood?¡±

    The ss replied in one voice, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    X said, ¡°ss dismissed. You can go and eat now.¡± with that said, the man in the mask left the ss. As soon as he stepped out of the door, the students all loosened up and leaned back in their seats.

    Shi Lang stood up and was about to walk out when a voice stopped him, ¡°Oye, rookie. I heard that you were in the secret division?¡±

    Shi Lang turned around to look at the source of this voice, after spotting a person he replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    The other person was a slightly older guy probably in his early twenties. He leaned forward and asked, ¡°What was the biggest task you handled?¡±

    ¡°SSS.¡± replied Shi Lang. This simple sound from his mouth attracted surprised gazes from the students.

    ¡°No wonder you managed to get in here. What was your codename?¡± asked the person again.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Ace.¡±

    As soon as he said this, everyone burst intoughter. They had such funny expressions on their faces. Shi Lang did not mind and turned around to go outside the ss, when the person who initiated the chat said, ¡°Oye, wait, you do not have to feel embarrassed¡­¡± however, hisughter did not stop.

    Shi Lang did not say anything and kept on walking ahead. The young man saw his words being ignored and said, ¡°Yeah, run away show off, but hear this and understand, the code name you use, must be earned.¡±

    Shi Lang stopped in his tracks and turned to face the guy. He said in a calm voice and indifferent gaze, ¡°And you are the one I have to earn this for? Do not overestimate yourself.¡±

    His words made theughtere to stop abruptly. None in the ss expected Shi Lang to be retorting them. The person who initiated this was even more shocked. He was being ridiculed by a rookie? The guy stood up and said, ¡°My codename is As. I shall show you why the codenames must be earned.¡±

    As he walked toward Shi Lang, his body issued crackling sounds, Quinn said, ¡°As, you have to get X to permit you for a duel, and it shall only be yed inside the gym area.¡±

    As stopped in his tracks, and said, ¡°I have sent X a message, he will be allowing it soon enough. Till then, how about a warm-up rookie?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at him and asked, ¡°Are you worthy? I will see you in the gym area.¡± with that said, he turned around and made his way to the cafeteria to eat. Leaving behind the stunned students.

    They could not believe that this guy tantly dismissed As, twice, and even asked if thetter was worthy of him warming up? When they all came here, they were all hesitant and cautious but this newbie had put all the restraints to the side and agreed to take the hit. This was not normal. While everyone else was surprised, Quinn had an amused expression on her face. She thought, ¡°It will be very lively here now.¡±

    As clenched his jaws and walked to the gym area. He needed to vent some rage before the match or he will be too angry to think and might get tricked by the newbie.

    ¡­

    In the cafeteria, Shi Lang sat at a table eating his meal of protein bars and other high-energy content snacks. Suddenly, he stopped eating and looked behind him. He found Quinn standing there. The girl had blonde hair and fair skin, blue eyes, and a stunning figure. However, she was still worse than Amelia by a grade.

    He turned back to his te and kept eating. The reason he reacted just now was that he found someone gazing at him with an intent gaze. He understood that this girl must have gotten curious about his behavior and thus she came to investigate, but Shi Lang was in no mood to entertain her. He was going to calm his mind and fill his stomach before the duel.

    Quinn saw this guy ignoring her and was surprised, she has nevere across a male who could resist her charm. Shi Lang finished hisst protein bar and stood up. At this moment Quinn said, ¡°Do you not know the courtesy to say thank you to someone who helps you?¡±

    Shi Lang did not stop and said, ¡°He instigated first, I would have gotten away with self-defense. You can keep your help for those, who need it truly. Also, do not get chummy with me. I do not like nosy people.¡±

 Chapter 127

    Shi Lang¡¯s crisp reply left the girl in a daze. This youngster, this newbie just brushed off her advance as if it had nothing to do with him, she narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°I would like to see, how you will deal with As.¡±

    While she was wishing for Shi Lang to get beaten severely, the object of her wrath was proceeding to the gym area. Although X has yet to confirm the status of the duel, he wished to go forward and visit the ce anyway. As if waiting for Shi Lang to think about him, X approved the battle request submitted by As.

    Shi Lang received the notification on hismunicator and picked up the pace. The design of the military bases was almost the same. The youngster came to the gym area and found the whole ss already gathered in the ce. He could hear grunting sounds from the inside.

    He said, ¡°Excuse me, can I get inside?¡± his tone was calm, and since no one else was talking they all heard him.

    A few people who were standing in the path moved, opening the way for him. Shi Lang came inside and he moved in calm strides. His face had not shown a single fluctuation to anyone here. If someone from his regr circle was to see him, they would have disclosed that the young boy was rather intimidated.

    This was a new ce, he had no idea what skills his enemy has. He wished he had some more knowledge but since the ball was in his court he decided to get going and deal with it. As Shi Lang arrived, a lot of people gazed at him, they were surprised to see him walking inside the gym area so calmly as if he was out on a night walk.

    On the other side, As was fuming in rage, he never expected to be humiliated by a newbie. He has been punching the bag for a few minutes now, and when a peer whispered in his ears that the prey has arrived, his fists froze. The guy turned his head to find Shi Lang walking over nonchntly.

    He wanted to say something but he saw, Shi Lang directly got inside the fighting area and beckoning at him toe over too. The guy clenched his fists and walked over silently he decide to teach this guy a harsh lesson on how to respect the seniors.

    Shi Lang and As stood five meters away from each other and thetter said, ¡°The rules are simple, either you admit defeat, or you get knocked out, until then the fight will carry on. Any objections?¡±

    The youngster shook his head and the fight began. As was already raring to go and he ceased the initiative. That was not all, he did not hold back in the slightest, his body had suddenly be like a piece of a flexible piece of steel. His speed was fast and his fist was already upon Shi Lang¡¯s face before the youngster could even react.

    Just when everyone was disappointed in missing good drama, the youngster tilted his head to a side and avoided the punch with ease. He mumbled, ¡°Try harder, do not hold back.¡±

    His simple words were a sessful taunt to As, the guy shot with his left fist aiming for the gut of the teenager in front of him. You could tuck your head sideways to avoid a attack on your head, but can you do the same with the whole body. The torso was a bigger target.

    However, Shi Lang was not in the mood to dodge this attack, his right hand grappled the left wrist and he moved sideways to change his position. After he positioned himself on the right of the opponent, he let go of the wrist and his right palm struck at As¡¯s throat like it was a knife. Although the skin of the person was as hard as steel it was still at the weak point of the body.

    The skin was hard but the internals was the same. Shi Lang¡¯s palm chop made As struggle for his breath and the moment, thetter came back to his senses, Shi Lang had already jumped in the air to deliver a roundhouse kick at the temples of the opponent.

    The execution of his skills was swift and smooth. It was such a mesmerizing disy that the surrounding people could not help but nod in appreciation. After the kicknded Shi Lang did not continue with his blows, but afternding he moved sideways and grappled As from his legs and mmed his body down in a german suplex.

    Bang!!!

    The stic floor of the fighting area shook from the impact. This drop did not only entice the sympathy of everyone toward As, but they were all somewhat delighted to watch this ss bully be beaten.

    Quinn stood at the back of the crowd and she was very surprised to see the guy she pegged to fall down hade up like a star in the sky. Shi Lang was unaware of all this and even if he knew he did not wish to pay mind to what a random girl thought about him.

    After the German Suplex, As was really surprised. He heard a voice, ¡°This was why I asked if you were worthy of a warm-up.¡±

    The voice of thisment was not lowered in any manner, Shi Lang had been deliberately insulting him. The humiliation in front of his peer was making his blood boil and when that happens people lose their ability to think right and their judgments bex.

    As jerked his leg away and released himself from Shi Lang¡¯s grip. The two people stood up in tandem, but Shi Lang was a little slower and the opponent rushed at him, but this time it was not a frontal attack. As maneuvered himself to appear behind Shi Lang and grabbed his throat between his elbow.

    Shi Lang instinctively took hold of his elbow trying to loosen the grip and began to shake his body. As smiled and said, ¡°Struggle more little chicken. Hahaha, flutter your wings.¡±

    He was feeling very satisfied in his heart as Shi Lang jumped up again and again. But the happiness was short-lived, suddenly, the youngster under his hold jumped so high that his body waspletely parallel to the ground, and then like a Pendulum, Shi Lang¡¯s body passed down between As¡¯s legs, shifting all his body weight on thetter.

    If As did not hold tight, then he will be free. But the guy held on, however, the principal of physics were something that even a Terran cannot defy. Just as Apollo bent forward to maintain his grip his body weight shifted and he found himself falling forward. The bulky guy flipped on his body by his blunder.

    Another big bang sounded in the gym area, by now, Shi Lang had knocked down the guy twice. As was stunned and he wanted to retaliate, however, just as he stood up, Shi Lang¡¯s big foot came to show bitter love to his face.

    Shi Lang would not have stomped on his head if not for the guy to have steel skin. Every action has an equal opposite reaction. The shoe made love to the face, and the face made love to the floor. Despite the fact that the floor was soft and stic, the pain was not lessened in any way. The blow did not hit him on the outside but also on the inside.

    Stomped on the face, that was a trample on his dignity, and As could not help out but let out a stifling roar from his mouth.

    Shi Lang took a few steps back and said, ¡°I see, still want to fight? I am afraid, you might lose your spirit if this continued. I am not used to abusing people.¡±

    As stood up and rushed towards Shi Lang once more, however, this time the attacks were not done in a haste, his fists were jabbed at the younger opponent at a fast speed. While Shi Lang bobbed his head to avoid the jabs, his feet kept moving around the fighting area, to avoid being cornered by the opponent.

    This stalematested for five minutes before the speed of the jabs slowed down a bit. Shi Lang could sense a faint huff as As inhaled and exhaled. This huff was what he needed. As soon as As slowed down, Shi Lang went in to kill and his punchnded right on the chest cavity.

    The attack disrupted the breathing rhythm of As and then Shi Lang counterred him with abination of punches and kicks, all aimed at the joints, head or chest cavity. In the next ten minutes, despite a tough steel skin, Apollo realized what pain was, his lungs were on fire and his movements were sluggish. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagine such a thing.

    Shi Lang knocked him on the floor for the third time and asked, ¡°More?¡±

    As panted as heid down there and shook his head. Quinn said, ¡°Winner, Ace.¡±

 Chapter 128

    As Quinn announced his victory the people apuded. They were all at the same level of strength, five-star Terrans. However. they were stronger than the average five-star Terran. How? No one knew, but they were all capable ofpeting with a six-star with ease. Given such a stat card, Shi Lang was able to beat the lights out of Apollo, which meant he was at the top of this group.

    The battle came to an end and Shi Lang turned around to walk away from the gym area. he did not wish to waste any of his time here. His focus was to learn more about this ce and this required him to study the ce. He was going to the ssroom. That was the only ce with aputer system. Even his room did not have one.

    As for themunicator being used like a much more sophisticated device, that was not possible. Themunicator was barred from doing anything more than a messaging back home or notifying one about the schedule of the card ss. This was done to prevent the information regarding the base from leaking.

    Shi Lang had no intention of messaging back home for the time being. He came to the ssroom and sat down on the sit in the front row. Then he began to ess theputer to read about the ce. The details regarding Mythya were not very borated but they were enough to let him survive.

    The reason he was keen on reading all this was the uing hunt that X had mentioned earlier. Shi Lang did not wish to be a beast¡¯s food, and looking at the data, he found that there were a lot of predators on this. More than the beasts, they needed to be worried about the primitively intelligent species of this.

    As Shi Lang read about them he became very fascinated. He cupped his chin with his right hand while his left hand scrolled down the page slowly. He ignored the fact that Quinn hade to sit down next to him. She had been staring at him constantly, but the guy did not budge, it was as if she was not present there.

    A woman can tolerate anything but the ignorance of a male she was interested in. Quinn said, ¡°Say, do you have any issue with your libido? Can you not see a pretty girl sitting next to you, waiting for you to make a move?¡±

    Shi Lang lowered his head and manipted hismunicator to retrieve a picture of him and Amelia. He showed it to her and said, ¡°That is my Fiancee, you are stillgging behind. Now if you do not mind, leave me alone.¡±

    Then he turned his attention back to the holographic screen in front of him. Quinn just sat there with a stunned visage. She did not expect him to be so blunt. He directly told her that she was not pretty enough. She stood up from the seat with an infuriated expression on her face. However, even as a girl, she had to admit that Amelia was the fairer one among the fair gender.

    Gnashing her teeth in anger the girl left the ssroom. Shi Lang did not react, this had nothing to do with him, he just focused on reading the details of the. He had no concern about the time. If he felt hungry, he would go to the cafeteria, grab a protein bar ande back to the ssroom to continue where he left off.

    All his movements were being scrutinized by the higher authorities, that is the generals. Edwards, the first general of the federation had taken a special interest in him, but Shi Lang was unaware of this at the moment.

    A week passed by in a blink, Shi Lang had learned about this as much as he could. He was sleeping inside his room when during the wee hours hismunicator went off. Opening his eyes, he found that it was a message from X, and everyone was called to report to the ssroom. They were all to leave the base with the first light.

    The rules and regtions of the hunt were not yet clear, thus Shing got up, showered, got dressed in the ck and white suit, and left his room. He jogged his way to the ssroom. They were all given ten minutes to report so this was the only way to rush over.

    X stood at the podium with his face hidden behind the mask. The man waited till the ten minutes he gave them all ran out before he said, ¡°A hunt is an event that will decide which one of you is strong enough to venture out in the unknown. What you have read in the data on the holops, is just what we wanted you to read. The situation is a simtion of how the enemy can y with your mind. Now, I want you all to go out there, with the wrong intel, and survive in the wild for a week.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, he was not the only one, but every student was discussing the topic in a hushed tone. However, the bombs had not yet finished dropping. X said, ¡°You all are forbidden to team up, rescue, and aid each other in any circumstances. However, you are not to pige and rob each other as well. Yourmunicator will show you a map and the satellite scans, every half an hour. If you and another ssmate are within a radius of five kilometers, then you will be notified and asked to move away. Anyone failing to follow the rules will be disqualified and imprisoned in solitary confinement for two weeks.¡±

    The people gulped at the mention of punishment. This was how X worked. He will reward you for good work, but he will not hesitate to break your face if you screw up. The students replied in a clear voice, ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    X said, ¡°You will be boarding the bombing shuttle and airdrop in the zones in random order. Now, move out.¡± his voice was calm, revealing no emotion at all.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people followed X to the bombing shuttle. It was a spaceship, but only ten times bigger. The payload carried in this ship will take two circles around the earth to run out. You can guess the destruction from that. Shi Lang and all the people boarded the ship and X said, ¡°You will now put on the masks. Jump out when the light turns green.¡± with his finger pointing at a red indicator bulb at the bay door.

    The spaceship took off and the people began to wish each other luck. They all had been staying here for a few months and had yet to go out of the base to explore, the only reference they had to the was the data recorded on the holops. However, now that data was told to be wrong and deceitful. Their brains were working like a machine at the moment, constantly telling themselves, to question everything they do out there.

    Suddenly, the light on the bay door turned green, Shi Lang was standing at the side, he saw that everyone else was hesitating, so with a sigh he ran forward and jumped through the bay door, surprising everyone. They did not expect this newbie to be so valiant and brave.

    Shi Lang had no scruples in his mind about the expedition. The reason was simple, he thought, so what if the data was wrong? He would have to jump sooner thanter. So the sooner this impending anxiety gets over, the better. As he jumped down from the spaceship, his anxious heart calmed down.

    Shi Lang did not have any particr trait about himself, it was just that when he focused on something, he would do his best. The wingsuit deployed and the youngster guided himself to a rtively clear patch of the woods below. As soon as hended he did not stay in the same ce, he rushed ahead to get himself a higher vantage point. The trees in the surroundings were all medium lengths high.

    He had spotted a tall tree when he was freefalling. That tree was his goal. He moved quickly, shuttling through the trees, on his way the boy did spot some animals, however, he was not in a hurry to nab some of them. Since the Data they were fed was not trustable he would have to make sure that the food he grabs was not poisonous.

    On the way, he did pick up some pebbles. After climbing the big tree, he sat on the crown of the trunk and gazed around, looking at the forest, trying to identify a source of water. However, his luck was not heaven-defying. The area he had chosen had no freshwater sources. So now he would have to move to arger area if he was to find one.

    As he stood at the top of the tree, hismunicator buzzed, it showed a message, ¡°The hunt begins.¡±

 Chapter 129

    After reading the message on themunicator Shing did not hurry to rush down and explore the ce. He began to craft himself some weapons. The weapons he was going to use were the pebbles he had picked up from the ground earlier.

    Yes, he was going primitive. He sat down in the crown of the tree and began to break the stones by rubbing them with each other. What he was trying to do was to sharper the stones by grinding them. The speed of a Terran hand was not lesser than an electric motor. As he rubbed the stones together, he was soon left with a thick needle.

    These needles had the thickness of half the finger and had pointy ends. Shi Lang had gotten himself twenty such needles and it took him two hours to prepare them. After cing the nails in a section of his utility belt, he climbed down the tree and began to move around the area to find himself a source of water.

    He was not in a hurry to hunt down the smaller rodents he spotted. But he was looking around to spot a bigger predator. Because that predator will be his key locate a source of water. He was not aware of the others but he knew that a bigger body will need a bigger source of water. He moved around the woods making almost no noise. His movements were simple yet calm.

    After another hour, he located a beast as big as a tiger. He could not see the beast with a normal vision. However, he was wearing the mask from the secret divisions, and also thanks to the recipe that helped him unblock the gene chain.

    The tiger seemed to be hiding inside the bushes and waiting for the right time to take down another animal in front of him. This animal looked like a deer.

    The deer had big horns however, Shi Lang sensed something odd when he gazed at the two beasts. He raised his eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°This is not false data, this is a definite death trap.¡±

    While gazing at the deer, Shi Lang noticed that the creature not only had big horns to stab someone into a sieve but also it had a mouth filled with canines. It was thanks to his training at camp Ragnarok, that he was able to discern the real situation here. Herbivorous animals did not have canines, at least, not a full front set of six such teeth.

    The deer was a carnivore, after confirming that the beast was a carnivore, from the bodynguage it disyed, Shi Lang did not act too cocky to go over and hunt it down, but he wanted to lurk and learn from the situation here. If an animal was to be gazed at a close range, with the intent to kill, they will sense it. They will be nervous and alert.

    He wanted to see, if the tiger was a carnivore, or was it just the deer. He waited for half an hour very patiently. The deer did not lower its head to graze on the grass, but the deep eyes were looking all around the ce to locate the prey. However, the tiger hidden inside the bush was also very patient. Shi Lang found out, that from preventing itself the beast had closed its eyes. It was very weird, but the constant flickering ears made it clear that the beast had not taken its focus away.

    This scene surprised Shi Lang, he initiated a recording feature in his visor, the activities in front of him were telling him that the intelligence of these animals was not low. The tiger had closed its eyes to suppress the animal instinct inside it, the reflex to react to a sudden movement and attack the prey.

    Shi Lang was impressed, this was something he had never expected, a beast supressing its instincts. However, suddenly, he saw the deer raise its head in his direction. He was not afraid of the beast, and gently put his hand inside the utility belt to pick out a nail he had made earlier, then he took a step back crushing a twig under his foot.

    The beast suddenly ran towards him. Behind his mask, Shi Lang smirked, and turning around he ran. To catch the prey he must lure the prey. He did not run at his full speed, and the beast was able to run at a speed of fifty kilometers per hour. The body of the deer was twice as big as a tiger. Just when the beast was about to lower its head and stab Shi Lang with the antler.

    The boy turned around and flicked the nail caught between his fingers. The nail moved fast like a bullet and before the deer had the time to react, the nail had dug deep inside the skull, puncturing the brain and killing it instantly. The legs stopped moving and with a thud, the beast fell down. Shi Lang moved to the side, and the beast slid past his position.

    Shi Lang sighed, the beast was dead, and it left a good set of materials for him to make out weapons and tools. Turning his head back to the bushes, Shi Lang could not find the tiger hidden there. He sighed and shook his head. The beast could have led him to a water source but while he was hunting this deer the Tiger had run away.

    He crouched down and took out a pebble from his utility belt. This pebble was like a coin but extremely sharp at the front. Shi Lang was about to make an incision when he heard a voice inside his head, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    His instincts kicked in and the youngster quickly stood up with the nails between his fingers. He looked around to see where the voice came from. His special ability allowed him to sense things within hindered meter radius, yet he was unable to sense someone so close to him. As he was looking around, the voice sounded again, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Who is it? Come out.¡± his tone was calm. Despite his elevated heartbeat he managed to control his speech.

    Suddenly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Calming himself down the boy said, ¡°Are you a beast?¡±

    At this moment, he sensed a creature standing behind him, at the hundred-meter range. Shi Lang slowly turned around to see a blue-furred tiger looking at him dead in the eye. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked, ¡°What are you?¡±

    The tiger spoke in his mind, ¡°Ounder, answer my question first.¡±

    ¡°I am a soldier, out in the woods to train. I have no offensive motives.¡± replied Shi Lang.

    The blue tiger slowly walked closer to him. Shi Lang could swear that every single step taken by the beast was resonating with his heartbeat. The youngster did not expect that he would be able to experience this sensation again, this fear. The tiger¡¯s voice sounded inside his mind once again, ¡°You do not need to be afraid, I am not going to harm you. Your fear, I can sense, anyone would fear the unknown. However, I will ask you for something. I will react depending on your answer.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the tiger asked, ¡°What will you do with this prey you have caught?¡±

    Despite the surprise, the youngster replied, ¡°I will collect a few materials to make tools and consume the meat to replenish energy.¡±

    The tiger nodded in a very human-like manner. Then it went on saying, ¡°You will not be able to consume so much meat, rather than wasting it, why don¡¯t we share it? I will tell you all that you want to know in return.¡±

    Shi Lang almost choked when he heard this, after calming down, he replied, ¡°Yes, we can share the food.¡±

    The tiger nodded and said, ¡°I would like you to cook it how you ounders do with fire. Charlotte used to cook delicious food. Huh, I miss her.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow when the beast mentioned the name, and could not help but ask, ¡°Who is Charlotte?¡±

    ¡°An ounder like you, she was training here a couple of decades ago. However, they used to call her weird names. One of them being, war maiden. You ounders have a pathetic sense of naming.¡± replied the tiger ignorant to the shock it has sent to Shi Lang¡¯s spine.

    The young boy stood in a daze when the Tiger said, ¡°So, when will you start? I prefer eating the liver and the hind legs. You can take the heart and the rest of the flesh on this big guy.¡±

    Shi Lang woke up and asked, ¡°Why do two carnivorous creatures fight against each other?¡±

    ¡°Territory, and of course, wisdom. Come I will exin to you as you make us a meal.¡± that said, the tiger came to sit down near the dead deer. Shi Lang did not expect that he would be learning the ways of this mystical ce. No wonder they named it Mythya, he thought.

 Chapter 130

    Shi Lang sat down quietly, skinning the dead deer in front of him while the Tiger rested at a side, gazing at him. After the young human was done cleaning the fur, he cut open the belly of the beast to clear up the internal organs. The boy did not say anything and silently prepared to cook the vension meat.

    He collected some twigs from the surroundings and using a method of wood rubbing, he ignited a spark. The method was one of the most primitive means to get fire in the woods with no other tool. Shi Lang also wanted to pick up some herbs but the data was falsified and he did not know if it would be poisonous.

    The tiger spoke as the vension meat was slowly being roasted, ¡°Will you not add any condiments to the food?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, ¡°I have no knowledge about the herbs inside these forests. If I ended up adding a poisonous one, then it will be bad.¡±

    The tiger nodded twice and said, ¡°Charlotte said something simr back in those days. Haha, you remind me of her.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°May I ask you a few questions now?¡± his voice was calm. By now, the fear of the unknown had washed out of his mind. He recalled how in the world of cultivation animals being able to speak telepathically were not a rarity, and scolded himself for being too scared to even ask what he wanted to.

    The tiger nodded while its gaze rested upon the slowly cooking meat. Shi Lang asked, ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°You can call me a Wise Beast or Sapientia. The term we use here in ournguage. Now, you will ask my name and other details. Well, I am called, Zyra. It was Charlotte who named me. I was a few weeks old when she found me inside the woods abandoned. She took care of me for a few years before she left. She taught me how to hunt and other things.¡± replied the tiger.

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°I happen to know General Charlotte Knight. She has been a mentor to me a few months ago, and her daughter is my fiancee.¡± his voice was warm when he mentioned Amelia.

    The tiger asked, ¡°I do not know what you mean by her daughter and fiancee. I do understand the term mentor though. Charlotte was like that to me as well.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°A daughter is a term used for a girl offspring. And fiance means apanion.¡±

    The tiger nodded and said in a soft tone, ¡°I did not expect Charlotte to have an offspring. Will you tell me about her?¡±

    How was Shi Lang to say no, so he told Zysha about how he met Amelia and a lot more things. The tiger enjoyed his voice, the boy had a good nick for telling stories. After Shi Lang was done, he asked, ¡°Why are you able tomunicate with me using anguage of humans?¡±

    Zysha raised her body on her front limbs and said, ¡°I had no idea why I was able tomunicate, however, I was not the only one who could. In the ns or flocks of beasts on this, once in a while they give birth to someone like me. Someone who is apt in the things that normal beasts could not do or understand.

    When animals do not understand something, they abandon it. Unlike, humans, you get curious for things that you do not understand. Charlotte told me, that their are people who would like to cut me into pieces and study the reason of why I am different from the others. Thus, we decided to not just settle at the term mutation.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded as he heard all this. The reason was clear, Charlotte did not want Zysha to be stuffed inside aboratory and be treated like a specimen. Althought Terrans did prefer to establish a better connection with intelligent species, but if the intelligent species were a minority, they would not hold back in ughtering them or keeping them under strict restraint to control the.

    Thinking about it this way the youngster understood something and used hismunicator to delete the footage he recorded earlier from the storage of his suit. A crackling noise attracted his attention and Shi Lang came out of his trance. He said, ¡°The food is ready.¡±

    With that said, the youngster divided the meat, he only took a quarter of it and the rest was given to the big cat. While eating Shi Lang asked, ¡°Can you tell me how you fulfil your need for water?¡±

    Zysha replied with a perfect voice in his mind, ¡°There is a smallke ten kilometers away from here. Would you like me to guide you there?¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, ¡°Well, I would not mind that. Because, you can help me mind a few rules while moving forward.¡±

    The beast did not reply as she was busy gnawing at the meal in front of her. Shi Lang did not say much as well, he continued eating the meat. After he was done eating, the youngster waited till the beast finished eating and the two began to traverse the forest. On the way, Shi Lang asked, ¡°Zysha, earlier you mentioned that the predators of the world try to kill each other so that they can also gain wisdom? What do you mean by that?¡±

    Zysha replied, ¡°Oh that, I do not know, but it is a sort of instinct for us. After we digest the meat of a mutated beast, our own intelligence grows and we be stronger. That Ironhorn stag you killed today, it was a beast as intelligent as me, but it had not hunted for a few weeks after it came across its original herd, and tried to hunt, the chief of the herd bested it in battle, leaving it to die with wounds, but the deer healed up and on the verge of starvation it was blinded and could not use its¡¯ brain.

    Also, you will see a few changes in me soon, you will understand what I mean then.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the two creatures, moved through the forest silently. Every half an hour Shi Lang would check themunicator to see what the satellite scan. The positions of the other people was not close to him and this was a good thing. It turned out that he was the only Terran within a twenty kilometer radius.

    The sun was falling down and the two moved quickly, however, it still took them a couple of hours before they reached the shore. Shi Lang could hear a subtle sound of water flowing, however, on the way he had noticed something even more surprising, Zysha had grow half a meter in size, and her eyes have became slightly more spiritual.

    Suddenly the beast said, ¡°In the life of ten years, I had eaten a lot of Sapientia. And just now was thest hunt of my life.¡± as she sighed mentally.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There is a limit to how much one can hunt and consume. If I ever eat another Sapientia after this, then I will die.¡± said the big cat.

    ¡°How do you even know that?¡± asked the youngster in surprise. Ever since he had arrived on this he has been given too many surprises.

    The beast said, ¡°This is an instinct we have, you will not understand.¡± her tone revealed a tint of dissatisfaction.

    Shi Lang was again surprised to see such a reaction. The temperament of the tiger had changed all of a sudden. Earlier, he telepathy sounded very monotonous, only her gestures were human like. This was the change and growth in her wisdom, being able to project emotions in her telepathic speech, this was a really intelligent.

    After the two people arrived at the banks of theke, Shi Lang asked, ¡°How often can a Sapientia be found here?¡±

    Zysha replied, ¡°Ummm, well we are not grains on of sand on a beach. However, we are not those endangered ones either. However, the survival rate of Sapientias is lower than that of a normal beast. You see the normal animals of the forest can sense that you are not normal at birth, so they abandon you. Then as a weakling thews of the forest consume you. Either another Sapientia or just your fate.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded at this. The logic and exnation was simple. He asked, ¡°Since you cannot consume anymore Sapientia, why do you note along with me?¡±

    The tiger was surprised, Zysha did not allow this boy to say something like this. She chuckled and asked, ¡°Are you in your right mind, boy? How will you take me in? Even your mentor back in the day was unable to get me inside. You know?¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°General Charlotte Knight, well she is not me, and I am not a stick to the rules kind of guy all the time. Sometimes it is okay to take a break. So, what say?¡±

 Chapter 131

    Shi Lang and Zysha, the tiger, arrived at the shore and the boy got his fell of water. The reason he was so keen on getting water located was to save himself from dehydration. One of the secrets about the strength of a Terrany inside the thickness of the blood. Less amount of water consumption can lead to blood thickening over time and that will lead to clots.

    Although a higher lever Terran can manipte the veins and the vessels to remove the clots and squeeze them out, that would consume energy. So, he would rather explore this ce then to dry up.

    While Shing was busy chugging down the water from theke, ZYsha was keeping an eye out at the shore. The things in the woods were not always as calm as they seemed to be. In the shades lurked beasts and death from a lot of other means.

    The tiger said, ¡°You should find something to contain the water and we shall leave this ce. Although we Sapientias are rare but we are not weed by the normal species as well. We have to stay hidden.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and took off the sack that has been hanging over his shoulder. This sack contained an internal organ of the deer he had killed earlier. The stomach was not only good for storing food but also water. Earlier Shi Lang had cleaned it thoroughly and now it could be used. After Shi Lang made the stomach into a water bag, using the antler knife from the deer, he put it back on his shoulder again and the two creatures left the ce.

    Shi Lang made sure to erase his footsteps. Because this ce did not only harbor the animals but also the natives on this. The natives of this were no better than the cavemen, however, they were just like animals, they would attack any live thing, and consume it before anything.

    Zysha said, ¡°The scavengers are a nasty bunch, if you are born weak in their tribe, they will consume you before the sun could rise. if you are about to die from a wound they will consume you.¡± her voice was leered with disgust and the youngster said, ¡°Can you please not make me feel sick?¡±

    The tiger nodded and said, ¡°I just thought that you should know, who or what you are dealing with. That is why the beasts of these woods, evade their existence like a gue.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I cannot see why not. After all, hunting and eating things outside the n is fine, but the consumption of a weak infant or a dying elder is more in line with cannibalism. I cannot handle that much gore, even though I can be quite ruthless.¡±

    Zysha nodded and with a telepathic sigh she said, ¡°I agree¡­¡±

    Suddenly, the beast stopped in her tracks and said, ¡°Boy, we will have to run now. I can sense a patrol of the scavengers. They must be out to hunt tonight.¡±

    Shi Lang did not need her to say again and they both ran in the opposite direction. The speed was not slow, and neither did they leave any traces. After they came to a distance that seemed to be safe, Shi Lang used his mask to record the thermal signature of the ingenious species here. The data had this detail about the thermal signature, but he wanted to see, how big was the difference between the two things.

    After he recorded the signature, he used the high definition camera and spotted a group of ten men all wearing animal skin and carrying long weapons, Shi Lang could not tell what the material was but it made him uneasy. He asked, ¡°Zysha, do you know what are those weapons made of?¡±

    The tiger replied with indifference, ¡°Umm, I have seen them ground the bones of their n members after they pass away, and they mix it with coat it over the stones and rocks they use to create the weapons. As for why they would do something like this? I have no idea.¡±

    Shi Lang almost wanted to puke and said, ¡°This must be something like, their nsmen leaving them with the power they had bullshit. Let¡¯s go, I do not wish to see these creatures. Do you have a ce to hide out?¡±

    Zysha nodded and the two began to move through the woods again. The speed was fast, usually, when any threatening element was spotted, Zysha would stop and they would detour. However, suddenly, Shi Lang stopped. Zysha asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The youngster let out a sigh and raised the hand with themunicator as he said, ¡°I have to deal with something. Would you like to follow me?¡±

    Zysha thought about it a bit and said, ¡°After killing that deer. I have no other Sapientia to worry about for a while in this ce, does no harm to me. However, if you are going to do something like getting close to the tribe of these ingenious people, then I will abandon you in a blink. I do not wish to die yet.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That is not a problem, I also do not want to die so early. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    That said, the two moved again, Shi Lang has received a new directive from themunicator. It stated that during the seven days. They all were needed to sneak up on each other and without being found they had to tag them. The tagging will need them to hold their target in sight for two minutes and not be found.

    The more people you will tag, the more your points. Now, at this point, the satellite feeds have stopped giving them location information. So, Shi Lang got rxed on someone moving upon him. On top of that, Zysha was beside him so the boy could rest easily. However, he was not foolish enough to ce his trust in a beast he had juste across.

    That said, the two people moved through the woods at a fast speed. Shi Lang said, ¡°Zysha, how far can you sense people or animals approaching over?¡±

    Zysha replied, ¡°Two hundred meters radius. Why?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I can sense your movements within a hundred-meter radius of my position, so how about you take the lead and help me, scout. if you find any signs of human movement, then you tell me. Can you do that please?¡±

    The tiger nodded and moved forward to do the reckoning. Shi Lang moved forward in tandem with her, they were like a unit and the sync was not something that Zysha expected. She thought this boy would stay behind and hinder her movement. However, Shing followed her too closely. The movements were swift, calm, and patient.

    Zysha could not help but ask, ¡°How can you follow my movement pattern?¡± she asked telepathically.

    The youngster did not say much and the beast understood that his voice will break the silence used for stealth. She said, ¡°You can think of your response and I can read your thoughts.¡±

    The youngster thought, ¡°I have been studying your movements.¡±

    Zysha was shocked to see this young man being able to study her movements and learn her pace through the forest. She did not know what to say. You see, beasts did not move in a straight line as humans would. They would stick to the shadows, they will move ording to a pattern that is being dictated by their instincts.

    Thus, Shi Lang being able to learn to move like her was not something less than a genius. What the boy did was increase his skills. He was not out here on a vacation. He was aware that someone must be monitoring them from the satellite and he was correct.

    ¡­

    Back inside the base, X sat in front of a monitor that was disying the clippings from all the members outside. Behind him stood a female silhouette. She asked, ¡°Sir, why are you so curious about this new recruit?¡±

    X replied, ¡°Him being able tomunicate with the beast, somehow winning its favor, this is the reason enough. However, what surprises me is that he is not reacting to the knowledge about the forest inside his mind. It is as if everything is irrelevant.¡±

    Thedy nodded and said, ¡°Quinn is also simr to him, her movements are agile and she blends inside the forest perfectly.¡±

    X said, ¡°The reason this girl could do this is that of how she is allowed to go out in the forest and venture. Ace is out for the first time. The levels are clear but as a person from the third general¡¯s side, you might be biased toward your young miss. Remember, this is the Card ss. Your status is irrelevant here. Only your skills get you what you get. Understood.¡±

    His voice radiated a chill that shook thedy. He made it clear that her thinking was not of any use in this ce. The girl could only lower her head as she heard this.

 Chapter 132

    Shi Lang and Zysha did not waste much time and the big cat led the youngster to a natural pass over theke. Last time, the satellite scan disyed that all the people went across theke during the freefall. While the two were searching for someone, the others were also moving into the woods to find out the other people as well.

    This was obvious, after all, the rules had changed. Shi Lang did not understand that it was a normal thing for these people here. Over time they all had gone through such impromptu changes a lot. If they did not get any secondary directiveter, it will be odd.

    Shi Lang was not aware of this but it did not matter much to him. Two creatures moved through the woods and it has been five hours, the sun haspletely gone down. Suddenly, Zysha said, ¡°There is someone ahead.¡±

    As soon as he heard this, the guy hid behind a tree and took cover. He asked, ¡°How far?¡±

    ¡°Five hundred meters. A man, burly, moving slowly toward us.¡± replied the tiger.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Did he sense our approach?¡±

    Zysha replied, ¡°No he did not. He seemed to be injured.¡± her tone was calm.

    Thinking about this, it could be that some animal attacked this person. Shi Lang peeked his head to the side and used the visor of his mask. The range of the visor was enough to cover five hundred meters. He said, ¡°Zysha, keep an eye on him, and guide me to circumnavigate around him.¡±

    Zysha asked, ¡°What do you mean by circumnavigate?¡± her tone indicated confusion.

    Shi Lang almost did not trip from surprise. He said, ¡°To circumnavigate means for me to get around the target and watch him from behind.¡±

    Zysha asked, ¡°Are you going to kill him from behind?¡± she wanted to know why would Shi Lang would want to get behind his target.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°To observe him.¡±

    Zysha, however, did not find this reason to be sufficient. She asked, ¡°Just to observe, can you not do that from the front?¡±

    The youngster had no time to pay attention to her curiosity. He moved quickly through the woods, thanks to his prior training, his steps did not leave a sound or a mark. In five minutes, he was standing three hundred meter behind his target. Using the visor, he got a clear thermal image in front of him.

    The surroundings were disyed in blue and dark colors while the target was moving around in yellow. Shi Lang noticed that as the person was walking, he left a faint trail on the ground. The trail was left from the blood leaking from his wound. At this moment, he recalled what X had told them, ¡®You are not allowed to harm each other but if you failed to help each other¡­¡¯

    That said the boy moved quickly forward and turned off the thermal vision. The target turned around quickly holding a long pointy wooden staff. Shi Lang replied, ¡°This is Ace. You are wounded, do you need help?¡±

    The man sighed, he said, ¡°I am Helis, thank you for your aid. Yes, I do need some help.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and moved forward to support the guy, they walked to a tree. Shi Lang thought in his mind, ¡°Zysha,e over.¡±

    He said, ¡°I have a beastpanion with me. You do not have to worry. She will guard the surroundings while I patch you up.¡±

    He put down the sack without caring for Helis¡¯s surprised reaction. He was quick. The tendons were dry already. He had not disposed of all the things, neither all of them were eaten. The tendon of the deer were long enough to act as the bow strings. Helis asked, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

    Shi Lang was able to see his situation clearly through his visor and said, ¡°You have hurt your ribs and you are bleeding from the wound. The sh wound needs to be stitched up. I will also need to cauterize your wound. I do not have any anesthetics.¡±

    Helis nodded and said, ¡°It is fine, just go forward with it. I can handle the pain.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and began to gather some wood, to make a fire. While he was working over, Shi Lang asked, ¡°How did you get the wound?¡±

    Helis sighed and with a groaning voice he said, ¡°Came across two Natives, they attacked together, parried the first guy and pushed back hispanion, however, this second guy had a weapon like a barbed whip. That whipnded on my chest and the result is in front of you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and went on, ¡°What about the natives?¡±

    Helis shook his head and said, ¡°Dead. They were not the strong ones. They were wounded.¡± his voice was low. The guy was probably bleeding for a long time.

    Suddenly, a twig snapped and attracted helis¡¯s attention. Shi Lang said, ¡°calm down, it is just my partner.¡±

    Helis saw a pair of green eyes in the dark and as they grew closer he found a blue colored tiger slowly walking over. Shi Lang said, ¡°Zysha, stop intimidating him. He is wounded already.¡±

    She turned her gaze from Helis to ShI Lang and said telepathically, ¡°I will not eat him you know, such weak prey does me no good.¡±

    ShI Lang smiled, the fire was up, he ce his bone dagger inside the fire and shredded the tendon into a string. After the bone dagger was hot enough, Shi Lang used it to poke a few holes around the wound. Then he slowly pushed the shredded tendon through those holes and stiched up the wounds. The groans escaping Helis were evident but he did not stop.

    After ten minutes Shi Lang was done stitching the wounds and used the dagger to cauterize the tissues slightly. He said, ¡°I will go ahead, you should be able to move in a few hours, try to get up to the crown of the tree and rest. Okay?¡±

    Helis nodded and Shi Lang left. Before going, ShI Lang gave him some meat and shared his water. helis was holding a bamboo sk to act like a water bottle. Helis was grateful and told Shi Lang a few tips on how to spot the natives settlements. The area of the natives had all sorts of marks that were easy to loose in the forest.

    The youngster and the beast moved through the woods, Shi Lang told Zysha to be attentive pof their movement toward the native camps. The situation as not very hopeful for him as the boy had a bad premonition. He was not wrong to think this way, even if Helis had given him the information that he needed crucially, it did not change the fact that knowledge and experience had a different level altogether.

    While Shi Lang was moving through the woods, a lot of things were happening in the world outside.

    ¡­

    General Edwards, General Knight, and the rest of the council of generals, were holding a meeting with X through digital mediums.

    Edwrads said, ¡°The Neomons, have approved of increasing the sivze of the exchange group. They have settled for five students and one teacher. What is your suggestion X?¡±

    X stayed silent for a few minutes and then said after a proper thought. ¡°I will put forward the name of the candidate after they have finished this trial only. I ask for two slots.¡±

    Charlotte Knight spoke up, ¡®Why?¡±

    X replied, ¡°To pit the two most talented youths of the card ss against each other. They will whet each other to increase their powers.¡± his voice was calm and subtle.

    The generals thought about this and nodded, suddenly another general asked, ¡°Why do you not put in all five, X? After all, the card ss is the best youth camp.¡±

    X replied, ¡°With all due respect, not every youngster is capable of the deeds that can have them represent our civilization in front of some aliens. They might be the best, but they are not suitable.¡±

    Edwards nodded and said, ¡°We get your point X. You will have your two slots.¡±

    X nodded and the meeting continued. They were discussing about the rest of the three candidates. Suddenly a quite general spoke up, ¡°I would like to put forward a candidate of the teacher.¡±

    The people were surprised, General Edwards asked, ¡°General Mathiyas, whom do you suggest?¡±

    General Mathiyas was elder to them all, the council respected him as well. The old general said, ¡°Behind enemy lines, we will need a person with the great ability to calcte things. Such a person is now teaching in the Federal Star Academy. I nominate her because she survived the Athena massacre with her own skills. After that massacre she fell but recently I have heard that her skills have resurfaced. I think we can give her a chance.¡±

    Charlotte Knight raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Mathiyas spoke up, ¡°My granddaughter, Rosa Blues. Her special ability is extremeputing power.¡± in a calm manner.

    General Edwards nodded and said, ¡°We shall screen her for the posting.¡±

    The meeting continued and on the other hand, Shi Lang had tagged three people.

 Chapter 133

    Shi Lang had tagged three people by the time the sun came up again. Most of the people were hiding and waiting for the night to pass, they did not have the aid of Zysha, and neither were they unknown about the native activity of this. Shi Lang came across a lot of native patrols and hunting parties but thanks to Zysha, he was able to avoid a run-in.

    In the morning, Shi Lang and Zysha were sitting at the back of a cave. They were resting. The n was to let the otherse out and they will resume the game of tag. Zysha asked, ¡°Why do you not face the natives?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°If I managed to kill some of them, the others will find out. Then they will gather more people for help, and this will harden the difficulty of the trial. I do not have such masochistic tendencies yet.¡±

    Zysha asked, ¡°What do you mean by masochistic tendency?¡±

    The youngster could not divert the question so he told her what itr meant. Zysha only furrowed her brows and asked, ¡°How twisted do you need to be to find pleasure in pain?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and did not say anything, after all, how was he to know what drove these people to seek pleasure by putting themselves through pain. That said, the sun climbed the sky, Shi Lang had rested enough and he said, ¡°Zysha, time to go.¡±

    The tiger stood up and after drinking the water left inside the stomach sack of the deer, the two moved out of the cave. The forest was full of herbivorous animals grazing and napping. The nocturnal predators were having their rest, Shi Lang and Zysha were able to move quickly through the woods.

    Something that struck ShIng odd, was that the natives did not seem to be moving in the noon. He asked, ¡°Zysha, why do the natives not hunt in the noon?¡±

    The beast was walking two hundred meters ahead of him and replied, ¡°They believe that the meat of the predators is what makes them stronger, so they do not hunt herbivorous animals until they run out of options.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and asked, ¡°Are there any humanoid species on this that do not believe in such lunacy?¡±

    Zysha did not reply, the answer was clear, none. Putting away this disturbing fact, Shi Lang began to tag the people again. After they were done tagging two more people, Zysha suddenly stopped in her tracks.

    She said in a solemn tone, ¡°I smell a trace of Terran blood. It is fresh, do you want to find out?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the tiger led the way, as they approached the source, they slowed down. Zysha said, ¡°The source is just ahead. What could it be?¡±

    The youngster had a bad premonition in his heart. He said, ¡°I have seen signs of struggle on the way, I do not know, what it was but it was sure gruesome.¡±

    While moving forward the two creatures, bend their bodies and then slowly they were crouching in the direction of the source. Shi Lang had no idea what could it be, when Zysha said, ¡°Natives.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and zoomed in to the maximum limit possible on his visor. He found three Terrans being held captive by a group of natives and tied to wooden stakes in a clearing. The group of natives had ten people. They all had dark skins and shiny golden eyes. Long hair and wore animal skin as clothes. The weapons they were carrying surprised Shi Lang.

    He asked, ¡°Do they even know, how to use phasors?¡±

    Zysha who wasying beside him said, ¡°You may think of them as fools but they have learned from your species. The people among natives are those, who hunt down animals like me, the sapentias. Our meat increases their intelligence. Then they catch your troops and learn your ways from them. The sad part is that your people do not get to put up any struggle. See the golden eyes, they hold the power of mind control.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, and asked, ¡°How can they have such a prowess?¡±

    The beast replied, ¡°Nothing is impossible in this big wide world, that was something Charlotte used to say. However, it only works when you look them in the eyes. If you do not look, then you are safe. But does it not affect yourbat ability?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Not being able to look at the eyes of the enemy surely hinders some skills but there are ways to counter this.¡±

    Zysha asked, ¡°How?¡±

    The youngster did not reply and took out a handful of nails that he had made earlier. He pinched them between his fingers and flicked out the nails aiming for the heads and eyes of the guards who held phasor guns. The nails flew at a fast speed and when they lodged inside the eyes of the people, they did not budge.

    However, that was not because the guards were invincible, but because, they were dead. The nail might be as big as two inches, but that was enough to kill these people. Shi Lang had taken down five guards in one movement. Then he moved forward, holding the two antler knife and daggers to face the iing five guards.

    Quickly evading the attack of a native, who jumped in front, Shi Lang moved to the left and dodged the attack, the next moment his dagger was inserted in the back of the native. The native screamed and hisrades came to aid him against Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang gave a message to Zysha to go and free up the hostages. Themand was not easy, but as a cat, she was still able to sneak up without getting found. The beast shed the ropes and the captives regained their freedom. Zsyha did not stay with them, Shi Lang had told her to get away from them, he was not sure if these people will hurt Zysha in some confusion.

    Shi Lang did not stay put in one ce and battled his way to where the Terrans were standing, however, as soon as he was ten meters away from his confused-lookingrades, he jumped to the right. One of the three people suddenly lunged at him. Only now did he confirm that hisrades were still under mind control.

    He did not waste much time and came closer to the corpse of a native, picked up the phasor gun, and in a swift action shot down the five natives who were chasing him with spears and swords. After the natives were down, Shi Lang found that the eyes of the Terrans had regained the glimmer of consciousness.

    He asked, ¡°You guys okay?¡±

    The guys looked confused and Shi Lang helped check them. He did not know the reason why the natives had captured the three Terrans, but it was definitely something that could do them good. After he warned the three people about the situation, they moved to find a ce where they can hide and wait for the trial to end.

    Shi Lang had no problem, when he asked them a few questions they told him that they do not have any memory of the time they were held captives. A few hourster, Shi Lang regrouped with Zysha and the two continued moving.

    ¡­

    X sat reclined in his chair when ady came inside the room and stood behind him. Thedy asked, ¡°May I ask you to check the situation of miss Quinn?¡±

    X did not reply to her and controlled the screen to share the feed. Thedy checked how Quinn was doing and typed a few notes on hermunicator. She asked, ¡°Why is she moving in this direction?¡±

    Her voice was soft, but X heard it. He said, ¡°If you are done, you may leave.¡±

    Thedy snorted and left. X mumbled, ¡°If only I could kill this person.¡± his words were intended toward thedy just now.

    He continued to watch the monitoring video from the various parts of the forest. The footage of Shi Lang¡¯s fight with the natives and Quinn¡¯s movement in the forest made hime up with an idea. He tapped on hismunicator and soon a holographic face of the first general appeared in front of him on the screen.

    He said, ¡°Sir, I would like to pit Agent Ace and Agent Quinn against each other. Since the two of them show the most potential.¡±

    Edwards asked in a solemn tone, ¡°Why the sudden change?¡±

    ¡°The others are equally capable, but theyck that edge. Just now, Ace took down ten natives here alone and saved hisrades. While Quinn took down the ten natives she came across. this is a fairpetition.¡± replied X calmly.

    Edwards thought for a bit and replied, ¡°Very well, go ahead.¡±

 Chapter 134

    Shi Lang was in the middle of tagging a guy when hismunicator buzzed. He finished tagging and checked the message. The message surprised him more than his discovery of Terran captives held by mind-controlling natives.

    Zysha approached him and asked, ¡°You seem surprised.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°How do you know?¡± throughout this hunt, the youngster had yet to take off his mask. He did not understand how the beast could know that he was surprised.

    Zysha replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know but you smelled like you were.¡±

    Shi Lang recalled that the human brain secretes some hormones when it experiences surprising situations. He said, ¡°Yes, I was surprised in a way. The goals of the hunt have changed.¡±

    Zysha did not know what it meant, Shi Lang did not tell her, he raised hismunicator and looked at the message that said, Directive update: Defeat target, Quinn, location xxx

    This message basically told him to go some ce, find Quinn, and battle with her. He could not help but try to deduce what was going through X¡¯s mind. On the other side, Quinn received the same message and they both gave up the task to tag people and moved through the woods again.

    The sun was high but it will soon be evening. On the way, Shi Lang came across a few Terrans and he tagged them, just in case, as for the natives they did not move out much in the noon. After avoiding a whole lot of trouble the youngster arrived at the location.

    He closed his eyes and said in his mind, ¡°Zysha, only act if you find me in a grave situation. Okay? Hide well.¡±

    The beast nodded and hid in the woods. The ce both the people were told to go was a clearing in the forest. It was ten meters wide, like a natural square. Shi Lang held his antler knife and walked out from the shades, he said, ¡°Come out, I sensed you long ago.¡±

    A silhouette rushed at him from the shades, Quinn did not waste any moment. This was her nature, when she was tasked with something, she will move right ahead. Shi Lang was half expecting this so he was not caught off guard. As Quinn arrived at his left and using her bare hands, she tried to punch his jaw.

    However, Shi Lang was not a rookie, he took a step back. The fist flew, missing his face by an inch, and as it happened, Shi Lang moved forward and his knee dug right in Quinn¡¯s ribcage. The attack was not held back at all, it sent the girl up in the air. However, Quinn was not an easy catch either, she ignored her disrupted breathing and her elbow made contact with the right side of Shi Lang¡¯s jaw.

    While the young man retreated by two steps, Quinn also panted to catch her breathing. If Shi Lang¡¯s attack disrupted her breathing, her attack disrupted Shi Lang¡¯s bnce.

    After the effects wore off, which was just a second, the two were back at it again. Shi Lang was aggressive and his knife was leaving almost no room for Quinn to counter, but she was slippery, able to dodge all the attacks aimed at her. However, their battle was not without excitement, if she managed to hit Shi Lang, it came at the cost of mutual harm.

    Ten minutes into the fight, Shi Lang¡¯s offensive was getting slower. Quinn has not let his de get close to her for more than a graze. She mumbled, ¡°You ain¡¯t no ace.¡±

    She exploited the slow and sluggish thrust made by Shi Lang and caught hold of his right arm that was stabbing at her. She ced his right arm across his chest while she held him in a hold from behind. However, just when she was thinking about how to proceed with the attack. Shi Lang let go of his knife, Quinn saw it and had a bad premonition, but her body was tired and not fast enough to beat the gravity.

    The knife fell and Shi Lang caught it in a reverse grip with his left hand. Then he stabbed it backward, right inside the rib cage of Quinn. The pain made her loosen her grip, Shi Lang was free, but he did not let go of the knife in his hand and said, ¡°I will twist it if you tried to move anymore. I have no habits of discrimination when ites to my targets.¡±

    Quinn stayed still, Shi Lang gave her a heavy punch on the temple and knocked her out. The duel came to an end. After three days, the Hunt was finished. Zysha came over after a few minutes and asked, ¡°You fight well, you lured her into it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded while he gazed at the knife stuck in Quinn¡¯s ribcage. Zysha followed his gaze and asked, ¡°Do you want to take it out?¡±

    The youngster shook his head and said, ¡°It is the reason she is not bleeding to death. Let it stay inside.¡±

    ¡­

    As the duel ended, thedy responsible for monitoring Quinn¡¯s welfare in the ce came inside and when she saw the scene on the screen, she was frightened and her body was shivering. She was enraged, she yelled, ¡°What the fuck has happened here, how did they get into a fight, who is this bastard, how dare he hurt thedy, etc¡±

    X said, ¡°Calm down, the chopper is on the way to pick them up.¡±

    Thedy nodded heavily and said, ¡°I will have him skinned. This bastard dared to harm thedy. I will..¡±

    Her words were yet to bepleted, when X choked her with his palm, he said in a cold voice, ¡°This is the Card ss, the people here are all equal. They have ranks and status when they go back to whatever shithole they came from, but here, even if it is the president of the Federation himself, he will have to abide by the rules I make. Let alone his daughter¡¯s servant. Do you understand that, Servant of President¡¯s daughter?¡±

 Chapter 135

    After X was done scaring the life out of thedy, he let her go. Thedy was pale-faced, but she could not say anything to him and returned back to her room. On the other side, a chopper had appeared above Shi Lang and Quinn.

    A soldier got down from the metallic beast using a fast rope. He was anxious when he found a big tigerying down in front of the two people. He was about to shoot it when Shi Lang said, ¡°Easy, she is with me.¡±

    His words surprised the soldier and he said, ¡°Instructor has said that the trial for you is finished, you can go back to the base.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at the man and said, ¡°I have not received any word on mymunicator.¡±

    The soldier nodded, he was not from the top elites of the cardss. He would have the skills to go and kill at least twenty Terrans on the same level, but his role on this base was that of a guard. Hearing Shi Lang¡¯s doubt, he contacted back to the base, where X nodded in appreciation. This was a small test to see how vignt was this young man.

    If he was to follow the other party simply because he was a fellow Terran, then you are wrong, Neomons look like Terrans as well, so they can also fool him, this degree of vignce, not trusting anyone, was something rare. X made up his mind about something and passed out the Huntpletion directive.

    Shi Lang raised his head after checking the message and asked, ¡°How are we going to transport her without a propernding?¡±

    The soldier said, ¡°We have some means that the others do not sir. Pleasee along.¡±

    Shi Lang carried the unconscious Quinn in his arms and walked over to the point where the soldier guided them. The soldier made a thumbs-up gesture in the sky and a module arm extended from the cabin door. The end of the arm glowed with a blue light. It was something that Shi Lang has never seen before.

    The light cast a curtain around them and a few secondster Shi Lang found that the unconscious girl in his arms had begun to levitate upwards. He was surprised and was about to ask the soldier what was this, when thetter took initiative and said, ¡°This is the prototype technology still being developed by the military engineering. They have aplicated name for this but we simple-minded ones like to call it the tractor beam.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The tiger will follow us as well. It is rted to my ability.¡±

    Things rted to one¡¯s ability were very secret, since Shi Lang had stated that the tiger was rted to his ability, the soldier could not refuse and transported the beast inside the cabin as well. Zysha was praising Shi Lang for covering things up like this. The young man did not use the tractor beam and just grabbed the rope and climbed up to the chopper cabin.

    It took them a few hours to get back to the base as they had to pick up some severely injured people on the way. When they reached the base, Quinn was taken to the infirmary by ady who could not stop herself and red at Shi Lang. The young man was unaffected by this stare and went straight to the briefing room, where X was waiting for him.

    The people inside the base were all surprised to see a big tiger following him at a calm pace, looking around with curiosity. On the way, Shi Lang and Zysha weremunicating with each other silently. The young man was answering her questions regarding the base. He could not me her, this was the first time she hade to the human settlement.

    In the past few days of banding together he found that when Charlotte was taking care of Zysha, the cub was young and unable to project thoughts telepathically inside the brain. Amidst their questions and answers, the two reached the briefing room and the young man knocked at the door lightly.

    In response he heard a calm voice, ¡°Come In.¡±

    Shing pushed the door and walked inside, he told Zysha to wait outside. What if X had something up in his mind and decided to harm the tiger? Shi Lang could not trust anyone, for example, a person with the ability to detect lies and truth will be able to tell what Shi Lang said was not entirely correct.

    Walking inside, Shi Lang made a crisp salute and waited for the man to speak first. After a few seconds, X asked, ¡°What do you think of this expedition?¡±

    Shi Lang replied with measured words. His sense of artiction was not weak. X nodded and said, ¡°This hunt was organized to test the capability of the best students in the card ss. However, like a traditional dark horse you came out on the top. It is not surprising given that you survived Ragnarok.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything much but listened to the man quietly. X went on to say. ¡°In theing few days, the federation will be sending a team of Terran youngsters to go to the Neomon home and learn their ways. This is basically a recon mission. If they are friendly then good, but if they are enemies, then you will have to gather as much information as possible. Understood?¡±

    Shi Lang was initially surprised but then he nodded and saluted the man in reply. X said, ¡°Quinn will be your teammate so spend some more time with her and learn about her. You will have five members in your team and a teacher to look after you as the guardian.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°When can I meet the other members of the team?¡±

    X replied, ¡°It should not be long before the higher-ups decide on the candidates. I will inform you when it is done. You will be in charge and if someone in the team is not in agreement, you can use your methods to convince them.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and X said, ¡°If you do not have any other questions then you can go back and get some rest.¡±

    The young man gave him a salute and walked out of the room. He found Zysha to be sitting beside the door and said in his mind, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 136

    Shi Lang returned to his room and he rested. He asked Zysha if she was hungry? However, the beast denied it by saying that she is fine. Though, she did take over his bed saying that it was soft and warm. Shi Lang did not mind and he used a few nkets to sleep on the floor.

    As a soldier they might have to sleep in the wild without any bed orfort so, this was his training and regtion. The night passed away in a jiffy. When the next day Shi Lang got ready he looked at the tiger on the bed curled up like a cat.

    He said, ¡°Zysha, you should take a wash.¡± calmly

    The sleeping tiger raised her head and said, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting from your mouth?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Do you know that your fur is covered with mud and god knows what, if you took a wash and became cleaner, you will be better looked after. The women in my species, they love clean and elegant felines.¡±

    Zysha narrowed her gaze and asked, ¡°Are you just not saying all this to get me to take a bath?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°You can try it if you want to, it is not like you will need it daily.¡±

    Zysha got down from the bed and began to walk around slowly. She said, ¡°Can they not give you a bigger room, how do you think in this cramped up ce?¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything to her and just focused on dressing up. After a few minutes, the tiger said, ¡°Very well, since you insist, I shall try.¡±

    The young man nodded and pushed open the door to the washroom. Zysha walked inside and after a few seconds she came out and asked, ¡°How do you think I should clean up myself without ake to dive in?¡±

    Shi Lang smacked his forehead gently and said, ¡°I will help you.¡±

    That said, he went inside the washroom and gave Zysha a thorough bath. The effect of the cleaning was so much that Shi Lang himself was surprised by the transformation. The dusty blue fur on Zysha¡¯s body was now sparkling, and her whole appearance had be more docile and elegant. The cerulean blue strips were covered with ck stripes. The face looked like a petting kitten with big eyes and a small nose and whiskers.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I did not expect you to be such a beauty, Zysha. Come let us go out, the time you eat some cooked food.¡±

    Aftering out of the bathroom, he carefully brushed her fur and made her look even more refined. After an hour, they both left the room, and when they arrived at the cafeteria, they attracted a chain of gasps and many scrutinizing gazes.

    The gasp was from the fewdies in the ce, even if they did not like cute things, a tiger was big enough to put mental intimidation unintentionally. Shi Lang walked over to the food counter and picked up a te, he stacked it up with just meat, walked up to a table, and ced it there, then he said, ¡°Zysha.¡±

    The tiger had been waiting for him to call her and she got up on the bench, in her mind, Shi Lang had asked her to eat slowly and not to go all gory so as to not ruin her charm. With her intelligence, the tiger understood this and began to eat slowly. The gestures of her tongue cleaning her lips were so adorable that somedies could not help but sigh at the sight.

    Shi Lang got himself a te of food and then began to eat in his seat next to Shi Lang. As he was eating a guest came over and knocked on top of the table. The guy raised his head in tandem with the tiger, he asked, ¡°Do you need something?¡±

    The guest was none other than Quinn, she raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°You are so curt, even after stabbing me in the ribs you show no remorse?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You should be grateful to X, if he had issued a directive to kill you, you would have been dead already.¡± his voice was calm and pleasant.

    Zysha chuckled and the sound echoed in his brain. Quinn stood there aghast, she said, ¡°Have you nopassion?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head as he said, ¡°Not when you are not on my team.¡±

    Quinn sat down in front of her and asked, ¡°Did X tell you about his ns?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his gaze to meet hers and said, ¡°Do you think it is okay to about secrets in public?¡±

    Quinn raised her head and gazed around, she said, ¡°You do understand that nothing that you speak will be discussed by the others, right?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°That is not my concern, however, you just vited the protocol. I wonder if you still think that this ce is some Top-brass mansion.¡±

    Quinn¡¯s pupils dted, she asked, ¡°Who are you and how do you know about this?¡±

    Her tone made Zysha growl softly, she could fill the intent to kill radiating from this girl. Shi Lang patted Zysha on the back to calm her down as he replied, ¡°Tell your attendant to not flex her identity with the pin on her uniform.¡±

    Quinn was shocked again, she wanted to say something when the young man raised his hand and said, ¡°When you are around me, you better follow the rules.¡±

    His cold tone made the girl suck in a cold breath, she could hardly endure the irritation in her mind at the moment. No one has ever dared to talk to her like this, she was young, pretty, and talented, but this guy in front of her, never bother to give her face, and even brutally stabbed her to pass the exam. This sort of person was the first time she hade across.

    Shi Lang finished eating his meal and said, ¡°You may think I am trying to y hard to get, but I have two reasons to be this rude to you. One, I do not like the opposite sex to be interested in me as I have a fiancee. Second, given your skills, if everyone gave you the easy way out, then one day you might fall, only pressure can make you grow into a better sword.¡±

    That said he stood up and picked up his te along with Zysha¡¯s and went to ce them in the sink, he mentioned the staff to ce Zysha¡¯s te separate and give her the same one next time. Quinn was following hot on his heels. As the three people left the cafeteria Quinn asked, ¡°Can you tell me what you think about this arrangement made by X?¡±

    Shi Lang replied to the question with a question, ¡°Did he not tell you of the motive?¡±

    ¡°Learn about them.¡± said the girl.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°What more do you need to know?¡±

    ¡°I am not very good with the read between the lines thingy. So, tell me what it means? Please.¡± asked Quinn.

    Zysha said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell her. How dare she pose in front of you?¡± she was angry from when the former radiated killing intent on Shi Lang.

    The young man sighed, ¡°First you learn the truth about them, if they are friendly, learn all the tech and other cultural knowledge that you can. Second, if they are hostile under the veil of friendship, sabotage them after you have learned their knowledge.¡±

    Quinn nodded and said, ¡°What if they do not teach us anything of significance?¡±

    ¡°The Hunt with wrong data was a simr situation. You can work the way around. That was the moral of this test. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go practice.¡± said Shi Lang and left with Zysha.

    Quinn, however, had no intention of letting him go. She moved quickly to follow him and said, ¡°Say, do you have any idea who might be the members of our team?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I have no idea, from what I can deduce, the teams should be made up of young people, old people might not be able to blend well among the crowd of a new. Young people do not represent only easygoing but also inexperience. Thus they might not be able to see through the deceptions over there.

    So the team shall be well organized, the best youths in all departments, I presume. As for the guardian and guide, is shall be some with a good head on their shoulders.¡±

    Quinn nodded and said, ¡°Your way of thinking is correct. I can think of a few names but they all exceed the age limit. Do you have any guesses?¡±

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, ¡°Given the size of the military, and the recruits they take inside every year, the chances of the names I have in my mind getting selected is pretty low.¡±

    Quinn nodded and said, ¡°True. You have a smart brain, no wonder you were ced ahead to lead.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°The reason I am ced ahead is so that you are safe. The daughter of the top brass, if you made a mistake, even if they can keep your identity secret, those who know you will talk. This exchange will unveil the existence of those humanoid civilizations that have the potential to take down the federation. Our team will be at the center of attention.¡±

    His words made Quinn realize how deep this shit was.

 Chapter 137

    Shi Lang and Quinn finished their conversation and life returned to normal for them. The mundane routine was changed when Shi Lang asked X for permission to get an independentb space. The reason he stated was to try and develop a weapon for his beastpanion, to see if she can be more advanced aid inbat.

    X agreed to it and the young man busied himself inside theb. Do not forget this guy was a tech genius in his school. Inside theb, there were not only tools but also knowledge for his aid. He did not directly jump into creating some tools, but he researched a bit first. Now other than reading and listening to the X¡¯s lectures, sparring with Quinn, and working up a two-man strategy in the simtion realm, Shi Lang would spend most of his time inside theb.

    A few weeks passed and one day he received a message from Amelia that she was going on a special scout mission and will text him in a few days. Shi Lang replied to her to take care of herself outside and stuff like that.

    Then he got busy with his work again. After aplete month, when Shi Lang had finished developing a few tools for Zysha, Quinn came looking for him at theb.

    The door was knocked at, Shi Lang raised his head to check on the door cam, found Quinn standing outside. He said, ¡°Unlock.¡±

    The voicemand system worked and the door was opened with a click. Quinn rushed in and said, ¡°Ace, let¡¯s go, the team they assembled is here. Come on.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, ¡°Howe there is no notification on themunicator?¡±

    Quinn was exasperated, she said, ¡°Are you kidding me? Fuck yourmunicator and fuck your notification. Get your ass moving, the people are already waiting in the briefing room.¡±

    Just as Shing was about to scold her, themunicator buzzed. He saw the message calling him over to the briefing room. He nodded and moved said, ¡°Come Zysha, we have people to meet.¡±

    The tigress stood up and followed the young man. She wasining to him about the extra weight on her ears. This was a device that Shi Lang had made for her. It was a pair with a cor on her neck. Shi Lang made the cor look like some ornament to cover up a module inside it. The cor would emit a high range soundwave, and the earring will receive the data, creating a mental image in Zysha¡¯s mind.

    The three people moved through the corridor but when they came in front of the Briefing room, Shi Lang gave Quinn a cold gaze and said, ¡°Do not speak until you are asked to.¡±

    Quinn nodded and saluted him like a junior. She was veryx in terms of discipline, and these days Shi Lang had often beaten her ck and blue for this, so she was quite restrained in front of his cold gaze. The young man knocked on the door and heard a cold and indifferent voice from the inside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang pushed opened the door and like a gentleman gestured for Quinn to in first. He followed her inside and found four people sitting in front of X with their backs facing him. He saluted X and the man said, ¡°Ace, these are your team members, You all are to go out in the wild, settle in a camp there, and train for a week before you depart for the Neomon territory. Any Questions?¡±

    Shing replied, ¡°No Sir.¡±

    He did not notice but three people out of four shivered slightly when his voice rang out. X nodded and said, ¡°You are capable ofmanding a chopper, you will be taking the team out there immediately. The ration supplies have been stored in the treehouse. The location has been sent to yourmunicator. Now dismissed.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted him and waited for the team members to stand up before he could go out. The team members stood up, took a few steps back, saluted X, and turned around before facing Shi Lang.

    The young man opened his eyes wide for a few seconds, then he regained hisposure, and with a nod, he said, ¡°I am Major Ace, themanding officer of the team, the rest of the details we will discuss after arriving at the treehouse.¡±

    The people nodded and they moved out. Behind him, he could hear Quinn whispering to the people to ignore his uptightness. He smirked slightly and walked out of the base to the spaceport tomandeer the chopper allotted to them. He did not say much and got in the pilot position. Quinn took in the co-pilot and Zysha sat in the cabin with the other four people.

    Aftermunication and clearance from the base tower, they flew up. Shi Lang said, ¡°Wee to Mythya. The person you just met was themanding officer of the Card ss. We will be now living in an isted secondary base called the treehouse. It is used for covert team training that even the members of the card ss are unaware of.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°I hope you all do not mind, Major Ace is very uptight.¡± she said in a low voice.

    Suddenly, she heard a burst of loudughter in the cabin, a guy spoke up, ¡°He is uptight? You should have seen him kissing the school goddess in front of the whole ss.¡±

    Followed by this sounded a female voice, ¡°He waste for his sses almost daily, until the final day.¡±

    Shi Lang could not control it anymore and said, ¡°Okay, Head Teacher, Jenkins, spare me some leeway, thisdy beside me is Quinn, she is my adjutant on the mission and shecks in terms of discipline, Head Teacher you better line her up.¡±

    The person who spoke first was Jenkins, and he was followed by Rosa Blues, Shing¡¯s old headteacher. Thedy said, ¡°I am no longer your Head Teacher, Major Ace, you should address me by my rank, Colonel Blues.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Understood Colonel.¡±

    Quin gave him a surprised look, and asked out loud, ¡°This stone-faced guy can actually be romantic? Do you know that in the past month I have suffered thirty fractures? One of them almost took me out for good.¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°The reply shoulde from the only second person herself. Major Amelia, anyments?¡±

    The third person was Amelia, she shook her head and said nothing. Quinn asked, ¡°Do you all know him?¡±

    The fourth guy shook his head and said, ¡°I do not know him, but I have heard a lot. I used to be a part of the secret divisions, name is Darcx, they did tell me about a guy whopleted an SSS mission within the year of joining. They told me his name was Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Do you not know, it is ssified information that you just revealed?¡± his voice was cold and made everyone shiver.

    The guy replied, ¡°I apologize, sir, I do not know the details just the legend.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Get buckled in if you are not, we are going down.¡±

    The people were confused and hurriedly buckled up when they felt the chopper nose-diving. The speed and the scene in front of them were scary. Even Zysha had her nails dug into the floor as she growled.

    Shi Lang said nothing but only dived, when the people closed their eyes thinking they were about to crash, they passed through a narrow crack in the forest ground. The crack was big enough to fit a chopper through, and it was two hundred meters deep. Just when the people in the cabin musted up the courage to open their eyes, they found the fall to be breaking.

    They looked around and found a ce that seemed to be a cave underground but this cave was as deep as the highest building and as wide as a whole city. Shi Lang said, ¡°Wee to the treehouse.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°What the fuck.¡±

    Amelia, Rosa, and Dracx were having simr expressions on their faces. They did not expect it to be such a ce. Amelia asked, ¡°Howe this ce has natural light, and it seems to being from below.¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°The source of this light is the liquid system here.¡±

    Rosa asked, ¡°Do you mean water?¡±

    Quinn chuckled and said, ¡°More like liquid Diamond. You will know once we are down there.¡±

    Shi Lang controlled the chopper and they began to descend. Jenkins asked, ¡°You have been living on this, what is this a paradise?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Yeah, why don¡¯t I leave you alone in this paradise and let you deal with the natives.¡±

    Quinn chirped, ¡°You have no idea, how dangerous it is here.¡±

    With that said, the teamnded on the ground and training kicked off.

 Chapter 138

    Shi Lang turned off the engine after the chopper touched down on the ground. The rest of the people suddenly got off the chopper and began to look around. Rosa asked, ¡°Major Lang, have you been here a lot during your time on this?¡±

    ¡°This is my first time.¡± his reply shocked everyone but Quinn.

    Darcx asked, ¡°Then the nose dive just now, how were you so sure about it?¡± his voice was shivering. That nosedive was a death stunt.

    Quinn replied, ¡°Simtion practice.¡± as she unloaded a few things from the chopper and said, ¡°Come on, follow me. I have been here thrice in the past.¡±

    The people understood what was going on and they walked behind Quinn. Shi Lang told Zysha to roam freely around the ce. This hole was underground but it did have a lot of space and was enriched with an ecosystem of its own. After walking for over ten minutes, they found seven big wooden balls hanging between the trees.

    Quinn said, ¡°Wee to the treehouse, this facility can amodate six of us, and has one meeting and control room.¡± she sounded like a professional tour guide at the moment.

    She came close to a tree and put down a box in her hands. She said, ¡°There is only one exit and one entrance in this facility, I will carve some groves on the trunk of this tree so that each of us could climb and get inside.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°We can jump up, can we not?¡±

    The height where the balls were suspended was not too much for a Terran to reach with a jump. Quinn said, ¡°Well if you arefortable with that, but the bulk door will not open until you get aplete scan verification.¡±

    Aplete scan would require them to stand still. Amelia asked, ¡°Any special reason to why the scan, after all, this is a secret location right?¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°During myst visit here, we came to hunt down a deserter, and before we could subdue him, the guy had killed three of us. Thus the vacant of Card ss opened and Ace got in.¡±

    Shi Lang finally got the answer to why he was suddenly called over. Quinn continued, ¡°Thus X decided to put on the security measures on the ce.¡±

    The people nodded in understanding, quickly, using a machete Quinn carved ten groves on the sides of the tree and climbed up to the height of the wooden ball. In front of the bulk door, there was an extended nk for the people to stand up and get scanned.

    As soon as Quinn stood up on the nk a light turned on at the top of the bulk door. Then after a few seconds, the door opened with a click. She said, ¡°You all cane up, your details are all uploaded in the system already.¡±

    That said, the people began to climb the tree and got inside the treehouse one by one. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Quinn, can I call Zysha over as well?¡±

    Quinn nodded and said, ¡°I see no problem, I will use proxy to let her in, but make sure that you engrave a code on her equipment for the system to know her identity.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded as he let out a whistle from his mouth. In reply, the big cat told him that she would like to stay out for a bit longer. He shrugged and got inside the treehouse. This ce was better decorated than even some houses he had seen back in The Federation. The bulk door led them to amon area, which was used as both the control room and a meeting room.

    This wooden ball had six more openings all leading to a separate room. Shi Lang choose the one next to Amelia and the rest of the people also began to settle in their own rooms. After they had gotten a feel of their rooms, they gathered back in the meeting room.

    They were sitting around a table when Rosa asked, ¡°So what is the n we have?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°We have no idea what were are going into, we cannot develop a predefined strategy. It will be yed by ear.¡±

    The others nodded they understood that they had no data to work on, so if they made any strategy and became dependent on it, however, in the end, the situation turned out to be somethingpletely different from their expectations, they will be left with no options.

    Rosa said, ¡°I suggest that wee up with a few rules inside the team, this way, it will be better for all of us to have an understanding of our circumstances in that ce.¡± her idea was to share each and every detail within the group so that they all no about each other¡¯s activity and would be able to cover up any problem they face.

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°I agree with this. What about the rest?¡±

    The people all nodded, and Shi Lang continued, ¡°I have a few ideas, if any of you find something is missing, do step forward.¡±

    After receiving a nod from the people, Shi Lang said, ¡°I suggest that we message each other about everything that we do there. For instance, if Jenkins is asked to go out on a date, then he should inform us, this way we will be aware of whom he left with and we will also know who to nab if this guy did not make it back.¡±

    The people surprisingly nodded. They did not think it was bad for them to be aware of each other¡¯s activity status. The meeting continued and the people came up with various rules, such as not drinking or smoking anything that has not yet been tested. Who knows, what they might spike your drink with and you are killed.

    One more thing they all decided was to stay in pairs. Darcx was given to be the aid to Rosa Blues, while Quinn got paired up with Jenkins. Amelia and Shi Lang were a team. As for Zysha, she was going to y the dumb mascot and act like spyware.

    The team feasted onpressed food and when it was time to say good night, Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°Amy, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Amelia was stunned to see him act like this. She did not expect this guy to tantly call her out like this. She blushed and heard the guy say, ¡°What are you all looking at? She is my fiancee, and I have missed a lot, I need some time with her.¡±

    The people did not have it in themselves to eye him after this, so they avoided looking at him, and slowly they went back to their own rooms. Shi Lang saw that Amelia did not get up from the chair so he smiled faintly and sat down next to her. He said, ¡°I am sorry, to make you feel so embarrassed.¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°It is not your fault, I am slightly happy that you missed me, but when people look at me like this, I cannot help but feel shy.¡± her voice was like a silky scarf.

    Shi Lang gently ced his palm over hers and said, ¡°You know, I have been holding back on a lot of thingstely, I did not know, how and whom to share it all with. Now that you are here, I can speak what I have in my heart.¡±

    Amelia raised her head and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°After I came here, I found myself alone and away from home, we cannot go out of this ce and they have a lot of restrictions on how tomunicate back home. Sometimes I thought about what might happen if I died here. Will they tell you all, what will they tell you, and what if they did not say anything?¡±

    Amelia was surprised and said, ¡°Lang, why do you think such things. You know, this will not happen, if something happened to you, they will tell us. Do not think as such.¡± she raised her free hand to caress the side of his face gently.

    Shi Lang shook his head and asked, ¡°What will you do if I died? What will my parents do? Sometimes I had nightmares that you left me, and I woke up distressed. I have never feared anything, but those nightmares, I cannot handle them. I do not want to lose you, Amy. I do not know what words shall I use to express my feelings for you and the people whom I hold close. Quinn was right when she called me uptight.

    I do not have a lot of space in my heart, just a few people, if anyone left, I will also not remain the same.¡±

    Shi Lang was aware that he was having an emotional breakdown, the loneliness in this ce had made him prone to this. Even if he was a cultivator and used to wander alone, now after getting a taste of family and emotions, he did not want to lose it all. This fear had overwhelmed him.

    Suddenly, Amelia kissed his lips gently and said, ¡°I am here now, am I not. I will not leave you alone, I love you, Lang.¡±

    These few words, were enough to wash away the pent-up anxiety, and nervousness in his heart.

 Chapter 139

    Shi Lang and Amelia spent the night in each other¡¯s embrace, they did not do anything other than share warmth and silence with each other. Humans forget that being able to share your silence with someone could sometimes be greater than going out at loud parties.

    Quinn, Jenkins, and Darcx had taken initiative to peer through their doors to see what the two were doing, but when they found the couple just holding each other, they gave up and went to sleep. In the morning, Rosa Blues came out of her room and found the two sleeping leaning against each other.

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°Major Lang, Captain Knight, time to get up.¡±

    Being soldiers the two people sat up and greeted Rosa Blues without any hesitation. After greeting thedy the two went to their rooms and got dressed for the training session. When they came out, everyone else was gathered in the meeting room. The breakfast was againpressed food. Shi Lang said, ¡°We cannot train in anything but physical aspect. So I suggest we stick to sparing.¡±

    The four guys nodded and Rosa said, ¡°I will help you all analyze your skills and bouts.¡±

    They had no problem with her, when the team was dispatched they were told that the guardian is an experienced analyst. Well, her ability topute to quantum levels was kept secret after all. The team came out of the treehouse and Shi Lang found Zysha sitting below the tree curled up. What was even more, she had prey lying beside her.

    The youngster sighed and asked, ¡°Do want me to cook this for you?¡±

    Zysha raised her head and nodded like a human. Shi Lang said, ¡°Come then.¡± He carried a deer to the side, using a knife he cleaned it up and began to prepare it for the cat. Meanwhile, the others all began to spar with each other.

    After half an hour, Shi Lang came back and found only Jenkins to be standing, while Rosa was taking care of Amelia, Quinn, and Darcx. Jenkins smiled and said, ¡°They are all soft,e boy, let me see how much you have grown in the past. Is your secret division any good?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You do know that it is people like me who babysit your frontal forces, right?¡±

    Darcx shouted, ¡°Well said.¡±

    The two young men were standing at a distance of ten-meter away from each other. The temperament of them both had undergone a severe change. Shi Lang said, ¡°Just so you know, this is not a simtion, I will pay back in kind.¡±

    Jenkins chuckled, ¡°I won¡¯t have it any other way.¡±

    That said, the two took their stances for boxing, and Rosa said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    As soon as the words dropped the two people moved. Quinn asked in a low voice, ¡°Do they have grudges?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Ace defeated Jenkins brutally in the finalpetition back in school.¡±

    Quinn nodded and said, ¡°Oh, I thought it was something big.¡±

    Rosa replied, ¡°I was something big, Jenkins had put Major Lang in the infirmary a couple of times,st instance had almost killed thetter.¡±

    Quinn was shocked and so was Darcx. However, before they could say anything more, the battle in front of them drew back their attention.

    Shi Lang and Jenkins had not held back and exchanged punches and kicks with each other, however, thest attack was so powerful that the two were pushed back. Shi Lang had no intention of resting or letting his opponent rest, he took out the knife in his holster and held it in a normal grip.

    Jenkins took out his de too and the battle began once again, sparks flew as the metal collided and rubbed against each other. Shi Lang would throw in his kicks and unarmed fists to confuse the opponent, but Jenkins was the same. The two were equally matched.

    Darcx asked, ¡°How can Jenkins lose to Ace? They are tied.¡±

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°Shi Lang is not fighting with his all. Look at the grip of their daggers.¡±

    The people looked and things became clear. While Shi Lang was holding the dagger-like a normal one, Jenkins was holding his dagger in a reverse grip. Thetter¡¯s grip signified that he was out for blood. Yet, Shi Lang was able to dodge and dance with him at such a close distance, which showcased that his strength was higher by at least one point.

    After fighting fruitlessly for twenty minutes, the two people were tired, Shi Lang said, ¡°Are you tired, I can feel it from your breathing.¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°Look at yourself, came out of a rain shower?¡±

    The two were standing five meters away, yet they had no intention of moving forward. Rosa said, ¡°Enough, you are tied, Darcx, Amelia, help them sit down, their legs are numb.¡±

    The trio on the sidelines was surprised, they did not expect the two of them to be so tired. Darcx supported Jenkins who asked, ¡°Instructor, how did you know we had numb legs.¡±

    Shi Lang on the other hand was busy snuggling to Amelia¡¯s neck, making her blush and almost pushing him to the ground. Rosa replied, ¡°First of all, Major Lang, I would like to have you behave appropriately when in session. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang became honest and said, ¡°Yes, I understand, Instructor.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°As for how I could see you two were surprised, it was simple, your bodies were trembling. The upper body might be able to act and move, but you two were moving so fast just now, that the muscles have be strained. Am I wrong?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You are correct Instructor, the muscle fiber in my thighs and calves has broken, just like a normal workout, it will heal in a few hours.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Captian Jenkins, what do you assess from this round?¡±

    Jenkins scoffed and said, ¡°Permission to speak freely.¡±

    Rosa nodded and Jenkins red at Shi Lang and said, ¡°You better not hold back next time. Scoundrel.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and winked at him. Amelia asked, ¡°Why did you hold back?¡±

    ¡°I was about to slowly get into it, but I got pulled in his pace, the leg muscles gave in as a result,¡± said Shi Lang honestly.

    The people nodded and they sat down on a log and Rosa began to tell them all a few things they could work on. She even devised a n for Zysha to train with the people in the squad. Soon it was another session.

    The physical qualities of Terrans allowed them to recover quickly when it came to meager trauma from exercise and stuff. The team would get up and fight after every one hour of rest. The analysis helped them see through their loopholes quickly and they improved significantly.

    The most surprising thing was, how Zysha took part in the spars and she caught everyone with a surprise. The big cat was so fast that even Shi Lang was surprised. He decided to make a pair of offensive and defensive gear for her. The defensive gear would protect her torso and the offensive gear was to add a little spark to her ws.

    The week soon passed, and X sent a message calling them back. The time to depart for Neomons territory was here. They were to take a spaceship and jump to the nearest Terran Colony, where they will be allowed to buy themselves clothing, and other things that are needed by a normal teenager.

    However, Ameliamented that it would be better if they could go back home to The Federation and get their own stuff from there. Quinn being the hidden bigshot in the squad mailed her father as soon as she got to the base. The president was feared by all, and the man feared his princess throwing a tantrum. So the orders were issued, to cover things up, it was said, that the soldiers departing to a ce where no one has ever before gone, deserved to see off their parents.

    Well, he did not want to send his daughter, but the girl would have found out about his interference, and when X rmended her for being an excellent member of the card ss. He had to agree. As the righteous man he was, he would rather sacrifice his daughter than let someone else die out there, and if his daughter died, then it will bring together the Terrans even more.

    Quinn was aware of all these thoughts as the man had never hidden anything from her, and she was proud that her father was such a man. Soon, the group came back to the base camp in Mythya and then took a ship to go back home.

    ¡­

    While the group was heading back to the Federation, the cab had decided to unveil the existence of equally smart species to the people of the world and all the colonies.

 Chapter 140

    Shi Lang and the lot came back to The Federation in a hush and they all quickly departed to meet their parents. Amelia contacted her mother, who happened to be at the front and was unable to meet her so she tagged along with Shi Lang.

    They will greet his family first and then buy the stuff they need and leave after the news was disclosed to the world. The two of them knew how crucial this whole thing was and what sort of effect it could have, so they were nervous about public opinion. After all, if the dark elements used this event to rally the masses, it could implicate their family and friends.

    The president has not only decided to tell the world about the Neomons but also about the exchange group that was been sent over to read and learn. This disclosure would mean, providing the basic details of the team to the world.

    The spaceshipnded in the spaceport for the secret divisions and Shi Lang contacted Archie Arkham. He needed to ask her if he could have some vehicles from the division be used by his team. Quinn already had a convoy of presidential guards waiting for her, but the rest did not. Archi Arkham allocated a wrangler to him.

    This vehicle was an off-road style maglev car, capable of conversion, from maglev to a traditional vehicle. The team boarded the vehicle and they moved to the nearest public transit station. Jenkins, Rosa, and Darcx were to get off there, and the couple will go back home.

    The speed was fast and the two quickly arrived in front of Shi Lang¡¯s apartment. Amelia took the lead to hold Shi Lang¡¯s hand and the two climbed the stairs. The young man was about to knock on the door when the door was pushed open from the inside.

    Shi John stood frozen in his ce for a second. Unable to react when he saw his son and daughter-inw, okay quasi daughter-inw standing in front of him. Shi Lang hugged him and said, ¡®I came home.¡±

    The man woke up and hugged his son back and said, ¡°Wee back. How are you? You did not contact us for a week, and we were slightly worried.¡±

    From the inside of the house, a voice sounded, ¡°Yes, slightly worried so you used a whole box of tissue paper.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled while his father sniffed and said, ¡°She is exaggerating.¡±

    Amelia did not say anything and just smiled from the side. Shi John pulled the people in and they began to talk.

    ¡­

    Time passed quickly and Amelia and Shi Lang decided to stay home and order thei clothes and supplies online. Shi Lang also ced an order for a lot of nano-bots. However, it will be only handed to him when they were on board the military vessel.

    The two had already told the elders about their departure, though they did not divulge the details of the they were going to so the two elders had no idea if they will stay inside The Federation borders or not.

    The family was sitting in the living room, with Luna leaning against Shi John and Amelia leaning against Shi Lang. The scene was harmonious as they were watching someedy-drama on the holoTV.

    Suddenly, the video was cut off, and Federal Military music began to y. Shi John raised his hand and was about to use a gesture to change the channel when he heard, ¡°Dad, it is of no use.¡±

    He and Luna turned to look at the youngsters curiously when they heard a voice from the TV, ¡°Citizen of The Federation, this is your president. Today, Ie here in front of you all to share the news that will have a significant effect on our lives.¡±

    The man on the screen paused and took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°When our ancestors set out to explore the celestial, we all hoped to find a like ours, to host lives. When they could not find suchs, they decided to change thendscape and provide homes for the growing poption.

    A couple of centuriester, they founds with lives of their own. The federation military grew leaps and bounds, but recently, the expansion stopped. Some groups stood up against the government sending our children to explore the uncharted. The reason The Federation wanted to explore the uncharted was to determine if out there in the stars lived a species as powerful as us.

    The scenarios of finding such a species could be both positive and negative. The weak always get oppressed by the strong. A few decades away we found a race that was as powerful as we are. The extent of their strength is still not known to us. There is no subtle way to put this, but yes, The Federation is not the only power in the stars.¡±

    The man paused and the people were sent into an uproar. They never imagined that on a rest day such a wave will shock them. The words of the president were indicating that the Terrans were not the supreme anymore.

    Shi Lang looked at the side to see how his parents were going to react and only found them to be frozen. He nudged Amelia slightly and asked her to check. Amelia asked in a low voice, ¡°Mom, Dad, are you okay?¡±

    Shi John turned his head to look at the two of them stiffly and asked, ¡°Did you guys know about this?¡±

    The two nodded and before they could ask anything more, The President said, ¡°Be as shocking as it may, The Federation has decided to send a team of young geniuses. These geniuses are recently graduated, students. Selected for their achievements.

    The team sent out is supervised by a veteran colonel, who managed to survive and rescue three hundred soldiers during the Athena Massacre, Colonel Rosa Blues.

    The team is led by a young major, who hadpleted the highest grade mission and also earned his promotion through the ranks within a year of graduation from the military academy, Major Shi Lang.

    The other members of the team are, Major Hailey Dupont, who graduated from the military academy two years ago, and has earned a lot of merits. Followed by Captain Jenkins Edwards, who also happens to be the son of the First General and is in active service on the front lines.

    Captain Amelia Knight, and Captain Darek Christopher. The team is going to leave tomorrow from the Metropia Spaceport. I hope that the rtives of the youth team support them to go on this voyage, for the sake of our civilization. Godspeed.¡±

    The broadcast was cut off and the people were left stunned. Luna asked, ¡°Did he announce your names just now?¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia nodded, and thedy burst up like a grenade, ¡°HOW DARE YOU TWO AGREE FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?¡±

    Shi Lang hurriedly said, ¡°Mom, it was not a thing to choose.¡±

    Luna raised her eyebrow and stood up with her hands on her hips, she said, ¡°You mean to say that this heartless guy enrolled the two of you without your consent? How dare he, how can he understand the pain of sending a child away on such a dangerous expedition?¡± her husband kept nodding at the side.

    Shi Lang sighed and Amelia said, ¡°That Major Hailey Dupont, is his biological daughter.¡±

    Her words shocked the two elderspletely, they had no idea that the president would even send his own daughter off. While the elders were shocked, themunication devices of the people went on a crazy ring and connection requests.

    Shi Lang and Amelia used this as an excuse and moved to the young man¡¯s bedroom. They nced at each and gave a bitter smile. Then they began to deal with loads of inquiries sent over by their old ssmates.

    Shi Lang was requested by Jane, Lucas, and Tim toe out for a farewell party and so was Amelia, the two people discussed and it was decided that they will organize a party for both the groups in M¡¯s cafe tonight, those who were avable was invited to join them.

    They had no idea what might happen out there in the Neomon territory, thus the value of this gathering was even more. After an hour when the two changed into a more presentable attire, they came out to find the two elders sitting on the couch dealing with the calls, and the two snuck out under their ring gazes.

    ¡­

    The party venue was not reserved for free but paid for by the ssmates. M was not in the mood to quibble with them and just hugged Shi Lang for fifteen minutes and bawled her heart in his embrace, and then the same was done with Amelia. The two people could not help but console her, followed by a round of gentle beating Shi Lang received from his friends for not telling them about his promotion and this expedition.

    The farewell waspleted, now they needed to go home, pick up their stuff and leave. The broadcast has not set only the Federation home on fire, but the whole territory was in simr situation.

 Chapter 141

    Shi Lang and Amelia returned home holding hands as they were followed by M and her husband. Thedy was almost dehydrated from crying and stuff. However, when they arrived in theirmunity, they found a lot of people gathered together and they had this big red banner spread overhead, which said, ¡°Shi Lang the Pioneer.¡±

    The young man was surprised and Amelia asked in a hushed voice, ¡°What is all this about?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder when a few toddlers noticed them and yelled, ¡°Big brother Lang is here. He is here.¡±

    The elders all gathered up and spoke in unison, ¡°Shi Lang, you are the pioneer.¡±

    Unbothered by the cheers, Shi Lang looked around and found his parents to be standing among the crowd with forced smiles on their faces. He hurried over, ignoring everyone, and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Luna said, ¡°Aunt Mertyl told us something and we understood that it was not worth being sad. You two children are going out to a ce where no one ever went, you are the pride of the civilization and we should send you off with a smile.¡± as she caressed the face of her son gently.

    As she spoke, her eyes had be red already. Shi Lang said, ¡°Mum, it is not easy for me to leave you and dad behind. I want to cry too, however, if not me, someone else would do it. If someone else was not strong enough to carry this burden, they will break down. What do you think can happen if a youth was to break down in front of strangers?¡±

    The surrounding people nodded, such a scene would make the people think that the youngsters in front of them were all weak and the same will indicate about their species, and as the president said, ¡°The weak will be oppressed.¡±

    The people nodded and they began to bless Shi Lang and Amelia with their blessings. The parents were still upset but they did not say anything. Shi Lang had them all swear to look after their well-being and he also had the elders in themunity look after them.

    Jane suddenly called Shi Lang and said that her mother wanted to see him for a few minutes. Shi Lang had practically grown up in front of her and thus he thought he should say farewell to thedy and asked his parents for permission and rushed to Jane¡¯s house. Amelia refused to say that she would like to use this time to pack the stuff they needed to take.

    Zysha was living inside the secret division base(Just so you guys know, I remember her.)

    Shi Lang rushed to Jane¡¯s house quickly and came to the apartment. He rang the doorbell and a voice asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    A nostalgic smile surfaced on Shi Lang¡¯s lips and he said, ¡°It is me Aunt Martha, Lang.¡±

    The door opened in a blink and a hand twisted his ear with all its might. Shi Lang winced in pain and said, ¡°OWWWW, mydy, do you want to take off my ear?¡±

    Martha snapped back at him, ¡°How dare you kiddo take up such a task? Have you forgotten about us all?¡±

    A remorseful sound came from the side, ¡°He has forgiven me for sure.¡± the voice belonged to Jane, with who he had parted just a few minutes ago.

    Shi Lang red at her and said, ¡°Oh, did I forget about you? Who was it that did not give me their COMMID when they were on a honeymoon with their so-called Hubby?¡± his tone was berating.

    Jane froze and Martha asked, ¡°What hubby, the youngdy you better tell me if you are up to some naughty business.¡± she red at her daughter.

    As thedy was busy with her daughter the grip on Shi Lang¡¯s ear and the boy sighed in relief. He said, ¡°She is dating that Lanky Lucas, the dimwit she used to criticize. The audacity she has to hide it from you.¡±

    Martha red at the girl and Jane said in a flustered manner, ¡°Mom, he is just trying to divert the topic, you can deal with meter.¡±

    Martha came back to her sense and then she red at the boy, who said, ¡°It was not a choice, they needed someone my age and with strong capability. Do you know, your son here is a Major now?¡±

    His words made thedy¡¯s expression ease up and said gently, ¡°Then I want my son toe back, I have yet to see him participate in General G and I have yet to see him getting married.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then told her about Amelia being his nominal Fiancee. Martha was surprised but then she blessed him. After a few more minutes, Shi Lang gave her a hug, made faces with Jane, and whispered to Martha, ¡°Do not let her off easily. Okay?¡±

    Martha nodded and then she sent him away with a peck on his forehead. The boy left and Martha asked her daughter, ¡°Did you really have no idea how he felt for you back then?¡±

    Jane was surprised by this question and asked, ¡°Did he tell you?¡±

    Martha sighed and said, ¡°With how responsible he is, do you think he will say such a thing to me? However, when the whole world, even I would scold you, he was the only one who would be nice and calm to you. Could you not see? That Lucas was his best friend, right? Even he did not notice that this boy had nothing but love for you ever since the day you stood up for him once?¡±

    Jane wanted to say a lot of things but she could not bring herself to, because the thing was that she never really saw what Shi Lang felt for her. To her, he was just a friend she made in the passing and gradually they became close. That was all, nothing more nothing less. Martha saw her daughter speechless and said, ¡°Let it be, what has happened has happened. Be good with Lucas, that is all I hope for. That is all he hopes for.¡±

    Jane nodded and the two began to talk about how she was doing in life.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang returned back home and found a surprising guest sitting in the living room. He said, ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± as he saluted.

    Charlotte Knight shook her head and said, ¡°Son, I am not on duty at the moment, I came here as your mother-inw.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, and now only did he figure out that thedy was on a vacation. After all, how can such a big shot be out with no guards? Charlotte said, ¡°I came over here to ask something of you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and thedy continued, ¡°I would like you to make the engagement official.¡±

    This request surprised the young man but he did not mind. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if Amelia doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and looked behind her, the boy turned around and found two heads peeking at him. The boy smiled and shook his head. M came over quickly and said, ¡°You should take your grandmother¡¯s ring.¡±

    Luna walked over with an obsidian ring in her hand. She said, ¡°It is an heirloom left by your grandmother. You can upgrade it to a better one that Amelia likes,ter. Okay?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Where is Amy?¡±

    Charlotte smiled and said, ¡°She is shy, hiding inside the room.¡±

    Just when the room opened and Amelia walked out stiffly as she said, ¡°I am not hiding.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and went down on his knee. He asked, ¡°Amelia Knight, will you marry me, Shi Lang?¡±

    Amelia was surprised and so was the threedies, the proposal came too suddenly, they did not expect him to do something like this. Amelia nodded silently and Shi Lang took her hand gently as he put the ring on her finger.

    Luna yelled, ¡°Shi John,e out of the kitchen, your son is engaged.¡±

    Shi John came out holding a tray filled with sses and whiskey. He said, ¡°This has to be celebrated, and no exceptions. Even you two have to drink.¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°How about, Amelia also gives Shi Lang a ring and then we celebrate?¡±

    Then she took out a golden band and said, ¡°This ring is not an heirloom but I hope it works.¡±

    Luna said, ¡°Heirlooms are only for the women to carry as they are the pride of the family. Lang, you don¡¯t have any objections do you?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head like a rattle and then under the affectionate gaze of the elders, Amelia put the ring on his ring finger. Her hands were shivering slightly. After this was done Shi Lang said, ¡°I may kiss the bride now.¡±

    He held Amelia¡¯s face gently and kissed her lips with pure affection. Again the elders were surprised by his boldness.

 Chapter 142

    After the couple broke the kiss, Amelia buried her head in Shi Lang¡¯s broad chest. The boy chuckled and said, ¡°Why are you so shy Amy? What will you do when I kiss you at our wedding?¡±

    Amelia pinched his abdomen making him wince. The girl was also a five-star Terran. The celebration did notst long before Charlotte asked, ¡°Shall we leave?¡±

    Despite the reluctance, the people nodded and they came downstairs holding the luggage. Luna, M, and their respective husbands decided to not see off their child as it was considered a bad omen. Shi Lang hugged his mother and aunt and then fist-bumped with his father and uncle. They understood that men could be emotional but that was it. They did not need to make it all water works, otherwise, who will console thedies.

    Getting inside the vehicle, Charlotte let Shi Lang drive as she sat in the back with her daughter. After the mood calmed down, Shi Lang asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, there is something I would like to discuss with you.¡±

    Charlotte noticed the seriousness carried in his voice and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    She was a senior official and was good at reading her juniors, she could tell that the topic must be sensitive if the young man was asking for her permission to discuss it. Shi Lang kept his gaze locked on the road and said, ¡°I found Zysha on Mythya. I brought her back.¡±

    These words, shocked Charlotte while Amelia was just confused slightly. She did not expect her mother to have such an expression on her face. Shi Lang waited for her reaction patiently. He did not hastily react.

    After a few seconds, Charlotte said, ¡°What do you intend to do with her?¡± calmly.

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°I would like her to go to the Neomons with me.¡±

    This shocked the two people to another level. Charlotte asked, ¡°Logic to back this request.¡±

    ¡°If the Neomons monitored us, they will be aware of everything that we speak or think about. Although we can avoid that by using codes and stuff, however, they will not be dumb to miss it for a long time. I want to develop some tech that could allow us to talk without talking. This will require me to study the brain activity of the tiger. Also, when she is over there, acting like a dumb cat, she can gather some intel.¡± said Shi Lang.

    Charlotte leaned back in the seat and said, ¡°You sure learned well.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You taught me well.¡±

    The car again descended in silence, and Charlotte nodded as she said, ¡°Very well, take her with you but do not harm her.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Amelia asked, ¡°What was all this about?¡±

    Charlotte and Shi Lang took time to slowly tell her about Zysha¡¯s peculiarities. Amelia was surprised at first but then she gradually believed it as Shi Lang said that the universe was filled with things that they have nevere across. Amidst the chatter, the vehicle arrived at the spaceport. The whole ce was in lockdown.

    Thankfully before leaving home Shi Lang and Amelia had changed into their uniforms and Charlotte was a face that every soldier had seen at least once. When they alighted the vehicle, Shi Lang spotted a few shadows with masks on their face. They nodded to him and he returned the gesture. He could tell from the patterns on the masks that the people from his team in the secret division were here on duty as well.

    The event was an opportunity, for both, The Federal military and the dark elements. If someone decided to screw things up, it could really go south. Amidst strict security checks, the people made their way to the spaceship entrance. The rest of the team was already standing there with Zysha.

    Shi Lang and Amelia said farewell to the General and came up to the team. Jenkins said, ¡°Let¡¯s get on and leave, the tension in the air is too much.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after fulfilling some official formalities they all came inside the ship. After theputer finished a countdown, the spaceship flew and left the gravitational pull of the shortly after.

    Inside the ship, Zyshained, ¡°How can you guys all tolerate such travel?¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply and said, ¡°Zysha, I will need to scan your headter, do not worry, I just want to check something.¡±

    The tiger gazed at him and then nodded. As the ship flew, they were headed to the border of the federal territory. There, they will meet with the celestial convoy of the Neomons, and under the guidance of two military vessels, they will enter the new ce. The same terms were stated for the Neomon guests.

    Shi Lang did not mind and he began to check the nanobots that the federation has provided for him. In between the space jumps, the boy sat in front of aputer with his fingers crackling over the keyboard and programed the stock of nanobots.

    The number of nanobots at his disposal was enough to cover each of them ten times. Yes, and it will still not make them look any different. Shi Lang had a n on how to even sneak them inside the Neomon territory.

    He also scanned Zysha¡¯s head and found two things that were different from all the animals in the Terran database. He then conducted a few experiments to check the activity of these two spots and discovered that these two spots were acting like transmitters and receivers. However, he could not understand how the Terran brain was able to convert the waves emitted by the tiger.

    He read some data on the Terran brain, thanks to the technological advancement the able scientists had discovered a lot of knowledge about the human brain. They had sessfully discovered where conscious thoughts originated from. Taking the data and using some help from Rosa Blues, well she couldpute a lot of things right.

    So he used her ability toe up with a device that could act like a transmitter and a receiver for the team to talk without using their mouth. The final oue looked like a bangle. Shi Lang distributed the device to the people and then he began to debug it.

    The process was very quick. What was even more, the device was made from the nanobots he got so it will be easy to hide it. The bots were programmed with what Shi Lang called a chameleon code. This code enabled the bots to disperse on the surface of their skin, undetected, andter they will be able to gather back like a bracelet depending on the electric signals from the user¡¯s body.

    It took them three days to reach the border and in front of them stood an entire fleet. Shi Lang and the rest rushed to the control room when the rms went off. Jenkins and Darcx took the controlling seat and Shi Lang sat down in themanding position. Jenkins said, ¡°We are being hailed. It is friendly.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Patch me up.¡±

    Jenkins pressed a button on the panel and he raised his thumb to Shi Lang. In front of Shi Lang, a holoscreen appeared with the face of a middle-aged man. Shi Lang stood up and saluted the man, he said, ¡°Major Shi Lang reporting, Sir.¡±

    The man smiled and said, ¡°At ease, Major. This is General Edwards, I would like to see you and your team off to the Neomons on behalf of the entire civilization. Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    The transmission ended and the young man slumped in the chair. Jenkins chuckled without looking back, and asked, ¡°How did it feel?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Strainful. How do you deal with it at home?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°We do not meet much. Mom helps a lot.¡± as he chuckled.

    The spaceship entered the blockade set by the fleet and came to a halt. Darcx said, ¡°Captain, when will the Neomon fleet arrive?¡±

    Rosa Blues replied, ¡°They should be here shortly. We all are going there on an exchange, this makes us the ambassadors. None of you are allowed to speak until Major Lang or I allow you to. Understood?¡±

    The four people replied, ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    They waited for half an hour when suddenly, Jenkins received a message that told them to be prepared. The Neomons arrived at the scene. Shi Lang and the rest of the people had never seen them before, they saw the hundreds of vesselsing out of the starry seas.

    Shi Lang gulped and said, ¡°I hope they are friendly with us.¡±

    The rest of the people said, ¡°Amen.¡±

    The size and momentum carried by the spaceships were enough to make them realize that the opposite party was not easy. However, they were unaware, that the students in the opposite party vessel were having the same feeling.

 Chapter 143

    Just when the team was praying inside the ship, they received a transmission from the First General, ¡°Move ahead in sync with the vessel marked on your radar.¡±

    Shi Lang replied in affirmation and said, ¡°Jenkins.¡±

    Thetter only gave him a thumbs up and their ship began moving. Darcx said, ¡°Captain, Neomon vessels are scanning our ship for weapon systems. Are they too cautious?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Will you let a stranger enter your household without any checkups?¡±

    Rosa Blues said, ¡°Major Lang, I suggest that you disperse your nanobots now. We do not know if these guys have any system that could scan through the ship or not.¡± her worries were not baseless, the nanobots were crucial to their n.

    Shi Lang nodded and typed a fewmands on the panel to his side, the panel was connected to the mainframe of the ship that he used to program the nanobots. After themands were punched in the bots dispersed and blended into the ship body like they were one unit from the start.

    Amelia was sitting in front of a panel that was showing the ship¡¯s integrity status. She said, ¡°What do you think is the possibility of the Neomons being hostile to us?¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°In my observation, it should not be too big of a chance. After all, they are dwindling, the reproduction rate is very low.¡± in a calm tone.

    Shi Lang leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°Darcx, would you give me an enhance overview of the Neomon vessels?¡±

    Darcx replied, ¡°Coming right up, Captain.¡± his hands moved on the keyboard and a ship was disyed on a holoscreen.

    Rosa Blues and the other two girls also paid attention to the screen, they wanted to know why Shi Lang wanted to see this design. He said, ¡°Quinn, what do you see?¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°Seamless weapon system?¡± with some doubt.

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°Indeed. Seamless weapon system. This is a concept that our military research is still working on. However, they have already developed this. Remember we were told that the intel provided by the enemy is not likely to be correct, how can we be sure that their poption is dwindling? However, I can ept that they are feminists for sure.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, if this is a plot then the person behind this is extremely cunning, most likely a woman with a spider-like personality.¡±

    Jenkins chuckled and said, ¡°Spider-like or fox-like?¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°Jenkins I did not expect you to be a man of culture.¡±

    The two exchanged a nce and gave each other a fist bump while Shi Lang said, ¡°If you two fell in a honey trap, I will chop off your third leg. Understood?¡±

    His cold voice made the two guys shiver. They simmered down and Darcx said, ¡°The Neomonian vessel is about to cross.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Quinn, see if they request us for a connection, respond in positive if they do it.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°And if they do not?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°No need to initiate anything. They were the ones who wanted this exchange right?¡± his voice was calm.

    Quinn nodded and went back to monitor themunication channels. Rosa Blues said, ¡°Major Lang you know we can take the initiative tomunicate with them?¡±

    She wanted to tell the guy that it was not a bad thing to be the first one tomunicate. However, before Shi Lang could respond, themunications rang, Quinn said, ¡°The exchange candidates are requestingmunication ess, patching up now.¡±

    Themunications were put through and a girl with blonde hair and golden eyes appeared on the holoscreen. Shi Lang could read that the girl was trying to see what he was thinking, while he was doing the same.

    The girl spoke up after a few seconds, ¡°I am Nexa, the lead representative of the Neomon delegation heading to Metropia. I wish you a pleasant stay at my home.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I am Shi Lang, the lead representative of the Federal delegation heading to Nestia. I wish you a pleasant stay at my home. Also, Miss Nexa, I rmend that you try some local music and food to have a better grasp of our culture.¡± with a smile on his face.

    The girl froze when she saw this. She did not expect what was going on. Before she could say anything, themunication was interrupted. Quinn said, ¡°Neomon, the military is hailing.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Miss Nexa, I think we have to part ways here. Have a good stay.¡± that said, he disconnected her connection and Quinn patched up the military envoy.

    The people inside the cabin have changed their uniforms to maintain their cover. On the new holoscreen, a stern-lookingdy appeared. Shi Lang immediately put up a meek front and asked, ¡°Hello, Ma¡¯am, do you have any instructions for us?¡±

    Thedy, who was busy observing Shi Lang said, ¡°Hello, I am General N, I wee you on behalf of her Majesty Nexalia Neytiri.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It is our honor to be here, Ma¡¯am, thank you very much.¡± his tone was humble.

    General N nodded and said, ¡°We will be providing you the coordinates and heading equation, please use them to follow us back to Nestia.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile. Themunication was finished. Shi Lang said, ¡°Jenkins you are responsible for the navigation, Quinn send back a morse code to General Edwards, the leader of the Neomon Delegation might be rted to some big shot in the Neomon Royal family.¡±

    Rosa asked, ¡°How did you discover that?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Her face matches the general we just talked to and her name is Nexa, how can we be sure that it is not short for Nexalia Neytiri? or something?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°Will that not mean that Nexa is the queen herself?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Not possible, a queen will not leave her abode until it was necessary, because every moment she is away from the throne, the more restless her courtiers will be. So, it is not worth it to give up your own territory to gain other.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°You are correct, but Quinn, do mention in the message that it is just a guess. We do not have any adamant proof of Nexa being in rtion with the crown.¡±

    Quinn nodded and sent out a morse to the first general. Then she asked, ¡°Will I not be identified by the simr manner of deduction?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Your ID card, is Harley Dupont. You have taken up the name of your mother¡¯s family, which is one of the most mysterious families in The Federation, Nexa or the delegates will not be able to find out about that and it also happens that there are several other families by the name Dupont. Only Amelia and Jenkins are known to be the children of high-ranking military cadres.¡±

    Amelia added, ¡°Our identities are revealed to cover yours.¡± her face had a faint smile.

    Quinn felt a little guilty and asked, ¡°How can I ever repay?¡±

    Jenkins spoke up, ¡°Pledge yourself to me.¡± excitedly.

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, ¡°I did not expect the steel hunk to be so perverted after joining the front.¡±

    Jenkins chuckled, ¡°There is only one topic that can relieve stress at the front, sex.¡±

    Darcx nodded and smile slyly. Amelia and Quinn shook their heads at this and Rosa said, ¡°Captain Jenkins, are the units of navigation filled in?¡±

    Jenkins replied with a yes, and Shi Lang said, ¡°Sync up with the Neomonians and initiate space jump.¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡± replied the navigator and in five seconds, they all sighed in farewell to their home and the ship elerated to move ahead through the starry seas.

    ¡­

    Twenty-five space jumpster, they arrived in front of a that looked simr to The Federation. Shi Lang said, ¡°Can we find a room and crash already?¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°The space jumps are really tolling.¡± with a tired expression.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I had no idea that it will take twenty-five jumps.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°It will take a couple of hours to reach the surface, why don¡¯t you and instructor Rosa go inside the rejuvenation chamber.¡± as he was monitoring the spaceship¡¯s movement.

    Shi Lang did not reply, he directly rushed to the med-bay toy in the rejuvenation chamber. Inside the chamber, a couple of hours of sleep would be equal to a night ofplete sleep. The brain and physical body will recover to the optimum level after sleeping in the nutritive solution.

    Darcx looked at this and said, ¡°I thought he would never give up on his manners.¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°You should try and stay away for five days with twenty-five space jumps.¡± in an apathetic voice.

    Quinn said, ¡°The Neomonians wouldmunicate frequently with him trying to unravel things, only now did he get a chance to sleep.¡±

    The four people on the bridge nodded in agreement when themunications were hailed again. This time Quinn picked it up and the General was surprised to see a new face. Quinn said, ¡°Hello, General N, I am the vice leader of the delegation. Our leader has just retired for a break, if you have any instructions, do tell me.¡±

    N nodded and said, ¡°Hello, from here on, please travel ording to the pathway provided to you. We will be parting ways here. We wish you a pleasant time.¡±

    Quinn nodded and then after a pleasant greeting themunication was disconnected. She said, ¡°Jenkins, one mistake in course setting will be death, do you understand?¡±

    Jenkins nodded and began to maneuver the ship to descend slowly.

 Chapter 144

    Jenkins controlled the ship impably maintaining the course told by the Neomons. He said, ¡°I did not even feel so stressed during my first flight, the air is so heavy here.¡±

    Quinn was reading the atmospheric data and said, ¡°Indeed the concentration of elements is rich on this. Darcx, what do you have for me?¡±

    Darcx was monitoring the ship¡¯s defense system and said, ¡°They have almost all the defense satellites in this region locked on to us, at the same time, the ground is crawling with celestial ballistics. If they are attempting to intimidate us, then they have seeded.¡±

    Amelia chuckled and said, ¡°That is not all, look at the ce ofnding, in front of the royal pce of Nestia. Looks like our status has been promoted, from exchange students to royal captives.¡±

    The other three shook their heads at this. They had not expected the Neomons toe at them so strongly. Regardless of that, Jenkins controlled the ship and after the clouds were clear, they got the proper picture of their destination.

    While the boys let out a low whistle, the girls were watching the screen with their mouths half-open. Amelia said, ¡°This is not a fantasy right? We have not by mistake died already and having this dream.¡±

    Quinn walked to stand beside Darcx and pped him hard, the man yell in pain, and Quinn said, ¡°We are alive, that much is confirmed.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Amelia what is it that made you say such a thing?¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°Yes, p yourself if you have to confirm if it is true.¡± with an aggrieved expression.

    Amelia replied with a sigh, ¡°That pce in front of us, ording to the sensors is made up of Mythril. Completely.¡±

    The control room rang out with a collective curse, ¡°WHAT THE FUCK.¡±

    Jenkins asked with an agitated expression, ¡°Are you fucking serious? That much Mythril, I can buy half of our moon with that.¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°Damn, how are they so rich?¡±

    Quinn was doing something on herputer and said, ¡°Turns out, this pce is not made up of Mythril tiles but it is a structure, carved out of a mountain. This is a monolith architecture.¡±

    Amelia gulped and asked, ¡°How will they be able to carve something like this?¡±

    They all looked at each other and had no answers. Jenkins said, ¡°Wake up the two of them, we are here.¡±

    Amelia pressed a button on her console and the rejuvenation pod inside the med bay stopped keeping Shi Lang into induced sleep. The liquid inside the pod was flushed out and the boy got out. Soon after him Rosa Blues. The two people stretched out as they came out of the pods, and made their way back to the deck.

    Once in hismand chair, Shi Lang asked the crew to report what happened in the past two hours, when they told him where they were headed and what the ce was like Shi Lang yawned and said, ¡°Land and dock.¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°Docking permissions acquired, initiating sequence.¡± that said, the ship docked to the space drop, and theirmunications were hailed. Quinn patched up and the person in the video said, ¡°Hello friends from afar, I am Melody, I serve as the handmaid of The Queen, Her Majesty Nexalia Neytiri. On behalf of her majesty, I extend our warm wee to you. Please wait till an officeres over to escort you all to meet her majesty. I advise that you all change into your formal attires. Thank you.¡±

    Themunication was disconnected after thedy stopped speaking. Rosa said, ¡°Did she look down on us?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes, she did, after all, we are ants here, even ants have a better status in this ce.¡± in a calm voice.

    They were all geniuses, and they all had unlimited potential, given the status they enjoyed back in The Federation, here they will be nothing like that, on the contrary, worse than their lowest is possible. With a sigh, the people got up and went to their rooms. They were asked to dress up, then dress up they shall.

    Shi Lang put on a royal blue three-piece tuxedo with ck shoes and waxed up his hair. His cufflinks were models of earth. Amelia wore a gone matching royal blue ball gown, her hair was styled in a half up and half down style. A hairpin with an earth model as the exposed clip held them together. A decently diamond ne was adoring her neck.

    Jenkins wore a steel gray tuxedo, while Darcx had his ck tuxedo on. Quinn donned a cherry-pink ball gown and Rosa took up a silver mermaid gown for her. The man had cufflinks with the earth logo while thedies had simr pins. Zysha had been ced inside a rejuvenation pod, she did not feel too good from the space jumps, at this moment she stood behind beside Shi Lang, with her glowy blue fur and silver ornaments on her neck and ear.

    They waited inside the holding bay for five minutes after getting dressed when Jenkins said, ¡°They are asking us to unlock the door. Shi Lang nodded and Jenkins tapped on hismunicator, the ship entrance opened.

    Shi Lang raised his hand and Amelia gently took it. At this moment the team noticed them wearing rings on their ring finger. Jenkins said, ¡°You bloody couple came here for a honeymoon.¡±

    The other three chuckled. Shi Lang said, ¡°I would to have you two men, act like men and not horny dogs outside this ship. If I found you tarnishing the Terran name, I will break you, repair you and then break you again. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡± replied the two men. Rosa said, ¡°Be disciplined, but not too uptight. Shi Lang nodded, by now the hatch door waspletely opened.

    A figure dressed in armor walked over with ten others following them. The person ced a hand over his heart and said, ¡°I am the leader of the pce guard, Helix Aremis. You may address me as, Captian Aremis. I am here to wee you to the pce.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, ¡°I am the leading representative of the delegation, Ace, pleased to meet you Captain Aremis.¡± Then he turned slightly and gestured to everyone to make introductions. His conduct was akin to a noble civilian, elegant and eloquent.

    Ameris nodded and gestured for them to follow her. After they came down the ship, Ameris took them to an open head carriage that was floating in the void, with four white horses tied ahead of it. Ameris said, ¡°This is the royal guest carriage, please.¡±

    Shi Lang held the door with his free hand and said, ¡°After you.¡± to Amelia.

    Amelia smiled at him and then she got onto the carriage. Followed by her, Rosa, and Quinn. Shi Lang and the boys werest. Three people sat on both sides of the seat while Zysha sat between them.

    The pce guard leader was surprised by their etiquettes and could not help but ask, ¡°Do men in your world, have no sense of pride? Why did you allow the women to go up first?¡± as she sat down in the coachman¡¯s seat.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°All men have pride, however, ones who understand that just because we allow a woman, who holds the power of creation ahead of us to be seated, are real men. Are they not?¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°Interesting point of view. I see that only you were holding hands with thisdy, why are the others not doing so?¡±

    Thisdy was very curious about the guests from afar. Shi Lang again replied, ¡°Because thedy beside me is my wife. We arepanions, while the others are not.¡±

    Ameris was shocked and said, ¡°You people sure have a unique culture, Neomons do not allow their men to hold them like this. Men are not actually worthy of women, that is what we believe in.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I understand and somewhat agree as well, however, withouting together, none of them can exist. Just like without earth to walk on, the sky is just void.¡±

    The two people conversed a lot. Shi Lang was an intellectual person and he did not mind talking about such things, however, he was unaware that every action there was being watched by a pair of glowing eyes. The observer was none other than the Queen of this, Nexalia Neytiri.

    She mumbled, ¡°They are interesting. Finally, the boredom will end.¡±

    As the carriage was moving forward to the Mythril pce, whole Nestia was getting eager to find what these new visitors held for them. Shi Lang and the others were not only talking and observing the scenery, but they were also taking into ount the soldiers and their weapons.

    The nanobots inside the ship had all begun to move out undetected, following amand code. Soon, the group will be meeting the Queen of the world that awaits them.

 Chapter 145

    The carriage carrying the Terrans moved through a secured pathway, from the spaceport to the pce directly. Shi Lang was busy with his exchange with Captain Ameris, while the others were talking with each other using morse code. The content of their conversation was the surrounding elements.

    The pathway was guarded by armored guards carrying slender weapons. Rosa asked, ¡°Pardon me but Captain Ameris, may I ask you something?¡±

    Ameris replied without turning back, ¡°Please do.¡±

    Rosa asked, ¡°The weapons carried by the guards seem like melee weapons, but given your technological advancement, should they not use phasor weapons?¡±

    Shi Lang was sitting across from her and his expression turned cold. Rosa realized her mistake looking at him. She asked about weapons and what does a civilian has to do with weapons?

    Aremis caught on to it and asked, ¡°I did not expect you to be a weapon expert, Miss¡­¡±

    ¡°Rosa Blues.¡± replied thedy calmly.

    ¡°Lady Blues. The weapons in their hands are abined version of phasor and melee. Since phasor weapons can deal extreme damage, the melee is used until the situation is too urgent or demanding.¡± said Captain Ameris.

    She went on after a pause, ¡°Have you ever practiced with weapons?¡±

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°In our education system, everyone is allowed to learn some details about the military. All of us have taken up some camps back at home to learn self-defense and discipline, however, no actual weapons.¡±

    She was aware that the delegation sent by Neomons will be able to contact them and provide them intel about the military culture. Thus, she decided to make things smoother first. Shi Lang¡¯s expression has long returned to calm, as he heard Zysha in his mind, ¡®We are being watched.¡¯

    Shi Lang tapped and blinked at Amelia who also yed along and while they were talking about the surroundings they told the others that they were being watched. Soon the people arrived in front of the pce. Ameris got off the coachman chair and an attendant walked over to open the carriage door. Shi Lang and the boy were the first to get down.

    Then they helped thedies get down one by one, and Ameris said, ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    The people nodded and they were teamed up into pairs. While Zysha stood beside Shi Lang. The boy asked, ¡°Captain Ameris, is it alright to bring Zysha to the royal courtroom?¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°She looks rather tamed and elegant. Unless she is to act out of line, she is allowed to enter the courtroom.¡±

    The people nodded and with straight backs, they followed her through the pce. The decoration of the pce was just like any other high-end ce. Elegant and morous. However, Shi Lang and the rest did not ogle for too long. The identities of the rest of the people were not shabby and Shi Lang was not interested in these materialistic things.

    Ameris and the other attendants in the pce were noting their reactions. They understood that these people were interested in the pce decor but they were not country bumpkins. Soon, they were all standing in front of closed wooden doors leading to the courtroom.

    Ameris said, ¡°You all please stay here. The courtier will call upon you when her majesty is ready.¡± calmly.

    Shi Lang nodded and then watched the captain get inside. Jenkins asked in a low voice, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The question was intended for Shi Lang and the boy shook his head as he said, ¡°Too less.¡±

    The people talked in a low voice. After five minutes, a voice sounded, ¡°Her Majesty calls for you, Sir.¡±

    An old man stood in front of them with his head bowed. Shi Lang nodded and Amelia hooked hands with him as they walked inside. The couple was in the lead and the rest of the people followed him. Rosa and Quinn walked together with Darcx and Jenkins behind them. The pace was calm and not too rushed. Their faces disyed no anxiety but faint smiles.

    Zysha said, ¡°She is strong, Lang.¡±

    The boy replied, ¡°Indeed, I can sense her aura all the way here.¡± telepathically.

    As the people came inside, they spotted a flight of stairs, with a throne at the end of the room. Ady sat on the Mythril throne. Her features were hidden behind a veil, but her slender long leg was exposed to the atmosphere. Shi Lang however did not gaze at her beauty for more than a few seconds and bowed his head slightly as he said, ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Ace, the leader of Federal Exchange team,¡±

    The rest of the team followed his example when suddenly a calm chuckle sounded followed by a few words, ¡°Are you trying to disrespect our queen but not bending your knee to her? Do you not fear death?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and asked, ¡°May I speak freely, Your Majesty?¡±

    His action made the people surprised, with just one sentence, the boy had turned down the allegation made against him for disrespecting the queen. Thedy on the throne nodded, giving him permission to speak freely.

    Shi Lang turned his gaze at the middle-aged man who had just spoken just now and said, ¡°With all due respect Sir, we are guests at your home. I do not think that Neomonian culture will have a guest kneeling in front of them. however, even if you do, I and my team stand here as the representatives of my civilization. If we knelt to you, that would mean our civilization knelt to you. That I would rather not do.¡±

    His voice was calm and his gaze was firm. The people were surprised to see the defiance and courage of this boy. The middle-aged man said, ¡°Hmph, then you shall die.¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly looked the man dead in his eyes and said, ¡°Then you shall prepare for war.¡±

    His words shocked everyone, even his teammates. They did not expect him to issue a threat like this. The middle-aged man chuckled and said, ¡°The federation will go against us for a bunch of kids?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Allow me to introduce you to my fiance, Amelia Knight, daughter of the General Charlotte Knight. You must know her through your negotiations.

    Jenkins Edward, son of General Edwards, the first general of the Federation. Shall I continue?¡± this introduction heated up things.

    The middle-aged man was surprised to hear the identity of the two people. The queen who has not uttered a word till now spoke up, ¡°Enough frolicking. Minister Hamdan, you should retire to your quarters for the day. As for our guests, I wonder if you are willing to make a transgression for the sake of this queen?¡±

    Shi Lang bowed his head and replied, ¡°You embarrass us, Your Majesty. I should apologize for acting uncouth in your presence. However, I believe that respect should be mutual.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri gazed deeply at him and then nodded, ¡°I agree with your thoughts, respect should be mutual. Let us start anew. I, Nexalia Neytiri, wee you to Neomon.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and said, ¡°It is an honor to be here, Your Majesty. Thank you for having us.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°You have been traveling through the space for quite a long time, your quarters have been arranged by the keeper of the pce, Madam Neriba. She will show you around the ce and will personally look after you during your stay here.¡±

    Rosa Blues stepped forward and asked, ¡°Your Majesty, please pardon me for the interruption, but how long will we stay here before the education exchange program?¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri replied, ¡°You all can depart anytime you like, but we have prepared a banquet in your honor. Many of the nobles and masses would like to know more about Terran culture.¡±

    Rosa Blues nodded and replied, ¡°Thank you for the honor, Your Majesty.¡±

    The queen gazed at the pce keeper Neriba, who bowed to her slightly and said, ¡°Please follow me so that I can show you to your rooms. Your luggage has been brought over by the guards earlier.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest had clearly left the luggage in the holding bay when Ameris came to lead them. Just as they were about to leave, Nexalia Neytiri spoke up, ¡°Shosha Ace, I invite you to have some tea with me.¡±

    The crowd stopped Shi Lang turned around and asked, ¡°It will be my honor, Your Majesty, but may I be selfish and ask if my Fiance can also share the same honor with me.¡±

    Nexalia raised her eyebrow and nodded. She stood up from her throne and walked down in elegant steps. However, during the whole time, her eyes were locked on Shi Lang. The young man did have any emotion in his eyes as he looked at her. It was as if she was a piece of stone dancing in front of him. Nexalia Neytiri was not only the queen but also one of the most beautiful women in the Neomon empire.

    She gestured for the two of them to follow her, and they left the courtroom.

 Chapter 146

    Amelia and Shi Lang followed the queen of Neomon, Nexalia Neytiri to a garden, where thetter invited them both to sit down under a pavilion and have tea with her. A couple of youngsters noted how heavily the pce was guarded, however, the guards did not have a single male within their ranks.

    Amelia did not say anything verbally but the grip of her hand hooked with Shi Lang¡¯s elbow was constantly fluctuating. The boy replied to her with the depth of his breath. When they sat under the pavilion Nexalia Neytiri asked, ¡°Shusha(Mr. in native Neomonian) Ace, your breathing is irregr. Are youfortable?¡±

    Shi Lang replied with a faint smile, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have a habit of breathing like this to get myself familiar with the air of a new.¡±

    Nexaliamented, ¡°Quiet is a unique habit you have.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Everyone in the universe is unique in their own way, Your Majesty. Just like how you are.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I suppose that you are trying topliment me, otherwise I can have you imprisoned for insulting me.¡± her tone was yful but the guards surrounding the garden all became alert and took attacking positions.

    Shi Lang acted a bit startled and then with a bitter smile said, ¡°I apologize for any misunderstanding my vaguement created, Your Majesty. What I meant by unique was apliment to your elegant self.¡±

    Nexalia chuckled and said, ¡°Elegance is a requirement in royalty. I would like to ask you, why do you find my elegance unique? Your fiancee is not elegant enough for you?¡±

    ¡°Surely you jest, You Majesty. Amelia is the most elegantdy I have seen, and I love her dearly, however, I called your elegance unique because we have never met a royal personage,¡± replied Shi Lang.

    Nexalia nodded and at this moment, a maid brought over a trolley with a tea set and some snacked. She did not say anything but served the tea. The three people stoppedmunicating, and Amelia, who was gazing around found a bird that was simr to a peacock in the garden.

    The queen noticed her gaze and said, ¡°That bird is called Ignica. The feathers on the back look like a zing trail of mes.¡±

    Amelia replied in aposed manner, ¡°On my home there is a species of birds simr to this one, but the color of the feathers is royal blue and green. It is called a peacock.¡±

    The two women began to talk. The timing of sipping tea and talking again was so on the dot that the conversation was seamless. Shi Lang learned a lot of trivia. He was aware that the Queen was not interested in him but Amelia. Earlier he disclosed her identity which made the Queen look at Amelia in a new light, she was the daughter of a female general.

    Nexalia Neytiri had a soft spot for women. Suddenly, the queen asked, ¡°Shushi(Miss) Amelia, you are so young and I am sure a lot of men would be after you. Why did you get settle so early?¡±

    While she said this thedy was gazing at Shi Lang from the corner of her eyes. Amelia replied in her soft voice, ¡°Your Majesty, Ace is a student of my mother, the best she could have ever trained, he does note from a high background, yet today he can stand in front of our team as the leader because of his skills and hardwork.

    My mother decided that he should be mypanion, at first I had my reservations, but he won my trust. So, I gave him my heart. It is just that simple.¡±

    The queen nodded and asked, ¡°What makes you think that he will maintain this trust even in the future?¡±

    Amelia raised her head to lock eyes with the queen and said, ¡°If he can stay indifferent to your charm, Your Majesty, then I believe he will never break my trust.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri was surprised. Zysha had followed them here and she had been noticing the moves of the queen. Thedy has been doing subtle actions that may seem normal to people, but given her seductive figure, those moves could make a man go mad for a glimpse of her.

    Shi Lang did not say anything but smiled when Zysha said this to him and used his breathing to convey the same to Amelia. Do not underestimate this youngdy, she was a wild cat. The veil on the queens face was a digital one, it did not obstruct the cup. Just hid her face.

    After a few moments of awkward silence, the Queen said, ¡°As I expected, you youngsters are not really easy.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I shall take that as apliment, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°What is it that your civilization seek from us?¡± asked the queen.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We hope for an alliance. War may suffice the desire to expand territories, but no piece ofnd or amount of resources are not worth lives. Whether they may be Neomonians or Terrans.¡± in a calm manner.

    Nexalia Neytiri nodded and said, ¡°The truth is that our poption is declining, the men in our world have low to no desire to mate. At this point in time, Neomons cannot afford a war.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°What do you need from us, Your Majesty?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that I would ask something of you, Young Terran.¡± asked Nexalia Neytiri.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Then why would you divulge such secrets to us, Your Majesty? A ruler never does anything without benefit, even the charity for people is done to keep up the pretense of a generous leader.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri was amused and could not help but chuckle. She said, ¡°Indeed you are correct, but I did not expect you all to see through my motive so soon. Since the cat is out of the bag, I might as welle clean about it.

    I would like you and your fellow male Terrans to help us breed as much as possible. Of course, you can name any price.¡±

    Thisment of her surprised Amelia while Shi Lang looked at the queen as if she was an idiot. After a few seconds, she did not find Shi Lang answering to her thoughts, she asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Do you really not know the reason behind the decline in poption of your empire, or are you just going to pretend like you do not know anything?¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri raised her eyebrow but the boy continued, ¡°Without women their is not life, yet without men their is no life either. The royal court, the pce guards, are all handled by women, while men are not even qualified to have a decent job. As a male with a considerable self esteem, I would like to tell you, do not push men to the point where they stop caring for your existence. A male¡¯s ego will be as small as an atom, until someone points it out.

    That is when you face a mountain you cannot climb. Your Majesty, can you tell me how you came to being?¡±

    Nexalia replied with a cold gaze, ¡°I was given birth to, by my mother, how else?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Are you sure it was not done from a breeding camp?¡±

    His words made the queen shiver in anger but he continued, ¡°If you are so angry from such an assumption, they think about the future generation that will be born from a breeding camp. What about the male children born in the breeding camp? Will you have them all killed, or abandoned? Believe me, you will only get yourself surrounded by men who could not wait to see the fall of the royal family, and women who could not wait but to ascend the throne and create a new Neomon, because they will hate how they were given birth in a breeding center as if they were some ughter animal.¡±

    His words, shook the Queen¡¯s resolve. She could not help but calm down a bit. She said, ¡°Well, we shall take a leave for now, the banquet will start in the evening, you will need to rest and freshen up before that. We shall talk about this some other time.¡±

    That said, she stood up, and left the pavilion. The two youngsters stood there watching her departure. Zysha said, ¡°You two sure know how to rattle the snake.¡±

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and thought, ¡°She was not the queen.¡±

    Zysha was shocked, and when Shi Lang gazed at Amelia the girl also understood the same. She nodded to him in affirmation. A guard came over and said, ¡°Two guests, please follow me, I will be leading you back to your room.¡±

    The two nodded and were about to follow thedy in the armor when Shi Lang said, ¡°Madam, may I ask you to convey a message to her majesty?¡±

    The guard was unsure what he was up to, and Amelia shared her emotions. After some hesitation the guarddy nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°The tea was an excellently blended. I liked it very much.¡±

 Chapter 147

    Shi Lang and Amelia returned to their room. The guarddy told the two of them that they have different rooms, but since the two people needed to talk, they moved to the same room. Shi Lang was thankful that theirmunicators were not taken away.

    He quickly used hismunicator to manipte the nanobot scattered around toe over. After a few minutes, the whole team was able connected with each other mentally, Rosa said, ¡°How was the tea?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°The Queen is fishy, and she said that she would like the males in our team to act as breeding pigs.¡± her emotions could not be detected.

    Quinn asked, ¡°What did you say to the proposal?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Preached my way out of it. However, the queen got agitated afterward. She did not even care for her image.¡±

    Amelia exined to them what happened, and Rosa said, ¡°What do you think Lang?¡±

    ¡°I think the queen is not the queen.¡± replied Shi Lang while he sat leaning against the headboard.

    Jenkins said, ¡°Oh, I had that thought from the first moment, she is not a queen but a goddess.¡±

    Before the people couldugh at the joke, Shi Lang dumped them into an ocean of ice, ¡°Jenkins Edward, this is an official team meeting and you have the guts to crack jokes during a serious conversation. Do you really wish to be pulverized so much?¡±

    He did not like people making a mess during work. Jenkins on the other hand and shivered. He said, ¡°I apologize, Sir. However, do you have any idea who might this fake queen be?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Someone close to the queen. Could be her trusted hand-maiden, or could be someone else, we don¡¯t know if they really wish to form an alliance with us yet or not. We need more details to make the final call.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Find a way to monitor the queen and confirm if she is the real one or not.¡±

    The team then began toe up with ways to track the queen. However, Shi Lang was cautious and found that all of the ns had some loopholes that couldpromise the whole situation. As he was lost in thoughts Amelia said, ¡°We all should get ready for the banquet.¡±

    The people nodded and began to get ready. Shi Lang took off his clothes in front of Amelia who said with a shocked expression, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    The young man replied, ¡°Going to take a bath, I smell like nutrition liquid.¡±

    Amelia bit her lower lip and said, ¡°I mean to say why are you taking off your clothes in front of me? Have you no shame?¡±

    Shi Lang was undoing his shirt buttons when he heard this and stopped. Then a smirk appeared on the corner of his lips and the young man said, ¡°No, I have no shame.¡±

    With that said, he undid his shirt even faster and took off his pants. Then donning a pair of underpants, the young man walked up to the girl who was checking out his sculpted figure in a daze. When he was close enough he whispered, ¡°Do you like what you see?¡±

    Amelia nodded slightly and woke up from her stupor, then she shook her head like a rattle with a face that was almost bleeding from shame. Shi Lang took hold of her shoulders and asked gently, ¡°Do you trust me?¡±

    Amelia raised her head to gaze into his ck eyes and when she was faced with sincerity and anticipation in those eyes, she said, ¡°Yes. I trust you.¡± in a low voice.

    Shi Lang nodded and then said, ¡°Let us take a bath together, just a bath, nothing more. Okay?¡±

    Amelia lowered her head to gaze at the floor, she has never been that close to him. She was shy, and hesitant, while at the same time a me of excitement was also burning in her heart. She blinked and Shi Lang thought she did not want to go along with his n, so he mumbled, ¡°All in good time.¡±

    He leaned in a bit and pecked her forehead gently and then turned around to go to the bathroom, when Amelia said in a small voice, ¡°I did not say no.¡±

    Shi Lang froze in his ce once again and then he turned around, carried the girl in his arms like a princess, and marched toward the bathroom. After the door was closed, Zysha could not hear anything. She has been watching everything very curiously. Watching the closed door of the bathroom, she could only use her tongue to lick her lips.

    ¡­

    After twenty minutes when the couple came out, Amelia was wrapped in a towel, while Shi Lang carried her. It was not as if she could not walk, but yes she could not walk. What happened inside the bathroom, was so exciting for her that her body caved in. Shi Lang sat her in front of the dressing table and gently helped her dry her hair.

    Amelia said with some vexation, ¡°Do you also want to dress me?¡±

    The young man put down the wet towel in his hands and came to crouch down in front of her. Then he said with a doting expression on his face, ¡°I will do whatever you want me to.¡±

    Amelia snorted but did not say anything, and turned her head to the side. To be honest, she liked this soft and madly in love side of him. He would be so uptight with everyone except for her. She was aware of how he had this fear of losing her. She said in a low voice, ¡°Only if you allow me to help you as well.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and grabbed her face as he nted a kiss on her lips gently. Amelia had also decided to give up her shyness for him, after all, the charms cast by the queen today gave her some threat. Her mother had also told her to be more proactive in such things.

    The two people then indulged in another round of intense romance that was an expression of their love and had nothing to do with lust. Shi Lang put on a ck tuxedo with a white shirt, while Amelia dressed in a ck ball gown with golden trims. They did not have many clothes fit for such asions, but they had Nanobots. The wonder of technology was such that with a few gestures on themunicator, Shi Lang could program them to act like their clothes.

    In the end, after Shi Lang was done putting on his shoes, he bent down in front of Amelia and gestured for her to ce her foot on his thigh. Then he delicately put on an ankle strap heel on her feet but not without teasing them a bit.

    When they were done, Amelia helped him with his bow tie onest time before they left the room. In the corridor, they met the rest of the team and the people were all dressed up. Just when they were about to look for some guard or maid, they saw Ameris walking up to them, she was dressed in attire that looked like soft armor.

    Quinn asked her, ¡°Captain Ameris, may I be a little blunt and ask you about your attire. It is very unique.¡±

    Ameris smiled faintly and nodded, ¡°This is what we call, Mai ne du barta. Meaning celebration battle dress.¡±

    One of her shoulders had a silver pauldron on them, while the rest of the body was covered with a short skirt with metallic trimmings all over it. She wore knee-length boots with metal tes over them, the metal tes were engraved with patterns.

    Shi Lang gazed at her once and then asked, ¡°When will the banquet start?¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°The guests have begun to arrive, they are now waiting for you and her majesty to grace the halls. Please follow me.¡±

    The people nodded and they followed thedy. As they neared the halls mentioned by Ameris, they could hear musical tunes floating around them. Shi Lang said, ¡°It would be good if they had waltz music.¡±

    Ameris asked, ¡°What is Waltz music?¡±

    Amelia replied with a faint smile, ¡°Waltz music is a mellow but fast-paced set of notes. I have some of the pieces with me, I can y them for us allter.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°Everyone would like to hear the sound from your world.¡±

    Soon the people reached the halls, and the announcer said, ¡°The guests of honor, the Terran exchange team is now entering the banquet halls.¡±

    Jenkins made a gesture for Rosa Blues, and thedy raised her hand for him to take as they entered the ce, followed by Dracx and Quinn, andstly, Amelia and Shi Lang. However, Shi Lang was not holding hands with Amelia, it was thedy holding his hand from his elbow joint.

 Chapter 148

    Shi Lang and the team entered the banquet hall after their names were announced. The people inside the banquet hall immediately fell into a momentary silence and cast a gaze at the doorway. They all wanted to see the so-called guest of honor. In the past meetings, the intelligence department has told many times about the threat this civilization carried.

    The Neomonian government would never ept it but some journalists and retired officers have always emphasized the threat factor of the abilities these Terrans have. Just because two civilizations have not openlymunicated, it did not mean that they have never made covert discoveries.

    However, they neverpletely trusted the intel, because the sources of their information were all people behind the enemy lines, and they could be manipted. The queen has been managing things from the shadow and preparing the empire to deal with a potential war.

    Jenkins was a handsome young man, he walked with his back straight and a faint smile on his lips. Holding Rosa¡¯s palm, the boy attracted a lot of gazes filled with different emotions. Rosa Blues had a mature charm to herself and that was what attracted the nobles in the hall.

    Followed by Darcx and Quinn. They also received a lot of scrutinizing gazes. The best was saved for thest, Amelia walked over with Shi Lang, their hooked hands attracted a lot of second looks. While the couple acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. A few nobles, who happened to cross gazes, raised the sses in their hands, and the young Terran couple nodded to them in return.

    They have just arrived and did not have any sses served.

    Behind the two of them, Ameris walked slowly. The nobles had yet to seize the chance and get into a conversation with the Terrans, they heard a loud voice, ¡°Attention, Daughter Of The Moon, Dracken yer, Her Majesty The Queen has arrived.¡±

    The people all stopped murmuring and stood up in attention. After a few seconds, they all could hear the sound of high heels treading on the outside. Shi Lang said, ¡°If the other bow, we will boy as well, but only the head.¡±

    His voice was low, and only Terrans could hear it. The team nodded and they all cast a gaze at the main entrance. Before long, Nexalia Neytiri walked in wearing a ck gown. This dress leaned to the conservative side of ady¡¯s nature.

    The gown was filled with floral patterns but the color of the patterns stayed ck, only with a minor fluctuation in the shade. Her digital veil looked like a ck satin cloth, the technology of this certain article was very sophisticated, the satin cloth seemed to be moving along with Nexalia¡¯s movements.

    The people all bowed and said, ¡°Long Live The Queen.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest also bowed their heads and said, ¡°Long Live the Queen.¡±

    Nexalia stopped in the center of the hall and said, ¡°Long Reign Neomon.¡±

    This was her greeting to the masses. The people all raised their heads and focused their gazes on the queen, who said, ¡°Ameris.¡±

    Ameris came to stand by her side and said in a sonorous tone, ¡°The banquet tonight is organized to wee the guests from afar, the Terran delegation. Allow me to introduce you all to them. The team is led by Shosha Ace.¡± as she gestured at Shi Lang.

    The boy bowed slightly to acknowledge. Followed him, everyone else was also introduced and the team acknowledged him. Nexalia waited for the introduction to finish and said, ¡°Do you all need me to issue a royal decree before you all can spark up the night?¡±

    The nobles chuckled and soon some people began to dance. Ameris stood beside the Terran team, while Nexalia headed to socialize with the nobles. Shi Lang said, ¡°Not many men have the qualification to be a noble?¡±

    Ameris shook her head and said, ¡°The men here are all those who have been loyal to their women or have made contributions worth recognition. Neomon is a feminist empire. we follow matriarchy. The status of a king will also be lower than the queen. Do you have any objection?¡±

    They were outsiders and their every movement was under scrutiny. Shi Lang could sense some gazes locked onto his back and shoulders when the young man shook his head and said, ¡°You misunderstand. After nature, only women have the power to create a life. Only females can do that. I never said that the status of a queen is a problem, but undermining the title of the King is harmful.¡±

    A nobledy with sharp features could not help but scorn and asked, ¡°Forgive me for the intrusion, but what do you know about monarchy?¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head to look at thedy and asked in a polite manner, ¡°May I know how to address you, please?¡±

    Thedy raised her chin slightly and said, ¡°I am the Viscountess of Xerisa, you may address me by Your Grace Viscountess.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Your grace, if I remove the men from this universe, how long will the females survive? Probably a few decades, they can increase this time by relying on technology, however, technology alsoes at a cost, and it will notst forever.

    I do not mean to offend what you or anyone else believes in. In my view, a male and a female are two elements, if they harmonize the world will be peaceful, if they do not, then the world wille to an end. The theatrics of this disharmony will be the bloodshed of not only people but also your belief.¡±

    His answer shot down the Viscountesspletely. The other nobles who heard this understood that this boy was anything but simple. Soon the banquet became livelier, as a few young scions stepped forward to mingle with the beauties of the Terran team.

    Amelia refused to have a dance with any man who came to her, she directly raised her hand and told them about her status as someone else¡¯s wife and will not be dancing with them. The scions were disappointed but they could only gulp it down. After all, they were men, and what ady said, was ced above their desires.

    Amelia sulked in silence, as Shi Lang exchanged greetings and views with some of the older nobledies and men. After an hour when he was done, Nexalia happened to walk over and asked, ¡°Did you enjoy the banquet.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It was a good experience, Your Majesty.¡±

    Amelia nodded but the sourness in her eyes could not escape Shi Lang. He said, ¡°Amy, I will dance with you when we get back to our dwellings. I promise, we should not ask others to adjust ording to us, you see.¡±

    His voice was low, and he acted as if he was scared to offend the people. Nexalia heard this and asked, ¡°What seems to be the matter?¡±

    Amelia spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty, would it be possible to have a musical piece from Terran culture be yed here?¡± her tone was calm.

    The queen raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°I guess we all would like to see what the music in your culture sounds like.¡±

    Amelia smiled and led Shi Lang to the center of the hall, while she asked Rosa Blues to handle the orchestra. Thedy smiled and passed on a piece of music to the yers and they all began to y it slowly. The skills of these musicians weremendable. They could adapt to any piece as long as they had read the notes once.

    The surprising thing was that the musical principles were simr in this part of the universe as well. The music started at a slow pace, and gradually it picked up the tempo. The couple in the center of the hall seemed to have forgotten about the existence of the people around them. The two of them danced gracefully and with a smile on their faces.

    Nexalia was entranced by the music and so were the others. Soon, the young scions also began to dance with their respective partners around Shi Lang and Amelia. They were copying the movements of the two people.

    However, the two had no intention to pay them any mind and neither were they going to slow down to allow them to catch up. The Neomonians did not allow their youths to be sharing physical contact while dancing, however, Shi Lang and Amelia were not neomonians. They were dancing to express their happiness. To tell the world that they were in love.

    After the piece was finished, Shi Lang and Amelia opened a gap between themselves and bowed to each other before they turned to face the orchestra and bowed to them as well. This was not expected by the people.

    Ameris asked, ¡°Shosha Ace, why did you and Shoshi Amelia bow to the musicians?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°They were the ones who yed the music for us to dance. Without music, dance is a body without a soul. Thus, we bow to them, to show our gratitude for instilling our performance with a life.¡±

    This statement made the people surprised, they never thought of things like this. Or even if they did, they seemed to have forgotten the significance of courtesy. Here stood this youngster in front of them, telling them what courtesy meant.

 Chapter 149

    Shi Lang led Amelia back to the spot where his teammates were standing. They all were done mingling with the nobles and had developed some understanding of the political structure here. They were all taught human psychology in school, and Neomons were simr to humans by arge margin, thus they assessed them with the same and found a lot of things useful to them.

    Nexalia pped gently when the young Terran couple came back to the spot. Shi Lang and Amelia bowed to her slightly. The queen spoke, ¡°That dance was something I have never seen before. It was truly mesmerizing.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, ¡°We can provide some lessons to the royal instructors, they will be able to pass it on to everyone interested, if you allow us, Your Majesty.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Then on behalf of the Neomonians, you have our gratitude.¡± after a pause she said, ¡°Well, let us go and have the meal. I guess all the guests are also famished now.¡±

    The people thanked her for being so considerate and they all moved from the hall to the gardens where the tables and decorations were set up. The queen sat at a higher table, Shi Lang and the rest were the guests of honor so they sat alongside her.

    After the queen raised her ss of wine and said, ¡°Let the feast begin.¡±

    The attendants on the side of the tables began to serve the food to the nobles. Shi Lang and the others looked at the new dishes curiously and began to eat as well. When someone raised a ss to toast to the guests of honor, the team would raise their ss and take a sip as well.

    Suddenly, the middle-aged man, who had tried to insult Shi Lang in the courtroom spoke up in a loud voice, ¡°I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I have a question for the young guests.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri raised her eyebrow, and the old man continued speaking, ¡°Earlier in the morning, you said that Respect should be mutual. Now you sit beside our queen, and you feast with us, yet when someone disys you respect by raising a toast, you all only take a sip. What is that, if not disrespecting?¡±

    Shi Lang replied in a calm voice, with no emotions, ¡°In our world, before you have crossed the age of eighteen years old, you are not old enough to consume anything that may hamper your brain and senses. The drink in this ss is stronger than what might get us drunk back at home by at least ten times. So should I not pay attention to the fact and get drunk? When people let something else control their bodies, they regret their actions.

    We do not want that, thus, a sip to show that we ept your respect. Is that a satisfactory answer to you, Sir?¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s words made sense and the nobles all nodded. Nexalia Neytiri said, ¡°Minister Abbey, do not try to find fault with every action. They are not here to please us, but for us to understand how we are different. Only by working through these differences will we be able toe together.¡±

    The nobles nodded and the situation was dispelled. Amelia asked, ¡°Your Majesty, who is Minister Abbey, and why is he so against us, if you do not mind me asking.¡±

    Nexalia put down the spoon in her hand and using a napkin, gently wiped her mouth. She said, ¡°Minister Abbey, is my half-brother.¡±

    This sentence was enough to stun the people. They did not expect to witnessplicated rtionships so soon. Nexalia Neytiri continued, ¡°He should be sitting on the throne but his character is not very tempered. Hecks a few things, and thus he was appointed as my finance minister. We thought that dealing with numbers his temper will improve but ever since Terrans were discovered, his ambition has reignited.¡±

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, ¡°Oh, so the treasurer wants a piece of the pie, right?¡±

    ¡°Ace, calm down, and let her majesty speak,¡± said Rosa Blues. She said, ¡°I apologize for his rudeness, your majesty.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri shook her head and said, ¡°It is fine. This proves that he is not an ignorant teenager. I appreciate his spirit if only these noble scions were alike him.¡±

    She paused to cast a gaze at the jaded people sitting at their tables, eating and socializing with extreme mannerism in every more, ¡°The reason the poption is declining is not that there are not people to mate, but because Neomonian Nobles misinterpret the cry of my mother. Well, let us focus on the meal.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, they were outsiders, and the level of trust they had with this Queen was not good enough. They needed time, to get deep into this ce. Jenkins and Darcx yed the roles of the foodies and wouldpliment the chef every time they ate a new dish. The servings never exceeded more than two spoonfuls.

    Quinn and Amelia had short exchanges with the queen, and Rosa watched over them from the side. Shi Lang was rtively quiet. The dinner came to an end when they finished savoring the dessert. Then after greeting the guests, her majesty left and the nobles also began to depart.

    Ameris led the team back to their rooms, and Shi Lang asked, ¡°Minister Abbey, he seems to have some ill will towards Her Majesty.¡±

    The people were surprised by his sudden statements. This was the royal pce, how could he speak like this. Ameris replied, ¡°You are correct, but I would like to advise you to refrain from meddling in such things andmenting on the royal family. Although a minister, the personage is royal.¡±

    ¡°I will not hide it from you, captain Ameris, we came here with the intent to ally with Neomons. Wars leave empires in shambles and sorrow. Her Majesty will understand it better than anyone else, that once she slips up, and someone caught this chance, her ending would be terrible. People in power are safe, only till they are in power because every minute they wield it, they make enemies.¡± said Shi Lang before he fell silent.

    The people understood what he meant. Ameris nodded and said, ¡°I will convey your words to her majesty, but I hope this will be thest time you speak of these matters in public corridors.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Rest assured, we are aware that all the people here are soldiers in disguise and they are all your veteran and loyal ones.¡±

    Ameris asked in surprise, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Their demeanor is not that of a servant but that of a guard. We are young but not fools, Captain Ameris.¡±

    The rest of the people did not bother to make anyments. Shi Lang asked, ¡°I hope that you have one of your guards to provide food to Zysha. She gets antsy when hungry.¡±

    Ameris, was aware that he was changing the topic, she nodded, and then after dropping them off, she made her way to report to the queen right away.

    ¡­

    Inside a wide bathroom, a figure wasying inside a ceramic tub. The figure belonged to Nexalia Neytiri. The tub was big enough to fit ten people, but it was used by only the queen. Suddenly, she heard a voiceing from behind her and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Thedying from outside looked like a mirror image of thedy in the bathtub, yes she was also Nexalia Neytiri. However, she was a twin that Nexalia had created for herself, to be able to live in the shadows, monitoring the world from the side.

    Thedy standing outside the tub said, ¡°Your Majesty, this guy is not easy. He even dared to give me pointers on how to deal with the nobles and rest.¡±

    Thedy inside the tub nodded and said, ¡°You go and rest, I will deal with it myself.¡±

    She was sent away from her body double, but soon she was visited by another person aware of her secret. Captain Ameris. When the captain told Nexalia about what Shi Lang said today, thedy smiled mysteriously.

    She said, ¡°To be able to deduce all that in one day, to try and extend his hand towards us for an alliance, I guess, this kid has what it takes. Arrange for him to meet me, without his partner beside him.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I will follow yourmand.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri nodded and said, ¡°Keep a tight eye on Abbey. I do not wish to kill him just yet.¡±

    She was not soft-hearted. She also agreed with what Shi Lang said, If you have the power then you will stay in power, and that was how you will survive. Nexalia Neytiri had no intention of letting off anyone who would harm her. Even if he was her brother. The throne was the piece of pie she did not wish to abdicate it and then die like a ve, starving in some cell.

 Chapter 150

    Shi Lang and Ameliay next to each other wearing their sleeping pajamas. The girl asked, ¡°Why are you smiling at the ceiling?¡±

    The boy did not say anything but hugged her close to himself and said, ¡°The nano tracker found something nice.¡±

    Amelia was blushing but she woke up from her stupor when she heard his words, ¡°She asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The boy did not reply, he connected the team using the nanobotmunicator and said, ¡°The tracking was sessful. The queen was a body double, dancing on the instructions of the real queen.¡±

    The people were surprised, Darcx asked a few questions and so did Jenkins, however, Shi Lang ignored their non-sense. Rosa Blues asked, ¡°Shi Lang, what do you think the queen intends to do.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°She intends to y it safe. I would like to check up on a few more things before we begin infiltration.¡± his tone was solemn and everyone understood that he was not joking. This was something big.

    The people nodded in understanding. Shi Lang said, ¡°We do not have any ns for the morning, I would like all of us to be ready and meet in the corridor, time to scout the ce.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°Oh, finally some activity. Shall I wear ck?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I like you more when you were a cold, choked asshole than what you have be now, Jenk.¡±

    The peopleughed and Jenkins fell silent for a few minutes. They have developed a good bond during the training and the journey, so they were aware of the circumstances each other a bit better. After speaking Shi Lang closed themunication channel and hugged Amelia closer to him.

    Amelia buried her head in his chest, and surrounded by silence the two people, went to sleep. The night was calm, Zysha wasying beside the bed, and suddenly her ears flickered. However, when she raised her head, she could not see anyone. Thinking of something she yawned and stood up from her spot changing her posture and lying down again.

    In the meantime, she said, ¡°Lang, someone is inside the room, wake up.¡± telepathically in Shi Lang¡¯s brain.

    The young man replied, ¡°I am aware since the door was opened. Rx, they are just probing.¡±

    He could guess who it was that had entered the room. The medicine he took back in Ragnarok camp, enhanced his ability. Shi Lang was able to see things very clearly. In his mind, a three-dimensional model of the whole room appeared. He could use the echolocation and tell that the person in the room was ady.

    She was using some sophisticated tech simr to the stealth armor topletely hid herself physically. Her steps were not as slow as those of Shi Lang and the rest of the people when they used the same tech in Terran standards.

    After sensing the person, Shi Lang did not act hastily. He activated the nanobotmunicator and ced one of his hands on his forehead and contacted Rosa Blues. Thedy was a veteran and she slept very lightly. When she heard the message, replied quickly.

    It was in the wee hours this incident took ce, Rosa Blues dressed in sports gear and walked out of her room. The guards in the corridor saw her and immediately became alert. One of the guards asked, ¡°My Lady, do you need help with something?¡±

    Rosa Blues smiled at the armoreddy and said, ¡°Thank you, but can you please help me wake up the kids, they all need to be up and get ready for daily practice. Space travel has hampered our muscle control and we need to workout in normal gravity again to restoreplete control.¡±

    The armored soldier asked, ¡°My Lady, were they all not fine yesterday?¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°That is because I gave them some massage on the ship. We were aware that it will be a busy day. So, I had to do what I could, if they were to fall in front of her majesty, it will be very bad.¡±

    The soldiers nodded to her and they began to knock on the doors to wake up the children. One of the armored guards asked, ¡°My Lady, why do you wake them up so early?¡±

    Rosa smiled and said, ¡°Discipline is necessary. Is it not? They will only know the value of rest when they sweat their lives out.¡±

    The guards nodded and they knocked at the doors. One of the guards knocked on Shi Lang¡¯s door. They heard a voice from inside, ¡°Coming.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sat up with a jerk as if a dead man came out of the coffin. Thedy inside the room froze in her tracks. She nced at the door and Shi Lang could sense the density of her re. He said, ¡°Amy, wake up,zy bones, Instructor Rosa is calling.¡±

    He gently patted Amelia on her face, the girl rubbed her eyes as she woke up. She was about to say something when Shi Lang pecked her lips and whispered in her ears, Good morning, my love. You go to the bathroom, I will open the door.¡±

    Before the girl could even react, Shi Lang was already off the bed and opened the door slightly. He asked, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°Get up, time for daily exercise.¡± her voice was stern. Her status was that of the instructor in the team, so even if he was the leader, some of her arrangements had to be followed, and this one was something he asked her to do for him.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Five minutes, Instructor.¡±

    Amelia had already entered the bathroom, but she did not say anything as Zysha had told her about the presence of thedy inside the room. Five minutester, Amelia and Shi Lang moved outside the room with Zysha in tow.

    The rest of the people were already present there. They nodded to Shi Lang and then they went outside the pce under the guidance of their protection detail. Rosa asked, ¡°Is there any training area?¡±

    The soldier nodded and said, ¡°Yes, madam, there is one. Please follow me.¡±

    Rosa nodded and gestured to the people to follow her and they quickly came to the training field outside the pce. At this moment the ce was empty. The instructor smiled and said, ¡°Good, Ace, lead the team, I want you all to finish tenps of this ce.¡±

    Shi Lang almost gawked at her. The training field in front of him was as big as four football grounds ced together. With a sigh, the young man said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Thest one is thezy ass.¡±

    That said, he led the four people inside the fields to run. The guard detail allocated for them was shocked. They did not expect the instructors to be so cruel. However, when they saw how the people were running, they were surprised.

    The movements of the hands werepletely wless, and the five ¡®students¡¯ were sorted in a neat queue, they moved like a unit. The guards were surprised.

    When the team was out of the earshot, Jenkins asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Night visit, female, advanced stealth tech, trained movements.¡±

    Quinn asked, ¡°Motive?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Unknown.¡±

    The mood of the people became solemn. Darcx said, ¡°We need to have at least something to track her.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The floor of my room is covered with Nanobots. They will not break when stepped on, but they will stick to the people I wish them to.¡±

    Amelia smiled at his meticulousness. Jenkins asked, ¡°When can we track her down?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°After we finish this session. Like heck, the head teacher has not changed a bit.¡±

    The rest of the team chuckled and they began to move faster. By the time they were done running, a lot of pce guard soldiers hade over to practice. Shi Lang and the team stood in front of the instructor and they all had some ragged breathing.

    Rosa said, ¡°Self-defense, battle royale, the aim is to stand till the end.¡± her voice was unfeeling.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Instructor, this battle royale, are you sure?¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°I am sure, get going now. Thebat area is limited to thirty meters in each direction, one inch out, and you will be eliminated.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± said the team. They looked at each other and Amelia asked, ¡°Wooden Knife?¡±

    Everyone agreed. Shi Lang turned to look at the guards and asked, ¡°Madam, can we get some wooden knives to practice?¡±

    Thedy nodded and cast a gaze to a subordinate, who god knows from where brought up wooden knives. She said, ¡°here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said thanks before epting the knives. He distributed it to all of them and then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They all walked to rtively open space. Their movements attracted the attention of the pce guard troops in the field. After they all stood facing each other, they all took ten steps each. Rosa said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Shi Lang had Jenkins to his left, then Quinn, Darcx, and Amelia forming a pentagon. As soon as Rosa said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    The people charged at each other. The pce guards were surprised by the method of fighting.

 Chapter 151

    Jenkins and Darcx targeted the girls first, men used to think that women are weaker. However, they forgot that Amelia and Quinn were not figments of their imagination. Shi Lang had moved ahead earlier but he did not join the fray, instead swiftly maneuvered himself behind Jenkins and stabbed him in his back.

    However, Jenkins had not let down his guard, he quickly turned the direction of his charge in the middle and countered Shi Lang¡¯s wooden knife. They both held the weapon in a normal grip. When the two of them shed, Amelia, moved close to Quinn and stabbed her, however, Quinn parried the attack.

    The surrounding soldiers were watching this and thought Darcx held the most advantage, however, in the next movement the situation remained in a stalemate. The surrounding troops did not have any idea of what was happening, but they could tell that these kids were not weak, they were keeping up with the high-speed attacks.

    They were fighting with no order or discipline, it was akin to a brawl. Suddenly Rosa Blues said, ¡°Enough.¡±

    The five people stopped. Rosa Blues walked over to them and said, ¡°Passed, now go exercise.¡±

    The people nodded and they began to do various exercises. The image they needed to create was that they were somewhat capable, so that they were not looked upon like they were wastes, but also not so powerful that they could not be controlled.

    Shi Lang wanted this effect on the people so that he could sneak inside slowly. Ameris walked over to Rosa, and asked, ¡°My Lady, why did you stop them?¡±

    Rosa replied, ¡°If this was a real assault situation, they would have died already, after all, the wooden knife is not very strong against the advanced weapons.¡± her voice was solemn.

    She paused and without caring about Ameris¡¯ expression Rosa continued, ¡°To survive is to have hope, if they have hope to survive a cmity in real life, their chance is higher.¡±

    Ameris nodded and asked, ¡°Are you people not from the military?¡±

    Rosa shook her head, as she said, ¡°The knowledge and training in a school are necessary, however, we are not forced to join the army. The purpose is to enable us to protect ourselves in case of an enemy attack. It may seem that the worlds are ruled by a single government, but all the societies have someone, who will try to make things difficult.¡±

    As the twodies talked, Shi Lang and the team focused on their physical exercise. Amelia asked in a low voice, ¡°How to approach?¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°Train with these guards, then nt tracking bots onto all of them.¡± in a hushed tone.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Nice n, but what if the bots got counter-tracked?¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Not a problem, women like hygiene. They must take a bath after training and sweat, use thedies like a vector and the bots like a virus. We need to map out the pce, and not the people.¡±

    Darcx was surprised and said, ¡°You surely are like your father. Unite thes and not rule them.¡±

    The three chuckled while Darcx was given a death stare. Shi Lang agreed to the n and they all stood up after two hundred push-ups. Shi Lang pped his hands together and asked, ¡°Who will take a lead?¡±

    Jenkins and Darcx took a step to stand beside him and said, ¡°Let thedies handle it?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged and by tapping his hands on themunicator, he transferred the bot control to Quinn. She was going to be the first to call out for a challenge. Amelia walked beside Rosa and said in her calm voice, ¡°Instructor, would it be fine if we asked these big sisters to give us some guidance?¡±

    Rosa raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°Does your team leader approves?¡±

    Athena nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Madam. He does.¡±

    Rosa nodded to her and cast a gaze at Shi Lang who gave her an okay signal. The instructor turned her head to look at Ameris, who was standing there, and asked, ¡°Captain, would it be possible to have our girls learn from you veterans?¡±

    Ameris smiled and said, ¡°Certainly. However, I will only arrange it if the boys also y. We Neomonian women are certainly curious about how strong is a Terran Male.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Just go easy on them, these guys arepetitive.¡±

    Ameris nodded, and said in a loud voice, ¡°Koma, Shuka, Lyrina, Api, Racile step forward.¡± the captain turned her head to Rosa and said, ¡°These five will help you guys.¡±

    Athena bowed slightly to show her gratitude and then went back to stand with her group. The people were all wearing the sports gear they were provided at Mythya. This gear was sleek and sharp.

    Rosa said, ¡°One-on-one sparring, no weapons, only hand-to-handbat. Understood?¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest nodded and epted themand. After the space was cleared up, Koma and Quinn stood facing each other. They were the first match-up. Quinn had already programmed the nanobots to stick to Koma when she uses grappling techniques.

    Quinn sped her hands and then bowed to Koma. Thedy was surprised by this action, Rosa said, ¡°This is a way to greet the opponent when you spar. It signifies gratitude and respect for their effort and time.¡±

    Koma nodded and performed the same gesture. Then Ameris watched the two assuming their stance and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Koma took the lead and advanced, however, Quinn was not so easy to intimidate. The girl watched her opponent throw a punch at her, she did not retreat, instead, she took a step forward to disrupt the impact of the iing punch, and then just as the fist was about to connect with her face, she titled her head to the side, letting the attack miss her.

    Koma was surprised, and at that moment, she sensed something soft grappling around her waist. She wanted to struggle away, but Quinn sensed Koma¡¯s strength to shake her off and jumped up. Quinn had her legs wrapped around Koma¡¯s waist from behind, with her right hand passing under thetter¡¯s underarm holding Koma¡¯s right hand in a lock, while her left hand gripped around Koma¡¯s neck.

    Before Koma could use her legs to evade, Quinn jerked her backward. The situation was so unexpected that the Neomonian soldier was left with no options. She fell backward, and Quinn was also slightly shaken from the drop, but she did not let go of her grip. The pressure on the throat was making it difficult for Koma to stay awake.

    Ameris said, ¡°Lady Harley wins.¡±

    Quinn reacted and let go of the grip. She asked, ¡°Big Sister Koma, are you okay?¡± to the defeated opponent. Thedy was having a tough time catching her breath. Quinn acted so naturally that thedy could not spot the sarcasm in her voice.

    She nodded and asked, ¡°Thank you for going easy on me.¡±

    Quinn shook her head and said, ¡°I only won because you did not anything about me. The technique can only be used by surprise. as a soldier you have the heart of a righteous person, while as a survivor, I need to exploit chances. I apologize if I injured you.¡±

    Her words touched the hearts of all the female soldiers. They were all together for a long time and treated each other as sisters. It was obvious that some of them were better than the others, yet they did not put up any air of superiority. Quinn had disyed a simr trait just now, and she had gained some trust in their hearts.

    Amelia was the next to fight and her opponent was called Shuka, ady with a tall body, who seemed to be stronger than Koma. Amelia looked like lolita in front of her, but the look in her eyes was firm.

    She greeted the opponent and thetter followed her greeting. Ameris saw the Terran girl assuming a lower stance and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Shuka was no impatient. She has learned her lesson from the spar earlier. Amelia was also not impatient. She slowly moved around Shuka, observing every single movement in her body.

    ¡­

    The team watched the movements from the side and Jenkins asked, ¡°Amelia changed herbat style?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°She has been to Ao on her posting, scouting in the woods and dealing with the natives. Her style demanded change.¡±

    Darcx nodded and asked, ¡°Is that not where that death camp is located?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, Quinn patted her thigh and said, ¡°Is that where you two met?¡±

    Jenkins smirked, ¡°I am the matchmaker of this couple. They came together to beat me. Imagine how powerful I was.¡±

    ¡°Off-topic,¡± replied Quinn.

    ¡­

    On the sparing spot, Amelia stepped forward and Shuka performed a roundhouse kick with her full strength. Amelia rolled forward on the ground, before Shuka could finish her spin, Amelia took hold of her standing leg and¡­

    BAM.

 Chapter 152

    Amelia had taken a hold of the leg Shuka used tond on the ground with after she had finished her kick. Before Shuka could understand anything, Amelia heaved lifted her body from the ground, and jumped ahead, making her fall on her back with a loud bam.

    Before anyone could understand what happened, Amelia loosened her grip, climbed over Shuka¡¯s body, and trapped her in a reverse armlock. Her size was small, but she was an expert in exerting her strength at weak points. Amelia was holding the joints with a strong grip.

    Jenkins gulped and said, ¡°Why did these two girls have such a good mastery of mixed martial art grapple locks?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Because, theyck physical strength like us. The body of a female is more flexible than a male and thus they can master the grappling techniques better than us.¡±

    Darcx nodded and asked, ¡°I agree Captain, who will go next?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°I will go.¡± confidently.

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and he said, ¡°I have no problem goingst.¡±

    Amelia finished the game even faster than Quinn, making the other people surprised. Ameris asked, ¡°What is this technique? I can see that it is somewhat rted to grappling, but the effect is higher thanmon grappling.¡±

    Rosa replied, ¡°We call it mixed martial arts. This form ofbat is derived from mixing up many fighting styles in the existence of Terran history. They are effective, because of their swiftness. This swiftness is what we need to deal with an assant quickly.¡± her pace was calm and steady.

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°Next match.¡±

    Jenkins walked over in front of the opponent called Lyrina. He sped his fist and bowed his head, however, he did not take his eyes off thedy. This gesture of his seemed to be a provocation to the Neomonion pce guard.

    How dare this male lock eyes with her? Ameris smirked and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Both the people shot forward, Lyrina has watched two matches by now and she was aware of the lethality of the grappling techniques. However, Jenkins was not Quinn or Amelia, he liked to sh head-on, and exchange blows with people. The frontal force he joined was filled with people who loved to brawl.

    Shi Lang was watching the two approach each other and said, ¡°Ten minutes, hard brawl.¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°Five thousand credits.¡±

    Quinn and Amelia exchanged a nce and said, ¡°We want in too.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Ten thousand credits, Jenkins will take a hit on his ribs.¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°Ten thousand, his jaw will break.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Hmmm since you all are betting on him getting injured, I will bet on him winning.¡±

    Darcx raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Oh, such confidence in Jenkins. You are on, but who will be keeping the tabs?¡±

    They all turned their heads to look at Rosa Blues. The instructor sensed it and said, ¡°Ten percent of the pool is mymission.¡±

    The people unanimously said, ¡°Agreed.¡±

    That said, they transferred the credits to Rosa. Jenkins and Lyrian were going hard at it. They both were exchanging punches for punches. The fists did notnd on their bodies, but they were being blocked by blows. However, Jenkins was not only using his fists but his whole body. He was an elite inbat, and he was aware of where the opponent could attack him.

    Jenkins was weaving his head side by side like a pendulum to confuse thedy. But the opponent was not a rookie either, Lyrina suddenly ducked and dashed forward, she has gotten used to Jenkins¡¯s style of fighting, and then her fist connected on the left side of Jenkins¡¯s Ribs.

    Shi Lang pped his hand and asked, ¡°Double or nothing?¡±

    Darcx sighed and asked, ¡°Nothing. You were aware that the weakness of this boxing lies in close range. But how did you predict the timing?¡±

    Shi Lang just smirked. Amelia said, ¡°The opponents are not familiar with our techniques, but they can adapt. Remember they are all soldiers.¡±

    Quinn and Darcx nodded. On the sparring spot, Jenkins took the hit and reeled back from the pain. Lyrina said, ¡°Know your ce.¡±

    Jenkins raised his head to match his gaze with her and said, ¡°Yeah, my ce is still higher than you, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    His words were outright rude, and they sessfully pissed off thedy, as she charged ahead. Jenkins took the passive stance, he began to parry her attacks and would deliver jabs when he found a good chance. After two minutes, Lyrina slowed down a lot.

    Jenkins said, ¡°Are you trying to figure out why you are slow? Ever since I was a child my father had me train in fighting. The brawl earlier was to figure out your muscle movements. Just now I jabbed at your muscles, to make them rupture from the weak points.¡± calmly.

    The next moment, Jenkins unleashed a barrage of attacks. His punches were fast and but the force behind them was light. He was moving fast enough to sneak hits from the gaps in Lyrina¡¯s defense. Five minutester, the duel came to an end. Jenkins offered his hand to the opponent and said, ¡°Yes, I am a man, but I do not look down on you. Doing my best to fight you is a way I acknowledge your strength, but if you are going to insult me, I will do the same. My attitude depends on how you are to me.¡±

    Lyrina did not take his hand, Jenkins shrugged his shoulders and then walked back to his team, where Shi Lang was taking back credits from Rosa. The next match was between Api and Darcx. The two people were anything but normal. Shi Lang even felt that they were cloned from the same material.

    They were both apt at using their own techniques. The match was a tie. Darcx was a person who would never act with his all until he has no other options left. That said, the sparring came to an end, and Ameris said, ¡°Shusha Ace, are you ready?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and walked forward, after flexing his body. Racile was ady with a cold aura surrounding her. The two stood against each other, but Shi Lang greeted her and on Ameris¡¯s word, the match began.

    Racile shot forward, but she did not attack the boy directly, she moved around him. Shi Lang did not react, he just stood there with a calm face. Suddenly, he turned to his right and used his hand to make a grasping gesture. He caught hold of Racile¡¯s wrist. He did not give her a chance, pulled her forward, turned his body, and gave her an overhead drop.

    However, he did not let go of her hand. He pinned down the girl under his knee and shot a punch at her face. However, when everyone thought he would be brutal, the punch came to a stop a few inches from Racile¡¯s face.

    Ameris asked, ¡°How could he catch her fist? She is a speed specialist.¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Ace trained his senses with a special method, he can perceive danger.¡±

    The neomonian captain asked, ¡°What is that method, can you tell us?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°High-velocity projectiles shooting at him from random directions and angles. As the training progresses, the size, the speed, and the lethality of the projectiles change as well. Thest stage was almost like him standing in front of bullets.¡±

    Ameris was shocked to hear this. She could not help but ask, ¡°Why would he go this far?¡±

    Jenkins chuckled and said, ¡°What else, he is an adrenaline junkie. Just because he wanted to find out what it was like to be crushed, he entered an artificial gravity field and suffered from ten times the gravity.¡±

    This was to cover up. Amelia said, ¡°This drive is the reason he couldpete against others, dare you bad mouth him.¡±

    Jenkins made a zipped gesture and stood back with Quinn and Darcx. Shi Lang walked over and asked, ¡°I would like to say something, Captain Ameris, with your permission.¡±

    Ameris nodded and Shi Lang faced the five beaten soldiers and said, ¡°The reason you lost is not that were had the element of surprise, as a soldier you should not be so vulnerable to that, but because you did not have an ounce of respect towards your enemy. You all think using your full strength to fight is humility, however, if I did not use my full power, that would mean I do not respect you. It would be a testimony that I do not think of you as someone equal.¡±

    He paused and said, ¡°Only when you respect your enemy, will you be able to preserve and improve. Learn from your enemy, rectify your weakness, and slowly you will be strong.¡±

    Ameris nodded and asked after a few seconds, ¡°Shusha Ace, how about a match with me?¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head and said, ¡°Do you dislike me so much?¡±

 Chapter 153

    Shing did not expect thisdy to being at him like this. He did not expect her toe up and give him a challenge. This was something none of the people in the training ground had expected to happen. The guard captain was the captain for a reason.

    Ameris took off her jacket and said, ¡°Shusha Ace, I have heard about the abilities you Terransmand. I would very much like to test them.¡±

    Shi Lang tilted his head and asked, ¡°Why shall I amodate you?¡±

    His remarks surprised the people even more. Ameris did not back off and said, ¡°The others will think of you as a coward.¡±

    ¡°They can think of me how they want to, but it has nothing to do with me, I did note here to provide you all some satisfaction in life, did I?¡± retorted Shi Lang.

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°If you fought me without holding back anything, then I will do one thing for you. It could be anything.¡±

    Shi Lang held his chin between his fingers. and said, ¡°Very well, I would like you to fight with all that you have. And I would like to use, cold weapons. Do you agree?¡±

    Ameris was surprised by his demand. She asked, ¡°You better be careful with what you wish for. Sometimes people do not like it very much.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°A hunter never goes after a weak prey, Captain Ameris.¡±

    His confident manner made every Neomonian think of him as a maniac. This was not something they would ask for in return. Ameris chuckled after hearing his demand and said, ¡°Very well. I agree, but does Instructor Rosa agree?¡±

    Shi Lang dismissed Rosa¡¯s thoughts of stopping him as he said, ¡°I am the leader of the team, I can decide what I want to do.¡±

    Ameris nodded and asked, ¡°What is the weapon of your choice?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Spear will do, and a hand knife.¡±

    Thedy nodded and called over a subordinate to get them the weapons. Neomonians used the spear as the first choice of their cold weapons. So, Ameris was more than happy to amodate him. Terrans were not very worried.

    Amelia said, ¡°Fifty Thousand Credits, he will win.¡± in a t voice.

    An officer from the Neomonian side spoke up, ¡°We do not know what is this credit you speak of, but I can tell that you are all betting. We would like to push for our Captain if you do not mind.¡±

    Quinn chuckled and said, ¡°We are obliged to have you join us. What do you bet on?¡±

    The officer said, ¡°We are hundred pce guards at her majesty¡¯s service. Since our captain is ying against you, we shall all pitch in to meet you on the price.¡±

    Darcx asked, ¡°We do not have many neo coins on us.¡±

    The officer nodded and said, ¡°We have money, but we do not have Terran items. If you all can exchange them for the money, we do not mind. For Example, the dress worn by Shushi Amelia on the ball night.¡±

    The terrans looked at each other and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    The bet was set and the stakes were decided. Shi Lang did not bother with anything and he swung the spear for a few seconds to get used to the weight of the weapon. He said, ¡°This is a good weapon.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°The smiths will be pleased to see you praised them.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and Rosa said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Ameris took a big step forward and stabbed the spear at Shi Lang, the speed of the attack was fast. Ameris had loosened her grip to let the spear slide forward, she nned to hold it from the end and turn the attack into a swing if Shi Lang dodged her.

    However, the surprise came in a bit too early. When she stabbed forward, Shi Lang held his spear from the middle, and using the shaft he swung the weapon, to counter the iing stab, and at the same time, he took a step forward.

    His face was as cold as if ice. Ameris realized that the boy was not joking at all. He was fighting her with his all, he has taken the initiative tounch an attack right after countering her. She could not even count him properly, because the previous attack from Shi Lang had deflected the spear in her hand.

    Ameris decided that it was better for her to move back. She jumped back, but Shi Lang had switched his hold on the shaft, and threw it forward like a javelin. The point of impact happened to be exactly where Ameris wouldnd.

    The Neomonians found their hearts to be beating so fast that it was almost exploding. Shi Lang, on the other hand, did not stop, he took out the militarybat knife and holding it in a reverse grip, advanced.

    Ameris was not so weak. She skillfully stomped her foot on the head of the iing spear and gained more distance. But the Terran boy was onto her. Ameris realized at this moment that she had lost the initiative.

    Shi Lang had closed the distance between them, if she kept holding on to the spear, it will not be of any use, and to take out the knife, the time was not enough. Shi Lang had no intention of giving her any room. The de in his hand was shining with a cold glint, just like his eyes. For a blink, Ameris could really see the knife stabbing through her abdomen.

    All of a sudden, she shouted, ¡°Scutum.¡±

    An icy blue glow radiated from her body and formed a sphere around her. The stabbing attack bounced off the sphere, however, despite the surprise, Shi Lang had no idea to stop. He rushed to the side, picked up his spear, and after holding it from the end, he swung it around.

    The Terran camp was surprised, but they did not let it overwhelm them. Turned out Neomonians were not only simr in body structure but also, in terms of abilities. This news must be sent back home.

    Shi Lang used the spear, like an extended mace, and hit the icy blue spear with a blunt side. The impact was distributed in form of ripples. Shi Lang did not stop, he kept on swinging his spear to hit the sphere repeatedly. What he wanted to do was to find out the limitations of this sphere.

    Abilities could only be used for some time without paying a heavy price. The people in the training field stood stunned at this. Ameris waited for the boy to retract his spear after ten hits, and just when he did, she quickly removed the spear and rushed towards him with a knife in her hand. However, Shi Lang had not thrown away his knife, he only put it back.

    At this moment, he drew the knife from the back and decisively threw it at Ameris. Thedy only used her own knife to meet the iing projectile. Shi Lang had aimed at her eyes, as soon as she deflected the knife, she saw the spear iing at her with an even higher speed.

    She turned to the side, and took her eyes off of Shi Lang, the youngster used this opportunity and rushed to her side. Grabbed her neck, and locked her thighs. She was being choked. Rosa said, ¡°Enough.¡±

    Shi Lang woke up. He has entered the war mode. His mind was too engrossed with this battle that he forgot, that he did not need to kill someone. This was the first time something like this happened to him. He loosened his grip and stood up from the ground. He also helped Ameris to get up and bowed to her as he said, ¡°I apologize for the transgressions, Captain.¡±

    Ameris shook her head and said, ¡°I got to learn from you, Shusha Ace. Thank you for going easy on me. If you were given a set of hot weapons, I might have been dead by now.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I am not preficient with hot weapons.¡±

    He bowed and moved back to his team. Putting aside everything, Shi Lang was now worried for his state of mind. He needed to recover his previous self. He needed to meditate. Amelia noticed his peculiarity and asked, ¡°Is something bothering you?¡±

    Shi Lang said after taking a deep breath, ¡°Dig out what was that sphere, I will go back to meditate, my mind just now¡­¡±

    Amelia pecked his cheek and said, ¡°I know, you entered the state of war. Go rest, you need to control it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and went back to the pce with a guard escorting him. It was not that the guy might forget his way, but that he might wander into somece he was not supposed to. Shi Lang did not bother and came back to the room he was at.

    He crossed his legs and sat down to meditate.

    ¡­

    Outside in the training field, the girls were collecting the bet stakes, and Rosa asked, Ameris, ¡°I have seen some of the Terran people having the ability to shield them, but yours was betterpared to them.¡±

    Ameris shook her head and said, ¡°Neomonians can only use this ability when they sense grave danger.¡±

    Rosa nodded. However, she did not believe it. That said the people collected the stakes and after dividing the booty, they all went back to their own rooms. Rosa transmitted what she found from Ameris to Shi Lang on hismunicator. While the battles came to an end.

    The n to track down the pce had kicked in.

 Chapter 154

    Shi Lang sat down in his room, immersed in meditation. Soon, the door was pushed open and Amelia walked inside. She did not bother him but moved to the bathroom. She was going to take a shower.

    Zysha had no task here, she would eat and sleep. The food they served here was high-quality beast meat, she liked it a lot. When after a few minutes, Amelia came back outside the bathroom, she found that Shi Lang was just standing up from the floor. She asked, ¡°How do you feel now?¡±

    The young man nodded, indicating that he was feeling better. Amelia said, ¡°The bots must have entered the vents or drains now.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will take a bath, then we will have them create the model.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°You take a bath, Darcx has already begun mapping.¡±

    After giving her a nod, Shi Lang entered the washroom. Since the whole team was going to do their part, the level of stress will be lowered. This was suggested by Rosa, she had noticed that Shi Lang had almost lost his control today, so to avoid any ruckus, she had taken these measures.

    This was how teams should work. Shi Lang came outside the bathroom and found that the team had gathered in his room. The room was big enough for all of them to fit in. Shi Lang and Amelia sat on the foot of the bed, while the rest grabbed a seat on the couch.

    Darcx said, ¡°The model.¡± and patted the screen of hismunicator a few times and a holographic model appeared in front of everyone. Shi Lang looked at the model and found every vent and sewer line was clearly drawn.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Ovey the exterior of the pce on the vents, have the bots survey the openings. Tag every person, who matches the physical description of the Queen.¡± in a calm voice.

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What will this tagging allow us to achieve?¡± Without waiting for Shi Lang to reply, Rosa said, ¡°The person who appears the least on the list of tagged people, is to be our Queen most probably.¡±

    The people nodded and they understood what was going on. Amelia said, ¡°Ace, could it be that the intruder in our room was the Queen herself?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°It is a possibility but I won¡¯t be betting on it. It could be the fake queen doing some recon for the dark hand.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Yes, it is likely to be this. The real queen will not risk it. Although she is noting out in the open, sneaking inside someone else¡¯s room, does not seem to be the virtue of the royalty.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°How long do we have to figure out who the real queen is, and what will we do if we can even figure it out?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, ¡°I would like to have an audience with the hand in the dark.¡±

    The people were shocked, they did not understand his thought process and Shi Lang was more than aware of their curiosity and said, ¡°Do not worry, I will not go into the tiger¡¯s den unprepared.¡±

    He turned his head to Quinn and said, ¡°Track down minister Abbey, and all his cronies inside the pce, from maids to the spies inside the pce guards. Do not leave anyone. Screen them all.¡±

    Quinn nodded, and replied, ¡°I will be cooperating with Darcx.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You all have two days at most. In the meantime, I will try to reset my mind. Okay, I am close to the sixth-star realm. I will try and push forward.¡±

    The people nodded and dispersed. They had lunch in their separate rooms and when it was about the time for dinner, the pce guards informed the Terran team that the Queen would like to have dinner with them.

    They had no reason to reject, or more like they could not reject. It was more like an imperial edict. They all put on a set of normal formal clothes and moved to the dining hall.

    Shi Lang and the rest saw the Queen sitting on her chair as the host. She smiled at the people, and Shi Lang greeted her in a formal manner, and with the gesture of thedy, they all sat down in their chairs.

    They had just sat down when Shi Lang sensed something. He turned his head to look at the queen and said, ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡±

    The queen had a surprising reaction in her eyes which were quickly covered. She asked, ¡°Shusha Ace, did you not greet me earlier?¡±

    The Terran team was also surprised, Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Your Majesty is well aware of the reason behind my second greeting.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri raised her head and gazed directly at Shi Lang and her demeanor changedpletely. Her eyes became distant and cold. She spoke with an aloof tone, ¡°How did you figure it out?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but your aura gave you away. I have been very sensitive to the aura for a long time, and when I sat in this position, I could see that you are very strong. Far more than your other self.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I did figure out that you were smart, but being too smart for your own good is a bad thing, you know?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It seems like you speak from experience, Your Majesty?¡±

    The people were holding their breaths to see that the person they have been looking for have already appeared in front of them. They were also scared, this oue was not within their expectations. The sudden appearance did not only disrupt their nning but also raised a lot of questions.

    Why did she show up? This was giving away her initiative. Nexalia nodded slightly as she spoke, ¡°Indeed, I am speaking from experience, otherwise do you think that my own family members were to plot against me? In the past five months, there have been ten assassination attempts on me. What do you think I have done to earn that?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Perhaps making your brother the minister of finance was a mistake. You do not seem to be as smart as you just stated, Your Majesty.¡±

    The queen red at the smiling person, wishing to tear his face apart. However, she controlled her emotions and asked, ¡°Enough, do you think, you cance my pce with your bots and I will let them operate as they wished? I knew from the movement you smuggled them out of your ship.¡±

    The Terran team frowned, but Shi Lang and Rosa Blues maintained theirposure. Shi Lang replied, ¡°Do you think I did not know, that you did not know? Your dark hand reacted so flusteredly that day, I would be a fool to not suspect something.¡±

    Nexalia asked, ¡°Do you not want to know, what I am here for?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You need our help to deal with something.¡±

    Nexalia raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°How did you figure this out?¡±

    Shi Lang leaned back in the chair and said, ¡°I cannot figure out any other reason than this, because the external activities were just a distraction. The real threat that you have been facing was someone inside your close elites. To figure out the ploy here, we must learn who are the suspects. But while I was trying toe up with an offering for you during our first meeting, my team here, dug up something that you would like.¡±

    Nexalia raised her eyebrow, and Shi Lang showed her the data his team has found on the people around the minister o finance. The more Nexalia watched, the more sure she was enraged. She stood up from her chair and said, ¡°What can you do to help me?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Allow me to be your aid for a day. By the time the day hase to an end, you will have fewer enemies to worry about. However, I will do all this for a payment in return.¡±

    Nexalia asked, ¡°If you are fair, I will provide you with anything that you like.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Your promise to form an alliance with us, the Terrans.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I did not intend us to go to war with your civilization at all, in the first ce. However, the things inside my empire cannot be solved from the inside. Since it is all in the open, I know that you are all soldiers, and the reason you are here is that I called for you. The president of the federation was approached by me in secret. I wanted him to provide me a crew that could do things that others do not dare to even think of.¡±

    The truth was out, but it was something that shocked the people to their cores.

 Chapter 155

    Shi Lang heard what the queen said in silence, and his mind buzzed. He did not expect thedy to even arrange something like this with the President of The Federation. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why were we not informed?¡±

    Nexalia sighed and said, ¡°The reason is very simple, I did not want anyone from the delegation to be bought out by my brother. It may seem like, I am the queen, but Abbey has long ago nted his spies inside the pce and even in the pce guard.¡±

    Darcx asked, ¡°Why did he not assassinate you then? There are a lot of ways to kill someone without them finding out about it.¡±

    His words made Nexalia sigh and said, ¡°The ruler must be a female, Ever since our mother took the throne the people supported her and it became a trend. Abbey was the first choice of the new ruler, but he was rejected by the people.¡±

    Amelia asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    Nexalia shrugged her shoulder and said, ¡°I really have no idea.¡±

    Jenkins spoke up, ¡°Mutual discord is fine, but you two people are vying for the strength might have helped someone else. It could be a third party who is pulling all the strings from the background.¡±

    Expect for Nexalia everyone was nodding. The queen was left in a stupor, she could not believe how these people wereing up with the possibilities so quickly. She asked, ¡°I have a list of suspects who could be behind this.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Your Majesty, if you do not mind, I would like you to provide us with all the details. We will try our best to get things sorted for you. We will be needing some resources and tech support.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I will leave Ameris to help you, and she will also take you to a ce where you can work without any trouble. I only need results.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Rosa asked, ¡°I would like to ask you a few questions, Your Majesty.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Please tell me.¡±

    Rosa asked her, ¡°Do you not have an investigation department in your empire?¡±

    ¡°We do have an investigation department in the empire, however, just like I stated before, I could not trust thempletely. The vice president of the Intelligence department happens to be Abbey¡¯s brother-inw,¡± said Nexalia.

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°We would like to first take control of the intelligence department. Their resources wille in handy, also I would like to ask you if we can use the cold knives, or do we have to be subtle with the approach?¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°It would be better if you can keep things clean, however, if you have conclusive evidence, then I allow you to publish in front of the people of the empire and kill the targets.¡±

    The people nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°Let us move, we have a lot of work to do.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and after greeting them she allowed them to go back to their rooms. It was decided that they will leave the pce tomorrow and they will be staying in a secret location. Nexalia will tell the world that the Terran team is out for a tour and sightsee.

    The excuse was sound, after all, the team will be moving around to explore and investigate. However, before they dived deep into this quagmire, they had a few things to confirm.

    Firstly, they needed to know that what the Queen just said was true, that she needed help. Second, how guilty is Minister Abbey. Third, is Ameris worthy of their trust during the investigation? Fourth, if this was not all true, Terrans decided to n backup strategies to keep themselves safe just in case.

    The team retired to their rooms and gathered with the help of the nanobot rings. Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you think about the situation?¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°Captain, I would like to tell you that whatever she said, is most likely to be true.¡±

    Rosa asked, ¡°Reason.¡±

    ¡°It is my ability to detect if the person is lying or speaking the truth. I can tell you that seventy-five percent of the things she said were true. However, the part where she said that the throne must belong to a female, that was undetectable.¡± stated the guy.

    Jenkins said, ¡°Hmmm, Quinn is it possible to get this matter confirmed by the president? However, this method must be untraceable. To prevent these guys from tampering.¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°Umm, my ability is possession. I can control the Pce Guard and use their body to get to the ship and use the special frequency tomunicate with my father. However, you will be needed to guard my body. I would like to ask, Instructor rosa and Amelia to do it. The captain can also guard me but none of you two perverts are supposed to get near me.¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°Tch, stingy.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Very well, Amy, you will protect Quinn. Instructor Rosa will be your partner.¡±

    Thedies nodded and they moved to Quinn¡¯s room, they will make it look natural. Shi Lang cast a gaze on Zyesha and said, ¡°It is time we go to work, Zyesha.¡±

    The tigress raised her head and replied in his mind, ¡°I would like to have the invisibility suit as well.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°You will not like the style. Come.¡±

    It was night when Shi Lang opened the door of his room. Ameris had changed the pce guards in front of their rooms, every twelve hours. The young man came out of his room and thedy saluted him, she asked, ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I would like to go to our spaceship. I need to give Zyesha her medicine. Would you please arrange for transportation?¡±

    The pce guard was surprised, they were told not to let these Terrans out of the pce. She said, ¡°Sir if you would be so kind to let me inform my superior.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will inform Amelia that I am going out for a bit in the meantime.¡±

    The guard nodded and contacted her superior, Ameris, who in turn asked the permission of Her Majesty The Queen. Nexalia did not think much but told the guard to follow the protocols, which meant keeping an eye on him.

    Shi Lang walked up to the room where Amelia and Quinn were, and under the gaze of the guard outside, he knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door was opened. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I will go back to the ship, do you have anything you need from there?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and with a faint smile she said, ¡°Just be back soon.¡±

    Shi Lang quickly leaned in and pecked her nose before leaving her standing there in a stupor. Amelia quickly closed the door after a second. The pce guard responsible for Shi Lang walked over and said, ¡°Sir, we can go now.¡±

    The boy nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, and sorry to make your job harder.¡±

    The pce guard shook her head and was about to say something when her eyes rolled for a second. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Do we go back to from the main entrance as well?¡±

    The guard regained her senses and nodded. Then she turned around and led the young man with her. A levitating carriage was already ready for them. A steward helped them with the door, and Shi Lang asked the pce guard to get up first.

    He followed in and the steward took the seat of the coachman. The pce guard made a few signs with her hand, ¡®I am in Captain.¡¯

    Shi Lang replied with the signs, ¡®I can tell. Also, do not mind but can you tell me how your ability works?¡¯

    Quinn nodded slightly and made hand signs again, ¡®As long as I have seen the person once, I can possess them for ten hours. Just now, Amelia had themunicator disy the images she saw outside.¡¯

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡®My fiancee is so smart.¡¯

    Quinn only rolled her eyes at him. Zyesha sitting in the carriage said, ¡°Lang, the coachman is not ordinary.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°He is physically stronger than all of usbined.¡±

    Zyesha shook her head gently and said, ¡°His brian is even more terrifying. I can tell that he has been paying attention to every sound that our movement makes.¡±

    Shi Lang raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°How long before we can reach the spaceport, Sir?¡±

    The coachman replied, ¡°Please call me Steward Hash, I am not a sir. Shusha Ace, we will be arriving in a few minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Steward Hash.¡±

    The boymunicated with the tigress and said, ¡°Indeed, his mannerism itself tells that he is not a simple guy. I wonder if he is on the camp of the minister.¡±

 Chapter 156

    Quinn nced at the back of Steward¡¯s head for a second and using single-hand signs asked, ¡®Do you want me to get in his body?¡¯

    Shi Lang did not act too surprised and asked, ¡®Will you not face any bacsh?¡¯

    Quinn nodded slightly, and Shi Lang shook his head in denial. He used his signs to tell her, ¡®You will be crucial in the future, we cannot risk getting any members injured.¡¯

    The girl nodded and Zyesha said, ¡°Lang, this guy is not easy, you two better shut up. I can see his ears twitching as if listening to movements.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and turned his head outside to look at the scenery. Quinn took his hint and stoppedmunicating with her hands. The young man asked, ¡°Steward Hash, are you responsible for the transportation of the guests in the pce?¡±

    Steward Hash nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sir. May I ask why you are asking?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Oh, when we arrived, it was Captain Ameris who took us to the pce, so I was curious if you were sick back then?¡±

    Steward Hash replied, ¡°Thank You for your concern, Sir. I was indeed sick.¡±

    ¡°Oh, may I ask what happened?¡± asked Shi Lang, as if he was greatly interested.

    The old steward replied, ¡°A Parmici Equus, the animal used to pull the carriage went out of control, I was injured in the process to control it.¡±

    Shi Lang gasped and asked, ¡°Steward Hash, you are an elder, how could you be so careless with your life? Are you recovering well?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Sir. But ves do not have much emotion. Yes, I have recovered well.¡± said the old man.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you mean by ves, Steward Hash? Do you mean to say that you are serving the pce out of your free will?¡±

    The steward hurriedly shook his head and said, ¡°You misunderstood, Young Sir. My ancestors were attendants in the pce, and so am I. We consider ourselves ves to the true ruler of the empire.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I see that is a very admirable spirit. How long have you been serving as the steward in the pce, and is transportation the only thing that you are responsible for?¡±

    The old man replied, ¡°I also look after the stables, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and saw that the carriage has arrived in front of the spaceport. They stopped at the entrance, the soldiers confirmed that the carriage wasing from the pce, and they allowed them to pass.

    Quinn and Shi Lang got down from the carriage with Zyesha, the young man told the Steward to wait while they go to the ship, it will not take them more than five minutes. The old man nodded and stood with the carriage. Quinn and Shi Lang were led to the Terran space vessel by another guard.

    Shi Lang noticed that the hatch door was opened, he felt indignant with this treatment. These people were going inside and outside their ship as they wished. He did not like this. The young man and Quinn were about to get inside the ship when the former suddenly stopped and said, ¡°You stay here.¡±

    He said to the guard in lead. This person was a middle-aged man with sharp features, he did not like this Terran telling him what to do. He said, ¡°Remember that this is Nestia and not your Terran hole. You have no right to tell me what to do.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°You better lower your voice when talking to me. We are the guests here, so have some courtesy and do not make me look down on your empire. Stand guard here, which is your duty. Do not try to act like a majestic ruler.¡±

    That said, the boy went inside the hatch door, but suddenly, his senses went off like a nuclear bomb and he ducked. The guard who tried to pretend to be a big shot just now had attacked Shi Lang with his spear.

    However, he did not expect this boy to avoid his attack. Shi Lang avoided the attack because of his ability, however, before he could counter, Quinn beside him took out the sword from her waist and attacked the dazed guard with a loud shout.

    She used all the strength of her body and with one attack she sent the opponent flying away. She took out her walkie-talkie-typemunicator and said, ¡°Captain, some guard at the spaceport tried to attack Shusha Ace. I have neutralized him, but can you hurry over just in case?¡±

    Ameris was surprised to hear this on the other side and said, ¡°Yes, I aming right away.¡±

    The guards in the spaceport heard the noise from this and rushed over to check the reason, they found Shi Lang standing behind the pce guard. A soldier asked, ¡°What is happening here?¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°Call your superior, Captain Ameris from the pce guards will be here shortly, and you better not take this man away. He is charged with the crime of disrespecting the imperial guest and also attacking him with the intent to kill. Anyone who dares to side with him will be treated the same.¡±

    The soldier heard the cold words and dared not dy. He used themunicator to call over the captain while the rest of the soldiers formed a parameter around the ship. Shi Lang said, ¡°I will be going in, Zyesha needs medicine.¡±

    Quinn nodded, and the boy led Zyesha inside, what they needed was a few minutes for Shi Lang to use the mainframe and then get it linked to hismunicator. This way they will be able to stay in touch with The Federal President from outside.

    ¡­

    Ameris and the captain of the spaceport troops arrived at the same time. Ameris ignored everyone and asked Quinn about what happened, and thetter replied, ¡°Shusha Ace and I were being led by this man, when Shusha Ace told him not to board the ship with us, this man told him that this is Nestia and not the Federal Hole, and Shusha Ace is not qualified to order him around.

    Then Shusha Ace reminded this man of his status of an imperial guest and told him to be respectful, lest his actions demean the glory of our empire. He told this man that he was a guard and not a majestic ruler to order him around. The next thing was this person stabbing at the back of Shusha Ace¡¯s head with his spear, thanks to his perception, Shusha Ace came out safely, and then I countered this person before calling you over.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°You did good.¡±

    Hearing her words the captain of the spaceport grit his teeth and said, ¡°What a good pce guard, how dare you attack my troops, if there was any misunderstanding then you should have came to me first, who allowed you to attack my troops?¡±

    Ameris sneered and said, ¡°If the leader of the imperial guests was to be harmed by the time you arrived, would you be able to answer her majesty?¡±

    The captain was choked and Ameris said, ¡°I will report this incident to her majesty and she will deal with you bunch of rowdies. Wastes of imperial money and resources. Take this guy into custody and have him appear at the court tomorrow.¡±

    Ameris and the spaceport captain might have the same designation but the status of the former was higher as she reported directly to the Queen. After the scene was cleared, the people did not enter the spaceship but waited silently. After ten minutes, Shi Lang walked out with Zyesha. He said, ¡°We can go now?¡±

    Ameris nodded and bowed to the young man as she said, ¡°I apologize for the transgression Shusha Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°It is fine, I just hope there will be no second time.¡±

    Ameris nodded and then she led the two back to the carriage. The mission was sessful but Shi Lang was thinking if Quinn¡¯s ability had any loopholes. However, they could not talk in front of Ameris. The journey was quiet, Zyesha did tell Shi Lang that the old man was paying them even a higher attention, but the young man did not say anything.

    The carriage arrived in front of the pce and Shi Lang got off first with Zyesha, he turned to the old Steward and said, ¡°Thank you for taking me to the spaceport.¡±

    The old Steward bowed his head. Shi Lang left with Quinn in tow. Ameris wanted to say something but she had to notify the queen first about the incident at the spaceport. This was her priority. Shi Lang and Quinn arrived back to the corridor where his room was located and the boy turned around to thank thedy when he saw her eyes roll back before regaining her control.

    Shi Lang did not care about her confused gaze and said, ¡°Thank you for protecting me.¡±

    Then he entered the room, the first thing he did was to contact the whole team.

 Chapter 157

    Shi Lang connected with the whole team, and first asked, ¡°How is Quinn holding up?¡±

    Mental abilitiese with a significant drawback, they will leave the wielder out of their senses or numb for a varying period of time. Shi Lang was concerned if Quinn could hold on. Amelia replied, ¡°She is fine but slightly dizzy. Was the task sessful?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, it waspleted. However, something else also took ce.¡±

    With that, he began to tell them about the Steward and the attack at the spaceport. Rosa said, ¡°We should put some bots to track these suspicious people.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I agree, but the first thing we need to do before any further actions, is to contact back home and ask them if what the Queen has said is true or not.¡±

    The people agreed, and then Shi Lang asked, ¡°Quinn, just now I saw the pce guard you possessed to have a dizzy and confused reaction, do you think it will be a problem for us. I mean what if tomorrow in the courtroom she did not testify as we need her to.¡±

    Quinn replied in a weak voice, ¡°Do not worry, by the time she appears in the courtroom, those memories would have be a part of her subconscious. My ability is not to possess other people but to iste their consciousness while I manipte them. I have no idea how it works, but it does.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You all should go to bed, we will check with the President in the morning.¡±

    The people agreed and went back to bed. Amelia returned to his side, while Rosa stayed with Quinn to look after her. In a blink, morning came and the people began to ready for an appearance inside the courtroom.

    During their breakfast, Shi Lang and Rosa had predicted that the reason amon guard attacked Shi Lang was a part of a bigger n. It could be anything, from trying to stop them from leaving the sight by the Queen, or to entice trouble between the queen and them, by the minister.

    Either way, all this was too suspicious and today Shi Lang decided to bring out the truth from this man¡¯s mouth. Rosa told him to be careful, after all, this debate might stir up a lot of trouble in the courtroom, and to defend herself from the fire, the Queen might draw a line between them.

    Shi Lang nodded and the people finished their breakfast, just in time for Amelia toe over and ask them to follow her back to the courtroom. With a tense expression, the people followed Ameris, who said, ¡°Do not worry, just narrate what happened there and you will be fine.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That was what I intended to do.¡±

    He held his hands behind his back and gave the team a few signs to not speak or lose their temper inside the courtroom. Amelia was beside him and she asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Will you be able to do what you told them?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°I do not know aboutter, but right now I have an urge to kiss you.¡±

    Amelia pinched his waist sneakily and the young man winced in pain. After a few minutes, the group arrived in front of the courtroom. Their names were announced and they moved in front of the queen. Shi Lang and the rest bowed slightly to thedy sitting on the throne, dressed in her usual thigh slit gown.

    She gestured for them to sit down on the specially arranged chairs on the side. The chairs were luxurious and not some makeshift excuse for hospitality. She said, ¡°Call the used.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°Lieutenant Shunt Bril from third spaceport patrol, march in.¡±

    Following the announcement, the used, the soldier who attacked Shi Lang walked inside the courtroom. He greeted the queen and stood at the side opposite Shi Lang.

    Nexalia gazed at them and said, ¡°The trial may begin.¡±

    A person who apanied Shunt Bril spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty, my client is used of disrespecting the imperial guest and attacking him with an intent to kill. However, I would like to ask the imperial guest himself, What might be your evidence sir? Are we, the neomonians to believe that every wording from your mouth is truth?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up, he faced the Queen and asked, ¡°I would like the permission to move and speak freely, Your Majesty.¡±

    Nexalia nodded to him and Shi Lang adjusted his cufflinks before he faced thewyer brought by Shunt Bril, and said, ¡°The evidence you seek would have been lodged in the camera interface of my spaceship if not for some people tempering with the integrity of my vessel. I would like to pile up one more charge, and it is a collective usation I make towards all the spaceport guarding authorities.¡±

    The people were shocked, to think Shi Lang would even smear more mud on their faces. However, before they could create a ruckus, the young Terran said, ¡°You asked if whatever I say is the truth? Yes, I am truthful, because I am not as immature as some people do not know what impact my movements hold on the Neomon-Terran rtionship. Do you really think of me to be so stupid that I would provoke trouble in and where I have nothing to rely on?¡±

    Thewyer from the other side did not move but said, ¡°That is all sound and well put up, but without evidence, we cannot rule that my client might as well be innocent. Your usation can cost him his career.¡±

    This guy was trying to portray Shi Lang as if he was the one big viin here. But that was a given, after all, he was an ¡®alien¡¯. Everyone in the courtroom wanted to see what Shi Lang would do.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I would like to examine Lieutenant Shunt.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Granted.¡±

 Chapter 158

    Shi Lang asked Nexalia for permission to directly examine Lieutenant Shunt. Since he was being projected as the viin then he would y the viin.

    He walked from the center of the courtroom to stand in front of the used and asked, ¡°Mister Attorney, is there any way to ensure that what the examinee is about to say is the truth and nothing but the truth?¡±

    The attorney nodded and said, ¡°The shackles on his wrists ensure that anything he speaks of is the truth. It is a smart device with zero error.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a new pair of this truth detecting shackles.¡±

    Everyone understood that being an ounder, Shi Lang did not trust their system, however, the faces of the three people changed slightly. They were the captain of the spaceport guard, responsible for detaining the used in his facility for the night.

    The second person was the used himself, and thest person was the attorney of the used. He reacted, ¡°I object, Your Majesty. This action clearly stands in contempt of the fairness of the Neomonian Judicial system.¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and replied, ¡°Irrelevant. I am not a native, so it is obvious that I do not trust ¡®you¡¯, however, I asked for new shackles because I trust in Her Majesty. The ruler is the judge and her words are the justice. So, please do not use me of just anything thates to your mind. ¡±

    He stated his words calmly and the people nodded. The courtiers who supported the Queen nodded, the phrase, ¡®The ruler is the judge and her words are the justice.¡¯ had scored a good mark from them. While those who did not support the queen wanted to curse Shi Lang to death.

    Nexalia spoke, ¡°Overruled.¡± to the attorney who defended Lieutenant Shunt. Then she turned her gaze to the handmaiden beside her and said, ¡°Get a new pair of shackles.¡±

    The handmaiden nodded and reacted quickly then she left the courtroom. Everyone stood holding their breaths, the finance minister frowned and said, ¡°What will a new shackle do? This person is just fooling with us.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded slightly and said, ¡°I can him questions twice, once with the shackles he is wearing and the second time when the new shackles arrive. What do you say to that, Your grace, Finance Minister Abbey.¡±

    His words clearly stated that there was a big chance of difference in the answers. Shi Lang turned to face the Lieutenant and asked, ¡°Please tell everyone, what transpired between usst night.¡±

    That said he crossed his hands behind the back and waited for the man to speak. Shunt grit his teeth and spoke, ¡°When you and that pce guard arrived at the spaceport, I guided you to your vessel. I wanted to enter the ship with you but you said that I am not qualified. I told you that it is Nestia and I will enter the ship. However, you bought up my rank and humiliated me.

    I was angered and attacked. Then your guard protected you, and that was all. You say that I have disrespected you when you were the one to do that to me in the first ce.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You sure that you would like to stick with that statement? Next time I will be reciting everything word by word while you will be asked to answer only yes or no. Do you agree?¡±

    The lieutenant was flustered he looked at his attorney who said, ¡°You do not have to answer. He cannot change the truth.¡±

    Shunt nodded and then Shi Lang said, ¡°I would like to call my witness, Pce Guard Myrtle.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Call the witness.¡±

    Myrtle was wearing her pce armor when she walked inside the courtroom. She bowed to Nexalia and came to stand in front of Shi Lang. The handmaiden sent to get a new set of shackles had alsoe back. Nexalia personally checked the equipment and passed it to Shi Lang.

    The young man thanked her before he put the shackles around Myrtle¡¯s wrists. He asked, ¡°Madam, I would like you to tell us what happened yesterday word by word.¡±

    Myrtle nodded and said, ¡°We boarded the carriage and then we came to the spaceport, where Lieutenant Shunt guided us to the ship, however, the ship had not been maintained and the hatch door was left open. You felt angry over this issue and asked the lieutenant to stand outside. However, he responded by stating that the spaceship was standing in Nestia, thus he had every right to go inside, at the same time he used the word ¡®hole¡¯ to describe the Terran empire¡­¡±

    Myrtle took her time exining everything to the people inside the courtroom. The more she spoke the uglier those who did not as the Queen became. After Myrtle stopped Shi Lang took off the shackles from her and walked over to Shunt.

    He swapped the shackles on the hands of the lieutenant and then said, ¡°Now I would like you to describe everything as it happened. If you want to add anything that Madam Myrtle may have missed, then please do.¡±

    Hisposure was surely something that put half the court to shame. They did not expect this young man to be so calm and collected in front of all of them and act as if it was his home. He was shaming them, however, they could not stop it. Only the queen was capable of ruling the decision in the favor of the Neomonian soldier.

    However, what they did not expect was when the shackles were being swapped Shunt suddenly smirked and said, ¡°Long live the true king.¡±

    Then he rushed to the nearest guard and grabbed his sword, before anyone could react, the sword plunged down his chest. Shi Lang moved quickly and stabbed his finger around the wound. Nexalia said, ¡°Call the imperial physician.¡±

    An old man stepped out of the crowd of courtiers and said, ¡°I am present, Your Majesty. Please direct me.¡±

    ¡°See if this person is still alive.¡±manded the queen, the cold radiated from her voice was enough to tame the opportunistic people in the court.

    The old man walked to the man on the floor and said, ¡°Sir, if you would allow me.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stepped away from the lieutenant. When the old man checked his pulse, he shook his hand and said, ¡°I apologize your majesty, but this man is dead already.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°The court is adjourned. Shusha Ace is free of every charge.¡±

    The courtiers nodded and then left. Nexalia watched a few guardsing over to pick up the corpse when Shi Lang said, ¡°Your Majesty, may I have a word with you.¡±

    Nexalia was surprised and nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°One thing that has been cleared by all the facade is that the people in the empire have double opinions. Before attempting suicide Shunt said, ¡®Long Live the true king.¡¯

    The true king could be your brother, Finance minister Abbey. It could be someone else as well. To investigate further, I would like to interrogate Shunt. Also, the secret ce must be arranged sooner.¡±

    Nexalia nodded but suddenly asked, ¡°What do you mean by interrogating the dead?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°The anatomy of the Neomons is ny-five percent simr to the Terrans. So, I only used a technique that forced the vitals of this guy to the lowest. He stabbed himself in the center of his chest, while his heart should be on the right side. Am I wrong?¡±

    Nexalia gazed at the dead guard on the floor. Shi Lang snapped his fingers and Quinn stood up from her chair. She walked up to the dead man and mercilessly, stomped the heels of her shoes onto the soft thing between his legs. The sensation made the dead person shake like an animated object.

    The pce guards saw this and were surprised. Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not worry, he is harmless.¡±

    Then he turned his head to Nexalia Neytiri and said, ¡°The interrogation must be done soon and in secret. What do you think, Your Majesty?¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Ameris, lead them to my chambers, and make sure only the pce guards are present during the passage. Tell the servants to move away? Anyone tries to act smart, release them from the burden on their shoulders.¡±

    In a nutshell, if any servant tried to act smart, they will be beheaded. Shi Lang did not care about this. If the spies around the Queen were smart, they would not try to enrage the already pissed tigress.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Captain Ameris, I and the boys will carry this guy, please escort Athena and thedies to our rooms first and regroup with us.¡±

    Ameris was confused and Shi Lang said, ¡°Amy, get me the tool kit.¡±

    Darcx heard this and shivered. He could tell that something horrific was going to happen to this captive.

 Chapter 159

    Shi Lang and Jenkins carried the injured lieutenant to the queen¡¯s residence in the pce. Darcx followed them in silence. The residence was the highest guarded ce in the whole pce. It was set up in the eastern wing of the pce and had only one purpose, which was to house the queen or the king of the empire.

    The pce guards that were escorting the three of them marveled and thought about why the injured person did not lose any blood. Darcx asked, ¡°What do you n to do with him?¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply right away, Jenkins looked at the back of the young man walking in front of him. He has never seen him so quiet. It reminded him of the time when Shi Lang had challenged him in the school battle, no, it was something even worse.

    ¡°This guy attacked me, then humiliated the homnd. Then he dared to sabotage the alliance. I will have him cough up all that he knows. I will not spare him.¡±, said Shi Lang in a calm cold voice.

    Jenkins could sense the cold, it sent a shiver down his spine. Darcx wanted to say something but Jenkins red him off. This guy was a goof usually but even now he was trying to sympathize with the enemy. This was a suicidal behavior.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°If anyone came in between my mission, I will sure ask them for the good reason they have in their minds.¡±

    Darcx finally understood the intensity of the situation. He nodded and silently followed.

    ¡­

    Rosa was walking with Quinn, Amelia, and Ameris with a tense expression on her face. Quinn asked, ¡°Instructor, what is bothering you?¡±

    She looked at Ameris for a moment and thinking that they will be working together in the long run, she said, ¡°Ace had been trained at the camo from where no onees out in the pristine condition. The camp leaves marks on their minds and these marks resurface from time to time. During the battle with Captain Ameris, he almost lost control and made a critical move. This interrogation is not going to be a clean one.¡±

    Quinn nodded and Amelia frowned, Ameris shivered slightly. She asked, ¡°What do you mean by the critical move and almost lost control.¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Critical move, can severely injure an opponent or even kill them while losing control means, their mental state. During his battle with you, Ace had entered a state of mind where he would kill anyone he will see.¡±

    Her voice was calm but her eyes were brimming with worry and anxiety. Quinn said, ¡°Calm down, he has it under control. You also know that he is not ordinary.¡±

    Amelia nodded and they came to their room to take their stuff. Zysha also followed Amelia. She wanted to know what was going on, and she would only talk to Shi Lang. The tigress followed them through the pce with her elegant walk.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood beside the unconscious lieutenant. He was closing the wound on his chest after removing the sword stuck inside. His actions were crisp and clear. The sounds were providing him with aplete three-dimensional model of the body structure in his mind. Jenkins and Darcx were watching him work from the side.

    They could not believe what Shi Lang was capable of and asked, ¡°Where did you learn all this?¡±

    The reply was, ¡°Camp Ragnarok.¡±

    This shocked the two guys and even scared them to take a few steps back. Shi Lang was unbothered by it. He finished his work and walked to the side to dump the gloves on his hands. Amelia and the rest had alreadye by and now they were waiting outside this room. Shi Lang said, ¡°The Neomonians have a medicine that can heal him back to ny percent. Let them use it and then we will begin.¡±

    After injecting the medicine into Shunt¡¯s body, the three guys left the room. Amelia stood up and came to Shi Lang. The guy smiled slightly and caressed her face with the back of his palm. Amelia hugged him gently and said, ¡°Do not lose control, okay?¡±

    Shi Lang patted her back gently and said, ¡°Yes do not worry.¡±

    The group began to prepare the questions they needed to ask, and Quinn even suggested that she can take possession of the guy and copy his memories, but Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I want to see everything, having his memories will not be able to do that. There could be a lot of things that you might miss. Second, he should suffer for calling our home a hole.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°You have our support, but do not overdo it.¡±

    At this moment, Nexalia walked into the room. The people nodded to her in greeting and Quinn asked, ¡°Your Majesty, how can we help you?¡±

    Nexalia shook her head and said, ¡°I would like you to please get me names. I want all those involved in this incident, need to vanish.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Please increase surveince of the royal branches. Anyone who tries to leave the city must be logged and monitored through the satellites. This way you can save human resources. Also, even if the Intelligence bureau is controlled by someone else, you still have some hackers right? Have them leech-off.¡±

    Nexalia asked, ¡°Leech-off?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°A term used for someone with parasitic behavior.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri sighed and said, ¡°The resources I have at my disposal are the medicinal and transportation goods.¡±

    Rosa sighed and said, ¡°Your majesty, please find me all the books and knowledge that you can to read. The books must be based on theputer science of your empire. Also, please get me, someone, to teach me how to read and write in yournguage.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and she said, ¡°You can do all this at the secret base. Ameris will teach you how to read and write. Is that okay?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Let us depart. I would like to be the first one to meet our ¡®informant.''¡±

 Chapter 160

    Shi Lang stood up and came to the separate room where former Lieutenant Shunt was being kept tied to a bed. Jenkins and Darcx followed him while thedies were in the back. As they entered the room, they could see a lot of tools spread over a table beside the bed.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I suggest that thedies maintain some distance, the scene will not be very hygiene friendly.¡± in a calm voice.

    However, the calm could not hide the slight trace of excitement carried within. Darcx said in a low voice, ¡°I think the captain has lost it.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°How innocent can you be after being a member of the secret divisions? Do you think, breaking someone mentally can be done by a sane person?¡±

    Amelia said calmly, ¡°He has a sense of measure. I suggest you learn from him.¡±

    Nexalia was also with them but she did not say anything. She wanted to see how efficient these teenagers were. Rosa stood beside her. At this moment, the status of royalty had vanished, they were all just curious people.

    Shi Lang picked up a set of needles from the table on the side and came to stand beside Shunt. He used the back of his hand to p the guy gently and said, ¡°Baby Shunt, time to wake up.¡±

    The effects of the medicine have worn off by now and this much stimulus was enough to wake the guy up. Shunt opened his eyes slowly and Shi Lang was smiling at him as if he was the kindest soul in the universe.

    Shunt shivered and asked in an enraged tone, ¡°Why am I not dead.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are dead, you just do not know yet,¡± said Shi Lang as he inserted a needle into his body.

    Shunt asked him loudly, ¡°What are you doing to me?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Preparing you for thest ride.¡± his voice was so detached as if he was the king of the underworld.

    Shunt shivered and so did the rest of the people. By the time the former lieutenant could react the most crucial points in his body were blocked by needles. Shi Lang said, ¡°I have stabbed needles in your body, to immobilize you. Now you can feel everything I am about to do to you, but cannot move.¡±

    Then he carefully made the guy sit up and asked, ¡°Jenks, get me a chair.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and quickly moved a chair and ced it near the pool table. Shi Lang carried the former Lieutenant in his arms carefully like a princess and then ced him in the chair. Then he undid the medical garbs put on Shunt¡¯s body. He said, ¡°Do not worry, I have no other reasons but to make you feel humbled.¡±

    Quinn asked, ¡°Why is he telling Shunt his n?¡±

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°This is the strategy to let Shunt break down sooner. Fear of getting hurt deals more damage than pain from the actual injury. Understood?¡±

    The people nodded in understanding. Shi Lang picked up a scalpel and said, ¡°We can do this in an easy manner, or a hard manner. I will be asking you questions, your answers will determine whether you die in peace or pain. Okay?¡±

    Shunt gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You can try all that you can.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and the scalpel moved. What followed was a scream and a few gasps. Amelia had expected something like this. She was rtively calm, even Nexalia was not calm and cold. Shi Lang did not stop until he had removed the outer epidermalyer of Shunt Bril. He said, ¡°Oh, seems like you look the same under this skin as well.¡± he chuckled slowly.

    Shunt groaned and wailed in pain and Shi Lang turned around. He beckoned Darcx toe over to him. He said, ¡°Darcx check out if all that he says is true or not?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the groaning person and asked, ¡°So, who asked you to entice trouble?¡±

    Shunt replied, ¡°Piss Off.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then a needle in his hand was stabbed inside the body. Shi Lang said, ¡°You will not die but the pain will amplify with every stab. You will beg me to give you death.¡±

    After ten minutes, the groans did not calm down. Shi Lang stabbed another needle. The thing about pain was before you get used to it, the pain will break you psychologically. To save yourself from that agony, a person will do anything. Every ten minutes, Shi Lang will stab a needle, making the wails even louder.

    The people shuddered, they did not expect him to be so merciless. His cruelty was not something they had expected. Shi Lang had just about to stab the fourth needle when Shunt cried, ¡°No please, nooo. I will tell you everything.¡±

    Shi Lang patted his cheek and stood up as he said, ¡°Good boy. Jenkins, you are it.¡±

    Then he walked away from the table and cleaned his bloodied hands. He said, ¡°Quinn, you are with me, as for the rest of you, finish it soon and cover as many bases as possible.¡±

    Quinn shivered and walked out of the room with Shi Lang. She was aware that he was going to use the mainframe uplink and contact her father. The young man had his shirt stained with blood here and there, but it was nothingpared to his vtile mood.

    Ameris did not need amand from the queen to guide them to a secluded ce in the wing. The two people sat inside the study of Her Majesty, The Queen. Shi Lang tapped on hismunicator and said, ¡°We will be connected in a few minutes, I had initiated the link from inside the ship itself.¡±

    Quinn nodded and asked, ¡°How are you feeling at the moment?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I am fine, what are you scared that I might lose my shit and turn into a maniacal killing machine?¡±

    Quinn hesitated a bit but then she nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I am afraid.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I would have felt the same way as well. So don¡¯t mind. Focus on how to deal with your father. If he said something political, I will forget his position as the president.¡±

    Quinn smiled and said, ¡°Do not worry, Captain. I will take the lead this time. His politics almost sold us out.¡±

    Themunicator beeped and Shi Lang tapped on the holographic screen in front of him. With a grab-and-throw gesture, the images in front of him were all given to Quinn. The girl said, ¡°How do you do, Mr. President?¡±

    An excited voice suddenly sounded, ¡°Harley, is that you?¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°Why are you so shocked, Dad? Did not expect it to be me? Thought that we died inside this ce already?¡± her face had a smile but her words were like a knife.

    ¡°What nonsense, what are you saying? How can I think of such ominous things about my daughter? Harley, I, can exin.¡± replied the President, with some exhaustion in his voice.

    Shi Lang did not have time to hear any of his bullshit and said, ¡°Then exin. Themunication willst for a few minutes. I would like to confirm if you were aware of the situation here beforehand, and deliberately concealed the facts from us?¡±

    His voice was cold, showing no respect. The president raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Who do you think you are talking to?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°The president of the federation, who sent away a handful of teenagers behind the enemy lines to deal with some non-sensical political matter.¡± curtly.

    Quinn said, ¡°Captain give the old man some face, he can bar you from the military.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°As if, I will sue him in the court. You know, that way the opposition might help me more.¡±

    Quinn gave him a thumbs up and the President looked helpless. These teenagers were all so feisty. The president began to speak about everything that he and the Queen of Neomonia had agreed upon. Shi Lang heard him with patience and after the President was done, he asked, ¡°Very Well, since you had agreed to aid them, I will ask my team to do the best.¡±

    That said themunication ended and Shi Lang said to Quinn, your father is hiding something. Quinn nodded and said, ¡°We cannot do anything from out here. Deal with all this and get back home soon.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You have my total support on this one.¡±

    The two of them talked for a bit and came out of the study. Ameris said, ¡°Sir, Her Majesty has invited you to partake in some evening snacks.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°We will be d to sit down with Her Majesty.¡±

    Then the people were led to the garden in the eastern wing. This garden was where, Her Majesty will sit down and have her evening snack, daily. Shi Lang and Quinn walked up only to find the whole team sitting there.

    Nexalia said, ¡°I have a confession to make.¡±

 Chapter 161

    Shi Lang did not sit down but stood in his spot when the Queen said that she had a confession to make. He nodded to thedy.

    Nexalia said, ¡°Actually, I had prior knowledge that Shunt would try to make an assassination attempt on you. However, it came only when you entered the spaceport. I could have informed you, but when Ameris told me that you can even best her. I thought, why not test you? I apologize for the transgressions.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I hope you do not let something like this happen again, I am not here to give you the excitement of testing me or my teammates. If we did not die in the attacks, we will make sure to hunt down those responsible for it.¡¯

    The whole room descended into silence, this guy just threatened the queen of a celestial empire. What was he even thinking? However, none of the teammates had the mind to retort him. They have been tolerating all this quite a bit over the past few days. That said, Shi Lang sat down at the table and began to eat.

    Amelia said, ¡°Shunt revealed to us that Finance Minister Abbey is the true ruler in theirmunity.¡± in a low voice.

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What about the people from his faction? Any details?¡±

    Darcx nodded, ¡°A dozen names and descriptions. Small cogs.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°We have dispatched the satellites to keep an eye on these people.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Amy, you will cooperate with Captain Ameris, determine, which one of these people has the least contact history with Shunt, and abduct him or her.¡±

    Nexalia raised her eyebrow, Rosa said, ¡°Shunt has been exposed so the people close to him will be guarded and cautious, so by going after the remotest person, we will be having a higher chance of nabbing them without alerting the shadows.¡±

    The captain of the pce guard and the queen nodded to this method of working in appreciation. The purpose for calling over Shi Lang and the others was to maintain the secrecy, they did not want the empire to know that the throne is shaky.

    Only the finance minister was not busy seeking the opportunities to usurp the empire, a lot of selfish people would have dreams of starting an empire of their own, and they will rebel and set fire to the peace and prosperity of the Neomonian Empire. Nexalia did not want that to happen.

    After the people finished eating they all were about to get to their jobs when Shi Lang said, ¡°Captain Ameris, I need hundred of your people, all tested and checked for royalty. They will follow us on the remote base of operation.¡±

    Nexalia said, ¡°You will get the best of the people, but why so many?¡±

    Shi Lang turned to look at her, ¡°In theing years of your reign, will you be depending on Terran aid all the time? I just did you a second favor here, we will train your people while they work with us. You will have a secret division that will work and answer only to you and for you.¡±

    Nexalia Neytiri was surprised, ever since she was crowned, she had wanted a force of her own, however, there has never been a force like that, although she had the skills of administration, she did not know how to manipte the people around her, this was why her brother was the first choice for the throne. Turned out, that when their mother was still alive, this guy wanted to be crowned emperor.

    He was only neen at that time. So he nned a conspiracy, which failed and he was caught. Thus he was named the finance minister. However, when he got the keys to the mint, he came to a step closer to his goal. But before his mother passed away, she gave his sister the throne and the crown.

    Nexalia Neytiri was moved beyond her words and she said with a humble smile on her face, ¡°If not for the fact that you, Shusha Ace have a beautiful fiance beside you, I would have asked you to sire children with me and rule the empire too.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°I bless that you find someone else, Your Majesty. Jenkins is single, would you like me to introduce you to him?¡±

    Jenkins gulped and thought, how it will be if the queen said yes. But before his thoughts could run wild, Nexalia shoved him inside the cold pool, ¡°He is not enough to hold our interest.¡±

    Darcx patted Jenkins on his shoulder as he stifledughter. Nexalia Neytiri turned to look at Amelia and said, ¡°Shushi Amelia, would you apany meter at night, along with Shushi Rosa and Shushi Harley?¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°It will be our pleasure, Your Majesty.¡±

    The people moved to deal with their own stuff. Shi Lang had given clearmands if the reports came out filled with fumbles, they could almost imagine their heads on a tter. Shi Lang said, ¡°I would like to confess something as well.¡±

    Nexalia was very interested in this, and they all turned to look at him. Shi Lang had decided to ce a card that could give them the edge in this game. He said, ¡°Your majesty, human spies are prone to slip-ups and also corruption. So, we need to ce some pawns that can assure the authenticity of the news. Zysha will be in charge of these spies till we are here.¡±

    He cast a gaze at the big catzing in the corner, and said, ¡°You all may think I am pulling a number on you but I am not. She is capable of telepathic conversation and her intelligence, well I will let you decide. Zysha, time to broaden their horizons. Befriend her majesty and you will get good food.¡±

    Suddenly, a calm yet rebuking voice sounded in their minds, ¡°You look down on me by thatst part of your sentence. Terran boy, the way you think of me as a pet, the same can exin how I look at all of you, that includes this beauty in veil.¡±

    The people were shocked. Amelia looked at Shi Lang with surprise, she did not expect where he found this cat. Darcx said, ¡°Captain, I also want a talking cat of my own.¡±

    His remark was yet to be processed when Zysha let out her ws and bared her fangs at Darcx. She said, ¡°You think, creatures like me are asmon as you shit brains? I have been wondering how you got a ce in this all. Like are you someone who was sent here to make up for the numbers and manualbor, right?¡±

    Quinn spoke up, ¡°I like her.¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°Me too.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and Amelia asked, ¡°How will she help us?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Train and teach the animals we nt in the houses of the nobles and beside thedies of the house or every member of the family. Give them an animal of their choice, but not a carnivore, those are hard to train.¡± his mood was so calm.

    At this moment, Nexalia was having stars blink in her eyes. She was almost unable to stop herself from kissing this cold and calm young man in front of her. Well, she was also partially a human you know. She had needs.

    She said, ¡°I see, why you are called Ace.¡± after taking a deep breath she said, ¡°Ameris, get started on the screening process and arrange for the convoy to take all of them and our guests to the secret base with the first light in the morning.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°It will be as youmand, My Liege.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Shusha Ace, I will see to it that every noble house gets an animal, and it will be for thedies of the house to take care of it personally.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°We will be going out to work, so I will leave Zysha by your side.¡± he cast a look at Zysha and told her to keep an eye on the Queen.

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I understand. She can stay with me. I hope you won¡¯t dislike it.¡± the second half was intended for Zysha.

    The cat gazed at her calmly before finally nodding. Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    She took Zysha away and the Terrans and the captain of the pce guards were left there. They discussed a few issues before they all dispersed as well. Jenkins asked while moving back to their rooms, ¡°Why did you let out Zysha¡¯s secret to them. It could have been of our useter and serve a better advantage.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Have you never heard, keep friends close, and enemies closer. Let me add to it, those with the potential to destroy you must be held in your palms. Understand. Do not think too much, Zysha is not that simple.¡±

 Chapter 162

    Late at night Shi Lang and his team boarded a royal flying vessel from behind the queen¡¯s residence and flew away to the designated secret base. The location of this base was kept hidden even from the rulers of the empire.

    The reason was to provide the pce guard an environment where they could train away from the disturbance of the pce politics. They were the pce guards with only one purpose, safeguarding the one who sits on the throne. If the need arises, they will be discarding the heir to the throne to safeguard the ruling king or the queen.

    Shi Lang sat behind Captain Ameris, who was piloting the vessel. This vessel looked like a bug, the rotors were des as if the wings of a bug. The speed was three times that of sound, and the most amazing thing was that this vessel emitted almost no sound. Jenkins and the rest were looking at the vessel with great interest.

    As military geniuses, they were calcting and deducing the various equation put together to make this thing work. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Captain Ameris, you told me that the pce guard only has one purpose, that is to safeguard the life of the ruling Emperor or the Empress. I would like to ask, why do you all address Her Majesty, Nexalia Neytiri as the Queen and not empress? It does not seem to be too loyal to me.¡±

    Ameris sighed and said, ¡°In order to earn the title of the Empress, the candidate must control the court at her fingertips. Do you think, her Majesty hasplete control of the court? When, Her Excellency, Empress Maine Neytiri passed away, the court was shaken, and those old people with the political ambition thought of it as a chance.

    Finance Minister Abbey? Well, do not even get me started on that man. He is a snake. If not for the fact that this guy was outside the pce for a month before the incident, I would have suspected him of being responsible for the death of her excellency.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed outside the window and said, ¡°I would doubt him nheless. Being outside for a month is not the grounds to be left out of the scope of the investigation. It was obvious that he warmed up to the people in the Intelligence department.¡±

    Rosa nodded from beside him and Darcx said, ¡°Captain, I suggest that we first take out the key cards held by the subject.¡±

    Darcx was also a secret division operative, his intellect regarding his work area was not lesser than anyone else. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Darcx, you are the tech expert, right?¡±

    Darcx replied with a yes, and Shi Lang said, ¡°Good, you will study the Neomonian tech with instructor Rosa. You have a week to get me inside the mainframe of the Defense department mainframe.¡±

    The two people nodded and replied in a firm tone, ¡°Yes, captain.¡±

    The designation of the instructor was akin to a first officer. After ten hours the vessel began to descend, and the floor of theke, they were flying over parted, revealing a space, smaller than the vessel¡¯s wingspan.

    Quinn said, ¡°Captain, reminds you of something?¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°Seems like, X made a good recon.¡±

    They weremunicating through the telepathic instrument, and thus the others did not understand what they spoke about. It was an internal joke, Mythya had a vessel simr to this, and the location where the Terran team trained during theirst week had a simr setting. The others on the team had also realized this but they did not mention anything about it.

    Ameris pulled the joysticks back to her and the wings retracted before the vessel went in a nose-dive, and with a whoosh, it passed through the small opening. The surface of theke returned to normal after the vessel entered.

    The secret base was made under theke in a derelict wild region. As the vesselnded on the floor, a group of guards came over. Ameris turned off the engine and opened the hath doors for everyone to get down to the ground. They were not afraid of getting tracked here, the vessel had been checked twice all over for any tracers and this region was masked from satellite scans.

    This was something done by the predecessors to stopping the prying eyes of the intelligence department. Ameris said, ¡°Call everyone, regroup in Zone one.¡±

    The guards nodded and they all moved quickly. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Will you give us an introduction, Captain.¡±

    Ameris nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Then she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Wee to the Den. This base wasmissioned three hundred years, by the ruler. To date, this ce has the best equipment, well, some loyalist families still support the purpose of the Pce Guard.

    This facility has seven floors and one docking zone, where we are standing currently. Zone five is the med-bay, and pantry, while zone six and seven are the amodations of the in-house personnel. A small part of zone five serves as the detention center and investigation room. Zone two is the surveince zone, it has the best technical equipment.

    Zone one is the gathering area, where we do the briefings and zone three and four are the main training areas. On the eastern side of the base is a pathway, leading to the woods on the shore, where they have set up an obstacle course, but it is highly risky to run through it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, I would like to get to work as soon as possible.¡±

    Ameris nodded and led them all to the elevator. Shi Lang said, ¡°Darcx, Instructor Rosa, head directly to zone two, and begin studying the tech. Jenkins, take Harley, check the training zone, and decide on a regime to enhance agility and stealth. Amy, you are to survey the obstacle course outside.¡±

    The people nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    The elevator came to a floor below, which was the gathering area, Zone one. Shi Lang and Amelia stepped out while the others were escorted to their work areas by a guard inside the base arranged Ameris.

    The Captain of the pce guards said, ¡°You sure have a good crew.¡±

    ¡°I am aware.¡± Shi Lang¡¯s demeanor has changedpletely. Ameris could sense that the boy meant business right now, so stopping her bbering, she led him to a small podium on the side. The hundred pce guards selected by Ameris were gathering, some of them were still not present.

    Shi Lang waited patiently, after five minutes the people were assembled. He took a step forward and said, ¡°Today is the first meeting so allow me to introduce myself, I am Captain Ace. You all will be training under me from now on.¡±

    Ameris had told the people of the general circumstances, but not his age, which made thedies of the guard unit frown. Shi Lang could see the change in their expressions and said, ¡°You all have the gall to frown at me when it took you five minutes to gather over? Interesting. If any of you is stronger than Captain Ameris, or you think you are stronger than her, take a step forward.¡±

    His words carried a chill that made thedies shiver. It was because they recalled that Ameris had been defeated by him in battle. Shi Lang said, ¡°Captain Ameris, how long does it take for one to rush over here from the seventh zone?¡±

    Ameris replied, ¡°The best is three minutes. Sir.¡± her tone was respectful because she was at this moment, helping him set his supremacy in front of the troops.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You all will be given three minutes to regroup here every morning to report. Anye will be running the obstacle course outside. Just so you know, every minute you arete will mean an additionalp of the course.

    Second, until you do not report on time, you will not be allowed to train. Third, if you arete three times, then you can say goodbye to this post in the pce guard, I will have, Her Majesty remove the weak links in the chain. Do you understand?¡±

    Thedies all became alert when he announced the rules. They said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°For every mission you aplish, you will get appropriate rewards, and more than that, you will only report to her majesty. You will not have to stand inside the pce corridors all the time but move out, visit ces, kill people, and all this to help your Queen be the true ruler of the empire. You will be her hundred arms, help her pull the strings.

    Remember, you are here because the empress needs you, however, if you tried to usurp the very throne that you protect, we still have ways to make you regret such thoughts.¡±

    Thedies replied, ¡°We serve the throne!!!¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°From today onward, you all will be called The Queen¡¯s Snare.¡±

 Chapter 163

    After Shi Lang finished debriefing the people, he said, ¡°I will be dividing you all into groups of five people each. You can decide your roles among yourself. Your first test will be held tomorrow morning. Captain Ameris will give you the details. You have to prepare strategies toplete the mission. Your teams will be ranked based on the feasibility of your ns. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± said thedies.

    Shi Lang nodded and then walked down the podium, from the side he watched Ameris providing people the details of the mission. The purpose of letting Ameris handle this was to observe the reactions of the selected teams.

    He could tell from the reactions of thedies that they were all excellent seeds for this job. Shi Lang nodded and made his way to Zone two to check on Rosa Blues and Darcx. The elevator took him down and Shi Lang soon found the two people sitting inside a room surrounded by a pile of books.

    He did not bother them and went inside the monitoring area. The whole base and the forest on the shores wereced with micro cameras. Shi Lang asked an operator, ¡°Can you show me the footage from the obstacle course?¡±

    The operator nodded and quickly tapped on the console in front of her. Everyone in the base was aware that some superior Terran people came to help the Queen with some things. Darcx and Rosa had been with them. The operator said, ¡°Sir, the footage is disyed on the big monitor.¡±

    Shi Lang watched Amelia running through the woods like a ghost. He watched for a few minutes, then he asked the operator, ¡°Any way we can talk to her?¡±

    The operator nodded and then she said, ¡°Sir, you can speak to her now.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Amy, run slow, trigger a few traps. Let me check the extent of difficulty they have set.¡±

    Amelia almost fell to the ground when she heard this. The girl deliberately slowed down her pace and then she began to trigger the traps. After a few minutes when she finished running, Shi Lang said, ¡°They call this difficult. Come back, time to overhaul the definition of an obstacle course.¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°I pray for the poor souls.¡± as she made her way back to the base.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Get me a list of phasor canons, trip mines, motion-sensing nades.¡±

    The operator asked, ¡°What do you have in mind, Sir?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Time to give you all an obstacle course which can make you run for your lives.¡±

    ¡­

    The terrans began to guide a hundred troops in the Queen¡¯s snare wholeheartedly. Five days had passed and tonight the Alpha Team of the secret division will be performing their mission for the first time.

    Shi Lang, Amelia, Quinn, and Rosa sat inside the monitoring room. Darcx and Jenkins were shadowing the team. All the other teams were able to watch the mission progress from the gathering zone. Their mission was going to be the study material. The alpha team had received training from Shi Lang personally.

    They could swear that even the hardest days in the pce guard training could notpare to an hour with Shi Lang. He made them run through the obstacle course, then he will spar with them. This was something they could not handle, in just five minutes, Shi Lang was breaking their bones. Then he will dump the people in the infirmary, and the cycle will repeat as soon as they get conscious.

    ¡­

    ¡°This is Chanel, we have a positive ID on the target. Requesting permission tomence.¡± the voice echoed in the monitoring room.

    Shi Lang pressed the button on the table and said, ¡°Permission granted.¡±

    ¡°Commencing mission.¡± said thedy.

    The team leader turned the radio silent. At this moment, the door of the monitoring room was knocked at. Shi Lang said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Ameris walked inside, she had returned to the side of the Queen during the past few days to help her with the instation of the animal agents. Zysha was having a blissful life, she was bossing around the animals and training them in the past few days while eating exquisite meat served to her. Nexalia liked her a lot.

    Ameris asked, ¡°I apologize for the dy, something came up at thest moment, what is the situation?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°Have a seat first.¡±

    Ameris sat down and Quinn said, ¡°The target is located inside a bar on the outskirts of a small town. Seems like this guy was cautious enough and fled the capital.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°All the opposition spies are like this. Thanks to the intelligence department. Without them, we would not have found his tracks.¡±

    Ameris asked, ¡°What do you mean by that? Intelligence Department is coborating?¡± in surprise.

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°More like a hostile takeover.¡±

    Ameris was surprised, even more, this statement confirmed that the terrans were able to bypass the cyber defenses and get inside the mainframe without being detected. She wanted to ask them how, but then she would not have understood anything anyway.

    She sat down and focused her attention on the screen. The scene disyed that the alpha team was gradually surrounding the target, they were posing as a group of girls traveling together and came out here to rest. Darcx had given them three objectives. The first was to neutralize all the intelligence department personnel, guarding the target.

    The second objective was to secure the target, and then finally, leave the ce intact. It may seem like the objectives were easy to cover, but in fact, it was not easy as it was to hear. Shi Lang did not say anything and just watched calmly.

    Amelia asked, ¡°What do you think? Want to bet?¡±

    Quinn chuckled and said, ¡°Ace, what do you want to say?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I have no idea, also, this is not a joking matter. One mistake and the intelligence department will be onto us. So, everyone shall better focus.¡±

    ¡­

    Chanel, the alpha team leader, was sitting at the bar counter with another team member, Hethal. Thetter asked, ¡°The target has two guards.¡±

    Chanel nodded and said, ¡°I suggest we divide them and then take them out.¡±

    Hethal nodded and said, ¡°I shall notify Mara and Jun.¡±

    They both held two sses of wine in their hand and moved around the club, and found their teammates, who were dancing and scouting the guards of the intelligence department. Chanel said, ¡°Mara, you are with Hathel, take out the guard on the left and then the guy on the right is left to us.¡±

    Chanel and Jun held a ss in their hands and they moved to sit down on the side both of them looking at their target. Mara walked over to the dance floor, she positioned herself near the guard, suddenly Hathel tripped and the ss of wine in her hand fell, sshing the content over the guard sitting on a chair.

    The guard reacted, ¡°Hey, watch it.¡±

    Hethal walked up with a goofy smile and held his hand as she said, ¡°I am sorry, my love.¡±

    Her sultry voice made the man freeze and at this moment, Mara walked up behind the man. This scene was being watched by the second guard. He watched his partner be entangled with two women and decided to intervene and focus on the job when he was also approached by twodies.

    One of thedies suddenly grabbed his cor and with tears in her eyes she said, ¡°You heartless bastard, why, why did you leave me?¡±

    This girl was Chanel, before the man could react, one more pair of slender hands grasped his shoulders and ady with an enraged face asked, ¡°Who is this bitch?¡±

    They did not give the man any chance, Chanel and Jun forcefully dragged the man out of the club, these were the people from the intelligence department. While the other guy had been stabbed with a poison needle and then dragged outside of the club. The people only thought of them as one getting super lucky while the other was unfortunate.

    Ady at the bar counter said, ¡°At least someone has love in their lives, whether it is to gain or to lose.¡±

    The man next to her said, ¡°At least they have a life.¡±

    Thedy nodded and picked up the ss at the counter and gestured to clink it with the man as she said, ¡°To life and the unpredictability.¡±

    The man also did the same and said, ¡°To life.¡±

    They clinked the ss and chugged down the drink. Thedy said, ¡°Do you want to get out of here?¡±

    The man looked around and said, ¡°Yeah, why not.¡±

    The two stood up and slowly walked to the door, the man asked, ¡°It is rare to see ady taking the initiative to reach out to a man and take the initiative.¡±

    The girl smiled and said, ¡°Sometimes a woman should make a move first.¡±

    They reached outside the club and just as the door closed, the girl jumped up and delivered a round house kick to the temple of the man.

 Chapter 164

    Shi Lang nodded when he heard the report. The team disposed of the two intelligence officers and then they carried the target into their vehicles. Rosa said, ¡°First missionplete.¡±

    The others also nodded and were about to congratte each other when Shi Lang said, ¡°They were too open. The intelligence department would have spotted them way sooner before they could even get close to the target. You do realize that this was the weakest target in the circle?¡±

    The others nodded, and Shi Lang said, ¡°The meaning of covert action is to be done in secret, and this was what? A public execution, so while it is a good job that theypleted the task, they still have a long way to go.¡±

    The girls nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°Prepare assignments for the rest of the teams, they will start executing the less valuable targets and bring back the strong ones. Kill any of the intelligent people who stand in their way.¡±

    The iron decree was passed on. While Shi Lang was delegating the people in Queen¡¯s snare, the whole political lobby was shaken. The nobles and the officials did not expect to someone be so gutsy and pick a fight against the most powerful department of the nation, yet turn up empty-handed.

    Rosa and Darcx had sneaked inside the intelligence department, and they were sure about this whole department being inside the pocket of the finance minister. The head of the department was ady from the house of the Duke. She dreamt of being near the throne in whatever manner possible. However, the old queen realized her ambition and directly stationed her at the helm of the most powerful tool of the empire.

    This was a mistake Abbey took advantage of. He seduced the girl at the top chair and then married her in secret. She wanted something to do with the throne, but now she could be the empress of the empire, so all the resources of the intelligence department were redirected to suppress the queen.

    Shi Lang and the rest have found a lot of evidence to back up their ims but they will not be impeaching the couple at the moment. He leaned back in the chair and asked, ¡°Captain Ameris, any progress on the paw-gents?¡±

    Ameris smiled and said, ¡°Zysha is a boon. We have ced small animals with rtively high intelligence in almost all of the major noble households. Zysha had told them to pass the word through the video conference. It will be a daily event held by her majesty to let the tigress familiarize herself with her new friends.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I am d to help.¡±

    ¡­

    While the people in the Den had begun nning out abductions and executions. The situation in the intelligence department was not looking optimal. Ady in her early thirties sat behind the dark table, with her silver tresses covering one of her eyes. She was gazing at some reports on the holo-screen.

    As she read, the temperature of the room kept dropping. She took a deep breath and asked, ¡°ut, can you tell me what is going on. Who is taking on our agents? Give me something, damn it.¡±

    ut was her deputy, he was an honest man, usually, he would have a detailed report ready but today, he heard her questions and gave her a despondent sigh. Thedy said, ¡°Speak.¡±

    ut shook his head and said, ¡°Madam Chol, we found nothing about the enemy. They had made sure to burn off the bodies of our agents and the targets of protection. They appeared out of nowhere, their faces were all blurry on the surveince. They seemed to be aware of the weak spots in our department.¡±

    Chol raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°Is it possible for that whore Nexalia to have sold herself to get someone the inside of our department?¡±

    ut almost bit his tongue hard. However, he would not say that getting someone inside the department. He said, ¡°Madam Chol, you know it is not possible for any of the high rankers to betray the department. They will die before they could do it. You are aware of the kill switch, are you not?¡±

    Chol thought again and said, ¡°You are correct, but how will I exin the hitst night to the finance minister. You do know that he is the one paying for all our vanity these days.¡±

    ut nodded and said, ¡°You can tell him that we need a week to find out who did this.¡± his tone carried a trace of begging. At this moment, Chol¡¯smunicator rang.

    Chol nodded and the man was asked to go outside. Then she picked up the call and Abbey¡¯s face appeared in front of her. He asked, ¡°What is going on? Who did it?¡±

    Chol replied in a calm voice, ¡°We have sent out people, they are investigating. The enemy has high-tech support and is very clever, they did not leave many traces. However, let us see, what we can find out.¡±

    Abbey nodded, he asked her to drink water on time and to rest as well before disconnecting the call.

    ¡­

    Abbey has just disconnected the call when he was told that the Queen has called for him in the Imperial study. This surprised him, it was very rare for his younger sister to have a meeting with him. However, today she called him.

    Abbey thought while walking through the corridors that his sister needed some advice and this was his chance to take advantage of something. However, when he reached the imperial study, he found that Nexalia was busy teasing the big cat in front of her.

    He asked, ¡°This animal, was it not with the Terran convoy?¡±

    Nexalia replied in a cold tone, ¡°You better call her, Zysha. Understood, or I will have your name changed.¡±

    Abbey turned cold as well, ¡°Dare you to say that again.¡±

    If it was still the hesitant Queen, she would have yielded her demand to him. However, things had changed now. How can this man tell her anything to do? She was the Queen. So, she said, ¡°Come here.¡±

    At her voice, the door of the study was pushed open and a pce guard walked inside. She asked, ¡°You called, Your Majesty?¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Yes, confiscate the weapons andmunication tools on the body of finance minister Abbey and escort him to the solitary confinement. He stays there for a week.¡±

    The man was shocked and so was the pce guard. They did not expect the event to turn out like this. The pce guard seemed to have been shocked, when thedy said, ¡°Did you not hear mymands?¡±

    The guard replied, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± and then she moved towards Abbey.

    The finance minister was shivering in rage, he said, ¡°On what basis are you doing this to me?¡±

    Nexalia said, ¡°It is because you disrespected the guests of the empire, and also, I did not like you challenging me.¡± her tone was machine cold.

    Abbey has been trying to get out some reaction from Nexalia for a long time. But he did not expect her to flip the table over. She was acting like aplete tyrant. Abbey wanted to say something but the pressure radiated by Nexalia¡¯s cold gaze was giving him an uncanny vibe. She said while gazing at him as if a piece of stone, ¡°Nuiya, you are free to immobilize him, in case he puts up a protest.¡±

    Nuiya sighed and said, ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡±

    The next moment, she was in front of the finance minister, who said, ¡°You, do note forward. I am not only the finance minister but also the Prince of the royal family. What right do you have to touch me.¡±

    Nuiya said, ¡°Yes, your highness, you are the prince, however, we serve only the ruler.¡±

    That said, she punched the daylights out of the finance minister and was about to lift him up when Nexalia said, ¡°Careful while you drag him through the lobbies.¡±

    Nuiya shivered and said, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    There was a reason why Nexalia made this scene, it was to keep the pawns of the minister busy. She was asked to do this by Shi Lang. They were going to pull down something big, although she was not told, she was asked to rest assured.

    ¡°You are sure about this?¡± asked Zysha.

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Since I have ced my stakes at the Terran team, I will see it through. I have been too hesitant in the past, but that changes now.¡±

    ¡°Spoken like a true wannabe,¡± said Zysha.

    Nexalia gazed at her with an expression that said, ¡®Bitch.¡¯

    Zysha said, ¡°You better prepare yourself to deal with what ising your way. The court will be noisy tomorrow.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I am aware. They can react all they want, I will just smack them off.¡±

    Zysha did not expect thisdy to change so much all of a sudden. Surely, a pleb cannot predict how a monarch will react to a bird shitting on their te. Some might think the bird was looking down on them, while some may think the food was not good for them and many more.

 Chapter 165

    The next morning Nexalia walked out of her room to attend the royal court and was found by Nuiya. The pce guard was ying to be her personal guard in the absence of Ameris. The pce guard told her, ¡°Your Majesty, the minister has been put inside the solitary confinement hold.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and asked, ¡°Did anyone else see you while you dragged him back?¡±

    Nuiya shook her head and Nexalia said, ¡°Since this is kept a secret, I hope it stays that way. Or I will have your head under my feet.¡±

    That said, Nexalia walked ahead, leaving a scared Nuiya behind her. The pce guard calmed her mind and then followed her majesty.

    Zysha looked at thedy beside her and said, ¡°Her you head under my feet. You really manage to make me amused, you sounded like a pure wannabe.¡±

    Nexalia replied back telepathically, ¡°It is because only with power can we rule them and these people need a spear up their arse, and not a soft whip. These thick-skinned bastards have no conscience and they deserve to be treated like this. At this moment, I cannot trust anyone. Nuiya is from the family of a count, so I am not sure about her.¡±

    Zysha nodded and said, ¡°I understand your concern, but calm down. You do not need to show such a strong resolve. Learn to be silent and sometimes even diplomatic. If you need to kill, then kill in silence, let your actions speak. I cannot believe I am teaching all this to a humanoid.¡±

    Nexalia smiled and said, ¡°You are correct. I should be like this, just that I am too antsy.¡±

    Zysha said, ¡°Dear Nexa, it is not good for a Queen to be so anxious. You stabilize the throne, and for that, you must stay calm yourself.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and replied, ¡°As youmand, Imperial Nanny. ¡±

    Zysha turned her head sideways and cursed Shi Lang for leaving her behind, but the food was good. She resigned to her fate as she went along with the queen.

    Nexalia stepped inside the court and stood in front of the throne, however, she did not climb the stairs leading to the throne. She turned around and cast a gaze. She asked, ¡°Where is the finance minister?¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sat on the chair inside the control room. He said, ¡°I want you to select targets, and take note, this will be an execution-only mission. You will have to take out the targets, the guards, and everyone. The task of the secret service is not only to get information but also to clean up the mess. You will finish this task and create an example. An example for those who dare to defy the throne. Understood?¡±

    The members of the secret division were standing in the gathering zone, and when they heard this, they shivered, not from fear, but from excitement. They all nodded and replied in a clear voice, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Get going then.¡±

    Ameris was her today to see what this young man was nning, however, when she heard the instruction he passed, she was shocked. She said, ¡°What do you mean by an execution-only mission?¡±

    Shi Lang did not look at her, but his fingers flew all over the holo-keyboard, as he replied, ¡°I want them to kill all those who side with the Finance minister for the mary gains, whether they be the officials or the military personnel.¡±

    Ameris gasped and asked, ¡°Even the military heads?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and before Ameris could say anything he cut her off, ¡°The people in the military must have a higher level of loyalty than the lobby of the queen. They must stand up for the nation, and its safety. However, sleeping with the finance minister will get them nothing. They will be the termite that will hollow out the empire.¡±

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°Whatever you think is right is fine. But try not to create too high a wave. It will make the court unstable, and her majesty might have to step down.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Do not worry, thedy will not need to step down. On the contrary, the people will rally behind her. Put your heart back in its ce.¡±

    Ameris wanted to say something but she stopped herself. Then she shook her head and went to look for the other Terran people.

    Jenkins was responsible for checking on the obstacle course overhauling. Darcx was supervising the additional tech staff to monitor the movements from the intelligence department. A few hours ago he found something very crucial and interesting. However, before he get this thing to Shi Lang or Rosa, he asked the staff to verify it.

    Thedy given the task suddenly said, ¡°Cheif, I have results. Things are just like we suspected.¡±

    Darcx went over to her and leaned over her shoulder to check the details. The girl blushed slightly, but she was aware that this guy was doing it subconsciously. Darcx smiled and stood up straight before he patted thedy on her shoulder. He said, ¡°Good job, Amiha.¡±

    He transferred the data to hismunicator and rushed to report to Shi Lang. He knocked on the door of the monitoring room, that served as Shi Lang¡¯s office. Thetter responded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Darcx walked inside and said, ¡°Captain, we have something you might like.¡±

    Shi Langs topped his work and raised his head. Darcx was aware of his temperament. This guy was too serious when it came to his work. So, he walked up and handed him the Data. Shi Lang gazed at the data and said, ¡°Call Amelia, we are going out for a task. Instructor Rosa will hold the fort here, you are the deputy and Quinn will guide the teamster, remotely. Jenkins will pick our people from the rendezvous. ¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°Understood.¡±

    That said, Darcx went out of the cabin and found Amelia. The girl was surprised but something told her that it was a crucial thing. So, she stopped her practice and rushed back to see Shi Lang. The guy told her what this was about and the girl was shocked.

    She did not care about anyone and they left together to get ready. Ameris wanted to ask where they were going but she did not get a chance. In the past few days, the docking area was filled with sixty vessels to fly the crews out at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Shi Lang was capable of flying these vessels as well. He got in the pilot seat and Amelia sat behind him. Hemunicated with the ground staff and they cleared him to takeoff. The young man controlled the vessel to fly out of the small enclosure with finesse and speed that shocked the ground control.

    In the past week, when they saw Shi Lang bashing the alpha team, they realized that this guy was not their regr person, he was a monster when at work. he would break them till he can reshape them into something that will achieve the goals and objectives.

    Shi Lang was a deity they feared and revered. The vessel left the base, and things became busier. Rosa took on the job of the overseer and more teams began to move out. They were going to the capital. All the high influencing cards were inside the capital. That was where they needed to pick their first mission.

    Tonight was the time when the Queen¡¯s Snare, made its presence known.

    ¡­

    Amelia asked, ¡°Is the detail correct. What if this is a trap?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I hate to say it, but I will need my Wazir to make sure that the things are what they seem to be. If you find anything out of order, you get out and we pull back. However, if they do have something interesting, then let them enjoy the eternal slumber. Especially that woman Chol.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Why do you feel bad, I am d that my ability is of use to you. Otherwise given how cautious you get around others, you will never trust anyone and this might affect the efficiency of the operation.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°What will I do without you?¡±

    Amelia thought for a bit and then said, ¡°You can date the Queen. She sure has dibs on you.¡±

    Shi Lang shivered and then he said calmly, ¡°My heart belongs to you and only you. So does my body.¡±

    Amelia nodded when she heard this.

    ¡­

    After three hours of flight time, the vessel slowlynded near a stream in the forest. Shi Lang and Amelia got down, and thetter said, ¡°The meeting is going to be held a couple of kilometers away from here. Right?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Then you move forward and I follow at five hundred meters. You can use text messages to contact and pass on messages.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Be sure to cover my bases, Okay?¡±

    Shi Lang pulled her close and kissed her lips. He said, ¡°I will protect you with my life, baby.¡±

    Amelia pped his chest with a backhand and then she ran into the woods. The mission has begun.

    ¡­

    In the capital, the usually silent night seemed to be rather eery than calm. Shadows seemed to be moving around in the dark. Striking an odd fear in the hearts of those who could perceive them. The nobles were on the high alert. What happened in the court today had made them fearful of surprise.

 Chapter 166

    Inside the studies of many noble households, the light was still intense. The so-called royals were all on edge. They had been feeling suffocated in their hearts ever since this morning.

    However, while some were fearing something, some were rejoicing the way the Queen had stepped up. These were the loyalists, who believed in the judgment of the old rulers and would stick to it till the end.

    In one of the Loyalist houses, a middle-aged was sipping on a ss of wine while sitting in a rocking chair. Beside him stood ady dressed in a sleeping robe. She asked, ¡°Sire, what makes you so happy to even open up this wine?¡±

    The middle-aged man smiled and said, ¡°You will not believe what it is.¡±

    Thedy said, ¡°That is up to me, please, stop smiling and tell me what is going on?¡±

    ¡°Today in the court¡­¡±

    While the man narrated the happenings to his wife, he also relived the movements in his mind.

    ¡­

    Nexalia was climbing the steps to the throne when she asked, ¡°Where is the finance minister?¡±

    The deputy stationed beside Abbey was a loyalist, he did not have any authority but was a convenient pawn that woulde into y at a crucial moment. The man stepped forward and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Minister has been missing sincest night.¡±

    Suddenly, a supporter of the Prince asked, ¡°What do you mean missing? How could something happen to his highness.¡±

    This man, like many others, was a blind follower of the true ruler. They did not acknowledge Nexalia¡¯s status. After all, these were all people from the families appointed by the old king. They were a group of parasites. Otherwise, given their skills, they would not be allowed to appear in the civil examinations let alone be a courtier.

    The deputy did not flinch and replied, ¡°Minister Sherm, I am only reporting what is known to everyone. The finance minister came out of his house before dinner could be served. We have no idea where he went.¡±

    Sherm was the minister of housing, and he was sitting in this position because of the support from Abbey. He wanted to mor and hype this up when a calm voice sounded, ¡°Send out a summon, I would like to see Madam Chol¡±

    The people who were aware of the real situation were shocked at this moment. They did not expect the Queen to be so aware too. The ministers tapped on theirmunicators and contacted their spies outside to inform Chol.

    However, Nexalia would not let that happen. She said, ¡°Nuiya, kindly confiscate theirmunication devices.¡±

    Nuiya had already begun taking things into custody, there was some protest but it was all silenced by the cold gaze from the throne passing over the people. They were not fools they were aware that this was an attempt to silence them.

    When Nuiya came over to Sherm, the old man, audaciously raised his gaze to re at Nexalia. The Queen smiled and said, ¡°Minister Sherm, do you wish to say something?¡±

    Sherm was not willing to take a step back and said, ¡°I would like to ask, why are the devices confiscated.¡±

    Nexalia smiled and said, ¡°It is because I wish to maintain the secrecy of the things inside the courtroom. You see, even I do not have mymunication devices.¡±

    Sherm had no way to counter her. He could not ept being left speechless by this girl who was so hesitant to even look back at him a night ago. His lips moved but no sound came out. Nexalia began to talk about a lot of things, such as how to determine the honesty of the people to the empire.

    They all were surprised as she bought this topic up. She did not want anyone to find out about the envement of her brother. So, this was her attempt to intimidate the courtiers and divert the conversation.

    ¡­

    Thedy standing in front of the wine-sipping man said, ¡°This is indeed surprising and a happy event. Her Majesty finally decided to stand against these people. I am very happy about this.¡±

    The man nodded and continued sipping his wine, then he asked, ¡°Where is that Terran team.¡±

    Thedy shrugged her shoulders and replied, ¡°Why do you ask of them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, do you not find their arrival and the changes in Her Majesty to be more than just a coincidence?¡± asked the man.

    Thedy said, ¡°Sire, we are the Nuitas, our house has followed the throne for as long as one can think of. If this time those Terran children can help Her Majesty, then it is a good thing for all of Neomon.¡±

    The man smiled and nodded. He said, ¡°Madam has be a political guru.¡±

    The couple joked, unaware of the storm that was about to pass by the city.

    ¡­

    The team members of the Queen¡¯s snare were moving through the capital, and fifty houses had already been controlled. The attacks were so fast that the guarding teams had no chance to even spot the enemy. The blows were aimed to neutralize the enemy and not kill the person.

    They were five people in a team, moving together gave them a better chance to take out the scattered guards, and they also helped cover the bases for each other. This was the first assignment for most of them. The silent incursion was not something that could be mastered in just a matter of hours.

    Even if Shi Lang put them all through simtion there were a lot of things that could go wrong or different than the illusion. Thus, he had told them all to move slowly and the safety of the squad was to be prioritized.

    While the teams were infiltrating the houses of the nobles. Shi Lang and Amelia were traversing through the woods. They were going to look for the two people meeting here. Amelia was leading the pace with her ability to turn invisible. Her speed was not slow, but it was not fast enough to create big sounds either.

    Shi Lang had a suppressed sniper rifle on his back. He was going to take the shot when necessary. They covered the distance of a couple of kilometers after ten minutes and Shi Lang took the higher vantage point by climbing up a tree. Amelia was ground support and silently waiting for the other to arrive.

    She sent him a text message, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Shi Lang replied to her, ¡°They are here, they are just being cautious, do not move, they will being out soon.¡±

    Amelia stopped moving and then waited. They were both watching the spot of the meeting and so were the people from the other side, they were also watching for the spot to be safe. Who knows, if a branch of royals had slipped inside their ce.

    After ten more minutes, two people came outside the woods, from opposite directions. Shi Lang recognized one of them. The head of the intelligence department, Chol, and the other person did not look like a human.

    This creature was like a humanoid lion. He was nine feet tall. The appearance could be said anything but friendly. Chol was the first one to break the silence, ¡°Your highness the third prince.¡±

    The lion-man snorted, ¡°Chol, the progress is not smooth. What is that useless husband of yours doing? Do you even know how much it costs to travel through the space to locate this dump yard of yours?¡±

    Chol bowed her head and said, ¡°I apologize, Your Highness, however, at this moment the government is very crucial. A delegation from the neighboring empire is visiting the capital. We cannot execute a coup in front of them. This will alert them and the risk of your taking over the two regions will be risky.¡±

    The lion-man let out a growl, and Chol shivered, from fear. This creature in front of her was not someone she could afford to anger. After he was satisfied with the amount of fear disyed by Chol, he said, ¡°You have two months before our forces reach this barren ce. If you did not give me the throne by then, I will have my troops ravage your body, for both lust and hunger.¡±

    That said, the lion-man turned around and went back to the woods. Chol did not move, a few secondster, a space vessel seemed to fly away in the distance.

    At this moment, Shi Lang fired the shot. A tranquilizer dart was stabbed into Chol¡¯s neck. Before thedy could fall down, Amelia appeared beside her, and to make sure that Chol was sedated, she knocked her out after a physical attack.

    Amelia carried Chol back to the vessel they hade in. Shi Lang was already ahead of them, preparing for take-off. They did not talk, as it was not yet safe. There might be people behind Chol.

    In ten minutes, they took off from the ce and made their way to the Den. Shi Lang asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°That thing, what is that thing, Ace, I almost broke down under that gaze.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Not only you but the entirety of The Federation and Sunlight empire.¡±

 Chapter 167

    Shi Lang and Amelia strapped into their seats with Chol in another. She had been hit with a tranquilizer and would not wake up shortly but Amelia took an extra step of caution and tied her up with some utility rope.

    Shi Lang controlled the vessel and they flew up. Amelia contacted the base to report the status of the mission.

    ¡°Den, do you copy? This is Chariot.¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°This is Den, go ahead Chariot.¡± the voice on the speaker belonged to Quinn.

    Amelia replied, ¡°Dark Knife has been taken into custody, heading back.¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°Status confirmed, good job.¡±

    Amelia wanted to say something when Shi Lang cut in, ¡°This is Ace, we are now being pursued by boogeys. Must be the sheath.¡±

    Dark Knife was the code they used for Chol, she was the knife in the dark, meant to work for the empire, but she went rogue. As for the sheath, it was the intelligence department personnel.

    Quinn asked, ¡°Do you need air support?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I spot two boogeys, let me see what they have. Over and Out.¡±

    ¡°Godspeed.¡± said Quinn before the connection was terminated.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Wazir, you are on the weapons.¡±

    Amelia nodded and quickly began to set up the weapon system ording to her needs as the chase in the skymenced.

    ¡­

    Quinn reported the exchange with Shi Lang to Rosa, who was the acting captain on the base and said, ¡°Darcx, pull up the sat-feed on Ace¡¯s vessel. They are being chased.¡±

    Darcx did not dy and on the main screen, he projected a live satellite monitoring footage. They could see Shi Lang being pursued by two vessels and the situation was chaotic.

    ¡­

    The cockpit rang with a light beep, Amelia said, ¡°They are hailing us. What should we do?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°We take them out.¡±

    He did not dare to risk Amelia¡¯s safety. Thus he decided to do what he was very familiar with, dao fights. This was his time pass, which he would do most of the time at the base nowadays, spending his hours in the simtion realm and practicing his flight skills.

    The vessel was moving forward and the radar system told him about the two vessels following him. Shi Lang said, ¡°They have a faster vessel.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°We have a skilled pilot.¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°I will slow down, let them catch up, or think that they have caught up to us, then we enter the canyons. I want to see if they can really fly through those twists, also, keep firing at them, so that they could not lock on to us.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Aye, Captain.¡±

    Shi Lang slowed down the speed and let the distance between the two sides and as soon as that happened, the two enemies locked on to the Shi Lang and Amelia¡¯s ship. Thetter had hermands and as soon as this happened, she let go of the hesitation and phasor beams flew out of the weapons.

    Amelia said, ¡°These guys are good.¡± as she saw the enemy dodging the attacks.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will hit the brakes, they will fly past, you will have to take down at least one of them before they turn around.¡±

    Amelia nodded to his instruction and suddenly, Shi Lang pulled the brakes while he shifted the nose of the vessel to aim high, the sudden change made the vessel elevate for a few feet and the enemy vessel, who did not expect this change, flew past them.

    Amelia was also ready, and she controlled the weapons panel and concentrated all the firepower at one ship closest to them. These small vessels did not have a shield function to deflect the phasor beams fired at them.

    Boom!!!

    The enemy vessel turned into a ball of fire, the shockwaves made Shi Lang¡¯s vessel tremble as well. However, without being bothered by it, he controlled the vehicle and began to chase the second enemy vessel at a high speed.

    However, again, Shi Lang was unable to catch up to them, because of the higher speed of the enemy. The enemy began to climb and loop himself to position himself behind Shi Lang. How could it be so simple. Speed decreased the turning radius.

    Shi Lang held the advantage in this. He did not let the enemy use their superior speed. Suddenly something came to his mind and he decided to enter a loop turn of his own. The radius of his turn was smaller and now instead of following the enemy, they were moving parallel to each other.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Wazir¡­¡±

    Amelia did not need another notice and her fingers sentenced the enemy to death. A this happened in a matter of seconds. After clearing the enemy, Shi Lang said, ¡°Frisk her thoroughly, she must have some tracking device on her person.¡±

    Amelia nodded as the young man controlled the ship to move toward the base. She took off her seat belt and checked Chol. She found a bug in her shoe and said, ¡°They use these ancient ways?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°To make you lower your guard a bit. Scan her for nanobots.¡±

    Amelia nodded and calibrated the nanobots on her utility belt. The result was in front of them in a few minutes, Chol had more than one nanobot trackers in her blood vessel, with one connected to her neural system. This was her life indicator.

    After some time, they reached the base, and took thedy to the interrogation room. Shi Lang did not go with Amelia and the guards, but came to the monitor room. Quinn, Darcx and Jenkins stood up and saluted him. Rosa gestured him to take his seat.

    Shi Lang waved his hand and asked, ¡°What is the status?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°They have neutralized seventy-five percent of the guards and all of the surveince has been hacked in too.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Any response from the Intelligence department?¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°They were trying to counter us, but the teams hacked the surveince from fifty different spots, and they issued a threat, that if anyone tried to hunt them, they will be taking down the whole capital with them. This has kept the intelligence department at the bay.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The objective list?¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°The evidences have been leaked and will be circted on the media in a few minutes. The disclosure of the unit will be done at the same time. However, I have a question.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why do we need to announce the unit to the empire?¡± asked Jenkins.

    Rosa replied, ¡°Because, this will be how the people will know that the Queen is not a dummy, that the court is not out of her control. At the same time, it will tell the people, that if someone acted out of the line, they will be regted.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It is just as Head Teacher said. We need to make a statement.¡±

    At this moment, Amelia came inside, ¡°Chol is awake.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Contact, Her Majesty, we need her to be examined and we need the Finance Minister to be present. I want to cross examine this pair of traitors.¡±

    Ameris, who had been silent for the whole time, raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°What do you mean by traitor?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and Amelia narrated to them about the lion-man. Rosa was shocked, she said, ¡°We need to report this to the federation. We need to prepare.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, but I suggest we do that after the interrogation. I would like to know what it is that ising our way.¡±

    Ameris nodded and quickly contacted the Queen. Nexalia had no problem, however, she asked if Abbey can be interrogated inside the pce grounds. Shi Lang rejected herpletely. He said, ¡°This matter cannot be discussed within the pce grounds if you do not wish to see a Neomon Empire covered in mes. You have till the morning to decide.¡±

    Nexalia was flusstered, she could understand the gravity of the situation when Shi Lang said if she wanted the empire to be set on fire. Unable toe up with a logical deduction, she gave in, but she asked to be present during the interrogation.

    Shi Lang did not stop her, since things were changing, then a little bit more to convince thisdy were worth it. While Nexalia departed for the secret base with Nuiya and her unconscious brother. The Queen¡¯s snare also finished their work and moved away from the capital one by one.

    The night passed and the information regarding the execution of the high level white cor criminals was leaked. The Queen ordered to seize their property and wealth. The news was shattering form them.

    With the first ray of sunlight, the whole Nestia was set on fire. The news was series of firecrackers.

 Chapter 168

    Shi Lang and the rest of the Terrans waited for the teams of the secret division to return to the den. Meanwhile, Nuiya had tied up the finance minister and dragged him back to the Queen¡¯s residence. Abbey wanted to ask what was even happening when Zysha came forward and sniffed his face, before revealing her dagger-like canines.

    Nexalia said, ¡°Zysha, leave him for a few more hours.¡±

    The tigress growled near the man¡¯s face, making him shiver. After that Nuiya put the designated prince in the seat of the royal vessel, and then along with a convoy of three more vessels, they flew off.

    Abbey¡¯s mouth had been unsealed and he asked, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±

    Nexalia, however, did not say anything to him. Abbey said, ¡°Nexa, I deserve an answer.¡± seething in rage.

    At this time, the silence was ticking him off more than anything. Nexalia raised her eyes and gazed at his face. She said, ¡°You do not get to call me Nexa. You do not deserve anything, not after what you did. All this time, warming your bed with Chol, did she not tell you what her ambition is, and why was she sent to the intelligence department?¡±

    Abbey was shocked, his marriage to Chol was a secret. His eyes widened when Nexalia mentioned this. He wanted to ask how she knew.

    Nexalia sneered and said, ¡°You think only you have people keeping tabs on me? In the morning, I will give you a gift you will never be able to forget. I will make you understand the reason why I was made to sit on the throne and not an ipetent fool like you.¡±

    Her words, brought him back to the guy from his stupor. Abbey could not believe that his sister was stepping down so hard to humiliate him. He wanted to say something when Zysha raised her head to re at him and bared her fangs.

    Nuiya did not speak but after an hour she said, ¡°Your Majesty, we are here.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and looked outside the window. She found the vessel to be nose diving directly into a small opening, exposed on the surface of theke. She closed her eyes tight and the next moment, the vessels stopped. It slowlynded on the pad, and the cockpit was opened.

    Ameris stepped forward to help Nexalia get down the aircraft. Nuiya dragged the finance minister out with no hesitation in her actions. Abbey was led to sit in the interrogation room. He could tell that in front of him was a ss wall. The visibility of this ss could be manipted to see through or block vision.

    After a pce guard tied up the minister in his seat, Shi Lang walked inside the room with a mask on his face. He did not say anything to the man, but started to use a knife to undress the minister. Abbey was shocked and then he yelled, ¡°What are you doing? Who are you? Do you know who I am? What is going on here? Call Nexalia, tell her toe over. I demand her toe over.¡±

    Shi Lang paused his hand, Abbey heaved a sight of relief, but what happened next was even more obscure. Shi Lang tied his hands to a rod hook from the ceiling, and same was done to the legs. Both ankles and wrists were tied to the rods.

    Abbey was now standing in the middle of the room with his hands and legs tied. His clothes have all fell down. Suddenly, he struggled and the rods on his joints increased in length, but they did not decrease. When Abbey realized this, he looked at the masked man in front of him.

    Shi Lang said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Those are telescopic tubes, I encourage you to struggle and extend them. It will be easier to get things done then.¡±

    Abbey asked again, ¡°Who are you? Why are you doing this?¡±

    Shi Lang did not say much and left the room, with a dim light left to illuminate the room. What was more, the man could see his helpless self in the reflective mirrors.

    ¡­

    Nexalia asked, ¡°What is he doing?¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Torture.¡±

    Nexalia has never seen anything torture method like this. In a room opposite to Abbey, Chol was able to watch it all, they were parted with a ss wall. However, her side of the ss was not ckened. When the masked man walked outside, she thought that Abbey had not brokendown. However, the masked man walked inside her side of the room.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Now, it is time to break him.¡±

    This was the queue for Quinn to control the ckened ss and make it transparent. Shi Lang sighed and then he began to approach ,Chol. The mask on Shi Lang¡¯s face was making him look menacing. From the other side, Abbey could see what was happening and he was shocked to see that these people even got Chol into custody.

    Chol was a noble, and then she became the head of the intelligence department. She never had any experience of what physical torment was. She was a pampered little girl. However, at this moment all this changed. Shi Lang walked over and without saying anything, his feet made contact with thedy¡¯s temple.

    The impact of the kick was so hard that it flung Chol a couple of meters in the air. Abbey was shocked, he yelled, ¡°What the fuck are you doing, you bastard.¡±

    Shi Lang could hear him through the earpiece under the mask, but he did not stop, he held Chol by her throat and lifted her in the void. He held her up in the air, as her leg fluttered. Abbey yelled, what do you want from us. Stop it.¡±

    He was humiliated, his dignity was lying in shreds on the floor. First the solidarity prison hold. Then him being dragged around like a dog, piled up with him being tied to the ceiling naked, and watching his wife getting beaten. This was all humility, and as Nexalia described his state of mind being petty and weak, he was vulnerable.

    Shi Lang nned all this to get his spear through the heart of Abbey in one go. The information regarding Choling out was a timely assistance of luck to him. Abbey was cunning but he was afraid of pain, that was why he did not take a step up after all this preparation.

    He did not have the guts, while he was scared of pain, Chol was scared of something else. Shi Lang spoke, ¡°Finance Minister Abbey, did you nned to rebel against the throne of the Neomonian Empire? Did you n to go against the wishes of the predecessing rulers of the empire? Did you n to assassinate Her Majesty, Nexalia Neytiri to usurp the throne, even after sharing a direct blood rtionship with her as a biological sibling?¡±

    Abbey heard all this and thest shred of his cunning and cleverness left him. The man yelled, ¡°Yes, Yes, Yes, I did all this, I nned with the other courtiers to make things difficult for her, and on a suitable event to over throw her. I used the royal mint as my personal tool to buy the loyalty of people and also caused the economic troubles in the empire from time to time. Let Chol go, she will die, she will die.¡±

    By the end of the monologue, he was sobbing. The man was under the charm of pillow whispers from Chol.

    Shi Lang pped the woman hard and threw her on the ground. He said, ¡°Take him away and sedate him. Thisdy will need some extra work. She is a tough nut.¡±

    Ameris entered the room and dragged the naked man away from the ce. Shi Lang ripped away the clothes of Chol and tied her in the same manner as he had tied Abbey. He said, ¡°I will give you ten minutes to think carefully. If you told me about the third prince you saw in the woods today, I will let you go, but if not you will have thousand ants crawling over and inside you.¡±

    His voice made the half unconsciousdy shiver and wake up. However, she did not believe this man to be so ruthless. She was ady and a very beautiful one at that. How can he not sumb to her charms. She said in a low voice, ¡°You do not need to do this, I¡­¡±

    Before she could count more, Shi Lang had started pouring some thick liquid on her body. Then without caring for her, he walked out and quickly came back with a steel wire cage. Chol looked inside the cage and she shivered.

    However, her mental constrain was stronger than Abbey¡¯s. Shi Lang did not see her eyes waver and without wasting a second, he opened the cage. The cage contained a few creatures that looked like ants but they were all as big as a rabbit, and they had shark like teeth covering the inside of there mouth.

    Ameris had told Shi Lang, once they tasted blood, they will slowly shred the flesh of their prey, to enjoy the agony, it was said that the prey would be alive till it was digested by these creatures. Shi Lang had just set out four of them on Chol.

    He said, ¡°Whether you say anything or not, we can find it all out, however, if saying it will help you die in much less pain.¡±

    The head of the intelligence department and the finance minister were impeached, they were sentenced to death without any trial, but all the question and answers here were recorded and will be made public in the morning, with the other news.

 Chapter 169

    While Chol was being eaten alive by the Shrits, Shi Lang stood in front of her watching it all. The scene was so gory that even Darcx could not handle and had to puke, the rest had long ago stopped observing, they would ruin their appetite.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Shrits have an enzyme in their teeth that makes people numb, however, these one are specially treated, their enzyme nds have been removed, so they will chomp down on your flesh slowly and surely.¡±

    Chol trembled and yell, ¡°Demon.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°A demon is better than an ambitious traitor. We have evidence that you were coborating with an alien force to sell off the empire. You nned to kill her majesty and usurp the throne. You nned to give away the rights and lives of the people to someone else, who will treat than as ves. Who is the demon? I am only cleaning up trash.¡±

    Chol opened her eyes wide, she did not expect him to say such things. She asked, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Shi Lang did not know that his guess wille out to be true. It was an arrow in the dark. Suddenly, a wail echoed in the room, this wail belonged to Abbey, he was shown what was happening to Chol, and his wail was the only thing allowed to be heard by Shi Lang and Chol.

    Before thedy could ask, Shi Lang said, ¡°What happened?¡±

    He pretended to talk to someone outside, and then he nodded his head slowly. Chol asked in a worried tone, ignoring the pain in her legs, ¡°What happened, who was that?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Finance Minister Abbey could not deal with the guilt and chopped off his hand in penance.¡±

    Chol¡¯s pupil shrank into needle points, she could not believe what she just heard. She said, ¡°Show me.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°You know that you are not in the condition to put forward any sort of terms?¡±

    Chol maybe a traitor, over the years, she had geniuenely started loving Abbey. She said, ¡°I will tell you everything, just do not hurt him.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You will get to see him after you are done giving us what we need.¡±

    Then he packed the Shrits back in the cage and gave Chol some basic medical help. Her legs below the knees had turns to shredded meat, blood was flowing out as if water from tap. Shi Lang unhooked her from the binds and had her sit on the chair. Then he asked, ¡°Who was that person you met today?¡±

    Chol said with a haggard expression, ¡°He was the third prince of the nearby Empire, Arcadia.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Eleborate Arcadia, and make sure that what you say is not fake intel. I have enough time to make you two regret your actions thousand times over.¡±

    Chol red at him and said, ¡°Arcadia is a nation of a species of humanoid beasts. They are carnivorous, and even cannibalistic after some limits. Their physical fitness is higher than a well trained Neomonian, and even our special skill to preserve life in danger is useless against them.

    Their industries are all militarized. From the intel we have gathered they outnumber Neomon army, two to one. They are strong.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why did the third prince seek out your help?¡±

    Chol said, ¡°The conquest of throne demands that the future emperor must capture regions of their own. So, the third prince came to me, and he gave me ana assurance that he will spare the innocent.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°You are a fool to think of such a thing. How can he possibly let us all go? Waste.¡±

    Chol did not have an excuse to rebuke him. She was also not very hopeful but the dominearing prince had made it clear that if the coup did not end cleanly, he will rush over with his army. Thus she did all this.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°If you were going to hand over the throne to that Prince, what about the Finance Minister? What about his dream of bing the emperor, after all, he is the true ruler in the mouth of his faction, is he not?¡±

    Chol said, ¡°I would have taken him and fled the ce, he would understand that life is more important than any throne.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°You mean, you kept all this a secret deliberately?¡±

    Chol nodded and Shi Lang looked at the side and said, ¡°Fool.¡±

    Then he turned around and left the ce in silence. Chol did not know why cast a gaze in the direction where this masked demon said fool. She saw Abbey, sitting in a chair, tied with shackles. He was smiling with an expression of mockery. The woman he trusted and supported with his all, betrayed him.

    ¡­

    While the couple was facing questions inside the den. The Neomon empire trembled, half of the nobles were dead and their properties were ceased by the Pce. They were ughtered, the people wanted to know why the Queen implied such a heavy hand, and they were given evidence, all the sins and crimesmitted by the dead nobles.

    The crowd had been in favor of the Queen, and now it was even more gung-hoo on her. What was even more, the rest of the nobles had rallied behind the queen. Those with neutral stance had came clean about whom to support. They were half scared and half convinced.

    Masses gathered in front of the imperial pce, and they began to chant the Queen.

    Nexalia was not happy, because they had to deal with her traitorous family.

    ¡­

    Zysha asked, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°About how to deal with the two of them.¡± Nexalia said, with her words referring to Abbey and Chol obuiously.

    Zysha said, ¡°Kill them. Make it simple. A bullet to the head will do. Do not try to put up the facade of the trial, we have a war to prepare for.¡±

    Nexalia said, ¡°You do not understand, he is my brother, I share the same blood as him.¡± her voice was tired.

    Zysha said, ¡°Fool, it was because of this bond, that your mother almost died in his hands. He did not even care for the one who gave him life, will he care about you? The one born after him? Give him a chance and this snake will bite again.¡±

    The tigress was busy giving her wisdom to the queen, Shi Lang was sitting in themunication room. Quinn had gotten the president of the federation connected already. Shi Lang sat in front of the screen after saluting the man.

    He said, ¡°Sir, I request the intervention of the first fleet at the borders of Neomon Empire.¡±

    The president sat up straight and asked, ¡°Do you understand the gravity of this request?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Neomon will be facing an invasion from a force called, Arcadia, they outnumber the natives here two to one. After they have finished taking down Neomon, their target is us. This news is verified and witnessed by me personally. If we try to wait it out, Neomon will be in ruins. You can say goodbye to your ally, and also the peaceful federation.¡±

    He stated the facts concisely. After this Quinn took over and naratted all the data to her father. The man said, ¡°I will need to discuss all this with the general council.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Be quick, we have two weeks only. If you cannot have the first fleet move right away, then give me shadow executioners. Ten squads minimum.¡±

    The president nodded and said, ¡°I will have X visit you with the ten squads of shadow executioners.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after a few more dialogues the connection was terminated. Amelia asked, ¡°You seem to be worried. Is there something else on your mind?¡±

    The young man nodded and said, ¡°Call Darcx, have him contact the deputy of the department. But not before that guy has seen what happened to Chol and Abbey.¡±

    Amelia nodded, Jenkins asked, ¡°Do you want to use the intelligence department to scout?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°By the time my old division gets here, it will be a week, we will lose time. Plus the intelligence department here has better familiarity with the Arcadians.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and Quinn said, ¡°Can I handle the deputy?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, do what you need to. I need to rest. This gore and stuff puts me at an edge. Also, ask the deputy if we can hold a diplomatic meeting with someone inside the court of Arcadia. Get an idea of their real strength.¡±

    The people nodded and they were dismissed. Shi Lang sat in the chair, with his gaze locked at the ceiling. In his mind, the young man was ying scenarios of the future. He did not want this war to be the end of him and his friends.

 Chapter 170

    Shi Lang got what he wanted, three days after, one of the arcadian insiders agreed to hold a meeting on an unmanned meteor at the edge of the two empires. The insider had one request. They wished to meet with someone responsible for leading the neomonian troops in the war.

    The war was inevitable at this stage. Shi Lang epted the request and at this moment, Nexalia and the rest of the loyalists were sitting inside the courtroom. Ameris said, ¡°Terran representative, Captain Ace, please step forward, and state the first issue to discuss.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up from a chair. He stood in the center of the court and said, ¡°As some of you may know, the finance minister and the head of the intelligence department had been sentenced to death. They were hung till death this morning for the crime of treason.¡±

    He waited for the courtiers to register this before he continued, ¡°At this moment, the Empire of Neomon, faces a threat of war from the neighbors, Arcadia. The details have been confirmed by her majesty.¡±

    An elder stood up and asked, ¡°Shusha Ace, with all due respect, how can we trust the authenticity of this news?¡±

    He was not being disrespectful to Shi Lang but needed to know the reasonpletely. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°What you said is correct? Allow me to present an audio clip. This clip has been recorded by General Ameris herself.¡±

    The people nodded and Ameris said, ¡°I swear in the honor of my family, that what I will show you is truth and the truth only.¡±

    The video clip showed the entire process, how Chol and Abbey told everything they knew. After the video finished, the old minister asked, ¡°Your Excellency, what do you suggest we do?¡±

    Nexalia has taken down the biggest opposition and now the court and the empire belonged to her. The loyalists were happy to see that and thus they did not waste any more time acknowledging thedy.

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°You all have my gratitude for standing behind me, to support me. However, at this moment, rather than celebrating, I would like us all to focus on what lies ahead. We are going to be at war with Arcadia. Their military forces outnumber us by two times. I have a proposal.

    We announce an alliance with The Federation. Have the treaty of non-aggression signed and face this threat together.¡±

    The ministers all nodded and said, ¡°We support you, Your Excellency.¡±

    After all, they all could tell that it was a wise n. What was there to hesitate and deny? Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°The second proposal is to have Captain Ace here, act as the Commander In Chief of the allied forces.¡±

    The ministers were surprised, and even Shi Lang was surprised, when Nexalia said, ¡°I understand your worries, however, it was because of him that we could even uncover such truth. I will ce Princess Nexa at the front with him. You do not need to question me anymore, do you?¡±

    The ministers were aware of the skills and prowess of Princess Nexa. The Empress nodded and was about to pass her decree, when Shi Lang said, ¡°Your excellency, I beg your pardon, but I have something to say.¡±

    Nexalia was surprised and nodded for Shi Lang to continue. The young man said, ¡°Your Excellency, I will not take the position of themander in chief. You can call it my foolishness or my selfishness but I will not agree to this responsibility.

    I have no experience in handling such a big force, also, there are very capable officers in the Federal Military to assist you with this. I hope you forgive me.¡±

    His argument was sound, he was too young to lead such a big force and more than that he did not want to bear the burden of so many deaths on his shoulders. He was selfish here. But a single man can only do this much before he grows up to be the mountain people see in him.

    Nexalia nodded after some thought and said, ¡°I would talk to the president of The Federation about this matter. What else do you need from us?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°I would like the permission to attend a meeting with the Arcadian insider. The deputy director of the intelligence department has paid great costs to arrange this meeting.¡±

    The old minister asked, ¡°Why do you volunteer, any Neomonian can attend this meeting.¡±

    This reaction was sound, how can you allow an outsider to take part in decisions regarding their home? Shi Lang said, ¡°Youck the cunning and I do not think we will get another chance. I will extract all that I can from this insider.¡±

    The minister wanted to say something when Ameris said, ¡°Captain Ace had asked for help from the Federal President even before her excellency agreed upon the alliance. If he and the Terrans are ready to ce so much in us, can we not trust them? We trusted Abbey and Chol until a few nights ago.¡±

    She then turned to face Nexalia and said, ¡°I apologize for speaking out of term, Your Excellency.¡±

    Nexalia shook her head and said, ¡°That was the correct thing to do. Neomon is not an empire that does not know how to repay the debt. To be honest, I had to go behind your backs and get the president of the federation to send me some aid. These young men and women, who came into our home and helped us, and now we cannot even trust them? Is there anything more shameful than this?¡±

    The ministers calmed down. Nexalia said, ¡°I will now tell you, the shield of the Throne is you, but remember that the throne also has a sword to protect the interests. I do not mean to say that I will be an iron-d ruler, but anything that is harmful to my empire, my home, and my family, I will crush it.¡±

    The words were dominant and the face was cold. The demeanor of a ruler had manifested unknowingly.

    Nexalia calmed down and said, ¡°Captain Ace, prepare for the meeting, you can leave now.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Your Excellency, I would like to take Zysha along with me. She will be of help.¡±

    Nexalia was reluctant, after all, this big cat had been following around and giving her some real boost. In the end, she sighed and nodded. Zysha, however, was already standing beside Shi Lang. The two came out of the courtroom and Nexalia began to mind the official work.

    Shemanded to announce the alliance and sent the prime minister to the edge of the border to sign the treaty. Then shemanded the delegates toe back home and that the Princess will directly be ced in the forefront to work and learn from Shi Lang.

    This young man was the scariest person she has came through. In front of him, her dead brother was nothing.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang had Ameris set up a spaceship beforehand. As he arrived at the spaceport, this time with a new steward, thest one was a homie of the former finance minister. The officers were all cleaned up too.

    Shi Lang and Zysha changed their clothes, the former wore a ck spacesuit while Zysha had been given a special suit too.

    The big cat said, ¡°Lang, I do not like this, I cannot move my tail as I wish.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Mother, please tolerate it for some time, we will be back soon.¡±

    Zysha agreed reluctantly. The two boarded the spaceship and flew away. Shi Lang had givenmands to his team, to coordinate everything with the Neomonian intelligence department. The Deputy Director was now the shot caller.

    Shi Lang arrived at the decided coordinates and found a rock floating in space. This was unusual because this rock was stabilized here by manual effort. Shi Lang waited for a couple of hours before he contacted the intelligence department.

    ¡°This is peace star,e in,¡± said Shi Lang.

    ¡°Go ahea, Peace Star.¡± said the person on thems.

    Shi Lang asked directly, ¡°Any word from the insider? I have been waiting for the past couple of hours. The other party is a no-show?¡±

    The other side, replied, ¡°I will check it up with the Director.¡±

    Shi Lang had an exasperated expression and gazing at Zysha he said, ¡°Can you imagine, this bitch put me on hold.¡±

    Zysha rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Yo, that star is flickering too fast. Why are there other stars flickering?¡±

    Shi Lang cast his gaze in direction and it seemed to him like the star was really flickering. Suddenly his scanners showed him something bad. Thems sounded, ¡°Our contact is being chased, you are permitted to intervene.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I can see that you dumb shit. Learn some professional ethics. Useless bunch of trash.¡±

    He was pissed, his ship did not have much firepower. With a sigh, the man pushed the throttle and the ship moved.

    ¡°This is peace star, we are going into battle.¡±

 Chapter 171

    Shi Lang pushed on the throttle and said, ¡°Zysha, you better not puke in the suit.¡±

    The big cat did not understand his meaning and the boy did not care to tell her in detail. The speed of the vessel was fast enough for him to reach the destination in fifty seconds. He could tell that the situation on the other side was not good.

    A smaller-sized ship was being chased by two bigger ships and they had no hesitation in unloading their phasor beams on the target.

    Shi Lang connected thems to the smaller size ship and the other size replied, in an instant. He asked, ¡°What is your situation?¡±

    ¡°I cannot hold on for much longer, my vessel¡¯s shield capacity is degrading quickly. Maximum for a minute I can survive.¡± replied a soft voice, he could sense the panic carried in it.

    Shi Lang nodded at the bravery of the soul inside the ship and said, ¡°When I say, Dive.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡± said the other party.

    Shi Lang found an opportune time and said, ¡°Dive.¡±

    The spaceship dived all of a sudden and vanished from the crosshair of the enemy ship. However, they were all equipped with high-techputer systems. However, Shi Lang had already calcted the spot where the enemy ship will dive to follow the count.

    Till now the enemy did not react to Shi Langing so close to the fight zone. They were that focused on the insider, however, now, Shi Lang was too close to them, and now, and it was toote. Shi Lang used his phasor guns and aimed at the most vulnerable part of the enemy ship.

    The engine outlet was the only ce where the shield was the lowest, it was universal. Shi Lang did not have the time, and neither the firepower to take out the enemy in frontalbat. His ship was meant for speed, and notbat.

    The few phasor beamsnded on the target and all of them happened to be impacting the same point, theyered effect took down whatever amount of shield in the area, allowing thest few phasor beams to hit the tail.

    The shockwaves created by the explosion in the tail were visible to the naked eyes. The second ship of the enemy camp was stunned, they were confused about whom they should follow. Suddenly, the small ship of the insider emerged from behind them, and with a clean line of sight they took out the engine of the second ship.

    The insider did not stop at just taking out the engine, after the shields were powered down, they attacked ruthlessly, making sure that the ship has turned into a pile of rubble. On thems, Shi Lang heard a voice, ¡°We should get down to the point of business.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I thought you would never ask.¡±

    That said, the two people came to the stationary space rock andnded their ships there quickly. When Shi Lang saw the pilot of the other vessel, he almost doubted his eyes. It looked like a child, not more than ten or so years old.

    The girl was wearing a gray-colored spacesuit and only her face was visible. The thing that stood out about her was her cat-like nose. She walked closer to Shi Lang and the young man could tell that her eyes were scanning him all over. He slowly moved his hands and then the two arrived to stand five meters away from each other.

    The girl said, ¡°Hello, I am Cara. The daughter of the minister of intelligence in the Court of Arcadia.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Ace, I am the leader of the Terran team now visiting the Neomons. How can you confirm your identity?¡±

    Cara replied, ¡°You have a beast in your vessel, she can rify if what I say is the truth or not.¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly heard the voice in his head, ¡°She is speaking the truth, I can sense it.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Since when did you have the skills to judge the truth and the lie?¡±

    ¡°Since the day you decided to take me and chat with half beast and half-humans. We beasts have a keener instinctual sense, you will never understand this, Lang,¡± said Zysha.

    Shi Lang sighed and asked, ¡°Cara, can you tell me why did you agree to meet us, and does your father knows about this?¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°He knows, the reason I am here is that he sent me here. At first, he was toe by himself, but at thest moment, the third prince suspected something and held him back. My father asked me to give you the things that will help you in the war.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We are the most skillful assassins and spies in the whole Arcadia. However, for the past three centuries, we have been kept in very of the throne. We have toplete tasks to even get food. The intelligence that we gather without lives at stake, is to help the tyrant king and his arrogant sons. Not only this but the grown-up women in our kin are treated like some toy. They are all to sacrifice the blood of their innocence to the King and his sons if they wish to ever marry.

    Defiled and tortured, this is the fate of my kin in that reign of these tyrants. My father does not want me to grow up being a toy for anyone, and he has been nning to rebel with our kin for a long time, however, the tyrant¡¯s suppression is too intense. They are watching every movement of our people.

    Thus, I was tasked toe here and ask your aid.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will do what I can but you know that we will need details.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°Take me with you, after destroying those ships I cannot go back to Arcadia. They will kill me on sight. I have all the data that you might need with me, such as military resources and other things.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Can you hand it to me now?¡±

    Cara asked, ¡°What will I do if you left me behind?¡±

    The young man smiled, ¡°You can ask the beast in my vessel. Also, what guarantee is there that the data is correct and not a trap?¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°I cannot tell you that, all I know is that those tyrants need to die. Last week¡­ the second prince took my mother away, and my father was beaten up brutally. My mother was raped and then shemitted suicide in front of my house. I can only tell you that there is nothing more than the death of the royal family of Arcadia that I desire.¡±

    Shi Lang could tell that she was not lying, but still, he waited for Zysha to confirm her words. Shi Lang said, ¡°I will take you with me, but I will rify one thing, You will be taken to a secret ce, there we will check your body for any sorts of trackers and drugs that might be harmful to us. Only then will you be left to live freely.¡±

    Cara said, ¡°I am willing to stay with you until the war is over. I do not have the habit to live alone.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°We will see about that,e along now, it is not safe to stay here.¡±

    Cara nodded and then the two people boarded the train. Zysha said, ¡°Lang, I will puke soon. You better take me back soon.¡± as soon as the airlock was secured.

    Shi Lang sat in his chair and to his surprise, Cara sat next to him. He did not mind and quickly controlled the flight system and took off.

    Cara said, ¡°Destroy my ship.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after firing a phasor at the ship, he turned his vessel back to the Neomonian empire. He said, ¡°This is peace star,mand do you read?¡±

    ¡°This is Command, go ahead.¡± Shi Lang recognized that it was Amelia on the other side.

    ¡°I have the package, we are heading back. I also have a refugee tagging along with me. Have the medics on stand-by.¡± said the young man.

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Very well, initiatingmands now. Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the connection was terminated. He gazed at Cara, who was curiously looking around the console, and suddenly after recalling something a smile emerged on his face.

    Cara asked, ¡°Why do youugh, is something funny?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Back in my homnd, there is a story.¡±

    ¡°What story?¡± Cara asked, she was a child, and this was her innate reaction to things.

    Shi Lang smiled and subconsciously patted her head and said, ¡°The story of a cat, who was curious about the stars and then one day to save the world, she flew away in a spaceship. That cat waster called, the space cat, a superhero.¡±

    Cara asked, ¡°What is a cat?¡±

    Shi Lang was in a stupor and then he broke out in a burst ofughter.

 Chapter 172

    Shi Lang took Cara back to the Den, where Amelia started to perform all the checks on her. The girl was very cooperative during the procedure and Zysha finally got herself peace when the spacesuit was taken off to show her resentment, she wed Shi Lang¡¯s butt, however, did not injure him.

    The young man took the data storage device given to him by Cara to the meeting room, Rosa, Quinn, and Jenkins was with him, along with Ameris. Besides them, one more person was present in the room. This person was ut.

    The new director of the intelligence department. Jenkins asked, ¡°Did you get the intel?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It is all inside this drive.¡±

    He tossed a coin-like device to Jenkins, the young man nodded and ced it on a device attached to the side of the table. Soon, the center of the table was illuminated and it disyed clear data regarding the military strength and some crucial details such as weapons of mass destruction.

    That was not all, they even received aplete set of methods to get around these things. Shi Lang suddenly fell into thought and leaned back in his chair. ut said, ¡°This seems too good to be true.¡±

    The others all nodded, after all, they were aware such a big pie dropping in theirp was not true. At least, it must have a prize behind it. Shi Lang nced at Rosa. She said, ¡°There are a few aspects I would like to put forward.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, Rosa continued, ¡°There are a few reasons behind this that would justify such detailsing into our control.

    First, as Cara stated, their kin might be suffering there and are looking for this chance to take down the government.

    Two, this data is fake. Trying to misguide the enemy. You know the usual false feeding tactic, pretend to be a pig when you are a tiger.

    Three, now this is a real curveball but might as well state it, Cara may be ying us. She could be someone other than what she stated to be.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Could it be that Zysha was fooled?¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°It is possible, who knows if this kitten has any charm ability? Remember Tasha from school?¡±

    Shi Lang sat up suddenly and said, ¡°Then we are in a bind. I destroyed three ships in total, all in Neomonian territory.¡±

    The people nodded, Quinn said, ¡°The royal family of Arcadia seems to be a pride of lions, Captain.¡±

    Shi Lang faced the girl, who bought up a holographic screen for them to see. She said, ¡°I found this in the data, the family ledger of the royal family. Luckily they have the pictures of the people included. However, one interesting thing is¡­¡±

    She tapped the table and the screen changed. Quinn said, ¡°This part of the ledge is tempered.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°Director ut, what do you have to say?¡±

    ut was timid, but he was cunning, his timidity was a result of working under Chol, who never heard any of his advice and bullied men in the department. Well, she only cared about Abbey.

    ut said, ¡°The Arcadians do not wee us, Neomonians, or any other species from the surroundings. Even within their empire, it is hard to get in, the capital is reserved for the royal family and the courtiers. To get off one needs to be authorized by the king in person. Imagine the security and the chances of such a detail leaking out from under their noses? Until you are someone from the capital, it is impossible, because they do not even allow the armies posted all over the empire tomunicate, to suppress the chances of rebellion, lest the armies unite and turntables.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You want us to investigate again?¡±

    The man nodded, ¡°More likely, interrogate the refugee. If as an outsider, I can be aware of the rules and regtions, then would she as a native be unaware?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I had a suspicion that is why I have Darcx monitor the girl.¡±

    The people were surprised. Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Do you think I am fool enough to let anyone waltz inside my safe house and let them go noticed?¡±

    Shi Lang pressed the button on hismunicator and asked, ¡°Status.¡±

    Darcx¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°The girl is a piece of work.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nine out of ten things she says are a lie,¡± said Darcx.

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, ¡°How big is the chance to fool Zysha?¡±

    Darcx said, ¡°Not much, about this, I suggest that you clear it up with the big furball.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Continue to monitor her.¡±

    The people in the room all fell into contemtion of what truth was this girl hiding. Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°It is wasteful to sit here and loom. I will go check with Zysha and then we will confront this girl.¡±

    Then he left the room. He came straight to the training area where Zysha was watching the few people from the queen¡¯s snare train. Shi Lang stood beside her and said, ¡°Why did you say that Cara was telling the truth?¡±

    Zysha replied, ¡°She was telling the truth when she said I was aware of her identity, that she had told me the truth.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°When were you going to tell me about this?¡±

    Zysha said, ¡°When you asked me. She is not a bad girl. You can trust her but she will need time to open up to you.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°It will depend on her actions now, or I will send her back from where I found her.¡±

    That said, he turned around and made his way to the infirmary, leaving behind Zysha, who sighed and shook her head, she thought, ¡®You are on your own now, Cara.¡¯

    Shi Lang was a decisive person, he would not hesitate once he has made a decision. In the infirmary, Amelia was talking to Cara, she liked this human kitten. However, when she noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere, Amelia became vignt.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Amy, leave us.¡±

    Amelia could interpret the cold in his voice. She stood up and wanted to leave but then she asked, ¡°Is everything alright?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Cara, or whatever her name is lied to us. If she did note clean about this, I will throw her back on that meteor.¡±

    Amelia was stunned but she was aware that Shi Lang would do so. Cara heard this and her expression turned from amiable to cold. She red at Shi Lang and said, ¡°How did you find it?¡±

    Shi Lang noticed the change in her aura and temperament and said, ¡°Do you think this is your royal court?¡±

    Cara sat up as soon as he said this. This was a blind guess, but the reaction from the little one confirmed it. She bared her fangs at Shi Lang and asked, ¡°How did you find out?¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°Be a nice kitty and tell me what is your real motive here?¡±

    Cara hissed again and refused to talk. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°If you really need help, then give up your pride. Otherwise, you can rule that rock where I picked you up from. Do not think that I will hesitate, either you will be thrown back at that rock, or I will kill you right here.¡±

    With that said, Shi Lang took out his hand gun and aimed right at the little girl. Amelia was shocked, Shi Lang said, ¡°I will not shelter a lier, who can cause the death of my brethren.¡±

    Cara did not expect Shi Lang to be this decisive, she wanted to move, but the other party pressed the trigger lightly and a phasor beam hit the wall, barely missing the face of the little girl. Shi Lang said, ¡°You can try moving, but I will put a hole in your face before you can move.¡±

    Cara gulped down the mouthful of saliva and said, ¡°I am willing to talk, please do not kill me.¡±

    Her aura was restrained. Shi Lang said, ¡°Talk, and everytime you tell a lie, I will make a hole in your body, and you will not die from it. Just so you know, I can tell when you are lying.¡±

    Shi Lang was counting on Darcx, who was connected to him on themunicator. He will not speak until Cara has told a lie. The girl nodded and said, ¡°I am not the daughter of the minister of intelligence, and neither is my race suffering those horrible things back at home. However, one thing was true.

    The eldest prince took my mother, raped her, and then let her die in front of my eyes. His actions were not refuted by anyone, even the emperor, my biological father.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked, but since Darcx did not say anything, he said, ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°That was four years ago, all because my mother was a feline race maid in the pce. The emperor was the first to defile her, as a result I was born. I was never given an official title, but I was given a tag by the so-called family, bastard. There were many names, wild seed, fruit of sin, mistake of the crown.

    My mother named my Cara, after the moon of Arcadia, she told me to watch things calmly and wait for a day to retaliate, just like the moon will one day,e crashing down on the throne. So, I took a cleaner¡¯s job and using the pity of others, I learned everything from the royal library. The rest of the years, I spent slowly gathering information, all sorts of information on everyone in the royal family, and the military Arcadia is so proud of.

    I do not wish for the innocent to die, but the royal family and the capital of Arcadia, must vanish with everyone on it. If you did not do it, then you better kill me. I will do it myself in the future ande to kill you for dying me.¡±

    The hatred she had for Arcadian royal family was justified. Shi Lang sighed and lowering his gun, he walked over to her. He sat down in front of her and said, ¡°You really are the space cat, to free your people from the tyrant, you came to seek aid in the space.¡±

    Cara raised her head, and her eyes were brimming with tears, Shi Lang patted her head gently and the girl threw her in his embrace, weeping out all the pain in her heart.

 Chapter 173

    Shi Lang waited for Cara to calm down and then he took her with him to the meeting room. The people cast him a questioning gaze and he replied, ¡°This information is all gathered by her so she will be our guide. She can tell us how to counter the cards in the enemy¡¯s hand more efficiently than bashing our heads around their feasibility.¡±

    The people found it usible. Shi Lang said, ¡°Cara if you wish to achieve your goal, you must first earn our trust. What you seek is the destruction of the Arcadian Royal Family, while we seek the safety of our troops and civilians. The two goals can be achieved by winning this war. Understand?¡±

    Cara nodded and the cat ears on her head flickered and the girl said, ¡°Well, I will tell you how the three princes are different from each other and you will understand the way they mobilize their troops. Basically, the psychological knowledge about your enemy is very helpful in war.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Well, Head Teacher, you have another protege.¡±

    Rosa smiled and said, ¡°Well, she does have a point. Okay, Cara, before we go deep into the three princes, do tell me about the military power the Arcadians can mobilize without affecting the security of their order borders?¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°The total military troop count for the Arcadian military is five billion.¡±

    Five billion was a big number, if not for the fact that they were leaving in an interster age, where the poption was not limited to one. They would have been shocked dumb, even now they were surprised.

    Ameris said, ¡°Neomon have a headcount of two and half a billion. This is exactly double of what we have. How will we face them?¡± she was anxious all of a sudden.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°This is not the number of the mobilized troops. Cara, tell us.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°The arcadian military can mobilize three billion, without having the rest of their borders affected. There are two empires that have maintained a neutral stance, but the emperor is not very easy. The more a snakeys silent, the more venomous it is.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, they will have hesitation in mobilizing all of the armies at the same time.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Rosa said, ¡°I had received word from home, Fleet General Charlotte has volunteered to join us with half of her fleet, This will give us some help.¡±

    Jenkins shook his head and said, ¡°It is not going to be enough.¡±

    Rosa nodded, ¡°This is why, the secret troops, that are not included in the headcount of the regr military have been mobilized, along with half the first fleet supervised by the deputy fleet General Stevenson.¡± with a faint smile on her lips.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you mean? They dispatched the secret divisions?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Old princy will be here too.¡± the Stevenson mentioned just now was their old principal.

    Rosa nodded, and tapping on hermunicator, she said, ¡°Your orders, Major.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at the Neomonians and then at her, Rosa shrugged and said, ¡°The president has disclosed your ranks and identities. The cab thinks this way the Neomonian empire will trust us better. This is including Quinn¡¯s identity.¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at Quinn, who gave him a wry smile. Shaking his head, he read his orders, ¡°Major Shi Lang, due to your recent achievements and the current circumstances you have been awarded the rank of an Acting General for the allied fleets of Empire of Neomon and the Federation.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°That is it? Why are they so stingy with ranks?¡± he spoke with a disgruntled expression.

    Jenkins chuckled and said, ¡°You have skipped at least two ranks and yet you have the galls to say this? My old man might burst a gasket looking at you.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Back to the topic, with the mobilization of the secret divisions, we will have a total of five billion and twenty million troops. We have a chance, but we need to make sure that the casualties stay low.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded, Cara said, ¡°Umm, I am sure in this data, there is a location of the military depot of the Arcadian nation. You can raid that, when they will not have the battery, they will run out of power. Fewer casualties on both sides.¡±

    The people nodded and praised Cara for her intelligence and wit. The little girl liked this, and a smile bloomed on her face. Thus began the meeting to analyze the data on hand and preparation to deploy units.

    Shi Lang suddenly thought and said, ¡°Why are we developing strategies based defensively?¡±

    Rosa asked, ¡°What do you mean? Do you mean we strike them first?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°We ambush them.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Cara¡¯s intel shows that Arcadian ships can scan us from a long distance, how will you ambush someone when they are already aware of our presence.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°We are not on the ground ying individualbat this is all ster operation.¡±

    ut and Ameris were confused as well. Amelia said, ¡°Listen to him first.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled at her and after rubbing her nose with the back of his finger he said, ¡°Patience is a virtue. We can use thes as our cover. Thes are on the outer periphery. The Arcadians do not know that we are aware of their attacks. When the third princees here to check things with Chol, we can kill him. Then send his corpse back, have the Arcadianse at us in rage. Use some taunt like we will wait for you at the outer periphery of the territory,e and get us if you have the galls. However, we must ce all the forces we have on the on the outer periphery of the border, and when they expect us to have fled away and invade, Tada.¡±

    The n was impressive, ut raised his hand and when Shi Lang nodded, thetter said, ¡°I support your n, but why do you think they will take our bait?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged, ¡°They love face more than lives. Right, Cara?¡±

    Cara asked him with a patronizing gaze, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Shi Lang leaned down and whispered in her ear, ¡°Trade secret.¡±

    The little one pouted and said, ¡°Stingy.¡±

    The nning continued, and after a few hours, the basic n was devised, now they needed to hold a meeting with the big shot officers and delegate the roles and duties to see how things will turn, the time was short.

    Before Ameris and ut left and the meeting was concluded, the former asked, ¡°May I ask, what about the natives and citizens of thes on the outer periphery?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Bring them to tour nestia, and the surroundings, till the war has not ended.¡±

    Ameris nodded and epted this method. This way the people will not panic and it will hype the reputation of the empress.

    The meeting came to an end.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, back at the federation, the president was seeing off the Neomonian Delegation, who will be joining up with the rest of the forces. The higher-ups have told them about the secret division troops moving along with them. This did not surprise the Neomonians, but assured them, that the Federation will fulfill their promise of an alliance.

    Nexa and her team boarded their spaceship and they left directly from the ground, and as soon as their ship came above the clouds and got away from the gravitational pull of the, they found a lot of ck ships in the void.

    Nexa gazed at the scene through the main screen of the ship and her teammate in the pilot chair asked, ¡°Your Highness, are we to go with these guys?¡±

    Nexa nodded and said, ¡°Do not mind the baleful aura. They must be the elite here, it is a good thing for us.¡±

    The teammates nodded and chose to believe in her. After all thisdy was their princess, the youngest of the royal family, and the sister to the queen on the throne. However, they found that the queen has been acknowledged as the empress of the empire and they were happy. To think all this happened but the threat of war still lingered.

    Along with the pact of the alliance, the youngsters were called back home, and Princess Nexa was asked to stay at the forefront of the alliance and learn from the general of the alliance army. This step was taken because Princess Nexa took it upon her to lead the delegation and not let anyone of the people get hurt.

    Also, only when she watches the war will she understand the harsh reality of this materialistic world. Nexa passed themand, and the ships set off.

 Chapter 174

    Shi Lang stood at the spaceport with his team and Cara. In the past two days, the girl had be a tail of this group. She would follow whoever she thought was going to do something important and patiently learn from them. Every evening, she will ask them various questions.

    The team also did not have any hesitation with her around, the reason? Her questions allow them to improve faster as well. Today was the day when the Secret division forces will arrive. Shi Lang was not wearing his normal uniform (They did not bring it with themselves, but can have it tailored here.)

    Shi Lang was carrying his secret division mask with him, and his ck clothes. In the morning, when he stepped out of the room. Cara was shocked and even feared him. Amelia told her that this was his uniform, only then did the girl calm down. Zysha was the especially friendly one with Cara. Feline maternal instincts said the big cat when asked by the others.

    Nexalia, Ameris, and ut were also present at the spaceport at the moment, they were going to wee the delegationing back home. Soon they could see the ships descending from the cloud.

    Shi Lang used his mask and recognized a small vessel, he said, ¡°Commander came personally.¡±

    Darcx shivered, ¡°You mean, her?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Quinn asked, ¡°What is happening?¡± in a confused manner.

    The young man sighed and said, ¡°You may not know, but thisdy is the goddess of our secret divisions, her records if piled up, might shame a fleet general. However, she is a terror when she acts personally.

    During one mission, it was suspected that someone leaked the information about her team to the target. The oue was the death of one of herrades. That was when she had just been enlisted. From then on, for the next three years, she hunted down every target alone, no one could catch her or know about her, finally after three years when she found the culprit, she killed him, and disposed of his body in the parliament.¡±

    Rosa asked, ¡°Why the parliament?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°That person was a cab minister. This action was done to send out a message to them all. The secret divisions are not to toyed with and looked down on.¡±

    The people nodded and Jenkins said, ¡°No wonder you people from Secret Divisions are feared everywhere.¡±

    As the crowd was talking, the spaceshipsnded at the port. Nexa came down and the guards gave her a guard of honor. The girl was very beautiful and she was followed by five people. Nexa smiled and came through the guard of honor, she bowed to Nexalia, who shook her head and embraced her sister.

    The weing ceremony ended and the guards went back to their duties leaving the pce guards for security. The hatch of the ck spaceship opened and Shi Lang took a few steps forward. His actions were noticed by everyone else. From the ck spaceship, seven people wearing ck uniforms simr to Shi Lang walked out, their faces covered with masks, with different patterns on them.

    The atmosphere had turned solemn. Cara huddled closer to Amelia and Zysha. While the other Terrans sucked in their breaths. Nexalia asked in a low voice, ¡°Is she strong?¡±

    Her indication was obviously to the female leading the group. Ameris said, ¡°She is at the minimum thrice stronger than Shusha Ace. That is a conservative estimate.¡±

    Nexalia was alerted, this meant thisdy could kill her. Do not judge her by her seductive figure, Nexalia was equivalent to a five-star Terran, however, shecked battle experience.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang saluted thedy and the group in front of him, and thedy asked, ¡°Why have you put up the mask, did they not make you the honorary general of the allied forces?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I have declined that position, Sir. I would like to serve under yourmand and learn better.¡±

    Archie Arkham chuckled and said, ¡°You despise the frontier forces?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°They justck the edge of our secret division.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Here, before I left I had you reinstated under mymand, also, you still hold the power to vote during the meetings, you know this ce better.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°I am just put on the te because the empress trusts me. The battle is being held in space, it has nothing to do with knowing the terrain better.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and casting a gaze to the group of royalty she asked, ¡°Introduce me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± then Shi Lang led the group to meet Nexalia, he said, ¡°Your Excellency, Nexalia Neytiri, the empress of Neomon Empire. Commander Silence, head of the secret forces.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, foring over and helping us in the time of trouble.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°We are allies. Pardon me for cutting the chase, I would like your permission to investigate the courtiers, and every one suspicious on the.¡±

    Nexalia was shocked, she said, ¡°I understand that you wish to make sure that we do not have any spies, but I also hope that you do not mind conducting this investigation under the supervision of my intelligence department?¡±

    Archie Arkham cast a gaze to ut, and then looking back at Nexalia, ¡°We do not have any such problems, but if there is a leak in the intelligence department, pardon me for being rude, I will have it fixed.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and then said, ¡°Although you do not know diplomacy Commander Silence, I just hope that you win us the war, as for traitors, you can do what you see fit. They are a disgrace in our eyes as well.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Here is a letter from the president. I apologize but Ace will be working beside me, his skills are better in the field. However, his team will be on the war council.¡± She took out a paper envelope from her side pocket and handed it to Ameris.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Paper letters are the highest level of courtesy in The Federation.¡±

    Nexa said, ¡°He is telling the truth.¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at Nexa and nodded, the girl returned the gesture. Nexalia asked, ¡°Shusha Ace, you had to secretly pull strings to get out in the battle, did you not?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I apologize, Your Excellency, but when my brothers and sisters shed blood, I cannot stay inside the safety of the ss cages. However, my team will stay on the council and they will monitor the situation.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I understand, I wonder if you can still take Nexa along. She will be able to learn, and I assure you, she will listen to all yourmands.¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head to Archie, who said, ¡°The more hands the batter. We are going to initiate the first strike tomorrow, her highness is wee to join the team under Captain Ace.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Very well, then I will have her meet you before you leave for the attack.¡±

    The people nodded and after settling an understanding they left for their respective amodations. The seven from the secret divisions were staying in the pce with Shi Lang and the team.

    In the evening, a war meeting was held, and it was attended by, Commander Archie, Shi Lang, General Ameris, Director ut, and Her Excellency Nexalia.

    The rest of the team stood at the side, with Nexa standing behind Nexalia. Shi Lang said, ¡°The first thing is to settle the inside, the Shadow Executioners will be investigating the intelligence agency. While some the people will train the Queen¡¯s snare.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°That is correct, Your Excellency, if there is no problem, please recruit more males to the forces. They will be giving us more power in these times.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Although Neomons prefer to be led by Females, we do not have much bias against men. It is just a few things in history that led things to be this way. The throne will issue themand for recruitment with the first light.¡±

    ut then said, ¡°Here is the initial war n we came up with Captain Ace and his team.¡±

    He began to show them all a holographic model of the schemes and strategies they all devised. Archie asked, ¡°The authenticity of the intel?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The source is an offspring of the royal family. She has suffered a lot and gathered all this in order to seek revenge. It has been confirmed.¡±

    Archie nodded and asked, ¡°So, you n to take out the battery first?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Archie asked, ¡°Why not take the frontal forces?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Frontal forces will reveal the attack. Plus they will also be preparing for war. Their fleets will have an easy time dealing with us. The navigation advantage is with them. What if we take the battery and then deceive them?¡±

    Archie Arkham sat up straight and said, ¡°The nk Round?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded.

 Chapter 175

    After the war meeting, Shi Lang was givenmand of a team of five people. These people were all newly promoted captains and had good skills. In addition to this, Nexa was also assigned to his team. She was given the same uniform and visor mask, however, she was not given a codename.

    The team was sitting in the spaceship, venturing through the space, headed to the battery. Nexa asked, ¡°Will one team be able to take down a whole? That ce is a factory, with thousands of miles of machinery and personnel.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything but an officer said, ¡°ording to the intel, the majority of the battery is run by robots, give or take a seventy percent. We need to capture the mainframe, undetected, upload the counter software, and then program the bots to attack the personnel, one at a time. When this is done, the battery will be converted into a big bomb.¡±

    Nexa asked, ¡°What do you mean bomb, do you n to destroy a whole.¡± she was agitated.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°It is a metaphor. That will help us with future weapon needs. Ajax, you all better not underestimate this mission. Do you understand?¡±

    Ajax was the man talking to Nexa at the moment, he was told that their team leader was not a normal soldier. He was a genius, and thus they all respected him. After all, they have heard of his promotion to the card ss.

    Ajax replied, ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±

    Suddenly, the pilot said, ¡°Captain, we are approaching the target.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°Callus, Shade, ready for action.¡±

    The two people stood up and nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°That vessel is going to be our ticket inside and outside that battery. Make sure you get what we need.¡±

    The two men nodded and after saluting Shi Lang they moved to the entry and exit port. The young man said, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    The rest of the terrans also said, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    Callus and Shade secured the airlock and then came outside the ship. At this moment, the ship was at a halt. They could see a small mining vesseltched to a meteoroid. It did not seem to be working anymore.

    Shade said, ¡°Tick, is the ship aligned?¡±

    Tick was the pilot and the navigation expert, she confirmed everything and said, ¡°You are good to go.¡±

    The two men outside the spaceship exchanged a nce and with a deep breath, they pushed themselves off the ship. The impact made a small impression on the surface of the ship. The two were moving through the space, to try and reach the mining vessel and then steal what they needed.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the rest were not having an easy time. Tick said, ¡°They are on course. Time of impact, thirty seconds.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Good. Wait for their go sign.¡±

    Nexa asked, ¡°Why are we attacking here?¡±

    Shi Lang replied calmly, ¡°The mining vessel on that meteoroid is something used by the Arcadian Battery to mine space rocks. Every vessel in that battery has a chip embedded in it, which is scanned by awork of satellites. Only then can we enter the atmosphere, otherwise, the defense system will fuck us over.¡±

    ¡­

    Callous and Shade were moving through the space at a fast speed. They were wearing ck spacesuits and were invisible to naked eyes. The camouge mode of the suit was working fine as they were not making any movements. Space had no friction, remember.

    The two people could see a crew of people outside the mining vessel. They were Callous spoke in themunicator, ¡°Seven spotted, engaging in five seconds.¡±

    Shade directly used his ability, before his body couldnd on the meteoroid, he teleported under the shadow of the mining vessel. This was the reason he was called Shade and hired by the secret division. He was invincible for night operations.

    Callous was the opposite of his partner. He fired the front stabilizer on his suit before heavilynding on the meteoroid. The location was not far from the crew of miners. The people were alerted, they were all miners but they were soldiers as well, so they were aware that someone has attacked them.

    One of the guys raised his hand and was about to hit the panic button when Shade appeared behind him and a sharp de passed through the back of his neck. The knife had micro holes filled with neurotoxins. After the hilt was twisted slightly upon a confirmed stab, the poison will be released.

    Shade did not waste time, he moved to deal with the next guy. Callous had also jumped forward toe closer and using his ability, stunned the guy in front of him after patting his shoulder. He moved to deal with the next one.

    Shade took down two, and Callous held back two more. The other three looked at each other and then one of them rushed to the mining vessel, while the other two tried to stop the assants. Callous moved forward and directly took down one of the guys while Shade stabbed the other.

    The person in front of the vessel tried to open the hatch but for some reason, it did not work. Earlier when Shade had teleported below the vessel, he stuck a device on the vessel, which rendered all the electronic features useless for a few minutes, this device was a baby of Cara¡¯s brain. She was a genius like Shi Lang or anyone had ever seen before. However, now that a person was left, he will not be killed due to Shi Lang¡¯smand.

    They needed a few answers before jumping in deep. Shade said to themunicator, ¡°One fish on the hook Captain. You are clear to approach.¡±

    Tick said, ¡°Captain, we have the go sign.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    The spaceship moved and by the time it had arrived near the meteoroid, Shade and Callous had taken off the spacesuits of the people, and the only survivor was held, hostage. When the people got down from the spaceship. Tick pressed amand button, which will enable the AI in the vessel to get back to the mothership of the secret division.

    Shi Lang came and crouched in front of the person and using the signnguage he was taught by Cara, he asked, ¡°How much time do you have before your expeditiones to an end.¡±

    The man replied, ¡°An hour.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What are the things we need to do in order to get in?¡±

    The man replied, ¡°You will need to swipe your identity cards. Sir, please do not kill me, I have a child at home. I am just a simple miner. I am not a soldier like these people.¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded, he said, ¡°Ajax, take him with us, collect the things he said we need to get through the security check. Tick, familiarize yourself with the controls of this vessel. Jill, you are to dispose of these Arcadians and take a few samples.¡±

    Everyone was working except for Shi Lang and Nexa, only one of the team members was left standing. Shi Lang said, ¡°Byte, you know your role, correct?¡±

    The man nodded. Nexa asked, ¡°What is his role?¡±

    Shi Lang cast her a gaze and said, ¡°You will know soon enough.¡±

    Nexa nodded and asked, ¡°Captain Ace, I have noticed that the people in your teams have their codenames based on their abilities, but I am not sure what is your ability, yet they call you Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°My name is not based on my ability but my deeds. Now if you have had enough of your research material can we focus on the task at hand?¡±

    Nexa nodded and fell into thought, what were those thoughts, only god and she knew.

    ¡­

    After an hour, eight people were upying the vessel. This vessel had six drilling arms, and they were all semi-automatically controlled. This was done to save money on tech for the miners. The excuse was to secure employment and a future.

    Tick said, ¡°Captain, we are approaching.¡±

    Shi Lang turned to look at the hostage and said, ¡°Whatever happens, you will follow us.¡±

    The hostage gulped when he saw this. Soon, the ship was scanned by an array of satellites. The whole below was covered with clouds. The systems on the vessel beeped and then the ship continued forward, without any problems, and everyone let go of a breath. They were really anxious, after all, they had no idea what could happen here and they were flying by the ear.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Ready tomence operation nk Round?¡±

    The ship rang with a collective call, ¡°Hoo-rah.¡±

    The mining vessel slowly descended and Shi Lang made the hostage takemand of the controls while he and his team prepared their gear to attack. The sun has set and it was already night when theynded on the spaceport.

 Chapter 176

    The mining vesselnded in the spaceport, and the hostage led everyone out. During the interrogation, the hostage has told them about the ways people moved around on the ground. Shi Lang and the team had changed into the spacesuits of the natives they had killed.

    Byte was left inside the mining vessel, hiding till the situation was under control or his help was needed. Even as a secret division troop, Byte was a newbie, he has yet to see actualbat, so Shi Lang did not n to use his life as a stake here.

    The terrans did not take off the helmets and just walked behind the person with their heads down. A few groups of natives spotted them but did not approach. Theirmunication was monitored by the higher-ups.

    They had put up a lot of security measures in this ce. They all stood at the exit of the spaceport. The native checked his card and then the others followed. Shi Lang and the rest cleared the first obstacle with ease.

    Then they boarded the bus outside the port, to head to the amodations. It took them fifty minutes to get to the location. Every team had a dormitory, they will stay together. After reaching the dormitory, the native wanted to say something when Shi Lang waved his hand to make the man stop.

    He waved his hand and using his ability, he found a few bugs in the room. He waved his hand and the team got to work. He was not going to destroy the bugs, just use some means to make sure that no one suspects them.

    After the team was done, and they gave Shi Lang a thumbs up, using the signnguage, Shi Lang said, ¡°I will now put you to sleep. Do not worry, this is for your own safety.¡±

    The native nodded, and Shi Lang had Ajax inject the guy with a sedative that will keep him in deep sleep till they were done, either with the mission or with their lives. After the native was solved. They all changed into their gear again. The suits they had were all nanotechnology pieces, while their weapons were smuggled inside with containers looking like the samples they collected at the mining ce.

    They were told aware that everything even the times they open the door was monitored. The only thing was that the Arcadians did not value the vents and sewers as much as they should have. They thought the wall cannot be breached, so what can even happen in the house.

    Shi Lang and the rest were going to invade the main tower through the sewers, The sewerwork was connected through the whole. The amodations were all on the ground floor. So it was easier for them to get inside the sewer system.

    Tick said, ¡°Captain, there is a manhole ten meters away. But the ce is monitored from three angles.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Jill lift the manhole, Shade get inside there first. Then you will lift the manhole when you are requested to.¡±

    Shade nodded and Jill followed. Nexalia asked, ¡°These cameras all seem to be very high-end, they seemed to be moving as well.¡±

    Tick was surprised, she ran her gaze around the sight out of the window again for a longer time and said, ¡°She is right captain, these camera movements leave us a five-millisecond window.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You should thank her highness.¡±

    Tick nodded and thanked thedy. Nexa was overwhelmed all of a sudden. Shi Lang said, ¡°The n stays the same, just be mindful of when to lift the manhole. Move, the order can be decided by you all, but do not roam ahead until we are together in there.¡±

    The people nodded and Jill came to stand near the window, the windowpane was equipped with motion sensors but Tick had already stuck a jammer there. The girl focused her gaze at the manhole and said, ¡°Shade, on my count.¡±

    Shade was also looking at the manhole with his cold gaze and Jill started counting, ¡°Three, two, one, now.¡±

    Shade flickered and his figure vanished from sight, outside the room, the manhole was lifted up, allowing Shade to sneak inside. Jill sighed and the manhole cover fell back in its ce.

    Shi Lang used thems, ¡°Shade, status?¡±

    ¡°Clear.¡± replied the young man.

    Shi Lang nodded to the others and they began to follow the n. The window of the milliseconds was something that came after ten minutes. Only when they had enough patience will they be able to execute the n.

    Shi Lang contacted Byte to check on him and found that everything was fine, once the mining vessel was docked it will not be checked until the resource tanks were full.

    The Terran team got inside the manhole. They were all holding on to the walls of the narrow tube descending below. Nexa was the secondst person to arrive and she almost fell on others if not for Shade holding on to her hand. At this moment, she was holding on to the walls like the rest of them. Shi Lang said, ¡°Night vision on, descend.¡±

    The people began to slowly descend in the tube. Shade has dropped a mini light blob to check the depth and found this ce to be a kilometer below the surface. Jill asked while descending, ¡°Any particr reason why the sewer is dug so deep?¡±

    Nexa replied, ¡°They have a higher sense of smell. It is irritating to them.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±, said Tick.

    The team descended the tube and found themselves standing in ankle-deep sewage water. Ajax asked, ¡°Your Highness, do you not feel nausea?¡±

    Nexa was holding a phaser rifle while the others were using echolocation and drones to map the sewer. Cara¡¯s n did not have the details of this map, but they will be using this map in correspondence to get to the target building.

    Nexa shook her head and said, ¡°I used to sneak out of the pce when I was in the royal academy. I used sewers even then, butpared to now, I will have to change clothes and take shower three times.¡±

    Ajax chuckled and wanted to talk more when the rest of the team came back, and Shi Lang said, ¡°We will move in that direction, I will take point. Callous, the rear. Ajax and Shade are the nk guards, Tick you are my wing, and Jill support Callous. Nexa in the center.¡±

    Nexa said, ¡°I can use a weapon and can protect myself.¡± she was not satisfied inside the cage.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You have the Neomonian specialty to use a defense shield in the time of crisis. Your task is to protect, not only yourself but all of us. Next time you try to rebel, I will drop you out.¡±

    That said, he took up his rifle and moved ahead. he did not care how she felt at the moment. Nexa was made aware by Amelia when the former had a brief chat with her, that Shi Lang will not be as soft and understanding when he was out there.

    However, she has never been talked to like this. This made her upset. However, the team could only sympathize with her internally. Archie had given them a warning, not to go against Shi Lang and execute their tasks properly or he will be the first to put them under the soil forever.

    They assumed a formation and began to move. The steps were in sync, to think that seven steps create only one noise. Nexa asked, ¡°How are we in sync?¡±

    Jill said, ¡°Ummm, your highness, we are keeping up to your pace. Our bodysuits have a special feature, they record the data of your movements, and when the team is in close formation, the nanobots willbine that data and follow the neuralmands, they will manipte the limb movement to some extent.¡±

    Nexa gasped and said, ¡°No wonder the Terran military is so ferocious.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The drones show this ce is clear, there is no movement. Let us pick up the pace.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± the team replied and they moved together, soon the walk broke out in a jog, yet the sync did not break.

    Shi Lang suddenly raised his hand and they came to a halt. He said, ¡°Look up.¡±

    The people raised their heads and found a narrow tube leading to the surface. Tick said, ¡°Captain, what now?¡±

    They were not given any details of the n. Shi Lang raised his left hand and after manipting themunicator he said, ¡°Activating Byte.¡±

    ¡­

    Inside the mining vessel, Byte received a message from Shi Lang. He stood up, climbed out of the vessel, and found a sweeping bot close to the vessel. Byte stood up on the bot and said, ¡°Activate.¡±

    Byte had a special ability, that allowed him to control all the electronic appliances. If he touched amunicator, then as long as thatmunicator has a smart program, he will be able to gain ess to not just thatmunicator but all of themunicators in the area. The simpler the machine the higher his range of influence.

 Chapter 177

    Byte stood on a cleaning bot, it looked like a puck just big enough for a man to stand on it. As soon as Byte used his ability the bot froze, and the next thing was chaos. Byte was connected to every cleaning bot within a radius of seventy kilometers. This included the bots inside the main control building.

    How exactly his range of influence worked was not known to anyone. Once he was asked about this by Shi Lang, and he said, ¡°It is like a three-dimensional map in my brain, with all the units under control look white.¡±

    At this moment, Byte was able to see the whole area, he controlled the bots, one of the bots was inside the surveince room, this room was automated, and was isted and responsible for monitoring movement inside the main operation center. No Arcadian was allowed in here other than the minister of defense. Simrly, nothing went out either.

    Byte controlled the dedicated cleaning bot inside the room and had it go back to the docking station. The bot got closer to the dock, but these high-quality cleaning bots were not only to clean dust and dirt but they also had a small arm to clear the lightweight debris and a small container filled with a cleaning agent.

    So, under the control of Byte, the bot deployed the arm, then sprayed the cleaning agent on the tip of the robotic arm. Then on the wall of the docking station was a power plug. Before it was given to the robots, the room was operated by the Arcadians and they were the ones to build this thing.

    The ce may be high-tech, automated, and upgraded, but there would always be corruption in the government. So some people thought this epic secure ce did not need to be upgraded in every regard. So they saved the money on the wall sockets, and at this very moment, a cleaning drone had ced its robotic arm inside that very wall socket.

    What followed was a short circuit. The whole surveince room shut down. Byte said, ¡°Captain, surveince is down, in that area for five minutes.¡±

    ¡­

    Inside the sewer, Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s move, five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Hoo-rah.¡± the team kicked into action.

    They had not been standing idly after Shi Lang had given themand to Byte, the team had climbed up the narrow tube. Now that they had been given the confirmation and a window. Callous directly punched away the manhole cover and climbed out.

    Following him, the whole team came out. They were greeted by the sound of rms. Shi Lang said, ¡°Shoot to kill, move.¡±

    The team assumed a formation and their pace was faster than what it was in the sewers. However, they were all moving in sync, Nexa was surprised, she was sure that it was not all technological help. Shi Lang said, ¡°We take the elevator. Our goal is the mainframe server. Floor twenty.¡±

    They had located an elevator at the ground level and rushed there. Since the security system worked in sync with the surveince, until they did not get a confirmation from the system, the defense bots will not be deployed.

    This was a loophole that Cara had discovered, and more importantly, the Arcadians never thought someone to take out their top-secret data, known only to the emperor would fall into enemy hands, so the overconfident fools never had a good defense model.

    The elevator door opened and the team went inside. Shi Lang stood in the front of the team, and said, ¡°nks will aim at the lobby, I will clear the corners.¡±

    The two people nodded with the barrels of their guns focused over Shi Lang¡¯s shoulders. The young man held two handguns. The elevator reached the twentieth floor, and as soon as the door opened, Shi Lang checked the corners and the nks checked the lobby. The team came out of the elevator and they all assumed the formation.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°This does not feel right. Like a walk in the park?¡±

    Callous said, ¡°Ambush?¡±

    Tick said, ¡°Could it be that the people here are only technicians?¡±

    Shade shook his head and said, ¡°Unlikely, this ce is their war coffer, how can it be left unguarded.¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Unless, two things.¡±

    Nexa said, ¡°Either they knew we wereing, or they are still unaware.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, ¡°If they knew we wereing, then we can forget about getting out alive. We are not yet strong enough to take down armies. However, if it is thetter, then we can be quick.¡±

    The people nodded and Tick said, ¡°Captain, four minutes left.¡±

    The team moved again, and with the code provided by Cara. Shi Lang essed the server room door. Then, they sweep the ce, before finding the ess port of the server room. Tick plugged in the storage device, and the code written by Cara began to hack in.

    On the screen, the people saw the progress bar, and suddenly, a pop-up showed, ¡°ess Denied.¡±

    Tick said, ¡°Shit.¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head to look at the screen and said, ¡°Go guard, I will try.¡±

    Tick did not know how to get through the firewall, and Byte was away. Shi Lang sat down in the chair and his fingers began to move on the screen. The interface of this movement was tranted into the Terrannguage.

    The young man began to find the weakness in Cara¡¯s program and began to manually fix them. What was even more, it was working. Nexa approached behind him and she saw Shi Lang working profusely on the codes. His focus was unshakeable. His movements were fast but they were calm.

    The princess did not expect this man to be such a force. His actions were very soothing to watch. Suddenly, themunicator beeped, disying zero on the countdown. Nexa sighed and said, ¡°The surveince is up, we will be surrounded by defense bots in ten seconds. Can you do it?¡±

    Shi Lang pressed a button and said, ¡°Done it.¡±

    The rms stopped and Shi Lang said, ¡°The server room is ours.¡±

    He stood up from the chair and said, ¡°Tick, you will be operating the developer controls and give us ess to the control and operation room. Ajax, you will stay here to guard her. Take every researcher and mining personnel hostage. We are taking over this war battery.¡±

    Tick nodded and began to execute themands. Shi Lang took the rest of the team to the above levels and ordered them to kill the guards. Tick mobilized the defense bots all over the building and every Arcadian was taken under control.

    When Shi Lang and the rest arrived in the main office, the defense bots had taken the researchers in control. They saw the four people and they were shocked. Nexa stepped forward and said, ¡°The building is under our control, please cooperate or you will suffer.¡±

    She spoke in anguage that could be called, themon tongue of Arcadia. One of the technicians did not agree and loudly retorted, Shi Lang, did not waste a second and made a hole in the person, just a few inches above his mouth.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Tell them, I do not have time to waste if they do not cooperate, I will have the guard bots destroy all the ships here, and then I will have them locked outside and initiate a chain of self-destructionmand initiated. They can go up in smokes with what they want to protect.¡±

    Nexa did not doubt his words and she ryed the message. The technicians were just people in pursuit of knowledge. They were not soldiers. They were scared enough when Shi Lang shot one of their friends.

    They agreed. Shi Lang said, ¡°Good people I will need your help to arm every fireable weapon present on this.¡±

    Nexa looked at him and wanted to ask him when Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not make me repeat myself.¡±

    She gulped from the chill in his tone. Then ryed his instruction and when the technicians were hesitating. Shi Lang said, ¡°You can set a timer and take one of the ships to leave this ce and hide somewhere till the war ends. Then you can go back home.¡±

    The technicians were surprised when Nexa told them what Shi Lang said, and after a small discussion, they agreed. Shi Lang assigned Shade, Callous, and Jill to monitor the technicians, as he came to ess a station to contact Cara in Nestia.

    Just when themunications were about to be established, he heard a voice, ¡°Captain, may I ask you something?¡±

    Nexa hade, Shi Lang was aware of what she wanted and said, ¡°You want to ask, why do I want to destroy the weapons here when they can be used by us?¡±

    Nexa nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°We cannot transport too many of them. Weapons are not a good thing to greed for. Even if these weapons are used against an enemy. Life is life. When they do not have weapons, they will surrender. Learn to save lives, and not to suppress them.¡±

 Chapter 178

    Shi Lang finished dealing with the princess and his connection went through to the control room back in nestia.

    ¡­

    A monitor went off and Quinn said, ¡°Inboundmunication, location unknown.¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°The channel is secret, it could be the spike team. Connect us through.¡±

    Quinn did as she was told to, the connection got through but maintaining the protocol, Quinn did not say anything first. The other side spoke up, ¡°This is Ace, we havepleted the task. Battery captured.¡±

    Quinn was shocked, they actually did it. However, before anything else, she replied, ¡°I will put you connection through to Commander Silence.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    Quinn quickly connected to Archie Arkham and said, ¡°Sir, we have a report from the spike team, shall I?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±, said Archie Arkham. It would be a lie to say that she was not anxious, he was just good at covering it up.

    The call connected and thedy asked, ¡°This is Silence, do you read, Ace?¡±

    ¡°Godspeedmander, this is Ace. We have finished the first phase. I took the liberty to start the second phase ording to the code of secret divisions, save lives and save the future. The battery will explode within twenty hours.¡±, said the young man on the radio.

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°Now that you have decided, let it be. Try to get the data blueprint back. We might be able to find something important and useful.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Get back soon, the fleet aid has estimated to arrive in a few hours, the war will begin then.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Commander, is it alright if I brought back the technicians we have taken hostage?¡±

    Archie Arkham thought and said, ¡°They can live on a barren moon till the war is on. We can deploy a temporary lunar bunk.¡±

    Shi Lang agreed and then reported to her that the guards have been taken out and they had to kill one technician. The miners were also being taken hostage at the moment they were speaking. Archie Arkham gave him instructions on how to deal with it and the conversation was concluded.

    Since they were going to ambush the Arcadian army from their backs, they needed to move faster, if the enemy arrived before they could carry out their ns then it will be troublesome. The public travel spaceports of the nts near the estimated war sectors were sealed. Only Military operation was being performed.

    Archie had instructed the secret division teams to take on the space fleet by surprise in cooperation with the Neomonian space fleet. At this moment, the ships were moving through space and will take a few hours to reach the designated area.

    ¡­

    After ten hours, when everything was done. Shi Lang and his team transferred the technicians and miners to a warship with the capacity to hold amodate a thousand people. They did take tons of data blueprints but other than that nothing. The technicians have told Shi Lang that the battery will be asked to deliver ammunition and support weapons only when the army was running low.

    Usually, it would be a long time before the core of phaser weapons run out but during war situations, they need constant repair and checkups. During a checkup, the spaceship will return to the rally point.

    War time rules suggested not to attack the rally points. These rules of war were decided before the war begins. The two sides will send an ambassador and they will negotiate the war rules. Then both the fleets will write a code, this code will make sure that the rules are followed properly. The codes will be locked, and the key to altering the code will be ced with the enemy ambassador only.

    Shi Lang and his team reported to the bordering, Destintia. The miners and the technicians were released and the ship was taken by Tick to hide under the sea bed. This way, the enemy will not be able to scan their presence.

    A few hourster, the secret division fleet and the neomonian fleet made contact. They ced their ships under the sea surface and then they waited. The natives were told that the empire was at war so they all entered the shelters.

    ¡­

    The third prince of Arcadia had his ships move and his entire fleet stood at the edge of the border. The deadline he set for these people was still away, and he would rather wait for news from Chol than jump the gun and harm his own territory.

    While the Arcadian prince was waiting at the border, in the royal court someone finally came forward to ept the responsibility that Cara has fled and that she was responsible for the death of ten imperial soldiers.

    The emperor was furious and he ordered a hunt. They were aware that the ships were found near the neutral area, but able to keep their heads intact, they did not tell him this. They did not imagine a small child to be able to hack in and slowly prepare everything she needed. The reason she was able to execute everything as she nned was that this was the army. They moved in a manner of clockwork, one disturbance and it is done for.

    On the other hand, the Terran fleet had arrived at the front. The massive number of the ships was so much that one could see them with naked eyes as they looked at the sky. Nexalia was one of these people and she said, ¡°The Terran military is not easy.¡±

    Ameris nodded, the neomon fleet general beside her said, ¡°Your Excellency, this momentum stillcks inparison to the first fleet. I felt my blood running cold.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Good thing we sided with them.¡±

    The team members of Nexa¡¯s delegation had told her about their experience in The Federation, they all wished to visit that ce once more. After all, they never experienced such freedom.

    Soon, the fleets were mobilized. ut deliberately leaked the news to the third prince of Arcadia, that the n was discovered, and they were now preparing for war. The third prince did not wish to dy anymore. If the territory was damaged then he will restore it all. He cursed ut for the ipetency they had shown in this matter and moved forward.

    As soon as his fleet crossed the border, the surveince probes alerted the allied forces. However, they did not react in a hurry. The best way to defeat an enemy was to let it think they have hope to win. Just when they are high in morale, you close in from the shadow and kill them. Simple and efficient.

    Under the leadership of General Stevenson, the united fleet was also moving forward. He sat in the captain chair of the biggest warship in the fleet and said, ¡°Have us positioned diagonally above the enemy. We use the blitzkrieg. Target theirmand vessel, and scramble the rest. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±, replied the crew.

    In the space, there were no directions but there were up and down based on the perception of a person. The pilot followed themand while themunication officer ryed themand to all the other ships. A few minutester, the officer on the radar system said, ¡°Sir, enemy spotted.¡±

    Stevenson said, ¡°Engage.¡±

    Themand was passed, and the war began. The fleet charged forward and in a well-synced manner, each ship picked up the targets, and soon the space was filled with phasor beams.

    ¡­

    An arcadian officer noticed the anomaly and with a panicked expression he reported, ¡°Your Highness, we are under attack.¡±

    The speed of charge was so fast, that by the time they spotted the enemy, they have already been engaged with phaser beams. It was like a person facing a towering Tsunami. The Arcadian prince had no option but to say, ¡°Evade the attacks and counter.¡±

    The generals said, ¡°No, your highness, the enemies wish for us to scramble. It will be easier to take us out. Please do not make it easier for them.¡±

    The prince asked, ¡°What shall we do now?¡±

    The general said, ¡°Counter face to face. They will be outnumbered soon.¡±

    The prince thought and nodded his head in permission. Themand was ryed and the two fleets began to fight face to face.

    ¡­

    Stevenson could see the situation and said, ¡°I see, someone has a pair. Tell the spike team, it is their queue.¡±

    The adjutant ryed themand, ¡°You are good to go.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Langmanded, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The secret division ships were mobilized and they all left thes they were hiding on. Going into space jumps, they appeared behind the enemy, what happened next was very easy to figure out. They were all given instructions, ¡°Shoot at will and shoot to kill.¡±

    The Arcadian fleet was overwhelmed from both the front and the rear. The general said, ¡°Shit, these cunning bastards.¡±

    The prince grit his teeth and asked, ¡°Can we do nothing?¡±

 Chapter 179

    The Arcadian fleet was stuck in the middle of the allied forces and they were losing blood. As the generals suggested, they went in for a frontal assault but the result was not something they had expected. The prince could not figure out what happened.

    ording to him, the n was wless. Even if the Neomonians discovered his activities, they should not be able to counter his forces to such an extent. He watched as the warships in his fleet fell, as his people turned to space debris. He roared and said, ¡°Call for immediate support, I want the whole of Arcana to be mobilized.¡±

    The general nodded and immediately send out a distress signal. He was happy that the unruly third prince had not snapped his neck in two. The guy was anything but happy and calm at this moment. This was his chance to save his neck, when the prince had told them to rush out and regroup it was, he who counter-advised.

    Thanks to his so-called valor the fleet was being shredded by the enemy. All they could do now was to wait for the aid toe, suddenly the third prince said, ¡°Have the war toons disperse as they see fit.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Fleet Admiral Stevenson were paying attention to every small movement of the enemy. They were both reported by the officers that the Arcadian fleet was trying to flee and disperse.

    Shi Lang was in themunication with Fleet Admiral Stevenson, he said, ¡°Sir, would you like to take action?¡±

    Stevenson said, ¡°They are fleeing, and they must have called for back-up. What do you think we should do?¡±

    The other high-ranking officers were shocked. The admiral said, ¡°You people do not need to ask why I am asking this kid about his advice, he and his team of six had taken down a whole. His skills are not to be gauged by the age.¡±

    They were shocked, after all, they could tell from the uniform Shi Lang was wearing that he was an operative of the secret division and they had no knowledge of what he had done prior to their arrival.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I would say, chase them and end them.¡±

    Stevenson asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The back-up they called for will not arrive, the ce where all they store their additional forces, has been taken down by us, by the time they send an investigative team over, the by a cluster of space debris and dust.

    Also, there are other ways they can get aid, for example, through the forces of the other two princes. I would rather have them all done for.¡±, replied the boy without any hesitation.

    The other officers nodded, they understood that the boy was really decisive when it came to the matter of war. Such a personality could not be developed easily. They were aware that he was not very old, biologically.

    Stevenson nodded and said, ¡°You heard the guy, get those bastards. Target one warship at a time, and I wantplete obliteration, Understood?¡±

    ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±, replied the officers on themunicators.

    The attack started and this time the people began to target one warship at a time. They did not stop until the ship was destroyed to nothingness, along with the soldiers on them.

    Stevenson said, ¡°What a waste of good warships.¡±

    ¡­

    Arcadians were not only many in number, but they also had an impressive arsenal. The third prince saw that the enemy had begun to aim for their utter destruction, so he said, ¡°Mobilize the mechs, flee this front. I will take the responsibility.¡±

    As soon as the order was passed, the soldiers began to take over mechs and they all began to abandon the ships.

    ¡­

    Tick said, ¡°Captain, we can read mech deployment signs.¡±, in a hurried tone.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Calling all to all Shadow Executioners. Time to clobber them, people. Move it.¡±

    ¡°HOO-RAH.¡±, said the officers on the other side of themunication channel.

    The secret division people deployed mechs to counter them as well.

    ¡­

    Hercules, one of Shi Lang¡¯s old teammates was leading the team of Mechs. He said, ¡°Use vibra-swords, the phaser cannon recoil will just make us push back. Keep clear of their warships, avoid dying from friendly fire.¡±

    Hisms were then flooded by messages of affirmation. Switching back to a secure channel, he said, ¡°Ace, this shit is crazy.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Then? Do you want me to pull you back?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, I am finally getting to move as I wish. Hahaha, we should do this often.¡±, replied the guy.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Get them.¡±

    ¡­

    The third prince saw all this and said, ¡°I am going out, I cannot watch my brothers die like this.¡±

    He mmed his hand on the table and went out of the bridge. The generals could only watch him leave; they were aware that the battle was lost.

    The third prince did not take a mech but he took out a small space fighter. This thing was faster than any mech out there. As soon as he came out of the deployment bay, he began to target the allied forces.

    ¡­

    Tick said, ¡°Captain, the mech division is suffering heavy damage. In the past three minutes we are down by ten mechs.¡±, her voice was hurried.

    The rest of the team also began to report, ¡°Captain, the enemy is too fast to be targeted by the allied forces. However, there is only one such target.¡±, Jill said.

    Shi Lang was thinking when Stevenson said, ¡°Captain Ace, the frontal forces had deployed small ships to counter the target but no use, we have lost a whole squadron. Any intel on what might we be facing here?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Let me contact themand center and check what we are facing here.¡±

    Nexa said, ¡°Themunication is established, Captain.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to her; he had almost forgotten about her existence after the battle began.

    ¡­

    Quinn had been sitting and looking at the screen in front of her in a daze. She was able to hear all the data that was being input by the allied forces, she and the rest of the Terran delegation on Nestia did not witness to how scary the numbers of war could be. The death toll in the war has already crossed a few hundred thousand, and it was not decreasing or slowing down at all.

    At this moment, she suddenly saw the screen disy amunication request. She clicked on epting and Shi Lang¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Patch me to Cara.¡±

    Quinn sensed the urgency in his voice and said, ¡°Patching now.¡±

    She directly patched the channel to Archie¡¯s office. Themander connected and after finding that Shi Lang was looking for Cara, she hurriedly called for the girl.

    Quickly the girl came over and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Cara, do you know of any vessel that is faster than mechs? The Arcadians are using such a vessel and we are not able to counter it. This thing is taking down our units quickly.¡±

    Cara was surprised and began to ponder, she said, ¡°Are they using the Pinch?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Pinch?¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°This vessel was designed for the three princes, it is the fastest vessel in the Arcadian fleets. The firepower was not too much, however, the speed and the aiming system are very sharp.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°How can we counter it?¡±

    Cara said, ¡°Only one way to counter, aerial fight. You will have to duke it out. This vessel had no digital data updated.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Very well. I shall go now.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang disconnected themunication and contacted Stevenson, after them was connected, he said, ¡°Sir, I would like to step outside.¡±

    Stevenson asked, ¡°How sure are you?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Twenty percent. But it is better than nothing.¡±

    Stevenson was surprised that the chances were so low yet this guy was confident. After thinking of something he said, ¡°You can go out, prioritize your safety, we have taken down forty percent of their forces. Worsees worse, we will leave them to go.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Princess Nexa will be the deputy inmand, and Tick, you will take over themand.¡±

    Then he left the bridge. Tick said, ¡°All guns will charge and await the captain¡¯smand to provide cover and suppression.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±, said the rest.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang put on a ck battle suit, they had called over extra troops from the secret division careers, and they were now helping the team operate the vessel to full capacity. This was the biggest warship they found in Arcana. This vessel carried a smaller spaceship built to raid. Shi Lang choose the fastest of the vessels and took off.

    ¡­

    Quinn saw that Shi Lang has stepped into the battle and she cast a gaze at Amelia who was also working a few meters away. Thetter said, ¡°Yes, I know he went out. He sent me a message before. I trust in him.¡±

    Although she said this, her slightly shivering body gave away the anxiety in her heart. The situation was really a pinch they have not expected.

    ¡­

    Nexa asked, ¡°How many people have we lost?¡±

    Tick said, ¡°Fifty mechs, and the bad thing is that all of them feel to one person. Those mech pilots out there are the best that you can find in the Federation. Yet they fell due to theck of equipment, shame on us.¡±

    Shade said, ¡°Calm down, the captain is out. They will make contact in fifteen seconds.¡±

    Everyone in the allied forces was gazing at this moment, can this guy take down the Arcadian prince? Or will he fall fighting for what he believed in?

 Chapter 180

    Shi Lang put on the special suit, got into the fighter, and left the ship bay. The space outside was filled with chaos. The bigger ships were not harmed as they all had shields deployed, but the smaller ships were being targeted and attacked by the enemy and they were not doing very well.

    As soon as the young man controlled his fighter to move, he was contacted by Stevenson, who said, ¡°Ace, the morale of the enemy is rising, they are putting up a desperate fight. The rate of casualties is increasing with each passing moment, you have to act quickly.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡±, said the young man.

    He controlled the fighter and headed directly to the zone where the Arcadian prince was countering the mech division. Shi Lang contacted Hercules and said, ¡°Have the mech divisions evade temporarily and clear the area in five seconds.¡±

    Hercules was surprised but he was given amand and he executed it without thinking too much. The mech division was under great pressure but they were not helpless. They all dispersed and stopped targeting the enemy mechs. In exactly five seconds, Shi Lang had arrived with his fighter.

    This particr area of the battlefield was filled with a lot of space debris. The allied forces had targetted this patch first to open up a hole in the enemy fleet. Themand ship was not affected but the rest were not spared from the heavy onught. After the enemy forced started to disperse, the holes became even more prominent.

    Shi Lang did not hesitate to enter the thick of the enemy forces because they were the weakest here at the moment and they had not deployed fighters yet. The reason was simple, the chances of the fighters getting shot down in friendly fire were very high. Why add to the causality and fighters were used to invade the atmosphere of the and take down the ground defense system.

    As Shi Lang looked around, he caught sight of a flicker, and upon focusing he found it to be a fighter. This was his target. He said in thems, ¡°Target sighted, engaging now.¡±

    As soon as his words dropped, he moved, and the fighter turned into a shadow.

    ¡­

    The Arcadian prince was about to destroy another mech from the allied forces when he found the enemy to be retreating, he rejoiced in his heart, the enemy was retreating, which meant that his troops could get away easily, however, the joy did notst long the guy spotted an enemy fighter in the surroundings and before he could react, the other side was onto him.

    He was experienced enough to know that if there is a fighter in the region and it belongs to the enemy camp, the pilot will bemitted to the battlepletely. This meant a desperate struggle. Not only will this battle change his stance, but also the enemy will have the time to develop another strategy.

    Thinking of this, the Arcadian prince gave up the idea to focus on the mechs and his target shifted to the fighter behind him. He sneered and the vessel started to move up. He wanted to use his faster speed to get behind Shi Lang.

    But was the young Terran so easy to deal with? Shi Lang also started to follow the enemy but he kept in mind his angle and speed, this way he maintained the position of the hunter. The arcadian prince had been trying to shake him off from the very beginning but Shi Lang has beenpensating for his speed with angels and navigation.

    He was like a shadow that the Arcadian did not want to have. After five minutes of this tag and chase through the debris, Shi Lang said, ¡°Switching the weapons to manual.¡±

    He pressed a button on the console and then he took a shot. The shot was not aimed at the Arcadian prince. Shi Lang was aware that the shot will not hit the enemy. However, this was a crucial step in his trap. After another couple of minutes, he contacted Stevenson and said, ¡°Sir, have your weapon expert follow my trajectory and mark it on a star map. Mark my position of fire as a big dot.¡±

    Stevenson did not understand the purpose of this action but he saw it through regardless. Shi Lang was the best student that passed under his guidance, and this young man was not dumb. Stevenson passed themands and the people began to execute the orders.

    After ten minutes, when the Arcadian Prince was about to make a move and ditch Shi Lang, thetter said, ¡°Sir, have your canons aim at the big dots on the trajectory map and fire at once. Do not, I repeat do not leave even a single spot. You can ask the other heavy ships to attack at the same time to cover if you miss some points.¡±

    Stevenson was aware that it was not the time to contemte and discuss so he just executed things the way Shi Lang asked him.

    ¡­

    The Arcadian prince growled as he was about to take a sharp turn and turn the tables on this clever Terran fighter. Suddenly, he sensed a strong fear of death and changed the direction of his turn. What happened the next instant was a huge beam of phaser ray passing through the location he was heading to.

    The same thing happened all the area around him. The Prince was in a little daze and began to think about what could be the enemy aiming for when the systems of his spaceship sounded an rm. Shi Lang had a lock on his vessel, and the Terran did not hold back in taking a shot at the Arcadian Prince.

    Boom!!!

    Shi Lang aimed, not at the cockpit but at the engine, and took it out directly. After the engine was taken out of the equation, the prince inside the vessel became nothing more than a sitting duck. He said, ¡°This is Ace, the target is immobilized.¡±

    He said, ¡°I repeat, the target has been immobilized.¡±

    Stevenson heard this and said, ¡°Maintain vignce, someone will take him away.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Meaning?¡±

    Stevenson said, ¡°You did not know?¡±, as the old man gulped.

    Shi Lang shook his head, Stevenson said, ¡°This guy is royalty, we will take him as a hostage and a bargaining chip.¡±

    The young man nodded and then he watched as the operatives of the frontal forces suppress the enemy and took the Arcadian prince into custody. Shi Lang moved his fighter and began to take out the enemy mechs. He also asked Hercules and the rest to take charge and deal with the leftovers.

    The battle picked up the pace once more and with the prince captured. The morale of the Arcadian army was down. They tried to put up some struggle but they were still crushed, and after the destruction of sixty percent of their fleet, they were pushed to surrender.

    Stevenson asked the enemy admiral to abandon ships and leave, this was the only way to capture the resources. They could not send in the troops to take custody of the enemy ships until they were sure that the allied troops will not be killed by the Arcadian Loyalists.

    That said, the Arcadian generals all one after the other, abandoned ships with the majority of the forces in escape pods. Only the bare minimum crowd was left behind because they were crucial for operating the ships. Stevenson then had the abandoned ships move to the barren moons and deployed troops to take custody of the resources.

    After this, the allied forces did not return back to Nestia but they all reformed their lines and began to repair the damaged ships. They also held a funeral procession for the soldiers who passed away. Stevenson dispatched a ship especially to deliver the deceased soldiers back to the Federation so that they could rest in peace on their own and not alone among the stars.

    Nexalia called over after some time to congratte the people for winning the battle and to offer condolences for the casualties. She also issued a press message back at Nestia that the family of the deceased will receive duepensation.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was on a call with Amelia and his parents. The atmosphere of the call was very tense, Luna had just finished scolding the young man for being careless and stepping out by himself. Well, how do I tell the mother of the MC that he is the MC?

    Amelia tried to calm the older people but she was scolded to take Shi Lang¡¯s side. In the end, Shi Lang said that he will try not to do anything like this in the future, and then only did thedy calm down. Soon the call was finished.

    Amelia asked, ¡°What now?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Regroup and reorganize, then we take the battle to the Arcadians.¡±

    ¡°Can we win?¡±, asked Amelia.

    ¡°Yes, we can.¡±, replied the young man with a smile. The second battle will begin soon.

 Chapter 181

    Shi Lang and Ameliamunicated with each other freely for a few minutes before Stevenson and the higher-ups all decided to hold a wartime meeting. The officers of the Neomon fleet were also called over to attend and discuss the n.

    Back in Bestia, when the notice of the war meeting was sent, Archie Arkham asked the other Terrans on the ground if they wished to jump in, they agreed with a smile. Within a few hours, the people had all gathered.

    Shi Lang took a small ship and came to themand ship with Nexa. She was the princess of the allied emperor and she had the right to join the meeting. The other higher-ups also arrived at themand ship. There were two purposes of the meeting. One was to decide what they wanted to do with the third prince of the enemy.

    This was the reason Shi Lang came over without a question. It was the time to fulfill the promise he had made to Cara.

    ¡­

    The Command Ship was a behemoth. It was big enough to have a holding area and five conference rooms, all that could amodate twenty officers at the same time and still have space left. At this moment, one of the conference rooms was being upied.

    Stevenson sat in the head position, with Nexa beside him on the right while the officers of the two forces sat facing each other. The fleets had ten generals ormanding officers among them. While the Terran officers were lower in rank, they were not weak in momentum.

    Stevenson asked, ¡°What do you think should be our next move?¡±

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°Arcadia will not attack us with theirplete force at the risk of exposing their borders and the news of war will also not be allowed to go out of the empire. They would not want to be struck by some unknown force of the said surrounding empires.¡±

    The people nodded, where she left, Nexa picked up, ¡°The intel mentioned that Arcadian forces aremanded by the three princes of the empire. At this moment, those forces should be out moving in other directions to expand their borders. So, they should not be able to provide much support.¡±

    Stevenson shook his head and said, ¡°They might give up their fronts ande over to us, after all, rather than winning new territory it is more important to save the ce you already have.¡±

    The others nodded, and one of the neomonian officers spoke up, ¡°Is it possible for us to attack them before they can take action?¡±

    Stevenson shook his head, he said, ¡°Ever since the universal extraterritorial life forms have been discovered, the Gctic Council has set proper rules of war engagement, we cannot march in without providing a notice ahead of an attack.¡±

    Shi Lang was the only freshman in this meeting and as he heard these words, he was surprised. He did not know that there existed something like the Gctic Council. Stevenson said, ¡°Well, we do not have to worry about thest face-off, after all, it was the Arcadian fleet that invaded us. But the future wars cannot be yed like this.¡±

    The people nodded, Shi Lang raised his head and Stevenson asked, ¡°What is it, Ace?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We have destroyed their war battery, one third of the attack fleet is gone. The only thing that we need to do is to capture the capital, Arcadia. However, before that, I would like to make you all aware of something.¡±

    Stevenson nodded and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The informant is an illegitimate child of the Arcadian Emperor, her skills and mind are good enough to help us turn over the war. Before I came to this battle, she had told me, that the capital of the empire, or the where the royal family resides, must turn into a mast graveyard. She alos took the time to tell me that if we failed, then she will hunt me down in the future. Yes, the simple solution is killing her.¡±

    He paused and the people were surprised, they thought Shing will be siding with the informant but here he was, suggesting that they should kill the little girl, how cruel.

    Shi Lang continued again when he saw the old man was about to say something. He said, ¡°Or, we keep our promise, kill the royal family and have the young one take the throne. It will not be a war but a royal coup, it will not need to send out any war notice. The mission will be a secret.¡±

    Stevenson fell in thought and asked, ¡°What are you suggesting will not be achievable until you get some proper support from the frontal force.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I will get you an answer that you will like, but the team will be put together with me. I want to select my own team.¡±

    The few officers were surprised to see that this young man had the guts to speak bluntly in the meeting of the higher-ups, and what was even more, that neither the Commander of the secret divisions said anything, nor did the old man say anything.

    Stevenson nodded and said, ¡°I will give you three days, you will have to get me a result in that time. If you are unable to achieve the goal, then I will send the notice by the rules of the gctic council and the war will break out on the full scale. Till then the forces will begin to repair and heal. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang saluted and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Stevenson nodded and was about to continue and asked, ¡°Do you still have something to say?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I would like the permission to interrogate the third prince of Arcadia, also, he is on my death list.¡±

    Stevenson nodded and said, ¡°It was expected, you can take him. He is of no value.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Then I will take my leave, sir. I have a mission to prepare for.¡±

    Although things did not go as he had nned earlier. he will still achieve the results he wanted. The first thing that he wanted was to make sure that the Federation was not invaded. The other thing was something that he had promised Cara. Also, from a political point of view, having that kid be the ruler will help them a lot.

    She will prove to be a greater ally if she had power, however, he has already told the people that the girl was not a helpless teenager that will be at their beck and call. She will do what she wishes. This was why she was a dangerous enemy but a good friend.

    With those thoughts in mind, Shi Lang walked out of the room. He spotted everyone from his team standing outside and said, ¡°Come, I invite you all to check out a good thing.¡±

    They were all skeptical, but it was still better to move around than sit in this flood of dog food. Shi Lang and Amelia would stare at each other and not take off eyes, as if they have met after a long time and could not fuck each other senseless.

    The team moved around the ship and they came to the holding bay. They stood in front of the cell area where the third prince of Arcadia sat with a dejected expression on his face. The cell was made up of some sort of electric and maic fusion.

    The prisoner saw a group of Terrans gazing at him from the outside, he sneered and with the face of the lion, he said, ¡°Did youe here to look at what a defeated general looks like? Well, you have looked enough, I suggest that you leave.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°This is a Terran vessel and not your royal court where you can y all high and mighty. I used to think that you were a pissant creature who could not even show emotions to a child, but instead, you turned out to be even more shitty at military defense and strategizing. To think I thought of you as a worthy opponent.¡±

    The third prince lost his temper and roared at Shi Lang. He said, ¡°I demand you to take me out of here, if you do not have such guts, then get lost.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I was thinking about how to approach, you but did not expect you toe and help me like this. Thank you. When would you like to fight against me?¡±

    The arcadian prince stood up from the ground and said, ¡°Whenever you are ready.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and looked at the operator on the side, ¡°Let me go inside the cell and remove his shackles.¡±

    The operator was confused and said, ¡°Sir, may I confirm it with the seniors.¡±

    He was aware that this person was from the secret division because of the mask on his face, but he was not sure how to deal with this request. After a few seconds the operator got the confirmation and said, ¡°Sir, you can go inside.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and handed his handgun to Amelia and even his knife was given away. He said, ¡°Contact Cara, she would like to watch this.¡±

    As Shi Lang stepped inside the cell, the Arcadian Prince said, ¡°I acknowledge that you have courage.¡±

    Shi Lang replied with his hand, saying, ¡°Come on.¡±

    The Arcadian prince roared and charged forward.

 Chapter 182

    Shi Lang did not react and waited for the Arcadian prince to close in on him. Although the other party had a physique simr to the humans, Shi Lang had no knowledge regarding the strength of his enemy. It could be even stronger than him, after all, they did not have any data regarding the Arcadians.

    This was not only the chance to keep his promise but also to get some data. While he was specting about the force applied behind the charge, Shi Lang ducked to the side to avoid a w attack. He noticed only now, that at some point during the attack hand of the Arcadian prince turned into a bizarre mix of human hand and lion ws.

    He took a deep breath after carefully judging the lethality of the attack. It seems as if the arcadian prince wanted to kill him or any Terran that he could before he was put down. Shi Lang would have fulfilled hisst wish but he was not yet so generous. As the w attack passed over his head, Shi Lang weaved his body to the side, and with a bang, a punchnded right on the ribcage of the enemy.

    The punch waspact and Shi Lang has made sure to put his whole body behind it. The Arcadian prince did not expect the impact to be so, rattling.

    ¡­

    Jenkins was watching from the outside, he said, ¡°He will go all out.¡±

    Darcx looked at him and asked, ¡°Why is your face so dark?¡±

    Amelia smirked and said, ¡°Bad memories.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang hadnded a punch and he did not intend to let his enemy rest. The next moment he punched the Arcadian prince in the abdomen with his right fist, making the guy keel over, Shi Lang made his diaphragm spasm. Without the movement in Diaphragm, it was impossible to breathe.

    With the breathing disrupted the attempt to counterattack was futile. Shi Lang did not hesitate, his next punch was a strong right directly hitting the chin of the enemy. The body was straight once again, but the Arcadian price could not react, he was out of breath, and his motor neurons were disorientated from the uppercut just now.

    Shi Lang took anotherpact left fist directly where there would be the liver in the human body. Although the body of the Arcadian prince seemed to be as strong as iron. Shi Lang was not lesser either. He started to increase his speed, and after five blows, before the arcadian prince could ever register an attack, Shi Lang had broken the spine of the prince.

    The Arcadian was in a shape that he did not expect, the fight was being telecasted around the whole fleet. Shi Lang was so strong that he did not provide the other party with a chance to counter at all.

    That was not all, Shi Lang had a clear motive in his mind, which was to kill this guy. Yes, they got a lot of data but that was not too much, it was more like beat you before kill you session. The aracadian princey on the floor with his spine broken, groaning in pain. Shi Lang stood beside the prince, he took hold of the back of the head of the prince, ced his other hand below the chin of the prey.

    Then with a click the neck was snapped and the prince gained eternal freedom. Shi Lang stood up and stretched his body and walked out of he holding cell. He cast a gaze at Amelia and the girl nodded. The whole fight has been telecasted to a special channel leading to the disy in front of a little girl sitting back at Nestia.

    Cara was left to at the Nestia for safety reasons. Well they still did not believe herpletely. What if she decided to y with a bomb on themand ship and killed a thousands of their troops as a game?

    Shi Lang and he group then came to there personal rooms, they were going to prepare for departure. The destination was Arcadia, and the task was to assassinate the imperial family without raising the rm. If the gctic council found them to be nosy in the matter, and if they found that the allied forces took actions in the shadow, they will be sanctioned.

    The sound of a sanction was never liked by the wise and the fools all the same. The team geared up and they selected a small Arcadian ship from the captured vessels. This was the safest way to avoid the patrols on the way, if their were any. However, the biggest problem was that th people did not know how to speak Arcadian.

    So, Shi Lang asked the Neomonian princess to find them one of the people who knew how to speak and understands Arcadiannguage. He stated, ¡°I do not want someone perfect, just enough to know the brought meaning on the things the Natives say.¡±

    Nexa nodded and within ten minutes she screened the information of the few people rated better than her and in the end she said, ¡°Shusha Ace, the person I selected for you is a male, I hope you can amodate him.¡±

    Shi Lang almost blurted out, ¡®what is it supposed to mean?¡¯ but due to the time constraint he gave up on the further entanglement and said, ¡°Tell thsi person to report at vessel C24. He has twenty minutes.¡±

    That said, themunication was terminated. Shi Lang reported to Archie Arkham and Stevenson about what he hand on mind and the people nodded in understanding.

    In the end of the meeting, Stevenson said, ¡°Ace, do what you deem necessary. Understand?¡±

    The people nodded and then Shi Lang and his team were given the permission to take off. They space jumped to reach their vessel. After confirming that the ship was not rigged by any trap or something. Shi Lang and Quinn took the pilot seat.

    They were going to be controlling the vehicle. Just when twenty minutes were about to finish, Jenkins said, ¡°Your interpreter has arrived.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°About time. Let him on board, Jenks, brief him.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°Aye Aye captain.¡±

    The neomonian got onboard with a goofy smile but sensing the solemnity of the vibes made him silent. He could tell from the gazes of the people on board that they will not hesitate killing him if he did not realize the gravity of the situation.

    Shi Lang waited for a few minutes and when Jenkins was done telling the basic details to the person, he ignited the ship and controlled the ship to get away from the numbers of other ships, and when they were in a open space, the vessel did a space jump.

    (There are two sort of space jumps. One is the ship¡¯s capability to travel long distances in a blink, the other one is to jump as an individual from point A to point B)

    Shi Lang and the team did not find any patrol on the way, and this was even more pedantic that running intoplete fleet. Darcx asked, ¡°Could it be that the survivors have reached back at the Arcadian capital?¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Most likely, that should be the case. It could be that after losing a whole fleet, they have started to regroup?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded but after recharging the spaceship was put into a space jump again. They were making a beeline to the capital of the Arcadian Empire. Suddenly, Shi Lang adjusted the course, and Quinn asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We take cover in the shadow of the moon, and then wait for an optimal timing to invade the.¡±

    The people nodded, they hid in the ne sight, after six hours, Darcx said, ¡°Whoa, captain, look at that.¡±

    Shi Lang woke up and spotted movement, Jenkins leaned over to his shoulder to watch what was going on and Amelia said, ¡°They are rallying all the troops to move ahead and form a defensive parameter around Arcadia.¡±

    She pointed a finger at the Neomonian guy. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°This is our chance.¡±

    Quinn asked, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°When they are half way between us and the, we go to space jump and ce ourselves behind them.¡±

    Quinn chuckled and said, ¡°You finally got the spirit to do the lob maneuver.¡±

    The people did not understand what they meant but they had a bad feeling about this. Quinn said, ¡°Kids, strap in. Mommy will take you all on a roller coaster.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and then began to input the form for the space dive in the system that controlled the trajectory of the vessel during a space jump. As they did the enemy ships have began to from an all-round parameter around the.

    It was like a web of spaceships. Shi Lang and Quinn were to get through the holes in the web at a high speed to be undetected. Quinn said, ¡°Captainnnn¡­.¡±

    She was reminding him that the enemy ising closer, and Shi Lang said, ¡°Done.¡±

    Quinn pushed the lever forward to the limit and the ship vanished from its spot.

    ¡­

    After a minute, Shi Lang and the rest were lying next to a crashed space ship. They were all shakened. However, this was a cost to get through undetected. Shi Lang regained some energy and took off his mask to catch some breath, as he inhaled and exhaled heavily, his eyes opened wide. This expression, no one would have ever witnessed on his face.

    In his eyes, there was a hint of mania. Shi Lang sat up and mumbled, ¡°Spirit.¡± as his body trembled.

 Chapter 183

    Shi Langy on the ground, his breathing was deep and steady. The others woke up slowly, and Jenkins was the first to wake up, and then he helped others regain consciousness. Amelia came to check on Shi Lang and Jenkins said, ¡°He is awake, but seems to be in deep cultivation. We need to evacuate here and find a ce to hide.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Jenkins is correct, let us move out. Thankfully we crashed in the mountains and have a decent cover. Darcx, you are a secret division operative. You will bring up the rear and ensure that you do not leave any traces. Everyone put your visors on thermal, Amelia will be our scout. I will bring up the nks with Nexa, Jenks you carry Captain.¡±

    Her aura was calm, and the people were all alert. Quinn was the second inmand if Shi Lang was unable tomand the team. Amelia heard the order and immediately she turned invisible and rushed forward into the mountains.

    They were looking for a natural cave. Jenkins picked up Shi Lang on his back and moved with Nexa and Quinn on his left and right. Darcx moved behind them wiping off the traces. This formation reduced the mental pressure that the team would have to suffer. They would have to spend concentration on clearing up their traces. However, this arrangement rectified that.

    Nexa was surprised when she saw Amelia vanishing into in sight. She asked, ¡°Amelia can turn invisible?¡±

    Quinn replied while keeping an eye on the surroundings, ¡°More than that, she can eliminate her presence from your senses.¡±

    Nexa was surprised but they kept moving forward through the mountains. Jenkins suddenly asked, ¡°What if they are monitoring us with the satellites?¡±

    Quinn shook her head and replied, ¡°We used the lob maneuver and appeared three thousand feet from the crash site. We used all the means we had to decelerate andnd yet we crashed. Do you think they will be able to detect us if not for the regr surveince from abnormalities?¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°Vice-Captain you are wise.¡±

    Quinn snorted but her chin was lifted.

    ¡­

    After two hours, the team found a cave with a pond in it. They were about to settle when Amelia said, ¡°Shit. They found us.¡±

    Quinn asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°They have found the crash site and dispatched the forces. Just now one of the detection cams I left behind went off and self-destruct.¡±, reported Amelia.

    Quinn thought for a bit and said, ¡°What shall we do? Take out those Arcadians?¡±

    Jenkins shook his head, ¡°Bad choice, it will alert them and they will send more people, and we will be in a bigger trouble.¡±

    Darcx was sitting by the pool and Quinn was getting tensed, she snapped, ¡°What are you doing by the water? Fishing?¡±

    Darcx replied, ¡°I dropped a surveince drone in the pond. The results show that there is another cave, leading through here. This is actually a water tube.¡± his speech was calm and the people were surprised.

    Quinn said, ¡°You all dive in and we rush to the secondary cave. Block the tunnel and Darcx, remove the traces.¡±, in a hurry.

    The team reacted quickly. Quinn and Jenkins were the first to dive, while Nexa and Amelia carried Shi Lang and followed them. Darcx cleared the footprints and smell of their presence and then he also slipped into the pond.

    They moved through the center of the tunnel. Jenkins was about to use his gun to demolish the tunnel, when Darcx said, ¡°Stupid, the phaser will leave traces on the stone, move, I will handle it.¡±

    Darcx touched the ceiling of the flooded tunnel and then he quickly moved to a safer distance. Then using hismunicator he send amand to the nanobots he had deployed on the ceiling. The nanobot produced high-frequency vibrations and the impact of these vibrations made the ceiling copse.

    The team then moved through and came out in another cave. Amelia and Nexa ced Shi Lang next to a boulder, the man was half-sitting. The rest of the team gathered and Darcx said, ¡°We came here in time, the enemy has arrived rather quickly.

    He disyed the footage from the surveince drones he had left behind. The drones were all nano-sized, and could not be detected without special means. The enemy forces were not specially equipped, they seemed to be regr patrol troops.

    Quinn nodded and said, ¡°We stay here till the captain is awake?¡±

    The rest of the people nodded. Nexa asked, ¡°What happened to him suddenly?¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°It seems like the crash wounded his body and he is now in a deep cultivation state to heal. It will take at least twelve hours before he mighte around.¡±

    The team began to discuss the usible strategies.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, inside Shi Lang¡¯s consciousness, there was only one thought that mattered to him, to harness the spirit energy in the atmosphere. Yes, this was rich in spirit energy and he was taking it all in. He was nurturing his physique, every single cell of his body was being fed spiritual energy. The result was that his strength was increasing exponentially.

    The boy did not want to miss this chance. This strength will be better for him to use when the face the enemy. Yes, he intended to use himself as the cover for the rest of the team to sneak into the pce and kill the quartet.

    Shi Lang was already at what the people from the cultivation world would call the second stage the spirit gathering stage. He was still going strong, unknown to him twelve hours have passed when he had stopped.

    He slowly opened his eyes and the aura radiating from him shocked everyone. Darcx had even taken out his knife. He muttered under his breath, ¡°Eight-star level?¡±

    The people were shocked when they heard this. Shi Lang gazed at all of them and stood up from his spot. His whole body was emitting crackling sounds. He flexed himself and stretched himself letting out groans and moans of satisfaction. The team was still in shock, Quinn asked, ¡°Captain, how do you feel?¡±

    Shi Lang cracked his neck as if relieving stiffness and said, ¡°How do I feel? Invincible.¡±

    Darcx thought Shi Lang was joking so he chuckled and said, ¡°Then how about you take out that patrolling group in the open?¡±

    Shi Lang cast him a gaze and then he smiled. He said, ¡°Amy, baby do you have a sword?¡±

    Amelia was a scout and due to her stealth, she kept a sword with herself. She did not ask much and directly gave Shi Lang the sword. Quinn was confused and was about to ask something when Shi Lang said, ¡°Whatever is about to happen here should be kept a secret. I will let you guys inter.¡±

    The people nodded and Shi Lang dived into the pool on the side.

    ¡­

    The patrolling team of the Arcadian Empire was camping beside ake stream. A man with a broad back stood at the banks. A man stood beside him and said, ¡°What are you thinking about captain?¡±

    The man was the leader of the patrol party, he said, ¡°I do not know why but I feel uneasy.¡±

    The other man beside him frowned. They were all part beasts, they all had the instincts of the beasts. Suddenly, they both looked at each other and then turned to face their backs. They saw a figure standing on top of a tree branch, a figure dressed in ck.

    The captain felt a strong killing aura and said, ¡°Attention. Enemy spotted.¡±

    The figure was no one else but Shi Lang.

    Just as the troops picked up their weapons, the figure vanished and they heard a scream. Locating the source they found a soldier on the ground, holding his hand and wailing from pain. Shi Lang had just cut off his hands. They did not have the time to react or register how things happened when another scream was heard.

    Shi Lang was like a grim reaper, his shadows were the only thing that these people could see. the patrol unit had twenty people, and this beastmen with higher senses could not put a hand on where the person was.

    In fifty seconds, Shi Lang was done taking down the twenty people, and the surroundings were still echoing with the dying screams.

    ¡­

    Amelia and the rest who watched this were shocked. Darcx said, ¡°Is this not invincible? He dodged a fucking phaser beam?¡±

    Jenkins gulped and asked, ¡°What happened to him?¡±

    Quinn thought about something and then she said, ¡°Could it be that his ability evolved with the breakthrough?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°No, he said that he will tell us the secretter. Do not let this scene upy our minds. We should rush out. The time to finish the mission is very crucial. We have lost a significant amount already.¡±

    Darcx asked, ¡°What about the captain?¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°He is going to attract attention. We are going to sneak in like the dagger in the cloak. Let¡¯s move.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± said the four and they moved out of the cave, Shi Lang had already cleared the debris in the tunnel to leave enough space for a person to pass on his way to the patrol crew.

    While Shi Lang took out the information given by Cara about the military posts andmandeered a vehicle of the patrol group andmenced his journey to deal with the first post closest to him.

    Shi Lang mumbled, ¡°Like this, there must be others with spirit energy. It seems like I still have a shot at transcendence.¡±

 Chapter 184

    Shi Lang stood in front of an outpost with a sword in his hand. His body was brimming with energy. On the way to the outpost, he was constantly improving his body with spiritual energy. His normal vision was now stronger than the beastmen and more than that, his Terran cultivation level also reached the six-star level.

    The blood was enriched with spirit energy and thus made his potential explode. Spiritual energy is nothing less than a gene enhancement serum. Shi Lang scanned the outpost using his visor and found ten sentries guarding the passage. Four people were standing on the watch towers and six people were moving on the ground in pairs.

    Shi Lang looked on the ground and picked up four pebbles, then using his sword he carved the pebbles into darts. Closing the distance to the gate, he flicked his wrist, and with a whistling sound, four darts flew through.

    ¡­

    The guards were not very alert as they have never faced any invasion or attack. However, they were beasts with a keen instinct. They all heard a whistling sound and turned their heads to locate the sound but before they could find anything, they all froze and with a thud, they fell down.

    ¡°What was that?¡± asked a guard below the tower.

    Another one suggested, ¡°Go check.¡±

    They moved quickly but Shi Lang had arrived. Two guards who stood in the middle of the road reacted and called out, ¡°Who goes there?¡±

    The next moment, they sensed a figure behind them, the killing intent made them freeze. Shi Lang did not want to waste much time and stabbed the two people in the neck. The call from earlier had already attracted the attention of the other guards, they saw theirrades falling down. They raised their guns but then again, a whistling sound made them all freeze and fall to the ground with holes in their foreheads.

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°If only I was at a higher level, I could have manipted the darts in the air.¡±

    He walked closer to the corpses and took out his darts. He received a message on hisms, ¡°Captain, we have arrived at the incursion point.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Alright. I am beginning.¡±

    He collected his darts and began to walk in the direction of the second gate. This time he was holding two handguns. The area near the second gate was brightly lit up. However, it did not seem to matter, Shi Lang has given up all the care for stealth. Since he was going to attract attention, then he might as well do it in a manner that strikes the hearts of the people with fear.

    The guards all spotted him and they began to speak in the Arcadiannguage. Shi Lang replied, he raised his handguns and opened fire. The guards fell to the ground before they could even react.

    A senior officer on the watch tower yelled, ¡°Sound the rm, this guy got past the first gate, it means he killed the people there.¡±

    A subordinate pressed the distress button on hismunicator. The whole base was now aware of the assault and they picked up arms and began to run in the direction.

    ¡­

    Inside the camp, themanding officer was also aware and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The adjutant said, ¡°Sir, someone attacked the gates.¡±

    ¡°How many people? Which faction?¡±, asked the Commander.

    ¡°The faction is unknown, but the reports said it is just one person.¡±, mentioned the guy.

    Themander scoffed and said, ¡°Did he think, this is a park?¡±

    They thought that this was all just a stunt, this person must have a death wish. However, after fifteen minutes, the sounds of battle did not seem to quiet down, but they grew closer. The Commander was getting anxious, he picked up his gun and walked out of the cabin, and he was shocked.

    A figure cloaked in a ck suit and mask seemed to be walking in their direction, and his hands were bestowing everyone in his way with the gift of eternal slumber. It was not as if he was not being attacked. The enemy soldiers were firing shots at him but the aim was always off.

    The beastmen were shocked, and they were fearful of this person. In the past ten minutes, Shi Lang had killed almost a hundred people with his handguns. His speed was not fast, but every fire from his gun took away a life.

    His footsteps became a bomb that would explode in the hearts of the enemy. Shi Lang kept moving, reaping lives, painting the ground red with the blood.

    ¡­

    Since the camp was alerted all the forces were focused on the assants. The Arcadians did not want to waste time, they had developed an intelligent system that willmand the soldiers when they are alerted by a distress signal. If the system detects that the forces sent forward to provide aid did not manage to deal with the problem, the system will assign more power.

    Cara had researched every single detail of the Arcadian defense. Since the forces moved, Quinn and the rest got a clean passage to get past this line. They moved quickly and after taking cover on a high vantage point, they began to survey the situation to see if Shi Lang needed help. What they saw shocked them to the core.

    Amelia was the only one calm enough to watch all this without any fluctuations. She was aware that Shi Lang was very scary once he enters the battle mode. At this moment, when his guns were raging fire and he was walking amidst the sea of phaser beams, yet he was not hurt or even scratched, she realized that he was indeed not simple.

    Jenkins asked, ¡°How is he avoiding all those shots?¡±

    Nexa was stunned, her world was frozen at this moment. How much courage and craziness are needed by someone to walk into such a situation. Darcx suddenly said, ¡°His footwork. His footwork is not normal.¡±

    The others trained their gaze at the feet of the young man and they were surprised, Shi Lang looked as if he was walking normally but that was an illusion. Shi Lang was using cultivation footwork that he used in his past life. This footwork allowed him to dodge the attacksing at him with perfect judgment.

    ¡­

    Not only the Terrans were shocked, but themanding officer was also doubting his life. He raised hismunicator and said, ¡°Sir, this is Jarl, we have been attacked, the assant is a single person, he has taken down two hundred soldiers on guard duty here. I request aid, however, by the time your forces can arrive here, I might have walked ahead. However, I hope that you will avenge us, and do not let go of this monster.¡±

    He did not wait for the other side to reply, because Shi Lang was already done with his adjutant, and at this moment a ck hole was all that he had in his vision. Shi Lang did not waste his time, and with a squeeze, ended the life of the Commanding officer.

    He raised hismunicator, ¡°Did you guys get through?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Yes, we are through, see you at the second rally point.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Stay alert and do not give up stealth in any case.¡±

    Amelia agreed and then the two people greeted each other and left to deal with their own tasks. Shi Lang was to attract even more rage from the enemy, while the team was to infiltrate thends and get closer to the imperial city.

    ¡­

    Cara sat beside Nexalia in the study. She gazed at thedy and asked, ¡°May I use the holp, Your Majesty?¡±

    Nexalia was busy with some work and she nodded to the girl. Cara walked up to sit in front of the device and began to use it. After twenty minutes, Nexalia raised her head and was shocked.

    In front of her eyes, a scene from the battle was being disyed. She asked, ¡°What is this?¡±

    Cara replied, ¡°I left a bug in the satellites of the Arcadian capital. I just used one of the neomonian deepspace transponder satellites to ess that bug and get the footage of the battlefield.¡±

    Nexalia asked, ¡°What is this footage about?¡±

    Cara said, ¡°Captain Ace, broke through the lines. He seems to be gathering the attention of the enemy and letting his team sneak in. He is strong, he has taken down two hundred guards alone.¡±

    Cara did not realize much, but the method Nexalia witnessed on the screen shocked her to the core, she was horrified to think this guy was a guest on their and he could have killed all of them with such ease, yet he stayed calm. This confirmed two things.

    The first was that the Terrans sought their alliance sincerely, as they could have directly asked this guy to assassinate the court and take over the empire. The second was that this guy did not treat them as a significant enemy. Although a misunderstanding, fine.

    She said, ¡°Can you teleport this footage to themand ship of the allied forces?¡±

 Chapter 185

    Shi Lang did not know the impact of his actions, but he was sure of one thing, his skills were growing faster than ever before. The spiritual energy was like a health supplement and he was malnourished.

    The benefits of the spirit energy were not only to strengthen his body but his mind and his entire being. One whole day had passed, and Shi Lang had taken down ten camps on his own even if the enemy had heavy weaponry, they did not seem to have any use against this guy.

    In just one day, Shi Lang had directly broken through the third realm of spiritual cultivation and his Terran cultivation was at the seven-star level. You can imagine the speed. He was swallowing the spiritual energy and using the battles to digest the effects. It may seem like it was too exaggerated, but that is what happens when an old monster wakes up in the true sense.

    This speed of his advance had shocked the enemy and the royal family was alerted. However, the generals and themanders, none stood a chance in front of him. The two princes happened to be out of Arcadia, and they have received the news that the capital was attacked, so they decided to make their way back and were now standing inside the imperial court.

    ¡­

    The two princes wore a crimson and ck armor, their burly physiques looked very daunting, however, they did not look half as strong as their old man sitting on the throne. They were deliberately suppressing themselves. The elder prince asked, ¡°Where is the third brother?¡±

    An old-looking lion said, ¡°Captured by the allied forces of Neomon and Terrans.¡±

    The second prince asked, ¡°Then, do you mean to say that we are at war?¡±

    Thetter shook his head and said, ¡°At this moment, the Gctic council has not made a move, and neither the allied forces have sent out an envoy. We sent out someone to confirm their intentions and they said they only defended themselves and will notmunicate with us directly, if they need, then an Overseer from the Gctic council will be called over. We typically cannot dig deeper in their minds, after all, it was the third prince who initiated the battle, and they are still within their territory.¡±

    The two princes nodded and began to think when suddenly they heard a guarding in, this guard knelt to the ground and said, ¡°Your Majesty, that reaper has arrived in front of the pce.¡±

    The people were shocked, the emperor growled and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    The guard said, ¡°Your majesty, that reaper is standing in front of the pce gates and he is challenging all of us.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you not engage in battle with him?¡±, asked the emperor.

    The soldier gulped and said, ¡°I was the only one left from the outer patrol and he asked me to run inside and tell you of the situation while he¡­¡±

    ¡°While he what?¡±, ask the first prince.

    The guard replied, ¡°While he ys with the other guards.¡±

    The second prince stepped forward and with a punch, he killed the guard. He let out an enraged roar and said, ¡°I will now go out and kill this bastard.¡±

    The first prince said, ¡°Second, y calmly. Do not look down on him, this guy was able to break through the ranks very easily and sustained the onught of the heavy armament. Even more so, his hands are stained with twenty thousand soldiers. You need to be mindful.¡±

    The second prince nodded and picked up arge hatchet-style de, and walked out of the courtroom. The Emperor said, ¡°Come, let us go out to watch it all too.¡±

    His eyes were cold and gleaming, and the tone sent shivers down the spine of the people. They all bowed and moved, following their emperor. However, as soon as they went out. A shadow appeared from behind in the lobby. This figure was none other than Amelia.

    She and the rest of the team had already sneaked inside when Shi Lang took the fight with the patrol group, but thetter wanted to make sure that there was nobody to pay attention to them, so he came forward to kill the soldiers.

    The team had aplete map of the pce. Quinn and the rest were responsible for assassinating the people inside the pce, while Amelia was responsible for nting bombs in the throne room. Last night, Cara had contacted them and said, ¡°The people in the pce must die and the throne should be destroyed, I will give you my life, but if you failed then I will take yours.¡±

    Although Shi Lang was not very happy to amodate the threats of this little girl, he did not have any other options. That said, this was in line with their goals. Shi Lang assured her that he will take on the people and he will kill them.

    Amelia was very quick in with her hands and she set bombs below every single chair in the throne room. Not only that, she had the pirs rigged as well.

    ¡­

    The second prince walked outside the pce gates and found Shi Lang standing in front of him with a chipped sword in his hands. The young Terran stood wearing a ck suit, and mask. The aura radiating from Shi Lang was so notorious that even the emperor, who was watching the two people from the wall of the pce, felt his heart shake.

    The second prince raised his de and wanted to taunt the guy but Shi Lang was not in the mood to chat. His figure shed and in a blink, he appeared in front of the second prince with his sword shing at the enemy.

    The second prince was shocked, his pupils constricted and he raised his sword to defend against the iing attack haphazardly.

    CLANG!!!

    The battlefield echoed with the metallic sound. The people all shivered, not because of the sound but because the second prince was pushed back by three-meter and it left skid marks on the ground. He had to take five steps to wave off the impact.

    The second prince sensed his hand going numb. He raised his head to look at his opponent but Shi Lang was nowhere to be seen, however, this did not give him any relief, but a fright. Shi Lang, like a ghost, appeared behind him.

    The second prince turned around, trying to backhand sh at this guy but at this same moment, the first prince had picked up a gun and shot at Shi Lang¡¯s back.

    The phaser beam and the de came at Shi Lang at the same time, if someone looked behind the mask they would see his disappointed expression. His figure shed one more time and Shi Lang vanished.

    The phaser beam met the de held by the second prince, but the de melted and the phaser beam passed through the body of the second prince. The emperor held the wall with his palm and clenched it so hard that the stone cracked away.

    While the First prince roared. The second prince was his real brother and he died under his own hands, he was maddened with grief and rage. He turned to look around and with the gun in his hands, he jumped down the wall. He did not stop by the second prince who was still amidst a fall with a hole in his chest.

    The first prince began to fire the gun in his hand and Shi Lang began to flicker dodging the beams marginally. Shi Lang was not scared he was just using these people for practice. Inside, his team was killing the royal family.

    ¡­

    Cara had now begun to telecast live battle images to the Terran fleet. Thanks to the multiple satellites being focused on the same location and transmitting the same data on the same frequency.

    Stevenson was shocked to see the way Shi Lang was fighting, the terrans were aware of their own limits better than anyone. Suddenly, the old man contacted a person on hismunicator, ¡°Charlotte.¡±

    Thedy replied, ¡°Sir.¡±

    Stevenson asked, ¡°You told me that, Lang took that serum. Are you sure that it does not have an extreme effect on a person?¡±

    Charlotte was confused and then she nodded and said, ¡°With all the data acquired till now sir, the effect is not more than boosting a guy for only one-star level. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°ording to the records, Lang¡¯s ability is still a secret, but now I think it could be a body enhancement ability. He is able to dodge the phaser beams.¡±, said the old man.

    Charlotte heard this and lost herposure, as she said, ¡°Fuck.¡±

    Stevenson raised his eyebrow and cleared his throat, thedy apologized and said, ¡°I apologize sir. By the way, what is the data till now, how is the incursion?¡±

    The old man said with a somber face, ¡°The team sent to Arcadia has infiltrated the royal pce.¡±

    Charlotte was surprised and asked, ¡°Any casualties?¡±

    Stevenson shook his head and said, ¡°Lang drew the aggro, while the team sneaked even and acted covertly. Lang has taken down twenty thousand lives with all means that you can think of. Bombing, poison, hijack, and air strikes. He even used the self-destruction method on a base. What sort of monster is this kid?¡±

    Charlotte gulped and said, ¡°This number alone can get him to the Ace Tournament.¡±

    Stevenson opened his eyes wide and said, ¡°Indeed. Let us see when hees back.¡±

 Chapter 186

    Shi Lang did not know anything that was going on back at themand ship, hisplete focus was dedicated to the fight in front of him. He was aware that his ability had a limit. After a certain point, his body movement will not be able to keep up with the senses.

    So, for him the spirit energy was like a boon, it enhanced his physical body limits, and made him strong. He was dodging the phaser beams shot by the first prince at a very close range, it was as if he was a ghost. His speed had begun to leave quasi after images.

    The first prince was getting enraged with every single second his attacks were useless. Shi Lang, on the other hand, was getting calmer with every single second. His aura was as if a sword of ice. Suddenly, the phaser gun glitched. Not everyone could detect a fractional difference in the firing time. This was because the core inside the gun has been over used and was exerting and it will take a longer time for the core to charge and attack.

    The first prince roared and then he threw the gun away and made a gesture, ¡®Come at me.¡¯

    However, his expectations were not met, Shi Lang took out the darts and suddenly, shot them at the first prince. The darts were all aimed at the vital spot. usually, it would have been a sessful attack, but the opponent was not some rookie, the first prince used his hands to block the darts from hitting his vital spots.

    At this moment, Shi Lang did not hesitate and charged ahead, it only took him a blink to narrow the distance and when the first prince was busy countering the eight darts. She Lang cashed in on the chance to hit the first prince with his fist. At attacknded on the spleen and the first prince keeled over, and his face met a hard knee.

    Shi Lang did not wish to waste any more time on this thing and his punches became more dangerous and all of them aimed at the vitals of the prince. The barrage was so fast that it did not even allow the first prince to dodge. Fists were like bullets fired from a machine.

    After a minute, Shi Lang stopped, the face of the first prince had already turned into a messy pile of meat, with brain matter leaking out of the wounds on the forehead. The people on the wall were shocked, this man actually killed the first prince in such a manner. This was shameful and enraging.

    The emperor of the empire saw his sons die in such a manner, and he roared. He did not wait for anyone else and just jumped off the wall. Shi Lang raised his head and found the emperor attacking him with a fist. From the speed and the aura radiated by the emperor, he could tell that he was not weak.

    Shi Lang jumped back to avoid the punch, and the attack hit the ground with a bang. Shi Lang was standing ten meters away, and he could feel burnt from the impact. Inside the mask, his face became solemn. The punch had left a small crater under the emperor.

    The young Terran did not waver, he moved quickly and came closer to the Emperor. Thetter was not slow to respond either. The two people punched and their fists collided. However, this time the one to be pushed back was Shi Lang.

    The Terran realized that the enemy was equal to him, if he conserved his strength then the umted damage will affect him in the long run, and if he did not conserve his strength, then he will not be able to kill the rest of the people and evade this ce. The emperor was running towards him with bloodshot eyes.

    The punch was faster than thest two. Shi Lang raised his hand and patted the side of the fist while the free hand patted the elbow joint of the enemy in the opposite direction, making the arm bend and the punch miss, then he delivered a strong knee attack directly in the ribcage of the old emperor.

    The emperor grunted and wanted to use his bizarre ws to grapple Shi Lang, however, the Terran was already out of his reach. Shi Lang had changed his strategy to face this old man. He used the method of soft and hard, while he would retreat after each attack. This way he will be able to conserve his energy and the enemy will exhaust himself.

    The battle continued and Shi Lang followed his logic, he executed the best actions to evade the iing attacks and use their power to hurt the emperor. Suddenly, he received a message on hismunicator, ¡°Captain, the task has beenpleted, waiting for rendezvous. Also, we do not have much time left, the Arcadian army is closing in on the ports, if we did not leave now, we will not be able to leave at all.¡±

    Shi Lang dodged and attacked and asked, ¡°How much time do we have?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Five minutes, we are at the wall, Jenkins and Quinn have gone to takemand of a space vehicle.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after dodging another attack, his visor lined up with the wall, and he could scan where they were. He took a deep breath and turned to face the old beastman. He assumed the boxing stance but this time his feet were constantly bouncing off the ground in a rhythm.

    The emperor rushed over, Shi Lang hopped a little, and the tough toes of his shoes were connected with the shin of the old emperor. Thetter stagnated and Shi Lang jabbed him right on the nose. the power of the jab was not much, but Shi Lang used apact punch and the attack was very useful.

    The beastmen may not have cartge that may fracture and render them useless for a few minutes, but the nose was a sensitive point in their bodies. Shi Lang did not stop, his jabs rained down on the nose, leaving the emperor disorientated.

    The jabs became smaller andpact until the young Terran was close enough to unload a heavy punch to the guts of the enemy. Simr visceral anatomy of the beastmen was exploited at this point, the punch irritated the liver and the bile came rushing out of the emperor, who had no choice but to keel over and puke out whatever he hand inside.

    Shi Lang was running short on time and a dart appeared in his hand, then the dart pierced the back of the neck of the emperor, which was the back point of the beastmen. The dart pierced through the flesh with a ¡®Puchi¡¯ sound and the emperor of Arcadia passed away.

    Shi Lang bowed to the emperor, he may be the enemy but he was the strongest enemy Shi Lang had faced ever since he had started fighting. After paying his respects, Shi Lang made a run toward the wall of the pce.

    The surroundings of the pce were kept barren for security purposes. After reaching the door, Shi Lang exerted strength on his legs and jumped over. He reached the top height of fifty meters from the ground.

    The people were shocked, but they did not have time, they could see the spaceships entering the atmosphere of the. They all moved through the pce and came to the royal spaceport. Quinn had already told them which ship they will be taking and they all made a beeline to the vessel.

    Shi Lang got inside the ship and he fell down on the floor as if he was dead. The people panicked, Amelia picked him up from the floor and got him inside a seat. Quinn asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Thetter replied, ¡°Exhaustion.¡±

    People nodded and they took off.

    ¡­

    Cara saw the pictures of the ship taking off and she did not seem to be excited, but the protruding veins on her forehead indicated that she was annoyed. However, suddenly, the expressions changed, the pce of Arcadia, the building that symbolized the tyranny of the Emperor and his paranoid family, exploded, the pce did not catch fire, but it was directly evaporated.

    The little girl opened her mouth wide and rubbed her eyes to make sure that she was not hallucinating. Nexalia stood behind her and said, ¡°Cara, prepare, you have to appear in front of the Gctic Council. They will testify to your identity and if you said that what happened today was a prearranged coup by you, then they will let us all go, however, if you said otherwise, the Terrans and the neomons will have to vanish and be the outcasts.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°Do not worry, I will not lie, you people have helped me enough, but I want to keep captain Ace by my side, he is very strong.¡±

    Nexalia chuckled and said, ¡°Let us talk after you are approved ok?¡±

 Chapter 187

    Shi Lang only woke up after the ship hade close to the allied forces. He asked, ¡°How long before we arrive back at themand post.¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°Ten minutes, also, you might not be able to get the rest you are seeking.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Admiral Stevenson has informed us, that the team will be under surveince from the team of members of the Gctic Council.¡±, Jenkins said in a calm voice.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°They seem to have arrived very quickly. Do you think, they have a better alternative to traveling through the space?¡±, he was not worried about anything else.

    Nexa asked, ¡°Are you really not worried about anything the Gctic Council may ask?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°The more you worry, the more you specte, and the more you specte, the more paranoid you be. Paranoia leads to one thing only, loopholes. I would rather not give any chance to the enemy. Also, I am not giving you all thestmand of the mission. When you are interrogated, you will only reply that you were acting on my instructions and if they ask what the instruction was, you say that it was ssified and that you need my permission or the president¡¯s directmand to answer them.¡±

    Darcx and Amelia reacted and said, ¡°NO.¡±

    Nexa was surprised by such a reaction. Shi Lang cast a gaze at the two of them and said, ¡°Rebelling?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°Why do you want to shoulder all this on your own? Do you not know what will happen if we shoved all the responsibility on you? What if they imprisoned us under the allegation of not cooperation?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, ¡°Do you seriously think, this card will work on me? The one they need after hearing your words will be me. Quinn has a special identity and so does Nexa. While Jenkins is the son of the first general, he is just at the rank of a captain. Darcx is a junior operative in the secret divisions. You are a captain, but if you went out confessing stuff, they will imprison you three along with me.

    Another thing is, do not reveal that you are my fiancee, if they used you then I will definitely confess everything. You can guess what will happen then.¡±

    They did not know much about the Gctic Council, but Stevenson had given them a few details. The Gctic council will definitely try every means possible to break the people and then use every possible angle against them to convict them, so, the fewer people they have, the less vulnerability factor.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You people need to understand that I have been to Ragnarok, you cannot possibly outdo me in mental toughness or anything. Can you? If you can then please stay stubborn.¡±

    This remark made the people calm down. Quinn said, ¡°We have reached, initiating the docking sequence.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stepped out of the ship first, leading his team with a calm indifferent gaze. The soldiers, by now, were all aware that the young man had killed twenty thousand people on his own and took down the royalty of the enemy forces.

    As Shi Lang passed, the people all saluted him in rapt attention. Shi Lang nodded to them all, he could not salute each and every one of them. Themand ship was equal to ten normal ships parked together. It carried ten thousand crew members. It was a small city in a sense.

    Shi Lang and the team moved and the news of their return spread. They were in the corridor when a message popped up on theirmunicators. They were all called to the conference room.

    Shi Lang and his team did not react unusually. They walked to the conference room, and the soldiers guarding outside saluted them before letting them pass.

    Inside the conference room, Shi Lang and the rest spotted Stevenson, and the few generals standing behind him. Shi Lang could tell that the vacant seats were not for him and the team, but for someone else, in this case, the seats belonged to the members of the Gctic council.

    Shi Lang did not bother with it and saluted Stevenson and the rest and said, ¡°Mission Aplished, Sir.¡±

    Following him, the whole team did the same. Stevenson nodded and said, ¡°You all have done a good job but before you can rest, you are needed to cooperate with Barrister Kai-Hushi.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±

    As soon as he replied, a voice sounded in the room, ¡°So, you are captain Ace, responsible for the death of twenty thousand soldiers. Tell me, captain, do you feel happy with your performance?¡±

    Shi Lang turned around and saw a person with blue skin and yellow eyes standing in front of him. The person was as tall as Shi Lang¡¯s shoulder, and he had no hair, not even eyebrows. His teeth were akin to fangs.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I do not feel anything, Sir. I just did what was necessary toplete the mission.¡±

    The blue person nodded and asked, ¡°What was the mission?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at Stevenson who nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°Two days ago, our borders were invaded by the Arcadian fleet, we had received advanced intel, and thus we survived. Then our informantmissioned a task for us, which led to the battle at Arcadia.¡±

    The man nodded and asked, ¡°What was the identity of your informant?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°The princess of Arcadia.¡±

    The man was surprised by the confidence in his voice and asked, ¡°How did you confirm it?¡±

    Shi Lang pointed at Darcx behind him and said, ¡°My colleague has the ability to determine truth from lies.¡±

    The man gazed at Darcx and said, ¡°I hate my wife.¡±

    Darcx replied, ¡°Lie.¡±

    The man nodded and then he made a few more statements, and Darcx replied whether they were true or false. The man said, ¡°My name is Kai-Hushi, I am the litigation officer from the Gctic Council. It is unfortunate, but you, Captain Ace, along with your team are under investigation from this moment on. Until I have answers to all my queries. Also,¡±

    He took out a few small cubes from his pocket and said, ¡°You may take these. These cubes have aplete collection of thew code of the council. I will give you all a day.¡±

    Shi Lang took the cubes and distributed them among his team. Then he heard the man say, ¡°You all will stay in isted holding stations for a day, we begin official investigation from tomorrow.¡±

    The Terran did not react and turned around to salute his seniors and walked out of the conference room. He came out of the conference room with his team and found five people dressed in silver suits. They all had distinctive features.

    Barrister Kai-Hushi came out of the room following them and said, ¡°This is my team, and they will be watching over your well-being.¡±

    Shi Lang and the others had yet to react when a strong guy grabbed Amelia¡¯s hand. The girl said, ¡°Hands off.¡±

    The man snorted. Shi Lang said, ¡°Barrister Kai-Hushi, I would appreciate it if your men did not try to cross a few lines with my team, or I will personally counter.¡±

    His voice was calm, yet the chill was evident. Barrister Kai-Hushi said, ¡°Meni, do not embarrass us. Unhand the officer.¡±

    Meni said, ¡°Barrister, are you afraid¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, a barrel was ced inside his mouth, he was shocked, and wanted to move, when he heard a calm voice, ¡°By the time you grasp my hand, I will squeeze the trigger and your head will stter around here. My team, and people, are not for you to touch or talk to, also, you seem to be some sort of army, and cannot even respect your seniors. Trash.¡±

    The people did not expect Shi Lang to actually do what he said. Shi Lang was not going to watch his people getting bullied. He turned to Barrister Kai-Hushi and said, ¡°You can add an offense to my charges.¡±

    Kai-Hushi was shocked, and then Shi Lang led his team away leaving the five officers. They did not expect this Terran to be so defiant. Meni wanted to say something when Kai-Hunshi said, ¡°You dared to act without my order. You are really not worthy as he said.¡±

    Kai-Hushi went back to the conference room and he began to discuss things with Stevenson. The guards outside left to perform the guard duty where Shi Lang and the rest were staying. They did not dare to ck anymore. The tension of the situation was too much for them to overlook.

    After a few hours, Cara was bought over from Nestia, she did note alone but came with Zysha. The motive was to talk to Shi Lang and the rest of the Terran team during the trial, they did not want the Gctic council to trap them for the slightest blunder.

 Chapter 188

    Shi Lang and the team were all given a separate room. Cara was also given a separate room, only Zysha was allowed to be with her. Cara thought, ¡°What can they possibly ask me?¡±

    Zysha said, ¡°Ace wants to talk to you.¡±

    Cara was shocked and was about to react when Zysha said, ¡°Control your emotions, we are being observed. It is better that you pretend to be sleeping. We canmunicate with our minds.¡±

    Cara was a feline race, she was very curious, but she also understood what was the priority here. Shey down on the bed and turned her face to the wall as if sleeping. She asked, ¡°How will Ace talk to me?¡±

    Zysha said, ¡°Let us not waste time with the technicality of this. He has a few pointers for you.¡±

    Cara hummed in response and Zysha said, ¡°If you are asked about why you hated the Arcadian Empire, directly say it all. Do not hesitate or anything, okay?¡±

    Cara replied, ¡°Yes, this did not need to be said, it is obvious.¡±

    Zysha continued, ¡°You will also tell the people that you offered us to avenge ourselves and at the same time to dethrone the Arcadian royalty.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°You all do not have to worry, I will not let you all suffer. My goal has been achieved and I do not have any other dreams, so if they tried to convict anyone, you can put the me on me and I will take it all.¡±

    Zysha replied, ¡°No, we do not need to you to sacrifice, just make sure you clear up these two points. The rest will be left with Ace to deal with.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°Okay, when will the trial begin though?¡±

    Zysha said, ¡°Tomorrow they said, which has twenty hours.¡±

    The people continued to chat for a bit before they fell asleep. The Terran team was tired and Shi Lang was particrly starving for spirit energy. One could evenpare him to the addict who was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. The man was feeding himself on the spiritual energy for the past two days and he was having a st.

    Shi Lang was drunk on spiritual energy, his speed and everything else had increased significantly, however, in the absence of spiritual energy, the stats hade down by a bit. His Terran cultivation was now at the seven-star level.

    Time passed very quickly, after resting for eighteen hours, the team took shower and they were servedpressed food. They all ate and wore their military uniforms. Shi Lang also wore his standard ck military uniform with all the stars and stuff.

    After twenty hours the people supervising them came to call the Team. The trial will now begin. Shi Lang had his mask covering his face. The guards wanted him to take down the mask, but when they saw his cold eyes, they stopped. Yesterday when Shi Lang shoved the handgun in the mouth of their captain, they did not even see him act. So, they were deterred.

    The people were led to a room, which has been re-fitted in a course of a few hours to look like the courtroom. There were a few benches ced inside the room, this area was the hearing area. Then adjacent to the wall on the side there was a bench, this was the witness area. The guards led Shi Lang and his team inside, and at the same time, Cara was bought over with Zysha.

    The next few people to arrive were Instructor Rosa, Ameris, who was serving as the representative of Nexalia Neytiri, and finally Fleet Admiral Stevenson. Shi Lang nodded to the old man, and the old man nodded back to him.

    Thest person to arrive was Barrister Kai-Hushi. He smiled and greeted everyone, before he said, ¡°I hope that you have read the rule book and are aware of how the trial will proceed. But for those who do not know, the trial will be judged by five randomly selected members of the Gctic Council. Once you are convicted or found guilty, then varying on your level of crime, the punishment can be varying from outcasting or annihtion. So allow me to wee the judges of this trial and their identities are kept a secret.¡±

    The people nodded and a screen at the back of the room started up, what appeared on the screen was a two-dimensional ck outline of faces. The features were covered by the system so they could not be seen. Barrister Kai said, ¡°Greetings dear judges.¡±

    A discordant voice said, ¡°Keep aside your greetings, get started we have many things to deal with.¡±

    Kai scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    He took a deep breath and said, ¡°The trial is being held because a team of Terrans and a Noemonian princess killed the royal family of Arcadia.¡±

    The judges nodded and the man from earlier said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Kai said, ¡°I would like to call, Miss Cara to the stand, please.¡±

    Cara stood up from the witness area and walked to where Kai pointed and then she sat down on a chair. Kai asked, ¡°Can you confirm your identity to the judges.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°My name is Cara, I am eight years old, and I am the illegitimate daughter of thete Emperor of Arcadia.¡±

    She did not hide the fact that she was the illegitimate daughter of the said royal family. Kai nodded and asked, ¡°Then, Miss Cara, what is the proof that you are the descendant of the Emperor of Arcadia.¡±

    Cara looked at the man and said, ¡°You can check my blood. I have read in the Gctic Council rule book, that you have collected the sample of blood from leaders of every race.¡±

    Kai was dumbfounded at thiseback, he did not expect this girl to take note of such things in the rule book. He nodded and then gestured to a guard. The guard came forward with an already prepared syringe-type instrument. Cara put her hand forward and the man extracted a small quantity of her blood from the equipment.

    This equipment was not a mundane tech, this syringe had the data stored in it, the data was from the blood test of the Arcadian Empire. At this moment, it was tested Cara¡¯s sample topare the data.

    After a few minutes, the device beeped and a green light lit up indicating that the blood was a match and this established the fact that Cara was the true descendant of the emperor. Kai asked, ¡°Your Highness Cara, may I ask why you decided to break away from your family.¡±

    Cara narrowed her eyes at the way this person addressed her. She said, ¡°My identity is proved and now I will submit the royal family records to the judges. If it is permitted.¡±

    A judge asked, ¡°What is the purpose of this submission?¡±

    Cara replied calmly, ¡°These records have aplete entry of the Arcadian royal family, and their descendants. The birthdates can be traced back to the time the empire was just a small kingdom and had just been founded. These records have a special section which might tell you the reason I decided to break away from those hypocrites.¡±

    Not only did the girl actively submit evidence but also took the chance to smash the dead. Kai said, ¡°Your highness Cara, please be mindful of your words.¡±

    Cara gazed at the man and said, ¡°I expect the same from you, Sir Barrister. I am Cara, not Your highness ordy, just Cara.¡±

    Kai was left tongue-tied, however, he could not retort, because the points were all valid. The evidence was submitted and the people were not so shocked to find that there was a page called, sins. There were names and photos recorded on those pages. Along with every time someone was given the merit of being cursed by the royal family.

    Rosa whispered, ¡°What a twisted practice.¡±

    Ameris nodded beside her and the questioning continued. Kai asked Cara how she extracted the data, and the girl exined everything in paramount detail. She remembered everything and she told everything. After an hour when Cara was finished, Kai said, ¡°Cara, you can now go back to the witness area.¡±

    Cara stood up and with cked shoulders, she walked back to the benches. Kai said, ¡°The next person to record the testimony is Captain Jenkins Edwards of the Terran race, he was the member of the team that struck the Arcadian Empire.¡±

    Jenkins sat down on the chair and he was asked by Kai to confirm his identity, the boy told the court everything, and the questioning began. Whenever Kai had anything to ask about the mission, Jenkins would say that he was acting on orders of his superior, and if he was pushed forward, he would say, ¡°Sir, that is ssified information, until you can find me the permission of the president, I cannot reveal them to you.¡±

    What followed what an exhausting round of repetitive answers, and finally the barrister said, ¡°I would like to call over the final witness, Capatian Ace.¡±

 Chapter 189

    Shi Lang was called to testify in front of the judges after his team did not reveal anything. This was done to reduce the risk of loopholes and stuff.

    Shi Lang sat down on the chair and Kai said, ¡°Please state your identity to the judges.¡±

    ¡°Captain Ace, Secret Divisions, federal army.¡±, said Shi Lang in a calm voice.

    Kai gazed at him and asked, ¡°May I ask if Ace is your real name or the code name.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Code.¡±

    Kai could tell that this guy will not speak any more than necessary. He asked, ¡°What is your real name?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at the barrister in front of him and said, ¡°Ace.¡±

    Kai asked, ¡°You just said that Ace is your code name, do you mean to say that it is also your real name?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°When I am on duty, Ace is my identity, whether you consider it a code name or a real name.¡±

    Kai said, ¡°I want to know the name that you use when you are off-duty.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°May I ask you a few questions before I answer you?¡±

    Kai nodded and Shi Lang asked, ¡°Gctic Council is a military organization or a civilian organization?¡±

    Kai was surprised and so were the judges. Kai replied, ¡°Military organization but we deal with the civilian matters as well.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Then please tell me if this hearing is for a military issue or is it a civilian issue?¡±

    Kai was once again stumped. He did not know what to say, so he turned to the screen and a judge said, ¡°This hearing is about the actions taken by the alliance of Terran and Neomonian Military personnel on Acradian grounds.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, since this hearing is ssified as a military one, then I exercise my right to stay silent about my Civilian identity.¡±

    His answer shocked everyone in the room. They did not expect him to go to such a tricky angle to shoot the barrister in his knee. Kai was an experienced barrister and he seemed to have seen a lot of tricky people in his career. He nodded and asked, ¡°When would you like to tell me why did you take action on the Arcadiannd without any authorization from the gctic council?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It was an act of vengeance.¡±

    Kai caught on to it and asked, ¡°What were you trying to avenge?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Twenty thousand one hundred and sixty casualties on our side when the Arcadians invaded.¡±

    Kai was shocked, he was aware of this number from the reports submitted by the Terrans. He said, ¡°If I remember it correctly, then this is the number matching with your killings on Arcadia, are you trying to say, that you counted each and every person you killed?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Themunicator on my wrist can count how many people I have killed. I also have the footage from the suited cam, and we can also pull up the data from the Arcadian satellite feed storage. So, yes, I did count every life I took.¡±

    Kai did not know what to say but then it came to him and he said, ¡°When the Arcadians invaded the territories, they also suffered huge casualties. What is your reply to that?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°When you step into war and you are the one who takes initiative to attack, you should not be the one to cry as every general is aware that sending troops into war can lead to their deaths, they must have known it. Yet they attacked, so they are served well.¡±

    The people were shocked they did not expect him to say such a thing. Kai asked, ¡°Then let me ask you, this space is Neomonian territory. Why did the Terran fleet appear here?¡±

    ¡°If you share the same wall with your neighbor and you know that this wall is weak and might fall apart, then you need toe together to strengthen the wall. Also, when we got this information, the two empires, The Federation and The Neomons were amidst a friendly exchange. So the alliance was not forced but already determined. Arcadians only acted as a catalyst.¡±, replied Shi Lang without batting an eyelid.

    Stevenson and Rosa smiled faintly, and so were the people on the witness stand. Shi Lang was the best debate candidate in their school, and he was showing his edge once again.

    Kai nodded and asked, ¡°Then why is the strike team only formed with Terrans and only one Neomonian.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Did, Her Highness Nexa not dere her identity? Do I need to emphasize the weight she carries?¡±

    Kai gnawed his teeth and after calming down he asked, ¡°I would like to ask you, in the coup that you nned did you really need to kill so many people? Please exin why your actions are not in line with initiating a war?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The thing we did was to infiltrate a and not a building. The ce was guarded to achieve the goal. It was not easy to get inside the pce. So, to draw attention I took down a patrol team. They kept sending more people, and I kept fighting. If you look at the satellite feeds, you will see that I only acted in self-defense.

    I did not take the initiative to kill all those people, only when they tried using heavy weaponry against me, and only then did the toll of casualties increase. I had spared a lot of enemies by just leaving them unconscious.

    As for the so-called act of war, we only acted on the capital and dealt with the forces that approached us. Also, it was six against tens of thousand, in which my team did not act much, if this is ssified as an act of war then I have nothing to say. Another I would like to mention here is, ording to the definition of the Gctic Council when a fleet attacks your territory, which was something done by the Arcadians, and not a small team deployed to take themission from a benefactor and pay off the debt.¡±

    Kai grit his teeth and said, ¡°What is it that Cara paid you with in return for this attack since you have mentioned the wordmission.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°She provided us crucial information to stop the attack from the enemy. I guess nothing can top off the favor of saving my home. Can it?¡±

    Kai could not find any loopholes to execute a critical strike. The ones Shi Lang exposed earlier were to lead him into the pit. Shi Lang was pissed to think that this guy came and started to act as if he owns them.

    Kai tried to ask more questions but there was no point to it. The grumpy judge said, ¡°I dere them to be innocent. Thousands could not stop six? Shameful, it is good that they died.¡±

    The other judges also discussed and then said, ¡°The panel hase to the conclusion that you are all innocent. However, next time such a situation arises, inform the council first. Also, since Cara is thest living descendant left from the royal family, she is instated to be the new ruler of Arcadia, she can choose one aid and report the name to the council within a week.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up and bowed to the judges. The screen went nk a few secondster, Kai said, ¡°Congrattions on getting away with it.¡±

    Shi Lang took a deep look at the man and turned around to leave with his team. He did not say a word, because it was not necessary for him to entertain a clown jumping on the beam.

    ¡­

    The team returned to Nestia and Nexalia wanted to hold a big feast in their honor, however, the idea was scrubbed when Shi Lang said, ¡°War brings death and in my eyes, it is not something to be celebrated.¡±

    The people realized the intensity of what has happened in the past few weeks. The people needed rest, it was nighttime when Cara came to Shi Lang and Amelia¡¯s room. She knocked on the door and asked, ¡°Captain Ace, are you there?¡±

    Shi Lang opened the door and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Cara hesitated and then asked, ¡°Can I talk to you and Sister Amelia?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and invited her inside. ording to what he knew, the girl will be going back to Arcadia tomorrow and she will begin her new journey there.

    Cara sat down on the couch and looked at the two people. Amelia caught the sight of her ears flickering. She smiled and asked in a soft voice, ¡°What is it, Cara? You can tell me.¡±

    Cara raised her head and asked, ¡°The gctic council asked about an aid that can help me with the administration of the empire. I wanted to ask if the two of you would like toe over? You see, I cannot trust anyone else, but you two are different. Can you think about it?¡±

    Amelia was shocked but Shi Lang was just surprised, after all, he was longing for the spiritual energy. He said, ¡°I have a few conditions, if you can fulfill them, then we will agree.¡±

    Cara asked, ¡°Can you tell me?¡±

 Chapter 190

    Shi Lang mentioned conditions in exchange to work as Cara¡¯s aid and when thedy heard the conditions, she was surprised a bit by the things mentioned by the young man, however, she did not deny them. In her eyes, the value of the was only marginal.

    In the end, the two people agreed to the terms and Cara left the room with a little bounce in her steps. Amelia asked, ¡°Why did you ask her to allow the grass from Arcadia to be cultivated and then supplied to the federation?¡±

    She was confused over this term. Shi Lang said, ¡°I should not disclose this matter to anyone but since it is you, I will tell you. However, do not tell anyone else about it.¡±

    Amelia was surprised by the seriousness of his tone, she did not expect it to be a matter of great value. Shi Lang was not someone to pull his ice-face for every little thing. She nodded and said, ¡°I promise.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You remember that I was able to breakthrough in the final year only?¡±

    Amelia nodded and the young man continued, ¡°This is because of an ancient method. I do not know how but I recalled this method during one of my cultivation sessions. This method cleansed my body from the core, and thanks to that method, I was able to excel.

    During our mission at Arcadia, I sensed something weird and when I was thinking about it, I entered the deep cultivation. With every breath, my strength increased. The feeling was like I am invincible. Only when the mission finished did I figure out what it was.¡±

    Amelia thought he was just talking bullshit during the first half and was about to call it out but when the boy entered the second half, her expression became solemn. The reason was that his strength did grow by the minute he spent on the Arcadiannd and when they flew back from there, Shi Lang had be normal.

    She asked, ¡°What was it?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The ancient art of cultivation. If you look at the archives of the civilization, the ancestors were stronger than the Terrans are at the moment, however, something happened and the spiritual energy ran out, and the era of cultivation ended. The age of machines came and with the technology, the remnants of the cultivation period sought out new ways to enhance and progress. So, I think what happened to me, is simr to this cultivation.¡±

    Amelia was bbergasted and then she said, ¡°Lang, my family line is traced back to the period when the machine age has just begun. I can tell you that what you said has a great possibility to be true, however, we need conclusive evidence and this method must be kept a secret, only a few selected people in the Federation could be told about this.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, ¡°That is why I intend to go back to the federation and have a meeting with the president and then discuss the matter with him in person. I have no idea how he will react.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I see, this is indeed the correct way to deal with this matter. However, why did you ask to not resign from your position in the army? You can get immigrated to Arcadia, if it is because of me, I will follow you without any hesitation.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and her and hugged her in his embrace and he said, ¡°Before anything else, I am a Terran. How can I turn face from my duty as a Terran soldier to gain from the position of a diplomat, you can take this exchange of tenure as a means to grow stronger and rx. The strain of killing twenty thousand people is not something that can be dealt with ease.¡±

    Amelia heard his words and realized that all this time he was covering up the after-effects and the strain on his mind. The two talked for a bit and then went to bed. However, sleep was not as pleasant as it usually would be, Shi Lang would dream of the massacre that he hadmitted on arcadia.

    If someone was to ask him, how he felt. He would probably reply, ¡®I never expected that killing the enemy could make you twisted as well.¡¯

    Yes, he was feeling twisted, because the number of people he killed was something that he had killed in his entire life as a cultivator. Imagine, the strain.

    ¡­

    The sun came up on the horizon and Amelia woke to find the other side of the bed to be empty. She sat up and turned to get down when she found a note on her bedside table, ¡®Gone to see the instructor. Sorry, did not tell you but I need to correct this soon.¡¯

    Amelia smiled faintly and shook her head as she mumbled, ¡°You fool.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang had taken permission from Stevenson and departed to visit Dalia, the instructor of medical science back on the camp Ragnarok. She was also a great psychologist. Shi Lang took the fastest spaceship in the fleet, a scout ss vessel, and moved to the destination, Ao.

    In the meantime, he stated his wish to have an audience with the president to Quinn and Stevenson, when they asked him the reason, Shi Lang only said, ¡°The future of Terrans, and the chance for the president to get re-elected.¡±

    He was sure to exploit all the angles that he could. If the president thought that the future of the civilization that he mentioned was a bluff, he will not overlook the chance to get re-elected. After all, the mission to send a delegation here and the fact that they kept so many things under wraps had gained him a bad rep, and the opposition was gaining on the campaign.

    Shi Langnded on the spaceport of Ao and made a beeline to the camp. He was not aware that the news of his exploits on the battlefield has already circted and updated on the system. So everywhere he went and tagged his Communicator. The recorded kill count in it was also upgraded. If he was to pay enough attention then he will find that the soldiers would address him as the god of death.

    Shi Lang would have killed the guy who gave him this name, he thought of himself as a gentleman you know. Coming to the camp, Shi Lang found that he was not going to meet the instructors until he passed a few tests.

    It was evening when he found himself in front of the camp master¡¯s office. The person behind the door said, ¡°Come in, Major Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang entered the office and saluted with a ramrod back. He said, ¡°Major Shi Lang reporting, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Dalia gazed at him with a big smile on her face and asked, ¡°Major Lang or should I call you the god of death?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and thedy said, ¡°Well, I expected that you will not be aware of the moniker you have earned by killing those people and to make it worse you are having a little post-traumatic stress at the moment. Right?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, Dalia said, ¡°Come we will take in the infirmary.¡±

    Then the two people came to the infirmary while talking about the events that has taken ce in the battle and also what Shi Lang nned to do after the battle. They talked for a whole night before Shi Lang came out of the infirmary with a big smile on his face. The blood lust radiated from his body was also retracted.

    Dalia wanted to hold him back for a few days but when he received the message from the president, she could not tell him to stop. After all, the president held the highest authority.

    Shi Lang came to metropia, in a day and found himself standing in front of the room where most people might never reach even in their dreams. He pushed the door open and entered inside to face a middle-aged man.

    ¡­

    Two dayster, Shi Lang and his whole team were traveling to Arcadia after they were reinstated as the temporary aids, to the Empress of Arcadia, Cara Mia. They were going to help the young girl to create a new government and establish a new monarchy.

    Cara had some ideas about what she wanted to do, but only by discussing with other people was she able to refine those ideas. That was what the people were doing for the past two days, they will talk and talk and talk about the ideas ording to what Cara wanted. While some people would focus on looking for the pros of the idea and the other half will focus on the cons.

    Rosa was a neutral person in the debates and she would tell Cara the chances of what the possibility of the situations mentioned was if they were to happen. On the third day, the spaceshipnded on the spaceport of Arcadia, and the team was greeted by the entirety of the Arcadian military.

 Chapter 191

    Cara stopped when she saw the gazes of the soldiers pointed at her. Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not think so much. Do not hesitate. They have been told by the gctic council that you call the shots now. What you need to do is to hold your chin up and step forward. The rest, I will handle.¡±

    His words were dominant but they calmed the nerves of the little girl. She replied, ¡°Despite all this, they worship the strong. Within a year, I might be safe, butter, they will have the right to challenge me ording to the culture of Arcadia.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You do not have to worry, I will help you with the part of getting stronger, and believe me, you will be stronger than any of these clowns on the beam.¡±

    Cara chuckled and then she moved forward with the rest of the team following her half a step behind. Shi Lang spotted a strange aura outside the ship and then he let out his own aura. Now that he was standing on the which was brimming with spirit energy. He was once again back at the top of his strength like he was a few days ago.

    The bloody aura inside him broke out towards the Arcadian army like a flood. Shi Lang was using his skills to make the spiritual energy move in the surroundings and this skill made everyone feel like the wind has be heavier.

    The general at the front could only gnaw his teeth, this person was a loyalist and he did not think of Cara as a person capable to rule, after all, she was a sinned fruit. However, at this moment, he was not gnawing his teeth because of the hatred but the pressure that was making his head bow slowly.

    Shi Lang was not strong enough to weaken the knees of the person and let him fall on his knees, but making his neck bend forward was not a difficult task for him. The military around was also the same, they all could sense that the source of this suppression was none other than Shi Lang, they were scared of this man who ughtered their brethren like they were nothing, and this was also the reason they hated him.

    Jenkins joked, ¡°Captain, you have theirplete attention.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°If you think they hate me, you are correct, but just like I killed their people, they would like to kill you in front of me to repay that debt. You also have theirplete attention.¡±

    His words were like cold water poured on Jenkins. The others all smiled and Shi Lang said, ¡°War face on.¡±

    They were not wearing any masks at the moment, only Shi Lang was wearing a mask. Why? Because he needed to subdue these people in front of him and make sure that Cara achieved her goals smoothly.

    The team walked closer to the General. The man saluted Cara and said, ¡°Greetings, Your Excellency.¡±

    Cara nodded and asked in a calm manner, ¡°Take us to the Sin Pce, General Riu.¡±

    Rui was somewhat simr to how the previous emperor looked like. He asked, ¡°Your excellency, why do you intend to go to that ce? It is misfortunate.¡±

    Cara replied with a faint smile, ¡°I am a sinned fruit in the eyes of the whole empire, and that ce is my home more than the imperial pce ever was. Since I have been asked to sit on the throne, I will sit in a ce where it is mostfortable for me. However, you do not have to worry, I intend to re-build a center of government where the old Imperial pce stood.¡±

    Rui wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, ¡°General do you need the Empress to tell you the same thing twice?¡±

    His cold tone made the people go silent and then the general red at him. However, when Shi Lang turned his head to look properly at the man, the pressure made the person turn his head to a side. He said, ¡°Please this way, Your Excellency.¡±

    Cara nodded and walked ahead with Rui on her rights side, and Shi Lang on her left. The pace was not fast, but it was not slow as well. Cara was slightly afraid that the military will lose control of their rage and they will attack Shi Lang.

    She was not an ignorant child. She could tell that all the res were locked at Shi Lang, after they retrieved the satellite footage they found that these people were all ignoring her. She wondered if Shi Lang was fine, but she sensed nothing unusual from him.

    The people moved and they came to board the levitating vehicles. Shi Lang and Cara were in one carriage with General Rui while the rest of the officials and the Terran team sat in the carriages behind. The journey was longer than Shi Lang had expected and all this time, he was using his ability and filling himself with as much spiritual energy as he could.

    Cara sensed something odd, in the past when she would make the trip to the Sin pce, the atmosphere would be very cold, but today it felt very warm to her. The trip was rather silent. Cara suddenly asked, ¡°General Rui, you are a loyalist, right?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised that this girl would suddenly ask such a question. General Rui nodded and Cara asked, ¡°Then can I ask you a few questions.¡±

    Rui replied with a nod. The girl asked, ¡°Are you loyal to Arcadia or to the royal bloodline?¡±

    The general was stumped and Shi Lang revealed a smile behind the mask. Rui said, ¡°To Arcadia.¡±

    Cara smiled and said, ¡°If you are so loyal to Arcadia and not the royal bloodline then why do you hate me? Do you think that a person who is not even capable to admit his mistakes can be a good ruler? Do you think that the royal bloodline is born differently than any other Arcadian?¡±

    General Rui found that this little girl was not simple and she was trying to get inside his head. He replied, ¡°I can tell what you are trying to do, but invoking my guilt will get you nothing and¡­¡±

    Cara shook her head and said, ¡°Wrong, I have no requirement to get inside your head, General. I am only checking if you have a conscience like I expect you to or are you as hypocritical as the royal family was. You hate the man beside me because he killed so many brave soldiers. However, do you not know that the fate of a soldier is decided by the actions of their ruler? Do you think that all this was my fault? Then, for example, let me ask you, who was the one who raped my mother? As a prideful emperor that wretch did not even acknowledge the wishes of a humble maid, do you think he would have been able to acknowledge what the whole empire wanted?

    Was it my fault to be born from his deeds? Was it my mother¡¯s fault to be beautiful? Then what about those bastards born from his wife, they dared toy a hand on my mother and that too in front of me. Were they going to bring glory to the Empire? Or do you think those women in the imperial family, who never respected a fellow woman were going to be empathic towards the empire?¡±

    Her breath was already in disorder, she has given up on the calm andposed facade of the empress but at this moment she was a dominating tyrant, exactly the kind of a person who could bring order to this twisted empire.

    Shi Lang patted on her shoulder and said, ¡°Take a deep breath, those dead people are not worth losing temper.¡±

    Cara took a few deep breaths and sat down. She said, ¡°Those people who were scared of letting the masses even see them were going to bring order to the empire? General Rui, if you have any intelligence left then you know deep down, that my actions have liberated the empire from a tyrant. You may not understand the significance now, but in theing months I will show you that a ruler is not someone born with a tag, but someone who can lead everyone by example.¡±

    Her firm gaze was locked with the shocked general and her words had left a deep impression in his heart. General Rui said, ¡°Then your excellency, I look forward to your promise. I will suppress the people for six months and if you could not give me a good result then please pardon me, but prepare for the challenge of power.¡±

    Cara nodded and sat back in her seat with a calm face. Shi Lang was surprised and could tell that she was feeling smug at this moment. He said, ¡°What do you intend to do now, Cara?¡±

    General Rui would have told him to be respectful but then he had yet to acknowledge Cara, so he did not.

    Cara said, ¡°Rectify the corrupt and create a new system of governance throughout the empire. General Rui, I would like to have your executioner team on stand by, the stains of sin need to be cleansed with blood.¡±

    Her words shocked the general.

 Chapter 192

    Shi Lang was surprised by the dominating speech used by the little girl in front of him. He cast a gaze at the little girl and found that her eyes were looking firm.

    General Rui asked with some hesitation, ¡°Your Excellency, how do you intend to do this?¡±

    Cara replied, ¡°I will be using aputer system topile a list of corrupt officials. That list will be given to you. You will assign your best soldiers to apprehend these men, and if that is not possible directly kill them and those who try to protect them. Understood?¡±

    General Rui was shocked, this girl was too fierce, he asked, ¡°Your Excellency are you really not worried about how the government will suffer if these people were killed? Although they are corrupt, they all still work to maintain the bnce.¡±

    Cara shook her head, ¡°The bnce that you think they maintain was in favor of the royal family because they did not want to deal with any mess, this thinking of theirs was the reason that Arcadia is in shambles. As the chief of the military, I do not think I need to tell you about the crime rate in the empire. We are an empire and not a bunch of hooligans. If they wish to excel they need to follow rules, if they think they are above the rules, then make sure they realize their ce.¡±

    These words left a bitter aftertaste in the mouth of the general as he tried to digest them. Cara took a deep breath and said, ¡°Do not worry, I will be appointing the best candidates to the jobs of an official immediately. The entirety of the poption owns amunicator, they will all receive a link on theirmunicators. A link to a digital examination which they will have no chance to cheat.¡±

    General Rui kept gazing at the girl in front of him. Shi Lang decided to leave the stuff to Cara since she has already thought so much about it, then he will let it be and only step in when things seem to be a little out of sorts for the girl.

    The levitating carriage moved through the scenery and soon it came to a barren piece ofnd where a pitch-ck building stood. Cara said, ¡°Set up mobile camps outside this ce and hire a few people to remodel it. Just like the empire, this thing needs to be dealt with as well.¡±

    General Rui nodded and was about to move forward when he asked, ¡°Your excellency, where might we get the money to pay these people?¡±

    Cara gazed at the old man with disdain and said, ¡°The royal vault in the imperial pce was a hoax. The real vault is this, the pce of sin.¡±

    The general was starting to doubt his existence. Cara did not care about him and said, ¡°Arrange a big tent for the Terran Guests.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You do not need to do this for us. Our team carries our own mobile camp units. If you would allow us.¡±

    Cara smiled and said, ¡°What, do you think they will kill you in your sleep?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°They will not but we have no idea how to use the Arcadian equipment.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°Come let me take you on thest tour of the fabled Pce of Sin.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything and followed the girl inside the ck pce.

    ¡­

    It has been a week since Cara took charge of the things. Shi Lang had begun to work up his own n foring to this. The young man had been confined to the space of his camp unit. The past week the job to look after Cara was delegated to Rosa, after all, they were given a promise of by the chief general. They did not have to worry about a lot of things.

    On this day, Shi Lang used the spiritual energy to cleanse his body. While on one side he was removing impurities from his body on a cellr level. Cara had also executed her first big move. She had ordered for assassinations and apprehension of the corrupt officials. The process was nned by Rosa and Quinn, some of the hard targets were given to Jenkins and Darcx to take out.

    Amelia was standing guard in front of Shi Lang¡¯s tent. No one bothered her either. As he was cleansing the filth inside his body for the second time. Shi Lang recalled of the spirit pill container inside the storage tattoo on his chest.

    He focus and the container appeared in his hands with much ease. This container looked like a dragon egg, but it contained three pills. The first pill preserved his soul, the second pill helped him break the shackles, and the third pill was a potent aprodasiac.

    With spirit energy Shi Lang had came up with another use of this pill. He stood up after the filth from his body was removed and then he removed it with spirit energy. His physique has improved, but this time it did not grow bulky, but he had be leaner, with his muscles packed with power to leave a crack in the mountains if they were punched.

    Shi Lang walked outside the camping unit and searched for Amelia. The girl appeared in front of him in a blink. He said, ¡°Amy, time for you to step in the world of cultivation.¡±

    Amelia still had some restrictions in her mind, she said, ¡°I will follow what ever you say.¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly moved and held her in a princess pose. Then the two people locked eyes and Shi Lang said, ¡°Time to find some ce to clean up things.¡±

    Then he vanished from the spot. The speed was something Amelia has never experienced before. The guy was moving faster than even lev vehicles. She wanted to huddle up in his arms but Shi Lang had already manipted the spiritual energy to condense a slight shield in front of them.

    The guy brought her to a derelict mountain sight. When he ced her on the ground, Amelia still had a little tremble in her legs. Shi Lang kissed her lips gently and said, ¡°Amy, the next thing I am going to do will need yourplete trust and focus. Do not let your mind be evaded by any random thoughts.¡±

    The girl nodded, and regained herposure. Shi Lang asked her to sit in the lotus position and then he said, ¡°Close your eyes, and calm your mind.¡±

    Amelia began to meditate as he told her. When her breathing became steadier, he said, ¡°Now I will channel the spirit energy inside your body, do not resist and try to remember the senstation.¡±

    Amelia nodded and Shi Lang ced his palm on her back and started to inject the spirit energy inside her body. The speed was very slow, he was tracing her meridians ording to his memories of how a women should cultivate.

    Amelia felt a warm current flowing inside her body, and as the time passed she could tell that her body had began absorbing the heat from the outside to inside as well. Shi Lang did not say anything for a long time, he needed for the girl to memorize the sensation of spiritual energy moving inside her body.

    After an hour, he said, ¡°You can now try to increase the pace of the current flowin inside your body.¡±

    Amelia could hear him, and she followed his instructions. The speed was not fast and slowly she became familiar with controlling the current. Shi Lang said, ¡°Now take a gentle sniff, however, do not let this corrode your consciousness, direct the energy inside your body, first to the depth of your bones and then lead it outside to through the pores.¡±

    Amelia did not know why but she had a bad feeling in her gut, still subconsciously she took a gentle sniff and the fragrance in her nose made the spirit energy inside her body agitated. It was as if she inhaled fire, and the me was burning her blood. The effect was making her crave for something and in just five minutes, her body started to shiver.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Concentrate, focus on re-directing the energy, you can beat me upter. But this is the most crucial part at the moment.¡±

    Amelia recalled his thoughts, and then started to redirect the agitated spirit energy deep inside her bones and she felt as if the whole body was going to melt and turn to ashes. She was a soldier and the mentality was tempered a lot.

    She control her urges and focused again, after ten minutes, she pushed the energy out to the pores. She felt as if she was bleeding from every pore in her body yet the feeling was followed by a soothing chill.

    Shi Lang watched the girl sit on the ground covered with ck slimy stuff, but he had never thought of her looking anymore cleaner and beautiful.

 Chapter 193

    Amelia opened her eyes and she stood up from the ground, just when her nose was flooded with the smell of filthy impurities, Shi Lang waved his hand, and the sticky things were all flunked away. Amelia said, ¡°My body feels so light all of a sudden.¡±

    Shi Lang only smiled and said, ¡°Try to control that warm feeling, concentrate the energy inside your foot and then stomp the floor.¡±

    Amelia nodded and then she focused the energy on the sole of her foot, and then she stomped on the ground. The rocky surface under the feet was instantly filled with cracks, Shi Lang said, ¡°What do you feel?¡±

    Amelia gawked at him and asked, ¡°How is thispared to your strength?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°One-tenth.¡±

    The next moment, he stomped and a crater with a radius of five meters appeared. The boy said, ¡°This is a conservative effort.¡±

    Amelia took a deep breath and said, ¡°Lang, I want to be stronger. How do I?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°That warm current, absorb that as much as you can, however, do not be too eager to improve, there is a significant risk of ending up crippled if you were too pushy with yourself.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°What about others?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will teach them after you have gotten used to this.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°As you say, how about we go back to the camp, the others might get worried.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then he carried the girl in a princess embrace and the two vanished from the spot. On the way back to the camp, Amelia asked, ¡°Tell me, can you fly?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised at first but then after recalling the old life, he said, ¡°Yes, one day in the future.¡±

    Amelia was surprised by how definitive the statement was but she did not say anything to him. The people arrived back at the camp and Shi Lang spotted the ck pce was reced by a white and blue pce. The boy nodded and said, ¡°She has good taste.¡±

    He put Amelia down and said, ¡°You should go and warm up with the spirit energy, I will go and check on the others.¡±

    Amelia nodded and entered the camp as Shi Lang made his way to the biggest tent at the campsite. He spotted two Arcadian soldiers standing at the entrance and they were looking at the masked figure with a strong sense of vignce. Shi Lang said, ¡°Your Excellency, may I enter?¡±

    ¡°Oh, finally someone decided toe out and see me. I thought you have forgotten me. Come in.¡±, said the girl, and Shi Lang walked inside the tent.

    He found that General Rui was also sitting beside the young girl. Shi Lang nodded to him and came to stand beside the little girl who was profusely working on a holp. Shi Lang asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    The girl said, ¡°Checking up if any of the targets seeded in fleeing.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You are skillful but not efficient. Design an algorithm that will check whether the target has been shot dead or not.¡±

    Cara raised her head and asked, ¡°How?¡±

    The boy said, ¡°Your people carry a body cam?¡±

    Cara nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°General Rui, if you can, please equip the people with equipment that can scan for life signs as well. After the soldier has taken a hit on the target then have them scan the person with life scanners. The target will have no sign of life and then the algorithm will eliminate the person from the live target files.¡±

    General Rui nodded and said, ¡°Do not worry, they all use the life scanner already.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°You sure have a lot of experience in this.¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply but asked, ¡°What have you done to make sure that these hits leave a direct impact on the hearts of the people and that the future officials do not make the same mistake?¡±

    Cara said, ¡°Ummm, I do not know, but killing them is not enough?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head. He said, ¡°Let me takemand?¡±

    The girl thought and said, ¡°Well, you are my aid, so I can tell you to deal with a few things on my behalf. Come help me.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the other side and found Rosa looking at him. He said, ¡°Ry amand to all the operators outside. As soon as they have the target in sight, they must record the scene and leave nothing out. Also, tell them all to move now. Does not matter where they are, I want every operator to have the visual on their targets.¡±

    Rosa nodded and began to ry themand, she was using an ount of General Rui. After five minutes she said, ¡°Themand is out, they are moving.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I want you to tell them to take down the targets within ten minutes after themand is passed.¡±

    Rosa raised her head and asked, ¡°What do you intend on doing?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Waves of blood to wash away the sins. After the flood recedes, we will have a clean ground toy a firm foundation.¡±

    General Rui could tell what Shi Lang intended to do. Rosa nodded and then themand was passed. Shi Lang found that the efficiency of the troops outside was good and they all finished the tasks just as they were told.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Contact with the biggest media channel of the empire.¡±

    General Rui opened his eyes wide. He did not know what to say. Rosa said, ¡°Do you intend to telecast the videos?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after he cast a gaze at the little girl, he said, ¡°I want the empire to know, that this girl will not let them down.¡±

    Rosa gulped and was about to hook up with the guys from the media when the general spoke up, ¡°We have a broadcasting room for the people from the imperial pce to contact the empire, and it includes every device avable.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°You all surely are sneaky rats.¡±

    He turned to look at Cara and said, ¡°Cara, you need to dress up and tell the world your story and after that¡­¡± he leaned in and whispered something in her ears. The people could not figure out if it was a good thing or a bad one as the girl was shocked at first and then smiling.

    Cara delegated all the work to Rosa and General Rui and then she walked out of the camp. The biggest unit was dedicated to working. General Rui asked, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°To change the empire as you and others have known it. Only when you change the views will you have a better future.¡±

    General Rui raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°How do you conclude that our ways are wed? Not every culture is the same as the other.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I agree, but do you think a culture where women are suppressed and looked at as an object to satisfy the lust of a man is a good culture? If one day somedy picked up a knife and castrated a man, do you know what will happen? The empire will have a sexual civil war and then your culture wille to an end.¡±

    His crude remark made no difference to Rosa, she was used to his absurdness but the general was ashamed, he was gnawing his teeth, however, when he thought about it with some focus, he found that what Shi Lang said was actually possible. He could not help but gulp a mouthful of saliva with some curses mixed with it. (I tell you it is a bitter blend)

    After a few minutes, Cara came back inside the unit and she was dressed in a grey and gold dress. The dress was designed with nanotechnology. Shi Lang looked at her and smiled behind his mask. The girl had the demeanor of an empress.

    She bowed to Shi Lang like a noble and the boy returned the gesture. He said, ¡°The videos have beenpiled and they have been put together into a string. Now you only need to deliver it.¡±

    The girl nodded and General Rui asked a technician toe over and have them connect to the system called the Decree.

    It only took five minutes toplete the setup and Cara was connected to every device in the empire. The technician nodded to her and Cara said, ¡°Hello citizens of Arcadia. I am your empress Cara Mia. I know that all of you must be thinking of that ugly tyrant with his big crown as your ruler but unfortunately, my biological father, my half brothers with the imperial family, all have been executed. Arcadia no longer has a royal family, however, you have a change.

    That change is me.¡±

    The people on the other side became curious and they were watching the broadcast with even more scrutiny.

 Chapter 194

    With just one phrase, ¡®The change is me.¡¯ Cara grasped the attention of the citizen of the empire. She said, ¡°You all have somehow suffered under the hand of corrupt officials. The sufferings you all had were something that I can rte to. I was tagged as a sin by the former emperor. Tch, the culture of Arcadia used to condemn the sin more than the sinner. That is the change. Sinners around the empire, hear it well, if your dirty deedes to light, then I will gift you the eternal darkness.

    You may look at me and think what can a little girl do to you, but I promise you, even if you are hiding in the remotest corner of the empire, your due punishment will reach you. Do not worry, I will not go easy on you, and those who do good, seek change, you are all wee to support me. Hump if without you all I can turn the face of the government, then think what I can do if you were all together.

    A friend of mine told me that actions speak louder than words. Here is a little gift for you all.¡±

    The next moment, the people all around the empire were shown the looped video of the corrupt officials apprehended and as the time passed the apprehensions turned into killings, and even killing of whole families. The citizens were shocked. They did not expect this cute-looking girl to use such cruel methods.

    They were shivering in their boots and those who were actuallymitting something not morally correct were hesitating for the first time. The video stopped and Cara appeared again, she said, ¡°After this broadcast ends, the people selected by a smart algorithm will receive a mail notification, if you are interested, you may join up the recently vacant official positions, however, know this, if you did notplete your duties, then I willplete mine. This video was just a sample.

    Another thing you need to understand is that women will no longer be oppressed, here am I, a woman just like you. If any bastard dares to use his force, money, status, or anything to vite you in any manner, even if it is just forcing you to vacate the seat on a bus,e to me, and I will have his head bowed in front of you.

    However, make no mistake, if you could not prove that a man was not at fault, I will have you tied in a square andsh your tender skin ten times. I am a woman but I am not dumb. Well, that¡¯s about it for now, I will see you allter. Have fun and say farewell to your old life.¡±

    The broadcast ended, and Shi Lang pped his hands, he said, ¡°Good job, now, time to implement the ideas you discussed in the spaceship.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°I havemanded the system to send out the mails and a lot of people have already responded, they are being interviewed by the system. Also, tell me something, why do you seem to be leaner?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That is because my muscles are now tougher and more condensed, I might weigh more than I did in the past. Let that be, I give you a month, then your training begins.¡±

    Cara tilted her head and asked, ¡°What training?¡±

    ¡°You are a flower, you need armor to stand strong and face the world. For that armor, you need training.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    Cara chuckled and nodded, she said, ¡°As long as I can survive that training, I will not mind what you do. Okay, I have a lot of work to do. What about you?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will train Quinn and Instructor Rosa. So you can tell me which one do you need on priority bases.¡±

    Cara looked at the twodies and said, ¡°I pick Instructor Rosa, she is smart and beautiful. You can that the chick.¡±

    Quinn narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Brat, you need some spanking.¡±

    Cara snorted and said, ¡°You dare to bully me? Be careful I have my advisor spank you red.¡±

    Quinn was about to reply when Shi Lang turned his head to her and made her freeze. She could tell that the eyes of the person inside the mask were not very kind and that she will get into trouble if she dared to utter any more profanities.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Come along with me.¡±

    Quinn nodded and after bowing to the people inside the camp moved outside. Shi Lang bought her to an isted camp and they began. He helped Quinn and came to check on Amelia, the girl was ying with a dagger in her hand.

    Amelia asked, ¡°What have you been doing?¡±

    Shi Lang exined to her what he was doing and Amelia was amused that Cara managed toe up with such a speech. Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°It was Zysha, she must have helped her.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Yes, that is more usible.¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly said, ¡°I will have Zysha learn this too, and then she can stay beside Cara here if she wants to. Then Cara will have someone to protect her.¡±

    The girl said, ¡°Anything you want Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and kissed her. Amelia also did not retreat and they both kissed each other with great passion. the camp was then echoing with moans and grunts. The two people did not make it home but they made sure to cover all the bases.

    Amelia would not have been triggered but the spirit energy inside her still contained a slight trace of the aphrodisiac, so she could not stop herself, and Shi Lang made sure to calm her down before things got out of control.

    When Shi Lang came out he was refreshed and he made his way to the camp where Cara and Instructor Rosa were working. Things were progressing smoothly, after a week, Quinn stepped into the path of a cultivator.

    Then a weekter Instructor Rosa. She found that her ability has increased in level, and to the point where she could almost see the future of her calctions.

    General Rui was shocked by the things these twodies did, they were like administration systems. They coulde up with solutions for almost anything happening in the empire. The people were virtually doubting their life with the efficiency they were disying. The targets set for one month were achieved in a week. The progress of the new ns was too fast.

    The citizens, however, were notining at all. After all, during the time of remodeling, a lot of people who tried to cause trouble were served well by the policing services. Cara was sure about what she wanted the empire to be like. She did not have any hesitations in her mind.

    General Rui was having a hard time to think how to stand up against this girl. She was, after all, winning the hearts of the people. The men who were trying to undermine her were being taught a good lesson on a repeated basis. She would hunt down every single criminal and issue a justified treatment.

    For example, if someone steals, she will have them flogged ten times to hundred times. The criminals were scared, they were filled with bruises and broken bones. Another thing that she did was to open more schools. She made it clear that if the machines were used to stop the manualbor, society will only germinate wretches who do not appreciate anything.

    General Rui wanted to say no, but as a man in the uniform, he knew the value of self-discipline and hard work. The army also had a hard time softening these hooligans after they join. They have no sense of what authority and superiors means. If the pressure on the army could be decreased, then General Rui would even offer to link Cara¡¯s shoes clean.

    A month passed and most of the ideas she wanted were already implemented and now it was time for Shi Lang to train her. He was going to make her a cultivator and not just any cultivator but a strong woman, who could walk the war fields with her head held high, whether it was the court or the battlefield.

    Shi Lang decided to make Cara, his first student. The girl will help him grow even stronger in the future. At this moment, the two people were sitting at the top of the pce¡¯s highest watch tower and they were meditating. Cara could sense the current flowing through her body and she felt something pouring out of her pores.

    She wanted to open her eyes and see what was happening, but she heard a stern voice, ¡°Focus.¡±

    Cara already had a bump on her forehead. Shi Lang would flick his finger on it whenever she would feel distracted. After the session was done, a maid ran over and said, ¡°Your excellency, there is a mail that you would like to see.¡±

    Cara was confused, she operated hermunicator, and when she finished reading the mail her face bloomed with a big smile. She said, ¡°Guess what name the crowd has given me?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder, and the girl with a pouty face said, ¡°Iron Lily.¡±

 Chapter 195

    Shi Lang sat on the floor with his legs crossed and his palms ced on his knees. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep. It has been a year since they havee on Arcadia. The change in this ce was so swift that no one might be able to recognize it anymore, just like the Terran team appointed as the Aid.

    In the past year, Shi Lang had developed a team of female cultivators that will directly report to Cara. The girl will always have a trick to pull up on the enemies this way. These girls were all abandoned or orphans, Cara was a beacon of hope that gave them another purpose to live.

    They had reformed the society as well, and Cara has be a body refining realm cultivator. Her skills were enough to deal with a garrison sent by the chief general. In the first six months, the progress was smooth, and results were better, however, after the initial six months, resistance began to surface.

    However, Cara was aware that this resistance was all a facade put up by the chief general. The girl did not show anything on the surface, but the tricks in her hand began to take out the flies from her pie.

    The opponent general called a meeting and in the name of abandoning old customs, he got the support of the rest of the generals. The offer was to give them all a to rule, with a minimal amount of tax. This was his idea, but to execute this, he needed to win the challenge.

    General Rui had given in to his greed and sent the war book to dere his challenge to Cara. The little girl nced at this war book and said, ¡°I ept, the loser will have their heads serve as the leg for the throne.¡±

    These words shocked the whole empire, especially the women. Cara was their hope and now if the men took back their control the empire will be anarchic. Shi Lang was aware of this but he did not intend to stop the little girl. After all, he will not be here for the rest of her life.

    Tomorrow morning was the time they had chosen for the duel. Cara walked through the corridors with a solemn expression on her face. She was followed by two of the strongest spiritual cultivators in her guard detail. However, the people did not understand that Cara was stronger than her guards and, that the guards were more like errand runners.

    Cara came to stop in front of a room and said, ¡°Master, may Ie in?¡±

    She has epted Shi Lang as her master. The boy had been teaching her a lot about the cultivation and cruelty of politics. She could not help but ask him to be her master and when Shi Lang refused, she became to mmer in front of Amelia.

    The initial n was to take her as an apprentice. However, when Amelia spoke up for her, he had no choice. Cara also did not n to let him down and when Shi Lang asked her to perform the ceremony of discipleship, she realize the gravity and seriousness of this matter.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door of the room was pushed open and Cara came in. She bowed to Shi Lang and asked, ¡°Master, I have a question.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the girl continued, ¡°Can I use my full strength to face the general?¡±

    The young man opened his dark obsidian-like eyes, and said, ¡°Why are you so eager to show your strength?¡±

    Cara hesitated and said, ¡°Master, I do not want someone else to stand up against me.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Fool, if they stand up against you and you manage to win, this will affirm your supporters that you are not wrong. Even after all the changes, Arcadia is still the ce where they respect the strength of a person more than anything else. Did they not use the changes you have done against you. Then defeat them the way they want to overwhelm you.¡±

    Cara still did not want to give in but when she thought about this new perspective, she found that this method was actually very usible for her. This way she could get an even firm foothold. As for these people in the opposition, there were other ways to deal with them.

    She knocked her head on the floor and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Master.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Do not think too much, if you lost to this man, I will expel you from my tutge first and then I will leave this.¡±

    Cara froze and then she said, ¡°I will tell mistress that you bullied me.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Go cry to your mistress then.¡±

    Cara revealed a sly smile and she said, ¡°Okay, I will only tell her about the herbs you wanted to find.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow, earlier, he has given Cara a few sketches and notes to help him find some herbs throughout the empire. He also contacted Nexa to see if Neomons also had simr herbs. To his surprise, these herbs were not as rare as he expected them. It turned out that the herbs he needed were all weeds the people would uproot.

    Upon a discussion, he asked Nexa if she can help him cultivate a batch of these herbs and send them to Arcadia. Now he was only waiting for the rest of the herbs. Now that Cara has found the rest of the herbs. The guy said, ¡°Out with it already.¡±

    Cara could see that Shi Lang was agitated, the young man had just broken his cultivation posture and stood up on the floor. Cara smiled faintly and said, ¡°Do not be so agitated, I came here not only to ask your advice but also to deliver the herbs to you. However, can you tell me what they are for?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Why can I not tell you? You are my disciple. Well, these herbs will help me condense or process a pill that can push me to the golden core.¡±

    Cara asked, ¡°What do you mean golden core?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What did I teach you about the levels of cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Body refining, spirit refining, core condensation, soul tempering, and finally the ascension realm. Thest realm is where you are able to break away from the bonds of mortal life.¡±, said Cara.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The core condensation realm is what I referred to as the golden core realm.¡±

    Cara nodded and then she pped her hands. Then one of her protectors entered the room with a wooden box in her hands. Shi Lang¡¯s gaze was locked on the box as soon as he saw it. Cara waved her hand to the girl so that she would pass on the box to the young man. However, Shi Lang was a step closer, he waved his fingers and the box flew out of the grasp of thedy andnded in Shi Lang¡¯s hands.

    Shi Lang opened the box slightly and sniffed the content and closed the box, he said, ¡°Now you should go and prepare for the match tomorrow, activate your pawns and find out what cards does the old man has.¡±

    Cara kowtowed to the young man and then she left the ce with the guards. Shi Lang waved his hand and closed the door. Then he double-checked the locks and began to form a pill. How he did do it? Simple, he used the spirit energy from his surroundings andpressed them in his palm making them a ball of fire.

    Then he began to refine the spirit pill that he needed from just his memories of what an alchemist might move like,pressing the spirit energy and blending it will the essence of the herbs and forming a paste and then the fire started to reduce the paste even more as the time passed. The impurities all turned to smoke. After an hour, Shi Lang held a translucent pill in his hands.

    This world had spirit energy, however, Shi Lang was not very apt in the art of arrays, so he did not know what materials he could find here. This pill recipe was something he had fumbled upon in thest life.

    After the pill was formed, he did not want to risk it and ced the pill in a ceramic bottle, and then he began to refine even more pills. This was to help all his friends. And just like that, the night passed and Shi Lang sat down to recollect his strength and recover from the fatigue.

    When he was about to wake up Amelia¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Lang, it is time for Cara¡¯s duel. Are you ready?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Coming, give me a minute.¡±

    He stood up and put on his ck mask and ck military uniform. When he walked out he found that all of his team was dressed up in military uniforms. Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I want to see, how my disciple will clean the floor with that guy.¡±

 Chapter 196

    Shi Lang and the rest of the team made their way to the arena. Behind the pce of change (The new name of the pce of sins) was a huge arena that could fit ten thousand people. Arcadia was the capital and after Cara took charge, she made the whole open for the citizen.

    There was no restriction but the citizens qualified to live here had to go through an interview. Only when they have cleared the interview will they get the identity card to live here. Today aputer system randomly selected people, and families and sent them the invitation to attend the duel.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the Terran team also had a great reputation in the pce and the world outside. During the past year, they have appeared on the broadcasts and at public events a lot many times.

    When they appeared in the viewing stands, the crowd became active. A pce attendant came to the center of the arena and said, ¡°Attention everyone, today the empress Cara Mia, has been challenged by the Cheif General of the army, Rui Chufy. Thetter states that the Empress has given up on the past culture and customs of the Arcadian history.

    While the empress states that she implied changes because the old ideologies were the reason for the decline of the kingdom. For the past six months, the empress has been talking to the challenger to reach a peaceful discussion, but since they could not reach a decision, they have decided to solve their dispute with raw strength.¡±

    The people in the stands roared in excitement. Shi Lang gazed at them and said, ¡°Cara applied speech moderation?¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°With the consent of the challenger, make sure that this guy does not back offter. She told him this was to preserve the dignity of the military.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and suddenly his gaze fell on a big cat lying next to the throne in the viewing stands, he asked, ¡°What is Zysha doing?¡±

    Amelia cast her gaze in the same direction as well and said, ¡°She is cultivating. He thinks she can transform into human form but every time she stops just an inch away.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Her bloodline is not pure enough to lead her back to her ancestor roots.¡±

    Then he turned his attention to the guys sitting at the side of the ground. These people all wore military uniforms from the Arcadian Empire. They were the supporting votes behind General Rui. Shi Lang cast them a gaze and went to sit down on the seats reserved for them.

    The attendant said, ¡°I call forth, the challenger, General Rui Chufy.¡±

    He waved his hand to point to his left, and a small gate opened, General Rui walked inside the arena carrying a long sword in his hand, dragging it behind him.

    Darcx said, ¡°Useless intimidation technique.¡±

    He and the rest of the terrans were also despised by the actions of the Arcadian general. General Rui came to stand in the center and raised his sword with a jerk action he was showered with a lot of praise and guards were looking at him with awe contained in their eyes. The chief general was their idol.

    The host saw this scene and shook his head, praying for the empress. Then he said, ¡°Now I call upon the defendant, Her Excellency, The Empress of Arcadia, Cara Mia.¡±

    Then he waved at the right-hand side and the big gate opened from that side. Cara walked into the arena with steady steps. She was wearing a white and silverbat suit. A rapier was tied to her waist.

    The attendant bowed to her and the crowd cheered for her. Cara was the people¡¯s champion, she was an angel for all those who got a chance to do something other than dying in remorse and helplessness.

    The two people, Cara, and the general stood facing each other. The attendant said, ¡°The duel will go on till one of you admits defeat or loses the capability to fight. You are allowed to use any means of attack, however, it must be all within moderation.¡±

    The two people nodded and as soon as the attendant retreated and Cara smiled at the old man and asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    The general did not know what she really asking him if he was ready. The general raised his hands and then he said, ¡°Come.¡±

    Cara smiled and said, ¡°Be careful what you wish for.¡±

    Then she vanished from the vision of the general. The old man was surprised and immediately he turned around and shed his sword to attack Cara. However, the girl did not move, she had anticipated this attack, with a flick of her wrist the rapier on his waist came out and the iing attack was parried.

    General Rui was surprised, the attack was strong, yet this girl count parry it with such ease. He took back his sword and was ready to sh again when he found that the girl was not in her ce. He looked around but did not find the girl.

    His sensed tingled and the General jumped to the side. The crowd was cheering loudly. The girl was overwhelming the trained general. As soon as the generalnded on the side. Cara appeared at his old spot, with her rapier stabbed into the ground. General Rui thought of this as a chance and then he charged at the girl at his fastest speed.

    His broad sword was shed horizontally, since Cara intended to deliver a critical blow to him, the old man was going to do the same. However, his actions did not bear any fruit as Cara used her feet to swiftly dash forward from a semi-crouched position.

    Swish!

    The de tore through the wind, and General Rui decided to use the momentum and strike again. However, just when he was in the middle of making an overhead sh, Cara appeared near him and she kicked his knee directly.

    The impact was something nobody imagined or expected. Throughout the arena, a clear clicking sound echoed. The cheers stopped and so did the cussing. Everyone sucked in a cold breath. Shi Lang said, ¡°She has won.¡±

    Rosa shook her head and said, ¡°Cara intends to kill the general. And humiliate him. Is this good?¡±

    Shi Lang could tell that the teacher was again caught in the middle of morality and the necessity of things. He said, ¡°If you need a leader, then sometimes you have to overlook the morality. This guy gave into the support and temptation of hisrades. He needs to die and so do the other generals who sided with him. Do not think too much about all this, Head teacher.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°They are not even putting up the pressure we have during a sparring session, Cara is simply toying with him. Why did you not allow her to use herplete strength? This guy would have been settled in a single punch.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°When you fight with the enemy outside, you do not have to worry about what will have to the internal structure of their house, however, when you fight inside your own home. You have to be careful about all the damage you cause.

    This slow and torturous method will get the old people back to the group and for at the least, one hour, they will act honestly. Do You understand what I mean?¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°Boss, you intend for her to use these guys as her whetting stone and then develop a strong image in the hearts of the civilians?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Quinn said, ¡°Only this is how ruling for a longer time is possible.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°The goal is to serve and make a society where she can sit back and enjoy the vanity and gain more realms of cultivation. You all should have the same goal. Strenght.¡±

    The Terrans nodded and they began to focus back on the battle in front of them. The general was now limping as he held the sword in his hands. Cara deliberately controlled her strength and did not break it offpletely.

    Cara kept her distance from the guy and would exploit the chances to punch and jab the General. She said, ¡°Did you think that because I was a child you will be able to win me, and then you will take away what I built together with my people and friends for my people? Do you have no shame, I work hard to serve the people, I have been honest, but you, you all old fogies want to rule over the empire. Right?

    Your task was topletely assure the safety of the borders, yet here you all are, seeking vanity. I will break you bit by bit and show everyone, that my pace will not be hindered by you losers.¡±

    That said, she moved forward and gave the general a brutal beating. The guy did not even have the chance to admit defeat as Cara stabbed through his throat ten minutester. The entire arena was silent.

    After a few moments, apuse broke out. Shi Lang stood in the crowd gently pping his hands.

 Chapter 197

    Shi Lang and the others all met Cara after she dismissed all the supporters of General Rui and appointed new people to rece them. They said farewells and Shi Lang provided Cara the further method to cultivate.

    Zysha had decided to stay back with Cara. She liked it here among the people. Shi Lang knew that the big cat was hoping to gain a humanoid form, but he was unable to help her with alchemy because he only had some basguage about it.

    Just because he had a life before this did not mean he was the super genius or something and will know everything in the times like this. Shi Lang was a loose cultivator and used to live his life at the edge. In theter stages of his cultivation, he was left behind by his peers because he did not have any resources and status in the world.

    If someone was to ask him the biggest regret, then he would probably say that it was the moment he gave up the chance to get inside a sect because he did not want to be bounded.

    Shi Lang patted Cara on the head and said, ¡°If you have any trouble, you can contact me anytime you wish. Okay?¡±

    Cara nodded with slightly red eyes. She did not want him to leave, after all, these Terrans were all something that meant real family to her. Shi Lang sighed and hugged the girl, finally, the empress could not hold it in and she wept bitterly.

    She wanted to say don¡¯t go, but she was aware that Shi Lang had a house and a family of his own. So, she kept it in. Shi Lang patted her on the back gently and said, ¡°Zysha look after her.¡±

    Zysha nodded and said, ¡°You be careful, the stronger you are the more people look at you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I understand what you mean. Do not worry, I will be careful.¡±

    That said, he wiped the tears off the cheeks of the cat in his embrace and said, ¡°I wille back to see you more in the future. Now, do not cry. What if your mistress made me sleep on the floor?¡±

    Cara stuck out her tongue and said in a low voice, ¡°You deserve it, meanie.¡±

    Shi Lang ruffled her hair and boarded the spaceship with the rest of the people, and they set off on the journey to their home. Rosa and Quinn have decided to travel through the Neomonian territory, they will collect a batch of spirit grass Shi Lang had asked from Nexa. Then they will continue to the Federation.

    Shi Lang and the rest were different than the normal Terrans now. They could endure the longer duration of space jumps better. As the people were managing the ship and moving through the space, Jenkins said, ¡°Lang, what do you think home would be like now?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder and said, ¡°I expect it to be enriched with the spiritual energy just like the Arcadia. However, I am not sure if the government had allowed this. After all, the effect of the spirit energy was too miraculous, there is a chance that the people might not understand this and misuse the powers. Moderate and control exposure policy should be introduced.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, even a geek like me can now take on a seven-star Terran with no problem.¡±

    The rest of the people also became very excited as they talked about their experiences in Arcadia. The journey back home was very fulfilling and they were eager to get back home and meet the people they have missed.

    ¡­

    It took one week, when the spaceship carrying Shi Lang, Amelia, Jenkins, Darcx, Quinn, and Instructor Rosa, entered the atmosphere. The event was covered and broadcast throughout the world.

    The people were all aware of the war, and the alliance of the three empires. The entire delegation had be heroes for the youth of the Federation. The shipnded on th spaceport and when the hatch door opened, Shi Lang and the others stepped down.

    They found the military unit giving them the guard of honor. In the distance, they could see the president of the federation and the entire cab and opposition leaders standing to wee them. Shi Lang spotted a lot of media as well. Behind the leaders stood the family members of the team, even the first general hade over in person to wee his son.

    Shi Lang walked forward through the guard of honor and the others followed behind him, they first met with the president and the cab ministers. Shi Lang was very sensitive to the spirit energy and he could tell that the air now contained a slight hint of the spiritual energy in it.

    After they exchanged a few polite words with the leaders they came to greet their families. Shi Lang did not speak much and directly embraced his aunt and mother. He said, ¡°Missed you.¡±

    Luna and M patted his back with slight tears in their eyes. He looked at the two men standing behind thedies and said, ¡°Old Boys, how are you two doing?¡±

    The men chuckled and scolded him for calling them names in public. The situation was warm and affectionate. Shi Lang met General Edwards and the two promised to have an extensive discussion when they have some time.

    When they were about to leave the spaceport, they were surrounded by the media. Shi Lang decided to throw out a bone so the dog the paparazzi does not hinder him and his private life.

    Reporter: ¡°Major Lang, are you one of those secret officers that the cab has disclosed to the world earlier?¡±

    The first question was a shock to Shi Lang, he was not regrettinging forward. To the world he was a normal soldier, the existence of the secret divisions was kept from the media in the past.

    However, in recent times, due to the events like the war and alliances, the government had told the Federation about the existence of a unit that could even take action against the cab. The world was in shock, but when they found some actions performed by the secret divisions, they were in awe and all of the people wanted to be part of them.

    The president only kept the identities of the operatives a secret and the documents rted to them and even the identities of the people rted to them were sealed. If someone wanted to check who was Captain Ace, they will need the entire cab to authorize the verification. The location where all these files were kept was not the digital world, but the old-school analog files. The location of the storage, somece even the cab did not know, only the secret division had the knowledge.

    Shi Lang was hinted at by the president about this so he connected the dots and said, ¡°No, I am but a normal soldier.¡±

    Reporter Two: ¡°Major Lang, how was your experience in the allied empires, were you mistreated in any manner?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°No, it was a pleasant experience. We had a great time out there, a lot of things were learned from the people there.¡±

    Reported Three: Major Lang, what do you n to do now? Our sources inside the cab have told us that your entire team is up for promotions and awards. How do you feel?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°To be honest, we did not wish for any promotions and awards. We are soldiers and we just did our duties. I would like to implore you all to not patronize us. The real heroes are those brothers and sisters of mine who could not make it back from the war. They are the real reason why we are safe now.¡±

    In the second half of the statement, his voice had be emotional and it seemed as if he would cry. The reporters did not want to be called wolves, so they let the people pass.

    General Charlotte took Shi Lang and his family inside the six-seater military vehicle. Shi Lang took the steering and let the others sit in the back. While Amelia sat in the co-pilot seat.

    The elders asked them a lot of things like how they felt in the foreign ce and other things. Shi Lang and Amelia replied to all the questions with no hesitation. Suddenly Charlotte asked, ¡°Lang, what do you two think about getting married?¡±

    Shi Lang did not hesitate and said, ¡°I do not mind, I will do whatever Amy wants to.¡±

    Amelia cast him a nce and blushed slightly. Her temperament has be stronger than she was in the past due to the cultivation. Spirit energy made her feel really confident about herself. She said, ¡°How about when we turn twenty-two?¡±

    She touched the ring on her finger as she said this. Shi Lang said, ¡°It is too young but I do not mind. We can do just that.¡±

    Charlotte said, ¡°You two are twenty at the moment, so that leaves two years for us to n and organize everything.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Mom, we do not want any high andvish wedding.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°These ceremonies are a mundane thing mom. We both love each other and we do not want anything more than your blessings. So, you all can take it easy.¡±

    Luna nodded and said, ¡°Fine, it will be a normal wedding, but we will call all the rtives and friends. You can forget anything less than that.¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia shook their heads as the car drove into the city.

 Chapter 198

    Shi Lang dropped Amelia at her residence, the girl wanted to spend some time with her mother. He was about to take his parents to their apartment when Charlotte said, ¡°Major Lang, did you not check yourmunicator?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at her ambiguous smile and asked, ¡°What is it, Ma¡¯am?¡±

    Charlotte smiled and said, ¡°Won¡¯t you know after checking up themunicator?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and checked hismunicator, there were a lot of messages in the inbox from congrattions to some cursing from his old ssmates. Finally, he found a mail that was highlighted in red color.

    He essed the mail and found that it was an allotment letter, a vi in the military officer¡¯s residentialplex was allocated to him. The letter made Shi Lang shocked, and he asked, ¡°Mom, what is going on, don¡¯t they only allow people of general rank to live here?¡±

    Theplex was the same one as Charlotte¡¯s, and it housed only high-ranking military officers. Charlotte said, ¡°The merit you earned after sharing the methods of cultivation is the reason you are given the ce. Also, you will be promoted to the position of Federal Envoy, which is equal to that of a general. You meet the conditions to live here.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked, he could understand that this news has credibility since it was spoken by a fleet general. However, something did not sit well with him. His parents, however, were excited to hear that their son will be promoted.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Who made the decision to make me an envoy?¡±

    Charlotte was surprised, she asked, ¡°It was Edwards, I had told the general council that you will not agree, but the first general has the right to veto us all.¡±

    Shi Lang frowned, he could sense why this was happening and that gave birth to anger in his heart. He said, ¡°Mom, Dad, you all stay here with mom and Amy, I need to visit the cab office. Something came up.¡±

    The people could sense a chill in his voice, and they did not say much, after asking him toe back sooner and got down from the vehicle. Charlotte was shocked, she asked, ¡°Lang, what are you going to do.¡±

    Shi Lang cast her a gaze and without saying anything, he put the vehicle in reverse gear, made a sharp turn, and drove away. Charlotte was shocked, she could tell something dangerous might happen.

    She picked up themunicator and wanted to call it in, but she did not know what to say to the operator. She heard Amelia¡¯s voice, ¡°Are you worried about him or the people on the other side.¡±

    Charlotte asked, ¡°Him, obviously.¡±

    Amelia shook her head and asked, ¡°Did you not see the report from battlest year?¡±

    Charlotte nodded and Amelia said, ¡°I give you my word, if they pissed him off, he will destroy the entire parliament ande out with their heads, and still be unharmed.¡±

    Charlotte was shocked, she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Amelia looked around and said, ¡°Let us go inside first.¡±

    Then she led her inws, who were worried and confused about the situation inside their house.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang drove the vehicle at a high speed, but since he was in a military vehicle, no one raised an objection to him. He connected hismunicator and dialed Jenkins, the call connected and the other side asked, ¡°Yo, Captain missing me so soon? Amelia does not love you anymore.¡±

    Shi Lang did not reply to his tease and asked, ¡°Did they offer you the position on the front lines?¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°Yes, why?¡±

    Shi Lang did not answer and connected the rest of the team except Amelia, the question was the same, and so was the answer. The team sensed something wrong and Rosa asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I want an exnation.¡±

    He emphasized every single word. Jenkins replied, ¡°I will meet you at the gates of the parliament, do not head off on your own.¡±

    The others did the same and disconnected the call. Then they all took off from their ce heading to the parliament. The parliament was not made inside the city but around the space elevator. Shi Lang¡¯s speed of driving was faster than the rest, if he wanted to hurry things even more than he could have run on foot, but he wanted to preserve energy.

    He was going to face the highest and strongest people in the federation, he did not want to rely on the thing spiritual energy in the air. It took him six hours to get to the destination. He parked his vehicle and after the security check, he moved to the office of the General Council. Since the military decision was taken by those people then he will confront them directly.

    He had juste in front of the reception counter and was about to ask something when Jenkins showed up on the side. Shi Lang gazed at him indifferently and asked, ¡°Is your father here?¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°Yes, but at the moment, a council meeting is ongoing, we cannot go in.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Where is this meeting going on?¡±

    Jenkins was surprised and so was the rest of the team that has just caught up with them. Rosa asked, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

    ¡°Convince them.¡±, as he said that his body started to radiate a strong intent to battle. He said, ¡°Do not try to reason with me, you all know the reasons they did this. I will not settle for this. I did not put my life on the line for some old foggy-brained pricks to decide my future.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Lang, my father, I know that he is in the gray but can you not find another way to do this?¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze on his friend and said, ¡°I promise, I will not kill anyone with the same colors, but if they think they can ride over my head, then I will break their backs for sure.¡±

    This was a warning, not only to people who stand in his way but also to those in front of him. He turned his head and used the spirit sense to find where the generals were gathered. At this moment, none of the people were stronger than his team. They were all just at the beginning phase of cultivation, they were nothingpared to Shi Lang.

    The young man did not care about anyone and walked to the council office on the third floor of the building, this ce had stairs and no elevators, to make preserve the history.

    The soldiers at the entrance of the third floor came forward to stop the team when Shi Lang said, ¡°Corporal, you will face an inquiry at any cost, however, whether you want to do that after a trip to ICCU of the infirmary or without that, it is your choice.¡±

    The soldier could tell that in front of him stood the god of death. He subconsciously took a few steps back. Shi Lang walked past the guy with his team behind him and came to stand in front of a sealed door.

    This door would be sealed every time a meeting begins, and unsealedter. Quinn said, ¡°We need a code.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and kicked the door.

    ¡­

    The old generals were discussing the matters of cultivation and one of them asked, ¡°We all decided to keep that kid at home to learn more from him, how will he react?¡±

    Someone said, ¡°It is his honor to teach us. We are giving him a promotion and what more can he desire?¡±

    Everyone expressed their opinion and turned to look at General Edwards, who said, ¡°I want to see how he will react.¡±

    As soon as his words dropped, they heard a BANG, and by the time they turned around, they found that the door of the meeting room has been taken down. It was lying t on the ground. The generals all stood up and an old general yelled, ¡°HOW DARE YOU?¡±

    However, the next moment, a dagger was ced at his nape, the dagger was held by Darcx, he said, ¡°Do not talk so loudly, we could hear you all from the staircase. You want to learn cultivation from us, right? The first rule, old foggies must keep quiet. Until they are asked to speak.¡±

    General Edwards was shocked, he expected a reaction from Shi Lang but not that it would be so big. When he found that one of his cronies has been subdued already, before they could even figure out what to do, he became cautious.

    Shi Lang walked forward and asked, ¡°Why was I voted to be an ambassador?¡±

    His question was simple, General Edwards said, ¡°Your skills can help the entire Federal Army, why not teach them?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Just like the skills of Principal Stevenson? Right, General Edwards?¡±

    This simple sentence gave people an inkling of what was happening here.

 Chapter 199

    Shi Lang did not lower his posture standing in front of the first general, he did not care what the oue will be, but one thing was sure, he will achieve his goal.

    The other generals stopped moring when they heard the statement from the young man. The name of retired general Stevenson was too big of a mountain pressing down on their hearts. That man would have been the first general if only he had a family background to support him.

    Only the insiders knew that when Stevenson won the battle against the fleet of smart civilizations inside the Terran territory, he was about to be promoted and on the other hand was General Edwards, who had just cleaned up a sector of space pirates and raked a lot of merits. However, the biggest merit he had was the support of a military family.

    The Edwards all were military men, ever since the civilization had invented the gene serums, they were at the top. At that time the young scion of the Edwards was up and running for the general rank, so how can he settle for anything less than the first general. The cab happened to be the people who also climbed their way up because of their family background.

    While Stevenson had nothing to support himself. He was alone, with no family, and no background. They voted for him to be the head of the Federation Star Academy, the ce where they trained the young people.

    Shi Lang looked at the changed expressions of the people and said, ¡°You all might be thinking that your bureaucratic life was so smooth till now? Do you know why you did not see any ¡®insignificant person in the office till day? That is because the principal did not want what happened to him, to happen to his students.¡±

    Jenkins stood behind him and looked at the people in front of him and realized, turned out this was the reason why he was given the rank of major general and not his merit. He cast a gaze at his father and asked, ¡°You and Principal Stevenson might be retired or sitting at the helm of the military, but if you areparing all of us, with Shi Lang, then you are wrong.¡±

    He would not have talked to his father in such a tone ever, but he was now a cultivator and the pressure in his mind did not exist. General Edwards ignored his son and looked at Shi Lang as he said, ¡°You know, the news of your post as an ambassador will soon be published and the masses will bless you. Do you think you can stand against the masses?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Allow me to tell you something, the happenings in this room might not have been seen by the masses ever before, but at the moment as I live broadcast the content of our conversation to the world what will be the public opinion? General Edwards, instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself.

    Those who stand at the peak should not forget, that the summit is not very wide, where you can walk around as you want, one fumble and you might fall into the abyss of despair. As a bonus, you will be followed by the people sharing your rope line.¡±

    The generals were shocked, they did not expect this guy to be broadcasting live. However, when they were about toe forth and fight, they all heard a calm voice, ¡°You want to be a high-ranking soldier, right?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I just want to be what I deserve and not something decided by you all. I do not want this for myself, or any of my military family members. Who knows, what you might do to someone who is strong enough to bypass your monopoly.¡±

    The first general raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Oh, is that so. Then do you know the protocol you will have to follow in order to win what you want?¡±

    Shi Lang replied calmly, ¡°I know the protocol, and I ept it. First General, I, Major Shi Lang, challenge you for a mock battle.¡±

    Mock Battle between the seniors and the juniors in the military was a rare urrence and was used to test the level of the young blood by having them face off against the battle-hardened once. The implications for the mock battle were different. The concept was unfair to the senior rank, if they fought against the enemy too hard, then they were seen as bullies, and if they tried to take things easy, they will be seen as looking down on the people.

    However, in the end, none of the young people has ever won the battle to say that they were wronged by the higher-ups.

    General Edwards chuckled and said, ¡°Very well, I ept your challenge, but the losing party will have to give up something, have you thought about that?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Naturally. If I lose I will give up my uniform and right to live on the home.¡±

    The moment he announced the stakes, everyone looked at him as if he was having a psychotic breakdown. Quinn said, ¡°Major¡­¡±

    She was interrupted by General Edwards, ¡°epted.¡±, with a sneer on his lips.

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What are your stakes?¡±

    The first general was taken aback, and then he startedughing in a hysterical manner. He calmed down after a few minutes and asked, ¡°Do you really think I will lose to you?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and replied, ¡°Even if it is just a simple formality, you have to bet something, or who will ever take the first general as an idol. You have an image to maintain, Sir.¡±

    General Edwards had a cold light flicker in his eyes and said, ¡°Very well, then I stake my position in at the General Council.¡±

    Another bomb exploded inside the room. Jenkins looked at his father in shock and then at his friend. He could not believe that these two people will go to such an extent to beat each other. Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°When will the mock battle begin?¡±

    General Edwards thought and said, ¡°Oh well, this seems too simple, does it not?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and waited for the man to continue, General Edwards said, ¡°How about we make it a team moke battle. You can pick your team, they will not be implicated, and I will pick my team, they will pay the same price as me. What do you think?¡±

    Shi Lang did not expect such a thing and neither did the other generals. They were not afraid of facing a few kids, but they were hesitant, after all, it was their position at the peak of the federation.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°How many people are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°How about 11, just like the old team sports. Eleven people and we will have a grand mock battle.¡±, replied the general.

    Shi Lang thought about it, he was not sure where he can gather these eleven people from, he was about to refuse when he heard Rosa speak, ¡°I volunteer with you, Major Lang, also, Sir, I would like to pledge the same stakes like Major Shi Lang.¡±

    The second half of the sentence was meant for the first general. Shi Lang was surprised, but he did not even have the time to tell thedy to not act hastily and heard another voice in the room, ¡°Ditto, I am in too.¡±

    Darcx was the speaker this time, he was followed by Quinn and even Jenkins. Shi Lang was surprised, he did not know what to say at this moment. These guys have all pledged the same thing as him.

    General Edwards cast a gaze at his son, but the others did not register any fluctuations on it, it was as if he did not care at all. He said, ¡°Now that your team has volunteered, I will give you twenty-four hours to recruit more people, and since you are young, I will allow your friends to participate whether they have pledged the same stakes as you or not. They can join in to gain experience.¡±

    The team thought that this man was looking down on them, they were all fired up. The reason they jumped in was to prove in front of the First general that their friend was not alone and that he must not be looked down upon.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Then I would like your permission to leave, and I hope you will not send the military police behind us to apprehend my team for barging in here.¡±

    The man chuckled and said, ¡°Go, go, your apprehension can wait for a day.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest of the team saluted the generals and then left the room. As soon as they went out, the room was in chaos, the generals started to question the intention of the first general, and the man leisurely said, ¡°This is the way we will reassure our footing in the new federal military. The era of cultivation is upon us once again, and we need to be at the forefront to grasp the maximum benefits, and it can only be done when we defeat these young guys. Humph, they can mor all they want, the result is already set.¡±

    ¡­

    While the generals were looking forward to the mock battle Shi Lang was walking out of the building with a big frown on his face. He said, ¡°You idiots just made the plot thicken.¡±

 Chapter 200

    Shi Lang and the team gathered in a meeting room back at Amelia¡¯s house. Charlotte has received the notification from the general council that the board has been challenged by a group of young soldiers, who were not satisfied with the decisions taken by the seniors.

    Shi Lang was sitting on the head position on the table, Amelia on his right and Rosa on his left, with Quinn, Jenkins, and Darcx also being there. Amelia asked, ¡°What have you done? Please tell me that you know a way around this, and you did not say it all in the heat of the moment?¡±

    She could not believe that Shi Lang will say something like this. Shi Lang asked, ¡°You do not have to follow me if I lost.¡±

    Amelia raised her eyebrow and pped him across the face.

    SPLAT!!!

    The sound was crisp, Amelia said sonorously, ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you think I am asking this for my sake? You dumbass, it is because of your parents, what will they do?¡±

    Shi Lang covered his palm and said, ¡°You know I did not mean that, oww it hurts babe.¡±

    He turned around to look at Rosa and said, ¡°Headteacher, you have to support me if I am wronged in the future.¡±

    Darcx chuckled and Jenkins sighed, thetter said, ¡°Oi, do you have a n, if you do, then tell us, we are not like you in terms of patience.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and put up a serious face, he said, ¡°You do not need to worry, I have a way. Your father only selected the stakes, the mode of the game will depend on us.¡±

    Quinn raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°What do you n to do?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I have called over Commander Silence since the government has disclosed the existence of the secret divisions, it is time they get a ce on the table and the right to decide what path should be taken in the future.

    During our travels, we have seen how blessed we are to have a secret division. What I n is not to make them mainstream, they will still be independent, but based on the experience and information they have at hand, it will be helpful in the long run.¡±

    The others nodded, Rosa asked, ¡°I would like to know more about the battle modes that you like.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°How about we discuss that when all the yers are here?¡±

    Rosa nodded and the people began to wait. Outside the sealed room, Shi John and Luna were already exploding, Shi Lang had already told them what was going to happen in the future and he had also told them why he did this.

    They could not believe that their son would barge inside the parliament and trash the general council, this was a bit too gutsy and just a few minutes ago, the general council had announced that they were going to hold a mock battle tomorrow at twelve hundred hours. The whole federation was trembling, the reason was that the challenge was taken up by the entire general council except for General Charlotte Knight.

    ¡­

    Back inside the room, after an hour, Commander Silence hade over and was now sitting in the head chair as Shi Lang stood behind her. She asked, ¡°Ace, what¡¯s the y?¡±

    Shi Lang was still her subordinate so the boy will follow the rulespletely, and only Instructor Rosa was sitting at the table. The young man said, ¡°I n to take them down in two departments. One is a fleet battle, and the second is hand-to-handbat.¡±

    Commander Silence raised her head and asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°Boss, when have you seen me, bet on something I was not sure to do?¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and asked, ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We will divide the ¡­¡±

    Shi Lang began to exin his n and the people picked up the momentum, the nning was simple, and it was so simple that the team did not expect it to be like this, and not only that, if they, who knew Shi Lang so well could not see thising, how will the enemy be able to prevent this from happening.

    After a couple of hours, everyone took a little break to think and process the stuff they had gone through. Shi Lang was also leaning against Amelia¡¯s shoulder in the living room, Luna said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you justy in herp?¡±

    ¡°Her dress will wrinkle.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    Amelia blushed slightly and said, ¡°I do not mind.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I know baby.¡±

    These two werepletely out of the context at this moment but who cared. Luna wanted to reprimand the young man for the rashness he has disyed. However, Shi Lang had pushed forward Amelia, who yed the cute little girl and became his shield.

    Luna did not have the heart to scold them anymore when Amelia held her hands and said, ¡°Mom, can you trust us?¡±

    The actions were so well, that sometimes Shi Lang even thought that this was Amelia¡¯s special ability and not turning invisible.

    After the break was over, the people regrouped inside the meeting room and Archie Arkham said, ¡°Ace, I have called over themanders of other secret divisions and they also want in, however, they will not sit at the table if they won. They just want ess for independent missions.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will say only one thing boss, these missions must be screened first and then they can carry on if no objections are made.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and she was about to stand up and leave when Quinn asked, ¡°Captain, I want to ask why did the generals agree to such an absurd idea? I mean why risk your superiority?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then said, ¡°It could be either an attempt to make their presence and strength known to the world, after all, cultivation is dawning again and they want to cease the skies and make it belong to themselves.

    Another exnation is that the First General is seeking this change in the general council, after all, if the cultivating popce found out that they were suppressed by the people they believed in for so long, the outbreak of rebellion will destroy the prosperous Federation. Am I right, Commander, HeadTeacher?¡±

    The two people thought and then after exchanging a nce they nodded. They also agreed with the two suggestions. They were highly usible. After all, the first General was too big of a name, and he must not have entertained such an absurd idea if he did not have any deeper reasons.

    Rosa Blues said, ¡°I can understand that you want me, Quinn, Amelia, and the two boys to deal with the fleet battle, and you andmander silence with herrades will be taking on the hand-to-handbat. But Commander Silence has only called in for two people. We are still outnumbered.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Commander Silence, will stage up with me to take down three people from the hand to handbat. You all will hold the balls of the fleet battle with the aid called over by her. The reason is, that those old people have too much individual experience, we do not need to tangle up in their tactics.

    So, busy them up with the fleet battle, I will take the First general and another one if the Commander fails. The rest of the n stays the same.¡±

    The people did not have any objections. This way their burden will be lower. Amelia said, ¡°We have to face against eleven people, including the two people called over by Commander Silence, it makes us nine. I have a special ability that is better suited forbat than fleet battle. Quinn is the same, you know that. They need an operator, so Jenkins and Darcx will suffice. Why do you want to y alone?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Hey, I have my skills for battle hand to hand, and thatment hurt.¡±

    No one paid any heed to him while Darcx was pretty chill with this. Archie Arkham said, ¡°Ace, we can have them try, the n will still work smoothly. Also, if you put in too many old people to watch over the fleet battle, they will put up great resistance, fleet battle does not have any use for those with higher cultivation.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Well, then we can skip n A and directly go to the alternative. Jenks, Darcx, Amy, Quinn, and I will go to the hand-to-handbat directly. It will be ast-man stand game as we discussed. We will just have to get the others on the table with different methods.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Sometimes, doing what the enemy expects is very helpful, it will reduce the load on your shoulders. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±, said Shi Lang.

 Chapter 201

    Shi Lang and the rest spend the night in Amelia¡¯s house and then they all began to dress up to go to the parliament and hold the mock battle. The team regrouped at the dining table and Charlotte Knight personally came forward to serve them a sumptuous meal.

    They were going tomute with a proper convoy provided to the mock battle contenders. Shi Lang came out of the house with the team in tow. Archie Arkham was wearing her secret divisionbat uniform with her face covered with the mask.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Boss, we need to find a better alternative for the masks, this way you will not be able to get out much, also, identities also need to be sorted.¡±

    Thedy in ck turned to look at him and said, ¡°You say it as if we have already won the mock battle.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Belief in yourself boss, that is the key.¡±

    He chuckled and the people got on the vehicles. Afterst night, Archie Arkham had asked her friends to stay on standby, since the kids would face all the generals by themselves. The decision was unanimous, and they had decided to give up on the fleet battle round.

    The convoy departed and after a few hours, they arrived at the parliament. The higher-ups had dered today a holiday all over the federation. They did this in order to let the people watch how heroic they all were.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people got down from the vehicle and they moved inside the building. They found a lot of drones pointed at their faces, this event was going to be telecasted live. The team did not care about these things, they walked calmly and found that the generals were also waiting for them near the reception counter.

    Shi Lang and the people came to stand in front of the general council and they all saluted their seniors. General Edwards returned the salute followed by the other generals, they had to keep the dignity of the military discipline intact.

    General Edwards asked, ¡°How would you like to have a battle with us?¡±

    He did not ask why there were only seven of them. He did not care, the press release earlier had cleared the fact that the contenders had been given a chance to recruit teammates whether they are sessful or not will not affect the proceedings. If the team could not gather more support and they tried to use that as the grounds for unfairness, they will all be court-martialed and discharged from their duties.

    This was why when the First General asked this question Shi Lang replied, ¡°Close Combat battles, all in the real world, at the same time, it will be thest man standing style. Any contender on the stage will not be allowed to step down until they have not lost a fight.¡±

    The people at the sides were shocked, and even the generals were shocked. Some wanted tough at the stupidity of these youngsters, but they held it in. The first general did not ask them if they were sure, he nodded and said, ¡°The battle will be held out in the open, that way we will have more space to deal with each other.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Then a soldier from the side came over and after a salute escorted the people outside the parliament building from a gateway on the side. The door opened in a garden, Jenkins said, ¡°I have been here once, this is where the generals fight and spar with each other.¡±

    His voice was low and heard by all the team members. Commander Silence said, ¡°Ace, be careful.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and they all stood up in a queue at the side of the ground. The generals also did the same. They had aputer ying the referee rules, with a buzzing hooter sound, the first general said, ¡°May the best one win.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    He cast a gaze at Darcx as the youngest will go first. Thetter did not refute and came to stand in the clear center of the garden. The first general said, ¡°The first contender is Tidal Gaha.¡±

    Tidal Gaha, a general in the fleet, was well decorated and was responsible for the twelfth fleet of the Terran army. His strength was half step inside ninth level. He was known for his aggressive style.

    Tidal Gaha stepped forward with a proud expression. The cameras were all focused on the center of the field where two people stood in front of each other. Tidal said, ¡°If I share my wisdom with you, you better give up before you get severely injured.¡±

    Darcx sighed and assumed the battle stance, he did not wish to have a dialog with this guy. Theputer system spoke up in a female voice, ¡°The first battle, begins.¡±

    The old general suddenly stood up with a great momentum radiating from his body, this was the reason why the juniors did not prevail over the seniors, the umted momentum. While the people at the sidelines were feeling inspired, Awed by the old general, Darcx looked very calm. He said, ¡°Sir, can you take away the medals? I do not want to damage them.¡±

    The general was wearing his military coat, gilded with medals. The old man snorted and said, ¡°You will not be able to touch me, let¡¯s go. If you do not take the initiative to attack me, I will do it myself.¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°I wee your advance.¡±

    The general was irked and then he charged forward. The old man was so fast that he left behind an afterimage. Darcx ducked his head and then took a step forward. The people thought he was attacking the air, but as the young man threw a punch, the body of the old man appeared directly on a collision course out of nowhere.

    The attack connected to the ribs of the old general on the left side, and then he let out a grunt. Darcx did not give the enemy any time to regain his pace andunched a barrage of punches. The attacks were all precise. Tidal Gaha tried to protect his chest, but Darcx hit him in the body, and when he tried to save the body, the face was dropped with bombs.

    Tidal Gaha was suppressed using the most basicbat style in the military handbook and the people were shocked by the ferociousness of this youth. Did the momentum from the old man not affect him? Did he really not fear anything?

    The two teams watched the matches in silence, but the general council was having huge waves in their hearts. They did not expect this kid to strongarm theirrade.

    On the battlefield, Darcx had gottenplete control of the rhythm and his body was moving as if he was dancing. The old general was not simply going to go down, he was stronger than Darcx in terms of the Terran cultivation system, and using his experience, the old general has learned the attack pattern disyed by the youth in front of him.

    Tidal Gaha had begun his counter-attacks, and the damage he left was significant. Darcx had slowed down after taking a mutual uppercut from the old man. This was the ability of the old man, he could control the speed of objects he had touched.

    Darcx sighed and began to use his ability as well. The boy was simr to the rest of them, his abilities have grown to the point where he could even tell if the thoughts of the people were a lie or not.

    He had begun to predict if the punches and attacks thrown at him were fake or true. The general was having a hard time, every ability had a run-out time. That time for him has arrived at this moment.

    Tidal Gaha raised his right leg and kicked the youth in front of him in the head, however, Darcx was prepared and he ducked. The kick passed above his head and Darcx closed in on the opponent, he grappled the guy as soon as he came to tackle the enemy from the back.

    The take down came unexpectedly and Darcx had knocked him out. Theputer system announced, ¡°The battle has ended, winner, Captain Darcx.¡±

    Tidal Gahay on the floor, he could not believe that this boy would be able to pull off something like this, he wanted to yell injustice and wanted to put up some excuse but a cold stare made him swallow hard and said, ¡°I apologize.¡±

    That said, the second contender from the General Team had stepped up, and looked at Darcx we a sab expression. The guy sighed and said, ¡°Anything you want to say, Sir?¡±

    The other party nodded and said, ¡°Yes, are you okay with firearms?¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°Thank you I am fine with them.¡±

 Chapter 202

    Darcx stood holding a couple of talon daggers. This sort of weapon was used by people in secret divisions to conduct assassinations. The dagger was five inches long with a three-inch curve, painted with matte ck color, it looked really deadly.

    On the opposite side, an old general had taken off his coat and was stretching his body, and on his waist, two handguns were tied, they were both phasor guns. The lethality was too much. Shi Lang could have asked the general team to have hand-to-handbat, but if they faced a real enemy, they will not have had a chance to do so, thus they decided to fight free.

    The system announced, ¡°Mock Battle, round two, Fleet General Rado Crull, versus, Captain Darcx. Battle Start.¡±

    As soon as thest word, dropped, the old general took out his guns and began to shoot at Darcx, however, the boy was moving around, Darcx was already trained as an assassin in his own secret division, and his speed had increased a lot after the spirit baptism.

    However, the real crux of his movesy in the footwork he was using. The footwork was called cloud dance.

    This set of steps allowed the person to move lightly and flexibly. So while General Crull was trying to turn the target into a sieve, the young man was messing with his brain. Darcx could sense the phaser beams getting closer to his actual position. To break apart from this, he decided to use his spirit energy.

    The spiritual energy augmented his legs and the speed took off. Darcx was first leaving behind a shallow after image, but now, he was leaving behind five after images to confuse the general. The general had the ability called zero-shot.

    It allowed him to shoot every target with great precision, however, he could not use it every time. Darcx moved so fast and so unpredictably, that the old man did not even get the chance to lock onto him.

    Rado Crull suddenly felt danger approaching from behind him, but he just raised his handgun and shot at the void in front. The next second everyone saw, Darcx appeared in front of the old general, he let the phaser beam pass through his right shoulder and his left hand rested on the nape of the enemy.

    While Darcx was critically injured, the old general could have died if the former had not controlled the de. The system spoke up, ¡°Battle ends, Winner, Captain Darcx.¡±

    The old general sighed and retracted his weapon, he turned around and was about to walk away, when he noticed that Darcx did not move. He raised his hand and wanted to check on the guy when the system spoke up again, ¡°Captain Darcx lost consciousness, he is unable to continue.¡±

    The young man fainted from the sudden phaser vibration throughout his body. Soon medics rushed over and they took the unconscious guy back to the infirmary.

    General Edward said, ¡°We call for a strategic time out.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We have no problem.¡±

    The contenders also needed to take some time off, they were going to discuss about the enemy. The time-out was initiated with ten minutes countdown. Shi Lang looked at all his teammates, the four of them, he said, ¡°Next up is Jenks, then Amy, and then Quinn. I will take on the rest of the people, just do not put yourself in harm¡¯s way.¡±

    The three people nodded and they all began to look at the general team, and Quinn said, ¡°It is lively there.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°How will they feel if they found out that we can hear them clearly?¡±

    The distance between the two sides was around twenty meters, yet they could hear what the general team was talking about. Commander Silence heard this statement and wanted to ask what did Jenkins mean, when Shi Lang said, ¡°Boss if I told you that we are the strongest people here, would you believe it?¡±

    Thedy had her eyes wide open, she was shocked at this statement. Shi Lang cast a gaze at the timer and said, ¡°We have nine people to face, while we are four. That means we have to deal with two people on an average.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°I can gost, you know? I do not mind taking on my father.¡±

    Amelia asked, ¡°Will you be able to win?¡±

    The question was simple but the answer was not if he said yes, that will be shameless boasting, and if he said no, he will be grilled for posing. Jenkins decided to stay quiet. The timer stopped and the system voice sounded, ¡°Time out over, please select your candidates.¡±

    The first general said, ¡°Fleet General Tywen Just.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Captain Jenkins Edwards.¡±

    Jenkins stood up and saluted Shi Lang before stepping up on the field. He has already taken off his uniform coat and was wearing a ck t-shirt. The opposition was surprised but that was fine, after all, they were aware that they will have to fight sooner orter.

    Tywen just stood facing Jenkins and the two people bowed slightly to each other when the system said, ¡°Mock Battle, Round three, begin.¡±

    The two people standing in the field vanished from their spots, and they appeared in front of the enemy in the center of the field and their fists collided. The impact shook the people, Jenkins countered the after impact with a soft retreat, and the general on the other side did the same. But the very next moment, the people began to exchange even ferocious blows.

    If the first blow was to be looked at as a testing blow, then this was a full-on brawl, both the people did not hold back and were unleashing attacks insanely fast. Rosa said, ¡°The opponent has the ability to move faster than sound, if Jenkins took a hit from an attack at that speed, he will be injured.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Jenkins is the perfect rival for me, the reason, his ability to iste himself and his opponent. The more focused he is the better he can direct his energy. In my case, as I focus everything around me bes more prominent. This was the reason I asked him to lead this round.¡±

    Rosa nodded and said, ¡°I did not expect this.¡±

    Shi Lang was stumped and said, ¡°Thank you, teacher, I will take this as apliment.¡±

    Rosa Blues rolled her eyes and on the field, the scene was changing. Jenkins was being overpowered by the enemy. However, Jenkins was an opportunist. He was waiting for the enemy to let down his guard and that moment came when Tyven tried to enclose the distance and break the defensive stance of the young man.

    However, at this moment, Jenkins said, ¡°Tiger Brawl.¡±

    The next moment, his aura changed and so did his actions, every w attack of his was pointed at a crucial vital point of the enemy. He was not only fighting back but also moving around. Shi Lang watched this and said, ¡°He is using the footsteps I used against him. This fucker copied my moves.¡±

    The people were shocked, they did not expect such a sudden change. They were even questioned through the telecast tforms if the generals took any bribes. These people were ruthless.

    Jenkins did not care about anything and anyone at the moment, he attacked ferociously, and suddenly, one of his w attacks rubbed past the chest of the enemy general. His shirt tore apart from the center and a puff of blood erupted from the wound.

    The attacks were anything but nice or friendly. The whole thing has suddenly be a war, and this war will not end without seeing blood. If the generals were being supported by their families, then Shi Lang and the rest were being raised by the federation Youth.

    Jenkins did not stop he kept on attacking, and after leaving shallow wounds on the body of the general, he retreated, as the enemy fell down in a puddle of blood leaking from his body. Jenkins did not say or make any move, let his father see what he was and what he was capable of.

    The medical personnel rushed over and carried the injured general over. The system said, ¡°The battle between Fleet General Tyven and Captain Edwards has ended, the winner is captain Edwards.¡±

    Jenkins let out a breath and stood up with his back straight. His father on the other side stepped forward and said, ¡°Fleet General, Cui Shino.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and the anger in his heart surged, could this man not have smiled at him. Anyway, he had decided to break the jaws of every opponent in front of him. The enemy stepped up the field and she faced Jenkins, and the boy was thinking, why does she have a sword on his back. The opponent was ady.

    Suddenly, Jenkins recalled something and clicked his tongue, he said to Shi Lang, ¡°Bro, I think I was adopted.¡±

 Chapter 203

    Shi Lang did not understand what Jenkins meant, he heard Archie Arkham¡¯s voice, ¡°Major Lang, the new opponent is Cui Shino, a sword expert and she is said to have hunted a lot of famous beasts, not only on the federation but on the colonies as well. She is the best hunter in the federation, and she only uses her sword to fight the beasts. Do you think Jenkins can win?¡±

    The young man looked at thedy who stood with a hand gripping the sword and said, ¡°I have no idea if he can win this fight or not, but I know that he still has a card up his sleeves. He will rather lose than give up.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and then they began to focus on the battle in front of them.

    ¡­

    Jenkins gazed at the fleet general in front of him and bowed his head to show respect, he said, ¡°General Cui, please advise.¡±

    Cui Shino was surprised for a moment, and then she smiled. She said, ¡°I will not go easy on you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t have it any other way.¡±, said Cui Shino as she bowed her head to return his gesture of respect.

    Cui Shino was thirty years old at this moment, andparatively young when it came to the old geezers behind her. She was sent ahead in this stage to take down Jenkins, the old people were now aware that this younger generation was not easy to deal with and their n to assert dominance was being jeopardized by these guys.

    The two people stood opposite each other and they assumed a fighting stance, and theputer system said, ¡°Fourth battle, Fleet General Cui versus, Captain Edwards. Battle Begin¡±

    That said, the predictive picture did not appear in front of everyone, Jenkins did not rush in, he was still gazing at thedy and nothing else mattered to him, however, suddenly he sensed a strong wind whistling past his ear, and he rolled to the side in a blink.

    Cui Shino appeared in his spot and with a slight smile, she said, ¡°You are faster than I thought you would be.¡±

    Jenkins stood up but he did not reply. He did not dare to lower his guard against thisdy. The pace of the fight was being controlled by the general, and Jenkins was like a prey hunted by her. He was slowly being pushed into the corner.

    ¡­

    Outside the field, Shi Lang and the others picked up a lot of murmurs from the crowd. They were all pointing fingers at Jenkins. Quinn wanted to shut them up a lot of times, but Shi Lang¡¯s re stopped her. Rosa said, ¡°The fight will end in the next five minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the stage and said with a smirk, ¡°Head Teacher, your prediction is correct, but the winner will be Jenkins.¡±

    Everyone who heard his words wanted to ask him if he was looking at things from a professional point of view. Jenkins was standing on the field with a ragged breath, his body was covered with various shallow cuts. Cui Shino did not go easy on him, but he dodged the attacks at a very close time.

    Cui Shino looked at him and said, ¡°You stood up against me for twelve minutes, it has been a very long time since that has happened. You are strong, but¡­¡±

    She wanted to say not strong enough but Jenkins cut her off, ¡°Come.¡±

    Cui Shino raised her eyebrows, and took up her sword, when she was about to attack, she saw Jenkins changing his stance. The change was not only his stance but his aura, his gaze.

    Everything has gone through a strong change, the sharp contrast was that if he was looking controlled first, now he looked very much like a berserk beast ready to go on a rampage. Cui Shino was surprised for a second. However, she realized what was happening.

    She did not expect this guy to behave like a cornered beast, his energy was all in line with a beast that was about to put up a desperate struggle. She heard a whisper, ¡°Tiger Sutra.¡±

    Tiger Sutra was something Shi Lang had taught to him in the one year they all spent on Arcadia. What was even more, the effect of the spirit energy made this skill even more devastating. You can think of it as a feral beast on steroids.

    When Shi Lang had fought with him in the assessment battle, he did not use the augmentation of the spiritual energy. Cui Shino did not understand the true effect here and said, ¡°It is futile to struggle.¡±

    Jenkins did not hesitate and lowering his shoulders, he moved forward. He was so fast that he had left an afterimage at the spot. Cui Shino sensed danger and wanted to retreat, but she was still one second toote. The people saw a horizontal cut appear on her abdomen.

    The cut wound was not deep, and she was bleeding profusely. However, that was not the end, Jenkins appeared behind her, and shed his ws at her back. Cui Shino tried to turn around and deflect the attack with her de, but Jenkins had infused spirit energy in his attacks and left a horrific mark again.

    Cui Shino was overwhelmed by the burning sensation of the attack on her back. She was a nine-star Terran, and controlling bleeding was an easy task for her, but for how long can she do it? That was unknown. Jenkins was going berserk on her, it was as if he wanted to tear her up to shreds.

    The blood loss and pain had taken a toll on her and Cui Shino was unable to stand firm. Suddenly, Jenkins appeared in front of her and took hold of her neck. He did not mind leaving a few marks on it. He leaned in close to her pretty face and let out a roar in her ear.

    Let alone the whole world, even the first general was shocked at this. He did not expect his son to act like this. Shi Lang said, ¡°If he tried to attack the general anymore, I will call it in.¡±

    Amy and Quinn nodded. Rosa and Archie Arkham were confused but they saw Jenkins leaning in on the General, and he whispered something in her ear. Thedy snapped out of her daze and red at him. Theputer announced, ¡°Contender Cui Shino has lost a lot of blood and thus she will be retiring from the battle. Fourth Mock Battle, Winner, Captain Jenkins.¡±

    The people were all shocked to see this oue. Jenkins had fought with thedy for twenty-five minutes, and now, after the announcement, Jenkins let go of thedy and fell to the ground. The medics all moved at a quick speed and brought the two to medical attention.

    The first general said, ¡°Do you need a break or shall we continue.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We will continue, Sir.¡±

    The general nodded and said, ¡°The next opponent is¡­¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, Sir.¡±, Quinn interrupted the man¡¯s speech. Shi Lang cast a gaze at her and Quinn said, ¡°Sir, If you would allow us, with all due respect, Captain Amelia and I, would like to face, four enemies at the same time. Our special abilities are different, and again with all due respect, it is to give you all a fair chance at holding us down.¡±

    The words sent out an uproar, and not only them but even Shi Lang was shocked to see this, he did not expect the two girls to be doing something like this. He wanted to pursue them to be quiet, and follow the original rules when a general from the other side said, ¡°You say that you respect us, but such a challenge is an act of disrespect.¡±

    Quinn replied, ¡°I apologize, but it was just a suggestion that could save a lot of time. If the council does not agree, then we can follow the old rules?¡¯

    The first General said, ¡°You have courage, I will allow you to go forward with this method.¡±

    The crowd was shocked, and the old people standing behind the first general raised a question, ¡°Why do we have to entertain these green horns?¡±

    General Edward replied, ¡°The reason is simple, appearance. We are the elders, we allowed this mock battle, then these so-called ¡®greenhorns¡¯ took down four of the best in the whole federation. If we deny them this request, then can we be called the elite? That child over there has stated that their abilities are special, that means they are confident in taking you four on at the same time. As the older generation, be magnanimous and encourage them, but not without breaking them. If you think they are being disrespectful then remember, they will be exiled from the federation, that is the best revenge.¡±

    This monologue picked up the spirits of the older people. They turned their gazes at the two girls and took off their coats, they were not going to be easy on these girls.

 Chapter 204

    The four Generals stepped up on the field and they were going to show these little girls the wrath of the military. On the other side, Amelia and Quinn exchanged a look and Rosa said, ¡°Do not give them much of a chance.¡±

    The two of them nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°Amy be careful.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Captain, you are very partial to your fiance.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything, his eyes were focused on the four opponents on the field. The aura he gave off was not something very pleasing to the people. Archie Arkham did not expect him to be like this. She wanted to say something when Amelia said, ¡°I will be fine.¡±

    The young man only let out a slight hum. She said, ¡°Come let us go to the field.¡±

    That said the two girls followed upstairs and while Amelia stood in the front, Quinn stood behind her with ax stance. The people thought the girls were not taking the four generals seriously.

    Theputer system announced, ¡°Fifth Mock Battle, Fleet General Tomb, Fleet General Ayaka, Fleet General Torres, Fleet General Suhya will face, Captain Amelia Knight, and Major Quinn. Battle Begins.¡±

    As soon as the words dropped, Amelia vanished from the people¡¯s sight. The opposition did not look to be too shocked by this. General Torres said, ¡°Tomb, this is up to your alley.¡±

    General Tomb had the ability to detect objects, it was not like how Shi Lang could sense everything around him, or how he could develop a three-dimensional map around himself based on the slightest of fluctuation in the air.

    General Tomb, had a special set of eyes, he could capture the thermal radiation from an object. However, before the old man could react and detect where Amelia was, Quinn acted, she pped her hands and General Tomb froze.

    General Ayaka took out her handgun and was about to aim and take down Quinn, as she was the visible target and they could tell that theirrade was in a bind because of this girl. Amelia, who had been moving around in stealth, shot her handgun. The phaser beam was fired from behind Ayaka, she did not have the time to react.

    Usually, in team battles, the person next to you will make sure to keep your back covered, and the person next to her was Fleet General Suhya. However, this person also did not act, Quinn had taken him under control.

    Quinn was able to control one person earlier and during the time of possession, she will be unconscious and vulnerable. However, Shi Lang had taught her a technique that allowed her to extend her ability to another level and the impact of the ability had increased two-fold, with the perk of keeping her consciousness intact.

    Fleet General Torres did not turn around to save Suhya, he was aware that it was not going to be helpful to him. Suhya had been possessed and all this was linked to Quinn, however, before he could charge and attack the girl.

    Suhya, under the mind control, turned the muzzle of his handgun at the back of the fleet general Torres and fired a shot. Torres had not given up his guard and dodged. His ability was speed, and thus he could react faster.

    As Torres dodged the attack, Ayaka took one shot and fell unconscious. The handguns were set at stun phaser. Amelia changed targets, Quinn took away her control from Fleet General Tomb and captured General Torres.

    Amelia shot at Fleet General Tomb and stunned him as well. Due to being mind-controlled, Tomb did not have the power to react so quickly. The next to go down was Torres. Suhya had broken free from the mind-control and had begun to teleport around the ce.

    Quinn needed a steady target to lock on to, but Suhya did not give her the chance. He focused on taking out this girl since he would not be able to detect the invisible Amelia, he would be trapped in a bind. Two against one, that too when the opponent were two girls who had taken down three of the best in the whole federation in a matter of seconds.

    This was going to be a shameful moment for the general council and they will not have any chance to win. Suhya moved quickly and soon he came closer to Quinn. He had been trying to stun her but stun required the shooter to be in closer proximity.

    As soon as he came in the range of stunning the girl, he froze. Amelia had stunned him, she had made a calction, that with the ability to teleport through the field, she would not be able to predict the point he will re-appear, so she stood her ground and she took aim at the radius of the effective stun range around Quinn.

    As soon as the target appeared in this range and took more than a blink, she will take him out. That was what she did. In simpler terms, Suhya was done. As soon as the fourth General fell to the ground, the system announced, ¡°Winner, Captain Amelia Knight, and Major Quinn.¡±

    The whole federation hade to a stop. They did not expect these girls, who seemed to be arrogant, to back their attitude with their skills. The impact of this battle was shocking, the people did not know how to express what they were feeling.

    Let alone the civilians, even the retired or on-duty soldiers did not know what to say. This level of skill was not only strategy but alsomitment and confidence. After the announcement, Shi Lang took the lead in p and apuse for this short but shocking battle.

    The surrounding field also became the same. The people were excited to see the two girls take down the stronger Fleet Generals. Amelia and Quinn bowed their heads to the people and then they walked down back to Shi Lang¡¯s side.

    Amelia said, ¡°See, nothing happened?¡±

    Shi Lang patted her head like she was a child and said, ¡°Good for them.¡±

    Quinn rolled her eyes and Shi Lang smiled. The first general asked, ¡°May I ask, why have the two of them stepped down? The battle is still on, right?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Sir, we would like to give a chance to our captain.¡±

    The people were surprised, to see her announce the withdrawal and forfeit in such a casual manner. They did not expect this. General Edwards nodded and said, ¡°Well, then Major Shi Lang, would you like toe up?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and took off his coat as he said, ¡°I have been waiting eagerly.¡±

    His battle spirit was almost going to make his barge on the field and unleash on the generals. He took off the coat and walked over flexing his arms. His muscles all looked so condensed and strong that many people were surprised, this young man was obviously much thinner than the people of his age group, howe he had such condensed muscles.

    Amelia let out a low whistle when she saw this and said, ¡°Instructor Rosa, Commander Silence. How about a bet?¡±

    The twodies were shocked. Rosa said, ¡°I have seen his battles before, do you think I will not be able to make an estimate of his fight?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°Will we not know, if after the matches?¡±

    Rosa was intrigued, she said, ¡°Shi Lang will win the first fights within ten minutes.¡±

    Commander Silence said, ¡°The opponents are called the Trinity. Even if they take action one by one, they will not be so weak, even if he wins, I think he will take fifteen minutes.¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°The first two opponents will have only one minute, and I bet all my life savings, that is two million credits.¡±

    Quinn said, ¡°Fuck, girl have you gone mad? You are basically throwing all that money, right?¡±

    Amelia smiled and did not say anything. Rosa was surprised and after some thought, she said, ¡°I will push in two million credits as well.¡± she was aware that Quinn will question her so she said, ¡°I earned from the stock market, I have stocks in Neomonian market and Federal Market as well. I can still love well.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°Fine, I will push in the same amount.¡±

    She was low-key rich too. The sry of the secret divisions was not small. Amelia smiled and said, ¡°Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang turned to look at her and the girl raised her finger and mouthed some words to him. The young man turned around to gaze at the first enemy and nodded. The threedies on his side thought that he was just ying along.

    The system announced, ¡°Sixth Mock Battle, Major Shi Lang, versus, Fleet General Alucard. The battle begins.¡±

    Shi Lang moved and so did the pale-looking man in front of him. The two had the same speed, however, just when the man was trying to use his special skills, the blood control, Shi Lang infused spirit energy in his body, and dash in closer to his body.

    The next moment, General Alucard received abination of attacks to his stomach, liver, and nose. He reeled back from the impact of spirit energy fists, but at this moment Shi Lang grabbed his hands and pulled him closer as he jumped and drove his knee into the face of the opponent.

 Chapter 205

    Shi Lang¡¯s aggressive strategy shocked the people, they could not believe him to be so fearsome. The young man showed no fear on his face, his actions were smooth and they were all direct. He did not seem to treat his opponent as a glorified general of the federation.

    The knee delivered to the chin has made the General blurry in his senses. Shi Langnded and took quick strides and positioned himself behind the man, held his waist in his arms, and gave the man an overhead guillotine drop. The force was so strong that the ground was cratered by the impact.

    However, Shi Lang did not stop, he raised the general¡¯s body again after he rolled over to his feet and after raising it high.

    BANG!!

    He shoved it down to the ground. The impact was thrice harder than before. The crater deepened, Shi Lang climbed over to the torso of the general and after he sped his hands under his legs, he began to drop fist bombs on his face.

    The barrage was followed by clicking sounds, and many small cuts visible on the general¡¯s face. Shi Lang had attacked the vital spots, the disfigured nose, and swollen temples were the evidence of it. However, none could object, in a war, it was very much possible for the strong people to die before they even get the chance to show off their skills.

    Shi Lang slowed down, and he could tell what was happening, his face was turning pale. He sighed and tapped a few acupoints on the general¡¯s body below him. The eyes of the general widened, he was in pain before, but now he was in agony.

    Alucard was able to control the blood flow of his opponents by manipting his own blood flow and triggering the mirror neurons of a subject. Every biological being had a very small number of mirror neurons in the body, these neurons allow them to learn and copy a few subconscious habits that they see around them.

    However, now, Shi Lang had just blocked the veins responsible for circting the blood through the heart of the General under his legs. This situation could only be solved by either submission or cardiac arrest.

    Fleet General Alucard did not know how his ability was seen through by this young man, but he was in a bind. To think that it has only been forty seconds since the battle had begun. Just when the fleet general decided to use his ability to circte the blood without letting it go through the heart. Shi Lang took out a knife from his boot holder and the de tip was ced on his chest.

    The knife was the same drill-like de. Shi Lang said, ¡°Submit, or I will leave you in the half-dead state.¡±

    His cold voice subdued the re inside the fleet general. The man had faced a lot of death and life situations, but today his fear was refreshed. He nodded and using his hands, he tapped the floor repeatedly.

    The systems announced, ¡°Fleet General Alucard submits, Winner, Major Shi Lang.¡±

    The people were shocked, while Amelia was smirking. She said, ¡°His skills were not disyed in Arcadia. That was just a warm-up, after a year of cultivation, you will see how terrifying he is.¡±

    Rosa said, ¡°You will not let me retire from the bet, will you?¡±

    Amelia shook her head as she chuckled. Quinn gulped a mouthful of saliva and said, ¡°Thank god I did not take a part in the bet.¡±

    Archie Arkham did not say anything, she did not mind losing, but she wanted to see the extent of the skills this young man had.

    Shi Lang stood up from the torso of the defeated Fleet General, and the medical staff came over to carry the wounded to safety. The first general said, ¡°The next opponent, Fleet General Creed.¡±

    Shi Lang had an impression of this man, it was said that he had the power to take down mountains with just one fist. He has never suffered a wound, and he has always been calm during his fights, except for the first general, this guy has never lost to everyone. Even Alucard was only able to tie him up.

    It was not only his skills to deal damage, but also to take damage that scared the people. This guy was said to have multiple abilities, such as shock absorption and super strength. He was a tall man, taller than the average Terran. Shi Lang was two meters tall yet he could only reach the chest of this guy.

    The burly muscles and steady strides of this man gave a sense of oppression to the people who watched him.

    ¡­

    Archie Arkham asked, ¡°Do you think, he will still be able to get this over with in a minute?¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°Just watch.¡±

    ¡­

    Fleet General Creed stood in front of Shi Lang, both of them looking at each other right in the eye withplete indifference. Theputer system said, ¡°Mock Battle number seven, Fleet General Creed, vs. Major Shi Lang. Battle Begins.¡±

    Creed vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Shi Lang. Thetter did not seem to be able to react to this speed. Creed raised his right leg to kick Shi Lang in the waist, but the young man raised his left foot and pressed it against the iing leg.

    Creed was blocked, but he raised his right hand to punch Shi Lang in the face. Thetter used a palm knife against the bicep of the opponent and this attack was also blocked. None of them had retracted their limbs at this moment, and the general shot his left fist to punch, unsurprisingly, he was met with a simr blocking action.

    It was not that he could not retract his limbs but it was Shi Lang, who had manipted the spiritual energy flow and tied the limbs in their ces. Using the free leg he jumped and released the other leg of the General from his binds.

    Then he twisted his body and the next moment he was sitting on the neck of the Fleet General. The people were shocked, they did not understand what this guy was going to do. However, that did not stop Shi Lang from doing what he had in his mind.

    He held the arms of the taller man in his grip and using them as leverage, he began to exert pressure around the neck of the general, using his thighs. That was not all, he was even exerting the spiritual energy from his thighs to bind the neck of the general and squeeze the neck harder.

    It has not even been twenty seconds and he was trying to choke the person. He did not use blind force, The general was capable of holding his breath for prolonged periods, however, if the diaphragm was impacted, the effort will be affected if not failed. Shi Lang was kicking his heels in the abdomen of the general, so what if he had the ability to absorb shock?

    His body will still sense the shock, and that was enough for him to achieve his goal. Creed tried his best to shake off the guy, however, Shi Lang very cleverly used Creed¡¯s own hands to regain the bnce. In the end, Creed decided to m the body to the ground. But how could Shi Lang let that happen?

    He snorted and let go of the spirit binds from the hands, twisted his body around the neck like a snake. The people found that when the general was mming himself backward, the young man was dangling in front of his torso,pletely safe from the impact of the m. Shi Lang had used his spirit energy to enforce his legs to avoid the impact on them.

    Creed made a mistake, when mming he let go of his breath from the impact of the floor against his muscles, and Shi Lang caught this hole and he exertedplete pressure around the neck. Creed tried to put up a struggle, he tried to punch Shi Lang, grab him, and fluttered, but the young man restrained him.

    The more Creed struggled, the stronger the grip around his neck became. Shi Lang did not stop, until the motion slowed down, it was the fiftieth second, when the system announced, ¡°General Creed has fainted and is unable to continue, Winner, Major Shi Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang fell to the side and the medical personnel took away Creed to the side. The young many t on the ground and he did not move much, but only caught his breath. Even more, he restored his spiritual energy from the atmosphere. Subduing this titan was not an easy task for him and the binds have consumed a lot of spiritual energy.

    ¡­

    Amelia smiled beautifully and said, ¡°I would like you to pay up, seniors.¡±

    Rosa clicked her tongue and said, ¡°Money Grubber.¡±

 Chapter 206

    Shi Lang caught up his breath and stood up from his breath. He got up and found that the First General has stepped up on the field, and he was not wearing his military coat. This was enough to know that the man was talking business.

    General Edwards said, ¡°You did a good job. I did not expect your skills to be so good.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you for your praise, Sir.¡±

    Theputer system announced, ¡°Mock Battle Final Round, Fleet General Edwards, versus Major Shi Lang. Battle Begins.¡±

    Mock battles allowed the people topete to the very end of things. The result did not depend on the aggregate of the battles yed before. People participated in the mock battle as a group but the scores were based on individual fights.

    Unlike the other fights, Shi Lang and the General did not make an advance this time to reach each other quickly. They did not seem to be eager to start the battle. They both were standing idly, no one could predict what was going through their minds.

    No one thought that any one of them was scared, they could perceive the aura of battle radiating from their bodies.

    ¡­

    Rosa, Archie Arkham, and Amelia were watching the scene with solemn expressions and Quinn said, ¡°The battle of wits.¡±

    The other three nodded, and at this time. Darcx and Jenkins came over with some bandages over their wounds. They had used the advanced healing procedures in the infirmary, and right now only had some serious wounds left from being healed.

    On the other side, all the generals had gathered as well. They all knew that their fates have been doomed, but if the young man, who barged inside the general council meeting, was able to defeat the first general, then the Federal Military will undergo an unprecedented change.

    They did not know if the future will be dark or will it be well illuminated, however, they will have no power to control anything.

    ¡­

    Theputer system said, ¡°It has been detected that the two contenders have not made any moves for the past ten minutes. The system will now enter the quick fight mode. If the oue of the battle is not achieved within five minutes, then the system will deem this battle a draw.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and he leaned forward, the first general also had the same reaction and he also moved. The two people were waiting for the battle to enter the quick mode so that they can use their best cards to deal with each other.

    While Shi Lang was showing his respect to the man in front of him, the person who had inspired him to aim high ever since he was a child. Well, as a Terran, General Edwards was the epitome of sess.

    On the other hand, General Edwards did this to encourage the young man in front of him. Taking down two of the best people in the federal military within a minute did not need strength but also wits.

    The people did not even notice their movements but they were shaken by the shockwave set from the punch they exchanged.

    BOOM!!

    The punch they exchanged shocked the people and the ground. The impact was so strong that they both had to take a few steps back to calm it down. Shi Lang and General Edwards smiled at each other and when the first general directly assumed his famous hero stance. Shi Lang also did the same.

    Only Jenkins, Amelia, and Rosa were not surprised when they saw this. Everyone else did not know the details of how Shi Lang knew this and neither did they know what was the implications of this. The First General asked, ¡°Do you know the meaning behind this stance?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Everyone has a different brain, and the same thing can have a different meaning in different visions.¡±

    His reply was nothing short of diplomacy but it made the first general nod, after all, this was the profundity of the statement. If you were a rich person, you will seek luxury, but if you are starving, you will find a soiled bun to be the heavenly nector. Different people, in different situations, will have different opinions.

    Archie Arkham asked, ¡°How much power of that stance, can Shi Lang extract?¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°Two years ago, at school, he could take out twenty percent. However, he has changed a lot since then. This stance of his may look simr to the one of my father, but the idea is different. He is not a hero, he is a survivor, a hero strives to sacrifice himself, while a survivor sacrifices everything while striving for life.

    This may put Shi Lang in the selfish part of the world, however, he only looks for survival in battle. Only when you survive do you win a battle.¡±

    The maskeddy nodded. On the side, Darcx asked, ¡°Yo Jenks, why is fleet general Cui looking at you as if you are some treasure?¡±

    Jenkins coughed up and said, ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Quinn raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°Good job Jenks.¡±

    The young man shook his head trying to pretend himself look innocent.

    Soon the focus again turned to the battle on the field. The two people were attacking each other ferociously. They had begun to use their whole bodies as a set of arms.

    The first General was attacking really fast, however, Shi Lang was moving between the defense and offense modes. His stance was impably close to what the first general was using, however, there was a stark difference between the two people.

    Shi Lang¡¯s attacks were all aimed at the vital points and they were damaging the general deeply since the person seemed to have put the term defense in the back of his mind. The young man was making the spectator¡¯s blood boil.

    He had yet to take a single hit from the general that could make him take a step back. On the contrary, his solemn steps were pushing back the general. None of the people could digest the fact that Shi Lang was pushing back the first general despite fighting in a bnced mode.

    He was using all sorts of methods to dispel the impact of the attacks, hard and soft, grapple, dodge, and block. It was as if Shi Lang was the encyclopedia ofbat arts and his actions were as precise as aputer.

    The people did not know what to say about this young man. It was like a war robot ced in front of the first general.

    ¡­

    Rosamented, ¡°I had no idea this kid was hiding so deep. I mean, look at him. Going head to head against that barrage? How is this possible. I cannot even see the punches and kicks thrown by the first general.¡±

    Archie Arkham said, ¡°Neither can he, look at his eyes.¡±

    The people only found out now that the eyes of the young man had been closed, and they had no idea. Amelia said, ¡°He is using his ability to the limits. Sensing the movements of the opponent from the fluctuation in the atmosphere around him.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, ¡°That exins it. I cannot think of any other method that can allow him this muchbat ability. However, all his attacks are precise, he has dealt more damage to the First General than the other person has done to him.¡±

    ¡­

    General Edwards was circting his blood to the limits along with the spiritual energy too. Shi Lang wanted to notify him that this method will do him more harm than help in the long run, but he did not have the time. He was busy dealing with the attacks thrown at him.

    Thinking of something, Shi Lang started to infuse his spiritual energy into his attacks, and the first general began to slow down. The spiritual energy channeled from the attacks made by Shi Lang was acting like a dam to obstruct the flow of spiritual energy inside the First Generals body.

    General Edwards was running on an empty tank all of a sudden. Shi Lang closed in on him and said, ¡°I know that you will not give up so easily, Sir. Your pride stops you. So, allow me to help you out.¡±

    Shi Lang put up the standard military boxing stance and rushed at the first general. He weaved his head from right to left, lowered his center of gravity, and when he was almost sticking to the body of the first general, his left fist connected to the ribcage of the former.

    This was not a normal punch, Shi Lang had increased the output of spiritual energy from his body, and sent it all directly inside the first general from the point of contact. The sudden infusion caused the whole body to shake, and the blood flow was also affected.

    The first General did not expect this sort of force from this young man, it was stronger than himself. The next thing was a right fist connected directly to his chin. This punch sent the senses of the General into disarray. No matter how strong the Terran race might be, the fundamental body was still the same as that of the humans.

    As the general reeled back from the blow, Shi Lang took two steps, and then he took a light jump and a beautiful straight punchnded on the nose bridge of General Edwards.

    The stinging pain blinded him for a reason, as the general quickly controlled his neurons and stopped the pain receptors, Shi Lang had already ced a de in his throat.

 Chapter 207

    In the end, General Edwards was defeated. However, the young man did note out of it unharmed. As soon as the monitoring system announced the result, his body gave way. The ces where he has taken some harsh attacks started to bleed.

    Shi Lang was keeping these spots under control by his will of the Terran and some spiritual energy. Although the wounds were shallow and did not hinder his motions, they still existed. The effect of spiritual energy was that they had already started to heal.

    The first general said, ¡°The bet will be fulfilled after a week. I will put you in the head position and you will be responsible for the future appointments. I may step back, but remember, if the federation suffered even the slightest under your hands, I will have you removed, forever.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will ask you to sit in the background. Share the load of the secret divisions. Watch over the new generation, and guide them in times of trouble.¡±

    General Edwards nodded and then they both walked back to their teams. The people on the sidelines apuded them. Shi Lang and the others have changed the history of mock battles. They have also disyed the strength of the youth as well. This was not going to be an easy thing for them to maintain.

    After today a lot of people wille up and try to challenge them, after all, they all would think that if these young people can take down the General Council then some other youth or old person can take them down. Even if they do not get to sit at the table of the council, they will still be given a chance to boast if they defeated the new champions of the civilization.

    ¡­

    Time passed in a blink and the week hase to an end, after long discussions in the past seven days, the parliament decided to allow this big change on a probation basis but all the old fleet generals were asked to stay on stand by. If the new council failed to work up to the expectations. They will be called back.

    This was a huge thing, and the pressure was great too. Shi Lang did not want to sit down at the table, but he was going to change the council as they knew it. In the old council room, Shi Lang sat on the head chair, with Fleet General Charlotte Knight, Instructor Rosa, and Archie Arkham.

    His friends had unanimously decided to step back, as they did not think they were suitable to take control of such a big task just yet.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°There are a few things that I would need your help with, Commander Silence.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and Shi Lang continued, ¡°Find me the best men from the top brass of all twelve fleets. Check them thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly. Their character, merit, crimes, bad habits, and good habits, temperament, and cultivation levels. Even if they do not stand out, if they are able to stand along with everyone else and still maintain their distinctiveness, I want their names on my table. You can freely use the other secret divisions for the investigations.¡±

    Thedy was surprised, then she stood up and saluted Shi Lang, ¡°Yes Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, then he turned his face to the instructor and said, ¡°Lieutenant General Rosa, I would like you to gather a unit of the technology department, and have them develop awork that can separate the identity of every secret division operative. The secret division operatives will have two identities.

    One will be their on-duty identity and the other will be their civilian identity. This will allow them a better cover, and better scope to act in secret. After the government has disclosed the news, it has be a pain for them. At the same time, develop a device that can cloak the face better than the mask and also something to keep all the visor features of the secret division mask intact. Can you do that within a week?¡±

    Rosa Blues was surprised, but after some thought, she nodded and said, ¡°It will be done, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then he looked at General Knigth and said, ¡°General, I would like you toe up with a n like camp Ragnarok, but something more suitable for an average soldier. Something that makes them stronger and does not break them. Also, please call over the team from Camp Ragnarok, they are to report here tomorrow morning, and it would be nice if they wore uniforms.¡±

    Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°Consider it done, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and leaned back in his chair. He said, ¡°The next thing I want to discuss is the topic of transparency. Our Federal military does not recruit the natives from the colonizeds. This is a sort of istion for them. If we had more forces, then we might not have to be so dependent on the alliance.

    Arcadia, Neomon, I do not think of them as an enemy, but I do not like the fact that we had to band together in face of some stupid conceited fools. Find me talents from all the colonies, and have them trained, assimte them into our forces. I do not wish to see any discrimination, as they only hinder prosperity.

    Make sure that the message is conveyed to the normal military that we need to unite or I will personally weld them together.¡±

    Thest sentence was a threat, but it was conveyed to the threedies. Archie Arkham raised her hand, Shi Lang nodded and she asked, ¡°Sir, how do you intend to achieve this, we will have no idea of what is happening on the frontiers. You know that the frontier forces are very united. They might act discriminatingly, and not report this. What then?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Rather than have the secret divisions go forward to investigate the cases, use the new face mask gadget or any method that you can and get inside the frontier forces. These undercover operatives will be the eyes of providence. Have them all call in such acts as soon as they discover it.¡±

    His words shocked the people, they had never thought of such a solution. The impact of this will change theplete structure of the federal military. Shi Lang went on to say, ¡°We have enough numbers in the secret divisions to nt inside the frontier forces. We have twelve fleets and twelve secret division, assign one secret division to one fleet for monitoring.¡±

    Charlotte Knight raised her hand and said, ¡°I object. This arrangement will breach the borders between the two departments. This has never happened.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I understand what you mean, General Charlotte, neither is it my motive to question the integrity of the soldiers. What I am suggesting here is for the two people to work together to make things better.

    The frontier forces have a fear for the secret divisions, I intend to utilise this fear, without fear there is no obedience. You know that better than me.¡±

    His words werepelling. However, the impact was not too big, he said, ¡°Fine, I will make a concession and leave this for hold on till the generals of the new council are appointed. We will take a vote.¡±

    General Charlotte nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°In the exploratory regions provide the troops with advanced weapons. Also, clear up the hostiles, if necessary.¡±

    General Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°I will have the logistics department look into this.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the meeting continued. Finally after an hour, an assigned adjutant led Shi Lang to his office. The young man looked at the clean stable and essed his holop, and then he sighed.

    The boy spent the whole day dealing with clerical stuff. When he was finished with his works, he got out of the office and was surrounded by the media dogs.

    He sighed and with a faint smile he said, ¡°Alright everyone, lets us do it one by one?¡±

    The media was happy to get answers.

    ¡°General Lang, why did you initiate the mock battle with the general council?¡±, asked a reporter.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I was not very happy with the position they were giving me. So, enraged it directly challenged them.¡±

    The straightforward attitude shocked the people, they did not expect him to say such a thing. Another reporter asked, ¡°What do you intend to do with the new council.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°The old system is effective but we need to update ourselves with the times.¡±

    The hint was very obvious, the entire federal military was going to be overhauled from this point forward. While the questions were answered the entire federation was boiling with anticipation. They all wanted to see, what change will this young man bring them.

    Shi Lang on the other hand was thinking if he could find someone to rece himself in the office.

 Chapter 208

    Shi Lang brushed off the media and walked away in a Federal Vehicle. The ss andfort of the vehicle were not something he has ever experienced. The driver was a military veteran, an old man with the Seven-star Cultivation.

    The old man asked, ¡°Sir, how was the first day at work?¡±

    Shi Lang replied while gazing outside the window, ¡°It was too nd. I had no idea the things in the military were so bothersome. Thankfully this was just for today, after a few meetings tomorrow, I will go to the front.¡±

    The old man smiled and said, ¡°The things at the front are not going to be as easy as this documentation stuff, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°How can I not know? The people in the frontier army are not so easy to subdue. However, if they take it with a smile then fine, otherwise, I will have to convince them with virtue.¡±

    The old man nodded slightly. The word virtue meant power. The power of a soldier, as the two people talked Shi Lang learned that the old man was called, Thomas Shelton. He was a soldier from the first fleet after he suffered from a st that took a toll on his spine, he was asked to retire, but as an army man, he did not wish to give up and was assigned to drive the first general and at the same time act as his bodyguard on the ground.

    Shi Lang was impressed by this valor. Not many people wish to stay in service after something drastic happens to them. However, this did not mean, Shi Lang, trusted this person. After the vehicle reached the destination, an independent vi in the neighborhood where General Charlotte lived, he alighted the vehicle and looked at the new home.

    This ce was called the General Residence. The appointed generals of all twelve fleets stayed here when they were on the. General Edwards had done so much for the federation that the government had awarded him a separate residence in the colonial Federation.

    Shi Lang moved inside the house and found that his parents were sitting in the living room. He asked, ¡°Where did M go?¡±

    Luna, his mother, raised her head and said, ¡°She went to the cafe, it has been a few days and the business was being affected.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Shi John asked, ¡°How was the day at work?¡±

    The young man took off his coat and said, ¡°Tiring.¡±

    He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching him and a soft curve surfaced on his lips. He said, ¡°Did you not leave for the posting?¡±

    The person who approached him was Amelia, she stood behind him and started to gently squeeze his shoulders as she said, ¡°No, I will leave tomorrow.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°How are the others?¡±

    ¡°Jenkins and Darcx went back to report to their divisions, Quinn has been reassigned as your adjutant. She was pissed at first but then she said, it will be helpful to learn about you, and then she will defeat you in a duel.¡±, said Amelia.

    Shi Lang chuckled and asked, ¡°Will you be fine?¡±

    His question was rted to themand issued today, to clear up Ao. That was where amelia will be reporting. It would be a lie to say that he was not worried or not thinking about her when he gave themand.

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°I will be fine. Do not worry too much. Also, what do you n to do with the first fleet? They will not ept just anyone, you know?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°This is the reason the change was needed, the soldiers need to remember that they do not serve the general, but they serve the federation. That is all.¡±

    Amelia nodded and leaned down close to his ear and whispered, ¡°Mom said that the Gctic Council will be looking for you as the head of the General Council. She also said that you must not underestimate their strength because we got away from the Arcadian Fiasco.¡±

    Shi Lang leaned his cheek closer to hers and said, ¡°I will be mindful.¡±

    The couple seemed to have forgotten that the two old people were sitting in the living room as they shared a moment of affection before they set out of the home to go to work. Luna shook her head and cleared her throat to awaken the two from their bliss.

    Amelia blushed and after greeting the two people, ran away. Shi Lang looked at his mother and said, ¡°I see that you do not wish to hold a granddaughter soon. Fine with me.¡±

    Then he stood up and went to his room, leaving a stunned set of parents. Luna said, ¡°This boy is getting more and more rebellious. Is he finallying around?¡±

    Shi John almost spewed the tea out of his mouth.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Shi Lang was ready to go to work, he found and told his parents that he will note back home but directly leave the office. Thomas Shelton stood at the door to receive him. The vehicle used by the generals was the fastest on-road vehicle on the and they all also had separatenes for the vehicles so the transit was even smoother.

    When Shi Lang reached his office, he found that Quinn was already present. She saw himing and saluted him in a crisp fashion and said, ¡°Colonel Hayley Dupont, reporting for duty, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised when this girl used her own identity for the introduction. He said, ¡°At ease, Colonel. Follow me.¡±

    The girl nodded and followed him to the office. Shi Lang sat down on the chair behind the big table and asked, ¡°You can speak freely when it is just us. What¡¯s up with the change in your name?¡±

    Hayley said, ¡°Well, my father came through to disclose the true identity. So¡­¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Fine with me. Can you have the four people sitting outside to meet me march in?¡±

    Hayley nodded and walked outside to call for the four officers. When Hayley looked at all these people, she was shocked, their auras were too thick and bloody for her. At this moment, they were all gloomy. She gulped and said, ¡°The general has called you all in.¡±

    The four people stood up and marched inside the cabin. Hayley followed her quickly, she was curious about the identity of these four people. Four people stood up in a neat queue and then saluted Shi Lang as they said, ¡°Colonel Carlos (Yuu, John, Dalia) reporting, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°At ease. Remember I promised that one day I will have you all salute me?¡±

    The four people nodded. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Colonel Yuu, and Colonel Dalia, please have a seat.¡±

    He looked at the gloomy men, and said, ¡°I will not hide it from you all, but the fact is that I am very hateful toward the two of you. Anyways, getting back to business. Colonel Yuu, I would like to ask if you can take over the position as the instructor of the martial arts in the Federation Star Academy?¡±

    Yuu was surprised, she asked, ¡°Sir, why me?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I learned from you, although I have the talent, the extraction of that talent was made possible when you ground me. By the time the students get recruited and can get some real experience, they are already too much set in their ways. If they receive better martial training from an early phase of education. You will not have to be so hard on them. Camp Ragnarok focuses on enhancing the quality of the soldiers, so do it slowly and instill your skills in the youth slowly. This way we will have a better mortality rate and a better future for the soldiers.¡±

    The people were shocked when they heard his words. However, the logic was sound. Yuu thought for a bit and nodded. She said, ¡°I will take this task, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Colonel Hayley, contact Principal Stevenson at the FSA and tell him about this.¡±

    Then he turned his head to Dalia and asked, ¡°Would you like to stay with Colonel Yuu? There will be a lot of broken bones. If you can negotiate with the principal, then he might allow you to coach a few people. You can even boast that you trained me.¡±

    The offer was a tant temptation for Dalia, and she had no idea to protest against it. She said, ¡°I thought you will never ask me.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°Colonel John and Colonel Carlos, you are to depart for the secret divisions called Shadow Executioners and conduct special training for the operators. Then after a few months, then you go to another division and the same process.¡±

    This was a silent punishment for the two men. They could only grit there teeth.

 Chapter 209

    Shi Lang ignored the bitter expressions on the faces of the two men. He asked Hayley to get the documentation stuff going for the arrangement. He also mentioned a few things for Colonel Carlos to train a special division of people, expertizing in survival. These officers will have to lead the senior year students from the schools outside in the wild to learn a few things from experience.

    Since the federation was implementing military education from a young age, then he might as well help them improve the system a bit. After the four instructors were assigned. Dalia asked, ¡°Sir, may I ask something?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and thedy asked, ¡°Did you deliberately arrange for the two men to go outside?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they were the ones responsible for providing me bad intel during my graduation assignment. I have no reason to spare them. Also, the skillset theymand, it is better for them to be the traveling monks and promote knowledge.¡±, replied the young man.

    Hayley, who had been outside the office arranging things knocked on the door and asked, ¡°General, may Ie in?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hayley walked in and passed on the tablet to the two women sitting in the chair. They read the orders and then signed them digitally. Hayley said, ¡°Sir, the Cab Minister for education has arrived.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will see him in five minutes.¡±

    Hayley agreed and then after a salute she walked out of the cabin. Yuu and Dalia also exchanged a few words and left the ce. The reason Shi Lang did not hide anything in front of them was that these four people were driven by their motives to reach the peak of their fields. They were a version of urban monks.

    John and Carlos had not said anything ever since they stepped inside. John was an introvert, and Carlos was a rogue he did not speak because he could not speak without profanities from his mouth.

    Shi Lang did not have to wait for long after people left, an old man with a calm andposed temperament walked inside the Cabin with Hayley. Shi Lang shook hands with the man and offered him a seat. The topic of their meeting was to abolish the discriminative rights allowed to the battle ss.

    His words carried a great weight now, he was the first general of the Federation. After two hours the educational minister found out that in the long term, they were brewing a storm in the house. If one day the technological department gave up, and the growth of the Federation stopped, then they will surely be crushed under their own weight. Shi Lang had stated it clearly that if the battle sses in every school are given so many privileges, then they will run rampant.

    After the discussion, the minister of education understood what he needed to do. The old man departed and Shi Lang spend a few hours on the pending documentation processes. Then he stood up and walked out.

    The soldiers passing the side would salute him and the young man responded with a nod. When he moved out of the office building he found Hayley standing outside with her briefcase. He asked, ¡°What are you holding there, Adjutant Hayley?¡±

    The girl rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Is it not a spar of battle suits to be carried on a person every time we are outside?¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so. Well, you have worked hard.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    He was about to call for his vehicle when a slender ck lev-car stopped in front of him. The old man stepped out of the driver¡¯s seat and opened the back seat. Shi Lang said, ¡°After you.¡±

    Hayley stepped forward and sat down in the back seat. Shi Lang gestured for the old man to go andmand the steering as he went around to sit inside the vehicle. The driver was about to ask where they were headed when Shi Lang said, ¡°Spaceport.¡±

    ¡­

    As the first general Shi Lang was given a ship of his own, and a protection detail of dedicated to his security only. He looked at all the people wearing ck uniforms, standing outside the ship. He sighed and said, ¡°The aura they project is too baleful.¡±

    Hayley nodded and said, ¡°Did they ask them to swim through oceans of blood?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We are about to find out.¡±

    They boarded a ship with hundred men in ck uniforms and maroon berets. The ship docked up with another ship outside the federal gravitational pull. This ship was the dedicated vehicle for the first general. It was equipped with thetest defense and offense equipment.

    The ship started and space jumped a total of twenty times before they arrived closer to the base camp. The first fleet had made thest at the borders as their base camp. This point was tactically very helpful for them, and the enemy too.

    On this side of the territory, they have been facing constant attacks and attempts of invasion from a species of humanoid lizards. These creatures were called Zergs. They have been held back by the First Fleet at a great cost. However, now it was up to Shi Lang.

    The young man had been studying the matter from the time he had boarded the ship to this ce. He had learned the ins and outs of the situation. Shi Lang caressed his forehead when he thought of the problems ahead of him.

    Hayley served him a ss of tea and asked, ¡°What is making you worried?¡±

    ¡°The mountain of trouble I am about to face.¡±, replied Shi Lang.

    Hayley was surprised, and asked, ¡°What mountain?¡±

    Shi Lang took the cup of tea and rolled his eyes as he blew over it gently. He gave the cup a gentle twirl and said, ¡°Subduing the forces, then we have the hostile neighbors, Zergs. At the same time, the first fleet is the biggest and it will have thergest numbers of internal disputes as well.¡±

    Hayley nodded and said, ¡°Is that why you were asking for the intervention of the Secret divisions inside the frontier forces?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The secret divisions do not have much to do, seventy percent of the forces are always on stand-by. The rest keep on training and training. How many domestic affairs are there for them to deal with or how many special cases? This is the waste of a good force.¡±

    Hayley nodded and said, ¡°I can understand what you mean, but if you look at it from the point of view of the Frontier Army, will it not be a bit too distrustful to them that they are under scrutiny? After all, they are risking their lives for the civilians.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Is that not the reason why I said we will discuss this again when the new council has been formed.¡±

    Hayley nodded and the ship descended on the base camp, this was called Frontier. Shi Lang and the people got down from the ship and the young man looked around and sighed, ¡°They did not take care of the greenery at all, did they?¡±

    He stood facing the higher-ups of the first fleet, but he was focused on the red color of the ground. These people were the major links of themand chain. Shi Lang could sense their dissatisfaction with him. He sighed and said, ¡°It is going to be a brawl.¡±

    Hayley nodded, and said, ¡°Well, the general did not use his ability against you. They must think that you got it easily.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, however, the first general¡¯s ability is a little too destructive, at the same time the after-effects on the general must also be taken into consideration. After all, the source of the ability bears the most strain from it.¡±

    Hayley nodded and the people moved. Shi Lang came to stand in front of the deputy generals and other important characters of the fleet, but none of the people were willing to salute him. He could see the tant disdain in their eyes. He smiled and said, ¡°You people are very discordant that I got to sit on your heads, I understand, I would feel the same. I also know that you all think just because the General did not lose his ability, I won the battle, right? We must have a training field here, right? Let¡¯s go, you can express all that you have.¡±

    Hayley did not think that the young man will take the initiative to throw the gauntlet. However, this was a good way to tell the people that he was not afraid.

    Behind the Deputy General and Young Adjutant said, ¡°Hmph, just you. Are you worthy?¡±

    Shi Lang did not move when Hayley directly shed and delivered a crushing kick between the legs of the soldier. The person did not have the strength to even cry. The people did not expect this girl to be so fast. Hayley came back to stand behind Shi Lang, who was still smiling as if nothing happened.

 Chapter 210

    Shi Lang was standing on a tform surrounded by thousands of the soldiers of the first fleet. His guard detail was not allowed to be close and the deputies had issued a pretentious statement, that if the new general could stand and fight against the people for a whole day, then he will be epted.

    Well, this was an unfairpetition they had proposed for Shi Lang, but the young man agreed. The deputies promised that they will let him go back alive. However, the response from the opposite side was very lukewarm. His calm made the people feel worried.

    Hayley also did not say anything, she wasmanded to stand on the sidelines. After the rules were established, Shi Lang took off his coat and came to stand on the tform. He was carrying only a handgun and a nanobot melee weapon.

    Hayley was standing calmly as she watched the soldiers lining up in front of the tform, they all were going to fight Shi Lang. She shook her head and the adjutant she had punched earlier from the side, said, ¡°Why? Are you worried that your general will be hurt?¡±

    The girl cast him an indifferent nce and said, ¡°We will see.¡±

    The Deputy General did not pay attention to her words, in his eyes, Shi Lang was just a bit lucky because he had good martial skills, however, he would certainly not be able tost. After he saw, that the soldiers were still lining up, he said, ¡°General Lang, shall we begin?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Have them run up without dy, let us not waste time.¡±

    That said, he shifted the nanobot staff in front of him. The deputy General snorted and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    The first soldier in the queue ran up and was followed by the others behind him. The distance was not too big, but it was enough to give Shi Lang the time he needed. As the opponent reach the staff¡¯s range, Shi Lang kicked the staff, making the end fly up in an arc and make smooth contact with the chin of the opponent.

    The impact left the guy unconscious, and Shi Lang held the other end in his hand and spun it around in the air, the second person was met with this attack. They were baffled however, ording to the rules, once a person falls, they are out, so they could not do anything.

    The soldiers kept rushing and Shi Lang kept fending off, none of the opponentssted for more than one blow. In the next twenty minutes, Shi Lang had taken down close to a hundred opponents. It was not like all the people were sheep for the ughter, but even those who dodged the attacks the first time fell for the second one.

    When someone managed to get close to Shi Lang the boy smartly used his body to deal with them. One of the people had a strong defensive ability, and Shi Lang used his handgun to put the man down. Someone with ocr prowess also tried to outdo the guy, but he was directly told that the speed of a phaser beam was stronger than his body. Fast eyes did not make a difference.

    When the foot soldiers failed, bigger designations began to climb the tform. Shi Lang gave up the staff, and they started hand-to-handbat. The effect was terrifying. The murmurs in the field were suppressed by the wails from the tform. Shi Lang directly broke the hands and legs of the people.

    The message was simple, the higher your rank, the more gruesome your punishment. The adjutant of the deputy major could not tolerate it, and after excusing himself, he went to queue up. Shi Lang did not care, he did not remember everyone he had beaten by now. The higher the ranks the bigger the gap they gave Shi Lang in climbing on the stage. However, what shocked the people most was that Shi Lang would use their abilities against theirrades.

    The Deputy General suddenly asked, ¡°Colonel Edwards, why don¡¯t you queue up?¡±

    Jenkins had been promoted and thus he was standing among the higher-ups. He turned to look at the people and said, ¡°I have no trouble following him, why should I challenge him, sir?¡±

    The Deputy asked, ¡°I understand that he was the leader of your old team, but do you mean that you are inferior to him?¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°I am inferior to him.¡±

    The surrounding officers cast him a surprised look and the young man replied, ¡°I have no shame in epting my defeat. Only then can I move forward and get stronger, as for those who think they can defeat her, please go and beat him up, I will support you.¡±

    The people were shocked, after all, they had not expected such a sharp statement from this guy. Jenkins was very straightforward. He did not mangle his words even in the slightest. They turned to look back at the tform and found Shi Lang to be fighting with the people.

    It has been an hour now, and the boy had yet to take more than three steps back and forward. His skills on the battlefield were unmatched. However, as the time passed the progress became slower, the higher-ups thought that Shi Lang was tired and will soon lose, however, slowly did not mean to stop. The young man was still moving forward smoothly.

    Shi Lang made a gesture to Hayley to pass him a bottle of water as he was thirsty. Hayley was aware that this action was to provoke the higher-ups, but she still did it. After all, when this battle finishes, he will be the one calling shots in the first fleet.

    ¡­

    After six hours, the soldiers were look at Shi Lang with a strange awe. This young man was still looking the same as he was before the battle started. Even some adjutants have been defeated. The people of the first fleet could not believe that this young man had such terrible skills.

    Shi Lang did not say anything, he kept facing the enemies with a calm expression, he had no hurry to face the guy. The deputies could sense that the wind in the fleet was changing and was flowing in favor of the young man. They could not let this happen, again.

    The deputy General said, ¡°It seems the time hase to put things to end.¡±

    The rest of the officers nodded, and they began to climb the tform in order of ascending superiority. Shi Lang sighed and he increased his output as well, suddenly the speed sky-rocketed, and the opponents were left in a state of shock.

    They did not expect this guy to have such energy left inside himself. If these people were told that Shi Lang was cultivating as he was fighting with them, the impact will definitely break their hearts. The was brimming with spirit energy. Shi Lang did not know what was the source of this energy, but it was very useful to him.

    Shi Lang was filled with spiritual energy, he did not know the meaning of tiredness at this moment. He was not only cultivating but also taking time to treat the exhausted body by infusing the spiritual energy in the affected regions. He was a cultivator and not a god.

    After thest pawn was put down, the Deputy General stood up against Shi Lang. He said, ¡°You do have a few skills. Howe¡­¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything and directly shot at the person. The Deputy General did not expect such a response from Shi Lang, after all the boy was dealing with all the others calmly. He did not know why was this guy so eager to fight himself.

    Hayley understood that Shi Lang was going to show this guy his ce. Just because Shi Lang epted the rules did not mean that he had no grudges in his mind. The deputy general was properly nning on taking him down with the cycle battle strategy, but he did not know that Shi Lang had reached the peak of the foundation realm and his strength was not so weak to fall into pits of schemes.

    Shi Lang vanished from his spot and appeared behind the Deputy General. Thetter turned around with his leg extended and a handgun in his hand. However, he did not meet Shi Lang, but a phaser beam that directly hit his base leg.

    Deputy General did not expect this, but since his left leg was stunned and his right leg was high in the air, he lost bnce and was about to fall down. However, he used his ability and his fall slowed down. Shi Lang watched this and predicted that this was the special ability of the general and exploited it.

    His handgun fired shots, surrounding the deputy general in a. The ability to slow down time was rare, and it only had a certain range of attack, thus, he retreated before firing the shots. The junior officers saw this and gulped, they did not expect for Shi Lang to figure out the weakness of the Deputy General so quickly.

 Chapter 211

    Shi Lang had caught the Deputy General in a bind that no one could have imagined, however, the deputy general was not a man to get caught so easily, after all, we all are aware of the weaknesses we have. The chinks in the armor, and someone who had been serving in the first fleet, being second to the Hero of The Federation, he had learned how to cover up his ws.

    The Deputy General fell down on the ground because of the stun effect on his legs and vanished from the spot. As soon as that happened, the phasor beams all hit the target at the original speed. Shi Lang ducked and swung his leg on the ground to attack the Deputy General behind him.

    The kick did notnd, the Deputy General moved back, and Shi Lang said, ¡°I see, so you can not only slow down the time but also speed it up.¡±

    The Deputy General snorted and said, ¡°I also have to admit that you do have some skills, you can force me to use my ability to this level at the beginning of the fight. You are not an easy enemy.¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, ¡°I am not an enemy, Deputy General. Or are you trying to rebel? I am just an opponent. Do you really think that if I had gone all out, you could have stood in front of me with the dignity you have? I just did not want to humiliate you, after all, we are all rted by the same color of the uniform.¡±

    His tone was angry because he was holding a grudge against the Deputy General. The thing with those in the second ce was, that they would always think that if there was not the first ranked person, then it would have been them basking in the glory.

    They make do with what they have after they lose, and wait for their ascension, however, when someone like Shi Lang, jumps the queue and ims the throne, they rebel without a second thought in their minds.

    Shi Lang was pissed because he was asked to fight for a whole day, all because of the petty mindset of the Deputy General. So, he was going to give him a piece of his mind and leave this tform with a statement.

    The deputy general still did not take it seriously and said, ¡°Do you think you can just talk big and win the battle,e fight with me.¡±

    Shi Lang put back his handgun in the holster and said, ¡°I will now give you all a little something to remember.¡±

    He spread his feet and lowered his center of gravity, then he made ws from his hands and said, ¡°Lightning, Come.¡±

    All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the sky was filled with clouds. Below the stage, the people had no idea what was going on. Hayley and Jenkins exchanged a gaze and thetter said, ¡°Is he serious?¡±

    Hayley nodded and said, ¡°God bless the Deputy General.¡±

    Jenkins even made the cross gesture and said, ¡°Amen.¡±

    ¡­

    The Deputy General was surprised by the sudden change in weather. He asked, ¡°What is happening?¡±

    The sky was filled with lightning snakes, and the loud sounds of thunder were really intimidating as well. Shi Lang was not a fool, this was all his n, he was not so strong yet to call rains and storms at the turn of his hand, but he was good with manipting the spiritual energy.

    The young man had been fighting with the people and at the same time, he was using the spiritual energy inside of him to interact with the energy outside. It was like a maic push and pull. He was using the thread of spiritual energy to manipte the weather subtly.

    The Deputy General did not think much about the change and he moved forward at a high speed to attack Shi Lang, however, the young man was ready for it. He smirked and attacked with his ws in a downward sh. The lightning in the clouds, reacted as if following his actions and it fell from the sky to attack the Deputy General.

    The speed of the attack was so quick that the Deputy General did not have the gall to keep on charging ahead, the attack was going to fall in front of Shi Lang, exactly at the spot where the old man would have to be present to attack him.

    The Deputy General retreated, but Shi Lang did not n to let him leave so easily. He used his left hand to thrust it forward. The lightning suddenly changed the trajectory again and shot forward like an arrow from the bow. The people watched the scene in awe, even Jenkins and Hayley were mesmerized by this.

    They have seen Shi Lang do this trick once in front of them back at Arcadia, however, the degree of control he disyed at that time was not so good.

    Back on the tform, the Deputy General was moving around to get away from the lightning and Shi Lang was using his hands to direct the attack. The Deputy General said, ¡°You will never be able to catch me like this.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You are correct, then let us have some more fun.¡±

    He raised his leg high and stomped it on the floor, following this, another snake of lightning fell out from the skies. The soldiers below were whispering to each other and they had no idea that the new general was so strong. Lightning was an element of nature that was highly destructive and after all the advancements in technology, the Terran civilization may have found ways to harvest the power hidden in lightning, but they still had the fear of the damage it could do.

    The ability of General Edwards was also element control, but the person would feel weak after using the ability. However, Shi Lang showed no such signs, and now, he had even begun to use his legs to manipte the second streak of lightning. He did not leave the Deputy General with any options. The young man had begun to calcte the path trajectory of the old man.

    As the attacks were getting closer to the old man, thetter was getting more desperate to get free from the binds. This desperation to break free from the onught made the old man make a mistake, he tried to slow down the time when the lightning streak got closer to him, however, Shi Lang was waiting for this.

    Since he could control the direction of the streak, he could also control the other aspects. Suddenly, Shi Lang clenched his fists and the lightning streak exploded. The explosion was so loud and strong that it threw the Deputy General flying away.

    However, as a person with some exposure to spiritual cultivation and at the peak of the Terran cultivation system, the Deputy General was not easy to deal with. Shi Lang jumped in the air and the streak of lightning rushed at the enemy. The next moment a wail rang out, and the lightning streak ran across the body of the Deputy General.

    The soldiers shivered at the scene, they found that not only was their General a strong man but also cruel. He would run things with an iron fist and he will crush all the ideas of revolution breeding inside the mind of those who fall under hismand.

    The deputy General has fainted on the tform, Shi Lang was standing tall with his tie fluttering in the wind. He said after infusing spiritual energy in his throat, ¡°If anyone else wants toe up and fight, you are wee, if, after fifteen minutes, none of youes up. I will step down the tform and if then I found the slightest idea of challenging my authority, I will raze you down the ground and throw you back at home. Is that clear?¡±

    The soldiers were all intimidating and they all said, ¡°Sir, yes, sir.¡±

    The impact of thousands of people yelling out at the same time shook the wind. The entire fleet was subdued by Shi Lang. He turned his gaze at the adjutant of the Deputy General and said, ¡°Take him to the infirmary.¡±

    Then he walked on the tform for fifteen minutes, after no one came up, he said, ¡°Very well, dismissed.¡±

    The soldiers all saluted him, and Shi Lang returned the salute. Then he walked down the tform and put on his coat. Hayley asked him in a low voice, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Shi Lang winked at her, telling her to rest assured. They made their way to themand center of the frontier, and the young man was just about to sit down on the head chair, when a soldier responsible for themunications said, ¡°Sir, a ship from the Gctic Council is entering the atmosphere.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Does the Gctic Council think they can waltz in anywhere? I want their ship locked on with every defense system that possibly can.¡±

    Hismand shocked everyone in themand center.

 Chapter 212

    Shi Lang gazed at the shocked expressions and after raising his eyebrow he asked, ¡°Do I have to take over the console?¡±

    His tone was sharp, leaving no room to maneuver. The operator nodded and quickly began to fiddle with the keyboard. He was programming all the defense stations on the ground and the satellites to lock on to the ship entering the atmosphere. Suddenly, the operator said, ¡°Sir, they are hailing us.¡±

    Shi Lang sat down in the chair with his knees crossed and said, ¡°Connect.¡±

    The operator connected themunication request and a feminine voice echoed throughout themand center, ¡°Are the Terrans nning to go against the Gctic Council?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why do your defense systems lock on my vessel?¡±, asked the other party.

    Shi Lang calmly replied, ¡°Your vessel is entering a military territory, this is a standard procedure. How do we know that you are from the Gctic Council and not a hostile force? After all, you did not announce your arrival. Terrans are not Omnipotent.¡±

    The other side did not expect such a strong retort from the people on the ground. After a brief silence, the voice asked, ¡°May I ask who am I talking to?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Fleet General Shi Lang.¡±

    His voice was calm but the authority disyed just now made the people in themand center feel their blood boiling. Their new general was able to hold his end against the people from the Gctic Council. Even Edwards was not so bold.

    The other side asked, ¡°Fleet General Shi Lang, this is Envoy Minerva from the Gctic Council, do we have permission tond?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±, said the other side.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Adjutant Hayley, go receive them on my behalf and bring them to the conference room.¡±

    Hayley saluted and replied, ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang then began to familiarize himself with the other things in the base, he was mostly questioning the subordinates about the advances and the situation with the Zergs. He did not want to waste too much time, if the other side dared to attack them, then he will take action.

    ¡­

    Hayley was standing on the spaceport with fifty armed guards. They were following the protocols of a diplomatic wee ceremony. Soon, a silver shipnded in the spaceport, on the side of the ship Gctic Council¡¯s symbol was painted.

    The hatch door opened and a group of five people walked out calmly. They were all females and were dressed in white gowns. Hayley stepped forward and said, ¡°Wee to the frontier. I am the first Adjutant. The general has just taken charge of duties and was upied. We hope you do not take offense.¡±

    Her tone was calm but her head was leveled with the people that stepped down from the ship. The leadingdy shook her head and said, ¡°We understand, we should be apologizing to you for the crude behavior.¡±

    Hayley could tell that something was not right, she shook her head and said, ¡°No, it should be us. The General has just gotten out of a predicament and his state of mind was a bit vtile. Thus, he took such actions. Recently the Zergs have increased the intensity of their attacks.¡±

    Thedy nodded and then under Hayley¡¯s guidance, the group was led to the conference room. Where they were offered water. There was a visible change in their expressions. They did not expect to have such a cold reception. One of thedies asked, ¡°Is this how you treat guests?¡±

    Hayley smiled and said, ¡°Madam, if this was my house, I would have treated you with wine and tea, but we are at the military base, and the rationing is limited. The General wille here soon. If you need anything, please tell me about it.¡±

    Thedies in white all could not believe that this girl was ying with them like this. Were they underestimating the status of the Gctic Council Envoys? They all wanted tosh out when the automated door of the conference room slid open. Shi Lang walked inside holding a tablet, with his finger constantly swiping on the screen.

    Shi Lang raised his head to gaze at the fivedies and said, ¡°Wee to The Frontier. I am Shi Lang, may I ask the reason for this visit from the esteemed Gctic Council?¡±

    Thedy who was earlier talking to Hayley said, ¡°So you are the new Fleet General of the Terran First Fleet. Quite young I must say.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at thedy and then his gaze shifted to the one sitting in the middle of the five. Thisdy was the calmest among them. He could tell that thisdy was the leader of the group. Turning his attention back to thedy he asked, ¡°May I ask if you are Lady Minerva?¡±

    Thedy hesitated and was about to nod when Shi Lang said, ¡°Lady Minerva, you came here without any prior notice. I have records of how your subordinates tried to pretend to be the leader of your group. Is your group trying to spark up trouble here?¡±

    His words shocked the people, except for Hayley. Thedy at the front wanted to say something when the one sitting in the middle raised her hand and said, ¡°Since the truth has been seen through, we do not need to pretend anymore.¡±

    Thisdy had her face covered with a thin veil, leaving only her eyes exposed. She raised her gaze to look at Shi Lang and said, ¡°How did you figure it out?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Something called temperament.¡±

    The words directly made the room attain a state of silence. Shi Lang sat down on the host chair and leaned back against it in a leisurely manner. Lady Minerva was trying to find a hint of what Shi Lang was like. However, the more casual this guy acted, the more confused she became. Unable to hold it in any longer, she said, ¡°We have heard that you intend to change the structure of the General Council in The Federation?¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Does the change or system of governance inside the Federation any of your concern?¡±

    The sentence was subtly asking, what is your business here? Lady Minerva replied, ¡°It is not our concern, but the Gctic Council has to guide the various members of the council in managing their government system.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his lips and then he said, ¡°So, is it necessary for the members of the council to seek your help?¡±

    Lady Minerva wanted to nod, but it was not true and this guy was not simple. She said, ¡°It depends if the system is problematic, we can help you smoothen the ways.¡±

    Shi Lang understood that it was not usual, he said, ¡°We thank you for the concern but your help will not be needed. The Terrans believe in trial and error. Only when we realize the difficulties will we be able to improve and get better. So, I will have to turn down your offer.¡±

    He just straightforwardly rejected the help offered by the Gctic Council. However, the help was just a cover, these people havee over to learn the internal working of the Federal system. The bigger the organizations, the more greedy for the power they were.

    Shi Lang directly shut down their advances toward the Federation. Lady Minerva did not have a good face. She was thinking that this young man would appreciate the advance and this way she will be able to get inside the federal system. However, she was not going to give up so easily. Thedy took down her veil and picked up the ss of water in front of her.

    Hayley saw her face and was stunned, it could be said that Minerva was the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. She was not a fool and could guess the intention of thisdy, however, when she saw, that Shi Lang waspletely indifferent to thedy, her beating heart calmed down.

    It was time for Minerva to be shocked. In the past, she would have to use her face to charm people and get things done. Shi Lang said, ¡°Lady Minerva, If you have no other matters to discuss, I would like to excuse myself, I need to deal with a few pressing issues of the fleet.¡±

    Then he stood up and said, ¡°Hayley, arrange for their amodation and handle themand center. I am going out in the field.¡±

    Under the shocked gazes of the people, Shi Lang walked out of the conference room. Lady Minerva was not angry on the contrary, she was very curious about this young man. Shi Lang had shown a firm stand in front of her, and this was the first time. She wanted to conquer both the federation and this young man.

 Chapter 213

    Shi Lang came out of the conference room and came directly to themand center. He sat down on his chair and closed his eyes to enter meditation. He did not pay attention to the faces of the soldiers inside the room. All that mattered to him was to take control of his mind which was on the verge of losing control and defile Minerva on the cold metal table in the conference room.

    He sat with his eyes closed for an hour, when he opened his eyes, he mumbled, ¡®The charm technique is nothing lesser than the Miao people back then.¡¯

    Just when he was about to think of some method to deal with thisdy, a soldier said, ¡°Sir, there is a report, the Zerg vessels are spotted near our borders. It looks like a small squadron.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow, the frustration from getting affected by Minerva shall now be vented upon these hostile neighbors. He said, ¡°Who is on patrol duty, inform them and connect them to me.¡±

    The operator nodded and fiddled with the holp, then he said, ¡°This is themand Center, please respond Scout One.¡±

    ¡°Go for Scout One.¡±, sounded the voice of the pilot on the other side.

    The operator said, ¡°The connection is being patched to Alpha¡±

    The person then turned around and gave a thumbs up to Shi Lang. The young man nodded and said, ¡°This is Alpha. Do you copy, Scout One?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±, replied the other party.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°There is a squadron of lizards heading right inside our territory, you are not allowed to take action against them. Let theme in deep, I need new shoes, the leather of the lizards seems to be a nice material.¡±

    Themand center was shocked. The new general was a bit too aggressive. The Scout One replied, ¡°Command epted, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang terminated themunication and leaned back in the chair, he began to think, and suddenly, the door of themand center slid open. The Deputy General walked inside and saluted Shi Lang crisply.

    The young man nodded and said, ¡°Deputy General Sikar, I have a question.¡±

    The old deputy general nodded and asked, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    ¡°What do you think will the Gctic Council do, if the glorified envoy is attacked by the zergs?¡±, his sentence made the people in themand center stand up from their seats.

    They could not even imagine the implications of this sentence. Shi Lang ignored the shocked expressions and asked, ¡°Deputy general Sikar. What is your answer?¡±

    ¡°The Gctic Council will tag them as a hostile civilization and against hostile civilizations, War is not needed to be announced.¡±, said the Deputy.

    Shi Lang smiled, ¡°Prepare a small ship and tweak the radar a little. I would like to take the Envoy out for a stroll in the sea of stars.¡±

    The people did not react for a good bit of time and Shi Lang said, ¡°Do I need to repeat myself?¡±

    Things became busy again. Shi Lang picked up hismunicator and contacted Amelia directly, he told her what he was about to do so that the girl does not think too much if Hayley tells her about thister. Themunication was encrypted and not something that could be checked by anyone. This was a special code Shi Lang had designed, if anyone tried to sneak through, even if they were the Secret Divisions, he will know.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood at the spaceport, he had asked Hayley to call over Lady Minerva, he was an old monster who could tell that his earlier ignorance has piqued the interest of the woman and she will not reject his invitation. Just as he predicted, five minutes after he waited, Minerva came over to the spaceport with Hayley leading her.

    The group of Gctic Council women also followed her but when they saw the size of the ship they were confused. It was clearly a scout vessel. They all cast their gazes at the tall young man standing in the distance reading and discussing some things with the Deputy General.

    Hayley came forward and saluted Shi Lang as she said, ¡°Sir, the Envoy is here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after a few words to Deputy General Sikar, he turned to greet Minerva with a formal smile. He said, ¡°Apologies Lady Minerva, I hope my earlier conduct did not offend you. You see, I am not very familiar with neither the workload of a Fleet General nor the stature of the Gctic Council.

    I would like to ask you to guide me about what the Gctic Council is, and how it works. I understand that it is rude of me to call you over here but you see, I have only taken charge today and need to move around quickly. So, if you do not mind, can we talk as we move around?¡±

    Minerva was surprised, this guy was looking at her with a straight face as if her charm had no effect on him, and his words were evidence of his sanity. She nodded and said, ¡°As a guest, I should understand your problems, General. Please lead the way.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled gestured her to move ahead. When he saw the other Envoys moving along he said, ¡°Lady Minerva, to save as much time as possible I am taking a scout vessel. This vessel has space to amodate only two people. Can you please have yourpanions stay back?¡±

    His tone was calm and humble, Minerva could not p a smiling face, because she was aware that this guy will just leave her on the base if he had to and that will mean missing an opportunity to clutch his heart.

    She nodded and cast a nce at the fourdies, who obviously wanted to protest, however, Minerva¡¯s nce was indifferent and that was enough for them to calm down. Hayley noticed a subtle flicker of resentment in their eyes, and the same time, Shi Lang passed on a message to Hayley through a soldier on the side.

    He did it with a hand behind his back and used single handed signs. The soldier could only admire the new general in his heart. This guy was not only a sharp sword but can also y sneaky like a dagger in the cloak. He was a true genius.

    Shi Lang led thedy inside the ship and after the two were done strapping in, the young man controlled he ship to leave the. He was going on a patrol inspection which happened to be on a collision course with the Zerg invaders.

    Inside the ship, Shi Lang asked, ¡°Lady Minerva, I would like to ask you if there was any specific reason why you visited us, without any announcement?¡±

    Minerva was surprised to see that this guy was still stuck on that. She said, ¡°Well General Lang, it may seem a bit odd but the Gctic Council likes to do random visits, we do this to make sure that the affiliated members are notmiting any activities that disrupt the bnce or the peaces inside the gxy.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I appreciate that. If the gctic civilizations can have a medium of contact and they could maintain peaceful and cooperative rtions, the growth rate will be something beyond imagination.¡±

    He had a big smile on his face as he said that. Minerva was thinking, how optimistic and idealistic is this guy. Shi Lang asked, ¡°I know about the war regtions of the Gctic Council. I met with a barrister on Neomon. Hehe, was he intimidating.¡±

    Minerva was surprised and then she began to ask the ins and the outs of the matter and Shi Lang told her exactly what he told the judges. The woman was surprised and became even more wary of this youth. Shi Lang suddenly asked, ¡°Lady Minerva, you must have a lot of suitors, right?¡±

    The change of the topic waspletely irrelevant but it was along the lines of the Envoy. She did not conceal and said, ¡°Yes, many people have been trying to capturemy heart for a long time.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°This is obvious, after all, you are a beauty.¡±

    Minerva wanted to say something when she noticed the change on Shi Lang¡¯s face, she changed the question, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and pressing themunication button he said, ¡°Command, this is Alpha, is their any covert unit patrolling in sector B32.¡±

    Command center replied, ¡°Alpha, this ismand. There are no friendlies in sector B32.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Approaching coordinates XXXX.¡±

    Command center replied, ¡°Alpha, do not engage recklessly¡­¡±

    Before the other party could speak, Shi Lang terminated themunication after saying, ¡°I have a sense of measure.¡±

    The speed of the ship increased and the two approached the coordinates. Minerva said, ¡°Should you not let some other unit perform this check?¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at her that was spewing fire and asked, ¡°If there is a chance that your home is being invaded by someone hostile, would you wait for someone else toe over and check?¡±

    Minerva said, ¡°I get what you mean, but you are the general.¡±

    Shi Lang turned his face and said, ¡°The General is also a soldier, just glorified.¡±

 Chapter 214

    Shi Lang¡¯s answer about the status of a general made Minerva go silent. She did not expect this young man to have a mindset like this, but looking at his sharp visage and serious expressions she was amused. However, this situation had also taken her by surprise. After all, they were not yet outside the Terran territory so who could this vessel imprint disyed on the radar belong to.

    Shi Lang increased the speed of the scout vessel and moved in the direction of the invaders. Soon, they were in visual range, and the young man said coldly, ¡°Commande, this is Alpha. I have a visual.¡±

    ¡°Alpha, can you confirm what is going on over there?¡± asked the operator. They were all now ying together.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°We have a home infestation. The pest seems to be a glorified reptile.¡±

    He did not intend to hide his disdain for the Zergs in his mind. Minerva was surprised momentarily by the use of such terminology. Despite the appearance, the Zergs were an advanced civilization. They were notcking in any aspect and were equal to the Terran civilization.

    Shi Lang could tell her reaction, he said, ¡°Do you think I should be more respectful? Well, this civilization despite all the advancement does not have an inkling of shame or respect towards the other civilizations. They indulge in cannibalistic practices. Do you still want to respect them? Go ahead, but I am not a saint-like you, the gctic council.¡±

    Minerva was once again shocked, however, the madness had just yet begun. Shi Lang suddenly pushed the spacecraft to the top speed and turned it around. He said in themunication system, ¡°Command, I have been spotted and I have three attacking vessels on my tail. I am trying to evade them but do inform any and all fighters near me to provide support, also have some other units attack the squadron of these lizards. None of them gets back alive.¡±

    Themander replied, ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡±

    Suddenly, Shi Lang began to do loops with the spaceship and Minerva saw shiny beams moving past their vessels. She understood, that they were being attacked. While Shi Lang was engaged in a dogfight, Deputy General Sikar was walking toward the amodations of the envoys.

    ¡­

    The fourdies stood up and bowed their heads to these people, when suddenly, Deputy General Sikar said, ¡°Madam, with a very heavy heart I would like to tell you that the scout vessel boarded by Fleet General and Envoy Minerva is now being chased by the invading team of Zergs.¡±

    This simple statement sent shivers down the spine of the fourdies, they did not register what was happening for a few seconds.

    ¡­

    In space, Shi Lang had begun to move all over the ce and constantly evade the attacks from the Zerg ships. What was even more, he was not heading towards the frontier, but to a nearby barren where there was a small asteroid belt.

    Minerva could tell all this when she saw his actions, and asked calmly, ¡°Why are you headed towards the asteroid belt?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°To have a fair fight with these bastards.¡±

    Minerva asked, ¡°Can you not do that here?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not have such high skills to make the gun shoot backward, so I need to engage in a proper dogfight and then have these lizards crash in the rocks.¡±

    Minerva nodded but then she said, ¡°How about I help you with the guns?¡±

    Shi Lang cast her a gaze and then said, ¡°Very well, hands-on guns, please. I will control the aiming system and line up with the target, you just need to press fire when I say or when you find a particr opening?¡±

    Minerva nodded and Shi Lang began to control the ship skillfully. Just when the system sounded the rm. Shi Lang pulled the joystick and the ship suddenly jumped up, at the same time Shi Lang slowed down his speed and this let the enemy move to the front. Shi Lang did not wait to get behind the enemy, and from a higher point he said, ¡°Fire.¡±

    Minerva flinched and then she pressed the trigger button and the enemy ship was reduced to levitating debris. Shi Lang avoided the debris, then he moved and began to engage with another attack ship and his speed and control over the spacecraft were giving Minerva a shock that she could not say anything about it.

    Ten minutes after Minerva has taken the guns, Shi Lang took down three ships and finally got rid of the tail. He contacted themand center and asked, ¡°Command, this is Alpha, can you tell me what is the situation with the enemy squadron?¡±

    ¡°Alpha, the squadron has been taken down. There were no casualties on our side.¡±, replied themand center.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Fine, I am heading back to the frontier. Over and Out.¡±

    Minerva said, ¡°Have you ever faced space crafts like this?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°When we defended the attack of the Arcadian fleet, that time. Anyways, how do you feel?¡±

    Minerva nodded and said, ¡°I am fine. This was the first time I experienced something like this.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Think about my men who face this shit every second day, only to have their fallen brothers taken away by these reptiles and eaten like they were some delicacy. Your Gctic Council, it is useless to preserve just everything. If you preserve too much, then it will go rotten.¡±

    Minerva nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, this is a tough life but everyone understands the risk that the military involves.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I should have known that a diplomatic person such as yourself would never understand that it is not about money or anything for us. It is about the safety of our families and friends back home. You will never understand this from your gilded office, or your charming eyes.¡±

    His words shocked thedy but before she could say anything, Shi Lang increased the speed of the ship and quickly entered the Frontier. He got off the ship and said to Hayley, ¡°Arrange a meeting with the cab. We need to discuss this attack¡±

    Hayley nodded and quickly moved through the ce quickly. Minerva was still sitting in the co-pilot seat. She only woke up from her daze when the people from her group came over to take her out. They all thought it was because of the shock that the girl had turned into a dummy. They wanted to me Shi Lang but the actual culprit was none other than Zergs.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sat in the chair facing the cab of the Federation. He said, ¡°Sir, what I have reported to you just now, is the same as what has been reported to the Gctic Council.¡±

    The president said, ¡°General, you have yed a really risky move, at this point. What if something unfortunate happened?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Then we would have a bigger reason to get done with these Zergs once and for all. You know that they do not intend to make peace with us or stop their invasive actions. It is very important that we deal with this threat. Holding them back will make them more desperate and when people are desperate they will do something drastic. The final decision lies in your hands, Sir. But if they sent a war invitation first, then I will ept it.¡±

    The cab was solemn, after all, there was a big chance that the Zergs will send a war invitation. The president said, ¡°For the past five years, General Edwards was holding them back, we have tried to send scouts inside, but the Zerg army is so massive that going to war with them is just a suicide. Even if we have allies now, we will not be able to match them. What do you think we should do?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The gctic council will take a few months to give us a reply. I suggest that we overhaul ourselves and at the same time, ask our person inside the Gctic Council to send in a word that the increasing poption of these cannibals will gradually destroy the bnce of power in this sector and then the Gctic Council will be at a loss not only members but also the prestige too. They nearly lost an Envoy today, what do you think they will do?¡±

    The words sent a simple message, that Gctic Council has to make a statement. A statement that will leave a deep impression on the te of time and this gxy. Thinking about this the president said, ¡°I will see what we can do. I hope you keep the borders safe, General.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up and saluted crisply. Then he said, ¡°Till myst breath, Sir.¡±

    Themunication was terminated shortly after. Shi Lang walked out of the cabin and found Hayley. The girl said, ¡°Trickpleted. They have reported to the Gctic Council.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Let us see, what trick will the Gctic Council will have.¡±

 Chapter 215

    Shi Lang spent the next few days training the first fleet with a higher standard. Jenkins had be his regr sparring partner along with Hayley. These three were the only ones with simr cultivation levels and could withstand the impacts of the full power blows. Minerva had yet to leave the, she was going to watch what this young man was capable of.

    She was shocked when she saw the three people sparring together, they did not team up it was a unique three-way battle. The entire fleet also began to follow this pattern and in secret, Shi Lang had passed on a method of cultivation to the troops. But they were told to use this only when they were off duty.

    He did not want the secret to leak to the Gctic Council rats. He told the soldiers about meditation and evenpiled a set of notes that were circted. The time seemed to have grown wings. After a week, Shi Lang received a call from the Federation, Commander Archie and General Charlotte had selected eleven generals with normal backgrounds but strong cultivation and achievements.

    However, not everyone was a normal background person, some old families also had young scions, who believed in giving back to the federations. Shi Lang asked the two people a lot of questions and then Rosa also joined them in the meeting. She told Shi Lang about the evaluation she conducted and the whole process of screening.

    When all the doubts have been confirmed Shi Lang nodded and decided to go back to the Federation after the new generals have sworn in as the members of the General Council. He will then start the next phase of the n. He wanted to overhaul the whole military power of the Federation.

    The process was not going to be easy, but when he was done, the Federation will be a force that no one will be able to touch. At least, they will not try to attack them on a whim. Shi Lang was not a fan of invading and conquering others. However, he found out that others have the resources that his was missing.

    Thinking about this he called in the Deputy general. It was the middle of the night and the old man had already turned in for the day. However, when the superior calls, you have to go. The old man came over, as quickly as he could. He did not even put on his uniform.

    The old man asked, ¡°Sir, you called me in?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Have a seat. Would you like a drink?¡±

    Sikar shook his head as he sat down on the chair and said, ¡°I only drink on happy asions, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°General Sikar. I will be heading back to the Federation in theing days, the new general council will be in session.¡±

    The old man was surprised but then he nodded and asked, ¡°I will hold themand in order till youe back.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I know that you will. Another thing I need you to do is to find some soldiers and have them transfer the red vine you see on this.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need that, Sir?¡±, the old man could not help but ask. After all, the soldiers were all precious, and having them do some meager job was dishonorable. He wanted to know the reason behind thismand.

    Shi Lang understood his thought process and said, ¡°The vines emit a slight trace of spirit energy. Do you know what that is?¡±

    Sikar was surprised and before he could answer, Shi Lang said, ¡°That is the thing that enabled me to call over the power of lightning. The spirit energy, the secret behind the power and strength of our forefathers. Do you not wish to have our people cultivated into something even stronger than the peak of Terrans we know now?¡±

    His words had sent the Deputy General into a state of daze, he was imagining every soldier capable of calling the lightning and destroying enemies in a matter of seconds. Shi Lang caressed his brows and rapped his knuckles on the table. The noise voice up the old man. He said, ¡°Sir, I will personally watch over this task.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The vine must not break. If it is twenty meters long, then have them move it as it is. They must dig out the roots carefully. Only when it is intact will it emit the spirit energy. Do you understand?¡±

    Sikar could tell that Shi Lang was serious and nodded. He assured the young man that he will select the best people for the task andplete it in secrecy. Shi Lang dismissed the old man and began to cultivate. He wanted the vine to be moved from the outskirts to the inside of the base, to enrich the spirit energy where the soldiers were living. After this task waspleted, he will have them expand thework of the nts.

    Shi Lang did not have much time on hand. In the morning he dressed up and came out of the building to see that a few vines have already been moved during the night. When he checked he found that the vine was not damaged from anywhere. Hayley came up to him and said, ¡°Good Morning Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to her and said, ¡°Ready to go back.¡±

    Hayley chuckled and said, ¡°You cannot wait to raise chaos, can you?¡±

    Shi Langughed and moved ahead when he saw Jenkinsing over in a jog. He said, ¡°Something happened while transferring the vines.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at Jenkins¡¯s profile and asked, ¡°What could be so big that you are sweating so much? Could you not have told me about themunicator?¡±

    Jenkins shook his head and said, ¡°No. I could not this was too sensitive.¡±

    Shi Lang wanted to postpone his trip, but then he said, ¡°Seal the area. I will be back in a few days. Then we can discuss this at length.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and said, ¡°As youmand, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang and Hayley moved to the spaceport, and Jenkins went back to the spot to seal off the area. On the way, Hayley asked, ¡°What do you think they found?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Could be anything. How would I know? We will focus on this after returning.¡±

    Hayley nodded and carried on driving the car. They came to the spaceport and then took a spaceship with the guard detail and headed directly to The Federation. The speed was fast and the journey was smooth. When they reached the federation they took a small vessel from the ship and entered the atmosphere.

    A Fleet General had a permission that other people did not. They could fly around the Space elevator. During this time, Shi Lang was lost in thought, on one hand, he wanted to see if the frontier forces could work together with the secret divisions, and on the other hand his curiosity about what had been discovered on the Frontier.

    Hayley said, ¡°Sir, we have arrived.¡±

    She could tell that something was off with Shi Lang, he was consumed by his thoughts. The two people took a car and moved to the parliament building. They met General Charlotte and Commander Silence at the reception counter. The people headed to the Council Chambers. Shi Lang took a deep breath before he entered the chamber this time.

    As he entered, he found ten people standing around the oval table, familiarizing themselves with each other. Some were young and some were old, some looked jovial while some were calm and patient. Shi Lang¡¯s arrival had captured their attention.

    The young man said, ¡°I apologize for the dy. I am Shi Lang. Nice to meet you all.¡±

    The introduction was simple but made confidently. The people nodded and began to introduce themselves. Shi Lang asked them all to sit down and he said, ¡°Congrattions that you all have made the cut. I do not want to waste too much time as we are a new council and we have a lot of work to do.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded and Shi Lang continued, ¡°You all have to subdue your deputies when you get back and make sure that the fleet is under your solemand. Is that clear?¡±

    The people nodded again, they were obviously shocked when they were chosen for the post but they were also prepared to deal with the troubles thrown at them. Shi Lang continued, ¡°You all are now the upper echelon of the Federation and thus you have the right to know about spirit cultivation in detail. After this is done, I want you all to pass this material to all the Terran soldiers in the military but tell them not to use this for lowly stuff, or I will assign the Secret Divisions to clear the trash. They also have the same knowledge, but for a longer time so they are stronger than the frontier at the moment.¡±

    His words had caused an upheaval right from the get-go.

 Chapter 216

    A new General asked, ¡°Sir, I have heard that you intend to let the secret divisions work side by side with each other. I wonder what that is about.¡±

    This statement made everyone perk up their ears. Shi Lang said, ¡°General Tao, the matter is true. I do want to ce both the frontier forces and secret divisions together. The reason is that the secret divisions have too many people who are not working but just training most of the time. Without actualbat, the training will never bear fruit. You all understand that. Right?¡±

    The people around the table nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°Inside the frontier forces, we have the business division and administrators and technology. The secret division is only made to keep an eye out on all of us and they work independently. What I intend to do is to let a part of secret divisions, transfer to the frontier forces, and battle divisions.

    You must all be aware of the cmity we faced against the Arcadians just a few months ago. Do you think it is wise to depend on the allies for a prolonged time? Since we have the resources, then why not assimte and increase the pool? The people from Secret Divisions will be just a part of the frontier and will help out during war situations. How about?¡±

    Charlotte raised her hand and said, ¡°General, will the secret divisions really have no other motive when they are incorporated with the frontier forces? I have no personal ill-will against them, after all, the job they have is even more arduous than ours, but the impact of a covert interception will have a great impact on our frontier forces.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°The frontier forces always report their dark stuff to the secret divisions, so what else are you afraid of? There are twelve fleets, and you should be aware of how many people in the fleets are simr to you, dedicated to the Federationpletely. The others need to be smacked into order. The new council is fragile, we cannot afford any infighting at the moment.

    Do I also need to remind you of the threat possessed by the dark organizations? If a soldier, who supported these dark organizations went crazy in a war situation, who will be able to contain the damage? The frontier forces are already fighting, suddenly they face a two-pronged attack, at that time only secret divisions can help us. Do you think it is wise to seclude the secret divisions and if a need arises, you should wait for them to fly across the space to help you?¡±

    The point was valid. General Charlotte knew that her son-inw was a troublemaker, so said, ¡°Those in favor of the motion, raise your left hands. Those against the motion of incorporating the secret divisions with the frontier forces, raise your right hands.¡±

    General Charlotte raised her left hand and then the rest of the people followed. They all raised their left hands. Rather than the risk of letting the council and the fleets fall in disorder, they all understood that the secret division was a better whip to maintain order and avoid the crisis. At the said, Shi Lang said, ¡°The procedure will be left for Commander Silence and her counterparts in the secret divisions. You all can talk to each other about how many people you can amodate. Do thinks in a smooth fashion, being slower can still be tolerated.¡±

    The council nodded, and the topics shifted, they discussed a lot of things, and then the generals took off to their respective fleets. They had to subdue the deputies. Shi Lang had already told them about the cultivation. They all left and so did Shi Lang. He was worried about the discoveries made by the people moving the spirit vines.

    The ship moved through space at a high speed. Shi Lang spent all the time cultivating and meditating inside the hibernation pod. When the ship arrived at the Frontier Spaceport. Shi Lang did not go back to the base but first decided to take a look at the sealed area. The speed of the vehicle was fast and Hayley was an adept driver.

    When the two of them arrived, the border was strictly being guarded by the units. They had even erected fences and watch towers for surveince. His vehicle entered the parameter and he was received by Jenkins. This young man seemed to have taken charge of this site.

    Shi Lang got down and asked, ¡°What did you raise such a mess for?¡±

    Jenkins rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Come along, you will be shocked by the discovery.¡±

    They all came to the centralmand room established by the unit. This ce was half a mile away from the main site, and they had been monitoring the ce with all sorts of monitoring equipment. Shi Lang looked at the images being disyed on the screen and he was indeed shocked. He asked, ¡°Did you all carry out a terrestrial scan from the satellites?¡±

    Jenkins frowned and shook his head. Shi Lang said, ¡°Conduct one now. Also, someone get me a battle gear.¡±

    Hayley asked in a hurry, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, I need to explore this ce. Do not worry, I have a sense of measure. I will not just walk to my death and serve myself on a tter. Just get me a battle gear and Jenks, get that test conducted.¡± replied Shi Lang.

    A soldier quickly came with standard battle gear and Shi Lang swapped it with his uniform. Jenkins said, ¡°The test has been conducted. It does not show anything out of ordinary.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and put on the helmet. He said, ¡°I am going inside then. You guys will watch the door.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and Hayley said, ¡°You will have to answer a lot of people when youe back, so make sure that you are alive.¡±

    Shi Lang did not listen to them and had already rushed out of themand center. The two people could only focus on monitoring the ce with screens.

    Shi Lang came to the site and found a deep hole in front of him. The hole was ten meters wide in radius. The young man thought the removal of the root, let this big pit surface and the soil was loosened up.

    He took out a phosphorous tube, cracked it, gave it a good shake, and let it fall in the pit. His line of sight followed the tube and saw the light stop after five hundred meters. Shi Lang said, ¡°This is five hundred meters deep. I am going inside.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and began to climb down using the nanobot modification on his suit. As he descended the video of the pit walls was being fed to themand centers, Jenkins quickly had all the technicians work on the feed and stop usible hacking from the envoys of the Gctic Council. They did not trust their guests.

    When Shi Lang reached the bottom of the pit. He was using his special ability to sense everything around himself. But the darkness made him a little ufortable. He switched on the lights of his suit and also the cameras. He said, ¡°Are you receiving all this?¡±

    Jenkins replied in his earpiece, ¡°Crystal.¡±

    Shi Lang was standing inside a tunnel, the tunnel walls looked like they wereser cut. The young man said, ¡°Could this ce be a ruin left by the previous inhabitants of this?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°I have no idea, are you sure you want to continue going in deeper? We have no prior info you know?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Jenks, I never knew you were a mom at heart. Even my own mother might not nag me like this.¡±

    Jenkins was surprised by this retort. The juniors all were trying hard to suppress theughter. Hayley said, ¡°Not everyone can be the careless Daredevil like you right, General?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my Adjutant is a dad, I see, you to make a good match.¡±, teased Shi Lang. He had no care about what the juniors heard.

    He was doing this to keep himself calm inside the dark tunnel. Suddenly, he stopped. In front of him stood a stone door. As high as twenty meters. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Well, seems like we have found some sort of architectural structure. I just hope this ce is not filled with dead bodies or zombies.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Have you read too many novels these days?¡±

    The people chuckled. Shi Lang said, ¡°You as a cultivator can say such a thing. I have no idea what to expect from you anymore. Can you send in some light? I cannot see the whole of the door, and until I can, I will not approach this thing.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and deployed drones with light packs. Shi Lang set up the bulbs and then he got a full view of the door. When he saw this, he said, ¡°Can you look at the edges, it has vivid inscriptions, some sort of hieroglyphs. I do not know if pushing this door without knowing the proper meaning will be a good thing or not.¡±

    Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. Jenkins noticed his movements on the screen and asked, ¡°What the fuck are you doing, you crazy bastard?¡±

 Chapter 217

    Shi Lang ignored the yelling sounding from his earpiece, he took off the glove and said, ¡°Jenkins, issue evacuationmand. If all goes well, cover it up with an excuse, saying it was a drill.¡±

    Jenkins was fuming, his lungs felt like they were about to explode. Hayley on the other side had no hope for this guy, she said, ¡°General, what do you intend to do?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I will cut my hand and let the blood drip on the door. That will provide a medium for spiritmunication.¡±

    Hayley wanted to ask, how was he so sure. But Shi Lang was faster than them and he cut his palm open with a sharp knife. The dark red stained his palm in an instant. Then he hopped over to the door as if a child going home with candy in his hands. He did not have any worries and actually was very excited to see whaty behind the doors, forgetting that his cultivation was too low at the movement.

    The bloodied hand touched the door, and Shi Lang waited for the blood to drip till it reached the ground. However, he sensed no movement and with a sh of disappointment in his eyes, the young man sighed and said, ¡°Okay, this did not work. I hope you have not issued the evacuationmands just yet.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°I have had enough, you fucker. Come out and I will beat you for a whole day.¡±

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and then he moved his hand away from the door and then he said, ¡°We might need the artillery to take this thing down.¡±

    He sighed and wanted to go back to the surface, when Hayley said, ¡°Lang, something is happening.¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head and looked at the door, and found the hieroglyphs to be glowing with a pale silvery glow. Slowly the blood from his hand also began to squirm and filled the whole groove in the middle of the door. Then the blood vanished and the door slowly opened, emitting crunching sounds.

    This thing, who knew for how many centuries was buried here. After the door opened, Shi Lang was ready to fight, but nothing happened, he peeked inside, and then he walked inside the passage. He looked up and said, ¡°Moon stones.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not know, but don¡¯t you think these illumination stones look like the moon of the federation?¡±

    The images disyed from his camera were transmitted to the screens above. Jenkins and Hayley looked at everything while the technicians were the same. They have never seen anything like this. They did not know any stone that could emit light. They thought it could be some new element special to this. Well, they all had a very scientific education.

    Shi Lang, however, was not having this shit. He was surprised to see the moonstones on this. he moved deeper into the passage, and he noticed the walls had some odd indents on them, and on the ground, there was some shiny dust. Shi Lang felt his heartbeat escte. He walked closer to the dust and with his exposed hands, he touched the dust.

    Recalling the texture from his memories, he was sure, this was the residue dust from spirit stones. Shi Lang smiled, Hayley noticed this from the monitoring room and asked, ¡°What are you smiling about?¡±

    The young man replied, ¡°This dust has some residue of spirit energy in it. I think it should be from some stone, so if I can find these stones, then we will be able to cultivate better.¡±

    The two people were surprised, however, Shi Lang was thinking, that it is so hard to cover up the lies when you are facing someone smart. He could not tell them that he was a cultivator reincarnate after all.

    Putting all this aside, Shi Lang began to walk deeper and said, ¡°Yo Jenks, make sure this news is not transmitted back until we have made an inventory. If they confiscated the supplies, then I will snatch your shares.¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know you were a money-grubber?

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Because you are born with a silver spoon. Now let me focus, if I triggered some trap, then I will beat you up.¡±

    He was walking with a very light step, even so, things did not go as he nned. He could sense the spiritual energy getting stronger and thicker as he moved. Just when he was about to reach the end of the passage, he found a skeleton, the scanner in his helmet confirmed that it was a human skeleton. Shi Lang was about to move forward when the skeleton moved.

    Shi Lang was shocked and took a step back, beneath his foot he sensed a pressure sensor being pushed. The skeletal figure slowly opened his eyes, revealing a strong gleam of vitality. Shi Lang had an urge to curse, however, when he heard a voice in his brain, he forcefully calmed himself.

    ¡°The treasures in here are left over by my generation of humans. I have only one request, do not fall for the greed of power, it can ruin the whole kin. Getting to the treasures is not easy, you will have to pass a trial young one, and only after you havepleted the trail, can you im it all.¡±

    The skeleton calmed down and the gleam in the eyes also vanished. Jenkins¡¯ and Hayley¡¯s voice was being transmitted through the earpiece, constantly asking if Shi Lang was okay. The young man woke up from the trance and found the skeleton undisturbed, a term came to his mind, soul projection.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I am fine, you guys. Ummm, I seemed to have stepped on the trigger te. It seems that to get to the treasures, I must first get through the trial.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I will switch to a flying drone cam. These extenders will hinder the movement.¡±

    That said, Shi Lang removed the extenders and started a target monitoring drone. The drone was only as big as a palm but it was quick and silent and will always be locked onto a specific target. The drone was in ce, and Shi Lang lifted his foot for the pressure te. With a sliding noise, a passage appeared on the side.

    Jenkins said, ¡°This passage should not be simple. What do you intend to do? Do you want to probe it first?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°No wonder, you bloke was chosen for the frontier and not the secret divisions, also, howe you were so cunning back in the school.¡±

    Before thetter could say anything Shi Lang had already rushed inside the passage. The space between the walls was only as big as two people, enough for him to run along. The speed was not fast, but it was not slow either. Just as Shi Lang reached a nine-meter mark, the floor beneath moved Shi Lang did a quick back flip and a spike protruded from the floor.

    The twisted and barbed spike had a thickyer of blood on it. Shi Lang chuckled, ¡°Finally some rush.¡±

    He stood up and began to hop in a ce as if he was skipping a rope and after a few seconds, he moved. The speed was fast, he did not want to end up as a kebab in this tomb. He did not follow a pattern but moved ording to footwork.

    The drone transmitted all this and Hayley said, ¡°Record his movements, it will be good to understand stuff.¡±

    The technician nodded and turned on the recording. Shi Lang did not know all this, and he suddenly took a big leap in the air and held onto a bar between the walls. Then he swung around the bar and when he was parallel to the ground, he curled himself up, ced his feet on the bar, and then he pushed against the bar and removing his handgrip he flew forward.

    The technician happened to be a woman and let out a whistle, she said, ¡°General Lang is so handsome.¡±

    Jenkins snorted and said, ¡°Show off.¡±

    Shi Langnded on the ground and afterpleting a roll he stood up. As if he heard what Jenkins said, he took out his handgun and shot at the floor behind him. The tiles all suddenly began to fall apart and out came a web of spikes.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Jenkins, you thought I was showing off, no?¡±

    Jenkins exploded in curses. Shi Lang did not say much and began to move forward and faced more obstacles. Hayley said, ¡°Lang, take rest, you have been at it for two hours now. The output is too high.¡±

    Shi Lang sat down on the spot and said, ¡°Hayley, although you have a point, but a trial is not a school exam. I will move forward in one movement.¡±

 Chapter 218

    Shi Lang sat down on the ground with his eyes closed. He waited for five minutes to regain his energy, all he had used was his physical energy as a Terran. The spiritual cultivation has yet to be tapped in. He circted the spiritual energy in his body to alleviate his exhausted muscles.

    After five minutes, he stood up and began to run forward again. This time Shi Lang did not think too much when turning to the dead ends. He followed his instincts totally giving up deliberation. It was not the first time he hase inside a ruin and encountered this sort of situation. Just when he was running through a calm passageway, he sensed something.

    Then his gaze fell on a sword on the floor and he rushed over to grab the hilt of the sword. This was not an ordinary nanobot weapon but a treasure sword. It was a proper weapon for a cultivator. Shi Lang has been longing for this sort of weapon for a long time. Ever since he regained his cultivation, he wanted a proper weapon to use his skills but he had not reached the level where he could forge a weapon for himself.

    As soon as he grabbed the treasure sword, he could sense himself brimming with confidence. The weight of the sword was not to his liking, but it was still better than the nanobot constructs. Swinging the de a few times while running through the silent passage. Shi Lang familiarized himself with this weapon.

    In front of him was a fork road. Based on his instinct, the boy turned to the left one and abruptly stopped. In front of him was a huge beast.

    ¡­

    Jenkins and Hayley saw this and they were shocked. They did not expect to find a living specimen of the wildlife of this. The beast was akin to a tiger back in the Federation, however, this tiger had four eyes and two big fangs. The body was covered with scales as if a dragon. The tail was a snake, and the ws of the beasts were giving a dreadful vibe.

    At the moment, the neck of the beast had a metallic cor around it and the beast seemed to be sleeping. Jenkins said in a low voice, ¡°Lang, pull back. We do not know what this beast is capable of.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Can yous top being a sissy? Use somemon sense. This beast is a machine, a life-size puppet. To protect this ruin.¡±

    Jenkins and Hayley were shocked, the girl asked, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Shi Lang looked straight at the camera and said, ¡°Can you all learn to look beyond the appearances? Use the thermal screen.¡±

    The technician followed the instructions and said, ¡°Damn, the general is so wise.¡±

    The thermal screen showed the temperature of the beast to be really cold as if a piece of metal. The only thing that made them feel confused was the small area of heat shown by the scanners. Before they could say anything, Shi Lang said, ¡°That is the power source of this big guy.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang looked at the sleeping puppet and then looked at the sword in his hand. Hayley said, ¡°Try to shoot it with your handgun.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You kids need to understand that technology and spiritual energy are two different things. Technology is not invincible, but to make sure that you do not pester me again, I will show you.¡±

    He took out the handgun and with no hesitation, shot at the puppet in the distance. The phaser beam hit the scales on the body of the puppet, and just as Shi Lang had predicted, they were deflected. However, the attack woke up the puppet.

    The beast opened its eyes and stood up from the ground. The low nking sound emitted from the joints was too obvious. The thermal detector showed, that the beast was getting warmer. The source of energy was now supplying the whole body. Shi Lang said, ¡°Kids, watch this seat take down the doom machina for you.¡±

    Hayley said, ¡°Can you stop quoting from Robed Raider.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and gazed at the puppet. The whole thing was six meters tall and was now moving around, the cor around the neck was now lying on the ground. Although it was moving around, the eyes were locked on Shi Lang. The boy smiled and said, ¡°It is detecting my base of cultivation.¡±

    The beast roared and charged ahead. Shi Lang said, ¡°If you noticed something I will give you ten merit points.¡±

    That said, he swung the sword and rushed forward.

    ¡­

    The technician said, ¡°The mouth of the beast, the inside looks like a real mouth, it has epidermal tissues.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°You get ten merit points.¡±

    Jenkins and Hayley cast an envious gaze at the technician, who pretended not to see them.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was rushing forward to deal with the beast, while the opponent was doing the same. They both met in the middle of the room, and the beast swept a huge w at him. Shi Lang was not outdone, he parried the attack with grace. The air was filled with sparks from the collision. Shi Lang just took half a step to dissolve the impact of the attack.

    He was not suppressed by this beast. The two kept on fighting and the battle grew intense. Soon the attacks were emitting visible, shockwaves, and Shi Lang was now taking bigger steps back and the beast was also using different matters to attack him. In addition to ws, the tail was whipping an irregr pattern.

    Shi Lang suddenly stopped and said, ¡°So, have you had fun, or do you want some more exercise?¡±

    The people on the monitoring thought he was out of his mind. However, the next moment, the puppet shook his head. Shi Lang chuckled and waved his sword to call over the guy. The puppet rushed over and Shi Lang indulged in the fight once again.

    The speed this time was higher and so was the intensity. The shockwaves were now damaging the room itself. The beast was now in tatters. Shi Lang had decided to use his spiritual energy with the de. The impact dealt the most damage to the beast. The scaly armor skin was now shed. One of the ws wasid waste, and the tail was also gone.

    Shi Lang¡¯s sword had chinks in it. He sighed, and concentrated his spiritual energy on all the joints in his body, and then on the ligaments and tendons. All this was done to help him in charging forward at the fastest speed possible. He shed, appeared under the belly of the beast, and with his swordced with spiritual energy, he cut open the belly of the puppet.

    The speed was not slow, it all was finished in just a few seconds. The beast fell to the floor with a bam. Shi Lang walked over to stand in front of the beast¡¯s head. He nced at it, and then after some thought, he probed the surface with his hands.

    ¡­

    Jenkins said, ¡°Oye, why are you touching it?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Touching your ass. keep quiet and watch.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang located a few spots on the forehead of the beast and pressed them hard. The spots emitted a clicking sound, following which, the head of the beast opened up like a mechanical treasure box. Inside the forehead, a crystal was ced. Shi Lang had an ecstatic smile on his face and he took out the crystal.

    He did not need the visor on his helmet to record this. He was aware of what it was. Sometimes in the cultivation world, people will embed spirits of beasts, or souls of their enemies, by means of inscription or fusion. This was a simr thing. Earlier when fighting Shi Lang had realized that the puppet was not aplete puppet, it had a source of intelligence simr to what a processor in aputing system.

    Suddenly, Hayley¡¯s voice sounded in the earpiece, ¡°General what is going on down there? Is everything fine?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes, it is fine. Can you not see?¡±

    Hayley replied, ¡°Sorry, sir, but after the headpartment opened up, the drone stopped broadcasting, and even the helmet cam is not working. We only know that your vitals are normal.¡±

    Shi Lang looked around and found that the drone was still flying. He guessed that it could be the spiritual fluctuations from the release of this crystal in his hand. He replied, ¡°I will try to reboot the cams, let me take a tinkle first.¡±

    Hayley said, ¡°Sir, can you respect yourself a little?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Adjutant Hayley Dupont, I would excuse myself and when I am done, I will reboot the system. Is that fine?¡±

    Hayley replied, ¡°Copy that, Generalng.¡±

    Shi Lang quickly took off his suit, he circted the spirit energy in the storage tattoo on his chest and ced the crystal inside. Then he leisurely took a tinkle at the corner of a room, and after suiting up, he rebooted the system.

    The tinkle was to leave some forged evidence to emit the loopholes.

 Chapter 219

    Shi Lang rebooted the suit system and images began to project again. Hayley asked, ¡°What was inside thispartment?¡±

    The young man replied, ¡°Nothing much, a concealed engraved jade, it seemed to be some sort of matrix for this puppet. When I tried to take it out, it turned to dust.¡±

    This was enough to convince the people and Shi Lang walked around the puppet. Then he said, ¡°I have no time to waste, I will move ahead.¡±

    Then he picked up the chinked sword and walked toward the passage that had opened near behind the spot where the beast puppet was resting earlier. His pace was calm because he could tell, that now he will not be facing traps but tests.

    Hayley asked in his earpiece, ¡°General, are you sure that chinked sword willst?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°It all depends on fate. We will cross that bridge when we get there.¡±

    That said he walked forward.

    ¡­

    Hayley¡¯smunicator rang as soon as she finished talking to Shi Lang. Jenkins on the side asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Deputy General Sikar.¡±, replied Hayley.

    Jenkins nodded and the girl picked up themunication request. She asked, ¡°Adjutant Hayley reporting, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Where is General Lang? I cannot contact him, have you alle back to the Frontier?¡±, while is was speaking his breathing was fast. Hayley could tell that something was up. Her guess was the guests from the frontier.

    Hayley replied, ¡°General is a hibernation pod. The ship had some malfunctions, and the general wanted to rest for a bit longer. We will arrive at the frontier in eight hundred hours. Is it something urgent, Sir?¡±

    Sikar on the other side replied, ¡°No, I was only checking on you two. Have a safe trip,¡±

    That said, the man disconnected themunication. Hayley turned to face Jenkins and said, ¡°Check, who went in to meet the Deputy General at this hour.¡±

    Jenkins nodded and contacted his close people. They all asked him for some time, and after ten minutes they received a piece of news that it was one of the guests from the gctic council that had gone to meet the general in the officer¡¯s lounge, and then the two moved out one after the other. They also confirmed that there was no visible contact between the two people.

    Jenkins said, ¡°What do you think about this?¡±

    Hayley did not think much and connected themunicator to Shi Lang. She narrated the whole thing and the results of their investigation. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Issue and istion order, but every woman on the base on guard duty. If any of those white-cloaked foxes dares to protest, you will all escort them out of the base, and bring them straight to their ship. Also, Hayley has someone conduct a psychological test on Deputy General Sikar. If he shows any abnormality, submit a report to the president.

    Tell him to make our representative in the Gtic Council use that report as a piece of evidence as a weapon and raise a storm. Submit the surveince and everything else in one go. These guests have the ability to charm people. That is what they did just now.¡±

    Hayley was shocked, although this was a bit extreme, this sort of interference was the ground of rebellion and that was what Shi Lang wanted to show the Gctic Council, that they will not sit back and watch as the council gobbled up their home.

    She replied, ¡°Understood, Sir.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was busy fighting with humanoid puppets, he replied in a hurry and got back to fighting with all that he had. It has been a long time since he experienced purebat, there was no gun, no running, just hard brawling with a sword in his hand. The more he fought the more focused he became.

    At a point in the battle, Shi Lang had even snatched the spear from one of the puppets and began to fight with them all. There were fifty puppets set to defeat him and kill him. But Shi Lang was fighting them withplete ease. At least, that was what it looked like in the footage from the drone.

    ¡­

    The technician, who was responsible for recording the footage suddenly asked, ¡°I just noticed, when did the General start using a spear and a sword at the same time?¡±

    Her question captured the attention of the whole monitoring station. Shi Lang was doing something incredibly difficult at this movement. He was fighting with a sword and a spear at the same time. It was not that the size of the two weapons was different, but to use them both efficiently they both needed to be used ording to a suitable set of movements. Shi Lang was able to execute these movements together.

    There was almost nog in the movements, it was aplete shock for the people. Someone reminded the already recorded footage and found when Shi Lang had started using the two weapons together. He watched the footage and said, ¡°The movements are not very smooth initially. However, the more he is fighting, the stronger he is bing. What is this skill?¡±

    Jenkins had a solemn expression and he said, ¡°This is not a skill. This is a talent. General Shi Lang is able to learn things quickly, and under the nourishment of spiritual energy, he is able to grasp the key factors needed to do two different tasks at the same time.¡±

    The people were shocked and the awe in their hearts grew to another level. Jenkins said, ¡°What are you putting this guy on a pedestal for? Try and leave him in dust and only then will you grow stronger. If you patronized him, you will never be able toe out of his shadow. Understand?¡±

    The people nodded and said, ¡°Thank you for the wake-up call, Colonel.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang had put down ten puppets after the initial ten minutes of battle, he had familiarized himself enough with the dual-wielding skill, and now he wanted to finish this charade. His attacks became critical, all aimed at the power sources iid in the chest of the puppets. It did not even take him five minutes to deal with the mob after he was done.

    The puppets fell down and Shing checked them again, for hidden chambers. However, he did not find anything useful, So he stood up and moved to the next passage. He tied the spear to his back using a nanobot bind and carried the sword in his hand. The close-fitted ck and whitebat suit, with hardened joints for more support. At this moment, Shi Lang had taken off his helmet and he looked very dashing.

    He walked inside the third passage and found a puppet standing with a huge pile of spirit stones lying behind him. While the people in the monitoring room were dazzled and shocked by this, Shi Lang sighed.

    The puppet opened his eyes and asked, ¡°What do you choose? The pile of wealth behind me, or skills that defy the heavens?¡±

    This conversation was being held inside his mind and thus Shi Lang was able to understand it. The spiritual energy did not need words to convey thoughts. What Shi Lang needed at this moment were skills.

    He said, ¡°I would like to take the skills.¡±

    The puppet turned to his side and gestured for Shi Lang to pass. The young man walked forward calmly. He could tell in his mind, that he was going to face something very dangerous in the final test. He was walking on a path with piles of spirit stonesid on the sides.

    The puppet gazed at the camera, and the aura radiated from it made the people in the monitoring room very shocked. However, upon judging that the drone had no sentience, sit did not attack the device and let it follow Shi Lang.

    The young man said in the earpiece, ¡°You people, I might die in this one.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I just realized my blood cultivation is banned, I seemed to have walked into a formation. I will not be able to use the Terran cultivation, this formation must suppress everything that is ssified as external aid in cultivation. Blood enhancement cannot be done without an external substance. So, it might have been banned.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°What else? I will fight, do you think that sentinel puppet back there will let me go?¡±, said Shi Lang.

    Jenkins asked, ¡°You said this formation will ban any external source, then why can we stillmunicate?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°This is a test for you. I will not spoon-feed the answer to you all the time.¡±

    Hayley replied, ¡°Tech and spirit are parallel to each other, they cannot intersect.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Correct, also, you are still missing a few points such as the adaptation of technology with spiritual methods¡­¡±

    Suddenly, he stopped moving and talking at the same time. Hayley asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I just saw death.¡±

 Chapter 220

    Shi Lang had frozen in his spot. At the same time, the drone disyed an empty spot. Hayley said, ¡°General, we do not see anything on the monitor.¡±

    The young man replied, ¡°It is inside my brain. The final test is the test to face your worst fear. I am going to close the broadcast, I do not want any interference or disturbance.¡±

    That said, he switched off both, themunicator and the drone cams. He was not in the mood to humor any of the people in the monitoring room. The reason was the images inside his mind. The formation he stepped inside seemed to be a mental attack. When he moved forward, he saw the biggest adversary from his past life.

    Shi Lang was a talentless renegade as they called him. He never got inside any sects or joined any forces. A solo cultivator could not do much, so he spent his life living in cities with big sects. He would act like a cronie of the person, who was a cronie to the most talented disciples. Then he would vanish and wait for the right time to snatch the opportunities.

    One of these opportunities led him to meet the person that appeared inside his mind, the supreme disciple of the strongest sect of the world, Long Shuyan. He could still recall that day vividly, a secret realm had opened up, it was said that this secret realm contained the blood of a fallen immortal. Just one whiff can make a person break through a major realm.

    There was only one drop left, this drop if taken directly could change the talent of a person from trash to treasure. Long Shuyan wanted this drop of blood, and so did Shi Lang. So the two got inside the secret realm with countless others and began to explore the ce.

    Shi Lang was the first to discover the blood drop, just when he took hold of the blood drop, long Shuyan also appeared, he promised Shi Lang a good deal in exchange for the blood. However, Shi Lang was aware that as soon as he take out the blood, he will die. So, Shi Lang conned Long Shuyan.

    He passed him a drop of blood and said, ¡®This blood is sealed, the formation will deactivate when I crush the jade slip in my possession. you can take it away, and I will leave, but if I find that you have followed me, I will trigger the formation and destroy the energy in this drop of blood.¡¯

    Long Shuyan did not believe him and made Shi Lang take out everything from his space ring for inspection. Although humiliated, the boy still endured and did as he was asked. The drop of blood was confirmed to be in Long Shuyan¡¯s possession and he let Shi Lang go. He did not know that the drop of blood was contained inside Shi Lang¡¯s spirit storage tattoo. The sealing formation on the blood drop was obvious and thus he was able to get away with ease.

    Shi Lang ran for a couple of days, and on the other side, the formation had vanished. The blood turned out to be a drop from a thunder tiger. Long Shuyan was enraged, he used a special skill and set out to find the conman. Shi Lang had already refined half of the blood drop when Long Shuyan reached him. The benefits this half drop had brought were indispensable.

    Shi Lang had improved his talent, if he had the time to take down the whole blood drop, he could have been the most talented. However, Long Shuyan did not allow him much time and leisure. He attacked Shi Lang while he was cultivating. The process was disturbed and Shi Lang had almost died. He was not able to confront Long Shuyan for a few minutes before fleeing.

    Since then, till the day Long Shuyan hunted Shi Lang, but in the end, someone took advantage of this and killed Long Shuyan by calling him over by using Shi Lang as bait. This sort of blind hatred was not good for anyone. Over the years of enmity, the two came face to face a lot many times, however, Shi Lang managed to survive, sometimes using his wit, and sometimes using his body.

    The umtion of injuries was also the reason why he was left behind even after his talent upgrade, he was not the crown jewel of a big sect to give him treasures, while Long Shuyan, not only hated him but even had his cronies hunt for Shi Lang. The life of a protagonist is not always happy and smooth after they vite the stronger antagonist.

    At this moment, in Shi Lang¡¯s mind, Long Shuyan stood in his golden ted armor, with a spear in his hand. His hair waved in the wind, and his sharp eyes revealed utter contempt for Shi Lang. This gaze had given him a lot of nightmares, and now it has followed him in this life as well. Shi Lang dropped the sword in his hand and took out the spear on his back.

    The aura around him changed. If anyone else was to see this scene, they would have pissed their pants. Shi Lang was far from the happy-go-lucky kind fellow that he usually was. He was now in the state of mind from his past life. The savage who sought opportunities to kill those who stood in his path. He never spared an enemy, because in the world of cultivation, those who give enemies second chances, do not get a second chance by themselves.

    While Long Shuyan was expressing his disdain inside Shi Lang¡¯s mind, another phantom appeared outside in front of him. The phantom was the same as Long Shuyan in his mind. The puppet guarding the passage was now standing behind Shi Lang, still outside the formation observing the battle about to begin.

    The puppet could tell that the phantom was not amon person, it was a strong enemy, but he could not tell how Shi Lang, a young man came across this person.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang moved, and so did the phantom. The two stabbed the spears at each other and they were shaken back from the impact. However, the battle had just started. They exchanged blows, and the impact was getting higher. Shi Lang waspletely soaked in it. He had no other thoughts in his mind, at this moment, he was the old Shi Lang, who was known as the Savage God in the world of cultivation.

    The one who would take what he needed from anyone and anyhow. His reputation was not good but it was not bad either, he was often found helping those in need, and those who came to him sincerely would testify in his favor even if he faced heaven.

    ¡­

    Jenkins had put on a battle suit and was about to walk out of the monitoring room. He was going to find and check if Shi Lang was okay. Hayley stood up in front of him and asked, with squinted eyes, ¡°Where do you think you are going, Colonel Jenkins?¡±

    Jenkins said, ¡°Inside that hole to find the general.¡±

    Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°Do you think given your skills you will be able to keep up with the traps inside those passages? Do you think you can get through them and reach the final room without being hurt? If you haveplete confidence, then you can leave and I will not stop you. However, if you have even the slightest doubt, then Imand you to stand down. The general is fine. His vitals are still transmitting data.¡±

    Jenkins had no response, he felt a twitch at the corner of his lips but then he came to stand behind the monitoring station and said, ¡°If the vitals fluctuate too much, then I am going inside with or without your permission.¡±

    Hayley did not respond, she was praying that they did not have to go inside.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was fighting with Long Shuyan without holding back a single shred of strength that he could derive from his core. The people moved fast when suddenly, Shi Lang was hit back by the shaft of the spear used by Long Shuyan. At the moment of impact, Shi Lang regained some rity in his thoughts, and he figured out what was happening.

    He stood up again and waited for the attack toe in again. This time he gave up on countering the attacks, he began to defend and keep himself intact, he did not suffer anything, and at the same time, he was concentrating on his breathing and thoughts to wake up from the illusion created by the formation.

    Shi Lang saw a puppet moving under the figure of Long Shuyan, imitating all the moves precisely. This was all because the formation was essing Shi Lang¡¯s memories and using them to ovey a phantom of spirit energy to cover the puppet and make it look like Shi Lang was fighting with the most powerful enemy. This was all a trick, when you face your greatest fear, you develop doubts in your mind and those doubts will lead to your death.

 Chapter 221

    Shi Lang learns the trick behind the puppet and his methods to counter. He began to focus and meditate while reacting to the attacks dealt at himself. His strategy was to let his thoughts scatter and not to think about Long Shuyan. The more he thought about it, the more this Array will attack him.

    This was not a sure way to score a win, but it was an experiment to ask see if this formation worked the same way as he thought or was it something different. As he got deep into meditation the battle slowed down. He could sense it all, the puppet was slowing down, however, just when Shi Lang thought that the end was close, the puppet picked up the pace again.

    Shi Lang gave up on meditation and began to fight against the puppet. Although he was still defending the attacks, he was not getting pushed back. The phantom of Long Shuyan had evaporated, and the body of a metallic puppet was moving around him.

    Opening his eyes, Shi Lang found the puppet attacking him with a spear, the body of this puppet was metallic, one look and he could tell that this puppet was the best work of the old civilization. The joints and the movements of this puppet were matchless. However, at this moment, this puppet was set on killing him, and not wanting to die, the young man shifted focus from admiring this clockwork, to fighting it off.

    During the battle, Shi Lang noticed a few loops, the puppet was now fighting him with a set of moves, some were quick, some were slow, yet the devastating force behind these attacks was anything but simple. Shi Lang was scared for a moment when he charged in to intercept the attack but the puppet slowed down exponentially and then stabbed with an even quicker motion.

    After an hour of battle, the observing puppet said, ¡°You can still go back alive if you give up now.¡±

    Shi Lang was toomitted to this battle and he had no thoughts of giving up. The puppet began to thrash him, and in the next half hour, his body was covered with bruises. Yet, he did not want to back down. He thought of treating these attacks as a method of tempering. But there was a limit to how much beating he could take.

    The irregrities in the attack pattern were quickly degrading his stamina, the boy did not seem like a warrior who could stand against thousands of people, but like a punching bag for the puppet. His spear has long left his grip, all he could do was to keep defending himself with his body. On the other side, the opponent did not seem to be a mechanical tool for testing the courage and skills of a person, but a sadistic machine that was meant to torment others.

    Shi Lang moved around but his speed was obviously slower than before. His ribs were cracked and his left hand was already fractured. Yet, his eyes were focused on the puppet.

    ¡­

    Jenkins said, ¡°His vitals are dropping, I am going in. You cannot stop me, Hayley.¡±

    Hayley sighed and said, ¡°Fine, I wille along.¡±

    Jenkins was not surprised, he was aware that Hayley had better skills than he did because she was the Quinn of the Card ss. She was the only one who could tackle Shi Lang among the five of them.

    The technician asked, ¡°Sir, Ma¡¯am, if both of you left, who will hold themand chain?¡±

    The question tripped them both. Quinn said, ¡°Jenkins, you will hold themand chain, I know you want to save him, but we both know, I have a better chance at even reaching the end of this maze.¡±

    Jenkins was hesitating, Hayley said, ¡°The more you hesitate the fewer chances we will have.¡±

    ¡°Fine! Go!¡±, snapped the young man.

    Hayley sighed and then she went to the side room to get dressed and depart from this room.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was in a bad state, the puppet has broken his leg, however, the attack was not made on the joints so he will not be disabled, that was if he lived. At this moment, he was lying on the ground, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He did not have the strength to stand up and fight against the puppet.

    The puppet observing him shook his head, if only Shi Lang had taken the advice to admit defeat, he would have survived. The puppet inside the formation raised the tip of the formation and it was charging toward, Shi Lang to deal the killing blow.

    On the ground, Shi Lang was recalling his life, watching the tip of the spearing right at him, he recalled how he did not want to live a life with any regrets. It was as if a dam had broken inside him. The spirit energy from the surroundings was being sucked by him. The process was so fast that the rushing puppet seemed to have entered slow motion.

    Shi Lang calmed down, he did not have the time to find the logic behind what was happening, he had to heal up and get out of the pinch. He quickly controlled the spirit energy entering his body and used it to connect his broken bones. The speed was blinking fast as if the bones were made of wax and the spirit energy was connecting them together using heat.

    As soon as the bones were connected, the young man moved and vanished from his spot. The next moment, Shi Lang was standing with his spear in his hand. During all this time, he had forgotten the motto of his life, he was bing more hesitant, burying his instincts to use his reasoning.

    He was not this sort of a person, hesitation brought regrets. He did not want regrets, thinking about it, he made up his mind to beat this puppet. The observation puppet did not show any reaction, indicating surprise or something, it had a metal face.

    Shi Lang kicked the shaft of his spear and swung it a few times in his hands. He channeled the spiritual energy inside him through the spear and charged at the enemy. This time he fullymitted himself to battle.

    The spirit energy was running through his eyes, and he could see the smallest of changes inside the body of the puppet. His movements became sharper, along with his body, his brain was also channeling the spiritual energy, this was the reason his body was keeping up with the thoughts. He was not thinking and just following his instincts.

    The body was being nourished with spirit energy on a cellr level, every neuron and every synapse was connected with spirit energy and they were all working faster without degrading, giving Shi Lang the power to deal damage to the puppet. Every attack was sharp and decisive. There was no hesitation when Shi Lang thrust forward.

    His spear seemed to havee alive, it was unstoppable. Shi Lang was using everything that his weapon could offer, the sticity, and the sharpness. He was using different angles to attack the puppet, yet every time the attack willnd on a vital point.

    It would be wrong to say that this puppet had no organs, this clockwork was made on a design of human anatomy, and Shi Lang was going to dismantle it. He was going to break down the joints of the puppet first. Thus the multi-angled barrage.

    The puppet that was so overpowering, seemed to have be a child¡¯s toy. Shi Lang was relentless, his attacks turned into abination of closebat and spear duel, and his speed was increasing constantly. In the end, he closed the distance and stabbed the spear right through the chest of the puppet.

    The spearhead was covered with spiritual energy, and Shi Lang aimed right through the abdomen, pushing the weapon through the back of the puppet. however, the machine still did not stop, so, giving up on the spear, Shi Lang jumped in the air, grabbed the head of the puppet, and ced his feet on the shoulders of the puppet. Then with a grunt, he exerted all his strength and pulled off the head.

    When his arms were raised high, Shi Lang was holding a mechanical head, and a few long rods sticking out of it. The puppet below him seemed to have frozen. The young man was panting very hard, this was the toughest battle of his life, and he almost died. However, this fight also made him understand what it feels to be alive.

    In life we face problems, and sometimes we give up. It is another issue if you cannot seed after trying your best, maybe it is fate, but never stop before you have exhausted yourself to the core.

    Shi Lang jumped to the side of the puppet, and sat on the ground.

 Chapter 222

    Shi Lang was lying on the ground with his breathing ragged. At this moment, the observation puppet approached him and said, ¡°Congrattions, defying the overwhelming odds, you havee through to thest test. You can now select any skill that is embedded in the matrix.¡±

    Shi Lang sat up with some effort and asked, ¡°What matrix?¡±

    ¡°Matrix is the intelligence source of the puppet you have defeated. The matrix contains all the material skills that the puppet has gathered through the millennials of fighting with enemies.¡±, replied the observation puppet.

    Shi Lang gulped at the thought of a millennial old puppet. After all, this was a piece of tech that was far more advanced than their own skills in the federation. To think that when the earth was justing around with the concept of life, this was nearing its death after seeing what the peak looked like.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°If your technology is so advanced, then why did not lead a campaign around the starry sea?¡±

    The puppet replied, ¡°The cost of the war was not suitable in the long term, and plus, without humans who will create a puppet? We have intelligence, but not ingenuity. We cannot evolve our thoughts without proper guidance. That leads to our destruction. When our makers passed away, there were millions of puppets like me. However, now I am the only one left.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Will you cease working too?¡±

    The puppet nodded and said, ¡°If I am left alone for a decade more, then yes, I will cease working as well.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the puppet and he found that this tin-man was quite exquisite and it can help him in the matters of work that he did not like. He asked on a whim, ¡°Would you like to follow me?¡±

    The puppet thought about it for a few minutes, and said, ¡°Yes, Sire.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You are quite a cheeky one, but I like that. So do you have a name?¡±

    That said, he began to fiddle with the head of the puppet in his hands. He was not sure how to open it but after channeling the spirit energy inside the head, he found the chip in a hiddenpartment. He pressed the hidden switches and opened the head. Shi Lang then pinched on the exposed part of the jade slip and pulled it out carefully.

    This thing was a few millennia old, who knew how delicate it was. He channeled the spiritual energy through the jade slip and he felt his mind explode. The information contained inside this slip ranged from alchemy to forging, to array formation to medicine. However, all of this was basic level knowledge.

    Shi Lang sat in a daze, for ten minutes before the informationpletely synced with his brain. Then he raised his head and asked, ¡°This was all basic level knowledge, is that all?¡±

    The puppet replied, ¡°Yes, Sire. My makers started with a level lower than this, but I have some advice for you. Do not circte this knowledge outside, after all, the greed for power can destroys and civilizations, let alone a single you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Will you not tell anyone else?¡±

    ¡°Not until youmand me to, Sire.¡±, the puppet replied.

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up, patting his battle suit to remove the dust. He asked, ¡°Do you have a name?¡±

    ¡°Observation Bot.¡± replied the puppet.

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°This name is a mouthful. Hmmm, how about OB-One. You are the first observation from now on, so one, OB-One. Do you like it?¡±

    The puppet replied, ¡°As long as you like it, Sire.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then he asked, ¡°What about all the spirit stones? How many are there?¡±

    OB-One replied, ¡°There are nine trillion spirit stones in this chamber. One spirit stone can help a rookie cultivator to wash their marrows one time.¡±

    Shi Lang gulped at this number, and asked, ¡°How did your makes die when they had such wealth?¡±

    OB-One shook his head and said, ¡°These were dug out by my predecessors, when thest king died, he was still trying to dig out the biggest spirit stone mine on the. However, he died in the middle of the process. The puppets did not receive any othermands and continued till they emptied out the coffers in that region.

    Shi Lang was a little scared by this exnation and sighed. He said, ¡°OB-One, do tell me how can we take away this amount of spirit stones from this ce?¡±

    OB-One said, ¡°Sire, I have three working space rings, One of them can carry this amount with ease.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°You really have the solution, but do tell me, how do you use the space rings?¡±

    The puppet shook his head slightly and said, ¡°Sire, I cannot use the space rings, I have a spirit crystal inside me but I cannot channel this energy outside my body. These rings are something I have kept for the use of a cultivator. The first one to get through the tests will get the skills and the wealth here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°I would like you to strong eight trillion spirit stones in one space ring, divide the rest in half and store it in the other space rings.¡±

    The puppet nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sire.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and they both moved to the outside of the test room. OB-One asked, ¡°Sire, a friend of yours is trying to get through the tests, her chances are not good.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    OB-One replied, ¡°A female.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Deactivate the traps and devices, let here in here. Her test scores are nullified. Also, in the future, this whole ce is to be used as the training course for the soldiers above. I will study the final puppet and the other puppets, then, we will manufacture them and have them test the soldiersing here.¡±

    OB-One replied, ¡°As you wish, Sire. Here¡­¡±

    That said, he took out the three space rings and handed them to the young man. Shi Lang sensed the space inside the ring and his mind was boggling, it has been a lifetime since he found a space ring. He covered the spirit stones in his spiritual energy and the stones flew inside a vortex entering the ring.

    He did not count the number of spirit stones entering the ring, all of a sudden, OB-One said, ¡°Sire, Eight trillion has been stored inside.¡±

    The bot has been counting the number of spirit stones for him. Shi Lang put away the ring and then the same process was used on the rest of the spirit stones and just as he finished storing the spirit stones, he caught Hayley rushing inside the room quickly.

    She came closer and saw the damage on Shi Lang¡¯s suit. She asked, ¡°You dim-witted bastard, what were you thinking when you took the final test? You knew that you cannot get out of that formation, did you not?¡±

    However, the next moment, she froze, OB-One was gazing at her with his bulb-like eyes. The puppet was not made to look very humane, it was typical clockwork. With a metallic shell covering its delicate parts. Hayley was shocked to look at this guy. Shi Lang said, ¡°This is my new friend, OB-One. OB-One, this is my adjutant, and best friend, Colonel Hayley Dupont, you can address her as Colonel Hayley.¡±

    OB-One reacted quickly, ¡°Yes, Sire.¡±

    Shi Lang kicked the woman in the shin and said, ¡°Manners, Colonel.¡±

    Hayley red at him and then said, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°It is time, we go to the surface, I have good news that will be very helpful.¡±

    Hayley nodded, OB-One said, ¡°Sire, this way.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and they all moved through the maze they came to stand at the hole, and OB-One stomped on the ground hard. All of a sudden, the ground lit up with various patterns. The ground trembled, and then it moved up, like an elevator.

    It took them a few seconds to reach the surface. Jenkins was standing at the edge of the hole. He saw Shi Lang and said, ¡°You fucking bastard.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Ohe on you grandmom. I won. Also, I gained a huge mother load of spirit stones for us to get stronger.¡±

    Jenkins asked, ¡°How many? A few thousand? Was it worth it?¡±

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°If I said, I can buy out the federation?¡±

    The two people were shocked, they could not understand what Shi Lang was saying. Jenkins asked, ¡°What do you want to say?¡±

    Shi Lang coughed lightly and said, ¡°I got eight trillion spirit stones.¡±

    The two people opened their eyes so wide that OB-One said, ¡°Human Anatomy is so fascinating. To think that the eyes are so wide open, yet they are fitted inside the sockets.¡±

    Jenkins finally registered the presence of the puppet, who said, ¡°I am OB-One. Nice to meet you.¡±

 Chapter 223

    Shi Lang made the introductions and shortly after, the team headed to the monitoring station. He was in a hurry because before he entered the hole, the envoys of the gctic council had tried to raise a ruckus inside the base. He was eager to show them their ce.

    He changed back into his uniform, and then after giving a few instructions to Jenkins he left the ce with Hayley. OB-One was left behind to guide Jenkins and the technicians about the various aspects of the ruins, and the matter of the spirit stones was left to be discussedter. Hayley wanted to drive the vehicle but Shi Lang took the steering and he drove it to the limits of the vehicle.

    The more he recalled how some outsider dared toe inside his base and dared to meddle with the order of the ce, his blood began to boil and he wanted to kill someone. This was the aura and the demeanor of a true cultivator. A cultivator who will defy even the heavens let alone someone mortal.

    During the tests, Shi Lang recalled his original dream, to reach the peak of strength and achieve longevity. This was why, he made a decision to himself, he will get rid of anyone that came in his way to achieve that unfinished goal. With a lot of thoughts going inside his brain, Shi Lang drove the vehicle. It took them half the time to reach the base than usual.

    He got off and the soldiers on duty saluted him. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°At ease.¡±

    The soldiers did not understand why the base was suddenly pushed into battle mode, but seeing that the general hase back, they were eased. The news of his arrival channeled through the base like a fire through dry woods. Shi Lang and Hayley made haste and they all came to themand center.

    Deputy General Sikar was moving around with an anxious face. He stopped when the door opened and Shi Lang walked in with a condensed look on his face. Sikar saluted him and said, ¡°Sir, I ept all the punishments.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I will have you sufferter, now, please follow me to deal with the so-called Gctic Envoys.¡±

    He did not intend to waste a single moment. Shi Lang walked out after dropping hismand, Sikar was flustered and he followed the man. On the way, they came across a lot of troops stationed on guard duties throughout the base. Every corridor was like a death maze. The soldiers were given an order, that was to stun the gctic envoys if they were toe out of the rooms without permission.

    Shi Lang and Deputy General Sikar came to a room, thetter said, ¡°Sir, Lady Minerva is inside this one, and the rest of herpanions have one room each.¡±

    The young man nodded and said, ¡°Open it.¡±

    Sikar nodded and opened the door by scanning hismunicator. Inside the room, Minerva was reading a book at leisure. Shi Lang walked inside with a calm face, and thedy put down her book. She said, ¡°Do you understand that it is impolite to step inside ady¡¯s room without knocking, General?¡±

    Shi Lang was not in the mood for theatrics and he said, ¡°I think you should better not teach me what is polite and what is not. Yourpanions tried that charm trick on my deputy, do you believe that I will kill you all right now?¡±

    Minerva was surprised, at first she thought that this was all done because Shi Lang was outside. But this was news to her. However, she did not wish to lose like this and said, ¡°You are making tant usations. How do you prove this?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not need to prove anything. I will be submitting a report to the Gctic Council, and then I would like you to answer in your own department. I guess a lot of people know that your kin is capable of using charm. Not only will I have the Terran rep, but the allies move together with me.¡±

    Minerva was shocked deep inside her but then sheposed herself and asked, ¡°What will you achieve by doing such a thing, General? Why cause mutual harm?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I will not cause mutual harm, but one thing is sure, you will be humiliated if this sort of issue is surfaced. I will be satisfied by that only.¡±

    ¡°Do not cross your line, General.¡±, said Minerva as she lost her temper.

    Shi Lang shed and appeared next to her with the barrel of his handgun stuck inside her mouth. He said, ¡°Do not dare to raise your voice here, Lady Minerva. I will not sumb to your tricks, and I have my own means to prove what you are capable of and what you tried to do. You surely do not want that. So, if you wish to stay here, then recognize a few lines. Otherwise, you might be the first Gctic Envoy to be evicted from The Federation.¡±

    Minerva could tell that Shi Lang was not joking; he dared to kill her and she felt he also had a card up his sleeves. This was a psychological battle, she could tell that Shi Lang was acting from pure rage, and he was not lying.

    This was what she thought, but in reality, Shi Lang had no cards up his sleeve. To force someone back, one needed to show strength, while showing strength one had no room to act soft and poised. Rage is the best way to project a facade and stun the reasoning of your opponent.

    A slight numbness of the enemy and they will miss a lot of details, start doubting themselves, and eventually sumb to the strength you projected. Shi Lang was not only good at fighting, but also at psychological warfare.

    Deputy Sikar, who was witnessing all this from the threshold of the room was shocked, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat beads. He ran up to stand behind Shi Lang, but the fierce aura did not allow him to get close to him. The old man could only say, ¡°General, please control yourself. Please, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang snorted and said, ¡°Hmph, you better deal with your bitches, Minerva. Or I will not stand back.¡±

    He withdrew his handgun and walked out of the room. Sikar watched him leave and sighed. He turned to look at the stunned Lady and said, ¡°Madam, I hope you understand the circumstances. If the same thing happened in your territory then you would have reacted the same way. He is young and has just taken charge. Please try to understand.¡±

    That said, he also walked out and closed the door. His speed was quick but he still could not catch up to Shi Lang. The young man was sitting inside themand center frowning and sweating. He waspletely different from the guy in front of Minerva.

    Shi Lang gazed at Sikar and said, ¡°You will go down the pit discovered when they moved those nts, and stay there till you havepleted the whole course. Leave now.¡±

    Sikar did not understand what this was about, Shi Lang said, ¡°Jenkins will tell you. Leave.¡±

    The deputy general nodded and after a salute, he left. He was punished because he fell to the charms of the girl and almost gave away crucial information. Hayley asked, ¡°Why are you sweating?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and exined to her the happenings in the containment room. Hayley opened her so big that a quill egg could be fitted inside without breaking. Suddenly, she grabbed Shi Lang by his cor and said, ¡°You fucking idiot. What were you thinking? What if that bitch went rabid andined to the Gctic Council. You moron, we will face gctic sanctions and be isted.¡±

    Shi Lang did not push her away but said, ¡°That is the aim, Adjutant Hayley. If sheins and we get isted, then we will have the chance to make our whole territory stronger than what they could ever imagine for us. If she did notin then we will get to rule her ass.¡±

    Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°I am going to report this to the president and the General Council.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You can do whatever you feel is necessary. I need to talk to the president and the council regarding the discoveries we made inside the ruins. They will stand beside me withplete support.¡±

    Hayley let go of his cor and said, ¡°You know that you are a pain in the ass? I am telling you, take it as a warning, or a reminder of a friend. Your ways of doing things, will one day get you in a bind. Try to be careful Shi Lang. Life is very random.¡±

    Shi Lang winked and her and said, ¡°I understand, now if you please, after making your reports. Arrange a security detail for those women.¡±

 Chapter 224

    Shi Lang sat in themand center, looking at the report submitted by the various units inside the fleet. He then began to report the various matters to the parliament, and more importantly to the president of the Federation.

    He took out a spirit stone and handed it to Hayley and said, ¡°Get the technical department to scan this and develop a report on the atomic structure. Another thing is for them to find out the various properties of the atoms. go.¡±

    Hayley held the spirit stone and rushed out of themand center, she did not hurry because of the order, but only because she was worried that she will start absorbing the energy inside the stone if she did not move quickly.

    Shi Lang began topile a report of the things that happened with the Gctic Council Envoys and used them of hindering and spying on the procedure inside the base. He used the art ofnguage, making Minerva look like an ungratefuldy. After all, he mentioned how he saved her life from the Zergs, and Minerva had testified to the council that he did.

    He questioned if this was an act of treachery or not. In the end, hepleted a report, where he mentioned the number of spirit stones he found from the ruins and also the purpose of the stones. His speed was slow, as he was measuring each and every word carefully before typing it. The government officials were all greedy bastards, so Shi Lang made the same report to the Guard of dusk secret division.

    This division watched over crucial things inside the federation, such as emergency food reserves, and the federal mints, and now he wanted them to look after the spirit stones as well. Guardians of dusk were a division that was often checked by the other secret divisions and federal military as well.

    It was a two-way supervision system to make sure that some division does not go mad with the greed of power and runs away with the good stuff and harm the federation. Shi Lang submitted the reports and leaned back in his chair. A soldier asked, ¡°General, how long do we have to stay in the battle mode?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Arrange for a few teams to take turns guarding those guests, and the rest of the base is to go back to normal operations.¡±

    The soldier nodded and issuedmands. Shi Lang was sitting inside themand center, checking up on the various things happening around the base. He said, ¡°Contact Colonel Jenkins, have him establish a video feed from the dig course to the base. At the same time, arrange transport for the relics found there.¡±

    The technicians nodded and began working, Shi Lang wanted to find out more about the puppets. He ced his hand over his chest when he thought about the piece of jade he snuck away from the ruin. At this moment, the door was pushed open and Hayley came over with a spirit stone in her hand. She tossed it back to Valerian and said, ¡°The tests have beenpleted and the detailed report has been sent to yourmunicator.¡±

    The young man began to scroll through the content of the report quickly and then he attached the report with the others and mentioned, ¡°The structural and property analysis of this stone can be used to locate the simrities in others. However, there is a risk of mining this spirit stone, if too much is removed from thes, it will cause an imbnce that can trigger a cmity, resulting in the destruction of an entire race, like life on this world.

    It is my suggestion, that the overseers do not sumb to their greed and jeopardize the lives of countless others. A system shall be established, where the mining must not exceed a certain level. Each mine should only be worked in for a month and then closed for a year. To prevent the degradation of the atmosphere, the relic left behind by the previous civilization also states the same.

    Another reason is the intrusion and silent monitoring of the gctic council. If they found out about such a thing, will they not try to abscond it in the name of their so-called bnce?¡±

    Hayley asked him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Teaching those old coots back home to work in a limit that does not attract destruction to the federation. Can you go and bring back OB-One? I would like him to record a video.¡±

    Hayley nodded and just when she turned around, she said, ¡°Amelia called, she hase across some trouble.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I will be checking on her now. Thank you.¡±

    That said, he walked out to the small balcony made around themand center. This ce was made for the general toe out and keep an eye on the expanse of the base. Secretly to relieve the stress of the old man by giving him a nice view. Shi Lang looked at the scenery and then called Amelia using hismunicator.

    The connection was boosted with a priority algorithm that came with the rank of General. After all, the high-ranking officers connecting all the way across millions of stars must have something important to say, right?

    The call was answered in an instant. Amelia¡¯s visage appeared on the holographic disy. Shi Lang smiled faintly and gazed at her intently. The other person was also looking at him in silence. They stayed silent like that for a few moments, when a gust blew, making Amelia¡¯s hair flutter. The same thing happened to Shi Lang as well, and the boy said, ¡°As cheesy as it may sound, but even if we are worlds apart, the spirit connects us.¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°When did you be so romantic?¡±

    ¡°Ever since I dreamt of youst night.¡±, replied Shi Lang.

    The two began flirting and speaking cheesy things to each other for a few minutes. Amelia said, ¡°Lang, I want to be transferred from here.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, ¡°Why? Is everything alright?¡±

    Amelia sighed and said, ¡°I am carrying out scouting ops every day, I go farther than before, and I have also found out a lot of camps of the natives. One of their n is led by a woman and this female faces the pressure of several other tribes alone. I tried to help her and she told me to respect their culture, that they may be primitive, but they only fight when they feel terrorized.

    It has been three days since, and I have not taken scout ops. I feel like a terrorist. Is it not good enough to conquer the uninhabiteds? Why must we be terrorists?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to her words and after she had ranted enough, he said, ¡°Come here if you want to. You have the rank of the colonel, and there is a waring. You can help me with some ops against those reptiles and I would like you to meet a woman and beat her to a pulp.¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°I will beat any woman for you, but please help me, mom thinks it is because of our love rtionship that I want to be you, if only she had stayed by your side, she could have understood the fun part.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and assured her that he will talk to General Charlotte. Then the couple showed each other the scenery and after a few minutes, they disconnected the call. Shi Lang came back to the work area and a soldier said, ¡°Sir, the captives want to talk to you.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Lieutenant, the proper term is guests. If someone from the Gctic Council heard you, I will be demoted.¡±

    The soldier chuckled and said, ¡°My bad, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, ¡°Patch them through, let us see what they have to say.¡±

    The lieutenant connected the two people, and Shi Lang saw Minerva. Thedy had calmed down from her shock and fear, except for a slight restrain, nothing like post-trauma stress was visible. Shi Lang did not speak, he kept gazing at her visage indifferently. He was not going to speak first.

    Minerva understood this and said, ¡°General Shi Lang, I would like to leave this ce with mypanions. I apologize to you for the trouble they have caused for you and the rest of the people at such a crucial time. Please forgive me.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°You can call me petty, but I am like that only. To me those who wear these colors on their body are a family, I think you will not stand silently if some outsider messes with your family and have designs on your home. You will be provided security detail for your travel to the spaceport. I wish you a safe journey. Try not to go closer to the border regions, the Zergs have been really active these past few days.¡±

    That said, he disconnected the call and said, ¡°Arrange a protective escort for these people and send them off. Be respectful on the way. Understood?¡±

    Minerva suddenly decided to leave, which means the war with zergs was around the corner. Thinking of this Shi Lang began to think of his war strategy.

 Chapter 225

    Shi Lang was gazing at the monitor that showed how the Gctic Council ship took off from the spaceport and left the atmosphere of the. Hayley stood beside him, she has juste back to the base with the relics mentioned by the former.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The technical team is to scan and learn every single thing about these relics and prepare prototypes. Have them create a semi-autonomous brain to operate the prototypes. They can use the algorithms and data references of a mecha but on a smaller scale. If the experiment is sessful, then we will be able to have a lot of manpower on our side.¡±

    Hayley nodded and asked, ¡°How will you test these prototypes?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The best way is to fight them or to have them go through that obstacle course in the pit.¡±

    Hayley nodded and left themand center to make arrangements. Shi Langmanded a few troops to check the bedrooms of the five gctic council envoys. After it was confirmed that those women did not leave a piece of surveince equipment behind, he sighed in relief. That said, he contacted General Charlotte and talked to her about the various aspects of the field, and fleet mobilization.

    In the end, he asked her to transfer Amelia over to the Frontier. He did not disclose anything to thisdy but only hinted that he can help her be stronger. That said, he began to arrange for more and more teams to enter the pit and train there. The number of people in the first fleet was a massive seven hundred thousand. The reserve forces were not included in this.

    Shi Lang was thinking about how to allow more soldiers to train at the same time when he decided to have OB-One build four such courses on the surface. The structure of these four training centers will be normal, but the inside will be nanobots. This was efficient and upgradeable. Shi Lang also asked the puppet to cast anti-spirit arrays on the vests worn by the soldiers.

    These four centers were made for non-cultivating soldiers, those with spirit energy must go and plunge into the pit. Everyone could sense the slight tension in the air as the days passed. Everyone on the was a member of the first fleet and they were all busy. Shi Lang had sent the deputy general to deliver the space ring with eight trillion spirit stones.

    Sikar was shocked but then he epted the task, at this moment, when the war was almost upon them, Shi Lang must stay here. It was necessary for the morale of the fleet. Sikar left and came back quickly. The parliament was not sitting ducks they have already made calctions of the distribution of the spiritual stones. They allotted the first fleet a huge sum of thirty-five million stones.

    The more solid quota depended on Shi Lang. The boy nodded and was happy to see this arrangement, he issued a few orders. The soldiers were not allowed to bet on the spirit stones, no need to save them if the spirit stone is turned to dust then they must collect that dust. Spirit stone dust whenpressed at extreme pressures will crystallize and then it can be used as array tes.

    This was what OB-One mentioned to Shi Lang and themand was issued. Shi Lang hadmented himself on training the soldiers. He would take rounds of the fields where the soldiers were training. The punishment set for cking off was even more sickening than the training. Cleaning toilets the old way, washing the socks off the whole unit after the heavy training schedule, manually.

    This made the people pick up the pace and they began to move toward a stronger level. After seven days, Shi Lang made the units have mock battles in the simtion realm. Shi Lang did not want to scare away the people, but it eventually happened. If he was to appear on the field, the soldiers would double their efforts instantly.

    They have all seen Shi Lang taking down five teams in one go. They were awed by this young man. The women had be his fans, but when they saw his cold unfeeling look, none of them dared to approach him. However, as the days passed, rumors began to circte that the war will not ur and they were working so hard in vain.

    Shi Lang detected this source of rumor and promoted this guy. Later when this soldier came to report to the protection detail of the General, he was beaten and brutally trained. However, the damage has already been done. Shi Lang called the Federation and asked for an answer.

    The President replied, ¡°General, you know that it takes time to decide whether a war is the only way out. The Zerg lives are also lives you know that, right?¡±

    Shi Lang calmly replied, ¡°This is all bureaucracy. You all just do not want to take the first step and look bad in the opinion of the people. However, do you not realize that the pressure is increasing? The tension when appropriate will keep a rope taut, but if it exceeds the rope will snap and recoil. If the fleet suffered because of this, then the Federation will suffer huge losses.¡±

    The president sighed, how can he not understand this all. He said, ¡°I will talk to the representative and ask him to fasten the process.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I hope that we get an answer quickly.¡±

    Themunication did notst long, and when Shi Lang came out of the isted room, the technician said, ¡°Sir, a ship from Ao, is requesting permission to enter the atmosphere.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Granted.¡±

    The technician did not understand why the general was so happy. Shi Lang sat down in his chair and began fiddling with the holop in front of him. He was drawing some blueprints based on what he understood about the puppets recovered from the ruin. He was trying to make a puppet body for the spirit he took out from the beast puppet.

    It would be a waste to keep such a thing hidden inside his spirit tattoo. The more he drew the more focused he became, at a point, even the people around him thought that Shi Lang had gone out of themand center.

    After an hour, the door opened and Hayley came over, only to find the guy to be drowned in his own world. She cleared her throat and said, ¡°General, Colonel Knight has arrived to report.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and said, ¡°March her in.¡±

    Hayley shouted loudly, ¡°Colonel Knight, march in!¡±

    The door was opened again, and in walked Amelia Knight, dressed in a white shirt and ck skirt, the ck coat. She saluted Shi Lang crisply and said, ¡°Colonel Amelia Knight, reporting for duty, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You will be in charge of the forty-fifth scouting team. All operations they do will be canceled through you and you will bear the responsibility for their deeds. I hope you understand what it is like to be the new Scout team captain. Understood?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then said, ¡°You are dismissed.¡±

    He turned his head back to the blueprint in front of him. Then something came to his mind and he pressed the button on the side and said, ¡°Dr. Stephan to themand center please?¡±

    This was a summoning call. The person in his mouth was the most excellent for technical stuff on the base. When he heard that the general has called him, the old man rushed over with a speed like never before. After showing his ID card, he entered themand center and came to stop in front of Shi Lang and saluted him.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Dr. Stephan, I have a project, I need you to oversee it personally and keep it confidential.¡±

    Stephan nodded and said, ¡°I will do my best, General.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That will be enough. Please take a look.¡±

    With a flick of his finger, the holographic Bluetooth print moved from his holp to themunicator of the old man. The old man was the chief of the technical division and mainly dealt with Mechas. He would say that Mechas are his love. So he could not get enough of them.

    Dr. Stephan got lost in the precision of the blueprint. Shi Lang had done this in half an hour. This made the old man surprised. He raised his eyes and said, ¡°General, this is a really good blueprint. However, it does have a small w, that is the jet vent is too close to the body. I will adjust that.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°How long do you need to have a working model up and running?¡±

    Stephan sighed and said, ¡°It would take a couple of days.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Fine, I will wait. Please get to it, I apologize for pushing this on you at such short notice.¡±

    The doctor and the general exchanged some small talk before the old man left the ce. Shi Lang said, ¡°Amy,e out, I can sense you.¡±

    He only heard a voice in his mind, ¡°Not yet. Go to your room.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and like a captive, he moved to his room.

 Chapter 226

    Shi Lang walked out of themand center and made a beeline to his room, he was about to open the door when the door behind him opened, and Shi Lang found Amelia standing behind. He opened his eyes wide. He could clearly tell that the sense of presence around him had not vanished for even a second and even now it was like someone was standing close to him, then how can Amelia appear seven meters away from him.

    He was about to move when Amelia said, ¡°This is what I wanted to show you.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his brow as he sensed the presence around him vanish. He was smart enough to understand what was going on. He asked, ¡°When did you break through?¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°On the way here, I had an epiphany inside the simtion realm. My ability has grown along with my cultivation level.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded, ¡°Indeed, you have stepped on the peak of the body refining realm. It is time to tell you all the further levels of spiritual cultivation.¡±

    Amelia nodded and stepped back inside her room. Then she turned invisible and came out before the door was closed. Amelia could erase her presencepletely and stay undetected by the cameras and the surveince. Shi Lang knew what she was going to do, so he opened his room and entered.

    Amelia had followed him inside the room. They did not wish for many people to know the news that they were a couple until Amelia has established an image of herself. Inside the room, the girl let go of the restrain and hugged Shi Lang, her hands were hooked around his neck and her chin was resting over his shoulder.

    The way she jumped made Shi Lang fall down on the bed, he supported Amelia¡¯s waist with his hands, making sure that she did not get shunned by the fall. This girl was rarely so proactive. He also held her in his embrace and asked, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°I have been fine. I heard that the Gctic Councildy was very interested in you. What is this about?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and using his hand, he tuck the strand of her hair behind her ear and said, ¡°She was interested but I did not let here close. She was asked to leave in the morning. I have passed the issue to the Representative in the gctic council.¡±

    The two began to chat slowly, gradually losing things about the real world and were immersed in stories from the era of immortals. Amelia was talking to Shi Lang about the life of cultivators in the ancient era. The young man told her a lot of things, ofcourse he used the term imagination to convey things.

    Amelia was immersed in the stories, and gradually both of them leaned closer and were almost about to kiss. After a few minutes, when Amelia¡¯smunicator vibrated, she woke up and found that it was Hayley calling her.

    She cast an apologetic gaze at Shi Lang and picked up the call. Hayley was aware of their rtionship so they did not bother to hide from her. Hayley said, ¡°Amelia, can you tell him, there is an urgent message from the Gctic Council. The president is waiting for his call.¡±

    Amelia realized that things were serious, she nodded and quickly told Shi Lang what the message was. The young man got up, Amelia helped him sort his clothes and then he walked out of his room. His speed was very fast, he was heading for themand center. Earlier he had ced hismunicator on do not disturb, that was why Hayley called Amelia.

    When he reached themand center he could sense that the air was stiff. He cast a gaze on Hayley and she said, ¡°The call from the president is still on hold. A total of twenty seconds.¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and sat down in front of the holo-screen. He said ¡°Hello, Sir. Anything I can help you with?¡±

    The president nodded and said, ¡°General Shi Lang, the gctic council has agreed to let us go to war.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°We will not lose sir.¡±

    ¡°I can rest assured with your skills, general, but try to keep the casualties low as well.¡±, said the old man on the screen.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will do my best sir.¡±

    The president said, ¡°Your orders have been sent to you. In a day or two, you will be visited by an envoy from the Gctic Council and that person will help you negotiate the rules of war with the Zergs.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded to express his understanding. The president passed him a few more guidelines and Shi Lang took ount of everything sincerely. He had no idea about the war protocols. It seemed like they will not be able to receive any reinforcements once the war started due to thews of the Gctic Council and if they lost then the federation will have to cede a part of their territory to the Zergs.

    After the conversation was finished, Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Tell all the deputies, I want them here in half an hour, they can give up everything. Time is not our ally.¡±

    Hayley nodded and using hermunicator she issued a lot of messages. Shi Lang stood up and made his way to the technical division. He was going to find Dr. Stephan, and have them speed things up.

    Dr. Stephan was hesitant at first, but when Shi Lang mentioned that these bots will be their trump card in the uing war. The old man understood the cruciality of this issue and agreed. Not only him but the team of people beside him, all began to move quickly.

    Shi Lang then made his way to the conference room and began to wait for the rest of the deputies toe over. They all understood how delicate this matter was and arrived five minutes before the designated time. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The war is about to begin. The president just told me that we will be visited by the envoy from the Gctic council. This person will help us negotiate with the Zergs, and help us set the rules of the war. Do you realize what that means?¡±

    Sikar spoke, ¡°Sir, Zergs are not only savages but also cunning ones. We need to be prepared.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That is why I have called you all over. To discuss the initial war strategy.¡±

    The meeting began. Shi Lang asked the head of the logistics, ¡°Rear General Dous, you are to fill up our food supplies, water storage, and medicine to the brim.¡±

    Rear General Dous nodded and said, ¡°Understood sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and turned to face another guy and said, ¡°Rear General Muse, conduct scouting ops throughout the sector. I want every nook and cranny to be mapped. If your teams find ces that can be rigged with traps, do it.¡±

    Rear General Muse nodded and said, ¡°It will be done, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang divided roles and tasks to people quickly and his orders were simple to understand, yet everyone could see that the importance of these orders as the key to winning this war. After an hour they all left the conference room and began to activate their troops and teams.

    Shi Lang went back to themand center and said, ¡°Everyone, for the next three days, I want you all to be at your best. If a Zerg is spotted, you will directly order a team to engage and destroy the strays. Understood?¡±

    The people replied in one voice, ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±

    They could tell that the war was approaching and they would definitely do their best. Shi Lang alsomanded all of the off-duty personnel to use medical pods to recover quickly from the fatigue in the training centers. The Terrans could defy sleep for a few days when they reach a four-star level. However, when these people were introduced to spiritual cultivation, they realized that spiritual energy could repair their brain cells and the damaged body.

    They gave up on sleeppletely. During the next three days, Shi Lang and the deputies could be seen sparing without holding back anything during the day. The young general took time out to personally teach people a lot of things aboutbat.

    This war was not going to be a simple space dog fight, but they will be fighting on the ground level as well. Shi Lang waspletely upied and on the third day, just as the President had said, a ship docked at the spaceport of the frontier and the passengers of this ship were none other than the group of people from the Gctic Council.

    Shi Lang stood on the tarmac to greet these people in person and to get on with things. In the past three days, the first fleet had experienced some things that would shock the people. It will not be easy to hide them for long, so the quicker they got on with it the better.

 Chapter 227

    The shipnded on the tarmac and from the hatch door came out three people. Shi Lang noticed that one of these people was a Terran, and another person was Minerva. The third person who walked in lead was wearing clothing unknown to the young general. It looked like a multyered gown.

    However, the face of the young general did not change. Shi Lang stood calmly, waiting for the people toe over. The Terran envoy smiled at Shi Lang and shook his hand upon meeting and said, ¡°General Lang, I am Shashi. d to meet you.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°d to meet you too, Envoy Shashi.¡±

    Shashi was a slightly dusky-looking man in his early forties. He seemed to be quite jolly. He said, ¡°Allow me to make some introductions. This is senior Adjudicator, Raxa Joru. He will be overseeing the wartime negotiations with Zergs. And ofcourse, Lady Minerva, she visited you here earlier.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Wee to the Frontier, Adjudicator Joru.¡± he nodded to Minerva but did not say a word.

    Shashi did not force him either, after all, what they did with Deputy Sikar had caused them to be strongly scolded by the Gctic Council. So, Minerva was sent over to apologize and show goodwill. Adjudicator Joru said in a hoarse voice, ¡°General Lang, shall we chase to the business?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will be grateful if you did so, Adjudicator Joru.¡±

    The man had his face covered with a mask, but Shi Lang could see that behind this mask was not something that looked like a human. The hands were also covered with gloves, but they only had four fingers. Shashi said, ¡°Adjudicator Joru, why do we not have a meeting among us when we reach the base?¡±

    The adjudicator nodded and then the four people got into the vehicle. Shi Lang personally drove the vehicle and took the people to the base at the fastest speed. He did not do this to show courtesy, but to prevent any tricks these people might have and also prevent them from looking at the things in the surroundings.

    He did not want the details of the fleet to be known by many. The Gctic Council was like a court of different civilizations simr to the Terrans. They watched over things like war procession and other issues that are not solvable without foreign intervention to maintain bnce. Yes, they did like to gain power in the shadows, but nothing too big.

    Shi Lang took the four people directly to the conference room and sat down in the host chair. He asked, ¡°You can begin now, Adjudicator Joru.¡±

    Adjudicator Joru liked to deal with things fast. He nodded and said, ¡°Beforeing here, a counterpart of mine visited the Zergs, and their conditions have been heard. The task of an Adjudicator is to ensure that the war is yed on fair terms. So, if you have any conditions, you can mention them.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°To be honest with you, this is the first time I have heard that the war must be fought on fair ground. If that was the case then both the parties will end up mutually destroyed. However, let us not discuss the morality of it.

    The Zergs have been treating my kind as an article of consumption. They eat my kinsmen alive. I have one request only, total annihtion. I will not stop until every single Zerg is dealt with even if it is the eggs. You can feel free to call it a genocide, I do not have any opinions.¡±

    The words were sharp and they made the Adjudicator feel surprised, Shi Lang did not ask about the rules and things, but a direct point of destruction was stated to him. However, the Adjudicator could tell that Shi Lang was serious. He thought for a bit and said, ¡°This is up to you, after all, every Zerg ounted for is going to participate against you in the battle.¡±

    Shi Lang knew it. The Zergs had developed technology, but it was all done by their scientists. However, they were a civilization driven by greed for food. They would eat everything they could find. Even their deadrades. That was why Shi Lang was disgusted by these creatures.

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What are there conditions?¡±

    Adjudicator Joru said, ¡°They have limited ships, and they wish for your fleet members to engage in ground battles. The ce will be the uninhabited asteroids. Do you agree?¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, ¡°They wish to battle in open space, fine with me, but the space should be Federal Territory. We can also fight on an uninhabited, barren in Zerg Territory.¡±

    Adjudicator Joru said, ¡°The war is limited to two stages, one is the ground battle, and the other is the fleet battle. After the Zerg forces are reduced to a certain number, the fleet battle willmence. Do you agree?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and showed his agreement. The two people continued discussing and Adjudicator Joru contacted his counterpart in the Zerg territory to discuss the matter. In the end, it was finalized that the Terran Military will post a number of soldiers on the barren in the Zerg Space. The gctic council asked the people to now use anyary weapons.

    Shi Lang on the other hand did this because he had the asteroids loaded and prepared as weapons for the fleet war. He did not want to mess up the ns. The ground war just added another level to it.

    Adjudicator asked, ¡°Given the number of forces Zergs have, how much confidence you have in facing them?¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Is this question of relevance?¡±

    Joru nodded and said, ¡°Your fleet is half the size, even if we include the reserves, you still fall short of two hundred thousand Zergs. We do not wish to send your people to death, if you need then we can work up some treaty.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°We are confident.¡±

    Adjudicator Joru said, ¡°General Shi Lang, I understand that you are a strong man and do not want topromise with the enemy but please think for a moment.¡±

    He did not believe that Shi Lang and his men could face off against the Zergs. Shi Lang gazed at the Adjudicator and asked, ¡°Adjudicator Joru, if I showed you the secret behind my confidence, then what is the guarantee that you will not report it to people outside? Even the ministry is kept in the dark let alone any outsider to know about this. I am telling you that we can deal with it, which means we can deal with it. I care about the lives of my men, more than people on the sideline.¡±

    He once again disyed his strong side to the Adjudicator. He also stated that he has a hidden card up his sleeve. This was to show his capital by disclosing it. The Adjudicator thought for a bit and said, ¡°Fine then. You have permission to engage. I wish you the best.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up. Joru stood up and shook hands with Shi Lang. Shashi said, ¡°The adjudicators will be watching the war proceedings from the sidelines, while I will stay by your side to make sure that you do not vite the rules.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°If I had made preparations early on, will they count as a vition?¡±

    The Adjudicator shook his head and said, ¡°It is fine, we all prepare for the tough times.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Thank you then. I have a few things to arrange, I will have my deputy drop you at the spaceport?¡±

    The adjudicator nodded and walked out with Lady Minerva in tow. Shi Lang really was not joking he was going to prepare the army for the battle and also hold a war meeting with his deputies to make sure they all understand the rules and other things like the two-staged war. He asked Shashi, ¡°Does the war has a limited period of time?¡±

    Shashi nodded and said, ¡°One week. If you take more than that, Zergs will hide away. They have done this in the past as well.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will not give them a week.¡±

    He made his way to the technical department and found doctor Stephan. The status over there made him smile with delight. Shi Lang had the technical department make war puppets and they have, in the past, three days, made two hundred thousand puppets. These were going to be the infantry for the Federal forces.

    All the things were decided and Deputy Sikar returned after sending back the two gctic council envoys. He now needed to address the forces and instill a spark inside their hearts. Thinking about this he came to themand center and found Hayley, who was standing in for him while the negotiations went on.

    She asked, ¡°How did it go?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°It went okay. Call for a wartime meeting and inform the Parliament. We are going to war with those reptiles.¡±

    Themand center echoed, ¡°Hoorah!¡±

 Chapter 228

    Shi Lang had just finished discussing things inside the conference room and the Deputy Generals had all provided their input and helped him with the strategies. Shi Lang may be a genius, but he was not yet experienced in leading the feet and that was why he actively sought out help from the Deputies.

    He had told them the outline of ns and the older men helped him with the details, if something did not sit right, Shi Lang stepped forward to fill in the gap. The old people were all very enthusiastic about working with this sort of superior officer. Shi Lang always believed that a team should work as one body, and this same ideology was what he carried in the fleet.

    After things were done, the maximum part of the fleet was asked to assemble in the training field, they all understood the sudden order was rted to war. The troops stood in neat queues and rapt attention.

    They were all standing with the superior officer in the front and the lower ranks in the back. Shi Lang was the only person standing on the podium and his eyes were like a sharp sword. He did not intend to give a conventional speech to the people. He needed the troops to have a fire in their heart when they go out on the battlefield. He was going to fight the chaotic Zergs with Order.

    He gazed around him, the tform was the same ce he had stepped over on his first day. The difference was that on the first day the whole fleet stood in front of him, but now they were willing to follow his lead.

    He infused the spiritual energy in his throat and said, ¡°All of you must have figured out that the war is imminent. Some of you must be eager, while some anxious. Do not deny it, having a little fear in your mind is normal, after all, you will be facing death.

    But I will tell you, the key to surviving is to win. To win, you must y the enemy. If your fear overwhelms you, not only will it kill you but also therades standing next to you.¡±

    He paused, the soldiers all gazed at the men standing next to them and they realized that their actions do not only determine their lives but also the lives of their friends. This realization will make them decisive, the fundaments of the military instilled inside of them will hold back the hesitation, and step back from their responsibilities.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Remember your training, follow the orders, and trust your superiors. Trust in the man walking beside you. Trust in yourself. Remember what those bastards did to yourrades. You all are the strongest wall standing between the safe livelihoods of our families back at home. Fight with all you have, fight till thest breath.

    I get it, all these are just talks, that is why I will personally lead my team with you when we face off those reptiles in the ground battle. I will share the burden on your shoulders, will you share the burden on mine?¡±

    ¡°Yes General!¡±, echoed the voice throughout the training field. If the sparks were just warm when Shi Lang was giving the pep talk, they have be a fire through the dried woods after they heard Shi Lang leading his own team.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Thank you. My teammates are going to be, Colonel Hayley, Colonel Jenkins, Colonel Amelia, and OB-One. You all will be given a brief of the tactics by your superior officers. Make sure to follow themands, and you are free to improvise but do keep in touch with yourmanders. Now, tell me, do you want to fight?¡±

    His calm voice was like a roar to the soldiers, they all felt their blood flow escte. They all said, ¡°Yes General?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Go on, gear up. It is time to do some pest control. Let us show these walking reptiles that The Terran army is not made of y. If they dared to look at our home, our people, and our dreams. We can and will pay them back in kind. We can not only defend, but also attack. We can not only hold them back but also trample over their heads must they try to raise it against us.

    Hoorah!¡±

    ¡°Hoorah! Hoorah! Hoorah!¡±, the war cry erupted and drowned the tranquility of the surroundings. It was like a drummer beating the chests of the people. Shi Lang had raised the morale, and now he needed to lead them to victory.

    ¡­

    Four people and one robot stood inside a locker room. The four people were dressed in white and ck armor. Shi Lang was among one the people. He said, ¡°OB-One, your task is to provide backup to anyone in the team who is facing imminent danger. In case, I cannot reach them, you will help. Understood?¡±

    The puppet nodded and said, ¡°Acknowledged Sire.¡±

    Amelia asked, ¡°Why did you choose to get down on the ground. Do you know that without you the chain ofmand will be hoax?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°I sit back in that ss cage and watch you all have fun, too shallow.¡±

    Amelia kicked him in the shin. Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°What about now? Who will be leading the fleet?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Until we have dealt with the ground forces, the Zergs cannot initiate the fleet battle, this was one of the conditions, and even if they tried to vite the rules, the fleet is ready, they will not suffer any casualty. Even the ground forces will not suffer any big troubles if they paid attention.¡±

    Jenkins asked in a deep voice, ¡°You love to pretend to be mysterious, right?¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go get them, tiger.¡±

    Jenkins felt a twitch on the corner of his mouth. He did not like this ck-bellied Shi Lang. He said, ¡°I will follow you only if you y seriously. Do you understand, I do not like you.¡±

    Shi Lang put away his smile instantly, and said, ¡°Very well then, I will not tolerate any mistake. Let¡¯s go. Time to go.¡±

    That said, they put up the helmets, and walked out of the dressing room. They were going to board the carrier ship on the spaceport and thennd on a barren. Usually, if they were fighting on a barren where the atmosphere is non-existent, there will be a limit to what they could do, however, with the help of the puppets, in the past three days, Shi Lang and the technical department have developed arrays on the battle suits.

    The people boarded the ship and they took off. A huge force, a total of three hundred thousand Terran troops and two hundred thousand puppets, will be facing the seven hundred thousand or more Zergs. However, at this moment, everyone was calm and silent. It was eery to have so many Terrans in a ce yet they were all silent.

    The ships were going to drop them on a designated for war. This ce has been scouted and was just a ball of condensed dust. It had no factors that could give birth to life. The journey was fast, but the calm made it seem long. Shi Lang received a report that the ground was filled with a lot of enemies.

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Do not think too much, these reptiles cannot act until the two envoys give them the signal. Also, someone ask Shashi to not disclose my location, if the enemy got the gist of it, the pressure will increase significantly.¡±

    Shashi was the Terran representative in the parliament. He was a talker and Shi Lang did not want that big mouth of his to leak out anything. The operator passed the message to Deputy Sikar who revoked allmunication privileges of Shashi, leaving him sullen.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the troops disembarked from the ships. As soon as Shi Lang took the first step, he said, ¡°Phase one, initiate.¡±

    Then he pressed his pectoral guard te slightly, inside which a spirit stone was fitted to power the arrays on the suits. These arrays would enable them to breathe with spiritual energy and also power up a gravity array inside the suit that enabled the people to move like they were back on a normal.

    This was going to give them the edge. The other thing that came out to enhance their edge was a huge frontline of the puppets. The war was about to begin, there was no point in hiding the cards. The Zergs who found this was surprised, they had no knowledge of what the federal military was like. They did expect the hundred thousand huge Mechs but not these humanoid puppets.

    Even the envoys who came to oversee the war progressions did not expect such a hand to be yed. They both had to ept that the young general of the Federation was not a soft nut.

 Chapter 229

    Shi Lang stood behind the line of puppets with his team, and said in themonmunication channel, ¡°Everyone remembers what you have to do right?¡±

    ¡°Hoorah!¡±, said the people.

    Shi Lang sent the signal to Sikar and let him convey to Adjudicators that they were ready for the first stage of the war battle. Then hemunicated in the team channel, ¡°We will jump over the puppet lines and take the fight to these reptiles. Do not worry, fight at your seventy percent, and do not reveal all your skills in one go, but do not hesitate. Okay?¡±

    Hayley asked, ¡°How do we face such big waves?¡±

    She asked this because in front of them at some distance she could see the cluster of green, with chaotic actions. It was as if mad bulls raging to go at it. They had no order and they had no formations. This was why she was confused about this arrangement.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not worry, connect the nanobot tether rope with each other. It will help us maintain the distance we travel, but give usplete mobility. So this will not be a problem. Just focus on your training and let it all out. Do not forget to channel spiritual cultivation technique while fighting.¡±

    In the short time of three days, most of the people had not even finished consuming one spirit stone, so at this moment, all of the Terran forces were carrying their share of spirit stones on their person and circting the spiritual energy in their bodies they will ensure that they have the energy they need to keep on fighting. This was a mandatory instruction Shi Lang had passed over in the meetings and it was even followed up by doing a scan that confirmed that every soldier is carrying the spirit stones.

    The people in the Terran forces were going to act in box formations and they will just hold their positions, and face the zergs by letting thettere over to them. This was not something that could have been done without these puppets. Shi Lang said in themon channel, ¡°Initiate Box formations.¡±

    Ayer of puppets surrounded the soldiers, they were ready in a blink. Shi Lang had taken out his sword and handgun, waiting for the signal to begin the war and move out. As if his thoughts were heard, the Adjudicators deployed a green re from the sky, signaling themencement of the war.

    Shi Lang rushed in a blink and so did his team. OB-One upied the center of the quadrteral. His task was to provide support in dangerous situations. Do not think that OB-One was an assistant bot, this guy had the skills that could shame even Shi Lang himself in many aspects. While Shi Lang only received primary skills the bot had high-level skills.

    While the group of five was charging ahead, the puppets opened a clean path for them. OB-One could manipte the puppets as he wished. Outside the protective walls of the puppets, the team of five found Zergs swarming toward them.

    Hayley and Jenkins were surprised to see the level of chaos. Shi Lang said, ¡°Run your exercises, focus.¡±

    The two realized that they had lostposure in this situation, Amelia waspletely opposite them. She would follow Shi Lang to the end of the world if he asked her. This was nothing for her, she was also a warrior and now a cultivator so this was a chance she was longing for.

    The four people and one robot came five hundred meters away from the troops and met the zergs. Shi Lang infused spiritual energy in his throat to the maximum and he let out a roar. This technique was called the dragon roars at the sky. It was a typical soundwave attack, and the use was to confuse the enemy.

    The soundwave from his mouth sent out visible ripples in the void. Shi Lang aimed his neck from the right to the left. He stunned a lot of Zergs in front of him, just a few meters away from them. While the enemy was in a state of confusion, Amelia, Jenkins, and Hayley broke into the swarm and their swords moved.

    The swords were all coated with a thinyer of spirit energy. The de cut the Zergs like a hot knife through butter. The war has begun and the first kill belonged to the Terrans. The four people began to harvest every Zerging in front of them, and when the Zergs began to put pressure on one of the four, OB-One took action.

    Shi Lang was having a ball, he was using both hands to fight the enemies, with a handgun burning holes in the heads of the lizard-like aliens. At the same time, his sword was blocking and parrying their phasor beams and shes.

    Yes, the spiritual shield array on the suits did y a big role and none of the people got injured. The wonder of these arrays hid in the consumption of spiritual energy. It was so minimal that given the spirit stones they had the Terrans could stand and fight non-stop for twenty hours while using these arrays, and that was the estimate for one spirit stone each.

    That said, while the team of four was fighting ahead the reports of their attack and strength had been ryed to the deputy generals and the rest of the forces via live feeds. Suddenly the forces found their blood boiling. It was on fire, and the fire was not small, it was a volcano ready to explode.

    The puppet lines collided with the Zerg swarm and thebatmenced. The puppets had cold and hot weapons armed on them. The front line fired missiles and the second line took sharp shots at the heads of the scattered and shocked enemy. The third line of puppets, located higher threatening Zerg individuals and set out to take them out. While the Terrans stood behind the lines and shot at the Zergs who tried to get inside the box by leaping into the void.

    The defense and the damage caused by the puppets aided the Terran army at a level that none could have predicted. A few puppets were close to being destroyed but they were saved by the puppet on the side and dragged back inside the formation wall. In the third line, there were bots programmed to fix up other puppets.

    These bots were all superb and they fixed the damage in just a few seconds and the bot would return to its position. Shi Lang in the front fought side by side with his team and the impact was brutal. The Zergs seemed to be like the fish out of water.

    Just when there was going to be a long-distance attack on Shi Lang and his team, OB-One would take action. This bot would fire phaser beams in quick session and kill the snipers or bombers from the Zergs. This was causing aplete storm in the Zerg upper leadership.

    ¡­

    Deputy general Sikar was standing in themand center of the warship, he was gazing at the screen, on which the scenes of the battle were ying. He had multiple screens hovering in front of him. He said, ¡°Tell team delta to push forward, they algging behind.¡±

    Sikar was guiding the teams on the ground to fine-tune the battle output to keep up with the rest of the military. He was responsible for the boxes to move forward together and surrounding the base camp of the Zerg forces. The boxes may seem to be stationary, but they were all moving at different speeds and creating a parameter.

    The goal was to surround the base camp and close it inside the boxes before bombarding it with high firepower and destroying them. This was why they called this n box formation. The boxes were all square, and the damage it cause was high.

    The battle has just begun and the Zergs had lost at least ten thousand soldiers in just a few minutes. Terrans had no casualties and even the damaged puppets were fixed and pushed back in the lines. This was a ughter and the intensity was getting out of control with every passing moment.

    Shashi stood beside Deputy General Sikar and said, ¡°I never expected that the sights of destruction could look so great. In a bad way, I mean.¡±

    He was pointing to the corpses littering the ground as the boxes moved forward. Deputy Sikar gazed at him and said, ¡°Do you know that if it were Terrans, these Zergs would have started to eat the corpses right away?¡±

    Shasha imagined the scene and he could not help but shiver. Sikar suddenly said, ¡°Ry the message to the Spike team. They have a heavy vehicleing their way.¡±

    The operator replied, ¡°Ryed already General.¡±

    Sikar nced at the person and nodded in appreciation. When your subordinates were smart,plications were less.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang read the message being ryed in his HUD and looked ahead. The HUD had a marker blinking on it. This marker was fixed with a number shing over it. Shi Lang said in the team channel, ¡°Get ready we are about to take a ride.¡±

    The people all let out loud roars and they stunned the Zergs around them.

 Chapter 230

    Shi Lang and the four came closer, and they all used a sonic attack together to send all the Zergs charging at them in a daze. They all could see a tank-like vehicle charging at them. This was the cavalry of the Zerg civilization.

    Hayley asked, ¡°What to do?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°This is Alpha requesting an EMP release from the closest Mech unit. The target is the enemy tank charging at my team. Do not destroy the tank just immobilize it.¡±

    Quickly, the closest mech replied, ¡°This is Mech pilot Tungsten. The request is acknowledged Alpha. Attacking with an EMP release in five seconds.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Guys, time to charge.¡±

    The four replied, ¡°Hoorah!¡±

    Shi Lang took two nanobot spears, channeled them with slight spirit energy, and ran forward. Amelia stood half a step behind him on the left and Jenkins stood on his right, they both held phaser rifles and Hayley stood in the back, with OB-One bringing up the rear.

    The people ran forward, with the spears, the zergs dodged the spears and were met with the shower of phasers and Hayley was happily delivering phaser-nades. In five seconds they have rushed almost half the distance from the approaching tank.

    The tanks used by the enemy were high tech and even in case of an EMP attack, they all get back up in ten seconds. EMP attacks only immobilized the tanks. That was the intention, as Shi Lang wanted to hijack a vehicle and take it on a joyride.

    A shockwave hit the tank and it came to a slow shutdown. Shi Lang and his team were already five meters away from it. Shi Lang said, ¡°Hayley get them out?¡±

    The girl used her special ability and focused to control the two zergs visible to her from the small windows in the tank. The design was much in line with the ancient tanks. The two lizards inside the tank directly attacked the three crewmates inside and then pushed them out of the tank with theirst breath.

    The other three obviously injured them in self-defense. Shi Lang and the rest did not wait and climbed the tank while killing the Zergs and got inside. The tank may have a design simr to the ancient ones, but the size was big enough to be called a moving building. This tank was operated by five crew members and the firepower was enough to kill almost everyone from the Zerg side.

    Shi Lang took the steering and said, ¡°Jenkins, you do the heavy lifting and the turret is yours, girls you are on the secondary weapons. OB-One, you can help me by listing the priority targets and also handling the brakes in the back. These fucking lizards using their tails to the limits.¡±

    The controls were not hard to understand, one time the Federation intercepted an attack and seized whatever was left behind from the attacks. They learned and researched this tank a lot and left behind notes for future use. Shi Lang had been going through everything rted to Zergs that he could find.

    He was particrly pissed that thee are using the tail for their advantage as the brake pedal was ced in the back. OB-One stood in the back and said, ¡°Sire, the enemy has noticed that this vehicle has been hijacked, a team of enemy tanks ising over.¡±

    Shi Lang did not waste the time and pressed the ignition button. The tank shook and the systems began to reboot. OB-One said, ¡°Sire, they will be in firing range in thirty seconds.¡±

    The radar and the rest of the systems came up. Shi Lang said, ¡°Guys, I am going to make donuts. Jenkins, you betternd that turret.¡±

    Jenkins replied from the side, ¡°No worries, boss.¡±

    Shi Lang put the tank in action and began to run over the zergs in front of him, he controlled the joystick on the left to make the body change the direction, while the upper half of the body, which was the moving turret was focused on the tank closest to them, was controlled by the right joystick.

    Jenkins pulled down the periscope and calcted a few things. He said, ¡°Lang, the gravity here is half of the frontier. Right?¡±

    Shi Lang replied in a yes, and then Jenkins said, ¡°Is that why these tanks are so fast?¡±

    OB-One replied, ¡°Yes, Master Jenkins, this vehicle is faster because the friction is low.¡±

    ¡°Then what if I input this value in the gravitationw equation and then calcte the range and time of impact¡­ I am firing, keep it steady.¡±, said Jenkins.

    Shi Lang controlled the turret to be locked onto the iing tank, while Jenkins picked up a shell and ced it inside the firing chamber of the turret. Then he pulled a trigger from the side with no hesitation.

    Amelia asked, ¡°Are we not out of range?¡± she was confused and so was Amelia.

    OB-One said, ¡°Madame, Master Jenkins has calcted and because of the gravity change, the range of attack has increased. Even without digital aiming, the shell will¡­¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Confirmed hit.¡±

    After that began the dance of death. The tank turned into a machine that the Zergs were scared of. Hayley and Amelia were going trigger crazy with the phasers on the side of the tank.

    ¡­

    Deputy Sikar gulped and said, ¡°Thankfully these psychos are on our side.¡±

    To everyone, the tank seemed to look like a spin top, that was sprinkling phaser beams all around it. The turret was also amazing like Jenkins had destroyed seven tanks in ten minutes. They were on a rampage, the tank was going anywhere and everywhere. The zergs were very disturbed by this, however, the Terran mech divisions have taken charge and the heavy artillery from the Zergs side was rendered useless.

    The battle continued for ten hours, during the seventh hour, Shi Lang and his team had to give up the tank as its brakes had failed. This big of a vehicle was not meant to be used to make drifts and donuts. Also, the turret had run out of shells.

    For the next three hours, they attacked the Zergs with their own troops the boxes were opened after the Zerg forces were reduced to an equal number, and this was the moment when the speed of the battle had elerated like a spaceship in space jump.

    The Terran soldiers were hiding behind the puppet walls and they were suffocating, after all the enemy had outnumbered them by three to one, so now that the enemy is simr to their forces, they exploded. The opening of the boxes allowed the Terrans to surround the base camp from ten kilometers.

    Sikar could see all this from the spaceship and said, ¡°Prepare for the fleet battle. The king of Zergs will be present in the warship ahead. Also, deploy a small ship to bring back the General. We cannot go ahead without him.¡±

    The operator replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shasha said, ¡°How sure are you that the Zergs do not have any cards up their sleeves?¡±

    Sikar said, ¡°They had the card and that was their quantity, however, now that the base camp is in siege we also have our own preparations regarding this matter. Rest assured.¡±

    Shasha did not know what Sikar meant. He turned to look at the screen again.

    ¡­

    After the Zergs were contained within a radius of ten kilometers. Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not approach. All the toon leaders step ten meters ahead of the siege.¡±

    The toon leaders all followed the instructions, these ten people all followed the nextmands and took out the spirit stones from the side of their suits. Then the Mechs all bombarded the Zergs with spirit stones in predecided locations. The bombardment was located in the outer parameter. Shi Lang said, ¡°Killer formation, thousand des of hell.¡±

    He circted the spirit energy through the spirit stone and so did the other people. The spirit energy resonated with the bombarded spirit stones, some curious Zergs were holding the spirit stones to check what it was, but the resolution and the killing intent of the formation made those Zergs a mound of ash.

    The energy radiated was so strong that everything in its path was burned to ashes and what was, even more, this wave of heat was unstoppable. A few Zergs tried to run away, and a desperate attempt to break through the Terran line was made, but as the Zergs who came closer to the ten holders, were directly evaporated.

    Shi Lang destroyed the Zerg forces or what remained of them in half an hour. The higher-ups in the base camp did not even get to react. The Zergs had the anatomy of a lizard( Imagine doctor Connors or the lizard from you know where) they were strong but Terrans were their bane.

    The Adjudicators were shocked, they could not exin what happened in words. Shi Lang and the terrans had not lost more than a hundred soldiers and they took down the Zergs. This force, this intelligence, this was something that should be valued and this person should either be befriended or stay a stranger, but never offended. Shi Lang had left a strong impression in their minds.

 Chapter 231

    Shi Lang had just stopped the array formation. The Adjudicators were watching the war progression from a monitoring ship. They could see how both sides were engaged in the battle and did they vite any rules established before. Adjudicator Joru said, ¡°That leading group with the bot, from the Terran side. Commendable courage and battle skills.¡±

    The other person was simr to him, dressed in overalls, and nodded. He said, ¡°In my whole life, I, Benelize Karde, have never been so impressed. We should talk to the Terran fleet, and have them integrate this team into the Gctic Council¡¯s strike force.¡±

    Adjudicator Joru nodded and said, ¡°Karde, you have a good idea, but do you think the Terrans will agree, after all, this soldier must be the crown jewel of their race. Why should they send this guy over to some distant part of the gxy? You do know that strike force is stationed in a special location.¡±

    Karde nodded and said, ¡°We will know when we talk to them. Let us watch the rest of it before deciding the course of approach.¡±

    The two people reached a decision and focused on the task at hand. Meanwhile, Shi Lang had just issued the final instructions. He decided to let the mech team and the puppets take a step first and get back on the spaceships for the final battle. The rest of the ground forces were to prioritize search and rescue.

    They were to search for any living fish that might have slipped past and rescue the soldiers who were critically hurt, and transport them back to the medical camp. He had just finished when Deputy General Sikarmunicated with him, ¡°Sir, the fleet battle can start any minute now, the Zergs do not have anything to prepare, I have dispatched a ship to pick you up, please tell me what to do in the meantime.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Have the warships enter the mand formation. When the maneuver isplete, ce the battleships and other damage-dealing ships between the warships. Do you see the console beside themanding chair?¡±

    Sikar had noticed this console as soon as he came in here but no one knew the use of it. This was a newly made attachment. He replied, ¡°Yes, sir I see it¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Keep Envoy Shashi away from themand center. If the zergs initiate attack then ce a spirit stone inside this console, the rest will happen on its own.¡±

    Sikar did not understand at first but he realized that this was another formation and should be practically defensive. The old man replied, ¡°Yes sir. The ship will pick you up in five minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang agreed and the connection was disrupted.

    ¡­

    Following the order of the General, the ground troops began to kill each and every Zerg they found to be alive in the piles, while the mech team and the puppets were all controlled to board the carriers and move back to join the fleet first. Shi Lang and his team were picked up by a scout vessel and they reached the Prima, the first warship of the fleet, before anyone else.

    Shi Lang came inside the ship removed his helmet and when someone was about to congratte him, he said, ¡°It has not yet ended.¡±

    This person was Envoy Shasha, trying to be jolly like always. Shi Lang had doubts about why this person was ced in the gctic council seat for the federation. Shashi asked, ¡°What do you think are the chances to deal with the Zerg fleet?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder and said, ¡°We have our strategies and we have our backups too. Let us see. Also, Mister Shashi, if you do not mind, I would like you to watch the rest of the war from the observation deck. Themand center is strictly forbidden for non-military personnel.¡±

    Shashi found it odd, he said, ¡°Why do you do these things, General Lang? Do you not trust me?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°It is not like that, but you see, the soldiers have superstitions. Non-military personnel, even the president himself would be told the same. You are the guest and the highest designation after the president. I have to make sure that you are not harmed in any way. That is why I have to do these things. I apologize.¡±

    Shi Lang was a natural beaureucrat. Shashi was a child in front of him. After coaxing this guy, Shi Lang entered themand center. The lieutenant on guard duty said, ¡°Officer on deck!¡±

    Everyone stood up and saluted Shi Lang. The boy saluted back and said, ¡°At ease. Give me a status report.¡±

    Deputy Sikar said, ¡°The fleet is assembled in the mand formation, sir. The Zergs are approaching in ten minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Deploy all fighter ss ships from the bays, have them enter the stealth mode, and as soon as they detect the zerg fleet, insert a spirit stone inside the small console in the cockpit. Then position themselves below the zergs, we will use a ne spike head as the secondary engagement.

    After the Zerg fleet is hit, have the heavy artillery focus on their chief warship. I want that taken down before anything else. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Sir, Yes, Sir.¡±, said the cabin crew. Shi Lang began to lead the fleet¡¯s preparations for the attack situations.

    The zergs choose the venue for the ground battles. So, in the fleet battle, the Federal side held the advantage. Shi Lang said, ¡°Order the tug miners to draw over the meteors and position them above the zerg fleet area. They must have learned how to deliver those meteors into the enemy fleet and that will be our primary engagement.¡±

    The people agreed and the instructions were passed on. Shi Lang was going to keep the mechs for the time when the zergs use their own mechs to attack the ships and break the lines. With all that done, Shi Lang leaned back in the chair and saw Amelia standing nearby with anxiety spelled clearly on her face. He smiled and said, ¡°Deputy General Sikar, let me introduce you to my fiance, Colonel Amelia Knight.¡±

    Amelia heard this and was surprised, while the rest of the people were shocked, however, they did not dare to stop or diverge from what they were doing. Deputy General Sikar nodded and with a smile, he said, ¡°Congrattions sir. Colonel Knight is a gem.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I know right. I love her the most. We nned to get married in a few years, but I think I should propose to her right after the war ends and then get it done once and for all. What do you think?¡±

    Deputy General Sikar said, ¡°Fortune favors the bold sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and cast a gaze at the girl and found her ears turning red. When has Amelia ever beenfortable with a public disy of affection? Suddenly, the operator said, ¡°Sir, we have visual contact.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and looked at the screen in front of him. A cluster of light and metallic luster appeared, slowly moving in closer. Shi Lang used his hands to move the screen view and found that the tug-mining ships were lined up with the zerg fleets.

    He said, ¡°As soon as the war signal is given have them drop the meteors to the zergs.¡±

    The operator on the side quickly ryed the order. The soldier responsible formunications said, ¡°Sir, the Adjudicator¡¯s vessel is hailing us.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°ept the connection.¡±

    The connection was established and Joru¡¯s face appeared on the screen. Shi Lang asked, ¡°How may I help you, Adjudicator Joru?¡±

    Joru said, ¡°The Zergs wish to discuss terms again.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°What term do they want to discuss?¡±

    Karde spoke up from the side, ¡°General Shi Lang, I am Adjudicator Karde. The zergs want to surrender, and they would like to cede twenty percent of their territory to the Federation.¡±

    Shi Lang did not care how the other people were tempted, he said, ¡°The entire popce of the Zergs is made up of warriors and cannibals. I would not take the barren territory. In the past, they havemitted a lot of actions to vite the respect of my military and my brethren. If it was my fleet that has been crushed by them, they would not have agreed anyway either. No matter what their conditions are, I will not agree.

    As for their territory, will I not have it all after I am done dealing with them.¡±

    His attitude was clear. There will be no settlement with these creatures. The Adjudicators were helpless, Karde said, ¡°General Shi Lang, I do not think you would like me to go behind your back and discuss this with your president.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s eyes became cold and he said, ¡°You can try, I will wait here, but after the call with the president, I would like you, Adjudicator Joru, to call it in with your authority, that your fellow Adjudicator tried to do more than just bridging themunication with the enemy.¡±

    Adjudicator Joru was shocked and so was his colleague. They did not realize this young man to bind them down like this. The operator said, ¡°Sir, the Zerg fleet is locking their weapons on our warship.¡±

    Shi Lang did not respond but kept looking at the screen. The operator said, ¡°Sir, they are ready to fire in five, four, three, two¡­¡±

    Before he could say one, Joru said, ¡°I understand, General Lang. Please go ahead, I will deal with this situation.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Initiate defense protocols, and let it hail down on the Zergs.¡±

 Chapter 232

    Shi Lang had taken his sweet time and when the Adjudicator was done speaking, he ced a spirit stone inside the slot of the console beside his chair. The whole warship was arranged in a way that could act like spirit formation channels. Every ship had one spirit stone in the controller cabin, and when the required number is achieved, the spirit stones resonate on their own.

    The spirit energy did not flow in the space, but the spirit stones could make that possible. As soon as the final piece fell into the ce, the formation activated. A dim glowing cover of spiritual energy appeared in front of the Terran Fleet. The phaser beams fired by the Zergs were already onto them. These beams moved at the speed of light and collided with the shield in a blink.

    However, the impact that everyone feared did not appear. The beams were negated. Shi Lang smiled inside the cabin and said, ¡°Prong one, activate.¡±

    The operator nodded and ryed themand to the tug miner ships. They had hundreds of tug mining ships and they all carried at least one asteroid hooked to their lines. When they received themand, they all dived towards the zerg fleet with a gap of a few seconds to avoid collisions. This maneuver was the only thing they had practiced during the past few days. Just when the ships were about to reach the radar range, they will pull up and quickly release the asteroid tied to their ships.

    This maneuver was going to be the first attack against the unruly zergs, they attacked before the adjudicators could give the go signal, and thus the Federal Fleet hadplete freedom to retaliate in kind.

    ¡­

    In the monitoring vessel, the subordinates reported to Adjudicator Joru about the actions taken by the Federal Fleet. The two people were surprised, but they did not know what good was hurling rocks at people. However, they were in for a shock.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Initiate Second Prong.¡±

    The operator ryed the order and then reported the status back to Shi Lang. The asteroids flew through the void, and the zerg ships made adjustments and re-positioned themselves to avoid the rock showers, however, their efforts were wasted.

    The fighter ships ced below the Zerg fleet all took action and shot the asteroids, making them explode and the debris turned into ster artillery. The speed of the flying space rocks was higher than the sound. At this speed, these rocks were capable of damaging the Spaceships. And even if it was not significant, it will surely impact the smart system on the ships.

    The zergs will not take the hits standing and will try to maneuver. However, the moment the fire of the Zerg fleet was disrupted. Shi Langmanded, ¡°Third Prong activate.¡±

    The third step was to useplete firepower and take down as many warships of the enemy as they could. To increase the output, they focused on one ship at a time. The entire fleet targeted the same warship, and then they all shot at it at the same time.

    The beams flew and they allnded on the warship, the impact was so high that the ships were destroyed to shreds. This continued and the Federal Fleet began to take the lead. The Zergs were left with no option. The fighter ships below aimed at the engines of the Zerg fleet ships, so they were unable to move. However, this was only for the ships that were targeted.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°They will put up thest fight, do not give them the chance, concentrate fire on all the ships charging toward us. Also, have the fighters kill their engines.¡±

    The fleet followed hismand and they found that some of the zerg fleets were indeed breaking apart from their formation and they were charging at them. The concentrated fire diffused the mutual destruction n.

    What was even more, they could not afford to let these stowaways collide with their ships, the spiritual shield will not hold. In reality, the spiritual shield was backed up by the phaser shield and that was why they all survived the onught of zerg attacks with no damage. Otherwise, they would have lost a few percent of their attack capabilities.

    Shi Lang watched all the things happening with a peaceful expression. He watched the destruction and when the Zerg fleet was almost finished, he said, ¡°Stop attacks, send in the mechs and puppets. No prisoners, and OB-One, have the puppets salvage all they can.¡±

    OB-One nodded and said, ¡°Yes sire.¡±

    Themand was passed and the war wasing to its finale. Amelia asked, ¡°Shall we report to the Parliament?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It is a task for the Shashi, you all focus on other things. Our term was topletely eradicate the Zergs. I need to find their forces and a way to get through theary defenses. This is just the beginning. The sectors in their territory are yet to be conquered and settled.¡±

    Hayley and Amelia cast a strange gaze on Shi Lang. The young man was perceptive enough and said, ¡°You may think that I have turned into a cold-blooded conqueror, but that is not the case. The Neomons and the Arcadians have entered into an alliance with the Federation. However, the Zergs are not like this, they treat us like an item of food, and they cannot be trusted. Thus, it is better we take their resources and put them to good use.

    I am not a hypocrite, if you criticize this as genocide, then I agree with you. It is a genocide, and I have to do this for the safety of all those back home.¡±

    The girls realized that Shi Lang was not doing this for power, he was just doing what was necessary. They calmed down and began to act on themands quickly. Shi Lang said, ¡°Deputy General Sikar, please make sure that the ground troops are lifted and sent back to base. They need to refresh for the uing battles. We will face some strong resistance.¡±

    Sikar nodded and said, ¡°I will do it, sir.¡±

    ¡­

    Adjudicator Karde sighed as he looked at the mechs from the Federation killing the Zergs. He did not wish for things to arrive at this point. Adjudicator Joru said, ¡°You are thinking too much. They were the ones to provoke this hatred from the federation. The threes in Zerg territory were originally Federation space, however, the Zergs invaded unannounced and ughtered everyone there. So, this is only justified. The Council cannot get away with partiality you know that very well.¡±

    Karde nodded and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I only wish that Jacuuba can handle this shock. He will be enraged after this news gets to the Council.¡±

    Joru nodded and said, ¡°Jacuuba is strong, but that was in the past, he pressurized the council in the name of alliance with the scavengers, this is not going to happen anymore. The Federation will be an example for different civilizations and they will seek a diplomatic connection with them, what for? The weaponry and tactics they disyed today.

    Destroying one civilization, the federation has won themselves a golden ticket for the higher chair in the council. This is business and oversight of a true leader.¡±

    Karde shook his head and said, ¡°I do not think they thought that deep into the future, however, I have to say that this young general of the Terrans is not a regr card you can y. He is an Ace, that can turn the game in the favor of the Federation anytime. Also, I have some news for you.¡±

    Joru asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The team that led the spike charge against the Zergs in the ground battle was led by this young general in person.¡±, as soon as Karde said this, Joru could not hold his temper anymore, and cussed in his native tongue.

    Joru sighed after regaining hisposure and said, ¡°We can offer him an honorary seat at the Strike Force. What do you think? This will be beneficial for them, and the purpose of the Strike force is not just to fight for the territory, but for the gxy.¡±

    Karde nodded and said, ¡°We shall present this matter to the high table, then we will see.¡±

    Joru nodded and agreed with this.

    ¡­

    In the wide starry sea, a was floating among the countless stars, if anyone was to look closely, they will find that this was not a regr mass of dirt and water, but it was a ball of metal. This was a man-made marvel, the headquarter of the Gctic Council, Primus.

    On this, inside a luxury room sat a few figures, they all looked like Zergs. However, they had a few distinct features, like some had spikes for eyebrows while some had iron-like scales, while some had big eyes with vertical slits. They were looking at the screen, which was the war status board.

    At any given time, hundreds of territorial battles were going around the gxy. The war status board updated, and a green lizard-like creature stood up.

    A fellow lizard-like entity asked, ¡°Jacuuba, this is not the end.¡±

    Jacuuba red at the entity and said, ¡°Say that when your home forces face defeat.¡± then he roared and shouted, ¡°I will tear this Terran bastard.¡±

    On the war status board, Shi Lang¡¯s name as the Winning general was shing next to the war status between The Federation and the Zergs.

 Chapter 233

    Shi Lang did not bother with anything around him and kept his focus on settling the zerg territory. He could not blindly just swallow sectors and digest them. He needed the forces to defend the regions as well. Thus he pulled back from themand, let Deputy Skiar manage the front, and made a beeline to Mars.

    The red had long been terraformed, it was used as the housing and deployment station for the reserve forces in the fleets. This ce was like a military, they had its own system. The governance waspletely militarized but under the supervision of the civil minister.

    Shi Lang had made his way back because he needed to incorporate troops in his fleet and he was not going to pick just all of them in surplus. His shipnded on the ground and he was received by the Military Governor, a rank specially designated for the administrator of this. Shi Lang was now the first general of the federation, his reception was high and mighty.

    The young man had no fluctuation in his eyes, he saw the Administrator and asked, ¡°Governer Matthew, I have no time for the party and get to know, as you are aware the fleet is at war. I need you to carry out a general assessment and get the troops deployed quickly.¡±

    Governer Matthews was a man, with five years of experience in this ce. The governors were all changed after five years, but the new governor will have to spend six months in this ce with the correct governor to learn how things worked. They did not wish for ag in the military machine.

    Matthews was a timid one in front of his seniors but his juniors feared him as if he was a bomb. When the man heard what Shi Lang said, despite the fact that he was twice the age of the young man in front of him, he agreed, and said, ¡°It will be done quickly, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Also, please arrange for a secure location, I need to address the general council and the parliament.¡±

    Mathews nodded and then took Shi Lang to a sealed room. Mars of the present was not filled with red soil and mountains only, but it also had skyscrapers, and solid roads, the vehicles here were fast and nothing was different from the Federation¡¯s home, except for the slight hue. Shi Lang was here for the first time. He looked around with great interest on the way.

    Matthews led Shi Lang to a room, which was locked with the most advanced system, and it will only unlock when thebination of heartbeat, body X-ray, and other biometrics was entered. This room was specially made for the fleet generals. Shi Langpleted the procedure and got inside the room.

    The door closed with a countdown timer of an hour. He quickly connected themunicator with the general council first. The meeting began, Shi Lang announced the news of War and the people were all relieved, not only this, but Shi Lang reported the statistical data to the council. When the people heard this, the conference became quiet.

    A few of them took a few seconds to calm down, however, some people still could not understand how he avoided a single casualty. Shi Lang had to describe to them the process of the spirit formations and his strategies. When things were about to get in deep, he said, ¡°This is not a school ss, where I will tell you everything. The war report will be submitted, use your own merit points to unlock and read. I have to deal with the parliament. If anyone of you is against incorporating the colonial natives in the federal military, then speak now.¡±

    The people shook their heads, Charlotte Knight asked, ¡°Why do you need to incorporate the natives in the federal military?¡±

    It seems like his own person was unconvinced by the idea so the others were obviously not going to follow him. Shi Lang had to tame these people, and he said, ¡°In the future, a lot of civilizations will approach us for military connections, and when they see us, discriminating the people on thes that we have upied and deliberately shrinking the talent pool, what do you think will be their reaction?

    Do you want to be friends with someone who despises you because of your uniqueness? Throughout the federal territory, we have acquireds, but have we ever given them anything in return? Pick up the history, and you will see that if we did not stop this behavior, then the natives will rebel.

    You want to be strong, then people will know about you, when they know about you, they try to get handles on you. Those handles will control your rise and fall. Not only will the weak look up to you, but the stronger ones will also look at you and make sure you do not surpass them. Do you understand? Stop thinking from the point of a Terran, but think from the perceptive of the Federal Army.¡±

    His words sounded harsh, but he did have sound logic, after this he said, ¡°I will leave the council here, I will follow what you decide, but I hope that you all can discuss this and get back to me before the parliament meeting is over. I need to get my points through the thick skins of the parliament.¡±

    Shi Lang saluted the people and the call was disconnected. he leaned back in the chair and mumbled, ¡°I might need to chat with Amy about this.¡±

    He stretched his limbs and then connected themunicator to the parliament, the direct hotline to the President. Although it was a wireless connection, the word used for it was still, a hotline. The connection was encrypted and secure.

    Shi Lang had ess as the first general, the connection was established quickly, and Shi Lang found a whole parliament looking at him through the screen. The parliament was made of regional heads of the federation. The speaker of the house said, ¡°Fleet General Shi Lang will be with us for this session via the digital medium. Let the proceedings begin.¡±

    The session progressed quickly and the matters were resolved, gone were the days when the opposition would raise a ruckus without any legit ground. Shi Lang sat in silence, then the speaker of the house said, ¡°Fleet General Shi Lang do you have anything to add to this session?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Thank you, Your Honor, I do have something to add.¡±

    Do not get awkward here, Shi Lang had received the proper education and had been to a lot of mock sessions of the parliament when he went to junior high school. Also, when observing the people today, he had already picked up the mannerism. He said, ¡°As the honorable parliament members must be aware of, the first fleet is at war with the Zerg, although there is good news that we have won the initial encounter, and most of the zerg forces have been dealt with, we still have a lot of space to cover and for that the present manpower we have is not sufficient.¡±

    A person from the seats spoke up, ¡°What does the General propose?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°What I am about to say might be against the ideology of our forefathers, but that was then and this is now. We need to incorporate the poption of the colonials. We cannot go on with the mindset that those are acquireds, this will not only shrink our talent pool but also be the reason for any future rebellion, and please before any of you counter me with that we can just kill them, please tell me if the federal military or the federal government is genocidal?¡±

    Shi Lang deliberately used heavy words, because the parliamentary sessions were telecasted throughout the federation and they had quite a credible viewership. The people inside the parliament could deny a lot of things, but the question pushed in by Shi Lang at the end wille and bite them in the ass.

    The president asked, ¡°What General says is something that the parliament and the cab have discussed for a long time but how do you say we trust some other races to help us be strong?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°There ares and civilizations who weed us to their and are very good allies with us. Nobody in the universe wants to be left behind, and that is what we need to correct, we have to keep them all together, that is something for you, the honorable parliament members to think of. I can only say, that if the manpower is not increased, then we will have to rely on alliances that are not permanent and always be vulnerable.¡±

    The speaker of the house spoke up, ¡°General Shi Lang, what you said just now, does make some sense. However, this house would like to know if you have the favor of the general council on this matter?¡±

 Chapter 234

    Shi Lang was about to say no when themunicator on his wrist shook and he received a message from General Knight. The council has agreed to his proposal and he smiled faintly before raising his head and replying to the question, ¡°The general council agrees to the proposal. We have been discussing this since the first day of the new council.¡±

    The speaker of the house was surprised but then he understood and nodded, he said, ¡°The chair now calls for a vote. As General Shi Lang has suggested, the problem of manpower in the fleets must be solved quickly to ensure the safety of the territory. I hope that you all understand the gravity of the situation and will not shirk the responsibility. The voting will begin in thirty minutes.¡±

    The people nodded and they began to discuss with each other. The process was fast, they really did not have time to waste. The follow-up recruitment was not going to be easy either. The federal government will have to appoint people to converse with the colonial territories and smoothen the rtionships. Then it will follow with standard medical checks, training, integration, etc.

    The process will consume at least a few months and until then, the Federation will have to be really careful with each and every military expansion they take on. This was something he would discuss with the secret divisions. They will have to pitch in during this time of change.

    Half an hour passed before long and the speaker of the house said, ¡°The voting for integration of the colonial natives in the federation main system will begin now. The members of the house please pass on the votes.¡±

    The tables in front of the people were installed with a digital voting setup and the process was really quick and fair. The progress could be seen in a matter of seconds. The parliament had one hundred and ny-five members, just equal to the number of countries when the federation was founded. To have a bill passed, half the votes were needed, but to have a bill put on hold, they only needed the president to raise his hand and say, ¡°Veto.¡±

    Hopefully, the old man will not screw with Shi Lang at this crucial juncture. The voting continued and it did not take more than five minutes for the process to finish. The speaker of the house did not have a nick for theatrics and simply said, ¡°The total number of votes cast is one hundred and seventy-two, meaning that twenty-three abstained. The final result is forty-three nays and one hundred twenty-nine yays. The president also votes in favor. With this count, the integration bill is passed.¡±

    The parliament echoed with ps, the process was initiated and now it will all fall in ce automatically. Shi Lang smiled and then expressed his thanks for the understanding shown by the parliament members.

    Following this, he closed themunication shortly after and sighed. Shi Lang leaned back in the chair to rx for a few moments. Then he gathered his bearings again and moved out of the room. The guards outside saluted him, and Shi Lang nodded.

    He asked, ¡°Where is Governor Matthews?¡±

    The soldier replied, ¡°Sir, the governor is in the training field. The assessment for the reserve of the first fleet has begun.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    He was going to see what these people had in the arsenal. If they were not fit enough, he will not mind giving them a wake-up call. The soldier led him training field. Shi Lang was the only one with a ckpel that was covered with silver stars and his arrival attracted all the attention of the crowd. They all looked at him with respect and awe.

    Matthews also noticed the change in the aura and how the soldiers all stood up in attention. Shi Lang had a way tomand the crowd. He did not do anything special to gather thismand. It was his innate aura about him. The unruly soldiers could all tell from his cold gaze, that he was not an easy person to deal with.

    This show of strength was enough to make them all understand who was going to run the show now. Shi Lang came to stand near the Governer and watched the proceedings of the assessment. The task was simple, the soldiers will have to run a course and they were needed to run the entire course within a set time limit.

    The selection was not so simple, during this set of time, they will be performing all the maneuvers that were important for a soldier to do. What was even more, this course was always changing and modifying itself. To make sure that the soldiers did not have an easy time during the assessment.

    Shi Lang watched a few soldiers moving through the course and nodded from time to time. He could tell that these guys had all paid attention to their conditioning. Matthews said, ¡°Sir, do you think these guys are good?¡±

    He was making sure that the general was satisfied. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°They are good, however, the real test for a soldier on the battlefield.¡±

    Governor Matthews nodded and said, ¡°Yes, indeed the real test is the battlefield.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and they kept watching the assessment go on. He said, ¡°Governor, when will the soldiers be dispatched?¡±

    Matthews thought for a bit and said, ¡°Sir, it will take them aplete work session to get through the formalities, roughly twenty-four hours.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will have to leave ahead of time. There are a few things that I need to get done back at the federation. I can only leave the work here for you toplete.¡±

    His tone was calm and the bearings were extraordinary. Matthew nodded and said, ¡°I understand sir, I will be responsible. You can deal with other things with peace of mind.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after a few more words, he headed back to his spaceship. Then he left mars and headed to the federation. He was going to ask the secret divisions to step up the game. It only took one space jump for the spaceship to reach the federal space docking station.

    As the first general, the spaceship had a spaceport always reserved, after the docking wasplete, Shi Lang took control of the small scout ss ship and headed directly to the secret division, Shadow Executioners.

    The scouting ss spaceship was the fastest spaceship among Federal space vehicles. He entered the atmosphere of the and moved to the base. He did not vite any regtions of the secret divisions, his spaceshipnded on the spaceport of the division after a lot of inquiries and then he was escorted back to the base in a special vehicle.

    The captain of the escort team was none other than his old friend, Gamma, and the rest of the team was his own team as well. They all got inside the car and the driver, Stephan asked, ¡°What wind blew you here, Ace.¡±

    They all had the habit of calling him Ace, and Shi Lang did not want to stand in the ceremony with these people. He smiled and said, ¡°Work.¡±

    Gamma asked, ¡°So strict?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°How have you all been?¡±

    They began to chat, but before long they arrived at the base of the secret division. Getting off the vehicle, Shi Lang said goodbye to his friends and stepped inside the town hall. The guards on duty gazed at hispels and were shocked. They all saluted him as he went inside the town hall. Shi Lang came to the familiar unfamiliar door and wanted to knock when a calm voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang went inside the room, closed the door behind him, and saluted Archie Arkham. Thedy also saluted him properly. Then the two of them exchanged a nce and chuckled. Archie Arkham asked, ¡°What do you have for me?¡±

    Shi Lang began to tell her about the approval of the bill from the parliament, and then they began to discuss the shorings and the obstacles they will have to ovee in order to gain trustedrades.

    Archie Arkham nodded and agreed with him but then she noticed the boy was not enthusiastic about the change he brought forward. Shi Lang said, ¡°Boss, you know that I am more considered about the corruption and other aspects of the situation. If the ambassadors sent by the government did not work responsibly, it will be the death of this entire program. We cannot afford that at this moment, please think of something.¡±

    Archie Arkham nodded and after deep thought, she said, ¡°Do not worry, I will have each and every division member of the secret division council look after this. The program will not suffer. What about you? What do you wish to do? ¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and looking at the horizon out of the window he said, ¡°I wish to take a few days of rest.¡±

    The room echoed with chuckle again.

 Chapter 235

    While Shi Lang had finished making arrangements about the fleet expansion and support from the secret divisions was also confirmed. He came back to the frontier quickly and took charge of the fleet and the overall operations.

    The progress was swift, with the help of the deputies, Shi Lang was conquering one sector at a time, and he had given clear orders, that was to clean up everyone. The process of reproduction among the Zergs was hideous in a way. The females willy eggs after they have had intercourse,ter those eggs will give birth to a fetus, then the embryo will be put in a human-sized urn, the embryo will grow in there for five months, ande out as an adult.

    This was not the natural process, but the Zergs followed it as they wanted their offspring to be strong, and the urn would be filled with the blood and meat of various creatures. The embryo will grow up feeding on these things and be stronger but also, triggering a gic mutation. The mutation made them cannibalistic and hungry.

    A few of the Zergmand went under operations and gene therapies so that they could maintain their sanity. This was why such savage people could have spaceships and even sit in the gctic council and pretend to be sophisticated.

    Shi Lang did not like this pretense and thus the order was passed to kill them all. However, he also said that if any female is discovered to be expecting, then they are to be taken into custody and given gene treatment. The people were all aware of the in and outs of themands, so they did not hesitate in moving forward.

    Shi Lang exercisedplete transparency. Expect for the secret discussions, the tasks performed by the soldiers were all disclosed to them in a message before deployment. This was to make the soldiers understand that they were not monsters and they were not people without restrains. This method was really efficient. Soldiers went down without any mental pressure and self-me.

    Even on thes that seemed to be barren, the poption was massive, and the forces faces strong resistance. While the Federation was advancing steadily, a lot of other parties had be restless.

    Jacuuba raised a question in the Gctic Council meeting, he wanted the higher-ups to step in and stop the actions of the Terrans. He went on and even med the Federation forces for genocide and massacre, directly calling Shi Lang a war criminal.

    The representative of the Terrans, Shashi was called forward to answer the allegations, and the man did step forward. He looked right back at the Zerg Chancellor and said, ¡°You call us war criminals, then what about your species that does not know how to respect the dead? You im that we aremitting genocide. Well, is it not your own species that used unnatural breeding methods to seek power and turn into cannibalistic maniacs? You had the gene treatment avable for yourself and the upper government of the Zerg civilization, yet you did not provide it to the rest of your kin. Your petty thinking is the reason for this situation.¡±

    The debate went on and on but in the end, the higher-ups favored the Federation. Jacuuba could do nothing and clench his fists. While the higher-ups spoke in favor of the federation, the group of people who were on borders with other Cannibal species began to contact Shashi. They all wanted to enlist the help of the young general in exchange for benefits.

    Shashi promised to ry the message and then as Shi Lang had asked him earlier, find as much information as possible about the other party. This was an opportunity to extend the connections of the federation to the other parts of the Gxy.

    Shi Lang was very sure about what will happen if they could help the victim civilizations. They can form an interster alliance and this alliance will make things such as business and technology enhance by at least one level.

    ¡­

    Time seemed to have grown wings, and a few months passed very quickly. Shi Lang¡¯s vision had be a reality and the impact of this vision was the growth of the federal forces twofold. The ingenious species had a sub fleet of their own, they were not working under the terrans but learning from them.

    At any given moment, twelve fleets guarded the main borders of the ster borders, Six fleets were in charge of patrolling, while the other six sat in reserve. This arrangement would change with a year passed on the federation. What was even more, that the ingenious species sent recruits in such high numbers and seventy percent of them were selected by the forces.

    Since the number was high, two separate Secret divisions were set up in outer space, and their task was to maintain order in the ingenious people. The integration was in the basic phase, and the government would introduce, inter fleet transfers, so that the Terrans and the other species could mix up well.

    Shi Lang, however, made a decision to lead by example and a small toon was incorporated into the first fleet. The soldiers all knew what their General wanted to do, so they did. They all weed the colonial natives to be with them and learn their culture.

    However, it was not all smooth, many times there will be a dispute and Shi Lang was forced to take action and punish the offender. The punishment was to do chores for each other mostly, however, one time a fight broke out between two people. A trial was held and the offender turned out to be the heir of a military family.

    Shi Lang did not give anyone preferential treatment but he was soft and patient with the ingenious races as they were newly introduced to the military. This made the scions think that the fleet general was biased.

    During the trial, the offender stood up, pointed his finger at Shi Lang, and said, ¡°You are a nobody, yet we respect you. Did this make you think that whatever you do, we will bow? Why are we punished directly yet they were given warnings? How long will you be unfair with us?¡±

    Shi Lang showed no reaction but his blood was boiling, and his aura was condensing after each second. People all could see that his eyes were red, and if someone asked them what they were feeling, they would say, fear.

    Amelia, Hayley, and Jenkins stood at the sidelines with their hands tied behind their backs. They wanted to speak but the rules of trial forbade them to. Deputy General Sikar pped the table and said, ¡°Major Smith, are you forgetting your ranks? How dare you point fingers at the General?¡±

    The scion realized only now that his anger has gotten his best and he directly used the Fleet General. That too without any evidence. However, soon he gave up the timidity and raised his head. He wanted to challenge Shi Lang and have him apologize to the people.

    He was just about to say something when Shi Lang stood up from his chair and unbuttoned his coat. His gaze was set on Major Smith. The young man said, ¡°You want me to answer? Come let us see if you can make me answer.¡±

    The people were surprised to see that the General was readily going forward. They all knew that Shi Lang was strong, however, the people have all caught up with the spiritual cultivation and they were quite confident. They seemed to have forgotten that Shi Lang could use elemental attack skills.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Major Smith stood face to face, and Shi Lang said, ¡°Before you stepped into the ring you acknowledged the fact that this duel can be deadly. I will show you what is deadly.¡±

    Major Smith, filled with his arrogance sneered, and just as Deputy General Sikar said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Major Smith attacked Shi Lang, he vanished from his spot and appeared behind Shi Lang with a dagger in his hands. He did not hesitate and stabbed the dagger at the nape of the target. At this moment, Shi Lang was wearing a ck vest. His vulnerable parts were exposed.

    Just when everyone was thinking about how Shi Lang will dodge this attack, the dagger made contact with the skin. The surrounding people gasped, however, Shi Lang showed no expression on his face.

    He turned around slowly to look at the shocked Major Smith. Thetter was not shocked because Shi Lang did not block it, he was shocked because the attack did not leave any damage, just a white mark, as if a scratch. He felt as if his de has made contact with a cold piece of iron. When they all were advancing, Shi Lang was not cking away.

    Major Smith suddenly regretted his impulse. While the rest of the people gasped as a scream rang out in the field.

 Chapter 236

    Shi Lang held the neck of Major Smith in his hand, the Major fluttered, trying to get out of the grip but everything was in vain. His face was turning pale, and then blue, yet Shi Lang had no thoughts of letting him go. Deputy Sikar wanted to say something but sensing the aura of the General he dared not, plus the parties had signed the consent agreement.

    Even if Shi Lang killed the opponent in this match, there will be no action taken against him. However, as the movement in Major Smith decreased and it was only a sensation that Shi Lang could feel, the young general threw the man to the side as if a rag doll.

    Earlier when he caught hold of the person, Major Smith tried to counter him by stabbing him in the face. Shi Lang caught hold of the attacking hand and brutally broke it. The result was the scream that made everyone shrink.

    After throwing away the major, Shi Lang did not go outside the field but looked at the people around with a cold gaze. He asked in a solemn tone, ¡°Does anyone of you want to challenge me or my actions? Please step forward.¡±

    His voice was not loud, but it was strong enough to be heard by everyone present around him. A lot of people were not satisfied with his amodating behavior recently in the fleet and they wanted to call him out about it, but they did not have the guts. Yet, Major Smith stepped forward and had his ass handed to him on a silver tter. Shi Lang was not to be messed with.

    Looking at the troops around him Shi Lang said, ¡°You may think that I am amodating, but have Ished out on any of you for any mistakes you may havemitted, either?¡±

    His question surprised the people, now when they thought about this, the general was rtively easygoing and would act like friends with them, without any pretense of his designation over them. Shi Lang met their silence and went on to say, ¡°The reason I do notsh on the new joiners is that they all areing out of a crash course training camp. You all have grown up with the primary mindset to join the military, yet these people had no idea what their future will be a few months ago, and here they stand, geared up and putting their lives on the line.

    They are recruited because we are not enough anymore. They are here to help you out. They are here to be a friend that you can count upon. They are here for sharing your burdens and increase the chance of your safe return at the cost of their own lives, and the same applies to you all. This is the purpose of the military. You have me, and I have you. My amodation is a gesture to show respect for their bravery. My patience is a statement that no matter how hard this integration may be, we will strive together.

    However, if any one of you, whether Terran or not, thought that you can get away with anything you do in the name of the creed, and rank, you will have your heads flying and I will personally send you to death.¡±

    Hisst words were so calm that they sent shivers down the spine of the troops, they all were shocked and they knew what they needed to do, the angry general was not something they wanted. Shi Lang spat out a mouthful of saliva on the ground and said, ¡°Have Major Smith patched up and tell him to report for duty after my words have been redirected to him. This was thest time this type of incident. Next time, I will be charging both parties for disruption and contempt towards the colors(Uniform, the basic identity of a soldier) and dishonorably discharge you from the fleet.¡±

    That said, he left the training field. His steps were calm but the aura was raging. It was as if he did not vent enough. Shi Lang caught sight of OB-One and said, ¡°OB-One, follow me.¡±

    OB-One had now gained a military identity. He was not a captain, a special Adjutant to Shi Lang. Even his silver body was not covered with matte ck. The two people came to the personal training room of the General and began to spar. OB-One had a core that could refine the spirit energy in the surroundings and use it as fuel. Yet he was unable to cultivate.

    This power source had given him an edge, he could work none stop and just required specific parts to maintain himself in case of any malfunction. The biggest advantage that OB-One had over the other puppets was that his core was moveable. In case this body is destroyed, his core can be transferred to another body and he will not be affected.

    This sort of technology was sought out by the Federation but the bot refused to cooperate and tell them the secrets of his manufacture. A long debate was held over this and OB-One used his wits to the limits and came up with a statement, ¡°I am a prototype, the ws in my predecessor models may have been removed from my core, yet there is a possibility that if the design is repeated without proper technology and manufacturing knowledge, the chances of creating a machine with faulty intellect were very high.¡±

    This scared the Federation, after all, they had no idea of the technology used to manufacture such a puppet. Thinking about this, they gave up and OB-One was reinstated back to Shi Lang. The sparring session between the two people couldst for a number of days, a minimum of two and highest, five days.

    During this time they will not be disturbed by anyone, and the administration was left for Deputy General Sikar to handle, however, if something important was there, then OB-One would inform Shi Lang about it. This bot was remotely monitoring everything around the base, and thus nothing escaped Shi Lang¡¯s vision.

    The cultivation of the team was also progressing faster and they have all stepped into the peak of the second realm of spiritual cultivation, spirit refinement. Now they were looking for materials that could help them make a breakthrough to the next level.

    Shi Lang knew that the third realm was the core creation realm, so he needed to umte as much spirit energy as possible and he was doing just that, every time he would get a chance, the wisps of spirit energy were absorbed inside his dantian. Behind him was Amelia, she waspletely dedicated to practicing.

    While the young general was sparing, the news of the incident broke through the federation. A lot of people were keenly paying attention to this situation. Integration was a topic every single person in The Federation was aware of and was looking into. The news of a dispute inside the first fleet exploded and spread across the federation.

    Some pped the bravery of Major Smiths, while some just shook their heads and dismissed this as folly behavior. These people who rejected the issue were none other than the high families, they thought the integration was useless. Some wanted to request for Shi Lang to apologize but they could not do this, or the young general will have them by their necks.

    The issue was hyped so much that the General Council had to step forward and then give out statements in every tabloid and media they could find to be reliable. The mess needed to clear.

    Amidst the chaos in the federation, Shi Lang issued a statement, ¡°If you cannot learn to be together, then you can never be better.¡±

    The meaning was simple yet the implications were deep. Experts were called forward to talk, and Former General Edwards took the lead in talking about the issue in great detail and conveying the vision of the new general to the public. While some still did not believe it, some understood the critical issue faced by the Federal Military at this moment.

    ¡­

    In a cab meeting, a few ministers asked Shi Lang to apologize to the people and stupid questions such as why can they not use the puppets. The statement was made in presence of Shi Lang, who had just finished a sparring session and he said, ¡°Minister Abram. You need to know that as the poption grows, we need more of everything, if the military cuts corner in recruitment, and rece people with puppets. The youth of the federation, that has always been united, will knock at your doors in the middle of the night and kill you in your silk robes.¡±

    The statement enraged the people but then Shi Lang said, ¡°You do not understand the pain until you are hurt, sir. This division and discrimination was the reason our ancestors fought each other. Even when they were all humans. Now we Terrans, united on the home, have reached the stars, yet we are tending to repeat the same mistakes as them. How appropriate and destructive of us.¡±

    Shi Lang had became rampant, and was going to change the federation even if it meant to disrespect people.

 Chapter 237

    Shi Lang finished his turns dealing with the narrow-minded ministers, the general council agreed with him and they also understood the oue of cutting corners or recruitment quotas. The youth of the federation was still residing on the home, The federation. The old soldiers were still serving in the forces but if they were not given efficient support with the help of the youth from home, the chain will break and lead to self-rupturing stress.

    Shi Lang had made his point clear on what they needed and how they will achieve it. The general council held a strategic discussion meeting and the experts stated theck of personnel in the scouting and patrolling alone was too straining, and that the normal front-line soldiers had to step up and go for patrolling.

    This was forcing the soldiers to learn more skills. Finally, they could give the soldiers some time to rest when the puppets take the patrolling duties. This was not a permanent solution. The puppets are just likeputers and OB-One has already told the Terrans about the risks of such an experiment.

    Things gradually began to cool down and progress became steady, a lot of ministers were openly opposed by the masses and it was unsure whether they will be able to get re-elected on the next selection.

    Shi Lang on the other hand took the next six months to round up the Zerg Territory andpleted the integration as well. He was unaware that those who sympathized with the Zergs were nning a lot of things against him.

    It has been a year since he had taken the charge and it was finally time for him to take a general vacation, it was a mandatory thing that was prescribed by the medical officer of the fleet. Every soldier was given week-long and month-long vacations on a rotation basis, Shi Lang was going to take a month-long vacation.

    Along with him came his team, Hayley, Amelia, and Jenkins to take the vacation. They have been working for almost a year without rest and the stress was not low, so they were also given a month-long vacation. The n was set in motion and Jenkins came up with the idea, which was to take their families on a space trip.

    They have not met with their families, and they also wanted to see the others. So, why not take the elders along. With this, Shi Lang agreed and told his parents and aunt to prepare as they will be going somece.

    Everyone decided who to call and what things they could try, and with this, they returned back home, Shi Lang and Amelia came to pick up Luna and Shi John with M and her husband. Later they went to pick up General Charlotte. On the other hand, Hayley bought out her mother and Jenkins had the former general and his mothere over.

    They had decided to go to a random in the Federal Territory or in any allied territory. They did not even pack clothes coz they were going to buy the local wear and live as the locals do. The young people were brimming with the spirit of adventure. Shi Lang¡¯s family was also mixing in well.

    Shi Lang had taught them both a suitable cultivation method and their bodies have undergone a qualitative change, the star cultivation has increased, and this way they also became cultivators. With new strength came a new confidence and this confidence helped them a lot.

    If they were stuck in the earlier mindset, they would be facing General Edwards on their knees. The spaceship they took was a special vessel belonging to Shi Lang, it was allocated for him to travel and explore. The other thing was that the ship not only had superior defense system, but also a dedicated attack system.

    This ship could fit twenty people with ease, and twenty-five at the limit, which did not include the personal guard detail of Shi Lang. They would follow him like a shadow, and it was okay, in case something turns up, the team can react quickly.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people sat on the living deck of the spaceship. They were going to discuss where shall they go. So in the end, Amelia, the quietest of them all was asked to pick a ce. The girl came up with a very unique method, which was to use a lottery.

    In the end, she picked up a called Clement. This was called a paradise in the Neomonian Territory. Shi Langmunicated with the Empress of the neomon territory and asked her to provide them with the basic facilities.

    The empress was more than happy to do so, however, she also provided them an extrayer of security and a private ind on the to use as their abode for the time they stay. They also made an appointment to meet and rx. After all, it was not easy for them.

    The ship set course and moved through the void, heading towards Clement. They were unknown of the dangers of this adventure.

    ¡­

    Jacuuba sat inside a luxurious room with his eyes locked on the person in front of him. This man was tall and his anatomy matched the humans closer, he looked more like a Neomonian. This person was the representative of Neomon, when he heard what happened to the Zergs, he approached Jacuuba.

    The reason was his dissatisfaction with the throne. Internally he was the person that should have been the intelligence department head, instead of thedy whomitted treason. Now that the war had settled, the Empressmanded him to stay in the council. The reason was that someone needed to watch over the overall movement inside the council.

    He hated not being able to go back home. This hatred made him collude with the Zerg representative. Jacuuba asked, ¡°What do you want, Neomonian?¡±

    ¡°I heard that General Shi Lang, the victor of the zergs will be having a vacation on the called Clement in the neomonian territory. Thought you could use this news.¡±, said the Neomonian.

    Jacuuba sat up straight and asked in a low tone, ¡°Why must you inform me about this when your people are allied with the Terrans?¡±

    The neomonian replied, ¡°They are allied but I am not. I want to go home, and that will happen when the federation will go to war with Neomon. The rest is not something you should bother about. I have said what I needed to. You can move however, you want to.¡±

    Jacuuba gazed at the person and asked, ¡°What is your name again?¡±

    ¡°Kar-te.¡±, said the neomonian.

    The zerg representative stood up and began to move around the room slowly. He was pondering over a lot of things at this moment. He needed to make sure that this action is not tracked back to him. Because if that happened, then the council will dismiss him and that would allow a lot of enemies toe at him openly and no one will save him.

    Thinking about this, he decided to take action in the best way possible. He asked Kar-te, ¡°How big is the window I will need a lot of data.¡±

    Kar-te nodded and said, ¡°You will have twenty-five days. As for the data, I will give you only a specific amount, which will allow you or your people to reach the target, nothing more and nothing less.¡±

    Jacuuba nodded and they began to discuss the n for the action. The meetingsted for a couple of hours and the basic n of action was decided. Jacuuba used hismunication device and made a call directly to the notorious assassination organization.

    This organization was run by some of the bad eggs in the council high table. They promised a good result, and they also promised evidence. The prize was obviously, very high, but Jacuuba could afford it. After themunication, the data was submitted and the contract was established. It was a closed contract, with conditions like a one-time shot, and no back tracing.

    The organization provided all these facilities, for the customer¡¯s satisfaction, they cared for nothing except the credits they earned. Jacuuba posted the contract and the organization said that this contract will take effect after seventy-two hours. The bounty rewarded on the contract was not high.

    Jacuuba let out a breath and said, ¡°Let us see what happens in theing days.¡±

    Kar-te nodded and said, ¡°I will take my leave now.¡±

    The two people parted and Jacuuba mumbled, ¡°This person is not simple, he is using me as a knife. Tch, if the assassination is backtracked, then you will go down with me.¡±

    Jacuuba brought his index finger closer to his pupil and took out a lens attached to it. This lens was a recording device. Jacuuba had millions of these lenses, they were his insurance. He has done a lot of shady business.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang andpany reached the destination.

 Chapter 238

    The shipnded on the spaceport of Clement. Shi Lang and the rest came out and were greeted by an old friend, Ameris. Thedy was now the defense minister for the Neomonian Empire. Shi Lang smiled and walked over to her in his casual attire.

    Ameris smiled at Shi Lang and suddenly saluted him in a crisp fashion. The young man returned the salute and said, ¡°Minister Ameris,ing to wee us in person, I am ttered.¡±

    Ameris shook her head and said, ¡°It is us, the neomonians, who should be ttered. Wee to Clement.¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia exchanged a few words with her and then they introduced the people with them to Ameris. The minister showed very amiable behavior when greeting everyone. Shi Lang¡¯s parents were even shocked when the minister even slightly bowed her head to greet them. She did not do it to even the two generals.

    Afterward, they were led by an armed convoy to a massive mansion. Ameris introduced the ce to them, ¡°This is M-kut. The only ce that has never been used by anyone but the royal family. It is her Excellency¡¯s intention that your stay isfortable and rxing. So, please use this ce as you wish. There are twenty bedrooms, thirty bathrooms, three different spas, and ten round-the-clock chefs. There is a gym, two studies with some of the epics in neomonian literature in two wings, and there are also two swimming pools.

    Thinking that people from the federation like to y games or sports to rx, there is an open space of about an acre that can be customized as you desire. The western side also has a three-kilometer-long private beach. You will be assisted by the staff of the mansion, they are all well trained so there will be no trouble. Let¡¯s tour around, to be honest, I have never been here.¡±

    Shi Lang and the others were also curious after listening to the details. When the vehicles stopped in front of the mansions gates, they all got down. The people saw Ameris ess a panel on the side of the road, she input her biometrics into the panel and the door slowly slid open. Shi Lang saw a wide open ground and in a distance, a building stood. The building had a unique design, the main entrance was covered with an arching porch.

    A fountain in the center and the stoned pathway gave it a very ancient feel. Shi Lang held Amelia¡¯s hand and they walked in first. The young man hade here to rx, so he was totally not going to be held back by the presence of his elders, and he was not doing anything wrong. Amelia was still slightly timid but she held his arm firmly.

    The ce was brimming with fresh spiritual energy. Shi Lang said after checking that the others were still a few meters behind him. He said, ¡°Do you feel this?¡±

    Amelia hummed and then asked, ¡°Can we break through to the corepletion realm here?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°I have no idea about that my love. You know that we have been trying for a few months already, but until and unless we receive a strong push, we might not be able to move forward. Either that, or we need to take a step back to calm down.¡±

    Amelia nodded and with a faint smile, she leaned against Shi Lang¡¯s shoulder. The young man said, ¡°I have something for you. I found it inside the ruin on the frontier and no one knows about it yet.¡±

    Amelia asked, ¡°Why did you not report it? What if it was something harmful?¡± she furrowed her brows a bit.

    Shi Lang leaned over and pecked her forehead and said, ¡°It was not something harmful but something unique. When I went back to the Federation for the meetings with the secret divisions. I reported this to them. They allowed me to keep it on me, however, I have to make sure that the powers of this thing are only used for defense and not attack.¡±

    Amelia looked at him seriously and mumbled, ¡°If Darcx was here, I would have asked him if you lied or not.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You can call Commander Silence. She will tell you.¡±

    Amelia shook her head, ¡°It is fine. If you lied and they discharged you, I can still work to support the house.¡±

    Shi Lang froze on the spot and looked at the girl with his eyes wide open. Then he asked, ¡°How many novels have you been reading these days?¡±

    Amelia was surprised and said, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    The two looked at each other and then they burst out inughter. The people behind them looked at the scene and Luna quickly used hermunicator to click their pictures. The two people moved forward and they were toured around the building. The ce was the epitome of luxury andfort. Nothing was too prickly to the eyes.

    This was luxury. In the end, Shi Lang and Amelia ended up in the garage of the building and they were shocked. The two people looked at a vehicle parked in the center of therge space, spotless and dust free. They watched closely and began to admire the vehicle.

    An old man happened to enter the garage after them and he bowed, before he said, ¡°I am Tero, the caretaker of this vehicle. Pleased to meet you, Sir, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    The old man knew these two youngsters were the guests of the Empress and he did not dare to shun them. Shi Lang nodded with a smile and asked, ¡°Old Sir, can you tell us about this vehicle.¡±

    The old man found that these guys were polite, and he became even more eager to hug their thighs and ride on their coattails. He said, ¡°Sir, this model was originally designed in the federation. Back then the federation was still called earth.¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia were shocked. They had no idea how to react, if they go back to the time when the Federation was still on earth, did that not mean this vehicle in front of them was an ancient antique worth enough wealth to buy workfree life forever?

    The old man smiled and nodded, ¡°Yes, this vehicle is from that time only. We neomons were guided to protect an envoy from the gctic council who was traveling the region, surveying the level of the living poption here. At that time, we were able to travel through space but not a space jump.

    That envoy gave us a wrap engine design in exchange for a few terms in business. During their time on earth, the neomonians, found this car, standing inside a deste shop. The vehicle was so beautiful that they took it back with them. Since then this vehicle is standing here, modified and equipped to keep up with the times, however, our people back then, forgot to bring back a manual. We tried to drive it, but could not figure out the timing. so, it has been kept here.¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia were shocked and awed. They did not expect for this vehicle to have such a story behind its origins. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°The Federation has reallye far.¡±

    This vehicle was taken away when the whole of the Federation was going through the toughest times. However, given that it was only a few thousand years away. This was an achievement for them. Shi Lang asked, ¡°What are the modifications done in the vehicle over time?¡±

    Tero began to introduce him to the changes done, for example, thebustion fuel was reced by a clean phaser battery, and it was connected to the drive assembly, to keep the control function the same. They wanted an authentic driving experience. They could not get the timing of the gears right and a lot of stuff.

    The vehicle was not actually something thatplex, but it was because the process was too simple. Shi Lang asked Tero if he can drive this vehicle. The old man hesitated, but suddenly heard a voice, ¡°You can use this ce as if it is yours, General Lang.¡±

    Ameris had entered the garage. Tero nodded and gave them the car keys. Shi Lang caressed the metal body and sighed, ¡°You know what this car is called?¡±

    Tero said, ¡°We do not know how to read your font, Sir.¡±

    ¡°The Jaguar XK-E. It is the most beautiful car ever designed.¡±, that said, he pulled the door handle gently, he sat inside, and pushed the key inside the ignition hole, giving it a twist with abination of the paddles at his feet. The beauty came to life.

    Shi Lang leaned out and said, ¡°Amy, would you like to go for a drive with me?¡±

    Amelia nodded with a big smile and the two people drove away in the car. Ameris used hermunicator and said, ¡°General Lang has left the building, keep distance, and maintain surveince. Inform me if you encounter trouble and do not dy.¡±

    Tero asked, ¡°Madame, that young sir, is a General?¡±, he was shocked.

    Ameris nodded and said, ¡°He is the Ace of Terrans.¡±

 Chapter 239 - Romance.

    Shi Lang and Amelia had no trouble with the vehicle. The boy drove the car at a cruising speed, The manor had a dedicated roadwork that allowed the residents to move around the ce and connect to the beach. The distance between the beach and the manor was around twenty kilometers, which was enough for them to enjoy a long drive.

    Amelia had let down the window and the breeze tussled her hair. Shi Lang looked at her from the side, lost in her serene beauty he let go of a hand on his steering and turned slightly to have a proper look at the youngdy.

    Amelia blushed slightly but she did not shy away from his gaze. It was as if Shi Lang would eat her up. She asked, ¡°What are you doing, focus on the road.¡±

    Shi Lang knew that she just wanted him to turn his gaze away, he replied with a smile, ¡°Do you think with my skills, we will crash? I just want to look at your smile for as long as possible.¡±

    Amelia stuck out her tongue at him and said, ¡°You are really glib-tongued, but I like it. Tell me why are you like this?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Is it not your charm that I have be like this?¡±

    He waspletely giving up restraints and flirting with Amelia. Watching that the girl did not intend to answer him, Shi Lang asked, ¡°You remember how we met?¡±

    Amelia nodded and the corner of her lips tilted upwards, Shi Lang continued, ¡°Why did you sneak up on me?¡±

    ¡°Huh, you think too much of yourself, I came in to practice while using my abilities. It was a method to increase my power and get some me time, I had no idea you would be there.¡±, replied Amelia.

    She just stated that Shi Lang was being narcissistic. The young man chuckled to cover up his embarrassment, but then he heard Amelia say, ¡°Why were you so curt to me at that time, andter on you did not even protest to our parents about the engagement? Are you not too sleazy? Getting me was too easy for you.¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes, and replied, ¡°I did not put up a protest because I knew that I will not find someone better than you. Why will I go for a lesser person over the one who can bring out the best in me?¡±

    His casual tone did not hide thepliment and Amelia smiled beautifully. The young man asked, ¡°You could have put up some protest, Miss Fiance, back then, why did you not do it?¡±

    Amelia snorted and said, ¡°Just gave you a chance.¡±

    Shi Lang simply smiled and gave up on probing deeper. Amelia will not tell him that she simply liked him because he was able to sense her during invisibility. Also, the talent he disyedter was something even more outstanding, and which girl disliked talented men?

    The two people drove to the shore and Amelia sighed, ¡°How beautiful is the horizon?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and opened the door, he got out of the car. Amelia was looking at thendscape from inside the car, she only got off the car when the young man opened the door for her and took her by the hand. He hugged her waist and just stood there looking at her.

    ¡­

    The soldiers keeping a watch from the distance sighed and said, ¡°Captain, I also want this with my boyfriend.¡±

    The captain replied, ¡°Yeah, me too, but too bad we are single. Now focus on the task, or Minister Ameris will have our heads.¡±

    The team of women chuckled and began to pay attention to the sight again.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Amelia were romancing by the beach. The grains of golden sand and the blue water formed an amazing contrast. The skies were filled with patches of white cotton. Shi Lang stood at the side with his jeans folded up to his calves, while Amelia walked in the waves. Shi Lang had deployed a video camera to record this.

    He was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt, while Amelia was wearing a blue skirt with white flowers printed on it. They were both dressed simply yet looking very eye pleasing. Amelia hopped over to Shi Lang¡¯s side and locked hands with him. They clicked pictures with each other in various poses.

    Shi Lang stole a kiss when he thought Amelia was distracted and her reaction was priceless. Suddenly, Amelia asked, ¡°Lang, you always say that you like my smile, right?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile on his lips and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Amelia asked him with a slightly cheeky expression, ¡°What if one day, I stopped smiling for you?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, and then he came to stand in front of her and leaned down while looking into her eyes. Amelia did not expect him to react this way, the usually calm boy, could not hide the panic deep inside his eyes. She raised her arms and hooked them around his neck and wanted to kiss him, but the young man did not kiss her lips.

    He ticked her slightly with his fingers around her waist and pecked the corner of her lips. He whispered in her ears, ¡°There, I locked your smile, now you will keep smiling.¡±

    His deep low voice, made Amelia freeze, she did not expect this guy to say something so warm. She felt her stomach was filled with butterflies at this moment. She kissed him back, and when the two were expressing their love, suddenly, Shi Lang opened his eyes wide and broke away from the kiss, he picked up the surprised Amelia in his arms like a princess and ran.

    Amelia was shocked, she did not understand why was Shi Lang running away, that too at his fastest speed. She wanted to ask what was going on but she heard Shi Lang speaking in themunicator. ¡°This is Ace, I need immediate fire support. We are under attack. The enemy is using a flying vessel to engage.¡±

    His words had just dropped and Shi Lang suddenly changed directions and a loud explosion sounded behind him. The impact of the st left a huge crater on the beach, Amelia looked back and found that the spot was now left with molten ss.

    ¡­

    The scouts in the car also reacted and called Ameris without a dy. They were shocked when radars alerted them, just before they were about to alert Shi Lang, the man had run away already. The only thing they could do now was to call Ameris.

    ¡­

    At this moment, the security team was standing, and when the captain received the message directly from Shi Lang, they all moved into action. Not only them but the Neomonian team had taken action a few moments quicker.

    The ship took off and headed right to the beach, where Shi Lang¡¯smunicator was being located. They will reach the distance in thirty seconds, but those thirty seconds were going to spell the difference of life and death to Shi Lang.

    ¡­

    Ameris was sitting on a couch with the family of her idol chatting casually when she got the news. She jumped up into action and gave instructions, at the same time, she told The Empress about the situation.

    The rest of the people also got the news. General Charlotte and Hayley¡¯s mother had their personal guard detail in the stand-by security team, they told them the news when they were checked on their status and decided toe over to provide security. General Edwards was the same. When Shi John and the rest of the family received the news they were shocked, Luna almost fainted.

    The situation was a chaos of emotions and reactions.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was running along the road with Amelia in his arms. The girl said, ¡°Let me go, I can keep up with you, it will save your energy and we can be faster.¡±

    ¡°You will not be able to sense their attacks, and even a momentarypse in reaction will lead to death. I cannot let anything happen to you. Never.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    The girl had tears in her eyes because the attacks were getting closer to their position and the precision of timing was increasing with every passing shot from the cannons of the fighter ships. Shi Lang said, ¡°Fifteen seconds. Count them.¡±

    He could not let Amelia¡¯s emotions get in the way, if she did something stupid, then the situation might escte even more. The girl counted with her throat. She knew they will not be able tost for fifteen seconds against these fighter ships. This was simply a fantasy, the system on board the ships could re-calibrate the weapon system to improve it and that was something they could not beat, no matter how strong or fast Shi Lang was, he was a Terran.

    However, as time passed, the hope to get away be bigger, the fifteen seconds that were never too much, today felt like decades. With each passing second, hope to survive brought stress of death. Amelia was worried about how long can Shi Lang run faster than his limit.

    In thest moments, Shi Lang suddenly urged his spiritual energy to cast a shield around them and used the nanobots on his body to cover Amelia. Thest beam of phasor canon hit them with a boom¡­

 Chapter 240 - ?240 Aftermath.

    Beep¡­Beep¡­Beep¡­

    The constant beeping sound was the first thing Shi Lang heard after regaining his consciousness. He could not open his eyes, it felt as if they were made of lead. His mind was in a numb state, unable to recall what was going on and what happened.

    It took him a few minutes to regain his memories. Recalling what happened Shi Lang became restless, he only had the memory of a phaser canon, sting a few meters away from him and Amelia. He used all the spirit energy inside him to shield the st impact and the nano-bots were covering hispanion.

    Just before his mind went nk, he shoved Amelia away with hisplete strength. Now, he was getting very anxious. The body gradually regained movement, and he slowly opened his eyes. The world around him was green. Shi Lang understood that he was immersed in medicinal liquid. He blinked a few times and tried to move his neck, but the whole body gave him painful feedback.

    He calmed down and closed his eyes. The pain made him unable to move, so he decided to check what was wrong with his body. Closing his eyes, he tried to use the spiritual energy inside his body. However, the energy did not move. Shi Lang was worried but it was still under control. He used his special ability and sensed his body.

    A three-dimensional figure appeared in his mind, the exterior of the body was fine, the physical wounds will heal, and they did not worry him, Shi Lang focused on what was going inside. His organs were shaken by the impact of the phasor canon attack. The signs of injuries were low performance and he could sense the nanobots repairing his tissues.

    This can be controlled as well, he focused his mind on the spiritual aspect of his body, the dantian was fine, but the meridians, made Shi Lang frown. They were riddled with small and big wounds. The impact from the canon left a direct effect on his meridians. The bacsh of the spirit shield copse had left his meridians shaken.

    This type of injury can only be cured by constant spiritual flow in the meridians and it will take a long time. Until Shi Lang finds some natural treasure to heal himself. The knowledge bestowed by OB-One was not of any use at this moment.

    Sighing he opened his eyes and saw a person standing below the medical tube. This person was a Neomonian. Shi Lang was suspended inside the liquid and his body was immobile. The person below did not look up at first but Shi Lang using all his resolve jerked his body.

    The person noticed something and was shocked when he looked up. He gave Shi Lang a few hand signals meaning, let him wait and he will call the others. Shi Lang blinked his eyes showing he understood.

    The person rushed away quickly, and in just a few moments, a group of people flooded inside. This group had Hayley, Jenkins, General Edwards, Charlotte Knight, and Shi John. Shi Lang looked at them but did not see Amelia, and his heart sank. Just when he thought something bad has happened, Charlotte used signs to tell him that Amelia is fine, she suffered minor physical trauma and was in her ward.

    However, will Shi Lang believe her? No, and closed his eyes and sort of vibrated his head from side to side, showing that he was not convinced. Charlotte knight sighed and said, ¡°Do not worry, she wille here soon.¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze to his father and found the old man to be tearing up with relief. He blinked his eyes, tofort the man. He could guess that his mother and aunt probably were shaken badly and that was why they did note to see him. After all, the intensity of his injuries was that much.

    After a few minutes, he was beginning to feel exhausted again, and at this moment Amelia came inside in a wheelchair. Her leg was in a cast, but Shi Lang could tell that she was fine and this was minor trauma. He blinked a few times and Amelia nodded in response.

    Soon, he fainted again. His body did not have enough energy at this moment.

    Charlotte looked at him, ¡°We cannot let this go by.¡±

    General Edwards nodded and said, ¡°I agree but this thing cannot be decided by us. Shi Lang is a man with a strong sense of individuality. Let us wait for him toe out of that tube, and then we will discuss this. Amelia, focus on healing up soon.¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    The elders went back to tell the others about this while the youngsters sat with each other inside Amelia¡¯s ward. Jenkins asked, ¡°Who could be so powerful to send in fighter ships inside the atmosphere undetected?¡±

    Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°I have no idea, and OB-One has told us, that it was not done by someone on the inside of this.¡±

    Amelia did not dwell on this topic, she asked, ¡°What do you think will happen when Lang gets out of that tube?¡±

    They all knew the answer to this question, but they did not wish to face it. The answer was too terrifying. Not for the enemy but even for them. Shi Lang has never really been enraged in front of them, his silent actions have been enough to tell them. His calm was very scary, but when such people exploded in rage, they were no less than extermination forces of nature.

    While everyone was pondering over his conditions, the imperial court of the Neomon Empire was shocked. The empress had ordered ab search and the special intelligence squad was mobilized. However, they did not find anything. Nexalia knew how cruel can Shi Lang be,st time he diffused the situation with iron hand means, and a deep impression was left on the people of the empire.

    Nexalia did not have the guts to face him. She would rather take her time to get some results. However, the more time passes by, the more Shi Lang would heal, and the more he healed, the more pressure she will have. But if she met with Shi Lang empty-handed, then the wait would be wasted. Nexalia was in a bind. She decided to send her sister to meet Shi Lang and the others on her behalf.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was still suspended in the medicine tube, but the liquid was not flowing over his hand and a few floaters were keeping him free from the effects of gravity. His wounds have healed mostly, the reason he was still inside was that OB-One said so. The medicinal liquid was somewhat helpful in getting his meridians corrected.

    Shi Lang was eager to get out. He was physically unfit but his mind waspletely fine, he could still think, and inside the tube for the past few days, he has been thinking about this matter only. Recalling how he and Amelia almost died, he realized that he was not as strong as he thought he was.

    This pent-up frustration was enraging him, he would smile and talk to his people when theye to meet him, but they all could sense that it was all a facade. Shi Lang stood at the peak of the federation, how could he take this humiliation lying down?

    General Edwards had issued a gag order on his situation. They did not want the news to leak and since Shi Lang was on vacation, if there was any emergent situation it was dealt with by either General Charlotte or General Edwards. It has been two weeks since they rescued him and everyone was trying to look for some clues on their own, but they could not find any clues.

    General Edwards dealt with the pilot captured from the enemy fighters, but the people were all imnted with a partly artificial brain. They were of no use. Shi Lang was aware of this, he was silent because he was waiting for someone.

    That, someone, was the Empress. This incident happened in her territory, she should exin things to him. After a day, OB-One suggested that Shi Lang should take pills made from the condensed essence, and finally, the time in the medicine tube was over.

    Shi Lang came out of the medicine vessel and stepped on the cold floor. He just changed into a set of casual clothes given to him by OB-One, when Nexa entered the room. She saw Shi Lang, and thetter also gazed at her, however, his cold eyes made her stop.

    Shi Lang did not even bother to greet her and walked out of the room. Jenkins was responsible for attending to the princess and at this moment, he was scared silly. Shi Lang did not pay attention to anyone, he walked straight to the holding cells. OB-One has told him the route earlier.

    They all followed him. The metal door of the cells was locked, Shi Lang did not have the passcode, and the guard on the side was so scared by his aura that he was fidgeting. Shi Lang nced at the guy and then, raising his leg, he kicked the door.

    This thing that could hold back a whole armed unit for an hour, caved in with a kick, and the sound rang out throughout the facility. rms went off.

 Chapter 241 - Enraged.

    Shi Lang kicked the door open, and without caring about the rms going off. He walked inside the cell. He was still inside the manor, and this ce had a top-notch medical facility and even a prison. The assants from that day were immobilized and held inside this prison.

    The young man walked inside the cell and looked at the two people. Jenkins had told him over the days, that there were eight people, and Six of them had been killed during interrogation. Shi Lang did not care about anything. He only asked them to stop and not to interrogate anymore. Just make sure that these people could not die.

    At this moment, Shi Lang stood in front of two people. They were scared of the sudden bang on the door, and when they saw Shi Lang they were even doubting their lives. How could this mane here? How can he survive a full impact attack from the phasor canon? Such questions were going on inside their minds.

    Shi Lang did not have the mood to bother talking to them. He walked up to the two people who looked like they were humans with crimson matte skin tones and ced his hand on one of their heads. The next thing was soul-shaking screams. The people who had followed him could tell that Shi Lang has not exerted the slightest force, then why was this person under his hand screaming so painfully?

    Shi Lang was tuning the ancient method of soul searching. If the partially autonomous brain prevents them from leaking any secrets, then the enraged cultivator decided to go inside the depths of their being.

    Every life in this universe carries a trace of spirit, as they grow, the spirit grows, recording everything they do, and learning from everything around them. All the memories were contained inside the spirit source of a creature. Shi Lang was brutally viting that source, so the pain was obvious. It was like you are being sliced open by a scalpel without anesthesia.

    After a minute, when Shi Lang was done, the person under his hand was useless, the other person looked at him with dread and said, ¡°It was the agency, please spare me I will tell you everything.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I already know what you know.¡±

    Then he took out his handgun and the brain matters of the alien humanoid were sshed on the wall behind. The young man did not even wait for a second and walked out of the prison cell. He found that Jenkins and Nexa were standing at the door, with General Charlotte and General Edwards.

    Nexa stepped forward and depressing the fear in her heart she said, ¡°Lang, I¡­¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and Nexa froze. The young man said, ¡°Tell Nexalia, she does not owe me an exnation, but she owes me blood. I will clear this bnce on my own. If she or anyone stands in my way, I will not hold back.¡±

    That said, he bypassed her and said, ¡°Jenkins, prepare, we are going to pay respects to the Empress of Neomon.¡±

    Jenkins heard themand and replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang was no longer in the mood to stay back in vacation mode. His state of mind had changedpletely. At first, he preferred to be easy-going. Thinking this was not the time for spiritual cultivation. He did not expect the enemies to act this sleazily. They poked him and now he was going to seek revenge.

    The young man did not care about the reddening eyes of the Princess and made his way to look for Amelia. The girl was also getting discharged after recoveringpletely. Shi Lang walked inside the room and found Amelia to be packing up the few things she owned.

    The family was beside her and they got her some of her things when they came for convenience. Amelia sensed his arrival and turned around. Shi Lang did not say anything and knelt on the ground. The gesture surprised Amelia. Shi Lang said, ¡°I am here to apologize to you, I almost led you to¡­¡±

    Amelia hurried forward and pulled him up from the ground. She hugged him and said, ¡°Are you trying to break up with me?¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked, he did not say much but shook his head. He embraced her and said, ¡°I was scared that you will not be here when I woke up. I was scared that something might have happened to you. I am guilty, it was not supposed to be like this.¡±

    Amelia hugged him back and said, ¡°I do not mind going through the sea of fire for you. Do not me yourself. However, you must find that enemy and kill him. What if that guy endangered our family.¡±

    Shi Lang released a breath so cold, that Amelia almost imagined the world around them freezing. Amelia was unaffected by the change in the aura and said, ¡°Calm down, you will not be able to think clearly. Remember, anger will destroy wisdom.¡±

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and said, ¡°This time, you be my wisdom, and I will be your rage.¡±

    Amelia knew, this time, that Shi Lang was not going to listen to her. He has told her once, that if a cultivator suppresses rage, after a point he will develop psychological barriers, she did not understand the effects of spiritual energy on a cultivator¡¯s mind, but she knew that Shi Lang was not joking.

    She nodded and asked, ¡°We will do it your way. What do you want to do?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Investigate the royal court.¡±

    Amelia was surprised but knowing his influence here, she nodded. The neomon was alive because he was acting at that time. This time he was attacked and Neomon was shocked.

    ¡­

    The ship took off, and for safety reasons, Shi Lang decided to bring everyone to Nestia. The journey was short and Nexa tried to approach him, but the cold from Shi Lang scared her. The Terran had no idea to care about her. He was going to exact revenge and not for promoting friendship.

    The spaceshipnded on the spaceport and Shi Lang walked out of the hatch door, wearing aplete uniform, the ck suit of the general paired with golden epaulets. His aura was like death itself hase forward. The weing team did not have the guts to raise the guard of honor.

    Shi Lang walked down the hatch door, followed by the former first general of the federation and General Charlotte. Hayley¡¯s mother also followed them. She was the firstdy of the federation, her status was no less than these generals. The youngsters followed behind them. Just by gazing at the military uniforms, one could tell that these people were not simple.

    Nexalia has earlier known about the identity of the people and this time they all came together, the pressure was greater. She had to grit her teeth and step forward to meet the big shots. Shi Lang was walking at the forefront. He looked at thedy in front of him and unlike thest time, this time he bowed his head, ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Nexalia almost cried, she shook her head and said, ¡°Lang, we are friends.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head abruptly and asked in a cold voice, ¡°Are we?¡±

    Nexalia gulped a mouthful of spit and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why have you not found the person responsible for this?¡±, asked Shi Lang.

    Nexalia clenched her fists and then rxed them before she said, ¡°No stone was left unturned. However, the clues¡­¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Disappointing, right?¡±

    The empress nodded slightly. The position of the two seemed to have changed. Shi Lang said, ¡°Arrange a quiet room, we need to talk.¡±

    Nexalia agreed and they all departed for the imperial pce. After a few moments, Shi Lang and the rest of his people were sitting inside a luxurious room. Nexalia and her sister, along with a few loyal ministers sat opposite them. Shi Lang did not bother with the decoration. He said, ¡°Have you heard of gctic assassins?¡±

    These two words, made two people shocked, Nexalia was the first one, and the second person was, General Edwards. The former asked, ¡°Where did you hear that name?¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, ¡°Tell me, what is this organization?¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°They are a bunch of assassins, it is said that their heads quarter located on the home of the gctic council. This is a small organization that carries out political andmissioned assassinations around the gxy, it is manipted by the higher-ups of the gxy council.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, ¡°Those people belonged to this organization. They are dead, and they did not confess anything. Thest one wanted to say something but I shot him in the brain, destroying the transponder in the artificial brain. Without signals, the enemy will not know what we know. Moving on, who canmission my head to these people?¡±

    Nexalia and the rest were still thinking when the First Lady of the Federation said, ¡°General Lang, as far as I know, only the envoys from around the gxy and some of the reputed businessmen are allowed to stay on the home of the Gctic Council. So, it could be among these two groups.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, this was something he had thought of, he said, ¡°Thank you, Madam President.¡±

    General Charlotte said, ¡°Who can hate you so much?¡±

    The people began to think and suddenly OB-One said, ¡°Sire, the fighter ships passed through the Neomonian space patrols as they knew about the patrol route. Another thing that should be noted is that the Neomonian Envoy Kar-te has been contacting Envoy Shashi a lot more these past days and he is trying to ask about the internal affairs of the fleets. I suspect this person is involved.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and gazed at Nexalia filled with rage.

 Chapter 242 - ?242 Entrapment.

    Nexalia was in shock from the words, but suddenly, she understood something and said, ¡°Lang, give me a chance to make up to you. I assure you, that the culprit will kneel in front of you.¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, ¡°You had the time. You could not do it. The attack targeted me. I will get my revenge myself. You do not have to worry.¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°Lang, do you wish to vite the dignity of the Empress by acting yourself? She did not have a clue, to begin with. This time, the empress has promised you. Let her do things. You still have not recoveredpletely, you know that.¡±

    Shi Lang was unwilling to wait for even a second, but that was because of his rage. At this moment, the feeling of losing Amelia, and the potential threat to his family was like a knife stuck in his heart. This knife was something he had to take out really quickly or it will be a heart demon. He did not wish for that to happen.

    He calmed down and said, ¡°Your Excellency, I will leave the matter in your care. Do as you think is fit, however, I would like to ask you, to help me get some medicines.¡±

    Nexalia would not let go of this chance. Shi Lang was willing to take a step back and it was now her turn to lower her head. She was a ruler who understood how to bend and stretch. She asked, ¡°Please tell me what you need?¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand to OB-One who gave a list of herbs to thedy. This bot has been searching through every single de of grass recorded in the Neomonian data. He even found some rare herbs that would ease the harm to Shi Lang¡¯s meridians and allow him to use spiritual energy again.

    After the meeting was concluded, Nexalia and Ameris sat down in Amelia inside a closed room. Shi Lang had left and was meditating to calm his rage. The Empress needed someone to discuss this. The information revealed by OB-One had shocked them all.

    Amelia held a cup of tea and her expression was calm, but that was only on the surface. Her eyes were indifferent. Nexalia suddenly regretted her idea to talk to this youngdy. General Charlotte was not so indifferent to her, as her daughter was. Amelia was no less enraged when she saw Shi Lang immersed in the tube, with the flesh from his back missing, making him look like some sort of a medical dummy.

    He went through all that because he wanted to save her. This was not something she liked. Half her rage was targeted at the Neomonia¡¯s failure and a half at herself. However, she had to hold on to her sanity otherwise, Shi Lang might lose control and massacre everyone in front of him.

    Ameris asked, ¡°Amelia, what do you think is the best n of action? Should we do it discreetly or should we be open about it?¡±

    Amelia gazed at Ameris and said, ¡°You should know what you wish to do, Minister Ameris. I am here to learn about your arrangements, and nothing more.¡±

    Ameris nodded and nced at Nexalia, who said, ¡°Kar-te, the person mentioned in the reports is the Neomonian Envoy at the Gctic Council. During our investigations, we discovered that the generals from his family have been adjusting the timings of the patrol and this could be a part of their plot. We have decided to call Kar-te back home in the name of a diplomatic meeting with the Federation. Then we can interrogate him, and appoint a new Envoy in the council.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I understand with this thought process, however, how sure are you that Kar-te will believe your words?¡±

    Ameris interjected, ¡°We propose that the first fleet of the federation is called over and posted at the borders of Neomon and The federation. We will post a fleet there as well, and project it to look like a military confrontation.¡±

    ¡°Will the Gctic Council not raise any objections?¡±, Amelia asked.

    The defense minister shook her head and said, ¡°We can call it a military exercise. All we need to do is misguide Envoy Kar-te.¡±

    Amelia began to think over the suggestion. She was not a fool to not understand that they wanted to stage a celestial drama. Thest element was for Envoy Shashi to abruptly return home otherwise things will look a bit too fake. Thinking about this, she nodded and said, ¡°I will have a word with the others. I do not have the authority to call shots in this matter.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I hope that you can reply to me as soon as possible. We have dyed a bit too long.¡±

    Amelia nodded and left after some more questions. Watching the youngdy leave, Ameris sighed and said, ¡°This time, we are in a tough spot.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°Just when the things seem to be going smoothly, some bastard would turn up and screw us over.¡±

    ¡­

    Amelia sat down in front of General Edward, Mrs. Dupont, and General Charlotte. Hayley and Jenkins were also present but they were not allowed to speak in matters this big. They were here to observe.

    After Amelia was done taking, General Knight said, ¡°We can go forward with this.¡±

    The firstdy also nodded and general Edwards said, ¡°What we need to do is to stage a drama, however, the movement of the fleet is not possible. Shi Lang is on vacation and so is the rest of the fleet. They have not been given a vacation in almost forever, and to have theme back all of a sudden, is not good. How about, we enlist a secret division or one of the young fleets for this? We will use the opportunity to train them. The rest of the arrangement is fine.¡±

    General Edward was almost always thinking about the betterment of the federal army. After they were done discussing. General Edward made a few calls, and things were set in motion. In the meantime, Nexalia procured the herbs Shi Lang had asked for.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was watching a herb turning into tiny drops of oil-like substance, and OB-One said, ¡°Sire, the refining isplete.¡±

    It has been a couple of days since they started refining herbs, and they have both set up an array that could use the spiritual energy in the void to melt the herbs from physical to spiritual form. The oil droplet floating in the void was the condensed spiritual essence of the herb.

    The array was controlled by manipting the spirit input on the array diagram. This was required because different herbs had differentpositions. Also, the attributes were different too. Shi Lang was not very easy in channeling his spirit energy at the moment so they had to enlist the help of his parents. As they were the only ones, who were not busy.

    The rest were dealing with the n to entrap the Envoy of the Neomons. Things have been dyed for at least a week, and the military action was stated as a ssified matter in the Neomon military. Clement has been isted and none of the people were allowed to go in or out. It was said that the Empress had imprisoned the Federal guests.

    The fanfare she has set for the earlier wee was too big, this matter was discussed in the Neomonian news. So, now the sudden turn of events had caused an intangible tension in the air of the empire. The people were discussing all sorts of questions. They wanted to know why the biggest ally had suddenly turned into their enemy.

    The military fleets involved in the drama were given a gag order as well. They were not at liberty to discuss anything with even their spouse. The drama was staged and the characters were all on stage as well. Shi Lang did not care about it, his priority was to refine the pill of the essence.

    OB-One made an apparatus and everything was in ce. He said, ¡°Sire after you consume the pill. Please make sure to meditate and channel your spiritual energy throughout your meridians. They will heal.¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, ¡°I know all that you big hunk of tin.¡±

    OB-One did not know all those expressions and said, ¡°Sire, I am not made up of tin, I am made from a material called Star iron. The atomic mass¡­¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I wonder, why do you follow up on such stupid questions when you have such a high IQ.¡±

    That said, he sat on the ground and ced the pill inside his mouth. The pill melted from the warmth and his saliva. The next thing was the outburst of spiritual essence inside his body, while he was there healing himself, Amelia and the rest were standing in a hidden chamber watching the protagonist of the show, Kar-te walk inside the royal court.

    Now begins the adjudication.

 Chapter 243 - Thunder

    Shi Lang consumed the pill and began to channel the energy inside his body. The speed of the flow was not very high but it was mellow. The essence of the pill was soothing the cracks inside his meridians as if a sent filling the cracks in a wall.

    The pain in his body was slowly receding. Injuries in the meridians caused immense pain, thankfully Shi Lang was a Terran cultivator as well, and that was why he was able to endure the torment, however, he did not tell anyone about this. The pain in his body was a constant, and that was the reason he was so irritated as well.

    The spirit essence moved through his body not only healing the meridians but also rejuvenating them. Once the spiritual energy hase in contact with the meridians if the supply is disrupted, the meridians be atrophic in nature, and without proper treatment, they will cause strong pain throughout the body.

    While Shi Lang was busy healing himself. Nestia was going to witness the biggest political show.

    ¡­

    Kar-te walked inside the courtroom with a subtle smile on his face. To him, the objective was achieved splendidly. He did not ount for the Empress to even take custody of the Terran envoys. He was very happy with the behavior of thedy, she was doing very well. Kar-te stood in front of the court and knelt on the floor after bending a knee.

    He said, ¡°Long Live Your Excellency.¡±

    Nexalia gazed at him calmly and said, ¡°Rise Kar-te.¡±

    The man stood up from the ground and bowed his head to the woman on the throne. He asked, ¡°Your Excellency, I was told that we are at war with the Federation. May I ask you, what transpired between the two sides?¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I am d that you asked me this. As you are aware General Shi Lang came here for a visit. However, he was attacked by a group of people, the situation was not optimistic and the general suffered a great ordeal. He still has not recovered yet. We were willing to provide them with any and all medical help. However, why should I tolerate their sphemous usations?

    So I imprisoned them in paradise. Somehow they got the message out and now their fleet is standing at our borders. I want you toe forward and use the skills that you have learned during your stay in the Gctic council. Help us, stop this war.¡±

    Kar-te did not expect Nexalia to be so upfront about everything and said, ¡°I understand your majesty. Please rest assured that I will do my best to get things done.¡±

    Nexalia nodded and said, ¡°I am aware of your skills, I have full confidence in you and that was why I called you here. However, things need to be adjusted before you go ahead to negotiate.¡±

    Kar-te was surprised and asked, ¡°What is this, your excellency?¡±

    The minister said, ¡°Your job title as the envoy in the Gctic Council will make this approach a littleplicated. General Shi Lang is still imprisoned and if the Terran Envoy reported this matter to the council, we will be facing sanctions. So you would have to step down from the position of the gctic envoy.

    Do not worry, we have prepared a special ce for you to overlook. We have decided to give you the information department.¡±

    Kar-te was ted. He never expected this to happen. This waspletely a chance for him to make the run to the post he has been drooling over the years. He nodded and with a solemn expression said, ¡°If that is what must be done to preserve the peace in our empire. I shall do so.¡±

    Kar-te was a good operative, but too bad, OB-One had traced him and ruined his ns. He could never get away from the actions he has taken this time. The formalities of the resignation were triggered after the small de-briefing. The procedure only required Kar-te to write a letter and submit it to the ministers.

    ¡­

    Amelia was watching all this happen from the secret room. She said, ¡°This all seems to be going too smooth.¡±

    Hayley nodded beside her, General Edward said, ¡°You, youngsters think that politics and traps are all too fragile and the enemy can turn the tables at any given moment. However, it is not so. Politics and warfare are like chess. You make a move, I make a move. If someone intervents that might change things, however, they still could not do that before either side has made a move.

    Kar-te had no support, he made a move against us, trying to gain something, thinking that being a part of the gctic council will cover him up. However, he did not realize that the timing of all his moves was not optimal and that was what gave him away.¡±

    General Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°We have to thank OB-One for this because that bot was the one who spotted the micro-adjustments in the things.¡±

    The people began to converse and analyze the situation. Time was flowing slowly. Kar-te was done with his resignation, and Nexalia quickly arranged for another person to bring his appointmentter to the gctic council and take charge of the seat.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was sitting cross-legged and his breathing was deep. At this moment, something wonderful was happening inside him. The spiritual energy was gathering and condensing inside his dantian. This process was called core condensation.

    When a cultivator reached this level, they will be able to fly on their own they said in the myth, however, the speed of the flight was a different matter. Imagine how strong a person would be if they could fly above your heads with no wings behind their backs. Shi Lang was just breaking through to the first level of core condensation when the climate outside began to change.

    He was a cultivator and he could sense the approaching tribtion. After a few final rotations of the spiritual energy, the core waspletely condensed, it was like a soybean, floating inside his dantian and rotating at a very fast speed. Suddenly, Shi Lang opened his eyes, stood up, and dashed outside the room.

    These actions were so fast that even OB-One had no time to respond. Shi Lang was not going to stay indoors when he was about to face tribtion. This would not have happened basically. Yet the guy deduced that it was because his soul was old.

    Clement was barren of people. Shi Lang dashed out of the manor and came closer to the beach, and he did not wait to stand there. He ran forward on the surface of the ocean. He cleverly used his spiritual energy to coat his legs with spiritual energy and moved further away from the poption.

    Suddenly he stopped, at this moment the sky had already turned dark like it was the dead of night. He raised his head to the sky, and joint his hands as he said, ¡°I wee the trial of heavens.¡±

    The sky thundered so loud that it sent tremors to the earth. The ocean had be calm all of a sudden, and from the skies, a lightning bolt rushed straight toward Shi Lang.

    Crackle!!

    This was the sound that Shi Lang did not hear, his body was already flung away from the impact, however, he was not injured. The second bold didn¡¯te one after the other. The heavens will give you time to recover your strength and still not achieve anything. Heavens could be sadistic, you know.

    Shi Lang was facing the lightning bolts.

    ¡­

    Kar-te did not know what happened, all of a sudden, he was treated like a criminal. Yes, after he signed his resignation, a soldier came up and put shackles on his hands and legs. Then he was taken to the courtroom.

    A minister stood up beside Nexalia, and said, ¡°Kar-te Kurx, you stand in front of the Thunder Court, used of treachery, and for intentionally sabotaging the rtions with an ally civilization that could lead to war, you are charged with Intentional Genocide. Do you have anything to say about these charges?¡±

    Kar-te Krux could not believe what was going on, how could anyone find out, and what did it mean that his actions can lead to war, were they not at war already? He wanted to say something but when he raised his head and looked toward the throne, he found a few people standing nearby. The uniform color made his pupil contract. He could not understand why the Federal military people were there.

    Just before he coulde up with a rification. A messenger walked inside the court and said, ¡°I apologize to interrupt the proceedings of the court, Your Excellency, there is a piece of news from Clement that you might want to know.¡±

    Nexalia and the rest of the people knew that Shi Lang was the only one staying at Clement at the moment, what was this news, thinking about this Nexalia waved her hand and the messenger said, ¡°It was detected that General Shi Lang is being hit by lightning. The entire sky is thundering.¡±

 Chapter 244 Shedding.

    Shi Lang was pushed inside the water after the lightning hit him head-on. OB-One did not react, he stood there at the shore, watching the scene unfold in front of him. During his entire life, which was not known to any of the Terran people, he has seen this seen countless times.

    The youngsters from his old master¡¯s civilization would face the tribtions to ascend their cultivation level, however, the impact was too strongpared to Shi Lang¡¯s tribtion. OB-One was equipped with the technology to detect the density of the spiritual energy in the void, but he had no knowledge about heaven¡¯s profound secrets.

    Shi Lang swam his way up to the surface again and using the spirit energy to cover his body, he was able to stand over the surface of the ocean. The clouds were rumbling and another lightning snake could be spotted burrowing among them. As soon as, Shi Lang stood up the lightning bold charged right toward him.

    The young man channeled the spirit energy outside the body and formed a shield in front of him. The lightning bolt hit the shield and Shi Lang was flung away. He was not strong enough to absorb the lightning from the heavens to get stronger. That was bullshit, his body was not strong enough and this was the main reason.

    If he was to absorb the lightning, the vtile nature of the lightning will shatter his newly condensed core, and that was the second reason. Shi Lang did not want to take chances. He was told by the predecessor from the civilization on the Frontier, that he must not be greedy for strength.

    ?[0)??? Today he again realized the cost one might have to pay for being greedy. The second lightning bold was dealt with but his organs were shocked already and a minuscule amount of the lightning had already prated deep inside his bones and organs. This was not harmful to him but nourishing, however, the third lightning bolt was something that he needed to deal with.

    Thinking about this, he transferred his consciousness to the spirit tattoo on his chest. From inside the tattoo, he retrieved a pink pill. He mumbled, ¡°I wonder of you as a heavenly pill can tolerate the heavenly lightning.¡±<sub>.</sub>

    That said, when he came to the surface and found the third lightning bolt diving at his visage, he threw away the pill in his hand to meet the heavenly lightning directly. The scene was nothing but stupidity however, unexpectedly, it worked. The pill was hit with heavenly lightning and made the blue color of the streak turn golden.

    Shi Lang almost cursed out loud but he knew that his rage will only make the tribtion even more intense. He controlled his emotions and entered a state of calm. He could enter deep meditation in a blink. As he entered meditation, showing nothing to the lightning bolting toward him, a ship entered the atmosphere, tearing apart the dark clouds, Nexalia and the rest have arrived and they were heading towards Shi Lang to check on his condition.

    Kar-te was also bought along with them. However, they met a blockade. OB-One stood at the shore, and he could tell that someone was approaching, due to his knowledge about the heavenly tribtion, he knew how dangerous it was to approach someone at this critical juncture, so he hacked inside the ship¡¯s mainframe and then made it stop.

    Nexalia frowned and asked the people to check up on what was going on. At this moment, themunication hub was activated and an indifferent voice sounded, ¡°Do not approach my master, you will not be able to afford the price of disturbing him.¡±

    The people inside the ship were surprised, and when Nexalia was about to order an air strike. Amelia asked, ¡°OB-One, is that you?¡±

    The bot replied, ¡°Affirmative.¡±<sub></sub>

    Amelia asked, ¡°What is happening to Lang?¡±

    ¡°I can only tell you that he is in a very good position and he will ovee this incident.¡±, replied the bot.

    Amelia nodded and the connection was disrupted. Nexalia asked, ¡°Colonel Amelia, is this okay?¡±

    This youngdy was Shi Lang¡¯s breath. If there was someone who could call shots about Shi Lang¡¯s life, then, that person was Amelia. Nexalia nodded and the shipnded on the spot. The people than all decided to walk, to reach OB-One. That was where they thought it would be safest.

    OB-One did not say anything and kept gazing at the scene in front of him. Shi Lang was hit by the third lightning streak. His body was flung up in the air and then covered in a golden cocoon. Inside the cocoon, Shi Lang was experiencing something unexinable. His body was emitting a lot of impurities.

    It was like he was shedding ayer of skin and growing a new one. That was not all, but even his organs were secreting some impurities that were being sucked away by an invisible force. Shi Lang felt really rxed and his body even curled up like it a baby inside the womb.<sub></sub>

    The heavenly lightning was not enraged by the heavenly pill, but it was taken as a sacrifice. Shi Lang realized this after the cocoon has covered him.

    ¡­

    Amelia and the others could not see as far as OB-One, so they used their equipment when they saw the scene of a golden ball floating above the water, they were surprised, and even more, they could see Shi Lang inside, as if he was sleeping.

    Amelia recalled something and she smiled. She said, ¡°I see, so this is what¡¯s going on here.¡±

    General Edward asked, ¡°Shed some light, youngdy.¡±

    ¡°Shi Lang is breaking through another level of spiritual cultivation and he seemed to have passed the final level. He told me earlier that one of the things thate when you break through another level is not only the strength but also the tribtion that tests your foundation and can leave you alive being a cripple. If you are lucky then keep on moving, however, if you are unlucky, then someone can pick you up in an urn. That is basically what happens most of the time.¡±, replied Amelia.

    The people were surprised and Hayley asked, ¡°OB-One, how many lightning streaks did he face?¡±

    OB-One replied, ¡°Three, Madam.¡±

    OB-One waspletely immersed in his character as the butler. Hayley nodded and said, ¡°Do you know what will the effects of this process will be?¡±

    The bot nodded and said, ¡°His meridians will be healedpletely. His strength will be ten times what it was in the past. These are just the basic information, the gains and losses are different from people to people.¡±

    The people were shocked they did not expect things to be so cool, however, before they even had the chance to let their imagination run wild. OB-One said, ¡°I would kindly like to remind you all that this sort of chance is not all gains, there is always a certain degree of death risk involved. Most of the time when people do not have a firm foundation, they are reduced to a charred pile of bones. The lightning you face is not blunt, but it is a force that carries the most destructive points of heavenly strength.¡±

    The people sighed, Jenkins said, ¡°OB-One, do you know any method that could help us lower the risk factor?¡±

    The bot shook his head and said, ¡°I do not know any such method sir. One tip that might help you in facing the heavens is never to be arrogant. A lot of people who think they are very strong and can defy the heavens, end up as cripples. That oue is worse than death. No matter how strong a person is, they will always stay under the heavens and never be apart from it. This is a fact that should be epted by cultivators.¡±

    Jenkins replied, ¡°Shi Lang said that cultivation is a path that defies the heavens. Then how can we cultivate and stay in line with heaven.¡±

    The bot replied, ¡°You are against the shackles of heavens, you want to defy fate and be extraordinary. The heavens are not a monolith, Sir. It does allow you to move around if you are diligent and true to your goals. You do not defy the heavens, you just ask for its acknowledgment. Defiance has a different meaning for different people.¡±

    ¡­

    While OB-One was preaching to the padawans about the secrets of the force. Shi Lang was nearing thepletion of shedding his shackled body and rising anew. His constitution has changed terrifyingly. The muscles were profound but lean, and even more, his senses has improved. His blood had be purer. This was going to give him so much leverage that if he was put in the dire situation of an ambush again, he will not be in a bind.

    The cocoon became to dim slowly and Shi Lang woke up from his sleep. He stretched his body and the joints emitted crackling sounds. He smiled at the sky and let out a loud roar.

 Chapter 245 The Decision.

    Shi Lang finished the baptism and floated down to the water surface, the cocoon around him vanished and his body became visible to everyone. His skin had a dim gloss to it as if he was made of jade. His eyes were deeper, and the charm his body emitted was even more irresistible. His temperament seemed to be even more detached from the mortal world.

    At this moment, Shi Lang had ayer of misty surrounding him in the eyes of everyone. The young man had let out a huge roar and shaken the hearts of the spectators. He turned around and walked to the shore. OB-One stepped ahead submerged in the water to his waist. He passed on a set of clothes and shoes to Shi Lang.

    How can the butler of the house let the master of the house appear in the nude when facing the guests? Shi Lang put on the clothes and said, ¡°Thank you, OB-One.¡±

    The bot bowed and followed Shi Lang out, the people all noticed that this person was walking on the surface of the water and yet he was not wet from any spot. Shi Lang did not care about their thoughts and his eyes fell on the man standing in the distance, shackled from head to toe, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Is he the culprit?¡±

    Nexalia nodded subconsciously, she did not want to tell him directly but some unknown force took control of her mind and influenced her to speak the truth. Shi Lang used a skill from his past life, the truth sayer, as he called it. He manipted the spirit energy channeling through Nexalia¡¯s mind to make her give him an answer.

    Watching the person nod, Shi Lang walked toward Kar-te. He was wearing a ck shirt, ck pants, and ck shoes. It was as if a demon has taken over a human, the aura was so condensed that it was actually materializing around Shi Lang like wisps of smoke.<sub>.</sub>

    Shi Lang stood in front of the man. He was taller than Kar-te. Looking down at the man who almost sent him and Amelia to death. Shi Lang was getting angry. He wanted to kill this guy in the most brutal way possible, however, the shred of sanity made him restrained. He asked, ¡°How did you do it?¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s eyes were flickering with dim golden light, it was a soul reading skill that did not force the target to be brain dead, more like hypnotism, the scared and mentally weak target would utter everything at his/her own discretion.

    Kar-te said, ¡°I was aware that you have offended the union of civilizations like the Zergs by your actions. Thus I contacted Jacuuba, the resident representative of the Zerg Civilization, then I supplied him with the patrol route. The ships were arranged by him and the people were also contracted by him. This one-time hit contract is a specialty of the Gctic Assassin organization.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Why did he set up a one-hit contract and not an open contract?¡±

    ?[0)??? ¡°Open contracts are not cheap, also he does not want you to die so easily. He nned on measuring your strength first and then killing you as brutally as possible.¡±, replied Kar-te.<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang nodded and cast a gaze to the Empress who had a strong cirction of blood flushing her face. She was embarrassed because what she and her people could not do in weeks, Shi Lang had done in a few moments as soon as he got some clue about it. Shi Lang said, ¡°The trip is over, we have to head back. I will team with a lot of issues to deal with back home before I act against this Jacuuba.¡±

    The people nodded and they all began to discuss the things that happened in the past few days. The departure was very low-key. Shi Lang had told Nexalia to not think too much and the Federation was still an ally of Neomonians.

    ¡­

    Inside the spaceship, Shi Lang was sitting on the floor meditating, in front of him sat Amelia, she was cultivating, trying to push forward on the path. Shi Lang said, ¡°Slower. You will not be able to provide the spiritual energy needed for your core in theter half of the process at this speed.¡±

    Amelia did not react verbally but her speed calmed down a lot. She was condensing her spiritual core today, the ship was cruising near the moon. Shi Lang had decided to let things move faster. He did not want to experience something like that attack ever again and to make sure of that. Amelia and the rest had to pick up the pace.<sub></sub>

    After two hours, Amelia shivered. Shi Lang opened his eyes with a smile on his face. He could tell that Amelia has condensed her core. The young man said, ¡°Congrattions on reaching the core condensation realm. How do you feel?¡±

    Amelia shook her head slightly and said, ¡°It feels like I have been reborn.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Miss reborn, do take a shower before you go outside.¡±

    Amelia looked down and found that her body was smeared with an oily substance and it was beginning to stink a bit. She hurriedly ran to the shower and began to wash clean.

    Shi Lang also moved out of the room and came to meet General Edward, who was ying a variant of the ancient board game. He said, ¡°General Edwards, can you do me a favor?¡±

    The old man nodded without looking up. Shing said, ¡°I want to look after things from the shadows.¡±

    The old man dropped the piece and raised his head. His eyes were wide open, and he said, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Sir, you may not understand but things in the light are not as easy to do as they are in the shadows. As a former secret division soldier, I can tell you that every mission we performed was a sess because the people never saw using. However, in the light, not only me but even the people around me are exposed. I do not want to put them in danger. You may think of me as a selfish person, and I do not deny that. However, in this one life, how much merit do I have to umte before I can live freely? Is that even possible?¡±

    General Edward was aware of the things Shi Lang mentioned, but how could he let go of this monster so easily? He said, ¡°Lang, you are young and it will not be toote for you to look after things from the shadows after you have reached the forties. You will be able to cultivate freely and rx with your family. I implore you on behalf of the first fleet and the federation, do not step down.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°If only I had a family left by that time. Today I have made an enemy, tomorrow I will make another enemy, the cycle will keep going if I want the federation to flourish. This cannot be changed, you know it. Do not pursue me for this thing.¡±

    General Edwards and Shi Lang debated with each other intensely for the next couple of hours and they attracted almost everyone on the ship. The subject was quite interesting, while some people hoped for the old man to convince Shi Lang, some were thinking about who would look after things when Shi Lang had stepped down.

    There was a small group, that was thinking about what Shi Lang intended to do after he has stepped down from the peak. In the end, Shi Lang was winning the argument, and the old man was almost about to kneel in front of him.

    General Edward had decided to give up all the face that he had, after all, if his face was the cost to make Shi Lang stay. Then he might as well do it. He stood up from the chair and looked at Shi Lang with a solemn gaze.

    He leaned forward and Shi Lang stopped him by holding his shoulders. The young man was shocked. This proud man was really going to bow to him. Let alone the others even his parents might stop recognizing him for this, he sighed and said, ¡°I will let OB-One manage things in the first fleet and I will act in the shadows. I will not be bound by the chair. If therees a situation where I am needed to step in, I wille and do what is needed to be done. Is that okay with you?¡±

    General Edward thought about it and it was basically having Shi Lang do twice the work with a single sry. He nodded and said, ¡°I agree. You can do what you wish.¡±

    Shi Lang cursed, and said, ¡°You are a cunning fox, old man.¡±

 Chapter 246 Special Division.

    After the terms were negotiated with General Edward, the spaceship entered the atmosphere of the and an emergency General Council meeting was called over. The people understood that the big movement will make another change in the system, however, they did not mind it anymore. The previous changes have done well for the federal military forces.

    All the generals attended the meeting in person. They all gathered in the secret room, Shi Lang sat on the chair of the first general and the rest also sat in their own order, with even ranked generals on the right and odd ranked on the left. The only thing different in the room was the humanoid bot standing behind Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The council is now in session.¡±

    ?[0)??? The door at the end was sealed with abination of locks. Shi Lang said, ¡°You all might be wondering why I have called you over here. You see, these past few days I have done a lot of things, and I think that I can still do more. However, I am not patient enough.¡±

    His words surprised a few people, while some could rte to him somewhat. He was true, not doing all that he could given his potential. General Charlotte asked, ¡°What do you intend to say, Sir?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I would like to set up and train a special division, under my direct supervision. At the same time, I would like to focus on that team and carry out covert missions to deal with the obstacle in the dark. You all are more experienced in the terms of military and also know that arrows in the dark are hard to hide from.¡±

    The generals nodded and Shi Lang continued, ¡°I have decided that I will take a step back from the light of the first fleet. To be honest, I wanted to go back and work with secret divisions but an old man literally cheated me. I will be away from the front, but I will not be gone. The arrangements will follow as they were in the past. OB-One will be my correspondent. Do you agree to this proposal?¡±

    A young general asked, ¡°Sir, is it okay for us to discuss this among ourselves?¡±<sub>.</sub>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That is the purpose of the council.¡±

    The discussion began and itsted for a couple of hours, in the end after a few minor adjustments, the proposal was passed ahead. The first fleet became an emergency response team, and if an abrupt war situation was to be detected, the first fleet will move to the post and support the other fleets.

    This did not reduce the status of the first fleet at all but instead made it the most looked-up to team in the federal forces. Shi Lang decided to put forward the idea of his special division.

    One, the special division will recruit soldiers from the Card ss.

    Two, only ten members will be recruited to the team at a single time.

    Three, they will not report to their former divisions or the card ss, they will have permission to act independently.

    Four, they will have permission to carry out research and develop their own weapons and technological equipment they need without the need to pass it on to the federation.<sub></sub>

    Five, they will camp in a secluded ce of the space, and operate from there, to prevent any backtracking.

    Six, only OB-One will be able to contact them through Shi Lang.

    Seven, their level will be simr to the card ss, and they will have ess to ssified data.

    A few adjustments were made to this list of perks as well, but Shi Lang was not actually worried, the essence of the proposal did not change and he was happy. A young general raised his hand and said, ¡°Godspeed Ace Division.¡±

    The chant followed. The general council had blessed the special division and they wished to look forward to their growth and achievements. Soon, the parliament also passed the decision. The people could not believe the effectiveness of this proposal.

    Shi Lang did not bother much and came to his home to check if he was fine. Shi Lang and his family had a leisurely time, before the young man said, ¡°I will be leaving for a longer time.¡±

    Luna sighed and said, ¡°If only you could have stayed back home.¡±<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang smiled and after hugging his family, he left the ce. He was going to look for Amelia and tell her the news. The girl had yet to pass the criteria to join the card ss or she could have followed Shi Lang, but that day wille when ites.

    Amelia was very understanding of him, she knew the reason he stepped back was because of the attack, actually, she herself felt a need to be stronger so that she could apany him, and that was why she encouraged herself to use the distance between them as a force to strive for unity.

    Two days passed, and the people Shi Lang had picked up from the card ss had alle back to the Federation.

    Shi Lang dressed up in a ck t-shirt with red streaks paired with blue jeans and ck boots. The special division had a unique dressing code. He waved his hand to his mother and the other people before going out of the house. Amelia was waiting for him outside.

    The two exchanged a hug and Shi Lang held her hand. The girl was going to see him off on the spaceport. They drove a car, that looked simr to Jaguar XK-e but it did not have wheels. This was a gift from Neomons. The original vehicle was destroyed in the attack.

    Amelia drove and said, ¡°I have a gift for you.¡±

    Shi Lang asked with a faint smile, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°In the glovepartment.¡±

    The young man eagerly opened the glovepartment and found a leather furnished box. He asked, ¡°Is this it?¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Go ahead, open it.¡±

    Shi Lang did as so, and he was surprised, inside the boxy ten pins, all cut out in the shapes of a spade. The one in the center had silver edges and a crimson body, while the rest were only red. Shi Lang took out the pin and found that on the back of the pin was engraved, Ace Division, Alpha.

    This was something simr to dog tags with call signs. Shi Lang said, ¡°I like how you are so thoughtful. Thank you, I like this very much.¡±

    Amelia nodded and asked, ¡°Have you selected the location for the base?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I asked OB-One to send out probes to check a few things. He has turned in the report, I have a ce in mind.¡±

    Amelia did not ask him to rify the details of the location, because he would not tell her. Amidst their small talk and reminders of being careful about things and a lot more, the couple reached the spaceport. The check was smooth. Shi Lang came to the hangar where the ten people were waiting for him.

    Amelia had left him outside after kissing him and wishing him Godspeed.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stepped inside the hangar and saw ten people all doing their own stuff. Suddenly one of them saw Shi Lang and shouted, ¡°Officer on site!¡±

    Ten people flickered and appeared together. They stood in a clean queue, saluting Shi Lang. They were all wearing ck masks, this was amand from Shi Lang to keep their identity hidden while they were still on the. The Card ss instructor X had been asked to seal their files and was not avable for anyone below the president and himself to check on their details.

    Shi Lang saluted them back and said, ¡°You all are well aware of the reasons you are selected for this team. You are also aware of the duties this team will perform and also know how we will deal with things. Allow me toy down some ground rules, no infighting, no backbiting, and nopeting with each other for a better position in the team.

    You all have your distinctive qualities and that is why you are selected. If I assign you as the point gunner, you will be the point gunner, I will not have someonee up and try to convince me otherwise. I am not unreasonable if you have a suggestion regarding a task, feel free to open and we will discuss it. Do you understand?¡±

    The ten people nodded and said, ¡°Understood, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, ¡°Good, now Hawk and Sonic, please step forward.¡±

    Two men stepped forward and Shi Lang said, ¡°You two will go to the spaceportmand center, and get the new vessel allocated to us dispatched. You can show this to the person in charge.¡±

    The two people did not know why they were sent but they still did not show any doubt and left the hangar.

 Chapter 247 Novus.

    Shi Lang and the rest had taken im of a new spaceship. This spaceship was a battleship ss vessel. Modified to fit Shi Lang¡¯s needs to the best. It was equipped with the first engine system, this allowed the passengers to move through the space faster, without needing to wait for cooling down the engine after a space jump.

    That was not all, the armor of the ship was made of meteorite metal, engraved with array patterns. Thetest weapon system for superior firepower. Threepletely automated Med-bay, for emergency treatments. Ten rooms, with one gravity chamber, this room had the capacity to amplify gravity by thirty times.

    This was not all, this ship had twenty automated bots, ten modern techs, and ten spirit puppets. The puppets were taken away for research purposes. The mechanics used in the puppets was like a scroll to new technology. Shi Lang has been too involved in the war and martial arts, but he has not given up his love for tech development.

    After all, he was a tech genius back in school and his skills were still there. The team took a smaller vessel and made a flight to Mars where the Federal weapons depot was. The location of the was not always aligned with the federation, so an independent space station was built here and given the name of mars as well.

    This space station was big enough to be called a small city, and around this space station, new space vessels were assembled. This station looked like a giant metal spider in space. The small vessel docked at the station port and Shi Lang took the team outside, they cleared a few formalities and inspected the ship.

    One thing that this ship specialized in was stealth. If the people on board did not want to be found, then they cannot be found. It was because Shi Lang had people engrave this thing with illusion formation patterns. It was a thousand times better than thetest camouge tech.

    ¡­

    The ship finished the undocking process and Hawk said, ¡°Sir, where to?¡±

    Shi Lang sat behind them in themand chair, looking over the deck. He said, ¡°Set course to Ao for the time being. Later, initiate stealth and move to the coordinates I have sent to you.¡±

    Hawk nodded and they moved. A female member of the team asked, ¡°Sir, is it fine to take off the mask now?¡±<sub>.</sub>

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Yes, Sparrow. You can take it down, all of you do not have to be so restrained while we are not on a mission. However, that does not mean you can go ck.¡±

    Sparrow nodded and took off her mask. She was a beautiful girl, but her eyes were filled with a vigor that could make a man shiver when looking back at her visage. Just when the other people were about to rx, Sonic said, ¡°Sir, we are ready to enter space jump.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Be careful with her Captain, she is new.¡±

    Sonic nodded with a stiff face and the ship jerked. They have entered space jump. After one jump, they waited for ten seconds, in the meantime, Shi Lang initiated the stealth array and changed the course.

    ¡­

    Despite the speed, it took them three days, a total of seventy-two hours to reach the destination. From the observation deck they could see, a green in front of them. Sparrow asked, ¡°This does show the possibility of habitation.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The lifeforms on this will not be simple. Although the scans do not show any superior species, you never know, what is hidden in in sight.¡±

    The atmosphere condensed when they heard this. Shi Lang said, ¡°Milo, deploy probes, conduct a reckon in this for twenty-four hours. We are looking for a ce with minimal activity, however, it must have a water source and a natural shelter nearby.¡±

    Milo was a young man, who specialized in tech and his special ability was observation. Even the minuscule difference will not be missed by him. Hearing what Shi Lang said, Milo responded, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±<sub></sub>

    He went to his work station and deployed drones for reckoning. Shi Lang did not leave the deck, he was not tired. Milo looked at Shi Lang and asked, ¡°Sir, may I ask you something?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Sir, do you think that ourbat suits are very effective?¡±, asked Milo.

    Thebat suits of the federal units gave the stealth a better temperature modtion but that was it. They had some defense capabilities but in the end, were meant for speed. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I know what you mean. I do intend to research on this.¡±

    Milo had his eyes lit up. He asked, ¡°Sir, can I join this project?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°This is one of the reasons I selected you for this team. In the future, we will work along for the scientific development of the team.¡±

    The two discussed their ideas at length, and while they were discussing the armor, the rest of the team also passed on some suggestions. They were all now spiritual cultivators and they could stay up for prolonged periods. Even so, Shi Lang had allowed them to rest in their chairs.

    After the duration of twenty-four hours passed, Milo said, ¡°Sir, a patch ofnd has been located. It has minimal movement and meets all the requirements you listed.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Set course.¡±<sub></sub>

    Hawk nodded and controlled the ship to move. Sonic asked, ¡°Sir, where to dock the spaceship?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Milo, tell them.¡±

    Milo replied, ¡°The ce I found is ten kilometers away from the coast of thendmass, we can ce the ship in the water.¡±

    ?[0)??? The people were surprised, but they liked this idea. Sonic said, ¡°Very well then.¡±

    ¡­

    After half an hour, the huge red spaceship that looked like a sword descended into the atmosphere and slowly dived under the ocean. Shi Lang and the rest stood in the airlock, they were wearing masks, the toxicology report of this showed that they needed to adjust for a period of time before they could breathe freely.

    Sparrow pressed the button on the side and a mechanical voice said, ¡°Pressure stabilized, Airlock secure.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and explore.¡±

    With a phish, the door opened and the people jumped down into the water. Theputer closed the door after a few seconds. The pressure kept the water out of the ship preventing it from flooding.

    Shi Lang and the rest swam from the depths, it was not even a minute before they came out of the ship and they could spot rich and vibrant marine life. The entire ce was bright and clear, Shi Lang spoke in his maskmunicator, ¡°We have a primitive site.¡±

    The rest agreed and kept swimming upward. They reached the surface, confirmed the directions, and headed towards thendmass. The speed was anything but slow. It was as if they had been refitted with motors. As soon as they reached the shore. Shi Lang scanned the ground with his mask.

    The others were doing the same, they were paying attention to the directions and were ready to intercept any attacks. Even if this did not show any signs of an intelligent species, they were not going to take any risks. The psychological pressure they were all facing at this moment was not something any normal Terran could have handled.

    X had given them clear instructions, ¡°Your superior officer is not a normal person, he is the pride of the federation and the youngest General ever. Make sure youy down your lives before anything happens to him if you face such a situation.¡±

    Hawk said, ¡°Sir, I have spotted a flock of mammals seven hundred meters east.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his head and used the binocr function of the mask and spotted the marked target. He said, ¡°Milo, deploy mini drones, ssify the fauna on this, we cannot live onpressed food forever.¡±

    Milo chuckled and said, ¡°Sir, I will need some time to do that, till then please bear with it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Guns at ready, two teams, Star formation. Milo and Sparrow are point leaders. Move out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±, with that the initial exploration of the coast began. They had to move to the patch ofnd Milo found first to erect the probes and other basic equipment tomunicate with the battleship.

    On the way, they found a lot of beasts and a variety of flowers, mostly useless, but the speed was fast. They also spotted a lot of birds. Sparrow said, ¡°Spooky.¡±

    Hawk replied, ¡°It is the coast, they might havee here to feast on the washed away fish.¡±

    Sonic said, ¡°We are washed away as well? What do you think Krast?¡±

    Krast shook his head and said, ¡°We swam here.¡±

    Suddenly Shi Lang said, ¡°Stop! We havepany.¡±

    They all received a mark on the HUD of their masks, adjusting their line of sight, they found a few humanoids with tree bark skin looking at them. Sparrow aimed her gun, and said, ¡°General, what now?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°None of you are allowed to make a move, till I say so. Understand.¡±

    That said, he raised his hands slowly and walked toward the creatures. Milo adjusted the aim, and said, ¡°Be ready to cover the General.¡±

 Chapter 248 Novus. (2)

    Shi Lang raised his hands and put his handgun back inside the holster. He had taken a few steps forward to draw the attention of the creatures in front of him. The creatures were holding stone spears, although the spears did not look like hot weapons on the scan, it was possible for them to be spirit weapons, and the attack power would be enough to harm Shi Lang.

    He might survive the onught but why take a risk? He said in a low voice, ¡°Do not take off your masks and do not emit killing intent. They could be holding spirit weapons, we won¡¯t even know how we died.¡±

    He was not afraid of these weapons but his team was not as good as him, so he pretended to be possum to keep them in line. Thest thing he wanted on this unknown was to go to war with the inhabitants.

    One of the creatures opened his mouth and let out a crackling sound. Shi Lang could not understand what he was trying to convey, but suddenly, the eyes of the creature shed, and Shi Lang heard a few things in his mind, this was telepathicmunication.

    Shi Lang cursed his luck, not only did he encounter an intelligent life form, but also one with great mental prowess. He calmed down and conveyed his thoughts to the creature.

    The two stood still gazing at each other for a few minutes before the creature let out a sound, and his people lowered their weapons. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Guys, you all lower your weapons. They canmunicate with us through telepathy.¡±

    Milo said, ¡°Shit, living lie detectors.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded when they heard this. Shi Lang said, ¡°They are intelligent but the level is primitive, however, do not provoke them, they will not take the initiative to engage inbat.¡±<sub>.</sub>

    Everyone let out a deep breath, the people did not have any ideas to start fighting with any native, at least not until they have gained a clear understanding of this ce. Sparrow asked, ¡°What now, Sir?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We continue on our path.¡±

    That said, he literally turned around and moved in the direction of thend selected by Milo. They needed a clear patch ofnd to build their camp. When they were moving forward, Sonic said, ¡°They are following us.¡±

    Sonic could hear a lot of things from a great distance, and he could emit sound waves strong enough to damage someone¡¯s brain if needed. Shi Lang said, ¡°I allowed them to follow us.¡±

    Sparrow asked, ¡°Why would you do that, Sir?¡±

    She was purely driven by curiosity to know the reasoning behind his decisions. Shi Lang said, ¡°He asked me a few questions, such as what we are and what we¡¯re doing here. I told him that we are Terrans, a race from a faraway ce, we came here to live and be stronger while protecting our people from shadows.¡±

    Hawk said, ¡°Boss, that is ssified information.¡±<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Well-founded, Captain. Very well-founded.¡±

    Everyone could sense the sarcasm in his voice. Shi Lang said, ¡°You tell me if youe across someone who does not know shit about you, but can tell if you are lying or not. Will they trust you or not?¡±

    Hawk and the others nodded, Shi Lang said, ¡°You people need to learn about the brain and instincts of creatures.¡±

    What he said was true, the instincts of a creature in wild were simr to that of a beast. Once they sense danger, the beasts will go in for the kill to save the rest of the people and die trying. After half an hour they arrived at the location and Milo said, ¡°We are here.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest came out of the tree line and found a patch ofnd with no trees and just some boulders here and there. Hawk said, ¡°Sir, I do not think this ce is good to live in.¡±

    The young general gestured to him and asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°This ce is the graveyard of our new friends.¡±, replied Hawks.<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang did not say much but sighed, Hawks had a special ability to look through things, that was why he scanned thend, and the result was unexpected. Hawks said, ¡°The rocks we see, they have wooden creatures inside.¡±

    This sent chills down the spine of everyone. Shi Lang turned around and spotted the natives looking at them with really curious gazes. He circted the spirit energy and asked the leader from before, ¡®Sir, can you tell us a ce where we can find some vacantnd?¡±

    The leader was surprised to see that Shi Lang would ask him such a thing, however, he did not intend to help this guy and shook his head. After all, in their eyes, thisnd belonged to them the wood stumps.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Milo, move back and reconduct a probe.¡±

    Milo nodded and the team began to move back, watching them go back the natives followed for a distance and also separated. Shi Lang said, ¡°Deploy a drone and monitor them, I want to know what is their strength and what are their weaknesses.¡±

    The team knew that Shi Lang was up to something. He sounded cold, and this was not a good indication. Sparrow asked, ¡°Boss, do you n to take them out of the equation?¡±

    Shi Lang blinked and said, ¡°No, I will not shed blood or pulp, however, since they are not cooperative, I would like to know about them and be on guard.¡±

    The team understood and they all made their way back to the shore. Hawk said, ¡°Boss, how about we spend the night here? Going back to the ship will consume time, and we can eat fish.¡±

    Shi Lang cast him a gaze and said, ¡°Very well, get some wood, we need fire and some fish.¡±

    The team tookmands and they moved out to collect the said things. Shi Lang looked at the team and then using hismunicator, he controlled a bot from the ship to deliver a few condiments. The setup wasplete and they all sat down. The day passed away in a blink and after the sunset, Joan, a girl lit up a fire and roasted the fish over the fire.

    Shi Lang and the team were eating when Sparrow said, ¡°It would have been the ultimate meal if we had some brew with us.¡±

    Milo said, ¡°There we go again, Sparrow do you recall what you did thest time you were drunk?¡±

    Sparrow scowled at him and the rest of the peopleughed. They were all from the card ss so they have a better understanding of each other. Shi Lang gazed at them and asked, ¡°What did she do?¡±

    Sparrow stiffened and Milo said, ¡°Tired to take down Master X and marry him.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked to the depth of his soul, he looked at Sparrow, who stood up and charged at Milo, the young man also did not say much but ran away. The atmosphere was really harmonious. Suddenly, Joan asked, ¡°General what did you do when you drank for the first time?¡±

    Everyone became curious about Shi Lang and remembering the first date with Amelia he smiled and said, ¡°I sang a song for my fiance.¡±

    The team began hooting and cheering. Despite the gap in ranks, they were almost the same age. So bonding with each other was easy. Sparrow said, ¡°Sister-inw is lucky, I wish I had someone like you boss.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I am not all that good. I have a long way to go.¡±

    Then he stood up from the ground and stretched his body. He said, ¡°I will go and take the first watch, you all rest.¡±

    He found a big boulder on the beach and sat down on top of it with his legs crossed and eyes closed. The spirit sense was spread all over the ce, and as soon as he did that, he found a problem. He sighed, ¡°If you dared to act superior, I will pick up the sword.¡±

    In a distance, he spotted three creatures from the wooden species. He could tell they were here to scout them, but he did not know what their motive was. So if they tried to attack his people, he will definitely kill them all, not sparing one.

    ¡­.

    A few days had passed and Milo had spotted a lot of patches ofnd, however, the scans showed that all of them had some minor problems. Some were grazing spots for the herbivorous fauna, Shi Lang had also hunted one of these creatures and they found it to taste like game.

    After a week, Shi Lang was at the watch, while the rest of the team was resting, tonight the sky was dim, as the moon was not visible. Suddenly, the young general stood up and said, ¡°Alert!!!¡±

 Chapter 249 Gratitude.

    Shi Lang called the team to arms and everyone stood up from the ground in an instant. They saw the young general standing on the boulder and quickly shifted their sights to look at the ce marked in their visors. Hawk said, ¡°Beast activity, at least two hundred.¡±

    Milo ran a quick scan and asked, ¡°What are these things?¡±

    They all could see beasts, hiding behind the tree line, these beasts were simr to wolves. Sparrow said, ¡°The numbers will be a problem.¡±

    The rest of the people agreed, Shi Lang said, ¡°This is your first rodeo in this world. These beasts are not yourmon wolves. Channel the spirit energy inside you, and you will understand what they are, and how strong they can be.¡±

    This statement made the people wake up and they all channeled the spirit energy in their bodies Sonic said, ¡°Shit, boss, why do these things have spirit energy circting within them?¡±

    They could detect the flow of spiritual energy once they channel the energy in their eyes. Shi Lang said, ¡°This is the reason I selected this. The presence of spirit is strong. Come on, get ready, they will charge at you any second now.¡±

    As soon as his words fell the beasts moved. They did not rush all at once but sent out a wave of ten or so wolves. The speed was very fast, however, the Terran team also reacted simrly. They all scrambled yet maintained an irregr formation.<sub>.</sub>

    Wolf fighting rules statepletely, never to separate from your team or the beasts will swarm at you. So the team all maintained a formation but with enough room to maneuver. Shi Lang looked at them and nodded, however, he did not move from his spot. The beasts charging at him were about to bite his ankle when Shi Lang emitted a strong aura.

    This was enough to make the beast freeze and retreat. The young man became a stone for the river of beasts. The team, on the other hand, did not have such an easy time. It took them five minutes to deal with the first wave of wolves.

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Monitor the flow of spiritual energy inside the beast¡¯s body when they attack. Locate the weakest spot and attack them with the pressure force method. Conserve your energy, the battle will be long.¡±

    His strong voice made the people calm down and they replied with a war call, ¡°HOORAH!!!¡±

    The voice was infused with spirit energy and echoed in the surroundings, and the battle picked up the pace, the number of the wolvesing at them increased by one after each wave, and the ten of them have already dealt with a hundred or so beasts, yet the waves were never-ending. They were not exhausted physically but psychologically.

    Shi Lang looked at them and nodded, he evaluated that the people were psychologically tired because of the repetitive attacks and said, ¡°You all might be bored from standing in a spot and facing simr attacks. Come, retreat, I will take them on.¡±<sub></sub>

    That said, he vanished and appeared in front of the ten people. He said, ¡°Now, take a step back.¡±

    He came to Milo, borrowed his handgun, and then came to stand in the front of the team. The wolves slowed down a bit because they were scared of Shi Lang. The young general shook his head and emitted a strong battle aura.

    He has already spotted the alpha of this pack and was looking right at him. The Alpha wolf was really sensitive and when he sensed the challenge, it let out a loud howl. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°If anyone of the wolves makes past the point where I stand, feel free to fire at it. Watch my back.¡±

    The rest of them took out their weapons, while Milo stood in the back, watching everything and making a visual record. Shi Lang suddenly raised his head and then he fired shots. Phaser beams flew through the void andnded directly at the heads of the engaging wolves. The wolves were falling to the ground very quickly.

    Shi Lang had no scruples while fighting these savage beasts. Just as the number of the beasts increased, his figure began to flicker and shots were being fired from different directions. At this point, he was the only thing that the wolves were targeting, they ignored the other team members as if they did not exist.

    Sparrow asked, ¡°Why can the boss kill them with phasor beams? Did he not say that spiritual energy can bypass the phaser beams?¡±<sub></sub>

    Milo said, ¡°Yes he did, but you have you understand that spirit energy only defends so strongly when it is concentrated under a formation. Without a formation array, spirit energy is just like wisps of air.¡±

    The others realized what was happening, and theyplimented Milo for his smartness. They focused back on the young general.

    Shi Lang had just shot down thest wolf approaching him when the Alpha of the pack shot at him. The speed was so fast that it did not even allow Shi Lang to adjust the handgun and take aim. So, the young general moved back a few steps and then he gave up the guns. His hands began to glow with dim golden light.

    Hawkmented, ¡°This is how spirit energy looks when focused on a certain point in the body.¡±

    He was educating the others when Shi Lang turned around andnded a backhand fist on the side of the beast¡¯s mouth. The beastnded a few meters away and growled at Shi Lang. The size of the alpha was twice the other wolves in the pack, and his eyes were more spiritual. This was not an ordinary beast, this guy was a beast king.

    Shi Lang channeled his spirit energy through the mind and said, ¡°You have taken a lot of pain in cultivating to this point, leave, I do not wish to kill you.¡±

    The message was sent directly to the beast, however, this thing did not know whatpassion meant and with blood-red eyes, it charged at Shi Lang. The young general let out a sigh as he punched the beast head-on. He was aware that the temperament of a wolf will not allow it to bow its head and would rather die fighting.

    The collision between the two was so strong, that a dull boom sounded. Shi Lang slide back half a step while the sand on the beach flew up. However, the condition of the beast was critical, it was flung away for a few meters before falling to the ground.

    The eyes of the alpha were filled with hatred and regret, he thought these creatures were new and weak which was why they did not enter the forest and stayed outside. However, he did not know, that his decision would lead the pack to their death. Shi Lang had alone finished half the strength of the wolf pack.

    Sparrow let out a whistle and said, ¡°Boy, you were very impressive.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Life, whether it is Terran or a beast, should not be wasted. Cultivation is not easy, and this guy was a beast king, he could have persisted and be something even stronger. you must understand that spiritual cultivators should not give up their life for just a simple thing like pride. That will not make you strong.¡±

    The team nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°You all, dissect these beasts, harvest the meat, and pelts. If you find something that is not bone and is clean of blood from the skull, then tell me.¡±

    The people nodded and began to work quickly, they were not in the mood to sleep after such an exciting fight. Suddenly, the people from the wooden man species appeared. Terrans were ready, Milo was the first one to shoot at them.

    Shi Lang shouted, ¡°Stand down Lieutenant.¡±

    The phaser beam was shot at the foot of the woodman, however, they did not show any hostility. Shi Lang said in a deep voice, ¡°You need to calm down.¡±

    Milo replied, ¡°Sorry, Sir.¡±

    Shi Lang focused on the woodman and then transmitted his thoughts through the spiritual energy, ¡°We are not on yournd, why are you here?¡±

    The leader of the woodman said, ¡°We havee to express our gratitude. You and your people have ended the bane of my species from this area. These creatures have hunted us down for as long as we can remember, and we have spent countless hours on the lookout and trying to protect our people.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I did not do anything for you, it was just a matter of safety for my people.¡±

    He did not melt with such expressions, he was a very petty person when it came to respecting, these natives had curtly asked them to leave, and now theye here. Humph, as if.

    The woodman leader nodded and said, ¡°There is a ce where you can set up your camp.¡±

 Chapter 250 The Ace.

    It has been a few months since Shi Lang had set up the camp on Novus. He and his team had also performed some missions and all of them were sessful. The scope of work was not limited to the federation only, but also to the space empires that were in alliance with the Federation.

    The impact of the Ace Division was so strong that anyone with the intention to go against the federation will think twice. Not only did this help the connections of the federation to grow, but also the status rose up in the gctic council. However, Shashi had already warned the parliament to keep the development well controlled and not to be a threat in the eyes of the top brass.

    Those on the peak did not like to share a seat with someone they do not know for a prolonged period of time. Shi Lang was aware of this and supported Shashi. The federal military and the secret divisions were all doing their bits to cover the growth from those prying eyes.

    ¡­

    At this moment, the Ace division was invited to a space territory called Naris, the people here were humanoids, they had one distinctive feature to them. Their faces did not have nostrils. They had heard of a special group of Terrans that worked as mercenaries, you pay them with money and tech and they will help you take down the obstacles.

    However, the rules were that the target must be a harm to the society and harmful to the alliance and development of their territories. The government must testify and provide the data, which will then be cross-checked, and only when the result was positive, they would take action.

    During this entire process, from the invitation to target hit, the Ace division would never appear and they never left any traces. Their intervention was known only to a handful of people in the government to prevent leaks. One time a corrupt government official got the news of their intervention and wanted to inform the target, but the poor bastard was killed, and the situation was so brutal, that his body was vacuumed from all over the room.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood on a cliff, looking down on a town in front of him. His visor was disying all the targets in a radius of seven hundred meters. A few of them were standing outside buildings while the rest were inside the buildings. Shi Lang did not speak, he just waved his hand and the people behind him jumped down the cliff.<sub>.</sub>

    Shi Lang did not move, they had confirmed that this town was begin held hostage by a group of extremists. They were against the alliance with the federation and other space civilizations. They stated that this sort of external intervention will stain the culture and harm their interests. These people were actually a group of mercenaries hired by the businessmen of the Naris empire to resist the expansion of the market to control the markets.

    However, the government decided to strike them down. The water had gone over the head.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang looked at the scene in front of him and said, ¡°Take them out silently.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, Alpha.¡±, replied the team.

    The action began, the team members were using spirit weapons, and the killings were all smoothly done. They were acting in tandem, taking down guards row by row. The surveince had already been seized and themunication was also masked by the bots on Shi Lang¡¯s team.

    Yes, the Ace Division was using the bots they had all researched to handle the logistics. Suddenly, Shi Lang heard d distress call, ¡°Boss, I have a situation.¡±

    The young general replied, ¡°Retreat and regroup and rally point C.¡±<sub></sub>

    ¡°Roger that.¡±, said the other party, and Shi Lang moved from his ce. When he reached rally point C, he found Sparrow waiting for him as she knelt on the ground.

    Shi Lang took a knee beside her and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Sir, there are three people. Two of them are as strong as you, and another person is probably stronger than you.¡±, Sparrow reported.

    She thought Shi Lang would act cautiously, but he suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°Finally I can use the suit to the fullest.¡±

    Sparrow realized that Shi Lang was filled with battle lust. He smiled and asked, ¡°Did you finish dealing with the rest of the targets?¡±

    Sparrow replied positively, and Shi Lang said, ¡°All teams, report status.¡±

    ¡°This is Hawk. All targets cleared.¡±

    ¡°This is Sonic. Commencing final sweep on the eastern point.¡±<sub></sub>

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Reports came in like waves. Just as the final report came in and all the hostages were rescued. Shi Lang became alert and said, ¡°Retreat, alpha going in.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±, all teams replied back to Shi Lang.

    They all retreated back, and Shi Lang vanished from his spot. When he appeared he was standing in the center of a square. He was geared up in a crimson red war suit with a phaser rifle attached to his back, while a sword was tied to his waist. A ck visor covered his face. Shi Lang stood in the square as if it was his own territory.

    He sensed movement behind him but he did not respond. As if a tourist was looking at the scenery. One of the visitors said, ¡°Hmm, so you took down all our men?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, ¡°To think even reptiles call themselves men, and that too when they take civilians as a bargaining chip. You people surely know eloquence.¡±

    His words were an insult to the visitors. They were lizardmen, a species very simr to the Zergs but they looked even more hideous with spikes on their eyebrows and elbows. The silent one pped his tail on the ground, expressing his rage, but Shi Lang burst into loudughter, he said, ¡°You might not know, but we used to have a reptile on our, called the komodo dragon in the ancient times, they used to p their tails on the ground to express rage.¡±

    The lizard snarled and yelled, ¡°sphemy, you make fun of the Komoda n.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and took a step to his side, making the sneak attack from the enemy miss. He asked, ¡°Tell me your names, I cannot even tell who is who.¡±

    The lizardmen said, ¡°Hit, and that silent one is my brother Kun. Now die.¡±

    That said, the lizardmen moved and they attacked Shi Lang together. However, the young man was the least worried about them. he needed to learn their tactics, so he folded his hands and moved around like a ghost to dodge the attacks from the people. His speed was anything but slow.

    Every single movement of the lizardmen was being disyed in Shi Lang¡¯s mind in a three-dimensional model with a three-sixty degree view with no blind spots. While he was studying the people his team was studying him.

    So far, Shi Lang was the strongest among them and this was the first time he has taken any action during a mission, they have never seen his skills to the limit. Sparrow asked, ¡°How is he so fast, I cannot see the enemy.¡±

    Milo said, ¡°This is the difference, the boss is moving based on the sensation.¡±

    Hawk needed and said, ¡°Yes, indeed. His ability is to sense, and when paired with spiritual sense, the effect is even better.¡±

    The team began to discuss the battle in front of them in great detail when suddenly, Shi Lang jumped in the air, and when his body was parallel to the ground, he twisted himself, using his right hand he grabbed the assault rifle at his back and shot twice.

    Two golden beams shoot through the tails of the lizardmen, leaving big holes. The holes were as big as an adult fist, usually, they should not have affected the two lizards, but the target was the hip joint. The tail was a crucial part of the Lizardmen and they needed it to maintain bnce, they have suffered countless attacks on their tails, and it was covered with scars and wound marks, but never have the tails been pierced through, making them hang behind them.

    Hit and Kun let out miserable cries and suddenly, Shi Lang said, ¡°Just that? Disappointing.¡±

    Then he aimed the gun at their faces and shot without hesitation. As the beams were about tond on the targets, a flicker appeared in front of them and hit the beam headed towards Kun. However, despite this frightening speed only one of the beams was stopped. Hit could not make it. His head was left with a fist-sized hole, with brain matter leaking from it.

    A loud roar echoed through the valley town. Shi Lang said, ¡°Milo, the spirit gun is sessful, did you record the data?¡±

    He acted as if this roar had nothing to do with him, and Milo replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Suddenly, a fist made contact with Shi Lang¡¯s head and he was flung right through thw walls of the buildings around them.

    Everything turned silent.

 Chapter 251 Crimson Rush.

    The team was shocked, Shi Lang was buried under the debris from the wall that copsed over him from the impact. Milo said, ¡°The vitals are normal.¡±

    They shifted their focus from Shi Lang to the figure that sent him flying. A lizardman, as tall as three meters was standing in the square, holding Hit¡¯s body, and roaring. The lizardman roared and cursed in their nativenguage, Hawk said, ¡°This guy is very angry and sad. Pity.¡±

    The taller lizardman stood up, ced Hit on the ground, and snarled a few things to Kun as he turned his head to charge at Shi Lang, he only wished to tear apart that Terran limb by limb, however, his dreams were not going to be fulfilled so easily.

    Shi Lang moved slightly and after clearing the debris over him, he sat up in a leisurely manner. His visor was damaged and cracked. He raised his hand and took off the broken visor. He said, ¡°Milo, the visor needs to be updated, the rest of the suit is working fine.¡±

    Milo, who stood at the edge of the cliff, almost did not slip from the ledge when he heard these words. He said, ¡°Yes, general. I have taken note of this.¡±

    Shi Lang stood up after a nod, and said while looking at the Lizardman, ¡°You may be stronger than me, but thank you for the chance to let me test the suit.¡±

    That said, he did not waste any time and controlled the suit with a neural link. The only piece of the suit that was not connected with the visor, but to the back of his head, and acted as a switch for the suit.<sub>.</sub>

    Shi Lang stood up and twisted his neck, and then his suit began to transform. It was as if the metal hase to life. The muscle joints all inted and the cracks in the metal surface revealed ck rope-like things connected to the tes. These ropes were flickering with blue light. That was not all, even on the surface of the suit there were glowing blue lights. Some big and some small, some round, and some just tiny dots.

    These were the vents, emitting the smoke from the heat generated inside the suit. Shi Lang looked like a robot from the future. If not for his head, it was definitely an appearance from sci-fiction. Shi Lang clenched and unclenched his fists and said, ¡°Come on.¡±

    The lizardman roared and rushed at Shi Lang and thetter was not going to take it passively either, he moved and the suit had increased his physical strength and speed. He cannot yet control the suit remotely. This suit was a prototype.

    Shi Lang threw a punch to counter the fist iing from the lizardman, the impact sent out visible shockwaves and the two parties retreated. Shi Lang was better because his suit had taken up the damage and diverted it to the ground with the help of the breaded vibranium muscles.

    The lizardman was not enjoying this impact, Shi Lang had thrown thest punch with nothing held back in the arsenal. Thus the impact. Shi Lang said, ¡°Milo, this is the limit, shortly missing the level of the second level of core condensation.¡±

    Milo nodded and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±<sub></sub>

    The fight continued, and the impact was strong enough to destroy the buildings in the surroundings. Shi Lang was continuing to perform tests and record data, that was not all, he was even making suggestions for improvement. The reason he was given this suit to test was that he was the strongest and in case he encountered any stronger enemy, he could still get away from the situation using the suit.

    Another reason was that Shi Lang had spent a lot of time developing this suit by adapting the designs of the humanoid puppets. The effect was really good, and the suit was barely short of the limit to beat the guy in front of him to a pulp. Another thing was that the battle capability was reduced slower than that of the Lizardman in front of him.

    The suit was equipped with a smart chip and this chip was recording data and micro-adjusting the suit mechanics to optimize while in battle. This was the ingenuity of the design and the designer. It was Milo who came up with this feature.

    Shi Lang was overpowered by the Lizardman in thetter half of the fight when the suit was damaged to a higher level. He was being pushed back by the enemy. Milo said, ¡°Sir, this is enough data you can fight freely now.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Thank god the defense test is finished.¡±

    Then he stopped and the suit returned to its original appearance, Shi Lang grabbed the hilt of the sword tied to his waist and took it out of its sheath. This weapon was not made up of metal, but stone. The edge of this sword could sh an entire mecha. This was a spirit weapon, and it was really strong<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang shed the Lizardman with a back hand. The enemy was fast enough to withdraw but not fast enough to withdraw. When the Lizardman stopped five steps away, a small cut appeared on his snout.

    The burning pain was a blemish. Shi Lang assumed a stance where he held the curved sword in his hand extended outward. His eyes were indifferent as if they were the sword de.

    He said, ¡°Come, let me dance.¡±

    He has been practicing his sword moves in secret for a long time to sync the skill he used in his. Old life with this one. The understanding he had back then sustained and made him reach the level of a sword master. His thoughts were one with the de and vice versa.

    As soon as the Lizardman charged at him. Shi Lang said, ¡°Record my movements.¡±

    Milo immediatelymanded the drones to record and Shi Lang moved. His movements were not fast, on the contrary they seemed to be really slow, and hypnotizing. His de moved with the twist of his wrists.

    The edge was sharp, making whooshing sounds as they shed through the wind. The sensation they gave the Lizardman was so dangerous, that he was pushed into an active retreat.

    Shi Lang did not let go of this chance and pushed forward, in the next five minutes, the Lizardman was shocked and scarred. His body was littered with small cuts. It was because of his quick responses that he could survive this onught.

    Sparrow gulped and said, ¡°He never showed us this skill.¡±

    The eyes of the whole team were glued to the wrist and the de. Hawk said in a sombre voice, ¡°This is a killing move. He will never take it out until the enemy is not a big threat to him. Look at the enemy, he is so fast that even under this de it has no deep wounds. That is why boss wants to kill him as soon as possible.¡±

    Shi Lang had been fighting as he stood in one ce. But after he saw that the enemy was quick on his feet, he began to move. The scene escted, Shi Lang had be the shadow of his enemy. The Lizardman roared in frustration.

    It wanted to take Shi Lang away from the injured person, Kun. However, Shi Lang countered and chased him all over the ce and left bigger wounds. Suddenly, the enemy yelled and said, ¡°I have stone skin. Hahaha, you have fell in my trap!¡±

    If it was someone else they would have panicked or retreated but Shi Lang smirked and said, ¡°Then let me give you a surprise as well.¡±

    His stone sword began to flow with golden light and followed by a shing action Shi Lang appeared behind the enemy. The next thing was the detachment of the big tail behind the Lizardman.

    This was followed by a shrill roar, well fine a wail. Milo said, ¡°Fuck, that big guy is crying.¡±

    Sparrow chuckled, ¡°Little boy, boss shed at the tail for multiple reasons but the most prominent one would be that the big lizard was about to explode the spikes at the tail end. That will be harmful to boss. Also, now that he has been immobilised, guess what will happen.¡±

    Sonic said before anyone else, ¡°Information extraction.¡±

    ¡°Bingo,e Sonic, you will take these two people back to the ship and ce them in holding cells.¡±, Shi Lang said in themunicator.

    Sonic sighed and said, ¡°Uff, cleaning work again.¡±

    Sparrow chuckled and said, ¡°Poor you.¡±

    However, this ecstacy to tease Sonic did notst for very long. Shi Lang said, ¡°If you pity him that much, then please join him. That big guy will need some serious strength to be dragged back up. Milo, pick up the parts from the suit. This bastard broke it for good. We leave in an hour, rush it.¡±

    ¡°Hoorah.¡±, replied the people.

 Chapter 252 Question.

    Shi Lang was sitting inside the warshipmand deck, watching Hawk and Sonic controlling the vessel as they were heading back to Novus. Suddenly, Sparrow asked, ¡°Sir, what do you intend to extract from them? I mean do you not usually prefer the Soul search method?¡±

    The young general cast her a gaze and said, ¡°I would have loved to use the same method on these two, as it is efficient and saves a lot of time, but they happen to have strength equal to me. Their souls are also as strong as mine, this will also consume much more soul energy, and mind you, Soul energy is very precious. I would rather not waste it.¡±

    Sparrow nodded but another teammate, Saliha spoke up, ¡°Well, boss, you have not acted like your sadist self for a long time now, so it is better that you have these two reptiles to y with and not enjoy tormenting us in the name of training.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised for a moment but then he chuckled. He could not deny the fact that he loved when his enemies quivered in fear of his approach. He enjoyed the dread dripping from their eyes, as he had them walk on the edge of death and life. His prey always preferred to fall off the cliff and die rather than live and experience hell in his hands.

    The ship reached hypervelocity and they entered a space jump. It took them two days to go back to Novus, the situation Naris had invited them to deal with was also taken care of. When they reached Novus, the ship was again hidden underwater and they dragged the two prisoners to the base camp.

    The base camp was settled in the so-called graveyard of the Drads. The Drads were the native wooden they had encountered for the first time they hade here. Now, after the rtionship and frequent interactions over the past few months, these natives have be allies to the team. Shi Lang received spirit weapons from them.<sub>.</sub>

    In his interactions, he discovered that despite being a primitive civilization, these drads were capable of interacting with the spiritual energy very easily. This was why they all had perceived the forms or runes as they called them, to craft spirit artifacts. Shi Lang had also been learning from them and the sword hanging from his waist was a product he made for himself.

    Sonic and Sparrow dragged the two snarling lizardmen behind them, leading them into the depth of the forests and finallying to their base camp. To the eyes of a new person, there was nothing other than trees here. Shi Lang and his team had very ingeniously hidden the base camp with illusion arrays.

    The base camp happened to be hanging amidst the tree canopy. It was awork of circr cabins, they had spent a great deal setting this ce up and it was very practically done. Shi Lang and the team jumped up and vanished as they entered the illusion array. The young man entered the biometrics and the team led the two captives inside the cabins.

    The lizardmen have been knocked out long ago and now they were taken inside. They were ced in maic holding cells for the time being. Shi Lang had spent a lot of energy and he needed rest. To intimidate the enemy one must not show weakness and at this moment, everyone was aware that he was maintaining a pretense.

    During his battle, theter attacks from the lizardmen did injure him, although the impact was reduced to minimal because of the suit. Shi Lang walked inside his room and then after began to heal himself.<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang¡¯s room was equipped with a spirit-gathering formation that he had learned from the ruins on The Frontier. He did not share the knowledge of this formation with even his teammates. The formation was able to condense the spiritual energy so much that it will transform into a liquid drop of nector.

    In his absence, the formation will usually condense a drop of dew, today he consumed this drop instead of saving it in a vial and began to heal himself. The flow of spiritual energy healed him like a wave of warm water washing over him on a cold night. Two days after Shing stepped out of his room, he waspletely healed and back to his peak.

    He moved to the holding cells and found the two captives lying there. The lizardmen were really immobilized by a blow to the tail bone. The counterweight to their huge bodies was gone, so they could not stand anymore. Shi Lang stepped inside the holding cell and he had theplete attention of the two creatures.

    Kun, who was rescued by the big guy on the side, said, ¡°Do you probably think that, by capturing us, you can get any information? We are not the zergs, we Komodas can sense each other¡¯s presence and track each other down through the gxy. You brought us here, is a chance that we needed. Soon, our people wille here, andy waste to you and the rest of this.¡±

    He sounded pretty confident and Shi Lang said, ¡°I see. Well, thank you.¡±<sub></sub>

    His calm attitude made the two lizardmen think what the catch was, because usually if someone found that their base has been discovered, then they will probably be shit scared. Yet, in front of them stood this guy, unaffected by the threats. Kun asked, ¡°What gives you such confidence?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Let me exin to you what is the secret to my confidence.¡±

    He manipted hismunicator and projected a rune image in the void for the two of them to see. He smiled and said, ¡°Let me introduce you to istion rune. This rune is cast by mixing my blood, and some other materials mixed with it. These materials cover your body into a thinyer of spiritual energy and which in turn, iste you from the rest of the world.¡±

    The two creatures were shocked and Shi Lang continued, ¡°Your tails were left behind and the rest of the ce was burned down to the ground, leaving nothing behind. This was done intentionally so that your people can understand that the spade is not something they can catch up to.¡±

    What followed after this was a gruesome session of torture and wails. The whole base seemed to be shaking from tremors. The whole team was mourning for the two captives, they could not even imagine what methods Shi Lang was using on them to make them give such a response.

    Milo and Sonic made a bet and they sent Sparrow to check what was going on inside the hell. What Sparrow saw inside the cell shocked her to the core. She first went to the restroom and flushed her stomach. Then after she almost puked out her insides she made her way back to the meeting room with a pale face.

    She was asked what she saw and the girl answered, ¡°Boss, took Kun and removed his skin, then he put the guy inside the medical capsule filled with salt water, at the same time he ran scans on his body to learn about the neuralwork. Then he poked the big guy with those creepy needles and stimted his pain receptors. The rest you can imagine. That kind of pain can make you shit crazy. What¡¯s scary is that boss does not let them go crazy.¡±

    Sonic said, ¡°I win, I said pain stimtion.¡±

    Milo sighed and they kept hearing the screams. After a couple of hours, Shi Lang came out of the holding cells and went to take a shower first. His body was originating a cold aura that nobody on the team wanted to face. While the bots were assigned to clean up the mess left behind.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was sitting in his chair inside the meeting room, with his head leaned back and gaze locked to the ceiling. Nobody knew what he was thinking so they did not disturb him. Suddenly, Shi Lang said, ¡°How about we deal with the leftover Zerg rebellions this time?¡±

    The team was shocked, and Milo asked, ¡°Sir, did you not leave that task to be handled by the first fleet?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I did, however, the rebels I am talking about are not inside the federal territory but in the Komoda Space.¡±

    The team was shocked to the point where they wished they could just scold Shi Lang. However, the boss never joked. He will really go to find trouble in the Komodian space. Sparrow did not say anything and walked over to stand behind Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You do not have to say anything right now, take your time and think. Whatever your response is will be my invitation, but it will not affect the team as it is.¡±

    That said, the room became silent and Shi Lang leaned back in his chair to wait for their answer.

 Chapter 253 Incursion.

    Shi Lang sat in his chair looking at the faces of his teammates. He had decided to go ahead and deal with this shit once and for all. The zerg representative Jacuuba was the mastermind behind such notorious schemes to hinder the growth of the federation. Shi Lang did not want to let that creature alive anymore.

    The old grievance he suffered during his vacation had given him the wake-up call, and he was going to count it all together. The team discussed and they sent Sparrow to answer on their behalf. Sparrow said, ¡°Sir we would like to join you in the next mission.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded, He replied, ¡°You all have my thanks.¡±

    Things were decided, and everything else was also nned to be executed. Shi Lang had spent a few weeks before they all agreed with this n. The n was a long chain of hits and attacks to be performed by them in a set period of time. One mistake and the whole team would vanish in a puff with their bodies either vaporized, consumed by the lizardmen, or be space debris.

    So, they had to notify the parliament of such a huge undertaking. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I just hope they do not call me back to the federation after this.¡±

    That was his worst nightmare in the past few weeks here, and now things havee out of illusion turning into reality. After the submission of the application and n strategy to the general council, the old men called them back. Shi Lang even went out on a leg saying that if they tried to push him to do things that he did not like, then he will just be a renegade and kill whoever, he wishes.

    In the entire federation, no one coulde and defeat him, also, it stands to the fact that grounding him will allow the enemies in the shadows another chance. So, the general council held a meeting with the cab. The discussionsted for a whole week and they decided to let the Ace Division carry out the strikes.<sub>.</sub>

    General Charlottemunicated with Shi Lang and asked him toe back to the federal space and change his equipment while at the same time, recruiting some backup troops in his unit. Shi Lang was hesitant but when thedy said, ¡°A deck is made up of thirteen cards.¡±

    He gave in. This was also a chance for him to go and see Amelia, although the two of them maintained an encrypted connection, they still needed to see each other. The Ace Division moved and they took the battleship for a ride back home.

    In the past few months, the technology has been advanced and now the federation had perfected the loop jump form, or as they called it before, the dual jump engine schematic. Shi Lang agreed to this proposal and they moved quickly. The ship arrived in space and the team came down on the with a scouting vessel.

    Shi Langnded directly in thepound of the parliament premise. When he got off the ship a lot of soldiers stood there looking at him and his team. In the past week, the team had furnished themselves with spirit suits. All painted in crimson red, with a number and spade printed on the shoulder with ck paint. Another thing that made the people awe was the aura radiated from the whole team. Other than Shi Lang, every one of them was wearing a mask and visor, and other than their gender, which could be distinguished from the bumps and femininity of the suits, nothing was discerned.

    Shi Lang walked straight to the office of the general council. None of the soldiers stopped his advance. When he arrived in front of the sealed room, all of the generals were standing there, they all saluted him and the shock in their eyes could not be hidden in the slightest. Shi Lang returned the gesture and turned his head to look at a person gazing at him from the side.

    His cold face turned into a smiling one and the dreadful aura was dispelled. Shi Lang walked forward, and looking at Amelia, he said, ¡°Congrattions on the promotion.¡±<sub></sub>

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡±

    Then the girl extended a holographic tablet to him and said, ¡°Sign it, please.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the document and found that it was a transfer letter. Amelia was hired to work with him from now on. This girl gave up all the fame and ranks to be by his side. It would be a lie to say that he was not touched. He did not ask anything and directly signed the letter. Then he said, ¡°Nine, take your colleague and familiarize yourself, I will deal with the council meeting first.¡±

    Nine was Sparrow, she saluted Shi Lang and gestured for Amelia to follow her and the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Shi Lang went inside the meeting room and the ce was sealed again. He asked, ¡°So, what is the agenda this time?¡±

    OB-One had given him a weekly report saying that everything was fine and the situation in the first fleet was stable, the bot has also told him about the growth in strength of the first fleet. So, the fleet was not something these people wanted to discuss.

    A rtively young general asked, ¡°Sir, I would like to ask you to help our fleets grow stronger as well.¡±<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang looked at him and asked, ¡°What is going on? Are the fleets not strong?¡±

    The person in charge of the alien race fleets said, ¡°Sir, we are facing tense borders, sometimes we encounter probing vessels. In the past three months, we have detected thirty incursion attempts. One of them even took out two of our own.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s aura condensed, he did not know anything about these incursions. He asked in a calm voice, ¡°When was the council going to inform me about this?¡±

    General Charlotte replied, ¡°We did not think it was that serious until we picked up a pattern when you contacted us about the komodain space.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and she said, ¡°The incursion is like a contract with the gctic assassins. One of the allies sent in this the other day, when we asked you toe.¡±

    A holographic tab disyed the information they had gathered. The contract was to locate the family of Shi Lang and the contract was a recon mission. Charlotte said, ¡°Your family is safe, do not worry. However, we need to get stronger in order to counter such a force.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°OB-One will send you a list of the chemical structure of the things we ssify as spirit herbs and all of the other things, however, you need to know that this mission was set up by that Jacuuba, I have almost died because of that coward once, and I will not risk anything again. Please raise the security around my family, and the key location in the federation. These incursions could as well be a cover to give us a big blow.¡±

    The generals nodded and Shi Lang continued to discuss these things at great lengths. After the meeting was finished, he came out of the room and a soldier rushed to inform his team about the status of the meeting. Shi Lang took Amelia by hand and with the cordon of the might Ace Division, they left the premises in their scouting vessel.

    However, whoever saw Shi Lang, was given a gag order, if the sighting was to be circted, then it will be tagged as treason. They could not let the word out. Shi Lang could have put on the mask and visor but then things would have beenplicated. The people who spotted Shi Lang were all transferred to the first division on paper and their sries were increased. The council took a stick and carrot approach.

    Shi Lang did not care about the people and they flew through space. The team had a new battleship. This thing was faster and stronger, and the technology was even more advanced. They were going to make a stop first at the base camp, get Amelia a suit, and then go ahead with the incursion.

    ¡­

    After one hundred and sixty-eight hours the people, were inside the enemy territory, the secret behind the speed was their new vessel. It slipped through everything undetected.

    The Allies had provided them with the better technology pieces which were then reverse engineered and optimised by the Terrain standards for mass production.

    Shi Lang sat on themand deck and said, ¡°Set a barren as a false base. We will operate from there.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative¡±, said Hawk as they controlled the ship.

    Amelia said, ¡°We can select a stray meteorite to set up the false base. This way we can avoid detection in a better way.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled at her and said, ¡°Finally, I can focus on killing. The alternative strategies are left to her.¡±

 Chapter 254 First phase.

    Shi Lang handed over the operations to Amelia, she had the rank of lieutenant colonel. Her other qualifications were also higher than the rest of the team members, most importantly, this girl was the fiance of their leader, so as long as hermands did not pose any harm, they did not mind following her arrangements.

    Shi Lang had allowed his team to provide their input for anything they might think could improve the strategy he hade up with. Going by this, the people located a wandering meteorite and anchored the battleship to it. Amelia said, ¡°This meteorite can be used as our false base temporarily. The constant motion makes it difficult to be tracked, and none of the patrols will actually care about it. If we use theputer and check the projected trajectory to see if this thing will be passing by any barren. Then we can use it as a safe taxi.¡±

    The people nodded in understanding because if they were to look for a barren on their own, they would have to deal with the patrols more often than not. Taxing reduced the chances of that. Shi Lang watched the whole operation with a smile on his face when themand deck door was opened and a bot walked inside.

    ¡°Sire, the food is ready.¡±, said the bot.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Go ahead, we will be back there in a few minutes.¡±

    The bot nodded and walked back. Amelia was surprised at this and asked, ¡°Why does it seem like the voice from this bot was not mechanical but had a trace of emotion to it?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Remember the jade slip I recovered from the Frontier Ruins?¡±

    Amelia nodded and asked, ¡°You mean to say, that jade slip is the core of this bot?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Sort of, yes.¡±<sub>.</sub>

    The two continued to chat and the team found a barren on the trajectory, Amelia said, ¡°The team could take off for the various targets.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The n is good, we did n to take out five targets. Sonic, you will stay behind at the ship with Amelia to monitor the changes and guard the ship.¡±

    That said, Shi Lang and the team divided into five teams of two and took five scouting vessels tomute. The scouting vessels of the Ace Division were all equipped with the most advanced stealth system. The people moved quickly and quietly.

    Sonic monitored the status of the scouting ships and asked, ¡°Lady Boss, did you wish the boss good luck.¡±

    Amelia smiled and shook her head as she said, ¡°He does not need it.¡±

    Sonic was confused and Amelia said, ¡°Shi Lang never jumps into something that he cannot deal with. You must have heard about his spoils from the past wars he participated in. At that time, he was not as strong as he is now. So, he does not need luck, but only calm to deal with any and every problem he faces at the front.¡±

    Sonic nodded and said, ¡°Seems like my understanding of the boss is still shallow.¡±

    Amelia chuckled lightly and said, ¡°I can rte to you because I cannot understand what is going through his mind most of the time too. However, when he saved my life at the cost of almost losing himself, I ce myplete trust in him.¡±<sub></sub>

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was teamed with Sparrow and he was looking at the starry sea with a calm face. Sparrow did not feel anything different from him, but she could tell that he was not in the correct state of mind. So, after hesitating for a good bit of time, she asked, ¡°Boss, what¡¯s on your mind?¡±

    He cast her a gaze and said, ¡°Do you know who is the target of our team?¡±

    Sparrow shook her head and Shi Lang said, ¡°The right-hand man of the Zerg Rebellion leader, Zana.¡±

    Sparrow was shocked as she did not understand why Shi Lang would select such a hard target for their first mission. Zana was an extremely cautious person and he had tonnes of security around him, it was said that even his women were expert guards trained to be loyal to him and him only.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Do you remember the Sris bombings?¡±

    Sparrow nodded and suddenly it clicked to her, ¡°Boss, do you mean to say that it was because of this guy?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Sparrow clenched her jaws. After calming down she said, ¡°The source?¡±<sub></sub>

    She was asking about where this news came from. It was an obvious question. Shi Lang replied, ¡°Kun.¡±

    The lizardman they captured had named the important people and their deeds in the zerg rebellion forces. That was the reason Shi Lang nned this mission and had determined which person to kill from this list.

    Sparrow asked as she caressed the faint scar on the side of her face and said, ¡°Boss,how do you wish to handle it?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at the approaching and said, ¡°Kill them all, be silent at first, but leave them with a loud parting gift.¡±

    Sparrow nodded in silence, she was already in her battle mode, her aura was restrained because of Shi Lang beside her. He said, ¡°Hold it in till they are dead and then let it go.¡±

    Sparrow nodded and the scout ship came closer to the atmosphere of the. Shi Lang said, ¡°Commence free fall.¡±

    Sparrow nodded and then after clicking on the control panel, the system of the ship announced, ¡°Hover mode initiated.¡±

    The two people stood up from their seats and came to the hatch door. Shi Lang opened the bulk door and said in themunicator, ¡°This is Alpha,mencing operation.¡±

    Sparrow patted on his shoulder, and the two people jumped off from the edge of the atmosphere. They did this to avoid the surveince stations set in the atmosphere. Shi Lang and Sparrow lost altitude quickly.

    They used the surface thrusters to bnce themselves and break the fall. Theynded on the ground a bit heavily and both of them started the stealth formation on the suit.

    Sparrow said, ¡°Boss, n of action?¡±

    ¡°Get past the security without raising rms. Kill inside out.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    Sparrow confirmed and then they charged ahead. They both ran fast avoiding each and every probe on the road. The ce was crawling with security. Shi Lang and Sparrow did not talk to each other at all. They might be strong but they did not underestimate the enemy at all.

    Soon they were standing in front of a huge manor. Shi Lang scanned the ce with his spirit sense andmunicated with Sparrow, ¡°There are twenty elite guards, we cannot go in undetected.¡±

    Sparrow nodded and said, ¡°Boss, we need a diversion.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Just because we need it, does not mean we can get it.¡±

    Sparrow understood what he meant, if they tried to create a distraction, then they will not be able to even get away before they were surrounded.

    Shi Lang sent a telepathic message to Sparrow, ¡°Just because we cannot go above the ground, does not mean we do not have any other way to go.¡±

    Sparrow was surprised when lines appeared on her visor. These lines led to the core of the manor. She understood that as cautious as Zana was, these lines were escape tunnels. She rejoiced, this operation was nothing less then a revenge trip for her.

    When they were cleaning up the above mentioned bombing scene, she got hurt when rescuing a child. The scar on her face was the mark of shame. She pledged to not get rid of it till she kill those responsible for the deaths of many.

    Shi Lang led her to a corner that seemed to be a hotspot for guards. They counted twenty such guards armed with weapons they have never seen. Sparrow took out her spirit dagger. However, Shi Lang waved his hand to her.

    Sparrow saw Shi Lang taking out a small bead. This bead was made up with some material that was very sensitive for the Lizardman, and not in a good way.

    Shi Lang tossed the bead near the most guarded ce and then they waited. The uniqueness of this method was that the Lizardman could not clean it up. They needed to wait for a bot to show up and do that.

    Suddenly, the lizardmen started to raise a ruckus. They had no idea where the smell wasing from, and they rushed away. The effect of this small ball was so strong that the people even forgot to raise the rm.

    This was all the moment these two needed to sneak in. On the floor, there was trap door. Kun was a nice guy, he did not hide any secrets. Shi Lang had already used his sources in the alliance to get the master passcodes to get through the trap door. In just a minute, they entered the trap door and the first phase of the attack was sessfullypleted.

 Chapter 255 Killing God.

    Shi Lang and Sparrow stood inside a dark passage. Their visors were scanning the terrain. The young general said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Sparrow nodded and they moved through the shallow tunnel. They might be inside the safe passage, but they did not give up their vignce, because who knew what traps are set in here?

    ¡­

    While Shi Lang was treading inside the tunnel, Amelia was monitoring the status of everyone else with Milo and Hawk. She said, ¡°Do we have any other method to monitor the alpha team?¡±

    ¡°Not in the enemy space, we don¡¯t.¡±, said Milo.

    Hawk said, ¡°You seem to be rather worried about him.¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°I am not worried about him.<sub>.</sub>

    I am not worried about him. His skills are enough to raise hell over there. What I am worried about is him losing his way in all that fire of war. Others might think that Shi Lang is an almighty person, however, they must not overlook the fact that he is also a human. He also seeks an abode where he can give up all the worries and stress.¡±

    When they heard this, Milo and Hawk fell silent, they literally did not know how to answer her anymore. After all, they were stronger than their peers and they could also rte to this situation.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Sparrow took a couple of hours to reach the end of the tunnel and they had to diffuse a lot of traps inside to reach this point. Sparrow was very frustrated, she could not understand how scared this bastard was for his life that every few meters there was a trip wire or another deadly trap waiting for them.

    She asked, ¡°Boss, can I go trigger happy?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Here I thought that was an obvious thing to do.¡±<sub></sub>

    Sparrow took a breath and fished out her handgun from the holster on her tailbone. Shi Lang stood under the cover of the trap door and jumped up. Because this was an entry point for the escape tunnel, this door was not equipped with any locks and there were no guards around this ce.

    Zana believed that the guards could go corrupt and they might betray him. Thus he created thiswork of tunnels, and also, had them all left unguarded so that he can use them without any trouble.

    Shi Lang came out of the tunnel and stretched his limbs and waist. They have been walking in a crouching stance for the past two hours and even if he was a cultivator, his muscles were a bit stiff from this.

    Sparrow followed his actions and after they had cracked their bones, thedy asked, ¡°Boss, shall we make a move?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, with pleasure.¡±

    They both held their handguns and moved to the door. This tunnel entrance was made in a special room with the other tunnel entrances. Shi Lang and Sparrow moved to the door and simply pushed it. When in danger run for your life. This motto made Zana leave this door unlocked.<sub></sub>

    Sparrow could make out some grunting noises, she scanned the ce with her spiritual energy and found that the people at the other side of the door were having a wild sex escapade. Seven or eight reptiles sticking to each other was something very new and obscure for her.

    This was the limit of her patience, she pushed open the door, raised her handgun, took aim and phaser beams flew through the void. Shi Lang was right behind her and he supported her by dealing with any of the reptiles that tried to look back at them.

    Within, ten seconds, everyone was shot and died in the head. Shi Lang walked over and ran a scan, he cast a nce at Sparrow and nodded. Zana was dead. The ending of this viin was very dim, but at least he died on the bosom of beauty if that was what he thought about the lizard below him.

    Sparrow let out a sigh and her battle aura gradually entered a moderate state. Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not overthink now. We still have hundreds of these to deal with.¡±

    Sparrow nodded and they moved to deal with the people outside the room, Shi Lang had swapped positions with her and took up the point while thedy had stepped back to support him. Shi Lang held his handgun with two hands and close to his shoulder, while Sparrow followed ten meters behind him with an assault rifle in her hand.

    The guards outside have been standing on alert, but what they did not expect was for the enemy toe from the inside. Shi Lang kicked the door open from the inside and shot the two guards in their heads with his handguns, while the rest of the guards were attacked by Sparrow with the rifle.

    Thebination was spectacr and almost automated. As if two gods of deaths hade down to reap lives. The two people coordinated very smoothly and moved ahead in the corridors to deal with the guards. By now the entire manor was alert and the guards were pouring in like they were moths to fire.

    Yes, they all got burnt for their love for light and heat. Shi Lang was gradually falling into a state where killing gave him ecstasy. At some point, he has given up the handguns and was dancing with his spirit sword. Sparrow was shocked to see him like this.

    Every step he moved forward was apanied by a head rolling. His speed has risen to a level where phaser beams were tackled by his de. The stone sword in his hand was a nightmare.

    Sparrow had been channeling the spirit energy inside her eyes to keep up with the movements but that was not impossible anymore, what was more, she could not understand how Shi Lang was able to execute all the moves in a corridor so easily. The ce was not as grand as it may seem from the outside. The passage was just a few feet wide.

    She could not even tell if the color of the suit Shi Lang wore was originally painted or was stained by blood. The visor covered his face, but she could sense the joy inside him, as he was killing the guards.

    After thirty minutes of relentless bloodshed, Shi Lang was literally scaring off the guards into running away. Yes, he had struck fear in their minds. It was not only the guards that were scared, even Sparrow was scared by this scene in front of him.

    From the inside to the outside, corpses littered the floor of the mansion, and blood painted the walls. Shi Lang was a killing god walking among the mortals who tried to defy his majesty. When they reached the main hall of the manor, Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°So, you wish to scare me with these?¡±

    At this moment, he was being pointed at with real phaser canons. Yes, not guns but canons. The enemy did not want to take any risks so, they shot at him. Shi Lang did not hesitate as well and turned on the spirit suit on his body. When the phaser beams hit him, they raised a big cloud of dust, making the visibility almost zero.

    Sparrow was worried, she was left behind earlier when Shi Lang rushed over here to chase a Lizardman. She arrived just in time to see the dust cloud rise, her heart almost jumped out of her chest, but then her visor showed her that Shi Lang¡¯s vitals were alright and that he was still standing.

    She was thinking about starting her suit and taking out the phaser canons when a burst of loudughter echoed in the hall. The dust cloud made it difficult to discern whom it was from because the eerie feeling was too much to handle.

    Suddenly, theughter was followed by a few screams, Sparrow gulped and stood at her ce, she knew that Shi Lang has made a move and was killing the lizardmen. He did not even need his visor to support him. He was enough with his enhanced speed and special ability.

    The screams continued and when the dust cloud settled, Sparrow saw a bunch of lizardmen lying on the floor with holes in their chest. Then she spotted Shi Lang, who has dropped the hearts of the lizardmen on the floor. Yes, he dug out their hearts.

    She saw him turning toward the main gate of the manor building and mustered up her courage to say, ¡°General, they have long-range canons outside.¡±

    Shi Lang stopped and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do, Little Sparrow.¡±, followed by a cold chuckle.

    Sparrow shivered, but there was nothing more that she could do. She saw Shi Lang pick up a phaser canon thrice his size, and slowly walk out of the main door.

 Chapter 256 Ruined.

    Shi Lang dragged the big cannon out from the lobby and ced it on the main door of the Manor building. Then he aimed the cannon at the artillery outpost and pulled the lever on the cannon, a phaser beam lit up the night like day, in a blink, Shi Lang adjusted the direction and shot again, just in time to hear a loud boom and another shot being fired from his cannon.

    The enemy was shocked, Earlier they heard the cannon fire and thought that there was an enemy, but the silence followed quickly giving them the impression that the enemy has been dealt with. After all, withmon sense, who can survive the head-on attack with the cannons?

    Yet, not only did the enemy survive the damage from the phaser cannons but was using their own equipment against them, the lizardmen were enraged. They all quickly adjusted the artillery to aim at the mansion. The officers had tried to contact the leader, Zana, but upon no response, they established that Zana was dead, and now they had to kill the enemy at all costs.

    On the other side, Shi Lang was attacking the Artiry outposts with no worries on his mind, in the fast ten minutes, he has taken out five of themand posts, it was not because he slowed down, but because the outposts had shields and it took more than a dozen shots to get past them.

    Sparrow was paying attention to the outposts and upon sensing activity, she said, ¡°General, they are all adjusting their turrets to aim at us.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I know, you can take the escape tunnel and bypass them to meet me outside. I wille after finishing them off. Go now.¡±<sub>.</sub>

    Sparrow wanted to say that she would like to stay but when he said, ¡®Go now.¡¯, her body moved on its own, with no grounds and power to refute themand. As if she was a puppet. Shi Lang stopped paying attention to her and set the cannon on automatic fire. Then he walked over to other cannons and shot at the walls next to the door, to erge the space, arranged three cannons next to each other, and began to shoot again.

    The firepower increased and Shi Lang stood behind the cannons using them remotely. The time taken to destroy an outpost had decreased a lot. Out of twenty outposts, Shi Lang had taken out ten, but the enemy was not going to give him everything on a silver tter. They had turned their turrets and the artillery shot at the manor entrance together.

    Shi Lang had no choice but to flee, he was not yet strong enough to walk sideways under such heavy fire. He did not rush back to the escape tunnels but charged straight at the outposts while dodging the cannon fire. The suit had enteredplete stealth mode, the lizardmen could not detect it at all. So, even if the young general walked slowly in front of them, they will not know.

    When the lizardmen confirmed that the enemy has been dealt with and was about to ry the news to the highermand, screams rang out in the outposts. Shi Lang had started to reap the lives of the lizardmen with his sword. The enemy did not even know, what and who was responsible for the mess before they died.

    ¡­<sub></sub>

    Sparrow was waiting for Shi Lang at the end of the escape point. She could not express her emotions at this moment. She was d that Shi Lang was so strong, but the bloodshed and mania he disyed was something she was scared of. She could not help but shiver on recalling that scene.

    Just when she was immersed in the thoughts of the massacre, a figure came over slowly. She could tell that it was Shi Lang. The surroundings werepletely silent now. Uponing closer, Shi Lang asked, ¡°Did you call for our ride back?¡±

    Sparrow quickly clicked on the holographic panel on hermunicator and said, ¡°Was waiting for you boss.¡±

    Her address had changed back from general to boss because she did not sense any mania from Shi Lang, the young man also noticed this and thought, ¡®Looks like the effect of the battling shura sutra is a bit too much. I need to find a way to keep it in check.¡¯

    Soon the scout ship descended from the edge of the atmosphere andnded in front of them. Shi Lang said, ¡°How about you take the first seat, I need to rest for a bit.¡±<sub></sub>

    Sparrow nodded and the two people got onboard. The scout ship left the ce and Sparrow turned on the stealth mode. She was also keeping an eye on Shi Lang to check if the young man was fine. Sparrow was even a few years older than the young man next to her. So, she looked at him like the younger brother she never had and that was why she was so worried about him.

    Shi Lang did not know all this, he was focusing on dispelling the baleful aura he had umted on his person, the battling shura sutra was a cultivation method that allowed him to be stronger as he kept on fighting. However, this sutra was very delicate, it could lead people to dementia.

    In his past life, Shi Lang had found a lot of cases, where those who used this sutra would turn into bloodthirsty maniacs, however, upon extensive research he found that if the baleful aura is dispelled quickly, the effect will be negated. Surprisingly, the method to dispel the baleful aura was only to circte the spiritual energy throughout his body and refine this aura.

    Spiritual energy was akin to water, it will cleanse every aura that was deemed contaminating, however, the process was really slow, Shi Lang could not use this technique too much, or the umtion will exceed the effect of cleansing and this will be troublesome.

    At this moment, the baleful aura had condensed inside his dantian, it was like a ring of gas around a. The was slightly golden in color while the gas ring was glowing red. Shi Lang had to reduce this red ring or once it reaches a certain level, it will infuse the golden core, which will lead Shi Lang to a crazed state of mind.

    He could not allow that to happen. The scout vessel navigated through the stars and made its way to the mother ship, but Shi Lang did not wake up, he entered a state of deep cultivation. Sparrow thought something was wrong with him so she notified the bridge, by now all the teams had returned to the warship.

    They hurried over to the ship and Amelia checked Shi Lang with a spiritual energy probe, she said, ¡°He is just in a deep cultivation state, do not disturb him. Sparrow, please tell me about the mission proceedings.¡±

    Hawk and Sonic carried Shi Lang out of the scout vessel and ced him back in his room. Meanwhile, Sparrow narrated the happenings of the mission to Amelia and the others, the people were shocked to hear about how crazy Shi Lang became during his battle. They were looking at Amelia, who sat in themand chair and sighed.

    She said, ¡°This happened once before, during our incursion of the Arcadian capital. He killed twenty thousand arcadian soldiers, and still would have kept going if not for the fact that his body was not used to the strain. Another thing is that, after that battle, he hardly went into killing missions or death situations.¡±

    Milo nodded and said, ¡°Given that he is in a state of deep cultivation, I think he understands his situation and is trying to rectify his ws.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded and began to discuss this.

    ¡­

    In a big mansion, Juba was listening to reportsing in from five of his Zerg hideouts in the komodian space system. Around him, the decorations were ced on the floor losing their mor, and a lizardwoman was lying in the corner, with no sign of lifeing from her.

    He was indulged in the pleasures of life when the news of Zana¡¯s demise came, in a fit of rage he killed thedy. Jacuuba was roaring in rage when the room was opened and a Komodain walked in. The aura of domination radiated from this person was too strong, it made the roaring lizard calm his balls.

    The komodian asked, ¡°Jacuuba, any suspects, who could have such a huge hatred for you and us, that they breached our space and killed so many of us?¡±

    Jacuuba shook his head, he said, ¡°I would have pointed at the Terrans, especially that Shi Lang, but he has been keeping himself content and focusing on assimting the Zerg territory. It cannot be him.¡±

    The komodian nodded and said, ¡°I have ordered for ab search, we will find out who did this and then have them served on the tter alive.¡±

    Jacuuba nodded and said, ¡°I suggest that we raise the security to another level as well.¡±

    The komodian nodded and agreed with this fact. He also did not want his people to die like this. The discussion continued and actions were taken to prevent such attacks again. Shit escted.

 Chapter 257 Shura.

    Shi Lang was refining the baleful aura in his dantian without caring for anything in the surroundings. He left himselfpletely unguarded to deal with this problem at hand. He trusted his team with his life and this action may be foolish, but was a disy of that trust.

    Amelia suspended all actions of the team during this time. It has been a week since the team was hiding in a cave they carved on the side of the meteor. Their radar system did pick up recon ships from the komodian empire, however, they did not search the meteors and focused ons only. During a meeting, Milo spected that the security of the other potential targets would have been raised to a higher level.

    The team understood this and they all began to spend time inside the ship cultivating. Shi Lang meanwhile encountered a stumbling block during the process of refining the aura in his dantian. No matter how hard he tried thest shred of this aura could not be cleaned, it was like a stain on a white shirt.

    To achieve the result he thought, the young man condensed his spiritual energy in a shell around the red gas. Then he began to slowly contract the cover, however, just when he was about to enclose the red gaspletely, the gas seemed to have gained consciousness and began to fight back.

    Shi Lang could feel the gas emitting pressure against the shell. Suddenly, a strong domineering voice echoed in his mind, ¡°Young one, why do you try so hard?¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked at this. He has never thought of such a thing happening, and from the vibe of it, he could tell that this voice came from the baleful aura inside his dantian. This voice was affecting his mind, slowly but surely. The cleansing had turned back against him.

    The voice in his mind sounded against him, ¡°You are sharper than those from the past, but how can it be so easy to repress the Shura so easily?¡±<sub>.</sub>

    Shi Lang calmed his mind and said, ¡°I understand that it is not easy, but in the world of cultivation, nothing is impossible.¡±

    The voice replied, ¡°Indeed, but do you know what Shura means? How can you get away from it if you do not even know what is the Shura?¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked, he really did not know what Shura was. All he knew was that this was a technique that could allow him to get stronger as he fought, he never dwelled on the deeper meaning of it. Now that the voice in his head mentioned this, he was unconsciously drawn to explore the meaning of the Shura.

    The young man pondered and pondered, the time in his mind went by faster than the outside, in one moment, his thoughts hade very far away from the initial point. This was because of his strong experience in the cultivation techniques in his past life and the knowledge he learned back then.

    Shi Langy on his bed, thinking about the meaning of Shura, unaware that his body was undergoing some disturbing changes. Amelia had taken his suit off of him the other day, and now he was down in his nude. His entire body was filled with red lines. As if his blood was leaving a design. Nobody was around him and thus they did not know all this.

    This was the baleful aura hidden deep inside his bones, the killing intent, materializing in form of these marks. These marks were covering every inch of Shi Lang¡¯s body, but they had yet to reach his heart. Heart represented the will of a person and as long as Shi Lang had a strong will, he will notpletely sumb to the Shura.<sub></sub>

    The voice in his mind said, ¡°Since you oppose the Shura so much, then why did you use it?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I do not oppose the Shura, but the mania and craze it brought along. A man with no sense will never be able to reach the peak of it all. When theye to senses in the dying moments, they will be left with endless remorse and regret. I do not want that. However, I still used it because of the power it brought me, the assurance that I can save my friends. This was why I used it.¡±

    ¡°Indeed you are different from those power-hungry people in the past, yet the purpose was still to gain power.¡±, said the voice in his head.

    Shi Lang did not reply, because he knew that the purpose was to gain power. He could not defy the truth and said, ¡°Shura is a force that defeats the enemies and safeguards the friends.¡±

    He derived a new meaning of the Shura for his convenience. The voice in his mind burst into loudughter and said, ¡°You think Shura knows how to save people?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes because I have done so while using the Shura. As you said, I am different from the others.¡±<sub></sub>

    The voice in his mind calmed down and said, ¡°For the first time someone has interpreted the Shura like this. Let me give you theplete idea of what is Shura.¡±

    What followed next was a flood of knowledge inside Shi Lang¡¯s mind. He saw battlefields through the times, and how the users of this technique ughtered the enemies to save their loved ones, and they went deeper to the point where the loved ones were scared and began to hate them.

    Shi Lang was immersed in the flood of knowledge and his body was changing again, his body was covered with red marks and soon these marks spread over like locusts, covering his entire body, as the knowledge in his mind was assimted, the red color of his skin began to seep towards his heart.

    After an hour, Shi Lang¡¯s body was drenched with sweat, and over his heart, there was a mark. The mark looked like a skull with horns. The voice in his mind sounded again, ¡°You are the sessor of the Shura. But remember, this is only the beginning, Young one.¡±

    Shi Lang woke up at this moment, and his obsidian ck deep eyes have changed crimson red in color. He was not aware of the changes in his pupils. Sitting up, he looked around and found himself in his room on the ship.

    Just when he was about to get down, the door was opened from the outside, and Amelia walked in with a set of clothes. She saw him sitting up and was surprised. Her eyes were locked with his and she had an expression of shock spelled all over her face.

    Shi Lang wanted to ask her what happened but Amelia said, ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    The young man was confused and said, ¡°I do feel over energetic but nothing else. Why? Do I have horns on my forehead?¡±

    Amelia said, ¡°Go watch the mirror and you will know.¡±

    She was exasperated by his sense of humor. Even if he did not have horns on his forehead, he did have a big tattoo on his chest. What was with this messed-up timing? Shi Lang also thought that Amelia was overreacting and went to the washroom attached to the room. He looked in the mirror and was shocked.

    He could not exin where the tattoo came from but the knowledge in his mind clearly told him that this tattoo was the crest of the Shura. The red eyes were a feature of the Shura.

    Shi Lang was speechless and wanted tomunicate with the voice in his mind but the other party had vanished. The baleful red gas inside his dantian has also vanished, but the core had changed. His golden core was now stained with red marks in different ces. He sensed his body and found that he has broken through to another level, he was not at a peak core condensation level.

    Shi Lang came out of the washroom and looked at Amelia and said, ¡°Ummm, my cultivation technique broke through a level and these are the changes.¡±

    Amelia was confused and Shi Lang walked up to her, held her in his arms, and exined everything to her patiently. He said, ¡°Amy, in the world of cultivation, it is taboo to tell others about your techniques and other secrets, I am putting my life in your hands when I tell you all this. I wish there neveres a day when I suffer a big loss at your hands. Otherwise¡­¡±

    Amelia was shocked, she was aware of all this but Shi Lang has never warned her before. She felt a bit hurt and said, ¡°Is that how much you trust me now?¡±

    Shi Lang pecker her cheeks and said, ¡°Otherwise, I will spank your butt to mush.¡±

    Then he spanked her plump butt and ran away. Amelia realized that he was pranking her, and chased him across the ship. The mood lightened when theughter of the two people echoed through the warship.

 Chapter 258 Mad.

    Shi Lang came back to themand bridge dressed in his uniform. The young man was dashing and full of energy, but what shocked others was his crimson eyes. This pair of eyes radiated a charm that almost made them bow before Shi Lang.

    Amelia was somewhat immune but a few moments ago, the wild make-out session in Shi Lang¡¯s room defied her resistance. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Hawk, what is the situation?¡±

    Hawk stepped forward, saluted, and said, ¡°Boss, the area is swarmed with enemy scouts. They are trying to find us.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Mark the locations of our next targets, and highlight the path taken by the enemy scout vessels.¡±

    Hawk nodded and began to operate the holographic map in front of the control panel. The people were all wondering what Shi Lang wanted to do. The map was highlighted and Shi Lang was gazing at the points with great concentration. The tension in the air was almost materializing, when suddenly, Shi Lang said, ¡°The patterns may be ovepping but they still have a window to sneak through.¡±

    Everyone took a deep breath in, it was not like they had not seen this window, but it was really not enough time for them to get through and the risk was huge. Only a few minutes and they would have to escape the detection of not one but multiple scouts, the next thing was to get away from the detection of the defense systems on the.

    Shi Lang could read their minds and said, ¡°You do not have to think so much. What I said was not meant for the whole team, but for a single person. That single person will be me.¡±<sub>.</sub>

    Amelia looked at him and asked, ¡°Go into the detail of the n.¡±

    Shi Lang knew it was not going to be easy to convince these people but still he described the details to them as carefully as he could. The team listened very carefully and suddenly, Milo asked, ¡°Boss, how do you n to make the incursion?¡±

    Shi Lang could feel an intense re on his back and bit the bullet. He said, ¡°Load me in a torpedo shell and fire me through the space.¡±

    Others had yet to react and the back of his head was smacked, and Amelia said, ¡°Are you not getting too bold? Torpedo shell, do you know that thing can explode from minor friction? You n to leave me a widow, right? Fine, go ahead and die.¡±

    That said, she turned her face around and stopped talking. Shi Lang supported his forehead with his palm, he really was cursing him for agreeing with her transfer to him. He sighed and said, ¡°Who else should I send for this task? Given the strength levels, which one of them can survive? Or shall I be selfish, in order to get the mission done, I shall send them to their deaths?¡±

    The people heard his words and were shocked. They finally realized the burden on Shi Lang¡¯s shoulders. Amelia sighed and said, ¡°When did you learn to use the emotional card?¡±<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang had a sly smile on his face, it was not like he could not y with words, but he just did not want to, however, just now his words were not only emotional but also the bitter truth of the situation. He said, ¡°We cannot go out of this tunnel until the search is transferred to another zone. Are we turtles, hidden in the shell?¡±

    The team nodded slowly, Amelia interjected, ¡°Fine, you win. Your speech is not your forte, action is.¡±

    Shi Lang put his arm around her shoulder and then the team began to prepare, the young general went to the craft room on the ship. He was going to make himself a sword, this weapon was something that he decided to make ording to his memory¡ªthe sword of Shura. The length of this sword was six feet, and the width of the de was one foot. The curve at the end looked very dreadful, however, the primary killing weapon was the core of this sword, Shi Lang had assimted his spirit sword as the core of the weapon.

    He was doing this based on his instincts, while crafting the weapon, Shi Lang realized that he could see much deeper details than he could before, the ripple on the metal surface, and the refined impurities being shed away were visible. He was almost shocked but regained hisposure very soon.

    ¡­

    After twenty-four hours of careful calction, it was decided that the battleship will take off from the meteor in stealth mode, travel to the edge of the affected region, and fire off the torpedo shell. Amelia had technical knowledge and she watched Milo modify the torpedopletely to be a confined spacecraft.<sub></sub>

    He made sure that the vessel did not explode. Sonic has smuggled the blueprints of Komodian vessels that Shi Lang will have to hijack to get off the. The escape was much more dangerous than the incursion. Shi Lang did not tell them about the escape and said, the rest of it will be decided based on the situation at that time.

    The team was cooperatingpletely with this guy, after all, he was putting his life on the line to save them from the risk of going to meet death.

    ¡­

    After a total of forty-eight hours, Shi Lang wore his suit, with his sword held in front of him, as hey inside the torpedo, looking at Amelia through his visor, he said, ¡°Be back soon.¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°Better be.¡±

    The torpedo was then loaded inside the turret manually by Hawk and Sonic. The torpedo was an oversized phaser-nade. It could directly level seven miles of constructedndmass into nothing. Nothing means, evaporating. Imagine a torpedo exploding and the next thing you know is a hole in the ground that is seven miles deep and of simr width.

    Shi Lang was riding this nade as a taxi, now you understand why the team was worried about him. They all will not be able to even return home if something happened to them. The warship was already at the edge of the scouting region and Amelia said, ¡°Package loaded.¡±

    Sparrow was sitting in front of the firing station and said, ¡°Firing turret in three, two, one.¡±

    She punched the fire button with her jaws clenched, and the torpedo was sent away. The next thing was to monitor every detail of the process, Shi Lang entered the range and then escaped the scouts. They were not at ease, because this was only the first phase of the incursion. Shi Lang had to get out of the torpedo shell and enter free fall at the edge of the atmosphere to deceit theary defense. Or he will be fried.

    ¡­

    Inside the torpedo shell, Shi Lang was not actually anxious, he was able to sense the surroundings, and even ¡®look¡¯ outside the taxi. Hismunication with the team was also green, but they were maintaining silence to prevent detection. Shi Lang was moving through the space at a speed ten times that of sound.

    Soon he sensed the taxi slowdown and pressed the button Milo had designed, and the click made the torpedo shell open and allowed him to get out. He looked at the below him but time was too short for him to admire the view, and he jumped off the vessel. The speed of his descent was fast, and the friction was beginning to heat up his suit.

    This data was being delivered to the people in the warship and Shi Lang said, ¡°Time for you to shine.¡±

    The sword in his hand was stretched out, and the air was being torn apart from the tip of the sword. Shi Lang was descending at breakneck speed and when he was just a few hundred meters away from the ground, the front thrusters fired up to break his fall. Shi Lang hadnded in apletely barrennd.

    He was simply distressed about it, but he could only sigh about it. He said, ¡°I can also lure them over to me.¡±

    With that thought, he ced his sword over his shoulder and then walked in the direction of the target. His speed was not slow, and the aura radiated from his body was anything but calm, all the beasts in his path had already rushed away. They were scared of him.

    Shi Lang traversed for ten hours before he spotted a city. He smiled and said, ¡°Time to go mad.¡±

    Someone saw him and the guard let out a roar, what followed was a small group of komodians rushing at him. The lizardmen all let out roars and drew their weapons, but Shi Lang simply shook his long de, and their heads rolled. The lizardmen were simply shocked, but Shi Lang did not give them much time to regain their rage.

    If others were to watch him at this moment, they would have tagged him with only one name, MAD.

 Chapter 259 Loud.

    Shi Lang had put away the intention of being calm during his attack at the back of his head because he really did not want to spare any brain cell in figuring out, how to get through the defenses and hit the target. He used the most basic method that he knew, strength will ovee all the schemes.

    His big sword weaved through the crowd, and the hilt was grasped in both hands, to quickly change the direction, it was like a river flowing seamlessly. The shes were not broken at all. Another thing was that the de waspletely in sync with him.

    Yes, the de was made up of precious metals,bined together to achieve the optimum level of a sword. The process could be called crude if looked at from the perception of the ancient ways, but the efficiency was terrifying.

    At this moment, Shi Lang had be a death god again, however, on his face was no excitement. It could be said that he waspletely indifferent to each and everything that was happening around him. The bloodshed did not trigger his ecstasy. Another thing that he noticed was the smoothness of his movements. He was killing people and it was all so fast as if he was cutting corps in a field.

    It was like his body had turned ethereal, with no friction, no sensation from the extremities. Let alone that even the strain on his joints was gone, moving such a huge sword, yet he was able to move as if it was nothing to him, no matter how strong he was, fighting for hours gives you strain, if not physical, mental stress was inevitable.

    Yet, Shi Lang was as if he had just woken up. The lizardmen were frightened of his action and soon the big forces had been called over to deal with this guy. Another thing that Shi Lang liked very much about his present situation was that the target hase out on the city wall.<sub>.</sub>

    The news of his attack had been sent earlier and thinking that the assant was a solo yer, he will soon die, the target came out to watch the fun. However, now that even the big guys were being ughtered by Shi Lang, all the same, the target was left in trepidation.

    Shi Lang did not care about any of this, for him killing this guy was a matter of time. However, now that the big guys hade into y, his time was short, and he picked up the pace. He rushed forward with the de following behind him, in his left hand a phaser gun was resting, and it began to spew death.

    This was a way to clean up the road, and his speed was not slow. The lizardmander on the city wall saw this and he roared, the subordinates rushed toward the target, they were going to take him to safety. The chain ofmand in the lizardmen was very seriously held.

    The lizardmen knew, that if the target of their protection died, then even if Shi Lang left them alive, the superiors will kill them all in the name of ipetence. They did not care if that maniac in the suit killed them, it might still save some of them.

    Unfortunately, Shi Lang was not verypassionate to his enemies. He crossed the distance of a few hundred meters, by walking over a stream of corpses and dodging the attacks on his life as if a fish in water. When he was closer to the wall, he jumped up with all his might, just enough to cleanlynd on a fifty-meter high wall.<sub></sub>

    Yes, he was at the peak of the core condensation realm, but he was still human. His suit was just acting as armor at this moment and not the extraordinary spirit exoskeleton. The next thing was him waving his big sword, but after he killed the few guards on the outside, he vanished from his ce the ughter stopped.

    The surrounding turned silent all of a sudden. The lizardmenmander issued search orders, but suddenly, the target standing in the center of the cordon of the guards heard a low beep. The beep seemed to be picking up pace. When his brain guessed the source of the sound, his vertical pupil shrank, and <strong>BOOM.</strong>

    The city had a huge hole in it, and the target has vanished with the guard detail. Chaos was triggered once again, and more than anyone else, it was the lizardmenmander who was roaring in rage. Shi Lang waved his big sword to capture attention and sneaked in the phaser-nade, the result? Deceived and dead.

    At this moment, Shi Lang had moved through the city of reptiles using stealth mode. He was not troubled with the patrols as the guards were all called to aid near the wall. The hanger where the spacecraft were stored was left for him to take his pick and waltz away from here.

    Shi Lang sneaked into the hangar and found a vessel standing there, he found a guard nearby, dragged him to ess the entry and other systems of the vessel. Then he cleanly sent the guy off to see his makers.<sub></sub>

    Only the security was a bit tricky because he did not have vertical pupils to scan at the bulk door. The next series was easy, Shi Lang controlled the vessel and flew away, ignoring the constant warnings on themunications.

    He could probably guess what the other side was preaching, ¡®Stop,nd the vessel and surrender, or we will destroy you, etc.¡¯

    Well, he was wrong, they were not asking him to get down at all, they were going to directly shoot him down. Shi Lang knew that he has been locked on by some missile system because Sonic had briefed him about the warning tones and sounds of the Lizard vessels.

    He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°What else to expect from uncultured lizards? Could you not have given me a few minutes to leave the atmosphere?¡±

    That said, he controlled the scout vessel and made a beeline to leave the atmosphere behind, in the meantime, the news had been passed through to the other units. He was now being haunted by not only missiles but even other flying vessels. Shi Lang was not so simple.

    Suddenly, he pulled the brakes and turned the joystick to the right, a missile flew past him. But it was not that simple, the speed of the missile was really fast, and when it was turning around, it brushed into an allied vessel. Shi Lang¡¯s vessel hid the tail of the missile properly and the lizard pilot did not expect it toe right at him.

    BOOM!

    The next part of the flight was just zig-zagging between phaser beams and more, Lizardmen corpses. Shi Lang was not a perfect pilot nor neither was he a god to walk out of this mad chase, unscratched. His vessel was hit twice, but the damage did not let the performance drop to the level where he cannot get out of the atmosphere.

    As soon as he left the atmosphere, the sirens in the vessel went crazy. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°One after the other. Clingy things.¡±

    Lizardmen would have puked if they heard his remarks. He gave up the pilot seat, picked up his sword, and moved to the dump hatch in the scout vessel. The lizardmen excreted a lot, and sometimes they had to stay in space for a prolonged period, so they had something called dump cells. These cells were as big as a human, yes, a lizardman was half a time taller than a human.

    The only constion Shi Lang had was that these cells were non-reuseable. Lizard shit was corrosive, who knew why, and none of the people (including me) were interested in investing time, and brain cells in this matter.

    Shi Lang took out a big dump cell, shed it in half with his sword, and after lying inside he sealed it from inside. The next thing he needed to wait for was for the ship to be bombarded. Yup, that was all. This dump cell was strong enough to handle a direct phaser canon st. He did not have to wait for a long time.

    The satellites for theary defense were set on, and the next thing Shi Lang sensed was a strong push. The direction of this push was random, but it was away from the. He did not panic because the next part was really not in his control. Unless, he is picked up by his self-conscious crew, who can detect the distress signal from his suit.

    As he was drifting in space, he recalled something and said, ¡°I wonder if I can use that skill to locate the people.¡±

    After thinking for a long time, he pushed the shell covering the space above him. The visor on his suit was also a helmet, and his suit did have a supplementary oxygen supply, but how long will it take for him to be detected, and who will detect him, that was the question and time was running out.

 Chapter 260 Drifter.

    Shi Lang was floating in the starry space. In the space, there was no direction, no concept of up and down. The young general threw the time constrain at the back of his head and took a few moments to admire the scenery around him, and also the fact that he was the first of the terrans to have a free space walk.

    After a moment, he realized the bind he was in. He inhaled deeply and inted his lungs to the limit. Then he controlled his body and suspended the functions of every organ other than his brain and eyes. This has been a long time since he micro-controlled his body functions. By doing this, he was conserving the oxygen in the suit, and the other thing was that he diverted his spirit energy from all over his body to the brain.

    He was going to use all this spirit energy to use the technique from the Shura Sutra in his mind. This technique was called Life Search. It was not as simple as a wide-range search on the radar. It was more like detecting the fluctuation of the spirit energy in the broad space.

    The spirit energy channeled through his brain and the beautiful surroundings that he was admiring a bit ago, turned into a blur. In his world, only spirit fluctuations were left. After a few minutes, he exhaled heavily and said, ¡°Phew, fucking hell, so I need to head over there.¡±

    In just a few minutes he thought that he was exhausted. That sorted, Shi Lang restored the functions of his body minimally, and holding his sword, he adjusted his positioning and fired the thrusters on his suit. The push sent him flying in the desired direction, with a sword in his hands. He was drifting through space, and based on his impulse he started the recording camera on his suit.

    ¡­

    Inside the warship, Amelia and the others were searching space for a distress signal from Shi Lang¡¯s suit. However, even after probing every five minutes, they were unable to catch any signal. As more time passed, the atmosphere grew tenser. Amelia asked, ¡°Is there no other way?¡±<sub></sub>

    Hawk and Sonic shook heads when suddenly, Milo arrived at the bridge and said, ¡°Fucking hell, we are all fools.¡±

    Everyone looked at him and found the young man to rush to a station and crackle the keyboard there. The team was surprised by his sudden actions but they did not stop him at all. They did not have time before the radar caught their attention. A string of beeps sounded from the radar.

    Sonic reacted the quickest and said, ¡°Distress signal detected.¡±

    Amelia said in a taut voice, ¡°Set course to intercept and catch that fool.¡±

    The team jumped into action, and Milo slumped down in the chair. He said, ¡°I apologize, the frequency could only be detected by a special method and I forgot that.¡±

    Sparrow said, ¡°You will be dealt withter. The boss is running on fumes of oxygen.¡±<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang had been drifting in space for almost twelve hours.

    ¡­

    Jacuuba was standing in front of the Komodian leader who hade to meet himter. However, this time he was not being treated with courtesy at all. The former had shackles on his limbs and his tail had been cut off. His dignity was gone.

    The lizardman in front of him sat on a high throne and said, ¡°Jacuuba, you are one of the people who should understand that this decision is nothing personal. However, the komodians will not be spending any more lives for you and your fallen n.¡±

    This was not sounding like a decision they were forced to take, but something they were doing willingly. However, Jacuuba could not say anything to convince him otherwise. His ce among the Lizardman was now of a drifter. Those who did not belong to any n. The most shameful and lowly of the lizardman were these drifters.

    Jacuuba had looked down on those who had lost their tails, and now his situation was simr to those as well, he realized what shame was, but the values in their heads were so deeply engraved that he had surrendered to his status. The komodian leader looked at him and asked with much indifference, ¡°Do you have anything to say to us?¡±<sub></sub>

    The Zerg leader raised his head and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Take him out, give him a prosthetic, and load up a ship with food and important supplements. He can decide where to go from here.¡±, said the komodian leader, and then the soldiers took Jacuuba outside.

    The room was quiet for a moment, before one of the komodian people asked, ¡°Your lordship, why was it necessary to cut off his tail? After all, he was a lizardman and had done great deeds in his time.¡±

    The bigger lizard who was conversing with Jacuuba earlier said, ¡°He may have done good deeds, but they were all for the Zergs, we supported him like anything in our palms, yet this guy led so many of our people to death. The assants killed so many brave komodian soldiers. The eastern general lost three sons and a whole generation of the family in thest assault. Not only to the assant but to the tradition as well.

    All because they failed to guard one Zerg rebel. Was the price worth it? The tail from this Zerg was payback for those deaths.¡±

    That said, the bigger lizard stood up from the throne and left the room. ording to the reports, the ship that the assant has taken was destroyed by the person inside it. The body was not found and no life signs were detected. So, Shi Lang had died in their eyes.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was drifting in space and he had just inhaled thest puff of oxygen and in his mind was ying some ssical music song. It was not that he had given up hope, but this song somehow was stuck in his mind and he was unable to get it out of his mind. He was very calm, but at this moment, the bodily functions that has been suspended were deteriorating.

    Just when Shi Lang was about to lose consciousness, he heard some chatter on hismunicator. A faint smile bloomed on his face before everything turned dark.

    One of the team members, who was an expert in spacewalks, came out from the hatch with a thatcher rope attached to his back. He caught Shi Lang and said, ¡°Interceptionplete, pull in.¡±

    ,??m Milo quickly clicked on the panel and the rope was pulled in by a motor. Shi Lang was pulled in, but he was not allowed to meet everyone, he has been drifting in the space for too long and was exposed to the radiation.

    Although Shi Lang was using his spiritual energy to shield himself it was still a bit of a stretch as his spiritual energy ran out a few hours ago. After he was dragged inside the ship, he was cleansed with sterilizing agents and then taken straight to the medical room.

    Then his suit was removed by the bots, and then he was given the necessary medical care. It took him three hours to wake up and look outside the medical bay. He spotted Amelia standing there and smiled, but the reciprocation he was seeking did note. Instead, he met a strong re.

    Shi Lang became honest all of a sudden. If he was to spend a little more time in that condition that he probably would have died, and when the spirit stone, powering his suit was used up, he would have shrunk into a frozen corpse floating through space, eternally.

    This possibility did cross his mind, but to keep himself from panicking he did not think too much about it. The escape was a gamble through and through. Thankfully, Milo noticed the missing key and adjusted things, or Shi Lang would have died and the rest of the team would have be a group of drifters.

    The system did not let him out of the medical bay until he has spent twelve hours there. When he came out, the first thing was a strong pinch on his waist from the girl who hugged him tightly and sobbed. He sighed and patted her back as he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright now, I am back. Am I not?¡±

    Amelia stomped on his foot and said, ¡°Dare you to mention it again, and I am divorcing you if you ever pulled off such a stunt. You crazy Terran, why do I even love you, moron.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and held her tightly, he liked how she threatened him with divorce and said, ¡°Amy, how about we go back and get married?¡±

    Amelia was shocked and so was the rest of the team. They had not thought that Shi Lang would say such a thing all of a sudden, the girl in his arms responded with a humm, and the ship was about to set course back to the Federation directly, when Milo, who was monitoring themand bridge, contacted them with the ship radio.

    ¡°Boss, I spotted a drifting scout vessel. The scans show it¡¯s Jacuuba.¡±

 Chapter 261 Return.

    As soon as Shi Lang heard the message, his figure flickered and he appeared on the bridge. His eyes locked on the scout vessel drifting in space. He asked, ¡°How long has it been drifting like this?¡±

    Milo replied, ¡°A couple of minutes.¡±

    The technician was standing behind Shi Lang in rapt attention. The aura from the young general was strong enough to squeeze him into a crumpled paper. Shi Lang spoke again, ¡°Bring him on board, but only after you have checked everything on and inside of him.¡±

    Milo nodded, and after a crisp salute, he left the bridge. To catch this drifting ship they used a scout vessel of their own and made an incursion inside the drifting ship, they were anticipating some resistance, but they found Jacuuba sitting in a chair with indifference. At first, they were surprised, but then, even after scanning and performing all sorts of checks, the lizardman did not seem to be putting up a resistance.

    p??(?)? ?o??? Then he was taken to the warship and presented in front of Shi Lang. However, this moment was nothing like what the young general had imagined in his mind. The person in front of him did not have any emotion left intact in his eyes. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Milo, throw him back to that drifting ship.¡±

    The others were confused why Shi Lang was letting this guy go, even if his tail was taken away, he was a lizardman and the one that has been acting like a pain in their sides. The young general sighed and said, ¡°You all, look into his eyes and tell me what you see?¡±<sub></sub>

    They all observed and replied, almost the same, they saw dejection in his eyes. Shi Lang said, ¡°How do I break him when he is already broken, and that too at the hands of his kin.¡±

    At this moment, Jacuuba spoke up and surprisingly he used Terran speech, ¡°I have no kin, I am a drifter.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at him and said, ¡°Yes, yes, you are a drifter, an outcast of the lizardman. Let me ask you, is this because of the lizardmen who died in yesterday¡¯s attack?¡±

    Jacuuba had once again turned silent. Shing sighed and waved his hand. The team worked quickly and after they injected the Lizardmen with poison, they sent him back to the drifting scout vessel. Then they scanned their own vessel for anything that might have been left behind by the Lizardman.

    Shi Lang sat in themand chair and said, ¡°Move back to Novus, and then we go back to the federation. Time for a vacation.¡±<sub></sub>

    The people nodded and the journey began. The speed was fast, but they had to be cautious to not meet any of the ster patrols that belonged to the different space territories they were breaching Shi Lang took a mental note, they needed to develop a system to detect such incursions. This way they will not suffer the same things as the komodians.

    The journey was smooth and it was very rxed as the teammates were all happy. The warship made a small stop at Novus, Shi Lang collected the guard bot, transferred all the data back onto the ship mainframe, and left the base.

    They mighte back here in the future, but if some intelligent species came over in their absence and cracked the data, then it will give away a lot of details that they did not yet want to give away. After all, the actions of the Ace Division were nothing less than an act of terror. Thus, they had to stay low-key and sure of their tracks.

    The next stop was the Federal Space station. The ship was docked for checks and repairs, while the team was given time off to go home, and the bots were left to watch that the things were all in order. They could not do anything else after all.

    When Shi Lang and the others reached the ground in the space elevator, they were shocked. The ce was full of puppets, and the spiritual energy in the surroundings was brimming. They looked around and found that every Terran was being followed by such bots. He was surprised, but he did not say anything.<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang found that even the general council was also not in session, after all, his arrival was unannounced and since he had nothing to do, he said, ¡°Amy,e let¡¯s go home.¡±

    They had changed their suits into uniforms and were acting like normal people. The soldiers arranged a vehicle for the general and sent them off respectfully. While on the way, Shi Lang was contacted by OB-One, who reported an unsettling matter. There seemed to be a lot of tension in the first fleet and was not easy to deal with for the bot.

    Shi Lang assured him that they will leave for the fleet in a day. OB-One nodded and epted themand before going back to work. The bot was able to remain indifferent but the humans were not. In the absence of the young general, a lot of people were getting confident that they can do what they wished to do in the fleet.

    After the people reached back home, they were taken hostage by their rtives and friends. Shi Lang happen toe back at the time when a few people in his ss were going to get married. However, he could only visit them all early with Amelia and congratte them within a day before he had to take off again and go to the first fleet.

    He could never get away from his responsibilities as a Fleet general. Although he did not like to be bound, but since someone else had to do these things, might as well be him. After dealing with some trivial matters, he boarded a special space flight and headed right at the first fleet.

    The news of his arrival was not known to anyone, even Jenkins and Hayley were kept in dark. When Shi Lang arrived at the ce, he was greeted by a bot, who drove him back to the base at Frontier.

    At the entrance of the base, a soldier responsible for looking after the main gate, spotted Shi Lang and his body froze. The general hade back and his aura was that of a demon. He was even stronger than before. Shi Lang cast a gaze at the guard and said, ¡°Shhhh.¡±

    The finger on his lips and the gentle shushing sound were enough for the guard to understand the intention of the general. He nodded hurriedly and Shi Lang nodded. The vehicle entered the base, and Shi Lang came in front of the building and climbed the stairs to reach the top floor and themand center.

    Inside themand center, Deputy General Sikar was sitting in a chair, with his shoulders slumped. He had no idea what to do, now that Shi Lang was not here, and OB-One did not have much understanding of human rtionships, things had been a lot messier and he was also not very efficient in this matter.

    Just when he was thinking about it, the door of themand center slid open. Subconsciously the deputy general raised his head and found a young man with sharp eyes, and a straight back, trotting inside the room. He was shocked when he saw this person. He stood up and saluted the young general in a crisp manner and said, ¡°Wee Back General Shi Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang cast him a gaze and said, ¡°At ease, Deputy General Sikar.¡±

    That said, he did not wait for the other shocked soldiers but sat down on hismand chair. The soldiers were still in a daze and had yet to greet him. Shi Lang scrutinized them with his cold gaze and said, ¡°Seems like, the discipline of the fleet is gettingx.¡±

    The soldiers shivered and said in unison, ¡°Wee Back General Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and they all fell silent. He said, ¡°Call back every unit out of the base area. They have twelve hours to report, anyone who fails in doing so will be discharged from their duties. They can feel free to plea with the general council, but the duel of veto will not make any changes.¡±

    The decree of the iron fist was passed down, who dared to defy it? The technicians all sat down in front of their stations and issued themands. Shi Lang did not believe in wasting time, he was going to dismiss the vitors from service directly.

    The news that the general hase back to the fleet, spread throughout the. Yet there were some who thought that Shing was easy to handle, andughed it off. However, they did not know that theirughter will notst for long. The devil of the young general reserved thestughter for, himself and himself, only.

 Chapter 262 Bigger Fist Rules.

    .?O,? Shi Lang sat on themand chair while the rest of the officials stood behind him. He was overlooking the entire ranks of the fleet standing in front of him. The atmosphere was very tense. Shi Lang seemed to have be the devil, those who looked in his eyes, thought their blood was freezing slowly.

    In the gathering of such a huge crowd, only breathing was the only sound audible. Themunicator on his wrist shook slightly. Shi Lang asked, ¡°The time limit is up, notify those who did note back here, they do not need toe back at all.¡±

    Sikar shivered but he still replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    At least a thousand soldiers from higher ranks had yet to report for duty. Shi Lang¡¯s order directly fired these people. After the order was passed down, the general asked, ¡°In my absence, the discipline of the fleet seemed to have evaporated. You all might think you are very good now that the other fleets directly look at you as specialists in confrontation and other things.¡±

    His voice was not loud but it echoed through the minds of all the soldiers standing in front of him. those who were still thinking that the General was just that and will ¡®hide¡¯ forever, were awakened. They were all using spirit energy for cultivation now, they knew what was going on here. Shi Lang was directly using the energy in the void to convey his thoughts to them.

    A few of the rebels were still not awake. Shi Lang asked, ¡°I would like to give you a chance,e and take what you want. Let your fists speak.¡±

    At first, none of the people stepped forward and this made Sikar smile faintly. However, the next second his smile froze. Not a single person, but a whole group stepped forward. These people were all standing together, Deputy General Sikar had an urge to cough up blood. Yet, he could only clench his fists and watch the show progress in front of him.<sub></sub>

    Shi Lang gazed at the group of people and said, ¡°In the entire fleet, are you the only ones who want to challenge me?¡±

    The group waited for a few seconds before the highest-ranking officer in front of them said, ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then his body appeared in front of the group. The people were shocked. Unlike the past when a quick action from Shi Lang left a blur for them to follow, this time there was no such thing. They were shocked to see that the speed of a person could reach such a level. Shi Lang said, ¡°Shall we begin?¡±

    The officer in lead was shocked, his heart was being squeezed by the pressure from Shi Lang¡¯s gaze alone. But he did not want to give up so easily. He said, ¡°Yes, we can begin.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Assume your formation if you have to.¡±

    That said, he turned around and walked up to stand ten meters away from the group. The people were all standing on the elevated tform, the matches were held here only. Sikar looked at the two sides and said, ¡°Begin.¡±<sub></sub>

    The group of people rushed at Shi Lang with all their might and resolve but after ten minutes, Shi Lang had broken at least one of their limbs and put them down on the ground. These [people were left groaning and after the duel Shi Lang said, ¡°They are prohibited from taking the advanced medical treatment. Have them all wear casts, I want them to remember this moment for a long time.¡±

    This was utterly humiliating, but none of the peopleined. They did not have the right toin against this treatment, after all, they vited the discipline of the army when they cked in their duties and tried to rise in ranks with the idea of dueling with this monster.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You all have misunderstood the idea of a Duel. It is not to rise in the ranks but to seek an exnation from the higher-ups in the orders that do not sit well with you, but that too only is possible during times of peace. The first fleet is a unit that is on stand-by forever. You do not have the right to challenge your superiors. Yet, time and time again I amodate you all.

    For what? So that when I am outside dealing with something important, you can stand up ande back to bite me in the ass? Today, I would like to announce one thing, if I am challenged for my rank or any other bullshit reason, I will fight you, but the battle will only stop with death. Do you want to rise in the ranks? Good, go practice and earn merit and rise. Try and snatch the rank that I have gained from my hard work, and I will leave you inches from death, where you will understand that it was not easy to even die.¡±

    His voice at the end of the second half of his speech was louder and everyone who heard it was shivering. Shi Lang finished speaking and then he moved back to themand bridge. There he let out ns for the training of the first fleet.

    When the people saw this new n, they cursed the eight generations of those rebels. The general was going to kill them and he was going to do it withoutpassion. The training n was not the only thing but even the level one should achieve was set. If a soldier could not break through the next level from their current level in the next six months, they will be demoted.<sub></sub>

    The decree was passed and a lot of the soldiers who were dissatisfied could not say anything, because Shing had even mentioned the fact that he did this deliberately. Did they not use the option of Duel to fight with him, stating that they are dissatisfied, here it was the reason to be dissatisfied but did they have the guts toe and challenge him again?

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was about to return home when he received a message from the cab secretary that the president has called for him. He did not know what it was but the tone indicated that things were serious.

    The young general moved from the spaceport to the president¡¯s residence directly. The young man got down from the car and the soldiers on duty saluted him in a crisp fashion. The leader of the federation happens to live in a low-key ce, Shi Lang nodded at this and found Hayley standing at the door.

    The girl saluted him first and then held his arm as she led him inside the house. Shi Lang did not mind as they were old friends and the bond was basically that of brothers between them. He asked, ¡°Why do you guys stay in such a low-key house? Is this not unsafe?¡±

    Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°This ce is safer than the parliament, okay? This whole city is filled with military personnel and is a non-fly zone. Now, do you have to ask if this is safe or not?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled as the two came inside the vi. He asked, ¡°Why am I called over here today?¡±

    Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°All I can tell you is that I am clueless. The old man did not tell me anything, when I asked him, his reply was, Federal Secret. Can you imagine? It is not as if you will not tell meter.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Why do you think I will tell you a Federal Secret?¡±

    Hayley smiled evilly and said, ¡°Because I still have the ability to control you at your wedding and make you walk around like a chicken.¡±

    Shi Lang shivered and said, ¡°Bitch.¡±

    ¡°I know, don¡¯t be jealous of my talent now.¡±, said Hayley.

    Soon the two people arrived at the doors of the study. Hayley knocked on the door and the president¡¯s voice sounded from the inside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Hayley pushed the door and said, ¡°Old man, I will tell mom if I found you smoking one more time. Do you understand?¡±

    The president was waving his hand to fan out the smoke inside the room and said, ¡°It was herbal smoke, my love.¡±

    Hayley shook her head and said, ¡°Waste.¡±

    Then she walked out of the room calling for her mother. Shi Lang saluted the old man in front of him and asked, ¡°What can I do for you, Sir?¡±

    The president said, ¡°Have a seat first, General. The matters with the first fleet have been dealt with, I presume?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the president said, ¡°It has been hard on you.¡±

    Before Shi Lang could shake his head to deny it, the old man said, ¡°It is about to get harder.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised when the old man passed a file to him. Yes, it was a physical file with pages and all. On the cover, it said, Gctic Showdown. The young man raised his head and the old man said, ¡°Prepare a team, you will lead.¡±

 Chapter 263 Showdown.

    Shi Lang was surprised by the suddenmand. He was startled about the implications of the simple term, Gctic Showdown. He looked at the file in front of him and knew that this was the most prized document in the entire Federation. There had been no records of the content of this file.

    The reason was to maintain the secrecy of the data. This physical form meant that this data was not found anywhere else on the entire and if someone tried to steal it, this paper was so force sensitive that slight mishandling will cause it to break down into shreds.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you mean by that order?¡±

    He was confused, after all, he has yet to read the file in detail. The president sighed and said, ¡°In the past, the federation never qualified for participation in this so-called showdown of the gxy. However, this time, we have taken down the cannibalistic neighbors, and not only that but we have formed a few crucial alliances. The federation is on a rise and thuses the rite of passage in the gctic council.

    We were nominated by name. Our allies did this to help us gain a stable footing in the Gctic Council.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I am not asking you why we have to participate, I am asking you what do we have to participate in. Do you understand the distinction?¡±

    The president sensed that Shi Lang¡¯s aura has changed and he was now talking to him fearlessly. The old man said, ¡°A showdown is an event organized by the gctic council every few years. This time we are just nominated to participate. The main motive of the showdown is to find new talents and integrate them into the strike force.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Strike force?¡±

    The President nodded and said, ¡°The special team of the Gctic Council. It is just like any other military team, they deal with the criminals of the gctic council. The gxy is vast and thus this team is needed to take down those who try to harm the council.¡±

    Shi Lang scoffed and said, ¡°These people will simply say anything in order to bring the strongest together and then maintain the monopoly of the council.¡±

    The president nodded and said, ¡°You are correct, but what can we do?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I had told you already to keep a low profile with the development, and this was why to make sure that the growth in the small pond is not affected, the Ace Division was established. However, you wild politicians dream too much. What you do not understand is that not all the allies are for your good. Stupid jerks.¡±

    He was literally not careful with the dignity of the old man in front of him. The reason was the letter in his hand and the motive of the allies. They were trying to have Shi Lang and the few powerful people in the army go to the council strike force and ignore the struggles inside the federations so that they could be worry free and simply and surely suppress the civilization.

    Shi Lang was angry at this moment, but for the sake of seniority, he maintained calm. He said, ¡°You politicians are the incorrigible scum.¡±

    He stood up from the chair, picked up the file carefully, and left the room. He would have pped the table to pieces if he could. The president sighed as the young general left. he could understand, after all, that not a lot of people were as strong as Shi Lang in the federation now, and taking away only the few that are strong enough to reach his level, was leaving the entire federation naked under the sun.

    The young general was thinking about the betterment of the federation, so the president could not actually say anything.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang held the file in his hand but did not talk to anyone in the vi, he came outside and said in themunicator, ¡°Commander, please initiate a clean-up ASAP. These fucked up politicians have to cause enough troubles.¡±

    The call was made to themander Silence, also known as, Archie Arkham. She was literally waiting for this call, the rapid growth of the federation has also revealed a lot of small-time white-cored goons, who have be a huge threat to the integrity of the system. So, she came forward and collected a lot of investigative data from the ministers to the clerks, none of the people with dirty hands were going to walk free from this.

    Shi Lang did not wait much, when he got home, Amelia stood there waiting for him. She was going to ask him about the day, when Shi Lang said, ¡°The president shoved this over me. The secret division will take action soon and the clutter will be cleared.¡±

    Amelia looked at his tired expression and took hold of the file gently and thedy said, ¡°We were all discussing our wedding dates.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised but then he nodded and said, ¡°It is good. I am sorry, that I found not participate. Tell me what you if you are enjoying it.¡±

    Amelia locked hands with him and said, ¡°Absolutely.¡±

    The two people went inside the house and they were greeted by Shi Lang¡¯s family. They were also very enthusiastic about the wedding of their only son. Shi Lang chatted with everyone for a bit before he went to his study with the file in his hand. The young man leaned back in the chair and began to study the rules and regtions of the field.

    Thepetition included one preliminary where the physical capability of the teams is solo capacity. Later came the group stages, the teams will fight against each other in a contest, where the fight can be ranging from group battle to solo battle. From gun battle to mecha battle. It could be anything.

    Shi Lang was not worried about it, he was more mindful of the rules and regtions of the tournament. As it turned out, these fights had the risk of death involved. He sighed and shook his head at this. This meant his people will have to go through fire and water to survive.

    Shi Lang finished reading the file and his brain began to think about the suitable level of the candidates in the team. He needed twenty people on the team, all of which must be screened and tested. The team will not only have frontline contenders but also technicians to tend to the mechas and their spirit battle suits.

    He began to check through the database of theputer. He used his identity as the first general to read through the files of the students throughout the federation and even from his alma mater he found a few names. However, thinking about the certain death risk involved in the tournament, he gave up on the young ones and looked at the battle-hardened ones.

    All the soldiers with exceptional service were recorded in the database, and they all saw had gone through a lot of bloodshed and were practically ready for death. The Ace division needed to stay behind in the federation to monitor the activities of these so-called allies and deal with them if needed.

    Shi Lang found a few names from the past, who had also risen through the ranks. One of such old names was his friend, Lucas. The goof of the past was now the person responsible for a revolutionary mecha engine and his wife, Jane hade forward as the designer of a new neural link for a better connection between man and machine.

    Shi Lang was surprised to find this information but this was very useful for him. He spend a full week, ran different checks through the system, and even mobilized the help from all the other fleet generals. In the end, he dered that the selected people are to be sent to the card ss and X was given the charge to train these people before the final test.

    He was not going to ept just everyone rmended by the old generals. The general council tried to ask him what the queries were for, and what was his motive but Shi Lang only shoved it all to the president and said that it was a federal secret, he could not reveal it before the president permitted it.

    panda (nov)el? Before that came another task that Shi Lang found to be very important. That was his wedding. He took special care of the people in the family, and apanied Amelia everywhere, from venue selection to dress selection. Finally after a month of running and sprinting. The day of the wedding was just a week ago and Shi Lang was given time off by his soon-to-be wife to send out invites.

    The young general reconnected with his old friends and ssmates and sent out invites with all sincerity. His life was about to change after this showdown.

 Chapter 264 Wedding.

    Shi Lang and Amelia had selected a low-key venue for their wedding, the guest list was also very constricted and the first fleet had volunteered to look after the security arrangements. The former General Council was invited, and the principal of Federation Star Academy was also invited to the ceremony.

    Shi John and Luna were greeting the guests at the door with General Charlotte. The smile on their faces was worth a million dors. Shi Lang¡¯s friends were already inside, and they were passing on the gifts to his uncle and aunt.

    Meanwhile, the groom and bride were in their separate rooms. Lucas was now a married man, so the position of the best man was given to Jenkins. Thetter was sorting out the cor of the groom, who said, ¡°Jenkins, I find you to be a total mom material.¡±

    Jenkins finished his task and said, ¡°I find you to be ungrateful, but do you hear meining?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and asked, ¡°How do I look?¡±

    Jenkins sighed and said, ¡°Like Amelia¡¯s tamed pet.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised by this toxicity but thinking about it he did not mind. He adjusted his cuffs onest time before Shi John came over to call him. It was time. Jenkins followed him half a step behind, Shi Lang was dressed in his ceremonial military uniform. On happy asions, the military uniform turned into a white mink cor coat and white pants with ck shoes and a white hat.

    Shi Lang¡¯s chest was iid with medals and the epaulets were adorning his shoulders. A golden sash was tied around his waist, making him look dignified and domineering. He stood in front of the altar, waiting for Amelia toe over. The person who was going to swear them both in was none other than, Fleet Admiral Stevenson.

    The old man was one of the most respected people to them both and had known them for a long time as well. Suddenly, the background echoed with gentle music and all the eyes were trained on the alleyway.

    Amelia walked in with her arm hooked with her mother. She had lost her father when she was very young and her mother was no less than a father to her, also the modern culture did not have the distinction between a father and a mother. Charlotte led her daughter, who was wearing a white champagne gown, with her face covered with a veil, as she carried a bouquet of white lilies toward the altar.

    Shi Lang said under his breath, ¡°Fuck, I feel more scared than facing a phaser canon.¡±

    However, in the silent atmosphere, his voice echoed and all the guests burst intoughter. Amelia raised her head to re at him through the veil, only to find him smiling at him and mouthing the words, Sorry.

    The short walk came to an end and Charlotte said, ¡°I, Charlotte Knight, give away my daughter, Amelia Knight to Shi Lang.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I ept, Amelia as the most prized person in my life, and promise to always respect her, and defend her honor.¡±

    Then thedy ced the hand of her daughter in Shi Lang¡¯s hand and took a step back. At this moment, Charlotte seemed to have aged a few years. Luna stepped out from the side and ced her arms around thedy as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will disown him if he bullied my daughter.¡±

    Charlotte chuckled and wiping the drop of tear at the corner of her eye, sat down with her inws.

    Stevenson sighed and said, ¡°To think this pair of young people will have me do such troublesome things at this age. I wonder if I should have whipped them back in school so that they would select someone else for this.¡±

    The old man rarely cracked jokes but today he was happy to see the two most talented students in his school get married to each other. He said, ¡°Now, we are about to begin the wedding procession, if anyone has any objections, pleasee out now, or forever hold your silence.¡±

    After waiting for a minute symbolically, when none of the people stepped forward, the old man continued, ¡°Do you, Shi Lang, take Amelia Knight to be yourwfully wedded wife? Do you promise to take care of her in pleasure and pain, and support her through the ups and downs of life? Do you promise to maintain her dignity and be forever loyal to her?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I do.¡±

    (The oath has changed since the religions had changed and it was more practical this way. Do not get offended by this, you guys. I have written more condescending shit in earlier chapters)

    The old man nodded when Jenkins asked, ¡°So if you flirt now, will Amelia cut off your ball sack?¡±

    The peopleughed and Hayley said, ¡°I do not know about Amelia cutting him, but if you squeaked one more time, then I will make you cut yours.¡±

    Theughter became stronger and Jenkins stood up in attention. Hayley was the bridesmaid with a few other girls that Amelia had invited from the scout division in Ao. Stevenson coughed and the people fell silent again, while Jenkins was warned with a stern re. Shi Lang was looking at Amelia with some sweat on his forehead. He could sense the girl asking him in her mind, ¡°Could you not find anyone better than Jenkins for the day?¡±

    He swore, he will kick his asster. Stevenson asked, ¡°Do you, Amelia Knight, take Shi Lang to be yourwfully wedded husband? Do you promise to take care of him in pleasure and pain, and support him through the ups and downs of life? Do you promise to maintain his dignity and be forever loyal to him?¡±

    Amelia looked at Shi Lang, tilted her hand, and then said, ¡°Fine, I do.¡±

    Her words sounded as if she was taking pity on the boy. The people wanted tough at this antic of hers, but Stevenson said, ¡°By the power vested in me by these two, I now dere them, husband and wife. The groom may kiss the bride.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and gently lifted the veil that covered Amelia¡¯s face. The guests all stood up from their seats. Shi Lang leaned in and nted a silky kiss on the lips of the bride. Amelia blushed when she looked into his eyes, in front of so many people, this was an obvious reaction.

    Then the two people came to seek the blessings of the elders, and the ceremony continued. Followed by this, the couple danced to the tune of the first song Shi Lang had sung for the girl. M had saved that song and today she found the excuse to y it again.

    The atmosphere was filled with joy and peace and everyone was having fun. In the end, Amelia flung the bouquet in her hand behind her back, and Hayley caught it. It was said that the one who catches the bouquet will get married next. Jenkins said, ¡°I pray for the poor soul who marries you.¡±

    Then started a round of banter between the two. While Shi Lang and Amelia were sent off in their car, saying, ¡®Just Married.¡¯ on the back. The two people were going to a ce called the seashore resort. They will spend the next week there mingling with each other and enjoying their newly wedded life.

    The news of their wedding had spread throughout the federation and the wishes were pouring in like a tide. Some reporters wanted to sneak a few photographs but the secret division operatives were maintaining strict security from the dark. This was the gift that Archie Arkham had given Shi Lang.

    ¡­

    Two dayster, Shi Lang was swinging in a hammock looking depressed, on the night of his wedding, Amelia told him that she was having a visit fromdy flo, and it willst for three more days. His soul almost left his body again at that moment. Since then, he would not stay alone with Amelia andy down in the hammock to meditate.

    Thedy found it funny but then she could not do anything in this regard. She understood that he was a man and found it hard to control himself around him. Shi Lang was not actually meditating, but he was using this time toe up with a better training n for the final twenty that manage to pass the trials and contests.

    Amelia asked him from the side, ¡°Why did you choose this ce as a getaway?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and replied without opening his eyes, ¡°This ce is calm yet not content. The boundless deep sea, the uncountable stars spread across the sky, they all signify my love for you, thus I choose this ce.¡±

    Amelia was surprised and pleased when he said those words. Sheid down beside him, wearing a skirt and a top, and said, ¡°You know, aunt flo left

 Chapter 265 Twenty.

    Shi Lang spend the rest of his time with Amelia in the resort,ter the woman went back to the Ace Division to supervise the tasks, while the young general went to the parliament office, today, he will be taking charge of the squad participating in the Gctic Showdown.

    The team was selected by internalpetition, it included five technicians, five administrators, and ten front-line soldiers responsible for a five-men Mecha unit and the other four were ground battle team, they will be led directly by Shi Lang.

    The young general sat in his office in the parliament with OB-One standing behind him and asked, ¡°Sire, the neen people from the selection teams are here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Call them in the conference room and where is my adjutant? I need her to hold the door for me.¡±

    At this moment, Hayley¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Boss, are you not thinking of me as a ve a bit too much? Do I have my hands empty since you came here?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I just missed you, the reason I called you over is to get me a special training campsite and tentest mecha from the federation.¡±

    Hayley nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    She left the office again, Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, OB-One let¡¯s meet the fresh meat.¡±

    His remark was heard by the soldiers outside, and they all prayed for the wellness of the people waiting for the general. They were all from the first fleet and have witnessed the glory of this handsome devil from time to time. They shivered at the thoughts of this guy.

    ¡­

    Inside the conference room, twenty people sat, dressed in uniforms, all clean and well organized. They were all selected through toughpetition and were sitting here today because they delivered on the potential value. They were the best in their fields.

    They did not know why the fleets suddenly organized suchpetitions and sent the best over her to meet the first general, but they had toe, after all, orders are orders. Just when they were lost in thoughts the door of the conference room was pushed open and the handsome young man entered the room followed by a bot.

    The people all stood up and saluted the young man crisply. Shi Lang reciprocated the gesture and said, ¡°As you were.¡±

    They all sat down on the chairs again, after Shi Lang sat down. He did not speak instantly, first, he scrutinized them like an old monster would for a few minutes, and when the pressure was enough to make the people crumble he said, ¡°I call you all over to participate in apetition.¡±

    The people all sighed they have had enoughpetition with their brethren. Shi Lang saw the decadent expression on their faces and said, ¡°You all might think that thispetition is yed internally but you are wrong. Thepetition in my mouth is an activity that is looked after by the entire gxy.¡±

    His words piqued their interest. Gone were the times when the gxy in the mouth of a person was still located on the millions of popce of the earth. The federation was now a rising yer on the gctic front and everyone in the military was almost aware of the implications of the word gctic.

    A person asked, ¡°Sir, may I ask what is this about?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Private Ryan, I will borate the whole thing, but let me state a few disimers.¡±

    The people nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°Once youe to know about the details, you will not be able to withdraw, and the involvement in thispetition involves a certain death risk. Do you wish to go ahead?¡±

    That said, he leaned back in the chair and said, ¡°You have half an hour to discuss and think about it. I cannot promise you whether we will be able to make it back or not, but I promise that till myst breath, I will be by your side.¡±

    His words were true, he will try his best to guard them, to the best of his ability but that was all that he can do, death was not something that could be defied all the time. A man sitting next to Private Ryan said, ¡°Sir, we wear the colors so that we can meet death in a glorious fashion.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Well said, Captain Steel.¡±

    A feminine voice sounded, ¡°Permission to speak freely, Sir.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering when you will speak up, granted.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    The person who spoke was none other than one of the rising stars in Mech research and design, Jane, his old ssmate. She looked him in the eye and said, ¡°Bastard, firstly, you did not ask for my permission to marry Amelia in the house, and just after a week you are ready to go out and seek death? I need to teach Amelia about house rules.¡±

    The people were surprised and shocked to hear such a tone being used to deal with the General. Their backs were covered with cold sweat, and they looked at the general who was smiling at Jane and said, ¡°Hehehe, you overprotective hen, the egg has broken and I have be a proud dragon, dare you to mislead my wife, see if I let Lucas hook up somewhere else. Also, be serious.¡±

    Jane red at him and said, ¡°Deal with you after the meeting, you wait.¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and looking at the stunned faces around he said, ¡°You all do not need to think so much, I have been ssmates with Major jane here for a long time and we basically know the ins and out of our brains. Now, let me tell you all about the purpose of calling you all over.¡±

    Jane said, ¡°Serious question, what are the chances of dying on duty?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and looking at her face, he said, ¡°Almost an eighty, could be ny.¡±

    This was enough to scare people, even if they were all ready for the battle and knew the risks, the hearts of the people were not made of steel. Shi Lang said, ¡°In thepetition, we will have to face the alien civilizations in aspects of battle prowess. The administrators willpete in a simted game of conquest. So, they will be the safest, yet, thispetition allows bets, and sometimes the yers do stake life. How and what are the circumstances of that, I do not know.¡±

    The administrators became rtively calm, they had very less physical experience and were considered weak links. Shi Lang continued, ¡°The tech team will work in tandem with the assault team, you will manage and repair our mechas and equipment. You will also serve as the substitutes in case any of us backs off.¡±

    The people nodded, they still understood the basics, when a schr-like person asked, ¡°Sir, where are we going to y?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°The Gctic Council base, DarkStar.¡±

    The words fell and the room became silent. The people knew that the distance to the Dark Star may take them months to cross, but the space was not exactly small. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Do not worry, we will not be at a slow speed, the gctic council will arrange a transport and it will take us a week to reach the ce at constant wrap.¡±

    The discussion kept on going for a few hours and Shi Lang exined all the things asked by the participants with great patience. He was not like what they thought of him. Well, at least not inside the conference room, where the devil was coaxing these innocent souls to make a deal with him. Things were basically set for them now.

    Shi Lang finished the meeting and was captured by Jane, she looked at him condescendingly and asked, ¡°Does Amelia know you are chasing death again?¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. The girl was surprised, she asked, ¡°Can you not calm your balls, Lang? Why do you wish to die at a young age? You said yourself, the alien species will be stronger than us and we do not even have any intel.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you stop cursing me you crow mouth. We do not have any intel now, because the process is on the way. The allied territories will be able to strive on and for our sess, so they will give us the details we need and provide efficient support.¡±, replied Shi Lang.

    Jane was surprised and the two discussed this thing in great detail. Her husband Lucas was at the side listening and pitching in from time to time. It was night when Amelia called and asked him where he was. Shi Lang reported truthfully and said that they will being over for training this week.

    Amelia nodded and the ace division also moved to Mythya. The training venue was selected, and the instructors were ready. X was waiting for them with Yuu. It was going to be downright hell for the assault team.

 Chapter 266 Devil.

    Jane stood in a field, panting, her uniform was torn in ces, and she was bleeding from her back. Her face was pale, and the mood was terrible. She was not alone, the entire group of people with her called the Gctic squad, a temporary name, was more or less in a simr situation.

    It has not even been a day since theynded on Mythya. Shi Lang dumped them straight into training mode, and a team of cruel instructors weed them with a barrage of attacks from all sides, and all types.

    The instructors were members of the Ace division. Jane could only remember a sudden streak of red, and she was left with a dizzy head, the assant punched her temples and sent her flying. The gap in their skills and strength was that of sky and earth. They were renderedpletely useless. They had no idea what they could do to deal with the enemy.

    Jane raised her head to the sky and screamed loudly, she was venting her frustration, but the next moment, she felt her world turn dark, and all of the people fell to the ground with her. Yuu, the battle expert has appeared. She was the only person stronger than Shi Lang in terms of battle prowess.

    She looked at the group of peopleying on the ground and said, ¡°You sure they are cut out to represent the Federation? Can you tell me if you have no enmity with these people and are not sending them to die deliberately?¡±

    A voice rang in hermunicator, ¡°Instructor, are you looking down on my character?¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Old Carlos and John are still making rounds of the fleets because of you.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°They will be able to rest in a few years, I have no such agenda against these people, it is just their fleets that sent them over saying they are the best. What else can I do.¡±

    Yuu sighed and said, ¡°Firstly, have them patched up, and secondly, we need to break them a lot before they can be refurbished into their better self. You better not ask me to go soft.¡±

    Shi Lang assured her that not only will he not ask her to go easy, but also support her in her actions. The unconscious people were then sent to the infirmary, they were all dipped in a recovery solution and the medicines sped up their healing capacity. When the team woke up after a couple of hours, they were refreshed.

    They came out of the recovery tanks and looked at each other, suddenly they heard a voice, ¡°Hello, everyone, wee to the Tartarus Training Camp. When you go out of the room, you will be greeted by a chain of phaser guns. What you have to do is be mindful of the small blinking lights and follow them throughout the maze.

    These lights will lead you to your rooms. Just so you do not think it is too easy, the whole maze is a fire zone, and you can die. I repeat, this is not a drill, and you can die. Also, the floor of the maze isced with booby traps. If you are hurt, you will be taken back to the infirmary by a bot. Now you can go out in a group, or one by one, that is your preference.

    The administration wishes you a pleasant stay.¡±

    Jane yelled, ¡°LANG, YOU DEVIL!¡±

    The voice on the speaker belonged to Shi Lang, and Jane could tell that this guy was serious and that he was enjoying this. Ryan said, ¡°I volunteer, to go out first.¡±

    Steel patted his back and said, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    They all wished the young soldier as he moved ahead. He was the youngest among them and his skills were the best when it came to hand-to-handbat. Shi Lang had them all be tested in their knowledge of anatomy and pure skill. He barred the people from using the cultivation level topare.

    Ryan stood at the door of the infirmary and looked at the corridor, the eerie silence made his heart beat faster. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said back to his people, ¡°The white has never scared me like this before.¡±

    Jane said, ¡°Don¡¯t you make us more nervous, move it.¡±

    Ryan nodded and rushed out, he quickly noticed a blinking light and ran in the direction, he was nervous at first, but the said phaser beams did note as told. Just when this innocent child thought that Shi Lang was probably joking with them, his footnded on a trap trigger and a click echoed in the corridor.

    The sides of the walls changed, revealing a lot of holes and giving a cold vibe. Ryan knew these holes, phasor guns, and he ran, the ce he stood was showered with deadly phaser beams. Ryan¡¯s soul almost yeeted his body at this moment. Shi Lang was no more the angle that he seemed to be inside the conference room, but he was a devil and this ce was hell.

    As he ran, the intensity of the attacks increased, followed by the various traps he triggered.

    Back at the infirmary, everyone waited for a few minutes before they thought that things were not as severe as they imagined, Steel stood up with his broad chest and said, ¡°I will step out as well.¡±

    The rest nodded to encourage him, they thought, that if Steel managed to go out and survive, they will also go out. Steel walked ahead in big strides and just as he was about to step out, a loud scream echoed in the corridor. He stopped in shock, this voice belonged to Ryan.

    He could not help but think twice about what could have made the young soldier scream like this. The others also heard this voice, and they could sense the agony. Just when they were in doubt, a nking sound echoed in their ears. Steel saw a bot standing in front of him, holding Ryan bleeding from his chest, with a big hole in it.

    The bot said in a mechanical voice, ¡°Please step aside.¡±

    Steel responded and the bot carried Ryan inside the infirmary, dumped him in a med bay, and after initiating a treatment program, it left. The people were shocked, Ryan had been out for not more than four minutes. They all subconsciously gathered around the self-operated med bay and watched as the machine was repairing the body of the injured soldier.

    They were all scared of stepping out now. Suddenly, the floor tiles under their feet lit up with white light, and they all were immobilized, the speakers lit up and Shi Lang¡¯s voice sounded again, ¡°Hello,dies and gentlemen. The time for rxation is up, now you all can step up to measure the level of our dedicated training course. Enjoy the maze.¡±

    That said, the floor tiles slid, and the people fell inside with loud voices, they slid down in ducts, all leading to a different route of the maze. Shi Lang had named this ce Tartarus, based on the fictional mythological prison of gods. This ce was a maze, X had this ce made to train his troops about scouting, and assassination, but Shi Lang had tasked him toce the entire ce with phasers and death traps.

    Not only this, he made it so that multiple people could run through the maze together from different entry points. The original ce was expanded by a thousand percent under the ground and now had seven levels. Each was more dangerous than the other. Shi Lang was aplete devil and even X was impressed by the cruel manner of this young general.

    ¡­

    While the participants were suffering, Shi Lang sat in the control room with members of the Ace Division, Yuu, and X. Amelia was sitting in front of a console, operating the traps. Every tile of the ce was a potential trigger. They had assigned multiple triggers to a single trap, and if they let it be triggered by the people stepping on them, they would have died almost twice within two steps.

    So, they were doing manual intervention to regte the pace slowly. It may look like Shi Lang was a devil, but at least, he was considerate to the level of the soldiers. Yuu asked, ¡°When do we start their battle training?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°They need to develop a danger perception, that will need them to run the maze daily. However, battle training cannot be neglected as well. Have them attend sses when they are unconscious or asleep, using simtion technology. Then slowly incorporate that knowledge in the real life.¡±

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Good time management skills, General. How about you also check your bones for rust? Would you like to try the maze, and see if Ragnarok was hell or is Tartarus a hell?¡±

    Shi Lang leaned back in the chair and said, ¡°The idea is not bad. I shall go and run along, this will increase their morale. Good job, Instructor Yuu.¡±

 Chapter 267 Run.

    Shi Lang stood up from the chair and whistling softly he walked outside the cabin and the people could only watch his back vanishing. Amelia said, ¡°I pity those poor people.¡±

    Yuu smiled and said, ¡°Oh, pity does not fit the emotion you will feel once he breaks them.¡±

    The people in the room shivered. Milo said, ¡°Boss is putting on gravity boots. Will he be fine with those?¡±

    X, who had been silent for a long time said, ¡°He is training himself.¡±

    ¡­

    In the maze, neen people were running through the corridors, some were crying and some were wailing. Jane had been impaled by a spike through her feet. She was losing blood and a gentle numbing current was flowing through her body. The spikes were electrifying her body. The torment was simply unbearable.

    On the other side, her husband Lucas was already carried to the infirmary by a bot, just when she was thinking about how to break Shi Lang¡¯s face into pieces, she heard a calm voice in her ears, ¡°Janey, how have you been? Did you miss me?¡±

    Jane looked up and found Shi Lang smiling at her, she directly raised her ws to scratch his face off, but the young man ran away, he said, ¡°Now, now, let me take you to the infirmary first.¡±

    He came to her side and carried her up like a princess and said, ¡°Milo, start.¡±

    All of a sudden the corridors of death, which had been silent after Jane had been impaled, came back to life. Shi Lang ran, and the other corridors turned silent at this moment. The people in these corridors, turned their heads to look at him. Some of them sat down on the ground to catch some rest.

    ¡°You all are allowed to rest, till the time Shi Lang is running the course.¡±, a voice sounded in the speakers of the maze.

    A few people were relieved, they failed to notice the sly smirk on Shi Lang¡¯s face. However, not everyone was catching their breath, some were using this silence to move towards the exit on the other side of the maze, with their focus on Shi Lang¡¯s movements.

    The young man carrying Jane in his arms was leaning a bit forward, running from the phaser beams chasing behind him, due to the gravity boots, the pressure his feet applied on the ground varied and triggered the traps. However, this guy had no stress on his face, but a slightly maniacal smile.

    He was moving all over the ce, sometimes on the wall, and sometimes he would slide on his butt to get away from an overhead trap. He was trying to train his body and reflexes. Jane in his arms was shocked to see that he was able to do all these things and make them look easy. He was carrying her weight on his body, even if the mass was not too heavy, but her size and shape were too out of proportion for being a training weight.

    ¡­

    Ten minutester, Shi Lang ced Jane in a medical bay, and he said, ¡°Did you understand the key to getting away from the phaser chasers?¡±

    Jane had lost a lot of blood, as shey in the medical bay she said in a faint voice, ¡°I will beat the shit out of you.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and walked out of the ce. The injured people were all brought to the infirmary and ced in the medical pods. They were not given rest, inside their minds, Yuu was teaching them battle skills. The use of battle skills was not only to allow them to fight but also to improve their body control.

    ¡­

    The whole week passed with a repetitive cycle of sleeping in the infirmary and running the maze. This was only the first level. Shi Lang had literally ced these people in hell. He had no hesitation, and to test them even further, he would run the maze with them, not only will he run through one path, but the entire level, passing all the people at least once.

    This was a tant provocation when the week ended, Ryan became the first person to cross the maze. He was rewarded with a day in the spirit chamber. He would gather the spirit energy to cultivate for a few hours and then spend his time as he wished. Ryan obviously chose to sleep. This peacetime was to boost the morale of the other people in the group.

    Just as Shi Lang had predicted, the people had picked up the pace and were doing their best to clear the level when they found the reward. They all yearned for a day of good voluntary sleep. Shi Lang¡¯s provocation began to lose its effects, and the participants were all getting calmer. This was the benefit of constant stress, they were not able to retain their calm minds to operate under high stress.

    Tartarus was simply a hands-on experience for these people. However, Shi Lang was not going to spare anyone. One day he caught Milo and Hawk discussing the alternative methods to cross the maze, and the next day when they woke up, they were already in the maze. The young general said, ¡°If you can use your alternate methods to cross the maze, I will give you both a personal bot.¡±

    However, the result left him disappointed and defied. Milo and Hawk were shot down in the shoulder and hamstring, respectively. They were ced in the medical pod, where Yuu, literally broke their bones in the simtion realm. The entire Ace Division was put through this suffering and asked to keep at it till they can get through the maze.

    Amelia was also not spared, although the new husband carefully carried her to the infirmary, and showed impable care, but in order to make her stronger, he really turned his heart into stone. The young wife was surprised by his mood changes but then Yuu said something to her, and Amelia began to work harder.

    Yuu said, ¡°If you did not keep up the pace, he will be stagnated as well. You do understand that he will bury his talent to be with you for his entire life and not regret it one bit. However, will you be able to live without regret if I tell you that he still has a lot of potential left untapped?¡±

    As an instructor, Yuu was really good at developing an understanding of her students. It has been two weeks since Shi Lang took the mice again and said, ¡°Hello, dearrades, today marks the day when all the participants have sessfully gotten through the first level of the Maze. Congrattions!!! Now you all can take a day off to sleep and spread love among each other. Tomorrow, you will advance to the second level, and let me remind you, the challenge is twice harder. May you all stay alive.¡±

    The people suddenly thought that they were all living in vain, and Ryan even wanted to cry. He was given a day off, and then he was made to run different paths of the level because the variations of the traps were useful in training. Now they had not even started their holiday, and this guy had marked them with another hex mark.

    ¡­

    After a day, the people stood at the entrance of the second level, but they did not know what it held for them in store, but just when they were hesitating, they felt a push from behind and they entered the maze. Just when they thought that the maze was slightly different in the aspect of fast and quick turns, they found a dedicated bot that hade up to fight with them whilst they ran.

    Yes, Shi Lang had ced in spirit puppets to bring out the battle skills learned by these people inside the simtion realm, and he generously added some small spirit illusion formations to the traps. The participants were really being pitted, some would run into the walls and knock themselves out, while some almost got sliced into two for running to a scythe.

    Shi Lang had be their biggest enemy because he would run around them in circles daily, sometimes he would even punch a person to make them stumble and fall. The same cycle that he used in the first level was being yed.

    The first person to pass the second level was Captain Steel. However, it did not happen before this guy noticed how Shi Lang crossed the path. Well, to copy someone, you must learn from them. That was what he did. One day of rest was the reward he earned.

    Just when things were about to ease up, Jane crossed the maze, and in a fit of rage, because Shi Lang had kicked her in the butt and almost made her fail, she yelled and challenged Shi Lang for a duel.

    The young general appeared in front of her with a fiendish smile and asked, ¡°You will not be able to run away from this now, Janey.¡±

    Jane did not wish to spare him and thus, they began fighting in the corridor. Shi Lang dodged a fist and itnded on the wall, leaving behind a tremor and a pit in the wall. The young general recalled that his best friend has the ability of super strength, and it was his turn to run from her.

 Chapter 268 Tyrant.

    Shi Lang was dodging the attacks thrown at him by Jane at high speed, her fists were akin to a blur, and Jane¡¯s aggressive behavior made her target all the attacks on his vitals. Sometimes the fist was only missing his forehead by a mere inch.

    Jane was not simply slogging at him, her mind was calm, yes, she was not an idiot with rage and revenge. She was a technician, these points were taught to the whole ss by Shi Lang that one must maintain absolute calm as soon as they enter battle or the rage will consume them instead. The surprising fact was that Jane¡¯s skills were not bad, she was keeping up with her practice and maintaining what she learned in school.

    The other factor that helped her dominate Shi Lang was the variety of skills she had learned from Yuu in the simtion. She was using a variety of fighting skills, just as Shi Lang got used to one style, she would switch to other. This disy made the others appreciate her abilities and realize how they have grown in the short period of two weeks.

    Yes, if it were before, Shi Lang would not have been on the dodging end, but Jane would have been floored by now. Suddenly, Ryan said, ¡°The general has yet to make a move. He is only parrying and dodging the attacks and only using one arm to do that.¡±

    His statement made everyone focus on Shi Lang who was swaying his body to dodge the attacks, making Jane miss by mere inches and using his hand to parry the attacks. His expression was as calm as the windpared to Jane who was chasing after him akin to a hungry and wounded tiger.

    Yuu and Amelia hade out of the control room to watch the proceedings of the duel. The instructor said, ¡°Shi Lang is better than even me, if he decided to make a move, you allbined probably won¡¯tst for more than one shot. His skills are not terrifying because of his strength but because of how he applies it.¡±

    That was true, and Lucas nodded on the side as he said, ¡°I agree, Lang has been precise about how to apply strength even when he was just a one-star level Terran. His abilityes from his mind, and that is why he is so dangerous. You all must have heard of Jenkins Edwards?¡±

    The other people nodded, they knew that Jenkin Edwards was a rising star of the first fleet and had a lot of achievements under his belt, and has been in limelight because of his family background. Lucas said, ¡°He lost to Shi Lang in the final mock battle during school time, even though Lang was weaker than him by a level. This thing was also made public by Jenkins during one of his recent interviews.¡±

    The others knew about this. Jenkins was approached by the media to tell them about the wedding of the first general and to shed some light on the old memories and their friendship. Amelia said, ¡°Shi Lang is about to shoot.¡±

    They all turned their head to look at the two people fighting in some distance and found that Shi Lang took a quick step, closing the distance with Jane and his fist jerked, the next moment, Jane froze, and she keeled over gasping for breath. Shi Lang sighed and patted her back gently.

    Jane puked out a mouthful of water before she passed out. The people were shocked to see that such a ferocious fight came to an end with a simple punch, and they did not even see the whole thing properly. Yuu spoke up from the side, ¡°Inch strength. You people concentrated on his fist but did not look at his feet and abdomen as he generated energy from it. Stupid people.¡±

    The people felt ashamed at this moment, they had no idea about this technique. Amelia said, ¡°You can learn it with some effort, do not think too much. Also, you guys are in for trouble.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Lang said, ¡°Come, I challenge you, if any one of you canst for ten minutes in a battle, I will let him practice at his own pace.¡±

    His words were tempting, but the people all knew they will be jumping into a meat grinder. Shi Lang waited for them to react for a few minutes and then said, ¡°You all are cowards, now you do not have any off day. There will be a slight change in the practice n.¡±

    The people felt their hearts tighten. Shi Lang said, ¡°You all will rush ahead, and I will chase, if I catch you, I will beat you half an inch to death. If you can run out of the maze, then I will spare you. You can have a head start of seven hundred meters. Then I will chase.¡±

    That said, he went to the elevator on the side and headed to the second level of the maze. A person in the team asked, ¡°Why is the boss heading to the second level now? Is the n not for tomorrow?¡±

    Milo said, ¡°To familiarize himself with the maze. Do you think the boss is invincible? He is strong, because of his hard work. Do you understand?¡±

    The people gulped in a mouthful of saliva as they heard this. They realized that Shi Lang was going to trample them tomorrow. Thinking about it they all entered the maze too and prepared themselves for the torment toe.

    ¡­

    The next week was longer than what they expected, Shi Lang would catch one of them, beat them brutally, and dump them in front of the bots to be taken to the infirmary. What was even more, when they woke up, they found themselves at the starting point of the maze. They knew that the general was a cruel person but this was the limit.

    This tyrant was treating them as toys for his entertainment. Shi Lang was surely not in the mood to deal with a rebellion, so when someone fought back in the chase game, he was even more brutal. After a week, the people decided to form a strategy, and that was to attack Shi Lang as a team. Once he tries to catch up with someone, everyone will unite and attack him.

    The first time they did it, Shi Lang was indeed caught by surprise, and hardly managed to get away after putting them all in the infirmary. He was deliberately showing them that they can catch up to him together, to promote the spirit of teamwork. Another thing was that Shi Lang did not want to break their self-esteem.

    The second time, though, Shi Lang had enlisted the bots to his help. If they can have a team, so can he. Everything is fair and he was not stupid to deliberately act like a weakling every time, since they took him as a tyrant then he would be the tyrant. The method was cruel and cowardly, but he did not want to go full-on against these people.

    It took the people two weeks to clear the second level. Shi Lang gave them forty-eight hours to cultivate spiritual energy, and surprisingly they all made a breakthrough. The reason was that their bodies had been nourished by the constant chain of breaking and reconstruction. Shi Lang was cruel but for their own benefit.

    The Ace Division was given the same treatment and even harder, they had to deal with Yuu and Shi Lang at the same time. Amelia was on the same level as Shi Lang but her skills were not as sharp as his. She was making the most out of it and even thought that calling over Jenkins and Hayley and Darcx would be good too.

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded to the proposal, but only after the contingent has finished training will this ce be open for the others. He did not want to have time squeezed. The current n was extremely beneficial and the level of the contingent was rising faster.

    They still had two more months, a total of eight weeks to work on them. Shi Lang wanted to have them all reach the bottom level of the maze during this time. Amelia agreed, and two more weeks passed.

    Along with the puppets, and Shi Lang chasing them, the contenders faced the Ace Division attacking them with full force in the third level. This time, they took three weeks to get through the level. Shi Lang was cruel, watching that their performance was dropping. He ced a stun grenade on their bodies, it was speed triggered.

    If the contenders ran slower than the predefined speed, the bomb will go off, stunning their neural system and then the chasing party will beat the shit out of them. The purpose was achieved. After the first week of brutal torture, the people picked up the pace and they cleared the level. The intensity of the training was catching up to them, but now some people, such as Ryan, Steel, and Cosmo, an administrator, had begun to enjoy this.

    Shi Lang had turned them into adrenaline junkies, however, their worst nightmare was yet toe true.

 Chapter 269 Shura Field.

    The team spent their days in agony. As the levels increased, the people were doubting whether they will be able to survive this tormenting training. However, to their relief, Shi Lang had stopped chasing them since they stepped into the fifth level.

    Things were not easy for them anyhow. From the fifth level, the ace division attacked them without holding back. They were all now using their abilities, and the contenders were also using their abilities to deal with the attacks but they were not able to keep up, as they also faced the onught of the spirit puppets.

    Shi Lang was not acting in front but he was not wasting any moment. In theboratory, he had prepared the spirit cores with OB-One. These cores were going to be used as the intelligence core of the Mechas. They were the insurance and aid for the pilots. It will be like an auto reflex system Shi Lang hade up with to aid the people.

    The rules said that the mecha could not use anything that would exceed the level of a basic level of artificial intelligence. These spirit intelligence cores did not ssify as digital parts so they could bypass the rules with this special jade chip.

    OB-One asked, ¡°Sire, will you not go to the maze to test the team?¡±

    Shi Lang was sitting behind him on a couch, he was engraving a jade chip slowly, while OB-One was busy adjusting theputer data sequence for optimizing the Mecha system. The young general said, ¡°No. I will wait till they reach the final level.¡±

    OB-One nodded and after a few minutes, Shi Lang said, ¡°I am done with this chip. The backups have been prepared as well, equip the puppets with them and have the spirits learn about the behaviors.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sire.¡±, replied the bot.

    Shi Lang left theb to continue his own training. He was very close to unlocking a new skill of the Shura sutra in his mind. It was important for him to develop an understanding of these skills as they will trulye in handy during thepetition.

    ¡­

    While Shi Lang was busy with the training the rest of the people were also not cking at all. They were not very happy with things but when they were given a day off after passing the level, they would test each other and find rapid growth in their strengths. Another thing they had to do now was to consolidate their gains.

    Amelia and Yuu helped them personally with this. The growth was fantastic, and the people were now taking fewer trips to the infirmary, but they were slow. This was a deliberate attempt from the Ace division, they did not want the people to be overconfident. Shi Lang had told them about his ns after the final test so, the team was not worried about leaving psychological marks on their mind.

    The progress continued and the team was getting more and more worried because of Shi Lang¡¯s absence. One day, Ryan could not help but ask Amelia, ¡°Madam, can you tell us when will the generale to the maze?¡±

    He addressed Amelia with respect to her rank in the military. Amelia heard his question and asked, ¡°Why do you think, he is not in the maze?¡±

    The people were surprised, they began to discuss, Jane asked, ¡°Amelia if he is in the maze then why do we not see him?¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°He is waiting for you at the final level. Now that I have told you this already, I hope that you all can put your best step forward. The final level will not be anything like what we can imagine.¡±

    The people could tell that she was being really serious during the second half of her sentence, and they all became serious. For the next few days, all the people put all their effort into clearing the maze. Although they were nervous about the final test after such cruel training, they hade to anticipate the challenges thaty ahead on their paths.

    Shi Lang had turned these people into junkies who sought out excitement in danger. The team was working themselves to the ground and did not hold back from taking risks during their run through the course. They were now using their weapons to face the people and the puppets. Yes, they had been given spirit weapons and the output was increased by another level.

    It has been ten weeks since the team had been training and finally a day before yesterday they cleared the eighth level of the maze. They were in a state of anxiety and anticipation now. The final test was just a day away.

    ¡­

    The sun rose and the people woke up and geared up to enter the final test. They all took the elevator together. When they reached the final level of the maze they found X, who had been training them in the ways to deal with mental attacks, standing in front of them.

    X said, ¡°Congrattions on reaching the final level of Tartarus. Now, before you take a step ahead I would like to inform you all about one thing.¡±

    He paused, saw that everyone was looking at him with a serious expression, and said, ¡°The test you will face inside has a risk of death.¡±

    His words exploded in the minds of everyone. They began to look at each other and Jane asked, ¡°Please continue sir.¡±

    X nodded, and said, ¡°Thepetition has a risk of death as well, so during the final test the situation will be just like thepetition. You all have reached the level of a qualified contender, and are qualified to represent the federation, however, this test is akin to a rite of passage. This is not a mandatory test. So, before you all step in, make a careful choice.¡±

    The team began to think, and Lucas said, ¡°I think we should take this test. We all may have be strong, but we have never experienced a life and death situation. Tell me if you all, the frontal forces are confident in facing death at thepetition in the state that we are now?¡±

    His question was logical, and he also made the people recall that half the team was not frontal force. Thinking about this Ryan said, ¡°How about the frontal force takes the test while the other half stays behind.¡±

    Steel shook his head and said, ¡°Did you not realize that during the whole training course, we were all made to work together also what is the point of half the team knowing the danger and half the team is unaware of this fact? If they do not know the situation we are in, will the technician team be able to support us to their best?¡±

    The others understood the situation and they discussed it for half an hour before Jane said, ¡°Sir, we would like to take the test.¡±

    X nodded and said, ¡°Please write your final letters to your families, you all have five minutes.¡±

    The people were shocked, they realized the seriousness of the situation. Shi Lang was not joking with them. Calming the shock in their hearts, they all used theirmunicators to write letters to their families. After five minutes, X asked them to share these letters with him, and then he walked away after saying, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    The teammates all looked at each other, at this moment, they all felt very emotional at this stage. After all, they have written down their potentialst letters to their families. Lucas hugged Jana and said, ¡°I love you a lot.¡±

    Jane put down her usual strong and callous front and said, ¡°I love you as well.¡±

    The rest of the team also shared a warm embrace, this was an attempt to tell each other, that they were not alone. They were raising their morals. Suddenly, the door to the maze opened and they understood, it was time.

    The team forced themselves to calm down as they entered the ce. The dark interior did not scare them, they channeled spiritual energy in their eyes and found that the ce was unlike the previous levels. This level was a big hall, and on the other end of this ce, Shi Lang sat with his legs crossed.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang revealed his crimson eyes. The people looked at him and they were all stunned. This was a mental attack, Shi Lang had pulled them into a war field where destruction and death were dancing hand in hand, and the people were fighting hordes of unknown enemies in their minds. In just a few minutes, a thinyer of sweat had appeared on their foreheads.

    Shi Lang was going to put their <span>souls through hell during this test, the contenders had not stepped in just a normal test, this was the shura field where Shi Langmanded death. After a couple of hours, the team members all had pale faces, but they had broken out of the mental attack.

    But the next thing they faced, made them doubt if they really had broken through the illusion.

 Chapter 270 Edge Of Death.

    The twenty people stood in a formation with the ten members of the frontal forces standing in front of the technicians and the administrators. They did not understand what to do in the situation. The illusion in their minds had already dried them up of their mentalposure.

    They were still not able to stand without shivering after a few minutes. They looked up and cast a gaze at Shi Lang, who was still gazing at them with indifference. They watched as the young general stood up and took out the sword tied behind his back. They all tensed and felt a strong intention to kill locked in their bodies, this gaze from Shi Lang sent chills down their spines.

    Shi Lang did not move but raised his hand to hold the de from the edge and made a slit on his palm. Blood dripped from the wound, and Shi Lang flicked his wrist. Then he controlled the physique to close the wound and said, ¡°You will five percent of my strength head on.¡±

    His voice was cold and his intention was clear. He was going to test them to the edge. As his words dropped, he sat back in his ce with the sword ced horizontally on his legs. The people were confused when they suddenly found, something gurgling from the ground.

    They were all wearing visors and could see what it was. Shi Lang¡¯s blood was multiplying at a pace where the drops turned into small puddles and then began to swarm against the void. The people were shocked, they had never seen such a thing and they were shocked to their cores. Before long, they found twenty Shi Lang standing in front of them. All of them are identical to the real one.

    They gulped, the psychological shadow of Shi Lang was so strong that even his name was enough to influence them greatly let alone twenty identical clones. The twenty clones in front of them all stood bare-handed, and they spoke in unison, ¡°For this round, we deal with hand-to-handbat. Are you ready?¡±

    The team nodded and the clones charged at them. These clones did not have a brain of their own, they were just manifestations that Shi Lang controlled with his mind. They had his external appearance, but they were not independent.

    The battle was initiated and the people came at the clones without any hesitation. Shi Lang wanted them to do just this. This level was going to test their endurance and also expose them to their biggest psychological shadow, Shi Lang. His name was enough to cause a great tremor in their hearts and this was not what he needed from them.

    If they faced an enemy that was stronger than them, they will have a shadow in their minds, and this shadow will interfere with their decisions. They will hesitate and in real battles, hesitation can lead to death. Shi Lang did not put these people through hell to send them to their deaths.

    The battle was long and the attacks were repetitive. However, that was the test for mental endurance. The clones may not have the strength that could defeat these people in just one blow, but the techniques and reflexes were high. The energy inside these clones was endless, until they face a direct attack from a phaser weapon and are prated, they will not fall down.

    After an hour the team, which was mentally exhausted, began to act frustrated, but they still did not show any big ws, after all, if they could not defeat these blood clones, the same was true for the opposite party as well.

    ¡­

    In the control room, everyone was sitting in their seats, silently. They had been holding down the curiosity to monitor the test. Shi Lang did not want them to know what they were doing in the ninth level, because he did not want anyone else to know about his skills. He even set OB-One to watch over anyone who tries to ess the monitoring system.

    Milo, however, as an analyst at heart was anxious, ording to him, this was the cream content they were missing. This content could help them understand their weaknesses and improve. He could not understand the reason behind such secrecy, he even questioned if Shi Lang did not trust them. To which the young general replied, ¡°Skills that cannot be learned should not be analyzed, they give you a tunnel vision.¡±

    Yuu and the others agreed and respected his wishes, so they did not look into this matter, but the anxious analyst was moving around in the room like a malfunctioning bot. The battle instructor said, ¡°Milo, either you sit down, or we can have a battle of our own, and this time I will not hold back at all.¡±

    Milo stopped and looked at Yuu in an aggrieved manner. He said, ¡°Chief, can you not do this? Don¡¯t you know how curious I am?¡±

    Amelia said from the side, ¡°Curiosity killed the cat, Milo. You know that you cannot watch the test, and none of us will allow you either. Are the test and Shi Lang¡¯s disy more important than your career? This is the army, regardless of the fact of how unique the division is, following a directmand is the ultimate goal. Do you want to shame your colors?¡±

    She was frustrated by Shi Lang being so secretive, and now this young man. She finally exploded. Watching her strong tone, Milo could only find a chair and sit down dejectedly.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was grinding the team for the past four hours and finally, they had begun to expose bigger loopholes in their attacks and battle skills. The clones exposed them without any shame. After a total of six hours the people were down on their knees, their bodies were covered with bruises of all degrees. Shi Lang opened his eyes and the clones dissolved.

    They returned back to the form of blood drops before these drops crawled back to Shi Lang, who collected them in his palm and waited for them to melt back into his body. He raised his head and said in a cold voice, ¡°For the next round, you will face me. Come at me with all that you have, make every move with the intent to kill me. You can use your spirit weapons, suits, and phasers without any hesitation. I will do the same. You can rest and replenish your strength for the next two hours.¡±

    His voice was cold and the people were shocked. They trembled worse than before when they heard him say,e at me with the intent to kill. However, this was a trick question that they had to deal with on their own. How can they use killing intent without alerting the enemy?

    They were all sensitive to the intentions pointed at them when someone gazed at them, if they try to avoid looking at him and attack, their attack will be weak, and if they did not have the intention to kill, then it was akin to suicide.

    Ill-prepared attacks, or cking in a battle that will lead to death was the first thing they all learned back in school. However, at this moment, they did not have the luxury to debate this thought in their minds. They began to meditate and run the spiritual energy they were absorbing from the spirit stone to replenish their tanks.

    They had no doubt that Shi Lang wille at them with the intention to kill. As they meditated the time flew with a speed faster than their thoughts. Soon, they heard an indifferent voice in their ears, ¡°Time up.¡±

    They opened their eyes and found Shi Lang standing in the center of the big hall. He looked at them as if they were unrted corpses. His gaze was enough to influence them, but soon they shook it off. The mind of a cultivator was really strong and persistent. It recovered very quickly as well.

    They were told one thing before they stepped on Mythya. A cultivator lives to break past the limits set for them by the heavens. This is the greatest act of defiance and only when they have the resolve to get past their best, can they face the heavens.

    Shi Lang was the ceiling they had to break, he was the milestone they had to cross on their long journey. They all stood up from the ground and took out their spirit weapons. The frontal force team stepped forward and the technicians took a step back. They did not rush to act but quickly assumed a formation.

    The technicians stood behind the administrators, the former yed support while thetter assumed the role of a think tank. The frontal assault was already decided. They all exchanged nces and cheered, ¡°HOORAH.¡±

    They were ready to face the devil in front of them and they were ready to stake their lives. Shi Lang looked at them and held out his shura de parallel to the ground, with the tip pointing at them, and said, ¡°Come.¡±

 Chapter 271 Death.

    As soon as Shi Lang¡¯s words fell, the frontal assault team rushed at him without hesitation. They all held swords and knives, and although they were trained with many weapons, they all preferred different styles of swords and knives to enhance their closebat efficiency. The speed was quick and their figures were flickering in the room.

    Shi Lang did not hide or advance in the face of this assault. He moved his sword and shed at his right and blocked a phaser beam shot at him. The battle had begun, and the next moment, he vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Jane. Thetter was shocked, but before she could attack, Shi Lang grasped her neck in his iron ws and then lifted her up to the ground.

    Lucas saw this and shouted, ¡°Lang, no!!!¡±

    Shi Lang seemed to have turned deaf, and his forearm exerted strength. Everyone, who was shocked, clearly heard a crisp click. The neck was broken, and Jane¡¯s shocked gaze gradually lost glimmer. Following that Shi Lang did not wait for the people to get back the rhythm, while holding Jane¡¯s corpse in his left hand, he turned around, and then his right hand shed at the administrator in front.

    Shi Lang was cruel to the limit, he directly cut the person in front of him from head to toe. As the dead body fell to the ground, he asked, ¡°Did you think that I was joking when I said that you all will die if you did note at me with an intention to kill?¡±

    He paused and let go of Jane¡¯s body to fall to the ground. He cast a gaze at the people in front of him and said, ¡°Every ten seconds I will kill two of you,e at me.¡±

    Lucas woke up from his shock, and raising his phaser gun, he began to fire at Shi Lang with an indifferent gaze. He had no emotion in his mind and only knew that he had to kill Shi Lang before he was killed.

    But was Shi Lang going to just stand and let them kill him? The young man was flickering all over the ce, and his speed was not something the team could keep up with. They all started to focus on attacking him, buts suddenly, they noticed that the phaser beams fired by Lucas were the most annoying thing to Shi Lang at the moment.

    Suddenly a technician said, ¡°Guys, Lucas is engaging the general with indifference.¡±

    This sentence was enough to make the people wake up and get the idea that they have been looking for. They all quickly calmed their thoughts and entered a state of indifference. The battle became intense. Shi Lang was facing a tougher front but he still kept his promise, every ten seconds two people fell down. Their deaths were anything but sightly.

    Lucas died when a phaser nade was stuck at his back along with the man in front of him. The technician who passed on the trick to act with indifference became the next person to die with the administrator in front of him.

    The rest of the team had already altered their mindsets and werepletely indulged in battle, and with every passing ten seconds, they were getting more and more eager to kill Shi Lang. They were dancing around like monkeys and watching their friends fall down, was this not humiliation? This was a tant shame for them, in the military where everyone does their best to make sure that their unit was alright and striving, they were just waving weapons in the void.

    The team had taken out phaser handguns and rifles from the back of their suits and they were using all the methods they could to slow down Shi Lang. However, the Shura was moving around the level, with his big sword with ease and reaping lives. Thepassionate younger general they all saw in the conference room, the spirited leader who led them to the new peaks of strength and skill, it was all gone.

    At this moment, Shi Lang in front of them was nothing but a killing machine and in the past one minute, he had already killed twelve people and Steel was thest person to fall down with another member of the frontal force.

    ¡­

    Amelia and the rest were still specting when OB-One said, ¡°You can now watch the test.¡±

    The people were surprised but they did not hesitate and quickly started the monitors the sight in front of them shocked them. They all looked at the bot, who said, ¡°Shall I y it from the starting?¡±

    They all nodded with a dumb faces, they did not expect Shi Lang to really kill all those inside.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood looking at the pile of corpses, and then shook his head, he mumbled, ¡°Well, barely passable.¡±

    Then he raised his hands and snapped his fingers, the corpses began to twitch and thene back to life. The people regained their consciousness, and when they saw Shi Lang standing in front of them again, they realized something was wrong. The young general looked at them and said, ¡°You all might think that I am a god, but I am not. The skills you saw throughout the test were all real. The only thing that is fishy here, is your death.¡±

    Jane and the rest were confused, they were very clear that they died and then their consciousness was stranded, actually, it was just a program that Shi Lang had created to make things realistic. Ryan asked, ¡°Sir, may I ask, if you are not a god then how are we all alive?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°That is because when you were all inside the illusion, you had already fainted and I put you all inside simtion pots. For the test, I did not need you to physically participate. The pain you experienced during the test was real, and the parameters of strength and movement were also set to match the reality with just a slight margin.¡±

    The people understood what was going on, and Steel asked, ¡°Sir, was the motive of this test, to test our endurance, and then let us feel what it is like to die?¡±

    ¡°Half-correct, captain. Apart from what you stated, the motive was to make you understand, that you need to be indifferent in order to be a killing machine. If the other party disys intent while engaging, then respond to them with slightpassion in mind, but if they do not. You must not hesitate to go in for the kill.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    His words were enlightening to the team. They did not know such a thing could be pulled off, like Shi Lang¡¯s method to call this the test and then make them experience a state of death. Turns out this was not leaving shadows in their minds, butpletely making them invulnerable to the fear of death.

    Thinking about this, Ryan bowed to Shi Lang and watching him, the team followed the lead and bowed to Shi Lang. The young general watched the scene and said, ¡°It is fine, this is my job as the captain. Now, if you all would like, we can either practice, or you can take a rest. The stress of stimtion in this situation would take a toll on you so take your time.¡±

    That said, he vanished from his spot and left the simtion realm. The rest was left for the team to decide and discern. He will not meddle with them, after all, the experience of death will bring out different changes in different people. He did not want to influence them and disturb their natural change.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang woke up from the simtion pod and sighed heavily. Then he looked around him and found the team still inside the pods, they seemed to have touched upon some profundity and it was better to leave them be. He walked out of the final level of the maze and came to the control room.

    The Ace division looked at him and they gulped, they were unable to digest the fact that this young general, who was always righteous could be so cunning. The scenes they saw in front of them, were obviously real. OB-One showed them how the people were lying on the floor like corpses, and then how they were moved to their simtion pods, and then he showed them the test.

    When they saw the whole thing, their hair stood up. The feeling of death, they wondered what it was like, but they gave up the idea to experience it. Milo asked, ¡°Boss, why did you do this? I mean, would it really have any effect to make them fearless?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I am not making them fearless, I am just making them remember a few sensations to make sure that in a critical movement, they do not hesitate. There is a difference.¡±

 Chapter 272 Vigor..

    After the test waspleted, the team woke up after an hour and their temperament have gone through tremendous change. They were all very calm andposed when faced with the rest of the people. To see the results they all began to trial the maze once more. Since they had reached the eighth level of the maze and passed it, the first few levels were easy for them.

    Well, that was what the analysis looked like, however, the performance was still the same when they had reached the deeper levels of the maze. This came as a shock to the others. They could not understand how this bunch of people were able to maintain this, after all, the change in performance was almost a perpendicr spike on the data graph.

    Milo was holding his head in his hands, he could not understand, how they reach such a level overnight. During the maze trials when the contenders faced them, the Ace Division, although did not lose, they was held back. Thepetition was head to head. Well, the ace division did not use any special skills or to the best of their abilities.

    Yet, the shock in their hearts was not shallow at all. Shi Lang did not convince them at all, he only dropped one sentence, ¡°You all know what they faced, and you have also faced something simr to this. So, quit brooding over it and go work a sweat.¡±

    The team entered a state of secluded cultivation. Shi Lang wanted them to understand the meaning of detachment even more deeply, it was not actually detachment, but indifference. This was something that would make all the difference in thepetition. It was not that he wanted them to be machines but he wanted them to be stable when they face the enemy.

    While the team was inside seclusion cultivation, the people from the technical team had to pay attention to the mecha and tech for the team as well. The armor of the team was dealt with by the ace division to some extent. Yet, they were not professionals, and Shi Langcked the experience, so the practicality of the suit was enhanced to another degree.

    The entire team was working as a unit and they were all progressing quickly. Just when Shi Lang was thinking about whether they will be picked up or not, X contacted him, they had to report to the frontier. The pickup ship from the Gctic Council would arrive there in a week.

    The team loaded up everything they had in their warship and along with Ace Division, they headed to the frontier. The identity of the ace division was special so Shi Lang had them all dress up in normal uniforms. It took them three days to reach the frontier, and then they took a much-needed rest before setting off.

    The contending team picked up the people from the first fleet and they organized a sparring fest. They gained and honed their skills to another level while helping the first fleet gain some things as well. OB-One was the only bot that was allowed to follow Shi Lang to the gctic council. The rules stipted that every team can take with them, a contingent of twenty members, no more no less. Ten mechas, and one service bot.

    When they were done with the final preparations, Shi Lang spend a cozy dinner night with Amelia at a secluded spot on the filling her in his embrace. Then he asked her to take care and look after the families if anything happened to him, but before he couldplete his words, Amelia kissed him, leading to a night of indulgence.

    ¡­

    The envoys of the gctic council took their sweet time inspecting everything to fit within the rules. They were pleased with how the Terran team did not make them waste more time and that things were kept in order and by the rules. Soon, the equipment was all loaded on the ship and the people moved.

    Shi Lang was never good with departures but he had to do it anyways. He hugged Amelia right before he got on the ship and the girl asked, ¡°Ace, are you scared?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±, he did not lie or put up fake bravado in front of her. Because only she was the person he would disy his true emotions to.

    Amelia snuggled closer to him and after taking a deep breath she whispered, ¡°It is good that you are scared. It will keep you from risking out recklessly. Do not worry too much. Just do what your heart tells you.¡±

    Shi Lang broke the hug and gazed into her eyes and said in a voice that could be heard by only two of them, ¡°My heart tells me to make babies with you right here and now.¡±

    Amelia was flooded with a scarlet hue over her face and she kicked him in the shin. Shi Lang chuckled and after pecking her nose, he ran away to board the ship. Amelia mumbled behind him, ¡°Rogue.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the rest of the team were given dormitory beds on the ship, their equipment was locked in the cargo bay and only they could ess it with the passcodes. The ship was not only picking them up but a lot of other teams from other spots as well. The speed of the ship was twice as much as it was of his personal warship.

    When they moved around the ship, the team was gazed at by the potential opponents. Things were not harmonious. However, they were indifferent and this tweaked with the brains of the others on the ship.

    Since they were traveling, they could not cultivate in front of so many eyes. Everyone was trying to get a hook on the other teams as that will be very helpful. Thepetition had started from this moment only.

    A lot of other females from other species were attracted to the aura around Shi Lang but the young man simply brushed off their gazes as if air. This was not only him but the other males as well. If it were the past, Lucas would have hugged Jane¡¯s thigh and asked her to prevent him from getting charmed.

    ¡­

    The team had a simple routine, they would all eat together, and then go back to their beds, and began to cultivate with their eyes closed and legs crossed. However, they were not cultivating spirit energy, but simting the final battle with Shi Lang in the battle.

    They were unable to do anything else and this was the best way to avoid the pairing eyes of the people. What was even more, this way they were able to adjust their bodies and improve their skills over and over. They were all at the sixth-star level of Terrna blood cultivation. They could manipte the actions of their body to a great degree, it was just like they can do what they imagined.

    Shi Lang did not know who came up with this method but he did not bother them. In his mind, he was sensing everything and was surprised. He could see that almost all the teams were simr to them, trying to hide the details. However, there were some who did not hide anything, even the presence of the public could not stop these people from holding an orgy in the team.

    Shi Lang had to withdraw his special ability out of shame. It took them a couple of weeks to arrive at the Gtic Council headquarters and all the people were gathered on the observation deck as the ship was getting closer to the spaceport. This ce was an artificial, the size was ten times bigger than the earth, yet it had aplete atmosphere.

    Shi Lang was not the only one who was surprised, some people were almost going down on their knees when they saw the ce and worshiped the designers. The biggest marvel was not the design of such a gigantic thing but making it act like just a normal, and maintaining those features.

    On board this ship, Shi Lang found out through a book that this ce was at least a few hundred old. How much they had to spend in order to maintain this ce. This was something they could not understand. One of the people evenmented that the ones who could spare funds to maintain this ce ming be able to buy out an entire system and rule.

    However, this ce was a manifestation of all the efforts of the stronger forces in the gxy, and it was to disy their might. The ship was docked at the spaceport and then the teams were transferred to smaller vessels and entered the atmosphere of the below them.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°What do you people think, can we win?¡±

    The rest of the people were silent when Ryan said, ¡°I do not know about win or loss, sir. However, we can definitely survive, we can definitely learn. We may be young but we also have the vigor.¡±

    The others looked at him and nodded in support.

 Chapter 273 Discussion.

    Shi Lang and the others soonnded on a spaceport. The hustle and bustle of this ce was not something they could have ever imagined. Every second there were at least, a hundred spaceships taking off ornding. The representative of the federation, Shashi, hade to receive them.

    The man was dressed in a uniform, with a faint smile on his face. As Shi Lang and the others passed the security check, Shashi stepped forward and greeted them, ¡°Greetings, General Shi, everyone, wee to the gctic council home, The Bluestar.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°d to be here, Shashi. How have you been?¡±

    Shashi was happy to see this guy being amiable to him but he did not dare to overlook the status of the person at all, he replied with a grin, ¡°I am doing well, Sir. How about we first talk after we have checked you all in your amodations?¡±

    The team obviously had no problem, they had been tired by the space jumps in the big ship, and since they knew it was thest stretch, they had been meditating regrly which did exhaust him. Shashi took them all out of the spaceport, they all had minimal luggage with them.

    Suddenly, Ryan asked, ¡°Sir, what about our gear?¡±

    Although the question was directed to Shashi, but Ryan was gazing at the general, they had no idea of who Shashi was so they would only speak through their leader. The representative smiled and said, ¡°Your gear will be moved directly to your amodations, do not worry, the council may seem like a bunch of strong guys trying to manage a puppet show, but it is quite fair. After all, the puppets are no longer made of wood.¡±

    The people gazed at him but nodded and they followed him to board a big vehicle, simr to a bus back at the federation. The luxury of this bus was mediocre, but they did not have to share it with everyone. After they were seated inside the vehicle, Shashi looked at the bot installed on the driver seat and said, ¡°Star crown camp, site xbd.¡±

    The bot did not respond but started the vehicle and they began to move. OB-One was gazing at the bot for a few minutes and said, ¡°Sire, it is troublesome.¡±

    Shi Lang cast him a gaze and OB-One pointed at the driver bot. The team was watching themmunicate and became vignt. The young general nodded and said, ¡°It is fine, let us take a nap till we reach the amodation.¡±

    Everyone was sitting straight in the chair, after hearing this, they all rxed and closed their eyes. Shashi looked at the scene awkwardly, and asked, ¡°Umm, is there something wrong sir?¡±

    Shi Lang cast him a gaze and said, ¡°We are under observation.¡±

    The envoy nodded and said, ¡°I apologize, this¡­¡±

    It was obvious that he could not do anything in this situation, it must be the higher-ups manipting things. Shi Lang only gave him a few signs before he also closed his eyes to take a nap. Shashi sighed and looked down at the floor. He was dejected because this was out of his ability, otherwise, who would like to be observed as if they were a bunch of criminals?

    He sighed and the vehicle slowly moved through the busy routes after an hour they arrived at the designation. Shashi was about to wake the people up when the bus stopped. The whole team opened their eyes in sync. They were in a good form, which made Shashi feel a bit scared.

    The training had made their sense reach a level, where they were aware of their surroundings even if they were in deep meditation. Sleep was now a myth to these people, thanks to the devil Shi Lang.

    ¡­

    The ce was akin to an apartment building with different blocks, it was like a beehive, and from what Shashi had told them, this ce was attached to the stadium where the battles will happen for convenience. The team was eager to hit the bed but they were told to attend the orientation event before they were allotted their rooms.

    The orientation event was simple. They were told about the rules of thepetition in detail and all the doubts were cleared during this process. However, the team¡¯s attention was the various types of creatures they saw in the hall.

    Some were akin to a snail, while some looked like a cheetah standing on its hind legs. These creatures all had a slight variations in their anatomy, and what surprised them was the number of humanoid species they encountered. However, despite looking like a human, these species did not seem to have anypassion in their hearts.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Did you all see? This is the state of indifference. If they passed by us and tried to sh your throats, we won¡¯t be able to defend ourselves.¡±

    His tone was solemn, but his eyes were calm. Shashi gulped and said, ¡°I did not expect this sort of event to be so tense.¡±

    Jane looked at the man with a faint sneer and asked, ¡°Did you expect thispetition to be a dance battle? Of course, it is tense. We like it.¡±

    The team replied in a low tone, ¡°Hoorah!!!¡±

    They did not say it loud in order not to embarrass themselves, and just to keep their spirits up. However, this scene still happened to be captured by a few people and they could not help but leer at the Terran contingent. The team was ready to spill blood when Valerian said in a deep voice, ¡°Do not give me a reason to kick you out. Simply kill them in thepetition.¡±

    The people calmed their rage and nodded to the young man. Shi Lang had given them permission to kill the opponents for embarrassing them. Then, they received their special tags and then moved to their rooms. The rooms were simple, a bed, a table, and a bathroom.

    They were all allowed to make minor changes to the ce. So, Shi Lang told them all about spiritual formation and they all arranged one in their room. They all sensed the faint spirit energy as soon as they came out of the spaceship. There were still a hundred and sixty-eight hours before thepetition started as the contenders from all over the gxy were being picked up and delivered here.

    They all slept with calm in their mind. OB-One was arranged to stay with Shi Lang in the same room, this guy did not need much space, he would silently stand in the corner if Shi Lang did not ask him to move. In the evening, Shashi visited them and they all came to the mess hall to have a meal.

    Steel looked around and found that the ce was bustling, he could not help but look at the representative and asked, ¡°Mr. Shashi, can you tell us, how many teams will there be in thispetition?¡±

    Shashi looked at him with a confused expression and he asked, ¡°Did you all not hear what they were telling you in the orientation?¡±

    They all looked away because they were ashamed to have put their minds into checking out what sort of amazing creatures lived in the gxy with them. Shi Lang did not say anything, after all, he was the same as them.

    Shashi sighed and said, ¡°There are five million species, who are members of the gctic council. Thepetition is divided into four tiers, A, B, C, and D. The tier we are ced in is tier D. The lowest as the other tiers can only be yed when you have earned enough points to qualify. The D tier is also the most violent tier. The death toll is highest in this level.¡±

    The team nodded and Steel asked, ¡°Then can you tell us, how many teams there are in the D tier?¡±

    Shashi replied, ¡°Ten thousand. Everyone will start with the lowest point zero. Your rank will be promoted based on how many rounds you win in each round and the two teams can select the mode of battle on their own.¡±

    Ryan nodded and said, ¡°This part, I heard. We can select from, Mecha battles, solo fights, or group battles. However, they will all be done real-time, thus the risk.¡±

    Shashi nodded in affirmation. Jane nced at Shi Lang and asked, ¡°Why did you not let us act against those people earlier? They do not prohibit fighting outside the ring.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and said, ¡°So do you want to flex the level of your skills? Do not forget, that all your actions represent the Federation and the Federal Army. If you all did anything that put stains on the colors. I will be the first one to lighten the burden on your shoulders. Endure till you get the chance to deal with them in the battle. Kill them for all I care. However, know this, you are not yet invincible, so be mindful of what you want to show to the people here.

    A battle is not won by fighting physically, you need to put your brain to work too.¡±

    That said, the dinner was finished and the people returned to their rooms.

 Chapter 274 Competition.

    The week passed quickly and the people were all given a notification about thepetition on theirmunicators. Shi Lang and the others came to the gathering hall and they found the ce swarming with heads of different kinds.

    They were looking at a big billboard in front of them, soon amotion began and ady, standing on the flying disc came over. Thisdy was a humanoid, she had blonde hair and scarlet lips, and her features were nothing less than enchanting. Everyone was facing her mesmerized. Shi Lang suddenly snorted, and his team woke up.

    He said, ¡°Do not look at her face. She is not to be messed with.¡±

    Ryan nodded and said, ¡°Sir, what was it that she did?¡±

    The rest of the team was also looking at him. Shi Lang said, ¡°Cover yourself with spiritual energy. You will know.¡±

    This method was protection and also one of the easiest methods to detect spiritual disturbance. Theyer over the body will interact with the spiritual energy in the void. Sure enough, after the team did what Shi Lang told them, they found the spiritual energy in the gathering hall was somewhat different. It seemed to be trembling.

    The team understood what was going on. Steel said, ¡°Indeed not to be messed with.¡±

    The rest nodded, and Lucas said, ¡°This method is very clever and handy. Jane, try to break it down?¡±

    Jane shook her head and said, ¡°It is no use to waste energy on these spiritual methods. Let us see, what she is about to say.¡±

    Lucas and the other technicians nodded in agreement. They all hade to understand that spiritual techniques cannot be broken down by just looking at them. However, Shi Lang said, ¡°What she is doing is called Spiritual resonating. She is not a cultivator. However, their civilization does have the skills to manipte the energy in the void.¡±

    The people nodded and they were enlightened, after all, Shi Lang was the most experienced among them. Just when the rest of the team also wanted to join the conversation. Thedy standing on the flying disc said, ¡°Hello, everyone. I am your host for, El. Wee to the Gctic Showdown.¡±

    Following her wee, the crowd cheered. The number of people was so much, that even a sparse cheer might give the illusion of loud noise. El did not ask them all to quiet down, but her disc hovered over the people. Thisdy was wearing a long dress and did not reveal much, but she was like a goddess, so hardly any male thought impure about her.

    El noticed the cheer calming down and said, ¡°We have a thousand groups. Theputer will arrange them at random and then the teams can select a mode of the fight before the battle begins.¡±

    Shashi was also standing with Shi Lang and the rest and said, ¡°I suggest that you choose an administrator battle, this way you will be able to reduce the death risk for the team.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°To be honest, I wish they choose the solo battle, I am itching to kill and cut people.¡±

    Shashi looked at him and realized that Shi Lang was not thinking about survival anymore. He was directly looking to kill people. He could not understand the sudden blood lust and the others were also looking at him.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Look around, everyone here is not to survive but to kill. Look at the eyes of these people. They all understand that survival among a horde of killers is only possible when you kill the person who stands in your way. This is not apetition but a trap. The gctic council had called us all over in the name of thispetition, letting us fight with each other.

    Do you think that any civilization, that is given a chance to gain some identity at a gctic level, whether it is the lowest among the lowest, will hesitate? Every person you see here is the best fighter of a civilization. These people all fight to the limits and they will not stop until they die.

    This way the gctic council higher table will be able to maintain its monopoly for a longer time. Death of the best team will harm the civilizations.¡±

    He finished speaking and the team immediately woke up from this lecture. They seemed to be overlooking the fact that this was a ce where they were nothing more than a bug that could be crushed easily. The insects fought for supremacy with much more ferocity than the sentinel creatures.

    El said, ¡°The results are ready. Yourmunicators will be delivered with the news soon. So, please do not waste time and initiate the tossing program on yourms and the winner can select the battle mode..¡±

    Her tone was calm and soft. She was leading the people to discuss faster so that she could go back to rest. These were simple tricks and the Federal Team was not bothered by them. They were all waiting for the opponent to appear first. If they appeared timid, they will be bullied, but if they pretended to be forced, they will not be able to face the onught, so it was better to remain cold and calm.

    After fifteen minutes, when El implored the people for the nth time. Shi Lang received a toss invitation. He smiled and selected tails. The program was quick and but the federal Team lost the toss. The opponent sent him a text, ¡°Will you be afraid if I came out with mechs?¡±

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°I don¡¯t really know what to say about the poking skills of the gctic civilizations. I mean look at this chump.¡±

    He showed the message to his team and the people smiled. He replied to the person, ¡°Pick whatever.¡±

    The other team thought that Shi Lang and the others were confident about beating them. So in the end they chose the administrator battle. The federal team sent five administrators and Shi Lang gave them only one instruction, ¡°You five have your own distinctive styles in fleet battles. We generals y with the games you design, so go there, and do what you do best, together.¡±

    They all felt fired up and said, ¡°Hoorah.¡±

    That said, the five administrators walked out of the gathering hall and they came to a simtion room. The rules were simple, destroy the enemy fleet and reduce theirbat efficiency by fifty percent and you win. If the enemy still does not give up you can erase them. However, this will lead the losing party to death.

    The motto was to make people know their limits. Either they will lose with pride or they will die with stupidity. You cannot thrive on being too prideful. This ce had a staggering five hundred room simtion arena, one room for two teams. The federal team found their room and took their seats. The rest of the teammates were asked to wait outside. They could watch the war progress on the screens outside.

    The federal team stood wearing ck suits, they had to change the color so they do not look too shy, only Shi Lang was the one wearing a red suit. He leaned against the wall with his hands crossed against the chest. On the surface, he looked calm, but in his heart, he wished that if the team could not win then they surrender. The training in the past did not make the team stronger on a physical level, but also on a mental level.

    The skills they practiced in the simtion realm ranged from battle skills to fleet battles and stuff. The rest of the team looked at a group standing opposite them. They were also dressed in a tactical suits but the design was different. The group of people looked very lean and timidpared to the federal team.

    They could not look them back in the eye. Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not intimidate them too much. They havee here with effort, but they are just nervous. Shashi, after the battle, goes exchange feelings with them.¡±

    Shashi shivered and asked, ¡°General, why do your words make me feel like I am a gigolo?¡±

    Jane shrugged and said, ¡°Representative Shashi, who asked you to have a little face that is too white?¡±

    The rest of the teamughed while Shashi clenched his jaws. He was getting irked by these kids. All they did was bully him. Shi Lang said, ¡°The battle started.¡±

    On the screen, the scenario of the battle was disyed. Jane asked, ¡°They selected the first fleet as a model.¡±

    The rest also recognized the ships from the first fleet. They all looked at the man leaning against the wall, and then back at the screen. Ryan said, ¡°The enemy looks strong.¡±

    Steel nodded and Lucas said, ¡°They have the technology level simr to us. But theyck one aspect.¡±

    The rest nodded, the aspect was spiritual energy incorporated into the ships.

 Chapter 275 Hustle.

    The people outside the room looked at the screens. The strength of the fleets they were given to fight within the simtion war did not exceed five thousand. Each administrator wasmanding a thousand ships at the same time.

    The screen disyed the scene as the two sides faced each other in space. The battle began with a beep sound. The federal team moved quickly, but surprisingly they had ced their five biggest ships in a pentagon formation with a meticulous arrangement of the smaller attack ships.

    The ships were arranged quickly, but the other side focused on the center of the pentagon, which seemed to be weaker than the rest of the formation. Shi Lang peeked at the screen and understood what was going to happen so he closed his eyes again.

    The rest of the team kept looking at the screen but they did not say anything and watched the proceedings calmly. The technician team also understood what was going on, and they would cast a gaze on what was happening with the enemy team.

    The enemy team did not arrange their formation, they concentrated their canons at the center of the formation and began to fire. This was a logical choice, after all, the phaser shields of the smaller ships were weaker, and a pentagon would leave a great weakness in the middle of the formation despite covering arger area.

    The federal team, however, was going to defy this logic. They assumed this formation because they wanted to lure the enemy into targeting their weak part, Meanwhile, they initiated the spirit formation engraved in the ships. The effect was a spirit shield, that was strongest at the center of the pentagon. The next step was to counter the attacks they all faced.

    The enemy was targeting and attacking while still resembling a swarming mess of spaceships. The administrators of the federal team used thebined firepower of the five warships. They did not target the defensive units in the enemy fleet but the attacking units.

    They used a philosophy here, by crippling the attacking hands, they will be able to defend themselves better and at the same time, enter a battle of attrition. Thebined attacks made it easier for them to take down the attacking vessels.

    By the time the enemy found what was even happening they were down by ten percent of their firepower. Shi Lang could tell the result as the team was whispering to each other loudly enough for him to hear. He could not help but sigh, Ryan beside him shivered at this sudden sigh, he did not understand if the boss was energy and disappointed at the slow actions of the administrators.

    The enemy had begun to guard the attacking ships even more rigorously. They were not fools to not understand the goal of the Federal team. However, this understanding will help them gain nothing. The federal team was ruthless. Since the defense of the enemy has shifted, they had begun to target the other loopholes in the swarm.

    The quick and straight attacking policy hade to fail at this point. The onught was ruthless, and in just a few moments, the enemy was down by twenty percent.

    The progress rate had dropped and the federal team had taken five percent damage. Then the federal team decided to do something even more surprising. They had all the ships fire together at one ship. This sort of attack directly destroyed a ship.

    They followed this pattern and after ten minutes, the enemy has lost forty percent of the ship and the number was still climbing. The federal team had taken only fifteen percent damage and still stood strong. The damage was lingering around the warships, which had also weakened the defense formation.

    However, it was still strong enough to hold on to the enemy and the federation team rushed the attacks. They had been quick in their actions and targeted the most crucial ships in the swarm, choking the enemy into suffocation.

    In a total time of twenty minutes, the battle was decided, the federal team hade out victorious and the enemy had surrendered. Just as the teams came out of the room after exchanging a look of sportsmanship. Shashi got to his job and moved over to talk to his counterpart.

    One had to agree that this man was really efficient. The other party had left him ways to contact and promised that they will send their team to the federation for a mutual exchange. Shashi had shamelessly given them an example of the Neomonian alliance.

    Shi Lang and the team went back to the gathering hall where El congratted the winners of the battles and told them to wait for the other teams and then the battles will carry on.

    In one day, the federal team fought three battles, and by the time they were done, only two hundred and fifty teams remained. They had to y one squad battle, with five-on-five people on the ground. In this round, the frontal assault team overwhelmed the enemy and killed them when the enemy put on up a desperate struggle.

    Thest was a mecha battle, where Shi Lang tookmand of the mecha and dealt with the contender of the other side. They had decided to stage apetition between the captains of the teams and the winner will proceed. It was an arrangement to save the lives of theirrades and thus Shi Lang defeated the other person by leaving his mecha useless.

    He spared the other party and shook hands with him in the end. Shashi had been busy socializing with the people they beat. He did not expect for his task to be so heavy during thepetition. In his vision, although Shi Lang was strong, he was alone, and the team would probably leave after a couple of rounds.

    Yet, sometimes it felt good to be proven wrong. Shi Lang and the team made a stop to the mess hall and after filling their stomachs to the brim they came back to their rooms. The technician team was left to repair the mecha used in the battle, as even if Shi Lang had defeated the opponent, his mecha did not take light damage.

    When Shi Lang entered the room, he found OB-One sitting in front of aputer. He thought that the bot was quite dedicated. He asked with a faint smile, ¡°OB-One, any progress?¡±

    The bot turned his head to look right at Shi Lang and said, ¡°Sir, if not for the fact that I am a machine, I would have liked to cry.¡±

    Shi Lang was unable to hold back hisughter and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    OB-One was not a bot that disyed human-like emotions. This sudden sentence in a mechanical tone was really funny. The bot said, ¡°Sire, I have been trying to look into the technical aspects in this ce just like you said, and I have downloaded and broken down a lot of things, but they did not even amount to one percent of the knowledge in this ce. I feel like I am nothing better than a tin can.¡±

    Shi Langughed hard at this, he did not expect this bot to have such a side. The all-knowing OB-One had this day. He fell to the bed whileughing. After a few moments, he said, ¡°OB-One, it is enough to have found the things that you did. You can find manuals and journals regarding technology and learn from them. Your learning capability is definitely better than a human so, go out, explore this ce, and make an imprint of those books. Though do take Shashi¡¯s advice first, he knows this ce better.¡±

    The bot nodded and after epting the task, it left the room and went looking for Shashi. Shi Lang meanwhile sent a progress report to the federation and sent a message to Amelia regarding his safety and trivia. The gctic council had transponders spread throughout space, and they all acted like rys.

    The speed of message transmission was quite fast. The next day was an off, for the candidates to rest and recover. Shi Lang took this day to explore and aid. He went to the holding bay, where the mechas were stored, and found the technician team working their ass off. He did not say much and put on a jumpsuit before he jumped into work.

    The efficiency of the people increased and Shi Lang also got to learn about the advanced changes in mecha technology. His abilities did not shock Lucas and Jane, but the others were left stumped. They did not expect this demon to be so good at his work. At this moment, he was holding a sma welder in his hand and connecting the shell on the torso of the mecha. Every movement was smooth and stable.

    Jane whistled and said, ¡°Lang, you should have entered research, it would have boosted the level of our tech by at least one point.¡±

    Shi Lang replied without raising his head, ¡°me Jenks for triggering my rage. Bastard led me astray, though I do not mind it now either.¡±

    Lucas clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Do you think we did not know, how you yearned for battles? Show-boat.¡±

    Just when they were bantering, themunicator on Shi Lang¡¯s wrist buzzed and he froze.

 Chapter 276 Anxiety/ Excitement.

    Shi Lang nced at the content of the message and then he froze. The others caught the change in his expressions and Lucas asked carefully, ¡°What is it? Is everything okay?¡±

    The young man did not reply, he was still frozen. Jane ran out of her patience and quickly came to his side. She nced at themunicator from over his shoulder and asked, ¡°Is this serious?¡±

    Shi Lang, stuck in a daze nodded, and suddenly he sensed pain at the back of his head. Jane looked at him with eyes wide open and said, ¡°What are you fucking dazing out for, you need to check what is going on.¡±

    Shi Lang had no other options and nodded his head like a mechanical chicken. He was simply not able to digest this thing. He dropped the welding can from his hand and then he rushed back to his room.

    Lucas asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I am going to check something first and then I will tell you what is happening.¡±, that said, the young man rushed back to his room.

    Shi Lang was quickly running through the crowd, whizzing past the people, and when he reached his room. He looked at OB-One and asked, ¡°Did you confirm what was going on?¡±

    The bot nodded to him and said, ¡°The news is confirmed. The jade chips have manifested a primary spirit.¡±

    Shi Lang has dazed again and then he fell down on his bed. He sighed. The earlier text came from the bot. These days Shi Lang had asked the bot to check if the behavior recorded in the suits can be used to influence the spirit data recorded in the jade chips. This was not something that they had done before.

    The mechanical data in form of spirit data was not a simple thing. They did not have any prior knowledge. However, yesterday when Shing found El using a technique to manipte the behavior of the people, he gave this hint to OB-One, and finally, they seeded. The bot was capable of manipting spirit energy without being able to cultivate it.

    The jade chip manifested a primary spirit that will be able to have some reflex reactions if sent to battle because of the data used to create it. Shi Lang was happy and asked, ¡°Where are the chips?¡±

    OB-One said, ¡°Here, Sire.¡±

    The bot pointed at a box filled with ten jade chips. Shi Lang nodded and took the box. He said, ¡°Come over, we need to connect it to the mecha brain center. The others do not understand this process.¡±

    OB-One nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sire.¡±

    The two people came back to the mecha bay and found a group of people standing in front of the tech team. Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and walking closer he asked, ¡°Jane what is it?¡±

    Jane replied, ¡°These people said that their mechas were damaged too much in the battle yesterday and they needed some parts.¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders, and looking at the man in front of him, she said, ¡°Our leader is here, please consult him over this thing.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and passed the box to OB-One before walking over, and he said, ¡°Go prepare the slots.¡±

    The bot nodded and then walked around with the rest of the team. They definitely threw Shi Lang under the bus, and have him face a group of alien humanoids. Shi Lang stood in front of the people and asked, ¡°I do not know whether you can understand mynguage or not, but can you tell me what is the matter?¡±

    The aliens in front of him looked a bit paler but they were all extremely closer to Terrans. They also had anguage, and the man replied, ¡°Sir, we can understand you. We are the natives of the Estixa empire. Yesterday in the battle our mechas were a bit too damaged and one of themcked a joint coupling. The part we use is not avable on the market, and we noticed that your mechas are the closest to our design, if you can lend them to us, then we will be grateful.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Why did you not bring a few more with you?¡±

    The man was embarrassed and he red at a timid-looking girl on the side. He said, ¡°Sir, this is Erma, she was responsible for that mecha, but she forgot to make an inventory log. All ten of our mechas are different from each other.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, ¡°Are they based on the personality of your pilots?¡±

    The aliens were surprised and they nodded. Shi Lang sighed, ¡°I am impressed. You know I also wanted to design a specific mecha, but some dreamse trueter than necessary. Well, you can take the coupler.¡±

    The young general turned around and hollered, ¡°Lucas! Give this man a coupler.¡±

    Then he turned around and said, ¡°You can collect the coupler, I wish you all the best. Please forgive me, but I have a few things to deal with.¡±

    The other party nodded, and said, ¡°My name is Walton. I am the leader of the Estixa team. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Shi Lang gave a little self-introduction before he walked away. Lucas then handed the people the part they needed and they began to work.

    Matthew suddenly asked, ¡°Boss, did you not give them that part a bit too easily?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°They were shivering from fear. I feared they might have died if I had said anything more. Another thing was that these people had swallowed their pride toe to an opponent team, and they were sincere. We are Terrans, we value virtue.¡±

    The mood suddenly became solemn. OB-One said, ¡°Sire, things are ready.¡±

    They began to install the jade chips to the mechas.

    ¡­

    Walton and his team hade to their mecha bay, and they all slumped on the ground. Theposure they were maintaining earlier suddenly crumbled. They were so scared that they were panting and shivering. The frontal forces of their team were waiting for them, when they saw this scene they were simply shocked.

    They ran over and asked, ¡°Captain, what happened? Did they do something overboard?¡±

    Walton shook his head, as the captain, his mental fortitude was better, he was not as shaken as the rest of the people. He said, ¡°They gave us the part with ease, but the aura from each one of them was horrible. Imagine one of those old relics standing in front of us, it was just like that. If we meet them in thepetition, choose the warship face off, and move away.¡±

    Although the team found it hard to believe the technician team and their leader were currently slumped on the floor. Erma said, ¡°If you face their leader, you might get away, if he is in the mood, but do not trust it for a second, he will not stand for you to push him too much. His crimson eyes, seem to be filled with blood.¡±

    The team agreed and after calming down they all began to pay attention to their work.

    ¡­

    The next day, all the two hundred and fifty teams were gathered in the hall again, and El was hovering over their heads on a disc. However, she was wearing a dress that could excite all the humanoids in the hall. She said in her charming voice, ¡°Hello friends, today we continue topete with each other, but today the teams can only have ground battles with each other. You have to be prepared. I wish you all the best. However, if the toss-winning teams are willing to give up the ranks points they have won yesterday, they will be able to select the mode on their own.¡±

    That said, theputer began to arrange names, and Shi Lang said, ¡°They have barred us from selecting the battle mode. Fine then, let us go and deal with it.¡±

    The team nodded and soon the federal team was paired and they won the toss. This toss allowed them to choose a map setting of their own desire. Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do we choose?¡±

    Jane said, ¡°Anything that can top the Tartarus?¡±

    The rest of the people trembled and Shing said, ¡°I will not be revealing that to the gxy. Be sensible. Tell me your abilities and the catch behind them, then we will set the map ordingly.¡±

    The team reported things to him with utmost trust. Shi Lang thought and said, ¡°We can fight in the forest and set diversions and distractions for the enemy using these abilities. What do you say?¡±

    The people nodded and they all agreed, the map was settled and Shi Lang was eager to fight with people. They were given ten minutes to get ready, and the young man changed his sword to a narrow and shorter de, it looked like a long sword. The prep was done and Shi Lang asked, ¡®Ready?¡±

    ¡°Hoorah!¡± said the team.

 Chapter 277 Guerrilla Tactics.

    Shi Lang and the rest geared up and they came to the ce where the matches were held. This may be man-made, but the people had created sections with greens and woods. They also created small forests. These ces will be tended after and focused to maintain their state. That was not all, but even the beasts from all over the gxy, that could live in this environment could be found.

    The Terran team was dropped in the zone from two choppers, they were all carrying their spirit weapons and battle suits, looking valiant and alert. However, they did not radiate any aura from their bodies. The enemy team was also dropped in the same area, but from another location but with a difference of a few minutes.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I want two snipers, and two squads, with four people each, we will follow the diamond formation.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded and they all moved. The snipers had taken out their phaser guns and taken cover in the canopy of the trees. As theyy in their positions, the illusion array on their suits was started and turned invisible to all sensors and probes.

    The rest of the team moved through the forest and they quietly hid. The rules of the battle were simple, they had to finish the battle in half an hour, and it was up to them whether they wished to kill the other party or stun them.

    Shi Lang had set the primary attack of the rifles to be on stun, but if the enemy used live fire then he will not hesitate either. The first team had Shi Lang, Martha, Krute, and Sophia. They had the ability to control the wooden element slightly, spection, and recovery respectively.

    The other team was led by Steel, and beside him were Ryan, Jack, and Carlos. They had the ability to harden, speed, observe, and sound imitation, respectively. The two snipers were James, and Olivia, they both had optical abilities and while James was able to discern between thermal temperatures, Olivia was able to look past obstacles.

    The team was set and they were about to enter battle, theirmunicator received themencement notification and the countdown for thirty minutes also began. The teams hid very carefully and they entered a stalemate. Shi Lang waited for five minutes before he ryed a message on his visorm device.

    ¡°Ryan, can you y bait? I will give you cover.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    The young man epted the task and Shi Lang gave him a direction on how to run and where to run. The area of the battle was limited to save some time for both teams. They had a hundred and twenty-five duels set for today, how can they give them much time and area to upy? Thus the battle was to be held within the range of ten square kilometers.

    Ryan began to run around the designated region and he was leaving after images for the enemy to deal with. What was even more, his path trajectory was not straight or predictable. The opponent was a team with not much confidence, they had lost three members yesterday, and today it seemed to be their time.

    Shi Lang had given his team the key already, and at this moment, they all looked nothing less than a mannequin. They all held weapons in their hands and their eyes were trained on the surrounding area. They could all sense the movement of the beasts in the forest. This was their level of understanding of the surroundings.

    Just when they were getting lost in thoughts Ryan sent over the news, ¡°Sir, target located, they are hiding, seemingly waiting for our movement.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Do not engage the enemy alone, we are moving over to your side.¡±

    That said, the people moved. They were all using illusion arrays on their suits. The movement and the sound were covered by them with ease. Soon, they reached the designated ce tomence the attack. Shi Lang said, ¡°They do not seem to have much spirit, just stun and let them sleep.¡±

    The team agreed, and soon they located the targets. Shi Lang and the rest took aim from behind the trees and were about to shoot when the snipers spoke up, ¡°Boss, it is a trap. The actual enemy is still hiding at the location ten meters away, they have used holographic projections and left fakes to lure us.¡±

    Shi Lang and said, ¡°Seems like we are not the only ones thinking about using our brains to win. Well, finish first?¡±

    The team nodded and they took positions after moving in a long roundabout manner and assumed nk positions. Shi Lang had been holding the team back from using their abilities, he did not want to reveal them so early in thepetition. He confirmed that the enemy was in sight and they attacked with the phaser stuns.

    The opposite side did not put even the slightest bit of struggle, it was as if they were facing corpses. After all the seven people were stunned, Shi Lang and the rest received a notification that the match has ended and they were the winners. The Terrans were not satisfied with this result. Even if they won, it did not bring them joy.

    Shi Lang found the opposing team after the match and found them all sitting in the lounge with dazed eyes. He walked over, and said to the humanoid with no hair on his face, ¡°Are you satisfied with this battle?¡±

    The person looked up at Shi Lang¡¯s visage and could not act, the young general said, ¡°I am the leader of the team you just faced. After the match ended I realized that I am not happy with the battle or the result. Do you know why?¡±

    He was using the gcticmunicator that everyone uses here, Shashi bought a few for them. Shi Lang noticed that he has captured the attention of the people and said, ¡°You all represented your civilization here, your teammates died trying to get you ahead and your civilization a better future, but you all, disappointing.

    Do you think that you would have done a great deed if you were to be killed by us today? Such shameful behavior, I wonder why they allowed you to evene here?¡±

    That said Shi Lang walked away, his purpose was to tell the people that what they have done was not as simple as a suicide attempt but also, shamed the efforts of their entire team. This burden was even greater than the deaths of theirrades. They only realized now that they have let their emotions get the better of them.

    Shi Lang moved back to the gathering hall to watch the matches of the other teams. He sat down on a chair, without caring about the guy sitting next to him. The other party noticed him but did not say anything, they were gazing at the screens levitating in the void. From time to time, Shi Lang would make a few expressions, then he would manipte hismunicator.

    He was analyzing the matches in front of him, the gathering hall was emptier as all the teams were engaged in matches. Suddenly, he heard a crisp voice, ¡°Leader, would you like to eat something?¡±

    It just so happened that Jane walked over to him, and stood up in front of him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, ¡°I knew you would be here, what is wrong with yourmunicator, can you not receive messages? The team is going nuts with hunger and here you are analyzing. Come, fill up.¡±

    Shi Lang covered his face with his palm and asked, ¡°Janey, anyhow I am your superior officer, can you not give me some face?¡±

    Jane raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°Where did you get this desire from? Come.¡±

    Then she came forward held his hand and dragged him to the dining area. Shi Lang was reluctant but he did not say anything. The people next to him were shocked. They did not expect a subordinate to have such behavior toward their leader. The junior could not help but mumble, ¡°Thatdy sure is gutsy.¡±

    The man on the chair nodded and said, ¡°They can survive till now, meaning they do have some skill. Find out more about them. That man just now, he made me feel uneasy.¡±

    The junior was surprised but he did not know, when Shi Lang hade to sit down on the chair next to his leader, thetter had let out a tint of killing intent and Shi Lang simply let him do it, sitting nonchntly. The unease was born from the indifference of the Terran. Shing knew very well, that he was being targeted, but if he was to react, he would be revealing his level to the person, this indifference would leave some room for ambiguity and the other party will keep thinking about his motive.

    Thoughts lead to chaos. Thispetition was not only being fought on a physical level but on a deeper mental level as well.

 Chapter 278 Battle Royale.

    Shi Lang returned to his team and had a hearty meal. Later when he went back to his room, he found OB-One watching a few videos of the battles on the holo-screen in front of him. The young man asked, ¡°What are you doing? OB-One.¡±

    The bot replied, ¡°Sire, I found that you were analyzing the battles in thepetition to get a better understanding of the potential opponents. However, a significant number of teams gave in to mental pressure. While some met graceful opponents like you, some were dealt a cruel hand.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and when he looked at the reports, he found that the people were so vicious, that they left their opponents in form of mangled corpses. He wished that he met with these people and then he could get rid of the scourge.

    It was not that Shi Lang was suddenly feeling like a savior of justice, but he was being emotional. The other party facing them represented the will and courage of an entire civilization, so they deserved respect, and he, who thought one should treat others the way they wished to be treated, was indignant.

    He calmed down and sat on his bed. He said, ¡°We have one hundred and twenty-five teams left. If we divide it by two then the further division will not fit, so I have a wild hunt that in the next round they will do something different.¡±

    OB-One nodded and said, ¡°I essed the old records and this is what I discovered, Sire.¡±

    He manipted the screen and the details came out. Shi Lang leaned forward to read with ease and he found that his hunch was correct. He called his team and informed the people quickly. The purpose was to stay ready in case the historical data was correct.

    After a brief meeting and strategy nning, the Terrans went back to their rooms and immersed themselves in meditation. They needed to be at their peaks if they were to get out of what they expected to happen tomorrow. None of them was able to calm down in the true sense.

    The next morning, the people got up, cleaned themselves, and then they met in the corridor before heading to the mess hall together. After a light breakfast, they moved to the gathering hall. A lot of murmurs were audible today, James said, ¡°Boss, look there.¡±

    The man pointed with his chin and Shi Lang lined up his gaze and found a screen levitating in the void, it said, ¡®five-way fight¡¯

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Looks like we are in for a round of battle royale.¡±

    The team nodded and the mood grew solemn. Just as the rest of the people were talking, El made an appearance on her levitating disc and said, ¡°Hello friends, today we have a slight twist in the game. Today you all will be pitted against not one, not two, but four teams at the same time. The rules are the same like the past, but since there are more teams to fight with, the time limit is upped.

    You will have two hours and thirty minutes to deal with the round. There are other rules to prevent you all from dampening the spirits, no team can collectively stay stationary. A discement of seven meters is necessary.¡±

    Shi Lang whispered, ¡°She is talking as if we are some clowns for her entertainment, ¡®dampening spirits¡¯, why not try and swap ces.¡±

    During this whole time, his eyes were locked on El, but he did not radiate any emotion or thought in his mind, thus thetter was unable to detect it. This was their true skill, even when expressing his annoyance, the emotions were in check.

    Jane smiled and said, ¡°Calm down, why bother over it? Did you not say once that the world is filled with twisted people? Think of her as one of those people.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the gathering progressed, after half an hour of chatter, the rules were summarized as: People cannot use poison or bio-chemical weapons. The team with the highest number of people alive will win in the end.

    The federal team was aware of these rules, and they were not shocked. They have made sufficient strategies to face these rules. They were exactly simr to the ones in the past. In the end, they were all allotted a number of arenas where they will meet their opponents and enemies.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the frontal force moved to the dressing room, picked up their gear, and put it on. Shi Lang was wearing a red suit with ck streaks while the rest of the team wore a ck suit with red streaks.

    They carried their phaser guns in front of them while the spirit weapons were tied to their backs. The fighting will be quick, and distance will be a quick factor in this battle. The tech team and the administrators came to see them off, and they all spoke in unison, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    The frontal forces replied with a simple nod. They all walked away, watching their backs, Jane asked, ¡°You know, the people in the tech teams all over the federal army do not like this greeting. I have always wondered why.¡±

    The people nodded when a slightly older man spoke up, ¡°There is a legend. It is said that when the federal army had just been founded, the president asked them to go and capture mars as soon as possible. The Fleet general replied that they will do things at the fastest speed possible.

    The fleets departed and they established a firm base on mars within three months. The president was overjoyed and said that the speed of the military was the speed of god, and even though they faced a lot of danger, they all were safe.

    The tech team was that god, if not for their guidance, the military blokes might still be stuck at terra-forming stages. However, the credit was hogged over by them, and the Tech-Mech rift was created. Thus, the tech teams do not like this greeting.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded in understanding. They have learned something new today.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the frontal team were headed to a chopper that took them to the so-called arena number twenty. The battles today were to be yed in twenty-five locations designated as arenas. Each one of these arenas was as big as twenty kilometers. However, the environment was random.

    The chopper took them above the bustling city, and after a couple of hours, they reached their destination. A member of the gctic council staff, let¡¯s call him minion, for the time being, said, ¡°You can dive.¡±

    Shi Lang and the rest did not even ask him anything and they all dived. The team noticed that themunicator had turned green, this meant that the battle had begun.

    Ryan said in the dive, while they were still in dive, ¡°Boss, tango, two o¡¯clock.¡±

    The rest of the team turned their bodies in the void and located the team. Shi Lang said, ¡°Use the front thrusters now, dy the fall. Then move over to line up with them. The battle has begun, we take them now.¡±

    The people were surprised but they did not hesitate and themand was executed. The front thrusters on the suits of the ten people went off together, and the counter-thruststed for more than two seconds, this dyed their falls. The next thing they did shock a lot of people keeping an eye on thispetition.

    They all angled their bodies to move in the void and quickly lined up above the tangoes spotted. Shi Lang did not take out the gun, but a curved karambit knife, and dived after locking on to a target.

    The rest of the team also followed him and they locked on to the ten people below. Shi Lang said, ¡°Stun.¡±

    This was themand, meaning they will only stun the enemy and not kill them. Their knives wereced with a paralyzing agent. The team below sensed that something was wrong, and just as they managed to turn their bodies around, they found red and ck shadowsing at them.

    However, this discovery gave them no advantage and they were dealt with in a blink. Shi Lang and the rest just touched the blunt side of their knives against the people, and they could tell the attack was a sess from their panicking expressions.

    Shi Lang was still kind enough to scan their suits with his visor and pull the chute cord on the back. The dive raid was a sess, and after a few moments when the federal teamnded, they rolled on the ground and quickly ran into the woods.

    ¡­

    While the team finished attacking, they did not know that outside, the part of the gxy that was paying attention to their match erupted in chaos. The representative of the losing side used the federation of breaking the rules to which, Shashi replied, ¡°The battle started the moment they all jumped out of those choppers. Not everyone in the gxy is ignorant about the swift changes.¡±

    That was right, the battle had begun.

 Chapter 279 Breaking The Norms.

    The federal teamnded on the ground and they all rushed away from the spot. As they were running, Shi Langmanded, ¡°Ryan, deploy detection probes. James set up sensory formations.¡±

    In the past days, they had all received various sorts of training in the simtion realm, James had shown good aptitude in the subject of array formation. Thus, he learned how to cast spirit arrays. After hearing themand, the two people broke away from the team and began to execute the orders.

    Ryan was deploying detection probes, a device that looked like metal beads, as big as a ball bearing. He was dropping them every fifty meters while running in a circle. Shi Lang and all have decided to cover up an area of two kilometers.

    The two people were doing just that. Althoughpared to Ryan, James was moving at a much slower pace, his task was delicate as well.

    He was carving circles and patterns on the trees. Then he would drill out the center of the circle, and insert a tiny spirit stone inside it. Spirit stones were the crystallized spiritual energy, so the stone could be divided and it will still retain the energy inside it.

    James carved the formations and Shi Lang led the team to the center of their decided area. While they were in the air, he hadmanded theputer in his suit to highlight two kilometers and to notify him when they arrive at the mid-point.

    He did not select the area at the point of deployment because they were at the border of the zone. They could not move around much in those shallow trees. The system beeped and they all stopped abruptly. The performance of the federal team was akin to a bot unit. They were not wasting a single moment.

    ¡­

    Outside the arena, the people were still wondering how this team was so fast and decisive, they even took down a team in mid-air. A few people had even tagged the federal team as the underdogs. They all searched for details of this team quickly.

    The attitude of the federal team, to bepassionate towards their opponents was a rarely witnessed one, and thus they be even more famous. The tech team and the administrators were watching the proceeding fight in the gathering hall, with indifferent faces.

    They did not pay attention to the news circting outside but focused on their team. Suddenly, a boy walked over, Jane looked at the boy and asked, ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡±

    She was using the gctic trantor and the boy was surprised. He regained hisposure as the rest of the team slowly focused their gazes on him, and the boy asked, ¡°Can I take a picture with you all?¡±

    The federal team was surprised and they scrutinized the boy deeply. Their actions made the boy shiver and think that he might have offended them, and just as he was about to apologize, he heard a calm and gentle voice, ¡°Can you tell us, why you wish to click a picture with us?¡±

    The boy was dressed in the uniform of the gctic council staff and they could tell that he was one of the people responsible for little things here. He nodded and said with a stammer, ¡°Sir¡­ that you might not know, but your team is very popr and I wanted to click a picture with you all so that I can show it to my friends.¡±

    Matthews opened his eyes wide and asked, ¡°We are popr? Who says so?¡±

    The boy found that these fierce people were not actually fierce, so he turned hismunicator to public mode and showed them the news feed. It was filled with the news of the federal team. The ten people felt very ttered by this, but it was just a fleeting moment. Jane said, ¡°Calm down, do not falter.¡±

    Lucas gazed at her, and asked, ¡°Wife, do you not like vanity anymore?¡±

    Jane rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I do, but this amount is not going to satisfy my greed for it. Now, take a picture, and go back to the rooms, Lang will be pissed if we put up airs.¡±

    The team nodded, clicked the picture with the boy, and then left the ce quickly, they really did not want to attract attention and they could watch the battle telecast inside their rooms.

    The technical teams were needed for the mecha rounds and repair work, while they could also act like substitutes in the battles. As for the administrators, they were the trumps to save lives in the initial rounds.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the team stood in the center of the marked area and James and Ryan regrouped with them. The young general said, ¡°Four sentries, two patrols, and one rapid response team. Move.¡±

    The words were concise and the team acted quickly. The four big trees became the nests for James, Olivia, Krute, and Martha.

    Steel teamed up with Sophia for patrol, the second team was Jack and Carlos. Ryan was left with Shi Lang. The former was feeling very excited to have a chance to fight side by side with his leader. However, more than joy, he was anxious, because Shi Lang was a tank and he was a pistol.

    They all were moving at regr intervals to avoid getting disqualified for breaking rules. After an hour Shi Lang said, ¡°I will go out.¡±

    This shocked the whole team. They could not understand why the general passed such amand. Shi Lang said, ¡°I am just getting too bored.¡±

    The rest of the team was rendered speechless. Ryan said, ¡°If only we knew how the people are proceeding outside.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded, and suddenly, Martha said, ¡°Boss, movement spotted, five men team, rushing in quickly, they have heavy weapons, will break through the sensory range in two minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Rest stay the same, Ryan on me.¡±

    Ryan replied, ¡°Hoorah.¡±

    ¡­

    Five people were rushing towards the zone, and they could be heard talking with each other, ¡°That team is camping here, if not for the thermal scans we would have missed them.¡±

    Another person said, ¡°They are six, and we are five. They outnumber us.¡±

    ¡°It is just one more than us, do not doubt yourself. We are about to reach them, get ready.¡±, said the man in the lead.

    Suddenly, the group came to a stop, in front of them stood two men with suits and a visor on their faces. The leader did not waste time and said, ¡°Fire.¡±

    The motive was simple, they would kill the enemy without wasting any time, what were these two thinking abouting over to intercept them? This team had deployed sky drones, to detect the enemy. They thought a group of six people was camping there, but they could not see the snipers through the illusion array¡¯s

    It can be said that the body will still emit heat, but with ayer of spirit energy wrapping around them, it could bypass the clutches of technology.

    The team raised their guns and fired phaser beams at the two in front of them, but Shi Lang and Ryan both vanished from their sights. However, the phaser beams were still fired as this team could still manage to track the activity of the two.

    As they moved at high-speed, Shi Lang and Ryan left some signs on the ground and that gave this group a chance to keep up. Well, they were good, but if they knew that the signs were left there deliberately to attract their attention, what would they do? In the meantime, the snipers had all taken position and their muzzles were aiming at four different men from the enemy team.

    Shi Lang was not a fool to go and take down the five people alone even if he could, that would attract too much attention, so he suppressed his excitement and yed bait with Ryan.

    As the two people moved behind the group of five people, and the enemy exposed their backs to the snipers, Shi Lang said, ¡°Fire.¡±

    They had expected this team to have taken some precaution against sneak attacks, but they had overestimated the enemy. The four shots hit the targets cleanly, and the captain was stunned, which caused him tog for a moment. He wanted to roll down on the ground, but just when he jumped, and bent his body, a phaser beam went through his head.

    Shi Lang fired the final shot. He did not showpassion to this group, they had targeted them with live fire, and he was not a fool to y a goody two shoes. He already knew that his previous mercy made the people think they were innocent, well, time to break the norms.

    At this moment, a message sounded in thems, ¡°Parameter breach on the western side.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°All teams defend, we will nk. Ryan lets go.¡±

 Chapter 280 Counter

    Chapter 280 Counter

    Shi Lang passed themand and then he moved ahead with Ryan. The attack on the western side was possibly a chance that the other party exploited when the Terrans were busy dealing with the sudden raid. The young general did not dare to think lowly of the iing party and thus ordered everyone to defend and attack.

    He personally took Ryan with him to move around the parameter, through the northern side, and then intercept the enemy from a nking position. The other party must have known about them, so Shi Lang said, ¡°Everyone, initiate your illusion arrays. This attack does not seem to be easy, do not expose yourselves until it is necessary.¡±

    He was not an rmist, but this was his cautious behavior that has kept his team safe till now. He was not going to send them to their deaths for the sake of glory and heroism. Even if he must act in a cowardly manner, he would not hesitate.

    ¡­

    Steel and Sophia were on the ground and with Jack and Carlos being the support, while the four sentries quickly changed positions and were now camping for the target. Soon, their wishes came true.

    James said, ¡°Tangos spotted, eight targets. They seem to be equipped with offensive gear. Be mindful.¡±

    The ground teams nodded, and they all took cover quickly. There was no movement and only eerie silence in the ce. It was right before the storm started. They now had sixty minutes to deal with this team and finish the round.

    Out of four teams deployed in the same region, they had met three now, and given the time passed, it was highly likely that the fifth team has been dealt with the other parties. The confrontation did not go smoothly, this could be judged by the smoking marks on the suits of the enemy and the patchwork of their medics seemed to be obvious.

    Martha asked, ¡°Why would an assault team bring along a medic?¡±

    Steel replied while he leaned against a stone, ¡°They are typical ambushers. They ambush people when they are distracted. This tactic is used in three-way battles. This is a battle royale, if you do not exploit the opportunity when two teams are in confrontation, your chances of getting caught unprepared are high. However, ambushing has a high risk, because the two parties can give up fighting and unite against you. Thus, the medic, to patch up minor injuries.¡±

    The team was enlightened. Martha said, ¡°Captain, they are setting up a mortar over there.¡±

    Her tone was not calm. Anyone would fluster at this point. The enemy was using a mortar, as cultivators they did not have to worry about basic hot weapons that were used in the past, but most of the gctic council members use phaser tech. This mortar was the same, one payload from it could leave a big area barren.

    Steel passed the message to Shi Lang who was about to reach the nking position.

    ¡­

    Ryan was following Shi Lang, who suddenly said, ¡°Your ability will allow you to move faster. Go and sabotage the mortar. Fire a shot and aim for the tube. How dare they target my team.¡±

    The young lieutenant was shocked at the murderous aura he sensed from the man, but he did not say anything and just moved ahead at a faster speed. With his ability, Ryan was faster than Shi Lang. Thus, he quickly vanished from the sight of thetter.

    Shi Lang told Steel and the others to pay attention to Ryan¡¯s arrival and then support him if needed. The sabotage would attract attention and would be a good chance for the snipers and the ground team to raid the enemy together.

    It was not like he could not outdo Ryan with his cultivation. Let alone outrun someone, if he really got pissed, he might ughter the enemy on his own, but that way he will stand out, and attract attention, and his team might develop an inferiorityplex or be too dependant on him. That way things will not be smooth. He needed to maintain a low profile.

    ¡­

    The entire gxy was watching the matches in a way and since Valerian and the rest have dealt with the team in the air, they have also garnered quite a few people¡¯s attention. Their battle with the five people earlier was also swift and decisive. Till now they have been lucky to meet humanoids, but that could be because of their low rank.

    Right now, when people saw Ryan breaking away, he became the center of attention. The federal team was observing everything from the outside, they were talking to each other onms as well. Jane asked, ¡°Why is Lang noting forward?¡±

    Matthews replied, ¡°Low-profile. The Boss is thinking about future matches and opponents. We all cannot reveal too much, so he is being cautious.¡±

    The team began to discuss this topic in detail as the match continued.

    ¡­

    Ryan reached a nk position and swiftly took out his phaser gun. With an indifferent gaze, he took the shot and the beam directlynded on the mortar tube. No matter how sturdy the weapon was, it was still not enough to bear the direct strike of a phaser beam.

    The raiders were cunning but they did not take this into ount, one of the people shouted, ¡°Contact, nk position. On me.¡±

    They were raiding the enemies and decided to stay together for a better and harder sudden impact. The anxiety of thispetition was getting to them. They did not underestimate the opponents but they were clearly not up to handling it calmly as well. They made a blunder and left the nks uncovered.

    Thus, they got struck. As most of them turned to attack Ryan. The federal sniper team took aim, and four shots were fired at the same time. The impact of the phaser sniper was strong enough to turn the heads of the people into vapors along with the protective helmets. They needed a second to charge.

    However, at this level of battle, a second would be enough to deal death blows or save lives. After the four shots were fired, the snipers moved away from the positions. The enemy reacted, three people were hit and died on the spot while one reacted quickly and was hit on his shoulder, the arm waspletely detached from his body, and he wailed from the burning pain.

    James and the rest of the ground team took action and engaged the enemies, who were not distracted from the sabotage. The enemy was not a bunch of simpletons, they had phaser shields erected and the attacks deviated, Steel did not hesitate andmanded, ¡°Surround them.¡±

    Out of eight four people were left to deal with. The previous engagement had given them the courage and confidence to deal with this group even without Shi Lang.

    However, the man arrived just as the ground team was about to split, and directly threw a phaser-nade at the enemy and said, ¡°Retreat.¡±

    The aim of the nade was not the enemy team, but the pile of mortar ammunition they had ced in on the ground. The beeping ballnded on the target and before the enemy could even react, it went off.

    A strong light erupted and the Terran team was shaken off from their foothold. They all retreated quite quickly but still, the shockwave hit them and ruffled their innards. When the glow subsided, the area had be barren and a ten feet deep crater had reced the greenery. The ground looked like charred wood.

    There was no sign of the enemy, they had all vanished from the gxy and met their makers. Shi Lang was literally anything butpassionate at this moment. His team gathered, but he cast a gaze at Steel and said, ¡°You did good in the first half, but if you were to divide the team and they had two people in hiding, that would have been suicide. Next time confirm this possibility to reduce the risk.¡±

    Then he patted the man on the shoulder. His words were not harsh or meful but positive criticism. Shi Lang knew that scolding the people was not a good thing. Even if they were the best in terms of potential when they joined the team or can be ranked as the peak experts in the federation now, they all still have less experience.

    Shi Lang himself had not yed much on the battlefront as well if someone was to point it out. However, he has read a lot about military engagements and learned from the history of the federation.

    ¡­

    The federal team was taken back to the gathering hall in a chopper, and they were dered the winners of this arena. They waited for a few hours before the battles finished and discovered that quite a few teams have managed toe so far with no casualties. Those teams also noticed the federal team.

    The future matches will be hard, and after El announced that they were done for the day, Shi Lang led the team outside, but they were surrounded by a group.

 Chapter 281 Refusal

    Chapter 281 Refusal

    Shi Lang and the rest of the team was surrounded by a group of people. They all had a probe flying over their shoulders, it was as big as a golf ball. Looking at it closely, one would find that it was a camera. The team gazed at these people and were ready to break out when Shi Lang let out a gentle cough.

    The person from the opposite group said, ¡°Hello sir, we are all reporters responsible for covering the events of this gctic showdown. May we ask you a few questions?¡±

    Shi Lang heard the snorkel-like voice of the creature, and then he nodded. The creature in front of him was covered with hair from head to toe. He wore a ss on his nose, and after getting the affirmation he asked, ¡°The people outside are calling you a dark horse. They say that you can probably take the first rank of the D-tier showdown. What do you have to say about that?¡±

    The young general replied, ¡°Every team involved in thispetition has the capability to be the dark horse. They have all came so far with their hard work. So, I would not dare to say that we cane out on the top, but we will definitely try the best that we can.¡±

    His answer was very hypocritic, and diplomatic, yet it managed to make the people revaluate this team in front of them. Ady humanoid reporter asked, ¡°Sir, would it be alright for you and yourbat team to discuss about the attack you all made in mid-air? Can you tell us what was your exact thought at that time?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°When we dived out of the carrier, we found that themunicators that were blinking red a moment ago, had turned green. At that time, Lieutenant Ryan spotted the enemy team, and then I just gave the chase and attackmand. We only stunned the enemy team. I repeat, that we only stung the enemy team with a paralyzing agent.¡±

    His tone was calm, and even if he provided some details, they were all just to sate the curious reporters. The reporters all loved people who could talk. They did not want exact details, they only needed to hear some rtable words.

    A reporter asked, ¡°Sir, did you not think what will happen if the team you attacked was to be attacked by the others when theynded on the ground?¡±

    Shi Lang still had a visor covering his face and hid his expression that meant ¡®are you a fool?¡¯

    He said calmly, ¡°We were told that once a team is lost, they will be extracted immediately. As a contender and the member of the gctic council, we believe in their arrangements.¡±

    The reporters were impressed. Shi Lang had sessfully dragged the gctic council to deal with the tricky question. This was not something that could be seen daily. Reporters from any civilization were people who could skin hairs, so this guy was too sleek to avoid them.

    One of the reporters asked them, ¡°Sir, earlier your actions lookedpassionate to the people, and we thought that your team was different and did not believe in blood shed, but today a total of thirteen people lost their lives at your hands, what do you have to say to that?¡±

    Shi Lang turned his head to look at thema faced humanoid and said, ¡°The reason we killed those people was very obvious, self-preservation. Do you expect me to walk in front of live fire and let the people aim at my head? I ampassionate and do not believe in killing people, but if someone want to aim at me, they should not be afraid desperate struggle.¡±

    His words were concise and like a p in the faces of the people who were thinking that he should act like a jolly guy.After a few more questions, and introduction of the team, Shi Lang asked the people to give way when he suddenly heard a question, ¡°Sir, could you and your team please remove your visors? Can we click a picture for our article?¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded, then they took off their visors and revealed the cream beauty and dashing personas of the Federation. The reporters took the pictures and they let the team leave.

    ¡­

    The article was quickly published in the gctic journalism publications. It was actually aplete video with a text review of the reporter. A lot of people watched this and they had to admit, Shi Lang and his team were strong. Even in the video, they all sensed their aura vaguely, so they could imagine how it would be in front of them. Some thought that the federal team was just garnering publicity. While some praised the federal teams. They had be even more popr after the interview.

    The news had reached the federation and the people all over the region were praising them. Even the allies, Arcadia and Neomonians, had sent congrattory messages personally. Shi Lang informed the team to stay in their rooms and not go to the mess hall. They did not need to eat too much, but if they wished, they still hadpressed food in their storages.

    ¡­

    In the rooms, the team was immersed in recreational activities. Some meditated, and some, well they did what married and adults who like each other did. Yeah, in the team there were three couples.

    Shi Lang was alone, and he was unable to focus his thoughts to meditate and called Amelia, only to find that thedy was leading the team to check out the new leads regarding a mission. He told her to be careful and thedy reminded him to be careful. The two people had their eyes glowing with colors when they were talking to each other. They were in love.

    Shi Lang waited for the heat from the interview to subside, and only went out of the room in the morning. Today was a day off so that the injured in thest match could restore their skills. This amodationplex had a gym designated for the people. Since, he was not able to deal with the chaotic thoughts, he found a way to vent.

    He spend the whole day in a gym, where the gravity around him was ten times more. A few more people who were practicing, saw him and they could not help but sneer. They were sure that this guy will notst too long but to think this monster spent the entire day in the gym training his body and by the evening, he was almost able to move like usual people, without stiffness.

    Shi Lang did not know did not know that he has been tagged as a monster in the eyes of his contemporaries. After a good sweat, he came out of the gym and found a burly man standing in his way. Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked in a calm voice, ¡°Any problems?¡±

    The man shook his head and said, ¡°I do not have a problem with you, but I wanted to know you a bit better. You might not know me. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kama Yutah. I am the leader of a squad in the Gctic Strike Force. We are interested in you.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I apologize, but I need to go back to Federation and not be stuck here.¡±

    Yutah was surprised to hear that this guy rejected the offer to join the gctic strike force. He nodded and kept his calm and asked, ¡°I respect your decision, but what if I offer to provide amodation to your family here?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Even if my family agrees I will not leave my home. I was born a Terran. I serve in the army. So I will die as the ghost of Federal Army. Thank you for your offer.¡±

    Yutah had found that this young man was loyal and he could not help but acknowledge him. He said, ¡°I will find you for sparring after the contest ends. Try to live till then.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I intend to. See youter.¡±

    Then he left the ce. This incident was not witnessed by anyone, but it would have caused amotion. Shashi had told him that the strike force was a strongest force and the criteria to join it was too hard, almost all the soldiers in the gxy wanted in on this, but here he was, rejecting a golden invitation.

    Shi Lang did not trust some stranger, even if his skills drew the other person, it was still to early. He returned to his room, took shower, and went to the mess hall. On the way a few people recognized him and greeted him. The gesture was reciprocated by Shi Lang.

    He did not know but it was because of the aura of righteousness around him. When he said, that he was not a killer but will not go down without a fight, that inspired the other people as well.

 Chapter 282 Best Of Three.

    Shi Lang came to have a meal with his team and the people around them were discussing the possibilities of the next round. The federal team knew what it could be, but even if they did not know, they will have enough time to deal with it. They all enjoyed their food in silence. As they had just finished eating, a person or rather a creature approached their table.

    This creature had purple skin, ck eyes like obsidian, and no hair. However, this creature was a humanoid. He came to stand beside the table and said, ¡°Hello, my name is Akra, thank you for what you did today.¡±

    Shi Lang did not understand what he meant and said, ¡°Hello, I am Shi Lang, but I do not understand what you mean.¡±

    The creature nodded and said, ¡°Allow me to exin, the team you faced in the mid-air, that was us.¡±

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and found a few more people walking over to stand behind Akra. They all were humanoids, but they all looked different. He had some doubt in his mind and Akra said, ¡°We are the people of the sce system. We have different civilizations, but we have learned to live in harmony and help each other advance. In thest match, I was hurt and could not lead my team, and had to send in a substitute. I thought I have sent them to their deaths, but your arrival helped them live. Thank you.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You are too polite leader Akra. The reason I did not attack them with the intention to kill was that they did not attack me with the same. I am not someone you should be thanking, Leader Akra.¡±

    That said, Shi Lang stood up from the table, picked up his used dishes, and walked away. The rest of the team stood up. They politely nodded to the other party before following Shi Lang. Akra smiled faintly but the rest of the people felt offended, they could not believe this guy did not give them any face.

    One of the teammatesined, ¡°Do they think they are the peak of tier A? Humph, such arrogance, it will be their downfall.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded, and Akra said, ¡°Indeed, just like it was ours.¡±

    The team fell silent and Akra said, ¡°He did not want to attract too many eyes on himself. Stop already, understood?¡±

    Although they were not happy they could not go against themand of their senior right? This time when they go back home, Akra will lose the right to be the captain and someone else will take care, then we will settle the bnce with this eggnt.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the rest were sitting in their rooms and they were connected with each other on theirmunicators. Jane asked, ¡°Why did that guy think he should thank us?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°How would I know? Our act of cowardice had be a tale of heroism. However, that has nothing to do with us. We should go back to the discussion and prepare for the battle tomorrow.¡±

    One of the people from the technical side said, ¡°I think it should be a battle of Mechas.¡±

    The people looked around and focused on him and it turned out that the possibility of this Mecha Fight was indeed higher than anything else. This was because following the pattern, this was the only event that was yet to be held on a grand level.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people developed the strategies and for this round, Shi Lang told the people to keep fighting till the enemy has epted defeat, or their mecha has been disabled. He did not wish for theirpassion to be the reason for their deaths. He even said that they were free to deal with the enemy anyhow they deemed fit.

    The discussion came to an end, and the people began to cultivate. Shi Lang, however, spent his time with Amelia and his family on call, Shashi helped him use the emergency high-speed connection. In his mind, thispetition was unpredictable and anything could happen to him so, he would rather spend time with people he holds close to his heart than cultivate for the night. It will not change anything for him.

    ¡­

    El was hovering on the disk and said, ¡°Hello, friends. I hope you all have been doing well, this time the Gctic Showdown has a slight change in the format. From now on, you all will be randomly ced in groups of five. Every team will face four opponents, and the topper of the groups, that is the first two positions will be allowed topete in the knockout stages.

    The mode of battle will be Mecha Battle. Each match will have three rounds. Easy to understand. This way the death rate will drop, and the people will not curse the organizers. The gap between your matches will be dependent on a few factors. But that is for thetter. So, now, let¡¯s get ready, time to group up.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°This became trickier.¡±

    Jane asked, ¡°Why do you say so? Was it not simple to understand? Also, this is direct confrontation.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and said, ¡°You do not have to prove that you are ab rat now. If it was a team battle then the rest of the people can still cover for the shorings exposed. However, the solo battle mode prevents that. It will be a three-round match, but the risk of death has increased for the three people participating in the battle.¡±

    As soon as he expressed his thoughts the people all saw the dagger hidden in the sleeve. Ryan said, ¡°I have discovered that the organizers are raking in a lot of money from the broadcasting.¡±

    Steel nodded and said, ¡°Boss, they are also organizing betting portals. You can imagine the amount of wealth flowing. This showdown is nothing but a business setup for the rich of the gxy.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°We cannot worry about those rich. They are running a man-made. Do you think the federation can stand against them? Let them be, just focus on survival. Maybe one day in the future, our hundredth generation might be able to take down the facade, but we cannot, at least, not yet.¡±

    The team nodded and they focused back on the host hovering in the void. El said, ¡°The groups have been confirmed, and the information will be sent to yourmunicators.¡±

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and asked, ¡°What do you think, Eli?¡±

    Eli was an administrator and he was the most cunning of everyone on the team. His specialty was in specting the behavior of the people. This was the reason that everyone on the team was a little wary of him. After all, how could people not be wary of someone who could read their thoughts like an open book?

    Eli said, ¡°Boss, they will ce one seeded team, along with an average team and three weaker ones.¡±

    His tone was indifferent and his face was calm. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I think the same as well. They must have seeded, or the favorites of their own. This is just a round to promote them further.¡±

    The administrators nodded, and Shi Lang sensed a buzz in hismunicator. He said, ¡°We have our group list. The first match will start in six hours. Let¡¯s go, we need some warm-up with the mechas¡±

    The team moved out and on the way, Shi Lang sent a message to OB-One. The bot will have to dig out information on the enemies. He wanted to find out their fighting style. Shi Lang followed the tactics of the Art of war. Know your enemy and know yourself.

    The team came to the mech bay, and just when everyone was about to start working on servicing. Shi Lang said, ¡°Guys, I think we need a backup n as well.¡±

    The team agreed, that the backup n was something that will be saving their lives. They could never have too many backup ns. Shi Lang said his thoughts and the team was shocked. However, thinking about it, they still agreed and it was within the rules. The frontal force was called forward to aid the technical team with thest-minute changes in the mecha.

    They might be tech dumbs but when Shi Lang guided them, with the help of the technical teams. The output was crazily higher than. The control of the frontal forces was good, and after they made a few changes, Jane and the rest stepped in to follow up and make the thing permanent. They also used nanobots, to fix their ws.

    In the meantime, Shi Lang read through the info of their first enemy. He also selected the three people who will be fighting the battles. Since it was a best of three, he was there on the rooster. This steeled the resolve of the team a lot. Their leader was no less than a deity in their minds.

 Chapter 283 Clang!!!

    Shi Lang and the team suited up and they were taken to a ring. This was the arena for their group battle stage. They sat in a room overlooking the arena ground. From this room, they could even enter the pilot cockpit of their mechas with ease. They did not have any barriers around them except for a maic field that wille down after the battle has ended.

    For whatever it mattered, a medical team was always standing by to help the contenders in perilous conditions. However, they could only enter the field when the battle has ended, if the hurt contender could not say the three magical words, ¡®I admit defeat¡¯ in time, and the opponent killed him then it was all done for.

    Shi Lang had decided to keep his position flexible. He will enter the battle depending on the situation. The other thing was the technical consoles ced inside the observation room. This was for the team to monitor the situation of the mecha during the battle.

    The arena had a huge viewer amodation space. The people from all over the were paying attention to thepetition and they coulde over to watch the mecha battles at a marginal price. Who among the tourists will ignore such an event?

    Shi Lang gazed out of the room and saw arge number of people cheering and mingling in the viewer room. He said, ¡°Jack, be calm during the exchange. If you feel like you are about to lose and might die, then give up the battle. Your primary directive is to ensure your survival. Do you understand?¡±

    The team replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    They still had a few minutes before the battle began. The people in the arena were still pouring in. Jane said, ¡°The arena is big, at least a few thousand people would have no problem in sitting here. But why is the audience so scarce?¡±

    Lucas looked at her and said, ¡°Wife, why does your smart brain regresses to a beautiful brain at times?¡±

    Jane red at him and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean, that we are not the seeded team, and neither are we in the higher tiers, so why will there be a crowd to fawn over us?¡±, replied Lucas.

    Jane could not answer to defy his reason and in frustration, she said, ¡°Stay in your room from now till the end of thepetition.¡±

    Lucas was left speechless. She dared to punish him so cruelly, while the rest of the peopleughed at this misery. They were not children and facing life and death together had not left many walls between them.

    Shi Lang shook his head and mumbled, ¡°I miss my wife.¡±

    The mood of the room became light. Suddenly an announcement took them by surprise, ¡°Attention contenders, please board the mechas and be ready to battle.¡±

    Jack and Steel put on their visors with Shing and they moved to board the cockpits. The team stood up and said, ¡°Godspeed.¡±, in unison.

    The three people walked over to what seemed like the end of the viewing room, and jumped off from the edge, directlynding on the shoulders of the mechs. The cockpit was located in the chest, and the entrance was a small hatch that was designed meticulously with degrading the defense level of the mecha.

    Shi Lang and the others got inside the cockpit and the scene from the outside appeared in front of them. This was the immersive disy they had designed in Novus camp. The mecha of the federation was no more generic. The outside color was recorded from a camera probe flying behind the mecha, but the surrounding map was constructed with the help of sonar systems.

    So, even if the camera probe or the on-body camera was destroyed in the battle the visual will not be affected in the slightest. Shi Lang used his ability to sense things around him as the base model in this program.

    Jane said, ¡°This is the monitoring station, confirmmunication.¡±

    A monitoring station was set up to keep the data of the damage taken, and the performance output of the mech. This data will be then used to improve the tech. Another function of the monitoring station was to guide the pilot through the steps of mecha driving. Although the pilots were trained, they still had toplete a basic checklist of tests before they are given a green light, and for security reasons, such tests could only be conducted from the inside of the mech.

    Would you not want anyone to mess with your car from the outside and sabotage it? The same thing applied here.

    The three pilots replied to different monitoring stations, respectively, they all had a dedicated station. Shi Lang said, ¡°Patch me with Stone and Sword.¡±

    Stone was the code name Jack had selected, as he mainly was a stone, calm and quiet, unaffected by anything around him. While Steel had picked up the sword as his codename, he was rigid and steadfast, cruel to the enemy, and decisive.

    ¡°Acknowledged, patching up.¡±, replied Jane.

    In a blink, the three mechs were connected to each other and they had small talk. Soon ady in slightly exposing clothing came down on a hoverboard in the center of the arena.

    She said, ¡°Hello,dies and gentlemen, I am your host, Arianta. Wee to the Mecha battles of the gctic showdown. Well, I would have loved to speak a lot more, but the contenders might feel stuffy in their cockpits. So, without any dy, allow me to introduce you to our esteemed mecha experts andmentators for the match.

    Miss Xenon, has been an analyst for the gctic council and has seen a lot of mechas from all over the gxy. She will be exining the working schematics of the mecha used by both sides.

    Now, please put your hands together for the strike force mecha trainer, Loweasky Shunta. His name and deeds in the strike forces are highly recognized and he will be our guide about the battle progression.¡±

    That said, two more people appeared in the arena on hover disks. Steel said, ¡°Boss, they really put up a show.¡±

    Shi Lang hummed and said, ¡°Focus on the battle. Jack will go first, make sure to observe the enemy better.¡±

    His eyes were fixed on the mecha standing opposite them at a distance of five hundred meters. The space was not small but was enough to provide a six-meter-tall heap of metal to move around without restriction.

    Arianta said, ¡°Thementators are seated, and it is time for the battle to begin. Please give a huge round of apuse to the two teams. Team Leo-sun. They hail from the Feline system and are known for their bravery. Hardly ever have they been seen withdrawing in face of danger and peril.

    They will be facing the meticulous Terrans, hailing from the Federation. Theirst performance had put them in the highlights, let¡¯s see if they are as good with mecha as they are with their bodies.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°The enemy is a well-known team.¡±

    The two other people nodded, they have expected this when they reviewed the data on their screens earlier. The host proceeded, ¡°Now, both teams please send off your first contenders.¡±

    Jack controlled his mecha and moved forward smoothly. He saw the other party also move forward. They stood twenty meters apart from each other. Arianta nced at the two mechs and said, ¡°May the best, wins.¡±

    Jack flexed his neck slowly, as he watched the opponent raise his hand to signal him with a thumb down. He realized something about the personality of the enemy. This guy was an aggressive person, the reason he was sent first was to intimidate them. However, they were fools, Terrans may not be the strongest or the smartest in the gxy, but they weren¡¯t stupid either.

    Shi Lang¡¯s voice sounded in the cockpit, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    This was not for luck, but a signal that he could act as he liked. Jack, stood motionless. A honk sounded and the enemy approached him. The opposite mecha looked like a humanoid, with a lion¡¯s head. It had sharp pointy fingers for hand, and a battle axe was hanging behind the back. The enemy attacked Jack with the sharp end of his fingers at a high speed.

    The intention was to catch him off-guard and use the sudden thrust to attack him critically. However, Jack turned around, and ducked slightly, letting the arms fly past his shoulder, and then he sped the arm with his palms. The enemy did not expect this, well, thanks to the jade spirit chip that Shi Lang had installed in the suit, the reaction was faster and reflexive.

    Jack bend his legs, even more, lowered his center of gravity and then he yanked the enemy forward, the weight of the enemy mech was still in kic force, and the force used by Jack, made him fly in a beautiful arc over the shoulder andnd on its back at the ground with a loud thud.

    As if that was not shocking enough for everyone, Jack raised his fist and bombed it down on the head of the lion.

    ng!!! ng!!! ng!!!

 Chapter 284 Redemption.

    Shock!

    That was the only word that came to their minds when they recalled the scene from a few minutes ago. Jack had thrown the enemy over his shoulder with a simple execution, and then he directly ttened the head of the enemy mech with his punches, leaving the mecha useless. Then he simply probed open the cockpit by scattering the nanobots over it, and plucked the opponent out.

    The mecha was unable to be operated and this was a forfeit on the Feline system team¡¯s part. Arianta, as the host woke up first and said, ¡°Whoa, that was quick. Let us see what do ourmentators have to say. Miss Xenon, can you tell us why did the Feline Mecha stopped reacting after the head blows?¡±

    Miss Xenon and Loweasky Shunta were give a room to sit, andment. Xenon replied with a calm expression, ¡°The Terran contender simply used brute force to render the visual system of the Feline system useless. This led to immobility and then defeat.¡±

    Her meaning was simple, and the people understood this quickly. No one was not aware of the visual system that was just mentioned.

    Arianta nced at Loweasky Shunta and asked, ¡°Sir, what do you have to say about this?¡±

    The man replied in a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°I am shocked on how they applied this technique in mecha battles. The weight and centre of gravity are all different, yet the throw was beautifully executed and the follow up punches. Just impable.¡±

    Arianta could not help but reply, ¡°Such a high praise from you two is making me look forward to the next round.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang watched Jack control the mecha to move back and he said, ¡°Good job.¡±

    Jack nodded slowly but did not say much. The gctic council staff cleaned up the battle field and the host spoke, ¡°Okay, we are ready for the second round, let¡¯s call over our next contenders. The rooster says, that the Terran contender is called Sword, while the Feline contender is called Thunder Sabre. What a coincidence, we have a sword fight.¡±

    The crowd erupted in cheers. While everyone in the team wished Steel with ¡®Godspeed¡¯ as he walked ahead. They might have won the first round but they were not even slightly off guard. They will not underestimate the enemy. Condescending anyone will lead them in peril. They did not want that.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Do not use the phaser mode right off the bat.¡±

    Steel replied, ¡°Yes, boss.¡±

    The federal mecha was a standard human body design, with ck and white paint on it. The enemy also had a mecha simr to the one in thest battle. This person did not waste time in taunting, but swiftly ced his hand on the hilt of the sabre.

    Steel nodded and ced his hand on the sword hilt as well. They were both standing fifty meters away, after extending their hands and des, they could cover this distance in a blink. The artificial system took over the host¡¯s task of match countdown. The hostess was only for the first round.

    Theputer finished the countdown and a voice sounded in the arena, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Steel had the sword attached to his waist, while the opponent had been holding his weapon high above his head. The sound had not finished echoing, when the two weapons collided with a ng.

    Steel seemed to be resisting the attack of the sabre from the over head position, his mech was leaning forward just like the opponent, but the other party had the aid of gravity, thus he seemed to be pushing back the Terran.

    Thementators have begun talking among themselves, when they watched the battle. It was now down to the show of muscle. The higher torque would win, well, that was what everyone thought. However, Steel was not a fool to put himself in such a situation.

    This was a deliberate action. The other party will think that the Terrans have be arrogant after the first victory. That will make them expose the weaknesses of Terran attacks, but if the weakness was not a weakness, what will they do?

    Steel shifted his weight on his right leg, his sword tip was facing left. By doing this, he managed to parry the sword attack, and lowered his arms, the opponent was not weak, to prevent himself from being attack on the back, the other party instantly kicked back.

    Conventionally, Steel should have backed off, but he side stepped, dropped his sword on the ground letting the tip stand erect in the ground, while he locked the extended leg under his arm. This move took the enemy by surprise, but before he or she could do anything, Steel, kicked on the knee joint of the supporting right leg.

    The feline pilot lost the bnce and fell forward, Steel yanked the body of hard, and swung it in an arc parallel to the ground. The feline pilot happened to be swiping toward the sword that stood erect in the arena.

    Steel said, ¡°Initiate phaser edge.¡±

    This was a feature that could give his sword an edgeced with phaser energy and could cut through metal as it a hot knife through butter. The remotemand was out, and the sword edge turned light blue.

    The opponent did not even understand what happened to him as the body of the mecha was divided from the torso. A clean cut, with the glowing edges of the Feline mecha. Steel did not win, he crushed. He was a righteous man, and he did not like to hold back at all.

    ¡­

    Arianta could not help but say, ¡°Did you see that?¡±

    The crowd woke up and they erupted in loud cheers. Terrans were way better than their anticipation. They had no idea why they were not called the sub-seeded team? The feline team was taken down so easily as if a bunch of toddlerspeting against a group of adults. This was a shocking thing.

    The hostess did not waste time, and proceeded to ask thementators about their analysis. The answers were something everyone had expected. After thements, the result was set, two-nil. Two in favor of the Terrans.

    Just when Arianta was about to announce that the match hase to an end, the mecha from the Feline side stepped on the ground. The hostess asked, ¡°The match is over, you have lost two battles.¡±

    The mecha replied, ¡°I do not wish topete for score, just allow me to redeem our dignity.¡±

    Arianta was in a tough spot, Shi Lang did not move, he was not worried, but suddenly, an announcement sounded, ¡°You can have an exhibition match.¡±

    The message was clear, if you want to fight, then go fight.

    ¡­

    Steel had just turned around when the enemy said this. He wanted to turn back and Fight when Shi Lang said, ¡°Come back, it is for me.¡±

    The team was surprised. They paid attention to the opposing mecha and relented. The opposite party had a lion head but with a thick mane dangling around the head. Shi Lang was right this mecha must belong to the leader.

    His own mecha was distinct, crimson red in color with the shura seal painted on the side. The dominating aura radiating from its metallic body was too oppressing. Shi Lang calmly walked ahead, on his back hung a spear diagonally.

    He said, ¡°I will fight you, but I will not hold back.¡±

    The opponent looked at him and replied, ¡°I do not wish for you to go easy on me. You are strong, and I respect the strong. However, I will not back off without a fight.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say much and took off his spear, he directlymanded the phaser edge around the spear head to activate. The spear was seven meters long in total. While the Mecha was six meters tall.

    The other party was also filled with valor and courage so he also took out his weapon. It happened to be a spear as well. The countdown started, and then came to an end, but none of the two moved. They stood gazing at each other.

    ¡­

    Jane suddenly recalled something and pressing themunication button said, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    They realized that they had forgotten to greet him. It was a bad omen for Terrans and now their hearts were rattling.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang smiled, but he still did not move. He was waiting for the other party to strike first. He was really not going to make the first strike. Since the other party wanted to redeem their face, then they muste to him.

    This was his pride. He was not worried about the pace of the battle at all. He was confident in his skills. Arianta said, ¡°You guys, we do not have a whole day to do this, you know? Get on with it.¡±

    The two people moved, and they moved so fast that the mecha appeared to be flicker, and followed by a sound, Zheng!!

 Chapter 285 Big Game.

    The two mechas charged at each other at a fast speed. Shi Lang shoved his spear directly aiming at the head of the enemy, he had no intention to hold back. The enemy was also reciprocating his mindset and stabbed with his spear.

    The difference between the two weapons was that one was shining with a blue gleam and the other had a golden gleam. Jane said, ¡°They also have phaser tech in mecha melee weapons.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded and agreed with her. The battle had just begun but the ferocity of it was seeping into their bodies slowly. With a Zheng sound emitting from the phaserced spearheads cutting the air, sparks flew around as the two weapons collided.

    The collision was strong and the weapons hit each other directly at the tip. Shi Lang did not move back, he stepped to the side slightly and then he exerted force on the shaft of his spear and parried the enemy. The feline leader was surprised but he was not done just yet.

    He held the spear shaft from the middle and then shoved it back at Shi Lang, while turning his body around, and swung the spear in an arc to sh at Shi Lang with the spearhead. The crowd was already on their feet and it was just the first move. They were excited by the sharp and decisive skills disyed by the two people.

    Shi Lang had already backed off by three steps and avoided the enemy sh by inches, Arianta screamed, ¡°OH, so close.¡±

    Loweasky Shunta shook his head and said, ¡°It may seem like the feline captain was close, but in my opinion, it was a perfect dodge. The federation team captain precisely calcted the attack range of his opponent and took measured steps to avoid it. This shows his impressive battle skills.¡±

    The crowd began to chatter and praised Shi Lang, when Miss Xenon said, ¡°Do not underestimate the Feline Captain, he controlled the mecha astoundingly well and covered his back from a potential attack.¡±

    ¡­

    Lucas sighed as he leaned back in his chair, and said, ¡°If he was to use that curved epee of his, I wonder how many pieces would the enemy be in now.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded. Shi Lang turned into somethingpletely different when he held the sword of shura. One more thing to note was that he was yet to engage the enemy with the intention to kill. His speed and attacks were still at ten percent of what he could have actually done.

    Ryan said, ¡°Boss is not engaging in a death battle, so there is no need for him to act so harshly. This way he is hiding his skills from the scouting eyes.¡±

    His points were valid. Shi Lang was indeed holding back a lot when he was facing the opponent. His real strength came from the calm in his mind. He was indifferent to all the blows thrown at him.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was using his spear like a squatter to parry the attacks and irritate the opponent. However, thetter did not keel over so easily and kepting at the Terran.

    As he was engrossed in the battle, suddenly Shi Lang said, ¡°Engage Neural Link.¡±

    In the next second the neural link was connected, and the movements of the bot became smoother. The load of the neural link was not too much on his brain anymore and due to the new system, they did not need to manually control the mech, they just needed to ry the thoughts and the mecha will followmands. Half the credit for this went to the spirit jade Shi Lang had installed.

    ¡­

    The feline team was getting antsier with every passing moment. Their captain was not doing well and slowly the Terran was gaining on him. They were worried if the captain failed and fell.

    Suddenly an old person in the team said, ¡°Little Prince found himself a strong rival.¡±

    A young feline, who looked like a leopard said in a cold voice, ¡°How is this a strong rival? They are equally matched.¡±

    The old tiger shook his head and said, ¡°Young and ignorant. Did you not see that the opponent is allowing us to redeem some face by his actions? He has been raising his skills a little bit with every few moves. If they were equally matched then how could he take the upper hand now? Use your brain.¡±

    His words shocked the entire team. They looked back at the arena. Shi Lang was like a god, who was dancing with the spear to disy his love for battle. His moves were fluid and the spear was like lighting.

    The feline captain did not expect such a terrifying set of moves from the enemy. He has been blocking and dodging the strikes. Shi Lang swept the spear at his chest, and he blocked again, but suddenly, the opponent had decreased his strength and the spear tip went through the body of the mech. Piercing the cockpit directly.

    Shi Lang did not intend to kill the enemy, and his spear stopped a few inches away from the head of the feline captain sitting inside the cockpit. He was about to tilt his head and charge ahead desperately and take down the opponent with himself. When a calm voice sounded from the speakers.

    ¡°You do not redeem yourself when you take down the opponent at the cost of your own life. You redeem yourself when you acknowledge your defeat and then stand up stronger. That is redemption. Foolishly charging to meet death is not bravery but stupidity.¡±, the speaker was none other than Shi Lang.

    As he finished his words, he took back his spear and stood in front of the Feline Captain. He did not leave the arena, because he would still defeat the opponent if he did not give up. He would not kill him, but this time, he will not be as graceful as he was in the first confrontation.

    The crowd was silent, they all heard his words, and they had to admit, it did spark a small fire in their hearts. Shi Lang had not won the battle only, but also the hearts of the people. The feline captain was standing in front of Shi Lang, seemingly lost in a daze. He was in a state of self-defiance.

    His pride as a feline prince did not allow him to back down, but death was not going to make him stronger. Shi Lang said, ¡°I would have stepped back at this point, but that would not allow you a redemption, but embarrass you even more. If you wish to redeem yourself, then go back, train, ande find me at the Federation. I will wait for you.¡±

    His words were a challenge and a push, that will change the life of the Feline prince forever. The impact of the simple statement was so strong that the Feline prince dropped his spear and raised a fist to his chest and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, I ept my defeat, and I will keep moving forward. One day, I will defeat you fair and square.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and cast a gaze at the dumbfounded host, Arianta. Thedy woke up and said excitedly, ¡°The winner of the battle between the Feline and the Federation, is the Federation team. They win with a score of two-nil.¡±

    She paused and when the crowd looked at her in confusion. She said, ¡°What? Do not look at me like this okay? The battle ended after two rounds, the third battle was an exhibition round.¡±

    The crowd burst out inughter. Shi Lang shook his head and nodded to the Feline captain before he turned around to walk back to his team. The event was dealt with and Shi Lang came out of the cockpit amidst cheers and apuse of the crowd. He bowed to them once before jumping back into the observation room.

    He said, ¡°The hinges on the calf section of the left limb armor came off. We need to fix this fault and run checks on all the units. Also, check the core of my unit. The output suddenly dropped during the battle, I had to initiate the neural link to optimize.¡±

    Jane and the technical team nodded. They got to work instantly. The output fluctuation of a unit in the middle of the battle was a serious matter and could lead to death if one was not prepared.

    Ryan said, ¡°Sir, was it because of the output drop that you did not end the battle sooner?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at him and said, ¡°You are half correct.¡±

    The rest of the team looked at him and the young man said, ¡°The reason I did not end it sooner was that it would have needed me to show more skills and that would expose too much to the potential trouble makers. Secondly, the output, and thirdly, my opponent was good. He is worth knowing.¡±

    They all understood that Shi Lang was ying a bigger game here.

 Chapter 286 Steady performance.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people dealt with the closing ceremony of the battle. To think that in such a crucial situation, where the lives of the people were at stake, the gctic council arranged a Most Valuable yer award.

    Jack won the award as he dealt with the enemy swiftly and quickly. His moves were clean as well. Steel did not mind it because he was simply not hungry for these insensitive titles. The team returned to the mech bay and Jane asked, ¡°When is the next match?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, ¡°In a couple of days. However, ording to the data gathered by OB-One, other than the three people going to y must stay here to work on the mechs. We need to make the previous arrangements better and a few new things will be added. The power of the mechs is not enough.¡±

    The technical team nodded and Lucas said, ¡°We agree, during the battle, we ran scans on the enemy and we found that their mechas were more powerful than us. We were lucky to win because of the application of your skills. I will not say that it is a bad thing, but the difference in the equipment will only grow deeper in the future and we will always be at a higher risk of losing.¡±

    The discussionsmenced andsted for a couple of hours before they came to the conclusion and then they began to work. At this moment, the people from other times had already returned to their cozy beds, but the Terran team was still inside the mecha bay, they were pushing themselves to the end.

    The administrators were responsible for manufacturing the parts they needed by using the fabrication machines. The technical team was for guiding and testing every part, from quality to cement. They missed nothing. Shi Lang and the frontal force, except for Ryan and Martha, were busy in putting everything together. It was a deadly rush, they all did not have time to eat or drink until the sun came up on the horizon.

    Jane was the one who called them to take a break and then headed to eat. Shi Lang asked them to bring his food back, as he sat down to cultivate in the mecha bay itself. He woke up when OB-One came over and said, ¡°Sire, there is a message from the Federation.¡±

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    OB-One replied, ¡°The Arcadian empress has gone missing, the court is under themand of her trusted aide. However, the aide has requested for the Federation to help. The president would like to know your thoughts.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, ¡°Cara has gone missing?¡±

    The bot nodded, and Shi Lang said, ¡°Inform the card ss and send a team from the secret division over there to investigate. Also, pass on the situation to Jenkins, and have him prepare the fleet and stand by. They shall be ready to take action at momentary notice. In case rebellion takes ce in Arcadia send the fleet to stabilize things.¡±

    The bot nodded again and retired, Shi Lang went back to meditate, and soon two days passed. The routine was very much fixed, and they were paying attention to the other team¡¯s battles. Keep friends close, but keep enemies closer. Ryan and Martha had been observing the battles from the crowd in the arena.

    They would bring back the data and then crack it down to thest bit. This way in a week they won three matches. The next week, they will have to fight the topper of the group. This team was cruel and did not spare anyone in thepetition. This was definitely a massacring team, and Shi Lang did not intend to go easy on them.

    The atmosphere had be tense despite the steady progress, they were on they were all edgy. A day before Shi Lang gave them all a much-needed off and then himself went to sleep. His brain may have been stronger than others, but he was under stress, and he needed to rest.

    The next morning when he woke up, the team was all ready to face their strongest enemies yet. The Sdars were mean and proud creatures. They were humanoids, but they have horns on their heads. However, the skin color they had varied from person to person. It was more like facing a color palette than a group of people.

    Shi Lang and the rest arrived at the arena, but the crowd was not cheering today. They were praying, the mood was slightly off, and the Terran general asked, ¡°Any idea?¡±

    Jane came forward and said, ¡°The sdars have taken your crest as an act of dishonor and they have challenged us to a cycle fight.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow in surprise and said, ¡°I did not know for them to notice such a low-key thing.¡±

    The rest of the peopleughed and Shi Lang said, ¡°Fine, you all have been ying well in the past few gazes, it is time I get the MVP. I want to flex some muscles. So, I will y first and probablyst.¡±

    The team agreed, after all, Shi Lang had incurred unwanted wrath from the other team. So, he might as well, face them on his own. To think, the loyal Terran team pushed him under the bus so ruthlessly.

    He said, ¡°Ummm, which one of you will go and make a Shura Sword for me, that is simr in proportion to my real one? I do not think these guys will take it easy on me.¡±

    Matthews and Lucas stepped up and said, ¡°We will go, boss.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Go then. I will deal with them using a spear till then.¡±

    That said, he went to the edge of the viewing room and jumped down to stand on the shoulder of the mecha. He sighed and mumbled, ¡°You might get a few scratches today, boy.¡±

    He got inside the cockpit and started the system. Arianta hovered over the arena interacting with the people, when she saw that both sides were ready, she said, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, are you all ready to watch the biggest fight of group D?¡±

    The crowd reacted like maniacs, they were done with their prayers and were now waiting for the Sdars to win the battle. The reason? Well, they all pressed their money on Sdars to win. Even if the odds of the federation winning were low, there were only a few people who bothered with this gamble.

    Arianta noticed something and said, ¡°Both teams please send forward your contenders.¡±

    Shi Lang and the enemy took calm andrge strides to walk over. They were simply too agitated. The system started an automated countdown and Arianta moved her hoverboard to get inside the Terran observation room.

    The team was surprised, but they did not behave like bumpkins. Arianta was really beautiful but she did not fit the aesthetic sense of the Terrans. So, she pointed the mike at Jane and asked, ¡°Why did you only send your captain to the battle.¡±

    Jane sighed and said, ¡°We did not want him to go alone as well, but we cannot overrule the directmand, the general wanted to face the opponent on his own.¡±

    Arianta was amazed by the valor disyed by Shi Lang, she still asked in a low voice, ¡°Is your general single?¡±

    This question stunned everyone, and the answer shocked the people even more, ¡°Yes, General is married. Thank you for asking, Madam Arianta.¡±

    The host flew back and the countdown ended and the battle began. The start was simr, Shi Lang parrying and dodging, and countering when he found the opportunity. This was like a game of hide and seek.

    However, the people were not antsy, they were all used to this style of battle from Shi Lang. The enemy had a bot simr to the federation team but the mecha had two curved horns on the head. They all used swords, and Shi Lang was taking advantage by exploiting his long spear reach to deal with this person.

    The Terran general was so meticulous that he had been using the entire field, his mecha was leaving marks all over the ce. Well, it was not really that easy for him to move around and dodge it all. So after five minutes, he had two scratches on the surface of his right shoulder, but that was just a scratch.

    The reason he was steadily defending was so that the people could craft his sword at ease. His actions had garnered a lot of boo-ing from the crowd but when has Shi Lang ever cared about people? The battle entered the tenth minute and suddenly, Shi Lang thrust his spear after parrying the sword sh, the phaserce was activated and the spear went through the chest and came out of the back. The crowd fell silent all of a sudden. This was unexpected, how did he pull it off? That was all they could think of.

 Chapter 287 Slashed.

    Shi Lang had suddenly taken advantage and the spear in his hand was stabbed through the chest of the enemy mecha. He did not wait for the enemy to recover from shock and with a twist he pulled out the weapon quickly. Then he swung it hard and hit directly on the side of the enemy mech.

    This strike left the visual system in a glitchy situation and he dashed forward. The Spear was dropped when he took initiative to charge at the enemy. Then his empty palms sped around the horns on the enemy mecha skull, and with hisplete force, he twisted the head.

    The shocked audience heard a simple, clicking sound, and they became aware that the head of the enemy mecha was disjointed.

    Yes, Shi Lang had directly taken off the head after unlocking the clipping system with such efficiency. He took advantage of his technical knowledge. After so many days in this ce, he hade to understand how the other parties manufactured their mechas.

    OB-One hadpiled a lot of basic structure of the mechas for him to study them. Shi Lang was aware of the things and he even spent time to practice how to disjoint the couplers in simtion realm. He was able to achieve this level with his hard work.

    After the head was disjointed, Shi Lang yanked the unit and sparks flew out from the neck of the mecha. The broken and connected wires all came out. Shi Lang then kicked the other party in the chest and made the enemy move back, but the head was held in his hands.

    The kick was strong, yet the enemy still did not fall, this was the testament to his skills. Shi Lang nodded in approval of his skills. However, just because of this, he had no intention to go easy on the person. He tossed the head aside, and a strong roar sounded from the enemy camp, ¡°Krumm, kill him.¡±

    They had taken his action as disrespect and insult to their entire civilization. They did not want him to walk out of the arena alive. Shi Lang tilted to the side to look past the enemy mecha and found a person standing at the edge of the observation room breathing heavily.

    Shi Lang sighed and moved forward to attack, however, the enemy was able to avoid his attacks. The young general frowned and retreated to create a distance between them.

    ¡­

    Ryan asked, ¡°Why did he pull back?¡±

    This was a golden moment, Shi Lang could have overwhelmed the enemy with his skills at this moment, but it did not happen, on the other hand, the enemy was able to resist the final blows. The tech in the mecha was not shallow at all.

    Jane said, ¡°Lang, we are detecting a sonar wave patterning from the enemy.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Roger that.¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°Now do you understand why? These people copied our tech, but they did not use the sonar modules from the start. This is why Shi Lang pulled back, he does not want to fight this guy quickly and then end up suffering.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded when they heard this point. After all, calm and patience will definitely lead one to win, impatience was not a good thing.

    On the field, Shi Lang kept moving and situation had entered a stalemate. He was not liking it. He said, ¡°Lucas, where is my sword.¡±

    Lucas could detect the hint of impatience and replied, ¡°Checking right away.¡±

    ¡­

    In the mech bay, Jack and Steel were standing in front of a fabricator and they were looking at the grinder sharpening the five-meter-long sword. The curved de was shining slightly as the edge wasing out slowly. The face of the de had the seal of the shura.

    Jack had also arranged a few array patterns on the de. They were going to embed these patterns with spirit stone powder. Just when they were thinking what an outstanding job they have done, themunicator rang.

    Steel picked up and said, ¡°Steel.¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°Lang will melt your butts. You have ten minutes toe over.¡±

    Steel said, ¡°Fifteen and I will be there with the sword.¡±

    His tone was calm and not effected by the urgency shown by Lucas. Thetter could only sigh and said, ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡­

    Lucas said, ¡°Lang, hold for fifteen minutes.¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Fine.¡±

    Then he thought of something while dodging a sword sh narrowly, and said, ¡°Turn off the Sonar detection system.¡±

    The on-boardputer said, ¡°Acknowledged.¡±

    Shi Lang did this for a reason, the sound emitted from his mecha stopped. This was helping the enemy was able to detect his presence even quickly and urately. The enemy might have copied their technology but they did not know that it was not that simple.

    The Terrans havebined the sonar detection with visual detection and the spirit chip in the main processing unit was the third sensor. If the pilot initiated the neural link, then his performance will increase by at least ten folds. The sensory data from the chip will be directly transmitted to the brain of the pilot.

    ¡­

    Arianta was shocked to see this and said, ¡°I never expected such talented people to exist in this level.¡±

    For what it mattered, she had not switched on her microphone, and this statement was just ament to self. The battle below continued, and the people kept watching with all their concentration.

    Soon, fifteen minutes have passed, and Shi Lang was about to call the monitoring station when thetter reached him, ¡°Boss, they are here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Time to end this.¡±

    The spear, which who knew when he picked up, flew from his hand and like a dart stabbed in the chest of the enemy mecha again, however, this time, Shi Lang did not take back the spear and said, ¡°Explode.¡±

    The spearhead was installed with a small phaser-nade. The remotemand detonated it. The mecha exploded, revealing a hole in the chest. Shi Lang however, did not seem to care and walked back to the monitoring station calmly.

    Arianta was about to announce the result when Shi Lang asked, ¡°Excuse me, can I collect my weapon from the observation room?¡±

    Thedy nodded and said, ¡°The winner of the first battle is the federal team pilot, Ace.¡±

    Shi Lang disregarded this and stood in front of the observation room, Steel and Jack, with the help of the entire team, held the blunt end of the sword. The came to the edge and slowly lowered the ck de.

    The young general caught the hilt and lifted the de before swinging it for a few times. He admired the de and said, ¡°Good job.¡±

    With that he turned around and faced the new enemy. The mecha was simr to thest one, just with the color difference and this person was carrying a battle-ax.

    Arianta said, ¡°Let us begin the second round.¡±

    Theputerized count down started again, and Shi Lang began to calm himself down. His person hade over the obstructing thoughts in his mind and entered the state of indifference. His mind was at Zero.

    The countdown ended, a cold voice sounded, ¡°Begin.¡±

    The enemy charged at him swinging his huge four meter battle-ax at Shing. However, thetter did not move, he stood still. As if the iing attack had nothing to do with him.

    Some of the people who were watching the live broadcast could not help but say that this guy, who was dodging and duking with thest opponent was now scared of the ferocious Sdar warrior in front of him.

    Suddenly, they all wished to find a hole and hide in it. Shi Lang took half a step back, avoided the ax attack on himself, and then he moved a step forward diagonally. Then his sword shed, and things stopped.

    The enemy did not even had the chance, Shi Lang covered the edge of the de with spirit energy and the de went through the mecha like a butter block under a hot knife.

    This was something no one had expected, but Shing did it. To cover up that his de was not extraordinary, his spirit energy added a little charm at the edge, making the people put down their greed and doubts.

    Theputer announced, ¡°Battle ended, winner, Shi Lang.¡±

    The people were shocked, the person who was dealing with the enemy with great pain a few minutes ago, took down this guy with just a sh, was this not a bit too much for them to digest. What was even more, the enemy was standing there like a statue. They did not understand why the result came out so soon.

    Shi Lang looked at the confused crowd and nudged the enemy mecha with his hand. The chest of the enemy mecha slid and the unit fell to the ground in two pieces. Shi Lang had severed the body of the pilot in two along with the mecha.

 Chapter 288 Missing.

    After the battle ended, Shi Lang stood in the arena with a sword in his hand. The people could not see his face but they could tell that he did not care about killing the second pilot of the Sdar empire. His mood was very calm as if a sea in spring.

    The staff quickly acted and they all cleared up the debris on the ground, and before Arianta could say anything, the third opponent from the other side had walked over. Thedy was helpless, this seemed to be happening a bit too frequently.

    Even if they have put forward the challenge of cycle battles, it was still the best of three, and Shi Lang had won two rounds. She wanted to refuse but the crowd was exploding in cheers. They were anticipating this battle.

    The Sdar captain looked at Shi Lang and said, ¡°I will kill you.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything to him but only raised his free hand and pointed at him with one finger. His action was very insulting and the enemy was even more eager to charge at Shi Lang.

    Arianta sighed and said, ¡°Let the battle begin.¡±

    She did not go much into details because this fight was farming a lot of viewership and the higher-ups had told her to jump right into it. She made her way to the Terran observation room and was shocked by the thick murderous intentioning from everyone.

    Jane looked at her and said, ¡°We have guests.¡±

    The murderous intention vanished in a blink. Arianta asked, ¡°Can I disturb you all with a quick question?¡±

    Jane nodded and the hostess continued, ¡°I was very curious and confused about the gesture, Leader Ace made just now. Can you tell us what did it mean?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°He will finish this fight with one blow. Do not think he is looking down on the enemy, but he will be using his best attack to deal with the obstacle in front of him. That is what he meant.¡±

    Arianta nodded and just as she was about to ask something, the monitoring station speaker let out a sound, ¡°Neural Link, initiated.¡±

    She understood that the people were not lying to her, initiating the neural link meant that the pilot was going to push the limits of his body and mecha.

    ¡­

    On the field, Shi Lang held the sword to the side, with the tip pointing at the ground diagonally. Theputer finished the timer and the battle began.

    Just when the people were thinking that the Sdarian pilot will push himself to the edge, the person in question seemed to have frozen, in his spot. Shi Lang had used the sonar system in the mecha to project his brain wave in form of sound waves.

    This technique was something heprehended a few days ago during a battle. Since his brain was connected to the Mecha, he could control every single part of the metal giant. Even if it was a bolt in the mecha, that was under his control, just an analogy.

    The brain wave he projected was a spell, the Shura Domain.

    The sdar leader was now standing surrounded by a thousand copies of the Terran Mecha. He was fighting again and again, but the enemy was killing him over and over again. He had no idea how much time has passed but he was not able to move ahead or take down the enemy.

    He was shocked, he was not a fool to not realize that he was trapped in an illusion. However, despite knowing this, he was not able to break through the illusion, suddenly, the shadows vanished, and then all he saw was a shadow falling on his head.

    The sdar leader was ready to embrace death, he knew that the enemy was not a soft-hearted person who might spare him. But he woke up when he heard a loud sighing sound from the crowd. He opened his eyes and found that the sword had sliced through the mecha but the edge stopped three inches away from his forehead. If he was to move, then the edge might slice him in two.

    He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, mixed with his ego, and said, ¡°We cannotpare, we admit defeat.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at him and found that the host was not on the site. He turned his head and found the person to be standing in his observation room. Arianta sensed his gaze and her body experienced a chill running through her body.

    She instantly appeared in the void above the arena and said, ¡°Winner, Ace.¡±

    The crowd was shocked, they did not evenprehend what happened, to them, the Sdar leader was standing and allowing Shi Lang to kill him, however, the Terran pilot stopped the moment before his sword could see blood.

    The result was announced but the pilots did not move from their spots. The Sdar leader asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Your pilots followed your order and they pointed the intent to kill, thus they died. Since it was your order that sent them to their deaths, why should you have an easy way out? From now on live with the burden of their deaths, if you are a man, then carry this weight with pride as your soldiers did not hesitate, however, if you are a coward, the choice is yours.¡±

    That said, he retracted his sword and turned around to walk away. Showing your back to the enemy had a great meaning, either you trusted the person¡¯s character, or you did not put them in your eyes. Shi Lang was the person who did not put a defeated enemy in his eyes.

    He walked back to dock the mecha below the observation room and jumped back inside. He did not care about the reward or the price. Next was going to be a five-way match and only thest one standing will be able to reach the finals.

    Shi Lang was going to prepare; his mind was calm but a lot of things were still yet to be done.

    ¡­

    Shashi was drinking a cup of tea when he heard the statement Shi Lang gave after defeating Sdar, and spewed it out. He stood up from his chair and rushed to meet the team. He was not prepared for such a thing to happen, after all, the cycle battle was a lowly tactic, who will initiate it? To consume the energy of the person inside, this tactic was used, but in the end, the result was still the same.

    The federal team stood undefeated. Shashi wanted to go and congratte them and also talk to them about the next round. The envoy reached the observation room and found it empty. He made his way to the mech bay and found it empty as well.

    He was confused and worried about where might the people be. He found a bench and sat down on it before he called them, the call was picked up and Shashi shot off, ¡°Where the fuck are you guys, I have been looking for you like a fool.¡±

    On the other end a voice sounded, ¡°Hehe, you do not need to know, who we are little envoy, just follow themand if you want your people toe back. At this moment, they are fine and fancy, but I do not know for how long can they be like this.¡±

    Shashi was shocked, he did not expect such a thing to happen, however, since the other party could take over the federalmunicators, they must have a higher level of technological achievement.

    The envoy calmed himself down and asked, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, you are a good boy, what you need to do is to have your people, forfeit thepetition. I do not wish to see you in the arena and rain on my parade.¡±, said the other party.

    Shashi calmed himself forcefully and then said, ¡°I cannot do this on my own, give me some time to contact the president. Give me twelve hours.¡±

    The other party shook his head and said, ¡°Do not reach of the mile when given an inch. Your people are under my control. If you care about them do as I say, you have twenty four hours, goodbye.¡±

    Shashi was shocked and then he contacted the gctic council board and the forces were mobilized to investigate and rescue. The next thing he did was to call the federation and discuss this with the president. However, he mentioned that the president must not tell the close ones or it will cause panic among the citizen.

    This matter was then left for Shashi to deal with, while the president called the allies in the gxy to help him find out about his people.

    ¡­

    At this moment, in a dark room, twenty people sat in a circle and they were all meditating. They did not show any difort or panic, the reason was that it will not help them at all. The door of their room was pushed open and a man walked in while chuckling.

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and the person froze.

 Chapter 289 Captured?

    Shi Lang sat in a closed room, there were no windows and no outlets. However, they were not suffocated, as he spotted a few oxygen dispensersying in the corner. To prevent the enemy from getting better of them, he had told the team to cultivate.

    He was recalling what happened to them, earlier when they hade out of the Arena, they crossed a small passage and suddenly everything became dark. The trick in this situation was that Shi Lang was unable to sense anything approaching him. They were not attacked by anyone, but the sudden ckout raised a lot of questions.

    If he were to be trapped alone, he would have tried to massacre people and leave, but if he did that now, his team might be implicated with the legal procedures of this, they were not at the federation or at war, but they were on the peaceful world of the gctic council.

    Shi Lang wanted to find out what was the reason why they were captured. Just as he was thinking about it, a few sounds were picked up. Closing his eyes he located the door of the room. It was right in front of him, at twenty meters distance. Shi Lang channeled spiritual energy throughout his body and found that his body was fine and he could move.

    The team was immersed in meditation, but they were not unaware of their situation, they trusted their leader unconditionally, and thus followed hismand. Shi Lang was about to say something when he sensed the door open. He closed his eyes, and let the persone inside.

    The man came and stood in front of Shi Lang and scrutinized him, but the next second he was stunned, Shi Lang opened his eyes and cast the Shura domain against this man. The pressure and killing intention made thetter freeze, for a second which was enough for the young general to reach next to him and ce his hand to cover his head.

    He was calm and cold, instead of wasting time talking to this man, he used the soul search technique. The identity and memories of the person became an open book to him. Their motive was to have the Terran team withdraw from thepetition. The person who tasked them was an unknown entity.

    These people were gctic desperados, the reason they were selected was that their crew wasprised of people who had the ability to make the target unable to move or act for a few minutes. The location they were at was arranged for them by the person behind this whole conspiracy. Shi Lang was pissed, but he did not care about anything.

    He let go of the person in his grasp and took hismunicator back from him. Then he contacted Shashi in a jiffy, the other party answered in a blink, and Shi Lang said, ¡°Shashi, tell the president that we are okay, and go to my room, have OB-One locate us and extract the footage from the surveince, from the moment we were out of the arena, but do not expose it to the world just yet.¡±

    Shashi was shocked that Shi Lang was contacting him so soon. However, he did what he was told to. He was aware that Shi Lang would not let this matter go just like this. Themunication was finished and the young general said, ¡°Wake up.¡±

    The whole team opened their eyes. They were emitting indifference as if they were not humans but robots, their intentions were condensed only in their eyes. Shi Lang said, ¡°We have seventy targets. All are scattered in this mention. They have a quirk, that is to paralyze a living target under their direct gaze. The objective is to sneak and kill but also to extract information from them. Is it clear?¡±

    They replied in a hushed, ¡°Hoorah.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Steel will present the strategy.¡±

    Steel nodded in acknowledgment and stood up. He came to stand beside Shi Lang and said, ¡°Ten teams, in pairs of two. All of us will keep the illusion formations and camo functions on at all times. If you encounter a solo target, extract information, if youe across a group, kill the rest and keep the lead. Also, no rms.¡±

    The people nodded sternly. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°We will first take back our gear, andmunicators, and then take the surveince station under control. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    With that, the team moved out and they opened the door, the enemy had taken away their handguns, knives,municators, and visors. The suit could not be taken off without a precise software sequence so they failed. The people used their spiritual sense and discovered that four people wereing over for patrol from the corresponding corridor.

    Shi Lang did not say anything Steel instructed four of the frontal forces to move forward, and just as the enemy came in sight, they were dragged in and the Terran soldiers snapped their necks. The actions were clean and cruel. The bodies were quickly disposed of inside the room. One of them, who had the ability to locate and control electronic devices had already jammed the cameras in the corridors.

    These abilities doe in handy, the team moved silently, but quickly through the corridors and soon came to a room where the gear was stored. This ce was guarded by two people. They were dealt with by the person with the ability to emit sound waves and render them unconscious. Matthew cast the soul search technique and gathered the intel.

    They were going to cripple this whole group thoroughly. Shi Lang and the others put on their visors and then turned on their illusion and camouge. After this, they split and moved through the ce at a faster speed.

    While the rest of the team was killing and dealing with the enemy, Shi Lang was silently walking through the corridors at leisure. It was as if he was out for a walk in the park. Hisposure was enough to tell the people that everything was under control and that they will get out of here cleanly.

    The leader was heading to meet the leader, his motive was that person only, the reason was that he was sure about the said leader to have some card up his sleeve. He was also the person who attacked Shi Lang and the others personally, so the debt had to be calcted the same way.

    Shi Lang had already thought of a way to negate the trick of the person, due to the earlier memory searches, he had found that this ability had a cool-down time. The loophole was exposed, and after using this ability to deal with twenty people at the same time, the leader would not be able to deal with any of the team members.

    Thus, the confidence and caution of a leader of desperados will definitely have some cards. Soon, Shi Lang was standing in front of a door. He did not enter immediately bit the tip of his tongue hard enough for it to bleed and spat it out on the ground. The wound healed in a blink, while the drop of blood passed through the gap of the door.

    This was the quality of the liquid. It could pass through every gap even if it was microscopic. The drop of blood passed through, and on the other side of the door, it began to squirm. Soon, a clone of Shi Lang was standing, looking at a man who was enjoying some quality time with twodies of a different race, and the images were a bit too sensitive to describe.

    Shi Lang controlled the clone and raising the handgun, he took a shot directly at the calf of the person. A wail rang out in the room, but the person reacted quickly, he reached under the pillow and grabbed a phaser gun, he was about to turn around and shoot at the clone when another shot passed through his shoulder.

    The twodies reacted just now, and they jumped off the bed, wailing. Shi Lang cast them a gaze and thedies immediately fell silent. The man controlled his pain and roared, ¡°Bastard, how dare to attack me. I will show you, who is the boss.¡±

    Then the man took hit hismunicator with his chin and the whole mansion began to echo with ring rms. The clone turned around and pressed the switch on the door, and it swished open. Shi Lang walked in, and the clone melted before the drop of blood melted back in his body. The process was very quick and stunned the three people.

    The young general, however, took out his handgun and shot the twodies, and then said, ¡°I can just carry you out of here, and torture you for as long as I like. If you wish to have an easier time, help yourself and switch off the self-destruct sequence. I am really not in the mood to get into anyplicated thing.¡±

    The mood of the room froze, Shi Lang was out for blood.

 Chapter 290 Raging Silence.

    Shi Lang and the team seemed to have vanished, and the mechas were being tended to by OB-One alone. They had been missing for three days, and today was the day of the battle. They were going to face the four top teams simultaneously, in mecha suits and in a struggle with a high chance of death.

    Yet, they were still not present, Shashi had been in touch with them constantly but the absence of the person, in reality, was much more worrisome to him. He was the envoy and the sess of the team had made him a center of attention. Small-scale Gctic channels had approached him for an interview with the team, and he had to maintain a fake smile throughout.

    This made him even more mentally exhausted. It was just a few hours before the battle and he could not find a single sign of Shi Lang and the team. Meanwhile, the reason for his difort was moving through the bustling capital city to look for the person in the dark, who caused him and his team this inconvenience.

    They had gathered the intel with not much effort, the only clue was that the person met them in a cafe and that his left hand was not intact. Shi Lang thought about it and found that if a party was threatening the potential teams, like this then it must have been a regr operation. The Terran team had put their lives on the line and now they had to face this sleazy bunch of people, How could they?

    The team had surrounded the cafe in the mention and they wereying down on the roofs of the surrounding buildings with their illusion arrays protecting them. They werepletely geared, and if the enemy does note to this ce in the next couple of hours, then they will move to thepetition and have OB-One scan the crowd.

    They waited, however, there was no moment in this ce. Shi Lang looked at the time and said, ¡°The tech team will pull back, all of you will now go to the arena. Keep up the appearance, do not let them take our absence as our abstinence.¡±

    The team followed his order and five people left the ce. After another hour passed, Shi Lang said, ¡°The five from the admin team will keep watch, and the rest of us will leave for the match. You will stay in touch at all times, and your protective arrays will stay on at all times. Do you understand?¡±

    The five people came up with an affirmative reply and Shi Lang took off with the frontal forces. The speed of these few people was slightly slower. They have not taken a single grain of food in the past two days, and Shi Lang had used a lot of spirit energy to soul search the people, and when they came out of the mansion, they found themselves to be at a ce that was five thousand miles away from the ce. They hade back to the city on foot.

    This ce was man-made and there were a lot of ditches and protection protocols they had to bypass. This ce was unknown to them, and even if they were to get any details about this ce, it was limited. Shi Lang and the rest of the people were thankful for the bot, OB-One for his guidance in the simted mapping and triangtion method.

    Steel asked, ¡°Sir, do we have no other way to deal with this matter?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, and said, ¡°Focus on the battle royale, this can be dealt withter. When the enemy sees us returning topete, they will panic, and reveal a hint.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded and they quickly arrived at the venue, there were still fifteen minutes for the battle tomence, and they had to report to the observation rooms in a few minutes. The constraint of time on them was a bit too much. They moved through the corridors and came to the observation hall.

    The team was already and Jane said, ¡°We have less time, I have ced food in your cockpits, go move.¡±

    Shi Lang rushed forward and pecked her cheek as he said, ¡°You are the best mother ever.¡±

    Jane rubbed her cheek and kicked him in the shin before she said, ¡°You are the worst child ever. Get lost, dirty swine.¡±

    The frontal force were all covered in dust and dirt. Shi Lang chuckled and got inside, but who knew, that the rest of the frontal force soldiers will greet Jane with the same address, Den mother?

    Lucas and the rest were trying their best to hold back. While Ryan and Steel joined Shi Lang in the mechas, the rest of the team sat down in the observation room and began eating the food prepared beforehand. Jane asked, ¡°The admins?¡±

    Jack replied, ¡°Overwatch.¡±

    They did not say much because they did not know what sort of high-tech bug might be ced here and record their conversation. They all sat on the floor looking forward to the countdown of the battle that was about tomence. Jane said, ¡°What do you think? Will they make it through?¡±

    Jackid down on the ground and said, ¡°Chill, the boss is very angry. Do you think he will let go of others?¡±

    The rest of the people nodded and they understood what was going to happen. This time, Shi Lang will go to massacre the people. He will definitely not hold back from attacking anyone if they dared to even approach him. He has been holding back his rage ever since he found out that someone has kidnapped them.

    ¡­

    Arianta hovered over the arena, the ce was now twice big and five observation decks were ced in a pentagon shape. The gctic council had re-arranged the location for these matches. The hostess took ap around the arena and said, ¡°Wee, friends from the gxy. I am your host, Arianta. Tonight we have gathered to witness the first of its kind, Mecha Battle Royale.¡±

    The crowd cheered with exhration. They did not expect this to be a battle royale. Arianta continued after a pause, ¡°Though we have a twist in this mode, five teams will send one of their participants into the arena, they will fight with each other for ten minutes, and then a buzzer will sound, and the second wave of mechas will rush in to air or avenge theirrades. If you are lucky to survive then with the help of yourrade, you might be able to turn the tide, but if you are not lucky, then you might get tag-teamed.

    So, are you all ready?¡±

    Ryan said, ¡°Boss, what is the game n?¡±

    Shi Lang was gulping down his fifth instant noodle cup and said, ¡°I will go in first, you guys eat.¡±

    The two people understood his intentions and they nodded. The general was going to pave the way, and they will have a better chance to recover their energy. Thinking about it the two people began to absorb the spiritual stones in their hands. Shi Lang ate in peace, his body was stronger and he had crushed a spirit stone to forcefully infuse the energy in his body.

    Arianta finished introducing the five teams and then she flew away to the side. Shi Lang took a rough nce at who were hispetitors and found that one of the mecha looked like a predator. Yes, it was a quad-limbed predator, with a long tail and low body. He was very curious about the tech behind this, and said, ¡°Lucas, collect data.¡±

    Lucas replied, ¡°Collecting already, Boss. This thing is quite delicate yet sturdy at the same time.¡±

    Shi Lang hummed, and the rm sounded, this was the signal to send the yers inside the arena. Just as the young general was about to take a step, the earphone rang with a calm greeting, ¡°Godspeed.¡±

    Taking a step inside, the young general was standing in the arena. He did not move forward, to reach the center, but just took out, his sword from his back. Arianta noticed this and said, ¡°Looks like someone is not here for fun.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s mecha raised the head to gaze at her and the hostess fell silent. The crowd erupted inughter, they did not expect thedy to get frightened by this gesture. Shi Lang waited for the countdown to finish, he spotted that a person was gazing at him with dedicated focus. His intentions were clear, and Shi Lang decided to kill this person before the ten-minute window ends.

    He disliked this vibe of being stared at by a snake. So, first, crush the snake, and then deal with the chicken. The countdown ended and theputerized voice sounded, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Shi Lang ran straight toward the person who was staring at him and he said, ¡°Neural Link, initiated.¡±

 Chapter 291 Berserk?

    The people were all surprised, Shi Lang rushed straight to the person diagonally on his left, he ignored the other three, even the contestants were surprised by this behavior. They have seen the videos of the matches from the Terran battles. They interrupted his speed to his rashness and tagged Shi Lang as a brawler.

    The neural link was initiated and everything that was happening outside was visible to Shi Lang as if he was the mecha itself. The reason he utilized the neural link was that he wanted to use the sword withplete fluency. If he wasted any moment due to his controlg, it will be a tragedy for himself.

    Ariantamented, ¡°Why does it seem like Ace is going berserk?¡±

    Thementators did not dare to say anything rashly and they said, ¡°The battle has just begun, it could be a strategy.¡±

    The five contenders were rushing to the center, and they all wished to close the distance before fighting. However, the predator mecha was faster and it was equipped with phaser guns. This guy flicked his tail and it split into several tails, revealing flowers on the tip. Suddenly, these flowers glow and they began to fire off phaser beams at everyone.

    The other mechas dodged, but Shi Lang kept moving forward, he was not going to stop, this scarce shower was too easy for him to dodge, whether he controlled the mecha or himself. The chaos did not allow anyone to notice his abnormality. Shi Lang had avoided a lot of beams and a few grazed his mecha¡¯s body.

    The young man, suddenly turned on his feet, shifting his weight and his target changed from the humanoid to the predator. The Terran mecha was also equipped with a phaser gun, it was hidden inside the mecha tight and was a one-and-a-half meter long handgun. Shi Lang did not waste time. He took out the handgun, and directly aimed at the flower tips.

    The phasor beams collided, and the two parties decide to deal with each other and neglect the other two. The other three did not wish to give up this brilliant opportunity and they charged toward the two. The people in the observation stand were inching closer to the edges of their seats. They were very interested to see if the two berserks will fight each other, and die from the siege or will they turn the tables.

    Yes, this was not a surprising thing to think collectively. Howe the ones, who could afford toe and work at the gctic council could not know what was going on here? As soon as the enemy reached a ten-meter zone, Shi Lang and the predator stopped at the same time.

    Shi Lang turned around on his feet and his sword at the guy from earlier, this change was too fast. However, the opposite party was not shallow andshed back with a sword of his own. Two weapons collided and they let out sparks.

    CLANG!

    The impact was strong, and the des let out a shrill hum, but it did not stop the two people from attacking each other again. The speed and ferocity of the attacks were something the crowd has never seen before.

    ¡­

    Jack asked, ¡°Anything special about this guy?¡±

    Lucas said, ¡°Hmm, he projected a shred of killing intent towards Ace, earlier. He picked up the wrong time.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded and began to look at the battle again. They were sure, that this person will die regardless. Jane asked, ¡°What is the name of these people again?¡±

    Lucas sighed and said, ¡°They are the Sapiens. They are extremely close to terrans in terms of appearance and governing system. Maybe that is why they are trying to pull us back.¡±

    Suddenly, Jack¡¯smunicator went off, he epted a connection request and Matthew on the other side said, ¡°Cheif, this ce is not where that guy came to visit, but this is his own shop. That guy is a Sapien and we have him under control.¡±

    Jack raised his eyebrow and asked, ¡°What else did you find?¡±

    Matthew replied, ¡°They have done this a few times in the past. They run a betting racket. We have the proof.¡±

    Jack thought for a minute and then said, ¡°Clear the traces and move out. Regroup at the arena.¡±

    Then he stood up, walked to Lucas, and whispered something to him. The man on the monitoring station was surprised slightly but then he ryed the message to Shi Lang. The young general heard these words, and it was as if alcohol has been poured into the fire. He erupted and held his sword with two hands, and attacked.

    This time, he did not shake off, and his de kepting anding at the Sapien as if this guy was his only enemy in the world for lives. The other three contestants indulged in their own three-way fight.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang saw the enemy step in to deal him a deathly blow, however, Shi Lang ducked and rolled to the side of the enemy, but the crowd noticed a faint light flicker as he stood up. The next moment, the Sapien mecha exploded. Shi Lang had quick eyes and saw that a figure had jumped off from the back of the mecha. It was an escape hatch.

    However, Will Shi Lang let this guy get away? He took out his phaser gun and shot the mecha into a sieve, also vaporizing the pilot with a random shot. Then he turned around to look at the observation deck of the Sapien team and raised his sword aiming at the man who stood at the edge with a livid expression on his face.

    Arianta became excited, this was a scoop, she said, ¡°Did you guys see what I saw? Ace of the Terran team went ahead and challenged the Sapien team directly. This is getting interesting.¡±

    Shi Lang then turned around and joined the three-way fight. The three people were alert about the moment on the field, they were reminded by the monitoring stations about Shi Lang¡¯s approach, and the enemies united. They began to fight Shi Lang, three to one. However, was it that easy to deal with the Terran Cultivator?

    Shi Lang moved his sword around like it was an extension of his arm and his speed was anything but slow or easy, his mecha moved along with his sword to dodge or parry the attacks from the enemies. While his right hand was dealing with the enemy swords, his left hand was busy using the handgun and negating the phaser beams shot at him by the predator Mecha.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang turned around, and his sword was facing the predator mecha while his handgun was firing at the two enemies. This switch was unpredictable and the phaser beams were urately shot through the heads of the two mechas.

    None of the people expected this, but Shi Lang did not kill the people of the mecha, he simply targeted the visual modules of the mecha and was done with it all. He did not stop and with a quick thrust of his feet, he closed the distance with the predator mecha.

    Lucas had told him that the Predator mecha was good at sideways movement, but not at moving backward. Shi Lang used this fact to his use, and while the enemy fired phaser beams at him and he countered them with phaser beams of his own, his right hand threw the Sword directly at the space where the predator could move to.

    Spective attack and this move caught the enemy by surprise, the reaction was fast, but not enough to evade the attackpletely, and one of its limbs was severed. This was significant damage and the mecha fell down to the ground, it could not move.

    Shi Lang pointed at it with the sword, he wanted this pilot to admit defeat. It has been eight minutes since the battle has begun, and four enemies were out. The rest of the time was going to be used by Shi Lang as rest time.

    ¡­

    Jane sighed and said, ¡°He is going after the Sapiens. Ryan, you better not drag him down, or he might kick you away, you know that right/¡±

    Ryan replied, ¡°I know den mother. Chill, I have it under control.¡±

    Jane felt a twitch at the corner of her eye and said, ¡°See, how I deal with youter.¡±

    ¡­

    The people were still in a daze, this was the fastest mech battle they have ever witnessed, and the skills disyed by Shi Lang were on point. He was simply amazing, none of his moves were shy but they were all practical and his execution was perfect.

    The video of his battle was now going viral and the most highlighted part was the attack and provocation aimed at the Sapien leader. This was something the people did not understand. However, Shashi was at the moment sitting in a corridor, waiting to have an audience with the higher-ups.

    Jack has called him and told him that Shi Lang might lose it and massacre the whole Sapien team if he did not stop the battle by the time three rounds were done for.

 Chapter 292 Daring.

    Shi Lang stood in the arena, surrounded by silence. Yes, the disy of valor and skills had left the people in a daze. The first round hade to an end in the eighth minute, giving Shi Lang a brief time to heal himself from the stress of the battle.

    Shi Lang disengaged the neural link and began to absorb the spirit stone in his hand. He had taken it out from the space ring. Neural links were far more developed now and the burden on his mind was shared by the jade spirit chip he had ced inside the mecha, but it was still tolling on his spiritual energy.

    He absorbed the spiritual energy from the stone in just a minute, the size of the stone was just as big as two lychees. He said to themunicator, ¡°Tell Ryan to assume aplete support role and not to enter the battle. He can rely on his higher speed to evade the battle. I do not wish for anyplications.¡±

    Lucas nodded and ryed the message. Ryan was a little disappointed but he was aware that Shi Lang was going to kill the Sapien team yer at all costs and thus providing him protection from any external attack would be a prior task. Because once the rhythm of the battle was interrupted, it could lead to Shi Lang¡¯s death.

    ¡­

    While the second round was about tomence in the arena, Shashi was called to the office of the Gctic Council High table. The envoy took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, if he dropped the chain at such a crucial juncture, Shi Lang will definitely take his head off.

    He walked through the eight-meter-high door and turned left before he looked at the table in front of him. It was not actually one, but five different tables, and behind them were silhouettes of five creatures. They looked like humanoids but they all had distinct features. One of them said, ¡°What is your plea?¡±

    This man did not raise his head to look at Shashi, as if the person was insignificant. The envoy of the federation was a proud Terran when he saw this nonchnt behavior. He sneered in his mind, and said, ¡°There is a team in the gctic showdown that is involved in illegal intervention with other teams for their own sake.¡±

    The five people froze and looked up at Shashi. The man on the extreme right asked, ¡°What is your identity again?¡±

    ¡°Shashi, representative of the Federation¡­¡±, the jolly-hearted man stated the space address of the territory and the five people nodded as if they verified his im.

    The man who had spoken earlier said, ¡°You have just made a serious usation, if it is found baseless, you will be sanctioned by the council. Do you know that?¡±

    This was a mandatory threat to prevent attention-seeking civilizations from pulling off stunts. Shashi nodded with a calm expression and said, ¡°We have video evidence as well as the live testimony of the person who was involved in these activities along with a name list. You can verify it with your own means. If this thing was to go out, the entire concept of a fair Showdown will fall apart and the council will have to bear the judgment of the entire representative lobby.¡±

    His words sounded like a logical exnation but they were a cold threat. If they did not take action, then the evidence will be publicized and the council will bear the consequences.

    The big five were the people who represented the biggest forces in the milky way gxy and their status was too high to be looking into these sorts of lowly things. However, when Shashi stated in his request that this issue will have an impact on the gctic council¡¯s overall management and could possibly be a stain, they had to allow him an audience.

    The man in the center asked in a low tone, ¡°Are you threatening us?¡±

    Shashi shook his head and said, ¡°Sir, with all due respect, I represent a member of the gctic council. We may be small and weak in your vision, but we all have our pride. The majority of the members in the council panel are like us, lowly and weak. I am not threatening you but asking you to do justice on our behalf.

    We took part in thepetition because we held faith in the high table of the Gctic Council. However, if you wish to discard this matter, then please do so, The Federation will withdraw from the council, and we do not wish to send our people to a meaningless death.¡±

    He still left a portion out, that if they were to withdraw from the council and then were questioned about it, they will reveal everything that happened, and it will definitely cause a ripple effect among the people. If the legs of the table were not stable, how could the people behind the table rest easily?

    A barrier emerged between Shashi and the five people. They seemed to have engaged in a discussion and the long-term impact of the issue. Usually, they would have brushed it off, however, this thing happened with the gctic showdown being held. The entire panel of members, that was, trillions of people watching the updates. The media will definitely blow this thing up to cover the sky.

    This will be a stain on the faces of the upper management that controlled the. They never expected such a simple matter to force them so hard. In the end, they reached the conclusion of acting against the people. The barrier was put down and the man in the middle said, ¡°You have submitted the evidence, we will mobilize the strike force and the weed will be pulled from the roots. You can leave now.¡±

    This was a decree that told Shashi to be content and not to act out of line. Thetter understood and after expressing his thanks he walked out of the room. He let out a sigh and rxed, in a blink his entire body was drenched in a cold sweat. It was as if he had been walking in rain. Thankfully he was a nine-star Terran and had perfect control over his body.

    Inside the room, the second half of his statement, where he stated that the Federation will withdraw from the Council, was directed by Shi Lang. The idea of a soft threat was also a credit to this young man. Shashi almost cursed him for eternity when he said those things. but thankfully, it all worked out.

    ¡­

    In the Arena, Shi Lang stood gazing at the countdown timer. In a blink, it hit the mark of ten minutes, and Arianta said, ¡°Second wave in.¡±

    Ryan walked up to the edge of the arena and raised a longbow made for the mecha. Yes, they had made this weapon especially. The arrows of this longbow were made of high tensile steel and they had a phaser nade embedded at the tip. If you got hit by this arrow, it will leave a hole at the ce that would be at least a meter in diameter.

    Ryan was to support Shi Lang, who was standing in the center of the arena, looking at the Sapien pilot charging over at him. The two teams on the left, one with the rhinoceros-type mecha, and the other was a humanoid, were engaged inbat. Leaving only the pilot on the extreme left. This guy had two options, one was to meddle with Shi Lang and the Sapien, or target Ryan. He obviously chose thetter.

    The former will make him exposed to the attacks of the support, which will be devastating. Ryan spected this and as soon as he entered the Arena, he took out an arrow from the metallic quiver on his thigh and knocked it on the string. The bow was pulled, and the enemy began to use a random footstep sequence to close the distance and confuse Ryan.

    Thetter did not panic and shot the arrow at the spected spot, however, the enemy guessed his intentions and changed his direction. Ryan then quickly took out a phaser handgun simr to Shi Lang from the inside of his thigh and shot at the enemy in the direction he dodged. The phaser beamsnded on the legs and immobilized the enemy.

    Ryan said, ¡°You can back off, we do not wish to kill wantonly.¡±

    As he said this, Shi Lang entered a frenzy. His sword became a flicker, and his mecha moved around as if it had the flexibility of a human body. The scene was astonishing and mind-boggling. He did not wish to give the other party any chance to get back. The leader of the sapiens could not watch it anymore.

    Shi Lang could have killed the second pilot twice in the past three minutes, but he seemed to be toying with him. The Sapien leader yelled, ¡°Terran, how dare you humiliate us?¡±

    The crowd was surprised by this outbreak, but Shi Lang replied calmly, ¡°I dare simrly how you dared to have me and my team kidnapped and withdraw from thepetition. Sapien, you will pay the price of your deed.¡±

    With that said, his sword stabbed through the chest of the enemy in front of him.

 Chapter 293 Galactic Earthquake.

    Shi Lang¡¯s words were calm and well-paced. He did not seem afraid of anything that could happen if he realized this statement. The Sapien leader was, however, shocked. He did not expect the Terrans to reveal such a thing in front of many people.

    F*ck! They should not be aware that this matter had anything to do with him. How could this mattere up here? If these allegations were proved, they will haverge-scale implications for the Sapien region. They will be scrutinized by the entire gxy. However, the leader was wise, he knew, that it was a trap. If he went on to exin things, the deeper and dirtier it will be.

    Other than that, he was still worried if this was discovered by the leaders back at his home. Then his entire family will be caught up in this mess. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°You can say what you want, but you must understand that it will be affecting a lot of innocent lives. So, be careful.¡±

    This was a dual-edged warning. It was not only a cloaked plea but also a hint that if this matter exploded, then the high-table will not let Shi Lang go for tarnishing their image as well.

    Shi Lang was not a fool and knew that his strength was not yet enough to deal with the high table. So, he chuckled and said, ¡°You just had this much guts? One random jab and youe begging on your knees, and dare you to use me of embarrassing your people? You are an embarrassment for your people.¡±

    His retort left the people speechless. The next thing Shi Lang did was to joinbat with Ryan and take down the enemies quickly. They cooperated seamlessly. Another ten minutes passed, and this time Shi Lang focused on dealing with the Sapien only, the rest was left for the two people to deal with.

    Thepetitor Shi Lang faced was the leader of the opposing team, and he did not hold back. Shi Lang moved around like a god of death, fearless and unstoppable. His actions made people tremble from fright. He was dodging swords from mere inches, yet he was advancing forward and pressurizing the enemy with calm attacks.

    In the meantime, Ryan and Steel dealt with the other three people with not much hassle. Ryan asked, ¡°Shall we help Boss?¡±

    Steel replied, ¡°Do you wish to die? Let him vent or he will break you apart.¡±

    Ryan nodded and became sensible. They watched Shi Lang toying with the enemy and venting his frustration. He was relentless, none of his blows were leaving significant damage but they were clearly leaving the man in a frustrated state of mind.

    ¡­

    While the battle was going on, the strike force had taken action and they investigated the ins and outs of the incident with the help of the evidence left behind by Shashi. They were impressed by how the Federation got their hands on this crucial set of nails.

    The big five learned the truth and saw what was going on in the arena as well. This was enough for them, and it was decided that the involved people will be held responsible and they will be punished ording to thews of simr crimes on their.

    The council had issued a statement, publicizing the facts discovered through the investigation and they had imed that the management of the and the council had nothing to do with it. To be true, the public living on this did not have the time to plot and execute such a shady racket.

    They published statements and the entire gxy was shaken. The people could not believe that one of the military units was involved in this, and to think that even a few more people from all over the gxy were involved in this.

    What kind of ck operation was this? To think a few people from B-tier also surfaced. This was a shameful incident. Shashi was trembling in his shoes when he heard this news. The evidence they had was limited to the D-tier. How can they dig up about the B-tier?

    However, he put away this doubt instantly when the glorious strike force surfaced in his mind. The gctic council had sent out forces to arrest the people involved, while somemitted suicide, some willingly stepped forward to take responsibility and bear all the burden of their deeds. This action was done to save their family and empire from getting implicated.

    After being involved in such a ck operation, these people had long prepared contingency ns. If they would have been fools, they would not have been able to hide this darkwork for such a long time.

    The gctic council did this simply because they needed a scapegoat. This was done to shift the attention of the people from thepse that appeared in the management. The reason they took such methods was to prevent the people from feeling too vexed and affecting them.

    The bigger the image the more people pay attention to them and the more scrutiny, the more people notice even the slightest blemish. This was not something they were willing to tolerate.

    ¡­

    The battle ended after fifteen minutes, the mecha driven by the leader of the Sapiens was sprawled on the ground. Shi Lang had carefully immobilized the joints and also left him no way to use the escape hatch. He did not kill this guy because leaving this sort of person to face the consequences of their deeds was the best punishment.

    Arianta hovered over the arena and said, ¡°The winner of the final battle royale is The Federation. Please give the brave team apuse.¡±

    Although she had a smile on her face, and her tone was calm, her eyes were solemn. She was updated about the situation by the people of themittee. She was told to wrap this up and then have the crowd vacate sooner.

    Thinking about this, she said with a jovial smile on her face, ¡°Now that the battle hase to an end, the award ceremony will be held tomorrow, the teams are tired and stressed. Thepetition was long and it exhausted the teams. I hope you all wish to see energetic people with bright smiles on their faces to ept the awards and not half-dead zombies.¡±

    The people chuckled, most of them had also caught up to the news and they understood the pinch the hostess was in, and they were also aware that dying things will causeplications and they will suffer.

    Thinking about this, the crowd vacated the arena grounds in an orderly manner. The strike team arrived and the leader of the Sapien team was taken away. During the arrest, the person confessed his mistakes and the participation of his two teammates that had been killed by Shi Lang.

    The strike force was aware of Shi Lang¡¯s role and they did not bother him. The rest of the Sapien team was also not bothered because the captain had taken responsibility. Some were angry and some were disappointed after they found out what happened.

    The entire gxy was shaken by this news and people realized that the gctic council was not invulnerable.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and his team returned to their lodgings and they turned in to rest. They have been out for quite a long time. While the rest of the people were sleeping. Shi Lang was cultivating. The might of the big five or the high table was so much that he could not even see them let alone cause a few ripples.

    Also, it was not his intention to make ripples, he wanted to create a storm that will make the people break free from the monopoly of the stronger people. To do that, he needed to break through. It was time for him to wake up his primordial soul and cross the tribtion. OB-One could tell what was going on in his mind, and said, ¡°Sir, you cannot rush it.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I am not rushing anything, OB-One, but only when I have the strength can I be free.¡±

    OB-One said, ¡°Sire, your foundation is firm, if you umte for a few days, it will definitely allow you to break through. If not, you will have to use external means. This will affect your progress in the long run. Spirit herbs are not that easy to find.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded. He was aware of this fact more than anyone else. After thinking for a few minutes, he said, ¡°How about taking a trip to Arcadia? I heard that the princess is missing?¡±

    OB-One nodded and said, ¡°It is a good idea, Arcadia has a wide range of herbs that contain a shred of spirit energy. We can cultivate them.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will break through to the star levels first. I have been at the seven-star level for a bit too long. I alone might not be able to make a difference, but when there are more people like me. The federation will rise.¡±

    The bot nodded and began to prepare for their departure from this ce.

 Chapter 294 Action.

    DEPARTURE.

    Shi Lang finished his cultivation and got up in the morning. He changed into his military dress. They had been asked to don the uniforms for the award ceremony and represent their homnd.

    The team gathered and they all made their way to the arena ground. Today, the scene was slightly changed. The five observation rooms were refurbished for the representatives of the high table. Do not think that they were giving the federation team much importance, they were here to present awards for the Tier A battle.

    A puny tier-D team did not warrant their attention. Shi Lang and the rest did not think much. The itinerary was simple, walk out of the tunnel, collect the award from the presenter with a faint smile on your face, clickmemorative pictures ande back.

    Do not waste time, and do not interact with people. They were going back home right away, and then Shing will go deal with his matters. The n was simple and effective.

    The team followed the n and did just what they had been told by Shashi. Soon they all finished collecting the awards and were about to leave the venue when a reporterdy came over to them. The team stopped and thedy asked politely, ¡°May I ask you all a few questions?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and found that thedy had two long ears on her head and a long tail. Her figure was petite and slender, but her gaze did not give a delicate and docile vibe. It was more like a tigress. Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Will they be off the record?¡±

    Thedy smiled and asked, ¡°Thank you, may I ask what you feel about the betting and maniption racket that took ce yesterday?¡±

    Shi Lang faintly smiled and said, ¡°I think it was a rather regretful and disrespectful incident.¡±

    Thedy was surprised by this response, she asked, ¡°Can you tell us the reason behind this emotion?¡±

    Shi Lang generously nodded and said, ¡°In the Federation, the military is respected as the people in uniforms put their life on the line for the safety of the people. In ster space, there are a lot of threats. However, this incident was caused because of military powers.

    The purpose of the military is to protect and serve, we are not cut out for politics or schemes. To think that such a racket was being run by soldiers, I am ashamed to acknowledge them as anything.¡±

    His words had a lot of meanings, the people would definitely ponder over this. The reporterdy nodded and asked, ¡°What do you have to say about the way the council dealt with this trouble?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°The actions taken were all very swift and effective. I would also like to thank the high table on behalf of those who suffered or would have to suffer because of this organization. Thank you, for your hard work.¡±

    This was clearly expressing his goodwill and gratitude to the high table. This was basically in line with all the people in the gxy. The five big lords of the gxy were existences that anyone would suck up to.

    The interview was finished rather quickly and the federal team arrived at the spaceport. They did not have the time to waste, or rather they did not want to waste any time.

    Shashi wanted them to stay for a few more days but many important things were waiting for them back home. The spaceship they boarded was a taxi owned by the gctic council, and the speed was rather fast. They will be dropped back at the location of their pickup.

    The frontier will be their next stop, it took them a week, and then another couple of days to log everything that happened in thepetition. Shi Lang then led the team back to the federation, where the president held an award ceremony for the team.

    They were all given a special medal and certificate. This was the highest ss of merit given out by the government. After all, they represented the federation in front of the whole gxy.

    Later on, Shi Lang made his way home to meet his parents and also to meet with his mother-inw. General Charlotte had restarted the Ragnarok program but this time she made sure to tame the pace of the training by a lot. The mortality rate was removed and the targets of this training were high school students.

    Shi Lang found her at home and asked, ¡°How are you?¡±

    He was pouring a cup of tea for her. Charlotte looked at him, dressed in casual clothes, the young man looked no different than a boy next door. She said, ¡°I am fine, what about you?¡±

    Shi Lang passed her the teacup with a nod. He did not say much. Thedy took a sip calmly and said, ¡°The Ace division is in trouble.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and waited for thedy to continue. The general caught the abrupt change in his aura, and continued, ¡°Two days ago, there was a distress signal from the arcadian capital. It was triggered by Commander Silence.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°The situation.¡±

    His emphasis was simple, do not give me this rubbish, just tell me the main things. Charlotte said, ¡°Three people went in search of the princess, including Amelia. They went missing, and in a week, they have lost trace of the whole team. Two days ago, Commander Silence also vanished right after triggering the distress signal.¡±

    Shi Lang clenched his fist and said, ¡°Why was I not informed?¡±

    Charlotte gulped, and she said, ¡°Amelia forbademunication. She said that you were on ster travel and will arrive sooner orter. Things were under control and they had almost gotten to the ce where the Princess was.¡±

    Shi Lang stoop up from the chair and said in a calm tone, ¡°Are you the senior officer, or her? You could have overruled her objection and passed on the message so that the precious time would not have been wasted. Yet, here we are having tea.

    I am leaving to look for them. You better prepare a written exnation for this matter. I will hold a session when Ie back.¡±

    That said, Shi Lang walked out of the house, came to his ce, put on his uniform, and left without informing anyone. He went straight to the parliament, and after boarding his ship with OB-One, he left the federation.

    The frontal force of the Gctic Showdown was given an extended holiday, but before they had the time to relish this feeling, they were called by Shi Lang. He asked them if they wanted to go out on a rescue operation with him. The team agreed and they all arrived at the spaceport before him.

    ¡­

    On the ship, the atmosphere was tense and Shi Lang did not spare anyone, unlike his old sunny behavior, he became a cold b of ice. The people who came across him shivered in fright. They spent a day reaching the Arcadian space.

    To save time, they entered the ce unannounced. Yes, they were trespassing because the confirmation of their entry will take time and if there was an insider involved in this incident, then that person will be alerted as well.

    Shi Lang did not want that. His first goal was to locate a messenger of his own. Zyra, the beast with the wisdom he found on Mythya. This beast was the only person he would trust at this moment.

    Jack located a rtively safer spot and Shi Lang, Ryan, Sophia, and Jack dived off the spaceship. No matter how good the stealth was, the size of the ship will dismantle the continuous signal between theary defense system.

    The team only had three members aside from Shi Lang, he did not want this mission to blow up. He called these three based on their skills and talents. Even Steelcked Sophia when it came to logic and reasoning. While Jack was a good sniper, Ryan was a good scout, thanks to his speed.

    He could not move undetected and fast. Shi Lang took them to glide as close as they could to the imperial pce of Arcadia. This ce had changedpletelyst time only when Shi Lang stayed here as the advisor to the little empress.

    The distance between thending spot and the pce was still not less them fifty kilometers. They had been using the thrusters on their suits to move through the void. Theynded and Shi Lang said, ¡°You all do not know the terrain of the pce on the inside. I will enter, and you all will stay here in hiding. Until Ie back, you are not to move. Do you understand?¡±

    The team nodded, and then Shi Lang told them a few things to be mindful of before he initiated the illusion array and left the ce in silence. He was going to find his people at any cost.

 Chapter 295 Trap.

    Shi Lang entered the Imperial pce with ease, this ce was something that he knew just like his home. His pace was steady and he easily avoided the patrol by using the terrain. Not many people could think of this, but the terrain inside the pce of Arcadia was meant to aid Cara to run if she encounters trouble.

    Just by simply using the architecture, they had left some blind spots and once someone stepped into those positions, finding them would be a task like looking for the needle in the haystack.

    Shi Lang was calm and collected throughout the process he used his spirit sense to locate Zyra. He did find the beast, but it was not Zyra. The beast with wisdom would have been able to locate his presence andmunicate to him telepathically after Shi Lang got a hundred meters closer to her.

    However, the beast did not react and keptying down on the ground next to a bed, which Shi Lang concluded was once used by Cara. He raised his eyebrow, one thing that he confirmed during this visit was that there was something fishy going on here. This whole scene was not coincidental. Someone was pulling the strings from the dark.

    Shi Lang had the aid of his illusion array and thus he was not worried about being detected by the monitoring cameras. Before he left this ce, he decided tob this cepletely to make sure that nothing was missed.

    Thinking about this, he found a blind spot, used hismunicator, and sent a message to the team outside the pce. The content of the message was for them to find a better hiding spot while at the same time setting up monitoring around the pce to find if there was someone suspicious going in and out of the pce in this situation.

    Hismand was, that if there was someone who left the pce, then they must be tracked with the help of nano trackers. The team acknowledged themand without asking anything, they were aware of the capabilities of their leader.

    They were here for a rescue mission and the ce was not Terran, so everyone except a Terran was a suspect. They dispersed and quickly got down to their work.

    Meanwhile back in the pce, Shi Lang moved around and avoided detection. He discovered a few surprises, the officials inside the pce were all working like regrs, and it was as if they did not seem to be aware of the disappearance of their sovereign.

    The more he thought the more absurd he felt. Recalling the past, the military general of the ce was hostile towards Cara, and Shi Lang thought, ¡®Could it be that guy who yed the dark hand in this scenario?¡¯

    After a few seconds, he shook his head and put away this thought. If someone in the government was a fool to make move against the Empress, then why did they make a move on the investigation team? Did they not know that more wille looking for the Terrans?

    This was a low-level mistake, and the person should not have left this loophole, or was it because the enemy was so confident in his abilities?

    Now in this situation, there were many limited options left for Shi Lang to dwell upon. One, Cara, and the rest have been buried. Two, they are being held hostage as the person behind this have a bigger goal and does not think too much of them.

    Shi Lang believed that it was most likely to be the second option. Otherwise, the motive behind all this could have been seizing power from Cara and then establishing a reign of their own.

    However, after Cara went missing, and when the investigation support team arrived, they were also lost in this ce. This was a bit too peculiar. The ace division was a group that Shi Lang had trained and nurtured personally, they would not fall for an easy trap.

    Wandering through the pce, Shi Lang arrived at the prison area, and he was stunned for a moment. He was scanning the area with his spirit sense and in the deepest part of the holding cell, Shi Lang found a beast,ying on a damp floor with a chain around her neck. He made his way closer to the beast and the beast suddenly opened her eyes before turning her head in his direction and a calm voice rang in his mind, ¡°Bastard, it too you so long toe over.¡±

    Shi Lang did not approach her but stood in his spot as he asked, ¡°Fill me in, we have time constrain here.¡±

    Zyra replied, ¡°You can find the answer to your question at these coordinates, Xt52, yu63. However, you must be careful, very careful. The enemy is yet toe out of the shadow and can control and influence the minds of other people. The only reason I am safe is that my skills were hidden.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked calmly, ¡°What is the motive, and are the rest of the people alive?¡±

    Zyra hummed and said, ¡°The motive should be the destruction of the world. Simple as that. in and blunt destruction of the Arcadian empire. The rest are alive, after all, they are better than the best that you can find here. If my intuition is not wrong, then they will be your enemies.¡±

    Shi Lang frowned and said, ¡°The enemy is using my people against me? Interesting. You hold on for a bit longer, I will get you out.¡±

    Zyra snorted in his mind and said, ¡°You better do that, this floor is damp, and my fur is damaged. Also, you will have to buy me a nice spa day.¡±

    Shi Lang was relieved to see her cocky temper, and said, ¡°Fine. However, are you sure things will be answered when I reach those coordinates?¡±

    Zyra hummed, and Shi Lang asked her a few more questions before he left the ce. The reason he did not go closer to the beast or broke her out of the prison was the security system.

    The enemy had ced Zyra behind a phaser curtain, nothing could get through it, at least not without making the presence known, plus Zyra being here would keep the enemy assured that his n was yet to be discovered and all the obstacles were sorted.

    Shi Lang went out of the pce without leaving any trace. He regrouped with the team and rested, he decided to confirm a few things before he moved ahead. Thest person who made any ripples in this situation was Archie Arkham.

    Shi Lang went into the logs of the daily report submission and remotely essed the site with hismunicator. He searched for a daily report submitted by Commander Silence, using the highest privilege he had. He found the report submitted yesterday and ignoring the content, he looked at the coordinates.

    He was searching for the existence of the coordinates that Zyra had mentioned. How was the tiger aware of it? And after he skimmed through all of the reports, he smirked and said, ¡°Sure enough, things will not be easy here.¡±

    Jack asked, ¡°What is it, Boss?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°My informant seemed to have been under the enemy¡¯s control.¡±

    That said, he passed on the report to the team to see and said, ¡°The submission is made from the coordinates different from what I got from my informant. The daily report submission is made from the same coordinates.¡±

    The rest of the team understood that they had barely missed a well-set trap. Ryan asked, ¡°Boss, what should we do now?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°We will cooperate with them. However, not for free.¡±

    The team of four people smiled, they were going to walk into the trap to drag out the dark hands. Thinking about this, they could not help but feel excited. Shi Lang said, ¡°The enemy will use the Ace Division against us. I will go in alone.¡±

    Sophie shook her head and gently said, ¡°Boss, that is too dangerous.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Do not worry, I am not holding you all back because you people have gained new strength and if your blow was to kill someone by mistake, it will be a shame. After all, you all are strong and might not be able to execute precise control in a perilous situation.¡±

    He coaxed the team and had them agree to stand by and watch how he subdued the entire team. He lied to them earlier, even if these people have achieved a state of indifference, it will still not be enough for them to deal with the Ace division.

    Those guys will use their abilities to deal with them, and with the killing intent. This will put him in a passive situation and if the people beside him suffered any injury because they were not able to keep up, he will hold himself responsible. He did not want that.

    Shi Lang and the team decided to split up, Ryan apanied Shi Lang to the trap coordinates and Sophie and Jack went out for scouting the coordinates they discovered by investigating the report.

 Chapter 296 In a Fix.

    Shi Lang had decided that the team will go into the trap and deal with the ck hand in the shadows permanently. He had no intention of letting go of the person who dared to attack his team and his people and took control of their minds. This was something that messed with his bottom line.

    He was aware that if he walked into the trap, it might be dangerous for us, but at the same time, he wanted to find out what the motive of the other party was. So, he thought for an hour before he said, ¡°Jack, you will lead Sophie and Ryan, to go and check the coordinates from where the reports were being submitted. We will have better results this way. Another thing is that the enemy will not expect us to attack both sites at the same time. He/She is not aware of how many people we have.¡±

    Ryan said, ¡°Boss, I do not understand how will we do this. I mean, we do not know anything about this. Also, what about you? What if you got trapped? What then?¡±

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Kid, do you have only this much trust in my skills? I did not show anyone else my skills, but you guys only. So I still have some cards up my sleeves. You do not have to worry about me. However, I need you to assure me that you will not get captured, also, cover your ears with spiritual energy, andmunicate with each other using hand signs only.¡±

    The three people understood his intention. They knew that the enemy was someone who can manipte the minds of the people. If they were to get in his control, who knew what the consequences might be?

    The team nodded, and they split up. Shi Lang had told them about the terrain and the military arrangement from his past recollection, he also told them to be careful about the traps and the patrol arrangements. As someone, who participated in the rebuilding of this government and military, he was aware of the positive and negative things of the arrangements.

    Even if they were allies, nothingsts forever. Just like, right now. After the team split up, they proceeded on foot, and Shi Lang was also headed to the trap coordinates. His speed was faster than the team of three. His suit was disying the telemetry and the location of the three continuously.

    If they encountered something they could not deal with, then Shi Lang will rush for support. Thinking about this, he shuttled through the woods without leaving any traces. It took him half a day to reach the coordinates provided by Zyra.

    He did not reach the spot directly, but first activated his illusion array, and then surveilled the entire ce. He was calm andposed throughout the process, he even set up his own set of traps and arrays in the region and marked those ces with his suit. The visor disyed these spots clearly in bright red color.

    When he was sure that everything that can be done was done, he moved closer to look for his people, and he also covered his ears with spiritual energy and also his eyes. When he arrived at the location, he looked around and found a tree house. This ce was not very appealing in terms of architecture. However, the thing that caught Shi Lang¡¯s eye was the spade painted on the wall of the house.

    He could tell that the paint used for this marking was blood. His eyes turned calm, he was enraged. With a jump, he reached the doorstep of the tree house and pushed open the door. It was a ball hanging by three trees. Inside the ball, he found a figure sitting in his chair. A husky voice sounded, ¡°Wee, a friend from afar, how are you?¡±

    This was a peculiar way to greet an ounder. Not many people used this sentence. Shi Lang replied, ¡°Greetings, May I know, where my people are?¡±

    The figure replied, ¡°You have already found that but you did not go there and came here, that is interesting.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Without your cooperation, even if I found my men, I cannot bring them out. I do not wish to see my men getting killed without a cause. Please tell me what can I do for you?¡±

    The figure was surprised and said, ¡°I was told that you were a man of steel will. That you will never give up on your ideals. What happened today?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and thought for a bit as he said, ¡°My people have been through thick and thin with me. How can I avoid them? Ideals can be reformed, but family? It cannot be found again. Thus, I decided to break away from my ideals.¡±

    The figure was sitting down on a chair and was unaware that at this moment, Shi Lang was using his brain to type a message and send it to the team to stop them from engaging the enemy. Just as he finished, the figure said, ¡°Take off your visor and have a seat.¡±

    Shi Lang showed some hesitation and then with a deep breath he took off his visor. The message was sent. The figure looked at his face and asked, ¡°May I take a look at your visor?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°Do not think that just because I am cooperative, you are my boss. You are just a coward who ys in the dark. I do not mind what you do, how you do it. However, you must give me my people, or I will take them myself.¡±

    His tone was firm and he was trying to locate the eyes of this character in front of him. His motive was to find the eyes and then cast the Shura Domain at this guy. This way, even if the person is just slightly dazed, Shi Lang will subdue him and interrogate him.

    However, the person was clever and was sitting in dark with his figure covered with a cloak. Hearing Shi Lang¡¯s assertive reply, the person clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Now that makes things difficult. Why do you think I will let go of the strongest bargaining chips in my hand? You just imed that you value them. What If I tell you that if you deny cooperating, then I will kill those people? What will you do?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°You are just a hoax. The real you is still a coward and hidden somewhere else. I will tell you now, either you give up my men, or, you kill them and run away to the end of the gxy. Or you give them up and run away. Your attitude of a wannabe entitled to ass makes me irksome.¡±

    He said this in a direct tone. Blunt like the face of a sword, pping the enemy right in the face. The man stood up and said, ¡°Do you really wish for me to kill them?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Yes, you can try to kill them remotely. Just do show me their corpses.¡±

    The man chuckled, which eventually turned into loudughter, then he calmed down and said, ¡°Since you do not care about your people, why shall I? I will kill them and then you can answer their parents and loved ones about how they died.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°All the troops under mymand, they have all prepared theirst letters, and they will be sent when they die. I will bear the responsibility and live with it. That is all. You can never get a hold of me with this lowly trick.¡±

    He was adamant about his decision. The man said, ¡°Very well, then all the males will die and the females will be my ythings.¡±

    Then the man erupted inughter, however, suddenly, Shi Lang caught a glimpse of his eyes, and the scene froze. The young general did not wait for anything and directly cast the Shura Domain in the mind of the enemy. Then he went forward to stand in front of the man and ced his hand on his head and said, ¡°Soul snatcher.¡±

    The process of soul searching began and the details poured into his brain like a light beam through the dark. A lot of things became clear after this and anger crept up his face. His team was in bad condition and Commander Silence wasying at the side with her body injured internally.

    This man had a goal and that goal was discovered, and now this guy would try to use his people to capture the world. This was not a good thing, but this guy wanted to kill a lot of people to ensure his iron hand rules.

    In short, some sort of trauma had locked a part of his memories away, but Shi Lang could tell all the changes in Commander Silence¡¯s persona had definitely affected her and turned her into a sociopath.

 Chapter 297 Long Time No See.

    Shi Lang was enraged when he recovered all this. In the end, he also found that this person was not the real enemy. It was someone else, the main dark hand has created several puppets to facilitate his work. Shi Lang put this matter to a side and decided to take a look at hisrades and then, cure their problems. Otherwise, given the strength of the Ace division, they will obliterate this and this empire to dust for sure.

    He sat down on the ground and began to meditate, he was thinking about the problem at his hands and wanted to deal with it at any cost. The most worrying part was that this guy had captured Amelia. Although her identity as Shi Lang¡¯s wife was still under wraps. Once it was discovered, it will turn into a terrible card against Shi Lang.

    He did not want to imagine the situation where he and Amelia stood at loggerheads. He will not be able to put her down, no matter how indifferent he reacted. Love was armor but it also had a chink in it. Once the enemy spotted this chink, it could be game over at the most crucial step. To deal with the enemy surely, Shi Lang decided to call for his aid.

    He used hismunicator and passed a message to OB-One. This bot was traveling around the arcadian in a stealth scout vessel, detecting the spirit herbs all over the. The efficiency and speed of this bot were terrifying. It has been a day since he took the task to move ahead of the team and infiltrate the with a stealth scout vessel and he had gathered three herbs out of the four that were needed by Shi Lang to proceed securely.

    OB-One had found traces of what he was looking for and said, ¡°Sire, give me half an hour and I will give you a positive answer.¡±

    Shi Lang agreed, just when he was thinking about how to cover the tribtion, he received a text from Jack, and he said, ¡®Boss, the Ace division is here, and they are all locked up. However, Commander Silence is not doing good. There is a guy who seems to be in control of everything. I could only discern this much thanks to my ability. Ryan tried to get close, but he was almost discovered. We do not dare to make any moves.¡¯

    Shi Lang could tell that this text was clean, so he replied, ¡®Retreat,e over to position, and make sure that you move as slowly as possible and do not leave any traces. I repeat you must not be followed back. The enemy is very cunning. I do not wish to see anyone else fall into this pit as well. Regroup and we will take action together.¡¯

    The text was sent to Jack, and Shi Lang went back to his meditation. After half an hour, OB-One requested his coordinates and arrived at the spot a hundred kilometers away from where Shi Lang originally was. The young general did not trust anyone. He had genuine reason to think that his team has beenpromised, after all, the person who did all this was so close to Cara that he knew about Zyra¡¯s prowess and even managed to control her.

    OB-One alighted the space vessel and came to Shi Lang¡¯s side. He said, ¡°Sire, I have gathered them all.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will refine the pill, but I need you to do some things for me.¡±

    The bot bowed and said, ¡°Your wish is mymand.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Monitor the team, and these coordinates for me. Check if the team is psychologically fine, if you find even the slightest deviation, subdue them and put them in confinement. As for these coordinates, make sure that there is no movement from the Ace Division or Commander Silence. Do locate the men of the secret division for me, track Cara, and hack into the satellites. But find me that brat.¡±

    OB-One nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sire.¡±

    Then Shi Lang went inside the stealth vessel and the bot sat in front of aputer console and began tinkering with the defense system of the. His speed was fast and his incursion was undetectable.

    The young general used the spiritual energy to resonate with the herbs and began to extract the impurities from the herbs, after ten minutes, the herbs had turned into four different blobs of liquid spirit essence. Shi Lang carefully merged the four essences and condensed them with the pressure of spiritual energy.

    This process could not be performed without the concentration array. After an hour, he was done with condensing a pill that looked translucent green in color and was as big as lychee. Then he made said to the bot, ¡°I will go into seclusion, and try to breakthrough, hold the fort for me.¡±

    OB-One nodded and said, ¡°Certainly, Sire.¡±

    ¡­

    Shi Lang sat in a lotus position under a big tree simr to the banyans found on the earth. He was calming his state of mind before he took the pill to start the process of his breakthrough. The young man gave up all the thoughts and then he ced the green lychee bead in his mouth. The pill melted and spiritual energy dripped down his throat, turning the calm flow of spiritual in his meridians into a chaotic storm.

    Shi Lang did not bother to control it at all, ording to the shura sutra in his mind, the flow of this energy with redirect itself to his soul sea, the pineal nd hidden behind a callous bone-like substance.

    This energy flow will break that barrier and activate his primordial soul. All he had to do was to let the energy rage inside him and preserve his meridians and control his body to the limit to push it all in the desired direction inside the body. So he coated the inside of his meridians with his spiritual energy and waited. It was like a volcano, the veins were filled withva, and Shi Lang¡¯s body was akin to a bottle.

    He squeezed his muscles and theva churned upwards, aimed right at the soul sea barrier. The process was anything but bliss, Shi Lang had closed his pores and the energy inside was unable to escape, but the repeated charge at the barrier had left his body to be covered in sweat and the blood from his face was missing. The pain from the collision of the spirit energy and pineal nd was too painful.

    Shi Lang did not give up, he imagined the pineal nd to be akin to a door, and then began to look for a crack in the door, and began to challenge it again. This was the reality, the young Terran general had always found results in unconventional methods, and today he was at it again.

    He did not hesitate and began to control the muscles inside the body in a manner so that the spiritual essence began to swirl like a twister. This was a hard thing and very painful as well, but he had to bear with the pain to get to the next level. Thinking about the fact that his team was still controlled by the enemy, his fighting spirit was ignited and he ground his teeth as the twister shot out like a drill and impact was made on the target.

    The impact left a crack on the barrier and Shi Lang knew that it was this moment that he had been looking for, if he did not take the advantage of the crack now, then the next time he ever gets to make a crack on the barrier, it will probably be ten years from now. The process will be at least twice more painful.

    Shi Lang did not want that and churned the drill to hit the crack again. After three tries, Shi Lang heard a clear crack in his mind. He could not describe the scene he saw next. In his mind, a baby was sitting on the floor. This baby was his primordial soul and was looking round in a daze.

    Shi Lang walked closer to the baby and the infant looked up at him, and then his consciousness drifted inside the baby¡¯s body. The dull eyes became enlightened and Shi Lang looked around to find that the scenery was dull, it only had green grass that was as big as a football field.

    Shi Lang could also tell that his aura had be stronger and his temperament had be dusty. He was like an immortal from the heavens. However, just as his aura was rising, turmoil was brewing in the surrounding weather.

    The sky was now gradually turning dark and Shi Lang knew what it was, he stood up and said, ¡°OB-One, I do not want anyone to know what is going on here.¡±

    The bot replied, ¡°Creating a blind spot for the world.¡±

    He was going to make the satellites move away for his gain. Then Shi Lang gazed at the dark cloud and the blue-colored lightning as he said, ¡°Long time no see.¡±

 Chapter 298 Primordial Soul.

    Shi Lang gazed at the blue lightning rolling among the dark clouds and patiently waited. He could tell that this time the experience will be different from what he had in his past life. Although his soul was nted in this body through a genuine process and was not possessing this body, it still was an ancient soul. Heavens might not overlook this.

    He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, as he rushed towards a more deste area. OB-One has already bypassed all the surveince of this ce ording to his instructions. They will not be detected, even if the enemy was sly, the collective level of arcadian technology was still toogging to detect the master of it all, OB-One.

    This bot was a piece of work and Shi Lang had thought many times that if this bot was to be his enemy it might probably lead him to death to face him. At this moment, the bot was looking at the team of three people and also paying attention to the detention center. He found that the three people were not affected at all.

    The reason he was so sure was the spirit flow in the bodies of these peoplepared to the ones under control. The technology used to make him was so advanced that OB-One despite being a puppet with a spirit could detect all the things rted to spirit energy.

    He contacted Shi Lang and said, ¡°Sire, the team is fine and not affected by anything.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let me focus on this tribtion. Guard the area well.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    OB-One contacted the team and then gave them the task to protect Shi Lang, he also mentioned that they must maintain a distance of a thousand meters at any moment, and despite what they witnessed, they were not to get closer to Shi Lang.

    The team was confused but when they spread out, they realized what was going on. They could not help but feel a tremor in their hearts. They were shocked at this act of madness happening in front of them. How can a man stand still when a streak of lightning was slithering through the void and was about to hit him?

    Just as they were thinking, the bold of lightningnded on Shi Lang¡¯s head and sent him flying for at least ten meters, making thend below scorched and setting the trees around on fire. Shi Lang¡¯s suit was damaged with just one blow. Ryan wanted to rush in when Jack said, ¡°Have you forgotten themands? Do not move. I sense dense spiritual energy radiating from that lightning bolt. It must be something rted to cultivation, calm down and wait.¡±

    Ryan stood still, and a few minutester, Shi Lang¡¯s body trembled, as he stood up. He sighed and said, ¡°You know it was not my fault back then, can you not be gentle?¡±

    As if replying to his words, the dark clouds rumbled loud, making thend tremor a little, then another streak of lightning began to condense amidst the clouds. The color of the bold was a much darker shade of blue.

    Shi Lang smacked his lips and said, ¡°I am a jinx.¡±

    As his words finished the lightning charged, and after a sh, Shi Lang was seen flying to crash into a few trees and then making peace with the scorched ground. The impact was twice stronger and the suit on his body already had a few pieces missing.

    Shi Lang took a long time to stand up, and this time, a red snake of lightning rushed down from the sky to hit him square on his chest. The impact cracked the ground and sent Shi Lang flying for sixty meters and leaving a shallow crater on the ground.

    Jack gulped a mouthful of saliva and said, ¡°I do not think this is rted to cultivation, but maybe the heavens are angry at the boss.¡±

    The other two nodded, they could not believe that there might be something this brutal rted to cultivation. Well, they have never seen such a sight so they did not know, they were all inexperienced if it was to be said.

    However, after the third bolt of lightning, the sky decided to take pity and spare Shi Lang. The person in question wasying on the ground, with his mouth emitting shallow groans and blood seeping out from the corner of his lips. The clouds slowly faded and a ray of warm sunlight fell on Shi Lang¡¯s injured body.

    This was heaven¡¯s reward for someone who had passed the test. The ray of sunlight healed his body at a visible rate, it was such a miraculous sight. Shi Lang gained his ability to move, but he was busy digesting the benefits bought by the heavenly reward. He was feeding everything he gained to the primordial soul.

    It took him two hours to digest everything and finally, he sat up on the ground. He noticed that the suit on his body was gone, sighing he looked in the direction of the three people, and then his figure vanished, the next moment he appeared back near the scout vessel. He opened the spiritual tattoo on his chest and took out a set of clothes to cover himself up.

    He looked at OB-One and said, ¡°Get me a newmunicator, and copy all my data in it, also, call the three back.¡±

    The three people were called back and OB-One began to configure the newmunicator for the young man. Shi Lang had be stronger, and was the strongest Terron at this moment, like he was in the past, however, now he was in a league of his own.

    After the three people arrived, they checked on Shi Lang and then reported the status of the detention center. Shi Lang heard them patiently and said, ¡°You did a good job. Now, you can rest, the spiritual energy in this region will be higher than the rest for a couple of days, so you better seize the opportunity.¡±

    Sophie sighed and asked, ¡°Boss, can you tell us what that lightning was about? We were worried that you have angered the heavens.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and then he chuckled, and said, ¡°You do not think too much. It was a tribtion. A test from the heavens to see if your primordial soul is strong enough. It was the first tribtion on the path of cultivation, and that was why there were only three bolts. The severity of the bolts depends on the color of the bolt. It changes based on a few factors.¡±

    The people nodded and then asked what Shi Lang intended to do. The young general smiled and said, ¡°You will see it in a bit.¡±

    They did not understand his words, Shi Lang was acting too ambiguous in front of them. OB-One came over with Shi Lang¡¯s newmunicator, and also his human-size version Saber.¡±

    The young general epted the ¡®gear¡¯ put things on his person, and then he said, ¡°You all are to monitor and ry the status of the detention center. Keep in touch with me.¡±

    They all nodded and then saw Shi Lang raise to his knees. He held his shoulder over his shoulder and Ryan asked, ¡°Boss, what is your n?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°When you have strength, you do not need to fear any schemes. The true strength of a person can render everything useless in face of strength.¡±

    The people nodded and saw that Shi Lang was moving upward, yes, he was not moving forward but upward. They realized that Shi Lang was now capable of flying. He held the sword in his hand and flew towards the detention center. His speed was fast enough to match a scouting vessel, and in half an hour, he arrived in the sky above the detention center.

    He could sense everything that was going in on with the spiritual energy sense. He sighed to look at the males and females tied up in different rooms. He raised his hand and the next second he vanished from his ce.

    The next time he appeared, he was already inside the study of the so-called viin. Shi Lang looked at the figure in front of him and asked, ¡°So, are you the dark hand?¡±

    The person was startled, he did not expect Shi Lang to appear here, but before he could figure out who this person was, Shi Lang appeared just a meter away from the person. The enemy was shocked, he was about to retort when Shi Lang sped his neck in his palm. And asked, ¡°You were saying something?¡±

    The atmosphere was filled with killing intent. However, it vanished within just a blink. Shi Lang subdued the person and began the torture.

    ¡­

    Amelia sat up from the ground with her hands in shackles, she sighed and said, ¡°Where are you, Lang?¡±

    Suddenly, she heard screams, loud wails of pain and agony. She turned to look in the direction where the sound came from and mumbled, ¡°Took you long enough.¡±

 Chapter 299 Confession.

    Shi Lang looked at the person in front of him, it was a man with characteristics, like Cara, but that was it, he did not have any further connection to the empress of Arcadia.

    The Terran did not wish to say anything more and just watched the person struggling on the ground. Shi Lang had chopped off the limbs of this beast man. He did not use soul search on this person because that will be an easy way out for this person.

    Shi Lang did not wish for this guy to die so easily, he had yet to locate Cara and the people from the secret division. Shi Lang also had to study this guy to revert the tricks this guy pulled on Archie Arkham.

    The man on the floor, however, did not say anything to Shi Lang. Let alone any information, not even a cuss came out of his mouth. This showed his dedication to his cause, and this was what Shi Lang liked.

    He smiled and said, ¡°You know, I like this attitude of yours, this will help me y with you a bit longer and also make you experience a lot more colorful life.¡±

    He was already sliding into his demon mode. Suddenly he heard a loud voice, ¡°Can you open us first? How long do I have to hang inverted?¡±

    Shi Lang suddenly lost his aura and shook his head, before he walked out of the room and came to the holding cells where the Ace division was all tied up in different cells.

    Amelia was hung inverted from the ground. Shi Lang waved his hand and a de of spirit energy cut off the rope, however, he did not unlock the cell. He said, ¡°I do not wish to see you inside as well, but until I confirm your mental status, I cannot let you guys out.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean mental status? Just say that you want to check if we are under the influence. Say, did you lose your art of artiction in thatpetition?¡±, retorted Amelia.

    Shi Lang gave her a sheepishugh and thedy said, ¡°Go, find me the culprit soon, we will wait here.¡±

    The young general sighed and said, ¡°As youmand, Mydy.¡±

    Then he walked away after untying the other people. Shi Lang walked back to the room, but his face was severely cold. He asked, ¡°Did you manipte Cara to find out the details of the Terran people? Who told you our strengths and weaknesses?¡±

    His questions were simple, but the impact was great. He wanted to know how this person found out about the methods to restrict the spirit flow. The holding cells were made especially, and they were sealing out the spiritual energy.

    There was no reasonable exnation behind this thing being coincident. Shi Lang found the man not talking at all, and said, ¡°Fine since you do not wish to say anything, I will just have to use a vicious method and track down every single person rted to you by blood, and then kill them in front of you. Do not worry, I have this much skill.¡±

    That said, Shi Lang began to recite a Sanskrit mantra. Thisnguage was not trantable with the help of automated earpieces and trantors.

    Shi Lang was simply chanting a mantra to calm his mind; it was an obscure cebo that he nted the man with. When he was dissecting this guy, Shi Lang had the bot track down people from the family of this person.

    How cruel was he to do this, to be honest, this method was just to push this guy to cooperate, but now he will use it a bit earlier? As long as he gets the answers quickly and honestly, he would use any method and anyone for it.

    The person on the ground did not expect this guy to be so cruel, he lost his temper and said, ¡°How dare you touch my family? Do you believe that I will set your ownrades to kill the people and have this incident sh through the gxy?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and waved his hands, then a few spirit stones were embedded in the room¡¯s ceiling. They formed an array, and quickly a barrier covered the entire room, and Shi Lang said, ¡°You can try to act now.¡±

    The man was surprised to see this phenomenon and tried to use his prowess but was unable to sense any of the people under his control. His mind became restless, and he shouted, ¡°What have you done to me? Where are my pawns?¡±

    Shi Lang sneered and clicked his tongue in disgust and said, ¡°Just because you had the ability, you thought you will control some people, and then you began to treat yourself like a king? What a grand personality you have, scum.¡±

    If not for the fact that this person¡¯s body was too feeble, he would have kicked him. He said, ¡°You can now spend a few minutes to think if you wish to regret ande clear, I promise, I will not implicate any innocent person in my vengeance. However, if you still wish to sit down like a stone, then do not me me for being cruel and cold-hearted.¡±

    That said, he went outside the room but did not close the door. He did not have anything much to do in this ce now, the people did not know he was here. The guards at this ce were all perfect puppets. They did not move withoutmands from the man inside. This was an isted ce, and to avoid being backtracked, this guy had not installed any digital means of security.

    Theser set outside was the only thing he had set up. The money was spent to keep these puppets alive and fed. If they did not have food, they would not be able to perform well. Shi Lang looked inside the room and saw the man trying to crawl his way out of the barrier, and after half an hour, he has only managed to disce himself by ten inches.

    Shi Lang sighed and mumbled, ¡°Was I too cruel to not even leave stumps of his limbs?¡±

    Then he shook his head and snapped his fingers.

    ¡­

    The beastman wasying on the floor, suddenly he heard the door flung open, and in walked Shi Lang and a young beastman followed behind him. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°How are you feeling now? Do you recognize who this is?¡±

    The man on the ground had frozen stiff. He opened his mouth with great difficulty. He said, ¡°You, how can you be here?¡±

    The young man in front of him replied with indifference, ¡°Why can I be not here? Did you think that if you ran across half the world, you will be able to get rid of us?¡±

    The tone was cold and indifferent as if a knife was hidden inside the mouth and would aim to kill anyone who heard the words spoken from it. Shi Lang on the side looked at the man on the ground and said, ¡°What do you think? Do you like the gift?¡±

    The man shivered and said, ¡°Please, let him go. Do what you want to do with me, but let my brother go.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I will not do anything to him, but he will surely do it. I told him that you love him a lot, and if he suffered, you will be in pain so I told him that I will kill him in front of you. However, the hate this guy had for you is stronger than anything else. He simply said, to make you feel something worse, he willmit suicide in front of you.¡±

    Then the handsome devil took out a knife from his holster and handed it to the young man. The young man crouched down to meet the eyes of the man on the floor and said, ¡°You left us all to die, now you should see how I will actually look when I die, right?¡±

    The man shook his head, tears spurt from his eyes as he said, ¡°Kailo, I beg you, please. Don¡¯t do this. I did not wish to leave you all, the circumstances were against us. Please forgive me, do not harm yourself.¡±

    The young man did not waver and ced the knife on his neck and said, ¡°Kilo, you are responsible for my death.¡±

    Kilo was the man on the floor, he knew that his brother hated him, and he could not do anything about it, given his state, he was unable to even help himself. In despair, Kilo turned to look at Shi Lang and said, ¡°You want to know about Cara and the things I have done, right? I will tell you all about it. Please ask him to stop. If he died, then you can forget about getting anything, do you hear me you piece of shit?¡±

 Chapter 300 Reason.

    Kilo was seething with rage when he finished his piece of plea and threat. He hated being so powerless. He hated this guy who pulled his family into this mess. He hated this world that made him do all the things he did.

    Shi Lang saw him and knew that this guy was not lying so he sighed and said, ¡°Kailo, you know that your brother will probably kill himself when you die. Do you want him to get away so easily with the things he has done?¡±

    Kailo shook his head and said, ¡°I wish to have him suffer in agony and live a life filled with regret.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I propose you a deal. How about I get what I want from him and then leave you with the means to keep him alive, without getting in touch with him? Let him know that you are taking care of him but do not show up in front of him. Let him know how much you hate him. How wonderful is that?¡±

    Kailo looked at the man in front of him and smiled coldly as he said, ¡°I ept.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You can go out, I need some alone time with him.¡±

    Kailo nodded and with an indifferent face, he walked out of the room. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Now, say what you have for me.¡±

    Kilo grit his teeth and then with no other options left in front of him, the man sighed and said, ¡°I did all this on the say of the left prime minister. He wished to take over the throne, but the empress was too strong for him to deal with. He nted him in as a distant rtive of the empress. She had grown up alone and never had any friends, so she cherished me and I integrated into her life. Then I gained her trust and slowlyid the.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What about your abilities?¡±

    Kilo was hanging from a hook, so he answered everything honestly, ¡°We are a species of beastmen that is blessed by the goddess of the night and once in a while. Someone in our n will awaken the abilities. I kept my abilities a secret as my mother did not want others to think of me as a threat. I do not know how, but the left minister, Gilham, found out about me.

    That bastard revealed the fact in front of the whole n and then dragged me here. The n members boycotted my family and marked them as outcasts. This made Kailo hate me. When I controlled the empress and used her identity to help me resolve these things, the people refused and asked us to leave.

    To think that the identity of that bitch was nothing but a joke that could not even make the people think rationally. I decided to avenge all this and formed my own n to deal with the left minister, the n head, and the empress. Every fucking jerk that wronged me, I wish for them to die, and just when I have pawns strong enough, you came. Why? Why did youe, you bastard?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded with indifference and asked, ¡°Where is Cara now?¡±

    Kilo suddenly calmed down and then he began to chuckle, ¡°Hahahaha, do you want to know? Hahaha, I will tell you. On a meteor. I left that bitch on an asteroid with seven days of food. My ability will wear off after ten days of no contact, but will that bitch survive? Hahahaha, I wonder what it will be like.¡±

    Just as the words dropped, the door of the room was pushed open and Shi Lang walked inside. Kilo was stunned, he saw two identical men standing in front of him. He did not believe his gaze. The newly entered Shi Lang said with a calm tone, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, you will be dealt withter.¡±

    Then Shi Lang walked closer to Kilo and kicked him unconscious. His actions were quick, and just as his kicknded, the Shi Lang on his left dispersed in golden particles. It was an illusion formation that Shi Lang had set within the barrier formation.

    He had the details of his family Kilo, but, unfortunately, they had already passed away. One day the n people tried to humiliate Kailo, and enraged, the young fellow killed the person with a sharp stone. The n head was infuriated, and they set fire to the house where his mother and a little sister lived.

    Kilo was probably unaware of this news as OB-One only found it when he hacked into the left minister¡¯s database. OB-One was a smart bot with thinking of his own. Since Shi Lang had asked him to sneak in, he infiltrated through every piece of theputer equipment of the main yers of the Empire held.

    Shi Lang used that information to trigger the illusion formation and get what he needed. One had to ept that this guy was very good at such tricks. The young general walked out of the room and came to the spaceport, after the information was extracted, he ordered the team to deal with the puppet guards and left to find Cara in the vast space.

    He told OB-One to ry the situation to the Ace division. The spaceport was underground and the ships were allunched by a silo. Shi Langmanded a small ship and left the. He used the onboardputer to hack into the satellites and located the asteroids. Arcadia was an aggressive civilization, and they had very few things that could be used as a cover against the spread in space.

    They had cleared and extracted all the rocks in the sight, and only a few ones were left floating in the void. Shi Lang located a few of them and made a beeline to search. Kilo said that he left her some supplies, so Shi Lang concluded that Kilo must have left her a remote bunker as well. The girl might still be alive.

    Given that he knew her very well, Kilo must not have left her anyputers. Otherwise, she would have contacted someone on the outside already. Shi Lang turned on the scanners as he neared the asteroids and after searching through seven asteroids, he was bored and tired. However, he persisted and rushed towards thest asteroid mentioned by the satellite system.

    He moved quickly and finally he found the bunker erected on the rock. Shi Lang calmlynded the scoutship on the surface and changed into abat space suit as he got off the vessel. He walked closer to the bunker but did not go in at the first. He could sense that someone was inside, and the person was vignt.

    Shi Lang shook his head when he found that the girl inside was gazing at the door with a sharp steel part in her hands. Just one poke and the suit will puncture, losing all the pressure and killing the person. This girl deliberately left the airlock open.

    Shi Lang pressed the button on the side, and entered the first door, at this moment, he sensed a projectile flying at him with a high velocity. He reacted and caught the projectile between his fingers. He closed the door and pressed the airlock button. Theputer said, ¡°Pressure Stabilized.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and took off the helmet when he looked at the girl in a space suit with her eyes wide open and with a finger pointed at him. He walked over to her, undid the helmet, and said, ¡°Yes, it is me. Why do you have to meet me on asteroids always?¡±

    Cara did not say anything and hugged him tightly before she started crying and said, ¡°Boohoo, you bastard, what took you so long? Fuck you, Fuck everyone. Boohoo¡±

    She was happy that he came to her rescue but at the same time, she was scared shitless the entire time she was there. She forcefully made herself,y in a corner, and sleep most of the time to consume energy. She only ate a little to keep her brain stimted. At this moment she was so scared that she could not even express her emotions properly and started cussing with a mix of emotions.

    Shi Lang sighed and patted her back. He could tell that she was weak and probably would not have made it past a few more days. He did not say much, just carried her back to the space vessel, Cara needed medical attention, and quickly at that. The young man piloted the vessel and moved to Arcadia.

    He did not go back to the imperial pce, but found a small city, and bought Cara to the hospital. His appearance shocked the people, but Shi Lang took out the identity card of the special advisor to the empress and blocked all the news about him. He told that it was a crucial period and that if the word got out, he will personally kill the people involved.

    Caray in a medical tube, receiving energy fluids and other medications. At this time. OB-One contacted him and said, ¡°Sire, the left minister is on the move. He is searching for Cara everywhere.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Let hime to the door, it will save me a lot of effort. Also, can you look at Commander Silence, and help her with the trauma.¡±

    OB-One gave an affirmative reply and then began to distribute food to the ten of the ace division. The matter was going to end pretty soon.

 Chapter 301 Face Off.

    Shi Lang sat inside a ward, where Cara was being treated. Even if the hospital was located in a small city, the facilities were good enough to deal with the fatigued and malnourished girl. It had only taken a few minutes for the treatment to show results.

    The young general gave up the anxiety and leaned back in his chair. He was not resting, he was thinking. To deal with the left minister, he needed a n. So, after a thought, he called over all the press reporters standing outside the hospital for a meeting. He wanted to negotiate a few things with them.

    The processsted thirty minutes before he finally convinced the people to agree with him, and after taking a picture of the empress lying inside the medical cabin, they left. Shi Lang did not need to wait for too long when the door was knocked on twice. He leaned back and said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door was pushed open and a man wearing a ck suit walked in. The man looked at the surroundings with his ck ss-covered eyes. Then he turned to check out Shi Lang, who said, ¡°I do not like men.¡±

    The face of the person turned dark as he walked out of the room. A few minutester, an old man walked inside. Well, Shi Lang did not know there were turtles who could walk on their two hind legs andst so long to move on their own. Looking at the sophisticated attire, and majestic air around the person, Shi Lang decided that this person was none other that the left minister.

    However, he did not rush to start the conversation. If he did, the other party will get a chance to hold the momentum and his n would not work. So Shi Lang asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The old turtle let out a deep chuckle and said, ¡°Your grace might not know my humble self, allow me to introduce myself. I am called Kito, and my job is to serve Her Excellency as her left hand, or as you may officially call it, the left minister.¡±

    Shi Lang heard the monologue and he almost wanted tough out loud. He calmed himself, and asked, ¡°What brings the left minister, here?¡±

    The turtle replied, ¡°I came here to check on Her Excellency, and also to bring her back to her home, the imperial pce.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then asked, ¡°Why must you bring her over? Did she ask you as such?¡±

    The turtle was surprised and did not expect this young human in front of him to be so overbearing. Still, he did not lose hisposure and said, ¡°Is it not obvious? She is the empress, her home is the imperial pce. She should stay there to recover.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, and said, ¡°She is the Empress, this whole is her home. Who dares to deny that? Also, this medical cabin is at the same level as that you have in the top hospital in your capital. So what is the big deal?¡±

    The turtle was known for his quick reasoning, despite being witty, he was stumped by the question of this young human. The boy did give him a chance to even put forward any logic, and directly closed all his routes. Thinking that he was not left with a way out to deal with this thing, the turtle said, ¡°Since it hase to this, let me ask you a question.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, why not?¡±

    ¡°What do you think will happen if I went out and tell the citizens of Arcadia, that you, the former special advisor of the empress had assassinated her?¡±, said the old turtle.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°What if you and your dogs fail to walk out of this ce?¡±

    His tone was calm and indifferent. Thisbination of emotions disyed by him was unsettling the old man. He did not understand why this young man was so confident and if he was so confident, then he must have a card up his sleeves. Kito decided that this man was unknown to him. After all, he was not ignorant and knew that it was Shi Lang who devastated the military back then and made Cara sit on the throne.

    He decided to take another route. Kito chuckled and asked, ¡°Why do you care about the Empress so much? are you worried that the alliance with the federation will suffer if the person on the throne is changed? In that case, I give you my word, that the alliance will continue without any hups. What do you think? Let me take this girl away.¡±

    Shi Lang pretended to be thinking deeply and he sat down on the chair. He closed his eyes as his fingers tapped on the armrest of the chair. He did not give a quick answer and asked, ¡°What do you intend to do with her? Just so you know, a lot of special teams were dispatched here on your demand, if the teams failed to find an answer, they will be punished. I cannot let the best of my civilization suffer for your cause.¡±

    He then stood up and strode toward the medical cabin, and looked at the girl behind the ss screen. His expression was that of hesitation. Kito thought that the fish was trying to stop itself from taking the bait and said, ¡°I understand your concern but do not worry, I have a man in ce and those teams have been taken into custody. They will just say what you ask them to say.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°Do you think that the terrans are so easy to fool? If they did not know better, then it would not be our turn to send investigation teams here. We have thousands of methods to determine the credibility of a person¡¯s statement and stuff. Also, even if this works, do you want me to do such a big favor for you for free? Dream on.¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s words shook the left minister, he did not expect the young man to be so cunning, he was actually using his team members as an excuse to get more favors. It may be shameless, but this was what Kito hoped for. He said with a faint smile, ¡°What do you want? Beauties, money, power?¡±

    Shi Lang tilted his head and asked, ¡°I am not as mundane as you may think of me. What I want is the information. Why are you doing this to her? Has she ever done you wrong?¡±

    Kito¡¯s eyes suddenly turned sharp, and he said, ¡°Why do you wish to know? What difference does it make?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Your intention will tell me if we are like-minded people and this alliance will not break halfway. I do not wish to see things gettingplicated. I will get an idea of how you work, and then it will be all settled. What do you think? Am I reasonable enough for you?¡±

    Kito thought for a moment and nodded, then he said, ¡°This woman used her power to kill my only great-granddaughter and her husband¡¯s family.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, he asked, ¡°What did that happen?¡±

    ¡°When you left, a lot of people started rising against her, and to gain a foothold she conducted an inquiry and found proof of treachery. Then she ordered all of the people found guilty to be killed through three generations. Tell me, is that a genuine solution to any problem?¡±, said the turtle.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°She was indeed a fool. Well, let me get her out of the box, and you can drag her away.¡±

    Then the young man decisively ced his hand on the medical cabin switch and pulled open the lid, and then he carried out the empress in style. Cara happened to be awake by now and she was just ying possum to find out everything that was going on. Turns out that the turtle was not doing this for greed, but simple revenge.

    However, too bad. Suddenly, Shi Lang stopped in his actions and said, ¡°Your Excellency, it is time you wake up. People are really taking you for a corpse.¡±

    Cara let out a sigh and under the shocked gaze of the turtle, she opened her eyes, and said, ¡°Lang, you dare to put me down and see when I meet sister-inw. I will ask her to kick your ass.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Fine, deal with this guy first.¡±

    Cara patted his shoulder and enjoyed the princess carry as she cast a gaze at the turtle and said, ¡°Left Minister Kito, you have greatly disappointed me. Not by the fact that you did all these feral actions, but that you fell for his pathetic acting and said it all. Do you know this statement of yours calls for a death sentence?¡±

    Kito was shocked, but then he quickly regained hisposure and said, ¡°What proof do you have? What proof do you have to sentence me to death? Give up your hallucinations. You and this bastard human will perish in some gutter on Arcadia.¡±

    He was enraged, but suddenly, Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°You do not have to worry about the proof, please ess yourmunicator and check the news highlights.¡±

 Chapter 302 Dealing With The Rebellion.

    Shi Lang¡¯s calm reaction made the turtle unsettled. He raised his hand and the person behind him essed themunicator. As soon as he checked the news, his huskie-like face revealed a stunned expression. He froze on the spot, Kito saw this and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The person woke up from his daze and said, ¡°Sire, this, you should see it yourself.¡±

    With that said, the man projected the news telecast into the void and a holographic screen appeared in front of the people. The scene inside the ward was being disyed at this moment. Kito understood what was happening here, he red at Shi Lang and said, ¡°YOU DARE TO TRICK ME?¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°You say as if you did not try to trick me? I would have told you to have some shame but since you are about to die, it will not be necessary.¡±

    This statement shocked everyone, they did not expect him to say such a thing under the scrutiny of so many people. Shi Lang did not wait for anyone to react and went on to speak, ¡°You all know that ever since Cara took the throne, the status of living has changed, the people are being treated equally and everyone has the same opportunity. However, some people thought they were entitled to the throne and decided to rebel against the ruler.

    They manipted innocent people, and that was not it, they even went on to kill whoever stood in their way. The Empress of Arcadia, Cara, almost lost her life on a random asteroid floating in space. Do you all wish to go back to the lives you used to live before Cara came to your rescue?

    Fine by me, but the left minister dared to touch the Terran team that came here for investigation. This sin will not be forgiven. I wee every person in Arcadia who would like to defend him. Come and ask my sword if you can defend him and his cronies.¡±

    His aura had undergone aplete change, it was like a storm waiting to rage on. Kito was flustered, he could sense the killing intention contained within the speech of this young Terran. He had no idea how to counter this beast.

    Finally, he could not take it anymore and said, ¡°Who are you to meddle in the business of the Arcadian Royal Court? You are not even an Arcadian, what right do you have to interfere?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I am Cara¡¯s friend. That is why I have the right to help my friend in her time of need. After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed.¡±

    Carc chuckled and said, ¡°Well, Lang, put me down. Let me show you my skills.¡±

    Shi Lang cast her a look and after shaking his hand, he ced her down. As Cara left his embrace, her aura changed. It was like a switch flipped inside her mind, from a young and naughty girl, she became a calm and cold leader.

    She walked closer to the left minister and said while looking into his eyes, ¡°You might be a criminal, but you have also umted some good deeds. I will now give you twenty-four hours to settle your affairs. After that, I will have your head rolling on the stairs under my throne. Leave, try all the means you have.¡±

    Kito shivered, he was aware how cruel Cara could be when it came to dealing with betrayal and those who opposed her unreasonably. He knew that he was done for, let alone the empress, even the citizen of the empire might show him no mercy. As wise as he was, it was beneath him to beg her or try to formte any stories. Kito was done for and he knew this fact better than anyone else.

    The old turtle sighed and knelt on the ground, he said, ¡°I ept the punishment.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the old turtle and then at Cara. The girl said, ¡°I gave you twenty-four hours, before that, I will not make a move against you. Leave.¡±

    Then she turned to Shi Lang and said, ¡°Did you arrange all this? Call off the telecast, we need to move, there are urgent matters to deal with.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and sent out a message from hismunicator and the reporters stationed in the distant locations turned off their cameras and began to report theirprehension of the event to the citizen. They were all aware that if they tried to y a diplomatic role, they will be criticized by the citizens, who saw this and knew what was going on.

    In just a few minutes, the news spread like a wildfire, and the whole Arcadian Empire got to know about the rebellion and the attempt of coup de tat made by the left minister. While some people were happy that the plow failed. Those who were sitting in the higher chairs were worried that they will be implicated regardless of their connection to this incident.

    The higher society of the empire was tamed by Cara using iron hand methods and she was simply unyielding to them. The left minister, could not have done this alone, so he must have aplices, and these aplices were now preparing to abandon the sinking ship.

    It was just like the metaphor, if a ship was going to sink, the rats will be the first to jump off the board. However, Cara was not a fool, who did not know how to run the show. She had established her own secret divisions to keep a watch on these people just in case they try to overstep their boundaries.

    Shi Lang and Cara left the ce and they came back to the base where the rest of the people were being held captive. At the same time, Cara had passed down a decree, and the secret divisions under her control, or as she called it, Meow, had taken action.

    They had started to round up the culprits, even a remotely rted person was apprehended and taken prisoner for investigation. This action shocked the entire Arcadia. Overnight things changed, the only person who was able to sit at home was the Left Minister, Kito.

    Cara did not take action against him as she has given her a twenty-four-hour time, but she did not spare anyone else. The proceedings were fast and effective. Every single one of the guilty people regardless of their role in this plow was subjected to harsh punishments. If the families tried to persuade the Empress, they were made to share the burden of the punishment.

    Shi Lang was satisfied with this behavior. The majesty of the monarch was not to be trifled with. The used were all called in and they were given the right to defend themselves, Cara had the whole process telecasted and made the trials public.

    After twenty-four hours, seven big shots from the royal court were found guilty of murder, extortion, and treason. They were sentenced to death on the spot. Cara had taken out Zyra from the prison and the beast had broken free from the mind control and she was raring to kill a few people.

    The task of execution was given to her and shepleted it wlessly. The method was so bizarre that it gave jitters to the strong-hearted and made the faint-hearted people faint directly. Shi Lang did not lift a finger from start to end, he just waited, because he was aware things will not end as simply as they might seem.

    The left minister was not scared that day in the ward, his kneeling posture did not match the wisdom shing in his eyes. Shi Lang could tell that this old turtle was going to use his brain to find a way out of this. As a turtle who had lived for probably a few hundred years this guy might have some cards hidden in his shell.

    Shi Lang was waiting for him to put those cards on the table and had instructed OB-One to monitor the changes. This bot was simply omnipotent with aputer. The three people that came to Arcadia with Shi Lang were given a directmand to cultivate while they were on standby.

    This may seem a bit too cruel, but it was also a chance of a lifetime. The first time he came to Arcadia, Shi Lang skipped the two initial realms of cultivation under the influence of the spiritual energy in the surroundings. He wished for his teammates to make advances simr to him as well.

    The three people were obviously more than happy to follow thismand, after all, they were aware of their weaknesses after the time they spent in the Gctic Showdown.

    ¡­

    After Twenty-four hours, Cara called the right minister, General Shufi, and said, ¡°General Shufi, I want Left Minister, Kito in the courtroom. I do not care whether hees willingly or you drag him from his abode. You have an hour toplete this task.¡±

    General Shufi bowed and said, ¡°Your Excellency, it seems that the left minister is waiting for your summons outside.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°Call him in.¡±

    The moves to extinguish the rebellion has been made.

 Chapter 303 Dont mess with the Empress.

    Shi Lang sat beside Cara, on his old chair, which had not been removed from the court even after he left the. Zyra looked at the scene and asked, ¡°Lang, what do you think this old phony will do?¡±

    The young general shrugged his shoulders as he did not have any answer to this question. He could not say what the capabilities of this old guy were, he had yet to look into the history of this guy personally, and even the detailed data sent by OB-One did not see. The reason was that he wanted to see how Cara will deal with this person.

    However, one thing was sure, this guy will not take a death sentence lying down, however, Shi Lang was being patient to see where the confidence of this person came from, and if this old thing tried something, it would reveal the lead to potential enemies, Shi Lang decided to wait and catch all the fish in one go.

    The right minister led the turtle inside with another person following them. Shi Lang tilted his body to a side away from the throne and ced his elbow on the armrest as his chin rested in his palm. The posture he assumed gave off theid-back vibe. It was to make the people think that he had no say in this issue and he did not care what was happening in the court at all.

    The right minister looked at the gloomy Cara and moved aside. The empress asked, ¡°What brings the famous General of the Artillery to my humble door?¡±

    The person in question was the man who followed the old turtle into the courtroom. He gave a superficial bow and said, ¡°Your Excellency, your method to deal with this issue is a bit too crude. I wish to have an audience with her excellency, and confide in her.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say anything and even closed his eyes slightly, as he could tell that the other party was trying to see through him. This person was not avable to meet Shi Lang during his tenure here. This guy had personally led the artillery division to quench the rebellion once Cara had taken the throne.

    This personing over now that two with the turtle. They seemed to have reached an agreement. Cara nodded and said, ¡°You can speak what you wish to after this matter is settled and do it here. I do not have a house big enough to house the person with the title of universal cunt collector.¡±

    Shi Lang finally could not hold it in andughed as he asked, ¡°Universal Cunt collector? What is this guy? A dick?¡±

    Cara looked at him and said, ¡°From what I have heard, he is. However, his wife is not aware, but his sons are.¡±

    The conversation between the two seemed to be typical banter, but it was a tant insult and threat to the artillery general. If he wished to remain a part of the happymunity, he must step back or he will suffer.

    The person subjected to this special treatment, made the person calms down and Cara looked at the old turtle, who had a shocked expression written over his face. She said, ¡°You think you can bring up someone to deal with me?¡±

    The turtle shook his head like a rattle and said, ¡°I dare not, I havee to ept my punishment, but the humble ve thought it would be too easy for me to die like this, after the crime, I havemitted, I should suffer more, and try to repent for my deeds before I am put under the de.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°Your emotions aremendable, but a traitor is not allowed to breathe under the sky of the mortal world for a minute longer. However, despite finding out that you were a snake, I allowed you twenty-four hours to deal with your affairs, yet you dared to scheme? Also, let me rify, your death will be anything but an easy and quick one.¡±

    Shi Lang held his chin in his hand and then nodded slightly while humming and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? He wanted the old man to y the peacemaker, what is their attitude toward normal people is different. They are both the same, one betrayed his family and the other betrayed his empire. Kill them and be done with it.¡±

    Cara sighed and said, ¡°I do not know, how can his death be more painful?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°This type of phony people care most about their face, break their face, you can break their soul, and it is the most torturous manner of death.¡±

    Cara sat up straight and her eyes glittered, she asked, ¡°Public Execution? Yes, I will have it telecasted live throughout Arcadian Empire.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then said, ¡°Go on.¡±

    Cara reacted, ¡°Guards! Capture the left minister.¡±

    Before Kito could say or react at all, a bunch of strong soldiers came over to pin him down. Cara said, ¡°Tie him up to the pole on the square and find someone to take off his shell first. Then he will beshed till the moment he is dead.¡±

    The people were shocked at this decree, and they were even sizing up thedy. To think she was so cruel, they felt a shiver run up their spine. The old turtle was dragged outside by the guards and the other person flinched a bit. He was caught in the middle of a pit and an abyss. He did not even dare to move a bit to see his friend being dragged away.

    Shi Lang looked at the old general and said, ¡°You have onest chance, either get vasectomized or orchestrated.¡±

    The old general shivered from fright, and Cara shivered from her urge to hold back theughter. She did not expect Shi Lang to be so ck-hearted. However, she liked it. She nodded and said, ¡°Right Minister, take the Artillery General to the doctor. His urges almostnded him into big trouble. What would happen if he gave in to his urges during a war? We cannot afford that.¡±

    The minister of the right nodded and with a bow, he took the artillery general out of the courtroom, the two people looked at their retreating figures and could not help butugh out loud. Zyra also chuckled and said, ¡°You two are worse than the two-headed snake.¡±

    ¡­

    In the imperial square, Kito stood up and tied to a pole. He was surrounded by high-resolution camera probes. The glory of the majestic and wise left minister was nowhere to be seen. The people were shocked to see the state of the person in front of them. Kito was unrecognizable.

    Shi Lang and Cara were standing on the balcony of the imperial pce, and a few reporters were allowed to interview them the Empress amodated the people and told them about the punishment decided by the throne for the traitors set in high position.

    After a few minutes, a thin soldier came forward holding amon leather whip. The soldier looked up to Cara, who said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    The guard gave the whip a flick and it skillfullynded on the back of the turtle. The person shivered and bit his lips hard to avoid wailing. However, his perseverance did notst for long, theshes became faster, and the spot ofnding became more damaged.

    Shi Lang did not even blink when he was looking at all this, if he had it his way, then the turtle might have been dissected on a table while alive, but that scene was not suitable for a gctic telecast.

    Not everyone was capable of tolerating that much gore. The people watched the telecast, or more like, they were asked to. After three hours, the vitality of the old turtle vanished and Cara asked the reports to convey her few words to the citizens.

    The camera probes pointed at her, and she said, ¡°If you have any trouble, thene tell me, I will do my best to help you. Call for the officials, and they will help you, but if they fail, you have the right toint to me. Theseints will be seen as a plea to deal with the traitors who betrayed their duty. Yes, any official shirking their duty will be tagged as a traitor and they will be given the same sentence as the former left minister, Kito.¡±

    The rebellion was quenched, and the people once again saw the power of their ruler. The privilege she gave them, in the end, was something too shocking, and effective. The officials who had been enjoying a life of under-the-table transactions were shivering as they recalled the end of the left minister, one of the shot callers of the empire.

    Shi Lang looked at Cara and said, ¡°Kid, you have grown up well.¡±

    Cara said, ¡°Shut up you old man, I will tell Amelia that you were checking out that bunny reporterdy.¡±

    Shi Lang shivered and said, ¡°I apologize, I will not mess with you anymore.¡±

 Chapter 304 Peacetime.

    Shi Lang and Cara dealt with the things of the court for a whole day and finally managed to cut down the piling mountain of tasks, then they went to the holding facility where Kilo was held. The person had given up the hope to live on and was kept in a medical bay on life support. His ending will be decided by Cara and no one else.

    It has been three days since he ced Kilo in a barrier and isted him. The team and everyone else should have regained their sobriety and Commander Silence has been undergoing therapy by OB-One. ording to the reports of the bot, Archie Arkham has recovered rather quickly thanks to her mental fortitude. This was also the reason why she was able to trigger the distress signal.

    Cara looked at how backward the ce was and she sighed, ¡°No wonder we were unable to track this ce. I wonder how the mind of this guy was working.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°It was working strong enough to keep all the people under his control.¡±

    Cara snorted and said, ¡°This guy could have yed a much more important role if he was given a chance.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Well, everyone has their own thoughts, you wanted him to have a higher standing in the world, while he wished to live his life as a humble person from a tribal n. He wished to live a regret-free life, but some greedy people destroyed his life for their momentary bliss.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°It was indeed a pity. Well, forget about these things, I will deal with it. What is the status of your people?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°They might have recovered, I am waiting for OB-One to conduct the final report.¡±

    Cara nodded and they made their way to the holding cells. They did not have much to talk about, Zyra was looking around curiously, and said, ¡°You humans and beastmen are all twisted in your brains. I have no idea what to say, thews of the jungle are very straight, if only your secr world was like this.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°It is just a sophisticated jungle, you just do not know it yet. Cara, if you have time, go ahead and visit the gctic council headquarters, the blue star.¡±

    Cara nodded and said, ¡°You must have gained a lot.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I did a lot of technological knowledge. I am stillcking inparison to you when ites to technical details. I guarantee it, one trip and you will definitely be able to upgrade the level of the entire Arcadia.¡±

    Cara looked at him and found that his eyes were filled with seriousness. She nodded and said, ¡°Fine, I will put it on my schedule.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Inform me at that time, and I will have Shashi, the Terran representative coordinate with you. Though, keep a low profile. The strength level of our territories is not something that can gain us standing in the eyes of those big shots.¡±

    Cara nodded, and said, ¡°I see, I will keep it in mind.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded, they have arrived at the holding capacity and found OB-One standing in front of the cells. He greeted him and said, ¡°Sire, the reports you asked for.¡±

    The young man took the reports and after checking them he said, ¡°Good, have theme out.¡±

    OB-One nodded and went on to open the cells. Soon, the corridor was filled with groaning sounds. Milo¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Eh, did the boss finally revitalize his conscience?¡±

    Sonic chuckled and said, ¡°Milo, if the boss hears you, he will definitely give you a session of nightmare-level training.¡±

    Milo shivered and said, ¡°You bastard, don¡¯t curse me.¡±

    Sparrow chuckled and said, ¡°I would love that, been too long since we stretched out limbs.¡±

    Shi Lang sneered and said, ¡°Granted, you all will go spend some time in Tartarus, for the next month.¡±

    The ace division people had juste out of their cells and they were shocked to hear this cold voice, Milo shivered and said, ¡°No, boss, please, forgive me. You can throw in that female gori but do not send me there. I am a Terran, I need rest.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°To think I was about to send you down to the ninth level and have a go with me at my best, oh, what a pity.¡±

    The people were stunned, Milo came up to Shi Lang, then directly hugged his thigh, and said, ¡°Boss, you are my god. I will do my best to reach the ninth floor, please give us a chance to bask in your glory.¡±

    Shi Lang felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth and tried to shake this guy off. However, this guy was like a dog-skin ster. A calm voice sounded from the end of the holding cell corridor, ¡°Finally, can we go home and take a shower first?¡±

    Shi Lang was looking at this person directly without blinking his eyes. He looked down and Milo and said, ¡°I will break all your teeth if you did not let go.¡±

    Milo could tell that he was serious, the crimson eyes were shockingly cold. He obediently let go of the leg and Shi Lang walked to the end of the corridor, disregarding everyone, he took Amelia in his embrace. Amelia did not find it odd, she has been worried about him, ever since he left for the gctic showdown.

    She coiled her arms around his waist and said, ¡°I missed you too.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and let out a hum. He said, ¡°I did too. It has been hard on you.¡±

    Amelia hummed as she snuggled close to his neck, and Cara said in a low voice, ¡°You people, grow some conscience, give them some space, no wonder you people are still single.¡±

    The rest of the team turned dark-faced. They all scurried away slowly, Amelia and Shi Lang did notmit any act of affection, except hugging each other. They just wanted to confide in each other. Console each other with silence.

    After a few minutes, the two broke up from the embrace. They held hands and walked out of the corridor, and Amelia said, ¡°Can we go on a vacation?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, we need to take a vacation.¡±

    Amelia nodded, she was very satisfied with his answer, unlike typical men, he did not use the work as an excuse. They all came out, and Cara took them to the imperial pce where she got them rooms to stay and rest. The team cherished this chance, Shi Lang and Amelia had their much-needed ¡®we¡¯ time and they did note out of the room for two whole days.

    Cultivator physique, you know. After they came out, Shi Lang instructed OB-One to copy a set of information they had grabbed from the Blue star and gave it to Amelia. Commander Silence came back a day after the ace division, with the rest of her team. They had all been turned into mindless machines that went around the empire to carry out hits on the people that were dered enemies by the Left Minister.

    Well, this was a good deed, these people were all scourges, and Cara wanted to get rid of them either way. The teams boarded the warship and departed for the Federation. Archie Arkham asked, ¡°What happened to yourpetition?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Managed to get by.¡±

    He did not act cocky in front of Archie Arkham, despite his status or rank. She was someone he admired and looked up to when it came to working. Been able to stand at the helm of the secret divisions for a few years, and at such a young age. This was not something that a lot of people could do.

    Ryan looked at Shi Lang from the side and revealed a surprised expression, he knew that the person sitting with the ck mask was a high-ranking officer. However, Shi Lang was the first general, how could he be so humble? Where is the usual alpha attitude of the boss?

    Archie Arkham caught this and asked Ryan directly, ¡°Lieutenant, tell me what happened there and do not miss out on any details.¡±

    The rest of the people also leaned towards the side, as Ryan looked at Shi Lang, who nodded and said, ¡°Go on.¡±

    Ryan narrated the battles and the plights with great detail, he did not exaggerate anything in the battle, but the people were still unable to digest it. When they were told how the team was kidnapped and they managed to turn over things, the people were shocked and surprised, finally, they let out deep breaths.

    Amidst theirughter and conversations, they arrived at the federal space station and boarded the small vessels to return home. The first thing Shi Lang did was to call in for a vacation. This was the peace time, before a new battle began.

 Chapter 305 Vacation.

    Shi Lang and Amelia returned to the federation. They dealt with the report submissions and then after a queue of meetings, they all dispersed. Even the award ceremony for their exploits in the gctic showdown was postponed indefinitely, after all, the soldiers did thei duty, and now they wished to spend some time on a soft bed and a warm embrace of their family members. If the government failed to provide this bare minimum for the sake of a glorious facade, they will make the hardworking soldiers turn cold.

    After all the work was done, the people gathered for a round of drinks in a local pub reserved for the military people, and then they went back home. Shi Lang and Amelia rode on a levbike for ages and they reached their destination after three hours. Actually, Shi Lang could have taken her on a flight, but it would turn into a crackling headline in the news the day after.

    Shi John was tending to the flowers in the garden when he heard the main gates of the vi open. From the main gates to the entrance of the building, it was a ten-meter long pathway. Shi Lang and Amelia parked the levbike and the middle-aged man said, ¡°Wee home you two.¡±

    The couple smiled and replied, ¡°We are back, dad.¡±

    This sound was like music to the old man, he said, ¡°Go in, and take rest, you both look so tired and exhausted.¡±

    The couple nodded and they pulled Shi John inside the house with them. Luna was sitting on the couch reading a book. Shi Lang made a ¡®silence¡¯ gesture and walked closer to his mother without alerting her. He covered her eyes with his palms. Luna whelped and said, ¡°Lang, you brat, old enough to have your own kids, yet you do not stop acting like a child yourself. What will I do with you.¡±

    Although she sounded exasperated, the smile on her face betrayed her. Shi Lang took back his hands and hugged his mother from behind before resting his chin over her shoulder and asking, ¡°Mom, howe you always know?¡±

    Luna sighed and said, ¡°Since you want to know, I shall satisfy your demand. You stink of sweat whenever youe home from outside.¡±

    Shi Lang pulled a long face when he heard this. Amelia sniggered, and Shi John chuckled, ¡°Go, take a shower first.¡±

    Luna patted his head and said, ¡°Go, I still love you the same.¡±

    Shi Lang scoffed and said, ¡°You only love Amy, now.¡±

    Then he turned around and went to his room to take a shower, and he did not forget to lift Amelia in his arms like a princess. Amelia pped his shoulder but was that going to stop him? She was not carefree like him.

    After a couple of hours, the two came down, and Amelia was slightly blushing. Luna cast her a gaze and shook her head with a genial smile. She said, ¡°Come, I made lunch.¡±

    Shi Lang could not wait to get to the table, the food made at home, was something he missed the most on missions. Although spirit energy can sustain his body to the peak, it was still a privilege to be able to eat something made with love.

    The dining table was silent except for the noise from the spoon falling on the te from time to time. The dishes were simple but they tasted no less than the divine food from the heavens. The people ate and then they began to chat. Shi Lang was really stressed to the limit this time, so he decided to sleep for the time, and go out tomorrow for a spa day.

    He will take his whole family along with him. Shi John and Luna had stepped into spirit gathering real and were healthier than ever before. They both looked younger, the same changes happened to M and her husband.

    ¡­

    Two dayster, the family of six people, was traveling in a big vehicle, they were going to the mountains away from metropia. The speed of the lev car was very fast, and Shi Lang was driving. Amelia sat in the front seat with him, under public demand. She said, ¡°Can you not drive slow? What is the rush?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Slower than this seems like crawling, ugh, I swear if not for scaring the world off, I would want the people to know that it is possible to fly at a speed higher than that of a lev engine.¡±

    M snorted and said, ¡°Look at you boasting so much. If so, then go back home and grab my stall from the couch. I will believe you. You must take half the time than that of the lev engine.¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Amy, hold the steering.¡±

    Amelia was shocked, but the next moment, this guy directly left the steering and vanished from his spot. The vehicle was traveling at a speed of seven hundred kilometers per hour. This was fast enough to turn the body of the people inside into a puddle of flesh and blood. Amelia hurriedly grabbed the wheel, and shifted her seat, she cursed, ¡°Has he gone mad?¡±

    M and Luna were shocked, but suddenly, the window of the passenger seat was knocked on. Amelia turned to look at the window and found Shi Lang grinning sheepishly. She unlocked the door and he came inside. He extended his hand behind and said, ¡°Your stall.¡±

    He had just used his fastest speed to travel back home and grab the stall. This speed was just a fraction of what the Lev engine was capable of. The people were silent from shock, but then they all started scolding the young general for his carefree attitude.

    It was night when the people came to the remote mountain region. Amelia asked, ¡°Mom, why did you select this ce, I do not see anything noteworthy here, except the cleanliness.¡±

    Luna smiled and said, ¡°This is the ce where your husband was born. This used to be where the Shi Family used to live. Every year the new generation woulde here and pay respects to their ancestors. That year, I came here with Shi John, and unexpectedly, I went intobor, there is a small clinic up ahead near the summit. Come, that was where I gave birth to this carefree guy.¡±

    Shi Lang heard her words and smiled. He did not know such a story existed behind his birth, and the people parked the car at the foot of the mountain and climbed to the summit. Their speed was fast and in just a few minutes they came to the summit and found a stone house there. A dusty que said, ¡°Wave Mountain Clinic.¡±

    Amelia thought of something and asked, ¡°Mom, is this why you named him, Lang?¡±

    Luna nodded and Amelia cast a gaze at Shi Lang¡¯s darkened face and she could not help butugh out loud. She used to think that his name meant waves so that he can create ways in his life, but never expected the real reason to be like this.

    Shi Lang looked at her mother, who was acting to be confused, and turned to his father and said, ¡°Could you not havee up with a better name? Am I even your real child?¡±

    M sighed and said, ¡°Finally the truth came out. Lang, babye to me, I am your real mother.¡±

    Shi Lang was amused by her pitying expression and decided to y along and walked over to her from the side and hugged her as he said, ¡°I knew it, only you love me.¡±

    M patted his back and said, ¡°Yes, my child. You are an abandoned child, I am a gentle soul. I have to take you in, no?¡±

    Ameliaughed and Shi Lang flickered away, looked at the group of people, and said, ¡°Good, good, you all are ganging up on me.¡±

    The peopleughed and suddenly, it began to snow. Shi John chuckled and said, ¡°The weather here is still as unpredictable as it was in the past.¡±

    Luna nodded and suddenly, a soft snowball hit Shi John in the face. The people were surprised, the snowkes had just started falling, howe there were snowballs already? Shi Lang chuckled as he used the spiritual energy to control the falling snowkes to gather in his palm and condense into a ball.

    Then he threw it to hit Amelia. Then the two people began to fight each other. The elders of the group enjoyed the banter and joined in when there was enough snow on the ground. These people did not have the skill to control the spirit energy outside their bodies.

    After sunset, Shi John and M¡¯s husband gathered some dry wood and lit a fire. Shi Lang hunted a big warthog for the people to eat. Amelia helped thedies with setting up the camp. The family was having a camp night. The vacation had begun.

 Chapter 306 Anomaly.

    Shi Lang and the family spent the night sitting around the bonfire while singing and chatting with each other. Only during the second half of the night, the four elders decided to give the young couple some privacy and rested in their sleeping bags inside the tent.

    Shi Lang was leaning against a block of wood with Amelia leaning against his chest, with her back facing him. The man held her in his arms and they both sat there in silence. The two people did not have anything to say, they were content when they were together.

    After a few minutes, Amelia asked, ¡°Was it hard to face those people in the gctic showdown?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°I would not say that it was easy, but it was not hard either. I do not know, to safeguard the lives of the rest of the team, I had them enter a state of indifference, which affected their conscious behavior as well. Things like difficulties became irrelevant when you are logically looking at the situation.¡±

    Amelia found his words to be in line with her thoughts so she agreed and nodded gently. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Was it difficult for you to watch over the Ace division when I was away?¡±

    Thedy shook her head and said, ¡°Not really, the team was in order and all of them are brilliant at their tasks. The only obstacle was handling Milo¡¯s curiosity about a lot of things. He has a tendency to get into the thick of it which possess a high risk of ruining the stealth element of the mission. I had to threaten him with disciplinary action during a task.¡±

    Shi Lang gently pressed his cheek against hers and said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work. I will tame that guy after I take charge of things.¡±

    Amelia chuckled and said, ¡°I wonder if he will call me a tattletale.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I dare him.¡±

    The couple talked about the things that happened recently and the few changes that took ce in the federal cab as well. Shi Lang had no idea about these, but Amelia had been keeping an eye on things like this.

    It turned out that the Former First General had decided toe out of retirement and take up the mantle of the principal of the Federal Star Academy. Old man Stevenson had gone into seclusion to charge at the core condensation realm. He wanted to take time off from the secr world and petty matters.

    As a person grows older, their bodies grow atrophic. The meridians lost their flexibility and the rate at which they absorbed Spiritual energy also decreased by a big margin. What Shi Lang found unfathomable was that Jenkins transferred from the first fleet to a duty where he can take part in potential battles on the frontline.

    While Hayley had taken up the post of deputy in the same, she wanted to experience battles as well. Shi Lang asked, ¡°I was not there, who approved their requests for transfer?¡±

    Amelia hit the back of his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you wish to hamper their growth. I have been able to reach the peak of the core condensation realm because I had you take me around. Although you are friends with them they did not have your special favor. Thus, to grow stronger, they need to be ced under pressure. Only the frontlines can bring them the pressure needed. Battling is the best way to unlock the potential.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I agree with you but these two could have told me that they wanted more, I would have sent them to train in Tartarus. That would have been efficient for them.¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°Do not think much, everyone has their own path. Since they did not wish to tell you, it means they did not want to burden you. I can tell that they did not want you to view them as a burden.¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at the cloudy sky and sighed. He did not know what he should say for a few minutes and then he mumbled, ¡°I got too busy to maintain my connection with the people close to me.¡±

    Amelia leaned against him and said, ¡°Do not me yourself, you are only one person and with so many things to deal with, it is normal to miss out on some things but you can make up for them. No?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You are the wiser one. Thank you.¡±

    Amelia shook her head gently and said, ¡°I also have a piece of bad news.¡±

    The young general made an enquiring nasal sound and the girl said, ¡°Darcx lost his left leg on a mission.¡±

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide and with a shocked gaze, he asked, ¡°What do you mean? How did this happen, tell me in detail.¡±

    Darcx was his team member and a valiant soldier, his skill was higher than that of normal people, so how could he suffer like this? He asked her the details but Amelia shook her head and replied, ¡°I have no idea. The details are locked by the secret divisions. You can check on your own. I only found out identally when I saw him in the hospital taking surgery for the advanced prosthetics.¡±

    Shi Lang became anxious and he was losing his usualposure. He cherished the people around him, and when they suffered, he suffered along with them. He waspassionate only to his friends, but not to anyone else.

    Amelia sensed his condition and said, ¡°Calm down, you can contact him when we go back to the city. Do not worry too much. He is a soldier, and must be aware of the risks of the job.¡±

    Shi Lang took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down. The time flew away in a blink, and soon it was morning. Amelia had fallen asleep in his arms, so he decided to spend the rest of his time cultivating.

    However, soon he noticed something and was surprised. The flow of the spiritual energy in the vicinity was odd. It was as if all the spiritual energy was being sucked away by a vacuum cleaner. When Shi Lang sensed the ce with his spirit sense, he found the source of this suction to be located inside the small clinic on the summit.

    The ce they were camping at was just a few meters away from the clinic. Shi Lang did not notice anyoneing or going in or out of the clinic. He gentlyid her down and cast a spirit barrier to keep her clear of snowkes and moved in the direction of the clinic.

    His steps were calm and steady, at the same time, his spirit sense was scurrying inside the clinic. He found a child about five or six years old, inside the clinic, or to be precise, under the clinic. He was surprised at first but then he decided to check out what was going on. He did not use any of his detection abilities earlier when they came outside this clinic, and that was why Shi Lang did not notice this anomaly.

    He was keeping a watch on the spiritual flow as well. Just as he predicted, as soon as he stepped on the steps of the clinic, the spiritual flow stopped. He could tell that the child inside was aware of his presence, and stopped cultivating. Shi Lang smiled and sat down on the stairs of the clinic.

    The young general was patient in his actions, he waited for the sun toe up. Then his parents came over and asked him what was going on, Shi Lang gave them a superficial reply and sent them back to the camp. He looked at the door calmly and said, ¡°I have methods toe in and talk to you, but I do not wish to scare you. I can tell that your talent in cultivation is very high, but if you persisted on this path of staying alone, you will only bury your talent.

    You need guidance, and given that you can detect my presence, I can specte that you are very smart and intelligent. You can decide to follow me as a teacher, and choose your own master¡¯s in the future, and I will provide you with some basic guidance, what do you think?

    Do you not feel tired of hiding in that small space? Do you love eating wild weeds so much? What do you do when it is cold? Follow me, if you wish to get away from all this, I swear on heavens that I bear no malice against you.¡±

    His voice was low but it was heard clearly by the child inside the clinic, and after much thought, Shi Lang heard a sound, the trap door was being pushed open, and a pair of sparkling eyes and a ck head peeked out at the doors of the clinic.

 Chapter 307 Disciple.

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, ¡°Come out. I know you are peeking.¡±

    The little head that was peeking at him suddenly ducked back into the trap room. The child was confused about how could this man detect him and tell about his actions as well. This was simply too unsettling. Shi Lang sensed his actions and chuckled, he said, ¡°Come on, we both are simr. I also cultivate.¡±

    The child was surprised and he did not know what this guy was talking about and why did he call them simr. The curiosity was like a fire raging in the heart yet, fear of the unknown was like a blizzard. After a lot of self-argument, the child decided to run out and see what the guy had to say after all this person was very sincere and patient in his wait.

    The child took small steps and came to the door and peeked out. Shi Lang said with a faint smile and said, ¡°The energy you are feeding upon is called the spiritual energy. It is an existence between heaven and the earth. It is something that can unlock and enhance the power and limits of the human body. This process is called cultivation. What you are doing is just an excuse and not true cultivation.¡±

    The child got interested and the soft voice made him feel safe as well. Shi Lang continued speaking, ¡°You do not seem to have eaten anything in the past few months and your body is able to stay free from hunger and thirst because of the energy your body extracts on its own. However, freedom is not permanent, every now and then you fall into a sudden state of weakness, unable to even lift your eyelids, right?¡±

    He turned sideways to look at the child behind him and said, ¡°Your body is called the spirit physique, it will attract the spiritual energy even if you do not try it willingly. However, if you do not use a sutra to cultivate, you will suffer from imminent death.¡±

    Then he fell silent, waiting for the child to ask him some questions and the child did, ¡°Death, what?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Death is an eternal sleep. You will never wake up from it.¡±

    The child nodded and said, ¡°Tao sleep. Sleep good.¡±

    Shi Lang understood that the child did not have good intellectual growth, it could be because she did not have anyone to interact with. The clinic was abandoned for a few months maybe, given that the floor was covered with an inch of dust and dirt.

    The young general said, ¡°Why note with me? I will teach you.¡±

    The child did not think even for a second and shook the little head, ¡°Tao like here, here home, sleep good.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then said, ¡°Let me show you something.¡±

    The young man stood up and then walked out of the shed, stretched his body, and spread out his hands, the snowkes on the ground began to levitate and then they gathered to form ice wings behind his back. The details of the wings made him look like an angel. Shi Lang turned and faced the child with a soft smile on his face and said, ¡°Do you want to have wings? Do you not wish to see the world?¡±

    The child was confused and asked in a low voice, ¡°World?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and thought, to think this trick failed, Amelia would have stars in her eyes if she saw my sauve self. He directly raised his hand and manipted hismunicator and showed him various videos from all over the world. He waited for the child to be hooked and then said, ¡°These things are all that you can see if you wish toe with me.¡±

    The child was still gazing at the flickering images on the holograph floating above the wrist of the young man. He subconsciously nodded, Shi Lang stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Come on then.¡±

    The child looked at him and with much hesitation, took a step forward, but then, suddenly turned around and rushed inside the clinic. Shi Lang did not lose hope because he could see what the child was going to do inside the ce.

    A few minutester the child came back holding a photo frame. Shi Lang spotted an old man holding the child in his arms. He asked, ¡°Who is he?¡±

    The child said, ¡°Tao Gram.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and holding the child¡¯s hand, they came to the campsite. Amelia and the rest were shocked at this. They did not expect Shi Lang to bring back a child. Luna and M were old mothers and they had pampered Shi Lang as a child a lot. So when they saw this child they rushed over and scrutinized the little one.

    Tao hid behind Shi Lang, who said, ¡°Mom, aunt, take it easy please.¡±

    Thedies immediately understood that their curiosity had scared the child. They nodded and took their gaze away from the child and Amelia asked from the side, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Shi Lang told them the story and said that he wants to take in Tao, have her registered, and get a proper identity. The people agreed to this, for Shi Lang, this was not a big deal. He could get things done over a call.

    He said, ¡°Amy, cook some clear porridge for her.¡±

    M and Luna asked in surprise, ¡°This child is a girl?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, it was not that hard for him to discern this. He could tell that Tao was a girl from the moment he saw her. Amelia cooperated with him and prepared a bowl of clear porridge and Shi Lang had Tao drink it. He said, ¡°You have not eaten anything in a few months, try to digest this, and then we will get better foodter. Okay?¡±

    Tao looked at him in askance and Shi Lang said, ¡°Your digestive system has not been working, heavy food will give you pain.¡±

    The little girl nodded and picked up the spoon to drink the steamy hot porridge and Shi Lang hurriedly held her arm, and softly said, ¡°Too hot, it will burn your mouth. Do this.¡±

    He blew on the spoonful of porridge and let Tao drink it. The girl was not dumb, she just did not have anyone to teach her all this much. She imitated his actions and drank the porridge slowly. Luna said, ¡°We need to get her clothes and enroll her in a school. Aplete medical check-up as well, she is too thin.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The care of her will be left in the hands of you elders. I will teach her cultivation when she isfortable with the flow of her life and has a general understanding of the situation. At the same time, I will try to track her origins. However, I hope that you all exercise caution and patience in handling her. She has almost no recognition of the world outside. Her physique is very special and if someone with bad intentions found her, it could be very tragic.¡±

    He would never say that he was the strongest in the world, there were others who had talent, and just like Tao, there could be more talented people with special physiques. He only took advantage of his knowledge. He did not want this little girl to suffer. She had great potential and could be a pir for the federation in the future.

    Looking at the little girl drinking the porridge, he wanted to groom her into a person that would take the lead of the forces of the Federation, however, when he thought deeply enough, he realized that taking the lead alone will not be possible. He spent his entire life seeking a path of no regret and freedom, but in the end, he was dyed, by a whole lifetime.

    Only after surviving an ordeal, he found out that freedom without restraint will only lead people astray. This was also the reason hemitted himself to the military. Since he nned to teach one child, he thought, ¡®Why not teach a lot, and empower them to stride towards the peak?¡¯

    This was a wild thought and he would need to make proper arrangements before he began working on them. Amelia said, ¡°Lang, time to go home. Stop cking and pack up the stuff.¡±

    Shi Lang woke up and said, ¡°Yes, boss.¡±

    He packed up the tent and other stuff. Then he carried them in his space ring and turned around to look at the little girl gazing at him with eyes wide open, she said, ¡°Magic?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and picking her up in his arms he said, ¡°Yes, Magic. Just like you.¡±

    Then he walked ahead, he did not know that the five people behind him were amused and surprised to see the logical and calm boy acting like a kid. M said, ¡°How long has it been since he acted like this?¡±

    Shi John said, ¡°Forever. Childhood was spent in learning, youth was given to strengthening himself. Rarely ever he shows his carefree style. Amelia was the only one to have witnessed that till now.¡±

    Amelia blushed but she did not deny it, after all, this was the truth. They all followed the boy down the mountain, only to find the car covered with ayer of snow. Shi Lang waved his hand and the snow cleared. It formed a snowman, he was trying to amuse Tao, but the girl was looking at the car as if a foodie found nector.

    She asked, ¡°This car?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, it is a car. Do you want to see the inside?¡±

    Tao nodded, and they all left the mountain, heading back to the city.

 Chapter 308 Shi Tao.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people took Tao home with them. The first thing the elders did was to set up a room and get clothes and other things for Tao. The girl was young but she was too thin and her clothes, well, you can call them to be ragged.

    Amelia gently took the little one to take a bath and personally cleaner her up properly. She made sure to check her body for any trauma signs or injuries. After she made sure that everything was fine, she took her back to the room prepared for her wrapped in a pink towel. Tao did not speak, but she did not resist either.

    It could be because she did not sense any maliceing from these guys. Shi Lang was not in a hurry, he wanted his parents to go to bed and then he will proceed with his further n. Amelia spotted him sitting in deep thought and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Shi Lang woke up and shook his head with a smile. Amelia, however, did not budge and said, ¡°Can you fool me?¡±

    The young man was left speechless at this. He sighed and said, ¡°Well. Tao may not live long if this continues.¡±

    Amelia¡¯s expression underwent a change and she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Her physique attracts the spirit energy naturally, and if this energy is allowed to go inside without proper channels, Tao will be an overpressured box that could explode at any moment.¡±

    Amelia took a deep breath and asked, ¡°What is the cure?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Seals, spirit seals to stop the body from absorbing any more spiritual energy, in the meantime teach her to cultivate with the energy inside her. In theter stage gradually remove the seals to allow a stable spiritual overflow. If we remove them all, the body will notst.¡±

    Amelia nodded and asked, ¡°What is the problem if you know the solution?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°It will have to be monitored regrly. Since you do not know the spirit seals, you might miss the changes in her body during an emergency situation.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I know what you mean. I do not mind, think of it as training for having a child in the future.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and ced his arm around thedy and said, ¡°Let us get some rest. ¡°

    Amelia leaned against his shoulders and gradually, she fell asleep. Although she was a core condensation realm cultivator, she was still used to sleeping. Their cultivation path had changed, and the modernization of the world had put too many variables on the table.

    In ancient times, the bloodshed was so heavy that the people would rather run to a forest than sleep in the city. In the modern age, the cultivators were at peace with each other, but Shi Lang knew that this peace was just the calm before the storm. The entire world will slowly change, and if there was no one to manage things, the civil war caused by simr interests will destroy the Federation.

    In a world where strength was supreme, one must be strong, only then will the people follow him or her. Shi Lang might be at the peak of the Federation at this moment, but if a talented guy had some fortunate encounter, and managed to surpass him in one fell swoop? What then? Shi Lang could not growcent.

    Strength was only temporary, he knew very well, that there were people who were stronger than him, and to take those people on, he needed to be strong. He carefully carried Amelia to their room, tucked her in, and came back outside. He found that Tao had yet to sleep.

    He thought that wasting time was not a good thing and walked over. The door of the room was not locked, and with a gentle push, it revealed a gap. Shi Lang found the childying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. The room had a dim light turned on. He walked inside after the girl cast him a gaze.

    He sat down next to her and asked, ¡°Cannot sleep?¡±

    Tao shook her head and said, ¡°Gramp,e, wait.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised but then he patted her head gently. The girl was like a porcin doll, delicate and fair. He said, ¡°He will be upset if he saw you like this.¡±

    Tao cast him a nce and asked, ¡°Gramp, sky?¡±

    The young general sighed and since Tao will find out sooner orter, he decided to tell her about it now. As a young child with low intellect, she will be able to get over it soon, and if she realized things in the future, she will be strong enough to deal with it.

    Tao fell silent. Not like she was speaking much anyway, but her eyes hade to a standstill as well. Shi Lang did not speak again, he just sat there, looking at her, calmly and patiently. The room was filled with the breathing sound of the two people.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang said, ¡°I will now give you a treatment. Your body will stop attracting the energy¡­¡±

    The young man told her everything, and the girl nodded at him repeatedly. Then they sat up in front of each other in the lotus position. Then Shi Lang made some seals with his fingers and then cast some seals on the girl¡¯s body. The effect was obvious, the vitality radiating from Tao had been suppressed.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You are not alone here, I am with you okay?¡±

    Tao looked at him and said, ¡°Tired.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Come, time to sleep and rest.¡±

    The girl nodded and Shi Lang tucked her in. He just wanted to leave when he saw this girl holding his arm. He smiled and said, ¡°I am here, you sleep.¡±

    Only after he coaxed her did she let him go. He sat down on the floor and began to meditate. Since the seals were ced, the spiritual energy stopped pouring into the body, and Tao experienced tiredness.

    She gradually fell asleep and the new day came. Shi Lang told his parents that Tao was not supposed to move around for anything other than going to the washroom. If she did, she will fall sick. This was a way for him to train her body. She already has energy stored in her body, this way her body will be forged from the inside out. This will be a stronger physical ability than the others.

    The parents agreed to Shi Lang who went out of the house to deal with a few issues. He wanted to find out a few people and discuss his thoughts with them at great length. Such a person was the former general, and now, Principal Edwards.

    Shi Lang wished for the federation to rise to another level, and this will be possible when the foundation wasid for the younger generations. This will only be possible in the academies where the children spend the most vital time of their lives. However, this was all good and gold to talk but the problems in such a change were obvious as well.

    With greater power, the mindset of the people will also change. Shi Lang walked on the sidewalks, slowly looking at the world around him. With the hustle of the early morning, he felt a wave of nostalgia as he boarded the train heading for his old school. The people might have gone nuts if Shi Lang was toe out in hisplete facade attire. However, since he was dressed inmon blue denim and a white shirt with a navy blue peeked cap, he just looked like a handsome boy next door.

    After he got off the train and came to the school gates, he found the same person guarding the gates, who has been guarding it since he was a student there. The man saw Shi Lang and said, ¡°The school has not opened yet.¡±

    The young man chuckled and said, ¡°Andre, when are you going to give up the facade of being tough in front of me?¡±

    The man looked at him and said, ¡°As long as I stand guard, cker.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the faint smile on his face andughed, he was quite famous for beingte for school. Thus the guards called him a cker. The guard smiled and asked, ¡°What brings you here? Not enough work on the frontline?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°You said it yourself, I am a cker. I came here to find the new prince, about time we work together.¡±

    The guard nodded and said, ¡°Hmm, Mr. Edward is a good guy.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°Wait till those first fleet blokes hear you say this.¡±

    The two bantered around with each other before the flock of students came in flowing through the gates and Andre said, ¡°Get going cker, quit beingte.¡±

 Chapter 309 Teacher?

    Shi Lang moved through the school building and attracted the attention of a lot of students as he walked through the corridors before he stood in front of the principal office. This was the second time he had visited this ce and the atmosphere was aplete contrast from what it was in the past.

    He mumbled, ¡°Seems like General is more jolly than Stevenson.¡±

    He knocked on the door and a voice sounded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Shi Lang pushed the door open and found the former first general sitting behind a big mahogany desk, operating a holp. He raised his head and was surprised to look at the young man standing in front of him. He asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    Shi Lang did not go to sit down on the chair and said after closing the door behind him, ¡°I want to be a teacher.¡±

    The expression on the face of the first general changed from confused to stunned in a blink. He asked, ¡°What did you just say? Repeat it for me again?¡±

    Shi Lang said in a clear and slow tone, ¡°I want to be a teacher. What will it take for me to be one?¡±

    General Edwards sighed and said, ¡°Do you think it will be so easy? Teaching is not Army where you pass the assessment and get to y. This is a long-term thing, and a teacher is someone responsible for the future of the students under him. Do you know there are no bad students but¡­¡±

    Before the man could finish speaking, Shi Lang said, ¡°Only bad teachers. Do you think I will be that bad of a teacher? Well, you have the right to be suspicious, I do not have much to show in this field. However, look at my face as the star of the federation and give me a temporary job.¡±

    General Edwards shook his head and said, ¡°You have the gall to call yourself the star of the federation, and that too after you canceled that award ceremony everyone was waiting for? You are the problem child. How dare you shove your butler bot in the front to manage the fleet and sit back in the shadows?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled sheepishly and said, ¡°We can hold the award ceremony after the footage from the gctic showdown is edited and passed to the public. As for me being in shadows, old man it was a fair deal you made with me back when I was almost assassinated, do you understand? Do you want to go back on your promise? Fine, I will go see the old president for this.¡±

    He directly shut down the old man and turned around to walk out of the room. General Edwards knew that the president will agree to what Shi Lang asked and he will be asked why could he not handle such an easy thing on his own. He said, ¡°Stop!¡±

    Shi Lang smirked and turned around he got this job in his pocket. The old man said, ¡°I can give you a temporary job, but you will be in charge of the problem children we have in the ce now. Do you agree?¡±

    The young man heard it and then he nodded, he was not expecting to be given the alpha ss from the get-go but he did not think that the old man was going to shove him in the mud directly. But beggars can¡¯t be choosers, so he had to take on this task.

    He was not worried about the children he had to teach, he was worried about the excuse he woulde up with to stay here when asked by the Cab. After all, he was the highest-ranking officer and this sort of behavior was not followed by the rest of his cohort.

    After receiving an appointment letter, Shi Lang left the principal office and was asked to report the day after as they arrange for all the children to be in his ss. The young man made his way out of the school but not before greeting the security guard and telling him about his job. Thetter was shocked as Shi Lang walked away.

    When he reached home, he found his elders to be dancing around the small child. He smiled but did not ask them anything about what was going on. Amelia beckoned him over with a smile. Shi Lang walked closer and she asked, ¡°Where have you been?¡±

    Shi Lang candidly replied, ¡°Job Hunt.¡±

    Amelia was surprised and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her and said, ¡°I went to the academy and found myself a job as a temporary teacher.¡±

    Amelia was shocked, and the rest of the people were also shocked. They did not expect this guy to be so impulsive. Shi John asked, ¡°What do you mean? Please tell me that you are not joking.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and showed him the digital appointment letter and said, ¡°Old man Edward is sitting on the principal chair now. He did not let me have it easy. Gave me the error ss.¡±

    Amelia read the letter and was surprised about it. But the more she thought the more she understood, it was a test for Shi Lang, despite being the ace soldier, he did not have much to show up for his ability to teach anyone. While at the same time, Shi Lang was given a chance off from the battlefield.

    Shi Lang did say anything, he took the time while the family was busy discussing his new profession, he checked Tao and collected her hair to track her origins. He wanted to check where were her parents. The Federation had made it mandatory for the people to get the data of the infants to be registered in the citizen data, as soon as they were born.

    Shi Lang collected the hair sample and left home once again to visit his old ssmate¡¯s home. The motive was to ask his mother to help him track down this sample. He wanted to keep this thing away from the scrutiny of the popce because he will need to state his identity at the desk and that would be troublesome.

    He did not wish to attract this much attention to himself.

 Chapter 310 Tracking.

    Shi Lang made his way to Jane¡¯s old home. Her mother was a staff member of the Federal Archives. She would be able to help him better than anyone else. He retraced his steps through his memory, and despite the fact that he had spent his entire life in this neighborhood, it felt as if he had stepped into some unknown locality.

    He looked at the streets and sighed, ¡°To think life took off at the speed of light.¡±

    After reminiscing for a bit he moved ahead and climbed the steps of a building. He knocked on the door and waited for a response but when he did not get any response, he smacked his forehead and said, ¡°I forgot she might be working, how dumb of me.¡±

    He was just about to turn around when a familiar voice sounded behind him, ¡°Oh, mighty Lang also has moments when he acts dumb?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and turned around, he said, ¡°Hahaha, Martha, my sweetest. How are you?¡±

    Martha was Jane¡¯s mom and Shi Lang had always addressed her like that. The middle-ageddy walked over to him and smacked the back of his head and said, ¡°You dare to brown nose me you heartless fellow, did you only find time to seek me out?¡±

    The two people were talking rather ambiguously, if someone else was to see this, they might think two lovers were quarreling but these two had been like this since Shi Lang was a teenager and Jane made asked him to practice his ¡®moves¡¯ with her mom.

    Martha was rather supportive of this shy nerd and tried to enlighten him, gradually they developed a habit to talk like this, and then they could not turn back even if they wanted to.

    Shi Lang grinned and said, ¡°Look what I got for you?¡±

    He fished out a bundle of choctes from the pocket and shoved them into Martha¡¯s hands as he dragged her in front of the door and said, ¡°I need to use the restroom, open the door, please.¡±

    Martha looked at him and chuckled as she scanned her retina in the door lock system and the door opened. Shi Lang made a beeline to the washroom after he changed his shoes into household slippers. He was used to all this and did not seem to be forced.

    Thedy shook her head as she entered the kitchen and poured herself a ss of water and bought one for Shi Lang and ced it on the table. Shi Lang came out of the washroom and sat down on the couch next to Martha, and asked, ¡°How are you? Is the old man treating you well? Tell me if you have any trouble. Your unfilial daughter is busy smooching her boy toy. You still have me, Martha, never be shy.¡±

    His expression was as if an old lover meeting his crush and consoling her. Martha rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I will tell you, My love, I will, I am just scared that your wife might castrate you.¡±

    Shi Lang revealed a surprised expression and then patted his chest and said, ¡°I guarantee this on my manhood, she will be respectful to her elder sister.¡±

    Martha was shocked and then sheughed as she said, ¡°You brat!!! Getting more and more shameless I see. Tell me, why have youe over, it is not to reignite the old mes of passion for sure.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and took out the hair sample wrapped in the tissue paper, and said, ¡°This is a sample and I need the origin data and also the data of the progenitors, as soon as possible.¡±

    Martha raised her eyebrow as she held the tissue paper and asked, ¡°Is this a covert operation that denies you to go through proper methods?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°This is a personal mission that does not allow me to dy things.¡±

    Martha understood that this matter was much more serious than she had expected, she asked, ¡°Is it convenient to divulge some information to me?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I went on a vacation to the Wave mountains and I found a child abandoned there. She is just five years old, I want to track down her origins and see if she can find her home, and if she is truly alone, I intend to take her in.¡±

    Martha nodded and said, ¡°What you intend to do is the right thing, however, if she was abandoned deliberately, what do you intend to do with those people?¡±

    ¡°Have them suffer the same torment as the child. Or probably send them off to dig out some ruins in the space.¡±, said Shi Lang.

    Martha could tell that he was serious, a chill ran down her spine and she said, ¡°I saw Jane and Lucas a few days ago, they seemed to bepletely changed. Tell me what did you do to them?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Put them in a maze with a few gunmen.¡±

    Martha suddenlyughed and said, ¡°Sounds interesting. I wonder what the sight was like.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and shook his head as he said, ¡°If I told you that they regretted being outstanding in the technical aspect they were so proud of, what would you say.¡±

    Martha and Shi Lang bantered with each other before thedy stood up and took out an instrument from her bag, and said, ¡°I can check the basic details for you from here only, however, for in-depth research I suggest that you better go on the spot otherwise, I will have to file a few applications and that will be a lengthy process.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded as he saw Martha holding tube-like equipment. Thedy carefully ced a strand of hair inside the slot and then she closed the instrument and then tapped the few buttons on the side. The equipment buzzed and a screen popped up on hermunicator.

    Martha input her details and the data mentioned in the file appeared in front of her. She said, ¡°The location of birth mentioned here is Jung-ta.¡±

    Shi Lang raised his eyes and said, ¡°Jung-ta, is that not the abandoned old district? How long has it been? Two decades?¡±

    Martha nodded and said, ¡°The phaser leakage. It is technically abandoned, but a sparse amount of misfortunate people still live there. The federal hospital is still maintained at working capacity.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It looks like things are quite interesting.¡±

 Chapter 311 Class.

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, ¡°I will look into itter. Thank you, Martha.¡±

    Martha shook her head and said, ¡°You brat, you have yet to invite me out for that meal with your wife. Don¡¯t even think of walking away from this with just a thank you. Tell me when you are going back to the front, I want to have a hefty dinner before that.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°No, I am not going to the front anytime soon, I have found the job of a teacher here at the academy. I n on teaching a batch of students and having them graduate before I go back to stretch my bones. Plus, there is Tao¡¯s matter that I have to sort out.¡±

    Martha was surprised and then she nodded, she said, ¡®¡±Fine, next weekend, I aming over and you cannot get away from this.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°How about youe over on Saturday? I will hold a dinner for you and go to Jung-ta to check on this lead on Sunday.¡±

    Martha thought about it and then she nodded. She did not have any problem with this and even said, ¡°I wille along with you to search this, we can use my identity to look into things. You shing your general badge will make people feel something is fishy and if this matter got blown up, it will not be good, you know that.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and after some initial discussion, the two people reached a consensus. Then the young man made his way back home and visited a few ces he was familiar with. Some things have changed while some were still the same. The technological advancement was evident and so was the strength flow in the surroundings.

    The average Terran cultivation had grown to almost everyone, the blood has been purified by the exposure to spirit energy, and even if the people did not have the method to harness this energy they still practiced their blood awakening sutra to break through to normal human into a one-star Terran.

    It was evening when Shi Lang reached back home and found the people to be full of smiles. He looked at Amelia and asked, ¡°What is going on, why are mom and dad smiling like fools?¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°Tao said that the food made by mom and aunt is very good.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head with an amused smile. Suddenly he felt a gentle tug at his pants and turned his gaze to find two big eyes gazing at him. He smiled and bent down to pick the girl up in his arms and asked, ¡°Do you need something?¡±

    Tao nodded and then she shook her head. Shi Lang smiled and said while poking her nose gently, ¡°Tell me what is it.¡±

    The little girl hesitated for a few moments and then said, ¡°Tao, gramps, sad.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed as he blinked. He understood her meaning and said, ¡°Do not be sad, he will feel bad when he looks at you. However, if you wish to cry, then do it. I am here for you.¡±

    Tao nodded and leaned her head on his firm and broad shoulders before slowly she started sobbing. Her heart has finally adjusted to this news. Shi Lang patted her back gently and slowly, the girl tired out and fell asleep.

    Amelia took her over, and carefully tucked her in. The two people then went out of the room and joined the elders, when they were eating, Shi Lang said, ¡°I have two things to tell you all.¡±

    The people trained their ears to look at him, they were expecting this day toe even sooner, they knew he was a restless soul and would eventually go out to the front. However, what Shi Lang said next was something they had never expected, he said, ¡°I am taking a leave from the frontal forces on the basis of my mental health, and will be teaching the students in the federal star academy.¡±

    Shi John spewed out the soup in his mouth and Luna began to cough. M was the only one who maintained her calm, but her hands were shivering as she held the spoon, her husband patted her back and said, ¡°Calm down. This could be a dream.¡±

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at his family and facepalmed, while Amelia failed to hold in herughter and burst out cackling. It took them all a good amount of time to calm down and believe his words. Shi Amelia asked, ¡°Why did you take up the teacher¡¯s job?¡±

    The others were also interested in his reason and heard him say, ¡°Tao will need a teacher in the future to teach her the tricks and ways of the spirit. I n to use this bunch of students to polish my guiding skills.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I understand what you are nning here, do you want me to step back and help you out?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head with a faint smile on his face and said, ¡°The change in the military is good, but it still needs to be monitored and censored to prevent greed and arrogance from breeding in the hearts of the soldiers. If such emotions took root in the army, it will prove detrimental. I hope you can train more people like the Ace division. Have them act as the Virtue Sentinals. Also, I wish you can pursue a path of your own.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°I understand, do not worry, I was merely a scout, you made me stand in such a high position and gave me the strength to defend my position. I will pursue this peak with you.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and ced his hand to cover her jade palm and Luna coughed as she said, ¡°The second thing?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I have invited Martha for dinner.¡±

    Luna sat beside him and smacked the back of his head with no mercy and rebuked, ¡°What Martha? Call her aunt Martha.¡±

    Shi Lang rubbed the back of his head and said, ¡°Yes, yes.¡±

    The family discussed some matters with each other before they all turned in to rest. The next day, Shi Lang borrowed a set of clothes from his father and put on his military boots to go to the office for the first day. He was wearing an azure blue shirt and ck pants.

    His crimson eyes added a wild touch to his overall tamed look. He ate a simple breakfast and met with Tao once before he greeted everyone and left the house. His pace was calm throughout the journey and acted like amoner, he got off at the station and entered the academy.

    Today even Andre did not say anything to him and was stunned by the schrly aura this young man had. After reporting to the principal¡¯s office and the human resources department, the administration staff told him the ssroom where his students were and the basic subjects he had to impart to them before practical sses.

    Shi Lang nodded and after taking care of all the formalities he moved through the corridors and came to the ssroom he was assigned to. He had yet to explore the fabled teacher¡¯s staffroom. He did not rush to push open the door and scanned things inside with his spirit sense. As he expected, a bunch of twenty students were ying andughing with each other.

    They did not seem to put the discipline of the Military Academy in their eyes. Shi Lang opened the door and walked in with a straight back. The ss turned silent for a moment and then the people resumed their own activities.

    Shi Lang also did not bother with them and picked up a marker and write his name on the whiteboard and said, ¡°You can continue what you wish to do until the practical ss.¡±

    The students were stunned, they did not expect this guy to be so easy-going. Shi Lang did not bother with them, he sat on his chair and leaned back to cultivate. After two hours one of the students could not help it and ask loudly, ¡°Are you not supposed to teach us? Why are you sleeping on duty?¡±

    Shi Lang opened his eyes slightly, cast a gaze at the guy, and then went back to his cultivation after he said, ¡°My name is Shi Lang, you should know who I am, but since you all want to be a bunch of losers why should I spend my time and effort on you? I have better things to do.¡±

    His words shocked the students and also stoked the fire of rage in their hearts when he called them losers. A student picked up his pen and suddenly he threw it at Shi Lang like a dart. However, the young man did not even move from his spot but the pen froze in mid-air, right at his penial nd. Shi Lang said, ¡°Loser.¡±

 Chapter 312 Learning The Hard Way.

    Shi Lang held the pen between his fingers and said, ¡°Loser.¡±

    His words fired up the student, but the cold gaze from the young man in front of him was akin to a fire extinguisher. He did not dare to even look him in the eye, but Shi Lang did not care and said, ¡°Today is my first day at the job and all of you were handed to me. Do you know what they said when they told me I have to teach you? They said that you all are problematic children they cannot deal with.

    I thought, since I do not know much about you, I should not judge you and slowly work things out, but who knew that you had to seek out trouble? People who do not know their limits and yet they try to outy people above them are tagged as losers. So, congrattions, you all have earned this tag.¡±

    The ssroom was silent, and the students were angry, but they were aware that their strength was not as high as this guy, so they did not cause a ruckus. Suddenly one of the students said, ¡°If you are so good thene at us with your strength limited to the same level as ours?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the student with a strange gaze and startedughing as if he heard the best joke of the century. The student was flushed with embarrassment and Shi Lang calmed down after a few minutes and asked while pointing at the guy, ¡°What is your name, oh bright child of heaven.¡±

    The student knew that Shi Lang was making fun of him on purpose but an angry teenager inside him did not want to bow down and said, ¡°Theseus.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Have you ever watched a tiger hunt?¡±

    Subconsciously, the whole ss shook their heads. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Go ahead and check the videos of a predator hunting weak prey, and feel free to check how the same kind of predator attacks a much weaker prey.¡±

    The ss sprang into action and they operated the holops to find the videos of hunting beasts. They were all problematic children, but that did not mean their brain wasx in IQ. Quickly they found that even if the size and strength of their prey differed, the effort they put in was always the same.

    When the students raised their heads, Shi Lang was standing in front of the table, leaning against it with his hands crossed in front of his chest and he asked, ¡°What did you learn?¡±

    Theseus said in a low voice, ¡°A hunter attacks its prey with full strength regardless of the size.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Good analysis, but you missed something. In this ss, I am the hunter while you all are the prey. Since one of you dared to go against me, let me show you all once and for all, what will happen if you dared to do this again.¡±

    As soon as his words dropped, pressure emitted from Shi Lang and it targeted the students. The faces of the youngsters turned pale and they started sweating in an instant. Shi Lang did not put any pressure on their heads and allowed them to look at his visage with their eyes filled with horror.

    He took this treatment one step forward and hopped off the podium and began strolling in the ss, and he said, ¡°This pressure you are feeling is just a tenth of what I can exert on your puny physiques. Yes, I can kill you all, if I wished. It is the first day and I do not know anything about you, so let me put it out here right now.

    If you have trouble, feel free toe and ask me for help. I want you all to learn well, to ensure that I will help you deal with stuff outside your academics. If you arecking in resources, I will show you the way to earn them. If you have family troubles, I will talk to your parents and have them keep it between themselves.

    I am not a godly being to solve it all for you, but I am not a devil that will watch you all suffer. However, if you love to create trouble, then take a mental note that you should do your best to not get caught, if I caught you, I will teach you a good lesson.

    Oh, and just so you know, if I did not catch you, the whole ss will suffer for your action and the punishment will be more severe. So, make sure that you keep your urges in check, otherwise, someone might rat you out and then you will suffer even more.¡±

    As he finished his monologue, he took back the pressure, some students were on the verge of passing out, while all of them were panting with Shi Lang¡¯s words ringing in their ears. This sensation was terrifying and terrible. They did not want to suffer it ever again in the future.

    Shi Lang sat behind the table and asked, ¡°I do not understand, why are you all even willing to stay at the bottom of the food chain.¡±

    Then, there was no then. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to meditate. His words were not a question but they were like hooks for the fish in his ss. A simple sentence could sometimes leave more effect than a tormenting session of humiliation.

    Shi Lang had no intention to look at the students, he simply left them to stare at him in a daze.

    ¡­

    Principal Edwards decided to take a round of the school and see how the sses were going. Most importantly, he wanted to check if Shi Lang was able to tame the students or was he struggling. Thinking about the past exploits of this young man, Edwards wanted him to suffer a setback so that Shi Lang could learn to be more low-key.

    The moment he was close to the ss, Shi Lang sensed his presence and said, ¡°Open your book for Federal criminalws and look at it. You do not have to read, I do not worthy for me to teach you and you do not wish to learn anyways. Just keep up the facade.¡±

    The students cooperated, and they turned on the Holps to open the book. Shi Lang leaned back in his chair and asked, ¡°Yo! Theseus, what happens when you breach someone¡¯s privacy?¡±

    Theseus was stunned by the question and then the cker¡¯s instinct kicked in and the boy searched the book ofw and found the topic and said, ¡°ording to the FCL, which is the federal criminalw code, the person found guilty for the breach of privacy can be sentenced to either pay a fine of fifty thousand credits or serve a hard sentence in a prison for three months.¡±

    Suddenly a student said, ¡°Damn that harsh? So if I sneak a picture of Mellow Star, she can call the cops on me?¡±

    A girl asked, ¡°Mellow Stark? That vani flower? You boys surely have no ss, it is good that you will go to prison. Let mey down a ground rule if any of you punks tried to sneak on other girls. You are all going to prison. Cause our parents are definitely not going to pay the fine.¡±

    The girls in the ss agreed to this while the males protested when suddenly Shi Lang pped the table and asked, ¡°Do you know what will happen if you all annoyed me?¡±

    Instant silence, Shi Lang nodded and leaned back in his chair, and the students let out a sigh. Suddenly, they discovered an intr chat feature. Before this, they were all busy with trouble and standing outside the ss and did not pay attention to this feature. It was like a new world for them.

    Just like that, a discussion thread was opened and they began talking about the federalws. All sorts of crimes andws were discussed as well as the punishments for those crimes. They even went on to mention a few crimes that they thought should exist and what the punishment should be. They were having a great time, but what they did not know was that the early discussion happened to be heard by the old general, who thought that Shi Lang was a monster to tame these demonic fiends.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang said, ¡°Time for the practical ss. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The students were engrossed in discussingws and this sentence poured cold water on their excitement. Shi Lang stood up and said, ¡°You all can go and run amok in the corridors, I know you all like to be looked down upon. Feel free to fulfill your masochist tendencies. Keep a distance from me.¡±

    He was giving them jabs of humiliation and letting them understand that he was the stronger one and thus they will have to hold back and endure. They were in to learn things the hard way.

 Chapter 313 Study.

    Chapter 313 Study.

    Shi Lang took the students to the physical assessment room and had them all stand in neat rows. He said, ¡°Do you all have any skills? Or are you in trash as they say you are? If you have any skills show them, and I will give you a hundred credits.¡±

    The students were shocked to hear about the mary reward. They all cheered up. With high spirits, they all began to show off their skills in front of the equipment, however, nothing out the expected happened. They all had good potential but they had no technique. Shi Lang watched a bunch of monkeys jumping on a beam and shook his head.

    The students tried their best but they did not meet the expectations of the cashier. However, just when Shi Lang was about to leave, he heard a knocking sound. He located the source of this sound and was struck in a daze.

    A petite little girl was hitting her fingertips at a hard board. The impact produced a hard knock sound. Shi Lang observed the girl and found her foreheadced with precipitation. He raised his eyebrow and smirked, indeed the problematic children were not really problematic, it was just that their skills were not noticed by anyone.

    He walked over and stood behind the girl, his eyes trained on every single action of the girl, she derived her power from the core of her body, by making it all work and move together as if a machine on cogs. This girl was doing the same thing over and over again. It was as if a robot working.

    Shi Lang also did not disturb her and watched her patiently. Only when the girl finished did Shi Lang ask her, ¡°What is your name, student?¡±

    The girl turned around and said with a stammer, ¡°Quo Lina.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You have good skills. Here are your hundred credits.¡±

    He did not lower his voice and transferred her the amount directly by a swiping gesture on hismunicator. Then he said, ¡°If this bunch of losers could note up with something serious, then in the next ss you will get a hundred credits by default. The first one to win three prizes in a row will get a rmendation letter to the special training course.¡±

    The students in this ss were all people who have pushed away into a corner and never given any chance to prove themselves. This sort of allure was an opportunity they will spare no effort for. Shi Lang could almost see mes burning in their eyes. He held back the urge to smile and walked out of the room.

    The students flocked around Quo Lina and asked her what she was doing. They were not all the people with skills so they were going to learn them from the ones who had them. Quo Lina was surprised and scared by all the attention.

    Someone asked, ¡°Hey Lina, what did you do for that Demon to give you the creds?¡±

    The girl was startled and spoke in a stammering tone, ¡°I was just doing the usual practice.¡±

    The people found it suspicious and then a guy asked, ¡°Can you show us what you did?¡±

    His words also set other people in motion and they all began to ask her. Quo Lina scratched her head and then she agreed. She turned around and the others made room for her. The girl closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Then she took a step forward and then her w hit the board in front of her.

    It produced a knocking sound, that did not stand out in the eyes of the students. Theseus said, ¡°Hey, do that again.¡±

    His tone was filled with interest. Quo Lina nodded and struck the board again. Theseus saw this and said, ¡°Damn, I see what you did. You are great, Lina.¡±

    His eyes lit up as if he had found an ancient treasure. The others were confused and asked, ¡°Hey, Theseus, what is it?¡±

    They all focused their gaze on him and the guy said, ¡°Where is that berserker? Chou,e and imitate her actions.¡±

    The people were surprised but then they had nothing better to do so the boy called Chou came forward and Quo Lina stepped aside for him. Chou had a big physique and never talked much. He was famous for brawling with students in his school.

    He stood in front of the board and repeated all the actions that the little girl did, but the knocking sound was ten times shallow. When Theseus found his ssmates looking confused he said, ¡°You dimwits, hear the sound.¡±

    Chou took the hint and struck again, he did not hold back, although the impact was slightly louder his fingertips were aching. He could not help but suck in a cold breath. Theseus said, ¡°Do you realize it now? Lina is hitting the board with her fingertips but the impact is stronger. It is because while Chou is using his upper body, Lina is using her entire body and deriving force from every inch of muscle she has.¡±

    A guy asked, ¡°What else is the benefit of this knocking?¡±

    Theseus said, ¡°Lina¡¯s ws are stronger than Chou¡¯s. This is a long-term exercise, and beneficial for her. Imagine if you were fighting her and then all of a sudden shees at you with ws that can tear your flesh apart like a mechanical arm tearing apart mud?¡±

    Quo Lina suddenly said, ¡°I am not at that level yet.¡±

    The people were stunned and then they became excited about it.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was listening to all this from outside the room and nodded when the students started training again. He left the ce ande to explore the fabled teacher¡¯s staff room, where he found a few familiar faces, but as soon as he entered, they all stood up and saluted him.

    The man sighed and said, ¡°At ease. You all, I am on a vacation, do not give me stress.¡±

    The teachers here might be all older than him, but he was amissioned general, so they stood in his respect and they saluted him in that regard as well. They smiled at him as they weed him to mingle. After half an hour, suddenly the door was pushed in loudly and the people looked over. Shi Lang stood up and asked, ¡°Instructor Yuu, I was wondering where did you go?¡±

    Yuu hade in, she said, ¡°I was out training the final years, great to see you here, Sir.¡±

    Then she saluted and Shi Lang said, ¡°You are a special instructor, while I am a junior ss teacher, you are a person set over me, again.¡±

    He saluted her and looked at her with a smile. Yuu said, ¡°Since you have admitted that,e on, I need to stretch out my limbs, these students, they suck. And the old ones, well too brittle.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°The loser will buy food?¡±

    Yuu nodded and the two of them walked out. The rest of the people also followed them to join in on the excitement. They knew that Yuu was the strongest fighter among them and she was aplete maniac and her students would alwayse out of the training sessions crawling while covered in bruises.

    ¡­

    Theseus and the rest had just finished their ¡®self-study¡¯ when they found a group of teachers headed for the reserved arena. The naughty gene inside the troublemakers was triggered. They wished to see what was going on. Thinking about it, a few notorious ones sneaked up the old fellows and then inside the arena.

    One has to admit, these people hid so well that none of the people found them. They were aware that Shi Lang was a demon so they left a broadcasting camera and left the ce. However, they were still spotted by the demon and Yuu. But since Shi Lang stopped her it meant everything was fine.

    ¡­

    In the ssroom, the students were projecting the entire scene in the reserved arena on their holps. This was the magic of technology. They were surprised when they found that the demon was fighting with Yuu.

    They had already set wagers about how many minutes will Shi Langst, but they were shocked when they saw that, their teacher, did not even break a sweat while dealing with Yuu, who wasing at him from everywhere, yet he would always avoid the hit or parry it.

    Suddenly, they saw Shi Lang smiling and taking the initiative to attack thedy in front. His speed was something that made them stand up, what scared them was these two people were purely using fighting skills and no cultivation to back themselves up. After a few minutes, the opponents changed, General Edwards came over and he simply took his battle stance amidst the chatter of the people around.

    Theseus said, ¡°Did he just use the Hero stance?¡±

    The ss was silent, and then they saw something that made them shiver harder. Shi Lang took the same stance as the General.

 Chapter 314 Charm Of The Teacher.

    Chapter 314 Charm Of The Teacher.

    The students were shocked to see that General Edwards directly used the fabled Hero Stance and Shi Lang also imitated the same stance. The battle began and what shocked them, even more, was that they were evenly matched.

    Theseus said, ¡°This demon is not even taking a step back.¡±

    The others also nodded that Shi Lang was fighting from the same spot and his actions were sharp, General Edwards on the other hand was slightly falling behind. Theseus observed every detail and said, ¡°God damn it, this guy is even changing the moves. Look, his blows are getting thicker to intercept.¡±

    The ss was following his guidance and they noticed the changes. They were shocked, Quo Lina asked, ¡°I reach somewhere that only one person had ever used the Hero Stance, other than General Edwards. Could our teacher be him?¡±

    Her tone was low but it made the people shiver. They all turned to look at her and then at Theseus, who was their think tank and found him to be frozen in his spot, looking pale with shock. He raised his shivering hand and essed hismunicator, and quickly manipted it to find out some things, suddenly he froze and turned around to look at the whiteboard and then operated themunicator to look for the information.

    The response was very quick, and he fumbled forward. It was thanks to Chou that he managed to stay standing, he said, ¡°General Shi Lang, heavily decorated and highly skilled. His achievements in forming an alliance with Neomon Empire, and Arcadia are exemry jobs, and his exploits in the zerg war had already given him the title of the hero of Terrans.

    It is said that Fleet General Shi Lang is the new head of the General Council, and also the strongest Terran ording to the spirit cultivation system that he introduced. Recently, the general has taken a step back and is busy uplifting the military power of the Federation. Also, he led a team of soldiers and won a league tournament in the Gctic Council.

    Although the exact details of how the tournament works are yet to be made public, we still have some battle footage, released as a teaser to inspire the youth of the federation and push them forward on the path of glory.¡±

    The people took a deep breath collectively and they found it unbelievable, for such a person toe and teach them. They were not fools and realized what was going on. They knew the identity of the person and could not help but feel excited, but then Theseus asked, ¡°Why would such a person spare his time on wastes like us? Shouldn¡¯t he be training those cream corps?¡±

    The ss fell into contemtion when a calm voice sounded, ¡°Because, that glorified person was a problem child himself.¡±

    The students looked at the speaker and were stunned, Yuu stood leaning against the door threshold as she looked down at a small bug between her fingers. The students were startled by her sudden appearance and were anxious since their bug was found. Yuu said, ¡°Lang was taken by old man Ed, I am here to return this to you.¡±

    She flicked her finger and the bug was nted directly on Theseus¡¯s forehead. Then she said, ¡°Take your seats. I will give you guys a history lesson.¡±

    The students were surprised and some even wanted to say that she was not their teacher but Theseus recognized her intention and hollered, ¡°What are you punks standing for, get to your seats.¡±

    The startled crowd scurried to their seats and Yuu walked up to the podium and stood with her back leaning against the table. She said, ¡°The topic of this lesson is Shi Lang. You might have seen him in full glory and bravado, but I have seen him when he was a noob and knew nothing else but to crawl in the mud for days.

    He was not gifted, his star cultivation was struck at the one-star level when he was in his final year. It was almost sure that he was not going to the military and the war front was just a fabled fantasy for him. However, he never gave up. All these years he tempered his body to the limits that were not possible for the favored or the privileged never thought could be done.¡±

    Theseus asked, ¡°What did he do?¡±

    Yuu chuckled and said, ¡°A one-star level Terran could tolerate ten times the gravity pull. How many do you know?¡±

    The ss all had wide eyes as they did not expect anything like this to surface. They became interested and the conversation picked up pace. They found a lot of things about Shi Lang¡¯s school life. They were all shocked and amused by his deeds. After a few minutes, a bell rang throughout the campus. While the other students were going out, Shi Lang¡¯s ss kept sitting in their seats.

    They were in awe of what they heard from the battling goddess. She told them that Shi Lang had wanted to train them all into warriors that would be able to make a difference. Even if the children were smart, this sentence was enough to stimte them. Theseus stood up after Yuu left the room and said, ¡°I do not want to be a problematic child anymore.¡±

    The rest of the students nodded and one of them took the lead and said, ¡°How about we all stop the facade, we know better than anyone else that either we do not have any skill or our skills are not recognized by the people out there. Today, the teacher spotted Quo Lina, and we got to learn from her if we stand united and help each other, can we not rise?¡±

    The people nodded and they began to discuss their future aspirations. In the end, when they were all getting a bit too ahead of themselves, Theseus said, ¡°Everyone, the first goal is to be disciplined. Even if our teacher was a weakling who rose through the ranks and bend the world to his will. He did not lose the decorum. He is an example for us all that if we do not know anything we should not look away from that. We can learn and improve like the rest of them.¡±

    The legend of Shi Lang had cast a charm spell on them. They wanted to be Shi Lang, just like the young man first wanted to be someone else. They knew that only when they had sufficient power will they be able to have a name for themselves. Since Shi Lang hade over to teach them, then they will also not disappoint him and learn all that they could from him.

    ¡­

    The night passed and the next morning, Shi Lang arrived at the ss, he did not scan it and entered the room directly. He found Theseus standing at the podium, exining something to the rest of the students. As the teacher stepped in the young man bowed and went back to his seat as he said, ¡°All rise.¡±

    The entire ss followed themand like a machine and stood up in greeting and respect to the teacher. Shi Lang did not know that Yuu hade over here to talk to them, he thought they were simply scared of him from the battle they watched yesterday and did not care about it. He nodded and said, ¡°Be seated.¡±

    Then he was about to sit down in his chair when a girl raised her hand. Shi Lang spotted her and asked, ¡°What is it, Pam?¡±

    Pam blushed slightly thinking how the teacher even knew her name, but she calmed her mind and asked, ¡°Teacher, can we start with physics? I like this subject but I do not understand a few topics that always mess up my effort.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and nodded, just as he essed the holp to see what Pam wanted to ask, he noticed that the uniforms everyone had were neat and tidy. They did not have loose ties or missing zers. Even the hair was allbed. He did not understand how, but these guys looked very disciplined.

    He put these thoughts aside and began to teach the students about all the subjects. As a tech major, his knowledge points were all covered, and the students were all happy to learn from him. Shi Lang asked them if they were confused at the end of his exnation and the students raised their hands.

    They were not shy to hide their weakness, it was a disy of trust. Shi Lang patiently handled all the queries and the students learned a lot. The topics varied from one subject to another, usually, there would be a different teacher for a different subject, but here Shi Lang was doing it all, as none of the teachers agreed to teach the problems they wished to get rid of.

    Shi Lang covered a lot of things and the students all took notes of the matters and they would even help each other. The vibe of the problem ss was unlike anything else. It was very harmonious and even Principal Edwards was shocked to see the change when he came to inspect the ss sneakily.

    After watching the attitude of the students, Shi Lang said, ¡°Anyone of you who can breakthrough to the third-star level cultivation will get a chance to learn about spiritual energy from me, but the break through should be natural as I do not want to have you try any forced methods. I will have you expelled if you broke the rules. Do you understand?¡±

    The ss replied in unison, ¡°Yes, Teacher Lang.¡±

 Chapter 315 The House Husband.

    Chapter 315 The House Husband.

    Shi Lang passed on the homework to the ss and then he went back to the staff room. Even though the sses hase to an end, his duty hours were not yet over. He was needed to submit a report of the daily activities in the ss and manage a set of notes for every student separately to make sure that they get the attention and guidance they need in order to excel.

    It was not a very big deal for Shi Lang to do, and neither did he find this annoying, when he was a one-star student, the teachers always put him ahead inpetitions and other activities that needed him to use his brain. His knowledge points were gained like this. So, he understood that every student was made differently and they needed different care ns for their growth.

    He was very diligent in his tasks and thoroughly finished them. A road map for the growth of the students was ready. He did tell them not to use any forceful means, that was a test heid out to see how obedient these guys were in reality. He was not a hypocrite to not ept the fact that his body cleansing pill was an external method as well.

    Thinking about this, he stood up and greeted his colleagues, who still had some work to do. He left the academy with his hands in his pocket. It will take him a few days to go to Jung-ta to search for Tao¡¯s origin.

    In the meantime, he decided to contact OB-One and tell him to send over a batch of herbs for his alchemy experimentation. If the attempt was sessful, he will be able to help his students a little better, along with his family and friends.

    This train of thought gave him another idea, which was to set up an industry that produced and sold spirit pills at a reasonable price, he did not wish to earn super profit from this setup but to make sure that these pills were avable to themon popce. This way he will be able to change society a little as well.

    With better physiques, the people will have a better chance to advance, and this way the gap between the civilians and the military will narrow down and make them work together. At this moment the status of the two groups was too far apart. This gap was not detrimental but in the age of spiritual cultivation, it can give birth to all kinds of negative emotions.

    On the contrary, if the military saw that the civilians were able to catch up to them, the efforts will double and thepetition will increase. This will keep getting better and stronger and will enhance the strength of the military.

    The civilians will enjoy a better status, and they will be able to live better lives. With these thoughts, Shi Lang contacted his butler and ced an order to import and deliver a batch of herbs before he even reached home.

    ¡­

    At home, Amelia was sitting in the living room, with her uniform on. Shi Lang saw this and was struck in a daze. Thedy sensed his gaze and raised her head to look at him and asked with a smile, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°I wonder how my Amy can look so heroic in her uniform. Ugh, I cannot bear to let you go.¡±

    Amelia smiled and stood up to walk closer to him, and said, ¡°I almost fell for it.¡±

    Shi Lang acted childishly and pursed her lips, who knew, the shydy will be proactive and kiss the corner of his mouth and say, ¡°When you were at the front I was at ease, but now you are in the civilian world, so, you better not hook up with any hoes behind my back, and do not charm those school girls, or you will have it from me when I get back.¡±

    Shi Lang reacted like a soldier and saluted her as he said, ¡°Yes, madam.¡±

    Amelia chuckled and Shi Lang caressed her cheeks gently before he adjusted her cap. He said, ¡°Be careful, and i hope you redirect the major stuff to me. The division has been involved in dangerous assignments all the time. Although I am aware of your skills and power, but there is always a sky above the sky. I cannot help but worry about you.¡±

    Amelia¡¯s heart warmed when she heard him state his concern so openly. She nodded and said, ¡°You will get the trickier part of the ordeal.¡±

    Shi Lang was content with anything as long as she told him that she was fine. Thanks to the visit to the gctic council the technical team has gained a lot and themunication channels had gone a super upgrade. They can now get information within an hour as long as they are within the Federal territory.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Where are the rest of them?¡±

    He was asking about his parents. Usually they would stay home, cultivating and trying to advance in there realm. Amelia smiled and said, ¡°They took Tao for an outing nearby. By the way, you mentioned something to me about tracking the origins of the little one. Any leads?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and replied with a solemn tone, ¡°Jung-ta. Her samples were registered there. That ce is not near the wave mountains by any means. So, it is possible that someone just went there to register them and distract the investigation. However, it is also possible for it to be true that she was born there.¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°You can handle it.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and was about to say something when a beep on Amelia¡¯smunicator cut him short. She nced at it and said, ¡°I need to go.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Hmmm, I will wait for you toe back.¡±

    Amelia could not help and snuggle with him for a minute more before she went away. Shi Lang came to drop her to the car and the driver saluted him crisply. Respecting him more than Amelia, his direct boss.

    Shi Lang sighed as the vehicle moved further and mumbled, ¡°I thought I would be a teacher but I have be a house husband.¡±

 Chapter 316 Teacher Shi, the god.

    Chapter 316 Teacher Shi, the god.

    That night, Shi Lang cooked the food by himself and waited for his family toe back. He yed with Tao for a bit before he went to sleep. The following day was the same, but today he was wearing clothes of his own.

    Amelia was very thoughtful and selected a few sets of clothes and proper formal shoes for him before she went out to work. She also left a note, ¡®Do not go out in military boots, give them a rest too.¡¯

    He smiled when he put on his ¡®gear¡¯ and went out to battle. The journey to the academy was uneventful as usual. However, his ss was more cheerful than yesterday.

    Shi Lang could not help but ask them, ¡°Yo! What¡¯s the happy asion?¡±

    Theseus stood up and asked, ¡°Sir, today our ss wants to hold a ssmittee election. If you permit us.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised by this proposal. He did not expect them to not only be obedient but also learn to arrange their own tasks. He nodded and said, ¡°Fine, you can go ahead.¡±

    Theseus stood up and came to stand below the podium. He face his ssmates and said, ¡°As we discussed earlier, there are four posts in the ss managementmittee. The ss monitor, the deputy ss monitor, and two disciplinary officers.

    The task of the ss monitor is to manage the tasks and training. In contrast, the deputy ss monitor will look after the other aspects of the student life like assignments, and organize study sessions to help each other cover the doubt points.

    The disciplinarymittee will be watchful of out-of-school lives and troublesome activities. If they found anyone making trouble, they can directly beat the hell out of them and report it to me and the ss Teacher. The ssmates who prevail to stay at the top of the batch will be rewarded with free meals for a week.

    The one who stays ahead in terms of discipline will be allowed to have a one-on-one sparring session with the ss teacher to help him improve his skills.¡±

    Shi Lang did not dare to believe, who came up with such ideas, and how did they manage to convince the whole ss. This arrangement was going to turn the whole ss into an interdependent yetpetitive batch. They will be simply breaking their limits on a daily basis. He liked this n but what made him surprised was his involvement as a private lesson instructor.

    He asked, ¡°What is thatst thing you mentioned? I will be giving pointers to one of you privately, howe I do not know about this?¡±

    Theseus turned back to look at him and said, ¡°Sir, we are aware that we have no qualification to have you do us such a favor, however, your avatar is loaded with all your fighting skills from the early days in the simtor. I am fortunate enough to own a stimtor chamber at home, we all can use it for a nned amount of time.¡±

    Shi Lang understood what was going on and nodded. Then Theseus turned around and asked, ¡°Who wants to take on the ce of the ss monitor?¡±

    None of the students raised their hands. Theseus cast them a weird gaze and asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    A guy raised his hand and said, ¡°You take it, we will vote for the rest of the positions. You are the think tank so it is better that you be the monitor.¡±

    Theseus thought for a bit and then he nodded, ¡°Fine, I will settle with that. So, step forward for Deputy Monitor. However, since you all want to vote, let me say it, you cannot vote for yourself, and only when you are smart enough should youe forward to apply, I reserve the right to cancel your nomination if you did not meet the criteria.¡±

    The ss nodded and three people were selected toe forward. One girl and two boys, the girl was strong character in the ss and was only behind Theseus by a couple of marks. She was called Vanessa.

    The voting started and Vanessa won by two votes. The ss apuded her, and then Chou and Quo Lina were selected to be the disciplinary officers. They both were two-star level cultivators and while Chou was a bulldozer, Quo Lina was a delicate killing machine. When she was sparing in the gym yesterday with her ssmates, she left them with a few bruises and scratches.

    Shi Lang looked at the four people standing in front of them and was overwhelmed with his paternal instincts and almost reached out his hand to pat them on their heads. He controlled himself and said, ¡°Now that things are settled, get back to your seats. It is time to start the lesson.¡±

    Then the ss began as per usual, but today, everyone was taking notes seriously, and none of them came forward to present any doubts. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Has learning be easy for you all?¡±

    After all, they were all asking him questions the other day. A girl raised her hand and said, ¡°Teacher, you can go on, we will ask you questions at the end of the week. This will be considered our test. The one with the least doubts will be the top rank.¡±

    Shi Lang did not get the gist of it, but as long as these guys were happy. He nodded and began to exin further. The bell rang but the students did not leave. He came to the staff room and found the teachers looking at him weirdly. He asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    An experienced old teacher said, ¡°Your ss, they are really different from before.¡±

    Shi Lang became confused, when the same person continued, ¡°It has been two days and we did not find any prank mines lying around. What method did you use, Teacher Shi?¡±

    Teacher Shi was almost thinking of himself as the all mighty god who created the universe at this moment.

 Chapter 317 Assessment.

    Chapter 317 Assessment.

    Shi Lang has been a teacher for three days now. He could see that the students were all sincere. Since this was the case, he did not hold back and guided them personally. An entire day was spent pointing out the problems each of these children had and he also told them how to correct them. His methods were effective.

    Tomorrow was the weekend and how he has invited Martha to his ce. Thinking about it, investigating things on his own would be rather slow. He looked in front of him and observed the students, and thought of something. He smirked and said, ¡°ss.¡±

    The students all raised their heads and met his sparkling eyes. They have already agreed to whatever he had to say. Shi Lang almost shivered at the enthusiasm he noticed in their eyes. He calmed himself and stood up. He said, ¡°The internal assessment ising around, right?¡±

    The students nodded and waited for the teacher to continue, who said, ¡°So, I have a simple assessment for you all here. If you agree to even take part in it, I will grant you all a passing grade in the physical assessment. The marks will be increased depending on your performance in the assessment I have for you.¡±

    Theseus said, ¡°Teacher, please skip the build-up.¡±

    The rest of the ss said in unison, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I want you all to apany me on a trip to Jung-ta district, and then help around in investigating a matter of great moral significance. The number of participants is not restricted. What do you think? Better than getting battered under my blows in the physical assessment, right?¡±

    Theseus was the ss monitor, meaning he would have to weigh the pros and cons of the ss and then have a discussion among themselves. Only then will the decision be given. Shi Lang waited for the bell to ring and said, ¡°See you guys on Monday, if you have any questions or want to talk to me, you have mym-id.¡±

    Then he walked out of the ssroom, leaving the students alone. Theseus asked, ¡°Any opinions?¡±

    A guy raised his hand and asked, ¡°ss monitor, will it be too dangerous for us to participate? After all, we are all still in school.¡±

    Theseus did not reply and waited for a few seconds to see if anyone else wished to put forward any opinions. Since none of the people came forward, the young man said, ¡°The teacher is also aware of the situation, since he asked us to join him, then I can only think of two options.

    One is that the situation is not dangerous and the teacher has confirmed it beforehand. Second, he wants to temper us. I understand that we are all just highschool students, but how many of our peers get a chance like this? They all are sent to the front after a series of trials. This is a golden opportunity for us to learn the way of the elites.

    I only ask you all to think carefully. Do you wish to be held back by the stigma of danger? Even walking has a risk of falling on your face. I am going to follow the teacher tomorrow, my mind is set.¡±

    The monologue ended and the students of the ss exchanged nces and then said, ¡°We agree.¡±

    Theseus nodded and immediately called Shi Lang.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was walking home slowly when hismunicator rang and he connected a call. Theseus spoke, ¡°Sir, we agree unanimously to take part in the assessment, but may I ask if there is a death risk involved?¡±

    Shi Lang was very impressed to see their decisiveness and their guts. He liked how Theseus asked him this question and since he did not know the situation, the young man directly replied, ¡°I have not yet assessed the situation in that zone. However, since you all have agreed, consider yourselves passed, but only in the physical examination. I have told you that I need to go to Jung-ta. If you still wish to follow me and then find things to be risky, you are free to withdraw and inform me about it. How does that sound to you all?¡±

    Theseus was silent, probablymunicating with his ssmates and they all nodded to him as he replied, ¡°Yes, Sir. Where do we meet?¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, ¡°We will regroup in front of the academy gates. I want to you all to study the Jung-ta district and then prepare ordingly. Understood?¡±

    After receiving a positive reply, he disconnected the call and headed home to meet Martha and tell her about his idea.

    ¡­

    At home, Luna, and the rest of the family were sitting around the dining table and were ring at shi Lang who was feeding Tao with his own hands. The little girl did not make a fuss and ate all he gave her. She was very moved by the care she received. The two grandmothers loved her a lot, if she gazed at things for more than a minute they will directly ask if she liked them.

    Tao was not weak now, she would faintly smile at the things of these people. Shi Lang was the most pampering one as he would feed her with his hands and teach her things while telling her stories at night. The heart of a child was not very hard to please.

    However, this heart of the child was also what Shi Lang was being red at for. He had just disclosed to them that he will be taking his ss out for a field trip. Martha guessed what was happening and eximed if he was mad, and then everything was exposed. Shi Lang convinced his parents that nothing will happen to the children, but when have parents ever listened to the youth?

    Shi John asked, ¡°How confident are you to bring them back unharmed? This was a mistake.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at his father and said, ¡°Do not worry. I know what I am doing.¡±

    The family could only sigh and they agreed to let him do what he wanted to do. The next morning, he stood up from the bed and dressed in a tee shirt, cargo pants, and ck sneakers and his bodynguage changed from a soldier to a hardcore rowdy.

    He inspected himself in a mirror before he went out of the house. For the matter of convenience Martha also stayed the night and the threedies had a good time together. In the morning thedy also dressed in her casual attire and followed Shi Lang. She was surprised to see that the young man had prepared an armored lev-car for them.

    The speed of this vehicle was not slow and neither was it too odd in that area. She asked, ¡°The students?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°School gates.¡±

    Then the car fell silent. They arrived at the decided time and found the ss to have gathered already. Shi Lang got off the lev-car and inspected them. To his surprise, they were all wearing casuals. If someone did not know what they intended to do, they would have thought this bunch of teenagers were her to raid the school.

    Shi Lang nodded to them but he did not notice any vehicles and asked, ¡°Shall I arrange transport for you all?¡±

    Theseus shook his head and said, ¡°I have arranged a big bus for us all. You just need to brief us on the way. As we have learned that ce is not very stranger friendly.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°About that, you are on point. Let¡¯s travel in the bus, I will cover the expense.¡±

    Theseus wanted to protest but the people held him back. He was irritated and asked, ¡°What is wrong with you all?¡±

    Vanessa shook her head and said, ¡°ss Monitor, have you forgotten the misery we suffered when he just came to the ss? This payment will be taken aspensation to our brothers and sisters.¡±

    Theseus woke up by her words and said, ¡°You are very smart, I almost forgot about that, I will give him a bigger bill.¡±

    The rest of the people nodded as they all boarded the bus, Shi Lang parked his vehicle inside the academy and joined the students with Martha. The young general made the introductions and said, ¡°The reason we are going to that district is to look for the origins of a little girl. The motive is just to investigate and not to engage inbat. You all are just too weak. Also, to avoid suspicion, we will be pouring out slowly. Understood?¡±

    The ss nodded and then a few more questions popped up. Theseus was thest one to speak and said, ¡°Teacher, everything is fine, but why is this thing important?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at the guy and said, ¡°She is my disciple.¡±

    The people were enlightened by this sentence and to be honest, they were a little jealous of her, even though they had never seen her. Shi Lang could sense this and said, ¡°I cannot ept you all as my disciples if you are to follow the school rules. So let¡¯s see after graduation.¡±

    He politely diverted the situation and the students became energetic again.

 Chapter 318 Investigation.

    Shi Lang provided them with the details of the matter and also instructions about the things they needed to pay attention to and things they needed to avoid. ces such as isted buildings and dark alleys were forbidden. They all were allowed to move at a specific distance with him as a center and he also passed on a batch of military-grademunication devices.

    He said, ¡°This thing I just passed you is called a mindm, and they do not need you to speak out loud. You canmunicate with me with your thoughts. Just set a code name and as long as you think of that code name, we will be connected. My code name is Ace, and I hope that you all just set your own names for this event. If you get confused during the process, it might lead to great danger.¡±

    The ss understood and they all replied with, ¡°Sir, yes, sir.¡±

    Martha was surprised to see this. She did not expect this batch of kids to be so vigorous. She cast a gaze at Shi Lang and sighed, ¡®My stupid daughter.¡¯

    Shi Lang went on to speak, ¡°There are sixty of you, if too many people entered the city together, it will make the natives suspicious and you might already know how easily things can get violent in this area. So, you will be all going to work in rotation. Thetter batch will be made of the troublemakers. I want you all to observe your ssmates with a good foundation and learn from their actions. Understood?¡±

    The ss nodded and the journey continued. They were excited to reach the first ce, and Shi Lang wanted to pour some cold water on their spirits to keep them grounded and not act like a hero, but the timing needed to be right. After a few hours, the bus was parked outside the Jung-ta districts and the students were all raging to move out when Shi Lang stood up and was about to get off the bus.

    The students of the first batch also stood up and were ready to go out when they heard an exmation from Shi Lang, who turned around and said, ¡°I almost forgot to mention a key detail. The people here arewless, and they have firearms. If you are lucky and managed to keep a low profile, otherwise, by the time I reach your location, you might just be a naked cold corpse.¡±

    The students all rubbed their throats when they heard this. Suddenly they all had an urge to drink water. Martha looked at them and felt sorry, after all, this teacher of theirs was a sadist bastard, she nodded secretly and thought, ¡®Well Lucas is not that bad. Yes, as long as my baby is happy with him.¡¯

    Shi Lang would have coughed up blood if he was to hear such thoughts. After getting off the bus, the students were all personally inspected by Shi Lang if they have put on the mindms. Just when they were all about to enter the city limits. Theseus noticed something and said, ¡°Guys, the teacher has dirt on his clothes. We are going to follow his lead.¡±

    Vanessa agreed and said, ¡°You guys do not have to think so much. This way the disguise will beplete. The clothes we are wearing might seem like those of the renegades but we are too clean.¡±

    The batch of thirty people formed ten teams with three people each, then became to put on the makeup. Shi Lang nodded secretly and said, ¡°Good job noticing this point. Since the ce is a mess, how could the people be clean and that too like us.¡±

    The ss nodded and they all moved away. Shi Lang moved straight to the medical center located in the city, this was the only medical center left in the city. Although the doctors have left, the automated operation room and A.I.-guided outpatient department were still working and if by mistake someone decided toe in, they receive aplete treatment.

    The reason this center was still working was because of a gang leader who had appointed people to look after the ce and keep it maintained. He just wanted to make sure that if there was a gang fight, then his people receive proper treatment.

    This medical center happened to be located at the edge of the district. This region was twenty kilometers in diameter. The ce was not too big ifpared to modern cities, but it was still a ce that was very hard to maintain order in. Shi Lang and Martha covered their faces with masks and began to move around.

    Theseus led the group and his partner was Quo Lina, the best fighter in the ss, to make sure that his weak body was not broken by some delinquentdies. He said, ¡°Everyone, we will move around like runaway couples and pretend to havee here after a cousin or a friend did the same. Now we are hoping to get in touch with that person we know since it was possible for the people to have changed their names and identities to cut off from the outer world easily, mention that thest time you were in touch with the people was when they were expecting a child a few years ago.¡±

    This story did not have many loopholes and was suitable for a group of rebellious teenagers to know. ¡®Everyone¡¯ was a code set tomunicate with the whole ss. Shi Lang and Martha included.

    ¡­

    Martha was walking beside Shi Lang when she heard this message and said, ¡°This student of yours is cunning.¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, ¡°He is smart, that is all. If he was cunning, he would not have been stuck in the problem ss. He is here because this guy could not be the first in other genius sses and thus he gave up the big pond to be a small fish and came to a small pond to be the big fish. This shows his military administrator potential.¡±

    Martha was surprised to hear such a high evaluation, Military Administrators were smart and very good at manipting others to do their bidding. ording to what Martha had witnessed till now, Theseus was indeed a good seed for this position.

    The two people arrived at the medical center and found the building to be under strict security. Of course, the guards were all thugs of the gang leader in the area. They were vignt and Shi Lang could even sense a faint killing intention from them. He walked closer and one of the guards asked, ¡°What do you want here?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Brother, we are both from the parliament and are sent here to inspect the ce, you know, it is not easy toe here. Not everyone is wise enough to know that if you are not troubled you will not make things difficult for us. Right?¡±

    He deliberately pretended to be mellow and somewhat afraid of the man. The person in front of him was burly, tall, and bald. However, he was holding a phaser rifle in his hands, hearing what Shi Lang said, the man felt proud, not a lot of people from the outside came here, and even if they came, they would neverpliment them and make them feel familiar.

    The man smiled and nodded, then his gaze fell on Martha, who hurriedly hid behind Shi Lang, the bald man asked, ¡°Who is this?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°Big brother this is my younger sister. She came here with me to film a small documentary inside the medical center to tell the world that you all are not bad people. However, she is shy and very easily scared.¡±

    The bald man asked, ¡°Why is she scared?¡±

    Shi Lang held Martha¡¯s palm and gently patted it as he said, ¡°Pity, she got a gic trigger and by the time we discovered it, it was toote, the time for treatment has passed. She had almost had a heart attack, and since then I cannot bear to leave her alone. I only have her in this world.¡±

    The bald man felt bad for the two people and said, ¡°Sigh, fate is tricky. You want to go inside, right? Come, I will take you personally, but do not break anything.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the two sneaked inside the hospital.

    ¡­

    Theseus and Quo Lina had arrived in front of a hotel with a deste front, they walked in holding hands. Behind the counter sat a fatdy with a bad face and scattered hair. She raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°What do you two want?¡±

    Theseus was calm and said, ¡°Big sister, can we have a room here?¡±

    Thedy was happy to hear the praise and nodded, as she said, ¡°Ofcourse, you can have a room, twenty credits a day. We only have double rooms, are you okay with that?¡±

    Theseus nodded and said, ¡°Yes, thank you, big sister. But can you not scan our IDs?¡±

    Thedy frowned and looked at Theseus with squinted eyes, who said, ¡°We are a run away couple.¡±

 Chapter 319 Investigation (2).

    319 Investigation (2).

    Quo Lina was surprised by his im but she did not show anything on her face, except a faint blush that crept up naturally. The fatdy saw this and said, ¡°There are a lot of people who are runaways, but that does not mean you could bypass the rules, no?¡±

    Theseus sighed and said, ¡°Big sister, it is not that I n to bypass your rules. The thing is that my family is rigorous and Lina is from an average family, they do not wish for me to mingle with her, but big sister, tells me what can I do when I love her and what is the use of my being a man if I cannot protect the one I love?¡±

    The fatdy looked as if she bought the story, but who knew she would simply kick Theseus in the nuts when she said, ¡°What you have to do and what you are facing has nothing to do with me. Do you think only you have problems? This entire district is filled with people who were abandoned by their own people. Some of them are brothers betrayed by their own blood. Go tell your sob story outside and someone might empathize with you.¡±

    Theseus was at a loss and wanted toe up with any other logic when Quo Lina said, ¡°Elder Sister, you need to validate our identities, we can show you our school ID cards, but can you not input them in the system?¡±

    They were aware that there was no system in this city but the reason they did not wish for her to scan the IDs was that they did not trust these people. If their IDs were used for something shady, it will screw things up for them. The fatdy saw that this couple of kids was very cautious, and she nodded.

    Quo Lina tugged on Theseus¡¯s shirt and the boy nodded. They quickly operated theirmunicators and disyed their IDs as the students from the FSA to the fatdy, who was surprised. The FSA was world-renowned and the people all knew about it as the students would appear at various events andpetitions all year round.

    She took a deep nce and then nodded. The two put away their IDs and thedy said, ¡°Your room is down the alley on this floor.¡±

    The two nodded and turned to head toward their room but not before Theseus nted a micro camera for surveince. He did not want to leave his back exposed to this fatdy. The others were more or less the same. They nted cameras in the suspicious spots. The movements were fast and sleek.

    This was a benefit of the problem children squad. They were all sneaky and sly, and the people in Jung-ta were not a match for them. After all, they had to survive among those beasts from the battlefield. These thugs were just ants in their eyes. If not for the order of the Teacher, they could have left Chou out and had him thrash these people and they will extract all the info they want.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Martha were talking to the maintenance staff who showed them the central control system and left them to inspect. The young man was nning to use his ID, but then on second thought he contacted OB-One and instructed the bot to hack into the system and help him find the file he wanted.

    The botplied and used his superb skills to hack in and take out the files from five years ago. Shi Lang found that there were as many as fifty women who had given birth in this ce during that month. Things were simple, and they quickly found the file which matched Tao¡¯s DNA sample by an exact copy.

    The young general then asked the bot on the other side to locate this woman. OB-One did not ask anything and began to work. Usually, he would have been able to find out in a few minutes, but this district had no surveince. Shi Lang decided to wait. He gave up the facade and moved out of the hospital. He looked at the thug and said, ¡°This ce is well maintained, you all have done a good job, I will put in an application to the federal health ministry to appoint a good doctor here, however, you guys will have to arrange for his or her security, if this doctor is harmed, then I will personally have the automated system in this hospital shut down.¡±

    The thug nodded quickly and ttered Shi Lang as they sent him and Martha away. The two people came back to the bus and found that the group of children have also returned. He looked at the students who were yet to go out and walk around this ce, and said, ¡°You all have one task to do, rig this ce with micro cams, however, you must not be caught or noticed by anyone. Understood?¡±

    The people nodded and they quickly dispersed, Shi Lang watched them leave and said, ¡°Martha, you havemand here, all of you do not step off the bus at any condition. I am going to keep an eye on them.¡±

    He did not wait for them to reply and jumped high into the sky. Theseus and the rest watched him vanish in the blue sky turning into a dot and then invisible. They felt their throats dry up. They cast a gaze at Martha, who said, ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t know this guy could fly.¡±

    She was shocked but not too much, after all, Jane has told her a lot of things about this brat. So, she could say that she was used to his surprises. Quo Lina was very curious about her teacher, and thus she began to chat with Martha, who amodated these kids with grace. After all, she had just crossed the peak of her youth and was getting more motherly with each passing day.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood in the void with his arms crossed in front of his chest and mumbled, ¡°Hmmm, they have some shorings but that is fine, they will learn.¡±

    OB-One said, ¡°Sire, shall I hack into the micro-cams left behind by these children?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°Yes,mence. Also, I am dropping some bug bots, have them reach deeper into the buildings and houses.¡±

    The butler confirmed and took control of the fly bug bots dropped by Shi Lang. They were delicate pieces of machinery and OB-One was the wizard. The cooperation was seamless and in a few minutes when the students returned, the bugs had taken over the district. Every crossroad and every turn was being watched, the party hugs, the abandoned streets. The homeless people¡¯s shelters and everything in the ce was under the vision of Shi Lang and OB-One.

    Shi Lang simply hung in the void and waited for the results. The file they found had a photo of the biological mother of Tao. The reason to look out for her was to make it so that he could ask why the child was abandoned and the other was to ask her for custodial rights of Tao.

    If she could abandon the child, then he would not let her have any contact with Tao at all. Suddenly, after a couple of hours, OB-One said, ¡°Sire, the target is found, she is engaged in a gunfight, ten kilometers west of you.¡±

    Shi Lang did not waste any time and flew toward the mentioned spot. His speed was fast and he delivered a message to Martha that the children must not be allowed to get off the bus. He did not want any of his students to suffer, and just when he was getting rigid in his thoughts, he was attracted by the sounds of a gunfight.

    He stopped in the void and looked down to find a petite silhouette sticking behind a car, hiding from the gunshots fired by the enemy side. Shi Lang waited to see what thisdy could do. His intuition was correct, thisdy was tough but not skilled. She was facing a machine gun with a handgun.

    He smiled and descended on the location. He did not speak but the enemy snipers informed them and the gunfire ceased. The people were shocked to see a handsome human levitating in the void. The young man with crimson eyes smiled bewitchingly and said, ¡°Can you guys stop shooting? What if you scared her away?¡±

    The people were scared and overwhelmed by panic, they raised their guns and started shooting at him. Shi Lang stood in front of the bullet shower ricocheting as they fell on his body. He just closed his eyes. After a few seconds, the guns ran out of bullets, and Shi Lang sighed as he snapped his fingers and said, ¡°Sleep.¡±

    He did not seek bloodshed without a motive. The people lost consciousness and they all fell to the ground. Shi Lang used spiritual energy to send the soundwave into their ears and stun them. Then he looked behind the car and found thedy passed out. He smiled and picked her up and vanished from the ce.

 Chapter 320 Truth.

    320 Truth.

    Shi Lang appeared in front of the bus, he was holding a body in his hands like a rag doll. The students inside the bus were shocked, they did not expect him to bring back a person. Shi Lang walked ahead and said, ¡°OB-One, contact the authorities, find out who is gutsy enough to supply this ce with guns and ammunition.¡±

    OB-One acknowledged themand and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The thugs back in the street were using old guns, as in gunpowder-propelled bullets. This ammunition was not manufactured by thepanies anymore as theycked a bit too much inparison to the phasers. However, the phasers were ssified as a controlled weapon, meaning, they could never be handed to a civilian for whatever reason it may be, even the soldiers off-duty were not allowed to carry a phaser handgun until they are ranked above major or were a part of the special unit that dealt with terrorism.

    Despite all this, some people would manufacture this hot ammunition and sell them to the thugs and bandits of modern times, at a cheap price. These manufacturers were always on the lookout and were sly enough to avoid detection. Shi Lang remembers reading about a case where a tech genius in the need of money developed software that could detect the actions of the federal authorities and alert such people.

    Arresting these guys became trickier since then. Shi Lang passed themand and carried the person inside the bus, then he instructed the automated driving software, to take them back to the academy gates.

    He ced the person in his hand at an empty seat, and said, ¡°You all did well, thanks to you, we now have surveince set up in that chaotic zone. Within a week at most, the ce will be cleaned and bought out of dark times.¡±

    The satellite surveince method was not profitable for them, and thus this issue had been pushed back over and over again. The authorities had enough to deal with and a small district did not catch their eye. Shi Lang could not help but me the administrator department. Just when he was thinking of calling for action against these ipetent people.

    Martha asked, ¡°Lang, is she the one?¡±

    Shi Lang snapped back to reality and nodded. He said, ¡°Yes, she is the one.¡±

    The students were also curious to find out what was going on but they did not dare to voice their questions. They have beenmunicating using the mindms and Theseus had asked them all to stay quiet as the teacher seemed to be engrossed with thoughts. The journey back to the academy was quick.

    Shi Lang said to Theseus, ¡°I will collect the mindms back from you after sses tomorrow. You can tell your parents that you have an activity nned with me. To thank you for your help, I will take you all to enjoy a meal.¡±

    The students cheered up and Shi Lang and Martha got off the bus while the young man still held the woman in his hand, he had no intention to expose the fact that he knew about her act of ying possum. His car was parked inside the academy campus, and he did not want to show this woman to the world, so he patted the back of her neck gently once before handing her over to Martha and going inside the academy to get his car.

    Martha was confused by the action but she did not ask anything. Shi Lang had simply tapped an acupoint to lock all her movement capabilities, this was to protect Martha from getting attacked by a sudden outburst with a desire to escape.

    After all, the first meeting was not as he hoped it would be. This weak-looking woman was facing a bunch of thugs with hot weapons. Where did she get the guts to? This uncertain element made Shi Lang very cautious and curious about this person. Thus, the precautions. He drove the car and set thedy in the back seat as he left the ce.

    Martha sat in the front passenger seat, but she did not say anything. She was not sure what to say, just when she was about to mouth some joke, Shi Lang asked, ¡°How long are you going to y possum on me?¡±

    Shi Lang¡¯s tone was as cold as a block of ice. Martha was taken aback to look at this side of his nature. She never expected this sunshine boy to have such a frightening side as well. Thedy in the back seat opened her eyes, and her body shivered. She was aware of what this young man was capable of doing.

    He made all the people useless with a snap of his fingers. She did not dare to bet her luck against him. The reason she was ying possum was to probably dig out the information about why he kidnapped her in the first ce.

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What is your name?¡±

    Thedy spotted a pair of crimson eyes looking at her through the rearview mirror. She froze and replied, ¡°Alicia.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, this information was recorded in the records. He continued, ¡°What do you do for a living?¡±

    Alicia replied, ¡°Why do you care? Who are you and why have you kidnapped me? Sir, I do not have anything valuable on me and I have no one to pay extortion to clear me.¡±

    Martha could not help but chuckle when she heard this. She said, ¡°Poor baby, you became a kidnapper from the glorious ge..¡±

    Shi Lang cast her a cold look and Martha froze in her speech. She realized that she was about to reveal his identity to thisdy, and given the troublesome character it would be a problem for him.

    The car descended into silence and Shi Lang calmed himself before he asked, ¡°Did you give birth to a child five years ago?¡±

    Thedy in the back seat opened her eyes wide and asked, ¡°How do you know? Who are you?¡±

    Shi Lang simply said, ¡°I found that child and traced you. What thoughts do you have for that child?¡±

    Alicia gnashed on her teeth hard before she said, ¡°What thoughts do I have on that sinful seed? I wish to kill her, her father was a bastard who raped me in that shithole. Then he left me to die like a rabid dog on the side of the road. After he found that I was pregnant, he imprisoned me, tied me up to the bed forcefully keeping me alive.

    All that torture, what for? For that bastard, he nted inside me. Piece of shit.¡±

    She became silent after this exnation and then burst intoughter, maniacalughter. She said, ¡°When he came to see me duringbor, do you know what happened? He said that after the child was born he will let me go, it was the first time in his life of seventy years that he was able to have a child. However, I did not want that wretched bastard to have this joy, so I picked up a fruit knife, and forcefully drove it through his skull. I stuffed his mouth with a pillow to make sure that his voice was not heard by others.

    Hahahaha, the old bastard died under my bloated self. I fled the ce, came to the medical center, gave birth, and wanted to snap the neck of that little shit, but the thugs of that man rushed in. I ran away, and the admindy took the child with her. I do not know what happened. I wanted to kill that child so I asked around and located thatdy in the wave mountains, she was living with an old man.

    I hate old men, so I set fire to their houses when they were sleeping. Hahahahahaha.¡±

    Shi Lang finally came to know the story behind the incident and could not help but shake his head and took the car to the nearest police station. He was not going to let thisdy walk out. She was not mentally sound and needed help, and also the punishment for her crimes. The trauma from the misfortunate happening to her, she hade to despite the child that she gave birth too.

    This sort of trauma response was not new, but it was not safe for others to be around her. No wonder she could face a bunch of gunmen alone. So, he dumped her at the police station, stated his identity, gave them the recorded confession, and left the ce. The police will follow procedures to deal with this matter, but one thing was for sure, Tao was not going to be handed to her at any cost.

    Shi Lang drove the car silently and dropped Martha home, who was also very shocked by the facts that she learned in the car. After all, as a woman who loved her child, she could not even imagine what Alicia must have gone through to have her thoughts twisted like this.

 Chapter 321 For The Future.

    321 For The Future.

    Shi Lang dropped off Martha and after a few words, he left for his own home. As soon as he got off and stepped inside the house, his mother shot him a re and asked, ¡°Today is a holiday. Where have you been?¡±

    The young man sat down on th couch and said, ¡°To locate Tao¡¯s parents.¡±

    This simple line, made the people open their eyes wide and they fell silent. Shi Lang looked at them and said, ¡°Did you all think that the child came to this world out of thin air?¡±

    Luna sighed and said, ¡°Brat, it is not that but I did not expect you to look for her parents. In the past few days this child seem to have be a part of our lives, and now the thought of letting her go, it is somewhat scary. After all, my own son has decided not to give me a grandchild.¡±

    Shi Lang held his forehead in his palm and said, ¡°Mom, you know it is not like that. Can you stop the mellow drama, I had a busy day, and now, I am even doubting if the Terrans have any humanity left within them.¡±

    Luna realized that her son was serious at this time. She asked, ¡°Son, what happened?¡±

    Shi Lang leaned back in the couch and staring at the ceiling he said, ¡°What sort of trauma will make a mother hate her child to the point where she cannot wait to kill her? Why can humans not look at the fact that whatever she suffered it had nothing to do with that poor child? A human being is born in the world carrying the weight of their deeds in the past lives. If that is not enough, they are born to people like these who would do target their hatred on them.¡±

    Luna and John understood that it was probably the mother of the child that wanted to kill her. after a few minutes, Shi Lang calmed down and Luna asked, ¡°What did you do to the mother after finding this out?¡±

    She worried if her son killed Alicia, even if she did not know anything about the situation, she did not want her son to spill blood when off duty. Shi Lang shook his head and narrated theplete incident to them. The two elders were surprised at this and could not help but sigh. They pitied Tao for being born to such a mother. At this moment, they had decided to spoil the little girl. Luna was just thinking about it when Shi Lang raised his hand and manipted hismunicator to call Amelia.

    The people saw his movements but they did not know what was going on till their daughter-inw picked up the connection request and Shi Lang said, ¡°I want to adopt Tao into our family.¡±

    He did not ask her for permission and simply stated his desire. Amelia was surprised and then asked, ¡°Although I do not have any problem with that, but can you please tell me what made you jump to the conclusion so fast?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and told her the results of his investigation and after digesting the news Amelia said, ¡°Give me five days, I will deal with the assignment at hand and thene back to see through the procedure of her adoption.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and then after enabling the privacy mode, he discussed about her circumstances and the matters of the assignment. Only when he concluded that the team and she were covering every point possible, he let go of his anxious heart. He did not intend to barge into their work, but he still had to ask them about their safety.

    After the call was disconnected, he sighed and went to his room. Tao was out with M and her husband, roaming around to see that it was ¡®bad¡¯ to get out at night. M wanted her to be a princess, who had virtue to stay at home and sincerely practice her cultivation. So, when she grows stronger and go out of the house, the whole world knows about her and not daring to offend her.

    By the time they got back home Shi Lang was already in his room and was cultivating. He was making ns for not only Tao, but also his future. There wille a day when he will have to move on to the next endeavor and for that he will have to make arrangements for this.

    Shi Lang will leave Tao and the rest of his students to deal with the people below. He will make sure that his decision will help the federation reach a new level in the gxy. Only with constant improvement can a civilization improve.

    He was thest person to almost cross over to through the barrier of worlds, but this time, he wanted to be the pioneer of this new age. The next few days yed out very inly and Shi Lang was having an easy time, until he found that Quo Lina has been challenged by a student in the advanced ss.

    His ss neither belonged to the technical branch, nor to the battle ss. Thus those students in the specified sses were really envious of the problem ss for getting Shi Lang, the idol of their lives to be spending his teach guiding this bunch of trash personally. They wanted to do something like this for a long time and teach the problem ss a good lesson.

    Hearing the news Shi Lang walked inside his ssroom, but found that the students did not show any anxiety on their faces. He could notprehend, whether these guys were confident or were putting up a fa?ade in front of him. If they were acting, then he should give them an award for this. He asked, ¡°I heard about the challenge been made, how are you going to face it?¡±

    Quo Lina stood up from her seat and said, ¡°Teacher, I broke through to star-level threest night, the challenge is tomorrow, I am confident in winning against her.¡±

    Shi Lang scrutinized her and nodded, then he said, ¡°Congrattion on advancing, but do not look down on the advanced ss students. They are all geniuses, while you all are the troubled ones. After the ss, the party will be postponed till tomorrow, we will feast after the challenge.¡±

    Theseus asked, ¡°Teacher, you will be guiding Quo Lina personally today, right?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°Why? Is there a problem?¡±

    Theseus shook his head and said, ¡°We wanted to ask you if we can go to the training room and you can teach Lina here inside the ssroom.¡±

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded, he understood that these guys were all inspired by Quo Lina¡¯s advancement and did not want to dampen their spirits. He said, ¡°It is good to be motivated, but make sure that you keep things in check.¡±

    The ss nodded and they moved out of the room. Shi Lang closed the door and sat on the teacher¡¯s table. He beckoned for Quo Lina to sit in the front seat. The girl shifted her seat and Shi Lang asked, ¡°What is your special ability?¡±

    Quo Lina had impable trust in Shi Lang and said, ¡°Teacher, I awakened my ability yesterday night and it is an optic ability, though I do not know what it should be called.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What does it allow you to do?¡±

    Quo Lina said, ¡°I can seek glimpses of specific targets, however, it is all a blur.¡±

    Shi Lang pursed his lips and said, ¡°This ability cannot be used in short term, but when it is developed well, things will turn around for you. Now, focusing on the challenge you have to face tomorrow, have you done any homework?¡±

    The girl nodded and said, ¡°Theseus passed me a bunch of videos he dug up about the challenger.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded, and the two began to look at the videos together. They studied the opponent, and the ability used by the person. Then they devised a strategy to ensure the win. After spending a couple of hours, Shi Lang guided the girl to consolidate her foundation and get familiar with the changes in her body.

    The other party was a grade four challenger, and Shi Lang could tell that Quo Lina was being under estimated. He was patiently teaching Quo Lina to expose this loophole exposed by the enemy. Then he took her to the training room and personally sparred with her to teach her the subtle tricks she needed in the battle.

    The day passed rather quickly and the ss moved together after the school came to an end. Theseus sneakily went around the group and handed the mindms to Shi Lang. The young man was smart and reliable so Shi Lang said, ¡°Tell Quo Lina to not fret about the consequences of the battle.¡±

    Theseus nodded and said, ¡°I understand, Teacher. Do not worry.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and stopped walking, as he watched the people moved on their own. He mumbled, ¡°For the future.¡±

 Chapter 322 Before The Duel.

    322 Before The Duel.

    Shi Lang watched as the students left the school. He went back into the building to finish his work and a teacher from the advanced ss asked, ¡°Teacher Shi, what do you think will be the oue of the duel tomorrow?¡±

    The young general did not care and with a faint smile he said, ¡°May the best one wins.¡±

    The man thought Shi Lang had given up, and said, ¡°Indeed, the advanced ss is the best.¡±

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and did not bother to correct the man. It was not his ce to do so, because the result tomorrow will speak for itself. The man saw this and packing his stuff he left the staff room. Another teacher asked, ¡°Teacher Shi, I wonder if you have given up on your students?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, ¡°That is not true, I am not a person, who would give up on my students.¡±

    The man continued to ask, ¡°Then why did you not correct him?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°The result tomorrow will be based on the ability of the two students. Thus, it is undecided who will win. So, why should we increase the tension unnecessarily? Despite the result, this will be a good opportunity to motivate the students to work hard. Am I wrong?¡±

    The man shook his head and said, ¡°Indeed, what you said is correct, but just like the students, the teachers alsopare to each other. The students wish for you to teach them, while the teacher wishes for his ss to win and show that they were not inferior to anyone, even without your guidance.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded as he leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°I understand what you mean. However, I have no intention to take over anyone, especially the advanced ss. As a child, I was a problem student, and as a teacher, my ss is of the problem student. I believe that the problems they have are not their own fault.¡±

    The teacher nodded and said, ¡°Indeed, in the past, people used to think that weak students were a problem, but as teachers, it is our duty to find that one aspect they are strong at and then provide them with correct guidance. This is the only way a child can retain his or her uniqueness and be a pir of society.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the entire staff room began to boil with positive vibes. Time passed and Shi Lang came to his home, today Tao was there to wee him. Under the care and nourishment of his mother and aunt, the little one hase out to bloom like a lily.

    He smiled when he saw her curious face. She had been picking up words from the conversations of the elders around her and was able to form better sentences. He walked inside the house after changing his shoes and sat down on the couch. He saw her gazing at the Television, watching aedy cartoon.

    He smiled and asked, ¡°Do you like this show?¡±

    Tao nodded, and Shi Lang patted her head gently. The girl turned to look at him and said, ¡°Where you go?¡±

    Shi Lang replied, ¡°School.¡±

    ¡°School?¡±, whispered Tao.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°It is a ce where people learn new things. It can also make them strong.¡±

    Tao opened her eyes wide and asked, ¡°Tao go to school?¡±

    Shi Lang ruffled her hair and said, ¡°In a few weeks, when Tao is big enough.¡±

    The schools in the Federation formally admitted children when they were six or above. Also, before she attended school, Tao needed to cover up her basic knowledge points. For this, Shi Lang thought of a little n, that was going to teach her quality education in the least amount of time. He manipted hismunicator and approved a pending purchase order for the simtion pod.

    This pod was going to be Tao¡¯s ssroom. After cing the order, he tickled Tao out of nowhere, and the girl burst upughing. The two yed with each other till Luna called them for dinner. Shi Lang held the little girl and slung her over his shoulder, she was panting. This demon did not stop till she was in tears and out of breath.

    Luna scolded Shi Lang for his behavior and Tao nodded, she said, ¡°Nana, Lang bullied Tao. Lang no food.¡±

    Luna understood her meaning and said, ¡°Brat, you dare to bully my princess, you will not get any food. Shoo.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, he wanted to say that his mother will spoil Tao too much when the little girl gazed at Luna and said in a flurry, ¡°No, no, Lang hungry pain stomach. Give food, Tao funny.¡±

    She meant to say that if Shi Lang was not given food to it his stomach will ache and she was only joking. Luna nodded and said, ¡°Only my Tao is wise, look at this guy, so big yet so troublesome.¡±

    Then she served them with food and the two people ate with relish. Later, Luna tucked in the little girl and told her a bedtime story. Shi Lang stood by the door, as a child he did not get to hear the bedtime stories so often. It was more like once a week and that too could be forgotten if the two people decided to work overtime.

    He walked up to his mother and hugged her from behind while cing his chin on her shoulder. Luna was sitting on a stool at the side and sensing his action she recalled the days when Shi Lang was a child, she patted his cheek while telling the story. Tao smiled at the two of them before she slowly fell asleep.

    Shi Lang and Luna returned to their room and the young man slept with a light heart after a long time. The next morning he stood up from the bed and after breakfast, he teased the little girl and went to school but only after telling his mother not to let Tao go out. As he nned to take her with himter.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang reached the school and found that the students were basically flying off the ground in anticipation. He could tell that they wanted to see the problematic students suffer humility. Shi Lang went straight to his ss after clocking in. He found Theseus standing below the podium and speaking about how the ss must act today.

    He said, ¡°I know that you are all dissatisfied, but remember when we go out there, we represent the whole ss and the face of our teacher. We are not supposed to start trouble, however, if somebody crosses the line, then deal with it in a manner that does not make you look lowly. Understood?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded at this and said, ¡°You all, think of it as an instruction from me. When you go out and meet provocation, stay calm, do not lose your temper, because you will get your chance one day soon.¡±

    The ss was silent but Shi Lang still saw them nodding slightly to his words. Soon, Quo Lina arrived and was surprised to see Shi Lang on the podium, she asked, ¡°Teacher, am Ite?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and shook his head, he said, ¡°Come in, I just arrived early to check if Theseus was going to wear a cheer leading uniform out there.¡±

    The ss burst intoughter, and the tension in the air dissolved. Shi Lang timed it nicely because Quo Lina was seriously scared at this. She had never fought with people at such an official event. Shi Lang sighed, she was not going to get a grip on herself at this rate and will lose. Shi Lang said, ¡°You are scared of the duel? Facing that student? Then if I showed you a scene that could kill you, what will you do? Is all the hard work you put in for so many years a waste?¡±

    Quo Lina heard his words and lowered her head. Shi Lang said, ¡°You can think of it as a chance. If you can break past your limits, then you will be the victor of today¡¯s duel. Just calm down, and remember what you are taught and learned.¡±

    The girl nodded, but there was not much change. Shi Lang and the whole ss tried to cheer her up but she grew more anxious. Suddenly, Shi Lang pped the tabletop in front of him and said, ¡°Look at me.¡±

    Instinctively Quo Lina gazed him right in the eyes, and then she froze, her face turned pale, and a cold sweat began to form and drip from her forehead. Her body shivered. She was shocked by the scene in front of her, and her heart was screaming only one thing, wake up and face it.

    Soon, she joined the war going on. When she was done with it, she was missing a leg, a hand, and one eye. However, she was satisfied, that they have won the war at this point. Suddenly, a snap sounded in her mind and she found herself standing in the ssroom.

 Chapter 323 Killing Machine.

    323 Killing Machine.

    Shi Lang looked at the hazy-eyed girl in front of him. He found himself slightly guilty after this but if this burden was what it took for him to make his students excel, he was willing to live with it. When pushing Quo Lina in the mental illusion he made sure to keep his strength in check and the illusion was not as intense as it was when he used this trick on the contender group of the Gctic Showdown.

    This time it could be said that his strength was not even a tenth of what it was that day. However, this situation was still enough for Quo Lina to get over her nervousness. In all honesty, she was about to copse many times, but a faint whisper of keep going on was audible in her mind whenever she was about to give in.

    This whisper was nothing other than Shi Lang¡¯s telepathicmunication. In moments of great despair, such whispers fill a person with a will to fight on. Shi Lang meticulously exposed this point to improve his student. However, he was not sure if this trick will work over anyone else. It was because when he investigated his students.

    He discovered that Quo Lina was trained harshly by her father, they were not the main branch of the family but they stillmitted themselves to the traditional skills passed on for generations. The new federation might have no sense of boundaries within, but the skills they passed on were all treasured, after all, there were only a few pure skills left in the world.

    Quo Lina was an only child, and she was expected to carry on the burden of passing on the skills of the family, thus she had grown up with a tough unyielding mentality without caring about anything. Shi Lang used her as a target for his trick because of this.

    When Quo Lina gained rity again, she instinctively let out a dense killing intent making her ssmates shiver and pale inplexion. Shi Lang nodded and walked closer to her. Then he patted her shoulder, Quo Lina was about to attack when the young man said, ¡°Calm down, it is over now.¡±

    His voice contained a hint of spiritual energy that shook up the girl and made her wake up ultimately. She looked around and found that she was still in her ssroom. She asked Shi Lang, ¡°Teacher¡­¡±

    The young man smiled and said, ¡°Allow me to apologize for pushing you into that situation. What you experienced just now was an illusion I created. This was one of the scenes from a battlefield lying outside. My team deals with situations a hundred times tougher than this. I did this because I wanted you to recognize that you are not weak. You stayed true to what you have learned and that was why you made it through the simtion.

    Now, I will ask you, how much confidence do you have in facing that girl from the advanced sses?¡±

    Quo Lina thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Hundred percent, I will beat her for sure. It does not mean that I underestimate her, but I will not give up or falter.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Good, keep one thing in mind, do not expose any killing intent, just take her as a sparing partner, but only till she is not resorting to any cheap moves. This is not a fight of life or death, so you do not have to go to the extent of assuring survival. Okay?¡±

    Quo Lina nodded and then Shi Lang led her out to the training ground where the duel will be held. The rest of the ss was quick on the uptake, they shook away the dread they just faced now and in a well-mannered queue, they walked behind Shi Lang and Quo Lina.

    This sort of behavior shocked a lot of people who saw them, but at the same time, some of the viewers thought that the problem ss was putting up a show and that they will suffer soon enough and then when faced with pressure, they will reveal their true colors.

    Yuu has also arrived at the training ground and was looking forward to the battle. She wanted to see to what extent did this ss grow in just a few days. Shi Lang was a man who trained d group of rookies into monsters who cleared the threats in the dark and the entire Federal military shivered when faced with the red armor.

    Yuu wanted to see what effect this guy have on the students of his ss. The arrival of the problem ss attracted a lot of attention. Some of the advanced ss students even directly started pointing fingers. The problem ss noticed these people, but they did not react. It was as if the switch inside them has been turned off.

    Yuu smirked and jumped on the stage. She smiled and pped her hands. She asked, ¡°Now, I will be acting as the presiding referee of this battle, do you all have any objections?¡±

    The students and the teachers shook their heads, all the same, they did not dare to doubt the fairness of the battling monster. Yuu nodded and said, ¡°The challenger from the advanced ss, step forward.¡±

    A girl stepped out of the crowd. She had good bearings, and a cold temperament, however, she did not seem to be a person who would look down on her opponent. Shi Lang smiled as he saw this, he mumbled, ¡°Lina, be careful.¡±

    Quo Lina was observing her opponent, and just then Yuu said, ¡°Contender of the special sse forward.¡±

    Quo Lina turned towards Shi Lang and bowed to him deeply as she said, ¡°Teacher, thank you.¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, then he smiled and said, ¡°Rise, and shine.¡±

    Quo Lina raised her head and gave him a subtle smile. Then she climbed over the tform with firm steps. She was not afraid of anyone, even those stronger than her, her nervousness has vanished, and she was filled with calm. In a battle, you do not win with eagerness or hesitation, but you win with calm.

    After the girls stood facing each other, Theseus said in a low voice, ¡°Take notes.¡±

    The ss nodded and they all initiated the recording feature of the camera on theirmunicators. Shi Lang nodded at this, the ss did not want tog behind and with a think tank like Theseus, they will not miss out on opportunities to learn. This surprised the other sses and before the duel even started a student from the advanced ss said, ¡°They became so good at putting up a facade. Teacher Shi must be tired of such wannabes, right?¡±

    The surrounding students also began to speak, some in the open and some in secret. However, nothing that happened around the Special ss, made them feel bothered. Theseus had told them, to take notes, not only of the battle but also of the surroundings. They will challenge these people in the future and show them what a facade was.

    Yuu said, ¡°You know the rules. I want a clean fight and you both will not attack each other with the intention of killing or crippling the other person. Pushing hard is fine, breaking bones is fine, but be mindful of fatalities, if you tried to break any rules, I will kill you right here, and right now.¡±

    As soon as she said that this and revealed her killing intention everyone realized that things were serious. Shi Lang frowned and said, ¡°It is normal for a student to lose control of their intent when involved in a heated battle, they are both young and are thirsty for proving themselves. I would like to reserve the right to intervene if a deadly situation appears. Any objections?¡±

    He was the strongest person in the academy, who dared to object to his proposal and the logic he used was reasonable.

    Yuu nodded and said, ¡°Introduce.¡±

    Quo Lina cupped her hands and said, ¡°Quo Lina.¡±

    The girl opposite her frowned as she saw this girl calmly introducing herself. She also followed the gesture and said, ¡°Alena Cross.¡±

    Yuu took a step back and said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    The two girls moved, however, the experienced people were surprised to see that Quo Lina moved a beat faster than Alena, she took the charge and held the pace of the battle in her hand. This was surprising and unexpected.

    Yuu was surprised, but as the two girls began to exchange blows, she became shocked. Quo Lina was matching all the attacks from Alena. She was able to keep up and sneak in some light attacks through Alena¡¯s guard. However, the shock did note from this upper hand she gained, but from the indifference in her eyes.

    It was as if fighting was something she has been doing her entire life. Yuu cast a gaze at Shi Lang and saw him smiling faintly in approval, this confirmed her guess, this guy had gone ahead and trained a killing machine.

 Chapter 324 Sensational.

    Quo Lina was fighting with Alena Craft on the tform, and her speed was shocking everyone. The girl from the advanced ss was underestimating her and did not put serious effort into her initial blows. This caught her by surprise, and Quo Lina ceased the initiative of the fight with just a slight blink, she was at a disadvantage.

    Quo Lina did not show herplete strength to her, she did not know how much effort she should put in, after all, even if she knew the techniques of the opponent from the past match videos, she did not know how much strength was appropriate to use. However, she did not underestimate the enemy.

    Suddenly, Alicia let out a loud roar and her body changed. This was her ability, to increase her muscle mass. In just a blink, Alicia changed from a beautiful girl to a muscle mountain. The blows she threw made the air around her fists move. Quo Lina moved her head to the side to dodge but the air movement still left a slight cut on her cheekbone.

    She understood the danger and quickly retreated. The two people stood ten meters away from each other and the duel seemed to havee to a pause. The students all took this momentary disruption as a chance to discuss it amongst themselves. The advanced ss was biased towards Alicia, but they could not turn their eyes away from the performance Quo Lina had put forward.

    Chou from the special ss, said in a low voice, ¡°Lina is hurt.¡±

    Theseus shook his head as he focused his gaze on the streak of blood flowing down the cheek of Quo Lina and said, ¡°Superficial wound, will not affect her battle capability, however, the real troublees from the air movement following the blows. If the speed of retreatgs a bit, you will be caught up in the follow-up.¡±

    Vanessa heard this and said, ¡°If Lina inclines toward retreating and ying defensive for a bit, she might have a chance to win this duel. Alicia will exhaust her reserves.¡±

    Theseus nodded and said, ¡°Although you are correct, it will simply impossible. Do you not see the look on the faces of these two people?¡±

    The ss turned their gaze to Quo Lina¡¯s face, they all noticed a slight curl on her lips, then they turned to look at Shi Lang and found him standing with a sunny expression on his face. They were confused and Theseus said, ¡°They are not aiming to win the fight, but to go the distance.¡±

    The ss seemed to have been enlightened by this statement. This was something they did not know. Theseus saw their faces and fell silent.

    ¡­

    On the stage, Quo Lina did not pay attention to the thin streak of blood treading down her face. Her gaze was set on Alena. If earlier she was looking like a scout sensing her prey, now she switched to a hunter mode. Her eyes had turned indifferent and cold. It was not an intention to kill the prey, but to defeat it and tame it to do her bidding.

    Shi Lang saw this and nodded. Quo Lina decided that the initiative have to be snatched back. Alena charged forward, and her speed was so fast that she gave off a whooshing sound as she moved. Quo Lina bent her knees and turned sideways, she caught the fist aimed at her temple. Then she turned around whilst holding the wrist of her opponent, and since she was petite, she could not lift Alena over her shoulder, but her elbowpensated thetter with a hit deep in the guts.

    The implementation of the blow was precise,pact, and perfectly timed. The diaphgram muscles of Alena were stuck in a ce for a few moments. This will obstruct her breathing, and when the muscles do not get enough oxygen, they will start burning, and effect the fighting capabilities of the person.

    This state of the enemy willst only for a few moments, and Quo Lina will exploit her. As soon as the blow disrupted the breathing, Quo Lina turned back around, and her palm chopnded on the side of Alena¡¯s neck. The impact restricted the movement of her windpipe. The right hand then turned into a fist and was aimed right at the chin of the already suffocated girl.

    However, Alena was not a punching bag, she leaned forward and her kneended in the abdomen of Quo Lina, the intention was to shake her off, however, Quo Lina saw thising, she quickly used her toes and jumped to reduce the impact. Alena was strong enough to support her opponent¡¯s weight and became a pir.

    Quo Lina avoided the attack, and Alena whose knee met with air, lost her bnce, and tripped forward. This was urrence set off a wave of surprise in the hearts of the people. They could not believe that a special ss student could overwhelm the star of the advanced ss this much. As soon as Alena tripped, Quo Lina changed the strategy, she had yet to let go of the arm she grasped earlier.

    This was noticed by a lot of students and teachers. They were not fools to overlook such a impressive detail. A student asked in a loud voice, ¡°How is she holding onto Alena for so long?¡±

    However, no one coulde up with an answer. Quo Lina, in the meantime, had initiated a grappling lock, tying down the right arm of the opponent. In a kimura lock, Quo Lina said, ¡°Do not struggle, I will break your shoulder.¡±

    The voice was like a whisper, only Alena could hear it at this moment. She was a star of the advanced ss, a genius who excelled in technology and battle skills equally. She was looked up to by all her peer, and Shi Lang was her idol.

    When Alena found that Shi Lang had taken charge as the teacher for the special ss, she was shocked and then disappointed, she threw this challenge in the desire to show Shi Lang that she was better than the special ss, yet here she was, pinned down to the floor by a girl she did not even know.

    The challenge was intended to deal with the strongest among the problematic children, but she did not expect to suffer this much. As a genius, she was not fooled. She knew it very well, that Quo Lina had suppressed her from the very start of this duel. Quo Lina did not underestimate her, she gave her best and returned her blows with all sincerity.

    Alena gradually lost her will to fight and with her free hand she tapped the floor thrice. Yuu came forward and said, ¡°Alena tapped out, the match is over. Quo Lina wins!¡±

    Quo Lina gave up the arm hold and stood up carefully. She also intended to help Alena stand up, but thetter shook her head dejectedly. At this moment, the crowd was silent, most of the people were looking at the scene in a daze, while some sighed. Yuu had passed the verdict and they had also witnessed the fight clearly.

    They looked down on the Special ss, thinking that they were putting up a facade, but that was not the case, and now only did they realize how good these guys could be, and they were simply surprised by this. Shi Lang sighed and decided to step onto the stage. His arrival caught attention of everyone.

    Almost everyone thought, that Shi Lang was the reason why the special ss student was able to trample the star of the advanced ss. Shi Lang did not want this notion to circte, this would be putting him at the front while the students of his ss will suffer humility. As a teacher, how could he allow such a thing?

    So, he stood on the stage, looking at Alena, and said, ¡°Stand up. Look at my eyes.¡±

    Alena did not want to face him, but she could not embarrass him by avoiding him at this moment, specially when the tone of his voice was so gentle. She stood up and retracted her ability, her breathing was still short, but it was not as painful as before. Alena raised her head to look at Shi Lang, who was smiling at her.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°You are strong. Strength is not all about winning all the time. Strengthes from the inside, when you know have the guts to admit defeat, and then stand up again to ovee your weaknesses. Remember my words, you do not lose because the other party is stronger, but whe you do not know what your mistakes are.

    When you initiated the duel, you might have underestimated Quo Lina, but that is just normal, after all, my students do not have high endowments. However, they have been struggling to move forward on their own, and doing things their own way. They have the will to grind themselves to the ground daily and thene back here in the morning.

    They are not problematic, they are unique and the generic world does not know how to guide them. You are a strong fighter and have preservence, I hope that you take my word to your heart and stand up again, fight with Quo Lina and defeat her. However, do not make this a obsession, our biggest opponent is ourselves. Do you understand?¡±

    Shi Lang was uttering pure and in nonsense, but he had to do something, and he managedto encourage this girl in front of him, who bowed and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Shi.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and was about to get down, when Yuu said, ¡°Lang, you taught her good.¡±

    The crowd burst into cheers. A sensation was created after this duel.

 Chapter 325 Outing.

    Shi Lang ced his hand around Quo Lina¡¯s shoulder as he guided her down the stage. It will be a lie to say that this young girl was not tired. The battle just now may look like it was her overwhelming win, but she has been pushing her body to the limit to execute all the skills that she did.

    The battle was not in her favor, she was indeed fighting an opponent stronger than herself. She was recently promoted to the three-star level while the opponent was at the peak of her realm. Her foundation was not consolidated either and Theseus had told her beforehand if she did not cash on the fact that Alena has been underestimating her she will suffer if the battle was to drag on for long.

    Shi Lang could feel that the body of the girl was shivering slightly, he could tell that she was putting on a tough front, the wave of exhaustion was about toe over. He simply skipped the wave of people walking over to congratte him. His only priority was to bring Quo Lina to the ssroom. The two of them were walking with an unspoken tactic understanding.

    Theseus was quick as always and instructed the ss to form a barrier around the two. The special ss was quick at the job, and they gathered around to escort the two people to the ssroom unaffected. Shi Lang nodded to Theseus, acknowledging that this was a good method to keep away the flies.

    The two people reached the ssroom and Shi Lang had Quo Lina sit down on the ground with her legs crossed and he began to help her channel the spirit energy throughout her body and calm down her energies. The blood inside her veins was churning a lot faster providing her the power she needed in the battle, however, this increased cirction could harm the body from the inside easily.

    This was why young cultivators were asked to focus on their cultivation not only to grow stronger but also strong enough to manipte the blood cirction in the body. Shi Lang was very patient in his guidance.

    The ss was filled with silence, the students could sense that this matter was of great urgency and that was why Shi Lang was being so meticulous. They also took this instance to rte and rectify the weaknesses in their cultivation techniques. Theseus was very good at theory, so he what Shi Lang was talking about, he understood and ryed it to the rest of the students with hismunicator.

    He was the ss monitor and would not let any of his ssmates feel neglected, because he knew that strengthy in unity. To prevent any disturbance, he asked Chou to stay behind and guard the door. He also told him to inform him if any teacheres over.

    Just as he predicted, Yuu hade over to find Shi Lang, but she found a bulky teenager standing in front of the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest. She said, ¡°You are guarding the door?¡±

    Chou did not lie to her and simply nodded, she was an instructor, after all. Yuu nodded and asked, ¡°Why are you guarding the door?¡±

    Chou replied, ¡°The ss monitor said, guard.¡±

    Yuu was surprised to see this, in her impression this ce was the problem ss, and all the children here were problematic and rebellious. To think they have a ss monitor who can make a student so obedient. She got curious and asked, ¡°Why do you follow his instructions?¡±

    Chou did not know how to reply to this and shrugged his shoulders, just when Yuu was about to push against him, the door behind opened with a swish and an eloquent student walked out while adjusting his sses.

    Chou looked at the guy and said, ¡°ss monitor, Instructor Yuu wishes to see Teacher.¡±

    Theseus nodded and said, ¡°You did good Chou, it has been hard on you. Go take a rest, I will take over here.¡±

    Chou replied, ¡°But I am not tired yet.¡±

    He was confused, given his strength, it was not a big deal for him to stand here for an entire day, so why was Theseus asking him to go inside? Theseus was well aware of the simple personality of his friend and said, ¡°I mean to say, I will entertain Instructor Yuu, in the meantime go help Venessa maintain order, lest those guys get unruly.¡±

    Chou understood and with a slight bow to instructor Yuu, he went back to the ss. This small interaction between the two had already left Yuu in a daze. She was thinking if this was still a ss and not a military camp. She looked at Theseus, who was smiling at her, and asked in a gentle voice, ¡°May I help you, Instructor Yuu?¡±

    Yuu snapped back to reality and asked, ¡°Yes, I want to see your teacher.¡±

    Theseus nodded and said, ¡°I understand but can I please ask you to wait for a few minutes? The teacher is helping Quo Lina, he asked not to be disturbed.¡±

    Yuu was surprised, she thought, ¡®What could it be that Shi Lang is helping that child with?¡¯

    She asked with a solemn expression, ¡°What is going on, did Shi Lang push you guys a bit too much, that you have suffered internal injuries to increase your skills?¡±

    She was not doubting that Shi Lang would do something like this, but it was still necessary to ask, after all, these children were not easy to deal with and if Shi Lang used a heavy hand on them, that was understandable. After all, young blood was hot and vtile.

    Theseus chuckled and shook his head as he said, ¡°No, the teacher is never too hard on us. He is very patient. Since you have asked me this question, I shall dispel your doubts. Quo Lina reached the three-star level a day ago, her foundation is yet to be consolidated, and as inexperienced as we are, we did not know the method to consolidate the foundation in a battle.

    Also, she is not disrespectful to her opponent. She went past the edge of her limits and that put her body through some stress, Teacher Shi, is helping her with that so that her injuries do not worsen.¡±

    Yuu was surprised and asked, ¡°Didng ask you guys to push forward so much?¡±

    Theseus shook his head, ¡°We are all doing this because we want to. Teacher Shi is a great general and has won glory for the federation. We all admire him because we know that he was also tagged as a problem child. He has been very patient with us, and we all are taught differently by him. So, when the challenge was put out, we decided to go all out to deal with it. The motive was not to win but to go the distance.

    Who knew this pie will fall in ourps when Alena underestimated Quo.¡±

    Yuu nodded, but she still found it hard to digest that the sadist her team has trained was so calm and patient with his students. She said, ¡°Tell him to give me a call when he is free.¡±

    Theseus took note of this and nodded as he watched thedy leave. He went back inside the ss and found Shi Lang sitting on his chair as the rest of the ss was gazing at Quo Lina who was cultivating in the corner.

    The young teacher turned his head to look at Theseus and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Theseus did not know why the man was talking so loud. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I set a barrier around her, it will vanish when she wakes up. Now out with it.¡±

    Theseus nodded and told him about his conversation with Yuu. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°I will see what she needs from me, now your assignment is to assess the battle today, and make notes, if you do not understand something, mark it and askter, but do not copy the assignments. I want to see what is your ownprehension of the scene today. Understood?¡±

    The ss replied, ¡°Yes, Teacher.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and walked out of the ss. With the teacher out, the students began to watch the footage of the battle. Someonemented, ¡°Lina was really quick, however, looking carefully, her muscles are too weak.¡±

    The people around him nodded and Theseus said, ¡°No discussion. You will end up copying what you see.¡±

    The students realized this and nodded, as they said, ¡°Sorry, old habit.¡±

    Theseus did not say anything further but watched them everyoneprehend the footage silently. After an hour, Shi Lang came back and Quo Lina also woke up from her cultivation. She skipped on the spot and then threw a few casual punches in the void. The whooshing sound of the air was too cool.

    She looked at Shi Lang and was about to thank him, when the man smiled and said, ¡°You all get ready, we have an outing to celebrate the growth you all have shown in the past few days. Also, I do not wish to hear any ng or cusses out there.¡±

    Theseus asked, ¡°Sir, the ss is not over yet.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°I am taking you all to learn socialmunication.¡±

 Chapter 326 Lighting Up The Torch.

    326 Lighting Up The Torch.

    Shi Lang finished the rest of the day and the students all followed him to his house on the metro service. They were surprised to see their almighty teacher traveling in humble public transport. Although his security will not bepromised, still he was the strongest general in the federal military.

    This trip surprised them and at the same time inspired them. Shi Lang did not talk much to them during the ride. Soon, they reached their stop and followed Shi Lang in two neat queues. The young man bought the children to his home and invited them in.

    The students were surprised and hesitant, after all, this was a ce where not many people have been, the house of the federal star. Shi Lang, however, did not give them a chance and called his mom to teach these kids how to be obedient.

    Luna thought these kids were all military people and was not sure how to convince these guys when Shi John noticed the school uniforms on the children and asked, ¡°Are you all Lang¡¯s students?¡±

    Theseus, who was standing at the helm of the group nodded, and Shi John beckoned them all inside as he said, ¡°Shall I have my son call your parents and talk to them?¡±

    This sentence scared the entire ss as they all climbed the steps and came to the living room. She said, ¡°Lang must have gone to check up on Tao. You all take a seat, I will get you some tea.¡±

    Shi Lang had indeed gone inside the house to check on the little girl to see if she was ready for dinner. He came to the room and found the door ajar. Tao was swaying her legs as she sat on the bed amusingly. She sensed Shi Lang¡¯s approach and looked up at him. The little girl was dressed in a white turtle neck and blue jeans. Her tiny figure looked very adorable. Shi Lang asked in a soft voice, ¡°Ready?¡±

    Tao nodded and got down from the bed and came to his side. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Where are your shoes?¡±

    The girl scratched her head and went back inside the room and put on a pair of soft white bellies. Shi Lang smiled as he held her hand and led her outside. The students were all sitting with their backs straight when Shi Lang walked over with a little girl beside him. They were all surprised by this disy. Theseus opened his eyes wide and asked, ¡°Teacher this?¡±

    Shi Lang waved his hand and they all calmed down, while the little girl hid behind his legs. She has gone out to the city but this big group was too much for her at home. Luna came over and said, ¡°Oh, you all scared my doll.¡±

    Tao ran over to Luna, this elderdy has been very kind to her and she has be slightly dependent on her as well. Luna took the little girl in her embrace and said, ¡°These are all big brothers and sisters. Do not be afraid, if they bully you tell me or Lang. Okay?¡±

    Tao nodded but she did not let go of the hug. Luna patted her head and said, ¡°Now go, it is gettingte. I will be here when youe back.¡±

    After a few minutes of coaxing, Tao let go and the group left the house. Tonight was the first time the little girl walked around and rode public transport. She was very amused by this new thing she saw. Shi Lang patiently exined everything to her when she pointed. The ss was still surprised at the existence of this child.

    They did not know that the young general also had a daughter. Yes, they took her for his daughter and Shi Lang was aware of it but he was not going to exin anything to them. The people were all very curious about this and they were even making assumptions like she was born during his school years and that was why he was suddenly married to Amelia.

    If Shi Lang knew this he might throw these guys inside the training halls of Tartarus. Soon they reached the venue, M¡¯s cafe, and the meal began. Shi Lang had booked the ce for the evening and when M found that Tao was going to be there, she even wavered the bill. The food was served and people began to eat.

    Shi Lang watched the scene, he did not go and put up any mature scene like toast and speeches. He simply allowed them to be at ease. Meanwhile, he focused on feeding Tao with good nutritional value stuff. When the meal, was almost over and the people were waiting for dessert to be served. Shi Lang said, ¡°You all must be thinking why did I call you out for a meal to celebrate when the mood is so dull, right?¡±

    Theseus nodded on behalf of the whole ss, Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You all must have heard that there is a mountain above the mountain, a sky above the sky, right?¡±

    The students nodded in confusion, and Shi Lang continued, ¡°It is not a saying made out of nothing but a truth that people do not believe in.¡±

    Vanessa was surprised and asked, ¡°Sir, do you mean to say that there is a sky above our sky?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and shook his head as he said, ¡°What I mean to say is that there lies another realm, where peace is when you have enough strength. Where one can live for an eternity, looking for the profound truth of life and surpass the time itself.¡±

    The students were surprised and Shi Lang was aware that they do not believe what he said just now, so he continued, ¡°You all must know about spirit energy that was discovered recently?¡±

    The students nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°This source of energy is better than the gene-enhancing serums. The reason is that this energy is natural. It can enhance your strength a lot as well. A lot of experts state that this energy is endless and not scarce. Thus they have not yet manipted the cultivation front.

    Another reason is that they know how important it is to cultivate to strive in the space age. However, I can tell you one thing as the first person to experience the spirit energy, this energy is not endless. It mayst for a few hundred thousand years before it decreases, and gradually the world will be left without spirit energy. That will be the time when talent and hard work will be useless.¡±

    He was stating a fact but with some alteration. The time of decline that he mentioned was too small. The spiritual age willst for millions of years. However, none of the people knew this so he was manipting the fact.

    Theseus asked, ¡°Teacher why are you telling us about these things?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I am telling you this earlier so that you can grasp this opportunity. At this time, the talent of the people has not yet been awakened. For example, there are special physiques that can get stronger twice with half the effort. A person like that can crush someone the same level of strength as they are with ease and even can rise to fight and win over a stronger enemy as well.¡±

    The ss was surprised but then they also understood that the talented grow faster than the mediocre ones. Theseus asked, ¡°So if we dyed our progress or yed ignorant towards this spiritual energy front, we will be left behind when the talented ones appear?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Not only that but there will be people who nurture such talented people and ride on their coattails to the peak of sess. These talented people will be controlled by other forces. What I want to say is that you can avoid maniption only when you are strong enough. Do not push yourself over the edge madly but patiently work harder.¡±

    Vanessa asked, ¡°Sir, you mentioned a realm of strength and immortality, what do the two things have to do with each other?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The realm of strength and immortality can be essed only by reaching the peak of spiritual cultivation in this world of mortals. You should have seen me flying that day?¡±

    The ss nodded, how can they forget something like that? Shi Lang said, ¡°That is what spirit cultivation allows you to do. As you get further in the path of cultivation, the harder it bes and more dangerous it bes. You will have to face a heavenly tribtion in order to cross the realms.¡±

    Quo Lina asked, ¡°Sir, can we travel between realms?¡±

    Shi Lang shook his head, ¡°Not until you reach the peak of strength in that realm, and can bend the rules of the heavens. I want to ask you, do you want to grow strong enough to stand at the peak of this world and then step into the other world to fulfill the purpose of a cultivator?¡±

    The ss all exchanged nces and Theseus said, ¡°We do.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Then get ready.¡±

 Chapter 327 Guardians.

    327 Guardians.

    Shi Lang and the rest took a couple of hours to talk about the various topics, and they helped the elder couple in closing and cleaning the cafe before they headed back home. Theseus took the responsibility to drop everyone home.

    This was not because he was worried about their safety. The crime rate in the federation was almost zero because of the technological advancement and surveincework. He just wanted to talk to his ss about the so-called realm of immortals that Shi Lang had mentioned.

    He was the most logical person in this group and Shi Lang liked him because this guy will question almost everything inside his mind. Even if he did not say anything to the people around him, his mind was constantly moving in a direction of its own.

    After the students, left. Shi Lang picked up the sleeping little princess and stood at the entrance of the cafe. He looked at his uncle and aunt who said, ¡°You can go back home first. We will finish with the ounts first before heading back.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°Beauty, you do not understand the importance of walking under the starry sky with your beloved.¡±

    M cast him an amusing gaze and said, ¡°Lad, you are just unfortunate and jealous that I have my husband beside me, as for your fairy wife, she is far in the stars.¡±

    Shi Lang snorted and said, ¡°You have be so mean, you do not love me anymore.¡±

    M chuckled and said, ¡°Yes, you have grown older now, stop acting like a child. Shoo, get going.¡±

    The young man smiled and left the cafe while carrying the little girl in his arms. She fell asleep when the people were discussing things. Ever since Shi Lang had cast seals on her body, she has stopped intaking the spirit energy and headed towards a normal lifestyle. Without the energy from the spirit energy, she would often get tired by the end of the day and turn in to rest.

    Shi Lang carried her in his arms and decided that he will walk back home. His pace was calm, and the sidewalk was rtively empty at this hour. He was dressed dashingly and caught the gaze of the people passing him. They did not understand why this handsome young man was walking back home with a child in his arms.

    Shi Lang was not bothered by this, he was simply walking, after a few minutes, the sleeping beauty tightened her embrace around his neck and snuggled closer to his neck. She was seeking his warmth. The young man, suddenly, looked up at the starry sky and mumbled, ¡°So that is how it feels, master.¡±

    He was recalling the night when his master found him abandoned in a battle-torn town. Shi Lang was carried in his arms for a long time. The old man cared for him very deeply and taught him basic cultivation. Later when Shi Lang was about to join a sect, the old man was murdered by an old enemy.

    Shi Lang would sigh whenever he recalled that time, he regretted leaving the side of his master. Thinking about it, as he walked, he began to think of the things he regretted in his past life. To think he wanted to be a person who did not regret anything. However, the things to regret were piled up like a small mountain in his heart.

    His breathing became heavier. Shi Lang closed his eyes and let out a sigh, he was alsomenting in his thoughts if his heart really did not have any burden when he thought of the times he had failed to follow his idea of living and his motto of dao.

    Suddenly, he sensed his shoulder being patted. He did not realize that he was standing in the same ce for the past few minutes. The person who tapped his shoulder was an old monk. Yes, a monk, dressed in a proper kasaya. What was even more surprising was that this monk was only in his teens.

    Shi Lang bowed his head slightly and asked, ¡°Is there anything I can do for you, Little master?¡±

    The monk shook his head and said, ¡°Is there anything I can do for you, patron?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, this question was odd, but when he looked at the faintly smiling monk, his clear eyes. He could not help but ask, ¡°What if someone wishes to live without regret but then realize how many mistakes they have made and regret? What shall one do to get over this guilt.¡±

    The monk smiled and said, ¡°Even if you regret what has happened, can you change it? Life is just like that, it does not run in reverse and only forward. Life is like time, it does not run in reverse. Look at the things you have to face in the future.¡±

    The monk said his piece and was about to walk away when Shi Lang said, ¡°Little master, what if someone fears to make mistake in the future?¡±

    The monk stopped in his tracks and said, ¡°Patron, those who live in fear are not strong, but those who can get up after falling, are.¡±

    This statement enlightened Shi Lang slightly as he watched the monk walking away. Shi Lang bowed his head to show his respect toward the monk. He was truly enlightened that looking back will only slow him down. What has been done, has been done, now he should move ahead.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang began walking again, this time his speed was slightly faster, but his eyes were shining and his lips were curled slightly upward at the corner. Tao was sleeping in his arms very cozily, her mouth was slightly open and drool was dripping over his shirt, but he did not care about it.

    ¡­

    A few dayster, when Shi Lang reached home, he was just in time to find Amelia alighting a military vehicle. The soldiers saluted him as the young man nodded and said, ¡°You guys are dismissed for the day, go take some rest.¡±

    The soldiers nodded and they left. With the guard detail gone, Shi Lang had no shame, and took Amelia in his embrace as he asked, ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    Thedy was surprised and then she said, ¡°Who knows, I might have or not?¡±

    Shi Lang was not going to let her away with this and began to tickle her. Amelia struggled but she still failed to break away. The street was filled with her mellowughter. They entered the house, and after spending some time with the elders, they are both moved back to their room and did what two adults should do to make babies.

    When they came down the next morning, Amelia said while eating her breakfast, ¡°Lang, shall we get it down today?¡±

    Shi Lang looked up and said, ¡°How about after school? The civil certificate bureau will be open till five. I will get there by four. You cane there directly with Tao.¡±

    The girl nodded and then they finished their meal. Shi Lang left for school and Amelia began to spend some time with the little girl. She was patient and gentle, Tao had been exposed to the people of the family and thus she was not shy or hesitant now.

    While they were ying, Amelia asked, ¡°Tao, how about me and Lang be your guardians?¡±

    Tao raised her head from the screen and asked in confusion, ¡°Guardian?¡±

    Amelia smiled and said, ¡°You see Granny Luna and Gramp John?¡±

    Tao nodded and Amelia continued, ¡°They are Shi Lang¡¯s parents and guardians. When he was young and weak, they protected him from harm. Shi Lang and me, are not your real parents, but we can be your guardians till you are strong enough. Would you like that?¡±

    The girl thought for a bit and asked, ¡°Will Tao leave when strong?¡±

    Amelia shook her head and said, ¡°Did Shi Lang leave when he became strong?¡±

    Tao shook her head, and Amelia said, ¡°Then you also do not have to leave.¡±

    However, the next series of questions stumped the gentledy. Tao asked, ¡°Where your guardian, Amy?¡±

    Amelia replied, ¡°My mother is in a different house.¡±

    Tao asked, ¡°Why you leave when strong?¡±

    Amelia did not expect the little doll to ask something like this. She smiled and picked up Tao to have her sit on herp as she said, ¡°Women are different from men. You will know that when you grow old. I did not want to leave. Lang took me away to bully.¡±

    Tao tilted her head and asked, ¡°Lang bad?¡±

    Amelia chuckled and ruffled her little head and said, ¡°No, he is good.¡±

    ¡°You confuse Tao.¡±, the little one pouted and went back to ying, leaving a surpriseddy, who chuckled after regaining herposure.

    Soon it was time for them to leave the house, Tao was dressed in a pink skirt dress, looking very lovely. Luna was busy clicking her pictures and John was rubbing his neck which was strained from excess shaking. Amelia wore a dress simr to Tao and held her hand as they said good bye to the old couple.

 Chapter 328 Shi Tao.

    Shi Lang had just finished filing his daily work log and was making his way out of the staff room when hismunicator rang. He looked up to see who was calling and a faint smile emerged on his face. He epted the connection and asked, ¡°Have you arrived?¡±

    Amelia replied from the other side, ¡°Yes, we have. Where are you?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Just got out of the building, give me ten minutes.¡±

    Amelia approved and the call was disconnected. Yuu happened to be walking behind Shi Lang and asked, ¡°Hmmm, going out on a date?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, ¡°Sort of.¡±

    His smile was shallow, but the glee reflected in his eyes was simply too shining for anyone to not notice. Yuu was intrigued and leaned closer as she said in a hushed voice, ¡°Is Amelia expecting?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised and then he sighed as he said, ¡°If only that was the case, however, you better hold the horses of your imagination. It is nothing like you are thinking.¡±

    Yuu asked, ¡°What is it then? Why are you mystifying the scenario?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I am not doing anything, a few days ago, I took my family to wave mountain for an outing. There I found an abandoned child. I bought her a home and then took care of her. I located her mother, she turned out to be a psycho, so we decided to adopt the child and raise her.¡±

    Yuu was surprised but not that much, she knew Shi Lang was apassionate person. She nodded and said, ¡°Very good, I am proud to say that you were once my student. You did a good thing.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and the two arrived at the school gates. After seeing him off, Yuu went back to the building to deal with a few pending matters. While Amelia drove the car to the authority office. Shi Lang happened to be wearing a light pink shirt as well. It looked like the three of them were a family.

    Tao was confused at first but then she smiled as if she liked the matching outfits. The car arrived at the authority doorstep and the three got off. A lot of people were still present even with the closing hours nearing.

    All the people were here for different things, some came to get marriage certificates, while same came to part ways. Every city had one such office with all different departments in different buildings. Shi Lang held Tao in his arms and Amelia followed him to the child welfare department. This was the only authority that could allow one to adopt a child.

    Shi Lang had doneplete research about this process. This building had a rtively smaller queue, most of the people were divided in two groups, one group was here for the interview to see if they pass the criteria necessary to adopt a child. While the other was here to finalize the documentation.

    A huge number of the people in the terran civilization were open to adopting. Shi Lang had confidently came over to do both these things in one go. He had told Amelia about this, after all, the authorities won¡¯t allow them half-assing things even if they were on the high pedestal.

    After half an hour, it was Shi Lang and Amelia¡¯s turn, the couple was guided inside the hall. Only one party was allowed inside the building hall at a time, this was to maintain the secrecy of the procedure as much as possible and to suppress the public opinion, and also to maintain the privacy of the people visiting.

    Yes, there were a lot of other methods to do this efficiently but Federation decided to focus on matters moreplicated than the process of getting certificates. This system was upgraded throughout the times but it was still missing the technological touch. The procedure was handled by humans and humans only. After all, it would be too rash to hand over a child based on what an AI responds to.

    Shi Lang had no problem with this, on the contrary, just this once he supported this workology. Well, only for today. The couple walked in and a staff member greeted them with a subtle smile. It was a middle-aged man, wearing a white shirt and ck pants, with the logo of the authority office embroidered on his left chest pocket.

    The man smiled and said, ¡°Hello, sir, madam. My name is Richard, I will be your guide here.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, ¡°Hello, Mister Richard. My name is Shi Lang, and this is my wife, Amelia Knight.¡±

    Richard nodded as he usually would and then asked, ¡°Can I please check yoruc redentials?¡±

    The couple nodded and they quickly showed their credentials to the man, who froze in his spot for a moment. The credentials were not divided in two identities, one when you are on a mission, which disyed your code name and designation during the mission. While the other was for civilian use and admitted all over the federation when off duty.

    Shi Lang¡¯s identity credential said, ¡®Fleet General Shi Lang¡¯ and then it mentioned the awards he holds. This was enough for Richard to know who this person was. He did not even look at Amelia¡¯s card properly. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and asked, ¡°General Shi, please follow me to the interview room. There you will be evaluated by the panel of high ranking officers in the department. We ask for your patience and cooperation.¡±

    Thisst sentence was added exclusively for the young man. His rank has scared the shit out of Richard. The pressure was invisible, but tangible. Richard walked slowly, making sure that he does not fall and embarrass himself in front of the power couple.

    Amelia wanted to chuckle but Shi Lang signaled her not to, the man in front of them was a civilian who was just doing his job. Tao walked between the two, looking at the surroundings and asked, ¡°Lang, why empty?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°It is my first time here as well, I will ask and tell youter, okay?¡±

    Tao nodded sensibly, and they arrived at the interview room. Richard said, ¡°Sir, the child is not allowed inside, she can y here with the bots while you go through the procedure. Is that alright?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said to Tao, ¡°y here with the bots, we will be back in a bit.¡±

    Tao was flustered all of a sudden, this was a ce she did not know about. She was worried if Shi Lang would leave her. Her eyes turned misty at this point. Shi Lang crouched down and said gently, ¡°Do not worry, I am not leaving you. How about I get you something to wear so that you do not hear what the elders talk about and thene inside?¡±

    Tao grabbed the corner of his sleeve and nodded. Shi Lang controlled the nanobots in hismunicator and cast a noise cancetion ear cover for her. He looked at Richard and asked, ¡°Can we bring her inside? You must be aware of her history, she is still very sensitive about it.¡±

    Richard thought for a bit and said, ¡°I will ask them first, please wait.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Richard entered the room when Amelia asked, ¡°Could we not have done this with a stamp from the president?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I just wanted to do it normally so that their is not problem in the future.¡±

    Amelia pinched his shoulder and said, ¡°Being too modest is troublesome, Lang. You need to get this, if you can have someone deal with such things for you, then what is the harm?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and Richard came out of the room. He received the permission from the interviewers and the three people went inside the room. They sat across five people, all of them were old and had a calm facial expression. The man in the middle said, ¡°It is an honor to have you here for such a noble deed. I am Kahn-Shir, greetings, General Shi, Colonel Knight.¡±

    The two nodded and exchanged greetings. They were asked a few questions regarding their ideas and reasons. How they will look after the child and stuff. In the end, Kahn-Shir asked, ¡°The final question, imagine that the two of you have children of your own in the future, can you guarantee that your love for Tao will not change even one bit?¡±

    Shi Lang and Amelia exchanged a smile and the man said, ¡°We can.¡±

    ¡­

    Half an hourter, Shi Lang and Amelia walked out hold Tao¡¯s hand and came to their car with big smiles. Tao asked, ¡°Lang why smile? Amy too?¡±

    Amelia chuckled, she turned around to look at the doll in the back seat and said, ¡°Form today onward, Tao will be our family, and her name will be Shi Tao. Do you like that?¡±

    Tao was confused at first and then she mumbled, ¡°Shi Tao, nice.¡±<!--

    -->

 Chapter 329 Schooling Begins.

    Shi Lang brought Tao back home and even cooked dinner personally after ages. He was happy from the bottom of his heart. After putting Tao to sleep for the night, he sat down with Amelia and his parents.

    The older generation was happy to have someone call them grandparents, but Shi Lang was acting a bit too happy. Luna asked, ¡°What is it? Why are you so happy?¡±

    Shi Lang looked at her and said in a calm tone, ¡°As the cultivation grows, your body bes stronger. The stronger you be further you stray from the path heavens have decided for you. As you stray away from this path, the harder it bes for you to have children of your own.¡±

    This statement enlightened the old people and they were shocked, which human did not want to have children of their own? With such advanced technology where people can have children even if they have problems with their germ cells. Shi Lang¡¯s revtion to them about the bounds of the heavenly path was too skeptical.

    Shi John frowned and said, ¡°What do you mean by that? Did you not say that cultivation means defying their fate?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, ¡°It is not that simple. People can defy their own fate at the cost of constantly staking their life as they grow stronger, how much strength do you think is needed to defy the fate of someone who cannot even control their limbs?¡±

    The parents could tell that this was a serious issue but they did not want to give up just like that. A human wished to have children so that their family line can continue. A child was like an extension of their own. Shi John asked in a dejected manner, ¡°Is there really no other method for you to proceed?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°There are methods to conceive, however, the process will be dangerous. It will need us to locate the rarest of the rare heavenly elixirs. The spiritual energy on the is too small to give birth to such elixirs for now. It could take a decade, or even centuries for the spiritual energy to grow strong.¡±

    Luna sighed and asked, ¡°Why does heaven give people strength but then shackle them in an even crueler manner?¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°You misunderstand the purpose of these rules mom.¡±

    Luna chided, ¡°Enlighten me oh great wise man.¡±

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, ¡°You may think that I am the strongest in the federation. However, there could be a lot of hidden experts who areying low. Federation is our home, so we do not have to be worried about it too much, however, what about the people in the vast ster space?

    For the sake of my duty, I have offended a lot of people, and some are strong enough to destroy the entire, let alone a puny ant like me. So, till the time I am strong enough to face these people, I do not want to increase the possibilities of the people around me getting harmed.¡±

    The two elders finally understood what he meant. For the sake of his family¡¯s safety, he was not in a rush to have a child with Amelia. They understood and then everyone calmed down. After a few minutes, the entire family went back to the rooms to sleep. Shi Lang was sitting cross-legged on the ground and was cultivating when he sensed a gaze on his back.

    He smiled faintly and said, ¡°You are thinking that I do not want to have children because of you?¡±

    Amelia nodded and said, ¡°Is it because I am weak?¡±

    She has just reached the peak of the core condensation realm, and her strength was too far away from that of Shi Lang. This disparity between the two of them has always bothered her. Shi Lang opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise. He asked, ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡±

    Amelia avoided his gaze. Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°It is not that you are too weak. It is because I am too weak. When I went out for the Gctic showdown I found that despite being strong, I could not take on the people in the A tier.

    The strength and the speed they all disyed in the showdown was something that I can only achieve after a hundred years.¡±

    Amelia was surprised and she asked, ¡°What did you say? The strength that would take you a hundred years to achieve? How strong were these people?¡±

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ¡°I had OB-One record footage from their matches. It turns out these people have special bloodlines, and they were capable enough to leave a deste in rubbles.¡±

    Amelia sucked in a cold breath. Shi Lang went on to tell her the things he saw, and his voice was filled with battle intent. His scarlet eyes were glowing with mes of war. Amelia understood his heart very well, the strength disyed by those people must have triggered something inside Shi Lang that made him so cautious.

    However, she did not know that the reason he had be so calm was to tame his asura mind even more. The battle lust in his mind was enough to urge him tomit suicide by challenging stronger people than himself. The other reason was that Shi Lang recalled the people in his past life were killed just for breathing in the presence of a supreme being.

    Supreme beings were the people who could cultivate. They did not leave a way out for the mortals and thought of them like ves or puny insects. He did not wish to cause trouble for the people around him by being too daring. He was cautious for the sake of his ties.

    If he was the orphan that he was in hisst life, he would have tried to seek adventure and opportunity, but not in this life. He had to take things one at a time. Amelia went to sleep with a resolution to get stronger. Shi Lang did not wish to see her down-hearted and so he told her that they were still young and given that they could reach the current realm at their age without splurging on high-quality resources, they were very good, all they needed was time.

    The night passed quickly, and the next morning, Shi Lang got ready, and he went to see Tao in her room. He found the girl to be rubbing her eyes, she seemed to have just woken up. She saw Shi Lang and smiled at him. The smile was akin to a lilying to bloom. Shi Lang smiled as well and said, ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Tao replied, ¡°Good Morning.¡±

    Her voice was very gentle. It was because of her physique, the spirit body. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Do you want to go to school?¡±

    Shi Tao thought for a bit and nodded. The young man walked up to her and sat down beside her on the bed and said, ¡°In the next month, we will start to learn things at home. Then we will take you to the school to get admitted.¡±

    Shi Tao nodded, she did not have any problem with this. The child was still sleepy and she leaned against the big body next to her, feeling warm. Shi Lang patted her forehead when Luna¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Tao, babye for breakfast.¡±

    Shi Tao replied, ¡°Yes, Granny.¡±

    Shi Lang scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the room. The family ate in peace and Shi Lang left the house after telling his mother that a simtion pod will be arriving at noon, so she should get it set up in the study room.

    ¡­

    When he came to his ss, he found the students grinding on the books with great focus. They were also helping each other with things they did not understand. Shi Lang got on the podium and the students stood up to greet him.

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, ¡°You guys have been too stressed, I have decided to give you all a little push for the finish. How does that sound?¡±

    The students cheered and Shi Lang smiled as well, he said, ¡°Calm down, the next phase is your schooling. You all have a poor foundation, and I n to restore that. I want to ask you all, do you wish to stand at the peak of this world and lead it forward to stand on the peak of this realm?¡±

    The students fell silent for a moment before they all said in unison, ¡°Sir, yes sir!.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°You all will fail miserably.¡±

    His words surprised the people they did not understand why he said such a demoralizing thing. Shi Lang said, ¡°You all will fail miserably, because you have yet to even suffer what it feels to have your chest burned with napalm, and that is just to steel your resolve.¡±

    The schooling of the sadistic master had begun and the students were in for a round trip to hell.<!--

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 Chapter 330 Power Of Thoughts.

    The students did not realize the agony they were about to suffer. Shi Lang said, ¡°Call your parents and tell them that you will be spending the next month in the academy. You will stay in in-house amodation. Two people in one room. Your training will begin now.¡±

    The students were energetic when they heard this, but well, when has a newborn calf been afraid of a tiger? They quickly contacted their parents and guardians and told them about the training session. The parents knew the identity of the teacher, so they willingly allowed them to stay back at school and even asked them to pay attention to their studies.

    This was done and Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, follow me.¡±

    The man got down the podium and the ss followed after him in neat queues. They passed many other ssrooms and were seen by a lot of students. The news circted immediately. Many were curious but they did not make a move as the teachers forbade them.

    Shi Lang was not worried about the things that were going on around him, he was simply going to treat his ss with extreme care and teach them a good lesson today. His intention was to let these guys understand the disparity they have to face when they pursue strength and the dedication they will need to climb the obstacles in front of them. Some students were like him, who had yet to consume any gene serum and had a very faint chance to unlock the star levels.

    He wanted these students to realize that luck only favored the strong. They arrived at the special hall on the campus. This ce was where the students were sent to serve detention. Theseus asked, ¡°Teacher, why are we here?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°This ce is big enough, and has better sound istion technology installed, at the same time, it has sixty med bays installed in it.¡±

    Chou asked, ¡°Sixty Med Bays? What for?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°They are to provide support to the city or the students in case of emergency. Now,e on.¡±

    The students found that something was odd about this whole exnation but they still followed him inside the room. They were not very clear about the intention of their ¡®kind¡¯ teacher.

    Soon they all stood in a big hall. Shi Lang said, ¡°Go, stand in a circle, Quo Lina,e with me.¡±

    The circle was formed quickly and two figures stood in the center of the circle. Shi Lang smiled, ¡°From now to the next 30 days, I will teach you allbat. I will guide you all one by one. Daily, till you arepletely exhausted. Now your homework is to learn from each other¡¯s mistakes, observe the fights, and break them down. Okay?¡±

    The ss nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°Lina, take positions ande at me.¡±

    Quo Lina nodded and she rushed forward to attack Shi Lang, however, the moment her fearless eyes matched with Shi Lang, she froze, and then fainted. Shi Lang did not use any ocr technique to subdue this girl this time. The ss was shocked, this was too fast for them to even observe, let alone break it down. Almost everyone cast their gazes at Theseus, who was stunned at this moment.

    He could notprehend what just happened. Shi Lang picked up the girl in his arms and then sent her to the corner to recuperate. He looked at the people and said, ¡°I forgot to mention it earlier, but when youe to strike at me,e with the intention to kill.¡±

    His voice was calm and the people felt a chill running down their spines. They did not expect the teacher to say such a thing. Theseus asked, ¡°Teacher, why must wee with the intention to kill?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, ¡°Only when you have thoughts imbued in your actions do you have a chance to reach me. The soldiers on the frontline are all battle-hardened and they know that if they did not kill the person or creature in front of them, they will be the ones who die.

    The reason I ask you toe at me with the intent to kill is for you to develop sharper senses. On the battlefield, when you can sense the killing intent, you will be able to counter it. So, to understand what the power of thoughts is, you need to develop your own thoughts.¡±

    The students nodded in understanding. Theseus said, ¡°So, just now, you targeted Quo Lina with your intention to kill?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡­

    The ss continued, and by the time Quo Lina woke up, almost the entire ss had taken a trip to thend of darkness. What they did not understand was how can a gaze be so terrifying. Shi Lang was standing in front of Theseus, who has been observing and was thest to get in the ring.

    Quo Lina sat up and looked at the two people standing, facing each other. The battle was yet to begin. There were a lot of other students watching the scene. Theseus was gazing at Shi Lang, or precisely over his shoulder.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Come.¡±

    Theseus looked at the man¡¯s face and then he charged ahead. He managed to take two steps when Shi Lang said, ¡°Do you think staring at me is the intention to kill?¡±

    His voice was low, but enough to make Theseus freeze in his steps. The rest of the ss also shivered, they had been through with this and knew what was going on. Quo Lina said, ¡°This is the power of thoughts.¡±

    The people beside her also understood, they could tell that the power of thoughts was incredible, and could even sense it vaguely, but they did not understand how to incorporate it with their thoughts.

    On the other side, Theseus thought about killing Shi Lang, but it was just an idea, he did not really believe it. The next moment, his gaze matched with Shi Lang and he fainted. Shi Lang carried him to the side and sat down on the ground. He waved to the people who were already awake to sit down.

    They all sat down with their legs crossed, they heard a calm voice, ¡°Meditate.¡±

    The students followed the instruction and began to meditate. Their breathing was in sync with each other. If anyone paid attention, one could hear a light whooshing sound. Shi Lang waited for everyone to wake up.

    When Theseus woke up after half an hour, Shi Lang opened his eyes as well. He gestured for him to sit down and meditate. The student sat down and the teacher stood up with his hands behind his back as he moved around the room leisurely.

    When he detected that Theseus and the rest were in deep meditation, he said in a soft voice, ¡°Now imagine, if someone or something that you love or care about deeply is ced in front of you.¡±

    After a few minutes, he said, ¡°Now, imagine someone or something that you do not like, in the same frame with the object you hold close.¡±

    The breathing of the students flickered for a moment. Shi Lang faintly smiled as he walked around, and said, ¡°Now imagine what you will do, if that person, killed or destroyed your object of likeness?¡±

    The people were enraged, and their breathing changed. Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°What you are feeling now is anger, this is not the intention to kill.¡±

    The people were enlightened. Shi Lang did not give them the time to calm down and said, ¡°Now you imagine yourself in the frame, and then imagine that person doing the same destruction in front of you.¡±

    The breathing changed again, and this time even the fists of the people were clenched. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You wish to do the same to that person, you wish to kill that person standing in front of you for harming what you love, that is, killing intention. Remember this feeling, remember what it feels like to have your loved ones suffer.

    If you are to die on the battlefield then your loved ones will suffer. So get stronger. Strong enough to stop this imagination from turning real. Strength is falling down, getting humiliated, but then standing up one more time and charging forward. Avenge yourself, and your loved ones, and y whatever stands in your way. Even if it is the heavens, the gods, or the devil. Do not back down, and y what troubles you.¡±

    He was instilling something that will change the mindset of the students for their entire life. After he was done preaching he did not n to stay behind and said, ¡°I want to you all toprehend this feeling you experience just now, recall that scene when you charged at me, and recall my reaction. Sit here till you have some idea. Also, do not share your thoughts with each other.¡±<!--

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 Chapter 331 Federal Competition.

    Shi Lang did not spare any second in tempering the students. They were simply walking on the edge of death for the past month. Day and night, Shi Lang would beat them, grind them, motivate them, and teach them all sorts of skills.

    The medical pods were swapped with hybrid simtion pods. While they were recovering from the injuries during the ss, they would spend time inside the simtion realm, and learn different things. The capabilities of the people were increasing at a rapid pace. After one month of constant pressure, the impurities in their foundation were removed.

    Shi Lang had transformed the ss into a small unit of the military, they could now go head to head with the advanced ss, and the results tied. This was the effect of a month of training. During this time, Quo Lina had advanced to a level where her gaze could stun the enemy for a second. She was simply the biggest treasure in the ss.

    That wasn¡¯t all, Chou had advanced in the aspect of body refinement, and he was able to take Shi Lang¡¯s attacks without breaking his bones. Well, fine, twenty percent of Shi Lang¡¯s force and not his full force.

    If that were to happen, regardless of anything, Chou might have to be scrubbed off the floor. Theseus had undergone a transformation. He was smart and good at applying his battle skills, they were all micro-managed and very lethal. He would use his sharp mind to attack the vital points to control the opponent, then he would go in for the kill.

    Theprehension they all had differed from each other. During thest month,munication between the students was scarce. They would support each other morally, but never help in oveing the obstacles rted to cultivation. This was the only rule Shi Lang hadid down for them if they tried to break the rule. He crushed them.

    Yes, one time, Quo Lina tried to help Chou, and she was left to crawl to the med bay with two of her legs broken. She was an exemry student, in both ways. If she was outstanding in terms of her skills, she was also the most punished student. Her heartpelled her to do the right thing and help her friends.

    After she was crushed, she was very defiant and challenged Shi Lang to battles, although she lost every single time, in the end, Shi Lang told her that her helping hand will only divert them from the path of their own. This diversion will cause their skills to be limited in the future. Only then did thepassion in her hearte to a temporary stop.

    She was a good girl and did not like to see her friends be troubled. After a month in training, they were all given a day to go back home and rest. In the meantime, Shi Lang went back home to deal with things at home. He was going to bring Tao to stay in the school lodgings with him. At home, he will not be able to give her the training she needed.

    His parents will go crazy if they saw the young darling of their lives going through the process of body tempering. The young man came back home and found that the parents were preparing to take Tao on a vacation. Shi Lang decided to be the viin, and said, ¡°Mom, you two are causing me trouble.¡±

    Luna looked at him and said, ¡°What do you mean? Are we stopping you from training her?¡±

    Shi Lang simply sighed and said, ¡°Have you seen me strengthening myself? Have you seen how many times I havee back drenched in sweat and blood when I was in school?¡±

    The parents were stunned, they realized that they have never really seen their son working hard. Although Luna did find traces of blood on his clothes and sometimes she found him too exhausted to even sit down and eat dinner with them, she just thought that her son was weak and this was why he was unable to take the load from thepetition.

    She did not want to tell him to give up and break his heart. Shi John has seen him a few times, but not when he was battered from tempering his body in the gravity chamber to the point that his bones were dislocated.

    Shi Lang did not know how many times his school life had he visited the infirmary or was told by the teachers that he would need to wait for a period of time before he could resume cultivating. Luna wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, ¡°Mom, Tao has a special body, she is alive because I have put on some seals on her, if her body did not grow strong enough to tolerate the impact of that energy, she will die.¡±

    Heid it down thick on them. The parents were shocked, and they exchanged nces, Luna asked, ¡°Are you sure you are not doing this because you do not want us to take her on vacation?¡±

    Shi Lang gazed at her strangely and said, ¡°Can you stop watching all those bullshit dramas?¡±

    Then he went to Shi Tao¡¯s room, earlier he sensed that the little girl was eavesdropping on them. He pushed open the door and found the girl sitting in front of the study table, acting as if nothing happened. He sighed and said, ¡°Tao, I know you heard it all.¡±

    Shi Tao lowered her head in guilt, after all, it was bad manners to eavesdrop. The young man patted her head and said, ¡°Do you wish to have a happy time with your grandparents?¡±

    The girl dazedly nodded. Shi Lang said, ¡°When you are strong enough you can go out with them. Right now, you have seals ced on your body. I told you earlier, right?¡±

    Shi Tao nodded, she was aware of everything. Shi Lang had told her stuff on their first meeting only. The young man said, ¡°If you did not get strong enough then you will not have much time left to enjoy with them. I do not want to push you through anything but I am helpless, after all, I cannot have my lovely daughter die, right?¡±

    He did not want to hide anything from her, the sooner she understood the gravity of the situation the better it would be for her and her future. Shi Tao has been schooling in a simtion pod for a month now, and she understood a lot of things now. When Shi Lang called her daughter, she smiled slightly.

    Shi Lang caught this reaction and said, ¡°How about it? Till momes back, we two stay in the school, and then take a break with her and grandparents to tour?¡±

    Shi Tao nodded but did not raise her head. She was very shy. Shi Lang rubbed her head gently and packed her stuff in suitcases. The next morning, he carried the girl in his arms while a smart suitcase followed the two. Luna looked at the scene and sighed. She said, ¡°Do you really have to take her away?¡±

    Shi Lang was about to reply when Shi Tao said, ¡°Granny, Tao will be back soon. D-dad promised me that we can all take a vacation when momes back.¡±

    The two old people were stunned, not by the fact that their princess was advocating for her abducter, but by the way she addressed Shi Lang. Before today, Shi Lang was called Lang by her and Amelia was Amy. However, she called them dad and mom, which was too surprising.

    Luna was happy and said, ¡°Yes, yes, my love, we will do as you say.¡±

    Then her eyes turned into knives as she red at her son and said, ¡°If my baby suffered in your care. I will disown you.¡±

    Shi Lang shivered, he could tell that his mother would actually do this. He had to be careful in teaching Shi Tao. He nodded to the old couple and took the child to the school. Federal Star Academy allowed the teachers to bring their children around and teach them personally, however, if they used the resources from the school, the teacher will be punished severely.

    ¡­

    The ss was gathered in the detention center, which was now dubbed, Demon Hall, by the students. The training sessions here were too scary for them. Shi Lang stood in front of the students who were meditating. Today, another cassock was added to the queue, Shi Tao was sitting there with them.

    Shi Lang gave her a simple task, which was to focus on her breathing and try to match the breathing of the senior students. This way she would be able to understand the importance of breathing in cultivation with ease. Children did not try to understand the logic behind things, they imitated others.

    Quo Lina suddenly opened her eyes and said, ¡°Teacher, I have a question.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and the girl continued, ¡°Teacher, can we participate in the federalpetition?¡±

    This question made the whole ss fling open their eyelids. Shi Lang looked at their faces and said, ¡°Do you know the risks of thispetition?¡±

    The people nodded, and Shi Tao asked curiously, ¡°What is Federal Competition?¡±

 Chapter 332 Rage.

    Shi Lang nced at his students and then at Shi Tao as he said, ¡°Go on, tell her what you know about thepetition.¡±

    Theseus stood up, he was slightly surprised by this young girl, who joined the ss. He still maintained hisposure and said, ¡°The Federal Competition is held every year, however, only young students below seventeen are allowed to enter. Thispetition is organized with the idea to nurture young students and give them a glimpse of what real fighting could be like.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°That sums it up. Sit down, Theseus. Now that you know the basic idea behind thepetition, allow me to tell you what it is that you all have to worry about. Thepetition is more like a rivalry between different schools.¡±

    Shi Tao tilted her head, she looked extremely adorable, and the girls in the ss were mesmerized. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°The federal star academy is not the only academy in the federation. It stands on top of the rest of the schools, whether it is in terms of size or quality. Every year, the participants from our school have to face toughpetition. The rest of the schools gang up and they all target our school.

    This increases the load of the people, so despite how awesome our graduate students be, we have yet to win the trophy from the federalpetition or should I say, Federal youthpetition.¡±

    The students all opened their eyes in realization. They did not know about such a thing. Theseus said, ¡°To think such a method was used to suppress the young talents in our school. Teacher, is it really impossible to stand against those people?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°It is not impossible, however, since you all came forward with this proposal, I leave it to you all to figure out the way. This will be your first test.¡±

    Shi Tao pouted her lips and said, ¡°I do not like tests.¡±

    The rest of the students smiled and Vanessa said, ¡°We do not like them either, but teacher Shi loves to test us.¡±

    Shi Tao scratched her head as she did not know what to say about this. Shi Lang said, ¡°Except Tao, all of you get going, give me a thousand push-ups, and Vanessa will have to do additional three hundred squats.¡±

    Vanessa scrunched her nose and wanted to cry, but no tears came out of her hollow eyes. In the past month, the pain and torture they have suffered were enough to temper them enough to endure this punishment. Shi Lang punished them because they showed dissatisfaction. In the military, the soldiers were not allowed to express dissatisfaction regarding the orders. This was seen as a taboo, and Shi Lang trained these guys to be soldiers.

    The ss got up and beganpleting the tasks they were given. Shi Tao watched them all from the side, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Dad, when can Tao do that?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°After Tao manages to channel the energy in her body using the breathing method.¡±

    Shi Tao pouted but she did notin. Shi Lang scratched the tip of her nose gently and said, ¡°Come on, get back to meditating.¡±

    The girl was obedient and she followed his words. Shi Lang looked at the students at the side and said, ¡°Theseus,e here.¡±

    The young man walked over while panting slightly. Shi Lang manipted hismunicator and passed him a few documents. He said, ¡°These are the dedicated training ns I have made for you all. Pass it to them.¡±

    The young man nodded and went back to pass on the ns to his ssmates. The students were happy to receive the ns, they knew that their teacher would not mislead them and make proper ns for their future. Shi Lang had a great experience, he was omnipotent to them. So, the students followed the ns with great dedication.

    Thepetition will be held a monthter, and Shi Lang nned to have as many of them cross to the third-star level. Theseus and Vanessa eased up his pressure as they paid strict attention to their ssmates and none of them were allowed to ck at all. The school life seemed to be moving on slowly, until one day, Shi Lang heard a rumor, that Teacher Shi was using school resources to support his daughter.

    Shi Lang ignored it at first, but one day, Shi Tao came to the ss with a handprint on her face. The ss was in session when the killing aura in Shi Lang¡¯s heart leaked. The students all froze; some were having difficulty breathing, and one fainted and fell to the ground. Shi Lang retained his aura and asked Shi Tao gently, ¡°Tao, who hit you?¡±

    At this moment, the students noticed the faint handprint on Shi Tao¡¯s cheek. The girl shook her head. She did not meet Shi Lang¡¯s gaze. The young man caressed her cheek and the spirit energy healed the bruise. Then he raised her chin with his fingers and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Shi Tao¡¯s eyes turned red, she could not help but throw herself in his arms. He was the only source offort for her in this world. She loved Shi Lang a lot. She started weeping, and for the first time in her life, she cried.

    Shi Lang did not rush her to tell him what happened to her and who was responsible for it, even if she did not tell him, he will be able to find it out with ease. He just stood there, letting the little girl vent her grief. He patted her back gently and said, ¡°There, it¡¯s okay now. You have me, right?¡±

    Shi Tao calmed down after half an hour and said, ¡°I want to go back home.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°Why is that? Do you not like it here? All the elder sisters are nice to you, and big brothers pamper you too right?¡±

    Shi Tao shook her head in his embrace and said, ¡°Only your ss is good to me, that elder sister said that Tao is a bastard who gobbles free food. She said that Tao is a witch.¡±

    Shi Lang froze, his heart turned cold at this moment. The young man blinked to control his anger and asked, ¡°Who is that elder sister, tell me, I will tell her that my Tao is not like that.¡±

    Shi Tao exined how a girl approached her and asked her what her rtionship with Shi Lang was and then she started scolding her and saying bad things. Shi Tao told her not to say such a thing and that she was innocent, but then that girl pped her and told her to get lost.

    Shi Lang clenched his fist and said, ¡°Baby, you stay with Vanessa. I will go solve this matter.¡±

    Shi Tao shook her head and held onto his clothes, he knew that she did not want him to leave her. So he gave in and said, ¡°Come, we will go out now.¡±

    He carried the little girl in his arms. Theseus said, ¡°It is bad, let¡¯s follow them. There is a misunderstanding, and given how angry the teacher is, he might go on a rampage.¡±

    The ss quickly followed the young man. Shi Lang was walking through the campus with cold eyes, and his aura alone pushed the people away from him. The temperature was low and the ss following him in distance caught the attention of the entire faculty. Shi Lang did not care about anything, he was headed to the administration office to find out which ss the girl, who hurt Shi Tao, belonged to.

    Quickly he arrived at the office and asked the operator to narrow down the search and find the student. His ring crimson eyes were so frightening that the operator did not dare to ask anything and quickly found what he wanted. Shi Lang asked Shi Tao to recognize the girl who hit her.

    Shi Tao recognized the student and Shi Lang said, ¡°Let¡¯s go meet this, Student Aria.¡±

    Shi Lang carried the girl in her arms the entire time. At this moment, the advanced ss had organized a rare sports meet for the teachers and the students. However, the people present here have caught the whiff that something was wrong with the celebrity of their school.

    Just then they caught sight of Shi Lang followed by his ss walking over with a child in his arms. They found it odd as to why the entire special ss wasing over with the teacher. An old teacher asked, ¡°Teacher Lang, what brings you here? If you are going to participate in this meet, how will we old fellows win?¡±

    Shi Lang smiled amiably and shook his head and said, ¡°I am not here to y, Senior Alto, I am here to find a student.¡±

    The old man and the rest were surprised, they thought that the student who caught the eye of Shi Lang must be special. Another teacher said, ¡°Teacher Shi, tell us which student caught your eye. However, you are not allowed to poach.¡±

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, ¡°I am a simple man, my humble self cannot teach such an amazing student.¡±

    This statement shocked the people.

 Chapter 333 Clearing Names.

    Shi Lang¡¯s tone made the teachers understand that he was not here in peace. His aura turned cold as his gaze fell over Aria. He sensed Shi Tao shiver and controlled his anger. The people all fell silent, and an old teacher asked, ¡°Teacher Shi, is something the matter?¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Sir, please call over student Aria, she will be the one to tell you all what the matter is.¡±

    The teachers seemed to know Aria and their gazes all turned to her almost simultaneously. Aria was a girl with golden brown curly hair and a round face with big eyes. It seemed as if she was a doe straight out of the woods. When she was gazed at by the teachers, her eyes flickered with some guilt but it was covered up quickly.

    Sheposed herself and then said, ¡°Teacher Shi, I do not understand what happened?¡±

    Shi Lang sneered and said, ¡°Are you sure about that, student Aria?¡±

    The cold tone made everyone shiver as his gaze was avoided by a lot of students and teachers alike, but Aria was looking back at him with no change in her expression. Shi Lang was not going to kill her but he will definitely not allow to let her to get away with this.

    Aria said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Very well.¡±

    Then he controlled hismunicator and then the holographic video of what happened a few minutes ago yed in front of everyone. The faces of the people changed. The teachers of the advanced ss looked at Aria with dark faces.

    They found the wellposed girl to be shocked. Shi Lang smiled and said, ¡°You are very nice, to think that you would dare to go through the securitywork of the school and then you will delete the surveince footage. Very gutsy of you, student Aria.¡±

    The old teacher asked in a stern tone, ¡°Student Aria, what is this all about?¡±

    Aria was flustered and Shi Lang looked at the girl behind Aria and said, ¡°Student,e forward and act as a witness, or you will face the same punishment as her for not stepping up and stopping her. Just so you know, the one who watches wrong things happening is no less wrong than the culprit.¡±

    The student beside Aria was her best friend, and she was scared by this threat. She said, ¡°Sir, Aria and I were in the cafeteria when your daughter also happened to arrive. We were behind her in the queue and the cafeteria head was on serving duty, when she saw your daughter, she smiled and gave her extra sweet candy.

    Aria frowned at this and mumbled, selling cuteness is such a profitable job and that too at such a young age.¡±

    The faces of the other people changed and Shi Lang¡¯s gaze turned cold, the people could sense that his anger was rising with every single second. Shi Lang looked at the girl and said, ¡°Continue.¡±

    The student nodded and said, ¡°Then your daughter took out a bottle of pills and ate them. This red up Aria, and she went up to scold the child without checking the source of the bottle. She used a lot of abusive terms. At the end, when the little girl told her not to say such things, she pped her.¡±

    Shi Lang clenched his fist. He looked at Vanessa from the corner of his eyes and said, ¡°Tao, baby go stand with sister Vanessa.¡±

    Shi Tao did not ask him to leave her alone, as her heart has calmed down after crying earlier. She climbed down and went to stand with Vanessa after the words from Shi Lang. The man said, ¡°Putting aside the fact that private fights are banned, you hit a child. Forget her student status or not, you did not care about the fact that you are a cultivator while she is not. Do you know what would have happened if she had gotten hurt more than a bruise?¡±

    Aria did not look back at him, but suddenly Shi Lang said, ¡°Raise your head.¡±

    His soft voice was akin to a spell that she could not break and raised her head, and then the scarlet eyes of the young man in front of her shone. Aria only saw herself standing in front of her house as Shi Lang walked in front of her. Then she watched how Shi Lang tied her to the chair and then killed all her family one by one in front of her.

    The method was ruthless. It was unlike what a human will do, it was like a monster, who liked ying with his prey before killing them. She did not know what to do or how to stop him and could only watch him kill her family. None of the living beings were spared, he even killed the pets in the house and made her watch.

    Suddenly, when he walked towards her she woke up from the illusion and fell on her knees. Shi Lang did not let her fall to the ground and picked her up. He looked into her eyes and said, ¡°Aria, you are the star of the advanced ssroom. I want to tell you that what you saw just now would have been real, if not for the fact that you kept your strength in check.

    Another thing is that the people outside the federation are stronger than me. You as someone who will have the responsibility of the federation on your shoulders cannot act the way you did today. Because if you offended someone you shouldn¡¯t have, the entire civilization might have to pay the prince.

    Do you understand, what I am trying to say to you?¡±

    He channeled his spirit energy through her body to make her calm down. His voice was calm and his gaze was soft. He did state that he would have done what she saw just now. Aria was shaken to the depth of her soul. Shi Lang asked, ¡°Now, student Aria, can you tell me why did you target my daughter?¡±

    The girl said in a soft voice, ¡°I heard that she has been consuming the school resources without any payments because she is your daughter. Ie from a small house and have to work hard for everything, so, I could not take it. I am sorry, Teacher Shi.¡±

    Shi Lang sighed, he ced her on the ground and patted her head gently, and said, ¡°My daughter has been learning the ways to meditate and nothing else. The pills you all see are the ones I personally refined for her to help her medical condition. She has been frail and sickly for a long time, and that pill is just to keep her healthy. I have all the receipts to prove that. If I found this bullshit rumor circting around once more, I will find out the source, and then, regardless of anything, I will have you dance in the school ground naked.¡±

    His words scared the people more than a death threat, as respectable personas they preferred their dignity more than life. After all, talent can be killed but not humiliated. Shi Lang then said, ¡°Forget it, I hope this does not happen again.¡±

    Aria, who stood with her head down, while she med herself for acting on impulse, the people around her looked at her scornfully. Shi Lang turned back and came to Shi Tao. The little girl was watching Aria the whole time and then the people around her. She said, ¡°Dad, can we bring that sister with us too?¡±

    Shi Lang was surprised, he looked at her and asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    Shi Tao said, ¡°She is lonely like Tao was. This is not a good thing and she apologized earlier.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at Aria and said, ¡°Go, ask her if she wants toe over to learn with us.¡±

    The teachers were taken aback, after all, earlier Shi Lang was so furious. Looking at the teachers around him, Shi Lang said with a faint smile, ¡°I did not get angry because of Aria pping my daughter. It is only normal for students to have feuds. I had the biggest feud in school history. I was angry about the reason why she acted out.

    As a valedictorian, she is supposed to be better than others and I have held her in high regard. This is not a lie. I did not expect her to act like this and thus the anger.¡±

    The people finally understood what was happening, and they also understood why Aria lost control. She was a go-getter, everything she had, came from blood sweat, and tears. So, her built-up frustration burst out over the little girl.

    At this moment, Shi Tao stood in front of Aria and with a slight caution, the little girl asked, ¡°Big sister, are you alright? Would you like to learn from my dad? He is a good teacher.¡±

    She acted cutely and her innocence broke thest restraint on Aria¡¯s tears. She knelt down and cried while hugging the little girl, who not knowing what to do, patter her back like Shi Lang did for her.

 Chapter 334 Mission.

    Shi Lang returned to the ss with his students after the ruckus came to an end. Watching Shi Tao today, Shi Lang decided to hold a public lecture weekly. This idea was supported by a lot of teachers and the principal approved of it as well.

    Shi Tao spend the rest of her time practicing her breathing matter and suddenly she thought about the reason behind this particr breathing. As she moved forward with her practice, she realized the slight change in her body. Compared to the normal breathing rhythm this one made her body warmer and improved her blood cirction.

    She was in the ss when she noticed this change and began to increase her pace. Shi Lang was guiding a student with his sword-wielding when he noticed this and said, ¡°Tao, slow down, you will hurt yourself.¡±

    His voice was as if a spear, that pierced through the shell of meditation and jolted Shi Tao awake. The girl furrowed her brows, seemingly displeased with the disturbance. She red at Shi Lang, who walked over to her and with a faint smile said, ¡°You silly girl, do you want to get hurt so badly?¡±

    Shi Tao did not understand this and Shi Lang said, ¡°Our body is delicate, it can only handle a little amount of stress, when you push it beyond the limits it will break down. The human body is different from a machine, you can only increase the capacity slowly, and one mistake can cause big damage that might be irreversible.¡±

    His words enlightened the little girl and she nodded, Shi Lang patted her head and said, ¡°Good girl, I will get you that chocte you like in the evening, okay?¡±

    Shi Tao smiled and nodded adorably. Shi Lang went back to his work and began to grind the students. The training picked up pace in the following days. The venue of the youthpetition was set as Elton City. This ce was known for its nightlife and the notorious underground fighting hubs.

    Recently these hubs had be trouble for the police. The syndicate behind this organization has changed and the person was very good at avoiding detection. The reason these hubs became a pain was not only the illegal fights they organized but also the human trafficking that happened under the shadows.

    The police were forced to enlist the help of the secret divisions but the enemy was so cunning that he managed to bypass the secret division. The whole syndicate stopped working for the past few months and waited for the secret division to retreat before they surfaced again. This time round they kept things low profile and thrived on the business.

    Another reason that this syndicate was raking in money and power was how they hooked in some big names in the federation. They used all means necessary, stock maniption, honey trapping, and even murders. The means they used were simple and terrifying.

    Shi Lang did not know any of this till he received a call from the Commander of the Shadow Snare Special division. The call was made to report the situation so that Shi Lang could assign a better team to help them, however, themander was shocked when Shi Lang said that he will be in the city for the youthpetition as a teacher and he would look into this personally.

    Themander told him that his best operative will be in the city to help him. Shi Lang epted the offer and went out for a walk with Shi Tao after dinner. He let the girl ride his shoulder and he told her many stories. The girl was fascinated by it all and would ask him interesting questions.

    Shi Lang would reply to all of them patiently. To be honest the rest of the students were envious of Shi Tao because when the teacher faced them, he was a monster they cursed in their hearts.

    A month passed in a blink and the people got consent from their families. The status of Shi Lang¡¯s ss had undergone a striking change. Every one of them entered the third star level of cultivation and Shi Lang also had them all form teams of five and trained them all in a manner where they all developed their own unique way of thinking. This way of thinking would help them in situations when their unitmander was not in ce.

    The style of fighting could be tagged as chaos but when General Edwards watched the units perform in the simtion realm, he could not help but nod in appreciation. This group of students was capable of fighting on the private level of the army.

    ¡­

    After a month the students all boarded the buses from the school and moved to Elton City. Shi Tao was going there with her grandparents and mother. Shi Lang had told Amelia about the mission he will overtake and during this time Shi Tao¡¯s protection will be handed to her. After all, if he missed something and the enemy harmed Shi Tao, he might lose his coolpletely.

    He did not want to end up creating a massacre in the city. Shi Lang was going along with the students. Throughout the journey, he did not say anything and closed his eyes. The students also grabbed the chance to rest and they all sat silently.

    Some of them were chatting with themunicators. A student asked, ¡®Why is teacher Shi so silent all of a sudden?¡¯

    The other person replied, ¡®He must be tired, in the past month I did not see me sleeping. He was literally on duty for a month, it is good that he can rest.¡¯

    Another guy nodded and said, ¡®Indeed, he did not go home for our sake.¡¯

    ¡­

    After seven hours, they reached their destination. Elton Military Academy. The students were asked to stay in the hotels nearby the school as the dormitories were already filled with students. Thepetition was going tost for a week and during this time Shi Lang had to be quick and catch the mastermind behind all the ruckus in this city.

    As he got down the bus, he met a guy from the past, Dacrx stood in the distance with a goofy smile on his face, and Shi Lang shook his head.

 Chapter 335 Investigation.

    Shi Lang sighed as he caught sight of Darcx. He turned around to look at Theseus and said, ¡°Theseus, you will follow Instructor Yuu, check into the hotel and stay put till thepetition begins, I will be back in time before you all go through the tests. Second, make sure that none of you is left behind, follow the unit code, and stick together. This bustling city is no less than a forest with many snakes lurking in the dark.¡±

    Theseus caught a hint of warning in his words and nodded, then he ryed the message to the ss and they all followed Instructor Yuu. After the crowd of students moved out of earshot, Shi Lang snapped his fingers and signaled Darcx toe over. Thetter walked over and said, ¡°Long time no see, Boss.¡±

    Shi Lang did not say much and directly asked, ¡°Have you be so useless that you cannot find the enemy inside our house?¡±

    Darcx was deted and said, ¡°Boss, you do not know how cunning this person is, he never surfaces, and all the raids that we conduct on the human trafficking division turn up empty. I cannot help but think that we have a mole among us.¡±

    Shi Lang crossed his arms and nodded, ¡°It is indeed quite possible, or this person has a irvoyant ability.¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°We did think around that line, and investigated the people registered with this ability however none of those people are located in Elton City. They do not have any ties with shady business at all and are all posted on differents, serving the military.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°The military is too controlling of this ability, I will look into this.¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°So what shall we do?¡±

    Shi Lang said, ¡°Find a secluded ce, who knows if someone is keeping an eye on us. Let¡¯s do it in my room at the hotel.¡±

    Darcx nodded and the two of them moved. Shi Lang did this to avoid suspicion from the people watching in secret. He could sense people looking at him, but even after looking at the scene with his spiritual sense, he could not find a single set of eyes that was focused in their direction. Thus he decided to move to the room.

    The two people acted like old friends and talked about all sorts of things from the past. The syndicate was strong but not strong enough to find out the origin of the two people. They reached the hotel room and checked in quickly. They got inside the room and searched the ce for bugs. They found several bugs, so Shi Lang used hismunicator and sent a text to all his students to scan their rooms without missing an inch.

    He did not want his students to suffer from detection. After the bugs were recovered he did not destroy them and have them ced inside an istion formation array. This way the enemy will not be alerted that he has been found out.

    Darcx saw this situation and said, ¡°Boss, you sure are generous towards your students.¡±

    Shi Lang looked at him and said, ¡°They do not act like a crybaby when I put them through training.¡±

    Darcx¡¯s lips twitched from the corner as he said, ¡°You have changed, Boss.¡±

    Shi Lang brushed it all off and said, ¡°I want a list of all the registered ability users in this city.¡±

    ¡°That could number in thousands,¡± said Darcx.

    Shi Lang said, ¡°I do not care. Just get me the data. Or do I need to call your director?¡±

    Darcx sighed and surrendered to his fate, ¡°Yes, Boss, I will get you the data as soon as possible.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Arrange a remote set up in this room. I want a surveincework set up.¡±

    Darcx shook his head, ¡°Not possible, the people in the surveince bureau are afraid of the people in the syndicate.¡±

    Shi Lang asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Darcx shrugged and said, ¡°A few months ago when we tried to investigate, a few officers supported us, however, when the teams retreated, the syndicate assassinated the families of the officers and made them watch the scenes for days before the officersmitted suicide.¡±

    Shi Lang was shocked, he did not expect the power of the syndicate to be this strong, and even government officers were not spared. Who could be the mastermind behind this? Shi Lang stood up from his seat and began to move around the room. He furrowed his brows tight, this character was proving to be a tough opponent.

    He did not know what to do. Suddenly a thought clicked to him and then he said, ¡°What was the economic status of this city before the syndicate surfaced?¡±

    Darcx was surprised and said, ¡°Boss, this city was popr but the economy was normal before the syndicate.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Let me guess, the business boomed after the unauthorized fighting arenas?¡±

    Darcx nodded and Shi Lang said, ¡°Find out where the first arena opened and who was the person behind it.¡±

    Darcx nodded and got to work. Shi Lang started to investigate all the usible ends that he could find. The young man jumped into the quagmire without any hesitation. To be safe he told Amelia to not leave the family unguarded and always wear defensive shield equipment.

    He looked at Darcx working up a sweat and said, ¡°Did you not get married?¡±

    Darcx almost fell and said, ¡°Boss, can you not give me a scare, I am still young, okay.¡±

    Shi Lang nodded and said, ¡°Since this guy is so cruel that he does not mind killing children and women, help me find out about people who have an emotional scar toward their families. At the same time, call over extra hands. We are short on manpower, though make sure that all these people are fresh faces and cover their tracks perfectly.¡±

    Darcx nodded and said, ¡°Boss, we have three ways to follow.¡±

    Shi Lang sat down and gazed at the ceiling as he said, ¡°I want to see, who is this fucker.¡±

 Chapter 336 On Site.

    Shi Lang passed down themands and Darcx fulfilled them with excellent efficiency. The two people cooperated seamlessly and worked for the whole noon. Then Shi Lang stood up to leave the room. Darcx asked him, "Boss, where are you going?"

    Shi Lang said, "The underground boxing arena I want to visit one of them to see what they are ying at."

    Darcx stood up and said, "Should I apany you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No need, I just want to confirm if there is a mole behind us or if the people behind the syndicate are really irvoyant."

    Darcx did not get to say the next thing when Shi Lang came out of the room and closed the door. He moved at a calm pace. His actions were in line with an average man who would rather spend his daydreaming about quick cash and getting rich. He was a school teacher by profession. Such thoughts were in line with his profile.

    The young man moved around the city, randomly window shopping, and then he went to a cigarette retailer, bought a packet of smokes, and asked the retailer, "Yo! brother, do you know where can I find one of those fighting arenas?"

    The cigarette retailer was a young guy with dyed hair and a lot of fat on his chin. The fat guy was stunned and began to look around. When he found no one around, he narrowed his gaze and looked at Shi Lang as he asked, "Are you new in the city?"

    Shi Lang was ''surprised'' and asked with a cautious expression, "Brother, how do you know?"

    The fat guy said, "Is it not obvious by the way you are asking such a sensitive question so loudly that the entire city might find out?"

    Shi Lang looked stunned and the fat guy continued, "Now, the reason those arenas are called underground it is because they are operated in secret. Do you think the government is just for show?"

    Shi Lang nodded as he received enlightenment. The fat guy taught this poor guy and had a smile of satisfaction as he asked, "Why do you ask me about this though?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Brother, I do not know what to say. I am a teacher at the federal star academy, but my ss is filled with problem students. I do not have much hope to earn big. I need to earn some big money to pay off my debt or the people will sell my organs in the ck market."

    This was the second time Shi Lang had passed this shop on, and earlier he saw the fat guy giving a few credits to a beggar. Thus, he asked Darcx to investigate this guy, and when he got the result, he decided to use this guy as his fishing stick.

    He revealed an expression so dreadful that the fat man was shocked and his eyes were glistening. It was as if he would cry at any given moment. He still did not let down his guard and asked, "What debt did you incur?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I was weak in terms of cultivation, and the only good way to earn a decent living is to get into the army. I took a loan of ten million credits for a gene enhancement serum. The effect was good, and I joined the army, but my rank was not good enough andst year, I got injured on duty and they posted me to the academy."

    The fat guy sighed and said, "What a fool you were, sorry brother. You have my condolences."

    Shi Lang took out a cigarette and set it on fire with an electric lighter. He took a deep puff and then exhaled the smoke in the void. The fat guy caught a look ofmentation in his eyes and said, "Well, since you want to push your luck to the end. Come with me."

    Shi Lang was surprised and looked at the fat guy, who came out from behind his counter and then he closed the shop. The fat guy said, "My name is Theodore Socrates. I used to be weak in strength as well, and till thest few months, I was even homeless."

    The young general was shocked, he looked at the fat guy and the person said, "Yes, your guess is correct, I made all this money from one correct bet in the arena. Just one bet."

    Theodore said, "This shop and the house behind are worth ten thousand credits. It is small but big enough to shelter, at least, I do not have to shrink under some shed when it rains."<sub> </sub>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You are indeed correct brother. Can you take me to the arena, maybe, my pitiful life still has a chance for salvation?"

    Theodore nodded and led the way through the bustling streets of Elton city, after a few minutes, the fat guy stopped and said, "Brother, your identity card does not mention your army status correct? I am telling you it is really difficult for on-duty soldiers to get in the arena."

    Shi Lang waved his hands hurriedly, and said, "No brother, I am medically discharged. Also, I have a different card for the school teacher. It does not show my military status at all."

    Theodore nodded and asked, "What was your rank in the military?"

    The young general said, "I used to deal with things in the background."

    And the fat man eximed, "You were in the technical department, and I was wondering if you were injured on the frontline."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "How can that be? I was injured by an explosion in the server room, my brain heats up rather quickly when I pay attention to my work."

    Theodore nodded in realization, and patting Shi Lang''s back he said, "It is fate that we met, brother. Come on, let us see what your fate holds."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then he followed behind the fat guy. He was manipting hismunicator and asking Darcx to create a fake ID for him inside the military system as well as a profile. He mentioned the key points that were to be included in the profile. Themands were precise and the reply was ''okay, boss.''

    Ten minutester, Shi Lang received a profile and ID on hismunicator. Hismunicator looked like a normal one but the software inside could control the entire federation. So, to keep things from leaking, he simply entered a restricted mode, where only the normal features were avable, and then he sent a few messages to the people close to him, reminding them to stay calm in case he was out of reach.

    Theseus was included in this list as the ss will be headed to the Elton City Military academy and dram lots for the initial group rounds. Shi Lang had promised them to be present and now that he decided to venture deep inside the tiger''s den, if he was upied and missed the event, the students should not get affected because of him.

    Theodore told him a lot of things about the arena, such as the rules and betting system. Of this Shi Lang found out that the syndicate had set up a lot of shell ounts. Shi Lang intended to make a gamble and try to investigate these ounts as well. If the money flow led him to the mastermind behind all this, then he will be able to nab the guy as well.

    It took them half an hour more before they reached a disco, this ce was called Arabian Nights. Shi Lang followed Theodore through the door and passed the security check. They did not frisk him much and let them in. They entered the club and a loud bass greeted Shi Lang. The ce was echoing with high-tempo music with neon lights painting the faces of the people inside.

    Some were intoxicated, and some were pretending to be intoxicated. Shi Lang caught the subtle changes in the metabolism of these people and knew that they were all men from the syndicate. He was impressed by the strict security. Shi Lang caught sight of a ce where the people were asked to take off theirmunicators and jewelry before passing, with his spirit sense.

    His weapons were ced in his space ring, but if he was asked to take it off, it will be useless. So, he said, "Brother, is there a washroom here?"

    Theodore nodded and pointed at a corner he told Shi Lang. The young general went inside the washroom and searched the ce when he found nothing that could monitor him. He sneakily ced his handgun and his sword in his spirit tattoo. As he did that, he said, "To think that I will be using you again, old vault."

    Then he came out of the washroom, and Theodore led him to the secure corridor, only scarce people were seening in or out. The guards here were all stronger, they seemed to be above four-star level. Shi Lang was surprised to see this. To think the such talent was here. However, when he scanned them with his spirit sense, he found that the people were all carrying scars of forced promotion.

    He was intrigued even more, to find who was the boss of this syndicate.

 Chapter 337 Bustling.

    Shi Lang came to Theodore and they proceeded to the secured passage. The two of them were thoroughly checked, and then they were told to leave theirmunicators and jewelry behind. Shi Lang was confused and asked the guard, "Elder Brother, how do we bet if themunicator is ced here?"

    While he said this, he extended the cigarette bow towards the guard with both hands. His posture was akin to a ve in the cooperatepany trying to please his boss. The guard was going to re up but when he saw the stance of the person he sighed and took a cigarette and said, "Inside you will be able to ess your ounts by biometric login. Do not worry, our ce is legit and upright. You will not be cheated."

    Shi Lang nodded repeatedly and thanked the man before heading ahead. Theodore looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze and said, "I did not expect you to be socially adept, brother. These guards are all rough men, yet you conversed with one of them. Good guy, I admire you."

    The young generalughed goofily. The two of them came inside from a pair of sliding automated doors, and Shi Lang found himself standing in a new world. Theodore said, "Wee to the Arena."

    Ady approached them, she could be ssified as a mediocre beauty, but she smiled with great enthusiasm and asked, "Patrons, would you like me to show you to the betting counter?"

    Shi Lang nodded and thedy bowed as she said, "Please follow me."

    Thedy was wearing exposing clothes, the cut on her blouse had left the valley of joy on disypletely. Theodore has been gazing at her with a fiery gaze and almost drooling, but thedy did not have any reaction to this gaze, after all, everyone here was the same. Shi Lang did not want to stand out, as he did not know if anyone was the spy of the syndicate leader.

    Thedy led them through the bustling crowd to find a counter where the match-ups were listed and also the number of matches the fighters have won and their previous achievements. Theodore looked at the holo screen and said in a hushed tone, "Brother, you are from the military background, who do you think we should bet on?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "Data can be deceiving, can we not see the people fight and then bet?"

    The hostess behind the counter heard this and said, "Sir, you can bet after thirty seconds of the fight begins. However, anyter than that, your bets will not be epted."

    Shi Lang thought about it, they are not wrong, the fights will be high-paced, and allowing the patrons to better might result in the fight ending. He nodded and asked for the rtive procedure for betting at the match.

    The hostess patiently guided him and the two people were led to grab a seat in the observation area. Shi Lang and Theodore sat on a rather high seat surrounded by other people. Shi Lang could not believe how these people managed a venue housing thousands of people at the same time. The government had no idea of such a ce existed.

    This was not a threat to anything other than the infrastructure. Such a big unauthorized ce must have some loopholes, such ascking foundation and stuff, after all, the buildings standing over the surface were all skyscrapers, how could this underground ce handle so much weight from above?

    Shi Lang focused on another problem, the people working here all seemed to have forced their cultivation breakthroughs and almost all of them carry the strain wounds from back then. This was definitely something terrible, such a forceful breakthrough was done for a reason, to intimidate the crowd and project a strong image. This way the people will be hooked and try to make contact with the syndicate.

    This was aplicated business action, by more people connecting with them, the roots of the syndicate will grow deeper, and slowly the entire Federation will be a hollow ruin of glory. Shi Lang''s brows furrowed, he wished to kill this guy who was standing between his goals.

    This investigation was nothing but a time consumer for him. Just when he was lost in thoughts the lights went out. The only ce lit up was the center of the arena, where a cage was erected. This was the ring, ten feet square feet. A beautiful woman walked into the cage with minimal clothing to cover her body, and the crowd started cheering.

    Shi Lang said, "They really went all out in the attention-capturing aspect."

    Theodore beside him nodded and said, "Indeed, if they do not add the pinch of mour, how will the broken and desperatee here?"<sub> </sub>

    Shi Lang nodded, this was indeed true, those who thought of their lives to be broken and devastated looked for joy and bliss in such exhibitions. The woman walked around while swaying her waist and the men were almost drooling, suddenly, thedy stopped and spoke up with a seductive tone, "Wee, my dear patrons. I am Wilma, and I wee you to another night of blood boil rumble of the warriors!"

    The crowd erupted at her words, Shi Lang furrowed his brows at such a loud noise. To think that this ce did not have any high-quality music system but was drowned by intoxicated humans. The woman in the cage waved her hands and the people calmed down. To think she had such amand, suddenly Shi Lang thought if he could have this woman.

    Just as this thought came to his mind, his eyes gleamed with a cold light. Finally, he understood what was happening in this ce, this woman had cast a charming spell or to say a bewitchment technique on the men here. He hid the chill in his eyes to prevent detection and began to act like the people around him.

    The woman said, "Now the time hase for the first battle of the night, I give you the two boxers from the ck level, Tian, and Holmes. While Tian has won seven fights in a row, Holmes had won nine, and they both stand in front of each other with an undefeated march, but can Holmes make a record andplete a ten-win streak?

    Let theme in..."

    The two people walked inside the cage from different sides and they both were entangled in a stare-down. The crown was also cheering for their favored fighter. It was a chaotic situation. Shi Lang was, however, focused on the woman standing at the side of the cage. She seemed to be smiling at the two people, but her lips were faintly shivering.

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and internallymented, ''To think thisdy can even use subtle mind control and fix the battle."

    His spirit sense detected the blood cirction in Holmes''s body to fluctuate. He was going to be the first person to win ten fights in a row, and the people could not let this opportunity go. The entire arena had almost better on Holmes.

    Shi Lang curled his lips and using a remote ess console on the chair armrest, he withdrew a few thousand credits from the bank and then ced them on Tian. He was not going to meddle with the operation here, but this woman was going to be his ve from now on.

    The battle began as soon as the woman in the ring waved her hand and headed out of the cage. The two candidates rushed at each other and as expected, Holmes rained down a furious assault on the opponent. The people who were yet to bet thought Holmes will win and they ced their money on him.

    Shi Lang leaned back in the chair and watched the scene unfold, as soon as the marker of forty seconds passed, Holmes fumbled, and Tian exploited the mistake of his enemy with an uppercut to thetter''s chin. This punch rambled Holmes from the inside out. The impact on the chin sent his body into shock and Tianshed out with inhumane assault.

    Holmes, the expected favoritedy on the floor with blood gushing out of his nose and mouth. His condition was not very good. The team of medics rushed in and took him out for medical assistance.

    The woman walked into the cage again and she began to congratte Tian for his victory, and said, "Now we will take a small break till the ring is cleaned up before the next fight."

    At this moment, a husky voice sounded in her ears, "A fox is truly a captivating beast."

    The pupils of thedy constricted to pin-points. She could not understand who was talking to her. The voice sounded again, "Come to find me after the match, otherwise, you will lose out big time."

    Thedy shivered, she could not understand, who was this person talking to her, but since he knew her tricks, a meeting was the only option left.

 Chapter 338 Entrapment.

    Shi Lang watched the battle, and as he predicted, Holmes lost. Theodore asked him, "Brother, please tell me that you did not bet on the loser?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Luckily I bet on the winner. Hahaha, I ced a bet on my entire saving, one million credits. I earned back seven million."

    Heughed loudly and watched Theodore''s shocked face. The fat man said, "Brother, you are too bold."

    Shi Langughed, and said, "Since I had to stake it all on my luck, then why not stake it all at once? If I had lost and tried to win back the money, it would have been even more agonizing. Would it not?"

    Theodore nodded and said, "Indeed, you are correct. Now that you have seven million, you can bet a small amount in the next match and get the rest of the amount. This way your problems will be solved and you might even get more money to get by in the future."

    The suggestion was nice, but Shi Lang could not do that. He shook his head and said, "Brother Theodore, if my luck was good, then would I have been born in such conditions where I could not even buy a gene enhancement serum and stake my life for it? I will not take such a risk now."

    Theodore nodded but then with a thoughtful look, he asked, "Brother, what you say is correct and that was also the reason why I did not bet the second time. I onlye here to watch the matches. However, what will you do about the rest of the money?"

    Shi Lang stoppedughing all of a sudden and then scratched his head as he replied, "Brother, I did not think that far. This seven million might not be able to pay it allpletely, but it might give me an extension on life. No?"

    Theodore sighed and nodded to the man. He said, "Well, since you have made up your mind, I will not push you, Let''s leave this ce."

    Shi Lang nodded and cast a gaze a feiry gaze at the woman in the ring. Then he sighed as he left, Theodore looked at his action and said, "You better not have ideas about her. She is the red widow. Countless men have died under her skirt."

    Shi Lang asked in confusion. "What sort of name is this? Red Widow."

    Theodore sighed and said, "She earned this name, as an orphan with not-so-good cultivation talent she was trafficked and pushed into the flesh trade. However, she was a witty girl, she managed to kill all the people in the vi they arranged. When she came out, she was drenched in blood from head to toe.

    Later she was adopted by the racket head, groomed, and trained in skills like assassination and seduction. That old man died because he lusted after her. Later on, it is said that she fell in love but then something twisted happened, her lover died on their wedding night.

    Since then she became the red widow. A poison that can kill anyone who gets too close."

    Shi Lang pretended to be shocked and shivered as he followed Theodore. He looked at thedy again and mumbled, "Thankfully, you woke me up."

    Theodore patted his shoulder and the two came to the betting counter and queued up. Shi Lang turned his head back towards the observation area and locked onto Red Widow. He channeled his thoughts to her mind.

    Thedy was amidst an announcement when she froze. The crowd was stunned and then they started booing. Red Widow woke up from her stupor and continued hosting matches. Shi Lang collected the money in his ount and then walked out of the ce with Theodore. On the way back they collected their belongings and Shi Lang asked, "Brother Theodore, what is thatdy even doing here given her tough background?"

    Theodore was surprised and then he said, "Look at me, I forgot to tell you. She is the boss of this Arena. One of the ten fingers in the syndicate. Although I do not know much, when I was a beggar, and the syndicate had just sprouted into being, the information about them was leaked frequently."

    Shi Lang nodded, he knew about the inner structure of the syndicate, but the names of these people were different and their faces were not avable in the record, this made Shi Lang surprised. He asked, "Brother, how do you know all this? I came here this time because an oldrade in the investigative team tipped me, but even they do not know so much."

    Theodore smiled and said, "They know it, but they did not believe it without evidence. The federal government always says, without evidence, none is a criminal. Thus, no information is avable to them."<sub> </sub>

    Shi Lang nodded and realized another loophole in the federal system. The philosophical loophole was causing them to act blind. He put things aside and decided to focus on the next step of his investigation. He asked, "Brother, which is the best restaurant in this city?"

    Theodore smirked and said, "The best restaurant is probably The Almanac, yeah, you earned good today, one meal won''t hurt you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I want to order some food from there for my daughter."

    He put up th emotional front and Theodore nodded with appreciation. The two reached back to the smoke shop and Shi Lang invited the fat guy for a meal, but the man shook his head and blessed Shi Lang to have a good time with his family.

    Shi Lang bowed to him for his ''help'' and then left the ce. He headed to the mentioned Restaurant and ordered a few dishes to be packed. The waiter obliged and asked Shi Lang to wait in the lobby area. The young general sat down and began using hismunicator.

    The meal would take at least half an hour, that time was enough for him toplete his work. Shi Lang had researched the best restaurant in the city already on his way back with Theodore before he asked him the question. He told thedy in the ring, "I will wait for you in the best restaurant in the city. If you came, then I will give you the solution to your worries. But if you did not, then I will have everyone know, what you just did. Do not worry, I have proof to validate my im, I hope you do not intend to test them for your good."

    That was what made thedy shock in the middle of her presentation. The young man did not have to wait for long when ady came in from the front door. She was wearing a ck windbreaker and a red hat. The staff led her directly to the sitting area. Thedy began to look around, searching for the man who had contacted her.

    She was looking around like an anxious fly, when suddenly, a voice echoed in her brain again, "Stop pretending to be anxious."

    Thedy froze and looked around, but this ce was high end and the sound istion barriers were erected. Everyone was simply busy enjoying the food or talking amongst themselves. Red Widow did not spot anyone even remotely looking at her.

    Shi Lang was sitting in a different areapletely, but it was thanks to his spirit sense that he was able to do such things without getting spotted. He said, "You canmunicate with me by speaking your thoughts. Do not worry, I can hear them loud and clear."

    Thedy found it hard to believe, but then she asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang could not hear a single word she said, but he could read her lips with his spirit sense, and replied, "Although it is not important for you to know who I am, allow me to be courteous to you, I am Asura."

    He decided to pass on the name from his cultivation sutra. This way the enemy will be upied by searching for a target that did not exist. Thedy asked, "Where are you? Why don''t you show yourself and hide like a coward?"

    Shi Lang replied in a calm tone, "Why shall I show myself so that I die like your poor husband?"

    He was not afraid of stabbing the nerve of this woman. As he expected, Red Widow replied, "Fucking swine, dare you to say that again? I will kill you and your entire family."

    Shi Lang replied, "You cannot, well forget it, consider yourself ignorant. Now, allow me to tell you something. The secret behind the deaths of men, who tried to get into bed with you is nothing else but you, yourself."

    Red Widow clenched her fists and said, "How dare you say that? How dare you fucking bastard."

    She had lost her calm and stepped inside the vivid web of Shi Lang.

 Chapter 339 In The Palm.

    Shi Lang had tricked thedy by enticing her emotions and nerves. Humans were simply too easy to give in to their emotions. Shi Lang knew this but he also knew that humans can simply go berserk if they are pushed into a corner.

    He said, ''You misunderstand the intention behind my words. What I mean to say is that the cause of the deaths around you is your condition.''

    Red Widow was shocked, she could notprehend what he wanted to say when Shi Lang spoke again, ''Your physique feels unbearably cold during full moon nights. The chill emerges from the depth of your bones.''

    These words shocked Red Widow, she could not help but utter, "How do you know this?"

    Her face was contrastingly different from what it was a moment ago. She was shocked to the core. Shi Lang replied, "Not only this, but I also know that you keep yourself warm with the help of many means."

    Red Widow changed her perception, she took a few seconds to calm herself down and asked, "What do you need from me, Sir."

    She was a person who knew how to bend and stretch when the need arouse. Shi Lang replied, "Information."

    His term was enough to tell and state his purpose and identity. Red Widow was shocked to see that the Federal Government sent such an expert to deal with them. As she was mulling over the options she had, Shi Lang said, ''You can go and tell your leader that I am here to hunt him down and that I will find him at any cost. When I do, I will have his guts spilled on the ground in the main square. However, before that, I will take everything from him. Everything that he built on the blood and sweat of the people of Elton City.''

    Red Widow raised her head and said, "What do you know about the leader to even use him like that? Some data that was fed to you by the government?"

    Shi Lang chuckled in her mind and replied, ''You think I do not know that the guards and the entire staff of the syndicate are based on people with forced cultivation? Do you think it is easy to hide the seque left deep within their bodies? The government does not know this but I do. The next target of my investigation will be the source of gene enhancement serums you guys have. I will locate the source and destroy your supplies, and I will not let a single person involved walk away alive.''

    Red Widow could sense a chill that was far stronger than what she felt from her body. She was flustered but she did not wish to give in so quickly. She said, "You can do what you want if you are so powerful. What do you need the information for?"

    Shi Lang smiled as he collected his packaged food and said to Red Widow, ''You will know what I can do and cannot in the next few days. The only reason I wanted the information was to prevent bloodshed. Well, you cane to Elton Square after the big event, if you seek a solution to your problems, the physique problem, and the death toll of your syndicate employees.''

    That said, he walked out of the restaurant with his food parcel. Then he asked for a dessert to be packed as well. However, he did not talk to thedy. Shi Lang waited for a few minutes before he left. This was done simply

    ...

    After Shi Lang left, thedy tried to speak to him for a few minutes but after she received no reply, she left with many insecurities in her heart. She did not tell anyone about what happened, because she did not believe that Shi Lang would be so strong or capable.

    ...

    Shi Lang reached back to the hotel and found four more people inside. Darcx introduced them as the team members he enlisted for the operation. They were all freshers and had yet to go on a single task, but they had scored the highest in their training sessions. The candidates were two females and two males.

    They all had distinct looks, but they had one simrity. Their eyes were sparkling when they looked at Shi Lang. The young general nodded to them and said, "Well, you guys will have to deal with the congested space in the room as I do not wish to be located by the syndicate this early. Also, I will be giving you some tasks, one is to locate the influential members of the Arena located under the club, Arabian Nights. Clear?"

    The four people immediately reacted, "Yes, Sir."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Take it easy on the response, we are under cover, where discipline is needed only to get through the tasks and not for showcasing."

    The four people nodded and Darcx asked, "Boss, why do you intend to target this Arena?"

    Shi Lang gazed at him coldly and said, "You idiot, do you not understand the essence of secret divisions even after such a long time? Which fools tried to out-list the suspects from the previous investigation? I want all that data in front of me by the evening, also, locate a gene serumpany that has been rather low-profiletely. I do not want the standard protocols for investigation, in this case, understood?"<sub> </sub>

    His aura was strict and left no room for the people to maneuver and nodded. Then Shi Lang left the room with the food parcel in his hands. The four people got to work, with Darcx quickly as thetter said, "Boss sure is the old ve driver."

    ...

    Shi Lang came to wait at the gates of the Elton military academy. He did not enter the premises but stood outside. He had contacted Theseus, who told him that they will being out in a few minutes.

    After a few minutes, Theseus and the rest walked out, and they all were looking confused a bit. Shi Lang asked, "What happened?"

    Theseus replied, "We got thest batch."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is so weird about it?"

    Quo Lina said, "Teacher, the Federal Star Academy has been ced in thest group for the past ten years. Is this not too much of a coincidence?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good observation, and that is your first lesson in this tournament. Things are notpletely fair. Also, regardless of what little tricks they have or not, you guys are strong enough. As important as it is to not look down on your opponent, it is of equal importance to know your own strength."

    Quo Lina nodded and said, "That is true, if we all act together we will be able to get to the top."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, also, take this. My treat."

    He handed them the food parcel, the students were surprised but they epted the parcels with big smiles. Shi Lang said, "Share it with each other, I will get you guys some sweetster."

    The students thanked him and they all followed him back to the hotel while discussing issues they had in their cultivation. Shi Lang was someone they all idolized, and until he was in his uniform, he would act like a guy next door, especially with children who were going to be the pirs of the future.

    Shi Lang asked, "When are you all ying?"

    Chou said, "Three days, teacher."

    Shi Lang nodded and then they reached the hotel. The young general contacted his wife and then told her about the arrangement and gave her a brief intro to the mission. Shi Taoined to him about how he did note to see her, but then he coaxed her with an excuse that things were dangerous and it will be harmful.

    Shi Tao had caught up to the basic knowledge points and understood that the job her father was not a walk in the park so she calmed down.

    ...

    An entire day passed in a blink and Shi Lang received information from Darcx. The Gene serum manufacturer''s detail. Darcx had conducted the tests and this small-scalepany was found guilty. They had enough evidence trails as well, such as the missing production samples and testimonies of the employees interrogated by Darcx.

    Shi Langmunicated with the general council and said only one sentence when the people were wary of his proposal, "We need to make a statement that such fradulency will not be tolerated. If they have any troubles, then they cane forward and the government will deal with it, but such acts of anarchy by endangering their own futures will not be tolerated."

    The people agreed to his suggestion of making a statement. Shi Lang geared up and Darcx volunteered to be his support. The two people dressed in their ck attire, and Shi Lang put on his old mask with a sword tied to his back. They left the ce under the cover of darkness, heading to their location at a speed faster then lev vehicles. Shi Lang had this situation in the palm of his hand.

 Chapter 340 Massacre.

    Shi Lang and Darcx stood in front of a small building. This was the office of the small gene manufacturingpany. Darcx had investigated and the people of thispany were all with shady backgrounds. They all had some sort of dark past.

    Shi Lang said while gripping his sword, "When I enter the building, you should stay outside if your heart is not strong enough. Also, channel spirit energy to cover your body. It will help us avoid thermal and infrared surveince."

    The voice was as cold as the wind from the ciers. Darcx shivered and said, "Okay, Boss."

    Shi Lang walked around in the camouge suit, blending into the surroundings. He did not wish to trigger the enemy''s instincts. Who knew if the people in this ce had an independent surveince system? After a few minutes of circling the ce, his doubts proved to be true. There was indeed awork of cameras to look for them.

    Shi Lang used hismunicator, tapped into the signal emitted by the system here, and said, "OB-One, I want this system down."

    An indifferent voice sounded in his ears, "Yes, Sir."

    That said, the bot took only five minutes to reply back to Shi Lang that the task waspleted. In the meantime, Darcx ran a scan over the building and told him, "Boss, there are fifty people inside the building, including thirty guards, all seemingly unregistered fourth-grade Terrans and they have weapons."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "They must have a record of their shady dealings and working methods, I want you to dig that record out. I will handle the rest of these low-lives."

    Darcx nodded and he climbed the building from the outside Shi Lang entered the premise from the front door. He removed his camouge, and the guards on the ground floor immediately took notice of him. One of them raised his gun and said, "Who are you? What do you want?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Your guts."

    Then his figure vanished from the spot and his de swung. Theyout of the floor was simple, with a reception counter facing the door, four burly guards were stationed in the area to maintain order and keep the people out. Shi Lang did not care whether it was four or forty, he was in there to kill and spill their guts.

    The first time his swords shed, the target wailed in pain. Shi Lang literally cut the man across his belly making all the internal organs fall out on the floor. The scene was absolutely garish and the faint-hearted might even puke. The man fell to the floor and died. It was a simple process and did not take more than a few seconds.

    Shi Lang did not stop, he moved around like a ghost and the three more guards died before they knew. They did not even have the time to hoist up their guns and take aim. Shi Lang left their corpses to decorate the ce. Their blood spread across the floor turning the scene red.

    Shi Lang moved forward without restraint, he said, "OB-One, ce my real profile on the hidden mode that could only be essed by the cab members and the general council top brass. Create another fake profile with the details I tell you."

    "Understood, Sire.", responded the bot.

    By the time he reached the first floor, things were already done. He was aware that after this news, the syndicate will investigate him, and then they might suspect him as he was the person who was spotted in the vicinity of Red Widow twice.

    On the first floor, there were a few employees working in their respective cubicles with four guards stationed at the two entrances as well. Shi Lang came in with a loud kick to the door, and he started attacking. The guards met the same fate as their brothers on the ground floor and the floor was filled with loud screams from the people. The young general did not want to chase after these insects so he asked OB-One to lock the other door on the floor.

    He looked at the consoles and found that these people were grassroots workers. He asked, "So, do you all know that you are doing something illegal and your actions are affecting thousands of lives?"

    The employees were scared, they did not understand why this messenger of god was talking to them. One of the quick-witted people said, "Sir, we only do what is asked of us in order to put food for our families."

    Shi Lang looked at the man and said, "Then I ask you all to die, as, for the food and welfare of your families, it will be taken care of by my organization."

    The people were not given a single chance and they were ughtered. The reason Shi Lang did not show anypassion was because his HUD was disying the information that all these meek-looking fellows were wolves in sheep''s clothing. They were all orphans and had a bad record since childhood.

    Shi Lang did not intend to let any single one of these scumbags out of this building alive. He progressed and left a trail of corpses behind him. The floor was glistening red. While Shi Lang was busy reaping lives, Darcx had infiltrated the small server room and nted a bug in the main unit. He wanted to ask what was going on at Shi Lang''s side when his system alerted him about a secret division operative approaching them.

    He moved out of the server room and came to the terrace. The person from another division also arrived a few minutester and Darcx said, "What is a Shadow Executioner doing here?"

    The person replied, "Do not act all high and mighty with me, Agent. I am here to supervise your operation. This area is under the Shadow Executioner''s watch."

    Darcx chuckled and said, "With all due respect, do you think you are qualified to supervise my boss? Ifmander Silence was here, then probably you had a chance."

    ? The other person asked, "What do you mean? Is your director personally acting here?"

    Darcx was about to reply when he sensed that something was out of ce here. Since Shi Lang had taken up this task then, with his status none of the secret divisions should approach him. He covertly sent a message to Shi Lang, in case this person was really a shadow executioner.

    Shi Lang was alerted and Darcx asked the man, "Well, he is not my director but you should know him, he is the star of Shadow Executioners."

    The person did not reply, and Darcx said, "Have you not heard of him?"

    The person said, "Do you mean that the person with you is a Shadow Executioner?"

    However, before he could get an answer, Darcx shot his handgun, and a hole appeared in the shoulder of the person. He tried to take out his gun, but Darcx fired again and made another hole in the able hand. Then he made two more holes in the knees of the person, letting him fall down and wail in misery.

    Darcx asked, "Now, state your identity and I might let you go."

    The man did not answer but kept screaming in pain, Darcx frowned and said, "Very well."

    He raised his handgun, set it to stun and the man was silenced. He said in thems, "Boss, I have a person here that might be of some help."

    Shi Lang replied, "Fine, I am almost done here, we will leave and take this guy with us."

    The two of them left the ce after five minutes. The whole missionsted for fifteen minutes, in and out. They only took some data and the injured half-dead poser.

    ...

    The next morning the cleaning bots were switched on automatically and then they triggered the emergency rm to alert the police and hospital. The patrol car rushed over to check the situation, but when they were at the gates of the building, they were shocked and rushed inside. However, soon after, major press offices and news channels were alerted.

    The entire police station in sector ten was mobilized. The building was surrounded and the police took charge. The scene was too shocking and garish, but the smell in the air was even more irksome for them. The people were shocked when they arrived at the scene and the bodies were being carried off in body bags.

    The news shocked the entire city and especially the Syndicate. Red Widow was sitting in her office and she was staring at the screen in a daze. The man who contacted her had told her that he will kill the people from their gene serum supplier. This was simply too outrageous and every single person has been killed in the same manner. All their stomach were open and their guts spilled.

    She stood up from the chair and rushed out of the club office. One thing was for sure, this man was not simple and he might have the solution to her problem.

    ...

    Shi Lang was staring at the man tied to the chair with a cold gaze. He said, "So, who are you?"

    The man did not reply but kept staring at the ck mask in front of him. Shi Lang tied this man up after the treatment. The ce was a warehouse where he asked Commander Silence, also known as, Archie Arkham to arrange for his operation. This was a safe house where they even had a medical bay.

    Shi Lang also asked Archie Arkham about this man and found that this person was a retired member of the force. This made him find a new lead and even more enraged. He said, "You sure have the toughness of a secret division, but allow me to break you, Agent Ashburn."

 Chapter 341 Solution.

    Shi Lang was not joking when he threatened the man in front of him. Watching the man not reacting he picked up a knife and walked forward, then he stabbed the knife right above the temple of the man. The warehouse echoed with a loud scream. The supraorbital nerve transmitted a highly painful sensation in the man''s brain.

    The knife was left stuck in the temple and Shi Lang had no expression on his face after all this. The four operatives that Darcx had called over shivered when they heard the voice. Shi Lang then picked up a clipping tool from the side table and clipped the other Supraorbital Nerve with it.

    The man cried louder, and Shi Lang tilted the chair backward slightly and opened a tap on the container slightly. He said, "I hope you can hold on for six hours. Do not worry, I have all the time in the world."

    A drop of water fell from the tap andnded on the man''s forehead. Darcx asked, "Boss, what will this drop of water do?"

    Shi Lang smiled under the mask and said, "The inflictions earlier will stimte his nerves, and now when this drop of water falls on his brain it will feel like a rubber bullet hitting him. This pain will umte and slowly his skull will fracture which will be followed by his brain turning mushy."

    Darcx and the other four shivered at this. They did not expect the Young General to be so candid about something so terrifying. Suddenly one of the operators said, "Sir, the target has arrived at the location."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will go and check the situation. You all stay here and stay away from this guy till Ie back, even if he screams or begs you all."

    The people nodded and Shi Lang left the ce. Darcx initiated a sound barrier and began to supervise the people to look into the history of this man and find anymon links with the syndicate to specte the reason behind why he was doing this.

    ...

    Shi Lang on the other hand rushed to Elton Square and this time he made sure to change his appearance. As a cultivator of the Primordial Soul realm, Shi Lang was able to use his spirit energy to slightly change his facial features and also manipte his physical stature. Even if his mother stood in front of him, she will not be able to recognize him, let alone someputer system or hidden pair of eyes.

    Although nothing in the fifty-kilometer radius could hide from his spirit sense, he still gave the enemy side, the benefit of doubt. Soon he arrived at the location and found Red Widow standing in a conspicuous corner. He smirked and went inside a street food joint nearby. As long as the person was within a hundred meters, he will be able tomunicate with ease. This was a weakness of the prowess but not everyone knew this.

    He stood in front of the counter and ordered, "I would like to have thirty of yourrge hamburgers, thirty carbonated cs, and thirty crimson velvet pastries."

    The guy behind the counter said, "That will be seven hundred credits, sir. Also, can I ask you to wait for a few minutes? It will take some time to prepare this order."

    Shi Lang nodded and came to sit at the side after ordering the food. Then he found an empty seat and began to browse through the inte on hismunicator. He said, "Have you been here for long?", in his mind.

    ...

    Outside the shop, Red Widow suddenly went stiff when she heard the familiar voice in her head. She frantically began to look around and asked, "Where are you? Why don''t youe in front of me?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, "So that you could control my mind? Well, I do not minding in front of you, however, the result will be your death."

    The calm and confidence in his voice shocked thedy. She calmed herself and asked, "Why are you against the Syndicate, what wrong have we done?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Do you know that your syndicate is forcing people to excel in their cultivation base by feeding them defective gene serum? Do you know what happens when people have defective genes? Let me show you."

    Then Shi Lang projected the images of children with various deficiencies and how their lives would look in her mind. The woman experienced disgust, shame, pity, sadness, and regret. Shi Lang was manipting but what he showed her was the truth. People with defective genes became careers to incurable physical or mental deficiencies in future generations.

    The future generation was going to be the pir of the Empire, but if they were ruined before they were born, what will the consequence be? Shi Lang did not give her the time to think much and said, "Do you think just because you have someone on the inside of the government, you will be able to walk away from all this freely? I will have that person and your head mull over in the mud like worms."

    His statement was filled with a dominance that Red Widow has never seen before. She was confused and afraid, then she asked, "What you showed me is the truth?"

    Shi Lang replied indifferently, "You are not significant enough to have me lie to you yet."

    Red Widow did not reply, she was still thinking about what can be done or not. But Shi Lang was not going to give her a chance and said, "You have been afraid of death, that means you have someone or something to be responsible for. I can tell you that if you helped me, not only will you be able to walk away freely, I will assure your security and also you will reach a level where you would be able to stand on the peak of this world."

    Red Widow wavered and asked, "What do I need to do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "What do you know about the other Syndicate top brass?"

    Red Widow knew this guy would ask something important but not something that will give them such a big blow. She replied, "How can I trust you?"

    Shi Lang said, "What I am about to tell you next is a cultivation method, go back home and chant this sutra while meditating. You will notice the difference in two days most. Come to find me here at the same time if you feel the difference. What I have given you is the first half of the sutra, if you did not learn the second half, you will transform into an ice statue."

    Thedy was surprised and memorized the sutra Shi Lang stuffed in her brain before she even had the chance to react. The knowledge was imparted by a higher-level technique of spiritual imprint. After this was done, Shi Lang ignored thedy and went to collect his order.

    Suddenly he heard a message that he had to react to, Red Widow said, "Do you really think that the syndicate has no backup?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Even if the syndicate is backed by the god of heavens, I will kill my way to destroy it."

    Then he collected the food and left the ce. He only changed his appearance when he appeared in front of the hotel. The students had returned from the first match they had in thepetition and they were surprised to see the teacher walking over with loaded parcels of food.

    Shi Lang asked, "How was the result?"

    Theseus said, "Teacher they tried to gang up on the first stage, but we fought well together. So the first round is cleared."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We will talk about the next roundter, but you guys eat these first."

    Theseus asked, "Teacher, are you really busy?"

    Shi Lang nodded and told him briefly about his situation and asked them to keep it under wraps. Then he went around to catch up with his family for a bit. Shi Tao had been upset because of his absence so he had to make it up to her.

    In the evening, Darcx contacted him saying that the person had given up a lot of information voluntarily. Shi Lang told him that he wasing back in a few before leaving the pouting child behind with Amelia.

    The young woman knew his mission was serious and thus she supported him silently like always, and Shi Lang was gratified because of this but he could not say much at this time. He came back to the warehouse and found the people standing around the sound istion barrier looking at the man inside with pale expressions.

    Shi Lang said, "Did he confess whom he worked for?"

    Darcx shook his head and Shi Lang directly took out his hand gun and shot the man right through his shoulder, and then after closing the tap he asked, "Old man, tell me, what you know."

 Chapter 342 The Renegades.

    The old man whimpered from the pain in his shoulder and he was aware that this young masked man will let him know that death was a luxury. So he said, "My name is Ramone Stitch, I am from the renegade division."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Why don''t I know such a division existed in the military?"

    Ramone shook his head, "We are not the military, but a few agents and soldiers retired from the military."

    Shi Lang was shocked to hear this and said, "Keep going."

    The old man continued, "I will tell you everything I know, but just kill me after that."

    Shi Lang tilted his head and said, "I will do that, eventually. However, when I do that will depend on you."

    The old man said, "The whole organization has twenty people. We all were given retirement because we were too old and weak inparison to the young blood. However, we were not given much supportter on. A huge group of retired soldiers was dissatisfied but then most of them were given job opportunities in small-scalepanies and all.

    I was offered one too, but it could not satisfy me, the people in that ce did not respect us, and they did not see us as veterans, who stoked their youths in the military for their safety. This feeling gnawed at us, and then some of us gathered together to leave our jobs. We sought out a cab minister and asked him for some support, but he ignored us.

    Later on, we received a mail stating the things we could join hands together and form a syndicate. At first, the entire business seemed shady and we did not want to do it, but then all of us who sought out the minister seemed to be troubled with household troubles and even putting bread on the table was a difficult thing. In all despair, we gave in, and then became a part of the renegades.

    Some of us tried to leave, but they were punished so severely that none else dared to even think about that."

    Shi Lang nodded and took a deep breath, then he asked, "Why did you not approach the general council if you were troubled?"

    The old man froze and then said, "We tracked the email, it originated from the general council."

    Shi Lang froze and said, "What did you say?"

    He was shocked to hear this, then he asked, "Is he telling the truth?"

    Darcx was also stunned and nodded, the information they received was too shocking for them. Shi Lang said, "Get me the secret division heads, and tell them it is urgent."

    The old man heard this and was shocked. He asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang did not bother to keep his mask on any longer, the statement was recorded by the visor''s camera and was uploaded to a secure nano drive. He took off his mask and said, "My name is Shi Lang, Fleet general of the first fleet as well as the Council head of the general council."

    His aura flowed out like a massive tide. The old man was shocked, but some part of him was relieved as well, from the agony of doing this shady business. Now that the big shot has taken action personally, things wille to an end, and the culprit will be uncovered as well.

    ...

    Darcx reacted quickly and he informed the twelve secret divisionmanders about the meeting that Shi Lang called for. They were all shocked to receive the urgent notice, after all, the first general has beenying low for quite some time. They did not expect a summon at all.

    Shi Lang stayed inside the warehouse and a couple of hourster all twelve of the secret divisionmanders arrived at the ce as well. The four operatives were shivering and sweating from anxiety, while Darcx leaned against a wall with his hands crossed in front of his chest.

    Themanders all arrived with their own teams, the atmosphere was so tense that it was almost tangible. The twelve people were not even offered chairs to sit down, and they did not mind as Shi Lang was strolling in the center as they stood around him in a circle. The twelvemanders all had their face masks on.

    Shi Lang said, "Take off your masks. We already know what we look like, as for the video evidence of this meeting, let your teammates record this."

    This was an unusual order, as taking off their masks was a taboo for the secret division but since it was from a high chair, they all followed it regardless. After the masks were taken down, Shi Lang said, "What will you all do if I told you that you all failed in your duties?"

    The people were surprised, and one of themanders asked, "Sir, can you please tell us where wepsed?"

    Shi Lang looked at the man, and said, "Commander Scar, you will lead the following operations, and I will hold you responsible for any mistake, even if it is non-consequential."

    Then without giving the people a chance to refute or react, he yed the holographic video. The confession of Ramone Stitch was shown to the higher-ups of the secret forces and the entire tape left them shocked and stunned. Shi Lang did not stop at the mail but also asked about everything in detail.

    The old man replied and the more he talked, the more shock it brought to those who listened. Shi Lang was looking at all themanders with his spirit sense and could sense that none of them was shocked. Their heads were slightly drooped and their backs were not as straight as it was when they came into the warehouse.

    After the tape finished ying, Shi Lang said while his eyes were locked on to the teammates that followed themanders, "If this information was leaked, I will locate you all, and kill you all regardless of who was responsible or not."

    The people shivered when they looked into those scarlet eyes. Shi Lang was serious and he even let out killing intent, making everyone fear his wrath. Archie Arkham asked, "Sir, what shall we do?"

    Shi Lang turned to look at her and said, "Do I have to teach you what shall happen to those who harm the Federation? Do you not understand that these people will hollow out the entire civilization at this pace? How do you deal with bugs? You squash them. Based on the level of involvement and crime, feel free to punish these people in distant colonies with menial work, or directly kill them.

    Those who hollow out the civilization shall die hollow too. Spill out their guts while they can feel it. Do you understand?"

    Themanders nodded and they replied, "Sir, Yes sir."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You may leave, I will deal with the ten higher-ups of the so-called syndicates. As for the people in the renegades, verify their situation and backtrack everyone involved in this. If theye clear and help you out, leave them a way out, but the rest of the culprits must pay the price."

    Themanders nodded, and suddenly, Archie Arkham asked, "Sir, why have you not gone ahead to take action on your own yet? I mean, you are obviously angry about it."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I might end up killing everyone involved in this without exceptions."

    His voice was sincere, and his clenched fists showed how outraged he was and how he was restraining himself. Archie Arkham said, "Do not worry, we will redeem ourselves, Ace."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and calmed his mind. He said, "Commander Silence, lend me your team for a few days. I need their help in cleaning this city. I have been away from the ss a bit too long, my students will need me. I need your team to follow my instructions and work along with Darcx and the rest here."

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, "They will stay here."

    The people nodded and Shi Lang waved his hand as he said, "You can go now. I just hope that this matter is cleared up as soon as possible, and don''t be afraid of making this public. List the crimes as well. However, make sure that if the families of the culprits had nothing to do with it they should not have any bacsh from this."

    The people nodded and they left quickly. Commander Scar was given all the responsibility and he was going to arrange a team and will jointly lead the operation with all the secret divisions. The strength of the twelve secret divisions was higher than the fleets whenbined. The secret divisions were the hidden dagger that was shed to reap lives.

    ...

    Shi Lang delegated the work to people and left the ce to visit his students, tomorrow they were going to disy their mech pilot skills, and he needed to be present on scene.

 Chapter 343 Machine.

    Shi Lang went back to the hotel and taught the students a few tricks for using mechs. They had never driven a real thing before and only had the experience of a simtor. Although the mech in the simtion was life like, the fact that if they screwed up they will not be able to restart the program made the students nervous.

    This was the reason Shi Lang wanted to be with them. He was not worried about the investigations, the people he passed on the work were all responsible and if they lied or fell short of delivering a satisfactory result, he will have thei jobs on his tter.

    The night passed in a jiffy and the students all lined up in front of the hotel. Shi Lang was already waiting for them and said, "Let''s run to the venue, it will help you all clear your minds."

    The students nodded and they all began to jog to the Elton Military academy. The speed was not slow but the roads were slightly empty in the early morning and thus they did not meet any resistance. Theseus and the rest still had a lot of questions but when they started running, they tried to match up the pace of the young man walking in front of them.

    At first, Shi Lang was slow, but gradually as he noticed that the people were keeping up easily, he increased his speed slowly. They were all running at a speed quite faster than a normal sprint but yet they could not keep up with Shi Lang, who seemed to be taking one step and covering five meters.

    It was as if he was about to fly off into the sky. They soon arrived at the venue, the Elton Military Academy. The rules of thepetition did not stop anyone from ganging up or targeting a special school, but they did mandate that the equipment level must be standard. If the difference in the conditions of the machine was found, their jobs will be lost and they will be put under investigation as well.

    Shi Lang and the rest arrived in front of the academy and Theseus led the group with his participant Identity Card. The security was tight, Shi Lang was impressed by this and entered the campus with the students using his identity card.

    The campus was generic, a row of neat white buildings whit green patches of grass. Shi Lang liked the cleanliness and the silence in the air. It was probably because it was early in the morning that the ce was calm. However, Shi Lang cursed himself the next moment, ''You had to think too early, did you not, jinx.''

    The tranquility was broken by a steady set of footsteps. It must be the resident students of the Academy who came over for daily jogging. Shi Lang did not say much and only waved his hand. His students all took half a step to the side and cleared the path as they followed the young man.

    This act was witnessed by the instructor leading the pack, and his eyes shed, to think that a team was trained so well that they did not even need vocal instructions. He became curious and then squinted his eyes at the uniform mark on the backs of the students and frowned slightly as he mumbled, "Federation Star Academy."

    The instructor said, "Halt."

    The pack stopped behind him and the man walked up to see who was the instructor of the Federal Star Academy to train such a disciplined pack. The spirit ofpetition was not limited to the actualpetition, but it was also instilled in the individuals. The young instructor came to stand beside Shi Lang and asked, "I am Major Aztec, may I ask who you are?"

    Shi Lang turned to look at the young man with a smile and said, "General Shi Lang."

    He reported his name out of courtesy, otherwise, the young man had already recognized him by face. Major Aztec stood shocked, and saluted crisply as he said, "Greetings, Sir."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "At ease, Major, you were looking for me, can I do anything for you?"

    The major shook his head and said, "Actually, I noticed how your students reacted to your silent gesture and became curious to see who trained them so I came over. I apologize to disturb you, Sir."

    Behind Major Aztec, the students were shocked, they could not believe that the demon they were scared of was now acting like amb, and when they saw Shi Lang''s face, they were shocked to their core.

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "You worry too much, Major. I am not a demon, do not worry carry on with your training, I only hope to see your students fight with mine fairly and without holding anything back. If my students lose that will be because they have more to learn."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Aztec nodded slightly in approval, indeed this man was the true idol. Shi Lang was not going to be biased against his students, this made them all happy. Major Aztec nodded and after wishing him goodbye, he left. The pack followed him but not before catching sight of their idol from the corner of their eyes.

    Theseus asked, "Sir, what is it that weck? I look at others and I find that our momentum is not strong as theirs."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "These people are those who have fought against each other and you arecking real battle experience. Stimtors gave you the skills but you have yet to use them in your favor. That is why youck aura and momentum."

    The ss was enlightened and they made their way through the campus and arrived at the mech bay. This entire area was made for thepetition. The sheds and mech bays were temporary. The mechs were all provided by the military after they are dmissioned. They could still be used in checking your agility and overall control in the obstacle run.

    Shi Lang led the group inside the mech bay and said, "All of you will do one thing before you get ready for the battle. So, get ready and clean them up, make a log of every scratch you find, and memorize it."

    Theseus asked, "Sir, all this data can be gathered from the onboardputer."

    Shi Lang gazed at him and said, "The onboardputer can pilot the mech as well, what is the need of you all?"

    The students did not say much and simply began to clean the mechs and pay attention to all the parts. As they worked, they realized that this process was very meditative and they all learned a lot of things, for example, the anatomy of the mech was imprinted in their minds like a blueprint now.

    They gained an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the mech. The time they took to clean the mechs was not long but they managed to clean them allpletely. Soon they all dressed up in their suits and boarded the cockpit. The next test needed them to run through an obstacle course alone, one after the other with a gap of hundred meters between them.

    This was like an assembly line test and it was really hard to maintain this distance between each other. Those who managed to get through this test will definitely rank supreme.

    The ss was notified of theirmunicators and they came to the field standing in a queue, the leader of the pack was Quo Lina, beside whom stood Theseus. The queue was behind the girl and Theseus was going to instruct the people about their pacing and he will follow thest.

    This arrangement was allowed ording to the rules. The invigtors stood on high towers and theputers were all ready topile various data. The man in charge nodded and then Quo Lina rushed forward. Her speed was fast, but suddenly she controlled her pace, and then as soon as she reached ny-five meters, Theseus said, "Go."

    The second guy followed without hesitation and then the same happened to the third and the fourth. Theseus was guiding them to monitor their pace and match their breathing with Quo Lina. At this point, they were all connected with the programs on theirmunicators that could transmit the sinus rhythm to others as well.

    It was like a machine working with many big and small cogs spinning together. The mechs were moving in a pattern that made the people feel like they were watching a movie reel in slow motion, each action was perfectly imitated and the distance of hundred meters was maintained with such precision that it looked easy for the invigtors.

    The in charge said, "How are they doing this? Are you sure the pilots are humans and not machines?"

    The person nodded and then he thought of something before adding, "Sir, they are students from the federal Star Academy, taught directly by the first general, Shi Lang."

    His words shocked the entire room.

 Chapter 344 Subdue.

    The Federal Star Academy contingent was seemingly unstoppable. Their performances were not too striking that they will stand out, but they were smooth. Shi Lang watched the mech run and nodded. They did better than expected. Theseus and the rest gathered after their test. The result was announced and they passed the test with ease.

    Shi Lang asked, "What did you learn?"

    Quo Lina stepped forward and said, "There is a slight dy in the controls, regardless of the advancement the limbs of the mechs do not respond as quickly as our limbs, so we have to be quicker in our reaction."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This can be negated by using the Neural link, however, these older models do not have the new link technology."

    Theseus said, "Teacher, but we cannot use it all the time, can we?"

    "Indeed, you will have your stamina sapped quicker when you use the neural link, that is why it is rmended to use it in dire situations.", said the young general.

    The students nodded and then they followed him. The next event schedule has been sent out to theirmunicators. As they were heading out, Major Aztec happened to be around and he came to Shi Lang. The young general stopped when he saw him and nodded.

    Aztec smiled and said, "Greetings, Sir."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "We are teachers at the moment, Major. You do not need to put on the military respects."

    Aztec scratched the back of his head and said, "Cannot help it, Sir."

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head, and asked, "So what can I do for you?"

    Aztec said, "Umm, Sir, actually a lot of young military officers are in the city, so I told them about you, and they all wish to meet you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We can gather in the evening. You can arrange the ce and tell me about it. I will settle the tab."

    Aztec was gratified and they exchanged contact information and then left alone. The students were taken to the hotel and then Shi Lang checked the mission status with Darcx and found that things were going smoothly. He was at ease, but he still went out of the way andmunicated with Commander Scar.

    He spent a considerable amount of time talking to the people and perfecting the investigation. The entire federation was boiling with movement from the smallest to the biggest link that could be found. Some of the people understood that the Secret Division has caught a whiff and they could not take the pressure so they came forward to surrender, while some began to distance themselves from the ongoing investigation.

    However, nothing worked, the secret divisions workedbinedly and they caught hold of the roots of this syndicate. The person behind this was former cab minister Luan Mata. He was arrested by the Shadow Executioners when he was sleeping in his house. Shi Lang was asked what to do, and the young man said, "Kill them and hang their bodies around the cab building."

    Themanders were shocked but then they agreed, after all the statement they wanted to make was clear, that whether it was the higher-ups or not, they will receive the same treatment as a criminal would if they tried to harm the federation for their personal interests.

    Shi Lang received a message in the evening, Aztec has sent him the location of the gathering and the young man asked Amelia toe along with him. Thedy was in the city and their family was having a fun trip. But since it was a military gathering, Shi Lang wanted her to be with him.

    Shi Tao also tagged along when the family arrived at the pub. Suddenly, the young man asked, "Do you have any weapons on you?"

    Amelia was stunned and asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I sensed ten gazes on my back. Something is not feeling right."

    Amelia held Shi Tao''s arm slightly tighter and said, "What shall we do?"

    Although she asked this her gaze was calm, she did not have the habit of scanning the ce with her spiritual sense. After Shi Lang expressed his doubts, she scanned the ce and found it to be true. The young man did not falter and kept walking as if he did not know anything. After a few seconds, he said, "You can go ahead without me, I will join you after these junk dogs are settled."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Thedy nodded and the two people went separate ways. Aztec was aware that Amelia will being as well. So he had already informed the people. Shi Lang had no time to waste as he turned around and his figure flickered.

    He appeared on top of a ten-floor building in a blink. His spiritual sense had already been locked at the ten people. He thought of something and said, "I am a fool to let Amy go alone."

    He found a metal rod at the side and using his strength he tore it into ten metal discs. Then he covered them with his spirit energy and controlled them to levitate in the void. The next moment, the ten discs flew out. It was like remotely guided missiles firing at the enemy. The speed of the discs was fast and they were undetectable.

    Soon, the threat was eliminated and Shi Lang jumped off the building again, appearing beside Amelia. The couple discussed the matters with each other and they moved simply as if nothing happened. These ten men were sent by the Red Widow. She was not targeting Shi Lang, but all the military officers in the region were under the scrutiny of the syndicate.

    However, for some reason, they all were emitting the intention to kill. Shi Lang knew this reason, it was because of the Syndicate heads being taken out, and in the absence of the top brass, the lower-level pawns wished to prove themselves and step up. However, they were nothing but clowns jumping on a beam.

    ...

    Shi Lang spent his time attending the gathering and the crowd was jolly, he also danced with Amelia, and the people were surprised to see the highest-ranking officer be so humble and easygoing. Amelia also mingled with the femalerades and the atmosphere was jolly.

    After dinner, the trio left the ce and came to the hotel the family was staying. Shi Lang told Amelia about the movement that will be taking ce in the morning and he asked her to be prepared to be approached for interviews and all.

    The woman nodded, and Shi Lang went back to the warehouse. ording to the data provided to him by the task force ofbined secret divisions, they had three hundred targets to take down. Shi Lang approved the hits and left the warehouse to deal with the rats located in Elton City.

    His speed was fast and the result was sure. The targets he dealt with were all high-table members of the Elton City Syndicate. The only person left was the Red Widow, who was presently cultivating in her house.

    This upper echelon of the syndicate was cleaned up but she had no knowledge about that. She was immersed in her cultivation and probably that was why Darcx did not act against her. He was aware of the contact that Shi Lang found, and to think it was this woman. He did not mind it as long as the task waspleted.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood behind ady, who was sitting on the floor with her eyes closed and immersed in cultivationpletely. He smiled and then shook his head as he said, "Foolish."

    Thedy in the red woke up in an instant and reacted quickly. She stood up and turned around to face the person in her room. Shi Lang had his hands behind his back, thedy did not attack him but smiled, and asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Your charm does not work on me. Your yin physique is not yet strong enough."

    The Red Widow''s pupil contracted and Shi Lang said, "You have two choices, either work for me or die."

    His red eyes were shining with a cold gleam, that made the woman freeze, she only realized now that this man was the one who imprinted this scripture in her mind, and she was benefitting a lot from it. At least that was what she thought, about the benefit.

    Shi Lang said, "You might think that you are benefitting but despite it being mentioned in the sutra youck the proper understanding and thus you are rushing things for momentary pleasure. Do you want to die so much? I can help you and I promise it will be painless."

    The next moment his eyes gleamed and after five minutes Red Widow fell to the floor with her face pale. Shi Lang asked, "So what do you choose?"

    Thedy reacted quickly, "I submit, Lord."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good choice."

 Chapter 345 Cleansing.

    Shi Lang dealt with Red Widow and found her name was nore Antique. She was a troubleddy in her youth and the one who was introduced to the world in shadows was none other than the man she fell in love with and married, however, that man died on their wedding night and she was forced to bear responsibility.

    She had almost killed when she decided to kill the other people who had wronged her. Since then she has been decisive and never let off an enemy, gaining the name Red Widow. Shi Lang projected the images of her usible endings, and none of them were pleasant to watch. nore felt as if she died a hundred times in those few minutes and every time the pain felt the same.

    This scared her and she surrendered. Shi Lang nodded and formed a soul contract with her. She was his servant and he was the master. If she dared to betray him, she would die the moment such thoughts originated in her mind. She was even more scared when Shi Lang asked her to try it out, and when she thought of implying defying him, her heart began to tighten as if sped by a palm.

    ...

    Shi Lang dealt with nore and came back to the warehouse, the sun was about toe up and the federation was about to go through a storm as well. Inside the warehouse, Darcx had the entire team gathered, they had all finished killing the Syndicate''s top brass and key members while the rest were going to be handled by the police force.

    Shi Lang said, "I will go back to the hotel. I need to be there in front of the media, they will definitely find me out."

    Darcx nodded and said, "Boss, do you think it is safe to allow thatdy to walk away from this?"

    The young general shook his head and said, "I am not letting her walk away from anything, but the fact is that she has a special physique that will be very strong if nurtured properly. She is my servant at the moment and I can assure you she will not defy my words."

    Darcx asked, "What do you mean by special physique?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "There are geniuses among us, but thenes the peerless people, those who cannot be matched within the same realm or generation. The secret lies in their physiques, blessed by the heavens and darlings of nature. All these physiques have special qualities that make them excel in a certain aspect, and do not mistake this single aspect. They can take down armies on the basis of their one ability."

    Darcx and the rest gasped as they heard this. The young man asked, "Boss, how do you know this, have you seen a special physique?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am leaving nore here in the warehouse, take her with you back to the military, observe her and you wille to understand if what I said is true or not."

    The people nodded, and they followed his directions. Shi Lang left the warehouse and came to the hotel. He found that his students were all in their respective rooms, and they were meditating. In the morning they had to enter the quarter-final round of the Mecha Squad Battle. They were not afraid or nervous anymore, but they were ying the scenarios in their minds again and again.

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded as he got back into his room. The next morning, just as he predicted, the sun came up and the Federation was shocked, even more than that, the Federal government was shocked. There were three hundred corpses, all with their guts split, hanging from the building ledges.

    The scenery was shocking, a few weak-hearted people had already fainted when they came to work. The night shift guards were all found unconscious, and the cameras were also tempered. This was simply a p in the face. Recalling the past of the federation, the people found that this incident was simr to the Red Massacre, and they reached out to the general council for statements and thoughts on this.

    Shi Lang received a call from the hotel that the media was gathered around the hotel and it was making things difficult for other guests, and they asked him to deal with them. Shi Lang nodded and went down the stairs to deal with these people.

    The media spotted Shi Lang and pounced over but they all held back when the young man cast a cold re to freeze them. The people stopped and Shi Lang said, "I know that you all came here to talk about the corpses around the parliament. I have the answers you need."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The media people did not expect him to say something like this and were surprised, but before they could ask more questions, Shi Lang said, "The people hanging to the ledges were all killed for harming the future of the Federation. The evidence to convict all of them for the crimes is in this drive."

    He handed the people the drive and said, "The federation will not forgive anyone who tries to harm the interests of the future generations and harm the present for their petty interests. I would also like to pass on a message to those who maybe want to do something like this in the future, none of you will get away."

    The media was silenced, they did not expect him to use such heavy words. Shi Lang was indirectly asking the government to put a leash on their dogs. This was not going to y out in their favor. Shi Lang said, "Now if you please clear the way. I need to go out with my ss."

    ...

    Meanwhile, the president of the federation was holding an emergency damage control meeting with the cab, but things were different from what he thought they would be, instead of being happy with the actions taken by the secret divisions, the cab waspletely against them. They used the secret division of overstepping their bounds.

    However, the President pped the table and said with an enraged expression on his face, "Have you all fucking lost your minds? Do you understand what the secret division represents? Do you want to go out and me them and die miserably? Have you not seen the evidence that the first general dumped in front of the media? Or do you guys wish to gain more at the cost of future generations?"

    An old minister shook his head and said, "You misunderstood us, we do not wish to condemn them but they could have at least informed us, that way we could have dealt with this matter within the wraps and not have embarrassed ourselves."

    The president shook his head and said, "The government could not detect something like this happening under our noses, how are we capable of being trusted by the secret divisions?"

    The cab fell silent, this was the truth of the matter, they failed miserably at detecting such a thing and even though they had separate investigation departments, they got nothing. So they decided to personally clean the internals once more before they set up again.

    The government had organized such departments to detect corruption and other things, however, they failed to find anything and the secret divisions smacked them in the face. Thinking about this, they decided to thoroughly uproot these people and start anew.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not pay attention to what the government would think or do and took his students inside the Elton Military Academy. Then the people were sent inside the simtion realm before the final knockout rounds of thepetition. They were asked to fight with professional soldiers in the military.

    Although shocking but more than anything this test was to determine the guts and courage these guys possessed and thus Shi Lang had told them to move forward without any hesitation, even if they were to experience death. The test went smoothly and the ss advanced to the final knockout rounds.

    The sses will be sent to a specific location and thest ss standing in the battle royale will be crowned the winner of thepetition. In the evening, the federal star academy ss was gathered in the presidential suite of the hotel and Shi Lang had told them that he will be giving them a special lesson.

    Since they had all started sensing the spiritual energy, it was time for them to go through the baptism of spiritual energy. Shi Lang was going to lead them all through marrow cleansing, and give them a little boost to counter the opponents they will face.

    The knockouts will be a grinding situation for them as the opponents will first try to take them all out and then they will sort things out with each other. Shi Lang will also use this chance to see who has a better potential for spiritual cultivation in the future.

 Chapter 346 Might.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the ss stood in the training ground of the Elton Military Academy, the ruckus outside did not affect the tournament. The statement issued by the young general was good enough to appease everyone. The designation he held was the testimony of power and responsibility. It was also known to the people that Shi Lang had introduced some significant changes in the system for betterment.

    The crowd surrounding them in the training ground was surprised and amazed by his presence in the training ground, standing behind his students as any ordinary teacher would. He seemed to have nothing to do with the massacre, and while the people were scared of him, they also admired him for being sorted in such a messy situation and restoring the integrity of the military.

    A stage was set in front of the students. Each ss had thirty people and there were eight teams. The youthpetition was unlike the adultpetitions, the students were not only tested in terms of their current strength but also the potential they all held and to see what they would evolve into in the future.

    On the stage, the event host stood wearing his military uniform, at first when they all received the news that Shi Lang was present among them, they wanted him toe to the stage and inaugurate the final ceremony, however, when they thought over it seriously, they could not say have such a high ranking officiale over for such a small thing.

    The official on the stage said, "There is only one rule in thepetition and that is to do your best. You are not here to beat the people around you but to beat your former self and show yourself that you are better than yesterday.

    In thepetition, you are not allowed to kill yourrades. The spirit of the military is to excel throughpetition and not to kill each other. Push the limits, go to the end of your wits, reach out and grab that glory."

    The official stated the purpose of thispetition and at the same time, he also motivated the people at the same time. Theseus said in a low tone, "Take deep breathes, regte your blood cirction, if we got excited, the stamina and state of mind will be disrupted."

    The ss nodded and calmed down, the Terran cultivation method was based on blood cirction and excitement could prove harmful in such an early stage of thepetition, hyper blood flow meant more explosive strength.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at his students and nodded slightly. He was also wearing his military uniform with the left of his chest iid with medals. The rest of the teachers around him failed inparison. The aura of superiority he had was something too overwhelming for the rest of them. It almost suffocated the people but they stood there silently.

    After all, keeping up a facade was important to save their reputations. The official was finished with the speech and said, "Today, we have the honor to host the highest official of the federal military. The organizationmittee hopes for General Shi Lang, toe upon the stage and say a few words to the younger generation and motivate them."

    Shi Lang sighed and nodded, he walked up from behind his ss and all the students locked their gazes at his back. This person was their idol, they were looking forward to what he will say to them. The young general appeared on top of the stage quickly and said, "I will wait for you toe and join me in the colors. No matter who is your opponent, do not hold back, give it your best."

    The people were shocked, but this simple sentence told them that the general they all idolized was looking forward to graduating and bing a proper soldier and this was enough for them all to put their lives on the line. They all replied in unison, "Sir, Yes, Sir."

    Shi Lang nodded and after shaking hands with the officials he went back to stand at his position as the teacher behind his ss. The sses were then taken to separate choppers and then transported to a forest area. This area will be the test field, all the teams had dedicated camera drones following them and the progress of the entire test will be telecasted to the invigtors.

    This was to make sure that none of the people makes any sneaky moves and disrupt the fairness of thepetition. The sses were deployed and they were all put in a random position on the map. Shi Lang stood in the observation pavilion for the teachers and mumbled, "The only part of earth left untouched is the amazon. Interesting choice."

    Aztec was standing behind Shi Lang and asked, "Sir, why do you think this is an interesting choice? What is so special about amazon?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "We, as seasoned soldiers might not see this ce as a special spot, but these young ones are all first years and they have yet to get out of their nests. Think of them as fresh chicks and thispetition as their first flight.

    Amazon does not only house dense forests, but also a wide range of flora and fauna, do not forget that not only Humans have evolved in the past, but even insects have evolved, and with the infusion of spiritual energy, these changes will surface in this test."

    Aztec was surprised by this, as he had never thought about such things in great detail. He was older than Shi Lang but this young man had a better perception than him and took ount of all the things in such a short time, this was bergasting.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Not only Aztec, but other teachers also heard this and became surprised. Shi Lang shared his knowledge and thoughts without holding back anything. This made the rest feel gratified, they were able to gain such things with a casual conversation with Shi Lang.

    ...

    Theseus and the restnded in the midst of the dense forest, and as the team leader, he said, "Climb high on the trees and be mindful of bugs and other insects. This ce is no paradise. Cover the eight directions and tell me if you spot a clearing on your scanners."

    Eight people climbed the trees and they all scanned every inch of the directions they were in charge of, in the meantime the entire ss had set up a parameter with their guns and eyes trained on the surroundings. They did not want to allow any predator to get close to them.

    The people came down and they reported their findings. They had discovered two clearings, one of themy two clicks southwest, and the other was even further, located three clicks north, therey a big swamp between them and the clearing.

    Theseus asked, "Any idea where the other teams might be?"

    Vanessa replied, "Looking for clearings to organize their attack ns?"

    Theseus nodded and the rest of them agreed with the two leaders. Theseus was inmand and Vanessa was second inmand. Thetter said, "We all know that throughout the history of thispetition our seniors have been targetted and they all falter when they face the onught of the other seven schools."

    The rest of the people nodded and Chou asked, "What shall we do?"

    Theseus said, "I suggest we take the initiative to attack."

    The ss was surprised but they did not say anything else, they all had a brain and their own thoughts so they understood what it would be like if they attacked. It will increase their chances of sess in the battle.

    Vanessa said, "But the chances are not too high, you know that very well, Theseus. An all-out assault is akin to seeking treasure and trouble at the same time, what if wemit to the cause and it bes toote to retreat?"

    Theseus nodded and said, "What you said is correct, we cannot be too overconfident, however, if we form the main assault team and a support team this possibility can be negated. Even if we are toote to retreat when attacking the enemy, then the support team can step in to cover the assault team.

    See, the clearing in the southwest will be eyed by at least one team and we can take down one opponent in the early stage to lessen our burden in the further stage. What do you think?"

    The ss began to discuss and after two minutes they all nodded Vanessa said, "Well then let''s go ahead with this idea, we also do not have anything to lose, at this moment we have already surpassed our seniors, by entering the top eight. So this is the time when we take some risks. After all, the teacher said, the fortune rewards the bold."

    ...

    Everything the teams did were being heard and seen by the invigtors and the teachers. While Shi Lang smiled, the rest of the people also looked forward to the intensepetition.

 Chapter 347 First Blood.

    Shi Lang stood in the observation room. His students had decided on the strategy quickly and then they moved towards the southwestern clearance of the forest. Theseus led the people to attack the others before they got surrounded.

    Every other teacher in the pavilion knew that the ss trained by Shi Lang will be different than the rest, but this was something they did not expect. To be honest, they did not even know that Shi Lang will be personally teaching a ss and training it for thepetition.

    This chain of surprises from the young general had taken a toll on their minds and souls. However, they had nothing that could be done to stop these surprises, except brace mentally.

    ...

    Theseus and the ss moved through the forest carefully. They made sure not to leave any signs of movement. The wisdom andmanding ability shown by this young guy were admirable.

    The credit due for the ss was not to be undermined. They all followed their leader without anypse. They performed their duties with outright dedication.

    As they were moving through the forest, Vanessa said, "Scanners picking up movement, Theseus."

    The ss stopped in an instant, and Theseus said, "Chou."

    "On it, leader.", after saying that Chou looked at four guys and said, "Come on, diamond formation, on me."

    He took point and led the team forward. His speed and efficiency were the highest in the team when it came tobat and physical work. Chou had formed a team of his own, efficient in physical activities after they were trained by Shi Lang.

    Their physiques were optimal for such a role in the military. Shi Lang taught them all with dedicated methods. He wanted to have them all reach the peaks of their potential and a way to do that was to focus on the points they all excelled at. His training was also the reason why they all broke through to three-star level cultivation. The reason Shi Lang had taken up the job of the teacher was not only limited to taking a break and teaching a batch of students.

    He wished to channel the knowledge of cultivation throughout the federation. Whether it was the elerated pace of the Terran blood cultivation, or it was spirit cultivation, he wanted it to be a source of power in his civilization. The young man has also decided to talk to the cab once he was done with his task here.

    Chou and the team moved forward and after a hundred meters when they discovered the source of movement they ryed the information back. Theseus told them to stay put and wait for the team toe over. It did not take the team too long, and Vanessa said after looking at the scene in front of her, "This thing can trick the scanners."

    She and Theseus exchanged nces and said, "Let''s pick up these little guys. They will work as our decoy."

    In front of themy a group of hamsters. These guinea pigs were all as big as a human baby, and they triggered the scanners on their visors, giving off the signals of a distant movement. Thus, the two leaders found themselves with a perfect decoy.

    With that, the ss moved forward at a faster pace. They found twenty such guinea pigs. Theseus and Vanessa split into the batch in two. Theseus was calctive and he choose to lead the support group while Vanessa was spontaneous and thus she took charge of the frontal force.

    Vanessa had Chou and Quo Lina with her, these two were the best of the best, and putting any one of them in the support group would be like holding them back. The motive of thispetition was to survive till the end, and only when you have a mindset to prevent casualties would youst against the seven teams.

    It did not matter if they all targeted the ss from Federal Star Academy or not, only the ss with the highest number of students left ''alive'' in thepetition will have a chance to win the final round.

    Theseus was well aware of this and thus he stayed back to support. Vanessa and her team of fifteen people hid in the woods as they cautiously surrounded the clearing. None of them could be detected and they did not leave any obvious sign of presence. The big guinea pigs they caught were all ced in different spots to confuse the enemy more.

    Vanessa had five people posted on the crowns of the trees and the other ten were asked to surround the clearing. Then they waited for a target to appear.

    ...

    Theseus was hiding with his team in distance, observing the situation and a teammate made hand signs, ''Leader, enemy spotted. Seven hundred meters in opposite direction.''<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The ss monitor nodded and replied, ''Good job Zed.''

    Zed was a scout, his ability was to sense movement on the ground. He could distinguish friends from foes if he concentrated. The entire ss had taught themselves a habit where will all tap the ground every five seconds. The movement was just a micro-muscle twitch, but this was enough to ease up the job of their scout chief.

    Theseus ryed the information to Vanessa, who contacted her entire team and said, "Be ready."

    Shi Lang did not teach them to enter a state of indifference in battle, after all, they were too young, and if they literally became indifferent to life and death whenpeting with the friendly forces, that might be a disaster. Though he did tell the students to keep calm before they engage the enemy and not to startle them.

    Vanessa followed his words and the frontal forces waited for the opponent to arrive in the range with patience. It took the other party three minutes to reach the ce. Thirty students dressed in tactical gear entered the clearing, they searched around carefully but when they discovered the guinea pigs, they thought that they have walked into a rodent colony.

    The decoy was a sess, Chou looked at the people in the clearing and said, "Ness, can we?"

    He was asking if they should start the attack. Thedy nodded and said, "Snipers identify the leader of the troupe."

    The snipers identified the leader, and Vanessa said, "One of you take aim at the leader, while the rest look for influential people in the group."

    The snipers understood her motive and they replied, "Aye."

    Vanessa wanted to take down the higher level of the teams, and then have the ground teams battle with the rest of the team. Without the leaders, the group will be akin to a headless fly and they will be easier to take out. This was a great strategy in an ambush.

    The experts watching the telecast on public channels eximed. Vanessa waited for the people to get a lock on to the opponents, before she said, "Snipers will snipe after the ground forces initiate an attack, you will only have a few seconds to exploit their shock. Understood?"

    The units responded and Vanessa took a deep breath as she said, "Attack."

    The federal star academy batch did not make any loud noises and as soon as they got out of the woods, their stun guns began to fire. They had locked onto the targets beforehand and their aims were perfect. The leaders of the opponent team were surprised but before they could figure out the situation. The snipers from FSA had stunned them.

    The battle after that was mostly one-sided in favor of Shi Lang''s ss, however, they were not yet in the green of safe, they heard Theseus says, "The mor attracted attention, two teams heading this way, retreat and regroup."

    Vanessa was surprised but then she nodded and said, "Raidplete, let''s go. On me."

    The team was not slow, they did not doubt the orders for a second and then followed Vanessa to leave the ce. Theseus on the other side has already decided to step back from this ce and hide it out for a few minutes. If they faced two opponent sses at the same time, they will not be able to survive, let alone win.

    Just like that, one ss was out of the run and it was not yet five minutes before the game started. Shi Lang nodded at this scene with a calm smile on his face. Aztec sighed and said, "Sir, are you not happy?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am happy, but this is not a good time to disy it."

    He turned his gaze toward the defeatedrade standing in the pavilion. He wanted to console him, looking at the dejected expression that man had, but this was a simted war, defeat will only leave you with regret and there was no pill for regret in the world.

    Just like the students, teachers had to grow as well. Shi Lang and Aztec turned their heads back to look at the screen and found the situation to be getting interesting.

 Chapter 348 Chess Master.

    Theseus led the team away from the chaos and then they came to find cover in the forest and hid while waiting for the opponent teams to arrive. Vanessa asked, "What is the next move?"

    Theseus replied, "Wait and watch what they do. Never move before your enemy has made his moves clear."

    Quo Lina asked, "What if we are toote to make a move?"

    Theseus shook his head and said, "A war does not end till the enemy is destroyed, even after the surrender the cunning of an enemy can leave us in shambles. Never let down your guard and never think it is toote. When the enemy is face to face with you, even till yourst breath you have a chance to take them down. War is not something like a covert strike."

    The students nodded at this, and they agreed with his words. After this, they began to wait and regain their energy from the early attack.

    Theseus was not wrong at this point, the earlier team they had taken on was defeated quickly because they were too quick and unexpected. The other party did not anticipate their attack, while Theseus had a brilliant vicemander by his side and they altered the ns at thest moment possible.

    ...

    The people in the observation pavilion heard this and nodded, themand shown by Theseus was impressive, and even more than that, Vanessa was able to keep him in check was what they liked most in this situation. Without restraint, abilities can backfire.

    The teacher from the defeated team asked, "Sir, may I ask what is the ability of this young man?"

    This question was directed to Shi Lang, the rest of the people here were simr in rank. The young general looked at the man and said, "I call his ability the chess master. If you can discern anything from that, then be my guest."

    He did not want to leak the secrets of his students too early, abilities were a sensitive topic and Shi Lang was careful about whom to trust and who not. The officers understood this and did not me him but they began to specte what the meaning of this term mean.

    At first, they thought that the Chess Master was something that allowed the young man to calcte different strategies in a war situation. But since they did not know much about this ability they could not derive a conclusion.

    Shi Lang did not bother to help them, he was enjoying his time watching thepetition proceed on the screen.

    ...

    Shi Tao was sitting with Amelia in the VIP observation box with the other top brass of the military. Even Charlotte Knight was present at the asion, and they were all here because they knew that Shi Lang was the training in charge of a batch from the Federal Star Academy.

    Charlotte said, "This young man in the lead of the FSA team seems to have awakened a calctive ability. He will be a good seed for administrative positions."

    The others nodded, but the next moment, Shi Tao, who was standing in the front with her eyes locked on the big screen turned to look back at them and said, "Excuse me, Sirs, forgive me for speaking out of term but my father said that elder brother Theseus will be amanding officer at the front."

    She had enough knowledge to know, who these people were, and what they were talking about. It was only normal for the children in the federation to know such things at this age, but the remark still surprised the batch of old people. Charlotte Knight was aware of the identity of this girl and she did not approve of this adoption, after all, her daughter was still young and she could have a child of her own.

    She did not want to interact much with this child and her daughter was upset with her, but she stuck by her choice, now that this pipsqueak has dared to speak in the matters of the high table, she wanted to see what was so special about her. She asked, "Why did your father say that? Do you even know what an administrator means?"

    Shi Tao did not falter from the pressure and Amelia did note up to help her. She wanted to give her daughter room to grow. Shi Lang had been training this little one, and despite his love and care, he did not spare her when it came to training.

    Shi Tao replied, "Ma''am, an administrative officer is someone who is capable ofmanding entire fleets in wartime situations. They are also the officers who facilitate foreign rtions with other species on the basis of their calctive abilities."

    Charlotte nodded at this textbook definition, she was relieved that this child did not shame her daughter and son-inw in front of the entire peanut gallery. She asked, "Then why do you say that Theseus will be more suited for amanding ability?"

    Shi Tao smiled and said, "Because brother Theseus does not have a calctive ability."

    This surprised the people and they did not understand. Charlotte asked with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "Cannot tell you, dad will get upset with Tao."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    That said, she turned around and watched the screen. She did not give a damn about the thoughts of these old people, all that mattered to her was the thoughts that Shi Lang had and her own opinions. How can she stand and listen to these people thinking they know everything and can be superior to her father?

    Amelia acted like she did not know anything the entire time. She was themanding officer of the Ace division and dared the council to bully her. Even if Shi Lang did not do anything, they still had a stigma of his prowess in their minds.

    ...

    Theseus suddenly said, "Divo, go and rece a guy from any of the teams, and then seed discord."

    Divo replied, "On it leader."

    Vanessa and the rest did not react, they knew what was going to happen after thismand. Divo was the shapeshifter of their team. Yes, it cannot be simpler than this, Theseus wanted Divo to swap ces with a guy from the opponents and then showcase a scene of discord.

    ...

    Divo circled around the parameter and positioned himself behind the two opposing teams. They have all just arrived at the location of the shootout and found the unconscious team. They were obviously shocked at the sight. The fact that the entire team was taken down without any casualties made them all be more alert.

    They did not think that anyone here from the enemy team was taken away to create an illusion. There were no traces of such maniption at the scene, no matter how skilled the other party was, they will have to leave some trace in such a hurry, but there was nothing, meaning this was an ambush and made the people raise their vigil.

    Divo gave off his position and triggered the scanning devices of the opponent team. He did this intentionally so that the people woulde over and check the situation.

    The leader of the opponent teams reacted and sent out a group of soldiers closest to the end, and the team of five responded quickly. Divo moved around the forest and the team leader said, "Split and search, do not engage the target, we do not know what can they do."

    The team nodded and split up. They did not manage to vite the safe distance, where they could reach to support each other, but Divo did not need anything more. He was watching the situation from the cover of thick tree leaves. As soon as the opponent passed from below his position. He jumped down and with a quick dagger strike at the back of the head disoriented the guy.

    The helmet was good enough to prevent knocking out in case of a head strike, then Divo took out his handgun and stunned the enemy. Then he looked at the guy on the ground and quickly took off his helmet and uniform. However, before putting up the helmet, his face squirmed and his physique also changed to fit the suit on his body.

    He looked exactly like the person on the ground. The guns were made to stun the targets, but they still gave off minimal sounds that will be picked up by the Terran cultivators in battle suits. This was not all, Divo reced hismunicator with a broken one.

    In less than thirty seconds, everything was finished and settled, at this moment, the enemy team leader arrived and found Divo standing over an unfamiliar guy on the ground. He asked, "Tsumu, what happened?"

    Divo replied naturally, This guy attacked from above." he pointed at the tree crown and continued, "Damaged mymunicator, I stunned him."

    The surprising thing was that the person on the ground looked exactly like Divo.

    ...

    Theseus said, "Move sessful. Now, wait for the chance."

    The team nodded. However, his remark shocked the people outside.

    ...

    Charlotte asked in disbelief, "How can he tell what happened from this distance?"

    Shi Tao replied in a happy tone, "Because the chess master knows everything that happens on the board and he knows what is the status of his pieces."

    The people in the peanut gallery were shocked, they did not expect the Chess Master to be something like this.

 Chapter 349 Origin Of The Guardians.

    While the senior officials were shocked, Divo had gone back to the enemy team. They reported the situation and Divo said, "Leader, I think we should not waste much time. The FSA took down the Cairo Academy ss without a causality. This shows that they are stronger than in the past. Their ssmate almost took me out by surprise and they are aware of our arrival here. The more time we take the more time they get to prepare."

    The team leader nodded and said, "You are correct Ismail, but how are we going to locate them?"

    Divo said, "Send out squads? If we send out an assault squad forward, will we not be able to get them? Although they move quickly, they must have left some sort of trace?"

    The two team leaders nodded and they began to form a strategy meanwhile Divo began to mingle with people. While he was doing so, he would sit on the ground and sneakily hide a stun grenade under a thinyer of soil. This was his talent, a bomb ntation. A stun grenade looked like a phaser nade, but it was significantly smaller in size.

    The size yed to Divo''s advantage and he was not noticed in his action. It took him two hours to nt five such nades. He was very patient in his nning and action. If he was to rush and get caught, all the effort will go in vain. Although he was not scared of getting shot down, his failure will cost his team some valuable time.

    ...

    Theseus said, "Assault team, spread out."

    Vanessa led the assault team and they all spread out surrounding the opponent from all sides, they maintained the proper distance to avoid the monitoring equipment. Divo got high up on a tree and looked in a certain direction with his visor turned to thermal imaging. He spotted that one region was particrly low in temperature than the rest.

    This was his signal to act. The difference in temperature belonged to the ability used by a fellow ssmate. Divo smirked and changed back to normal vision mode, and looked down. The spots he had rigged with nades, were full of people moving around them. He took out his originalmunicator and started the short dy timer.

    A few secondster, five nades exploded with a high-pitched buzz taking down at least twenty students in reach. The team leaders were surprised, however, before they could do anything, Vanessa and her troupe charged over from all sides. Divo yed a significant role, and he snipped down the two team leaders.

    Without their leaders, the teams lost their confidence and were taken down with much ease. Vanessa and the rest were not alone this time, the support group helped them pick up all the loose fish that tried to escape the. This was an aplishment. They had taken down three of the eight teams. The disy of tactics and ability was impressive and they hade halfway to the peak with ease.

    ...

    The general council watched the battles and they found that not only Theseus but the entire ss trained by Shi Lang was on par with the elites in terms of tactics and movements. Their strength may becking but that was because they were too young at this moment.

    An entire day passed and the teams kept falling, FSA also lost a handful of members. Chou was the most notable member of the team. He put himself in front of a bullet for Theseus. The muscle of the ss knew the importance of the brain.

    ...

    Shi Lang watched it all with no change in his faint smile. Someone in the observation pavilion could not help it and asked him, "Sir, how can you smile when your students are falling?"

    The young general replied, "I am happy that they understand their roles, as the leader, Theseus needs to learn the burden he will carry for standing in front of his men. The rest of them will also have to understand what they need to do in order to support their leader, even if it is toy down their lives."

    The people nodded, this was how the military worked. Shi Lang went on to say, "Not only the leader but everyone in the unit should be protected. The only reason Chou fell down was because he was the closest to Theseus. If you all noticed, almost everyone shifted their attention to the attack."

    The surrounding people nodded, they were all people who had stood on the frontlines, either they owed their lives to someone, or someone owed them their lives. They agreed with Shi Lang on this matter from the bottom of their hearts.

    ...<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The battles continued and the whole day passed, in the end, Quo Lina earned the victory after taking down the captain of thest team with mutual destruction. Shi Lang had taught them to treat this contest like a battle of life and death and their goal was to protect as many ssmates as possible.

    Thepetition came to an end and the students were bought back to the Elton Military Academy. They were given a few minutes to rest and recieve medical aid if needed. Thepetition was quite intense, the stun bullets did not hurt but the knives really left some cuts on the bodies of their fresh meat.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the teachers came to their sses, while the former was here to praise his ss, the rest were here to console. There was no meaning toing second or third. The runner-up was the biggest loser.

    The students of FSA stood up in front of Shi Lang in an orderly queue. They were simplxy waiting for the teacher to praise them, but Shi Lang said, "You all know that you could have made the ending so much better?"

    Theseus stepped forward and nodded, he said, "I made a few mistakes in my conduct. I should have been better."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The rest of you are also the same, you need to learn from the mistakes you made today. Dying is not the best choice of alternatives to seek victory, however, what you all did was very impressive, it exceeded my expectations. Keep it up."

    Shi Lang was wearing his ceremonial uniform and he was looking awe-inspiring. The students heard the ws pointed out by their teacher, but they also heard the praise he gave. Shi Lang was notpletely a cynical bastard. He was the idol they all worshipped. Although he gave off the impression of the devil. His actions were anything but cold in reality.

    Suddenly, a tiny figure rushed past the crowd and appeared in front of Shi Lang. The young man looked at the tiny figure and a smile appeared on his deste face. He asked, "Where did you find the way to get here?"

    "Mom told me.", said Shi Tao as she raised her daity wrist to show themunicator with Amelia smiling and waving at him.

    Shi Lang waved to her before the projection vanished and patted Shi Tao on her head as he asked, "Why did your mom stay behind?"

    Shi Tao looked around and said in a hushed tone, "Those old people were trying to bully me with questions like what special ability does the ss have, so mom told me to get out and find you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You did great, now, go and congratte your seniors, look how they are gazing at you."

    Shi Tao was the pixie of the ss. She bought smiles to everyone, and the people bustled with new found energy. After a few minutes, the awards were presented and the ss smiled to click a picture together. Shi Lang did not give the ending speech and went to the VVIP lounge to get a one on one with the old bones.

    He had been away from the general council a way too long it seemed. He was walking through the crowd and the aura of a kind and generous teacher had vanished to be reced by the demon from hell. Those who happened tobe too close to him, made way, they did not wish to entangle with him. This was the power hemanded, and it may seem as if he was not doing much these days but he was cultivating without any effort spared.

    None of the people in the world understood his mind, they thought he went to the school to calm down, but instead, he was building up his spiritual energy to break through another level as soon as possible.

    The moment he entered the VVIP lounge the surrounding people all cast a gaze at him, and fell silent. Amelia smirked when she saw the situation. Shi Lang asked, "What is the fuss about?"

    Charlotte said, "We were discussing what division or fleet will be better for this batch from FSA, in the..."

    Her words were not finished when Shi Lang interuppted her and said, "They will be the guardians department. Trained by secret divisons, and tested by the fleets, their task will be..."

 Chapter 350 Decision.

    Shi Lang said straight out what he thought about recruiting students from his ss. The general council was taken aback and stunned; they had not expected the young man to have thought of anything beforehand.

    One of the generals asked in a calm tone, "Sir, what do you mean by the guardian division?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I did not n to hide from you all, but was only waiting to confirm a conjecture of mine before bringing this topic up for an official discussion."

    The others nodded; they could tell that Shi Lang was sincere and not lying to them. The young man also did not wish to see these guys rebel against him, so he gestured for them all to sit down. Earlier, the discussion was so heated that they were all standing on their feet.

    The people took their seats, and Shi Lang started speaking, "The Federation home has been going through many subtle changes ever since the spirit energy reappeared. We have records that prove such energy existed once before too."

    The other generals nodded, they wanted to understand where the young general was going with this topic. Shi Lang continued, "Since you all know about the existence of spiritual energy, you all must be aware of the effects this energy can have on the human physique."

    The others were confused, and Amelia put up a solemn expression. She was worried that Shi Lang would tell these scheming people about Shi Tao. However, she could not say anything at this moment.

    Charlotte asked, "Sir, what do you mean by the changes in the human body, and how is all this rted to the Guardian Division?"

    Shi Lang did not turn to look at her properly and said, "There is a rare chance that someone with an extraordinary physique is born. This physique is not strong but blessed by the heavens. You must have read about the rare physiques that show up once in a while and are peerless.

    The Guardian Division will protect and monitor the rare natural elixirs as well as the rare and varied beasts. Just like us, there will be others watching out for rare things. The federation is not a park where everyone can live happily ever after, we also have evil bastards who will not hesitate to cannibalize their kin for strength."

    He took a deep breath after finishing his piece, and the rest of the generals had a solemn expression on their faces. They had never thought about this issue, but suddenly a person asked, "Sir, you decided to establish a dedicated division for this cause, did something happen?"

    Shi Lang knew some smart ass woulde over trying to probe him, but he shook his head and said, "Thank you for your concern, General Adali, but nothing happened. How is the situation at the front? I hope it''s nothing out of the ordinary."

    Following that, the council underwent an impromptu meeting and discussion. It waste at night when the meeting was adjourned. Amelia had remained standing the entire time; given her strength, this was not a problem for her. When all the officers left the hall, Shi Lang stood up and let out a sigh. Amelia approached him and loosened his tie a little. Then she said, "Why did you indulge them for too long?"

    Shi Lang held her waist gently and said, "They think I have been away from the front, so they can now undermine me. Your mother always had an ambition to stand at the helm, and she is trying to rally people for that."

    Amelia nodded and said, "I know that, but who can me her? The allure of authority drives us military people to keep improving."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "One must know that standing at the peak could be blinding. Is that peak even worth it if she is giving up her morals over it?"

    Amelia sighed and hugged him, as she also wanted her mother toe around and stop this chase of mad power. She said in a low voice, "When will she ept it?"

    Shi Lang knew that she was not talking about the power chase now, it was more about the matter of epting Shi Tao''s adoption. The couple themselves were very happy with Shi Tao, but eventually they did get bothered by the judgmental look in the eyes of General Charlotte Knight. She believed in keeping her pedigree clean and thoroughbred as a military officer.

    Also, her misunderstanding of the advanced technology has made her neglect the basics that Shi Lang exined to his parents. The young man closed his eyes and gently rubbed his wife''s back. He wanted to say something when they heard an exmation, "Oh, I did not see anything, I shall wait outside."

    Amelia broke away from the cozy embrace, and looking at the source of the sound, they found a small figure with her hands covering her face and eyes peeking through the gaps. Amelia smiled and walked closer to the girl, and scooped her up as she said, "Taotao is being naughty again."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Then the lounge was filled with giggles andughter.

    ¡­

    The next day, the people boarded the vehicles and left Elton city. The students did not wish to have any conversations and began to sleep. Shi Lang, meanwhile, was arranging his own work for the next few days. His time here hase to an end, the motive of grooming a nice group of students was aplished, and now he needed to head back to the front.

    His bones were craving some action, and Amelia needed some time to focus on her cultivation. Shi Tao will learn the next phrase of cultivation from Amelia and OB-One. The bot was not only a cultivation expert but also a talented instructor and guide in terms of auxiliary skills like artifact refining, array formation, and alchemy.

    Shi Lang wished for Shi Tao to be a leading figure in the future. For that, he will do all that he can. Although his announcement will surprise the students and might even leave them in shambles for a few days, this was a necessary thing for their growth. They were not going to stay under his wing for the rest of their lives and would have to fly on their own one day. It was not up to him how far they could fly. He wished to have them realize this hard truth as soon as possible.

    The journey did notst for long, and they reached the FSA in the afternoon. When the ss got out of the car, they heard pops, then saw confetti fall and heard a lot of apuse.

    The trouble ss won the school an honor it has beencking all these years. The ss was greeted warmly, and arge red banner was specially made for them. The students received the congrattions with a moderate smile, they knew very well how much theycked.

    While the ss was swarmed with congrattions, Shi Lang visited the principal''s office. He knocked on the wooden door, and General Edwards said, "Come in."

    Shi Lang pushed the door open and went inside. The old man did not reveal a surprised reaction and asked, "You came here to tell me that you wish to go back to the front?"

    Shi Lang nodded as he sat down in front of him. The old man said, "Why should I approve of this request?"

    "So that you make it clear that you do not stand with General Knight in her schemes, and also because you know I am itching again," said Shi Lang.

    He did not sugarcoat or beat around the bush. General Edwards said, "Can you learn some decency? How can you use me of such a thing? I withdrew from the council a long time ago."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Did you withdraw or be forced to sit out? Do not get me into the technicalities. Those with the lust for authority and power cannot lead to the growth of society; you know it better than I do, or things would not havee to this point."

    His words made the old man sigh and said, "I have tried to convince Charlotte that she is not doing the right thing, but¡­"

    The old man sighed again and continued, "All because of youring to the background. Do not me me."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not ming you for anything, but you better approve of my request. I need to get to the front; many people believe they require salvation."

    General Edward nodded, knowing Shi Lang would go kill a lot of people at the front. He pressed his digital seal on the application and said, "You can deal with your farewells, the letteres in act tomorrow morning. Godspeed."

    Shi Lang stood up from the chair and saluted the old man before he turned back to get out of the room.

 Chapter 351 Farewell.

    The students of the special ss entered the ssroom and began to go over the battles and the things they learned through the whole experience. Theseus spoke on the podium until, suddenly, Shi Lang entered the room.

    His pace was steady and his aura was solemn, the students had a bad premonition in their hearts. They did not understand what was going on with the teacher, was he upset that they did not perform better or was his thinking of how to punish them.

    Shi Lang cast a look at Theseus and said, "Go take your seat, I have an announcement to make."

    The ss monitor nodded and went back to his seat while Shi Lang came to the podium. He first looked around at the ss, at the faces of the students and then said, "You all might be thinking what is making me give off this aura, right?"

    He could see through them with ease. He said, "Well, I am not here to make you all ado anything at all. I am only hoping for you all to keep focused towards your studies and be stronger in theing time. Do not stop learning, and do not forget what your aim is."

    Theseus raised his hand and Shi Lang nodded, he asked, "Sir, are you going somewhere?"

    Shi Lang nodded and without much expression on his face and said, "I am going back to the front, my time here hase to an end."

    The ss was shaken instantly, however, they still did not give up the discipline and raised their hands. Shi Lang waved his hands and said, "I know that you all have a lot of questions but things are not that simple, and even if I tell you, you might not understand. So, bear with it and be stronger so that you can stand shoulder to shoulder with me in the future."

    The students were upset, and aggrieved. The girls almost had tears in their eyes. However, suddenly, Quo Lina stood up from her seat and saluted Shi Lang as she said, "Command Acknowledged, Sir."

    This sudden salute and loud following remark made things change. The rest of the ss stood up and followed this gesture. Theseus stood up in the end and said, "I will not only stand by your side, but also surpass you."

    A lot of ssmates were shocked at this, and even Shi Lang was the same, however, this remark ignited his spirit again, and he said, "Come then, I will be there to beat you down every time."

    Then heughed as his eyes sparkled and his spiritual pressure began to flow out. The students all instantly became suffocated, they sensed as if a mountain was pressing over them. Shi Lang looked at the young man in front of him and said, "This is not even ten percent of what I am, treat this level as a small goal. Find me when you reach here."

    The ssmates understood that Shi Lang was saying all this to Theseus. However, they all wished to rise up and face the stronger Shi Lang, the students and the teachers were all inspiring each other. After a few minutes, Shi Lang took back his pressure, leaving the students immobilized. Then he said, "Your new instructor will be here in the ss tomorrow, I do not wish to hear anyins or I wille back and break your bones to powder. Understood. Also, I hope that you all the smart enough to know what is a military officer capable of."

    The people nodded meekly, they were really weak at this moment, and Shi Lang left the ssroom, he did not wish to waste much time on this temporary farewell. The students he taught will rise to the peak one day toe and that day wille soon enough.

    Time has be a fleeting matter to him ever since he stepped into the primordial soul realm, and now it was time to advance. The young general left the ssroom and directly exited the school. He did not waste any extra time and simply shed his way to home. Then he informed his parents of his decision but before they could put up a protest, Shi Lang was out of the house.

    Amelia met him at the door step with Shi Tao who was carrying a lot of bags in her hand. Shi Lang pecked her forehead and said, "I am going out for work, willeter, you stay home and be well, study hard and train a lot. Okay?"

    Shi Tao nodded and with a skip in her step she walked inside. Shi Lang asked, "What did you buy her to be so happy?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "This child too much after you, she just would not take her eyes off those weapons and armors. So, I got her a custom made weighted suit. She wants to beat Quo Lina and im the strongest spot in the ss."

    Shi Langughed and then he stood up to kiss the forehead of thedy and said, "I will go to work now."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Be safe, and no red hair."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shingughed as he waved his hand and a dedicated car from the military came to pick him up. The vehicle moved away, and Amelia entered the house when the scene vanished from her eyes. The vehicle did not go straight to the Parliament. Shi Lang was not going to tell the old cronies that he was going back to the front.

    He headed to a hangar reserved for him and left the federation. His soldiers were loyal to him only and it was time that the general council woke up from their daze of control and power. The Young general did not look like he will give a chance to his opponents.

    His spaceship made rendezvous with X, on Mythya, and then they came to the Tartarus. The living hell that he had designed for the soldiers to train.

    The ace division was training here. However, they all found that the ninth level was empty. This was something that they did not expect. Shi Lang hade over to withplete surprise, at this moment some members were in the observation room, watching theirrades running through the courses, when they suddenly saw a new person pass through the barrier of the entrance level.

    They brushed it off as a new trainee X bought along. What happened next shocked them, every person entering the Tartarus will be checked and scanned through the doors. Each level had a time scanning device as well.

    The person moving through the levels was extremely fast, faster than their imaginations. Milo was the analyst as usual, and he eximed out loud, "Who the fuck entered Tartarus? The god from hell?"

    The others looked at the device and they were shell shocked as well, at this moment, X entered the room and said, "Yes, Someone from hell came here, but he is not a God. He is a Demon, or to be precise, Asura."

    This one word shocked the people, they knew who this identity belonged to. X had a mask on as he did not reveal his identity to anyone, but his gaze was flickering with joy. The ace division had lost blood from their faces when they heard this name. The peak elites of the federation lost theirposure and X enjoyed the show.

    He said, "You all have a task, report to the lowest level, as soon as possible. Hehe, he will be waiting for you."

    The people jumped into action and then they passed on the message as well, Shi Lang moved so so quickly by the time they were done reaching the first level, he had cleared the seven levels of the maze. There were a lot of new candidates here, but all they sensed was a gust.

    However, the pressure did not allow them to gossip at all. Shi Land did not intend to converse with them because his status was too high at the moment and it will only distract them.

    Shi Lang reached the ninth level and stretched his bones as he said, "Oh, nine minutes, I have gotten rusty."

    A voice sounded behind him, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang was surprised to hear this and turned around, the figure in front of him looked like a teenager, he asked back, "Do you really not know me?"

    The teenager did not react surprisedly, and directly took out his handgun and spoke in hismunicator, "Intruder spotted at the ninth level, request assistance."

    Shi Lang was amused and raised his hand and said, "Fine, you win. Take it easy on the trigger."

    Fifteen minutester, three figures appeared at the entrance of the ninth level, the people were shocked when they saw the scene unfolding in front of them. Milo rushed forward and saluted Shi Lang, "Milo reporting for duty, Commander Ace."

    Shi Lang shrugged and asked, "I have a gun pointed at me, Milo."

    He was exasperated. This guy was still a doofus.

 Chapter 352 Interaction.

    Jill was the first person to react and asked, "Barton, lower your weapon. Do you even know who is the person standing in front of you?"

    Milo was a doofus, he was busy looking at Shi Lang from head to toe. The young man with the gun was shocked at this and wanted to say something when Jill said, "Commander, why did you not knock him out?"

    This sentence stated his identity as themander, and Jill was an officer of the Ace Division, so her words meant that the man Barton had his gun aimed was themander of the ace division. He shivered slightly and lowered his weapon, and heard a calm voice, "I have not yet adjusted my control of power, I could have killed him if I was to react on my reflex. Given that he could clear the nine levels in such a limited time, he must be a genius."

    Milo nodded and began to state the data he recorded or found out about Barton. He said, "You got that right, Commander, Barton was rmended to the card ss forpleting three major difficulty assassination missions in the Zerg region. He cleaned up the three most prominent rebel leaders. He is the best student in the card ss, and passed the course in three months. This is his fourth month in the Tartarus, and he can run down to the ninth level. So yes, he is a genius."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Who rmended him?"

    Milo replied with an indifference, "General Charlotte Knight."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well Barton, you did good, and reacted in line of your duty but know this, Tartarus is not a ce where anyone can reach the ninth level just because they want to."

    Barton nodded and then Shi Lang said, "You are dismissed now, this floor is essible only to the Ace division."

    This statement made Barton feel like he was not worthy of standing on the ninth level, and he felt indignant but he could not say anything to the guy in front of him. He was aware that under the cover of calm and collected, this person was a horror for his current self. The strength that Shi Lang had could kill him ten times over before he could tell what happened to him.

    Barton saluted the guy and left the ce quickly. Jill noticed everything during the interaction and said, "He sure knows how to hold it in, Boss. He does not seem to be easy."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You will know when the meetingmences. Ry a message to the ckers. They have five minutes to report, if not, then I will have them run through the maze at full difficulty and that too naked."

    The message was passed, but even Jill, Milo and Snipe felt a shiver down their spines. Shi Lang will really do what he just said.

    ¡­

    Five minutester, the entire ace division, all twenty members were gathered and they were sitting cross-legged. They were all waiting for Shi Lang. The young general said, "While I was resting, there has been a storm brewing in the military. Do you guys have any idea what I am talking about?"

    The people looked at each other and then Milo said, "Sir, the general council has been restless for a few months, OB-One did all that he could to maintain the work order, but these guys do not trust him, and they think that you have been running away from your duty so, General Charlotte Knight has proposed to stand against you in the election a few monthster."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This guy Barton is a spy she sent here. I can bet my ass that she has made up Tartarus in some other pace already, and she wants to rece the Ace division."

    This made the people raise their eyebrows. Sonic was sitting silently the whole time, when he suddenly said, "Then why do we not stop these noobs froming inside the Tartarus for a few days? Barton needs to be kept out as well."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It is fine if they want to train, just push the difficulty to hell mode. Enough goofing around, Tartarus was not supposed to be a walk in the park. Also, Barton gets a dedicated nightmare setting. I want this so-called talent to crawl and know the despair he will have to face to reach the so-called peak. Milo you will be in charge of the training of these talented people. The rest of you I have a task for you."

    The people straightened their backs, and Shi Lang said, "Go, visit the fleets, challenge their ranks, and beat the shit out of their general. Leave Charlotte Knight for me, but her immediate supporters are yours to deal with."

    The division was shocked, this task meant that Shi Lang was going to tear faces with the rest of the fleets. He was going to drag them all into the light and push them to fight him fair and square. This was debunking their strategies and plots to flip the tables on him.

    Shi Lang was not good at politics? Said who?

    The people were all deployed and the control room of Tartarus was handed over to Milo. Another thing that they did was to stop allmunicative services from Mythya to the outer world. The reason was simple, to protect the secrecy of this location. Too manymunicative message could jeopardize their location.

    These people did not say much, but they knew his thoughts and agreed to the tasks. Milo asked, "Boss, what do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I will go into seclusion for a few days and then face the War Maiden of the federation. She has been itching to try my prowess first hand."

    The rest of the people gulped a mouthful of saliva down. They did not expect Shi Lang to go out personally and beat thepetitors like this. However, this was the most effective method to deal with situation like this. The first general was invincible in the federation and thus, he shall vanquish his enemies on his own.

    Milo and the rest left the ninth level and the news that the ace division was deployed spread around the. The shock came to people for a moment when they learned that themunications of theary system were barred and only emergency messages will be allowed to sent after screening.

    Barton was surprised, and shocked at this. He did not know what happened all of a sudden that made themunications to be barred. Another shock came to him was that when he was running through the maze, trying to figure out what was happening when for the first time, he was severely injured in the second level.

    Barton was taken out by a set of intelligent bots. These bots were simply imprinted with Shi Lang''s battle skills and Barton literally had no skills to face the asura. The ferocity of the bots was too much for him to handle and his body was left with deep gashes, making his bones and internal organs visible.

    Shi Lang was unaware of all this. His body has been rxing during his time on the federation and now he was refilling it with the spiritual energy umted in the empty chamber of the ninth level. The energy went through his body slowly nourishing it. He was constantly guiding a current of the energy to enter his primordial soul after it has been through his entire body.

    Others might think that this sort of practice will make his spiritual energy advancement slower, however, Shi Lang was not normal. This method was used to refine his spiritual energy, and the more refine it became the more energy it will contain. For example, Shi Lang was refining his spiritual energy before it was channeled in his primordial spirit, the effect of this method would allow Shi Lang to have four times more energy than anyone else in the same realm as his and his primordial spirit will grow up stronger and quicker.

    The young general had lost theprehension of time, and he was simply indulged in his training, meanwhile on the upper levels of the maze, the cadets and officers were all suffering miserably. They did not expect this sort of difficulty. Barton actually received a special care from Milo. He was left crawling on the second level of the maze, this shocked everyone.

    The wounds made by the puppets, were all life harming. Barton almost burst into tears when he could not even stand up. The ce where his journey ended for the fourth day was the same as the rest of the days. The defeat has left him with great despair. This despair was not easy to ovee and if he wanted to rise to the peak, this was the basic minimum.

 Chapter 353 Striking Fear.

    Shi Lang had stopped caring about the world outside, he was focused on refining and refilling his spiritual energy, the level of his primordial soul was also growing slowly. The infant inside his soul sea was now akin to a toddler. This change was the result of ten days.

    If anyone else was to see this growth rate they would be doubting if Shi Lang had any special physique or treasure on his body. They would not be half wrong though. The treasure Shi Lang had was his old soul. His soul was skin to a hungry beast that has tasted spirit energy once before, and now, after eons it was allowed to feel the same again.

    Using his experience, Shi Lang was providing the soul with refined spirit energy, this made the progress elerate even more than what it should be if he had any treasure on his body. Shi Lang was getting stronger with every passing second and the people outside were cowering in fear.

    In the past ten days, five teams of two from the Ace division, have aplished their tasks. The people had no idea what made the Ace division seek this sort of challenge, but they were all on point. They challenged from the captain rank and then slowly climbed up. They would fight in tags without any break, and the fleets were left senseless, even the first mate of themanding general was rendered useless.

    The surprising thing was that from all the sixteen fleets, ten were given the challenge and the rest were left untouched. One of them was the first fleet, four were made from the majority of ingenious species members, and thest but not the least was the fleet headed by General Charlotte Knight.

    The message was loud and clear, Shi Lang had sent a p to the faces of the supporters who forgot the fact that they are not politicians but guardians of the peace and prosperity. They needed to be humiliated to be reminded of their real position. He had written a letter to each of the generals which was given to them after the generals were defeated by the ace division experts.

    The generals were the only ones who seemed to have put up a tough fight and even lost standing on their feet. However, in the letter all their doubts were cleared, Shi Lang had purposefully asked the two people to go easy on the Generals and save them some dignity, if they were to be defeated in front of their soldiers than the morale of the fleet will crumble and he did not want this.

    His words surprised the people, but they all knew the meaning behind this. He was giving them a chance to correct their ways. While most of them were indignant, they also knew that if they did not do as told, Shi Lang will crumble their dignity and then appoint a new general in their position. This was not a bog thing for him to do, after all, he was the man who had reced the entire general council.

    ¡­

    On Mythya, a separate ocean of despair had taken over the lives of the cadets here. The Tartarus finally started acting like the hell they had thought it was in the early days. They thought that the Ace division had been easy on them earlier, but given this level, it was because themander was back and he did not wish for anyone to ck.

    Some people spected what was going on with Shi Lang. Some thought he has already left the ce to deal with some mission, while some thought that he was seriously injured and was in the base healing himself silently. Thest im was even more ridiculous, some people said that Shi Lang had ran away from home after a fight with his wife.

    None of them could guess that Shi Lang was here to get stronger and was in seclusion? That was because Milo was providing the people with rumors. This was a way to keep these guys off track and distracted. They needed to learn how to focus their thoughts. Milo loved chaos, he was a true sadist in the base.

    After a period of fifteen days, Shi Lang opened his eyes in the ninth level. He said, "Milo, close the maze, I need to go out the time is short."

    The voice echoed directly in Milo''s mind. The man was shocked but he still followed the order quickly and thought, done. Shi Lang walked out of the ninth level, and then quickly walked through the maze. He ignored the eyes of the cadets set on him. Barton was lying in a small pool of blood spraying a healing agent on his wounds when he spotted Shi Lang walking out quickly.

    His heart was indignant, he wanted to question this man if the cadets were so worthless that he would not even spend a minute to talk to them, but he was injured and could not catch up to Shi Lang. At least not before they reached the surface.

    He spotted Shi Lang standing on the top of a cliff, and wanted to move closer to vent when Jill appeared next to him and pressed her hand on his shoulder as she said in a cold voice, "If you take another step, I will stter your brain here on the ground. Do you understand?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her voice was cold and she was not joking. Suddenly another voice sounded, "Jill what is boss looking at the sky for?"

    The voice belonged to Sparrow, Jill looked at Shi Lang in distance and shrugged her shoulders as she said, "Everyone, be alert and prevent any intrusion. Boss is in a different state of mind, anyone who tries to get close to him will die."

    The entire team replied in a yes. X appeared beside Jill, and with a few taps on Barton''s body he immobilized him and also took off his body cams. Barton looked at him wrongly and X said, "What you are about to see, is not allowed to be circted, at least not until you want your head to roll."

    ...

    In the distance, Shi Lang stood on a cliff looking at the cliff. His eyes were filled with red light, as if a fire of battle. The sky was resonating with his thoughts. The ck clouds began to roll together and suddenly a crimson streak of lightning could be seen in the clouds.

    Shi Lang chuckled loudly and said, "What are you waiting for, Come, I am ready for you."

    His voice and reaction shocked the people, they did not know what was going on, but suddenly, the crimson lighting struck towards Shi Lang. The people wanted to tell him to leave the spot, but he jumped off the ground and rushed to meet the streak of lightning head on.

    The streak of lightning and the human shed, a dyed explosion sounded and shook the void with the impact. The people were all standing a hundred meters away, they were all forced to retreat at least another hundred meters. X said, "Use your spirit energy to protect yourself, but do not radiate any fighting intent, that lightning will kill you all."

    The people did not expect something like this, and before they could ask where Shi Lang was and what happened to him, they saw the figure with crimson lightning crawling all over his body, but the figure looked like it was not effected at all. Shi Lang was busy refining the lightning into spirit energy to provide himself with a greater nourishment.

    This was a method of maniacs but he was not a sane person anyhow. The asura sutra in his mind was where he learned this technique. The second lightning streak was also condensing among the clouds and the people had no idea what to say to exin this phenomena in front of them.

    Shi Lang channeled the energy in his entire body, tempering it even further. Giving the people a shock, Barton was doubting his life, he could not understand what level of strength it took for someone to face lightning.

    As soon as Shi Lang finished digesting the first bolt, the second streak of lightning fell from the sky, the result was the same, but the impact was stronger than before by twice. Shi Lang was pushed down to half the height of where he was flying. Jill was bewildered and asked, "What is this? Why is boss seeking the lightning?"

    X replied, "This is the heavenly tribtion. This is how he cultivators advance to the levels above core condensation. You know that you are reaching the peak of core condensation, but you have not yet unlocked your primordial soul. The day you unlock your primordial soul, you will face the first tribtion. Three lightning bolts. The day you reach the second level of this realm, you will face second tribtion, six lightning bolts, and the third level will have you face nine bolts.

    The power of each bolt multiplies, for example, the second bolt is twice stronger than the first, and the third bolt is four times stronger than the second. You know the math now."

    The people were scared, they could not believe what they just heard, this was a simple face off with death. X said, "Did it strike fear in your hearts? Then your path of cultivation ends here. Remember, you can fear it, but only when you steel your heart to face the fear can you go further on this path."

 Chapter 354 Asura Unleashed.

    Shi Lang was hit by the second streak of lightning. The impact shook his body but he was yet to fall to the ground. He absorbed the lightning in his body at an overwhelming speed. The people on the sides were all shocked. Their brain could notprehend what was going on.

    This was humanely impossible, but as the time passed, the rumbling sound of the thunder clouds became even more intense, and the lightning streak became darker shades of crimson. Shi Lang did not do anything but he was simply standing in the void absorbing the lightning to refine his physique and his spiritual energy at the same time.

    The people did not expect such things from him. Shi Lang did not care about anyone, he was focused on the lightning in front of him. This was a source of energy that his body was longing for. If he could store the energy from heavenly lightning then he would be able to advance smoothly in the future.

    The third bold of lightning fell toward Shi Lang with a speed faster than the other two and the impact set off visible shockwaves in the void. It was like the space and time were rippling. Suddenly Shi Lang yelled, "What the fuck are you getting angry for? I am using your strength to advance is it that intolerable for your puny mind?"

    The skies rumbled, Shi Lang had scolded the heavens for being so ferocious with the third bolt. This made the heavens even more enraged. First this mortal was borrowing the energy of the lightning tribtion and then he had the audacity to call the heavens puny. The color of the lightning bolt changed hue a little from crimson red tovender.

    The streak hit Shi Lang and the man fell directly to the ground, embedded inside it. The impact left deep cracks on the floor of the. To think that they were already under the surface. A collective gasp was heard in the surroundings.

    The Ace division panicked, but just when they were about to rush forward, they all found a figure shrouded invender lightning standing up from the ground. Shi Lang had no change in his physique expect for the fact that the upper armor was missing. The impact of the streak was strong enough to vaporize the armor Shi Lang wore.

    This gave goosebumps to the people, but Shi Lang was able to stand up even after such a hit, this was even more frightening. The disy put up by the youngmander made their blood boil. They were all raging inside to be this strong, the binds of fear wereing loose in their hearts.

    Barton was looking at the scene with a daze in his eyes, he could notprehend the happenings in front of him. This level of strength was not something humans could achieve. Just when the people were stunned, the fourth lightning bolt fell from the sky aiming at Shi Lang. This bolt was thicker than the thighs of an adult.

    The color of this streak was a darker shade of Lavender. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Seriously, what have I ever done to you."

    The intensity of the tribtion had increased since thest time. The crimson bolts were just the start. The higher the level of the tribtion the more the color will lean towards white. White lightning was not yet witnessed by Shi Lang, but in the records, it was said that no one who ever faced it was able to survive the bolt.

    Thevender lightning was the beginning stage of violet, aplete other level of tribtion than the one he was facing in the past. However, Shi Lang was confident that he can still manage to hold on against thevender shade.

    The fourth bolt fell from the sky and Shi Lang was made to retreat a few meters while his body looked like it was out of control. The streaks of lightning on his body were making his muscles twitch but he did not give up but was simply facing the brutality of nature and heavens. Breaking the shackles on their fate was not an easy task.

    The heavens had decided to test him, and it will test everything, the physique, the resolve, the thoughts, the foundation and the will to go further on this path. The heavens did not mind testing the people to the point where the cultivator seem to be a maniac.

    Shi Lang was yet to be pushed over that edge, but he was literally raging. He wanted to rush up to the sky and tear it apart. This agitation was a natural instinct for a cultivator, they hated to be questions and they disliked being tested.

    This was something that the people around him did not understand. To vent his thoughts, Shi Lang took out his sword from the spiritual tattoo on his chest. The people watching all this were shocked, they have never seen anything like this. Pulling out a sword from his bare chest. This weapon was not made of the nano technology as there was no swarming of the bots.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Also, nanobots were not strong enough to deal with the heavenly lightning if they had lost in the first round when Shi Lang had his suit vaporized. This sword did not seem to have made any difference for them, however, they wanted to see what Shi Lang would do with it.

    The young general looked at the fourth streak that fell on his body and began to swarm inside it, destroying the body slowly. Shi Lang was not a fool, he was aware of the changes happening in his body.

    Shi Lang did not say anything and let the lightning swarm his body, but before long, the healing properties of the bolt became obvious to him. The next thing he did was to push out the lightning energy by using his spiritual energy. The lightning was guided to travel through his de.

    This was not some refining process, but it was an attempt to allow the sword to gain sentience. The heavenly lightning was a being with a consciousness of its own, pouring it through a sword that was nurtured with spirit energy could trigger the spirit consciousness inside the de. Even though the chances were low, they still existed.

    The sword issued a tingling sound and Shi Lang raised his brows. He said, "I will feed you as much as I can without enraging it. You know I am not strong enough yet."

    The voice was low, and this was a sort of a surrender that he projected in front of the tribtion. Shi Lang did not want to face a higher level of tribtion with his current level. The fifth bolt of lightning fell and the shade of the bolt was darker than the one before.

    The impact was stronger, Shi Lang was made to retreat ten meters and when he stopped his body was spasming badly, but he was still holding onto his sword. The body was being refined to the limits, and the process of refining was not as simple as it sounded. It was akin to a constant process of destruction and construction.

    Shi Lang was willingly facing it all and this was something that he did not know how to bypass. He was a simpleton when it came to such things. If he was to take any herb or medicine to relieve the pain, the intensity of the tribtion will definitely kill him.

    The reconstruction of his physique was not just his skin, but also his organs, and they were shaking from thest streak of lightning and the agony Shi Lang was suffering was too much. The young general was leaning on his sword to maintain bnce. Jill and the rest of the people were shivering, they have never seen their general so weak and fragile.

    Suddenly, the sixth lightning bolt, as thick as the waist of an adult human. The lightning streak fell through the void and hit Shi Lang, the young general convulsed from the hit and vomited a mouthful of blood. Hey on the ground with his body riddle with wounds. However, the sword in his hand was still held tightly.

    The lightning from his body was flowing through the sword, and it was emitting shallow streaks of lightning from the surface of the de. Shi Lang had ragged breathing, but his eyes were sparkling with stars. The clouds in the sky had began to face away, and a ray of light fell down from them. The gentle light seemed to be a living being as it focus on Shi Lang, whoid on the ground.

    The body that was shredded under the lightning was slowly repaired and Shi Lang regained his vitality. The speed of his recovery was shocking to the people and X said, "That is the reward of passing the tribtion. Can you sense his power?"

    The people immediately tried to probe Shi Lang, but they sensed nothing from him, it was like a puny non cultivator standing in front of them. However, a few minutester Shi Lang stood up from the ground and then he stretched his body letting out crackling noises. He raised his sword high and shed it at the sky.

    A streak of sword energy condensed at the edge and it ripped through the void. The streak of sword energy was so sharp that those who looked at it felt their eyes sting. Then they felt a pressure on their shoulders. The source of this pressure was Shi Lang, who let out a roar that shook the hearts of the people. The Asura was unleashed again.

 Chapter 355 Beatdown.

    Shi Lang let out a roar and the pressure from his body was poured out. It was like a mountain towering over the people around him. They were not even given the chance to prepare or resist before they were all kneeling on the ground. The horror was not the immobilization, but the chill running down their spines.

    X said, "Do not resist, do not try to emit the intent of fighting. Shi Lang is in Asura state now, you won''t even know how you dead if you triggered his rage."

    His warning was sincere and it was real. Shi Lang was getting used to all the new power inside his body and at this moment, his teenager primordial soul was agitated by the flow of energy inside his body. He was roaring and emitting pressure to calm himself down, but in this situation if someone tried to even emit a shred of hostility toward him, that will lead to certain death and that was all.

    Shi Lang raised his sword and waved it like it was a toothpick. The sword energy condensed on the sword de and shed outward tearing apart everything in the way, but Shi Lang was mindful not to hurt any living being in the vicinity.

    The madnesssted for a few minutes. Shi Lang calmed down after five minutes, and his pressure was reined back in. The young man let out a sigh as he stood up straight. His hair had grown till his waist, and they looked as if a curtain of night with a glimpse of blood in the air. The subtle crimson shine in his hair made him look like an immortal.

    The young man sighed and said, "Amy said no changes to the hair."

    He could sense the Asura tattoo at the center of his chest to be glowing with energy and giving off a shallow heat. The young man sat down in the void and crossed his legs as he began meditating. While he may seem calm, it was not easy to approach him, the shura sword was levitating in the void around him, slowly circling around him and the people could see the tint of lightning shing on the surface of the de every now and then.

    They could all guess that this sword was not a simple weapon anymore. It was like, when they stared at the de, the de also stared back at them. This feeling of being looked at by an inanimate object creeped and scared them out.

    Shi Lang was consolidating his foundation, he did not want to waste any time. X stood up and said, "Let us leave, Jill leave a few of your division to guard him and kill anything that approaches. Even Terrans without permission must be killed. Shi Lang is at a crucial point right now."

    Jill nodded and said, "We will take shifts to guard the Commander. You can leave."

    That said, X nodded and took Barton away with him. Thetter has been in a state of shock, he did not know what to say or how to express the scene he witnessed just now. This was a surreal experience that he went through. X look at him and asked, "Are you shocked to see how a human can go against the raw power of nature?"

    Barton subconsciously nodded and X said, "The Terran cultivation that you all follow now a days is just one realm of realm cultivation. It can be seen as a mean of tempering body, think about it, if a realm of body refining can allow you to reach such strength where you can stand at the peak of the civilization, what can you achieve when you integrate the energy of heaven and earth? The spiritual cultivation is a path that transcends civilizations and even the concept of mortality.

    Shi Lang has just touched the threshold of peak mortal, he is still far away from the real immortality, yet he can destroy the federation on his own, without much of an effort. However, he stands at the front, taking all the pain to lead the civilization to a new peak. This is what a leader should be like, yet some people are harboring designs against him. They do not know what ising for them."

    Barton woke up from the shock and shivered at thest sentence. He knew where X was pointing his finger. This was going to be a bad card dealt to General Charlotte Knight and she will not even have the chance to think of a counter for this. Barton wanted to help her and inform her but the strength he witnessed today made him doubt the side he picked up.

    Shi Lang was not a Terran, he was a god among Terrans. That sword sh could render an entire warship useless, how dared he provoke an entity like that? While in doubt, Barton arrived at his room and he sat down on the bed, gazing at the wall in a daze.

    ...<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang sat in the void for seven days, his hair were long but they had turned to the usual ck color with a faint shine to them. The asura tattoo on his chest did not burn anymore. He opened his eyes and stood up. His body issued crackling sounds, as the man said, "Come."

    The sword, that has been levitating in the void, seemed to respond to his voice and flew in his hand. Shi Lang gripped the hilt tightly and said, "Time to kill our way to the pinnacle wille soon."

    The sword vibrated as if expressing the agitation from the thoughts of killing. Shi Lang caressed the reed of the de and then turned around, he said, "I am going back to the base, the General council is about to start, you all follow me. We have beenying back a bit to much."

    Then he vanished from his spot. The three guards in the distance all heard his voice in their heads, and they could tell that the boss was not in a good mood, or any mood at all. His voice was calm and indifferent, the most scary state of them all was Shi Lang entering indifference.

    They ryed the message to their people as they rushed toward the base, Tartarus. Shi Lang had no extra thought in his mind. He appeared in his room, dressed up in his ceremonial uniform, and tied his sword to the back of his waist, horizontally.

    The de was almost as long as Shi Lang, so it could not be tied to his waist like a regr sword. However, the young general did not care about that. He walked out of his room and the Division had already prepared the Space ship for his departure.

    Shi Lang nodded at them and said to X, "Train these people at higher difficulty, let them know what it takes to be the Ace division members, let them brave the dangers and conquer the fear of death. The time limit for everyone to pass the final level is three months, after that, purge their memory of this camp and send them back to their initial units."

    Everyone heard this notice, and they were all surprised. But at the same time they were all pumped up too. After all, running the higher difficulty meant that the training will be sincere and they have the chance to be a kin member with the Ace division.

    ¡­

    Milo was left behind to facilitate the training of the rookies, and Jill had taken up the pilot position with Sonic. The two were in sync as they had been training to adapt to any scenario. Shi Lang sat in themand chair and said, "Set course to the General Council on the war."

    Sonic programmed the on-boardputer and said, "Acknowledged, Commander."

    They were all sweating beneath their suits, Shi Lang was emitting a strong battle intent and also the the cold indifferenceing off of him was scary for the people. The ship moved through the void and arrived at the War base in a short time of an hour. Shi Lang had the fastest warship in the fleets.

    The perks of the first general. The ship docked to the port and Shi Lang descended from the hatch door with his division and the entire protection detail on the war space port took half a step back by instinct. They could tell that the people in front of them were not to be provoked.

    Shi Lang walked with his head high, and he walked straight to the meeting chamber. The guards on the way were not told about his attendance in the meeting, following the protocol they should have stopped him, but the aura made them all immobilized. They could not take a step forward. Some of the smart ones tried to aim their phaser guns but just before they could warn the people, they sensed a tingling sensation on their hands, they were all given shallow cuts.

    They did not know how it happened but it was enough to chill their hearts. Shi Lang made his move and he was serious this time.

 Chapter 356 Cruel & Reckless.

    Shi Lang and the team advanced toward the meeting hall. This was something the rest of the fleet had not expected to happen. The war was a military base, none of the officers dared to be pretentious to just walk into this ce. The concentrated man power in this ce was enough to force the people to think twice.

    After all, the soldiers on grassroot level were the key to the strength of the federation and they were all righteous, untouched from the high level politics, there have been cases when the decisions were challenged logically and the high table was forced to revert their decisions. This was not done in war time situations but simple administrative decisions.

    The federation army followed the voting system in usual times, this way the connection between the high table and the lower levels was maintained better and initiated a smoother work process. Shi Lang''s arrival was uninformed and the disy just know was enough to scare people.

    As the young general neared the meeting hall, a toon stood in his way. These people were the elites of the fleets put together to form a protection detail. They werecking inparison to the Ace division but they were still far better than an average soldier.

    Shi Lang looked at the man in front but did not speak. Jill asked, "What is the meaning of this blockade?"

    Themander replied fearlessly, "Your team has arrived unannounced, and right now there is a general council meeting going on. We cannot let you pass."

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at the man and his hand moved to rest on the hilt of his sword. This simple action made the surrounding people wary. They immediately flustered upon watching the death god holding his weapon. Jill replied in a stern voice, "Do you not know that the person in front of you is the first general and the chairman of the General Council, General Shi Lang? What right do you have to stop him from attending the meeting?"

    Themander hesitated, after all, this rank was the highest in the federation military and by protocol he should be saluting and weing this guy to attend the meeting. However, he still did not step back and said, "The orders of ourmanding officers are to prevent General Shi Lang, who was not invited to the meeting, from entering the hall."

    Shi Lang finally could not hold it in andughed. Hisughter made the hearts of the people shiver, the coldness in his voice was evident. He was angry, really angry. He said, "I admire your spirit to fulfil your orders, but I have the right to get to the meeting. Since you dared to stop me, even after knowing my rank is above yourmanding officer, I shall reward you foe your loyalty."

    As he said that, he cast a gaze at the toon in front of him. He cast an illusion over their minds, and he did not hold back. The people experienced brutal deaths of theirrades, as they stood at the side, watching them all die brutally.

    The killer was Shi Lang and he did not spare anyone, the bodies of the people were all shredded, some missed limbs while some missed heads. Some were instantly killed while some were left in agony as they hung between life and death. They all held their heads as their bodies shivered from the sheer fear of the scene in front of them.

    They were all thinking why did Shi Lang not kill them, but their entire toon. It was only when the massacre stopped when they realized that the young general wanted them to realize the pain of being alone after all the loyal friends had been killed in front of them. The illusion was so real that it felt real. The next moment, the people wailed in real life. They were all so consumed with the pain in their minds that they were desperately wished to find a way out of this pain.

    In the end, they all could not hold back andmitted suicide. Only then did they wake up from their painful nightmare. When they found all theirrades beside them, breathing and alive. They realized that Shi Lang had tricked them. However, they did not dare to be angry, as they knew, Shi Lang will do all those cruel things again in real life if they made him angry.

    Shi Lang stepped forward and did not bother with the toon on the ground. Themander of the defense team also did not dare to stand in the way of this monster and gave way. Shi Lang had struck fear deep within their souls and he was not going to stop at any cost now. He will not mind shedding the blood of his own soldiers if he had to.

    The young general came to stand in front of the meeting hall and found that the istion formation has been initiated to prevent the secrecy of the matters being discussed inside. He raised his head and said, "Take a few steps back."

    Themand was intended for the Ace Division. The neen soldiers all took a few steps back, all ready to attack at any moment as soon as themander ordered them.

    Shi Lang looked at the faint barrier of spirit energy in front of him and began to tap the void at random ces, the people were confused but soon they saw that a golden line had been condensed in the void, this was something they all had no knowledge of, and Shi Lang was not intending to teach at the moment.

    He was controlling the spiritual energy outside his body to gather around the tip of his finger and condense in the lines where he moved his finger. He was condensing a rune to counter the spirit array in the void.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang was focused on the rune, and he knew that slightest of disturbance can lead to failure, that was why he told the people to step back. It took him five minutes to condense the rune and he said, "Break."

    The rune floated forward and collided with the barrier, their was no noise, but everyone saw the rune dissolve in the void and then the barrier was torn apart like a piece of cloth against a rain of arrows.

    Shi Lang watched everything calmly but he did not intend to step in the hall anymore, he said in a calm voice, "General Council meeting is taking ce without the first general, this is a vition of protocols. The participants now have three minutes to surrender, and they will be investigated and given a fair trial. However, if the people inside failed toply, I will take action and none of you will leave this ce alive."

    The statement shocked everyone, the voice was calm but the entire war heard this. They all knew about the arrival of the first general but they did not expect him to be so blunt that he directly issued a death threat to the general council.

    ...

    Inside the meeting hall, the council was sitting across the table, and the head position was left empty. They were going to cast their votes when they heard Shi Lang''s voice. They would not have been shocked if the young man was to stand in front of them, however, his voice could reach them from the outside of this sealed chamber, this meant his strength was extraordinary.

    They all were aware that they stood in the vition of the protocol, and as the strongest of them all, Shi Lang had the ability to kill them all for real, and since he gave them three minutes, they had no choice to go out and deal with the issue.

    Charlotte Knight wanted to try and calm the situation inside the hall, but the generals had all been debunked by the cold voice they heard earlier. They have heard that Shi Lang was cruel to the enemy and crueler to the friends, he did not tolerate mistakes, and this made the people even more scared.

    They all decided to give up the voting process and first check the situation outside. This was the coercion of the first general. They did not dare to go against him, not specially when they found that the Ace division was better than even the generals. The matter was not circted in the army, but it was a news in the fleet and everyone followed an unspoken gag order to save their dignities.

    Charlotte Knight was clueless to what happened, she did not know why these guys feared Shi Lang so much all of a sudden, even though they had decided to go against him, but as soon as he stepped in the scene, they all followed his words as if a god''smand. Frustrated, she could only walk out of the hall to see if her son-inw had grown three heads and six arms.

    ...

    When the generals came outside and found Shi Lang standing in front of them in his ceremonial dress, they were all surprised, they did not expect him to not don his battle armor. After all, his intention could not be anymore clear.

    Shi Lang said, "You all are smart. Now I will ask a few questions and you will reply truthfully. Mind you I can tell when you are lying, and also know that if you lied while in uniform, I will skin you alive as a punishment."

    Charlotte Knight spoke up, "General Lang, your tyrannical actions are against the protocols of the military."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Look who is speaking about protocols. What were you doing when you started a meeting without me? Even if you want to cease the first seat, you have to let me witness the process, these are the rules. Understood, General Knight."

    Shi Langshed out at her in public, this meant he did not care about tearing faces with her and the entire council. This was something out of her expectation. Charlotte was nning to exploit his familial nature. She knew he was smart, but this was reckless disy of force. How could she n for something like this?

    Shi Lang was a reckless wrecking ball that barged in her pce and took down the walls, making her bare it all to the world. Now she was in a spot where she did not know if she should counter attack or save her dignity. This was a cruel action from Shi Lang.

 Chapter 357 Putting In The Place.

    Shi Lang stood in front of the people from the General council and gazed at Charlotte Knight with a smirk but his eyes were indifferent. He was ready to take her head off her shoulders. The general was shocked to see him like this. She knew about his war state, and was the one who trained him in this method during the first visit to camp Ragnarok.

    However, now that she saw him first time like this, her heart was palpitating. This was not something that she had ever faced. She said, "This is not a rebellion, the federal military has always been fair. The reason we did not call you back was because the council has no confidence in your leadership. I hope you understand the protocol of the no confidence vote."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Okay, so you voted no confidence in my leadership. I understand that, but do tell me, what does that have to do with my membership in the council? I am still the active officer of the first fleet, and the special divisions. Am I right?"

    Charlotte Knight did not know what to say, he was indeed the officially active officer of the fleet. They had not yet issued any notice or formal orders of this guy. She was helpless, and she said, "We were going to issue the formal orders to revoke your membership in the meeting."

    Shi Lang nodded, and replied, "Since I am still the member and the acting leader of the council, allow me to ask something."

    The entire scene was happening in front of public eyes, and was being broadcasted to the entire war and the federation. What Charlotte and the rest did not know that there were a lot of people who were dissatisfied with this action of theirs.

    Charlotte had taken it upon herself to put Shi Lang in his ce, and thus she said, "Go ahead, General Lang."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The general council is made up of both the frontal forces and the secret divisions. Themanders of the secret division must be present to revoke the membership of a General. You missed that, secondly, the no confidence vote needs the separate agreement of the secret divisions, I wonder if you have that in your hand?"

    The general council was at a loss, Charlotte had made a mistake, she thought that the secret division was still working like the old structure, but the amendments made by Shi Lang allowed them to hold the simr status as the fleets. This meant that the sixteen secret divisions must also vote in this process.

    Thedy grit her teeth, and Shi Lang went on, "I will take your silence as a ''No'' now the people who voted in no confidence towards me, must be stronger than me, as per the military rule suggests. Those with greater power are allowed to be ced above the rest. Bigger fist, bigger say.

    So, the generals of the eleven fleets, led by the Terran leaders, have lost challenge battles to my Ace division officers. Shall I cast a no confidence vote in them and rece them from their positions?"

    The crowd was shocked, they did not expect such a thing to happen, even Charlotte Knight did not have any knowledge of such a thing. She cast a gaze at the general council members and was surprised to see their bowing heads.

    She tried to salvage the situation and said, "You can try to do that, but that does not mean you can salvage the situation by this action. The members lost to your division and not you."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then he chuckled, as he said, "Fine, then I call for the Military Duel. You all against me. Including you, War Maiden of Federation. I challenge you all to settle this matter fair and square. You can also make death attacks on me, if you managed to kill me, it will be because I am weak. I apologize, but if I injure you severely during the process, I am not responsible, it will be your weakness. Okay?"

    His promation of the death match took everyone by surprise. Someone in the crowd said, "That is what a true soldier is like, wearing his heart on the sleeve. That is what a leader is life, standing fearless in the face of death. I want to see if these so called superiors have the guts to face General Lang."

    This person was unknown, but his voice was resonated by a lot of people in the surroundings. They did not bother to lower their voices and made the faces of the General Council turn red. Charlotte felt as if her face was pped. She looked at Shi Lang and said, "Very well, we agree for the military challenge."

    That said, she unleashed the pressure of a peak core condensation realm expert. While the rest of the people were surprised by her disy of might, Shi Lang and the Ace division stood like it was nothing. The rest might not have noticed this but Charlotte did, while the Ace division still had a slight frown on their faces that vanished as quickly as it came.

    Shi Lang stood there like he was walking in the park. The pressure that was enough to cast a sense of oppression over the hundreds of soldiers in the surrounding was akin to nothing to this guy. Charlotte understood that his strength was higher than her, but at this juncture, she could not give up.

    She has agreed for the military duel, and going back on the challenge meant that she disrespected the dignity of the military duel that was akin to a sacred ritual in the forces. This will force her to give up on her membership as the General in the council and forsake her right as the fleet leader as well.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She was in a tough spot, and Shi Lang dug this hole for her to jump in. She could only grit her teeth and brace for the impact. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Since you have agreed, please proceed to the venue on the war. They have an excellent fighting arena here. We can use that to fighting without holding back anything. Also, do make sure to change into your battle suits. See you there. I hope you know the person responsible for taking care of the matters here on the war."

    That said, Shi Lang turned around and walked away with the Ace Division. He was going to the venue without caring about the tricks that General Council might have. Absolute strength is what ovees anything and everything.

    The soldiers saw this and they all began to talk, the image of the general council has been stained and the reason was their trickery. The soldiers all somehow started talking about how a soldier should be righteous and not tricking people for power, how Shi Lang was the one who did all that he could for the betterment of the world.

    ...

    Back in Federation, this incident was blown out of proportion. After all, Shi Lang was the first general. The news titles were like tornados, for example, "The first general was conspired against, the culprit is?"

    A lot more people began to talk about this and the most effected was the cab. They did not expect such an infighting in the general council. This effected thew and order on an invisible scale. They tried contacting the council but they were told to stay out of this matter by Charlotte.

    ¡­

    Amelia was in the kitchen when she heard the noise from the living room. After sorting up her stuff when she moved to the living room she found Shi Tao sitting in the middle of Shi John and Luna as the trio watched the screen projecting Shi Lang and her mother.

    Luna said, "I wonder if Amelia is alright. John, maybe we should change the channel?"

    Amelia shook her head with a smile, the family loved her a lot. So she also returned their love properly. She walked over and said, "Mom, it is fine, my mother needs some tuning."

    Shi Tao bobbed her small head, "Don''t worry grandma, dad is not a monster, he will not beat her hard."

    Luna facepalmed and said, "She is your grandmother too."

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "She does not acknowledge me. Dad said, we must not undermine ourselves to get what belongs to us. Mom also said the same."

    Luna cast a gaze to Amelia, who nodded and said, "It was our decision to have a daughter. Others may not want to ept it but our family should understand and ept this."

    ...

    On the War, Shi Lang stood in the arena facing the twelve generals. The ingenious species generals abstained from this dispute. One of them said, "We do not believe in infighting. It brings no benefit but only humiliation. General Lang is not in the wrong and you are the majority, so we will not step into this quagmire. Also, we are the weakest in the fleet."

    Shi Lang nodded to their decision, or he might have beaten them ck and blue. Thinking about this he looked at the opponents and said, "You all can take three moves head start, I will put you in your ce after that."

    The showdown was about to begin.

 Chapter 358 Power.

    Shi Lang seems to have decided that every time he speaks, he will leave the world in awe and shock. He simply gave the best of the federation a three-move head start. The people were wondering if he was trying to pull off some stunt or if he was really confident in his abilities.

    Theizens who were watching the live broadcast beganmenting.

    "General Lang is trying to p them all in the face, right?"

    "I wonder if he will get pped in the face by the opponent in return."

    "Yo! Brother upstairs, can you stop being so pessimistic? Did you all not notice that when the war maiden tried to intimidate him, his face did not change one bit?"

    "I get your point, but it could be that the mentalposure of General Lang is better and he acted to be unfazed, right? "After all, he holds the highest position on the council."

    "Shut up all of you, just watch the battle ahead, what''s the big deal?"

    Thements faded slowly after this, and everyone began to focus on the battle. Some news outlets had gone a step further and invited battle experts toment on the uing battle. This was going to get them the high rating they wanted.

    Shi Lang was unaware of this huge ruckus; hismunicator was turned to silent when the Cab tried to contact him. The only thing he could say was that the cab had no right to get involved in what the General Council was doing.

    The cab could only take a step back silently. They were helpless in front of the headstrong attitude of the first general. The recent assassinations of corruption officials all over the federation have made them even more scared and cautious when approaching this guy.

    Shi Lang specifically desired this effect on the people so that they would not bother him or try to control his pace. He stood in the arena with his sword tied to his waist. Watching the enraged expressions of the opponents indifferently.

    Charlotte also had a perplexed expression on her face, she did not expect this young man to go this far in his antics. She had a rough idea of his strength and said to the rest of the generals, "Be careful and do not hold back when you attack him."

    The people looked at her face in surprise, they did not expect thisdy to say such a thing, Was she not thinking about their pride? How were they going to face the world if they all attacked this young man at the peak of their strength? Will he be able to take it, and what if the world calls them bullies?

    Charlotte did not bother to exin her doubts to them, if they could not figure out things like this, then it was really a question of whether they were worthy of being the generals of the Federal Fleets.

    Shi Lang asked, "Shall we begin?"

    Charlotte nodded, and the generals wearing ck battle armor rushed forward. Shi Lang smirked and took his ce, but he was met with a kick to the temple right away. The opponent was called Ajax, known for his speed and the special ability to go supersonic while running, he could be called the fastest Terran in the federation.

    However, his speed was not enough to catch Shi Lang, and the young man ducked the first kick and took a side step to avoid a de shing from the top. The second attacker was called Sama. Because of his special ability, his de sh or any cold weapon attack could be transformed into aser attack.

    Shi Lang did not bother with defending and only dodged the attacksing at him. His speed was greater than any of the attacks thrown at him. Suddenly, a phantom shed in the arena and attacked Shi Lang on his alleged blind spot. Shi Lang, however, had his senses locked on the entire arena, it was like he had grown a pair of eyes on the back of his head.

    The attack was a spear stab aimed at his ribcage, The intent to kill was evident in the attack, and Shi Lang sensed it. Just when everyone thought he would be able to avoid the attack, the spear shed past his torso. The people gasped, but Charlotte, who held the spear, frowned.

    She did not feel the impact, and there was no blood on the tip of the spearhead. The arena was silent until a sound of pping echoed in the field. Everyone turned their eyes in the direction of the sound and found Shi Lang standing there.<novelnext></novelnext>

    They were taken aback when they noticed the stabbed Shi Lang had vanished from his position. The crowd was astounded; they did not expect the general to be so fast that his afterimage wouldst for a few seconds.

    Shi Lang trampled on Ajax''s confidence. He was proud that his speed had improved so much since he began cultivating, but Shi Lang crushed it. The thing that made him uneasy was how this young man made it look easy.

    Shi Lang said, "General Knight has two moves left, while the rest have finished their three moves, I will counter you now."

    He has been counting every move made by his opponents in the fast-paced battle. As soon as his words dropped, the young man appeared next to Ajax and attacked him with a kick. The attack was so fast that Ajax did not even have time to raise his arms to defend. The kick connected directly with his chest, and the man was sent flying to hit the electromaic barrier.

    One blow, and one opponent was knocked out cold. Shi Lang turned his gaze to look at the stunned people and said, "You must always be focused when in battle. The slightest deviation in your concentration can cause death."

    He shed his palm, as if with a sword, and a de sh made of spiritual energy was directed at Sama. Shi Lang was replying to these people in kind. His attacks were slightly different, but they were all based on the same principle.

    He did not hesitate while attacking, in his mind, he had a clear picture of what he wanted to do. It did not even take him a few minutes to put down the eleven generals. The entire war and civilization had gone insane. Even General Edwards might not have been able to do this.

    During the reign of the old General Council, the difference in power between the officials might not have been as big as it was in the new General Council. In the eyes of the public, Shi Lang was the only person worthy to lead the federal army. He was the strongest, and his virtues were also correct.

    When Shi Lang was done fighting with the rest of the generals and only Charlotte Knight was standing in the arena, he said, "You forgot your role as a soldier."

    Charlotte Knight said, "Am I a soldier? Are you mocking the rank I have earned after spilling blood, both mine and the enemy''s?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "A general is just a glorified soldier. Have you forgotten this basic fact? Even if you sit on the top of the mountain, you are not there to rule but to protect and serve. The first general and the president of the federation are the biggest servants of civilization. Do you not agree with this anymore?"

    The soldiers all nodded, they all knew that their lives were at stake to protect the peace and freedom of their loved ones and the rest of the civilians. Shi Lang went on to say, "A soldier takes pride in dying to save the ones he has been asked to protect. While you do not even consider yourself a soldier, who will you protect and serve like this?"

    Charlotte Knight was shocked, she did not know how to answer this. She did not know why she wanted to cede his throne. However, why did she do it? She always thought that Shi Lang was toox for his position and that he did not care about the federation. He set a robot over them to deal with the operation of the fleet, and this was not something a Terran General should be doing.

    In her mind, the image of the general overtook the image of the soldier, and that was why she did all the nning and plotting to restore the status of the general in the military. Shi Lang looked at her and said, "You still have two moves left. Or shall I just get over it?"

    Charlotte raised her head, and then her body flickered, she was not going to give up so easily. She was the war maiden of the federation, she was not going to give into any pressure and keep fighting.

    As she charged, she pressed a button on the shaft of her spear, and a de popped up from the spearhead, changing the weapon into a halberd. She moved quickly and shed it at Shi Lang''s waist. The young man dodged and sensed a strong attacking at him with twice the vigor.

    Charlotte Knight had the ability to double her output. However, the attack was missed, and the halberd was lodged into the floor. Shi Lang held his sword and said, "Allow me to show you my true strength."

    Then he emitted the pressure, which made Charlotte and the rest of the people in the surrounding area fall to their knees. Shi Lang unleashed the power of the mid-level primordial soul cultivator.

 Chapter 359 Introducing Cultivation To The Federation.

    Shi Lang had all the people kneeling in front of him, he stood as if a god was looking down on mortals. He cast his gaze at Charlotte Knight and asked, "Do you think that I am insulting you?"

    Charlotte grit her teeth and looked at Shi Lang with her eyes brimming with hatred. She has never knelt down in front of anyone. This humiliation was worse than death for her. Shi Lang smiled and shook his head, he said, "You think this is humiliation? Remember this feeling you have today. You let go of your primary initiative as a soldier, you allowed your delusions to get the better of you. The purpose of military is not to maintain images, it is to maintain order and face dangers to ensure the safety of our people back at home."

    His words were moving, and a lot of people shivered slightly. Shi Lang walked over to Charlotte Knight and then he crouched down in front of her. He said, "There is always a sky above the sky and a mountain higher than a mountain. There is another realm above this realm, where reside people who can destroy the entire federation with just a few thoughts. If you all stopped thinking and working on getting stronger for the sake of glorified impressions, we will never be able topare to that realm."

    The people heard his words and did not know what to say. They thought he was only preaching to them but this mention of another realm shook there souls to the core. Shi Lang looked at the face of his mother-inw, her eyes were filled with confusion and he said, "You all might think that I am just making up stuff, but the proof of another realm exists in all the cultivation sutras that cultivators are practicing. This is not something that could be denied, you must have realized it yourself."

    Charlotte Knight did not know how to reply to him. Shi Lang stood up from the spot while he took back his pressure and said, "Today, I will like to take a moment and tell all of you people of the federal empire something important. The method used by the people till now, the Terran cultivation method is insufficient and that is why not everyone can break through the mortal shackles.

    However, the new spiritual techniques that have been introduced to you all are akin to a key that unlocks those shackles. It may seem that things are getting easier, but with time, everyone will have the strength to reach the top of their potential. Their might be differences between the strength but never lose hope. Always keep trying to forge your way ahead. One day, you will be able to realize all your dreams."

    The people were mesmerized when they heard these thingsing out of Shi Lang''s mouth and soon, they all found that all sorts of reports were being published on the inte. Theizens simply started looking at the documents and they were shocked. The reports stated that everything that Shi Lang said was true.

    Shi Lang said, "There are a lot of changes that the federation will be facing in theing days and I hope that you all are prepared to overe them. There will be events when the people willpete, however, I hope that you all remember that opportunities that are achieved by fair means will not only get you the glory but also clear the path of your martial arts, your dao heart will be firm and clear of any knots."

    The people nodded and agreed with his words. Shi Lang said, "Understand that those with money and power will have better chances of excelling than those without. However, it does not mean that you will be undermined. The federal government will try to maintain order and organize events so that everyone can get better shot. Yet there will be times when things might not look fair. So endure and temper yourself. Let us aim to reach the peak of this realm before we step into the realm of the mighty."

    The soldiers were perked up and they all yelled, "Hurrah!!!"

    The cheers continued and the enthusiasm spread through the projections and the people began to cheer too. They all were looking forward to the better future ahead. Shi Lang cast a gaze at Charlotte and said, "There are a few things that the council also needs to hear, so doe along with me."

    Charlotte nodded, her anger and rage has been cleared away by the new knowledge that Shi Lang had passed to them. The young man led the council members to the secret room for the meeting while the federal empire became busy with the information they had to digest.

    Shi Lang sat in the position of the chair person with a rxed expression while the rest of the generals stood around the table with their heads down. They had realized the mistake theymitted and felt guilty in front of the superior officer. It was shameful for them to sit down with him on the same table now.

    The young man sighed and said, "Have a seat, you all have been punished enough in front of the juniors."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The officers blushed and they hesitantly took a seat. Shi Lang looked at them and said, "I wanted to call you all over to announce that I am resigning from my position of the first general and themander of the first fleet."

    The people were shocked and Charlotte asked in surprise, "What do you mean by this? Why are you resigning?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand to have her calm down and said, "I will be going back to the base of the gctic council and seek out more trials. My realm is already the peak of what I can do by staying in the federation. If I go on to stay here, it will take me a decade to reach the next major realm but the strength of the people outside in the vast gxy, I might make up for that distance in just a year and maybe a few months.

    To establish the power of the federation we need to get stronger, breaking through the realm of primordial soul is just the beginning, there are a lot many realms ahead."

    The generals understood that to defend a stronger Federation from getting attacked by the outsiders they need to have a stronger guardian. Charlotte said, "Than who will be taking over the chairperson position?"

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, "I do not know, but do not include anyone from special divisions, or Amelia. They have there own tasks to deal with now and have no time to spare. Also, the guardian division shall be trained the best level. They must be the elites of the elites. You have a batch to provide the training, but make sure that you do not break them. They will be the pirs in maintaining the order in the new federation."

    The people nodded, they did not doubt his decisions, and Shi Lang said, "The people in the guardian division must be scouted from a young age and they all must be trained with those thoughts in mind, you do not have to make them look special but small changes should work fine. Also, coordinate with the education government to see if they can go implement big scale changes in the system. Every student have different needs and the teachers must provide them with such dedicated lessons to improve.

    The generals and the other high ranking officers should hold lectures and make them public to improve the status of the people. Another thing, have the students learn arrays and spiritual inscriptions at a young age. They have basic knowledge as toddlers so this will not effect any educational growth. If any exceptional talents in the fields are scouted then have them cultivated and supported to grow further."

    The people nodded and the discussion continued for three long hours and people decided to have Archie Arkham to sit in the seat of the chairperson as Charlotte gave up on the desire and decided to focus on her cultivation.

    Archie Arkham agreed to the job but said that the meetings will be arranged after informing her in advance and the people agreed to it all. Then Shi Lang''s resignation was announced to the world with a proper exnation to the public. The people were asked to understand his reasons and support him in his endeavors.

    Shi Lang then visited his home and told his parents about his decision. Later, he contacted Shashi, and told him to arrange a test for him and the Ace division to be the part of the Gctic Strike Force. The man was surprised to see that the special division of the Federation was going to join the Gctic Council.

    However, he still arranged the test for them and they were asked to report to the Blue Star in a month. Shi Lang and the team agreed and after receiving the blessings they set off from the Federation territory.

 Chapter 360 Test For The Strike Force.

    Shi Lang and the Ace Division did not waste much time in farewells and directly left the Federal space. They had one month to arrive at the blue star, the headquarters of the Gctic Council where all the major events and management of the gctic connections was concentrated.

    They will be taking a test for joining the strike force. The strike force was simr to thebined military force of all the big yers of the Gxy. This force allowed every and all the council members to take the test, but only the strongest civilizations had the ability to meet the requirements.

    Milo was left behind to teach the new batch of rookies in the Card ss beside X. The rest were sitting in the ship and suddenly, Jill said, "Without Milo, everything bes so silent."

    The rest of the people nodded and Sonic asked, "Boss, what is the test like?"

    Shi Lang replied, "ording to the information sent by Shashi we will need to go through a few different rounds, like solobat and obstacle course, then a team raid, and followed bystly a proper simtion mission."

    Jill asked, "Boss, what do you mean by simtion mission?"

    Shi Lang replied, "There are three rounds, the first two are to be performed in reality. However, the third and the final round needs us to undertake a mission andplete it. The missions include locations and targets all over the gxy, they will not allow us to go on such big missions without a confirmation of our skills. So they will be generating a fake situation in the simtion realm."

    The team nodded and the people rxed, however, just before they could try to rejoice that they will be inside the simtion realm, Shi Lang said, "The sensation of damage that you go through in the simtion will be transferred to your body in reality through the use of electric current. You can forget about taking it easy. Also, it will be a collective mission, I will have anyone who makes a blunder go on a one-on-one session with me."

    The people shivered from the chill in his voice, they have seen him take down the entire general council so they were aware of his level. At that time, he did not spare anyone in the surrounding and had them all kneeling on the ground. They did not want to get any session with him. It will be equal to inviting death over them.

    Sonic said, "The first test is mentioned to be a strength analysis and a obstacle course run. Shashi has mentioned that this obstacle course will be testing us in weapons firing and use of cold weapons."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, it will beprehensive so do your best to train."

    Suddenly a guy said, "Boss, what is the motive of getting selected in this test?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "This test will allow us with opportunities to go to the ces all over gxy and there is a chance that we might find opportunities to improve our cultivations as well. The resources needed to travel the gxy are too much for the Federation to procure without paying a huge price. The gctic council is a differentndlord altogether."

    The people understood his meaning. Shi Lang said, "The reason why I asked Amy to stay behind is that she is the strongest after me, she can handle any emergency that may ur. In the meantime, I will try to locate a few resources and then save some to take them back to the federation."

    The soldiers around him nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Go, meditate. The ship will move on its own."

    Since they were independent and the winners of the gctic showdown, even though it was the lowest tier they were given some perks. Such as free travel to the blue star without being picked up by the vessel registered for the Gctic Council.

    Shi Lang''s identity was also another reason they were allowed to go over on their alone. The team spent the rest of their time meditating or doing some light sparring. The ship was the best vessel in the federation and it could be operated by twenty people, or even one person only as well.

    Shi Lang spent most of his timeprehending the new discoveries of his shura sutra. He has made some new discoveries and his skills have improved. He needed to assimte in his new understanding in his skills so he was busy with his own training in a secluded room.

    After twenty-nine days, the ship entered the vicinity of the Blue Star and theary defense system initiated a few probes and then the staff made a few queries that were answered by Jill from themand bridge. Shi Lang was still in his room, he was about to end his cultivation soon, and was not to be disturbed by anyone at this moment.

    Sonic controlled the ship with ease and docked to the space port of the Blue Star. Just when they finished packing their stuff, Shi Lang woke up. His crimson eyes were glowing with a sh. Shi Lang took a deep breath and then he exited his room. Since the division was ready to disembark, he did not have anything much to pay attention to.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He tied his sword on his back, and led the people out. Shashi was waiting for them outside the port and he was going to take them all back to their lodgings.

    Shi Lang moved forward and then soon they met Shashi. The man rushed over with a big smile on his face and greeted the team. He said, "Wee back, General Lang. Hmmm, all of these people are new faces. When you said your division it reminded me of the team you bought for the D-tierpetition. Well, anyhow, hello everyone."

    The ace division cast him a gaze and nodded, they did not respond with big words and moved out of the port to board a vehicle Shashi brought. This vehicle was akin to a bus, and Shi Lang never understood why this man was used to driving such a thing.

    Shi Lang said, "Shashi, find me a nice spa tonight, we all want to rx before the test and also to explore this ce. Last time we were on a tight schedule."

    Shashi was surprised but then nodded as he said, "Do not worry, I will handle it. Just do not get carried away during your rxation, Boss. Things have not been very smooth heretely."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What is happening here?"

    Shashi sighed and said, "The top five are unstable."

    "Mister, please speak in one go, we do not have the patience.", stated Jill.

    Shashi said, "There are five big civilizations that sit on the high table of the Council, namely, Ikeras, Kaijins, Nazza, Blooms, and finally Chikari. So, half a month ago, the son of the Chikara King, the crown prince happened to be chasing after a Nazza criminal for sinsmitted in their home country. However, the prince killed the man in a no killing zone."

    Shi Lang asked, "No Killing zone?"

    Shashi nodded and said, "No killing zones are the ces just like the name suggests. These zones are shelters to the homeless, the sick, and the refugees from all over the gxy. So, killing is an act that is prohibited there. However, since the prince killed the enemy, he was imprisoned by Nazza. They are torturing him as you speed. So do not go out and pick trouble with anyone. We have no idea who might be who."

    Shi Lang nodded, the vehicle reached the hotel and the team got down. Their rooms were already reserved and all they had to do was to throw in their luggage and start living. Shi Lang and the team slept during a few hours of day light and in the evening, Shashi arrived to pick them up.

    He took them to the dedicated entertainment district of the city. Every City was asked to have an entertainment zone and not to pollute the other regions. Shashi bought them to a spa and said, "This is the ce where you will receive the best massage in the city. If they im to be second, none in the city will go for the first. Please follow me."

    Shi Lang and the rest followed and they were surprised to see the person behind the reception counter. It was ady with unmatched beauty and she had three fluffy tails standing erect behind her.

    Shashi smiled and walked over, "Gena, how have you been my dear."

    Gena was thedy with iparable beauty, and not only she, this ce was brimming with beauty. Thedy smiled and said, "Hello, Lord Shashi, long time no see, you have gotten busier."

    Shashi smiled and said, "Yes, indeed, well today I bring you business. These people are here for massage, and spa, I have booked their slots earlier, please attend to them."

    Gena nodded and then began to check the details of the people, but just when Shi Lang was passing beside her to enter the dedicated room, she was surprised and mumbled, "Master Lang?"

 Chapter 361 Situation.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people checked into the hotel, they rested for a bit before Shashi came back to take them to the entertainment district, and he also told them to be mindful of trouble and fishing in the muddy waters.

    When they arrived at the entertainment district in the car, they found the ce was bustling with activity more than the spaceport of this ce. The entire district was glowing with bright lights. Shi Lang was not surprised but he was curiously looking around and found that a lot of things were going on there.

    A lot of species were moving around and while some were captivatingly beautiful, some were weird and some were downright gross. However, nobody seemed to care about appearances. Shi Lang said, "Shashi, stop around here."

    Shashi nodded and parked the car on the side, Shi Lang said, "Go out and explore. Stay in pairs."

    That said, he got out of the car and Shashi quickly followed him. The rest of the team distributed in pairs and began to explore the ce. Shashi was curious and asked, "Boss, why the sudden exploration?"

    Shi Lang said, "The entire gxy is here in the entertainment district of Blue star. I want to see if there are people with the presence of spiritual energy on those people. If we can find even one, then it will increase the chance to get further in our cultivation by going to that ce."

    Shashi was shocked, then he asked, "I see, but boss, what if the other party could sense the same? I mean what if they think that Terrans are good enough to y ve for the people with spiritual energy?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We have concealment techniques, and even if they sense anything, it will be too faint to discern that we are cultivators. Chill, just follow me."

    Thus, the two began to wander, Shi Lang had told the n to the rest of the people earlier, and if they were to find something like a trace of spiritual energy running through the bodies of the people they saw on the streets.

    By channeling the spiritual energy inside their eyes the Ace division can see the flow of spirit in the bodies and the world outside them. If the flow they spot is calm and smooth, they were not to approach.

    Cultivators with higher realms and strength will have smoother and more precise control of their energies. While newbies will be vigorous and violent, these people were the ones they were looking for. These young people will be easy to befriend or monitor. However, Shi Lang did warn the team to make sure that there was no high-level cultivator around these youngsters.

    After an hour, Shi Lang received a message, "Boss, we have a situation."

    Shi Lang reacted quickly and said, "Shashi, I need to leave and regroup with my team, youe at your own pace."

    Shashi nodded as he knew he will not be able to keep up with the speed of this man. After all, Shi Lang was too fast for him. Shi Lang also did not let down his expectations and moved through the crowd like a fish in the ocean. His speed was fast and the people only sensed a gust of wind passing between them.

    He did not fly over and neither did he move too fast to disturb the serenity of the scene and also get noticed by strong people hiding in the chaotic ce. When he reached a few blocks away, he found Jill and Sonic standing in a distance with the rest of the team. He walked over and asked, "What is it?"

    Before anyone on the team could answer, Shi Lang heard a voice in his mind, "What are you looking for, Terran?"

    Shi Lang looked around and his gaze stopped in the direction of an abandoned building on the corner of the crossroads. Inside the building, he sensed a being far stronger than himself. He replied, "I am looking for the traces of spirit energy, senior."

    The reply was conveyed with thoughts as well. The other person replied, "Oh, someone with the knowledge of manners of the rivers and roads. Come inside junior, you are rather capable to have located me."

    Shi Lang said, "You all stay here and do not make any ruckus."

    That said, Shi Lang crossed the road and walked inside the derelict building. The ce looked like a hall, and in the center of the hall, a middle-ageddy was standing. Shi Lang almost could not sense the spiritual energy flowing inside thisdy and with his cupped hands, the young man bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior. I am Shi Lang."

    Thedy nodded and asked, "You can cultivate and your speed is not very badpared to the fact that you did not cultivate most of your years."

    Shi Lang replied, "You praise me needlessly, Senior. It was all a chance."

    Thedy nodded and asked, "So why are you looking for the spirit energy?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "The energy on my is not yet enough to let me break through to high real of cultivation and with the entire civilization beginning to practice it will be even harder. I need herbs to increase the spirit energy in my nation."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang did not lie to thedy because his senses were tingling, he sensed that if he lied, thedy will kill him. Hearing his words thedy nodded and asked, "Why did you not lie?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Only a fool would lie in front of you."

    "Oh! Why do you say that?", asked thedy.

    Shi Lang replied, "You are strong enough that it feels like you can see through my soul casually. I do not wish to lie and risk my life."

    Thedy chuckled and said, "How very curious. To think someone like you will be born among the Terrans. Interesting indeed."

    Shi Lang did not say anything and after calming down thedy said, "Well let me introduce myself, I am Cara Bayley, I belong to what may be called the Heavenly Fox in yournguage."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes in shock and then said, "Pardon me senior, but may I ask if you have any connection to the ancient Federation?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "Yes, and no, my ancestors were the ones that could be said to have a connection, but we do not. It has been eons, since we visited that region."

    Shi Lang nodded and suddenly said, "Indeed, I was correct, in ancient times, the war between the spirit beasts and humans was at its peak when the peak expert, sword god myriad, used a special array and sent away hispanion to a distant along with almost all the strong beast experts."

    Thedy was surprised and said, "How do you know this legend? You are quite young and I do not think that the federation has kept any records of the past."

    Shi Lang did not fluster, and said, "I have been enlightened after I started with my cultivation sutra. The major events were all recorded in this sutra and thus I happen to have some knowledge. This event was a reason that the spirit beasts were overwhelmed and began to live in hiding, gradually the spirit energy dried and the world lost the spirit energypletely."

    Cara Bayley nodded and said, "Indeed, humans were drunk on power, and did not think of beasts as people with thoughts and emotions. So, what has changed?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "We are not humans anymore, we are Terrans. I have tried to integrate a few morals of the cultivation world into the civilization and the process is long but there is some effect. Slowly, the civilization will change and flourish."

    Cara nodded and said, "If you say so."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "If that is all, may I leave senior?"

    Cara raised her brow and asked, "Will you not ask me to help you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "If it was someone from the younger generation, I would have tried to negotiate, but I am not strong enough to make such a proposal to you."

    Cara nodded in appreciation and said, "Very well, if you pass the test of the strike force then I will send my disciple to discuss things with you. No matter how far, we all are cultivators and our roots lie in the federation of today. Let me see if you are worth helping, Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang nodded and after a bow, he left the building. He did not ask what this ce was because aftering out he realized that his back was soaked in sweat. He regrouped with his team and said, "Let''s go back, we will not find anything here."

    The team found this awkward, but they all still moved along. Shi Lang turned and saw Shashiing over with a confused face and asked, "What is that building?"

    Shashi looked in the direction of the building and said, "You went in there?"

    Shi Lang nodded and Shashi gulped as he said, "Let''s go back. Now."

 Chapter 362 Test Begins.

    Shi Lang and the team went back to their vehicle and they were headed to the hotel. The atmosphere inside the vehicle was tense as the young general had yet to say anything to the people. He was just staring at the void in a daze. Shashi also noticed something odd with his behavior and did not press the matter further.

    Shi Lang had never been in a situation like this. They did not know that Shi Lang had just faced an horrifying existence. This existence was so strong that just a thought would have been enough to obliterate him along with his soul. The middle ageddy was simply too strong. Shi Lang could not sense a single spiritual fluctuation in her body, yet the surroundings inside the building were in her control.

    Shi Lang raised his head and asked, "Shashi, who does that building belong to?"

    Shashi gulped, he was really nervous and said, "That building belongs to the uncrowned king of the gxy, those people are called the Heavenly Fox n. Although they are called the heavenly fox, but they consist a lot of other beasts, they identify themselves as celestial beasts, they are born like any other beast, but then somehow they evolved into something very close to our skeletal simrities.

    Another thing is that they still retain there beastly traits. They have strange powers, or so-called abilities that are exclusive to the beast species. The heavenly fox is their leader. They are not the strongest but the wisest and thus they are the leaders of the entire civilization that can challenge the big five at any moment, however, theyy low and do not interfere in any matter rted to the gctic council.

    However, a few years ago, they asked for a building to be reserved in their name, but not everyone was allowed to approach. Many hot blooded people tried to enter, but they could not even open the doors. You said that you entered that ce, Boss, you are either lucky, or extremely unfortunate."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You probably did not understand what this encounter means and I am not in the mood to tell you anything at all. Drop us back, we have an exam to prepare for."

    Shashi was scared off, the young general has regained his usual momentum and was intending to spike the exams. He turned to look at the team in the back and said, "I want you all to do your best tomorrow, and don''t hold back shit. Do you understand? If I found any of you held back more than ten percent, I will have you all sent back to the Federation."

    His words shocked the people but they could still sense the urgency in his tone and they replied with a nod. Since Shi Lang was so antsy about this, then they were going to do their best to win. The vehicle arrived at the hotel and the team got off.

    Shi Lang entered his room and found that hismunicator has received a call request from his home. He sighed and decided to call them back. Themunication between space was now improved to the level it has risen to instant connection.

    The call connected and Shi Lang saw Amelia sitting in her office, she asked, "What are you up to handsome?"

    The young man sighed and said, "I just had the most bewildering encounter of my life."

    Amelia raised her brow and asked, "What is that?"

    He narrated the incident to her and Amelia said, "Did you say anything to anyone about this?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I don''t want to take any risk. Senior said that she will react based on my results. I have no idea what to do."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Fine, you do that, I called you because Tao has been missing you."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Where is she?"

    Amelia was about to reply when Shi Tao appeared in the projection and said, "Dad, you do not love Tao."

    Shi Lang chuckled and asked, "Who said that?"

    "Grandma said that, you did not call me once from the ship. You do not love me anymore.", replied the little girl.

    Shi Lang smiled dotingly and said, "Baby, I fell into deep meditation. Dad needed to cultivate for this exam. I apologize, I will get you something you like."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Tao still pouted at him and snorted, Amelia patted her daughter and said, "You can forgive him now. It is alright, he is busy."

    Shi Tao snorted and after looking at her mother she said, "Fine, but you have to bring back a good dress for me. Also, I reached first level body tempering, so, I want a battle suit too, but mom said I am too young."

    Shi Lang smiled dotingly and said, "Yes, I will get you everything you want. Do not worry. I will send it to you by post, because it is not yet sure when I will be able toe back."

    Shi Tao sighed and said, "Can you try toe soon, I miss you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will try my best toe back soon, I miss you too."

    Shi Tao nodded and waved her hand before she ran away. She was sad and Shi Lang could feel this, Amelia also sensed this and she said, "I will talk to her, don''t worry. Just focus on your test."

    Shi Lang nodded and the call was disconnected after some small talk about the general situation at home and the workings in Federation. The young general sighed and calmed himself as he began meditating. The thoughts in his chaotic mind began to calm, as he began toprehend the shura sutra.

    ...

    The next morning, Shi Lang woke up as the door of his room was knocked. The young general opened his crimson eyes and stood up from the floor. He waved his hand and the door slid open. Jill and the rest of the team stood on the other side. Shi Lang said, "Go down, I will catch up."

    The people nodded and left, Shi Lang took a quick shower and tied his sword to his back. At the door of the hotel, people gazed at the Ace division as they moved past them. The people were drawn to the aura radiated from the people. Some were wondering who they were, and some were thinking why this group was wearing battle armors.

    Soon, Shi Lang arrived and looked at the side to find Shashi sleeping in the driver sit of the vehicle. Sonic let out a whistle and Shashi woke up in a fright, this was a sound attack. The ambassador red at sonic but then he saw Shi Lang gazing at him as if a beast stalking its prey in the dead of the night.

    He noticed the slight shimmer of crimson in Shi Lang''s hair, and shivered. The team boarded the vehicle and then chubby man drove them to the Strike Force Tower. This was where the strike force operated from. Shashi bought them inside the tower after security check. They were allowed to take in their weapons when they showed the enrollment card in Shashi''s custody.

    The test area was located outside the main building, Shi Lang and his team stood in a neat column and with the other applicants. The ace division did not bother to check out the other people. None of the people in the room had spirit energy coursing through their body. They found a man in ck and silver tactic suiting over.

    The man looked like a human, expect that his eyes were blue beads and his chin had triangr sharp stone-like spikes sticking out of it. The aura this man had was strong, however, Shi Lang and his team stood unfazed.

    Jill said with her thoughts, "Boss, this man is not simple."

    Shi Lang replied, "Yes, he is deliberately hiding his true strength. He is enough topete with you to a tie."

    Jill nodded, Shi Lang was able to see through the level of strength this man had, however, there was one thing that he did not tell anyone, he spected that this man must be the so-called upper limit of the people in the big five civilizations.

    He did not want his team to get cocky, the man stood on the podium and said, "You will get to know my name if you can pass the tests. Now, the first round is theprehensive test, one by one pass through that door and follow the instructions of the staff. Your results will be showed on the bulletin here."

    The people did not expect him to address them so simply, but this was to be expected, their chance to pass was too low in the eyes of the people here. The officer began to call names and the candidates started crossing the door one by one. The time gap between each of their name was roughly around a minute.

    After the basic tests they all were sent to the obstacle course. Shi Lang waited for his name with patience. His aura was restrained and if not for the people around him, his presence might have gone unnoticed. The officer on the podium looked at him and mumbled, "Interesting."

 Chapter 363 Shura Steps Up The Game.

    Shi Lang stood in the back of the gathering room, waiting for his name to be called when he sensed a gaze locked on his person for a few prolonged seconds. He could tell who the person was without opening his eyes. His senses were alert and his spirit sense gave him the answer he needed.

    The officer in charge of conducting the test was checking him, and the reason he was gazing so intently could be the calm disyed by the entire Ace division. After a few minutes, the names of the people from the Ace Division were called out and they moved forward. Shi Lang did not care for how they will perform as he had warned all these guys about the performance already.

    After five minutes, the officer said, "Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and walked over to the test room directly. He passed a barrier and found himself standing in a facility that looked like a sophisticated researchb. It was filled with various machines and a few separate chambers.

    A man stood in front of him with a faint smile. He gestured for Shi Lang to step forward and said, "This is the first thing you need to do, please hit this pir four times, each time using a different limb."

    Shi Lang nodded and walked to the side where the pir was. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, with his fist rushing at the pir, his back followed the punch and his hips rotated slightly before the young man locked them.

    A boom sounded followed by a second boom. The pir shook, the invigtor was shocked by what he saw, this man just produced a sonic boom while punching the pir. Shi Lang did not waste any time and a second punchnded on the pir with same intensity, followed by a round-house kick from the right leg and a straight kick from his left leg.

    The space was still ringing from the four terrifying hits and four sonic booms. Shi Lang let out a breath and walked over to the invigtor as he said, "What''s next?"

    The man pointed at a separate chamber and said, "This is an advanced obstacle course that will be used to test your speed, reaction and judgement abilities. You will have to use your weapon to deal with the threatening entities projected inside and also save the innocent ones."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "This chamber can handle phaser beams, right?"

    The invigtor nodded and Shi Lang stepped inside the chamber after checking his handgun. The chamber had an array of projectors that could create hyper realistic scenarios and Shi Lang was also given a bracelet to stimte pain if he suffers any virtual injury.

    Shi Lang took a breath and nodded to the man. The invigtor pressed the start button in front of him and the man began to run on a omni-directional treadmill at a fast speed. The young man was not sparing any effort.

    He was jumping from one treadmill to the other and avoided the phaser beam projections, just when he was getting in the groove suddenly a monster figure was projected rushing towards him, Shi Lang took note of the projection and sighed in his mind as this was an extremely real looking projection.

    The monster looked like a scorpion and could have been said to be dangerous but Shi Lang noticed the eyes of the projection and decided not to act. The monster did not harm him, and Shi Lang moved to another treadmill, when he found a bunch of humanoid figures rushing over, and they all were carrying wooden stakes.

    However, this time the young general did not hold back and his phasor gun fired ten shots taking them down from a considerable distance and all the shots were directly made through the head.

    The invigtor was surprised, the people before had all made a mistake by treating the humanoids as non-threatening projections, but the past neen people and now this guy, they had nailed this urately.

    Watching Shi Lang rushing with ease, the man increased the difficulty but the result was the same. Whether it was a shower of phaser beams or was it poison gas clouds, Shi Lang made it through all of them unharmed.

    The invigtor knew that Terrans had special abilities and this seemed to be the ability of this guy. He did not know how wrong he was. However, Shi Lang and the people could not care less about this misunderstanding.

    ...<novelnext></novelnext>

    After five minutes, Shi Lang stopped and he was slightly panting. This test has almost pushed him to use his to the level of peak core condensation realm. He did not mind this but he was surprised to see that machines were able to achieve this efficiency. He understood the reason why none of the people were able to make it through the test until they were from the civilizations from Tier-B.

    Seems like thepetition ahead will be exciting. He was looking forward to it. The invigtor led him outside and he found that almost all the people were standing back in the gathering room looking at the score bulletin in a daze. He did not mind and returned to his spot in the corner. The room was overflowing with gloom, as the majority of the applicants have failed to pass the test.

    Shing looked at the scoreboard and nodded before he closed his eyes once again. They have cleared the first round, and they needed to wait for the second round. The top-twenty of the scores were taken by the Ace division.

    The officer in charge was still standing on the podium with a shocked expression. He was a person from Tier-B civilization and knew what it meant to rank first in the tests, however, now appeared a group of people that broke the best score results like they were drinking water.

    Thest person who entered the test room was akin to a monstrosity who broke all the records that were ever set by the people appearing in the test. Suddenly, a person asked, "Excuse me Sir, can you announce the result now?"

    The officer woke up from his daze and said, "The test has been finished, forty of you managed to get through the first round. Please go back to your lodgings and report here at the same time as today for the second and the third round, we hope you all are at the peak of your strengths when you appear in the third test."

    The people nodded and after the officer named them, they all walked away from the gathering room, many of them with a frown and disappointment on their faces. When Shi Lang and the rest were about to leave the officer walked over and asked, "You are Shi Lang, the topper of the round, may I ask what great civilization do you belong to?"

    Shi Lang cast this man an indifferent gaze and said, "The Terran race, hailing from The Federation..."

    The young man also introduced the space coordinates to the officer, before leaving. The officer was surprised and did not have the thought to give his name and rushed away in the building. He was simply hurrying to report this matter to themander in chief. This talented group of people must be reported.

    One, this will bring him credit and second the force will be able to focus on grooming these guys better in the future. This also counted as a favor to Shi Lang and the others who might feel grateful to him in future and then if they one day reach a high level, he could ask them to take care of him.

    Interests were universal, and every sentient species was driven by interests. The man rushed to his direct boss, and asked for an audience. The boss man agreed and this officer walked in.

    He saluted the man by raising his hand in the front, parallel to the ground and said, "Captain, there is something that you need to look at."

    The captain was a person with simr facial features as this man, who asked, "Lieutenant Shan, what is it?"

    Shan walked over and gave the tablet with the results of the test to the captain, who raised his eyebrow and began to check the details. The more he read the more surprised he became and just when he reached the end, he was so shocked that he stood up from his seat and said, "This, are you sure there was no error in the machinery?"

    Shan shook his head and said, "They are all perfectly fine, the invigtor mentioned a fact that this guy produced sonic booms with his limb moment only."

    The captain nodded and said, "I am going to report this to themander, you follow along. Describe the scene to him as you saw it."

    Shan nodded and they quickly rushed to the top level of the strike force tower. The two people waited for a few minutes before an adjutant walked over and said, "Commander Harley gave you five minutes."

    The two nodded and walked inside the office...

 Chapter 364 Commander Of The Strike Force.

    The two people arrived at the door and the captain gestured for Shan to stay outside first. The man quickly entered and saluted the figure sitting on the table in front of him working on her holop. The man raised his hand and said, "Captain Rafa, team ny-two reporting, Sir."

    Thedy did not raise her head and directly asked in a cold voice, "What is it?"

    Rafa walked forward and extended the tablet toward her as he said, "An anomaly appeared in the recruitment test. He broke all the previous records established and also by a huge margin. My lieutenant thought this matter should be reported."

    Thedy raised her head and took the tablet as she read the data. Her gaze fluctuated with a surprise for a moment but her face did not change. She nodded and pressed a section of the table with her finger as she said, "Bring me the footage of the recruitment test of Candidate Shi Lang, application number, eight-nine-three-alpha."

    Then she asked, "Did you witness the test on your own?"

    Rafa shook his head and said, "My Lieutenant was the one who asked these people to walk through the test room."

    Commander Harley nodded and said, "Call him over."

    Just as she said this, her holop, received a notification while Rafa walked over to the door to call Shan inside. Thedy yed the footage on her holop while Shan and Rafa stood at the side in silence.

    After the footage was finished, Commander Harley was about to say something when the door of her room opened and the Adjutant walked in. She red at the two people and asked, "Why are you both still here?"

    Rafa and Shan wanted to say something when Harley asked, "What is it, Shina?"

    Shina calmed down and said, "Commander, Team nine''s Captain Stix is here to see you."

    Harley frowned and said coldly, "Do you think I will suspend you foring here with this issue? Did you not understand your directivesst time?"

    Shina shivered and said, "Commander that, you..."

    Bang, Harley pped the table so hard that it was bent from one side, as she said, "Do you think you are worthy of teaching me how to handle my personal affairs?"

    Shina froze and calmed down then she shook her head and said, "I do not, Commander, it''s just that Captain Stix is here to report his mission details."

    Harley said, "Take the tablet and ask him to leave."

    Shina nodded and hurriedly left the ce. Harley took a deep breath and said, "Tell me what did you notice about this person?"

    Shan nodded and said, "Commander, this person was extremely calm and he was absolutely confident. Not only him but the entire batch in the top twenty was the same. These people had something about them that I cannot pinpoint. They are all Terrans."

    Harley nodded and said, "Very well, Lieutenant Shan, now you will report directly to me when this batch of peoplees tomorrow for the mech test."

    Lieutenant Shan nodded and saluted thedy before they were dismissed. Commander Harley did not forget to praise the two people.

    On the way out, they found Adjutant Shina standing at the door with slightly red eyes. She only went in when the two of them came out. When they reached back to Captain Rafa''s office, Shan said, "To think that Stix will still harass themander."

    Rafa nodded, "Indeed, he is exploiting his rtions, and themander is pushed back. However, if he dared to act excessively, he will not know how he died. Best in the Strike Force? My ass, wait till this Shi Langes in and dethrones that arrogant bastard."

    Shan nodded and Rafa said, forget about this, just go and prepare for tomorrow."

    Shan saluted the man and rushed off to the mech arena.

    ...

    The next morning, Shi Lang and the team arrived at the gathering room again, only the candidates who passed yesterday were present. The number was not big. Shan stood at the podium with a stern face and did not look like he was paying attention to the people.

    He said, "Wee, I hope you are all well rested, now, you will all be going to the mech arena behind this building and piloting the mechs to fight against each other. You do not have to disable the other person or kill them inbat, but you need to pull off a tag stuck to the chest of the mechs. Since we have some candidates with different anatomy, they had been assigned the mechs they are the most familiar with.

    Before you all think it is unfair, well so is the battlefield. Get going now. Remember only twenty of you who manage to stand in the end will be qualified."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang and the rest followed the crowd through a set of doors and corridors. They did not carry any weapons on them today. Soon they arrived at the mech arena and found the ce to be quite big. The setting of this test was a battle royale, and there were about forty people. This ce could amodate forty mechs here with ease.

    The batch of Terrans became an instant target and the people all rushed to gear up in their mechs to deal with them Shi Lang said, "You all can fight together or solo it is your choice, but act fast, as I will not be sparing anyone."

    Jill said through themunicator, "Boss, you are not allowed to kill anyone."

    The rest of the people tookmand of the mechs and they all heard Shan''s voice, "Begin."

    Shi Lang was fasted to react, he initiated the neural link from the start and rushed forward. None of the participants expected him to take the initiative. The red mech was fast and before the first target couldprehend, Shi Lang had used his sword to peel off the tag stuck to the chest.

    The scene continued and the people were in a disarray, the ace division seemed to bepeting amongst themselves trying to get the tags off the enemies. Shan could notprehend and under a rush of excitement, he directly looked up the contact of Adjutant Shina and contacted her.

    Shina was pissed off yesterday and yelled, "What is it?"

    Shan did not care and said, "Sir, patch me to Commander, she needs to see this. I request this is an S-level urgency."

    Shina replied, "S-level urgency if you are not correct then prepare to be court-martialed."

    Shan still did not care and said, "Can you please hurry."

    Shina connected to Commander Harley, who saw Shi Lang taking on three mechs at a time. These people were not told to stop and thus they were venting at Shi Lang for taking their tags. The rest were simply suppressed by the Ace division.

    Harley saw Shi Lang moving around like a swordsman fighting with his opponent and the movements were graceful and so smooth as if the big sword was a paintbrush and Shi Lang was an artist. She said, "Marvelous."

    Shan said, "The first target was taken down in ten seconds, the rest in less than a minute."

    Harley nodded and said, "Good thing you contacted me, prepone the test in the simtor, and have this batch go there right away. If they pass, then I have an assignment prepared for them.

    Shan nodded and said, "As youmand, Sir."

    Harley saw the three mechs being pushed back and said, "It''s hopeless, tell them to stop."

    Shan nodded and said to themunicator, "Stop, the test hase to an end."

    The people stopped and Shi Lang and his team returned to their original position. They got down from the mechs and they came back to the gathering room. Shan appeared before them once again and said, "You all have good skills. Very exciting to watch. Hahaha. Well, I would like to ask if you all still have the energy left?"

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at the rest of the people and nodded. Shan said, "Ourmander is happy to see a talented batch like yours among the ranks and she wishes for you to take the third test right away."

    The people were surprised and Shi Lang said, "Very well. Please lead the way. "

    Shan led the way and the people, moved forward. Jill asked, "Boss, why did you not object?"

    Shi Lang sighed, "This is a test of the soldier. A soldier will follow themands of the superior every time. Once we deny her wish, which should be ourmand, we also deny her loyalty and obedience along with the chance to join the Strike Force."

    The people understood and Shi Lang said, "I am curious to see what kind of woman can lead the best force in the gxy. Aren''t you guys?"

    Sonic said, "Boss, you be careful I tell Big sis Amelia."

    Shi Lang chuckled in his heart and said, "Curiosity does not mean I am making babies with her. This is why you are single Sonic."

    The entire conversation was done telepathically, and with that done, they arrived in the simtion room. Where the final test was waiting for them.

 Chapter 365 Impossible Scenario.

    Shi Lang and his team were taken to a simtion room and the people immediately sat down in the simtion pods and the test began. Shan had told them that the rules will be stated inside the simtion room and once finished with the rules, they will have an hour to deal with the scenario, which was equivalent to a week inside the simtion realm.

    The team had full confidence to deal with the things, while they were going through the rules. Harley was making her way over to the simtion room, causing a huge wave in the entire strike force. This was the first time when themander had taken the initiative to watch the simtion room of the recruits.

    However, they did not dare talk about it, firstly because themander was an ice woman with a petty mind, and secondly because of Captain Stix who was pursuing her but was being pushed away. Stix himself was not a problem, but he was a member of the big five and thus the people were scared of him a bit.

    Shina was following Harley hot on her heels, and things between the two seemed to have restored to normal. Shina asked in a low voice, "Boss, why are we going there?"

    Harley sighed and said while walking. "This team has created a test data record that beat the first team in terms of data at the least."

    Shina was shocked and her pace slowed down, when Harley said, "Keep up, there is another thing you need to know."

    Shina hurried up and Harley said, "The strength disyed by their leader was strong enough to give me some headache while fighting."

    The adjutant almost did not trip when she heard this, and Harley slowed down as she continued, "I have a feeling that this guy still held back in his test. I do not why, but his facial expression during the obstacle run did not change and his movements with the mecha were so fluent as if he was using his own body. All these skills manifesting in youth from a D-tier civilization, makes me feel uneasy."

    Shina nodded and they moved, but suddenly she saw someone and said, "Boss, that jerk."

    She red at the person approaching them from the other side of the corridor. She hated this man because of him the boss yelled and scolded her in front of the juniors. This bastard from the big five used a special charm technique to make her blunder. Such disrespect was too much.

    Harley did not react and walked closer to the person, the man smiled brightly and said, "Comman..."

    Just as he was speaking, a figure shed and the next thing the peanut gallery saw was Captain Stix stuck to a wall, and Harley walking away afternding in her ce. She said, "For using underhanded means to obstruct and disturb the duty of a senior officer, Captain Stix is suspended for a week. Also, this action will be recorded in his profile as the second strike. One more mistake and I will have your flesh shredded with phaser whip myself."

    Her cold voice made the people shiver and her actions made them admire her even more, Harley was not afraid of the big five. She was silent because she did not wish for trouble but she was not afraid of it either.

    ...

    Captain Stix chuckled when he got off the wall and stretched his body as if nothing happened. Then he walked in the direction Harley went off. He was not ashamed of his insult, this was a usual site and after six months, the people had gotten used to it. However, in six months, Harley has only given him two strikes that were because she wanted to save the face of the big five.

    Captain Stix was a humanoid, with long golden locks and blue eyes. His face did not help him hide his lusty expression. This was an annoying thing about him, but he was really good at his tasks, that was the reason he was among the top ten. Captain Stix was famous for living life like a debauch and he was very arrogant, even scolding the leader of the first team was not a big deal for him.

    ...

    Harley stood outside the simtion room while Shan and Shina stood beside her. They were looking at the test on the monitor and ignored Stix, who was gazing at Harley with unbridled lust in his eyes.

    Shan said, "Commander, the test is about to begin, what shall be the difficulty level?"

    Harley thought about it for a bit and said, "Impossible level."

    The three others were shocked and looked at her in disbelief. Stix thought that the person in the test has somehow offended Harley so she was avenging herself by this. While the other two could not understand the reasoning behind this at all. Shan gulped and asked, "Boss, will this not make them fail the test?"

    Harley was about to reply when Stix spoke up, "Since when did a low-levelckey like you could question the decisions made by themander? Just learn to do what you are told and you will live longer."

    Shan clenched his fists and reined his rage. No one liked to be humiliated, but this man while standing at the top of the rankings was also the cheapest person in the force. Harley said, "They are already qualified to join the force, I just want to see how long can they hold onto."

    Shan and Shina understood and the former adjusted the test difficulty level from aputer, and Stix asked, "What do you mean they are qualified of joining the force even if they fail the task? Who is this person?"

    Harley said, "You are suspended and have no right to ask anything, so either stand up in the corner quietly or fuck off to some wretched brothel, piece of shit."

    She did not intend to hide her disgust at all. Stix looked at her with an angry expression which gradually turned into a lustful smile. He was looking at her as if some prey. Harley ignored this and began to watch the test progression.

    ...<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang and the rest of the team was standing inside the simtion space, but they all hadplicated expression on their face. Jill asked, "Boss, what is this?"

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, "From the looks of it, we are the team that has finished assassinating the ruler or governing body of this and the army has surrounded us."

    Sonic said, "Boss, this is not an army, it is a swarm. I detected almost ten thousand, and I suspect there are more."

    Suddenly, Ajax said, "Boss, they also have heavy ammunition. What''s the n?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You guys will use the shields and fight back to back in a circle, one light phaser and one heavy. Cover the four directions with eight points and two dedicated heavy gunners will target the heavy artillery. This leaves ten of us, nine of you can choose to stand here and use a gun to fight, or enter the swarm to engage in melee.

    Though if you feel tired, thene back and swap positions with the people here. Also, melee is necessary."

    The team replied, "Hoorah."

    Sparrow asked, "Boss, what about you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and took off his sword from the back as heughed and said, "I will go out for a dance."

    The team shivered as they saw the hair of the young man glow with a dim crimson glow. Shi Lang radiated pressure like none before. The young general walked over to the side and slide his hand on the edge of the de. A few drops of his blood fell to the ground and squirmed.

    Jill said, "Step back."

    They knew Shi Lang was entering kill mode, and even if he will not attack them, it will mess up their state of mind. The blood turned into clones, and suddenly the air around Shi Lang turned cold, he said, "Do your best even if you are on the verge of death."

    That said, he dived off the mountain with his four clones. They were in the position of the team that was hiding on the summit of a mountain. Jill tookmand and said, "Take positions."

    The team moved, and the eight volunteers also dived off in pairs of two. They all had the capability to jump a hundred meters in the air with ease, soing back to the summit was not going to be a problem for them.

    ...

    Shi Lang swung his sword and deflected the phaser beams aimed at him and his clones rushed into the crowd. It was as if a pride of tigers havee to hunt a herd of sheep. The clones were so furious that they tore through the enemy bare-handed. They did not have any weapons so they began to take one from the dead soldiers and the massacre began.

    ...

    After half an hour, Harley was shocked to see what was happening in the simtion realm, this was an impossible scenario. No team has ever tried to y it this aggressively. It was like a group of savages trying to survive in a desperate manner. If the weapons they had ran out of ammunition then they would use the one belonging to the enemy.

    In half an hour, the entire team has swapped ces with each other thrice, and they had been fighting none stop. The record was already long broken. However, what shocked the three people was Shi Lang, Stix had left to grab a meal, but the other three were stunned by the scenes on the screen.

    Shi Lang was a reaper, wherever he set foot, he left a trail of blood. The simted soldiers were created with AI, and they all had the ability to learn and grow, but Shi Lang taught them what fear and retreat were. He was invincible and he had been at it for three days continuously, the toll on his brain could not be imagined, yet here he was.

    Harley said, "Check his vitals."

    Shan replied, "They are all normal."

    Shina shivered and said, "To what limit must one train to reach this endurance? His body is covered in blood, and he looks like a monster, yet his de is not stopping, even for a blink he has not stopped killing. Also, have you all noticed, as he proceeds, his skills grow stronger."

    Harley nodded and said, "He is the strongest person on the team, but look at his team, they are supporting each other and cooperating so well. They all seem slightly tired but their eyes seem to be screaming that they are not reconciled and are pushing themselves past their limits."

    Shan sighed and said, "I understand why this guy is the strongest Terran. He is like that Ace of cards that never fails."

    Harley nodded and said, "Keep watching, I have a feeling he is not done yet."

 Chapter 366 Dominance.

    While the test was still going on, someone passed by the observation area and noticed the abnormality of the situation. Then it did not take long before the word spread a lot more people began to gather in the observation area. The people were all the teams of the strike force and they even informed their leaders.

    The intensity of the whole incident increased when even after fifty minutes the entire Ace Division was fighting. Everyone except Shi Lang was gravely wounded and was hanging by threads but their eyes were clear and they were still attacking fearlessly. On the other hand, Shi Lang was going nuts, his clones had merged back with him and now he was killing at least ten enemies with one blow.

    His speed was so fast that the people had trouble keeping up with even his simtion. Theputers were starting tog when he was fighting with full ferocity. Among the top ten teams, those who ranked third, seventh and ninth were still in the building and not on a mission so they came.

    When Stix arrived he was surprised, he did not expect the observation room to be bustling with activity. He turned to look at the projection and found Shi Lang facing the enemy alone and he was covered in blood. Yet, he did not show any signs of fatigue and kept on charging. Almost everyone was watching him and was shocked.

    Shan said, "Commander, time up, Applicant Shi Lang managed to survive for seven days inside the simtion realm."

    Harley woke up and asked, "Results."

    The entire observation room was silent at this moment. Shan nodded and quickly essed theputer and when the data was disyed on the holop he was shocked. He read it out loud, "Candidate Jill killed nine hundred seventy enemies a day on average. Candidate Sonic killed..."

    He began to read the data, and the more he read the more he was shocked. It was not only him, but even the spectators stood in disbelief. The Ace division was too efficient in killing people. Shan said, "In the first few minutes, they had difficulty but the quick adaptation allowed them to turn the tables, even the heavy artillery units were taken down before they could reach them. The system grades them S rank."

    The people gasped, this rank was in the leagues of the top tank teams. Harley asked, "What is the data about Shi Lang?"

    Shan gulped, "Candidate Shi Lang killed, a total of sixteen thousand seven hundred ny-nine enemies in seven days. Hisbat ability is ranked SSS by the system, while his speed and other aspects are also ranked SSS. He took down seventy artillery units on his own."

    Harley gasped and so did the rest of the people. At this moment the door of the simtion pod chamber opened with a swoosh. Jill led the entire team out but Harley noticed that Shi Lang was absent. The Ace division also noticed the crowd, but they did not react much.

    They were still in a state of indifference. Jill cast a gaze at Shan, who instantly replied, "My name is lieutenant Shan, I am a member of the Strike Force, and this is our Commander, Harley Xers. Beside her is the Deputy Commander and the Adjutant to Commander, Shina Doya."

    Jill nodded and replied, "Forgive me for any transgression, we are not familiar with the ways and methods of your Strike Force so we do not know how to show respect. Please ept the Terran Salute as our apology and respect."

    ? Although she said this, her state was still calm and indifferent. Following that the entire division saluted Harley.

    Themander nodded and asked, "May I ask, where is your leader?"

    Jill responded, "He is adjusting his state of mind, it will take some time."

    Harley nodded and wanted to say something when a discordant voice sounded in the observation room, "Humph, so he knows how to throw his name around, and that too right after he survived the impossible scenario? Some big shot he is."

    Everyone looked at the source of the sound and found it to be Stix. The man was smiling like always and walked forward as the crowd parted and this guy appeared in front of Jill. He checked her out from head to toe and Sonic shook his head.

    Stix ignored everyone and said, "You seem pretty strong, why not apply to join my team? My team ranks nine in the top ten. You can bring a few of your friends over, what do you think? I will take care of you."

    As he said this, his hand was already holding Jill''s hand and before thedy could say anything, Stix said, "I will handle your leader, what say?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Suddenly a calm voice sounded, "How will you handle me?"

    Ace Division parted their ways and the Young General walked out of the simtion realm. His hair was still emitting a dim crimson glow. The ace division bowed their heads as if they were submitting to their king. Even the strike force people were shocked at the pressure that Shi Lang brought along with him.

    The two top ten team leaders exchanged nces and they seemed to have decided that this person was not to be offended. At this moment, they all heard a voice in their minds, "No matter what happens, do not reveal any killing intent, or your life may not be guaranteed. Our leader is still calming down. We seek your understanding."

    The people all here were warriors and they have been through the thick of it so they knew what was happening to Shi Lang and they nodded in silence.

    However, someone was eager to seek death. Stix said, "How to handle you? Simple, I will give you a member from my team, and we will swap. That is how it works in the force."

    Shi Lang looked at him with his cold crimson eyes and Harley said, "Stix, you are currently suspended from the force, so you better fuck off from here."

    Who knew that Stix would turn around and say, "He is not yet a member of the force so I have theplete right to talk to him."

    Harley was shocked at this response, Stix turned around and asked, "What do you think my man?"

    He was still holding Jill''s hand regardless of the indifferent gaze she had. Shi Lang said, "Jill, what is your response."

    Jill took back her hand by force and asked, "Gctic Council has a code ofw on this, right?"

    The people subconsciously nodded, and a loud smack sounded in the observation room. Jill pped Stix so hard that thenky man was forced to take several steps back and he was looking at Jill in disbelief, as thedy said, "I do not wish to have to do anything with a cockface like you. Next time you touch me, I will be cutting off your balls and shoving them down your throat."

    Her words were lingering with the intent to kill. The crowd was in a daze, unable to process what happened here, and Stix was in utter shock. However, he woke up andughed as he said, "Very well, do you know who I am? I am a member of one of the big fives. How dare you p me, do you wish to go to war with my family? It will not take us much of an effort to erase your whole civilization off the face of this gxy."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Another thrown-aside piece of garbage thinks that he is the center of the gxy and his family will be happy to sacrifice resources, both lives, and money, to avenge a p. How cliche and lowly even by the standards of a cockface."

    Stix heard this remark and froze, while the rest of the people raised a thumb for Shi Lang in their hearts. Stix was enraged and his eyes brimmed with killing intent as he said, "You fucking loser, I will have your family serve me like ves and your women as a breeding vessel to my dog."

    His words dropped and in a blink, Shi Lang held him by his throat. It did not take long for the Terran to dislocate all the limbs of this guy in case he tried to put up a desperate struggle. Shi Lang looked Stix in the eyes, and under the shocked expression of everyone, he said, "I will let you experience despair."

    The next moment, a glint shed through his eyes, and Stix was taken inside the illusion of the wrathful battlefield. However, Shi Lang used Stix''s memories and pitted him against the members of his own family. From young to old, none was spared.

    Then Shi Lang flung this guy away as if a piece of trash and he looked at Harley as he said, "You need to tame the creatures you own, otherwise they harm your own image."

    His stance waspletely dominating and Stix had be just a means to assert dominance. Harley sighed, "Fine.."

 Chapter 367 Mission.

    Shi Lang stood in front of Harley with a straight face, and the entire observation room was shrouded in silence, they did not know what to say or what to think of the scene they had just witnessed.

    All the people in the room heard when Shi Lang told the Commander to tame the people so that her image was not tainted. Although they were a little angry, Stix had put on a shameful disy and the image of the entire strike force had been tainted. They cast a disgusting gaze at the person squirming on the floor like a worm.

    Harley asked, "What have you done to him?"

    She did not have any sympathy for Stix, she only asked because this guy was her subordinate. Shi Lang replied, "He wanted to destroy my family, I had him watch the destruction of the same."

    The people were shocked, and Shan asked, "Are you not worried about this person''s background?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We all are striving to get stronger, if you can live with your pride and values trampled under the feet of this sort of a person then you all might as well go home and put a knife through your heads."

    The people all bowed their heads slightly when they heard this. Harley sighed and said, "What he did was out of line, and I assure you that my office will deal with this situation appropriately and give you an exnation. Please release him from your binds."

    Shi Lang cast her a nce and Harley, despite being the strongest of the force had the urge to take a step back. She held her ground but something about Shi Lang scared her. It scared her so much that her back was covered with cold sweat instantly.

    The young general took his gaze back and snapped his fingers. Stix let out a loud hysterical scream as begged for help. The people could not understand the intensity of what Stix had been through. His entire family which had thousands of members was murdered by his own hands, how could his mind stay normal and stable?

    A person from his unit rushed forward and helped him calm down. It took him a few minutes, but as an elite of the gxy, Stix understood that the scenes from just now were only an illusion and he rushed to grab Shi Lang''s cor and roared, "You dare to y tricks with me, you bastard. I will kill you right here."

    Harley wanted to step forward but Jill raised her hand to make her stop in her tracks. Shi Lang replied, "Do you think that you can do anything to me? I will tell you now, that I do not care if you are a member of the big five or the head of the big five. I do not cause trouble, but I am not afraid of it.

    I do not care if you have fucked the queen of the heavens before this, but if you tried to be disrespectful to the members of my team, you will die and if your family came to find trouble with me, then they will die as well. Now, do you want to let go of my cor, or shall I give you another look at what happens when I am pissed?"

    Stix had been immobilized by his gaze but his brain was working fine. Shi Lang has left a deep scar on his mind and Stix subconsciously wanted to stay away from this guy. His hand let go of the cor and he took a few steps back as if in a daze. Shi Lang had exceeded in the way of the spirit and he could control the actions of a person to some extent.

    Harley said, "Shina take Captain Stix into custody and put him in solitary confinement. Also, organize an internal investigativemittee for this guy."

    Shina acted quickly and he took Stix into custody. Shan escorted her to the confinement cell, while Harley said, "Please follow me to my cabin I have a few things to talk to you before you can officially join the Strike Force."

    Shi Lang nodded and silently followed her to her cabin. On the way, the team took notice of all the details they possibly could for of the ce. These guys also calmed down as they walked forward. Shi Lang was also taking deep breaths and regted his breathing to calm down. His state of mind was so vtile at this moment that he almost killed Stix when the man babbled about his family.

    Jill asked telepathically, "Boss, are you feeling any better?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Getting there."

    Harley soon led the people to her cabin, she asked the rest of the team to wait outside and a staff member was told to attend to them while Shi Lang was asked to go inside. The young general had calmed his mind a lot and was looking better.

    Harley said, "Have a seat."

    Shi Lang replied, "Thank you."

    Theyout of the office was too simple. Just a table and a set of chairs, the wall behind Harley was reced by french windows. Shi Lang said, "This ce is very low-key."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Harley smiled at him faintly and said, "Yeah, I do not like to stand out much."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What can I do for you?"

    Themander put on her game face and asked, "Do you think that your actions outside were very brave? You just spat in the face of the Strike force, do you believe me that if you are not allowed to join the force now, they will go on a rampage and try to take you down?"

    She wanted to intimidate Shi Lang, after all, this guy dared to tell her to tame the people around her. Who did he think she was? This was the time she got back at him.

    Shi Lang replied, "The actions that you are criticizing here are not something Imitted by choice, if you try to recall, I was pushed to act, or do you expect me to take his threats lying down?"

    Harley sensed that her forehead will start twitching sooner. She said, "Fine, I will let you stay on top of this matter, but what will you do if the family of that officer approached you?"

    Shi Lang thought and asked, "If they approach an on-duty officer with ill intentions, in what capacity can I take action?"

    Harley was confused but then she answered, "If they try to harm you then you are entitled to respond in kind, however, the condition is that you are attacked first and you have proof of that."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Anything else?"

    Harley nodded, "Well, I hate to be a spoil sport but your integration party will have to wait. I have an urgent mission on my table and this needs to be dealt with as soon as possible because this concerns the lives of millions of people."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What is it?"

    Thedy replied, "There is a group of terrorists, located in the Sigma sector of the gxy, they me the ruling government for the sufferings of their race, we have tried to initiate peace talks but none of the sides are ready to budge. The enmity they share is around Seven thousand general years. This much time has passed and they cannot even track things back to when they happened, but are still adamant.

    If possible, solve this peacefully, if not, take down the terror group. They have ess to a mass destructive weapon. This weapon works on a chemical base, it will push the into a situation where it will turn deste, without any life for the uing thousand general years."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he nodded and said, "Well, fine. I will take this mission. Please send me all the details regarding this mission, at least everything that you have."

    Harley nodded and said, "Anything else?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Give me a ship that can travel fast in the standards of your work, I do not want to turn into a skeleton by the time I get there."

    Harley smiled and said, "Every task force team is entitled to a ship. Do not worry, as for the ranking system, you will get to know about it on the ship. I have posted one of my trusted officers to guide you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "As long as my work is not obstructed, I will go along with it."

    Harley nodded, "You can leave now, the uniforms and credentials have been uploaded to our database."

    Shi Lang nodded and walked to the door. He did not expect this trip wille so soon, but suddenly he recalled something and turned around, "Can I depart after a few hours?"

    Harley was surprised and thought that he needed rest and nodded. Shi Lang nodded and left the ce to inform his team that they are on for a mission. There was something else he wanted to do. Contact the heavenly fox, and also shopping for somethings to be sent back to Shi Tao.

 Chapter 368 Trade.

    Shi Lang came out of the cabin and he found the team holding a small bag each. He understood these bags contained the credentials and the badges they will need to work smoothly. Jill walked over and then gave him a bag addressed to him.

    The young man took the bag and asked, "Did you understand the official working of the force?"

    Jill nodded and said, "Yes, Sir."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Go and find the person responsible for logistics and take charge of a spaceship allocated for our team and make sure we have everything for a mission."

    Jill nodded and Shi Lang continued, "We have a mission toplete, and I also need to finish a few things at hand. I wille back in the evening, finish the arrangements and obtain all the permissions we need to take off. I have set you as the deputy captain so you will not have any authoritative trouble, and if you do, contact me."

    Jill nodded and gazing at Sonic she said, "Come along."

    Sonic nodded and the two left. Shi Lang looked at the rest of the people and said, "You guys help them with stuff and take a rest if you are exhausted. Also, Sparrow, ask everyone if they would like to send a few things back home. I am going out to send my daughter a few gifts."

    Sparrow nodded with a smile and replied, "I will send it on yourmunicator after asking everyone, boss."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the ce, the team had members who were married and some even had kids, however, they all pushed things aside to serve the Federation. The Ace division hardly got any vacations. It was when Amelia was there that the team was allowed to work in groups and shifts.

    This time they were traveling to the hub of the gctic council and the purpose was to seek more resources for cultivation. They also did not know what the enemy they will face on the way will be like. Thus they must be together and in such a situation when they staked their lives on the line, how can Shi Lang shrug away the responsibility of a leader?

    Shi Lang came out of the building and found an anxious-looking Shashi standing in the lobby, he was pacing around the ce like an ant on the stove. When he saw Shi Lange back in one piece, he almost could not hold back his tears. He walked up to the young general and said, "Boss, you fucking scared me so bad. What the hell took you all so long?"

    Shi Lang did not get to answer when Shashi asked again, "Where are the rest of them, are they okay?"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "We passed. Now take me to the entertainment district. I have some work to finish there."

    Shashi was surprised but before he couldunch his questions again, Shi Lang pped the bag in his hand at the face of the chubby man. The ambassador took a look at the stuff and with a smile, he said, "Congrattions boss, yes, yes, I will take you to the entertainment district. Come please."

    The two got into the vehicle and they arrived at the entertainment district shortly after. Shi Lang did not get off the vehicle instantly, he bit on his tongue and cast a blood clone. None of the technologies that the world has developed would be able to tell that the guy beside Shashi was not the real Shi Lang but a clone he had created.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang smiled and got out of the vehicle, and made his way to the building where he had met Cara Balley earlier. Shi Lang was not afraid of surveince, the crowd around him allowed him to avoid the cameras perfectly and his spiritual sense told him exactly where the blindspots were.

    When he arrived at the building he did not probe with his sense, but asked in a low voice, "Are you there, Senior?"

    Cara''s voice sounded in his mind almost instantly, "Come in, Shi Lang."

    The young general did not mind and walked inside the cracked door. Quickly when he came inside, he found the middle-ageddy sitting in the void, like the first time. Cara Balley smiled and said, "To think that you would even dare to deal with Captain Stix and leave him on the verge of dementia. Shall I call you brave, or shall I call you stupid?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "It will depend on how you want to look at things, Senior. I am a cultivator, I cannot stand someone trampling down the things I care about, whether they are the big fine or the heavens."

    Cara Balley was surprised and then raised her brows. She then smiled and said, "You did a good job at handling them, but I want to ask you, on what basis shall we help you? We do not wish to trigger a war with one of the big five, even though our strength is higher than theirs."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Resources and lives will be spent no matter how small the battle. I understand what you mean here, but this incident should not stop you from coborating with me and my team in secret, will it?"

    Cara Balley smiled and nodded, "You are indeed smart. Here."

    She threw a bottle of pills at Shi Lang and said, "Inside this bottle is a description of nts that you need to cultivate in order to make the Soul Nourishing Pill. This pill..."

    Shi Lang cut her off and said, "This pill can heal the soul and at the same time it can straighten them."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Cara Balley nodded and said, "You know your spirit science."

    Shi Lang looked at the bottle and found there were twenty pills inside the bottle with a in paper chit. As soon as he opened the cap of the bottle a thick fragrance rushed up his nostrils and he felt his body brimming with energy. He mumbled, "Incredible."

    When the young general took out the piece of paper and began to look at the ingredients mentioned on it. He was surprised and then shocked. He gulped and asked, "Senior does your has all these herbs?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "We do, but you cannot have it from us."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I do not want to ask you for a lot, just one stalk of each will do. I will be able to cultivate them, from the roots."

    Cara Balley shook her head and asked, "Do you know that help and aid can only be extended to a certain level."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What do you want in return, Senior."

    Cara Balley smiled brightly and said, "I suggest a trade for the stalls you need and not only one each, but dozens of them."

    Shi Lang asked, "What exactly is the catch here?"

    Cara Balley chuckled and said, "Are you using me of foul y?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Senior, it is not foul y, but no meal under the heavens is for free. You agreed to give me a dozen of stalks this is something that makes me imagine that there is a catch."

    Cara Balley nodded and said, "Indeed, there is."

    Shi Lang sighed and thedy continued, "Your team has one empty ce, I want you to take my granddaughter out for the experience. Do not worry, she is not aplete rookie, but she still has a long way to grow."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I can do it but your granddaughter?"

    Cara said, "She is a member of the Strike force, and I have arranged for her transfer. You only need to look after her, she is not someone with a princess temperament. Just a little too green."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I understand. Please pass her my contact details. I will head back now."

    Cara nodded and let him go. Shi Lang held the jade bottle in his palm and he decided to give it to his team and save one for Amelia. The team of beginner Primordial Soul cultivators would be more intimidating than just him alone.

    ...

    Harley asked, "What is he up to?"

    Shina replied, "Boss, he went shopping for his team''s elders and his own family with the Terran Ambassador. He has been at it for a few hours now."

    Harley nodded and asked, "What do you think about this guy?"

    Shina said, "From the things I have found out about him, he is not bloodthirsty, but he does not have a habit of walking away either. His kill count surpasses that of the captain of the first team, and even if the foe was low-level, he fought without holding back. So, he is a tiger."

    Harley smiled faintly and said, "Not a tiger, but an Ace. He is that one card that can change the gamepletely."

    Just then hermunicator rang and she found that the call was from the council administrator itself.

 Chapter 369 Crystal Balley.

    Shi Lang stood at the spaceport with his team looking at the exterior of the new ship that was allotted to them. Shashi was also present there and said, "If only the federation had the right to manufacture this sort of ship."

    The young man looked at him and said, "Leave that forter, go, courier the things I gave you, and do not mess up the address."

    Shashi nodded and said, "Goodbye. Godspeed."

    Shi Lang nodded and then sighed as he looked at hismunicator to check the time. He has been informed by Harley that a new person was being assigned to his team, however, this person had nobat experience but was a great tactician.

    Shi Lang did not object at all as Cara Balley was the one behind it. He did not know what can make the higher-ups do this for Cara, but then again, he could tell that a simple transfer was not a big deal for them either. He was checking hismunicator because the person waste, and finally, after ten minutes, he walked to the hatch with big strides and used hismunicator to contact Cara Balley as he said, "Senior, your person iste, I have a mission to attend, I apologize, but the trade is now null."

    Cara Balley was surprised and then asked, "Are you sure?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Senior, timing is a crucial thing for a cultivator to understand. You should know what a second''s dy in the battle can do."

    Cara Balley sighed and said, "Give me a minute, only."

    The connection was disrupted and Shi Lang did not even have the time to speak up. He sighed, since Cara had asked him in person then he decided to wait for a minute. It was not going to make a big difference to the mission.

    There were only a few seconds in the minute to expire when Shi Lang grasped the hilt of his sword and looked at the void in front of him coldly. Soon after, the void split and formed a space tunnel. The tunnel was entirely ck and Shi Lang was shocked, he mumbled, "Ascended Mortal."

    This was the peak realm, allowing people to see through the bonds of the mortal world. Just when he was wondering who could be there, he spotted Cara Balley walking out with another figure in her arms.

    The middle-ageddy did not care about her image and directly let the figure fall on the ground like she was some dirty trash bag. The figure cried and stood up as she said, "Nana, you are so rude. Why must I go on a genocidal trip? Can you not let me have peace?"

    Cara ignored her and looked at Shi Lang before she nodded, "Valiant and calm, very good Junior."

    Shi Lang bowed and said, "You praise too much Senior."

    He was sincere in his gesture more than just a formality this time. Cara smiled and said, "Seems like this incident has allowed you to find a few things. Well, keep them to yourself if possible."

    Shi Lang nodded and thedy continued after a pause, "This child is Crystal, my granddaughter, I would like you to train her."

    Shi Lang cast a careful gaze at Crystal and found that the girl was no older than a young adult, but the power radiating from her was too good. She was already at the peak of the core condensation realm, higher than anyone in the Ace Division.

    While he was watching this beautifuldy, the same was true for the others party. Crystal had a hair full starting white hair, and her eyes were blue. She had a fairplexion and her assets were something that could set civilizations on fire. He sighed and said, "A snow spirit fox."

    Cara was surprised and wanted to ask how he knew it when Crystal asked, "How do you know?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am well-read, you are a heavenly fox from the senior''s family, but your hair is white as snow and your skin is colder than the rest of the people. Your eyes are blue because your blood is ice blue. Your cultivation is core condensation or should I say, demon core condensation realm."

    Crystal was shocked but Cara smiled and she let out a light chuckle as she said, "Finally, someone can render her speechless. Goodman, Shi Lang, go take her custody and leave faster."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked at Crystal, who said, "I am not willing to go. What can you do?"

    Shi Lang said, "Senior, may I?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Cara nodded and said, "Be my guest please."

    Shi Lang nodded and waved his hand. The spirit energy around the girl''s body turned into a bind and then pulled her towards the hatch. The next thing she knew was a cold de resting on her shoulder. Shi Lang said, "I will not hesitate using my force against you."

    Crystal was shocked and then she looked at Shi Lang with teary eyes as she said, "Please forgive me."

    Shi Lang was not affected by anything and said, "You should give up on your charm techniques. If I used my methods, your ss brain will break and you will not be able to go to the washroom to pee."

    Cara did not say anything, her granddaughter has been the pampered one in the family and this made her grow up into a greenhouse flower. She had the power to kill people but her resolve and thoughts were too green for the cultivation world and with her appearance, it was a ticking time bomb.

    The young talents from various ns had been vying for her heart and even the prince of the fox n was on the list. However, he will not seed. Shi Lang turned to look at Cara and said, "We will see youter, Senior."

    Cara nodded and Shi Lang closed the hatch door. Then he led Crystal to themand bridge. The ace division was present there and they were shocked to see Shi Lang escorting a beautiful girl in the control room that too with a sword on her neck.

    Shi Lang saw his team was ogling at thedy and he snorted. He said, "None of you are allowed to make eye contact with her. Men are to stay away from her until I give you a particr order. Do you all understand."

    The team woke up from a daze and they replied, "Hoorah."

    The men turned their backs to Crystal and Shi Lang said, "Jill, secure thisdy in a ce and also, men, put up your earplugs, she is capable of taking over your mind by singing or talking."

    The people shivered and Shi Lang continued, "Thisdy is Crystal Balley, she will be on our team from now on."

    Suddenly a man walked over to stand in front of Shi Lang and asked, "Sir, if she is in our team then why do you not lower your weapon."

    This man was not a Terran but a person that Harley has arranged to be on his team. He has fallen for the charming technique. Shi Lang did not hesitate and swung his de, the back of the de hit the man on the neck and knocked him out. Sparrow acted and took the men to the med bay, and Jill took Crystal to a seat on the side.

    Shi Lang called Harley and asked, "Commander the man you arranged to teach me fell for the charm of a team member, he hindered me and I knocked him out."

    Harley was surprised and then looking at the rooster of the team, she said, "I see, you have been arranged with Crystal. Well, I will ask that man to be careful around her."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not wish for him toe along, you do not have to worry, I will be in constant touch with you. Okay?"

    Harley was aware of his temperament and she knew that since that guy has be a vulnerability, Shi Lang will get rid of him, and that was what he did.

    She did not me him as if she was to face a simr condition, she would have said the same thing. She said, "Fine, leave him behind. You must post reports on an hourly base from the moment you reach the coordinates of the targeted."

    Shi Lang nodded and the call was disconnected. He then called Amelia and told her about his mission and thedy supported him to go. After all, this mission served a dual purpose for them and he did not wish to be missing out on this opportunity.

    The ship gradually took off from the base, and after all the permits were confirmed the Strike Force team one hundred one had left the blue star after they hade further from the, Sonic said, "Boss, initiating hyper wrap. Hold tight."

    Shi Lang nodded and Sonic initiated the hyper wrap. The ship vanished from its spot in space heading towards a new endeavor.

 Chapter 370 Mission Details.

    The ship wrapped through time and space and appeared in space, Shi Lang held his head and said, "What the hell did theye up with to make this engine? It kicks more than a wrap for the first time and to think I counted myself as strong."

    Sonic was sprawled on the table and said, "Boss, can we return this thing to them and use ours?"

    Shi Lang stood up from the captain''s chair and took deep breaths as he said, "I do not want to die on duty. Your sister-inw is still waiting for me toe back."

    The people chuckled a bit and they gradually recovered from the shock of the hyperwrap jump. Shi Lang looked at the fainted Crystal Balley and said, "Jill, wake her up and tell her to run her cultivation sutra to get over the fatigue."

    The officer nodded and woke up Crystal. The young snow fox was smart and quickly followed the instructions. Shi Lang said, "Sparrow, organize the details in the meeting room, and call everyone over."

    The people of the team were sent to different areas of the ship to monitor them for any faults. The team was all attentive and they were all qualified engineers. Given that the tech of this ship was slightly different they all had been reading the manuals and with their hyper-intelligent brain, they could now manage this heap of metal on their own.

    Five minutester, the entire ace division was inside the so-called meeting room. They all gathered and Shi Lang said, "Sparrow, start."

    Before saying this he did not forget to gaze at Crystal, who was sitting behind Jill. Sparrow nodded and said, "The mission goal is to cease conflict between the two parties. The location is called Cega. The conflicted parties identify as the ruling party and the majority of civilians, Cigs, while the other party is called Drigs.

    The Cigs are people with humanoid physiques and they all have long ears and blue eyes, born with extraordinary gene variation, they can see up to two kilometers. The drigs are ny percent simr to Cigs in anatomy but they have a variation. This is caused by a natural gene evolution phenomenon which the Cigs have denied epting and outcasted these people upon discovery.

    The variations could be ranging from sensory enhancement or a visible physical trait, like shorter eats and even eye color other than blue is seen as a variation. The lives of these variants are determined as soon as they are discovered. The Cigs believe in mercy so they provide minimal food and clothes but that is all. The drigs are destined to live a life where they do not have any right to education, medical treatments, or shelter inside the cities ruled by Cigs.

    A few years ago the conflict escted, and a leader from the Cigs vited a variant camp woman. He said that since they had no use, they could be at least of some pleasure. That man was executed publically and all his misdeeds were published publically, but since the facts were bought out by the variant group, the people of the did not pay it much mind.

    Currently, the Drigs have one major stronghold, they captured the city and killed every Cig that did not surrender, however, women and children were spared. The majority of Variants wished to kill those captives too, but the leader suggested that they try and work together to find a way to co-exist in harmony."

    Jill raised a hand, "Who is this leader? He seems to be quite a figure as he is able to manage to keep things down to this point. Also, the cigs are too proud of this report."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Sparrow continued, "The leader of the variants is called Salve, well as you said, Captain, the variants are the victims here, but the strike force allowed us to take them down, I have no idea what they were thinking."

    Everyone turned their eyes to look at Shi Lang and the man seemed to be not interested in this meeting as he leaned back with his eyes closed.

    Crystal frowned and whispered, "Humph, rude creature."

    Jill smirked and just then Shi Lang said, "The fact that the variants have control over a weapon of mass destruction is the reason they have been cleared to be taken down. In the entire Cega, the number of Variants is concentrated in just one city while the cigs are spread all over.

    Do you all think that the goodness of a few hundred thousand out outweighs the lives of a million? Foolish, as long as the Cigs survive they have a chance to grow better. They have followed mercy and allowed the variants to live. Yes, there are a few bad fish in the pond, but what if the majority of opinion is suppressed by the government? After all, leadership thrives on the conflicts of the masses.

    Ajax, get me the Cig leadership and have them arrange for a public meeting. At the same time, Jill, Sonic, and Raz, take Crystal Balley with you, meet with the Variant leader, and try to ask him for peace pacts, if he ys over smart, Crystal will charm him and then you will all take possession of the weapon in his possession.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Are you all clear on your instructions?"

    The team replied, "Yes Commander."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Prepare to enter the atmosphere andnd. I do not n to waste much time on this silly thing. Also, do not forget to check for spiritual energy or any herbs that may be helpful."

    The team sprung up into action but Crystal kept sitting in her seat. She clenched her fists and asked, "Why must I charm that guy? Why? Am I some tool?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and so did the others who was about to leave and the young general said, "When you put on a uniform, you are a tool. So am I, however, how you put yourself to use is what makes the difference. You do not seem to understand that your simple charm might save the lives of those thousands of variants.

    The Cigs, humph, I know very well how to topple the governments and make them walk the right path."

    Crystal looked at Shi Lang and asked, "What if the weapon falls into the hands of the Cigs? Will they not be able to use it to kill the variants?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "The weapon of mass destruction was the reason this chaos went so deep, it will be destroyed. Now, I have had enough of a spoon feeding session. Get your self to work or I will put you in an ejection pod and leave you to explore the space. You can ask these guys, I will actually do it."

    Crystal shivered and ran out of the room with amnesty to follow Jill while cursing Shi Lang in her heart. The girl did not really understand how Shi Lang was so confident and level-headed in such a confusing situation. She caught up with Jill and asked, "Ummm."

    While she was confused about what to address Jill with thedy smiled and said, "You can call me big sis Jill like all these losers."

    Crystal blushed slightly and asked, "Big Sister Jill, why do you call himmander?"

    Jill replied, "He is not the captain of our team, he is themander. We were not originally this strong, he was the one who scouted us, and made us what we are today. He is like a teacher and a big brother to us."

    Sonic chuckled and said, "Yes, he can be sadistic while training us, but he takes care of us. We have been through life and death on a lot of missions, but never did he leave any of us behind. You might think that we are all fawning over him a bit too much. But let me ask you, have you seen a man who destroyed an entire race for the one he loved?

    Or a man who decided to step down from the peak of the mountain for the sake of his loved one?"

    Crystal was surprised, and Raz said, "Ourmander was the first general of the entire empire, yet he decided to step down and came here because of a conflict. Although he said that it was because he wanted to search for a ce that could bring out more of his strength, but the truth is that he was too strong for that ce and when you leave people behind they get wary of you. He did not want that. So, he is worth idolizing."

    Crystal gulped and asked, "I..."

    Jill patted her head and said, "Do not worry kid, you will get to know him better in the future. Now we have a job, try not to mess up or I will have to spank you."

    The team integrated Crystal within themselves and took off to deal with the mission. The objective was to stop a war from erupting.

 Chapter 371 Debunking The War.

    Shi Lang had Sparrow and Ajax y his second as the three used the onboard Lev-bikes to move through the Terran and headed to the Cig city. Their ship did notnd on the ground but kept hovering in the void between the two cities. This was to allow them a better ess point and if they were needed to act, the team members left on board could drive the ship and go directly to the spot of action to provide support.

    The Cig group had a lot of cities, but when contacted, Ajax was told that all the big leaders, the cig council have gathered in the city because the Strike force had informed them about the arrival of the support team. Shi Lang rode the lev-bike at the fastest speed, the cigs did not believe in harming nature so they only had dirt roads to work as a guiding path, and the lev vehicles could travel on them without any obstructions.

    The three people arrived at the city gate in a few hours, and Jill contacted Shi Lang telling him that they will be reaching their destination soon, and the leaders of the Variants agreed to converse with them but they were not given ess to enter the city.

    The young general replied, "Follow along and reel him in."

    Jill replied, "Affirmative."

    To ease their jobs they were given a set of earpieces that worked as an interpreter and the armor was equipped with a neuro speaker, that allowed them to automatically trante their thoughts into words.

    Shi Lang and the other two arrived at the city gate and they were greeted by the leaders of the Cigs right at the gates. Ajax said with telepathicmunication, "Boss, these guys are good at kissing ass."

    Shi Lang nodded faintly and Sparrow walked forward and greeted the leaders. The other side was more than weing and took them to the administrative office of the city. At least a hundred people greeted Shi Lang in the reception hall of a building that was made inside the trunk of an old tree. This ce was enough for at least five hundred people at the same time.

    The prime leader of the Cigs was an old man, and Shi Lang had already pegged him for being a cunning old fox. The leaders were mostly older people, but there was a considerable amount of young people, and Shing talked with them as if he was a friend they had not met for a long time. The impression he created in front of the youth was going to be usedter on, with a small meet and greet session the crowd proceeded to hold a meeting.

    ...

    ? Jill and Sonic stood in front of a middle-aged man, this person had a wheatishplexion and his health did not seem to be in the pink of it. Raz had his body scanned and found that his body was riddled with traces of malnourishment, injuries, and diseases. His face was angr and his body was slightly on the shorter side, closer to the humans of the past but that could be because of theck of nutrition.

    The most noticeable features were the long ears that were slightly curled and shorter than the average Cig and a bump on the forehead that looked like a cyst.

    Raz passed the information using telepathy. Crystal was told to stay on standby and she had a mask on her face. Jill was themanding officer and she told Crystal to not act without queue. The Variant leader looked at the four people in the armor and wanted to say something when Sonic stepped forward and said, "Hello, are you the leader of the Variant Cig''s group?"

    This one sentence shattered the ice between the two parties. Salve was the leader, and he knew more than others how humiliating it was to be addressed as a drig. That word meant Trash in his nativenguage.

    Salve nodded and replied in a softer tone, "Yes, Sir. I am Salve, the leader of this city. I wee you here on Cega for the peace talks."

    Sonic nodded with a slight smile on his face and said, "Leader Salve, this is my captain, Officer Jill. She will be responsible formunicating with you. Also, do not worry, we have read the reports, and we know that Variant Cigs has always suffered because of the people who misunderstood what they did not know. We will definitely help you get over this crisis. We only seek your cooperation."

    Salve was surprised and then he bowed slightly to Jill and said, "I can only thank you. I do not know if your actions are sincere or just a routine to get in the good books, however, in the past eon probably no one has ever called me and my people Variant Cigs, so you have my gratitude. I will talk to you."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The four people were surprised to hear that, Jill said, ''Raz, initiate the drone, boss wants a live feed.''

    Raz nodded and a camera on his shoulder started to record everything that was happening here and ryed the feed via the shipmand module to Shi Lang''s visor. Salve had called for a few people to set up a table and chairs outside the city gates and talk to the Gctic Strike Force team.

    Jill sat across Salve, and said, "You can call me Officer Jill. Right now, my superior has gone to Cig city, to deal with the administration there and I assure you that our intention to stop this war is sincere. We do not wish to see this end up in a pile of dust, and I guess you feel the same, after all, this is your home."

    Selva nodded and said with a bitter smile, "I know, we all know and hope that we don''t need to go that far, but the other party is not willing to listen. Was it our fault that we were born this way? Why must we be discarded andbeled as trash? Do weck in any aspect? On the contrary, the variants have qualities that put the cigs to shame.

    They have enhanced vision, but we have people who can do more than that. Yet, we are discarded and they even called us terrorists? Our people suffered silently for the past ten years until the prime minister of the Cig Alliance raped a girl. Do you know, that girl was someone who never harmed anyone, yet that man who imed to havee with welfare supplies broke her.

    Are we supposed to take all this humiliation lying down at their feet? Do we not have pride? So until and unless we get what we rightfully deserve, we will not stop. Yes, we have taken the extreme route, but we have never harmed anyone needlessly. The cig hostages in the city, we spared every child, woman, and elders. We share everything we can with them, from food to other supplies.

    Tell me are we wrong for finally saying that we have had enough? Yet they im to be the practitioners of Mercy? If this is mercy then they might as well kill us all once and for all."

    Salve spoke emotionally, and the Terrans heard him. Crystal had clenched her fists and she wanted to scold the Cigs, but Jill held her hand and then looked at Selva as she said, "I understand what you want to say, and I also understand that you are not at fault. However, look at this, on one hand, you have spared those who surrendered and the children, women, and elders were not harmed why must you destroy the entire?

    Let alone the Cigs, that weapon of yours is capable of ending life in all manners. The animals, the nts, everything will die. Are you and your group willing to be known as a group of people who were insane enough to lose sight of their goal and destroy their home to escape struggle?"

    ...

    A few minutes before Jill and the rest started talking to Salve, Shi Lang was sitting on a huge balcony with the leaders. He asked, "May I ask, why do you not ept them? After all, you all have learned better that even nature evolves and your kin must have evolved from some source, right? Then why push your kin away? It is not like you all can prevent the birth of more Variants by doing this?"

    The prime leader was sitting right across Shi Lang, he said, "You do not seem to belong to a civilization where they value the deeds done by the ancestors. This was a decision taken by our elders, and we have to follow it. Whether you like it or not."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then I would like to ask for the opinion of the normal citizens of the city. It is a decision that will change the face and ways of your civilization."

    The prime minister narrowed his eyes and said, "This will take a few days for us to set up."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You do not have to worry, the poll has begun while we are speaking, please check yourmunication devices and you will know."

    The moment the prime minister checked a tab likemunication device, his face changed.

 Chapter 372 Uprising.

    Shi Lang was ruthless, he did not even ask for the permission of the people and directly asked his tech expert on the ship to check into the broadcast stations and satellites. A few minutester, every screen on the began to show the meeting Jill was holding with Salve. The leader of the variants was such a natural that he did not need to be guided in the ways of expression.

    The leaders heard his speech, while the older ones were shocked and enraged, the younger generation felt guilty and ashamed. The prime leader stood up from his chair and smashed hismunication device on the ground. He pointed his finger at Shi Lang and said, "Who gave you the right to interfere? You were hired to go and kill those vermins. Just do your job and get the hell out of my home."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Are you sure you want to talk to me in that tone?"

    As soon as his words dropped the pressure in the surroundings increased. The Cigs felt as if someone had just taken hold of their shoulders and was pushing them down on their shoulder. The prime leader was too angry to realize all this and he said, "Yes, I will talk to you like this you bloody mercenary. You are no better than those vermin drigs. You all are foreigners."

    Shi Lang leaned his head back and covered his face with a palm, and said, "If we are all trash, then you are the supreme quality of trash. You filthy inbred old bastard. Do you really think that I am your ve? Kneel."

    The next moment, the prime leader was kneeling in front of Shi Lang and his back was also bent forward as he prostrated to Shi Lang. The young general stood up, while the two people beside him already took out their handguns and stunned the guards and gunmen in a blink. The people were shocked, this was too unexpected.

    The people who enlist the help of the Strike Force were like customers and these customers had the right toin about the technician. Shi Lang will be in a bind if these things got out. However, he did not care.

    He looked at the young leaders and asked, "You and your people practice the way of Mercy. I will ask you a few questions and I hope that you reply honestly. Believe me, it is not my motive to kill any of you, but sometimes you need to be forceful to get the truth out."

    The young people of the cigs were a bit nervous but one of them nodded. It was a young girl, who did not seem to be anything special. Shi Lang waved at the girl and asked her to take a sit. Then he asked, "What is your name?"

    The girl replied, "Ryud."

    "How old are you now, Ryud?", asked Shi Lang in a calm tone.

    His voice eased up the girl as she said, "I will turn twenty tomorrow."

    The young man nodded and said, "Since you can sit among the top brass of the Cigs, then you must be a prodigy."

    Ryud shook her head and denied being a prodigy. Shi Lang asked her, "Tell me, if someone is born with a Variant gene, then is it their fault?"

    Ryud thought about it and she shook her head, and said, "Birth is a natural process with no maniption to it. So it is nobody''s fault they are born that way."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "So, what is the reason those people are exiled? Is their variation amunicable disease?"

    Ryud shook her head and said, "The ancestors conducted all sorts of tests, and did not find anything that may deem the variants a biologicalpromise."

    Shi Lang nodded again and asked her a series of questions all of which pointed to the fact that the variants were not dangerous. Then he looked at the prostrating to the prime leader and shook his head. He sighed before he started speaking, "You all probably do not understand what is going on here. Allow me to exin this. You only look at someone when they defeat a viin.

    The prime leader of your is someone who is from the same lineage that ruled the when the first variant appeared. The people made the Variants a viin because they did not understand them or their uniqueness.

    It is normal for people to fear what you do not understand, while some try to rise above it some are simply too clever to let such an opportunity go away. Let me guess, the families of older leaders are the most powerful organizations and own most of the businesses on this. Their power is not limited to themercial, even the military is theirs. To top it off, they must own the food production too. Am I right?"

    The young leaders were surprised and they nodded. Shi Lang asked, "Ryud, what will you do if you want to face this sort of corrupt and false government?"

    Ryud was fascinated by Shi Lang''s speech and replied, "Is that even possible, sir? They hold a lot of power."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang chuckle and said, "You all are so innocent, no wonder you are so divided. All the people, that are not blood-rted to these top families are the reason the empire of these families is so high. You all practice mercy, so why not do some of that on yourself? Why don''t you rise against them? Stand together and see, these big families are all just a name.

    This is your chance to take back what was rightfully yours and evolve to be the better you. If you are too afraid, then ask the variants to help you. Is it not obvious that those people are not terrorists? It is the rich and wealthy that divide you and then they rule over you.

    Mercy is not letting someone live a life with no pride. Mercy is when you allow those weaker than you to stand up and reach a level where they can live with their heads high."

    The people looked at him with a surprising and enlightened expressions. The entire scene was being broadcasted to the masses of the. To make things fun, Shi Lang took back the pressure from the prime leader.

    The next moment the old man jumped up to his feet and then the person said, "You dared to sow discord among us? Also, do you think these people do not know better? They have all known it for eons, yet they serve us willingly. What can they do now? I willin about your conduct to the Strike force. You are just a hound for the gctic council."

    Shi Lang replied, "If you did not stop yapping, you, your associates, and their entire families will be nothing but the ghosts on Cega. Believe me, you do not wish to enrage me. I am not one of your pathetic citizens."

    He sighed and said, "Fine, if the Variants did not give in, then we will act against them but after a week. I cannot act unscrupulously like you."

    The prime leader thought that the young man has conceded and his chest buffed. That said, Shi Lang and his team walked away, and riding their lev bikes they came to the regroup point.

    Jill and Salve had decided to talk over for a week and see if both parties could reach a middle point. Shi Lang and the rest did not say much and came to the ship. They were resting when Crystal asked, "Sir, why did you ask for a week?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Yo, Aran, show her."

    Aran was the tech expert, he replied, "Ok, boss."

    The next moment, in the center of the lounge a projection appeared. It was the live feed from the bloggers on social media. They were all talking about the things that the prime leader and his cronies have done and even the person who exiled the first Variant was dragged into the mess. More and more people began to watch and talk.

    The big families took action, suspended ounts, and blocked people. Then they began to issue arrests. Crystal was confused, when Shi Lang said, "See you tomorrow."

    He went back to his room, acting like he was not rted to any of this.

    ...

    The day passed, and early in the morning, Shi Lang woke up from his meditation when the door of his room banged loudly. He opened the door and Crystal gazed at him with her big blue eyes. She said, "Boss, can you teach me how you did this?"

    The young general shook his head and said, "It is a basic charm technique, I just incited their emotions and not their hormones."

    Crystal said, "I see."

    Then she ran back to the lounge. When Shi Lang appeared there, he saw that the entire was on strike. The people were protesting against the big families, and even the military was standing silently on the sidelines.

    Shi Lang set the entire on fire with just a spark.

 Chapter 373 Sneaking In.

    Shi Lang stood in the control room with his hands behind his back. Crystal stood behind him with a fangirl expression evident in her eyes. She was impressed by his judgment and ways of handling the situation. Not even a single bullet was fired, all he did was to make the people aware of themselves.

    Shi Lang looked at Aran and said, "Get theirworks unlocked, let the entire world see what is happening."

    Aran nodded and replied, "Yes, boss."

    Aran was working on theputers and the system was tranting the code automatically in thenguage of Cega. His skills were the best after Milo. Jill said, "Aran, it is your time, Milo will be burned if he knows that you took over his ce."

    Aran smiled but Shi Lang said, "He did not snatch anyone''s ce, he just made his own. I am hungry."

    That said, he left the control room heading to the kitchen. Crystal was confused while Aran was shivering slightly, and then his hand speed took off. Jill shook her head with a smile and said, "Crystal, what happened?"

    The girl asked, "Big sister, do we have to meet with the Variant leader today?"

    Jill nodded and said, "Boss will go there and we will follow, also, where is your gear? Go get ready. Only take it off when you shower, we are on duty the whole time when we are not at the base. Okay?"

    Crystal nodded, then rushed back to her room and changed into her battle suit. Shi Lang was also walking out of his room wearing a crimson battle suit. These suits were unlike thebat suits they had. These were just like ker and the tactical gear put on by someone. The young man looked at Crystal and asked, "How are your martial skills?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "I have been training since I was five, I can protect myself in closebat."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Come with me, I will lower my realm to yours, and then we will see how much you need to improve. This is a battlefield, here protecting yourself is not enough. You need to kill people too."

    Crystal was surprised and asked, "Kill people?"

    Shi Lang nodded as he walked ahead of her, "I was also like you, but that was a long time ago. The first day I stepped on the battlefield, I had made up my mind, that if I did not kill the enemy, I will die. It is not as if I did not try to avoid it, but once your enemy is set out for blood, he or she does not care about anything and only wishes for your life."

    Crystal gulped and Shi Lang led her to the sparing room on the ship, Sparrow caught this scene and sent out a message to everyone that the boss was going to introduce Crystal to the world of pain. The whole team moved and came to the sparring room to watch the action. This ce was big enough for all of them to stand around Shi Lang and Crystal when the two of them fought.

    They formed a square, standing stuck to the wall. Shi Lang and Crystal stood in the center. Thetter looked around with some anxiety in her eyes. The young general said, "Calm down, and look at me only."

    Crystal followed his advice and looked at him, but her heart was anything but calm. Shi Lang said, "Circte your spirit energy inside your body."

    The snow fox followed his instructions and then she gradually calmed down. She looked at Shi Lang after calming down and the man said, "You can sense them but you need to ignore them. Your opponent is me. If you focused so much on the things around you, you will die. Gradually when you have enough experience, you might be able to help those around you, but as a newbie, focus on killing your enemy fast."

    Crystal nodded and Shi Lang said, "Attack me with your best move, and make sure toe at me with the intent to kill."

    The girl nodded and she rushed forward with a punch, Shi Lang sighed and flicked his finger at her forehead. The movement was so fast that none of the people could catch it, and Crystal stopped in her tracks and her hands rubbed her forehead which had a slight bump.

    Shi Lang said, "Why did you swing so wide, make the punchpact, but your back into it. Also, do you intend to break your hand by going at such a rigid fist? Look at it all pale. Loosen up. Here I will show you how to punch."

    Crystal nodded and took three steps back. Shi Lang assumed his stance and then he shot out a punch. The air vibrated, he said, "Did you see it properly?"

    Crystal nodded with her eye sparkling, and then she assumed a stance. Just when she was about to punch, Shi Lang said, "Stop."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Crystal looked at him and the young man said, "You are a girl, this stance is not the optimal one. The body of a female is much lighter and more flexible. Narrow the legs, rx the shoulders, and remember to lock your hips once you step in, keep the fist as closer to the body as possible."

    The girl nodded and the ss began. After ten minutes, Crystal was lying on the ground unconscious. Shi Lang had drained her of stamina and beaten her blue. While leaving the sparring room, he said, "Jill, get her to the med bay, and when she wakes up, we are going to the Variant city."

    Jill nodded and Sparrow said, "This girl sure is something, shested for seven minutes inbat."

    Ajax sighed and Sonic said, "You think too much. Boss only flicked her forehead. She did not make him even use one hand. Given her realm, she isgging in martial skills. She will have it hard. Sister Jill, you need to lend her a hand."

    Jill nodded and said, "Do not worry, I will get her up to par."

    ...

    Shi Lang was sitting in front of Salve, and his face had no expression. Salve was surprised to see the leader being someone so young and said, "What can we do for you today, Sir? Do you want to know the death rate in the city till they have stopped the water supply?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "You guys have not been checking yourwork feed. I guess they did not allow you to have ess to thework to learn about what is going on outside. Jill."

    Jill nodded and passed a tablet to Salve, and the man was shocked to hear the things being described on it. However, hecked education and could not understand the words written on the screen. Shi Lang said, "I would like to offer you ess to thework, and if you have any cigs in the city, who are willing to help you. You can check the authenticity of this news."

    Salve looked at Jill, who smiled and nodded as she said, "I told you, Mister Salve, we came with good intentions, do not worry."

    Salve stood up from his chair and bowed to Shi Lang and said, "I would like to get these things verified first, but you have our gratitude, and if you can, please provide us with more information. We really do not have any intention to go to war."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I understand this all, however, I also need to confirm a few things. Please allow me to go inside the city with you. I assure you, this will only make things easier for your side. You need to let the people see what they have done to you. They need to understand you more, only when the people know that you are not that much different from them, will they be able to ept youpletely."

    Salve was surprised by this sudden demand, at this moment, he asked, "Sir, this.."

    Shi Lang said, "You can take away all my weapons and have your gunners aim at me from all sides. This way you can rest assured, that I do not mean you harm. However, you need toe out of your shell. The walls you put around you may protect you, but they also keep the rest of us outside. Try to understand, Leader Salve.

    You can go in and talk to your brethren while I wait here. They all cane and check on me if that makes you satisfied. However, if you do not let people know what you are, they will not trust you."

    Salve thought for a bit and then said, "I will give you an answer sooner, please wait while I go in."

    That said the man rushed away and Jill asked, "Boss, why do you want to go in?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "How else do I get a sense of their weapon, just in case? Never put all eggs in one basket. Crystal you will follow me. You will y the role of my blind sister. Do you understand?"

    Crystal replied, "Hoorah."

    Shi Lang and Jill were surprised and then theyughed out loud.

 Chapter 374 Inside The City.

    Shi Lang waited for half an hour and found that Salve hase back with a few people. This group consisted of Variants mostly but there was also, a few Cig women. This surprised Shi Lang, however, he could tell that the cigs were not here because of being coerced. Salve said, "I apologize, but the councilmen have a few questions for you, Sir Shi."

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile as he greeted the people and replied, "Please, go ahead."

    The variants exchanged a nce and one person stepped forward and said, "Hello, my name is Icae, I am responsible for minding the food supplies in the city."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is your question?"

    Icae asked, "Sir, we have a strict rationing system, as you can see, our people are all mostly malnourished. I want to ask you, can you solve this food problem? Initially, we did not cut off the diet for our children but now we have begun to have them eat only twice a day. I do not know if you have suffered from starvation or hunger so strong that you might kill someone for one morsel of grain. If you can promise that our people can eat a stomach full in the evening, then I will allow you inside. I know this is unreasonable of me, but I only ask you for the food worth a night."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Anyone else has a simr question?"

    All of them stated and nodded. Almost all of the councilmen had a simr question, and they all asked for things that couldst them for one night. Jill stepped forward and wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "Jill, call Ajax, Sonic, Sparrow, Hera, and Tormund. Give them a list of supplies they need to steal from the stores of the Prime Leader, let that man empty his coffers."

    Jill chuckled and nodded, the message was conveyed and Shi Lang said, "Please wait for a few hours."

    The councilmen were surprised by the casual attitude but they agreed to it. Shi Lang sat down to meditate and Crystal yed some mind games with Jill to kill time as thetter was guarding Shi Lang. Jill suddenly thought of something and asked, "Boss, do you perhaps want to go inside because you have sensed something?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "As expected, you camete but you arrived at the right stop. When I visited Cig city, I sensed a strong spirit energy, do you know these people do not know how to use this energy yet that prime leader had a bone age of two hundred years?"

    Crystal was surprised and asked, "Boss, could it be that this civilization has a longer life span? You could be mistaken, no?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The life span of an organism depends on its cell division rate. I collected some samples when I was intimidating them and had Gaia analyze them. She confirmed the effects of spirit energy were evident."

    Crystal was surprised and asked, "If that is the case, then could it be like they have a natural spirit gathering formation inside?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Nope, the city is an artificialndscape. The secret lies in the foundation, however, I could not act out there, as every old fox would be watching me, but here I can check out things better. The city has abundant spirit energy."

    Jill gulped and said, "Boss, you sure can see through everything."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not omnipotent."

    Crystal was not speaking anymore, she was looking at Shi Lang with her eyes filled with worship. Jill nudged her and asked, "What happened?"

    Crystal replied without turning her head, "Boss is so handsome when he is modest."

    Jill was surprised and Shi Lang was sighing when he heard this, the former said, "You probably do not know the boss is married."

    Crystal nodded and said, "I know, but strong people have many admirers. Like my grandma has a lot of old seniors fawning over her."

    Jill held her forehead and Shi Lang flicked his finger on Crystal''s forehead. The young man said, "Check the task status."

    ...

    Three hourster, ten people arrived at outside the Variant city with a few containers levitating behind them. The five people paired up with their other teammates to finish this task. Shi Lang looked at the people, and said, "The requirements have been met."

    Salve stepped forward and then bowed with his councilmen. He said, "You have done us a big favor. We are eternally grateful to you, Sir Shi."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Do not mind me saying this, but your eternal gratitude will not be fulfilled if you went to war. Anyway, we will see thingster, but now, can you please allow me to visit the city? Also, I need to bring in two of my subordinates to record the situation inside."

    Salve nodded and said, "That will not be a problem anymore. Please follow along."

    Shi Lang nodded and the three people followed Salve while the rest of the people helped the councilmen check the supplies and transport them into the city.

    ...

    Thendscape of the city was simr to Cig city, however, this ce was gloomy and slightly dirtier. Salve said, "Forgive us, we do not have any system to aid the finance cirction in the city, thus the people were told not to work for a loss. Thus the city has be slightly dirty."

    Shi Lang waved his hand while looking at the skyscrapers and the rest of the ce. He said, "Jill, Crystal, go film it all without disturbing the people living here."

    The two nodded and Shi Lang asked, "Do you know the ce where the ground level is the lowest?"

    Salve nodded and said, "Yes, please follow me."

    The two people traveled on foot and he did not miss even a detail, and his spirit sense was scanning the entire city as he walked. He was looking for the spot with the max number of Variants gathered together. His speed was not slow, suddenly, he found the spot and his step flinched.

    Salve said, "You must be wondering where is the weapon stored, right?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and then Salve pointed at the building where the max number of the people were stationed and all of them had weapons. The man said, "Sir Shi, that is where the weapon is stored."

    Salve said, "We do not wish to fight, this weapon is not what we made, we discovered it. When we found this weapon, we did not know what it was, but one scientist here told us that this weapon wasmissioned by the cigs to destroy us, the Drigs as they call us.

    That was when we decided to go down with everyone. Since the Prime leader is the god acting upon Cega then we will be the devil."

    Shi Lang asked, "You made changes to the weapon?"

    Salve nodded and said, "We made it big enough to destroy the entire world. We can''t live with ourselves after destroying millions of people."

    Shi Lang sighed and patted his shoulder as he said, "You do not have to worry, I will try my best from making you live with this sin. Since you have not hidden anything from me. Allow me toe clean too.

    My orders were to either take custody of the weapon or to y your kin, however, I bet my life and my crew for this mission. Let us hope that I am not allowed to act on my orders, however, if I am asked to attack, then your blood will be on the hands of those Cig civilians. They failed to follow their path of mercy. I hope such a shameful time does note."

    Salve nodded and then led Shi Lang to the ce where the foundation was the deepest. Shi Lang sat down on the ground and began to sense around with his spiritual sensation.

    ...

    While the young general was looking for the secret of spirit energy in the city, the video of the city and Shi Lang''s conversation with Salve was uploaded to the and was given to the bloggers to stream, the next moment, the news channels were also unlocked by hacking and the control was broadcasting the cruelty of the Cig leadership worldwide.

    The fire of the rebellion was raging strong and the people from the big families were gradually losing ground. None of the protectors or the forces under their hand dared to act. One leader asked his force of mercenaries to take charge and attack the hooligans, however, the masses took down the people as if they were rats.

    The downfall of the leadership was fast and smooth and it put the prime leader in a position where he decided to call the Strike Force and ask them to pull back. However, the response he got made him faint.

 Chapter 375 Task Complete.

    The prime leader tried to contact the gctic council but Aran had taken hold of every satellite they had and isted themunication across space. The rebellion had picked up the pace and the big families began to concede. They all feared for their lives, and when those who followed the path of mercy became violent, they were nothing less than rabid monsters, who sought destruction.

    After all, they subconsciously start venting their hearts for everything bad that they had suffered in life. The big families started conceding when they saw the younger generation joining the rebellion and questioning their conscience. The young were easily influenced and they all knew that this was the chance to save some face for the family and also to be heroes in the eyes of the masses.

    Since the prime leader''s ancestor could discard his family members and climb high to be called a hero, so can they. The elders had no option but to transfer the power to the younger generation, who began to appease the crowd with promises of epting the Variants and helping them progress. Meanwhile, they donated their family''s fortune with both hands.

    The living standards of the people had shot to the sky in just one night. Shi Lang was busy inside the Variant City when he was notified that the council of Cigs invited him to a meeting. Shi Lang replied, "The council is seeking me, they cane here, and bring appropriate guards if they are too scared. The meeting will be held outside the city and in presence of the Variant council."

    The cig council was expected to throw their weight around but they were surprisingly docile and they came forward to ept a meeting. Shi Lang did not mind it as his work here was finished. He had located the presence of spiritual energy here. This was going to be very useful for him.

    Using the skills of the primordial soul realm, he connected a wisp of his soul energy to the spiritual energy and found that beneath the core of the, there was a massivework of mines. These mines had spirit stones.

    Spirit stones were something that a cultivator could use in order to increase their cultivation base, and the effect was immediate. Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up from the spot. Crystal stood in front of him. He asked, "What is the matter?"

    The girl replied, "They are seven minutes away."

    Shi Lang nodded and then stretched his body as he replied, "I will go meet them and also they have spirit stones under the crust."

    Crystal froze for a moment and then asked, "Shall we ask them to mine it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Definitely, but I do not know if they will allow this. Also, spirit stones are not infinite. Their might run out of them and that will be disastrous. First, let us get through this meeting and see if they can reach a middle ground and then seize that weapon, after that we can try to have them form an alliance with our civilizations and send more people over here to train. That will be more constructive."

    Crystal nodded and the two moved toward the city gate. On the way, Shi Lang was pondering over the point he should teach the people here about spiritual cultivation or not. If he went by the logic from hisst life, then spreading the teachings of cultivation was a meritious deed.

    However, he did not know what these people would do if they learned cultivation. While lost in thought they arrived at the city gates and found that Jill was talking with Salve, the man seemed to be nervous. It was normal, after all, the other side had suppressed them for ages. His confidence was low.

    Shi Lang walked over and said, "Do not worry, they cannot hurt you in my presence, if you want to be wary, then be wary of me."

    Salve was surprised and then he recalled the truth Shi Lang had told him earlier and his mind shifted focus. Shi Lang did not mind looking like a demon to make things proceed smoothly. Jill shook her head slightly as they all walked out. The members of the variant council members were also present.

    Outside the city, the Ace Division was gathered with their gear on. Shi Lang looked at them all and yelled, "You morons, what is going on with the war gear? Did I ask you all toe over here and scare the people? Go back to the ship."

    The team shivered and they all scurried away back to the ship. Crystal chuckled and said, "Senior Sonic arranged all this."

    Shi Lang sensed a twitch developed at the corner of his mouth. He said, "First Milo and now this jerk. Is my team cursed to have a clown?"

    Jill said, "I will tighten his leash boss, you calm down."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, captain Jill, only you are the good seed in this bunch of rascals, and of course, our Miss Crystal is also good."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Jill had a weird expression on her face, she did not know why, but the Commander was happier than usual. She looked at Crystal and asked, "What is it?"

    Crystal shook her head but replied with telepathicmunication, "He found awork of spirit stone mines under the crust."

    Jill froze for a bit but then calmed down since Shi Lang had yet to tell everyone about it, which meant this was a sensitive issue. She decided to keep this information to herself. Shi Lang walked ahead with Salve and the two began talking about a lot of things.

    They did not wait for long before they spotted a group of lev vehicles approaching them at a high speed. The convoy was made up of Lev-cars. In just a few seconds, the vehicles reached closer and the people disembarked from them.

    There were no guards but a lot of drones flying behind the people. This was a meeting between the councils of the two groups that had been at odds for eons. The entire world was watching the scenes unfold in front of them. Shi Lang looked at the Cigs in the variant council and said, "I do not intend to interfere in the negotiations, and the variants do not know much, so I hope you guys stay honest. Do not take the position for granted just because the other party is your kin."

    The people nodded and they assured him that they will not falter or y the Variants. Ryud was the person in lead. This timid-looking girl had picked up the mantle to reform the council of Cigs. She nodded at Shi Lang in greeting and then shook hands with Salve and said, "I take it as you are Leader Salve?"

    Salve was surprised and then nodded, he was looking at thedy holding his hands without any hesitation and could not help but ask, "Why do you shake hands with me?"

    Ryud replied with a faint smile, "A shaking hand can tell the world that we can still get along with each other."

    Salve nodded, he was an honest man and his face could tell what was going on in his mind. The meeting began and after a small introduction, the people began to talk about more delicate issues. They talked about the integration of Variants into normal society and how to prevent this discrimination from spreading around.

    The meetingsted for six hours and the variants disyed great patience and calm. They also did not hesitate to step forward and mention the doubts they had. The Cigs also cooperated and the basic meeting waspleted. After the session, the two parties decided to take a break and camp outside the city.

    Ryud and a few of the young leaders of the Cigs and Variant council discussed something and they came to Shi Lang, who was standing at the side, looking at the horizon. Ryud asked, "Sir, may I ask you something?"

    Shi Lang nodded without looking at her and the girl asked, "Sir, why are you so sure that the two groups can live together in harmony?"

    The young general sighed and said, "Look at the horizon."

    Everyone followed his words and Shi Lang said, "If the sky can bow down and the earth can raise her head to meet each other at the horizon, then can you all not live together in harmony? The key is not to point out the difference other people have, but to embrace your own trait while respecting others for what they are. The best example is to allow children to meet and y with each other from a young age."

    The people were in awe and they were amazed by the way of thinking this person had. Shi Lang was younger than all of them. Ryud suddenly asked, "Sir, is there a way we can maintainmunication outside the scope of Gctic Strike Force."

    Shi Lang could not be happier, he said, "I will give you the coordinates and the star map to reach my home world, the federation. Or you can form an ally rtionship with the empire through the Gctic Council Ambassadors. We can form a system where the youths of both worlds can visit and experience the vastness of the gxy."

    The people were d to hear this, as for the problem of transport, that will be solved by the two governments, and Shi Lang also mentioned the presence of Spirit Stones under the crust and how this matter should be covered up and kept a secret. However, he also asked them to find a way to exercise inside the city to reap benefits.

    The task was almostplete, and now he needed to seize the weapon and go back to Blue Star, where another storm was waiting for him.

 Chapter 376 Picking A Fight.

    The negotiations werepleted and the alliance with the federation was also settled, the people from Cega were eager to contact the people from the same civilization as Shi Lang. The natives had already contacted the Gctic Council and told them that the dispute was settled.

    Shi Lang and his team seized the weapon and then the people started the journey back to the Gctic Council. The speed was just like thest time, just a few blinks, and the team was all dizzy after the journey finished. Jill sighed and said, "Boss, I hate this ride."

    Shi Lang was taking deep breaths and calmed himself down as he said, "You think I like this?"

    The ship was brought to dock in the spaceport, and then the Ace Division made its way to the office of the Strike Force, they were carrying the weapon with them, and going to submit it to the force. Shi Lang had taken his time checking this missile and he did not find any spiritual interference in the weapon otherwise he would have dismantled it.

    When the team walked inside the building, they attracted the attention of all the people. Shi Lang came to the reception and asked, "I need to submit the mission report, and also this weapon needs to be submitted as well. Can you tell me where I go for all this or who do I find?"

    The person in the reception had cat ears and her lips were also akin to that of a cat, she smiled and said, "Captain Shi Lang, the weapon can be submitted to the Arsenal on X level, while the mission report needs to be submitted to the Commander herself."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you."

    The young man turned around and said, "Jill, take the weapon. The rest of you find the office space they have given us, also, prepare your reports and hand them over to me."

    The team nodded and then they split up. Crystal followed Jill like a tail. Shi Lang made his way to the top floor. He looked around and found Adjutant Shina. Thedy was working on some documents on her holp when she sensed someone approaching her. She raised her head and asked, "Captain Shi Lang, you are back? The mission has beenpleted?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Yes, Ma''am. It has beenpleted. I was wondering when can I submit my report to the Commander?"

    He acted in line with being a soldier, never forgetting the difference between the ranks. Even if someone was weaker than him, if the person was his superior officer, he would follow the rules and the protocols.

    Shina nodded to him with a smile and then said, "Let me ask her."

    She used hermunicator and after a few seconds she said, "Go in."

    Shi Lang saluted her and with a nod he left. The young man knocked on the door and the Commander said, "Come in."

    The young man pushed the door in and entered the room, however, he was surprised when he saw that three people were standing in front of the Commander. He did not know any of these guys and nor did he have any interest in them. He walked over to stand in front of Harley and saluted her.

    Thedy nodded and asked, "Did youplete it?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Yes, Sir, the mission has beenpleted."

    Harley asked in a cold voice, "The casualties?"

    "None, Sir.", replied Shi Lang.

    This shocked Harley so much that she stood up from her chair and asked, "What did you say? Zero Casualties?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You heard that right,mander. Zero casualties."

    Harley asked, "The details, now."

    She was eager to ask what Shi Lang had done toplete this task with such a record. Shi Lang was about to reply when one of the three people on the side cleared his throat. This was to remind the two people of their presence.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang did not turn his head to look at these people but Harley said with an exasperated face, "This time I will not entertain the requests of the big five, Captain Stix sexually harassed a new member of the Strike Force and he has beenined against by several other members, he is not someone we can afford in here if you wish to see this ce working in harmony that is."

    The man who had cleared his throat said, "Commander Harley, do not think that you can throw your weight around, there are many people who are eager to rece you, and then Stix will be put back to work as well."

    Harley tilted her head as she looked at the man and said, "You can try and get me to be reced, but I will remind you, if your champions are not sure of their skills, they will die and you will be the one responsible for it."

    This was enough to shock the people and to tell them about the attitude Harley had toward them. Thinking about something the man said, "Fine, tell me the name of the person who dared to stand against him."

    Harley sighed and said, "Why?"

    The man replied, "I want to see, who is the person, so daring that even the big five of the gxy do not mean anything to him."

    Shi Lang stepped forward and said, "Commander, may I?"

    Harley nodded, she knew this will not end, and Shi Lang was not someone who would step back either, so she decided to let them have a go at it, she was going to support Shi Lang if he was pressured.

    The man looked at Shi Lang and was about to retort about thetter interrupting the conversation when the young Terran General said, "I am the one who acted against Stix, what can I do for you?"

    This confession shocked the three people, and the man in the lead said, "Oh, so you are the Terran who dared to act insolently. Did you not know that Stix was a member of the Ikeras? The big five."

    Shi Lang shook his head simply with a calm expression on his face. This calm on his face pissed the three people even more, however, he kept his calm and asked, "Now that you know his status, would you like to pledge your fealty to him and serve as his dog? You can have anything that you want."

    The offer made Shi Lang raise his eyes and then he said, "If it was my home world, you would have died so many times, that you might not be able to keep count for saying something like this. Also, what if he is from the big five, and what about you being from the big five? Come at me when you dare to go out without the Ikeras tattooed on your ass for safety."

    The man clenched his fist and red at Shi Lang and said, "Are you sure you want to stick with that statement? I work for the ambassador of Ikeras."

    Shi Lang nced at the man and said, "Stix must be your rtive then, however, I want to ask if this matter involves the ambassador. Let me check, the council must be in session now, we might be able to get ament from him."

    Harley was surprised while the others were shocked. Shi Lang said, "Commander, you might be able to contact, Sir Ambassador about this matter, right?"

    Thedy found the young man winking at her, and caught the hint. The angle prevented the Ikeras from catching the signal and thedy nodded, "Let me contact him right away. After all, such a matter is questioning the reputation of the Ikeras."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I want to know if there is a civilization that is willing to wage a gctic war over such a petty issue."

    The man was left speechless. Shi Lang said, "You need to understand where to throw your weight around and where to walk with your head down. The Ikeras are the big five, the leaders of the gctic civilizations, we all aspire to be as great as they are, and we learn from them. However, just like anyone else, Ikeras also have a few rotten seeds, I will be making a personalint to the Ambassador and have him look into this matter."

    The butler shivered, the ambassador was a righteous person, and he would definitely not let him get away with this maniption. Shi Lang literally tricked this man to jump into a pit he dug and this attempt was sessful. He did not intend to go against the Ikeras, but that was just for a limited time. If the big five tried to wage wars against the federation in a few years, then they will regret it.

    The butler grit his teeth and then he walked out of the cabin with his subordinates. Harley sighed and fell back on her chair, she said, "I thought you were picking up a fight?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am, but not now, in the future, yes."

 Chapter 377 Meeting Cara Again.

    Harley sighed as she heard Shi Lang, she said, "You are walking on thin ice here, if that old fogey of the Ikeras got triggered, what will you do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I will kill them all. You better not let this thing go out. Or I do not mind being the first to ruin the strike force and be the most wanted person in the gxy."

    His smile was anything but friendly and calm, it sent a chill down Harley''s spine. Thedy reacted and said, "The maniption of the big five is something that I have been a victim too. So you do not have to worry about my protest."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am going back for some rest, please call me if you have any other tasks."

    Harley nodded and said, "You can leave, but only after telling me what you did and how you managed to deal with it."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I have given you the report, you can read it yourself."

    Harley raised her brows and said, "You know that I am your superior officer?"

    "Come on, even after facing that old man together you are threatening me? No wonder my subordinates call me a demon, seems like the people in higher ces are all demons.", said Shi Lang.

    Harley said, "Fine, you can leave, I will read it on my own."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Long Live, Commander Harley."

    Then he left the cabin with a spring in his step. Harley shook her head and mumbled, "Scary person."

    ...

    Shi Lang came to his room and checked the messages he received from his family and friends. Things were fine and the speed of cultivation had picked up the pace. The people of the federation were all blessed and they understood the importance of alternative professions as well. Some of the experts with bold personalities have even tried using Arrays with technology and the result was something shocking.

    They had revolutionized the entire federation, and the experts were not only Terrans, even the indigenous civilizations under their banner had made considerable growth, thanks to the no-discrimination policy Archie Arkham told him that recently the people from both sides have begun to mix up well as some love stories have surfaced among them.

    Shi Lang was happy about all this improvement and congratted the people for their hard work and effort. He also mentioned Cega and the cig civilization in his reply and also the discovery of spirit stone mines. He simply told the two highest authorities that Cega was a single, and was an independent entity.

    However, the people of the federation must respect their wishes as they were capable of holding a world killer. If things and the alliance went south, then Shi Lang will being for the heads of those responsible. He might not be the first general anymore, but he was still the Ace of terrans, and this was a title held by only one person at a time.

    Later Shi Lang responded to the mail of his daughter and promised her to rx as he will go back home for her birthday and his anniversary.

    Just when he wanted to take a nap the door was knocked. He sighed and got up to open the door and found Crystal standing outside. He asked, "What''s up kiddo?"

    The girl said, "Boss, my nana wants to meet you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Let me grab a bite, and then we will go."

    He turned around but heard a familiar voice, "Seems like you have a wrong impression of me."

    Shi Lang was surprised and turned his head to look outside and found Cara Balley standing behind Crystal. He was surprised and said, "I had no other meaning, Senior. It is only appropriate for the younger generation to visit seniors. Pleasee in."

    The room Shi Lang had was basically an apartment. He invited the two people inside the ce and then served them tea. The kitchen had a tea set equipped and Shi Lang used it. It was not just any tea-making method that he used, he used the ancient method in his memories to brew the tea with spirit energy.

    Cara took the cup and after a sip, she said, "Good tea. Shi Lang, you surprise me every time."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Senior, is there anything I can do for you?"

    Cara shook her head and said, "You took my granddaughter out and she learned a lot. She wishes to stay on your team for as long as possible and learn more. I wonder what you think about it?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have no problem, Senior. However, she will not be having it easy anymore. I do not like the members of my team to be soft and confused. I hope you do not mind my methods."

    Cara nodded and said, "Just do not leave scars on her face."

    Shi Lang smiled and thedy said, "Today I came here to give you the knowledge and material needed to set up a greater teleportation array."

    This surprised the boy, he did not know how to react for a bit. After regaining hisposure, he asked, "Senior, the importance of the Greater Teleportation array is too much, are you sure, that you want the Terrans to have it?"

    Cara nodded and said, "Indeed, I have talked to the Beast Council. We are ready to reconnect with the Terran side. However, since it is just the beginning, I would like to ask for this array to be set up in a rather deste region, whether it is us or your side. Only when we have enough trust we should move the teleportation to a better region."

    Shi Lang nodded and wanted to say something but he hesitated, Cara sensed this and said, "Do not worry, the first meeting between the two sides should be the governments of the two sides. We can both swear a dao oath and sign blood contracts. This way the alliance will be strong and honest. What do you think?"

    Shi Lang caressed his chin and said, "Senior I appreciate this proposal, but I hope you give me some time to discuss this matter with my people. This is something that considers the future of the two nations. I can understand that we are weaker than you, however, anything is possible. Thus I wish to consider this at greater lengths."

    Cara nodded with a faint smile and said, "Of course, such big decisions should not be taken lightly. I agree with you."

    Shi Lang nodded and then the two began to discuss the things Crystal needed to work on to be stronger. The young Terran made an emphasis that having strong cultivation does not mean everything, one must have sharp wits, and also the ability to back up the cultivation realm they have. It is not easy to reach the peak.

    He also ssified that Crystal was just a vase at this moment, and she needed a lot of work to be a sword. The girl did not back off and epted the criticism nicely. Soon the two people left the ce and Shi Lang went back to sleep.

    ...

    In a lev car, Cara asked, "Your Highness, what do you think of him now?"

    Yes, she was addressing a princess, or Crystal to be precise. The girl said with a calm expression, "What you think is correct, this guy is indeed abnormal. Whether it is his strength, his soul skills, and his calctions. They are all top-notch. He is worthy of being an ally. The rest of his team is exceptional as well. They are better than the elites of our society in terms of cooperation and trust at least. That is all for now.

    He will be stronger in the future, and we will not in a loss to have him as an ally. He has the potential to challenge the heavens. He will be climbing realms soon. This small favor is nothing to have the bridge reconnected."

    Cara nodded and said, "Indeed, it is true, I have never seen a guy this terrifying. He could tell what I was doing and he was patient enough to have me promise that heavenly oath. I wonder if he was really serious and wanted to see our sincerity."

    Crystal nodded and said, "He is wise, and this is enough. The heavenly oath will keep things in line. We may have the resources and power, but we are not blessed inprehension of arts like the Terrans are, this is a curse, we all have our innate cultivation sutras and might have strong natural martial arts too, but the arrays we have are all left behind by the things our ancestors had, and only the Terrans can help us in understanding them better.

    Call the council and tell them about it. The terrans are not to be underestimated and at the same time, they must not be wronged while Shi Lang is alive. If he finds out about this, he may endure it first, but he will definitely pay it back ten folds, however, do not let the Terrans run over our heads too."

    Cara nodded and said, "I will inform the council, also, Your Highness, do you really want to stay on his team?"

    Crystal nodded and a smile appeared on her face, and said, "They are nice and strong people. I like it with them."

    The two did not know that this discussion was going to change the course of their civilizationpletely.

 Chapter 378 Fishing.

    Cara and Crystal left after a couple of hours and it was decided that Shi Lang was going to set up a teleportation formation upon his return to the federation. In the meantime, the federation will keep on evolving and advancing to the level where they are not called weaklings.

    Shi Lang spends the rest of the time memorizing and familiarizing himself with the information in his mind. At first, he wanted to try and rehearse this in the simtion world but then he denied the ideapletely because this was not safe. Who knows what sort of monitoring has been arranged on their simtions?

    His practicested for a couple of days. The reason he woke up was not thepleteprehension, but the knock on the door. He opened his eyes and walked over to find Jill standing outside. He asked, "What is it?"

    Thedy replied, "Boss, Commander Harley is summoning you."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked, "She specifically mentioned me?"

    Jill nodded and said, "She wants you to go to the office right now."

    Shi Lang nodded and went inside to take a shower and change his clothes. He has reached a level where eating food was no longer necessary for his survival. After dressing up, the man left his amodation and headed to the Strike Force office. He was not in the uniform when he arrived and the people cast him a look.

    The young man did not care and even picked up a wilting flower on the way. In the elevator, he circted spirit energy in the flower and rejuvenated it into the mesmerizing form it had. When he got done with the elevator, he found Adjutant Shina sitting on her post table. He walked over and presented her with a flower.

    Thedy was surprised and wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "Good day, Sister Shina, is the boss inside?"

    She was surprised that someone called her sister. She sighed and said, "Captain Shi, where is your uniform?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I was in deep meditation when I got the news, and immediately came over here."

    Adjutant Shina red at him and then said, "Fine since you called me sister, I will allow you a pass, but this is a one-time deal. Go, the boss has been waiting for you."

    Shi Lang smiled and knocked on the door and asked, "Boss, may Ie in?"

    Harley replied, "Come in."

    Shi Lang pushed open the door and walked inside the room. He came in front of Harley and saluted her. He said, "You called for me, sir?"

    Harley nodded and said, "Take a seat."

    Shi Lang nodded and sat on a chair, waiting for thedy to speak. Harley said, "I read your report, it was a job well done. Very cleverly you used public opinion in your favor. Also, that weapon has been disposed of so there is no longer anything to worry about."

    Shi Lang nodded but stayed silent. Harley said, "With this, you will climb the top fifty of the ranking table."

    The young terran asked, "What is the rank table?"

    Harley exined that the rank table was just something they decided to keep up a spirit ofpetition among the teams. Ony the top hundred teams were listed on the table among thousand teams. Shi Lang understood this and then he found that the ranks changed based on the difficulty of the mission aplished by the teams.

    Shi Lang had justpleted a grade S mission and the factor that he achieved it with zero casualties on either side made him eligible for the climb. However, all this was sounding different to the man.

    He shook his head and said, "Boss, keep me and my team out of this table. I do not wish to end up stressed by thispetition. None of the people wants to be demoted. If my team is promoted, the higher ranks wille to test us and the lower ranks will gnaw at us like termites. I do not wish to enter the loop of endless trouble.

    My temper is one of the main reasons, I might end up killing someone with ill intentions. I hope you understand."

    Harley was surprised and said, "Well, fine, you should calm down, I will deal with this. Also, I have another task for you."

    Shi Lang sat up straight, as thedy continued, "This is a grade S mission as well. You will have to face a batch of mercenaries. The people you are facing are not simple, they are one of the top ten mercenaries of the gxy. They have a strength of seven hundred people, all experts. Your task is to destroy them."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What crime did theymit?"

    Harley gazed at him, "Seven officers of team ny were killed in an ambush. They were all women, out on a vacation. Brutally raped, tortured, and then their dead bodies were left in the square of the city to see. The Strike Force does not want to sit down, but these people are so slippery. Every ambush is avoided as if they are informed from the start."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Give me thest coordinates you have of their sighting. Also, we are not doing this with uniforms and armada."

    Harley was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang said, "You will know when it is done, now transfer the files. We need to leave the ce. Also, some contacts and back stories to contact the weapon dealers."

    Harley was not a fool, she understood that Shi Lang wanted to go under the cover. She replied, "The information will be sent. What else?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "Put out a bounty on their leader, anonymously."

    Harley nodded, she understood that this was to lure the man out. Shi Lang asked for a few more things, like some money credits. Then he left the ce and found his team. He said, "Get ready, work trip."

    Everyone sighed and Jill said, "Go, pack your bags."

    Crystal was confused and asked, "What''s happening?"

    Jill said, "Undercover mission, you will be pairing up with me. Go get your clothes."

    Crystal nodded and followed the instructions quickly. The team met an hourter, their tickets have been booked and they were traveling in two batches. They were all in groups of three or two. They were traveling with the help of amercial spaceship. This way the tracks will be hard to detect.

    Harley had told Shi Lang that this method has been used before, and the result was still a waste of resources and lives. However, the young general was not afraid. He would not know until he tried everything and the first approach was undercover.

    The spaceship took them to the ce where this group wasst spotted. However, Shi Lang did not make his way to the exact location but the team checked inside avish hotel on a called Rosa.

    The people here were humanoids but they all had sort of flesh extensions on their foreheads. Shi Lang had read about this ce and the people and knew this was a way for them tomunicate, like ants.

    The people checked into the rooms, and they began to party, moving into entertainment districts of the city and asking people for debauched things. Sonic and Raz even made rounds to a brothel. After three days, Shi Lang found the weapons dealer and talked to him about the things he needed.

    Weapons were an extremely controlledmodity in the gctic council member nations. The only way to get any was through these dealers. Shi Lang had ced the order and was confident that he will not be ousted. After all, if the dealer tried anything funny, then it will be his ass on the line too.

    Shi Lang had been monitoring things, he knew that the only way this dealer will get them the weapons was through the mercenaries. After all, such things were not something a single person could manage, and one needed to have good connections too. The order demanded twenty assault phasers, five snipers, twenty battle suits, nades, and other tactical supplies.

    This order had to be taken out from the stock, no fresh supply will match it, and the stock was something that only the mercenaries had. Shi Lang hadid the, now he only needed to wait and let the fish take the bait. The mercenaries wille for sure because someone ced a bounty on their leader, and someone came to buy weapons here, too much of a coincidence.

    ...

    After two days, the weapon dealer contacted Shi Lang, gave him the address of a club, and asked for a meeting. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Crystal, you are with me tonight, get ready to unleash your charm skills. Also, no matter what happens, do not waver. I need you at your A-game."

    Crystal nodded with a firm face. She could tell something was about to happen.

 Chapter 379 Entering The Pond To Catch The Fish.

    Shi Lang and Crystal put onvish clothes, while the young man donned a ck tuxedo, Crystal was looking ravishing in an ocean-blue gown. She had a faint blush on her face because her dress was too seductive, and if not for the warning by Shi Lang, and tough mental training, let alone the men, even the women in the ace division would have fallen for her charm.

    Shi Lang looked at Crystal indifferently and said, "Let''s go."

    The girl nodded and followed behind him. However, Shi Lang ced his hand on her waist and said, "Calm down, we need to look like the part of it."

    Crystal nodded, as they moved out of the hotel and got on a pre-booked vehicle they hired for a taxi. The girl suddenly asked, "Boss, what if sister-inw finds out?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I already told her that I will be needing your help. I have told you the n back at the hotel. This is thest chance if you have any doubts."

    Crystal nodded and asked, "Boss, how will you identify the person involved with the mercenaries?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "I have the ability to sense things. If I use it with my spiritual sense, then I can create a three-dimensional map inside my brain. This map also allows me to find out who is keeping an eye on us."

    Crystal was surprised and said, "I see, you truly have the skills boss."

    Shi Lang shook his head and focused on the ride. The rest of the way they did not talk, and sorted their thoughts. Soon, they arrived at the location and Shi Lang said, "If things get physical, and you are not confident to move against the people, then keep your head low and I will deal with the rest."

    The girl nodded and got off the vehicle. Shi Lang came around and ced his arm around her waist, as Crystal leaned against his chest. The two people walked inside the club with confidence and were checked several times.

    After the security checks, the two were allowed to enter the ce. Loud music and colorful lights greeted the couple and Shi Lang said, "Clubs are all the same everywhere."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Back at home we have even louder music. You won''t believe it."

    Shi Lang shook his head as the two of them entered inside. Hemunicated telepathically and said, "From now on, we will only talk telepathically. Okay?"

    Crystal replied, "Okay boss."

    She was a fox, so cunning was in her innate nature. The girl did not nod her head as they moved in. Shi Lang looked around when he stopped and spotted a man waving his hand to him. This person was a native, he was the weapons dealer that Shi Lang had been dealing with.

    He tugged Crystal''s waist gently and the two moved in that direction. The girl asked, ''Boss, this guy is fishy.''

    Shi Lang replied, ''Did you notice his swaying antenna?''

    Crystal replied, ''Yes, they are amon trait among these people.''

    The two arrived at the table where the man was standing and Shi Lang shook hands with him. He said, "Mister Revelo, d to meet you."

    The other party revealed a simr enthusiasm and said, "Nice to meet you too Mister Ace. Please have a seat."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you, I apologize, as you can see, my wonderfulpanion, took her time to get ready for the night."

    Reveloughed and said, "It''s fine, I can understand. By the way, you did not introduce her to me."

    Shi Lang replied, "Pardon me for theck of manners, this is mypanion, Miss Estre."

    Crystal smiled at the guy and his eyes opened wide for a second, before returning to normal. She told Shi Lang, ''Boss, he is under control.''

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile and asked, "Mister Revelo, we are both busy people, can you tell me where the stuff is?"

    Revelo replied with a goofy face, "All the stock was ceased by the Mercenaries. You will only get troubled if you went to look for them. One of them is sitting on the second floor, and paying attention to you from the moment you approached me."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then you should pretend to take us to the decision room, and we will not hit back until it bes necessary or that person attacks us first."

    Revelo nodded and said, "Come with me, I will take you to the room I booked."

    Shi Lang nodded and the couple followed behind him. This would have happened sooner orter but they elerated the process. Crystal took control of the guy quickly for this reason only. The longer they waited, the longer they will be prone to variables in the situation. Shi Lang did not like variables in his ns, as they increased the risk factor.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Revelo bought the two of them to the discussion room and sat down silently. Shi Lang poured himself and Crystal a ss of native liquor and waited, after twenty minutes, he said, "Crystal, get ready."

    The girl nodded and started dancing in the center of the room. Shi Lang gulped a mouthful of saliva as he watched her. She was capable of hooking the souls of the people. It had been just a few moments when the door opened. It was a three men team party, and the people were surprised to see a girl dancing in the center of the room.

    The three people moved closer to the girl, and suddenly, the girl opened her eyes and she stopped. The three men froze and all of a sudden. Crystal smiled and said, "Do you surrender your souls to me?"

    Her voice was so silky that Shi Lang almost said yes, thanks to his spiritual sutra, he survived. However, the three people were not this fortunate. They said, "Yes."

    The next moment, they stood up like knights in service. Crystal sighed as she sat down beside Shi Lang and said, "Boss, they are under."

    Shi Lang patted her head and said, "Kid, you did well, almost took me under too."

    Crystal chuckled and said, "Thank you, boss."

    Shi Lang said, "Ask them where is the hideout."

    Crystal asked, but the reply was surprising, "We do not know, the only one who knows about the hideout is the leader. He takes us all thereafter putting us in cryo-sleep."

    Shi Lang smacked his thigh and said, "Such a scary bastard this guy is. Not trusting even his people. No wonder they survived this long."

    Crystal nodded and said, "What can we do now boss?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Of course, now we use my way."

    Crystal was surprised when she saw Shi Lang cing his palm over the head of one of the mercenaries. He closed his eyes and the next moment, his fingers glowed, and the mercenary shivered. A few minutester, Shi Lang sighed and said, "They all were ced under Cryo-sleep, however, they still had some memories of the hide-out''s scenery. We will need to search a rich in a mineral called bodix."

    Crystal stood up and said, "Bodix, is that not a mineral used in mecha suits of the Ikeras n."

    Shi Lang tilted his head and asked, "Tell me more."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Ikeras has a mecha suit that is exclusive to their n, also this mecha needs Bodix, this mineral is used to make the specialized camouge effect on the mecha. Boss, the Ikeras have been controlling the supply of this material very strictly. They must know where this mineral is found."

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, "This is very tricky, but I like it."

    He picked up hismunicator and called Harley. Thedy epted the call in a few minutes and said with a grumpy tone, "You better have a good reason for disturbing me at this hour."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Beauty Harley, please arrest any high-ranking Ikeras, I want to know where can we find Bodix in this gxy. This is the only clue we have about the Mercenaries."

    Harley opened her eyes wide and said, "Have you gone mad? This arrest will mean picking a war with Ikeras. This information will not be avable to any low-level member."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "So, leak the news of my location to that old bastard, he wille to hunt me and I will beat his ass and get the info. Okay, bye. The connection is not very safe."

    Harley opened his eyes wide and wanted to say something when the call was disconnected. She took a deep breath and said, "This guy does not take me seriously."

    Still, she stood up and began to work on the thing Shi Lang asked.

    ...

    Shi Lang walked out of the room with Crystal and said, "Can you erase their memories as well?"

    The girl nodded and asked, "But the maximum I can do is fifteen days."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Well, one week is enough."

    With that they had entered the pond to catch the fish, and this pond was deep.

 Chapter 380 Who Is The Fisherman?

    Shi Lang and Crystal returned to the hotel after dealing with the people in the club and the entire team gathered around them. The first thing Shi Lang did was to tell Crystal to change intofortable clothing. The men would lose it if they were exposed to her. He sighed and replied, "What are you people kicking up the storm for?"

    The people calmed down, Shi Lang spoke while undoing his tie and asked, "That fucking leader of the mercenaries is too cunning."

    He went on to tell the people about what was going on and the clue they had obtained. Jill said, "Boss, are we not being too presumptuous here? You know, dragging one of the big five into this mess? Would it not be easier to ask their chancellor to help us get to the mercenaries?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and tapped on hismunicator. A projection in the center of the room attracted the attention of the people. Shi Lang said, "The people who died under their hands are of varying races, but the people from the Ikeras n, are listed MIA. Meaning, even their remains were not found. While the people think these mercenaries have a special hatred for Ikeras, they are actually helping them."

    The people were confused and Shi Lang said, "Aran, find me the details of these missing people in the gctic crime database."

    Aran nodded and began to work quickly. The Strike force could ess all the criminal records in the gxy. Although the search was narrowed down to Ikeras, the system still took half an hour to find the relevant details. The results were shocking.

    The people on the missing list were all wanted for all sorts of crimes. Shi Lang smirked and said, "Run these faces through facial recognition and they will all be alive and well."

    Aran was quick to follow and said, "Boss, it will take days for this data toe through."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Leave these searches in the mainframe of the Strike force. Have them do some work for us. Well, seal this for themander. I do not want any Ikeras cronie to be nosy."

    Aran nodded and Shi Lang said, "Go y, I need to cultivate, I am bored."

    Sonic said, "Boss, you are truly different, who cultivates when they are bored. You shoulde out with us to grab a few drinks."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not want to be a hooligan like you Sonic, your sister-inw prefers me in line."

    The peopleughed and Shi Lang walked back to his room. He contacted Amelia to check on the progress of the people there.

    ...

    Amelia was looking at the students from Shi Lang''s special ss sparing with each other. Suddenly, she saw a figure shuttling between three students, and they were having a hard time dealing with her. Amelia smiled faintly as she shook her head.

    Hermunicator shook gently and she picked it up. She saw Shi Lang smiling at her. She gave him a signal to stay quiet and the boy nodded. Then she made a swiping gesture and Shi Lang saw the students sparing with each other, and then his gazended on the small girl fighting with three people at the same time.

    Although thepetition was tough and the girl was being pushed back sometimes, she would learn from her mistake and quickly move against the opponents. Suddenly, Amelia said, "Alright, that is enough for today."

    The students stopped and fell on the ground, Amelia opened the speaker and Shi Lang asked, "How many hours have you been grinding them, you beautiful demon?"

    Amelia raised her brows and asked, "Who is the beautiful demon?"

    Shi Lang replied with a coy tone, "Ofcourse it is you. The charm of a demoness you have and it has got me spellbound."

    Amelia snorted and with a faint blush she said, "Have you forgotten that I am still in ss?"

    The students on the side were all surprised to see Shi Lang''s hologram. The young general did not answer her questions and said, "Looks like, by the time Ie back, my princess would have youckeys wiping the floors."

    The students all bowed their heads and Shi Lang said, "Have you all forgotten what you promised me? If you all did not reach that level, you will be disqualified from the guardian division."

    Then his hologram turned face to look at the shocked Shi Tao at the side, and said, "You have gotten a lot stronger. Keep working at it, but do not over-exert yourself. However, if you get the chance, then beat these weaklings up and do not hold back."

    Shi Tao nodded, and Amelia shook her head. Shi Lang then gave them all some pointers. Amelia isted the voice again and they talked for a few minutes before thedy went back to ss.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...

    Shi Lang closed themunicator and started to cultivate. He did not wake up for days before the door was knocked. The young general opened his crimson eyes and walked out of the door he asked, "What happened?"

    Jill replied, "Boss, Ikeras have entered the space."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "You have been monitoring the ce?"

    Jill nodded and said, "It has been five days since you started cultivating, they arrivedte."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, they could not have rushed at me like a horde of ants charging at honey. It will be too obvious. Commander Harley is not a fool, she must have prepared some contingencies for this."

    Jill nodded and said, "What shall we do now?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Let me look for me, you guys check out and stay in the wilderness, I will lead them out of the city."

    Jill nodded, and then she went to ry the n to the entire team. The ace division was fast to act, as they all moved away. In the meantime, Shi Lang spread his spiritual sense around the entire city and found that the situation outside was akin to a city-wide evacuation.

    He looked at thetest news and found that the people did not even mind spending a few million credits to buy the whole city under the name of a redevelopment project. He circted his spirit energy inside the storage tattoo and took out his space ring.

    He did not want this ring to get lost in any of his fights, so he kept it inside. After putting on the ring, he took out his sword and battlesuit. He quickly geared up and prepared to meet the enemy head-on.

    He sensed at least seven people with weapons, three fully armed mechas. These mechs were all different from the ones in the strike force. Shi Lang checked hismunicator and found that the connection was isted. However, he did not detect his team members in the city so that was a relief.

    He did not know if they were able to deal with Mechas without any phaser weapon, so he did not want to risk their lives. This entire n was an excuse from the beginning. He vanished from his room, and when he next appeared he was standing on the roof of the hotel. His sight was locked on the three people approaching the ce at high speed.

    He could hear them talking on theirmunicators, phrases like, target acquired, and approaching.

    He shook his head and then he flickered again, this time he appeared in front of the three people team and he asked, "Is someone important from the n leading you?"

    The other party was surprised, they did not expect this guy to approach them and even ask such a question. They were not stupid and asked, "You are targeting a high official? How dare you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am asking so that I can get away from your murders. If it is someone from the high level, he might be able to handle me, but you measly ones. Since you ask such questions means, no high official is here."

    Then Shi Lang''s sword shed and three headless corpses fell to the ground. Shi Lang picked up the weapons and gears in his space ring. These will be given to the teamter.

    Shi Lang moved around, dealt with the seven people with ease, and then took down the Mecha after climbing on top of the machine. He entered the chamber and then he killed the pilots. He also ruined the cockpits of the mechs to prevent them from being re-used in a short term of time.

    Just when he thought this batch of people was useless, a sense of threat emerged from behind him, and without looking back, he vanished from his spot. He appeared a few meters away, only to see that ady stood in the void.

    She had long golden hair and a cold face, with one eye covered with a ck gloomy eyepatch. Thedy said, "You are the fish?"

    Shi Lang smirked and said, "You think of yourself as the fisherman?"

    Thedy tilted her head and said, "We shall see, who is the fisherman."

 Chapter 381 Fish Hooked.

    Shi Lang and the girl with golden hair stood opposite each other and the young man asked, "Your name?"

    The girl did not reply, she was looking at him coldly with her blue eye. The other eye was covered with a ck eyepatch. Her battle suit was very sleek, and it seemed to be better than what the rest of his enemies wore. However, this did not phase him one bit. He sighed and said, "Do you have to be so cold? You are about to im my life, you owe me this much."

    The girl did not let it show on her face, but her eye fluctuated, and she said, "I do not owe anyone anything. Do you understand? Nowe and die for me."

    The next moment, the girl vanished from her spot and Shi Lang tilted his neck to the side and to a sidestep. He sensed a de passing in front of him. The strike reached him before the opponent did, he mumbled, "Sword intent. Given the cold, your intent is that of hatred. How disappointing."

    As soon as his words dropped, the girl appeared in front of him, and without letting go of the opportunity the young man punched thedy in her sides and the impact flung thedy far in the distance. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Your battle suit is nice."

    The girl did a somersault as she stood up on her feet, but she was panting. This punch aimed at her liver, and the impact was like ripples. She was surprised to see that this battle suit could not negate the shock of the punchpletely. She heard thement and her lips twitched.

    Shi Lang asked, "Are you one of the top yers of the Ikeras? Do you know where you people obtain your Bodix? You just have to tell me the location and you will be safe, I will not let you die or get detected."

    His tone was calm, and his gaze was colder than before. The girl did not seem to care about the slight change and then she attacked him again, this time she held a handgun and shot him while she rushed at him with her sword.

    Shi Lang was moving around like a ghost, dodging the phaser beams and then shing with thedy. He said, "You should stop, or I will have your pride crushed under my feet."

    His voice was cold and his gaze was indifferent. Till now, Shi Lang had yet to attack the girl, but since she did not listen to his warning. He moved against her, his shura sword shivered and a sharp sound of excitement echoed in the surrounding. The next moment, an invisible sh was made. This attack was aimed directly at the girl.

    The enemy was surprised, she did not expect him to attack so fiercely from the first attack. She gripped her de and attacked the iing sword sh with an attack of her own. However, the result was not something she expected, Shi Lang had a sword intent that was more refined and concentrated.

    Shi Lang''s sh broke past the attack of the girl and passed by the left of her neck and a bunch of hair strands was cut cleanly. Shi Lang did not wait for her to recover from the shock he rushed to thedy, the next moment, the hilt of his sword bestowed a blessing of life on the girl. She was knocked out cold with just one blow.

    Then the young general carried her on his shoulder and mumbled, "What a facade."

    The eyepatch on her eye was just an essory. He sighed and vanished from his spot. The next moment he appeared outside the encirclement of the Ikeras. He used hismunicator and contacted Jill. Thedy sent him the coordinates and he made his way over.

    After a few minutes, the team regrouped inside a cave they had dug out. Shi Lang walked in and grabbing the ankle of thedy on his shoulder, he flung her right into the wall. He was in a state of indifference and he was annoyed at this woman for acting like a big shot. The ace division shivered and Shi Lang said, "Wake her up, I want to ask her questions."

    Then he sat down on the ground while the team began to wake up thedy while maintaining as much silence as they could. Crystal was shivering from the aura Shi Lang radiated at this moment. After a few seconds, thedy woke up and was surprised that she was surrounded by so many people and they all were looking at her as if she was some prey.

    Suddenly she realized that her vision was clearer than before and she touched her eye and screamed loudly. She looked at Shi Lang, who was sitting in front of her and said, "You bastard, how dare you take off my eyepatch. Return it, give it back I said."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "You are a bit too noisy."

    Then his eyes shed and the girl turned silent. The others gulped and moved back to almost stick to the wall. Shi Lang asked, "Who are you in the Ikeras n?"

    Thedy replied, "I am the captain of the security forces of the n."

    "Do you know where the Bodix is acquired from?", asked Shi Lang.

    Thedy replied, "No."

    The team thought this was a wasted effort, but Shi Lang asked, "Do you know someone who might?"

    "Yes.", was the reply.

    Shi Lang asked, "Who?"

    The girl replied, "My guide, or handler. Mister Chinat, is a high-ranking member of the family and owns a share in the mecha nt."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Contact him and find where the Bodix is found."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The girl nodded and used hermunicator to call back to her handler. The call was connected and the other party said, "Tril, is the missionplete?"

    Tril replied, "Yes, Sir. However, this guy was looking for the bodix reserve on the Mayta."

    The man replied in surprise, "What? Do you mean there is Bodix on Mayta? What else do you know?"

    Tril replied, "Sir, I did not get the chance to interrogate him properly, but I would like to confirm if the original reserve is protected, how long are we going to trust those paid dogs."

    The person replied, "Yes, I am reassigning you to the Befil. Go and lead those rowdy mercs in order."

    Tril thanked the person and disconnected the call. Shi Lang stood up from his position, waved his hand like a de and the girl was beheaded, he said, "Let''s go, we have a location."

    ...

    Shi Lang and the rest of the team rushed to another city, they boarded amercial ship and booked a ticket for the near the one they were targeting. Thesemercial ships were too oversized, so the people will be dropped in specialized drop pods. fifty people per drop pod. However, Shi Lang and the rest booked a special pod, and only they were going to ride in it.

    As they sat inside the pod, Shi Lang said, "Aran, break the code, I want this taxi tond on Befil. Even if it does notnd, it should get us through the atmosphere."

    Aran nodded and began working. Crystal asked, "Boss, will we not be detected by the ground forces?"

    Sparrow shook her head and said, ''Next time, be alert in the mission brief, Crystal.''

    The girl nodded and Sparrow said, "They do not have any satellites here. This ce is listed as toxic and unfavorable for living."

    Crystal nodded and understood that the enemy was hiding in in sight. She said, "These Ikeras are quite cunning, to think they can fool the council like this."

    Shi Lang leaned back in his chair, and said, "Indeed, but what if all this gets out?"

    Sonic shook his head, "The council might sanction the Ikeras but that''s it."

    Shi Lang said, "Get to the public, before the council?"

    The people were shocked, and many of them recalled that this guy had a name after Shura. Aran said, "Boss, I broke through. We can dive in ten minutes."

    Shi Lang nodded and in the meantime, he contacted Harley.

    ...

    Thedy was sitting in her bathtub when themunicator rang. She epted the call on audio-only mode and Shi Lang''s voice sounded, "Befil. We are barging in, please send a lift off soon."

    Harley asked, "What do you mean, lift off?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I will not use the merc ship and also, I need a secure channel to give the Ikeras a gift."

    Harley sighed and asked, "What is it?"

    "Confessions of the Mercenaries.", said Shi Lang.

    Harley was in doubt and wanted to ask why would the mercenaries confess, but Shi Lang had disconnected the call. Aran said, "Boss, we can go."

    Shi Lang nodded and the drop pod undocked and flew to Befil, leaving behind a blue tail of fire and a shocked control room of themercial ship.

 Chapter 382 Crystals Shock.

    The ace division entered the atmosphere and the drop pod began to shake. Aran clicked his tongue and said, "Boss, the re-entry point is not good. What shall we do?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Endure till the time, then abandon this drop pod. We will use free fall."

    The people nodded, and the nano-bots began to squirm out of their battle suits and cover the rest of their faces. The visors became helmets and then they waited for the drop pod to scatter. The atmosphere was denser on this. This made the friction increase and this trip was not helping them.

    ng!!!

    A panel tore apart from the surface of the ship. Shi Lang undid his seat belt and the rest followed. Shi Lang had given them all the phaser guns he had scavenged from the Ikeras people. The people all aimed at the top of the pod ceiling and fired big holes from inside. Then they all pushed the floor off.

    Shi Lang said in hismunicator, "Use your spiritual energy to cast a barrier."

    The team followed the advice and then the pressure from the atmosphere vanished and they fell through. Aran said, "Boss, how do we detect human activity?"

    Shi Lang said, "Scan this ce for the Bodix reserves and that is where we will find the fish."

    Aran nodded and then he scanned the ce, he replied, "We are in a bad position here boss, nothing matches the bodix metal concentration."

    Sparrow said, "Boss, we can reach the ground first and then use the soul-sensing array."

    Shi Lang replied, "Good."

    The people dived faster through the clouds, and Shi Lang suddenly said, "I am such a doofus."

    Then he vanished from his ce along with the person closest to him. Then he reappeared and disappeared again, and in just a few seconds, the entire team was onnd. Shi Lang had forgotten his ability to fly. Jill asked, "Boss, what was that about?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I forgot that I could fly. Like what is wrong with me?"

    The people chuckled and then Sparrow said, "Boss, should I set up the array now?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, begin."

    Sparrow took out some spirit stones and then she set up an array. The spirit stones were arranged around her in a specific manner. The spirit stones glowed with light, and then after a few minutes thedy said, "Boss, east."

    Shi Lang nodded and then they all moved in the east direction. The soul-sensing array allowed people to detect lives in the area. In this case, it was the, the difference did not matter much to them. They were strong enough.

    The group moved fast and quietly. After an entire day, they reached a mountain. Shi Lang smirked and said, "Oh, they have around a thousand people."

    Crystal was shocked at how this man was able to discover the number of people. Jill asked, "Boss, how do we approach this issue?"

    Sonic said, "Boss, our abilities will not make it for long."

    Shi Lang said, "Fools, an array can lead us here. Now, what we need is to set up killer arrays."

    The people gulped and Raz came to kneel in front of him, he said, "Boss, forgive me, but not those death traps. Please. You can form your clones and have them lead the way. The attack power will be strong and then we will follow. You know those killer arrays can simply give me goosebumps."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Crystal said, "Boss, I can cast an illusion array. That will allow us to get past these people."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You sissies need to be strong, you have to learn the arrays. This is yourst chance to willingly do so. Otherwise, I will throw you into a killing array and see if you can survive."

    Sparrow shivered and then she took out a bunch of spirit stones and under the guidance of Shi Lang, she set up a spiritual array on the patrolling route of the mercenaries. The people all followed her example and set up spiritual arrays on multiple patrolling routes.

    Since this ce was kept hidden, they relied on the old ways of doing things. Shi Lang and Crystal looked at each other and the young man said, "Well, Comrade Crystal. Time to get into the thick of it. Youck battle experience, so I will have youe along with me and then you will deal with the small fries in the outer levels."

    Crystal nodded and then the two people walked in the direction where the camp began. They were calm, and unbridled by the fact that someone can detect them. However, this did not stop them. As they reached the optical range the two people used their superior speeds and vanished.

    Shi Lang used Lazer target the point out people for Crystal and he asked her to do it as quickly as she could. The girl did not hesitate and followed along with his instructions. She moved quickly and better than in the past sessions. Shi Lang asked, "Have you been practicing?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "Boss, how can you see through things like this?"

    Shi Lang did not reply and said, "You need to pick up the pace, from now on, every person you take on should be dealt with in ten moves only."

    The onught carried and Shi Lang did not say much as he watched everything from the sky. The rest of the ace division was taking care of the people in the killer formations. The mercenaries were not fools, they had rung all the alerts they could. At this moment, they thought that the stronghold was facing attacks from twenty fronts and a small team had barged inside the camp.

    Shi Lang nodded as he saw these people in a mess, the man sighed and then he cut open his palm. Drops of blood fell down on the ground and then he formed a dozen of his clones. The clones were the manifestation of the Shura Clone technique. Under Shi Lang''smand, the clones moved, they all grabbed the weapons from the mercenaries and then started ughtering them.

    Crystal was shocked to the core, only now did she understand why Raz was saying that Shi Lang''s clones could lead. The young general was truly a terrifying person when it came tobat. As shegged behind the clones, Shi Langnded on the ground and then said, "You can rest, I will take these people on."

    The man then took out his sword from the space ring, this also surprised Crystal when Shi Lang had taken out the rifles in the drop pod. The young man took a deep breath and with his sword held high, he vanished, the next thing Crystal saw made her face pale in color.

    Shi Lang killed people like he was cutting weeds on a farm. He killed ten people with one attack at least, and the shes were all fast and sharp. Hisbat did not look elegant, but it was effective. So effective that the enemy was hesitating in approaching him. At this moment a loud voice sounded, "Why are you holding back, bastards? Kill him, kill that man and that bitch."

    Crystal was enraged and then she smiled, every mercenary around her froze, and then she killed them. The two people were like grim reapers. Soon, the rest of the ace division joined them. The efficiency increased by hundred folds. Each one of them was quick and fast, none of the mercenariessted for more than one attack.

    After half a day of fighting, the iing waves of the enemy stopped. Shi Lang also stopped and said, "Something is not right."

    Aran said, "Boss, I am picking up arge number of ballistics approaching us."

    Shi Lang nodded and then he looked up at the sky. The young man was already covered in lots of blood, he could see a few points of light blinking in the sky. Then he raised his hand and then pointed his right index finger at the light points. He condensed spirit energy in his body at the tip of his finger and said, "Do not step out of the barrier."

    The people were confused and then they saw Shi Lang drawing a rune in the void. Crystal was shocked again, she was doubting her decision to follow this group of evildoers. Shi Lang condensed the barrier around him and then he stepped out of it before vanishing from the sight of the people.

    The point of lights turned into missiles and they soon hit the barriers. The people shivered and then after a few moments, the light around them vanished. Shi Lang was gone. Everyone looked at Jill, and thedy said, "Follow his tracks, he must have gone after the people. We will not get any kills if he really got pissed."

    Crystal asked, "What do you mean, big sis Jill?"

    Jill replied in a low tone, "You will know soon."

    That said the team moved forward to follow Shi Lang.

 Chapter 383 Shura Body.

    Jill and the rest of the team followed after Shi Lang, but all they found was a number of people fell to the ground, with their heads clenched in their hands as they all cried and whimpered. Sonic said, "Hurry up, the boss will not spare anyone at this stage."

    Crystal could not help but ask, "What do you mean? Is this not the goal of the mission, we should be happy that he is willing to kill the targets, right?"

    Ajax snapped back at her, "Shut up, what do you even know about the boss? He is not allowed to go seek blood, he will go insane from the battle lust inside him."

    Crystal was shocked, she did not expect such an answer. Jill said, "Shut up, do not bother with her, we need to find the boss and stop him from killing any further. If anything happened to him, Amelia will erase us."

    They all ran through the mountains and the forests at the full speed when they heard a few screams. Upon scanning, they found a group of a few hundred people who were split from the middle. The entire area had turned scorched. Sparrow shivered and said, "Big Sis Jill, I suppose it is toote to stop him now."

    Jill asked, "What happened?"

    Her voice was obviously filled with worry and Sparrow said, "There is no blood on the ground."

    The entire team came to stop and they all looked down at the ground and the people looked around with shock. Aran performed a lot of scans and said, "This is impossible, where did the blood go?"

    Sparrow said, "The shura sword, feeds on blood."

    The team froze and just at that moment, they saw a huge sword sh falling down on the ground. The impact was so strong that the crust trembled and soon there were cracks. The team quickly moved away from the spot. After themotion settled down, and they moved forward, they found a ravine at least a few hundred feet deep.

    The walls of the ravine gave them a sharp tingling sensation in their eyes. This was simply too much for them to handle. Jill did not stop and rushed forward at a fast speed. This ravine was not performed from anything but Shi Lang''s attack, they were sure about this. On the other hand, Crystal was shocked to the core of her soul, she did not expect this guy to be so monstrous.

    After a few minutes, when the team trekked along the edge of the ravine. They found Shi Lang standing in the void. His hair had grown into a shawl that fell on his back reaching his waist and they were striking crimson in color.

    The aura radiating from him was so murderous that the team sensed a chill run down their spines. They were all a few hundred meters away, yet the pressure was so strong. Jill said, "Do not reveal any emotion or battle instinct, no matter what happens. Also, no quick movements."

    The team was cautious and they slowly approached the man who was staring at the bottom of the ravine. They could not discern what was going on with him when Shi Lang turned his head to look at them with his calm crimson eyes. This gaze was so indifferent as if he was looking at a bunch of corpses.

    The team froze and lowered their heads, not daring to look them back in the eyes. Even Crystal was the same, she was praying in her heart that this guy does not find out anything wrong with her behavior. Shi Lang scrutinized them for a minute and said, "Jill, water."

    Jill shivered, this was the first time that Shi Lang has spoken to her in such a mental state. She took out a small capsule from her utility belt and rushed over to his side. She handed him the capsule and then retreated. Shi Lang ced the capsule in his mouth and the capsule melted into water. The young man looked at the horizon and said, "Ah, they havee. You all stay here for the time being. I will need you to look after meter."

    Shi Lang raised his hand and everyone heard a loud whistle, a fraction of a secondter, a sword hiltnded in his palm. The shura sword had turnedpletely crimson in color, and it had a terrifying aura about it. The young man held the sword and calmly walked ahead. Crystal looked at him and mumbled, "Void Steps."

    The team looked at Shi Lang walking in the void, and they shivered. It was no different from them climbing the stairs. Other than that the people were attracted to a number of Mechas that appeared on their radar scanners. Jill said, "They are all advanced mechs that the Ikeras use. Record all this and send it to Commander Harley."

    The team nodded and they began recording the scene in front of them. Jill looked at Sparrow and said, "You will be on standby to look after him, Sparrow."

    The girl nodded and Crystal said, "I can also help."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Jill cast her a cold gaze and said, "Do you think we are fools? Princess Crystal?"

    Thedy froze and Jill continued, "Boss, told me everything, if you do not wish to be apprehended, please stay quiet till this is all over."

    Crystal suddenly sensed a few pokes on her body and then her spiritual energy was sealed. She looked behind her and found a silent girl from the team, Mitsu, poking her spiritual points. Sparrow said, "Calm down, the boss just wants to know why you yed him like this, or you might not live. We know there is a protector in the shadows, but she will not be able to match with the boss at this moment. We seek your cooperation."

    Crystal sensed that the people were not lying and were confident in their moves and nodded. She did not wish to see any bloodshed.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood in the sky holding his sword and then the young man looked at twenty mechas standing in the void. The machines started firing phasers and psion beams at him, and although he was about to dodge them by flickering to different spots, Shi Lang was unable to make any advances. The higher-ups of the Celestial Shark Mercenaries were not too shabby to deal with him.

    Shi Lang sighed and mumbled, "I will now show you all a skill that I have never used."

    ? He took a deep breath and said, "Shura Body."

    The next moment, his body glowed with a crimson glow, and slowly, ayer of crimson flux surrounded his body, the volume of the flux increased so much, that he began to match the mecha in size. In his hand, a crimson sword appeared.

    The team was shocked and Jill said, "Do not take him into the frame."

    They did not wish to unveil anything to the strike force high table. The mechas were constantly firing at him but the beams were bending around the space. Suddenly the shura body raised its right hand and waved it. A gust blew, it was so strong that a few unprepared mechs shifted from their axis, and then the attacks hit their own allies.

    The attack was disrupted but Shi Lang raised his left hand and held the sword hilt with both hands. The tip of the de was diagonally pointing at the sky. Shi Lang raised his sword and then took a step forward. Then he shed at the enemy.

    The action seemed very simple as if he was practicing his move in the void, but then, a sword sh appeared in the distance and a mecha was shed directly from the center. Crystal gulped and said, "His attacks are going through the void. This is not the primordial soul realm skill."

    Jill snorted and said, "You should know by now, Boss does not y by the book."

    Shi Lang kept on shing and the attacks keptnding on the mechs, seven attacks took down seven mechas, and from the idental crossfire from before five mechs were taken down. Now, there were eight mechas standing around him.

    Shi Lang spread his arms and two swords appeared in both his hands. The people were looking at him eagerly and a voice sounded, "Shura kills in all directions."

    Then, holding the des horizontally, the Shura body spun on his toes, emitting a terrifying sword sh that negated all the phaser beams and then the sword sh destroyed the mechas.

    The surrounding trees were uprooted from the onught, and the team was standing together to avoid being swept away. The Shura body slowly vanished, and Shi Lang descended to the ground. Hisnding was soft but he was not moving. Sparrow suddenly shouted, "Boss, fainted."

    The team rushed to Shi Lang as his hair began to turn ck. The man was done with his work.

 Chapter 384 Shura Realm.

    Sparrow scooped up the guy and they all rushed toward the spaceport Aran had located. The few leftover forces were dealt with by the team. At this moment, they had nothing else on their mind. Jill had undone the binds of Crystal as well. They did not wish tog behind this girl.

    Mitsu was rushing beside Sparrow, as someone with superb medical knowledge and a special ability rted to the same field, she said, "It is very faint, but boss''s heart is getting slower."

    The team was shocked, and Mitsu said, "It seems that his consciousness has entered a deep sleep mode, we need to take him home. The spirit energy is the only thing that can cure him."

    Crystal said, "We can take him to my home."

    Jill cast her a cold gaze and said, "We do not have the authority to take any decision. Sonic, take over that fucking ship already or I will skin you alive."

    She was pissed and losing herself in the rage. Shi Lang was the pir of strength and watching him in such a fragile state, this was not something they could handle. Although some of them were older than Shi Lang, this young man was the pinnacle of strength for them. They did not know the reason why Shi Lang had fainted, but they were not going to trust anyone just blindly.

    Sonic moved and after killing thest of the Celestial Mercenaries they boarded the ship. The strategy was to leave the and then contact Harley to send something to pick them up. The mercenaries must have some mechanism to inform the Ikeras, and they might be mobilizing as they moved.

    Raz contacted Adjutant Shina and said, "Adjutant Shino, this is team Ace, we have a situation at hand. The targets have all been dealt with and we have also acquired some sensitive information. However, Captain Shi Lang has been injured and we need an urgent pickup, it is possible that the forces behind the mercenaries mighte after us. Please contact Commander Harley, as soon as possible."

    He did not give her the chance to ask anything and reported things on his own. Shina was surprised but then she rushed to themander''s office. Harley heard the news and told them to get off the to dock with a strike-force cargo ship. They will smuggle the people back.

    The orders were given out and things moved quickly. On the other side of the gxy, the top dogs of Ikeras were also mobilized. Chinat, the Ikeras handler they had tricked was not a fool, he quickly received the news that his hunting team was all dead and that the Befil site has been attacked.

    ...

    Shi Lang wasying t in a med bay, while Sparrow and Mitsu monitored him. Sonic had located an asteroid belt and used a space hyperjump to move the ship near it to get some cover from any other spaceship. Soon, they were located by the cargo ship from the Strike Force.

    While they were all under pressure, Shi Lang entered a deeper state of cultivation. His spirit energy had run dry, and at the moment, he was a mortal, but with immense soul energy. At this moment, he was sitting in a white space, floating in the void with his legs crossed over each other.

    His long hair fluttered around like a wind was blowing. Slowly as his focus deepened, the scenery around him changed and a voice sounded in his mind. Opening his eyes, Valerin found himself standing in the desert, around him a lot of skeletons wereid on the red sand.

    A figure dressed in a red hanfu stood in front of him. The man was dashing and his features were blurry. However, the voice was clear. The person said, "Finally, you have reached this level."

    Shi Lang nodded and cupped his fist to the man as he said, "Greetings to you, Senior."

    The man nodded and said, "Tell me, young Lang, what do you see?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It is a field of blood. Did you paint it like this senior?"

    The man chuckled and said, "You sure are something, young one. Calling this heinous scene a painting. Well, yes. These are all the corpses of my enemies. Some managed to wound me on my path, while some managed to almost take away my life, but they all ended up here in the end."

    Shi Lang asked, "Senior, may I ask your name?"

    The man nodded and said, "It has been ages since I died, you may call me Shura. This avatar of mine is thest bit of energy I have left. You must have used the Shura body to have essed this ce."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is this ce?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shura replied, "The Shura Realm. A ce where my sessor can train his skill to the highest level. After my spiritual wisp vanishes, this realm will vanish as well. After that, you will be able to create a Shura Realm of your own and leave it for the future generation to learn and carry the legacy."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I am guessing that the time in this realm is highly different from what it is in the material world."

    Shura nodded and said, "Interesting, to so clearly state a difference between the material world and the shura mental realm. Very good. I do not have much energy to spare, so allow me to tell you how this works. You will be facing every skeleton you see here. Until you finish each one of them, you will not be able to get out of here. Is that alright?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I understand."

    With that said, the skeletons began to reform into their peak human or monster form, and then the battle began.

    ...

    In the material world, the cargo ship has just docked at the Strike Force spaceport and the Ace division was taken to the hospital. Commander Harley personally decided toe over and meet the team. In the meantime, the doctors did not dare to ck and immediately got to work.

    The Ace Division was holding a small meeting with each other. People were talking about how to convince themander to allow them to take Shi Lang back to the federation, and at the same time, they were thinking of what to do with Crystal. Should they tell her to leave or should they wait till Shi Lang came around?

    At this moment, Harley walked into the hospital with Shina in tow. She did not have much of an expression on her face and the people retracted when they saw hering over. She came to stand in front of Jill, who led the entire division in saluting her, and said, "Vice-captain Jill reporting, mission aplished, the gxy does not have an organization called Celestial Sharks anymore."

    Harley sighed and then with a gratified expression, she said, "You have the gratitude of all your deceased colleagues and their families. I am grateful to you all."

    Jill shook her head and said, "The credit belongs to the captain, he was injured when facing the twenty advanced Jigta mechs."

    Harley opened her eyes wide and asked, "Do you have proof?"

    Jill nodded and handed over a small data cube, and said, "This does not only have proof that this notorious bunch was backed by the Ikeras, but also some other crimes of the Ikeras."

    Harley nodded and then asked while she ced the cube in her pocket, "What is his condition?"

    Jill sighed and said, "We wish to take him back to the federation for further treatment. This is an ailment that can only be treated by Terran methods."

    Crystal was standing beside them but did not dare to say a word. She was not going to reveal the spiritual world to the Gxy. Harley thought about it and then said, "Fine, take him with you. I grant you all an official vacation."

    Jill thanked her and then the team rushed through the formalities to take Shi Lang with them. Crystal wanted to volunteer and tag along, but how everyone was isting her, she did not know what to do. She was curious about how the Federation was.

    Jill looked at her when they were preparing to move Shi Lang and said, "I apologize for my rashness, but the boss is the most important person for me while on duty. We treated you like a friend and even considered you a family, yet you lied. We terrans may be weak but we do not like to be fooled."

    Crystal nodded and said, "I apologize but I did not wish to hide it intentionally, it was something I had to do to see if I can trust you all. I apologize."

    Sonic sighed and said, "Fine, youe along with us, but if you tried anything funny, Sister-inw Amelia will have your head. Understood?"

    Crystal was surprised but then nodded hurriedly. How can she let go of the chance to know about fellow cultivators? And so, Shi Lang was taken back to the federation.

 Chapter 385 Changes.

    The spaceship from the Strike Forcended on the spaceport at Federation and Commander Silence watched as the Ace Division came down from it shortly after. Archie Arkham was not the chairperson of the General Council, and she was contacted by Jill to cordon off the region. They did not want the people to find that Shi Lang was injured.

    Jill led the team forward and saluted Commander Silence and thetter asked, "Lang?"

    Jill gestured towards the back where Sonic and Ajax were pushing down a med bay and Mitsu was monitoring Shi Lang. Commander Silence nodded and walked over to see him. She looked at Shi Lang''s face through her visor and asked, "How is he?"

    Mitsu replied, "The condition is stable, the brain is active, but he is not awake, as if in deep meditation."

    Commander Silence nodded and then she cast a gaze at Crystal, after a second she said, "Take him to the Shadow Executioner base. I will arrange for his old team to look after him. Mitsu can follow him, I have informed his wife, and she will be over there quickly to check on him as well. Jill, escort the guest to the Sherat hotel, she will stay there until General Shi Lang does not wake up."

    Jill nodded and then left with Crystal and the rest, while Sonic and Ajax loaded the med bay inside a specialized vehicle, then Mitsu sat inside the vehicle with Commander Silence sat in the driver''s seat and Mitsu in the passenger. The vehicle started and after a few minutes, Commander Silence asked, "What do you think is happening to him?"

    Mitsu replied, "He is in a deep cultivation state. His body started absorbing spirit energy as soon as it came into contact with the spirit stones."

    Her tone was calm and deep, and Commander Silence nodded. She drove the vehicle into the base camp of the Shadow Executioners, and soon they got off. However, like she told the people of the ace division, she had not arranged for anyone to look after Shi Lang, instead, he was taken to an isted cottage.

    The officer got off the car, and so did Mitsu. They both were strong enough to take out the med bay from the back of the vehicle and then pushed it inside the cottage. Commander Silence said, "You wait here, Amelia will be over soon. As for a team to look after him, I did not want to expose him to anyone in this condition."

    Mitsu nodded and said, "I understand, you do not have to exin anything to me, Commander."

    Commander Silence nodded and then after gazing at Shi Lang for a bit she left. Then Mitsu sat down on a chair, and after ten minutes, Amelia arrived. She did not seem to be informed about why she was being called here. When she saw Mitsu inside the cottage, then Shi Lang inside the med bay, she was shocked.

    She rushed over, and Mitsu stood up from her chair as she said, "He is stable, all vitals under normal range."

    Amelia did not seem to hear, but she gradually regained herposure and said, "What happened?"

    Mitsu began to describe the entire event and Amelia kept nodding. She did not think Shi Lang needed to go this far, but she needed to check one more thing before she could say anything. She ced her index finger in the center of his brow and then began to probe his soul with her own. She was also in the middle of the primordial soul realm.

    Amelia sensed his soul awake and active. Theymunicated in an odd code of soul energy vibrations and she understood what was going on. This sort ofmunication was only possible when the soul of the other person was very close to you and in this case, it was a couple.

    Thedy heaved a sigh of relief after this confirmation and then she said, "He will be fine in a few days, just feed him some spirit energy. I will set up a spirit gathering array here for that purpose. I want to stay over, but the people at school will ask me stuff, and you know that they might be able to figure things out. The family might panic so, I will depend on you, Mitsu."

    Mitsu nodded and said, "It is alright, sister-inw. I will look after the boss. You can leave."

    Amelia caressed Shi Lang''s face once and then she left after hugging and thanking Mitsu. The spirit gathering array was set up outside with the cottage ced in the center. The effect was good, and Shi Lang was able to absorb the energy faster.

    ...

    Hotel Sherat where Crystal was staying with Jill was a high-end hotel and had every luxurious service that one might wish for. Crystaly in her bed with her eyes locked on the ceiling. She was bored and asked Jill, who had juste out of a shower, "Big Sis Jill, who was thatdy, I can tell that her cultivation realm is golden core or core condensation realm level, however, the aura she had was too murderous."

    Jill sighed and said, "That was Commander Silence. She is the leader of the military power of the federation now. She was also the firstmanding officer of General Shi back when he was a rookie. The number of corpses she has left behind to reach this level is not something I couldpare even now."

    Crystal was shocked and said, "Why did you not introduce me to her then?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Jill smirked and said, "I had already filed a report to her that you were a suspicious character. Given your prowess of charm and mind control, no one is allowed to get closer to you until the boss wakes up."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Fine, I understand, but let me meet Amelia. Please."

    Jill shook her head and said, "Not yet, you need to wait for that to happen."

    Just then the door was knocked and Jill tightened her robe to check who it was. When she opened the door, she found that Amelia was standing outside the door. Jill wanted to ask her something when thedy said, "Can Ie in?"

    Jill subconsciously moved to the side and Amelia walked inside. She hade here right after meeting Shi Lang. She looked at Crystal, who was now sitting on the bed, with her eyes open wide. Amelia looked at her and said, "I am Amelia Shi Lang. Wife of yourmanding officer, Shi Lang. Nice to meet you."

    This was her best look when she met strangers, and that too aliens. Crystal nodded and with a bow, she said, "I am sorry for all the trouble."

    Amelia replied, "You troubled, him, why apologise to me?"

    Crystal said, "Because somewhere I think I betrayed his trust when I hid my true identity from him."

    Amelia smiled and said, "I see, then I would say you need to wait for him to wake up to apologize about it at all."

    Crystal nodded and Amelia said, "Long time no see, Jill."

    Jill smiled bitterly and said, "I should have been stronger to help him against those mechas."

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Calm down. You know he will beat you up for this?"

    Jill nodded and Amelia shook her head. She told him about Shi Lang''s deep meditative state and assured them he is okay, but it will take a few days before he woke up. Thedies understood and then after this, Crystal was interrogated to acquire the proof of her identity and all.

    Crystal cooperated and then she answered all the questions asked. Amelia nodded and then after a quick word she left the hotel. She passed the information to Archie Arkham.

    ...

    Shi Lang was fighting inside the Shura realm, unaware of what was going on outside. His spiritual body would fall and suffer from time to time. However, he never gave up. He kept at it, and eventually, his skills increased. One day outside was ten years inside this space, and he had spent two days already, yet the enemies did not seem to end.

    His battle lust was at its peak, and in the beginning, he fought like a maniac, but as time passed, he gradually calmed down, and his skills became even sharper. This was the effect of his training, and the color of his hair turned darker crimson with every passing moment.

    Shi Lang did not stop and then soon he came to the level where he was almost invincible. Outside seven days have passed and he has spent seventy years in the Shura Realm. This was a time period that could change people inside out.

    ...

    It had been ten days since, Shi Lang entered the Shura Realm, and suddenly, the spiritual pressure in his body began to climb higher and higher. Mitsu was surprised and she informed Amelia right away along with Commander Silence. She did not know what was happening, but she needed help and so she asked for it.

 Chapter 386 Tribulation.

    Mitsu called people and told them it is an emergency. Shi Lang was absorbing too much spiritual energy too quickly. Mitsu did not have much knowledge, but she knew that too much spiritual energy intake was harmful to the practitioner.

    The spirit-gathering array was not helping the situation, it was like Shi Lang was a ck hole and nothing could escape his grasp. The cottage was shivering, and Amelia used her special ability toe over. She flew so fast that she almost reached the speed of sound.

    She looked at the situation and before Mitsu could say anything, she said, "He is moving towards a breakthrough to reach the peak of the primal soul realm. There will be a tribtion following this. We need to have this ce evacuated and none of the soldiers in the base should cultivate when the tribtion is taking ce, or it might go after them."

    Mitsu nodded and said, "I will ask Commander Silence to arrange this."

    The twodies stood there while waiting for Commander Silence. Amelia said, "We need to get away from this ce as well so that we do not get implicated in the tribtion."

    Mitsu nodded and asked, "Ma''am, what about the spirit gathering array?"

    Amelia said, "We can leave it the way it is, he will need all the spiritual energy that he can find to digest the impact of the heavenly tribtion."

    Mitsu nodded and then the twodies left the ce. Commander Silence arrived quickly too, and she issued orders for the soldiers to stop cultivating none of them were allowed to approach the house.

    The instructions did cause a huge fiasco in the base, but nobody dared to say anything, Commander Silence was not known for being tolerant.

    ¡­

    As the threedies were moving in the distance, there were dark clouds were gathering in the sky. The scenery of a pleasant day had turned into a dark night so quickly that it almost surprised the people all over the city.

    Shi Lang was lying inside the med bay, and his limbs started twitching. Gradually he opened his eyes and sighed. He sat up and looked around he was actually surprised. His mind was affected by spending a hundred years inside the Shura Realm.

    Slowly the memories started toe back to him and his eyes regained their usual sharpness. He stood up on his feet, and after stretching his body. Then he walked out of the room.

    The darkness outside caught his attention and when he looked at the dark sky. He smiled and said, "Give me a few minutes, I need to see someone. It has been hundred years since I have seen her."

    The clouds thundered and then Shi Lang rushed toward the figure locked in his spiritual sense. In an instant, he appeared in front of Amelia and said, "Long time no see love."

    Amelia smiled and said, "Go and clear this tribtion first."

    Shi Lang smiled, he stole a kiss and then rushed back into the center of the spirit gathering array and said, "You cane now."

    The clouds thundered and then a red lightning streak hit Shi Lang square on his chest. The impact was so strong that the cottage behind him was directly obliterated. The ground trembled and the threedies were forced to take half a step back.

    They all used their own skills to check on Shi Lang and found the guy standing in his ce, but only his shirt was missing. The second streak of lightning did not even give me the chance for the people to be ready.

    The impact was twice stronger and Shi Lang was pushed back, by three steps leaving three deep footsteps. This was followed by the third and the fourth streak of lightning. The young man has pushed back ten meters away from where he stood.

    Amelia looked at him and said, "This is better than what he was when facing the lightning."

    Mitsu nodded and they both looked at Commander Silence as she stood in silence with her mouth slightly ajar. She asked, "Has he done this before?"

    Mitsu replied, "Twice before. This is the third time in this realm. The Primal Soul realm. If you channel your spiritual energy inside your eyes, you will be able to see what is going on inside his body."

    Commander Silence nodded and started channeling the spirit energy inside her eyes, and she saw that the heavenly lightning was made of spirit energy and it was condensed to the point where the destructive power had reached another level.<novelnext></novelnext>

    However, as the lightning hit Shi Lang, while some of the energy was dispersed, most of it was absorbed by his body, the spirit energy destroyed his body and at the same time it constructed it too, making it better than what it was before.

    Commander Silence was even more surprised. She asked, "Is he unable to sense pain?"

    Amelia smiled and said, "Focus on his jawline, and you will know."

    Shi Lang was facing all the things with his jaw gritting hard. Amelia said, "The best way to get clear of the heavenly tribtion is to grit your teeth and let it destroy you. Every time you are destroyed, the spirit energy you absorb helps reconstruct your body. Every cycle of pain brings a newborn strength."

    This statement left themander a bit too shocked at everything. She looked at Shi Lang, who was facing the sixth lightning bolt as if it was nothing, and her blood boiled.

    Mitsu said, "Control your intent, Commander, you do not wish to face that lightning at your current level."

    Although the status of the Commander was higher in rank, the strengthmanded by the Ace division was far higher than her. Shi Lang was the uncrowned king and so his minions got to mock the country bumpkins.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang raised his head as he stood on the burnt ground and said, "Damn this is hard."

    The clouds began to ramble loudly, and the lightning changed color from red to purple. Shi Lang gulped a mouthful of saliva and took out his sword from his space ring. He assumed his stance as the young man was aware that he will not be able to face the lightning strike with his body only.

    The lightning crackled and then the streak of lightning fell toward Shi Lang. This streak was different, it was simply burning the air around it. Shi Lang raised his sword and then he took one step forward and then shed at the iing lightning streak.

    The lighting streak and the sword sh collided, they were both condensed into solid. A loud explosion shook the void and the three people put up their spirit energy screens to face the shockwave and still they were pushed back by a few meters.

    However, Shi Lang was not the same as them. His hair was disheveled, and the sword sh did not manage topletely negate the lightning streak and some of it still managed to hit him and left him with a gory wound.

    He quickly mobilized his spiritual energy and the wound began to close slowly. Shi Lang took deep breaths and said in a loud voice, "Come at me."

    His hair turned longer and his body began to emit a stronger murderous aura. The lightning was offended by this mortal challenging it so bluntly. Shi Lang did not have to repeat himself when the lightning streak turned into a dragon and charged at him.

    Shi Lang looked at the dragon and then he channeled his energy inside the sword and let the sh out. The attack was like a red streak and Shi Lang said, "Shura Sword, first sh."

    The attack shed with the dragon and after a few seconds it vanished, and then the dragon continued moving forward. Shi Lang also did not stop attacking either, his shes kepting without a break.

    After ten shes the lightning dragon faded a bit. By that time the dragon had reached Shi Lang and the young man was hit hard.

    Shi Lang lost his footing and then he was flung away for a big distance. The young man was injured, he was riddled with cut wounds, and although they were healing fast, it was still there. Amelia saw all this and clenched her fist. She was worried about him and then she looked at the sky. The tribtion was still broiling.

    Shi Lang moved slightly as his wounds healed over slowly. He sat up from the ground and looked at his sword and said, "Today, we give you a name. Come let us y this beast."

    The thunder rumbled and then the lightning toward him. This time the lightning had morphed into a dragon with five ws. Shi Lang raised his head to the sky and jumped up as he said in a low voice, "shing Heaven."

    The next moment, he vanished from his spot and appeared behind the dragon.

    Mitsu was shocked, and taking a step forward she said, "His heart stopped."

 Chapter 387 Nirvana.

    Shi Lang fell from the sky as the lightning dragon behind him vanished. It seemed as if the tribtion hase to an end with a grand failure. Mitsu looked at Amelia''s face, but when she saw her calm gaze locked on Shi Lang''s face.

    Archie Arkham shivered and asked, "Amelia, his heart stopped. What should we do?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Nothing can be done, and nothing has to be done. He did not fail."

    It may sound as if she was out of her mind or in a state of shock with the incident in front of her. Mitsu said, "How is this possible? He was clearly dead a moment ago."

    Shi Lang''s had started beating at a pace that waspletely unable to register. Mitsu wanted to move forward and check Shi Lang''s condition but the spiritual pressure emitting from his body had bound the people in one ce.

    ...

    After the sh collided with the lightning dragon, Shi Lang fell to the ground. The impact left a shallow pit on the ground. As the spiritual pressure increased, his body was reviving. Mitsu observed the situation and said, "Why does it look like his realm has climbed even further than the bounds of Peak Primal soul realm?"

    Amelia smiled and said, "That is why I said that we do not need to do anything. The spirit energy inside his body would heal him. What we all need to do is to wait."

    Shi Lang''s body was healing faster and faster. The dark clouds in the sky dispersed and a ray of light fell from the sky and covered his body. This light was the blessing of the heavens, for the cultivator passed the tribtion and this light was something that aided the cultivator in recovering from the after-effects of the tribtion.

    Amelia smiled when she saw the young man standing up. The impact of the lightning dragon had burnt his body and now he was shedding the burnt skin. His hair fell down revealing a clean scalp. However, instantly new hair appeared on his head, but they were crimson in color.

    Shi Lang looked at his physical state and then he took out a pair of clothes from the space ring and walked over to meet Amelia. His aura was nothing like it was before, at this moment, he seemed to be an exalted immortal that has descended from the heavens.

    Amelia walked over in front of him and then said with a smile, "Wee back."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "It is good to be back."

    ? Amelia walked closer and then embraced the young man in her arms. She missed him and so did the young man. He said, "It has been a hundred years since I saw you."

    Amelia thought he was teasing her, and said, "You changed your hair, I do not like them red."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Very well, I shall change them. See."

    Amelia raised her head and found his red hair turning back to ck. With this done, the couple walked over to greet the twodies. Commander Silence asked, "Lang are you okay?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, Commander, thank you for asking."

    The four people exchanged a few words and then Amelia decided to go back to the school to pick up Shi Tao. Commander Silence began talking to the young man about what just happened and asked, what was his level of cultivation now. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Would you believe if I said that I can p an entire city with just one p?"

    Commander Silence asked in a low voice, "I would like to ask you if that p would be your best attack."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "If I decided to go all out, I might end up destroying an entire state, and none of the citizens might survive. I know the reason why you are asking this. I am not the threat that you need to be wary of. In this gxy, there are many people who can destroy the federation on a whim, and I intend to get into an alliance with those people."

    Commander Silence opened her eyes wide and said, "You are joking, right? It is not safe for us to engage in alliances and connections with those people just yet. Our average strength is not enough to put up a defense in case of an attack. What was going on in that mind of yours when you came to this decision?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I do not want to enter into the deeper details as you might not understand them, but you can only be stronger when youe in contact with stronger people. The way of martial arts and spiritual cultivation is not without restrains. There are ways to control the people from running rampant."

    Commander Silence did not agree with his methods, she asked in a solemn voice, "Tell me, what are these methods that you are so sure of? I am the chairperson of the General Council, and I cannot let you call the shots on just nk words."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You are correct to be this cautious, but if you do not take any risks, you will never get the rewards that can make you stronger. The method I speak of is called the Oath of Dao. Once the conditions mentioned in this oath are vited, you will get to face something like what I just faced, a heavenly lightning punishment, though, it will not give you any chance to survive.

    I intend to have the leaders of both parties enter an oath. This oath will keep things in line and stop both sides from exploiting each other. Another interesting thing that you should know is the connection between both parties."

    Commander Silence raised her brows and asked, "What connection can we possibly have with people living at the other end of the gxy?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This that you call the federation today, was called the Heavenly Dao Continent when thend mass was not in parts. At that time spiritual cultivation was not unusual to the masses. You should have seen the changes in the world due to exposure to spiritual energy.

    During those days, these changes were even more prominent and obvious. Humans used to reside with beasts, that were able topete with them in terms of strength and knowledge. The people I intend to ally with are the beasts, that were transported to a different by an expert in those days. They are the extension of the ancient civilization of the Federation. The only difference is that they still remember their roots and they did not exploit the spirit energy blindly."

    Commander Silence was shocked when she heard these things. She could not wrap her mind around these facts. Shi Lang said, "You must have met Crystal, she is the princess of the reigning n among those people. I guess that fact is enough to tell you what I can do."

    Commander Silence was still somewhat unsure and said, "I am still unable to let you go through with this."

    Shi Lang did not faze and said, "Two facts that you need to know, every world with spirit energy has its ownws, so their strong people will never be able toe here and rage against us. Second thing, I was not asking."

    He imitated such a strong pressure from his body that Commander Silence paled all of a sudden. She did not expect it to be this horrifying. Mitsu said, "Boss, I guess she understands what is going on."

    Shi Lang sighed and retracted his pressure and said, "I do not intend to strongarm you. I have served under you, and I do not think you hesitate from taking risks. The fate of the Federation rests on the shoulder of the strong, heaven forbids if your doubtse true, I will personally take action. You have my word."

    ...

    They called for an emergency meeting of the General Council, and Shi Lang participated in it. He did not waste any time and came forward with his proposal. This shocked the people and they could not even react for a bit, but Shi Lang then said, "Take your time, if you have an answer by tomorrow night, I will be appreciative. I know you might want to brood over it as this decision can decide the fate of the entire civilization, however, too much thinking makes us hesitate a lot too."

    The general council understood his logic, and they agreed to give him an answer by the nightter. Commander Silence did not hide anything and told them the horror that Shi Lang had be. The impact of this news was something too much for them toprehend. Even if they were at the top of the federation, they could not take out an entire state with one blow.

    While the meeting continued, Shi Lang made his way to the federal star academy.

 Chapter 388 Resolve.

    Shi Lang did not care about what the oue of the meeting will be, he wanted to get stronger, and for this, even if he stood in opposition to the world that was filled with cowards, he will do it without hesitations.

    He wished to reach the peak with the people he loved. What the citizens saw here was nothingpared to the world of spirit, the realm of immortals where he could spend an eternity with his loved ones. The modern terrans seemed to be too ignorant of moral things like a loving family and other human emotions.

    It was like they had been moving forward with the sole goal of serving the federal military. He was not like them, the only reason he had been loyal was that he needed resources and the military was the only ce to get them. He was loyal because he did not want to entangle in the bonds of karma.

    If the general council did not agree to his suggestion, then he will take his family to the world of the spirit beasts. He will make sure that he does everything and anything to keep his family beside him to reach the realm of immortals.

    While he was thinking of this, he came to the Federal Star Academy. The guards recognized him and they granted him ess. He was passing by the administration block when he saw Principal Edwards walking over from the side. The young man stopped and raised his hand to salute him when the Former General said, "Take it easy, we are no longer in the Military."

    Shi Lang was surprised and looked at the old man, he asked, "What do you mean?"

    Edwards smiled and said, "You have just caused a huge sensation around the entire federation and you are asking me what I mean? Did you not see the new manifest issued by the general council?"

    Shi Lang shook his head, and Principal Edwards said, "The General Council has decided to follow a proposal bought forward by the esteemed former Chief Commanding Officer, General Shi Lang, to enter into a diplomatic rtionship with the Heavenly Fox n. This n will be helping the federation in the supply of cultivation resources and rekindling the spirit of the, in return for helping them with advanced support in the alternative fields such as Array formation, and rune formation."

    Shi Lang was surprised and he operated hismunicator to check the news, turns out, it is just like Edwards had said, but this news was limited to the military personnel and the reserves.

    This news also took off the burden on his shoulders, the thought of betraying everything he worked for. With a sigh, he said, "I guess I have more things to deal with now."

    Edwards nodded and said, "How sure are you that this will work?"

    Shi Lang looked at the old man and then he said, "Fifty-fifty."

    Edwards nodded and walking forward he said, "Better than the battle of Krul. We went out on five percent."

    Shi Lang nodded to the leaving old man, the conversation was a synonym of ''Believe in yourself, and go ahead to face no matter what lies ahead''. The young man moved through the campus and came to the building where his ss was.

    On the way, a few students spotted him and he greeted them with a smile. The moment he reached his ss, he was surprised by a loud banging sounding from inside the room. He pressed his hand against the scanner and the door slid open. He looked inside and found Theseus stuck to the wall.

    On the other side stood Chou, he said, "Theseus, you weakling, what was that sloppy punch, didn''t teacher Amelia tell you to rely more on your instincts and stop using your brain when fighting? Even if you have the best control in the ss, you are yet to win a spar. This is not done, man."

    Theseus replied, "Yeah, I have tried to follow the advice as she told me but the habit just kicks in when the match arrives at a critical movement."

    Chou shook his head and wanted to rebuke the guy when a calm voice sounded, "This state that you are in is called a fake-win syndrome."

    The two boys were surprised and they stood up attention when they saw Shi Langing inside the room. Chou said, "Greetings, Teacher Shi."

    His voice attracted the attention of the entire ssroom. The entire room was shocked they did not expect Shi Lang to appear there. Shi Lang smiled and waved at them. He looked at the students and nodded as he went on saying, "When a habit that you have cultivated for a long time stands in the path of your victory over and over again, that situation is called a fake-win syndrome.

    Your mind ys tricks and overwhelms you by suggesting that habits are more reliable than your instincts. It gives you an illusion of victory. This situation is something that you will have to ovee by yourself. No matter what others say, you will have to figure out how you will make your way around the processor of your body and switch to auto-pilot.

    Strategy is necessary, and so is the movement to support that strategy, but only when you can rely on your instincts in crucial situations can you escape sneaky moves, or take advantage in a head-on confrontation."

    The students nodded and then Amelia walked over with a smile and said, "I see, my job has been snatched."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang smiled at her and they both held hands. The girls giggled and started gushing over the sight while the boys had awkward expressions on their faces. At this moment, a sweet voice sounded, "My dear brothers, you all need to be as bold as my dad and chase after the woman you like, or you are destined to take part in her wedding and watch her walk away."

    The girls chuckled and the voice said, "What are youughing at? Do not tell me that you all are waiting for dumb muscles to act smart, give them hints or they will be taken away by vixens."

    Shi Lang was shocked to hear all this, and locating the source of this sound he found a little girl standing not far away from him. He looked at Amelia and thedy said, "She spends her weekend with mom and aunt Luna."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "They have spoiled my treasure."

    Then he walked over to Shi Tao and poked the tip of her nose, the girl also reciprocated the gesture and asked, "Did you find enough time toe and see me?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I was not awake for a few days, I came to see you as soon as I finished dealing with some bad people."

    Shi Tao narrowed her gaze and asked, "For real?"

    The young general nodded and Shi Tao asked, "How long are you going to stay here?"

    The man thought and said, "I will stay here for a month,ter I have a group of people to put in their ce. So, will have to leave."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Mom, I would like to apply for a special training course and follow my father, he will be working even on his vacation. I want to stay with him."

    Amelia nodded and said, "You are a special student so, this can be allowed but no cking, if the promotion rate does not keep up with the rest, you will be facing triple the training amount."

    Shi Tao nodded, and then she hugged Shi Lang. The ss looked at the three of them and then Amelia said, "What made you all stop,e on, keep it up. Vanessa, you will pair up with Theseus this time, your minds work the same so maybe he will learn something about instincts, Lina¡­"

    While Amelia was busy teaching the children, Shi Lang bought Shi Tao to the side, and the little girl said, "Dad, can we for ice cream, Mom does not let me have any."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Fine, but do not tell her, she will scold me."

    Shi Tao nodded and then she began asking him a few questions about her cultivation and the young man replied with patience. The day came to an end, and after the students said goodbye to them, the family of three left the school.

    Shi Tao was carried by Shi Lang, he made sure to press the spirit points on her back to make her fall asleep deeply. He could tell she had been working hard and her body was exhausted.

    Amelia asked, "So, are you really going to establish a connection?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have to. The lifespan we have willst us for a few hundred years or a thousand at max, it might not be enough for us to reach the peak at this pace before we exhaust it all.

    Nirvana is just the middle rank of the cultivation realm, theter stages might consume hundred years for just cultivation. I am not exaggerating but this is the truth."

    Amelia nodded and said, "You can do what you want, I will support you, but be careful not to get hurt."

    The man nodded as the family walked home.

 Chapter 389 Approval.

    Shi Lang bought the two back home, and spend the night with his parents. Charlotte Knight epted Shi Tao a little after he left, so she was also invited over. After the dinner, thedy decided to talk to Shi Lang about this memo passed down by the general council.

    She was still curious about the details of the proposal that could shake the federal government and the military to this extent. Shi Lang could sense her restlessness, and invited her to the garden outside the house. He did not want his parents to hear all this.

    The two people stood next to each other as they watched the sky filled with stars, and Charlotte asked, "Can you tell me why you wish to do it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "To achieve the dream of every cultivator."

    Charlotte asked, "What do you mean?"

    The young man cast her a nce and asked, "What do you cultivate for?"

    Charlotte was taken aback, and said in a low voice, "To be stronger?"

    "What is the purpose of strength?", asked Shi Lang.

    This time thedy was left speechless. Shi Lang did not make fun of her more, and said, "You might be thinking why am I asking you all these superficial questions, however, let me tell you something, when you reach the peak of the world, these superficial things be the reality.

    If you do not know what is the purpose of your strength, then what is the use of chasing after it?"

    Charlotte asked back with a faint smile, "What is the purpose of your strength?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "I wish to be strong to protect my family, and my friends, take them around to wander the realms without fear. I wish to see the wonders of the world."

    Charlotte was surprised and said, "Do you really mean it when you say that there is a realm other than this?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, there is a realm, during my speech that day, I did not use the real name for it, but this realm is called the Immortal Realm. It is said to be filled with wonders beyond imagination. The peak experts in our eyes are nothing worth mentioning there. I wonder about the day when I can take my people along with me."

    Charlotte looked at the young man, as he was speaking, his eyes were brimming with a longing that she has never seen before. It was as if this realm of immortals was his only pursuit at this moment. How was she to know, that Shi Lang had been pursuing and running after this realm for two lifetimes?

    If he was selfish, then he might have entered the realm of immortals eons ago at the cost of the entire. Charlotte sighed and said, "You better not screw this up, young man."

    Shi Lang nodded and saw her off. He did not return inside the house until Amelia came and hugged him from behind.

    ¡­

    Amelia was snuggling in his armster at night, and the young man was staring at the ceiling. The youngdy looked up at his face and asked, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang looked at her faintly blushing face, coiled his arms around her, and said, "I was just wondering, when did you be so bold to take the initiative."

    The next moment, he sensed some paining from his neck, his wife had bitten him in embarrassment. Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will get a mark."

    Amelia snorted and said, "You deserve it."

    Shi Lang said, "Are you sure that you want the ace division to see it?"

    Amelia looked at him with her eyes wide open, and before she could say anything, the man kissed her lips ever so gently. The kiss deepened and the fire of passion raged inside the room, sometimes gentle and sometimes hard. Both the people found the warmth they had been longing for in the past few days.

    The distance between them always made their rtionship stronger. The night passed and the two woke up with radiant faces. Shi Lang had finished taking shower and was putting up his shirt as he said, "Amy, I will be heading to meet with Crystal and then take them to the vacant side of the war. That is where I n to set up the greater teleportation array."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Fine, I understand, but be mindful that you do not ignore Tao in your work. She has been missing you a lot."

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile and said, "Do not worry, I know what to do."<novelnext></novelnext>

    After dressing up he left the room, and made his way to the dining room, his mother was cooking breakfast in the kitchen while his father was reading some news on the holp. Shi John said, "Lang, do you think I should invest in these alternativepanies?"

    Shi Lang asked, "Whichpany do you mean?"

    He was confused, and Shi John said, "Oh, I am talking about these alternatives or supporting cultivatorpanies. The arrays and the runes people. They are rising stably."

    Shi Lang understood and said, "There will be a big change in the next forty-eight hours, so ce a small amount do not try to make it big, we will be screwed over by those market investigators for insider trading."

    Shi John was surprised but then he nodded. The two were talking when Shi Tao walked out of her room wearing a ck shirt and blue jeans. Thebination was matching Shi Lang''s attire.

    The young man smiled at her and then beckoned her to his side. The girl hopped over with a sweet smile and Shi Lang said while helping her tie a ponytail, "We will go to war, okay, you will see the real military facility, so be very disciplined, and follow by my side. Okay?"

    Shi Tao nodded, and Shi John was surprised, he wanted to stop the young man when Shi Lang replied, "You two have spoiled her a bit too much. Also, this is an educational trip. I was not asking for permission."

    The voice echoed in the minds of the two old people. Soon, Luna came over with three tes of egg omelet and toast. Amelia came down and helped Luna with the chores before she left for school.

    ¡­

    Crystal was leaning against the headrest of her bed when themunicator tied around Jill''s wrist went off. Jill woke up and took a quick look at themunicator, she sat up in a snap action and said, "Yes, Boss."

    Shi Lang gave her a few instructions and thedy nodded in affirmation. After a few seconds, she jumped off the bed and rushed to the washroom while yelling at themunicator, "Boss will be here in five minutes, get your asses washed and soaked. He is bringing Tao with him."

    Crystal did not understand what was going on here, but she could certainly say that it was a big event. Jill came out of the washroom after a quick shower and said, "You must not do anything that rubs boss in a bad way. It will not end up good."

    The princess of the heavenly fox n nodded and then she went to take a shower. When she came out, the room was empty and Jill was gone. She found a note that told her to go down to the lobby to regroup.

    The princess was confused but she did not say anything and followed the instructions. Soon, she arrived in the lobby and found the ace division lined up in front of Shi Lang, who was holding hands with a little girl.

    Crystal was shocked and Shi Lang said, "Everyone, this is my daughter, Shi Tao." Shi Tao stepped forward and bowed her head as she said, "Greetings."

    Everyone in the ace division returned the bow stiffly and said, "Greetings."

    The little girl was confused by this behavior. Shi Lang looked at them and said, "What the heck is going on here?"

    Jill shook her head and said, "Boss, we are just trying to get the young boss to like us."

    Shi Lang ced his palm on his face and Shi Tao pointed at her nose and then asked, "I am the young boss?"

    The people of the ace division all nodded there heads like some wooden mannequins. Shi Lang looked at Crystal and said, "You okay?"

    Crystal nodded her head gently and said, "I apologize for hiding my identity from you, I hope you do not hold it against my people."

    She was still scared of facing him after he showed his astounding prowess. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I will not hold it against you if you and your people were just probing me and my group. However, if you had any ill intentions, I would like you toe clear, or I will not mind ying the entire beast lineage for the sake of my people and their welfare."

    Crystal could catch the slight cold in his voice and said, "You can rest assured, Boss. We will not betray you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then, let''s go. We are heading to the war."

 Chapter 390 Tao-Ism.

    Shi Lang took the whole team to the spaceport, with Shi Tao, and the pair of father and daughter rode the lev-bike at a high speed. The little girl was giggling and filled with excitement. Jill and the rest witnessed the scene with a smile of peace on their faces.

    Crystal asked her, "Big sis, why are you trying to impress that child so hard?"

    Jill replied, "Because you might not have noticed, but Boss is in his most gentle mood when he is around that girl. Now, do you understand?"

    Crystal was surprised and came to a realization that the ace division was trying to make the child like them so that Shi Lang will go easy on them. She replied, "I have been enlightened. Thank you for your guidance."

    Jill chuckled as they reached the space-port. Then they used special clearance to board a spaceship and took off. The general council had never restricted Shi Lang''s privileges. The ship moved fast and Shi Tao watched the scene change from a viewing hole, the only window-like space in the ship and eximed.

    Shi Lang then held her in his arms and said, "Now, we sit tight and take a deep breath."

    Shi Tao calmed down and took a deep breath, the next moment, Shi Lang knocked her out and then said, "Initiate space jump."

    Sonic replied positively and then he initiated the space jump. The distance between the twos was drastically reduced and the ship appeared hovering over the war. Shi Lang gently channeled the spirit energy and Shi Tao woke up. She looked around in a daze, and then asked, "Dad, why did you knock me out?"

    Shi Lang replied, "So that you do not suffer from the symptoms of the space jump. We are here."

    The girl was surprised and hopped off his arms to look at the situation from the viewing hole. The spaceshipnded on a spaceport on the war, and the area in charge rushed over to greet Shi Lang.

    The ce they selected was the most neglected part of the entire, and there was a valley nearby that was surrounded by tall mountains and could be used as the cover for the teleportation array.

    Shi Lang did not waste time and said, "I need you to have a parameter put around the valley over the dump sector and have all the waste umted removed from that ce. I need that valley cleared in two days'' time. You can tell your higher-ups that it is mymand."

    The person was surprised but he nodded and then rushed off to inform the higher-ups and then get the clearance to start the work. Ace Division was given a reserved barrack to live in. This ce was off-limits for the regr fleet soldiers.

    Shi Tao hopped as she walked around Shi Lang. She was very fascinated by this ce, and when she looked at the passing soldiers saluting Shi Lang and the rest, she simmered down slightly. The young general asked, "Tao, what happened?"

    Shi Tao caught up to him and held the corner of his sleeve as she asked, "They all are so scary."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Why do you think they are scary?"

    The girl replied, "They do not smile, they all act like robots around you, look at the people following us, they also acted like machines. Why is that? Big brother Theseus is also the ss monitor, but people cane and present their ideas to him without any fear. Why are you so strict with the people?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am not strict with them if they keep trying to improve themselves but you know they do not try hard enough. Do you know thisdy behind me, Captain Jill?"

    Shi Tao nodded and Shi Lang continued, "She has the potential to step into the next realm whenever she wants to, but she has so much fear in her heart that it hampers her cultivation. Tell me, will Theseus ept anyone in the ssgging behind for silly reasons?"

    Shi Tao shook her head and Shi Lang said, "Everyone in the military is a potential hero, however, over time, they have all grown to fear death in the path of power, so either you hold your dear life and act like the king among the weak. I do not like such people and thus I am strict with them. The day I stop being strict will be the day when I stop caring for them."

    Shi Tao nodded and cast a gaze behind her and found Jill looking down at the ground as she walked. Shi Lang did not lower his voice at all. He was simply too cold for the people to handle.

    Shi Tao wanted to say something nice to Jill but Shi Lang held her hand and shook his head. The girl followed him inside the barrack. This was amon barrack, with no separate rooms for anyone, just separate shower rooms.

    ¡­

    In the evening, the team had dinner in the food court, when Shi Tao spotted a basketball court outside. She asked while pointing at the court, "Dad, will you y a game with Tao? I have learned from Sister Lina and others."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "After we eat the meal and only when you finish that green in your te. I will y as long as you ask me to."

    Shi Tao nodded and then she began to eat her vegetables forcefully. When she was done, she rushed to the sink, trying to clean her dishes, but she was not yet tall enough. A soldier behind her saw this and said, "Young Miss, would you like me to help you?"

    Shi Tao turned around and said, "Umm, big brother, my dad said, in military camps, we all must do our own work. I cannot have you clean the dishes, but can you lift me up a little, I know how to wash them."

    The soldier was surprised but just when he was about to lift her up when Sparrow appeared beside him. A cold re from her made the big man step to the side, and she lifted up Shi Tao.

    The girl smiled and said, "Thank you sister sparrow."

    Sparrow smiled sweetly and said, "You are very wee, my dear."

    Shi Tao washed the dish and asked, "I will y a game with dad, would you like toe? We can team up and beat him."

    Sparrow was excited but then she shook her head and said, "If I yed then your father will make me runps for losing. Cut me some ck, young boss."

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "You all fear him, wait I will defeat him in the match and then ask him top."

    Sparrow chuckled and put her down when the girl was done. Sparrow said, "Brothers if you do not want to suffer from the wrath of the Shura, do not touch his princess. I swear, he will be merciless and unreasonable."

    The soldiers nodded and thanked her.

    ¡­

    Shi Tao and Shi Lang stood on the basketball court with the ace division surrounding them from the side. Tao dribbled the basketball skillfully when Shi Lang said, "Hmm, let''s make things interesting. Tao, how about I give you some boost?"

    Shi Tao asked, "What do you mean dad?"

    Shi Lang gestured for her to wait as he moved around the court and engraved the court with a few markings. He took out some low-grade spirit stones and embedded them in the ground.

    He said, "There are three types of spirit arrays here. If you step on them, they will allow you to elerate your speed, jump higher, and even block the opponent. I will y with the average strength simr to a teacher in the normal sses in the school, which is the spirit-gathering realm.

    I will not use these arrays, and it is only for you. How about it?"

    Shi Tao nodded and asked, "What is the catch here? Brother Theseus has taught me there is no free lunch in the world."

    Shi Lang chuckled, "If you lose, you will be training with me again. If I lose I will follow yourmand."

    Shi Tao tilted her little head and said, "If you lost, then I want you to put on the spirit-blocking cuffs and runps around the training ground. How is that?"

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he nodded with a smile. Shi Tao giggled and asked, "Have someone neutral, y referee."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked around for a random soldier to y the role of the referee. The referee stood in the center of the court and then he released the ball into the void. Shi Tao moved forward and stepped onto the jumping array in the center, and took the lead.

    Shi Lang missed the ball by an inch and the little girl moved around like a rabbit running from a tiger. Sparrow could not help but cheer, "Go, Tao."

 Chapter 391 Array.

    Shi Tao was running ahead with the ball in her hand and she would only bump it against the ground once every three steps. This was the most efficient way of dribbling without breaking the rules. She was very careful to maintain this method.

    Shi Lang was also chasing after her, but what surprised him was how this little one was dodging his advances. Shi Tao was used to being chased by the rest of the people. This was a way of training devised by Amelia for her.

    The students in the ss all yed this game to learn and create a footwork of their own. No student had the same mindset while chasing after someone or avoiding advances. The goal was tost longer.

    In the game of hunt, as Amelia called it, one person was the prey while the other four were the hunters. So, when Shi Lang chased after Shi Tao alone and that too with a cultivation base that did not give her too much of a disparity.

    Shi Tao was at the peak of the body refinement realm already and Shi Lang was chasing after her with the gap of one realm. The difference between the early stage of the next realm and the peak of the previous one did not matter much if the practitioner of thetter realm had the potential to jump realms.

    Shi Tao had the potential to get through the differences between the realms. Shi Lang was just about to catch up to her when the girlnded on the array formation near the scoring zone allowed her to jump and then she dumped the ball in the basket.

    The crowd cheered and pped for Shi Tao, but Shi Lang did not stop and rushed forward to pick up the ball and said, "I get to start from here, right?"

    Shi Tao nodded and Shi Lang rushed forward while dribbling the ball in his hand. He did not hold back and passed Shi Tao with a cleverly executed sharp turn. The young man rushed ahead while dribbling the ball every three steps. Behind him Shi Tao chased, but she was unable to keep up with his strides.

    The gap he covered with three strides was greater than Shi Tao could even with the boost of the spirit arrays. Shi Lang reached the basket and performed a m dunk. However, he did not receive any cheers.

    Not that he cared but in the eyes of his soldiers, he was a demon while his daughter was an angel reincarnated. Shi Tao adopted the strategy used by her father and grabbed the ball as soon as itnded and then she ran to the opposite end of the court to put the ball through the hoop.

    Shi Lang was prepared this time and he defended very neatly, however, Shi Tao was not going to y by ordinary tactics, she turned her back to him while dribbling, and then she suddenly pushed the ball from between Shi Lang''s legs while she ran around him to catch it.

    This move was something Shi Lang did not expect and was caught off guard. The little one caught the ball and then she used the jump boost array to dunk the ball.

    The game continued in this manner, the people were surprised that Shi Lang was unable to keep up and was behind two points. During one of his counters, Shi Tao used the jump boost array and caught the ball over the hoop and then cleverly turned this chance into her own glory.

    ¡­

    After the game was finished Shi Tao won by one point. Shi Lang sighed and said, "How manyps do I have to run, Tao?"

    Shi Tao smiled and said, "Hundred. Can you do it?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Little brat, do not forget that you will have a stronger opponent the next time."

    Shi Tao stuck out her tongue and Shi Lang looked at the soldier at the side, and said, "Bring me a set of spirit-blocking shackles."

    The soldier nodded and rushed to grab a pair from the inventory. The Ace division was surprised and they did not expect Shi Lang to actually agree to this. They wanted toe forward and tell him otherwise. However, the shura red at them and said, "By the time the construction of this array reachespletion, I want all of you to be in the Primordial soul realm. I will not have scared kittens in my division."

    That said, he walked to the side and asked the soldier to tie the shackles around his wrist, and then he began to run around the training ground at a moderate pace. The words he spoke did not reach Shi Tao''s ears, because the division was aware that Shi Lang would actually dismiss them from the ace division.

    Despite being part of the Gctic Strike force, Shi Lang would never work with them again and all their strength had a deep connection with him. Thinking about this, they all mustered up the courage and decided to break through the realm of the Primordial soul in theing month. They were all stuck at the peak of the Core condensation realm for past some time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ¡­

    Shi Lang finished his hundredps and then took off the shackles. He went to the barracks and washed himself to clean the sweat. When he came back he found Shi Lang looking at him with big eyes. He asked with a smile, "What happened?"

    Shi Tao asked, "Dad, my clothes."

    Shi Lang nodded and took out the clothes from his space ring. He helped the girl dress up and thenbed her wet hair gently. He said, "Did you have fun while ying?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "A lot, though you gave me the easy way out in thest round."

    Shi Lang scooped her up in his arms and said in a gentle tone, "How can I have my already hard-working baby go through more of it? I am not a demon."

    Shi Tao giggled as he rubbed his nose against her neck. Shi Lang smiled and then tucked her in. He sang her favorite song too. The rest of the Ace division had alsoe inside and witnessed this scene with their eyes. Crystal was looking at all this very curiously.

    Shi Lang caught her gaze and asked, "What is it?"

    Crystal asked, "I do not understand how can you love someone that is not your own flesh and blood. I can sense it from the smell of blood coursing through her veins."

    Shi Lang replied nonchntly as he adjusted the posture of the little girl in hisp, ''Being someone of your own does not make a difference to me. I found her in a situation that I never wish for anyone to suffer."

    Crystal nodded and asked, "Boss, how long before the teleportation array can bepleted?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Two days to clean the ce, and the third day for terrain survey, I will say a total of ten days, and then the various description with the people of your world. So, a month in total."

    Crystal did not say much and went back to bed. Shi Lang also did not continue talking and began meditating. The night passed quickly and Shi Tao woke up with a silly expression on her face.

    Shi Lang brushed her hair to the side, and the little one hugged him. He patted her and took her to the washroom to help her brush her teeth. Usually, Shi Tao would do this on her own, but Shi Lang spoiled her to no end. The girl got dressed after a quick shower. Then the two went to the food court to get breakfast.

    Shi Tao was the angel, who won a battle against the demonst night. So, she got an extra serving of dessert. The girl showed it off in front of Shi Lang with a beaming smile. The next two days passed with Shi Lang showing his princess around the base, introducing her to other big shots.

    Crystal followed the rest of the division as they all began to cultivate with great effort. The target set in front of them was not an easy task to achieve. Since they were allowed inside the parameter around the valley, they all selected the cliff summits to cultivate.

    After two days when the debris and the trash were cleared, Shi Lang arrived at the spot with Shi Tao on his tail. He surveyed the terrain and used his spirit cultivation to level the ground evenly. He was faster than a machine and much more efficient at stomping big areas.

    He looked for Crystal and asked her to inform her people that the array setup will notmence. The other side replied with a yes, and Shi Lang started working. Shi Tao also learned a lot of things beside him as he exined everything he knew about setting up spirit arrays.

    He told her that this information must not be leaked to anyone so that she was able to understand his methods, or this may cause some strong guy to take advantage of her and harm the federation. After, seven days, Shi Lang was cing a formation core when the sky turned dark.

    He looked around and said, "Good."

 Chapter 392 Upgrade.

    Shi Lang decided to ce the array coreter and held Shi Tao''s hand. Then he appeared outside the valley. He looked at the guard who was staring at him as if he has seen a ghost and said, "Channel the message, till the ck clouds disperse, this valley is off-limits. If someone wishes to seek instant death, then feel free to explore."

    The guard nodded hastily and began to pass on the message. Shi Tao asked, "Dad, what is that?"

    Shi Lang said, "That, my dear, is a heavenly tribtion."

    Shi Tao asked, "What is that?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "When your cultivation reaches a level where your existence is something against the rules of the heavens, they send out a tribtion to test your worth. If you can pass the tribtion, then your foundation is stable and your strength increases. However, failing the tribtion means death."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Does that mean I will also have to face this tribtion?"

    Shi Lang nodded and when he saw the guards around he walked down the mountain, and said, "Yes, one day when you are strong enough, you will have to face this tribtion. Your tribtion will be stronger and harder than anyone of the people facing it right now."

    Shi Tao asked, "Why do you say so?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Remember the seals I ced on you?"

    Shi Tao nodded and the young man said, "Your special physique absorbs spiritual energy faster and you can cultivate faster too. This physique is something thates to the world by a coincidence and can defy the heavens. Thus, the harder tribtion."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Will you help me face that tribtion, dad?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I wish I could do that love, but the more I help you the harder the tribtion will be. So, I will train you to the best that I can, and then my baby will be able to rock the heavens."

    Shi Tao nodded and then asked, "So, who is going to face the tribtion now?"

    "The people from Ace division. Jill and Sonic are the strongest. While they will be the first to break through, their tribtion will be helpful to the rest as well." replied, Shi Lang.

    That said, the two came down the mountain and Crystal appeared next to Shi Lang. She asked the same question as Shi Tao and got the same answer too. The soldiers had been informed to retreat a little. They all were somewhat scared when they saw the red lightning swimming through the clouds.

    Shi Lang dropped Shi Tao at the barrack and came to the outer periphery of the tribtion. He was going to watch his team go through the tribtion. This event was going to be a rare urrence that might bring forth a chance for him toprehend something in the lightning pool.

    The shura sutra had some techniques that were based on lightning. These techniques held super destructive powers, but Shi Lang had yet to start any of them. The reason was that he had never sensed the need to use such methods.

    However, now that he was going to entangle with the people from the cultivation world, the obstacles will be harder and he might face stronger enemies within the Beast ns. The strength disyed by Cara Baley, was enough to shock him. He did not wish to be as vulnerable as he seemed in front of her.

    Thinking about this he watched as Jill faced her tribtion. The process was simple, what he wanted toprehend was the destructive ability of the lightning. Shi Lang did not have greatprehension, he was considered average, but this was something he had done in his past life. In hisst life, he did not have the Shura Sutra, but he has seen experts that used lightning elements to crush their enemies.

    In his free time, he would always look for things and sutras that could get him toprehend the art of lightning elements. This time he had the aid of the Shura sutra. He had the techniques, and he will use them.

    Shi Lang watched the lightning and found that the lightning was erratic, it did not have a set pattern. This set allowed it to be very random and very harmful to people. Thinking along this line, he closed his eyes and began to remember his feelings during the tribtions. The lightning that he had absorbed during this time, had changed his body a little and he had some affinity towards lightning.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The young man was not like the others who would try and deflect the lightning, he would absorb them and change himself bit by bit. Shi Lang was simply too odd for the cultivators of this age. In the past when the world crawled with cultivators, there would be geniuses who would absorb the heavenly lightning to improve themselves.

    As he recalled the feeling, heprehended the surface of the techniques. While he was doing this, Jill finished her tribtion, and the cliff had changed drastically by the impact of the lightning. Shi Lang was unaware of all this.

    Sonic had taken up his tribtion and after barely passing it, he yelled at the sky and went back to meditate and consolidate his foundation. Shi Lang was standing in the void, when the clouds began to disperse, however, the next moment, something happened. The thunderclouds began to gather around Shi Lang.

    The young man stood in the center of the tribtion clouds, and the sparks of lightning began to emerge in the clouds. The clouds were sentient and they were offended by this young man emitting the aura of the lightning element in their presence. So they came around him to tell him who is the boss.

    Shi Lang did not mind anything that was happening around him. The clouds began firing lightning streaks against him. However, the streaks did not fall on his body, instead, they began to move around the young man. It was as if he was a god of lightning. The lightning tingled over his skin, and his hair and his entire body were covered with streaks of lightning moving all over him like snakes.

    The young man did not open his eyes, and the people below began to discuss. The high brass at the base, had alle over to the abandoned valley, this was the first time when the surface of the was kissed by the lightning. The storms on the were more simr to that of the sand storms, and after the atmosphere was created by Terra-forming, the storms had be rare.

    This time there was no rain and no wind, yet there was lightning falling over the people. The information of heavenly tribtion was kept under wraps so as to not scare off the new cultivators. This was something that Shi Lang had opposed but he could not say anything against the majority of the general council.

    ...

    Shi Tao was sitting in the barrack when Crystal walked over and smiled at the girl. The girl returned the smile and Crystal asked, "Tao, do you want to y a game?"

    Shi Tao was getting bored when she sat alone so a game was enough to attract her attention. The girl nodded and Crystal said, "One question and one answer. If you reply truthfully, I will give you one spirit stone."

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "Wrong, I do not want spirit stone, my dad will get me those from time to time."

    Crystal smiled and asked, "What do you want then?"

    Shi Tao replied, "I want to know about you. Dad has told me that you are from a world of immortals and that your elders are all very strong."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Yes, I will answer whatever you want."

    Shi Tao then began to ask her about a variety of things, and thedy answered. Crystal was confused as to why was she speaking so much and why had the situation changed so early. However, after an hour when Shi Tao was tired and bored, she said, "It was fun, Big sister Crystal."

    Shi Tao smiled and Crystal said, "My turn to ask."

    Well, Shi Tao was a girl whose origins were not clear to her, so she wanted to ask and find out why Shi Lang loved her so much, however, her wishes were left alone, when she wanted to ask, Jill returned with Sonic beside her. They had yet to consolidate their foundation but it will take some time, so they decided toe over and take some rest.

    Jill said in a low voice, "What do you want to ask our princess?"

    Shi Tao saw them return and began to run around them while asking a variety of questions. Jill was more than happy to answer her and looked at Crystal, who was sitting at a loss. She said, "Sonic, take the child out for a stroll, I have something to discuss with the princess."

 Chapter 393 Formation Complete.

    Crystal was wary of Jill ever since thedy had turned faces with her. Jill did not like people hiding things and that too inside the division. This team was like a family to her, and in some aspects, even more than family and they all trusted each other with their lives and deaths.

    Jill stood close to Crystal and asked, "What do you think you were doing? Trying to get information out of a child while using your charm techniques. Here I thought you would not stoop any lower."

    Crystal shivered as the chill in Jill''s tone increased with every word that she said. She did not understand what actually happened just now. She was supposed to get the information, and not the other way around. How could a toddler resist her charm and even turn the tables on her? She had not yet wrapped her brain in this fact and then thisdy came.

    Jill looked at the surpriseddy in front of her and said with a sneer on her face, "You think you are the only one who knows how to charm people? Boss had given us all a charming technique beforeing here. While Shi Tao has a mirroring Talisman on her. Every soul technique that can control her consciousness, gets repelled and reversed. So, now do tell me what you want exactly."

    Crystal was surprised to see that Shi Lang has put up such a guard against her, and even a talisman was cast to prevent anything from happening. At this time, she was thinking about whether she was the fox or Shi Lang. This was something, that she had never expected.

    After listening to what Jill said, she gave up her resistance and said, "I have been around the boss, for a very small time, but when I was on earth, I researched and found that not many things were listed in the files. How am I supposed to know if this person will really help my creed in the future and not exploit them for the resources?"

    She had red eyes, and her expression was sincere. She was not using any techniques. Jill was not heartless, this girl was someone she had groomed when she came on the team and had quite some attachment. She softened her tone and asked, "What do you wish to know? I will tell you as long as it is not sensitive."

    Crystal was surprised, and then after a few minutes, she asked Jill all sorts of questions.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood amidst the thundering clouds and all the lightning was squirming over his body. His skin had turned translucent and his bones were visible. The heavenly lightning energy that he had absorbed in the past was now resonating and his body was evolving to another level.

    While this was going on in his body, Shi Lang was alsoprehending a technique in his mind. This was not a sword technique, but a fist technique. In his past life, Shi Lang was a free cultivator and he would often get into brawls. Later in his life only did he learn sword and other weapon skills.

    This lightning fist technique in his mind was very destructive and rough, Shi Lang wanted to use this for two things, one was to intimidate his opponent and the second was his desire to act quickly. The Shura sword technique did not consume much energy and was optimal too, but he wished to have a technique that he could use without showing his hole cards.

    Even if Crystal knows what he was capable of doing, she will not be able to estimate his present prowess. The change in the cultivation realm was one factor the other factor was the time he spent in the Shura realm. Shi Lang was confident that if he used the shura sword style to face an enemy like the mercenary group, then he will be able to take them down with half the effort.

    Shi Lang was slowlyprehending the lightning fist, and the lightning streaks over his body all gradually faded, and so did the clouds. When he opened his eyes, he had lost the sense of time. The young man floated down the void and came to the barracks. He found the entire team sitting inside.

    Shi Lang asked, "How many days has it been?"

    Jill stood up and said, "Just two days, Boss."

    Shi Tao skipped over and said, "Dad, why do you ask how many days it has been?"

    Shi Lang picked her in his arms and said, "I was lost inprehending the technique so I have no idea of how much time has gone by. Come, we need to set up the formation array."

    The people nodded. Shi Lang asked, "How many of you broke through, and how many have a bottleneck."

    Jill looked at everyone and said, "Sparrow, Raz, Ajax, and Mitsu have broken through, the rest are on probation."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Those with bottlenecks are going for special training, while you all will have to consolidate your foundation."

    Jill snickered and the rest shivered. Aran asked, "Boss, what is this special training?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You will have to mingle with our new allies to get to know that."

    Aran gulped and looked at Crystal with a gaze that meant please help me. Shi Lang carried Shi Tao in his arms and the rest of the people followed him to the valley. The people got inside the valley and Shi Lang took out a big spirit crystal and walked to the center of the valley, where the array was set up.

    Then he dug out a deep pit and ced the spirit stone under. A few momentster, the spirit stones resonated and then the array began to glow. The team looked around at the shining spots and Shi Lang said, "Crystal, activate it."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Crystal nodded and walked over to the center of the array and then she slit her palm, letting the blood drip down on the ground and the next thing was the spirit array lighting up. The people were surprised but Crystal said, "Boss, it is active, we just need to supply spirit energy to the array and the teleportation channel will be active."

    Jill asked, "Why did you drip your blood on the ground?"

    Crystal replied, "This is my signature for the teleportation channel."

    Shi Tao walked closer to her and looking at the ground she said, "Why does this look like a talisman rune?"

    Crystal was surprised and said, "Yes, it is a rune. How do you know?"

    Shi Tao tilted her head and said, "Tao can make ss one rune for weapon enforcement."

    Crystal was shocked and so was the rest of Ace division. Shi Lang said, "Tao, no flexing."

    Tao stuck out her tongue at Shi Lang and came back to his side, and asked, "Baba, you have to teach me ss two runes, Mom does not teach me these things."

    Shi Lang rubbed her head and said, "After this alliance is set up, I will teach you. Okay?"

    Shi Tao nodded and stood at her ce. Shi Lang said, "Those with bottlenecks,e and channel your spirit energies inside the spirit points and then channel it to the center of the array. The core will be activated and then the teleportation tunnel will form."

    The people nodded and all of them formed a circle outside the visible array points and started channeling the spirit energy through them. Soon the array reacted and after the circuit waspleted. A ck hole appeared in the void. However, the pressure from this ck hole was very minimal.

    Crystal looked at Shi Lang and said, "Boss, after me?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Jill, watch over Tao."

    Shi Tao looked at him and asked, "Baba, I will not go?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No, love, you will have to wait till the alliance is settled."

    Shi Tao pouted but then she nodded and walked over to Jill. Shi Lang smiled and walked to the entrance and asked Crystal to jump in. Just when he was about to jump in, he heard a sweet voice, "Be careful ande back soon, Baba."

    Shi Lang looked back and said, "Yes, my dear."

    That said, Shi Lang jumped inside the ck hole.

    ...

    Shi Lang sensed the world around him spin, and he looked around, by the time he could make a judgment, his body stopped moving and he stood on a stone floor. Looking around he found that there was a bustling city. He took in a deep breath and a stream of spirit energy rushed inside his nose.

    His body felt so light that he could not help but start skipping. Crystal saw this and said, "Boss, you are having fun?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Oh, you bet I am. I cannot help but want to spar with someone. The rules of this world are different from the federation home."

    Suddenly a deep voice sounded, "So, this is a Terran."

 Chapter 394 Citadel Of Beasts.

    Shi Lang turned his head to look at the source of this question and found a burly man walking over with big strides. Crystal mumbled, "Annoying tigers."

    Shi Lang caught this mumble and looking at the peopleing over, he could see that these guys were not very sophisticated. The group of people all had long hair with bulging muscles and they were all topless with their torsos covered with tattoos. Shi Lang did not answer and waited for the people toe over.

    The group of eight people stood ten meters away from him with scornful smiles on their faces. The leader of the group was about to say something when Crystal walked up and stood in front of Shi Lang, she red at the young man and said, "Seems like, Elder Sabre does not know how to keep you under control anymore, right, Jianhu?"

    The man furrowed his brows and red at the girl as he said, "The princess of the foxes, you seem to be looking for a fight."

    Crystal said, "You sure you want to fight with me?"

    Her voice was filled with provocation and her gaze was confident. Jianhu was surprised and said, "Oh, are you sure? I am a major realm ahead of you now."

    Crystal chuckled and said, "We shall see if your realm is effective or just a decoration."

    Jianhu sensed a vein pop on his forehead, and someone behind him said, "Terran, what are you smiling at?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Nothing, I am just happy to meet you guys. If my guess is not wrong then you all are the descendants of the tribes like me Tiger, and Thunder leopard, and you mister Jianhu, are a direct descendant of the Heavenly Blood-Spirit Tiger, right?"

    The group of people was surprised to see how this guy was able to guess their origins. However, the surprise did not like it much and brushed it off. Jianhu ignored Crystal and asked, "What is your business here, Terran?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do you not know what my business here is?"

    Jianhu clenched his fist, he was irritated by Crystal at first and now this guy was not answering him. Was he challenging his authority? The young heavenly blood-spirit tiger was about to attack when a deep voice sounded, "Jianhu, do you miss the ck pit?"

    The young man shivered and froze in his spot, the next moment, twelve figures appeared in the void. They were all men and women of varying ages and characteristics. Shi Lang was expecting this and stood calmly. Cara Baley appeared a secondter and said, "Honorable, councilmen, Supreme Leader, this young man is a Terran, his name is Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang bowed to the people and said, "Junior Shi Lang has seen the seniors."

    The people all gazed at him with different thoughts in mind. Suddenly, an ethereal voice sounded in Shi Lang''s ear, "Young Terran, wee to the Citadel."

    Shi Lang raised his head and found that he was standing in a hall, with twelve people sitting around him in throne-like chairs. He observed the room and found it to be filled with different styles of decoration. Given his mind, he connected the dots that all the decorations were dedicated to the twelve different people.

    Shi Lang said, "Thank you for allowing me an audience, Seniors."

    A man that looked simr like Jianlu said in a deep voice, "Cara told us that you are the strongest in your civilization?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "If you mean strongest in terms of cultivation realm? Then I might be, but there are a lot of people who outdo me in different fields."

    He disyed a modest behavior, but another man said, "If your cultivation realm is the strongest, then the realm of those below you does not amount to much. What asset do you have to convince us to get into an alliance with you?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang looked at the man and found another burly figure and said, "Senior, the reason our base of cultivation is low, is because we have never cultivated until a few years ago. However, you have been struggling with theprehension of arrays and the issues of stagnated alchemy. You need our help. Heavens is not without measure. While it blessed you all with a slightly higher strength, the humans got the boon ofprehension. This boon has evolved in a positive manner as the Terrans have evolved."

    The council was left speechless by his reasoning, what Shi Lang said was not a lie or an exaggeration. The most beautifuldy in the council spoke up, "Junior Shi Lang, my name is Moon Baley. You have my positive vote for this alliance."

    Shi Lang looked at her with a clear set of eyes and could see some resemnce with Crystal and nodded. The others looked at each other and the old elder of the Tiger n said, "I, Sabre, support this alliance."

    Following this, all the people began to show their support. Shi Lang was not too surprised by this deal, after all, the condition of the citadel was not nice. The young man bowed his head in thanks and said, "Since the seniors have all agreed to this alliance, I would like toe forward with a gift."

    This caught the attention of the people and Shi Lang waved his hand and a metal te appeared in his hand. He said, "This te contains the array diagram that can be used for defense purposes. You can share it with your forces and have them follow the spirit stone cement to the point. If you all can use some precious material to rece the spirit stones, the array will have different effects corresponding to that of the material."

    Shi Lang extended the te with both hands. However, the tes did not move much. He looked at the te and then at the faces of the people in the chair and said, "Umm, did I make a mistake?"

    Someone sighed and said, "You bunch of old people, are you happy embarrassing all of use in front of a junior? Stop grabbing the diagram. Have someone make copies of it and then give it to us."

    Shi Lang realized that all of them were pulling at the te with simr strength and thus they could not take it away, it was a contest of tug-of-war.

    He smiled and said, "Seniors, I can design twelve different arrays for you all. This way the security of your ns will not be put in breach. I know that you all live in harmony, but there are always those who seek fortune in chaos."

    The people looked at him and then after a few seconds of silence they all nodded. Shi Lang was a godsend for them. The two sides began to discuss their requirements in detail, and the young terran did not hesitate in stating his need for the heavenly oath. However, what surprised him was the suggestion of a council leader from the Mantis n, that a blood oath will be better.

    This will prevent future generations from seeking major chaos. Small conflicts andpetition were inevitable, but as long as it was not something big that endangered the civilizations and their culture, everything was fine.

    ...

    After this happened, Shi Lang found out that the head of the council was Luna Baley, Crystal''s elder sister. They assigned Crystal to show Shi Lang around the ce while they made preparations for the alliance ceremony. Shi Lang conveyed his wish to send back a message to the Federation to inform them about the terms of the alliance treaty.

    If it would have been in the past, Shi Lang would not have gotten things this documented and detailed, but with the change of times, it was necessary for everyone to be as detailed as possible to narrow down the margin of an all-out war.

    Crystal showed Shi Lang around the city. This city was called the Citadel and it was the ce where almost all the major n heads resided. They all had their respective n territories over the but the council was asked to be neutral and thus they resided here till a new member of the n was not elected to take a seat in the council.

    The ns also liked to flock together, like the tigers of different types would follow the lead of the heavenly blood spirit tiger, and the same applied to the rest of the beasts. The foxes will gather around their strongest rtives too. The title heavenly represented strength.

    Shi Lang was visiting the city and he found that while some ces had a little technical aspect while the rest of the city was left untouched. Crystal told him, that the people did not want to change their ways, and they preferred their old manners, thus the city did not have much technology involved. Many of the people in the city were those who were raised with the value of not losing their traditions and cultures.

    Shi Lang would haveughed at the beasts having a culture and a tradition if he had not seen it with his own eyes.

 Chapter 395 Arena.

    Shi Lang was touring the city with Crystal when he came to a ce that was filled with echoes and cheers, a lot of people were walking around, some in groups and some alone. He could not help but ask the girl beside him, "What is this ce?"

    Crystal said, "This is the arena, people from all generationse here topete with each other and also settle death grudges. Every city on the has one such Arena, and is controlled by the Council."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This ce can provide the outlet everyone needs to vent. I do not think that the younger generation is allowed to venture into the gxy, right?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "Yes, some of the younger generation elites were sent out, but when they came in contact with pretentious people, the situation almost ended up in a war, thankfully the council intervened."

    She sighed after she finished talking to him. Shi Lang said, "I will have arenas set up in the federation as well. This will get everyone the much-needed experience of a battlefield."

    Crystal nodded and asked, "Boss, would you like to go in and try the skills of the people?"

    Shi Lang was taken aback and then said, "Well, let''s go. I would like to watch some fighting first."

    Crystal nodded and took him inside the Arena. Thedy was well-known in the city and was taken inside the VIP area. Shi Lang did not say much but observed the surroundings and the crowd. He was not well-versed in the knowledge of the spirit beasts, but the ones he recognized, were all stronger ones.

    The arena had five zones, one was the diator lobby, where all the fighters would gather. Then came the bettingnes, the staff of the arena management would collect money staked by the people andter the winner can collect the money from this area too. Then came the ordinary observation stands. This ce was almost never missing a seat in attendance.

    Then came the VIP box observation stands, there were hundred such rooms and all of them had tinted french windows overlooking the final and the most happening area of the Arena, the ring.

    The circr ring with a hundred meters diameter was a big enough space for the warriors to fight with each other. the sides of the ring were enforced by a force nullification array, the impact inside the ring will not cause any trouble to the people.

    At this moment, in the center of a ring, stood a beautiful youngdy. She wore explosive clothing and the eyes of the entry ring were located on her. She said while waving her hands, "Friends, now is the time for the thirtieth bout of the day. Are you ready?"

    The crowd cheered, and Shi Lang who was watching the scene from the window asked, "Do the fights have any rules the people have to follow at all times?"

    Crystal nodded, "Fighters should not use sneaky means, otherwise the consequences are too heavy for them to afford."

    Shi Lang asked, "Meaning if someone uses a hidden weapon, they will be punished?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "Only death matches are the only exceptions for the people to use hidden weapons and poisons. After all, chasing after a life with fair means will only damage the two people a bit too much, death matches should settle down quickly."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked down at the ring and the woman said, "The two fighters we have for you now are both on a winning streak of five fights."

    The crowd became excited and Crystal exined, "Every five fights will allow the fighter to gain more rewards and also changes their odds in the bettingne."

    Shi Lang nodded and watched the girl announce, "The first contender is a member of the howling moon wolf n, Thunder Fang."

    The people were bonkers. Shi Lang looked at all this excitement and could not help but say, "Such excitement is the proof of the raw nature of the spirit beasts, alwayspeting whether happy or enraged."

    Crystal looked at Shi Lang from the side and did not know what to say, but she nodded with a smile on her face. She said, "My sister often says, a race of spirit beasts with high intellect will suffer if surrounded by a bunch of muscle mountains."

    Shi Lang chuckled as he watched the announcer announce the name of the other contender, "The warrior that will be facing Thunder Fang is known for her quick speed and beautiful looks. I present to you, the killer bride."

    The terran raised his brows and asked, "What a unique name she has."

    Crystal shook her head and said, "Killer Bride was actually sold by her husband on their wedding night. She suffered brutally but after a few years of moving around in the wilderness, she built herself, and then she enacted her revenge on her so-called husband in this ring.

    She beheaded him and broke through her cultivation realm. She only appears in the arena every now and then, otherwise, she would live in seclusion."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fate is a cruel master."

    Crystal nodded and the battle began, after a few minutes the door of the box was knocked and Crystal said, "Come in."

    A young girl walked inside, dressed in a butler attire, she asked, "Lady Crystal, would you like to ce a bet?"

    Shi Lang did not react, and after some thought, Crystal asked, "Boss, who would you ce your money on?"

    Shi Lang cast her a look and smiled, "You have learned how to exploit me now, Crystal. It seems Jill is a bad influence on you."

    The girl chuckled and Shi Lang said, "I will bet on the killer bride."

    Crystal gestured for the girl toe closer, and the girl took out a scanner, then Crystal swiped her hand over the scanner and said, "I will bet two hundred thousand credits on the killer bride."

    The butler girl was surprised because two hundred thousand credits was a big amount but the princess of Heavenly snow fox just staked them on a word from this young man, the butler looked at Shi Lang and Crystal asked, "Is there anything else?"

    The butler woke up and with a bow she left. Shi Lang mumbled, "The hierarchy of the beasts is very rigid."

    Crystal did notment and began watching the battle in the ring. After two minutes the end was not in sight, but everyone could see that the killer bride was being suppressed. Those who bet on her were getting anxious and the cheers for Thunder Fang were getting louder.

    Crystal did not flinch, but the butler that epted her stake was thinking how the young princess was a fool to trust the word of a stranger. However, just when the people were about to lose hope something happened.

    ...

    In the arena, Thunder Fang stood in ragged attire, his torso lingered with a few shallow cuts, as he held two scimitars in his hand. In front of him stood a delicate petite figured female, she had two big gashes bleeding profusely on both her forearms, but she still held onto the curved knife in her hand.

    The arena rules stipted incapacity to keep fighting or voluntary surrender are the two means to be defeated, however, the killer bride was still clinging to the fight, Thunder Fang saw this and said, "You should know when to stop, Killer Bride."

    Thedy had her entire face covered with a porcin mask and her attire was a tactical suit. Only her blue eyes were visible to the people, and even her hair was covered with a hood. Thedy took a deep breath, she was very much in the need to win this battle, but the odds were piled up against her.

    Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head, "Believe in yourself.."

    Her eyes widened as she stood there distracted, Thunder Fang saw this and he rushed forward with his weapons, however, just when he was about to sh at the killer bride in a pincer attack, thedy leaned forward and then she vanished from her ce. When she appeared next, she stood one meter away from Thunder Fang, and her knife was resting against his nape.

    The scimitars were yet to close in on the Killer Bride. However, this was not going to stop the battle so thedy did not hesitate, and to counter the iing scimitars, she nudged the knife against the throat of the opponent and made him freeze from fear.

    The cold tip of the knife was inside his skin, it was not deep but the blood was drawn and if thedy had exerted force, she could have killed him. Thunder Fang stopped and Killer Bride asked in a hoarse voice, "You should know when to stop."

    Thunder Fang was unsatisfied with the result but he nodded and epted defeat. Life was much more important than a win in the arena. Crystal smiled and said, "Boss, I am rich, thanks to you."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Feel free to share the profit."

    The two looked at each other andughed. Shi Lang suddenly said, "I also want to fight, what do you think?"

    Crystal was surprised and did not know how to react, to be honest, she was joking earlier.

 Chapter 396 Sensation In The Arena.

    Shi Lang surprised Crystal and thedy said, "Boss, your realm is early Nirvana. That sort of expert is not easy to find."

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, "I will not use my spirit arts, and just fight with my physique, and I can limit my output to match the realm of my opponent."

    Crystal thought about it and said, "Boss, why don''t you wait here, and I will go and talk to the people in the administration office. I will make things clear to them."

    Shi Lang nodded and just when Crystal was about to get out of the box, he said, "Contact that Killer Bride."

    Crystal was confused but then she nodded. It was not unusual for high-ranking people to take a liking to an impressive warrior. She was not a fool to not understand what was going on inside Shi Lang''s mind. This young Terran was already thinking about integrating two worlds together.

    She left the room, while Shi Lang began watching the ongoing battles with great interest. He was trying to figure out how the spirit beasts performed. The movements of these warriors were different from the Terrans. These guys were not afraid to make big moves, and wide punches were thrown regrly.

    Shi Lang did not underestimate them, after all, the wide punches were apanied by suffocating air pressure. His blood was boiling and he almost could not stop himself from rushing down there and taking on a challenge.

    More than fighting it out and getting a feel of the strength of the people, he wanted to make the spirit beasts understand, that a Terran was not weak. This way the two races will have better respect for each other, and the chances of discord will be greatly reduced.

    Shi Lang knew that the spirit beasts acknowledged those with strength. He wanted to show them his strength, and that too at their home ground. Three more fights were held, all ranging from ten to fifteen minutes, filled with intensepetition.

    Just when Shi Lang was about to contact Crystal, the door was opened and the princess walked inside. Thedy said, "Boss, I have registered you, but they will ask you to wear a spirit limiter. This will assure that the strength is contained within the range of your opponent."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Finally,e let us go to the gathering area."

    Thedy shook her head when she saw his excitement and after a few minutes, the two arrived at the gathering area. There were a lot of people gathered there, and Shi Lang was very curious about them.

    Just when Shi Lang was about to ask about the Killer Bride, a staff member came over to them and then handed Crystal a thick bracelet. The princess nodded to the staff member and said, "Boss, this bracelet will limit your spirit energy cirction. The limit can be changed ording to the situation."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "How is this thing controlled?"

    He asked because he was looking at the bracer but there were no buttons and controls visible on the surface of the bracer. Crystal said, "This bracer is controlled by the administration office, I will make sure that things proceed fairly."

    Shi Lang gave her a smile and said, "They can try ying foul with me."

    Crystal shivered from the cold murderous vibe from his smile. She did not expect him to be so murderous even when he was inside the domain of the beasts, that too with the council present in the city.

    Shi Lang tied the bracelet on his wrist and waited for his duel to be fixed. It did not take long for the staff to arrive. A butler arrived and said, "Your Highness, the duel has been arranged. An announcement will be made shortly, ording to the details you provided."

    Crystal nodded and then Shi Lang was taken to the entrance of the ring. The announcer was informed through remotemunication and when she was given the details, her eyes opened wide and then she said into the mic, "We all have heard the history, of how humans and spirit beasts live on the same,peting for supremacy. What if I told you that those humans in the legends exist."

    The crowd was confused when the announcer mentioned legends and humans. An old spectator said, "Yo! Xiao Ling, what is this with the humans and the legends."

    Announcer Xiao Ling chuckled and said, "Today, first time in history, a Terran, the sessor of those humans, has stepped on the grounds of the Citadel."

    This shocked the people, and soon they began talking to each other, and Xiao Ling said, "This Terran wants to test his hands against the young talents of the Citadel. What do you think? Shall we do it?"

    The people were suddenly hyped up, they did not expect such a thing. They all began to cheer, when Xiao Ling said, "Please wee, the first Terran to fight in an Arena. Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang walked in from the entrance of the arena. He was dressed in his ck and red tactical suit. His strides were calm and his gaze was sharp. He walked closer to the announcer and nodded to her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Xiao Ling asked, "Contender Shi Lang, I must say that it is a very weird nickname you have."

    Shi Lang could not help but chuckle and said, "This is my real name, I prefer to act low-key so I did not give in to my nickname."

    Xiao Ling was surprised and asked, "Pardon the intrusion, but I would like to ask, what is your nickname?"

    Shi Lang said, "My nickname is Ace."

    The crowd was stunned and then they all erupted into boos. Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder at the announcer and said, "See, I told you it was not a good idea."

    The announcer was taken aback, she did not see any vexation on his face. She thought, ''Either he is veryposed, or his acting skills are very high.''

    She nodded and then said, "Now, let me call over the opponent, who will give you a glimpse of the strength of the Spirit Beasts."

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile and then watched Xiao Ling say, "The opponent who will face the guest from afar, is Valkyrie."

    Shi Lang looked confused while the crowd cheered hardest. Xiao Ling said, "You might not know what is going on here, but allow me to tell you that Valkyrie is the champion of the arena.

    She fights under the banner of the administration. She is known for her skills with war axes. Her cultivation realm is the peak of core condensation. What about you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I am at early nirvana realm, but the administration has given me a realm limiter, if that is what this bracelet is. As for weapons, I can use all the basic weapons."

    The people became curious and so was Xiao Ling. She did not expect this young man to be this strong. However, if he was going to use the limiter then she did not have to worry.

    Shi Lang looked at the other side, and found ady dressed in a silver armor walking in the ring. She carried a war ax in her hand while another one was tied behind his back. She had silver hair and blue eyes.

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "To think I will get to meet a descendant of the heaven striding Stallion right off the bat."

    Xiao Ling was surprised andmented, "To think you are so well versed about the beast species."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You are exaggerating. The heavenly species all have a strong aura around their bodies."

    Xiao Ling nodded and then she said, "I will now go to the viewing station the ring is left to you. I assume that you both are already familiar with the rules."

    Shing and Valkyrie nodded and then Xiao Ling vanished from her spot. The two people stood facing each other, and Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Greetings."

    Valkyrie did not reciprocate his greeting but flicked her ax. The Young Terran had no scurples and smiled. At this moment, Xiao Ling said, "Begin."

    Thedy charged at Shi Lang with her ax, the young man on the other hand was standing calmly. Just when thedy was five meters away from him, Shi Lang took a half a step forward and then leaned his body to the side, cleanly avoiding the shing at him.

    Then the back of his right hand smacked the battle ax to the side and in a continuous motion, his right palm made a quick contact with her throat. The breathing was disrupted and without giving any chances to regain control. Shi Lang''s leg hit her right in the abdomen like a whip.

    The impact sent Valkyrie flying in a distance, and she bumped three times on the ground before she stopped. The entire ring was silent at this moment.

 Chapter 397 Interesting Moves.

    Shi Lang stood in the middle of the ring, surrounded by silence. None of the spectators expected this. The young Terran in front of them just dealt with the champion of the Core condensation realm in just three moves. Thinking about the scene from before, they all erupted in cheers.

    Xiao Ling also woke up and said excitedly, "Lo and Behold, Valkyrie, the champion with a seven-win streak was dealt with three moves. This terran really gave us all an eye-opener today."

    The crowd was exhrated, this was the first time they have seen an ounder deal with a champion and the excitement was not because they have seen this guy win, but because his performance made their blood boil.

    When they were headed to the VIP box earlier, Crystal had mentioned that a truly skilled warrior in the spirit beast lineage might not appear in front of him. She was well aware of the caliber Shi Lang had and she was also aware of the people in the arena. There was no match that could make Shi Lang even break a sweat until someone truly nurtured by the twelve heavenly ns made a move.

    Valkyrie was a low-level warrior of the Heaven-striding stallion n, yet she was dealt in three moves. Crystal was watching the match unfold from the observation box reserved for the administrators and shook her head.

    A young man sat on the chair behind her and asked, "It seems that this Terran has some skill."

    Crystal sighed and said, "Tex, do not underestimate him. You will suffer."

    Tex was surprised and then with a chuckle he asked, "So, even after knowing my skills, you are warning me?"

    Crystal turned around to look at a young man with lean muscles, and a sharp face. This young man had sharp hawk-like eyes and short hair. His aura was very sharp, even when he was smiling he looked cold. The princess said, "It seems to me that the young master of the Heaven-soaring hawk n has not gone out for the past few years. You do not seem to understand that there is a mountain above a mountain and a sky above the sky."

    Tex smirked and said, "What is it about this guy that makes you preach to me?"

    Crystal smiled alluringly and asked, "How long will it take you to break through my charm spell?"

    Tex shivered all of a sudden and his hand grasped the hilt of a long sword beside him and asked, "What are you thinking?"

    Crystal chuckled and asked, "Answer the question, I have no intention of ying with you."

    Tex thought about it and said, "Probably an hour. Why do you ask?"

    Crystal pointed at Shi Lang in the ring and said, "That Terran broke through my charm in a blink, even a second was not wasted. Do you understand why I am warning you?"

    Tex was so shocked that he stood up from his seat and asked, "Are you serious?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "This is why I have no problem calling him, Boss. His skills and mind earned my respect."

    Tex gulped and looked at Shi Lang with his eyes burning with curiosity. He said, "I want to fight him. If he canst for four more fights, I will fight him. Show him the power of an early nirvana-level spirit beast."

    Crystal was surprised, but she did not bother to warn him again. Tex was the young master of a heavenly n, and he was the next in line to inherit the throne of the n head in his family. At this moment, he was the person responsible for managing the arenas around the entire. His strength was without question one of the best.

    Tex gestured for the person behind him and the message was passed onto the announcer.

    ...

    In the ring, Xiao Ling walked down the viewing station and came to Shi Lang and asked, "I wonder if you are satisfied with a match, or would you like more?"

    Shi Lang thought and said, "If anyone is interested in me, then I would wee them."

    Xiao Long nodded and said, "Since you are ready, then allow me to call upon the next contender, this person is well known for his decisive moves, he is at the peak of the early level of the Primordial soul realm. This person used to be an inspector, but circumstances pushed him to use his skills in the Arena. We all know him as, the schr of death."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang was amused by the names these opponents had. After a few moments, his eyes fell on a young man walking over from the other side with a gloomy aura surrounding him. Shi Lang raised his eyebrow when he saw that this person was in a state of indifference. This man wore a corporate suit and a pair of sses on his eyes.

    However, he was looking at Shi Lang as if he was looking at a dead corpse. Shi Lang smirked at this and calmed his thoughts. This opponent was interesting.

    Xiao Ling said, "Shi Lang, your limiter has been adjusted, please channel your spirit energy to get a feel and tell me if everything is fine."

    Shi Lang followed the instruction and nodded. Xiao Ling said, "May the best man wins. I will now retire to the viewing station, please wait for my signal to begin the fight."

    Two men gazed at each other as they nodded. Xiao Ling looked at the two of them and said, "Begin."

    This time Shi Lang did not stand back, he walked toward the opponent, because the other party was also walking toward him. The opponent was using his spiritual pressure to suppress Shi Lang. This man seemed to have seen a lot of battles and was exuding his aura to ovee Shi Lang.

    However, this man was underestimating the Terran a bit too much. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Since you are using spiritual pressure, let me use the same method to reciprocate."

    The man on the other side replied, "Feel free to do whatever you want."

    Shi Lang looked at the man with a straight face and said, "Emperor Steps."

    The next moment his aura changedpletely, and then with every step he took, the pressure of the spiritual energy on the man''s shoulder increased. After Shi Lang took the seventh step, the man stopped walking.

    It was as if he was frozen in his ce, Shi Lang was still walking towards him, the eighth step made the man kneel, the ninth step made him use his hands to support his body, and the tenth step the man could not even raise his head to look at his enemy.

    The crowd was silent, and Xaio Ling was standing with her mouth half open. She was surprised and shocked beyond her imagination. The impact was so drastic that she also forgot tomentate on the scene.

    ...

    Inside the observation room, Crystal looked at the young man standing beside her and said, "Young Master Tex, do you understand now, why I warned you about him? He is the strongest Terran, and believe me, if the spirit beast n tried to take advantage of him, we will suffer.

    You can go and try to kill him right away, to stop him from growing into a nuisance for us, but I am sure he has some skill up his sleeve to foil that n, and then when he returns, it will be the end of us."

    Tex looked at Crystal and asked, "Why do you think so? Do you think if those old people wanted to make a move against him, he will survive?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "He might not survive, but if anything happens to him, the Terrans will not help us. They all know that the spirit beasts need their help with the so-called support streams. If you kill their hero, they will rebel, and their experts will do all they can to hinder us. I can sense your sword intent radiating from here and it is not a good thing."

    Tex held his forehead and said, "Say, what made you think that my excitement was actually my idea to kill him? He is a perfect rival to make me grow stronger. Why will I kill him? Ever since the bridge to heaven has broken. The progress of the people has stagnated, and we grow weaker every generation."

    Crystal was surprised to look at him, and said, "You think he can mend the heavenly bridge?"

    Tex said, "I think, he can do it. There is something very profound about him. That move he just used, Emperor Steps. Do you not find it familiar?"

    Crystal pondered for a minute and then she opened her eyes wide and said, "Is that not the skill that was lost from the Legacy of the Master?"

    Tex nodded and said, "The legacy records mention that this move was missing from the entire set, given the deterioration the federation faced over the eons, there is no way they could have found this in some ruin. Interesting, right?"

 Chapter 398 Winning Streak And A Worthy Opponent.

    Unaware of all the things being discussed by the two people in the administrative box, Shi Lang stood in front of his opponent, and asked, "Can you move?"

    The person did not react and Shi Lang said, "Announcer Ling, do you think we can call this match?"

    Announcer Ling woke up and nodded, she said, "Yes, the opponent does not have any capability to move anymore and he has lost the match."

    Xiao Ling''s words were not baseless, but they were themanders being directed from the administration office upstairs. Tex knew very well the extent of this technique being used on someone. The schr stood up on his feet and after casting a deep nce at Shi Lang, he cupped his fist and said, "You are a strong person, thank you for the fight. May I know what is the name of this move?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This technique is called the Emperor Steps. The principle of this technique is something an expert adapted from the move of a great personality. I just concentrate my spiritual energy on my opponent, while your spiritual pressure was scattered all over the ce. This is the reason I could imply this technique to such a degree."

    The schr nodded and did not expect Shi Lang to just answer his questions so frankly. The schr asked again, "Please pardon me for being too pretentious, but can you tell me why did your pressure be so heavy with every step?"

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile and said, "The power of thoughts, the stronger your thoughts, the more spiritual energy you can control and manipte."

    The schr was surprised and then nodded. The crowd was moved to see that this young man was willing to share his knowledge with them so casually. Xiao Ling could not help but ask, "Are you not scared of revealing such a good technique to someone from the spirit beast race?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not mind if someone else learns it. I will still try my best to get ahead of them and be stronger. Rather than worrying about keeping our techniques a secret, we should worry about how to grow stronger together."

    Xiao Ling nodded and wanted to say something when the young Terran said, "You do not have to tell me that I am acting too idealistically, I know that some differences will always be there, but we all need to work together despite all that."

    Shi Lang''s words stopped all the sneers in the crowd. It turns out that this young man was not only strong with his moves but also with his mind. Xiao Ling asked, "Would you like to continue fighting?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I do not see a reason not to."

    Xiao Ling called for another opponent, this person was in the middle of the primordial soul realm, and Shi Lang''s limiter was adjusted again. The battle began, but unlike in the past, this time Shi Lang took his time, he exchanged blows with the body cultivator in front of him and the people began cheering again.

    ...

    Tex furrowed his brows and asked, "Why do I feel like he is holding back?"

    Crystal nodded and said, "He is holding back, unlike thest match where the technique was unleashed, he is not using any technique this time. This is ne boxing basics."

    Tex snorted and said, "You can stop defending him."

    "After you absurdly thought that he holds a piece of Master''s legacy, he rectified the doubt. Do you know what would have happened if the elders were to hear and believe your whimsical speech? They would have drained him of his soul and searched every speck of his being for confirmation. The result would have been the copse of the alliance we are looking forward to.", Crystal said.

    Tex sighed and said, "Well, I ept that I was getting a bit too excited but do not be so sarcastic with me, I am your best friend."

    Crystal cast him a disgusted re and said, "Please do not make the world misunderstand my vision by such ims."

    Then she turned around and focused on the match below.

    ...

    The opponent facing Shi Lang was a burly man who suddenly stopped attacking and said, "I can sense that you are holding back. Are you looking down on me?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Aren''t you holding back as well?"

    The man was surprised and then nodded. He said, "If I go all out, will you do the same?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "One must not disrespect their opponent when learning from each other."

    The burly man nodded and assumed a fighting stance. Around his fists, blue energy surged and began to glow. Shi Lang amused a stance and then his fists began to crawl with lightning streaks. The small shes attracted the attention of all the parties present in the arena.

    The two began fighting again and along with the booms and thuds, the people saw sparks and snowkes flying all over the ce. Shi Lang was not dominating this exchange but he was notgging behind either. The concentration of the spirit energy inside Shi Lang''s body was still minorly hindered by the limiter.

    The exchange continued when suddenly Shi Lang took a step to the side, and then with a duck, he stepped in and his fist connected with the guts of the burly man. They left brutal-looking wounds and scars. The impact shook the burly man, and he said, "I admit defeat."

    Shi Lang did not say anything he was able to understand the reaction of the man in front of him, after all, his fist was not an ordinary blow. He had channeled a wisp of his spiritual energy inside the opponent and this invasion would leave the opponent worried over time.

    Xiao Ling cheered and said, "Congrattions, Shi Lang, you have managed a streak of three wins. I want to see how long can youst."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am also learning a few things from the opponents. It is my pleasure to fight them."

    Then Xiao Ling introduced another opponent. The result was the same but this time, Shi Lang took some extra time to get it finished. The opponent stood looking at Shi Lang after the result and said, "I have been stuck in a realm of my technique for quite some time now. Thank you for your guidance."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It is my pleasure to be able to help you with it. Thank you for your time."

    The crowd began to cheer and p for the young Terran. Shi Lang caught them all cheering his name after the battle. Xiao Ling wanted to say something when a strong wave of sword intent shed toward Shi Lang.

    The young man''s eyes turned cold and the iing sword intent was dissolved. He said, "I would amodate you more than happy if you have the guts toe in front of me."

    His words made the arena fall silent. The people all knew who was the owner of that sword intent, but they did not expect Shi Lang to call him out by name.

    ...

    Tex said with a smirk, "I will go and try him now."

    Crystal faintly said, "Do not end up with your limbs detached from your body."

    This irked Tex, but the next moment he vanished from his spot, and directly jumped into the arena after shing the window open with his sword intent. He stood in front of Shi Lang and said, "I am Tex, and my cultivation is also in the early nirvana realm, how about it Terran, would you like to fight?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I was thinking when will they send someone really nice. Someone who will push me to the limit. I do not mean to disrespect the people I faced earlier. However, you give me a sense of threat. Hahaha, very nice. Come on."

    Tex said, "Take out your sword then."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "My weapon does note out until I am seeking blood. How about you lend me a normal sword? Using artifacts is a bit too much when sparring with a potential friend and rival."

    Tex was surprised and then heughed out loudly. The people in the observation stands could not understand what was going on with the two of them but then they saw Tex take out two normal swords and flung one to Shi Lang and kept one for himself, as he said, "You are a worthy opponent, Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I hope you are also a worthy opponent."

    The two were looking at each other directly and the tension between them was almost materializing. Crystal said, "Begin."

    As soon as the words dropped the two young men shed at each other with their basic swords.

 Chapter 399 Sword Master.

    Shi Lang and Tex both shed at each other with their swords and the des radiated a strong wind that shed in the center of the ring. However, while the people were shocked, Shi Lang had already moved forward and met Tex in the center of the ring.

    The interesting thing was that none of them exchanged a blow but they both sidestepped and made a backhand sh at each other. The oue was the same, the two people moved around and fought like there is no tomorrow, but even within close quarters they did not touch each other''s des directly and cast sword shes.

    The movement of des let out shing sounds and even more, the two people were moving almost identically. The crowd was excited and surprised at the same time. They did not expect the two people topete in such a way. It was so exaggerated that it seemed like they were putting up a performance.

    Xiao Ling said, "What is this, how can they be so identical, someone please answer my question."

    An old man in the crowd stood up and said loudly, "It is not that they are identical, it is the Terran who is predicting the movements and then imitating them with precision. If you all look at him with some focus you will understand that Shi Lang is dyed by a blink."

    The people were shocked by this information, they did not expect Shi Lang to be copying Tex like this. Suddenly, Tex stopped in his tracks, but after being dyed by a blink, Shi Lang charged in with a smirk on his face. The next moment, the young Terran shed at the person in front of him.

    The attack was sharp, and it was done in such close proximity that Tex had no option but to raise his sword and defend himself. However, when the des were about to collide, Shi Lang pulled his sword back and then changed his attack into a stab.

    Tex was surprised by this change that came at him so suddenly. Tex tried to retreat but then his back was covered with cold sweat when he sensed a sharp sword intent moving toward him. Shi Lang was not using something like an air sh attack but a real attack. Tex had fallen for a calcted trap that Shi Lang had set up for him.

    The young terran had been copying his moves religiously and made himself doubt whether Shi Lang also used the same style of sword art. Tex was surprised and tried to disrupt the status quo but Shi Lang caught on to the chance in front of him and then he exploited the window in front of him and attacked him.

    Tex was regretting his blunder when he got reeled into the pace of this Young Terran. The intent sword was about to attack him when he forcibly shed the sword down, emitting a sword intent of his own. The two intents collided and the air around them turned sharp all of a sudden.

    Even the onlookers had some difficulty looking at the two people. Shi Lang and Tex retreated and they both stopped moving. They looked at the ground and found two deep sh marks on the ground. Tex was surprised, he did not expect Shi Lang to be able to y with swords in such a manner. This person was on par with him, he thought.

    Shi Lang said, "How about we settle this with one move?"

    Tex was surprised but then he nodded and said, "Very well. May the best man wins."

    Shi Lang nodded to him subtly and closed his eyes. Tex also did the same, and Xiao Ling said, "I think they are both collecting their thoughts as they are going to settle this match with one strike."

    ...

    Crystal stood in the administrative box, watching the match with immense focus. One of the staff members said, "Final choice guys, do you really not want to bet on the result of this match?"

    Someone replied, "I think Young Master Tex will win, he has mastered the sword intent and has reached the seed level. He has a chance to win."

    The rest of the staff also agreed and they ced their bets on Tex. Suddenly, Crystal asked, "What are the odds if I staked two hundred thousand credits on Shi Lang?"

    The banker was surprised but then he replied, "One is to two, Your Highness."

    "Then I am also betting if you are fine with it.", asked Crystal and the banker nodded with some hesitation.

    He could only point all his hopes on tex to win this battle.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...

    In the ring, Shi Lang and Tex opened their eyes. While Tex shed at Shi Lang with a diagonal sh, Shi Lang replied with a simple overhead attack. The stance used by the Terran was the basic of basics, half a step forward and shed down in a resolute manner without any hesitation in his mind.

    The two people hadunched their best attacks, the attack that managed to overpower the other will be the winner of this battle. Shi Lang stood in his stance watching the two dazzling shes made up of condensed sword intent colliding together.

    The attacks looked simple but they were not something that could be dealt with casually. This time the sharp winds did not only sting the gazes of the onlookers, some weaker ones even got shallow-cut wounds. This was too terrifying for them. After all, the intent was leaking out from the restriction array set up around the ce.

    The two people responsible for this did not say anything, they just watched the attacks collide and entangle with each other. While Shi Lang was indifferent, Tex, who believed in himself and his mental fortitude thought, ''This terran is amazing.''

    At this moment, the scales shifted in Shi Lang''s favor. This entire match was something where Shi Lang had been overpowering Tex, in a manner and this constant suppression made him a bit helpless. This thought broke down hisposure and his sword intent also shook.

    Tex''s sword sh gradually lost its luster and vanished, while Shi Lang''s sword sh, still advanced towards him. The shadow guard that protected Tex in secret was about to make a move when Shi Lang''s sword intent vanished just when it was about to injure Tex severely.

    The person in the shadow cast a deep gaze at Shi Lang, he was aware that this Terran had diffused his sword intent voluntarily. He wanted to see why Shi Lang gave Tex a way out of this.

    Tex was breathing hard when he heard a calm voice ring in his ears, "You are the reason you lost today."

    Shi Lang said these words, and the silent Arena rang with them. Tex asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang replied, "A sword master can be one with a sword, but being one with the sword does not mean that you have to let the de take control of you. Think of the sword as a part of your body and then you assimte it in your body. Your brain is what controls this part of your body.

    If the intent is born from the heart, then the power to follow that instinct and thoughtes from the mind. Earlier in the match, your mind and heart were in a disarray after my sudden change. That is why you hesitated in thest sh. This is why you lost."

    Tex was calm, while the people were surprised to see that Shi Lang was preaching in front of them. This was the second time this happened. Tex was surprised and asked, "How do I get over this hurdle."

    He has suffered defeats in the past because of this. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do you want me to help you?"

    Tex wanted to nod when he stopped, and his eyes opened wide. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, that is why. It is your sword, it is your intent. Are you sure you want someone else to have influence over the path you want to walk? Defeat and victory mean nothing, you should always try to get better than what you were the day before. Compete with yourself. Improve yourself.

    I will give you a proverb I like, ''A sword master is the one, who is the master of the sword.''

    It is very simple to understand what it means, right?"

    ...

    Crystal turned her head to the banker and said, "You can pay me half my winnings and keep the rest. Consider this as a lesson, never judge someone before they have shown their truth. Also, this is not his full strength. If you look at it, his limiter was not changed in this fight."

    The people were shocked and the protector was stunned when he heard this. He could not understand why Shi Lang won at a lower realm, when Crystal said, "Sword Master."

 Chapter 400 Starting Line.

    Shi Lang was standing inside the ring. Tex was standing in front of him with shock written on his face. He could understand what Shi Lang was talking about.

    While he was thinking about what Shi Lang preached, he could sense that the threshold of his breakthrough was loosening a little. The thought process had been initiated and he said, "I acknowledge you as my friend from now on. In the entire citadel, if you have any trouble or someone bothers you, call for me, I will not let you down."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I ept your friendship, Master Tex. I hope that you can cash in on this opportunity."

    Texughed and said, "Will borrow your auspicious words, Brother Lang."

    Shi Lang smiled and then he asked, "Anyone else who would like to spar with me?"

    Announcer Xiao Ling stepped in before anyone from the crowd could reply and said, "Master Shi Lang, please spare us some business. The people here are all waiting for the matches they have bet on."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Fine, thank you for amodating me."

    That said Tex led Shi Lang to the gathering area, where Crystal met them and Tex said, "Well, Brother Lang, I will leave you with Princess Crystal, and go back to meditate. My heart is too excited."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Please carry on."

    Tex left in a hurry and Crystal said, "Boss, why did you hold back?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I did not hold back, it''s just that I forgot to check whether the limiter was upgraded or not."

    Crystal doubted that he would forget something like this, but she was sure that he did not reveal hisplete strength. Shi Lang was a ck bellied person, who would take revenge for every petty reason, so if he did not mention anything that meant, he was sure of his win.

    Crystal was not a fool to take Shi Lang''s word for it. She understood the limitations of the cultivation realm he had on his body, if he could still win in such a condition, then it was evident how strong he was.

    Crystal sighed and said, "Boss, where to now?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Let me go back to The Federation. You can thene over with the representatives of the spirit beast ns. That way you can help me mediate the negotiations for the alliance. The old people back in the federation have be very uneasy."

    Crystal thought about it and then with a nod she agreed to this suggestion and then led Shi Lang to the array point where the young man had appeared first.

    Shi Lang looked around and a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes. Crystal could notprehend what was going on with this young man.

    She wanted to ask something when the look vanished and Shi Lang said, "Let''s go. I have a lot of work to do."

    Crystal nodded and then looking at a few guards, she said, "Initiate the formation. Set the coordinates to the federation"

    The guards all looked at the young Terran and then at the princess before they replied, "Yes, your highness."

    Crystal nodded and said goodbye to Shi Lang before she went out to stand out of the array circle.

    Shi Lang waved to her and the next moment he sensed a gentle suction and found that a wormhole had opened up in front of him.

    The young Terran cast one more nce on the scenery and then walked inside the wormhole. What he could not say to anyone was that the Citadel was designed in a spitting image of a city he spent most of his life in.

    The city of myriad dreams. Shi Lang was fourteen when he embarked on the path of cultivation and this city was his home. The person who sent the beasts to this all that time ago, was a genius in that city.

    Shi Lang idealized to catch up to that man, but he never could. A few decadester, when Shi Lang managed to run away from a batch of strong pursuers, he met the person he idolized.

    The person was badly injured and might have died, if not for Shi Lang to give up his treasured elixir and revive him. The man was moved and when he asked why did Shi Lang help him?

    Shi Lang replied, "If you die, then who will I chase after, and who will I surpass you."

    The man was surprised but before he could ask anything, Shi Lang left the ce, never to meet him again.

    While Shi Lang was feeling nostalgic, something simr was going on in the council chambers of the Citadel.

    In front of the twelve members stood a man, who was keeping an eye on Shi Lang during this entire time. This man had white hair and a long beard. Even the twelve high chair members were standing in front of him with a revered expression on their faces.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The old man said, "This person has to be respected. You are not to let down the alliance and if the humans make any mistake, guide them towards the correct path. Do you understand?"

    This seemingly simple sound made the twelve people shocked, and they wanted to ask why must Shi Lang he respected and what was his status when the old man said, "This is something that you should not know."

    The twelve people exchanged nces and the old man vanished.

    ¡­

    Inside the depths of a bamboo forest located on some remote corner of the Citadel was a row of shacks. The old man who was addressing the council just a few moments ago, appeared next to the shack and was about to enter when a hoarse voice sounded.

    "Ninth, is it settled?"

    The old man replied, "Yes, elder brother, it has been settled."

    "What do you think of that human?", Asked the voice from one of the shacks.

    Ninth replied, "He is the one mentioned in the records left by the master. I could sense the energy of his soul matching the soul imprint on that card."

    The voice let out a humm and said, "Let nature take its turn. Make sure those young ones do not implicate him with any trouble. Also, when the time is right, discuss the methods of the blood shadows. They have be quite the menace of the Citadel."

    The old man named ninth nodded and cast a gaze at the distant sky as he said, "I hope that we still have some more time at hand."

    Then he entered the shack. Shi Lang was unaware of everything that was going on here.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang appeared back in the valley on the war. His appearance set off a wave of sighs in the ace division who were guarding the parameter.

    The young man smiled and said, "Alright it is me. Calm down."

    The people took back their weapons and Shi Lang walked over to Shi Tao, who was standing behind Jill with a smile on her face.

    The little girl hugged him and Shi Lang said, "Call the cab, and the general council. We need to hold a meeting here on the war as soon as possible and this valley must have some pavilions and gazebos built to enhance the scenery. The pacts are to be signed."

    The people nodded and they got to work and just when everyone was moving away, Shi Lang said, Sparrow, issue a notice, all the strongest students in the Federation are to be present here.

    Have theme and experience what strength is. Give them a chance to open their world horizons. Also, call the teachers from the Federal Star Academy, Amelia is to be present at the main meeting panel. Her strength is going to be key here.

    All the ace division members are to stand behind the meeting panel. Convey these words to the authorities. I do not care what they think of ranks, but I will not let the spirit beasts overwhelm us."

    ¡­

    With that said, the people rushed off to work. After the messages were sent, the ace division began to rush to break through thest blockade of the primal soul barrier.

    Shi Lang had arranged a ce at the lead for them and if they could not cash it in, it would be a shame to let them down. The young man did not say much to them but it was evident that he wanted them to be stronger.

    The date to sign the pacts was decided to be a week from the day. The rest of the division members were burning through and one after the other thunder tribtions shocked the people.

    The entire war was buzzing with activity and their morale was raised high. As the people were buzzing with activity, the day of signing was upon them.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood on the highest tallest peak around the valley, gazing at the array on the ground. Amelia stood beside him and asked, "Is this your goal?"

    The young man shook his head and said, "This, my love, is the starting line."

 Chapter 401 Troublesome.

    Shing and Amelia stood on the hill overlooking the array formation. Amelia said, "Lang, what will impact the change you envision? I can imagine it to some extent but the harmony we have established over the ages will be gone, and you know what will that lead us to?"

    The young general looked at thedy beside him and said, "The world will surely undergo a significant change. You do not have to worry, just present the options to the people and they will decide what they want. Those with strength will rece those without it. However, we will have to make sure that the power stays with those who do not exploit it. Otherwise, the world is a chaotic ce filled with battle and carnage."

    Amelia nodded and let out a sigh and asked, "I understand what you want to say. However, how do we control the exploitation of power?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The simplest way to do that is to have a person in power to swear in the name of the Heavens, or you can simply have them take a blood oath. Though, we will have toe up with an oath that leaves no loopholes for them to exploit their power."

    Amelia took a deep breath and said, "Change has never been easy."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Come, let us go back to everyone, time is close."

    Amelia nodded and the two people came down from the hilltop. On the campsite outside the valley, all the cab members and the General council officers were waiting. The area was mostly upied by school students from all over the Federation. The young general looked at the scene and nodded.

    His eyes were caught by the batch of students from the Federal Star Academy. Only the top students were selected from the schools. Shi Lang found that a few of his special ss students also managed to get selected for this gathering.

    He looked at the entire group of people and then came to the ce where the top brass was gathered. The young man exchanged a few words, and then Shi Lang found that his old friends have also been called over as top-level officers. They had all caught up to the level of peak of the core condensation realm.

    They all exchanged a lot of tales and even tried sparring with each other in their spare time. Shi Lang received a message on hismunicator and then he flew up into the void. This moment of his gathered a lot of attention and then after channeling the spirit energy in his throat the young man said, "Today, you all are called here to witness the rise of an Era of change. An era that will lead us to the peak of strength and also help us find what is true strength.

    ? You all are going to develop into the pirs of civilization in the future. I understand that all of you might be somewhat fascinated by this but let me tell you that this change will not be easy. There will be a fair chance that the luster and mor of the newfound strength will make you corrupted.

    It is your responsibility to make sure that the progress of the Federation is smooth. To make sure of this, we must remember the duties we all have. I do not know whether you would like to be bound by any oath, I was the same as you were, always chasing after a life without any regrets.

    However, I havee to understand that only when things in your home are under control can you go out and search for your call of nature. Cultivators are all like that. So, I will give you all a certain time to make sure what you think.

    If you do not wish to swear loyalty towards the federation, then I will deal with you personally if you possessed even the slightest harm to the empire. Why I am emphasizing this is something for you to understand in the future. So, take your time, and discuss it with each other if you want to before taking the oath."

    Then he floated back to the ground and the people sensed a slight tremor from the ground and Shi Lang said, "The guests have arrived."

    That made the entire crowd excited to meet the guests mentioned by Shi Lang. The young man personally went to the valley with the generals and greeted the people with his colleagues. After the introductions were made by him and Crystal. Both sides cordially exchanged greetings and then they took seats in the pavilions around the array.

    The negotiations began while the youngsters from the spirit beast side went out of the valley to get to know the terran students. The atmosphere was slightly tense as both the unknown sides mingled. However, the teachers from both sides were sensible and they mediated the situation.

    One of the teachers from the beastmunity came forward and tried to flirt with Amelia, however, thedy replied to him with indifference that she was married. The man was dispirited but he did not wish to give up that easily. So, the two sses engaged in apetition.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The students from the Federal Star Academy defeated all and every cultivator they faced in a simr realm. The reason was the impable execution of their martial techniques. The people in the beastmunity were shocked. The potential disyed by the humans was good enough for them to provide them with resources used for faster cultivation.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang got to know that one of the beastmunity instructors had tried to flirt with Amelia and he raised his brows. Just when he was about to go and see what was going on, Tex approached him with a group of young talents. He looked at them and Tex said, "Brotherng, we meet again."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Indeed, brother Tex. Wee to the war of the federal empire."

    Tex nodded and said, "It is my pleasure to be here. These are my friends, they all belong to the heavenly ns and the top youth elites of their ns¡­"

    Then Tex made introductions and Shi Lang talked to the people with a smile on his face. They were exchanging their thoughts on martial arts and Dao when Jill approached Shi Lang with an anxious expression on her face. Shi Lang nced at her and asked, "What happened?"

    Jill said in a low voice, "Sister-inw was trying to get away from the person who proposed to her, but this guy lost his control and Shi Tao was hurt by his pressure."

    The next moment, Shi Lang erupted with a pressure that made several people around him flinch and they all sensed their shoulders lowering. Jill was not surprised and said, "Sister-inw was held back by General Edward. What shall we do now?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I will deal with things here first."

    Then he reined in his pressure and said, "I apologize, there have been someplications."

    Tex stepped forward and said, "I do not want to look nosy but what happened?"

    Shi Lang sighed and told him about the incident and Tex looked at his friends. The rest of them did not look too happy about this thing happening, and one of the men stepped forward and asked, "What can we do to help you in this matter?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and the man continued, "This alliance is crucial for both the parties involved. If we were in the citadel, I would have made this guy disappear for his insolence."

    The young Terran was moved and said, "Young Master Jarg, I cannot thank you enough, however, if you sincerely wish to deal with this matter, then allow me a duel with this guy."

    His words shocked everyone, and they did not reply instantly Shi Lang said, "I will not kill him, that is for sure, however, such a person needs to be reminded of his ce in the world, I hope that you all can make your elders overlook it."

    Tex and his friends exchanged nces and nodded. Shi Lang said, "Jill go and ask Amelia to check on Tao, I will handle this matter." At this moment, a calm voice counted, "Lang, I have the right to avenge myself. I cannot be the one hiding behind you." Shi Lang turned his head to look at the source of the sound, and he found, Amelia walking toward him. He sighed, and said, "Love, why do you fret? Do I not know what you feel? Let me go and see through the deal. I will have that insolent creature at your feet."

    Amelia nced at him and shook her head, "My pride is mine to defend. I know that you can do what you im, but I need to show that I am what I am. Do not worry, I will not fail."

 Chapter 402 Unity.

    Shi Lang heard what Amelia said and he smiled as he said, "Very well then, go deal with it yourself."

    Amelia revealed a faint smile on her face and then after a brief greeting to the dignitaries, she left the ce. Tex and the rest of the young elites were surprised, and could not help but approve of thedy. They had all grown up surrounded by strong people, who believed in themselves and did not give up in the face of adversity.

    The younger generation of the spirit beastmunity immediately reacted and they all approached the elders in charge and told him about the situation outside.

    While Tex and his friends were convincing the elders to allow for the duel. Shi Lang was visiting Shi Tao who was just discharged from the infirmary camp. He checked her body carefully and after confirming that there was no seque left behind. he took the little girl to the valley, where the match will take ce.

    ¡­

    The Terran forces worked very efficiently and quickly tform was erected in the center of the pavilion cluster. the leadership of the Federation stepped forward and asked the spirit beast elders to proctor the match.

    While the spirit beast elders were neutral in the situation, the federal forces supported their own. it could be because the elders of the spirit beesmunity had been long exposed to cultivation and had a longer life span and in front of them the popce of the Federation was young and ignorant.

    After a few minutes, the two participants walked over to the tform and stood facing each other. The atmosphere was stressed, and the man from the beastmunity asked, "Why are you so adamant about going against me, Woman? What can you achieve in this dump?"

    Amelia cast him an indifferent gaze and said, "What do I stand to gain and what I lose is not something you can understand. I only hope that you can keep your ims intact"

    This was her usual behavior, she was calm and her eyes were glistening with confidence. Shi Lang looked at his wife on the tform and a faint smile appeared on his face, while Shi Tao clenched her fists.

    The young general asked, "What is on your mind, Tao?"

    Shi Tao replied, "This guy dared to harass mom, and then he attacked me. Such a shallow person is not worthy ofpeting with my mother on that tform."

    She ground her teeth, the child was enraged to think that something like this would happen to her and that she will be powerless despite being one of the strongest of her age. Despite her upbringing of never thinking too highly of herself, she felt rather useless of herself.

    Shi Lang patted her back and said, "Now that you havee to understand the importance of strength, you also need to understand that if it was someone righteous, they would not have attacked a child. People with twisted minds always use twisted methods to deal with the rest of the world."

    Shi Tao nodded, however, her mood did not calm down.

    At this moment, the man snorted and said, "The condition to stop the match is the same as the arenas, either one of us voluntarily concedes or we lose the capability to fight."

    Amelia nodded and agreed to the terms. At this moment, Cara Baley, who was standing beside the few council members said, "I will be the presiding proctor. Do you both ept?"

    The two people nodded, and the excitement began to surge among the crowd. Cara Baley looked at the two of them and said, "The grudge between you two is not so big that you resort to killing moves. If any of you vited this line, I will take action to save the victim and the culprit will be dealt with in ordance with thews of the Arena. Is that clear?"

    Amelia asked, "May I ask, what is thew of the arena, senior?"

    Cara nodded and said, "Arena is a y to seek thrill and test yourself by the means of battle, however, it is all a gesture of good faith and learning from each other. Yes, sometimes the grudges between people run deep and they are allowed to use the life-and-death battle tform, but usually it is forbidden to attack someone with the intention to cripple.

    Harming the other person in a manner where the future path gets obstructed will result in instant death. I wonder if that was sufficient for you to understand the essence of thews?"

    Amelia bowed slightly and thanked thedy, while the man in front of her snorted and said, "I am Tartara of the heavenly howling wolves. I dare you toe at me with all that you have."

    The aura of the person changed and then he charged at Amelia, who said, "Lesson one."

    Theseus stood in the stands and said loudly, "Never rush in without having an idea of what your enemy is capable of."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amelia waited for Tartara toe close, the man was approaching her with his body leaning forward. As soon as he got close to the target, Tartara wed at her throat.

    The strength of the two people was at par with each other. Amelia had been working hard for the past few years now. Ever since the attack she faced with Shi Lang and almost died, she understood how important it was for her to be strong.

    She knew that Shi Lang would one day achieve the peak of strength and she wanted to be there with him, not only in the capacity of a wife but apanion who could match his skills.

    When Tartara wed at her, Amelia leaned her head slightly to the back and turned her body sideways. The movement was too small, but it was efficiently controlled and the attack was dodged.

    In the crowd, Jenkins sat behind Shi Lang and asked, "Why is she letting him take the initiative?"

    Beside him sat another familiar face, Hayley Dupont, thedy said, "She wants to gather more data before jumping in. That is how she works."

    Shi Lang nodded to Hayley''s statement and looking at Shi Tao, he asked, "Tao, can you predict the following movements of that big man?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "He will try to counter with a whip kick to his back. This will cancel his forward momentum and allow him a chance to gather his bnce."

    Shi Lang and the rest were watching the match and they found that Shi Tao was really predicting the moves. Before they could feel surprised, the girl said, "he made a mistake."

    Shi Lang smiled and the people saw Amelia grabbing the leg, dispelling the whip kick, and then her own leg hit the target hanging between the two legs of the man.

    The crowd gasped and the men clenched their butts. Amelia sighed and shook her head as she said, "Lesson two."

    Vanessa replied, "Never hesitate from exploiting a chance presented by the opponent even if you seem shameless. Pride wins glory while victory allows survival."

    Amelia nodded and took a few steps back, letting Tartara grovel on the ground and she looked at Cara Baley, who said, "Winner, Amelia Knight."

    The crowd pped and a few of the spirit beast elite discussed among themselves. Just when the few youngsters wanted to exchange martial notes, when Cara Baley said, "Now, we will be initiating the oath ceremony to seal the alliance between the two governments. I hope that all the people are present in unity and if you have any objections, then pleasee forward now.

    If anyone tried to foil the oath ceremony, I will have your heads on my feet."

    The terrans were slightly scared but then they saw Shi Lang standing up from his seat the young man appeared on top of the tform and said, "I do not have any objection but since this oath ceremony is being held on the Federalnd. Allow me to be the first person to initiate it."

    The people nodded and Cara took out a special knife from her space ring and was about to hand it over to Shi Lang when Tex stood up and said, "Allow me to join you, Brother Lang. This ce may be your territory, but the alliance requires both sides to exist in harmony."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Very well, I agree, Brother Tex."

    Cara was confused about whom to hand the knife to when Moon Baley said, "Since this alliance is going to be crucial and both of us are eager, I suggest that we summon a witness that has presided over the Spirit beast tribe from the day we were transported to the Utopia."

    The twelve elders all exchanged nces and then they nodded. Moon Baley stood up from her seat and said while looking at the sky, "Heed my call, the guardian of Utopia, bless us with your presence and testify to the union of Spirit beasts and Terrans in a bond of friendship.

    I call upon the name of the master of the spirit beasts, Emperor Supreme, please heed my call, Spirit of Heaven Sword."

    The next moment, the entire world darkened.

 Chapter 403 Unity (2).

    The people did not understand what was going on, but Shi Lang did, and said telepathically, "If any one of you have a single inkling of exploiting this alliance, leave, or you will die before you know it."

    The message was conveyed to the Terrans only, but while the executives were shocked, they did not leave. The people in this ceremony were the most influential and the strongest. They all wished to grow stronger and knew what they need to do for that. Thus, none of them left the ce.

    Shi Lang only hoped that when the summoning wasplete, these people can survive. The same message was being sent to the spirit beasts by Moon Baley. She knew what the summoned sword could do.

    The dark clouds gathered above the valley, and then a ck hole appeared in the center of the clouds, a few momentster, when everyone in the federation camp was worrying over the celestial changes, while the people in the spirit beastmunity had already gone down on their knees. A sharp light prated the ck hole.

    The light was so blinding that the people could not help but close their eyes, even the twelve councilmen were not spared. The light suspended itself in front of the people, and then emitted pressure targeting all the federation members. While some Terrans gave in quickly, some managed to resist the pressure for a bit long.

    Shi Lang looked at Amelia and found her to be struggling while the rest of the people were already down. He saw that the younger generation was having trouble even breathing. He clenched his fists and said, "Senior, please restrain your aura."

    An ethereal voice sounded, "What if not?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Then please target it all on me, you do not have to humiliate my race as your master was also from my race."

    The ethereal voice snorted and said, "You weaklings are not even fit to know about my master, let alonepare with him. However, I like your courage, let us see if you have the capital to back it up too."

    The next moment all the pressure emitted from the light was diverted to Shi Lang. The young man sensed his shoulder slump and with every passing moment the pressure was increasing and his body was slumping along with it.

    It did not matter how much he tried, his muscles were screaming and his bones were almost crackling from it. However, his legs did not bend despite all this. Five breaths passed, and while the people were still trying to catch their breaths, Shi Lang was sweating from head to toe, and his body was exerted to the limits.

    The pressure had increased to the point where the ground beneath his feet had cracked. The surrounding people were scared and surprised, this sort of pressure was something they had never experienced before. The cracks had covered the entire tform and the void around Shi Lang could be seen trembling yet the guy was standing on his feet.

    The spirit beastmunity was astounded by this. The trembling of the void was the indication of the immense pressure Shi Lang was facing and they could not digest this fact. The ethereal voice sounded again, "Ten breaths, not bad. Is that all you can do?"

    Shi Lang''s head has been looking down at the ground, but when he heard these words, as a cultivator his spirit to fight was ignited, and he closed his eyes. Recalling all the moments he spent inside the Shura realm and the battle intent that hid deep within him. The ethereal voice said, "You are done."

    At this moment, Shi Lang raised his head abruptly and his long hair turned crimson, his eyes shed with a glint that made the onlookers take a step back in reflex. The young man concentrated his gaze on the mass of light and said, "This pressure, is that all you can do? Unity."

    The people from the spirit beastmunity were shocked to their core. The name of the sword was indeed unity, but even the strongest of them all never dared to call it out in such a challenging manner. This sword had the power to destroy the entire on a whim, but Shi Lang was calling out to it in such a fearless manner.

    Moon Baley and the councilmen had thought that their eagerness to have the supreme spirit of their world witness this ceremony has invited trouble. However, when Moon Baley was about to step in and mediate the situation, she saw that Shi Lang stood up straight and walked toward the mass of light slowly.

    The mass was suspended in the void, and while the people had trouble standing on the ground, Shi Lang was walking in the void. He said, "I have a poem here, do you want to hear it?"

    Without caring or waiting for a reply, he said, "Under the moonlight, you shine like a beacon of death. Those from the path of evil, beware of my wrath. I will unify the realm, under one shade. Those who oppose me, be ready to face my de."

    The mass of light shivered visibly, and the faces of the spirit beastmunity changed a lot when they saw this. Shi Lang said, "This is what Tian Long said when he held your hilt after the battle at the Congming river. That night changed the course of the era, Tian Long rose to his feet and went on a path where he became the Emperor Supreme.<novelnext></novelnext>

    None of the people in the world of cultivation would dare to look at him with hidden intentions. Wherever he went, either the people bowed to him, or their heads fell on the ground. After ten months of reaching the peak of the nirvana realm, Emperor Supreme conquered the realm.

    It is unknown how he did it because Nirvana was the starting line for cultivators back then, was it not? However, I know how he did it. It was a scroll of martial arts that he practiced, the emperor sutra. Was it not? The sutra that provided him with the mindset and strength to overlook realms and suppress the enemy using thews of dao?"

    The sword could not help but ask, "How do you know all this? Who are you?"

    While the federation people were confused, those in the spirit beast camp were shocked, they could tell from the reaction of the voice, that Shi Lang had said something that was true and a secret.

    Shi Lang asked, "Have you ever thought of being free from all the burden on your shoulders?"

    The mass of light dissipated and in its ce, an elegant sword appeared. The sword de was three feet long and three inches wide. The reed of the de was engraved with a pattern of chains and right above the hilt there were two characters that were pronounced as Unity.

    The sword shivered and then it transformed into ady who looked to be around in herte twenties. Thedy wore white and golden robes, with a surreal beauty. The councilmen were shocked to see this because this was the first time the sword of Unity has revealed her spiritual form.

    Thedy gazed at Shi Lang as if her eyes were able to look into his soul. The young man also did not stop her and when the consciousness of the sword spirit entered his soul sea, Unity was shocked, she mumbled, "You are from that era. How is that possible?"

    Shi Lang''s avatar appeared beside her and the young man said, "Fate, is miraculous, is it not?"

    Unity raised her guard and asked, "What do you want?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We can talk about itter, let this alliance ceremony finish with peace first. I will tell you all that I can."

    Unity gazed at him for a few prolonged seconds and then thinking about where this guy can go, she nodded. She had left a mark of consciousness on Shi Lang, and now she can hunt him anywhere if he tried to run away.

    The sword spirit was arrogant, how can she listen to this mortal so easily? She asked, "Why should I let this alliance go on?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The spirit beast n have old ancestors all of them stuck at the peak of Mahayana or Ascended mortal realm. This alliance will help them ovee that obstacle."

    Unity looked at Shi Lang and asked, "How do you know that?"

    Shi Lang smiled bitterly and said, "Laws of Dao. Humans exploited the spirit energy and the fate of everyone else changed. Do you want to know how I know this?"

    Unity nodded and Shi Lang replied, "After the alliance is set, I will tell you."

    The sword spirit looked at him and said, "You are very cunning like he was. If you tried to trick me, I will discount you off your priced jewels and then torture you for a thousand years."

 Chapter 404 Past.

    Unity retracted her consciousness from Shi Lang''s soul sea and said, "The alliance may proceed."

    The people did not know what just transpired between the two entities. The spirit beastmunity was so surprised that they could not believe what just happened. Shi Lang just subdued the guardian of theirmunity. This was not something that any of them could have done. This young terran was not simple.

    They all had doubts in their hearts but they did not dare to mention any of them. The situation was not simple and the two people involved were also not simple. So, they decided not to look deep into this matter, and dly followed what the Sword spirit said.

    Unity then exuded a slight power from her core and the hands of all the people present on the site were left with a shallow slit. A trace of blood flowed from the wound and Shi Lang and Tex took the lead to recite the oath.

    "I, (Shi Lang, Tex) stand under the heavens, and with the earth as my witness, swear on my blood that I will always be fair towards the alliance between Terrans and spirit beasts..."

    The two people finished saying the words, and the blood stains condensed together into a drop and then flew away to the sky. This action was followed by everyone present and when it all ended, the leaders of the two sides exchanged greetings and stepped into a new era.

    Unity was watching all this from the side and, suddenly, she said, "Shi Lang, I need my answers, my patience is running short."

    Shi Lang looked at her and with a sigh, he said, "I wonder how he raised you to be this unruly. Do you not know, women with a temper have it hard in life?"

    The people gasped and Unity shivered, while Shi Lang said, "Fine, I will tell you all about it. Let us find a secluded ce."

    Unity nodded and Shi Lang looked at Amelia before he said, "You have the chain ofmands, Amy."

    Amelia nodded, she was obviously curious about what the two of them were going to talk about but this was not the time. She will ask Shi Lang when hees back. That was all.

    Unity waved her hand and disappeared from the ce with Shi Lang. The people could not even figure out what was going on, at this moment, the leaders of the Spirit beastmunity stepped forward and calmed the people down.

    ...

    Shi Lang and Unity appeared in a distant ce on the war. This ce was deemed unworthy to live in due to the difficult terrain. At this moment, Shi Lang was standing on a sharp peak that did not allow him any room to move while Untiy was floating in the void in front of him.

    The young terran asked, "What do you want to know?"

    Unity replied, "What are you from the beginning to now, if you dared to lie, I will kill you."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Very well. Let me show you my past."

    Then he waved his hand and the surroundings changed. The two people appeared in the middle of a street. The ce was bustling with activity and Unity was surprised. She asked, "How can you cast such a technique? Your realm is not that of the Ascension immortal."

    Shi Lang smiled, "This is the technique that Iprehended in the past. Till now, I never thought I had any need to use this technique. even if your realm is not high enough, but theprehensions are never lost."

    Unity thought over it and nodded, the scene depicted a deste house stuffed in the slums. Shi Lang said, "My home, Holy Spirit Town, is located somewhere in the east of the Heavenly Dragon Kingdom. I do not know the exact location now, the memory has been filtered."

    Unity nodded but then she said, "Heavenly Dragon, is that not the kingdom where Master was born too?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Your Master, was the prince of the kingdom. The heavenly genius blessed with unmatched talent and skill."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The sword spirit raised her chin slightly and said, "That I understand, but what I want to know is about you."

    Shi Lang replied, "I was an orphan, this house was something the people find me in. They used to say that my parents were cultivators but one day after my father did not return from a task, my mother went in search of him. However, she also did note back. The vige chief took care of me like how he did for other orphans in the vige."

    The scene changed and then the two people appeared at a ce filled with thousands of teenagers. Shi Lang pointed at a child and said, "That is me."

    Then he pointed at another person, and said, "That is your master. Apparently, we were both born on the same day, while he was blessed, I managed to absorb some of the spirit energy in the void too."

    The difference between the two people was huge, Shi Lang looked sickly and had ragged clothes while Prince Long Tian was brimming with vitality and radiance. His brocade clothes stood out from the rest of the children. This ce was the sect trial.

    Shi Lang said, "The cruelty of this situation is that mediocre talent was not considered a talent at all."

    They watched the queue move forward, while the prince was bought in by several elders, Shi Lang was ssified as a failure because his results were average.

    Unity could see the dejection on the child''s face. Shi Lang said, "After this incident, I decided not to be bound by any sects and became a loose cultivator. The prince was born into a wealthy household and he had all sorts of elixirs that could help him with his foundation building.

    However, the sect did not care about this, andter I understood that fortune was also a part of the strength. Time passed and as I grew struggling to gather resources, the difference between your master and me widened. Though I wasgging behind him by a huge margin, I would always pay attention to his news.

    When he found you, he was in big trouble for offending forces opposing the Purple sun sect. He was injured and hiding when I coincidentally found him."

    As Shi Lang was talking the scene was constantly changing and Unity could see all those scenes in first person. The details of the scene were impable. She could tell that Shi Lang was not lying and asked, "Then how did you end up in this time? None of the cultivators should have that long of a lifetime. Right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You watch and you will see."

    The scene changed and the young man''s entire life gradually came to light, and how he managed to climb to the peak of the cultivation world, but the final twist where the spirit energy was exhausted and Shi Lang choose to save the world instead of pursuing his dream, left Unity in shock.

    She said, "Even master will not be able to do such a thing. You are worthy of a second chance."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I did not ask for any second chances, it was all fate that I managed to survive, however, I do not want to reveal all this to anyone.

    You may think of me as a reincarnation, however, my memories are intact. I do not understand much about thews of souls, so, I do not know how I survived, but I did. If this information is made public, it will create another debacle. The sensitivity of this matter can even implicate my family and friends too."

    Unity nodded and said, "You are wise enough to think this through. However, what about your other skills from the past life?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The techniques I found were mostly too low-grade or iplete so they cannot be used much. As for the knowledge of forging and alchemy, they require the resources that could not be located in the Federation."

    Unity sighed and said, "That exins why you are so eager for this alliance. You are still chasing after your goal. But what is your goal?"

    Shi Lang was stumped and did not understand what Unity was asking about when the sword spirit said, "You said that you wanted to surpass him, but then you said you wanted to live a life without regrets. Do you really think that the reason behind your weakness and slow pace was just the chances you received?"

    Shi Lang was nk and as his brain started to think, Unity said, "Take your time and think, did you really let go of your past? Did you really have no regret in your heart when you were cultivating all this time? If you cannot reach an answer, you will never be able to reopen the bridge to the path of immortality."

 Chapter 405 Bridge Of Immortality.

    Unity was surprised that Shi Lang took the initiative to mention the bridge. She asked, "How do you know about the severance of the bridge?"

    Shi Lang replied, "A few years ago, I came across a ruin. This ruin was filled with a lot of details from the ancient era of spiritual cultivation. The fascinating this is that those ruins were not located at the Federation but here, the war."

    Unity was surprised even more and instantly her spirit sense covered the entire and said, "Let''s go."

    Shi Lang understood her intent and left the ce quickly with her. Soon the two people arrived at the ruin location. The parameter was guarded strictly by military personnel. Unity and Shi Lang approached and the young man dismissed the personnel. Then he led Shi Lang inside the ruin and said, "These ruins had lots of information regarding cultivation. in these ruins I discovered the concept of the bridge of immortality. However, the knowledge about these things is still very vague."

    Unity nodded and then after an inspection of the ce she found the information mentioned by Shi Lang was engraved on the walls and the ceiling of the ruins. She said, "These are not ruins, this is a vault left behind by the civilization. However, looking at the features, I am sure this ce was raided by a few strong experts."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you tell me about the bridge of immortality?"

    Unity nodded and said, "The bridge of mortality is a realm after Mahayana. When Mahayana cultivators gain knowledge of their dao path, a bridge of these dao rules appears inside the dantian, connecting the soul sea in the second stage. The third stage of this realm is to find a door at thepletion and this door is what opens the path of immortality."

    Shi Lang nodded his head, and asked, "How did this realm got severed?"

    Unity said, "The day we were transferred to a different, the spirit beasts became victims to the change in world rules. However, the poor fellows were held back by theirck ofprehension. They were toote to understand the changes and then when an elder reached the realm of Mahayana, he found that the bridge was unable to be constructed."

    Shi Lang put up a solemn expression and said, "I do not think that I have enough knowledge to deal with the rules of the world."

    Unity rolled her eyes and said, "You think too much. Nobody is asking you to undo the rules of the world. We just need you toprehend the rules of the spirit beast world and then you pass on that understanding to the others for them to ascend."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "This is not possible. Thews of a world can only beprehended after a huge amount of time. Are you not being a bit too selfish by telling me this? Also, this bridge of immortality did not exist in the cultivation methods of humans. It was a spirit beast method."

    Unity asked, "Then what is the method that you think would be appropriate?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, I will need some time toprehend the entirety of this matter first."

    Unity sighed and said, "Fair enough. Let us go, the people might be getting anxious."

    Shi Lang nodded and then the two people left the ruins. The Terrans were all mingling with spirit beasts, but the tension in their eyes was almost tangible. Suddenly, someone spotted Shi Lang and the words spread very quickly.

    Unity looked at Moon Baley and said, "I will now take my leave, the matter has been discussed, and the rest is left for you to ponder over with him. Make sure that you all cooperate with him and provide him with everything he needs."

    Moon Baley bowed her head and asked, "Supreme Guardian please rest well."

    Unity cast a gaze upon everyone and said, "I hope you all stay true to the alliance."

    The people all bowed to Unity, all but Shi Lang. The sword spirit left the ce the same way as she has arrived, by tearing the void. Although the people were in awe of how strong this entity was, they did not know, all this disy was put up even when she had a worldw limit ced on her. If she was to exert higher strength, then she would have suffered a bacsh too.

    The elders of the beastmunity all mingled for a bit when Shi Lang was approached by Moon Baley. Shi Tao reacted as soon as she saw thisdy. She whispered, "Dad, this big sister is so beautiful."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is Senior Baley, you should address her as Elder Baley."

    Shi Tao nodded and bowed slightly as she said, "Greetings Elder Baley, you look very beautiful."

    Moon Baley smiled at the child and patted her head gently, but the next moment, her gaze fluctuated and she said, "To think, I will encounter a special physique. You must work hard to be strong, child."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "I will do it, Elder."

    Shi Lang looked at Vanessa, who was sneaking peeks at them, and said, "Vanessa, take care of Tao for me."

    Vanessa flinched but then reacted quickly. She hurriedly bowed to Moon before running away with Shi Tao. Moon saw this and chuckled, "They are very cautious."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang nodded, "Cannot be helped, they all grew up in an atmosphere where the code of conduct was simply too imposing."

    Moon nodded and then asked, "I wonder what are your thoughts over the matter discussed by Senior Unity?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I have told her that I need some more time to think. I am willing to help but the information I have is a bit too shallow to deal with something as massive as thews of a world."

    Moon nodded and said, "How about I allow you ess to the records of the citadel?"

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, "I do not mind, but will the other elders be fine with it?"

    Moon nodded and Shi Lang asked, "I have a question that has been bugging me for a long time now."

    Moon asked, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do not understand why you think that I will be able to relieve the situation?"

    Moon Baley smiled and said, "Cara scouted you by coincidence, butter your achievements and the way you paved your path were what assured us of your character. What we need is not your strength, but your character."

    ...

    Shi Lang nodded and soon the meeting came to an end. The people all retired to their beds while the spirit beasts returned to their own. The teleportation array was now established and both sides wereing up with methods for travel acrosss.

    While the governments were busy arranging smooth channels, Shi Lang sat on the ground near his bed and pondered over the question that Unity mentioned to him. The young man was going through the memories in his mind and his mind was stuck in a nk state.

    Reliving the moments that he had gone through and almost forgotten, he was trying to find what was his goal in life. Was it to live without remorse? Or was it to chase after the Emperor Supreme?

    He was very confused and after thinking about it he found that probably this was the reason why he had chinks in his understanding of the dao. Shi Tao saw her father sitting nkly on the ground and decided to wake him up. She jumped on his back and coiled her arms around his neck and asked, "Baba, what are you thinking about?"

    Shi Lang woke up and with a faint smile, he asked, "How do you know that I am thinking about something?"

    Shi Tao replied, "When mom misses you, she always sits nkly."

    Shi Lang asked with a dramatic tone, "Oh, how do you know that?"

    Shi Tao snuggled closer to him and said, "What is there to not know? It is obvious, she has a faint silly smile on her lips. All the big sisters in the ss feel pity for her."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "You know if your mother gets to know this, you will be in trouble."

    Shi Tao said while humming, "Will you not protect your princess Baba?"

    Shi Lang''s grabbed the little one in his arms and said, "You sure have be very naughty, princess."

    The two entangled with each other and then Shi Lang mumbled, "I wish I never had to think about a certain goal in life."

    Shi Tao replied, "Why have one goal? Is it taboo to have multiple goals? Can you not just achieve one goal after the other?"

    Her questions were like bombs exploding inside Shi Lang''s mind. He gulped a mouthful of saliva and said, "My darling, you are a genius."

    Shi Tao snorted and said, "You only got to know today?"

 Chapter 406 Back To Duty.

    Shi Lang spent the rest of his night cultivating after he had put Shi Tao to sleep, and Amelia arranged a group of soldiers to guard him. Thedy did not understand what it could be that made Shi Lang''s aura climb so fast.

    What she did not understand was that the young man was rectifying the gaps in his cultivation foundation. His understanding of the shura sutra was improving too. This was going to make his strength even more terrifying and the encounter with Unity today made his understanding of a sword spirit improve to another level.

    To digest all this information in addition to the relief of his burdens, the young man slipped into deep cultivation. The entire barrack was isted and guarded by multiple istion arrays. These were the suggestions made by a spirit beast expert sent by the high council of Citadel to supervise and monitor the growth and behavior of the young scions.

    Shi Lang cultivated without caring about the time, it took him ten days before he couldpletely understand everything and when he woke up from his cultivation, his aura was even more consolidated. This consolidation will enable him to jump realms to fight if needed, while he will be invincible in his own realm.

    Shi Lang was twenty-five years old this day when he managed to reach the realm of invincibility in his own realm. Thinking about this, he sensed an itch to go out and fight.

    He got up from the lotus position and came out of the barrack and looking at the istion arrays over the building he smiled faintly. At this moment, a soldier approached him and saluted with the utmost respect.

    Shi Lang looked at the guy and said, "At ease, private."

    The other party stood at ease and said, "Pardon me, Sir, I came to check because of the fluctuations in the array."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "It is alright, go ahead, I am done here, this barrack will be reinstated for general use. Do inform the administrators here for me."

    The soldier nodded and then blinked only to find that Shi Lang had vanished as if he was never there in the first ce. The soldier was frightened but then recalled the stories he heard about this man and calmed down.

    ...

    Shi Lang appeared in front of the main office building of the war after he sensed the presence of his team there. Amelia stayed here with Shi Tao, she did not want to leave Shi Lang alone when he was immersed in deep cultivation. At this moment, she was discussing the arrangements regarding the alliance with the Spirit beasts with the general council as a special advisor.

    Most of the people had no knowledge about the spirit beasts but Amelia has beenmunicating with Crystal and Moon frequently during the past few days and had a fair understanding of the circumstances of the other party. She was made aware of the bridge of immortality too but the matter was sensitive and the proposal to involve more researchers was scrapped, because the spirit beasts were sure that, research will not be sufficient to meet the goal, and at the same time more people will have more idea''s and these ideas might cause them to divert from the main path.

    Shi Lang walked into the meeting room without causing any disturbance, he found that his precious daughter was sitting in a corner, covered with an istion array and she was cultivating diligently. While Amelia was discussing a few things, he did not disturb any of them and sat down in a corner too, his movements were soft and Amelia did not detect his arrival.

    However, this made Shi Lang frown, as it seemed to him that thedy did not have spiritual awareness of what was happening around her. This couldnd her into trouble in the future if she did not develop a habit of this. He sat on the side waiting patiently for her to get done with the issue.

    Fortunately, the remote meeting onlysted for thirty minutes and when thedy was about to stretch her limbs, Shi Lang said, "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Amy."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amelia was startled and said, "When did youe?"

    Shi Lang replied nonchntly, "About thirty minutes ago, when you were discussing things about the alliance."

    Amelia put on a gaffe expression and said, "I did not notice at all, why do you walk so silently?"

    Shi Lang put up a stern expression and said, "Amelia, do you think just because your realm is higher than the rest and you defeated that person from the Spirit beast group, you are some big shot? If you do not even know how to use your spiritual sense, you are just waiting for someone to sneak up and kill you or those dear to you. Do you get the point here?"

    Amelia looked down at the floor, and she realized her mistake, thedy has not been putting cultivation very seriously ever since she reached the primordial soul realm and only when she faced Unity and the agonizing pressure did she understand what it meant to be strong, all the Mahayana level experts on the high council of the citadel had put up a humble front making her ignore the facts that those people could destroy the entire federation in a few blinks.

    Thinking about this thedy was ashamed, she had made up her mind that she will be doing her best to excel but the clerical work had made her divert from her goal. The young man watched her ming herself and did not say anything to make her feel better.

    A few minutester, Amelia said, "Lang, if I resigned from my post in the military, what will you think of it?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "If doing so will make you focus more on your cultivation, then do it. You will also have more time to interact with the experts of the beast n. They are all far more experienced in battles and have a much higherpetitive spirit than the Terrans."

    Amelia nodded and asked, "If possible, I would like to retain my position in the school, or I can just join you in your squad."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "You will have to go through the tests of the strike force and then you can join our squad, however, that ce is not somewhere Tao must go."

    Amelia and Shi Lang looked at the little girl and they fell into deep thought. Suddenly, Shi Lang''smunicator vibrated and he received a message from Jill, opening it he sighed and said, "I have to go back to report at the strike forcemand center. Something big is about to go down. If you notice any intruders in the territories around Federation, you will immediately contact the high-council of the Citadel and ask them for support in dealing with these intruders, do you understand?"

    Amelia frowned and asked, "What do you mean to say? What is happening?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am at odds with one of the big fives in the gxy and I have given them a hard blow to deal with. They might be sneaking around to strike at us. You know it well that a hidden arrow is hard to defend against than a spear in light. I will go and try to drag them into light, but you all must put up a firm guard around our home."

    Amelia understood that the matter was crucial, she nodded and bade Shi Lang farewell, then she ryed the entire issue to the general council and before Shi Lang had even left the ce with his squad, the entire federation was put on high alert.

    The young general stood inside themand bridge of the spaceship with a cold expression on his face, and he mumbled, "Since you want a war, I will give you a war that leaves behind nothing but destruction only."

 Chapter 407 War Prep.

    Shi Lang and his team sailed off through the stars to meet the Commander of the Gctic strike force, Harley Xers. The man did not say much during the ride because he knew he would face a war-like situation when he reached the Strike Force headquarters.

    It was not confirmed whether they would receive support from the strong sides or will the Gctic Strike Force try to throw them under the bus for the so-called greater good.

    The spaceship entered the wrap sequence and appeared in the periphery of the Blue star. Shi Lang said, "I hope you all stay prepared for whateveres our way. Ikeras will not let us waltz to our tunes. So, stay alert and do not reveal all your cards from the get-go."

    The squad members all nodded to him. They knew that their Commander must have sensed something. That''s why he was warning them. Jill pondered over his words and asked, "Boss, do you think those from the citadel will speak in our favor?"

    After all, the twomunities were now tied in a bond of an alliance, it was customary for her to think like this, but Shi Lang shook his head as he said, "I would rather not depend on the others for a helping hand in this situation. The alliance primarily focuses on helping each other grow stronger and not helping the other party fend off threats. At least, not until the threat is endangering the foundation of an ally."

    Jill nodded and then sighed as she said, "Boss, do you think we can survive?"

    Everyone had their ears trained at this conversation and wanted to know how Shi Lang would reply. Finally, leaning back in hismand chair, Shi Lang said, "You do not have to think whether we will survive. Instead, focus on destroying the enemy before they get a chance to kill us."

    The people nodded in agreement, they all had their pride, and if someone came to bully them, they would not hesitate to retaliate. Fortunately, Shi Lang would not take such shit lying down. As the discussion ended, the spaceship entered the docking port.

    Sonic controlled the ship and said, "Boss, it seems we are being watched."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Ignore the flies. They are mostly dogs of the Ikeras, posted to keep tabs on us."

    The people nodded, and the ship docked sessfully. Shi Lang led the ace division off the vessel, and they first sensed many gazes focused on them. Sonic said, "I can feel them from miles. What sort of scouts are these guys?"

    Sparrow replied to him, "Rookies. Ten meters to the right, one of them even has a camera focused on us."

    Shi Lang said, "Pick up the pace. I do not want to destroy them just yet."

    ...

    Harley was dealing with nine people in front of her in the top office of the Strike Force. They were all the top team leaders in the strike force. She said, "Did you all finish reading the case file?"

    The people nodded solemnly, and one of the guys said, "Boss, this thing, are you sure, is the truth?"

    Harley sighed and said, "Chad, as much as I wish for it to be a lie. But, unfortunately, it is a truth that cannot be changed. The evidence is conclusive. After the council meeting tonight, the decision will be made public, and the four upper echelons have ordered me to be prepared to take action against the used."

    The nine people nodded, and one of them asked in a calm tone, "Our teams will follow all yourmands, but what about the rest? So many people in the forces are pets to Ikeras. Do you think they will be willing to help us?"

    Harley took a deep breath and began to think. She was pondering over this question for the past few days as well. Then, just when someone was about to step in, the meeting room door was knocked, and Harley said, "Come in."

    Shina stepped inside the room and said, "Captain Ace is here with his team."

    Harley raised her head and said, "Call him in."

    Shina hesitated, but then she nodded and left the room. A few momentster, Shi Lang walked inside the room. Shina told him that the top yers were all gathered here, so he should converge a bit. Although the young man did not wish toply, he found no issues watching the show from the sidelines to gather the information before joining the fray.

    The young man saluted thedy and said, "Captain Shi Lang is reporting for duty, Commander."

    Harley nodded and said, "Take a seat and read the file I sent you."

    Shi Lang nodded and took the vacant seat on the table without any fluctuations on his face, but the people became curious about him. After all, howe this guy did not even bother to cast a nce at them? After all, who among them was not a big shot? The top nine were from the big five or the next-in-line ns. Their fame resounded throughout the gxy.

    Shi Lang read the files, and his face became incredible. He asked, "Boss, is this legitimate and not a ploy to entrap me?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Harley asked, "Why do you think I will entrap you? Have you been watching too much spy drama back at home?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No, but to think that these greedy bastards will be one in like this. So, looking at the directives mentioned, do you wish me to participate in this encirclement?"

    Harley nodded and said, "The higher-ups are adamant this time. After the next meeting, the Ikeras will no longer recognize as one of the big fives."

    Shi Lang looked at everyone and scoffed, saying, "Naive."

    The person closest to Harley''s right hand asked, "What do you mean by that?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "If you think that a n that can stand on top of the gxy for the past few hundred thousand years will not have any means to protect themselves, then you are naive. Please pardon me for being blunt."

    The person retorted, "Captain Shi Lang do you think that you are the only one who has thought about that? The Ikeras must have some sort of a fail-safe. What we are discussing is to find the ways to sabotage this fail-safe."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "The only condition they will be triggering the fail-safe would be when they are under pressure. For example, if we stop the Ikera soldiers. The only way to win this level is by misleading the enemy."

    The people raised their eyebrows, and Harley asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang stood up from his chair and said, "Boss, we need to make the Ikera big shots think that whatever is happening is only a y to calm the public opinion. This way, the people might calm down. Otherwise, we will have to massacre."

    Harley nodded, and the entire group again began interacting. Shi Lang provided input from time to time as well. After a few hours, the meeting was finished, and the teams were told to prepare for the uing battle.

    The person who had retorted against Shi Lang earlier came to his side and said, "You have a good brain, kid."

    The young Terran frowned and asked, "Why do you call me kid?"

    The man chuckled and said, "You probably do not know much about me. I am a member of the big five ns, too. Jayl is my name. I might look young, but my age is two hundred and five years."

    Surprised, Shi Lang replied, "You do not look a day above thirty, Old Sir."

    The man did not mind himself being called old and began to talk to Shi Lang about the n he had in mind. However, to his surprise, Shi Lang replied, "My method is a bit different from the rest."

    The other person nodded and said, "Keep going."

    Shi Lang replied, "The weak ones can be left alone. The real trouble originates from the strong and the wise. So, first, take out the intelligent people. Without a brain, the body of the strong will be anxious and vulnerable.

    A war is won when you know how to control your enemy. If they do not have a brain for it, even if the resources left in their home will not be able to help them against our attacks."

    The man nodded and said, "This is the best way, but how do you disable the intelligence?"

    The other captains were also listening to Shi Lang and the captain of the first team. They wanted to know if this guy was all talk or did he have any skills to back his sass up.

    Shi Lang replied, "Wrong information is more dangerous than poison. Is it not?"

    The people were shocked. This guy was a terrifying tactician. The old man raised his brow and said, "What sort of misinformation?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Sorry, trade secrets cannot be divulged.

 Chapter 408 Big Game.

    Shi Lang finished talking to Jayl and came to the office allotted to his team. The building was bustling with activity and following Shi Lang''s suggestions in theter part of the meeting. The teams leaked rumors.

    The intention was to mislead the enemy, the Ikeras. In the office space, Shi Lang said, "You all get ready; we have to hunt."

    Sonic asked, "Who is the prey?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "An ostentatious rabbit. I want to find out where the burrow is located."

    Jill said, "Boss, a rabbit has three burrows. Do you think it catching such a slippery animal will be easy?"

    The general walked over to the window in the office and said, "Nothing is easy, but we still do it. This time it will be no different from the past. Leak out the news that I have been suspended from the strike force for uninformed absence from duty."

    Ajax nodded and said, "I will see to it."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Jill asked, "Boss, does it not put you at risk?"

    Sparrow said, "It does not, Sister Jill. Boss will be on duty when attacked and haveplete authority to attack the enemy and save himself. What is the risk? I do not think many people are as strong as the boss in this gxy now."

    Shi Lang snorted and said, "Brown-nosing will not save you from training, Sparrow. Also, never growcent in your cultivation. There is always a taller tree out in the world. Understood?"

    The team nodded, and Shi Lang began to tell them about the n regarding this so-called hunt.

    ¡­

    The meetingsted for half an hour before the door was knocked, and a figure with a silver head peeped inside. Jill said, "Come in and sit in the corner. You arete."

    Theter was none other than Crystal. She did not put up any struggle and sat in the corner. Finally, Shi Lang said, "Sparrow, you will ry everything to Crystal. Now, put on the gear and dispatch ordingly."

    The people nodded and said, "Hurrah. Godspeed, boss."

    Shi Lang nodded to them and walked out of the office. Crystal was surprised and asked, "Sister Sparrow, did something happen?"

    Sparrow nodded to her and then told her the entire n. First, Crystal was surprised and then shocked to see that Shi Lang intended to y such a big hand.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang roamed around the blue star on a rental lev-bike. He could sense at least two sets of eyes locked onto his back where ever he went. Shashi wanted to apany him, but the young man told him to arrange a spaceship as he tried to go on a trip.

    Shi Lang was not moving around aimlessly. Instead, he thought about what to do once the battle started. The people were confused when they saw him roaming all over the city.

    He contacted Amelia and asked about the things back in Federation, and he found that there were no intruders for the time and the civilization was growing stably.

    Shi Lang nodded and told her about the situation briefly. Then they hung up, and the young general came to the spaceport after Shashi notified him. The ambassador had arranged a single-man vessel.

    He greeted Shi Lang and said, "Boss, this vessel can be operated by a single person. It is equipped with artificial intelligence and twin phaser cannons. The shield system of this vessel is decent but not enough to face a military fighter ss attack."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This will do, however. How fast can she go?"

    Shashi replied, "It is capable of small distance wraps."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will use it. Where did ite from, though?"

    Shashi told him the origin of this vessel, and Shi Lang nodded contently. This ship belonged to an Ikeras supplier. The young general did not tell anyone about it, but he was sure something was wrong with this ship. So, without telling Shashi about this, the guy changed into a primary space suit and boarded the spaceship.

    He was sure that even the artificial assistant must have been screwed with. After the spaceship took off, the young man started looking at the source code of the operating system of the vessel, and then without changing anything, he hacked into the system.

    He was a tech genius, too, remember? After the hack, Shi Lang found a few things that made him mumble, "You people cannot even make an effort to sabotage? Useless."

    Considering this, Shi Lang restored the artificial intelligence system and said, "Y, what is the vessel''s status?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Y was the artificial intelligence program''s name. The program replied, "Sire, the wrap core is prone to explosion. Therefore, staying away from meteor fields is advised to avoid any sudden movements. Please take the vessel to the closest Halming Ship''s service station."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What happens if a vessel crashes?"

    Y replied, "The explosion will take out everything within seven miles."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Very well, then n a course to the nearest tourism-friendly owned by the Ikeras."

    The artificial assistant said, "Course is being nned. Please wait patiently."

    Shi Lang did not say anything and just waited as he should. Soon, the ship began to fly asmanded, and Shi Lang passed the information back to his squad. The people took action instantaneously. They did not wish to expose Shi Lang to the risks of a space fight on his own.

    ¡­

    Jill was the acting captain and was directing the squad to act. However, they had been told to wait until the gctic council meeting ended. Still, Shi Lang proposed a n in their discussion that if the Ikeras took the initiative to attack an operative of the Gctic Strike Force, they would have the right to fight back.

    Harley was surprised by this, but then she nodded, and with a deep breath, she agreed to it. Of course, she did not wish to put Shi Lang''s life in danger, but since the person in question was so eager, she gave him a go.

    Jill was anxious and asked, "Ajax, where is the boss? Why have I not seen his shipe over to the radar?"

    Ajax was surprised and while sweating his said, "I have no idea, his location stopped here, he should be in this vicinity."

    Crystal was about to say something when Jill asked, "Search the star map, I want to find if there is a linked to the Ikeras in this region, or not."

    Ajax nodded and said, "Sister Jill, there is a tourism-orientated in this sector."

    Jill nodded and said, "Set course. Boss will be there."

    Crystal asked, "Sister Jill, how are you so sure?"

    Jill said, "Intuition."

    As they were speaking, themunicator on the ship rang and Sparrow epted it, she gasped a few secondster, attracting the attention of the entire squad.

    Jill asked, "What is it?"

    Sparrow said, "It was Commander Harley, she said that boss was taking a damaged ship to lure out the enemy. Thest location of the ship was tracked outside the atmosphere of Zelio, the ce mentioned by ajax just now."

    Jill nodded and said, "Calm down."

    Then she said, "Go set course and proceed at full speed."

    ¡­

    A few minutes before the Ace Division arrived, Shi Lang was entangled with a small fleet of fighter-ss spaceships. The young general decided to take the fleet inside the atmosphere of Zelio. He allowed the enemy to hit the spaceship after controlling his spirit energy to create a barrier around himself.

    Shi Lang yed it smartly and then he moved the spaceship inside the cluster of enemy vessels. The explosion took out almost the entire enemy fleet. A few leftovers were shaken away from the shockwave of the attacks.

    The nirvana realm Shi Lang had attained tempered his body to an almost invincible level. The explosion could have injured him but the man used his extraordinary strength and flew ahead of the impact zone. Still, the shockwave rattled his internal organs a bit.

    At this moment, the man was lying on the ground watching the sky filled with mes and debris. His body was uninjured but exhausted. The speed he needed to get away from the explosion was too taxing for him.

    Shi Lang raised his left wrist and then he contacted Jill, but he discovered that the signal in this ce was being blocked. The defense system of this did not attack him because he was being followed by the Ikeras forces, but if his team tried to enter the atmosphere, they will be suffering the onught of those high-tech weapons.

    So, regaining his energy a bit, Shi Lang stood up and flew into the void to locate the nearest ground station from where the situation outside the atmosphere was monitored. Only when he has that station under hismand will his team be able toe to his side.

    The battle has begun now he can go after the Ikeras without any pretense.

 Chapter 409 Stage Is Set.

    Shi Lang had taken off from the position hended after some rest. He sensed some movement in the west and was heading there. It could be the ground support units alerted by the left-over enemy that hade to search for him.

    A few miles ahead, Shi Lang spotted a convoy of lev bikes. The gear indicated that the spection was correct. Shi Lang looked at them from the skies and said, "Such a helpful enemy. God bless them all."

    Shi Lang shook his head and appeared before the lev bike closest to him. One guy controlled the bike, while the second passenger controlled the weapon to attack the target.

    The sudden appearance shocked the two people, and the pilot applied breaks following his reflex. Shi Lang had a sunny smile on his face without taking the shock of the prey into ount. He asked, "Where is the ground control station?"

    However, before the person could answer, other units discovered Shi Lang and fired their phaser guns at him without holding back. This would have worked on anyone but Shi Lang. The young man flickered from one spot to the other and left corpses in his wake.

    The shocked pilot and gunman watched the scene unfold, chills running down their spines. Even if they had been involved in killings and shady things, this was the first time they had witnessed someone this cruel.

    Shi Lang ripped the spinal cord of an enemy with his bare hands. This was shocking enough for the people. They wanted to run and scream, but the fear of being targeted by this Terran was so intimidating that their bodies did not listen to their minds.

    By the time Shi Lang finished dealing with the rest of the assants, the gunman had died from fright. The Young General approached the stunned pilot and asked, "Where is the ground control station located?"

    The pilot did not dare to dy and pointed a finger in a direction. Shi Lang followed the finger and spread out his spiritual sense. He frowned, then looking at the pilot with a cold gaze, he said, "Fine, I will do it myself."

    He ced a hand on top of the assant''s skull and performed a soul search on him. The information he extracted described that the ground control station was underground and the high-security measures they had equipped the ce with.

    Shi Lang looked at the listless man in his grasp and said, "Thank you for your cooperation."

    Then he operated the enemy''smunicator and sent a message to his team. The enemy had ess to gcticmunication, but someone with an unregisteredmunicator could not use it. After sending the message, Shi Lang left the person to die on the ground as he moved toward the ground control station.

    ¡­

    Jill was freaking out about Shi Lang when she received a message on hermunicator. After reading the message, she slumped in themand chair and said, "Sonic, hold the position. We will wait for the boss to instruct us."

    Sparrow asked in a surprised tone, "Boss has been located?"

    Jill told them about the message, and the atmosphere rxed a lot. Then, crystal thought about something and asked, "Why did we target this ce?"

    Jill smiled and said, "Aran, are you done?"

    The man smiled and said, "Yes, captain, I am done."

    Crystal was surprised, and Aran said, "Themunications are all under control. I picked up a signal a few moments ago, but it dropped before I could determine anything significant. But from now, all that they want to say, we can hear it with ease."

    Sparrow sighed and said, "I am not a good officer to ry the ns. Look at Crystal. I made her look like a doofus."

    The squad chuckled and continued to listen in and assess the situation. But, unfortunately, the messages from thisarymunication unit were directed to the Ikeras highmand, and now with the intervention of the Ace Division, thismunication was barred and manipted for their convenience.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang moved through the void at high speed and reached where the ground control station. Quickly he found at least ten phaser canons were locked onto him.

    The young man took out his handgun and then rushed out to destroy the defense system to infiltrate the station. The young man acted quickly and located the canons. Then, he shot phaser beams at the cannons while dodging the iing beams.

    ¡­

    Inside the control station, the operatives were rying the status outside to their captain. Then, finally, an operative said, "Captain, the invader has taken down the western cannon too."

    The captain frowned hard and said, "This is the fourth canon. We cannot wait inside like rats in a hole. Prepare the mech suits. I will lead the squad myself."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The operative was surprised, but then he nodded and followed themand. The captain looked at the screen where a figure was flickering from one spot to the other. The captain did not understand how this person was so fast, but he was a soldier despite the hesitations and doubts in his mind. So, the captain has decided to take action.

    A few momentster, the mech squad was ready and came out of the station. The captain said, "Go spread out in teams of two. Our priority is to defend the remaining cannons until the backup arrives."

    The people epted themand and spread through the woods surrounding the station entrance. The cannon units were covered by artificial topography created by the Ikeras, making it difficult for the enemy to locate and act against them.

    Shi Lang was not a typical enemy. This guy was utterly overpowering the logical mindset of the captain and the soldiers. The operatives could track his speed by the monitoring sensors they had spread throughout the forest. However, when they saw this young man traveling at unheard-of speeds, they thought this enemy was a sophisticated, highly efficient war robot.

    The operative in charge of the station said, "Captain, this thing is likely to be a war robot."

    ¡­

    In the warship outside the atmosphere, when Sparrow and the rest heard this, they shook their heads, and Sonic said, "Okay, they are dead.

    The rest of the people nodded, and Crystal asked, "I wonder how Boss would react if he found that the people had dubbed him a war robot."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not know that his team was having fun at his expense or would have been told to run until they fainted. The young man stopped and moved to the side as he approached a cannon unit. The phaser beam shot at him missed its target.

    The young man sighed and said, "Here, I thought it would be fast."

    Shi Lang did not wait for long and moved forward faster than before. His blurry figure vanished from the sensors. The man in charge said, "Show me the thermal imaging now."

    The junior controlled the disy and found an orange sh moving around fast. The guy on the console was surprised, and he said, "Sir, this invader is a living being. This is not the temperature of a war robot."

    The officers were shocked, but by the time they could recover, Shi Lang had reached the first team of Mechs.

    ¡­

    There were ten mechs. They were divided into five teams of two, and Shi Lang had just met the first. These guys were using the big machines, and the congested ntation around them needed to allow more room for maneuvering. However, Shi Lang was in paradise, and using his agility, the core of the mechs was destroyed before the enemy even had the time to process what happened.

    Shi Lang came out with a different mindset than sparing anyone. He was out to deal with the Ikeras and did not mind killing the entire race if he had to.

    ¡­

    After twenty minutes, Sonic said, "We are receiving amunication request from the."

    Jill nodded, and the request was epted. Then, from the other side, Shi Lang''s voice sounded, "Get down here and initiate phase two."

    Jill replied, "Sir, yes, sir."

    Then she cast a gaze at Sonic and then at Aran. Thetter nodded and said, "I have sent an encrypted message to X. He will forward it to the Federation."

    Jill nodded, and then the ship descended through the atmosphere. Aran, in the meantime, passed a message stating that Shi Lang died under the attack from the Ikeras ground control on Zelio after he suffered severe injuries in the explosion of his space vessel.

    This same message was sent to the headquarters of the Strike force. The people involved in the n were aware of what was happening, but those who knew nothing were surprised and then found something even more shocking: the demise of a new captain.

    They all found that Harley had submitted a petition, which used the Ikeras of killing a bright and upright strike force officer. So the stage was set, and the ymenced as soon as the gctic council was to pass down the order.

 Chapter 410 Art Of War.

    Shi Lang reunited with his team on the''s surface, and they began to form a n. But apart from Harley and the captains of the nine teams, none of the people knew that Shi Lang was not dead.

    While they were waiting for the n to kick into action, the entire gxy was swarming with activity. The top nine teams had started to raid the locations known as Ikera hotspots, the business was facing sanctions, and when the people caught a hint, the gctic media flocked in front of the gctic council senate building like ants around sugar.

    At this moment, four people stood before the swarming crowd of reporters and bots. They did not seem to have any guard protecting them, yet the people dared not even make a loud noise in front of them. These four people were the representatives of the big four.

    The man on the extreme left said, "The gctic council has an announcement to make."

    The man beside him said, "The Ikeras have lost the right to be recognized as one of the five high chairs of the gctic council."

    "They have vited many rules and acted secretly to harm the interest of their fellow council members. The criminal activities and the evidence have been provided to the media.", said another person.

    The media was shocked to find such a scoop, no wonder the council operatives have not been passing them any material these days. The gctic council must have ced a strict gag order on things.

    Thest man in the panel said, "The gctic council did not wish to harm the image of Ikeras, as they have contributed significantly to the growth and development of the gxy for a long time. However, after we discovered their real colors, they directly acted against the person who found significant evidence and eliminated him."

    A brave reporter raised his hand high and asked, "Sire, can I ask a question?"

    The four men exchanged a nce and then nodded to the man. The man asked, "Sire, can you tell us who the person was and his current status?"

    The only difference between the four people was their facial features which varied from species to species. Finally, the man with a small bump in the middle of his forehead nodded and said, "The person belonged to the Terran Civilization, ording to the details provided by the strike force. This person had joined them for a few months and performed several S-level tasks with remarkable abilities.

    His name is Shi Lang, and he was on vacation when the Ikeras forces attacked him. The current status of the person is determined to be missing. His team and the rest of the strike force are looking for clues to find him."

    The reporters noted the details, and all began to pass them to their colleagues. They wanted to learn more about Shi Lang, who brought down one of the big five.

    The crowd dispersed, and the four people returned to a special room in the senate designated for them. The people below them will take action to show constion and issue rewards of bravery. They did not want to focus on a guy from a tiny ce in the space.

    They sat around a table and cast a gaze at the empty chair. (Can anyone tell me where did I mention the names of the big five? I cannot find them.) Finally, one of them said, "To think these guys will harm themselves like this. How foolish."

    The rest nodded, and another guy said, "You all n to digest them or open up the spot for someone else?"

    The three people shook their heads and said, "It is too much hassle to incorporate another species on the same table. If they lost their head in the face of the mor, we would have to clean that shit."

    The people nodded. Who would want to share such a big pie that fell in theirps? After the discussion, the four people decided tomunicate with the rulers of their ns and mobilize their forces to digest the pie.

    ¡­

    In a grand pce, an old man sat on the throne, looking at the people standing below. This man was the leader of the Ikeras. His aura was superior enough to suppress the crowd with one nce.

    The man looked at the people below and asked, "What caused this?"

    The question was simple, and the answer should have been more straightforward, but the people below did not dare to raise their heads and tell the old man what had happened.

    The leader of the Ikeras waited for a bit, but when he did not receive any answer. He sighed and said, "Amilute, initiate purge and rescue. Preserve as many resources as possible, and you know what to do for these useless people."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amilute was a man waiting beside the throne. Hearing themand, he nodded and cast a gaze at the people. Then he took out his phaser gun and began firing. He did not stop, and he did not waver in his actions. These people were of no use, so discarding them was better.

    In the Ikerasnguage, Amilute meant an enved person. This man was covered in ck armor, only his eyes were visible, and these eyes had no fluctuation as if they were made of stone. The person only followed themand of those who ruled over the n.

    While the big four prepared to take action against the Ikeras, thetter had decided to take action to survive this ordeal.

    ¡­

    The federation was now exposed to the scrutiny of the gxy, and the reporters that came here to find out about Shi Lang were even more surprised to see how this race was excelling. The skills they all observed were on par with the medium to a slightly high level of civilizations in the gxy.

    They found out about Shi Lang and were surprised to see the achievements made by this guy. How he raised the level of civilization on his own, the alliances, and the actions in war. The gctic reporters were in awe.

    They wanted to find the man''s family of the hour, but they were all outside federation. So after Amelia received the message, she took the family to Nestia and the entire ss.

    They went over there in the name of special training for the children. Amelia did not want her family toe into the spotlight. She knew that if the Ikeras were really after Shi Lang, they would try to use the family as bait against him.

    Nestia caught up with the news quickly. So, when the word reached the Queen, Nexalia Neytiri, she found Amelia to talk about it.

    Thedy told her about the faux, and Nexalia replied, "Ace always has a card up his sleeves."

    The twoughed and joked about it while the Queen decided to help the guests cover up their existence in this ce.

    ¡­

    Three days passed, and Ikeras were in a bad situation. However, their home was safe. These guys were guarding an entire sr system, and no people were allowed to get in or go out. The tourists were being held hostages to reduce the pressure from the big four.

    Among these tourists was a group of people that sneaked in improperly. This group belonged to Shi Lang and his team. These guys made fake IDs and used their skills to fool the enemy guards, both technologically and humane.

    After spending a week in the sr system, they found out a lot of things. All the credit goes to Crystal. She single-handedly charmed all the officers she came through at the ports or public ces.

    While the rest of the shady dealings were made by the elites of the ace division. Even if the Ikeras had great control over the people in their sr system. They still could not prevent some disparities. Exploiting these disparities. Shi Lang and the rest found a way to hit the major government offices.

    They were going to overthrow the government. Then the strike force will step in to help the people find better representatives and maintain order in the region. The higher-ups were required to vanish because they were all too self-orientated and Shi Lang did not want to keep looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

    ...

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people sat in a room, and they all were looking at a holographic projection of a map in front of them. These maps depicted the structures and the defense measures ced in the five biggest governmental buildings on five differents.

    The n was for the team to split into groups of four and raid these five ces at the same time. While three will handle the front, one will watch their backs. This was going to be a war, and Shi Lang intended to make this n his magnum opus.

    He told the team one thing, "I do not care what you do, how you do it. But rob their vaults and find me spirit artifacts."

 Chapter 411 Plan Of Action.

    Shi Lang passed down the orders and took the team out of the hotel. He did not carry any hot weapons, and his sword rested in his spiritual tattoo. He would use his sword skills to deal with the enemies he would meet today.

    The people on his team were Crystal, Raz, and Sparrow. It was a fairly bnced team. Not only his, but all the other teams were reasonably bnced too. Shi Lang''s team was called deck one, and they were responsible for sneaking inside the home of the Ikeras, Zatarus.

    The was upied by most of the Ikeras officials and the people rted to the leading family. Even with all the security, they aimed for this to finish the ruling family and destroy their cards.

    Shi Lang was one of many at risk here. What if the Ikeras decided to take action against the federation? There was a saying that a lean camel was still taller than a dog. Shi Lang and his team were not fools to believe they could take a giant falling head-on.

    Thus, the team discussed and decided to uproot the government and kill the key yers involved. Fortunately, the shady deals they made earlier to gather intel gave them ways to infiltrate Zatarus. Every two days, a vessel transports the on-duty officials to their home so that they can change shifts with another batch.

    This was done to prevent monopoly and provide rest to the people at work. However, this left a massive loophole for people with bad intentions to exploit. The n was to use this ship to get off the current and infiltrate the different worlds.

    Ikeras knew how to live frugally. They had assigned one spaceship to pick up all the officials from their postings. Ace division was going to exploit this. They were all masters at converging their presence, and with the help of the tech experts on each team, they could get through the ship security quickly.

    Only one team of four people will be left behind to operate and wait for the decided time beforemencing the n''s final phase. Crystal was surprised by this n as the risk factor was high. They found that the ship would be making four stops after it took off from the they were on.

    During the meeting, Crystal made this doubt known to the people, and Shi Lang rolled her eyes at her as he replied, "You have forgotten that your skills allow you to hypnotize people and make them do your bidding, right?"

    This sentence was enough to sort out all Crystal''s doubts and emphasize that the sess of the n''s first phase depended on her shoulders. She was worried, and Aran showed her the security checks'' results to ease her up. They will only be found when an officer finds them with his eyes.

    Following this, Shi Lang and the rest of the people quickly infiltrated the ships. The spaceport needed to be more tightly secured. Most security personnel had been reassigned to the front or Zatarus, leaving room for exploitation.

    The ship took off and then headed to the next stop. Shi Lang and the ace division hid in the ship''s vents and storage space. These ces were lying inside the ducts when Sparrow said, "Boss, you know what this situation reminds me of?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "No, what is it?"

    Sparrow sighed and said, "I feel like a cockroach hiding in some dark corner."

    Shi Lang chuckled and asked, "Does anyone else feel like an insect in a dark corner?"

    The people gave mixed reactions, and Shi Lang said, "Well, a cockroach can survive even a nuclear st, so you all can survive this mission too. I will meet you after things are settled."

    The people rxed a lot. They understood that Shi Lang worried about them all returning safely. This was also the reason why Crystal was posted to his team. She was the weakest among the rest of the people.

    The ship quickly progressed through the sea of stars, and the first team was deployed before they knew it. After leaving the docking station, the task of further infiltration had a significant risk factor, but the people did not back off.

    Shi Lang did not say anything to them and only wished them Godspeed. The second and third deployments were also carried out without any problems. However, the spaceship was thoroughly checked on a space dock during the final drop. The officers on duty even opened the ducts to find out if anything was wrong, but his soul froze when the guyid eyes on Crystal. Thedy whispered something to him, and the person reported for the duct to be clear of any threat.

    The ship passed through the dock and entered the atmosphere of the Ikeras home, Zatarus. Shi Lang and the rest did not leave the vessel as soon as they were docked inside the spaceport. Instead, they waited for the rest of the passengers to go, and they only came out.

    It will do them no good to kill people before they even reach the enemy settlement. So, the four of them moved around quickly and avoided every surveince.

    Shi Lang and the other two waited to fly because the spaceports had all sorts of drone surveince and sensors covering the area. It took them half an hour to leave the spaceport and find a secluded ce before they could rx.

    The spaceport was a military facility. There was little movement around it. Finally, crystal asked, "Boss, I cannot fly."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I know. These two cannot keep up with my pace either. I will bring you along, do not worry. Check the status of all the other teams."

    Raz nodded andmunicated with the rest of the teams¡ªthe n''s second began when they reported an okay status.

    Shi Lang moved a few meters away from the people and pretended to be mysterious as he controlled the spirit tattoo to open and took out his sword. The crimson sword radiated an unexpected sharpness, making the eyes of the on-lookers sting.

    The young man held the sword''s hilt and caressed the de gently as he said, "Today, you can fight to your heart''s content. But I have a feeling we will meet some big shots."

    The sword trembled, and Crystal gasped in shock. But then, she said, "He did not take this sword out whenpeting against Tex."

    Raz shook his head and said, "You do not wish him to take it out. That is when he reaps lives."

    Just as they talked, the young general let go of the sword, and the de levitated in the void horizontally. Shi Lang said, "Get on."

    Then he jumped and stood on the de. The people were surprised when Shi Lang said, "Stand behind me quickly. I do not have all day long for you guys."

    Raz woke up and awkwardly jumped behind Shi Lang, followed by Sparrow and Crystal. Then he channeled his spiritual energy, and the sword moved forward quickly. As they moved, the height from the ground also increased.

    Crystal almost melted in Sparrow''s back when thetter said, "Do not worry. Calm down. Otherwise, we both might fall, and the boss will have us face the enemy alone."

    This threat made the little fox calm down. Finally, after flying on the sword for twenty minutes, theynded atop a cliff. Raz said, "They selected a nice ce."

    The cliff provided them with a good view of the estate located in the valley. Sparrow tapped her fingers on the side of her visor and let out a low whistle.

    Crystal asked, "What happened?"

    Sparrow said, "Our spiritual sense can cover the ground, but the visor allows us to scan many things that we cannot differentiate between. The entire estate has a grade S defense system."

    Crystal shrugged and said, "That was expected, was it not?"

    Raz nodded and said, "Yes, but we did not count for the Ster Defense Unit."

    Crystal was shocked now and asked, "They have an SDU? Are they not afraid of destroying themselves from the impact?"

    Sparrow shook her head and said, "That is why I said, use the visor, kiddo. This SDU is not the general one. It is a custom make one."

    Crystal gulped and looked at Shi Lang, who was gazing at the void with an indifferent look. She wanted to ask him a few things but recalled they were on a mission thest time. This indifference was scary. She took half a step back when she found that the ck hair had started to glow dimly.

    Shi Lang said, "You guys stay here. Your task is to cover me up in an emergency and kill the deserters. You will not leave anyone with a weapon or hostile gaze alive. Do you understand?"

    The three people replied, "Sir, yes, sir."

    Then Shi Lang vanished from his spot. The people only heard a loud explosion a secondter and said in unison, "Fuck."

 Chapter 412 Strength Capital.

    Shi Lang did not intend to waste a single moment in his attack. The young general vanished from his spot and appeared near the Ster defense unit that the Ikeras were so sure of.

    This SDU module was akin to a small satellite hovering and revolving around a set location. The module would always stay on standby and attack any unidentified person within range. As a delicate piece of technology, this machine was rather crude. It was said that the only way to get past this weapon was to wear a unique identification tag on your body the entire time.

    Shi Lang approached this module in a blink and then shed out with his sword without hesitation in his heart. Unfortunately, theputer was not fast enough to catch up with speed disyed by the Terran. While the algorithm was scanning the young man, the attack had already arrived, and a sharp ray of sword spirit divided the module into two parts from top to bottom.

    The result was a series of sparks and a small nuclear explosion from the core damage. Shi Lang retreated a few steps but was unharmed by the shockwave. However, this disy was enough to set off the rms in the estate, and the guards all reacted quickly. Although shocked, they were notx in duty, thanks to their elite training.

    The estate was akin to a small city. Shi Lang counted a few thousand guards aiming their phaser guns at him. They were all dressed in uniforms and had coordinated actions. The young general stood in the sky, providing them with a clear view.

    A person asked in a sonorous voice, "Do you wish to die so bad that you dared to barge here? Do you not understand what this ce is?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Graveyard of the Ikeras."

    The guards were shocked, and then they were enraged. Someone else said, "Captain Shuil, why are you talking to this maniac? Kill him and be done with it. We have other things to tend to."

    Captain Shuil nodded and said, "Listen up, you all, this guy dared to walk into our house and trampled our dignity. Show him the wrath of Ikeras."

    The guards all cheered. Shi Lang wanted to ask this man a few questions before he could get a chance. Thousands of phaser beams shed, all aimed at his location. The young general sighed and then waved his hands. The spirit energy in the surrounding materialized into a shield bubble before him.

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Futile struggle."

    The guards were shocked. The best weapon in the arsenal was dealt with in such a manner. They could never have imagined meeting someone who could stay unharmed under the shower of so many phaser beams fired at him. Shi Lang looked at the captain and found that the man had regained hisposure.

    This made Shi Lang raise his guard. Although he was not overly worried, it was better to be cautious. Better safe than sorry. The Terran vanished from his spot again; this time, he stood before the enemy captain. The other party did not even have the time to process the arrival, let alone react to the person.

    Shi Lang ced his hand on top of the captain, then performed a soul search. The guards were confused. Before the Terran could extract meaningful information, a phaser beam pierced the captain from the back of his head.

    Shi Lang frowned and looked at where the shot was fired. He found ady standing there with a sniper rifle in her hand. She did not hide from Shi Lang''s gaze and said, "Do not stop. Attack him. If you die, you will be martyred, but if you deserted, think of what will happen to your families."

    The people regained their focus. It may be despairing to fight against this monster, but for the sake of their families. The people had no other option and began firing at Shi Lang from all the angles they could find. In return, the young man countered with his fists. Evah and every punch imed a life, and a brawl erupted.

    The phaser beam was not hurting Shi Lang because his spiritual shield was more potent than anything else. As a result, the phaser beams did not affect the shield, and Shi Lang moved forward unbothered by the skirmish around him.

    The guards were not fools. They all brought out the big boys when they understood that their moves would not bear fruit, and this young man was simply the incarnation of the grim reaper. So first, the guards retreated a bit, then attacked Shi Lang with phaser nades. The attack power of a nade was ten times higher than a standard phaser beam.

    This attack method hindered Shi Lang''s progress but was insufficient to contain his wrath. Finally, after the young man was irritated enough, he removed his sword and performed a sh. The impact of the sh left a shallow ravine on the ground. A few guards who stood in the way of his attack were dead. At the same time, the rest were left with lingering fears in their hearts.

    Shi Lang then released his sword and said, "Kill."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The sword trembled and began to fly around at high speeds. It was said that des and blows do not have eyes, which was true. The sword passed through the security guards'' group, leaving a corpses trail. The scene was scary, and the people did not know what to do. When a few of them tried to look for thedy who hadmanded them, they found that Shi Lang was holding thedy by her head, and the person was twitching.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang tossed thedy aside and mumbled, "To think the Ikeras were aware of spiritual cultivation too. However, why do they allow a few people to cultivate? What a pity."

    The onught continued, and a few people in the monitoring room were covered with cold sweat. They did not understand what was going on or who this person was. Yet, in less than ten minutes, they have lost a few hundred. Then, suddenly, a technician said, "Commander, I found it."

    Then he rushed over to an old man with a tablet. He said, "This man is called Shi Lang. He is a member of the strike force, and a few days ago, this person submitted evidence against us that led to the demotion in status and the other troubles our n is facing. So, to avenge this humiliation, a strike was authorized on this guy.

    ording to the reports, this person should have died on Zelios, but he survived. The rest of his activities are unknown."

    Themander nodded and said, "You did a good job. I know what to do now. Go back to your station."

    The man left, and the oldmander said, "All units, stand back. I repeat, stand back. You all are throwing your lives away. I will deal with this person myself."

    ¡­

    On the battlefield, the security guards reacted immediately. Shi Lang noticed and stopped. He looked around, and then he smiled. The guards were ready for him to charge at them. However, Shi Lang was standing in the distance. He was not interested in dealing with these small fries.

    ¡­

    Raz was sitting on a boulder, and Sparrow was lying on the ground. Crystal looked at them with disbelief and said, "Do you two not want to work? Why are you cking?"

    Sparrow sighed and said, "Kiddo, hurry up and step into the primordial soul realm. Then, you will understand that we are not cking but watching andprehending some things from the battle over there."

    Crystal realized these people did not depend on visors to see the battle. She sighed and said, "Why do you think the guards are pulling back?"

    Raz replied, "They are not pulling back but are waiting for someone strong toe over."

    Crystal nodded and suddenly asked, "What will happen if they call for additional support?"

    Sparrow shook her head and said, "The borders of their territory are on red alert, and the moment we started infiltration. Harleymanded the top ten teams of the Strike Force to break the lines of the Ikeras forces."

    Crystal was shocked. She could not wrap her brain around this news for a few minutes and asked, "What do you mean? Sister Sparrow, why will the gctic strike force attack so openly?"

    Raz chuckled and said, "The Ikeras abducted the boss, and when we arrived to avenge our boss, they held us hostages, too. The gctic strike force cannot tolerate this and this the actions."

    Crystal understood this was all a n to frame the Ikeras and have them act against them. This way, the Ikeras will be stained on a gctic level. The action from the gctic strike force will ovee the military advantage; meanwhile, Shi Lang can execute his directives.

 Chapter 413 Blood Refiners.

    Shi Lang was unaware of the enlightenment that Crystal had just received. He stood in the center of a clearing, surrounded by thousands of Ikeras guards. Yet, his face was calm like water. He was waiting for an enemy who could challenge him. The movement of the soldiers earlier told him that someone from a higher rank woulde and face him.

    This was a courtesy he extended out of respect for the enemy. The other person must be a cultivator. Otherwise, how will hee to challenge him? Shi Lang was waiting when Sparrow''s voice sounded in his earpiece, "Boss, why are you so sure that someone wille over?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I can feel it in the eyes of the soldiers. They all show excitement and trust. It must be someone from a higher rank."

    Sparrow fell silent after this, and the wait did notst long. Shi Lang turned his head to look into the distance and found that a man was walking over calmly. The person was wearing a uniform simr to the rest of the soldiers, but he had a few more medals. Shi Lang asked loudly, "Are you theirmander?"

    Surprised, the man nodded and asked, "I wonder what purpose you might have here? Are you so sure to y against us? Do you not fear death?"

    The man tried to intimidate the young man in front of him, but the next moment, Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not scared of death if I can control it."

    The man raised his brow and then asked, "I am Carat. I will be the one who sent you to the afterlife."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Come on."

    Carat flickered from his position and arrived directly in front of Shi Lang. Then he punched the former right in the temple. The soldiers were happy that theirmander was fighting the man, and he was fast. However, all the excitement ended when Shi Lang tilted his head back and watched the punch pass by an inch in front of his face.

    Shi Lang asked, "Is that all you''ve got?"

    His tone was calm, but his eyes revealed disappointment. Carat was shocked to see this, and just when he thought about using another move, Shi Lang kicked him in the belly. The kick was simple, and it carried little force. But the contact made Carat feel like he was hit by a truck. The impact pushed him back for ten meters before he could stand straight.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Oh, body refining. No wonder you were so confident in your attack."

    Carat opened his eyes wide in shock. He did not know how to react. However, the young Terran would not give him any chance to respond either. It is only sometimes that you find such a sturdy punch bag. Shi Lang moved quickly, then punched the guy in the cheek. The impact sent Carat a few meters away, but his body bumped into the ground like a ball this time. Finally, Shi Lang clicked his tongue and asked, "Do you have someone with a better physique? I lost control in excitement and killed him."

    The surroundings fell silent. They did not expect theirmander to die with one punch. Shi Lang was thinking about practicing his thunder fist technique. Disappointed and looking at the guards, he said, "Such a letdown."

    The next moment, his sword flew again and the battlefield echoed with screams of the Ikeras soldiers. The shura sword was ruthless. It decapitated the people like chopping vegetables on a board. Shi Lang walked forward, deflecting all the phaser beams and nades aimed at him.

    ¡­

    Crystal was looking at the scene with stars in her eyes. She said, "I wish I could be that cool."

    Raz chuckled and said, "Kiddo, they are fragile. I do not think the boss will have such an easy time with people in higher realms."

    Crystal cast him a white look and said, "You are underestimating him because he never gets serious with you. Your weakness is not the criteria to measure the strength of a stronger person."

    This remark stupefied Raz, and Sparrow chuckled. But then, she said, "Indeed, did you forget him taking down twenty mechs with one sword sh?"

    The man was not having it and asked, "Then he fell into aa. That is not strength."

    Sparrow replied, "That was because he used a technique his body was not ready to use. Also, have you not heard? The more you grind, the sharper the de."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Huh, why are they stopping again?"

    The two people said, "Looks like another level boss appeared."<novelnext></novelnext>

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stopped moving and found himself in front of ady. Thisdy was beautiful. Thebat suit highlighted her figure very much. She carried a blood red colored spear in her hands. The young man looked at her and asked, "Your name?"

    Thedy replied, "Chun. You must be Captain Shi Lang they have been talking about in the inner part of the estate?"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "You seem to be stronger than themander of these soldiers. Would you like to fight?"

    He was not uncouth. A fellow cultivator deserved respect. Thedy looked at him from head to toe and said, "No, I admit defeat. Your level is far higher than mine. I can single-handedly defeat these soldiers, but you are something else."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "You will not support your n to avenge humiliation?"

    Chun spat on the ground and said, "n? My parents emptied their hearts to do things for the master''s branch, but in the end, they were killed by the right-hand man of the master. They raised and trained me toplete the missions that bought them a fortune. Yet, I am asked to kneel for a five-year-old because I stopped him from stabbing his opponent to death while sparing?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "What can I do with this information? What do you want?"

    Chun looked at him and said, "I wish you to destroy the main house. You can go and kill anyone who stands in your way. Allow me to leave this ce. That is all."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "The temptation is not enough. How will I know that you will not stab me in the back? I will never trust an enemy¡ªespecially the one betraying her kin. So either you tell me the truth. Or you go to re-unite with your parents."

    Chun clenched her jaw, and looking around at all the soldiers, she rxed and asked, "Are you sure you will be able to handle the truth?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Try me."

    Thedy nodded and said, "The Ikeras main family can maintain theirmand because they use a forbidden cultivation method. This method is called¡­."

    Before she could finish her words, Shi Lang moved and appeared behind her. He smacked away a phaser beam heading right at the back of the girl. The girl was surprised when she heard a calm voice, "Go on, what is this method called?"

    Chun was about to reply when a cold voice sounded, "Treacherous bitch. I knew we should have refined you like we refined your parents."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and asked the shocked woman, "Blood refinement?"

    Chun was shocked, and the person who attacked her was even more shocked. The former nodded, and then Shi Lang''s aura changed. The young Terran said, "No wonder I smelled something peculiar. Chun, do you also use this method?"

    Chun shook her head, and the man in the distance said, "Only the main family can cultivate that method. But, humph, if we gave that method to any cat and dog raised in the n, will they not think highly of themselves."

    Shi Lang raised his hand, and the Shura sword flew over tond in his grip. The young man said, "This is reason enough."

    Then his hair began to glow crimson, and the man flew into the void. Finally, he located the man who was speaking just now. Then he looked at his sword, which was dripping with blood. He said, "Come, let you deal with some scum of the cultivation world."

    The man in the distance was enraged, but the next moment he found that the world began flipping. His head was taken off without even giving him a chance to react. Shi Lang began to walk ahead in the void.

    The surviving soldiers shivered, and they fell to the ground. They were scared; this young man was not strong but a demon. Shi Lang was heading toward the inner estate where the main family resided. He wanted to deal with these blood refiners first. Others might not understand, but Shi Lang, who suffered a terrible loss in his past life did. If there was a kind of cultivator he hated the most, that would be blood refiners.

 Chapter 414 Vengeance.

    Shi Lang walked toward the inner estate, and his aura climbed and condensed with each step. His mind was overflowing with the memories of his past. These memories buried deep inside his consciousness brought out the change in his aura.

    The people around him were in shock. Some ran away, while some had directly released their bowels on the spot. A few had fainted from the pressure radiating from Shi Lang. He was death incarnated. At this moment, anyone in front of him will die.

    Chun followed him and felt that the person before her had changedpletely. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but she did not have the guts to disturb him in this state. She calmly followed him.

    ¡­

    Crystal asked, "Boss is emitting a baleful aura. What is it?"

    Sparrow and Raz shrugged. They exchanged nces but did not know what was going on. Shi Lang had rarely lost control of his emotions. The more enraged he was, the more indifferent he became, but this time, things seemed different. He was not angry but emitting a feeling of hate.

    They could sense it for some reason. Their captain was different from the way he usually was.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang recalled an incident. During his journey of cultivating, he yearned for a family. However, between power and love, he could only choose one. If he did not have the ability, the chaotic society would one day swallow him and his loved ones.

    One day after he broke through to the primordial soul realm, he returned to his hometown and found that his home was now a residence of a young child. However, this child was also an orphan and very optimistic and loveable. The people in the vige did not recognize him and thought some immortal cultivator had taken a liking to the secluded house. They wanted to remove the child, but Shi Lang refused and said, "I can use some noise around here."

    The girl was nine years old. Her name was Ling. She took care of things around the house. Shi Lang liked her and took her as his sister. His boring life gained some color. He would spend his time ying with Ling and teaching her various things he saw on the way.

    Gradually six years passed, and Ling learned cultivation from Shi Lang. The girl was lively, and one day she said, "Big brother, I want to go and join a sect."

    Shi Lang was surprised and reluctant; he told her to follow by his side, but Ling did not listen. Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine, but you must carry amunication talisman. If you are in danger, you will contact me without any dy. I do not care if your sect elders woulde or not. Okay?"

    Ling hugged him with a big smile on her face. Shi Lang sent her away and received news that the Holynds of the world hadunched a campaign against the blood-refining cults. He also left the town. His hometown was left untouched by the initial struggle, and soon the entire world knew about the campaign.

    One day while Shi Lang was finishing his raid on a hideout of the said refiners. He found a corpse, and his knees went limp. Hisrades saw this and asked what had happened. Shi Lang knew that the corpse belonged to Ling. The body was drenched with everyst drop of blood.

    She was still holding onto a piece of talisman that he gave her. He was old enough to know that nothing could bring her back now. The corpse was there for a few days when he discovered it. He told the story to hisrades, and the people felt sad for him.

    The world of free cultivators was like that. They would share your joy but sorrows. Everyone carried a fair burden to lend others a shoulder to cry on. Shi Lang investigated the matter and found that the sect Ling had joined was in cohorts with the blood refiners.

    He destroyed the entire sect with hisrades and suffered severe injuries. However, none of the people were allowed to run away. The alliance noticed this and asked him to select a reward for his contribution, but he declined the offer saying, "I did it all for my sister."

    Then he left the ce and spent a few years getting over it. Then, when Chun mentioned blood refiners, he recalled Ling''s face¡ªher smile, voice, big sparkling eyes, and then her dried corpse. The rage he held back in his past life erupted at this moment.

    Thinking about this, he picked up his pace, and his sword flew around with a sharpness like never before. Shi Lang did not wish to spare anyone from the inner estate. They all deserved to die whether they practiced blood refining or not. Those who imed they did not cultivate by refining blood still watched the main family kill their people.

    In such conditions, they did not revolt. They were not worthy of being called family or even a n. The inner estate was surrounded by high walls and mounted with phaser cannons. Shi Lang was not afraid. He walked ahead, his head held high and his back like a spear.

    He grasped the void, and his sword flew back into his hand. The young man shed his sword twice, cutting a triangle in the wall. They still needed to reach the ce. Chun shouted, "Watch out for the cannon fire!"

    Shi Lang shed his sword with a backhand action, and the spirit energy concentrated on the de''s edge shed out into a visible de. The spirit de hit the cannons facing them, and all were chopped from the center.

    The soldiers manning the cannons were the same. They were shed from the center. Shi Lang walked through the opening. Chun hurriedly followed him, but she sucked in a cold breath. In front of Shi Lang stood the elites of the inner estate.

    However, before deciding what move to make, Shi Lang looked at them and said, "Lightning dragon strike."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He manipted the spirit energy, and then the clear skies were covered with ck clouds. The ck clouds rained and were followed by lightning. Then under Shi Lang''s control, the lightning seemed to have grown eyes, and it struck the elites.

    Shi Lang walked ahead and said, "I will use the blood of the Ikeras to temper my sword."

    Shi Lang''s voice was not loud but echoed throughout the estate. Finally, the young man approached the injured or almost dead elites and said, "Go."

    His sword seemed to have be even more spiritually awakened. It stabbed the people in their brows one by one and absorbed their blood. Chun was shocked and said, "You are a blood refiner too?"

    Shi Lang turned around to look at her. When Chun saw his eyes bleeding, she was shocked, and the young man said, "My sword needs to refine spirit energy, these people have it, so I am taking it. They are not good people to be left alive anyhow."

    Chun asked, "Your eyes, are you okay?"

    Shi Lang nodded and turned around to keep killing people.

    ¡­

    Harley stood on the control bridge of a space fleet and said, "Commence attack, do not let the enemy go back and support Zatarus."

    The message was ryed to the nine fleets, whom allmenced an attack on the enemy guard fleet. Harley said, "Shin, contact team ace and tell them to finish it in a few hours."

    Shin gulped and said, "Boss, they have taken down three government offices and are awaiting extraction. There are twos where the battle is ongoing."

    Harley was shocked and said, "These guys surely do not like to waste time."

    Shin nodded and said, "I have a report from Zatarus. It seems that Shi Lang is leading the charge on his own. He is killing left and right. None of the people who make up for the main force of the Ikeras are left out."

    Harley did not seem bothered by it and said, "About time these people are dealt with."

    Shin said, "Boss, we have some other data too."

    Harley looked at her adjutant with a questioning nce and asked, "What is it?"

    Shin handed her a tablet, and the more Harley read, the more she shivered. Finally, Shin said, "It is suspected that Ikeras know the secret methods used by the Heavenly Fox n. However, this method differs from what the Heavenly fox n had told us.

    Cara Balley mentioned that there are methods that can provide immense strength but at the cost of the practitioner''s soul and conscience. What shall we do with this data?"

    Harley did not think for a second and said, "Everyst byte of it. Destroy it. This data and knowledge can create chaos in the hands of some power-hungry maniac. It should not be allowed to exist. Do you understand? Not a third soul must know of this."

    Shin nodded.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang approached a luxurious pce holding a blood-red sword and said, "Come out, scums. Or shall I walk inside to reap your lives?"

    At this moment, a de passed through Shi Lang''s torso, and he found a man in a ck cloak standing before him, staring back at him with indifferent eyes.

 Chapter 415 End Of Ikeras.

    Shi Lang looked the man right back in his dull eyes and smiled. The man in the ck robe did not show any emotion in his eyes and twisted the de while it was inside Shi Lang''s body. Chun saw this scene, and her eyes opened wide.

    She did not expect Amilute, the ve to the Ikeras throne, to be this strong. Every generation will have one and only one Amilute. These people were training so brutally that they would keep fighting even if their heads were removed. However, this man was vital to the point where he killed Shi Lang, and thetter could not make even sense.

    Shi Lang had been killing people like weeding grass from a field, and his strength was something that Chun was shocked to see now that she had betrayed the n and the person she relied on was killed. She was worried that she might suffer worse than death. Thinking about this, she had just decided to suicide when she found Shi Lang''s hand grabbing Amilute''s neck.

    The enved person still did not show any emotion in his eyes. But Shi Lang did not care; his fire for vengeance had turned him into a beast, but this attack calmed him down. The young man grasped the enemy''s neck and began to squeeze it. On the other hand, Amilute drew his phaser gun and aimed it at Shi Lang''s head.

    He wanted to pull the trigger but found that his body had no sensation. Shi Lang emitted sword intent from his eyes, sharp enough to chop the hand clean from the shoulder. The young man said, "I can tell that your soul is dead. They tormented you from a young age and then made you a machine that follows orders andpletes every task thrown at him. However, you chose the wrong target this time. You have my sympathy."

    Shi Lang did not use any of his shura sutra techniques. Instead, he just released the pent-up Sword intent in his body, and Amilute was reduced to shreds of flesh and bones. Chun was shocked to see this. However, on the floor, Amilute''s eyes were brighter. Death was a chance to free himself from this cruel life.

    Shi Lang ignored this and stepped inside the pce. He could sense every person inside this ce, even those trying to run from the secret escape routes. So he used hismunicator and said, "You two, get to work. If any one of them survives. I will kill you, and I am not joking."

    ...

    On the cliff, Raz and Sparrow stood up in a snap. They were able to sense the chill in Shi Lang''s voice. They were shocked. The boss may have threatened them with more brutal training or sadistic methods, but he never said he would kill them. However, these people could make him say such a thing. It meant that the matter was serious.

    Thinking about this, Raz and Sparrow told Crystal to hold the position as they flew away with their spirit sense covering the area to look for any escapees. They had their orders, and they were willing to follow them.

    Shi Lang was not someone, who would get angry quickly, but he was not someone who would let go of them in the name of team spirit.

    ...

    Chun looked at Shi Lang, the de sticking out of his torso, and said, "Do you not want to take that de out?"

    The young man said, "It is about time."

    Then he took out the de with his hands, and the wound was sealed. A few drops of blood had fallen on the ground, but he was not reckless. Shi Lang said, "The progress is too slow."

    Then the blood on the ground squirmed. Chun watched as the blood drops moved and formed bigger puddles. She shivered from shock and feared that this guy was a blood refiner. Shi Lang could sense her difort but did not care about it. People will always see what they want to see.

    The blood puddles gradually squirmed into clone avatars. Shi Lang said, "Find and kill anyone you see, and I mean anyone."

    The clones nodded and left the ce. There were three clones. They covered the three directions of the pce while Shi Lang moved toward where he located the strongest enemy¡ªthe central meeting hall.

    ...

    Only one person sat on the throne in the meeting hall, looking at the door. This old man was the leader of the Ikeras n, Rakth. He could sense someone very strong moving towards him. Rakth was confident in his strength, and so he waited. Hemanded the younger generation to leave the pce to avoid the enemy.

    He stayed behind to discover if he could win over this enemy and restore his n without changing homes. He was very patient, sensing the deaths of his people his eyes did not fluctuate, nor did he show any anger.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When he was anticipating how strong his enemy was, the entrance door to the main hall was kicked open. The hinges came undone, and the wood turned to dust. This surprised the old man, and he spotted Shi Lang walking inside with his hair radiating a dim crimson glow.

    The old man stood up from his throne and said, "Wee, to the Ikeras home."

    Shi Lang did not respond and shed his sword at the old man. He was not in the mood to talk and grow familiar with this bag of bones. However, the old man was not shocked by this sudden attack, and his body flickered to a different ce.

    Shi Lang replied, "I am Shi Lang. Now, let us not waste any time."

    The old man was surprised by this and said, "I am Rakht, and I agree with you."

    Rakht moved from his ce, and holding a blood-red sword, he shed at Shi Lang. Thetter parried the attack with finesse. However, Shi Lang returned the gesture with a quick backhand sh, and his attack grazed the enemy''s chest.

    Rakht was surprised andmented, "To think I will meet a sword master. You are indeed a talent."

    Shi Lang did not bother with the exchange of pleasantries. He kept on attacking. His hands were stable, and his breathing was regted. Rakht frowned and tried to talk with the guy several times, but his tricks did not work.

    Thinking about this, the blood refiner began to use w attacks and kicks in his sword attacks. The attacks were made at such a time that anyone else would have already died. Shi Langplimented, "You do have the skills."

    This remark came when Rakht had given up all hopes of getting any response from Shi Lang. This stunned the old man, and Shi Lang exploited the chance, casting the strongest illusion on his enemy.

    Rakht was thrown into a world of illusion where he fought with thousands of Shi Lang. However, his physical body was still moving and attacking Shi Lang. The young Terran said, "To think a blood refiner in this era will achieve the realm of the primordial soul and use the soul-splitting technique. Very interesting."

    Rakht looked at Shi Lang and spoke with a stammer, "How do you know?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "I have seen enough of you, scum, and I have killed so many blood refiners that I have lost count. However, this hatred inside me is still lit. No matter how many lives pass, it might never die down. Your kind took away someone very precious to me once. I will take everything from your kind, everything."

    Thest word was spoken out loud. Shi Lang rushed at the old man. He gave up theid-back attitude and exchanged blows with Rakht. The impact of the attacks left cracks in the walls of the meeting hall. The glorious hall iid with valuable gems and stones was crumbling to the might of the two people.

    Rakht was utterly overwhelmed. Left with no choice, he let out a roar, and his blood circted faster. His attack power and speed increased by tenfolds. Yet, he was only able to defend himself with great effort. Shi Lang did not hold back, and he disarmed the person with a quick sh at the enemy''s wrist.

    Then he stopped and left his sword levitating in the void. Shi Lang watched his enemy staggering backward. The young man walked towards him slowly and said, "The end of your n is something that you bought upon yourself."

    Rakht chuckled and said, "Do you think you can win anything by killing me? Come try and see if you can."

    As he said this, Rakht''s body began to morph into drops of blood. Shi Lang sighed, and in a blink, he appeared before the bloody mist cloud. Then his fist entered the mist, and he discharged lightning from his fist.

    A wail rang out from the blood mist. Soon, the mist reshaped itself and Rakht''s old body appeared in front of everyone. Shi Lang gazed down at the old man and said, "I will not let you die so easily. You have to suffer for a long time to earn your death."

    As he was speaking, Shi Lang revealed a smile on his face, this smile bought out the fear in Rakht Ikeras. This smile signified the end of a big n.

 Chapter 416 End Of The Battle.

    Shi Lang destroyed Rakht''s dantian with a punch and looked at Chun, who was watching all this from a side. He said in a calm voice, "Do you know where the spaceport is located?"

    Chun nodded mechanically, and Shi Lang said, "Lead the way."

    Chun nodded and hurriedly led the young terran to a spaceport inside the pce. Shi Lang was dragging a semi-conscious Rakht behind him. The old man''s body was frail without the support of spiritual energy inside his body. The proud leader of the Ikeras n was being dragged like a mopping cloth.

    Shi Lang did not spare him any dignity; his eyes did not flinch when Rakht whimpered from the pain. Instead, his steps were calm and firm. Chun could not help but ask, "What did you mean when you said that no number of lifetimes could calm your hatred against the blood refiners?"

    Shi Lang looked at her with crimson eyes and said, "Sometimes curiosityes at a heavy price. Do you want to make a deal?"

    Chun was scared and shook her head like a rattle. She led Shi Lang to the spaceport, and the young man said, "To think Ikeras even covered the ce with runes to prevent spirit detection, interesting."

    He turned to look at Rakht lying at his feet and asked, "What are the passcodes for your ship?"

    The old man did not open his mouth and stared at Shi Lang with hatred. The young man smiled and asked, "Are you bitter because your cultivation is lost? Do you wish to kill me?"

    Rakht was a person with arrogance instilled in his bones. He said, "Yes, I want to kill you. What can you do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I do not wish to obtain any knowledge or data from you. However, let us y a game since you want to do something."

    As he said that, the young terran let go of Rakht and stepped hard on his shin. A click was heard, and Chun shivered while Rakth wailed in pain. His body was exhausted, and he did not have the energy even to struggle.

    Shi Lang chuckled, crouched in front of the wailing old man, and asked, "I have heard of methods that allow one to extract the multiple souls cultivated by blood refiners. How about it? Would you like to cooperate and satisfy my curiosity?"

    Chun was confused, but when she saw the horrified look on Rakth''s face, she was assured that whatever Shi Lang wanted to do. It was not a good thing. Under her watch, Shi Lang grabbed Rakht''s head and ced his index finger on the old man''s brow. The process seemed very trivial. However, this was a way for Shi Lang to grab hold of the multiple souls inside Rakth''s soul sea.

    Imagine an ind full of fireflies. That is Rakth''s soul sea. The fireflies are his cultivated multi-souls. They have not yet matured, but creating a dozen would mean that the man must have spent a long time working on it and suffering the agony of dividing a soul. So now Lang channeled his full-grown primordial soul inside the enemy''s soul sea. Then he caught one of the dragonflies in his palm and took it away.

    Dividing a soul would cause pain. If the will was not strong enough. The practitioner will end upmitting suicide. Shi Lang had directly reaped apart the bond between the souls. The connection was so crucial that if one of them were forcefully removed, the person would feel like his spine was reaped out of his body.

    Shi Lang had done that, and Rakth did not wail after the first few seconds. The old man was in cardiac arrest. After grabbing the dragonfly, the young man revived the Ikeras leader.

    Rakht was stuck in a daze when he woke up. In a few blinks, he regained his senses, and his body twitched wildly. It was like he was going under again. Shi Lang smiled and said, "You must have lost the habit of suffering such pain, right?"

    He opened his fist, and a tiny firefly appeared floating over it, and Shi Lang said, "I will now perform the trick called soul search."

    Rakth opened his eyes in shock, and then, before he could recover from the pain in his head, another wave of pain washed over him, and the effect was anything but pleasant.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at Chun and said, "You have another task, and then I will give you freedom."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Chun nodded and asked, "What can I do?"

    She would be a fool if she missed such an opportunity. Her image of Shi Lang had changed entirely, and she wanted to connect well with him. He was the strongest person she had evere across. Shi Lang took down the glorious troops of the Ikeras and killed the entire main lineage. This person was someone she wished to follow.

    Shi Lang could read her thoughts like an open book and said, "I want you to guard this guy here while I go raid the vault."

    Chun was about to nod when Shi Lang said, "This guy is almost dead. I have been sustaining his life by channeling my spirit energy through his vital organs. Can you do this?"

    Chun was surprised and realized that Shi Lang was not joking when he said that the family leader had to suffer, and nodded in eptance. Shi Lang left the spaceport. The vault was also among the ces that were hidden by rune casting.

    This method created a fog of spirit energy, so in the spiritual senses of a person, this area looked like a ball of cloud. So, Shi Lang came out to explore these areas. There were three such ces inside the pce, except the spaceport, and he wanted to know what they were.

    Upon exploration, Shi Lang found a dungeon where a few unfortunate people were being kept. He could judge from the equipment; these few girls were all used as blood cattle. Someone the old perverts acquired blood from. Their nerves had been destroyed, and their consciousness was also damaged permanently.

    Shi Lang contacted Harley. He did not wish to take these deaths on his conscience and told her the dungeon''s location. Thetter told him she would inform the sweep team to be careful, and they would take care of it.

    Shi Lang did not tell her the vault''s location and emptied the entire thing with a value of nine hundred trillion credit units. This was the main vault of the pce and not the secret stash set aside by the pirates. The young man circled the pce and found Sparrow and Raz had alsoe inside the pce.

    They both had some minor injuries. They both appeared in front of Shi Lang outside the spaceport. The two saluted him and looked at Chun, who supported the old man with great effort. Shi Lang said, "Raz, keep him alive."

    The man nodded and took over from Chun. Shi Lang said, "If you think that killing all these people was a crime, then you cane at me anytime you want."

    Chun shook her head and said, "I cannot thank you enough for releasing the bounds set on me. It is not that I have not tried to run away, but they had a good measure against that possibility. So, thank you for giving me a new life."

    Shi Lang nodded. His indifference had vanished. After he disabled Rakth, his rage slowly calmed down. He asked, "Where will you go after this?"

    Chun thought briefly, then shrugged her shoulders and revealed a sad smile. Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can take out the fastest ship in this hangar and go to the Federation. In exchange for your services, I will intercede with my people and provide you with asylum. What do you think?"

    The girl thought about it, then nodded with a faint smile. Shi Lang said, "My wife will arrange your job. Now, let''s go. Also, Sparrow, make sure to pick up Crystal."

    Sparrow nodded, and then the spaceship flew away. Finally, when the ship left the atmosphere, Chun shed a few tears of sadness. Crystal was unaware of her story, but she could tell that it was not her ce to console the person.

    ...

    The fives were dealt with smoothly and all the officials were killed, along with their families. The task to deal with children was left to the sweep team. Ace division was cruel but not without a heart. They could not bring themselves to kill children without any reason.

    Shi Lang and his team regrouped inside the spaceship but they did not meet as the team could hear heart-shaking screams. The shura was having a good time with his new toy. A few hourster, Shi Lang and his team arrived at the fleet battle region and Jill decided to regroup with the Strike force.

    They will see what to do from there. The assignment hase to an end.

 Chapter 417 Aftermath.

    Shi Lang and the team regrouped, and Harley asked them to dock the ship at a space station they had secured to act as their false base of operations. The ace division had no problem, and they approached the station.

    When everyone was fidgeting about how to face the strike forcemander, Shi Lang walked out of his yroom with a faint smile and said, "Oh, why the gloom? Did we notplete this task in style?"

    Sparrow replied casually, "Boss if I told sister-inw that you came out smiling after torturing someone, what would she think?"

    Shi Lang red at her and put away the smile. Instead, he said, "What is the gloom for?"

    Jill said, "Boss, the Commander wants to do a debriefing. What do we do?"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "What else can we do?"

    He confused the ace division because they had raided the vaults, and all those scenes must have been recorded in their body cams. They were not allowed to take it off when on missions. Shi Lang said, "Do not worry, the body cams can record it all, and you can report it all to the department, but the wealth will stille with us. What do you think, this amount will even attract the attention of the big four?"

    The people realized something. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Sonic, dock with ease. I have everything under control."

    Sonic nodded; the spaceship docked with the station, and the people entered. Shi Lang dragged the old leader of the Ikeras n like a dog. The people in the strike force had all seen pictures of this man, but at this moment, they were shocked. They could note up with words to describe this scene.

    Shi Lang did not care about the gazes and walked with his head held high. A high-ranking Ikeras officer saw this, and his fists clenched. He could not stand this humiliation even if this man were defeated in battle. He was the leader of a great n. The Officer stepped ahead and said, "Captain Shi Lang, can you treat this prisoner with some respect? If not for his status, be mindful of his age."

    Shi Lang stopped and said, "Officer, do you know your rank is below me? So first, you do not qualify to suggest me anything. Secondly, you mentioned the age of this person. Well, allow me to tell you that in my eyes, every criminal and sinner is the same, regardless of age or status. You would think the same if you knew what they were doing."

    The Officer was stumped and wanted to say more when a feminine voice sounded, "Private Chald, step back."

    The Officer looked to the side and found Harley walking over with her adjutant, Shin. The private nodded and stepped back. Harley asked, "Shi Lang, what is all this?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Commander, what if I told you that this perverted old man loved to bathe in the blood of his nsmen? What if I told you that inside the dungeon I discovered, there is a pool of blood and a data registry of who and how many people bathe in it?"

    The crowd gasped, and Harley was shocked. She did not expect this guy to disclose it all to the public. She wanted to tell him to stop, but Shi Lang said, "You do not have to stop me. The main family of Ikeras was notpassionate. They always used their n members for their benefit and perversions. Boss, do you not think that the righteous soldiers of the strike force need to know what sort of horror they are up against?"

    Harley could not spot any loopholes in his speech and said, "Yes, I get what you mean. I did not n on barring this information, but there is a procedure to bring things out in the public eye."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You overthink stuff like this, Boss. Do you think these brave men and women in the strike force do not have any sense of measure? Do not underestimate their spirits of justice."

    Then without waiting for thedy, Shing turned to the Ikeran private and asked, "Officer, even after hearing what this man and his offsprings did to your people, you will treat him with respect?"

    The man shook his head while staring angrily at Rakth. Harley held her forehead and said, "Take him to the prisoner hold, and Captain Shi Lang,e along."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed themander after handing over Rakth to a cell chamber personnel. Shin took away the rest of the team while Shi Lang came to a room where Harley red at him and said, "Did you think it is good to step on my head? Remember this, Captain Shi Lang. You are nothing but a soldier under mymand. You will never act out of your ce again."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang saluted her and said, "Yes, boss."

    However, his words did not match the smirk on his face. Harley looked at the room; this was her office, and a few articles were ced on the table. Then, Harley picked up a crystal ball and smashed it at Shi Lang. The young man captured the ball and said in a calm tone, "Calm down."

    His tone was low, but the chill it carried was something that Harley had never sensed before. Shi Lang said, "Do not think I care about the designations you have. The strongest always holds the chain ofmand, and you are not strong enough tomand me. I am very low-key and do not wish to attract unwanted attention. That is why I follow all themands. It is because they are all in my interest."

    Harley could not believe this was the goofy Shi Lang. The young terran walked up to a port hole and, looking outside, said, "I have transferred you a list of things I found while interrogating Rakth. You can send out teams to confirm this. In exchange, I will keep all the stash me and my team gathered from the five vaults."

    Themander sensed hermunicator vibrate and checked the messages. She looked at the back of the young man and immediately assigned a few scout teams to scout the locations and verify the facts. Then, she said, "I must discuss this proposal with the high senate."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do not wish to attract any attention to myself or the federation, so please do things with that in mind."

    Harley nodded and imagined that Shi Lang might kill her brutally if she failed. Thinking of those scenes sent shivers down her spine. Finally, she shook her head, woke up from the imagination, and said, "You can rest in the quarter rooms on the station."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the ce with calm. He had subjugated themander with his aura. Now he did not need to worry about anything. The imagination Harley had was something Shi Lang cast by his illusionary eye.

    ...

    It took three days for the entire mess to calm down, and the scout teams also sent back reports that the location of the spots was correct and that they had discovered vast amounts of wealth stored in these locations.

    The high senate was not willing to chill the hearts of the team that dealt a significant blow to their old ally and helped them grow their strength to another level. So, they let the ace division keep the wealth they found in the Ikeras home.

    Shi Lang was happy to ept and then resigned from the strike force and his team. The reason stated was to travel the space with his family; after all, this wealth should be used somehow.

    Harley was surprised, and after much thinking, she rejected his resignation and said, "You and your team can go on a long leave, but I would like to reserve the right to call you back to duty if the need arose."

    Shi Lang nodded to this, boarded the ship, and left the Ikeran Territory. The Ace division still could not believe what happened, and Jill said, "Boss, you made a loss. We could have handed over this wealth and raided those ces ourselves."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Do you think the old fogeys in the big four are fools? They would have tracked us if they had only received this much wealth. Also, who said I made a loss? Did I tell you all that I also found out about ten spirit stone mines?"

    The people were shocked and Crystal opened her eyes wide, as she jumped into the void and said, "Yay, we are rich."

    Shi Lang looked at her with amusement and said, "Howe you are involved with us? Are you not a spirit beast?"

    Crystal pointed her finger at him and asked in a shocked voice, "Boss, you are trying to burn the bridge after crossing it?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "If that helps me save money."

 Chapter 418 Shocking The Council.

    After Shi Lang left the Ikeran territory, the team headed straight to the Federation. The spaceship was very advanced, and it took them a few hours to traverse the gxy. This might not have been possible for normal humans. Their physiques were tempered to the limits. Otherwise, they would have to rest after every round of hyperspace jumps.

    Shi Lang sighed as the spaceship entered the Federal war atmosphere and said, "I wish to reach the realm of Mahayana."

    Jill asked, "Why do you sound desperate, boss?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Oh, the realm of Mahayana is not only thest hurdle before crossing into the realm of an ascended mortal but also allows the practitioner to travel through space while wrapping the void."

    This casual statement shocked the team, and Sonic said, "To think a human body can do that. Damn."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "If I told you that the entire high council of the Citadel is capable of doing that, what would you think?"

    The people gulped and nced at Crystal, who raised her chin slightly. Then, Shi Lang said, "Sonic, hurry up. Your sister-inw will be arriving soon."

    Sonic nodded, and the shipnded. Shing said while the team followed him, "Jill, arrange a meeting with the secret divisions. I want them to undertake this mining. Also, Crystal, tell the seniors in the high council if they agree to help with the cover-up, we will leave two mines at their disposal. I do not know the quality of the spirit stones mined. So, you know?"

    Crystal replied, "Rest assured, boss, I know what to do."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the team approached the pre-arranged barracks. Chun was following them with a confused gaze. She looked around and could not understand why was a team from this primitive sr system able to defeat the proud Ikeran forces like they were insects.

    Shi Lang could sense her emotions, but he did not say anything. He didn''t need to say anything. It will all unfold in due time. The team entered the barracks, and they all took showers and rested. When Shi Lang contacted Amelia, thetter told him they would arrive six hourster.

    Shi Lang took this time to sit down and sort out his thoughts. The burst of emotions earlier and the discovery told him that in this gxy or the universey a possibility that blood refiners still lived. He did not know how the Ikerans discovered the blood-refining techniques, but they did. So if those techniques had been provided to them by some external source, there was a chance that they mighte after Shi Lang.

    The young man could not do much about that but only faced the threats head-on. However, if the blood-refining sutras were discovered from some ruin, then it meant the war all those ages ago did not manage to erase the scourge sessfully. Shi Lang did not want to spare a thought that any blood refiner survived in the Federation. It was not suitable for the uing era of change.

    While Shi Lang was pondering, he devised a countermeasure for this.

    ...

    Six hourster, Amelia and his familynded on the war. His parents were given the status of visitors. They will have to leave for the Federation after a few hours. They were allowed to stay on a dedicated to the service members because of Shi Lang and Amelia.

    Shi Lang introduced Chun to Amelia and told her what needed to be done, and thedy agreed to help Chun. Since thedy had experience teaching and was strict, she would be a good fit for the FSA. This way, she can share her knowledge with the students and give them a better prospect of the gxy.

    Chun was slightly dissatisfied when Shi Lang told her her task was more than just guiding the students. She was sent there to protect them and locate even more talented people. Chun said, "Sir, I am not nearly strong enough to deal with the soldiers on this base. I do not know what is making you all so strong. I also know about spiritual cultivation. However, against these soldiers, I will notst ten moves. How can I protect anyone else?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "That is because your past has always haunted you because you always thought you were inferior. The Ikeran main family made people feel inadequate so that they could control their thoughts at a subconscious level. What makes you think that you will notst ten moves against these guys is the aura they all have.

    The aura I mention is not the aura of their cultivation but the aura of their dao heart. They all strive to reach a level where they can step at the peak of the world. They do not think about survival but only surpass themselves. Bing the better version of what they were the day before.

    The soldiers and almost everyone in the federation want to be better than their old selves. The onlypetition is ourselves. Therefore, you must think carefully throughout your life when you have thought about achieving the top. Whether it was cultivation or battles you have fought, all you cared about was surviving.

    Those who wish to survive are always hesitating. Amelia is sending you to the school so that you can realize your true potential. You can get better, and the binds around you will slowlye undone. Do you understand?"

    Chun was surprised. She did not expect Shi Lang to be able to look this deep into her heart. She shivered and did not know what else to say. Amelia smiled faintly. This was the reason she loved Shi Lang. He was able to bring out the best in the other person. At this moment, she sensed a tug on her sleeve and saw Shi Tao looking at her and asking in signnguage, ''This big sister is going to be our teacher?''

    Amelia nodded and asked, ''Why do you ask?''<novelnext></novelnext>

    She did not use signnguage butmunicated with telepathy. Shi Tao said, ''Big brother Theseus will like her.''

    Amelia was amused, and Shi Tao said, ''He likes someonemanding. Sister Vanessa said he suffers from masochistic syndrome.''

    Amelia could not help but chuckle and said, "I need to give these rascals more homework. They are spoiling my princess."

    Shi Tao shook her head like a rattle and said, "No, mom, please, they will die. Sister Lina is already missing her martial arts training because of all that homework."

    In amusement, Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, "Chun, life is filled with many colors. If you always let your past get the better of you, you can never see through your future."

    Chun did not reply but stood there silently. In the meantime, Shi Lang and Shi Tao made faces at each other. Finally, after a few minutes, Chun said, "Sir, I ept the task."

    Shi Lang nodded, saying, "Amy will see through your documentation and other processes. If you are given a trial to check skills, do not worry and perform with some confidence. You are not weak. You are only hesitating."

    Chun nodded. She did not truly understand the depth of Shi Lang''s words but decided to seek if something in all this could get her out of her shell.

    ...

    Amelia and Shi Lang returned to the Federation with the rest of the family. The secret divisions and general council meeting would be held in the parliament office. The protocols were to be adequately followed. Commander Silence asserted this.

    Shi Lang did not mind, and the Ace division was left on the war to meet with any representative of the spirit beastmunity to discuss my distribution. Jill was inmand.

    Amelia took Chun to the administrative block to get her unique Identity cards. They will not be covering that she was an Ikeran, nor will she be given any special treatment. In the eyes of the system, she was an immigrant, and only when her umted merit has surpassed a certain level will she be awarded citizenship.

    Chun did not mind this and epted the rules.

    ...

    Shi Lang entered the meeting room and found fifty people looking at him eagerly. The young man chuckled and said, "Can you all not look at me like I am some fried chicken served to a starving person?"

    The people chuckled, and Commander Silence said, "General Shi Lang, the purpose."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You need to chill out, Boss. Here, take a look at this."

    Then he took out the star map marking the ten locations and said, "These locations are ssified as Spirit stone mines by the ikerans. Now, the Ikeras n has fallen under the hand of the big four. Yes, this detail is an act of stealing. You can y the nice guy in front of the big four if you want, but they will not allow the federation to grow. So, here is what I propose..."

    After an hour, Commander Silence said, "Those who vote, say Aye."

    The hall echoed with loud Ayes. Commander Silence said, "The n is passed and this operation will be conducted under SSS grade secrecy, the distribution of the stones will be controlled strictly."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "One more thing, Boss."

    This attracted the attention of the council and Shi Lang said, "The blood refiners I mentioned. They might be from the Federation."

    The entire Council was shocked and shaken by these words.

 Chapter 419 Off To Citadel.

    When Shi Lang said that the blood refiners might dwell in the federation, the council was thrown into disarray. Finally,mander Silence raised her hand, and the murmurs stopped. Then, she said, "General Shi, go on."

    Shi Lang nodded, saying, "The blood refiners are spiritual cultivators like us. However, their methods are gory and deadly to others. Absorbing spiritual energy from the atmosphere is very slow. However, it does not have any side effects. While absorbing spiritual energy directly from the blood of a practitioner can provide instant strength."

    He looked around at the people and continued, "Do not think trying it on any prisoner will be nice. The side effect can alter the personality of a personpletely. Along with the spiritual energy from the blood, you will also be absorbing the bad thoughts and negative energy that person must have felt against you when you were doing such a thing."

    The people calmed down. Shi Lang was right. They were all wondering if this method could be used against the prisoners they kept. Charlotte Knight asked, "Since they are the same as us, how will we recognize them?"

    Shi Lang replied and said, "I have a design of a detection talisman. This talisman will burn up when ites in contact with a blood refiner."

    Commander Silence nodded and wanted to ask about the talisman when Shi Lang said, "This Talisman will be handed over to you all. I will kill you here and now if we have a blood refiner."

    The people tensed up when they were threatened. Shi Lang said, "When you all pass, you will use this talisman to determine whether your immediate subordinates are clear. It will be a cycle. Before every military personnel has been cleared of the suspicion, do not use it against the civilians."

    Commander Silence nodded and said, "This is a good method to control the news from leaking out. Let us not announce that the council is aware of the existence of the blood refiners. Produce these talismans inrge quantities and then use them to find the truth."

    The people around the table nodded, and Shi Lang took out fifty talismans. He waved his hands, and the artifacts moved in the void like flower petals in the wind. Under Shi Lang''s control, the talismans were suspended over the heads of the people.

    Shi Lang covered the entire room with his spiritual sense and made a seal with his hand. The talismans did not burn up into mes but directly turned into ashes. The young general said, "Congrattions. You all have passed. I suggest that these talismans are mass-produced, but before that, please check all the talisman masters and their students thoroughly. If anyone turns up to be a blood refiner, you can say that this talisman is to detect if they had a unique physique and look deeper into their lineage before you confirm a few things and deal with it."

    The general council discussed the matter at length, and after a couple of hours, they came to a conclusion. The n was immediately kicked into action. At the same time, the spirit stone mines had be a matter they wanted to discuss with the envoy of the high council.

    ...

    Shi Lang left the special room and came to find Amelia and Chun. The formalities were finished, and the two people were waiting for his return. Finally, the young man asked, "Chun, are you alright?"

    Chun nodded with a bitter smile and said, "I have been a trainer in the Ikeran forces, but I do not know if I will be able to deal with the students here."

    Amelia shook her head and said, "You do not have to deal with them. You need to wait and let them adjust to your pace while you change to theirs."

    Chun nodded. She was nervous about entering this new stream of work and experience. Shi Lang did not interfere, and after they finished, he said, "Let us take her to the ss first. She will ease up after knowing the students."

    Amelia nodded, and then the trio traveled to the Federal Star Academy. The trip did not take long, as they could fly quickly. Shi Lang held back because the twodies werecking in the spiritual realm. However, they could see the awe in the eyes of the people who spotted them.

    ...

    The tour of the academy did not take too long, and Shi Lang introduced Chun to the rest of the students. Theseus was now a second-year student and had matured a lot. The rest of the people were the same too. The best fighter in the ss belonged to Quo Lina, who greeted Shi Lang as her master.

    The young man passed on a few techniques and taught her how to make up for hergging areas. Chun was learning all this, and finally, she understood what it meant to teach the children. She was surprised that almost everyone in the ss was talented, but they were all humble.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amelia, in the meanwhile, was teaching the girls how not to spoil Shi Tao, or she would beat them up, and this trick worked. Shi Lang was amused at this whole thing. However, he did not want to interfere because Shi Lang was also not a goody two shoes.

    Shi Lang asked Chun to guide the students, and she did. Although she was not very confident, Shi Lang spurred the students to take the initiative and seek help from thedy. They all followed his instructions and did as told.

    The children taking the initiative to ask her questions surprised Chun initially. Still, gradually she became used to it and developed an understanding of the people''s personalities. This helped her give them better advice and integrate herself with the ss.

    In the evening, Shi Lang wanted to invite Chun to dinner, but the students took the initiative to ask thedy. Amelia winked and said, "We should leave them to themselves. It will be easy to groom Chun this way."

    Shi Lang smiled, and holding her hand, the couple left the ce.

    ...

    Shi Lang spent the next few days at home, and then he received a message from Crystal. The high council asked him to visit the citadel and go through the records left behind by the master of the spirit beasts. The young man was entangled because Shi Tao was mmering all the time that Shi Lang had not spent much time with her.

    Thinking about this, Shi Lang asked Crystal if it was alright for him to bring along the little one. Crystal agreed and even said she would care for the little girl. Shi Lang decided, and then he packed things up. Originally the intention was to take Amelia along with him, but thedy had some prior arrangements made to deal with. Shi Lang sighed while holding thedy in his arms and said, "I think it would have been better if we were not so strong."

    Amelia was surprised and asked, "Why do you say that?"

    Shi Lang revealed a bitter smile and said, "If only we were not strong and able to live like normal people, we could have spent more time together."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "I never expected the great general Shi Lang to be this cheesy."

    Shi Lang sighed, and while looking into her eyes, he said, "My love, I might not show it, but when I am away from you, my heart is never at peace. I do not know what binds me to you, nor do I know why I love you so much, but probably because of this unknown element we have been together.

    Sometimes before the big battles, I think, what if I lost you and the others one day? I have never been able to process this. However, if something made you walk away from me, I would destroy the world, or myself, that is for sure."

    Amelia did not expect such profound words from him. The young man never expressed his love for her. This confession suddenly made her shy, and she said, "Do not worry. It will be alright. I am not going anywhere."

    The next day Shi Lang and Shi Tao set off for the war. They did not take a spaceship but a special teleportation set up in the parliament. This saved Shi Tao from the shock of the space jump and was a faster transport mode. Shi Lang and Shi Tao then made their way to the greater teleportation array, and before leaving for the Citadel, he told the ace division to use the resources they gathered from the Ikeran vaults to break through.

    He left a significant amount of his wealth for Amelia and his parents. They were going to gain a lot from those things, as for Shi Lang, there were not many things that he could use to get ahead in his realm of cultivation.

    ? Shi Tao was brimming with Excitement, as she had been curious about this other world, but this was the first time that he was going on. Shi Lang said, "You must be a good girl, okay, Tao?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Tao is a good girl, Baba."

    The two smiled at each other and then holding the little one, Shi Lang entered the space tunnel.

 Chapter 420 Researching & Organizing.

    Shi Lang and Shi Tao jumped into the void tunnel that led them directly to the Citadel. However, when the two arrived at their destination. Shi Lang put up his guard and said, "Tao, do not let down your guard."

    Shi Tao sensed something serious in his voice and nodded slowly. The location of their arrival had changed. Shi Lang was unaware of this, but he knew how arrays worked. Earlier, the ce was a wide open square; this time, the site appeared to be some hall. Gilded with gold trims and gems studded walls.

    Just when he was about to use his spirit sense to check what was happening, a buzzing noise attracted his attention, and the wall on the left revealed a door-like slit in the middle from which Crystal walked in.

    Shi Lang sighed and asked, "What are you guys doing with the beautiful open square and turning it into a hall?"

    Crystal chuckled and said, "Boss, we cannot let anyone from the federation enter the Citadel until they havepleted a security check. So the great teleportation array was shifted into a hall to the summit of a mountain outside the city. This way, you can still see the view, and at the same time, security is maintained. It also ensures the visitors are taught the rules and regtions followed inside the Citadel."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You should have told me sooner. I was about to attack you."

    Crystal stuck out his tongue and said, "Sorry."

    Shi Tao peeked from behind Shi Lang and asked, "Baba, what now?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "Now, my dear, we learn."

    ...

    Shi Lang was taken from the hall, and Crystal guided him to the Citadel. On the way, they used simple hoverboards to climb down the mountain. Shi Tao was excited to see the scenery, a city at the foot of the hill surrounded by walls. This sort of city did not exist in the federation, and the joy of hoverboarding was entirely exhrating for her.

    After entering the city, Crystal took Shi Tao to where other Terran students had been gathered to study. Unlike others, Shi Tao will reside with Crystal in her home andmute to sses. The little girl did not mind this; she knew Shi Lang was there, and no harm woulde to her.

    Shi Lang met with the high council, and they weed him warmly. After the brief meeting, Moon Baley took the young man to the library of the spirit beasts. She was the keeper of keys, this ce was considered sacred, and the younger generation would only be allowed inside when they had achieved some high-level merit.

    Moon Baley said, "Shi Lang, this ce will be left to you. For now, a room inside this building can be used as your abode."

    Shi Lang nodded to her as they stood in front of the door, and thedy took out a golden key from the space ring on her finger. She said, "This key will be left with you."

    This was an important key, and Shi Lang was surprised to hear this. He asked, "What do you mean, Senior? This ce is an importantndmark of yourmunity. Entrusting it to me seems a bit too much. I cannot undertake this responsibility."

    Moon Baley shook her head, and with a faint smile, she said, "None of the people will make any trouble here. The entrustment of the key is only to make you feel our sincerity. We do not want you to feel like a prisoner here."

    Shi Lang chuckled. He did feel like a prisoner in the library when Moon Baley told him about the quarter to be used as a residing chamber. He softly said, "One cannot hide anything from the keen gaze of the heavenly fox spirits."

    Moon Baley chuckled and said, "d that you know it. Here, go, and feel free to call any high councilmen if you need help."

    Shi Lang nodded and entered the library. The building was designed like a bunker. It hadyers to itself, and Shi Lang could tell that it was all from the repetitive repairs and constructions around the original building to preserve the originality of the structure.

    After crossing three gates seven meters from each other, Shi Lang could tell the three eras of development faced by the spirit beastmunity. First, he looked at the structure with his spirit energy and found the buildings were sealed with nanobots. They were strengthening and repairing any damage left over.

    Through the final gateway, Shi Lang entered the inner sanctum of the library. His gaze was glued to the wooden shelves and the books on them. He smiled and mumbled, "To think I will be able to find scrolls and jade chips at this age? That, too, ispletely preserved."

    "Indeed, they outdid themselves. I would have never believed that the spirit beasts would be able to do such a thing if I had not seen it with my own eyes.", replied an ethereal voice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang was unsurprised and said, "Greetings, Senior Unity."

    The sword spirit appeared before him and narrowed her gaze as she said, "You are calling me old? Your soul is older than mine can ever be."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Fine, I will call you Lady Unity then. But, after all, I cannot be too casual with your esteemed self, can I?"

    Unity nodded and said, "So, where will you start?"

    Shi Lang looked around and said, "This ce has over a thousand manuals and journals. Do you think I will be able to select where to start?"

    Unity nodded and said, "It is difficult to select from all the options."

    Shi Lang said, "I will start from a random point and start collecting the knowledge. Then, I will organize it and look for leads in the rtable records when I am done. This way, things will be easier, and I can organize this joint."

    Unity was surprised and said, "What is the point of reading everything? Will you be able toprehend it all?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Even if I cannotprehend it all, I will be able to understand the subject and organize it for better research."

    Then began a long marathon of reading and digesting the records and organizing them in his mind. Shi Lang surprised Unity with his perseverance. He would not waste a moment when he is out of meditation. In the past month, the young man hardly left the shelves. He would sleep in this ce and meditate over a table set in the center of the floor.

    Unity told him often to sleep, but the young man said his strength was enough to support his body. So after the first month, only the young man goes to sleep. While he was sleeping, the library was visited by the high councilmen.

    Unity would not have interacted with them if it was expected, but some questioned Shi Lang''s motive and hard work. Finally, the sword spirit appeared, and the people were tamed back in the line. Shi Lang woke up and continued this routine. Only after the first three months did he stop for a break.

    He decided to take a walk and check on Shi Tao. The girl has been studying in this foreignnd, which will make him. So he had to check on her. Unity did not follow him. After all, she had to guard the library, and how could she appear in front of everyone just like that?

    Shi Lang arrived at the school building by sensing the spiritual energy of his daughter. He found that Crystal was also present at the scene. He was perplexed by the hubbub of the situation when he approached Crystal outside the building and asked, "What is the situation?"

    Surprised, thedy recognized Shi Lang and said, "Boss, you, why are you here?"

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and asked, "What is happening here, Crystal?"

    Crystal was caught off guard by the coldness of his aura, and thedy said, "Shi Tao was injured during a sparing match, and her Dantian was almost pierced."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide, and the entire school was shrouded in his aura. The release was so quick and harsh that the weaker people were kneeling. This release attracted the attention of a lot of people. They did not understand what could make an expert of the nirvana realm reveal such a ferocious aura.

    Shi Lang asked, "Where is she?"

    Crystal nodded and hurriedly led him to the infirmary inside the school. Shi Lang did not care about the people on the way. All he managed about was his daughter. Shi Lang reached the infirmary, and just as he got closer to Shi Tao, his aura was restrained as if nothing had happened. Using thepse, Crystal informed her sister.

    Shi Lang ced his hand above Shi Tao''s dantian and carefully channeled his spirit energy inside to check her seals. If the seals cast around her dantian were toe off without giving her time, Shi Tao might die and then Shi Lang will lose control of himselfpletely.

    After a few minutes, the young general asked, "How did this happen?"

 Chapter 421 Undercurrents.

    Shi Lang looked at Crystal, standing before him with her head lowered. She was feeling guilty that something like this had happened on her watch. She was the one who took the initiative to look after the little girl. Now, she had a close brush with a catastrophe.

    Shi Lang calmed himself and asked, "What do you want to say about this matter, Crystal?"

    The girl did not raise her head and said, "Boss, this is indeed an error on my part. I should have stayed with her."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and asked, "I am not asking you to tell me what you should have done. I am asking what happened, and who is the person who did not intend to let her go even when it was a sparing match?"

    Crystal said, "That guy belongs to the Crescent Pelican tribe. So I had the teachers investigate, and it turns out that Shi Tao could fight with guys in higher realms, so this guy, Angelo, approached her for a friendly duel. During the match, when Shi Taopeted with him toe-to-toe. Angelo used a unique technique called the Pelican thrust.

    The impact rendered Shi Tao unconscious and almost injured her dantian. Fearing he had created trouble, Angelo rushed to his n leader in the citadel and is currentlying over with the rest of the high councilmen."

    Shi Lang understood the situation and nodded. He said, "Since this is how it is, I will not say anything. However, the unique abilities of the spirit beasts are not to be used in a sparring session. They are to escape a life-and-death situation."

    Crystal nodded and said, "I apologize, Boss. I should have been careful."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It was not your fault. However, this must not be a habit. I understand that everyone must suffer a setback now and then. However, this injury could have hampered the cultivation part of my daughterpletely. I do not wish for that to happen."

    Crystal nodded, and at this moment, three people appeared around them. Moon Baley and Sabre, the elder from the Tiger n, appeared. Along with them stood an olddy with a small crescent moon tattoo on her brows. Shi Lang bowed in greeting, and the olddy said, "Although I am a senior, the mistakes of my stupid grandchildren are mine to handle too. I apologize for the pain your daughter has been put through. Please forgive my grandson."

    Shi Lang was embarrassed and said, "Please stand up, old madam. I am a junior. I cannot have you bow to me. This matter was just a mistake, so it is better to let it stay that way. If they had too much power to vent, send them to me. These days I need some help in organizing the library."

    The elders were surprised, and Sabre asked, "Young man, what do you mean by organizing the library?"

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "Senior, all the manuals and records in the library are ced inside without any order. This causes one to be at a loss on how to start reading and from where. In addition, the techniques and experience records were ced in different sections. Thankfully, Senior Unity came forward to lend a hand, and things got sorted quickly. I can now start clearing on the much-needed topic, the bridge of immortality."

    Sabre nodded and said, "We had no idea such a problem existed in the library. Thank you for the hard work."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am rather thankful to be given this opportunity and learn more about ancient knowledge and techniques."

    Sabre nodded with a humble smile on his face. Moon Baley nodded and said, "You cane to us anytime. But, for today''s matter, I will ask the youngsters to be careful when sparring with each other."

    Shing sped his fist and said, "As you see fit, senior. I do not mind and have no intention of meddling in their business. However, such actions reflect badly and can sow a seed of negative feelings between the two sides. None of us would like that. The consequences will be very harsh."

    The three elders nodded. After all, they knew that Shi Lang was not threatening them but reminding them of the heavenly oath they had all taken. Other than that, Unity will take action before the heavens did. They could not afford to offend the guardian spirit.

    Sabre said, "This needs to be reminded to everyone who intends to ruin this alliance for petty gains."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Senior, is there something I need to know?"

    Sabre shook his head and said, "It is just a hunch, I do not have any concrete details at the moment, but I will inform you once something is up. Do you understand that our twomunities'' union will lead to a new era? Some people might not want to change the way things have been and resume supremacy."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Everything in this world bes stagnant if the essence bes self-centric. So, I do understand what you mean. Please forgive me for this abruptness Senior, but my daughter hase around. I want to be by her side."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sabre nodded, and Moon said, "I will have the infirmary provide her with the best natural treasures to heal."

    Shi Lang bowed in thanks, and after the three elders left, the young man also made his way toward the infirmary. He left a wisp of spiritual energy on Shi Tao''s body to know that the child had woken up. He did not want to do this in the past because it would have been a bit too much of a breach in her life. Shi Lang did not want to do that. Now he had no other choice but to look after her.

    The young man walked inside the infirmary and found Shi Tao sitting on a bed with her eyes staring at the void. He did not say anything but came to sit next to her. Shi Tao nced at him and then turned her head back to keep looking at the void.

    Shi Lang poured a ss of water and handed it to the little girl. She was just seven years old. This was the first time she had suffered a setback in battle. Even if she never won against people two realms stronger than her, she had been able to draw against them with fair quality skills. This loss must have left a mark on her mind.

    Shi Tao took a deep breath and then took the ss of water before gulping it all down. Shi Lang asked, "So, what have you been thinking about?"

    Shi Tao said, "Revising the battle. It was all fine until that guy used his unique technique."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I understand what you mean, but even if you spend time thinking about that guy, it will not do you any good. So the question is, did you do your best?"

    Shi Tao nodded earnestly and said, "Yes, I always do my best when fighting with someone. There is no second doubting that."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is good."

    Shi Tao nodded, but the downcast mood was not uplifted. Shi Lang said, "In this life, everyone has to face defeats. Even I faced a lot of them when I was in school. You have met Jenkins, right?"

    Shi Tao nodded, and Shi Lang told her the stories of his defeat in the school and then some censored versions of the training camp in Ao.

    ...

    While Shi Lang was helping his princess ovee the obstacle in her mind, Sabre looked at the young men in his n and said, "Jianhe step forward."

    Jianhe was the young leader of the n. He was a bit rebellious but very efficient in what he set out to deal with. He stepped forward, and the old man said, "Gather your bunch and find me the names of those against this alliance with the Terrans. Do things silently."

    Jianhe was surprised and asked, "Is there someone who would protest against this alliance? Are they mad?"

    Sabre nodded and said, "Power struggles are always happening covertly or overtly. So you do what I told you, and you will understand the secret here."

    Jainhe nodded and left to deal with the task. Sabre looked at the olddy from the Crescent Pelican n and asked, "Martha, are you sure that it was not your grandson who attacked that child?"

    Martha nodded and said, "I can be sure of that. This was not a doing of my grandson because he has yet to master the innate technique hidden inside his bloodline."

    Sabre clicked his tongue and clenched his fists as he said, "Some pebbles can also create huge waves."

    Martha nodded and said, "What do you think about Moon Baley?"

    Sabre shook his head and said, "Foxes are cunning but they never intend to harm the Citadel. They are too wise to trigger something like this."

 Chapter 422 Letter From The Past.

    Jianhu and his cronies scurried around the Citadel and found a few things; however, there was no substantial lead. Nevertheless, the young master of the heavenly blood-spirit tiger did not give up. Instead, he became even sure that the suspicion of the old man was correct. There was someone who was ying shady and covering his tracks. Thinking about this, he decided to take his sweet time luring out the dark hand.

    ...

    Shi Lang talked to Shi Tao and asked the girl a few questions. All these questions were about why the girl was in a bad mood. However, when the two discussed the issues, the little one gradually returned to her cheery self. She even wanted to fight with the person from the Crescent Pelican n.

    However, Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You need to rest and consolidate your gains from this defeat. Do not think you can only learn when you win. The truth is that failure is your biggest teacher. It teaches what you do not need to do. Understood?"

    Shi Tao nodded, and Shi Lang said, "From tomorrow onward, you will be training inside the gravitational array. Okay? Do not miss any window to improve yourself. We can all avenge our prideter. Right?"

    Shi Tao nodded with a faint smile, and Shi Lang brushed her forehead gently and said, "Good girl, Tao."

    The young general spent the night with his daughter, teaching her a few things about the skills she was practicing. He did not interfere with herprehension of the art but only passed it down. Shi Tao was brilliant and blessed with a unique physique. She understood the skills way quicker than the others did. However, she was not at the age where she remembered them all.

    So, Shi Lang would test her and correct her mistakes every few months. As a result, Shi Tao was improving, and she was making fewer and fewer mistakes. This made the young man happier. Finally, after the sun rose in the sky, Shi Lang said, "Baby, I will go back to work. Okay?"

    The little girl tilted her head and said, "You promise you will visit me on weekends?"

    Shi Lang smiled and pecker her forehead, and said, "Yes."

    The little girl smiled and dropped him to the amodation door, where Crystal stood with her head down. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Crystal, if you wish to take any responsibility, then make sure this does not happen again."

    The girl nodded her head, but she still did not cast a gaze back at Shi Lang. The young terran patted her head and left the ce. The heavenly snow fox was surprised. Nobody has ever patted her head. She shook her head and said, "Boss, I will not let you down."

    Shi Lang waved his hand without turning back and walked away from the ce. Cultivators were not allowed to fly over Citadel until and unless they were from the high council or had any emergency.

    After reaching back to the Library, the young man greeted Unity and began to organize the material again. He was about to finish organizing and then start researching the world''sws in this ce.

    Just as he was working, suddenly, Unity asked, "I wonder what he thought when he put them all here? Did he not have any insight about the world''sws in this ce?"

    The ''he'' in her mouth was her master, Tian Long. Shi Lang smiled at her question and said, "He obviously knew what was going on here, but he still did so that the spirit beastmunity could have a reason to find the humans and reunite.

    Tian Long was not only a master of martial arts, but he was a scary tactician."

    Unity raised her brows and said, "It does not feel like you see him as a rival. How can you ever surpass him?"

    Shi Lang cast a nce at the floating silhouette and chuckled. Unity furrowed her brows and asked, "What is so funny in this?"

    She was pissed by this guy acting so cocky in front of her. Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "Everyone used to envy him for his superior birth and always chase after him. So, when I saved his life and praised him for his cultivation achievements. You know how he replied?"

    Unity shook her head and gazed at the young terran very keenly. Shi Lang replied with a reminiscing tone, "He said, ''I will give you all these achievements if you can take these old bastards off my ass. Then there is the problem of these various geniuses always hindering me. Can they not let me listen to music and read some books peacefully? Every day, something makes me run around with a sword in my hand."

    Unity was surprised and said, "Did he say that?"

    Shi Lang nodded while cing a journal on a shelf carefully. Unity fell silent for a bit, and then she said, "To think that man wanted to give it all up to you and enjoy a simple life. Yet he ran with his de and dealt with troublesome situations."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This is the truth of those who are peerless. They have everything but the time to enjoy everything. Tian Long might have been the best expert the human race had seen under the heavens. However, he also yearned for a day of rest."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Unity nodded and said, "You humans are all soplicated."

    Shi Lang smiled and did not answer. He just kept arranging the manuals. When he picked up a jade slip, he was about to put it on the shelf and move ahead. He noticed something peculiar about the shelf surface. Leaning forward, he found a very unnoticeable crack on the surface of the wood. He blew away some dust on it.

    His eyes opened widely, and he said, "Damn you, Tian Long."

    Unity reacted quickly and came next to him, intending to grab his neck and ask why he cussed the master when she saw the slit on the surface and a small inscription carved on the surface. But, instead, she gasped and was shocked. The inscription was made in the ancient text, and it was so shallow that if not for the contrast between the dust and the wood, Shi Lang would have never found it.

    He looked at Unity, who was staring back at him. And asked, "Do you know what all this is about?"

    Unity shook her head and said, "I have a fewgs in my memory. But, I think it is sealed memories."

    Shi Lang held his forehead and said, "This guy sure knows how to give shocks."

    The inscription said, "Shi Lang."

    Unity scratched the back of her head and asked, "How is this possible?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "That bastard must have used the heaven-seeking method."

    Unity mumbled, and Shi Lang said, "This method allows the practitioner to look into the profound secrets of heaven. Like calcting the future of a person."

    Unity did not understand what was happening here, so she asked, "What could he have gained from looking into your future?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "This wille to light when we open this secretpartment. To think I just organized this shelf."

    Unity waved her hand, and all the journals and manuals flew off the shelf andnded on the ground. The young man red at her. Then he thought about how to open the inscription. After a few minutes, he gently ced his hand over the inscription and tapped it with his fingers.

    A square tile of wood, neatly cut, fell inside a shelf cavity. Shi Langnded forward, and using spirit energy, he controlled the tile and took it out of the cavity. Below the cavity, he found a piece of paper folded neatly. The paper seemed to be untouched by time. Shi Lang wanted to pick it up when Unity said, "The paper has a trap formation on it."

    Shi Lang looked carefully and found a few golden threads flickering over the paper. He clicked his tongue and said, ''Your master was a real piece of work, was he not?"

    Unity nodded, and Shi Lang used his spiritual energy to carefully untangle the golden threads around the paper. Finally, after two hours, he seeded but did not hurry to pick up the document and said, "Lady Unity, please do the honors. I am afraid that guy must have also instilled a wisp of his sword intent in the paper."

    Unity nodded and said, "Right on, I can sense his intent all over this thing."

    The sword spirit held the paper and said, "Indeed, it was left here with the intent to kill anyone who touches it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The hidden condition to open this means that I have to be on at least friendly terms with you."

    Unity nodded and then asked, "Will you open it? I am very anxious."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Humans are more anxious than the spirits, Miss."

    Unity furrowed her brows and said, "I was not asking you."

 Chapter 423 Hand In Shadows.

    Shi Lang held the paper in his hand. It would be a lie to say he was calm. TianLong had a unique connection with him. Now that forgotten connection hase up to gaze him back in the eyes again. Unity stood behind him and said, "Calm down. It is just a letter."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Indeed, a letter that is addressed to me and sent across eons."

    Unity gave up a goofy chuckle. She was at a loss as to why her master would leave behind a letter in such a ce. How was he, even so, sure that Shi Lang woulde here to find the letter? The young general carefully unfolded the paper when she was at a loss.

    Shi Lang gazed at the paper''s contents and said, "He wrote this in the ancient script."

    Unity gazed at the paper and sighed, "The only thing I did not learn back then was this text. I was too young when the era changed, and thisnguage was simplified."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I know thisnguage, so it is not a problem."

    The young man gazed at the paper and said, "If you have found this letter, the mortal ne is about to experience another era of change. It has been a long time since thest change. I think humanity has already entered the period, but the rest of the lives on this ne are not too far behind.

    Shi Lang, you are the link to the ancient age of cultivation, and thus I will need you to decide when you are done reading this letter. But, remember, once you have made the decision, you should stick with it, or the consequences will affect you and those around you too."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "He always liked to make it intense, didn''t he?"

    Unity nodded solemnly. The young man continued reading, "Thest era of change ended with the partition of Spirit Beast and Humanmunities. This partition was agreed upon by the elder of the spirit beasts and me in person. The elder was thest descendant of the phoenix n.

    I will not go into the details. You can talk to Unity about this. However, you need to know that the line between the twomunities was drawn from the inside. In the past, bothmunities were against each other, and that was because a human Mahayana realm emperor decided to take a golden sparrow n girl as his daopanion. That was enough to mess things up.

    In this era, while the element of liberalism is vital, you might want to be careful of the element of greed and desire for power. The beastmunity may look peaceful, but some people hold a great ambition deep within their hearts. One such person is the heaven howling wolf n. In the past, their ancestor enticed the trouble between the two species."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Fucking buildup, what is it, the ancient age. Mofo,e down to the business."

    Unity sighed and said, "His failed attempts at dramatizing."

    Shi Lang continued reading, "I know that your reason toe here was not the disputes between the two species but the broken bridge of immortality. This bridge is broken for the spirit beastmunity because of the change in worldws. This change did not exist when I scouted this ce. The change urred when the leader of the Heaven-Howling wolf attacked the offspring between the human and the golden sparrow."

    Unity opened her eyes wide and said, "I never knew such a legend existed in this."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I have no idea what to say to this shit. You know all this crap is not making my task easier."

    Unity nodded and said, "I know, but what can I do? This guy sealed my memories."

    Shi Lang sighed and sat down on the ground with a thump. He continued reading, "Shi Lang listen well. You can change the rule of the world back to the way they were, bypassing the trial of the remnant soul of the golden sparrow offspring. However, that ce is guarded by the heaven-howling wolf n. It would be best if you dealt with them first. Till then."

    As soon as the words finished, the paper crumbled on its own. Shi Lang looked at the dust on the floor. Then, he said, "This guy, is he not asking me to deal with the rotten fish in the pond for his sake?"

    Unity scratched the back of her head and said, "Yes, this is what it seems to me too."

    Shi Lang let out a low whimper and said, "Fine then. Who asked me to be dependent on the spirit beastmunity? Fuck this heaven-howling wolf."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Unity patted his shoulder and said, "It is fine. You can do it."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes at her and said, "To think there is a n that has been resisting the alliance for such a long time and so firmly that they did not even hesitate to screw up their entire race. I wonder what cards they must have prepared for anyone who tries to screw them back."

    The sword spirit said, "I cannot act against them directly. If the practitioner is below the Mahayana realm, you will have to deal with them alone."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I understand. I will have to enlist the help of those people from the high council of the citadel."

    The two people talked for a few more minutes, and then Shi Lang left to meet the high council. He had called them all through Moon Baley, and the people had agreed to a meeting. The situation suddenly became very tense, and they did not want it to worsen. In these times, if there were going to be someone who could help them, they would wee that person with open arms.

    Shi Lang arrived at the council hall and met with the twelve people. He looked around and asked, "Seniors, what I am about to mention may be the key to unlocking fate."

    This sentence attracted the attention of every person. Shi Lang continued, "May I ask, what is the status of the Heaven-howling wolves in the spirit beastmunity."

    A bomb seemed to have been dropped inside the council hall. After a few moments, Sabre said, "They were exiled in the ancient era only. We have never allowed them toe back. Why do you ask? And How do you know?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I am asking because Senior Unity''s master was the one who left behind a note that described a few things and also a usible method to restore the bridge of immortality to the way it was."

    Moon asked, "What did the note say, and where is it?"

    Shi Lang said, "The note crumbled to dust as soon as I finished reading it. You can check with Senior Unity if you do not believe me. As for the content, it said that when the spirit beasts moved to this ce, they were led by the offspring of a human expert and the maiden of the golden sparrow n. As she was considered to be a link between the twomunities. The partition of the two races was just a temporary measure.

    However, before that personage could lead the spirit beasts back to their natural home on earth, the heaven-howling wolf n offended that personage by attacking them."

    A man with a long beard said, "That is known to all of us. Where are you going with this story, Young Shi."

    This person was one of the wisest leaders on the high council. He was a Heavenly fortune-back turtle. The wisdom of this turtle was something that could not be matched.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The story does not stop here, Senior. What you all do not know is that the heaven-howling wolf leader had managed to kill the other person, and the expert''s hateful soul left a curse. But, the innate strength of that expert was what changed the rules of this world, and that was when things went south.

    So, ording to his excellency, the departed expert left a trial for a human to deal with and change thews again. However, that ce is now being guarded by the heaven-howling wolves."

    The people understood what was going on. At this moment, Sabre received a message, "I had sent Jianhu out to check who it was that has been aiming at the humans these days. They managed to nab a wolf pup."

    He looked at ady sitting across him calmly and asked, "Chikara, it is the exiles. They are pulling strings in the dark."

    Chikara looked back at Sabre and said, "I have no idea how this happened, but I swear to you all that the wolf n had no participation. Allow me to lead a contingent over there and deal with them."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "If they can operate without getting caught for a long time. It means they are not ordinary. I think it is better to take some time and think of a better n. We only have one shot at this."

 Chapter 424 Scouting.

    Shi Lang told the high council to be calm about the situation and not to jump to any conclusion or initiate any attacks against the Heaven-Howling wolf n. He rified that they only had one chance to get things sorted. He was not interested in taking unnecessary risks. He made it all clear to make the hot-blooded spirit beast leaders understand the gravity of the situation.

    After the high council pondered and discussed the matter extensively, they sent out a scouting party. Tex was appointed as the leader as Jianhu was too hot-minded. So Tex was summoned to the council. The person readily epted the task, but he asked for Shi Lang to be the advisor.

    The spirit beasts had trained in a peaceful environment, gradually grinding themselves against the whetstone. However, they needed to gain experience, and their progress could have been faster. Shi Lang could prevent all the mistakes they could make and point them in the right direction.

    Shi Lang had finished understanding the matter thoroughly, so he had nothing to do for the next few days. Then, finally, he agreed to be asked. The team also included Crystal.

    ...

    Two dayster, Shi Lang and a few team members regrouped outside the city limits. Shi Lang could not help but feel pumped. He was observing the surroundings very keenly. Finally, Tex asked him, "What are you looking at?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Nothing, just that the wilderness is much freer than the cities."

    A man chuckled and said, "You sound more like a spirit beast than we do."

    Crystal watched this and stepped up to stand behind Shi Lang and said, "You all, Tex, might be appointed as the leader, but if you dared to talk without honorifics when addressing my boss, I will peel your skin away slowly and leave it to dry."

    Tex nodded and said, "I agree with you, Crystal. Shi Lang has experience leading people, but I have never done that. But, thinking about it, the enemy we have to face is not simple, so no matter what my strength is, it will not help me deal with the situation ahead."

    The team had five members, among which only two had experience leading and participating in military operations, Shi Lang and Crystal. As for the other three, they were the young elites of the heaven-soaring hawk n. They were known for their visual prowess, capturing even the tiniest details from a greater distance.

    Crystal heard this and said, "Since the leader agrees, let us reform the chain ofmand. Is that all right?"

    Tex nodded, and his two nmates followed. Crystal said, "Boss will be calling the shots, and I will be his deputy. Those who do not understand how it works can think of Boss as the elder in the high council, and I am the inquisitor from the judgment hall, while you three will be city guards."

    Tex red at Crystal while the other two nodded. They all adored Crystal. After all, she was considered the first beauty of the younger generation and fiery when not facing Shi Lang and his team.

    Shi Lang looked at the team and nodded. Then, he said, "Fine then, we will use a diamond formation to move.''

    Tex asked, "Who will be the core?"

    Shi Lang pondered and said, "The enemy cany in ambush, so let Crystal be the core. Then, we can have her cast her charm skills to deal with the enemy. As for the four corners, we will use spiritual sense to monitor the surroundings."

    Tex nodded but then said, "What if our detection alerted the enemy?" Experts can detect spiritual energy and even use istion formations to hide from us."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You are correct, so we will use technological methods to detect the enemy in long range. For example, if they have istion arrays built up, we can see them. As for alerting them with spirit sense, let us follow counter-detection rules and use the enemy''s prowess against them. Then, we will be able to find them when we walk inside their range."

    The team nodded, and Shi Lang''s tactic was something they had never tried. They all had received training, but their way of the fight was still a bit too unorganized. The spirit beastmunity had gathered a vast knowledge of tactics and methods but preferred natural and raw methods. Yet, despite being taught the skills, the youth of spirit beast ns chose to head on battles.

    They used their hoverboards to move toward the target. The hoverboards will help them travel faster through the wilderness. These hoverboards were specially made with spirit arrays carved on them. They ran on spirit energy consumed directly from the atmosphere. They were silent and undetectable by modern technology means.

    Shi Lang chose them as a means of transport because he wanted to avoid attracting attention. The city where the Heaven Howling wolves lived was unofficially called Exile Town. However, the actual name of this location was Golden era City. This city was founded by the expert guiding the spirit beasts back to the human race and reuniting the two. However, after the wolves betrayed the race, they were confined in this city.

    The spirit beastmunity was surprised when they surrendered so quickly back then. They had been fooled for such a long time. But thankfully, the secret was discovered, and it was time to set things right.

    Twelve heavenly n cities surrounded the exile town. All are located at a uniform thousand-kilometer distance from the exile town. These cities acted like barriers, and strict patrols were managed at the borders to ensure no exiles could pass through. The exiles were left to their measures in normal times until someone decided to breach the border.

    This was one of the reasons they managed to keep the secret a secret¡ªthe rules made by the older generations needed to be more profound inw keeping.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shi Lang and the team quickly crossed the border and came to the targeted territory''s edge. Tex was at the front of the formation and suddenly said, "Sentries."

    Shi Lang said, "Stop and settle down on the ground."

    The ce was covered with tall grass. The team hid under the cover, and Shi Lang asked, "How far?"

    Tex replied, "Ten Miles out, but the wind carries our scent. They will be able to smell us."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Calm down. We are still at the border; even if we are discovered, we do not need to panic. Crystal, charm them, and Hiro, tag them."

    The people nodded. After a few minutes, just as Tax predicted. The patrol team caught an unknown scent. Shi Lang said, "Crystal, do not let theme close to us. Our scent will rub off of them, and it will make their kin alert."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Got you, boss."

    Then she stood up, and her body transformed a little. She now had a fluffy silver tail sticking out from her tailbone and a pair of silver fox ears poking out of her hair. Shi Lang sighed and said, "This girl hid her transformation skill from me."

    Tex looked at him and said, "You mean it is not obvious to hide skills?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "This skill could have saved us much trouble. I will deal with herter."

    ¡­

    Crystal moved through the tall grass, gradually approaching the patrol team. Finally, they both met at a five kilometers mark. The patrol team reacted and surrounded Crystal before they asked, "Who are you?"

    Crystal replied in a pitiful tone, "Who am I? I thought it was you all who called for me."

    ¡­

    Tex held his forehead and said, "She does not know shit about charm. What was that crap?"

    Shi Lang snickered and said, "You do not know about charm. She uses these random words to confuse the patrol team and then uses her spirit technique to hook their consciousness."

    Tex was surprised and wanted to ask more when Shi Lang said, "Hiro, go."

    Hiro controlled hismunicator, cing five standard nanobots on the patrol team''s body. The man turned back to look at Shi Lang and said, "Boss, it is done."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good job, Crystal. Pull back. We are leaving."

    Tex was surprised and asked, "Just this? Why not venture deeper?"

    Shi Lang said, "Let the patrol do their work and map the region for us to see if they have any hidden weapon stations in the region."

    Tex understood that Shi Lang wanted to take it slow and avoid the risk of casualties. So the team retreated to the border and set camp. Shi Lang told Tex and Hiro to monitor the movements of the patrol team while he and the other guy, Malco, went to a nearby city to buy camping equipment. Crystal volunteered to supervise the two rookies.

    She was also responsible for keeping the high council posted on the developments.

 Chapter 425 Heaven-Howling Grotto.

    Crystal was standing behind Tex and gazing at the holo-screens before them. Finally, she sighed and said, "They are cautious."

    Hiro nodded and said, "Do you think they might not have beenpletely confused?"

    Crystal shook her head and said, "That''s not it. These guys are not moving much, so I am sure they use different means to scan themselves of bugs. Where did you stow the bots?"

    Hiro replied, "I had expected them to go through some security checks inside the town limits, so I programmed the bots to drill inside their hair strands. Or stick to theirmunicators."

    Tex nodded thoughtfully and said, "This way, they might be unable to detect the trackers. But what is this weird walking pattern they have? Why can they not keep a straight line?"

    Hiro nodded and said, "That has been bugging me as well. Also, look at the markers on the screen. It is like they all are some ants."

    Crystal furrowed her brows when she looked at the trail left by these people. She began thinking about what was happening here when she heard a calm voice from behind, "Oh, they are moving through a defense barrier?"

    The people were surprised and turned to look at the source of the voice. They found that Shi Lang had returned from the city, and Tex said, "That was fast of you. Did you even buy anything?"

    Shi Lang ignored him and said, "This is an interesting scenario we have at our hands."

    Crystal asked, "I was thinking about it too, Boss. However, how do we find what sort of barrier they have sat up?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I cannot analyze this from here."

    Crystal stuck her tongue out and asked, "Then what do we do, Boss."

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "We need some help."

    Tex asked, "Meaning?"

    "We might need to find some human talents and have them ess the situation.", Shi Lang replied.

    The people understood his reasoning. However, they were not all experts in barriers, so they needed those who dedicated their time and skill to studying the science of formations. Shi Lang said, "Crystal contact the high council and tell them about the results."

    Crystal nodded and directly contacted the high council. She told them the situation''s ins and outs and awaited the response. In the meantime, Shi Lang set up a barbeque in the wilderness and prepared a sumptuous meal.

    It had been a long time since he had to camp out. So, he decided to prepare a meal for everyone. As he was cooking the meat, Tex approached him and asked, "Brother Shi, do you think if we followed the tracks left by the enemy patrol, we can move in deeper and find out more about them?"

    Shi Lang gazed at the man and said, "Of course, that is a usible option, but I remember that the senses of the heaven-howling wolves are not shallow. If we ended up in a trap, things might get difficult."

    Tex frowned and asked, "So what if we go in there and get trapped, they will not do anything to us. They cannot. They do not have the power to. Shi Lang, they are exiles. Do you understand what that means?"

    Shi Lang gazed at him with aplicated expression and said, "Have you left your brain back in the city? If we fall into a trap, they will kill us, and worst, they will use us to force the hands of the rest of the people."

    Tex still did not realize what Shi Lang was saying and said, "To think someone with your strength will be such a coward."

    Hiro, Malco, and Crystal heard this, and thedy was about tosh back when Shi Lang said, "You need to clear up your concepts here, Young Master Tex. Do you think some n that can survive under the strict rules implied by the rest of themunity will be weak? Do you think they will sit back and let us review their ns? By going there, what do you intend to achieve? You will only end up alerting them. This is why it is not an attack mission."

    This monologue shocked Tex back to his senses, and he calmed down. However, Shi Lang did not finish and said coldly, "This is thest time you are questioning me. If you tried to teach me how to do my work, I would stop holding back."

    Tex was put in his ce, and Shi Lang did not give him any face. But, on the contrary, he wanted to attack Shi Lang when the snow fox said, "Do you intend to die?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her voice was cold, and a cluster of tails appeared behind her tailbone. Shi Lang looked at her and said, "Calm down."

    Crystal said, ''Boss, you can do whatever you want to me, but this bastard. He has always been cocky and needs to know his ce. How dare he talk back to you and especially use you of cowardice? Humph, he has never even killed anyone and is calling you."

    Shi Lang said, "Stop it, Crystal. It is alright."

    Tex snorted, and huge wings appeared on his back. The wings were ck and gold, shining with a unique luster. Shi Lang was surprised to see the two people transforming to fight with each other. He sighed and said, "Fine, I will call the elders and have you both pull out of the mission. Then you can deal with their wrath for embarrassing the ns."

    The two people who were ready to go at each other calmed down and snorted at each other before turning their heads away. Shi Lang patted his chest and said, "Now, kids, you all are missing the point here."

    They both red at him while Crystal was annoyed, and Tex was angry at being called the kid. Shi Lang sighed and said, "How I miss the ace division. They would have understood things by now."

    After a pause, Shi Lang said, "The missions are decided to have certain goals. We must never look away from our goals, even if we have time or resources. The reason for that is the welfare of yourrades. Tex, look at Hiro and Malco. Would you be able to live in peace if something happened to them when they went inside the enemy territory without many details?"

    Tex was surprised, he did not consider that his teammates may be good, but there was always the element of injury or death in such situations. Tex was too used to working alone that he never realized this fact.

    Shi Lang fell silent and began to eat the meat he had grilled. Crystal snorted against Tex and came to the stove to eat her fill. Hiro and Malco were just a little behind. Only when everyone was finished eating did Tex start to eat.

    ¡­

    Inside the exile city stood the buildings with their glory in shambles. This city seemed dead at first nce. However, this was all a cover. At this moment, a group of youngsters was moving through the streets anding to the city''s central part. There was a park where a big hole had been dug out.

    The group walked to the hole''s edge and found a flight of stairs leading them to its depths. The group walked in without hesitating. It seemed as if they knew where they were going. They climbed down for a few minutes before they stood in front of a group of people, all holding their phaser guns against the group.

    One of the men from the group stepped forward and said, "Team scythe has returned from duty. Thank you."

    The guard waved his hand, and the armed weapons were taken down. The man said, "Sir if you allow me to pass. I have something that must be reported immediately."

    The guard nodded and said, "Fine, get going."

    These people had the standard military protocol in ce. They allowed the team to pass through and headed deeper into the tunnel. The team was moving through the tunnel and came to an area bustling with activity. There were thousands of people gathered inside this ce.

    If Shi Lang were to witness this sight, he would have called for help. Every person here was a cultivator above the core condensation realm. This crowd was a mini army. They will only be able to survive with two of them. The wolves were all united, and when they hunted in a pack, even tigers would find it hard to stay alive.

    The team headed to a cavern-like ce, and the leader said, "Sir, I have something to report."

    An old voice sounded, "Come in."

    The leader walked inside and knelt on the ground. In front of him, an old man was sitting in the void. The old man asked, "What is it?"

    The young man gulped and said, "Sir, on the western side, me and my team made contact with a girl. But unfortunately, she vanished before we could interrogate her."

    The old man opened his eyes wide and said, "Oh, it is fine, you can ignore it. There must be some child that rushed over to see what the exile city is like."

    The old man did not say anything more and spread out his spirit sense tomunicate with someone residing deeper in the grotto.

 Chapter 426 True Alliance.

    Shi Lang instructed Crystal to deal with themunication between the high council and the team. Following hisst suggestion of inviting some human array experts, the high council asked Shi Lang toe back and tell them what he thinks of the situation.

    The young terran had no choice but to move back to the Citadel and discuss with the elders. Of course, they would not have called him back if it was expected, but this time, he was appointed the team advisor while the team leader, Tex, had proposed to go and look deeper into the exile city.

    The conflict in opinions needed to be dealt with with thorough reasoning. They could not ept just one suggestion with their eyes closed. While some spirit beasts preferred Tex''s approach, others held back on the decision until they heard what Shi Lang had to say.

    The young general did not want to move back and forth like some chess piece, but he was too weak to refuse them outright and risk offending a senior.

    ...

    One dayter, in the evening, Shi Lang arrived at the Citadel and stood before twelve people. Beside him stood Tex. Sabre looked at both of them and asked, "I want to know the reason behind this disagreement?"

    Tex looked at Shi Lang, and when he found that the Terran had no intention of speaking, he said, "I wish to endeavor inside the enemy territory and discern what they are up to, but Team Councillor is not confident enough and thinks we might be in for a shock and might also lose some lives."

    The people were aware of this. Tex did not say anything that he had not mentioned in his report. Shi Lang looked at the old people and asked, "I want to ask you all a few questions. If I may?"

    The elders did not say anything in refusal and just nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "What are the responsibilities of an advisor?"

    The people were surprised that they were being asked such a simple question. Moon Baley replied, "To make sure that the team is safe and that they have covered all the grounds."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Thank you for your answer, Senior Moon. This is what I did. I told them not to go inside an undiscovered area. Yeah, young master Tex wants to prove his mettle, but I do not see suicide as a way to prove anything other than mediocrity and shallow IQ."

    His words shocked the people. They did not expect him toe out with such toxicity. Shi Lang did not care about the guy bursting with rage next to him and stood his ground. Tex said, "So, you think of my courage as a disy of shallow IQ, then what shall I think of your cowardice?"

    Shi Lang did not reply to him and stood silently. Moon Baley sensed that Tex was on edge and asked, "I want to know why you like to invite people from the federation to look at the array. If they try to invade it, will that not be rming the enemy?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That will rm the enemy, but the enemy does not consider the weak Terrans a challenge. On the contrary, they are more worried about the experts inside the spirit beastmunity."

    The people nodded, and Shi Lang continued, "There is still a chance that the Terrans will not disturb the array while inspecting it from a distance. I could have done it sooner, but we need keen eyes to detect how exactly that formation works."

    The high council could not brush this off. The reasoning was on point, and thinking about this. Moon Baley and the others conversed using telepathy, and Sabre said, "We allow your participation, but if the enemy counters, what then?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "Then it is an outright war, senior. However, I would still suggest that while the elders are on their toes, they should remind anyone below the core condensation realm not to participate in this war."

    Someone who shared some of his looks with Tex said, "Core condensation is a high cultivation realm and needs a certain amount of resources. How do you think they could have reached that realm when facing sanctions for a long time?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Senior, reaching the core condensation realm is not hard. They might not have the resources, but they had what others did not."

    The man asked, "And what might that be?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Time and a technique."

    The answer made the elders shiver. Suddenly the entire room fell silent, and it was to the point where only the breathing sound was left to be heard. Finally, ady said, "I think I might know what he is talking about."

    The people looked at her, and thedy said, "We all understand that being in exile, they had all the time in the world to cultivate peacefully, however, the process would be slow, but given their circumstances, it is possible that they did manage to pull it off. As for the Technique, is it, Transferrence?"

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he nodded. He said, "Senior Chikara is wise. This technique lets one pass on their consciousness and thoughts to another person. It is like a possession skill butes with a boost."

    Sabre asked, "What boost?"

    The man from the turtle n said, "They are passing down their thoughts and consciousness to the younger generation with their cultivation base too. So, it is possible that what awaits us inside that formation could be a ruthless army."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, that was what I wanted to say. We must take down the enemy and restore the bridge of immortality but not at the cost of losing lives for nothing. So our attack should be impable. We cannot bother to sit back, but night should we jump the gun."

    Tex red at him and asked, "What is your problem? Why do you sound like our leader or something? Just because of the alliance, do not think you can bully us."

    Shi Lang was not surprised and said, "Fine then, I will have all the Terrans pull back from the city and return to the federation. Then, you cane to me when you have had enough of watching your friends die."

    Tex did not say anything else and moved in to attack Shi Lang. The young Terran was waiting for this, and after a quick sidestep, he punched Tex directly in his temple. The punch''s impact was so strong that the young man was on the floor, out cold.

    Shi Lang did not care about anything else and said, "I would like to leave now."

    He was fed up with this guy and his energy. Knocking him out cold was an excellent method to calm him down. Moon Baley and the rest exchanged nces, and they allowed him to walk away. Moon said, "Sebas, your son is shaming the entire race."

    Sebas was the man who had raised the question about what the Heaven-howling wolves held. He was the patriarch of the Heaven Soaring Hawks. Hearing this remark, he sighed and said, "I apologize for your excellency."

    Moon Baley shook her head and said, "It is fine. I understand he is young but needs to learn how to calm down. Shi Lang is a person who will never act heavily on his initiative. He was calm, even in the face of the twelve of us. What do you think his caliber is? Even Her Excellency, the guardian spirit, pays attention to him. Does that not mean that he has something up his sleeves."

    The people nodded, and Sabre said, "Despite all that talent, that guy acts very politely to us. He has the capability if fight someone higher than him."

    Chikara nodded and said, "That is not all. Did you not see that he left us with a clue to figure out methods to deal with the heaven-howling wolves?"

    The people were surprised, but upon recalling the conversation just now. The people realized that Shi Lang was the one who mentioned it and the enemy had a technique. How did he find this out? They had no idea. He could not have this down until he got closer to the exile city.

    The people were surprised but could not ask him all this. After all, it was his technique. He had no obligation to fulfill such queries. Chikara said, "We ought to realize that the Terrans are giving us a lot of help in this alliance. At the same time, we might be handing them with somethings like natural treasures. But they will not need to rely on us when they grow in the future.

    On the contrary, it will be us. So, we shouldn''t aggravate the connection by sending in the people like Young Master Tex. The true alliance lies in respecting each other. We ought to learn that now."

    The people nodded and Sabre asked, "So, how are we going to deal with the enemy? They seem to be prepared for us."

 Chapter 427 Lets Do It The Ace Way.

    After an entire day of discussion, the high council of the citadel agreed to Shi Lang''s proposal, and they invited people from the Federation to help them with the array inspection. Shi Lang called for a batch of array masters. These people had gained a lot of proficiency when dealing with arrays.

    Shi Lang was not cing any stakes on these people. He had only called them over to show them the immensity of the cultivation world. He was well aware of the arrogant attitude developed by the masters of these alternative professions. They all looked down on those without sufficient strength. He did not want that to happen in this era too. So, Shi Lang called them to show them how little their knowledge might be.

    He still had ways to deal with these arrays. The high council also told him they would appreciate his help in the battle about to erupt. Shi Lang stated that he would need his team to deal with all the usible dangers hiding behind the array formation. The high council did not mind, and thus the preparations began.

    After a week, the map of the supposed pathway inside the city and the way through the formation waspleted. The tagged patrol team seemed to be moving around in an almost simr pattern outside the city gates. However, what surprised the people was that their range of movement was more extensive than expected.

    Shi Lang and the people were looking at the map data with the Elder from the Heavenly Fortune-Back Turtle n, Socrates. The old man looked at the map briefly and said, "Young Friend Shi, the tracks discovered by the scout team do not match the cityyout. I have been to the city, and I also know the design of that ce, but many ces do not make any sense at all."

    Then he pointed his wrinkled fingers at a section and said, "This section is upied by a mountain in the city''s center. We call it the mountain of origins. This ce is sacred and was not to be approached or trekked upon. Even if the Heaven-howling wolves are rebellious, they will never do anything that will defy the will of the Master. Until the Master was here, they never did anything wrong."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I understand what you are trying to say, Senior. However, it is also possible that these guys have drilled out a grotto under the city to cover all their tracks and activity to be scrutinized by the satellites."

    Socrates shook his head and said, "We did not let any satellites survey the city of exiles ever."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Why not? Should you not be keeping your enemies closer?"

    The old man sighed and said, "It''s not that we did not try. However, the patriarch of the Heaven-howling wolves dealt with every satellite passed above the city''s skies."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "This is going to be troublesome. This will leave us only one option, which I did not want to try."

    Socrates nced at the young man''s visage and said, "I guess that is all we can do. Our race made a mistake back then in leaving the care and protection of that senior to the wolves. Their ambition, in turn, became the reason for our downfall. So, whatever happens now is something that we deserve to face."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Then can I ask you to advocate for me? I may be an outsider in your race, but I know how to fight. The people waiting for us will not be technical. They wille at us with pure rage. I do not want to damage that city, and the alliance aims to help each other.

    The generations of the spirit beast race have been living in peace. They do not know what wars could be like. So, if they take the forefront, it is akin to suicide."

    p¨¤§ád¨¢-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É.§ã¨®§® Socrates thought it over and said, "You should lead the younger generation of the beast race too. They can use some experience in dealing with battles and bloodshed."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will put them in the rear waves. So they will watch my team and me acting before they enter the battle. Also, I will not promise anything like saving the lives of the enemy."

    Socrates nodded and said, "I will talk to the council. In the meantime, you should prepare your team to act."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You do not have to worry about that. I only hope that when the battlemences, the supreme leader will be the one to initiate the talk with the patriarch of the enemy side. You know I am too weak now to talk to someone in a higher realm than I am."

    Socrates stroked his long beard and said, "Young Friend, the realm of cultivation is not the only thing that provides you the right to talk to someone stronger than you. Skills are the proper strength."

    Shi Lang bowed to the old man, who left the ce after a few more takes. Shi Lang looked at the members of the Ace division and Amelia on the side and said, "We are twenty people. There are twelve cities around the exile city. Do you understand?"

    Amelia nodded and said, "Does anyone have any questions, or shall I just divide the teams?"

    Jill raised her hand, and Amelia nodded as thetter said, "Shall we not wait for the high council''s agreement? It will not be toote to divide the teams, but it might look bad if we prepared ahead of the confirmation."

    Amelia raised her brow and said, "I did not think of it that way. Too much used to dealing with the final moments."

    The people smiled, and Jill said, "I recalled this only when I spotted Crystal from the corner of my eye."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fine, we shall wait a bit. However, in the meantime. Do not lose focus. We might be looking for some uncalled trouble at this time. So, try and think of all the usible worst-case scenarios. An example, what shall we do if we get trapped by who knows how many wolves around us."

    Crystal asked, "What do you mean, boss?"

    "In a battle, a lot of things can go bad. We must never underestimate the enemy. It will keep us on edge.", replied Shi Lang.

    ...

    Sabre shook his head and said, "Socrates, this is wrong. This matter concerns the beast race and not the Terrans. Why must we let them take the lead in this? Is this not putting all of us to shame? Are we really that worthless?"

    Moon did not speak a word. It had been a few minutes since the proposal was made, and the council was thrown into an uproar. Socrates did not retort either. Instead, he listened to the people with a calm. After Sabre finished his piece, the old man replied, "I know that you might think it is shameful to ask for help when we are looking to correct the mistakes we made.

    However, we must realize that the Terrans are helping us out of good faith. Young Friend Shi Lang probably does not know, but don''t you all know? Only the spirit beasts have trouble creating the bridge of immortality. As a human descendant, Shi Lang and his people can advance to the ne of immortals without any of this. They help us out of friendship. It is even more shameful to act bravely in front of a friend who knows our strength is not enough."

    The council again fell silent. Then, finally, the old man made sense. At this moment, Moon said, "Shi Lang is one of the best tacticians and a fine warrior. I will rest assured if he and his people were to lead the battle. Also, the beast race must give their ally a good enough face. However, many humans have been found included in trouble with the Terrans. This discrimination only dampens the spirit ofmon origin and the alliance."

    She paused and said, "Master once said a worthy human would be able to absolve our predicament and gain our trust. Shi Lang had done everything that deemed him worthy of our support. So, the council will take a silent break for five minutes. Then we will vote. The more we dy, the more this danger looms over us. I have had enough of living with this poking emotion that something is wrong. So, make your decision and cast your vote."

    The councilmen all fell silent and began to think about the arguments made in the room. Moon looked at all of their visages but did not say anything. They needed seven votes for this proposal to be epted. Finally, after five minutes, thedy said, "Now we vote. Those in favor raise their right hand. Those in refusal raise their left hand."

    The people reacted and raised their hands. Moon cast them a helpless nce and said, "Elder Socrates, "Inform Shi Lang that the council agrees. We will do it the ace way."

 Chapter 428 Demon Beasts.

    Shi Lang stood in the vast grasnd. Behind him stood many warriors from the beast race. Beside him, Moon Baley gazed at the wall in the distance and said, "Are you ready?"

    The young general nodded and said, "Yes, Senior. I hope their forces have enough numbers for the youngsters of the beast race to watch properly."

    Moon Baley said, "After the formation is triggered, I will talk to the patriarch of the Heaven howling wolves. Unfortunately, I cannot promise the terms of war."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "No matter the terms, the result will be in our favor."

    The heavenly spirit fox replied, "I wish the rest of us were as confident as you are."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Allow me to kick it off."

    Thedy nodded solemnly, and Shi Lang took a few steps forward. Then, he channeled his spirit energy inside his body and flew up to the sky. Above the exile city, out of nowhere appeared a cluster of dark clouds. Moon Baley sighed and said, "To think he can change the attribute of his spirit energy on a whim."

    While the elders were surprised, Shi Lang''s body was covered with lightning sparks, and he was concentrating all of them on the tip of his spear. Then, looking below, the young man took a deep breath and threw the spear.

    It was like a streak of lightning shing through the void, burning everything on its track. The line of lightning descended on the city in a blink, but it did not strike the city. Fifty meters in the void, the spear of lightning seemed to sh with an invisible force. However, the barrier was still hidden, and the spear was still advancing.

    Shi Lang snorted and said, "Is that how you want to y?"

    He paused and said, "Explode."

    The lightning condensed rapidly, then exploded, sending out a visible shockwave. The vibration of the explosion was so loud that the array barrier shook like waves, and the young man smiled. Following this, a loud voice was heard, "Who dares?"

    Shi Lang sensed a strong attack heading toward him and was ready to move when Moon Baley appeared before him. She opened her delicate mouth and snorted as she waved her hand. The iing attack and the spiritual pressure from thedy copsed with each other.

    The invisible sh sent off torrents of air. Shi Lang sighed, and his eyes flickered with envy. Moon Baley said, "Come out, King Of Exiles. It is about time your reality is uncovered. You shame of beast race. Traitor."

    Shi Lang did not say anything and only watched from the side after a momentary silence when everyone thought that no one would appear. Finally, a man appeared in the void above the city. The person was wearing a ragged ck cloak all around his body, and his long hair covered his face.

    Shi Lang could sense the ring eyes hidden behind those long hair. Finally, the man asked, "Did youe here to mumble these childish insults?"

    Moon Baley replied with a stern expression, "I came here only to tell you that your exile has ended. Your ancestors hid the truth of your race from the spirit race, did they not, Heaven-howling wolf, or should I call you Hell Hound, demon beast."

    Her words shocked everyone, even Shi Lang. He could not help but open his eyes wide when he heard this. Others might not know the difference between spirit beasts and demonic beasts, but he did. Demon Beasts fed on the yin element and the baleful energy from killing organisms around them.

    He said, "Hell hound, demon beast known for opportunity nature, and cannibalism to increase its strength. They breed and feed off of their young ones when the youth reaches the peak of their estimated potential."

    The man gazed at Shi Lang and said, "To think a human would know so much about demonic beasts. Come here and let me look into your soul."

    Shi Lang realized that his big mouth had finallynded him in big trouble. The man raised his hand and grabbed the void. The Terran sensed a strong suction around his neck, but before his body could be dragged through the void, Moon Baley sighed and ced a hand on his shoulder. The suction vanished, and thedy said, "You are an ancient relic. Why are you using strength against a junior? Oh, I forgot you demons did not have any dignity to begin with, right?"

    The man lowered his hand and asked, "When did you know?"

    Moon Baley smiled and replied, "Ever since you all were exiled. Unlike you overconfident fools, our ancestors were not fools. However, we needed to locate the humans first so that we have a chance to deal with you cowards."

    Thedy gazed at Shi Lang and said, "I apologize to you, Shi Lang, but these were the instructions left behind by master. This is why Senior Unity did not have full memories from that time."

    Shi Lang did not reply immediately, he would not have felt wrong if it was just him, but the spirit beast or even Tian Long dragged his people into this. Finally, after a few moments, he angrily said, "If my people got hurt in your mess, I would hold you all ountable. They all are staking their lives on my word. I will not allow them to suffer in vain."

    Moon Baley was surprised but understood that Shi Lang acted like an apt leader. While the supreme leader of the high council was surprised, the young terran said, "My team and I will help you deal with the lower-grade demons, but these old relics are left for you to deal with. They must not step in our battle, or I will not mind dragging your young ones to the death trap."

    If anyone else, Moon Baley might have killed that person, but it was Shi Lang. Also, thedy knew they were at fault this time, so she nodded. Then, Shi Lang turned to look at the demon leader and said, "You want to know what I know about your kin, right? You are a demon king, aged around a hundred thousand years. You killed that senior back then, and her soul cursed your race. So you cannot exceed the level of Mahayana. Can you, old dog?"

    Shi Lang felt the re intensify and said, "Do not re at me. I also know you need a human with Nirvana realm cultivation to enter the ruins and lift the curse. Too bad I am the only one you have. Let''s see if your kin is as strong as they are said to be."

    That said, Shi Lang descended back to the ground, and the man in the void was surrounded by the twelve elders of the high council. The man nodded and said, "Very well, I ept your challenge."

    Shi Lang sensed Amelia''s presence and said, "We cannot look too close to each other. They will target you. Everyone, if Amy is in trouble, lend her a hand."

    Crystal nodded and said, "Boss, I will be beside sister-inw. Do not worry. Nothing will happen to her."

    Shi Lang wasmunicating through telepathy so that the enemy could not catch on to the sound made by themunicators. He wore his red battle suit and powered it up with high-grade spirit stones. The rest of the Ace division followed his lead and wore their suits too. The design was slightly different than what it was in the past.

    Shi Lang also took out his Shura Sword and said, "Ace Division, on guard."

    Twenty people let out a faint roar. They had surrounded the exile city from twelve different points and were supported by the array of masters from the federation. Shi Land said, "Cast the containment barrier."

    The array masters nodded and ced a high-grade spirit crystal in the pile of materials they had prepared beforehand. The n was to iste the enemy with this barrier, protect the spirit beasts from the wave, and deal with as many as possible on their own.

    Shi Lang said, "Behead the enemy. Then, no other attacks will kill them. Understood?"

    The team replied with a yes, and Shi Lang saw a swarm of enemy troops pouring out of the city, covering thendscape. The man put on his visor and smiled. His hair had already started to turn crimson. He mumbled, "Demon Hunting Shura. Finally, a chance to try your power."

    That said, he vanished from his spot, and the battle began. The ace division did notg, and they moved in unison. Shi Lang did not leave any thing to chance, and his sword shed, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

    ...

    In the sky, the man in ck clothes watched the scene without any care in his heart. He vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Sabre, who was prepared and blocked the attack with a sh of his saber.

    The battle began, and both sides werepeting with all they had. The youth of the beast race was unable to keep up with the battle in the sky, however, they were shocked to see a red light flicker through the swarm and the ground was turning red. Tex gulped and said, "So, this is war."

 Chapter 429 Demon Subduing Shura.

    Shi Lang was going crazy with all the shes erupting from his de. The person was too heaven-defying for the spirit beast race youths. They could not understand what was going on with these Terrans. The twenty people were too bloodthirsty. Everywhere they went, a gory scenery was left behind to tell the story of what happened.

    What the people did not understand was how Shi Lang alone was able to deal with five times the enemy others were dealing with. Tex was watching the scene keenly, and suddenly, a young man beside him asked, "Young Master, that Shi Lang, how can he deal with so many people on his own?"

    The people were unable to digest this. Tex focused on the figure fighting in the swarm and said, "It is as if the enemy is losing his power as soon as they are in front of him."

    ...

    Shi Lang was fighting with his spirit sense covering the entire area around him, and his body was reacting correctly. However, something was different. If anybody looked under his visor, they would discover that the young man was fighting with his eyes closed and lips chanting obscurenguage.

    The chant was silent, almost inedible, but the ears of the demonic beasts charging at him could not avoid it. The mystical power of the chant allowed Shi Lang to weaken the savage nature in the hearts of the beasts.

    Shi Lang was using the demon-subduing sutra of his core cultivation skill. This set of skills was meant to deal with the demons from hell or those entities who have forsaken their true nature. Demons were not significantly different from spirit beasts. Still, just like blood refiners among humans, demons have also fallen to the crooked path of harming others to elevate their cultivation realms.

    The hell hounds were demons breeding and practicing cannibalism for eons. They were crooked to the depth of their souls. However, these evil beings could gain special abilities due to their unique practices. Most of these beings had a primordial soul that could escape almost all attacks. However, the demon-subduing sutra allowed Valerian to weaken the primordial souls and leave them vulnerable.

    The sutra was derived from a Buddhist chant and invoked a peaceful sensation inside the minds of the demons. The primordial souls of these creatures were always unpeaceful, haunted by the sins of their pasts. This was something they could not ever run away from. So the chant from Shi Lang''s mouth was stunning them.

    It was breaking the sync between the two units, and the body wasgging. Shi Lang was testing the efficiency of this sutra. Finally, after ten minutes into the battle, he had confirmed his suspicion, and since everything was set. He passed this on to all the teammates, and the information was like a file transferred directly inside the people''s brains. Following this, they heard one message, "All of you start chanting the sutra that appeared in your mind. Do not leave even one of them behind. Take it slow, but use it with focus."

    The team did notg and started chanting the sutra. However, the effect it had on the fight was too shocking. The enemies'' movements became sluggish, and they seemed to have forgotten that they were embroiled in a life-and-death situation.

    The elders of the demon beasts saw this situation. Still, they did not have time to worry about it because were holding they back the elders of the spirit beast race were holding them back the elders of the spirit beast race were holding them back the elders of the spirit beast race were holding them back. The elders were all above Nirvana. Realm and they were fighting with enthusiasm like never before. Shi Lang sensed a strong presence appearing on the battlefield.

    He could tell that it was Unity. So he used his spiritual sense tomunicate with the sword spirit and said, "Can you chant the demon-subduing sutra and get the elders to deal with these old demons quickly? Or pass it to them? They do not need to understand the essence of it. Simply chanting the words will also have great significance."

    Unity looked at the situation of the elders and said, "I will pass the knowledge of the sutra to the elders."

    Shi Lang passed her the sutra, and Unity passed the sutra to the elders. The elders were surprised, but Unity said, "You all need to chant the words from the sutra that appeared in your mind. You do not have to repeat it. Just read after the echo of my voice."

    The elders understood, and then the pace of the battle changed. The demon beasts were being suppressedpletely. The change of the war was too quick. The man above the city waved his hand to block the attack from Chikara and looked at the situation below. He was frowning hard.

    After looking at the elders of his n, he said, "So, you had Demon-subduing sutra. No wonder you were all so confident in dealing with us. However, are you sure this sutra will work on me?"

    Moon Baley smiled and said, "We do not need it to work on you. Do you think we do not know you have a treasure that prevents your soul from being affected? Everything you have ever done has been under the watch of the second guardian of the spirit beast."

    The leader of the demon beasts frowned and asked, "Who is the second guardian?"

    Sabre chuckled and said, "Your Excellency, it is time that you show yourself."

    In this sentence, the bracelet worn around the wrist of the enemy leader shivered, and then it snapped. There were nine beads. They all floated in the void and came towards Moon Baley. The enemy leader was surprised. He asked, "How did you do it? I refined them eons ago."

    Then an ethereal voice sounded in the void, "You did not refine me, filthy dog. Do you think you can ovee me? I am Taghata, the spirit of the soul protection beads."

    Then the beads shined with bright brilliance, and a young man with a bald head appeared in ce of the beads. He said, "You think you can refine the soul protection beads? You are a million lifetimes too soon."

    The hellhound was surprised he did not know what to do. Moon Baley said, "Are you shocked?"

    Sabre said, "Your Grace, we will take it from here."

    The man nodded and vanished from his side to appear next to Unity. The young man said, "Long time no see, Senior Sister."

    Unity nodded and said, "It has been hard on you, Xiao Ting."

    The man frowned and said, "Sister, can you not call me by that name?"

    Unity shook her head and said, "No, can do. By the way, look down there."

    XiaoTing looked down and was surprised. He said, "Oh, this young fellow can use the demon-subduing sutra?"

    Unity nodded and said, "This young man is from the era of the master. I will tell you his real identity after all this is settled."

    XiaoTing was shocked and nodded.

    ...

    The fight became very anti-climatic, and the people from the spirit beast race were surprised as the people closed in on the city. Shi Lang said, "The spirit beast youths can now enter the barrier and let them fight it out. We have done enough. Ace division, retreat."

    The ace division retreated, and the spirit beasts charged in. They were all very eager to deal with the enemy. Only when they started fighting did the people realize how hard it was to fight with people who were only seeking survival and were mad for destruction. This event was going to change the mindset of the entire race.

    The peacetime brews weaklings, they said. This was the truth to some extent. The spirit beast youth was filled with the so-called weaklings. Who had the power but did not know how to use it.

    ...

    While the fight entered itsst leg, Shi Lang rushed to the city. He was strong enough to deal with the threats he faced on the way and then entered the city. He was going for the ruin entrance. The young man used his spirit sense to find the ruins'' entrance. However, before he could reach the grotto, he stopped as a child blocked his path.

    Yes, Shi Lang stopped because of a child. At this moment, his senses were tingling. The young man did not expect things to be like this. He mumbled, "To think a Demon Emperor woulde to block my path."

    The child smiled and said, "To think a human will recognize what I am, is truly marvelous."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Do you want to fight with me, Sir?"

    The child shook his head as he replied, "You are not worthy of fighting with me. However, those two spirits would be a good workout."

    Unity and Xiao Ting appeared behind Shi Lang, and the two people said, "We will be very much obliged to free you from the bounds of your mortal life."

 Chapter 430 Betrayal.

    Shi Lang heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Unity, deal with this faster, please."

    Thedy sighed and said, "I know. Stop nagging. Stand on the side. I am afraid the aftershock of the attack with make you fly away to the federation."

    The young man did not bother to refute. He knew his strength was not strong enough, and the sword spirit had a big temper. Shi Lang sighed and walked to the side.

    The young man beside Unity said, "Senior sister, can you deal with this guy alone?"

    Unity rolled her eyes and said, "You think I will bully you in dealing with this guy?"

    XiaoTing did not say anything and went to stand beside Shi Lang. The two exchanged a nce, and then thedy emitted such intense pressure from her.

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Why does she always try to intimidate the others?"

    XiaoTing sighed and said, "This is the nature of a sword. She is always dominating."

    The two young men looked at each other and then nodded. Unity said nothing about their remarks but looked at the child before her. She asked, "Why did you hide for so long?"

    The child looked like an early teenager and was very handsome, but this appearance was deceitful. He said, "I wanted to wait for a human toe and use his blood to open the gates of the ruins."

    Unity nodded and said, "I see. So you know that a human can only ess the ce?"

    The demon emperor nodded and replied, "We can avoid this useless battle and deal with this human together. Then, the entire gxy will pray to us like we are gods."

    Unity shook her head and said, "You want to destroy the only chance everyone has to grow stronger than you. Old dog, you and your kin are reduced to a few hundred and will eventually run out of lifespan if your realm does not improve. Do you think you can survive by feeding your children? Oh, how shameful."

    The sword was not only sharp in the edge but also in the art of words. Then, her figure shed, and she attacked the child before her.

    The demon emperor was about to take the initiative to attack, but Unity was faster, and this sudden change messed up his ns and disrupted his rhythm. Nevertheless, the two entities fought with great vigor.

    Shi Lang was watching it all from the side, with his spirit sense locked on to the two of them. XiaoTing asked him, "Why do you keep your eyes closed?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I can only keep up with the battle when I look at them with my spiritual sense."

    XiaoTing nodded and said, "You are quite sensitive about your capabilities."

    "Always have been, always will be.", said Shi Lang.

    The young monk did not mind this guy being cheeky in front of him, and after a brief silence, he asked, "Do you want to sneak inside the ruin and deal with the issue of the worldws?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am waiting for Unity to leave a critical injury at the guy so that he does note back after me with his fangs bared."

    XiaoTing nodded and said, "You are quite smart, but I can mask your presence, and we can go in."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded decisively. He did not intend to waste time in this ce. XiaoTing shook his head and said, "You are not as smart as I thought."

    The young terran wanted to ask the reason when the monk said, "Do you think that guy will not notice our absence?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "This is the problem with you old people. You underestimate others a lot. Come, mask our presence."

    XiaoTing followed his words, and then he saw Shi Lang bite the tip of his finger and let a few drops of blood fall on the ground. The young monk was surprised by this. However, his surprise grew into shock when the drops of blood morphed into two clones.

    The two clones looked identical to the two of them. Shi Lang said, "They will cover for our physical presence. I want you to leave a wisp of your spiritual presence on your clone. This way, we will not be noticed."

    The young monk gulped, saying, "I take my words back."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then they left the ce after leaving a wisp of their spiritual energy on the clones. They entered the grotto, and the young monk said, "This ce is filled with baleful aura. The deeper we go, the deeper the negativity. Make sure to stay close to me. I can ward off the evil spirits."

    This was the optimal solution, and Shi Lang did not mind. The monk has spent countless years inside this ce as the bead that followed the Demon King. He knew this ce like the back of his hand. Nevertheless, Shi Lang could not help but ask, "I have been thinking, why did you never take any action against the demons?"

    XiaoTing sighed and said, "I have no attack capability, and I was born as the spirit of a Buddhist treasure. So how can I kill?"

    Shi Lang nodded and silently followed the spirit. He was calm throughout the journey, and his steps were steady. His eyes wandered around, and he could sense that the ce was nothing special. No hellhound was left behind because they were all out to fight for their lives. The demons all had innate blood lust. They could not resist the hunger for battle after such a long period of dormancy.

    ...

    Shi Lang and XiaoTing traveled seven miles inside the grotto. This ce was cloudy. Shi Lang could see some obscure figures and outlines in the dark mist. He mumbled, "Leftover spirits of the cannibalized victims?"

    XiaoTing nodded and said, "These spirits have grown strong over the ages. The stronger ones keep devouring, the lower spirits and are quite a hassle to deal with."

    Shi Lang did not say any but stopped moving forward, and XiaoTing asked, "What happened?"

    The young man sighed and looked at the calm monk for a moment before he said, "You relics always underestimate humans. Right? You think just because my spiritual cultivation realm is low does not mean my IQ is low too."

    XiaoTing still asked, "What are you going on about?"

    Shi Lang said, "Bald donkey, do you think your petty tricks will fool me?"

    XiaoTing raised his brows, and a look of madness shed in his eyes. He asked, "How did you figure it out?"

    The young man said, "I was suspicious when you showed great interest in me. However, it was confirmed only when you deliberately led me to the deeper region of the grotto."

    XiaoTing shook his head and said, "That does not prove anything."

    "To others, maybe not, but I had my fair share of exploring grottos or caverns left behind by the dark cultivators of different paths. Because of that, I know the subtle difference between the evil guardian spirit and the mindless spirit.", said Shi Lang and shocked the monk.

    XiaoTing did not know his real identity and asked, "What is the difference?"

    Shi Lang said, "Guardian evil spirits will attack anyone they sense danger from. I do not mean attacking them, but attacking what they are guarding. I can maintain my indifference, but if you are as holy as you imed outside, you should face some attacks, unlike this walk-in-the-park treatment. As for the mindless spirit, they attack and die in vain."

    XiaoTing sighed and could not help but p his hands. He said, "You sure are something, Terran. To be able to figure out the difference. Now tell me, what else did you figure out?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You filled the demon king. He did not expect you to leave him to die. However, that was because he mistook you for his spirit artifact, right?"

    XiaoTing nodded with a smile and said, "Go on."

    Shi Lang replied, "You belong to the demon emperor now. He is the one who refined you, right?"

    "How did you find that out?" asked the monk.

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Did you forget to keep track of your puppet outside?"

    XiaoTing was surprised and focused on the situation of the clone and found that this thing was smiling every time the Demon Emperor managed to push back Unity. The guy looked at Shi Lang and said, "You sure have a quick eye. However, you made a mistake here."

    Shi Lang asked, "Please enlighten me."

    XiaoTing replied, "They do not control me, but the other way around."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide and asked, "You control the demon n?"

    XiaoTing smiled, and then his soft buddha robe vanished, reced by red silk and skull gand. He said, "Ever heard about the demon buddha?"

    Shi Lang took half a step back and said, "To think a bald donkey will have everyone wrapped around his finger. Too suave."

 Chapter 431 Battle Of Wills.

    Shi Lang stood facing the young monk, who had given up his facade. Thetter said, "You are not a normal Terran. Are you?"

    The young terran did not flinch and shrugged. The monk said, "I have no physical skill, so I cannot attack or harm your body. However, I can enve your primordial soul with ease. I suggest that you give up on your own. Unity is not my match anymore."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "It is not easy for you to suppress her, either. So, can you start fighting already? I am not in the mood to waste time."

    The young monk frowned, and his expression looked ferocious. This was because of the change in his nature. The beads were spiritual artifacts that protected the primordial soul from external attacks and originated from a Buddhist sect.

    Being in touch with the demonic beasts, nature was corrupted, and the spirit turned into a demon monk. Shi Lang saw that the other party was hesitating and said, "Your master, Tian Long, probably overestimated you. Your skills must have been good, but instead of purifying these beasts, you turned into one of them, which shows how shallow his taste in selecting the guardians."

    The monk red at Shi Lang, and then his eyes flicked. The attack had begun.

    Shi Lang would not sit quietly and let this guy control him. However, he had to be cautious in his n because this guy was far from a simple artifact spirit.

    ...

    The young monk stood gazing at the man before him inside Shi Lang''s soul sea. The battle inside the soul sea was always dangerous until you had a solid technique to offset the burden of the enemy attack.

    The young monk moved in a sh and stretched out his palm to attack Shi Lang''s chest. The young terran did not take this lightly. He was aware that the power in this attack was anything but shallow. So he responded with a palm of his own.

    Compared to the palm of the monk, Shi Lang could be said to be gentle, as if a wave of water engulfed the iing meteor. The two palms collided, and Shi Lang cleverly hit the side of the monk''s palm and sessfully deflected it to dissolve the power.

    Then Shi Lang ceased the initiative and kicked the inside of the monk''s knee. However, this time the power was inadequate, and the monk also used the principle of hard and soft to reflect the attack. The two people seemed to match well in terms of soul battle skills.

    However, this was just initial testing. After exchanging a few blows, the monk said, "If that is all you have, then I am disappointed."

    The monk led the charge, and the pace and intensity of the attacks increased. He was gradually overwhelming Shi Lang. The young terran responded with a calm expression, but the monk did not miss the slight flutter in the eyes of the person.

    XiaoTing said, "You should give up. If I further damage your soul, you will be useless to me."

    Shi Lang did not say anything. On the contrary, he acted like a weakling and kept on fighting. It was like a desperate struggle, and as the fight went on, the monk had a delighted expression.

    Thest attack managed to bypass the defense put up by Shi Langpletely, and the young man was pushed to fall back on his knees. XiaoTing smiled and walked closer to him with a kind smile. He looked at the man and shook his head. Then, he squatted next to Shi Lang and ced his hand on his head, saying, "You do not have to worry. I will look after all your people too."

    XiaoTing thought that Shi Lang was done for and wanted to refine his soul into a puppet when Shi Lang''s eyes fluctuated, and the crimson color in them became vibrant. The monk sighed and said, "Still not giving up. Look at yourself; why are you so self-destructive."

    While speaking XiaoTing shook his head and closed his eyes with a grieved reaction. However, the moment he opened his eyes, the scene had changedpletely. Shi Lang had vanished, and XiaoTing found himself touching a big stone.

    The monk looked up and found that the scenery had changedpletely. Earlier, he fought in an oasis¡ªa small ind surrounded by an ocean and starry sky. But now, he found himself in a desert. The ce was filled with red sand and scorching skies.

    This was out of his expectations. Looking around, XiaoTing found no trace of Shi Lang and yelled to the sky in rage. However, he calmed down quickly and began searching for Shi Lang.

    The culprit could watch all this because this ce was a secret inside his soul sea¡ªthe shura realm. If he captured the primordial soul or a spirit, he could directly push the enemy inside and leave. However, the long time spent inside the shura realm, the more impossible it became to exit. Only Shi Lang, the master of the domain, could decide whom to let in or let out.

    ...

    Outside, Shi Lang was standing with a beaded rosary in his hand. There were nine beads in this rosary. They were as big as a lychee seed. He looked at the rosary and decided to keep it with him. When he meets Unityter, he will ask her what to do.

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at the evil guardian spirits. He sighed and made a few seals with his hands and then threw a fire spell. This fire was condensed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It was capable of purifying all and any evil powers.

    The small plume was just as big as a palm, but it was enough to scare the evil spirits into running. Shi Lang did not waste time standing here to watch the evil spirits vanish. Instead, he turned around and searched the dark maze of caves to locate the ruined entrance.

    He was aware that the path XiaoTing was leading him on was wrong. At the end of that pathy a monster that Shi Lang would not be able to deal with. However, the young man did not have to struggle much before finding the ruins'' entrance. As soon as he gazed at the doorway, he was stunned.

    The door was a glowing stone arch. On top of the arch, a few words were written, ''Gateway of humanity.''

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "TianLong, you old bastard. Why did people even take you as an idol back then? What the fuck was wrong with you to make such a joke?"

    The ce did not have a single life inside, but as soon as Shi Lang stopped speaking, a bold voice sounded, "Who are you calling a fool? Do you think I am your friend to make a joke on you?"

    Shi Lang did not have to wait for long. The glowing lights condensed into a silhouette of a man in a robe. The person took a careful look at Shi Lang and smiled faintly. On the other hand, Shi Lang looked around before picking up a rock and throwing it at the silhouette.

    Tian Long was surprised and asked, "What was that for?"

    Shi Lang replied, "You fucking old relic. Why the heck did you pull me into such a mess? Tell me. There is no way to change worldws, is there? You better be honest, or I piss on this arch."

    Tian Long was shocked and replied, "How dare you?"

    The cavern trembled, and Shi Lang said, "Check your temper, you dolt. The ce will copse, and you will be buried here."

    Tian Long grits his teeth and, after a few seconds, controlled temper and says, "Fine. I saw your future and paid a huge price for it. Is this how you repay me?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Oye, are you confused? Did I ask you for a fortune telling?"

    His words choked the phantom. Shi Lang continued, saying, "You better tell me how to deal with this mess. One of your artifacts has betrayed you and fallen to the way of evil. I just trapped his soul in a separate realm. Do not try to dwell on this. You will find nothing.

    As for Unity, she will start crying if she gets here before you leave. But, I must say, your artifacts sure have personality. So, hurry up."

    Tian Long had never felt this embarrassed in his life. He said, "Fine, the method to restore the worldws is to fight the left over spirit of the expert from back then. I left this spirit conscious here of guarding her remains. Though there is one condition, you cannot attack her. It will be a battle of wills."

    Shi Lang held his forehead and sighed, "You really like to fuck with people like you did in the old days, you fucking worm of hell."

    Tian Long''s silhouette sensed a vein popping up on his forehead. This guy did not spare him any face.

 Chapter 432 Battle Of Wills. (2)

    Shi Lang cursed TainLong, and he did not spare him any face. This scene would have sent many people into a fit of rage, but these two knew better than anyone else. The bond they shared was not shallow. They might not have conversed with each other. However, they were both the most lonely people that could have existed in the world.

    While TianLong was standing at the peak of it all and Shi Lang at the bottom of the pit. They both did not have any other friends. Everyone revered Tian Long. Even his enemies acknowledged his strength.

    Shi Lang, on the other hand, faced despise and rejection. Only one person epted him, and that person was his namesake sister. Since they were both alone, they held onto each other. They both saw each other as something they could never be.

    As weak as Shi Lang might be, he always had peace of mind. On the other hand, Tian Long had the strength that worried others and disturbed his peace. However, who can y against destiny? Their difference became the reasons why they had no filters when dealing with each other.

    Shi Lang said, "You sure this is the only catch, old ghost?"

    Tian Long calmed his temper and said, "You will see what it is, undying bastard. I will not tell you shit."

    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® Shi Lang crossed his arms and said, "Oh, so his excellency has decided to let go of the facade and curse. How the mighty have fallen after the ascension."

    Tian Long did not say anything to that. He was clenching his teeth too hard. Even if it was just a spirit phantom, the consciousness was connected to the real Tian Long in the immortal realm. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Can you stop being a crybaby now? Stop sulking. You might not have much time left in this realm. I will not keep you, shoo."

    Tian Long widened his eyes and said, "Listen here little shit. I did note down to have tea with you. I need you to restore thews of the world. A war is happening in the immortal realm, and humans need support."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Why are you dragging everyone into a war situation? What is it that you immortal humans cannot deal with?"

    Tian Long took in a deep breath and then sighed. Finally, he said, "You sure you want to know?"

    The young Terran nodded, and Tian Long said, "So, the demon beasts are in a rage. They are nning something under the shadows, and many spirit beasts and human race experts have fallen or been killed. The remaining ones are not yet strong enough to hold a risk to the demons, so we are left aside. We can charge at higher realms without worry only when we have new muscle."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "To think I was so eager to explore the world of immortals. Do you know how many times I have given an inspirational speech to motivate people and not cower in fear of death while cultivating? No. You, shithead, decided to y games alone, which is how you mess up."

    Tian Long finally could not bear it and shouted, "It is not my fault. Those demons you are dealing with are all cunning shits. They have been guarding the passage between two worlds, so we cannot receive any reinforcement. Why the fuck do I have to bear all your bullshit? You rascal, you swine. Why did you note through when you made the promise?"

    Tian Long was mentioning about Shi Lang''s ascension. They had the promise to meet in the ne of immortals andpete in battle, but thetter did note.

    Shi Lang replied, "As if you do not know why I could not make it, mister fortune teller."

    Tian Long snorted and said, "My time is up. I am leaving, do what you want."

    Shi Lang wanted to say more, but the silhouette before him vanished slowly. The terran shook his head and said, "Loser, always giving up on wordy. Humph, but who told him to mess with daddy."

    ...

    Somewhere in the immortal realm. A middle-aged man was fuming with rage as he walked around the courtyard. The man did not say anything, but it was evident that he was angry about something.

    A gracefuldy watched him for a few minutes, and finally, she could not hold it and asked, "Tian, what is it?"

    Tian Long stopped his stroll and yelled, "That bastard Shi Lang. How dare he fuck with me? I want to tear him to shreds. Motherfucker..."

    Profanities echoed all around the ce. Finally, thedy shook her head, and with a wave of her hand, she cast a barrier and said, "Calm down, you know he is like this, then why did you meddle with him? Forget about it."

    Tian calmed down and shook his head. He said, "That guy does it on purpose. He does not want anyone toe closer. You know what the blood refiners did to his sister, right? He has been like that ever since."

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the stone arch and said, "Fine, let''s see what this is about."

    Then he picked up his feet and crossed under the stone arch. The surroundings changed, and he sighed. He mumbled, "To think that Tian Long used engraving to guard this ce."

    Following his words, a faint ethereal voice sounded in the ce. Shi Lang was now standing in a white void with no boundaries. So he couldn''t move. It did not make any difference.

    The voice became louder, and soon Shi Lang heard, "Tian Long selected you?"

    Shi Lang looked behind him and found a golden sparrow flying around. The bird was as big as his palm. However, it did not seem to be friendly. The aura radiated was very strong. Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am the one he asked toe."

    The golden sparrow changed her form and appeared in an ancient hanfu. The person was a delicate girl. She gazed at Shi Lang, but the young man could not see her face. So he did not bother with it. This person''s realm was too high for him to worry.

    Thedy said, "I am Eternia. You came here means you are aware of the battle of wills."

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy continued, "You will have three chances, and if you can convince me to admit defeat, I will lift the curse on this world. After that, the world''sws will restore to their original state."

    The young terran nodded and said, "Thank you, senior."

    The golden sparrow said, "You have one minute to clear the condition."

    This was a bomb that Tian Long did not tell him about, and now the young man was in a fix. He did not know what to do. However, it was clear that he could not defeat thisdy with his current strength. If she was radiating such intense spiritual pressure, then it was obvious that her spirit could not be affected too.

    At least one minute will not be enough to find a breakthrough. Shi Lang''s brain was shifting gears and running at high speed. He had no idea what to do to clear this trial. He cursed himself and thought, ''It is such a simple thing, yet I cannot do it?''

    When he was thinking about this, an idea clicked on him. He raised his head to look at thedy and bowed his back. He asked, "Senior, I cannot defeat you, but can you please restore the worldws to the original? The humans and spirit beasts you cared for also exist in the immortal ne. At this moment, those who harmed you are harming them as well. Kindly allow us a chance to go and help our kin."

    Thedy asked, "Why? Why do you bow to those you do not know? Why do you plead for those your forefathers have been enemies with?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I am bowing because I am not inconsiderate like others. I know that the bnce of life is connected to both the humans and the spirit beasts existing in harmony. But, I plead because I am me and not my forefathers. Those who lost sight of what was necessary for the face of power and greed. I do not wish to be like them."

    Thedy did not react for a few minutes, but then she waved her hand, and Shi Lang was forced to stand up. He looked up and found that he could see thedy''s face now. Thedy said in a gentle tone, "Took you a long time toe over, human. My time is almost up. I hope that you can pass down my message outside. Never to be blindly trustful but they must also not be too wary of others.

    My parents wished for me to be the bridge between the two sides. I hope both sides can achieve what they could not achieve when I was alive after my death. Lead them to a better future."

    Shi Lang bowed his head but before he could say no, he was pushed out of the void. He sensed a subtle change in surroundings. Unity appeared beside him and asked, "Is it done? I can sense it, you did it."

    The young man shook his head and said in a low voice, "It was never a battle, it was a request all along. So that they can remember you, right?"

 Chapter 433 Rise.

    Shi Lang did not say anything else to Unity. Instead, he turned back to look at the stone arch withplicated emotions in his heart. The situation waspletely different from what he had expected. Eternia only wanted the two species to live together in harmony.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® She was born amidst a war where humans and beasts did not get along. Yet, two people fell in love and gave birth to her. She wanted the two species to remember what they could do with each other rather than to each other. However, her efforts failed when the demons attacked her in the guise of spirit beasts.

    Enraged, she cast a lock on the worldws, and by the time Tian Long arrived, it was toote. The man could not do much other than bury the corpse in a stone and ce it underneath a monolith for protection. He did not even tell the two spirit guardians about the hoax of the stone arch.

    Shi Lang estimated that the old guy must have calcted this in his vision. Finally, Unity looked at him, lost in a daze, and asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Lang said, "The spirit of that expert has vanished. We should seal this ce as thest resting ce in her respect. None of the people shalle here ever again. Also, rename the city after Eternia. This ce will be used for the ascension of the old people. What do you think?"

    Unity was confused and asked, "Why do you say all these things for? What happened?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and told her everything while they moved toward the exit of the grotto. First, the sword spirit was surprised. Then she was shocked, and slowly the shock turned into sadness and then rage. Shi Lang did not say anything even if he could sense the fluctuation, and Unity asked, "What do you intend to do with the evil XiaoTing spirit?"

    The young Terran said, "Since he had already filled and trapped inside the realm of no return, he will gradually die in a few decades. However, I can bring him out if you want to."

    Unity shook her head and said, "He betrayed my master and me for eons. If I saw him, I would shred him to wisps, so better let him stay in there to die. As for the rest of the conditions, I will mention them to the high council."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "As you say. Oh yeah, TianLong said hello."

    Unity froze, and after a minute, she asked, "You saw Master?"

    "Yeah, he looks pretty old now. I wonder if he is being driven to his death up there.", said Shi Lang.

    Unity shivered and said, "You better mind your words. I will ascend to the immortal realm. I will help my master."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "You understand the rules. Or did you forget them all after all this time? Spirit weapons cannot go through ne ascension tribtion if they do not follow their master. So Tian Long screwed you up."

    Unity was at a loss when the realization dawned upon her. She was shocked and asked, "Can I never go to that ce?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Go, find another master and ascend with that person."

    Unity was standing in her spot when Shi Lang decided to walk out of the grotto. He did not know how to make the sword spirit feel better. She had been dedicated to guarding the spirit beasts all these years, waiting for someone to change the world''s rules. However, now, she found an enormous wall in front of her.

    The wall was made up of her loyalty to Tian Long and thews that did not allow her to cross the heavenly tribtion without a master. Shi Lang suddenly realized something and said, "You are a sword spirit. Swords are the weapons that can even sh heavens, then can you not sh the worldws?"

    Unity heard his voice, and something inside her changed as if a shell of dust and duty that had be her cage was unlocked. Her thinking changed, and closing her eyes. She recalled how she first met Tian Long. She was a treasure generated by heaven and earth. When Tian Long came to find her, he had almost died. Yet, if not for his unwavering spirit and defiance, she would not have decided to follow him.

    After hundreds of years, when Tian Long surpassed the bounds of the mortal world, she still did not wish to break her feelings for him. However, now that she had fulfilled her duty, she wanted to go and step into the immortal realm on her own.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not bother with the sword spirit but walked out of the grotto. Outside, the situation had changed a lot. The city was now akin to a hunting ground. The cultivators from the spirit beast race were chasing the few demon survivors. None of these people was to be spared.

    The young terran jumped and flew away from the ce. He was headed toward the high council elders and discussed the next few moves. He wanted to ask what they had in mind about the next step toward cultivation.

    ¡­

    The high council elders had finished dealing with the demon king, and the demon general was disposed of by Unity earlier. Shi Lang greeted them with a smile, saying, "Tough battle?"

    The people responded with smiles, but no one said a word. Are you joking? They wanted to save face in front of a junior. Moon Baley asked, "Did youplete dealing with the issue?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can sense the change if you try."

    The people exchanged nces and began to sense the spiritual energy in the surrounding. Suddenly, all the people cultivating for a few decades started to break through on the spot. Shi Lang saw this scene and sighed, ''Such an exaggeration.''

    He saw this but did not disturb people and waited for the ace division to regroup. Crystal saw the situation of the elders, and with a radiant smile, she said, "Boss, you can visit a few scenic spots. Do you think you can stay back for a few more days?"

    Shi Lang looked at his team and said, "It is up to them. I will go back to the library and study."

    Amelia sensed something was up with Shi Lang, so she followed him. However, the rest of the people did not want to mess up and decided to travel along with crystal. They were dedicated but have yet to be mad about cultivation.

    ¡­

    On the other hand, Shi Lang led Amelia to a garden in front of the library, and they both sat on the ground. The girl was about to ask him something when Unity appeared before them. Shi Lang patted the ground next to him, and Unity froze.

    These past few months of thepany have made them develop a decent connection. Unity sat beside Shi Lang and said, "What do you have in mind?"

    Shi Lang said, "We do not need to hold back anymore. The wars and all can be left for the young to handle. The gxy is filled with people, but none know about cultivation. I might sound selfish, but cultivation shall not be passed to the other species. Ikeras learned the method of blood refiners. The others might twist the logic too.

    Federation and Citadel both have confidants. We can teach them cultivation and have them grow stronger too. However, precautions should be taken. Have them all swear a heavenly oath.

    Tian Long said that the humans and spirit beasts were suffering under the pressure of the demon beasts. I do not want that old man to die before I can kick his ass."

    Unity looked at him and said, "I agree with you. He has some bnce to settle with me too. We shall do as you said, rush to the peak."

    Shi Lang nodded and, looking at Amelia, said, "You do not want to ask what am I talking about?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "I do not understand anything besides staying with you. I will also work harder and ascend together with you. Do not worry. I do not have any constraints on me."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I only hope that Shi Tao and the guardians can be set up correctly and that they can protect the independence of our homes."

    Amelia nodded and said, "They are your students. Have some faith in them."

    Shi Lang looked at the sky, and sighed as he said, "With the fall of a titan begins the era of gods."

    Unity said, "Destruction begets construction. And a new world me rise soon."

    Shi Lang and the sword spirit nodded to each other when Amelia said, "To the rise of a new dawn."

    They did not know but several high council elders appeared around them who all hailed, "To the rise of a new dawn.

 Chapter 434 Seclusion & Integration.

    The next n of action was established. Shi Lang did not care about anything on the gctic level. He resolutely resigned from the strike force, letting Jill take over the captain seat. She had proved her worthiness after shedding blood and sweat alongside him. He encouraged her and left the final decision in her hand.

    Jill was also aware that the existence of the Ace division was significant for the development of the federal military, so she agreed to hold the position until she crossed into the nirvana realm. This was all that Shi Lang was hoping for.

    On the other hand, he dered his retirement from the military with a use that if other experts could not deal with a situation, he would step in to provide his aid. The Ikeran survivor was already training the students in the school, which did not hinder his growth.

    ¡­

    A weekter, Shi Lang and Amelia appeared on a secluded ind. They had returned to the Federation and were ready to live in seclusion. They selected an ind so that they could focus on cultivation while at the same time staying close to the people they cared about. Shi Tao followed them and decided to only go back to school for somepetitions and examinations.

    Shi Lang wanted to ask his family to follow him, but the old people refused this idea. So instead, they said, "We will be fine here only. We are slow in our advances, and rushing the progress will do nothing good for us."

    The young Terran had no other choice, so he agreed with their decision. The ind was covered with thick vegetation, and Shi Lang made a small clearing inside the forest to construct a small courtyard house like the ones from ancient times.

    They did not need any food, but Shi Tao did, so the young man made a small kitchen in the house. Shi Tao and Amelia were shocked to see this construction n. Amelia asked, "Lang, what kind of house is this?"

    They have never seen such architecture. Shi Lang said, "This is the most basic house n from ancient times. I found the blueprints in the Citadel library. I wanted to see what sort of vanity will this be. It dide out nicely. Right?"

    Amelia nodded, and Shi Tao rushed inside to explore the house. She was like a butterfly hopping here from there. The two people did not stop her either, and Shi Lang arranged for three spirit concentration formations in the three rooms. The house had seven rooms. Four bedrooms and three practice rooms.

    Shi Tao looked at Shi Lang and asked, "Baba, where will I practice my martial art skills?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You have an entire ind for you, and you will also have this courtyard. It is big enough to spar and check your skills against me. Okay?"

    Shi Tao thought about it and nodded. The arrays were set up, and life in seclusion began. Shi Lang spent the morning with Amelia. The two spared with each other and prepared food for Shi Tao. Then the couple retreated to the training rooms to cultivate. Shi Tao would spend the morning by a jog around the ind. She will bathe under the waterfall and return to eat before retreating to cultivate.

    The three people were so dedicated they would note out for days if they caught inspiration. Shi Tao had learned some cooking skills to survive, but in the absence of modern cooking tools, she survived onpressed food or the food pills she had bought from the city alchemy association.

    Shi Lang stayed inside his room for a month before he came out and found Shi Tao practicing her fist skills in the courtyard. The young man did not say anything but observed her body. The little girl was slightly taller and seemed to have broken through in her cultivation realm. This was a good thing. She was reaching the level where she would unlock the first seal Shi Lang cast on her.

    The young man nodded, and Shi Tao asked, "Baba, I am stuck. I cannot make the fourth move of the tiger fist set. What am I missing?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You are missing the mindset."

    Shi Tao tilted her head sideways and asked, "What do you mean by mindset?"

    "Have you ever seen a tiger charging at its prey?" asked the young man.

    Shi Tao shook her head. Then, Shi Lang said, "Well, we should find you some videos to study."

    The girl nodded and said, "I think that might work."

    That said, the girl quickly took out some videos on the to study the aura of the tiger. It was not like the Federation had forgotten to take care of the wildlife and eco-system of the world to achieve development.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    The little girl watched the videos, and then she understood what it meant to use her fists like a tiger hunting down its prey. Shi Lang did not say much and let her watch the videos. The girl gradually got lost in the inspiration, and the young man entered the kitchen.

    He was making food for the girl and scanning for Amelia. Suppose thedy hase out of seclusion. After finding that thedy was still immersed in cultivation, he went back to guiding Shi Tao. The sessionsted till the evening. At this time, Amelia came out of the room and found the two people discussing martial arts.

    She found them and began to teach Shi Tao along with the young man. Shi Lang checked the time and found that it had been a few months since they had been living in seclusion. After practice, Shi Tao said, "Baba, I have an exam notification from the school."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, let us go together. We will use the time to visit your grandparents too."

    Shi Tao was naturally happy, and three people flew through the sky the following day. It took them only a few minutes before they arrived at the school. Shi Tao hopped her way to the ssroom with Shi Lang and Amelia.

    The two people looked around and found that the school had significantly changed. Amelia said, "To think the alternate branches have grown so much that they have been integrated with mainstream education."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is a good thing. The children will have more exposure and be able to face the challenges better."

    Amelia nodded and asked, "Shall we also enroll in these sses?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Why not? But hold your talented mind back, or the teachers will be embarrassed to see you get ahead of them."

    Amelia chuckled, and just when they were about to fly away, they sensed a barrier around the school building. Shi Lang said, "Let us go and find Old Edwards. He will be able to send us out."

    Thedy nodded, and they made their way to the principal''s office. On the way, they noticed that the modern mechanisms in the school had changed into those with cultivational tools. In addition, the check-in gates were installed with array tes.

    This was an impressive change that Shi Lang had expected to take time to implement. When they arrived at the main office door, they knocked on the door, and a calm voice sounded from the inside.

    Shi Lang opened the door and froze in his spot. In the chair of the principal, Jenkin Edwards was sitting. The two young men looked at each other, and a smile appeared on their faces. Shi Lang asked, "What were they thinking when they allowed you to take charge of the principal seat?"

    Jenkins chuckled and said, "Nothing much, just that I am no longer fit for the battlefield."

    Shi Lang was taken aback, and then he used his spirit sense to check Jenkins. He was surprised and asked, "What happened to you?"

    Jenkins had lost all movement below his waist. His legs were shriveled up and showing signs of atrophic decay. The young principal did not show it on his face and said, "Well, I was out on a task when we were ambushed. The other party was fast and seemed to be from some great civilization in the gxy. They were scouting the federal territory when we engaged them. To protect the spaceship, I deployed with the mecha squad. However, the other party took us down, and although they did not kill anyone, they crippled me. They said it was the leader''s fault to lead a team that could not differ their status, and thus, in front of my entire team, they crushed the lower column of my spine."

    Shi Lang clenched his fist and asked, "Who was responsible for negotiations? They should give us an exnation, right?"

    Jenkins shook his head and said, "When has it ever been the turn of the lower levels to deal with the gctic high table?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Seems like I have been in seclusion too long."

    Amelia said, "You can fightter. First, get him up on his legs."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Jenkins was shocked.

 Chapter 435 Surgical Applications.

    Shi Lang walked up behind the table and lifted Jenkins in his arms. The young principal was bbergasted and asked, "Lang, what the hell are you doing, you swine."

    How can he tolerate being carried like a princess? He was a grown man. Shi Lang replied, "Shut up, be a good boy."

    Jenkins tried to struggle, but with his lower cultivation and abolished body, how could he get away from Shi Lang? He nced at Amelia, who shook her head with a silly smile.

    Jenkins said, "Lang, I have an image in the school. Don''t ruin it."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "I am ruining your image so you can create a better one. Okay, now let me do my thing and shut up?"

    Jenkins sighed and gave up on fate. Amelia chuckled and said, "Remember how you used to bully him, Jenkins? I think he is enacting revenge on you."

    The young principal replied, "I regret those moments more than anything. Ask him to stop, Amelia."

    Shi Lang did not hear his nags and kept walking to the infirmary. He did not stop, but themotion still caught the attention of a few people. The people were surprised and amused by this. Shi Lang looked at a rtively old staff member and said, "Teacher Quinn, can you please tell all the medical staff members toe to the infirmary, do mention that the principal needs treatment."

    Quinn was an old staff member, and he was aware of Shi Lang''s identity. It has yet to be a decade since this young man changed the perception of the technical group. Watching him carry the principal in his arms, the old man nodded and said, "Right away, General Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, ''"I have retired, old sir."

    The man did not reply and informed the other people.

    ...

    Shi Lang ced Jenkins on a bed and said, "Turn over."

    Jenkins did not move. Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "If you do not do it on your own, I will do it for you, and you will not like it."

    The young principal was speechless and decided to turn over and wait for what woulde. Shi Lang asked, "How did this guy manage to harm you to this degree? Did they also use cultivation?"

    Jenkins did not know what Shi Lang was doing to him and said, "I tried to get an idea of their strength with spirit sense. However, it was toote by then. We were attacked from a blind range. The mecha squad was unable to stand the impact of the phaser beams. Lang, the machines failed us even if we can fight against such things with our bodies now. If not for being a pilot in the mecha. I am sure that I could have avoided that attack."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Why did you not contact me?"

    Jenkins replied, "You had just turned in your resignation two days before this happened. Commander Silence issued an investigation notice, and the soldiers have been trying to look into the matter. Still, when the top brass of the gctic council came forward and took responsibility, the investigation ended."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I have no idea why people forget their limitations?"

    Jenkins did not ask anything. He sensed Shi Lang was doing something to his body. A few momentster, the medical staff arrived and were surprised to see Shi Lang operating the medical equipment. The young man beckoned them, saying, "We will now perform surgery on Principal Jenkins. He has voluntarily agreed to it. Jenks, we need your verbal consent to stand up and be like you were in your youth."

    Jenkins red up and said, "I am still in my youth, you rascal. You wait. I will get up and bust your ass."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Principal Jenkins just said that he wishes to stand and spar with me; that is his verbal consent."

    Jenkins was shocked, but Shi Lang pinched a point on his spine before he could do anything, and the whole person froze. A doctor asked, "Sir, how can you operate on him? We have some knowledge of his case. The body has been tempered to such a high level that none of the modern incision methods work on his body. The phaser scalpel can pierce the skin, but the regeneration is too fast for the doctors to operate."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You are treating a high-level cultivator like a normal guy who survived a car crash. What else do you all expect?"

    The doctors went silent. It was indeed just like Shi Lang said. The entire medical fraternity treated Jenkins as an average Terran who suffered from previous injuries. They all did not take into ount the fact that Jenkins was now a cultivator. The doctor wanted to ask something when Shi Lang said, "The bones of a primordial soul realm cultivator are akin to jade. Although clear and strong, they can take up to a decade to regenerate to what they used to be once they break."

    The young man manipted hismunicator and said, "Look at the spine scan."

    The doctors looked to the side and found a holographic projection floating above Jenkins back. Shi Lang said, "I will set up a simple spirit detection array aligned with the scans. This will allow you to watch how the spirit energy pulls the fragments together and fixes the situation. Then, I will begin the operation. Watch closely. I will be doing it once only. After that, you can record this procedure and sell it to other doctors to study and practice in different aspects of surgery."

    Shi Lang ced his hand on the lower back and said, "The scan will detect everything in real time so you can see what is happening. Now watch."

    The young man channeled his spirit energy inside Jenkin''s body. The principal grunted, and his body shivered. Shi Lang said, "Yo, Jenks. You better not move, or the pain will increase."

    The young man kept manipting his spiritual energy and connected them to the fragments. Then he gradually pulled the pieces together. The process was slow and needed a lot of focus. A doctor was hesitating when he looked at Jenkins, sweating like a pig and shivering uncontrobly.

    Amelia spoke up from the side and said, "The pain is necessary."

    Her voice attracted the attention of the doctors, and she continued, "A cultivator needs to be strong. The body will not grow stronger if they do not have the pain stimtion. So to hold the bone together, it is needed for the cultivator to sense the pain, and then the body will be tempered to another level."

    The doctor nodded but asked, "Ma''am, is there no way to ease the situation?"

    Amelia nodded and said, "Shi Lang is a new doctor, so he forgot to mention, Jenkins, you should run your cultivation sutra and be careful not to touch Shi Lang''s spiritual energy thread."

    Jenkins started using the cultivation sutra. He was mindful to avoid Shi Lang''s spiritual energy thread. The young man sighed as some of his pain was released. The doctors began asking questions to Amelia, and thedy kept answering. She was not wasting her time during seclusion. The couple would discuss many things, from integrating cultivation methods in medicine and other fields.

    The doctors saw the scan showing how a fine golden line wastching onto the bone fragments, which were being ced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Amelia came to stand next to Shi Lang and then used a cotton swab to wipe his forehead. The process was not consuming physically but mentally.

    Amelia waited for the lower column to be reced and said, "Jenkins, use your spiritual energy to wrap around the recreated column."

    Jenkins did what he was told. He could easily sense the inside of his body because of his spiritual energy and did not have much trouble covering the bone.

    Shi Lang took four hours before he managed to finish the surgery. The people all heaved a sigh of relief when they saw this. The young man said, "You have to stay in bed for the next two hours. Also, do not think you can return to fighting as soon as you get up. Your ass is grounded for the next month. If I found you working out or even running around, I will whip your butt."

    Jenkins red at him but made no argument, more like he could not do anything. Shi Lang had not unlocked his acupressure point. He said, "I will go and meet the General Council. I want to see, which of the big four wants to die so soon."

    Amelia was surprised and wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "You do not have to worry, I will not act as a member of the federal army. I will be performing a surgical operation."

 Chapter 436 Looking Down.

    Shi Lang finished the operation and walked out of the room. He was going to meet with Commander Silence. The meeting was going to discuss his battle n. He would not act big and let the people who hurt his friend disappear. He was a petty man.

    As he left the room, Amelia chased after him and asked, "Do you not have to go and visit mom and dad?"

    Shi Lang stopped briefly and said, "I wille after meeting the Commander."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Should Ie along?"

    The young man thought briefly and said, "You go and get the cab to hold a meeting. This will be a big move. We cannot do it without their knowledge. They will need to provide coverage."

    Amelia nodded and said, "I will contact Hayley. She has taken up the task of a senator."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Since when did that muscle freak go behind a desk?"

    Amelia chuckled and said, "She will not let you walk away if she hears this. You have been out of touch with others for so long that you no longer know what they are doing. Hayley and Jenkins were about to get married before this ident happened. Your boy has been in self-doubt ever since.

    Although Hayley told him that things would be fine, this guy is just a bit too much of an overthinker. I wonder if you left him with scars from the past."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "You do not understand men, do you? Only when we genuinely care for someone do we doubt ourselves. Because we do not wish to lose that person because of our deficit, a man would willingly bear all the pain in his hurt to keep his woman happy, to not give her a chance to walk away from him. That is only when he truly cares, and the other party reciprocates.

    Jenkins doubting himself shows that he does not take Hayley for granted and does not want to be a burden on her. So, chill. I will get my boy back on his feet, and by the time the two people decide to marry, I might take down the bitchy big four."

    Amelia smiled and said, "Is that why you are always so patient with me? Always catering to all my whimsical demands?"

    Shi Lang poked her nose and said, "Woman, you already know the answer. Let''s go. I am boiling with battle intent."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "You go, I will pick up Her Highness first, or she will throw a tantrum."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You have it hard."

    Then after a chuckle, he vanished from his spot. He made a full-speed dash to the secret division hideout to meet with Commander Silence. On the way, he did inform thedy that he wasing over so that the people did not waste time in checking or other formal procedures. He was initially going to meet with thedy at her office, but Archie Arkham sent her current location and asked him toe over there.

    Shi Lang did not find anything odd in this and moved quickly. He changed his path and found thedy in a vi on the city''s edge. This ce was filled with a lot of such vi sets. They looked identical to some extent.

    After scanning the surroundings with his spirit sense, Shi Lang located Archie Arkham in a vi andnded on the front door. He pressed the doorbell, and a holographic projection of thedy appeared on his side.

    Archie saw him and said, "Come in, Lang."

    The door opened after verbal confirmation, and Shi Lang walked inside the house. The ce was clean and modestly decorated. If only someone were to know that thisdy was not an average operative but the chairperson of the general council. Shi Lang walked inside and heard a voice from the kitchen on the side, "What wind blew you here?"

    Shi Lang looked at the decoration and said, "The stifle with the big four."

    A tter followed this sentence in the kitchen. After a brief silence, Archie walked out in ck pajamas and a white t-shirt. Her figure was toned, and her face was still the depiction of beauty personified. However, her brows were furrowed.

    She asked, "How did you find out about this?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang gazed at her and said, "Jenkins."

    Archie Arkham nodded, and then, with a sigh, she said, "Take a seat. Let''s talk."

    Shi Lang nodded and sat on a single couch across from thedy. Then, he asked, "How long were you nning on keeping me out of the loop?"

    Archie Arkham shook her head and said, "If you were military personnel, I would not have minded telling you or even asking you to help me deal with this. However, the council did not want to bother you. The investigation came to a stalemate when one of the high-table people came forward and imed responsibility.

    The gctic council had a considerable debate but did not make any ripples. The camps were divided, and after Ikeras were destroyed, the sphere of influence of the other four civilizations increased. The gctic species are wary of them. So, we cannot do anything in counter."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We can. Or I can."

    Archie Arkham sat up straight and asked him, "What do you intend to do? Are you strong enough to barge in and attack them head-on?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not yet capable of erasing an entire with an attack. However, I do have some aid on my side. Other than this, I have a n that will allow us to deal with these people without getting caught."

    Archie Arkham asked him to speak, and the two discussed the issue for the next few hours. Commander Silence was shocked and awed when she heard the n of action. She knew that Shi Lang was a genius tactician, but the method he exined just now was too unpredictable. Never in her wildest dreams could she havee up with this n.

    After the discussion, Shi Lang took his leave and told Archie Arkham that he would address the council if he had to. However, thedy refused and said that she would be doing it. She was the chairperson of the general council and was tasked to lead such matters.

    Shi Lang did not mind. He was not after credit for this. Instead, he wanted to avenge the dishonor faced by his friend. The entire civilization was being looked down upon. How can he just let this matter slide? Who in this gxy did not have pride? Shi Lang would not let these guys go, or his heart would develop a knot.

    As he was thinking about this, hismunicator vibrated. It was a call from his mother. He epted the call while flying and told her he would be home soon. Shi Lang was quick and took a few minutes to reach home. He had just entered the house when Luna grabbed his ear and said, "Why is your hair so long? Do you think you look awesome like this?"

    Shi Lang yed along and screamed for help, but the door was closed, and his princess had betrayed him by handing tweezers to her grandmother. In the house, the atmosphere was all cherry and bubbles.

    However, things were not the same everywhere in the gxy.

    ...

    In a luxurious pce sat a man holding a goblet. His face resembled a marble statue chiseled with the most incredible finesse. The man looked at a person kneeling with utter indifference and asked, "Why is it that your n cannot take action against those insects directly?"

    The man kneeling was one of the ''big four'' leaders. He was responsible for the scout mission in which Jenkins lost his ability to move. Upon being questioned, the man replied, "Your Excellency, the gxy has just faced a significant change by the uprooting of Ikeras. The atmosphere is taut and delicate. If we attack anyone without any reason, then we risk the chance of rebellion."

    The man raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, am I so weak that a few insects can take me down if they decide to regroup?"

    The kneeling person shook his head like a rattle and said, "Your Excellency, I only ask for your patience because these insects will be our fooder in theter phases of your n. We need not worry about rebellion, but we must ensure that the folder does not leave you any sourness."

    The man chuckled and said, "Very well then. You may leave. Deal with this matter however you like."

    The leader of the big four seemed to have been granted amnesty and stood up with a bowed head. The man on the throne mumbled, "You bought me good quality blood this time. Find me some tender flesh, too, next time."

    These words made the leader shiver, and he left the ce with his head bowed. The proud leader could not even match gazes with this person. Who was this guy? Why was he looking down on the Federation and the Terran race?

 Chapter 437 Clues.

    Shi Lang spent the night with his family, and the following day Commander Silence and Hayley Dupont called him. They both wanted to tell him that the federation president would like to meet him.

    His identity has reached a ce where the federation president would act respectfully when dealing with him. Shi Lang nodded and told them that he would be there on time. The young terran got up and walked into the living room after cleaning up. He found Amelia sitting on the couch, watching television.

    The young man smiled and sat down beside her. The couple rarely had such moments, and when they had, they liked to enjoy them. Shi Lang told Amelia about his conversation with Hayley and Archie Arkham and that the President was ready to meet him.

    Amelia nodded and said, "You better be on your guard. These bureaucrats are always up to something. Beware of the dagger hidden in that smile."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will keep that in mind. Do not worry."

    The two spent the day on the couch watching various shows. Finally, shi Tao joined them, and shemented, "Baba, you look so handsome."

    Shi Lang smiled at her and said, "Well, that is because I must keep up with you and your mother.

    Evening came quickly, and Shi Lang changed his clothes into something more formal before leaving home. He told Amelia to handle his parents, which she did quickly. The old couple cared for Amelia more than they did for Shi Lang.

    ...

    Arriving at the President''s residence, Shi Langnded in front of the main gate, and the guards immediately became alert. Shi Lang snapped his fingers, and the spirit energy fluctuation rendered everyone groggy. Then he snapped again, and the people woke up. Although alert, they did not point phaser guns at his face.

    Shi Lang said, "I am here to meet the President. He must have told you earlier."

    The guards finally noticed that the visitor was Shi Lang and respectfully saluted him. The captain rushed over upon receiving the information and said, "I apologize for the dy, sir. I also apologize on behalf of my brothers. They pointed guns out of habit."

    Shi Lang waved his hand with a smile and said, "You worry too much, captain. I am pleased that they performed their duty so diligently. They are all good men. Keep up the good work, boys."

    The soldiers were all motivated hearing these words from their idol and replied, "Hurrah."

    Shi Lang nodded and then followed the captain inside the mansion. His pace was calm. He could already sense the President was sitting in the living room with his wife and daughter. Shi Lang entered the room wearing a royal blue shirt and ck trousers. Hayley was the first to see him, and she stood up with a smile as she remarked, "Boss, since when did you grow a new skin?"

    Shi Lang was stunned and then chuckled. She was joking about him for not wearing a military uniform or battle armor. However, the young Terran was not ousted and said, "Ever since you tricked that doofus Jenkins in your honey trap."

    Hayley did not refute and chuckled. Shi Lang nodded to the firstdy and then to the old man. He said, "Long time no see, Sir."

    The old man nodded and said, "Long time no see, General."

    Shi Lang smiled, and after exchanging pleasantries, they all settled on the couch. Then, Shi Lang said, "Well, cutting to the chase, I want your permission to organize an attack against the big four."

    The President looked at Shi Lang and said, "Before you do that, I need you to hear something."

    Shi Lang was confused, and the man said, "Shashi acquired this news and some of the spies we have nted on the prominent four families. Although every person they recruit is kept at the lower level, they all have ways to get closer to the so-called ears of the ns. These people may not be from the main line of the big four ns. However, they are the trusted cronies. They still know what is going on behind the scenes."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked, "What did they discover?"

    President Dupont sighed and tapped on hismunicator as he said, "This is the only copy left. Observe it."

    Shi Lang nodded and watched the clip. He was confused when the clip ended, and Dupont asked, "Did you recognize the me that suddenly erupted from the pocket of that person?"

    The young man nodded and said, "That me erupts from the talisman I designed to check the blood refiners."

    Dupont nodded and said, "The person had only entered the main house of the targeted n, and the talisman went off. The person who triggered this was the daughter of the patriarch. However, she did not seem to be in great health. The spy described her as pale and lean as if her blood was drained from her body."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang was surprised and leaned forward with his elbows against his thighs. He began to think about what the reason could be. Then he operated hismunicator and contacted the person who might have some idea about this.

    Dupont did not stop him because he could not, and Shi Lang did not answer him. Finally, themunication was established, and the holographic projection of Moon Baley appeared in front of them. Shi Lang greeted thedy and asked you call me at this hour, Shi Lang?"

    The young man said, "I apologize for disturbing you, senior, but I need to ask you a question."

    Moon Baley nodded, and Shi Lang told her the situation. When he was done, he asked, "Can you tell me what else can trigger the talisman like that?"

    Moon Baley pondered a little, and before she could say anything, a calm voice sounded, "Lang, did you leave your brain here when you left the Citadel? What else will trigger the talisman other than a strong aura of a blood refiner over her body? Someone must have touched him to extract blood without harming her. That is why the talisman was triggered."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "How is it possible? I destroyed everything rted to the blood refiners on the Ikeran."

    Unity sighed and said, "Why do you worry so much? Directly catch the blood refiner and peek into his soul. That way, you will find all the answers you need."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Do you think it is so easy to nab an enemy guarding against me?"

    There was no reply. A few secondster, Unity said, "How about I help you?"

    Shi Lang opened his mouth wide and asked, "What have you been high on? How can you leave the Citadel?"

    Unity snorted and asked, "That is my problem, you dunce. Fine, if you do not want help, good luck finding the culprit and screwing the entire thing. Rot in hell, you ungrateful human."

    Shi Lang sensed a twitch develop on the corner of his lips, and with a sigh, he asked, "Please help me, Senior Unity. You will have the gratitude of the entire Terran race."

    The sword spirit nodded and said, "Fine if you beg me so sincerely. I wille over tomorrow with Crystal. You better be a good host."

    Shi Lang nodded heavily, and themunication was disrupted. Then, he said, "Seems like we need to modify the n a bit."

    Hayley nodded and asked, "You will also need a team. Since the Ace division is out and busy with the Strike Force, what will you do? Recruit new people from Mythya?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I was thinking more like recruiting the old ones. It has been a few years since we went out together. Also, your fiancee will get the chance to avenge himself and ovee the knot in his heart."

    Hayley was surprised but then she asked, "What about Tao? She will allow you to go on a mission?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "She is sensible. She will not bother me. Plus, her exams will be finished and then she will be busy with the new standard, and her training with the guardian cadets will begin."

    Hayley nodded and said, "Very well, I am in."

    The president wanted to say something but sensing a nce from his daughter, the most authoritative person in the federation was shot down at point nk. He did not even get the chance to beg for mercy.

    Shi Lang noticed this but did not say anything. Hayley asked, "It will take more than just us to do all this."

    The young man cast a questionable gaze at her and said, "To think you grew weaker behind the desk. Oh lords, what should I do?"

    Hayley punched his shoulder and said, "I need to train first."

    The ace cast her a nce and with a smirk he said, "Don''t worry you will be back at the peak shape in no time. I will be whooping you all to the ground."

 Chapter 438 Silence Before The Storm.

    Hayley asked Shi Lang as he was about to leave, "Boss, shall I call everyone back?''

    Shi Lang thought and said, "Everyone includes me, you, Amy, Jenks, and Darcx. How about we add a few technical support too? You can select by yourself. Some people from the ingenious races. After all, the Federation is not only limited to the Terrans."

    Hayley smiled and said, "You have no idea how talented these ingenious races are. Just wait till the meeting."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Looking forward to it."

    Then he flew away. Hayley sighed at his back and shook her head as she moved back inside the house to get to work. She had to recruit people for the team, mixing the old with the new and ensuring the coordination was well-matched. She had a hunch that things would change a lot after this.

    Shi Lang returned to his house and dered he needed to go to the war to pick up a few guests. When Amelia asked, "Who ising?"

    Shi Lang slumped his shoulders and said, "It is that overpowered sword spirit and her cronie, Crystal."

    Shi Tao heard Crystal''s name and became excited, "Sister Crystal ising."

    Then the little girl erupted in a giggle, and Shi Lang sighed. He said, "My daughter has been trapped in the charm spell of that fox."

    Amelia shook her head while smiling. Crystal and Shi Tao had be good friends during her stay there, and Shi Lang was jealous of it. The young man left home early in the morning. He caught a military ship and headed to the warrior. He was not sure whether he could stand the vacuum on his own.

    The power of space was immense, and the human body, regardless of its tremendous development, was still fragile. Shi Lang was sure about this because even in the past, one needed to reach the Mahayana realm. However, at that time, he thought of himself as weak, and despite reaching the highest cultivation realm, he did not step out of the.

    ...

    Shi Lang sat under the pavilion around the teleportation formation with his eyes closed as he cultivated in his spare time. Since he was going to wait, he would utilize every bit of extra time he had. As he was cultivating, he thought about the techniques he had learned in the citadel library.

    He wished he could use the technique to peek into the future to determine who was the enemy and be done with it. As he was thinking, the formation activated, and two figures appeared before everyone. One was a youngdy with silver hair. The guards scanned the person and found it was Crystal, so they did not react. However, upon checking Unity, they found no information and became wary.

    Since Shi Lang was here, they did not act rashly. After all, they were smart enough that the ace came over to pick up some prestigious guests. What if their actions offended the guests? Also, thisdy was giving them goosebumps with her gaze scrutinizing them. The guard captain had no option but to look back at Shi Lang.

    Unity followed his gaze and asked, "Oi, Lang, how long will you keep me waiting?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "I think you can rest in the pavilion. Do not disturb me."

    He already thought it was only to irritate the sword spirit did he say these words. As expected, thedy flickered and appeared near the man with her finger pointed at his nose. She said, "Would you like to repeat yourself?"

    Shi Lang would not have minded this tantrum queen, but she acted bossy toward him in front of all the Terrans. The juniors who idolized and admired him were looking at him with a surprised gaze. Shi Lang gazed back calmly at Unity and said, "You better act in line and not step over me in front of my subordinates. You know much better about the means I have to put you back in your ce."

    The sword spirit was still gazing at him. However, a strong sword intent was gathering at the tip of her finger. Unity was capable of tearing apart entires. The pavilion was shaking, and so were the hearts of those watching the scene.

    Shi Lang suddenly raised his brow, and an equally strong sword intent erupted from his body. He said in a low voice, "Are you sure you want topare with me, little unity."

    The sound was so small that only Unity could hear him. She froze in her ce, and then she dispersed the sword intent. She said, "Seems like someone got his shit together."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Unlike a budding tsundere."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Unity snorted and then distanced herself. She asked, "When will you take me to your home?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We will go in a few hours. Just rest."

    Unity nodded and patiently sat opposite in front of them. The situation calmed down after they sat down. The young man called for tea and some snacks. Then, he gazed at Unity and said, "What do you think is going on?"

    Unity nodded and said, "I know what is going on, but it is still just a hunch, so I am unsure about the chances."

    Shi Lang nodded as he sipped the tea. He also had a hunch of what might be happening but was unsure. Crystal looked at the two of them and asked, "Can you tell me your conjectures of the current development? Then, if we have more perceptions, we can easily find the real reason based on logical deduction."

    Shi Lang and Unity looked at her and nodded. Then, the young man said, "The reason I think something is deeper going on is what might make the princess of such a big n suffer?"

    Unity nodded and said, "I thought of the same thing when you mentioned the tape and the video. So, if there is some reason that could force the leader of the big family to stand by and watch his daughter fall in this situation, then it must be stronger than the entire nbined."

    Crystal was shocked by this reasoning. However absurd as it may sound, this was all based on logic. It all made sense in its bizarre way. The more the girl thought, the more surprised she became. Finally, she asked, "Senior Unity, if the enemy is as strong as you say, can we win?"

    Shi Lang did not say anything and kept sipping on his tea. Thedy observed his actions before she said, "If we fight with the conventional means, then we can never win."

    Crystal looked at Shi Lang and Unity from the side and did not catch any fluctuation in their eyes. But, the guardian spirit has confessed they will never win by conventional methods. So, the young heavenly fox spirit asked, "Then what other method can be applied to defeat the enemy?"

    Shi Lang put down his cup and said, "You will know in time. Now, let us depart for the Federation. I have my team assembled there."

    The young man stood up and led the twodies to the spaceport. The ship was already on standby. Shi Lang moved calmly, but the speed was quick. The vehicle took them to the spaceport made for the shadow executioner division of the secret divisions¡ªShi Lang''s old workce.

    He exited the ship and told Hayley to gather everyone at his house. They will be holding the meeting there. Unity had not been on this in ages, and Crystal was also visiting for the first time, not of official business.

    ...

    Shi Lang pushed open the door of his house and found Shi Tao standing before him. He sighed when he entered the ce, but the girl did not greet him. Instead, she lunged and hugged Crystal as she cheered, "Big sister Crystal, wee to my home."

    Unity sensed something and gazed at Shi Lang, asking, "Why does it seem like her physique is more prominent than before?"

    Shi Lang said, "I cast seals on her body so that she can gradually adapt to the power she has inside. Despite how pampered she is, her training has not been neglected. From the time you saw herst to now, two seals havee undone."

    Unity nodded, and upon thinking, she said, "This is indeed the best method. However, how do you know the seals and formations?"

    The young man sighed and telepathically replied, "I studied all I could when I was born. Gradually managed to deduce a few things from the past."

    Unity nodded, and the two women were weed inside. Shi Lang''s parents were out shopping and meeting his aunt and uncle. While Amelia was in the study, reading something. Shi Tao ran off to call her when the door was knocked on. The young man opened the door with verbal confirmation, and Hayley walked inside with Jenkins and Darcx in tow. Behind her entered five different people whom Shi Lang did not recognize.

    The young man smiled and said, "Time to kick up a storm in the gxy."

 Chapter 439 Team Meeting.

    Shi Lang took the people to the study and locked the door from inside. Then, he tapped a seemingly random spot on the floor and initiated a formation to iste the sound of whatever they were about to discuss. Jenkins asked, "Boss, aren''t you being paranoid? Activating the formation and all."

    Shi Lang gazed at the man and said, "The enemy is a spiritual cultivation expert. For all I know, he can use some technique to monitor us remotely."

    The people fell silent. Unity nodded from the side because, for all they knew, even if the enemy was still hidden, it was better for them to take all sorts of protections to minimalize the risk.

    Shi Lang looked at Hayley and said, "Introduce everyone."

    Hayley nodded and said, "Dracx, Amelia, Jenkins, and I are the old members. So, let me skip to the new people. From left to right, Captain Tchal, firearms expert. He belongs to the Arial species, and his unique ability is to hit any target withplete uracy under seventy kilometers."

    Surprised, Shi Lang asked, "How does that even work?"

    Hayley smiled and said, "I will let the man exin himself."

    Tchal stepped forward and greeted Shi Lang with a standard salute and said, "It is a gic ability that allows me to transfer a part of my consciousness inside any airborne beast or bird. Then I can calcte every parameter needed and fire urately. Initially, my uracy range was twenty kilometers, but continuous training has helped me improve significantly."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now that you say it, I can digest it easily, Captain. Be at ease. This mission is not by the book. You can rx. Hayley, continue, please."

    Hayley nodded and said, "Hailing to be the fastest knife of the Vector native Syphons. Captian Marly. She is twenty, but her skills have been tried and tested."

    Shi Lang looked at a youngdy who stepped forward. She had a feline figure and was taller than the average girl. Shi Lang cast a gaze to her legs and smiled, "Digitigrade. Wee to the team, Captain."

    Marly saluted him and said, "It''s an honor to be here, Sir."

    Marly belonged to a species that were digitigrades. They used only their toes to walk and run like dogs or cats. Another thing was their knee joints were reversed. If someone does not pay attention, they will not notice it, but it will be evident once they move.

    Hayley said, "This guy will be our tech master. All the custom gear can be left for him to handle. He had spiked through almost everypetition in the past year and held thirty military patents. In addition, he is well renowned in the world of schrs, a native of Valga, a member of the Valgo species, Seargent Andale."

    The people found a young man with sses stepping forward. The person looked weakpared to the rest, but his eyes were sharp. The man saluted Shi Lang and said, "Thank you for having me here, sir."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will rely on you, Sargent Andale."

    Andale nodded and stood there silently. He did not have any unique ability other than his brain. The introductions continued, and Hayley bought two guys who would be their pilots and backup assassins, Nile and Eline. They were twins and had telepathic abilities to sense what the other person was about to do.

    They have been the best tag team Hayley could find among the enlisted. Shi Lang nodded and said, "So, Andale, you must be familiar with the Ace Division armors?"

    Andale nodded, and Shi Lang said, "I want you toe up with a better version, and it must incorporate array formations needed inbat. Will you be able to do that?"

    The young man stood up and said, "I will do it, Sir."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You have a mission, so get on with it. We will be heading for some training to get to know each other. I hope to see a working model by then."

    The young Soldier nodded. Shi Lang looked at the rest of the people and said, "We have no idea what we are going up against. The only clue lies with the leader of a prominent n. The location of their home base is avable to everyone. However, ess is almost impossible.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    So the n is to have Darcx go undercover. Try to get as close to the main branch as possible and find us the details."

    Darcx nodded, and Shi Lang said, "You all must have heard how strong thisdy beside me is. The enemy is probably on par with her. Capable of destroyings on a whim. So whatever we do must be short and kill the enemy. We cannot afford to take a risk."

    At this moment, Marly raised her hand and asked, "Sir, if that guy is so strong, then why does he not take action himself?"

    Shi Lang was about to reply when Unity cut him short by saying, "He is so strong that if he used his skills, then the rules of this ne will put him under a heavenly tribtion. His chances of being a top-level blood refiner mean he must have sinned a lot. By sin, I mean killing young and innocent girls. His karma will not allow him to get through the tribtion. So, rather than being a small fish in the big pond, he wants to be a big fish in the small pond."

    The people understood that this person''s motive in the shadows was to overtake the entire gxy. Shi Lang said, "That is not the only clue. Thest time I was in the citadel, I came across the divine spirit consciousness left behind by an expert from ancient times. He told me that the demons we dealt with in the citadel served as the rearguard for the demons in the immortal ne."

    This was another bomb. Eline asked, "Sir, if the demons cane to the mortal realm, then why cannot humanse back and fight them?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not understand. These people are all under the condemned category of demon beasts. They have been given a mission: to hold back every sort of reinforcement from this ce. Humans cannote back because humans face the toughest of constraints.

    Spirit beasts are strong, but they cannotprehend things. Humans have both physical capabilities and also the ability to understand skills. We were not supposed to try and reach the immortal way, but we did it anyways. If we decided to return to the mortal realm, the heavens would retaliate against us for meddling in its business."

    The people nodded, and Amelia asked, "Why shall we send Darcx inside? Can we not seek help from the Ace Division?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Jill told me the team had been assigned a monitoring duty deep in the cosmos. It will take them two months to return to the strike force headquarters.

    Another thing is that the ace division cannot get in touch with the main family of the big four. They have been in the limelight for too long. That is why I need Darcx to go in. Otherwise, I would have gone on my own."

    Unity seconded his voice, "We should not startle the snake. It is not wise to do so."

    The discussions continued, and theysted for a few hours. Finally, Nile said, "Sir, I would like to apologize. I do not think I can fly through the no blindspot arrangement of guard fleets. Their weapons are loaded with high-tech weaponry, and we, as a small infiltration team, will not be aided by any reinforcement either. I am not scared of dying, but suicide is not a wise option either."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I do not need you to fly to death, Soldier. Instead, I need you to take us to the nearest uninhabitedary body, and then we will zoom in directly."

    Hayley asked, "What do you mean by zoom in?"

    Shi Lang tilted his head and wanted to say something when Unity said, "We will have Darcx set up a teleportation formation on the enemy. And when we travel to the false post, we will prepare a transmission array and infiltrate directly. This will allow us to bypass theary defense systems, and the enemy will not be alerted."

    The people were surprised by this ingenuity. However, Darcx asked, "What do you mean, have me set up the array? I hardly have any knowledge about them."

    Shi Lang pointed his finger toward Darcx and thetter was surprised. He had the knowledge of the teleportation array in his mind. He said, "Fuck you, Boss. Howe you always have something up your sleeve?"

    Unity clicked her tongue and said, "They are too easily satisfied."

    Shi Lang smiled when the sword spirit said, "For the time before Darcx gets any information from the enemy, I will be teaching you all what it is like to be in hell."

    With that the team meeting concluded.

 Chapter 440 Preparing For Departure.

    After the team meeting, Shi Lang left the house again to visit Commander Silence. He needed to inform her about the resources he would need. However, he had a stock of his own, but he wanted to ask the Federation to provide him with the raw material for his expedition.

    The young mannded in front of the special camp of the shadow executioners. The specialty of the secret divisions was that none of the rules were ever overlooked. Even if Shi Lang was here for a meeting and his identity was exceptional, he needed to provide documents to guards before he could cross the post.

    The young man did not mind presenting his credentials and the message from the Commander''s office to prove that he had an appointment. After five minutes, he approached the familiar office building but could not help raising his brow. The office was now covered with defensive array formations.

    He could see that the guard posts had attack formations engraved on them too. Humans were genuinely marvelous. They would never cease to grow as long as they followed the right path. Shi Lang entered the office with his curious gaze. He sighed and came to the reception, and the soldier led him to the waiting area as there was still one minute left before the meeting.

    Shi Lang silently waited and, by habit, tried to use his spirit sense when he discovered that the ce was blocking his spiritual sensespletely. A minute passed quickly, and a slight jingle sounded. The receptiondy appeared before the center door and greeted an old man who came outside.

    This old man was surprised to look at Shi Lang in surprise. But, he stood up straight and saluted him. Shi Lang, who did not know the man, still returned his salute before he heard the attendant on the side say, "General, you can now enter the chamber."

    Shi Lang nodded and went ahead. He entered the room and closed his door. He looked at thedy behind the table and said, "Yo, boss. You look distressed."

    The Commander said, "I am wearing my mask, Lang."

    Shi Lang smiled goofily and said, "I know you enough to detect the gloom surrounding you. Wassup?"

    Archie Arkham shook her head and said, "You should not worry about this. It''s trivial. What made youe here at this hour? I need to get off work."

    Shi Lang smiled, and controlling hismunicator, he passed her the n outline and the list of supplies needed by the team. Archie Arkham began to look at the list and asked, "Are you going to conquer the gxy?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "You can think of it like that. The enemy we are against could be a high-level demon. Even if the powers cannot be used to full extents, he will pose a big threat as this person could be several million years old."

    Archie Arkham was surprised and asked, "Isn''t that immortality?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You have mistaken the concept of immortality. Suppose the enemy is a demonic cultivator and is sent down to serve as a rearguard for those in the higher ne. Then he would be able to survive while facing some restrictions. However, if he tried to unleash his full potential, he would die from the bacsh of the heavens."

    Archie Arkham sighed and said, "You need to describe all these rules to everyone. Or things will be veryplicated in the future. Why don''t you publish a book?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I do not need to. In the future, the two species will work hand in hand, and their elders will tell you all about it."

    Thedy nodded, and, looking at the documents on the hologram, she said, "You can execute the mission any way you find convenient. My biggest concern is your safety. So, I hope you can prioritize the same. We can fight against the people if we have talents like you alive."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have not yet gotten tired of my life that I will seek out death."

    Archie nodded and said, "I will arrange these for you by the morning. Where are you headed?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "That is a secret, this is a covert mission, and I do not trust anyone other than my team."

    Commander Silence nodded and said, "Well, I have something to tell you. Don''t mind the ugly words, but the council has asked you tomit suicide by vaporization so that you cannot be linked back to the Federation."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, we have also nned this attack to be a one-off deal. If we failed, we would be facing something worse than death so. Do not worry."

    Archie Arkham nodded and said, "Godspeed, Soldier."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang saluted her and left the office. However, as he reached the door, he turned around and said, "Boss, take care."

    His tone was solemn, and Commander Silence knew what he was talking about. He was asking her to take care as he would be leaving the Federation and Amelia, the second strongest on the. Thedy nodded, and then Shi Lang left the room.

    The young terran would probably fight with his strongest enemy, and he did not n on returning to the Federation before he could deal with the hidden threat. Also, his family and friends were still here. When he returned home, Unity sensed his mind was not focused.

    She asked, "What is bothering you?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "The inability to cast aary defense array bothers me. If only I had that high skill, I would have been able to calm down. Unfortunately, the possibility of another attack when we are gone is very high, and too much is at stake."

    Unity nodded and said, "I know. That is why I told Amelia to gather the spaceships from the resting fleets of your army around the twos and guard them in case of an attack. They all have defense arrays engraved on them. Then, in case of an attack, the spaceships could link with each other and form a defense array formation."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he breathed as he said, "Thank you, Senior Unity."

    Unity nodded when she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Shi Lang was someone who valued favors and cherished rtions. She did not mind helping him out. Another factor that helped her was the rtionship he had with her past. He was the closest tie she had in this ever-changing world.

    Shi Lang looked at Shi Tao and Crystal in the living room. He said, "Tao, you will stay home with grandpa and grandma. You will have to look after them, okay? Baba and Mom will take some time toe back from the mission. Will you be good?"

    Shi Tao''s smile vanished. She did not want her family to go away. However, she knew that it was an important thing. While Shi Lang was out, Amelia had already coaxed the girl into not demoralizing Shi Lang.

    The young girl nodded and tried to smile, but her eyes were too calm to express joy in her heart. Shi Lang carried her in his arms, and the girl embraced him. Then, leaving Crystal alone, the two came to the second floor of the vi, where Shi Lang took the girl to sit on the roof in his arms.

    He did not say anything to coax her. He knew the more affection he showed, the weaker his resolve would be. The two just sat there in silence before he stood up.

    Shi Lang did not move until the sun appeared on the horizon, and Shi Tao said, "It''s okay. You can go now. I will be good. But you must be careful and look after mom. She is very clumsy at caring for herself."

    Shi Lang nodded as the child passed him the instructions as if she was the elder and he was the child. He took her down and found everyone gathered in the living room.

    Unity said, "Crystal, return to the Citadel. Take young Tao and Shi Lang''s parents with you. Tell the council to look after them."

    Shi Lang was surprised and wanted to say something when Unity said, "I only want you to act without worrying about anything. Understood?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and Crystal said, "I understand, but senior, who will tend to you if I leave?"

    Unity thought briefly, saying, "That kid from the hawk n, Tick. Yes, send him over. He knows sword too."

    Crystal almost did not buckle over inughter and said, "But we may not have that much time."

    Unity rolled her eyes and said, "I will take you to the teleportation formation with my space portal. You can inform that guy right away. In fifteen minutes, everything will be sorted. Go."

    The young girl realized she had been shut down and nodded helplessly. Unity gave the people time to pack their belongings, and then she opened a space portal to the federal war.

 Chapter 441 Misery Refines Steel.

    Shi Lang regrouped with the team outside his house, and then they proceeded to the spaceport. Unity sat in the car and said, "Flying over is way faster than this."

    She was a sword spirit, and her speed was anything but slow. So, sheined about this slow means of transport.

    Shi Lang replied, "Not everyone can fly. But, even if they can, the city has rules now. They cannot let everyone fly around like birds, creating a mess in the sky."

    Unity did not bother to refute him and closed her eyes. Amelia was sitting beside her and smiled. The two vehicles did not take long to enter the shadow executioner spaceport. Commander Silence was already waiting for them before a hangar where the small vessel was being prepared to take off.

    Shi Lang walked over and saluted her, followed by the rest of the people. Commander Silence said, "All you wanted has been arranged and stored in the ship, waiting outside the atmosphere. That ship is among the fastest models we have designed after studying the ship from the Ikeran vessel. It has everything that you asked me for."

    The young man nodded and said, "Thank you, boss."

    Archie Arkham sighed and said, "Whenever the Federation is in trouble, you step up to carry the burden on your shoulders. You have my gra...."

    Before she could finish, Shi Lang replied, "Don''t go all sentimental on me now. Save it in case someone unfortunate happens. Your words can jinx my streak of sessful endeavors."

    The team members smiled and were aware of the stakes, yet they did not hold back because if not for them, someone else would do it in their stead. So, let the strong take a step forward. The team boarded the spaceship, and after the clearance was granted, Nile piloted the boat out of the atmosphere.

    Darcxmented, "For once, I do not have to deal with the console. No wonder you all liked it in the back."

    Jenkins chuckled and said, "You say it as we bullied you, little one."

    Darcx snorted at him, and the other three smiled. The ship was quick, leaving the atmosphere in a few seconds. Nile said, "Sir, the battleship is on the moon''s dark side."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fine, one small wrap and move around to dock in."

    Nile replied, "Aye, Sir."

    The ship entered a wrap to cover the distance in a blink. The next time it appeared, the battleship was already visible to them. Hayley whistled and said, "Commander sure loves you, Boss."

    The rest nodded. Shi Lang did not even have to tell them the vessel specification. It was a behemoth built for pure destruction. Allendale looked at the ship, and his eyes twinkled, and he asked, "Captain Nile, can we move in a bit quicker, sir?"

    Everyone looked at him, and the five older people chuckled, and Darcx said, "I did not expect to havee across another fanatic."

    Allendale scratched his head in embarrassment, and Shi Lang said, "Don''t sweat it, Sargeant, this guy is talking about himself. You can ask him why he keeps checking on people using his ability."

    Darcx protested, "Hey, Boss, let me rag the rookies. They will grow closer like this."

    Shi Lang said, "Senior Unity, how about you train our, Mr. team yer, first?"

    Darcx had heard about Unity''s strength being greater than Shi Lang''s. He was surprised, while others were curious. The sword spirit gazed at the man and said, "Are you sure? What if I break him?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can break him. I know that he will be stronger after breaking apart."

    Unity nodded and said, "I will get to it as soon as we reach the camp."

    Shi Lang nodded, and with a smile, he said, "All of you, use the opportunity to study how to optimize and learn from our fellow teammate''s struggle."

    The team was in proper sync and replied, "Aye, Sir."

    Shi Lang smiled as he leaned back in his chair, while the rest were having a hard time stifling theirughter as they saw the shocked Darcx. The man mumbled, "Oh, I am damned."

    The small transport ship docked to the battleship, and Shi Lang said, "Set course to the coordinates...."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Amelia asked, "What sort of ce are we heading to?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This ce was scouted for spirit mines. It turns out it had been mined empty by the Ikeras already. However, they abandoned the and buried the mines to keep things under wraps, but that was done seven thousand years ago."

    Marly asked, "Sir since they had the entire in control and mined it empty, why?"

    Unity replied, "To keep the spirit mines alive. Spirit mines have a mother crystal that absorbs spiritual energy. When the particles have umted enough energy, they condense into spirit stones."

    The people nodded, and Nile said, "Sir, we are ready."

    Shi Lang said, "Go ahead then, captain."

    Nile said, "Everyone, please fasten your seatbelts. We are entering hyperspace drive."

    The next moment, everyone felt like they were being sucked inside a pinhole and their bodies stretched.

    ...

    It had been a week since the peoplended on the abandoned called X1. The youngsters took a couple of days before they began training. Unity was not holding back. The moment she started to train Darcx, she broke his jaw and two teeth. Shi Lang did not even bother to look at the wound, nor did the others.

    Darcx was sent to the medical pod four times in one day. Unity was true to her words when she said, "I will let you all experience misery."

    The result of the brutal training was also evident. The team was getting stronger and stronger each day. Although they were still being rushed up and beaten like no tomorrow, they were getting to the edge.

    On the seventh day of the week, a message made Shi Lang halt the training. He gathered the team around and said, "Darcx, it is time for you to move."

    The man nodded and said, "I will do it, boss. Don''t worry."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The maximum time you have is thirty days. More than that, I am afraid the Federation might be unable to hold on."

    Darcx nodded, and Shi Lang removed three talismans from his space ring. The young general had prepared these after hard work for seven days. He handed them to Darcx and said, "This is a major teleportation talisman. It can teleport you through the space to a location of your choice if your cover is blown."

    The people were surprised, and Unity said, "Goodness gracious, you managed to draw a talisman with such high difficulty. Are you sure your primordial soul can handle that?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and before anyone could say anything, he continued, "I am fine. This second talisman is a soul-piercing talisman. Use it if you meet the enemy and feel some power intruding on your soul sea. It may not kill the other party but will damage the person significantly, giving you time to run away.

    The leader of the big n is not yet as strong as you are. Last but not least, if you cannot avoid confrontation, and the enemy manages to get you on thest breath, this is a self-destruction talisman. It will turn everything in fifty miles to you into vapors."

    Everyone was surprised when they heard about thest talisman''s usage. They did not expect Shi Lang to even think of failure. This was the first time they had seen Shi Lang acting this seriously. Darcx wanted tough it off but looked at the visage of his friend. He understood the gravity of the situation.

    He did not say anything and just nodded. Shi Lang handed him thest talisman and embraced the man. He patted him on the back and said, "Godspeed, brother."

    The rest of the team also stepped forward, wishing him. Then Darcx boarded the small ship and left for the discussed location to meet with the contact. After a few minutes, when the ship vanished, Shi Lang wobbled, and Amelia appeared to support him.

    The people were surprised, and Unity said, "Don''t worry, his soul energy is depleted by painting those talismans. He will be okay after rest."

    This was when the team realized the effort Shi Lang put into making this mission sessful. This sort of effort made the people more spirited, and they all were moved to put their best foot forward. Amelia ced Shi Lang inside the med bay and returned to the train.

    Unity saw the situation and decided to take another growth route for these people. After being beaten, they were not allowed to enter the med pods. They were to cultivate on the top of a small spirit-gathering array she had formed.

    It was said that the iron will grow stronger from receiving a repeated beating. Unity was refining the people here so that they do not break in the battle.

 Chapter 442 Dealing With Ants.

    Shi Lang spent two days inside the medical pod. When he woke up, he found that he was still not recovered. He sighed and walked out of the spaceship. He exited the hatch door and found the team meditating in a semi-circle.

    The growth of the veterans was slow, but he could sense that the cultivation of the rookies was climbing steadily. Looking around, the young man could not locate the sword spirit. He was about to say something when Unity appeared beside him and asked, "Your soul is still weak."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is. However, lying there will not help me. You know that I need spirit energy to heal from this ailment."

    Unity tilted her head and said, "Can you solve this taxation by absorbing more spirit energy? It will do you no good. You need natural treasures to heal yourself."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and asked, "Where will I find those in this ce? My spirit sense has been hindered. It will not be able to sense anything ten meters away from me."

    Unity sighed and said, "I wish to smack the back of your head so you can be sensible for a bit. Do you have any idea how much this will hinder you?"

    Shi Lang did not present her with any exnation as he knew it would not help him. Instead, he thought briefly and said, "The best bet we have for finding those treasures is to look around the mining trail."

    After looking around once, Unity shook her head and said in a low voice, "You seem to have forgotten what you are, old man. The best treasure you need is the core crystal. You do understand what that is and where you might find it. Right?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide in surprise. He calmed quickly and said, "If not for the fact that you will kill me and I am married. I would have kissed you for this suggestion."

    Unity was stunned, and then she snorted at him in disdain before Shi Lang rushed back inside the ship to check the map he had acquired. Unity followed him and asked, "What do you intend to find here?"

    The young terran replied, "I intend to find an opening here to enter the branch connected to the mine core."

    Unity looked at the map and said, "They were stupid to leave so many mines unguarded. I bet there are beast colonies down there."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, I will train myself. You can handle the young ones."

    Unity nodded and said, "Do not forget to create a jade te so that I will know if you died in there or wille back alive."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your concern."

    Unity clicked her tongue and vanished from the spot. Shi Lang sighed and said, "I must fight hard this time."

    How can he not understand what sort of threat Unity was talking about? The beasts living in those mine shafts must have gone through terrible changes in strength and wisdom. It would be a problem for him to deal with them if they had awakened their higher spirit.

    He prepared his gear ordingly and headed out of the ship only to find the entire team awake and going at Unity. Amelia had just caught Eline using some forcefield when she spotted Shi Lang walking out of the ship dressed in tactical gear with a long knife tied to his thigh.

    Amelia said, "Stop."

    The training stopped, and thedy looked at Shi Lang and asked, "Where are you heading to?"

    Shi Lang replied, "You have your training; I have mine."

    Amelia replied, "Fair enough, but how long?"

    Shi Lang wanted to reply, but Unity beat him to it, "He needs to find a cure for his situation. Also, you veterans need to go and explore this world and master the essence of your cultivation sutras. These rookies are mine to handle."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The people were surprised by this sudden change, and Andale said, "Boss, don''t leave us with Senior Unity. She is..."

    Unity red at him, and the boy froze. Then, she turned back to look at others and said, "Shi Lang also has another reason to go alone: to heal his injured soul."

    All eyesnded on Shi Lang, who shrugged and said, "You can pick a direction different than me and look for an open mine. Then survive in that shaft while heading towards the core. My strength has dropped to the peak core condensation realm. I need to work hard to recover to the peak."

    The people did not know how to react, so, finally, after a few minutes, Unity said, "What are you all standing for? Go get moving."

    The people nodded and sprung into action. Amelia managed to walk some distance with Shi Lang, asking him if he had his gear in ce. The young man recited everything he was carrying to her, and only when she felt relieved did the girl let him leave.

    Shi Lang kissed her lips, and then he rushed away. Amelia waited until he was out of sight and picked up the opposite direction to go and train. The other two also scattered, and Unity began to whip the youngsters into shape.

    ...

    Shi Lang covered half distance with his current speed before he had to rest under the stars. The young man cultivated and channeled his spirit energy throughout the body before concentrating on his soul sea. The exhaustion was not physical but rted to his soul. As he worked to alleviate his fatigue, he chanted the shura sutra''s core.

    At this moment, he could not recall the scene when Unity told him and the others to master the essence of their cultivation sutras. Instead, the young man began to think about the meaning of this sutra that made him so strong. That gave him a second chance to chase after his goals with quick strides.

    ''What is Shura?'' he asked himself.

    ''Shura is the one that kills everything that stands in his path. It was a philosophy of the strong, philosophy of life.'' thought Shi Lang.

    Suddenly, he stopped and asked, ''Philosophy of life? How can I think of this? This sutra gives everyone death. When I am under the effect of this sutra, I am almost unable to stop myself from killing everyone with negative thoughts. But, wait, does not that means I avoid those who do not project emotions? What if someone attacked me with an indifferent mind? Will I not be just a fish on the chopping board?''

    As Shi Lang dwelled deeper in his thoughts, the clearer the meaning of this all became. He concluded that he needed to learn how to master his mood swings. He could not stay indifferent and only focus on the ones to kill. This was not going to help him.

    However, that was all. He could not think more extensively because the more he understood, the more his cultivation sutra would blend with his soul. His soul will not be able to bear this burden. At least, not before he healed itpletely.

    The young man focused on resting as much as he could before the sun came up.

    After a few hours, the sun shone, painting the sky amber, and Shi Lang stood up from the ground. He stretched his limbs and mumbled, "Time to hustle, boy."

    Then he ran in the direction of his targetted location. After another day of sweating and heaving deep breaths, Shi Lang finally located the mine opening and sent a message to the team about his arrival.

    The others had already located their shafts; he was thest one. After a short rest, he surveyed the terrain around the mine shaft opening, and then he sent in scanning probes to find if there were beasts inside the shaft.

    Much to his vexation, he discovered a vast clutter of ant-like creatures living inside to greet him. The animals were too disgusting and were all as big as a tiger. Shi Lang held his forehead and thought about how to deal with these bugs. They were not simple ants. Instead, they were all akin to spirit beasts. This was a hassle that Shi Lang did not want to deal with, but he had no way around it.

    These low-level beasts had a few skills, as his probe was detected; thankfully, it was a nano-bot, so it did not get caught. He performed a small experiment to gather more data about these beasts. He covered a small drone with his spirit energy and sent it inside the mine shaft and boy was he right. The ce seemed to have be alive.

    Shi Lang did not know if he should cry or directly beat himself. The drone did notst three seconds before it received a severe pulsation attack and things ended. He began to think how to deal with the ants, when he recalled a method from the past and he smiled, "Unity was correct, I have forgotten what I am."

 Chapter 443 Ant Queen.

    Shi Lang smiled as he thought about how to deal with these ants. First, since these creatures loved spirit energy, he will set up a series of spirit-gathering arrays to lure them inside. Then after a considerable distance, the ants will face the terror of a killing formation.

    Shi Lang smiled and then got to work. First, he set up five killing formations and ced five top-grade spirit crystals in the array''s center. These crystals were all as giant as a human. After this was done, the young man moved to a safe position and controlled a few drones to lead a trail of smaller spirit stones and drop them on the opening of the mine.

    The warrior ants will react upon hearing some noise. Then they will go after the spirit stones. Because when Shi Lang was scouting earlier, he did not find a trace of spirit energy inside the shafts covered by the ants. After he was done, the boy said, "Let the show begin."

    A bunch of spirit stones fell before the shaft opening, and the ants were extremely sensitive to spirit stones. They all crawled over and began to pick up the rocks. It was night, and the bodies of these creatures were shining with various patterns from the spirit stones they ingested.

    Shi Langy on a thick tree branch with a sniper rifle in the front. When he buried the spirit stones under the soil, he thought the ants would dig into the ground and disrupt the array. So, he took out a sniper rifle to prevent that from happening.

    The ants crawled out of the cave, their movement pattern disyed caution, and Shi Lang noticed their antennas twitching. It was evident these bugs weremunicating with someone or something.

    Shi Lang had some knowledge of zoology and was aware that themander of this swarm was the ant queen. So, his target shifted to this queen, drawing her outside the shaft. He was sure that this ant queen would not only be bigger but also be a higher-level spirit beast.

    This bug could have awakened her primordial soul. That would be bad news for Shi Lang. He was not sure if he could take on a spirit beast at this moment. He decided to focus on the scenario at hand and observed the ants rushing toward the big-sized spirit stones.

    These bugs did not have any spirit consciousness. Instead, they were blind and dumb, like remote-controlled toys. Nevertheless, Shi Lang was calm and patient. He did not rush to trigger the killing array until the ants were piling over each other, trying to drill their three feet long mandibles into the spirit stones.

    Shi Lang gulped, imagining a frontal assault with these guys. He made a seal, and the killing formations started. The spirit stones began to glow, and then the spirit energy condensed into small des and wreaked havoc. The beasts were supersized and let out whining sounds as they were decapitated.

    The formation was very efficient, and the death count was high. Shi Lang was, however, concerned about the number of ants he had to deal with. The formations will work only for a limited time, and the number of these creatures seems endless.

    He operated a drone to check the shaft opening. To his surprise, this seemed to be thest of them. The shaft was empty. Shi Lang decided to see what all this was about, and the drone moved inside. After seven hundred meters, the mine diverted into two, and Shi Lang was about to flip a coin to find where he would send the drone when he picked up the activity signal from the right.

    Then he saw a flurry of ants rushing outside, which were even bigger than the ones outside. He cursed in the back of his mind but then picked up the sniper rifle, aiming for the opening of the shaft. He would engage these things before they could reach the killing formations.

    He would not allow these things to cut at the array core with an iron-like mandible. It would defeat him and also be a considerable loss. The finger twitched when the first ant appeared in his scope, and a phaser beam drilled through the beast''s skull. Nevertheless, the momentum of the forward charge still took the guy ahead.

    Shi Lang was not yet done. His sniper rifle was an advanced technology capable of firing one round per second. Shi Lang was not a fan of barrages but precision. He decided to see through that with his gun.

    The gun imed lives, and the ground was covered with bright neon blue blood. Shi Lang fired his rifle for seven minutes before the spirit formation de took down thest an.

    The spirit formations also stopped working. Shi Lang heaved a sigh of relief and came down from the tree when he froze. A brittle whine sounded from the mine shaft, and the young man below out a mouthful of bad breath.

    He looked at the mine shaft and returned his gun to the space ring. The drone inside sent him the data. It was the ant queen, and she was unlike the other ant queens. This one was a tank among beasts. She had a body covered with armor glowing with spirit energy glow. The mandibles wereced with saw-like teeth, with a length of eight feet from head to back.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang also found that this beast might be big, but it was quick. Yes, because the beast was charging at him at full speed when he had finished taking out his sword.

    The young man sighed and said, "Oh, what the fuck is wrong with my luck these days."

    He was not a fool to deal with this beast bear-handed, so he charged forward with his sword. The probe earlier did not show him this queen ant''s weak spot. So, he needed to get closer to the beast to scan it properly.

    However, this thing was like a tank. Heavily armored and equipped with needles. Yes, the beast''s entire body was covered with nine-inch long, steel-like hair. Although his body will be able to withstand it all, who knew if the hair tips were toxic?

    He was not willing to risk it in this foreign spot. If something happened to him and he called for help, it would stain his pride. So he will not call for help until he has used hisst resort. As he closed up with the beast, Shi Lang concentrated his sword intent and shed the weapon horizontally.

    The de shone red before the beast collided with him, and he slid back for a few meters. Finally, however, the invisible beast fell to the ground with a perfectly spliced cross-section.

    Shi Lang gawked at the scene and walked closer to the ant. Then he kicked it gently. He was sure this thing was deader than the dead, but he was checking whether what he assumed was true. His leg was tingling from the kick earlier.

    The armor was good enough, but his sword was better. Some of his confidence returned as he flicked his finger on the de. Shura sword was his weapon, and he was nurturing it to surpass the level of a holy spirit artifact. Only then will this guy be able to help him ascend in the future.

    Shi Lang panted and mumbled, "To think you were all bark and no bite."

    He stabbed the sword into the ground and said, "You can absorb every drop of blood here. Okay? Then we will head deeper inside the mine."

    The sword vibrated, and Shi Lang sat on the ground to cultivate his spirit energy. Finally, after an hour, the de shook, and Shi Lang opened his eyes. The bed was clear. Even the smell of the blood in the air had vanished.

    The young man stood up and grabbed the sword hilt before he moved forward. Then, holding the sword, he entered the shaft with a few nanoprobes deployed to explore the post''s depth and check what other beasts he needed to deal with.

    As the young man vanished inside the dark mine. Amelia appeared a few meters above the ground and smiled, saying, "Godspeed, my love."

    That said, she vanished from the spot. Unity appeared in the void with a faint smile on her lips. She mumbled and said, "I hope when youe out of this mine, you are stronger than before, old relic. A lot of people depend on you."

    Then she vanished from the ce too. The people were worried about his safety, as they knew that Shi Lang would not ask for help even if he was at his weakest. However, they decided to watch out for him from the shadows. Shi Lang will not be able to sense them with his spirit sense till he recovers.

    However, what was this mine shaft held for Shi Lang inside, was something that none of them knew. (Even the author does not let alone these guys)

 Chapter 444 Slow & Arduous.

    Shi Lang entered the mine shaft after extracting all the beast crystals he found from the corpses of the beasts. The young man had no idea what the mine held for him. The young man entered the mine with great deliberation and caution. He was steady and calm with every step.

    He did not enter the left branch of the shaft but cast a barrier around it to seal off the area. Then, he held his phaser handgun as a drone scouted his way forward. The young man checked the map on his visor and spent a few minutes covering the distance. After, he came to what seemed to be the ant queen''s chamber. He was shocked.

    Shi Lang found that the entering chamber wasced with spirit webbing, a thread-like substance covering every inch of the queen chamber. It seemed to have been formed from the saliva of the ant queen. If given to some beast, it might make them break through, but Shi Lang could not get himself to consume this thing as it was.

    However, he was ready to absorb everything in this room to cultivate. With that thought, he sealed the other opening to the lower levels and began cultivation. His speed was not as fast as it was in the past because he was focusing onprehending the meaning of his cultivation sutra slowly.

    He wanted to use all the chances he could get before reaching the core of the mine as it would help him on the way and save his time. His actions inside the caverns will define the future of his task. At this moment, he was not strong enough in his eyes. This was a primary phenomenon.

    When people who stand at a peak fall by a level, their confidence bes shaky, and they need to rebuild their confidence from the ground level and reach the peak to feel aplished. How can a champion be satisfied with a constion prize?

    Shi Lang started cultivating, and the scenery changed every few minutes. Then, finally, the spirit thread would evaporate, and Shi Lang will absorb the vapors. When he realized what was happening, he was surprised. He misjudged the semi-solid, high-quality spirit liquid for a solid thread-like substance.

    If he was to analyze this ce, the total amount of spirit liquid or spirit saliva was just a few milliliters. So he could not get a significant boost from this, but the quality of his spirit energy increased significantly.

    ...

    While Shi Lang was busy with his cultivation, the others had already reached deeper into the mines andmunicated. Jenkins had to deal with a few creepy creatures inside thest tunnel before he dug out the core crystal to absorb its energy. Then, he transferred the data and details back to the came, and only when Unity confirmed that this ce was good enough did he start.

    After Shi Lang had left, there was a brief time gap in their departures, so the sword spirit had told them to tell her everything about the ce, and if the core crystal was not as good as the material, they needed to advance to the next level. Then they will not engage in absorbing the core crystal.

    He was lucky, but the others were not. They were told to find another shaft and deal with everything again. The people were cursing their fate for finding a smaller core crystal. However, Unity was not as cruel as she pretended to be. She told people the smaller core crystals were not up to the mark.

    Amelia was super lucky. She found a high-quality core crystal. However, it was worth it, given she used her physical spirit skills to deal with the enemy beasts.

    ...

    On the other side, Unity dealt the hard cards to the youngsters. She beat them to a pulp but will kindly point out their mistakes. In just a few days, the young team has reached the peak of the core condensation realm. The beatings they received were all systematic and focused on opening their spirit points.

    ...

    Ten days passed in a blink, and everyone was improving through the cultivation realms. Then, they received a piece of news. Darcx had made contact with the main family of the targeted n. Unity was surprised at the efficiency of this guy and found that the suspicion was correct.

    The people were involved in demonic cultivation practices, and things were progressing too fast. However, Darcx was not given a demonic cultivation technique because he was not even from the branch families. He was still in contact with a wastrel young master and found a few things out.

    Unity thought for a few minutes, and then she told Shi Lang about it. The young man did not ept the request formunication because he was fighting with a beast capable of spewing spirit fire. If he were careless, his body would melt into a puddle of flesh.

    With great effort, he finished dealing with the beast, then sat on the dark ground and called for Unity, asking her what was happening. Unity said, "Darcx made contact with the target, and he has discovered the allegation to be correct."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Tell him what was happening with the people. Another thing, tell him to look for the main guy."

    Unity nodded and said, "Hmm, this aligns with my calctions. I have passed the order through the people."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Unity, I heard from the others you did not allow them to cultivate with a lower-quality core crystal. But I am telling you I will not walk out of here and find another mine. My injuries are getting serious from the constant stress."

    Unity nodded and said, "Yeah, you can go ahead."

    Shi Lang nodded, and themunication ended. Unity said, "Kids, it is time for you to start working on your tasks. Andale, the suits should be ready in seven days. Marly, I need you on the array tes."

    The two people nodded, and Unity said, "Eline and Nile, you will run simtions of navigating through space to reach the designatedary body. Thest thing is to add suppressors to the special weapons."

    The people nodded, and all moved out quickly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    After three days, a tired Shi Lang stood before a shining blue wall. This was the core crystal. He sat down with his back attached to the crystal. He started toprehend the meaning of his cultivation sutra. He has been consolidating every shred of knowledge that he could scratch upon when he was resting; today was the time he used them all.

    The entire process was agonizing for his soul. The core crystal came into y at this point. It was capable of rejuvenating the soul with ease. The core crystal could change a dead into a living one. This thing was a concentrated version of the heaven and earth spirit energy.

    It was also a primary material in high-grade pills that could bringbring one person back from the underworld''s gates. This was too much vitality, and Shi Lang needed this vitality. He was not dealing with a low-grade core crystal. It was to favor his luck was a middle-grade crystal.

    It could be said that he could utilize this crystal to the peak. This allowed him to climb back to his realm and even reach a new high that he had been yearning for. Hisprehension of the cultivation sutra grew deeper and he came to understand that Shura was not all about killing but that any reason that stopped him from living the way he wanted to would be eliminated.

    He would not turn blind with rage or numb with indifference. All he had to do with the things.

    ...

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

    Chong Huo stepped on the door of the operating room and hummed the song on the way to the changing room:

    "Blue sky, clearke, green grasnd ..."

 Chapter 445 Return.

    Shi Lang was sitting inside the cavern and had lost the sense of time as he dwelled deeper in theprehension. He was unaware of the changes that took ce outside. His consciousness slowly changed as he etched the understanding of the cultivation sutra onto his soul.

    The fragile soul has undergone a significant change as the young man was pouring in the spirit energy from the core crystal. Two levels have enhanced Shi Lang''s realm of soul cultivation. If he was to draw those talismans, he made for Darcx. It will be a breeze.

    As he wasprehending the cultivation sutra, Unity watched the rest of the team gather together. They all had changed a lot. Amelia, Hayley, and Jenkins had a detached vibe about themselves. But, at the same time, the youngsters had transformed as well.

    Jenkins asked, "Any word from him?"

    Unity shook her head and said, "Deep cultivation. We cannot predict when he will be stepping out of that mine, and he has also erected an istion formation."

    Hayley nodded and said, "Was there anymunication with Darcx?"

    Unity nodded and looked at Andale. The man said, "Reporting, we received an encrypted message yesterday, and it has been confirmed that there is a dark hand. The family leader has told everyone to cultivate the demon sutra, but he has also mentioned discreetly controlling themselves. Resource management has been increased by preventing people from bing mindless savages."

    Hayley and the rest nodded, and Unity said, "Since Shi Lang was unavable, I just told Darcx to investigate the person''s identity cautiously."

    Amelia nodded and said, "You made the correct decision, senior. The next thing to consider is the teleportation array that we need Darcx to create. Any progress on that?"

    Unity shook her head, "I have asked Darcx to see to it as well. But, unfortunately, time passes quickly, and all this resource management will only make the cultivators mad. Demonic nature does not tolerate constraints and is almost impossible to control in the early stages."

    The people nodded, and Jenkins asked, "Andale, what about the suits?"

    The young man replied, "They are ready, Sir."

    Haley said, "Let us wait for..."

    Her words had not finished when they all saw Unity stand up suddenly. Amelia asked, "What is it, senior?"

    Unity sighed, saying, "Instead of what, you should ask who. Let''s see what storm he is kicking up this time."

    Unity waved her hand, and everyone followed her into a wormhole. This was the fastest method to get here. However, they found the cepletely covered with dark clouds when they reached the location. The sword spirit said, "We need to back off and step outside the range of these clouds."

    The youngsters were surprised, but Unity did not give them any time to dy, and everyone rushed out from under the dark clouds. Amelia sighed and said, "This feels like a heavenly tribtion."

    Unity nodded and said, "As far as I can sense, Shi Lang''s cultivation realm is still the same. Therefore, I do not understand why this tribtion has been summoned."

    The sword spirit was an ancient being; if even she could not recognize the true reason behind this, nobody could. The clouds kept rumbling. After a few minutes, Hayley said, "Lang."

    Everyone trained their eyes on a figure walking out of the mine opening. His tactical gear was in pieces. However, he was walking straight like a spear. As if sensing the gazes of the people focused on him, the young man raised his head and, after locating them, waved at them.

    The newbies were watching the scene with shock and awe. They had heard about the power of tribtion and how people were scared of facing them. But, then, this guy would wave at them like a walk in the park.

    Shi Lang said, "You guys stay outside and do not attract anything to yourself."

    The people nodded, and the thunder tribtion struck. Shi Lang did not hide or even put up a defense, he waited for the bolt of lightning to hit him, and then something changed the entire perception of the people.

    The lightning strike hit Shi Lang, but the bolt vanished instead of a destructive impact as if a drop of water had fallen on a sponge. Unity could not help but break out in a curse, "I''ll be damned."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Jenkins asked, "What did he just do?''

    The rest also had this simr question, and the answer was evident to the sword spirit. She said, "He just absorbed the heavenly lighting and distributed it inside his body with great precision."

    The people were shocked to hear this. However, they knew such things were possible with Shi Lang. Andale took out a small tablet and began to record how Shi Lang devoured the lightning and said, "He is using this lightning to break through his cultivation. He stores the lightning energy directly inside his cells, evolving them by quickly absorbing the heavenly spirit energy."

    Unity took a deep breath and said, "He intends to use this tribtion to be the means of his breakthrough. If he seeds, he can break into the Mahayana realm in one fell swoop."

    Jenkins sighed and said, "This guy, does he intend to leave anything to us?"

    Hayley sighed and said, "How many times do I have to tell you to stopparing with him? This is a monster of Terrans."

    Before Amelia could say anything, the five youngsters said, "More like the Ace."

    Amelia chuckled, and the two rolled their eyes. Then, Jenkins said, "Kids, I am telling you, he is a monster. You have no idea. Wait till he puts you through personal training."

    As they were talking about, the second bolt of lightning struck Shi Lang, followed by the third and the fourth until Shi Lang faced nine bolts and absorbed them all. Instantly his cultivation base climbed higher.

    If he could regenerate his flesh in the early phase of nirvana, he could now heal his bones and organs. As the realm of spiritual cultivation kept climbing, he gained the ability to recover his soul one time in case of severe injuries were inflicted.

    Shi Lang did not stop here, his understanding of the cultivation sutra was at its peak, and he knew the essence of his martial path so that he would break into the Mahayana realm. The thunderclouds began rumbling again, and Unity said, "To step into the realm of Mahayana, you will need to have a thorough understanding of what your spiritual path is going to be. One cultivation sutra can hold different meanings to different people. You have to find your meaning and believe in it."

    The three people nodded while the youngsters took mental notes of the situation and the teachings. They knew this was high-quality first-hand knowledge. Only a fool would miss out on such a chance.

    Andale said, "The color of the lightning is changing. It seems to have be hotter than before."

    Unity said, "Kid, this is not a science show. So put away those devices and channel spirit energy in your eyes."

    Andale followed the instruction, and he was shocked. The clouds looked like they were made of glitter, and all this glitter was akin to liquid condensing into lightning streaks. Then, followed by a loud bang, the liquid shot out to take Shi Lang''s life.

    The impact of this bolt was strong enough to make Shi Lang lose his footing and flung him ten meters away. The people were shocked, but Shi Lang smiled as he charged forward to meet the second bolt. The impact this time made him hit the ground and leave a shallow pit behind.

    Amelia closed her eyes and shook her head. Hayley held her hand and said, "It will all be fine."

    Amelia sighed and said, "I am not worried about him. I do not know why he turns into a maniac at times like these. Look at him as if high schoolers are out on a day trip."

    Jenkins chuckled and said, "In high school, he was pretty much a gloomy guy, so I think he is making up for the missing thrill. Or do you think I might have probably broken him?"

    Unity said, "He is about to seed."

    Shi Lang faced eight lightning bolts, and his body was in terrible shape. He had bloody gashes over his body, and his flesh was burnt. However, he was still standing.

    His face was covered with dust and dirt, and his shoulders limped on the sides, but his eyes were crystal clear. Marly and Eline held hands and prayed for his safety when this man looked at the sky and said, "Come at me."

    The ninth bolt seemed to be waiting for the invitation and struck Shi Lang with a boom. The impact gave birth to a dust cloud and left a crater. The youngsters were about to rush in when they heard a shallow coughing sound. They scanned the ce with their spirit sense and found Shi Lang coughing blood as he lied in the center of the crater. His physical condition was worse as if he would turn to ashes, when the clouds parted and a ray of light fell on his body, healing it from inside out.

 Chapter 446 Five Moves.

    Shi Lang''s body was healed by heavenly providence. Unity sighed and said, "No matter how often I see this sight, it never ceases to make me wonder. What is the limit of the creatures under heaven? Where do they stop?"

    Amelia and the rest could not understand what thisdy was talking about. They had never seen such a scene. Then, suddenly, Amelia''smunicator received a message, and she said, "Senior Unity, Crystal sent a message. Mister Tex seems to havee out of his cultivation."

    Unity snorted and waved her hand. She opened a direct space tunnel to the Citadel and vanished from her spot. The others shrugged and began to discuss Shi Lang''s condition. They did not know what was happening, but Andale said, "His bones are undergoing metamorphosis."

    Hayley asked, "Exin."

    Andale replied, "They are turning denser. However, it is not brittle. From what my instruments can pick up. His bones are turning into gold."

    Surprised, the people raised their eyebrows, and Jenkins said, "I heard him tell me that bones will turn into jade when a cultivator crosses the Nirvana realm."

    Marly scratched her nose and asked, "Sir, the cultivationpendium states that the bones will change into jade when we cross the core condensation realm, does it not?"

    Jenkins nodded and said, "It does say that is a reference to the strength one gets. It is akin to having bones of jade. However, when your bones turn into jade, the strength is enough to erase a city with a punch. I wonder how strong this monster is at this moment."

    The youngsters exchanged sses and gulped as they looked at the seniors. Amelia smiled faintly and said, "Yes, we are all above that level and can destroy a city. However, there are methods to stop our attacks, like high-grade defense formations. Do not worry. We do not intend to go berserk anytime soon."

    The people nodded when they heard this. It was obvious that they were curious to know more about Shi Lang''s strength. When discussing various aspects of cultivation, a space wrap appeared behind them, and Unity came out with Tex. The young man had a swollen face.

    Unity must have given him a good beating before she bought him here. After all, this guy did not show up when she asked, making her look like a fool. She walked over with him in tow. Tex disyed a humble attitude and bowed to the people in greeting.

    Amelia found it awkward because she could tell that this guy was above them in the cultivation realm, at the least. Finally, Jenkins asked, "Mister Tex, have you broken into the Mahayana realm?"

    Tex beamed with pride and nodded, "Yes, I have."

    Jenkins nodded and said, "Congrattions."

    The others also wished him congrattions, and the guy responded modestly, while Unity scoffed and said, "You think too highly of him. This guy is way older than you all, and he acts like he is your junior. It was about time for him to break through into Mahayana. Otherwise, the face of the spirit beast race would have been tarnished."

    Tex scratched the back of his head and asked, "Senior, what do you mean?"

    Unity pointed at Shi Lang in the distance and said, "This human is in histe twenties and has caught up with you."

    Tex was shocked. He could not believe someone had entered the Mahayana realm in less than three decades. However, Unity did not stop, saying, "This guy started cultivating only a decade ago. Also, he made this breakthrough in one fell swoop from the early realm of Nirvana to the early realm of Mahayana. What are you so proud of?"

    She did not spare any effort to break Tex''s spirit. This was a test of mental fortitude. While they were discussing, Shi Lang''s body healed entirely, and he descended to the ground. Amelia saw this, and her figure flickered as she took a ck curtain from her space ring and held it before her husband.

    Shi Lang opened his crimson eyes slowly, observed the scene briefly, and said, "Someone sure is jealous."

    Amelia snorted and said, "I am saving your face in front of the juniors."

    Shi Langughed as he changed his clothes. The young man had taken out a ck hanfu with red trimmings on the hem of his attire. His hair had grown slightly longer from the effect of the heavenly providence. However, they were jet ck.

    Amelia asked, "What happened to your hair?"

    Shi Lang smiled and did not say anything. Amelia understood that it was the effect of his cultivation sutra. She smiled and said, "I think my hair will turn silver when I finish my practice."

    Shi Lang beamed dotingly as he said, "You will look even more ravishing then."

    Thedy smacked his shoulder, and Hayley said, "Yo! Can you ever stop flirting like this?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang held Amelia''s hand and appeared in front of Unity as he said, "Some people cannot stop being uptight and me others for expressing love."

    Hayley clenched her fists, and her lips began to twitch. However, Jenkins immediately held her hand and said telepathically, "He is goading you into it to try his new power. Have you forgotten the tactics of this perverted rascal?"

    Hayley just woke up from her rage and nodded, saying, "Boss, I will not fall for it this time."

    Shi Lang smiled and scratched the back of his head. Tex saw this and said, "Senior Unity, this is the guy you were praising? Does he even have the elegance of a Mahayana cultivator? How can hepare to me?"

    Shi Lang sighed. This guy has held a grudge against him since that scouting mission skirmish. He said, "Do you think I need your approval to validate my strength? Believe it or not, I could take you down in five moves if I fought seriously."

    He would not let this guy disrespect him in front of his juniors and wife. Tex was a spirit beast, and such challenges were disrespectful to him. How can he take this lying down and say, "Then fight me, and we will see? Five moves? Humph, let us see if you can even touch me."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I thought you would never ask. But, I will not be holding back."

    Unity looked at both of them and said, "Fine, you can go to another space and fight. But, if you try to make a mess here, I will beat you both to a pulp."

    Shi Lang nodded and vanished from his ce. His soul was in top-notch condition, and his body was brimming with energy. He was confident in his skills, and his mind was calm.

    Tex followed his pace and appeared at the side. The heavenly hawk young master said, "I will not lend you a sword this time."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "I will not ask you for it either."

    After this, Shi Lang manipted his spirit tattoo, and the crimson Shura sword emerged. This was the first time he used his spirit tattoo in front of people. Amelia and the rest were shocked. They did not understand what was happening. Unity smiled and said, "That is called a spirit tattoo. It gives the cultivator a small space to store things, like a hidden weapon or emergency medicine."

    Amelia asked, "When did he get this?"

    Unity sighed and said, "It must be something he inherited from one of the ruins."

    The people nodded if Unity was to tell them that she had no idea how this tattoo followed Shi Lang from the end of the cultivation era to this era. She could only pray that these people did not ask her any more questions.

    ...

    Tex saw the crimson sword, and his heart palpitated. He did not know why, but he sensed a terrifying suppression from the de. Shi Lang said, "Do not look at her edge. She is not your average sword."

    Tex growled, brandishing his sword, the young man charged at Shi Lang. The terran did not flinch and moved forward to meet the attack head-on. The two collided in the center, and sparks flew around. However, Shi Lang did not hold back and attacked again.

    Tex was repelled a bit, but he attacked with even more ferocity. Shi Lang smiled and said, "This was the first attack. Time for the second."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Emperor sh."

    The sword shined with crimson light and a ray of light attacked Tex. The young master of the heavenly n was surprised, this attack was not ferocious, but majestic. This se sh gave him a feeling to bow down and let it behead him. This was something he did not expect.

    He roared, "Heavenly Hawk shing the heavens."

    Heshed out with an attack of his own. The impact was strong, but from the sidelines, the people could see that Shi Lang''s attack pushed back the opponent''s attack rather easily before both the shes vanished.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Two moves. Ready or not here Ie with the third."

 Chapter 447 Overwhelming Shura.

    Shi Lang said that he would attack with the third move, and Tex put up his guard. However, the young Terran in front of him was not someone he could take as a joke. This much was clear to him during thest attack he faced.

    It was called Emperor sh, and the aura created by this attack almost made Tex present his head to the sword. But, instead, Tex ground his teeth and charged forward. It would be a shame if he backed down after looking down on his enemy. Also, Shi Lang already said that if he couldst five moves. So it will be considered as a loss for the terran.

    The terran was not joking. He charged head first with his sword in the back. Tex did not take the initiative to attack Shi Lang because he wanted to defend himself. Thest attack had left such a shadow in his mind that the young man could not seize the initiative.

    However, this was good for Shi Lang. The people from the sideline understood this much. Unity shook her head and said, "Young ones look at that carefully and tell me what you see."

    Captain Tchal, the quietest person, spoke up first, "General Shi is in control of the fight. Hisst attack is making the opponent hesitate."

    Unity nodded and said, "Go on."

    Tchal nodded and said, "Thatst attack might have tilted the bnce in favor of General Shi, but if he did not cease the chance to topple the enemy now, it would only put him at a disadvantage."

    Unity and the other seniors nodded while the rest noted the situation. The intention here was to teach the people how to manipte the enemy. This is why Unity asked someone to assess the fight. If they missed any points, she would cover them. First, however, Captain Tchal had summarized the essence of it all.

    Unity said, "It will not be easy for Tex to regain the momentum. He must shed blood if he wants to deal with Shi Lang. I do not know about you, but I can tell. Something is different about him as he is fighting."

    Amelia nodded and said, "This fight will notst till the fifth move."

    Unity raised her eyebrow and asked, "Are you looking down on the young master of a heavenly n?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Shi Lang always keeps a card up his sleeve in case of emergency. That is why he said five moves. He is confident to deal with this guy in under four moves."

    Jenkins nodded and said, "I understand what you are saying. However, I feel that this young master Tex is difficult to deal with."

    Hayley replied, her gaze locked on the battlefield, "Won''t we know the truth if you all focus on the battlefield?"

    Everyone fell silent and focused on the scene unfolding in front of them.

    ...

    Shi Lang was not paying attention to these guys, as he dedicated himself to the battle. Then, as Tex was about to reach close to him, Shi Lang swung his sword and said, "Lightning sh."

    The sh was so fast that Tex could not even see it. He retreated but sensed something warm flowing down his forehead the next moment. It was a humble cut on his forehead. Tex shivered when he realized that Shi Lang was moving with the intention of killing. His back was covered with a cold sweat.

    He did not know how to react. Tex could not move. He could see that Shi Lang was still chasing after him after thest attack. He was not given any chance to catch his breath. Tex raised his sword to block the attack, but Shi Lang did not appear before him. Instead, the terran had invoked his shura martial skill, the blood clones.

    The blood clone formed quickly, and then it appeared behind Tex. The young master of the heavenly hawk n had no idea and waited. He was patiently waiting for the young man to act.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Game over, Young Master Tex."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Tex did not know what he meant, but the next moment, Shi Lang''s clone took a dagger from Tex''s waist and ced the tip at the back of the Young Master''s head. Tex froze, and Shi Lang said, "Do not move that fast. That dagger seems sharp. It might leave a deep wound if you were to flinch."

    Shi Lang smiled as he ced the shura sword back in his chest tattoo and hopped back to the people with a smile. Unity sighed and said, "Let go of the boy. His spirit cannot take it any longer."

    Shi Lang shrugged, and with a snap, the clone melted, and the dagger fell to the ground. Tex finally let out a breath as he fell to his knees. Unity approached his side and asked, "Do you understand the difference?"

    Tex raised his head and looked Unity in the eyes. The sword spirit could tell the young man was not reconciled. He wanted to stand and fight with Shi Lang. He wanted to strive harder and win a battle. However, Unity sighed and said, "You must understand that some people cannot be reached. If you are dead set on chasing after him, you might have to abandon everything you have believed in. Are you ready to make such a sacrifice?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Young Master Tex, rather than defeating me, you need to look after yourself. You are the only reason for your loss. The day you can fight without any thought of victory in your mind and improve. That is when you will truly win."

    He looked at the team and said, "People, I need to consolidate my cultivation, so who wants to help me?"

    Although it sounded like a question, Shi Lang grabbed Jenkins by the back of his neck and began grinding the young man. His excuse was, "Hey, Jenks, I am helping you get used to your legs again."

    The young people who were watching all this from the side trembled. Shi Lang was not pulling his punches. Jenkin Edwards was beaten ck and blue, and Hayley Dupont had no heart to step into the people.

    Shi Lang sighed as Jenkins fainted after two rounds. Then he began to look for another sparring partner, but thedies red at him while the young people were too weak. Tex had just lost the battle, so his spirits were low, which left only Unity.

    The sword spirit was an even bigger bully than Shi Lang himself. The two people fought for three hours before they called it quits. Their battle left craters on the crust.

    Unity was not going forward with her full strength. She was only helping Shi Lang consolidate his cultivation base and get used to the changes in his body. Finally, after a few more rounds of battle and rest, the young man asked, "Tell me what is happening."

    The sword spirit told him everything Darcx had conveyed these past few days. She did not hide anything but even asked for his review. She was not prominent in dealing with matters like this. Shi Lang did not speak instantly. He calcted everything and said, "It is fine. Darcx will know what to do."

    Unity smiled bitterly and asked, "Did I make a mistake by asking him to look into the real identity of the enemy?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Yes and No. Darcx can find the enemy, but if the enemy is stronger. He might take possession of Darcx and look deeper into the secrets of the Federation and Citadel. The chance of Darcx getting away from an ascended mortal is low. However, Darcx might be able to get into the good books of the patriarch, and then he could do something. Deliver him a message that he should not rush for the investigation and just silently have him set up the teleportation array."

    Unity nodded and asked, "What do you intend to do inside?"

    This question gathered the attention of everyone on the team. Shi Lang replied, "I will kill everyone indulged in demonic cultivation and locate the prime target. Then the true battle will begin."

    Unity nodded and said, "We might need help from some old relics in the citadel."

    Shi Lang replied, "We don''t need to get what we need. After so many years, those old people have reached such a high level. Until they are selfless, they will not help. And that demon in the dark will not bother with them."

    Unity nodded and said, "It is as you say. I doubt those old people are stepping out of those caves. How will we deal with that demon, then? Ascended Mortals have strength hundred times that of a peak Mahayana realm. This guy is even demonic, how can we go against him? He will need at least ten ascended mortals to contain him."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can tell those old relics, if they did not move, then I will fight alone if I have too. If they wish to ascend to the immortal ne like cowards. I do not walk the path of a rat."

 Chapter 448 Preparations.

    After Shi Lang told Unity to deal with the old relics of the spirit beastmunity, he focused on the other things they needed to do. First, he prepared an array te to control the teleportation array.

    The procedure involved him carving a few runes on a metal te and embedding it with small spirit stones. Once the spiritual energy is channeled through the te, simr energy will flow through the array nodes.

    To make this work, the array nodes must have simr runes engraved on them. Marly was beside him, watching the entire process. She was an aspiring array master. At the same time, the rest of the people were busy improving their cultivation or consolidating the base as much as possible. Shi Lang did not disturb the others but did all he could to go alone.

    Afterpleting the array, Shi Lang sat down with Andale and discussed the issues with the new battle suit. First, the young sergeantined that he could not find any arraybination to help them block even one attack from Unity.

    Shi Lang spent two days thinking about the usiblebinations he could develop, but the result did not vary. He concluded that nothing could be achieved by sitting in a closed room. He needed toe up with something out of the box.

    He watched Tchal, Marly, and the others sparing with each other when suddenly, he recalled Shi Tao. The young general smiled and decided to give his daughter a call. The connection was established quickly, and Shi Tao''s hologram appeared before him.

    He asked, "Why are you wet, Tao?"

    Shi Tao smiled brightly and replied, "Baba, I beat a guy twice stronger than me."

    Surprised, Shi Lang said, "Congrattions, tell me how you did it?"

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "I am a genius. I used the hard and soft principles you taught me when that person attacked me. However, as the intensity escted, I realized that my push was also getting stronger. The body absorbed the impact and channeled it back to the enemy."

    Shi Lang nodded, and at this moment, something clicked in his mind. He widened his eyes and bit a big smile. Then, he said, "You are indeed a genius, my love."

    Shi Tao smiled, and the two chatted briefly before the little girl took off. She was still practicing, and it was a busy schedule. Shi Lang also did not stop her because he had his things to do.

    He stood up and walked back inside theb. Then he began to draw a few array patterns on a piece of metal and tied it to his chest. Then, after a few adjustments, he walked out and said, "You guys,e here."

    The call was meant for the young soldiers. They gathered before him quickly, and Shi Lang said, "Now, you will all use your best spiritual skill to attack me. Keep in mind the attack is only spiritual skills only. No phasers and no swords."

    The people nodded, and they took stances. The reason was simple, Shi Lang was a man who could go against the heavenly lightning as if it was nothing, and they hadplete trust in his skills. Another factor was that they all knew how weak they looked in front of this guy. He was indeed too strong for them to deal with.

    The people took deep breaths, and Tchal said, "Attack simultaneously and do not hold back."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That''s how I like it."

    They all mobilized their spirit energy, and then with a soft snort, they shouted, "Sun Fist, Heavenly mountain m..."

    The attacks were filled with a variety and lethal damaging potential. If these attacks were to be faced by someone from their level, these five guys would win. Shi Lang was just slightly approving of their skills, and that was all.

    The attacks collided with his chest piece and vanished. Yes, they disappeared as if they were never made. Shi Lang did not reply to the people and turned around to face a different direction before a strong flow of spiritual energy erupted from the chest te. The recoil was so strong that Shi Lang had to take half a step back to stabilize himself.

    It was like a beam of spirit energy targeted at the world scenery to cause destruction. Shi Lang smiled after the attack was finished and said, "Haha, it works. Time to improvise this piece."

    Then he returned to the ship and said, "Good work, kids, keep it up."

    However, the five minions gazed at the ravine Shi Lang left before them. The entirendscape seemed to have been hit by a phaser beam that evaporated everything that stood in its way. A few momentster, Amelia and the rest arrived to ask them what had happened.

    Andale narrated the incident, and the three people returned to their cultivation as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

    ...

    Inside theb, Shi Lang was busy engraving every piece of armor with thebination of arrays, and he also created channels on the suits so that the release point was different and the output was further controlled.

    This was going to y a crucial role in the battle. Imagine if the youngsters were to face anyone with higher cultivation, they would be able to stand a chance with this array. Another thing that Shi Lang did was to use smaller array patterns. Therger the way, the more isted the result will be.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He wanted to control things as much as he could. One aspect of this arrangement was that facing multiple attacks was not very durable. If the main instigator of this entire conspiracy fights with Shi Lang head-on, this array might notst for more than three blows.

    Shi Lang was worried about this aspect only. It will be deadly if he does notst long enough for the old relics to arrive. He may be a Mahayana realm practitioner, but he stillcked strength.

    ...

    Three days passed before Shi Lang finished engraving the array patterns. Everyone was gathered on themand bridge when he came out of theb. Shi Lang asked, "What is happening?"

    Unity replied, "We received news from Darcx. This guy surely outdid himself this time."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked, "What did he do to make youpliment him like this?"

    Amelia stepped up and said, "He set the teleportation formation inside the room of the young master. It opens directly inside the main family residence."

    Shi Lang was surprised and eximed, "What the fuck. How did he pull this off?"

    Jenkins sat on the side with his feet over the table and said, "He was learning these things in the secret divisions."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Shall we set course to theary body around?"

    Hayley clicked her tongue and said, "Yo, calm down, Master Ace. Do you know that the enemy has been scouting all thes in their territory, and the meteors are being destroyed like nothing else? So no wandering cosmic bodies are allowed in the sr system."

    Shi Lang slumped his shoulders and asked, "Then why are you all looking so jubnt?"

    Unity rolled her eyes and said, "If only you had been out here these past few days."

    Shi Lang sat on the chair and said, "You better tell me what is happening. I am getting pissed."

    The people nodded, and Unity said, "Well, the old relics have decided to step forward and help us if we face the master in the shadows."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, good for them."

    Unity chuckled and said, "They almost blew a gasket on the coward remark."

    The people nodded, and General Shi Lang said, "Let''s go. The war awaits."

    The team sprung into action. Nile and Eline took the stations, and Tchal sat on the gun station while Andale managed them links. Hayley sighed and said, "Oh, it feels so good to have a back seat. No wonder Shi Lang was always hurrying to move up the ranks."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "Well, so much for ying the Ace of the Civilization."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes at them and said, "Stop being jealous of me, ckers."

    The people chuckled at him, and the ship moved through space.

    ...

    Darcx was meditating with his eyes closed when someone approached him, and the young man opened his eyes. He stood up with a ttering smile and bowed to the visitor. He said, "Young Master, what made youe here? You should have called me over."

    The man chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "No, I just wanted to check if you are living okay. Also, I do not consider you as a subordinate anymore, Hall. You have been a brother closer than the rest of my siblings. I think my entire life has changed."

    Darcx shook his head humbly and said, "Young master, you tter me."

 Chapter 449 Hijack.

    (I have forgotten the names of the four big ns. Please point them out if you recall where you read them. ;<..)

    Shi Lang and the team were headed for the targeted sr system. They hade up with a new n. That was to hijack a patrol ship from the enemy, coerce a few weak soldiers into maintaining the connection, and sneak inside the main house using the teleportation bridge on the enemy ship itself.

    They only needed to bring the ship closer to the main. The n had its risks, but it was going to be good. Shi Lang was pondering how to get close to an undetected enemy ship because their vessel was big enough to show on the radar from a reasonable distance.

    Thinking about it, he came up with an idea. He prepared a space suit and asked Jenkins to capture some space rocks from the outside. The people were confused, but they did what they were asked. Tex had recovered from the trauma of the defeat, but he still did not say anything while the Terrans were nning.

    As far as he was concerned, his task here was to follow Unity''s orders and contact the old relics if needed. He was focused and knew his goals but had yet to find what path he should take to move forward.

    While Shi Lang was busy with his infiltration n, Darcx was dealing with the young master of the prominent family.

    ...

    Darcx stood behind the young man as thetter sipped tea. Suppose it was before some high-quality wine would have reced tea. Then, finally, the young man said, "Matthew, tell me. How did you conclude that my family is also moving toward an ending simr to the Ikeras?"

    Matthew was Darcx''s cover name. He replied in a solemn tone, "Young master, I have told you that I am a terran. In my nation, they use a talisman to detect if the person has given in to the wicked ways of cultivation. When you first took me under your wing, one of those talismans had been triggered during the family meet."

    The young man nodded and asked, "Are you for certain? That this talisman is made to detect such things?"

    Darcx nodded and replied, "Young Master, during the confrontation with the Ikeran main forces, the leader of the Ace Division had used this talisman. There are records in my nation."

    The young man nodded and cast Darcx a nd gaze as he said, "What do you think I should do? I do not wish for my family to perish like this, and their methods to get strong are pathetic. You have seen what they did to the big miss of the family. What guarantees my mother or I will not suffer the same fate?"

    Darcx shook his head and said, "There are two ways in my mind, but I would rather not mention them, Young Master."

    The young man stood up from the chair and asked, "Why not? What could it be that is making you afraid? You were not so afraid when you stood up to the second master, for my sake?"

    Darcx smiled bitterly and shook his head. Then, he took a deep breath and asked, "Do you know, Young Master, if I said anything to you, I will probably be sentenced to death in public witness."

    The young man raised his eyebrow and asked, "What could you have in mind? Tell me. You can use telepathic conversation, right? Tell me what it is, Matthew, and I promise you, nothing bad will happen to you. I will not let anything happen to you."

    Darcx put up a conflicted expression and then exhaled heavily before he said, ''Young Master, I will only exin to you once, so please pay attention to the content, and I beg for your forgiveness in advance."

    The young man nodded, and Darcx continued using telepathic speech, "The two survival methods are either you give into the demonic ways or take control of the administration of the main family."

    The first part was expected, but the second part was akin to a bomb in his mind. This was rebellion. At first, his thoughts ran wild, but after a few seconds, he calmed down and asked, ''Suppose I follow your advice and try to snatch control, but what force do I have? The n leader is now in the primordial soul realm. How do you think I can ever defeat him? Let alone defeat him, but minions around him will be deadly. Such acts cannot bepleted alone."

    Darcx said, "I can call in some people strong enough to take down the forces and let you ascend before things are toote, Young Master Minax."

    Minax was surprised. All his life, the rest of his peers looked down on him, and even the elders did not care about him. But, ever since he took Darcx in, this guy has been helping him and transforming his imagepletely.

    Even if Minax is not the cream of the crop, he has gained some recognition in the family in a short time. Everyone thinks he has intentionally acted intentionally like a waste and lying low. However, the intelligence he has disyed in the past few days has be the highlight of the family.

    The current number of those indulged in the wicked ways was limited, if some actions were taken now, then the threat could be controlled, and the family could be saved. Minax thought of various aspects. His mind has been clearer than ever, and the spirit treatment''s effect has also been nourishing.

    After half an hour, he said, "Matthew, do it. I will not ascend, and they will never agree, but I will ensure my mother stays safe. How sure are you that these people will be able to take down the forces of the family?"

    Darcx replied, "Hundred percent."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Minax nodded and said, "I hope they can do it for our sake."

    Darcx nodded and said, "Stay strong, Young Master. Stay strong."

    Darcx had improved his ability from truth detection to projection. He can project and specte the situation of the people interacting with him. For example, Minax had bought him in for torture, but then he was shown things that would happen to him, and Minax caved in. Since then, Darcx has helped him move forward in a better direction.

    ...

    Shi Lang finished attaching the space debris to his suit and said, "Imma head out, so do tell me where the enemy ship is located."

    Unity had used her spirit sense, and they had the location of the enemy vessel. The young terran stood in the hatch bay and pursued his lips. Amelia and Jenkins exchanged a look and said, "NO!"

    Shi Lang looked at them and asked, "Did I even say anything?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "No, but you were about to."

    Shi Lang shook his head like an innocent child and said, "No, I was not going to say anything."

    The two people snorted at him because they knew what he was doing. Shi Lang sighed, walked inside the airlock, and waved to the two people before the hatch opened. Then, he jumped out of the hatch and went floating in space.

    ...

    Marly looked at Shi Lang''s vitals and was responsible for tracking him, and said, "Boss, you need to speed up somehow, or you will need a few days to reach the target."

    Shi Lang replied, "Aye, aye."

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at his visor and saw no sign of space debris nearby. He sighed and decided to the unpredictable. He channeled his spirit energy to the sole of his feet and gradually directed it outside. If someone were to look at him with spirit energy in their eyes, they would find his feet looking simr to a rocket booster.

    The young man used his feet like thrusters and pushed through the space.

    ...

    Marly was surprised, but Unity provided them with a spected theory, which Shi Lang affirmed on themunicator. Marly calcted everything again and said, "Boss, you should be able to see it by now."

    Shi Lang replied, "Affirmative. Time to contact, ten seconds."

    The countdown began.

    ...

    Shi Lang could see a small ship from a distance. He curled himself into a ball, and the space rocks on his suit provided him aplete camouge of space rock. So this was the n to get close to the spaceship.

    The spaceship had energy shields deployed a few hundred feet around it. Any space rock will turn to molecr debris. However, Shi Lang had a solution for this, He was going to deploy a phaser shield of his own. The frequency of the phaser will be identical to the ship''s shield and that will give him free passage, like raindrops in a river.

    Shi Lang finished the countdown and deployed his shields getting through the spaceship''s defense. Hended on the surface and held on to it. He said, "Commencing Hijack."

 Chapter 450 Hijack (2)

    Shi Lang wastched onto the surface of the spaceship. The spaceship had no seems, so he used the maictching system. He used his ability to sense everything around him. Shi Lang had this advantage. He did not need his spirit sense to detect things. His power would produce an exact map of the things around him.

    The young man moved slowly towards the airlock hatch. His speed was calm as if he hade out for a walk in the park. Jenkins and the rest of the people could watch his movements through the camera docked onto the shoulder of his suit.

    Andale said, "General Shi is approaching the starboard airlock."

    ...

    Shi Lang stood above the airlock hatch, and since he could not allow the people inside the ship to trigger the defense mechanism, he would have to tear apart the entire door in one go.

    Thinking about this, he decided and said, "The moment I touch the panel with any prative tool, it will trigger the breach rm, and then the people inside will use an even bigger barrier to secure the airlock, and my space suit will not help me in the espionage."

    The message was delivered to his team, but Shi Lang did something none of the people would have advised him to do before anyone could say anything. He undid the space suit using the remote panel on his left sleeve.

    He only heard a slight noise from his speaker before the vacuum exposure nullified the internal suit air pressure. The feared implosion did not ur as Shi Lang was protected by ayer of spiritual energy over his body.

    The young man removed theplete suit and took out his sword from his spiritual tattoo.

    ...

    The people inside the Terran Spaceship were shocked. They could not believe that Shi Lang had removed the spacesuit from the dpressed space. Unity chuckled at them, saying, "You people sure underestimate the mystical side of the spiritual energy."

    The people could see Shi Lang standing on the surface of the enemy ship in full glory as the camera docked to his spacesuit drifted afar.

    ...

    Shi Lang shed his sword four times, and the airlock was sted outside from the negative pressure on the inside. The terran general jumped inside, activated his suit''s camouge feature, and leaned to a side. He was strong enough to deal with this pressure flood.

    As he predicted, the enemy triggered the secondary barrier to protect the airlock. The pressure was stabilized automatically as the tech personnel approached the airlock to check what was happening. Shi Lang let his sword levitate beside him while he took out a stun gun to deal with the small fries.

    He would not harm those who were not demon cultivators. However, if any people triggered his talisman, they could forget about getting away alive. Shi Lang waited till the technicians opened the airlock tunnel from the other side. As soon as they did so, the young man used his stun gun and put the two people down.

    The ace of Terrans ventured inside the enemy grounds, holding a stun gun and a detection talisman while a levitating crimson sword followed him. His presence was detected as he gave up his camouge. He did not need it anymore. Only to ease his infiltration did he wait inside the airlock tunnel.

    It took him ten minutes to deal with the enemies, but he did not find any demon cultivator except the captain of this vessel. Finally, the man kneeled before Shi Lang as thetter asked, "Why did you give into this absurd notion?"

    The man could not breathe appropriately from the pressure on his shoulders. How was he going to put up a struggle against this person? He said, "It was the order from the main line. I have been stuck in this position for a long time. Ie from the line of a patriarch. However, I had no hope of a promotion. When the patriarch said that those who willingly try these methods will have a better life, I thought of my daughter and gave into it."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You gave up your morality forfort. However, you have never been able to sleep properly ever since. She should have stayed unhappy if that is the cost of your daughter''s happiness. Though, you do not have a daughter yet."

    The man before him was shocked by thest part of the statement when Shi Lang waved his hand, and a sharp intent of sword severed the person''s head cleanly. Blood sprayed out from the veins, and some fell on Shi Lang as the corpse fell forward. He will not let any demonic cultivator leave alive.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the ship crew that put up some fight earlier and said, "If you wish to live, put down the shield and allow my ship to dock with your vessel."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The people were traumatized by the death of their captain. Left with no option, the technician turned down the shields, and Shi Langmunicated with his spaceship.

    Nile was quick and had already moved in when the shields were taken down. The docking was sessful, and looking at the scared soldiers, he sighed and said, "I only need you all to stay inside the containment cells, and we will do you any harm. Okay?"

    Tex volunteered to round up all the soldiers and shifted them to the confinement cell while the Terran team took charge of the vessel. Amelia red at Shi Lang the entire time, but the young man could only sigh in response.

    How would he tell her that the spiritual energy could even allow him to travel through space if he were to try? He decided to deal with this issueter and focused on the task. Jenkins said, "We received a message from Darcx. He got the young master on board with our invasion n."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "That makes things easy. However, we still need to move in closer to teleport."

    Hayley asked, "Do we not have arge teleportation formation back at the war? Why did we not use that instead of a separate one? Also, why do we need to get close to the home? Do not take offense, but Boss, these are just a few things eating away my mind."

    Shi Lang gestured for Marly to speak and said, "Well, the spiritual fluctuation of therge formations can alert any strong enemy hiding there. Also, some experts can backtrack the formations. If we are to die, then the formation will not be able to link the federation to this attack. The system will dere us all emunicated too."

    Hayley nodded, and Marly said, "The smaller formations will allow us a better stealth approach and ease the skirmish at the ground."

    The people understood why the initial n was changed. Jenkins asked, "The ground team. Who are the lucky ones?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "As discussed before, Jenkins, you will lead the ground team. Tex will be your support. Tchal, Nile, and Eline will be wings.

    The second team will be Me, Andale, Hayley, and Amy. We will meet up with Darcx before the attack. Unity will be the ultimate backup.

    Team A will be dealing with the forces of the main family. At the same time, Team B will be assaulting the main line. Clear?"

    The people replied, "Hoorah!"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now that you havee to terms with the n. Young Master Tex, can you coerce crew members to act along with us? Senior Unity can keep an eye on them till we are off, or I can leave behind a clone. Marly, go set up the formation."

    The two people nodded and left. Ever since the battle, Tex had been very obedient. Finally, Unity asked, "Why do you need those people?"

    Shi Lang said, "They know the protocols better than us; with their help, we can get to the substation dock. Also, release our spaceship and set it on beacon mode."

    Andale nodded and remotely controlled their spaceship. He said, "Sir, it will take us forty-eight hours to reach the substation."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That much time is enough for Marly to arrange the formation."

    Amelia said, "I have a strange feeling that we might be facing that big guy soon."

    The mood turned solemn and Unity said, "Do not worry, we will face him sooner orter. What matters is that we will not be alone."

    The people nodded but Shi Lang stared through the pothole on the side of the cabin and Unity asked him telepathically, ''What are you thinking about?''

    Shi Lang replied, ''This life has been very fulfilling, and I reached the Mahayana in my twenties. However, this feeling that the battle with the enemy in the dark might be myst and I could miss out on transcending mortality one more time. Howme is that?"

 Chapter 451 Espionage.

    The spaceship approached the substation, and Nile said, "Boss, one hour."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fine, Marly, initiate the array, and the rest of the people gather up."

    The team sprang into action and moved to the isted containment cell where Marly had arranged for the spirit array formation. This ce was the least checked ce in the entire vessel and a safe bet. Nile handed the controls to a pilot from the native crew and left with his sister.

    Shi Lang had already tamed the people with a glimpse of Shura Illusion. He looked at Unity and said, "If things went south, I would like you to fly over."

    Unity nodded and said, "I will. Do not worry. Godspeed."

    After bumping his knuckles with the sword spirit, Shi Lang smiled and went to the holding cell. Unity focused on keeping the natives in line. She was calm and poised, but that was not all. When these people tried to look at her, they sensed their eyes would be stabbed. She is beautiful, but beauty is a deceitful weapon.

    ...

    Darcx was standing inside the room of the small vi where he had set up the spirit formation. He had received word that the team would being over soon, and thus he was guarding the post and had set up a few istion barriers around the house. He was trying to avoid any spirit energy fluctuations that might be caused by triggering the formation.

    As he waited, he sensed the fluctuations originating from the formation, and after a few moments, Shi Lang appeared in his sight. Darcx stood up and saluted him. Shi Lang nodded, greeted hisrade, and said, "Good job getting in so deep."

    Darcx shook his head and said, "Good job, won''t cut it. I want to spend some time back at Nestia."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and Darcx said, "You think you are the only one who cannd a chick?"

    The young general chuckled, and other people soon appeared behind him. The old members greeted Darcx with a fist bump while the young ones saluted him. Shi Lang asked, "The asset?"

    The game was on; they were not here to catch up over coffee. Darcx nodded and said, "In the living area."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the man out. The vi was luxurious but stillckingpared to what Shi Lang had already seen in the Ikeras. This ce was stillcking. Minax was meditating in the center of the living room where a table should be.

    The young man sensed movement and opened his eyes. Darcx said, "Young Master Minax, this is my team leader, Shi Lang."

    Minax was surprised and asked, "Did you just say, team?"

    He became wary. Darcx knew this would happen, and he had an exnation prepared. He replied, "Yes, Sir. We are a team. All of use from the Federation, and we have been looking into the matter of the demon cultivators. You might find it hard to understand, but recently, our civilization also suffered from an attack by demon cultivators. The losses were significant."

    Minax was not going to be so quickly convinced and asked solemnly, "What gives you the right to look into the demonic activities?"

    Darcx wanted to reply when Shi Lang suddenly appeared in front of Minax and said, "I will show you a scene, and then you can tell me whether we have the right or not."

    Then his eyes shed with a blue color. Minax froze, and Darcx asked, "Boss, wasn''t red your color?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Yeah, it was. I mastered my powers, and they turned soft."

    Amelia clicked her tongue and said, "You will look better in ck and blue."

    The guy smiled and then snapped his fingers. Minax woke up from his daze and fell to his knees. His breathing was all over the ce, and he was sweating like a pig in an oven. Shi Lang asked, "What you saw was a glimpse of a world above ours. The people who live there can destroy our entire gxy in a few years. If you meet someone above the average, it will be months. It will be a matter of hours if someone is at the peak.

    Demons belong to a creed that wishes to enve others. Their innate greed and desire for power make them keep on consuming until they can kill the world. I do not want to wait until this parasite extends its hand into my garden. Do you get it now?"

    Minax stood up from the ground and nodded. He understood what was happening and said, "Save my people from these things."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Would you be so kind as to point out the directions?"

    Minax nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Jenks, you''re up."

    Jenkins saluted him and said, "Team A, move out."

    Darcx had already provided them with the map of the outer parameter, and they would put the cultivators to sleep and the demonic cultivators to eternal sleep.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang held Minax and said, "Young Master Tex, you are the guard."

    Tex nodded, and he did not mind anything at this moment. Unity had told him if he wished to surpass Shi Lang, he must learn about him and from him. Shi Lang led the team, with Tex and Minax in the center. Outside the vi, he looked at Amelia and said, "Scout up."

    The formation changed from a diamond to a triangle as Amelia vanished from her ce and moved ahead. The position of all the team members was visible on the HUD of their battle suits.

    It may sound odd for a cultivator to wear battle suits, but these guys were up against one of the biggest forces of the gxy, and it did not hurt them to be careful. This was why Shi Lang also prepared spirit formations in the defense mechanism of his suits. He would use the best of both worlds, the tech and the cultivation.

    Shi Lang and the team moved after five minutes, and then they moved. Thebat had already begun. The ring rms were the proof. Shi Lang''s team moved through quiet pathways, and thanks to Minax, they avoided confrontation with almost everyone.

    Suddenly, Amelia said, "Twenty people are inside a defense barrier. They are being held as hostages."

    Shi Lang said, "They are safer inside the barrier, move up and check for the tangos."

    Amelia replied, "Roger that."

    ...

    Inside the meditation room sat an old man with blood stains on his lips. The rms awoke him, and after cleaning his face, he walked out of the room in solid strides. He looked at the butler and asked, "What is happening?"

    The dominance and cold in his tone were too frightening, and the butler replied, "The main house is under attack from unidentified assants. The casualties are heavy."

    The old man asked, "Which army is it, and how can they win over our cultivators?"

    The butler replied, "It is a team of five people, sir, and they are killing the cultivators easily. It is as if we cannot resist them."

    The old man furrowed his brows and said, "The enemy is also from a cultivation background. Therefore, initiate the spirit istion formation. I want to see who can waltz here and kill our people."

    The butler followed the man as quickly as he could. The old man was the family''s leader, and his strength was the greatest, but it seemed to havee with a great price.

    ...

    Shi Lang moved ording to MInax''s direction and stood before a vi. He smiled and said, "Tex, take this guy from here. The enemy is inside. I was worried he might be strong, but I was overestimating."

    Tex nodded, and he held onto the back of Minax''s shirt and vanished from the spot. The next moment, an old man in a ck robe walked out of the vi. He was stunned to see some unknown people standing in front of his house.

    He figured out everything, and one gaze at Shi Lang''s face was enough for him to recognize him. So he asked, "You are that, Terran. Right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is my pleasure to be remembered by someone like you. Tell me, how does it feel?"

    The man asked, "What does what feel?"

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Feeding on the people you gave birth to."

    The old man raised his eyebrow and said, "You know quite a lot about this. Are you a fellow cultivator?"

    Shi Lang gawked, and then he could not help butugh out loud. Heughed loudly for a few minutes before he said, "Old sir, you overthink. You and I are nothing alike. However, you are correct, I am a cultivator."

    The old man nodded, he asked, "What do you want?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Nothing much, just a few answers, then your withdrawal from the high table, and your death."

    "You are reaching out for something that exceeds your worth, terran." said the man.

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Come, let us see, who is exceeding what."

 Chapter 452 Beating The Truth Out.

    Shi Lang stood before the family leader and asked, "Before we start, would you mind telling me your name?"

    The old man frowned and said, "Who do you think you are to.."

    Before he could finish his sentence, Darcx appeared next to him and delivered a punch to his face. The impact of the blow sent the old man flying to the side. Although the butler was frozen in his spot, he fiddled to pick up his phaser gun when Darcx said, "Don''t even try, old sir. You might not survive the blow."

    The butler gave up. Hayley appeared next to the butler and immobilized him. Shi Lang said, "You sure he is not dead?"

    Darcx thought, saying, "I controlled my power to the level of a spirit-gathering cultivator."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Probably, this old man was overestimating himself. Now how will we investigate?"

    Darcx shrugged. Hayley did not say anything because she knew this was all a deliberate drama to irritate the enemy. Then, suddenly, Amelia says, "Twenty people are heading your way. All seem to be cultivators. Also, I am picking up some spiritual restraint on me as I get closer to you."

    Shi Lang stopped talking, tried to manipte his spiritual sense, and found that he could not sense anything. He looked at the butler and asked, "Did you activate some sort of formation to block the spiritual energy out?"

    The butler opened his eyes wide, and Shi Lang understood his doubt was true. He immediately contacted Jenkins and said, "We have a situation. Do you feel the spiritual energy being restricted?"

    Jenkins replied positively, and Shi Lang told him, "Take care, and do not act recklessly."

    That said, Shi Lang contacted Tex but received a surprise. Tex did not sense any restriction. This made the young General conclude that this guy was outside the effect radius. He then contacted Andale and told him to go and look for the array nodes and destroy one of them.

    The young sergeant was good at ying the nerd of the camp. He was able to tie in with Marly in terms of array science. When he received the order from the General, he would do it. He was stationed inside Minax''s vi.

    After the order, he stood up and looked for the array node. Meanwhile, Shi Lang moved forward and came to look at the old man. He lifted him and said, "Do you think you are brilliant if you activate the formation?"

    The old man was having trouble breathing. That one punch seemed to have rattled his internal organs. This was something that he did not expect. Listening to Shi Lang mention the array, he smirked.

    The guy was being held by Shi Lang, with his life on the line. Yet he was showing such an attitude. The young Terran asked, "What is your name? What did you do? I do not care. However, I know two things. One, you will die along with all the dirty demonic bastards. Two, I will know who is the master pulling your leash."

    The man tried to struggle and hit Shi Lang, but thetter had no trouble dealing with the iing attacks. After a few minutes, Shi Lang said, "Smart ass, your cultivation is not strong. Your physique is not strong. Regardless of your methods, the Time to prepare a great physique has passed. If that was unnecessary, you had to deploy this formation over us. You just made yourself even more useless than a child."

    Hayleymented, "Boss, that is rude of you."

    Shi Lang nced at her and said, "A child can bring people happiness. But, unfortunately, this guy here is a bane to the joy of his entire n. Can you not smell the foul stink of fermented blood on him? This old coot must have been keeping himself in the blood of the younger generation of his family."

    Hayley sighed and said, "That is true, though. How can he live with himself?"

    Shi Lang sighed and turned his head to look at the iing crowd. The people held phaser guns and muzzles aimed at the Terrans. The group of assants was the people whom Amelia had informed them about.

    Darcx looked at the people and asked, "Boss, why is your wife missing from this situation?"

    Shi Lang shrugged, looked at the twenty people, and asked, "Can you tell me who your leader is?"

    The people did not answer, but one of them came forward and said, "You have no choice but to die in this ce. Do not think you can bargain a way out of this."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not seeking any negotiation. I want to know which one you prefer more. A quick death or a slow death?"

    The man said, "A slow one."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Amy, slow it is."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Then before the people could react, they all began to fall to the ground one after the other. It was like someone cut the strings that had been holding them. Darcx said, "I take back what I just said."

    They did not have spirit energy working, but they still had their abilities. Shi Lang said, "This array formation sure is strong; I did not notice it is working."

    Amelia said, "That is one of the perks of this thing, no?"

    Shi Lang nodded, looked at the half-dead old man, and said, "Time is up. I will carry you out of this ce like a dead chicken, and then I will peek inside your soul. That way, you will die excruciatingly. I wonder if your master ever told you about soul-searching skills."

    The man did not panic and said, "You cannot find anything. My master has put a seal on my soul. If you try to peek inside, I will be one with him. You will get nothing, terran scum."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have other ways, too. Thank you for reminding me."

    Then he said, "Let''s go. We cannot wait any longer."

    The team was about to leave because they were at risk of facing military action from the enemy side when Andale returned, "Boss, the node is down. The formation should being off by now."

    Shi Lang smiled and stopped. He said, "Hayley, take this old butler and loot half the vaults. Darcx will lend Jenkins a hand. You will be more efficient in killing demonic cultivators."

    The people nodded and left toplete their tasks. The leader of the enemy side suddenly took out a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed Shi Lang with it. The weapon was a crude-looking metal dagger. Shi Lang could sense the demonic energy radiating from it. However, he could not get stabbed by it, or the demonic presence will infect his internal organs.

    The corrosive attribute of this weapon was too strong for Shi Lang to face, at least without his spirit energy. So just when the dagger was a few inches away, a beam of light struck against it, and the attack was countered.

    Shi Lang took advantage of the enemy''s arm moving away and twisted and broke the arm quickly with a tight grip. The leader of the big family was led to wail in pain and agony of amunicated fracture.

    The terran General gazed at his wife and said, "Thank you, love."

    His voice was tender, and Amelia replied with a smile as she said, "Can you please get over with him?"

    Shi Lang red at the guy and said, "Thank you for ticking me off."

    Then his eyes fluttered with a glint of blue as he used the Shura Realm skill. The motive was to suck in the entire soul without disrupting any seals ced by the demon. Then he will simply torture this soul in his realm.

    The old man tried to struggle, but he was not yet strong enough to deal with the attack of a Mahayana cultivator. Since the souls were in ce, the enemy would not be alerted either.

    Afterpleting the skill, he spoke in themunicator, "Sweep and Move."

    This was themand for the teams to pick up the pace and get down with the demon cultivators. Shi Lang and Amelia also moved around to get some kills under their belts. After ten minutes, the rms were all reset, and most of the main force was stunned. Shi Lang and his team retreated through the teleportation formation.

    Darcx stayed behind to help Minax with themand and management of the new council. It was also to make sure that they could track the enemy.

    ...

    Unity opened her eyes and appeared in front of the containment cell. She found that everyone has returned, and said, "Someone, go talk to those people and move away from here. Also, where is Darcx?"

    Shi Lang frowned and asked, "What happened?"

    Unity said, "Pull him back, there is something wrong with this. If possible, issue an evacuation order quick."

 Chapter 453 Rage & Grief.

    Shi Lang did not have the luxury to doubt and immediately ryed the order to Darcx. The people on the ground were confused, but since it was a directmand. Darcx did not have much choice. He told Minax about the situation.

    At this moment, Minax was already holding a meeting and told everyone about the situation. The council of the family understood what was going on, and they were surprised that some of the main family people had fallen so low in their greed for power that they sold their conscience to the demons.

    After listening to the various incidents, the council decided to pardon Minax as he worked for the family''s welfare. Darcx came to Minax and told him that Shi Lang asked them to evacuate the immediately. The council was shocked. The old people raised a ruckus, and Darcx said, "I have no idea how to exin to you, but my Boss is not some whistle-blower. You can leave if you want to, or you can stay here to try your lucks. We both know how things have been for you all after this fiasco.

    As for you, Young Master Minax, please think if you want to stake your mother''s life for this gamble."

    Darcx knew which buttons to push to get Minax to work his way around. The young man looked at everyone, then stood up after taking a deep breath. He said, "Elders, I apologize. I have never had a good life in the family, but I still had the blood course through my veins. My mother is why I decided to stay here and did all I could when I discovered things were going askew. However, I will not risk the life of my mother. So forgive me for leaving."

    He did not even wait for the old people or the few young elites to speak up and turned around to leave with a strong back. However, from the corner of his eye, he did gaze at a youngdy for a moment, but he still left.

    Darcx sighed at this and, with a shake of his head. He wanted to help the young man chase thedy. However, the distance between the two people was too wide. So he did not say anything and followed Minax.

    Thedy closed her eyes after the young man left, and after a few seconds, she said, "I would like to withdraw from the council. Again, though, my vote goes to Young Master Esc."

    Her reaction was typical. She was not known to be very social and had been living as a hermit. She left the council hall, and the meeting continued. The people just brushed away the warning like it was nothing.

    Darcx and Minax rushed to pick up thetter''s mother. Thedy was confused, but Darcx only told her to believe in him, and that was all. Thedy trusted Darcx more than her son because her son changed for the better ever since Darcx met him. Thedy followed Darcx and Minax to thetter''s vi.

    On the way, they saw the youngdy from the council hall. She was also with her family, and Minax wanted to call her when his mother interrupted him and shouted, "Sister Prim, where are you going?"

    Sister Prim seemed to be the mother of the youngdy. She replied, "Ma-li, we are going to the spaceport."

    Minax took the queue and said, "Aunt Prim, do you also intend to leave the, just to be sure?"

    Thedy nodded, and Minax gazed at the youngdy and said, "You can follow us. I have a faster method of getting off the."

    The people were surprised, but Darcx said, "You can just see what is happening and then go to the spaceport. It will not take long. So now pick up the pace."

    Darcx and Minax led people to the small vi and then to the teleportation formation.

    ...

    Shi Lang waited anxiously on the ship and walked around the containment area. The rest of the team was with him, and Tex was left to mind the natives. Shi Lang was kind and told the people to evacuate their families, and they had already made arrangements. Well, after seeing the abilities of these people, they all did what they were told.

    Amelia frowned and asked, "What is taking him so long?"

    Shi Lang cast her a gaze and said, "Do not talk about it. I am getting anxious."

    Unity sighed and said, "I can open a void tunnel directly at his location, but the rest of the people with him might not be able to survive traveling through the void tunnels."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "He will be here soon."

    Suddenly, the teleportation formation worked, and two people appeared inside the array circle. Shi Lang snapped and said, "Marly, reset it quickly."

    Marly moved, and she reced all the spirit stones, and Shi Lang contacted Darcx. However, he did not wait for the other party to answer and asked, "Can you stop wasting time selecting whom to send first? Just send them quickly. I am getting angry, you bastard."

    Darcx replied, "Yes, boss."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The two people were Ma-li and Prim. Amelia greeted them and took them to the side, and a few momentster, more people arrived. Only after ten rounds did Darcx appear on the spot, and the next moment, Shi Lang punched him in the face and said, "Can you not be sox when your life is on the line, you mother fucker. I will send you to Nestia with a nerve block, and you will feel what I was going through just now."

    Darcx did not say anything and was shocked. Then, Jenkins appeared, held Shi Lang in his grip, and said, "Boss, we have guests."

    Shi Lang shrugged him off and said, "I am not ming them, but this guy is so slow."

    Then he recalled something and vanished from his ce. He appeared at the control bridge and said, "Move it, collect your family members quickly, and get us away from here."

    The native crew reacted and began to control the ship''s movement. Finally, Shi Lang returned to the containment area and said, "I am heading out."

    Amelia asked, "Why?"

    She was surprised by this sudden decision, and Shi Lang said, "The fucking is about to go supernova. I need to carve some defense arrays on the ship."

    Then he vanished from his spot, and everyone was shocked. At the same time, the neers did not understand what was going on. The team turned to look at Unity in askance. Finally, the sword spirit said, "It is true. The demon must have arranged this as a fail-safe. In case someone was to attack the."

    Minax looked at Darcx and asked, "There are so many lives down there. Can we do nothing about it?"

    Unity butted in and said, "You gave them a choice, and this is their choice. Be d that you all are safe. Let us go to themand center and see how it goes there."

    Darcx had the elders on the ship buckle in while Minax and the youngdy followed the rest inside themand bridge. Unity asked, "Tex, what is going on here?"

    Tex said, "Elder, the is emitting strong vitality."

    Unity clicked her tongue as she looked at the scene outside. She then asked the crew members if they could finish the pick-ups within seven minutes. The people responded positively.

    Minax asked, "Where is Captain Shi Lang?"

    Tex replied, "He is outside, carving a formation on the ship''s surface."

    Then Andale quickly manipted the monitoring system to disy the ship''s surface, leaving Minax and the youngdy shocked. Darcx entered the bridge at this moment and gasped, "What in the world?"

    Amelia sighed and said, "Yeah, What in the world?"

    They all saw Shi Lang running wild on the ship''s surface with his sword dragging behind him. The young man was carving a major defense formation on the surface. He was also stopping asionally and embedding spirit stones inside the shell.

    Unitymunicated with him telepathically and said, "You have five minutes."

    Shi Lang was seen nodding, and then he increased the speed. Marly stood up from her control panel with her eyes widened. Hayley asked, "Is everything alright?"

    Marley gulped and said, "Boss, he is arranging the highest level of spirit array at this speed. If he is more than a millimeter wrong, it will explode, and we will die."

    The people were surprised but they did not have a better idea. Unity said, "This is the situation we are in. Remember this moment, and engrave it in your souls. The enemy we are facing is just this strong. This guy made us feel so helpless that we can do nothing but bet our life on whims and impulses."

    The people all clenched their jaws when they heard this statement, however, no matter how they wanted to deny it, they could not.

 Chapter 454 Glimpse Of Horror.

    Shi Lang finished the array formation in four minutes before moving back inside the spaceship and asked, "What is the status?"

    Unity replied, "Everything is ready. We can leave anytime we want to."

    Shi Lang nodded, and after a thought, he said, "Initiate space jump but do not fire the engines until the implodes. I want to see something."

    The crew was surprised, and then they looked at Unity. Thisdy was superior, and they wanted her to advocate that it was risky to stay in this area. Unity asked, "What do you want to see?"

    Shi Lang looked at the visuals and the readings from the. He said, "I have a hunch."

    Unity followed his thoughts and said, "Well, okay."

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people did not say much but watched the readings. Soon, the began to shrink in size. Shi Lang said, "Move away slowly."

    The crew controlled the ship while the readings for tectonic movements and Everything went off the charts. Minax asked, "What is happening?s do not shrink like this."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "It is an array formation."

    The people were shocked, and Unity said, "Not just an array, but aary array. It can easily change the fate of a and make it crumble under its weight."

    Shi Lang shivered and said, "Jn theya mas cahiel tryand."

    Unity opened her eyes wide and said, "Are you sure?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and his aura began to climb. The people were confused, and Amelia asked, "What are you talking about?"

    Unity nced at Shi Lang and found that he was too engrossed in his thought and said, "This is something we discovered in the old ssic back in the library. My master acquired ounts of a demon who was proficient in formation arrays. Thenguage was an ancient script, but it described the scene perfectly. This demon could make humans or creatures act like array nodes."

    Marly gasped and asked, "H-How is that even possible?"

    Unity nodded and said, "The secrety in the sutra of cultivation they used. The entire sutra transforms your blood into spirit liquid by instilling the spirit energy stolen from other people''s blood. Some cultivators realized this, but it was toote to counter anything."

    Jenkins asked, "How does it work?"

    Unity sighed, but before she could say anything, Shi Lang said, "The bodies power the soul. If one of these people dies, they must find another soul to rece the array node. However, in this case, the array was a fail-safe to keep things under wrap."

    The people understood what was going on here. Amelia walked up to Shi Lang and patted his shoulder as she said, "This is not your fault."

    Shi Lang med himself for the deaths of millions who could not leave the. He sighed and said, "I know it is not my fault, but the people died, and even after all this strength, I could not do anything. What is the use of cultivation if one cannot even save those in need?"

    Amelia did not say anything to it because she was also the same. She also considered what she could have done to reduce the risk. All of the teams were the same. Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Initiate the hyperspace drive and set the trajectory to our spaceship."

    The crew nodded when suddenly, Shi Lang froze. He sensed something and took a look at Amelia. Thedy looked at him in askance, and Shi Lang said, "Unity, follow me to the infirmary."

    Then he held onto Amelia and vanished from his ce. Everyone followed behind him. Jenkins said, "Something is wrong."

    Hayley said, "For the sake of that demon, I hope Amelia is not inflicted anyhow."

    The others nodded, and the youngdy asked, "Excuse me, but what is happening?"

    Darcx said, "The array that destroyed your home. A map of it is engraved on Amelia''s back. She touched Shi Lang just now and made him the second node of the array. This will follow up till she makes thirty-nine nodes."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Minax said, "I think this particr array is not affected by the cement of its nodes. It just needs the strongest people to act like a node and then explode when one of them is missing."

    Darcx nodded and said, "Well, that''s the essence of it."

    The youngdy cast eyes on Minax, and Darcx said, "This youngdy is, Li-yah."

    The team greeted her calmly, then discussed what the two people had nned for the future.

    ...

    Inside the infirmary room, Shi Lang had Amelia lying on her stomach with her back bare. Unity stood at the side and said, "What do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Erase it."

    The sword spirit frowned and asked, "It will not work like that. You need to remove it from all the nodes simultaneously."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I want you to use sword intent to push out the demonic spirit energy of the imprint on my back."

    Unity was surprised and asked, "Are you sure? I cannot do this to two people at the same time."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am aware, do not worry. I will be administering this on Amelia."

    Unity was surprised and said, "Lang, you can ask others for help. You know, we have Tex."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I cannot trust anyone else with her. Do not worry."

    His resolve was firm, and he was not going to waver. The procedure would be excruciating, but he did not want to say anything. He ced a hand on Amelia''s back. Thedy had already been given sedatives, and he had ced a few spirit seals on her body to keep her knocked out.

    Unity appeared behind Shi Lang and ced her hand on his back. Then the twomunicated telepathically and channeled the sword intent inside the other person''s body. Shi Lang was about to shiver when he clenched his jaw and calmed himself. The sword intent from Unity was tamed, but it was still wildly looking for traces of Shi Lang''s intent to sh.

    If that happens, the stronger intent will overtake the other attribute. This way, Shi Lang would lose his way of the sword. So, he was fighting on two fronts. At the same time, his body was on the verge of destruction. He controlled his thoughts and controlled his sword intent akin to a needle.

    The needle did not run rampant inside Amelia''s body. It was as if the sword was a scalpel. Shi Lang had turned into a surgeon. The traces of the demonic spirit was drilling deeper into the bodies with every passing minute, and they needed to manipte the intent to capture the demonic energy.

    Once trapped, it will be pushing this energy out of the body. However, that would be possible only when the needlepletely mapped the array map. Shi Lang was calm and focused. He was following Unity''s rhythm of mapping to avoid theg between the two people. The more they worked, the more they were exhausted.

    Shi Lang''s face wasced with sweat, and his body trembled slightly as if he had reached its limits. However, this was not enough. He still needed to cover half the arrayyout quickly. This array map had consciousness, so the demonic spirit energy tried to move around when Shi Lang approached it. If he were to chase after this demonic energy, Amelia would be injured.

    The young man focused and slowly moved forward to entrap the demonic energy. Unity faced the same thing in her advances, but her condition was better than Shi Lang''s. An hour passed, and Hayley and the other few people came to check on them. After ensuring that Shi Lang and Amelia were eptable, they left without disturbing him.

    When they rushed here, Shi Lang had already told them what was going on, so these guys did not move closer to them. The young man carried on for a couple of hours before pushing the demonic energy from the body''s four directions and collecting it into one spot.

    Then the young man used a bubble of the sword intent and closed it slowly so that the demonic energy did not struggle much and began to push it out of a small hole at the back of the person. The ck mass was wiggling restlessly.

    Unity also spotted this ck mass and began to create a bubble of sword intent to prevent it from running around. The two masses were obtained and Shi Lang was shivering at this moment. He was done for, however, he could not rx just now. He said, "Uni, Unity, help me contain this thing."

    Unity nodded and took control of Shi Lang''s intent bubble with ease. The young man then slumped on the floor and the sword spirit said, "Tex,e here."

    Thedy did not expect to have faced such a horror.

 Chapter 455 Surfaced.

    Shi Lang spent two days inside the medical bay alongside Amelia. The array map had affected the two of them much more deeply, and the team outside was worried about their situation. Unity personally spent her time guarding the two people.

    In the meantime, the people did not say much. They all tried to focus on their tasks and strengthen themselves. Minax and Li-yah were the only ones who had nothing to do. They hadnded on the base on Novus the day after. Darcx received the news that the suddenary explosion was stated to be the cause of the fall of a big n.

    The news sent out ripples in the entire gxy. The effects were almost immediate. The big three rose to swallow all the assets they could grab, but the situation changed. Many smaller yers also stepped up to the task and seized all they could.

    Two days passed in a quick blink when Shi Lang woke up. The young man stood before the team and said, "What is going on with you?"

    Darcx said, "Boss, given the track record, I suspect the guy will strike again and use some other big n."

    The others nodded; this was in line with the past. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "The moment we took out those array maps of our bodies. That guy would have sensed this happening."

    Unity nodded and said, "I think this guy will being out of the shadows soon."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We need to track him down."

    Amelia asked, "How would we do that?"

    The sword spirit said, "The demonic energy we took out. I have taken stored it in a spiritual barrier. I can determine his location if this guyes out and uses his skills even for a bit."

    Shi Lang frowned and said, "Will that not make your location obvious to that guy too?"

    Unity nodded and said, "It will, but what other option do we have?"

    The mood became solemn, and Shi Lang said, "Call over one of the old men here."

    Unity frowned as she pursued her lips. Then looking at the severe expression of the person, she said, "Fine, I will agree to it."

    Shi Lang said, "I will go into meditation. Now you people have to rush forward as well."

    The people nodded, and they all began discussing with each other. Suddenly, Darcx approached Shi Lang and whispered something to him. The terran nodded and said, "Young Master Minax, Lady Li-yah, may I have a word with you two?"

    By now, the two people were aware of Shi Lang''s status in the group and were overwhelmed by his gesture. They wanted to talk to Shi Lang about a few things but never expected him to call them over. Minax looked at Darcx and then bowed to him. Thetter just waved his hand with a smile.

    The people here did not look down on people because of their weaker strength. Dracx had vouched for them, so Shi Lang agreed to call them over.

    Minax and Li-yah walked over, and Shi Lang said, "Let''s take a walk."

    Shi Lang walked ahead, and the two people followed behind him slowly. Amelia smiled and said, "Darcx, I wonder if you will get subordinates?"

    Darcx scratched his head and said, "I won''t mind them, but their skills are more suited to the office."

    Hayley cheered and said, "About time I get rid of the adjutant duty."

    The group began to giggle andugh at the internal jokes they had.

    ...

    Shi Lang said lowly, "I am sorry for what happened to your home. Please ept my condolences."

    Minax bowed and said, "It is not your fault, Sir. The family was headed towards doom as it was."

    Shi Lang nodded and paused before asking, "What do you n for the future?"

    Minax shared a nce with Li-yah, who said, "Sir, we want to learn about true cultivation."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang nodded. He expected this. After all, the people who had witnessed the cultivators'' marvel wanted to learn cultivation. He replied, "Do not worry, you will learn, but who to learn from is the question of the hour."

    Minax and Li-yah nodded. Shi Lang asked, "Would you mind telling me your specialties?"

    Minax nodded and said, "Li-yah is apt in sword arts and archery. She has often aplished good results in scouting missions for thepany."

    Li-yah was surprised as she gazed at the man. Shi Lang nodded and said, "She will flourish under Amelia''s tutge. My wife is the best scout that one can ask for."

    The girl was surprised to find that Amelia and Shi Lang were married. Shi Lang asked, "What about you, Young Master Minax?"

    Minax sighed and said, "I spent most of my time drinking wine and moving around women. I have no skills. However, I was very impressed by how Mister Darcx used his diplomacy skills. Though I wonder if I can learn all that."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not need to worry too much. Skillse to people when they try to learn. Life is too short to learn. Always try to learn all that you can."

    Minax was embarrassed, and Shi Lang said, "As long as you are alive, you can learn and lessen the gap. A steady and stable climb is what you need to get to the peak."

    Minax nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

    Shi Lang said, "You must master the basics before you can dwell on diplomacy skills."

    Minax nodded, and the terran continued, "I will put you under the wing of Jenkins. Do not underestimate his talents. He has the best qualification when ites to the basics. His specialty is martial arts, so he will make you develop a solid foundation."

    The two people nodded, and the young man took them to walk for quite a distance before they came to a stop. Shi Lang said, "You might think your home was gone, and you might be overwhelmed with negative emotions like rage and hatred."

    The two people took a deep breath and agreed with his notion. Shi Lang said, "Your training will start tomorrow. Set your affairs in order. You will not be allowed to see your parents until you have achieved the core condensation realm. If you have any objections, then speak now."

    Shi Lang was not their master but their trainer. He was arranging for their training, and that was all. The two people thought for a bit, and they nodded. They did not have any objections to this arrangement.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Your parents will be sent to live with my family, and my parents will guide them with cultivation. Do not worry. My parents are core condensation realm practitioners, so they will be able to handle it nicely."

    The two nodded, and Shi Lang sent them back. Amelia appeared beside him a few momentster and asked, "What do you intend to do with the culprit behind all this?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Is that not obvious? I will be taking him down."

    Amelia nodded and said, "I understand and do not doubt you. However, you need to make sure that youe back alive. Do not put your life on the line because there are a lot of people depending on you. Use the old relics of the spirit beastmunity."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Yes, do not worry. I will be mindful this time. The front line will belong to the people who do not have any hope of ascending to the realm of immortals."

    The people nodded, and gradually they all went on with their cultivations. The main culprit in the shadows did not act up, and things seemed to have normalized in the gxy. Unity was the only one paying attention to the movement of the ck mass. However, one day, she wondered whether this mass would be helpful.

    The mass shivered, and Unity was shocked. She did not rush to send in a wave of her spirit energy and check the location of the enemy. She waited till the fluctuations lowered to a minimum. The moment the ck mass simmered down. Shetched onto the spiritual resonance of the mass with her spirit soul.

    The next moment, she opened her eyes, and her figure became slightly surreal. She did not waste time and rushed to find Shi Lang. The threat has finally surfaced. They did not have the luxury of avoiding this guy because he would put the entire gxy at stake.

    ...

    Shi Lang was sitting inside a cave abode when he sensed someone knocking on the boulder he had ced as a door. He sighed and, walking out, pushed away the door and asked, "What is it, Unity?"

    The sword spirit said, "The target has appeared. He is headed this way. I do not know. What shall we do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Let''s go and see what is this guy up to."

 Chapter 456 Discussion.

    Shi Lang immediately acted and called the team over. Everyone received his notification and answered the call in a blink. With the group gathered, all that was left for them to do was to head out in the direction pointed out by Unity.

    The n was simple, and they did not intend to attack this time. The entire operation was to get a feel of the person''s capabilities. They wanted to know if he indeed was as good as they feared him to be. They were going to scout the biggest enemy they could havee across.

    The team did not mind the suggestion. They had alreadymitted to the cause, and if they hesitated now, it would send their entire effort to waste. The team set off, and it did not take them long to arrive at the destination.

    Eline looked at some data and said, "Boss, this ce was deste till a few hundred years ago, but now it is bustling with activity."

    This meant the had living beings roaming its surface. Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "This is the work of our guy. An, run scans on the surface. I want to see what it is."

    The guy nodded and ran the scan. In a few minutes, the data was in, and it surprised everyone. Unity looked at the details and said, "Demonic entities."

    Shi Langnodded and said, "That must be it. However, this ce does not seem to be falling under the reign of any big n."

    Amelia nodded and said, "That''s true. This ce is abandoned. A fewary explosions and a few stars went supernova in a chain. This ce was dered vtile and not suitable for any ventures."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Let me guess, the Ikerans signed the report?"

    Amelia nodded and said, "What now?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We are not going down. This ce is a death trap."

    The rest of the people understood this. Unity said, "Then what can we do now? Sit here like ducks in a row? Pull back."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We know this ce is a trap set for us. This guy was trying to lead us over here. He seeded, so the matter we need to think about is what the purpose of this trap is."

    Jenkins said, "Why would the enemy go to the lengths of setting up such a trap if not to kill us."

    Shi Lang shrugged his head, and Hayley said, "Discussion or demand, only these two options are left if we overlook death."

    Unity snapped her fingers and wanted to say something when everyone froze. A peal ofughter exploded inside the heads of the people. Shi Lang tried to resist, but it was all useless. This made him realize how strong this guy was, however, instead of feeling depressed that he did not stand a chance against this guy. Shi Lang wanted to fight harder.

    The demon said, "Well, to think a human could go against me and even make me topple. What a rare entity you are. No wonder humans are the worst enemies to have."

    Shi Lang replied with his soul power, "If you are aware of that, then why not move your restraints?"

    The demon chuckled lightly and said, "I want your full attention, that is all. Now, you have two options for you and your friends. Death or Surrender."

    Shi Lang replied, "None, because you cannot kill me."

    The people were shocked. They opened their eyes wide at this response. Some even doubted if Shi Lang wanted all of them to die here.

    Shi Lang did not wait for the demon to go on with his speech and said, "You think too highly of yourself. After the attack on theary destruction, you do not have much strength to attack anyone."

    The demon fell silent, and Shi Lang took the cue. He said, "The rules of this world bind you. Suppose you appear outside that hole of yours. The sky will directly strike you into ash. Please tell me if I am wrong. You are waiting for the day of the union. Are you not?"

    The demon reacted, "To think that you will even know about the day of union. Since you already know that, I will not beat around the bush. Yes, I am waiting for the day of the union. Before that, I could not kill you. Do you know when is the next day of the union?"

    Shi Lang shook his head. He did not know when the day would be. The demon said, "Three cosmic hours. I think you do know how long that is."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The other people did not know anything, but when they heard the term hour, they all could not help but think how soon they would die a horrible death.

    Shi Lang replied, "Around fifteen thousand days on federation."

    The people heard this and rxed a bit. The demon chuckled and said, "You have a good batch of people here, human. Go, we shall meet fifteen thousand federation dayster. I wonder if you will be able to stand my attacks. I will not initiate any attacks on anyone in this period."

    The next moment, everyone sensed the strong presence vanish from their consciousness. Shi Lang said, "Nile, head back to Novus."

    The young man did not dy and controlled the ship to return to the base camp. At the same time, Shi Lang walked out of the bridge and appeared in the meeting room. Unity followed him and asked, "What was that promise of battle? Do you know that fifteen hundred days are not enough for us to reach the level of that guy? You are seeking death."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not seeking death, okay?"

    Unity pped the table hard and shouted, "Then why the fuck did you agree topete with that bastard? Is it worth anything? What if you died? You know that bastard will take over the entire gxy, and humanity or any other race will be his food supply."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "You think I haven''t thought of that? But tell this, oh wise, sword spirit. How should I have bought us time? I made a bluff, and we managed to live to die another day. If I had insisted on things, who know what sort of demon soldiers will he let loose?"

    Unity clenched her fist, and the rest of the people came over after hearing the loud shouts. The spaceship was trembling from all the rageful aura around Unity. Amelia said, "Senior, please calm down."

    Unity did not say anything, but Jenkins stepped up and asked, "You, what is the day of the union?"

    Shi Lang replied, "It is a day when all three nes, the mortal realm, the immortal realm, and the underworld, are aligned in a row. That day, if some entities manage to escape the barriers of their realm, they will be able to enter the other realm and act as they wish to."

    The people were surprised, and Hayley asked, "So since the mortal realm is the weakest, these two realm people would be heading here?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, and no."

    Amelia cast him a gaze, and the young man sat straight in his chair and said, "Only the weak and desperate try to break through the barriers. The stronger ones try to harvest energy through the realms these days."

    Jenkins asked, "How big of a chance do you think we will have of winning if we cultivate for the full duration of the fifteen thousand days?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "I think we will have around a twenty percent chance to win."

    Jenkins nodded and said, "It is better than what happened just now."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Certainly."

    Hayley and the rest of the people nodded. When the people reached back to Novus, Shi Lang, and Unity took charge of addressing the people of their respective nations and then having them prepare for the uing war. They will not be facing just the demon; even the army of monsters will also being at them.

    The news brought shock to the people. They could not believe what was going on in this gxy anymore. They questioned everything, but when Shi Lang came and vouched for his cultivation. Only then did the people agree to things being true.

    Unity, on the other hand, did not take it so slowly. She directly barged into the cave abodes of the old relics and then dragged them out to teach the people. They have no idea what made the guardian spirit so angry, but she gave them all a thorough beating.

    Then she said, "You all better start working harder and teach the young ones."

    The entire spirit beastmunity was rallied by her and they both set up a countdown. Shi Lang did not say much but he had an idea about how to deal with this.

 Chapter 457 Growth.

    Shi Tao stood in front of a house, and looking around, she knocked on the door. This ce was in a high-security area, had no digital equipment, and only spirit arrays worked here. Shi Tao was here to visit someone.

    The door opened after a few moments, and a man peeked from the inside. He sighed and wanted to say something when Shi Tao said, "I was not followed."

    The man sighed and let her inside. He said, "Tao, you cannot pop up here anytime you want."

    Shi Tao did not pay attention and confidently walked inside the ce. She said, "It is almost time for the decisive war. He needs to be here, Mister Milo. You better tell me where he is. The people are not having a good time."

    The man sighed and replied, "All I can tell you is that he will return in a few days, as promised. Tao, you do not need to get so worked up."

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "I cannot wait for it anymore. Do you know how long he has been gone? The guardian department had secured so many talented people, and we intend to put up a special unit, but you all. He only told you where he was heading for his training, and that was it. What about the rest of the people?"

    Milo adjusted his sses and said, "The others do not miss their father as you do."

    Shi Tao stopped moving around and said, "Uncle Milo, do you want to fight with me?"

    Milo shook his head like a rattle and said, "I do not wish to end up in a med bay. You are just like your father."

    Shi Tao almost revealed a smile, but then she affirmed her resolve. She asked coldly, "Where is he?"

    At this moment, Milo''smunicator buzzed. He raised his hand to look at the message, and with a smile, he said, "He will be here tonight. You can go and prepare the guardian department. Do your best to beat him up."

    Shi Tao did not ask or say anything else. After the initial shock, she left the house. Milo sighed and said, "You sure are a ve driver, boss."

    It has been forty years since the day the federation went on for war preparations. The face of the world had gone under such a transformation that it was almost unrecognizable. After several months of training and arrangments, Shi Lang told everyone he would dwell around the gxy to increase his power.

    Amelia and the rest did not know what to say. Although he maintained contact, it was only with the few closer people who had any clue about his actual location. Forty years, everything has changed, and everyone has changed. The people had all grown up and grown stronger.

    ...

    Shi Tao came out of Milo''s house and vanished from her spot. She appeared a thousand miles away, in front of a shack at the peak of a mountain. She walked inside the shed and moved a table to reveal a flight of stairs. Stepping forward, a golden veil appeared in front of her.

    She pressed her palm against the veil, and a voice sounded in her mind, ''Wee, Commander Tao.''

    Shi Tao was now themander of the guardian division. This was the strongest division in the existence of the federation. Every member of this unit was at the peak of the primordial soul realm, and some had even touched the threshold of the nirvana realm.

    Those were the regr members; this unit had thirteen spears apart from that. These spears were all members with special physiques. They had all reached the Mahayana realm. They were all around thirty or fifty years old.

    Shi Tao was now forty-seven, but she looked like twenty years old. However, if someone noticed the center of her brows, they would find that thedy had a mark of a snowke in icy blue color.

    After the golden veil disappeared, Shi Tao entered the ce with calm strides. The flight of stairs took her to the depth of their base. This ce was dug inside a mountain. The entire granite giant served as the walls, and the site wasced with arrays. They had covered every inch of the mountain surface with defense and attack arrays.

    The hut on the summit was not only protected from the ground but also from the air. Only a few people knew what path they should take to avoid the istion barrier. Shi Tao descended the stairs calmly and soon reached the end of it, greeted by a constantly rolling countdown.

    At this moment, the time disyed thirty-four days and was still rolling. Suddenly a voice greeted her, "What happened? How many times have you fought them over the years? They will never leak out where is that Shi Lang."

    Shi Tao turned to look at the man behind her and said, "Mind your tongue."

    The man scoffed and said, "What if I do not? What can you do about it?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Tao said, "I can beat you and break every bone in your body with a crackling sound. You can try attacking me."

    The man hesitated, and Shi Tao said, "That was what I thought Manx."

    Then she turned around and walked away. The man she met was one of the spears, and he was just behind Shi Tao in strength. His greed for the top position has always made him act rather arrogantly.

    Shi Lang was a milestone that the people wanted to reach, but when the world was heading towards the most significant crisis, the man was nowhere to be found. Every single day of his absence made the people panic a bit more. Shi Tao was suffering from all the pressure too, and the people thought thedy had achieved her level because she was Shi Lang''s daughter.

    The girl had worked hard in the past forty years and made a name for herself. However, a few people, like Manx, still did not acknowledge her. She walked inside the meeting room and pressed the summon switch. All the spears appeared inside the room in a blink. They all had nd expressions, but Shi Tao said, "He ising back tomorrow. The title of Ace waist us. Are you ready?"

    She quickly stated the fact, and the people opened their eyes wide. They did not expect her to say something like this. This sentence sent an explosion through the minds of the people. Manx asked, "The news is confirmed?"

    Shi Tao nodded and wanted to say something when Manx asked, "What is the n? Where has he been? When did you find out about his return."

    Shi Tao pped the table in front of her and left a deep impression on her hand as she said, "I might not be able to kill you, but I can send you to solitary confinement."

    Manx froze, and Shi Tao said, "Activate the. Monitor everyone whoes inside the federation. Also, ready the division, he will have to get through us tond on the ground."

    The people were not surprised, Shi Tao loved her father, but she was also dutiful. She would never let her emotions get the best of her. Manx wanted to say something when Shi Tao said, "The meeting is over, just implement the instructions, and we will deal with him."

    The people gradually left the room, leaving behind only one girl. This person asked, "Sister Tao, can we defeat him?"

    Shi Tao smiled and nodded as she replied, "Do not worry, Lili. We will defeat him."

    This girl was the daughter of Jane and Lucas. She was born with jade meridians and has been capable of cultivating since she was two years old. Shi Tao had guided her personally; now, Lili was the youngest spear in the guardian division.

    Lili smiled faintly and said, "I wonder how all the old people would react if they got to know."

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "Granny is going to beat him. Regardless of his victory over us or not, he is getting beaten. You are invited to watch."

    Lili giggled and said, "Maa is also waiting for him to return so she would beat her and Grandma too."

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "He made a lot of enemies in his life."

    Thedies talked for a bit before suddenly. They received a spike warning. Upon checking, Shi Tao said, "He will not wait for tomorrow. He wille tonight. Mobilize everyone you have."

    Then she rushed out of the base with Lili on her heels. The other spears also got the notification and rushed toward the spike.

    ...

    A man stood in the void a thousand miles from the base. His body was wless, and so was his face. This guy looked like an immortal from the heavens. His hair ran long, and his eyes were crystal clear. The man floated in the void and looking around he sighed and said, "Home sweet home."

    "Sorry, the wee is not going to be that happy for you, General Lang.", a clear voice sounded in the void.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Good response time, but why am I being called General Lang?"

 Chapter 458 Pressure.

    Shi Lang stood in the void, looking at the youngdy before him with a faint smile. Shi Tao was observing every inch of the man in front of her. Shi Lang asked, "You have yet to answer me, Tao."

    Shi Tao could hear the doting tone, and she said, "General Lang, if you pull back from the war, we will not fight you."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It was never going to be a war but a death match between him and me."

    Shi Tao felt cold and said, "Then we have nothing to discuss. The Guardian spears will now take action."

    Shi Lang''s smile did not falter as he kept looking at thedy. In the blink of an eye, twelve people stood surrounding the man. The terran general looked at the people and said, "Hmmm, a good team you have here. Twelve Mahayana, shall I feel honored."

    Lili sighed and asked, "Sir, will you not take a step back?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I cannot back down is more likely to define my circumstance."

    Shi Tao clenched her fists and said, "There is no need to talk to him. Beat him up."

    Manx was the first one to charge at Shi Lang. This guy appeared right next to Shi Lang, and his fists, zed with red wisps of mist, were aimed at the former''s liver. The general had not put up any guards to deal with this blow.

    The fist made contact, but the desired impact did note. Shi Lang gazed at Manx and said calmly, "I hope you do note at me to kill, young man."

    To Shi Lang, all these people were young. Anyhow, just one sentence from Shi Lang made Manx back away. When Shi Lang spoke, his voice channeled some condensed spiritual energy inside Manx''s mind, and the simple words sounded like nuclear explosions to thetter.

    However, this did not stop the others from attacking Shi Lang. Shi Tao watched everything from the side but could not find a single loophole. Even if Shi Lang was standing there like a dummy, his gaze was enough to make half the squad shiver and back away in fear.

    Shi Tao has traveled the gxy in these few decades, and her skills have reached the level where her gaze can kill people. However, Shi Lang was in a realm of his own. He was gazing at them with precise intensity. This intensity will trigger the amount of fear hidden inside people''s hearts.

    After almost theplete squad was pushed back, Shi Tao vanished from her spot and appeared near Shi Lang. She did not hold back and said, "Mountain Breaking Fists."

    Her punchesnded on Shi Lang''s chest. Even though it made no difference, thedy kept on hitting him. The impact sent out visible shockwaves. After a hundred punches, Shi Lang took hold of Shi Tao and said, "I apologize for being gone."

    Shi Tao did not seem to hear it all and kept hitting Shi Lang with all the frustration inside her. This was a venting session. Shi Lang sighed and let her vent on his chest. The attacks began to harm, but the one who suffered was Shi Tao. Her knuckles were scraped, but she was keeping at it.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang hugged thedy before him. Then he said, "I am sorry..."

    After seven minutes, the struggle calmed down,, and Shi Tao asked, "How strong are you?"

    Shi Lang did not reply,, and his body began to squirm down. Shi Tao was surprised and realized that it was a clone. They had been them. She turned her head to look behind her and was shocked. It was not only her, but the entire squad was frozen. They were all surrounded by at least a hundred clones.

    They all gave a simr spiritual pressure and the people gulped. Shi Tao looked around to locate the real one but the clones were identical. From breathing pattern to heartbeats. Everything was in sync as if they were all part of a big machine.

    Manx looked around and wanted to say something when they heard a voice. This voice did not echo inside their minds, but from the surroundings. However, it did note from the clones. This was why the people were shocked even more.

    Shi Tao sighed and said, "We admit defeat."

    The clones all flickered and vanished. The real Shi Lang appeared in front of them and said, "Can we talk now?"

    Shi Lang smiled at Shi Tao, who looked at her team and said, "Go, we cannot defeat him."

    Manx grunted and said, "He did not even use a move against us. We were defeated by an illusion."

    Shi Lang was able to hear all this, but he did notment. He was not going to give them any advice. These past few years he has been dwelling all over the world and his skills improved through sleeps and bounds, but all this came at a constant gamble of life and death.

    He did not tell anyone what he has been through but if he had to sum it all up. He would say, that this gxy was filled with things and ces that did not have spirit energy but the degree of danger was no less of a threat to even a cultivator.

    His realm has now just one minor level away from the peak of ascended mortal. After that he would be able to create the bridge of immortality and move ahead on the path of cultivation and ascend to the heavens.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The team under Shi Tao dispersed and she moved to float next to the man. She said, "You did not change much."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You grew up, Tao."

    Shi Tao did not reply and asked, "Where have you been all this while?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Exploring the sea of stars, looking for something that will give me an edge in the uing battle."

    Thedy asked, "Why did you not take me with you?"

    The general sighed and said, "I could not have put you in danger."

    Shi Tao red at him but did not say anything, because she was aware that her strength at the time was nothing but a burden for him. She could not make him talk and asked, "Then can you tell me where is mom?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "She has gone to meet your grandparents first."

    Shi Tao sighed and the man beside her said, "If only you were little. My princess gave up pouting for sighs. I wronged you."

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "No, you did not. Just that you missed out so many of my ceremonies."

    Shi Lang smiled and ced one of his hand around her shoulder and said, "I apologize."

    Shi Tao did not resist and leaned her head over his shoulder as she said, "I missed you baba."

    Shi Lang pecked her hairline and said, "I miss you too, Tao."

    Thetwo people chatted for a bit and Shi Lang said, "I would like to test all the people who can take part in a massive mission."

    Shi Tao was surprised and asked, "What do you mean by that? Are we taking a big force to deal with the demon?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I will only tell you when you have the forces gathered."

    The girl nodded and said, "Let''s go home first."

    The two people vanished from their spot and then appeared back at their home. Shi Tao called Lili over and made introductions. Shi Lang called in Jane and Lucas. The two people had been busy in research and Lili basically grew up here with Luna and Shi John.

    ...

    The following day, the entire news media was covering the return of their hero. Shi Tao had taken to the press and disclosed the details of their battlest night. The guardian division wasmended to pick up a fight against the strongest person in the world. Then she made her way to the parliament and went straight to the chairman of the general council office.

    In the chair of the chairman sat a man with some gray hair and smiled when Shi Tao walked in. He asked, "Teacher came back?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Big brother Theseus, he wants to test the entire federal forces on his own. I can smell it, he has something up his sleeve."

    Theseus smiled and said, "I had tasted what he is up to and I tell you until the test is confirmed, you need to wait. After things are settled you will know what is going on."

    Shi Tao raised her brows and sighed, she understood that her father must have visited this cest night. She asked, "Any news from the Citadel?"

    Theseus nodded and said, "The high council will being over soon. Teacher invited them They are going to stake everything they have on it."

    Shi Tao began to walk around in the office and said, "I have no idea what does he intend to do."

 Chapter 459 Mobilize.

    Shi Tao and Thesues finished their discussion, and the former passed the orders. Shi Lang wanted to address the entire military force, and this would not be an inspirational session. This much had been cleared to Shi Tao.

    The orders were ryed quickly, and at the same time, Theseus received a report that the high council members had arrived through the teleportation formation. Crystal was now a high council member, and almost all of the younger generation had taken over the responsibilities of their elders.

    Tex was the serving supreme leader of the council. Unity was still the guardian spirit, buttely, her time was spent teaching the people personally. She came here today to meet Shi Lang and see how he has grown.

    Theseus mobilized the general council, and Shi Tao summoned all themanders of the secret divisions. They were informed that Shi Lang had arrived and wanted to see all of them, and thus they did not dy. There was less than a month left in the decisive battle.

    ...

    Shi Lang and Amelia used their space-wrapping skills and directly appeared on the war. They had reached a simr realm and did not need to wait for any space shuttle. Let alone them. Even the people did not need shuttles anymore.

    The federation used teleportation formations to travel, and the spaceships were only left behind for military purposes. The status of the federation had grown to the level where even the big three dared to avoid messing too much with them. In the past forty years, Jill had taken over the gctic strike forcemander position and retired with the record of being the strictest of themanders ever.

    Those were only some of the things that the federation had done. They would send young teenagers around the gxy to participate inpetitions and return with victory medals. This was a silent coercion that the federation had established for itself. However, despite all this, they always abstained from the gctic council elections.

    They were sending a message that as long they were not disturbed. They will not look for trouble with other people. The dominance of the federation allowed them to grow without struggle. The think tanks proposed this strategy, and it paid off well.

    Shi Lang and Amelia were greeted by Unity as soon as they arrived. The three people stood in the void, and the sword spirit eximed, "Say, Lang, what have you been chugging on? I can tell that your realm is that of an ascended mortal. However, your aura is so well hidden that I almost took you for a mortal."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Long time no see, Unity."

    Amelia greeted thedy with a bow, and the sword spirit said, "You are already in a peer with me. No need to be polite."

    Thedy smiled and looked at Shi Lang, who was sighing at the scenery. She asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I cannot recognize this ce without the red sand and ck cliffs in the distance."

    Amelia smiled and said, "This happens when you do note home for decades."

    Unity nodded and said, "Do notment so much. Come along now. Many people are waiting for you."

    The trio then flew over to the pavilion garden around the teleportation array. The people all stood up to greet them and show respect. Shi Lang greeted them all with a nod. Theseus went up to Shi Lang and said, "Teacher, this array will allow you tomunicate with the people of the federation and the Citadel."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then he waved his hand at Theseus. The man in front of him changed from a middle-aged man to a young man in his twenties. Shi Lang took a bottle of pills from his space ring and said, "You can bring this home and give it to your family. This is an all-purpose elixir. If you have any trouble that cannot be helped with, you cane and find me."

    Theseus nodded and said, "Thank you, teacher."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You have been working hard."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Theseus did not say much and walked back to his seat. He did not know where Shi Lang procured the pills, but he trusted this man most.

    Shi Lang stood over the array circle on the ground and channeled his spiritual energy. The array was triggered, and it caused a cloud of spirit energy to condense in many ces for the people to see and hear Shi Lang.

    The general said, "I apologize for my absence during this period. However, as a cultivator, I have found that some things cannot be done while I stay indoors.

    I wanted to go out and get stronger and then tell you that you do not have to worry, that all will be fine at the end of this battle. As much as it pains me to say it, I cannot lie to you. There will be loss of life in this battle. Many of you might not be able to return home after the war, despite all my effort. I cannot be sure of saving you."

    The people were driven to shiver when they heard the proud general disying such a vulnerable side of his. Amelia ced her hand over his shoulder, and Shi Lang said, "I have a few suggestions for you all to consider before we set off for the battle. I apologize in anticipation if any of you find my words and thoughts offensive, but I assure you, all of it will be in the federation''s favor."

    The people were bracing themselves when Shi Lang mentioned this. The general took a deep breath and said, "While the strong are off to fight, the civilians and the young ones will be vulnerable here. Any forces attacking the Federation now will only spell disaster for us.

    It is not like we can go to this battle and think that if we manage to live, we can protect our loved ones back home. You will be in the wrong. The demons are not good creatures. They only seek victory, and they do not care about any morals.

    Even if victory in the war is essential, the safety of our home takes priority. I hope that you all agree with it."

    The people nodded. After all, before they went out, it was best to ensure the house was safe. Shi Lang registered the nods and said, "On my journey, we discovered a sr system with celestial bodies a hundred times bigger than ours. This sr system has fours capable of life, and they all have their flora and fauna. However, they have yet to evolve any intelligent species.

    You might think of this as cowardly, but this is necessary. If the demon managed to find you all, he would kill as many people as he wishes just for enjoyment."

    The people were shocked that the proud general asked them to leave their homes. Shi Lang sighed, and Amelia stepped up. She said, "Think of it as a temporary vacation. Go and stay at these ces. If we win, you can alle back, but if not, at least you can ensure the race''s survival."

    The shock settled, and Shi Lang said, "The path of this ce will be disclosed to all of the federation and the allies. They will be able to navigate through the cosmos with ease. However, once you reach the location, you will need strong people to guide and guard you. So, I suggest that core condensation warriors stay behind to ensure that the race''s skills are preserved.

    I know the people have been waiting to enter the battlefield, which is why you all have been working harder. However, your strength will not be enough to make a difference in the battle."

    The people were shocked, and Shi Lang went to great lengths to convey his message to everyone. Eventually, Unity agreed on behalf of the spirit beast race, and by setting an example, she inspired the human leaders to decide as well. After this, Shi Lang picked up a few older immortals to stay back and help the youth settle in the new ce.

    Suddenly, one of the experts asked, "Sir, what do you attend to do about this battle."

    Shi Lang did not react violently but said, "I wish to take the war to this person and have him beg us for mercy."

    The people were shocked, and Shi Lang said, "The biggest problem we face will be the army of demons raised by this guy. As for the main enemy, he cannot attack us till the alignment of the three realms. This is our chance. Before he gains his true strength. It will take us a few days to settle things at home, but after that, we can leave. Now, I leave the decision to you all.

    Federation is not just a ball of dirt moving around a ball of fire. It is you all. If you believe me, then in three days, mobilize the army."

 Chapter 460 Glimpse At Horror.

    Shi Lang finished speaking his piece, and the leaders began to discuss the situation and usible scenarios they coulde up with to make a better decision. After six hours, they all agreed to the suggestions.

    The federation would be evacuated, and the movement on all thes was simultaneous. The evacuation was going to be carried out in three stages. First will be sending out the major part of core condensation forces. They will go over to thes and secure thend by deploying barrier arrays and securing a defendable outpost.

    The second part will include the deployment of engineers and doctors. Who will create a bare minimum infrastructure with sustainability in mind while the doctors search the ce for medicinal elements? These elements will aid the people in case any unknown illness strikes them.

    The third part will be the civilians. They can all carry their fortune or riches using their space rings. The economic system will be the same, and the governments have reached out to private merchants and other wealthy people to dedicate their space vessels to the cause.

    After Shi Lang''s speech, the impact was immediate, and the people stepped up to help. They did not wish to die. Plus, they feared that failing to help the people in such a critical movement would affect their status.

    Well, the rich are always about status and money. After the discussion, a few core condensation warriors were chosen from all races to guide their people. Shi Lang did not say much during the twelve hours while all these things were being implemented.

    Unity looked at him and asked, "Tell us, what is it."

    Shi Lang looked at her and shook his head, "I cannot tell you all anything, but I can show you. Wait till there are only people above the primordial soul realm left. You will have to pledge that this thing should not leak out. If anyone dared to, then may they turn to ashes."

    Unity was surprised, but she did not push things further and spread the word. Everyone was not a fool. They could all detect something wrong when they looked at the humble Shi Lang. This guy was the Ace of Terrans. People might not know him much, but those close to him knew. Shi Lang''s aura would have been enough to spark the people''s souls, but this man asked for evacuation.

    Something was wrong. Shi Lang did not say anything. An entire day had passed, and the evacuation had begun. Finally, Shi Lang used his finger to manipte the image transmission array with his index finger and said, "Whatever you all will see is a memory of mine. I will project this directly inside your soul sea, so do not resist and trust me."

    The people nodded, and everyone suddenly entered a trance.

    ...

    When the people woke from the trance, they stood in the sea of stars. Before them stood Shi Lang and Amelia. The two were covered with various array runes. These runes were not carved on spirit stones or anything else but their flesh. The people were shocked, and Shi Lang said, "These arrays hide us from the demon''s vision. We did this because the enemy was always watching us. You are about to see a scouting mission we carried out behind the enemy lines."

    Amelia said, "That dark you see is the demon den. The enemy also lives there."

    That said, the couple moved through space riding a meteor, and Shi Lang and Amelia broke a fragment of it when the meteor passed by the. They manipted it to enter the atmosphere of the enemy.

    Shi Lang said, "We named this the gloom star. Every particle of air in this ce is contaminated with demonic energy. We must develop a method to avoid exposure, or the spiritual energy will not be enough to sustain us here."

    The people knew this memory fragment only gave them details and information about the enemy. The couplended on the ground instantaneously. Their bodies were covered in a shallow ck fog.

    Amelia said, "On one of our battles, we both were infected by a contagious array pattern this demon had cast to kill the failing troops. We extracted this demonic energy from those array maps. This is the secondyer of camouge. We have ced the enemy at a godly level, where he can sense everything. So this demonic energy will give us some time."

    The two people advanced and came across a minor demon. The creature was ugly. It seemed to have crept out of a horror movie. This thing had two long legs and one whip-like tail. Three sets of arms, and the face was a bizarre mash of flesh. Shi Lang wanted to test the strength of this thing when suddenly, the demon screeched and dashed away.

    Amelia and Shi Lang took cover and spotted a twicerger demon chasing the abomination. The hunt waspleted in a few moments¡ªafterward, the bigger demon at the small one.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    At this moment, Shi Lang said, "Observe this moment."

    The bigger demon''s body sent a wave of dark energy. It was like a shockwave. Shi Lang said, "That is the sign of ascension."

    Amelia picked up and said, "These creatures thrive on cannibalism. The more they eat, the stronger and smarter they be."

    Shi Lang said, "However, they do not have to face the heavenly tribtion when they go ahead in their path of cultivation. Now see."

    The scene changed, and Shi Lang was battling with a demon. This thing was twice bigger than the one that came out as the hunter. Amelia said, "What you are watching is a category four demon. Look at the anatomy of this thing."

    The people observed and found that the demon looked much like a humanoid. Amelia said, "This thing is capable of killing a core condensation in one hit, and these creatures make up the majority of the poption of this. This was why Shi Lang asked you to hold back the core condensation warriors."

    The people understood things better now. Shi Lang fled the scene after leaving a deep wound on the beast. Then he secretly followed it. He said, "The way they recover from injuries is simple."

    The injured demon consumed a minor demon, and the gash on its chest vanished as if it had never existed. Shi Lang said, "We need aary array to deal with the demonic energy in this ce, and even then, we can only restrain their power to some extent. The highest level of a demon soldier this ce shelters can kill an early Mahayana cultivator if they are given a chance."

    After a short pause, Shi Lang said, "The biggest threat we face is the leader of these creatures. I call him the archdemon, and he has never shown himself to us while we were here."

    The memory came to a stop, and gradually, people woke up. They could not help but shiver to imagine how Shi Lang and Amelia spent their time in that harsh environment to gather information.

    Shi Lang said, "We were exposed to demonic energy while I was fighting with these creatures."

    Shi Tao was in the crowd watching all this with red eyes. Amelia said, "Shi Lang took seven years to wash away every wisp of the spirit energy from his body and soul. This was why he was away from home these past few years. Otherwise, we intended to return and teach everyone about the things we had learned."

    The people understood the pains Shi Lang took. Suddenly Unity asked, "How did you wash away the demonic energy?"

    Shi Lang said, "I refined my body with sword intent."

    The people gasped. The pain from being infected by sword intent was known to the sword practitioners, and Shi Lang went through this for seven years. This was unimaginable. The people could not help but look at Shi Lang in awe. The reputation he once had was established again.

    Shi Lang did not say anything for a short while. Amelia patted his back gently. Shi Lang said, "Ever since I almost lost my sanity under the demonic influence. I have be somewhat different. You can see me as some trauma patient who has yet to move on from the painful reality of those moments. When demonic energy infects you, it shows you bizarre and horrible things. Things that can make you end your life.

    The sense of cultivation goes askew; even more, than that, your emotions are everywhere. Now that we have to go and face that thing, I hope you all cane up with some solutions so that none of the people face what I did.

    I am fine with all the pain, but I cannot watch my brothers and sisters go out there and suffer."

    Amelia said, "I have one task for you all. When you fight side by side, and if you sense that yourrade has been infected. Do not dy and pull them back. I have refined purification talismans, but they are effective only when used under five minutes of infection. I hope this glimpse have made you all realize the horror we will be facing there."

 Chapter 461 Unstated Directive.

    Shi Lang and Amelia left the ce with Unity to meet the older generation experts. The role of older people was crucial in their endeavors. While back in the federation, Theseus met with experts from the Citadel and Federal forces.

    Theseus said, "Teacher Shi stated that exposure to the demonic energy could only be reversed within five minutes. So, that means the more time spent in exposure, the more casualties on our sides."

    The people heard these words and thought for a second before agreeing. Theseus sighed and said, "You all should know that if the person enters the incurable state, they will be our enemies or supplies to our enemies. We cannot stop all these thingspletely because we do not have enough time or data. However, we know ways to block the demonic energy temporarily."

    Tex nodded and said, "We will be mass-producing those things and array tes, but where are you going with this, General Theseus?"

    The federalmander-in-chief said, "Consider this an act of mercy. If anyone of us gets infected, and by any of us, I mean the entirety of the troops, the infected should go kamikaze."

    His words shocked the people. This was a suicidemand. They were to remove as many enemies as possible if the exposure did not save them. This will count as theirst act of bravery while they were still sane. The thought was noble, and suddenly a man with a rough temperament stood up and said, "Well, I agree with this suggestion because I am not as capable as Venerable Shi. He can withstand that torture for seven years, and we have all witnessed how much effect it had on him. If there is a chance that I might harm myrades, then I might as well go to hell and take as many enemies with me as I can."

    The people nodded, and soon everyone agreed. Theseus sighed, "So what if we lose? At least we will lose fighting till the end."

    ...

    Amelia asked Shi Lang, "Why did you hide the real duration of your rehabilitation?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I wanted them to be cautious and not hopeless. They are strong people, and at this moment, we need their strong mental fortitude."

    Amelia sighed, and Unity asked, "What was it that you held back?"

    Shi Lang said nothing to her, but Amelia replied, "He spent fifteen years washing away the demonic energy."

    Unity was shocked and looked at Shi Lang, "Have you gone mad? Why did you guys not reach out to anyone?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "I could not let anyone see me in that situation."

    The sword spirit sighed and said, "Well, what is done is done. We cannot do anything to mend that but do not try to overtake the burden on your own."

    Shi Lang did not reply to her, but he never had the habit of trusting anyone. He has lived his entire life his way. Depending on other people was not him. Soon, the trio arrived in a valley. The ce wasced with many small huts. The aura in the region was evidence that strong people were cultivating in silence.

    The people inside the huts noticed the sudden disruption but did note out. As soon as Unitynded, she mumbled, "The juniors these days have no respect for the seniors, and they do not evene out of their nests to wee the people."

    The next minute the doors of the huts flung open, and twelve of the former high council members. They all bowed to Unity and greeted Shi Lang and Amelia with a nod. The sword spirit asked, "So, what have you thought about what I told you?"

    Luna Baley stepped up and said, "Senior, we have decided to proceed with your arrangement. However, we still have a few questions."

    Shi Lang was aware of the context and said, "The timing of array deployment and thenes the timing of activation."

    The people nodded, and Amelia said, "The deployment cannot be predetermined. We all will have to wait for the enemy to show himself. As for the activation, we cannot let it be too obvious."

    Unity sighed and said, "Well, it is what it is. Forget all the discussions and do it when we get there."

    The people nced at each other and began discussing things. After the issues with the array formation stopped, Unity mentioned the infliction from the demonic energy, and the people nodded. They all knew what it was like when they were fighting with the hell-hounds. The demonic energy affected them slightly, and it took them a few days to get rid of a slight trace of this energy from their body.

    Unity said, "It is not that the spirit energy is weaker than the demonic energy. It is just that the nature of the two energies is pr opposite that they struggle so much to push out each other."

    Jianhu nodded and said, "There is an array that might allow us to suppress the condensed demonic energy of that ce."

    Shi Lang raised his brow in surprise and asked, "Do you know of this array?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Jianhu nodded and said, "It was something I read among one of those forbidden records when I was young."

    Shi Lang mumbled in thought, "The forbidden records. I did not read them."

    Amelia and the rest of the people looked at him while guessing what the reason could be if things were forbidden. Jianhu sighed and said, "Well, the array was confiscated from the hands of a few rogue hunters. The materials to create this array were supposedly obtained from centurion spirit beasts."

    Shi Lang sighed and waved his hands as he said, "Since those arrays are forbidden, let us not use them."

    "Bad choice, kiddo.", suddenly a husky voice sounded.

    Shi Lang and the rest were standing in a circle and suddenly looked up at the sky and found a few figures standing in the void. While the spirit beasts bowed down, Shi Lang gulped and said, "Centurion Spirit Beasts."

    Centurion Spirit beasts were unique and said to have a long life. Think of it as a mutation that made these beasts so special. Another thing with these beasts was that as long as a one-of-a-kind centurion exists, the second one of the same kind will not appear.

    Five people slowly descended, and Unity asked, "I was thinking who it was, and it turns out to be Old Nightingale and the peanut galore."

    An olddy among the five people chuckled and said, "You still are sharp, Sister Unity."

    The sword spirit shrugged and said, "If not for my sharpness, these young ones here would have ruined the federation to the ground."

    Shi Lang asked, "Seniors, pardon my interruption, but why did you say I made a bad choice? Would you all not be of more value alive?"

    The olddy shook her head and said, "We all have reached the end of our lifespans. The time we need to construct thest few bits of our bridge of immortality cannot be done. So rather than have some talented juniors walk through the doors of hell, we decided to let go of our attachment to the path of immortality."

    Another old man said, "It is not necessary for everyone to be immortal and defeat time. One should acknowledge the reality, it helps them move on and improve things for those to follow in their steps."

    Shi Lang could not say anything and just sighed. He knew that none of his words would make a difference, but he still felt upset about how things turned out. Amelia patted his shoulder and Unity said, "Let us go to the library and look at these forbidden records again."

    The terran nodded and followed Unity briskly with Amelia. This was the moment where the past of the spiritual beasts finally passed the baton to the future toe. They all had things to say and things to ask the younger generation and Unity did not want to be a nuisance.

    The trio entered the library and began to scour through the journals. Soon they found what they were looking for and then Shi Lang sighed. Amelia asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Lan replied, "Tian Long left a note."

    Unity flickered over and asked, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang passed the journal to Unity to read it herself. The sword spirit read it and her eyes widened. She mumbled, "How could he have given such amand? This is ridiculous, we need to stop them."

    However, before she could move, Shi Lang said, "As ridiculous as it may sound, you know very well that we need this. If we stop it to y hero and moral, the entire civilizations will vanish."

    Unity took a deep breath and said, "I understand that, but shall we just let them sacrifice themselves because of a stupid instruction?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You spent your life looking after the spiritual beasts because of a stupidmand too."

    Amelia asked, "What is it?"

    Unity sighed and with a sad tone, she said, "Master told the Centurions to self-sacrifice in the face of mortal danger. It was an unstated instruction left for the people to decide when they want to do it."

 Chapter 462 Tribulation.

    Amelia sighed and said, "Since things have already reached this level, let''s stop worrying and focus on what is necessary."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Unity, I cannot extract anything from those seniors. This is something you guys should handle."

    Unity rolled her eyes at him and said, "You do not have to think so much. The extraction is not as gory as you feel. Those older people will extract the essence from the parts we need. The process is painless and quick. Also, do you think those guys will die? Stupid, they have enough vitality tost for another century even if they give up some of their essences."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "I think the Centurion beasts are different than the rest of the spirit beasts."

    The trio studied the array as they waited for a bit. The design of this entire thing was different than any other array Shi Lang had ever seen. Unity asked, "What do you think is thisyout?"

    Shi Lang looked at the arrayyout and said, "This is not an array but a talisman."

    Unity raised her brow and asked, "Hmmm, didn''t Qianhu say it was an array?"

    Shi Lang shook his head, redrew the arrayyout by condensing the spirit energy in the void, and said, "Now, do you think this is an array?"

    The twodies nodded, and the next moment, the dots representing the spirit stones were connected by a spirit energy line. Shi Lang asked, "Does it still look like an array to you all?"

    The twodies were surprised. The line connected formed the word ''Suppress.''

    Shi Lang said, "So, from what I understand, the essence of the centurions will help us all concentrate and catalysize the process of the spirit energy against the demonic energy and aid us in fending off nicely."

    The trio left the library to return to the valley and discuss things with the elder spiritual beasts. Just as they expected, the impact was surprising. None of the people could have hoped for such a thing to be hidden inside the so-called forbidden array map.

    Upon discussion, the old leader of the heavenly fortune back turtle said, "This array map is not useless. You did not notice, but this array map is simr to the marks on the back of my n. These marks bring fortune to the people inside the boundaries. Fortune is positive, and demons cannot stand the positivity of heavens."

    This statement shocked everyone, but they also understood how this would impact their battling prowess and standards. After the discussion, the elders began to extract the essence in istion. The process took them a few minutes, and the selected juniors of their ns went inside.

    The essence was a golden liquid contained in jade containers. The elders were weakened after the extraction and went to rest. The next thing they had to do was to refine the talisman and the array.

    Shi Lang was tasked toplete the process because he had the skills of a talisman inscription and an array master. The man did not shirk away from his duty.

    ...

    Inside a room, Shi Lang sat in the middle of a pentagon. The pentagon was made from the five jade containers carrying the essence of the Centurion Spirit Beasts. He was alone in the room. Even Amelia and Unity were not allowed to step inside. Shi Lang took a deep breath and formed a seal with his hands.

    The seal channeled the spiritual energy like threads, and the five containers opened simultaneously. Now, the clock started ticking. Shi Lang had toplete the array in thirty minutes because he would run out of spiritual essence any longer than that.

    Spirit essence was the most precious thing that a cultivator possessed. If this essence were extracted and exposed to the open world, it would start dissipating. If the amount of spirit essence were lower than he needed, the array would not condense, nor will the talisman.

    On the contrary, the iplete array of this level will be so unstable that it could potentially evaporate Shi Lang along with it. The terran general did not spare time to think about the consequences and manipted the essence.

    The five essences were all of different natures. The process required them to be blended and form a perfect bnce. Shi Lang closed his eyes, and using his spirit sense, he controlled the essences to mix slowly. He was cautious and patient. The first trial was made with wisps of spirit essence, none bigger than a hair.

    As the wisps neared each other, they froze, and the situation entered a stalemate. Shi Lang frowned because the spiritual essences were carrying an imprint of their masters. The five people had different natures, and this variety was the reason behind this stalemate.

    After a calction, Shi Lang acted aggressively and forced assimtion. It was tough, but once all the wisps merged, they entered a state of equilibrium. Their spiritual traits were neutralized, and Shi Lang began to condense the array map in the void.

    ...

    Outside the hut where Shi Lang was working, the former high council members and Amelia stood, while Unity was nowhere to be seen. Luna Baley asked, "Amelia, do you think we can win this battle?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Amelia smiled faintly and said, "I have never thought about the result of this battle. Only the fact that I need to do this for the sake of my loved ones, for those who cannot stand up and fight against this threat. That is enough for me."

    Luna Baley smiled faintly and said, "I wonder if I can also have that mentality someday."

    Amelia shook her head and replied, "You have a way of your own, Senior Luna. Do not let anything change that."

    The elders all nodded and began to discuss cultivation. Soon, half an hour passed, and Unity appeared next to them. She said, "Wow, are you all so busy in the tea party that none of you noticed these tribtion clouds overhead?"

    The people were shocked and raised their heads. They were all in disbelief when Unity said, "Shi Lang seeded. Evacuate this area. The talisman will be facing a heavenly tribtion."

    Jianhu asked, "Do you think the talisman could survive this baptism?"

    Unity red at the person and said, "If your crow mouth did not act, it should survive, so you better pipe it down."

    Jianhu shivered at her cold and aloof tone. Soon, the ck clouds began to swarm with golden lightning.

    ...

    Shi Lang nced at the golden pattern hanging in the void inside the hut. He carefully moved the pattern to rest on a piece of parchment. His movements were so slow that it seemed like he had all the time in the world.

    After five minutes, the pattern merged with the parchment. Shi Lang sighed and sprawled on the floor. His body was covered with sweat due to intense focus. The terran sighed and moved out of the room, holding the parchment.

    He knew the iing tribtion and prayed for the talisman to endure this ordeal. He could do nothing in this situation. If he were to intervene, there was a chance that the tribtion would worsen, and it would destroy the talisman and Shi Lango.

    The ck clouds thundered, and the talisman flew away from Shi Lang''s grip. The talisman hung in the void, and the lightning began to rumble. Shi Lang sighed and moved away from the ce like the rest of the people.

    Unity appeared beside him and asked, "What do you think? Can itst?"

    Shi Lang red at her and said, "Can you not poke the wrong buttons now?"

    Unity let out embarrassingughter, and the lightning struck the talisman in just a few seconds with a loud bang. The talisman endured and then another streak. The sequence followed nine times.

    The people took a deep breath, and things calmed down after the ninth lightning bolt. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Let''s just hope it is fine."

    He extended his hand forward, and the talisman flew down from the void. The parchment directlynded in Shi Lang''s hands. They all inspected the parchment and let out a sigh of relief. They have seeded in refining a very crucial tool.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood before the military, it had been three days now, and the time hade when they moved ahead to fight the enemy. He said, "This might as well be myst address to you all. I want to say that it has always been an honor to fight alongside you all."

    The people cheered, and Shi Lang said, "What stands ahead is a tribtion. A tribtion will decide the fate of us and the entire gxy. Do you all have what it takes to face this tribtion and move ahead?"

    The entire army cheered and replied, "HOORAH!"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thene, let us take this war to the one who thinks he can decide the fate of our kind. We are the people who break the shackles set upon us by the almighty heavens. We are the people who have survived the devastation and utter despair. We made ourselves into a force that can move around the gxy without being looked down on. So,e, let us snatch back what is ours."

    "Hoorah!!" echoed the war cry.

 Chapter 463 Battle Begins!

    After the pep-talk, the ships set out to the targetted. The Allied forces made all the ns they could make. Prepared all the equipment they could forge or refine. The advanced technology made the trip shorter to just a few hours.

    A thousand ships surrounded the enemy. However, the other party did not seem to have any movement. Shi Lang and Unity nced at each other, and they nodded. The sword spirit said, "Our calction was correct. The enemy seemed to be in cultivation to prepare for the alignment in the uing days."

    The experts on various ships were all connected. They all nodded when they heard this statement. However, Shi Lang said, "We cannot be too sure. The entity we are up against is a demon. This thing is known for its treacherous nature. We can expect this creature to attack us when our guard is lowered. So, remember, none of you are allowed to lower your guard anytime. Understood?"

    The people replied with abined shout. Unity said, "Commence attack."

    ...

    Shi Lang, Amelia, and Shi Tao were standing on the surface of a spaceship, looking at the dark in front of them. Almost all the experts above the Mahayana realm were out of the spaceships. They were able to observe the deployment process with ease.

    Theseus was the ymaker, and he used his ability to control the pace and deployed the primordial soul forces in four waves. This strategy will give them enough time to treat the injured while maintaining pressure on the enemy.

    For every soldier, there were three recements. The people were given spirit guns to fight the demons and moved into big units. The demons did not follow any military protocols at a lover level and swarmed at the enemy.

    The armies held their grounds, and the damage reports showed greater value than the casualty reports. Shi Lang said, "Theseus is a goodmander."

    He could see things as if he was on the ground. Shi Tao nodded and said, "He has honed his ability since you unveiled the reality to everyone. Sister Venessa supports him a lot."

    Amelia nodded and then said, "I was wondering how he managed to marry her. I never found the answer."

    Shi Lang cast thedy a curious gaze, and Amelia replied, "What? I can gossip too, you know?"

    Suddenly, a voice sounded on theirmunicators, "Teacher Amelia, can you please help me get a separation from this old man? He has been nothing but a pain in my neck. I also wonder what drugs I sniffed when I said yes to him."

    The voice belonged to Venessa. Soon after, Theseus said, "Can you please focus on the cover drones? They are missing more targets."

    The chatter vanished, and seemingly Vanessa got back to her task. Shi Lang smiled and said, "It is good to see them so happy with each other."

    Then he gazed at Shi Tao and asked, "Tao did not take a liking to anyone?"

    The question was unexpected, and Shi Tao was taken aback. She nced at Amelia for her defense, but thedy shrugged. Shi Tao had been hiding her cultivation sutra from her father since he returned.

    After not receiving help, she said, "I took a liking for someone, but the other person did not like me. I was repelled, and thus I picked up the Jade heart Sutra."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide in shock and asked, "Are you kidding me?"

    His voice was filled with disbelief. Shi Tao lowered her head and did not say anything. Amelia touched Shi Lang''s shoulder and said, "Calm down."

    Shi Lang shivered and said, "How can I calm down? Did you know about this? Why did you not tell me?"

    Amelia did not have anything to say in her defense. She knew this day was going toe. Shi Lang would never be able to ept that his lovely daughter has given up on love and closed her heart.

    She knew how much he missed Shi Tao and regretted missing all the important days in her life. The general looked at Amelia and watched her quietly sighing. He said, "You and your daughter can make such a stupid decision without telling me. I understand that I did not raise or give her the love and support she needed, but this attitude was incorrect. You knew it, yet you could not stop her? Was the hatred so strong?"

    Shi Tao watched all Shi Lang''s anger for her unloaded on Amelia. She stepped up and said, "Baba, Mum is not at fault. It was my mistake."

    Shi Lang red at her and reined in his temper. He said, "Fine, we will discuss thister. Amy, I am sorry, I lost control."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Amelia smiled faintly and said, "It is fine. At least you did not me me for all of it."

    Shi Lang turned his head to gaze at the. He did not wish to talk anymore. Shi Tao held Amelia''s hand and consoled her. They all had their reasons, and thus the situation was put aside for now.

    The battle proceeded smoothly. Theseus''s strategy worked well, but they were almost through a quarter of their purification talisman reserves. However, the soldiers understood this and learned from each other''s actions. Over time thebat prowess increased, and the allied forces moved forward with great vigor.

    Shi Lang suddenly said, "Theseus, deploy the early Mahayana experts."

    Theseus did not understand what happened that made Shi Lang issue themand, but he followed it regardless. And just as he issued the order, the monitors showed strong movement. The casualties spiked in an instant. The Mahayana experts timely reinforced the allied forces, and soon they turned the tides.

    Theseus said, "Teacher, that is a grade six demon, and it does not seem easy to handle."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Have the lower units set fire to the demon corpses? Sweep the ce. If these grade six demons absorbed them, problems would increase."

    Theseus understood, and themand was ryed. The ground units took action, and Shi Lang said, "Tao, prepare your team, go down, andbine forces to deal with higher-grade demons. They might be fewer numbers, but they are not simple to kill."

    Shi Tao heard it and nodded. However, her steps were not filled with the same vigor as before. Shi Lang said, "If you faltered just because I showed my emotions, then forget about ever seeing them again."

    The girl was stunned, she knew Shi Lang was telling her not to mind what happened and that he still loved her, but she could not help but have tears in her eyes. The next moment Shi Lang embraced her and said gently, "I am sorry, my dear."

    Shi Tao burst into tears but quickly took hold of her emotions and said, "I will deal with youter. Just wait, Baba."

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded. Shi Tao vanished from the ce and took the twelve spears down to the with her. Again, Shi Lang''s instincts proved correct, and the team faced grade seven demons quickly as they entered the.

    A few hourster, Shi Lang and Unity shouted in Unison, "All forces pull back."

    The people dared not dy and quickly used a small teleportation array to pull back from the. Then Amelia spoke up, "Initiate barrier formation."

    The spaceships were aligned, and they channeled spiritual energy from the cores of the vessels to the array of patterns engraved on them. The entire was isted from the rest of the gxy, and the demonic energy was also restricted.

    Shi Tao asked while panting, "What is happening?"

    Amelia said, "The big guy is out."

    The people all trained their gazes and scanners on the before them. However, the big guy they were talking about appeared in the void. The person looked no different than the humans, except he gave a dangerous feeling. Everyone could not help but sense a chill running down their spine.

    Shi Lang said, "Recite your sutras, do not look at his eyes."

    The demon chuckled and said, "To think you will betray the agreement. Where is your honor, human."

    Shi Lang cracked his neck and said, "Honor, to deal with a coward like you? You think of yourself very nobly, don''t you, rat?"

    The demon smiled and said, "You sure have a hard mouth. I wonder if it would work the same if I triggered the demonic change in the heart of your beloved daughter and made her my ything?"

    As he spoke, Shi Tao began to shiver. Shi Lang narrowed his gaze while Amelia rushed to Shi Tao. Thedy asked, "Lang, what is happening?"

    The demon spoke up for Shi Lang, "This woman has been infected, do not think that you need to be injured before you get inflicted by demonic energy, but having an extreme cultivation sutra can also be detrimental. Hahahaha,e now, what will you do?"

 Chapter 464 Clash.

    Shi Lang said nothing when the demon mocked him and threatened his daughter. His expression surprised everyone, whether it was the allied military or the demon. They could not understand why this guy was calm. Unity furrowed her brows and wanted to take a step forward when Shi Lang turned his back to the demon and walked up to Shi Tao.

    He waved his hand to Amelia and told her to back away. Sitting beside Shi Tao, he said, "You still have three seals on you. I will undo them, and your physique will awakenpletely. The spirit energy in the void will swarm to you. However, I need you to control it to push out the demonic energy. Can you do it?"

    Shi Tao was sane and nodded while holding a whimper in her throat. Shi Lang pressed his hands together and then formed a few seals. The next moment, the spirit energy around them entered Shi Tao''s body and began undoing the seal.

    The people did not interrupt, but they all put up a guard to stop the demon from disturbing the proceedings. The monster was angry at how this human turned back on him. Did he not take him seriously, wasn''t this mocking his majesty?

    The demon raised his hand, and the allied forces prepared their weapons. The demon ran his gaze around, and the people gazed at him warily. He chuckled and said, "Do you think you can stop me if I want to kill this guy?"

    The people did not reply, but Shi Lang did not stand silently. He said, "You can try to attack me, but you will die all your n if I survive. I promise you that. By the way, I never asked for your name. What are you called?"

    The demon master raised his brows and said, "You seem very confident. I shall wait and see what tricks you are trying to pull. Also, I am called Zavir."

    Shi Lang nodded and then stood up from his spot. Shi Tao was glowing with golden light, and Amelia stood beside her to guard the girl. Unity said, "Why are we talking? Can we get over with it?"

    Zavir chuckled and said, "A masterless spirit and a bunch of insects at the end of their lives want to go against me? Foolish."

    Shi Lang cracked his neck and said, "Do not listen to his bullshit. He is scared and is trying to force us to fight him in singlebat so that he can gain the advantage. He is a maniptive demon, and that is not sarcasm."

    The people nodded, and Unity shed. She had been holding back her desire to fight this guy for a long time. As soon as she moved from her ce, a bunch of sharp sword streaks shed near Zavir.

    The demon master smiled and moved to the side to avoid the almost unseeable attack. Unity was not weak, and another wave followed Zavir. This time the sword spirit attacked in a flurry, and her sword streaks were going after every spot where the enemy could dodge.

    However, even when Zavir got hit by a sword streak, he was not injured. At least, that was what he projected. Shi Lang said, "All of you aim for his left ribcage. Unity managed to rattle it."

    The people began focused fire, and Zavir had no option but to expose his right side with a guard. The people were not fools, and quickly the attack direction changed. Unity led a sneak attack on the left side of the demon. The people retreated after a sudden deep breath by Zavir.

    They were all cautious, and they were correct. Zavir exhaled a ck fog and vanished from his spot. The people were looking for him in the void. When Shi Lang said, "Do not use your eyes. Follow your instincts."

    He had yet to attack the enemy even once. Zavir used a skill that allowed him to vanish from the sight of the people, and if not for Shi Lang''s remark, Helia, an expert from the twelve spears, would have died, along with him, Empress Neytiri would have gotten injured critically too.

    However, despite avoiding the critical hit, the person was still injured. The next moment, demonic energy began invading his mind and heart. Neytiri reacted and pasted a purification talisman on the person. However, the effect was not good, so she took out three more talismans and finally resolved the crisis Helia faced.

    She was quick to ry the news to the rest of the people. They all took simr actions but gradually found that the invasion speed depended on the intensity of the attack. Unity was the only one following Zavir through the crowd of allies with precision. She was the reason half of his attacks were failing before they could even be released against the people in the allied forces.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Tao suddenly sighed and opened her eyes. The glow on her body was gradually fading, and her condition was improving. At this moment, Amelia said, "Lang, are we going or not?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "We are."

    Shi Tao sat up, and Lili appeared next to her. Shi Lang had called her to pull back from the battle and look after Shi Tao. At the current rate, it will not be long before a significant amount of soldiers fall into the possession of the dark energy. Shi Lang and Amelia vanished from their spot.

    The battle had shifted from the void to the''s outer atmosphere. Zavir was trying to lure the people into fighting him on the''s crust, where the strongest demonic energy was. Landing on this will mean suicide.

    Shi Lang and Amelia knew about this, so they appeared on a lower level. Unity quickly sensed them and ryed a message with telepathicmunication. Every Mahayana expert was told to pull back. The people were surprised, but they did not deny themand. Shi Lang did not leave them the room too.

    The next moment, the entire space began to shake slightly as Shi Lang and Amelia unleashed their pressure. The void around them distorted, and Zavir could not help but cast a deeper gaze. He said, "So you managed to visit my and fool me. Such a daring couple you are."

    Shi Lang replied, "You should have seen that I did not fear you just a few minutes ago. Do you think a bunch of brainless enved creatures you have raised does not bother me?"

    Zavir narrowed his gaze and said, "I will cripple you, then kill your kin in front of you."

    Shi Lang did not bother and took a sword from his spiritual tattoo. Amelia also used a spiritual tattoo imprinted on her wrist and took out a whip. This was her choice of weapon, while Shi Lang used his shura sword. The de was no longer crimson but carried a slight tint of ck in it. Shi Lang quenched the crowd with demon blood, strengthening the sword.

    While Amelia had a simr effect on her whip, it was like a tail moving independently. In these past years, she had developed the weapon to the point where it gave birth to a weapon spirit. The whip was crafted by some treasures they had discovered over the years on their travel.

    Shi Lang and Amelia exchanged a nce and then flicked their weapons lightly. A boom and a swish sound filled the atmosphere. Followed by a dull grunt. Zavir, who had been running around like a myriad, stood still behind Unity.

    The sword spirit was started, and then she saw a deep wound across Zavir''s torso, running diagonally from his left abdomen to his right shoulder. That was not all; his face seemed to be mangled by blunt impact. Unity realized that it was Shi Lang and Amelia. However, Zavir was not done with just this.

    His body was healing to a speed visible to the naked eye. The demon looked at the couple and said, "I was thinking about what is different about you two. To think someone will manage to scratch upon the profundity of dao. Not only that, you even managed to master the essence of your sutrapletely. All this in just sixty, sixty-five years of life. Impressive."

    However, Shi Lang was not having theseplement from the enemy and vanished from his position once again. Zavir did not bother to pay attention to the rest of the people, only Amelia and Shi Lang here posed him a threat.

    Well, he was wrong. Unity sighed as she watched the demon expose his back to her. She said, "Emperor shing the heaven."

    This was a move that Tian Long used back when he was facing the heavenly tribtion for ascension. The shed made Zavir sense a tingling sensation unknown to him. The de left a deep gash on the torso of the demon, exposing the ck bones underneath his flesh. However, Zavir burst intoughter and said, "Finally some fun. Come on."

 Chapter 465 Zavir.

    **Please support my WSA venture, Chalice Of Blood. Give it a read and leavements. Thank you.**

    The atmosphere lingered with the eeryughter of the demon. Shi Lang said, and Amelia was wary, and they did not wait for the demon to attack and made a move of their own. However, it was easier said than done. The demon was skilled, and he evaded the attack.

    Zavir chuckled and said, "You two bring me the most pain I have ever felt. This is the most alive I have felt. Come on, try your best."

    Unity frowned and said, "My attack does not have much effect on him. Why is this."

    Shi Lang replied, "Because a master is not holding you. Your intent is iplete."

    Unity was surprised and said, "No wonder I was feeling something off. However, where do I find a master now."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Calm down and wait for the right time."

    Then he vanished from his spot. His shura sword shed, and it shed with Zavir''s bare hands. The demon did not back off at all. The battle seemed to be locked in a stalemate. The damage was insignificant, even if Ameliashed out with her whip.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang thought of something and said, "Lightning Shura sh."

    His sword was wrapped in blue lightning as it shed down at Zavir. The demon did not expect this sudden surprise, and his fist collided with the de. The impact channeled the lightning''s spiritual energy from the de to enter the demon''s body.

    Demonic energy was ck smog, and lightning was one of the things that had the needed damage potential to repel it. The darker and stronger the demonic energy, the more painful it will be for the practitioner to face lightning.

    Zavir was injured in thatst wave of attacks, and his ck bone skeleton was revealed to everyone. Shi Lang knew that ck bones meant that the person had be one with demonic energy. Thus he used this technique.

    The crackling lightning flowed through Zavir''s body, and the demon wailed. However, his face had an ecstatic expression and an anticipating smile. Amelia did not hold back and moved close enough to attack Zavir with her whip.

    Amelia had mastered the essence of her sutra. The spiritual energy in its raw form was the strongest and most vital energy. Demonic energy represented Yin, and Spiritual Energy represented Yang.

    The two might have a distinct harmony, but achieving that bnce, in reality, will not be easy. Even if they killed the demon, someone somewhere would still fall for the traps of Demonic energy. This was the universal fact and cycle. If the humans were not strong enough, the demons would swallow the world or even the gxies to prove their strength and enve reality.

    Amelia channeled her spiritual energy inside the demon''s body from multiple spots, and the hysterical wails turned into creepyughter. Suddenly, Shi Lang sensed something and said, "Amy, pull back."

    Amelia was moving back when a cold feeling ran up her spine. Something appeared behind her back. It was not something that she could dodge. She braced herself for impact when a person from the side appeared behind her.

    Everyone was surprised to see this person, and Unity shouted, "Jianhu, what are you doing."

    Jianhu did not answer and pushed Amelia to the side as heunched his fists at the iing attack. The people could see a talon that wed at Amelia''s back. This talon wasing directly out of a small void tunnel.

    Jianhu shouted, "Heavenly Tiger against the world."

    Jianhu was the young leader of the entire Feline spirit beast ss. His action made the people pick up their weapons again. The fist shed with the w, and Jianhu was pushed back while vomiting blood after he had destroyed the bone w.

    Shi Lang yelled, "Go, take him away and treat him."

    Tex appeared next to the injured Jianhu and then took him away in a blink. Shi Lang was enraged that he could not reach his wife because of the sudden attack, and he almost lost her. In the meantime, Zavir had regained his body. The straining effect of the lightning and the spiritual energy could only hold him back for a few seconds.

    Zavir moaned in bliss as his body recovered. Shi Lang did not like this and saved the trick''s name in his hand, he threw out a set of consecutive shes at the demon, and his speed was anything but slow.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The shes were all lingering with subtle lightning. This attack was targeted to stop the healing abilities of the demon. Amelia followed to support her husband, and the couple made trouble for Zavir with all their heart and mind. They were both relentless, but the battle had entered a stalemate.

    Zavir punched Shi Lang while he kicked Amelia. The three people separated, and Zavir said, "Time for you all to die."

    Shi Lang said, "Senior, now."

    At this moment, twelve people arrived around Zavir, and they quickly channeled their spiritual energy through each other. They were establishing the demon impression mirror. The demon was taken aback and looked around in shock. He asked, "Where did you find this array map? How did you get it? Tell me!"

    None of the people replied and just focused on channeling the array formation. Shi Lang watched the scene unfold, and then he took the demon-suppressing talisman from his space ring and said, "Do you know this as well?"

    Zavir opened his eyes wide and scowled, "Oh, this is why you feel so courageous. I thought this technique was lost. However, all that you are doing cannot kill me. You fools will run out of spirit energy, and then I will kill you andy waste to this entire gxy."

    Amelia nodded and said, "We do not have enough spiritual energy to kill you. But what if that is not the motive?"

    Zavir raised his eyes, and Shi Lang said, "Lightning,e."

    The talisman in his hands shivered and vanished from his grip. The next time it appeared, the talisman was stuck to Zavir''s forehead, and his body was wrapped in spiritual lightning. The demon shivered and wailed in pain, but the paper burned the demon suppression mark onto his forehead.

    This mark directly sealed the primordial demonic soul that Zavir must have cultivated over the ages. Shi Lang said, "Tao, take your team and unleash the best attacks that you have. Call for all the primordial soul-level soldiers to attack too."

    Shi Tao and the rest were shocked, but they saw Shi Lang and Amelia join the elders and the Centurion Spirit Beasts to channel spirit energy through the array.

    Unity watched the scene and shouted, "Do not waste time. Hurry up!"

    What followed was a scene that shook the gxy. Every soldier unleashed their best attacks at Zavir. The attacks may not have held any effect over the demon, but as soon as they passed through the array barrier, they changed into pure spirit energy, which was directly poured inside Zavir''s body.

    The demon folded over from pain and yelled, "Liars, this is not the demon suppression array. This is the spirit-enhancing array."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "For crying out loud, we just changed the array''s entire nature by adding seven more nodes. The fun fact is that these arrays use the same base of twelve nodes. The addition we did y in our favor. To think a twisted thing like you would call us all liars?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Stop talking and focus."

    The n was only known to the seven additional nodes; thus, the rest of the people were surprised. While in the library, Shi Lang discovered theyout of the spirit-enhancing array and devised this n on the way to this ce with the elders and Amelia.

    Zavir did not want to wait for death in a cage and began to counter the array with all his might. The demonic energy inside his body was being pushed out because of the spirit array rampaging in his body. However, he was still strong enough to attack the array with a slight chance to break out.

    The twelve main nodes were the former Citadel high council elders. One said, "We will not be able to hold him for much longer. He is too strong."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows. He could not tell the people to attack faster because the array would copse from overload. At this moment, Unity narrowed her eyes, she spotted the Shura sword attacking Zavir on its own, and her heart shivered.

    The people were shocked, and Zavir yelled as he punched the barrier. With a loud boom, the array copsed, and the demon broke away. The bacsh from the copse was strong enough to make everyone vomit blood as they flew back. The juniors caught the older adults and fed them healing medicines.

    Shi Lang was no different. He was pushed away and hurt too. Suddenly, a peal ofughter echoed in their ears, "Oh, how nice of all you insects to gather in the same spot. Time to do some pest control."

 Chapter 466 Shura & Unity.

    ?

    Everyone looked to the side and found Zavir gradually healing himself. The Allied forces wanted to move, but they could not. The demonic energy from the shock wave before had infiltrated their bodies, and they needed to push it all out. Otherwise, they would fall to the demonic path.

    Shi Lang coughed up some blood as he watched this scene. Looking around, he determined that it would be him against the demon. His body was also infected, but the Terran still had developed some resistance thanks to the prior encounter. He raised his hand, and the shura sword came to his hand.

    Amelia hurriedly tried to stand up but could not divert her spirit energy to channel through the body. Shi Lang said, "Rest, look after Tao."

    Amelia gazed at Shi Tao and found that the girl was pale and her body was twitching. She could not leave her, and even if she insisted on joining the battle, she would only be a burden to Shi Lang. All the people wanted to get up and help him but could not move. Only now did they realize why Shi Lang emphasized the mass production of the purification talismans.

    Zavir watched the scene and was surprised, "To think that someone can move even after the demonic energy is rampaging inside their body. How wonderful."

    Shi Lang did not reply to him and channeled the sword intent in his body. He said, "Shall we fight?"

    Zavir smiled and said, "With pleasure."

    The demon raised his hand and condensed a ck sword in his hand. It was simr to the sword Shi Lang held. The two people vanished, and then the world echoed with nking sounds. The movement was fast, and the attacks were lethal.

    None of the people could keep track of the two but only sense them with their spiritual sense and the noise from the weapon sh. Shi Tao stabilized after Amelia guided her on how to push the demonic energy. She wanted to participate, but Amelia asked, "Do you think you can keep up with him?"

    Shi Tao bit her lips and said, "Mom, I can do it. My seals have been undone."

    Amelia nodded and said, "The seals were set toe undone when you reach a specific cultivation realm. However, he undid them forcefully. Now if you try to force yourself, you can die. How do you think he will feel then?"

    Shi Tao was left speechless and in remorse. Not only her but everyone in the allied forces could see that Shi Lang was shouldering the burden of their survival. However, they could not do anything. Amelia sensed this and said, "Push it out quickly. Then you can fight."

    The people felt encouraged and began to push out the demonic energy with even more determination. Shi Lang fought with the demon, and after fifty moves, he used a skill, "Four season sword."

    His sword moves changed, and they became unpredictable. Zavir eximed, but he dealt with all the attacks. Demons were strong but not as skilled as humans or beasts. Their brutal strength was the reason they could deal with all and any strategies.

    Shi Lang did not give up. He began to use his movement techniques, and the attacks became even more tricky. He knew that if he took even the slightest step back, Zavir woulde at him, and it would be over quickly.

    His body was not in optimal condition. The spirit energy was channeled to keep the demonic energy out of his heart and mind. Just when his body was about to run out of gas, he took a deep breath and said, "Shura Body."

    His body began to radiate with battle intent, the demonic energy inside his body was restrained to the limits now, and Shi Lang dived head-first into the battle.

    The two sides did not give each other any grounds to make progress. However, the bnce was very delicate. One mistake and the scales will tilt in the enemy''s favor. Zavir was being pushed to the limit, and he was getting impatient. He did not expect this guy to disy this level of skill.

    Shi Lang suddenly raised his sword and said, "Shura sh."

    He made this move thinking he had the lead in the battle, but Zavir led him in. The demon smirked as the sword shed at him. Shi Lang had a bad premonition, but he could not do anything to stop the attack. He hadmitted too far.

    Zavir returned a counter sh, and the two des shed. At this moment, Shi Lang thought his world had stopped. The ck sword hit right at the small chink in the Shura Sword. The impact of the attack left cracks on the Shura sword.

    The next moment, the Shura sword broke. Crimson shards of metal flew away, and Shi Lang backed off while coughing up blood. The people of the Allied forces all saw the scene and stood up. They stood up from the shock no matter what they were doing or their condition.

    Shi Lang was about to fall into the void. Unity appeared beside him and held him in her arms. Zavir chuckled at the scene. He said, "What will you do now, human?"

    His words fell, and Shi Lang''s body began to tear up. Cracks appeared on his skin, and they all emitted ck smoke. Unity sighed and said, "Why take such a burden? Can you not ask for help?"

    Shi Lang gave her a bitter smile; his habit was to shoulder everything alone. He tried to lean on Amelia but could not see her troubled. Unity knew all this and said, "Your dantian and soul sea are fine. Do you still want to fight?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang nodded, and Unity said, "One chance only, but I will need time."

    At this moment, five figures stood between them and Zavir. Thedy from the group said, "Let us Centurions earn our keep."

    Unity nced at them and nodded. She took Shi Lang to the side. They were all cultivators, standing in the void at this moment. Unity said, "Go find me his sword shards. Do not engage inbat; you have ten minutes to find the shards. All the shards will have an aura simr to Shi Lang. Go, hurry."

    Shi Tao wanted to leave when Unity said, "You stay. I need your help pushing out the demonic energy from his body. Sit behind him. Your spirit energy is potent and will allow us a better chance of expelling the demonic energy."

    Shi Tao followed the instructions, and Amelia left for the sword shards. Unity said, "Channel your spirit energy through his body. Make sure you match up the pace of my intent."

    Shi Lang was almost unconscious, he did not know what was happening to him, but he knew he was safe. Shi Tao''s spirit energy entered the body and matched the pace with Unity. Shi Tao opened her eyes wide when she sensed Unity moving in with such aggression that one misstep could lead to a fatal injury in the meridians.

    Unity said, "Do not falter. Just match my pace and follow my path."

    Shi Tao calmed down and moved forward with the n. Unity was busy, and she was watching the old people fighting the demon. She looked at a few junior warriors at the side and said, "Youe here."

    These warriors could not move with the speed of the Mahayana cultivators. The cultivator approached cautiously, and Unity said, "Track all the people gone after the sword shard."

    The young man nodded and quickly gave Unity the report. After a few minutes, the people began to return, and they all had a sword shard. Unity asked, "Tell me when everyone is here."

    After three minutes, all the people arrived with eighty shards. Unity saw the scene and said, "We are short of one."

    At this moment, Shi Tao said, "There is something inside here."

    Unity was startled and said, "Someone, remove his suit."

    The suit was removed quickly, and Unity cursed, "Fuck, how did I miss this."

    A slim shard as thin as a hair was stuck in Shi Lang''s chest. The sword spirit sighed and said, "Pull it out, but do not use spirit energy or have any intentions."

    She was speaking when Tex reached out and pulled out a nine-inch long shard from Shi Lang''s chest. Unity said, "Okay, Lang, wake up."

    Shi Lang opened his eye. He was in a better situation. Unity said, "I will ask you a question and you better not chicken out now."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "Tell me what you want?"

    He raised his hand to tell Shi Tao to back off and sit up properly. Unity asked, "Do you want to win this battle?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and looking at the background where the old people were fighting, he said, "Do you even have to ask?"

    Unity said, "Fine then, sacrifice your sword to me."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide and said, "Have you gone mad? You understand what it will do to you?"

    Unity nodded and said, "You also know what it will do to you?"

    Shi Lang hesitated and Amelia asked, "What are you even thinking about? Just do it. The seniors might not be able to hold on."

 Chapter 467 Shura & Unity. (2)

    ?

    Shi Lang and Unity looked into each other''s eyes, and thetter said, "You better not hesitate now."

    They had been discussing things and were in a crucial situation of the battle. At this time, Unity said something about doing things together, and she made everyone gather all the broken shards from Shi Lang''s shura sword.

    The people did not understand what was happening, but they could tell from the tension that it was not very good. Shi Lang looked deep into Unity''s eyes and said, "Okay."

    Unity smiled, and then she waved her hands. All the sword shards held by people trembled and flew toward the sword spirit. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Everyone steps back."

    Unity glowed with a golden light, and then she transformed into a long slender sword. Shi Lang gazed at her original form and said, "The sword that shed the heaven."

    His emotions were veryplicated. At one time, he was among the people who dreamt of holding this golden long sword and reaching the peak of the cultivation realm. However, Tian Long''s grasp was firm. Many times, many people almost managed to snatch this sword from him, but the young talent did not back off and transformed the sword into a heavenly spirit weapon.

    After spending time with Unity, he realized this sword spirit was more than just a weapon. She was a person, like him, like the rest of them. The only difference was that her body was made up of spiritual energy. He had discovered that Unity was curious about things and acted aloof, but she was trying to make up for the fact that she could not integrate into the world of mortals.

    As he thought about all this, the sword shards began to revolve around Unity, and cracks soon appeared on Unity''s natural body. The people from the citadel were shocked, and Luna Baley asked, "Shi Lang, what is happening to the supreme guardian?''

    Shi Lang stood up from his spot and said, "She is integrating with the leftover spirit embryo of my sword."

    The people were surprised. Tex asked, "Exin."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I have the strength to wield my sword and push back the demon. However, my sword is not strong enough to withstand the demonic energy that channels through it after every exchange. On the other hand, Unity is strong enough to deal with the demonic energy and remain uninfected, yet she cannot bring out her full strength.

    She is iplete without a master to hold her. Thus, she is willingly absorbing a part of my sword spirit. It will not harm her, but there will be some changes in her personality."

    The people were curious about what he might be talking about. When the metal shards from Shi Lang''s sword melted and began to fuse with Unity. The spiritual aura in the ce increased exponentially, and dark clouds gathered above them.

    Shi Lang said, "Inhale as much of this spirit energy as you can and force the demonic energy out of your body."

    On the other side, Zavir was being held at bay by the five centurion spirit beasts. He was weak against them because the suppression mark on his forehead was still present and restricted him. Another thing was that the talisman mark was made up from their essence in reality, so they still had the upper hand. It was like Zavir was fighting against a talisman five times stronger than the one etched on his forehead.

    The demon was growing mad and reckless. His attacks were getting stronger, and the shockwaves had begun repelling the five elders. Shi Lang was watching all this, and suddenly a lightning bold struck Unity amidst the blending process. The people gasped, and Shi Lang said, "Do not worry. She is a heavenly spirit weapon. She summoned these clouds to reforge herself."

    The people nodded and began absorbing the leaking spirit energy with zeal. The bolts kept falling, and Shi Lang, who was standing the closest, also absorbed the energy to recharge himself for the battle.

    He did not like to be outmatched by the people simr to his realm. The fighting spirit in his heart had been awakened, and it was ready to let loose. After two minutes, the lightning bolts simmered down, and the newly forged sword appeared in front of everyone. Shi Lang opened his eyes and looked and a long sword.

    The weapon appeared very delicate. The gold and red were battling for territory, creating waves on the surface. The sword trembled, and Shi Lang sensed a connection with the weapon.

    Heavenly spirit weapons were arrogant, and they selected their masters. Since Unity had revoked Tian Long''s right over her, this sensation deep in Shi Lang''s heart was a signal that he was the next master.

    The terran raised his hand, the de moved through the void, and the hilt rested in his palm. Shi Lang closed his eyes and flicked the sword a few times before he smiled. The weapon bought him joy and confidence. He said, "Do you wish to be called Unity, or do you wish for a new name?"

    The sword trembled, and an ethereal figure of Unity appeared in front of everyone. However, they all could notice the changes in her appearance. Thedy now wore a hanfu, but her golden hair had turned ck. Her eyes were red, with a golden light flickering in them. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She smiled and said, "I would like to be called something more violent."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "How about we name you after we deal with the enemy?"

    Unity smiled and nodded. She vanished, and Shi Lang walked to the battle scene in the distance. Amelia and Shi Tao took half a step forward, and Shi Lang said, "Just wait. I will be back soon."

    At this moment, the aura he radiated was simr to the past. The days when the young general had just stepped into the world to make his way up the ranks. He was the dauntless Ace of Terrans.

    Shi Lang arrived near the scene and said, "I will take it from here."

    The five elders had just repelled an attack from the people. Shi Lang''s arrival was a relief for them. The people nodded and took a few steps back. The young man stood facing the demon.

    Zavir red at the young man and said, "I do not understand why you did not run away when you had the chance."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I have never run away from a challenge. Even if I ran away, you would stille after me."

    Zavir smiled and said, "Yes, see how we understand each other after a battle. How about you and all the ants behind you give in to the demonic path? You will stay alive and well."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, let''s see if you can convince me."

    Zavir chuckled and vanished from his spot. Shi Lang did not react; he waited, and the swords shed. However, Shi Lang did not even budge in the slightest. Unity repelled the demonic energy from the sh.

    Zavir narrowed his eyes and said, "So, the heavenly spirit weapon sacrificed her individuality for your cause? Remarkable."

    Shi Lang did not intend to talk to this guy and directly pushed him back. Zavir was surprised, but Shi Lang''s was covered in lightning sparks and the young man appeared invincible. The demon did not have the time to think when Shi Lang said, "Shura Domain."

    In an instant, a field of lighting surrounded the two people. It was like aary ring with the duo as the center. Zavir immediately became wary.

    ...

    Shi Tao asked, "Baba seemed to have changed back to his usual dauntless self."

    Amelia nodded and said, "He lost his heart when the demonic energy tortured him. The repeated loops dampened his heart. That is why he could not even use all his skills, and his sword also broke because of this."

    Shi Tao nodded and Crystal spoke up from the side, "Indeed, we sensed the restrain in his behavior earlier but could not point out what was wrong. But how did he unknot the tie in his heart?"

    Amelia smiled and said, "I have no idea what triggered him, but perhaps it is the way Unity decided to blend with the sword spirit that made him realize that he is not alone."

    Shi Tao said, "He always shoulders everything on his own. That is why Senior Unity''s actions are a usible trigger for him."

    The people nodded and Jenkins said, "I have no idea what this guy is even thinking. In school, he would step up to save his friends. Almost died in my hands, but he never gave up and replied on his own. Entered the most dangerous camp and turned the world upside down. His codename, Ace is a legend and nobody dares to copy it. Now he stands up once again. What do you think the oue will be?"

 Chapter 468 Raksha.

    ?

    Shi Lang had used his domain technique and stood facing Zavir with a calm expression. The demon looked around him and found himself caged in a lightning bubble. This boundary will prevent him from stepping outside or restricting the demonic energy from flowing inside.

    This only induced more rage in his mind, and he said, "Do you think you are the only one who can use boundaries?"

    Shi Lang did not say anything and watched him silently. The terran was not bothered to entertain his guy and made his move. He vanished from his spot, and the sh resumed.

    ...

    The young people in the crowd of the allied forces were all too eager to watch their idol in action and had all moved slightly closer. Amelia looked at the scene, and she smiled faintly. Hayley chuckled, as did all the people who had ever worked with Shi Lang or seen him work up close.

    Shi Tao asked, "What happened?"

    Amelia shook her head while Jane said, "Nothing, sweetie, your father will make that guy doubt his existence. Just watch."

    ...

    Shi Lang and Zavir moved like usual for the first five blows, but then Shi Lang took off. He was so fast that even the afterimages were outnumbering Zavir. The people were watching all this, and they thought it was just his cultivation level. However, they were quickly sent for re-evaluation, and Shi Lang was cut.

    The young ones were disappointed, and Zavir thought he had gained the upper hand. After all, the speed disyed by Shi Lang was too quick. However, they all heard a subtle voice, "Oops, missed the timing and almost ran into that de."

    Zavir raised his eyebrow as the two locked into a stalemate and asked, "What did you say?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Oh, you were so slow that it messed up my timing."

    Zavir was enraged and losing his temper. He pushed off Shi Lang with both hands, but the Terran was brilliant. He turned sideways and avoided the push. Then, he casually made a deep cut on his enemy''s back.

    The gash was so deep that even the ck bones under his skin were exposed. Zavir winced in pain. He felt his body burning with just one sh, and Shi Lang was ruthless enough not to hesitate, and his wrist flickered. The de in his hand was a scythe that riddled the back of the demon with hundreds of such gashes.

    Zavir could not help but scream in pain. Shi Lang wanted to attack more, but the demon was not ready to give in so quickly. Zavir moved closer to the edge of the domain to evade the attack. However, he did not get the relief. The boundary attacked his demonic energy blindly.

    Shi Lang watched this and sighed as he said, "That is all you have?"

    Zavir felt insulted. He snapped and said, "Human, you sure have the gall to mock me after all this? Didn''t I send you to the gates of hellst time?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "You think you had done something outstanding by beating me half an inch to death when I was fighting you with half-assed resolve because of my mistake? You even fall short of the phaser canons I faced at point ck in my teenage years."

    Zavir shivered in rage. The demonic energy in his body was raging, and he was healing. Demons thrived on consuming negativity, whether emotions or other dreadful actions.

    Shi Lang was aware of this, yet he made Zavir angry.

    ...

    Shi Tao asked, "Why is he making him mad? Won''t that demon get stronger?"

    Luna Baley shook his head and said, "He is looking for the dao to get to work. The stronger the demon is, the more he will expose himself to the heavenly sky."

    Shi Tao shook his head and said, "How does that even work?"

    Luna Baley smiled and said, "Can you see that lightning boundary? That thing is a skill that istes that particr space from the heavens. Once he undoes that, Zavir meets the heavenly tribtion."

    The people understood what Shi Lang was doing. Jenkins said, "However, the demon must also know it. That guy did not rule in the shadows for so long without skill."

    The people nodded, but Hayley said, "Would you all shut up and watch the maestro at work?"

    ...

    Shi Lang did not push Zavir too hard. The demon was also cautious and did nothing that might get him to reveal too many of his cards. The terran was not having it, though. If he pushed this guy too hard, there was a chance that Shi Lang might not be able to stand the attacks.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang was approaching things cautiously. At this moment, a voice sounded, "Lang, this was not part of the deal."

    Shi Lang froze, and the sword spirit continued, "Do what you want to do, and I will be here to protect you."

    The terran smiled and said, "Well, thank you for lifting the burden off my shoulders."

    Zavir saw the change in expression and asked, "What is so amusing in this situation that makes you smile? The stalemate seems amusing to you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No, I was wondering that finally, I have someone to lean on."

    This sentence disyed Shi Lang''s trust in the sword spirit ultimately. He nced at the blood dripping from his shoulder, then shook the blood drops to fly off into the void. The demon raised his brow and asked, "Are you nning to show me your strength by unleashing an army of clones?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Having a smart enemy is such a privilege."

    Zavir chuckled and said, "I can also do that trick."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Go ahead and do it. Let''s dance."

    The moment he said this, Zavir also unleashed an army of clones. They both stood face to face. However, there was one difference between the two. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You are not the same as me."

    The demon did not understand what was happening, and then the sword in Shi Lang''s hand flickered and multiplied. Every Shi Lang clone held a sword. Zavir also followed this step, and the two groups moved.

    However, in just one moment, the demon clones were finished. Zavir had no idea what happened. He was standing shocked when Shi Lang(s) surrounded him. Shi Lang said, "y ball."

    The next moment, the swords everyone held vanished, and the warriors unleashed their skills onto Zavir. The clones divided and were reduced to a dozen. The number must have fallen, but the lethality of attacks was stronger, and they did severe damage from palm skills to kicks and staff and whips.

    All sorts of tricks that Shi Lang knew were unleashed. Zavir did not wail or scream initially, but the gradual input of spirit energy irritated him. However, Shi Lang did not stop; he broke the skin on the demon''s forehead to weaken the suppression mark.

    Zavir was relieved but had never suffered such a shameful incident. Shi Lang taunted, "You are a demon? If so, then I am a pdin. Fucking, you could not even aim for the higher realm. Pathetic cockroach, dwelling in the shadows."

    Finally, after hours of beating and humiliation when Shi Lang even tore off the clothes Zavir was wearing, the demon exploded and yelled.

    The demonic energy inside him sent out a shockwave that killed nine clones in an instant and Shi Lang was forced to the edge of his domain. The terran coughed up some blood from the shock wave impact, but he was still standing. The sword in his hand disrupted the shock wave but the impact came a bit too suddenly.

    Shi Lang was ready to disrupt the domain when the lightning was covered behind dark smoke. He sighed and said, "A bit toote."

    The sword spirit said, "Calm down. It is never toote."

    Shi Lang replied offhandedly, "Yeah, tell that to my ribcage and lungs that are still rattling."

    The sword spirit said, "If you undo the domain before the heavenly tribtion gathers, this guy will kill everyone outside. So it is not toote. Now what you have to do is sh him half to death and back away."

    Shi Lang replied, "Easier said than done. This guy is healing fast."

    "The purpose of a sword is not only to kill but also to protect. The root of all martial art and cultivation lies in the act of preservation.", said the sword spirit.

    Shi Lang fell into a thought and said, "Weren''t we looking for a name for you? Then how about we call you Raksha?"

    The sword spirit asked, "Hey, isn''t that Hindi for the word protection?"

    Shi Lang hummed and the sword spirit said, "I will take it if you can leave that guy to half death with just one attack."

    The terran chuckled and said, "Challenge epted."

    The man raised his sword above his head and condensed his intent on the edge of the de, as Zavir healed himself.

 Chapter 469 Zavir Died?

    Shi Lang chuckled as he held the de in his hand. Unaware that the people outside were at their wit''s end. These people did not know what was happening to him inside the domain. He had forgotten about everyone while fighting with the enemy. To him, only Zavir and himself existed in this time and space.

    However, thanks to his sword spirit, she told the people they would be fine if the lightning boundary remained intact. She asked Shi Lang to attack the demon and beat him half to death in one attack because she hade to understand the demon''s physique.

    From the beginning of this battle, despite the damage they have done, none of the attacks have managed to leave a scratch on the demon''s skeleton, despite suffering multiple attacks in the same spot. This was because the demon was deriving his strength from the skeleton itself.

    The ck bones were the eternal symbol of negativity in the world; thus, they will continue to provide energy. The demon was not chewing on the bait to use his full power to deal with Shi Lang because even if this guy was a viin, he was smart enough to know that the rules of this universe confined his strength.

    If he disyed his full strength, the extreme yin would attract a tribtion of heavens, and the passing result would allow him to manifest Yang energy. However, that will make him ascend this realm and leave this ce unobstructed. So the only way to have the demon derive the most of his energy was to hurt him.

    The healing process will force him to reveal his cultivated extreme yin. It was all just a calction and not something that woulde true because they were thinking about it.

    Shi Lang raised his sword above his head and took a deep breath. His sword intent condensed at the edge of the de. The terran did not hold back anything in this attack. His mind was filled with the thoughts of guarding his family and friends. He recalled the memories from his military days and how he suffered to ensure his friends stayed alive and well.

    He recalled the days when he was just a cadet and running through those long windy corridors to be stronger so that he could look Jenkins back in the eye, how he walked away from Jane when Lucas confessed to her.

    All the bitter-sweet memories of the past became the source of his sword intent. Shi Lang did not leave out even the slightest thing he could find, but most of his strength was hidden, where he sat in a cave surrounded by spirit barrier arrays and refined his body with the sword intent.

    The seething pain that made him stay awake and the resolve not to give in to the demonic energy. How he lost his confidence after recovery, his shaky dao heart, the defeat. All this came to his mind, and his emotions flowed through his de and condensed on the edge.

    After he finished gathering the intent, he swung the de down in a rtively gentle manner. As if he was a painter and his de was a brush that glided across the canvas. The sword intentionally shot from his de like a streamer. The effect of the attack waspletely different from the initial momentum.

    The demon watched it, and he condensed the demonic energy into a sword while putting a hold on his healing and shed back at the spiritual manifestation of the sword sh targeting him.

    However, this was something he never expected. The spirit sh passed through his sword like a hot knife through butter. The demon was hurt as the sh cut through his left shoulder and rubbed against the ck bones.

    He wanted to wail but focused on using the demonic energy to absorb the spiritual sh. At this moment, Shi Lang appeared before him with shining eyes. This was the Shura realm illusion technique. This technique would not harm the demon much but at this juncture of the battle.

    Zavir was too busy to multi-task, and the slightest diversion from his actual situation could severely injure him. The illusion did not put him into anything like a battlefield. Shi Lang sent this guy to demon heaven. From his memories, he created a ce where the demon cultivators from the ancient ages would gather and worship the demons in the higher realm.

    Zavir was confused. This slight moment of daze was enough for Shi Lang to manipte his intent, cut through the bones, and leave the demon with a gap in his body. The pain woke the demon. His bones had already begun releasing the ck mist to rebuild his body.

    However, the wound was so ghastly that it almost killed the demon. Zavir could not take the pain and knelt in the void. His dark domain of demonic energy was also called back to help him heal when Shi Lang snapped his fingers and took back his lightning boundary. Zavir opened his bloodshot eyes and said, "You tricked me well, Terran. You tricked me well."

    He raised his head and spotted a thick cluster of dark clouds condensing overhead with golden lightning squirming through them. He said, "You think that our battle has ended?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and asked, "Why, do you still have something left?"

    Zavir shook his head and said, "No, I do not. However, I want to tell you something. This body is just a clone. The real me is waiting for you in the upper realm." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang put up his guard, and a dark fog shot toward him. The sword in his hand trembled, and the fog was dispelled. The illusory avatar of Raksha appeared and said, "Can you think of something original? You wannabe."

    Zavir had just tried to leave his mark on Shi Lang to make the tracking easier. Shi Lang did not say anything, and at this moment, the first golden lightning bolt shot down andnded on the demon. The person screamed, but that was it. The heavens did not have it his way, and he would die.

    The demon screamed, and the lightning kept pouring down like dam-opening floodgates. Screams rang through the void, and everyone who heard them shivered. They could not believe that this heavenly tribtion was so destructive. Thes and the cosmic bodies in the surroundings were trembling, and some weaker ones had exploded already.

    Shi Lang had returned to the crowd and shared a moment of peace. Amelia asked, "What did he mean by meeting you in the upper realm?"

    Shi Lang replied, "This body of his is just a clone. The original one seems to be located in the upper realm."

    The people nodded, and Amelia said, "If that is the case, shouldn''t the upper realm one be stronger than this guy?"

    They were all worried, and Shi Lang said, "I have no idea, but even if the guy is stronger, I will be able to defeat him. The upper realm is not like this ce. The spiritual energy is far stronger, and the cultivation techniques are immense. When I ascend, I will be able to learn more and hold my ground."

    Everyone nodded in understanding. They watched the lightning bolts destroy Zavir.

    ...

    Somewhere in the upper realm, a man sat inside a blood pond with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and his eyes exploded all of a sudden. The man clutched his face and wailed in pain. The face of this person was identical to that of Zavir.

    Hearing his wail, a few people rushed over from the side, and one pulled the man out of the blood pond. He quickly passed him the healing elixir and asked, "Zavir, what happened?"

    This person looked pale, and his eyes were slightly sunken. The only difference between him and a corpse was that this guy could speak. Zavir said, "My clone in the lower realm was defeated, and heavenly tribtion urred when I tried to look for the person responsible. The bacsh took away my eyes."

    After some thought, the corpse man frowned and said, "Do not worry. The person responsible is most likely to be the first person to ascend from that ce. We have people around the bridge of ascension. He will not get away."

    Zavir was not satisfied. He replied, "This man will die at my hand. It will take him a few hundred years before he can ascend. Let me heal. I will wring his head personally."

    ...

    In the lower realm, the heavenly tribtion ended and Shi Lang said, "Collect those bone fragments. They need to be buried and guarded heavily. If they fall into the hands of the wrong people, they are capable of causing heavy damage."

    The five centurions reacted and collected the bones quickly. Then they said, "Let us deal with it. Our lifespan ising to an end. We will spend our time guarding these bones. Only we will know the location of these fragments."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That will be for the best."

 Chapter 470 The Ascension.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the allied forces returned to their homes quickly after the battle finished. The heavenly tribtion destroyed the demon, and the allied forces ensured that none of the remnants of the demonic energy survived.

    The five centurion beasts took away the remnant bones and did not tell anyone of the people anything. The people asked how shall they guard those bones when they all passed away, and the elders told them to wait for a message. The day they were about to die, they would call for the other old relics to rece them if the practitioners did not manage to advance.

    The people were worried, and Shi Lang vouched that the elders would live a steady life for fifty years. If they managed to conserve their spirit energy to the optimal state, the time would extend to a century.

    The Terrans and the other civilizations returned from the exodus sr system. However, they established long-range teleport arrays on boths to facilitate travel. The Exodus was developed as a training ground for newbies, and the zones were distributed ording to their cultivation level.

    Shi Lang did not spend time with all this and left the decision to his family. Amelia had not yet resolved the knots in her heart, and Shi Lang was running out of time. During the battle with Zavir, the terran had absorbed a lot of spiritual energy, and theprehension of his dao had given him a rare opportunity to condense his bridge of immortality and ascend the realm.

    The terran did not say anything at home. Amelia did not miss the changes in his behavior. She talked to the family members and convinced them all to bid their farewell to him. Shi Lang did not know what to say to them. Amelia said, "You thought we all would be your anchor?"

    Shi Lang looked at his family and, shaking his head, said, "I never thought you all would be my anchor. However, this eptance you show makes things difficult for me. I have no idea how to express my emotions. I never thought that the day of departure would arrive this soon."

    Amelia nodded and said, "It''s alright, go ahead. We will follow you."

    The following day, many people came over to meet Shi Lang. They wished him luck and prayed for his wellness. The terran finished saying his goodbyes to everyone he connected with and then moved to an isted area.

    The federation had evacuated plots where the cultivators went to face the heavenly tribtions. Shi Lang was given a ce with the widest area, and hundreds of istion arrays surrounded the region. These arrays were not only to prevent the cultivator from getting disturbed by any external sources but also to keep the impact of the tribtion contained within the barrier.

    The terran general sat in the middle of the wide patch of grass. He was floating in the void with his eyes closed and his hands resting on his knees. He was not absorbing the spiritual energy but was using thews of his dao path into motion. Thesews would condense, and then they will form the bridge of immortality.

    It would not be a quick study for him to condense thews. Shi Lang was patient and did not rush the process, but a decade passed. However, one day the climate changed abruptly. Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up in the void. His bridge of immortality wasplete, and he was ready to face the tribtion.

    Shi Lang stood up and sensed a few gazesnding on him. He turned around and waved at the people. He spotted Shi Tao holding a little girl''s hand and waving at him with a few signals.

    Shi Lang smiled brightly and waved back. The istion barrier prevented telepathicmunication too.

    ...

    Outside the barrier, Shi Tao, Amelia, and Shi Lang''s parents were present. They were alerted the moment the climate changed. The little girl said, "Maa, did he see me?"

    Shi Tao smiled and said, "Yes, he did."

    The little girl pouted and replied, "But why can''t I see him?"

    Amelia gently patted the girl''s head and said, "You will see him as soon as he finishes his tribtion."

    The girl nodded grumpily.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the sky filled with dark clouds and smiled. He removed the sword from his space ring, and Raksha''s figure condensed. She stretched her limbs and said, "You took your sweet time, Lang."

    The terran smiled and said, "Well, crossing a bridge must be done carefully."

    Raksha nodded and said, "How do you feel? Will you be able to survive?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and replied, "I survived the first time."

    The sword spirit chuckled and said, "Well, here ites."

    The lightning bolt shot down from the clouds, and the void trembled. The bolt hit Shi Lang straight on his forehead, and he took ten steps back. His clothes were gone, and his body was shivering. Raksha raised her brow and said, "It seems like you are not gonna have fun." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang recovered and red at her when the second lightning bolt shot down straight on his forehead. This time, the power was double the first one. The impact sent out visible shockwaves. Thankfully the barrier was at work, or the people near the impact zone would have died.

    The impact of the lightning bolt sent Shi Lang to the ground on his butt. Raksha flickered from the spot and moved outside the istion barrier. Amelia greeted her with a bow, and thedy waved. The family knew of her status and greeted her with due respect.

    However, they could not hide their worried expression behind fake smiles, and Raksha said, "Don''t worry, he will be fine."

    The little girl asked, "How do you know he will be fine?"

    With a smile, Raksha spotted the girl and asked, "Would you look at that? Someone has be a parent."

    Shi Tao said, "Ling, she is senior Raksha."

    The girl opened her eyes wide and asked, "She is the sword spirit?"

    The people smiled, and Raksha asked, "Amelia, this child?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "She is a child conceived by artificial incubation. The father of the child is randomly selected from the federal popce."

    The sword spirit nodded and said, "Train her well. She will make a name for herself."

    Their words were a blessing they all craved for.

    ...

    Shi Lang faces the lightning boltsing after him with all their strength inside the boundary. The family watched Shi Lang get injured and heal himself. Thest bolt left a hundred-meter-long crater and a charred body on the ground. The terran was just a few shreds of flesh and a set of bones.

    However, the remaining internal organs were working, and Shi Lang had enough vitality tost till the dark clouds faded, and he was showered with heavenly grace. The golden light pierced the cloud, and Shi Lang began to heal.

    In the sky, a rainbow appeared, and Raksha said, "He passed. The heavenly lights are the indication of ascension."

    The people cheered. This event was even telecast throughout the alliance. Shi Lang was the key card, and his ascension will inspire future generations.

    As his wounds were healing, the istion barriers vanished, and the family got closer to him. The process did notst long, but as soon as this was finished, a portal appeared in the sky. Shi Lang greeted and said farewell to his tearing family.

    In the end, Shi Lang crouched in front of the little girl. The two people looked at each other trying to figure things out. Shi Lang spread his arms and the little girl plunged into them. Shi Lang did not say much, but the two seemed to have a bond that was beyond words.

    Shi Lang pecked her forehead and said, "I will leave you with all my knowledge and skills to you. Use this knowledge to do good and grow strong. Okay?"

    The little girl nodded and Shi Lang channeled his memories and cultivation information through the spirit induction. Raksha watched this from the side but she said, "Lang, we do not have much time."

    Shi Lang nodded and after bidding the people farewell. He held Rakshas hand and then they charged toward the portal in the void. The people waved at them with moist eyes. Some were in doubt about ever reaching that level, while some had decided to pursue the path of cultivation with utmost dedication and sincerity.

    ...

    Shi Lang was about to enter the portal when he vanished from his spot and hugged Amelia. Thedy embraced him and said, "Go. I will be right behind you."

    Shi Lang could not do anything but kiss thedy in his arms before he appeared in front of the portal and said, "I will wait for you."

    That said, Shi Lang and Raksha entered the closing portal. They were sucked inside a dark tunnel and their bodies were being wrung. The sword was ced back inside the space ring. Before long, the Terran spotted a white glowing gate and said, "Finally, I made it."

 Chapter 471 The Upper Realm.

    ?

    Shi Lang arrived in the upper realm and stood inside a hall. The hall was made of white marble. It was pristine and wless. Not even a speck of dust could be found. The most significant change was the purity of spiritual energy.

    The energy rushed through his pores and entered his body. It waspletely new, and the young man felt he had never known what spiritual energy was like. He tried to ess his space ring but sensed a weird restriction. At this moment, a calm voice sounded, "You will need to be at least in the realm of a Spirit Immortal to ess your space ring."

    Shi Lang was confused and looked around. Suddenly, he spotted a figure waving at him from behind a door. Shi Lang was surprised but quickly walked through the door and said, "Senior, can you please tell me where this is?"

    He was addressing a middle-aged man. The person smiled and said, "Well, that is why I am here. This ce is made for all the humans who ascend to the lower realms. This is the ascension hall. This ce is where we tell you all the rules of the immortal realm. The basics that is."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the man pointed his finger at the former''s forehead. A golden light shot directly inscribing the things Shi Lang needed to know. The terran sighed and said, "I did not expect it to be soplicated."

    The man before him chuckled and suddenly asked, "Say, kid. Did you deal with a demon before you came here?"

    Shi Lang nodded surprisedly, and the man said, "No wonder I sense them lurking around the ce."

    The terran frowned and said, "This will be troublesome. I am just an ascended mortal. If I meet someone one realm ahead of me, I will be st on the floor like a mix of bone and flesh."

    The man nodded and said, "It is good to be self-aware. However, do not think that you are alone. The humans in the upper realm might be going at each other''s throats. However, except for a few scums, most of us still understand the value of kin. I can get you out of here, but the ce might make you suffer a lot of hardship."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "When has the way to the peak been easy?"

    The man nodded and said, "I shall send you to the far east of the Longtian continent. That ce may be filled with righteous people, but it is a barrennd. The spirit energy there is the shallowest."

    Shi Lang asked, "Why not send me to where I was supposed to go?"

    The man shook his head and said, "Every ascended person gets to be sent to the central ins. That ce is a covert battlefield where demons and humans fight in shadows. Any west of that is the western barrens. Only the ces in the far east have the natural restriction to keep the demons away."

    Shi Lang found it odd, but the man said, "Kid, you ought to decide quickly. Every cultivator can stay here for a limited period."

    The terran sighed and said, "Then I shall follow your advice. After all, I have no other option, but can you take a heavenly oath that you will not sell me to the demons? If it is humans, I can deal with them."

    The man rolled his eyes and recited an oath. Shi Lang confirmed no loophole and agreed to go to the eastern wastnd to escape the demons. The man took Shi Lang to a teleportation array formation. The array worked up hard, and Shi Lang vanished from the spot.

    The middle-aged man sighed and said, "Emperor Tian Long, that is all I can do for him."

    ...

    Shi Lang appeared over a patch of green, and he was falling from the sky. The young man tried to mobilize his spiritual energy but could not. Looking at the ground closing in fast, he said, "Shit."

    Boom!!

    A loud explosion sound rocked the surroundings. The ce where Shi Lang fell had a human-shaped crater, and the terran was lying on the ground, his face pale and his eyes dazed. The man had no energy to move. Sensing the collision, he thought, ''Jenkin''s kick was a ticklepared to this.''

    Soon, he sensed footsteps rushing in his direction, and Shi Lang closed his eyes. However, he seemed to have misunderstood. The footsteps did note close but stopped a distance away.

    Then he heard a voice, "Ling, you better not chase me now. I have already called for my sister, and you know what she can do to you and your cronies very well."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The voice belonged to a girl. On the other side, she seemed to be followed by a group of enemies. Just as Shi Lang was specting, the other side replied contrary to expectation, "What the heck. You, Shi Ting, how dare you call for that demoness over. Fuck you. I will get you the next time."

    That said, the young man rushed away with his cronies. Shi Lang did not let out a breath. The girl was still present in the ce. Shi Lang was weakened, but his skills were still there. The girl mumbled, "Thank god they fear her, or I would have lost a lot of money."

    As her voice dropped, a rich voice sounded, "Have you had enough fun, Third Young Miss?"

    The girl replied flusteredly, "Big sister, forgive me. I did not do anything intentionally."

    Then a smack sounded in the void, and Shi Lang grunted. The girl had fallen over him. The two sets of eyes matched. While Shi Lang was thinking about what to say, the girl jumped up and yelled, "Pervert!!!"

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and sensed a piercing gaze on his face. He opened his eyes and matched the gaze of another youngdy. She held a sword, and the de tip was pointed towards him. Shi Lang sighed as the girl asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

    Shi Lang tried to get up, but the Lady shoved the tip of the de at him. His temper red up, and a rage shed through his eyes. The Lady was forced to take a step back. Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am Shi Lang. I ascended a few minutes ago."

    The Lady furrowed her brows and said, "You better not try to fool me. Say, who are you? The people from the lower realm go to the central ins and not this wastnd."

    Shi Lang sighed. It was a good thing that she did not trust people easily. However, this also showed the ferocity of this world. He said, "I swear in the name of heavens that my name is Shi Lang and that I have just ascended from the lower realm. Due to some situation, I was forced toe here till I was strong enough to go out and fend for myself. If I am lying, may the heaven smite me and destroy my dao heart."

    His oath shocked the Lady but affirmed that he was not lying. She slowly removed her sword and asked, "Why are you lying here?"

    Shi Ting peeked from behind her sister and said, "What else can he do? He must be trying to do something bad to me."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Lady, I am a married person with a child and a grandchild in the lower realm. Please respect yourself."

    Shi Ting stepped back and pointed her finger at Shi Lang as she said, "Old pervert."

    Shi Lang almost wanted to cough up blood. The cold goddess said, "I apologize for my rash behavior. I am Shi Yua."

    The terran nodded and stood up from the ground. Shi Lang stretched his arms and legs as he said, "It''s okay. Now can I ask you a few questions?"

    Shi Yua nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "Can you tell me where I can find some work to earn a living and if there are a few things I need to be cautious about in this region?"

    Shi Yau said, "That is easy..."

    However, before her words could finish, she turned and said, "Ling Tian,e out, do not hide."

    A young man in a brocade robe emerged from the trees in some distance and nodded to Shi Yua. He cast a gaze on Shi Ting and nodded. As for Shi Lang, he was ignored. The young man said, "Lady Shi, can you please tell your younger sister to return Ling Shan''s artifact? I willpensate her with an appropriate amount of Spirit stones."

    Shi Yua cast a gaze at Shi Ting. The youngdy let out a sheepish smile and said, "Young Master Ling, I do not want your spirit stones. You can take the artifact, but please tell Ling Shan not to bother me in the academy. I am not interested in courtship. Please."

    Ling Tian nodded and the transaction was finished. He did not forget to cast a gaze at Shi Lang before he left. Shi Yua said, "Would you like toe to our house? Since you are new, and have the samest name, let us y host."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "The first day and because of a sophisticated scumbag I have to hide."

 Chapter 472 Young Master Shi.

    ?

    Shi Lang followed Shi Yua and Shi Ting calmly. They led him through the woods and into a city. The city was big and bustling with activity. It was surrounded by twenty feet high walls and strong guards. Shi Lang gulped when he sensed the auraing from all these people and mumbled, "Hello, Mediocre Shi Lang."

    Shi Ting nced at him with a smirk and said, "Do you understand what is true strength?"

    Shi Lang looked back at her and said, "I know full well what strength is, unlike someone who provoked a guy stronger than her and invited trouble."

    Shi Ting sensed her eyelid twitch and snapped, "What do you mean to say? If you are so scared, run away."

    Shi Lang shook his head and avoidedment. Shi Ting wanted to get back at him when Shi Yua asked, "Why do you think you are in trouble?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "This is a cultivation world. People here do not value money, wealth, or rules. They value their face and image. Your sister snatched the artifact. That young man wouldn''t havee over to bring it back if it were something not worthy. It would have been fine if you had been the only parties involved. However, in his eyes, I am a weakling who should not have seen him looking bad."

    Shi Yua was stunned and said, "I did not expect you to have such deep insights about the mind of a cultivator."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Cultivators are easy to figure out."

    Shi Yua did not say anything, and Shi Ting also got flustered. She asked, "Is what he said true? Did I cause him trouble?"

    Shi Yua sighed and said, "Do not worry. I will talk to Father."

    The three people passed the city gate, and Shi Yua paid a low-grade spirit stone for Shi Lang to pass through the gates and took him to their home. The city was big, and it took them half an hour to reach a mansion. Shi Yua was greeted by the guards at the gate, and they cast Shi Lang a cautious gaze.

    Shi Ting said, "Big Brothers, this person is a guest."

    They did not take their eyes off Shi Lang but said, "Yes, second miss."

    Shi Lang bowed to them with his hands sped and said, "Greetings, Seniors."

    The guards nodded and then went back to their duties. Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am half thankful to have a lower realm and half remorseful."

    Shi Yua consoled, "Do not worry. It will be fine as you grow stronger."

    Shi Lang followed the two of them but did not say anything. He was observing thendscape and the situation in the manor. They walked across a garden on both sides. Shi Lang saw two artificial ponds and rock gardens on both sides of the walkway. He sighed and mumbled, "The concept of Yin and Yang. Someone has good taste in architecture."

    Shi Yua nodded and revealed a faint smile. "It was my mother."

    Shi Ting nodded heavily from the side. Shi Lang walked across the not-so-luxury-looking corridors and raised his eyebrow. He could spot a lot of woodwork and delicate jade carvings on the walls. This ce may not look like it, but this delicate aesthetic build must have cost the people a fortune.

    Soon they arrived at a room. Shi Yua said, "Ting, you wait here with him. I will go and inform Father and the elders of the situation."

    Shi Ting nodded and cast Shi Lang a gaze. The man had already turned around and admired the pattern on the wall. Shi Yua saw this and entered the room after opening the door. Shi Lang could feebly sense some overwhelming aura leaking out of the room. He sighed and asked, "Your elders are almost Immortal Soul King realm cultivators, right?"

    Shi Ting nodded and said, "How do you know?"

    Shi Lang said, "The aura leaking from the room suppressed my primordial soul, not my physical body. So, I guessed."

    Shi Ting nodded and said, "You are very perceptive of the situation. What was your line of work in the lower realm?"

    The terran wanted to reply, but the door was pushed open from the inside, and Shi Yua came out. She said, "Ting, go to your room. You will be called overter, Shi Lang. Come with me." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the girl inside the room. The pressure immediately made his shoulders heavy. However, it was still within range of tolerance. The terran raised his head and observed the room. The ce did not look like a prestigious ce, except for a very spiritual eight trigram pattern etched on the ceiling.

    Shi Yua said, "Father, elders, this is Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang spotted three men sitting in their wooden chairs and sped his hands together as he bowed and said, "Greetings, seniors."

    The three men saw his stance and nodded. Shi Yua said, "The one on the left is the first elder of the family and my second uncle, Shi Shanwang. The one on the right is the second elder of the family and my third uncle, Shi Yuwan. The one in the middle is my father and acting patriarch of the family, Shi Yulong."

    Shi Lang bowed once more to show respect, and Shi Shanwang asked, "Tell me, why is a person who just ascended to the upper realms here?"

    Shi Lang had vaguely mentioned the details to the girls, but these old men would not settle for anything less, so he replied, "I made enemies with a strong demon, and his cronies were lurking around the ascension hall, so I was sent here for safety reasons. I guess I am the first human to ascend in eons."

    The three men nodded, and Shi Yuwan asked, "You mean to say you fought a demon to ascend?"

    Shi Lang nodded and began narrating their discoveries in the lower realms. However, during this whole time, Shi Yulong was gazing at him calmly, and some interest was flickering in his eyes.

    After Shi Lang stopped his mouth, Shi Yulong asked, "Why do you have a spirit tattoo?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I hope this secret does not go out of this room, but I inherited it in the lower realm."

    He would not tell these people that he was probably older than all three. Shi Yulong nodded and said, "Well, youe from the lower realm, and your name is also Shi. I wonder if we share some connection."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Not that I know about."

    Shi Shanwang said, "Blood ties may be ancient, but they always carry a faint trace of the ancestral roots. If you do not mind, you can test for the bloodline purity by a simple test."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, "Pardon me, senior, but can you tell me the reason behind this test?"

    Shi Shanwang shook his head, "You probably would not believe it, but the forefather of our family was also a person from the lower realm, and he always maintained an amiable connection with those from down there. When he passed away, he mentioned that if we were toe across anyone with the same surname, we should test their blood, and if it matches even in the slightest, then the person would be a member of our family.

    It turns out that he left his kin behind but always hoped for them toe up, but when none managed, he established the household and left the ancestralmand."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes in revtion and said, "To think that even the immortal realm could not make him forget his ties. A person worthy of respect."

    Shi Yulong said, "You should take the test now. It does not take much time."

    Shi Lang nodded while Shi Yua watched everything from the side in a daze. She was aware of the ancestralmandment but hadpletely forgotten it. Shi Lang asked, "If you do not mind me asking seniors, such a decree sounds like something that can be easily forgotten. How can you even remember and recall it now?"

    Shi Yuwan chuckled and said, "Look up at the trigram pattern, look at the outer lines, and you will know what is happening."

    Shi Lang scratched his head and looked up. He found a string of words engraved on the stone. It clearly stated the ancestralmandments left behind by some of the best patriarchs. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Noen can predict what the elders were thinking."

    Shi Yuwan took a red crystal from his space ring and said, "Drip your blood on this crystal, and if it glows, we will know whether our doubt is correct."

    Shi Lang nodded and bit the tip of his thumb to let a drop of blood leak out of his skin. In his mind, he was thinking that all this was a bit too convenient but he did not know that there was a backdrop to this story.

 Chapter 473 Young Master Shi (2).

    ?

    Shi Lang knew nothing about the situation and followed what the men said. He did not have any other option at the moment. After all, his realm was too low to make any counter-arguments.

    Sure, these people did not put any pressure on him, but his soul was suppressed by the spiritual pressure they were emitting. The young man watched the blood drop on the stone. The others were looking at the scene intently too.

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "How long do you think it will take for the stone to react?"

    Shi Yuwan said, "A few breaths."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I miss DNA testing."

    Shi Shanwang asked, "What is that?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Well, how to say, in lower realms, there was a period when the spirit energy had run out, and humanity developed something called Medical science. They just started to look inside the human body with a set of ss pieces."

    The people were amused, and Shi Lang took a mental note not to use advanced science terms in this ce. Just when he was thinking about how long he would have to wait. The crystal began to glow slightly. The light was not blinding bright but more like a shimmer. Shi Lang asked, "What does that mean?"

    Shi Yulong took a deep breath and said, "That means that you are an extension of our family, even if it is by a negligible margin."

    The three brothers looked at each other, and Shi Lang said, "Well, you do not have to worry about acknowledging me. I can go by my way to learn how things work here, and things will be fine."

    Shi Yuwan shook his head and said, "The issue is not acknowledging you but that you have a bone age of seventy years. That''s what makes us surprised. To think you are a talent who came this far in less than a hundred years. It is impressive."

    Shi Lang scratched the back of his head and said, "There are many people like me. My adoptive daughter is even better than me."

    Shi Yua was surprised to learn that Shi Lang has a family. The three men decided something with each other, and Shi Yuwan said, "You shall stay with us. The city outside is not as harmonious as it looks."

    Shi Lang looked at the ground and said, "Well, I do not mind staying here, but can you please arrange some work for me? I do not want to live off of you."

    Shi Yulong smiled and said, "Very well, there will be some tasks for you to doter, but right now, you need to get your knowledge and strength up to the level."

    Shi Lang nodded. He had almost forgotten that his strength was insufficient for the immortal ne. Shi Yuwan said, "Yua, take him around the manor, have him familiarize himself with the ce, and then find Shi Tongli to arrange a ce for him to live."

    The youngdy nodded, and Shi Lang thanked the people again before they left the room. Shi Yulong and the rest began discussing what had happened before Shi Lang left the room. The terran understood a few things. One, they were not scared or cautious about him at all. This discussion in the backdrop also showed that the people did not carry any ill will.

    Second, although the people tried to cover things up and almost got away with it, the silentmunication with almost too timely nods and finger taps was too apparent for Shi Lang to avoid. He did not spend his time back in the federation in vain.

    Shi Yua took him out of the room and then into the corridor. She was still unable to get her head wrapped around the matter. It was because although she knew about this rule, she never expected it toe true. Shi Lang himself had a different theory about this. He was not the only person with the Shi surname in this life.

    He was not the only one in the past life either. As bizarre as it may sound, this was all just a coincidence. (Or plot armor)

    Shi Lang silently followed the twodies; Shi Ting asked, "Sister, what did Father say?"

    Shi Yua cast her a nce and said, "You are grounded for theing week and not allowed to step out of the cultivation room."

    Shi Ting froze in her ce and wanted to protest when Shi Yua said, "He was about to cut off half your allowance. You can ask Shi Lang."

    Shi Ting looked at Shi Lang, who nodded solemnly. The youngdy picked up her feet again and said, "I will stay grounded and be mindful of my actions in the future." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Yua nodded and then led Shi Lang around the manor. The ce was akin to a small town. It had a martial arts training field, where Shi Lang spotted the young ones training with each other. He sighed at the situation.

    Another thing he noticed was the way things worked. It was all like how he had imagined. There was no technology, and the people did not rely on spiritual energy for everything either. Basic old-fashioned methods did some things. One such example was mopping the floor.

    Shi Lang gazed at the person kneeling at the side and furrowed his brows. Shi Yua spotted this and said, "These peoplee to serve the house willingly but do not stand up regardless of what we say. If some of us pass by, they will greet us like this."

    Sensing the frustration in her voice, the young man asked, "Your family seems to be a bunch of kind-hearted humans, then why do you not forbid them?"

    Shi Ting clicked her tongue and said, "We forbade them, but the people from the Ling family raised the issue in a four-family meeting, and we were forced to revoke the decision."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I have another question. It could be that I am looking too deep into things, but can you tell me why the children in the training field were wearing uniforms?"

    Shi Ting replied, "Those are divided by the skill level each person has."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and Shi Yua said, "The ones with a higher skill level will teach those whock a few things. This is to create a better understanding of the nsmen with each other and also to instill leadership qualities in the minds of the younger generations."

    Shi Lang was surprised and nodded, "This is an excellent method. I thought that the uniforms were an indication of the family lines. All these people cannot be all from the main family, right?"

    Shi Yua smiled faintly and said, "Shi family is not big. We only have twelve members. The rest of the people are the disciples from various origins."

    Surprised, Shi Lang asked, "How do you verify their loyalty? What if they just ran away in a time of need?"

    Shi Yua shook her head and said, "We have our ways. You will know in a few days."

    Shi Lang nodded, and after finishing the tour, he was introduced to an old man dressed in a Chinese tunic. Shi Yua bowed to the man and said, "Grand Uncle Tongli."

    The old man was reading through the books and stuff. When he raised his head and smiled, "Yua, what brings you to the old man."

    The girl said, "Grand Uncle, this is Shi Lang. He has just ascended, and his bloodline roots return to the first patriarch. So, Father and the elders have decided to have him live with us."

    Shi Tongli opened his eyes wide in surprise and spoke with great enthusiasm, "Finally, the family has a Young Master."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Elder, what do you mean by Young Master?"

    Shi Yua smiled and said, "Well, in our generation, it is only girls. So, the Shi Family is often taken as a descending family. If we can have a young master, our status will rise again."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Aren''t you all betting a bit too much on me?"

    Shi Ting sighed and said, "If you calcte the timeg from the lower to the upper realm, you will find that your bone age is seventy but that is by the time standard of a lower realm. In the upper realm, you are not a day over twenty, I do not know what that means or how is that calcted but you are just as young as my elder sister."

    Shi Lang sighed and did not say anything. The old man showed him a ce to rest while he exined the realms of immortal cultivation to the young man before he left after telling him to get ready for dinnerter on. He will be meeting all the members of the Shi Family.

    Shi Lang nodded and turned around to walk inside the room. He sat down on the floor and sighed as he mumbled, ''Young Master Shi.''

 Chapter 474 Immortal Shi Lang.

    ?

    Shi Lang rested for a bit before he sat up on his cassock and began to read the information he obtained in the ascension hall. He sorted the details and found that the immortal cultivation was simr to the mortal one. Shi Lang would have to climb realms steadily to unlock abilities like his spirit sense and his space ring.

    The guy closed his eyes and began to focus on cultivation. However, soon he found that he could not sense the spiritual energy in this ce. He was shocked and tried a few more times. After getting no results, he opened his eyes and moved around the room. He wanted to figure out what was going on here.

    Just when he was lost in his thoughts, the door was knocked. He woke up from his daze and opened the door. He found ady who bowed and said, "Young Master, you are being called to the dining hall."

    Shi Lang was taken aback and asked, "Is it that time already."

    Thedy nodded humbly, and Shi Lang asked, "Can you give me a few minutes? I would need to change my clothes."

    Thedy nodded and stood at the side. Shi Lang slid the door closed and changed himself into a traditional attire. The man sighed as he looked at himself in a bronze mirror. He sighed, and after he was dressed, he left the room. Thedy took him to the dining hall.

    Shi Lang was feeling nervous about meeting all the family members. He could not help but look around and suddenly sensed thedy. He found she was a mortal and asked, "May I know your name?"

    Thedy shivered but replied, "I am Mei Xin."

    Shi Lang asked, "Aunty Mei, how long have you been working for the Shi household?"

    Thedy immediately dropped to her knees, but Shi Lang did not give her a chance. He used the spiritual power in his body to channel it outside and held thedy afloat. He said, "Aunty, you are older than me. I am not yet an immortal. Even if I am an immortal, I should treat others respectfully and with dignity."

    Thedy shook her head in hesitation. She was not used to the treatment. Finally, Shi Lang said, "Fine, I will address you as Mei Xin. Can you not kneel now?"

    Thedy raised her head, caught a glimpse of his face, and nodded. Shi Lang made her stand up and then followed her silently. He was thinking about recovering his spirit energy and why he could not sense it in the surroundings.

    While he was thinking, they arrived in a room where all the essential family members were sitting. Shi Lang walked before the table, bowed with his hands sped, and said, "I greet seniors."

    Shi Yulong smiled and said, "Raise your head and take a seat."

    Shi Lang nodded and sat down on an empty chair. Shi Yua said, "Brother Shi Lang, this is my mother...."

    The family was introduced to Shi Lang, and the family''s wives were all impressive people. They were the daughters of the esteemed artifact refiners and apothecaries. Shi Lang was stunned to find that the daughters of Shi Yuwan and Shi Shanwang were military leader and medical officer in the military.

    Shi Yulong asked, "Tell us something about the lower realm. What was your world like?"

    Shi Lang was the center of attraction. He understood these people were curious, so he said everything he knew. Shi Yuwan rubbed his chin and asked, "Are you telling the truth? There is such a carriage that can run without flying beasts or wheels?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Do not worry, Sir. I will try to draw one for youter."

    When the dinner was almost about to end, Shi Lang asked, "I have a question."

    Shi Yuwan nodded faintly and said, "Ask away."

    Shi Lang asked, "Is it normal for me not to sense spirit energy in the house?"

    The people were surprised, and Shi Lang said, "I was able to sense it alright when I was outside the manor."

    Shi Yuwan nodded and said, "You see, the manor is surrounded by ayer of istion formation. This is to prevent any intruder or assant from using spiritual abilities against us."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then asked, "What you say is an excellent move from a defensive perceptive, but how do you cultivate?"

    Shi Shanwang said, "The cultivation rooms. You will be shown one in the morning. For the night, take rest." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and left the dining hall after wishing them all a good night. The family then exchanged nces, and Shi Yulong asked, "What do you think, Shingmei?"

    Lu Shingmei was an elegantdy. She was known for her beauty and could topple over nations in her prime, both with her beauty and martial arts. It was said that Shi Yulong had gone through much pain and suffering to win her heart and affection. She said, "His gaze is clear, his words are blunt. A good and honest character. Yulong, he can fill up the young master title."

    Shi Yuwan asked, "Jingjing, what do you think?"

    Yu Jing was nothing less than Lu Shingmei in appearance, but she was gentler. Her upation was an apothecary or a pill refiner. She smiled faintly and said, "He seems very calm and wise to me."

    Shi Yulong nodded and said, "I wonder what Ning and Wei will say when they return."

    Shi Yua had a wry smile on her face. The two people mentioned by her father were the two elder cousins. They were known as jade beauties and never lost to any man. Shi Lang bing the young mater will be a troublesome event.

    The two girls never thought that a man was needed to extend the glory of their family. So, Shi Yua sighed and mumbled, "They will trouble Brother Shi Lang."

    Shi Yulong nodded, and Shi Ting asked, "Since when did you start addressing him as Brother?"

    Shi Yua replied, "Ever since I found that he was not scared when facing Young Master Chi. And when he met the elders, his eyes were firm, and then his blood matched. He was so calm, and his emotions did not fluctuate."

    Shi Ting said, "It could be that he is just waiting for the right opportunity."

    Lu Shingmei sighed and said, "Ting, you do not see past what you wish to see. This is why you have stagnated."

    Shi Ting blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. Shi Yua said, "Do not overthink. Just watch, and things will clear themselves up."

    The family discussed the issue a bit more before retiring for the night.

    ...

    The following day, Shi Tongli took Shi Lang to the cultivation rooms. This ce was aplex in the innermost region of the manor. This ce was guarded. Shi Lang could sense someone looking at him from every direction. He did not resist and followed Shi Tongli calmly.

    The old man took him inside theplex and asked a man behind the reception counter, "Xiao Gong, give him a family token. His name is Shi Lang."

    The man was surprised, but looking at the cultivation, Shi Lang had his eyebrows jumped. He asked, "Master Tongli, this person is...."

    Shi Lang stepped forward and took the initiative to introduce himself, "I am Shi Lang, a distant rtive of the Shi family who just arrived here yesterday."

    Shi Tongli cast a side nce and nodded to Xiao Gong as he said, "This young man had been living in the mountains of some distant vige. It took him a long time to cross the warring states."

    Xiao Gong was shocked but regained hisposure and said, "No wonder you had no time to cultivate. Escaping the warring states must have taken all your time and wits."

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile, and Xiao Gong took out a piece of jade carved with the character of Shi. After thanking the guy, Shi Lang was allocated a cultivation room. The spiritual energy inside this room was ten times more concentrated than the outside.

    Shi Lang found a few more people cultivating. He ensured his actions did not disturb the others and found a corner to sit down and practice. He inhaled the spiritual energy with a deep breath and made it pass through his lungs and enter his blood. He was refining his body to the cellr level.

    He did not use any sutra for this. The blood will carry the spiritual energy and deliver it to his core, and at the same time, his blood will be gradually refined too. The young man was sniffing in small quantities at the start, but gradually his capacity improved and his skin began to shine with a golden luster.

    His speed surprised a few cultivators and he began to gain attention from the other people in the room. Some people were gazing at him with annoyance, while some were confused. At this moment, a guy said, "Do not bother him. He is about to break through to the immortal physique realm."

    The journey to Immortality had begun.

 Chapter 475 Jumping Levels.

    ?

    Shi Lang did not know about the movement around him and kept channeling spiritual energy through his body. The changes were quick, and his foundation was deepening with every second. The disciples around him were all paying attention to his changes.

    Shi Lang''s skin was turning transparent, and his blood was turning golden. This was the second level of the immortal physique realm: Jade skin and golden blood. The people watched for an hour and gradually saw that the bones were turning golden too. Although the change was subtle, it was evident.

    One of the disciples said, "Why are his golden bones looking so ssy?"

    The man from earlier said, "You all probably do not understand. He is turning his jade bones into golden jade bones."

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® The people were shocked and eximed, "Senior Brother Kang, are you kidding? Look at this kid. He is just stepping into his twenties, and his strength is not that big. How could he have survived this much pain?"

    Kang shook his head and said, "I do not know, but my eyes do not lie."

    Kang was the strongest and most experienced cultivator in the room, so they had to believe in his knowledge. Shi Lang''s body sank slightly to the floor as the people discussed. His skin began to peel away, revealing ayer that seemed to be made of marble.

    The phenomenon did not stop here. Shi Lang began to refine the spiritual energy in his dantian. This realm was called the Immortal Spirit realm. The spiritual energy gathered in his dantian and fused with the already present energy. The people were surprised to see his speed, but Shi Lang controlled his situation.

    Kang said, "Leave and inform the Third Mistress. At this pace, he might encounter Spirit deviation."

    The people rushed away quickly. Kang was the only one who stayed behind to monitor Shi Lang. He could not understand what was happening with this guy and why he was in such a hurry. Did he not fear death? Did he not fear being disabled?

    All the questions churned in his mind as he watched Shi Lang elevate his cultivation at a maddening pace.

    ...

    At this moment, in the eastern wing of the house, Yu Jing was sorting a batch of herbs for pill refinement when a disciple from the cultivation room rushed over and knocked on the door of her workshop.

    She frowned and opened the door to see a young man who bowed and said, "Third Mistress, please hurry. Senior Brother Kang told us to call you. A new disciple is going under Spiritual deviation."

    Yu Jing was shocked and said, "Tell me all you know on the way."

    It did not take them more than five minutes to rush between the two ces, but a crowd was already gathered around the cultivation room. Yu Jing condensed her aura and said, "Move aside."

    The people moved instinctively, and Yu Jing rushed inside the cultivation room. She found Kang staring at the disciple with his eyes wide open. When she was about to ask him what happened, she heard a dull booming sound from the side. Turning her head, thedy found Shi Lang sitting on the floor and his spiritual aura climbing.

    Shi Lang had already finished refining all the spiritual energy inside his dantian. Now what he needed was to condense this spiritual energy into spirit liquid. However, he sensed a strong presence around him and put aside the matter of cultivating for a moment. Shi Lang opened his eyes and was surprised to find Yu Jing standing before him.

    He asked, "Third Mistress, did I do anything wrong?"

    Yu Jing asked, "Lang, how do you feel? Your spiritual aura was climbing higher, and the people thought you had entered spiritual deviation."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "No, Third Mistress, there has been some mistake. I am fine."

    Yu Jing looked at him and asked, "Hold your hand."

    Shi Lang stood up and stretched out his hand. Thedy created a thread from her spirit energy and wrapped it around Shi Lang''s wrist. She measured his pulse and said, "Indeed, you are fine. Can you tell me what is happening with your shooting cultivation realm?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "That is the issue? My spiritual energy is rising as I only trace my steps with a higher quality spiritual energy. As I practice, I am optimizing the way I cultivate."

    Surprised, Yu Jing asked, "Can you tell me what it is?"

    Shi Lang nodded and was about to tell her why when thedy said, "Wait. Come to my chambers after you have finished cultivating. I should not disrupt your pace."

    The young man was surprised by her consideration and nodded. He said, "Thank you."

    Yu Jing nodded and waved her hand for Shi Lang to continue cultivating. The young man followed her instructions, and thedy said, "Kang, follow me." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Kang woke up from his daze and followed her out of the room. Yu Jing said, "This room is not to be disturbed for now. Also, that new disciple is Shi Lang. He is new, and his technique is a bit different. Look after him, and you all did well informing me. I will ask the elders to keep the cultivation rooms open forte hours tonight so that you can make up for your lost time."

    The disciples bowed to Yu Jing and dispersed after the announcement. The third Mistress moved through the crowd, and Kang followed her. She wanted to ask what he saw. This young man was surprisingly good, and she wanted to know why.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not bother with anything and refined his golden core. This allowed him to fly or move his body to hold his end against some enemy. After consolidating the core, he sighed and opened his eyes. The gravitational force of the upper realm was slightly heavier than the lower realms.

    This was also why the lower realms people took longer to refine their bodies. On the other hand, Shi Lang had been dealing with twice the gravitational power of this ce since he did not even cultivate spiritual energy or even the terran blood cultivation was unknown to him.

    He stood up, sorted his clothes, and left the cultivation room. The people looked at him with strange gazes, but he did not mind them. After he came out to the counter, he found Xiao Gong sorting up his things to leave the ce and get off work.

    Shi Lang asked, "Elder Xiao, good evening."

    Xiao Gong turned around and was surprised to see Shi Lang. Then he regained hisposure and, looking at the young man, said, "You set off quite a wave for your first day. And to think you even reached the immortal core realm. Busy day?"

    Shi Lang smiled goofily as he scratched the back of his head. Xiao Gong gave up teasing and asked, "What do you need?"

    The terran asked, "Where can I find the third mistress?"

    Xiao Gong replied, "You can follow the scent of herbs. Third Mistress will be in her workshop...."

    The old man gave the directions, and Shi Lang left after thanking the man. He walked slowly as he absorbed the scenery in his mind. The ce was going to be his home for some time. It was better that he knew things he ought to know.

    When he reached the chamber pointed out by Xiao Gong, he found a youngdy standing there. Her posture was upright, and her aura was dignified. Shi Lang was about to ask her if he had found the right ce when an elegant voice sounded, "Wei, can you calm down? I am refining a pill here."

    The girl said, "Mother, you can refine that pill in your dreams. You must tell me what is going on here. Who is this guy?"

    Shi Lang could not help but look at the floor. Thedy inside the room said, "You will see him soon. He should being any time now."

    The girl replied, "You have been telling me that since the past hundred bre..."

    She looked around and found Shi Lang standing there. The girl blushed in embarrassment but did not give up her temper and asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang sped his fist and said, "Greetings, Senior Sister Shi Wei."

    Shi Wei was surprised by his sudden greeting. Honestly, she was expecting someone arrogant and haughty the humble disy threw her off course. Shi Wei nodded with furrowed brows, as she did not know what to say. At this moment, Yu Jing left the room and found Shi Lang bowing to Shi Wei.

    She said, "Ah, Lang,e inside."

    Shi Lang stood up and greeted her before walking forward. He looked at Shi Wei and said, "After you, senior sister."

    Shi Wei nodded and entered the room before him. Shi Lang looked around and observed the ce. Yu Jing smiled and said, "Tell me if you need any pills. I am a grade four pill master."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Thank you for your care, Third Mistress."

    Yu Jing frowned but did not say anything for a bit. Then she asked, "Tell me, how did you jump levels?"

    Shi Lang nodded and described the process without holding back. Yu Jing was surprised, and then she nodded, "Turns out you have been working hard in the lower realms too."

    The terran smiled humbly, and Shi Wei asked, "Shi Lang, what are your thoughts about being dered the Young Master of the Shi family?"

 Chapter 476 Getting Off The Wrong Foot.

    ?

    Shi Lang was surprised by the sudden question and asked, "Before I answer, may I ask a few questions?"

    Shi Wei raised her brow and asked, "About what?"

    As she said this, she had already crossed her arms before her chest. Shi Lang smiled faintly and did not mind this teenager aiming guns at him. After all, he had just arrived at this ce and was already getting titles. So, it was apparent to face some turbulence.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I have just gotten here and do not even know what it means to be the Young Master. So, I would like to hear what you understand about this matter."

    Shi Wei found that the gaze of this man was pure and sincere. She nodded and said, "There can be many young men in a family, but there is only one young master. The others will be called Second Master or Third Master, ording to their seniority. Sometimes the younger son is selected to be the young master of the family. However, this code does not change.

    The young master is the one who would hold the reins of the family''s younger generation. Think of it as a crown prince who can mobilize the power and holds a right to state their thoughts in the family operations."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied calmly, "I have no such thoughts. Being in the limelight hinders the progress I seek. Also, I wish to explore this realm and settle a few ounts with those demons. I cannot stay here forever, so how can I be the young master?"

    Shi Wei was surprised, and so was Yu Jing. They did not expect Shi Lang to say something like this. However, they also understood he was a man from the lower realms. He did not tread all over here, facing countless troubles to sit down like a retired person. Everyone had aspirations, and they had no right to stand in his path.

    Shi Lang asked, " Why do the elders wish to give me this title?"

    Yu Jing replied, "Because you are a boy and the only boy in the family now."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Being a boy or a girl should not be the criteria for such decisions. Women are no less strong than men."

    Yu Jing sighed and said, "The leadership of the family will slip into the hands of the man after the woman gets married."

    Shi Lang shook his hand and replied, "I do not know how things work here. However, any group can only bemanded by the people they recognize. You must trust the people and ensure your love for your spouse is always checked. Even if you love him endlessly, you must not wrong anyone else for their sake.

    What if the boy selected by the elders fails to live up to the expectation? Do you think a daughter is born without the family blood in her body? Her child will be an extension of both maternal and paternal families equally. I cannot marry anyone because I already have a wife, and she is currently in the lower realms."

    Yu Jing was surprised by the argument presented by the young man. She could not help but look at this differently now these points have been bought up. Having such a patriarchal theory instilled in her mind was not her fault.

    She was still a woman even if she hade a long way and became a respected apothecary. Shi Wei looked at Shi Lang with respect and awe. However, she did not give up her guard and warily stared at him. Thetter smiled, his eyes closed like a Meityra Buddha.

    Shi Lang said, "You do not have to worry. I will decline when they ask me to."

    Shi Wei nodded subtly, and Yu Jing shook her head. She said, "The vote of the elders does not decide the young master. He will have to win the recognition of the entire family. How can the men of the immortal realm allow a woman to sit over them?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly and said, "Third Mistress, I think it would be wise to discuss this issue with the rest of the family."

    Thedy nodded, saying, "Let''s go. It is almost time for dinner."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the trio returned to the dining hall. The entire family was gathered there. Shi Yuwan looked at his wife and daughter, followed by Shi Lang. He sensed bad news heading his way. The manmunicated with his brothers.

    The two did not show anything on their faces, but they also agreed that something was about to happen. Shi Lang took his seat and began eating with relish. He was exhausted from cultivating the entire day. Jumping realms was not a simple thing. It consumed his stamina as well. After all, cultivation was a painful process. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Yulongmented, "Shi Lang, you seemed to have condensed a golden core?"

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile and said, "All thanks to the support of the people. They allowed me to cultivate alone after the first breakthrough."

    The people nodded. Evidently, they had gotten a sniff of themotion he caused. Shi Yua said, "Brother Shi Lang, congrattions on your cultivation breakthrough."

    Shi Lang smiled and thanked her. Shi Shanwang said, "This is an opportune time for us to get a young master. Shi Lang has the skills to justify the title."

    At this moment, Shi Lang was ready to express his denial when he narrowed his eyes and ducked. A sharp wind flew over his head. The people were shocked, but Shi Lang had already moved. He was not able to channel his spirit energy into the spiritual tattoo. The young man opened his tattoo, and a gold and crimson sword appeared. Shi Lang held the hilt, and his aura changed.

    The terran stood tall and gazed at the assant. He knew thisdy was the family''s eldest daughter, but she attacked him first, and he did not care. He pointed the tip of his de at thedy and said, "I heard the eldestdy of the Shi family was a brave warrior. Yet, she relied on a sneak attack. How very cowardly."

    Shi Ning shivered and pointed her sword at him, saying, "You, an outsider who came here to snatch something that belongs to me and my sisters, do not have the right to say anything to me."

    Shi Lang did not budge and said, "An impatient dolt like you thinks that you can represent the family and make contributions? Ignorant fool, your short temper will only lead the family to exist in legends only."

    The two people had a strong aura radiating from them. The three men did not say anything because they were upset by the sudden attack from Shi Ning. They had all sensed killing intent from it, so it was evident that Shi Lang reacted this way. He was not a weakling without a spine.

    Suddenly a p resounded in the dining hall, and everyone found it was the second mistress. Thedy said, "Since you both had differences, go to the training field and sort them out the old way. The winner gets to say what they want, and the loser will ept it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I ept."

    Shi Ning scoffed, saying, "Do you think you can defeat me with that realm of yours?"

    Shi Lang sighed and did not reply to her. He turned his back to her and walked to the training field. The young man was not afraid of a sneak attack. This was a disy of his strength and courage. Shi Yulong smiled and said, "Let''s go and watch. I want to see what capital this guy has to expose his back and taunt Ning like this."

    Lu Shingmei said, "Second Sister, you should act as a referee. None of them should get seriously injured."

    Thedy nodded, and they all followed the two raging youngsters.

    ...

    They arrived at the training field and stood facing each other. The second mistress approached the side line and said, "I am Xia Ling. I will be the presiding referee. If any of you tried any treacherous method, you will be disqualified, and the right for denial will be revoked. Understood?"

    The two people nodded, and Xia Ling said, "Begin."

    Shi Lang vanished from his spot. The people could see his speed and decisiveness. However, Shi Ning was not slow either. The saber in her hand moved to deal with the man.

    Shi Lang had an attacking stance but did not take the initiative. As Shi Ning''s de was about to touch him, the young man dodged the iing attack with the side of his de and took a cross step to close in on thedy. The quick step and sharp movement surprised people. They did not expect him to be such a good fighter.

    Shi Ning was not to be outdone, and she jumped in the air to avoid a w aimed at her abdomen. Shi Lang jumped up too, and he was not letting her go so easily.

 Chapter 477 Ferocious.

    ?

    Shi Lang jumped into the void and shed down at Shi Ning. The attack''s impact was so strong that she was pushed back to the ground even when Shi Ning defended with a cross guard. Shi Lang did not give her a chance topose herself.

    He stepped into the void, condensed the spiritual energy under his sole to use it as a base, and shot at Shi Ning. The red sword flickered, and a nking metal sound echoed in the ground.

    The Shi Family was surprised and did not expect Shi Lang to be this ferocious. Shi Ning wanted to counter, but Shi Lang suddenly roared and pushed the girl back. Hended on the ground and said, "Do you concede?"

    Shi Ning was still stabilizing herself, and this question stoked the fire in her heart. She asked, "What did you say?"

    Shi Lang did not repeat his question but closed in the distance between the two. The terran used a series of footsteps and moved around Shi Ning. Thedy turned around, and her sword struck Shi Lang.

    However, Shi Lang did not let her harm him. He ducked and picked up a handful of sand to throw at Shi Ning.

    Shi Ting shouted, "Dispecible."

    Shi Yua and the rest of the people narrowed their eyes, but Shi Yulong said, "This is a fair move."

    Shi Lang did not care about the discussions and charged in. With a quick chop at the opponent''s wrist, he disarmed Shi Ning, and then his de rested on the girl''s nape. Shi Lang asked, "I asked you, would you concede?"

    Shi Ning was shocked and could not believe this young man could defeat her. His cultivation realm was lower than hers. Shi Lang said, "Do you find it odd that I defeated you?"

    Shi Ning nodded slightly, and Shi Lang said, "People who are quick to act and do not have the patience to analyze the cunning of their enemy will suffer fates even worse than death. So, before attacking someone, wait and learn about them. Information is the biggest key to victory."

    Shi Ning was standing in a daze when Second Mistress said, "Winner, Shi Lang."

    This battle confirmed that if Shi Lang asked to be the young master, he would have unteral support. Shi Yulong looked at the two youngsters and asked, "Shi Lang, what is your opinion on being titled the young master?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I decline, Sir."

    The people were shocked again. Yu Jing and Shi Wei knew he decided to decline, but they thought that Shi Ning''s attack would have made him irritable and he might back off. Shi Yuwan asked, "Why so?"

    Shi Lang took his sword back and said, "I am an outsider. Even if I be a true family member, it will take a lot of time. I cannot promise how long I will stay here. I should not be iming something that belongs to others.

    The girls of your family are all capable in a sense of their own. They can manage the family together. To remove the power struggle, rules can be set up. They must abdicate the positions if they do not follow the rules."

    Shi Shanwang sighed and asked, "Do you think this will be easy?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Nothing greates easy, Sir."

    The people fell silent as they did not expect him to say something like this. Shi Lang bowed and left the ce. He was not going to meddle with their family member. He was calm andposed as he walked away.

    Shi Yulong looked at everyone and said, "Learn from him. His character is not simple."

    The elders nodded, and the four girls stood together, looking at Shi Lang''s back. The conviction he showed to defend his honor by defeating Shi Ning in a fair battle and then respectfully turning down the position of the young master. This made the people gain a deeper understanding of him.

    ...

    The night passed, and Shi Lang began to fit into his new life. He would cultivate early in the morning, and during the breaks, he would practice his battle skills. When he needed rest, he read books about alchemy and formations. Upon being asked, he would say, "Just for expanding my horizons."

    The people did not bother with him. After a week, he was watching two disciples sparing with each other and sighed. Kang was standing next to him. He asked, "What made you sigh, Brother Shi Lang?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Since Shi Lang was not the young master, it was alright for him to talk frankly. Shi Lang also preferred it like this. The terran replied, pointing at the two disciples, "Look at them. Do you find any battle intent?"

    Kang looked ahead and shook his head. He said, "Why do they need to have a battle intent when it is just sparing?"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Brother Kang, if they do not refine their battle intent, they will suffer death when they face an enemy who is ferocious."

    Surprised, Kang said, "Brother Shi, you overthink. The city is very peaceful. Why would they ever face any risks?"

    Shi Lang turned to look at the young man beside him and said, "Brother Kang, humans can never stop being greedy. Cultivators are also greedy for power, and they are all cunning, like snakes. They are just waiting to strike when you are at your lowest. I know that the city is peaceful, but have you not noticed the undercurrents? The sleeping giants are always the first to get destroyed."

    Kang opened his eyes wide. It was not like he did not know anything about the world. He had just never thought carefully enough to realize all these things. Kang wanted to ask more when Shi Lang said, "The Shi Family needs to get rid of the moles inside. Otherwise, we will not know what hit us when the enemies make their moves."

    Kang asked, "What moles? We have a truth detection array. Every disciple needs to go through it once a week."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "That is not how you pick out who is a mole and who is not. The array can be fooled by the people who are trained to lie. None of the arrays in the world are invincible. Only if you can figure out what is happening inside the head of the person will you know who is what."

    Kang shivered and said, "Soul search is a taboo practice. It cannot be used without killing a person."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Brother Kang, you are overthinking. I was only joking, hahaha. I am messing with you."

    Kang stood there with a stupefied expression on his face. Suddenly, a young disciple rushed over and said, "Senior Brother Kang, Young Miss is in trouble."

    Kang reacted quickly and turned around. He asked, "What happened?"

    The disciple caught his breath and said, "Young Miss went out to the Tianxu Pavilion to buy a few things, and that second Ling was there. He said a few things about how Miss Shi Yua was afraid of his brother, and young Miss retorted. We all had just left the pavilion when the cronies of that second Ling attacked fourth miss."

    Shi Lang did not wait for Kang to react and said, "Tell the rest of the incident on the way. First, we need to go and find Shi Ting."

    Kang nodded, and the three of them rushed out of the house. It took them a few minutes to rush through the streets and visit the city square. A big crowd has gathered over there. Kang could hear the sound of swords shing. He rushed through the crowd and found Shi Ting fighting three men.

    She was not in a good state. Her shoulder was cut, and a trace of blood could be seen dripping from the corner of her lips. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes. A young man from the side said, "Lady Shi is still holding her ground but that sneak attack injured her shoulder. It will be hard for her to get away. I wonder where the Shi Family men are."

    Kang stepped forward and yelled, "What the fuck do you think you are doing Second Master Ling? Do you wish to start a war?"

    Second Master Ling was standing in the crowd with a smug smile on his face. He said, "Kang, you can spit food when you want but you should not speak nonsense. These three men are not from my Ling family. They are renegades. They took a liking to something that Shi Ting bought and wanted to take it away forcefully."

    Kang looked at the three men, and they had distanced themselves when he yelled earlier. The young man quickly moved to stand near Shi Ting and asked, "Young miss, are you okay?"

    Shi Ting red at him with her eyes turning red. However, she clenched her fists. At this moment, Shi Lang walked out of the crowd and asked, "May I ask, where are the city guard?"

    He had spotted two guards in armors standing among the crowd. They stepped forward and said, "If you want to ask why we have not taken any action, then it was because Lady Shi said that the Shi Family would take care of it."

    Shi Lang nodded and then walked over to Shi Ting. He stretched his hand and said, "Your sword."

    Shi Ting looked at him and the young man said, "Do not worry, I will get you the exnation you deserve."

    He was ferocious, and anger was burning in his heart.

 Chapter 478 Shocking The City.

    ?

    Shi Ting heard his words and handed over her sword to him. Shi Lang flicked the de and asked, "Second Master Ling Shan, is it true that these people have nothing to do with your Ling family?"

    Ling Shan nodded and asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang did not even look at him as he said, "That is not something you should worry about."

    Ling Shan was dismissed in such an offhanded manner that he was surprised and irritated. He clenched his teeth and wanted tosh out when a subordinate managed to calm him down. Shi Lang looked at the city guard and said, "So you or the city hall will not meddle if I deal with this guy on behalf of the Shi Family?"

    The soldiers nodded, and one of them asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang dismissed them as well and looked at the three men. He was experienced enough to spot the pack''s leader and ask, "What do you want from her?"

    The man said, "I liked her dress. I thought I would bring it back for my wife. Why? Can she not give me her clothes? You people in the big houses are all talk and no show."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and nodded. He watched the man show a crooked smile, then vanished from his spot. The three men were all golden core. Shi Ting being able to hold on to her meant they had been holding back and wanted to humiliate the young girl. When Kang asked what happened, Shi Ting had tears in her eyes.

    Shi Lang''s movement caught the people by surprise, they could guess his cultivation realm, but they did not expect him toe at them with such aggression. The people were standing in a triangle formation, Shi Lang was talking to the leader, and when he moved, all his killing intent was also focused on the leader.

    The twockeys moved to save the leader, but the one on the right let out terrifying wails. The people shivered and stepped back from fear. Shi Lang had directly decapitated his limbs. The secondckey watched this scene and froze in his ce, Shi Lang moved around like a ghost, and his de shed again.

    Two meny on the ground wailing from the pain coursing through their bodies. They did not know what even happened. Shi Lang did not stop and arrived to attack the goons'' leader. His actions were so decisive that Ling Shan was trembling in his spot, with his eyes wide open.

    The man still had some fighting will left in his heart and shed at Shi Lang after he shouted, "Tiger shing the heavens."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue, and with a sneer, he said, "Cloud leaf steps."

    This was a technique that Shi Lang learned after he came to the upper realm. This technique allowed him to use the spirit energy as a base for his movements. Shi Lang turned into a shadow after he invoked his spirit technique. Shi Ting opened her eyes wide; the same was the reaction of the rest of the people.

    One of the people said, "This is themon move used in the Shi Family. It is said that when mastered to the limit, the technique will allow the person to leave two phantoms. He is already able to do that."

    Shi Lang was not worried about the things around him. It never bothered him when he entered the battle mode. He closed the distance and nked the enemy from the side. The next thing was his sword resting against the nape of his target. The person froze. He could not move.

    Even if he gulped, the tip of the sword de would cut into the assant''s flesh. Shi Lang''s moves shocked the crowd. Suddenly a strong spirit condensed from within the crowd and attacked the assant held by Shi Lang.

    However, the attack was wasted, Shi Lang red at the attack, and a strong sword intent emitted from his eyes. The spirit sh was dissipated. He focused his gaze on the person who attacked his hostage and said, "Young Master Ling, may I ask, what is your intention in attacking me?"

    The crowd turned gazes, and they found Ling Tian standing amidst them. The people pulled back a few steps, and a few of them even bowed their heads. However, Shi Lang was gazing at the man right back in his eyes. Ling Tian did not expect this guy to have some knowledge of the sword''s intent.

    He said, "I only intended to help the Shi Family. After all, how can we watch some outsiders bully our city folk?"

    Shi Lang chuckled without hiding the mocking expression in his eyes and said, "How noble of your Ling Family. I am impressed. Thank you for raising your hand."

    He paused, and Ling Tian narrowed his gaze. He was not a fool to think that Shi Lang was a regr guy, and Shi Lang made his thoughtse true as he continued, "I do not think it is appropriate to meddle in some other family''s business, Young Master Ling. What if these guys had some aplice, and they dragged you into the mess? The Shi Family would not want to implicate you." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His words were a concealed threat. The people in the upper realm were all smart. They were shocked to hear his words. Ling Tian clenched his fists but could not do anything in front of many people. He swallowed his pride and said, "Indeed, but who might you be?"

    Shi Lang grabbed the stunned assant by the neck and blocked his spirit points before he said, "My name is Shi Lang. Is that enough for you, Young Master Ling Tian?"

    Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. The surname mentioned by Shi Lang dered that he was a member of the main family. Ling Tian must stay careful in all his actions; if not, the Shi Family wille for his head.

    Shi Lang shoved the assant to Kang and said, "Take him into custody. The Shi Family will investigate the issue."

    Kang was surprised, but Shi Lang winked at him sneakily, and the former nodded as he understood the intention. Shi Lang turned to look at Shi Ting and asked, "Xiao Ting, are you okay?"

    Shi Ting was still in a daze, but hearing his gentle voice, she nodded and said, "Yes, big brother Lang."

    Shi Lang nodded, tapped the spirit points around her wound, and said, "Let''s get the third mistress to look at your wound fast."

    Shi Ting nodded, and Shi Lang took her back to the Shi Family manor. He did not care if Ling Tian attacked his exposed back. On the contrary, he wanted Ling Tian to try something so that he could use it as leverage.

    Public opinion might not have much physical damage, but the psychological shadows it cast would be too much for someone like a narrow-minded sophisticated jerk to handle. The people watched everything with their eyes.

    This was the first time that someone refuted and threatened Ling Tian. The word would spread, and Ling Tian or the city guards could not do it. Shi Lang''s words attacked both City Hall and the Ling family.

    ...

    When she asked what urred, Yu Jing applied the medicinal paste to Shi Ting''s shoulder. The recollection of the event surprised her, and a faint smile appeared.

    Meanwhile, Shi Yulong heard everything from Shi Lang and gazed at the culprit who harmed his daughter. His eyes were brimming with rage as he said, "Ling Yang seemed to have forgotten that I am still alive. He thinks of my silence as my weakness. I will raze his family to the ground!"

    Thest word was the limit, Shi Yulong lost his temper, and his aura radiated in the surroundings. Shi Lang was not as ufortable as in the past, but the leader of the assants had already wet himself.

    Shi Lang said, "Calm your anger, keep it in, let it burn like a volcano. Wait for the right moment and remove all the enemies in one go. The Shi Family must not appear to react to something that has been dealt with already since this man has confessed that he was under the orders of the Ling family. We shall use him to send a message to those snakes."

    Shi Yulong was surprised and asked, "What message?"

    Shi Lang smirked and gazed at the enemy.

    ...

    The next morning everyone was shocked because a corpse was hung on a pole in the city square. A banner was tied to the body, "The dignity of others must not be trampled upon."

    The city was shocked and the people knew what this message was signifying. The power struggle was bought out in the limelight, and Shi Family made the Ling family look like a dung bug.

    A shadow was watching all this from the window of a morous building with a smile and she smiled faintly as she said, "Let me see what you will do now, Young Master Ling. Seems like a dragon has woken up to tear the heavens."

 Chapter 479 Deceit.

    ?

    Shi Lang was working hard these days. He could be found in any of the two locations. Either the training field or the cultivation room. He did not sleep. He did not stop. The events that happened with Shi Ting perked up the entire family. The elders had ordered the young disciples to practice harder and no more cking.

    The main family had twelve members, but a few more were from the side branches. These people were strong and willingly worked in the background. Like any other group, the Shi Family had seen the mes of war and power struggles. Since then, the main family has drawn lines with the side branches.

    The authority theymanded was not to be challenged, but they did not wrong any innocent people. This was the reason the side families did not struggle against the authorities. The youth of these families had dreams of making it big, but they were defeated by the four girls of the main family earlier on.

    The difference was not in the resources. The children all received simr resources, Shi Yuwan was the ountant, and he had asked the elders of the side branches to maintain a tally of resources the family had. He went so far as to have his and his brother''s space rings locked up under the scrutiny of the rest of the people.

    Shi Yulong had these elders travel to the mountain range outside the city. The disciples were to face spirit beasts, and they will umte experience. Shi Lang had been advising the three elders about these things.

    At this moment, the terran was practicing his swordy as his mind went to the people in the lower realm. His sword reflected his thoughts, and the people could sense that his actions were gentle, like a leaf floating through the void.

    His swordy changed as he thought about the ordeal that awaited them as soon as they ascended. The swordy changedpletely. Every stroke was swift and decisive. The onlookers could not help but step back when they saw this.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang woke up and stopped his practice. He took a few deep breaths to calm his mind. These thoughts have been haunting him ever since he came here. He did not like to look over his shoulder all the time. Suddenly, he sensed something. The sword in his hand trembled slightly.

    Shi Lang looked around and found the world to have frozen still. He sighed and said, "Since your excellency is here, why hide?"

    The void before him cracked, and a figure walked out. The aura this person had made Shi Lang''s pupils dte. Raksha trembled harder and harder as the person came closer to him. The man was dressed in a golden brocade robe. His hair was akin to a snow-white waterfall tracing down his waist.

    Shi Lang lowered his sword and said, "To think, His Excellency Tian Long himself will grace me with a visit. Let me guess, and this is your spirit clone?"

    Tian Long, who had a majestic aura, could not help but cough up and ask, "How the hell do you know?"

    Shi Lang cast a disdainful gaze and said, "Just like I know you love to pose. Now get on with it. What do you want?"

    Tian Long sensed a twitch develop at the corner of his eye. He was an immortal emperor, yet this man talked without respect. Shi Lang could read his thoughts and said, "Old man, say what you have to say. I do not think this technique willst for long."

    His words shot Tian Long in the head. The man said, "Fine, have it your way, you fucking loser. I came here to tell you to head for Spirit Heart sect when you cross the immortal core realm."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I am at golden cores, so this means I need to get going after I cross this realm?"

    Tian Long snapped at him and asked, "Do you think forming an immortal core is a joke? Get your head out of the clouds."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "Just because you were dumb and weak does not mean I am the same too. Now get going. I have things to attend to. I won''t be sending you."

    That said, he turned around and walked away. Tian Long gritted his teeth, and his body shivered in rage, but after calming down, he also left the ce. The world came back to life. Shi Lang looked at his trembling sword and said, "He is gone, calm down. You will get your chance to shave him bald."

    The restless sword calmed down, and Shi Lang ced the sword back in his spirit tattoo. He was walking around aimlessly when he found Yu Jing beckoning him. Shi Lang arrived next to her and asked, "Third Mistress."

    Yu Jing frowned and said, "Brat, this is thest time I tell you to call me Aunt Jing, or you will be banned from sniffing around the workshop."

    Shi Lang smiled at her and nodded. Yu Jing nodded and asked, "I was wondering if you could tell me what we can do regarding the pill shop."

    The terran was confused, and Yu Jing said, "The Shi Family has our own business. One of them is a pill shop. However, this pill shop has suffered direct attacks from the City Hall and Ling Family. I wonder if you have any ideas regarding that." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang thought briefly and asked, "Aunt Jing, can you tell me the rtionship between the Ling family and the city hall? Why are they both licking each other''s backs?"

    Yu Jing nodded and said, "The sister of the Ling Family leader, Ling Mei, is married to the City Lord Xuan Jing. While the sister of the City Lord is Ling family''s mistress."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "No wonder they are this friendly. Don''t we have any allies?"

    Yu Jing nodded with a bitter smile and said, "We have allies, but thebined pressure from the two forces also hinders them. In such a situation, how can we ask for help?"

    Shi Lang nodded and suddenly asked, "Shi Wei is a medical officer at the royal capital, right?"

    Yu Jing nodded, and Shi Lang said, "If we can have someone from the royal capitale and aid us, it will be good. However, if we cannot find anyone to help, we must buy some pill recipes from the capital."

    Yu Jing was surprised but said, "It is not easy to buy a pill recipe. The amount of money is not enough. You would also need a certain status. At this moment, Shi Wei is stillcking."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "If that is the case, then we only have one way left."

    Yu Jing asked, "What is that?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "To sabotage the Ling family business."

    Yu Jing was surprised and asked, "How will you do that? Break a shop? Will that not give the enemy an excuse?"

    Shi Lang chuckled as he shook his head and asked, "Aunt Jing, you are so sweet and innocent. I am going to handle it. Though I will need a contact, who hates the Ling family and has some influence in the city."

    Yu Jing thought about it and said, "Maybe, just maybe, the manager of the Tianxu pavilion could help you with this."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and nodded. He said, "Well, Aunt Jing, you can go work. I will go and meet this manager of the Tianxu Pavilion."

    Yu Jing nodded and said, "Bring Yua with you. That girl knows the manager."

    Shi Lang nodded and went away to find Shi Yua. He found the sword maniac in the training room, making a quick work of the disciples, and said, "Yua,e on, we have work to do."

    Shi Yua stopped her moves and turned around. The disciple copsed on the ground as he thanked Shi Lang. Thedy sheathed her sword and walked over to Shi Lang, asking, "What is it, Big Brother Lang."

    She was younger than him, and this person defeated the strongest of her sisters and helped her younger sister. She found it right to call him big brother. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Tianxu Pavilion."

    Shi Yua asked, "Why do we go there?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Because I have some business to discuss with the manager, Aunt Jing said you are the key. Now,e on, do not dy. I have to practice with Tingter."

    Shi Yua nodded and the two left the n. They were unafraid of letting any traitor know what they were doing because the family had tested every disciple by putting them under a fainting drug and casting a dream array. Seventeen traitors were found and were ced in positions where they would think they were receiving correct intel.

    Not only this, but even their friends were told the truth and Shi Shanwang was cold enough to scare the people to the core. The against the enemy was cast and today Shi Lang wanted to see if he could tighten it.

 Chapter 480 Eternal Benefit.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Shi Yua came to the Tianxu Pavilion. The girl said, "Big Brother Lang, tell me, what will you do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You will know soon. Have patience."

    Shi Yua sighed, and they both climbed the steps. On the way in, Shi Lang sensed a vicious gaze locked onto his back and located the source of malice. He found a young man dressed in a blue hanfu.

    Shi Yua also sensed something and, looking at the young man, said, "The son of the city lord. Xuan Congming"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The upper realm sure knows how to have haughty names for narrow-minded snakes."

    His voice was a murmur that only Shi Yua could hear. She smiled at this and said, "Big Brother, I wonder if you have made people puke blood from that tongue sword."

    Shi Lang cast her a surprised gaze and asked, "How do you know?"

    Shi Yua could not help but chuckle at his reaction. Xuan Congming red at Shi Lang, and finally, after theughter echoing his ears, he stepped forward and said, "Who are you, and why are you standing so close to Yua?"

    Shi Yua''s chuckle vanished, and her expression became cold. Shi Lang sighed and deduced from the words and expressions that this dimwit fancied Shi Yua. He sighed and said, "I am Shi Lang. I wonder who might you be?"

    Ackey from the side raised his chin proudly and said, "You do not even know the young city lord, Xuan Congming. Tell me which rock did you crawl out from."

    Shi Yua stepped forward and wanted tosh back when Shi Lang held her wrist gently and shook his head. Shi Yua clenched her fists and stepped back. This gesture vexed Xuan Congming even more, and his shallow temper red up.

    This guy directly took out his sword and attacked Shi Lang. However, the terran would not watch the de run through him. He let go of Shi Yua as he gently pushed her back and, with a quick step, closed his distance from Xuan Congming and was about to hit him with a palm attack when an invisible pull forced them to back off.

    "Is my Tianxu Pavilion somewhere you all can be rowdy?" sounded a wisened voice.

    Shi Lang looked toward the pavilion''s entrance and found an old man standing there with a questioning expression. Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Shi Lang apologizes for his behavior, but this young sir attacked me and Miss Shi Yua, so I had to act in self-defense."

    Unlike Xuan Congming, Shi Lang was quick in his wit and directly shoved the me on the young man. He would not wait for the enemy to turn ck to white. The old man gazed at Shi Yua, who bowed her head and said, "Greetings, Elder Chen."

    Elder Chen nodded softly and said, "Miss Yua is here to visit. Young Miss will be happy."

    Shi Yua smiled faintly, and the old man asked, "I wonder who this young man might be?"

    Shi Yua stepped forward and held Shi Lang''s arm as she said, "This is my cousin, Shi Lang. Hees from a distant ce and is new to the city. However, some people always act without opening their eyes."

    This was a p directly smashing Xuan Congming. However, the young city lord did not want to back off and said, "Yua, are you defending this guy? He should be more respectable to you. You are from the main bloodline."

    Shi Yua turned her head to look at Xuan Congming and said, "Young City Lord, firstly, we are not close enough for you to call me Yua. Please do not harm my reputation. Also, the Shi Family matters do not require outsiders'' opinions."

    Shi Lang smirked faintly and nodded. He raised his head and said, "Now, now, calm down."

    Shi Yua nodded and said, "Elder Chen, may we go inside?"

    Elder Chen nodded, and Shi Yua led Shi Lang inside the Tianxu Building. Xuan Congming recovered from his daze and wanted to enter the building when Elder Chen said, "Young city lord, you vited the pavilion rules. I cannot allow you to enter."

    Xuan Congming was surprised, and then he rebuked the old man, "Elder Chen, are you favoring that country bumpkin? Why are you stopping me from entering the ce?"

    Elder Chen sighed and shook his head. He said, "Young City Lord, if you were to lose control inside from the uncouthness of that young man, the losses will not be something that you could afford."

    Xuan Congming red at the old man, who continued, "Your father will not like this unnecessary hassle."

    Xuan Congming shivered and was pacified. He jerked his sleeves and left the ce.

    ...

    Shi Yua led Shi Lang upstairs to the third floor and came to a room where two guards stood. The young man could tell that the aura of the people was strong. They wereparable to him in the cultivation realm.

    Shi Yua said, "Big brother Yang, Big Brother Wang. Yua is here to disturb you again."

    The two guards smiled and then bowed their heads as they said, "Do not mess with us, Young Miss Shi. Mistress will not like that." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Yua chuckled and said, "To think you are all so scared of Sister Nan."

    At this moment, the room door was pushed open from the inside, and Shi Lang found a beautifuldy walking out of the room. She had a perfect figure and a jadeplexion. Her eyes were like almonds, and she had a perfectly oval face. However, the perfect beauty had a scar running along her cheek.

    The cheek was not a wound but a ck mark, as if left by some poison. Shi Lang cast her an indifferent gaze, and Shi Yua said, "Elder sister Nan, Yua is here to see you."

    Shi Lang looked at this girl and was surprised to see her being so cheerful. She was not like this usually. Lady Nan smiled and nodded as she said, "Wee, Yua. Who might this be?"

    Shi Yua smiled and said, "This is my cousin, Shi Lang."

    Then she turned to look at Shi Lang and said, "Brother, this is Xiao Nan. She is my benefactor."

    Shi Lang raised his brow but greeted Xiao Nan with a cupped fist and said, "It is a pleasure to meet Miss Xiao Nan."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "The pleasure is all mine. Pleasee inside, Young Master Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "I am just Shi Lang."

    The intent was clear. He was dering his status to her. If she misunderstood him, then it would be a waste. Thedy nodded, led the two inside, and said, "Do not disturb me in the meantime."

    The two guards replied, "Yes, Young Miss."

    The door was closed. Shi Lang and Shi Yua sat on chairs, and Xiao Nan served them tea. She said, "This is the best tea I have in store. It is called snow dragon tea. The slight spicy tea leaves a cold breath when consumed."

    Shi Lang thanked her and sipped after gently swinging the tea into his cup. He did not gulp the tea down, but held it in his mouth for a second, and when he was done savoring the taste, he said, "Good tea indeed."

    Xiao Nan looked at him curiously, and Shi Lang said, "The slight spirit energy in this tea is very nourishing."

    This surprised Xiao Nan, and she asked, "May I ask if you have ever tasted this tea somewhere before?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No, I am just slightly sensitive to the spiritual energy."

    Xiao Nan nodded and asked, "Yua, what wind blew you in here?"

    Shi Yua pointed at Shi Lang and said, "Brother has something to find you for."

    Xiao Nan looked at Shi Lang, who said, "I was wondering if Miss Xiao would be interested in a little business."

    Xiao Nan raised her brow and asked, "What business would that be?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Something that allows a smooth expansion of the Tianxu Pavilion with a profit of forty percent annually."

    Xiao Nan was shocked. She did not know this business and asked, "I hope you do not wish for me to do something unbing, Mister Shi."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "In the field of business, everypetitor is a threat you would have to surpass. The method can be fair or shady; no one will care. Because the world is not all fair."

    Xiao Nan nodded and asked, "Fair enough, so who do you want to deal with?"

    She was not a fool, but her business acumen told her this would be profitable. Shi Lang smiled and said, "The city hall."

    Xiao Nan ced her chin in her hand and wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "The Ling Family."

    Thedy''s pupil dted as her index finger crossed the ck mark. She asked, "Why should I help you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "In the field of business, no one is an eternal ally, and no one is an eternal foe. Only benefits are eternal. However, personal businesses are different. The way your finger touched your mark and your eyes flooded with hatred when I mentioned the Ling Family. Things are obvious."

    Xiao Nan asked in a cold tone, "What do you have in mind?"

 Chapter 481 Business Proposal.

    ?

    Shi Lang''s words hooked Xiao Nan''s soul. The terran replied, "I wish to destroy the Ling Family''s wealth and, along with them, the city hall."

    Xiao Nan was surprised, but as an experienced businessperson, she did not show any of it on her face. She nodded and asked, "How do you intend to do that?"

    Shi Yua was on the side with her mouth wide open. She could not believe what and how Shi Lang will do this. The terran picked up the teacup and said, "The most profiteering business in the city is pill shops. The Shi Family pill shop is third, followed by your Tianxu Pavilion as the second. While the Ling family operates holds the top of the market share. The reason is City Hall."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "What you said is correct. The city hall allows the Ling family to manipte the trade route connected to the capital. They would provide security, and the taxes are lower than we must pay."

    Shi Lang nodded, "This is true not only for the two of our families but even the neutral party."

    Shi Yua narrowed her gaze and asked, "You mean the Jiang House?"

    Shi Lang nodded subtly and said, "The Jiang house is the direct supplier of arms to the imperial army. They are also known for refining the weapons on their own."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "However, they will never tag with us. They have the direct support of the Imperial Family. If the city hall dared to bother them, the Xuan family would end before they could figure out what hit them."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The Ling family acts as a transport for the Jiang Family. There are multiple ways to destroy the Ling and Xuan families. But I would like to try the direct method."

    Xiao Nan asked, "What is that?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Divide and rule."

    Xiao Nan asked, "How do you intend to do that?"

    Shi Lang looked around and said a few things. The more he spoke, the more fascinated Xiao Nan became. She finally could not help but feel shocked at the n described by this young man. The young man smiled and said, "The Tianxu pavilion can reap the benefits."

    Xiao Nan sighed and asked, "Why do you not want to have a share of the benefits for the Shi Family?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "After the Ling family disappears, the market share for the Shi Family will increase. You may be able to seize most of it, but the leftover will automatically channel to the Shi Family. That much will be enough to propel the Shi Family forward. Another reason is the ability to retain the share.

    Unlike your Tianxu Pavilion. I heard that you have branches all over the continent."

    Xiao Nan nodded and asked, "So, what is in it for you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I have two things, One is peace of mind, and another is to hand over a stable n to the sisters."

    Xiao Nan was shocked when she heard this. She asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Yua sighed and said, "Big brother won the right to be the Young Master of the n, but he declined. He says that girls can also be sessors of a n and can lead the family to a better peak."

    Xiao Nan could not help but reevaluate the young man sipping tea before her. Shi Lang ced the cup on the table and asked, "So, Miss Xiao, may I know your answer?"

    Xiao Nan thought for a bit and weighed all the pros and cons before she nodded. The girl said, "The Tianxu Pavilion will proceed with this n."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "If you have any confusion regarding the n or any of the mentioned factors change even the slightest, do inform me."

    Xiao Nan nodded. She understood it clearly. Shi Lang did not carve out a piece of the spected market share for her to bear the cost of this entire plot. After the discussion, the two people left Tianxu Pavilion.

    Xiao Nan sat on her chair with her fingers tapping the armrest gently. She picked up the bell on the table and gently shook it. Soon an attendant rushed over, and Xiao Nan said, "Send a notice to young master Ling Tian. The monthly auction will be held in a week. If the Ling Family wants to sell some high-quality goods, they must send them in early for appraisal."

    The attendant nodded and left the ce with shock visible on her face. Soon after the attendant left, Elder Chen walked into the room, and after closing the door, he asked, "Young Miss, why the sudden notice to the Ling Family."

    Xiao Nan looked at Elder Chen and, while caressing the mark on her cheek, said, "It is time they pay back what they owe me."

    The old man was surprised, but Xiao Nan waved her hand and said, "Uncle Chen, hire ten men from the Moon Shadow house. I need two to investigate every bad deed the Ling and Xuan families did. Send the rest to loot the Ling Family caravans."

    Elder Chen was shocked and wise enough to know what this would do. He asked, "Miss, are you sure?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "These people have been dancing over our heads for a long time, and I am tired of being conservative. I have little time left in this ce, so I must resort to desperate measures."

    Old man Chen sighed and said, "Very well, I shall see to the arrangements."

    Xiao Nan said, "Uncle Chen, none shall know about this."

    The man nodded and left the room. When he was walking through the corridors, he mumbled, "Finally, you have grown up, Young Miss."

    ...

    Conversely, the Ling Family was surprised to receive advanced notice. This notice was not showing them a favor but telling them that the Tianxu Pavilion needed their support for this matter.

    However, they were unaware of the consequences. The family leader of the Ling Family mobilized the family elders to procure the best products they had stowed away.

    Ling Tian sat with his father and the family elders in the main hall, discussing the situation. After everything was said, an elder asked, "Tian, what do you think?"

    Ling Tian stood up and said, "Grand Uncle, I think something is fishy about this whole ordeal."

    The people turned to look at him. Ling Tian was the family''s most outstanding youth, and it was only logical for him to have this much say in family matters. He said, "Elders, I investigated Xiao Nan. It turned out she belonged to the main family of the Central ne''s Xiao Family. She is here on a trial to prove herself.

    She had been working independently but failed to secure the market for the Tianxu Pavilion. Now that she is willing to invite our products, she has little time left. So, she is looking for profits."

    The people nodded, but the n leader asked, "What is the source of this information?"

    Ling Tian replied, "Senior brother Zhou Cang."

    The middle-aged man nodded and said, "This can be trusted. Then what do you suggest we do?"

    Ling Tian smirked and said, "We can do business with Tianxu Pavilion. Since she needs us so badly, she can have it on our terms."

    The people thought about it and could not help but feel greedy. The Ling Family cheered up, and since they had no one to answer to, they ran amok. This was what Xiao Nan and Shi Lang were aiming for.

    The more arrogant they be, the lower their vignce.

    ...

    Shi Lang was inside the dining hall with the rest of the family, but he did not tell them about his n, and Shi Yua also did not say anything. She was told not to by the Terran. He did not wish to feed it to the spies.

    Shi Yua ate more than usual today and was even smiling. The family members noticed this, and Shi Ning asked, "Yua, what are you smiling like an idiot for?"

    Shi Yua grinned at her and said, "Big Brother Shi Lang taught me a very useful skill."

    The people were surprised and Shi Ning asked, "What skill?"

    "Cloaked Dagger.", said Shi Yua.

    The terran almost spewed the soup in his mouth while the rest were confused. They cast a gaze at Shi Lang and the young man smiled as he said, "Nothing, just a way of saying business. You will know soon, it is a surprise."

    ...

    While the family was eating, Elder Chen left the city and hurried through the forest outside. He was looking for a special ce called the moon tower. This tower was not located inside any city because the people in this tower were all trained assassins. They were capable of even conducting political hits. No nation liked them.

    This was in favor of the assassins. They hid in the forests and were free to move whenever they wanted.

 Chapter 482 Domineering.

    ?

    Two sides were fighting in the training ground. Shi Lang and Shi Ting practiced the skills of swords. Although Shi Lang''s way of the sword was too robust for a girl, he did not have any trouble using a thin sword either.

    Shi Ting was inclined towards fencing. Unlike her rowdy temperament, she wanted to try her hand at the elegant way of sword fighting. He did not support Shi Ting in pursuing this way of the sword, and he believed that one must follow the sword that matched their temperament.

    Shi Ning and Shi Wei were on vacation from their Imperial duties and thus were watching all this from the side, and Shi Wei said, "Big Brother Lang can adjust to any fighting style. Why so?"

    Shi Ning nodded and said, "It is not just practiced on a physical level. He must have spent much time on the battlefield cultivating such an aura. I doubt anyone who is not from the central ne to have such a thick blood lust. As if a demon waiting to run amock."

    Shi Wei nodded and wanted to say something when Shi Yua suddenly appeared from the side. On the way to the Tianxu Pavilion a day before, she had asked Shi Lang what he used to do before he came to the upper realms. The terran replied with a smile, "I was a soldier."

    Shi Yua repeated what he told her. Shi Ning was surprised for a second and said, "No wonder he must have expected a lot of battles."

    The girls idolized him for a short period. Shi Lang had managed to prove his worth. Even as a golden core level practitioner, he could contend against people two realms above him. This was not in the norms. While the girls were discussing things, Shi Lang was strictly training the youngest one of them.

    Suddenly, a disciple rushed over and whispered something in Shi Yua''s ear. Shi Yua furrowed her brows and said, "This Ling family sure is getting pompous with every passing day."

    The two sisters exchanged a nce and asked her, "What is going on?"

    Shi Yua said, "Sister, the consignment from me Lotus Valley has been captured by Ling Family. They are not willing to release it. On the contrary, they humiliate us by offering a few hundred low-grade spirit stones."

    Shi Ning clenched her fist and asked the disciple, "Are the elders alerted?"

    The girl nodded, and Shi Wei asked, "What did they say?"

    The disciple replied, "Miss, they are discussing the best course of action. The second Elder asked for Senior Brother Shi Lang toe forward."

    Shi Lang was not the young master of the family, so he was addressed as the senior brother. Shi Ning nodded and said, "Go ahead. We will look into it."

    The disciple left, and Shi Ning said, "Ting, stop. The elders have called for us."

    Shi Ting stopped, and so did Shi Lang. The two of them stowed away their weapons and moved over to ask what happened. Shortly after, five people arrived at the main hall. Shi Lang spotted the three elders sitting with somber expressions.

    It was not only the three of them but even Grand Uncle was also called over. The branch family elders were also called over. Shi Yua asked, "Father, what is the matter?"

    Shi Yulong sighed and said, "The Ling family had captured our goods and are unwilling to release them. These bastards are bullying us because we do not have a young master. If the elders went forward to negotiate with a young man, we would lose pride. What can we do?"

    He mmed his fist into the armrest of his chair as he vented his frustration. Shi Ning looked at Shi Lang and said, "Brother, I know you do not wish to be tied down. However, the family needs you. It is not that we do not wish to take over the Young Miss title, but the world will not look at us with the respect we deserve until we have achieved something in life. Please help the family."

    She knew that Shi Lang would try to push her and her sisters into the limelight, and she would not give him any chance. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Is there no other way."

    The four girls shook their heads, and Shi Lang sighed as he nodded. He said, "Family Leader, I can ept the title for now. I repeat for the time being."

    Shi Yulong nodded with a smile and said, "Thank you."

    Then he waved his hand, and a jade token flew towards Shi Lang. The young man caught the stone, and it said, "Shi."

    The terran said, "Fine, I will deal with this matter. Please tell me where to find Ling Tian."

    Shi Yulong nodded and waved for a disciple to take Shi Lang. Shi Ning and Shi Yua followed him. The other two also wanted to go along, but Shi Lang made them stay put because they were not too strong, and if the conflict arose, he would have to worry about them too.

    ...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang, Shi Yua, and Shi Ning came outside the city gate. Ling Tian was holding the consignment there. A few of the Shi Family disciples were already tied up as hostages.

    The Terran could see that one of the hostages was a spy for Ling Family. However, he was brutally beaten up. This dedication to the cause was apudable, but Shi Lang was not in the mood.

    He spotted the snake right off the bat. Shi Lang came to stand in front of the camp and asked, "May I ask the reason for holding this consignment?"

    The people of the Ling family did not react, Shi Ning narrowed her eyes, and her hand reached the hilt of her sword. She radiated the pressure of an immortal core practitioner and the bloodlust umted in the military.

    The people of the Ling Family finally reacted. Ten people stood around a carriage, and Ling Tian sat under the shed. Shi Ning said, "If you do not want to die, you better bark."

    Ling Tian stood up from his chair, walked over with the air of nobility, and said, "Young Miss Shi, please calm down. It is not suitable for a woman to speak like this."

    Shi Ning waved and said, "Ling Tian, hand over the consignment or..."

    Ling Tian smiled and said, "Or? What will you do? I stopped this consignment from conducting business with the Shi Family. Is this your attitude toward your patron?"

    Shi Langmented, "Such a brute manner of conducting business. I wonder if your elegance is just a facade to fool the people?"

    Ling Tian narrowed his gaze and said, "Oh, we meet again. Are you here to kill me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am here for the consignment of my family. Would young master Ling please tell his men to release our disciples?"

    Ling Tian raised his brow and asked, "On what basis do you think you can negotiate with me?"

    Shi Lang did not waste time and took out a jade token, then flung it toward the snake and said, "Tell me what you are holding?"

    Ling Tian was flooded with rage but still looked at the token. As he looked at the token, his eyes opened wide in surprise. He asked, "What does it mean?"

    Shi Ning smirked, "Did young master Ling turn blind from shock?"

    Shi Yua could not help but chuckle, making Ling Tian clench his fist in rage. Shi Lang sighed and said, "If the Young master is satisfied with my proof of identity, please tell me what business you want to do with the Shi Family."

    Ling Tian smiled and said, "I want to buy this consignment of herbs for one hundred spirit stones."

    Shi Lang smiled calmly and said, "Oh, so may I ask why you are offering such a low price?"

    Ling Tian replied, "These are all low-grade herbs. What can you possibly make with them? However, I can use them as fodder for my family''s spirit beasts."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The Ling family is toovish. Well, since that is the case, I decline."

    Ling Tian expected the man to decline and said, "Two hundred low-grade spirit stones."

    Shi Lang shook his head, and Ling Tian kept increasing the price. However, once the price reached seven hundred low spirit stones, and Shi Lang did not agree, Ling Tian yelled, "Do you think I cannot hold this consignment without your consent?"

    Shi Lang smiled and tilted his head as he took out the Raksha sword and said, "You can try, and I promise you will die trying."

    The sword trembled and Shi Lang''s battlelust began to rise. The pressure he gave off was stronger than Shi Ning. The Ling Family disciples heard that Shi Lang killed a few men ruthlessly in front of the people.

    Ling Tian nodded and the men steeled their hearts to draw their swords. However, the next moment they shivered and fell to the ground. Shi Lang cast the asura realm on them. His skills were still intact.

 Chapter 483 Humiliation.

    ?

    As soon as Shi Lang cast his Shura realm, the people from the Ling Family shivered and fell to the ground, and soon their mouths were foaming. The Terran quickly stepped back, as did Shi Yua and Shi Ning.

    Ling Tian was surprised, and so was the crowd of people. Some brave ones wanted to see what was happening when Shi Lang said, "Have you gone mad? Step back. Who knows what disease these people from the Ling family have? Thank god I did not fight them. What if I caught this disease?"

    His words were akin to a bomb that dispersed the people. They all moved back quickly. Shi Lang looked at Ling Tian and said, "Young Master Ling, you can have this consignment. I will not take anything dirty back to the Shi house."

    He was pping the young master of the Ling Family, calling him and his family diseased. When has Ling Tian faced humiliation like this? He flung his sleeves and took out his fan. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and took out a long sword. He asked, "Want to try something, Young Master Ling? Is the embarrassment from acting cocky without capital turning into humiliation?"

    The people in the surrounding began to talk, "Look, didn''t you say that Young Master is a proper gentleman? Howe he is acting like this?"

    "Well, I do not know. Although I have heard a lot of rumors about the conduct of the Ling Family, I did not think any of them were true until now."

    "Shut up. What do you know, it is called manliness. He is taking the Shi family''s resources because they cannot handle them."

    Shi Lang did not pay attention to the public attention. On the contrary, he wanted to have more people look at the scene. Too bad that it was outside the city and there were not many people. Ling Tian sighed and then flickered away from the scene.

    Shi Lang smirked at the scene and waved his sword. The ropes binding the young disciples were undone, and the terran asked, "Are you guys okay?"

    The disciples stood up and nodded one by one. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, take this consignment to the manor and have the fourth miss tend to your wounds."

    The disciples nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master."

    Shi Lang turned around and looked at the people. He bowed slightly and said, "I apologize that you all had to see such an embarrassing situation."

    Then he walked ahead with Shi Yua and Shi Ning. The girls were happily discussing the scene just now, how Ling Tian had a red face. They had never seen Ling Tian like this.

    ...

    Inside the Ling Mansion, Ling Tian walked inside the courtyard and shivered. It looked like he was very angry. However, that did not seem to be the case. Heughed, and his skin began to squirm. His bones crackled, but he did not stopughing. If anyone else were here, they would be shocked.

    The face changed, and it turned into Ling Shan''s. The young man sat on a cassock and said, "Ugh, it was so much fun. Too bad I only had one body transformation pill. It was fun to have Ling Tian humiliated. I wonder if I should befriend that young master of the Shi Family. He seems to be very nice."

    The young man closed his eyes with a satisfied expression and meditated.

    ...

    In the main family hall of the Shi Family, Shi Lang did not say because Shi Yua and Shi Ning were describing the scene to the elders with great enthusiasm. Once they were done, the eldersplimented Shi Lang but also told him to be careful, and Shi Lang said, "We do not have to worry. It was not Ling Tian who we dealt with."

    Then there was only silence in the hall. Shi Yulong regained his senses and asked, "Shi Lang, what do you mean it was not Shi Lang whom you dealt with?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The person must be from the Ling family. He was wearing clothes simr to Ling Tian, and even though he was acting like Ling Tian, he was someone else. Yua, did you not notice his eyes? They were missing the usual chill in them."

    Shi Yua was surprised, but when mentioned, she recalled what Ling Tian looked like and found that Shi Lang was right. She widened her eyes and asked, "Big brother, do you mean it was someone else portraying to be Ling Tian? What will he gain from it?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I am not sure who it was or what he will gain. However, this makes one thing clear. The inner circle of the Ling Family is not very clean. Seems like, I will have to investigate them more."

    The three elders nodded and said, "The general history can be found easily. You will need to look for something that only an insider knows."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, Tianxu Pavilion will hold a meeting in six days. Shi Ting, you will not step out of the manor unless you have mastered the basic sword skills."

    Shi Ting wanted to protest, but Shi Lang raised his eyebrow at her, and the girl was suppressed. The first mistress said, "Lang, you can tell me anything. You have done me a big favor."

    Shi Lang did not understand, and the Lady said, "You have tamed this devil of the family."

    Shi Lang chuckled, and the others followed. Shi Ting was the naughtiest child they had, and Shi Lang could scare her with one nce was an achievement. The young Lady pouted and said, "You are all bullies. I will tell Grandpa when he returns."

    Shi Yulong smiled, and the people coaxed her. Shi Lang watched the family and then recalled his own family. He wondered how they were doing or if the federation was in trouble or anything. He could not help but sigh at this thought.

    After the discussion was finished, Shi Lang left the hall. Since he was now the Young Master of the family, he was given a separate courtyard to live in. This ce was very scenic and had a big garden and an artificial pond.

    Shi Lang sat down on a rock and began to ponder. He took out a device from his spirit tattoo. It was a digital data cube that could project holographic images. This cube was a piece of his old life that he carried with him.

    The terran watched the images y, and a smile appeared on his lips. Suddenly, he heard a voice, "Big Brother Shi Lang?"

    Shi Lang woke from his daze and raised his head to find Shi Wei at the door. He beckoned her toe in and found a maid following the girl. He asked, "Wei, what made youe here?"

    Shi Wei sat down on a rock across the pond and asked, "I finished tending to those wounded disciples and was going to my courtyard when I found some light flickering here. I found this interesting. Can you tell me what it is?"

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "What did you find interesting?"

    Shi Wei replied, "This object has no spirituality. How can it project images in the void? Also, who are these people?"

    Shi Lang told her what she needed, and suddenly Shi Wei eximed, "Sister-inw is a fairy. You are blessed."

    Shi Lang chuckled, and the girl said, "If only we had something like this in the upper realm, then it would be a huge hit. The people would have been able to record their memories. The image recording stone and formation are too costly formoners. At least in the barrennds."

    The terran nodded, and Shi Wei said, "You know, the condition of the barrennds is why people are always heading out to enroll in spiritual sects. The old and young stay behind and suffer."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Even if your statement is true, this situation cannot be changed. During my time here, I have been reading and researching. Do you know that heavenly herbs emit spiritual energy in their surroundings? However, finding a heavenly herb is difficult because it is not something one can get without facing strongpetition.

    Another thing is that as a cultivator, the number of resources and opportunities to excel, you can score on your own, rare and shallow. Wherein a spiritual sect can help you. The experts there can help you master the skills that can make you strong, and you can gain fame."

    Shi Wei said, "Big brother, but how can people just leave their families behind? Do they not have emotion?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Looking at the situation of the Shi Family, do you not think it is very humiliating? This powerlessness wouldn''t have taken over if you or someone had been in a spiritual sect. They can visit the family back even if they are far from home. Their rise in the world will raise the level of the family on its own."

 Chapter 484 Trap.

    ?

    Shi Lang told Shi Wei about his views, and the two discussed them. They did not argue but shared their views on pursuing strength. Shi Lang said, "Xiao Wei, I may be twenty years old in this world, but I was already an old man in the lower realms. Throughout my life, I only pursued strength because I knew there were some people I needed to defend and care for."

    Shi Wei understood his words and could not say anything after this. She was young but knew she was striving to support her family so they could live well.

    Thinking about something, Shi Wei said, "Big brother, maybe you should apply for a post in the Imperial government."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Why do you say so?"

    Shi Wei replied, "The exposure you will get there is better than in the city. Even if you beth city hall, you will have to heed the calls from a court official. However, once you be a court official, you will have the chance to climb higher."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I already have a goal in my heart, the Spirit Heart sect. I will go there after the situation here is stabilized, and the position of the Shi Family is firm."

    Shi Wei was surprised and could not believe it, but Shi Lang said, "When my family ascends to the upper realm, they will arrive in the central ins. I need to be there and have a foothold before that. Otherwise, the enemies I have made will hinder their peace. That is something I cannot allow."

    Shi Wei could not say anything. Shi Lang had all the reasons one could need to go, and it would not be kind if she asked him to stay behind. None of the four sisters were weak. However, they felt secure ever since Shi Lang took charge of a few things.

    She nodded, and after a simple farewell, she left the courtyard with her maid. Shi Lang watched her leave and shook his head. He knew these girls'' thoughts but could not forget the old for the new.

    Thinking about it, Shi Lang also retired for the night. His journey was long, and time was less. He needed to work harder and more than others.

    ...

    In the morning, the Shi Family was visited by a deacon of the Tianxu Pavilion, and they were invited to watch the auction proceed with Xiao Nan. This was not out of the ordinary, the Shi Family was one of the big families in the city, and Tianxu Pavilion sent invites to every big family.

    This way, the enemy or the spies will not be triggered. Shi Yulong assigned the task to Shi Lang and Shi Yua. He was going out for a few days to negotiate with a few people from the imperial capital.

    This was just an excuse; he would take the spies with him. It was time to clean up the family.

    ...

    While the Shi Family was moving in the shadows, there were shockwaves in the Ling Manor. The people had been tirelessly working to gather the good material for the auction. Ling Tian was personally overseeing the proceedings, and he made sure that no corners were cut.

    However, they did not know what awaited them in the auction.

    ...

    Six days passed quickly and on the day of the auction. Shi Lang and Shi Yua moved through the streets like normal pedestrians to avoid attention, but their temperaments still drew gazes. Shi Yua said, "I was wondering if I should put on some viel every time I leave home or shall I carry a sword to castrate these dogs in heat?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "You should carry some hidden weapons and kill them silently. These sorts of people are not worthy of attention whether it is glory or pity."

    Shi Yua smiled and said, "I did not know you were such a bad influence."

    The two chuckled and soon reached the Tianxu Pavilion. Under Xiao Nan''s orders, an attendant bought them to the VIP section. They had a special box reserved for themselves. From the window above, they could see a podium and the crowd.

    Shi Yua said, "I always wondered what an auction is like. Today I will get to see it."

    Shi Lang sat calmly on a chair and said, "Yua, an auction is a battle of wits, and from what I can figure, the people in this auction will not let anyone win what they want easily."

    At this moment, the door slid open, and Xiao Nan walked inside with an old man. Shi Lang stood up and sped his hands, "Greetings, Miss Xiao, Senior."

    Although he did not know the identity of this person, he could tell this guy was not weaker than Shi Yulong. The old man nodded, and Shi Yua bowed to the elder as she said, "Greetings, Grandpa Chen." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The stern face leaked a little smile, and Shi Lang guessed that the rtionship between Shi Yua and Xiao Nan was closer than he expected. Xiao Nan said, "Young Master Shi said it right. The people in the auction will often mistake that once they have paid for the item. It will belong to them. However, the real test and bidding start outside the auction hall."

    Shi Yua asked, "You mean that people can forcefully steal things? Isn''t that a bit too much?"

    Xiao Nan shrugged as she replied, "You are only fourteen, Yua, so you might not know that the world is not all rainbows. Your elder sisters would know this."

    Shi Yua nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Miss Xiao, is everything set?"

    Xiao Nan smiled and replied with a question, "It seems that Young Master Shi Lang cannot wait to watch the good show."

    Shi Lang chuckled at this. Then he asked, "Well, Miss Xiao, I was wondering if you could help me with a few doubts."

    ...

    While the two people were discussing things in the box, the Ling Family arrived at the auction hall. Ling Tian and the elder of the Ling Family, Ling Xei, were present. As for the patriarch of the Ling Family, how could he appear at such a small event? After all, he was a celebrity in the city.

    The Ling family came to a VIP box, and soon a beautifuldy in a red cheongsam climbed the podium. Thedy smiled and said, "Greetings, patrons from Tian Yu City. I am Jing Leilin, your host for the night. I will also help you conduct the auction today."

    The crowd cheered. Who did not like a pretty face with a robust mix of curves and edges? Jing Leilin said, "Today, the Tianxu Pavilion has the honor to show you the treasures from the imperial capital."

    The crowd fell silent, and soon they were shocked. Goods from the Imperial capital were higher in grade than they could find from the city. This news shocked the people, and Ling Family was no different.

    This meant that the goods they had put up for auction would be pushed up the list, which would be a loss statement for them. Jing Leiling said, "Well, let us not waste time. The first item for the day is a batch of ten medium-grade spirit recovery pills. It can help the cultivators to regain their spirit energy in five minutes. The recovery rate is thirty percent and has no side effects."

    This sort of pill could be used by people when they were in battle and needed spiritual energy. Jing Leilin saw that a lot of people were interested and said, "The opening price for the bid is twenty medium spirit stones. Every increment should not be lower than five."

    Someone in the crowd said, "Twenty-five medium spirit stones."

    The bids started flowing in and Shi Lang asked, "This prize, is it not a bit too much?"

    Xiao Nan said, "Just watch."

    Simrly, one more batch of the pills was auctioned when a person in the crowd below said, "May I ask how is the price of these pills determined?"

    Jing Leilin was surprised, and so were others. This was the first time someone was raising a question. However, a customer was a god. So Jing Leilin replied, "This sir, the pricing is discussed with the seller after they are given an appraisal."

    The man nodded and asked, "If I said I could find the same quality and quantity of this pill in ten medium spirit stones. Would that not mean Tianxu Pavilion is fooling us?"

    BOOM!

    The bomb was dropped. At this moment, Elder Chen said in a sonorous tone, "This sir, the Tianxu Pavilion only charges a smallmission for auctioning the items. We only set a base prize that the seller determines."

    The man nodded and asked, "Since that is the case, please tell me who this seller is. I swear to god, such scammers shall not exist."

    The people all nodded. They agreed. Elder Chen replied, "We cannot go against the rule by doing so. I apologize to you."

    Another voice sounded, "Who else could it be but the Ling Family? Aren''t they the only ones who make such pills?"

 Chapter 485 Show.

    ?

    Shi Lang watched the things from the VIP box. Xiao Nan nted the crowd, and the motive was to bring the Ling Family as soon as the person said that the Ling Family was the reason for the price of the pills being so high.

    Public opinion red up. A lot of people have been holding grudges against them. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Now, this is a show."

    Xiao Nan smiled and said, "Oh, this is nothing."

    ...

    The man who had raised the entire debacle. He said, "Oh, since it is the Ling Family who set the price, I wonder what they have to say about the price of this middle-grade pill they have produced."

    Every gaze was focused on the Ling Family VIP box. At the same time, the Ling family was sweating. The second elder Ling Xie did not know how to respond and asked, "Ling Tian, what do you think we should do?"

    Ling Tian calmly assessed the situation and said, "Tch, such a troublesome situation. Where did this man evene from?"

    Ling Xie said, "We should look deeper into things."

    Ling Tian nodded and said in a sonorous tone, "May I ask you, Sir? Where can you find the same quality pill for such a low price? If you can prove it, I would lower the price."

    Ling Xie watched him from the side. The man from the ground floor said, "Tianxu Pavilion."

    The crowd exploded because they all knew that Tianxu Pavilion''s price was far higher than the man reported. Ling Xie yelled, "Do you take us for fools? How dare youe and disturb the auction? It seems that Tianxu Pavilion masters do not take us seriously."

    The man scoffed and said, "Frog at the bottom of a well. Do you even know how big the Tianxu Pavilion is? In the Great Yan Empire, Tianxu Pavilion can be found in every major city. Let alone this run-down excuse you live in.

    I am a native of Lion Heart City, and that is where the price of this pill is what I just reported. I came here to inspect the market. It seems like you people can use some new pill shops here."

    Ling Xie snorted, and a person from the crowd asked, "Brother after all is said and done, what is the use? We cannot get those pills here. Right?"

    The person smiled and said, "I can sell you all the pills I have on me. None of them will lose in quality."

    The crowd bustled with energy, and they began to ce orders. Ling Tian finally had enough and said, "Miss Xiao, does the Tianxu Pavilion not want to maintain the decorum of the auction?"

    Xiao Nan did not say anything but nced at Elder Chen, who nodded and replied, "Young Master Ling used us wrongfully. The person down there is an envoy of the Lion Heart City Tianxu Pavilion. He is here to audit the auction and the business of our pavilion. As a subordinate, how can we question his authority."

    Ling Tian clenched his teeth and said, "Very well, the Ling Family will remember this. Please return all the artifacts we submitted for sale to the mansion."

    Elder Chen replied, "Young Master Ling Tian, if you wish to withdraw the items, please return the money Tianxu Pavilion provided you as a security amount."

    Ling Xie asked coldly, "Old Chen, what if we do not return the money?"

    Elder Chen radiated pressure from his body, which made everyone experience trouble while breathing. The old man said, "Are you sure about that? Second Ling."

    Ling Tian''s voice sounded, "My uncle is only joking, Elder Chen. The money will be returned to you in full. I would like to take my leave."

    Elder Chen issued a hum and said, "Dear visitors, I apologize for something like this to happen. The auction will continue without the Ling family''s submitted items."

    The next moment, the staff moved, and the items of the Ling Family were segregated to be returned. The auction continued, and none of the Tianxu Pavilion tried to stop or negotiate things with the Ling Family.

    Elder Chen hade out to deal with the final exchange in person. He knew that Ling Tian was a snake who would exploit every opportunity at his disposal. The handover was quick, and Ling Xie left after ring coldly at Elder Chen.

    ¡­

    Inside the VIP box, Shi Lang asked, "Miss Xiao, the show is somewhatcking, is it not?"

    Xiao Nan smiled and said, "Wait until the auction ends." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang nodded and leaned back in the chair. He did not know much about artifacts and herbs, so he did not bother bidding with the others and just gained knowledge. He nned to learn first and then act.

    Soon the auction came to an end. Shi Lang looked at Xiao Nan, who led them outside the pavilion. Shi Yua wanted to ask about the big show when they noticed a lot of movement.

    Shi Lang looked at the crowd, grabbed one of the people, and asked, "Brother, what happened?"

    The man said, "The Ling Family was attacked. The second elder lost one of his hands, and the Young Master was beaten up too. They were robbed in broad daylight."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Who robbed them? Do these people not fear the city hall?"

    The man chuckled and said, "Brother, are you new? The Moon Shadow Hall does not fear anyone. However, they are not unreasonable either. The second elder of the Ling Family had attacked one of the robbers with the intent to kill. I heard he wanted to protect the goods at all cost."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for telling me."

    He shoved a middle-grade spirit stone in the man''s hand and said, "Sharing information is good."

    The man understood his hint and smiled as he punched his chest, saying, "Yes, do not worry, brother. The world would know the truth."

    Xiao Nan raised her eyes and said, "Young Master Shi, this news would have been shared without spending anything."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You need to add some spice to make the dish taste better. That spirit stone was the spice. Well, the show was good. Miss Xiao, I shall leave before the next move is implemented."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "I will send someone to ask for your help. There has been some movement in the city hall recently."

    After a few words of care, Shi Lang agreed and left the ce with Shi Yua. The news flew around the city like fire in the dry grasnd. However, what burned down was the dignity of the Ling Family.

    Everything was shared in explosive proportions, from the insult they faced at the auction hall to the robbery attack. When the Ling Family head wanted to take action against Tianxu Hall, they heard that the Shi Family patriarch was injured.

    They had been attacked on their way to the Imperial capital. The city guards saw the two elders of the family bringing him back in a hurry. The Shi Family had put up a lockdown.

    The Ling family bought the lie they had been sold. The spies had been injured but were safe while theyughed at the Shi Family treating their spies.

    Things inside the Shi Family were the opposite. Shi Yulong was sitting on the leader''s throne chair with great pride and said, "Shi Lang, what now?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Now we wait for the enemy to make a move."

    Shi Yuwan asked, "Will that not put us in a passive situation?"

    The Terran shook his head and said, "No, just because we will see their move does not mean we do not have to y our hand. Their action will just give us a reason to go in strong and hard. The action we have decided upon earlier will be implied as nned, with just a touch of revenge."

    Shi Ning asked, "Why do we have to project the intention of revenge?"

    "We need to put up a facade so that any random person does note up and knock on the door to seek trouble. However, we must be calm and low-profile to avoid much trouble. Acting rashly will not help us; on the contrary, it will attract more trouble.", said Shi Lang.

    The people understood his intention and began following up ording to this thought. Shi Lang spent his time reading books or cultivating. He guided the young girls in his free time.

    Meanwhile, he was in frequent touch with the Tianxu Pavilion. They informed him about everything that was going on in the city. Ling Tian organized a big facade under the name of martial art gathering to redeem himself.

    This was moreplex because this guy even sent an invitation to the Shi Family. The invitation card mentioned that the prince of the royal family would be present, and this was an opportunity to open their eyes. Shi Ning told him that the Ling family could invite the royal prince because Ling Tian''s elder brother was the security chief of the fourth prince.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This show just gets better with every move."

 Chapter 486 Martial Meeting.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the four girls practiced in the Shi Family. Shi Yulong had gradually ''recovered''. The Shi Family hade out of the lockdown. The young man had been working on improving the level of the family throughout with stable standardization.

    The family disciples were also highly motivated because Shi Lang had introduced a reward and ie scheme. Humans were an interest-seeking species. They will dedicate their efforts to the cause as long as they receive benefits.

    The martial meeting proposed by Ling Tian would be held in one week. Shi Lang wanted to break through to the immortal core realm, so he has been working hard. However, he could not inscribe the way of martial arts on the core, but he had yet to seed.

    In discussion with Shi Yulong, he discovered that such an inscription was only possible when a person held a capable cultivation technique. The terran had been cultivating the ways of the Shura Sutra. However, the usefulness of that technique ended with his arrival in the upper realm.

    Thinking about it, the young man sighed and decided not to think about it for the time being. He would consolidate his foundation and let the time take its course. The time of a week was not too long, and the day of the gathering was upon them quickly.

    Shi Ning and Shi Yua were dressed in a sophisticated manner to head over. Shi Wei was not particrly strong in martial arts. Thus, she decided to abstain from the trip and would study pill refining. Shi Ting had yet to master a move in her sword skills, so she was grounded.

    Shi Lang had worn a white hanfu with azure blue trims to it. He feared Raksha might draw unwanted attention, so he bought a long sword from the Tianxu Pavilion and tied it around his waist. The sword was a middle-level spirit weapon, which was good enough for him at the current level.

    The three people did not bother taking the carriage or a mount and just traveled on foot. Shi Ning asked, "Big brother, why do you always walk around?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "None of us have unlocked the spirit sense to detect any tails or sneak attacks. Inside a carriage, we are constricted, and on a mount, we cannot be sure if the animal would get hurt or go berserk hurting the pedestrians."

    Shi Yua nodded while Shi Ting said, "You always act like you are at war. You are very suited for the Imperial Army. We can surely use someone like you at the Northern front."

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head. The three people quickly moved through the city to a fenced garden. Shi Ning clicked her tongue and said, "To think that Ling Tian would even rent out the Magpie pavilion for this facade."

    Shi Lang had not been to this ce, but as natives, Shi Ning and Shi Yua had been here before. Shi Ning said, "Big brother, this ce is called the magpie pavilion, and it is named after the favorite bird of the owner."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is so special about this bird? I have seen many women liking it."

    Shi Yua red at him and said, "It is so cute and beautiful. Also, it is very fast."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Okay, Young Miss."

    The girls showed the invitation to the guard, and the person respectfully let them enter. However, before they could say anything, someone called for Shi Lang, "Shi Yua, wait for me."

    Shi Yua turned around with a grin and asked, "Sister Nan, you were also called here?"

    The visitor was Xiao Nan. She had arrived at the ce with Elder Chen. The old man nodded to Shi Lang, who greeted him with cupped fists. The five people entered the ce, and Shi Lang walked half alongside Elder Chen. He was calm andposed while the three girls walked ahead.

    Elder Chen said, "Young man, you do not have to worry. Ling Tian will not make things difficult for you today. The Tianxu Pavilion still has some power."

    Shi Lang smiled and thanked him lightly. He was not worried at all. The people came through a garden and arrived at the pavilion reserved by Ling Tian. Shi Ning said, "Big brother, this is the pavilion."

    The terran found himself gazing at a huge pavilion surrounded by water and lotus flowers. He spotted a few magpies flying around too. A few people had already arrived inside the pavilion and were all discussing with each other.

    Xiao Nan sighed and said, "Ling Tian invited us to face his connections and pressure."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Good scheme, but it will be fun."

    They entered the ce and attracted a lot of attention from the people. Ling Tian saw this but did note forward to greet them. Shi Yua and Shi Ning frowned when Shi Lang sighed and said, "Miss Xiao, we shall leave." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xiao Nan caught his emotions by the look in his eyes and asked, "Why don''t you want topete with these people?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I came here after Young Master Ling invited us. I did not wish to offend his pride. Now that it is done, I will not stay in a ce where I am not wee."

    Xiao Nan was surprised and said, "I understand and shall also take my leave. Tianxu Pavilion is not idle."

    The people caught the words and were confused. Shi Lang and Xiao Nan did not intentionally lower their voices and humiliated Ling Tian and his friends. However, not everyone here was his friend. Some people hade over because they wanted to get close to the Prince.

    Suddenly, loudughter sounded in the pavilion, and everyone found the source to be a burly man. Sitting in a secluded ce, this person said, "Good, brother, you have won my heart with those words. I am Xiang San. Third son of the Xiang Family from Lion Heart City. I wonder if I can know your name?"

    The man cupped his fist to Shi Lang. The terran was surprised to see this person wearing rugged, thick fabric trousers and a robust aura. Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Brother Xiang. I am Shi Lang of the Shi Family."

    Xiang San nodded and said, "Since you are leaving, I shall also leave. Let us have some drinks."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "I would be obliged, but Brother Xiang, are you sure this early departure will not affect your visit?"

    Xiang San picked up a war hammer and walked to his side, waving his hand, "Not at all. I am already familiar with the Fourth Prince. I shall introduce you to himter."

    Ling Tian heard this, and his brows jumped. He could not let Shi Lang garner the favor of the Prince. He hurried over and said, "Young Master Shi, I was dazed to see you arrive. I did not expect you will be here. Thus, I waste. Forgive me."

    Shi Lang smiled and did not say anything. Ling Tian turned around and apologized to Xiao Nan, who nodded amiably. They had already created a scene. If they kept pushing, it would look like they were deliberate and might offend the Prince too.

    Ling Tian nodded and wanted to lead them to seats when Xiang San said, "It is alright, Young master Ling, you should take care of others. We can sit at my table."

    Ling Tian thanked Xiang San, this guy was crude, but he belonged to a powerful family that could crush the Ling Family in their sleep.

    Xiang San and the rest sat at the same table, and Shi Lang introduced his people and Xiao Nan. Xiang San may look uncultured and rowdy, but his manners were top-notch. Even the sophisticated Ling Tian failed inparison.

    Xiang San said, "Brother Shi might not be familiar with this bunch of snakes. Allow me to identify them. I tell you, be careful of their toxins. Some of them can be cannibalistic too."

    Shi Lang thanked him and asked, "Brother Xiang, may I ask why you are so kind to me?"

    Xiang San was surprised, but then he chuckled. He patted Shi Lang on the shoulder and said, "You are wise. At first, it was just a simple hunch that you were not easy. Now I am impressed. I am nice to you because I can use some help."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "What sort of help?"

    Xiang San looked around and whispered, "This ce is very crowded. Would you mind if we talkedter?"

    Shi Lang looked at Xiao Nan who nodded and said, "Very well, but Miss Xiao would have to be a part of this discussion too."

    Xiang San nodded and replied, "I have no problem."

    Suddenly, they all were attracted by a group of knights in armor walking over in neat formations. Xiang San said, "Fourth Prince is here."

 Chapter 487 Martial Meeting (2).

    ?

    Shi Lang and the rest stood up. The terran was not a fan of the monarchy, but he still knew how to maintain decorum. After all, he was just a rookie in this world. He had been here for only a month. He might have a few skills, but he was not strong enough.

    Xiang San stood beside him, saying, "Look at all these suck-ups. They make a clown of themselves even when they know the Prince will not take any interest in them after the meeting. Unless the person is a beauty."

    Shi Lang asked hushedly, "Is the prince a phnderer?"

    Xiang San gazed at him with eyes wide open. He said, "Brother, you have a rich imagination. The fourth prince is only twelve years old. He likes pretty women because they all pamper him a lot."

    Shi Lang sighed and asked, "So this facade is for a child?"

    Xiang San sighed and sighed, "You need to read more. The fourth prince has an innate sword heart. He is a sword master already. Do you understand what I mean? He can kill enemies if you give him a sword, and the enemy is below the Immortal Soul Realm."

    Shi Lang sucked in a mouthful of breath. Shi Ning said, "Big brother, why are you surprised? Aren''t you a sword cultivator too?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand quickly and said, "You do not put me on a pedestal. I am not that talented. My intent is crude and destructive. I will notpare to the people with innate talents."

    Xiang San was surprised and asked, "Brother Shi, you hide too deep."

    Shi Lang shook his head and sighed. The entourage of the fourth prince appeared in sight. Ling Tian rushed over to the pavilion entrance and stood with his head bowed humbly. Shi Lang could not help but remark, "He sure looks nice like this."

    Xiao Nan and the Shi sisters smiled faintly, listening to this. Ling Tian did not get to catch on the fun as he was busy greeting the Fourth Prince, who a skinny man with a spear followed.

    Shi Ning said, "That is Ling First. He gave up the right to be the master of the family for an opportunity to serve the Prince after being scouted."

    Xiao Nan added, "It is not that he gave up. I heard that the Patriarch Ling was not very fond of him. It must be because he was born to a maid when the Patriarch was still the young master of the family. Old Man Ling almost died from anger, but apparently, the child had a good talent. He follows Taoism, and I must say, none within the same age or realm can catch his hands."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This guy sure is a talent. Ling Family ancestors might be turning over from rage in their graves."

    While they were chatting, two personal guards and one maid led the Fourth Prince to sit on the highest seat in the pavilion. However, the child disyed great manners before he sat down and greeted everyone.

    "Greetings, everyone. I am Tian Longjian. Today, we all have gathered here to exchange moves and learn from each other. You are all my elders, so I hope to learn from you. I hope this meeting is peaceful and productive."

    The crowd sped their fists and bowed to the Prince as they said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Highness."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but he quickly followed the gesture. He did not shout like the others but moved his lips. The fourth prince sat down and gestured to Ling Tian. He bowed slightly before saying, " With His Highness''s grace, the martial exchange meeting will proceed."

    The people cheered and waited. Shi Lang raised his brow, and Xiang Nan said, "Let us wait for someone toe forward and make an introduction."

    Shi Lang nodded and waited. After a minute, when no one came forward, Tian Longjian asked, "Umm, is something wrong?"

    Ling Tian looked at a cronie and red. The person sighed and stood up. He walked up to the center of the pavilion and bowed in four directions before he said, "Since everyone is hesitant, allow me to show my ugliness. I am Jiang Taishan. Greetings everyone. I have just stepped into the immortal core realm. I wonder if any senior brother would like to give me advice."

    One person stood up and said, "I am Huang Langxue. Greetings, my realm is slightly higher than yours, so I hope you do not mind."

    Jiang Taishan gestured for the man toe over, and soon, the two began to spar. The exchange of blows was sharp and precise. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Ning, Yua, pay attention. Look at the way they mobilize force and do not waste energy. Their movements are rehearsed, but they serve nicely for demonstration purposes." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The two girls nodded and observed. Xiang San and Xiao Nan internally approved Shi Lang. This man had a rich experience saying that the spar was rehearsed. Soon a few more matches took ce. However, Shi Lang lost interest, and so did the Prince.

    Tian Longjian whispered something in the ear of his second guard, who bowed and said, "His Highness had announced that if a person could manage to win five matches back to back, he or she would be rewarded an enlightenment pill."

    Shi Lang sat calmly while the people around him exploded. Xiao Nan sighed and said, "I almost wish to send Elder Chen in topete and win the pill."

    Xiang San sighed and said, "This pill can easily help anyone stuck in a bottleneck below the realm of Immortal Physique."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and was aware that the realm of immortal physique came after the realm of the immortal soul. He was surprised and could not help but lean forward slightly. Xiang San noticed this and asked, "Brother Shi wants to try?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Not to hide from you, but I am stuck at the golden core realm despite my age. This is shameful."

    Xiao Nan shook her head slightly, and Shi Ning wanted to say something when Shi Yua stopped her. Xiang San thought these people expected more from Shi Lang and pitied him. He said, "Since that is the case. You should try if you did not manage to win five bouts. I will step forward. I will get you that pill. Think of it as a token of my sincerity."

    Shi Lang said nothing for a few seconds but thanked the guy. The center of the pavilion was already bustling. The others would follow every match, but none of the people managed to win any spot. Ling Tian wanted to participate, but he wanted to wait for stronger and more talented opponents to lose or get injured first.

    Watching the situation, he stepped up and said, "I would like to seek guidance from everyone."

    One person stood up, and the battle ensued. However, the person lost. This followed another battle. Gradually, Ling Tian managed to win four battles, and everyone was cautious. They did not wish to allow him to get away with the reward, and before Ling Tian could ask his cronies to stand up and fight.

    Shi Lang stood up from his seat and said, "I would like to fight with you, Young Master Ling."

    Ling Tian was surprised but regained hisposure and nodded as he gestured for Shi Lang to step up. The terran nodded and said, "Pardon my rudeness. I am a golden core realm cultivator. I seek your advice."

    Ling Tian was surprised. Did this guy not know that he was in the immortal core realm? Why did hee over? Is this a way for him to y nice and help him get the pill to gain favor? However, this person was from the Shi Family. How can things smoothen out so easily?

    He shook his head internally and sped his hands to greet Shi Lang. The young man returned the gesture and said, "Please."

    Ling Tian moved forward quickly and kicked Shi Lang''s temple. The Terran was quick and leaned back while he raised his leg and countered the kick Ling Tian made. The impact made Ling Tian loss his bnce. Shi Lang quickly followed up as he said, "Lightning Fist.

    His spirit energy had the lightning attribute, which was shocking. So, Shi Lang controlled the energy he infused in his punch.

    Ling Tian took out his fan and unfolded it. The fan served as a shield and blocked the attack. However, was Shi Lang going to give up this easily. He unsheathed his sword and shed at the wrist of the opponent.

    It seemed like he was ying ruthlessly. However, upon better focus, it was obvious that Shi Lang was using the sides of his sword to deal with Ling Tian''s defense. The two people y back and forth. Their skills shocked the people. As it turned out they were both very strong. The fourth Prince said, "Who is fighting Ling Tian?"

    Shi Ning stood up and, after a bow, said, "Your Highness, it is my elder brother."

    The fourth Prince smiled and said, "Sister Ning, you are here. I am upset. Why did you not tell me beforeing over? Your captain is mean. He locked me up in the camp to train."

    Shi Ning smiled sheepishly as she apologized. The fourth prince was a goof.

 Chapter 488 Sword Grandmaster.

    ?

    While the people were talking, the two people were embroiled inpeting. None of them was ready to give up an inch. Shi Langgged in the cultivation realm but made up for it with his sword skills.

    Every stroke he made was elegant, but neither did itck strength nor slow. Ling Tain was fighting with a fan, his forte, but he was still being pushed back. The sight was so surprising that many people stood up on their feet. Shi Ning and Shi Yua could not help but gasp when they realized that Shi Lang was hiding so much.

    Elder Chen said, "This is the realm of a sword, grandmaster. Watch and learn all that you can."

    Xiang San said, "It is said that the sword of a master cuts the wind, but the sword of a grandmaster only cuts the target. Brother Shi''s sword is silent. The only sound you can hear is the nk on collision."

    Elder Chen nodded and said, "Indeed. However, I still feel that he is holding back."

    ...

    While the people were discussing, Shi Lang''s attack pushed back Ling Tian, and thetter said, "To think that Young Master Shi is so talented. A twenty year''s old sword grandmaster. I wonder how you would fare whenpeting with His Highness."

    The people were surprised, and Xiao Nan narrowed her gaze as she said, "This bastard."

    However, before they could intervene, Shi Lang replied, "Young Master Ling, you have indeed spoken what I have on my mind. The skills of His Highness are known to everyone, and if I have the honor to learn from him, it would be a pleasure. However, you are stronger than me, so shouldn''t His Highnesspete with you?"

    Shi Lang wouldn''t be beaten with such a pansy excuse of words. Ling Tian was surprised, and Shi Lang appeared next to him. Ling Tian wanted to move, but a cold sensation against his nape forced him to stand still.

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and waited. He wanted Ling Tian to confess his defeat on his own ord. He did not care if the first son of the Ling Family was here. Given his deposition, he would not care who would be beating whom.

    Ling Tian was a cunning snake himself. How could he not know what Shi Lang intended to do? However, he did not have any other way out. He clenched his fists and said, "I admit defeat."

    Shi Lang took his sword back and bowed slightly before turning around to return to his table. At this moment, the crowd was awed by his performance when the Fourth Prince said, "Since Young Master Shi Lang is a sword master, why not spar with me? It has been a few days since I have fought someone strong."

    Shi Lang stopped in his spot, and the people gasped. Fighting with the Prince may seem easy, but it wasn''t. The people were surprised because this seemed like a trap. A cold glint shed in Ling Tian''s eyes as he said, "Great, Young Master Shi, did you not look forward to having the pleasure of sparring with His Highness? Fate is kind to you."

    Xiao Nan mumbled, "What a good ''fate is kind to you.''. If Shi Lang injures the Prince by mistake, he will be charged with a capital crime regardless of anything, and the best oue will be death. But if he yed easy and lost, his image will be stained for losing to a younger practitioner."

    Xiang San nodded and added, "This fourth prince is a child. He does not understand that his martial fanatic behavior can cause serious trouble for other people."

    Elder Chen could not help but nod. However, he was helpless since the Prince had taken the initiative. Turning him down would be disrespectful.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the Prince and replied faintly, "Your Highness is a genius, and it is my fortune to have an opportunity to spar with you. However, before we begin, pardon me for saying something ugly. My ability is poor, and thus Ick control. I apologize for any offense during the exchange."

    The people were surprised. They did not expect that Shi Lang would not only ept the sparring invitation but also warn the Prince that he might end up injuring him. Everyone turned their gazes to look at the Prince to see how he would respond.

    Tian Longjian smiled and said while unsheathing his sword, "You do not have to worry about that. I have been injured many times when training. If I get injured, it would be myck of skill."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, sped his hands while bowing, and said, "Your Highness can have a mindset like this. Shi Lang is impressed." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Tian Longjian smiled and said, "Come, Young Master Shi Lang."

    Holding a silver sword, the young Prince jumped and appeared in the pavilion''s center. He was not bothered by the gazes set on him. As a child of the royal family, he was used to being observed by many people.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang said, "Your Highness, how about we spar with only our sword skills and physical presence? No spirit energy."

    The prince was surprised, but then he nodded forcefully. He said, "Indeed, the pressure from the absence of the spirit energy will make us grow stronger. Good idea."

    The two people assumed their stances, and Ling Tian volunteered to say, "Begin."

    Two people rushed at each other, and immediately, sparks erupted. None of them intended to hold back, and the pace of the battle escted quickly. Shi Lang parried a few attacks before he exhaled heavily and initiated a sword dance. After the initial exchange, he could tell where the weakness of the Princey.

    Tian Longjian also realized what was happening but had been drawn in Shi Lang''s pace. He could not go back. The only option left for him was to follow the pace. The cycle of attacks appeared to be different, but the motive of the attacks was the same.

    Shi Lang would lure the Prince to expose his weakness and strike it down. The Prince achieved the level of a sword master at such a young age because he was talented and hardworking. He knew what was happening and learned his lesson.

    Gradually, he stopped falling into the traps and began to observe Shi Lang''s sword more. The terran had good enough experience to deal with children and to lead them to rectify their weaknesses. The Prince was too easygoing and did not understand the responsibility of wielding a sword.

    Shi Lang increased pressure. He began to aim at the vitals and said, "The sword is wielded for one reason and one reason only. To protect. Why do you hold the sword?"

    Tian Longjian had no answer, and Shi Lang pushed him back. The terran had decided to gain the favor of a genius, and he knew how to do that. Even if this ce was the immortal realm, the people had to cultivate it from the bottom. Their realm of cultivation was simr to the mortals, but the rules of this realm were different.

    Shi Lang did not attack and waited for the Young Prince to think of an answer. However, someone did not have it. Ling Tian spoke up, "Can you stop wast..."

    Shi Lang gazed at him from the corner of his eye, and an unbeatable wisp of sword intent brushed past Ling Tian''s throat. The wisp opened a thin cut through the skin, and the sudden cold made him touch his neck. Then he panicked, but a voice sounded in his ears before he could say anything in panic.

    "If you disturbed the Prince by raising a ruckus, the next cut will take your head off."

    The voice belonged to Shi Lang. However, the Terran manipted the spirit energy like a string to deliver the message to Ling Tian''s ears. This was fake spiritualmunication.

    The Prince raised his head and asked, "I wield the sword to be strong."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What if the cost of your strength is the life of someone you love?"

    The prince was shocked, and Shi Lang said, "Protecting your loved ones is where true strength lies. Don''t you think, Your Highness?"

    The prince fell in thought again, and the air around him changed after a few minutes. He raised his head and charged forward. Shi Lang reciprocated and the two exchanged a dozen of moves. When suddenly, Elder Chen said, "The sound of whooshing from the Prince''s sword has vanished."

    The people all trained their ears to hear the sound but all they heard was a chain of nks. The two swords were moving so fast that the wind was not disturbed and only metal nks were left. Another couple of moves and the Young Prince stepped back. He sped his hands to Shi Lang and gazed at his hands in surprise.

    At this moment, a wisened voice sounded, "Your Highness, should you not show gratitude toward the tutor?"

 Chapter 489 Princes Favor.

    ?

    The voice sounded from everywhere, and the people were surprised. The Prince woke up from his daze, sped his hands, bowed his head to Shi Lang, and said, "Thank you for your lesson, teacher."

    Shi Lang immediately turned to the side and said, "Your Highness, I cannot ept your bow. This is a capital crime. You are a Prince."

    Tian Longjian did not know what to say to get Shi Lang to ept his gratitude when an old man appeared behind him. Shi Lang was surprised by the sudden appearance of a schrly person. The apparated person was an old man with a dragon beard.

    His back was slightly hunched, but his eyes were filled with wisdom and a sparkle of life. The

    Prince looked at the old man and said, "Elder Ye, why did youe out?"

    The old man chuckled, and his brocade robe fluttered with his beard. He waved his hand and said, "Your Highness, if this old man had note out, this young friend would continue being humble."

    Tian Longjian tilted his head, and the old man said, "If I am not wrong, this young friend has already mastered the intent of the sword?"

    The words shocked the peoplepletely. They all looked at Shi Lang with widened eyes and shivering bodies. The terran himself was surprised to hear what the old man said. He could not believe that this man had seen through him.

    He sped his fist, bowed to the old man, and asked, "May I know who this senior is?"

    The old man smiled and said, "I am Ye Ling, protector of the Fourth Prince."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Greetings, Senior Ye."

    The old man nodded, and while stroking his beard, the man said, "Hmmm, Young Friend Shi is indeed a genius to have cultivated sword intent in the golden core stage."

    Shi Lang shook his head and, with sped hands, replied, "Senior, you are overpraising. People my age have already stepped into the realm of an immortal soul or even an immortal physique. At the same time, I am still left at a standstill. What sort of genius am I?"

    Ye Ling smiled and said, "Too much humility can birth arrogance, Young friend Shi."

    Shi Lang did not say anything in response, the old man was not simple, and Shi Lang did not want to get into trouble for offending the royal protector. If only he had strength, he would not have to bow to anyone. This phase of life reminded him of his life back in the Federation.

    Ye Ling nodded to the Prince, who bowed properly as the old man said, "Tian Imperial Family has the virtue of recognizing gratitude. You must not feel odd about it."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Senior, although I guided the Prince. His talent allowed him to get a grip on the situation. Now, he should go in a period of seclusion to consolidate his experience."

    Ye Ling nodded and stroked his beard, thinking about what to do, when Ling Tian stepped forward and bowed to Ye Ling as he said, "Senior Ye, greetings. I am Ling Tian. On behalf of my family, I invite you and His Highness to the Ling Family Manor. His Highness will be able to cultivate there in peace."

    Ye Ling watched the young master of the Ling Family and said, "Thank you for your kind intention, but His Highness would need a sparring partner when cultivating. You do not seem to have a sword master in your family."

    Ling Tian was pped by an invisible hand, and Ye Ling turned to look at Shi Lang and asked, "I wonder if the Shi Family can allow us to include?"

    Shi Lang was shocked but bowed and said, "It would be the pleasure of the Shi Family."

    This was a godsend chance for the Shi family. In the city, the Shi family''s reputation will explode. Thinking about it, Shi Lang said, "Then shall we leave now?"

    Ye Ling smiled and said, "Young Friend, you are forgetting something. The reward for someone to win five matches."

    Shi Lang was taken aback and said, "Senior, I only fought two matches. How can I im the prize."

    Ye Ling was at a loss when the Prince said, "Then, consider it a meeting gift. Today, you helped me breakthrough, and this pill is my gratitude."

    Xiang San said, "Brother Shi, ept the pill. The fourth prince willin to the third princess. You do not know. Her Highness will whip you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Tian Longjian tilted his head to look at the speaker and said, "Oh, third brother Xiang is here. It seems like you have forgotten my sister''s lessonst time."

    Xiang San shivered and said, "Fourth Prince, you must grow up and deal with your matters yourself."

    Tian Longjian smirked. He was unphased by Xiang San. Ye Ling snapped his fingers and asked, "Does anyone have any objection if the pill is handed to Young Master Shi?"

    How would anyone dare to object except for Ling Tian? However, he still maintained a sly smile and took the lead in apuding Shi Lang.

    The people followed the lead and watched Tian Longjian retrieve a jade bottle from his space ring and give it to Shi Lang. The terran epted it with both hands and stowed it away. Then he asked, "Senior, shall we head to the Shi Manor?"

    Ye Ling nodded, and Shi Lang led them out of the pavilion. He gave a signal to Shi Yua and Shi Ning as well. The girls moved quickly and swiftly. They were going to inform the family quickly.

    Shi Lang chatted with the two guards. First Master Ling was silent, though the other guy was a battle maniac called Bai Hu. He repeatedly asked Shi Lang for a battle. The terran gave him a wry chuckle. Shi Lang rode the carriage with the Prince, and Elder Ye Ling hid in the shadows.

    The carriage was slower than the pedestrian walk because the crowd on the streets was too heavy. They had alle out to see the PPrince''scarriage.

    Shi Lang praised himself for sending the two girls away. Xiang San and Xiao Nan followed. They had other matters to discuss. The other people from rich families also wanted to follow, but the maid of the Prince said, "His Highness does not like to be bothered much. Please return, for now. His Highness will meet you all after his seclusion ends."

    Thus the people left. Shi Lang led the convoy to the family''s manor, where the entire Shi family stood at the door. The manor had been moderately decorated. Shi Lang got down from the carriage and led the Prince.

    Shi Yulong and the rest of the people weed the Prince warmly. Ye Ling appeared, took the Prince to a guest courtyard, and entered seclusion directly. Shi Lang sighed at everything and gave a detailed ount to the people about what happened.

    Shi Shanwang said, "Shi Lang, do not consume the enlightenment pill before you are close to the breakthrough."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then he took a leave. He was going to deal with Xiang San and Xiao Nan. The newly acquainted man had proposed a coboration, and Shi Lang wanted to know what it was.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Ling Tian arrived back at the Ling Family manor. But his expression was cold and worn. He did not know how Shi Lang took advantage of this situation. The more he thought, the more hatred brewed in his heart.

    A disciple appeared beside him and said, "Young Master, Patriarch has called for you."

    Ling Tian nodded and went to meet his father. The family Patriarch was strolling in the garden with his hands behind his back. Ling Tian approached, and the older man said, "Tian, what is it about the Fourth Prince entering the Shi Family?"

    Ling Tian sighed and then told him everything that happened and as it happened. This was quality; he did not add or subtract things from the ount. Calmly dealing with the situation was what made him a ferocious enemy.

    The Patriarch nodded and said, "You need to nt a few people to keep an eye on them."

    Ling Tian nodded and said, "I will."

    The Patriarch nodded, and the two discussed countermeasures in detail. They knew what impact the visit of the Prince would have on the city, and now that the Prince had moved to the Shi Family, it will raise their reputation rapidly.

    ...

    Shi Lang sat in a pavilion facing Xiang San and Xiao Nan. He asked, "So, brother Xiang, tell me what you have to propose."

    Xiang San looked around and took out an array disc. He channeled a shred of spirit array in the disc. The disc erected an istion barrier around the pavilion and Xiang San said, "How do you like the idea of exploring an ancient tomb of an immortal sovereign-level cultivator?"

    Shi Lang and Xiao San stood up from their seats.

 Chapter 490 Tomb Raiding.

    ?

    After a small discussion among themselves, Shi Lang rushed to the family elders, and Xiao Nan went to the Tianxu Pavilion. The former told the elders he would like to go out to gain experience. When asked what to do about the Fourth Prince, Shi Lang told them he would handle it.

    Shi Yulong smiled and said, "Very well, since you want to go, I will not stop you. But you do not have a space ring. The one you have will not be essible since you have yet to reach the immortal soul realm. Also, do not reveal your spirit tattoo to anyone easily."

    Shi Lang bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your advice, Patriarch."

    Shi Yulong waved his hand and tossed a space ring to Shi Lang. He said, "This space ring has a space of fifty square yards."

    Shi Lang could not help but marvel. This space ring was bigger than his space ring by five times. He expressed his gratitude again and moved out. His first stop was the guest courtyard, where the Fourth Prince secluded himself.

    He stood at the entrance and asked, "Shi Lang hase to bid farewell to the Fourth Prince."

    Bai Hu appeared before him in a flicker and asked, "Yo! Brother Lang, where are you going without fighting me?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "My cultivation has reached a bottleneck. If I wish to seed, I must seek a chance.''

    Bai Hu wanted to talk more when a calm voice sounded, "His Highness is calling him in."

    Bai Hu led Shi Lang inside the courtyard. The terran found himself in the garden where the Fourth Prince moved his sword. However, the slight rustling sound of the wind was still audible.

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "Calm your heart. Only when you have patience will you achieve greatness. Remember, it is not your swiftness but your smoothness that makes your de silent. Only practice the basics until you achieve smoothness in them, do not perform sword dance."

    His voice was calm, and it reached Tian Longjian''s ears. Soon her movements became smoother and calm. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Brother Bai Hu, I will leave the manor soon. You all can stay here for as long as you like. Please do not hesitate to tell His Highness I am apologetic for my abrupt departure."

    Bai Hu waved his hand with a big smile and said, "Do not worry. We understand. Elder Ye will deal with the matters here. You can rest assured."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the courtyard. Elder Ye appeared soon after, saying, "This young man, he is not simple."

    Bai Hu was surprised, and First Master Ling asked, "This is the first time I have seen Senior Yeplimenting someone even in his absence."

    Ye Ling stroked his beard and said, "You do not know, Xiao Ling. Only when the time is right should you know why I think highly of him."

    ...

    Shi Lang had just left the manor when he sensed a few gazes pointed at his back. He moved to the Tianxu Pavilion and came to find Xiao Nan. Thedy told Elder Chen to handle the work, but he said, "Miss Xiao, I do not think it is safe for both of us to leave the city at the same time."

    Xiao Nan raised her brows and asked, "Why do you say so?"

    Shi Lang sighed and sat down on a chair. He said, "The young master of the Ling Family has tagged tails behind us."

    Xiao Nan smiled and said, "You do not have to worry. Elder Chen will handle them."

    Shi Lang gazed at the old man, who nodded and vanished from his ce. Soon, he returned with a few men tied up and knocked out cold. The old man said, "Although we can deal with these tails, what would you do with the city guards? They will talk about Young Miss leaving with you. Also, by now, the City Hall must have gotten the news of what is happening, and City Lord must have put his cronies up to it too."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I wish I could go and kill these two snakes directly."

    Xiao Nan shook her head and said, "If only it were that easy."

    At this moment, Xiang San appeared and knocked on the door. Xiao Nan waved her hand to call him inside, and they told him the situation. Xiang San had told them to avoid detection. Shi Lang was not very strong, and if he pulled away from the spies with his ability, chances were that the Ling family would be alerted.

    Another solution was for him to kill a person, but the City guard will find the body and with the bed warming rtion of the two enemies. He will bring Shi Family into the thick of it. Xiang San smiled and took out three masks from his space ring. He said, "Their masks can alter appearances. For example, you can assume the face of a random passerby and walk around. However, ensure you do not meet the person you pretend to be. Things will be awkward."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and Xaio Nan said, "Indeed, you deserve your name of a big city young thug." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xiang San coughed up and asked, "What do you mean by a thug?"

    Xiao Nan did not say anything but inspected the mask carefully. Shi Lang raised his brows, picked up the mask, and ced it on his face. The spirit energy condensed, and his appearance shocked the people. Even his hair had changed. Xiao Nan looked at him and then smiled evilly.

    She said, "Young Master Shi, very good."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Shall we go?"

    Xiao Nan nodded and then picked up the mask to change her appearance. She turned into a beautifuldy. Elder Chen said, "Young Miss, this. If you, the city hall got to know. They would trouble us."

    Xiao Nan shook her head and said, "Do not worry, Elder Chen, I have a sense of measure."

    ...

    The three people appeared at the city gates. The guards on duty knew the identity of the two people and were shocked. Ling Tian walked holding a battle fan in his hand, with ady in red following him.

    The city guards bowed and said, "Young Master Ling, Young Miss Shui."

    The girl was addressed as the Young Miss, meaning she was the daughter of the Xuan family. The daughter of the city lord.

    Xuan Shui replied with a nod, and the two people left the city with Xiang San in tow. The guards did not care much about him. However, when Xuan Shui passed the gate, she said, "If any of you let someone know that you have seen me or Brother Tian. I will have your heads on my feet. Understood?"

    The guards nodded and said, "As youmand, Young Miss."

    Xuan Shui nodded and left after casting a prolonged gaze at the guards as if she was memorizing their faces. The guard captain waited till the two people were out of sight. Xiang San did not follow them because it would make the guards notice him.

    The guard captain sighed and said, "Whenever I see thisdy, my soul shivers in terror."

    Another colleague said, "Oh, I cannot help but agree more with you, Captain."

    ...

    Ling Tian and Xuan Shui exited the city on foot and rushed into the forest. After checking the surroundings, the people took down their masks and regrouped with Xiang San. Shi Lang asked, "Now, tell me where you heard about this tomb and what the catch is."

    Xiang San nodded and said, "I had gone for the Five Mountain sect admission while camping in the forest. I had taken a masking pill to avoid any beasts tracking me. When I heard two seniors passing over, I was hiding that an Immortal Sovereign from the central nes had fallen here in the eastern barrens, leaving behind a tomb with considerable treasures."

    Xiao Nan nodded and then asked, "Then why didn''t any senior make any attempt into discovering this tomb?"

    Xiang San said, "Because they are looking in the wrong locations. The senior was called Myriad Titan Immortal Sovereign. He was a body refiner but also had greatmand over speed and the whip."

    Xiao Nan asked, "Then how do you know it is the wrong ce everyone is looking into?"

    Xiang San said, "There is a saying in my family. Be so strong that the reality looks like an illusion."

    The two people raised their eyebrows and Xiang San said, "The idiom sucks, but the ancestor of my n devised it, Xiang Yunhao, also known as the Myriad Titan Immortal Sovereign."

    Shi Lang stopped in his tracks and so did Xiao Nan. Xiang San raised his chin and said, "What the rest of the family does not know is this idiom is the key to the location of the tomb."

    Xiao Nan and Shi Lang spoke up in unison, "Titan Mountain."

    Xiang San said, "Half correct, The Myriad caves of the Titan Mountains."

 Chapter 491 Myriad Caves.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the two ran through the forest when suddenly, Xiang San said, "Do you hear that?"

    Shi Lang focused his senses and said, "Yeah, it seems like someone is fighting."

    Xiang San nodded and said, "Let''s go, check what is going on."

    The three of them nodded, but before they moved, Shi Lang said, "Wait, we do not know who the enemy is, how strong they are. Would you mind if I take the lead?"

    Xiang San was surprised and wanted to ask something when Xiao Nan said, "I trust him more than I trust you, Third Xiang."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am not saying I am the stronger or, the more capable one, but I still have some experience in battle."

    Xiang San was still doubtful, and Shi Lang said, "Miss Xiao, you will stay at the back and ensure that no one sneaks up on us. Brother Xiang, you will be in the middle to provide support if needed. I do not wish to die so soon."

    Xiang San nodded, and they moved toward the sound. The trio was careful, and they were silent as they moved. When they approached the spot, they hid inside the thickets and converged on their breath.

    In a narrow clearing, two groups of people engaged in an armed confrontation. There were injuries on both sides, but none seemed to have died.

    Shi Lang gazed at Xiang San in askance, checking if thetter knew these people, and the third master nodded. Xiao Nan opened her mouth, but Shi Lang signaled her to stay silent.

    They heard one of the group leaders speak, "Jiang Yangshi, leave, the Yu family came here first, and we will be exploring the Titan mountain range. Your family cane after a week. Dare you to vite the agreement?"

    Jiang Yangshi old at the old man before him and said, "Old bustard Yu, do you think your Yu family can upy the resources hidden in this ce? Do you believe I can kill you and your pups right now, and then I will do what I want here."

    Old Yu clenched his fists for a second and said, "Very well, kill us if you dare to."

    His casual attitude surprised Jiang Yangshi. Only two premises could make someone so casual when facing a death threat. One, they had a card up their sleeves and could overturn the situation. Two, they did not care whether they would live or die.

    Jiang Yangshi knew the condition of the Yu Family in Lion Heart City, and he was sure that it was thetter. However, experience has taught him the hard way that a cornered beast can inflict some serious damage.

    Shi Lang and the two were watching the entire situation y out silently. The terran had no interest in ying messiah and mediating the two parties'' situation. He only inspected them to ensure that none of these people was after the Myriad Caves.

    The two parties entered a stalemate. Jiang Yangshi hesitated and did not wish to cause any of his men to die in a desperate struggle. Titan mountain range was not a regr forest. This ce was lingering with spirit beasts stronger than them.

    Jiang Yangshi snorted and said, "Fine, have it your way and die in this fucking ce. I wille after the deadline expires, and then we will see things."

    Old Man Yu was notcent. He did not lower his guard. He knew full well what Jiang Yangshi was capable of. He was a snake waiting to bite the prey in a blink. Another reason that Jiang Yangshi did not attack him was fear. He feared the bloodshed would attract spirit beasts'' unwanted attention, and his party would suffer loss.

    Jiang Yangshi retreated quickly, and only when his breath disappeared from the vicinity did Old Man Yu calm down. He looked at his group and instructed, "Let''s go. That snake might be waiting in the shadows to strike us down. Let''s go."

    Old Man Yu also left the ce. After they disappeared, Shi Lang asked, "What was that about?"

    Xiang San sighed and said, "That was a regr conflict between the old and new lion. Yu family was glorious and strong, but recently, after their old patriarch passed away. They witnessed a rapid fall in their status. Jiang Family''s patriarch and elders were respectful to the Yu family before any of this. However, now they have been fighting over petty resources desperately."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We should get going."

    The three of them moved and left the area. They did not meet any of the two groups on the way, and after traveling for a few hundred kilometers inside the mountain range. They arrived at a waterfall.

    Shi Lang could swear that even the biggest waterfall back in the federation would look puny before this natural marvel. The whole ce was misty, and a loud sound of water falling into the plunge pool. They could not see the top of the waterfall even with their enhanced gaze. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xiao Nan sighed and remarked, "Now, this must be the first challenge, right?"

    Xiang San nodded andmented, "Correct, this water curtain is the first obstacle."

    Shi Lang sat down at the bank and said, "borate."

    Xiang San cleared his throat and said, "What you seek is hiding behind the curtain of transparency. ss of illusion breaks with brute strength."

    Xiao Nan exasperatedly said, "Ugh, another riddle."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Nope, it is very simply stated that the caves lie behind this water curtain. Water is transparent. We must have immense strength to break past this water curtain to look for things."

    Xiang San nodded and remarked, "You are a smart guy."

    Shi Lang did not reply and dived inside the plunge pool. He swam his way to the waterfall. He wanted to try breaking through the water curtain underwater. However, the flow was so intense that he almost drowned from the drag.

    The terran returned to the surface, and this time he tried to rush into the curtain directly, but he was repelled. It was like a fly being swatted. He was washed away to the bank and gazed at the sky in a daze. Xiang San and Xiao Nan looked at him with sympathy.

    Xiang San helped the Terran sit up, saying, "Brother, you should have used your spirit energy to shield. It would have been easy then."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for your advice, Brother Xiang. Why don''t you do the honor? After all, it is the inheritance site of your ancestors."

    Xiang San thought about it and then nodded. The young man was a moving muscle mountain. After hearing what Shi Lang said, he rushed forward, but the result was unchanged. Xiang San was also pushed back. Xiao Nan helped him sit up, and the young man said, "Why did you not tell me that this ce does not allow one to use your spiritual energy?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "I will train here. You can join me."

    Xiang San nodded, and Xiao Nan said, "I will not do the body refining training, but my spiritual cultivation had reached a bottleneck. I will maintain vigil."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You should stay at the bank, Miss Xiao. The entire plunge pool and the water curtain disable spirit energy."

    Xiao Nan nodded and sat down at the side. Shi Lang and Xiang San found a boulder in the plunge pool. These stones were why Shi Lang survived the earlier attempt of breaking through underwater.

    They aimed to stand on the boulder and withstand the pressure of the waterfall to temper their bodies. This was not going to be easy for them. However, this was the only way they had.

    The two could not get closer to the boulder, let alone get on top of it. Shi Lang had been trying to get past the pressure of the waterfall, but he failed. Xiang San was no different than the Terran. Shi Lang sighed, and after ten more attempts. He came to the bank to adjust his state before he attempted again.

    The two people were relentless. Finally, after two days, Shi Lang reached a boulder. However, he was washed away by the current. Half a dayter, Xiang San faced the same thing.

    The two people decided that the next step was to gain a steady foothold on the boulders when they heard a few rushed footsteps approaching in their direction.

    Shi Lang and Xiang San hid in the pool, and Xiao Nan stood at the bank with a whip in her hand.

    The footsteps belonged to none other than Jiang Yangshi. He spotted Xiao Nan and he was stunned. He could not help but mumble, "What a beauty."

    Xiao Nan snapped her whip and said, "Do you not want your eyes anymore?"

    The man gulped a mouthful. He said, "You can have my eyes in exchange that you will let me watch you a bit longer."

 Chapter 492 Greed & Arrogance Leads To Death.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Xiang San were hiding underwater. Thetter was confused as to why they were doing this. After all, it was the opposite of his virtue. How can he let a woman face all these things alone? He red at Shi Lang, who gave him a few signals.

    Xaing San understood, and with a nod, he swam up and startled the people. Shi Lang had taken him down the plunge pool to give people the illusion that they were chasing after a treasure under the water. To lure the enemy inside.

    Jiang Yangshi identified Xiang San while thetter was stumbling behind Xiao Nan and eximed, "What the heck! Third Master Xiang."

    They would know about each other since they were from the Lion Heart City. Xaing San raised his brow and asked, "Who are you?"

    His tone was filled with disdain. He was the third in line, and he was very disciplined. However, that side of his was only known to his family. Everyone in the Lion Heart city knew this guy to be a thug and ruthless.

    Jiang Yangshi nodded and said, "I am Jiang Yanshi, the third elder of the Jiang Family of the Lion Heart City."

    Xiang San clicked his tongue and asked, "So, you are from Jiang Hushan''s uncle. Hmm, good. What do you need here?"

    Jiang Yangshi was used to this aloof action of the young man, and with a ttering smile, he said, "Nothing, our purpose is nothing, we were just looking for a resting ce. I wonder if young master Xiang would allow us to camp here."

    Xiang San checked out the entire entourage and said, "No, I do not trust you. If your goofy nature cost me the treasure inside the pool, I will take your skin off."

    The term treasure ignited all the bulbs in Jiang Yangshi''s mind. He wanted to upy this treasure and win glory. Xiao Nan was surprised when she heard Xiang San''s words, but thetter gave her a quick wink. She understood that it was a scheme to trample the snake''s head.

    Jiang Yangshi nodded repeatedly and remarked, "It must be nice to have caught Third Master Xiang''s eye."

    Xiang San nodded with his chin raised high. Jiang Yangshi loomed over it, "I wonder what the treasure might be."

    Xiang San smirked and said, "Have you ever heard of crystallized refining liquid?"

    Jiang Yangshi opened his eyes wide and eximed, "You mean to say the crystallized paste that, when applied, could cleanse marrows and wash the bodies of the practitioners?"

    Xiang San nodded and understood that Jiang Yangshi had taken the bite. Thetter thought briefly and asked, "Third Master Xiang, how about my people and me spare your life, and you let us obtain that Crystallized refining liquid."

    Jiang Yangshi was not that good in terms of nning. This middle-aged man was cocky because he thought the number of people behind him was strong enough. Xiang San immediately put away the aloof expression and radiated strong killing intent toward Jiang Yangshi.

    Thetter shivered, surprised to see this young thug have such an aura. However, he did not wish to give in. This young man was his junior, at least in terms of age. If he gave up with just a re, would this not make a fool out of him?

    Xiang San retorted, "Have you forgotten that I belong to the Xiang Family? What gives you the courage toe and threaten me?"

    Jiang Yangshi gritted his teeth. Xiang San humiliated him with the name of his family. He wanted to rebuke him, but the young man did not give him any chance. Xiang San took out his war hammer and said, "Jiang Yangshi, I do not go around using the influence of my family. However, if they discovered that a dog like you robbed us of the treasure, you know very well what disaster awaits your entire n. Are you sure you want toe andpete with me for it?"

    Jiang Yangshi red at Xiang San and said, "Who the fuck are you to act so pompously before me? You are a useless thug from the Lion Heart City born into an influential family. It was my goodwill for your father that I proposed to you to leave alive, but since you do not know how to be grateful, I will kill you, rape this bitch, and then have the treasure for myself. No one will know what happened here."

    He waved, and the Jiang Family disciples picked up their arms. Xiang San frowned, and Xiao Nan looked tense when the pool''s surface suddenly began to boil. Everyone was a detail-oriented cultivator. At this tense moment, they were observing the surroundings more vigntly than ever. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xiang San opened his eyes wide and wobbled. Xiao Nan quickly supported him and then saw the surface of the pond turn red. She opened her eyes wide and heard Xiang San exim, "Forgive me, Brother Shi. Forgive me for being too arrogant."

    Jiang Yangshi looked at the situation and found more than what he knew. He asked quickly, "Xiang San, what are you yapping about? Speak properly."

    Xiang San gazed back at him but with lifeless eyes. He said, "You wanted the treasure, right? I will give it to you. I will not tell my family if you manage to obtain it. I can swear on my Dao. But Jiang Yangshi, please help me return my brother from there."

    Jiang Yangshi was surprised, and Xiang San said, "Brother Shi was my sworn brother, and just now, he was fighting a killing array that surrounds the treasure pond hidden inside the depths of the pool. He sent me back to reduce risk."

    Xiang San even had tears in his eyes. The acting was so touching that it fooled the enemy. Jiang Yangshi was surprised and asked, "You mean to say that down there is a killer array that protects the pond?"

    Xiang San nodded, and one of the Jiang family disciples said, "Third Elder, do you think such a power can always act? We can use this opportunity to take that array down before it recovers its spiritual powers. Thanks to the brother of Xiang San. We will be stronger, and the family will respect us like heroes."

    Jiang Yangshi loved vanity, and this dialog strengthened his resolve, and he nodded. He replied to Xiang San and asked, "Fine, we will retrieve your brother, then you will swear on your Dao heart, and then leave here with him. We will take care of the treasure pond."

    The Jiang disciples all chuckled as if they had struck gold. Xiang San nodded, and with a gesture from Jiang Yangshi, twelve disciples of the Jiang Family dove into the plunge pool. Xiang San smiled coldly because he knew what awaited them down there.

    ...

    The disciples of the Jiang Family were all vignt. However, they did not realize that the inactivity in their spiritual senses was caused because they could not use their spiritual energy at all.

    Shi Lang was standing on the water bed. He had a card that the others did not, the innate ability of a Terran to sense things around him without even needing to see. Another thing that would help him take down these people was his sword intent. Raksha has been ced in his spirit tattoo, but now, he would let her out and consume these people.

    The spirit tattoo was opened, and the red and gold sword emerged. The de trembled slightly as ifining about keeping her locked. Shi Lang stroked the de gently and channeled his sword intent through the de. Then all he had to do was to let go of his hand. The sword flew out of his hand like a torpedo.

    Shi Lang did not move from his ce. The constant moving of his hand caused the earlier water waves to create a false whirlpool. His mind power did not control the sword.

    ...

    Raksha Sword flew out and consumed the lives of the Jiang Family disciples. Jiang Yangshi was observing the situation outside. He did not want Xaing San to pull something on him. However, the more time it took, the more perplexed he became. Soon, he narrowed his eyes as the pond''s water turned a darker version of red.

    Jiang Yangshi realized that the killing array inside the pond ended the lives of his family disciples. Xiang San and Xiao Nan were also surprised, but they knew Shi Lang was anything but easy.

    Jiang Yangshi could not help but panic. The death of so many disciples was a sin he would have to bear. So, he decided to take out the signal re and alert the family higher-ups waiting on the other side of the forest toe and aid them.

    However, before he could do anything, a dagger lodged itself in his palm. Jiang Yangshi took a few moments to register the pain in his hand, and by the time he could scream. Xiao Nan appeared before him and a dagger was stabbed in his throat. Thedy said, "Did you not want to look at me a bit longer, scum."

    Jiang Yangshi realized that he was tricked, but it was toote.

 Chapter 493 Titan Body.

    ?

    Jiang Yangshi was dying with disbelief in his eyes. A couple of youngsters tricked him. Thest sight he saw was a young man emerging from the pond, and then his world cked out.

    Shi Lang came out of the pond and said, "Brother Xiang, you will need to clean the pond."

    Xiang San chuckled and replied, "Don''t worry but tell me, how did you kill all these people?"

    The terran sighed and replied, "Sword intent."

    The answer surprised the two people a bit. They did not expect what Elder Yu said about Shi Lang was true. But soon, they turned around and found a cluster of body parts floating up to the pond''s surface.

    Xiang San shivered, and Xiao Nan emptied her bowels at the side. Shi Lang scratched his head and said, "Sorry, I forgot to make it clean."

    Xiang San took a few deep breaths and calmed down. He said, "It is fine. Luckily, I have an idea about how to deal with these."

    Shi Lang nodded. Xiang San was an immortal soul realm cultivator. He was standing at the pond''s bank, and with a wave of his hand, the bodies swooshed up inside his space ring. The young man said, "I will go and dump these in the forest. The beasts will take care of the rest."

    Xiao Nan and Shi Lang nodded, and Xiang San left. Thedy wanted to say something, but Shi Lang waved his hand to stop her. The two of them did not trust Xiang Sanpletely, and such was the cultivation world.

    Xiao Nan aside. Shi Lang was wary of even his shadow ever since he stepped into this realm. He did not know this ce. To think that someone who thrived on exploiting everything about his enemies was akin to an arrow fired in the dark. How was that for a transition?

    Shi Lang said, "You should stay on the outer edge of the pond. If you manage to break through, thene up to the waterfall. It will be beneficial for you. I did not expect Brother Xiang to share such an opportunity with us."

    He did not make any extra movement or secret gesture. Xiao Nan knew why because even if Xiang San had left, a strange spirit pressure was still in the void. It could be some expert watching over Xiang San. Shi Lang could not guarantee survival if they detected any disparity in their behavior and attacked.

    He did not wish to die so soon. Xiao Nan caught his hint andmented, "True, this is a godsend. If I can figure out the method for manufacturing that mask, Tianxu Pavilion will thrive. Of course, I will dedicate a percentage of profits to third master Xiang."

    Shi Lang nodded and waved his hand before jumping to the waterfall. However, no matter how hard he tried, the result was the same. The water curtain''s force was fast, pushing him back like an insect trying to fly against the wind.

    Shortly, Xiang San returned and found Xiao Nan watching Shi Lang intently. He could not help but ask, "What are you watching, Miss Xiao?"

    Xiao Nan replied, "I don''t know why, but I feel he is improving greatly."

    Xiang San was surprised and asked, "What makes you feel like that?"

    Thedy said, "Count the breath and watch his muscles."

    Xiang San followed the instructions and was surprised. After ten breaths, he realized that Shi Lang was growing faster. Xiang San sucked in a deep breath and began to learn from Shi Lang.

    The terran did not know all this and kept hitting the waterfall. His endurance was tested with every approach, but Shi Lang did not give up. This was a tomb designed by Myriad Titan. A person with a physique that allowed him to break mountains with a punch and, at the same time, able to cast illusions so realistic that a person would not even know when they lost their minds.

    Shi Lang would not back off until he had reached his goal. His body was changing every time he rushed to the waterfall. Shi Lang was cruel to himself. He controlled his blood flow using the things he learned during his time in the Federation.

    The blood carried the spirit energy to the cells that were agonized by the pressure of the waterfall. He had lost count of the times he was washed up by now.

    Xiao Nan called them both back to have some dinner. Shi Lang ate a lot and even hunted some beasts to eat more. His body needed energy to recover, and food was the energy source. Even the lowest-level beast was a spiritual treasure.

    After eating his fill, the terran sat down at the pond''s banks and began to replenish his spiritual energy. Most of it was used to integrate with blood and support his body during the noon. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He did not mind the other two and was immersed in his world. Xiang San sighed when he looked at Shi Lang sitting under the moon and cultivating, "I wonder what makes him such a fanatic?"

    Xiao Nan shrugged. She thought briefly and asked, "Third Master Xiang, what treasure do these caves hold?"

    Xiang San yawned and said, "Inheritance of an immortal sovereign."

    Xiao Nan was shocked and looked around to see if someone had heard them talking. She red at Xiang San and found that the young man was asleep. She sighed and stood up to cultivate on her own.

    This was the first time she hade out to gain experience. She had the lowest cultivation level among the three. Xiang San invited her over to the expedition, her family name.

    Shi Lang did not know, but how could Xiang San be unaware that she was the youngest daughter of the Xiao Family from the central ins, and she was sent here to test her mettle and grow into a strong and worthy candidate for the Xiao Family business?

    The Xiao was one of the most reputed business families in the immortal realm. Many people owed Xiao Family favors and were very protective of their family members.

    So, if any of the people developed unfriendly intentions toward them, the trio would deal with them, but if they were weaker, then take out the Xiao Family card.

    ¡­

    One month passed, and now Shi Lang could stand under the waterfall for three hours. He did not know how often the water had cut his flesh, but now his skin was so tough that the impact slightly reddened it.

    Shi Lang was calmly standing under the waterfall with his eyes closed and legs bent. Xiang San was also beside him. His higher realm of cultivation had helped him a lot. He was able to withstand the pressure for four hours. However, he was not proud of it because he had the aid of his cultivation realm.

    As Shi Lang was facing the pressure of the waterfall, Xiao Nan was consolidating her golden core base. She was able to make a breakthrough the night before. Of course, Shi Lang was helpful too.

    He sparred for two hours with her every night. Xiao Nan was grateful to him for all his help. She maintained contact with Elder Chen using a messenger talisman, and it found that the Ling and Xuan family had been silent.

    Shi Lang was all too familiar with this pattern and said, "They must be nning something big. A snake does not stay still until it is sleeping or waiting to hunt down prey."

    Xiang San nodded in agreement and suggested, "How about I call for a few elders from the Xiang Family, and they deal with Ling and Xuan families?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Brother Xiang, that would not be necessary. The fourth prince is still the guest of the Shi Family, and the enemy will not be making any big moves until they find the coast is clear."

    Xiang San nodded and sighed, "This is one of the reasons why I am not the young master of my family. My big sister is the Young Mistress. She is as strong as me, but her mind is sharper."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It is a fortune for you to have a family and those you can admire, Brother Xiang. It is way better than living a wary life."

    Xiang San raised his brow and asked, "Why do you say so? The Shi sisters respect you a lot."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "In the upper realm, everyone with strength better than yours is respected and treated nicely. However, Ie from a world where even the closest of your kin can betray you for something profitable."

    Xiao Nan caught the hint and opened her eyes wide, "You mean to say you are an ascender?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and Xiang San stood up from his seat. They could not believe what the person just told them. Suddenly, they all looked to the side at the thickets and sensed movement from there.

 Chapter 494 Titan Body. (2)

    ?

    Three people were looking toward the thickets when they heard a clicking sound. However, the sound turned out to be a pheasanting out of there. The stares made the pheasant freeze for a minute before it ran back away.

    Shi Lang said, "So, going back to the topic, I am an ascender."

    Xiang San gulped and said, "That exins why you have not been able to break through to the immortal core realm yet. However, your physical body can make an immortal soul-level practitioner in terms of tenacity."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Not to worry, I have a n about what I should do in the future."

    Xiang San nodded, and they got back to cultivation. Shi Lang did not tell them much about his aspirations, and he wanted to get inside these caves, take what he could return to the city, deal with the Ling family and then aim for the entrance of the spiritual heart sect.

    Tian Long came forward to mention this sect, so he must have made some arrangements too. Shi Lang figured things out when asked toe to the eastern barrens, not the central ins.

    Shi Lang talked about his family more and then went back to cultivation. His growth was slowing down, but his body had undergone immense change. The golden bones he had developed were not like the past anymore.

    The constant pressure from the waterfall had turned his bones clear like ss but with a prominent golden tint. The terran was now able to move toward the inside of the waterfall.

    The thicker the water curtain falling over him, the stronger the pressure. He began to feel short of breath, and his body shivered. Xiang San beside him was also the same. He was also shaking, but the two of them could not improve their physical toughness quickly in a short time.

    A cultivator''s body takes a long time to improve, which cannot be changed. Even if they choose radical means to improve things, it will not work if their mental toughness is not up to match.

    The people could go crazy from the torment of the radical means used in physical tempering. The two men did not falter and gritted their teeth as they moved through the thick fall of water.

    As they moved closer to the end, Xiang San crawled on his fours, and Shi Lang was moving barely an inch with all. The relief came from the wall that he could see from the water curtain. He used his ability to sense things and found that the wall was inscribed with a few glyphs.

    Although the markings were shallow, they could still be made out. The terran was not surprised. He could tell these markings were body postures. These postures were followed by a set of words just when he wanted to read them.

    A wheezing voice sounded in his ear, "These are the stances of Titan Physique."

    Shi Lang found that Xiang San had crawled out of the waterfall. The terran did not do much and focused on walking out of the waterfall. He stepped out of the waterfall, and as soon as the pressure vanished, he fell to the ground.

    He took time and caught his breath before he asked, "The Titan Body?"

    Xiang San repeatedly nodded as his eyes were glued to the wall. The young man was mesmerized by it. Shi Lang asked, "What is the Titan Body?"

    Xiang San replied, "The Titan Body is the lost technique of the Xiang Family. When the ancestor learned this technique and reached the pinnacle of his strength, many enemies chased after him to snatch it. However, none of them could defeat him.

    This technique allowed him to wield the power that could kill an Immortal emperor in one punch. Do you understand what this technique means?"

    Surprised, Shi Lang mumbled, "Immortal emperors do not fight, but if they do, the cosmos shatter. Is that not invincible if someone can kill that power with one punch?"

    Xiang San nodded butmented, "This cannot give you instant invincibility. You will need a lot of resources and even more time. However, when you cultivate this technique, who knows, there might be that moment of invincibility you seek."

    Shi Lang nodded. He understood that it takes a long time to reach things peak. But now that he knew this technique belonged to the Xiang Family, he gave up practicing it. Regaining energy, the terran sat up, looked around, and found a cave opening.

    He wanted to look inside with his ability, but the ce was out of reach. His instinct told him to jump up, but he stopped making rash decisions. The experts usually left formations to stop anyone from looting such troves they left behind.

    Shi Lang would not be risking his life carelessly. He looked around and picked up a pebble. Xiang San eximed, "I can channel my spirit energy now."

    Shi Lang nodded and channeled his spirit energy. The energy poured into the stone, and the terran flung the stone into the cave mouth. Contrary to his expectations, nothing happened. The cave mouth was left unprotected. Shi Lang gazed at Xiang San. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He asked, "Brother Xiang, I do not know if it is the right time. But can you tell me why your family did not send anyone else but you to look for the remains?"

    Xiang San shook his head and replied, "My family did not send me here. My elder brother followed our Eldest sister to the rat race. On the other hand, I disagreed, so I slipped away under the guise of a self-exploration trip."

    Shi Lang nodded andmented, "So you are a thug."

    Xiang San looked at him aggrievedly and said, "That hurt me."

    Shi Lang did not care and said, "Try and find a way to get Xiao Nan over here too."

    Xiang San nodded and stood up wobbly. He wanted to jump up, but he had not yet recoveredpletely from the pressure of the waterfall. Shi Lang shook his head and controlled the spirit energy to buff his legs momentarily, and he jumped up.

    The terran reached the cave opening and stood at the threshold. Xiang San asked, "How is it?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Dark. I cannot see or sense anything from here. I think it isced up with illusion arrays."

    Xiang San agreed and said, "What now?"

    Shi Lang looked around and found a lever to be carved into the stone surface of the wall. He felt thetch and pulled it slightly. The cave echoed with licking sounds making Shi Lang put up his guard. To ease his relief, a tiny wedge opened up in the waterfall.

    Shi Lang was surprised and saw Xiao Nan also gawking at him from the bank. He beckoned her, and the girl moved quickly. The trio stood at the cave opening, and Shi Lang said, Brother Xiang, you should take the front. If there are any illusions, I will wake you up."

    Xiang San was confused and asked, "Why must I take the front?"

    Xiao Nan replied, "Your ancestor left it behind?"

    Xiang San nodded and then walked ahead. His steps were calm and firm. He did not hesitate because Shi Lang sensed a gaze on his back. Xiao Nan was the same. The two people followed behind.

    However, soon Xiang San stopped in his tracks. Shi Lang walked close to him and poked his back with his spirit energy. The young man screamed for a second but stopped and turned around to re at Shi Lang.

    Xiang San said, "This is not a solution. The illusion must be disrupted, but it should be done by solving the formations here."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am not an expert in dealing with things left behind by someone who can destroy us with a thought. So, would you want to go ahead and break the arrays?"

    Xiang San sighed and said, "As much as I want to find a way around this boulder, the predecessor has set a present. If we do not break out of the illusion alone, we will have to go through it again. Tell me if you have a better way to get away now."

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "Actually, this can be solved easily."

    Xiang San asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang said, "The illusion arrays work by sending our inner spiritual energy into disarray, affecting our consciousness. So what if we do not have spiritual energy inside the body, and this will throw the arrays off."

    Xiao Nan shook her head and said, "Wrong, you will not be able to do it like that."

    Shi Lang tilted his head, and Xiao Nanmented, "What? Young Master Shi, are you not looking down on the senior too much? If you can think of this method. Then he must have thought of it too when leaving this ce behind, right?"

    Shi Lang and Xiang San agreed, but a deep calm voice replied, "Well, little miss, what you said is not entirely correct. This young man has his wits in the right ce."

 Chapter 495 Myriad Titan.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the two were shocked when they heard the voice from the cave''s depths. They looked forward with their weapons at ready. A sigh echoed, and the voice said, "Finally, someone from the bloodline is smart enough to put the clues together ande over to find me. Tell me, boy, has the family been good?"

    Xiang San replied instinctively, "Yes, ancestor. There are troubles, but those are natural. The family is fine."

    The voice hummed, and the person said, "Very well, thene inside."

    Xiang San exchanged nces with Shi Lang, and the voice sounded again, "Do not worry, no array would be triggered. I am in control of the situation."

    Xiang San thanked the voice and stepped forward. Shi Lang and Xiao Nan were hesitant and moved forward. The terran thought that the earlier disruption had probably triggered some great illusion formation, and now the three of them were in a bind.

    However, if this were true, he would need to find an opening only inside the illusion array to break free from this entire loop. The trio followed the cave length, and after an hour of turning around and following the instructions, they arrived inside the core of the caveworks.

    Shi Lang stood in a muchrger space than any cave. It was like a sacred sanctum with an idol established in the center of the ce. The three of them spotted an elderly man sitting with crossed legs. Shi Lang was about to confirm that this was an illusion when an ethereal phantom appeared from the side.

    Xiang San and Xiao Nan took a step back in shock, but Shi Lang, who was already caught up in the idea that all this was an illusion, did not budge. To deal with an illusion, one needs to be calm.

    The Terran was calm, and he was not surprised. The phantom smiled at them, and after taking a good look, it said, "You must be from the Xiang Family."

    The gaze was pointed at Xiang San, who knelt on the ground and said, "I am Xiang San. Greetings, Ancestor."

    The Myriad Titan nodded faintly andmented, "You have a sturdy physique, but this young friend of yours. His physique is far ahead of you."

    Xiang San nodded and replied, "This is Shi Lang. I met him by chance, and his temperament matched me, so I asked for his help exploring the situation here."

    Shi Lang greeted the phantom with sped hands, and the phantom replied to him likewise. The phantom gazed at Xiao Nan and asked, "Who might this young fairy be?"

    Xiao Nan was surprised, but she could tell that the phantom did not have ill intentions and it was just a polite way ofplimenting her. She sped her hands in greeting and reported, "I am Xiao Nan. Greetings, Senior."

    Myriad Titan nodded and said, "I wondered why you seemed familiar. It turns out that you are a descendant of that sleazy businessman. Your ancestor was addressed by us all as the Merchant Fox."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "That was indeed his name."

    Myriad Titan smiled and asked, "Well, consider it fate. Allow me to bestow you a meeting gift."

    The old man waved his hand, and Xiao Nan winced. Shi Lang and Xiang San were surprised when they saw a ck sludge materializing from her skin. Xiao Nan touched her cheek, and she could guess everything from the expression on the two faces.

    She bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, senior."

    Myriad Titan nodded and said to Xiang San, "Xiao San, and I will pass you theplete set of the Titan body. However, I willy down the bitter words first. You will not be able to reach the peak."

    Xiang San shivered, and disappointment was visible in his eyes. The young man had a lot of hopes. The phantom replied, "You do not have to worry, though. You can reach the level of an imperial emperor if you try hard."

    Xiang San raised his head, and the phantom said, "The technique must be passed only to the immediate family members. However, holding this technique does not mean you should look down on the people of the family. You will not contend for the family head. Secure your position as the family elder. Be the pir that holds the sky if it falls on the family. Do you understand?"

    Xiang San was ambitious, but this was a death sentence for all his aspirations. The phantom realized what was going on in the mind of his descendant and said, "Xiang San if you got caught up in the trivial things of the secr world. You will be caught up and never surpass your limits at all. Dreaming is necessary, but what you should dream about is not just a position on the table. But a chair watches over the table. Do you understand what I mean?"

    These words finally cleared up the young man''s mind, and he kowtowed respectfully. The phantom waved his hand and passed the technique to the mind of Xiang San. The young man immediately sat down in a meditative stance. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang watched the scene without any fluctuations on his face. He was not fazed in the least. The phantom said, "Now, Young Miss Xiao, you must also be out for an opportunity. Right?"

    Xiao Nan nodded, and the phantom waved his hand. A jade slip appeared in the void, and the Myriad Titan said, "What you will get is a pair of techniques. This is called the jade illusion technique. It can help you strengthen your body, and at the same time, you can gain some insights into the dao of illusion."

    Xiao Nan was surprised, but the phantom replied, "Do not worry, I will think of it as a favor paid off to the Fox. However, you must always be an ally to my family."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "With all my capability. I will always help the Xiang family. As long as they don''t walk down the path of darkness."

    The phantom nodded. He agreed with her words. After all, let alone a young cultivator like Xiao Nan, even if the entire Xiao Family was to stand beside a dark family. The eastern forces will eradicate them.

    Xiao Nan epted the jade slip and immediately sat down to refine the technique.

    The phantom then turned his head to look at Shi Lang. The man said, "Young man, you are the strongest and most unpredictable card on the table. What shall I give you?"

    Shi Lang politely replied, "You tter me, senior."

    Myriad Titan shook his head and said, "I do not have the habit ofplimenting insincerely. I can sense some demon breath on you. It is not that strong, but it is evidence enough that you have yed at least ten of them and rather powerful ones."

    Shi Lang did not reply, and Myriad Titan said, "You practice the attribute of lightning and destruction. However, your lightning skills are a bit shallower than your destructive instinct is stronger. How about this? I will give you a technique. This technique did not belong to me. However, it came from a friend of mine. I only have a general understanding of it.

    The version is iplete. If you wish to find theplete set, you must look for the person, Immortal Sovereign Lightning Shura."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Senior, the technique I practice from the lower realms is called the Shura Sutra."

    Surprised, Myriad Titan nodded and said, "I see. That is how it is."

    Shi Lang said nothing else and waited for the phantom to continue. Myriad Titan said, "You should go to the Spirit Heart Sect. Lighting Shura founded that school. You will find some clues there."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Myriad Titans waved his hand. A jade card appeared in the void, and he said, "Take this and forge ahead. I only hope you can be allied with the Xiang Family."

    Shi Lang finally could not help but ask, "Senior, you said that one should not get caught up in secr matters, but you asked us to be the allies. Why so?"

    Myriad Titans smiled and said, "The Xiang Family is not as simple as you think. We have a force dedicated to fighting at the front in the central ins facing against the demons."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "In that case, I shall be the ally. I can also use some help."

    The phantom nodded and said, "Very well. I shall leave you to it then."

    Shi Lang epted the jade card and began cultivating right at the spot. The myriad titan looked at the three people and mumbled, "I do not have much time left. After a while, this ce will crumble upon itself. So look roughly at the techniques and do not go into seclusions."

    ...

    A few minutester, Shi Lang and the rest woke up. Xiang San paid respects to the old man''s remains before he collected them in a space ring. The body of an immortal Sovereign was priceless. Plus, it was only right for him to bring his ancestor home. The three people came out of the cave and the ce crumbled. The marks of the titan body techniques also vanished.

 Chapter 496 Showdown.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the two people stood at the edge of the pond. They sensed the surroundings tremble from the sudden change. After the dust settled, the trio bowed in the direction where the cave. Xiao Nan said, "Third Master Xiang, thank you for the opportunity."

    Xiang San shook his head and replied, "It is not me who should be thanked, but Brother Shi. It would not have been this easy if he had"

    Xiao Nan nodded gently. Shi Lang said, "We have been away from the city for a long time. We must go. My guts are wringing."

    Xiang San nodded and wanted to say something when an old man appeared before the three. Xiao Nan and Shi Lang froze in their spots, and Xiang San said, "Grandpa Hu, they are my friends."

    The old man scrutinized the two people and then let off the pressure. Xiao Nan huffed, and Shi Lang sped his hands to the old man and said, "Thank you for showing mercy, Senior."

    The old man did not reply, and Xiang San said, "They do not have the techniques of the Xiang Family line."

    Elder Hu nodded, and Xiang San said, "Well, Brother Shi, Miss Xiao, I must leave. My family has a situation."

    Shi Lang and Xiao Nan looked at each other, nodded, and wished him well. The next moment, Elder Hu waved his hand and vanished from the ce along with Xiang San. The young man did not get the chance to say anything.

    Shi Lang was surprised and was trying to specte what realm of cultivation this old man had when Xiao Nan said, "To think that Xiang San had an immortal king protecting him."

    Shi Lang was shocked. He knew little, but an average Immortal King could level cities at whims. He shook the idea off his mind and said, "Shall we leave the ce?"

    Xiao Nan nodded, and the two people rushed through the woods again. They both that a few things that were waiting for them. Shi Lang wanted to get over the Ling and Xuan Family issue. He had a general idea of how to solve the trouble. The solution was to get done with Ling Tian, and the future foundation of the Ling Family would be destroyed.

    He looked at Xiao Nan, who was running beside him, and said, "Miss Xiao, how would you like to avenge the humility you suffered?"

    Xiao Nan smiled and said, "There is nothing more I would want to do."

    Shi Lang smirked, and the two discussed a n while running. However, they controlled the voice so that only the two knew what was happening.

    ...

    The two entered the city with the illusion masks on their faces. They both looked like some random person. Xiao Nan rushed to the Tianxu Pavilion to set things in order before they got to the n of vengeance.

    Shi Lang also made a small stop at the Tianxu Pavilion. He changed his clothes and appearance, then went to the Shi Family Manor. His speed was calm and collected, and the aura was condensed. The people could not help but notice him. Shi Lang was a handsome young man with the temperament of an immortal fairy.

    As he reached the Shi Manor, the guards bowed and loudly said, "Young Master has returned."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and walked in while shaking his head. As he came inside the manor, a lot of people greeted him. Shi Lang was confused when suddenly, he spotted a young man fighting with six disciples simultaneously in the training field.

    Shi Lang was not surprised, but he could not help but look around and found Shi Ting rushing towards him. He wanted to ask something when Shi Ting shoved her head in his chest and sobbed. Shi Lang was surprised and gently patted her head as he asked, "Who upset our Ting?"

    He had been teaching her daily and thought of her the same as he would of Shi Tao. Shi Ting said, "That brat Longjian said I am not qualified to be a sword cultivator."

    Shi Lang quickly looked around, and patting her head, he coaxed her, "Ting, he is a prince. You must not be disrespectful."

    Shi Ting shook her head and said, "Then why is he disrespectful to me? He is born with a special physique. I am not. I did not say that he has cheated on other people. What is he if not for the imperial family and his sword heart?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang sighed. He knew what Shi Ting was going through. Did he not face the same thing back when Jenkins was bullying him? How could he not understand and feel the fire burning in his heart? If not for the fact that the person he was dealing with was a prince, he would have liked to challenge him fairly and beat him to the ground.

    Even if he could not beat the guy, he would still take the fight because he was a cultivator and lived his life denying the heavens. How can he let a human walk all over his pride? Shi Ting sobbed, and soon, the rest of the girls arrived. They wanted to approach and tell Shi Ting to calm down when Shi Lang said, "Did you finish the lesson on the basic swords?"

    Shi Ting nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Calm your mind and show me."

    Shi Ting calmed her mind and walked up a distance. She showed him the moves, and Shi Lang nodded. It showed that the girl was not cking in the least. Suddenly, he heard a chuckle from the side.

    The fourth prince came over and said, "Why don''t you give up? You cannot figure out even the basic of sword fighting after even a month. How will you advance to the further realms?"

    Shi Ting stopped, but Shi Lang said, "Do not hold back. Keep going. Focus on your de. In this world, only you and the sword exists. You do not have to listen to what others say."

    Shi Ting focused again and moved around with her de. Shi Lang spotted Elder Yu on the side and said, "Elder Yu, could you please?"

    Elder Yu knew that the haughty prince would cause a distraction, so he nodded and ced a hand on Tian Longjian''s shoulder. Shi Lang said, "Ting, remember, you are a cultivator who lives to defy heaven."

    The girl nodded, and her aura condensed slightly. Shi Lang said, "Make your actions urate and not fast."

    Shi Ting was only fourteen years old. Speed was not necessary for her. Shi Lang smiled and nodded, looking at her. He came and stood behind Shi Ting and closed his eyes. He said, "Stab."

    Shi Ting stabbed. Shi Lang said, "sh."

    Shi Ting shed. The terran was leading, and she was following. Shi Lang said, "Close your eyes and feel how your muscles move. Look within yourself."

    Shi Lang nodded and waited. Tian Longjian looked around and did not understand what was going on. He asked, "Elder Yu, what do you think is happening here?"

    Elder Yu Ling did not reply, but he was gazing with his eyes narrowed. He said after a few moments, "Just watch."

    Shi Ting stopped moving, and after a few moments, she stabbed again. Her de emitted a streak of spirit energy. The people opened their eyes wide in shock. Although the trace of the spirit energy was shallow, it was still something the people could not put into words.

    Shi Lang said, "You felt it, right? The energy you produced just now? That is the spirit energy inside your body. It will follow the movements of your body. When you focus on your de, the energy will follow the path. It wille out and increase your power. Shi Ting, your next task is to control the flow of energy and reach mastery."

    Shi Ting nodded and kept practicing. The young man nodded and said, "Keep practicing. Remember that feeling inside your body."

    He returned and said, "Yua, arrange for people to guard here. She is not to be disturbed."

    Shi Yua nodded and quickly arranged a few disciples. Shi Lang said, "You all can guard and learn from her. Okay? But without disturbing her."

    The guards nodded, and Shi Lang turned to face Elder Yu. The old man sighed and said, "To think that Young Friend Shi Lang can make this little girl touch upon the surface of a sword master realm. I am surprised."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You tter me, elder. If you look carefully, this girl has a special tenacity. Once she sets her mind to something, she will not stop until it is done. On the contrary, I want to thank the Fourth Prince for fueling this desire in her heart."

    The fourth prince was surprised and Shi Lang said, "Your Highness, in the future, Shi Ting will be peers with you. I hope you take care of her. Swordsmen must be honorable."

 Chapter 497 Conditions And Situations.

    ?

    Shi Lang taught Shi Ting for a day, and the girl managed to step into the realm of a sword master. Although she had no sword arts, her basic understanding was solid. Shi Lang told her not to get overconfident or to chase fancy sword arts and neglect basic sword skills.

    Shi Ting adhered to his advice. She knew that all that she was, it was thanks to him. The family was relieved to see the young girl finally growing up. Shi Yua was keen on making connections, but she did not leave behind her path in martial arts. She carried a sword with her, but she loved using a whip.

    Shi Lang taught her the skills he had acquired in the lower realms and gave her tips on getting into the enemy''s mind. The impact was visible. In the past month, Shi Yua has improved considerably, and now her skills have reached a level where no one in the family or city can hold her hand.

    Shi Yua was not pompous about it. She was very calm andposed. Shi Ning and Shi Wie were the jealous ones. After dinner, the two intended to find Shi Lang when they spotted the Terran sitting in the yard with his eyes closed. He seemed to be deep into meditation.

    The girls were thinking about returning when Elder Yu appeared behind Shi Lang and said, "Young Friend Shi Lang, can I have a few moments of your time?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and greeted the old man as he stood up from his meditative stance. He asked calmly, "Please tell me, Senior Yu."

    Elder Yu said, "In the past few years, the first and second princes have profusely contended for the Throne. They have gained support from the Spirit Heart Sect''s elders too."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "So, is there something I can do with this matter?"

    The young man could tell that this old man was fishing for something. Such sensitive issues were not to be mentioned until you sought something. Shi Lang knew this because he had been through such situations in the federation. So, he did not take the bait but put his line.

    Elder Yu smiled silently and said, "The third princess has no interest in the Throne and the kingdom. The biggest threat is the fourth prince. He might end up dead if we cannot have steady support."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What do you mean he will die?"

    Elder Yu sighed and said, "The first two princes have already assassinated two of their siblings, and even the duke''s house was not spared. This blind internal power struggle has caused a lot of trouble at the borders, and the enemies are slowly advancing on us."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Since these people already have support from the Spirit Heart Sect. Why don''t they interfere?"

    Elder Yu shook his head and said, "The elders only support their favored candidates in life-threatening situations. They have no interest in embroiling in the territorial strife. The spirit heart sect''s status is undisputed; even if the two nations drown in blood, not even one drop will flow toward them. On the contrary, they are looking for a chance toe and encroach on our territory."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This is how the strong be strong. They watch the weak fight amongst themselves and wait for the right time to make their move."

    The old man nodded. Shi Lang asked, "What help do you need from me?"

    Elder Yu said, "If you can make it through the test of the Sword Hall in the spiritual heart sect, you can have a chance to meet the Sect leader, Jian Xuetian."

    Shi Lang nodded for the old man to continue. Elder Yu followed, "If you even manage to be the in-name disciple of the Sect Leader, then you will have a reputation that would scare the two princes. I will not ask you to ally with us, but let us borrow your name. To prevent the death threat on his highness."

    The young man sighed and began to walk around the garden. From the corner of his eyes, he found Shi Ning and Shi Wie standing in a hidden corner. He smiled and beckoned them over. The two of them froze in their spots and walked over hesitantly. Elder Yu smiled at the twodies.

    The two bowed and greeted him while looking at Shi Lang, thinking why they were called out. Shi Lang asked, "Elder Yu, if I managed to be someone whose name alone could make the two people shiver in their boots, and the fourth Prince was to ascend the Throne? What will I get?"

    Elder Yu was shocked by this counter-proposal. He did not expect that Shi Lang would make such a bold im. Elder Yu did not know what to say and asked, "I do not know what could make up for this favor."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Three things, listen and tell me if the Fourth Prince will grant me these."

    Elder Yu nodded, and the terran said, "First, Shi Ning is to be trained and supported to rise to the rank of a General."

    He did not wait for the Elder to reply and continued, "Second, Shi Wie will be trained to be the imperial physician. Third, the kingdom will not go after the Shi family. Fourth, I want the third promise in writing; you do not have to worry. I will not let the Shi Family ever contend against the Throne. They will be loyal to the line of the Fourth Prince." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Elder Yu was surprised, and Shi Ning and Shi Wie watched the scene with their eyes wide open. They could not believe what was going on. The old man shook his head, and Shi Lang said, "Elder, please consult with the fourth prince. I will wait for his answer, and if he agrees, you will have my support and loyalty. However, do not think that the Throne will ever get to make the Shi family a scapegoat for anything."

    The old man nodded and vanished from his ce.

    ...

    The morning came quickly, and Shi Lang left to meet Xiao Nan. Thedy also finished her work and said, "Do not worry. The trap has been set."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Say, Nan, did the Jiang family bite it?"

    Xiao Nan smiled satisfactorily, "Yup, they did. I asked a few people inside the Xuan and Ling mansion to supply the goods, and they have been deployed in the pond''s surroundings."

    Shi Lang nodded and leaned back in the chair. Xiao Nan asked, "Lang, I have a question about my cultivation."

    The terran nodded, and thedy asked, "What makes an illusion stronger? If I create a shallow one out of my imagination, I cannot hold an enemy for more than ten seconds. What am I doing wrong?"

    Shi Lang said, "What is the reason behind your attempt?"

    Xiao Nan thought and said, "Confusing the enemy."

    Shi Lang shook his head, "The meaning of an illusion is to confuse the enemy. Your motive to create an illusion is to kill the enemy."

    Xiao Nan was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "I will show you something, then you will find what is a real illusion like."

    Xiao Nan raised her brows, and the next moment, she found herself standing in a in where thousands of people were killing each other. Shi Lang said, "This is the most rudimentary illusion, as you can still hear me."

    Xiao Nan nodded, and the scene changed slightly. Blood followed around, and screams sounded more realistic. This time the scene scared her. A few momentster, the scene became even more real. She was breaking into a cold sweat, and gradually her face turned pale.

    The next moment, the illusion vanished, and Xiao Nan found herself sitting in her cabin, and her body was drenched in a cold sweat. Shi Lang was still sipping before her, saying, "This is not my strongest illusion. It worked on you because you are on a lower realm than I am."

    Xiao Nan was still in shock, and her shivering did not stop. Shi Lang picked up a sugar cube and flicked it on her forehead. Xiao Nan snapped out of her daze and said, "You are a monster."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You must suffer from these illusions. You will always be green if you keep things happy and pink."

    Xiao Nan did not wish to debate with this guy anymore. He was not someone she could deal with. Suddenly, the door was knocked, and an attendant came inside.

    "Young Miss, something happened."

    Xiao Nan raised his eyes and asked, "What happened?"

    The attendant said, "Someone from the Jiang Family has arrived inside the city and they have gone to the Ling family."

    Shi Lang and Xiao Nan stood up and immediately changed their clothes and put on their masks to go out and see the situation.

 Chapter 498 Ruckus In The City.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Xiao Nan both left the Tianxu Pavilion. A messenger was sent to the Shi Family Manor. Shi Lang asked an elder to go to the Ling House and watch the situation silently. If anyone asks for their opinions, they will side with Tianxu Pavilion. Shi Shanwang had decided toe forward personally.

    They have set an alliance with the Tianxu Pavilion, and Elder Chen was more experienced in this department. He was an old diplomat with experience in the Xiao family politics. Shi Shanwang was also brainy, but Shi Lang did not wish to let the Shi Family move alone through the troubled waters.

    A crowd was gathered outside the Ling Family Manor. The reason was a convoy of armed guards and carriages. The leader of the soldiers was wearing ck ted armor, and he was facing Ling Tian. The tension in the atmosphere was almost tangible.

    Shi Lang asked a crowd member, "Brother, do you know what happened?"

    He handed a silver coin to the person, and the man nodded as he told him, "These people from the Jiang Family of the Lion Heart City havee over to apprehend Ling Tian and the Young Miss of the Xuan Family, Xuan Shui. Around a month ago, the Jiang Family encountered the two people outside in the forests of the Titan Mountains. They im the two people killed the Jiang Family elder and disciples."

    Shi Lang pretended to be shocked and thanked the man before he nced at Xiao Nan, and the two winked at each other. Then the people turned their heads around to look at the scene.

    Ling Tian greeted the leader of the Jiang forces very calmly and said, "Senior, pleasee inside and talk things out."

    The leader snorted and said, "How dare you act so kindly after you killed our Elder? Like it or not, you muste to the Lion Heart City and answer our patriarch."

    Ling Tian did not lose calm and said, "Senior, your usations are baseless. You can ask anyone if I was out of the house this past month. I have been in seclusion."

    The man waved his hand and said, "You think I will be fooled so easily? Your family will support you. The Jiang family has already made investigations. We have found from the city guards at the gate you went out of the city with another girl a month ago. That is around the time when our Elder was murdered."

    The crowd began to murmur when they heard this. The Ling Family is in trouble today, and the masses have criticized their business ethics and policies. This matter blowing out of proportion would undermine their reputation even more.

    The guards'' leader said, "Call your patriarch. Let him learn what a good young master you are. Going out on an adulterous trip with a rtive and killing the witness. Very nice."

    Another bomb dropped on the Ling Family name, and the city shook from the impact. Shi Lang gazed at Xiao Nan, who was smirking. He could not believe that this girl was so vicious. Xiao Nan said, "You do not have to worry, Lang. Things are under control. I made enough preparations."

    Shi Lang nodded as he continued watching the scene unfold. Ling Tian lost his temper and shouted, "Watch your mouth, dog. This is the Ling Family manor. I will have your guts turned intopost."

    The leader of the guards scoffed. He was not scared. Turning his head to face the masses, he revealed a box from his space ring and said, "I wonder if you all would be able to recognize these artifacts that you left behind."

    The man took a few things from the box and showed them to the people. It was a battle fan like the one Ling Tian carried around everywhere. Shi Lang was impressed by the attention to detail disyed by Xiao Nan. This was one of the most frequently bought around battle fan by Ling Tian.

    However, it was difficult for the Jiang Family to use Ling Tian. The young man scoffed and replied, "You want to use me of doing something wrong based on a battle fan? The entire city knows that I use this fan. Countless other people use a simr fan. It does not prove anything."

    Ling Tian was not a fool, he had also noticed that some of his things were missing, and if he were to say that he was being framed, it would be a bigger insult. Every person tries to look for someone to me on.

    The Jiang Family person did not make any fuss and said, "The elders knew you scum would make such measly excuses, so we havee prepared."

    He turned his head and looked at the carriage behind. The guard on duty nodded and opened the door of the carriage. A middle-aged man dressed in a white hanfu stepped down. Xiao Nan looked at the man and ducked her head as she said, "I did not expect these guys to invite Elder Ximen Tao. This guy is an Immortal Overlord, and he is also a grade-five array master." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The Jiang Family overlord made an introduction simr to Xiao Nan but even more exaggerated. Shi Lang did not say anything and just watched how everything would unfold.

    The Elder looked at Ling Tian and the Fan the Jiang Family guard held before he said, "Call me the patriarch of the Ling Family. I would like him to see what is about to happen. I hope he is strong enough to know what is a stunt and what is reality."

    Ling Tian was calm, did not give up his manners, and greeted the Elder properly. The Elder nodded. He did not seem to be holding the Young Master in contempt or guilty for anything.

    The guard of the Jiang family did not say anything either. They were very respectful to the person. Shi Lang asked, "Xiao Nan, why are you ducking your head?"

    Xiao Nan said, "I heard that he could break through any illusion that is not grade seven at a nce. I was worried that he would spot us."

    Shi Lang froze and directly took off his mask. Xiao Nan was surprised, and the young man said, "What if he searched with his spirit sense? We will look even more guilty. Just cover up with some cloak."

    Xiao Nan nodded, and the two people quickly cloaked themselves. When they were done, they heaved a sigh of relief and turned around to look ahead. Ximen Tao was facing another middle-aged man, and this guy was the second Elder of the Ling Family.

    Ling Xue bowed to Ximen Tao and tried to invite him inside the house, but thetter refused and said, "Your Patriarch is not here?"

    The second Elder replied, "Senior, the Patriarch is out for a meeting, I have dispatched a messenger, and he will be here shortly."

    Ximen Tao nodded and said, "They will be able to see what happened here on this image stone. If they have any problem, they can find me in the Lion Heart City."

    Shi Lang was keen to watch what was about to happen. Ximen Tao did not let him down either and took out an array te from his space ring. He said, "This is a spirit detection array. It is a grade four array, but it is the best way to detect if you have lost the trace for spirit artifact over time."

    He tossed the disc at Ling Tian and said, "Channel your spirit energy in the disc, and the artifact that belongs to you will move."

    Ling Tian was aware that he could not do anything about it now. The person before him was an expert in the Immortal Overlord realm. He channeled some spirit energy into the array te as he thought of this. The disc glowed, and after a few moments, the battle fan began to resonate with the vibration and glow from the array disc.

    The Jiang Force leader spotted the trace of dissatisfaction in Ling Tian''s eyes and said, "You think this is still not enough to prove anything? Well, let me show you something else too."

    The man then pulled out a piece of clothing from the box, and the piece of cloth also glowed. Ling Tian replied, "This cloth is not mine."

    Guard leader Jiang nodded and said, "It is not yours, but it belongs to that woman, Xuan Shui. Why is it resonating with your spiritual attribute?"

    The crowd was stunned, They could not figure out what was happening, and Ximen Tao said, "It must be because your spiritual essence stained the cloth. This sort of cloth is enough to convince you that we already know you were responsible for the debacle. Why not surrender?"

    Ling Tian did not know how to process anything. Even the city folk did not know. Shi Lang was stunned at this and he was gawking at Xiao Nan. Where did this woman find something like spiritual essence?

 Chapter 499 Embarrassed & Enraged.

    ?

    Shi Lang was shocked when Ling Tian angrily shouted, "How dare you?"

    His aura was radiating very rigorously. However, none of the people from the opposition party had a level lower than the Immortal soul realm. Ximen Tao snorted, and the pressure vanished. Ling Tian was forced to take a few steps back, and he even coughed up a mouthful of blood, while Ling Xue was also forced to take a few steps back from the wave of pressure.

    The guard of the Jiang Family said, "Why are you getting angry? Can you not handle the embarrassment of your deeds being shown to the public?"

    Xiao Nanmented, "Now is the time for a big show."

    She spotted a convoy heading to the Ling Family house. The crowd parted, and two carriages stopped opposite the Jiang Family convoy. The crowd murmured at the arrival of the City Lord.

    Shi Lang whispered, "I did not expect to meet the city lord finally."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "He is rather arrogant to meet anyone, but now he will know what it is like to be humbled."

    The two nodded, and the doors of the carriages opened. Two impressive-looking middle-aged men stepped out of the carriages, and soon they came to stand before the guard of the Jiang Family and Ximen Tao.

    The Elder invited by the Jiang Family was not a cultivator of a lower realm and did not bow to greet the man. Shi Lang watched keenly; as he predicted, the Patriarch of the Ling and Xuan families bowed their heads. Ximen Tao said, "Patriarch Ling, I have provided the proof of your son''s presence in the forest where the Jiang Family elder and people were killed. I ask you to cooperate with us. If these two are innocent, they will be spared. You have my word. However, if these two people were found guilty, your families would suffer for supporting them."

    Shi Lang was happy, but it was not that easy. The Patriarch of the Xuan Family said, "Senior, I ept that you all have the proof that the two people were at the scene. We are also willing to cooperate, but first, I would like to ask your subordinates to be respectful. If these your people were to be proved wrong, then please apologize to both families."

    The Jiang family guard wanted to say something when Ximen Tao nodded and said, "Very well. You have my word, and if we are proven wrong, we will apologize to both families."

    Xuan Ming and Ling Yang exchanged a nce and nodded. Ximen Tao said, "Your daughter is chaste?"

    Xuan Ming wanted tosh out and kill this man, but he calmed down and said, "Yes, she is."

    Ximen Tao held his hand behind his back and asked, "May I ask you to call your daughter here? I would like her to stand on the Yin Detection Array."

    Xuan Ming clenched his fist inside the sleeves and said, "She is present at the scene. Xiao Shui,e here."

    His voice echoed, and soon the door of the Xuan Family carriage opened, and thedy in a red dress stepped out quietly. The crowd fell silent at her appearance. Shi Lang mumbled, "I did not expect this girl to have such a charm that the entire city would fall silent at her arrival."

    Xian Nan nodded and said, "This girl is acimed to be the most beautiful in the city. What else do you expect?"

    Shi Lang nodded as he watched thedy move through the crowd gracefully, and hemented, "This girl and Ling Tian are a match made in hell. They both have the same sort of eyes. Sneaky and venomous."

    Xiao Nan nodded and said, "Happy realization."

    The youngdy reached her father and stood half a step behind him. Xuang Ming introduced Ximen Tao to the girl, and thetter greeted him properly. Ximen Tao said, "Would you please stand on the spirit diagram I made?"

    Thedy nodded and stepped forward. Ximen Tao drew the diagram on the ground with his spirit energy. Thedy was standing in the middle of the diagram, and he made a seal with his hand. The diagram lit up, and the glow of light covered her body. Ximen Tao said, "If she is chaste, just as you said, the light will not change. If she is impure, the light will change to red."

    The people were surprised, and Shi Lang asked, "What is the principle behind this array?"

    His voice was not very low, but the people were too focused on the scene that they did turn to look at him. However, Ximen Tao replied, "This array detects Yin Energy inside a person''s body. If a chaste woman is to step into this array, the array will not fluctuate. If the yin energy is insufficient to maintain the array, it will turn..." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Just as he was about to say something, the array turned red. The people gasped, and Xuan Ming replied, "Shui, what is the meaning of this?"

    Shi Lang nudged Xiao Nan, saying, "Well, it is what it is. I had some inkling but never thought it would be true."

    Shi Lang froze. He realized that these people were indeed involved in adultery. This was not eptable even by Federal Standards. At this moment, a disgruntled voice sounded, "What a noble Ling Family and What a noble Xuan Family."

    The people also began to murmur. Xuan Shui replied, "Father, why do you worry so much? I practice the sutra of fire arts, and my yang energy is higher than other women. This does not prove that I am not chaste anymore."

    Ximen Tao smiled and said, "Miss Xuan, you might be able to fool other people, but not me. Even practicing fire arts will not affect the normal Yin inside a chaste woman''s body. If you do not wish to admit it, I can call many people from the Spirit Heart Sect to testify."

    Xuan Shui shivered, and her face turned pale. She turned to look at Ximen Tao, who said, "Would you like to confess now?"

    Thedy could not get herself to say anything in this situation. Ling Yang turned to look at his favored son with cold eyes. Xuan Ming was also ring at his daughter. This entire incident was a p to their face. Moreover, this tarnished the entire family.

    Xuan Ming shivered in rage and said, "From this day forth, Xuan Shui is no longer a member of the Xuan Family. Senior Ximen, please do as you please."

    That said, Xuan Ming turned to look at Ling Yang and said, "This is the good son you raised, a beast in human skin. He is the reason that our families are ashamed. From now on, the Xuan Family will have no rtion with Ling Family. If you tried to harm my sister, you will suffer the unbearable."

    Xuan Shui was still in shock and Ling Yang clenched his fist as he said, "Your seductress of a daughter is not innocent either. Form now on the Ling Family will not have any rtion with the Xuan Family. If my sister suffered any harm, then you cane and collect the dead body of yours."

    That said, Ling Yang turned around and said, "Ling Tian is no longer the young master of the family. He is not a member of the Ling Family. I, Ling Yang, disown Ling Tian and his name will be removed from the family lineage right away."

    Ling Tian could not believe that his father would be so heartless to him. He was the most favored son.

    Xiao Nan asked, "Is this not a bit too much?"

    Shi Lang said, "The people in power all prefer their face over anything else. If they do not cut these two off, the family will suffer greater risk. This is the responsibility of the patriarch."

    Xiao Nan nodded and at this moment, Elder Chen arrived with Shi Shanwang. The former said, "Elder Ximen, greetings. I am Chen from the Tianxu Pavilion. May I ask what is the matter?"

    Ximen Tao was strong, but he was still respectable to the Tianxu pavilion and greeted Elder Chen properly as he said, "The two people are suspected of killing more than a dozen members of the Jiang Family from the Lion Heart City. After meticulous investigation the Jiang Family found proof of their wrong doings. We have no intention of embarrassing anyone. It is just that everyone is human, and the elder who was murdered happened to be the guard captain''s elder brother. Some debts have to be paid."

    Elder Chen nodded and asked, "Elder Ximen, Ling Tian and Xuan Shui are both talented people. Yes, they are young and they may have made mistakes, but they can be corrected with proper guidance. I wonder if there is still some chance to find a peaceful solution?"

    Ximen Tao shook his head and said, "This is something for the Jiang Family to decide."

    Shi Shanwang said, "Would it be alright if we ask you to convey our words to the Patriach of the Jiang Family, Elder Ximen?"

    Ximen Tao nodded and Shi Shanwang wanted to say something, when Xuan Shui said, "Ling Tian, you have ruined me. You perverted bastard, it is because of you that I lost everything."

    The me game began.

 Chapter 500 Change In The City.

    ?

    Xuan Ming and Ling Yang stood aside, watching the scene unfold. Xuan Shui used Ling Yang of seducing her. Ling Tian was enraged by whatever the fuck was going on, and at this time, Xuan Shui decided to undermine him. How was he going to let her walk away from it?

    He retorted, "Oh, was I the only one responsible for this? Bitch, didn''t you find excuses to meet me everywhere I went? Was it, not you who made me poison Xiao Nan of the Tianxu Pavilion because you were jealous of her beauty? Shameless woman, if it was just me who was being a pervert, then why were you moaning every time I fucked you?"

    The profanities flew around like chunks of magma, melting people alive. Shi Lang and Xiao Nan watched the two people tear each other''s faces. They both were stunned to watch such a turn of events. Shi Lang wanted to say something when Elder Chen said, "Wait, did you just say that you poisoned my Young Miss? Ling Tian, you sure have some galls."

    Ling Tian woke up from his daze and realized he was talking more than required. He wanted to say something when Elder Chen turned his head to look at Ling Yang and asked, "Patriarch Ling, from today onwards, Tianxu Pavilion will cease all contact with your Ling family. The same goes for Xuan Family. Even the King respects Tianxu Pavilion for our business in the eastern barrens, yet a small City Lord could not control his daughter. If I told you the identity of Young Miss Xiao Nan, you would kneel us for mercy. Scoundrels."

    That said, Elder Chen flicked his sleeves and turned around to leave. Shi Shanwang shook his head and greeted Elder Ximen Tao before leaving. He said nothing, but the action was enough to disy his stance toward the Xuan and the Ling family.

    The people of the city realized what was going on, and they also gradually retreated. Ximen Tao waved his hand, and the two quarreling youngsters froze. The Jiang Family guards were strong and stuffed the two teenagers inside the carriage.

    The people gave way to the convoy and began to scatter while discussing the situation. The reputation of the Ling and Xuan family had been tarnished. They might have had some chance of redemption, but now, Elder Chen directly raised the banner of the Tianxu Pavilion.

    If Xuan Family were going to retaliate, they would suffer. Shi Lang and Xiao Nan nced at each other and returned to the Tianxu Pavilion. The two were jolly but did not show anything on their faces because both knew that a wounded beast could do more damage.

    The best thing for them to do now was to let the enemy rest and recover. Although the two families will recover, they will not have the same strength as they did in the past.

    The spearhead of their young forces was gone. This was a major drawback of the disciple system. Shi Lang and Xiao Nan came to the administration office and found Shi Shanwang and Elder Chen sipping on hot tea.

    Shi Lang greeted them before Shi Shanwang asked, "What now?"

    The terran replied, "Assimte force. Reform the family system and train the four youngdies to take themand in the future."

    This surprised Elder Chen and Xiao Nan. They wanted to ask what he meant by this, but the two consciously kept quiet since it was a family matter. Shi Lang walked up to the window on the side and said while peeking out, "The drawback of having one young master is evident. The Ling and Xuan families are in a bind because of this. We need to have the four girls watch the four directions and be prepared to support each other at any given moment."

    Shi Shanwang nodded and said, "You are correct, but how do we decide which one is suitable for which direction?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I have assessed them these past few days. We shall discuss it in the family meeting."

    He did not wish to say anything more than this. Shi Shanwang was also willing to unveil this much information for the sake of goodwill. He intended to tell Elder Chen and Xiao Nan they trusted the Tianxu Pavilion.

    Shi Lang waited until they finished the tea, and the pair left the pavilion. Elder Chen said, "Miss, this young man is not easy."

    Xiao Nan smiled and said, "This guy broke the illusion array system left behind by an Immortal Sovereign. If he does not make a name for himself in the Immortal realm, I will be a waste."

    Elder Chen did not deny it, and he could tell that Shi Lang was out of the ordinary.

    ¡­

    The elders gathered in the training grounds in the Shi Family manor. Now that the traitors have been dealt with, they had no problem discussing such matters in the open. However, to avoid snitches, they erected a barrier array. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang called everyone over. Many people were scrutinizing the young man, and he said, "I called everyone here because a few things need to be discussed urgently, so I apologize."

    The people shook their heads and asked him to go on. Shi Yulong was sitting on a chair, and Shi Lang said, looking at him, "Patriarch, the situation of the Ling and Xuan family is obvious to all of us."

    Shi Yulong nodded, and Shi Lang continued, "A few things that I would like to mention before we go deeper. Both families were tied in alliance marriages. Now they turned faces from each other. They trusted one person with their entire young forces.

    Now the situation is- twodies sacrificed in the name of benefits suffered without any faults. The two families are suffering business downfall as well. They are desperate and wounded. I do not wish to see the same happen to our family. If anyone has any thoughts, please speak now."

    The elders and the disciples discussed things with each other. Such matters could not be discussed in a short while. After an hour, the elders nodded and conveyed their messages to Shi Yulong. The middle-aged man said, "Lang, go on."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "The Shi Family will now change the disciple system."

    This caused a massive uproar, but Shi Lang said, "Calm down, let me finish."

    The people calmed down, and the young man said, "Disciples who have been loyal to the family will be given a name to show that the family remembers them and we respect them. Disciples are the ground force of the family and are why we are strong. Do the elders approve?"

    Shi Lang had a simple road map. To make a strong family, he first needed to make a united family. To do this, he would reward a carrot first. The elders thought about this and agreed.

    Shi Lang said, "I propose the title of Shengwang. All the disciples represent the prestige of the family. This title will be embroidered on the left chest of their clothes or a wooden token on their waists."

    The disciples replied, "Thank you, Young master."

    The chant echoed in the ground, and Shi Lang waved his hand before he said, "The family now has three hundred disciples and sixteen elders. The elders will be paired to watch over fifty disciples, dividing them into eight groups. These groups will be called Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun.

    A lottery system will change these designations every six months, and the patriarch will preside over the sorting in person."

    An elder asked, "Young master, what is the principle behind this system?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This will allow us to assign particr jobs for the disciples to focus on and reduce their stress. They can practice more if they have less stress and more time."

    The people understood what he was doing and bowed to him slightly. Shi Yulong and the rest of the main family were stunned at this method but realized it was efficient.

    Shi Lang said, "Do not be happy. Punishments follow Rewards¡­."

    The discussion about the new system went on for a few hours, and finally, it was settled. Shi Lang said, "Thest thing I want to mention is that the chain ofmand will be held firmly. Shi Ning, step forward."

    Shi Ning was stunned, but then Shi Ting pushed her forward. Shi Lang said, "Shi Ning will be responsible for all the forces of the family security. Shi Wie, you will be responsible for the pill refining and treating the injured of the family. Shi Yua will manage the business, and Shi Ting will focus on the sword. The disciples who wish to pursue the sword path will follow Shi Yua."

    The change shocked the family, and that was not all. Ling Tian''s corpse was found hanging at the city gate two dayster. A letter was stuffed inside his pants. The Ling family was soon informed, and the city shook from shock.

 Chapter 501 Call For Help.

    ?

    The Shi Family conducted the meeting, and the whole family changed quickly within a month. The people did not expect this. Every time they saw the Shi Family people, they were surprised. The demeanor and aura were notcking inparison to the elite.

    Last month, the fourth prince left the Shi Family manor, as did Shi Ning and Shi Wie. The two of them were called back for duty on the northern borders of the nation. Shi Lang had regrly corresponded with the two of them, checking if they were well. They were to head the family''s two branches and needed to be alright.

    When Shi Lang mentioned that Shi Ning would be responsible for the security and the family forces, he also asked her to serve under the fourth prince''s banner. She was a small official whose support did not bother the two older princes. Now the young man wanted to y the game in a way to win with a royal flush.

    He sat in the main hall, his eyes closed, and the elders discussed small things quietly. The family was steadily climbing the peak of sess, but they were careful not to get overly ambitious.

    Suddenly, the tranquility of the scene was disturbed. A young disciple walked inside the hall and said, "Patriarch, a royal guard is here to deliver a message for the young master."

    Shi Yulong nodded and said, "Bring them over with respect."

    Shi Lang saw this and did not say anything. Soon the royal guard came over, and the elders stood up. Shi Lang shook his head but knew this soldier''s status was akin to seeing the emperor himself.

    He also stood up and asked, "Sir, please have a seat and tell us the message."

    The royal guard took a scroll from his sleeves and gave it to the Terran. Shi Lang nodded and took the scroll from the soldier. The young man opened the scroll and read the content. After he was done, his expression was somber. The scroll was passed onto the Patriarch.

    Shi Yulong read the content and said, "Lang, what do you think we shall do now?"

    Shi Lang said, "I will leave for the frontier."

    Thedies of the family had alsoe over when they heard a royal messenger hade over. Shi Lang did not have the time to console them. He looked at the royal messenger and said, "Shall we leave now?"

    The royal messenger was surprised by the sense of hurry disyed by this guy, but these were his orders. He asked, "Do you not need to prepare anything?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I need just a mount and a weapon. Nothing else."

    Surprised, The messenger asked, "You do not need armor?"

    Shi Lang said, "I have it."

    In a blink of an eye, the terran moved forward to leave the ce. Shi Yulong and Shi Yuwan did not even have the time to react when the two people left the manor. The entire Shi family began to pray for Shi Lang''s safety.

    ...

    Shi Lang and the royal messenger rode their war horses at full speed. The royal messenger said, "You are in too much of a hurry. We do not have any forces with us. The path to the frontier is littered with bandits and looters. What will we do if we encounter any trouble?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Just follow me."

    ...

    The two people moved through the forests and high mountain passes. Whenever they encountered any viin, Shi Lang directly yed the other party. He did not fear anything or wait for anything at all. His sword and spear rained on the enemy, and it was a sight that made the royal messenger almost wet himself.

    Shi Lang was akin to a god of death. He left death and only death in his wake. They traveled for seven days before they reached the frontier, and Shi Lang almost gave a death scare to the soldiers guarding the campsite. The terran was covered in blood and dust. They have not rested much on the way.

    If not for the presence of the Royal Messenger, the guards would have attacked Shi Lang. The terran jumped off the horse, and the royal messenger said, "Young Master Shi Lang hase with me. Please inform themander."

    The guards were surprised and rushed forward to inform themander quickly. When the guard returned, Shi Ning was following him. The girl was shocked to see Shi Lang covered in blood and rushed past the barricade. The soldiers were surprised. Shi Ning asked, in a concerned tone, "Big brother are you okay?"

    Shi Lang revealed a smile and raised his hand to pat her head, but he stopped. He replied, "Can I have a bath?"

    Shi Ning nodded and took his hand as she led him inside. The royal messenger finally fell to his knees. The guards helped him as they asked what happened. The messenger had tears in his eyes as he narrated the entire journey. The guards were shocked and could not believe what they had just heard.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    Shi Lang was taken to a small tent where he washed himself. Shi Ning came in with an old man. She asked, "This is Master Ang. He is a physician. Did you suffer any injuries on the way?"

    Shi Lang shook his head but allowed the old man to take his pulse. Master Ang said, "He is fine, Vice Commander Shi."

    Shi Ning let out a sigh of relief and then thanked the old man before he left the tent. Shi Ning asked, "Why were you covered in blood?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Bandits and looters."

    Shi Ning shook his head, and she knew the skills Shi Lang had. The young man sat on a chair and asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Ning sighed and said, "Ten days ago, we were leading a mission to clear out the rebels in the mountains. Everything seemed fine, but then a mysterious force appeared. They had the top of the mountains covered with archers. We were helpless. Suppose we do not take them down by the end of the month. His Majesty will punish themander with the capital crime."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Let me go and meet the Commander first."

    ...

    Shi Ning and Shi Lang came to the biggest tent in the camp. The youngdy saluted and said, "Vice Commander Shi Ning is here to see the Commander."

    An old voice sounded inside the tent, "Come in, Xiao Ning."

    Shi Ning walked inside the tent, and a few momentster, her voice sounded, "Big brother,e in."

    Shi Lang entered the tent and found an old man sitting behind a war table. The dignity reflected in his eyes was simr to a soldier back in the Federal Military. The old man asked, "I hear you are a soldier from the lower realm?"

    Shi Lang matched his gaze and said, "If possible, I would like to act ording to the customs of my hometown."

    The old man nodded, and Shi Lang saluted him and said, "General Shi Lang of the Federal Military."

    The old man asked, "You are rather young to be a general."

    Shi Lang replied, "Age has nothing to do with rank in the military. It is only your capabilities."

    Shi Ning was also surprised and did not expect that Shi Lang was a general. Themander nodded and said, "Indeed, what you say is true. Since Xiao Ning has called you, shall we get on with it?"

    Shi Lang nodded and walked closer to the war table. He saw the entire valley made up of spirit energy and various locations marked on it. The young man carefully observed the situation and said, "Do you have any scout reports?"

    Shi Ning stepped forward and provided Shi Lang with the scouts'' reports. The reports told them that the mysterious forces were mercenaries. They all used highly efficient crossbows to strike the enemy down. They were guarding the valley from both sides of the cliffs.

    Shi Lang said, "Two hundred men, hundred full body shields, and hundred long spears. Hundred archers. You can have the cliffs cleared up before morning."

    Shi Ning asked, "You mean that we attack in the night?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Or else? When shall we attack? The enemy is expecting us to retaliate at any moment. The more time you give them to prepare, the more chances of failure. We need to capture this valley to avoid capital punishment for themander. The time limit is a month. We finish these rebels and mercenaries from the roots and earn merit."

    The oldmander nodded and said, "I agree with you. I will call over the captains, and you can delegate the instructions to them."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No, I will lead them all in person. If the situation changes, I will be able to deal with the situation better."

 Chapter 502 Raiding The Enemy.

    ?

    Shi Ning came to a tent where Shi Lang was arranged to stay. She gave him new armor and asked, "Big brother, do you need anything else?"

    The terran shook his head and said, "A fresh horse and a spear."

    Shi Ning smiled and said, "Those have been arranged. Why do you need a spear? Your sword intent will be more effective, right?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Sword intent is a hidden card. If a strong enemy shows up, I want to keep it a secret."

    Shi Ning understood what he was discussing and helped him wear the armor. The night was getting darker, and hundreds of soldiers gathered at the camp''s northern entrance. They were archers and shield bearers. Shi Ning stood before them and said, "I know that a few days ago, many of our brothers were sacrificed in this war. I want to ask if you all wish to avenge them?"

    The soldiers nodded and replied, "Yes. Vice Commander Shi Ning."

    Shi Ning asked, "You have to follow themands of the Acting Commander for this mission. Can you do that?"

    The soldiers did not reply, and Shi Ning wanted to say something when Shi Lang stepped forward and said, "You all are not convinced of my strength, right?"

    The soldiers stared at his face, lit up under the light of the torches. Shi Lang nodded and said, "You all do not have to follow orders from me, I can use strength to make you all submit to me, but we are on borrowed time here. If we do not sessfully avenge the brothers who died a few days ago, the King will behead the Commander. Do you want that to happen? Do you know what will happen soon after the Commander is killed?"

    The soldiers did not know how to answer him, and Shi Lang continued, "Send out the strongest one of you, and I will show you the capital. I have to make you follow mymands, and if we suffer even one casualty, I will take my head off and present it to the Commander as a token of atonement for my failure."

    The soldiers selected a strong man quickly and sent him ahead to fight. Shi Lang gazed at the man and said, "Come at me when you are ready."

    The soldier nodded and grunted as he dashed forward. However, he had just lifted a foot when a Shi Lang appeared behind him and patted the back of his neck. The soldier was surprised and could not understand what just happened. He turned around and asked, "Your realm is higher than me."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am a golden core practitioner, but do you expect the enemy to lower their strength because of you?"

    Then he turned to look at all the people and said, "This is a war situation and not a sparring session where you get to learn from each other. Do you understand? Now I will ask you only once. If you agree, fine. If you don''t, I will take down the enemy alone, even if it costs my life."

    The soldiers were shaken. It was not the words but the aura radiated from Shi Lang. One soldier raised his spear and said, "I will follow you, Sir."

    Many people followed this chant, and then Shi Lang waved his spear to rally them out of the camp and onto the frontier to meet the enemy. The young man did not say much, leading the troops to the valley''s entrance.

    Shi Lang raised his hand, and the troops came to a halt. He turned his back towards the valley and said, "The shield bearers will move in a formation. I want five people in the front with body-wide shields, and seven men behind them will handle the long spears. The people in the front will defend against the attacks, and the spear bearers will stab the enemy. I do not care if you have to walk over corpses but do not stop moving forward.

    Move slowly, but move with conviction. Change the spear holders and the shield bearers every fifteen minutes. Share the workload. The rest of you will form a canopy of shields to protect your brothers from the enemy crossbows. Hundred of you will move through the valley."

    The soldiers nodded and immediately began to rearrange ording to themands. Shi Lang then looked at the other half of the force and said, "Your task is to kill the enemy at the top of the cliff. The strategy is simr: the archers will buy shields and spears, and the rear will be bought up. Kill any loose fish and anyone who tries to attack the troops in the valley desperately. You guys will be moving before the valley troops."

    The troops nodded, and the captains of the units distributed forces ordingly as they moved out. Shi Lang was watching everything from the front, and Shi Ning asked, "Brother, what do you think we should do?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang said, "You will follow the units on the left cliff and lead the forces more efficiently."

    Shi Ning nodded and smiled, "You should train me like this. What if I became too murderous and nobody married me?"

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Is that not what you wish for day and night?"

    Shi Ning chuckled and yanked her horse to follow the second unit of the forces. The terran watched her leave, and then he turned around to follow the unit on the right cliff. His resolve was firm, and he would do everything possible to make things work out for Shi Ning and the rest.

    Shi Lang did not stay in the back but led from the front. He did not wish to let the troops act at all. He was going to dive head-first and kill the enemy. He spotted torches set at the cliff line and waved for the troops to halt. The next moment, he jumped off the horse and took two knives from his space ring.

    The unit''s captain came over and asked, "Sir, what are we doing?"

    Shi Lang said, "You all will traverse the cliffside after I start my attack. You will be pinching the enemy in the valley from the side. Do not rush and calmly lead the troops. Ensure that you all follow the formation like the first unit. You saw the details, right?"

    The captain was surprised and asked, "But sir, the n. This change is too sudden."

    Shi Lang smiled and patted the shoulder of the man as he said, "Surprise is what helps people carry out a sessful attack. Follow your instinct when you do a task, and you will never fail."

    The captain had no idea what to do. The next moment, Shi Lang was spotted rushing up the cliff. His speed was fast, and the captain was shocked. The terran moved quickly and silently through the shadows. He spotted two guards on the lookout and sneaked up to them.

    This was the world of cultivation, but not everyone had a spiritual sense. Shi Lang crept behind one of them, stabbing him in the throat, and quickly covered his mouth. The person struggled for a bit, and then he went limp.

    Shi Lang then throws his knife at the throat of the enemy. These weapons were something he found in the Jiang Family. His speed was quick, and his aim was impable. The young man slowly moved around the enemy camp and began to pick and kill.

    ...

    On the left side, Shi Ning led the troops from the back. She was still wary of charging in the enemy territory. The captain spotted the torches, and then he led the charge. The enemy has set up camps in a line along the cliff, so Shi Ning said, "Move in a diagonal formation, facing outside, and mind the enemy on the nks."

    The soldiers roared, and Shi Ning yelled, "ATTACK!"

    The troops charged up the hill. The enemy responded, but they were rendered helpless in front of the shields and spears. Shi Ning led a fast charge, and she did not waste any time. Mercenaries had no loyalty to anyone, they all loved money and freedom, and survival was their priority.

    Shi Ning was smart, and she had ced the archers down the hill. None of them was spared. Two hours passed when Shi Ning finished dealing with her side of the enemy, and she quickly rushed to the cliffside to check the situation. However, to her surprise, the rebel forces were pinched between the troops from two sides. She raised her head to look at the other side of the cliff and found all the torches snuffed out.

    She passed themand to clean up and regroup. They were headed to the opening of the valley. The troops were moving quickly, excited to meet to return with the victory. They have avenged their brothers and they have also saved the lives of theirmander.

    The raid was sessful and now they wished to win this war altogether.

 Chapter 503 Murmurs In The Palace.

    ?

    Shi Lang led the army and advanced to settle the rebellion. The people called themselves rebels, but they were all bandits grouped. They would plunder the viges in the name of gathering funds. Their actions were simply a stain on humanity and liberators.

    Shi Lang was also cruel and did not spare any single bandit he found these days. Since the night in the valley, one month has passed, and the spoils of this time were being reported to the Imperial Pce.

    Shi Lang was categorized as an aid to Shi Ning because the young man had not joined the military through any formal procedures. The messengers were reporting things in great detail.

    At this moment, Tian Longjian was walking through the pce corridors. He was heading to the royal court. Elder Yu followed the Prince silently. He could not help but ask, "Your Highness, do you have any guesses why His Majesty called you to the royal court?"

    Tian Longjian said, "Elder Yu, you need to stop testing me. I am not the same as I was before. It is obvious that you reported my time with the Shi family, and His Majesty wants to ask me about it, given how Shi Lang has settled things at the front these days."

    Elder Yu looked around and asked, "Your Highness, this is the pce. Don''t you think your words are a bit too direct?"

    The young man replied, "The sword is also direct. I had no interest in the Throne earlier, nor do I have it now. If they try to hamper my peace, I will have them know what it is like to hold a sword."

    Elder Yu could not help but raise his eyebrow. The young man before him was going to pursue the path of the sword; for that, he needed to be decisive. After his visit to the Shi Family Manor and his exchange with Shi Lang, thest trace of hesitation in his heart was clear. Nothing could stop him now.

    Elder Yu could not help but look forward to the day when Shi Lang returned to the pce and wanted to see how well the young man reacted to the Emperor''s words. A sovereign always wanted to hold talents in his court.

    Shi Lang was too proud and would not be bound by any forces in his pursuit. However, an invisible tension existed between the Imperial Family and the Spirit Heart sect. The young man was a wild tiger who could not be tamed but only killed.

    Elder Yu and Tian Longjian reached the court. The Prince suddenly stopped and said, "Elder Yu, wait here. I will go inside alone."

    That said, the young man did not wait for the old man to acknowledge hismand and walked inside the court after the guard made an announcement.

    Tian Longjian walked inside and gazed at his father. The young man bowed to the dignified middle-aged man and said, "I have seen the Imperial Father."

    The middle-aged man nodded and said, "You seem to have grown stronger."

    The young man replied, "His Majesty has eyes like a torch. I have indeed broken through to the Sword Grandmaster realm."

    The King nodded and replied, "Congrattions on your breakthrough."

    As his voice fell, the courtiers followed the example and congratted the Prince. Tian Longjian asked, "May I ask how I can be of service to the throne?"

    The King did not make a scene, he knew that his third son was not satisfied with his behavior in the past, and thus he grew up to be estranged. Unlike the other two sons, this young man had no interest in the Throne or the kingdom.

    He asked, "Can you tell me about this newly risen Commander Shi Lang?"

    Tian Longjian nodded and said, "He is a talented person. Although his cultivation is not very high, his attainment of the sword is not lower than a sword saint."

    The King was startled by the mention of a sword saint. He could not help but mutter a sentence, "A sword saint can shatter nations with a de." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The courtiers all grew solemn. They were too shocked. An old man stood up from the left of the throne and asked, "Your Highness, what is the age of this personage?"

    Tian Longjian nodded and said, "He must be around twenty years old."

    The people were even more shocked and had no idea how to express their feelings. Tian Longjian looked at the King and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to make a request."

    The King nodded, and the young man said, "These past few years, I have been holding back when faced with the constant attacks from my two brothers in their race for ascension. I have never shown any interest in the throne. However, if these attacks continue, I will no longer hesitate."

    The people shivered at this im. They never expected the Fourth Prince to say something like this. The King was startled but could perceive the meaning of these words. Tian Longjian was threatening the two princes in front of the entire court. This was audacious behavior.

    The King stomped and stood up and hollered, "What gall! You dare to threaten your brothers in front of me."

    The prime minister eximed, "Your Majesty, the Prince is young. Please calm your anger."

    However, Tian Longjian stood unbothered. He replied, "If His Majesty is angry over a threat, then why did he not try to stop the two princes from hindering me when I stated clearly that I have no interest in the throne?"

    The King did not expect the Prince to act in such a manner. The Prince said, "Today, I will announce that I, Tian Longjian, will strive for the throne. They cane at me if the two Princes have it in them."

    The King shivered in rage. This young man was being so audacious. Suddenly the right minister, the military leader, stood up and asked, "Your Highness, the race of the throne is not as simple as taking out the sword and ying all the way. You need to be more restrained and know when to back off."

    Tian Longjian looked at the general andmented, "You are the first sword of the nation, yet you talk such restrain? You preach values to me but not to the prince you favor. General Kang, I have a sense of measure. Otherwise, the moves they made a few years ago, Tian Longjian remembers it. It is better if you all act loyal toward His Majesty and do not meddle in the business of the young ones. Or I shall not respect you all as a senior but y you like an enemy."

    The King asked, "Longjian, are you going to rebel against me?"

    Tian Longjian shook his head and said, "If that were my ambition, I would have umted forces like my two brothers. I only intend to seek a peaceful life where I can pursue the path of the sword. I will not allow anyone to hinder me."

    The King caught on to the meaning of his words and looked at his two ministers. He said, "You are grounded inside the Imperial crypts. Go there and meditate for the next month. You will be given two humble meals and must bathe with cold water. Leave!"

    The Fourth Prince was put under house arrest. This was a piece of bad news. How can the minions of the two princes act against him now? They finally understood this outburst and insolence before the King was an act.

    The suspicion would go to the two princes if the Fourth Prince were attacked inside the pce. This was not favorable. Tian Longjian smiled in his heart. His father was the King, and he knew what he was asking for.

    Earlier, he dropped the hint that the two princes had been umting force behind his back, and they could rebel against him. Kings were old tigers. How could they allow young cubs to dare andpete with him? They should obediently wait for their turn and ept what he gives them.

    Tian Longjian got what he wanted and left the court with a humbled stance. He did not waste any time and headed straight to the Imperial Crypts. The young man was anything but sad about this oue. Shi Lang promised to get him the throne and asked him to stay safe.

    So, what is better than to expose the two brothers and get the King to ground him inside the pce under great security? The pce was filled with murmurs. The King dismissed the court after his son''s outburst and went on to rest in his room.

    The people did not know that the King mobilized his secret forces to investigate the matter of force umtion. The actions were taken in secret, and only the chief eunuch knew what was going on. The King sighed as he gazed out of the window, "I wonder what the future holds. Will my sons manage to live through this struggle?"

 Chapter 504 Return With Glory.

    ?

    Shi Lang was at the front dealing with the so-called rebellion. During these attacks on settling the border region, the Terrans found many things and facts but did not say anything to anyone and kept these things a secret. He did not wish for many people to know about this.

    He had skills and tactics that the people from the Immortal realm did not have. Terran civilization was not only technically advanced, but they were mentally smarter too. The young man had no problem dealing with things like this. He just wished to know what he could gain from this.

    He was sitting inside the tent with his eyes closed. The people thought he was cultivating, but he was thinking. His cultivation had reached a bottleneck after he reached the golden core realm. Although he had the method, he had yet to find the time and the resources needed for the cultivation.

    Sensing someone approach, Shi Lang opened his eyes and found the girl smiling before him. He asked, "What made you happy?"

    Shi Ning replied, "A messenger hase. We are summoned to the Imperial Capital."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "You sure this is something to cherish and not to be worried about?"

    His words poured down a bucket of cold water on the enthusiasm of the youngdy. She asked, "Why do you say we should be wary?"

    Shi Lang stood up from the ground and said, "Did you forget about our arrangement with the fourth prince?"

    Shi Ning opened her eyes wide in realization and said, "I really forgot it. Big brother, what should we do?"

    Shi Lang patted her head and said, "Let us go to the capital and see what the people are trying to do."

    Shi Ning nodded and said, "When shall we leave?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Right away, make the arrangements and hand over the charge to Commander Ang. We cannot make the King wait. What if he got offended?"

    The girl nodded and then left the tent to make the arrangements. She has be a very good soldier in the past few days, and even hermanding abilities have exploded. Shi Lang showed her the way, and the youngdy walked on it on her own.

    Shi Lang came out of the tent, and the soldiers saluted him. In this entire camp, Shi Lang held the most prestige. If he were to point at the imperial pce and order the soldiers to charge, they would not hesitate.

    The death count in the past few months did not exceed twenty people. Shi Lang always devised tactics so effectively that the soldiers almost felt invincible. The death of the twenty people made them realize the threat. If Shi Lang was to say something as outrageous as, "Let us take the capital, and I promise that you all will live to see the day of a new empire."

    These people would not hesitate for even a breath and charge straight to the Imperial pce. Shi Lang walked around the camp for a few movements before he ensured everything was in order, and then the young man came to the stable area and found Shi Ning.

    The youngdy had already prepared the best war horses. The two people did not talk much and left the military camp. They did not bring carriages to ensure they moved at the fastest speed possible. However, Commander Ang had arranged for a guard detail for the two. The war horses were tenacious. They could run for three days in one go and cover a greater distance.

    Shi Lang did not exert his horse too much. It could die if this beast were pushed beyond the limit. They rested twice on the way to the city. There was nothing much to discuss, but Shi Lang did not lose his guard. He was wary of the guard detail, and even more than that, he was cautious against the movements of the two princes.

    The sun rose on the horizon, and Shi Lang spotted the entrance gate to the Imperial Capital and said, "Let''s go."

    Shi Ning nodded beside him, and the two rushed forward. The two people moved and entered the city. The horses slowed down upon entering the city, and they moved quickly. The people did not say anything, and it wasmon for soldiers to enter and exit the city. The group moved through the city, heading to the imperial pce. The soldiers guarding the pce entrance stopped them when Shi Ning provided him with the summon.

    The guards allowed Shi Lang and Shi Ning to move inside the pce premise. The pce was majestic, and the youngdy could not help but look around with great excitement. Shi Lang remarked, "Ning, do not look around like this."

    Shi Ning immediately calmed down and whispered, "Sorry, Big Brother."

    Shi Lang shook his head as they walked to the building entrance. An old eunuch seemed to have been informed earlier and was waiting for them. The old man said sharply, "I am Xie Xiaoji. His Majesty is waiting for you in the courtroom."

    The young man nodded and said, "I have seen the Chief Adjutant."

    The eunuch raised his eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by calling me Chief Adjutant?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Your grace, from where Ie, the right hand of the King is a person of respect and stature. This is why we call them the chief adjutant."

    The eunuch smiled and said, "Finally, someone with some culture and manners."

    Shi Lang smiled, and then he followed the head eunuch. Shi Ning was behind him, although she greeted the old eunuch but did not say anything to the man. She was subordinate to Shi Lang.

    The young man did not say much but calmly followed the head eunuch through the pce. Soon they reached the courtroom, and the eunuch gestured for them to stop outside as he went inside and informed the King.

    The two stood beside each other, waiting, but before they could be called inside, they heard footsteps approaching them. Shi Lang whispered, "Stay calm and silent."

    His voice was so low that only Shi Ning could listen to him. The youngdy nodded silently, and soon they found the guards bowing as they said, "Greetings, First Highness and Second Highness."

    The two princes have arrived rather timely. Shi Lang followed the example of the two people and greeted, "Greetings, Your Royal Highnesses."

    The two young men smiled and said, "Raise your head, Commander Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang raised his head and said, "Thank you for the grace, Your Highness."

    The first prince said, "I wonder if themander would grace me with his presence for dinner in the LingXue Pavilion."

    The second prince was smiling and did not say anything much. He was waiting for Shi Lang to react. The terran took a moment, but before he could answer, a calm voice sounded, "Young Friend Shi, I heard of all your glory."

    The people turned around they spotted Elder Yu walking over. The two princes sped their fists and greeted the man, "Greetings, Elder Yu."

    The elder nodded indifferently and asked, "Your Highnesses, young friend Shi did a favor on me back in his city, and now that he is here, it is my turn to repay the favor. At least for the night, I hope you two will not snatch him from me."

    Shi Lang sighed in his mind and said, "Since Elder Yu has already issued amand, I shall follow it without fail."

    Elder Yu smiled and said, "Good, good, good. Young Friend Shi you are a good man."

    The two princes wanted to say something when they heard a loud noise from inside the court. Shi Lang and Shi Ning were summoned inside. Shi Lang greeted the two people and walked inside the court with Shi Ning in tow.

    The two people stood in the center of the court and bowed to the King. Suddenly, the minister from the left side shouted, "How insolent, don''t you kneel to His Majesty?"

    Shi Lang stood up and then said, "I beg your pardon. Shi Lang has never been in the presence and does not know manners."

    The left minister said, "Since you know of your reality, then why do you not kneel now?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "Your Majesty, I am a cultivator and a man. I can only kneel before my parents or to the might of heaven. I will not kneel even if I face death right here and now."

    The court fell silent. Shi Ning looked at the young man''s visage beside her and clenched her fists. She was in awe of the vigor and pride disyed by the man. She wanted to reach this level.

    The left minister said, "Someone,e and lock him away."

    Shi Lang gazed at the left minister and said, "Is the majesty of the Left Minister bigger than the King himself?"

 Chapter 505 Impeachment.

    ?

    Shi Lang''s statement shocked the people. They all did not expect this young man to speak in this manner. The guard captain wanted to move closer to Shi Lang when the young man said, "Your Majesty, I have evidence to impeach a few people in the court."

    The guards froze and turned their heads to look at the King. The man sitting on the Throne was silent till now. However, hearing that Shi Lang wanted to impeach someone, he could not stay calm.

    The King asked, "Young man if you cannot prove these words, you will be killed along with your entire family?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I swear on my Dao Heart that if I cannot prove any of the allegations, my soul shall disperse in the void, never to be reborn."

    The King red at Shi Lang intently and said, "Go on."

    Shi Lang nodded and took out the box from his space ring. He looked at a guard and said, "You can check it before presenting it to His Majesty. Ensure that I have notced the box with anything."

    The guard looked at the King, who nodded, and the guard checked the content. Then with a shocked gaze, he moved over to present the box to the King. The Left Minister and the Right Minister were watching the scene intently. They had a bad premonition developing in their guts. The chief Eunuch collected the box from the guard and bought it closer to the King for inspection.

    Shi Lang spoke in a sonorous voice, "The box contains a few letters that prove that both the left minister, Huang Ching, and the right minister, Tong Shimen, have been corresponding with various rebel forces."

    Both the ministers reacted, "Lies! How dare you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The judgment resides with His Majesty."

    The King''s expression turned livid as he inspected the content more and more. The terran said, "The letters also suggest that these things were done on the suggestion of the two princes. I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but this is true."

    The court fell silent, and after a few minutes, the King said, "Summon the two Princes. Also, call the Fourth Prince."

    The eunuchs moved quickly. Soon they returned with the Two Princes. The two individuals were unaware of what was happening there. Istion barriers cordoned off the courtroom. No sound leaked out of the space.

    The two princes bowed to the King, and the middle-aged man snorted in response. His reaction shocked the two youths, and the first prince asked, with an amiable smile, "Imperial Father, you summoned for us?"

    The King replied coldly, "How dare I summon your Majesties? I just wanted to ask if you would spare my life if I gave up the Throne."

    His sarcastic tone shocked the two people. They did not expect the King to say such words. Unintentionally, they both could not help but gaze at the two ministers who supported them, but when they saw the two people with paleplexion, their souls shivered.

    The King said, "Still not repenting?"

    The voice was calm, but the cold in his tone made the two people feel pressure like never before. They knelt in the middle of the court, and the King said, "The evidence we have is enough to have you both executed in the city square, along with the families of the two ministers."

    The courtiers were still processing this explosion and found that the King wanted to kill the princes and even the ministers. This shocked them, and they all began to worry about the big and small things they had done in the past few years.

    The King asked, "Commander Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang replied, "Here, Your Majesty."

    The middle-aged man spoke solemnly, "How do you think they shall be dealt with?"

    The court was surprised. Shi Lang thought, ''Such a crooked King, no wonder his children are snakelings.''

    Shi Ning looked at him from the corner of her eyes, and the man said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask the Princes a few questions, and then I will be able toment." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The King nodded, and Shi Lang turned to face the two Princes. He asked, "Your Highnesses, please tell me, what is a King?"

    The people were surprised. They could not see these questions'' relevance, but the Princes had to answer since Shi Lang asked. The First Prince said, "A King is a nation''s sovereign. Without his will, nothing can go on. A King provides livelihood to the citizens. The King looks after the welfare of the nation."

    Shi Lang heard this vague answer and turned his head to look at the Second Prince, and he was given a simr answer. The terran wanted to say something when the announcer said the fourth prince had arrived. The young man greeted his father and stood there silently. He did not even look at his brothers.

    Shi Lang said, "Fourth Highness, what is a King?"

    After some thought, the Prince frowned and asked, "Longjian''s knowledge is shallow. I ask Master Shi to guide me."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "A King is a servant to the nation."

    The people were shocked, and Shi Lang continued, "The King is a servant leader who looks after the civilians. If the citizen does not recognize the King, how can he bear the title of the sovereign? If we scale the two things, the citizen always outweighs the King and his stature.

    However, citizens act normally and humbly because the King represents their strength. The respect is not for the person but for what he stands for."

    The people were shocked and never expected someone to make the Title of King look humble. Shi Lang turned to look at the King and said, "Your Majesty, the problem is not with the actions of the Princes. The root of this issue lies in their understanding of the word, King. They do not understand what it is that a King does. They were born in silk, ate silver, and rode on gold. How will they know that the Crown is not just jewelry but a symbol of hard work and sacrifice?

    I think if Your Majesty could correct the world views of the Princes, this situation could be handled. They are young, and the bad elements, like the ministers and the greedy courtiers, have influenced them."

    The King was surprised and raised his eyebrow. He stood up from his Throne and said in a sonorous tone, "Commander Shi Lang, today, I reward you with three wishes. Your courage, your strength, and your wisdom are the skills that this court needs. I would have loved to hold you down in this court.

    However, a chained dragon can never take a flight to heaven. You are a dragon, and I do not wish to sin to hold you back. Say what you wish for."

    Shi Lang was shocked. He did not expect the King to be so generous. However, the next moment, the King said, "XiaoEr, have these traitors and their families executed publicly for the crime of instigating the two princes. The First and Second Prince will be given fiftyshes each in the public square. Immediately."

    The court echoed with gasps and cries for mercy, but the King did not spare anyone. The queens also came rushing, but given that they were from the families of the left and right ministers, they were warned to consider their lives a blessing. At least the King did not abolish their titles as the Queens.

    After everyone was pacified, Shi Lang was given an audience again, and the Terran said, "Your Majesty, I would like to as the Throne. If you have any lightning-attributed treasures, I would like to ask for one."

    The King nodded and said, "You can have the stalk of Purple Lightning Bamboo from the Treasury."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

    The King asked, "What else do you want?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "I do not have any wishes. I only hope that Your Majesty can be generous toward the Shi Family. I promise they will be loyal to the Throne only."

    The King thought about it and smiled faintly before nodding. Shi Lang said, "Myst request is for Your Majesty to consider the Fourth Prince as the sessor, with the two Princes being the right and left ministers. This way the household will stand strong, and the respect of the two princes will remain intact. In the future, the King should be decided based on their deeds."

    The King did not expect such a thing and asked, "Tell me more about this matter."

    Shi Lang nodded and told the King what he had in mind, and the King could not help but be impressed by this suggestion and said, "It is our fortune to have a genius like you among us, Shi Lang."

    The terran shook his head and said, "You tter me, Your Majesty."

 Chapter 506 Soul Of Lightning.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Shi Ning spent one night in the Tian Imperial Pce as honored guests while the royal court worked tirelessly to alleviate the situation in the city. The few people close to the two families were also investigated and driven out of the capital. The entire city wasbed for any and every reasonable rebel force.

    The third queen had amon household, but her elders were strong experts, and she was their sole descendant, so if she was to suffer any misgivings, none could get away. This was why she was not subjected to any political conspiracy.

    Shi Lang was sitting in the garden at night, wondering why the king was not keen on dering the third prince as the heir to the throne.

    Just when he was lost in thoughts, he sensed someone approaching him. He stood up and turned around, and bowed slightly in greeting. He said, "Greetings, Fourth Highness."

    The visitor was Tian Longjian, and with were two beautiful women. At the same time, Shi Lang could tell that one of them was the Third Queen. The otherdy had her face covered with a silk veil.

    Shi Lang bowed and said, "I have seen the Queen."

    Thedy smiled gracefully andmented, "Young Friend Shi is wise. We apologize to have disturbed you at this hour."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You tter me, Your Majesty. Please sit down."

    Thedy nodded, and Tian Longjian said, "Brother Shi Lang, this is my sister, third Princess Tian Lingxue."

    Shi Lang greeted thedy with a subtle bow and asked her to take a seat. The girl replied to him with a nod. The terran did not sign her off as a snob because he could see her eyes were sincere.

    After everyone sat down, Shi Lang called for Shi Ning, who prepared the tea for the guests. Tian Longjian wanted to say something when the Queen asked, "Young Master Shi, what I am about to say might make me seem shameless, but I still hope you can help me with it."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then, with a smile, asked, "Please do not be humble, Your Majesty. If it is within my power, I will help you."

    He used the word help because the Queen asked for it. Someone of her stature should not have mentioned something like this. However, since she has taken the initiative, he would not reject, but he still left him some room to maneuver.

    The Queen nodded and said, "Lingxue is a disciple in the Spirit Heart Sect. I wanted to seek your advice on this situation."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

    Tian Longjian nodded and said, "They do not know her identity. My sister is shy but dreams of being a top expert like our grandmother. That is why she does not wish to seek any gains from her identity."

    Shi Lang nodded; he understood what was going on here. He asked, "Actually, I think this situation can have two oues. If the princess falls out with the sectter, they me her for stealing secrets. If she turns into a hegemonic expert, she can act as the bridge between the two powers."

    The Third Queen nodded and said, "I hope for that. My Xue is kind, and kind people cannot go far on the path of strength."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not agree with you, Your Majesty."

    The Queen asked, "May I ask why?"

    The Terran sighed and said, "If you look at those in the Buddhist sects, do you think they are not kind?"

    The Queen was surprised, but Shi Lang continued, "In this world, there are many ways to reach the peak of strength. Kindness can be one of them, and cruelty can be one of them too. What matters is the peace of mind. You can reach the peak as long as you know which is which. Your Highness, kindness can only be useful when you follow. You take it with a pinch of intelligence."

    The girl nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Your Majesty, the path of dao starts from various origins, but all those paths lead to one truth. So it would be best if you did not doubt the possibilities. And your Highness, you need to steel your heart. Kind people bear the most burden."

    The princess nodded again and said, "Thank you." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Her voice was so gentle that Shi Lang almost missed it. The Queen smiled and said, "Your words are simr to my grandmother''s. However, the times are tough. Without help, no one can tread the path of the strong."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Leaning over a shoulder on the way to the peak is not wrong, but make sure that the ounts of karma are always paid in full. Favors shall be returned one hundredfold, while enmity shall be returned by ten."

    Tian Longjian nodded and so did Tian Lingxue. Shi Ning was listening to everything on the side. He smiled and said, "This is Shi Ning, my sister. She is a capablemander."

    Shi Ning was yet to be introduced, she greeted the Queen before she said, "Big brother, do not praise me, I might fly."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your heart. Whatever the future holds will eventually unfold, but the crux is to be mindful of our present."

    The Queen nodded and said, "Young Master Shi, you are wiser than your age."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you should call me Shi Lang. I am only the young master in name. It is my sisters who hold this designation in the family."

    This shocked the three people and they all looked at Shi Ning who replied, "Big brother wishes to go to the central ins and fight demons. So he convinced the family to pass on the job to us."

    The Queen was even more surprised, she asked, "Why did you do that?"

    Shi Lang smiled and looked around, before he said, "Your Majesty, could you ask your guards to retreat? I do not wish for many people to know this."

    The queen nodded with a calm face, but her heart was clenching in shock. She could not believe this young man to have noticed her shadow guards. Shi Lang spoke after he sensed the guards retreat, "I am an ascender."

    The Queen stood up from her chair. Her face finally showed some changes. She asked, "Then why are you here? This is in contradiction to the rules of the realm."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I yed a demon minion who was blocking people from ascending. The entire demon kin was lingering around the ascension hall when I came here. So, Tian Long, I mean Immortal Emperor Tian Long made some arrangements for me. I need to get stronger and go to the central ins in time."

    As he said this, his fists clenched and he stood up. The Queen asked, "You seem to be in a hurry."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "My wife and daughter will be the next ascenders, I cannot have them brave the dangers on their own. I need to break through the realm of immortal soul and go to the Spirit Heart Sect."

    The Queen understood what was going on, and the Princess and the Prince were shocked at this revtion. Shi Lang sped his hands and said, "I hope you do not tell anyone about this. It may attract unnecessary trouble."

    The Queen nodded and said, "You have my word. This secret will not be known to anyone else. However, my Grandfather might know about you. He is an Immortal Soveriegn."

    Shi Lang nodded and did not answer. After a few more things, the three guests left and Shi Lang said, "Ning, I will leave the pce and go to the valley where the Queen told me. Can you guard me?"

    The youngdy smiled and said, "How many times do I have to tell you not to be so polite?"

    Shi Lang patted her head and they both left the pce. The third queen had a great influence in the pce and she had already informed the people earlier. It did not take long for the two of them to arrive at a deste Valley. Shi Ning then channeled the spirit energy inside an array te and said, "Big brother, I shall wait outside the array circle."

    Shi Lang nodded and went to the center of the barrier. He closed his eyes and calmed his mind. A few minutester, he opened his eyes and took out the stalk of purple bamboo. Streaks of lightning ran throughout the stalk. The young man took a deep breath and soon he began to refine the herb ording to the technique he gained from the ruin.

    His body was infused with strong lightning energy slowly. The rampant energy broke his body and headed towards the soul sea. Shi Lang beared all the burn. Gradually, the energy calmed down, and the young man channeled the lightning energy into his soul sea.

    His soul began to calm down. Soon the sky was filled with dark clouds. Shi Ning watched everything from outside the array.

 Chapter 507 Soul Of Lightning (2).

    ?

    Shi Ning was surprised to see the dark clouds gathering over the valley. This was not amon urrence. Shi Lang was breaking into the realm of the Immortal Soul. There should not be a lightning tribtion. She did not know if this guy could endure the tribtion and wanted to return to the pce to seek help.

    Thankfully, she did not need to bother, and Elder Yu appeared behind her with a smile. He said, "Do not worry, Young Miss Shi, this is not a tribtion. This has something to do with his cultivation technique."

    Shi Ning nodded and thanked the old man. The clouds gathered together, and Lightning lingered among them. However, Shi Lang did not move or even twitch from his position. He focused on channeling all the lightning energy moving through his body. The energy coursing through his body gradually blended with the primordial soul in his soul sea.

    The young man was calm, although his head was filled with pain. It was as if his soul was gradually tearing up. However, he did not give up and tolerated everything. He was instilling the attribute of his cultivation in his soul.

    This was how the immortal soul worked. The people in the upper realms did not have to go through this stage. Their immortal souls were awakened like those in the lower realm awakened their primordial souls.

    This was the reason why the people from the immortal realms were stronger. It was mentioned in the sutra that if someone could instill the attribute of Lightning in their primordial souls, they would notg behind anyone in the immortal realm as well.

    Shi Lang was aware that he could not find any better herb or source of Lightning in the small kingdom of this barrennd, so using the technique he learned in his past life, he used his body like an antenna to resonate with the natural Lightning.

    After he finished digesting the Lightning in his body and channeling it inside his soul sea, the Lightning from the cloud fell on his body. The impact shook thend slightly, and Shi Lang sunk into the ground for millimeters. The Lightning fell on his body, and with the help of the cultivation sutra, Shi Lang absorbed it all.

    Elder Yu gulped, saying, "This boy is so cruel to himself."

    Shi Ning asked, "What do you mean elder?"

    Yu replied, "Lightning is the most destructive attribute in nature. It can destroy everything in its path. You do not know that while cultivating something involving Lightning, you need willpower like none else. The pain is strong enough to make you go mad or cripple you at worse."

    Shi Ning became anxious and asked, "Edler will he be alright?"

    Elder Yu patted her head gently and said, "You need to believe in him. He is not weak. Ever heard an idiom? Cruel to the enemy, crueler to yourself?"

    Shi Ning nodded and understood the meaning behind this idiom. Shi Lang was indeed crueler to himself. He sat in one position and slowly worked on his soul. It would take more than just one bolt of lightning to ensure that his soul is perfectly tempered and blended with the lightning.

    The cycle began with no end in sight. As soon as he finished absorbing one bolt of lightning, another struck. Shi Ning''s worry gradually turned numb. Shi Lang lost all his clothes from the constant lightning strikes.

    Elder Yu sighed and said, "What a marvel. He is following the way of double tempering. The lighting is also baptizing his body."

    Shi Ning asked, "Elder, how long will thisst?"

    Elder Yu shrugged and replied, "I have no idea. If he is unsatisfied with the effect, he might keep going."

    Shi Ning nodded, and they kept watching the scene unfold before them. The terransted for two hours before his flesh began to show signs of damage. His right shoulder exploded, and his flesh sshed around with blood. Shi Ning shivered and wanted to rush inside the formation, but Elder Yu held her hand.

    He said, "Watch carefully."

    Shi Ning found the lightning from the rest of the body mingling with each other, and gradually the blue streaks turned golden before they reformed the injured part. The young man did not even utter a sound when all this happened.

    It was not an isted event, but all over his body, the flesh boiled and exploded before it was reformed with the flow of spiritual energy. The scenery and primordial soul have greatly changed inside his soul sea.

    Watching the scene, Elder Yu suddenly recalled something and asked, "Huh, wasn''t Shi Lang in the golden core realm?"

    Shi Ning nodded and then opened her eyes wide. She asked, "Is he skipping a realm? This is bad; it will damage his foundation and not be repairedter." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Elder Yu solemnly said, "Although I trust his intelligence, this situation still excites me."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang looked at his soul, a sea filled with lightning, and said, ''The immortal core is formed when the Dao is inscribed on it. The spirit energy is used to inscribe what one has understood in the past. This is the biggest obstacle that the ascenders face. Our cores and primordial souls both calcify. They be so stubborn that the gentle nature of spiritual energy is not enough to inscribe the essence deeply enough. Anyway, it is time to work with the lightning.''

    With that thought, Shi Lang manipted the lightning energy in his body. Earlier, when his flesh was boiling and breaking, he channeled the lightning energy throughout himself on a cellr level. Thanks to the tribtions he suffered in the past, his body was now used to handling the lightning attribute of spirit energy.

    The lightning coursed through his body, and gradually it entered his Dantian. The streaks of lightning surrounded the golden core, but they did not rush to inscribe the Dao Essence. Shi Lang controlled one streak at a time to strike the core gently.

    This process shook his entire being because he would die on the spot if the core exploded. This vtile nature of the attributes was why the people used spirit energy for inscription.

    ¡­

    Elder Yu shivered while his hand was ced on Shi Ning''s shoulder and said, "I have never seen someone use a lightning attribute to inscribe Dao on the golden core. This is unprecedented."

    Shi Ning clenched her fists as she watched a streak of blood leaking from the corner of Shi Lang''s mouth. She could tell how much he suffered during the process, yet he did not wish to stop. What sort of willpower did one need to tolerate all this?

    Shi Ning did not know that his family meant much in Shi Lang''s heart. He was rushing with all his guts and tolerating all this because he wanted to ensure that Amelia did not suffer more and Shi Tao did not get implicated by anyone. The horror he faced when the demon energy inflicted him, he does not want his people to suffer that.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not have the luxury to mind anything else. He kept inscribing his core with the essence of his Dao Path. The understanding he gained about the Shura sutra was not low in standards. He also inscribed the things he understood in his past life, the way of the sword, and his sword intent was all slowly inscribed on his core.

    The night had passed, but the dark clouds did not fade, constantly showering lightning streaks over Shi Lang. The young man seemed to have turned into a lightning rod.

    Since it was morning, the fourth Prince and the third Princess also came to watch what was going on at the instruction of the third Queen. Elder Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "He should be finished inscribing, but what is taking him so long?"

    Tian Longjian suddenly held his sword tightly and furrowed his brows. He said, "My sword is trembling."

    Elder Yu''s people dted for a second, and he said, "Don''t tell me, is this guy out of his mind?"

    Shi Ning asked hurriedly, "Elder, what is it? What is going on?"

    Elder Yu calmed down and said, "It is said that the deeper the inscription, the stronger the person. If the inscription is too deep, the core might break down on its own, so the spirit energy is used to keep it together.

    Shi Lang is using his sword intent to gradually deepen the inscription and use the lighting energy to keep the core together. His core can be cut in half if he makes one deeper cut. This is akin to chasing after death."

    However, soon Tian Longjian said, "It stopped."

    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, but the danger was not yet averted. The lightning in the clouds changed from blue to golden. The pressure it gave made Elder Yu exim, "Lightning Tribtion. Retreat."

    The heavens were going to test the soul of lightning, and the resolve of the practitioner.

 Chapter 508 Tribulation.

    ?

    Shi Lang sensed something when his body was gushing with energy. He opened his eyes and found the clouds thundering with golden lightning flicking among them. He looked around and found that Elder Yu was taking everyone back.

    Shi Lang stretched his body, issuing cracks, and the Terran said, "What are you waiting for? Come at me."

    The lightning seemed to be waiting to hear these words and rushed down from the skies. The streak of lightning looked like an angry python opening its mouth to grab the neck of its prey.

    Shi Lang did not back off. He smiled and channeled his cultivation sutra to the fastest speed possible. It was an instant when the streak collided with him. Shi Lang could absorb some of the lightning, but the impact threw him away from the initial spot. The terran shook his head and cleared his dazed mind before he mumbled, "The tribtion of the upper realm is tougher than the tribtion of the lower realm."

    The second streak of lightning was upon him before he had time to recollect himself. Gritting his teeth, the terran braced for the impact. Just as he predicted, this streak of lightning was twice stronger than the first streak. Shi Lang slid back on the ground for ten meters as his feet left trails this time.

    The grooves were a few inches deep. Shi Lang ran his cultivation sutra and absorbed all the residual energy inside his body. The young man did not let go of a single shred of energy to waste. He knew that for someone who practiced the lightning attribute, the essence of heavenly lightning was a priceless treasure.

    This essence will y a huge role in refining his lightning spirit energy to the next level. Just when he wanted to absorb more of this heavenly lightning, he sensed that the quality improvement was diminishing the quantity of spirit energy in his body.

    Shi Lang smiled. The inscription on the core and the soul bought him a huge advantage. His body was always refining the spirit energy, and it was also absorbing spirit energy from nature and converting it to lightning attribute spirit energy.

    The joy of this discovery did notst long when the third streak fell on his body, and all the energy contained inside the streak infiltrated his body and began to reap his body to shreds. Shi Lang did not have the time to expel this energy inside his body, so he decided to refine it.

    His body''s essence was higher than ever if he did not tame or expel it. His body will slowly swell up and then explode like a balloon. The refining will take time, but it will bring him many benefits, and expelling will free him from the pair and waste some of his potentials.

    Shi Lang was crueler to himself; how could he let this go away? So, gritting his teeth, Shi Lang tolerated the pain throughout his body.

    The dark clouds gradually faded away as he was busy refining the energy in his body. The terran fell to the ground and silently absorbed the energy traveling through his body.

    Shi Ning took the array te from her storage pouch and wanted to dispel the barrier when the Elder said, "You should not hurry. The surrounding is filled with the residue of the heavenly lightning."

    Shi Ning was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She was worried about his health. His body was covered with cracked flesh, and golden sparks were leaking out from the openings. She asked, "Elder, what is going on with him?"

    Elder Yu shook his head and said, "I have no idea, but it seemed that he had absorbed too much divine lightning essence and is trying to refine it. However, it is not that easy for anyone to refine it."

    Shi Ning sighed, and Tian Longjian said, "Is it that hard? Then why did he do it?"

    Elder Yu replied, "To gain strength, one needs to suffer. However, seeking to suffer from various kinds of trauma without thought will do you no good. If you cannot maintain your consciousness throughout the situation, you will go insane. Worse, you might end up disabled if you are not careful. Do not try to be a daredevil, your highness."

    Tian Longjian and Tian Lingxue nodded and watched the scene unfold. Shi Lang was squirming on the ground, and his body was glowing slightly. This was the sign that the heavenly lightning essence was assimting with his body.

    Shi Langy on the ground for a few hours before he stood up. His body had healed, and he was breathing heavily. He looked around and waved his hand to Shi Ning, who removed the barrier and shot to meet him. The girl checked him everywhere and asked, "Are you okay?"

    Shi Lang nodded with a calm smile on his face and spotted Elder Yu and the rest. He greeted the old man who asked, "Young Friend Shi, you are truly a marvel. I wondered for a second, if you could still endure such horrendous torture."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is what cultivation means, to break the shackles ced on oneself and defy the heavens."

    Elder Yu nodded, and Tian Longjian said, "Would you like to spar with me after this?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I would like to spar with Bai Hu. I need to gain a better understanding of my new strength. I cannot risk hurting you."

    Tian Longjian thought about it and said, "Very well. I will call Bai Hu over. Then you can fight him, and when you are done, allow me to spar with you."

    Shi Lang nodded slightly and found the third Princess looking to the side. He thought for a few minutes and then realized the girl was shy to look at him with a bare torso. Shi Lang said, "Pardon my manners."

    He removed a set of robes from his space ring and put on blue ones. The Princess replied with a shake of her head. Shi Lang sighed internally, ''This girl...''

    He said, "Shall we go back? I need to return to TianXue city as well. I have been away for far too long. I want to bid farewell to the people before I go to the Spirit Heart sect."

    Elder Yu nodded and said, "Let''s go."

    The group moved back to the pce, and Shi Lang bathed before he went to the training field. Bai Hu was already waiting for him there with a spear.

    The young man smiled and said, "Aha! I see young master Shi has climbed to the realm of the immortal soul."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and replied, "Thank you, Brother Bai."

    Bai Hu waved his head and said, "Come on, let us see what you have gained from all that torment."

    The two people stood ten meters apart, and soon they began fighting. Initially, the attacks were made with some conservation, and gradually the intensity increased.

    Since the two were learning from each other, they decided to hold back a few cards. However, the way Shi Lang was facing Bai Hu''s spear with his bare hands and was only defensively countering the man and pushing thetter back with the impact was shocking.

    Elder Yu did not say anything out loud, but he could tell that Shi Lang would leave his mark on this world. After the spar, Shi Lang had a quick meal with the people and decided to leave for Tianxue City.

    Shi Ning joined him, and the two people bade their farewell to the King and the Fourth Prince before they left the capital. The distance was not much, but it still took them a few days to reach the city. On the way, they fought with a few bandits and cleaned up the region in no more than ten minutes.

    When entering the city, the masses recognized Shi Lang and Shi Ning and cheered for Shi Lang and Shi Ning. The streets were filled with smiling pedestrians at the same time. Shi Ning asked someone, "Uncle, why are you cheering for us?"

    The man replied, "Do you not know? A few days ago, the Shi Family was rewarded by His Majesty with a royal crest. This means that the royal family is your backer."

    Shi Ning was surprised, and looking at Shi Lang, the two people moved through the city quickly. When they reached the Shi Family Manor, they found a big golden crest hanging over the top of the main door.

    When the two people stood in front of the gate, looking at the situation when the guards at the gate recognized them and immediately yelled, "We have seen the Young Master. We have seen the Young Miss."

    Shi Ning nodded and said, "Let us pass."

    The guards stepped back and gave them the way. Shi Lang and Shi Ning moved inside the manor with their horses, and the military guards followed them. The servants recognized the two, delivering the news directly to the elders.

 Chapter 509 Departure.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the family gathered in the hall, and everyone was happy. Yesterday when the two people returned, Shi Yulong was happy and rxed. However, the happiness was short-lived.

    The terran stood up from the table and bowed to ny degrees before the three elders and their wives. He said while bowing, "I need to leave Tianxue City. I have to go and seek the Spirit Heart Sect."

    Everyone fell silent, but soon they calmed down. They all knew that this day woulde soon. However, it was still too sudden for them to ept. Shi Yulong and the rest of the people tried to stop Shi Lang when the young man said, "Sir, If not for the fact that my cultivation will not progress if I did not go to the Spirit Heart sect, I would have loved to stay. You all know the allegations I have toplete. Please try to understand."

    The elders were reluctant, and Shi Ning said, "It is not like he is going forever. We need to understand his situation too."

    The rest of the girls also stepped up. When Shi Lang was gone in the past few months, the threedies learned a lot and were not the same anymore. The family has also announced that the fourdies will takemand of the Shi Family in the future.

    Shi Lang was happy, and he left a few things that the King bestowed on him to the four girls and retired to his room after the night. He wanted to go away without any emotional baggage, but the girls knew this, and they all were guarding the window of his room and door in shifts the whole night.

    The terran sighed and decided to confront the situation. He stepped out of his room, and Shi Ting appeared in his face. The girl asked, "Where are you going at this hour? Do you not believe that we will let you go in the morning? Are we that much of a nuisance to you?"

    Shi Lang smiled, patted her head, and said, "No, I came to talk to you all. Since I will leave in the morning, why not spend the night talking? See, it is a full moon."

    Shi Ting turned her head to look at the moon in the sky and nodded as she blew a high-pitched whistle. Shi Ning appeared soon after with Shi Yua and Shi Wei in tow. The terran shook his head and said, "You all... Come, let''s go to the garden.

    The girls followed him, and they all came to the pavilion in the garden. The moonlight illuminated the ce, and a few night-blooming flowers added to the scenery.

    Five people sat under the pavilion, and Shi Lang asked, "What is it? Does it make a difference when I leave?"

    Shi Yua nodded and said, "It is not about when, but how? You have many connections other than us. Why do you wish to leave without saying goodbye to them?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and knew this girl was talking about Xiao Nan. He replied, "The connection we shared was that of a business nature. Why do I have to bid her farewell?"

    Shi Wei giggled and said, "You are just afraid of the red tie of karma entangling you."

    Surprised, Shi Lang shook his head before he replied, "No, I am not afraid of it, but I do not wish for Xiao Nan to entangle in all this."

    Shi Yua shook her head and said, "I would have said otherwise, but you are correct too. She may act cold, but she is very considerate."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am aware. Let us not think about the things that we cannot control. It will only disturb the thoughts."

    Shi Ning and the rest then began talking to him about their doubts. The doubts were not about cultivation but about life and how the world works. Shi Lang suddenly recalled something and burst intoughter.

    The girls were surprised, and Shi Lang removed the chain around his neck. The terran had been wearing a ring with a pendant in it. This ring was the space ring he used back in the federation, and he could not ess it because of the spiritual bounds of this world.

    He put the ring on his finger and sensed it with his spiritual energy. He smiled as his consciousness was able to ess. When the girls were confused, he took out his pricedmunicator and tied it to his wrist.

    He said, "Wake up."

    The girls were confused, but they saw the bracelet shine, and a voice echoed, "System is unable to detect any data flow. Please input details manually, Agent Ace."

    The four girls were shocked and reacted, "Spirit Artifact?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and shook his head. He replied, "This is a slightly advancedmunicator that I used in my world. It worked somewhat simrly to themunication talismans and had many more uses. However, it does not need spiritual energy to work."

    The girls gathered around him as Shi Lang told them about the various features of themunicator. They were mesmerized, and Shi Yua said, "I wonder if Cousin Laoyao can make something like this if he tried to?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Who is Laoyao?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Yua smiled and said, "My cousin on mother''s side. He is an artifact nerd. He is also studying in Spirit Heart Sect. Thest time I heard from him, he was supposed to have entered the inner court. Oh, this is a good idea, I will write him a letter, and he will help you. He is a good man."

    Shi Lang faintly smiled and epted the offer politely. He talked with them for a few more hours. When the horizon lit up, Shi Lang said, "It is time that I leave."

    The girls suddenly lost all their enthusiasm, and Shi Lang said, "I am away but never gone. Here, keep these."

    He took a bunch of talismans from his space ring and said, "You all keep one and leave one for the elders. If they ever need me, I am just one message away."

    The girls were getting emotional, and Shi Lang could not help but sigh. He said, "I am not very expressive, but you all are no less than my family."

    That was it, and he expressed how he felt for these four girls. After a few minutes of emotional embracing, they stood up. Shi Yua handed him a letter with her seal ced on it.

    She said, "My cousin is called Yuan Yaoloa. Remember to look for him as soon as you pass the test."

    Shi Lang nodded, then bade farewell to the Shi Family and left the city on a war horse. At the city gate, he came across Xiao Nan, who did not stop him but said, "I shall wait for you in the central ins."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I will look for you when I arrive."

    The Terran rode the war horse through the woods, camped at night, and continued his journey the next morning. The Spirit Heart Sect was located at Crown Valley. This valley was as big as a kingdom, but mountains surrounded it.

    The Spirit Heart Sect''s disciples patrolled these mountains, and none were below the Immortal Soul Realm. This was why the nations could only bite their cheek and tolerate them. After all, none of the Kings wanted to bear the burden of the deaths of their many soldiers.

    It took Shi Lang one week to escape the Tian Kingdom''s sphere of influence. After another five days to pass through the forests, he finally came to the northern range. However, reaching the Sect will still take him two more weeks. By that time, he will miss the entrance.

    At this moment, a voice echoed in his mind, "Lang!"

    The terran was surprised and pulled the reins of his mount. The horse stood up on his hind legs. Shi Lang quickly got down on the ground and took out Raksha. The sword trembled, and soon, an ethereal phantom appeared next to him.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Long time no see."

    The sword spirit stretched herself and yawned as she said, "Indeed, long time no see. So, where are we heading?"

    "The Spirit Heart Sect.", said Shi Lang.

    Thedy smiled and said, "I see. How long will it take to get there?"

    Shi Lang told her everything and the sword spirit shook her head. She said, "You have one week to get there. I can take you to some uninhabited ce near the territory. This way you will be able to keep me hidden too."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for your understanding."

    Raksha smiled and said, "Don''t I know the allure of a sentient spirit artifact? You will be dead in no time."

    The two discussed the n for the future a bit before Shi Lang patted the horse and let it wander on its own. Then he let go of the sword hilt. The de levitated perpendicr to the ground. Shi Lang jumped over it, and slowly, the sword flew.

    Shi Lang remarked, "The fantasy of a sword cultivator has been realized."

    Raksha chuckled at this as the two flew away.

 Chapter 510 Gathering For The Exam.

    ?

    Shi Lang flew through the skies at a staggering speed. Raksha was a heavenly-grade spiritual artifact in the Mortal Realm, which did not change in the Immortal realm. On the contrary, she was now a Holy Spirit Artifact.

    The spirits that can manifest as ethereal spirit bodies were treated with great respect and were often desired by immortal sovereign-level cultivators. Correct, the young man cannot defend himself against such a power. So he decided to put Raksha inside the spirit tattoo.

    When thinking about hiding the tattoo''s secret from strong cultivators, he recalled something inherited from the Myriad Titan Immortal Sovereign''s tomb in the Lightning technique. A section of the entire content reads Myriad concealment technique.

    He was shocked and thought this memory came to him opportunely. Two days passed very quickly, and Shi Lang had practiced the concealment technique to a great sess level.

    Shi Lang was not shallow if he was to be judged based on hisprehension power. This technique was not hard for him to see through. Raksha appeared before him once they reached the location. On the way, they encountered many people camping at night, and Shi Lang asked them for correct directions.

    The sword spirit said, "I will reside inside the spirit tattoo. However, I will leave a wisp of my spirit in your hairpin. This way, we canmunicate, and I can act if you face imminent danger."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "What if someone detects your presence on the hairpin?"

    Raksha waved and said, "It will not be that easy. If there is a strong expert around, I will keep it hidden. You do not have to think too much about this, hindering your progress. I am already having difficulty stopping myself from going and spanking Tian Long."

    Shi Lang chuckled and nodded in agreement. Raksha left a wisp of her spirit consciousness on the hairpin stuck between the young man''s hair. Then Shi Lang kept the sword inside the spirit tattoo.

    He was very cautious and respectful toward the sword. The reason was awakening. Raksha must have absorbed the lightning energy of the tribtion the other day. This triggered her awakening and promotion. Otherwise, reviving her would still take him a few years.

    Thinking about this, the young man walked through the woods at leisure. At the end of this forest, everyone who hade to participate in the exam was gathering. Four such camps were arranged since mountains surrounded the crown valley on every side.

    After half a day of walking, Shi Lang came out of the woods and was surprised to see an endless horde of humans. He could not help but shake his head at this. The rate of passing the trial was close to ten in every camp.

    Yes, ten in every camo means ten people among hundreds, not ten percent among the hundreds. Shi Lang watched carefully, finding a queue at the side and slowly moving forward.

    The Terran walked over to the end of the queue and asked, "This friend, the queue is for registration?"

    The man ahead of him nodded, and they continued to walk. Shi Lang had little knowledge about the examination process, but since the other party was anxious, he did not wish to mingle as well.

    Shi Lang spent a couple of hours reaching the front, and it would be his turn to register in just a few minutes. However, at this moment, a group of men walked forward from the side. They were dressedvishly and stood before the disciple behind the table, saying, "Senior Brother, we are from Rubial City, Cao Kingdom. My second uncle is a supervising elder in the sect. Can you register us?"

    The people in the queue were angry, but when they heard that the young man knew someone inside the sect, they could only gulp down this anger. Shi Lang did not care much. The time left before the examination was three days. His turn wille eventually. He did not wish to say anything as long as these privileged ones did not make things difficult for him.

    However, the disciple behind the table did not answer him and kept recording the candidate''s details. The young man grits his teeth but does not show rage here. He and his friends bowed to the disciple and turned over to look at the people in the queue.

    Soon one of the cronies moved to a young man and said, "Would you like to give me your spot? I will repay you when I pass the test."

    Then he pushed the guy out of the queue without waiting for a reply. The rest of the people from his group also did the same. They snatched positions. However, the leader decided to stand in the face of Shi Lang and said the same thing.

    Just as he was about to shove Shi Lang, the Terran raised his leg and kicked the young man in the stomach. Thetter did not even have the time to react and was pushed back. He raised his head to look at Shi Lang in shock and asked, "Who do you think you are? How dare you attack me?"

    The young man took out a sword and said, "Will you apologize, or shall I cut off that leg of yours to make you realize the severity of your actions?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang cast the young man a gaze, and his eyes shed coldly. The next moment, the young man held his head but did not cry or wail. Shi Lang said, "Do not think you can do anything you want by having someone on the inside."

    Then he stood up silently as if nothing happened. Shi Lang did not wish to create a stir, but he would not let anyonee over and do what they wanted. He was not to lie down and take a shit¡ªthese people he had been handling for a long time. One more did not make any difference.

    The young man did not make a ruckus either. He just faced the horror of the Shura illusion cast by Shi Lang for a moment. This action of standing up changed the perception of the people. Since the disciple at the desk did not pay this man any heed, why should they?

    The cronies of the young man were also pushed out of the queue. Shi Lang did note forward to take the credit or anything. He just stood in his position and moved along the queue.

    Soon, it was his turn. The disciple asked, "Name."

    "Shi Lang."

    The disciple continued, "Cultivation realm?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Immortal Soul realm."

    The disciple raised his head and asked, "Age?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I was abandoned as a child. I do not know my exact age."

    The disciple nodded and asked Shi Lang to ce his hand on a stele. The stele sent a wisp of spirit energy inside his body, and Shi Lang could sense it, probing the bones of his hand. And soon, the wisp of spirit energy withdrew, and the disciple said, "Remember that your age is twenty."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the disciple said, "You may wait in the side. You will wait for a bit."

    The terran waited on the side obediently. He did not mind this. Finding a secluded corner, the young man from earlier did not create a stir. On the contrary, his people wanted to cause a scene, but when the young man recalled those scenes in his mind. He could not help but shiver in fright.

    He dissuaded those people. Time passed slowly, and the day of examination was upon them. A loud bell echoed in the surroundings, followed by a sonorous voice, "Candidates who have been registered, please gather around. We are about to conduct the examination."

    The people were looking for a ce to gather in the clearance when they saw Shi Lang and a few more people moving toward the registration desk. At this moment, they realized that the desk was ced in the center of the clearing.

    It turned out anyone could watch this desk from where they stood. After the people were gathered, a figure descended from the sky slowly. It was a beautifuldy. None of the people knew who this person was, but they could not get ideas. Such a beautiful fairy.

    Shi Lang, however, raised his eyebrow. Thedy said in a calm voice, "My name is Elder Ji. I will be conducting aprehensive examination of you all. Are you ready?"

    The candidates yelled, "Yes, Elder Ji."

    The elder nodded and said, "Follow me."

    The people followed her to the side, and she pointed at thirteen steps on the side and said, "You all will climb the steps one by one. The ones who reach the third step are passed to enter the sect as a service disciples. Those who can climb up to five are outer disciples."

    Shi Lang wanted to ask something when he decided to watch how it unfolds.

 Chapter 511 Thirteen Steps Of Virtue.

    ?

    Shi Lang gathered with the rest of the people after Elder Ji told the crowd to gather. He did not step up first. He wanted to see what these thirteen steps were all about.

    Someone moved forward and stood before the steps. Shi Lang watched everything moving slowly, and the Elder said, "Step on those stairs and channel your spirit energy to climb up."

    The disciple nodded and took a step onto the stairs. At the same time, his shoulders sank from a strong pressure. The young man barely stood on his feet a few breathster.

    The young man tried his best to move forward but could not after five minutes of stagnation.

    Edler Ji said, "Step down. You can try again next year. You would suffer prolonged injuries if you tried to move to prevail."

    The young man nodded and stepped down from the steps. Thedy said, "You will be given the next chance next year because you were asked to test the steps without instructions."

    The disciple nodded, and Elder Ji continued, "These steps test the quality of your spiritual energy. To pass this ce, you must reach the seventh step, the admission requirement as an errand disciple."

    Someone asked, "Elder, can I ask a question?"

    The Elder nodded, and the young man asked, "Why are these stairs called the steps of virtue?"

    The Elder replied, "What is the biggest virtue of a cultivator?"

    The young man did not answer but shook his head. Shi Lang found none of the people answering it, so he whispered, "Spirit energy."

    The people were surprised to hear this. They thought the young man among them was joking and wanted to ridicule him when Elder Ji nodded and said, "Correct, it is the spiritual energy of a person that makes him stronger."

    The disciples immediately calmed down. They understood what he was doing. Elder Ji said, "Now you all can start taking the test."

    The disciples all moved one by one, but none had yet crossed the threshold of the seventh step. Shi Lang was only watching things from the back of the crowd. He did not wish to climb just the bare minimum, but he wanted to see if there was a genius among these people and learn from them.

    He was a nobody. If he were to showcase his ability abruptly, it would bring him more harm than good. Shi Lang did not make any noise. However, most of the candidates were almost done taking the exam when a youngdy asked, "Elder, what if someone climbed the thirteenth step?"

    Elder Ji nced at the girl and said, "You will be selected by the leaders of one of the eight peaks."

    The girl nodded, and the disciples were shocked. They did not expect such an oue for climbing to the top of the stairs. The girl channeled her spiritual energy and stepped onto the second step.

    She skipped the first step as if this trial was child''s y. The next thing that shocked everyone was the petite girl climbing higher on the stairs. Shi Lang could not help but raise his eyebrows when he saw this. The girl was moving as if she was walking on the ground.

    However, as she climbed higher, the pressure on her shoulders increased, and her back slightly leaned forward. Shi Lang thought, ''This girl must have some rich background.''

    Raksha''s voice echoed his thoughts, ''Indeed, she has the nature of water in her spiritual energy. To think someone with spiritual water attribute could defy the pressure of the Immortal Sovereign.''

    Shi Lang was surprised when he heard this. He did not know that the pressure on the stairs belonged to an Immortal Sovereign. Raksha continued, ''Calm down, and it is not like you cannot handle this.''

    The terran calmed down. He turned his focus to look at the girl and found her climbing the thirteenth step. She stood at the spot firmly, with her back straight. Elder Ji was surprised and asked, "What is your name?"

    The girl reported, "Shu Xing."

    Elder Ji raised thought for a second and asked, "Shu Family of the Vemon Swamp?"

    The girl replied, "Shu Family, guardians of the venom swamp."

    Elder Ji smiled and nodded. She liked the temperament of this youngdy. Then she said, "Come down, and after the exam, you will have an audience with the Elders."

    Shu Xing nodded and stepped down. Following her, many people steeled their guts and tried their best to climb to a higher stair. The difference between a genius and amoner was so high that out of a hundred disciples, only five managed to cross the seventh step, and only ten made it to the seventh step.

    Shi Lang understood why Spirit Heart Sect was seen as a threat. The quality of the disciples was much higher than those soldiers trained by the kingdoms. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As Shi Lang was thinking about what to do, a young man silently climbed the stairs smilingly. This guy reached the thirteenth floor too, and the time he took was lesser that of Shu Xing.

    Elder Ji asked, "Your name?"

    The young man replied, "Bai Linghu."

    Elder Ji nodded and said, "You hail from the literary Bai family of the Terra Desert range?"

    Bai Linghu nodded, and the people were surprised. Shi Lang did not know anything about the geniuses here. He intently watched the test continue, and Shi Lang stepped forward when only a handful of people were left.

    He ced his hands behind his back and climbed the first step. The pressure on his body was heavy, but still not as heavy as to make him flinch. Shi Lang shook his head and quickly took the next step. The situation did not change much.

    Elder Ji narrowed her gaze and mumbled, "Physically resisting the pressure. I wonder if this guy can climb the seventh step."

    Shi Lang had predicted it earlier, and the seventh step was a trap. The pressure on the top of the staircase was the strongest, but the seventh step was the actual test. Shi Lang reached the seventh step in seven breaths, and his speed made the people shiver.

    Many people have climbed the seventh step till now, but they were not nearly as carefree as Shi Lang was. Even the two geniuses were not like him. They had to use their spiritual energy to fend off the pressure. However, this guy climbing to the seventh step looked so easy to achieve.

    Shi Lang did not stop. He channeled his spiritual energy, and the pressure vanished. Elder Ji was shocked this time. Never has she met a disciple who could dispel the pressure from the stairs like this.

    Shu Xing and Bai Linghu were surprised as well. However, Shi Lang''s spiritual energy spun even more intensely as he stepped higher. When he reached the tenth step, people could see faint traces of lightning sparks materializing over his body.

    Elder Ji gulped and said, "Lightning Spiritual attribute."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows, and the lightning energy was being forced to materialize under the pressure of the stairs. The young man climbed faster and soon stood on the thirteenth floor.

    Elder Ji nodded and asked, "What is your name?"

    The terran sped his hands and bowed to thedy as he said, "I am Shi Lang. Shi Family in the Tianxue City of Tian Kingdom."

    Thedy nodded and said, "Those who passed the test will follow Tie Shan to register their discipleship. As for you three,e along."

    Shi Lang, Shu Xing, and Bai Linghu were the three in her mouth. The three people nodded and followed through a narrow passage between the cliff walls. The three people had no expressions and did not talk to each other.

    Exiting the passage, they stood in a square where several guards were deployed. In the center of the squarey a teleportation circle. Elder Ji said, "This circle can send you anywhere inside the sect as long as you have the authority."

    The three people nodded and followed thedy inside the circle. Elder Ji took out her token and showed it to the guard on duty as she said, "The Elder Hall."

    The guard nodded respectfully, and after checking the arrangement of the circle, he activated the formation, and the four people vanished from the spot.

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and looked around to find himself standing in another square. He spotted a grand building before them, and Elder Ji said, "Follow me. You will be meeting the elders of the respected peaks. I advise you all to be at your best behavior."

    The three people nodded and followed Elder Ji inside the building and then to the gates of the so-called Elder Hall.

    Elder Ji entered the room and asked the three of them to wait. Shi Lang was busy looking around the decor when Shu Xing asked, "You practice the art of lightning energy?"

    Shi Lang nodded indifferently, and thedymented, "Well, you must have encountered a good opportunity."

    Shi Lang gazed at her face coldly, and without caring for her dignity, he said, "Did they not teach you that secrets of other cultivators are not to be dug into?"

    Shu Xing was left speechless, and she wanted to say something when Elder Ji came out of the room and said, "Shu Xing, you go in first."

 Chapter 512 Sword Peak.

    ?

    Shu Xing entered the hall, and Bai Linghu was called a few minutester. Shi Lang thought briefly and asked, "Elder, can you tell me a little about the forces? I have no idea what it is like here."

    Elder Ji smiled and said, "The Spirit Heart Sect is one of the strongest forces in the eastern barrens. There are two other sects, and they are called the Eastern Triage. They are called Dragon Sword Sect. They only admit sword cultivators and have the least number of disciples. Another is Snow Maiden Peak. They are the only women cultivator sect, and they live in the coldest frozen region in the eastern barren."

    Shi Lang smiled and scratched the back of his head while saying, "I seem to be living under a rock. I have no idea about the things in this world."

    Elder Ji nodded and asked, "What have you been doing all these years, Xiao Lang?"

    Shi Lang replied, "My cultivation talent was ordinary, so I practiced sword. Then I used my sword energy to change my body slowly, and that was when I developed the lightning attribute."

    Elder Ji was shocked, and she could not believe that someone could go to these levels to exceed in cultivation. The nature of sword energy was too destructive and gave the normal cultivators dread. Yet someone could refine their body and stay sane after the process. That was impressive.

    Suddenly, a dull gong sounded from the hall, and Elder Ji said, "Xiao Lang, follow me."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed her inside the room. He did not look around like a hilly billy, but his sense of things gave him a three-dimensional map of everything around him. The young man did not fluctuate much and stood behind Elder Ji as they came before eight old men and women.

    Elder Ji said, "Xiao Lang, introduce yourself."

    Shi Lang bowed and sped his hands, saying, "Disciple Shi Lang greets the elders."

    The people nodded with faint smiles on their lips. An old man with a robust physique said, "Young man, I heard you shocked Xiao Ji with your skills. Show us some things too."

    Shi Lang smiled, facing the old man, and said, "It will be my pleasure, Elder."

    That said, Shi Lang channeled his spiritual energy, which soon materialized into lightning sparks on his body. The old people were surprised, and a middle-aged man said, "The aura is very tamed."

    Shi Lang smiled and grunted; the sparks erged, and the destructive aura was unleashed. The elders nodded, and Shi Lang retracted his energy. The next moment a sharp tingling sound echoed in the surroundings. A middle-aged woman stood up from one of the chairs and said, "Sword Intent."

    This shocked the other people, and they all gazed at Shi Lang. A calm voice sounded, "You seem to have more than enough skills to be a core disciple."

    Shi Lang bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Elder."

    The man smiled and said, "I am the Sect Leader, Ling Ye. These are my fellow senior brothers and sisters. They all pursue a specific branch of martial arts, and none of the people would im to be the first if they admit to being the second."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Ling Ye said, "I have a feeling that you are still holding back a lot of things, but it is good to act cautiously and always keep a surprising element up your sleeves."

    The young man nodded, and the middle-aged woman said, "Unlike earlier, Xiao Lang already has a specialization. His spiritual attribute is lightning, and his sword intent has reached small sess. So, none of you qualify to be his master. Even though I am not qualified to be his master, I was thirty when I realized sword intent, and this child has already mastered it in his twenties."

    The people were all sighing at his talent, and Shi Lang sighed and said, "Elders, may I say something?"

    Ling Ye nodded, and Shi Lang said, "I hope you all can keep it a secret. I am an ascender."

    The court was silenced, but all the Immortal King-level figures were these people. They regained theirposures and asked for the details. Shi Lang narrated the story and also told them about Tian Long. The people were surprised, but then Ling Ye said, "Well, Senior Tian Long did say that you would being over, but he did not say you would be this awesome."

    Shi Lang bowed in modesty. Ling Ye said, "Although youe with the rmendation of Senior Tian Long, you will be treated like any other sect disciple. Do you agree?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I agree, Sect Master." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ling Ye said, "Junior Sister Mei Lingyao will take you to the sword peak. You will be told of other arrangementster. Your status will be of a core disciple."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "Sect Master, if possible, I would like you to hold back the status of the core disciple for now."

    Ling Ye asked with a confused reaction, "Why so?"

    The terran replied, "The present core disciples have been working hard and have all earned their positions with effort. It might not look well if I am served everything on a tter. I do not mind working from the bottom."

    Ling Ye and the rest were surprised, but then an old voice echoed in the hall, "Xiao Yao, take him to the sword peak, give him the status of an outer disciple. If he can qualify in the inter-sect tournament within one year, he will be promoted to the core disciples. Then he can go out of the sect. Otherwise, he must stay in the sect for ten years."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he nodded. Mei Lingyao nodded and replied, "As youmand, Uncle Master."

    Shi Lang did not sense anyone probing him, but he was sure this old voice belonged to someone in the Immortal Sovereign realm. Mei Lingyao said, "Come along, Xiao Lang."

    The terran nodded, and then after greeting the elders, he left the hall. Ling Ye smiled and said, "The sect is about to liven up. Make sure that you keep this news sealed."

    The elders nodded, then dispersed to deal with their daily matters.

    ...

    Shi Lang and Mei Lingyao came out of the Elder Hall, and the guard disciples greeted thedy. Thedy nodded subtly and said, "Xiao Lang, three monthster, the sect will hold the promotion contest for all the outer disciples. You have to be ready by then. If you need anything, tell me."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Elder, a ce to cultivate peacefully will do."

    Elder Mei nodded and said, "You are selected directly by me, so the minimum you can do to address me is, Teacher."

    Shi Lang did not hesitate and said, "Teacher."

    Thedy nodded and took out a spirit sword from her space ring, and she said, "Do you have a spirit sword?"

    Shi Lang took a low-grade spirit sword and jumped on it to fly away with thedy. Elder Mei said, "The Spirit Heart Sect has nine peaks in total. They are the sword peak, the spear peak, the forging peak, the discipline hall, the pill refinement hall, the body tempering peak, the peak of the liberal art, the arena, and the holy peak, where the sect master resides."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Elder Mei continued, "Other than this, the valley has many more ces to train. You can explore them on your own. I will arrange for you to live in a courtyard in my pce."

    The terran nodded and said, "Thank you, Teacher."

    Soon they arrived at the sword peak. The lush green mountain was brimming with spirit energy. Shi Lang could not help but suck in a deep breath and followed thedy to the pce at the top of the peak. Elder Mei said, "This ce has a spirit gathering array engraved at the bottom of the mountain. The aura is stronger here, and you can cultivate it easily. Elder Ji will register your status, and she will bring you the tag and uniformter on. However, if someone questions you, take this spirit, jade."

    She handed him a piece of jade with a sword engraved. Shi Lang thanked her before Mei Lingyao showed him to a courtyard next to hers. She said, "Here you can train in peace. This courtyard belonged to my disciple, who died fighting a demon a few years ago. I hope you do not mind that."

    Shi Lang bowed to her and said, "I am grateful for everything, teacher."

    Elder Mei said, "Go in. I will send a maid over in a bit."

    Shi Lang nodded and entered the courtyard. The terran used his spirit energy to clean up the dust and his sword energy to unroot the weeds. He cleaned up the house in a few minutes and found the ce was picturesque. Just at this moment, someone entered the house, and Shi Lang reacted quickly and yelled, "WHO?"

 Chapter 513 Sensation In The Competition.

    ?

    Shi Lang turned around with a vignt expression on his face. In front of him stood a girl wearing a white robe. Thisdy had a cold face without any expressions. She asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze. He was not good with handling attitude and said, "You came into my courtyard unannounced. Would you mind telling me who you are, Senior Sister?"

    The girl was surprised, but her face turned even colder. Shi Lang did not budge. Thinking about it, she radiated a strong pressure onto him. She wanted to suppress him with it, but Shi Lang''s eyes shed. He did not wish to trouble thisdy much, and only for a blink did he cast the Shura illusion.

    That blink made the woman dizzy. She held her forehead and mumbled, "Soul Attack?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Just an illusion. Your soul is fine."

    Thedy did not reply and said, "I will return this humiliation tenfold."

    The young man chuckled and said, "You barge into my courtyard. Try to suppress me with your aura. Yet you have the face to say that I humiliated you? Your arrogance will only lead you to develop a martial knot and stagnation."

    Thedy had yet to leave the ce, but these words made her freeze. Just when she wanted to say something, Elder Ji arrived. She was surprised to see the youngdy and asked, "Xiao Xue, I see you have met Xiao Lang."

    Thedy bowed to Elder Ji in greeting and said, "Elder Ji, I have something to deal with. I will see youter."

    Elder Ji was yet to respond when the youngdy ran away. The Elder gazed at Shi Lang, who told her what had happened. Elder Ji sighed and said, "Her name is Wen Lengxue. She is the second direct disciple of Peak Master Mei Lingyao. She is the most talented disciple of the sword peak and has always beenpetitive. She arrived at the sect two years ago and defeated Peak Master''s first disciple the way the sword.

    Thinking of it as a humiliation, Xaio Jiang left the sect to travel the world and came across a demon. He fought bravely, and to kill that demon, he sacrificed himself. Wen Lengxue learned the news and med herself for acting too pompous. This courtyard has be her grievance spot. Seeing that someone else has reced her Senior Brother, she must have lost control of her emotions."

    Shi Lang nodded as he watched thedy sigh. He said, "I will apologize the next time I see her. I have developed a habit of not trusting anyonepletely."

    Elder Ji nodded and said, "Here, your uniform and sect identification te."

    Shi Lang epted the robes and a jade te with both hands and asked, "Elder, can I visit the forging peak?"

    Elder Ji was surprised and asked, "You know someone?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy said, "As a disciple, you must climb down the mountain ande back before sunrise. Those are the rules here. Okay?"

    Shi Lang looked at the sky and said, "I shall go tomorrow morning."

    Elder Ji nodded and left the ce. Shi Lang stood in the courtyard for a few minutes before he made himselffortable in the room and fell asleep. He was tired from all the travel and wanted to reset his mind.

    ...

    The next morning Shi Lang woke up, bathed, and left to visit the Forging Peak. He wore a white and blue robe signifying his status as the outer court disciple. The people were surprised to see him this high on the peak, but they did not question him when they saw the jade hanging around his waist.

    Shi Lang was not going to waste time in the interrogation. He rushed down the peak, and at the entrance, he asked the guard, "Senior brother, how do I get to the forging peak?"

    The guarding disciple was surprised to be called senior brother, but he replied, "You can follow the pathway. It leads to the square below in the Spirit Heart City. From there, you can reach the peak. Or you can move along the mountain line till you reach the peak you wish to find."

    Shi Lang thanked the guard and rushed along the mountain line. He ran fast as it was forbidden for the disciples to use spirit swords to fly on the sect grounds. Shi Lang was quick, but it took him half an hour to reach the forging peak. He came here to find out if Shi Yua''s cousin could help me create a spirit sword. Right now, he was fighting with his hands.

    Although he was confident, he could not fight the people in the higher realms of cultivation with his hands only. The guard disciple at the foot of the forging peak stopped Shi Lang. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The terran said, "Senior Brother, can you tell me where I can find Senior Brother Yao?"

    The guards sighed and said, "Rush up the steps, and you will find his workshop on the seven hundred seventy-seventh step."

    Shi Lang nodded and rushed up the stairs. He was counting his steps as he climbed. Soon enough, he came to the mentioned ce and found a workshop. However, the door was locked.

    He knocked on the door, and a few sounds came from inside. The door was opened, and a young man wearing round sses and messed up hair came forward. Shi Lang sped his fist and said, "Brother Yao, I am Shi Lang. This letter is for you."

    Yao was surprised, and he took the letter from Shi Lang. After reading the letter''s content, he smiled and said, "So, Brother Lang hase with the decree of Her Highness. If I do not help you, my legs will be discounted."

    Shi Lang scratched the back of his head and said, "I have no idea what she wrote."

    Yao said, "What do you need? I apologize. The workshop is messy, so I cannot call you inside."

    Shi Lang shook his mind and did not say anything. He said, "Senior Brother, I needed a sword. However, I did not know anyone here, and there was always a risk of getting conned. So, I sought you for this."

    Yao chuckled and sorted his ruffled hair. He said, "Very well,e in. I have a few swords here. You can pick anyone you might like."

    Shi Lang thanked him and entered the workshop. The young man was surprised because the ce was very nicely arranged. Yao said, "Rules of forging masters, never allow anyone to look inside the workshop unless they want to buy something."

    Shi Lang found it weird, but he did not care. This was thest time he woulde here. On the side, a few swords were ced on a wall rack. Yao said, "You can choose from them."

    Shi Lang was not aplete doofus, and he knew these swords were not good. He asked, "Senior Brother, these must be your best, right?"

    Yao nodded and said, "Yes. How about it? Which one do you like?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I cannot afford to buy them. I am just an outer court disciple who came here yesterday."

    Yao did not fluctuate much. In his vision, Shi Lang was just an extremely lucky disciple of his cousin''s family. Internally he frowned, thinking that this guy was such a miser. He said, "I can give you a discount. After all, I have to cover the material cost too."

    Shi Lang nodded and, after a small bargain, bought the least expensive sword and left the ce. He made sure that he would note to this guy ever again.

    ¡­

    Over the next few days, Shi Lang did not go anywhere. He stayed inside the courtyard and practiced. He was incorporating his sword intent with his lightning spiritual energy. The lethality of the attacks will be sky-high, and if he meets a demon, the other party will suffer severely if not killed.

    After three months, Shi Lang had finished three herb-gathering missions and did not attract any attention to himself. He did not get to see Wen Lengxue either. On the third month, a loud bell woke him from his cultivation.

    Shi Lang was surprised and walked outside the courtyard. He saw Wen Lengxue passing and greeted her. The girl was surprised but did not react much. She said, "Master asked me to tell you the contest will begin. You need to report to the Arena."

    Shi Lang thanked her and ran down the peak. Every peak had a separate ring, and the final winners will be facing off each other in an exhibition. Over the months, Shi Lang has heard of these things in the passing.

    He went to the arena, and the terran fell in a queue. Many outer court disciples were surprised by his appearance, but Shi Lang acted like a pig among tigers and humbly greeted them all.

    That was enough for them to think Shi Lang was a wimp, and they did not bother with him.

 Chapter 514 Sensation In The Competition. (2)

    ?

    Shi Lang was standing in the queue to register with a modest behavior. He did not want to attract attention before facing any strong people. The terran soon registered and was allowed to enter the arena ring registered for the sword practitioners.

    The arena was enough to house at least a thousand people. However, a few hundred disciples from the outer court were still present. Many of the inner court disciples were absent due to various reasons. Shi Lang heard that all the core disciples were present at this ce.

    A bell sounded, and a deacon walked over to the center of the arena. He said, "This is the outer court ascension examination. However, many of you are still new and have not spent much time in the sect.

    It ismendable that you wish to join this contest. However, beware that weapons are blind, and if the struggle bes desperate, dying might be the best oue. Please practice caution."

    The people replied, "Yes, Elder!"

    The Deacon nodded and said, "Since you all agree, let us begin. You will be partnered in pairs. Look at the sect identity token to find your number."

    Shi Lang looked at his number and found it to be one hundred seven. His match will be paired with the one next to him, meaning one hundred eight. He was not worried and closed his eyes to cultivate.

    Yes, he did not intend to watch any person fighting. He was sure of his skill. The Deacon began to call people from the stands, and the contest began. Among the three hundred, the outer court disciples who had been waiting for this chance for a few years to advance to the inner court were doing their best and beating all the newbies they met on the way.

    The Deacon said loudly, "Candidate number one hundred seven and one hundred eight."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up slowly from his spot. He walked over to the arena in a casual manner. The disciples began to whisper to each other. The terran heard them saying, "He is going to fight Hu Jian?"

    "I feel sorry for him. To meet the top ten of the outer court in the first match. Guess the heavens hate him."

    Shi Lang found his opponent standing in the arena''s center. The Deacon said, "No maiming, no crippling, and if the opponent concedes, you must stop immediately."

    The terran nodded, and the Deacon retired to the side. He gazed at the young man before him. This person was like a muscle mountain and had a long epee beside him.

    Hu Jian did not wear anything to cover his top but stood in pants with his arms crossed in front of his chest and said, "You should concede."

    The deep voice carried a trace of arrogance that made Shi Lang recall the early Jenkins. He shook his head and said, "Come."

    The simple word of defiance and inviting the challenge made Hu Jian indignant. He grasped the five feet tall epee and rushed at Shi Lang. The de seemed heavy as it was being dragged behind. However, that was just a facade. The de was leaving a clear mark on the floor.

    Shi Lang knew that this de was sharp, and even more, Hu Jian was strong enough to run so fast, which meant he could control this de well enough.

    When everyone was thinking about how the fight would turn out, they found Shi Lang standing in his spot, frozen like a statue. Someone said, "He will notmit suicide, will he?"

    The people loved to spew shit when they had nothing to do.

    Hu Jian was six feet away from Shi Lang when his muscles contracted as he yanked the de. Shi Lang smiled, and instead of dodging the attack, he quickly stepped forward. His fist flicked andnded on Hu Jian''s bicep.

    At the same time, his kicknded on the inside of Hu Jian''s knee. The impact was aimed at the weakest link of the body, the ligaments. These things are stubborn. Even if they are tempered, they do not be stronger after a limit.

    Hu Jian lost bnce, and Shi Lang moved behind him and grasped the neck in a choke. The grappling method would have failed if it was someone else, but Hu Jian was too big, and his musclescked flexibility. He had great explosive strength, but he could not break out of this lock without flexibility.

    Shi Lang said, "Concede."

    Hu Jian squirmed and tried to break free, but Shi Lang stepped on his bent knee from behind, immobilizing it. The crowd was shocked, and Hu Jian was restricted in a blink. Thetter tried, but when he could not find a breaking point, he tapped on Shi Lang''s elbow thrice, and the Terran let him go.

    The deacon appeared quickly and said, "Shi Lang won."

    Shi Lang bowed to the Deacon and Hu Jian before he walked off the stage. The crowd did not make fun of him anymore. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    Wen Lengxue was sitting in a separate box above the arena. She could not help but lean forward. Beside her stood Elder Ji, who asked, "What do you think?"

    The youngdy snorted and said, "He is not yet qualified to make me think about him. However, this Hu Jian, is he not your brother, Senior Brother Hu Shan?"

    Hu Shan was a muscr man watching the contest with his fellows. Hearing the remark, he nodded and said, "This young man has skills. He dealt with Hu Jian without letting him show his skills."

    Wen Lengxue said, "Yeah, but that cost Hu Jian the chance to advance."

    Hu Shan turned his head to look at Wen Lengxue and said, "The advancement wille when he has the skill. He has yet to learn a lot. You should not mess with me, Junior Sister Wen. Even with the peak master at your back, I would break you if you tried to trick me."

    Wen Lengxue smiled and said, "Senior Brother, why are you so bad at handling teasing."

    Hu Shan did not answer her and focused on the contest. Elder Ji frowned. Since Wen Lengxue formed a knot in her heart, she has be dishonest and cold. This was not a good thing. Negative thoughts would give birth to demonic nature and could corrupt the spirit energy.

    The contest continued, and when the sun fell, Shi Lang had yet to lose a battle. He had a streak of twenty wins. This caused a sensation in the arena. Even the elders were surprised to see such a situation. The baffling fact was that the young man did not use his spirit sword.

    While the people thought this was not very kind, they were sure the young man had the skills to deal with them without bringing out his best. The fact that he did not even use any spirit arts made the elders wonder what sort of genius they got.

    The sun had fallen, and the arena was lit up with moonstones. The deacon said, "The final match of the Outer Court Contest, participant Zhou Leiyang."

    The disciples were excited, and they all cheered. Zhou Leiyang was a genius and the strongest among the outer court disciples. He walked on the tform with a sword tied to his waist. His eyes were sharp, and his steps were calm. He seemed to be the perfect sword, calm yet sharp.

    The Deacon nodded to the young man and said, "The unexpected Dark Horse, participant, Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang walked over like he always has, uncaring toward the world. He stood facing Zhou Leiyang with a calm gaze. The deacon said, "The rules are the same. Begin."

    Zhou Leiyang did not move and asked calmly, "Will you take out your sword if I qualify as your opponent?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and Zhou Leiyang emitted a strong pressure from his body. The people were surprised, and Shi Lang constricted his pupils slightly as he mumbled, "Immortal Soldier."

    Zhou Leiyang nodded as his body was covered in a crimson ze. He asked, "Do you want me to lower my cultivation?"

    The people were shocked, apparently, Zhou Leiyang was also hiding his cards and did not show everything to the opponents earlier. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Enemy on the battlefield will not show me mercy so that you can go all out."

    Zhou Leiyang nodded and asked, "Is this still not enough to make you bring out your sword?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and raised his two fists. Then he parted his legs and assumed the hero''s stance. However, this time, his joints and body were flickering with sparks.

    Zhou Leiyang was surprised and asked, "Lightning attribute spirit?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the Deacon said, "Move!"

    The two people smiled, and then they moved from their spots. One fire and one lightning. Two destructive elements fought with each other and their attacks were simply scary. The spectators could not help but cast spiritual shield.

    BOOM!

    The first blow of thest match, and the enter sect felt the impact.

 Chapter 515 Zhou Leiyang.

    ?

    The Arena shook from the impact, and everyone found the two people retreating three steps. Shi Lang smiled, and so did Zhou Leiyang. Thetter said, "Your stance, what style is it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Something a senior in my hometown invented."

    Zhou Leiyang nodded and said, "Very well, then show me what you have."

    Shi Lang flickered and appeared before Zhou Leiyang. The two began to exchange blows. However, the crowd watching the exchange was baffled because all they could see were flickering images of the two people.

    A disciple from the crowd said, "These two people, what are they?"

    Another man said, "Two? Brother Zhou Leiyang is twenty-one, and his cultivation is ahead of Shi Lang by a full realm. Yet this newbie can keep up with him. Who do you think is more excellent?"

    The crowd realized this fact, and they began to discuss even more.

    ...

    In the core disciple viewing area, five disciples were leaning slightly forward. They were studying the stance used by Shi Lang. Wen Lengxue could not help but narrow her eyes at the young man. She did not expect him to have such skills.

    Elder Ji was also watching with great interest. She was present when this guy said he was an ascender, but now that she watched his skills, she could not help but marvel at what a unique world he hade from.

    She asked, "If he manages to win, whom among you would like to spar with him?"

    Everyone raised their hands except for Wen Lengxue. A youngdy asked, "Junior Sister Wen, you do not wish to spar with this Junior Brother? He seems talented."

    Wen Lengxue was about to answer when a wizened voice sounded, "Yan, observe the fight."

    The youngdy replied, "Yes, master."

    The elders of the peak have arrived. Everyone stood up to greet them, and Mei Lingyao watched the battle below and asked, "Senior Brother Jian, what do you think? Who will win?"

    Senior Brother Jian was the oldest among them and the second strongest. He was one of the six elders of the sword peak. He said, "Zhou Leiyang."

    Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "I bet hundred spirit stones, Shi Lang wins."

    This surprised all the elders. The fourth Elder stroked his chin and said, "Junior Sister Mei, do you want to reconsider?"

    Thedy shook her head, took a pouch from her space ring, and said, "Senior Brother Tai can be the bookkeeper. All of you, please feel free to partake."

    The people exchanged nces and then began to stake hundred spirit stones each on Zhou Leiyang''s victory. This sort of gamble wasmon between them.

    Wen Lengxue asked, "I wonder if I can also have a wager with my senior brothers and sister?"

    The people cast her a look, but only Core Disciple Yan said, "What are the stakes?"

    Wen Lengxue smiled and said, "Simple, the loser will forfeit the spot for the spirit pool visit in theing month."

    The youngsters were shocked when Wen Lengxue said, "This position will be given to the winner of this match. How about it?"

    Even the elders were forced to raise their brows. They did not expect this youngdy to be so bold and daring. Disciple Yan smiled and said, "If you aren''t afraid, why shall I be? Who do you want to bet on?"

    Wen Lengxue watched all the young men, but none of themmented. They were not going to bet, so the girl shrugged and said, "I will bet on Zhou Leiyang."

    Disciple Yan smiled and said, "Then I shall bet on Junior Brother Shi Lang."

    The situation was surprising, and Elder Jian asked, "Xiao Yan, why did you bet on Shi Lang?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Disciple Yan smiled and said, "Master, Junior Brother Shi Lang has yet to reveal even a trace of sword skills, yet, Zhou Leiyang is trying to open up a gap so that he can take out his sword."

    The elders focused their gazes on the tform and found it so. Zhou Leiyang tried to dodge the attacks and open up some distance, but Shi Lang was like a shadow. He was chasing relentlessly.

    Zhou Leiyang was older, and his cultivation level was higher too. However, Shi Lang was too pestering, and his attacks were not leaving Zhou Leiyang any room. The elders all realized this match was not as simple as it seemed.

    They all cast gazes at Mei Lingyao, who was smiling faintly. It was toote for them to change the bet.

    ...

    Zhou Leiyang wanted to draw his sword because his spiritual boxing techniques were useless against Shi Lang. Thetter was too quick to be caught with such tricks. However, he needed to get away. So, the young man channeled his spirit energy to the highest and channeled it all against Shi Lang.

    The sudden outburst was too sudden, and ten steps forced Shi Lang back. However, he did not rest and charged forward. But this slight dy was enough for Zhou Leiyang to draw his sword.

    Shi Lang was toomitted to closing the distance that his speed took him directly in the de''s trajectory. At this moment, some people were sighing in pity. Some people smiled in triumph.

    They all thought that the match hade to an end. But Zhou Leiyang seemed to have been shing water. His movement was slow. Elder Jian opened his old eyes wide and said, "Domain?"

    Mei Lingyao was shocked to see this, too, because the domain was a skill developed in the realm of an Immortal Lord. How was Shi Lang able to use it now? When they were baffled, the fourth Elder said, "This is not a proper domain of daows. It is a spirit domain. Incredible technique!"

    The people focused and realized the truth. Shi Lang used this chance to dodge the attacking at him. Zhou Leiyang sighed and said, "You are tough, but it is time you y seriously, Brother Shi."

    This way of addressing him meant Shi Lang had earned Zhou Leiyang''s respect. He replied, "Brother Zhou if you can defeat this skill of mine, I will be happy to take out my sword."

    Zhou Leiyang frowned, but Shi Lang said, "Do not think I am underestimating you, but this is my strongest and only bare-handbat technique. I have never truly used it."

    This statement surprised everyone, but they saw thick lightning steaks crawling over Shi Lang''s arm the next moment. They did not know what the technique was like, but Shi Lang gave off the aura of a king. He assumed a basic boxing stance, but Zhou Leiyang could not help but gulp a mouthful of saliva at this.

    The pressure around Shi Lang was condensing. He raised his sword and said, "You shoot first."

    Shi Lang gazed at him calmly and said, "You are strong."

    Then he punched forward. It seemed like a normal punch, but the lightning spiritual energy shot forth from his arm as he said, "Leilong fist."

    The lightning squirmed and transformed into a dragon. Zhou Leiyang knew that this move was not a hoax. He channeled his spiritual energy into his sword and said, "Burning Heaven sh."

    The temperature of the surroundings rose, and Zhou Leiyang shed his sword down. A sword sh condensed of fiery energy rushed forth. The dragon and the sh collided, and the two energies entered stagnation for a few seconds.

    While Shi Lang did not doubt in his heart, his dragon roared, and the ws grasped the fiery sh. Zhou Leiyang was surprised and thought the battle was lost the next moment. His fire sh dispersed. The lightning dragon roared and dispersed too.

    After some thought, Zhou Leiyang nced at Shi Lang and said, "Losing this fight to you is not a shame. I concede."

    Shi Lang cupped his fist to Zhou Leiyang, and the deacon appeared on the tform. He announced the results, and the spectators cheered. They could not understand how Shi Lang managed to win, but they saw it with their own eyes. The young man climbed the top of the outer court with his effort and fair fights.

    He deserved the first position. Mei Lingyao stood in the core disciple pavilion and said, "I have an announcement."

    Everyone fell silent with her. Thedy said, "To encourage disciples like Zhou Leiyang, who have been training rigorously, we have decided to promote him to the inner court, along with Shi Lang. They both will receive a medium-grade spirit sword, and we hope they keep working hard."

    The disciples cheered, and Zhou Leiyang could not believe the elders promoted him. The young man bowed and paid his respect to Mei Lingyao. Shi Lang did the same before they both got down the tform.

    However, they were just about to step down when a pleasant voice sounded, "Junior Brother Shi Lang, would you not like to spar with a core disciple for the showcase?"

    Shi Lang froze and raised his head to find Wen Lengxue smiling at him, and his eyes narrowed. He said, "If peak master allows it, I have no problem."

 Chapter 516 Talk Of The Town.

    ?

    Shi Lang bravely epted the challenge that Wen Lengxue threw at him. However, he asked for the advice of Mie Lengyao in this matter, which surprised the people, and they all gazed at thedy.

    The Elder stood up behind Wen Lengxue and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

    Wen Lengxue nodded. She had sensed the disappointment of her master years ago. It did not matter to her what the others thought. She just wanted to shine at the cost of humiliating others.

    Shi Lang was one such person. If she had her way, she would fight every junior in the sect to vent her anger, but how unbing would that be? So, she wished to defeat this guy who had just jumped a level and defeated the star of the outer court.

    Mei Lingyao gazed at Shi Lang and said, "Since you have asked for my agreement, I will not be unfair to you. Both of you will showcase the way of the sword."

    Wen Lengxue was surprised, but she saw the elders nodding to what her master had just said.

    Mei Lingyao continued, "We are the sword peak. We do not need anything else as long as we have a sword. The use of spiritual energy is forbidden. If you vite this rule, you will be put in the cold prison for six months."

    Shi Lang did not know what the cold prison was, but from the collective gasp in the surrounding, he understood it was not a good ce. Zhou Lieyang asked, "Brother, anything you need?"

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head before turning around and walking to the tform''s center. He took out the spirit sword he bought from Shi Yua''s cousin and gazed calmly at Wen Lengxue.

    Thedy raised her brow, and Shi Lang said, "Senior Sister, it is alreadyte, and I think everyone is hungry as well. How about youe down, and we settle this quickly?"

    This was a bout of provocation, and Wen Lengxue, the vtile substance she was at the moment, took it.

    Instead of descending the stairs, Wen Lengxue jumped into the void, and using her spirit energy, she arrived at the tform with five steps. It was as if a fairy had descended upon the world of mortals.

    Shi Lang shook his head, and Wen Lengxue asked, "Why shaking your head, Junior Brother? Do you think that Senior Sister loves vanity?"

    The terran chuckled and said, "No, you think too highly of yourself, Senior Sister. Your actions do not need me to develop an opinion. I only thought if I overestimated you."

    Wen Lengxue was enraged, and the crowd fell silent. However, in the next movement, Shi Lang put the spirit sword back in his space ring and asked, "Brother Zhou, do you have a wooden sword?"

    The crowd gasped while Wen Lengxue was enraged. She asked, "Aren''t you looking down on a core disciple too much?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I respected your status. That''s why I epted the challenge, but the knot in your heart and the disbnce in your thoughts is not something I can overlook. I will not raise my weapon against someone who is already injured."

    Wen Lengxue froze.

    ¡­

    Mei Lingyao looked at the tform with sheer disbelief in her eyes. She looked at Elder Ji, who said, "I told him something a few months ago but did not expect him to say it out loud. I will call this match off right away."

    The peak master shook her head and said, "I want to see what this guy is up to. Let''s watch patiently. I hope for his sake, and he knows what he is doing."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang held a wooden sword, standing against thedy, who was fuming in rage. The deacon hesitated, but Peak Master Mei Lingyao said, "Begin."

    The two parties vanished from their spots. The attack was high speed, but it was because of their physical prowess and not spiritual boost.

    Wen Lengxue used a spirit sword and would not let Shi Lang get away after insulting her.

    She shed at Shi Lang diagonally, but what happened surprised everyone. Shi Lang smirked, held his sword with both hands and used the side of his wooden sword to tap the side of Wen Lengxue''s sword.

    The action was quick and made concerning the enemy''s sword momentum. Wen Lengxue''s attack was simple, but a wooden sword threw it off. Shi Lang created a room in her technique and smacked the side of her face. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The impact made Wen Lengxue step back two paces. The people gasped. Even Disciple Yan gulped and said, "This Junior Brother is cruel. Hitting the face is too much, no?"

    None of the peoplemented. They were surprised to see such a technique. Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Do you understand why I did not use a spirit sword?"

    Wen Lengxue slowly turned her gaze to him. Her eyes were red, and her breathing was ragged too. Mei Lingyao stood up and was ready to act if something unbing was about to happen.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, shaking his head, "You have such a great skill, yet you are destroying yourself in the name of penance. You shame yourself and the talented warriors you have defeated over the years. If this was the limit of your resolve, then why pick up the sword?"

    Wen Lengxue shivered, and Shi Lang continued, "Tell me, what is a sword?"

    The girl was surprised and did not expect Shi Lang to ask her such things. She could not help but look at the sword in her hand, and Shi Lang said, "It may look like a weapon, but it allows you tomunicate with other people. The nging metal resonates with your soul, and the edge represents your emotions. The sword is you, and you are the sword. Close your eyes and look inside you. What does your sword look like?"

    Wen Lengxue was calmer now, and Shi Lang''s voice was akin to a gentle whisper. She had fallen under the charming technique and closed her eyes. In her mind appeared a sword full of chinks and cracks.

    The terran said, "The knots and burdens you carry on your shoulders are meaningless. If you wish to honor those you have defeated, let go, and move forward. Release these binds and climb to a level your opponents wish to reach.

    The decision to hold a sword is made by ourselves. The consequences are faced by ourselves too. Senior Brother died fighting a demon protecting the innocents. He did not hesitate, and he did not falter. Then how can you? The one who defeated him turned into what you are now?"

    Wen Lengxue finally could not hold things back and shouted, "You don''t know anything about it."

    She opened her eyes, and Shi Lang smiled. He raised his sword and said, "Tell me about it then."

    The battle began once again, and Shi Lang was leading.

    ¡­

    The crowd was mesmerized. They were all thinking about what Shi Lang said, while the elders were shocked. Mei Lingyao mumbled, "The wisdom of a sword saint."

    Elder Jian nodded faintly and said, "Xiao Yao, you have picked us a treasure this time."

    Mei Lingyao shook her head and said, "Senior Brother, it was the grace of his excellency, Immortal Sovereign Tian Long."

    Themunication was made with spiritual consciousness. Thetter was shocked but did not show it on his face. The core disciples were also shocked, and they could see how brash Wen Lengxue had be over the passing years.

    Now, on the battle tform. She was attacking Shi Lang constantly as if venting her vexation. They watched how easily Shi Lang made it look, and one of the most calm-looking disciples said, "He is holding back."

    The fourth elder nodded and said, "Xiao Ping, you can discern this means you have advanced in your knowledge of sword."

    Disciple Ping nodded and said, "It was just now when Junior Brother Shi was talking. I followed the steps and realized what was missing from my sword."

    The fourth elder nodded and said, "Good. This means I have to pay back this favor to him."

    The Elders nodded and asked their disciples if they realized anything from earlier. However, not everyone was bestowed with the same level ofprehension.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang deflected attack after attack on the tform with his wooden sword. It seemed as if the young man was moving around a lot, but someone with a keen pair of eyes said, "Huh? He is fending off all the attacks without moving a single step. How is this possible?"

    His voice was calm, but it turned the disciples mute. A new outer court disciple deflected a core disciple with a wooden sword, and he had yet to take a step away. This fact made them feel weak in their knees. Shi Lang was not a sword cultivator in their eyes anymore. He was a god.

 Chapter 517 Reforging.

    ?

    Shi Lang was dissolving. Every attack that was headed his way was resolved with great ease. He did not say anything to the youngdy who aimed to kill him. The killing intention in her heart was triggered by the grief she held so tightly.

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and decided to teach this woman a lesson. He took half a step forward, and the entire flow of battle changed. Shi Lang would deflect the attacking at him and smack Wen Lengxue with the side of his de. His speed was impable, and his moves were decisive.

    After a few attacks, he began to call out, "Left knee, right shoulder, shoulder des..."

    These were not random body parts but the targets whom he attacked. Wen Lengxue was so busy attacking him that she avoided blocking him. Shi Lang raised his brow and held the wooden sword in his right hand. He ced his left hand behind the back, and the punishment continued.

    After ten minutes, Wen Lengxue was covered with bruises. The people could see her wrists and fair nape covered with blue marks and could not help but scold Shi Lang. They acknowledged his prowess, but this was too inhumane.

    Shi Lang shed, and with a stabbing attack, he disarmed Wen Lengxue. He did not let her sword fall on the ground and caught hold of it. He said, "You are not worthy of holding a sword. The sword inside you is broken, am I right?"

    Wen Lengxue finally could not help and fell to her knees as she began to cry. The crowd was surprised to see what happened. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Why do you me yourself? Because he died? But did you ever think, if you had not inspired him to improve himself and leave the sect to train, how could he have saved those people? How could he be a true immortal?"

    Wen Lengxue looked at him, and Shi Lang said, "Go and ask the people he saved. He lives in their heart. They will never forget him; you are immortal as long as your mark remains. Isn''t that what we all have been aiming for, Senior Sister Wen?

    The ultimate truth of Dao is simple. All life originates from Dao, and they all go back to it. We all are Dao, and Dao is us. Humans are given emotions so that they can learn to value peace. That is Dao. I ask you, are you at peace?"

    Wen Lengxue gazed at him, and tears trickled down her cheeks. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Let go of the broken sword and reforge it. Make it stronger than what it was before. The sword is not just a weapon. It is the essence of your thoughts. It stands with you facing all the odds that are against you. Give up the fear.

    Individuality does not need the acknowledgment of the people around you. You do what you need to do, and they do what they need to do."

    Shi Lang flicked the sword and extended its hilt toward Wen Lengxue. The girl was still crying, and his words had dug so deep into her heart that she could not exin them in words. Her grief was pouring out, and she could not stop it.

    Shi Lang saw that the girl did not take the sword from his hand and said, "I will keep your sword with me. Come and take it when you have decided to respect it."

    That said, he bowed toward the elders and took a step back. Mei Lingyao said in a sonorous tone, "Shi Lang wins."

    Although the result was announced, none of the people cheered. They were still thinking about the doubts in their hearts. Shi Lang had provoked the thoughts they all had been ignoring.

    Mei Lingyao wanted to say something when she stopped. She sensed a gradual climb in the aura around the Arena. Elder Jian stood up and said, "This young man has given everyone some insights into what a sword is. The level of our sword peak has risen again."

    All the elders stood up from their seats and nodded. They did not expect this young man to be so wise. This event was worthy of going down in the annuls of the Sword Peak. Mei Lingyao said, "Xiao Lang, you may leave."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the tform after casting a prolonged gaze at Wen Lengxue and said, "If you manage to stand up again, you will be an undefined empress in the way of the sword. Whether you want to achieve it or not, that''s your call."

    ...

    Shi Lang turned around and left the Arena. He knew nothing like the stakes the older people and senior disciples set. The people were too busy dealing with the aftermath. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Elder Ji had taken Wen Lengxue to her house and left her to deal with things at her own pace. This process could not be rushed, and after the contest ended, Shi Lang retreated into seclusion.

    The core disciples wanted to visit him, but Mei Lingyao told them not to disturb him. She could sense some movement in the courtyard. Shi Lang was not in a rush to advance his cultivation, but he focused on advancing his sword technique.

    The peak master nced at the moon and sighed, thinking about the future of two talents. One morning, Shi Lang came to find her. He met her in the garden and said, "Peak Master, is there a ce where I can find Lightning?"

    He was unfamiliar with the surroundings, and it was time to exceed his spirit cultivation. Mei Lingyao was surprised and asked, "Xiao Lang, do you intend to refine lightning?"

    The terran nodded, and thedy sighed. She said, "The only way for you to do that is to visit the sect''s forbidden region."

    Shi Lang asked, "Teacher, what is this forbidden region you speak of?"

    Mei Lingyao replied, "There are many such regions in the sect territory. You will get to know them when the time is right. As for now, during the outer sect contest, Xiao Xue staked her quota for the spirit pool at Zhou Leiyang. Since you defeated him, the quota belongs to you. How about this? I can get you seven days in the lightning valley. Would that suffice?"

    She was testing Shi Lang, but the terran replied, "I will make the best of these seven days, Teacher. I appreciate your grace."

    Mei Lingyao shook her head and said, "You won this. Come along with me."

    The two had juste out of the courtyard when they met the four core disciples. Shi Lang greeted them, and they greeted Mei Lingyao.

    Disciple Ping stepped up and asked, "Peak Master, can we apany you both? We hope to learn something from Brother Shi."

    Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "Fine, take him to the lightning valley, but do not disturb him, and you are not allowed to enter the lightning range."

    The disciples agreed readily, and they flew away on their spirit swords. In a nearby courtyard, Wen Lengxue heard this but did not react. She had been dwelling over that match battle for the past two months. From start to end, Shi Lang dominated her, and in the end, he even took away her sword.

    She had lost fairly and epted the defeat fairly too. When she was thinking about the point of her life, a gentle string of notes fell on her ears, transporting her to a time when she was just a child.

    She recalled how her father used to teach her sword arts from an age when she was barely even able to walk. Her father did note from the mainline of the family and was neglected, yet his skill gained him a good reputation. One day her father was defeated in the npetition and renounced for harboring evil intentions. The n was so cruel that they chopped off his sword hand.

    She recalled how her father learned everything from scratch and trained his left hand. His attainments in the sword were passed onto her, and when she was selected in the sect, the n came back to look for her father, who then challenged the man who defeated him. He took back his honor and drew a line with the n.

    Wen Lengxue dreamt of bing like her father; thus, she would fight with all the talented people she met. However, after defeating her senior brother, when she found out about his death, she realized that she was acting more like that n member and not her father.

    Just when she was about to fall over to the darkness, a voice sounded in her head, "Xiao Xue, your father reforged his sword, then why can''t you? You are not omnipotent to be able to save them all, but you must charge forward with the same will as your father did. make sure you be strong to protect those you care about."

 Chapter 518 Madness.

    ?

    Shi Lang flew on his spirit sword with four people. They were headed towards the lightning valley. He found that Hu Shan was a disciple of the First Elder and the eldest of the batch, followed by Liang Ping, the disciple of the Fourth Elder. The disciple of the second Elder was called Xu Guang, and the disciple of the Fifth Elder was Bai Yan.

    Hu Shan, Liang Ping, Xu Guang, Bai Yan, and Wen Lengxue were the core disciples of the sword Peak. Shi Lang asked, "I did not see the Third Elder. Where is he?"

    Bai Yan replied, "Second Elder has visited an expert with his disciple. His disciple, Senior Sister Maio Jing, contracted me poison."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "So there are six core disciples."

    Bai Yan nodded. The people reached lightning valley while talking about various views they had. The climate of the surroundings suddenly changed too drastically. The sky was dark, covered with clouds and Lightning squirming between them.

    Liang Ping said, "It is said that this ce is where a lightning treasure is buried. This treasure is the reason why this ce is always filled with Lightning. Usually, we are forbidden from entry."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "I think these treasures have been bought here by the sect''s experts in the past."

    Hu Shan nodded and said, "Spirit Heart Sect might be in the eastern barrens. However, it is by no means a weak sect. We have a thousand-year-old foundation."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the five people descended at the valley''s entrance. Shi Lang froze and looked around. Suddenly, a voice sounded, "Hmm, good senses."

    The young disciples bowed and said, "We greet the Guardian elder."

    Shi Lang followed their gesture, and the voice asked, "Why have the core disciplese here?"

    Hu Shan, the eldest, said, "Elder, Peak Master Lingyao has rewarded Junior Brother Shi Lang a week in the lightning valley. We all came to see if we can learn from him."

    As he said this, Shi Lang stepped out and bowed slightly. The voice sounded, "Very well, where is your token?"

    Liang Ping held a jade token from his space ring in the void. The token vanished in the dark, and the Elder said, "Good. Enter."

    Shi Lang thanked the Elder and entered the valley. This ce was akin to some coupling of heaven and earth held together by the lightning strikes. The disciples behind him did not say anything as he walked inside.

    As he moved inside the valley, Shi Lang sensed the power of these lightning strikes increasing. The core disciples were watching him from the cliffs on the side when a voice sounded in their heads, "Who is this kid?"

    Liang Ping replied, "Elder, he is a new disciple. In three months, he defeated the top seed of the outer court of the sword peak, but he did not even draw his sword."

    Bai Yan echoed, "It is not only that, but he defeated the core disciple, Junior Sister Wen, with a wooden sword. They only fought with sword skills, and he outyed her."

    The Elder could not believe this, but when he tried to look past Shi Lang, he found that this young man had a lightning spirit energy. But even as an immortal emperor, he could not see through his real capabilities.

    When everyone was thinking about what Shi Lang would do, a lightning bolt fell from the sky and hit him in the chest. The people were surprised; they found Shi Lang standing in the same spot the next moment. His body was covered with streaks of Lightning. The people were surprised when they saw this.

    ...

    Wen Lengxue heard the song piece, and gradually her emotions calmed down. She took a deep breath, stood up from the floor of her house, and staggered outside in the garden. With every step she took. She shed a tear. By the time she reached the door threshold, she had calmed down.

    She took a deep breath and circted her spirit energy throughout her body. She walked out of the house with a straight back, and from the pond in the courtyard, she took some water and sshed it on her face.

    After she was done cleaning herself. She walked out of the courtyard and headed to find the Peak Master. The song earlier was yed by Mei Lingyao, and Wen Lengxue knew this. She came to the courtyard and found thedy sitting in the garden pavilion with her eyes closed and fingers calmly stroking the strings of the guqin in herp.

    She knelt and said, "Disciple Wen Lengxue hase to beg your forgiveness, Master. I have been unfilial and ungrateful to the teachings you bestowed me."

    Mei Lingyao shook her head and said, "You do not have to apologize to me for this. We all stumble down along the way. Some people can stand back again on their own, while some need a kick in the back to realize that they are no longer standing on the Peak."

    Wen Lengxue did not speak, and Mei Lingyao continued, "Tell me, Xiao Xue, what do you wish to do?"

    The girl raised her head and said, "I will reforge my way to the sword." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "Then go to the lightning valley and take back that sword I gave you from Shi Lang."

    Wen Lengxue shivered but steeled her resolve and said, "Yes, Master."

    Mei Lingyao watched her disciple stand up and say, "Xiao Xue, he will not give it to you without testing your resolve. Do you understand?"

    Wen Lengxue replied, "I will ovee all his tests, Master."

    Mei Lengxue nodded and said, "Go then."

    ...

    Wen Lengxue flew up to the lightning valley and came to stand opposite the rest of the core disciples. They all noticed her presence but did not say anything. They saw Wen Lengxue bow and say, "Disciple greets Guardian Elder."

    The Guardian asked, "Why have youe here?"

    Wen Lengxue stood up and said, "Junior Brother Shi Lang holds my spirit sword. I need to bring it back."

    The guardian elder hummed and asked, "I cannot let you go inside. You have a water element, Xiao Xue, and you cannot endure this."

    Wen Lengxue looked at the terran, facing the Lightning like a stone on the ground. He had no expression and no fluctuation on his face. Surprised, The young girl asked, "What is he doing?"

    Bai Yan flew over from the other side, came beside her, and said, "He is absorbing the lightning in the surroundings in his body."

    Wen Lengxue bowed slightly and asked, "Senior Sister, is it not painful for him?"

    Bai Yan replied, "Even if it is, what else is the option for him or us? We all need to struggle like this to break past the limits set by the heavens."

    Wen Lengxue sighed and nodded. Bai Yan replied, "I want you to understand that cultivation is difficult. We might break many times ande together many times too. This is how a cultivator refines their will, dao, and physique?"

    The youngdy sighed and said, "Master told me I will be tested, but I did not expect it to be this."

    She was well aware that her attribute of water was the opposite of Lightning. If she entered the lightning valley, the bolts would target her. This will not allow her to proceed with her task of taking her sword back. More than the lightning bolts, the fear inside her heart held her back.

    Wen Lengxue thought for a bit and steeled her resolve. She said, "Elder, please allow me to enter the valley."

    The guardian elder could see through her thoughts and said, "Good, go on."

    The core disciples were shocked. This was not like Wen Lengxue. It seemed like she had gone through many changes and wanted to improve herself. But at this moment, Shi Lang stood upon his feet.

    He opened his eyes and looked up at the clouds. He said in a cold voice, "You call this lightning? Are you kidding me?"

    The clouds thundered, and Shi Lang said, "Let me show you what real lightning is."

    When the people thought about what he would do, Terran''s body was covered with lightning streaks, and Shi Lang punched at the iing lightning streaks. The entire valley shook from the impact, and the lightning vanished.

    The core disciples were shocked, and Shi Lang said, "If you wish to live in peace, give me what I need. Or."

    The clouds didn''t thunder, but lightning shed in the void. The bolt seemed normal, but the terran sank into the ground when it hit Shi Lang. The people flinched, and Wen Lengxue froze. They thought Shi Lang was done for, but then a chuckle echoed in the valley. Shi Lang stood up from the ground and said, "Now, that''s what I call a lightning bolt. Come on."

    Liang Ping and Hu Shan exchanged nces and mumbled, "This is madness. Pure madness."

    Wen Lengxue froze as she saw the lightning illuminate the figure standing alone in the valley with a proud smile. She shivered, and in this moment of inspiration, her heart''sst shred of hesitation vanished.

 Chapter 519 Immortal Soldier.

    ?

    Shi Langughed as his body was flung away from the impact of the lightning strikes. The terran did not hold back and kept standing up from the ground. Wen Lengxue, struck by his madness, watched Shi Lang absorbing the lightning energy in his body.

    Hu Shan said, "Is he charging to the Immortal Soldier realm?"

    The guardian elder''s voice sounded, "Indeed, he is doing that."

    Liang Ping expressed his doubt, "How can he do that? The energy and time needed to reach this level cannot be matched by a few hours in the lightning valley."

    Guardian Elder replied, "The attribute of his energy is lightning. It is not a docile by any margin. Shi Lang is refining his body, immortal soul, and sword intent with the lightning at the same time."

    Liang Ping and the rest were surprised. They did not expect such a thing to be possible. Bai Yan said, "How can someone manage so many things simultaneously?"

    "He must have trained his brain to heights none of us can do. Looking at this young man, I feel like the Sect can finally bask in the light we have been missing all these years. I know you all want to know how he is doing it. Learning from him is the motive why your elders sent you here, right?" said the Gaurdian Elder.

    The students nodded, and suddenly, they could watch the spirit flow inside Shi Lang''s body. They did not initially understand what it was all about, but when they saw how his body was changing under the influence of the spirit energy. They did not know what to say.

    Impurities in his body were being expelled, and as the spirit energy ran through his dantian, it refined the quality of his spirit energy. The sight vanished, and the old man said, "Everyone has their secrets. I showed you the sight to understand that Shi Lang is suing immensely. I do not know his goal yet, but whatever it is. He will achieve it or die trying.

    So what is your goal? Think about it, and now, you can leave. Go and meditate about what you just saw. Do not let anyone else ever know what you just witnessed."

    The disciples wanted to say something when the elder said, "You do not have to worry. I will protect him in case he is exposed to a greater degree of danger."

    The people nodded and left the valley, but Wen Lengxue stood on the cliff. She said, "Elder, I will not return till I have taken my sword from him."

    The elder replied, "Fine, take it, but you cannot fly over. You will have to take a step-by-step approach."

    Wen Lengxue nodded in understanding and stood in her ce. She also knew it would be difficult to advance in such circumstances. The lightning was destroying even the void. How was she going to withstand it? When the spiritual pressure in the valley suddenly increased, Wen Lengxue was immersed deep in her thoughts.

    Shi Lang was condensing a sword from the spiritual energy of his core. His core seemed to have been made up of y. It was gradually shifting shape. From a round ball, it was turning into a long pin. That was not all, and Shi Lang was manipting all of the spirit energy in his dantian to surround this pin.

    These past few days, he haspletely adjusted to the changes in his core. To be an immortal soldier, the core must be instilled inside a spiritual weapon condensed inside the dantian of a person.

    Shi Lang concentrated, and the spirit energy began to revolve, and slowly it began to twitch. However, the process was slower. The spiritual energy needed to develop something like this was too much, and even if the lightning was sufficient, it was not docile. He had to tame it by channeling it through his body and bearing the burn on his bones and skin.

    His clothes were in tatters, and his body was shivering. The lightning was not taking breaks. It was like the heavens had decided to attack and destroy him. Shi Lang mumbled, "You are quite a stubborn spirit, aren''t you?"

    He was not talking to Raksha, but the treasure spirit controlled the lightning flow secretly. The lightning shed again, hitting Shi Lang even harder this time. The terran was poking the treasure spirit in the worst way possible. How can a treasure spirit that has been buried and contained in this region forcefully and needs an Immortal emperor to watch over it tolerate the remarks made by this cheeky guy?

    Wen Lengxue watched all this, but she saw that after a few lightning hits, Shi Lang got to his feet and then walked forward to enter the valley''s depths. His speed was slow; every strike of lightning pushed him back by two meters, and he was only moving forward a few feet while he was walking while controlling all that energy coursing through his body.

    Wen Lengxue had to admit one thing, and Shi Lang was beyond her expectation. This level of dedication andmitment that he disyed was something she had only seen in her father. Shi Lang did not flinch in the face of danger.

    She sat down on the cliff, watching him move forward. The process of molding the spirit energy into a weapon form was also painful because the core of the weapon was made with daoprehension engraved on it. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The man in front of her was very patient about things, and he did not utter even a groan from all the suffering he was going through. She contemted the meaning of strength, and her aura began churning. The guardian elder cast a thin barrier around her and mumbled, "Xiao Yao, your disciple is advancing. Come over and watch her."

    ...

    Mei Lingyao was sitting in the pavilion sipping on tea when she heard a whisper in her ears. She was surprised and immediately left the pavilion in a hurry. She did not expect Mei Lingyao to advance in her chase after Shi Lang.

    It did not take her long to reach where the old man had called her. She found Wen Lengxue practicing in silence and cast a barrier around her. During the next moment, she froze.

    Shi Lang was walking in the void, his body covered with lightning sparks. He was moving in a way he would practice his sword skills. His aura was rising, and the sword waves were shaking the void.

    Mei Lingyao mumbled, "He is advancing to the Immortal soldier realm? This soon, why?"

    The elder replied, "Yes, his foundation is strong and wless. He can advance like none other people. You told me that he is an ascender. He has already formed a sword embryo in danger and needs to refine it into a perfect sword gradually."

    Mei Lingyao knew what the elder meant and watched Shi Lang gradually condense the sword.

    After two days, Shi Lang finished shaping his long sword and awakened from his cultivation. He opened his palm, and a small sword-like blue de appeared above his palm. The sword was covered with lightning streaks all over the ce.

    The terran nodded lightly and absorbed the sword back in his dantian. He turned around to look at the cliff and found Mie Lingyao. He wanted to go and meet thedy when he shook his head and bowed deeply.

    He said, "Thank you, elder, for guarding my safety."

    Then he turned around and walked to the cliff. He saw Mei Lingyao and greeted her with a bow. Thedy said, "Congrattions Xiao Lang."

    The man bowed and said, "Thank you, Teacher."

    Lingyao smiled faintly and nodded. Shi Lang turned his gaze to look at Wen Lengxue and took out her sword. He took out the spirit sword from his space ring and then said, "Teacher, keep this sword and tell senior sister that her conviction has made her worthy of holding a sword again.

    If not for the elder keeping a watch over her. She would have risked her life by jumping inside the valley. Please do me a favor, and return this sword to her."

    Mei Lingyao epted the sword with both hands and said, "Thank you very much for returning the weapon that she cherished. I assure you, she will be worth it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "After this, her path will never experience any obstacles that would hold her back."

    Mei Lingyao nodded and said, "You are correct. Go finish consolidating your gains. You have been working hard."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the lightning valley. Looking at his receding figure thedy said, "To think he will finish advancing in just two days. I underestimated his talent."

    The guardian elder replied from the shadows, "No, you did not underestimate his talent, but also his will and hisprehension of Dao. He is not a normal person. I cannot help but feel that he sees all things from a different point of view. I wonder if we can learn from his reasoning skills."

 Chapter 520 Inner Court Task.

    ?

    Shi Lang returned to his courtyard and began consolidating his cultivation base. He did note out of the courtyard until a week was up. He came out, groomed himself, and came to Mei Lingyao. Thedy was sitting under the wisteria tree and watching Shi Lang appear, and she said, "Hmmm, your aura has improved."

    Shi Lang bowed in greetings, and thedy said, "Do not growcent because you have broken through so early. To be an Immortal General, you must develop one hundred eight spirit weapons inside your dantian. All these weapons will be the same as the first one you made."

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy asked, "Why are you here?"

    The terran replied, "Two things. First, how is senior sister Wen doing now?"

    Mei Lingyao nodded and said, "She has grown calmer and more humble. She spars with the rest of her peers daily to learn from his mistakes."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Second, I came to ask if updated credentials are in your custody. I need to ept the inner court tasks."

    Mei Lingyao nodded, flicked her wrist, and tossed a token saying, ''Inner court'' Shi Lang bowed to thedy and left the ce.

    The peak master did not stop him, and she knew that he was going out to seek some experience and get used to the new strength he had gained. Everyone had a path of their own, and she was also walking alone. Thinking about this, she closed her eyes and sat down in cultivation.

    She had yet to reach the peak of her cultivation.

    ...

    Shi Lang came out of the courtyard and rushed down the mountain. This time he entered the city in the valley and came to the mission hall. His speed was quick, but he did not forget to return the greeting of those who recognized him or asked for advice on sword cultivation.

    The terran came to the mission hall in the center of the crown valley and was shocked to see the bustling crowd. This was the first time he had seen so many people in the sect gathered together.

    He saw men with explosive muscles and people who practiced spears. The sect had no boundaries, as women with muscles were also there. The spirit heart sect advocated free practice. They did not stop anyone from taking any path but guided the disciples to select the most suitable path.

    Shi Lang had note here to ept any tasks when he was in the outer court because the outer court disciples all had a small building at the mountain. The guard disciples saw Shi Langing over, and one of them said, "Stop."

    Shi Lang paused, and the guard continued, "Your inner sect identification, jade?"

    The terran produced the jade, and the guard said, "You may go, but know that if you create a ruckus, the security will evict you from the hall."

    Shi Lang nodded with a in face, though he was thinking if this was how the security would be maintained. He shook it off and entered the building. He looked around and found many cultivators queueing up in front of many desks. The terran picked up a queue and stood there.

    He did not talk to anyone but heard all the things that were worth it. The surroundings and the terrain information were the things he caught up to. Soon it was his turn. He presented his token, and the Elder behind the counter said, "This is your first time epting a task?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the man said, "You gain merit points for every task youplete sessfully and a penalty for failing it."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the Elder pointed at a dossier. He said, "You can select the task from here."

    The terran began to skim through and found a suitable task. He pointed at the task, and the Elder was surprised. He smiled and said, "Out for an adventure, kid? Do you know who they are looking for?"

    Shi Lang said, "Tsu Zheng."

    The Elder nodded and said, "Tsu Zheng, this guy is wanted for seven murders, and all of them are done with the same method, simr targets, and this guy has never been seen before."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for your information, Elder. I will do what it takes to bring this guy to justice."

    The Elder smiled and said, "I have seen a lot of people like you, fine kid, go ahead and try your luck. You will be given five silver coins and one spirit sword."

    Shi Lang replied, "Elder, I already have the sword. Just five coins will do." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The Elder nodded and gave out the coin. He did not know that Shi Lang was someone who defeated a core disciple. He only thought this guy was a normal disciple who had just been promoted to the inner court.

    Shi Lang did not say much and kept a low profile. He was never someone who liked the attention. After he left the mission hall with the rtive documents, he appeared at the teleportation formation. He showed the disciples on duty the departure order and left the ce.

    The terran appeared outside the vige where the investigation would be carried out. He walked up to the vige gate and sensed the gloom. He found a guard standing with slumped shoulders and asked, "Brother, are you a native here?"

    The young man nodded, and Shi Lang said, "I am from Spirit Heart Sect. Can you tell me where I can find the vige chief?"

    The young man raised his head and directly knelt. However, Shi Lang waved his hand and held the young man up. He said, "There is gold beneath the knees of a man. You should not kneel so easily."

    Later Shi Lang learned that the young man was called Xiao Sung. Thetter led Shi Lang to the vige chief. The old man lived in the vige''s center, whereas the Vige chief lived.

    Xiao Sung said, "Vige Chief, the Spirit Heart sect has sent an exalted immortal to investigate the plea."

    An old voice sounded, "Bring the immortal master inside, Xiao Sung. I aming."

    Xiao Sung led Shi Lang inside, and the terran found that the house was made of mud and stone. Shi Lang sensed some movement behind him and turned his head to find an old man walking over with a cane in his hand. The old man bowed to Shi Lang, who waved his hand and used the spirit energy to stop the old man from bowing and said, "Elder, let us not waste any time. Can you tell me what you know?"

    The old man nodded and replied, "Three months ago, one of the youngdies in the vige was found dead in her boudoir. The cause of death was undetermined, and the old physician could not find anything either. The same thing happened one month ago. The vige was in distress, and so we posted a request to the Spirit Heart Sect."

    Shi Lang frowned and asked, "You all posted that you suspect someone, Tsu Zheng. Tell me why?"

    The vige chief replied, "There have been deaths like the one in our vige in the neighboring viges. We tracked this trail of death back to the imperial capital and there have been simr deaths. The imperial investigators told us that the person behind all this could be Tsu Zheng."

    Shi Lang frowned and began to ponder of the situation. He could not understand how did the imperial investigators were able to pin it all on Tsu Zheng.

    From what he had read in the dossier, Tsu Zheng was a demonic cultivator, he hid among normal people and he did atrocious things to gain power, and when he gained them, he hid.

    Till thest decade when he surfaced and now, none of the people has seen him, and expect for his name, not even a single portrait was avable. Shi Lang could not understand how he was going to locate this man.

    He asked, Xiao Sung, "Can you take me to the spot where the corpses were discovered?"

    Xiao Sung cast a look at the vige chief. The old man nodded and said, "Xiao Sung, you are to follow the Immortal master throughout this visit. Okay?"

    Xiao Sung nodded and replied, "Yes, Vige Chief."

    ...

    Shi Lang came to the house a bit further away from the vige chief house and Xiao Sung said, "Immortal master, this is the courtyard where the second corpse was recovered."

    Shi Lang asked, "Did a lot of people came here?"

    Xiao Sung shook his head and said, "No, just the physician, and the rtives of the dead. They cordened off the room where she lived after the funeral."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Let''s go, I will check the situation."

    The two people came inside the house, and after a short greeting to the people. Shi Lang stood in the sealed house and scanned the entire ce with his spirit sense. He did not find anything of value, so he cast a gaze on themunicator on his wrist and manipted it to scan the room for any traces of blood.

    After a few minutes, he said, "We have blood on the scene."

 Chapter 521 Tech & Spirit.

    ?

    Shi Lang looked at the reports on hismunicator and located a spot where a drop of blood was left over. He recalled all the nanoprobes back into themunicator and scanned the ce.

    Themunicator showed that the blood was that of a human. Shi Lang did not waste time and generated a DNA sequence from minimal blood. Then he collected samples from the family of the victim. They did not understand why this immortal master was collecting their hair.

    They found that none of the samples matched. Meaning this drop of blood was not from these people. He thought of something and drew an array pattern on the floor. He was not spending his entire time on cultivation. Array formations were the subject of his interest.

    His brain was also instilled with the knowledge of arrays from when he discovered the first ruin on a foreign. While engraving the array, the young man smiled as he recalled 3PO.

    The array activated, and a few scenes shed in Shi Lang''s mind. He used a recalling array to find out what was going on here. He saw a lean man tying a young girl and slitting her wrists and ankle to collect her blood. This wasn''t all. He vited the girl sexually. During herst breaths, the girl managed to bite off the wrist of the old man. The wound was deep, but it was as if his body was dry. No blood flowed out.

    Shi Lang finally saw the youngdy spitting out the content of her mouth. The man said something, and all the wounds on the youngdy''s body began to heal miraculously and vanish. The young man did not say much but clenched his fists in anger.

    Suddenly he caught the sight of a booklet lying on the side. It said, ''Blood Moon Sutra.''

    Shi Lang realized why this guy killed victims on a new moon night. He was using this method to improve his cultivation. The person he was looking at was a demonic cultivator, and Shi Lang decided to kill this man. However, the strength of his enemy was at least an Immortal General.

    He was not sure if he would be able to take this guy down. Thinking about what happened here, Shi Lang decided to stake out. He left the room and said, "Xiao Sung, will the vigers listen to something I say?"

    Xiao Sung bowed and said, "You are an immortal master, Sir. They will listen to you. I will gather them."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Gather them all in front of the vige chief''s house. I will meet you there."

    Xiao Sung nodded and left the ce quickly. Shi Lang observed the house and soon set up an array around it. After an hour, he finished, sprinkled some dried herbs in the courtyard, and then left.

    ...

    A crowd was gathered before the vige chief''s house. A burly man asked, "Chief, what about the immortal master? What can we give him?"

    Anotherdy echoed his thoughts, and the vige chief said, "Calm down, Xiao er, Ming Yue. Calm down. The immortal master will soon be here and tell you his purpose."

    The people did not trust the so-called immortals much, but they had no other options. They still respected the wise old vige chief. Hearing this, they all fell silent. They all waited, and after a few minutes, Shi Lang came over.

    He smiled amiably, and the people felt a pressure radiating from him. The terran smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Shi Lang. I havee from the Spirit Heart Sect to investigate a few things happening here."

    The people nodded, and after a slight bow, the man, Xiao Er, asked, "Sir, are you talking about the deaths of the two girls?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am talking about that case. From the clues I have deducted, there will be another death."

    The vigers were shocked, they could not understand it for a second, and thest asked, "You mean to say, one more death?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Yes."

    The people were shocked, and Shi Lang continued, "That man has been killing women all over the ce, and he is using the night of the full moon for these atrocious actions. Tomorrow happens to be a full moon night. I am sure he wille here."

    The vige chief asked, "Immortal master, why do you think he wille here?"

    Shi Lang replied, "In the past, he has killed three women in every spot. He wille here for sure."

    The people were shocked and feared that Tsu Zheng would kill someone among them. Shi Lang saw their faces littered with fear, and the young man said, "You do not have to worry much. I will protect you all. However, I want to ask you a few things."

    The people looked at him, and Shi Lang asked, "Would you all like to avenge those innocent girls who have been killed?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The people froze, and Shi Lang took the cheap emotional card from his pocket and said, "If it were your daughter who faced such injustice and cruelty, would you still sit back?"

    The people were inspired enough, but they could not decide who should reply, and the old Vige Leader came to their defense, "Immortal Master, you do not have to worry. We are all here toy down our lives to get those poor souls justice. Please tell us what we need to do."

    The terran replied, "You all need to gather all the girls in thest victim''s house, the vige chief. I will handle the rest."

    The people were confused, and the vige chief asked, "Immortal Master, what about the rest of the people?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "They will not be harmed. However, if you are all still worried, gather at the vige chief''s house. I think it is big enough to amodate you all till I am done finishing this guy off."

    The people discussed, and the n was set. Now they needed to wait for the night to fall.

    ¡­

    The vigers were all inside the vige chief''s house, and Shi Lang had cast a double barrier array around the house. Although they were safe, their mind was constantly dwelling on the issue. The tension was almost tangible.

    On one side, they were worried about their safety; on the other, they were all consoling each other. Shi Lang watched all this andmented, ''To say that these people are on the lowest level of the power chain makes me restless. How can someone endure so much?''

    ''Instinct, Lang. They all endure the way of instinct.'', said Raksha.

    Shi Lang nodded and moved to the victim''s house. His final preparations were yet to be handled. He moved through the array but did not enter the house and said to one of the girls, "Miss, pleasee here."

    The girls were startled, but they still moved. Shi Lang smiled, watching how they were all moving in a group. He could sense their unease and distrust towards him, but it did not matter at the moment. If he were in their shoes, he would have done the same.

    When the girls were five feet away, Shi Lang took a few jade slips and handed them to the girls. He said, "If you find a lean man has stepped inside the courtyard, then break these jade slips pointing at him. Be careful when breaking them. They contain a hint of sword intent and can save your lives."

    The girls were surprised and bowed to Shi Lang. After the terran retreated, the girls discussed whether such a thing was real. Shi Lang caught the sound and could not help but chuckle.

    ¡­

    The night passed, and a shadow lurked in the streets. It seemed like a part of the night sky had fallen on the ground and was moving around. After the shadow finished searching the entire vige, it groaned.

    The figure moved to the vige square, removing the ck cloak wrapped around its body. A lean man with sunken features appeared. Suddenly, the person turned around and gazed at one of the rooftops.

    Shi Lang stood there with his hands behind his back. He pretended to be surprised, "Oh, you caught me."

    The man red at Shi Lang with reddish eyes and said, "You are the one who foiled my ns, maggot?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "A piece of rotten flesh can call me a maggot. How ironic."

    The next moment his gaze turned cold, and he asked, "You are the wanted Tsu Zheng, right?"

    The demonic cultivator was surprised, but he regained his senses and said, "So what if I am? What are you going to do? Do you know how many righteous path cultivators came after me and how I killed them? Originally I nned to kill just three women in this ce, but your foolishness has forced me to kill every woman in this vige. I wonder if the family members will think."

    Shi Lang smiled calmly and said, "What amuses me is that you cannot even locate the people of the vige, and you want to kill them? Did you think I would be so foolish that I will not send for help as soon as I find out about your Moon sutra?"

    The demon was shocked and asked, "How could you?"

 Chapter 522 Tsu Zheng.

    ?

    Shi Lang stood facing Tsu Zheng, who looked surprised. The terran smiled and replied, "Greater recall array."

    Tsu Zheng recovered from the shock and snarled. He said, "So what if you know? What will you do? You are just an Immortal Soldier. Looking at your attire, you seem to be from the Spirit Heart Sect. Tell me, are you eager to seek death?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Correct, I am from Spirit Heart Sect and eager to seek death, but it is for you. After all, people like you need to descend to hell sooner to make the world better."

    Tsu Zheng chuckled and said, "I want to know what you can do to kill me."

    Shi Lang smiled, grabbed his hairpin, and held it against Tsu Zheng. The demonic cultivator saw this andughed. Hisughter grew so strong that the windows and open doors began to flutter from the shockwaves he created. Shi Lang raised his brows and used this chance to see what cards an immortal general could hold to outy him.

    The wind picked pace, and Tsu Zheng said, "You think you will defeat me with that shoddy hairpin?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Won''t we know the answer when we try? Would you like to fight? Or shall I just kill you?"

    Tsu Zheng shivered with rage, then rushed forward with a small ax. The ax was also a spirit weapon but did not hold a candle to Shi Lang''s hairpin. The reason was Raksha. Shi Lang knew hecked the skills to kill the Immortal General level cultivator. His resources were limited and spent preparing cloaking and defense arrangements for the vigers.

    If he wanted to deal with this guy, he would need the aid of a stronger artifact or an expert. So he chooses the earlier option. Shi Lang was not bothered if he would lose that much. He was sure. The reason behind using the hairpin was to gain experience. Such a strong cultivator will not be able to find in the controlled environment of the sect.

    This ce was suitable, and he would not get such opportunities daily. So, Shi Lang charged forth with a hairpin in his hand. He used his ability to sense things and use them in sync with the spiritual sense, he could sense the movements, and then using his battle experience, he could narrow down the trajectory of the iing attack.

    Shi Lang suddenly stopped his charge and sharply bowed forward. The demonic cultivator was shing at Shi Lang from the side. The sudden bow made the attack miss, and Shi Lang took the opportunity to stab multiple times at the enemy. After the exchange, the two parties retreated.

    While Shi Lang had no cuts or wounds, the enemy had seven stab marks on the left pectoral. He could not digest how Shi Lang managed to do this. The demonic cultivator said, "You are good, but too bad you provoked me."

    The demonic cultivator said, "Blood Moon Cage."

    The ax in his hand shone with a dull shade of red, and multiple cut attacks were made. All these attacks were locked on Shi Lang, and he had nowhere to go. The Terran was not stupid; he could sense the cut winds running at him. He closed his eyes, and using his sensing ability, the terran moved around quickly.

    He was like a fish moving through the currents. Shi Lang found minuscule gaps and made his way through them. He was not afraid of getting a wound or two. But he wanted to kill this thing on his own.

    The two exchanged a lot of blows. However, Shi Lang never won the advantage again. He kept things in check and calmly waited for Tsu Zheng to make a mistake. However, the demonic cultivator was not getting impatient. His attacks were getting reckless, making Shi Lang act even more cautiously.

    Suddenly, Tsu Zheng''s eyes flickered, and he cast a soul attack on Shi Lang. The terran was shaken, and an attacker managed to graze his cheek while stuck in a daze. Blood trickled off his cheek. He woke from the daze and asked, "Did you use a soul skill on me?"

    His immortal soul shivered a little just now. Tsu Zheng smirked and said, "Yes, why do you want to join me? You have good skills tost for this long against me."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said as his fingers touched the dripping blood, "I have been trying to adjust to my full strength, and you just allowed me to grasp it. So,e, let''s end this."

    A spirit sword reced the hairpin. Tsu Zheng shook his head and said, "You do not know how to cherish a good opportunity. I shall leave you with an intact corpse so your teacher or master can recognize you."

    Shi Lang did not say anything and circted his spiritual energy. The next moment sparks of lightning appeared around his sword. Tsu Zheng''s pupils constricted; he was shocked. This man before him had the attribute of lightning.

    Shi Lang vanished from his ce, and a nk echoed in the vige. Tsu Zheng was pushed back by ten feet, and the battle ensued. After ten blows, the demonic cultivator could not get an advantage, and his heart began to palpitate. Shi Lang was not a normal cultivator. His lightning attribute gave him a natural advantage over the demonic cultivators. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Another thing was that his body was a tad bit slower in followingmands. He did not know that whenever the two people collided, Shi Lang would channel a wisp of his spiritual energy inside the body of his enemy. The impact did not show immediately, but as the amount of spiritual energy umted and the enemy circted his own energy, lightning destroyed them little by little from the inside out.

    When Shi Lang was happy about his development, Raksha said, "Finish him. It is getting boring. Tch, such a meager clown is upying so much time? Have you gone useless, Lang?"

    Shi Lang stagnated, and the sword spirit said, "Either you take him down in one attack or let the sect seniors take away the credit."

    Shi Lang nodded, and his sword shed with a strong lightning energy force and sword intent. This technique was still iplete, but Shi Lang had to do his best. So he said, "I will tell you the name of this technique."

    He raised his sword and said, "Heavenly Lightning sh."

    The next moment he appeared behind Tsu Zheng. The demonic cultivator was silent, but after a few seconds, he raised his hand and touched his neck. He wanted to say something when his body began to shiver. Shi Lang said, "I just channeled all the lightning spiritual energy from my sword to your body directly. Combined with the intent of the sword. You are being destroyed inside out."

    Tsu Zheng revealed a smile, and then his body turned into ash. Shi Lang wanted to kick this ash statue to the ground, but his body was bound with strong spiritual energy before he could act. He did not resist because this pressure was probing him. Soon, a couple of people appeared in the void. Soon theynded before him and gazed at the situation.

    The middle-aged man standing before him and asked, "Young man, who are you?"

    Shi Lang shivered, but he could not answer. The middle-ageddy sighed and said, "Dispel the bindings first."

    The man coughed and waved his hand to disperse the pressure binding Shi Lang. The terran bowed his head and said, "Greetings, Senior."

    The middle-aged man nodded and asked, "What is going on?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I am Shi Lang senior. Inner court disciple from Spirit Heart Sect."

    He produced his inner court jade te and told them what happened there. The middle-aged couple nodded. They did not show surprise on their faces. They could not expect how Shi Lang killed Tsu Zheng.

    They heard the details, and the middle-ageddy said, "To think that phoenix could be used to cover up the yin energy of thedies. Very meticulous."

    She praised Shi Lang and the person nodded. He said, "I wonder if this guy has someone backing him. As a demonic cultivator, he is active in such a close range to the Sect. This is not good. However, why are you here, Seniors?"

    The middle-aged man said, "We are here because we also recently found a few clues of the demonic activities. That is not something you should worry about. Your task is finished. You can go back to the sect."

    Shi Lang nodded and abided by his words. He quickly dealt with the vige chief and after settling the affair, he flew to the sect.

    ...

    Shi Lang entered the sect by teleportation and reported the details of the incident to the elders of the Mission Hall. They gave him the due merit points, and the news spread like wildfire in the dry grasnds.

    Shi Lang, the new disciple who bested Wen Lengxue in swordy, went out to perform his first task and killed a demonic cultivator, Tsu Zheng.

 Chapter 523 Visitors From The Dragon Sword Sect.

    ?

    Shi Lang reported the matters to the mission hall and returned to his dwellings. The life of an inner court disciple was rather calm. The terran preferred it this way. He sat crossed leg in the courtyard and cultivated in seclusion when he recalled about the Princess in the sect.

    Tian Lingxue, he wondered how she was doing. When immersed in his thoughts, an unexpected visitor appeared on his doorstep. Shi Lang was surprised at the principle of coincidence. He found the visitor to be the Princess itself.

    He stood up and walked over to greet her. Thedy was standing outside the door of his courtyard but not knocking at it. Shi Lang guessed she was confused. He pulled the door open, and startled, the Princess squealed.

    Shi Lang took a few steps back and said, "Your Highness, calm down. It''s just me."

    Thedy regained her senses and quickly looked around. She said, "Senior Brother Shi, can you change your address for me?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Junior Sister, what you heard was a spiritualmunication message. No one else could tap into it. However, I wonder what brings you here?"

    The Princess sighed and said, "My master said that you have just finished a big mission and wanted to send my senior sister over to check if you need any medical help."

    Shi Lang frowned and asked, "How does this work? Don''t you have to be a fire attribute to practice alchemy?"

    Tian Lingxue shook her head and said, "No, the nature of your spiritual energy is not rted to alchemy or pill refining. It would be best if you were good at controlling it. Everything is made up of spirit energy, so if you can control that spirit element, you can derive the essence of things and refine pills. This technique is restricted to my master and her disciples."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You do not have to worry. I am fine. However, since the task was directed to your senior sister, why are you here?"

    Tian Lingxue replied, "That senior sister is a core disciple, and she was busy refining a pill. Since it was her first time, I decided to take it over."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Come in, have some tea."

    Tian Lingsue shook her head and said, "I still have a few things to deal with, Senior Brother. I am just an outer court disciple. Master is strict, so I will head back now that I have confirmed your condition. Feel free to find me at the Alchemy peak if you need any pills."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "If someone at home needs help, you can tell me."

    The Princess nodded and turned around to leave. Then she suddenly turned around and said, "My name is Ling Tianxue."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the girl walked away. Shi Lang closed the doors and entered meditation. The core disciples were all immersed in cultivation practice of their own, so none came to find him.

    One month they passed away like this when Shi Lang''s door was knocked again. The terran opened the door and found an errand disciple standing outside. The disciple bowed and said, "Senior Brother, the peak master has called you to the sword hall."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will go right away."

    That said, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. He did not know where the sword hall was, so he asked, "Brother, can you tell me your name?"

    The errand disciple was surprised but then said, "Senior brother, I am called Xian Ji."

    Shi Lang nodded and continued, "Brother Xian, please guide me to the sword hall. I am afraid that I do not know much about the peak."

    The disciple was shocked when Shi Lang talked to him so politely. The status of the errand disciple was really low in the sect. The disciple hurriedly agreed and led Shi Lang to the sword hall. He also mentioned many important ces on the peak for Shi Lang to be convenient next time.

    The terran nodded and said, "Brother Xian, if you need some guidance in cultivation, you can find me."

    Xian Ji was shocked and asked, "Senior Brother, are you serious? We, errand disciples, do not have much strength, you know?"

    That was true. Even when these guys climbed the seven steps on the test, they were still the errand disciples. Outside in the cities, they would be revered and given some face, but inside the sect, an Immortal soul cultivator was the lowest on the food chain.

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "As long as you preserve and work hard, there is always a chance that you can rise. Do not give up."

    Xian Ji nodded, and Shi Lang walked up the steps of the sword hall. Xian Ji could not help but bow to the receding figure. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang did not know what he had just done. He climbed the stairs of the sword hall and sensed a strong sword intent. Raksha said, "Hmmm, this ce has a heavenly spirit sword."

    Shi Lang froze and asked, ''Do you need toe out?''

    Raksha refused and said, "No, you just radiate your sword intent at the other party. I will handle the resonance."

    Shi Lang nodded and did as told. His body radiated a strong sword intent. He climbed the stairs and sensed the resistance from the core of the building. However, Raksha was not bad at her task. She ensured that the intent resonated with the sword inside the hall.

    The terran reached the door, and the guard gestured for him to enter. Shi Lang thanked the person and entered the ce. Inside the hall, he found all the elders and the core disciples of the sword peak.

    Shi Lang greeted them and asked, "Peak master, you called me?"

    Mei Lingyao nodded and said, "Xiao Lang, our sects hold a triage meeting every five years. Wepete for status among the three sects. This time, the Spirit Heart Sect is the host. The disciples from the Dragon Sword Sect will be here, and they willpete with our sword peak only."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Teacher, what shall I do?"

    Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "Xiao Xue is in seclusion, and she might note out by then, so I hope you can join your senior brothers and Sisters to fight them off."

    Surprised, Shi Lang replied, "But, Teacher, this...."

    Elder Jian smiled and said, "Xiao Lang, too much modesty is often misunderstood as arrogance. Your skills are real; we all think you are strong enough topete. Do not miss an opportunity like this."

    Shi Lang was hesitant when Hu Shan said, "Junior Brother Shi Lang, in the past twenty years, the glorious sword peak has never managed to win thepetition with the dragon sword sect. Do you not want to test these people?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly and wanted to nod when the third elder said, "You do not have to worry, Xiao Lang. This time we will allow the most brilliant disciples to visit the inner sanctum of the sword hall."

    The terran was surprised when he sensed something shiver in his spiritual tattoo. The shiver was almost negligible, but he sensed it and said, "I ept."

    Mie Lingyao smiled and said, "You have been promoted to the inner court, but you have yet to practice the orthodox techniques of the Spirit Heart Sect. Here, you have two months to finish mastering these techniques."

    Shi Lang nodded and epted a jade slip that she handed to him. The young man thanked her, and after a brief discussion, everyone was allowed a special room in the sword hall to practice their skill.

    The terran was amazed when he read the details of the technique handed over to him. The essence of this technique was not in the moves, but in thebinations it offered. It was akin to making a sword into a whip or a staff.

    Shi Lang could not help but focus all his energy onprehending the secrets of this technique. However, after a day when he could not see through a few doubts, he began to discuss the situation with hismunicator. The watch was equipped with an artificial intelligence system even without the data flow.

    This was very helpful. The program provided him with many ways to look past doubt and these opinions were not based on neutral logical analysis. The terran did not have to fear that he would be giving in some influence.

    ¡­

    Two months passed in a blink, and gradually, all of the core disciples came out of their seclusion. Shi Lang also came out of his seclusion, and his eyes were filled with wisdom akin to that of an older generation.

    Mei Lingyao said, "Come on, the visitors will be here soon."

    The people followed the elders and Shi Lang asked, "Teacher, what about senior sister Wen?"

    Mei Lingyao nodded and said, "She hase out of her seclusion but she is not yet ready topete. Shecks confidence in her moves."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "She will reforge it again."

    The people arrived at the square in the valley and Shi Lang saw a pair of floating vessels. Hu Shan said, "They are here."

 Chapter 524 Rough Welcome.

    ?

    Shi Lang stood behind the rest of the core disciples and the elders of the sword peak. All of the peak masters and sect leaders were present on the scene and surrounded the square from all sides.

    Shi Lang could sense some tension in the air. It could be that despite being the biggest force, the Spirit Heart Sect always lost to the two smaller sects. This situation was simr to the Tian Kingdom and the Spirit Heart sect.

    He did not say much. All he knew was to do his best in all situations. The flying vessel was huge, and it could not enter the valley. Soon, flying swords appeared in the void. Shi Lang counted thirty and asked, "That is all? We have to gather all of the sects for this?"

    Bai Yan sighed and said, "The winners are the king, and the charade is not for disciples but the grand elder. This guy is a quasi-emperor."

    Thedy mentioned thest part in a spiritual exchange. Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "This guy is simr to the ancestor of the Spirit Heart Sect?"

    Bai Yan shook her head and said, "We have one ancestor in the Immortal Sovereign realm. As for the one you mentioned, that is the Grand Elder. He rarely shows up in such events."

    Shi Lang nodded in understanding when the flying swords of the dragon sword disciplesnded on the square. The grand elder stood in the void when the sect master cupped his fists and said, "Junior wees Senior Long Shange."

    The grand elder had a calm face and a soothing vibe, but his eyes were sharp. However, Shi Lang could sense strong power under the sharp eyes, and it was really strong. Another thing that caught his interest was the missing hand of the grand elder. His left hand was gone.

    He wanted to ask the people something when he sensed something and stopped. He had a feeling that even his spiritual thoughts could be tapped into. The grand elder descended and nodded to Sect Master Ling. He asked, "Sister Yue has not arrived?"

    Sect Master shook his head, but the next moment he smiled, "Perhaps she was waiting for your to mention her, Senior."

    Another flying vessel appeared in the void. This ship seemed to be made up of jade. Shiny and white, engraved with many snowkes, and simr to the Dragon Sword Sect, the disciples descended to the ground on their spiritual artifacts. In contrast, ady in white hanfu descended slowly.

    She was akin to a fairy princess, and her beauty could charm even the gods. Sect Master Ling greeted thedy, "Greetings, Senior Yue Shi."

    Thedy nodded calmly and said, "Xiao Ling, you have grown stronger."

    The sect master was not embarrassed when thedy called him Xiao Ling. On the contrary, he smiled and said, "I can never hide anything from you, can I?"

    The grand elder smiled faintly and asked, "That old man of your sect is still indoors?"

    Sect Master Ling nodded and said, "Uncle Master hardly steps out. You know his nature."

    Grand Elder Long Shange sighed and said, "That battle did cost us a lot of things."

    The old man cast a gaze at his empty sleeve. Thedy from the snow maiden sect said, "Old Long, I told you many years ago to take a beauty pill. Look at the disciples from my sect; they are scared by your ugly face."

    Shi Lang and the rest were about to burst intoughter when they stifled it and began to look at each other. The grand elder of the Snow Maiden Sect did not stop at this; she said, "Tell your disciples to converge a bit. They are strong, but unting their sword aura is not necessary."

    Long Shange sighed and said, "Sister Yue, spare me some dignity."

    Thedy turned her head away, and Sect Master Ling led everyone to the guest residence. This ce was located on the sect master''s peak only. Thepetition will be held in the morning the dayter.

    Shi Lang and all the core disciples also apanied the guests silently when one of the disciples from the Dragon Sword Sect said, "Liang Ping, I wonder how many moves you will be able to withstand this time."

    Liang Ping replied, "Xia Lingtai, you think too highly of yourself. I will return the shame of ourst encounter in full."

    Xia Lingtai was an Immortal General with a robust sword aura. Shi Lang could guess that Liang Ping must have faced this guy in the past. The Dragon Sword Sect disciples snorted as they moved up the mountain.

    On the other side, the Snow Maiden Sect disciples were soft-spoken, and all had elegant temperaments.

    ...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The elders were slowly flying above when Long Shange asked, "Xiao Mei, where is your disciple, that girl Wen?"

    Mei Lingyao said, "The girl developed a heart knot, but finally, she dissolved it. Although she is out of seclusion, her state of mind is still delicate. I asked her to refrain frompeting."

    Grand Elder Yue Shi raised her brow and eximed, "The path of Dao is filled with ups and down. Her talent is extraordinary if your disciple could resolve such matters independently."

    Mei Lingyao smiled and shook her head as she said, "You misunderstood, Senior. The heart knot was about to corrupt her spiritual energy when she met another disciple who beat some sense into her. The credit for this rebirth of hers belongs to someone else."

    Long Shange asked, "Who might that be?"

    Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "He is called..."

    They heard amotion below when she was about to reveal the name. An elder was about to intervene when Long Shange said, "Wait, let them handle it among themselves. As long as it is not severe."

    ...

    Wen Lengxue was looking after the arrangements for the guests when the crowd arrived at the lodgings. She greeted the people with a faint smile when a disciple from Dragon Sword Sect remarked, "To think that Fairy Wen will be preparing beddings for us. I wonder if she will be attending to us tonight too."

    The Snow Maiden Sect disciples frowned but did not say anything. Liang Ping stepped forward, wanting to beat the guy out, when Wen Lengxue said, "So the standard of your batch has dropped to this level? Lechers wielding swords and thinking they are nobles?"

    Xia Lingtai retorted, "A murderous skank will tell us if we are lechers? Did you forget that your senior brother died...."

    Before he couldplete his question, someone patted his shoulder. Reflexively Xia Lingtai turned around, and a palm gripped his throat tightly. The disciples were shocked and gazed at Shi Lang with eyes wide open.

    Shi Lang did not care. He punched Xia Lingtai in the gut and walked over to the disciple who started all this. The disciple of the Dragon Sword Sect was not intimidated and drew his sword. The young man attacked Shi Lang. The terran did not faze, his figure shed, and he appeared before the young man.

    His left hand was holding the disciple''s neck, and his eyes were brimming with indifference. A few disciples from the Dragon Sword Sect said, "How dare you attack? Do you wish to die?"

    Shi Lang replied as they drew their swords, "If someonees to your home and tries to mess with your family. What will you do?"

    The disciple held by Shi Lang did not dare to move. He could not sense any emotion from Shi Lang. This was why he was hesitant. People with such indifference would not hesitate to kill someone, and he could tell Shi Lang had killed many people.

    The leading disciple of the Dragon Sword Sect was calmer than the rest and said, "This brother, we apologize for our brashness. Can we put this matter behind us?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Your fellows disrespected my Senior Sister. My duty is to stand up for my fellows but I will not forgive the offenders until she does. I am willing to apologize for my actions if they are too."

    He was calm, not overbearing, and neither too humble. The leading disciple nodded and said, "Junior Brother Xia, Junior Brother Cao, apologize to Fairy Wen."

    Shi Lang loosened his grip around the throat and the two people apologized. Shi Lang looked at Wen Lengxue who nodded calmly and said, "I apologize for my aggressive behavior."

    Then he even bowed slightly. Xia Lingtai asked, "What is your name?"

    His tone was not friendly, and Shi Lang replied, "If you are looking for revenge, you will know tomorrow."

    That said, he turned around and bowed to the elders before he left the peak. The rest of the disciples from the sword peak also bowed to the elders and left.

    Long Shange stroked his beard while Yue Shi said, "I am very curious about the sword battle tomorrow."

 Chapter 525 Sword Battle.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the sword peak disciples left. They did not care about the etiquette of the guests. Who amongst them was not a genius? How will they tolerate this breath?

    Wen Lengxue arranged for the disciples of the Snow Maiden Peak to stay, and then she left too. The elders of the two sects stayed with the disciples, and they guided them to calm their minds.

    ...

    The actions that Shi Lang took spread through the entire sect. Some praised him, and some scolded him for being too arrogant. However, his fame had grown.

    Tian Lingxue was surprised to hear such a thing, but then she thought and found it good. After all, Shi Lang had defeated a demonic cultivator a few months ago, and now he stood up against the arrogant disciples of the Dragon Sword Sect to save the dignity of his fellows. This was good quality.

    ...

    All the core disciples gathered together after returning to the Sword Peak. Liang Ping suddenly said, "I heard from Sister Maio Jing. The second Elder found the antidote, and they will arrive by the morning."

    At this moment, a pleasant voice sounded, "Xiao Ping, you still believe everything I say."

    Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the voice, and they all found a beautifuldy walking over with a sword hanging on her waist. Her face was very simr to some Shi Lang knew and shocked him.

    He could not help but think of Amelia. Thisdy had a sixty percent simrity to her face. He waited for everyone to greet the youngdy and then stepped forward, "Greetings, Senior Sister Miao."

    Miao Jing looked at the young man and asked, "Who might this junior brother be?"

    Liang Ping introduced Shi Lang and even mentioned how he defeated Wen Lengxue and resolved the knot in her heart. Miao Jing was surprised and said, "Seems like I will have to look for lessons from you, Junior Brother Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang shook his head modestly. The people began to discuss what had happened and what they would do. Hu Shan said, "Whatever they have in store. The battle system will be the same point battle. In the earlier fights, they will not send their best warriors. We will need to secure our wins."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Miao Jing said, "Then why not send Junior Brother Shi Lang to face them?"

    The people looked at her confusedly, and Bai Yan said, "Do you know he defeated Wen Lengxue with a wooden sword and left her bruised?"

    Xu Guang sighed and said, "Junior Sister, he did not use the spiritual energy. If Junior Sister Wen was to fight at the peak of her state of mind, things could have been different. Also, even if Junior Shi Lang is stronger, it will only save us face. He can fight as long as he can and with the status of the inner court disciple, defeating the core disciples of the Dragon Sword Sect. Imagine the fame and glory?"

    Miao Jing was fascinated, and Shi Lang coughed before he said, "I suggest we draw lots. Fate shall decide who will face who. Some uncertainty will temper our sword hearts."

    The disciples woke up, and Miao Jing smiled, "You all still have a long way to go and learn how to walk the path of dao and not vanity."

    The people nodded, and Hu Shan said, "Seems like Junior Sister has advanced in terms of her Charm sword."

    Maio Jing smiled and said, "I have. Anyhow, let us draw lots and see who will get what."

    ...

    The next morning, all the peaks sent their core disciples to the Arena, and all the elders were here too. The entire event was being projected through the sect. Everyone was looking forward to it. The Disciples of the Snow Maiden Peak were fewer in number, but they all were well versed in many fields.

    They were going topete first. The spear battle and the alchemypetitions were held simultaneously in different arenas. The women looked gentle, but when they were on the battlefield, they were unbothered by images and etiquette.

    Ultimately, the Spear and Alchemy peaks leveled the score to one-one. The alchemy peak of the Spirit Heart Sect was weaker by a hair''s width, but a defeat was a defeat.

    Array formation peak and Forging Peak did notpete much in the eastern barren because the two other sects did not focus on them much. Even if the Snow Maiden Sect were to find a strong, talented child with the skill for array formations, they would have to ask the Spirit Heart Sect for help, and the Dragon Sword Sect would purchase their swords from the forging peak.

    As they said, there is no eternal enemy or eternal friend, onlysting benefit. The triage worked around this delicate bnce.

    ¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The sun was at the sky''s peak, and it was time for the sword battles tomence. Sect Master Ling stood in the void and said, "The time that you all have been waiting for so eagerly hase. The sword battlepetition will bemencing shortly between the three sects."

    His voice was calm, but everyone heard it as he had infused spiritual energy in his throat. The crowd cheered, and Sect Master Ling continued, "The winner of this sword battle will be given a chance to go to a secret world and a spiritual artifact and a heaven-level martial technique, along with thousand middle-grade spirit stones."

    Shi Lang eximed, "They are too generous."

    Wen Lengxue sat beside him and spoke softly, "The three sects contribute the rewards. The spirit stonese from the mine owned by the Snow Maiden Peak, and the artifact wille from Spirit Heart Sect. As for the Secret World, that would be from the Dragon Sword Sect."

    Shi Lang nodded and watched the Sect Master talk about rules and regtions. After ten minutes, thepetition began. As Xu Guang said, it was the best of seven.

    However, it was a round-robin. Every disciple was going to fight two battles. Collective points will decide the winner. Each battle was worth one point, and the fighters could keep fighting as long as they were undefeated or could carry on.

    As the host, Spirit Heart Sect sent apetitor out first. Xu Guang stood up and walked over the stage. The people were surprised to see Xu Guanging out so early.

    The young man sped his hands and said, "Xu Guang from the sword peak seeks advice."

    Now, the Dragon Sword Sect will be sending forth their candidate. The leading disciple nodded, and a young man stood from the group and jumped onto the stage.

    Xu Guang had a thin braid on the back of his head, and he wore a ck hanfu. He used an Asian saber. A single-handed sword with a slightly curved de. This was a shorter sword, but the damage it did was significant.

    In contrast, the Dragon sect Disciple wore a red hanfu, and his hair was tied in a bun. He had two short swords tied to his waist. His face was calm, but his eyes were cold.

    The young man in red Hanfu said, "Yan Zhili."

    Hu Shan asked, "Any ideas?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Specified targeting. Senior Brother Xu takes advantage inbination attacks, and the other party uses short swords to counter this style. Two des are better than one."

    The people were surprised, but they nodded, and Liang Ping said, "If this is true, then no matter in what order we ascended the stage, they already have a specific opponent prepared for us."

    Shi Lang nodded, saying, "Ten moves will tell us who will be the winner."

    Hu Shan was surprised and asked, "Why do you say that? Even the masters must observe. This is a sword fight. The bnce can shift any moment."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Even though I agree with you, this will be a battle ofbinations. The one with more versatile and fluentbinations will win."

    The people realized that Shi Lang was not talking big, but he had such logic in his thoughts. They could not help but think deeply over what he said.

    The deacon of ceremonies stepped forward, exined the rules a bit, and then the battlemenced. The people who usedbinations had to close the distance. Xu Guang had a wind attribute to his spiritual energy. It was easy to manipte and served the purpose of sharpness and agility.

    The other party had a fire attribute, and his swords were violent. The two people collided, and sparks flew. They exchanged blows in quick session.

    Shi Lang smiled at the disy and said, "We will win."

    The people were surprised and doubted. After all, even if they were all proficient in swords, they could never im such a thing with this confidence.

    Wen Lengxue asked, "Why do you say so?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior Sister, look at Senior Brother''s de and then at his body. You will know."

 Chapter 526 Sword Battle (2).

    ?

    Shi Lang told everyone to look at Xu Guang''s body. The people changed their focus and were shocked to see what was happening. They were experts, and it did not take long to notice that even Xu Guang was not using his full strength.

    Liang Ping smiled, "Senior Brother is hiding well."

    The people smiled faintly. Xu Guang was not using his body to generate force in his attacks. He was using his wrists. The Hanfu covered his body, so the people thought he was using his back muscles to generate force just because he was moving around.

    On the other hand, Yan Zhili was getting more confident with the exchange of blows. He thought his dual-de style was overpowering Xu Guang. After several shes, Yan Zhili opened the distance between them and said, "Xu Guang, how about you call it quits? You have not been gaining any leads now. What is the point?"

    Xu Guang smiled and said, "I would have taken a lot more time, but since you are in such a hurry, why don''t I let you go off."

    Yan Zhili sneered and replied, "You think only you are holding back? Come, let us decide who is better now."

    Xu Guang nodded and held his sword closer to his body. Then the two people vanished. Yan Zhili shed with his swords generating a phantom dragon made of fire. However, the phantom was not profound.

    One of the spectators eximed, "This is the double dragon technique."

    Someone next to him asked, "What do you mean?"

    The person replied, "One dragon is in the front, and another will follow it. I have never seen this technique in person, but I can tell it is very tricky."

    Xu Guang watched the approaching phantom and said, "I shall show you something too."

    He flicked his de and said, "Vortex of death."

    Then he vanished from his spot, and people could only see his figure flickering around the stage as the wind gushed over to the center of the arena. Yan Zhili did not care. As long as he can execute his move first, he will win. The rest he did not care about.

    However, after ten seconds, Xu Guang''s voice sounded, "Vortex Lock."

    He appeared before Yan Zhili, shing with his sword swiftly. The wind he had attracted formed a vortex and surrounded the fire dragon.

    Hu Shan leaned forward and said, "This is not simple."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Miao Jing said, "The second dragon is invisible."

    Bai Yan suddenly said, "Look, the vortex split in two."

    Shi Lang was surprised and turned his head slightly. He found that the double dragon was not the second dragon but the tail of the dragon that had a dragon head. This technique was purposefully meant to look half-prepared.

    The terran understood that the tricks were not simple. The second dragon head did not stop from the binds of the vortex. It moved closer to Xu Guang. However, his sword was already ced at Yan Zhili''s nape.

    The man from the sword peak said, "Yan Zhili, give up."

    The crowd from the Dragon Sword Sect was surprised. They did not expect something like this. The young man saw through the special trick of the Dragon Sword Sect.

    Yan Zhili was not satisfied with this result but could not do anything against it. Xu Guang would not give him any chance to show the spare tricks he had up his sleeve. The young man clenched his fists and said, "I concede."

    The Deacon stepped forward and announced, "Xu Guang wins!"

    The crowd cheered, this was the Spirit Heart Sect, and the Sword Peak disciples had a home-ground advantage.

    Shi Lang nodded, and the Deacon said, "Xu Guang, you can replenish your spirit energy for fifteen minutes. Snow Maiden Sect, please select your contestant."

    A youngdy stood up from the crowd and said, "I will be sparing with Daoist Xu."

    Thedy wore a in white robe with a blue lotus embroidered on the shoulders. She held a zigzag-designed sword at her waist.

    ...

    The elders in the special box looked at the sword and could not help but exim. Peak Master Mei Lingyao asked, "That is a Cumin sword."

    The grand elder of the Snow Maiden Sect remarked, "You have a sharp vision, Xiao Mei."

    Mei Lingyao replied, "Thank you for the praise, Senior. Your sect gained a good talent, I presume."

    Yue Shi nodded and said, "Indeed, this child has been very good with the sword. If possible, I would like to send her here to study and learn from you for some time. In return, you can send one of your disciples to the Snow Maiden Peak. I will teach them personally."

    Mei Lingyao was surprised and bowed as she expressed her gratitude. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    Shi Lang asked, "That is a unique sword design. If you say that shees from the lineage of an Immortal Sovereign, then she must have an inheritance, and thus she would be a tough opponent."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Shi Lang silently scattered the nanobots on hismunicator to record the battle. He did not wish to miss such a chance to learn.

    ...

    While Shi Lang was busy recording and specting the fight, Xu Guang finished restoring his spirit energy and stood up to greet thedy before him. He nodded and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist. Thank you for your advice."

    Thedy nodded and reciprocated the gesture. She told her name to be Lily Cumin. The two people began to fight. Wen Lengxue had mentioned to Shi Lang that the curving de would show its impact immediately. Xu Guang''s sword was repelled, but the direction of the repulsion was not under his control.

    Shi Lang watched the scene and said, "This de is interesting."

    The people nodded and watched the battle unfold.

    ...

    Xu Guang managed to reach a sudden attack, but the moment his sword was deflected and the opponent''s weapon grazed his shoulder. The youngdy did not wish Xu Guang had time to defend himself.

    However, Xu Guang was not that easy to settle. After ten minutes, he was still defending. But this time, his body was covered with cuts and bleeding slowly. The difference between his opponent was that thedy was panting, and Xu Guang stood with his back straight.

    He was calm andposed. Thedy asked, "Why do you persist?"

    Xu Guang replied, "My sword represents persistence."

    He raised his sword for everyone to see and found the de edge filled with chinks. Yet, with such a sword, he could fight like this. The people had to acknowledge his uniqueness and genius.

    Lily Cumins sighed and then said, "I concede."

    The Deacon came forward and made an announcement.

    Xu Guang and Lily Cumin went to their respective seats. The young man took a healing pill, and he practiced in peace. His world was done. The battles continued, and from the twelve fights, Spirit Heart Sect managed to secure four points, Snow Maiden Peak had three points, and Dragon Sword Sect had Five.

    To win, the Spirit Heart Sect needed two points, and the only person who had yet to fight was Shi Lang. The seniors had been injured with wounds of varying degrees. The young man did not hesitate, but he was not overconfident either.

    Wen Lengxue asked, "Junior Brother, do you want me to fight in your stead?"

    Shi Lang shook his head with a smile and said, "I was wondering if I fought with a bamboo sword would the people think of me as overconfident."

    The young man surprised everyone, and the Deacon said, "Disciple Hu, send the final candidate."

    Hu Shan said, "Shi Lang, go."

    The entire crowd was in uproar. They were all aware that the young man had defeated Wen Lengxue. However, he was being sent to a stage like this. They were taken by surprise.

    Maio Jing said, "Junior Brother, the rewards will be very useful to you."

    Shi Lang smiled at this and said, "Senior Sister, can you stop teasing me? Shaking my dao heart will not do us any good."

    ...

    Shi Lang walked up to the stage and found a young man from the Dragon Sword Secting up. The crowd fell silent because Shi Lang recognized this guy. He was the leader of the Dragon Sword delegation.

    The person sped his fists and greeted Shi Lang. The Terran returned the gesture and said, "Thank you for your advice."

    The Deacon said, "Begin."

    The two people did not move and observed each other. Suddenly, Xia Lingtai stood up and said, "Senior Brother Bo, defeat him."

    The rest of his fellows followed. The cheering made the Sword Peak Disciples agitated, too, and Hu Shan said, "Shi Lang, do not hold back."

    The terran smiled and said, "Senior Brother Bo, pardon the offense. I have yet to find a suitable sword, so please allow me to use this bamboo sword."

    He took out a wooden sword from the space ring and shocked the entire arena.

 Chapter 527 Lightning Of Shura.

    ?

    The entire arena was surprised at Shi Lang pulling out a wooden sword from his space ring to fight with the leader of the Dragon Sword Sect.

    Xia Lingtai shouted, "Are you looking down on us, you bastard!"

    Shi Lang''s gaze flickered with a cold glint, but he kept looking at the young man before him.

    The young man said, "This is the first time someone has pulled off something like this. Before I react, may I ask why you cannot find a suitable sword?"

    Shi Lang smiled, and his eyes turned blue. A strong pressure radiated from his body and the young man was forced to take a few steps back. That was not all. The entire arena fell silent, and even the elders became interested in what Shi Lang was doing.

    The terran said, "The technique I practice is too strong, and if I channel my spirit energy through the weapon, it crumbles away like a scrap metal. I cannot use a sword below a medium-grade spirit weapon. This bamboo sword can manage pressure with ease. That is why I use this."

    Shi Lang did not forget to cast a cold gaze on Xia Lingtai and said, "Next time, you better think twice before you speak. Sometimes a loose mouth can lead you to invite a disaster."

    Xia Lingtai shivered and sat back in the seat with a pale face. Shi Lang looked at Senior Brother Bo and asked, "Is my exnation satisfactory to you?"

    The young man nodded and said, "Come, let us see if your technique is stronger than mine."

    The Deacon said, "Begin."

    Shi Lang did not move, but Bo took out his sword and vanished from his spot. The terran did not react but used his ability to sense everything around him, ovepping his spiritual sense.

    Bo was invisible to the rest of the people, that was the extent of his speed, but to Shi Lang, he was as clear as the sun in the day sky. The terran suddenly moved his wooden sword. He raised it toward his right and then to his left. Shi Lang did not pull off any fancy moves, he turned around, and then his de pointed in front of him.

    Someone from the crowd asked, "What is he doing?"

    The rest of them were confused, and they unintentionally turned their head to the position where the core disciples were sitting. The core disciples were silent, also. Wen Lengxue said, "He is blocking Bo Qingtan from approaching him with his blocks."

    One girl raised her voice and asked, "Senior Sister, how does Senior Brother Shi know where the opponent is? We cannot see him, and the spiritual sense cannot keep up either."

    Wen Lengxue shook her head and said, "Spiritual sense can keep up with the track. It is just you are not as focused as Shi Lang. Look at his position and stance."

    Themunication between the two sides was done openly, and the Dragon Sword Sect disciples sneered at this.

    On the stage, suddenly, a ng was heard. Everyone saw Shi Lang standing before Bo Qingtan with their des in a lock. The two people were exerting force. Suddenly Shi Lang smiled faintly, and he extended his hand outward.

    The force pushed Bo Qingtan back slowly. Ultimately, thetter could not help but take back a few steps. Shi Lang was too strong for him. Bo Qingtan did not wait and took the initiative to move and said, "Imprison."

    The next moment, many vines erupted from the seeds scattered on the ground, entangled with Shi Lang. He shook his head and snorted. The vines werepletely disintegrated.

    He tried to move ahead, but his body did not listen to anymands. Bo Qingtan said, "My technique is painless. As long as you agree to admit defeat, I will release you."

    Shi Lang looked inside his body and found some seed-like things that were resisting the movement of his joints. The terran smiled and said, "You are quite a trickster, Senior Brother Bo."

    Bo Qingtan smiled, and the next moment, he moved closer to the person. However, the terran smiled and channeled his spirit energy. Bo Qingtan sensed this and shook his head, "Your spiritual energy will no..."

    He wanted to say that Shi Lang would be unable to break through the restriction, but one cycle of lightning energy burnt the seeds into nothing, and Shi Lang said, "Let''s dance."

    Shi Lang appeared before Bo Qingtan, then moved to the side.

    ...

    The grand elders of both sects stood up from their seats in shock. They both looked at Sect Master Ling and Peak Master Mei. Long Shan said, "Xiao Ling, you have learned the trickery from your uncle master." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Sect Master Ling just smiled and did not say anything. Elder Yue was the same. The people below were shocked as they did not expect this young man to be holding back this much.

    The lighting was another thing, but how he fought with Bo Qingtan was even more shocking. He was like a specter on the stage, and the leader of the Dragon Sword Sect was akin to a punching bag.

    Shi Lang fought like a maniac, but Bo Qintan was also not to be underestimated. Thetter said, "Thousand Stabs."

    The ground erupted, and wooden spikes shot from the stage, all aimed at Shi Lang. The terran was contained, and he could not move forward without dissolving the threat. His sword moved like a whip, and his body flickered everywhere.

    ...

    Long Shan smacked the armrest and said, "Xiao Ling, this person, you bastard... Lightning attribute, physical body that can put the lightning itself to shame. You swine, this guy belongs in the Dragon Sword Sect."

    Yue Shi sighed and said, "If only our sect taught men, we would not have minded taking him. If I can talk to the Suzerain, we can probably make an expectation."

    Sect Master Ling said, "That cannot be allowed."

    The two grand elders looked at him, and Sect Master Ling said, "Immortal Sovereign Tian Long arranged this."

    The two people fell silent and looked at each other with eyes wide open. Mei Lingyao said, "He is an ascender, and apparently, hees from the same mortal realm as Senior Tian Long."

    ...

    On the stage, Shi Lang was flickering all over the ce, and his speed was so fast that if Bo Qingtan was invisible, this guy was leaving after images. After finishing the wooden stalks, he said, "Shura Domain."

    The next moment, pressure descended on the stage. Bo Qingtan shivered, and he felt restrained. Again the battle progressed, Shi Lang took the lead, and the people were on their feet. They did not expect things to escte this much.

    Bo Qingtan was not shallow in his skills either. He said, "Dragon Forest."

    The surrounding spiritual energy resonated with his will, and it all turned into thick trunks of trees, and all these trunks turned into dragons. These dragons followed Bo Qingtan''s sword and attacked the young man from all sides.

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Good move. Shura Body."

    His body was covered with lightning energy, and his wooden sword became a wooden saw, chopping down every dragon that came at him. The speed and ferocity were too marvelous. A lot of audience members were already standing on their feet.

    Liang Ping grabbed the armrest of his chair and said, "This guy, I want to fight him."

    Hu Shan nodded, his hands were crossed in front of his chest, and his fists were balled. All the disciples had simr reactions. They did not expect Shi Lang to be holding back this much. One of the aids could not stop himself and asked, "Senior Brother, what do you think about this battle?"

    Xu Guang said, "If this were a life and death battle, Bo Qingtan would have died before he had a chance. Also, Junior Brother is holding a bamboo sword. He is ying with Bo Qingtan. The battle will be over with the next move."

    The aid was surprised, and the next moment, on the stage, Shi Lang said, "Lightning Of Shura."

    As he was facing the cluster of dragons, his sword was reduced to only the hilt. However, he was not going to back off. Behind him, a phantom appeared. It was like a man made of lightning, and it held a sword in his hands.

    The Phantom moved, corresponding to Shi Lang''s movements. Then it raised the sword, and Shi Lang said, "Senior Brother Bo, please be careful."

    The Phantom shed down in a blink. However, the dragons were stilling at Shi Lang. Suddenly, Bo Qingtan held up a talisman and said, "Shield."

    A spirit shield appeared before him, and what people saw was Bo Qingtan was pushed back by some force, following which all the dragons were suddenly beheaded one by one.

    The entire audience was in a daze. They did not expect Shi Lang to defeat Bo Qingtan in such a fashion. Nobody knew who cheered, but the entire Arena exploded in cheers. They did not even need any decision.

 Chapter 528 One Move To Scare.

    ?

    Bo Qingtan sped his hands and said, "I concede."

    The crowd was already cheering for Shi Lang, and they were agitated by the disy of skills from both contestants.

    Shi Lang bowed back to the young man and said, "You held back on thest move."

    Bo Qingtan smiled and shook his head, "You held back too. Otherwise, my spirit shield would have cracked up."

    The Deacon announced, and then Bo Qingtan returned to sit with his peer. The atmosphere in the Dragon Sword galore was gloomy. Xia Lingtai felt as if his pride was crushed. Shi Lang humiliated him and his fellow earlier. He thought this guy was acting cocky because he had the support of the Sword Peak.

    Now that he discovered this guy to be the strongest sword peak disciple, the desire for revenge has gone out of the window. All he cared about was not to offend him again. Bo Qingtan saw this and did not say anything. He was well aware that the students of the Dragon Sword Sect had been arrogant. Today''s loss was a good thing for them.

    After Bo Qingtan settled, the Deacon said, "Disciple Shi Lang can take his time to replenish his spiritual energy. Snow Maiden Peak, please select your contestant."

    The terran nodded and sat down on the stage to absorb spiritual energy. After a few minutes, when he opened his eyes, he found a youngdy standing before him. He stood up and greeted her with sped fists.

    The youngdy said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist Shi. I am Yun Xue. Thank you for your advice."

    Shi Lang smiled, and Yun Xue asked, "Are you not surprised I am still taking up the challenge?"

    The terran was surprised, but he shook his head. He replied, "I am not."

    Yun Xue asked, "Why? After watching your strength, I guess not many people would like to fight you head-on."

    She was very curious about this guy before her. He did not lose his calm even once when facing Bo Qingtan. On the contrary, he was even excited to fight andughed like a battle maniac.

    Shi Lang smiled faintly, "You said it just now. Not many people would like to fight me, but you are not among those many people. That is why I am not surprised."

    Yun Xue was surprised, and then she smiled. Her smile made the ce glow with life as she said, "You are very articte, Fellow Daoist."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Shall we fight?"

    Yun Xue nodded and unsheathed her sword, but then she asked, "What about your weapon?"

    Shi Lang nced at the wooden stalk he was holding and said, "It is alright. Please do not worry. Let us exchange to our heart content."

    The Deacon nced at the two people and said, "Begin."

    The two people took a step forward, but then they stopped. Yun Xue said, "I have a proposal."

    Shi Lang was surprised and nodded after a few seconds. He asked, "What is it?"

    Yun Xue smiled and said, "I will make one move. If you fail to block it, I will win. If you manage to block, then you can attack me. If I failed to block the attack, you win. If I block, then we can continue."

    Before Shi Lang could react, the entire arena reacted. They all exploded in murmurs. Shi Lang could tell that the people thought this method was unfair or boring. However, he nodded.

    Liang Pingmented, "What is Junior Brother even thinking?"

    Wen Lengxue added, "He is ying along."

    Her voice was akin to a whisper, but everyone heard this. Maio Jing smiled and said, "Why do I feel he wishes to end this in one move?"

    The people turned to look at her, and Bai Yan said, "You are sipping on Third Elder''s spirit wine again?"

    Maio Jing pouted and snorted before she said, "Hey, I quit drinking."

    Xu Guang remarked, "Does not seem like it. That person you are talking about is Yun Xue, Sword Fairy Yun Xue. Do you know why people call her that?"

    Hu Shan nodded and said, "Indeed, this opponent is even scarier than Bo Qingtan. Only because she has gained a name for herself recently does not mean that her skills are shallow."

    All the people nodded and turned their heads back to focus on the stage. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    Yun Xue asked, "Would you like to go first?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Senior Sister Yun, if possible, use your strongest move."

    Surprised, Yun Xue raised her eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and Yun Xue raised her sword. The crowd was in uproar, and the surroundings turned cold.

    ...

    Mei Lingyao looked at the scene and remarked, "The intent of ice. To think this child managed to reach this level at such a fast pace. You have a great talent in your sect, Senior Yue."

    Yue Shi smiled and raised her head. Long Shan stroked his beard and said, "Indeed, what Xiao Mei said is true. This time, Xiao Bo will learn something new."

    The same thing could be applied to the Spirit Heart Sect disciples.

    ...

    Yun Xue said, "This technique is called shing Snow Maiden."

    Shi Lang nodded andmented, "It is indeed strong to think you have incorporated the attribute of ice in your attack, capable of freezing everything, even the stones. If my spection is correct, you have yet to reach the peak of this technique, right?"

    Surprised, Yun Xue said, "You are talented, Fellow Daoist Shi Lang."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am ready when you are."

    Yun Xue smiled, and her white sword made a sharp, high-pitched sound. The young man focused on the sword and found it exquisite. He would have asked Raksha what was going on if not for the Immortal Kings and Quasi Immortal Emperors scrutinizing him.

    Snowkes appeared in the void. They looked delicate and fragile, but the sharpness radiating through them sent chills through the crowd. Hu Shan could not help butment, "Such a terrifying force. I sense a shallow trace of sword intent."

    Wen Lengxue looked at the stage and said, "The reason behind this shallow trace is because the intent is not focused on us, but look at Shi Lang."

    When everyone looked at the situation, they understood what Wen Lengxue meant. Shi Lang''s clothes had cut marks on them. The crowd was also surprised. They did not expect this technique to be so destructive. Some worried for Shi Lang, and some anticipated what he would do.

    The young man smiled and asked, "The storm of snowkes that freezes anything, even death."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "I will release them now. You can try to defend, but if you fail or have doubts, you should invoke some defensive measures. I cannot control this techniquepletely now."

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded. The next moment, Yun Xue lowered her sword, and the flurry of snowkes shot forward at Shi Lang. The young man did not move as he watched the snowkes enclose him.

    Let alone the crowd. Even Yun Xue was shocked at this. In her mind, facing such a technique without defending herself was suicide. However, just when she was about to withdraw, she noticed a blue light sparking inside the cloud of snowkes.

    Shi Lang stood in the center of the snowke storm. His torso was bare, reduced to dust when the snowkes revolved around him. The Terran took a deep breath, and a ray of Lightning appeared in his hand. The end of the Lightning was connected to the wooden stalk he was holding.

    It was a sword of Lightning, and Shi Lang said, "Since you have shown me your best attack, I will show you my best too."

    The voice echoed throughout the arena, followed by a few words, "Spirit Heart Sword."

    The people noticed the cloud of snowkes was thinning. As the sight became clearer, they all saw a streak of Lightning dancing around Shi Lang. This tiny streak was evaporating all the snowkes quickly. That was not what shocked the people, and the sword held by Shi Lang took them aback.

    The technique that Shi Lang mentioned was the secret technique of the Spirit Heart Sect. Only the core disciples were allowed to learn this. It was said that this sword cut through the void once mastered and killed the enemy a thousand miles away.

    Shi Lang was using this sword, which means he must understand it. The terran flicked his sword, and Yun Xue''s face turned pale. She had never felt such fear. This flick of a wrist made her fear for her life. Elder Yue Shi appeared before her and created a spirit barrier. She looked at Shi Lang with a cold gaze.

    The terran bowed his head slightly and said, "I apologize elder, but the move was just a means to threaten. I have not mastered it to that high level."

    The next moment a few strands of hair fell from Yun Xue''s head. The thumping heart skipped a beat. She would have died just now if Shi Lang had used a mastered move.

 Chapter 529 Test & Rewards.

    ?

    Yue Shi stood before Shi Lang with her eyes spewing fire. The crown jewel of her sect almost died to this kid. She wanted to beat him up but was hesitating. It was not because of public opinion but because of Immortal Sovereign Tian Long.

    Shi Lang sensed the rage from Yue Shi and stepped forward. Mei Lingyao and Sect Master Ling wanted to intervene, but Long Shan stopped them and said, "You will not always be there to protect him. If he has the capital to provoke someone, he shall face a threat alone too."

    Shi Lang bowed to Yue Shi. Thedy had a superior cultivation realm. If not for that, for the sake of virtue and his principles, Shi Lang did not hesitate. He said, "Elder, I did not intend to harm Senior Sister Yun. The technique was iplete, and when faced with the excellence disyed by Senior Sister, I could not hold back and gave in to the urge to battle and surpass my opponents. I apologize for harming Senior Sister or offending you with my stupidity."

    The crowd fell silent at this. They did not expect Shi Lang to humble himself like this. However, they would not hesitate to swap ces with Shi Lang either. The person suppressing him was a quasi-emperor.

    Thedy spoke with scorn, "If you are so apologetic, then kneel and apologize."

    Shi Lang clenched his fist and stood up. The humble expression on his face was nowhere to be found. Instead, Yue Shi was greeted with a cold and indifferent face. She was surprised to see this sudden shift in expressions.

    Not only her but even Long Shan was the same. He did not expect this young man to have such a strong spine. Shi Lang said, "I am sincere. That is why I bowed. However, your anger has made your wisdom degrade."

    There was pin-drop silence in the surroundings. Shi Lang just called a Quasi Emperor mad with nice words. None of the people had such guts. Some of the weak-minded in the crowd even felt shaky in their legs.

    Yue Shi asked coldly, "What did you say?"

    She radiated a pressure of a Quasi Immortal Emperor, and the people felt suffocated. Long Shan waved his hand and contained the pressure within the limits of the stage. He did not expect the conflict to increase to such a height. In his view, although Shi Lang used a move that could have harmed Yun Xue, he controlled it and stopped it before any serious damage.

    He also bowed to apologize. However, Yue Shi wanted him to kneel. This was unnecessary. Why humiliate a talent? He wanted to intervene, but he did not expect Shi Lang to counter so sharply.

    While the people felt relieved, all the pressure was focused on Shi Lang''s back. The terran slumped a little, and Yue Shi snorted. The pressure increased even more, cracking the stone under his feet. However, Shi Lang did not bow, and his shoulders slumped.

    The terran raised his gaze and looked at Yue Shi, and he said, "Why did you not intervene when your disciple used a simr move that she had not masteredpletely? Do you think the lives of your disciples are precious and mine is expandable? I call you senior and bow to you, but do you want me to kneel? Hmph, I don''t kneel to anyone except my parents, not even the heavens!"

    The spirit energy in his body erupted, and lightning streaks appeared, covering his skin. The pressure on his back was dispersed a bit, and he stood up straight. His eyes turned blue, and a lightning sword appeared in his hand.

    Yue Shi could not believe this young man was defying her so ferociously. She could tell that if Shi Lang had been stronger than her, she would have died by now. Thedy asked, "Do you intend to fight me even when you are no match?"

    The terran replied, "We all know I am no match for you. Isn''t that why you are trying to suppress me? Isn''t that why you flexed your majesty to everyone? So that you can act like an elder who taught an impulsive junior a lesson? I retreated and apologized for something that was not wrong. It was a tit for tat in reply to the move of your disciple.

    Yet here you are, turning ck and white. So what if I fight you? You crippling me is the worse that can happen. However, If it came to that, I will ensure that the Grand Elder of Snow Maiden Peak will notst either."

    The threat was issued, and the people sucked in cold breaths. This was beyond their imaginations. Shi Lang gazed Yue Shi right in her eyes fearlessly. This was not the courage a young Immortal Soldier should have, but it was pure madness.

    Yue Shi was angry, but then she suddenly chuckled. Everyone thought she was going to kill Shi Lang and wasughing maniacally. However, the pressure she emitted vanished in a blink. Long Shan withdrew his barrier, and the people heard thedy say, "Imend you, Shi Lang. You are a true swordsman."

    Shi Lang was momentarily confused, and then he realized that thedy was testing his dao heart. He took back his aura and calmed down before he bowed to thedy and walked off the stage without saying anything.

    Long Shan said, "Sister Yue, you almost disturbed his spiritual flow." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Yue Shi smiled and said, "His courage carried me away. Well, the winner has been decided, so is it time for rewards?"

    The elders appeared on the stage, and Sect Master Ling said, "The battles today had set an example for all the sect disciples. I hope you all learned where your ws lie and what you must do to improve them. I am not talking only about the martial techniques but also the character. You all know where your ws lie, so learn from your seniors and excel."

    The sect disciples nodded and replied in unison, "Yes, Sect Master!"

    The roar was so loud that it must have reached the sky. Sect Master Ling continued, "Now Peak Master Mei will distribute the rewards."

    Mei Lingyao stepped forward with an elegant aura, saying, "Every disciple will be awarded five hundred spirit stones to encourage participation. Only the top twelve of the eighteen disciples will be given a low-grade spirit sword.

    The top six disciples will be given ten greater healing pills, five hunger quenching pills, and one greater rescue pill."

    The crowd gasped when they heard a greater rescue pill. This medicine could bring someone back to life even if they have only one breath left. Mei Lingyao paused and said, "The top three disciples will be rewarded with one low-grade spirit sword, a set of pills, and a greater escape talisman."

    The crowd gasped again, none of the people expected the sect to be so generous. These things were normal to be used by Immortal Kings or Immortal Emperors, but now they were handed over to Immortal general level cultivators.

    When everyone was fidgeting about things, Shi Lang was calmly concentrating on meditation. His spiritual energy was disturbed when suppressed by Yue Shi, his abrupt fight back caused even greater disarray.

    Mei Lingyao nced at Shi Lang and said, "The contestant who came out on the top will be rewarded by Sect Master Ling, Grand Elder Yue Shi, and Grand Elder Long Shan."

    The people cheered, they knew the rewards from the three elders already so it was not much of a shock. The people started to step forward and they all epted the rewards, thankfully the entirety of the Sword Peak Disciples had secured a ce in top twelve.

    (DO NOT COME AND ASK ME HOW THAT WORKS. I HAVE NO EFFING IDEA :<....)

    Sect Master Ling saw that Shi Lang was still immersed in cultivation, he whispered to the two elders and said, "Disciple Shi Lang is in deep meditation, for now his rewards will be handed over to Peak Master Mei. I think, Peak Master Mei has another announcement to make."

    Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "Shi Lang''s skills have shown that he is qualified to be promoted to the next level. I announce with great joy that from now on, Shi Lang will be one of the sword peak''s core disciples."

    The crowd was stunned for a second and then the all cheered together. Hu Shan and the rest also nodded. They epted Shi Lang as one of them. The contest ended and the crowd dispersed. However, the eighteen disciples did not move. They were all conversing in the Arena exchanging their ideas and news from different regions.

    They all were waiting for Shi Lang to wake up. However, suddenly, they sensed a terrifying pressure emit from the Terran. They turned around and looked at Shi Lang. Liang Ping sighed and said, "Say, do you also think he is a monster?"

    Bai Yan kicked Liang Ping in the shin and said, "If you made fun of Junior Brother Shi, I will beat you Pingping."

    Everyone was confused, when Wen Lengxue said, "He is not a monster, he just had a lot of residual energy stored in his body. He is only advancing a minor realm. Today he absorbed a lot of knowledge. It is only normal."

    Liang Ping said, "Junior Sister Wen, are you calling us weak?"

    The youngdy shrugged and the people began to banter. Soon, they heard a buzzing sound. A sword appeared over Shi Lang''s head, and it was made of lightning, however, it was not a crude streak of lightning but it looked like a sword with a proper hilt.

 Chapter 530 Reward Collection.

    ?

    Shi Lang finished advancing and opened his eyes. He found all the candidates looking at him. He stood up and asked, "Is there a flower on my face?"

    The remark made everyone turn gazes, and Wen Lengxue said, "Junior Brother, congrattions."

    Shi Lang thanked her with a faint smile, and the rest of the people followed to congratte him. Bo Qingtan said, "I have never acknowledged anyone of the same generation to be more skillful than me. However, today, you have set a high bar for me. I will catch up one day, so be on watch, Brother Shi Lang."

    His address for Shi Lang changed from fellow Daoist to Brother, meaning he epted him as a friend. Shi Lang also knew that it was better to have a few friends. Although he did notpletely trust anyone, he knew how to share the itsy bit of information to keep the people under the impression that they were friends.

    The terran replied with a smile, "I will also work harder. The way to advance is not so easy."

    The people nodded, and Yun Xue said, "Sir Shi, I apologize for my move earlier. It could have hurt you severely."

    Her address shocked the people because Yun Xue had never addressed anyone, Sir. This disyed that she regarded Shi Lang highly and was inclined toward him. Shi Lang waved his hand lightly and said, "You do not have to think so much. I only hope that my attack did not harm you."

    He did not reciprocate the address, shocking the people even more. Bai Yan suddenly said, "Oh yes, Junior Brother, Peak Master Mei is holding your rewards. I suggest you go there first in case the peak master forgets where she has ced them."

    Shi Lang nodded and turned, saying, "Owe you one, senior sister."

    The terran vanished with the fastest speed. The rest of the people began to talk to each other slowly. Shi Lang arrived at the peak master''s residence and was about to enter when he realized it was veryte. The young man turned around and wanted to return to his house when the calm voice of Guqin sounded from the courtyard.

    The terran paused and began to listen to the music. The piece reminded him of the federation and the people he left behind. However, the sensation was a fleeting matter. He picked up his steps and returned to his room when Mei Lingyao''s voice sounded, "Shi Lang,e in."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and entered the courtyard. He found thedy sitting under the wisteria pavilion and asked, "Did youe here to receive your rewards?"

    The terran nodded, and Mei Lingyao waved her hand. Then she tossed a space ring to Shi Lang and said, "The high-level spirit artifact and the technique will be selected in the Sutra Hall in the valley, and for the Spirit Artifact, you will have to go to the forging peak. Peak Master Wan will take you to artifact hall."

    Shi Lang nodded and epted the space ring. Mei Lingyao continued talking as her fingers stroked the strings of the Guqin, "The visit to the secret world. You will have to leave with the people from the Dragon Sword Sect."

    The terran was surprised but nodded. Mei Lingyao said, "Do not worry. The sect has assigned an immortal king-level guardian to watch you from the shadows."

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy continued, "When Senior Tian Long visited us, he said we should give you protection, not aid. Why would he say this?"

    The terran sighed and mumbled, "Old bastard, you just wait."

    Mei Lingyao was surprised, and Shi Lang exined, "Senior Tian Long had left a clone back in the lower realm. I did not know his name back then, and when we had some dispute, I just uttered old bastard, and it stuck."

    Thedy could not help but marvel at this anecdote. She looked at Shi Lang and asked, "Xiao Lang, tell me what you used to do in your world?"

    The man replied, "I was a soldier."

    Thedy was curious and asked him more about his world, and Shi Lang kept telling her everything. He was very patient, and she was surprised. She could not help but wonder how humans could travel through space in big metallic vessels.

    Shi Lang suddenly recalled something and said, "Teacher, I have something for you."

    The young man tapped hismunicator and asked, "Can you record the images here?"

    Above hismunicator, all the fights of the sword battle were being yed. Mei Lingyao stopped ying with her guqin and asked, "What is this?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang told her about hismunicator and asked if she could record these videos. Mei Lingyao nodded and took a few stones from her space ring. These stones were called Image stones. When channeled with spiritual energy, the array enraged on them would record the image into the stone.

    The young man said, "The scene you see in red is when our Sword Peak Core Disciples were weak, and their moves revealed ws."

    Mei Lingyao instantly focused and, after a few minutes, said, "Yes, what you said is correct. This will help them improve their ways of fighting a lot."

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy said, "You have done well. Thismunicator, is it from the old world too?"

    The terran nodded and said, "I would have left it with you, but they do not have the equipment to reset the settings of this device in this world. It will not work if I take it off my wrist."

    Mei Lingyao nodded and said, "It is alright. We will not be able to use it anyhow. Well, go on rest, then go to collect the rewards in the morning. The Dragon Sword Sect people intend to leave after breakfast."

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up to leave the courtyard. Mei Lingyao coughed and said, "Xiao Lang, next time you visit, remember to wear your clothes properly."

    Now only the Terran realized that he was walking around in the nude. He turned around to apologize to Mei Lingyao and rushed away. Thedy broke out in a peal ofughter as she saw his flustered appearance.

    ...

    The next morning, Shi Lang rushed down the mountain, and the serving disciples greeted him with great respect. This guy was the champion; of course, he deserved respect.

    The terran came down the mountain and rushed to the Sutra Hall. He saw a guardian disciple and asked, "Senior Brother, is the hall open?"

    The young man looked at Shi Lang and replied, "The Sutra hall is open to only those qualified to enter. You cannot enter to take a look."

    Shi Lang took a jade te from his space ring and asked, "Will this work?"

    It was a jade te that was handed over to him by Mei Lingyao. The disciple from the discipline hall checked the te and was surprised. He asked, "You are Senior Brother Shi Lang?"

    The terran smiled and nodded. The disciple returned the te and said, "Please enter."

    Shi Lang thanked the guy and walked inside. The discipline hall guys exchanged nces and heaved sighs of relief. If it was someone else, they would have created a ruckus. The ways of the immortal realm were like this only. Those with power would not stand for even a slightest bit of transgression.

    ...

    Shi Lang entered the hall and was greeted by an elder sorting out scrolls behind a desk. He walked up and greeted the elder, "Good morning, Elder, I am Shi Lang, the sect master instructed me toe here and choose a heaven-level martial technique."

    The elder stopped working and took a good look at Shi Lang. Then he adjusted his sses and said, "Where is the jade te?"

    The terran quickly extended the te to the elder with both hands. The old man hooked his finger and the te flew over to him. Shi Lang was surprised, this was the first time he has seen such a thing.

    He thought about what the old man just did, but he was interrupted, the old man said, "You can find them on the seventh floor. You can pick five human-level techniques, or two earth level techniques if you do not find a suitable heaven-level technique."

    Shi Lang nodded and looking at the staircase on the side, he rushed up to it quickly. Although he was given permission to enter, he could still feel a subtle restriction on his body. He reached the seventh floor quickly, and found seven shelves ced with a few boxes on them.

    The shelves werebeled with elements. He saw two shelvesbeled as Lightning and Soul. He did not know much, and he headed toward the lightning shelf when Raksha''s voice sounded in his mind, "Look for Soul, you have the inheritance of the Lightning from that cave. When you reach Immortal General Level, you can look for theplete inheritance, but for now focus on your soul, this cane in handy when faced with those sneaky demons and some retarded humans."

 Chapter 531 To The Dragon Sword Sect.

    ?

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "How can you talk now when you are mostly silent in the sect?"

    Raksha replied, "Hmph, if not for you being as weak as an ant in the face of an Immortal Emperor, would I have to hide like this? That old man down there is also an Immortal Emperor. If I am to show my breath, they will confine me like that sword inside the sword hall. As for why I can speak now, thanks to the barrier they have cast here. It prevents Immortal Emperors from scanning this ce."

    The terran nodded and focused on the three boxes before him. He looked around and said, "I think soul cultivation is the rarest of them all."

    Raksha replied, "Obviously. Did you think anyone could be a soul master?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "What is a soul master? Wait, how do you even know all this?"

    The sword spirit replied, "It is just something I made up, but it fits."

    Shi Lang shook his head and probed the three boxes with his spiritual sense but found something very interesting. The boxes were not visible to his spirit energy. He could see them with normal eyes but not spiritually. Thinking about it, he closed his eyes and controlled his immortal soul.

    The immortal soul resided in his soul sea. The immortal soul looked like a teenage Shi Lang. It was made up of lightning energy like the sword in his dantian. The spirit avatar seemed to be meditating. Under Shi Lang''s maniption, the teenager opened his eyes.

    Shi Lang probed the three boxes. This time, he met with a greater shock. The young man could see a jade slip ced atop the three boxes. These slips were not visible to him earlier. As he probed deeper, information regarding the content of the boxes appeared in his mind.

    The first technique was called the Blooming Lotus Soul technique. This technique was useful for pill refiners as they needed a gentle nature to calm the spirit fire and observe the ingredients'' spiritual blending.

    This technique was not useful for Shi Lang, and he needed something that could allow him to counter or take his enemy by surprise. He shifted his attention to the second box, and the jade slip atop this box provided the rudimentary information for the Dragon soul technique.

    This technique allowed a person to attack with their soul energy. To practice this soul, Shi Lang would have to hunt spirit beasts, and the higher-level beast''s soul essence he absorbed, the higher his cultivation would rise. However, this practice had a drawback. If Shi Lang fails to calm down the grudge in the spirit beasts lingering consciousness, the bacsh will injure his soul.

    He gave up the idea of trying this technique because let alone settling the grudges of the consciousness. The beast might injure him in physicalbat only. Or if he managed to absorb a soul, it would tint his spiritual energy. Soul consumption was not something that came free of cost.

    Raksha nodded and said, "Despite being aid-back kid, you are very reliable."

    Shi Lang rebuked, "Woman, my soul is a few decades older than you. Who are you calling a kid?"

    The sword spirit smiled, and then Shi Lang looked at the third box. He had little hope, but the jade slip mentioned the Silent Moon technique. This technique was the slowest among the rest of the techniques, and it needed the cultivator to absorb moonlight and use it to nourish the yin element of the immortal soul.

    Once a cultivator reaches the first level, they can manipte a small object within ten feet of their body. As the level increases, the range will increase by ten feet. There was no shortcut for this technique. However, when a cultivator has reached the fifty feet range, the cultivator can use this technique to stun the enemy.

    In a life-and-death battle, a momentary daze could lead to death. Shi Lang smiled as he liked this technique. The young man smiled and said, "I choose you."

    Opening his eyes, Shi Lang picked up the box but could not open it. Thinking about a solution, he tried to open the box with his soul. However, he stopped when his soul energy was about to probe the lock. Raksha asked, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang said, "What if they ced some restriction on these boxes? Will I not die if I trigger it?"

    The sword spirit nodded and said, "Go, take the box to the old man below. He will help you."

    Shi Lang nodded and descended the stairs of the Sutra hall quickly. He came to the desk and found that the elder was moving his hands and cing various scrolls on the shelves behind him. The scene shocked Shi Lang, but then he looked at the box and then at the elder. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He thought, ''What are the chances for the elder to have practiced the same technique?''

    The old man turned his head and asked, "Have you selected?"

    Shi Lang nodded and put the box on the counter. The old man turned around and was surprised for a moment. Then he took out a stone from his space ring. The crystal was as big as a fist, and the old man said, "Channel your spirit energy into the crystal."

    Shi Lang nodded, and after taking the stone, he did what the elder told him. The crystal glowed gently at first, but after a few moments, it glowed so strong as if Shi Lang was holding a torch in his hand. The old man said, "That is enough."

    Shi Lang stopped, and the old man took back the crystal. He said with a solemn tone, "I will not warn you not to practice this script, but I have one piece of advice if you feel like your soul has more yin than yang, stop practicing."

    ¡¤?¦Èm He did not say anything more, and the box was opened with a wave of his hand. The old man cast a prolonged gaze at the scroll before he took a jade slip from the side and used his spirit energy to inscribe the contents of the scroll on it.

    He gave Shi Lang the scroll and said, "After you are done memorizing, the jade slip will crumble to dust."

    Shi Lang nodded and took the jade slip. He thanked the old man and left the ce. The elder said, "My name is Yin Shing. If you find any difficulty in the technique, you can find me here."

    Shi Lang was stunned and bowed properly in gratitude. The old man waved his hand, and Shi Lang rushed away. The terran rushed to the forging peak. Unlike before, this time, he did not stop at the seven hundred seventy-seventh step. He rushed straight to the peak and found the peak master.

    The peak master was a man with bulging muscles and a frank attitude. He led Shi Lang directly to the forgery and said, "I knew you would being over. After the outer disciple tournament, Martial Sister Mei came to be, and she asked me to forge a sword suitable for you.

    The trouble with this sort ofmission is the material. So, after some search, we acquired a stalk of thousand-year-old purple lightning bamboo. The material is tougher than metal and lighter than a feather. However, we could not find the metal to quench the extreme yang of the bamboo.

    Such a pity that we had to quench the sword in hundred years old spirit liquid. If only we could have found a five-hundred-year-old pond. However, I guarantee you that before you step into the peak of the immortal king realm, the sword will not let you down. However, this sword will not be useful when you step into the Immortal Emperor realm."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Peak Master Wan, you do not have to worry. I am just an immortal soldier, holding a sword made by an immortal king, andst till I reach the immortal king realm is already something I am obliged and grateful for."

    Peak Master Wan nodded and took out a long box. He said, "You should carry a sword on your waist. Weapons have spirits. The more freedom you allow them, the better they grow."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the old man opened the box. Shi Lang peeked at the sword, and he was surprised. The sword had a metallic blue glint to it. The de was only three inches wide and three feet long."

    The young man picked up the sword, which fit right in his hand. He flicked the de and said, "Very good sword."

    He flicked his find on the de, and a humm echoed in the chamber. Shi Lang said, "Lightning Swallow."

    Elder Wan nodded and said, "Good name."

    Shi Lang talked to the elder for a few minutes and then took his leave. He was gettingte and had to leave with the Dragon Sword Disciples. He rushed through the sect and reached the peak where the guests stayed. However, to his surprise, all the sect elders and the disciples of many other peaks were present there.

    They hade to wish Shi Lang good luck and a safe journey.

 Chapter 532 Dragon Mountain.

    ?

    Shi Lang arrived at the peak, and everyone was almost ready. The goodbye was not very mushy or long, but one that stuck with him hard was Wen Lengxue, who can up to him and said, "When youe back, let us have a duel. This time, I will show you a side worthy of drawing your de."

    Surprised, Shi Lang nodded and said, "I shall look forward to it, Senior Sister."

    He paid his respects to every one of the elders before boarding the spirit boat and leaving with the disciples of the Dragon Sword Sect. The spirit vessel trembled, and it gained height. Shi Lang waved at his friends. The terran was excited to explore this world.

    He knew he was going to an unknown ce but was not afraid. The Federation became the Federation because they dared to venture into the unknown. Even if he was an old soul, the glory of the Federation still left some mark on him. When he was still a school student, he thought the Federation was like those strong people who bullied others.

    However, when he became a bigger part of the military, he realized that if the Federation took something from the ingenious, they returned them with something too. Yes, they had discrimination, but they did not harm the people needlessly. They did not allow them to join the military until Shi Lang took the reins, but that was because both parties were passively aggressive and untrusting of each other.

    ...

    The spirit vessel flew through the sky, cruising on the clouds. Shi Lang did not bother anyone, as the disciples were busyprehending their gains. He stood at the ship''s bow, and a voice echoed in his mind, "Would you have fought against Yue Shi?"

    Shi Lang turned around and found Long Shan standing behind him. He bowed and said, "Yes, Sir. I would have fought her."

    Long Shan asked, "Were you not afraid of death?"

    He was curious to know how this guy''s mind worked. Shi Lang smiled and said, "It is not like that, elder. Of course, I was scared. However, if I were to look away from my belief, my dao heart would have crumbled. That situation would have been worse than death."

    The grand elder stroked his beard and said, "I understand what you want to say, but sometimes you should learn to take a step back and inspect the situation."

    Shi Lang bowed and cupped his fists, "Thank you for your advice, elder. I have no problem epting a fair defeat, but if it is bullying, I will not tolerate it even if I die."

    Long Shan asked again, "What if Yue Shi were to cripple you? Wouldn''t that wash away all your effort?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "As long as I try my best, even if Elder Yue Shi were to cripple me, I would not mind, but some people would."

    Long Shan probed, "Do you mean Immortal Sovereign Tian Long?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "He has his hands full with the demons in the central ins. However, when people from my world ascend, they will look for me. They will find news about me if they do not find me."

    Long Shan smiled andmented, "It is good that you have such confidence, but do you know how big the immortal in is?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Elder, my people can travel across the sea of stars without spirit energy to aid them. Do you think this world will stop them?"

    Long Shan was shocked to hear this. The two people began tomunicate, and night fell. The grand elder looked at the sky and said, "I will go and meditate. Your lower realm seems fascinating."

    Shi Lang replied, "Thank you for thepliment."

    Long Shan vanished, and Shi Lang jumped off to the deck. He found a spot and sat down in the lotus position. He ced his new sword on hisp and dripped blood on it. He wanted the sword to have a better connection with him.

    After the blood ritual, the terran focused on refining the sword. However, it was harder than refining ordinary swords. This thing had a shallow trace of lightning consciousness and seemed to be repelling Shi Lang''s spiritual energy.

    Shi Lang did not give up. The Lightning Shura sutra countered the effect, but taming lightning was arduous. The terran suddenly recalled his newly acquired technique.

    He began meditating on the Silent Moon Technique, and his body absorbed the moonlight. The nature of the moonlight was yin, and it was different from the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

    The cold nature of the moonlight gave his immortal soul a lot of relief. One night passed, and he realized that one night of practice would not give him much chance to advance because the chance was negligible. The yang of the lightning attribute was so strong that it burned most of his umted yin into nothing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Lang did not give up. He just sat in the same spot for the next two days and kept cultivating. He did not bother erecting a spiritual barrier. On the third day, when the disciples of the Dragon Sword Sect came out of their seclusions, they found Shi Lang sitting on the deck.

    When someone tried to approach him, Bo Qingtan stopped them. The people asked, "Senior Brother, why do you stop us?"

    Bo Qingtan said, "Hepleted the refinement of his sword, look."

    The people looked at Shi Lang and found that the sword in hisp was now covered with lightning sparks and trembling slightly. After a few minutes, the sword began to levitate and revolve around Shi Lang.

    The people understood what happened, and Xia Lingtian asked, "Senior brother, what is the cause of this levitation?"

    Bo Qingtan smiled and was about to say something when Long Shan arrived and said, "The bond of a sword and the master."

    The disciples bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Grand Elder."

    Long Shan nodded and said, "You all must be thinking that he has a new sword, but what he did was clever. To make sure that the sword adjusts to his temper and his mood. He refined it with his spiritual energy. This energy can be derived from two ces, one is the meridians, and the other is the dantian where your Immortal Solider weapon is residing."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "The energy that passes through the immortal weapon is purer and also carries a hint of your specialty or your persona. The sword is filled with his spiritual energy, resonating with the energy inside him.

    The significance of this whole process is the resonance. It bes easier to handle your sword in a real battle, but also do not underestimate the difficulty and delicate bnce needed to master this phase."

    Long Shan nodded, and the rest of the people began to discuss the process. Some of them even tried to repeat it carefully under the supervision of Bo Qingtan, and they found that the effect was really strong.

    ¡­

    Five days passed quickly, and Shi Lang dedicated all his time to cultivation and sparing with Bo Qingtan. The two people onlypeted in the only sword skills and learned from each other.

    Shi Lang won the duel in thepetition because he had strong spiritual techniques. In terms of sword arts, he was still somewhatcking. Bo Qingtan was the most aplished sword master that he had met. His understanding of the enemy allowed Shi Lang to reflect on his weaknesses and improve quickly.

    The result at the end of the trip was something Bo Qingtan could not shrug off, and he said, "Brother Shi Lang, you are a monster."

    Shi Lang said with a bitter smile, "Brother Bo, are you cursing orplimenting me."

    Bo Qingtan smiled and said, "Complimenting you, of course. You are the quickest learner I have seen in my entire life. In five days, you have grown to an outstanding level. I bet that your sword intent has improved too."

    Shi Lang smiled but did notment. He did not wish for the others to know what he was capable of now. In the past five days, he had learned and integrated everything that came his way in his sword fighting. It still had a lot of room to improve.

    The two conversed when a disciple said, "We are here."

    Shi Lang was curious, and Bo Qingtan took him to the ship''s bow. He said, "Wee to the Coiling Dragon Mountain, or as people call it, the Dragon Mountain."

    Shi Lang saw a mountain rising to the sky that looked like a dragon coiled around a sword. Bo Qingtan said, "This mountain was carved by the founding father of our sect, First Master Hie Xin. We all wish to be like him someday."

    Shi Lang gulped and asked, "What kind of power would be needed to carve something like this? Amazing."

    The closer the ship flew the clearer the detailing of the mountain became.

 Chapter 533 Dragon Sword Sect Leader.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Bo Qingtan talked on the deck when a serving disciple said, "We are here."

    Bo Qingtan said, "Brother Shi Lang,e along. Let me show you something."

    Shi Lang followed him to the bridge, and soon the ship descended a little. Shi Lang saw the scene, and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets. He asked, "This is the Dragon Mountain?"

    The young man beside him shook his head and said, "This is the coiling dragon mountain. The founding father of the sect left it behind. It is said that the Founding father had a great love for carvings. So one day, to practice his sword, he came to this mountain and carved this ce with his sword."

    Shi Lang gazed at a mountain carved as a dragon coiling around a sword. The structure was so big that it might take extremely advanced technology from the Federation, yet it might not match the charm of this megalith.

    He took a deep breath and said, "Marvelous."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and Shi Lang continued asking, "Can we visit this ce?"

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and said, "Only when the sect leader authorizes can we visit this ce. It is one of the restricted zones of the Dragon Sword Sect."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "I understand. After all, the traces of sword marks over this mountain can turn even fools into geniuses, and if a genius is let to visit this ce without any tempering, the guy will turn into a de maniac."

    Bo Qingtan was surprised and wanted to say something when Long Shan appeared behind the two. The two greeted them, and Long Shan said, "What Xiao Lang said is correct. Not many people know about this. Xiao Lang, how did you find out?"

    The young man smiled and said, "I circted spirit energy in my eyes, and the traces of sword energy became evident. If my guess is not wrong, this mountain serves two purposes. One is to enlighten the young disciples, and the other is to defend the sect in case of an attack."

    Long Shan stroked his beard and nodded. Hemented, "Indeed, what you say is correct. This mountain is a guardian post of the Dragon Sword Sect. You are talented."

    Bo Qingtan heard all this and was shocked. He did not know that this mountain could be used for defending the sect. However, Long Shan said, "Xaio Tan, do not tell anyone about this secret. It holds great significance."

    The young man nodded, and soon the ship passed by the mountain. Whaty behind the coiling dragon mountain was even more surprising. This ce gave off a strong sword aura. Bo Qingtan said, "Although we are not as big as you, Spirit Heart Sect, we are not too shabby either. Wee to the Dragon Sword Sect."

    Shi Lang saw a mountain with a huge cut splitting it in two. However, the cut was not obscure. On the contrary, it was very neat. Shi Lang sensed something prickling his eyes as he gazed upon this ravine. The sword on his waist began to tremble. He asked, "Elder, if I am not wrong, then this particr ravine must be left behind by some great expert, right?"

    Long Shan nodded solemnly and said, "This ravine is both the shame and the pride of our Dragon Sword Sect. I think it would be better if the sect leader told you about the legend behind this cut. We will meet him shortly."

    Shi Lang nodded. He was looking forward to this meeting because the ravine just now gave him a vaguely familiar feeling. The spirit vessel moved forward slowly and descended below the clouds.

    Shi Lang spotted a port made of stone. The next moment the people on the ground activated a few arrays. The effect of the arrays was to hold the big spirit vessel a few meters above the ground. The cushioning was better than Shi Lang could have expected in the Federation.

    He followed Bo Qingtan, and they deboarded the vessel. A dozen figures appeared in the void when they came to the port. Long Shan bowed his head slightly, and the people reciprocated his gesture.

    One of the old men asked, "First Brother, what happened in the meeting?"

    Long Shan shook his head and said, "We only managed to secure the second position. The Spirit Heart Sect won the final score."

    The disciples were shocked, but the Elders nodded. The man from earlier remarked, "It seems the Spirit Heart Sect has found themselves good talents this time."

    Long Shan nodded, and Bo Qingtan stepped forward with his fellow disciples and said, "Elders, we seek your forgiveness. Please punish us."

    The elders shook their heads, and one of them said, "You all did not bring shame. Always learn from your mistakes and failures. Go have some rest." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The disciples nodded, but they did not leave. That would be disrespectful. Long Shan said, "The winner of the meeting, Shi Lang, a core disciple of the sword peak, Spirit Heart Sect."

    Shi Lang took a step forward and bowed properly with his hands sped before him, and he said, "Junior Shi Lang has seen the Elders."

    He did not know the identity of these few people, but they all had a strong pressure radiated, and by the speed they had appeared here, it was evident that they were all Immortal Kings.

    One of the elders said, "No wonder I sensed a fellow Daoist in the shadows. He seems to be a guardian. Fellow Daoists, you do not have to worry. Think of our home as yours."

    A heavy voice echoed in the surroundings, "Forgive me, Brother Mano, I have ordered directly from the sect master. I cannot let Xiao Lang out of my sight."

    The few dozen men exchanged nces and nodded. This refusal was a way to tell the people that the Spirit Heart Sect attaches great importance to Shi Lang. Long Shan said, "I shall take Xiao Lang to meet the Suzerian."

    A middle-aged man appeared in the void just when they were about to move. The people bowed to this man and said, "Greetings, Sect leader."

    Shi Lang followed the people around, still thinking about the terrifying pressure he sensed for a movement. This person was an Immortal Emperor. Even Sect Master Ling had yet to reach this realm, and this person was already master of such strength.

    The man nodded and said, "Grand Elder, bring along this young man. We are going to the Coiling Dragon Mountain. Since he hase to our ce, let us have him pay respects to the Ancestor. After all, he practices the same technique as that person."

    The disciples were confused, but the elders took the hint and were shocked. Long Shan nodded, and the Sect Leader said, "The visit to the coiling dragon mountain is not to be spoken of. Understood?"

    The people nodded. The gag order made them even more curious, but they dared not discuss this topic. They all knew that curiosity could kill the cat. It was better to hold back the urge or even strangle it.

    Long Shan waved his hand, and Shi Lang vanished along with him. The elders also followed, leaving the disciples alone.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know what the whole fuss was about, but soon he appeared at the base of the coiling dragon mountain and was awed. This ce was even more stunning and wonderous than it was from the ship. He asked, "Elder, why am I bought here?"

    Long Shan did not reply, but the sect master did, "I am Lei Wang¡ªseventy-sixth sect leader of the Dragon Heart sect. My Ancestor, Long Junshi, founded this sect. She did not love the sword, and she was a mortal woman. Two peopleid down the foundation of the sect.

    One is my Ancestor, and the other is the person who carved this mountain."

    Shi Lang thought and suddenly mumbled, "Senior Lightning Shura."

    Lei Wang nodded and said, "The sect master of the Dragon Sword Peak will always have a name Lie to respect that exalted senior. He apanied my Ancestor till herst breath, and it was in her memory that he carved this mountain. He carved a few words here in a text of the lower realm.

    I know that you are an ascender. Sect Master Ling conveyed it to me. Can you help me decode this?"

    Shi Lang gulped. This scene was bigger than he had imagined. He asked, "Can you show me the text, senior?"

    Lie Wang nodded and took him forward. Shi Lang found a stele before him. A few words were engraved, and the young man recited, "The sword that travels the heavens and ys the hell, held and mastered by a dragon."

    Shi Lang said, "This mountain is a monument of Senior Lightning Shura''s love for Senior Long Junshi."

    He bowed to the stele and prayed for the peace of the departed. The rest of the people also followed his gesture.

 Chapter 534 Mystery Behind Sword Intent.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the people paid respects to the monument of Long Junshi. Lei Wang sighed and said, "Countless geniuses of the Dragon Sword Sect have visited this ce over the years, but none of them managed toprehend the real sword art left behind by Senior Lightning Shura."

    Shi Lang gazed at the markings of the carving. From a distance, it appeared to be finely carved. However, standing just a few meters away, the terran realized that was false. The marks on the stone were not fine but crude to his sight.

    They did not look like sword art to him. This discovery confused him because he could sense a strong sword aura radiating from the monument. He realized something when he looked back at the stele before him.

    He asked, "Senior, I have a theory."

    All the elders turned to look at him, and Lie Wang nodded for him to continue.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Senior, I think the lower part of this monument has nothing to do with swordy. This is just a crude expression of grief."

    The people were surprised, and Long Shan asked, "Why do you say that?"

    Shi Lang said, "The dragon body represents Ancestor Long Jinshu. The thickness of the body and the features of the dragon head and softer and gentle. It is a feminine body. The sword energy in the surroundings is dull because the sword is hidden behind the coiling dragon."

    The elders opened their eyes wide, and Lie Wang asked, "But if that is the case, then we should not feel anything. This whole ce is sealed with a dynamic array."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior, that stele is not within the range of the array barrier. If you look at the edge of the stone, you will know what I am trying to say."

    The people gazed at the edges of the stele and could not help but shiver. Shi Lang said, "The sword intent that tames everyone with bad intentions toward the Dragon Sword Sectes from the stone sword that hides behind the coiling dragon. As the poem said, the dragon restrains the heaven-ying sword."

    Lei Wang looked at the monument and said, "Elders, shall we all go and confirm this theory?"

    The elders exchanged nces and then nodded. Long Shan asked with spiritmunication, "Xiao Lie, what about Shi Lang? You would not be intending to take him along, would you?"

    Lei Wang nodded and replied, "Elder, it is not the time to think if he is from the same sect on not. He practices the same sutra as Senior Lightning Shura, and his understanding of the sword is not shallow. Technically, he is the disciple of Senior Lightning Shura. He also made us realize the meaning of the stele and the secret behind the sword''s intent."

    Communication was made with all the elders; while some agreed with Lei Wang, some were unsure. Lei Wang said, "If what he said was true, we will be indebted to him. Do you think anything else can pay this debt off? Also, he is just one young man. If heprehends anything, we can ask him not to spread it and keep it to himself so that the foundation of our sect is not weakened."

    The people exchanged nces, and they nodded. They were aware of Lei Wang''s character. This man would never owe a favor to anyone. After they discussed it, they agreed, and Lei Wang said, "Shi Lang follow us up."

    Shi Lang was shocked and asked, "But Sect Leader, this is the sacred monument of your sect. How can I?"

    The elders thought he would be eager to climb the monument, but his reaction surprised them. These people were old enough to know if someone was lying or being honest. One of the elders said, "Xiao Lang, we, the Dragon Sword Sect, are not stingy with talented people like you. Without you, we would not have discovered this monument''s truth."

    Shi Lang was still hesitant, and Lei Wang said, "If you feel like this is a favor from us, then I would ask you to repay uster. Do not worry, and it will be something that you can do."

    Shi Lang thought about it, and owing a favor in exchange for such an opportunity was not bad. He nodded and bowed to the elders and thanked them. The people turned their heads to the monument, and Lei Wang said, "Flying is forbidden so we will climb along the dragon''s spine."

    The terran nodded and waited for all the elders to move before he followed them. He was the junior. How could he climb before the elders? Shi Lang climbed slowly, and he did not rush. The elders may be old, but they were the top experts. Climbing this monument was easy for them, and they could have just rushed along the spine at full speed. However, that was not the case.

    They walked slowly in respect of the two seniors. Shi Lang followed them slowly and calmly. He was observing every single detail that he captured on the monument. As he moved ahead, the carving quality enhanced, and it was something that surprised him. As the quality improved, the sword''s intent became stronger.

    After three hours, when the elders reached the top, they could sense the intent of the sword radiating from the hilt. They did not notice the intent from the edges of the sword de that were visible on the way. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Suddenly, Long Shan turned his head and found that Shi Lang was missing. He eximed, "Where is Shi Lang?"

    The Elder said, "First brother, he is meditating below."

    Lei Wang asked, "Twelveth elder, do you think he got an epiphany?"

    The Elder shook his head and said, "Xiao Wang, he is only meditating andprehending the feeling he got from looking at the de."

    The elders shook their heads, and Long Shan said, "If he is meditating on his own after watching the sword edge, then he must have obtained some inspiration. Do not disturb him. Let us cultivate and try toprehend the intent here."

    Lei Wang said, "The intent here is so strong that if not for the cultivation we had. It would have injured us all significantly."

    The elders nodded, and one of them said, "To think that kid will be able to see through the mystery."

    The people nodded and sat down with their legs crossed. They formed a circle on the center of the sword, but they could not hold on for long. The sword''s intent was pressuring them.

    ...

    Shi Lang meditated for an hour, then took out his sword, which trembled. The sword resonated with the sword''s intent. The young man stroked the reed of his de and said, "Do not worry. There is a lot of ground left to cover."

    The sword calmed down. Shi Lang stroked the reed of the de and walked forward. After a few steps, his sword shivered again. He raised his eyebrow and mumbled, "Fine, let us see what we can do."

    The terran decided to swing his sword, and gradually the sword wind began to condense around the de. After a few minutes, he froze, his eyes changed, and he said, "Lightning."

    The de was covered in lightning, and he kept swinging his de. After a few minutes, the lightning aura from the sword condensed too. He smiled and said, "Hmmm, it seems like the original sword art has improved again."

    ...

    Shi Lang moved ahead and after an hour. The de of the sword became more evident. The terran stopped. It was not that he wanted to move forward, but he could not move forward. The sword''s intent was emitting pressure on his body.

    He tried to move forward, but the sword intent left a cut on his face. He stopped. The terran could not help but gulp and mumble, "Senior, you did not wish to make things easier for anyone, did you?"

    The resistance was not because he was weak but because he could not understand the intent of the sword intent left behind by the Lightning Shura. Shi Lang did not wish toprehend the skillset of others. He practiced the same sutra but did not wish to be limited.

    Thinking about this, he began to radiate his own sword intent against the intent of the monument. Then he tried to walk forward again, but the pressure was too much for him. He could not understand why the elders were easily allowed to pass through. Shi Lang med it all on his low-cultivation base.

    He thought, ''Since you will not let me advance, I shall sh with you.''

    His sword intent began to grind against the monument and Shi Lang began toprehend the process. He was going to use the sh of the two powers as a whetting stone to make his swordy even better. He intended to make his intent so sharp that even the Lightning Shura would not hold a candle before him.

    This monument was not an opportunity, but a trigger that med his pride.

 Chapter 535 Challenging The Lightning Shura.

    ?

    Shi Lang was moving forward while his intent was grating against the pressure from the sword monument. He did not wish to lose, and his intent differed from Lightning Shura. The coercion from the two intents gradually made clouds condense.

    The twelve elders were sitting on the top of the monument when they sensed what was happening; they all woke up from their cultivation and looked at the sky. They were surprised that this whole ce was suddenly swarming with thunderclouds.

    Lei Wang mumbled, "Why did the surroundings change suddenly?"

    Grand Elder Long Shan opened his eyes and said, "Hmmm, maybe we should leave ande back another day. This lightning is not ordinary. I wonder if only I sense palpitations while looking at them."

    The rest of the elders nodded. Lei Wang also agreed. It was not a small thing for an immortal Emperor to feel fear. What danger have they not braved to reach this ce? They all were at least a few hundred years old. If the lightning gave them a terrible feeling, retreating was better.

    Today''s gains were not shallow, and greed was not good. Thinking this way, the people stood up, bowed to the void, and thanked the seniors'' spirits before they descended.

    After a few minutes, when they came to a turn, they were shocked to see Shi Lang surrounded by lightning sparks. Long Shan opened his mouth and wanted to save Shi Lang when a snort echoed in the surroundings.

    The elders and the Sect Leader Of the Dragon Sword peak froze. An indifferent voice sounded, "It took you so long to discover the reality of this ce. Now you wish to meddle in my affairs? Leave. You are only allowed to bring people once a year."

    Lei Wang was shocked by the coercion on his body. He was an immortal emperor, yet he could not escape this pressure. How terrifying was this existence? He arched his hands and asked, "Junior greets senior. Please tell the humble one your mighty name."

    He wanted to ask who was this entity that restrained him to this level. However, the voice replied with a hint of disdain, "Hmph, even this kid is better than you. In this ce, how can someone else walk sideways if not me."

    These words set off in the brain of the people like an explosion. They did not know what to say or how to react. The thirteen people stood there like dummies. Suddenly, they heard a lightning streak fall on the ground at the side. They woke from the daze and found that Shi Lang had moved one step forward.

    The terran ground his teeth, but being able to move was equivalent to his strength. They were all shocked, but terribleughter echoed in the surroundings the next minute. The people shivered, and the next movement, they sensed a force enveloping their bodies and forcing them down the monument.

    Lei Wang and the people did not get the chance to say anything. The process onlysted a few moments before they were all at the bottom of the monument. The energy binding them vanished. Long Shan eximed, "Was it just my imagination, or did you think someone was looking at us from above?"

    Lei Wang gulped, saying, "We all are Immortal Emperors, yet this force restrained us like a flock of sheep. There was someone on that monument, and he was absurdly strong."

    Long Shan nodded and asked, "What do you think is happening to that kid?"

    One of the elders said, "First brother, I think that child is going through a test."

    All the elders began to discuss what was going on with Shi Lang.

    ...

    The terran was channeling his sword intent all around his body, and the collision between the two forces caused sparks around Shi Lang. One thing about sword intent, it was not infinite. A practitioner must store it just like they would store the spiritual energy in their dantian. Shi Lang had been channeling the intent for far too long and was almost out of it all.

    A phantom condensed out of lightning when he was about to run out of sword intent. Shi Lang could make out from the outline it was a man. The person was not visible, but Shi Lang could tell that this man was the avatar of the Lightning Shura.

    The condescending gaze and pride reflecting from this vague outline were enough to tell him. Shi Lang said, "You finally show face."

    The phantom snorted and said, "Watch your tone."

    Shi Lang smirked; he was weak but would not bow down to this will. The phantom said, "Why not give in? The sword intent I left behind, if you understand it, your strength will rise radically. Why don''t you give in?"

    The terran raised his head and asked, "Did you ever give up your individuality for fame and power?''

    The phantom refuted, "You dare topare with me? Hmph, all my hard work, and fame was for what? In the end, I was contained inside the eastern barrens. The terrifying Lightning Shura was the overlord of the east until someone from the central ins approached me.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    If I had known what things would be like, I would have given up on pursuing individuality. You are going to make the same mistake as I did."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You are wrong. First, you do not know me. Second, I am not after individuality. Only the strong can be recognized by this world. I do not intend to join any force, but I n to develop skills so they think twice when the world forces try to suppress me."

    Lightning Shura scoffed, "Fine, have it your way. If you can take ten steps, I will let you go. How about it?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "epted."

    Lightning Shura nodded. Shi Lang expected a burst of pressure to expel him from the monument in one shot. However, no such thing happened. He thought, ''He is quite righteous.''

    Raksha spoke up, ''Do you need help?''

    Shi Lang was surprised and wanted to ask why she was talking when the sword spirit in his soul sea replied, ''This is just a wisp of consciousness. It cannot harm me if I intervene.''

    Shi Lang sighed and said, ''I must pass these trials alone. This intent is something I have been developing for my entire life. It also contains a hint of who I was in my past too. I cannot let other people influence it.''

    Raksha smiled and said, ''Go on then, show him what you are, Ace.''

    Suddenly, Shi Lang froze. Ever since he hade here, he had been humble, treating everyone with respect, not trying to offend people. However, was this the right thing? Forgetting that he was an ascender, his evolved body was better than the humans. He was a Terran, amoner, and the best Terran in the entire gxy.

    As he recalled his origins, his aura transformed, and his blood cirction improved. He sensed the blood flow, and gradually, his sword intent began to pulsate every time his heart pumped the blood.

    His spirit energy and the weapon in his dantian began to tremble with this pulsating sensation. Shi Lang did not know what to do, but he sensed that the effect of the pulsation was repelling the Lightning Shura''s intent.

    Sharpness could not overwhelm the waves of destruction. Shi Lang took the second step, and the lightning from the thunderclouds fell on the ground again.

    Boom!

    The ground trembled, and Shi Lang kept moving.

    ¡­

    Lei Wang and the rest of the elders watched a bolt of lightning crash into the ground, and after a few minutes, another bolt struck the ground. They could not understand what was going on. Long Shan said, "If not for the fact that spiritual sense is being suppressed, I would have checked what Shi Lang was going through."

    The sect leader shook his head and said, "None of us should make any moves. The senior does not want that. He allowed the people toe here every year. Next time we will have the core disciplese and pay respects."

    The old men nodded, and some of them sighed. Long Shan sighed as well because they were not a match for the power of that spirit. How could they help Shi Lang?

    The old man said, "If he makes good progress, then we can rx a little before sending him to that ce."

    The elders woke up and nodded. One said, "First brother, this time of the year, will there not be a beast tide?"

    Long Shan was surprised and said, "Old third, go back to the sect, instruct Bo Qingtan and the rest of the core disciples to take action. We almost forgot."

    The third Elder smiled and vanished from his ce. It was true, in the excitement of finding the secret of the monument, they forgot the most important task.

 Chapter 536 Seven Steps.

    ?

    While the elders were discussing things, Shi Lang channeled all his energy into maintaining the pulsation of his sword intent. He took three steps consecutively, and then the pressure of the intent around him increased exponentially. Shi Lang was forced to stay still. If the frequency of his pulsations decreases, it will harm him.

    He expected the spirit of Lightning Shura to do something like this. However, the burden on his body was making him shiver. Shi Lang thought, ''Why am I facing all this? Because I am not willing to follow his way? Since that is the case, I do not have to hold back.''

    The more he thought, the angrier he became. His blood cirction increased, and after a few seconds, the pulsation frequency also increased. The pressure on his back was reduced. Taking advantage of this, Shi Lang put another step forward. The phantom of the Lightning Shura watched this and snorted.

    The pressure increased again. This time Shi Lang sensed a tear on his robe. He frowned and thought, ''It turns out that the intent of sharpness is not so simple.''

    Rakshamented, ''Indeed, did you think if it were that simple, the forces of the central ins would have suppressed this guy? They understood that he would climb to the top ranks if given a chance, which would hinder many people. This world is filled with humans, also. They all are driven by the desire to survive and benefit.''

    Shi Lang nodded and, looking at the situation, said, ''If I followed this method to sustain and take the next few steps, my heart would give up by the fourth step.''

    Raksha nodded and said, ''Even if you use the spirit. Energy to barricade your heart, the muscle will give up, and the regenerative ability of a terran will not be able to keep up either. The damage will take a few days to heal, and you will need special herbs.''

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, ''In the end, it is all about how desperate I am to protect my individuality.''

    Raksha nodded. She thought and said, ''What if I aid your heart too?''

    The terran was confused, and he asked, ''What do you mean by aiding, do not hide anything.''

    The sword spirit said, ''You think too much. My existence isposed of spiritual energypletely. I can inject a wisp of my spiritual energy, and your heart will be fine. However, topensate, you must find liquid spirit for me.''

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, ''Deal. I will find you liquid spirit.''

    Raksha nodded, and the wisp of spirit energy in his hairpin came alive. To maintain secrecy, Raksha mobilized that wisp directly from the skull and then traveled through the blood vessels, and after a few seconds, it reached the heart. The Sword Spirit said, ''You take the outside, and I will handle the inside.''

    Shi Lang took a deep breath, sensing warmth surging in his heart. He gazed at the phantom and said, "So, this is it."

    His heart began racing. It jumped from the normal seventy-two beats to one hundred eighty in a blink. Raksha was surprised and remarked, ''Terrans have grown surprisingly strong.''

    Shi Lang did not react and channeled the sword intent out of his body. The output was so sudden that the phantom was taken aback. The terran exploited the situation and took three strides forward. Four lightning streaks broke from the thunderclouds and fell on the ground.

    ...

    Lei Wang and the rest of the elders took a few steps back, and they did not expect the lightning streaks to fall so close to them. After the streaks vanished, Long Shan moved closer to the spots where the lightning fell and gulped before saying, "Sect Leader, all these spots radiate a strong sword intent. We need to secure them."

    Lei Wang was shocked too, and he did not expect it to be such a thing. He said, "All the elders, please take action."

    The elders moved and cast protective arrays around these spots. Lei Wang said, "These sites will be used for the disciples toprehend the sword intent on normal days. The most outstanding disciples will be sent to the monument."

    The elder nodded and said, "These spots will help the sect forces grow stronger."

    Lei Wang nodded and could not help but look at the top of the monument. His mind would eventually return to the thoughts of that young man who helped them understand the secret behind this monument. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    ...

    Shi Lang stood on his spot and now needed to take four steps. Although the pressure was high, it was still within his tolerance range. The Sword Spirit inside his soul sea said, ''Lang, you need to do something, and soon. The spirit energy is exhausting too quickly. I did not expect this guy to be so despicable.''

    Shi Lang replied, ''Well, you are not alone to think this guy wille and stain his image in my heart like this.''

    As he said this, he stopped. He realized Shi Lang was chasing after the strength of the Lightning Shura all this time, yet here he was trying to say that he valued individuality. He did not notice a smirk at the corner of the phantom''s lips as he thought.

    The thought that all he had been doing was only chasing after someone deeply impacted his mind. Raksha said, ''You realized it, right?''

    The terran nodded and said, ''Seems like the goal has changed. I do not have to defend my individuality by defying this man but by surpassing him.''

    Raksha nodded and said, ''Good job, now will you please finish it? I am bored, and I want to go back to sleep.''

    Shi Lang nodded and closed his eyes. To surpass this man, he needed to understand what made him strong. Thinking about it, he began listing all the differences between his strength and Lightning Shura. While Shi Lang mastered the intent of destruction back on the Federation, the Shura followed the path of sharpness. Everything in his path was to be in and chopped in two.

    Shi Lang believed in destruction, nothing of what his enemy was. Even the ideas should not remain once they fight. He has been doing just that. The state of indifference allowed him to move forward without any hesitation in his mind.

    As he thought, he realized why he differed from the Shura even when following the same sutra. Shura was a person who always reacted under the influence of his emotions. He would rather bloodbath the entire world than settle.

    Shi Lang would only destroy those who could not be dealt with peacefully. Thinking about this, he calmed down. Gradually he entered a state of indifference, and he was not bloodthirsty at this moment but extremely calm and logically analyzing the situation.

    Different people define things differently. Shi Lang understood the shift in situation, and his sword intent calmed down. It was still channeling, but the pulsation did not need the support of his blood flow synchronization.

    The terran gained a new understanding of his sword, and his control of the sword''s intent became stronger. The qualitative leap allowed him to shatter the barriers before him. He was facing the Lightning Shura outside, and the ideas of strength he had followed all his life.

    The sudden change seemed too much, but his beliefs did not faze. Shi Lang charged ahead with all his might. He raised his foot and stepped forward under the overwhelming pressure. However, this was his seventh step in total. Now he had to take three more to reach the number of ten.

    Shi Lang realized that the change in hisst seven steps changed his entire mindset. The LIghtning shura said, "If you manage to change so much and ept the fact that what you have been doing was wrong, not only will you be able to find a new way to the peak, but you will also be the master of your sword, and your destiny.

    I ask you, Shi Lang, do you wish to move forward and reach the peak? Do you wish to live the way you want?"

    Shi Lang smirked and said, "You do not need to dramatize the scene. I have always wanted to live the way I want, I always lived like that, and from now on, I will live the same way again. I do not care about anything, but I will never regret what I did or am about to do."

    The phantom nodded and saw Shi Lang take a step forward. The pressure could not molt Shi Lang''s spirit, and the terran moved forward with the conviction to surpass the phantom of the person he had been chasing.

    His sword intent radiated the meaning of destruction, sharpness radiated from his sword, and the curtain of lightning spark was cut. Shi Lang walked forward calmly. He took three more steps and affirmed his thoughts to the phantom. He destroyed the pressure in the five feet radius around him.

    He said, "You might be thinking, why can I walk so freely? I have established my dao path. Regardless of the path I take, I will surpass you."

    The clouds thundered and lightning streaks were discharged.

 Chapter 537 Boy Talk & Beast Tide.

    ?

    Shi Lang finished his ten steps trial, and the sword intent around him vanished. The phantom said, "I was not strong enough to deal with the pressure of the central ins. You are still young, so I wish you surpass me and make a name for yourself in the immortal realm."

    Shi Lang said, "Since we are done here, I will leave."

    The phantom nodded and vanished into the void. Shi Lang stood for a few minutes and then took a pill from his space ring. He consumed a spirit rejuvenation pill. He did not move immediately, and he replenished some energy in his body before he descended the monument slowly.

    His eyes were firm when he walked, and gradually the pill''s effect made him regain some energy. Raksha said, ''You need to rest.''

    Shi Lang nodded and spoke, ''I know, my mind is tired. More than that, I have no sword intent left inside me.''

    Raksha understood that he was worried as one of his trump cards was unusable. She said, ''You do not have to worry. It will replenish soon.''

    The two people talked to each other as they descended the monument and soon reached the bottom, and the elders were still waiting for Shi Lang. The people gazed at the young man to see if he had gained something. Shi Lang bowed to Lei Wang and the rest before he said, "Thank you, Seniors, for allowing me this opportunity."

    Long Shan asked, "Why are you thanking us, Xiao Lang? Did the Sect Leader not tell you? We owe you this visit to repay what you gave us."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Sooner orter, you all would have discovered the secret. I did nothing. However, it led me to gain a new understanding of my true goals, and my sword intent evolved a bit."

    Lei Wang nodded and said, "You do not have to tell us anything. It is obvious for us to be curious. However, what you gained is yours to keep."

    Shi Lang thanked him, and the people returned to the Dragon Sword Sect. Long Shan arranged a courtyard for the terran and said, "You can stay here for now. The secret realm doors will open one weekter, and you can enter with the other sect''s disciples."

    Shi Lang nodded and thanked the old man before he entered the house in the courtyard. It had one living room, one bedroom, and a small practice room. Although it was notvish, the setting had a rustic charm. He sat down on the jute mat in the meditation room and began to meditate.

    He needed to restore the spirit energy and sword intent immediately. While he was meditating, time passed quickly. Shi Lang suddenly woke up from meditation when hunger overwhelmed him. He smiled and looked for something to eat in the house.

    However, his search came to an end with nothing. The terran stepped out of the door and found Xia Lingtai walking over. He bowed and said, "Senior Brother Shi Lang, good evening. Grand Elder arranged for me to see if you need anything."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I do not need anything more than food. Most of the time, I spend it meditating and cultivating."

    Xia Lingtai smiled and said, "You shoulde along then. Tonight we will hold a feast before dealing with the beast tide in the eastern Misty mountains."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Beast tide?"

    Xia Lingtai smiled and replied, "You are not from around here, so you probably do not know, but the neighboring Kingdoms all have to suffer a beast tide every ten years. They do not have much ability to defend against spirit beasts. So, the sect helps out in exchange for materials."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Would it be alright if I join you all this time?"

    He wanted to see such a situation. It had been long since he had faced a beast tide. In his old life, when the earth had a cultivation aura, there were many ces where beast tides would erupt, but the cultivators faced it bravely to gain experience and material. Shi Lang wanted to experience this sensation of rush one more time.

    Xia Lingtai said, "I think you will need the sect leader to approve this."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then the two people exchanged words before Xia Lingtai took him around. The two people were moved around the sect, and Shi Lang found that the disciples were rushing. He could not help butment, "The preparation is on the scale of a war."

    Xia Lingtai smiled and said, "Many peoplepete with us for the leftover corpses. Since the eastern barrencks spiritual energy, we make up with the beast material."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the two discussed a few more things before they reached a diner. Xia Lingtai said, "Wee to the Immortal Gourd. This is where you will find the finest spirit wine and best spirit food." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Shi Lang smiled as they entered. The entire batch of the core disciples was present here. They all sat down, and one boy asked, "Brother Shi, what does it feel like to have beauties like Wen Lengxue, Bai Yan, and Miao Jing around you."

    Shi Lang was taken aback, and then he erupted intoughter. The rest of the people looked at him weirdly. Shi Lang did not expect that these guys will really talk like this. He calmed down and said, "Well, if you ask me, everyone has their temperament. When I first met Senior Sister Wen, we argued. She challenged me on the duel stage of outer disciples, and we were not good friends till that battle.

    Senior Sister Bai, well, she is very much like a child. However, she is honest too. As for Senior Sister Miao, I do not have much understanding of her. I have only been in the sect for a few months."

    After talking, the young man picked up the gourd and took a swig of spirit wine before him. The people were all stunned. Bo Qingtan asked, "How long have you been cultivation?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Ummm, almost forever, but I had some ailment that did not allow me to raise my realm. After that ailment healed, I entered the sect a few months ago and made it to the immortal soldier realm."

    The people nodded. This was a better understanding. Someone asked what it was, so Shi Lang said that someone as a child poisoned him, and his meridians were clogged up after the treatment. Thus it took time to remove the blockage. After they were all finished eating and drinking, Bo Qingtan took Shi Lang to the Elder hall. Unlike the Spirit Heart Sect, the elders all lived in the hall.

    Bo Qingtan came to the entrance and said, "Elders, Disciple Bo is here to seek advice."

    One of the twelve elders appeared before Bo Qingtan and was surprised to see Shi Lang present at the scene too. He asked, "Xiao Tan, what is the matter?"

    The young man replied, "Martial Uncle, Brother Shi wishes to participate in the beast tide."

    The old man stroked his beard and nced at Shi Lang, who arched his hands and bowed. The old man nodded and said, "Very well, go on. However, Xiao Lang, it would be best if you always protect yourself at all times. If any harm came to you, we could not exin the matter to Sect Master Ling."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, Elder, please rest assured."

    The elder nodded and said, "Go then, Xiao Tan, listen to the arrangements of the twelfth elder."

    The young man nodded and waited for the elder to return to the hall before they left. Shi Lang asked, "Are you all the disciples to the elders?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I know. You must be wondering why seven disciples are for twelve elders."

    Shi Lang nodded and Bo Qingtan said, "The rest of the elders had their own disciples, but they passed away fighting the demons on the central front."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "My teacher also had a disciple who passed away while fighting the demons."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I heard about him. I do not know if we are weak or what. Why do we have to keep losing people like this."

    Shi Lang replied, "Brother Bo, think of the demons as people who feed on induced fear. To induce fear you have to be reckless. You kill whatever and whoever stands in your way. You kill for pleasure.

    While people like us, we have to make sure that others do not suffer in our battle. This is why we hesitate and we suffer."

    Bo Qingtan was surprised and remarked, "You seem to have a lot of experience dealing with demons."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I may not have faced demons, but I have faced terrorists."

    Bo Qingtan could not understand what Shi Lang was talking about but he did not ask much.

 Chapter 538 Killing.

    ?

    The spirit vessel carrying hundreds of the Dragon Sword sect disciples departed the next morning. The disciples were excited because they wished to fight to their heart''s content. Shi Lang could understand them; he used to be like this only during his early days as a soldier.

    The terran stood among the core disciples silently when a guy said, "Senior Brother Bo, you need to tell them a few things. Their battle lust is making them underestimate the danger."

    Bo Qingtan sighed and said, "Fine, Senior Brother Qian did this for mest time."

    That said, the young man walked ahead. He stood up at the bow of the vessel and snapped his fingers. The spirit energy between his fingers echoed in the surroundings. Everyone turned to look at him, and gradually the enthusiastic cheers stopped. They knew what Bo Qingtan wanted to say something.

    After the disciples calmed down, he said, "I can tell you are excited. I was also the same as you were when I headed to the misty mountains. I was fifteen years old, like most of you, but what I faced there was something I can never forget. I am not talking about the glory of my senior brothers but also the deaths of my friends."

    The mood turned solemn in an instant. The disciples did not know how to react, and Bo Qingtan continued, "What you all focus on is what you can do to the beasts, but think for a second what can those beasts do to us?"

    He paused and continued, "It is good that you wish to try what you have learned. However, ensure you do not get carried away and do not let your guard down. Alright?"

    The disciples nodded and replied in unison, "Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and Shi Lang took a deep breath. He wanted to say something but did not know if he should say it because this matter was about the Dragon Sword Sect. The disciples were sent out under the protection of the ninth Elder and a few other senior deacons.

    The Elder sensed Shi Lang''s unease and asked, "Xiao Lang, do you wish to say something?"

    Shi Lang was not surprised because earlier, his mood had affected the spiritual energy flow around him. The young man nodded, and the Elder waved his hand to go on. Shi Lang said, "Elder, I think we can minimize the extent of damage the Dragon Sword Sect will have to endure."

    The Elder raised his brow, and this was a godsend. He wished that not many disciples died on his watch. Hearing this statement, he said, "Go on."

    Shi Lang said, "Elder, I think if the disciples were to act in groups where they can support each other, the casualties would be lower."

    A deacon said, "Will that not hinder their growth? We need them to be strong to face the demons better when they go to the central front."

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "With respect, Deacon, they will go to the central front when alive. The human forces are always struggling because we forget that even if humans are strong enough to face ten demons alone, they are still human. Everyone has their limits. Suppose a human can face ten demons with the support of five people who can help him hold back five demons. What result will he be able to achieve?"

    The Deacon was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "I apologize to you if I have overstepped in this matter, but I thought the lives of the disciples nurtured so carefully and dedicatedly should be valued a bit more."

    The Elder and the Deacon were both left speechless after this reason. The Elder thought a bit and said, "Disciple Shi Lang, although what you say is correct, the disciples of our Dragon Sword Sect have never been taught to fight together. How will this work?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly and said, "Elder, this, we should as the disciples if they have ever fought alongside each other. After all, when they all go to perform tasks, they must face situations where they have to fight together, right?"

    The Elder nodded and said, "I think this is feasible. After all, if the disciples can survive this ordeal by supporting each other, they will also develop a sense of brotherhood. This will strengthen them on a level deeper than what we can perceive."

    The Deacon nodded and said, "But who must we ask to talk to them."

    They looked at all the core disciples and found that these young men were clueless, and Shi Lang said, "If you allow me, I will talk to them."

    The Elders and everyone exchanged a spiritual note, and they agreed. Bo Qingtan walked over to the ship''s bow and said, "We have a guest among us who wishes to tell you all something. I warn you not to think he has no right to speak here because he is not from the Dragon Sword Sect. He defeated me, and thus, he gets to talk." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The disciples nodded. They all were aware of Shi Lang''s existence and nodded. Shi Lang came to the ship''s bow and said, "I know that you all wish to fight, earn glory, and get stronger. However, would you be able to bask in that glory if you died? Will you be able to fight if you die? Will you be stronger if you died?"

    The disciples shook their heads, and Shi Lang continued, "You all have what the beasts do not. You have discipline and a power of thought. The spiritual beasts have intelligence but are not as mature as humans until they have reached a higher level.

    If my understanding of a beast tide is correct, the beasts we''ll have to face must be from a lower cultivation realm. If you all pool together and make five teams, you can help each other by covering your weakness and saving lives in critical situations."

    One of the disciples raised his hand and asked, "Senior brother, can I ask you how we will manage to fight in a team when we have never done that before?"

    Shi Lang pped his hands and said, "Do you not know the weaknesses of the people you have beenpeting with for such a long time?"

    The disciple thought of something and nodded. Shi Lang nodded and continued, "Now, there are two hundred of you. If we split you all into teams of five, you will be in forty groups. Follow a fewbat rules, and you all will be fine."

    One asked, "Senior brother, what are the rules?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Rule number one: None of you will break the formation you have decided to fight with. No matter what you do, death will dance wildly once you break the formation and let the spirit beasts enter.

    Rule number two: You will leave one person at the least to y the role of support. If any of the four mainbatants are under pressure, the fifth person will charge over to help their friend.

    Rule number three: If you think your load is too much, you will fall back¡ªno chasing for glory. Regroup with the closest group, you help them, and they help you. If your friend is in danger, use any means necessary to help him, and if you fail to do so or hesitate in your actions, then the death of your friend will be upon you.

    Now hoping you do not want to be med or feel guilty for the rest of your lives. You all will do just fine. Do you wish to fight to your heart''s content? Fight but fight not to kill the beasts, but to protect your friends. Do you understand?"

    The disciples replied in unison, "Yes, Senior Brother Shi."

    They all exchanged nces and began to talk to their friends and discuss a strategy to face the beast tide. Shi Lang showed them the correct way to deal with the problem. The terran returned to the ce where the core disciples gathered and found them discussing the same thing.

    He shook his head and said, "Why are you guys discussing forming a team?"

    The people were stunned and Xia Lingtai asked, "But Senior Brother Shi didn''t you say it just now?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "No, it was for them. We all need to hold back and help the teams in danger. We are stronger, so we can cover more ground and help the ones in need. Strength is to protect the weak and not go killing everything. Do not take action unless we meet a stronger beast they could not handle."

    Xia Lingtai thought and asked, "Are we not going to turn them into greenhouse nts?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "If an elder protected you in the shadow, would you say the same?"

    Xia Lingtai nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance."

    Shi Lang shook his head and sat down to meditate. He was very excited to fight the spirit beasts.

 Chapter 539 Ace Unleashed.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the people meditated before they reached the misty mountains. Many people hade to him during the ride to ask for advice regarding their strategy. The Terran helped all those he could. The people were impressed by the skills he showed.

    Soon, they reached the misty mountains, and Shi Lang sensed that the atmosphere of this ce was anything but calm. He could almost taste the tension. He asked, "Brother Bo, my blood is boiling."

    Bo Qingtan chuckled and said, "Says the one advocating that we stay calm and patient?"

    Shi Lang held his forehead in his hand and said, "I do not know how long I will be able to hold back."

    Bo Qingtan chuckled and said, "You do not have to worry. You will get your chance."

    The Elder said, "Disciples listen up."

    Everyone became alert. The Elder said, "Go ahead and take your positions. The beast tide is supposed to begin tomorrow. Familiarize yourself with the terrain."

    The disciples all replied in unison, and they jumped off the vessel. The lowest realm they had among the disciples was Immortal Soldier. The core disciples were all Immortal General level,l, and Shi Lang were weaker regarding the cultivation realm.

    After the inner court disciples jumped down, the core disciples followed. They all had divided forty teams into eight groups. Seven of them were looked after by the core disciples. The Elder himself handled the weakest of the disciples. At the same time, Shi Lang was given a group of five teams to look after.

    ...

    Shi Lang sat on a boulder. He looked at the surroundings and then behind him. The teams were setting up their camps. The terran asked, "Who are the leaders of your teams?"

    The disciples were confused, and Shi Lang said, "Think of your team as a body, and now imagine you have five heads who simultaneously give the body five differentmands. What will happen?"

    The people looked at each other, and one said, "It will confuse the body."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "To avoid confusion, you must decide whom you will follow."

    The disciples looked at each other in confusion, and Shi Lang said, "Do not think that the strongest will be the better head. The one who is the calmest and can make quick decisions is the best leader. The decisions he takes will decide your life or death."

    He instilled the idea in their heads, and after discussion, they selected four young men to be the leader. The disciples were smart, too, giving power to the person who would serve as the backup member. Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Do you think this area is good for you all to fight with the spirit beasts?"

    The people looked around, and they shook their heads. Shi Lang said, "Solution?"

    One of the four leaders replied, "Put up traps?"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "And?"

    Another guy said, "Set up an early warning trap too."

    Shi Lang nodded and questioned, "Anything more?"

    The guys shook their heads, and Shi Lang said, "Remove the trees. You need a clear line of sight to engage with the enemy inrger numbers. However, do not uproot them. Just cut them from the middle, and secure a line of sight. Please set up a barricade and reinforce it with array formations. Make the ce be your base and easy to defend."

    The disciples were surprised, and then after thinking about it, they nodded and got to work. They quickly cleared the ce and set up four walls from the tree trunks. Then they cast a few defensive arrays on the tree trunks, and they ensured that these walls were tough and strong by ovepping arrays.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, now you have a base. Defend it like your life depends on it. I will watch over your safety." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The people nodded and thanked him before they went to rest. Shi Lang sat on the boulder with his eyes closed. The teams selected four people for guard watch, all moving in shifts. They had been doing this from the start, so Shi Lang did not have to guide them.

    Suddenly, in the dead of the night, there was movement. Shi Lang did not react, but a guarding disciple asked, "Who goes there?"

    A human voice replied, "Fellow Daoist, wait."

    The young man said, "Come out, or I will attack."

    A few people stepped out of the shadows and seemed to have recognized the robes on the young man. An elderly man said, "Greetings, sir. We are cultivators from remote towns. We came here to gain experience. We did not mean to disturb you all."

    The young man said, "It is alright if you seek experience, but why are you spying on us?"

    The person replied, "We were not spying, just curious about these walls you have made. Can you tell us the purpose of these walls?"

    The young man turned to look at Shi Lang and found that the person did not react. It meant he could talk. The people talked to each other and learned a few details. These people were trying to venture closer to the depths when they discovered that no spiritual beasts were visible in the area. Sensing something wrong, they returned and found a few small family disciples who told them about the beast tide.

    The young man nodded, and after the conversation was finished, the people left the ce. They did not believe that the structure would help the people inside. The night they were passed silently. Even the morning was silent. The disciples were getting antsy, and Shi Lang said, "Calm down. Meditate."

    They all sighed and went to meditate. The effect of meditation calmed them down gradually, and in the evening, the ground trembled. Shi Lang said, "They are here."

    The disciples stood up and took positions. They had cast arrays in funnels. The spirit beasts around the distance of ten kilometers will rush through these various funnels and regroup at the four gates. They were not going after the beasts but bringing them to themselves.

    The hordes of spirit beasts rushed down the mountain, and they were all quick. The ground was trembling from the charge, and soon the beasts came into sight. Shi Lang said, "Iron horn bulls."

    The young disciples breathed heavily, and Shi Lang said, "Attack the hooves. Contain the movement. Then, go for the guts."

    The disciples nodded, and Shi Lang stood up from the boulder. He was going to take action at any needed time. He did not wish to provide them with any help, but they were still rattled by the fact that thousands of beasts were rushing at them.

    Soon the beasts hit the array barriers, and with terrible roars, they were redirected to the openings left in the barrier. The disciples at the gate were quick and shed out sword energies on the hooves. The beasts did not expect such a thing, and with the tendon cut, they all fell to the ground. That was not all. The rest of the disciples shed at the gut, and the beast was dealt with even before it had the time to think.

    The team leaders exchanged thoughts, and one said, "Cast an explosion array on the corpses and throw them back. Let them explode and kill a few."

    An explosion array was a spirit-gathering rune that would explode if the object could not retain spirit energy. The task was easy. They all had learned such things on an early level. Shi Lang watched them working nicely and suddenly heard a roar. The beasts became agitated.

    One of the disciples shouted, "Senior Brother, this must be a high-rank beast that controls the waves and behavior of these lower realm spirit beasts. Please stop it. If the beasts get agitated and start self-detonation, we will die."

    The terran nodded and said, "Very well."

    After a few moments, he looked around and located the roar''s source. He used a few probes from hismunicator to monitor the disciples and vanished from his spot. The probs will allow him to shuttle back in case of emergency.

    Shi Lang vanished from his spot and appeared outside the parameter. Everywhere he passed, he punched slightly, and the beasts fell. The deacons monitoring things from the spirit ship were shocked to see that Shi Lang''s team was having such a time, and then they saw Shi Lang charging out to deal with a high-rank beast. They were even more stunned. This guy did not even take out his sword to fight the beasts.

    The young man was simply an enigma to them. Shi Lang walked around for five minutes and now stood before a bull twice the size of the rest. He took a gaze, and the beast roared. This bull had horns that put even bludgeons to shame. The sharp and pointy tip of the horns with a metallic luster.

    The ground trembled as the beast thumped the ground with its hooves. Shi Lang sighed and said, "You gonnae or just build up the hype?"

 Chapter 540 Ace Unleashed. (2)

    Chapter 540 Ace Unleashed. (2)

    The iron-horned bull stood before Shi Lang, and upon hearing the provocation, the spirit beast charged forward to attack the human. Shi Lang tilted his head to the side and channeled spirit energy in his right arm before raising it and pping the beast.

    The iron-horned bull snorted, and its eyes turned red. It was even more enraged that the young man before him was attempting to defend himself with a p. Shi Lang could read the emotions in the eyes of the beast. It was angry, filled with disdain.

    However, Shi Lang did not bother with anything. He stepped forward, and just when the bull was within reach, he stepped to the side and sped the curving horn. Using his foot as a pivot, the young man controlled the beast to turn to the side abruptly by shifting his weight.

    The bull did not expect this guy to be so strong when his weight turned to the side, and he ran in a curve before its head collided with a huge boulder. The beast was strong, and it cracked its way through the boulder. However, the impact made him a bit dizzy. The beast shook its head, but Shi Lang appeared next to it this time. The young man clenched his fist and said, "Lighting Fist."

    The punchnded directly on the side of the bullhead. The impact raised a dust cloud, and the huge beast flew away. Itnded ten meters away after colliding with a lot of trees. Shi Lang walked over and found that his punch only knocked out the beast and did not kill it. He pursued his lips and stomped on the beast''s neck. The beast opened its eyes from the pain, but then life seeped out of its body.

    Shi Lang waved his hand and carried away the corpse before leaving. On the way back, he killed a few beasts, but most were scared away by his terrible aura. Shi Lang shook his head and camp back to the camp. The disciples were still doing everything in the right order. He jumped inside the barrier and sat down on the boulder.

    This was the first time he had witnessed a beast tide, and Bo Qingtan told him that beasts would attack them in waves. Shi Lang said, "I dealt with the Beast Soldier behind these guys, y with peace in mind. You will not be in trouble."

    The disciples thanked them and then fought the enemies quickly. Shi Lang closed his eyes in meditation. Conversely, the disciples struggled to keep up with the trouble. A few minutester, a Deacon arrived on the barrier. The terran stood up from the boulder and bowed to the man.

    The Deacon said, "Junior Shi Lang, there is a situation."

    Shi Lang asked solemnly, "Please tell me, Senior."

    The Deacon replied, "Disciple Bo and his group encountered nine-ring snakes. They did not suffer any wounds, but they had been exposed to toxic air for a prolonged time and needed an antidote. If the Deacons are to chase after the Beast General leading the snakes, then if any stronger beast decides to attack, the disciples might not be able to fight back."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "So you wish to send me to find the Beast General and bring the gall from its corpse?"

    The Deacon nodded. Shi Lang thought briefly and said, "I shall go now. Would it be alright if I visit the site where Brother Bo had been fighting?"

    The Deacon said, "Yes, please go ahead. I will be here to handle the situation between you and the rest of the people."

    Shi Lang bowed with his arms arched, jumped off the barrier, and moved through the beast tide toward where Bo Qingtan and the rest were. They had one elder in the Immortal King realm and Ten Deacons in the quasi-king realm. They were all significantly stronger than the disciples.

    Shi Lang met a variety of beasts on the way and yed those who attacked him. He spotted the disciples from various groups and found them working with haphazard coordination. The terran did not interfere as it was not his duty. Every disciple leading a group was a prideful genius. If he were to go and give advice, it might hurt them.

    The terran quickly reached a spot, finding the ground scorched and the air pungent. He sighed and used the spirit energy to cordon off the venom. He sighed and found four deacons guarding the disciples behind them.

    The terran approached a deacon and asked, "Senior, how long do they have before the condition worsens?"

    The Deacon sighed and said, "The poison had entered their bloodstream. It is eroding their spirit energy. They have four hours before a pill refiner can help them."

    Shi Lang nodded and did not say anything. He looked at the corpses scattered around the spot and moved deeper into the mountains. The terran tapped on hismunicator twice and sent a few probes to sample the air around Bo Qingtan and the rest.

    Then the probes were sent ahead in different directions to check the same content spread throughout the mountain. Shi Lang did not know the poison''s contents, but he was sure that he would not be able to heal the people without the gall from themander of the snakes.

    The spirit beast was intelligent when it saw that the humans had been injured. This thing decided to rush away to save its kin. The terran searched around for two hours when suddenly, themunicator went off. Shi Lang did not waste time and directly rushed over to deal with things.

    His speed was fast, and it took him a few minutes to locate a cave, but he did not rush in. The air around the cave was highly contaminated. If he were to rush in, he would also get poisoned. The snakes in the surrounding will also alert the boss.

    Thinking about it, he circted his spiritual lighting energy. The poison around him repelled quickly. This was a quality of his lightning energy. It was a bane to the demonic energy and purified things like poison.

    The only drawback was the consumption of spiritual energy. The Terran thought of something and pricked his finger. A drop of blood fell to the ground, and began to squirm. The drop of blood absorbed spiritual energy from the surroundings and transformed into a clone.

    Shi Lang used the Shura clone technique after a long time. The clone nodded to the main body before it charged through the thicket and appeared before the guarding spirit snakes.

    The clone did not waste time and struck the snake closest to it. The lightning fist was good enough to crush the skull of a beast and enrage the rest of the guards. The clone killed a few of them before he rushed away. The guardians hissed and chased after him.

    The coast was clear as the decoy worked perfectly. Shi Lang did not miss the chance and rushed ahead. The cave had a lower ceiling, and Shi Lang had to bend his back to walk inside. The terran hadmanded a few probes to check the inside for the spirit beast he was looking for.

    This cave had a few branches drilled inside the mountain. However, they were all empty. Shi Lang converged his breath and concealed his aura. The probes had located the spirit beast he was looking for, and Shi Lang could tell this guy was stronger than the rest.

    The reason was not only size but also the signs of mutation that he found on the snake''s physique. A nine-ring snake had nine white rings over its ck body. However, this guy had twelve of them. The size of this snake was twice as long the body was as wide as a tree trunk.

    The snare of this snake had bone shardsing out from the sides, unlike the rest of its kin. Suddenly, Shi Lang froze in his steps. He cursed, ''They fucked up; this is not a normal spirit general-level beast but a Snake King.''

    Shi Lang noticed a jewel etched on the forehead of the snake. This guy was the driving force behind the beast tide. The terran sighed and surrendered to his fate. He had to move forward and confront this enemy. But he would not act like a fool and just fight head-on.

    If he learned anything in the Federal Military, that if the enemy was stronger, you drag them down to your level before you fight head-on or kill them before they can use all their skills. Shi Lang knew that he could not kill this beast king with that ease.

    So, he decided to use a few tricks. Shi Lang cut his thumb and dropped five drops of blood on the ground. Soon five clones emerged. The Terran did not act himself but used the clones to test whether the tricks in his arsenal would be worth it. The Ace was going to unleash his cards.

 Chapter 541 Fighting The Snake King.

    Chapter 541 Fighting The Snake King.

    Shi Langposed five clones and sent them inside the cave to provoke the Snake King and lure it outside. He did not send the clones inside all at once but slowly. In his mind, a voice sounded, "Why not just let me out and cut this beast in two?"

    He replied, "I will grow dependent on you. My skills need to grow too."

    The sword spirit fell silent, and the clones left to venture deep inside the cave while Shi Lang moved outside. He does not wish to stay here when the Beast is provoked.

    ...

    The Snake King was seventy feet long, covered with ck scales. The texture of the scales was a bit different than other snakes. It seemed like the steel was weaved into scales. The Beast had an aura around itself that could frighten many people. However, the clone was not worried.

    The clone was part of a Shura sutra technique, and thus it was indifferent. It was akin to a remote control toy that did not have any emotion of its own. The clone walked forward calmly, but the Beast did not notice his arrival. The clone did not radiate any pressure from his body that would provoke the Beast.

    However, this trick would notst all the way. Shi Lang reached closer to the Beast, and the Snake King raised its head reflexively. The Beast saw a human approach him. First, it was a surprise, and then the snare was spread. The Snake King bared its fangs and bit down at the human''s head.

    The clone was fast, but the Beast was faster. The fang sank in the shoulder of the clone. The clone''s body began to crumble the next moment after a few seconds. The Snake Skin looked around and hissed loudly to check for other humans. When it found none of the humans present, the Snake King lowered its head and returned to the rest.

    After a few minutes, the second clone appeared next to the Snake King. The Beast did not get a chance to react. The clone shed, and a strong punchnded on the Beast''s head. The Snake King was shaken from the impact and raised its head, hissing in pain. The Snake King was shocked to see Shi Lang.

    This Snake King was at the spirit general level, and it was spiritually awake. Their intelligence was not lower than humans. The Beast hissed, and it dove down to bite the clone again. Shi Lang resisted, and the Snake King was irritated. The next moment, its tail smacked the clone on the side, making it fly into a wall with a loud impact.

    The clone vanished into golden particles, and the Beast looked at the scene confusedly. The next moment, another clone rushed in. The snake was infuriated, and it dashed forward to kill the intruder.

    However, another appeared inside the cave before it could handle the human. The beast was confused when a streak of lightning flickered in the corner of its eye, and with a boom, the Snake King''s chin was lifted, and it suffered a few attacks on its torso.

    The pain stimted consciousness, and the beast shot out bone shards protruding from the frilly snare. The two clones on the sides died quickly, and the one whonded the punch ran out of the cave. The Snake King was a petty beast. This puny human dared to venture into his cave and beat him up twice. How can he be left to live?

    The Snake King chased after the clone at a fast speed. Shi Lang was monitoring everything from outside, and he could swear that this snake was almost reaching the speed of sound. The clone rushed out of the cave and came to a standstill. Shi Lang sighed as a ck shadow emerged from the cave and passed through the clone.

    The terran took out his spirit sword and said, "Time to fight, partner."

    The sword trembled, and a sharp whistle echoed in the forest. The Snake King heard this whistle and turned around with three feet long fangs barred at Shi Lang. The terran did not bother and came to stand before the beast.

    He smiled at the angry Snake King, and his body glimmered with lightning sparks. The poison in the air was quickly purified, and then Shi Lang waved his hand to beckon the beast over.

    The Snake King was enraged, and with rage, it spread the fleshy snare and slithered over to attack Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang had the experience of dealing with beasts like this. He was not in doubt about how to kill this thing. He moved forward, too, at the fastest speed possible. In the federation, he had to face many beasts when serving. This was nothingpared to that.

    Shi Lang and the snake head were a few feet away from each other when the snake king lowered its head, and Shi Lang took a side-step to avoid the fangs. The sword in his hand was filled with lightning spiritual energy, and he shed at the joint below the snare.

    The snare was not covered in scales and was made of thick flesh connecting the bone spikes protruding from the snake''s skull. Shi Lang had tagged this part as a weak point, and he did not waste any time striking it down. However, the Snake King was not to be looked down on, and it used its tail to shoot at Shi Lang like a spearhead.

    The terran sensed iting and jumped in the void. He thought the danger had passed away, but the tail seemed to have grown eyes and followed Shi Lang into the void. He had no option but to block the blow with a cross guard in front of his chest. At thest moment, he used the collision to his advantage and pushed himself against the tail.

    He opened up the big distance between him and the snake. Then his gazended on the crystal embedded in the forehead of the beast. Shi Lang''s eyes narrowed, and then he channeled his sword intent into his de. As he descended, he adjusted his body in the void and stabbed the sword at the crystal.

    The Snake King had a sense of foreboding and quickly coiled to defend. However, the sword''s intent concentrated at the tip of the de shot through. It stabbed through the scales, and the snake hissed. Shi Lang knew that the attack did not hurt the crystal, but it still left a hole in the beast''s spine.

    The snake king uncoiled, and it shot forth to bite Shi Lang. The terran flickered and vanished from his position again. The snake king hissed and slithered in a circle, quickly shooting bone shards everywhere. Shi Lang did not expect this attack but quickly swung his sword, and the shards were deflected.

    As soon as he finished dealing with the shards, the snake king was upon him. Shi Lang said, "If you cannot be defeated from the outside, then inside it is. Lightning sh."

    He raised his head and matched the gaze of the beast. Shi Lang''s eyes shed, and the Snake King stood still. The young man shed his sword, and a wave of sword intent shed through the surroundings.

    The winds picked up the pace, and the sword energy shed through the mouth of the snake king horizontally. The skull of the beast was dissected in a single stroke. Shi Lang did not use his sword intent earlier because he wanted to get some exercise, and he had not yet recovered much of the sword intent yet.

    At his best, he could only do this attack seven times. He used the intent once to stab and now this. The battle did notst long, but his realm limited him. Fighting with someone stronger left him exhausted. The clones he used also took some toll on him. He waved his hand and collected the beast''s corpse in his space ring and rushed out back to where Bo Qingtan and the rest were.

    This task to save them was not him, but the elders seemed to be testing him. He did not say much, but the elders thought that Shi Lang only achieved the results because of his implied barrier trick. Also, they knew that an elder from the Spirit Heart Sect was present in the shadows to defend him.

    An outsider changed the pride of the sect''s disciples and their ways of doing things. How easy can that be? Shi Lang moved through the woods and was about to reach the Dragon Heart Sect camp when a roar echoed from the depth of the mountain. Shi Lang could not help but shiver when he sensed the killing intention that shrouded his body.

    Suddenly a voice sounded beside him, "Xiao Lang, it is not safe here anymore. Move quickly."

    Shi Lang found that the guardian elder had appeared beside him and asked, "Elder what is it?"

    The old man said, "You killed the male twelve-ring snake king, but the queen is still alive and it seems to me that she is stronger than the king. We need to move. The Snake King and Queen can see thest images of each other''s reality with the soul link. The Snake Queen will not stop till she avenges the death of her mate."

    Shi Lang cursed internally, ''Fucking hell, could you have not said so earlier.''

 Chapter 542 Rage Of A Dragon Snake.

    Chapter 542 Rage Of A Dragon Snake.

    Shi Lang was surprised when he heard that the Snake Queen was hunting him. He was not in his peak situation, and if he was to fight with the beast that strong, it would be his death. The Elder was urging Shi Lang to leave the ce when the terran decided on something and said, "Elder can you deliver the corpse of the Snake King to the people from the Dragon Sword Sect?"

    The Elder was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "I know what you are thinking, Elder, that I should prioritize my life over the others. Whatever it may be, I cannot take advantage of these people. I have fought against them and with them. They are my friends at this moment when they are down. I will not exploit them. It brings shame to me and the sect behind me."

    The Elder sighed, "You do not have to think so much. I will hold back that beast while you bring out the Gall to them?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "This roar was enough to give us all a chill. You are faster than me and can go there ande to me quickly. Then, we can rush away from this ce together."

    The Elder was still stunned when Shi Lang removed the corpse from the space ring and vanished. He was rushing toward the depth of the mountains. The Elder wanted to chase after him, but then he clenched his fists, stored the corpse in his space ring, and left to deliver it to the people from the Dragon Sword Sect.

    Meanwhile, Shi Lang made a beeline to the depth of the mountains. Raksha spoke up in his mind, "What is the hurry? Wait for the Elder toe back."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Did you not notice the anomaly of that roar?"

    The Sword Spirit was silent and asked, "No, what do you mean?"

    The terran sighed and said, "In ancient times, there was a saying, ''Clouds would gather when the dragon roars. Lightning will wee the king in the sky.'' Clouds are gathering in the sky right as we talk. This is not normal."

    Raksha spoke spectively, "Do you think it is a dragon?"

    Shi Lang was running and said, "No, this is not a dragon. The pressure is not strong enough to match the description. However, the Elder in the shadows is an Immortal King. Although he did not say much, his eyes revealed a tint of fear. Do not counter-argue. I can smell it."

    The sword spirit hummed, and the young man kept rushing. On the way, he found a lot of strong beasts running away from the core, but they did not attack him. They were all scared. Raksha said, "You better bring me out before the shit hits the fan."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "At a critical moment, this beast does not seem normal. Even my heart is beating faster."

    ...

    Outside the woods, the Elder from the Spirit Heart Sect came to the Dragon Sword people. He found that the deacons constantly maintained vignce while looking after the disciples. He did not dy and took out the corpse of the Snake King.

    The deacons were shocked, and the Elder spoke begrudgingly, "Do not think this matter is settled. I will have you exin to Xiao Lang."

    The aura he radiated was enough to suppress these people. The Elder in charge from the Dragon Sword sect appeared before them and asked, "What is the matter, fellow Daoist?"

    The Elder from the Spirit Heart Sect said, "Your people sent Xiao Lang after a Spirit General beast, a twelve-ringed snake king. If that is not enough, you all should have heard the roar just now; it belonged to thepanion of this snake king. She wille after Xiao Lang. If anything happened to him, understand that you will not be able to bear the burden."

    The Elder from the Dragon Sword Sect was shocked. He turned to look at the deacons, and the people avoided his gaze. The Elder realized that the Deacons had pulled off something silly. He said, "Fellow Daoist, how about we find Shi Lang? I will inform the sect master and fight this threat together."

    The Spirit Heart Sect elder also took out a talisman and sent a message to Sect Master Ling. After the discussion, the people rushed through the woods.

    ...

    In the mountains'' core, Shi Lang stood before the strongest foe he had ever faced. The entire terrain around him was covered in debris. The trees were uprooted, and the trunks were shredded. The terran said, "Trailmarks."

    He took out his spirit sword and looked around carefully. He used his spiritual sense and ability topose a map of the surroundings. Even the leaves rustling with the wind did not escape his notice. However, he found no trace of a spirit beast in the three hundred meters.

    Raksha asked, ''What is it?''

    Shi Lang replied, ''I have eyes attached to my back, and they are brimming with killing intent.''

    He walked forward slowly, and he did not move too quickly. He was worried that the attacker might strike as soon as he flinched. He sensed that the entire ce was under the gaze of a terrible existence.

    When he was getting unrattled, he slowly raised his left hand and said, "Deploy probes and scene the ce from the cloudline."

    The probes were deployed, and the image appeared as a holographic projection soon. Shi Lang was shocked, and his figure vanished from the spot. When he did that, a ck figure fell on the spot, and a roar echoed in the surroundings. The mountains trembled, and rocks fell off. Shi Lang was standing a hundred meters away. He gulped and said, "Well, shit."

    The next moment, he raised his sword. His intention was not to attack but to survive. A tail was swung at him as if ash of the death god, and Shi Lang was swept off his feet. The terran channeled his spiritual energy throughout his body to brace for impact, but the moment he collided with the mountain, his internal organs shook, and he coughed up blood.

    Shi Lang was hurt this badly for the first time since he had started cultivating. Raksha said, "This beast is a dragon snake."

    Shi Lang slid down the wall, and he looked up. The beast''s head looked like a snake, but it had the whiskers of a dragon and a pair of horns on the forehead. Shi Lang flickered from his position and appeared behind the snake. The beast turned its head to look at Shi Lang with a gaze of hatred.

    The terran was flung off his feet again. He could not see the tail moving and crashing into his sides. He thought, ''Fucking hell, my arm is broken.''

    Raksha said, ''You must withstand it for a few moments. The elders will be here soon.''

    Shi Lang grits his teeth and stands up from the ground, and the ck figure before him roared. It was like the beast was venting its rage. The terran shivered, but he did not move. The blood he coughed up earlier had turned into a few dozen clones.

    The beast did not move to look back at the ce and wanted to gobble up Shi Lang, but the clones attacked together.

    ...

    Sect Master Ling was having some spirit-refreshing tea when a spirit me conjured before him, and a voice echoed, "A Spirit King-level beast hunts Shi Lang. I suspect that it is a mutation. Sect Master, please provide help."

    The tea was spewed out, and his eyes widened. Sect Master Ling stood up and said, "To all the elders, I am leaving the sect for a bit, be on guard."

    His voice was calm but traveled directly through the void and to the elders. The man waved his hand, and the total in the void opened slowly. Sect Master stepped inside and vanished from the ce.

    ...

    Sect Master Lei Wang received a simr talisman and said, "Grand Elder, your presence is required."

    ce. However, his clones did notst for a breath before they dispersed. Shi Lang had also used four of his attacks, but the Snake Long Shan appeared before him and Lei Wang told him the matter. The Grand Elder was a quasi-emperor strong enough to deal with the beast. Long Shan nodded and said, "I will go right away."

    Lei Wang nodded and Long Shan opened a portal to vanish from his ce.

    ...

    Shi Lang suffered three more attacks, and more clones took his ce. However, his clones did notst for a breath before they dispersed. Shi Lang had also used four of his attacks, but the Snake was not harmed at all. The snake was slithering around as if teasing Shi Lang, and the terran watched it calmly.

    The beast hissed and snarled. Suddenly, the beast bared its fangs and Raksha said, "Now, use the new intent."

    Shi Lang nodded and shot forth with his sword intent, but he held Raksha that he had taken out of his spirit tattoo. The beast roared, and the soundwaves were focused on Shi Lang. The terran was not allowed to use his attack, he was flung off and hit the mountain wall. The blow was so ferocious that it knocked him dizzy.

 Chapter 543 Blood Essence.

    Chapter 543 Blood Essence.

    Shi Lang was knocked unconscious, and the Dragon Snake still moved toward him. However, just when it was about to kill Shi Lang, Long Shan appeared in the voice and eximed, "Insolent Beast!"

    The pressure from his voice made the beast retreat a bit, but the Dragon Snake did not stop roaring in rage. It coiled up on the ground, and then it flew off the ground. Long Shan was surprised by the peculiarity of this beast, but he had no idea about the strength of this beast.

    The snake was in midair and snapped its tail to hit the old man. Long Shan narrowed his gaze and took out a sword. He shed it at the beast. A strong sword intent rushed out from the de and shed with the snake.

    The winds picked up pace, and the clouds thundered. Long Shan had very high attainment in the Dao of Sword. The snake roared and was repelled by the sword''s intent. The Dragon Snake opened its mouth wide and let out a sound attack. The vibrations from the roar shook the void. The space folded wherever the attack went.

    Long Shan shook his wrist and then shed out again. However, this time the sword''s intent failed to break the attack. The old man frowned and was about to move away when a low-pitched twang echoed in the surroundings.

    The attack shook the void and collided with the sound attack from the beast. The attack was resolved, and the next moment, Sect Master Ling appeared on a cliff. The man was holding a lute in his hands. He said, "Senior Long, you should attack now."

    Long Shan nodded, and then his figure flickered before the beast. He shed at the chin of the beast, and a wound appeared on the chin of the Dragon Snake. The beast roared and reeled from the attack. Sect Master Ling looked around and found Shi Lang lying amidst the rubble.

    He was going forward to help the young man when the beast shot out the bone shards. The Sect Master was forced to move back. Shi Lang almost got shot by a bone shard if not for Raksha in his hand. The Sword Spirit moved forward and kicked Shi Lang''s primordial spirit on its ass.

    She said, "Wake up, you dumbass. If those people saw me, they would kill you and take me away."

    The primordial spirit woke up from the shock and looked around. The terran stood up from the ground and looked around at the scenery. He opened his eyes wide. Raksha was put back in his spirit tattoo quickly. Shi Lang took the spirit sword from his space ring and breathed deeply.

    He focused on the scene ahead where the people were fighting the beast. Raksha said, "What are you waiting for? Fight the beast and temper yourself. Also, try to extract the blood from his beast."

    Shi Lang nodded and rushed forward. Long Shan and Sect Master Ling noticed this, and thetter said, "Xiao Lang, don''t go in."

    The Terran shook his head and said, "Sect Master, do not worry. I have a way to deal with this beast."

    The Dragon Snake saw Shi Lang rushing over and let out a grateful roar. This guy has killed her partner. How can she let him get away from her? Watching Shi Lange at him, the beast did not back down and rushed at him with eyes brimming with rage. The beast Shi Lang did not understand why this beast could not attack him with spirit skills. However, when he was thinking about it, the was umting spirit energy in its mouth.

    Shi Lang did not understand why this beast could not attack him with spirit skills. However, when he was thinking about it, the surroundings turned colder. Long Shan said, "This beast will attack with a spiritual skill. Be careful, Xiao Lang."

    The old man did not stop him because he knew that young people must face tribtions to grow strong. Shi Lang was the brightest young talent he had seen and needed the hardest whetting to shine too.

    Hemunicated with Sect Master Ling, and both of them were prepared to fight the beast at any given time and defend Shi Lang from vital danger.

    The Dragon Snake was rushing at Shi Lang when it was fifty meters from the Terran. The beast opened its mouth and shot Shi Lang a wave of spirit energy. The wave was not simple. It caused everything on the way to freeze. The void froze, but as the ray of spirit energy was shooting at Shi Lang, the Terran said, "Shura Domain."

    All of a sudden, the surroundings were covered with Lightning. The young man''s body was covered with lightning sparks. The freezing around him slowed down. Shi Lang channeled his lightning energy into the domain boundary. Lightning surrounded the dragon snake and Shi Lang.

    The power of Lightning was so high that it burned everything that stood in its way. Shi Lang sneered and said, "Come at me, you puny reptile."

    The Dragon Snake roared and moved closer to the Terran. Shi Lang raised his de and attacked the beast with sword intent.

    Thest attack that he could not make was going to be unleashed. The Terran did not waste any time now. He attacked with his sword intent, but this attack was not a simple sh. The spiritual attack from the Dragon Snake was more than just a simple show of strength. The principles of the spirit energy were very much rted to advanced science.

    Shi Lang detected that the particles were vibrating at high speed before they froze. This was why Long Shan could not defuse the attack on his own. The Terran''s attack contained strong vibrations too. The waves perfectly countered the spirit beast''s attack and the freezing stopped.

    Shi Lang appeared close to the Dragon Snake and said, "Shura shes the heavens."

    A phantom of lightning appeared behind him, with a lightning sword attacking the beast. Shi Lang did not hold back because he had a lower cultivation realm. The most he could do was to use his sword intent to the limit and not hold back anything.

    The beast and the lightning sword shed, and a loud explosion echoed in the valley. The impact was so strong that it changed the scenery. The trees were nowhere to be seen. Only debris was left in the ce. Shi Lang was also not present in his position. The two elders looked around to check where he was when they found him badly injured and almost buried under debris.

    Sect Master Ling appeared next to Shi Lang, helped him clear up the debris over his body, and helped him get up from the ground. The terran gradually woke up and said, "Sect Master, that beast."

    Sect Master Ling channeled some of his spirit energy through his body and said, "Do not worry. Elder Long Shan is checking if the beast is dead or not."

    He held Shi Lang up and helped him walk forward. Elder Long Shan looked at the whimpering beast and said, "Xiao Lang, you cannd the final blow and extract the essence from this beast to nurture yourself."

    Shi Lang walked forward with a limp, holding his spirit sword. His speed was not fast, and his gaze was fixated on the eyes of the beast. He could see that the beast was not reconciled. The two elders did not say anything and just watched him. They were not at ease when Shi Lang got closer to the beast.

    They were worried that Shi Lang would put his guard down and the beast would attack at thest moment to take down the enemy with him. However, they were underestimating Shi Lang. The Terran did not reach this level because he was careless. He was vignt even when he was around the people he called friends.

    The terran approached the beast and found that the Dragon Snake had a huge ghastly gash on his forehead and it followed along its spine. The beast was gazing at Shi Lang with great rage. The beast wanted to attack Shi Lang, but before it got a chance, Shi Lang raised his sword and turned the blunt edge of the sword to face the beast. He said, "Lightning resonance."

    The dark clouds were filled with lighting in an instant and then the next moment, lightning streaks fell down the sky and struck the Spirit Beast. The Dragon Snake roared, but the lightning did not stop. It fell and struck the beast repeatedly until it was dead. The two elders were shocked, and Shi Lang asked, "Elders, can I extract the blood essence?"

    The two people nodded and watched Shi Lang clean the beast''s corpse with some effort and gradually, he located the beast''s heart. Shi Lang ced his hand over the heart and circted his spiritual energy to envelope the organ before he drained it for the blood inside. Raksha was watching this and she was getting agitated.

    After half an hour, the heart was drained and a blob of blood floated before him in the void.

 Chapter 544 Rise Of The General.

    Chapter 544 Rise Of The General.

    Shi Lang looked at the blob of blood and sat down on the spot to cultivate. The elders were stunned and did not expect him to be so careless. Elder Long Shan waved his hand, and hundreds of swords condensed from the spirit energy.

    All these swords were levitating in the void around Shi Lang. Sect Master Ling could not help but wonder why the Dragon Sword Sect''s grand elder would put up a hundred guardian sword formations around Shi Lang. Thinking about this, he took out a disc from his space ring and mumbled, "Well, let''s see if you can use this opportunity to the maximum."

    Long Shan saw Sect Master Ling tossing the disc toward Shi Lang. The disc reached above Shi Lang''s head and emitted golden light. This light formed a curtain around Shi Lang. Long Shan narrowed his eyes and said, "Xiao Ling, you sure are generous."

    Sect Master Ling smiled faintly and said, "Not as much as you are, Elder."

    Grand Elder Long Shan said, "My hundred guardians stillck before your Time eleration Disc. Although it consumes many spirit stones,e is what we all need the most. This time disc will alter the flow of time around him, but how much?"

    Sect Master Ling did notment and just smiled, saying, " Seven to one. My master used to say time is the biggest gift and curse."

    Long Shan was surprised, but then he nodded and said, "How about we retreat to the sect after the death of this Dragon Snake, the beast tide has almost ended, and the two elders are dealing with the remnants."

    Sect Master Ling''s smile vanished, and he said, "Senior Long Shan, please forgive me for saying this, but your people owe us an exnation. Why was Xiao Lang facing such a threat in the first ce? If we had beente by a moment, he could have died, and then Senior Tian Long would haveid waste to all of us in his rage."

    Long Shan took a deep breath. He could not reprimand Sect Master Ling because he was not wrong. Tian Long had the power to make the Dragon Sword Sect suffer greatly. He had to give them an exnation to calm them down. That was not even the most concerning detail about this event. Shi Lang was the benefactor of their sect.

    This man had shown them how to allow the countless youngsters toe forward and be the pirs of the Dragon Sword Sect. Long Shan thought about it and said, "I will exin satisfactorily. Do not worry.

    ...

    Shi Lang sat in the lotus position and quickly absorbed the blob of blood floating before him. His speed was slow because the energy in this blood was too much for his body to absorb.

    Raksha had told him that this blood would enhance the power of his blood, and the energy inside it would temper his body to another level. Shi Lang knew that it was important for him to rush ahead, but he was injured. He needed to heal his wounds before he could absorb wantonly.

    The effect of the energy in the blood was very beneficial to him. It was healing him and improving the quality of his body tempering. The muscles were denser, and the bones were getting clearer. The golden sheen on his bones was getting more evident.

    Shi Lang focusedpletely on the digestion of the energy flowing in his body. He was not messing around with it at all. He took a day to heal and enhance his body before he began fusing it with his bloodline.

    The two types of blood werepletely different. Fusing them would need a perfect bnce of the spirit energy to act as a bridge. Shi Lang would need all his focus to maintain this calm state of mind. Another thing that Raksha had warned him about was the remnant spirit living inside the beast''s bloodBeastce he starts the fusion process, chances are that the consciousness of the beastBeast tries to erode his consciousness. This was not good; if he made a mistake or fell dormant, he would not have the chance to leave the soul sea.

    He calmed down and began the fusion process. It was not easy, but gradually he got the gist of it, and the efficiency increased. After an hour, he sensed something different about his body while fusing the blood. The bloodline was rejecting him. He kept his calm and kept on absorbing the blood.

    ...

    In his soul sea, Raksha was levitating when suddenly the skies turned dark. The phantom stood up and mumbled, "Finally here."

    She turned her head to look at Shi Lang''s soul avatar and shook her head as she said, "Fine, kid. I will help you deal with this. You owe me the spine of this dragon snake. I want it to be my sheath."

    Shi Lang did not reply to her. He was not in the condition to do so. However, he heard her words. After a few moments, the phantom of the Dragon Snake began to condense before Raksha. She waited patiently and calmly. The Dragon Snake began to move around and hissed at thedy.

    Suddenly, the Dragon Snake rushed toward Shi Lang''s primordial avatar, and Raksha said, "Are you treating me like air?"

    The beastBeastied, "You are just an artifact spirit. Do you think you can stop me from getting what I want?"

    Raksha sighed and said, "I do not understand how a reptile that got killed in the hands of an Immortal Soldier can mock me."

    The next moment she released her pressure, and the Dragon Snake froze. The vertical slit pupil of the beastBeastnk from fear. It did not expect the sword spirit to have such strong pressure. Raksha said, "If you surrender peacefully, you will have a chance of redemption, or I will disperse your remnant consciousness, and you will die. Either way, you will surrender."

    The Beast yelled, "I am not reconciled. What capital does this human have to subdue me? What capital do you have to look down on me bitch."

    Raksha said, "Ignorant upper world dweller. I will not move my jaw for the sake of a glorified worm."

    The beast sted and wanted to attack, but a strong sword energy was already upon her. Raksha did not waste any time, she killed, and she killed directly. Thedy had no chills.

    The beast''s consciousness roared and vanished, along with the hatred it had.

    Shi Lang was unaffected by all this, absorbing the blood with great focus. Now that the threat of the remnant consciousness was gone. He could increase the pace, and that was what he did. The terran turned into a ck hole. Even Raksha was surprised, let alone the people outside.

    ...

    Long Shan and Sect Master Ling had not returned to the sect. They were watching Shi Lang cultivate, and after the matters of deacons tricked Shi Lang into entering the depth of the mountains was handed over to the punishment hall of the Dragon Sword Sect. They did not think it was wise to leave this ce where such a strong spirit beast resided at night.

    Long Shan sensed Shi Lang''s aura climb suddenly. He did not understand what was happening before he spotted the blood streams moving toward Shi Lang from all directions. The blob of blood transformed into a ring of blood around him. There were too many things happening to Shi Lang at the same time.

    The grand elder gulped and said, "This kid, what sort of monster is he."

    Sect Master Ling replied, "This is what we have been wondering about ever since he came into our sect. He defeated a core disciple with a wooden sword. Took down a demonic cultivator on his own. All this in just a few months, his foundation was something that had me worried for a bit, but now that I see him rushing forward, I do not have any worries."

    Long Shan nodded, and suddenly the clear night skies were brimming with dark clouds. The two elders frowned but suddenly saw a lightning sword above Shi Lang''s head. They were surprised. To reach the level of the Spirit General Shi Lang needed to condense his spirit weapon and make it tangible.

    This weapon will not be used in battles but will consolidate his knowledge and notions about the dao he pursues. This was a procedure that many people could not ovee their entire lives. Shi Lang was attempting it right now. This showed that he wasposed and confident.

    He was not rushing to breakthrough but the body could not digest so much energy at such a low cultivation realm. Shi Lang was tempering his body and he was also increasing his cultivation realm by condensing the spiritual weapon to the limits. The time alteration artifact aided him.

    The Terran was under great pressure, his body was aching and his skin was king all over but he did not give up. He was focused on his cause.

    Suddenly, a voice echoed in the surroundings, "The general is about to rise."

    Long Shan and Sect Master Ling became alert all of a sudden and reacted with there weapons shooting in the direction the voice originated from.

 Chapter 545 Rise Of The General. (2)

    Chapter 545 Rise Of The General. (2)

    The two people attacked behind them, but the attacks were dispersed. The two narrowed their eyes. These attacks may not have been made with their best effort, but it was still substantial enough to shirk off the enemy in the same realm.

    The dispersion was so clean that it shocked them. The ethereal voice sounded again, "Sect Master Ling, please calm down."

    Sect Master Ling knew this tone, and he put down his weapon. He bowed and said, "Pardon the offense Senior Tian Long."

    A portal appeared in a blink, and then a man with long silver hair appeared before them. Long Shan also bowed in respect. Tian Long nodded, and the people stood up. He said, "You have done well, Sect Master Ling. He looks stronger than ever."

    Sect Master Ling shook his head and replied, "You tter me, Senior. It is his effort that he has be this strong."

    Tian Long smiled faintly and said, "Do not tell him about it. He might growcent."

    The two elders nodded solemnly. They stood half a step behind Tian Long to watch the progress and found that Shi Lang had condensed his spiritual weapon, and now it looked very surreal.

    The clouds above were also filled with thick lightning streaks. Sect Master Ling asked, "Senior, what did you mean by the sentence earlier?"

    Tian Long smiled and said, "Shi Langes from my world. He is the strongest general there. I wish for him to stand up against the demons and lead an army of humans. If not an army of entire humanity, I would be at peace if he led the Dragon Troops in war and defended the front."

    The two old people were shocked. The Dragon Troop was a group of elites, and every troop was Immortal King. Immortal Sovereigns trained them. They were second to only the Pheonix troop led by the central ne''s big shots as a united front. Even if the difference was too much, none of the high forces dared to look down on Tian Long.

    The younger generation of the Immortal in had heard stories of the force, and all wished to see them once. In the central ins, there were many such forces. Tian Long sighed and said, "You all know nothing about him. If I told you what he did in the lower realm, you will see the halo he carries there. Forget about me making trouble if anything was to happen to him. Suppose the people were ascending from the same realm in the future found out. They will raze the immortal ne to the ground."

    Long Shan and Sect Master Ling were shocked when the clouds rumbled, and a streak of lightning fell on Shi Lang. The people were surprised, and Long Shan expressed his thoughts, saying, "Why is the lightning falling now? He has not finished condensing his sword yet."

    Tian Long replied, "His physique has been refined, and heaven will not wait for him to finish condensing his spiritual weapon."

    The streak of lighting shed through the hundred guarding sword array and hit Shi Lang on the forehead. However, the young man was using the Ligthing Shura sutra. He absorbed it, and began to use it to elerate his progress. Long Shan was shocked but Tian Long and Sect Master Ling were standing akin to marble statues.

    They knew this oddity, but Long Shan could notprehend the situation. Sect Master Ling said, "He is doing it again. The heavenly tribtion will get severe."

    ...

    Shi Lang absorbed a lot of energy and Raksha said, "Tian Long is here, I want to beat the shit out of him, finish early."

    Shi Lang did not reply, but he began to condense the sword. The more he focused the more the sword shrank in size. The Terran did not rush to condense his weapon forcefully. This would leave him with a wed foundation. Shing never chased after quick results in this life. He always cared for quality.

    The second bolt of lightning fell on his head, but again it was absorbed in his body. The physical toughness of his body was at a staggering level.

    Tian Long could not help butment, "To think that there will be someone who would challenge the destructive power of the heavenly lightning with his physical body. What a monster."

    Sect Master Ling and Long Shan nodded behind him. Suddenly, the old man asked, "Senior, you seem to know a great deal about him. Can you tell us something more?"

    Tian Long smiled and said, "Well, what to tell about him. He is a renegade, who only joined the forces with the greed for better resources. Gradually he came across the various aspects of the military and began to climb ranks. His skills and efforts made him known through out the lower realm as Ace. The top card of the terran civilization. If he was to say that he is second best in the civilization, none of them will im the first position."

    The two people were surprised and Tian Long said, "You know why am I so confident in his skills? He will do his best to secure the ascension pavilion in the future."

    Long Shan raised his brows and asked, "Why? That ce is just for ascension and it does not have any strategic advantage for him."

    Tian Long shook his head and replied, "It will be for the sake of his people. His wife and daughter are all geniuses. His daughter is someone with a special physique, and she will definitely be a pir of the human race in the future."

    The two people nodded and gulped when they heard that Shi Lang even fathered a girl who had a special physique. This was as rare as finding a rose without a thorn.

    Tian Long said, "When he first came into contact with demon energy, he fought and got infected, but then he came up with a way to get rid of the demonic energy. Guess what it was."

    The two thought of a bit and shook their heads. They did not know what it was like to be infected by the demonic energy so how could they know how to get rid of it. Just when they were thinking about it, Tian Long said, "He channeled his sword intent inside his body. Cleaning the entire body for four decades. Imagine the trauma he must have suffered."

    The two people turned pale for a second and Sect Master Ling said, "I cannot imagine something like that."

    Suddenly, a voice sounded, "Xiao Long, stop patronizing me."

    Long Shan and Sect Master Ling were shocked when they heard this voice. They looked at Shi Lang and found him to be standing amidst the sparks of lightning. He looked at Tian Long and said, "What are you doing here?"

    Tian Long sensed his veins throbbing, and said, "Dare you to speak in this tone?"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and took out Raksha from his spirit tattoo. He wanted to say something but the sword already vanished from his side. Long Shan and Sect Master Ling were shocked that Shi Lang even dared to attack a senior like Tian Long. They were about to interrupt when they found their bodies to be frozen in spot.

    Shi Lang looked up at the sky and said, "Could you pleasee at me a bit harder? I am still a bit short of energy."

    The clouds thundered and the lightning shot.

    On the other side, Tian Long said, "Unity I can exin to you."

    The sword shined with golden light and the sword spirit materialized before the trio. Raksha scoffed and said, "What will you exin to me? You left me behind and nothing can make up for that. If Shi Lang had note, if he had not given up his Shura Sword, we would have never made it."

    Tian Long let out a goofyugh, and Sect Master Ling and Long Shan were shocked. This was a heavenly spirit artifact. This existence could kill them, no wonder they froze under her pressure.

    Tian Long said, "You see, I saw the future and decided to leave you behind."

    Raksha spat on the side,pletely giving up her image as ady and said, "I challenge you, fight Shi Lang in terms of sword and if you win I will forgive you. If you lose, you better put away your tricks."

    The clouds thundered and the mountains trembled. Tian Long put up a solemn expression on his face and asked, "Do you think your general can defeat this king?"

    Tian Long was a prideful genius, how could he overlook a challenge? He was easy-going but if someone tried to overstep his pride, he would not sit calmly.

    Raksha smiled and said, "Without a General the kings do not have the capital to defend their kingdom. Be grateful that I will have you fight right after the breakthrough. If I had let him consolidate his gains, you would have suffered a lot worse."

 Chapter 546 Killer Ace.

    Chapter 546 Killer Ace.

    Shi Lang stood under the lightning shower, absorbing the energy and consolidating his realm as an immortal general. The terran was challenging the heavens with his physique.

    While his sword spirit was raging at Tian Long, challenging him to a sword fight. The Immortal Sovereign knew that Raksha had some grievances against him. He gazed at the Sword Spirit and said, "Do you know the gap between our realms?"

    Raksha smirked and said, "Oh, do you want to fight with that guy in your realm? Such is your pride, right?"

    Tian Long sensed a twitch develop at the corner of his lips. He said, "Do you think a demon will lower his realm when fighting with your master?"

    Raksha smiled and said, "If a demon expert can get past you and attack my master, then it will be a shame for you. However, you have bought up a good point. He is an Immortal General, and you can fight him as an Immortal King."

    Tian Long was surprised by the confidence in her voice. He asked, "Do you think he can defeat me as an Immortal General?"

    Raksha nodded, and the lightning streaknded on Shi Lang''s forehead. The young man channeled all the energy he absorbed to the spiritual weapon. The sword above his head gradually became smaller and more condensed. Tian Long watched the situation and said, "If Shi Lang can condense a spiritual weapon as big as my palm. I will see if he is worthy of fighting with me."

    That said, Tian Long condensed a sword above his palm. The sword was as big as his palm and looked surreal. The aura made Long Shan and Sect Master Ling shiver. They also had Spiritual Weapons, but they were not this small.

    Raksha sighed as she looked at the spiritual weapon. She said, "If Shi Lang condensed anything bigger than yours by a hairs width. I swear in the name of heavens that I will disown him as my master."

    Tian Long was shocked and did not expect Shi Lang to have gained such trust from the Sword Spirit. He asked, "Why do you trust him so much?"

    Although his realm was high, he was secluded from the Secr world. Raksha''s disy of trust made his heart fluctuate. He could not help but ask. The sword spirit replied, "He is not holding me to conquer the heavens. He holds me to protect the people he loves and to defeat himself. I have seen him suffer all those things you just mentioned, what he sacrificed for billions of people without rtion with him. As for the other things, you know it very well."

    The other things in her mouth were Shi Lang''s old life. Tian Long wanted to say something but could not get himself to say anything. He knew that Shi Lang had sacrificed a lot of things for the sake of humanity, and even he, the heavenly genius Tian Long, could not get himself to do this.

    He nodded and said, "I understand. You have chosen well, Unity."

    The Sword Spirit retorted, "Raksha, my name is Raksha."

    Tian Long sighed and turned to look at the man standing under the lightning shower. The spiritual weapon over his head was shirking slowly. The lightning from the skies pushed him a few meters back with every sh, but he was not injured. The bruises and charred skin did not bother him.

    He channeled the cultivation sutra to the limits, and his spiritual weapon began to shrink visibly. The three feet sword took an hour to reduce by one foot. Time passed, and after three bolts, the lightning stopped.

    However, Shi Lang stood in the same ce with his eyes closed and his body covered with lightning sparks. After a few hours, the sparks were gone. The sword above his head has shrunk down to three inches. Tian Long was shocked and awed, and he could not believe that this young man had not only condensed the spiritual weapon but also made it smaller than his own.

    Raksha smiled and said, "Is he worthy of fighting you now?"

    Tian Long did not reply and would disrespect the young man byparing himself with him. He said, "I take back what I said. I did not expect him to be so talented."

    The Sword Spirit nodded and said, "Would you like to fight with him now?"

    Tian Long nodded and walked over, and came before Shi Lang. He said, "Would you like to fight?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes, filled with a glint of lightning, and said, "I thought you would never ask."

    Tian Long chuckled, saying, "Come, show me what you''ve got."

    Shi Lang smiled and stretched out his hand. Raksha vanished from the void, and her body appeared in his palm. He said, "I do not n to dance with you. You have been here long and must have skills I do not have. Let''spare the way of the sword."

    Tian Long thought and took out a sword from his space ring. The sword appeared normal, but the minimalistic approach in design was high quality. She said, "Your de is top-notch, yet you do not take care of it."

    Tian Long was surprised and said, "This was confiscated from my disciple. The sword is not suitable for him. He practices spears."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Come then."

    Tian Long said, "If I made a move and you lost, I will not give you another chance."

    Shi Lang smirked and asked, "You cane over as strong as you want to. I will not be asking for second chances."

    Tian Long vanished from his spot and appeared before Shi Lang. His sword wasing down at Shi Lang, but the Terran moved his hand. His sword''s blunt side collided with Tian Long''s changing trajectory, the terran turned to the side, and his foot stamped Tian Long on the side of his knee.

    The impact made Tian Long lose his bnce. Shi Lang did not move back; his sword was still above the opponent''s neck. The terran did not hesitate and shed down at Tian Long''s neck.

    The immortal sovereign was shocked out of his belief. Shi Lang did not let him use his strength at all. The two elders were sweating when they saw Shi Lang attacking like this.

    They were worried about him, but now they were shocked. Tian Long suddenly vanished from his spot. Shi Lang seemed to have grown eyes on his sword and turned around with his sword shing at the person before him.

    Suddenly, Tian Long appeared behind Shi Lang, and his sword was shing the void too. He was not surprised by Shi Lang'' to predict where he would appear because Raksha could sense his presence.

    Tian Long did not expect that sensed a terrifying pressure when his eyes met Shi Lang''s. His mind was dazed for a moment, and at that moment, Shi Lang appeared before him in the void with his sword resting on his nape.

    He smirked and said, "You lost."

    Tian Long shivered. His spiritual pressure climbed. His performance angered him. Shi Lang flickered away, and the spiritual pressure from Tian Long''s body exploded. The terran asked, "Oi, calm down, do not scare away the people."

    Tian Long woke up and said, "Pardon me. I will take my leave now. Shi Lang, I hope to see you in the Heavenly Rankings. That will give you sufficient experience of Immortal King level fighters."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then he watched Tian Long walk into a portal. The terran said, "Go safe."

    Tian Long did not reply and walked away from the ce in a hurry. Shi Lang looked at Sect Master Ling and said, "Sect Master, they even alerted you?"

    Sect Master Ling woke from the daze and said, "Well, yes. Now that things are settled here, I will return to the sect. Peak Master Mei should be waiting for your news."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists, and the sect master left. Long Shan woke from the daze and said, "You, kid, you hid very deeply. To think that you will even hold a heavenly spirit treasure."

    Shi Lang wanted to say something when the old man said, "You do not have to say anything to me. I will keep it a secret, but the rest of the world might not be this good. Do not take her out until you have reached the Immortal Emperor level."

    The terran nodded, and Long Shan said, "You should travel with the rest of the disciples. I will go ahead."

    The terran did not say anything as he still had a few things to deal with here. One of those things was to reap the benefits of the blood he had absorbed. The sword spirit said, "Lang, you have seventy-five percent of the blood essence still left unabsorbed. What do you intend to do with it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I intend to absorb it, but not now. I will seal it for now, and then I would like to go to the secret realm and see what it holds for me. Fusing the essence there will help me more."

    Raksha nodded and said, "You acted like a Killer Ace today."

 Chapter 547 Secret Realm.

    Chapter 547 Secret Realm.

    Shi Lang took out his knife and began to clean all the precious material from the corpse of the dragon snake¡ªthe scales, tendons, and bones. Like Raksha wanted the spinal cord forged as a sheath, I was thinking about it. The beast''s scales were strong, and the young man used them as custom armor. One scale would protect his chest and another for the back.

    The terran finished cleaning up, and it was already night. He rushed back to the defense line and found that everyone was gathered on the spot and seemed to be waiting for him.

    Bo Qingtan stood up and approached Shi Lang. The former embraced Shi Lang and said, "Thank you for saving us, Brother Shi Lang. We owe you one."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You are overreading the situation, Brother Bo. I did what a fellow warrior should do for the other when they face dangers."

    The disciples greeted Shi Lang, and everything seemed good, but the terran found that twenty disciples still passed away in the beast tide. The terran shook his head and heard the people reminiscing about them.

    He sighed and shook his head. Bo Qingtan asked, "What is it, Brother Shi Lang?"

    The terran was leaning against the deck wall and gazing at the dimly lit city below. He said, "I do not know. Death of arade is unsettling to me."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and asked, using his spiritual energy, and said, "Is it because you lost someone in the lower realms?"

    Shi Lang was surprised, and the young man said, "The grand elder told me."

    The Terran nodded and continued, "I never lost anyone on my watch. I do not want to sound arrogant, but that is true."

    Bo Qingtan was surprised and asked, "I cannot rte. I have often lost many people."

    Shi Lang nodded faintly and said, "Do you know anything about the secret realm?"

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and said, "I have only heard about it in the scrolls. They say that the ce is essible only once in fifty years."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Hmmm, fair enough."

    The young man sighed and said, "Guess I will just have to wait to find out."

    Bo Qingtan nodded with a smile. The two talked about the differences between the lower and immortal realms. Shi Lang found out that his world was not the only lower ne. There were multiple lower realms.

    Shi Lang smiled and remarked, "If the people from my world learned this, they would go mad. For centuries they have been trying to prove the existence of different worlds with simrities to ours. However, they are not within the same dimension."

    Bo Qingtanmented, "Your people sound wise."

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, "Misconceptions can be deadly, brother."

    Bo Qingtan chuckled along and said, "I still have some lingering fatigue, so I will go and rest."

    Shi Lang agreed. He also wanted to consolidate the foundation of his new realm a bit more. He sat in the lotus position and began to cultivate. The sword in his dantian was akin to a big needle, but if he invoked the power in this spiritual weapon, he would easily deal with an Immortal King-level cultivator.

    ¡­

    In half a day, the spirit vessel traveling at full speed reached the Dragon Sword Sect. Long Shan took Shi Lang to the peak of the sect where the sect leader lived. Shi Lang followed behind calmly.

    Lei Wang seemed to be waiting for the two of them. Shi Lang greeted the senior, and the Sect Leader said, "Xiao Lang, forgive me for not maintaining order in the sect for a long time. The people have growncent. They caused you great difort."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Only when the strength is tested can a person know what theyck. I do not mind what they did. Please do not worry, Senior."

    Lei Wang nodded solemnly and asked, "Can we do anything to make it up to you?"

    The terran took some material from the dragon snake corpse and said, "Senior, please ept these materials to make a sheath and armor for me from the bones and the scales."

    The two Elders nced, and the Sect Leader said, "This will be done. Now for the reward you deserve from winning thepetition, tomorrow morning, you can enter the secret realm with Bo Qingtan and the prime core disciple of the Snow Maiden Peak."

    Shi Lang was confused, and the Sect Leader continued, "The Sect Master of the Snow Maiden Peak hase forward in person and wishes to give her one of the three quotas to enter the secret realm. She said that Yun Xue intends to head to the central in and challenge the Heavenly Warrior List."

    Shi Lang recalled that Tian Long also said something like this to him. The sect master nodded and said, "Yes, you thought right. The secret realm is dangerous, but it will allow the people a great amount of experience, and once you survive it, you will be strong enough to reach a position on the heavenly list."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Senior, what is the purpose of the Heavenly Warrior List?"

    Lei Wang replied, "The Tianxu Pavilion makes the list. The people on this list enjoy great prestige and are also recruited by the members of prestigious forces to counter the demon cultivators."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "No wonder Old Tian wants me to join his dragon army. Well, anyhow, senior, thank you for your guidance."

    Long Shan said, "You shoulde to the elder hall in the morning. We will leave at dawn. Okay?"

    Shi Lang paid his respects and left the ce. Lei Wang asked, "What do you think of this kid?"

    Long Shan stroked his beard and said, "This kid is unfathomable."

    Lei Wang raised his brows and asked, "Why do you say that?"

    The old man sighed and replied, "You did not see him fight with Immortal Sovereign Tian Long. The ferocious actions, the courage, everything was above his peer. Even if Bo Qintang were to face Senior Tian Long, he would lose."

    Lei Wang was shocked at this, and he did not expect this boy to have fought against an Immortal Sovereign. He said, "Seeing him climb two realms of immortal cultivation in two months is shocking. To think he can get past the barrier of realms and fight Senior Tian."

    Long Shan went on to tell the sect leader about what Shi Lang faced when he was in the lower realm. He did not disclose that Shi Lang possessed a heavenly spiritual weapon. Tian Long had instructed him specifically to keep these things under wraps.

    The people discussed things, and the sun came up in the sky. Lei Wang sighed and said, "Let us hope these guys return safely. The youth is the future of the immortal army. If not for them, the demons would have taken over the in and created chaos."

    Long Shan nodded and replied, "Xiao Wang, do not think too much. Times are changing. The youngsters know what to do and what not to do."

    That said, the two people made their way to the elder hall. They found Shi Lang standing there with Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. The three of them were not talking but gazing at the horizon silently.

    Lei Wang said, "Come along, it is time."

    The three of them greeted them and walked behind them. They circumnavigated the elder hall and came behind it. Shi Lang frowned, and so did the other two. Long Shan said, "You have entered a formation, do not worry. Before you go to the secret realm. I want to tell you there is a chance that you mighte across other geniuses. This secret realm has seven gates. The world knows about six of them.

    Anyone below the realm of an Immortal King can enter inside. For safety reasons, cover your faces and change your names if you meet people. If the world knew that the eastern barren has an entrance to this portal, they would not stop to get it under their control at any cost."

    The three people nodded, and Lei Wang said, "You three will stay together and help each other. If you find an opportunity that could endanger the life of yourrades, give up. You will find better opportunities. Understood?"

    The three people nodded and exchanged nces. Lei Wang took out a jade medallion from his space ring and stuck it on the stone monolith on the side.

    The space shook, and a portal appeared in the void. Long Shan said, "Hold each other''s hand and do not use any spiritual sense until you have reached this void tunnel''s end. Go quick. This portal will open after thirty days and will bring you out."

    Shi Lang was standing in the middle; he did not give the other two any chance and held their hands before he yanked them forward and jumped inside the portal.

 Chapter 548 Battlefield Of The Gods.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the two people were squeezed through the void tunnel. They did not have any idea what was going on around them. It was a pitch-ck void, and they were told not to use any spiritual energy to ensure they did not disrupt the tunnel and end up imploding.

    The journey did notst long, and they were thrown out of the void tunnel. The three people fell to the ground, and they could not move. Shi Lang could feel that the people were still with him. However, he did not have the energy to talk and ask them if they were alright.

    Despite having experienced space jumps, Shi Lang could not handle the pressure around his body in this void tunnel. His body was strong enough to deal with the heavenly lightning. Yet, this two-second trip squeezed him out.

    After an hour, they were able to sit up. Shi Lang asked, "The worst experience of my life."

    The other two nodded. Bo Qingtan stood up and looked around to check the terrain. They were surrounded by desert for as far as they could see. Yun Xue said, "This ce is dead."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and bit his finger. He released eight drops of blood and said, "Shura Clones."

    The two people were surprised to see that eight drops of blood condensed into eight clones of Shi Lang. They could tell that the strength of these people was not shall. Shi Lang did not say anything. He flicked out eight swords from his space ring, and the clones rushed in eight directions.

    Bo Qingtan asked, "What is going on?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I can condense clones, at most ten. I just sent them to explore the eight directions to find some cover."

    Bo Qingtan said, "I have some knowledge about this ce, and it might help us."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Go on."

    Bo Qingtan replied, "This ce is called the battlefield of gods. In ancient times, there used to be thousands of people who achieved the realm called immortal gods. That realm exists above the level of an immortal Sovereign. However, these experts got into a fight with demons. The conflict escted, and they decided to wage war. From the records left by people from the past, this ce should be where the war ended."

    Shi Lang stood from the ground, "Let''s go. The first shelter has been located."

    The two people followed him. They believed in his strength. After an hour of walking, they reached a ce with small cliffs. Shi Lang walked through the narrow gaps left between the cliffs. Bo Qingtan asked, "What is this ce? The wall is too smooth to look natural."

    Yun Xue said, "The wind leaves these gaps. Over time the wind cut through this sandstone hill."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and after a few minutes, they reached a cave on the side of the wall. The terran headed inside and found the clone standing in the center. Shi Lang nodded, and the clone left the ce.

    Yun Xue asked, "Where did you send him now?"

    Shi Lang replied, "To check if they can find other humans or people in this ce."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Will that not unveil our identities?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "The clones can change appearances."

    The young man sighed and said, "I can understand why the grand elder said I should follow your instructions."

    Yun Xue nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Elder Yue also told me the same. "

    Shi Lang sighed. He did not wish to say anything to them. He was not sure why the elders put them up to it. He said, "Since we need to cover our identities, we need to get rid of the sect uniforms, change names and, if possible, alter appearances."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "How do we change appearances? I do not have any transfiguration techniques."

    Yun Xue said, "I can use some makeup to help."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The elders said that if we wish to look for opportunities, we should stay together. I agree with them, but there have to be some rules, and none of us should deviate from them."

    The two people exchanged nces and nodded. Bo Qingtan asked, "What do you have in mind?"

    Shi Lang said, "I will use my code name, Ace. Daoist Yun Xue will be snow, and Brother Bo, you can be well Wood. How does that sound?" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The people nodded and formed ns on how to deal with the situation lying before them. Suddenly, Shi Lang thought of something and used hismunicator to project the holographic projection before the two of them. The two were shocked initially, but then Shi Lang exined them, and they calmed down.

    Shi Lang showed them the various formations and tactics he used in the federation. The terran told them about the importance of tactics in the field. He also told them how to improve their battle effectiveness through videos.

    He said, "You both have the skills to be top-level powerhouses and are well-known throughout the eastern barren. The only troubling thing is that youck the intent to kill. When you both were fighting me, you fought half-heartedly. That is why Brother Bo suffered under that snake at the Misty Mountain beast tide."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "I have been practicing for a long time, but I have never killed a human."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You will get a chance. After all, humans are more dangerous in this world than anything else."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "True."

    As she said that, the air around her became slightly colder. The terran did not say anything. After all, it was her private matter. Bo Qingtan asked, "Brother Shi, how long must we wait here?"

    The terran replied, "Just a few hours, the clones use spirit energy to move. However, soon they will disintegrate."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan nodded. After a few more words, Shi Lang sat down to meditate and monitor the situation around the clones. An hourter, Shi Lang frowned and opened his eyes.

    Bo Qingtan opened his eyes and asked, "What happened?"

    He sensed the chill in the air. Yun Xue was disturbed by the voice. The terran said, "Seven of my clones disintegrated when they encountered nothing but desert. However, one of them managed to reach a ce with some life. However, it did notst too long. A group of people killed it."

    Bo Qingtan was surprised and asked, "Why did they kill? Also, do you know who they were?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "They attacked indiscriminately. They wore red robes and ck masks."

    Bo Qingtan frowned, and so did Yun Xue. The young man said, "Those people must be demonic cultivators."

    Shi Lang asked, "What do you mean?"

    Bo Qingtan sighed and replied, "Just like humans, those demons also have ess to a few portals. To think that they were so close to us. I would not like to run into them."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "We shall see to it when thingse to that point."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Daoist Yun, if you could, please drape a cloak to hide yourself as much as possible. It will help us avoid some ignorant."

    Yun Xue nodded in agreement. It wasmon for the people in the cultivation world to disguise and travel. Shi Lang and the two spent one night inside the cave before going toward the region where the clone encountered the demonic cultivators. That ce was the only region where they could encounter humans.

    Shi Lang did not say much, but he had an idea. He would kill the demonic cultivators at his first chance if he could. The terran did not say much when they were walking through the desert. The three of them were draped in ck clothes.

    Three people reached where the clone was killed, and Bo Qingtan looked around in surprise. The fight destroyed thendscape, and Shi Lang said, "We havepany."

    Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue took out their swords, and they became alert. Suddenly, an eerieughter echoed in the woods. The people were surrounded by trees. Shi Lang turned to face to the side and said, "Come out."

    Theughter stopped abruptly. A person walked out from behind the tree. This guy was wearing a ck robe with red trimming. He said, "Hmmm, so you do have some skill."

    Shi Lang replied, "You have some patience for a demonic cultivator. Staking out the ce for the whole night."

    His voice was calm and cold. The demon cultivator was shocked to see this. He did not expect Shi Lang to be so indifferent to him. After all, demon cultivators, the name was enough to scare the people. Yet, this guy before him did not faze.

    Shi Lang said, "If you are up for it, shall I give you a quick death, or would you prefer a slow one."

 Chapter 549 Slaying demons.

    Chapter 549 ying demons.

    The demonic cultivator was shocked. He never expected that not only was this guy unafraid, but he was also challenging him to a fight. The demon asked, "Which force do you belong to? What makes you act so rampant before me?"

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "A maggot with wings is still arva. I do not like maggots, and they vite cleanliness."

    He was gazing into the eyes of the demon and cast Shura Realm. The demonic cultivator was not afraid. On the contrary, he smiled. The pain people thought was bad turned him into a fool. However, before he could wake up from the attack. Shi Lang appeared next to the man, and his sword flickered.

    The demonic cultivator woke up from the illusion and clutched his abdomen. Shi Lang had destroyed his dantian with a stab. The demonic cultivator wailed and shouted, "You fucking pig, why did you destroy my dantian? You should have killed me directly."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied calmly, "I need to ask you a few questions. So, I needed you to cooperate."

    The enemy replied, "Fuck you! Fuck your mother! What makes you think I will answer you with ease? You defeated me with a sneak attack. Where is your pride?"

    Shi Lang was not provoked and thought the enemy would not back off or torture him. The demonic cultivator bit his tongue.

    Bo Qingtan was shocked and eximed, "No!"

    He quickly reacted and punched the side of the enemy''s mouth to break the jaw. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you."

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and replied, "Not a big deal. But I am sorry, I did not check my force and broke his jaw. How will we get information from him?"

    The terran shook his head and replied, "I can extract the memories from his soul directly. If you guys do not mind."

    Yun Xue frowned and asked, "Soul extraction is a technique of demons."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Techniques are neutral. It only depends on how you use them."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and Yun Xue calmed down too. They were cultivators of the righteous path, but they were not naive. They understand what Shi Lang was talking about. Shi Lang was correct, and the nature of their action defined the nature of the action. The two watched Shi Lang ce his palm on the enemy''s skull, and the guy shivered terribly.

    The terran saw the memories of the person and withdrew his hand. The guy had turned into a vegetable. Shi Lang sighed and snapped the neck of the man to put an end to his misery. He said, "They have seven members, all move around in groups of two. This guy was left behind because his partner died in the void tunnel."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "What do we do now?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "From the memories of this guy, I found that this demon team aims to destroy the inheritances left behind by the human leaders."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were shocked. They were about to say something when Shi Lang said, "Do not think so much. They cannot attack the inheritances. All of them have protection left behind by the remnant consciousness of the experts. However, still, they should not get away with this sort of crime. We should scrub them when we can."

    The two nodded. Shi Lang channeled lightning energy through the body of the demonic cultivator, and his body turned to ashes.

    Yun Xue asked, "You say we should go after the demonic cultivators, but they still outnumber us two to one."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "They are working in teams. We can also work in teams. Using the information we have gathered, we can go to the locations where the demon teams are heading. If the inheritances are good for us, then we can ept them. But if they aren''t, we should keep going."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "If we did not gain the inheritance, we might be able to find some treasures."

    Shi Lang and Yun Xue nodded with a smile. They all were cultivators, and they all liked gains. This expedition might bring them some gains like never before.

    The trio charged through the woods and found that the deeper they went, the thicker the trees became. After two hours, Bo Qingtan stopped and said, "They were here a few hours ago."

    Yun Xue asked, "How do you know?"

    Bo Qingtan raised his hand and revealed a flower. Shi Lang confusedly gazed at the wilting flower, and the former replied, "This is a Scared Spirit Daisy. It wilts in the presence of demonic energy. Otherwise, it blooms forever."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Yun Xue took a ss globe from her space ring. She said, "This globe has a drop of demon spring water inside it. We can track the team closest to us with it."

    The two people were surprised, and Shi Lang asked, "Why did you not take it out earlier?"

    Thedy said, "We need to collect some demon scent in the globe before the drop of water can resonate with the demons and be used for tracking."

    She rolled her eyes at the two of them, and with a wave of her hand, she moved the air in the surroundings to the ball, and the ck drop of water began to shiver. After a few moments, the drop was stuck to the side of the globe.

    Yun Xue said, "This drop of water is attracted to demonic energy."

    The men nodded and began to follow Yun Xue through the forest. They came across many beast corpses on the way, and it was easy to identify that the demonic cultivators killed these beasts.

    The remains of the corpse had bite marks evident on them. Shi Lang sighed and said solemnly, "These bastards."

    His gazended on a dead tiger cub''s corpse. Yun Xue said calmly, "These people need to die."

    Shi Lang replied, "They will. Let''s go."

    The trio rushed over for half a day. On the way, they took one short rest, and Shi Lang deployed the surveince probes ahead of them. They had the two demonic cultivators under sight when they reached the location.

    They were all hiding one kilometer away in the trees. Themunicator projected the images from the probes directly onto the leaves. Shi Lang said, "When shall we attack?"

    Yun Xue hesitantly said, "Wait till they are at the peak of it. That is when the guard will be the weakest."

    Shi Lang nodded and gazed at Bo Qingtan, gazing at the leaves. Shi Lang wanted to tease him when the guy said, "This seems too easy."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "They are near an inheritance spot but engaged in dual cultivation. They do not have any guards, and the people of the other forces are alsobing the world for these inheritances. What is their intention?"

    Shi Lang said, "Now that you mention it, we have been too focused on locating them. We forgot if there is a fisherman between us."

    Yun Xue cast a faint gaze at Bo Qingtan and then at Shi Lang¡ªthe terran interacted with hismunicator, sending the probes high in the sky. When the probes transmitted the data, they realized things were not simple. They were the furthest hiding team. Two more teams hid five hundred meters from the demonic cultivators in the opposite direction.

    Shi Lang said, "These people must have thought out precautionary ns, and that is why they are waiting for the fish to take the bait."

    The three became solemn, and it was good that they did not charge to attack the couple. Bo Qingtan asked, "Can we get more details about those people?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, we can. I will give it to you in a bit."

    He controlled the probes and soon they had two different visuals on the leaves. The young man did not use holographic projection because the light could attract attention from the enemies.

    They gazed upon the leaves and were surprised. Both groups were wearing simr clothing. Yun Xue said, "I know these people. They are from Moon Tower City."

    Shi Lang gazed at her in askance. Bo Qingtan said, "It is one of the major cities in the central ins. I am curious about why these people are in two groups?"

    The terran looked at the two teams and said, "They are staking for the possible backup, and at the same time, they will act like each other''s backups."

    Shi Lang described the strategies to the two and they understood what was going on. Once team A engage in battle, if they cannot solve the enemy, team B will rush in and they will be able to put psychological pressure on the enemy to make a mistake.

    Bo Qingtan asked, "How long before you think they will take before attacking?"

    Yun Xue replied, "A few hours at least."

    Shi Lang gawked and said, "Cultivators do everything big."

 Chapter 550 Infighting?

    Chapter 550 Infighting?

    Shi Lang and the other two sat in the distance, watching the demons engage in dual cultivation. It has now been an hour since the stakeout began. They did not have to worry about someone else sneaking up on them. Shi Lang had spread out the probes in a diameter of three kilometers.

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Do you think if these guys are luring out the talents of the righteous path, they do not have the capital to defend themselves? They just want us to think they are cking while they kill us."

    Shi Lang nodded, but Yun Xue said, "I agree with you, but the thing is, when the dual cultivation ends, it is apanied by a burst of intoxication. This intoxication renders the demonic cultivators dazed for a few seconds."

    The terran sighed and said, "I can understand what you are saying, Daoist Yun Xue, but I believe they have some means to defend themselves."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "That must be the case, but we will learn how they defend and how the people attack."

    Suddenly, Bo Qingtan leaned forward and said, "They are moving."

    Shi Lang and Yun Xue also focused on the pictures of the leaves. The tree crown was big enough to amodate them with ease.

    ¡­

    The experts from the moon tower city moved through the woods and stopped at the end of the tree line. One of the four people asked, "Senior Brother Xu, why did you stop?"

    The young man he was addressing had a cold face and sword-like eyes. He said, "They are waiting for us."

    The other three were surprised, but they recovered soon. These people have seen fights and been in fights also. It was not that hard to put things together. Disciple Xu said, "Two will stay behind and attack from a distance, while Jang wille with me."

    Jang was the person who spoke earlier. He nodded firmly and took out his sword. The two moved out of the tree line while the other two took out their bows and aimed to support the two seniors.

    Xu and Jang were getting closer to the demonic cultivators. However, the other party had no intention of moving.

    The youngdy sitting in thep of the young man of the demonic sect said, "Now that you havee, we can begin."

    The two of them did not even care about their condition when they both jumped up to their feet. The couple was almost naked, looking at Xu and Jang with sneers.

    The two from the Moon Tower City did not show any fear, but then something made them freeze in their spots. Two more people got up from the ground. These people were lying on the ground under the cultivating couple. What made this surprising was that these Bo Qingtan clicked his tongue and said, "These bastards are snakes."

    Yun Xue nodded as she frowned. They watched, and Shi Lang said, people were covered in a shallowyer of dirt.

    Jang said in a soft tone, "Senior Brother Xu."

    Xu nodded and waved his hand behind his back. The two people providing cover understood the situation, and they set off signal irs.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang looked at the situation and opened his eyes wide. He eximed, "What the fuck!"

    Bo Qingtan clicked his tongue and said, "These bastards are snakes."

    Yun Xue nodded as she frowned. They watched, and Shi Lang said, "The second team moved."

    The backup team reacted quickly, as they must have seen the signal re. Bo Qingtan asked, "What if the other two people from the demon sect were here? Can we check for them?"

    Shi Lang nodded and interacted with themunicator. Suddenly, the picture on the leaves changed, and Shi Lang narrowed his eyes. He said, "They are walking in a trap."

    Bo Qingtan took a deep breath and asked, "What the fuck is this?"

    Shi Lang said, "Back in the lower realm, we found a way to integrate advanced technology with spiritual arts. The probes of mymunicator are engraved with array patterns. They can detect arrays formations, and this one is not good."

    Yun Xue gulped and said, "To think that we co-incidentally managed to stay in this spot just outside the effective range."

    Shi Lang said, "The best timing to attack them will be after the formation is activated. Only then would we be able to locate the formation eye and break through it? However, I doubt that the men will die by then."

    Yun Xue asked, "But if they died, will that not put greater pressure on us?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It will not. The nodes of the formation indicate that it is a big formation. If we break the array, the casters will suffer the bacsh. However, if we go in now, we are dead."

    Yun Xue clenched her fists and jumped off the tree. Shi Lang thought she was rushing in the formation to face the demonic cultivators, and he jumped behind her.

    The terrannded on the ground and found Yun Xue staring toward the formation. Shi Lang asked, "Daoist Yun Xue, what is it?"

    Yun Xue red at him with frosty eyes. She said, "What do you care for? We are not friends, Daoist Shi Lang. I would appreciate it if you minded your own business."

    Shi Lang was surprised by this remark. He wanted to ask if he had ever offended her, but then he recalled the scene at the end of the tournament when he refused her polite advances.

    He sighed and said, "Yun Xue, it is not that I do not wish to be friends with you, but we can only be friends, and that was why I called you Daoist Yun Xue. I do not wish to disrespect your dignity."

    Yun Xue turned around to look at him and said, "I am not asking for your permission. I admire you for your strength like any other woman will. You wish to stay dedicated, good for you but do not think that your refusal will save me any dignity. Leave me alone, Shi Lang."

    The terran shook his head and said, "I do not have the habit of leaving mypatriots in suffering, whether emotional or physical."

    Yun Xue took her sword and said, "If you do not leave now, I will kill you. This time, I will not hold back."

    The temperature began to fall rapidly.

 Chapter 551 Rescue Begins.

    Chapter 551 Rescue Begins.

    Yun Xue was not holding back her hostile intentions to deal with Shi Lang. She was gazing at him with dead cold eyes. If Shi Lang were to stick around, she would kill him. The terran knew he was not on his best behavior with thedy and said, "I apologize for that day. I did not expect my behavior would cause you much harm."

    Thedy did not budge and held her sword against him. Suddenly, they both heard Bo Qingtan speaking, "If you have finished throwing tantrums and bowing in apology, can we check the battlefield? I mean, we have something much more important at stake here."

    Yun Xue did not budge, and Shi Lang sighed. He said, "I did not reciprocate you and ran away because I already have a wife. She wille here soon. I do not wish her to feel bad."

    Surprised, Yun Xue asked, "You have a wife in the lower realms?"

    To ensure that she works well with Shi Lang, the grand elder of Snow Maiden Peak revealed the identity of the terran to her. However, she did not know that Shi Lang had a wife, so this detail was not brought to Yun Xue''s attention.

    The youngdy was trying to wrap her brain around the fact when Shi Lang said, "I understand that you wish to look for the demonic cultivators and save the people inside the array. However, we only have one chance to fight with these demonic cultivators ande out of it alive. Are you sure you want to do this?"

    Yun Xue sighed and nodded, and she said, "You probably do not understand, but I was five when demonic cultivators raided our vige. They killed the men and put the women to serve them. I watched them ravage my mother before she was killed. For two months, I watched, and then my master saved us. Three children were found alive. We were taken in the sect, but my two fellow survivors did not make it as they were not talented. I wish to kill all the demons that are harming humans. Everyst one of them."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I agree, but we should know that killing the enemy does not outrank the fact that we need to stay alive first."

    Bo Qingtan watched the two people from the side, his hands crossed before his chest. He said, "Are you both done?"

    Shi Lang sighed and began projecting the images from the probes onto the tree trunks. Four people were fighting four people, and although it sounded fair, it was not. The demonic cultivators were stronger, and they were overwhelming Xu and Jang. The disciples they left behind to provide cover were also under tremendous pressure.

    Shi Lang and the two exchanged nces, and the terran said, "We are going in. They will notst long. The backup team is also taking too long to attack them. Do not use the real names in there, understood?"

    The two of them nodded, and then Shi Lang rushed inside. He said, "I will block, and you will counter, agreed?"

    The two replied, "Agreed."

    Shi Lang and the two did not enter the formation range of effect directly because this formation suppressed the spiritual energy inside. This was also the reason why the people inside were suppressed. Shi Lang and the two circled the edge for a few minutes before the terran said, "Here, this node is the eye."

    Bo Qingtan took his sword and said, "Thousand Pine Spikes."

    Wooden spikes shot from the ground, all aimed into the void. Due to the effect of the formation when the spikes flew forward, they distorted the space. Suddenly, one of the spikes hit the node, and the void shimmered.

    Shi Lang and the two caught the battle sounds, and the terran said, "Go."

    The three of them moved in quickly. Yun Xue said, "I suggest we deal with the backup team first. They will add to our strengths when attacking those four."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Those four do not have much time. If the array were cast with abined effort, the destruction would cause them to share the bacsh. It will not be very strong and can enrage them even more. If the demonic cultivators decided to attack strongly, the four people would die."

    Bo Qingtan said, "If only we could split the forces."

    Shi Lang could feel their gazes on his back and said, "You do remember that my clone was cleaned up by them, right? It affects my condition to produce clones."

    The two people sighed as they rushed through the woods.

    ...

    Xu and Jang were defending themselves against the two people with great difficulty. They could not put their finger on it but were losing spiritual energy much faster than before. The enemy Xu faced was the half-naked woman. She used a barbed whip and relentlessly swung it at Xu.

    Jang was facing the half-naked man who used flying knives. Jang was a youngster, hisbat experience was not high, but his skills were refined, and he could defend himself rather firmly. The main concern was the two in the back. They were experts in their zones, but when faced with the demonic cultivators.

    They were masters of long-distance fighting. Now they were wielding swords and fighting at a closer distance, and they were slightly injured. The demonic cultivators considered these people to bembs on the chopping board. They were ying with them.

    Suddenly, the half-naked girl said, "Young man would you like to practice dual cultivation with me? Your strength will skyrocket and you will not suffer for this ipetent group of insects."

    Xu scoffed and replied, "Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror, ugly bitch."

    The demonic cultivator was not ugly. She was far more sensual than any other female. However, her deeds were ugly. Her beauty must have been acquired by sacrificing so many innocent souls. How can Xu, a cultivator from the righteous path like her?

    The woman became angry and her attacks became trickier. One of the whipsnded on Xu''s hand and left a big gash. Xu winced and stepped back. Thedy said, "Do you think why you are so weak? You pig, standing in the center of the Spirit Suppressing array; of course, you are weak. You all walked inside a trap.

    You little waste of flesh and bones, you called me ugly? I will show you what is ugly when I locate your family and turn your mother into a ve for my senior brothers and train her mouth to be my piss pot."

    Xu''s eyes turned red. He could not tolerate this woman uttering profanities about his mother. He was going berserk when suddenly, the void trembled, and the woman before him puked out a mouthful of blood.

    He was stunned; it was not only the woman, but the other three also drank blood. Xu woke up from his daze and said, "Attack."

    However, the demonic cultivators did not suffer significant injury. They were at the peak of the immortal general level, and the bacsh was shared. It was because this bacsh was sudden that they coughed up blood. Otherwise, they would have been fine.

    When they were enraged, the man attacking Jang said, "Someone is here."

    He ignored Jang and turned around to attack with his sword. He let out a ck sh wave at Shi Lang and the two. But, he did not expect the other party to counter.

    ...

    Shi Lang was quick and intercepted the Demonic energy shing at them. He did not stop charging forward and shed out with his spirit sword. The attack contained a hint of lightning and the demonic energy was purified instantly.

    The man facing Jang was surprised and in this one moment of daze. Jang reacted quickly and shed across the neck of the man. The cut was swift and precise. The head of the demonic cultivator was severed.

    The Demonic cultivator team was shocked. They did not expect someone from their side to die suddenly. The whipdy was enraged, and charged at Shi Lang and others, yelling, "You fucking insects!"

    Yun Xue red at the woman and said lightly, "This bitch is mine."

    Bo Qingtan smiled and said, "dly."

    They saw the attacking at them was easily dissolved by Shi Lang and their confidence rose¡ªthedy attacked with a whip. However, Shi Lang channeled lightning spiritual energy around his body, covering himself with lightning sparks. The whip came at his waist. However, Shi Lang caught it with ease and yanked it towards himself.

    He was a body refiner. His strength was notcking. The force made thedy fly over, and Yun Xue said, "Dancing Snow kes."

    In the void, snow kes condensed out of nowhere and they fluttered gently in the void. Yun Xue shed with her sword and the snow kes rushed through and around the whipdy. The demonic cultivator did not have the chance to yell before her body was turned into minced meat.

 Chapter 552 Turning Tables.

    552 Turning Tables. Shi Lang watched as Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue finished dealing with two demonic cultivators. He turned to look at the two youngsters firing arrows at the two Demonic Cultivators running away from the battlefield.

    He sneered and said, "Do you think I will let you run away? Shura Domain."

    His aura locked the entire field. The pressure was stifling, Xu and Jang were surprised, and then Shi Lang vanished from his spot and appeared before the two people. He did not give them any time. His sword shed, and a streak of lightning shot from his de. The two people had no time to react before the sharp sword intent cut their bodies in half.

    They died at the sight of their internal organs falling on the ground, with sshing sounds shocking everyone. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan looked at him with disbelief. They did not expect him to be so cruel.

    Xu and Jang immediately became alert. He asked vigntly, "Who were you, and why did they help us?"

    He was not going to rx. He knew humans were not good to each other. Shi Lang replied, "You don''t have to worry. Two people ambush your backup team. You should go over to help."

    Hearing this, Xu narrowed his gaze. Jang asked, "How do you know they are in danger?"

    Shi Lang sensed hostility from these people and took a deep breath to calm himself down, and Bo Qingtan said, "Brother Ace is reminding you out of kindness. If you believe it, then go. If you do not believe that stay here and wait for them to die."

    Yun Xue did not say anything and waited for the people to react. If they were to attack Shi Lang and them, she would not mind stepping forward and killing these people here and now.

    Shi Lang said, "You do not have to be so uptight. If you think we are lying, consider this if we can reach you after noticing the signal re from outside the formation. Why have your people not arrived?"

    His tone was calm, and he was not even closer to them. Shi Lang put the sword back inside the sheath. Jang said, "You can be saying this to make us leave and ess the inheritance here."

    Shi Lang sighed and turned to look at the Stele on the side. A strong barrier surrounded this Stele, and only the fated one could reach the Stele unharmed. Shi Lang moved closer to the Stele and read aloud, "This is the Stele left behind by Immortal God Dominant mes. Hmmm, we do not have any me cultivator among us. This inheritance is a waste of time."

    The four feet stele had information carved over it. The terran turned to Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan and said, "We should get going."

    The other two did not have any problems. The three calmly walked away while discussing a few things about the battle. They did not care if Xu was going to attack them from behind.

    Xu and Jang were surprised that Shi Lang and his team left the ce without fuss. They quickly came back to their senses and rushed in the direction of their backup team. They have never seen a group of people who would give up on inheritance even if they do not practice the said element.

    ...

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Brother, was it not too ostentatious of us to leave them be?"

    Yun Xue asked, "Yes, why did you leave? You have the lightning element and could have taken that fire inheritance."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I would like to develop in the way of the sword and temper my physique. The rest of the dao paths are nothing but a diversion."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan exchanged nces. They realized Shi Lang was stronger than them, and he was more focused. They kept following him through the woods. Yun Xue asked, "Where are we going to go?"

    Shi Lang replied, "One of the clones discovered a few clues leading to a cave with the source of spirit liquid. Even if we cannot find the inheritance, we can refine our bodies to another level and store some away for the people back home."

    The spirit liquid was a treasure craved by all the cultivators. This liquid was such a wonderful substance that anyone could use it regardless of age or realm of cultivation. It was also one of the few substances in the immortal world that did not have any side effects.

    Shi Lang did not have to exin anything further. The two people behind him were cultivators who knew the value of spiritual liquid. It was not like Shi Lang had never encountered some in the past, but the quality of spirit liquid greatly influenced the consumption results.

    The trio was quick, but they had to cover a great distance. Suddenly, Shi Lang frowned and asked, "Is it just me, or did the surroundings fall silent suddenly?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and replied, "I also sensed something, but I am unsure what it is. Any ideas?"

    Yun Xue looked around carefully, and suddenly she eximed, "Shit!"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "You shoulde out."

    The woods echoed withughter. It was not one voice but multiple. Shi Lang was busy running around that he did not take notice of themunicator and even did not use his ability to sense the surroundings. The ce fell quiet because they had walked into a spirit formation.

    Bo Qingtan suddenly frowned and said, "It is not human intervention."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and Yun Xue added, "The human-faced owls."

    Shi Lang raised his hand and asked, "Excuse me, can someone tell me what this is about?"

    Yun Xue replied, "You could not detect this ce because this is a natural formation. We cannot break it like any other formation array but only pass through it, and thoseughing voices just now were from a beast called a human-faced owl."

    The terran nodded and said, "That makes sense. So what is the solution? Pardon me, but I do not know this beast."

    Yun Xue replied, "This beast is harmful, but hearing its voice for a prolonged period will confuse your mind. It likes to y with people. So, we have to hurry before we lose our sanity."

    Shi Lang nodded and tapped on hismunicator. He said, "You will sense something inside your ear but do not resist. It will allow us to avoid the sound of the owl."

    The two people nodded, and four probes entered their ear canal. They did not sense any difort from them. Shi Lang said, "These nanobots will prevent vibration from entering the ear canal."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Howe we can hear you?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "The spiritualmunication is still working. Let''s go."

    The three of them moved forward again but did not realize that a pair of round eyes was aimed at them silently.

    The three people were running when Shi Lang raised his hand and signaled for the two to take cover and be silent. They hid behind the tree and looked ahead, finding a few corpses on the ground.

    This ce was where the spiritual liquid was. Shi Lang''s clone had been scouting this ce in secret, and just when Shi Lang was about to recall the clone when he picked up the scent of blood.

    The clone told him it was a guardian beast''s masterpiece. Shi Lang sighed and conveyed the message to his friends, who began to think about a few ways to deal with this beast.

    Shi Lang was standing with his back leaning against the tree trunk when he spotted an owl. The beast was constantly moving its beak and making confusing sounds. However, Shi Lang''s countermeasure failed the beast.

    The terran noticed a sense of disappointment flickering in the eyes of the beast. Suddenly he recalled something. He raised his left hand, interacted with themunicator, and raised his head to look at the owl. Shocked, the beast widened its eyes.

    Shi Lang smiled and continued interacting with themunicator for a few minutes before the human-faced owl flew up from the tree branch and silently came to sit on his shoulder. This action shocked Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue.

    They did not know how to exin what they just witnessed. The human-faced owl is one of the shyest beasts, and now this guy took the initiative tond on Shi Lang''s shoulder.

    Shi Lang smiled and took out a spirit pill from his space ring. The owl epted the tribute and intimately rubbed its beak against the terran''s cheek. Yun Xue asked, "What is all this?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Imunicated with this guy using mymunicator. It can produce beast sounds. I secured a deal with this guy. Suppose she aided us in dealing with the guardian beast inside the cave. Then she can take a deep in the Spirit Liquid."

    The two natives of the immortal realm exchanged nces, and they spoke in unison, "You know this is cheating, right?"

    Shi Lang was stunned, but then he chuckled.

 Chapter 553 Spirit Liquid Pond.

    Chapter 553 Spirit Liquid Pond.

    Shi Lang fed the human-faced Owl with a spirit pill and won its favor. The Owl only wanted to y with them and nothing else. The bird was not bigger than a normal owl, but Shi Lang deduced it was probably a child.

    He looked at the two shocked people and asked, "This guy seems too young, no?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "It should not be any older than a few months. The human-faced owls are all shy, and I do not know why this one is so open in interacting with you."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is thanks to mymunicator. This bird has a simr call to the Owl in the lower realm. So, I only tranted my intention to the Owl calls, and this guy flew over."

    Yun Xue sighed and said, "I envy your device."

    Shi Lang smiled and continued, "I will try to ask this guy to lure the beast inside the cave."

    Yun Xue nodded and agreed with him. Shi Lang interacted with the bird using hismunicator, and after a few minutes, the bird flew off his shoulder. After circling the trio a few times, the Owl flew away inside the cave.

    Shi Lang has attached a probe to the bird''s wings. He interacted with hismunicator and watched the situation inside. The cave was dark, and the ceiling was low. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan leaned over his shoulders. They waited a few minutes before the Owl came to a stop.

    Shi Lang said, "Do we have to face this thing?"

    Inside the darkness, they could see the outline of a beast sprawled on the ground. Bo Qingtan said, "Is that a Thunder Tiger?"

    Yun Xue asked, "If it is, we will die."

    Shi Lang asked, "Is this beast really that scary?"

    Bo Qingtan gulped and said, "This beast can wield the power of thunder. Look at the corpses; they have no big wounds on them. Another thing, their ears are bleeding. They are dead from the beast''s roar, and it did not even take any action."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "We have the device to iste the sound, don''t we?"

    Yun Xue shook her head and said, "You prevent the sound from entering your ears, but you cannot prevent the shockwaves of the roar from shaking the inside of your body."

    Shi Lang finally understood what she was saying. The beast''s roar generates strong vibrations that could shake the inside of the body and lead to death.

    The terran was sure of his physique, but looking at the corpses, he was doubtful. The Owl inside the cave did not know that Shi Lang and his friends were having doubts. The bird began to issue calls. The voice began to disturb the tiger.

    The thunder tiger raised his head and growled. However, the bird did not budge. Shi Lang and the two watched this scene on themunicator and were shocked. Suddenly, the bird flew over to the tiger and wed at its eye. The thunder tiger also did not expect the bird to attack it.

    The ws of the human-faced Owl scratched across the eye, and the thunder tiger roared in pain. One of its eyes waspletely disabled by the Owl. The small bird shocked the three adult humans and one massive predator. The tiger roar was so strong that Shi Lang and the rest sensed the ground tremble.

    Shi Lang quickly interacted with hismunicator, and the owl calls were tranted. He said, ''If you can withstand the attacks, lead the tiger inside the formation.''

    He delivered the message to the probe and left the ce with Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan. They did not go too far and hid to the side. The Owl flew out of the cave and was very quick and silent. Behind the Owl, a lightning-blue tiger emerged from the cave. The tiger was ten feet long on four of its feet. The tail length was not included in this measurement.

    After the two vanished in the distance, Shi Lang signaled for the two to follow him quickly. They rushed inside the cave, quickly came to the depths, and found a pond brimming with pearl-white liquid and a touch of gold.

    They looked at each other and quickly withdrew storage tools. Shi Lang did not have a specific water-storing treasure, but he had a few gourds. The terran sighed at the fact and filled a few gourds to the brim. Meanwhile, Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were filling up barrels.

    Thedy said, "Do not look at us with envy. If not for you, we would not have found this ce. You can have two barrels from me. Here, fill them up."

    Shi Lang was surprised but then watched her toss a few barrels to the side. The terran was quick to act and began to fill the barrels quickly. He was also watching the Tiger chase after the human-faced Owl.

    Bo Qingtan suddenly said, "Look, what is that?"

    Yun Xue focused in the direction he was pointing and found a lotus floating above the pond. She eximed, "Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Spirit Gathering Lotus."

    Shi Lang was confused and saw that the girl was about to reach out and retrieve the flower. He stopped her and asked, "What do you think you are doing?"

    Yun Xue replied excitedly, "That lotus is why this cave has a spirit liquid pond. If we can take it back and nt some pond in the sect, we will have unlimited spirit liquid."

    She was unlike her usual cold self. The terran shook his head and said, "You are missing the point. If you take this lotus away, that thunder tiger will hunt us down. Do you have the power to defend against it?"

    Yun Xue wanted to argue, but she froze. Bo Qingtan was stunned and said, "I cannot help but agree with Ace. However, do we have to leave this flower here?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I can try to fight that guy when I am at the peak of the Immortal General realm. I suggest that we wait before we take this gamble."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan woke up from the allure. They looked at him and nodded. Shi Lang did not say anything else and they finished filling up the barrels. Suddenly, Shi Lang raised hismunicator and eximed, "Let''s go. We need to rush out that Tiger is heading back."

    The trio was quick on their feet. They stored the barrels and then rushed out of the cave. Shi Lang did not forget to set up a few probes on the walls to ensure he could keep track of the situation here.

    They rushed out and found the Tiger rushing inside the cave faster than to the left. As soon as the beast entered the cave, it roared. Shi Lang and the two did not wish to linger around. The tiger was hurt, and a wounded beast was more dangerous than a normal one.

    As they ran, Yun Xue said, "How about we hide inside the formation? It will provide us with a good cover. We can cultivate there for several days before locating an inheritance."

    Shi Lang agreed. He said, "I will send the clone here to rush ahead and see how things are if we can. Also, we should be finding out about the movements of the Moon Tower City people."

    The two were shocked. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Obviously, we need to map this ce and find more details for us and the future both."

    Bo Qingtanmented, ''No wonder the elders wanted us to follow him. This man surely knows how to work his stuff.''

    Thisment was sent spiritually to Yun Xue. Thedy nodded faintly to Bo Qingtan. They both were natives of the immortal realm. They acted fine in following Shi Lang, but they wanted to test the young man earlier. In the cave, when he stopped them, it was the moment when they decided to surrender to Shi Lang.

    The Terran led them inside the Formation and they climbed a big tree each and sat down to cultivate. Shi Lang took out three gourds and said, "You both that one each and do not use the spirit liquid you got in the barrels. Direct Intake will help us move faster."

    ...

    As the three were drinking spirit liquid and improving Cultivation, they did not find a group of three people arriving at the cave opening. These people had a gloomy aura and the man said, "The blood of a thunder tiger shall found be here."

    One of them was holding a map. Behind these three youths stood a simr Thunder Tiger, a quarter size bigger than the beast inside the cave. One of the youths said, "It will be fun to refine a corpse puppet like the grand elder did back in the day. We will gain a lot of merit."

 Chapter 554 Card Of Death.

    Chapter 554 Card Of Death.

    Shi Lang and the two had found their high tree crows and diligently cultivated them. A few hours passed, and Shi Lang gradually improved his level. In his cultivation path, bottlenecks did not exist. The secrety in the sutra he practiced.

    Shi Lang was born to practice this sutra, and the aid of his Terran physique, control over his body, and observation skills made him understand the sutra better. The young man was focusing on condensing his spiritual energy inside his dantian.

    The spiritual weapon was the size of the needle, but to increase his cultivation realm, he needed to instill it with purer spirit energy. The spirit liquid in his body was cleansing his spiritual energy with every major cycle.

    Shi Lang was -also very prudent and did not keep his hands when using the spirit liquid. His body seemed to have be a ck hole, absorbing the nutritionpletely.

    The sensory rm he set up at the cave went off when thinking about advancing his realm. The young man opened his eyes and checked themunicator. He found three people standing before the cave entrance, all cloaked in ck cloth.

    Shi Lang did not get a good vibe from these people. He interacted with themunicator and found that the people were discussing refining the tiger as a corpse puppet. He realized that these people were from the demonic path. Hemunicated with Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue.

    "We have a situation.", he said.

    Bo Qingtan woke up from his cultivation and asked, "What is it?"

    Yun Xue also woke up and asked the same question. Shi Lang narrated the entire scene, and thedy said, "Those people cannot be allowed to enter the cave. They will contaminate the spirit gathering lotus."

    Shi Lang could not believe thedy was still stuck on acquiring that flower. However, she was right. After all, that flower was a natural treasure.

    He asked, "So, how do we deal with this?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "I have no idea because if you go on, you will have to face corpses, and those guys could have corpse puppets stronger than us. Immortal Lord-level puppets will give us great trouble."

    Yun Xue said, "We can purify the corpse puppets and defeat these people, but we do not have the me stones."

    Shi Lang asked, "me stones? What are they?"

    Yun Xue replied, "A treasure rich in the attribute of fire. It is capable of dispelling the negative demon energy."

    The terran began to think, and after a few minutes, he said, "I have an idea, but you guys might not like it."

    Bo QIngtan asked, "What idea?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and replied, "I wish to fight them alone and will take them down easily."

    Yun Xue replied, "Forget about us liking or disliking it. How will you even pull this off?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I have a few skills you guys do not know about."

    The terran took a battle suit from his space ring and put it on. He stretched his body several times, and the suit adjusted to his physique. The young man used hismunicator and coordinated with the Owl.

    The thunder tiger hated this owl, and it made it blind. If the beast hears an owl outside its abode, it wille out to hunt in rage. The angry beast will be a surprise for those corpse refiners.

    Bo Qingtan said, "To win over these people, you must locate the puppet masters. These crooked bastards are weak in frontalbat. You can find them and kill them. They usually control the puppets from a distance."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you. I will keep this in mind. As for now, I will leave you both to focus on your cultivation. I will contact you with themunicator probes."

    The two people agreed and watched Shi Lang jump from the tree. The terran was rushing, dressed in ck clothing that stuck to his body. The attire surprised Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue.

    The two people asked in unison, ''Where did you get those clothes?''

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, ''Lower realm.''

    The two people choked up on their words. They had no idea the lower realm could have such dashing attire. Shi Lang replied, ''I will get you some attire.''

    The terran rushed through the woods and reached the edge of the thickets. He knelt on the ground and looked around carefully. The probes indicated the location of three people. They were all hiding in different spots. The human-faced owl flew above his head and perched on his shoulder.

    Shi Lang interacted with hismunicator and interacted with the bird. The bird hooted lightly back to the Terran. The trantion was simple, ''How will you pay me back?''

    The man shook his head, took two spirit pills from his space ring, and tossed them to the Owl. The bird epted the reward and flew away to the cave entrance. The intention was to lure the beast out and divert the corpse refiners from the cave.

    If they entered the cave and discovered the spirit pond, all their effort would be lost too. The thunder tiger was agitated and roared. The lightning-blue silhouette rushed out of the cave and roared at the owl. The human-faced owl did not faze and kept hooting while he hovered in the void.

    Shi Lang did not bother with them. He focused his attention on the corpse refiners and moved about the trees to reach close to them. The terran located one of them and decided to go around the person. He would not just walk in on him; if the enemy alerted his teammates, it would be a problem.

    He did not only have to fight the corpse refiners but also the heavy-duty puppets they used for battle. These puppets could be tricky for him to deal with. Shi Lang was sure that he had seen puppets back in the lower realms, and even his steward 3po was not easy to handle.

    Thinking about this, he hid behind a tree, closed his eyes, and calmed his breath. His aura calmed down as he meditated, bing one with nature. Shi Lang was now as indifferent as nature to humans.

    He stepped out of the cover, and his sight was locked on the man sitting two hundred meters hidden in the bushes. The person was shrouded in a ck cloak and seemed to be meditating. Before him stood a humanoid figure. Shi Lang looked carefully and concluded that it was a puppet.

    Bo Qingtan''s voice echoed in his mind, "That is an Immortal Lord-level corpse. The guy is currently adjusting his state of mind. You can kill him in one fell sweep if you attack him now."

    Shi Lang did not react and walked ahead. His actions shocked the two people. They did not know what to say. If the corpse refiner noticed him, it would all be for nothing. The enemy will alert the allies, and they will first deal with the humans and then the beasts.

    ¡­

    Yun Xue said, "Should we act?"

    She was worried that Shi Lang was about to get into trouble. She did not expect him to be so careless that he would walk so carelessly in the tiger''s den.

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and said, "We must trust him. This guy is not a fool and is not as simple as he might seem."

    Yun Xue sighed and watched Shi Lang approach the enemy. She could not help but feel her heart shiver from the actions of the Terran. She could not help but question, "What is going on? Why has the demonic cultivator not noticed his approach?"

    Bo Qingtan furrowed his brows, and suddenly, it came to him. He mumbled, ''The sword is united with humans and will be a body part. When humans are in unison with nature, they be invisible."

    Yun Xue opened her eyes wide and asked, "You mean to say that Shi Lang has attained a state where he is one with nature? That how is that even possible? He is so young."

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and replied, "It is not that he is young. He has a richer experience than us. He must have seen a lot of things in the lower realm. That is why, even if he has not attained a state of unity with heaven. He can be indifferent, and all the spiritual fluctuation around him turns zero."

    Yun Xue thought briefly and asked, "You mean to say that he is currently like a nonspiritual object in the conscious of the enemy?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and replied, "Yes."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood fifty meters away from the target. His sight was clear, and the terran decided to make a move. He flickered from his position, and the enemy opened his eyes. He looked around to find the assaulter, but suddenly, a figure appeared before him, and then his eyes widened for a blink before they dimmed.

    Before he even knew what had happened, he died. At this moment, a roar sounded from the side and Shi Lang retreated.

 Chapter 555 Taming The Thunder.

    555 Taming The Thunder. Shi Lang reacted to the roar from his side and found that the Owl and Thunder Tiger were involved in a battle. The terran did not bother paying attention to them. He spoke, "Wood, can you tell me if the two of them are moving?"

    Two in his mouth were pointing at the other two corpse refiners. Bo Qingtan replied, "They are moving toward the cave to look at the situation."

    Shi Lang nodded and turned his head to rush toward the cave. He was in a state where he did not care about anything but his goal. The terran rushed through the woods and approached the cave. His position was closer to the cave than the two demonic cultivators.

    Raksha spoke in his soul sea, "Do you need help?"

    Shi Lang did not react, and Raksha smirked. She wanted to see how this guy would deal with the peopleing in. Shi Lang, on the other hand, took out the sword from his space ring. He stood at the cave entrance, waiting for the demonic cultivators.

    He did not have to wait long before the two demonic cultivators stood before him. The two people exchanged nces before waving their hands, and two corpses rushed at them with great intensity to kill him. The terran channeled lightning spiritual energy channeling through his body.

    The energy moved through his body and concentrated at the de''s surface. The demonic cultivators were surprised, but Shi Lang did not give them any chance to act. He shed from his position and quickly avoided the two corpsespletely. The corpses havemitted too deep into the attack. They had no flexibility to chase after Terran at such a fast speed.

    The demonic cultivators had never expected that Shi Lang would bypass their weapons and attack them. One took out a talisman and wanted to defend himself, but Shi Lang did not give him a chance.

    The demonic cultivator saw the world spin around before his consciousness faded. He moved closer to the next enemy, but this guy had some buffer time and erected a spiritual barrier before him. This guy wanted to defend himself for a second before his corpse puppet would be able to kill this guy.

    However, he was wrong. The Lightning on Shi Lang''s sword sliced through the flesh with ease and the spiritual barrier. The terran released his sword intent, which moved through the barrier.

    The demonic cultivator opened his eyes wide in shock; that was hisst reaction before he died. The corpse puppet was close to Shi Lang and about tond a blow when the spirit signal on his body cut off. Shi Lang had a reputation in the same realm. He was invincible.

    The terran had been trained to kill his enemy before they could fight back. After the heads of the two people were chopped off, Shi Lang channeled a few wisps of lightning, and the corpse puppet and demonic cultivators turned to ash.

    He stood there panting and wheezing. The attack just now may seem simple, but to evade the attack of the puppets, he had to push his body to the limit. The difference between each of the cultivation realms was significantlyrger.

    If an Immortal General had the strength of hundred elephants, then the Immortal lord had the strength of thousand elephants. Those two moves and the burst of sword intent had left him with only fifty percent of his energy. At this moment, he was worried about something else. The raging Thunder Tiger, this beast was running behind the Human-Faced Owl.

    The human-faced owl had the advantage of flying. Earlier, when Shi Lang spotted that the bird could ignore the bacsh from the roaring attack, he took the opportunity to use a few probes to scan the anatomy of the owl. He discovered that the feathers on this bird had another feature.

    They shivered quickly and generated a counter-vibration to deal with predators. This bird was used to vibrations, so the thunderous roar did not affect it. The terran took a pill from the space ring and gazed at it. He thought, "To think that I must consume a pill to alleviate my condition. How the mighty have fallen."

    He shook his head and consumed the pill. Shi Lang had not consumed pills too often in this lifetime, and now he felt vexed over his weakness. Calming his mind, the terran resolved his energy needs. He stood tall, picked up his sword, and charged toward the Thunder Tiger.

    ...

    Yun Xue had been watching the entire scene, her eyes flickering with shock and awe. She did not expect that Shi Lang would be able to kill the two corpse refiners when they attacked him with their puppets.

    She asked, "Daoist Bo."

    The young man from the other tree only replied, "Do not ask me. This man is breaking my mind."

    Yun Xue asked, "I wonder how he manages to do it."

    Bo Qingtan said, "This guy is probably just exploiting the loopholes left by his enemies."

    Yun Xue asked, "What if his enemy also aims for his loopholes? He is not perfect."

    She was looking at things logically. Shi Lang was not perfect; he had many ws but did not get caught in them. Bo Qingtan replied, "He does have loopholes. However, he carefully uses his best attempt to cover up for them. His technique is really simple, but it is effective."

    Yun Xue nodded and replied, "When I watched him charge forward earlier, I could not help but think he was fighting with his life on stake. So reckless! What if those people had taken out anything that would have surprised him?"

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and replied, "Brother Shi exploited the arrogance they had. They did not expect that one person would be able to locate them and even take the initiative to attack. They must have thought that the Thunder Tiger had killed their friend and decided to raid the cave and n an ambush. This was why they were unprepared to meet such a quick counter."

    Yun Xue shook her head and said, "I have no idea how someone can devise such ns."

    Bo Qingtan replied, "Stop catching up to him. Learn as much as you can. We cannot be monsters like him."

    ...

    Shi Lang appeared near where the Owl and the Thunder Tiger were engaged inbat. The tiger was angry and exhausted; Shi Lang could see it panting. The owl had a few feathers ruffled. No wonder this little guy was attacking so ferociously.

    He let out a long whistle and attracted the attention of the two creatures. He took a deep breath and let out a roar from his throat. Yes, this was a skill he had learned in the past. The lightning roar after he heard the Thunder Tiger roar, he gained a new understanding of the technique.

    The result was better than what it was in the past. The Thunder Tiger was shocked and enraged. How did this human roar, and that too before him? The beast let out a roar and charged over to Shi Lang. The beast wasn''t a corpse puppet but in the Immortal Lord realm.

    The terran also leaned forward and lowered his center of gravity. He was ready to face the threat heading his way. The beast lunged at Shi Lang with his big ws, ready to tear apart the human. However, Shi Lang was not so easily outdone. He knelt on the ground, and the shadow of the Thunder Tiger flew overhead.

    The beast was very fast, and it turned around in a blink. However, Shi Lang was already there, ready for the Tiger to turn his head. In a blink, a lightning-covered fistnded on the snout of the big cat.

    The whole body of the beast was thrown out. Shi Lang did not wait and before the beast could regain bnce, he rained down attacks. The Thunder Tiger was angry and roared. Its body was covered in lightning and it appeared behind Shi Lang. The beast used some innate technique and appeared behind the man.

    The Tiger was a king of the animals, and this human dared to bully him? Shi Lang became its enemy, and the predator shed his ws at Shi Lang''s back, leaving a series of gashes on the back.

    Shi Lang winced as his back burned with pain. However, he did not take a step back. The terran turned around and with a backhand sh, released a sh of sword intent, scaring the beast. Shi Lang gazed at the beast coldly and said, "I could have killed you but only left you with a grazed ear. You have a chance. Either you follow me, or I kill you."

    The Tiger was scared but unwilling and growled at Shi Lang. The Terran replied, "I will restore your eye and ear."

    The beast did not understand humannguage, but he could tell that Shi Lang was not deceitful. It growled softly and bowed his head in surrender. The beast knew it cannot win against this human.

 Chapter 556 Inheritance Palace.

    Chapter 556 Inheritance Pce.

    Shi Lang watched the beast lowering its head and cing his hand over the forehead, and the Tiger purred gently. Shi Lang left a spirit mark on the beast''s consciousness. The terran said, "You guyse over."

    His words were intended for the two people watching him from a distance. He interacted with themunicator and called back all the probes. However, he did not let his guard down. He rushed inside the cave with the Thunder Tiger and Human-faced Owl. Then they waited for a few minutes before the two people arrived.

    Shi Lang said, "Miss Yan, harvest the lotus. Be quick but be careful."

    The youngdy nodded and carefully entered the pond. The ce was deep, she had to dive down, and Bo Qingtan asked, "What are we going to do with this lotus? How to split?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "You can set up amon hidden area between the triage and harvest a batch of spirit liquid annually. It is not that hard. What''s hard is that we have been here for a day, and I am worried that we might miss the chance to find any inheritance."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "You should not worry too much about it. We still have time."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We may have the time, but we do not have the resources. The people entering this ce are all from big forces. They travel in groups and use various means to scout and explore. These people were here for something other than the Spirit Liquid."

    Bo Qingtan nodded at this, and he knew that the people from the central ins were really strong. However, he could not do anything about the situation. This was how the world worked. Shi Lang was right to worry that they might miss the opportunities.

    When they were thinking about how to deal with the situation, a mellow voice sounded in the cave, "Hey guys, I think you should see this."

    They turned around and found Yun Xue beckoning them from the pond. Shi Lang asked, "What is it?"

    The girl said, "This pond leads to an underwater tunnel opening into ake. There is a huge pce over there, and I think we should check it out."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "Brother Wood, follow her. I will seal the exit."

    Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were surprised, but then they understood his intention. He wanted to prevent anyone else from entering the cave. Shi Lang moved quickly but then recalled something and interacted with hismunicator. The Human-faced Owl hooted a few times before it flew away.

    Shi Lang had just asked the bird if it wanted to stay. The bird replied that it liked freedom and flew away. Shi Lang shook his head, looked for a few big rocks, and ced them at the entrance.

    Then he made sure to carve an illusion formation to make sure to carve an illusion formation over the ce. This was to give the stones a simr appearance to the rest of the area. He was very focused on the details of the scenery. If any expert spotted that the rocks were from a different ce, they would take them apart.

    The young man set up the formation from the inside and did not leave any thrace outside. He rushed back to the pond and found Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were still there. He asked in the confusion, "What is it?"

    Bo Qingtan smiled and said, "How can we go ahead without you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded to them. He turned to look at the Thunder Tiger and scratched his head, "How will we take him along?"

    Yun Xue said, "Leilei can stay here."

    Shi Lang asked, "Who is Leilei?"

    The thunder tiger growled unhappily. Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Fine. Stay here and guard."

    Then he took a pill from his space ring and tossed it to the Tiger with a casualment, "Refine it, and your eye will heal."

    That said, he dived inside the pond with the other two. They swam through the cold and clear water for a bit before they reached the tunnel. They swam up and soon found themself staring at a magnificent pce built under the earthen doom.

    The three exited theke and used spiritual energy to evaporate the water. Yun Xue had already harvested the Spirit Gathering Lotus and stored it inside a jade box to avoid deterioration. The herb was one of a kind and something that came to life after thousands of years.

    Imagine a normal flower thates in contact with spirit energy and evolves into a heavenly natural treasure. For the sake of this treasure, people could go to war and erase generations. Shi Lang and the trio looked around and slowly advanced toward the pce.

    The building had a yellowish tint to it. Shi Lang vigntly looked around and said, "Do not leave a trace of our arrival."

    The two people understood his concern and nodded. When they reached the pce, they realized this ce was bigger than it looked. Even the biggest buildings in the world were put to shame by the grandeur they witnessed here. Shi Lang took a deep breath, and they began to climb the stairs.

    There were a few hundred steps, and Bo Qingtan said, "We cannot fly in this ce. I cannot use my spirit sense either."

    Yun Xue replied, "Same here. What is going on?"

    Shi Lang replied, "This ce must have restrictions ced on this. Do not struggle. Move fast. I feel uneasy with all the silence around us."

    The other two nodded and quickened the pace to climb the stairs. They arrived at the entrance and found the stone doors to be closed shut. Shi Lang still had confidence in his physique and stepped closer to the gate. He ced both his hands against the door and began to push it.

    The force did not make any difference, but Shi Lang did not give up. He let out a low grunt and exerted even more strength. Still, there was no effect. The terran sighed and took a step back. The young man took a deep breath and said, "Are you two here to be decorations? Move it!"

    The two people let out embarrassingughter and stood beside Shi Lang. They stepped in line with him, and Shi Lang said, "On the count of three, push with all you have."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Why do you think it will open with a simple push?"

    Shi Lang gazed at him and replied, "We have restrictions over us. We cannot even channel the spirit energy. How else is it going to work?"

    The two people understood the logic and began to push the door on the count of three. However, it still did not budge. The three panted hard but could not shake the door even an inch.

    The people could not help but look at each other. Suddenly, Shi Lang pped his forehead and eximed, "I am an idiot!"

    The two people were confused, and Shi Lang began to look around. He first found nothing unusual and then interacted with hismunicator. The device quickly let out a few nanoprobes, and they scanned the pce''s exterior. Soon, a holographic map of the entire pce appeared in the void.

    The map only showed them the exterior of the pce. Shi Lang pinched his fingers and zoomed in on the map. The structure was disyed in three dimensions. Bo Qingtan asked, "What are you looking for?"

    Shi Lang said, "This ce is not budging with force and neither can we use spirit energy. So, I think they must have ced a hidden mechanism somewhere to allow ess."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "I agree with you, but at the same time, I also wanted to check what the heck is filled in that brain. Why do you always have solutions to the situations like this?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and asked, "You guys have nevere out of the sects unsupervised, have you?"

    The two exchanged nces and nodded. Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Despite the strength you have, and the skills you have are not crafty."

    cultivated, you lost to me because you bothck decisiveness and are not crafty."

    The two people could not refute it. Shi Lang looked at the top of the gate. He pointed his finger and said, "We need to push that stone te in and then this door will open."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "How do we reach that height? I do not think we can reach that height without spirit energy."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We must use a springboard."

    Yun Xue asked, "How will that even work?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It will work if we use it with some craftiness."

    The two did not understand why this guy was smiling, but they felt antsy. Shi Lang said, "Come, time to see what is hidden beside these doors."

 Chapter 557 Risk & Reward.

    Chapter 557 Risk & Reward.

    Shi Lang stood under the door. He had the strongest physique among the three people and could pump the two of them up into the void. He looked at the two people and nodded. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue exchanged a nce, and they rushed forward.

    They would step on Shi Lang''s palm¡ªone palm for each of them. The door was thirty feet tall, and they had to rely on each other to smack the pressure te on the top.

    Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue stepped on Shi Lang''s palm and felt like they had stepped on a stone. Shi Lang took a deep breath and grunted, "HAA!!"

    Then he shoved the two of them up. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue turned to face each other and entered the n''s second phase. The youngdy raised her foot and ced it on Bo Qingtan''s palm.

    The young man used all his might and pushed Yun Xue up. They did not have a base to gain support from. So, they pushed against each other, and You Xue reached the top. She spun her body around, and with a low shout, she pped the spot Shi Lang had told her.

    The pressure te sunk in from the impact, and the girl fell to the ground. She was a cultivator andnded on her feet very gently. She looked at Shi Lang on the side, gazing at the door. Soon, a series of clicking sounds echoed, and the door opened slightly.

    Shi Lang said, "Let''s go!"

    The two people followed behind him, and they entered the pce through a small gap in the door. As soon as they set foot inside, the door behind them was closed and shrouded in darkness. Shi Lang did not fluster and said, "We can use spiritual energy."

    The two people quickly took out night-illuminating pearls from their space rings and used the spiritual energy to make them levitate in the void. They were standing inside a huge hall. Shi Lang looked at the ground and said, "There is a spirit formation engraved on the ground."

    Bo Qingtan moved his night-illuminating pearl forward. Shi Lang walked ahead and said, "What do you think this pattern is for?"

    After pondering, Yun Xue said, "This is an activation array."

    Shi Lang asked, "What does it activate? The defense mechanism of the pce, or a booby trap?"

    Bo Qingtan looked around and said, "It probably activates the spirit-banishing array."

    The two turned their head to look at him and found Bo Qingtan pointing at the murals dimly illuminated under the night pearl''s radiance. The murals depicted how the array would work. Yun Xue sighed and said, "It looks like we cannot get anything out of this ce without this array."

    Shi Lang nodded faintly and said, "However, before we activate the array, let us get aplete view of this ce."

    He interacted with hismunicator, and nanoprobes moved us. Shi Lang did not hold back, and after half an hour, the map of the entire za appeared before them. Shi Lang oveyed the exterior map with the interior, and was a perfect fit. The terran said, "Looks like this ce is filled with treasures."

    Yun Xue leaned a bit closer and asked, "How?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Gine, highlight the structures simr to doors and windows."

    Various green spots appeared on the map. Shi Lang said, "These doors are all closed. I suspect they hold inheritances that no one else has ever encountered."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I think the same, but I have a doubt."

    When he spotted the two of them looking at him, he said, "What if we activate this array, and then this pce attracts attention? If those big forces rushed over, we would be in trouble."

    Shi Lang could not help but rub his chin. He said, "I left a few probes outside. We can use them as a detection method. Just because we could be exposed does not mean we should stop acting. Also, the big forces have a lot ofpetition among them. We found this pce by chance. So we can assume that nobody else knows anything about this ce. For now, we must hurry up, that''s all."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Another thing to remember is that even if this ce attracts attention after the array activation, it will lure both sides. Demonic Cultivators and human cultivators do not share things, so if they meet, it will be chaos for them. We do not have to worry."

    Bo Qingtan thought about it and nodded. He said, "Fine if you two painful than anything you can ever imagine. If they do not find out what they want, they will destroy the immortal soul and make it say, I ept it, but do not reveal your identities if we are discovered. If captured, it is better toplete suicide by destroying the immortal soul."

    Shi Lang gasped and asked, "What do you mean by destroying the immortal soul? That will cut off the chances of desperate survival."

    Bo Qingtan looked at him and said, "We are only Immortal Generals. This ce would throw us out if we broke through to a higher level. If we got caught by those people, they would kill us and then take our immortal soul as a prisoner. Let me tell you, soul torture is more painful than anything you can ever imagine. If they do not find out what they want, they will destroy the immortal soul and make it impossible for you to be reincarnated."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not understand why you must go to such lengths. Like iling a person while he is conscious and even easier, the water drops torture."

    Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue gulped at his words, and Shi Lang said, "Alright, this ce must be filled with traps and other things. How about we make a run for it after activating the formation?"

    The two agreed, and Shi Lang said, "You can follow me at a distance of ten meters, ensure that you are following my footsteps to the dot. I will try to avoid as many booby traps as possible."

    Bo Qingtanmented, "Brother Shi Lang, you seem unusually confident in this sort of thing."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "When I was not even a spirit cultivator, I used to train in abyrinth filled with light-speed guns and traps designed for sure kill. Many times I almost lost my life. So, you can say that this is what I am used to."

    The two people exchanged nces and realized he must be talking about the lower realms. Yun Xue asked, "How old were you when you started cultivating?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Well, in lower realms, we did not have spirit energy for a very long period, so we developed a cultivation technique by enhancing our physical bodies to total control. I cultivated with that method for about twenty years before I found spirit energy on a."

    The two were shocked and did not expect the lower-realm humans to be this crafty. They figured out a way to enhance their skills without using spiritual energy. Bo Qingtan nced at Shi Lang''s back and said, "Brother do you know how to create clothes like this? I am envious of this attire. It is so much better than our robes."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I will try to make something like this for you but let me state that the quality might be worse than what I have."

    Bo QIngtan said, "It is fine as long as I can look gant."

    Shi Lang and Yun Xue chuckled and his carefree manner. Yun Xue said, "Ace, you must drop some blood on the pattern."

    The terran nodded, and then a few drops of blood dripped on the array pattern. The pattern began to glow the next moment, and the pce trembled. Shi Lang quickly checked themunicator, and the probes indicated that the entire za was moving up.

    Bo Qingtan frowned and asked, "What is going on?"

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "Your spection was correct. This za is moving upward. The earthen doom overhead must have some mechanism or formation to allow this pce to appear outside."

    Soon the tremor ended, and Shi Lang said, "Let''s go."

    The two nodded, and Shi Lang ran. He was headed to check the rooms on the ground floor before he moved up. As he ran, he used his ability to sense things and found that the floor was filled with pressure te tiles. He said, "Be careful and trace my steps."

    The young man did his best to avoid the tes, but suddenly, he sensed a section of the wall open into holes and said, "Be careful of the arrows on the left."

    The two people behind him became alert, and looking left, they found arrows and needles rushing at them. Bo Qingtan eximed, "Hidden Weapons!"

    They all ducked and dodged while running before entering the first door. Suddenly, the entire pce fell silent. They looked at the door and tried to push it open, but nothing happened. There was not even a mechanism to aid them. However, on the side of the door, a text was engraved.

    Bo Qingtan read it and said, "Only the destined can open the door."

    Yun Xue said, "Try the blood marking method to see if you are the destined one?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I agree, but we are sword cultivators. I doubt if we would be able to be destined."

    Thedy nodded, but Shi Lang bit his thumb and smeared the door with his thumbprint before they could and suddenly, they heard a click, and their eyes opened wide."

 Chapter 558 Rush.

    Chapter 558 Rush.

    Shi Lang gulped as he heard the clicking sound from the door. He did not know how to react. Looking at things with his sensing ability, he found nothing unusual. The terran heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the two people gawking at him.

    He said, "Shall we go in?"

    The two nodded and pushed the hall to go inside. What the trio did not know was that the emergence of the pce had set waves of tremor in the Battlefield of gods. Many people from the central ins havee to the ce in search of treasures and inheritances left behind by the strongest existences of the world.

    The crowd did not belong to the Spiritual cultivators but also to the demonic cultivators. This ce had a lot of demonic inheritances left behind also.

    The moment the pce surfaced on the barrennd of the desert, a beam of light pierced the skies, and the people were shocked. This beam was visible from all directions, and the people who had yet to find anything substantial changed their paths'' trajectories.

    Some rushed forward to see what this beam of light was about, while some of them were heading over with malicious intent. Demonic cultivators had two goals. One was to get stronger, and the other was to kill the spirit cultivators and destroy as many inheritance shrines as possible.

    Thetter was not an easy thing to do. So, they focused on spiritual cultivators.

    ...

    Shi Lang and the two entered the big room and found a figure sitting on the floor in lotus mudra. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were shocked, and they froze. However, Shi Lang could tell that the person was no longer alive. He took a few steps forward and bowed to the corpse of the immortal god.

    This corpse gave off such strong pressure that his heart beat slightly faster. He said, "We apologize for disturbing your rest, senior. Please forgive us."

    At this moment, an aloof voice sounded, "To think someone will finallye to this ce. Ah, after all this time."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and the voice said, "Raise your head, young man."

    The terran raised his head and cupped his fists. A figure condensed from the spirit energy appeared before them. The man said, "My name is Mystery de. What you see now is me leftover spirit conscious. I hope you understand what it means to step through that door?"

    Shi Lang nodded and calmly replied, "It means that I am capable of inheriting your mettle."

    The phantom nodded and said, "Yes, you are. However, opening the door is easy. The real exam for you is to pass the trials we left behind."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. He asked, "Senior do you mean to say that as long as I pass the test, I can inherit your skills?"

    Mystery de nodded and said, "Yes, you can inherit everything in this pce as long as you can pass the test."

    Yun Xue stepped up and bowed to the phantom with cupped hands before she said, "Junior Yun Xue pays respect to Senior Mystery de."

    The old man''s phantom replied, "Raise your head, young fairy. What do you wish to ask?"

    Yun Xue stood up straight and asked, "Senior, do you mean that as long as anyone clears a test, they can inherit the things left behind by you and your peers?"

    Mystery de nodded and said, "That is true. I want to tell you now that instead of inheriting my mettle, you three should rush to the central room on the pce''s top floor. The reason you were able to open the door was because you had activated the pce Spirit Banishing Array."

    The sun of understanding dawned over them. Mystery de said, "As we speak, many people are charging over. You can rush to the room and try to see if you can gain control of the pce. This is a ce where you can gain inheritance and use it as a traveling vessel. If you can refine the core of this ce, the pce wille in very handy."

    This surprised the three of them. Shi Lang did not expect to have stepped into a treasure trove. He bowed to the phantom and said, "Senior, will we be able to use spirit energy inside the pce if we manage to gain the approval of the pce?"

    The phantom nodded, and the trio bowed to him in gratitude. The old man said, "Hurry up!"

    How could he not tell they were forcefully controlling the urge to rush out? He was not only testing their strength with this but also their character.

    ...

    Shi Lang and the two came out of the room and gazed at the three-dimensional map. They were following the instructions of the old man. Shi Lang highlighted a red door on the top floor and asked themunicator to highlight all the routes that lead to the ce.

    They had three ways to get to the top, and Shi Lang could not decide which one he wanted. Bo Qingtan said, "If this ce can be reached from three sides, then why don''t we three split up? The finder is the keeper if we can find some treasure on the way."

    Shi Lang nced at Yun Xue, who nodded and said, "If you die, it will be a waste, Wood. Make sure to look after yourself."

    The man smirked, and Shi Lang said, "Do not underestimate the traps in this ce."

    The two people nodded, and soon they split up. Shi Lang took the staircase in the middle. This flight of stairs was akin to a dragon coiling around the entire central zone of the p,ce and it was most likely that this section had the most dangerous traps.

    The terran took a deep breath and rushed through with a steel-like resolve. Shi Lang did not stop Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan from rushing over because he knew that, as cultivators, they did not wish to be sheltered and wished to be strong. To be strong, they had to face dangers and stake their life. This was inevitable. Shi Lang would not be present to guard them always.

    As the terran rushed through the stairs, he could not help but shed some cold sweat. The entire staircase only had a few inches of space to step without triggering the traps. However, his footnded on an inch of space when he thought he had cleared the floor.

    The cunning person who set these traps was someone Shi Lang wanted to beat up. The entire fifty steps cascade had inch spaces of safety. However, this time, the inch space was the pressure te, and the rest of the stair was connected.

    Shi Lang found himself standing on the first step, and now the stairs were reced with spearheads. He muttered, "Fuck."

    The stair on the top teleported him back to this ce, and the steps were reced with spearheads. He would have to jump over them if he wanted to climb. He shook his head and rushed up but pulled back with the movement. His foot was about to fall on the tip of the spear.

    The spearheads were not lying there silently. As soon as he was about to move, the spearhead stabbed upward at his sole. Shi Lang could not help but curse the person who created these traps.

    After taking a few seconds to observe the spearheads, he stepped forward. The terran matched with the rhythm of the stab attacks. He moved his foot upward with the spearhead before making contact with them. He was slow at the first few steps, but after five steps, he better understood the situation, and his speed picked up. However, he did not let his guard down.

    He was correct not to let his guard down, the walls on the side had des embedded in them, and just when he grew familiar with the spearheads, the sword des began to stab from the side. Shi Lang paid greater attention to the walls while dodging the attack and found several tiny spots on the wall''s surface.

    He could tell that these pores were filled with needles, and all of them would fire with the power to kill him. He looked at the stabbing sword des and remembered the time gap between each step.

    He exerted some pressure on his feet, jumped atop a stabbing sword''s edge, cleanly avoided the needle trap, and crossed half the stairs on coattails. However, this was not over yet. Just when he thought half of the floor was cleared, he found that he was about tond on the spearhead but no longer had a simrposure.

    He could see a steamer of water shooting at his foot from below the spears. The water ssh was so fast that he closed his eyes and began to think of a way to get off the ce.

 Chapter 559 Refine The Palace.

    Chapter 559 Refine The Pce.

    Shi Lang looked at the water jets rushing at him and narrowed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and took out his sword. The young man pped the side of his sword on the water jet, and the pressure pushed him off into the distance. He flipped into the void and thennded on the ground.

    Given the old habits, the young man did not waste time and rushed off again. Shi Lang did not have the time to think about anyone else. His speed was not slow, but neither were the traps. They caught up to his pace quickly. However, Shi Lang did not wait to let them get better of his body.

    He moved like a ghost, but still, he could not avoid the trapspletely. When Shi Lang was avoiding the flying projectiles in the second part of the staircase, one of the needles exploded, and a chain reaction began. All the needles in the void exploded one after the other. It was as if the needles had eyes, and the explosions followed his trail.

    After he cleared this section, his back was filled with shrapnel. His extraordinary physique was the only thing that saved him from bing a sieve. The young man had no idea how to exin this. He had forgotten the feeling of pain ever since he arrived in the upper realm.

    His realm was low, but he was strong enough. Now these traps have shown him the reality he would not mind ignoring. He left behind a trail of blood seeping out of his wounds.

    The terran could not control the blood flow because doing so would leave his muscles without oxygen and reduce his output, and the other option was to bypass the damaged blood vessels, which was what he did. However, the process took effect slowly, and his blood had already spilled.

    The traps lying ahead were not getting easier, and Shi Lang was doing his best, and so were the other two.

    ¡­

    Bo Qingtan was leaning in a corner, taking deep breaths. He regretted when he asked Shi Lang to let him go alone. He had just crossed the first section and felt he was already on his limit. The sound of traps clicking was constantly ringing in his ears.

    He knew that someone was still charging forward amidst all this turmoil. Picking up the morale and mustering up the courage, Bo Qingtan rushed ahead. He used his sword to fend off the projectiles, but one de could not defend every direction. His back resembled a porcupine''s, but he did not want to stop.

    On the other hand, Yun Xue was running with all her might. Her long hair turned into a defensive shawl that protected her from the projectiles at her back. The youngdy was quick and flexible. Let alone the projectiles, she handled even the bigger traps with elegance.

    She was not unharmed, and there was a graze wound on her cheek and other than that, her hanfu was also torn at different ces. However, her face was calm as ake under the moonlight.

    She had just crossed the second floor when her heart picked up pace. Looking around, she found a room with a snowke engraved on it. She could not help why, but she felt like this door was special. On the way to the top, she found many such doors. However, none of them held any appeal to her.

    Yet this door was special. The snowke engraved on the door was too realistic. She could not help but sumb to the charm and her curiosity and approached the door. The door seemed to be alive and opened after it sensed her approach.

    Yun Xue was not a fool, and she would not enter just any door that opened on its own. However, looking inside, she found that this room was akin to a different world. She wanted to stay away when a calm voice entered her ears, "Come in, Child."

    Yun Xue was dazed; the next moment, she entered the room with small steps.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang knew nothing about this because he was at the end of a corridor and doubted his fate. In the corridor stood statues wielding weapons. They were guardian statues guarding the door to the central room. Shi Lang had to get through twelve guards to open the door.

    He was sure he could avoid the weapon attacks, but what if the door still did not open and needed him to break the statues? However, when Shi Lang scanned the surface of the statues, he was at a loss. These things were too strong to be broken with his physique only.

    Shi Lang not only used his probes but also his ability. The density of different substances was different; thus, he could see the strength of these puppets. Shi Lang did not take out his sword and was not confident that he could face off with these guys. On the contrary, he decided to make a run for it.

    He took a deep breath, skipped in one ce, flexed his body, and then rushed forward with all his might. The pce floor was so strong that nothing left a mark on it, but the young man managed to leave a faint skid mark. He moved through the corridor, and the guardian statues came to life.

    These gigantic statues reacted quicker than Shi Lang had expected them to. They did not waste time and swung their swords at him. However, using the advantage of a smaller size, the Terran passed through them and made his way to face the other statues.

    He moved to the side, getting closer to one of the statues. However, the statues were not simple. The statue raised its foot to stomp Shi Lang into meat paste. The terran general was sweating from the pressure. He dove forward and rolled on his back to evade the stomp.

    The next thing Shi Lang did was release his entire potential and use his muscles to the limits. The third pair of guards had also attacked him with des. Shi Lang escaped them with a quick shuffle of steps. His troubles did not end there, and he sensed an arrow shooting at his head.

    Shi Lang squad on his knees to avoid the arrow and then rolled on the ground to avoid the second arrow. Then he used his hands to push himself off the floor to avoid a whip heading his way. While airborne, the guards he had passed earlier came at him.

    They stabbed him with the spearhead of the halberd. However, Shi Lang turned this tragedy into an opportunity, pushed himself off the weapon, andnded on the end of the corridor. Suddenly, all the statues froze. Shi Lang took a couple of steps back and leaned against the door.

    The door opened up abruptly, and he fell on the floor. He could not believe it and stood up again to check the situation when he froze and saw a middle-aged man smiling at him. The person nodded and replied, "Good reflexes."

    Shi Lang gulped and bowed with his hands cupped in the man''s direction. He said, "Greetings, senior."

    The person nodded and said, "I am Shadow Saber, and you are?"

    The terran reported his name, and the phantom figure asked, "Who sent you here?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "Senior Mystery de."

    The middle-aged man smiled and nodded. He said, "You have passed the traps, very good. However, the next thing is both easy and difficult. Would you be able to do it?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath. The words of Shadow de made him nervous from the core. He nodded and asked, "Senior, please tell me what I should do?"

    The phantom nodded and said, "You will have to take a martial oath that after you have refined the pce, you will not use it for your gains. The inheritances left behind by my brothers and sisters must find a worthy sessor. You can proceed if you are willing to help them fulfill this wish. However, you must not monopolize this fact. Agreed?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "If that is all, I, Shi Lang, swear upon my martial dao that I will help the seniors of the Inheritance pce to find a worthy sessor. I will neither monopolize the pce for my gains nor allow anyone else to do so. If I fail to uphold my words, let heaven smite me."

    Nothing happened inside the pce, but the Phantom raised his head to look at the ceiling and smiled. He said, "The heavens have epted your vow. You shoulde here and refine the pce."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked around for the first time. His attention was focused on the phantom, and he did not see what the room looked like, but now he saw a blob of golden light levitating in the void behind the phantom.

    The phantom said, "This is the source of this pce. You must refine this core to gain control of the pcepletely."

    The terran nodded and approached the pce.

 Chapter 560 Faces Of Life.

    Chapter 560 Faces Of Life.

    Shi Lang sat on the ground, assuming the lotus position and Shadow de stood behind him. He said, "You can try and sense the sphere with your spirit energy and then try to resonate and refine it."

    The terran nodded and closed his eyes to meditate and sense the sphere. He was not hesitant, and the spirit phantoms revealed no malice toward him. Shi Lang closed his eyes and began to channel his spiritual energy inside the sphere. He could sense some strong resistance from the sphere but did not stop.

    He was not using an aggressive approach because if that happened. The resistance would increase. The energy could counter him. The best oue in that situation would be death; the worst would be crippled cultivation.

    The terran did not need to ask that the sphere before him be condensed from the energy of the various experts who contributed to establishing the inheritance pce. The process was slow, but he could sense that it was working. After a few minutes, he sensed a vague movement outside the pce.

    He was surprised and wanted to open his eyes when the phantom of Shadow de said, "You do not have to worry. They cannot enter the pce. You can lock down the ce since you have started refining the pce."

    Shi Lang gave a faint nod and focused on refining the pce first. He could sense that things were not as simple as they seemed. The expert from the righteous side and the demonic side were fighting.

    The terran wanted to help those from the righteous path, but he did not have the power to do anything. However, a few more minutes passed, and now Shi Lang could hear the sounds outside the pce.

    He could hear the people from the righteous path thinking about ways to enter the pce, but his hopes faded. He heard one of the people say, "This pce must have some treasures within. I want to see who will fight against the Wang Family."

    Shi Lang shook his head and focused on the refinement. It took him a long time to cover the external grounds only.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, the people in the world also had their destinies to face. Bo Qingtan was also on the pce''s second floor but could not move forward as he encountered the guardian statues. They did not attack him, but their swords formed a barricade forbidding him from moving forward.

    The young man was not anxious, and he knew his skills well. He began to look around the second floor while avoiding the traps. The pce was huge, and Bo Qingtan found a lot of rooms. He tried to open several of them, but nothing worked.

    Helpless, he could only move forward. Suddenly, a ng echoed in his mind. He turned around with a sword in his hand. He did not find anyone, but a voice lingered in the void. Bo Qingtan frowned, but then, holding his sword, he followed the direction his instincts told him about.

    After walking for a few minutes, the young man stood at a dead end with a door engraved with a dragon. He could not help but fall into a daze. Subconsciously he leaned forward to take a better look at the dragon when the door opened on its own.

    Bo Qingtan peeked inside, and a hearty voice sounded, "What are you so shy about? Come on in."

    The young man walked inside, and the door closed behind him.

    ¡­

    In the Dragon Sword Sect, Lei Wang was ying chess with Sect Master Ling. They were not alone, and another person sat in the pavilion with them. She was the sect master of the Snow Maiden Peak, Lady Xue.

    She was usually a house cat, but she hade over in person for the matter at hand. Lei Wang said, "Brother Ling, are you for real! You are not afraid that Shi Lang would be crushed by the forces there if he went to the central in?"

    Sect Master Ling shook his head and said, "I am not scared. When hees back, he will be at least at the peak of immortal general level, and you can rest assured of that."

    Lady Xue spoke gently, "It is just a week. Will he be able to climb two minor realms?"

    Sect Master Ling picked up a ck token from the side and ced it on the board as he said, "No. He will not climb them in terms of spiritual cultivation but battle capability. He might even take on an immortal lord ande out unscathed. Also, he is not a pretentious young master who wants to meddle in everything.

    Senior Tian Long told me this when he came to make arrangements, and Shi Lang is a General. He has achieved the peak of war arts. If he were to lead a force, he would ensure victory at all costs. ording to what I have been told, he is a fierce fighter in the lower realms who has never faced defeat."

    Lei Wang and Lady Xue exchanged nces and nodded. It was not their ce to influence the decision because the person behind this was an Immortal Sovereign. Sect Master Ling said, "Do not worry. None of us will suffer. It is about time those old fools in the central in know they are nothing without their names."

    The two leaders could not agree more with him on this. The eastern barren was filled with talented people who were always suppressed. If any talented person managed to cross the great mountains and enter the central ins, they would be reduced to servants under the big families. This sort of humiliation was not something any prideful warrior would tolerate.

    They looked forward to the return of their three geniuses.

    ¡­

    In the lower realms, Amelia was cultivating in a meditation room that Shi Lang used in the past when the room door was slightly opened, and a small head peeked inside. The figure belonged to her granddaughter, who had just started cultivating. She was a talent but not in terms of spiritual cultivation but determination.

    The little girl was seven years old but she worked harder than many people twice her age. She pouted after she gazed at Amelia''s back for a few seconds and was about to close the door when thedy spoke ever so softly, "Peeking is bad habit, my love."

    The girl smiled brightly and ran up to hug Amelia''s neck. She said in a cheery tone, "Grandma, can you make me something to eat?"

    Amelia smiled and asked, "I can but why? Don''t you love Gigi cooking for you?"

    The girl sighed and said, "Gigi said it is grandpa''s birthday and she was going to do some charity. She asked me toe over, but I did not feel like going."

    Amelia opened her eyes wide in realization and then she calmed down with a smile. She said, "How about I cook chicken wings for you?"

    The little girl smiled and nodded heavily. She kissed Amelia hard on her cheek and said, "You are the best grandma."

    Amelia patted her head and stood up from the floor. She cast a gaze on a picture hanging on the wall and mumbled, "Happy birthday my love, I hope you are safe and healthy. Do not worry, I will be there soon. This time I will never leave you."

    The little girl asked, "Grandma, what do you love most about grandpa? From what the people say, weren''t you two forced to get married?"

    Amelia was surprised when she heard this and then shook her head calmly saying, "Your Gimi was the one who initiated the talks, but I fell in love with Shi Lang long before that. Even he does not know about it."

    The little girl asked and Amelia said, "When he had just entered the school back then, he was the weakest but the most intelligent student in his ss. People used to look down on him, even from his own ss, but he changed them. He worked hard and stood up for them when in need.

    He was something I have never seen in the world, a human who was willing to take the fall for someone else''s sake and still smile. The first time I realized that I like him was when he came to my ssroom. He was asked to clean the room, and he did, but he did not look at any of the women with greed or shameful motives. In the end when he was cleaning my desk.

    I was stuck at a problem, and he gave me the answer without even looking at me. He wrote it on the floor next to my desk, and then cleaned it in a few seconds. I passed because of him, otherwise, I would have failed that subject."

    The little girl looked at Amelia and said, "You are making me feel pukish."

    One old and one young, both gazed at each other before theyughed out loud.

 Chapter 561 Palace Master.

    561 Pce Master.

    Shi Lang was unaware of everything happening in the world or the lower realm. The terran was sitting on the floor, and his spirit was moving from his body to the sphere and then to his body. This was how he would change the affinity of the sphere to himself.

    As he progressed, he understood that this sphere was something different. As he refined it, he realized the different natures and moods of the spiritual energies mashed together in the sphere. He could not put this feeling into words, but the object refined his mind as he refined the sphere.

    The spiritual wisps left behind by the people all had different moods. I Lang was calming down by the tempering of these moods. Sometimes, he wished to act and kill everyone; sometimes, he felt decedent. As the refining continued, he gained firm control of his ideas and thoughts.

    The phantom behind him could sense the changes and nodded faintly. Gradually, Shi Lang fell deeper into the state of cultivation and stopped caring about the surroundings. s mind was flooded with information about the different seniors and the pce.

    Suddenly, the spirit energy in the hall churned, and many phantoms began to condense around Shi Lang. e people all gazed at him without fluctuating their expressions. e of the phantoms looked at Shadow de and asked, "You intend to let him inherit your mantle?"

    Shadow de nodded and said, "I do. Why?"

    Surprised, the person asked, "Do you even know what would happen if your skills appeared in this world? You dislike him?"

    Shadow de chuckled and shook his head, saying, "No, my skills will not cause him trouble because he already has another inheritance under his possession, and I will only pass him my sword skills, not the shadow element tricks."

    The phantoms were all surprised, and one of them asked, "Old Shadow, tell me whose inheritance has this kid gained? You sound very approving of the other person."

    The others also asked him the same thing, and Shadow de was left with no room to dissuade them and said, "Back then, a young man called Lightning Shura came to the pce. Do you remember?"

    The phantom who asked him the question heard the name and immediately flew off the handle, "How dare you mention his name? That brat acted so cockily even my killing heart sutra was rejected by him. How pretentious."

    Shadow de smiled and said, "This young man is also from the lower realm. Carries the mantle of that kid. However, he is not entirely following him but evolving from his skills as his foundation. He cultivates the lightning spiritual attribute. e will be strong in the future."

    The people fell silent, and gradually, they all nodded in approval. Maybe the experts left spiritual consciousness behind, but they were all god-level cultivators and could still easily peek through a person''s fate.

    Although they could not look at the heavenly secrets directly to determine a set trajectory for this young man, they could still tell that the person before them was a dragon, and he would soar the heavens with his skills and strength.

    Shi Lang was unaware of their presence and immersed in refining the sphere. At that moment, he sensed his consciousness syncing with the pce. t was as if he was the pce himself. He could sense everything inside and outside the pce. He had a clear picture of the pce inside his mind.

    He looked at the people fighting and then at some trying to enter the pce with different means. He shook his head, and his consciousness returned to normal. Shi Lang slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to see many spirit phantoms inside the room. He stood up and bowed with his hands cupped as he said, "Junior Shi Lang greets Seniors."

    The people nodded in return. They could tell a lot of things about him, and one of them said, "Old Shadow, we will leave now. It would be best to tell him to move the pce somewhere else. Those things outside will not sit still, and the pce is not invincible."

    Shadow de nodded, and then all the phantoms began to vanish one after the other. Shi Lang asked, "Senior, I have finished refining the pce core."

    The handsome phantom replied, "You can try to control the pce and repel these people before moving the building away. You can use the building as a means of transport. It can change the size and even turn as small as a speck of dust. So hiding will not be a problem, but you must lose these people."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. He closed his eyes and found that Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were not in the pce. His brows furrowed, and he wanted to look for them when Shadow de said, "Your friends are having an encounter with destiny. Do not worry."

    Shi Lang understood his meaning and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and channeled a streak of lightning inside the sphere. Shadow de was shocked to see this but then regained hisposure, thinking how gawfe of him to be shocked by the actions of a junior.

    The terran hadpletely understood the pce core in the shortest time possible. He channeled a wisp of lightning energy into the ball, and something strange happened outside.

    ...

    The people lingering around the pce suddenly had a bad hunch, and they all retreated to avoid the danger. The next moment a strong lightning shot from all directions. The lightning came from inside the pce. Followed by the lightning, a voice echoed in their minds.

    "Did you all not learn basic manners when raised in big families? Did they never tell you how to pay respects to an elder or not to disturb the rest of the dead?"

    The volume was calm, but the tone was filled with disdain and disrespect. The people were shocked, and suddenly a strong pressure originated from the pce and pushed the people away from the pce grounds. The voice echoed once again, "You wish to enter the pce and see if this seat has left any inheritance or treasures behind. Hmph, are you uncultured ants worthy of it? How dare you sully my Heaven Pce with your dirty thoughts? Do you all wish to die?"

    The pressure increased after thest syble was spouted. The cultivators were all Immortal General level. Even a Lord could suppress them to the ground; how could they deal with the pressure of an Immortal Emperor?

    The voice snorted, and a pair of eyes appeared above the pce. The eyes were brimming with disdain, but quickly they became indifferent. It was as if the eyes were looking at the dead bodies.

    The voice sounded again, "I will give you a chance. If you wish to enter the threshold of my pce and be my sessor, you must fulfill two conditions."

    The people perked up their ears. The voice continued, "You will have to kill five demonic cultivators. Second, you will have to relocate the pce. Only when you have five demonic cultivators'' heads in your hands will you see the pce''s beckon signal. Do you all agree?"

    The void shook from the roar of so many human experts. The next moment, the people watched the pce shiver, and the ground trembled. The entire building began to rise, slowly detaching it was already levitating. The next movement, a light shed, and the people closed their eyes for a second.

    They saw a streamer of light heading away and chased. The demonic cultivators chased to destroy the pce, and the immortals chased after them to kill and enter the pce.

    After the people were gone, Shi Lang was still lying inside the pce. The light shed was a special effect he created using probes and holographic projections. However, the people fell for it. They chased after a cebo while the real pce was still in the same ce. They had only changed the sizes.

    Shi Lang did not hastily move the pce to another ce, but he transformed it into the size of a dust speck, and flying close to the surface, he burrowed underground from the fine crevice around the ce.

    He remembered the ce he came for. His spirit beast was still inside the cavern below. Shi Lang flew the pce through the crevice and unnoticed by the spiritual sense left behind by the experts, and he came to theke. This water body was still filled with liquid spirit. How can he let it go to waste?

    Shi Lang moved the pce above theke, and a vortex appeared under the pce. All the water in theke was sucked inside the pce.

    ...

    Shadow de asked, "Aren''t you a bit stingy?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Senior, the spirit consciousness of the seniors will need some aid to sustain before they find a worthy sessor. Thiske will aid them."

    Shadow de replied, "Well yed, Pce Master."

 Chapter 562 Blade Shadow.

    ?

    Shi Lang controlled the Pce to absorb the spirit liquid in theke and stored the spirit liquid in a storage vault. This ce was filled with a lot of treasures. However, these treasures were not simple and could not be obtained normally. Even Shi Lang could not open this room, but he could store a lot of stuff inside the vault if he wished.

    The Pce sucked the spirit liquid dry at a visible rate, and the suction was so great that not one drop of the liquid was left behind. Shi Lang stopped after a few hours. He looked at theke bed and thought of something.

    The phantom of the old man behind him asked in confusion, "What are you looking at?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The water bed."

    The phantom was confused and asked, "What about it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "This silt has been covered with spirit liquid. It is not ordinary anymore."

    Shadow de could not help but open his eyes wide. He asked, "You n to remove this silt too?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I had no such desire, but sooner orter, those people will return to investigate this spot. Earlier, I intended to leave this silt behind for the followers of the righteous path. However, looking at the narrow-minded actions just now. I have changed my mind."

    Shadow de asked, "What purpose will this silt serve you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "This is a highly fertile patch of sand. You may not be aware of the situation in the Eastern Barrens. Let me introduce you. The growth of the natural treasures is so rare that none of the people have any chance of acquiring them for ages, and even when they can find some, the forces from the Central ins would monopolize the herbs.

    The cultivators from the Eastern Barrens are strapped for everything. Why? Just because the spiritual concentration in our ce is low and we do not have many experts? Instead of helping each other, they monopolize the resources and go after honor and glory. Shameless creatures."

    Shadow de looked at his agitated expression and asked, "Do you not suffer such things in the lower realm?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I was an ant who suffered, and then I rose. Many things contributed to my growth, and I tore down those walls as much as possible. The disparity has lessened, and if in the future they increase again, the people of the world will unite to bring them down again."

    The phantom nodded and asked, "When will you ept my teachings?"

    Shi Lang stopped what he was doing and said, "I will do it after I have collected all the silt."

    Shadow de was surprised and then chuckled. Shi Lang vanished from the room and came outside of the Pce. He began to collect as much silt as possible in his space rings. He would shuttle in and out of the Pce to dump all the silt in an empty room. That ce was the room of the pce master, and he could store anything there.

    The processsted a few hours before Shi Lang found coarse grains of sand. He determined that these grains were not that good quality and decided to leave them. Suddenly, he raised his head and quickly vanished. He appeared inside the Pce and said, "Time to leave."

    He controlled the Pce to move down the tunnel in theke and came out on the other side of the cave. Shi Lang appeared before the Thunder Tiger, causing the beast to jump in fright.

    Shi Lang nced at the tiger and said, "Weren''t you very cocky just a few hours ago?"

    The tiger growled at him, and it was not his fault that Shi Lang appeared out of nowhere. The terran did not waste any time and said, "Come on. I will take you inside the Pce, do not resist."

    The tiger nodded and allowed Shi Lang to do what he wished. They could understand each other''s thoughts because they shared the bond of spirit energy. The tiger entered the Pce, and Shi Lang walked to the cavern''s entrance.

    He removed the boulders blocking the passage. He walked out and checked the surroundings before he demolished the cave ceiling. He then left the region quickly. The terran could not put his finger on it, but he sensed that someone would return soon to check the ce.

    After he reached the natural formation, he located the Human-faced owl andmunicated with the bird using hismunicator. The reason behind thismunication was simple. This beast was always looking for adventure and could work against Shi Lang and his team.

    The terran was looking into getting this bird toe along with him. However, if the beast did not agree, then Shi Lang would not hesitate to kill it either. He did not show his intention to kill because this human-faced Owl was very smart and could do some serious damage.

    The size of the owl was not bigger than a full-grown eagle. However, this guy managed to blind a Thunder Tiger, and even more, Shi Lang could not sense the realm of its cultivation. So, one thing was confirmed this bird was stronger than the thunder tiger, and that was an entity Shi Lang did not wish to face head-on.

    Shi Lang asked the bird his question, and then he looked at the bird. The bird made a few sounds, and then themunicator tranted the sounds into humannguage. The bird was ready to follow him but at the cost of some pills. Shi Lang nodded and epted the deal.

    They both got what they wanted, an arrangement of convenience. The bird perched up on Shi Lang''s shoulder, and the young man made his way through the forest. He found a secluded hill and dug a cave on the side of the cliff.

    He set up an istion formation at the entrance of the cave. Shi Lang sat inside the cave and rxed. He could have hidden the pce in the bird''s feathers and then let the bird fly. This would have solved his travel issues, but the bird was unpredictable.

    Shi Lang had cast an istion barrier. Without his fault, the bird would not be able to leave the ce, so that it couldn''t give out information to the enemy. Shi Lang paid the bird five spirit-gathering pills and two hunger pills. Then he vanished from his spot.

    The terran entered the Pce and then willed for the building to move out of the istion barrier. The owl was busy enjoying the pills that it did not notice a dust particle flying away at high speed.

    Shi Lang cast the istion barrier so that he does not have to kill the bird and can escape simultaneously. The bird did help them earlier, so it was not a problem. As for the istion barrier, it will go away on its own, and the bird will be free to roam.

    ¡­

    Shadow de asked, "Why did you not kill that bird?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Even if that bird is a troublemaker, I cannot kill it as it helped me save my life from that Thunder Tiger outside."

    Shadow de nodded and remarked, "Thepassion and emotions of a human being. Well, you do have some moral integrity."

    Shi Lang did notment and just sat on the floor, calming his mind. The Phantom said, "It is time you learn my de skills."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, Teacher."

    The phantom was surprised but then nodded. He knew that Shi Lang did not wish to take him as his master because he wanted to make a name for himself, and that too on his own. Thus he was looking forward to being a student but not a disciple.

    Shadow de said, "The fastest sword is when the enemy cannot even see a shadow of what cut off his head¡­."

    He began to preach, and Shi Lang absorbed everything. He was changing his destiny. The Shadow de raised his hand, and his index finger tapped Shi Lang''s be. The next moment, Shi Lang felt his skull bloat with information about the sword art.

    It was not just one art, and there were fifty sword styles. Shi Lang did not know how to process this situation because the variety was too much for him toprehend. When he was confused, he heard Shadow de say, "All these skills are to serve as the foundation of your sword skill. A skill that no one could replicate. Only and only when you have discovered a style of your own will your sword be invincible.

    Also, no matter what you do, my name shall not be known to the people outside this pce."

    Shi Lang was confused and asked, "Why, teacher?"

    The phantom replied, "I was an Immortal God, and it took a long time before I could climb that level, yet when people from my kin decided to attack me altogether. Shadow de was forced to stay in the shadows. You understand?"

    Shi Lang nodded and agreed to him.

 Chapter 563 Obstacle On The Way.

    ?

    Shi Lang was dazed when he saw the details of the sword arts imparted to him by Shadow de. The variety was so much that the Terran was shocked. There were saber skills, and then there were skills that could be used with a spear. The essence of all these skills was rted to Sword.

    Shi Lang understood why the Phantom must forbid him from using his name outside. These skills were so great that the world woulde after him. Also, Shadow de was an Immortal God, someone even higher than the Immortal Sovereigns in the world.

    The Terran began to focus onprehending every sword skill first. The rest he would look after slowly. In his mind, he was curious to ask the phantom about the details of his demise but did not have the guts.

    He lost himself in theprehension, and the time began to pass quickly. He did not know how many days it had been before he woke up. He found that the phantom of Shadow de was still standing beside him.

    The young man asked, "Teacher, how many days has it been?"

    Shadow de smiled and said, "It has been fifteen days. Why do you ask?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This realm will close soon. I wonder if there are any more fated encounters."

    Shadow de nodded faintly, saying, "Indeed, one should not stop looking for opportunities."

    Shi Lang stood up from the ground and said, "Teacher, may I ask you something?"

    Shadow de sighed and said, "You wish to ask me about the circumstances?"

    The Terran nodded, and the phantom said, "What would be your reaction if I told you that I was living amidst the demons?"

    Shi Lang was shocked and took a few seconds to register the statement and asked, "Can you tell me what you mean by this?"

    Shadow de nodded and said, "I was sixteen years old when demonic cultivators raided the vige I used to live in. They found that I had a talent for cultivation and forced me to walk the path of demonic cultivators. I had no other option, but I never harmed any innocent person.

    Demonic Cultivators would always fight among themselves, and I would always thrive using that. Iprehended one of the most difficult sutra, the thousand shadow sutra. I was raised to the level where they were scared of me. So, the weak people knew that they could not control me.

    At that time, I fell in love with a spirit cultivator. I was forced to battle her once but could not bear to kill her. I let her go, and the people found out about this, and they expressed objection. However, they were not strong enough to fight me. They conspired and lured me to this battlefield.

    After a bitter struggle, I was defeated, and to stop these people from getting my treasures, we made this pce and sealed the strands of our consciousnesses inside.''

    Shi Lang asked, "Are the other seniors also like you?"

    Shadow de shook his head and said, "On the path of cultivation, I met many people and made many friends. They epted me for what I was, unlike others who saw me for my exterior. These people stood at my side, a demonic cultivator. Thus, they became enemies of everyone, and they were hunted. This pce became our resting ce."

    Shi Lang nodded and sighed as he remarked, "Superficial aspects of humanity always entangle the people in the world. If only they could look at the truth, they might be able to make a better world."

    Shadow de sighed and said, "Pce master, it is time that I bid you farewell."

    Shi Lang was surprised by this abrupt action, and the phantom said, "Do not be so surprised. The purpose of the spirit consciousness was to pass on my skills. I cannot and will not pass you the demonic sutra."

    The young man nodded. He understood that it was not suitable for him even to know such a thing. Shi Lang was very sorted and would not even look at the technique.

    The phantom before him gradually got shallow as he was thinking about it. He bowed to the phantom when he sensed many phantoms condensing from the spirit energy.

    One of the phantom sighed and said, "Old Shadow, you are a lucky bastard."

    Shadow de chuckled and said, "Well, you all will find someone suitable to carry your mantle. However, do not make any mistakes. If your skills fell in the hands of a shallow-minded person, the youth will suffer."

    Shi Lang looked around, and he did not know what to say. Shadow de sighed and said, "Xiao Lang, may you be the beacon of a new dawn."

    The young man sighed and bowed again as the Phantom vanished gradually. He stood up in his ce, then looked around at the phantoms. The group of people looked at him, and one of them said, "Pce master, may you grow strong."

    Shi Lang bowed to the people and said, "Thank you, Seniors."

    The phantoms nodded to him, and then they vanished. The terran looked at the pce core, waved his hand, and appeared out of the pce. The young man controlled the pce and ced it inside his ear. He would know if Yun Xue or Bo Qingtan wanted toe out.

    His consciousness was now connected with the pce, and he was aware of whatever happened in the monument. Shi Lang also bought out the Thunder Tiger and said, "Lei Hu, you know where we can find treasures on this battlefield, right?"

    Lei Hu was the king of tigers and had been in this ce for a long time, so he was naturally aware of it. The tiger nodded and then looked in a certain direction. Shi Lang hopped onto its back and said, "I am slower than you, so please bear with it. I will give you the proper share if we find something good."

    The thunder tiger was an Immortal Lord-level beast stronger and faster than Shi Lang. When the Terran jumped onto its back, the beast was offended, but when Shi Lang offered him a share in the treasure, the anger subsided.

    The beast rushed forward and vanished from the spot. Shi Lang did not bother about anything and closed his eyes to dwell on the sword techniques. Earlier, he found that the skills had three ranks, human level, earth level, and heaven level. He had finishedprehending the human-level sword skills and now focused on the earth-level skills.

    He was systematic and did not try to bite more than he could chew. After a few hours, he sensed Lei Hu stop. He slowly opened his eyes and found a few people gazing at him. Shi Lang could tell from their facial expressions that they were not friendly.

    He got off the Thunder Tiger and asked, "Fellow Daoists, may I ask why you are blocking our path?"

    One of the people said, "The Sacred Sword Sect upies this ce. You cannot enter."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You are also an Immortal General Level cultivator right? What right do you have to block the path like this?"

    The young man was stunned, and then heughed. He said mockingly, "Have you never heard the name of the Sacred Sword Sect?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I have lived most of my life in seclusion. I do not know anything about your sect. However, from your confidence, are you a member of a heaven-level sect in the central ins?"

    The young man''s cocky expression faltered, and he looked at the other people beside him. The few people exchanged gazes, and one of them said, "We are an allied group of Earth Grade sects of the Central ins. Now do you think we are enough?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "Okay, that is how it is. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ace, and I am also from the central ins. As for my sect, you are not yet qualified to know. This spiritual beast behind me is Lei Hu."

    He gazed at Lei Hu, who followed with his thoughts and let out a roar. The roar of the Thunder Tiger was controlled, yet still, it made their organs shiver, and a couple of people could not help but spit out some blood trickles.

    They were shocked at this turnaround because Shi Lang was sitting on the back of this beast just now. This tiger was at the peak of Immortal Lord level. They could not face such a beast even if they attacked simultaneously. They gaze at Shi Lang, who is still smiling at them faintly.

    They could not help but doubt the identity of this young man. He was calm even when facing them; the big thing was that this spirit beast of an Immortal Lord level was his mount. This showed that he had a rich and strong background. How could they face him? What if he retaliated when they left the realm?

    At this moment, a calm voice sounded from behind the group of people, "I wonder if the fellow Daoist can prove his identity."

 Chapter 564 Identity.

    ?

    Shi Lang looked at the young man who asked him to prove his identity. The young man was wearing an emerald green hanfu with ck trimmings. This guy was oozing with confidence. Shi Lang could tell that the guy was at the peak of the spirit general realm.

    The terran tilted his head and said, "Oh, how shall I do that?"

    The young man shrugged and said, "You must have a token with yourself that will show that you belong to some high force."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Are you sure you want me to take out my token? Let me tell you that once I take out the token, you all may die."

    The people were stunned initially, and then they all exchanged nces before they erupted inughter. Shi Lang understood that these people did not take him seriously. The young man in green hanfu sneered and remarked sarcastically, "Is that so? Do not worry, and we will not me you for whatever is about to happen."

    The terran sighed, and a spirit tattoo opened on his chest. A golden light flickered, and a moan echoed in the surroundings, "Oh, lords! Finally, I got out."

    The people looked at thedy who suddenly appeared beside Shi Lang. The figure of thisdy was something that made their primal desires ignite. Young people have never expected such a beautiful beauty to appear in this ce. The young man in Green Hanfu stepped forward, and with his most sincere smile, he said, "Fairy, I am Xie Tianhu. May I ask what is your name?"

    Raksha smiled and looked at Shi Lang before asking, "You called me out for them?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I called you for any protective measure they may have on themselves. Just deal with those if they invoke. I will handle them with ease, though."

    Raksha nodded and said, "Go, be quick."

    The terran nodded, and he flickered from his position. He was holding his sword to the neck of the young man when he appeared the next time. He said, "Do you still wish to see my identity?"

    The cold touch of the de made Xie Tianhu shiver. Shi Lang looked at him as if he was already dead. However, he was also filled with pride in being a heavenly genius. So what if this guy had beauty beside him? He snorted and said, "If you think that just because you are fast, you can scare me, then you are wrong. I want to choose death rather than kneeling to someone."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I was not going to make you kneel. I understand that the people who managed toe to this ce are all Heaven''s chosen, but I also do not want to be held by anyone for petty reasons. I want to enter the valley and explore if I have a fate with this chance.

    In my cultivation path, be it a god, a demon, or a human, I will y anyone."

    As soon as he said this, the surrounding atmosphere became silent, but soon the winds picked up pace as if Shi Lang controlled them. The group of youngsters was shocked, and they did not expect to have met an expert. Suddenly, Raksha said, "Ace, you have turned soft."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "They deserve a chance. After all, cultivating to this level is not without troubles."

    The sword spirit clicked her tongue and said, "Move back, I only need to wave my finger, and this mess will be over."

    Shi Lang turned his head to re at her and saw her yawning as she turned her head to look at the scenery. Xie Tianhu looked at the couple and said, "Do you think putting up an act will allow you to get past me? In your dream¡­"

    His words were notplete when his group sucked in a deep breath. He gasped because he sensed a light graze on his cheek, leaving it overflowing with warmth. He was aware of where this warmth came from. When he regained hisposure, he heard azy voice, "Do you people still want to know who he is? Or anything else? If so, please adhere to your pride and bring it up."

    The group of people did not even dare to breathe heavily. The impact of Raksha''s attack had shaken the core of their martial hearts. Shi Lang clicked his tongue, sheathed his sword, and appeared beside Raksha. He red at her while rebuking, "Have you lost your sanity? How many times do I have to bear with your willful attitude? Ahhh, you brat."

    Raksha was not to be left behind. She turned to match his gaze and said, "What is wrong with scaring these nipoops? They are acting all bossy, and they should be grateful that I gave them only a scrape. You would have looped off their heads."

    The two people were talking as if they were talking about something trivial. Their detached behavior brought them great shock, and a chill ran down their spines. Xie Tianhu gulped and said, "Miss, can you tell me your connection with this guy?"

    Although he was surprised and somewhat scared that one move from thedy grazed him and all his friends. He still could not suppress his emotions. Raksha sighed and said, "This guy is my master. Why?"

    This simple sentence gave Xie Tianhu a sense of existential crisis. He could not ept this and roared unwillingly, "No! How is that possible? How can a weakling have an expert fairy like you beside him? You are lying, right?"

    Raksha shook her head and said, "Aw, thank you for your praise, but apart from him, none can bring out my full potential, no matter if they are stronger than him. You do not know how it works, nor will I tell you about it. You can now fuck off."

    The people were shocked. Shi Lang sighed and said, "I have wasted too much time with you guys. Either you step aside, or I will make my move. I do not care whatever force you are from; I will kill you. So, either you let me go, or I will force you to."

    Xie Tianhu did not react, and his mind was still flooded with the words from Raksha just now. He could not understand why this guy had such a strong and beautifulpanion. He stepped forward and said, "Give me a price. You have enved thisdy. Tell me how much you want, and I will buy her freedom."

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, "It is time for you to sleep."

    Xie Tianhu did not understand, but the next second, he saw Shi Lang putting his sword inside his space ring and grasping the void. Raksha smiled and said, "Oops!"

    Then she vanished, and a golden-red sword appeared in her stead. The sword levitated, and then the de''s hiltnded in Shi Lang''s hand. The terran said, "You did not want to move when I gave you the chance to. Since that is the case, allow me to end your hesitation."

    The youngsters saw him and sensed a sharp spiritual energy in the void. This was Shi Lang''s sword intent, they shivered, and some decisivelynded on their knees. They said, "Please forgive us, Sword Fairy. We did not know your status."

    They addressed Shi Lang as a sword Fairy. This was a status of a sword cultivator who could use sword intent and wield a heavenly spirit sword. Even if they were begging for mercy, Shi Lang had no other way to kill them or erase their memory of this particr time.

    Shi Lang looked at them and said, "Fine, I will spare your lives, but you must allow me to erase your memories."

    The people froze. Shi Lang sneered and said, "Do you think you all would be able to go back to your sects alive and have the peoplee after me so they could snatch my sword? I am not that big of a fool. Goodbye."

    He waved his hand, and the umted sword intentionally shot at the eight people. Xie Tianhu raised his de and took out a major transference talisman to flee, but the intent was so strong that it prated the void tunnel, and then Xie Tianhu was torn to shreds like the rest of his team.

    Shi Lang had unleashed the intent of destruction, and the people died before they even had the chance to make a move. Shi Lang was invincible in the same realm. However, he did not intend to use Sword Intent for every small thing. Initially, he wanted to deal with coercion, but the people did not buy Raksha''s identity.

    After the attack dissipated, the scenery changed. Although not much, it was still enough to shock the people. The eight spots where the young men were standing looked like they were scorched by fire. It was not Shi Lang''s intention, but he could not help it and mumbled, "I need to work out on my intent control."

 Chapter 565 Treasure.

    ?

    Shi Lang mumbled under his breath, and the sword in his hand dispersed into golden particles before it condensed into a human form. The sword spirit said, "You do not have to do anything. It is just that I am a bit stronger than your body can hold on to. The intent you wish to channel is amplified with me in your hand. I try to restrain myself, but you know how it is when you are a heavenly spirit weapon. Oh, wait! You don''t."

    The terran agreed with the first half of her conclusion, but thetter part was ignored. He said, "Let''s go and check this special valley. Lei Hu bought me here, and those people were guarding it with their lives. Come on."

    Shi Lang walked forward with his hands behind his back. He also maintained his sensory ability to ensure he was ready if any furious beast or human jumped up at him.

    Although he had Raksha behind him, he did not wish to rely too much on her. She was strong, but she could not stay by his side forever. After all, the world outside was filled with countless experts. He was not yet strong enough to face them. He was stronger than the people in the same realm, but he was not good enough to face off against an expert in the Immortal Lord realm.

    Even if he managed to fend them off, he would be screwed if the people from an even higher realm chased after him. A man''s wealth brought him trouble. Shi Lang entered the valley, looked around, and sighed, "If only they were here."

    They in his mouth were the people from his family. This valley was so beautiful that it rendered all the ces he had ever seen barrenndscapes. It was not that every inch of this ce was filled with flowers or anything, but the bnce of the scenery was impable.

    He wished he could take this ce away and let the people know what it was like. Shi Lang stood at the entrance of the valley and watched everything. He was etching every detail of the valley in his mind. Raksha reached out to raise his hand, and then she said, "Why not take a few pictures of this ce with yourmunicator?"

    The terran shook his head and said, "I realized something inside the pce."

    Raksha raised her brow and asked, "What is that?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I have been too dependent on devices. They do not belong to this world and have limited usage. I cannot rely on it forever."

    Raksha nodded and said, "You can still use your knowledge from the lower realm tobine the two things. Right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I can use it, but I must deepen my knowledge first. I have no idea about the metals in this world. Since I came here, all the time has been spent chasing the cultivation realm. I wish to be strong enough to deal with the enemy before me. Although I do not like to cause trouble, people''s greed will always trouble others, and that is when I do not mind raising a storm."

    Raksha nodded and said, "Do not worry. You are at the peak of the Immortal General realm, and you can take some time to focus on things like array formations and forging. Your mind is faster and better than the people here. With the aid of spiritual energy. You might be able to create something that will help the entire world."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and asked, "What is the point of doing so? How will it help me? If some strong expert got a hold of me, they woulde after me."

    Raksha shook her head and said, "If yourmunicator worked, you will be a revolutionary inventor, and the heavens will bless you with the halo of Heavenly Merit."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is that?"

    Raksha said, "When I advanced to the level of a heavenly spirit weapon, I awakened many knowledge fragments hidden deep in my core. These fragments originated from the lightning tribtion. Among these fragments, I found the Halo of Heavenly Merit.

    For Example, imagine how easy it would be to locate the people and call for rescue if you managed to create something like amunicator. Our talismans take a lot of time and cannot be activated without coughing blood.

    The time it saves would be equal to the lives saved. The impact will be significant against the Demons."

    Shi Lang pondered it, saying, "What if the demons got a hand over it and altered the design, they will be quick as us."

    Raksha sighed and asked, "Are you the same Shi Lang I knew then? Where is your brain?"

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "So you mean to say I should take preventive measures? Right?"

    The sword spirit smiled and said, "Yes."

    She thought that the problem had been solved. But Shi Lang was not so easily convinced. He said, "I will try what I can do, but we should explore the valley now. They were guarding the entrance, and I cannot help but think they found something inside."

    Raksha nodded, and the two moved deeper inside the valley. The terran looked around, and suddenly, his gaze fell on a tree in the middle of the valley. He said, "It must be this tree."

    The sword spirit gazed at the towering tree, and she was surprised. She said, "If you had not mentioned it, I would not have noticed this big guy."

    Standing before a tree at least seventy meters tall, they had almost overlooked this creature. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "This realm is filled with many treasures."

    Raksha nodded and said, "Indeed, look at this tree. I can tell that it is about to gain higher sentience."

    Shi Lang nodded, looked at Lei Hu, and asked, "Did you bring us here for this tree?"

    The thunder tiger gazed at him with disdain brimming in his eyes. The beast did not say anymore and walked around the tree. Shi Lang and Raksha were surprised by this. They did not expect that there was something even more precious in this valley than this tree.

    They followed the tiger cautiously around the tree, and when they arrived at the destination, they were surprised to see a tomb. Shi Lang could not help but wonder to whom this tomb belonged, but he could feel a strong aura from the stones stacked upon each other.

    He quickly bowed and prayed to the tomb. Gradually the agitated pressure calmed down. Shi Lang gazed at the sword spirit, who tugged at his sleeve and asked, "What is it?"

    Raksha raised her hand, and her index finger pointed at the tombstone. There were a few words written there. Shi Lang looked closer to the font etched on the stone and read it out loud, "My name is me Spear. When I was alive, I was an immortal god. However, in this battle, I was defeated by that brave demonic cultivator, Shadow de. As I fell, I discovered he was not in the wrong. We were. Thus, I decided to entomb myself.

    I will not be able tost for more than a few years, and if someone fated manages toe here and find my tomb, then I leave you my armor and my skills. I have a simple test for you, pick up the armor and wear it. If you can take ten steps away from my grave, then the armor will be yours, and so will be the skills."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and then he looked at Raksha and asked, "What do we do now?"

    Raksha shrugged and said, "How would I know what you want to do? You decide whether you wish to try this gamble or not. After all, from the footprints under the armor, it seems that those youngsters were trying to lift the armor, but they could not even take one step. How will they move ten."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Let me try and see if I can move it."

    The armor looked like a vest of iron with golden patterns carved over it. Shi Lang put his arms through the holes and moved forward. However, he could not move even an inch, and the armor resisted him. Shi Lang did not put in too much effort. He knew better than to waste his energy.

    As he gazed at the armor, he raised his brow and thought of something. He stepped closer to the armor and bit the tip of his thumb. A few drops of blood dripped on the armor and suddenly, a red halo surrounded it. Shi Lang took a step back and watched as the me-like halo turned into the figure of a middle-aged man.

    The man gazed at Shi Lang and said, "To think that someone will finally see through the trick. Good job young one."

    Shi Lang was caught between tears andughter. He did not expect that the arrow he fired in the dark would hit the target.

 Chapter 566 Effortless Killing.

    ?

    Shi Lang scratched his head as he saw a phantom materialize in the void. The person was a burly young man. He had a smirk on his face, and his chin was slightly raised. This was the remnant consciousness of the expert ming Spear. The dazed eyes told Shi Lang that the phantom was like a recorded message.

    The terran said nothing when the phantom started talking, "Since you have seen through my trick, then I shall give you my entire fortune."

    The stone stacked upon each other rolled to the side, and a space ring flew up. Shi Lang watched as the ring floated over him andnded in his stretched palm. The phantom continued, "This ring has my treasured spear. The weapon is a heavenly spirit artifact. If you can tame it, consider it your fortune. However, if the weapon is not tamed, it might kill you and leave. I have left a few jade slips inside with the recordings of my skills too. I hope you can master some of them."

    That said, the phantom vanished from the ce. Raksha smiled and said, "Aren''t you a lucky one?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Do you think possessing two heavenly spirit artifacts is good? I am treading on thin ice here."

    The sword spirit said, "You say that, yet your eyes are locked to the ring. Tell me, do you take me for a fool?"

    Shi Lang smiled as he ced the ring inside the Inheritance pce. This would lessen the risk of discovery. Then he turned to look at Lei Hu and said, "Thank you for your aid."

    The thunder tiger raised its chin higher. He was tired of choosing this man as his master. In the eyes of the spirit beast, Shi Lang was a country bumpkin; his only advantage till now was the heavenly spirit sword.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang turned to look toward the valley entrance and said, "Raksha, go back in."

    The spirit sword was unwilling, but she could not help but follow his instructions. They both were cautious. The appearance of a heavenly spirit sword will attract more people, and if any of these people manage to survive or pass out the information to the elders outside this ce, it will put up a target on their backs.

    Shi Lang might be anonymous, but as long as he came out with his sword, the people will start chasing him like hungry hounds who smelled fresh blood. Being discrete was a good thing in this power-hungry world.

    Raksha said, "I will stay in the pce. That tattoo of yours is empty and bleak."

    Shi Lang nodded and moved her to the inheritance pce. He then waved his hand to put the tomb back and erased the words on the headstone also. He walked forward and was surprised to see his foot leave a deep impression on the ground. This armor''s weight was too heavy than he expected, but it did not hinder his movements.

    As he came around the tree with Lei Hu, he found several men and women dressed in violet clothes. They all had vicious expressions on their faces. The terran was not flustered and kept walking forward.

    The people saw him and exchanged nces. Someone asked, "Hey, kid, did you find anything you want to present to us here?"

    Shi Lang cast an indifferent gaze on the person and nodded. The person smiled and said, "You are very smart, take it out, and I will let you leave alive."

    The terran said, "Would you like to have it that quickly?"

    The person nodded, and Shi Lang vanished from his ce. The people could not even react when Shi Lang had already appeared before the man who had just spoken, they all saw the light shing, and then they watched their friend''s head flying off his shoulders andnding on the ground with a dull thud.

    They were shocked at this attack, Shi Lang did not say anything. One of the people who were lightly stronger than them woke up and eximed, "How dare you!! Bastard!!!"

    Shi Lang said, "Did you think I will hand over whatever I have found to you demon scums? Just because you have a faint spiritual aura does not mean you can fool your father."

    The people were enraged, and all drew their swords. Shi Lang said, "Lei Hu, can you handle this trash?"

    The people were getting ready to attack Shi Lang when they heard a roar that shook them from the inside out. Their eyes bulged, and they all exploded into blood mist. They did not expect to die such a terrifying death so unexpectedly.

    Shi Lang looked at the ground and found that all the blood in the surrounding was flowing towards the big tree. He could not help but narrow his gaze, and the blood was flowing through the shallow grooves on the ground, and not even a particle of the blood was absorbed by the soil on the ground.

    Shi Lang did not know what was so special about this tree. At this time, he wished for someone to tell him. However, he could only sigh. Suddenly he turned to face the valley entrance and found fivedies rushing over. They all had veils on their faces. Shi Lang became vignt, but he could sense they were not demonic cultivators.

    Thedies also noticed him and the Thunder Tiger standing before the tree. They immediately stopped, and the two parties looked at each other with great vignce. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Lei Hu, stop scaring them."

    How could he not know that the beast standing beside him was giving off such a terrible aura that the young women had a trace of cold sweat on their foreheads? He cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Fairies."

    Thedies were surprised and returned the greeting with some vignce. They looked around, and the one at the forefront asked, "Fellow Daoists, we have been tracking a group of demonic cultivators. Have you seen them?"

    Shi Lang asked tentatively, "Do they wear violet robes?"

    Thedy nodded and the Terran replied, "They are dead."

    Thedies opened their eyes wide at this. They did not expect Shi Lang to admit things so frankly.

 Chapter 567 Fairies & Demon Bane.

    ?

    When Shi Lang said that all the demonic cultivators in the valley had been killed, the faces of the fivedies changed. They all stepped back, and Shi Lang said, "Umm, the main creditor of this task is my Spirit Beast Companion, Lei Hu."

    He gestured his hand toward the thunder tiger for thedies to see. The beast gazed at Shi Lang, and they raised his head tall. He did not expect this human to treat him this well. He did not flex his might before thedies. At least he was not like the typical human males. Even a beast could tell from the temperament and appearance of thedies that they were not from a lower sect.

    If Shi Lang managed to impress them, he would gain a lot, yet he did not exploit the chance. This was a good human.

    Thedies cast a gaze at the Spirit Beast, and they subconsciously reached for their weapons. They did not expect this huge tiger to be an Immortal Lord realm beast. They were surprised and gazed at the Terran briefly.

    Shi Lang said, "If you do not seek anything else, then I will take my leave. Please be careful."

    He bowed slightly and walked away with the thunder tiger in tow. Suddenly, one of the girls eximed. Shi Lang stopped in his tracks and turned around. The five girls were gazing at the huge tree with sparkling eyes.

    Shi Lang concluded that these people must be aware of the origins of this tree and asked, "Excuse me."

    The girls turned around and directly drew their swords, surprising Shi Lang. He did not expect them to have such a strong reaction. The group leader asked coldly, "What do you want?"

    The Terran asked calmly, "May I ask if the fairies know about the origins of this tree?"

    Thedy asked, "Why do you ask?"

    Shi Lang could sense that her attitude had just be very defensive, and the threat in her tone was also audible to him. The terran sighed and said, "I am asking because earlier, when those demonic cultivators exploded into blood mist from Lei Hu''s attack, the blood from the ground flowed to the tree''s roots. I was curious, but I do not know much about it, so I was curious. I do not mean you any harm."

    One asked, "How can we believe you so easily?"

    Shi Lang sighed, and his aura changed. He was now like a sword ready to cut. He gazed at thedy and said, "If I had ill intentions, you would have died already."

    His voice sent a chill down their spines, and they did not know what to say or how to retort. It was true, and they did not have the means to fight against an Immortal Lord-level beast. Even if they had, they would still struggle. Shi Lang had killed a group of demonic with the help of this demon beast, and this was not an easy task.

    What scared them the most was the missing marks of battle. They were sure that the demonic cultivators hade to this valley, and then when they chased them, they found this young man walking outside. He also recognized those demonic cultivators'' uniforms.

    They had no choice but to believe that if Shi Lang wanted to kill them, they would have died already.

    The leader of the group stepped forward and sheathed her sword. She cupped her fist and bowed to him, saying, "Fellow Daoist, forgive us for being on guard. The battlefield of Gods is filled with treacherous people, and we cannot help but doubt everyone."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not mind your vignce, Fairy. Please raise your head. I apologize for losing my temper. Can you please tell me what this tree is called?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "This tree is called the Demon Bane Tree. It is one of the ten rarest vegetation in the world."

    Shi Lang was shocked, and thedy continued, "The legend is that this nt feeds upon the blood of demonic cultivators and demon beasts. This tree can purify their blood and turn it into pure spirit energy. This energy willter produce a fruit called the blood-cleaning fruit. It is said that consumption can lead to the cleansing of blood."

    Shi Lang woke up from the initial awe and asked, "What are the benefits of blood cleansing?"

    Thedy replied, "If you managed to consume one, then you would gain the strength of thousand elephants. One person can consume an unlimited number of these fruits. However, they onlyst ten breaths once they have ripened. If you dy, they will rot."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Do you intend to harvest this tree?"

    Thedies sighed and said, "Even if we do, we cannot. This tree will notst long once it is taken out. Even if we use some cultivation artifact, it will fail."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. He was thinking if he should move this tree inside the Inheritance Pce. He had fertile silt and also a wholeke of spirit liquid. He can help this tree grow quickly and have it produce fruit. However, he would be in trouble if thesedies were not on board with the n.

    Shi Lang said, "I have gained some inheritance in this ce and some things that came with it. If you all are willing to take a dao oath not to oust my secret to anyone, I will show you the ce. There we can wait for the Demon Bane to bear Fruit."

    Thismunication took ce with spiritmunication and not verbally. Shi Lang did not wish for the words to be heard even by the wind around. Thedies were shocked, and Shi Lang continued, "I am willing to take an oath that what I said is true, and I bear you no ill-will."

    The fivedies were confused and asked, "Why do you wish to help us?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not wish to help you but myself. If I can return with this tree, I will be doing a good job."

    The leading cultivator said, "This tree will only grow when it has consumed the blood of thousand demonic cultivators or demon beasts."

    Shi Lang smirked and said, "That will be easy."

 Chapter 568 Encounter.

    ?

    The fairies were in a dilemma over Shi Lang''s proposal. They did not expect this young man to be so helpful to them. The only thing that bothered them was the point that they would have to give up on the demon bane tree. Although Shi Lang had promised to let them consume the fruits, they were still unsure.

    As they talked, one of thedies said, "Senior Sister, how about we refuse him? Why must we take so much stress over this? What if he is one of those conspiring with the demonic cultivators?"

    The group leader shook her head faintly and said, "I can tell that he is not such a person, his eyes are clear, and he also took a heavenly vow. Even if it was rudimentary, if he acts against us, it will be a death sentence for him. I was not expecting him to be so sincere."

    The others thought and could not help but nod after hearing this. After a few more minutes of discussion, they agreed to Shi Lang. The terran was happy about this, and he was getting the demon bane tree.

    They were standing under the big tree, and Shi Lang questioned, "Fairy, can you tell me how to extract this tree?"

    Thedy said, "Fellow Daoist, you can call me Ying Yu."

    Shi Lang nodded and reported his name as well. Ying Yu nodded and said, "You can dig around the tree and then extract it carefully. Please ensure you do not channel negative intent toward the tree, or the roots will attack."

    The Terran did not expect this, but he understood that the tree was conscious. Thinking about this, he removed the soil using a rather shy method. He manipted the spirit energy to create a wind current around the tree. The soil flew up slowly, but after five minutes, they reached the bottom of the roots. Shi Lang closed his eyes, and his spirit energy covered the tree.

    The next movement, the tree vanished from the spot. The fivedies were shocked and could not believe Shi Lang could hold such a big thousand-meter tree into his space ring. However, in this world, who did not have secrets?

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Lei Hu, take us to a remote and hidden ce."

    Sensing their moods, Shi Lang said, "You do not have to worry, Daoist Ying Yu. The only reason I am taking you all to a hidden ce is so that you can test your destiny in peace."

    The youngdies looked at each other, and then Ying Yu nodded. The group quickly followed the Thunder Tiger. They saw a lot ofndscapes, some fascinating, some bizarre. However, this was all considered to be an experience.

    The battlefield of gods was so dangerous that just a slight in judgment and the scenery would swallow youpletely. The beasts in this ce were rare; if there were any, they were strong, like Lei Hu or the Human-faced Owl.

    On the way to the ce, Lei Hu had warned Shi Lang many times, and they had to go in a roundabout. Lei Hu did not have a big territory. After all, he was just an Immortal Lord, and this ce had Immortal Kings and even Immortal Emperor level beasts.

    Ying Yu said, "When we were chasing the group of Demonic Cultivators, we came to know that they had located the hiding ce of a demonic beast. The realm of this beast was Immortal King. However, they said that the beast was injured, and thus they had bought a lot of treasures to nourish it and a secret technique to subdue it."

    Shi Lang snorted and said, "I hate demonic cultivators a lot. If I can find the hideout of that beast, I have a way to kill it."

    Ying Yu was surprised, while the rest thought Shi Lang was boasting shamelessly. As they were conversing, they found themselves standing before a swamp. Shi Lang frowned and turned to look at Lei Hu. He said, "Xiao Hu, where did you bring us?"

    The Thunder Tiger red at Shi Lang and bared its fangs when it heard the address. Shi Lang waved his hand and did not care about the beast. He stepped forward and nodded, and the thunder tiger conveyed to him a few things. The Terran said, "Lei Hu is telling me this swamp is newly formed. Let''s look for another ce because it could be a trap."

    Before Ying Yu could say anything, one youngdy said, "Are you trying to fool us? We have been following you for a long time, and now you say we should look for another ce. Return the Demon Bane Tree you took, you con!"

    Thedy did not lower her voice, and Shi Lang frowned. He narrowed his gaze and nced at the swamp. The ce was as big as a football field. Shi Lang said, "Since you all are here, why don''t youe out?"

    Thedy thought Shi Lang was still putting up an act. She quickly took out her sword and was ready to attack Shi Lang when Ying Yu stepped forward and said, "Indeed, stop acting like a coward ande out."

    Thedy was surprised and realized that she had caused a big blunder. At this moment, she wanted to say something, but it was toote. Suddenly a few figures stood up from the ground. They all looked dirty, but they used the dirt and mud on their bodies using the spirit energy.

    It looked like these people were all spirit cultivators at a rough nce. However, Shi Lang could see a few people with Demonic Energy circting them. Shi Lang asked, "Are these the colluders you talked about?"

    Ying Yu nodded and said, "To think the reputed me Prince will be a colluder. I wonder what the impact will be if the council learned this."

    A young man in a ming red robe stood on the swamp surface. He had long hair, and on his head was a golden crown. It looked like the crown was flickering like mes. The young man sneered and said, "I did not expect the Fairy Yu toe across me on the battlefield of gods. As for the impact, if the council found out about us, you do not have to worry because who will tell them?"

    Ying Yu took out her sword and said, "Why don''t we decide if you can stop me from doing that?"

    The me prince chuckled and said, "We can be said to have some rtion, I will not attack you, but I want that Demon Bane Tree."

    His gazended on Shi Lang, and he began to size him up. However, Shi Lang said, "You all talk a bit too much."

    Then he vanished from his ce and appeared behind the young man. His target was not the spirit cultivators but the demonic cultivators aided by them. Shi Lang did not bring out his sword because he noticed the people were focused on Ying Yu and her fellow cultivators.

    They did not think much of him, and even more, Shi Lang attacked when the enemy was talking to him of intimidate him. Shi Lang''s fist was covered with lighting energy and headed toward the demonic cultivator''s head.

    Thetter was so shocked that he did not have the time to defend himself when the fist came in contact with his temples. The violent Lightning energy attacked the demonic energy like a wounded beast chasing food.

    Shi Lang knew that his attack had seeded, and he turned around to deal with the rest of the demonic cultivators. The enemy camp had fifty people, and they did not expect this guy to barge right in the middle of them. However, that was why they were so shocked as well.

    Ying Yu snorted, and her sisters woke up from their daze. They brandished their swords and joined the fray. Shi Lang had informed thedy about his n before he initiated the attack. The five of them joined forces and unleashed an attack on the back of the me Prince.

    Ying Yu shouted softly, "Judgement Pentagon Sword Formation."

    The me Prince was preparing to attack Shi Lang, so he was somewhat prepared but did not expect thedies to attack his exposed back. He sneered and shouted, "Dragon me Spear."

    He held a spear that seemed to have turned into a dragon as it attacked the iing swords. Thedies did not fall back, but they increased their energy input in the attack. Five to one, and me Prince managed to hold back the attack. Although he had consumed a lot of energy, the attack still did not harm him.

    On the other hand, Shi Lang was akin to a tiger amidst a herd of sheep. He was moving around, and his fists killed people every time they moved. He was thorough in his work and did not kill the spirit cultivators. He only knocked them out. The demonic cultivators did not receive such a treatment, and they were killed one after the other. Their corpses were taken into storage by the Terran for gardening needs.

 Chapter 569 Lighting Vs Fire.

    ?

    Shi Lang had been killing people with great efficiency, and on the other side, the fivedies were holding back the me Prince. Ying Yu was stronger than her sisters and could trouble the enemy with her sword skills.

    However, the enemy had an advantage as he used the spear to fight with them. The saying, ''One inch longer is ten times stronger.'' was not groundless on the battlefield. The five people were kept at bay, but it did not allow him to join the fight and protect his brethren.

    Sensing no way out, the me Prince let out a roar, and a burst of me cloud pushed back the five sisters. However, they still had him surrounded. The young man red at Ying Yu and said, "I dare you to fight one-on-one with me."

    Ying Yu scoffed and said, "I do not have to uphold honor when facing a scum."

    Her hair was scattered, and her forehead was covered with sweat, but her eyes were clear. Her sisters were more or less the same as her. The enemy, on the other hand, looked very troubled. Ying Yu said, "Wang Xaiozhen, why don''t you give up? Your friends are almost dead. What is it that keeps you going?"

    Wang Xaiozhen spat disdainfully, saying, "I will not surrender to weaklings like you. I will show you that you do not have the right to act smug before me. I will have you and your sisters serve me on your knees when I am done. You bitches!"

    Thedies were enraged, but Ying Yu kept herposure and waved her hand to her sisters to not act rashly. She knew she could not defeat the enemy alone, and her thoughts focused on Shi Lang. The young man had shocked her, and he was fighting and killing people with great skill.

    However, he had been keeping an eye on her as well. Many times in the battle exchange just now, she heard his voice in her mind and managed to keep pressure on Wang Xiaozhen. Not only that, but Shi Lang was also guiding her sisters. She was aware of her sister''s skills. None of them could have spotted the loopholes in Wang Xiaozhen''s techniques.

    Shi Lang could do this and that while fighting with someone else. As she was thinking, she saw that Wang Xiaozhen took a ring from his space ring and put it on his finger.

    The next moment, a strong pressure pushed the five sisters away. Then a roar echoed in the surroundings. They all shivered and coughed up blood. Shi Lang finished killing thest person before him and flickered to the side.

    Wang Xiaozhen had attacked him, and he was quick. The terran narrowed his gaze and moved. He did not attack the guy but appeared beside the five sisters. They were injured, and now they have be his liability. He could not simply abandon them. The terran calmly gazed at their faces and saw them taking healing pills.

    Then he looked at the source of the roar and said, "Lei Hu, you will handle this mutt."

    Wang Xiaozhen took out a blue wolf to attack the five sisters and aid him to break out of the encirclement. The Thunder Tiger growled and rushed after the blue wolf. The two beasts were embroiled in a heated battle, and on the other side, their masters were not holding back either.

    Wang Xiaozhen rushed at Shi Lang, who reciprocated the gesture. The sword was smaller than the spear. However, lightning was faster than the mes. Shi Lang was an expert at such things and knew how to deal with cocky enemies. He hated the demonic cultivators; more than that, he hated those who betrayed their kind for petty interests.

    Shi Lang passed to Ying Yu using spiritualmunication, ''Record everything that happens now in an image stone and focus on him.''

    Ying Yu was hurt, but she still understood his intention. She ryed everything to her sisters, who prepared one image recording stone. They would take turns recording things after one of the image-recording stones ran out of space.

    They all looked at the two young figures shing with each with great vigor. They were shocked that Shi Lang was not losing out to Wang Xiaozhen. The terran used his superior speed to avoid all the attacks that came at him. He seemed to be passively defending, but he was countering the me Prince also.

    The attacks were not obvious because Shi Lang was very careful. He did not charge at every single loophole exposed before him. Some of them were left behind by Wang Xiaozhen purposefully. He wanted to lure Shi Lang, but the young man did not give him any chances.

    Wang Xiaozhen was frustrated and yelled, "Do you only know how to defend and avoid attacks like a coward? Why don''t you face me like a man?"

    Shi Lang stopped moving at a distance and said, "You think you are a man? You are just a dog that wags its tail to the demonic cultivators. Why must I face you like a man?"

    Wang Xiaozhen''s face turned red in rage, and he shivered. The person before him did not hold back his disdain at all. This humiliation was not something that he, the me Prince, had ever faced before. He shouted and rushed forward to attack Shi Lang. The terran narrowed his eyes and channeled lightning energy into the sword.

    The surface of his de started glowing and produced crackling sounds. The enemy was attacking him with a fiery dragon tip, and it was time for him to reveal his cards and push this guy into despair. This way, Wang Xiaozhen will confess.

    The me Prince shoved his spear at Shi Lang, and the Terran vanished from his spot. Like many times before, he still appeared behind Wang Xiaozhen, who quickly retracted his weapon and swung it behind him. However, this time he failed to defend the attack. Shi Lang''s hand flickered, and a strong intent to cut was unloaded at his enemy''s back.

    Wang Xiaozhen sensed his back turning warm, and then in a blink, he sensed burning pain washing over his back. Shi Lang said, "What did you learn with the Demonic cults? Hmph, to think you have a domineering name, me Prince. I would not even name you as a dog in my family."

    Wang Xiaozhen gripped his spear tightly and clenched his jaw. After a few breaths, he said, "You want to see what I learned in the demonic cults, right? Let me fulfill your wish. Blood Dragon Trasformation."

    As he finished speaking, his body was enveloped with scarlet mes. His aura began to climb, and the surrounding area seemed under his control. However, the process did not stop there. Wang Xiaozhen''s appearance changed. His back hunched slightly as spikes protruded from his spine, and two horns grew under his crown. His eyes turned red, and his palms turned into heinous ws.

    Ying Yu was shocked, and she eximed, "Daoist Ace, this is a taboo technique. He is trying to raise his realm forcefully."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and looked to the side, Lie Hu will still take a few minutes to deal with the big wolf. He did not wish toplicate things, but now he would have to reveal more than one card. He sighed andmunicated with Ying Yu in secret, ''Fairy Ying, I am not from the central ins. What I am about to do will draw unnecessary attention to me if the people found out. Please stop recording.''

    Ying Yu was surprised, but she nodded and stopped pouring spiritual energy inside the image-recording stone. Shi Lang held his sword and said, "Shura Domain."

    The surroundings were filled with lighting, and Ying Yu and her sisters were shocked. They did not know what to say to this skill. This was a domain boundary that they had seen only experts of a higher level using. How could Shi Lang use it? Was he, not just an Immortal General?

    The terran watched the me Prince transform, saying, "You are a bit too slow. In the next life, learn a technique to react instantly. Lightning shes the heaven."

    He shed his sword without hesitation, and a sword sh condensed from blue lightning rushed at Wang Xiaozhen, who watched the scene with disbelief in his gaze. Shi Lang broke the rules of battle. However, it was not wrong of him to react and take the initiative. He would be a fool to watch his enemy kill him and do nothing about it.

    The sword sh made its way through the void, and it moved past Wang Xiaozhen in a blink. Thetter did not even get the time to react. Shi Lang used the Shura domain and suppressed the enemy briefly. Wang Xiaozhen''s body was split from head to toe. The cut was so clean that only a thin line appeared on his face before the two parts of his body fell on the swamp.

 Chapter 570 Helping Hand.

    ?

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and the body was thrown at the feet of five fairies. The fivedies took a few steps back, and Shi Langnded before them. He dispelled the domain and said, "Fairy Ying, this corpse can serve as evidence against the force this guy belonged to."

    Ying Yu realized his intentions and nodded. She was about to ept the corpse when she gazed at her junior sister, who understood the intention and moved closer to the corpse. She removed the space ring and bought it for Ying Yu.

    Thedy thought momentarily and said, "Fellow Daoist Ace, do you wish to partake in anything inside this ring?"

    Shi Lang shook his head, and with a flick of his hand, the overlord spear appeared in his hand. He asked, "If you do not mind, can I take this spear?"

    Ying Yu did not mind it. After all, none of them used a spear. She was thinking about how Shi Lang would use this spear when the young man waved his hand, and many space rings appeared in the void. Shi Lang said, "You can have these too."

    Ying Yu was surprised and wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "I will bring you to the location first, but I hope you all can keep this a secret."

    His words changed the expressions of the youngdies, and they hadpletely forgotten the motive they had tagged along with this young man. Ying Yu recalled his actions: "I swear on the heavens that we will not leak your secrets. If I fail to uphold this oath, may the heavens smite me with lightning and disperse my soul to the samsara."

    Shi Lang was surprised and did not expect thisdy even to take a heavenly oath. The shock was not contained to him, but even the junior sisters were surprised that Ying Yu swore on the heavens. They all realized at this moment that Shi Lang saved them. A roar echoed in the surroundings and drew their consciousness back to reality.

    They turned to the side and found that Lei Hu wasing over slowly with the corpse of the blue wolf caught between his jaws. Shi Lang sighed and said, "I will cover you with my spiritual energy. Please do not resist."

    Thedies exchanged nces before they nodded, and Shi Lang covered them with his spiritual energy. The next moment, thedies sensed something and realized they had already appeared inside a huge hall. They were shocked and looked around to find Shi Lang.

    However, they only heard his voice echoing, "Wee to the inheritance pce, Fairies. This ce is left behind by a group of seniors who did not wish for their skills to be forgotten. Feel free to move around and check the pce if you find any door calling to you. Then you might have a chance. Though, it might not be easy for you to inherit the mantle of your predecessors. Everything depends on your effort."

    Thedies were momentarily surprised but then calmed down and began exploring the pce.

    ...

    Outside, Shi Lang did not enter the pce. He lifted the spear in his hand and moved it around a bit. He had nothing to do inside the pce and decided to spend his time practicing his sword and spear skills.

    He had a certain understanding of the sword''s intent, and he also knew that his skills would not grow in such a short time. The motive to use and teach himself the spear was to find himself a cover in the future. He could use his identity as a spear cultivator and act as a sword cultivator in the dark.

    He understood the fundament of having more than one identity to rely on. Moreover, he could create a clone and have it move around as the sword wielder. He began to practice without paying attention to the Thunder Tiger chowing down on the corpse of its prey. The world of spiritual beasts was rather simple.

    As Shi Lang was practicing, he noticed something and suddenly came to a stop. He turned his head to look toward the cave beyond the swamp. The terran knew that the people he had just killed were all looking for something in the cave. They hid here because they saw them approach.

    He asked, "Lei Hu, is there a demon beast inside that cave?"

    The thunder tiger raised his head, and after gazing at the cave for a few minutes, he nodded. Shi Lang questioned, "Can you beat this beast?"

    Lei Hu shook his head, and Shi Lang nodded. He said, "I will go and check out what kind of demon beast it is."

    The thunder tiger opened his eyes wide and was scared, but Shi Lang sneered and said, "To think you were even posing before those Fairies. Tch, what a waste."

    Then he waved his hand and moved Lei Hu inside the pce. The battle earlier happed over the swamp, and all the traces of it had vanished already. Shi Lang did not have to do much to clear up the scene. He circted the movement technique and moved over the swamp. He could use his spirit sword to fly, but he wanted to use this time to hone his skills and sharpen them to use them while fighting the enemy.

    He could use the void as a staircase, but that was just a facade and not a practical skill. The terran arrived at the cave entrance, and his spiritual energy scanned the ce. However, as he dwelled deeper, a faint sense of oppression washed over him. This pressure was strong, and it was very vtile.

    Shi Lang frowned. If he were to walk inside the cave and stand against this pressure, he would die miserably. He sighed and began to ponder what he should do. Suddenly, Raksha''s voice sounded in his mind, "You can control the pce to go there. It can fend off this protective pressure from the demonic beast. I suggest you kill this thing and use its body to nourish the Demon Bane Tree."

    Shi Lang nodded and decided to try this suggestion. He appeared inside the control room of the pce, and the pce, which was as big as a dust particle, flew forward. Shi Lang could tell that the pressure was almost non-existent inside the pce. Raksha''s phantom appeared beside him, and thedy asked, "How do you intend to kill this guy when you have gotten closer to it?"

    The Terran said, "Did you not figure it out by now?"

    The sword spirit said, "I did not expect you to be so cruel."

    Shi Lang did not answer her, but carefully, the pce entered the cave''s depths. He narrowed his eyes, and Raksha asked, "What is it?"

    The terran said, "Hold my hand."

    Raksha was surprised and coquettishly said, "Aw, Shi Lang, you naughty."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Stupid, look at the beast."

    The sword spirit pouted, but she still ced her hand on his hand, and the scene outside appeared in her consciousness. She was shocked because the demon beast outside was like a snake. The body was covered in ck scales. This beast was the biggest of what Shi Lang had ever seen.

    Only the head was big enough to put a house to shame. Raksha asked, "You cannot let this thing be awakened."

    Shi Lang did not reply. He lowered the flying altitude and moved closer to the ground. He did not wish for the beast to pick up his presence. Raksha asked, "Why did you stop?''

    Shi Lang replied, "Did you not sense the movement from it just now?"

    The sword spirit was much more sensitive to the topic he was talking about and said, "You are thinking too much. The beast is in a deep sleep. The protective pressure from it is just an autonomous response from the body."

    Shi Lang asked uncertainly, "Are you sure this is not the sign of this things awakening?"

    Raksha shook her head and said, "Go ahead. You can find a vessel to enter the body and do what you want."

    Yes, Shi Lang intended to use the pce, enter the beast''s body, and consume it internally. He calmed down and followed the instructions. He decided to shrink the pce to the limit and moved between the gap of the scales. He did not hurry to find an entrance point.

    If he wanted to attack effectively, he needed to enter the bloodstream and reach this beast''s brain or heart. He would enter via the nostrils since he was closer to the snakehead. Those were the safest entrance points he could think of.

    Raksha watched every thing unfold, and just when she was hoping that Shi Lang would be able to enter the nostril. The pce shook slightly. She was surprised, but when she looked at Shi Lang, she found the young man calm, and he stabilized the pce.

    Shi Lang said, "The two of them are out of seclusion."

    Raksha smiled and said, "Good, then you can have them deal with the unnecessary things outside."

    Shi Lang understood what she referred too. He had also sensed it, but he did not react. However, the tremor in the pce and the exit of his friends, Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue coincided with the people outside the cave. It must be some demonic cultivators. Since the two of them were out, they could lend him a hand.

 Chapter 571 Trouble.

    ?

    Shi Lang agreed with Raksha he could use the two people to go and fend against the demonic cultivators outside. However, he was not sure how to do that. The sword spirit said, "You must return to the cave entrance. That is why you are hesitating, right?"

    The terran nodded and replied, "Not only that, but I also feel that the two of them are already at the peak of Immortal general level. What if they made a breakthrough while fighting the enemy and got thrown out of this world?"

    The sword spirit shook her head and said, "I will go along with them. You do not have to worry. I will lend them a hand when they are in trouble. Later on, you can say that the formation in the pce could be used once."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I forgot you are a battle maniac."

    Raksha giggled coquettishly, and Shi Lang regretted the moment Unity merged with his shura sword. She was so pure before that happened. The terran nodded and said, "Go then. I will bring them outside the control room."

    The sword spirit vanished from her spot, and Shi Lang located Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan with his connection to the pce, and then he said, "Ice, Wood, do not resist."

    His voice was ryed directly in their minds, and the two people were stunned. They hade out at almost the same time. They heard the voice and sensed gentle energy wrapping around them. They did not resist.

    After a few moments, they found themselves standing before a huge door. They wondered what this ce was when they spotted a beautifuldy beside them. Raksha had such a defiant charm that let alone men, even women, had difficulty looking away from them.

    Yun Xue was startled and immediately grasped her sword. On the other hand, Bo Qingtan only watched her after waking up from the daze. The sword spirit said, "Good reaction, youngdy. As for you, Young man, good observation."

    Yun Xue reacted while Bo Qingtan observed her. The sword spirit said, "Do not worry. I am a guardian spirit of the pce master."

    The two people did not say anything but kept looking at her. Raksha said, "Ace is the new pce master, and many things have happened since you both went into cultivation."

    Her words did not calm them, and Shi Lang could not help but intervene. He said, "You two, can you calm down a bit? This pce is also a flying artifact. We are in a mess. Take a look."

    Then, a few images shed in their minds, and Shi Lang said, "If you are still too uneasy, then you can stay here, and I will take care of the two things."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qintan immediately realized that it was indeed Shi Lang who managed to get a hold of the pce, and they put their guard down. The youngdy said, "You do not have to worry. I will go out to deal with those demonic cultivators."

    Raksha nodded and said, "I will bring you out. Please do not reveal any intention or circte your spirit energy before we leave this cave."

    The two people understood, and they nodded. Then Raksha covered them with spirit energy, and they all moved through the space at a quick speed. She did not use conventional methods to move. Shi Lang transported her out of the pce, but before the demonic beast could sense anything, thedy tore the space, and the trio appeared outside the cave. She was a heavenly spirit sword.

    Her sharpness could render the fabric of space into shreds. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue could not understand what happened, but they did spot more than thirty demonic cultivators outside the cave. They both exchanged nces and retrieved their weapons before charging ahead. The enemy they faced was also demonic cultivators, but they both had inheritances with them, and they could kill these people with their current skills.

    The demonic cultivators also sensed someone appearing inside the cave, and the leader said, "Hmmm, spirit cultivators? Kill them."

    They did not even think about asking about how they appeared there. However, that was what the situation between the two groups was like. As they charged over, Bo Qingtan stepped ahead of Yun Xue and said, "Pine dragon swarm."

    The ground erupted, and wooden dragons charged at the demonic cultivators. The dragons looked much more life-like than in the past, and they all had wooden spikes over them. as they rushed toward the demonic cultivators. The two sides were embroiled in a heated battle.

    ...

    Meanwhile, inside the cave, Shi Lang was slowly controlling the pce to move through the grooves of the scale, making his way to the nostrils of the beast. His mind was calm, and he was also alert to the situation outside the pce. He could sense that the beast''s body was much more reactive than before.

    After half an hour, Shi Lang managed to enter the edge of the nostril and was almost washed away by the gushing breath. The terran waited a bit before he synced with the rhythm of breath and moved the pce inside the nostril. He increased the speed and avoided getting caught up.

    As the pce entered the nasal cavity, he located the route leading to the beast''s brain and moved quickly. He located the brain stem and also a vein inside the body. He moved closer to the vein and manipted the pce to emit its strong suction power. Despite the size, the ability disyed was still the same.

    The suction was so strong that it burst open the vein, and blood began to flow inside the pce. Shi Lang controlled the routes of the pce, and the blood streamed directly onto the Demon-bane tree. The tree seemed to havee alive, and the leaves began to emit a shallow red luster as they absorbed the blood.

    After absorbing one-third of the blood, Shi Lang sensed a strong spirit energy spreading throughout the body. He sneered and entered the vein directly. The pce moved along the bloodstream, absorbing everything it could. The beast''s body was losing strength. However, the spirit energy was searching even more intensely.

    Shi Langmunicated with Raksha, "How is the situation?"

    The sword Spirit was connected to him spiritually, and they could easilymunicate. She said, "They are all dead, what happened? Are you okay?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I am okay, but can you return? I might need you to severe the spiritual presence of this beast once I am done absorbing the blood."

    Raksha nodded and said, "Fine, I aming right away. They are just resting now, healing from shallow injuries."

    The Terran suddenly gasped and uttered, "Oh, fuck!"

 Chapter 572 Destroying The Spirit.

    ?

    Shi Lang cursed, and the sword spirit asked quickly, "What happened?"

    The Terran said, "I have no idea what to say, but the heart valves are closed. This thing is protecting its blood essence. Also, the heart is covered in demonic energy."

    Raksha asked, "Should Ie over to you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Do not worry, I will handle it. I lost my temper because I was not expecting the closed valves."

    The sword spirit nodded, then focused on guarding Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. There was a chance that Demonic Cultivators might stille over to attack them. She had watched the fighting. They went against thirty or something demonic cultivators and managed to kill them all while suffering minor injuries. This was a good achievement. However, her mind was still attracted to how Shi Lang was doing.

    ...

    The terran controlled the pce to stick to the heart muscles, and he stopped the suction. Although the Demon Bane Tree was unwilling, Shi Lang understood something. If he did not stop the suction, the spirit energy of the beast would locate him. He would be serving himself to the beast on a silver tter. He did not wish to make the enemy''s task easy.

    Shi Lang smiled as he watched the Demon Bane Tree calm down slowly and focus on digesting all the blood it had already absorbed. Shi Lang sensed the pce and found that the five sisters had also found a room each and were receiving the inheritances inside.

    Shi Lang could find that because he could sense the seals of those rooms activating. Thinking about this, he asked, "How did they do?"

    Raksha replied, "They were fine. I must say, this girl, Yun Xue, has some serious skills. You should try and fight with her again and see how she beats you to the pulp."

    The Terran replied, "You say as if that would be a good thing."

    Raksha snorted and asked, "How are you doing?"

    Shi Lang told her the solution he came up with: "It will be fine as long as I do not go flexing my attainments in the art of spirit sense battle. I cannote out without injury against this beast''s spirit sense, and spirit injuries are not easy to heal."

    The sword spirit nodded and said, "You can lure it inside the pce with the spirit liquid."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I do not know how strong this beast is, and if it contaminated the spirit liquid, what then?"

    Raksha said, "Do you think the spirit presence left behind by the predecessors might lend you a hand?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "I do not think so. If they did, it would mean consuming thest of their energy. Let us not bother them. This beast will also exhaust itself slowly because the source of demonic energy collection has been slowly siphoned off."

    The Sword Spirit wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "The enemy is here."

    The spirit sense of the demonic beast wrapped around the heart and patiently searched. If the pce made any movement at this point, it would be troublesome for Shi Lang. However, he could not stay in this ce for a long time. He decided to wait for a few hours.

    However, the spirit consciousness showed no sign of movement after six hours. The terran sighed and mumbled, "Then so be it."

    He would attack the physical body since he could not attack the beast''s spiritual sense. If the spiritual body tried to defend itself from the attack, it would suffer damage. If it fails, then the body will bear the burden. The young man took out the overlord spear he had just received from the enemy.

    He channeled his energy inside the spear and charged it. He forcefully controlled the spear from discharging any of the energy, and when he sensed the weapon tremble, he sighed and said, "Friend, if you manage to survive, I will take you back and use you well."

    That said, he threw the spear into the void, and a small portal directly ced the weapon outside the pce. The Demon Snake''s spirit consciousness did not have the time to react when the weapon regained its full size. The dimensions changed after the space wrapping was undone.

    A ck translucent snake made from the demonic energy was the spiritual form of this beast. It sensed a great deal of threat heading its way and moved to fend off the attack, but the next moment, a sense of dread overwhelmed it. The spear grew in size, and its lightning energy exploded.

    The energy spread around like a spider web, and the spiritual sense of the demon beast was akin to a fly stuck in the web. Shi Lang did watch everything. The body and the spirit both suffered varying degrees of harm.

    Shi Lang was surprised and did not expect such damage to the demonic beast. The spirit energy was too vtile. He sighed and watched as the spear tore through the beast''s flesh and was pinned directly inside the cave wall.

    The snake spirit did not wish to give up and charged at the pce again, and Shi Lang initiated the suction. The spear had nicked the side wall of the heart, causing the fluid inside to be essible. The snake spirit watched the bloodstream getting siphoned off.

    As the blood essence vanished, the spirit sense of the beast began to dampen and slow down. It tried to attack the pce many times, but the building''s small size and spirit barrier kept it safe.

    He watched the spirit sense gradually lose strength, and then, when the spirit sense was trying to run away, Shi Lang narrowed his gaze. The beast would leave the body and could seek a chance to possess any other snake-type demon or spiritual beast. He would not allow that.

    He said, "Raksha, the demonic energy pressure has lessened, and the primordial soul of this thing is trying to escape. Can you handle it?"

    The sword spirit replied positively and moved through the void. Raksha located the primordial soul and pinched her fingers. She thenunched a sleek spirit sword energy de. Following that, a roar echoed in the cave. The demon snake sumbed to the domineering Raksha.

    On the other hand, Shi Lang finished absorbing the blood and found that the body of the demonic snake had began to dry up and crumble under the suction. Demon-Bane was sucking everyst bit of demonic energy in the body. Soon, there was only a skeleton left.

    Suddenly, Raksha eximed with gleaming eyes, "Oh, treasures!"

 Chapter 573 Dividing The Treasures.

    ?

    Shi Lang quickly turned his head in the direction where Raksha was gazing. He was stunned; before him was a pile of weapons. It was as if a small mountain of weapons. He came out of the pce and walked toward the pile of weapons.

    As he reached closer, he found that these weapons did have a trace of contamination over them. However, still, they all gave off a very spiritual vibe. Shi Lang thought of something, and a streak of lightning shot out of his index finger. The lightning fell on the pile of weapons and began to burn up all the contaminating demonic energy.

    Raksha smiled and said, "You have gotten quite some mastery over this."

    Shi Lang did not reply but nodded. While purifying the pile of weapons, he sensed two people approach him. He turned slightly and found Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan standing behind him. He nodded and said, "How is it?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "Icked battle experience with the demonic cultivators, but now I can take them on. I may not yet be invincible, but average cultivators are not a big deal."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "My experience is simr to him."

    Shi Lang replied, "It is good. In the future, we will not look for any more opportunities; we will focus on fighting with demonic cultivators and try to record as many battles as possible. They can be used to teach others and also ourselves for introspection."

    The two people exchanged gazes, and they nodded. Yun Xue asked, "Did you gain something?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yeah, I did, but it was an inheritance of sword skills."

    Originally, he was selfish and wanted to share them, but when heprehended the skills, he realized that they were strong enough to set the world on fire, and he decided it was better to keep them to himself.

    The two nodded, and they had no intention. of probing further. In the world of cultivation, everyone had a few secrets. Suddenly, Yun Xue looked at the pile of weapons and asked, "What are you doing?"

    Shi Lang was firing lightning shots on the pile since they came over, and the Terran replied, "Purifying them with lightning energy."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and asked, "Whom does that spear belong to?"

    Shi Lang looked in that direction and said, "That is mine. I attacked the Primordial soul of the demonic beast with it. Then it was pinned over there."

    Bo Qingtan said, "I will go and get the spear for you."

    Shi Lang nodded and continued purifying the weapons. The processsted a few minutes before he sighed and said, "Raksha, you can have two."

    Raksha snorted and said, "Stingy money-grubber."

    She said that, but the smile on his face showed she was happy. The terran shook his head and said, "We will distribute these into four equal parts."

    Bo Qingtan asked with his eyebrow raised, "Why four? Does the senior also have a share?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It is because I encountered a group of cultivators earlier. They hunted Demonic cultivators and also helped me get a Demon Bane tree. I only let them inside the pce to seek inheritance suitable for them."

    Yun Xue was surprised and asked, "What do you mean? Are they trustworthy?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "They have taken heavenly oaths. So it will not be a problem. However, letting them inside the pce is not my payment of debt to them. As agreed earlier, this pce will be shared by the three sects, and so will be the spiritke and now the Demon Bane tree.

    The demon bane tree can be cultivated with the blood of demonic cultivators and the beasts. It bears a fruit called Blood-cleansing fruit. One such fruit can give a person the strength of a thousand elephants."

    The two were shocked, and they understood what the value of a demon-bane tree was. They exchanged gazes and thought for a moment before they nodded to the proposal since the three sects would use the resources. The debt should be repaid by them all equally.

    Earlier, they thought that Shi Lang only had exceptional fighting skills, but only now did they realize that he was also an aplished diplomat. Shi Lang got their approval and began to segregate the weapons equally.

    On the other hand, Raksha held two swords in her grip and began refining them. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were shocked to see this. They did not expect thedy to do such a thing. They looked at Shi Lang, who waved his hand as if this wasmon.

    After an hour of sorting things, they found that every sect would get forty such weapons. This was a fortune, and these were all high-quality goods, and if they were to buy after paying some sage-level refiner, they would go broke.

    The three talked briefly before Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan helped themselves by picking a suitable sword from the pile.

    Shi Lang did not say anything and took hold of the spear. After checking the weapon''s integrity, he was shocked to see that the weapon was not damaged. He bit his thumb and dripped a few drops of blood to activate the shallow spirit inside the weapon and, simultaneously, to im ownership of it.

    Shi Lang sensed the weapon tremble in his grip, and he channeled it with spirit energy before he began to practice spear moves inside the cave. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue watched him from a distance and were surprised to see that Shi Lang was using a spear. Not only that but every move was gradually refined and optimized visibly.

    They were shocked by his ability. This level ofprehension was unheard of by them. However, Shi Lang was able to excel so quickly because he could control and check his body''s actions. He was sensing every inch of his muscles as he used the spear. This was why he was fine-tuning his actions. Suddenly, Shi Lang stabbed the spear at the void, creating a whoosh sound.

    The young man nodded. He was satisfied with this. He turned around to take a few minutes to review the spirit techniques he had inherited from Shadow de. He found the two people looking at him with their eyes wide open. He asked, "What? Did I grow flowers on my face?"

    They shook their heads and realized their oddities. Shi Lang sat on the ground and closed his eyes to review the spear techniques when Yun Xue said, "I will go deeper inside the cave and see if we can find something else."

    Shi Lang nodded and remarked casually, "Be careful and do not rush further inside. This cave is bigger than what we imagine."

 Chapter 574 Discovering A Dragon Vein.

    ?

    The duo walked deeper inside the cave carefully. They held their swords and were ready to attack any beast lingering inside the cave. Bo Qingtan sighed and said, "When I was fighting earlier, I did not think that Ace would fight so many people on his own."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "He is indeed stronger than us."

    When she spoke, there was a scent of reverence in her voice. Bo Qingtan gazed at her and said, "You know he has a wife already, right?"

    Yun Xue red at him and said, "Once his wife ascended, I will have a heart-to-heart with her."

    The young man was shocked and said, "Are you serious about this? Feiry Yun, people might chase after him with bloody swords if they got a whiff of this."

    Yun Xue rolled her eyes and said, "Daost Bo, it would be nice if you could keep things to yourself because neither I nor Ace is a loose-lipped person. If the people found him, I will find you, and then I will beat the shit out of you."

    Bo Qingtan could not help but shiver at this. He did not understand why Yun Xue favored Shi Lang so much, but he did not have the right to dig deeper. The young man sighed and nodded and said, "If only I can find someone to love me like this too."

    Yun Xue chuckled and said, "I heard from the master of the Dragon Sword Sect that if anyone is to marry before they reach the Immortal King realm, he will castrate them. Are you sure you wish to find a girl and not increase your realm quickly?"

    Bo Qingtan shivered and said, "Yes, I understand, Fairy Yun."

    Thedy chuckled as she led the way. After walking for a few thousand meters, they reached the cave''s depths, and Bo Qingtan asked, "Do you also feel this?"

    Yun Xue nodded solemnly and said, "I do not understand where this energyes from?"

    Bo Qingtan covered the stone wall before him with his spirit sense and said, "I cannot find anything."

    Yun Xue cast the same method and shrugged as well. The two of them were confused when Raksha appeared beside them, and they were shocked. They knew this senior was strong but could not even sense her movement. The sword spirit remarked, "Oh, you kids found something nice."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Senior, what is it?"

    Thedy smiled and said, "You have stumbled upon a dragon vine."

    The two heard these words and were shocked. They wanted to ask Raksha more when the sword spirit muttered, "Hmm, no wonder that demonic beast was staying here. IT was converting the spirit energy slowly into demonic energy to heal itself."

    She did not realize the shock her words caused the two people. The next moment, she vanished from her spot, and when she reappeared again, she had Shi Lang standing beside her. She said, "Xiao Lang, go break this wall, and you will find a dragon vein."

    Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue looked at him with sparkly eyes, and Shi Lang spoke with disdain, "Have you lost your mind, dumbass? What about the spirit energy that will leak from the vein? It will attract more trouble for us."

    Raksha said, "Are you afraid of a few losers? Just kill them and take this."

    Shi Lang said, "Do you want to go back inside?"

    Raksha was shocked and quickly shook her head. Shi Lang said, "Then put a fucking leash on your battle urges. I swear I will hand you over to that old foggy, and he will walk around with you on his waist and make you a trophy."

    The sword spirit clenched her fist and said, "You dare to say that? I will beat you up along with that old saggy bag of bones."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Focus on him. Let me deal with this dragon vein."

    Raksha stood behind him with her hands crossed before her chest. Shi Lang walked forward and reached out his hand to caress the stone wall before he began to contemte. After thinking briefly, he said, "In one of the books, it said that if a person can refine the dragon vein, they will be able to manipte it?"

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "But for that, you must contact the dragon vein first."

    Shi Lang nodded, ced his hand over the wall surface, and said, "Raksha, watch and learn."

    Thedy snorted, and his hands began to tremble. The speed of Shi Lang''s vibration from his hands was so high that his palms turned into a blur. The young man did not say much, and suddenly, lightning was issued from his fingers. The sparks of lightning lingered over the wall surface.

    Bo Qingtan asked, "What are you doing?"

    Shi Lang did not say anything but kept on doing what he was, and the lightning discharge increased even more. Yun Xue eximed, "Look at the ground."

    They looked down and found dust had umted on the floor, and Shi Lang''s ankles were covered. The two people realized what Shi Lang was doing. Raksha eximed, "Oh, I did not expect that General Lang was an Ace miner also. If the people in the federation got to know, they might go crazy."

    Shi Lang chuckled lightly as he continued his work, and more dust umted at his feet. Suddenly, he stopped and knocked on the wall with his knuckle, and the wall crumbled at his feet, revealing a dragon vein.

    The terran said, "This thing looks like an overgrown worm to me from the outside."

    Dragon veins are formed when the cavities in a structure like a mountain umte spirit energy and get trapped inside. Gradually, over millions of years, these cavities'' stone walls be a substance simr to flesh skin. So, when discovered, they did look like oversized worms.

    Shi Lang said, "Brother Wood, you should refine this vein."

    This shocked both the youngsters, and Shi Lang said, "What are you thinking about, I am not sacrificing anything. I will tell youter. Just do as I ask you, please."

 Chapter 575 Demon Hunters.

    ?

    Shi Lang shocked the duo. They did not expect him to ask Bo Qingtan to refine the dragon vein. Yun Xue asked, "But why are you not refining it?"

    The terran sighed and said, "My lightning spiritual energy is not very docile. If I refined the vein and ended up absorbing or damaging it, do you realize the loss we will be taking? On the contrary, the wood attribute is rare and gentle. So, Brother Wood has a greater chance at seeding at this task."

    Yun Xue pursed her lips and said, "If you look at it like that, water is the gentlest. Why did you not ask me to refine it?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Fairy Yun, your attribute is not water but ice. Even if you can refine it, your temper is not gentle, right?"

    Yun Xue was shocked and raised her finger to point at Shi Lang in disbelief, and Bo Qingtan erupted inughter. He could not help himself. The proud ice queen of Snow Maiden Peak was called out for having a vtile temper by the guy she adored.

    Shi Lang waved his hand quickly and said, "Brother Wood, get on with it. We have other things to deal with after this."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and sat down before the dragon vein to refine it. Shi Lang may have made it sound like it was not a big deal, but it was. This debt was something that Bo Qingtan would probably be able to pay with his life.

    The benefits he will get after refining the Dragon vein will probably change his fate. His potential limited Bo Qingtan. This was not something that he would be able to break apart from. He will only realize this in the future.

    Shi Lang and Yun Xue retreated to the side, and the two watched him progress. The young man said, "If any energy leaks through, absorb it. Do not let even a single wisp to escape."

    Yun Xue nodded and asked, "Do we have to be so frugal about it?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Do you not understand? This dragon vein has the cleanest form of energy, and if we can absorb more from it. The demonic aura in our person will clean up, too."

    Yun Xue understood his reasoning and asked, "You are worried that we will attract unnecessary attention from demonic cultivators?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "They can mark us by the demonic aura on their body, so if one of them dies, the other demonic cultivators can hunt us down."

    Yun Xue clicked her tongue and said, "These things sure are disgusting."

    Shi Lang nodded, and both sat in the lotus position to absorb the leftover energy. The trio was absorbing energy tirelessly, gradually losing the sense of time. Raksha was still present in the cave. If anyone dared to creep up on them, she would kill them in a blink. She was not a soft-hearted fellow like Shi Lang.

    ...

    Inside the pce, a door opened, and Ying Yu''s junior sister stepped out. She had some understanding of the ce from the words of the senior who gave her the inheritance, but she was still wary of the silence echoing in this monument.

    As she was thinking about what to do, another door opened slowly, and she found her fellow sistering out. The two reunited and discussed the skills they inherited, and soon, the rest of them also gathered.

    Ying Yu was the strongest among them, and now, with the aid of inheritance, her skills were even stronger. She thought of something and said, "Daoist Ace, are you there?"

    ...

    In the cave, Shi Lang was awakened by the voice in his consciousness. The voice did not belong to Ying Yu, but a thunderous roar of Lei Hu. He realized that the five people hade out of their rooms, and the young man controlled his consciousness to bring them out of the pce.

    Shi Lang said, "Congrattions on finding an inheritance."

    The fivedies nodded, and Ying Yu asked, "This ce."

    Shi Lang told them what this cave was, leaving them in a daze. Thedies caught sight of the two people sitting on the ground, immersed in cultivation. The dragon vein had already been refined and stored in the inheritance pce.

    Shi Lang made the introduction and also passed on the spirit weapons they had found. Although they were not heavenly spirit weapons, they were still earth-grade spirit weapons. Ying Yu was shocked. She did not expect these three people to be so generous.

    Shi Lang asked, "Fairy Ying, what do you n to do in the meantime?"

    Ying Yu thought for a second and said, "The primary goal was to locate inheritances, and thanks to you, not only that, we have even located a traitor faction in the midst of us. And those weapons, we are grateful. As for the future, we wish to find a safe ce and wait for the duration toplete and leave this ce. What about you?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "We are going to hunt for demons."

    The fivedies were shocked. Yun Xue said, "Weck fighting experience against the demonic cultivators and beasts. Also, the demonic cultivators sent to the battlefield of gods are more or less geniuses in the demonic factions. The more we kill, the less trouble in the future."

    Ying Yu was shocked internally by the way these people were thinking. She looked at her junior sisters. The four of them picked up the hint from her gaze and nodded. Ying Yu turned around and said, "Daoist Ace, if you do not mind, we would like to join you on this hunting trip."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "So be it then."

    The people discussed a few things and exchanged details about the factions they knew were dwelling in thesends. The major force was the Yin Demon sect. They specialized in seduction and psychological maniption arts.

    The second Blood Shura Faction cultivated the blood they extracted from other people in different manners. They were followed by a hundred corpses family and Ghost Peak.

    Shi Lang nodded, and with the information provided by Ying Yu, they prepared the methods to deal with these demonic cultivators. With that, they moved out of the cave.

    ...

    Days passed in the past week, and Shi Lang and the rest had killed many demonic cultivators. They even set off fireworks to attract the attention of the people. The terran loved a tinge of drama, so he would leave a banner everywhere he had hunted the demons.

    ''Beware the Demon Hunters.''

    He had also asked the people to change into ck robes. They did not move during the day but during the night. They killed all the demons they could find and earned great fame for themselves. The Battlefield Of Gods was vast, and it was not easy for the people toe across each other.

    However, Shi Lang and his folks depended on the art of baiting and luring the demons. They would travel in the floating pce. They waited for the people to gather below, and the pce suddenly vanished. The spirit cultivators and the demonic cultivators will fight against each other.

    The conflict will calm down in the name of seeking the pce. However, Shi Lang and his team would mark the demonic cultivators, and then they would hunt them down. Then, they dump the bodies devoid of blood into random ces and leave a banner.

    The cultivators were not interested in these demonic cultivator corpses. They were interested in the demon hunters and the pce appearing in the void now and then. They wanted to find that pce more because it was a treasure.

    Shi Lang was very clever and did not move around too much. Ultimately, they killed one hundred and twenty-three demonic cultivators and thirty demonic beasts. They had gained much battle experience and were often almost injured, too.

    However, the spirit liquid served as the superior medicine for them. Suddenly, the void trembled, and Shi Lang and the rest sensed it. They all appeared outside the pce, and Ying Yu said, "The time is almost up. Daoist Ace, it is time for us to rush back to the entrance point. Thank you for all your help."

    Ying Yu bowed, and her juniors followed. Shi Lang, however, turned to the side and said, "If you act politely with us now, I will think that you do not consider us friends."

    Ying Yu stood up with a faint smile and said, "Brother Ace, when we meet next time, I hope you can reveal your identity to me. That is when I will try to consider you as my friend."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Since we are all oath-bound to each other, allow me to re-introduce myself."

    The terran told the fivedies about himself and promised to meet them again. The two groups parted ways with the promise that Demon Hunters shall unite once again in the future.

 Chapter 576 Break Through.

    ?

    Shi Lang and the other two entered the pce and then moved through the void at neck-breaking speed before arriving at the edge of the desert. They came out of the pce after ensuring nobody was around. The three of them walked over the coarse sand and traveled slowly.

    The void trembled slowly over time. After traveling for three days, they passed by some simr spots and rested.

    Shi Lang said, "The clones I made have also been traveling the battlefield. Although they did not find much, we have much information about this ce. The future dwellers will not have a problem. I will draw a map."

    The two nodded. They had stopped being surprised by anything Shi Lang did. They would believe if this man said he could grab the sun. The three arrived at the approximate location where they entered his world and waited. Although they would have been taken back from anywhere in the realm, the pressure on their body would increase, and if someone acted nosy during the process, they would die.

    As they waited, two days passed, and just when the sun was about to set on the second day, Shi Lang stood up and said, "It is time."

    The duo also sensed the oddity of the void, and they stood beside him. Soon, a void tunnel opened before them. Shi Lang held their hands, and they jumped inside it.

    ...

    Lei Wang was waiting for the three people to leave the void tunnel with Lady Xue, the sect master of the Snow Maiden Peak, and Sect Master Ling. They hade over to wee their disciples, but they had returned to see that the other sects did not bully the young people.

    The gains can always make a person give up the cloak of morale. The three of them were standing with solemn expressions on their faces. After all, when the geniuses from the Dragon Sword Sect entered the pce in the past, not all made it back alive.

    As they got anxious, the void tunnel trembled, and three figures jumped out. The sect masters saw it, and they were immediately happy. All of them came back, and as experts of Immortal King Realm and above, they could tell that the three of them were stronger than before.

    Lei Wang stepped up and wanted to embrace Bo Qingtan when thetter said, "Brother Shi, I cannot suppress it any longer."

    Yun Xue said, "Same with me."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Fine then, we go to the periphery of Coiling Dragon Mountain and break through over there."

    The two nodded to him without question, and Shi Lang bowed slightly, "Forgive me, Sect Master, we have been suppressing our realm a bit too much these past few days. We are all on the verge of breaking through. So, may we go to the Coiling Dragon Mountain?"

    Lei Hu was shocked but could sense that the spiritual pressure from these guys was climbing. He nodded and said, "We will take you there now."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Lei Wang exchanged a gaze with his counterparts, and they all came to stand next to their respective disciples before they vanished from their spots. The three of them were quick to take action.

    It did not take them more than a few moments when they arrived at the periphery of the Coiling Dragon Mountain. The sect masters retreated a small distance, but they did not leave. The disciples were about to go through a heavenly tribtion, so they protected the surroundings.

    Shi Lang and the other two sat down in the lotus position and beganpleting thest steps needed to enter the Immortal Lord realm.

    ...

    Lady Xue said, "This should not have happened for the next ten years. They must have had a fruitful encounter."

    She spoke with telepathicmunication. Sect Master Ling said, "True. What you are saying is correct. However, it is a good thing for them."

    Lei Wang nodded as he watched them condense their spirit energy. Lady Xue remarked spectively, "I wonder what sort of armor they will condense."

    Sect Master Ling chuckled and said, "I want to see what domain level they willprehend. After all, that is the most difficult thing for them to condense."

    Lei Wang nodded and replied, "Brother Ling, you have to get Shi Lang to enter the forbidden region of your sect. His inheritance will be cut off otherwise."

    Sect Master Ling nodded and said, "Of course, I have discussed this matter with my elders, and everyone has agreed. We do not wish to stand like a wall in his path of greatness."

    As the three were talking, the wisps of spirit energy from inside the bodies of the three people began to flow outwards and lingered on the surface of their bodies. The effect was different for the three of them because the nature of their energies was different.

    Yun Xue''s body was slowly getting covered in ayer of frost, and Bo Qingtan was growing ayer of tree bark all over himself. On the other hand, Shi Lang was covered with sparkling streaks of lightning on his body. However, something made Sect Master Ling frown. The ck clouds over Shi Lang did not seem to have any movement.

    Lady Xue said, "Do not worry. They have yet to reach the final step to break into the Immortal Lord Level. They have not yet revealed their spirit weapons to the void for the heaven to act."

    Sect Master Ling shook his head and said, "I know that once they reveal the final form of their spiritual weapon, heaven will test them. However, Shi Lang is not trying to condense his armor at all. Look at the lightning. It seems to revolve in and out of his body, and the flow of natural spiritual energy also indicates the same. What is he doing?"

    Lei Wang asked, "Could he be perfecting his spirit weapon?"

    The other two were surprised but then nodded in affirmation. There was a possibility that Shi Lang was indeed condensing a perfect spirit weapon. Suddenly, Yun Xue and Bow Qingtan revealed a Spirit Weapon above their heads. The clouds rumbled, and lightning streaks condensed.

    Lady Xue said solemnly, "If they pass the tribtion, theyer of spirit energy on their body will shed and reveal the basic form of their Spirit armor."

    Sect Master Ling said, "To be a Lord, the general should fight against the will of heaven."

    ...

    The streaks of lightning fell around the Coiling Dragon Mountain, and the impact was strong. The ground around the two people was sunken in craters of various sizes. The tribtion was scary and could have sent chills down the spine of the faint-hearted.

    After the clouds over their heads cleared up, the two young people stood up. They both had a shallow spirit armor visible on their bodies. Yun Xue''s body seemed to be draped in a gown of ice. Her shoulders were covered with thickeryers of ice as if pauldrons. She also had two bracers on her forearms, and a big fraction enhanced her beauty.

    On the other hand, Bo Qingtan had a wooden armor. However, the armor seemed to be alive and moved like cloth. The vitality it gave off was not to be overlooked. He looked like a warrior on a battlefield.

    The two people sensed the changes in their bodies, and then they turned to look at Shi Lang. The terran was still covered in lightning, and his body showed no sign of changing. Lady Xue and Lei Wang approached the two of them. However, the two did not take their eyes off Shi Lang.

    Lady Xue whispered, "Could it be that something has gone wrong? Given his talent, he should have finished creating a perfect weapon."

    Yun Xue shook her head and said, "Sect Master, he will not fail. Just wait."

    Lady Xue was shocked to see this disy of confidence. She turned to look at Bo Qingtan, and Lei Wang also saw something simr. Suddenly, amidst their confusion, Shi Lang''s body pressure began to climb up.

    Around him, a vortex formed, sucking up all the spirit energy from the void. The three elders were shocked, and suddenly, a huge pce appeared above Shi Lang''s head. The elders opened their eyes wide and saw a thin stream of water flowing down from the pce and pouring over Shi Lang.

    The elders had their mouths agape. Yun Xue said, "Do not worry, we have ake of that thing, and even if Shi Lang finishes thatke, we have a spirit gathering lotus."

    The elders gazed at her with disbelief brimming from their eyes. Bo Qingtan said, "Oh yeah, that pce is called the Inheritance pce, there are inheritances of, at least, fifty immortal god level seniors."

    The world view of the three elders was almost breaking, but then they saw Shi Lang revealing is spirit weaponS to the void.

 Chapter 577 Dual Armament.

    ?

    Sect Master Ling, Lady Xue, and Lei Wang were shocked at the scene unfolding before them. They did not expect the youngster in the distance to hold two weapons condensed from his spirit energy above his head. These weapons were as small as needles, but their pressure sank the ground twenty meters around him.

    They exchanged nces, and when they could not exin, they turned to look at the two youngsters. Bo Qingtan said, "Brother Shi received guidance from an expert andprehended the way of spear also. In the past few days, he alone dealt with forty demonic cultivators with his spear techniques. Not once did he use the sword."

    Sect Master Ling gulped and said, "No wonder Senior Tian Long wants him to be amander in the dragon army."

    This news shocked his two counterparts. They cast a gaze at him, and Sect Master Ling replied, "You do know that he is an ascender, but do you know that he is from the same world as Senior Tian Long? He is the first person to break the shackles to ascend from that lower real and to cross the gateway, and he had to kill a demon envoy they had left over there."

    The people were surprised, and Yun Xue mumbled, "So, he killed a demon when he was still in the lower realms?"

    Sect Master Ling nodded and said, "His life was in danger when he had just ascended, and thus, Senior Tian arranged for him toe to the east."

    Lei Wang asked, "Bo, you said that Shi Lang killed forty demonic cultivators on his own? How many demonic cultivators did you all deal with in total?"

    Bo Qingtan thought about it and said, "Ummm, over a hundred, and that is just when we were together. I am sure Brother Shi may have killed more than the number I reported to you."

    The three elders sighed, and Lady Xue said, "The younger generation is always exceeding the older one."

    ...

    Shi Lang sat under the pce and waved his hand. The monument was flung to the side, and the lighting streaks from the clouds fell at Shi Lang. The young man sat under the lightning rain like a monk. The bolts did not harm him as if they were made of water.

    The lightning was testing the quality of his two spirit armaments. If the purity was not up to the mark, the spirit weapons would shatter, and the terran would die. The spirit weapons were a condensation of the dao path. The heavens were harsh to people who wished to excel. Not many made it through the heavenly tribtions.

    Those who did would be top names. Shi Lang had two such perfect weapons. He was bound to change the course of things in the immortal realm. They watched the Terran drench in the lightning rain, but his body felt no pain. Only his clothes seemed to have turned into dregs, leaving behind a bronze iron shining brightly as if the lightning was a great nourishment, and the luster kept increasing.

    Shi Lang waited for the lustrous glow to stabilize before he took it off his body. If this went on, the degree of tribtion would increase, proving to be a problem for Shi Lang. This was not in his favor. Although confident in his skill, he would not take death head-on.

    Strength only suited those who had the wisdom to utilize it. Shi Lang''s body sank as the bolt of lightning hit him. This was the fourth bolt. It hit the spiritual weapon first before it rotated on its spot and deflected the lightning to Shi Lang''s body. The Terran absorbed the lightning quickly and did not let anything go to waste.

    The tribtion reached its final phase, and Shi Lang finally stood up from the ground and looked at the sky filled with crimson lightning. He said, "Come on. It is gettingte."

    The clouds rumbled, and the crimson lightning fell from the skies. The lightning streak was as thick as a human''s thigh. The bolt was the seventh bolt of lightning in the tribtion. It collided head-on with the needle-like spear and sword. The impact of the collision sent out huge shockwaves, making the void tremble.

    The terran stood tall behind his spirit armaments. He did not make anyment because it was taking all his will to channel the spiritual energy through his body under the pressure of the heavenly tribtion. The bolt faded, and Shi Lang took back three steps before he spat out some blood in his mouth.

    The terran stretched his body and raised his head, and another lightning bolt fell on the weapons. The two weapons were buzzing, and a shrill whistle echoed in the surroundings. The impact threw Shi Lang off the ground, and he was flung on the ground like a rag doll. His body suffered some shallow cuts and wounds, too.

    Shi Lang tried to himself when the final and ninth bolt of the crimson lightning fell on his body. This bolt bypassed the spirit armaments and flung Shi Lang into the distance. His flesh exploded in different ces, and even his bones became visible. Shi Lang could not stand up, but when the lightning bolt was about to hit him again, the spirit armaments moved through the void, shing with the lightning snake. The struggle was devastating andsted for seventy minutes before the lightning slowed.

    Shi Lang passed the tribtion for his two weapons, but now he would have to face the tribtion for the Immortal Lord realm. His body healed because of the award of spirit energy, his wounds healed quickly, and the terran stood up from the ground.

    He gazed at the sky and sat on the ground to cultivate again. His spiritual energy was running from inside the body to the outside. The terran was making a rush to the barrier of the Immortal Lord level. His body was not weak, and his resolve to break through was strong, too.

    The spiritual energy he consumed in condensing a spirit energy spear was replenished from the heavenly tribtion. He had enough energy to condense the spirit armor on his body.

    Shi Lang began to cultivate, and the clouds began to gather one more time. Sect Master Ling said, "He will be facing another tribtion. Why is he so careless?"

    Lei Wang sighed and said, "What are you talking about, Brother Ling? He makes the right choice by charging to the second realm in his present condition. He is not someone who will act rashly."

    Lady Xue sighed and said, "If he manages to break through now, he will have a strong foundation and co-rtion between his Spirit armament and armor. This is why it is a good decision."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan shook their heads at them and watched silently. Shi Lang did not hear anything from the people but sat in his position and allowed the lightning to run around his body.

    His energy had gradually covered his body, and Shi Lang was glowing wildly with it. After some time, his body began levitating, and the clouds rumbled. He did not care about the time or anything else but kept cultivating. Soon, lightning began to condense into a rudimentary armor.

    Shi Lang stretched his legs in the void and waited for the tribtion to begin. His eyes flung open as the clouds thundered. Then, everyone saw Lightning condensing in the clouds, which was purple.

    Sect Master Ling said, "The level of the tribtion is too strong."

    The other two nodded but could not intervene and watched the situation unfold from the sidelines. Shi Lang watched the streak of lightning fall on his body. The strength behind this streak wasparable to the entire tribtion that he went through earlier.

    Shi Lang squinted his eyes and grasped the void. His spirit armament, the sword, appeared in his grip. The terran did not dare take things easy. He watched the lightning streak vanish from amidst the clouds, and the young man held his sword before him. The purple lightning collided with his de, pushing him from the void to the ground.

    However, the lightning streak did not disperse; it divided into eight separate streaks and attacked Shi Lang from all sides. The terran could not help but cough up blood. He managed to withstand the weakest lightning bolt of this round.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and watched as the second purple lightning bolt charged at him. He grabbed it with his left, and the needle-like spear appeared in the void. He shoved his hand forward for the two armaments to fight with the heavenly lightning.

    This time, he did not let the heavenly lightning divide and controlled his sword to sh with the streaks. He did note in direct contact with the tribtion, but he was still forced to slide on the ground for fifty meters and cough up blood.

    After all this struggle, he was still not out of danger. The third and the final bolt was onto him.

 Chapter 578 Perfect Lightning.

    ?

    Shi Lang raised his head and saw a lightning streak as thick as a banyan tree trunk charging at him with unimaginable speed. He spat out a mouthful of blood and stood up from the ground. His body was in tatters, but his eyes were clear. He was not someone who would ever give up on things before he had finished using all that he had to give.

    He ced his left foot ahead and took out his spirit sword. Both his weapons had returned to his dantian. They could not withstand the impact of this bolt of lightning. The terran held the sword above his head, and the de surface lit up with lightning bolts. He deeply breathed and said, "Lightning Dragon shing the Heavens."

    Then, Shi Lang shed down as the lightning bolt drew closer. The action looked simr to a simple sh, but the next moment, dirt around Shi Lang was stirred up by something, and clouds rose. The spirit energy that rushed out of his weapon also turned into a lightning dragon.

    However, the difference was that this particr dragon of lightning was slimmer than the heavenly lightning one. That was not all, and it was even more different in appearance. Shi Lang''s dragon was five feet long and one foot thick. It looked like a worm inparison to the heavenly lightning dragon. It looked even more fragile with the intricate scales and dragon whiskers.

    However, Shi Lang stood tall behind his attack. He would rather die with his head held high than bow to anyone. This was his initial thought, a life without regret. The two dragons collided, and the people frowning and worrying if Shi Lang would survive were shocked. The two dragons stood head-to-head in the collision, making the void tremble.

    Shi Lang was sliding back on the ground against the power of the two attacks. He was leaving a trail on the ground with his arms crossed before his face. The void was trembling, and it was making Shi Lang shiver. It was like an earthquake inside his body because he was close to the collision.

    After a minute, the collision turned into an explosion, and Shi Lang was flung over from the impact like a rag doll. He bounced off the ground more than twelve times before his body was stered to the wall of the dragon mountain.

    He coughed up blood and some flesh. The aftermath of the attack rattled his internal organs. It was a surprise for even himself that he managed to survive that st. He slid down the wall and looked at the sky. The dark clouds had yet to fade away, and a golden light flickered between the clouds.

    Shi Lang could not move from his position. He sighed as he looked at the sky. He was not willing. He did not wish to perish like this. Thinking about this, the terran sensed the lightning energy coursing through his cells.

    To put up the final struggle, he channeled the energy around his body as fast as he could, and his body, surprisingly, began to heal under the effect of spiritual energy. This was the way spiritual energy worked. Shi Lang had highly vtile lightning energy because it was excessively vital.

    Previously, his body could not absorb the nutrition that this attribute brought to the limit. Now, he was injured to the point where death seemed a luxury, and his body began absorbing everything it could to sustain itself. Shi Lang was a Terran, and he manipted the situation to temper his body to another level.

    His cells regenerated, and his muscles reformed in a blink. His bones were cleared of all the impurities and reconnected once again. The golden lightning flickered through the clouds and shot toward Shi Lang.

    The Terran jumped to his feet, condensed a lightning glove around his fist, and said, "Lightning King Fist."

    The intention behind the fist was simple: he was the king of lightning, and he wished to destroy everything that stood in his way. It was not a technique or anything else but a straight-off power punch.

    The punch collided with the golden lightning, and a sharp whistle echoed. Lei Wang squinted his eyes and eximed, "This guy is using his fist as a sword?"

    The two other elders were shocked. They could not contradict Lei Wang because this man was the best among them regarding sword cultivation. Lady Xue asked, "Yun, was he like this in the secret realm, too?"

    Yun Xue nodded with clear eyes and said, "Shi Lang does not pretend to be something he isn''t and if he is something that he is hiding. He is the bluntest man you will ever meet, Sect Master."

    Thedy was shocked, and only now did she notice the oddity of this young girl. She frowned and asked, "Yun, did he seduce you?"

    Yun Xue was flushed and embarrassingly shook her head and said, "He did not seduce me. It was me. He is just that awesome. However, he told me he has a wife and a daughter, so he would not ept me."

    Lady Xue was left speechless by her words. Thedy sighed and said, "Fine, young people can be left to your measures."

    The sharp whistle gradually silenced, and then the golden lightning burrowed inside Shi Lang''s body. The terran coughed blood and fell to the ground like a corpse. Yun Xue widened her eyes. She leaned forward, but Lady Xue held her arm and pulled her back.

    The tribtion had not yet ended, or to be precise, the process had not ended. They could only watch everything unfold from the side. After a few minutes, the thunderclouds receded, and a golden cocoon covered Shi Lang''s body. The cocoon flew up into the void and levitated. The people could see Shi Lang lying inside in a fetal position.

    The golden lightning was running through his body akin to a needle. This was something that none of the people knew about. Suddenly, a voice sounded in the minds of all the people, "Hmmm, to think this kid surpassed me and stepped into the Lord Realm with perfect lightning."

    Everyone looked up and found a phantom condensed out of lightning. The two youngsters did not know who this person was, nor did the two sect masters. However, Lei Wang could not help but shiver and kneel to the ground before kowtowing and said, "Greetings Founder."

    Lightning Shura nodded and said, "The immortal realm is about to change."

    Then, the phantom vanished from the void, and the surroundings returned to the calm. Lie Wang woke up from his stupor and said, "Perfect Lightning, do you guys know what that means?"

    The people shook their heads, and Lei Wang said, "In terms of quality, if Shi Lang is to face any genius from the central ins and face off against a person with a higher realm, for example, Peak Immortal Lord, he will be able to hold his ground. His perfect golden lightning will give him superior attack power, and he will also have more true spirit in his body."

    Bo Qingtan sighed and said, "This guy is getting even stronger as a monster. I am going back to the sect to consolidate and practice more. Sect Master, you can discuss the pce issues with him, and here, keep these weapons with you and see what you think is right."

    That said, Bo Qigntan dumped the earth-level spirit swords on the ground and then left after greeting everyone. He did not care about the shock everyone had. He just left the ce in a blink.

    Lei Wang quickly picked up all the swords and stored them in his space ring. Yun Xue rolled her eyes and said, "We all have a share in these weapons."

    As the three people gathered her to ask more, the cocoon broke, and a golden light shot from Shi Lang''s body pierced the clouds. The terran calmlynded on the ground and stood up, his body crackling. He looked at himself and felt that his body was filled with ultimate energy.

    He looked around and found that now he could see further, and his senses had heightened a bit more than usual. He took a deep breath before manipting his body to calm down andnded on the ground. At this time, he noticed a shining golden armor on his body. It was not aplete armor, but a pauldron of spirit energy covering his shoulders each, a pair of leg guards, gauntlets, and bracers.

    He was confused and tried to channel lightning from his dantian and was surprised. He looked inside himself and found it shocking. The lightning in his body had turned golden. He instinctively punched the fist, and the impact left a twenty-meter-wide crater on the ground. He eximed, "Fuck!"

    He looked at the three sect masters and said, "Ummm, Sect Master Ling, can you guide me."

    Sect Master Lingughed loudly and said, "I thought you would never ask me."

 Chapter 579 Sparring And Shocking.

    ?

    Sect Master Ling smiled and asked, "Do you want me to limit my strength?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Unless you use spiritual and void attacks. I will be fine, I guess."

    The three elders were shocked to see this. They did not expect him to ask them for such a treatment. However, since the junior wishes to experience the strength of an Immortal King, they must allow him to do so.

    Sect Master Ling snapped his neck and moved forward. The speed was so fast that the man directly vanished from his spot, and the next time he appeared, his fist made contact with Shi Lang''s temple.

    Yun Xue closed her eyes. Even though she had trust in Shi Lang, it was unheard of for an Immortal Lord to withstand the attack of an Immortal King. Lady Xue and Lei Wang shook their heads also. However, the next moment, they opened their eyes wide. Sect Master Ling''s fist just passed through Shi Lang''s body.

    Sect Master Ling was surprised when he took a side step and sensed a fist graze past his cheek. Shi Lang attacked him, but the Terran had retreated ten meters away before he could counter.

    Ling Ye was shocked and could not digest the sight he just witnessed. This junior, who has only stepped into the Immortal Lord Realm, did not only evade his attack but almost punched him in the face. Hemented, "Xiao Lang, it seems you have made a gain here."

    In the distance, Shi Lang raised his head and nodded, but his eyes were unsure. Ling Ye smiled and said, "Here Ie."

    The two began to chase and avoid around the ce at quick speeds. Yun Xue asked, "What did Senior Ling mean by Shi Lang making a bargain?"

    Lady Xue said, "Watch yourself when he moves, and you will know what Old Ling said."

    Yun Xue did not say anything but kept staring at the battle. The more she watched, the more she realized she could barely keep up with the speed. She hummed and said, "Sect Master, I cannot keep up with the battle before me. I can understand that Senior Ling is fast, as he is an Immortal King, but why is Shi..."

    Suddenly, it clicked, and she eximed, "So you mean that his speed is alreadyparable to an Immortal King?"

    Lei Wang said, "It is not only speed but his response timing. Some people are masters of speed and can evade the pursuit of an Immortal King. Fighting with them toe-to-toe at this level is unheard of."

    The trio watched the battle with great enthusiasm. The two people fighting were unaware of the shock caused to the witnesses. Shi Lang was focused on the battle and only looked forward to matching the pace of the attacks from the enemy.

    The fists cracked with each other, unleashing all they had. If Ling Ye held the upper hand regarding strength, the Terran made up for it with his speed and responses. He was using all the martial arts from the lower realms, and they turned out to be quite efficient in dealing with the people.

    Shi Lang was not unscathed. His body was riddled with sweat and bruises. His enemy was in a simr state. His hair was unkempt, and they fought bravely. Suddenly, Ling Ye grunted and punched Shi Lang''s chest. The impact sent the young man reeling in retreat. The Terran wanted to rush forward but sensed his body was shivering.

    It was not fatigue, nor was he injured, but his spiritual energy raging through his body at a pace like never before. He did not know what it was but could not control it, and his face turned red. Ling Ye appeared beside him and patted his back gently. The raging Spirit Energy suddenly calmed down, and Shi Lang''splexion improved.

    The terran took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, sect master."

    Ling Ye nodded faintly and said, "Xiao Lang, your talent and skill are impressive. What are those moves you used to block earlier? It hit directly on my acupoints, making the enemy very frustrated."

    Shi Lang replied without hiding, "It was a martial arts style that we used in the military in the lower realms. They are more effective when used with the tandem with the spiritual energy it will prate the acupoints and leave the enemy immobilized, enough time to end the battle."

    Ling Ye was surprised. He asked, "Why did you not use the spirit energy then?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and replied, "I could not have possibly harmed you with the attacks, so it was no use infusing the spirit energy. Also, I am not yetpletely proficient in controlling the energy flow around my body, so I have no idea what to do."

    Ling Ye nodded, but in reality, he was frightened. If this young man could fight with him to this extent, would it not mean that the young man would be able to beat him to shit in the straight. He sighed and mumbled, "It is true that the younger generation will surpass the older one."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and did not say anything. Ling Ye suddenly recalled something and asked, "Xiao Lang, what is this pce? Although Yun Xue told us what it was, it was all very abstract."

    The terran nodded and looked at the pce in the distance. He controlled his thoughts, and the pce shrank to a small size and flew over to his palm. The three elders were shocked, and Shi Lang said, "Sect Master, this is an artifact refined by several Immortal Gods before they took theirst breaths. Inside the pce, the seniors left their spiritual consciousnesses awaiting the sessors with steadfast hearts toe and find the chance to inherit their mantle."

    The three people were shocked, and Yun Xue said, "I have also gained the inheritance from an exalted senior, Venerable Ice Mist."

    Lady Xue gazed at Yun Xue, and even though thedy was an Immortal King, she could not help but feel envious. Shi Lang said, "I am the Pce Master, and this monument is under my control. In the future, the three sects will select outstanding disciples and send them to the pce to test their luck. However, they all must have an impable character. Not hypocrites.

    The seniors'' spirits inside are much stronger than Senior Lightning Shura could ever be. The pressure they emit alone is enough to see through you all and erase your existence."

    The three people nodded. After all, they also understood the importance of an impable character. Shi Lang continued, "I will leave this pce in the depths of the Triumph Mountains. Inside the pce will be a spiritke. The disciples who won''t receive the approval of the seniors will still have a chance to be baptized in the Spirit Lake. The seniors in the sect who guard us in shadows can take turns to watch over the pce and maintain its secrecy if the central in people find out about this. The entire eastern barren will overflow with blood."

    The three people nodded, Lei Wang said, "You do not have to worry about this, Xiao Lang. We will arrange for the formation masters in the sect to erect the best formations they know in the valley to keep the outsiders away. We also know that we cannot let the Central ins catch a whiff of it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have an idea. I hope you all will agree to it."

    The three people listened to him keenly, and Shi Lang continued, "I have some connection with the Central in''s Xiao Family. Their young miss has some goodwill with me. Once I reach the central in, I will look for her, and then she might be able to arrange a few positions for our people in the central ins.

    We need to scout against the demonic cultivators, but we must also mind the greedy humans in the central in."

    The three people were surprised by his im but agreed to his proposal. The people went to the Dragon Sword Sect and discussed the matter in detail. Shi Lang gave them the guidelines for the pce''s operation. His ideas gave the three people a new understanding of his character.

    After the discussion ended, Shi Lang sighed and said, "That would be all. Sect Master Ling, you can have some elders take this pce to the valley, and Yun Xue will help you nt the Spirit gathering lotus and other things. I need to consolidate my cultivation and look for that thing."

    After the agreement between the three sect masters and considering various points, the three people were concerned about the meeting ending. Shi Lang bade farewell to his friends and left for the Sect with Ling Ye.

    When he left for the central ins, Yun Xue asked him to bring her along. Shi Lang agreed and said, "See you soon."

 Chapter 580 Expedition.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Ling Ye spent two weeks at the Dragon Sword Sect before they finished establishing the pce inside the valley. The young man did not tell anyone about a certain privilege of the pce master. Just like how he could summon the pce anywhere, he could teleport to the pce from anywhere in the world, too.

    He did not tell anyone about this to ensure the people did not use it against him. However, he could not teleport back to the spot outside the pce. This privilege could only be used in life-and-death situations. The terran was very careful about his escape routes in this world.

    He did not trust the peoplepletely, even if they regarded him as family. It was not that he did not want to do so but that he could not do so. Who knew when the demonic dark side would overwhelm the good inside the heart of a cultivator?

    After all, good and bad reside inside a cultivator''s heart. Shi Lang had just returned to the Sword Peak when he found that the Princess of Tian Kingdom had been looking for him. He did not have much impression of her, but he knew that the girls from the Shi Family of Tianxue City were reputed officers in the imperial pce and the army.

    Tian Lingxue had been asking about Shi Lang every few days. It means that the matter should be of importance. The terran asked the disciple to inform the Princess toe and meet him.

    The disciple did not feel bad, but on the contrary, he was happy that the Terran had given him a task. Shi Lang was a core disciple, and his skills have gained a lot of prestige in the Sect.

    The disciple left the sword peak, and Shi Lang sat in the courtyard assigned to him, watching the leaves of the peach tree shiver under the gentle breeze. The sun had just set, and the passing movements made the sky dimmer. Shi Lang longed for the people back at home. He sighed when the door of his courtyard was knocked.

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and the door gently opened. He asked, "What is making you so anxious these past few days?"

    He did not think too much and directly got to the topic. Tian Lingxue pursued her lips and said, "My father is on his deathbed, and there has been some unrest in the pce, and the big families have been making moves in the shadows."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What does that have to do with me?"

    Tian Lingxue said, "Young Master, General Shi Ning confronted the Duke in the south and discovered a few traces of demonic cultivation. She has asked for assistance. The crown prince asked for your intervention because the cultivators in the family are rather strong and have created an illusion that they are the most benevolent people in the region. If the crown is to take any actions against them, things can turn into a rebellion. The crown prince has yet to gain a steady foothold in the court."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "So, my intervention will help the people think that I support him and ease up his way."

    Tian Lingxue nodded and said, "Please do not misunderstand, but he wished to visit you in person. However, Peak Master Mei denied the royal family from looking for you."

    Shi Lang thought about it a bit before he asked, "Can you tell me what is the situation of the Shi Family in this?"

    Tian Lingxue sighed and said, "General Ning is trapped in the southern states as she alerted the demonic cultivators during her investigations. The rest of the Shi Family has been trying to help her, but it is futile. They have lost about thirty experts, and the rest of their disciples are not up to the task.

    The three elders wanted to advance, but the crown prince did not want them to suffer. The mistresses of the family have also sought help from their families, but it is very limited."

    Shi Lang turned his head, gazed at the horizon filled with stars, and said, "I will go and help them. You must tell your brother because he did me a favor, and I will not act like his pet. The next time something like this happens, have them post a task in the mission hall and retain some dignity."

    Tian Lingxue nodded and said, "Shall I arrange something for you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Just the details of Shi Ning''sst sighting."

    Tian Lingxue bowed and wanted to leave when Shi Lang said, "Your Highness, you are afraid that the Sect will find out about you being royalty, and thus you hide. You lower your stature in the pce so your family does not single you out for cultivating in the Spirit Heart Sect.

    If you wish to live the way you want, please raise your head and admit the truth of your identity. In this world, only we have the power to change our fate¡ªno other can. Go and tell your master about your real identity. It is time that the Princess of Tian Kingdom acts like the Princess she is."

    Tian Lingxue shivered; she had always been scared of this one thing. What if the master crippled her cultivation. Shi Lang''s sudden words had shaken her soul. The Terran sighed and said, "So what if you lose a chance to cultivate? What do you think will be the spot of a cultivator who is afraid of herself in the future? The highest you will ever achieve is a deacon.

    Do you think a deacon is of great significance? Is that why you choose to join the sect? You wish to be the bridge between the sect and the country, but you have not even epted your reality. How dare you dream so big when you do not have the guts to step up and grasp the chance served to you by the heavens?"

    His words were akin to a sharp de stabbing the girl deeper and deeper with every syble. Shi Lang was not soft when it came to stating the truth. If Tian Lingxue managed to step up, he would help her and talk to the elders. However, if she failed and stayed silent, then let it be.

    Tian Lingxue was so agitated by his words that her fists were clenched, and her nails dug into her flesh. She was on the verge of arguing with Shi Lang, but when she recalled what he had just said, she found he was not saying anything out of the ordinary. He was indeed telling the truth of her entirety.

    The girl got lost in her thoughts and calmed down. She was disappointed in herself when she realized the truth. She had indeed been hiding from the reality for all her life. Shi Lang was not exaggerating when he said that people like her would not be able to achieve much and would always be used as tools for other people.

    The terran did not continue to talk to her and silently watched from the side. After half an hour, the girl sighed, and her temperament had changed drastically. The scared eyes she always had looked very aloof, as if she had put everything to the winds. Thedy took off her veil.

    Shi Lang was shocked, and the girl said, "You are correct, Senior Brother Shi. One needs to face everything head-on. I will not hide behind anything from now on."

    The terran sensed her spiritual aura climbing and said, "Go ande to me after your breakthrough. You can have your brothere and visit me at the Shi Family mansion in Tianxue City. I will leave right away."

    The princess nodded and left the courtyard with calm strides. Shi Lang looked at the wall and said faintly, "Peak Master, why are you still noting out?"

    A sigh echoed in the surroundings, and Mei Lingyao appeared beside him. She asked, "So, you have been hiding her truth from all of us."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The same way you have been hiding my identity from most of them."

    Mei Lingyao snorted and asked, "Enough with all that. What do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "I will take my senior brothers and sisters to Tianxue City. They can hold down my sister, which means they have enough force and skills. Shi Ning is not the person who would hide away if things are not out of control."

    Mei Lingyao thought about it and said, "You are in the Immortal lord realm, and you will be able to stand up on your own. However, you must contact me immediately if you face a Demon King-level cultivator. No harm shall befall your martial brothers."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Do not worry, Peak Master. Stress will only bring you wrinkles. I will make sure to keep them safe."

    Mei Lingyao nodded, and then realized that Shi Lang mentioned wrinkles. She red at him and found him looking at her with a sunny smile. She could only convince herself that this guy was a simpleton. She turned around and said, "I will have them prepare now, and you all take a flying vessel."

    Shi Lang said, "You do not have to worry about how we travel. Just make sure they are all present. The sword peak is going to clean the southern Tian Kingdom.

 Chapter 581 Heavy Measures.

    ?

    Shi Lang sat in his courtyard, waiting for Mei Lingyao to finish talking to the elders of the sword peak. They needed to leave the ce, and as their core disciples, the youngsters needed permission from their masters.

    After a few hours of discussion, Shi Lang was informed that the core disciples were ready to set off. He tidied up his disappearance briefly before he walked out of the courtyard. He came before the Peak Master''s courtyard and found all the core disciples present in the ce.

    Shi Lang greeted them and watched Mei Lingyao handing a jade boat to Wen Lengxue. He said, "Peak Master, do you want us to alert the enemy that badly?"

    Mei Lingyao red at him, and the Terran said, "The enemy is not simple, and I will not believe that the surroundings of the Spirit Heart Sect are untouched by demonic cultivators. If we are to travel in a spirit vessel, the enemy will be alerted, and the lives of those captives or warriors hiding or being held captive by them will turn even more difficult."

    The peak master ced her hand on her hips and asked, "Do you n to stain the image of the spirit heart sect?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "We will have enough reputation for the people to even think twice about attacking us. The reason will not be to show strength. We wille back with enough glory after clearing the entire region."

    Mei Lingyao wanted to say something when Shi Lang turned to gaze at his senior brothers and two sisters, "Let''s go."

    Then he took out his sword and stepped on it. Liang Ping followed him along with Hu Shan, Xu Guang, and Bai Yan. Wen Lengxue was confused about what to do, and then she also jumped on the spirit sword and left the sect.

    Mei Lingyao sighed and said, "This guy has led all of them astray."

    The elders smiled and did notment. They knew that Mei Lingyao had been trying to make these people act in a low-key manner. However, they never treated her seriously. Shi Lang was the master of strength greater than them. That was why they respected him. The Terran was younger than them, yet not only did he defeat them countless times, but he also gained their respect.

    ...

    Shi Lang flew through the void with his hands behind his back, and his face was calm. Hu Shan flew on his left wing, and Liang Ping flew on the right. They have considered asking Shi Lang for intel on this demonic rification expedition.

    Shi Lang seemed to have sensed something from the mood and said, "The southern region of the Tian Kingdom is manifested with Demonic cultivators. They have sent out people to investigate, and the result was confirmed. The reason I am intervening is so that I can help the Shi Family of Tianxue City. The young miss of that family is a general in the army and is akin to my sister. I cannot have her die at the hands of the demonic cultivators."

    The people understood that this matter was not only about morality and emotional attachment. Shi Lang sighed and continued, "Do not think too much. I will leave the sectter and travel to the central ins."

    The people moved through the void, and it did not take long to reach Tianxue City. Shi Lang did not waste time and came to the Shi Family manor. As he stepped forward, he could sense the gloom pre-emitting the wind. He furrowed his brows and wanted to get in when the guard at the door announced, "Young Master has returned! Young Master has returned!"

    The disciples with Shi Lang were surprised, and Wen Lengxue asked, "Junior Brother Shi Lang, why are they reacting like this? Are you rted to this n?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, coincidently, the founder of this n was a person whose blood flows through my veins."

    The disciples were surprised as they all nodded and followed Shi Lang inside the manor. The Terran greeted a lot of people on the way. Soon, they arrived at the main hall, and Shi Lang located his youngest sister, Shi Ting. He sighed when he looked at the downcast girl and said, "Ting."

    The young girl was sitting on the chair in a daze, and this voice woke herpletely. She raised her head when she found that it was Shi Lang. She did not hold back and rushed into his arms. She cried bitterly while holding him. Shi Lang sighed as he gently patted her back.

    He said, "Do not worry. Are you not strong anymore? I am here now? I will get Ning back."

    Shi Ting nodded, but her sobs did not stop. The terran turned around and found the haggard second miss walking over. Her pale face and slow pace showed her daughter''s situation was killing her internally. The young man sighed and said, "Second Aunt, why are you worrying so much? I am here, no?"

    The Second mistress of the Shi Family was a soft-spoken, introverteddy, and it was hard to see her in this situation. Shi Lang consoled the little girl and then thedy for a bit before he said, "Second Aunt, these are my senior sisters and senior brothers."

    Thedy stepped up to greet the people, and Wen Lengxue and Bai Yun talked to her about something while Shi Lang left the hall to see the three elders of the Shi Family.

    ...

    Shi Lang entered the hall and found Shi Yua and Shi Wei kneeling before Shi Yulong. The expressions on the faces of the three people were twisted, and the Terran said, "So, are you two finally deciding to rebel?"

    Shi Yua and Shi Wei raised their heads in surprise when they heard his voice. Shi Lang waved his hand, lifted the two girls from the floor, and said, "I am here. You do not have to go through trouble anymore."

    Shi Yua frowned and retorted, "Big Brother, with all respect, please tell me why we should not bother with it?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I am not asking you to not bother about it. But I will be heading in to deal with the demonic cultivators and rescue Ning. The reason behind this is your power level. You all have grown stronger, but the cultivation realm is not needed only when facing a cunning foe."

    Shi Yua wanted to say something when Shi Lang radiated a strong pressure. Although this pressure was not harming them, they could tell he was stronger than all of them. The Terran said, "The spirit heart sect has taken up the expedition to clean the Tian Kingdom''s southern region. I have gotten a few senior brothers and senior sisters of mine to join me on this task. Do not worry. Ning will be fine."

    Shi Yulong nodded solemnly, and Shi Yua said, "Big brother, are we supposed to watch all this from the sidelines?"

    Shi Lang shook his head when he heard the mncholy she had. He patted her head, saying, "Yua, you need to look after things that only you can do. The news has been leaked among the masses, and the people are in panic. Your task is to locate the people who are spreading this news. Gather evidence that they have a connection with demon groups. If they are innocent, detain them till Ie back or feed them some pill that makes them speak the truth and only the truth."

    Shi Yua and Shi Wei exchanged nces, and they nodded. They were willing to do anything except for sitting on the sidelines. They also understood that the terran had allowed them to grow stronger. This investigative assignment will allow them to learn about the cunning side of the world. Shi Lang said, "Yua, take Ting along with you. She is inching toward a breakthrough."

    The girls nodded and took the queue, and they left the hall. Shi Lang bowed to the three men, and they bowed back to him. Shi Shanwang said, "Xiao Lang, you have gotten stronger."

    The pressure earlier had shocked them. Shi Lang, on the other hand, calmly shook his head and said, "Do not worry, I will deal with this issue, but Patriarch, please focus on increasing the strength of the disciples. Select strong disciples and send them for assessment in various sects."

    Shi Yuwan frowned and said, "Are we not to support the Royal Family?"

    His question was simple: They were a family that supported the Royal Family, and the Royal Family was always against the sects. If they supported the sects to train their disciples, it would make things difficult for them.

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not have to worry. Nothing like that will happen. The Kingdom can never be strong enough if they make enemies of the sects. The royal family is delusional. Sects are too aloof to care about the secr world."

    The elders were surprised, but the next moment, a golden light began to condense around Shi Lang''s body, and the young man spoke directly in their minds, "If they tired to mess the harmony of this family, I will step forward. However, you are not to vite the agreement with the royal family."

 Chapter 582 Southern Peaks.

    <h4>Chapter 582 Southern Peaks.</h4>

    Shi Lang disyed a shred of his might and calmed the hearts of the three elders. Then he talked about a few things and left the hall. Shi Yulong and his brothers did not mind his actions because they knew that the Terran was going out to look for Shi Ning.

    They had a small talk and delegated multiple tasks to their subordinates before they came to the main hall to greet fellow disciples Shi Lang had brought along.

    The family was worried about their daughter''s well-being but maintained civility. This made the five disciples admire them. After a few minutes, Shi Lang came over wearing red and ck attire. He said, "Senior Brother Liang, shall we go?"

    Liang Ping was the leader of the group. Shi Lang did not want to step over his dignity and thus asked politely. Liang Ping also knew that this young man was giving him a great deal of face and nodded. The group stood up, bade farewell, and exited the mansion. However, before they could leave, Shi Ting came beside Shi Lang and hugged him tightly.

    Shi Lang patted her back and flew away with his fellow disciples. They had already received the details of thest sightings from the Royal Family. The people flying in the sky surprised the people in the city. They had a lot of cultivators, but none of them was this strong.

    ...

    Wen Lengxue asked, "Junior Brother, where are we headed?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "The southern peaks, Senior sister."

    Hu Shan raised his brows and said, "That region is a mountain range, right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "You are correct, Senior Brother Hu. It is a mountain range, and there are several valleys where humans have settled. That ce is so chaotic that even the imperial forces have trouble maintaining order. This was why the new crown prince sent his trusted aids to look deeper into this matter.

    He is a young man with an innate sword heart. He has already reached the sword grandmaster level, with a rudimentary understanding of the sword''s intent. His cultivation is a bit lower than the requirements from our sect."

    The people nodded, and Xu Guang said, "It would be good if he joined our sect. The rtion between the Tian Kingdom and the sect is slightly too sect. The kingdom''s current ruler fails to see the bigger picture."

    Bai Yan said, "I heard something about it. Master said that one in his youth, the King came to test for the sect. However, despite having a fine talent, his mind was not suitable for cultivation. He was too selfish, so they did not ept him. The King thought he was humiliated on purpose and left the sect. Ever since then, it had been like this."

    Shi Lang thought about it and recalled a few people from the Federation who could not see the bigger picture, too. He sighed and shook his head as they all traveled further. It took them half a day before they arrived at the entrance of the eastern peak.

    The terran squinted his eyes as he heard Bai Yan exim. They were all at the peak of Immortal General Level. They had controlled their thoughts, and such a reaction was not expected. Shi Lang asked, "Senior Sister, what happened?"

    The girl calmed her mind and panted while saying, "I practice ocr technique, and I just saw a dark aura in the mountain range. It was almost tangible."

    The expressions of all the people turned unsightly. They did not expect such a thing to happen. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "We should focus on the smaller things and then locate the source of this demonic energy."

    The people nodded in agreement. Liang Ping said, "Shi Lang, what do you think we should do?"

    The Terran was confused and said, "Senior Brother, this... How can I instruct you?"

    Liang Ping smiled and said, "You must not hold back. We will express our thoughts to you if we find something odd."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and hesitated. It was not like he had never instructed the people of higher ages. It was just that he did not wish anyone to say that he was acting out of line. This was the immortal realm and not the Federation, where he was the general, and everyone had to respect him regardless of age. This was the world with no militia code.

    Wen Lengxue said, "You do not have to stand here in a dilemma. You are the strongest among us, so it is only obvious that we listen to your instructions."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "Fine. So, the first thing we should do is look for Shi Ning, ording to the report provided by the royal family. She had located a bog force of demonic cultivators. If we find her, we can gain a better insight. Yes, I have a selfish reason, but I will not let it affect the expedition. If Ning is dead, I will bury every demonic cultivator and beast in these valleys with her. If she is fine, I will still bury them."

    The people nodded, and Hu Shan asked, "Where do we start?"

    The terran replied, We should look for the people who worked with Shi Ning and find things out. Also, I will say the bitter things first. If you find someone suspicious and think using force is not the righteous path, you might as well stay out of it. I do not care how I get the results; I only care about the results.

    To hunt the demonic cultivators, you must also act out of yourfort zone. In this world, no one cares about our status and will only fear us. However, those involved with demonic cultivators do not even have that fear in their eyes."

    His words were bitter, and they did scare the disciples a bit into thinking what Shi Lang was about to do. Shi Lang did not talk much and took a small map from his space ring. The source of this map was the royal family. The map marked the location where Shi Ning was and also the spot where her unit was stationed.

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows, and Xu Guang asked, "What happened?"

    The Terran replied, "The distance from the unit position to the spot where she was sighted thest time is odd."

    He shared the map with everyone, and the people frowned. They did not know much, but something was odd. Wen Lengxue said, "Why would she go to such a faraway ce? This is too suspicious."

    Shi Lang said, "The report said that Shi Ning was left alone to act as a demonic follower but was found out. She was acting without support. I cannot agree more, and she does like to do things on her own. However, the unit could have followed her. Why did they wish to stay so far away?"

    Wen Lengxue said, "We will find the answers we are looking for if we interrogate the person in charge of the unit. No?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and they all moved to deal with the unit. The terran was silent on the way, but his mind raged with thoughts. It was evening when they reached the unit camp. Shi Lang lowered the altitude as they flew, and a guard on the wall happened to spot them and immediately hit the gong beside him repeatedly.

    The camp sprang to life, and all the soldiers queued up with their weapons, and the guard shouted, "Stop! State your identity, or we will kill you."

    Shi Lang and the rest stopped in the void and he said, "My name is Shi Lang, I havee here from the spirit heart sect, to investigate the demonic cultivators your people discovered."

    The guard was shocked, and then he watched Shi Lang and his friends float closer to the gates and the guard said, "Exalted Immortal, please forgive me, I have informed my leader. He will be here soon."

    Shi Lang looked at these soldiers and nodded. He said, "You did nothing wrong. It is your job to ask people who they are. Do not worry."

    The guard was surprised and opened his eyes wide before he lowered his head. He said, "Thank you, Your Grace."

    Shi Lang sighed and conversed with his friends about the situation here. They all were a group of people who did not like to be treated in such an high manner. Shi Lang thought of something and asked, "Have you seen any immortals here before?"

    ording to him, Shi Ning and themander should be the highest level of cultivators here. Immortal Soul realm. The soldiers should not treat cultivators like this. The guard nodded and said, "Sir, there have been a few immortals who havee here in the past few days. Yesterday, one of them came here and the guard stopped him. That senior killed the guard."

    This was a surprising detail. Hu Shan asked calmly, "What can you tell me about this cultivator?"

    The guard looked around and shook his head as he said, "Not much, just that he recruits people every few days to go to the woods."

    Shi Lang turned to look at Hu Shan and said, "Is it possible that this guy is a demonic cultivator?"

    The rest of the people nodded and Hu Shan said, "I will ask people in the valleys."

    That said, he went away, and the leader of the camp came over.

 Chapter 583 Investigation.

    Chapter 583 Investigation.

    Hu Shan suggested going after the immortal expertsing over to the camps and left a scary impression. They had to find out if this person was a demonic cultivator. Thinking about it, Shi Lang said, "If it is okay with you all, why not split up?"

    The people exchanged nces and nodded. Shi Lang said, "We move in two teams, and we must always carry amunications talisman. If wee across any troublesome situation, call for help. I do not wish to see your pride stepping in and jeopardizing the lives of everyone beside you. Do you agree to it?"

    Shi Lang was blunt, making the rest of the group look at him in a new light. Shi Lang was a stern leader. He did not mind putting up lines between his status as the leader and their as followers to assure their safety.

    They all smiled and nodded to him. Liang Ping said, "Team leader, do you have any specific instructions for us?"

    Shi Lang was embarrassed but knew it was not time for him to hesitate. He said, "Senior Brother Hu Shan will look into the mysterious immortal expert in the south. I think Senior Sister Bai Yan should pair with him. They can bnce each other, and while Senior Brother is good at observation and analysis, Senior Sister can make people talk and extract critical information."

    The two people nodded. Simrly, Shi Lang divided them into pairs, Liang Ping and Xu Guang were a team, and Wen Lengxue paired up with himself.

    Shi Lang will interrogate the camp''s leader, and Liang Ping and Xu Guang will talk with the people in the periphery. Shi Lang wanted them to find the details that could prove to them that Shi Ning was in the direction the map imed to be. After dividing the tasks, the teams distributed and moved to finish them.

    ...

    Shi Lang and Wen Lengxue entered the camp after the guard informed them that the guard vice-captain was ready to see them. The camp was like any ordinary military outpost.

    However, Shi Lang noticed that the tent they were being led to the center of the camp. This ce was where the most prestigious officer used to stay.

    The two people looked at each other and followed the guard silently. Upon reaching the tent, Shi Lang frowned with disgust. Wen Lengxue asked, "What is this smell?"

    The Terran replied, "It is better if you do not know."

    Wen Lengxue was surprised by his reply, but she spotted a girl with disheveled attire running out of the tent the next moment. Shi Lang said, "Do not hold back if you wish to beat him upter. Just don''t kill him."

    The youngdy was shocked and did not expect Shi Lang to say something like this. One must know she was a cultivator and could kill the guy if he were too weak. She asked, "Are you sure?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and they arrived at the tent. The guard hesitated and said, "Vice Captain, the immortal cultivators havee over."

    A grumpy voice sounded inside the tent, "Ugh, what immortals? They are just a bit stronger than me. Let them in."

    The guard was covered with cold sweat. The vice-captain was drunk, and he was not in his senses. However, before he had the time to rify things with Shi Lang, the terran had pushed open the tent and walked inside.

    Wen Lengxue followed him and realized that the tent was already surrounded by a barrier that isted sound from the outside. She looked at the surroundings and found that the ce was a mess. This unclean arrangement brought an involuntary frown on her face. She looked at the so-called Vice-Captain and found it to be an average-looking young man.

    From his red and tired eyes, it was evident that he was intoxicated. Wen Lengxue turned to look at Shi Lang, gazing at the man like a tiger watching its prey running around the forest.

    She was scared. She did not know why, but the fear erupted from the depth of her being.

    She asked, "Junior Brother Shi?"

    The terran did not look at her, but he nodded and asked, "Vice-Captian, can you tell what you know about the situation of Captain Shi Ning?"

    The dazed young man raised his head and suddenly red at Shi Lang before he said, "You are asking me about that bitch? Who the fuck are you? Do you think you can throw your weight around like her just because you have a higher realm than me? I will tell you now. That bitch is already dead. She must have been fucked dry by those demonic cunts."

    Shi Lang frowned his brows, and then he stepped forward. The next moment, a streak of lightning hit the Vice Captian, and the intoxicated expression on his face vanished in a blink.

    Wen Lengxue emitted her pressure, and the temperature inside the tent dropped significantly. The vice-captain was shocked, and he shivered. He realized that these people were not ordinary.

    He shivered and asked, "Who are you, exalted immortals?"

    Shi Lang said, "You do not have to bother about that. Please answer my question first. What do you know about Shi Ning?"

    This time, the man did not utter profanities and said, "Captain Shi Ning was sent here to relieve the old captain and look into the cause of the disorder in this region. She found that a few Demonic Cultivators were responsible for this."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Go on."

    The man replied, "Captain Shi Ning got a lead a few days ago, and then she decided to follow it. She took a dozen guards with her, and there has been no news of them since then."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Wen Lengxue asked, "Did you not initiate any investigation to look for her?"

    Her calm voice was akin to an allure to his touch. The young man had been so focused on Shi Lang that he did not notice Wen Lengxue standing inside the tent. One sight of her face and he was hooked to her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

    The lust in his heart was so strong that it reflected in his eyes. He imagined things he should not have when he sensed a cold feeling originating from his hand. He looked down and found his left hand cut below the elbow. The young man could not fathom what had just happened, and a strong pain assaulted him.

    He screamed and fell to the ground with a twisted face. He squirmed all over the ce, and blood poured on the ground. Shi Lang stopped his bleeding, saying, "Senior Sister, you are so violent."

    Wen Lengxue said, "I disgust pests like these. I cannot help but deal a death blow to them, but I stayed put because you need him. Otherwise, I would have taken his head off his shoulders."

    Shi Lang sighed, and looking at the young man, he asked, "Did you learn your lesson? Or shall I let her continue?"

    The man shook his head and apologized frantically, "No, no, please forgive me. I will tell you everything."

    Shi Lang smiled, and the young man began talking to him

    ¡­

    Hu Shan and Bai Yan were walking through the woods slowly. They did not seem to be investigating at first. But their spiritual sense was ovepping, and they were looking for clues. The exalted immortal they were told about must have been through these woods.

    Bai Yan took a smallpass from her space ring, and Hu Shan raised his brow, "Demon Locating Compass?"

    Bai Yan nodded and said, "Master said that one should always carry them."

    Hu Shan agreed with her and said, "I wonder if this exalted immortal is a demonic cultivator, or is it some renegade cultivator trying to do their bit of good in this twisted world."

    Bai Yan smiled faintly and said, "Young Master Hu, I did not take you for an optimistic."

    Hu Shan shook his head and replied, "I am not optimistic, but I do hope for a better future. I do not think anything is wrong with that."

    Bai Yan nodded. She wanted to say something when thepass in her hand shivered. She stopped and said, "Your hope has yet to manifest. We have something."

    Hu Shan noticed thepass reacting and sighed. It turned out that the exalted immortal they were looking for was a demonic cultivator. The two exchanged gazes, and Bai Yan took out amunicating Talisman. She passed a message to everyone.

    Liang Ping and Xu Guang were mingling with themoners in the valley town when they received the message. The two did not find anything interesting other than the basic details of the said cultivator.

    They decided to join the two people as backups and confront them just in case. Shi Lang and Wen Lengxue thought the same when Shi Lang said, "Senior Sister, you head over to them. I will look for Shi Ning. My heart is unsettled."

    Wen Lengxue nodded, and they parted ways. The intuition of a cultivator was not to be overlooked.

 Chapter 584 Rescue.

    Chapter 584 Rescue.

    Shi Lang flew through the void quickly. The information they had received from the young Vice-Captain gave birth to many doubts in his heart. It turned out that a Demonic cult had been operating in the region in a rtively low-key manner. The emperor overlooked them, thinking many people would not make any difference.

    However, these people have recently increased drastically and have been raging under the shadows. The entire southern peak region was infected with the demonic air. Shi Lang could sense the tension in the air. At this moment, his mind was divided into two portions.

    Those with strength held greater worries. Shi Lang was the strongest among the disciples. He was worried about Shi Ning, but that did not mean he could be free from the worry of his fellows. These were his principles from the lower realm. He was a leader and had to be careful for his troops.

    Shi Lang flew quickly and soon arrived at the area where Shi Ning was supposed to be hiding. He converged his breath and looked down from above the clouds. His superior vision allowed him to scan the terrain below to the extent of his limits. Shi Lang was unsure where Shi Ning was, so this was the most efficient way to look for her.

    Shi Lang ensured that nothing within his scope of spiritual vision should be left unchecked. Soon, he found something. The terran dove straight down andnded firmly on the ground. He picked up a hairpin from the ground. Looking around, he found no traces of blood, only shallow tracks formed on the ground.

    He narrowed his gaze and followed the tracks. After half an hour, he found himself gazing at a dozen different tracks. One of them was particrly deep. His aura turned cold. He was smart enough to tell that these tracks were left after someone struggled to escape. The proximity of these tracks meant that the two parties fought.

    Shi Lang was sure that the demonic cultivators had apprehended Shi Ning, and they all worked together to subdue her. His anger was churning inside his heart, and he wished to y all the demonic cultivators in the surroundings and have their heads hung on a pike.

    Shi Lang took a messaging talisman, ryed the situation to his seniors, and began following the tracks. He was fast, like a specter in the woods. He was fast but sure not to leave a trace. Even the leaves did not shiver in the ces he passed through.

    After an hour, he arrived near a cavern. He did not rush to enter, but he saw his seniors walking in the opposite direction. It turned out they were also guided to this ce. They regrouped a kilometer from the cavern, and Bai Yan said, "This is the ce, junior brother. What do you think?"

    Shi Lang replied, "What is there to think? We go in and kill the demonic cultivators."

    The people were shocked, and Liang Ping asked, "Junior Brother, what do you mean? If the actions caused the demonic cultivators to harm the hostages, then what?"

    Shi Lang gazed at them and took out his sword. Then he cut his hand on the edge of the de. The people were surprised and wanted to stop him, but then they saw that the blood from his hand was dripping on the ground and it was squirming.

    They could not understand what was happening, but soon, their confusion turned into shock. The blood drops became clones of Shi Lang. The terran did not say anything much and waved his hand. The clones nodded and rushed toward the cave quickly. Shi Lang said, "Do not worry, nothing will happen to the hostages.

    That said, he vanished from the spot. The five people were left standing on the spot, stunned, until they heard the loud, shivering screams. Xu Guang woke up first and said, "Let''s go and see what he is doing. He has already gained attention. Leave the most of them for him."

    They all knew that Shi Lang was not someone they could catch up to at this moment. He was far ahead of them in terms of cultivation realm. The people charged at the cave entrance and found the ce to resemble a war field. Shi Lang was nowhere in sight, but the floor lingered with chopped-off limbs, and the walls were stained with blood.

    The deeper they went, the more shocked they became. The length of the cave was something they did not expect, and the number of people who died was too much.

    ...

    In the cave''s depths sat a male with his legs crossed into a lotus position. Before him was a prison cell with hundreds of people locked in. The man said, "So, whom should I have today?"

    The people shivered, and the manughed. His gaze ran over to all the people, finally locked on a girl staring back at him without fear. He became curious and asked, "Are you not afraid of me?"

    The girl replied, "I have never been afraid of a dog."

    The demonic cultivator narrowed his gaze and asked, "Oh, is that so? What is your name?"

    The girl hesitated briefly and then said, "Shi Ning."

    This girl was Shi Ning, and the demonic cultivator asked, "Why did you call me a dog? Do you believe that I will make you moan and whine under my crotch like a bitch soon?"

    Shi Ning looked at him with disdain and spat on the ground. She stood straight and said, "Maggot, even if you managed to get your hands on me, it will be my corpse. You demonic pieces of scum are not worth touching me, Shi Ning."

    She reached out for her bracers and took out a concealed needle. The needle was as big as four inches. She smirked and said, "By the time you get close, I will puncture my lungs and throat with this needle. So that you know, this thing isced with poison. If you tried to touch me, it would get to you, and by the time any one of you dimwits managed to find an antidote, you would be a puddle of molten flesh."

    The demonic cultivator did not expect her to be so decisive and vicious. He asked, "Why are you revealing this to me now? You could have used it to kill me when I tried to get close to you, right?"

    Shi Ning scoffed and said, "I disdain sharing the same air as you, let alone allowing you toe closer to me. My pride is much more valuable than your death."

    She refused to cower in fear of the demonic cultivator, and her actions shocked the demonic cultivator and the inmates. They all have seen many people break and beg, but this was the first time they had seen a youngdy standing in the face of darkness. They could not help but look at her with respect.

    The demonic cultivator stood up from the ground andughed eery. He said, "You stand behind a cage that I created. What makes you think you can defy me?"

    Shi Ning chuckled and said condescendingly, "You had your pack of pets surround me, and then only did you manage to get me here. I dare you to fight me with your strength. Do not think I know about you being a demon general. You seem to be a hundred years old, and even after relying on these demonic methods, you have only managed to touch upon this realm. You are trash, and the demonic cultivators do not acknowledge you much, right?"

    These words enraged the demonic cultivator, and the man heard an obscure roar. The cave trembled, and Shi Ning indifferently raised the needle in her hand. She pressed the needle against her throat and mumbled, "I hope they forgive me."

    She was sure that her action would hurt her family, but she did not wish to suffer such humiliation and choose the path of death. When she was ready to stab the needle into her throat, a calm voice sounded, "They might forgive you, but I will not, Ning."

    Shi Ning froze, and her heart almost copsed when she heard this voice. The demonic cultivator turned around and yelled, "Who is it? Show yourself, you bastard."

    Shi Lang left the shadow and said, "Let me talk to my sister first. Do not worry, I will kill you."

    His voice was calm, and his gaze was firm. He ignored the demonic cultivatorpletely. The enraged demonic cultivator did not even have the time to react when Shi Lang had already appeared before the prison door. The Terran held the bars and channeled lighting spirit energy through them. The bars turned red hot before they gradually melted.

    The demonic cultivator eximed, "Who the fuck are you?"

    Shi Lang turned his head to look at the persona and slowly said, "The one who will send you to your rightful desitnation."

    The demonic cultivator shivered slightly, and regained his cockiness, as he asked, "Oh, and what would that destination be?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Hell."

 Chapter 585 Blood Cleansing.

    585 Blood Cleansing.

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and the needle held by Shi Ning flew into his hand. He sighed and said, "Ning, you sure are ruthless."

    The youngdy was still wrapping her brain around that Shi Lang was here to rescue her. She could not help but pinch her cheek and wince in pain. She wanted to say something when she noticed the Terran walking toward the Demonic Cultivator.

    Thetter was also surprised when he saw this. He had never seen someone as reckless as Shi Lang. How can this young man walk over to him with such indifference? Was he not human? Did he not know that Demonic Cultivators were scary? They were avoided like a gue.

    Before he could deduce anything, Shi Lang was already standing before him. The terran spoke calmly, "A mere Demon General dares to overturn things and the pace of normal life in the eastern barrens. You sure have some guts. However, sometimes having guts can trigger the heavens to condemn you."

    That said, he raised his hand, and the long needle in his hand was stabbed in the Demon Cultivator''s shoulder. Thetter was stunned and could not do anything against the attack. He was not even able to see how Shi Lang even attacked him.

    Shi Ning was not bluffing, and the needle was indeed covered with poison. Shi Lang had stabbed the demonic cultivator directly in a major vein, and the poison had entered the bloodstream. The terran had no emotion fluctuating through his eyes as he watched the demonic cultivator shiver.

    Shi Lang asked calmly, "Can you tell me where yourpanions are? They can be humans who work for you or the demonic cultivators. I don''t mind."

    The demonic cultivator smiled wretchedly and said, "You can never find them in this life."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I was hoping you would say that."

    The next moment, he grasped the demonic cultivator''s skull in his palm and said, "Soul Search."

    At this moment, the disciples of the Sword Peak also walked inside. It was as if they had crossed purgatory, and now they watched Shi Lang extracting information from a demonic cultivator in the most heinous manner. They did not know what to say because they could see the people shivering inside the prison cell behind him.

    Shi Lang gazed at them and said, "Senior sisters, can you please talk to these children?"

    None of the people inside the cell was older than sixteen. He was not in a suitable condition to talk to them. The girls had a gentle image, and they were more efficient. The twodies nodded and walked around him to deal with the prisoners. After a few minutes, Shi Lang was done with the demonic cultivator and tossed his corpse like garbage.

    He looked at Liang Ping and said, "Total strength is about seven hundred Demonic Cultivators. They are spread throughout the southern peaks. They work with human informants in tandem."

    Xu Guang opened his eyes wide and asked, "Seven hundred? How are they sustaining such a force and keeping it under wraps?"

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, "A former courtier suggested that they use the means of curated farming. They are all practicing the dao of blood, and thus, these children have been held captive to produce blood. They feed them with healthy meat from nature to keep them healthy and extract their blood in return."

    Hu Shan held his sword tightly and said, "Can I go and kill all these people?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is our goal here. None of them shall be left alive. Before we start killing them, we have to ensure they cannot run away."

    Liang Ping spoke suggestively, "I have an array that can help us retain them. However, I am unsure if it can hold all of them."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Do not worry. We can iste one hide at a time and collectively kill these things in cirction."

    The people understood his intention and nodded. Shi Lang turned to Shi Ning and told her to look after the people rescued. He did not wish to waste time on sentimental expressions. Shi Ning was also not a sissy; she knew what took priority over the reunion.

    Six people left the cave, and what happenedter became a legend. The forests lingered with the smell of blood, and the air was heavy. Shi Lang had gonepletely berserk. He would enter caves with a short sword in his hand and if some expert from the demonic camp tried to challenge him in the open. The Terran used his spear.

    The people did not understand why he used a spear until one night, Wen Lengxue asked, "Junior Brother, why are you insistent on using the spear when your skill with the sword is superb?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior Sister, after this task, I wish to leave the eastern barrens and head to the central ins. These past few days, I spent time in a secret realm where I encountered many cultivators from the central ins. Our side of the people was not supposed to enter that ce. So, the spear will provide me with some cover. I do not wish those jerks to drag the eastern barren in their vengeance."

    The people were enlightened. While they were curious about what he saw in that realm, they were slightly saddened that Shi Lang would leave the eastern barren soon. The Terran sensed this and said, "In theing year, you will all have a chance to experience something simr to me, and then I will be waiting for you in the central ne, or more precisely, at the front."

    The young people sensed a rush of blood course through their bodies. They all smiled and ate their share of food before the bonfire. The fire in the center represented the will that Shi Lang had lit up.

    They spent their time in the woods, camping and fighting. It took them a month to deal with all the demonic cultivators. Soon, the news spread to the masses that a group of cultivators was hunting down demonic cultivators, and the humans they worked with all became vignt. They began to maintain a low profile. They even began to pray that someone from the demonic cultivators could kill these people.

    However, it was all for naught. Shi Lang and the rest were strong; they were like a meat grinder when they worked together. The demonic cultivators, in their vision, could not hold on. What surprised them the most was the absence of a demon king. The strongest fellow they faced was equal to Shi Lang regarding cultivation. However, he was dealt with much ease.

    During this battle period, they provided insights into Liang Ping, Xu Guang, and Bai Yan. Their sword skills have spiked very quickly. Shi Lang did not mind their progress, but surprisingly, Hu Shan and Wen Lengxue had improved overall.

    After dealing with the final hideout, Liang Ping asked, "What shall we do now?"

    Shi Lang said, "Kill the humans involved with Demonic Cultivators and make them an example. If these bastards can sell their kin to the demons, they are not worth being called humans at all."

    The rest were surprised by this, and Shi Lang said, "In the lower realms, when a courtier sinned, the King will y nine generations of their family. The extended families will be put under surveince. Many people in my generation thought that the King was cruel, but the thing is that he was just a man trying to protect his pce from shady people.

    Yes, rulers are all hypocrites, but they were strong too. The strong made the rules, and the weak followed. There are many types of strong people in the world. Some look for benefits, and some look for equality. Some are born with a powerful background, and some have a powerful background. Some seek chaos and simrly those who seek bnce.

    Our actions can define the course of history. If you are strong, your actions will be an example. If you are weak, you will be an example. So, do you think these humans will do any good to society? They have been in touch with the dark and tasted its power. These people will never let the weak live in peace.

    Do you still think I should let them walk away from this unbothered?"

    His monologue made the people shiver and think again about their decision. Liang Ping sighed and said, "Junior Brother, do what you feel is right. We have been too soft on the mortal dark dwellers. We fail to see if the demonic cultivators take root in the society by influencing the mortals. Such weeds should be uprootedpletely. I support you. Go on."

    Shi Lang shook his head, "As a cultivator, I cannot harm a mortal. However, I can instigate other mortals to handle their trash."

 Chapter 586 Rebellion.

    586 Rebellion.

    Shi Lang and the disciples from the Sword Peak all rounded up the people involved with the Demonic Cultivators and gathered them up on the tallest peak in the region. They spread the word for the people to gather and watch the execution. The sins of these people had been confirmed, and the Terran handled it personally.

    The crowd gathered around the foot of the mountain, and Wen Lengxue cast an ice screen in the void. Bai Yan used a spell and projected the images of the peak on the screen. She said, "Junior Brother, you can proceed now."

    Shi Lang nodded and stood facing the people. He said, "All these years, you have been living in fear of the demonic cultivators. However, what you do not know is that the ones who push you and your families into this darkness are not someone else but your fellow humans. Look at these people."

    He pointed at people kneeling beside him. The projection moved from his face to the people. The crowd at the foot of the mountain was shocked, and they erupted in discussion.

    Someone said, "That''s Old Ma, how is he involved with the demonic cultivator?"

    "Hey, Yuan, look, isn''t that Old Gao?"

    Shi Lang said, "I am not a mortal, so I do not have the right to kill these scum. The final decision lies with you. Do what you wish to do. If you wish to live in fear for the sake of humanity, then be my guest and take these people here. But if you decide to do that, look at the faces of the old and the young in your family.

    If you decide to eliminate the fear, climb the mountain and kill these people. They do not deserve to live."

    The crowd was dazed. They saw a dozen people atop the mountain and realized things were not good. Shi Lang sighed and took a deep breath before he said, "These past few days, we have rescued a few hundred people. They are also waiting to reunite with their loved ones. If you wish to abandon your children, you deserve to live in fear."

    That said, Shi Lang left the ce, and the rest of the disciples followed. The Terran moved through the clouds with Shi Ning''s hand in his hand. He said, "You kid, aren''t you brave, rushing to face all this alone?"

    Shi Ning sighed and replied, "Big brother, I did not wish toe here, but you know that Crown Prince. He wanted to show everyone his stature, so he called me."

    Shi Lang hummed and replied, "I will look into it."

    Shi Ning sighed and said, "Please do. I am tired of him using the family in the name of favor."

    The Terran sighed and said, "If this continues, relocate the entire family to the Spirit Heart Valley. The younger generation will have better exposure. This will also severe the karma between the family and the nation."

    Shi Ning was surprised when she heard this. She did not expect Shi Lang to take things to such an extent. However, he was correct; they relied on the royal court to prosper, but they did not want to continue being exploited by the imperial family.

    They returned to Tianxue City after dealing with everything in the Southern Peaks. The people in the city were shocked when they found seven of themnding before the entrance of the Shi Family Mansion.

    The guards spotted Shi Ning, whose appearance had been somewhat restored by the two girls on the way. It was undignified for a youngdy to appear that unsettled in public. The guards shouted, "Patriarch, Young miss has returned!"

    They gave up the post and ran inside the manor shouting. The people of the Shi Family may be disciples they have epted, but the way the real family has treated them was no different than true rtives. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Everyone,e in."

    The group entered the manor behind him. They found the family members gushing outside. They had informed the people that Shi Ning had been rescued, but they needed to settle things before bringing her back. Although calm, they still could not hide the excitement of their daughter returning home.

    Shi Lang did not n to inform the royal family this time. He would rather visit the imperial pce to see this facade''s end. Shi Yulong came before him and was about to bow when the Terran waved his hand and said, "Elder, are you trying to draw lines with me?"

    The people were surprised when they saw Shi Yulong bowing his head. He was the elder of the family, and bowing to a younger generation member was not justified. Shi Lang used spiritual energy to bind the man before he could bow and speak calmly.

    Shi Yulong said, "You are stronger than me and saved my daughter. How can I ever repay this debt?"

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "This is my sister too. I may be a remotely rted member, but I still am a family member. You all should focus on her now. Also, I have nned to leave the eastern barren and head to the central ins. So, my time here is less. I will settle things with the royal family before returning to the sect for a period."

    The words dropped like a bomb on the people of the family. Shi Ting rushed out of the group and came to stand before him. This girl was two heads shorter than Shi Lang, standing on her toes to look at his eyes. She asked, "Are you joking?"

    Shi Lang sighed and took out a messaging talisman from his space ring. He said, "Take this and keep it with you. If you ever need me, I wille back to you no matter what I am doing, and I wille, okay?"

    with spears, too. The sword was not the only way they all had to take. Shi Yulong nodded and agreed 21:12

    to the suggestion. Shi Lang also told them someone mighte over and ask about him. At that Shi Ting said, "Do you have to leave?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I feel your sister-inw will being over soon. I have to be there and find her."

    Shi Ting was upset but could not do anything about the situation. Shi Lang had his obligations towards others, too. Thinking about this, the girl lowered her head. Shi Lang patted her head and said, "Take this as a gift from your Big Brother."

    The next moment, a set of sword skills was imparted to the young girl. Shi Lang said, "Work hard, Ting. When I see you next time, I hope you can beat me in swordy."

    Shi Ting red at him and said, "Hmph, just wait. I will not only beat you but all the people in the world. I will be the strongest sword fairy in this world."

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded. He did not mean to dampen her spirit and said, "Never be conceited in yourself. Always respect the others until they do not want it."

    The four girls had gathered behind each other and listened to his words carefully. After half an hour of instilling a few morals in the girls, Shi Lang bade farewell to the rest of the people. He was grateful to the family for supporting him when he had nothing to himself. It would be a lie if he said he was not feeling sad but knew it was not thest time they met.

    Shi Lang handed down three spear techniques to Shi Yulong and told him to have the disciples train with spears, too. The sword was not the only way they all had to take. Shi Yulong nodded and agreed to the suggestion. Shi Lang also told them someone mighte over and ask about him. At that time, they just had to say that Shi Lang was an enemy of the family, and all he did for them was to lower their guard and steal all the valuables they had.

    Shi Yuwen did not expect Shi Lang to be this ruthless to himself. However, he also knew that the family''s safety took precedence. The two agreed on things, and Shi Lang left the manor. The terran was headed to the imperial city with his fellow disciples.

    Liang Ping asked, "Junior Brother, are you sure the King will agree?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "If he did not agree, then the Imperial Pce does not need to exist."

    The five people were surprised and did not expect Shi Lang to have such a rash side. This was a war attack. How can a monarch stand when the people living on theirnd were to stand against them?

    They took a couple of hours and arrived at the imperial capital. Shi Lang did not get down on the ground like thest time and flew through the city before he arrived at the Imperial Pce.

    His fellow disciples also caught up to him. They were defying all the rules that the Kingdom had established. This was an act of rebellion. If this was not all, Shi Lang spoke in a sonorous tone, "Tian Longjian,e out."

 Chapter 587 Drawing A Line.

    Chapter 587 Drawing A Line.

    Shi Lang stood in the void, looking down at the Imperial Pce before him as he called out to the crown prince by his name, Tian Longjian. It was not only the people inside the imperial Pce, but the entire imperial capital was shocked by the roar. They had never expected to hear such a thing, at least not in the imperial capital.

    The masses all came out of the house to watch the show. Shi Lang waited a few minutes before he said, "Tian Longjian, I am Shi Lang, the core disciple of the sword peak from the Spirit Heart Sect. Are you people trying to disrespect me and my senior brothers and sisters after we just sorted the enter southern region for you all?"

    The people realized that the people in the sky were cultivators and were the force behind the demonic cultivator hunt in the southern peaks. They all began to discuss, and at this time, a voice echoed from the Imperial Pce, "Forgive me for my mistake, Seniors. I was cultivating just now."

    Then, everyone saw the Crown Prince wearing a white robe with a golden python stitched on the back to fly up to meet the people. Liang Ping raised his brow for a second, then calmed down. He said, using spiritualmunication, ''This guy is at an immortal soul level cultivator, but his spirit energy seems to be suppressed. It seems like the Crown prince is an ambitious one.''

    Xu Guang replied with a chuckle, ''He is the one born with the sword heart. This much is to be expected.''

    Bai Yan said, ''Guys, shall we focus on the situation?''

    They all nodded and watched the Crown prince look at them. He replied, "Greetings, Seniors. Thank you for aiding the Tian Kingdom in dealing with the southern peak."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and replied, "It is the duty of those who wield the sword to fight for a righteous cause. However, you, Crown Prince Tian Longjian, have disappointed me greatly."

    The crown prince pursed his lips and did not say anything in refusal. Shi Lang continued, "You are smart enough to know what I am discussing. Can you tell me why you sent Shi Ning to the front when you knew she was not yet qualified to handle such a thing?"

    Tian Longjian had been caught in a bind by Shi Lang. The terran was not only on point but also drilling deep into the crown prince''s heart. Tian Longjian knew well that Shi Ning could not handle such a situation. It was not like the royal family was sitting ducks while the demonic cultivators had shredded the people.

    Since he sent Shi Ning forward, it only meant one thing. He was trying to fish for Shi Lang and drag him into this mess. He did not expect that Shi Lang woulde and point him out in public. The terran continued. "You do not seem to understand that since you wanted my help, you should have asked for my help. As a future ruler, you have to specte every minute effect your action can have on the people."

    Tian Longjian nodded and said, "I will keep this in mind for the next time, Teacher."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "You seem to misunderstand. There will be no next time. It is not my task to save the kingdom. That is your job. Also, if you used my family as a tool to suppress me, I would have the entire family relocate outside the kingdom."

    Tian Longjian was shocked to hear this. He did not expect that Shi Lang could do something like this. He was angry. He could not understand what was so bad about his cooperation with the Shi Family. Why did this guy reject him so much? While the rest of the families all over the country were trying to establish a better connection with him, they were Shi Lang.

    When did he ever suffer such humiliation? He asked, "Am I that intolerable to you?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Do you think you would tolerate someone who affects your family?"

    The Crown prince shouted, "She is not even your family! What difference does it make?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and asked, "What did you just say?"

    Tian Longjian shivered in his spot. He realized that he had said something odd. Shi Lang''s killing intent was locked onto him. However, he still repeated, "What difference does it make to you if thatss dies?"

    Shi Lang raised his head, and his eyes were filled with Lightning. Liang Ping, Xu Guang, and Hu Shan stood beside Shi Lang, feeling the surge in his aura. They took a few steps back. They knew he was friendly but still wary of his Lightning. The void around him bent from the lightning fluctuation.

    The Terran asked, "Do you have someone in the Immortal Lord realm around here? I do not want to bully you, a junior."

    Tian Longjian woke up from his fury. He still remembered that when he met Shi Langst time, he was not even in the Immortal soul realm, and now he stood before him as an immortal lord. This was shocking to him. He stuttered, "You, you, how could you..."

    Shi Lang said, "Where is Elder Ye? Call him out."

    His tone was calm, but the voice echoed throughout the city, and chaos ensued.

    A voice sounded from the Pce, "I wonder what crime my descendant hasmitted that enraged fellow Daoist so much."

    The old voice sounded, and an old man appeared beside Tian Longjian. Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Shi Lang greets senior."

    The old man stroked his beard and nodded lightly. Shi Lang said, "Senior, your descendant is blessed by heaven and has a special gift. He is destined to be a great ruler in the world. However bold as it may sound, I did my best for him to reach this level. I can take a Dao Oath to verify.

    However, for the sake of petty poprity, your descendant has not only put my family at risk, but he is now disrespecting my emotions. I am a cultivator with pride and some achievement. How can I stand back and watch him badmouth my family and values?"

    The people were surprised when they found him talking to an immortal king with such ease. Even the old man was shocked by this. Shi Lang stopped talking after he finished his point. The old man nodded and asked, "Then what do you want?"

    Shi Lang said, "I will fight an Immortal Lord realm fighter, and if I win, the Crown Prince will have to lower his head before me. If I lost, I would bow and leave this ce while shouting that I was wrong."

    The old man frowned and said, "I cannot allow the Crown Prince to lower his head. He is the pride of the nation."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Very well, since that is the case, please allow me to draw a line between the royal family and the Shi Family. We have already paid the debts that the nation has given us by cleaning the southern peaks and serving the royal court."

    The old man asked, "Young man, you are a cultivator, but do you have what it takes to protect the people of your family? You wish for all the officials of the Shi Family to be relieved, but don''t you know the damage it will cause to the court? Why shall I listen to you?"

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze, and the wind around him cooled down. He looked at a distant peak in the distance outside the Imperial City. He said, "I will show you why you should listen to me. Pardon the rudeness."

    That said, the young man took out his spirit sword and channeled his sword intent at the tip of the de. He was not in a hurry but said, "You all should know I am a core disciple of the Spirit Heart Sect''s Sword Peak. My elders and teachers are not the people you wish to mess with."

    His words were not light, and it was a direct threat. Tian Longjian spoke arrogantly, "Do you know who this personage is? He is the imperial guardian of the Tian Kingdom. Do you wish to die?"

    Shi Lang did not pay him any heed, and his sword flickered. A sword''s energy condensed and shed in the void before it vanished. Tian Longjian chuckled mockingly and said, "That was what you wanted us to see?"

    Shi Lang smirked and said, "Frog at the bottom of well."

    Tian Longjian was about to explode when the cliff in the distance shook, and an ear-grating sound originated from it. The people watched as the cliff crumbled down, revealing a smooth surface like a mirror. Shi Lang said, "Senior, this is the end of fate between the Tian Kingdom and the Shi Family."

 Chapter 588 Spirit Of Youth.

    Chapter 588 Spirit Of Youth.

    Shi Lang made his move, and he left the entire capital in shock. They did not expect this young man to be this strong. Shi Lang said his move was the line he drew between the imperial and Shi family. The old Imperial Guardian was shocked by the impact of the casual move Shi Lang made.

    He remarked, "As expected of a genius from the Spirit Heart Sect. I cannot keep you here in the Tian Kingdom without pushing the Kingdom into the mes of war. Why do you need to take your family away?"

    Shi Lang gazed at the old man and said, "I have already exined everything to you early on. I will not say the same thing to you again. You and your opinions are of no effect to me."

    Then he turned around without caring for the old man to attack him. Liang Ping and the rest were hesitant but recalled what Shi Lang had said earlier. They were the disciples of the Spirit Heart Sect and core disciples. If they were to be harmed by the Tian Kingdom, the Kingdom would suffer the wrath of Mei Lingyao.

    Tian Longjian narrowed his gaze, and he wished to attack Shi Lang and kill him. However, he heard the old man say, "If you wish to die, then go on and try to make a move for them."

    The crown prince asked, "Elder, is he really that strong?"

    The old man said, "You are a Sword Grandmaster, but he is already close to the realm of a Sword Fairy. The difference is too much. One of his attacks can obliterate you out of existence."

    Tian Longjian was shocked. The old man said, "Let the Shi Family go wherever they want to."

    They watched as the group of cultivators left the ce. Tian Longjian was unreconciled, but he was too weak at this moment. He clenched his fist and said, "I will catch up to him and return this humiliation."

    The old man shook his head and said, "You think he will wait for you to advance and let you defeat him? You have a sword heart, which only helps youprehend the sword skills. Such a thing does not aid him. Do you understand the talent level one needs toprehend such a skill? Just focus on your skills and learn to be content. The end won''t be far if you chase after things you can never achieve. However, if you wish to avenge the humiliation, do it when you are sure he will die. Otherwise, you will only invite death to the royal family and the citizens of the Tian Kingdom."

    Tian Longjian seemed to have attained the dao itself. He appeared very calm and nodded to the old man before he said, "Elder, I will return to my cultivation."

    The old man nodded while stroking his beard. Although he had been talking to the young crown prince, his gaze was locked on the shining cliff wall. This ce will be andscape of Shi Lang''s life in the future. It was a reminder that the Tian Kingdom should not mess with him.

    The old man sighed and returned to the pce. This matter was over until someone decided to fuck them over.

    ...

    Shi Lang told Shi Yulong that he had settled things with the imperial family and that they should prepare for relocation. He told Shi Yulong that he would send a few disciples to help them with the move. The family was gratified because this was their chance to rise.

    After dealing with the affairs, the group flew to the Spirit Heart Sect. This time, they used the spirit vessel that Wen Lengxue had in possession. The vessel was a faster mode of transportation. Shi Lang did not wish to waste any more time than necessary. He was getting anxious about his cultivation, too.

    In the past month, he spent almost all his time pondering over spear skills, and his cultivation had not improved even a bit. The Terran sighed and stood on the bow of the vessel. He sighed. Liang Ping walked over from behind him and asked, "Junior Brother, why do you sigh?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am worried about my cultivation."

    Liang Ping sighed and said, "You have to be patient. This rush will not help you in the long run."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I know what you mean. This past month, I have not spent even a day cultivating. I do not seek progress, but I wish to consolidate my foundation."

    Liang Ping thought and asked, "You are correct, but over time, the foundation consolidates. Why are you worried?"

    The terran said, "The element of lightning is unlike the others you can practice if you do not practice them over time. They go dormant. On the other hand, lightning gets restless. If I stop pursuing a higher realm, there is a chance that I might face a bacsh."

    Liang Ping was surprised to hear such a thing. Then he thought and said, "You cultivate the destructive element of the Lightning. This is why you are in such a bind, right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I have no other way. A tamed lightning is even more vtile and can go out of control at any given time."

    Liang Ping watched the clouds brush aside the hull and said, "Do not worry. We will reach the sect in a couple of hours."

    Shi Lang sighed again and fell silent. Liang Ping stood up and watched things silently along with him. Hours passed by and Shi Lang became more anxious. He didi not know what to say about this rush. He has been on the battlefield and many times he had almost died but he never sensed such an emotion.

    As the vessel docked to the mountain port Shi Lang smiled. He thought that since he was living for a second time, nothing in the world would shake his heart, however, he was wrong about it.

    Turned out that despite all the time he spent living, his spirit was still young.

 Chapter 589 Forbidden Valley.

    <h4>Chapter 589 Forbidden Valley.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the team disembarked the spirit ship, and Wen Lengxue manipted the array formation of the vessel to make it shrink into a palm-sized miniature. Shi Lang was surprised when he saw the palm-sized wooden toy transform into a big ship capable of amodating a hundred people.

    The group moved through the sect and could sense that the people were gazing at them withplicated thoughts in their eyes. Shi Lang sighed and said, "It is possible that the sect people are not happy with my actions regarding the stint I pulled off in the Tian Kingdom."

    Liang Ping shook his head and said, "If they think anything, let them say it. We are not afraid of trouble."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Thank you for your support, Senior Brother."

    Liang Ping waved his hand and replied, "It should be us thanking you for the help that you have lent us. Facing all the demonic cultivators has provided us with precious experience that will allow us to stand strong when facing such foes in the future."

    Shi Lang shook his head as they walked up the sword peak, "You are ttering me too much, Senior Brothers. All I did was to bring you along because I am still weak."

    Bai Yan jeered, "Yeah, and we are ve-level weak."

    Everyone chuckled. Bai Yang did not like when Shi Lang demeaned himself before them. They reached the peak and came to visit the Peak Master, Mei Lingyao. Thedy was sitting in the small garden in her courtyard. She raised her head to look at all of them and let out a faint sigh.

    She said, "Finally, you all decided toe back."

    All of them looked at each other and bowed in greeting. Mei Lingyao said, "Raise your heads. Except for Shi Lang, the rest of you are to go into seclusion. I want you toprehend the things that you have learned these days. There is no spiritual cultivation but only de skills and tactics you may have learned. Do you hear me?"

    The disciples were taken aback, and they all looked at each other. At this moment, Mie Lingyao said, "Brats, do you think that just because your masters are all peak elders, I cannotmand you?"

    The disciples sensed her pressure, and they shivered. The terran did not say anything and stood there watching the plight of the fellow disciples. After a minute, she regained her pressure and said, "I do not want to see any of you present when I am done blinking. Move it!"

    The disciples all vanished from the courtyard. Shi Lang shook his head and asked, "Peak Master, what should I do?"

    Mei Lingyao gazed at him and said, "You are going to the forbidden Valley. The ancestor fussed about letting you leave the sect without letting you gain theplete cultivation technique."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow in surprise and asked, "For real?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "You were summoned to the valley the first time to step in the sect."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then Mei Lingyao tossed a jade token to him and said, "You will need this to enter the VValley. Also, do not reveal even the slightest killing intention inside. You will die from before you even sense the danger."

    Shi Lang was curious and asked, "What is it?"

    Mei Lingyao narrowed her gaze and said, "You will know if you are destined to. Do not look deep into things; do what you are told."

    Shi Lang sighed and nodded before he left the courtyard. The terran knew where the Valley was located. That ce was the most deste part of the sect. The entire Valley was covered with an istion barrier and guarded by inner court disciples.

    The core disciples were smart enough to know where they should go and where they should not. As for the outer sect disciples, they did not have the guts to meddle in such things. The inner court disciples were posted here in rotation, which was done to tame their wild spirit. The forbidden area was hard to guard because of the constant pressure and the feeling of being watched from the depths of the Valley.

    Shi Lang rushed through the sect. His anxiety was at its peak. He greeted the few elders he spotted on the way, and they also knew him, so they did not stop him for chatter. The disciples, on the other hand, were conflicted.

    Shi Lang has risen to fame quickly, and people outside the sword peak have been getting restless. This one person dragged an entire faction to the top of the sect, which was not sitting well with the people.

    ...

    Shi Lang reached the vicinity of the Forbidden Valley. Spear-wielding disciples jumped out of the shadows and surrounded Shi Lang. The leader of the group said, "Who are you? This is a forbidden area, and you cannot advance further."

    Shi Lang did not mind it. After all, those were the rules. He took the jade token from his space ring and said, "I have the token of Peak Master Mei. Let me pass, I have been allowed to visit the valley."

    The disciples were surprised, but the leader stood unfazed and said, "Right Now, Senior Brother Xia is inside the valley. You shouldeter."

    Shi Lang frowned and asked, "What does his being inside have to do with me? I have an urgent task. Let me pass."

    The Terran sensed something odd but did not want to get entangled and directly stated his thoughts. The disciple leader said, "Do you not understand the significance of a disciple being in seclusion? If your actions caused him to wake up or face a cultivation diversion, will you take the responsibility?"

    Shi Lang clenched his fists and said, "If someone is disturbed, it is only because they allow the others to disturb them. Why shall I be held responsible? This is thest time I am telling you all to move aside. There is no rule that I cannot go in because somebody else is already in."

    The disciples did not expect Shi Lang to be so hard to deal with. The leading disciple said, "I am a disciple from thew enforcement peak, Ran Quiji, and my master is the second elder of the peak. If you know what is good for you, I suggest you get lost."

    Shi Lang sighed, and his patience ran out. He said, "I am Shi Lang, the core disciple of the sword peak, and Peak Master Mei is my teacher."

    As he finished speaking, he unleashed the pressure of an immortal lord. Shi Lang said, "If you tried to act like you are a big shot and can make me go away, I will break you to pieces."

    Shi Lang was angry, and his breathing was quicker. His words were ignored by Ran Quiji, and his pets attacked the Terran. The confrontation turned into a brawl, and Shi Lang watched them approach him with an icy face.

    The next moment, he clenched his fist and said, "You forced my hand."

    His punch was not aimed at the people but at the ground below his feet. He yelled, "Lightning Fist."

    The glowing fistnded on the ground, sending out a shockwave that pushed away all the disciples. The impact shocked the disciples. Shi Lang was enraged and charged at the instigator to vent his frustration. The anxiety from all these days of not cultivating had already pushed him to the edge, but this guy acting all cocky acted as a trigger.

    Ran Quiji did not have the time to defend himself when Shi Lang was already upon him. He held his spear vertically to block the blow, but the impact pushed him twenty meters away, and the ground shook.

    The terran froze. The lightning energy inside his body was going berserk. He raised his head and let out a roar that echoed throughout the sect. The voice alerted all the people, and thew enforcement elder was the first to respond.

    When he arrived, he found the guardian disciples on the ground suffering minor injuries, but Shi Lang was standing in the center with lightning lingering on his body. He frowned and moved forward to check when a sharp sword intent radiated from Shi Lang''s body.

    The elder flinched and watched the void around Shi Lang tear up and gradually close. He opened his eyes wide in shock. The rest of the elders also arrived at the post, and the core disciples followed suit. Everyone was shocked to look at Shi Lang. Mei Lingyao was thest one to arrive, and when she spotted Shi Lang, she yelled, "Which bastard dared to create trouble? Come forward right now!"

    She was rash, but none of the people dared to rebuke her. Mei Lingyao may be a young Immortal King, but her sword could injure these people deeply and ruin their life efforts. They watched but found none of the peoplee out.

    Mei Lingyao said in a slow voice, "If Shi Lang fails to recover from this spiritual deviation state, I will tell the news to the Immortal Sovereign, Lord Heavenly Dragon, and then you will face his wrath along with the nine generations of your family."

    The crowd was shocked to hear the involvement of an Immortal Sovereign. Ran Quiji shivered and fell to his knees before he wet his pants. Mei Lingyao said, "I will deal with youter. Sect Master, please move the young man inside the valley, only when he has theplete technique would he be able to survive this ordeal."

    Sect Master Ling Ye nodded and sent Shi Lang inside the valley with a wave of his hand.

 Chapter 590 Cultivation Diversion.

    ?

    Shi Lang was in pain. The lightning inside his body was raging madly and destroying him from the inside out. Mei Lingyao was gazing at thew enforcement elder with enraged eyes. Her hand gripped her sword''s hilt so tight that her palm appeared pale. She said, "If anything happened to Shi Lang, I may not act against you, but Tian Long will kill you."

    Ling Ye snorted and said, "I will take him inside the valley, and till Ie back, none of you need to leave."

    The people did not have the guts to say anything to him. Ling Ye was livid, his face was calm, and his traditional smile was missing. This showed that Shi Lang was very important. Ran Quiji doubted his life at this moment. He regretted his actions for stopping Shi Lang. However, he also thought about how this guy suddenly had a cultivation diversion.

    Mei Lingyao said, "Go quickly, Senior Brother."

    Ling Ye waved his hand and wrapped Shi Lang with his spirit energy. Then he walked ahead inside the formation. Shi Lang tried hard to control this state''s destruction scale, even if he found theplete cultivation sutra. He will have to do two things at the same time.

    One would be toprehend the sutra, and the other would rein the lightning raging inside him. Ling Ye took Shi Lang to the depths of the valley. This ce waspletely deste, except for an old man sitting on a huge boulder. This person did not emit any spiritual fluctuation. He looked nothing different than a mortal at the edge of life and death.

    Ling Ye ced Shi Lang on the ground, leaned before the old man, and kowtowed. He said, "Ling Ye greets Third Ancestor."

    The old man opened his eyes slowly and nodded. He said, "First brother had told me this child wille here soon, but I did not expect him to visit the valley in such a situation."

    Ling Ye nodded and said, "Third Ancestor, please help us. If anything is to happen to this boy, Senior Tian Long will not let us go."

    The old man stroked his beard and said, "That kid Tian has been getting very pompous since thest time I saw him. Do not worry. He would not do anything excessive even if anything were to happen. Go, stabilize the situation outside, and no matter what happens here, you and the rest of the elders are not supposed to step in here."

    Ling Ye nodded solemnly, and he left the valley in an instant. The old man gazed at Shi Lang and blew a breath at him. The raging lightning calmed down in an instant. The terran was shocked. He did not expect such a thing when dragged here. He tried to sit but found that it was not his lightning element but his entire body that had lost the capability to move.

    The old man smiled and said, "Do not worry, kid. You have done a great favor to the sect already. Let me hand you the thing you have been anxiously seeking here."

    A light shed from the old man''s brows and burrowed inside Shi Lang''s forehead. The next moment, his mind was flooded with information about the Lightning Sutra.

    ...

    Ling Ye stood facing the elders and the guardian disciples outside the valley. His gaze was locked on Ran Quiji. He asked in a somber tone, "Do you realize what you have done?"

    Ran Quiji did not speak. In the meantime, when Ling Ye was inside the valley, he had crushed the summoning jade in his pocket, and his master was on his way. He did not have the right to face the sect master, but the second elder of the Law Enforcement peak did.

    As Ling Ye stopped speaking, the second elder arrived and frowned upon sensing the tension in the air. He could not put one and one together. He looked at the Peak Master of the Law Enforcement peak and asked, "Peak Master, what happened?"

    Peak Master sighed and said, "Your disciple attacked a core disciple from the sword peak when he was trying to enter the forbidden valley. That disciple had been permitted to enter the sect in exchange for a great merit. However, Ran Quiji stopped him and attacked the young man.

    If that were all, this matter would not have erupted like this. That disciple was in a crucial stage of his cultivation, and after fighting demonic cultivators for a month, his cultivation attribute was out of control. He required special training, so the ancestor had allowed him to enter personally. However, this sudden encounter caused him to suffer a diversion, and his foundation became unstable. At this moment, he is facing a life-and-death situation inside."

    The second elder was shocked and could not help but ask, "Is this disciple that you are talking about, Shi Lang of the Sword Peak? The terrible genius who yed four hundred Demonic cultivators?"

    The people nodded, and Mei Lingyao snorted. The second elder''s forehead was covered with cold sweat. Ran Quiji was facing something even more terrible. He did not expect that he would stop someone like Shi Lang. His face was drenched with blood, and his legs turned soft as he knelt on the ground.

    He did not wait for his master and kowtowed to Ling Ye as he said, "Sect Master, I am a sinner. I was blinded by my urge topete, and I stopped Senior Brother Shi from entering. I ept theplete responsibility of his situation. You can punish me however you want to."

    The people were surprised to see him like this. The young man had been refusing to repent until now. Mei Lingyao said coldly, "It is not wrong for you topete, let alone the others, even if he would not oppose you. However, you need to understand the situation before acting in the future. It is not our weakness that causes us to suffer but foolishness.

    If you are to act like a rowdy, then be strong. Otherwise, you will end up dead, and even those close to you will suffer. Look at the fellow disciples who were following you. If Shi Lang were to take hold of his sword, you all would have died. Tch, I do not know what to say. Senior Brother, it is up to you to punish him."

    Ling Ye cast a gaze at Ran Quiji and then at his master. He asked, "Junior Brother Yan, do you think one month in the seclusion cave will be enough for Disciple Ran to focus and think about what he just did and how he should make up for this in the future?"

    Elder Yan was shocked because this was not a punishment but a simple sentence to cultivate and live in seclusion. He did not know what to say. Ling Ye said, "After one month, he will go down the mountain and hunt seventy spirit beasts before he is allowed back in the sect. Do you agree?"

    Elder Yan nodded and said, "I agree. The beasts he hunts should be simr to his cultivation realm and higher. Lower ones do not pass until they are a part of a pack."

    The people nodded, and Elder Yan said, "Did you hear Xiao Qui?"

    Ran Quiji raised his head and nodded with red eyes. He was feeling guilty. The Spirit Heart sect has always been lenient on those who confess their faults. He did not expect them to allow him to advance like this.

    He nodded repeatedly and said, "I will go to the caves immediately."

    Ling Ye nodded and said, "I do not wish to hear even a whiff about what happened today in the sect. Do you understand?"

    The people nodded, and Mei Lingyao said, "My sword peak will challenge the Spear peak once Shi Lang recovers."

    The spear peak master smiled and said, "I will wee you with open arms, Junior Sister."

 Chapter 591 Twist & Turns.

    ?

    Shi Lang did not know what was going on outside the valley. He was focused on regaining control of his situation once again. The sutra in his mind allowed him to manipte the Lightning, but it was not very potent. The destruction caused to his body was stronger than his control over the Lightning in this state.

    The lighting element ranked among the top attributes in terms of destruction. It made the people gifted with an affinity to it feared all over the immortal ne. Yet, at the same time, this element was hard to control. If the destruction was not controlled, the practitioner could sumb to the negativity and even die while trying to manipte it.

    Lightning was a double-edged sword that could severe foes and friends alike if the user was not careful. The terran was unable to move and was squirming on the ground. His nerves were tingling from the Lightning coursing through them. However, he did not let out even a whimper.

    The old man on the boulder had used a spell to calm down the rampaging element. However, that was not enough. Humans could not control naturepletely, and they could manipte it but not own it. The same applied to the cultivators. They all pursued Dao and gradually became one with a part of nature. After all, they were focusing on one element of nature.

    Shi Lang slowly increased his skill and tried to tame the energy again. Hisprehension was fast, but it was also very shallow. The aspects of the lightning energy he learned while following the sutra cirction channel made him realize his understanding of Lightning was very shallow.

    As he began toprehend, his affinity toward the element increased. The old man on the boulder was watching everything from the side, and he suddenly nodded in approval. Shi Lang made no sound as his mind entered the deep cultivation situation.

    The information in his mind gradually assimted with his body, and the lightning movement calmed down. However, it was not an instant process. If Lightning were that easy to handle, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would run after it.

    ...

    Mei Lingyao sat under the wisteria pavilion in the sect, and her expression was somber. She was pissed at how the Law enforcement disciple caused such aplication. She was afraid that Shi Lang''s foundation would be affected. The terran had the most terrible talent she had ever seen in her life, and now, when he was about to leave the Eastern Barren, his foundation was harmed.

    She could not figure out a way of making things up to him. After all, even with their resources, the foundation''s recovery was not possible until a great encounter. As she was thinking about everything, the sky was turning hazy.

    ...

    Amelia stood on a secluded hill, a few kilometers away, and could see her family and people. Shi Tao was now the cultivation association president, and her mother had retired to teach a group of children as her disciples. Shi John and his wife were still alive but were only nascent soul realm-level people.

    Amelia had often asked them to put in some effort and try to ascend, but the old people had no ambition. They loved their lives in the Federation. They would always say they would wait for them to return afterpleting their tasks.

    In the end, Amelia was hopeless. Shi Tao''s daughter was tasked to look after them. Shi Tao was busy most of the time. The young one had just stepped into her teenage and was a damn good analyst, and her cultivation was on par with her peers too. She may not have a knack for it, but she did not lose out to those talented geniuses.

    Everyone looked at her as a target, but the young girl had defeated the people with a ruthless and blunt execution. Amelia had trained her in indifferent battle mode, and even her education was looked over by the former. The little girl was very attached to Amelia. However, as a cultivator, she also knew what it was like to reach the peak.

    Amelia reached the peak of her strength, and now her actions were restricted by the realm''sws. She could not continue living in suppression. She needed to cross the tribtion and ascend to the higher realm to livefortably. Amelia stood under the cloudy sky and said, "I will leave now. Take care of yourselves."

    Following her words, the Lightning fell on her body. Amelia had practiced the sutra for Snow Element, and her inheritance was also iplete. Thedy was itching to go to the upper realm, find Shi Lang, and then look for aplete inheritance.

    She bathed in Lightning, following the steps of her husband. She also realized her physique was not tempered enough to withstand the lightning tribtion. She had been waiting to perfect her physique these past years, and she reached this point only when she was confident enough. The Lightning fell upon her body, and she stood unfazed.

    Her bones had turned to jade, and her skin seemed made of ice under the impact of the lightning bolt. This enraged the heavens, and a human had such a terrifying physique. Heavens never made things easy for people. The lightning bolt fell one after the other on Amelia''s head, but she stood with her eyes closed.

    She was flung off the ground only after the sixth bolt of Lightning. She was flung off the ground like a rag doll. Amelia sighed and stood up from the ground, and the seventh lightning bolt left a bloody gash on her back. Thedy still did not budge and faced the impact of the eighth lightning bolt.

    Amelia healed her body with her spiritual energy. She raised her head and looked at the sky rumbling with crimson Lightning. She smiled and said, "If you intend toe after me, do it with conviction. I have been a bit too restless ever since Shi Lang left. This is thest chance you have to stop me. If you dragged the tribtion, I will slice you apart."

    The Lightning rumbled and fell on her head. The impact shook the world, and the people held their hands in fright. The heavenly tribtion to ascend the realm was not an easy thing to do.

    ...

    While the lighting bolt fell on Amelia in the lower realm, Shi Lang sat up in the upper realm. His heart beat fast, and his consciousness was jolted awake from cultivation. The Lightning in his body also acted, but the sudden uneasiness made him angry, and he grunted, "You better stay within your limit. I am very pissed right now."

    The next moment, he stopped channeling the spiritual energy and bought out his spiritual weapons. The weapons shivered, and they were ready to break away from his grip. However, Shi Lang watched them so coldly that the shivering weapons gradually calmed down.

    The terran said, "I am your master and respect you."

    The weapons calmed down, and they emitted soft vibrations. Keeping the weapons back inside his dantian, he looked at the old man and bowed with his hand sped, "I have seen the Ancestor."

    The old man nodded while stroking his long beard. He asked, "Why do you not kneel like Sect Master Ling Ye?"

    Shi Lang replied, "My father used to tell me that a man has a knee under his knees. A man should not kneel unless it is before his parents. I do not even kneel to the heavens."

    The old man nodded and said, "You do have a spine. Befitting the character of someone who can master Lightning."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I am not worthy of yourpliments, Ancestor."

    The old man smiled faintly and asked, "Tell me, Shi Lang, would you like to acknowledge me as your master?"

    Shi Lang was shocked and asked, "Ancestor, may I ask, why me?"

    The old man replied, "I am on my deathbed. I will notst for more than five years, and that too, without making any big moves. However, as the guardian of the Sect, I need to select a descendant who can carry on my task in the future."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It will be my honor, Ancestor, but before I can act as the guardian of the sect, I have many other obligations to fulfill."

    The old man nodded and said, "I know your obligations and will not bar you from fulfilling them. However, you must tell me how long before you canplete them?"

    Shi Lang smiled and knelt on the ground. The terran kowtowed and said, "Master, I do not have tea here, please take this spirit liquid as my gift to you."

    The old man was shocked and Shi Lang said, "This bottle contains thousand drops of spirit liquid. It can help you advance one minor realm and reach the peak of Emperor level. I hope that will give you another few centuries to live on."

    The ancestor was yet to wake up from the shock of his acknowledgement when these words made him shiver.

 Chapter 592 Finding Amy.

    ?

    Shi Lang had finished offering the spirit liquid to the old man and rejuvenating his old bones when he froze. The uneasy heart began to race. At first, he brushed things off, thinking it was about his cultivation. However, now his heart was beating so fast that he could not help but put a hand on his chest.

    The terran stood up from the ground and looked at the sky. He did not know what took over him, but he flew into the void and rose above the clouds. He turned in all directions but could not find anything when he heard a voice, "Xiao Lang, what are you looking for?"

    Shi Lang turned and found his Master, the Third Ancestor of the Spirit Heart Sect, hovering beside him. He said, "Master, I feel like someone rted to me hase to the immortal realm."

    The old man nodded faintly, "Your guts are indeed true. Someone with a fate with you has arrived in the immortal realm."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath, and he shivered. The old man said, "Calm down. You will not be able to find that person if you act like this."

    His words calm Shi Lang, and the terran raised his hand to rub his face. At this moment, his gaze fell on themunicator on his wrist. He anxiously tapped on the surface and channeled his spirit energy into it. The array engraved on hismunicator lit up. This was the most advanced piece of spiritual tech in the federation then. He had the best model on his wrist.

    This model had a pair that Amelia owned. So, he could locate and get together if she were in the immortal in. The array lit up, but nothing happened. Shi Lang did not give up hope. He was patient. After all, Amelia did not have a spiritual tattoo like him to hold onto her things when ascending. The heavenly tribtion could turn things to ashes, so it would be no shock for him if that happened.

    After ten minutes, when the re of hope was about to calm down, themunicator vibrated. Shi Lang opened his eyes wide as the spirit energy condensed into a face. His body was shivering as he saw Amelia. A tear dropped from his eyes.

    Amelia was smiling at him with a tear in her eyes, too. She said, "Themunicator is damaged. I will wait for you in the central ins. Come soon, Lang. I..."

    As she was speaking, the spiritual avatar shook and began to dissolve. However, Shi Lang spotted a bunch of people attacking Amelia. His mind was rattled, and he called, "Amy, Amy, what happened, Amy?!"

    The old man noticed his fluctuating mood and said, "Do not be so anxious. Her fate is strong, and she will live for a long time. She will not be harmed."

    The terran replied anxiously, "Master, she is new here, does not know anyone, and we had demons looking for us. It has not been long in the immortal realm since I ascended, but decades must have passed in the lower realm. She arrived here and could be facing a deadly situation. Please let me go to her."

    The old man shook his head and said, "Rein your temper and calm your thoughts. You are making a fuss over nothing. Is this how an Immortal Lord should behave? Control your emotions, or you will die before you reach the central ins. Do you understand?"

    His harsh words rang in Shi Lang''s head and jolted him awake. Gradually, he recovered his temper and stability. He asked, "Master, Please tell me what should I do?"

    The old man replied, "First, you will get down to the ground, and then I will tell you what you should do."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the old man. The third Ancestor sat on the boulder and said, "My name is Ling San. I am third and the youngest among the disciples of my generation, just like your grandmaster."

    Shi Lang nodded before Ling San continued, "My senior brothers and I practiced a few skills I will now impart to you."

    Ling San did not give Shi Lang any chance and raised his finger like before, and a ray of light shot at Shi Lang''s forehead. The terran was filled with the details and skills from the older generation, and he was shocked to see so many basic skills filling his head. He realized the intention behind this impartation was to improve his foundation.

    It was fighting skills, formation dao, and alchemy dao knowledge. The basic maniption of the spiritual energy was emphasized, and subconsciously, Shi Lang tried to use these methods in correspondence to his Lightning Shura Sutra. He realized that the efficiency had increased severalfold.

    The terran realized he would gradually lose himself in thepression, so he coughed a mouthful of blood. Ling San was surprised but saw clones forming from the blood drops. There were a few dozen clones that looked identical to Shi Lang. The terran said, "You have your task. Go! Scurry the entire world if you must, but find me, Amelia."

    The clones nodded and rushed out of the valley. Ling San did not stop them as they all moved out. The sect was shocked when they saw so many people rushing out. However, the sect master''s voice rang out in the surroundings, "Do not bar them."

    The disciples found things odd, but they did not say anything. After all, it was the sect master who told them to be calm. Shi Lang sat in the valley with his eyes closed, gradually losing himself inprehending the skills passed on by Ling San.

    He was not in a hurry; all his clones would travel in groups, and even if they were not very strong, they could hold their end against some experts. The Terran had set out to look for his beloved, and he was no longer uneasy.

    ...

    Outside the Ascension hall, Ying Yu stood behind a middle-ageddy confronting a group of demonic cultivators. The two of them hade here to inspect the situation in the front when they found that someone had ascended. They were surprised and came over to look who it was.

    They found it was a young woman. The olddy was surprised, and she decided to bring her away. However, the demonic cultivators had alsoe over to the side, and one was targeting the young woman.

    The olddy was shocked but even more shocked to see that thetter did not show any sign of fear. Ying Yu asked, "Master, do you want to help her?"

    The olddy shook her head and said, "Wait, I want to see what is her capital of arrogance."

    The demonic cultivator on the other side said, "Woman, you shoulde with us in peace. Our young master is waiting for you. Do not make things harder for yourself."

    Amelia gazed at him calmly and replied, "I have already refused your invitation; respect yourself and leave."

    The demonic cultivator took out his sword and said, "If not you, I will bring your head back for my young master."

    Amelia gazed at him and smiled. She said, "I have the guts to self-destruct myself, but I will not let you touch even a hair on my body."

    The people were shocked, and Amelia continued, "In the lower realm, my husband killed the spiritual true clone of your bastard young master. He has already arrived in the immortal realm. If he did not find me, what would he do? He will erase the demonic cultivators from the face of this world. I am not joking."

    Her calm and elegant stature shocked the people. Even the olddy could not help but nod in approval. However, when she heard this girl mention her husband, she frowned. The demonic cultivator asked, "If your husband is that good, why has he been hiding? Why not confront us."

    Amelia replied with a smile, "A tiger does not hide. He is just waiting to hunt you all down. Ask your master if Shi Lang is a coward. Ask him if the sword he held was weak. Suppose he showed fear in the face of the overwhelming strength that your mastermanded. Shi Lang broke his limits in the astounding battle. The Ace of Terrans is not someone you should provoke."

    The demonic cultivator scoffed, suppressed the shock in his heart, and said, "Even if you say so, words are just words. They hold no impact on me."

    In the distance, Ying Yu was frozen. She said, "Master, please save her."

    The olddy frowned and asked, "Xiao Yu, whatpels you to help her? Look at how arrogant she is."

    Ying Yu shook her head like a rattle and said, "Master, the person who saved us and helped us deal with those traitors and even gave us the chance to gain an inheritance is Shi Lang. Thisdy is his wife."

    The olddy was shocked. She cast a wide-eyed gaze at her disciple and then at Amelia, who was umting her spirit energy to self-destruct. She asked, "Are you sure?"

    Ying Yu shook her head and said, "Master, we can confirm my doubt after she has been rescued."

    The olddy nodded and waved her hand. The distance between the people was around fifty kilometers, yet she could disperse an attack from so far, which meant she was strong. The demonic cultivator shouted, "Who is it?"

    Ying Yu and the olddy appeared between the demonic cultivators and Amelia. The olddy ignored the demonic cultivators and said to Amelia, "Girl, you can calm down, they cannot act against me."

 Chapter 593 Out Of Seclusion.

    ?

    Amelia was doubtful of the olddy who acted to help her. She had no idea why this was happening. After all, she had just arrived and did not know anyone. It would not be very intelligent of her to trust someone she did not know. Ying Yu sensed the vignce and stepped forward to greet her.

    She said, "Hello, fellow Daoist. I am Ying Yu. You can trust me, and I owe a favor to your husband."

    Amelia raised her brow, and her fist clenched tightly. Ying Yu smiled helplessly and took a piece of parchment from her space ring. She showed the content to Amelia and asked, "Please look at this. Is this your husband?"

    Amelia looked at the parchment, and she was stunned. Her eyes were filled with longing. Ying Yu felt slightly envious, but she could only sigh as she said, "You are indeed his wife."

    Amelia nodded and asked, "How do you know him?"

    She wanted to clear her doubts. However, the olddy said, "We can talk about all theseter."

    The two youngdies exchanged nces, and they nodded. The olddy said, "You can leave now. Your presence is a nuisance."

    She was talking to the demonic cultivators. The other party wanted to scold her, but he could not even control his breathing. The olddy watched the other party tremble in frustration and smiled. She asked, "Who is the second inmand here?"

    She restrained some of her pressure on the other party to gain his mobility back. A demonic cultivator from behind the leader grunted. The next moment, the leader''s hands were twisted, and thedy said, "This is the lesson for you to learn how to act in the presence of an Immortal Emperor."

    The demonic cultivator who was threatening Amelia had fainted from the pain. The olddy said, "You should leave while I am still in the mood."

    The deputy leader nodded and left the ce with his entourage. The olddy turned around and said, "Let us leave."

    Ying Yu nodded and said to Amelia, "Fellow Daoist, pleasee with us. You will be safe. I promise you."

    Amelia was doubtful but considered that this person was familiar with Shi Lang. She nodded to Ying Yu. The olddy covered the two people with her pressure and vanished.

    ...

    Shi Lang was still immersed in theprehension and was unaware of what was happening in the outside world. He had sent his clones outside to search for Amelia, and they were not clueless to go and ask for every random purpose. They were all Shi Lang and had the experience of performing surgical operations and espionage.

    Ling San was watching himprehend the skills, and unknowingly, a few months passed. Shi Lang was very adept at things like research and adaptation. He skillfully recovered his foundation with the use of those basic skills. At this moment, if someone were to look at his foundation, they would think it was perfect.

    One day, Shi Lang opened his eyes and asked, "Master, can I leave now?"

    Ling San opened his eyes and nodded. He said, "I have another century to live. You do not have to worry abouting back in a hurry. Go there and finish the things you need to. The era of great war is upon us. There are many geniuses in the world, Xiao Lang, and you will have to face them all sooner orter. It is better to have friends and less enemies. Do you understand what I mean?"

    Shi Lang realized that the old man was telling him to avoid conflict. He nodded and bowed his head. Ling San said, "Go, Xiao Mei is getting restless these days."

    Shi Lang tilted his head in confusion, and the old man shook his head before going back to meditation. He said, "You will know soon enough. Now go."

    The terran nodded and, after greeting the old man, left the forbidden valley. Shi Lang wondered if he should wait for his clones to infiltrate the central ins before leaving for the ce or if he should go by himself when he spotted Liang Ping sitting on a boulder outside the valley.

    Shi Lang did not expect to witness something like this after so many months of seclusion. He was amused and walked up to the person and said lightly, "Senior Brother Liang?"

    Liang Ping opened his eyes and sighed, "Finally, you came out of the valley."

    Shi Lang was amused by his relieved expression and asked, "What happened that made you sigh like this?"

    Liang Ping replied, "The day you ran into confrontation with Spear Peak Disciple Ran Quiji, Peak Master, dered that the day you step out, the Sword Peak will be challenging the Spear Peak. This is why I heaved a sigh of relief because everyone has been put through the grinder by the Peak Master."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and remarked, "I did not expect anything like this to have happened in my absence. However, do not worry. I have long to spar with someone, so this spar is a very good idea before I leave the sect."

    Liang Ping nodded and said, "What do you wish to do?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "I would like to see the strongest disciple on the Spear Peak. That guy, Ran Quiji, stopped me from entering the valley because someone from the Spear Peak had already gone inside. I want to see what makes him so arrogant."

    Liang Ping nodded and replied, "I have heard of this guy. He is called Xia Tian, his cultivation realm is Immortal Lord, and he seemed to haveprehended the intent of speed and spear."

    Shi Lang thought briefly and remarked, "This sort of person is meant to be my rival. I will ask for him toe on stage in person."

    Liang Ping nodded and said, "We will follow your arrangements in the battle order. However, for now, let us go to the Peak Master. She has been the most anxious for your return."

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile and the two of them headed to the sword peak.

 Chapter 594 Peak Battle.

    ?

    Shi Lang and Liang Ping climbed the mountain leisurely, and the disciples who had been informed about thepetition came over to Shi Lang to greet him and check his well-being. The terran was slightly shocked, but after regaining hisposure, the terran greeted them with a smile.

    Liang Ping and Shi Lang talked to each other before they arrived at the top of the mountain and stood before the Peak Master, Mei Lingyao''s courtyard house. They were not the only ones present there. The rest of the core disciples were also present on the spot.

    Wen Lengxue looked at Shi Lang and said, "We are all almost reaching the breakthrough stage, so Master wanted us to use this battle as a whetstone. She has gone to the Spear Peak to issue the book of challenge and asked us to gather in the square as soon as possible to discuss the rules of engagement."

    Shi Lang passed a sheepish smile and asked, "Say, is Peak Master not acting with too much haste?"

    Bai Yan yawned and said, "It was the Third Ancestor''s order to get things done sooner so that you could leave the sect early, Martial Uncle."

    The people were shocked, and the same applied to Shi Lang. He did not expect them to catch on to the news so quickly. He did not wish for his equation with people to change, so he said, "Senior Sister Bai Yan, can you all stop teasing me? Acknowledging a master does not mean my rtionship with you will change."

    The people smiled faintly because they knew that getting around Bai Yan was not this easy. As they predicted, Bai Yan looked at Shi Lang from head to toe and said, "You need to pay up if you wish to buy my silence."

    Shi Lang thought about it and was about to deny it, but then he heard Ling San''s voice, "You can rest assured and impart a few skills that suit them."

    The terran raised his right hand, and five golden light rays shed in the void. Shi Lang said, "Those are the skills I think suits you all the best. This is a gift from my Master. Please do not embarrass me anymore."

    Bai Yan was shocked by the knowledge growing her being because this was a big gift, and she did not expect to receive something like this. Shi Lang asked, "How is it?"

    The peopleprehended for a few minutes, and when the information was consolidated in their minds, they replied to Shi Lang with gratitude. These techniques could not be found elsewhere. Shi Lang had eased up their path of cultivation greatly. Just when the group was about to celebrate, Wen Lengxue said, "We should head over to the square."

    Shi Lang and the rest nodded and recalled the main motive of this gathering. They all flew through the void and made their way to the square. The entire sect knew that the Sword Peak and the Spear Peak were going to fight against each other today. The winner will gain an unspoken lead.

    Shi Langnded on the ground with Liang Ping, Hu Shan, Xu Guang, Bai Yan, and Wen Lengxue. They found a group of people standing in the middle of the square with long spears tied on their backs. Shi Langmented, "Their weapons look nice."

    The disciples nodded to him and walked over to the opposing party. The spear holders saw them. One of the disciples said, "Can you people be any quicker? We do not have the whole day to wait for you."

    Bai Yan raised her brow and said, "If it is not the young Master of the Lu family. Are you trying to showcase your dominance here? Did you forget the lesson I taught you back then?"

    The young man flinched, obviously scared of Bai Yan. However, another disciple said, "You should worry about your selves."

    Liang Ping smiled faintly and walked closer to the people, saying, "You think acting like a ruffian will give you a mental advantage? Ah, Tang Hubai, how low have you fallen."

    The young man furrowed his brow and replied, "You do not need to act big before me, Liang. You did not win me, and it was a draw. This time, you will lose."

    Liang Ping shrugged, and Wen Lengxue said, "Shall wemence the negotiations, or do you wish to keep acting like a child?"

    The sentence was like a de through the chest of the spear wielders. They all red at Wen Lengxue. But suddenly, the person standing at the back of the group cleared his throat, and all the people were pacified. The young man approached the front and asked, "How would you like this peak battle to y out?"

    Hu Shan replied, "Junior Brother Shi, you should discuss things."

    The spear-wielders frowned. They thought that the Sword Peak was looking down on them by calling over a Junior Brother to talk. One said, "Senior Brother Xia, do we have to tolerate this arrogance?"

    The square was brimming with people, and today, there was an even greater crowd to watch the show. The senior brother from Spear Peak emitted strong pressure at everyone from the Sword Peak. He tried to intimidate the people, but to his surprise, the quivering expressions did not appear.

    On the contrary, something made his pupils constrict. A pressure even stronger than his countered him from the other side. Shi Lang walked to the front of the group and said, "If you all do not even have this much tolerance and patience, then you should admit defeat already."

    His pressure did not assault any of the cultivators on the other side, and he only countered the Senior Brother of the Spear Peak, Xia Tian. Shi Lang asked, "I have heard much about you, Senior Brother Xia Tian. Someone caused me a great deal of trouble to protect the atmosphere for you. You seem to be well-received by your juniors."

    Xia Tian was aloof and said, "I do not know what transpired between you and someone else, but I have never asked anyone to act like this. However, I still apologize to you for that matter. Now, I wish you could let bygones be bygones."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I wish to let bygones be bygones. However, I will spar and learn from you during this peak battle."

    Xia Tian did not expect Shi Lang to be so amiable. He could not help but nod in a daze. Shi Lang asked, "How about we both mention one condition for the battle one after the other and keep it fair? Three conditions and rules: you can go first."

    Xia Tian thought briefly, saying, "We should keep things clean and not injure the other person severely, and also not crippling."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We will hold a team battle on any of the neutral mountains, and we will have the sect master and other elders preside over it?"

    Xia Tian nodded and said, "No one is allowed to use forbidden techniques."

    Shi Lang agreed and said, "No use of cultivation-boosting medicine."

    This surprised Xia Tian, but the sword peak understood why Shi Lang was doing this. They did not object to him. The terran wished to end the fight soon, and if the enemy were tired from dealing with one enemy, they could gang up on them. However, the same advantage applied to the enemy, but it did not make a big difference for them.

    Xia Tian agreed and said, "Concealment arrays are not allowed to be used to prevent people from hiding away."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "The elders or the weapons and talismans that can invoke an attack stronger than your strength are also forbidden to be used."

    The terms were set, and the two sides agreed. The two peak masters descended next to them, and Peak Master Mei Lingyao said, "Senior Brother Cao, we shall hold the battle tomorrow. What do you think?"

    Peak Master Cao asked, "Why not now? We have other things to do."

    Mei Lingyao clenched her fists inside her sleeves and said, "That is because Junior Brother Shi Lang has juste out of seclusion and tutge of Third Ancestor. He needs to take some rest."

    She used Shi Lang as a banner, but the sentence was passed through using spiritmunication because Ling San had told her to keep this matter a secret from the rest of the disciples. Cao was shocked and looked at Shi Lang briefly before he said, "Very well, given that Shi Lang has juste out of seclusion, you can take a night to rest, and tomorrow we will begin the battle."

    The terran nodded and bowed as he said, "Thank you, Peak Master Cao."

    The old man nodded and vanished from the ce. His disciples followed him and Mei Lingyao looked at Shi Lang. She said, "I want you to wipe the ground with his disciples. This old bag of bones have been acting very cocky do you understand? If you failed, I will have you all live in the sword hall for the next ten years."

    That said, she also left.

 Chapter 595 At ease.

    <h4>Chapter 595 At ease.</h4>

    Shi Lang gulped when he saw the Peak Master acting with such a temper. He asked, "What is wrong with these two people?"

    Bai Yan beckoned him closer and said, "Peak Master Mei is the strongest in her generation, but Peak Master Cao does not acknowledge this. He says that she is only strong because of her physique. Originally, Peak Master Cao was the strongest in the sect. It was when he was fighting a demon who set his hand on fire that his capabilities dwindled. Thus, the two people have very strong opinions about each other."

    Shi Lang asked curiously, "What physique?"

    Wen Lengxue replied, "Master was born with a seven-orifice sword heart. Her cultivation has reached a standstill because she has been emotionally entangled in how Peak Master Cao treats her. Otherwise, she could have stepped into the realm of an Immortal Emperor."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "So this peak battle will y a decisive role in her promotion. If we can manage to defeat the Spear Peak, she might be able to resolve the knot in her heart."

    The rest of the people nodded. Shi Lang said, "Let''s go. I have a few ideas about how to deal with the enemy."

    The people exchanged nces and then recalled that Shi Lang was used to leading troops in the lower realm. They nodded, and all of them flew back to the Sword Peak. The entire sect was bustling, and even the cultivators learned about the peak battle and flocked outside the sect to catch a whiff.

    ...

    Shi Lang sat on the cassock in the courtyard of Wen Lengxue''s house, with the rest of the people forming a circle with him. He asked, "Any idea what their special skills or weaknesses are?"

    Liang Ping said, "I am only aware of Tang Hubai. He has a fire-attributed cultivation technique, so his spear follows the same line."

    Bai Yan said, "That Lu guy is off the wind system. I have an experience of dealing with him."

    Following this, everyone shared their insights about the enemy team. Shi Lang nodded and thanked them, and he took notes of all they said and then made the parchment levitate in the void. He said, "We will not resort to facing the enemy we have the most experience with. The enemy will expect this, and they know a bit about us. We cannot allow them to target our obvious weaknesses."

    Wen Lengxue asked, "What is the point of fighting these new people? What if they are someone we cannot keep up with? After all, we are all humans and not invincible."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "What you said is correct. We are not invincible. That is why we should always pick the fights we will surely win. The targets I have arranged on this piece of paper all have an elemental weakness against you. Just because this is a battle does not mean we should stop using our brains."

    The people were taken aback. Many people looked down on this sort of strategy. They were hesitant, and Shi Lang said, "You can fight against the guy whoes across you first. Leave Xia Tian to me. Also, if you all fall into a forced situation, you can use themunication talisman or shoot a condensed bulb of spirit energy in the sky, and I will try to rush over as soon as possible."

    Hu Shan asked, "Are you saying that you will be able to deal with Xia Tian''s entanglement ande to help us? Are you not looking down on your opponent a bit too much?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I have no such intentions, Senior Brother. I will only bring my battle over to you people. I am telling you this because sometimes when you meet unexpected support from your ally, your rhythm goes astray."

    Xu Guang asked, "Boy, tell me, how will we approach this battle?"

    He wanted to know the basic strategy of the battle. Shi Lang pondered the question briefly before saying, "There are multiple ways to engage the battle. One is that we all pick one target and face them head-on. Another is that we can disperse in the forest and make them look for us. This will put them in greater mental stress and agitative state. The third is to fight them as a group. Now, you all decide which way you want to pick."

    Bai Yan asked, "Since it is going to be the six of us, we can follow fighting one person each and see if the strategy needs to be adjustedter on."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do not mind that, but one thing is for sure. Just because the second senior sister is not here does not mean they will also hold back. They will be sending out their six strongest people."

    The people nodded, and Liang Ping said, "The second strongest in the Spear Peak is Tang Hubai. I can handle him."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "If that is what everyone agrees upon. All I would say is not to underestimate your enemy, but at the same time, do not hesitate or be scared of them too. Just fight with no thoughts in your mind."

    The people nodded, and the night darkened. Shi Lang had not slept even briefly in the past few months. He did not need to sleep at his level. After the discussion, he sat on a random boulder and closed his eyes. The patrolling disciples thought that Shi Lang was cultivating, but he was going through the memories of his clones.

    They have been on the task for a long time and infiltrated many forces in the central in. However, they were nowhere near the higher-level people from whom they could gather anything credible.

    Though this was not bad, he still had many connections on the ground level. Shi Lang did not need any big force to aid him. On the contrary, he will have all the information he needs to work around them in the future. The most exasperating thing was no word about Amelia. Shi Lang was almost tempted to infiltrate the demonic region but held back. Impatience was the key to destruction.

    Shi Lang pondered over the situation for the whole night. It was morning when he opened his eyes, and gazed at the sun rising on the horizon. A few disciples were rushing to the training field when they spotted him.

    Shi Lang was dressed in a red robe shirt, with ck armor on his shoulders. His slightly long hair fluttered in the breeze as his skin gave off a bronze sheen under the sunlight. A sword covered with lightning sparks levitated around him. They watched as the terran grabbed the hilt of the sword, and the de issued a sharp vibration.

    This sound triggered something in their hearts. The group of disciples was sent into a daze. Shi Lang did not stop there; he practiced his sword moves on the lush green field, but his de always moved around the boulder. He did not seem to be in control of himself. It was he was possessed.

    Someone eximed in a low voice, "Senior Brother Shi just had an epiphany. Look at his de andprehend this moment. We have lucked out on this."

    As soon as he said this, the people trained their eyes at his valiant figure. It was only after a few minutes when Shi Lang stopped. He did not have an epiphany about his cultivation or his sword intent, he had an epiphany about a sword skill that he had been stuck at. His movements were fluid and his actions were precise.

    While he was thinking about how to locate Amelia, he thought about an idea, he should not be in hurry, things will happen gradually. Shi Lang as he gazed at the de. He said, "I know you are excited to face them. Do not worry, the time wille. I will let you y as many demonic bastards as Ie across."

    Mei Lingyao appeared at this moment, but she was shocked to see a group of disciples gazing nkly in the directions Shi Lang stood. She was wise enough to understand that these people were all experiencing a state of epiphany. She waved her hand to iste them with her aura before walking up to Shi Lang.

    She asked doubtfully, "Can you tell me what happened here?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and told her about the development of his state of mind. Mei Lingyao said, "These young ones chanced upon a good opportunity. Anyhow, boy, are you ready?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "What about the rest?"

    Mei Lingyao said, "They are all ready, let us go. The venue is the forest at the foot of the formation peak. They have some surprises for you. Also, here keep thismunication jade."

    She stuffed a small jade from her hand into Shi Lang''s before she gestured for him to follow her. Soon the two teams were gathered at the foot of the formation peak. However, there was something wrong with the atmosphere, the Spear Peak was obviously eager to fight, while the Sword Peak, who had issued the challenge appeared to be at ease. This made Peak Master Cao frown.

    Ling Ye said, "The peak battle will begin in a few minutes. Prepare."

    The Sword Peak team stood calmly with their eyes closed and their hands resting on the hilts of their swords. This was their technique of calming their minds. Tang Hubaimented, "You can be as pretentious as you wish here. However, once you enter the forest, we will show you what your ce is."

    The Swordsmen all opened their eyes at the same time, and the calm gazes shocked Tang Hubai. Mei Lingyao snorted and said, "Xiao Lang, go inside the forest. Be careful."

    Shi Lang bowed slightly to her and then moved with his fellow disciples.

 Chapter 596 Battle Begins.

    <h4>Chapter 596 Battle Begins.</h4>

    Shi Lang and his fellow disciples entered the forest and rushed through the woods at a fast speed. Bai Yan said, "This ce is not simple."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Shi Lang said, "For the initial part of the battle, let me use a spear. I want to see what these so-called geniuses are made of."

    The five people almost tripped over. Liang Ping said in a solemn tone, "Junior Brother, this is not a good time to joke. How can you face them with a spear? They have condensed their spiritual spears already..."

    Shi Lang did not want to be entangled in an argument, so he called for his spiritual weapons. He was positioned in the center of the formation, and all of the disciples saw the two needle-like lightning-blue weapons hovering over his palm. The five of them sucked in a deep breath, and Wen Lengxue mumbled, "To condense a spiritual tool, one must know its essence. Youprehended it. You monster."

    The terran sensed his lips twitching at this remark and said, "I have no other option. Only when I am strong can I advance to the next level?"

    The people sighed, and Hu Shan said, "Comparing myself with you is a waste of time and utterly demoralizing."

    Shi Lang said, "They are already onto us. Go ahead, I will buy us some time."

    Xu Guang raised his epee high and pointed at a cliff in the distance, saying, "You do not need to be in such haste. We will split up and regroup at that cliff."

    The people nodded, and they quickly dispersed. Shi Lang took out themunication jade and used it for the first time, "If anyone locates Xia Tian, inform me quickly."

    The next moment, he heard six voices in his mind. He looked behind him and rushed ahead. Since the senior disciples wished to fight the opponent one-on-one, he would support them. His main target was Xia Tian, and he would not allow that man to fight against his seniors and overwhelm them.

    The terran ran briefly before climbing a tree and converging his aura. He looked at a clone running in the distance and smirked. He was sure the enemy was keeping track of their movement and wanted to lure someone into his trap. He patiently waited for someone to arrive.

    Shi Lang waited for an hour before he frowned. He could not help but think why no one came to find him. While deducing the possibilities, one particr tactic stood out in his mind. The opponent team was not interested in a single battle. They were rounding up his team one at a time. He furrowed his brows and was about to jump off the tree when he noticed a yellow streak in the sky.

    The streak exploded into a sword. He could tell that this spiritual energy belonged to Xu Guang. He practiced the earth element. Given his personality, he couldn''t have initially issued the signal for help. Shi Lang took out hismunication jade and said, "Attention, everyone! Do not rush over there in a hurry. This is an ambush. I am rtively close to the ce. Wait for my message."

    The disciples rushed forward to aid Xu Guang when this message stopped them all. Shi Lang, on the other hand, moved through the forest at a quick pace. He arrived at the location in one minute; however, the scene he saw made his blood boil.

    Xu Guang was on his knee and supported his body with his epee. Four people surrounded him while two stood at the back of the encirclement. Tang Hubai said, "Xu Guang, ept defeat, and you might be able to protect your martial heart."

    Xu Guang spat out a mouthful of blood and stood up from his spot. His figure was unsteady, but his eyes were clear. He said, "Jing Hao, four dogs fighting against me simultaneously, do you have the qualification to attack my martial heart."

    His voice was low, but his tone was firm. He did not hide his disdain for them at all. Shi Lang watched the scene unfold from the side. The people did not detect him. However, he did not intend to let these four people walk away unscathed. He raised his epee and watched the four people around him with cold eyes.

    Suddenly, a calm voice sounded, "Hmmm, to think Spear Peak trained a bunch of ants. Interesting. I wonder if Peak Master Cao will cough up some blood at this sight?"

    The people turned around to look at who it was when Xu Guang took the chance to attack the four people around him. He had already heard Shi Lang''s voice in his mind and reacted ording to the new n.

    Shi Lang had spoken from the cover of trees. He did not allow them to see his figure and determine his location. He spread hismunication talismans around the ce for this surround sound effect. The enemy was confused, and a huge heavy epee fell over them the next moment.

    Xu Guang managed to throw off the enemy and rushed to the woods. Shi Lang had asked him to run to the woods, and the rest he would handle. The Spear Weilders were quick, and they all chased after Xu Guang, too. However, they found that the big man was elegant, and Tang Hubai said, "He held back strength."

    Xia Tian nodded and followed the people. It was not until they had rushed away for a few kilometers that the guy named Jing Hao threw his spear and attacked the person on his leg. The spear tore through the flesh like wax, and the next second, the person fell to the ground. However, when the spear practitioners ran over, they only found a puddle of blood. They were shocked and could not understand what just happened.

    Xia Tian frowned but did not say anything. Tang Hubai looked around and said, "There must be two people. This guy is pulling up a decoy technique on us. Spread out andb the ce. Xu Guang is hurt and cannot run for long. Let us go."

    At this moment, even the elders standing outside the valley were shocked. Unlike the people inside the forest, they could see the entire situation. One elder in the sect could not help but stroke his beard and said, "This clone technique is rarely spotted in the realm. To think that someone in our sect cane across this. Indeed, a glorious thing."

    The rest of the elders nodded, and Ling Ye said, "Do not have ideas on him. You will suffer at the hands of Senior Tian Long."

    The people realized that this person was arranged to be here by Tian Long and calmed down.

    ...

    Inside the forest, Xu Guang asked, "Junior Brother, what now?"

    They were sitting on the crown of the tree and Shi Lang said, "Rx. It will be fine soon."

 Chapter 597 Lightning Spear.

    Chapter 597 Lightning Spear.

    The terran did not mind thinking that the enemy would locate them back. He rested in the cover of the leaves. The terran set up an istion barrier to ease Xu Guang''s worry. He told his fellow disciples to stay alert. He was not going to teach them what to do. After all, they were all adults.

    The sun gradually descended, and the Spear Peak fellows were still looking for them. Over the day, Liang Ping, Bai Yan, and Hu Shan fought with Tang Hubai Lu Qian and Man Tao. The results were in favor of the Sword Peak by Two to One.

    However,pared to the earlier sh, Xu Guang was injured and unable to fight. The score was leveled. Liang Ping stood beside Mei Lingyao. The young man said, "Peak Master, are you not worried?"

    Thedy smiled and said, "Even if the people wish to name this battle scoring a draw, they all know who is winning. As for my worry, Xiao Lang has yet to stand up. You know what he is capable of."

    Peak Master Cao heard this and asked, "Do you think Shi Lang is a tiger? If he stands up, the forest wille to a standstill?"

    Liang Ping took a deep breath and held back the words he wanted to say. Everyone noticed his actions and Peak Master Cao poked him, "Disciple Cao, what do you think? Is Shi Lang a tiger?"

    The young man shook his head and said, "Peak Master Cao, I cannot decide what he is. However, if you would like me to shed some light on his personality. Then I would say that he is a dragon."

    The elders were surprised by this answer. Peak Master Cao''s face turned ck, and he asked, "What do you mean?"

    Liang Ping matched his gaze and replied, "A dragon that can tear apart all his enemies when hees out of its cave. That is what Shi Lang is. During the demon hunt expedition, I realized that a god of death can smile. His strength is not in his cultivation realm, but the techniques that can make even the stronger enemy fall to its knee."

    Then, he politely bowed to the old man and calmly watched everything in the forest. Bai Yanmented, "Junior Sister Wen is holding her grounds against two people. Where is Shi Lang?"

    Liang Ping looked at the spiritual screen in the void and said, "He wille to her in a few seconds."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know he had been named the dragon outside the forest. He thought it waste and spotted a spiritual signal in the void. Thinking about this, he stood up and said, "Senior Brother, I wille backter."

    That said, he did not even give thetter any time to react before he vanished from the spot. Xu Guang sighed andy in his ce. Shi Lang had fed him a few healing pills, and when his wounds were healed, Xu Guang mored to go and fight with the people. However, Shi Lang directly blocked his acupoints.

    The terran told him not to buy more than he could chew. His injuries may not be serious, but if he were to act beforepletely healing, the trauma would umte and could damage his foundation. Xu Guang sighed andy on the tree crown, gradually falling asleep.

    Shi Lang, on the other hand, rushed through the forest and headed straight to the ce where Wen Lengxue was fighting. The closer he got, the colder the air became. He could tell that Wen Lengxue had used her trump card. Shi Lang arrived at the location, and like in the past, he did not hide in the dark this time.

    He found Wen Lengxue standing, but he could tell she was no longer conscious. The opponent on the other side was unconscious also. Shi Lang located two people standing in the distance. He did not seem to care about them and walked up to Wen Lengxue. He carefully fed her a rejuvenation pill.

    In just a few breaths, Wen Lengxue woke up, but her body gave up. She was exhausted and was about to fall when Shi Lang caught her. He said, "You did good, Senior Sister."

    Wen Lengxue smiled and said, "I could have done better if not for the trap arrays in the surroundings."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is alright. You were weak and inexperienced just now. But next time, you will be aware and do better."

    As the two were talking, a cocky voice interrupted them, "If you two was scared by his voice. This Shi Lang was not the one who defeated her, nor was this guy who yed demonic cultivators are done romancing, do you want to fight?"

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and, without looking at the person, walked Wen Lengxue to the side and made her sit on a boulder. He said, "Wait for me to finish this."

    Wen Lengxue could hear a chill in his voice, and she nodded. She was scared by his voice. This Shi Lang was not the one who defeated her, nor was this guy who yed demonic cultivators along her side. This guy sounded like a stone-cold killer, and she feared his actions. She was scared for her enemies.

    The young man did not know that his mouth had just uttered something that Shi Lang did not like. His casual remark harmed the dignity of the two. Shi Lang turned around and said, "Come."

    The person did not know what changed, but Shi Lang gazed at him like a predator. He held his spear but asked, "Where is your sword?"

    Shi Lang took out the overlord spear and said, "You are not worthy of my sword. For you, I will use my spear only."

    Boom!

    Lightning appeared, and clouds thundered when he said that. No one ever expected Shi Lang to act like this. The young man''s eyes turned red, and he said, "You bastard!"

    The opponent charged at Shi Lang, and the terran stood with his body lowered and legs apart to stabilize his weight. Then he stabbed out.

 Chapter 598 Enraged Shura Lightning.

    Chapter 598 Enraged Shura Lightning.

    Shi Lang stabbed the young man. His speed was so fast that the opponent did not have the time to intercept the attack. The terran did not want to y Mister Nice Guy with him. His spear was aimed at the openings in his posture as he charged at Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang used no fancy skill, just in old basic stab. The people watching the battle from the outside could not help but look at Peak Master Cao. The old man was clenching his fist as he watched the battle.

    He did not expect Shi Lang to be so talented in the way of spear. He could tell from just one nce that the young man was a killer. His weapons were meant to kill people and nothing else. His heart shivered as he watched Shi Lang ruthlessly stab his student''s body. The young man did not have any chance before he was defeated.

    His body fell to the ground and slid on the dust. Shi Lang did not even bother to help the person and just stood there. After a few moments, the shock settled in the people''s minds. Xia Tian was watching the entire thing unfold and did not say anything. He walked over to his fellow disciple, fed him a healing pill, and said, "You do have some skill to defeat him with such ease."

    Shi Lang replied with his back facing the young man, "Can youe and fight so that we can end it already?"

    Xia Tian raised his brow and said, "You are too eager to be defeated. I am unlike my junior brothers."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am counting on that."

    The two of them were standing back to back, and it did not seem like they were going to fight, but suddenly, the skies thundered, and then a streak of lightning shed in the skies.

    The two people turned around, and their spear shafts collided. The impact was strong and pushed them both back by five steps. Then began a battle that everyone was looking forward to. Both of them held their spears and stabbed at each other. Shi Lang was not interested in attacking the enemy, but he could predict where the attack woulde from using his ability to sense the movement.

    He ensured that the tips of their spearheads would collide¡ªthis shocked Xia Tian. The young man did not expect Shi Lang to be so quick and urate regarding spear control. If this was not all, the two of them swinging the shaft to fight with each other. Shi Lang was too skilled.

    Xia Tian realized that the terran had a profound foundation in basic skills. He did not know where this guy acquired all this knowledge from. However, it was a shock, no less. Thinking about this, he decided to use his profound skills.

    He channeled spiritual energy into his body and then into the spear. The spear in his hand glowed with a fiery vermillion glow. It was as if the metal had been put in a high-temperature furnace. He gave a low shout, "Hundered fire petals."

    Then his hands seemed to turn into a fiery gun, and the spear tip turned into bullets. Xia Tian attacked Shi Lang from all directions. This sequence of moves was aimed at all the openings that Shi Lang could expose. However, the terran fought very tightly. His speed was not slow. He retreated and advanced amidst the attacks showering over him.

    He did not suffer at all. Suddenly, Xia Tian let out a low roar and said, "me rain."

    The spear seemed to have transformed into drops of water and attacked Shi Lang from the skies. The terran raised his brows and said, "Cloud fleeting steps."

    He moved around, covering his body with a few strands of lightning. He dodged the attacks with such precision that shocked the people. They did not expect him to see through thebination attack.

    Peak Master Cao could not hold onto his calm demeanor and asked, "Can someone tell me what is happening with this guy? Is he not a sword cultivator."

    Mei Lingyao saw that the old man was rattled and grasped the opportunity, "Is there any rule that says a Sword Cultivator cannot be a Spear master, too?"

    Peak Master Cao red at her, but she did not pay him any heed. She was focused on Shi Lang engaged in battle. The young man had surprised her a lot of times before, but this was something she did not expect at all. After a few moments, Xia Tian lost his temper and said, "Can you only dodge? Come and fight me if you dare!"

    Shi Lang replied in a casual tone, "Be careful what you wish for."

    The next moment, his entire body was covered with lightning sparks, and Shi Lang said, "Thousand lightning stabs the heavens."

    The next moment, Shi Lang''s figure flickered at a high speed, and then his spear stabbed at Xia Tian from all sides. Thetter was pushed into a passive position and had to use the shaft of his spear to defend himself. Shi Lang did not give him much trauma and said, "Shura Domain."

    A field of lightning condensed around the two people, and Xia Tian froze. He could not believe what was happening. He invoked his spiritual armor to cover his body, and some pressure of the domain was loosened, but Shi Lang was also an Immortal Lord. His armor also appeared, and then Shi Lang said, "Now, you shall see the might of lightning."

    ...

    Shi Lang stood covered with lightning armor and said, "Lightning Dragon strike."

    He jumped into the void and appeared above Xia Tian. He waved the spear shaft down, and the lightning condensed into a dragon above Shi Lang. Following the spear arc, it attacked Xia Tian.

    It was not that the young man did not have a chance to defend himself, but that Shi Lang did not give him a chance to. The lightning dragon rushed to Xia Tian with its mouth open wide.

    Peak Master Cao vanished from his position, and Shi Lang suddenly gave up attacking and put on a defensive posture. The next moment, he was thrown to the side.

    Although the attack was not much, but such an interruption caused his spirit energy to leave a bacsh and Shi Lang coughed up a mouthful of blood, before he stood up and shouted, "Cao Mingjing, how dare you?!"

 Chapter 599 Challenging The Elder.

    <h4>Chapter 599 Challenging The Elder.</h4>

    Shi Lang''s bellowing sound woke the rest of the elders and shocked Peak Master Cao. Mei Lingyao appeared beside Shi Lang and ced her hand on his back as she said, "Calm down, Xiao Lang."

    However, how was the Shura going to heed any words? He put away his spear, and, ring at Peak Master Cao, he said, "You like to mess with other people a lot, right?"

    His tone was cold, and a sword appeared in his hand. Mei Lingyao ced her hand on his shoulder and hurriedly said, "Shi Lang, Senior Brother Cao did not mean to harm you, but he only protected his disciple. Do not speak too much."

    Shi Lang scoffed andmented, "I did not know that the spirit heart sect raised greenhouse. nts. If he interfered with the battle to save his disciple, would you tell me if any of you sensed any killing intent from me? Did you?"

    Peak Master Cao was enraged that a junior was reprimanding him. The old man yelled, "Who do you think you are to act so brazenly in my presence? What if the attack just now was to injure Xiao Tian grievously? Would you shoulder the responsibility?"

    Shi Lang was so angry that he chuckled and asked, "Old man, if I suffered a bigger bacsh because of your actions, would you take the responsibility? No, I can suffer injuries in your eyes, but your disciples cannot? Your disciples caused my cultivation to diverge, and now you caused me to suffer a bacsh. Do you think I am so easy to trifle with?"

    His words enraged the old man, and all the elders were stunned. Looking at things in this way, Shi Lang was not wrong. However, this situation must be dissolved right now. The elders turned to look at Ling Ye. To their surprise, they found the sect master not moving at all. He seemed to be watching a good show.

    Peak Master Cao was shocked and roared, "Such temper! Fine! Tell me, what can you do? Yes, I attacked you, knowingpletely well that you will suffer from a bacsh. What can you do to me?"

    At this moment, Shi Lang''s gaze turned calm. The elders realized his change, and they shivered. The next moment, the lightning armor condensed around him, and he said, "Since you have decided to give up your dignity, then I can only help you with it."

    The people were surprised, and Peak Master Cao sneered, thinking Shi Lang was putting up a facade, but then he gazed at Shi Lang''s eyes. The terran said, "Shura Realm."

    His eyes glimmered with a sh of blue. Everyone watched Peak Master Cao shiver slightly, but he did not fall to his feet like the other people. Instead, he eximed, "Mental Attack. Kid! You are going too far."

    A red spear appeared in his hand. The weapon was trembling slightly. The rage of its owner simted it. Shi Lang did not mind, and he said, "Since you do not care about anything, then I will not hold back either. Raksha."

    As soon as the words dropped, the terran reached his hand into the void, and a red and golden sword appeared in the void. The elders sensed their hearts shiver. They all heard a sigh and watched the sword change into an ethereal figure. Ling Ye mumbled, "Heavenly Spirit Artifact."

    Raksha knew about what was going on and waved her hand. The people were bound by her power. Only a martial emperor could counter her. She asked, "Lang, do you want to do it?"

    Shi Lang nced at Peak Master Cao and said, "I do. What do you think?"

    Raksha vanished from his side and appeared next to Peak Master Cao. The old man was shocked. He was in the realm of an Immortal King, and he could not even react or sense her approach. The sword spirit sighed and asked, "Are you thinking, where did this young man get a hold of a Heavenly Spirit Sword? Well, I was naturally born as a heavenly spirit, and Tian Long became my master in the lower realm. Then, to save the realm, this guy was bound to give up his life, and I merged with his sword. His sword was a quasi-spirit weapon, yet it changed my personality."

    Her eyes turned red, and the killing intention shocked the people. She asked in a low voice, "Would you like to confess your mistake and let the matter rest? Or shall I make a move and kill all the disciples in your so-called Spear Peak?"

    The old man was shocked, but then he recovered. He did have a prideful personality and replied, "You can kill me if you have the guts, but don''t you dare kill the disciples. The rest of the sect elders will not let you do it anyhow."

    Raksha smiled, and then Shi Lang said, "You can escape all this after apologizing. Even if all the elders were to attack us, they would have to pay a price for it. Do you think that one life is worth sacrificing the disciples? You are so arrogant. No wonder your disciples act in this manner also. I will tell you now, old man, I do not create trouble, but I am not afraid of it either."

    Xia Tian coughed up and stood up from the ground, and he did not expect that Shi Lang would even go against his master. When Shi Lang looked at him, he wanted to say something, but the Terran spoke first, "You might be thinking that I am going overboard, but do you realize that your fellow disciples are causing trouble for even themselves and me? If they are to act like this before some other expert, they will die, and the entire sect might drown in blood.

    What is your arrogance good for? As an experienced elder, he could not differentiate between killing intent and a hard attack. So what if I attack you hard? Did you hold back against my fellow disciples? This protection of his is why you all have good skill but act like a bunch of roadside goons."

    Xia Tian did not have anything to counterattack. It was not that he waspletely blind. He also knew that his master had a few character ws, so he and his fellows were somewhat rampant.

    Shi Lang finished talking and gazed at Old Man Cao. He raised his sword to point at the old man and said, "Since you think it is inappropriate of me to reprimand you, how about a duel? We will onlypete with weapon skills. How about it, old man Cao?"

    His words shocked everyone. They did not expect Shi Lang to go ahead and even challenge the peak master¡ªa person in the realm of the immortal king. The people sighed while the old man nodded. He says, "You have infuriated mepletely;e and let me see your skill level."

    The people could not fathom, and Mei Lingyao said, "Go prepare an arena for them to duel. They will pass out a strong and efficient lesson to the rest of the disciples."

    Liang Ping nodded and vanished from her side. Ling Ye said, "In this peak battle, Sword Peak wins. I hope none of you have any objections here?"

    The people nodded and then they all gradually moved to the arena for the big scene to unfold.

 Chapter 600 On the duel stage.

    <h4>Chapter 600 On the duel stage.</h4>

    Shi Lang challenged the old man without any reservations. He knew how to settle this grudge. If he did not ask Peak Master Cao for an exnation, his future path would be tough. The knots in his heart will be the biggest obstacle in his path of Dao.

    The people from the sect were shocked. Ling Ye knew Shi Lang''s identity, and he was the disciple of the Third Ancestor. If Peak Master Cao had caused him any severe injury, the elder would not have taken that lightly when his fellow elders urged him to take action. Ling San told him to keep things subtle and let them handle them themselves.

    Another thing that Ling Ye had to keep in mind was the favor Shi Lang had done for the sect by leaving the Inheritance pce in his care for the united growth of the three sects. If that was not all, Shi Lang was backed by Tian Long, and now that he had revealed a heavenly spirit artifact, they were all bound by the pressure Raksha had channeled over them.

    To take into ount, they did not expect Shi Lang to rebuke the people from the Spear Peak. Well, he did not say anything wrong. This sort of tant attitude could invite peril for all of them. Peak Master Cao did not return from the challenge and stood under the arena stage and said, "Junior Sister Mei, do you think your disciple has higher attainments in the way of the sword to defeat me?"

    Mei Lingyao said, "Senior Brother, all I know is that he can defeat your proud disciples and force you to take action. That much is enough to speak of his skill. Do not forget that he is the master of a heavenly spirit artifact. Not only that, he condensed two perfect spirit armaments. He picked his sword to fight against you to show you that his skill is not inferior to you."

    Her words were sharp, and they stabbed Peak Master Cao ruthlessly. After finishing her piece, she left the ce. She went to the spot where all the Sword Peak disciples gathered. Wen Lengxue had yet to recover from her injury and was sitting on a chair. Shi Lang stood at a distance with his sword tied to his waist.

    There seemed to be an invisible wall between them. Mei Lingyao noticed this and sighed. She asked, "Xiao Lang, what bothers you?"

    Shi Lang turned to look at her with a sunny smile. However, Mei Lingyao could tell he was slightly different from before. Shi Lang replied, "Ever since I have joined the military in the lower realms. I have never suffered such a defeat. I always try to take care of your disciples. Even in the battle, I did what was asked of me. However, they are so proud that they do not believe in teamwork. Xu Guang was surrounded, but to prove himself to be a better man, he faced off with the entire team. It was only at the end that he decided to use the signal.

    Wen Lengxue, to forge her sword heart, faced off with a guy, and she did not even notice that her spirit energy could not support her skills. What is the point of calling them geniuses?"

    His words made the entire group realize their mistakes throughout the battle. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Peak Master, let me focus. That old man Cao is not an easy opponent, even if it is just weapon skills."

    Mei Lingyao nodded and left him be. She turned to face her disciples and found all of them looking down at the floor. She said, "It is good that you feel this way, but make sure you learn from your mistakes."

    They all nodded and sighed. Ling Ye appeared atop the stage and said, "Wee, everyone."

    The news of the match had spread across the sect, and many disciples poured into the arena to watch the excitement. Liang Ping had told Shi Lang that some of the disciples from the merchant department had even set up betting stalls. It was said that his odds were very high.

    Shi Lang shook his head at this news, and the people thought he couldn''t face the old peak master and win. Sect Master Ling Ye said, "Today, the strongest disciple of the Sword Peak, Shi Lang, will have a sparring match with the Peak Master of the Spear Peak. You all ought to learn a lot from it, alright."

    The disciples below the stage cheered. Sword and Spear were two of the most used weapons in the world. If they could get a chance to learn from the experts, then it would be greatly helpful to them.

    They all knew that Peak Master Cao was strong, and his spear skills were known throughout the eastern barren. On the other side, Shi Lang was a person who had defeated the strongest young talent of the Dragon Sword Sect. Not only that, but he has also killed a lot of demonic cultivators. This much was enough to show his strength.

    Ling Ye looked at both sides and said, "Participants,e on the stage."

    Shi Lang walked over from the side and mundanely climbed the stage stairs. Elder Cao was the same. He was an immortal king and did not need any dramatics to boost his image. The surroundings were calm, and the people watched everything with their eyes peeled.

    Ling Ye nced at the two people. Shi Lang and Peak Master Cao were busy looking at each other without blinking. He could tell these two people had some unsolved business but acted like blood enemies before so many disciples would bring shame.

    Peak Master Cao asked, "Do you not think it is bad for you to re at me before so many people?"

    He has met many people throughout his life, but Shi Lang was the only one shrouded in mystery. He wanted to know this guy more to make his offense more efficient. However, Shi Lang was an odd ball, and he replied, "For someone who intervened in a duel between juniors and disrespected the rituals set by the founding ancestors of the sect, you are not qualified to ask me that."

 Chapter 601 Friendship Out Of Battle.

    <h4>Chapter 601 Friendship Out Of Battle.</h4>

    Shi Lang''s words made Peak Master Cao''s face turn ck. The old man thought this guy did not respect him, and his temper rose. Without dy, he took out his spear and gazed at Shi Lang. The terran did not back down and drew out his sword.

    He appeared calm and steady, but in his mind, he was ying the simtions of this battle. Shi Lang had not done something like this, but this old man was someone who deserved to fight with his brain.

    Ling Ye looked at the two of them and shook his head as he said, "You two will be wearing a spirit detection bracelet. If his bracelet cracked during the match, it would mean that one of you broke the arrangement and used spirit energy. Does anyone have any problems?"

    Shi Lang shook his head, and so did Peak Master Cao. Ling Ye sighed and said, "You may begin."

    That said, the man left the stage for the two people. Peak Master Cao was already boiling to attack Shi Lang for his arrogant behavior. His earlierment made him ashamed, and the Old Man was not ready to face these things. Shi Lang had yet to react when the old man had quickly covered half the distance and stabbed his spear at the former.

    Shi Lang did not react, watching the speare at him in the void. Just when everyone was shocked and confused, they heard a metallic ng. The terran had used his sword to smack the spear aside.

    Then he moved forward by half a step. This move was clean and quick. Many people were surprised, and one of them asked, "What just happened? Did you see him making a move?"

    Many people shook their heads at this. They did not expect Shi Lang to be so fast. The terran on the stage was uncaring towards all the questions and doubts of these people. His sight was locked on the old man before him, and his thoughts only revolved around this match. He was not a fan of thinking about several other things while fighting.

    He expected the old man to withdraw his weapon and stab him again, but Peak Master Cao was very experienced. The half-step taken by Shi Lang made him change his move. The old man shed his spearhead horizontally at Shi Lang''s neck. The terran did not retreat, but he bent his knees, and his head lowered, allowing the spear to pass over his head.

    Shi Lang''s posture looked odd, but he used his feet to thrust himself forward. The distance between the two people closed quickly. The terran stabbed his sword directly at Peak Master Cao''s chest.

    The old man was forced into a retreat. Shi Lang did not hold back, and with his crouched body, he kept following the old man, and his sword tip kept stabbing. Old Man Cao snorted, used his spear shaft to drive away the sword, and used the back of the shaft to attack Shi Lang at his waist. However, Shi Lang shifted his weight forward before the blow couldnd and jumped over to the shaft.

    The old man did not expect this, but the next moment, Shi Lang started dancing with his sword, and his speed was fast enough to trouble the old man and put him in a passively defensive state. Shi Lang would attack Peak Master Cao on his body, leaving shallow wounds.

    Peak Master Cao seemed calm, but things did not look as one-sided as they seemed. Shi Lang''s torso had a lot of shallow spear wounds also. If the terran had theoretically immobilized the old man from using his spear, then Shi Lang was gravely wounded in return.

    Mei Lingyao was rubbing her palm against the hilt of her sword. She was anxious. Liang Ping nudged Wen Lengxue to ask what was happening with thedy.

    Thetter sighed and asked, "Master, what happened?"

    Thedy agitatedly replied, "This kid is luring him too long. What if that old man smells something and the trap fails?"

    The people opened their eyes wide, and they saw that on the stage, Peak Master Cao was performing a spear dance. One had to say that the old man was very valiant. His actions looked like he was a war god from the ancient times. Shi Lang did not react much but kept avoiding the iing attacks.

    At a point in the match, when the people were captivated, the spear stabs and thrusts began to produce vacuum cuts. Shi Lang narrowed his gaze. He said, "Old man, you are very good."

    Peak Master Cao snorted and said, "You are not half bad, kid. However, time is up."

    That said, the old man rushed ahead with the spear, moving around like a dragon, ready to raze the world to the ground. Shi Lang avoided a quick spear swing by rolling on the ground. However, he lunged forward just as he got his feet under his body. The old man changed his sideways swing to a vertical m, but Shi Lang took a side step.

    The old man could not react this time and felt a cold tip resting against his nape. The crowd gasped in shock. They did not expect Shi Lang to win in such a fashion. His moves were all over the ce, but in just one instant, he won the battle.

    Mei Lingyao cheered first, and the entire arena erupted in cheers and apuse. Ling Ye appeared on the stage, and with a faint smile, he said, "Shi Lang wins this martial discussion."

    Shi Lang took back his weapon and bowed to Peak Master Cao before he said, "Thank you for amodating me."

    Peak Master Cao sighed and bowed, saying, "I apologize for my actions earlier. However, I will never acknowledge that a sword is superior to a spear."

    The apology shocked Shi Lang, but the second half made him chuckle and said, "Peak Master Cao, you seem to have the wrong idea here. It is not a weapon but a weapon wielder who is stronger and superior to the other person. as for your apology, I ept it and apologize for my earlier conduct, too."

    Ling Ye chuckled and said, "This can be considered friendship that grows through battle. Hahahaha!!!"

    Things began to calm down, and Shi Lang prepared to leave the sect. It was time he set sights to a bigger goal.

 Chapter 602 Skylark City.

    <h4>Chapter 602 Skrk City.</h4>

    Shi Lang spent a few weeks after the duel consolidating what he had learned in the battle. Old Peak Master seemed to have turned for the better, and he taught him the tricks of the spear. His attainments in the spear had reached a level where he did not need fancy skills and relied on basics to deal with the enemy.

    Shi Lang was self-taught. He needed this sort of lesson to hone his spear skills. All this while he had been using a sword and his fists, but going to the central ins with a new identity, he wanted to use his spear and unarmed battle skills as a cover.

    He had stopped living on the Sword Peak but was residing with the Shi Family. The family hade over with just the main members of the family. The branch families wished to move to other countries and make a name for themselves. Every human being has ambition, and they want to grow into a big family.

    Shi Lang did not find anything wrong with this. He stayed with the main family and arranged jobs for them in their fields. The people also did not mind working for the sect after things stabilized. Shi Lang taught Shi Ting and the other girls about sword and cultivation methods.

    It has been three months since the sparring match ended, and Shi Lang found some information that Tianxu Pavilion will be sending over a spirit vessel from the Central ins. That vessel should return to the central in in a few days. If he wanted to enter the central ins without any trouble, it was a good idea for him to board this vessel.

    He stood at the doors of the courtyard house bought by the Shi Family and watched the four girls tearing up with a helpless expression. He said, "Why are you all so emotional? I wille back when things settle. I promised you, no?"

    Shi Ting sobbed, saying, "If you lied, I wille hunting."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Yes, Your Highness, now can you all stop the waterworks?"

    They all calmed down after a few minutes of coaxing. The elders were much more stable. They knew that Shi Lang had many obligations to meet as a human. The terran had tied a long spear on his back. This spear was a gift from Peak Master Cao. Originally, he wanted to use the Overlord Spear he found after killing the me prince, but the elders told him otherwise.

    After all, that was a high-level spirit weapon, and many people must have seen it. It would draw too much attention to him. The terran also understood this and took the Wind Serpent Spear. The spear''s body was blue as lightning, and the spearhead was ck as night. Shi Lang tied it in a ck cloth and let it hang behind his back as he left home.

    He was quick on his feet, came to the central teleportation array, and found that his fellow disciples were waiting for him there. He was initially surprised, but then he greeted them with a smile. They all told him that after they break through to the Immortal Lord realm, they will also head out of the sect to seek glory."

    Shi Lang nodded and encouraged them. Wen Lengxue handed him a jade box and said, "This is a gift from Master. She is upied in consolidating her foundation as a Spirit Emperor."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I understand. Thank you, Senior Sister. Please convey my thanks to Teacher also."

    Wen Lengxue nodded, and then Shi Lang stepped on the teleportation array circle. The operator on the side initiated the array, and Shi Lang vanished from his spot. The fellow disciples sighed momentarily before Wen Lengxue said, "It is time we focus on cultivation and advancement. I do not wish to let him have all the fun."

    The rest of the disciples woke up from their daze, and theirpetitive spirits were ignited quickly. They all hurried back to the sword peak.

    ...

    Shi Lang appeared outside the sect and recalled where he would find the spirit vessel. Then, he took onest look at the teleportation circle behind him and silently walked forward. He needed to take this spirit vessel to travel to the Central in because of the Barrier Peaks. These peaks were so tall that even an Immortal King had trouble getting over them. Another reason was the cluster of legendary spirit beasts living at the peaks of those mountains.

    The Barrier Mountain range was the kingdom of legendary spirit beasts. These beasts were very introverted. They did not care about the humans living below. However, they did not spare Demonic Beasts.

    Shi Lang flew through the clouds and soon arrived in the Xuan Kingdom''s peripheral region. Shi Langnded softly on the ground and walked to the city before his eyes. The ce was known as Skrk Port City. This ce was the Xuan Kingdom''s merchant capital. All the merchants in the eastern port would firstnd in this city, and then only will they take the roads to travel everywhere.

    Xuan Kingdom was nearest the Barrier Mountain Range but was still a week away from the foothills. The city''s gates were tightly guarded, and Shi Lang could sense that almost all the soldiers were Immortal Soldiers. He approached the entrance, and a guard asked, "Please stop."

    Shi Lang stopped, and the guard asked, "Sir, would you please report your purpose of visiting the City?"

    The terran did not mind and said, "I wish to board the spirit vessel leaving for the Central ins."

    The guard was slightly surprised and asked, "Sir, may I know your name?"

    Shi Lang reported his name and cultivation level. The guard asked, "Sir, may I know which sect you belong to?"

    Shi Lang took out his sect identification te, and the guard noted it on a piece of parchment. The terran could not help but ask, "May I ask why you are asking so many questions?"

    The guard replied off-handedly, "That is because there are a lot of central in natives inside the city, and once there is a conflict, these people kill ruthlessly. We cannot retaliate against them, so we just bring back the remains of the victims to their reported ce."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Does your people have nothing to say in return?"

    The guard sighed and looked around cautiously before he said in a whisper, "The King has a special connection to the Central in forces and that is why we all enjoy such privileges."

    He winked at Shi Lang and the terran understood that the man was talking in cover. He looked beyond the city gates and mumbled, "I just hope they do not piss me off."

 Chapter 603 Casually Angered.

    <h4>Chapter 603 Casually Angered.</h4>

    Shi Lang cleared the process and entered the city. The ce was bustling with a lot of activity. The terran recalled what it was like in the lower realms. He walked through the people-filled streets and spotted a young man approaching him.

    He ced his hand on the shoulder of the guy and asked, "Kid, do you know where I can find Tianxu Pavillion?"

    The young man was not a cultivator and was somewhat startled. He bowed, "Lord, you can find it on the third street to your left. I can lead you there if you wish to."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but he sighed. The strong always oppressed the weak. This sort of reaction was normal formoners to have. Shi Lang took a pouch from his space ring and said, "Here, open it only when you reach home. Understood, kid?"

    The young man was surprised but quickly nodded and put things inside his shirt. Shi Lang said, "Do not worry. They cannot see that I gave you something."

    That said, the terran waved his hand and walked away. He gave the young man a pouch of gold coins. He followed the path pointed by the young man and found himself standing before the Tianxu Pavilion building. He steadily climbed the steps, and the guard at the entrance asked, "Sir, may I know your purpose here?"

    Shi Lang found it weird and asked, "Am I not allowed to go in and browse through the goods you sell?"

    The guard smiled bitterly and said, "I apologize, sir. The pavilion is closed for the day. I cannot tell you anything more, so I hope you forgive me ande again tomorrow."

    Shi Lang replied, "Actually, I came here to buy a ticket for the vessel heading to the Central in."

    The guard was surprised and was about to answer when a scoff echoed from the side. A young man in brocade robes stepped out of the pavilion building and said with his chin slightly high, "Anyone below the cultivation realm of Immortal Lord level is not qualified to travel with us."

    Shi Lang wished to smack the smirk of his face, but he reined his temper and let out his spiritual pressure. The young man on the other side was shocked. He did not expect Shi Lang to have such a high cultivation base at such a young age. However, he said, "Hmph, so what if you are an Immortal Lord? Do you have the resources to buy the ticket?"

    Shi Lang furrowed his brow and asked, "What is the price to buy a ticket?"

    The young man unfolded a fan and said indifferently, "Thousand top-grade spirit stones."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and replied, "How much discount can I get as a VIP of the pavilion?"

    The young man gazed at him with furrowed brows, and Shi Lang took out a token to show him. The former was surprised to see the golden token in his hand, but he did not budge and asked, "Do you know that it is a crime to forge a VIP token? No people are qualified to have a VIP token in this barrennd. Where did a hilly billy like you receive it? Get lost before I cripple you."

    Shi Lang clenched his fist so hard that his fingers turned pale. He said, "Since none of the people in the eastern barren has ever seen this token, how can I forge it? Also, you must have forgotten this is not the central ins. You do not have anyone stronger than one Immortal King beside you, and I can kill him and you all. By the time your people can react, they will be unable to find me. However, I will make sure that I kill every Tianxu Pavilion employee and ruin the so-called buildings they have, too. Believe it or not, yourpetitors will treat me like a messenger of the heavens."

    The young man was enraged and raised his finger to point at Shi Lang before he yelled, "Who the fuck do you think you are to talk back like that, you filthy bastard? Guards cripple him and chop his limbs off. How dare he talk back to me, Xia Yuan, like this."

    The guards were also shocked, but Shi Lang was not. He did not wait for them toe at him. Xia Yuan was weaker than him and tried to look down on him constantly. How was he to tolerate that? He did not care who this guy was to Xia Nan, but he wished to kill him, so he charged forward, his palm sped around Xia Yuan''s neck like an Iron pincer.

    Shi Lang said, "Do you think just because you are some big family name, I will let you go for disrespecting me, weakling?"

    The guards reacted and yelled, "Stop! Let go of him, or we will kill you."

    Shi Lang chuckled and radiated his Immortal Lord-level pressure on the people. The guards could not hold on to their weapons and knelt on the ground. The pressure was not just spiritual but killing intent, too. Shi Lang had killed many people, both in hisst life and this life.

    He was called Shura for a reason. Had he not controlled his killing urges, his killing intent could have materialized into something tangible. Shi Lang gazed coldly into the eyes of Xia Yuan and asked, "Do you want to say something?"

    The young man''s face was pale. He did not know what to do. His mind was nk. Never in his life had he suffered like this. His face was drained of blood, and the veins on his neck were gradually popping as Shi Lang tightened his grip slowly.

    A wisened voice sounded, "Your excellency is a VIP of the Tianxu Pavilion, and it is our mistake to have caused you inconvenience. I apologize on behalf of my young master. Please let him go."

    Shi Lang turned to the side and saw an olddy. He could tell that she was an Immortal King-level cultivator. He said, "Senior, I believe in the virtue of karma. I will not harm him, but he needs to suffer for the offense he has caused. He is indeed a big guy from a famous family. However, his mouth can cause disaster for the family too. As the saying goes, there is a mountain above a mountain and a sky above the sky. Please pardon me for teaching him a lesson as I have some friendship with Lady Xia Nan."

    That said, Shi Lang cast the Shura realm illusion on Xia Yuan and dropped him on the ground to wriggle. He cast a spirit barrier around him so the people could not listen to his wails. The olddy frowned and asked, "How do you know of the Young Miss?"

 Chapter 604 Dealing With Xia Jianxue.

    <h4>Chapter 604 Dealing With Xia Jianxue.</h4>

    Shi Lang was surprised by the cold aura of thedy, but he calmly replied, "Senior, my name is Shi Lang. I met Young Miss Xia in the Tianxu Pavilion of Tianxue City. We had a fate to find the tomb of a senior, where we both gained some inheritance. We are friends."

    The olddy''s expression softened, and she said, "Follow me inside."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed her, and he told the guards, "Do not bother helping him. You will make it worse. The spell will exhaust on its own in a few minutes."

    Then, he entered the threshold of the building. The olddy said, "My name is Xia Jianxue. The young miss is my master."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "I apologize for my rude behavior earlier, Senior Xia."

    The terran did not dare to underestimate her because of her old age. Although the hair was white and the face had a gentle touch of time to it, her back was straight like a spear, and a long sword was tied to her waist. He could tell thisdy must have been a ferocious warrior in her youth.

    Xia Jianxue shook her head and said, "You do not have to apologize. Young Miss mentioned that if someone was toe seeking a passage to the Central in with her token, that person must be treated with respect."

    Shi Lang nodded but did not say anything. Xia Jianxue led him to a secluded room and asked, "I will heed the instructions of my master, but I will alsoy down the bitter words first. It would be best if you had no ideas about the Young Miss. The Xia family is not something you can enter."

    Shi Lang gazed at her in surprise and then chuckled. He watched Xia Jianxue frowning and hurriedly calmed down before he said, "Senior, you seem to have misunderstood something. I consider Young Miss Xia Nan as a younger sister, if anything. I am a married person loyal to my wife. Please do not worry."

    Xia Jianxue was surprised when she heard these things, but then she nodded. After all, in her mind, even if Shi Lang were lying, he would not be able to stand the wrath of the Xia Family. Shi Lang calmly watched her assess him. Xia Jianxue said, "The spirit vessel will leave tomorrow morning. Till then, you can rest in this room, and if you need anything, you can tell me."

    Shi Lang nodded and stood up to greet thedy as she left the room. The terran sighed and sat on the couch to rest briefly.

    ...

    Xia Jianxue came to the gates and found a shivering Xia Yuan squatting at the door. She walked close to him and ced her hand on his shoulder. The young man wailed, and the olddy raised her brows. Even if the young man was not strong, he should not have reacted like this. She became very curious about what Shi Lang did to him.

    She spoke softly, "Young Master Yuan, it is me. Get a grip on it."

    Then, she channeled some of her spiritual energy through his body and helped him calm down. Xia Yuan stood up and looked around cautiously. Thedy asked, "Young Master Yuan, could you tell me what happened?"

    Xia Yuan shivered slightly, but with the hand pressed on his shoulder, he said, "He cast an illusion on me, but it felt so real. I was facing things like the murder of my loved ones. The pain was real. Even when I tried to chant the calming heart sutra, it did not stop. It was as if that guy could look deep inside my soul, and none of my secrets were to him."

    Xia Jianxue raised her brow and said, "From now on, stay away from him and do not provoke him."

    Xia Yuan could not believe what she said and asked, "Aunt, is he that strong?"

    Thedy nodded solemnly and replied, "He is stronger than he looks. It is not only his cultivation realm, but even his techniques are too strong and mysterious. We shall not be inviting any trouble on us. So, as you know, he is the person that Young Miss Xia Nan mentioned. Do not think of revenge on him. If the news reaches her, you cannot live."

    Xia Yuan was unreconciled, but he could not do anything about it. After all, Xia Nan was now the heiress of the family. Not only did sheplete her trial, but she also gained the inheritance of the founding ancestor. She had said she did not wish to unsettle the n harmony and had no interest in the leadership, but the elders had still awarded her with the heiress title.

    She was now above the family''s leader, and the younger generation feared her. Xia Jianxue sighed and came to her office. A subordinate asked in a low voice, "Madam, was it okay to have dissolved this conflict in this manner? What if Young Master Yuan still tries anything?"

    Thedy leaned back in the chair, saying, "We do not need to worry about this. The impact that Shi Lang left on his mind is not going to fade away so soon. Although he covered it well, Young Master Xia Yuan is unfit, and his mind is still trapped in that illusion. If he does not wish to die, he will not do anything. However, if he falls under Shi Lang''s hands, we will just arrest him and bring him to the family where the Family Master would see this matter."

    The subordinate could not believe that thedy said something like this. Xia Jianxue leaned back in her chair and said, "You do not have to think so much, Mei Shin. I am also a Xia, and I dislike to meddle with disadvantageous situations."

    She may be a sword cultivator, but the essence of life for her was business. Suddenly, the door was knocked, and a servant came inside. Thedy asked, "What is it, Haroon?"

    Haroon was a teenage steward beside her in this city. He said, "Mistress, two elders from the Snow Maiden Peak and Dragon Sword Sect have arrived with their disciples. They wish to buy two slots for the Spirit vessel."

    Thedy raised her brow and asked, "Do you not know that rules apply the same to everyone?"

    Haroon nodded and replied, "Mistress, the young disciples are both Immortal Lord-level cultivators, and they also handed over a thousand spirit stones."

    Xia Jianxue asked, "Then why have youe to me? Give them the slots."

    Haroon sighed and said, "Mistress, they are seeking your audience for a business deal."

    The olddy chuckled and asked, "What could it be about?"

    Haroon whispered, "Ten bottles of top-grade spirit liquid."

    Xia Jinaxue was shocked and stood up from her chair. She did not expect it to be something like this. She said hurriedly, "Lead the way."

    Haroon nodded and led her to the private room where the two elders and two disciples were gathered. Thedy opened the door and stepped in. She was surprised to see Long Shangge and Yue Shi. She said, "I did not expect fellow Daoists Long and Yue toe over together. What a wonderful day it is."

    The two elders have had some business dealings with her in the past. So, they did have some familiarity with her. The older people exchanged greetings, and Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue greeted her respectfully.

    Xia Jianxue asked, "What do I hear about Spirit Liquid?"

    Yue Shi took the lead in dealing with her and said, "A few decades ago, we found a small realm, and inside it, we found a small puddle of spirit liquid. We managed to fill up two hundred bottles from it, and over time, we have used this spirit liquid to train a few talented disciples we have in the sect. However, now that half of the liquid is left, the two sects unitedly wish to sell it."

    Xia Jianxue did not bite the bait this easily and asked, "Why sell now? I am sure you can use the remaining material, too."

    She was probing if they still had more. Long Shangge sighed and said, "Yes, we can use this liquid to nurture future generations, but as you know, a person''s wealth brings him disaster. A few months ago, the sect master and the rest decided to let go of these bottles. The pressure of guarding a treasure is a bit too much."

    Xia Jinaxue knew that Yue Shi was crafty, but Long Shange was honest, so she trusted him. She asked, "What would you like to ask for in return for this?"

    The two elders looked at each other and said, "We hope that fellow Daoist Xia could ce these bottles in an auction and, after deduction, the Tianxu Pavillion fee hand over the rest of the spirit stones to our disciples."

    Xia Jinaxue thought about it and realized that the kids going to the Central in did need money to bring themselves around, and then she nodded. The two parties signed the contract before the elders left. Xia Jianxue saw them off and said, "I will have someone arrange rooms for the two of you, the spirit vessel will depart tomorrow morning, you should take rest till then."

    The two people nodded and agreed to her instructions. Besides they had another objective behind this obedience.

 Chapter 605 All Aboard.

    <h4>Chapter 605 All Aboard.</h4>

    Shi Lang spent the night inside his room. He had already received the message from Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. He was surprised, but he adjusted to it quickly. After all, they had faced life and death together, and the terran did not mind tagging along with them on his journey. Despite his clones in the small and big ces, he will need the help of the people.

    He would look for Amelia before Tian Long''s army recruitment deadline. He could not help but sigh when he thought of the situation. He was sure that Tian Long must have already counted his cultivation realm by now. That old man did not leave anything to chance.

    As he was sighing, the door of the room was knocked. The terran opened the door with a wave and found a maid standing outside. Thedy said, "Sir, Mistress Xia has called for you in the dining hall."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Please lead the way."

    The Tianxu Pavillion was not only a business shop but also housed a few high-level staff members of the pavilion. He followed thedy through the corridors and met Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. The two of them nodded to him, but just like the previous agreement, they did not speak to each other and acted like strangers.

    Xia Family members were not fools. If Shi Lang were to act familiarly with these people, they would get suspicious and try to look for links between them. If he causes any trouble in the future, it will implicate the people left behind.

    He did not wish for that. The three of them came to the dining hall and found Xia Jianxue and Xia Yuan sitting at the table. The two stood up in greeting as Shi Lang and the two walked over.

    The terran cupped his hands to Xia Jianxue and said, "Good morning to you, Senior Xia."

    Xia Jianxue nodded and said, "I wish you the same. Xia Yuan..."

    Xia Yuan bowed and said, "Sir Shi, I apologize for my actions yesterday."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "It is all past now, Young Master Xia."

    The young man did not say anything else. His eyes were locked on Yun Xue. However, thedy wore a veil and acted very cold. Bo Qingtan let out a lot of sighs internally. The two of them stepped forward to greet the olddy before they took seats at the table.

    Xia Jianxue said, "Cultivators do not usually eat food. However, we here in the Tianxue Pavilion have a spirit chef, so I thought about treating you all to a spirit meal. It will be good for your cultivation."

    Shi Lang was slightly surprised, but then he nodded. The meal was brief, but Shi Lang thought it was a good idea to kill spirit beasts and eat them in the future. He decided to travel the world and not stay in one position; he wished to find Amelia, and only when he made a name for himself would he be able to find her.

    This way, not only will he find her, but she will also be able to contact him. Thinking about this, Shi Lang finished the meal and stood up. Xia Jianxue said, "Young Master will lead you all to the spirit vessel. A few other people will be arriving at the decided time. If they fail to arrive, then we will leave regardless."

    The people nodded. They had heard that the groups with spirit vessels capable of flying above the Barrier Mountain Range were punctual and cruel to those who did not care about time. Xia Yuan led the trio through the various roads in the city. He did not ride a carriage, saying walking out in the morning was good.

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and asked, "Brother Bo, do you know what I did yesterday?"

    The two were conversing through spiritual connection, and the others could not hear them. Bo Qingtan saw Shi Lang smiling and said, "You must have done something crooked, didn''t you?"

    Shi Lang almost chuckled and narrated the incident with Xia Yuan at the pavilion entrance. Yun Xue was uninterested in Xia Yuan and deliberately walked at the back of the group. How could she not sense that the young man was trying to impress her? She had her eyes on Shi Lang only.

    She looked at the terran walking before her and could tell he had be stronger again. Xia Yuan sensed nothing from her gaze, and they arrived at the port. The ce was bustling with activity. Xia Yuan bought them through the hustle and bustle ofborers and merchants and pointed at a big spirit vessel levitating in the void.

    He said, "This is the Tianxu Pavilion Vessel. We call it the Voyager. It has been through a journey to the East from the Central in fifty times and never suffered any critical damage. Your safety is well guaranteed."

    Shi Lang replied, "Thank you, Young Master Xia. I feel assured."

    Bo Qingtan also nodded calmly and expressed gratitude. However, the person Xia Yuan looked forward to stood aloof behind the two men. He could not help but sigh. Shi Lang asked, "Young Master Xia, can we board the vessel and familiarize ourselves with it."

    Xia Yuan woke up and spoke softly, "Yes, you can. Please, this way, Sir Shi."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Xia Yuan led them to a tform on the side of the port. Then, the young man skillfully operated the levitation array. The tform rose from the ground and soon came to level with the Spirit vessel. The vessel had no needless decorations, but the sides were carved and covered with various array patterns.

    Xia Yuan was the first to step down from the tform, and then Bo Qingtan, followed by Shi Lang. The terran turned to look at Yun Xue, who stepped down lightly on the spirit vessel. Shi Lang then turned back to look at Xia Yuan.

    The young man looked around for someone and said, "Oh, Captain Gao. Can youe here, please?"

    A burly man loaded with muscles walked over with a barrel held above his shoulders. He said, "Oh, Young Master, you are here already? Forgive me. I will urge the crew to finish all the preparations."

    Xia Yuan shook his head and said, "You do not have to worry. We still have time. I called you over to meet these three guests. They are the VIPs of the Tianxu Pavilion. Be courteous on the way."

    Captain Gao was surprised, but then he nodded, greeted the three people, and said, "Greetings, Sirs and Fairy. I am Gao Yunan. I will be your captain for this journey."

    Shi Lang smiled and greeted the man as he asked, "Captain Gao, how long will it take for us to reach the central ins?"

    Gao Yunan replied, "Sir, it will take seven days to reach the central ins."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will be in your care."

    Gao Yunan smiled and said, "Sir, I will get on with my work. Senior Xia does not like to bete."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Xia Yuan said, "I shall get back down there to greet the other guests."

 Chapter 606 Legendary Beasts.

    <h4>Chapter 606 Legendary Beasts.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the rest were allocated one room each. They were given this preferential treatment because of the so-called business mind of Xia Jianxue. Xia Yuan did not break through the cold viel around Yun Xue and sensibly gave up. He had enough status to go and sleep with any beauty he wanted. When he saw the aloof gaze and veiled face, he told himself that Yun Xue was probably disfigured.

    Yun Xue was clenching her jaw so tight that Shi Lang could hear the grating sound of her teeth. She was just an inch away from losing her sanity and castrating the Young Master of the Xia Family.

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and said, "I am going back to my room and wille when the vessel departs."

    Shi Lang did not react, but Yun Xue said, "I will return in, too. Otherwise, this vessel might not take off at all."

    She flung her sleeves and left the deck. Shi Lang did not react and watched everything with a candid expression. He found a ce on the vessel''s bow and sat down to cultivate. His spear was ced inside his space ring to avoid scrutiny. After a few minutes, Xia Yuan bought over a batch of fifteen people and said, "The vessel is almost ready to leave. One of the crew members will bring you to the rooms designated for you."

    As he said, a crew member came forward and led the people inside. Xia Yuan noticed Shi Lang sitting at the vessel''s bow and walked over. The terran sensed his approach and opened his eyes. Xia Yuan said, "Sir Shi, it is advised that you stay inside your room. The legendary beasts on the Barrier Mountain Range are not very tolerant to the presence of humans."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Do you mean they react violently?"

    Xia Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "They are very spiritual, and their intelligence is simr to a human''s. They look down on us as inferior creatures. However, they also know that such arrogance can entice a war. Thus, they have agreed with the elders to allow us to pass through the mountain range. On the condition that we do not get into their sights."

    Shi Lang understood and sighed, "That is how the world of cultivators works. Those with strength are worshipped, and those without will have to stand in line."

    Xia Yuan nodded to him. He wanted to say something more when Xia Jianxue arrived on the deck. She looked at the two people, and her eyes narrowed slightly. She walked over to his side and said, "Young Master Yuan, did you not tell Sir Shi the rules of this travel?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The rules have already been rified. I just wished to stay here. Now that you have arrived, I will go inside."

    Xia Jianxue nodded and said, "Very well then."

    Shi Lang walked back to the room designated to him, and using his ability, he sensed that Xia Jianxue and Xia Yuan also went inside the living room. The rooms were located under the deck. Night pearls illuminated them with a dim light. Shi Lang did not care. He sat on the cassock and started meditation.

    After a few minutes, he sensed a mild tremor from the floor. The spirit vessel began to move in the void. Shi Lang could not help but think about his time in the eastern barren. At this moment, he was slightly emotional. He meditated to calm his state of mind.

    ...

    While meditating, the young man had forgotten the sense of time. He was not trying to cultivate his realm. He wasprehending the sword techniques in his mind. He did not have to hurry with his realm now, but his skills.

    Shi Langcked skills, and going to the central ins meant he needed skills. However, he was not a fool. He also knew what it meant to use the skills he received from Shadow de. He could not use them as they were. The people in the central in were said to have deeper roots than what it seemed on the surface.

    He needed to change a lot of things in the skills he used. Shi Lang was pondering over the skills and using them in his mind. When he was in a critical deduction stage, the spirit ship suddenly trembled. Shi Lang opened his eyes and sensed the spirit vessel. The vessel appeared to be normal. He could not tell the situation inside the rooms since they were all covered with an istion array.

    He sensed outside the spirit vessel and found a creature moving close to the spirit vessel. The close movement of the beast caused the tremor. Shi Lang could not believe that he could ever see a dragon.

    This was not a beast that words could describe. Shi Lang did not know much about them and sighed, "One sight can set a person''s heart astray. What a terrible aura."

    Indeed, the aura from the dragon sent a chill down his spine. Shi Lang had considered himself very fearless, but once again, he found himself in a situation where he could not control anything. Even himself, let alone others.

    The dragon quickly moved away, but Shi Lang''s heart was unsettled. He could not help but feel restless and stood up inside the room. He began punching the air and diverting his mind from everyone around him.

    The trick worked, and soon, his mind was attached to the techniques in his mind. Shi Lang took out a wooden sword and began deducing the sword arts. He was lost in the deduction and forgot the flow of time. His eyes were devoid of emotions, and he found the essence of the sword art.

    During this journey, he spent most of his time in meditation. The only disturbance was the tremor in the vessel body. He saw a few more legendary beasts, like the golden crow and the ice luan. These beasts'' impact was so strong that the entire ship would either freeze from the outside or the vessel''s bow would be left with burn marks or cuts.

    Shi Lang was astonished not at these beasts'' power but at the protection array they had set up on the vessel. The damage was external. Shi Lang found that thisyer of array patterns was made of wood bark. It was like a paper pasted inyers.

    This sort of thing was very budget-friendly. He could not help but remember how the remnant of Immortal Sovereign Myriad Titan said that the ancestor of the Xia family was a fox. The old man passed his cunning wits to everyone without dilution.

    Suddenly, a voice sounded in the void, "Xia Jianxue,e out."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and so were the others. The doors opened slowly, and the people peeked out. A voice sounded in his mind, "Do not step out until you are cleared to do so."

    Shi Lang then found the olddy walking out of the living quarters. She was going to the deck. The terran had sensed an old man with long hair and a blue robe standing there. He did not use the spirit consciousness and told the other two not to use it.

    Because... "Hmph, impudent juniors dare to peek at me."

    A casual snort caused the people to cough up blood. Shi Lang looked at the two people across him, saying, ''Told you so.''

    Xia Jianxue reached the deck and greeted the person with great humility. She even bowed, "Greetings, Senior. What can I do for you?"

    The elder gazed at her nonchntly and said, "I asked for a Spirit herb as a toll of this trip. Where is it?"

    Xia Jinaxue took out a jade box and said, "Senior, this is the herb you asked for. It is a millennial."

    The old man curled his fingers, and the box flew over to his palm. He opened the box and then quickly closed it as he said, "Very well, you may leave now."

    Like the rest of the people, Shi Lang was curious about what the olddy handed over to this guy. Xia Jianxue stood on the deck with her back bowed as she watched the old man vanish from the spot. She said, "Captain Gao, move it."

    The spirit vessel moved quicker, and Xia Jianxue returned to the living quarters. She did not mind the people and was heading for her room when ShI Lang asked her with spiritualmunication, "Senior, can you tell me what is this herb that could allow a Legendary beast to let us go?"

    Xia Jianxue paused in her tracks before she said, "Thousand years old, Samsara enlightenment tea leaves."

    Her answer was simrly sent back in spiritualmunication. Shi Lang was frozen in ce. He did not expect the Tianxu Pavillion to have given away something that extravagant. He did not mind going to war with these guys for a spoonful of that heavenly natural treasure.

    For a second, he wanted to give up humanity and be reborn as a legendary beast.

 Chapter 607 The Central Plains.

    <h4>Chapter 607 The Central ins.</h4>

    The old man seemed to be thest obstacle they had to cross before they entered the central ins. Shi Lang did not make any movements until he was told to. He was happy with hisprehension.

    Unlike the people, he did not rely much on opportunities. If Shi Lang had learned anything in the lower realms, it was the fact that humans did not need to rely on the so-called spur of inspiration. In the cultivation field, if a person is motivated, they can create the opportunity needed to excel.

    Many experts have relied on their efforts to reach the peak and ascend. Shi Lang had beenprehending his sword skills. His umted understanding of the Dao of the sword throughout his life aided him in analyzing the skills, and the new thinking and scientific knowledge from the lower realm helped him modify the skills into a more efficient version of them.

    Suddenly, the terran sensed the vessel slowing down. He stopped practicing his sword and ced it back inside the space ring. After a few minutes, the vessel stopped, and Xia Jianxue''s voice sounded, "Come out, everyone, we have reached."

    The terran pushed the door and found Yun Xue and Bo Qingtaning out of their doors, and he nodded slightly before they headed out to the deck. Xia Jianxue was standing before the bow with her hands behind her back. She waited until the passengers arrived and said, "Everyone, the journey has ended, and I wish you all the best for your future endeavors."

    This was an eviction notice under the cover of a wish of luck. Thisdy had mastered the art of diplomacy. The people bowed to her, and they got off the vessel. Shi Lang was queuing to get down, too, when he asked, "Young Master Xia, is it possible for me to get a map of the central ins?"

    The young man was surprised, but then he nodded and said, "Yes, you can find it in the pavilion."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "May I ask where we are right now?"

    Xia Yuan replied calmly, "The easternmost city of the Central ins, ck Iron Fort City."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but he nodded and stepped into the elevator, taking everyone down. He nodded to Xia Yuan once before, and a crew member controlled the elevator. At this moment, Shi Lang realized why this ce was called ck Iron Fort City.

    The walls around the city were a hundred feet high and all as ck as night. Shi Lang could not understand this material and asked, "I wonder what those walls are built from."

    The crew member replied, "It is a metal called ck Adamantite. It is one of the strongest metals in the immortal realm. Legends say that it was a god-level forger who came up with the design of these walls. However, that senior passed away while trying to carve arrays on these walls."

    Surprised, Shi Lang asked, "Why is that?"

    The crew member replied, "Brother, this metal repels all sort of spell or spirit energy trying to channel through it. The death of that senior discovered this, and the future generations began using this metal to form cuffs and shackles to hold criminals or demonic cultivators."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "So why ck iron fort city and not ck adamantite fort city?"

    The crew member chuckled and said, "ck iron is easy to write. That is what I heard."

    This reason dumbfounded Shi Lang. The elevation tform reached the ground, and the terran asked for the direction to the Tianxu Pavilion in this ce. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue would have to wait until the spirit liquid could be auctioned off before joining him. In the meantime, Shi Lang will fish out the information he needs to travel and make a name for himself.

    The young man came to the Tianxu Pavilion and found the ce filled with cultivatorsing in and going out. Then he looked around the pavilion and found this was the one-of-a-kind shop on this street. The rest of the ces dealt with other things. Tianxu Pavilion dealt with exotic things. If someone wished to buy basic or low-level stuff, they could go to the normal shops.

    Shi Lang wanted the map to be as detailed as possible. This could only be aplished at the Tianxu Pavilion. He climbed the steps and quickly came to the reception counter. A pretty girl asked, "How may I help you, Sir?"

    Shi Lang asked, "Is it possible for me to find a detailed map of the central ins here?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "We have three types of map, sir. One is a paper parchment one, another is a jade slip, and the third is a jade slip with an array which can help you keep track of your location."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you tell me how detailed these maps are?"

    Thedy thought for a bit and said, "The paper parchment can tell you about the names of the provinces and other key locations of the central ins. The jade slip will tell you about the main forces in different provinces and the specialty of the different regions. The array jade slip can tell you about your position along with the other things the jade slip can do.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I want to buy three parchment maps and one normal jade slip map."

    Thedy nodded and said, "That would cost you three gold coins, one medium-grade spirit stone, or a hundred low-grade spirit stones."

    The terran did not think much and took out one medium-grade spirit stone with a pained expression and three gold coins from his space ring. He put a pained expression on his face because this ce lingered with those who wanted to take advantage of the rich and the ignorant.

    Thedy took the payment and brought out three paper parchments and one jade slip for Shi Lang. The terran took the maps and left the Tianxu Pavilion, he wanted to gather information, and it was not wise for him to do it all in one ce. This was his anti-tracking tactic.

    Just like he was gathering the information, the other party could also gather information about him from his questions. There was a chance that he might be misled. Shi Lang did not wish to fall into traps this soon on his journey.

    However, for the sake of possibility, he had sneakily dropped some nanobots on Xia Yuan''s body when they were on the vessel earlier. Although debauched, the young man was the young master of the Xia Family. Who better than him to find out the details?

    Initially, he wanted to track Xia Jianxue, but then, thinking that thedy was a sword maiden and an Immortal King-level cultivator, he picked Xia Yuan. He had a strong hunch that thisdy was not as simple as she looked on the surface.

    Shi Lang came to a small diner and ordered somemon spirit beast meat steak and wine. He then began to eat slowly and listen to the chatter around him. He was listening to the chatter when he found that Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue had also made their way to the diner and were sitting at the same table as him.

    He asked, "Relieved so soon?"

    Yun Xue replied, "The olddy gave us a card with a thousand spirit stones and said that the annual auction will be held in the Godly Haven city three monthster. The starting value will be a thousand, so that is the minimum. She said we can go to Tianxu pavilions and receive the rest of the sum."

    She was smart enough to reply to Shi Lang with spirit consciousness. The terran nodded and took out three parchments, and ced them on the table. He took out a jade slip and ced it before his forehead. The next moment, the information from the jade slip was transmitted to his mind. Shi Lang took out a spirit pen and began to inscribe the details of the main forces on the maps.

    It did not take long for him to do it and he passed the two pieces to his friends and said, "So, this is the Central in power structure."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "What do we do now?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The Tianxu pavilion will obviously keep tabs on you since you are their creditors. And even if they don''t, then in case a situation res up the enemy might find out about you and look for trouble in the east."

    The two people nodded to him. Shi Lang continued, "I will send a part of me with you both, if you don''t mind. It will not be as strong as me and use it as an errand boy. This is way better than trusting anyone else."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "That is fine, but can you tell me what do you intend to do from here?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am still thinking about that. Traveling aimlessly is a waste of time, if possible, I would like to learn some skills and at the same time make a name for myself."

    "Oh, brother you have some ambition."

    Suddenly, a loud voice sounded behind Shi Lang. The terran turned around and found it to be a young man with bulging muscles and a lion tattoo on his right shoulder.

 Chapter 608 Low-Profile.

    <h4>Chapter 608 Low-Profile.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the duo were shocked to hear the voice. The terranmunicated spiritually and said, ''Act normal. I will handle itter.''

    He smiled and asked, "Brother, were you talking to us right now?"

    The young man with the lion tattoo smiled and said, "Yes, you are looking to make a name for yourself in this chaotic Central in, right?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the young man said, "Then I am talking to you. May I sit here?"

    The terran gestured and weed the young man to sit down. The person said, "My name is Xing Lan. I am a head hunter."

    The terran returned the greeting and introduced himself. Xing Lan looked at the other two and asked, "Are they your team?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "We are just travelers who met on the spirit vessel."

    Xing Lang nodded to the two, and the two people returned the greeting. Bo Qingtan introduced himself, but Yun Xue did not. Xing Lan did not mind the silence of a fairy. He smiled and said, "Brother Shi Lang, I am a head hunter. As the term sounds, I travel the central ins and hunt for the criminals and the people with bounties on their heads."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and said, "This is the first time I have heard about this."

    Xing Lang nodded and said, "The head hunters do not work outside the central ins."

    Shi Lang asked, "Why so?"

    The young man replied, "The organization''s rules. I do not know much about the reasoning. We just follow it."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Xing Lang continued, "The prize money changes ording to the target. However, as youplete missions, you will gain prestige andmissioned tasks. You will get to travel the length of the central in, and you will also get to participate in various events all around the central ins."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "What sort of events?"

    Xing Lan replied, "Well, there are ruin explorations and quests for the heavenly treasures. Another thing is the uing Centurian Tournament."

    The three people looked at him with eager eyes. Xing Lan smiled and said, "The Centurian tournament is held once in a century. The tournament is one of the biggest tournaments. Everyonees there to participate and gain some recognition. There are no discriminations to your origin or forces. Even spirit beast cultivators participate in this event."

    Shi Lang asked, "How long before the tournament? What are the rules?"

    Xing Lan smiled and said, "Your bone age cannot be any higher than twenty-five. You cannot kill your opponent, and the minimum cultivation level is Immortal Lord. The highest is the peak of the Immortal King realm. It will be at the end of the year. I think. So you have nine months."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "The disparity between the two realms is a bit too much."

    Xing Lan smiled and said, "The first hundred will get a chance to join a great sect or family. The top fifty will get various resources pulled in by various military factions. The top ten will be able to join the military forces asmanding officers, and the call winner will be known as the Centurian Immortal. The strongest of this generation."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath, and then he fell in some thought. Given that Amelia has just arrived in the world, she will have enough time to adjust to the atmosphere of this world. There was a chance that she woulde to the tournament. In the meantime, he will find a way to increase his chances ofmunicating with her.

    He nodded and asked, "So, where do I have to go to be a head hunter?"

    Xing Lan looked at the map on the table and tapped on a point thrice, saying, "You will need to go here. The Tiexian City. This is where they conduct tests for the head hunters and give out the license. Seven Immortal Sovereigns founded the organization, but now only five are alive, and they all live here."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "When are these tests held?"

    Xing Lan shook his head and said, "It is a walk-in thing. You show up, and they test you."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Thank you, brother."

    Xing Lan shook his head and said, "Do not be so formal. I was like you three years ago when I came from the mountains. I also wanted to make a name for myself, and someone helped me. I was an Immortal General then, and now I am at the early stage of Immortal Lord. So, looking back, I decided I would help anyone with the same thought as me."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Xing. Please allow me to offer you this meal."

    Xing Lan waved and said, "You three are new here. I may not be able to hold a big meal for you, so let me give this one treat to you as a weing gift."

    After a few rebukes when the young man did not listen to them, Shi Lang had no choice but to follow his wishes. The meal was quick, and Xing Lan took his leave in the name of an urgent task.

    Shi Lang and the two people spent the night in an inn. The terran kept his promise and got two clones out beside them. The two people sent him a spirit stone card carrying two hundred fifty top-grade stones.

    Early morning, Shi Lang exited the inn and came to a store. Earlierst night, he had asked the innkeeper about a shop where he could find a spirit horse to travel thend. The innkeeper told him about a ce called Heavenly Steed. They dealt with spirit horses, and the charges were affordable, too.

    Shi Lang entered the shop and asked the shopkeeper, "Can I buy a spirit horse here?"

    The young attendant was immediately alerted, and he stood up, adjusted his clothes, and said, "Sir, we have all sorts of spirit horses here. Please tell me, what sort of spirit horse are you looking for yourself?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I would have said that I would like to buy out the best spirit horse in your stables, but I would like to ask you if I can get anything with a thousand medium-grade spirit stones?"

    The young man was shocked, and then he said, "Sir, you havee to the right ce. We have the best in quality Fire Heart Spirit Horse. This guy can run three hundred kilometers in a day and needs to rest for five hours before she is back on his feet and refreshed. If you are willing to feet this guy with any spirit pills, it can finish resting in just a couple of hours."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I will buy it."

    The terran was not stupid. He had learned a lot of things during his time in the Spirit Heart sect. He knew what sort of a spirit beast the fire heart spirit horse was like. This was why he did not give away the chance to buy the horse. However, before the attendant could say anything, the shop door opened, and a young man walked in and said, "Xiao Lu, you have a Fire Heart Spirit Horse in the stables now. I am buying it. Bring me the deed."

    The attendant''s face changed, and Shi Lang looked at the neer. The attendant stammered and said, "Young Master Kim, this patron here has already confirmed the deal."

    Young Master Kim was dressed in violet brocade robes, and his expression was extremely haughty. His cultivation was not strong, but Shi Lang did not wish to be entangled with this guy and said, "Attendant Lu, you do not have to worry about me. How can I not respect Young Master Kim''s wishes? Young Master Kim, please go ahead. I do not have any interest in this spirited horse."

    The young man was surprised, but then he smiled and chuckled. He said, "You are a wise man, brother."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is my pleasure to meet you, Young Master Kim."

    The young man nodded, and Xiao Lu did not wait. He bought the deed, and Young Master threw ten top-grade spirit stones on the table and left to collect the spirit horse.

    Shi Lang asked, "What other horses do you have?"

    Xiao Lu hesitated and said, "Sir, I have only one horse left in the stable. The rest will arrive tomorrow. However, this spirit horse is not something anyone could get. We have sold it many times, and it has also been returned. The owner has said to sell this guy for ten top-grade or a thousand medium-grade spirit stones."

    The terran asked with interest, "What beast is this?"

    Xiao Lu said, "Lightning mane spirit horse."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Why has it not been sold then?"

    The attendant said, "Sir, this guy is just a bit too rebellious."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Bring me to this guy, let me try my hand at it."

 Chapter 609 Taming the Lightning.

    <h4>Chapter 609 Taming the Lightning.</h4>

    Shi Lang followed the attendant Xiao Lu to the stables behind the shop. The terran spotted Young Master Kim riding on the back of a Fire Heart Spirit Horse with his chin held high. Thetter also spotted Shi Langing to the stable and asked, "This brother, are you here to look for a mount? But this Fire Heart horse is thest one they have."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I decided to broaden my horizons. Attendant Liu told me they have a Lightning Mane Spirit Horse in the stable."

    Young Master Kim sighed and said, "I bought that horse a few months ago. However, the rebellious spirit of this beast is too strong for anyone to tame. The realm of this beast is Demonic Lord, and even an early-level Immortal King might have trouble calming it down."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I understand that, Young Master Kim. That is why I am only here to see the beast. Thank you for being so concerned. I will only watch it from a distance."

    Young Master Kim smiled and said, "Very well, then I hope you have a good time here. I still have something to do, so I shall leave."

    Shi Lang bowed to him slightly as the young master walked out of the stables haughtily. The terran stood up and flexed his neck as he said, "Such a hassle to deal with these people."

    Attendant Lu was surprised. He sighed and said, "I can rte to what you mean, Sir."

    He had been dealing with these people who always threw around the weight of their family. He shook his head and said, "Sir, this way, please."

    Shi Lang followed him inside a wooden shed where stood a ck steed. The spirit horse was dashingly tall and had sturdy muscles and strong legs. Shi Lang smiled with anticipation. He looked at the beast''s mane and found a faint lighting shimmer in the hair. The terran walked closer to the beast, and the spirit horse raised its head to look at the human approaching it.

    Shi Lang said, "Attendant Lu, your words for selling this guy for a thousand medium-grade spirit stones?"

    The attendant nodded in a daze because Shi Lang was already standing before the beast when he finished speaking. The terran gazed at the beast, who was also looking back at him. He could sense the disdain this beast held for him. Shi Lang smirked and said, "With this flimsy thing, you call yourself a Lightning Mane horse? Lower your gaze."

    As he finished speaking, lightning shed in Shi Lang''s eyes. The lightning mane horse flinched a bit and then neighed. This was the first time the beast encountered someone with lightning spirit energy. The beast could not tolerate the humility and opened his mouth to let out a low, growling sound.

    Shi Lang chuckled and snorted as he took a step ahead. With the follow-up of his snort, his body was covered with shimmering lightning. The sparks on his body oozed destructive energy. Let alone the beast, even Xiao Lu did not expect Shi Lang to be a person with lightning spiritual energy and that, too, so strong.

    Shi Lang said, "Xiao Lu, this rope around his neck seems to be restraining his power, right?"

    Attendant Lu nodded hurriedly, and Shi Lang said, "Take it off for me."

    The attendant was stunned and said, "Sir, it is impossible. This beast has a deviant personality and would try to run away."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Xiao Lu, I will buy this guy from you, dead or alive. It does not matter."

    The young attendant did not know what to say. At this moment, an old voice sounded from another shed, "Xiao Lu, release the restraints."

    The attendant turned to look at the source of the voice and eximed, "Old master, are you sure?"

    The old man nodded. Shi Lang gazed at the old man and greeted him with cupped fists. This old man was an Immortal King-level practitioner. The old man was only at the early level of the Immortal King realm, but that must have taken him a lot of effort. The old man said, "Young Man, try your best."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I intend to do that only, Senior."

    He turned back to look at the horse, now free of all the restraints. The beast was now stomping its hoof on the ground and snorting at Shi Lang. The lightning in its mane looked much more prominent than it did before. Shi Lang smiled and said, "What are you waiting for? Come at me."

    The beast shook his head, let out lightning whips, and rushed at Shi Lang with lightning hooves. The terran waited for the beast toe closer before he clenched his fist and, with a lightning hook from the side. The punch was covered with lightning. Shi Lang ducked a bit and charged forward. The punch hit the beast on the side of his neck and sent it into retreat.

    Shi Lang did not let off. He grabbed the lightning mane with bare hands and jumped onto its back. The beast sensed this move and began shaking his body. The struggle became intense. With every shake and jump, Shi Lang shifted his body. He used no other technique to tame the beast but sheer strength.

    The beast did not give up and suddenly stood on its hind legs. Shi Lang grappled the neck with his hands. The beast was enraged, and with a roar, it released strong lightning. Shi Lang did not give up. He chuckled and let out a simr shock wave of his own. He said, "You will just hurt your core if you keep at it. Give up."

    The lightning-mane horse did not wish to be subdued by a human and began running around the ground in the stable. Earlier, when it tried to attack people and rushed into the building structure, it was repelled by array formations, so the beast became clever and only attacked tried to shake off Shi Lang.

    The terran was prepared to face a suicidal dive of the beast on the side at a point, but then he managed to hold his ground. The beast ran around erratically. Shi Lang did not seem to be worried. On the contrary, he was smiling like a teenager having the best time of his life. The beast was annoyed and tried all sorts of attacks and movements, but nothing made Shi Lang slip off his back.

    The Terran gradually calmed down, and a dagger appeared in his hands. He ced the dagger on the nape of the beast and said in a calm tone, "I suggest that you give up. If you be my mount, then you have a slight chance to obtain freedom. However, if you act like a stubborn stud, then I will castrate you and then cut off your meat and eat it as you watch. Do you understand me?"

    He calmed down because his two clones were moving away from him. It was evident that Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were leaving the city to look for their opportunities. The terran wanted to leave earlier than them, but now he was entangled with this stubborn horse. This annoyed him.

    The beast did not slow down and kept running around. Shi Lang channeled lightning at the tip of his de and gradually pushed it against the beast''s neck, drawing blood. The painful sensation from the neck made the beast realize that Shi Lang was not kidding. This human would kill him.

    The beast slowed down, and Shi Lang said, "I will ask you for thest time to give in."

    After a long pause, the lightning in the mane calmed down. Attendant Lu was already standing behind the old man. He gasped and said, "To think that this sir managed to tame this guy."

    The old man shook his head, "He did not tame it. He scared it. There is a difference between the two terms, Xiao Lu. Beasts are only scared of beasts stronger than themselves."

    The old man ssified Shi Lang as a beast. The young attendant was confused, and the old man said, "This guy has a strong killing intent on himself. I bet this guy has killed over a hundred demonic cultivators."

    Xiao Lu gasped and eximed, "But, Old Master, he is so young."

    The old man sneered and said, "Xiao Lu, you are still young and do not understand that in this world of immortals, monsters exist that do not followmon sense rules. This young man is a monster like that."

    The two of them walked over to Shi Lang, who sprinkled some healing pill powder on the wound he gave the beast. The old man said, "Young man, good job."

    Shi Lang turned around and said, "This guy is too stubborn. If it were that Fire Heart horse, I would have left the city by now."

    The old man chuckled and asked, "Where are you headed in such a hurry?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly but did not reply. The old man did not probe further and asked, "Have you forged a contract?"

    Shi Lang nodded and pointed at a mark on the forehead of the Spirit Horse. The old man said, "Very well then, you can take this guy."

    Shi Lang took out the pouch of spirit stones, but the old man shook his head and said, "Consider it a gift from me."

    However, the terran replied, "Senior, karma is a thread I do not wish to be tied with. Please ept this price. If there is a chance, we shall meet again."

    Shi Lang did not wish to be entangled with the old man. The old man also understood this and epted the fate. After all, not everyone could be friends on the path to immortality.

    Shi Lang set up a saddle and rode the beast out of the city slowly. He controlled it so well that the beast looked like any normal horse. The lightning on its body had vanishedpletely. As the terran stepped out of the city gates, he found himself in a troublesome situation.

 Chapter 610 Lightning Fast.

    ?

    Shi Lang left the city riding on the back of his steed and found a few rich people riding ahead of them. He knew the situation would be troublesome, so he covered his face and slowly turned his horse in another direction. He acted very low-key the whole time and did not wish to draw attention to himself.

    However, Lightning Mane Spirit Horse was stronger than all the horses running ahead. Spirit beasts also had a pedigree and had some arrogance etched in their bones. As Shi Lang moved closer to the pack ahead, he had a bad feeling germinate in his heart.

    The horse moved closer to the pack, and suddenly, Shi Lang decided on something. He would rush past these people and then move ahead on his way. He pressed his legs against the belly of the horse. The spirit horse finally sensed its master giving it free rein. The ck horse had been watching the puny beasts trotting ahead with arrogantly raised heads.

    The Lightning Mane was a wild-spirited beast, disdaining such a phony show-off as Shi Lang had given him the signal. The lightning mane picked up speed, and lightning sparks surrounded its body. The beast pounded on the ground and rushed forward at a high speed. The sound of the hooves attracted the people''s attention, and almost all turned around to look at them.

    Shi Lang covered his face with lightning sparks and tightly held on to the rein. Shi Lang let out a light shout, "Hiyah!"

    The horse rushed ahead at a wind-tearing speed. The terran controlled spirit energy and cast a shield before him, and the wind resistance decreased. The horse was rushing forward at a suffocating pace. In just a blink, they passed the group of rich ass kids, and the ck horse even taunted the other spirit horses for acting like a showpiece.

    The rich kids subconsciously turned around and spotted a ck shadow running towards them at speeds they had never reached on a steed. These guys would juste out to socialize and go for merry runs on the horseback. However, neither Shi Lang nor his horse were here for that. The two were mean and rushed at the pack of rich kids.

    Shi Lang suddenly leaned his body closer to the mane of the spirit beast and said, "Go, do not hold back. Jump over them."

    His voice was only heard by the beast under him, but that was all that mattered. The horse let out a neighing sound, and then, as soon as he reached close to the rich kid pack, he jumped using the tremendous force of his hind legs. The rich kids were scared pale from the anticipation of the iing collision, but they were astounded when gazes followed the shadow leaping over their heads.

    The ck horsended on the ground and, without any dy, continued rushing ahead. Shi Lang bent his neck and looked under his arm. He found that the people were still shocked. He chuckled and sat up straight. Then he whipped the reins, and the horse increased his space.

    Shi Lang vanished on the horizon, avoiding his ears being flooded with curses and insults. The rich kids thought that this guy was looking for trouble on purpose. The terran rushed into the wild and found a muddy path toward his destination. He was heading to the Tiexian City to test as a head hunter.

    The city was quite far, and Shi Lang rushed across many ces. He fought many spirit beasts. Teixian City was still a week away when Shi Lang had spent ten days on the way. His spirit horse was the biggest reason he was able to make it so far so quickly.

    Lightning Mane spirit beast was known for its speed and the distance it could cover. Shi Lang would travel almost two thousand kilometers in twenty-four hours. He was not a fool who treated his spirit beast like a tool or ve. He looked after the beast properly. He named the beast Hei Lei. The beast liked the name, and Shi Lang often called it Xiao Lei.

    Xiao Lei was fed on spirit beast meat and spirit pills. The beast was an omnivorous creature, and Shi Lang also used spirit-replenishing pills to aid the beast in better recovery. The two of them formed a formidable team. Shi Lang would hunt beasts and fight enemies from behind, holding a dashing spear.

    Shi Lang was quickly improving his skills and strength. There would be days when the young man would cultivate while riding the back of the spirit beast. He encountered many travelers but did not mingle much to avoid trouble. However, the young man wished to have more spies ced in the ces so he would ce a weak clone to track the suspicious people he had met on the way.

    One day, while traveling, he heard the sounds of a battle. He was surprised because, this entire ten-day period, he had note across something like this. Out of curiosity, he decided to inspect what was going on. He patted Xiao Lei and said, "I will be back soon."

    The horse nodded humanely and returned to eating the spirit beast''s meat in peace. The terran rushed through the woods and soon came to a clearing. He found two people fighting each other. One was a middle-aged woman, and the other was an old man with a cruel expression.

    Shi Lang found that many people were sprawled on the ground around the pair. The terran could sense that they were all alive. However, thedy was not in good condition. There was a huge gash on her right arm. She was holding a short sword across her chest in a defensive stance.

    She was in a bad condition, and it was unsure how long she could hold on for. Thedy panted and yelled, "Old Xu, my family treated you like one of our own, and this is how you repay us? If not for us, you would have died on the front. My husband sacrificed his life to save you. You bastard, why are you doing this to us."

    The old man chuckled maniacally. He replied in a hoarse voice, "Have you not figured out why am I doing this, Yan Mei?"

    Thedy opened her eyes wide and asked, "So, it is true? You betrayed your kin to seek power? You wretched bastard."

    The old man chuckled and said, "Indeed, I am a wretched bastard, but aren''t you a shoddy bitch? You fucked with that guy Ling Tang and then gave birth to a bastard. You did not marry that simpleton and only used him. Why are you standing on the moral high ground?"

    Thedy clenched her palm around the hilt tightly and said, "I married him under the eyes of heaven and earth, and I do not need you or any other cockless scum to judge me."

    The old man narrowed his eyes, and Yan Mei said, "Did you think no one would know that you are nothing but a castrated eunuch in the court of dark demons? I took pity on you for the sake of my husband''s effort to save you from death at the front, and as soon as you recovered, you showed your real face. Shame on me."

    Old Man Xu chuckled and said, "It is not my fault that your group of simpletons believed me so much that you followed me here in the woods. I only said we should all go on an outing, and you all agreed? Hahahahaha, you brainless insects. Are you all inbreds?"

    As he ,cursed, the man rushed at thedy and caught her off guard. Heughed and said, "You can have the bastard, but the seed growing in your womb will be mine to present to the darkness. Hahahaha!!"

    Shi Lang could not keep watching this ande held his spear above his shoulder. Then he channeled lightning energy into the weapon. Just as the old man was about to sh his sword at thedy, a streak of blue shed in the corner of his eyes. Then he turned around and found a streak of light going past him.

    Old man Xu turned around to look at what it was and found a spear trembling in the ground with lightning covering the weapon''s surface. The old man turned back in the direction where the attack came from and found Shi Lang standing behind him with a smile. He asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Your death. Bye bye."

    As he waved his hand at the old man, the person fell to the ground. Yan Mei was shocked during this entire situation and finally woke up. She was wary of Shi Lang and looked at the corpse of the old man. Her soul was shivering, because the old man who pushed her entire family into a corner was killed by this young man before they could even figure out what happened.

    Old Xu died from a hole in his forehead. The hole was as big as a fist, and it was caused by Shi Lang''s spear. The terran sighed and said, "Ma''am, you seem to be expecting a baby, why don''t you rest? Allow me to deal with things here."

    Yan Mei looked at the young man with a sunny smile and nodded in a daze.

 Chapter 611 Rumble In The Clearing.

    <h4>Chapter 611 Rumble In The Clearing.</h4>

    Shi Lang killed the guy and then appeared before thedy. He frowned and found that she was pregnant. He asked in a calm voice, "Are you okay, big sister?"

    Thedy looked very beautiful. Earlier, he thought she was a middle-aged woman, but it turned out that her face was covered with dirt and dust. Thedy was surprised, and even after a few seconds of the death of her enemy, she had not woken up. Shi Lang tilted his head and said, "Sister, if you do not wake up, your people will die."

    His words were enough to jolt thedy awake, and she eximed, "Xiao Gao."

    She ran to the side and found a young boy, about five or six years old, lying weakly on the grass. He was unconscious, and Shi Lang could tell his breath wasbored. He frowned and asked, "Are they poisoned?"

    Thedy nodded and stood up. Shi Lang asked, "Are you going to search that man for the antidote?"

    Yun Mei nodded and said, "Yes, he must carry the antidote on him. This poison will spread with the spirit energy. Brother, can you please help me gather all of them in a spot?"

    Shi Lang nodded and moved with lightning speed. His actions were quick, and while he carried the eight people to the spot where Xiao Gao was lying, he tapped their spirit points. Yun Mei desperately searched for an antidote for the corpse.

    Shi Lang shook his head and appeared beside her. He removed the space ring on the finger of the corpse and removed the spiritual imprint of the old man. Then, he searched the content and found three vials of transparent liquid. Yun Mei was flustered and missed the space ring.

    He took the vials out and handed them to Yun Mei. Thedy thanked him in a hurry and rushed to her family members. She carefully fed everyone the antidotes and took a step back. Shi Lang said, "I have blocked their spirit points to prevent the venom from spreading. Will that affect them?"

    Yun Mei shook her head and said, "No, it will only help them. Thank you, Young Master."

    She bowed to Shi Lang and said, "You came and saved my family in this dire time. We will never forget this debt."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I only did what someone from should do. That man was a demonic cultivator, and I could not look the other way. You do not have to feel indebted to me. Please raise your head, Big Sister. This position is not good for the child."

    Yun Mei raised her head and found that Shi Lang looked rather handsome and wanted to say something when Terran said, "You called me brother earlier. If you called me Young Master, I will leave."

    Thedy was surprised, but then she smiled. She said, "I have never seen an expert as humble as you."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You patronize me too much. Also, how long before they wake up? We do not have much time left."

    Yun Mei was confused and wanted to ask what he meant when loud voices echoed in the surroundings. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "See, the battle has attracted spirit beasts over here."

    Yun Mei gazed at the surroundings and found many spirit beasts running in the woods. Shi Lang walked up to the spear and took it back. He said, "I will try to hold them back. Please leave the ce as soon as possible. Also, seal your wounds first."

    Yun Mei looked at all the shadows fleeting in the woods and asked hesitantly, "What are these?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Red-eyed jackals. A whole pack."

    Yun Mei took in a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. She hurriedly shook her rtives to wake them up. A few of them woke up but were not yetpletely healed. Shi Lang tossed them an array disc. He said, "You guys might not be able to leave the ce so quickly. Please take this array disc and invoke the barrier."

    Yun Mei thanked him and channeled her spirit energy inside the array disc. Soon, the group of people was surrounded by a shallow golden light. Shi Lang nodded and channeled lightning in his weapon. He looked in the direction and said, "Are you going to keep this group of losers circling or have them attack us?"

    A roar echoed in the woods, and red-eyed jackals rushed out from all directions. They were all as tall as a tiger and had streamlined bodies and sharp, blood-red eyes. They ran as fast as the wind. The terran did not faze but smirked with excitement brimming in his eyes.

    He chuckled and said, "It has been such a long time since I experienced such a rush."

    Shi Lang held his lightning spear, and his figure flicked everywhere. The distance of five meters around the barrier seemed to have turned into a death zone. Shi Lang was akin to a god of death. In just five minutes, he killed three red-eyed jackals. Shi Lang killed them with great efficiency.

    However, this did not seem to have any drastic impact on the beasts, and they rushed at the group of people with even more ferocity. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "Lightning Serpent Strikes."

    His figure flickered, and the spear covered with lightning stabbed all the beasts directly at their weakest point. The technique was not fancy or most impactful, but its visual impact was strong. Shi Lang was still not fighting seriously and had killed ten red-eyed jackals.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang jumped high in the void and spun a few times before he said, "Lightning Serpent Strikes The Earth."

    He fell, and his spearhead hit the ground. Lightning waves spread out around him. These waves transformed into lightning snakes and rushed at the Red-eyed jackals. The attack sent the beasts into a daze. Shi Lang flickered and killed as many beasts as he could. Within two minutes, Shi Lang killed ten spirit beasts.

    The people behind the barrier were stunned, and they had not seen a young man who was this adept at killing. Xiao Gao had woken up and watched Shi Lang fighting the beasts without blinking. The child said, "I want to be like him, Mother."

    Yun Mei looked at her boy and patted his forehead. The rest of the people began to discuss what was going on outside. Fifteen minutes passed, and Shi Lang fought the beasts without showing weakness. This was something Yun Mei was worried about. She said, "I wonder how long he can hold on. His spirit energy must be running low, right?"

    The people nodded. However, Shi Lang was unbothered and kept on fighting. The lightning around him was immense and infinite. Suddenly, the terran said, "Alright, enough games."

    He stood on a spot, and his spear flickered. The next moment, holes appeared on the heads of the red-eyed jackals, and they fell to the ground. The change in the situation was so sudden that even the beasts did not have the time to react. They fell like puppets, and someone had cut down the ropes.

    Corpses surrounded Shi Lang and the people. The entire clearing was filled with gloom. Shi Lang stopped attacking when he found no more beasts were running over. He looked back in the direction from before and asked, "Are you going to watch your kin die in vain? Shame on you, leader of the pack."

    A roar echoed, and a red streak rushed at him from the woods. Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Come, let me y with you."

    He dropped his spear and charged at the beast with his fists covered in lightning. He punched forward, and his fists issued a vacuum boom. The jackal did not faze and attacked with his gruesome ws. The two collided, and Shi Lang said, "Basic Boxing."

    His fists turned into after-shadows andnded on the jackal''s body. The beast was dazed from the sudden shower of the fists. However, it was naturally endowed with a stronger physique, and these blows did not have any other effect than to stun it a little.

    Suddenly, the beast retreated, and then a red mist came out of its body. The mist grew denser, and the visibility grew low. Shi Lang stood surrounded by the mist and raised his brow. He chuckled and said, "You think I will act like a normal cultivator?"

    The terran jumped up and flew in the sky. He looked down and grasped at the void. The spear on the ground flew back in his palm. Shi Lang grabbed the weapon and said, "I did not expect your mist to be a hallucinogen¡ªno wonder people say one should run away when they spot a red-eyed jackal.

    Shi Lang could sense the beast ring at him, and then he said, "Since you love hallucinations so much, I shall return the favor to you."

    He cast the shura realm with his eyes, and the beast gazing at him was sent into a strong illusion. Following this, the beast groaned and whimpered as its body twitched on the ground. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Are you going to leave after the show?"

    He looked at the side of the clearing. Three people walked out of the trees, all dressed in blue clothes. Two of them were male, and one was a female. The men carried halberds while the woman held on to a long bow. Shi Lang raised his spear and asked, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

 Chapter 612 Cloud Pavilion.

    <h4>Chapter 612 Cloud Pavilion.</h4>

    Shi Lang raised his spear at the three people standing at the edge of the treeline. He could tell that these people were seasoned warriors. They had a thick killing intentced over their bodies. His voice made Yun Mei and the rest of the people look over, and Xiao Gao eximed, "It''s big sister Ji Qui and big brother Ji Ma and Ji San."

    Shi Lang asked, "Sister Yun, do you know these people?"

    Yun Mei nodded and said, "Yes, they are our family members."

    Shi Lang lowered his spear and said, "Since you have experts protecting you now, I should get going."

    Yun Mei was surprised, and then Shi Lang turned around to leave. The people did not expect him to draw lines with them so quickly. Shi Lang waved his hand and stored all the corpses in his space ring.

    He ced two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. Soon, the people saw a Lightning Mane Spirit Horse rushing from the tree line. The terran jumped on the back horse and was about to leave when a cold voice sounded from the other side, "What is the hurry about?"

    Shi Lang turned to look at thedy with the bow, Ji Qui, and replied, "I have to get to the Teixian City. I have a test to attend."

    Thedy asked, "The head hunter organization?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy said, "You can take the teleportation array from the cloud pavilion and get straight to the Teixian City."

    Thinking about the words, Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you."

    Ji Qui nodded and said, "Brother San, let''s get us back to the cloud pavilion."

    Ji San nodded and came to Shi Lang, and then they all moved from the forest to the nearest city. The terran was very vignt in the city. He did not let his guard down at all. Yun Mei was walking beside him and asked, "Brother Shi, you do not look like someone who would be a head hunter. Why must you do it?"

    Shi Lang replied with a faint smile, "I have just arrived in the central ins and need to find a source of ie."

    Ji Qui asked, "You mean to say you are from the regions outside the central region?"

    Her surprised expression was odd for Shi Lang. The terran asked, "Is it that odd?"

    Ji Qui nodded and said, "Not many people from the outer regions are as strong as you are. A few can take on a pack of red-eyed jackals."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I see. Can you tell me where we are going?"

    Ji Qui nodded and said, "We are the people of the Cloud Pavilion. That is where we are headed."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is this Cloud Pavilion?"

    Yun Mei replied, "Cloud Pavilion deals in information. You can find all sorts of information in our pavilion."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Even if it is about a person?"

    Yun Mei nodded with great pride in her eyes. She said, "Yes, even if it is about someone, you can ask the cloud pavilion manager. We operate all along the central in. There is nothing hidden from us."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "This information should not be free if my guess is correct?"

    Ji San nodded and said, "This informationes when you finish tasks for the Cloud Pavilion."

    The terran asked, "Does it need me to join the pavilion?"

    Ji San shook her head and said, "You do not need to do anything like that. Cloud Pavilion is open to all; you only need to perform a few tasks to get the information you seek. The tasks can be handed in at all the pavilion establishments."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Really? Joining the pavilion is not necessary?"

    Yun Mei nodded and said, "It is true, brother. You do not have to join the pavilion. We all are members of a big family, so we run the pavilion. The main family is located in a secret location. They only act when the situation is dire. Along with information, the Cloud Pavilion provides people with the best teleportation array service."

    Shi Lang nodded, and as he was about to ask for more details, they arrived at a building with blue roof tiles. The ce looked very delicate, yet Shi Lang sensed a great deal of strength at the same time. He could not help but mumble, "Immortal Emperor."

    Ji Qui narrowed her gaze at him. She said, "You can sense the existence of the senior?"

    Shi Lang cursed himself but, knowing he could not hide anything, said, "Yes, the spiritual pressure that washed over me as soon as I stepped inside the threshold, I guessed it out loud."

    Ji Qui and her two brothers looked at Shi Lang strangely. They did not expect him to be this sensitive. They exchanged nces, and Yun Mei said, "Brother, I will arrange a ce for you to rest."

    Shi Lang asked, "Sister Yun, where can I go and find the information?"

    Yun Mei and the rest were surprised, but when they saw his solemn expression, they thought he needed to find the information. Ji San pointed at a small shop in the courtyard and said, "You can go there and tell them you need some information. Do not worry. All the staff members have taken a dao oath never to reveal anything to outsiders, so your information will not be revealed to anyone."

    Shi Lang cupped his hands and thanked them all before he walked to the small shop. He entered the ce and found a few people queueing up at the counter. Above the counter hung a board, ''Task Queries.''

    He looked around and found a delicate-looking young girl walking over to him. She bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, Sir. Wee to the Cloud Pavilion. What can we do for you?"

    Shi Lang bowed slightly in return before he asked, "I am seeking some information. Where can I find it?"

    The girl was not surprised and said, "Please follow me. The Cloud Emissary will attend you."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the girl quickly. He came to a door and was dumbfounded. This door was inside the main area, but he did not notice it. He could not help but conclude that this ce was anything but normal. Shi Lang entered the door and found a middle-aged man sitting on a chair and ying chess independently.

    The girl said, "Master Yuwan, this sir is seeking information."

    The man raised his head to look at Shi Lang and said, "You can leave now, Xiao Niu."

    The girl nodded and left the room. Master Yuwan waved for Shi Lang toe and sit across from him. The terran took their seat quickly and watched the game of chess. Master Yuwan asked, "What can I help you with?"

    Shi Lang did not beat around the bush and said, "I am looking for a person who came over to the Immortal world from the ascension hall."

    The eyes of the middle-aged man flickered for a second and returned to normal. Shi Lang did not miss this and waited for the man before him to speak. Master Yuwan said, "We do have information for that, but it cannot be disclosed to you with such ease. You will have toplete a task."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and nodded. The man took out a scroll from the space ring. He said, "You can see the details of this scroll only when you are sure toplete it or diepleting it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will do it. You do not have to worry."

    The middle-aged man nodded and handed over the scroll to Shi Lang. The terran opened the scroll and looked at the content. He found that the mission needed him to kill a group of bandits. These bandits were not simple. They called themselves night lords. All of them were immortal lords.

    They have attacked three caravans of the cloud pavilion or the forces rted to them. There were thirty people in this group, and they were very close-knit. To ensure they were not implicated, they dwelled in a depth of the forest, and their leader was a beast tamer¡ªone of the rarest side professions. They had a bunch of beasts protecting themselves. He continued reading and found that the deadline for the task was a month, and he needed to bring the corpses of the bandits to the cloud pavilion in exchange for the information.

    Shi Lang asked, "Is anyone else who would ept this task?"

    The middle-aged man was surprised and said, "Yes."

    Shi Lang asked, "They are also seeking this information?"

    The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "No, there is only this one task for simr-level information. However, you do not have to worry. If someone finishes this before you, then you can get another task. However, you cannot find any other text if you do not finish this."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. He took the scroll and left the ce quickly. He did not have anytime to waste, he needed to strike the enemy before anyone else could.

 Chapter 613 Hunting The Night Lords.

    <h4>Chapter 613 Hunting The Night Lords.</h4>

    Shi Lang took the scroll out and found Ji Qui waiting for him. She asked, "Did you ept a task?"

    The terran nodded, and the girl said, "You can walk around the city and find things you need to aplish it. After all, the task should not be of lower level."

    Shi Lang asked, "How do you know that the task level is not low?"

    Ji Qui said, "The tasks are divided into three levels: human-level tasks, earth-level tasks, and heaven-level tasks."

    She pointed at the board hanging on the wall and said, "The tasks written with chalk are all human-level ones. You can find a bunch of them anytime here. The flyers posted on the side of the board are for the earth-level tasks. If someone epts the heaven-level tasks, theye straight from the emissary inside the room."

    The terran understood her meaning and said, "I will take my leave. Can you tell sister Yun for me?"

    Ji Qui was surprised and asked, "You do not intend to tell her goodbye?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Time is short, and I do not wish for someone else to finish this task before I do. This matter is of the utmost importance to me, and the longer I stay here, the more anxious I will be."

    Ji Qui did not know what to say, but Shi Lang had already turned away and left the ce inrge strides. She watched him, and after a sigh, she turned around to inform the rest of the people that he had left.

    Shi Lang left the cloud pavilion, went to an herb merchant, selected a few dried herbs, and circled the market to collect more. His enemy was a gang; he needed to attack them and simultaneously avoid as much attention as possible. He decided to use his brain to back up his brawn.

    He would not be able to deal with the immortal king realm beasts and immortal lord realm criminals. Bandits specialized in destruction; they would leave behind a trail of debris in their wake, and Shi Lang was a soldier. He did not fight like that. The terran prepared many things before he left the city with Xiao Lei.

    The scroll mentioned the most prominent location of the bandits. Shi Lang reached the periphery of the location and found himself staring at a dark forest. The trees in this ce had ck leaves and ck trunks. It was as if the night itself had materialized onnd. The terran leaned forward and asked gently, "How do people survive here? What do you think, Xiao Lei?"

    His voice was very low, and the horse only shook his head to reply. Shi Lang could not fly into the sky to check the situation. The spiritual fluctuations will alert the enemy. After all, the enemy was also a group of Immortal Lords. Shi Lang got off the back of Xiao Lei and said, "You better hide, Xiao Lei. If someone hunted you, it would be bad."

    The horse stomped on the ground before it moved away. It was a smart beast. How could it not understand that Shi Lang was trying to make fun of it? Xiao Lei moved closer to the ck trees and stood in the cover, blending properly with the darkness. He controlled his lightningpletely, and now, he was invisible.

    Shi Lang easily walked inside the ck forest and used his special ability to sense everything around him. He could not see anything in this ce, and the fact that he hade to this ce at night was making things even more difficult. Thank goodness he had this ability and was trained as a soldier early.

    He was moving through the ce without a sound and very slowly. He was observing everything that might stand out. After some minutes, when he got used to the ce, Shi Lang used hismunicator and thest few probes left at his disposal to look for the location of the enemy.

    It took him three hours to find a patrol they had set up¡ªthe people were hiding inside the ck thickets with great proficiency. Shi Lang raised his brows and began to set up traps. He set up some small killing arrays in twoyers. Then he bought out the bundles of traps he had bought in the market and carefully set them up.

    He booby-trapped the ce with knives andced each one with strong poison. Then Shi Lang selected a few spots and took out his herbs. The terran put the herbs into a pile and left one of his clones to watch things around. When he was done epassing the area of seven kilometers with his borate setup, he nodded, and simultaneously, all his clones reacted and they snapped their fingers and set the pile of herbs on fire. The clones controlled the wind around the ce to move the smoke toward the circle''s center.

    There were seven such piles, three of which could help promote better and quicker sleep. Four piles of herbs agitated the beasts. No matter what the beast was like, they did not like the scene of these herbs and would rush over to destroy them.

    These herbs were like hallucinogens, and the beasts went berserk at a mere sniff. Shi Lang waited, and as soon as he heard roars echoing from the circle''s center. He waved his hand, and the clones vanished, leaving behind a slowly smoking pile of dried herbs.

    The terran waited. As themotion started, he spotted five immortal king realm beasts rushing through the thickets. They did not care if they had been toppling the trees or the tree barks were grazing deep in their skins. However, they all wished to scatter the dry herbs before reaching the pile of herbs. These beasts stepped into small killing arrays.

    The killing array worked simply. They would trigger, and the array formation would create a spiritual energy spike that would kill the person inside like an invisible weapon. These arrays were not invincible or omnipotent, and they relied on random spikes that would attack the person trapped inside.

    However, the spirit beasts were bigger, and even though they were injured, they managed to break free from the array. Shi Lang expected this and did not panic. He waited quietly as all of the bandits rushed after the beasts.

    Five of them stepped into the array marks and died before anyone could figure out what happened. These experts were not dumb, and one eximed, "Be careful, enemy attack."

    That said, the people drew out their weapons and began to look around. They avoided the array marks as they walked, but suddenly, they tripped on something, and the wind shivered around them.

    A normal trap would not affect them, but Shi Lang used spirit-enchanted flying knives. All of them are capable of flying at the speed of sound. A few experts were directly stabbed inside their vitals. A few tried to avoid the attacks but were still stabbed. Although the wound was not in a vital spot, the poison acted quickly and left these people motionless.

    Shi Lang took a spear from his space ring and rushed ahead. He did not use any fancy skills and attacked sneakily. The people were having a hard time dealing with the traps he had set up, and in such a situation, Shi Lang stabbed their necks from behind and simply left them without any chance to struggle.

    Other than panicked calls, only dull thuds asionally sounded in the night''s dark. Shi Lang had dealt with seven bandits alone, and the trap trigger killed five and one with a killing array.

    Shi Lang had taken down thirteen people and now had to deal with the other twenty-seven. He sighed and said, "If not for the fact that I can use Shura skills, I would not have attempted this task. Amy, you better be safe and good to meter on."

    He went to the main hide, where the rest of the bandits were gathered. He moved very quickly but silently. None of the people spotted his approach. These bandits were very disciplined. They were sitting appropriately and were cultivating with three people keeping watch.

    What Shi Lang had dealt with was just a patrol. He could not help but think what these people would have been like if they were this dedicated to some other cause. He did not disturb the people but looked around and found a man sitting in a lotus position with a big egg.

    Shi Lang recalled the information and concluded that this guy was the leader of this group. He had to deal swiftly with him because the information was wrong. He could sense that the strength of this guy was anything but the initial Immortal Lord level. Shi Lang was hiding behind a ck tree and was cursing the Cloud Pavilion, but on a careful note, he thought this guy might have achieved a breakthrough.

    Decided upon his next tests, Shi Lang crawled closer to the bandit sitting farthest to the leader.

 Chapter 614 Killing Machine.

    <h4>Chapter 614 Killing Machine.</h4>

    Shi Lang crouched and walked closer to the person farthest from the leader. However, he was not confident in his n of action. The terran sat down and began to ponder. Suddenly, he thought of something and stood up from his position. He dusted his clothes and walked towards the center of the ce.

    The immortal lords all sensed the arrival of someone, and they opened their eyes. They were surprised to see a young man standing in the center. They all wanted to attack him, but Shi Lang smiled and said, "Shura domain."

    The entire group of people was surrounded by blood-red fog. They could sense the suppression, and Shi Lang said, "Before you dimwits lose your senses and start attacking, hear me out. Or, killing you all is not a hard task."

    Shi Lang''s domain could change colors. The bandit leader said in a hoarse voice, "So, you are the one who killed my beasts?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am the one who killed them. If not, I would not have been able to talk to you."

    The bandit leader asked, "Alright, I will kill you after you finish speaking."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, that was what I wanted to discuss."

    The moment he finished speaking, his eyes shed red, and the leader was struck in a daze. Shi Lang turned around and met everyone''s gazes. He smiled as they were all stuck in a daze. Shi Lang did not use any brutal massacre scene to delude them. He created a scene where he was still talking to the guys.

    After setting up the illusion, Shi Lang knew he could not kill any of them abruptly. If he were to attack, the illusion would break. He was confident in taking down ten of them together but was unsure about the rest. So, the terran dripped twenty-six drops of blood on the ground, and his clones instantly appeared around the bandits.

    They all picked up the machetes and other weapons ced around the bandits and then swung them at the necks of the bandits. Twenty-six heads separated from bodies and fell to the ground with a dull thud. The domain that Shi Lang had cast was broken, and the fluctuation caused his control to weaken.

    The mental integrity of the Immortal Lord was strong enough for him to break away from the dwindling illusion. The first thing he saw were the corpses of his brothers. His eyes turned blood red, and his body shivered. The man ced the demon egg aside and stood up to look at Shi Lang.

    He shouted, "Die!"

    The next moment, he vanished from his spot and appeared before Shi Lang. He said, "Fire Fist."

    His fists were covered with fire instantly as he punched Shi Lang''s face. The terran was still smiling faintly and tilted his head to the side, and the fist moved past his head. Shi Lang said, "Lightning Palm."

    His palm was covered with lightning, and in a swift motion, the palmnded on the bandit leader''s shoulder. The impact was strong, and it shattered the joint bone of thetter. The bandit leader frowned and took two steps back, but Shi Lang did not chase him. He stood at his point, and the bandit leader said, "Silent Wind Killing Formation,e forth."

    Shi Lang''s smile vanished, and the bandit leader said, "You came here and destroyed all my efforts just like that? Do you think I will let you go? No! You should stay here and apany my brothers to the afterlife, you pathetic shit."

    The terran did not listen to the threats. He was analyzing the threats of this array formation. Shi Lang could not help but raise his brows. He knew how killing formations worked. However, this formation used the spirit energy to condense wind into des and fire in the void, decapitating everything that stood in the way of the des.

    The most fascinating aspect of this array was that the attack was silent. The wind de did not create any loud voice or spirit fluctuations because the wind was made up of wind. Shi Lang suddenly turned to the side and sensed a sharp wind cut through the void before him.

    He was surprised, andpared to him, the bandit leader was shocked with his eyes wide open. He could not believe that this guy could dodge the attack this easily. Shi Lang thought for a bit and then shook his head. This whole time, he was moving around, avoiding the des that showed up in his sensory map. Shi Lang had been using his domain in addition to his sensory ability.

    He was thinking if he should also learn to deploy this arrayter on, but thinking how weak it was, he scrubbed the idea and shook his head. Then he walked up to the corpse of a bandit and shoved it off the stone chair. He raised his leg and kicked the stone chair. The stone chair exploded into rubble. Under the rubble, a spirit stone was buried.

    Shi Lang picked up the spirit stone as big as a fist and kept it inside his space ring. The spirit stone was a node of the array formation. One of the key spirit stones that powered the array. However, now that the power source chain had broken, the array failed.

    There was only one thought in the mind of the bandit leader, ''Run!''

    Shi Lang did not bother asking him to stop or anything. He just took out his spear and threw it like a javelin at the back of the bandit leader. Soon, the enemy was impaled into a ck tree. The terrifying thing was that the person was still alive. Shi Lang could sense that there was no treasure here, and he did not see any space rings on the hands of the bandits either.

    He picked up the beast egg on the ground and put it inside his space ring. He came close to the bandit leader, and the first thing he did was to kick his spine and then ce his hand on the dantian of the enemy. The next moment, a blood-curdling wail echoed in the ck forest.

    Shi Lang asked, "Can you tell me where is the treasure you have looted all these years?"

    The bandit did not speak. Shi Lang said, "The bloodshed here will attract the beasts soon, and they will tear you apart as you watch it. If you can tell me where the treasures are, I will give you an easy death. Otherwise, you know better how cruel humans can be."

    The bandit leader shook his head and said, "You can try all you want, but I will never give up the things my brothers worked for. I will never betray them, even if the oue is a painful death."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Since that is your decision."

    He raised his palm and ced it on the bandit leader''s head. Then he quickly swept through all the memories this guy had in his mind. Shi Lang located the treasure and snapped his neck. The terran took out a spare space ring and stored all the corpses. After all, he needed to turn these in to get the reward. He sighed at the situation and headed to the deeper part of the forest.

    Shi Lang came to a swamp and stood under a tree. This tree was the only tree with a faint fragrance. This fragrance was what the Bandit Leader had left here by scattering the powder of Beast-repellent medicine and a spirit restriction formation.

    Shi Lang figured this powder was left here so the demons did not bother the bandits when digging the stash out. He also used his hands and dug out some mud under the tree.

    After a few minutes, the mud waspletely dug out, and Shi Lang dragged the box to the surface. The terran opened the chest and found a few things lying inside. Unity appeared beside him, saying, "I am taking these swords to eat."

    Shi Lang nodded without carrying about anything and frisked through the booklets. He found a few low-level spirit and spirit attack techniques in these books. The terran stored the treasure chest away and moved around the swamp.

    The bandits were clever and did not put all their eggs in one basket. Soon, he dug out the mud under seven more trees. He gained about a million spirit stones and a few rare herbs.

    After he cleaned things up, Shi Lang left the ce. He decided to leave the ce and go to the Tiexian City. On the way out of the woods, Shi Lang could not help but think how apt he was in killing.

    His skills from his past life, like sudden attacks and assassination, had enhanced greatly after his training in the federal army. When paired with the skills that he learned after getting the Shura Sutra, he was a killing machine.

 Chapter 615 Ameliaâ€™s Cultivation.

    <h4>Chapter 615 Amelia''s Cultivation.</h4>

    Shi Lang collected the corpse, leaving the ck forest on the back of his spirit horse. While riding Hei Lei, he suddenly recalled something that made him sigh. The terran rushed forward for a night and stopped near a pond. He checked his surroundings, and then, using his mental connection with the inheritance pce, he opened a portal in the void before him.

    A ck figure emerged from the portal andnded gracefully on the ground. Shi Lang gazed at the lightning leopard and asked, "How have you been?"

    The lightning leopard raised his head and roared at Shi Lang. The terran scratched his head and said, "I am sorry, I did not mean to forget you there. It was just that the pce was not yet settled, and we needed to have some security."

    The lightning leopard did not care about it and just turned his head away. Shi Lang had forgotten Lei Hu inside the inheritance pce. Although that ce was a nice cultivation ce, Lei Hu was a feline and needed more activity other than cultivation.

    Spirit beasts were not blessed with highprehension, and thus, the cultivation process was long and boring. During this whole time, Hei Lei was watching everything from the side. He was not interested in dealing with this guy. After all, Lei Hu was now stronger than ever before.

    The big cat had now stepped into the realm of a Spirit beast king. The terran sighed and said, "Okay, stop acting like a child. It was only advantageous for you to have reached a higher level. What are you being so angry about? I was not out having fun, alright?"

    Lei Hu was surprised when he saw Shi Lang losing his cool. But thinking about it, he calmed down and growled.

    Shi Lang said, "We are heading to the Teixian city. I have a feeling that I might need your help."

    Lei Hu nodded and growled lightly before he went to the side and rested on the ground. Shi Lang sighed as he mumbled a few things internally, ''Howe all these guys have such big personalities?''

    He sat on the pond''s edge, submerging his feet in the water. Shi Lang took a heavy breath, and it had been long since he had taken any break from his monotonous routines.

    ...

    On an ice peak, a youngdy sat atop a boulder with her eyes closed. She did not seem bothered by the cold in the wind and the gazes of the people around her.

    Suddenly, a cold voice sounded, "What are you all looking at? Leave. Don''t you know this is a restricted ce? Get going before Iin to the great elder."

    The disciples cringed a bit, and then they gradually left the ce. The girl who had just appeared before everyone was none other than Ying Yu. She walked up to the boulder and said, "Sister Amelia."

    Thedy on the boulder was Amelia, who had been cultivating for a week. She opened her eyes slowly, revealing a faint charm of her beauty. She looked at Ying Yu and got down from the boulder before she asked, "Senior Sister Ying."

    Ying Yu smiled bitterly at theck of expression thisdy disyed. She was given a special status inside the sect. However, due to the rules of the sect. None of the elders had epted her as a disciple. They provided her with shelter and good enough resources for the favor shown to them by Shi Lang.

    Ying Yu nodded a bit, and then she passed her a space ring. She said, "This is your share of the loot we made in the beast tide."

    Amelia held the space ring and bowed slightly to thedy before her. The resources of a force in the centralnd were greater than what Shi Lang had ever received in the Spirit Heart Sect in his earlier life in the immortal ne. She did not know all this earlier when she hade to this ce, and the elders denied epting her as a disciple. She was not disappointed but wanted to leave the sect to train independently.

    She was not clueless. Years of military service were not for show. However, Ying Yu stood beside her and pleaded with the sect to give her at least a ce. After all, they could not return the virtue Shi Lang showed in this manner. The elders were still hesitant, and Ying Yu said, "If that person reached a realm that you think is the peak, then he will surelye to seek revenge. The inheritance that has allowed us to improve so quickly would mean nothing to that guy, and he will make the sect pay a price."

    The elders and the sect mistress were shocked and enraged at such words. However, when they were about to attack Amelia and kill her, an old voice sounded from the depths of the sect, and the sect mistress calmed down.

    That day was a few months ago. Since then, Amelia has been cultivating this ce. She was not even given a cottage. However, she used her survival skills and made herself a makeshift tent. The grand elder told her she could only leave the ce when she reached the Immortal Lord level.

    That was what Amily had been working so hard for. During this time, Amelia had been bought out for expeditions by Ying Yu and her fellow sisters. They all had a good impression of Amelia, not only because of Shi Lang but also because of her nature. She was calm, polite, and a damn good fighter.

    She had often saved their lives despite being in a weaker realm. Thus, they treated her like one of their own. Amelia also did not let them down, and she would strive forward with all and any resources she could get. In just a few months, she had reached the peak of the immortal general realm, and now, she could reach the Immortal Lord realm at any time.

    The grand elder of this sect did not take her in as a disciple, but she imparted Amelia with the nine yin cultivation sutra. Amelia looked at the space ring and then at Ying Yu. Thetter smiled and said, "I know you are about to breakthrough. This space ring contains the cores of all the ice-attributed beasts we killed. You should use them to break through."

    Amelia nodded and said, "May I go back to cultivate?"

    Ying Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Fine, you cultivation maniac, go."

 Chapter 616 Amelia Takes A Stand.

    <h4>Chapter 616 Amelia Takes A Stand.</h4>

    Ying Yu smiled as she watched Amelia return to her cultivation. This valley was restricted because the sect''s mistress did not wish for the rest of the disciples toe into contact with Amelia. Yet, now and then, a few disciples woulde over to see who this outcast was. They wanted to know why thisdy was allowed to cultivate in the War Maiden Sect.

    Their bad luck was that Ying Yu always apanied Amelia, and if not that, she was always cultivating. They were surprised and even shocked by this behavior of her. They could not understand why Amelia would act like this. What was the point of such maniacal cultivation, like there was no tomorrow?

    Ying Yu was about to return when she spotted a disciple who came over, ran to her, and said, "Senior Sister, Xie Xiang is here again."

    Ying Yu was surprised and replied coldly, "Does he not understand the human tongue?"

    A cold voice sounded behind the disciple, "Ying Yu, let Amelia deal with this situation alone. We are not her family."

    Ying Yu was surprised when she saw the sect mistress, Luo Rin, walking over with a young man dressed in brocade robes. Ying Yu wanted to say something when she met the eyes of the sect mistress and was stunned. The sect mistress was an Immortal Emperor, and she waved her hand to cast a seal on the youngdy.

    Xie Xiang walked the scene and smiled mockingly at Ying Yu. He was confident that today, he will get Amelia under his control. He saw Amelia two months ago and was charmed by her actions. He wished for her to be his daopanion. After all, he was a young man from a big family, and his family had a significant say in the central region.

    However, Amelia did not even bother to respond to his plots, let alone ept him. She had given her heart to Shi Lang, and there would never be another person to make hermit her heart to him.

    Luo Rin stopped and said, "Young Master Xie, I am giving you the face because of your family. Regardless of her answer, I hope you respect yourself and leave this ce when you are done, with or without her. I do not care."

    Xie Xiang was a hypocritic person. However, Luo Rin was an existence that his family did not have the guts to offend publically. He understood what Luo Rin meant by what she said and replied, "Senior, please rest assured, I know what to do."

    Luo Rin nodded and stopped beside Ying Yu, letting Xei Xiang walk ahead in the valley. It did not take long for him to arrive next to Amelia. The young man looked dashing, but his eyes brimmed with cunning. He had even pursued Ying Yu, but thedy had always shut him downpletely.

    Now that his attention had changed to Amelia, he did not care about Ying Yu. This time, he used his father to pressure the War Maiden Sect into letting him pursue Amelia. The sect''s mistress was adamant that she would not acknowledge Amelia as a disciple.

    Xie Xiang stood next to the boulder, gazing at Amelia''s visage. However, he did not awaken her from her cultivation. He kept gazing at her. It was as if she had sensed his gaze, and she opened her eyes. Her gaze was cold and indifferent.

    Amelia came down from the boulder and asked, "What do you need?"

    Xie Xiang sensed great indifference from her voice, and he frowned. He said, "I havee to ask you if you are willing to be my daopanion."

    Amelia looked at him and asked, "Why? Did I not tell you before that I already have apanion, and he is the only one for me in this life."

    Xie Xiang clenched his fists, but his face did not change. The young man asked calmly, "What can you achieve by staying loyal to him? Who is this guy?"

    Amelia gazed into the distance and said, "It is none of your business, and I advise you, this is thest time I am refusing you with words. Next time, I will kill you."

    Xie Xiang was not the only surprised person. Luo Rin was shocked. She did not expect Amelia to act this way. The young man was enraged and chuckled as he asked, "Can you kill me? Do you even know who I am?"

    Amelia replied, "You are just a spoiled young master of the Xie Family. If you do not have a name behind you, people will think you are just a rabid dog."

    Her voice was aloof and calm. Xie Xiang was shocked, and then his gaze turned cold. He clenched his fist and raised his hand to attack Amelia. However, the girl suddenly vanished from her ce.

    Xie Xiang''s arm was frozen in midair, but a chill ran through his spine. A cold feeling against his neck awakened him from his rage. He looked down and found a dagger''s edge was pressing against his neck. Amelia said, "Do you understand what I mean by I will kill you, or should I just do it?"

    Xie Xiang was shivering in fear, and he could not believe that the situation was not in his favor. Luo Rin eximed, "Amelia, what are you doing? Put away the dagger! Now!"

    Amelia did not pay any heed to her. Luo Rin could not make a move against her because she could tell that Amelia would kill Xie Xiang. If this young man died here, it would be a big problem.

    Amelia said, "Why should I take away the dagger? Sect Master, I did note here alone, but your people bought me here. I have done my best to gain your acknowledgment. You did not budge. I never held it against you. On the contrary, I even respected you, but today, being a woman, you failed to uphold my dignity and bought this scum here. I feel ashamed to have lived here."

    The people were left speechless and did not expect Amelia to retort the sect master this ferociously. Amelia took a deep breath and said, "Xie Xiang, I will give you onest chance. Swear on your dao heart that you will not seek me again, nor will you instigate anyone rted or unrted to you intoing after me. If you fail toply, I will not kill you but destroy your dantian."

    The next moment, Amelia ced her knee against the back of the young man. Xie Xiang was covered in cold sweat and said, "I swear on my dao heart..."

    Amelia waited, and only when the lightning crackled did she push Xie Xiang away. She said, "Leave before I change my mind."

    Xie Xiang shivered and ran away. He did not even bother to greet Luo Rin, who was seething with rage and gazed back at Amelia''s eyes as he asked, "How dare you run amock before me?"

    Amelia smiled and said, "I am a cultivator; I defy the heavens, let alone you, who wished to sacrifice me for no reason."

    Just when Luo Rin was about to make her move, the clouds rumbled and lightning emerged. Amelia let out a deep breath and said, "Time to face the tribtion, See youter, Sect master."

 Chapter 617 War Maiden.

    <h4>Chapter 617 War Maiden.</h4>

    Amelia was not afraid of the sect master attacking her. The tribtion was triggered; if she, the sect master, was toe after her, she would suffer the wrath of the heavens. Luo Rin was a narrow-minded woman, but she was hailed as the Empress War Maiden throughout the central in. Such monikers cannot be proimed but only earned with strength and virtue.

    Luo Rin was not all bad, but she had her difficulties. She was the head of a powerful faction, and these factions were always embroiled in power struggles, secret and open.

    Amelia recalled her mother whenever she heard the words, War Maiden. She had taken up her mother''s mantle in the lower realm and made it her own. She was happy to be a part of a faction where all the women were strong and virtuous. They were the people whose ideals aligned with hers.

    The fact that this faction only epted women who would not marry anyone in their life did not bother her. Amelia did not think love would make a difference in her battling capabilities. After all, they have always been taught to fight for the lives of their partners and vice-versa.

    Shi Lang was her biggest strength, so when Luo Rin asked her to take a dao oath of never going back together with him, she rejected him outright and did not even mind leaving the ce. This was the reason why Luo Rin disliked her. Then, to pile up on this, Amelia showed such a shocking talent. She reached the Peak of the Immortal General realm in just a few months.

    Luo Rin herself was not this heavenly defiant. Let alone her, even her disciples were not this good. Ying Yu was probably the only one who had such talent. This made Luo Rin even more bitter about her. She wanted her to join the sect and be the prime disciple, but she gave up this honor for a man.

    The moment Amelia went against her just now seemed to have crossed her tolerance limits, and she was ready to kill her, but she did not expect the tribtion toe. Amelia jumped back atop the boulder and gazed at the dark clouds. She said, "It was no fun when youst appeared. Make sure you are ready this time."

    That said, she sat down on the boulder in a lotus position. Luo Rin was shocked to see this. She did not expect this girl to be so defiant. She dared to challenge the heavens. It was said that during the time of tribtion, the consciousness of the heavens was most active.

    It was said that many people who stood against this consciousness died miserably. Luo Rin could not understand why Amelia would do something like this.

    However, during her contemtion, a lightning bolt struck Amelia. The impact was strong, and the boulder below thedy exploded into fine dust. However, Amelia appeared sitting in the void. She was circting the sutra given to her by the supreme elder.

    Her spirit energy was gathering behind her, and soon, an icy figure appeared. This figure looked exactly like Amelia. However, it looked more like a general. The ice figure wore armor and held a rapier and a bow.

    Luo Rin was shocked, and her eyes widened at this sight. She mumbled, "The War Maiden Sutra. How can she have it? This... what is going on."

    The next moment, she suddenly heard a wise voice, "She is the next in line. Luo Rin, you have disappointed the ancestor council very much."

    Luo Rin was shocked and turned around. She could not even detect the approach of this person. She raised her hand and wanted to attack the person when she eximed in shock, "Supreme Elder."

    The person who appeared was an olddy. She had white hair, and her face was filled with wrinkles. There was no spiritual fluctuation in her body, and she looked fragile. However, her gaze was so firm that Luo Rin was shocked.

    The olddy looked at Ying Yu, and thetter was freed from the restriction set on her body. Ying Yu bowed with a respectful gaze, "Greetings, Supreme Elder."

    Supreme Elder said, "Yu''er, your master will be here soon; protect the order of this valley. Amelia is going through a crucial phase."

    Ying Yu nodded and was internally surprised. She did not expect the olddy to attach such importance to Amelia. However, she did notment. It was not her ce; she knew why the olddy was doing all this.

    While this was going on, another streak of lightningnded on the body of the icy avatar. This was the second bolt, and while the ice maiden looked fragile, it withstood the heat of the attack. The next moment, Amelia started to channel more spiritual energy, and the damaged ice maiden began to repair.

    This was not yet the final stage of the War Maiden Sutra. This was just the starting. She would grow stronger, the ice maiden would merge with her body, and then her battle power would increase. Destroying a mountain with a wave of her wrist would not be too big.

    Followed by the second strike, another lightning bolt fell on the ice maiden. Ying Yu and her master had arrived at the ce with the help of her sisters. Ying Yu had formed a barrier to not let anyonee over, and her master cast a barrier to make things look as simple as they would usually.

    Luo Rin was shocked and asked, "Why? Just tell me, why is she allowed to practice this sutra? When have I let down the honor of the sect?"

    She was agitated and enraged. However, the restriction on her body did not allow her to channel her spirit energy or move her body. She was paralyzed below the neck. The supreme elder said, "The ancestors did not stop people with families from joining the sects. If you have forgotten, the sect''s founder was Lady Ning Lei. She was married and had two children.

    Her daughters carried her legacy after she died in a battle with demonic cultivators. One married an immortal master, but she was still the supreme elder. The supreme elder of the sect is always a person from the lineage of the second master. You seem to have forgotten this small detail. You even allowed that young man to enter the sect and humiliate a woman.

    You forgot that you do not be a maiden by your physical or emotional values but by virtue. To satisfy your inferiorityplex, you look down on a child who does not have anyone else to rely on. You forgot that the so-called five stars could only form because of the favor this child''s husband bestowed on them. You forgot your virtue."

    Luo Rin could note up with a retort. She clenched her teeth, and her eyes turned red. The supreme elder saw this, and so did all the otherdies. While the young ones were surprised, Ying Yu''s master said, "Senior Sister Luo, wake up from this delusion. All is not lost; do not give in to the darkness."

    When she said this, the disciples understood that the sect master had fallen to the darkness inside her heart. The supreme elder sighed and waved her hand. The sect master fainted, and the olddy said, "Do not let another soul know what happened to her. I will bring her to the ancestor chamber. There, we will see what to do about her condition. Only tell the people that the sect master had entered seclusion to charge at the boundary of Immortal Sovereign."

    Ying Yu''s master nodded and bowed. The olddy looked at Amelia, who sat before the ice maiden, surrounded with lightning sparks, and said, "Tell her nothing of this. Let her discover her destiny, and convey to the rest of the elders to acknowledge her as a core disciple, and preach about the original motive of the War Maiden Sect."

    Ying Yu''s master nodded and watched as the supreme elder vanished from the spot with Luo Rin. She sighed and shook her head in pity. War Maiden Sutra may look invincible, but once the armor of the maiden crumbled from the inside, she will be the most fragile thing in the world.

    Amelia faced six lightning strikes before the ice maiden dispersed, and a quasi-armor appeared on her body. The armor was formed with the essence of the ice maiden. It looked delicate as if made of ss, but this armor could put heavenly treasures on a run for their money.

    The strength that Ameliamanded now was much higher than that of Ying Yu and the rest because the sect''s founder, Lady Ning Lei, was an immortal god realm expert. This was her inheritance, and many people in the past had cultivated it greatly.

    Amelia did not open her eyes after the lightning vanished. She just sat on the spot, sensing the changes in her body. After she stood up, preparing for the attack from the sect master, she found that the person in question had vanished and instead of her stood, Ying Yu and her master.

    She was confused when Ying Yu''s master said, "Amelia,e with us."

 Chapter 618 Stingy Clone.

    <h4>Chapter 618 Stingy Clone.</h4>

    Shi Lang did not know what was going on with Amelia at this moment. He had just taken a few days of uneventful travel and arrived at the Teixian City. The first thing he did was to get a room in an inn. He was not hurrying to reach the Head Hunter Organization and enroll. He needed some information.

    He did not have to look all over the ce. Lei Hu had mastered the technique to change his size. Shi Lang carried him along on his shoulder like a pet cat. This guy was going to be very useful to him. Lei Hu had skills that allowed him to move silently in the dark, so he was an apt tracker.

    After the terran had Hei Lei settled in the stable, he carried the little ck cat with him through the city''s busy streets. He was going to meet someone. They arrived at a busy restaurant, and Shi Lang entered it as if he owned it. This was one of the most luxurious restaurants in the city. However, this guy just came in wearing casual clothes. That was bound to attract attention from the staff.

    One of the waiters approached him with a frown and wanted to tell him that this ce did not wee people like him when a deep voice sounded, "Cousin Lang, you have arrived."

    The waiter turned around and found that the manager addressed this guy as a cousin. He was shocked internally but could not say anything. Shi Lang pretended to be humble and bowed his head in greeting.

    A few months ago, Shi Lang discovered that a few of his clones were no longer in touch with him. He could not understand what was happening but sensed a connection when he entered the city. It turned out that a few of these missing clones hade across heavenly opportunities of their own, and their life path had changed.

    They now possessed intelligence, and Shi Lang needed to ask for their permission if they were to share any information. The Terran was shocked, but then the clone in Tiexian City invited him for a conversation in the cheery blossom patio restaurant.

    Shi Lang nodded, and the young man with a deep voice said, "Come along with me."

    The terran nodded and followed the person inside the restaurant. They came to a room and sat down across from each other. Shi Lang observed the person from head to toe. The person opposite did not shy away from his gaze and said, "What do you think?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am still surprised. What happened to you?"

    The burly man said, "On the way to the central ins, five of us boarded a vessel from Ming-Yu merchants. The captain told us that they were a small business and it was their first time venturing like this. When we were crossing the barrier mountains, a legendary beast appeared and demandedpensation from the captain.

    The goods did not satisfy the desire and noble status of the Dragon, and it attacked. The captain tried to tell him that the offering would increase with his business development. However, that creature did not listen and attacked the vessel.

    Five of us all fell in the mountain range. We used our attacks against the ground to break the fall and suffered a few minor injuries. However, that valley seemed to be a special ce. We could notmunicate with you and lost ess to instructions."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and said, "Carry on."

    The young man continued, "In that valley, we woke up under the spell of a celestial fox. She helped us, and using some secret technique, she gave us consciousness. The time inside that valley was really slow. We spent a few years there to master our skills and reach the Immortal Lord level. In the end, thatdy let us go. She only asked us to strengthen ourselves and return to the valley to break the array binding her to that ce."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "Anything special about her?"

    The young man nodded and said, "She told us to pass a message to you that Shadow de promised to take her away."

    Shi Lang''s pupil constricted. He could not help but recall the immortal god who handed him the battle skills in the inheritance pce. If they were talking about the same person, this legendary beastdy must be from the forgotten era of gods. That means she was immensely strong. He wondered why she was being held there and what sort of power could restrict an expert like that.

    The more he thought about it, the more he worried about the existence that might still be after thedy and Shadow de. The young man across from him sensed this and said, "You are right. Thatdy said we should not appear outside that ce until we have reached the peak of immortal sovereignty."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I can understand that. If you do not mind, I would like to discuss this in better detail when we reach that point. As for now, can you tell me why I still have this connection with you if you all have independent consciousness?"

    The young man smiled and said, "The five of us can be considered your spiritual body. When you need us, we will merge with you; that way, your strength will grow. After all, we all have our strengths now."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but he was not in a hurry. He only nodded and asked, "Can you tell me what is this head hunting organization? Looking at the situation of this restaurant, you must have some information."

    The young man nodded and said, "It is good that you will join the Head Hunting Organization. You can practice and fight demonic cultivators and the colluders like wise."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and leaned forward, asking, "You mean to say that the organization specializes in hunting demonic cultivators and colluders?"

    The young man nodded and said, "I suggest that you go and enroll tonight because tomorrow is when they will conduct a test. If you miss it now, the next test will be held six monthster."

    Shi Lang could not understand and the young man said, "You do not know about the centurian tournament?"

    The terran nodded and the clone said, "They cancel everything when that event is around the corner in the name of training and recuprating."

    The terran sighed and shook his head as he stood up from the chair and said, "Then I will be heading out. Treat me to good food sometime."

    The young man was surprised and chuckled as he replied, "I did not expect you to have such wishes. Fine, you should go, I will have the kitchen save some good dishes they made today."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and left with the remark, "Stingy."

 Chapter 619 Head Hunter Test.

    <h4>Chapter 619 Head Hunter Test.</h4>

    After leaving the restaurant, Shi Lang went to the Head Hunting organization. His clone told him this was a good ce because he was trying to merge his cultivation streams. The terran was cultivating the way of ughter in the lower realm, but in the upper realm, he was practicing the way of sword and lightning.

    If he could merge these two ways in his skills, he would be advancing farther on the path of cultivation. Dwelling over his thoughts, the terran arrived at his destination. He found the building to resemble an iron fort. It was painted ck on the outside, and the walls did not allow him to look inside.

    He did not risk using his spiritual sense. What if he pissed off some expert, it would not be long before an emperor-level expert might kill him. He was not in the peak realms just yet. At most, he was a middle-grade Immortal Lord. Why allow his curiosity to be the reason for his untimely death?

    He walked up to the entrance gates of the building when a guard stopped him. He asked in a stern fashion, "Who are you? What do you need?"

    It was quitete at night, so he was much more vignt than usual. Shi Lang cupped his hand and said, "Brother, I havee to apply for the Head-hunter test."

    The guard was surprised and then took out a stone from the back pocket, saying, "Channel your spiritual energy in the stone, and we will see if you are eligible to apply."

    Shi Lang nodded and cooperated with the test. He ced his hand on the stone and channeled his spiritual energy. The stone began to shimmer, and then the glow became stronger. The pale blue glow was so strong that the guard had to turn his head to the side.

    The guard retracted his hand and the stone and said, "I did not expect you to be so young and strong. Go in. I hope you do well."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he found that the guard of this building was a peak Immortal Lord. He could not help but wonder what sort of person was conducting the test. He came through the door and entered the building through the main gate at the end of the walkway.

    The terran entered the building and found it to have a simr setting as a pub, but it was scarce of massive crowds. Only a few people were present, drinking their brains out on the tables. Shi Lang spotted a counter, which seemed to be the reception area, and walked over.

    His arrival caught some attention, but people instantly returned to their booze. He was just another guy to them. Thedy behind the counter spotted him and asked, "Are you here to apply for the test?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy said, "You have arrived at a reasonable time. Here, please fill out all your details and strength level."

    Shi Lang took the parchment and ink brush in his hand before filling in all the details as he could on this sheet. He turned the paper in, and thedy gave him a token. You can rest here for the night ore back in the morning. I suggest that you arrive before the sun rises."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "I will be back in the morning."

    Thedy nodded indifferently. It was not her job to care about his test or well-being. The terran left the ce and quickly came back to the inn. The terran had to feed the horse and the cat, too. He could not just go about things with these two guys. He said, "Xiao Hei, shall I send you to a peaceful ce to cultivate? There is a great concentration of spiritual energy, and it is safe, too. Look at Lei Hu. He broke through the Immortal King-level spirit beast in just a few months."

    The terran was dealing with the horse while the cat was gazing at the former with disdain brimming through her eyes.

    Shi Lang did not mind. He needed to send the horse back to the inheritance pce for some freedom. After a couple of hours, the horse agreed and left the ce. The ck cat gazed at Shi Lang and then spat on the side.

    ...

    The next morning, Shi Lang approached the Head Hunter Building and found many people queueing up. He also joined the clue. The fellow ahead of Shi Lang seemed to be easygoing. The terran asked, "Brother, do you know why they have such big queues?"

    The young man turned around and smiled when he saw Shi Lang. He asked, "First time?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the young man said, "The queue is to divide the people."

    Shi Lang was still confused, so the young man said, "Everyone who applied for the test will be given a task randomly. You mustplete these tasks to be acknowledged as a Head Hunter."

    As he wanted to ask what tasks, the person said, "You will know; do not spoil the fun this way. I will tell you many people do not manage toe back, so all the best."

    Shi Lang nodded, and gradually, it was his turn before the counter. A young man with cold eyebrows had reced thedy from the night. The cold young man looked at the side and said, "Pick a color."

    Shi Lang was confused, but then he spotted a few colored barrels. He asked, "What do the colors signify?"

    The young man replied monotonously, "Red is the most difficult, ck is moderate, while yellow is the easiest of tasks."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "ck."

    The young man fished out a scroll at random recorded the number on the side of the scroll, and passed it to Shi Lang. Then he said, "If you decide to forfeit the task, you will be disqualified and never allowed to take part in the examination again."

    Shi Lang nodded and like the others before him, he walked to the side to look at the content of the ck scroll.

 Chapter 620 Information.

    ?

    Shi Lang stood in the Head-hunter organization''s office and looked at the scroll''s content. He could not help but feel surprised at the task mentioned in the scroll. The content mentioned that he had to hunt for a young man who had been colluding with the demonic cultivators and caused the death of many experts from the righteous path.

    This person only had one identity, that he had a swallow tattooed on his neck. The age description of this person was unavable, and it was mentioned that this guy was an assassin. He specialized in using hidden weapons. During hisst attack, one of the experts came after him with a self-destructive technique.

    The target suffered injuries in the meridian system and is now supposed to be looking for an herb to fix him. This herb was called the Renewal Lily. This lily would bloom nine times and wilt eight times. The ninth bloom will have nine golden leaves. Swallowing one of these golden leaves was strong enough to repair even the broken dantian, so injured meridians were not very difficult for it.

    Shi Lang thought about it and concluded that he had two ways to go and hunt this guy. One was to look for a person with a swallow tattoo, and the other was to look for the Renewal Lily. Under the task content, it was mentioned that the task duration was a month long. Shi Lang rolled up the scroll and ced it back in his space ring.

    After that was done, the young man went out of the building. His part was done, and now he was headed to the cloud pavilion. He needed to submit the corpses of the people and find out the information they had gathered about Amelia.

    He was way more anxious than he showed at the moment. The young man left the Head-hunter building after signing his form that he had no problem with the task.

    If he failed toplete the task or suffered any injury, it had nothing to do with the Head-Hunting organization. Shi Lang moved through the streets and came to the location of the Cloud Pavilion that he had already confirmed earlier.

    He came inside the hall and found the receptionist. Thedy asked, "How can I help you, sir?"

    She was slightly dizzy. Perhaps it was the effect of staying awake all night, but Shi Lang did not care. He said, "I wanted to ask if I could turn in a task."

    His cold voice startled thedy, and replied, "Yes, sir, what task it may be?"

    Shi Lang presented her with the scroll. Thedy looked at the scroll, opened her eyes wide, and eximed, "Cloud Emmisary task."

    She looked at the terran and said, "I will inform the emissary toe, and she will attend to you immediately."

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy left the reception counter. The terran looked around and found himself a chair to sit down while he waited. The pavilion was empty, and no other person was in sight.

    The terran sat down and began to meditate. Lei Hu was sitting in hisp, looking very docile. After a few minutes, the receptiondy rushed back and came beside Shi Lang. The ck cat in hisp raised its head and hissed at thedy, frightening her.

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and patted the head of the cat. Lei Hu feared the terrain could send him back to the Inheritance pce. Lei Hu did not wish to train with those old ghosts. Although it was good for him, if he were to take such a treatment in the long term, it would kill him.

    The terran asked, "What is it, miss?"

    The receptionist replied, "Sir, the emissary is here. You can see her now."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I see, thank you."

    The terran stood up from the chair and followed thedy through the corridors. They came to a room, and thedy pushed the door and asked him to go inside. Shi Lang said, "Lei Hu, guard the ce."

    Then he entered the room and found a middle-ageddy sitting behind a table holding the scroll he had passed. She smiled and gestured for him to sit down. Shi Lang did as he was asked, and thedy asked, "Sir, can you show the proof ofpletion?"

    Shi Lang nodded and waved his hand. The next moment, a pile of corpses appeared in a corner of the room. Thedy was surprised for a second before she calmed down and stood up to verify the identities of the corpses.

    After a few minutes, she said, "Thank you for your hard work. I will get the information you sought."

    Thedy closed her eyes for a second. The terran noticed fluctuations in the array pattern engraved on the table. He understood that this array allowed the cloud pavilion emissaries to gather and share information. A few minutester, she picked up the scroll and wrote a few things on it.

    Shi Lang leaned forward when he watched thedy hand him a scroll. She said, "Sir, the information is a bit sensitive. It is advised that you destroy the scroll after reading it."

    Shi Lang nodded, opened the scroll, and read the content. Thankfully, he had specifically asked for Amelia by her name. The scroll read, ''Amelia ims to be a terran, ascended from a lower realm. Strangely, the demonic cultivators immediately attacked her when she exited the ascension pce. However, Elder Min of the War Maiden Sect and her disciple Ying Yu rescued her and took her away to the War Maiden Sect in the immortal realm''s northern provinces.''

    The terran momentarily asked, "Senior, can the Cloud Pavilion deliver a message to the person I am looking for?"

    Thedy was surprised and then said, "Yes, we can, but themission is very high."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "How high?"

    Thedy said, "Depending on the package, ten thousand top-grade spirit stones is the minimum."

    Shi Lang nodded, took out a parchment roll, and scribbled on it before her. He neatly folded the letter and drew a symbol on top of it. Then he passed the letter to thedy and said, "Here, deliver this for me."

    Then he took a bag of spirit stones from his space ring and asked, "Are these enough?"

    Thedy was surprised when she saw him take out the money so easily. This was a significant sum of money, and even some people from wealthy families could not pay out this easily.

    She took a deep breath and nodded. Thedy said, "Are you expecting a reply?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and thedy said, "I suggest you mention that in the letter. Also, can you tell me where we can find you?"

    The terran thought about it and asked, "How many days before this letter can be delivered?"

    Thedy said, "A month or two."

    Shi Lang frowned and said, "I will collect it from the cloud pavilion in any province I am in. Would that be possible?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "Yes. You will need to pay six thousand top-grade spirit stones, too."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "You all know how to squeeze a person."

    He ced the spirit stones on the table and then stood up from his seat. He said, "I wille and check if the letter has been delivered in a month."

    Thedy took out a jade slip and channeled her spirit energy inside it. Then she said, "You can present this slip to the pavilion when you arrive to check if the reply has arrived."

    Shi Lang epted the jade slip and was about to leave when he turned around and said, "How much would it cost to gather some other information?"

    Thedy was surprised, and then, with apletely monotonous smile, she said, "As I said, it would depend on the question."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "How many to cure damaged meridians?"

    Thedy thought briefly and said, "Ten low-grade spirit stones."

    Shi Lang sat back on the chair and passed one middle-grade stone to her, and she operated the array again before picking up a scroll and listing the few things on it. This sort of information could be discovered in a library, but Shi Lang did not have the time to do so. He waited patiently, and when thedy was about to give him the rest of the spirit stones back, he asked, "Which factions use tattoos as a part of their identification?"

    Thedy deducted the same amount as before and began to write all the names on the scroll. Shi Lang paid five low-grade spirit stones to find out the tattoos they use specifically.

    After that, he left the ce. He now had a better idea because, in the details he found out, three factions used bird tattoos to identify each other. In his further questions, he asked about the background of these forces and found that one belongs to Yandou province. This ce was where one could cure there damaged meridians. Even if he did not have any leads, he did have a clear direction to investigate now.

 Chapter 621 Yandou Provinces.

    ?

    Shi Lang left the cloud pavilion and then checked out from the inn. He carried the small ck cat on his shoulder and called Hei Lie back from the Inheritance Pce. The horse passed him a death gaze, and then the young man sighed and said, "What is it with you people? You go to the inheritance pce, and when you return, you have these pompous etiquettes."

    The spirit horse snorted, and the terran jumped on the back of the beast. The two of them were headed straight to the Yanduo Provinces. It will take him three days to reach the province, and he must locate the person in question. However, there was a big doubt that Shi Lang mighte up with nothing because the enemy was not a fool. What if he already knew that someone was onto him?

    This thought worried Shi Lang a bit too much. He was sitting on the bank of a river and eating grilled fish. The young man took a deep breath and said, "You all have been hiding in the dark for quite a while. Come out and eat your fill. It is not like I will kill you, or you will kill me for it."

    As he let out a heavy breath, a few people emerged from behind the trees. It was a group of teenagers, and these people looked injured. Shi Lang sighed and asked, "You guys do not have any medicine left?"

    One sighed and replied, "Brother, can you give us a few medicinal pills? You can collect the money from the Seven Bird Sect."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and did a retake at these people. He took out a bottle of pills and tossed it to the people. He asked, "These are all I can spare. I have to keep some for my spirit beasts and myself, too. The way to Yandou Province is not easy, or so I have heard."

    The person caught the jade bottle and was surprised. He said, "You could have made it to the nearest city if you were to run for it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I could have made it, but I am unsure if I will find what I seek."

    The young man took a pill and chuckled, "Brother, you seem to have some misconception. Yandou Province is called the merchant city for a reason. As long as you have money, you can find anything there."

    Shi Lang nodded while chowing down on the grilled fish. After he finished dealing with his meal, he said, "Let me introduce myself, "I am Shi Lang, a traveling cultivator."

    The young man replied, "Forgive us for the dy. I am Jo Skrk, and these are my junior brothers and sisters. We belong to the Seven Birds sect."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "Do not worry. Take care of your injuries first."

    Jo nodded and tied a few bandages on the wounds of a young man. After a few minutes, when they were done. Jo Skrk turned to the terran and asked, "Brother, if you do not mind me asking, can you tell me why you are heading to the Yandou?"

    Shi Lang replied, "This time, I came here looking for someone to help cure damaged meridians."

    As he spoke, he shook his head with helplessness in his eyes. Surprised, the young man eximed, "Meridian injuries are hard to heal."

    Shi Lang nodded and said mncholic, "It is my master. He took me in and nurtured me all my life. Yet, he triggered a secret technique and suffered such injuries to save me from a demonic cultivator. I do not wish for him to suffer like this."

    The young man and his team of teenagers exchanged nces. They did not know what to say. Shi Lang had spoken with such conviction andpassion that they could not help but feel sad for him. They would have puked up blood if they knew the terran was spouting nonsense.

    Jo sighed and said, "You might be able to find the only person capable of curing such an injury in the southern reaches. However, his exact location is unknown. Many people have tried to locate this man, but no use. Though asionally, someone might turn up with the news that they have met this person and been cured of their ailments."

    Shi Lang sighed and asked, "What other option is left for me?"

    Jo shook his head when suddenly a young girl sitting behind him said, "Senior Brother, there might be a way."

    Everyone looked at her, and Jo asked, "Junior sister Luan, please go ahead."

    The youngdy nodded and said, "There is a natural treasure that can bring you back from the brink of death."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "Are you perhaps talking about the Nine-leave Lily?"

    The youngdy shook her head and said, "No, how can normal people dream of snatching the Nine-leaves lily from the grasp of the legendary beasts? They have been guarding that ce with great vignce. Even the weakest of the guards is an Immortal Emperor."

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, "I see, fellow Daoist. Can you tell me which treasure you are talking about?"

    The Young Lady nodded and said, "You can go to the mountains north of the province and look for a natural treasure called the rejuvenating ghost tulip. When it blooms, this herb looks like a wilted tulip, and you can find a huge amount of yin energy in the surroundings."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Why have I not heard of this natural treasure before?"

    The youngdy smiled and said, "It is said that ghosts will forever haunt the person who harvests this herb. It is considered a demonic herb. Righteous path cultivators do not like it."

    Shi Lang scoffed and said, "These blind fools. They always im to be righteous while their children go out and kill people over the slightest of mistakes. They are not very short of being called demonic in my eyes. Forget it, fellow Daoist. Can you tell me how I can get to that ce?"

    The girl nodded and told Shi Lang about the so-called Valley of the Lost. This was located on the mountain range near the northern parts of the Yandou Provinces. Shi Lang was ready to go ahead and discover this ce. There was a high chance that the person he was looking for would appear there.

    Shi Lang thanked her, then he eximed, "Oh, I just noticed you all have a bird tattoo on your arms. Where can I get one of these?"

    Jo and the rest of the people were stunned for a second before they chuckled and said, "These are lineage tattoos. We get them in the sect when we join a peak."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Oh, I apologize. I did not know that. But this sure is cool."

    Jo and the rest chuckled at his response and began talking about tattoos. Shi Lang openly described the ideas he had in mind and said, "I would like to have a swallow tattooed on my neck, and it shall be surrounded with lightning bolts."

    The people nodded, and suddenly, one guy said, "Huh, Swallow on the neck? Does that not feel like the Lost Bird sect''s Yan Mingfu?"

    The terran asked keenly, "Oh, what is this ce? Tell me more about it."

    Jo Skrk said, "Lost Bird Sect is also a sect from the Yandou Province, but they stay in recluse near the Valley Of the Lost. They all have a tattoo of a swallow on their neck. Also, they all live a dejected life. It is said that swallows always return home. However, these people do not have any home, and thus, the sect takes them in."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The person who founded such a ce must be a saint. In today''s world, where even brothers can turn at each other, this ce is sure of heaven."

    The people nodded at his words. The terran continued to ask about the Valley of the Lost. He did not disy any interest in the Lost Bird Sect. It was confirmed that the target was located in this very organization. Yet, he would not reveal any information to anyone because he did not trust them.

    The night passed quickly, and Shi Lang better understood the ce and the people in the Yandou Provinces. It turns out this task of his was filled with many tricks and traps. Shi Lang stood up from the ground in the morning and let out a long whistle.

    The people from the seven bird sect woke up from his voice, surprised to see a ck shadow rushing over quickly. Shi Lang had let the horse and the leopard go and spend the night in the forest to hunt.

    Jo Skrk woke up and asked, "Brother Shi, are you leaving already?"

    The terran nodded and said, "Yes, my master is serious; he does not have much time, and I am not at the luxury to rest. If fate permits, lets meet again someday."

    That said, he jumped on the back of the horse and after a gentle shout the beast rushed away.

 Chapter 622 Valley Of The Lost.

    ?

    Shi Lang bade farewell to the group and left the ce. He was not in a hurry now. Almost all his doubts had been rified. Even if the target did note to the Valley of the Lost, he would still know who this guy was. Shi Lang would infiltrate the Lost Bird Sect if needed.

    His resolve was firm as he rode the back of his Lightning Mane horse. The terran did not fly all around the sky because he still had the chance to consolidate his cultivation realm while riding the horse. He was at the initial level of the Immortal Lord realm. He needed to strengthen himself and had little time to show off needlessly.

    Shi Lang rode quickly through the woods and the dirt paths. The lightning leopard was sitting on the head of the ck horse, almostpletely shrouded in the thick ck mane. The terran closed his eyes and legs folded in the lotus position.

    After a day, he entered the city, and then, after replenishing his supplies, he moved through the wilderness of the Yandou Province, heading straight to the north. The test of the head hunters was not hard but tricky. There were many chances that the applicant might fail. If the target they were looking for found the information, they might not turn up if someone was looking for them.

    However, Shi Lang had taken a calcted risk by telling those cultivators from the Seven Birds sect about this. When he was discussing with them about the tattoos, he had already noticed that none of these people had a swallow tattoo, and he was also aware of the other two forces that used birds to symbolize themselves.

    So, after he was done asking about the swallow tattoo, he did ask about the third force in the region. He did not probe deep into the situation or knowledge, or the people might think too much and spill the beans. Once the beans were spilled, they might be too much to sort out.

    On the way to the north, Shi Lang met many people but did not ask them about the tattoos. He only asked for the path correction leading to the Valley Of The Lost. He made sure to make a brief stop in every city. This made the enemy lower their guard and consider him a simple traveler seeking herbs to cure ailments.

    The terran took three days to reach the valley of the lost. He narrowed his gaze as he stood at the entrance of the valley. Shi Lang sighed, jumped off the horse, and said, "Hei Lei, you can return to the Inheritance pce and continue your training."

    The horse gazed at him pleadingly, and Shi Lang sighed, "You know it is for your betterment. Do you fear pain? When you grow strong, people will bow to you. Do you not wish to be revered by the masses?"

    His simple bullshit surprised Hei Lei, and then he thought about the little cat resting on the Terran''s shoulder. He wanted to be at such leisure and nodded. Shi Lang smiled and gently patted his neck before shoving the big guy into a portal.

    The terran sighed and said, "I can only pray for him."

    The little cat nodded humanely, and the two moved towards the valley''s depth. This ce was colder than the rest of the Yanduo Province. It was not because of the mountainous region around it but because of the Yun energy in the area.

    Shi Lang said in a low voice, "Say, Xiao Hu, what do you think is happening in this ce?"

    Lei Hu was also observing the surroundings and shook his head. He was a spirit beast, and they were much more sensitive to the change in the surrounding spiritual energies. Yet, it did not know what was causing the Yin energy to gather here. As they moved deeper into the valley, the destion amplified.

    Shi Lang scanned the surroundings and found that only the herbs that consumed Yin energy were growing in abundance. He frowned when suddenly, Lei Hu growled. He looked at the cat, and the spirit beast jumped off his shoulder before assuming his original form. Shi Lang watched as the beast came to a spot and scratched the stone with his ws.

    The terran was surprised. He had been to this ce a few minutes ago, and now it seemed he was moving in circles. He closed his eyes, and his brain moved. Shi Lang did not react for a long time, then he opened his eyes and said, "Lei Hu,e here."

    The lightning leopard was confused but walked closer to Shi Lang, who said, "Do not move half an inch from this ce."

    The Terran''s eyes flickered with blue lightning as he looked around. Shi Lang took a spear from his space ring and then hurled it in one direction. The spear hit a tree growing on the hillside and pierced through the tree trunk. The next moment, the void wrapped. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Come, we will move deeper."

    Lei Hu followed Shi Lang very closely. They had been trapped in a natural array. The terran waved his hand, and the spear dislodged from the tree trunk andnded back in his hand. The beast raised its head to look ahead and growled.

    Shi Lang nodded. He sensed the presence of a gaze locked to his back. He said, "It is neither a human nor a beast. I wonder if it is a ghost."

    He said that because he could not spot any living being on the sensory map. This was the first time Shi Lang hade in contact with a spirit blur on his map. He wanted to discover more, but since he did not know much about this phenomenon, he did not wish to dwell on the unknown.

    He moved forward, but again, he was trapped inside a natural formation. Using his sensory abilities, he once again located the node of the natural formation and destroyed it. However, the feeling of being watched grew stronger, and he felt something crawling under his skin. He spotted a figure standing before him when he was about to release a lightning attack. This shocked Shi Lang and he screamed, "Arrrhhhh!!"

 Chapter 623 Ghosts In The Valley.

    ?

    Shi Lang screamed at the visage of the figure standing before him. This was something he had nevere across. Even if the world was filled with myths that there were all sorts of cultivators, he did not expect this to be true.

    Before him stood an old man with an ethereal glow radiating from his body. However, what scared him was that this old man was missing a pair of legs. Shi Lang could notprehend what he was witnessing. He had encountered ghosts and spirit cultivators in his past life, but it was such a long time ago that his brain could notpute this event.

    As he screamed, the old man frowned and scolded him, "What are yous creaming for, brat? Never seen a wandering spirit before? What well have you been living in for all your life?"

    Shi Lang was shocked to hear such words. He was embarrassed. To cover his image, he retorted, "You undying piece of spirit energy, who are you using of living in a well? Do you not have any manners? Why did it not jump out of nowhere? Is it not obvious for a human to exim when you decide to scare them like this?"

    The old man scoffed, saying, "I have never seen a human who can lie without batting their eyelid."

    Shi Lang was facingplete disdain from this old ghost. Since his words could not salvage his impression, he used his strength. The next moment, a spark of lightning appeared on his body. The old ghost opened his eyes wide and eximed, "Hey! Can you not listen to the word of reason? Why do you have to act like this, be civil."

    Shi Lang sneered and said, "Give me one good reason to be civil with an uncouth old ghost?"

    The old ghost sighed and said, "Young man, if you feel like vanquishing me with your lightning will bring you peace, then feel free to do so. However, you will only be ending my chance to reincarnate. Are you sure you wish to bear that karma on your destiny?"

    Shi Lang frowned and replied, "Old man, I do not stir up trouble, but you should know how to act humble."

    The old ghost nodded and said, "Fine, how about we both take a step back?"

    The terran retracted the lightning energy and asked, "Fine, now will you tell me what is happening here? Also, call out that other fellow. You both are spooking me."

    The old ghost smiled. His pale face looked even more terrifying. Shi Lang found that the old ghost had less hair on his head, and his eyes were sunken. His gums looked abnormally red. Sure enough, this guy was a ssic fit for the ghosts described by the books.

    The old ghost turned and said, "Young Master Min,e over. This guy is not scary like those fellows."

    After the old man finished his words, a young child walked over. This guy was wearing an emerald green hanfu, which made him look like some prince. Shi Lang could not help but marvel that this young child seemed stronger than the old man. The old ghost said, "Yes, he is stronger than me in terms of spiritual strength, but he is still a child, so he is not much developed in that department."

    The young boy raised his head and said, "Grandpa Li, what are you talking about? What department is Min not developed in?"

    Shi Lang realized what the old man was talking about. The old ghost watched the young ghost ring up and said, "No, no, young master, you misunderstand. I meant to say that you are benevolent and not cunning like those old fellows and humans from the lost bird sect."

    Young Master Min snorted, and the baby fat on his cheek trembled. He said, "Those bastards, they dare to take away my future wife. I wish to beat them up."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow in surprise and asked, "Young Master, why did they take away your bride? How dare they?"

    The young ghost looked at Shi Lang, and with an indignant expression, he said, "Hmph, they think we do not know what they do here in the name of spiritual cultivation? They use the Yin energy in us to bnce their defected Yang Energy. They have been doing this for centuries and managed to escape these crimes. Every few years, some person woulde down the mountain and take away a Ghost Lord."

    Shi Lang mumbled, "Ghost Lords."

    Old Ghost Li said, "The realm is simr to human cultivation levels."

    Realization dawned upon Shi Lang, who nodded as he asked, "Young Master Min, do you wish to avenge your future wife?"

    Young Master Min widened his eyes and nodded. He said, "I am also a Ghost Lord, but I hid far away when those people came. You tell me what we have to do. I assure you that if you are strong enough, all the elder brothers and sisters in the valley''s depths will help you."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I would like to meet all these people you have mentioned. Do not worry. I am sure of my strength and will not shame your name."

    Young Master Min thought for a bit before he said, "If you can solve the arrays in the next five zones, I will take you to the Lost Valley Council. You will get to meet my elder siblings then."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will not shame you, Young Master Min."

    The young man nodded in approval and said, "Follow me."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the pair of ghosts. Lie Hu was very anxious with this situation. However, the terran told it with spiritual bond that the ghosts were afraid of lightning. The big cat rxed and Shi Lang arrived in another natural formation.

    He took his spear and after scanning the area he attacked the nodes. This followed up for another five zones and Young Master Min pped. He said, "Young man, you do have some skill. I will give you that."

    Shi Lang was caught betweenughter and tears. He needed the help of these ghosts, otherwise, he would have showed them his skills. With this thought he arrived in the depths of the valley.

 Chapter 624 Meeting With The Ghost Council.

    <h4>Chapter 624 Meeting With The Ghost Council.</h4>

    Shi Lang followed behind the two ghosts. After a sharp left turn in the valley, Old Ghost Li came to a standstill. He said, "Young man, you should follow, Young master Min, I cannot go any deeper."

    The terran did not understand why this pompous guy was not moving forward. Young master Min said, "Do not mind him. The territory of my older siblings is not to be vited by anyone below the Ghost Lord level."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the young ghost calmly. He could sense that the temperature of this ce was getting colder as he moved forward. For a change, the young man was confused if that youngdy from the Seven Birds sect had sent him into a trap.

    He frowned as he thought, why have they not yet reached their destination? At this moment, a voice reached his ears, "Xiao Min, why have you bought a human here?"

    The voice was monotonous, sending chills down Shi Lang''s spine. However, Xiao Min was not affected. He turned around calmly and said, "Big Sister Ai, this young man wants to deal with the humans from Lost Bird Sect. He broke through five natural arrays in mere seconds. I wonder if the rest of you would like to talk to him. Also, he has a lightning talent."

    A figure materialized before Shi Lang. It was a girl with wet hair and clothes sticking to her body. She had aplete body like Xiao Min. However, her body was almost tangible. Shi Lang could tell from the spirit breath she had. Thedy ghost observed the young man before her with great scrutiny.

    Shi Lang did not move, nor did he move his spiritual energy to cast any barrier to prevent thedy from looking at him. The female ghost said, "Hmmm, a young human, able to achieve such profound cultivation, sure is a genius. However, why should we be your tool of revenge? You might be able to fool Xiao Min, but it is difficult to get through to me."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists and said, "I have no intention of pushing you all into a dangerous situation. Honestly, I came here to hunt a guy with injured meridians. The clue led me to the Lost Birt Sect.

    After I came here, I found that it was not just one person but the entire Lost Bird Sect leaning to such shady means to stabilize their cultivation. Even if they do not end up in tribtion for their karma, they will notst long. Their methods will lead humanity to end up in a swamp."

    Thedy ghost scoffed and said, "Do you wish to y hero in this situation? The hero who saved humanity?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I took a heavenly oath to kill all the demonic cultivators I can. I intend to keep that oath intact."

    Surprised, thedy chuckled as she remarked, "Why would you take such an oath?"

    Shi Lang gazed at her but did not reply. He was not yet sure to trust these ghostspletely. Thedy ghost also did not push him. She only sneered, "Fine,e along."

    Shi Lang followed her for a few minutes before they arrived near a dying willow tree. The terran had to circte his spirit energy to keep warm. He could not believe the amount of Yin spirit Energy concentrating here.

    It was as if he had walked into the core of a cier and he was a normal human. His body was strong enough to give him the advantage over the climate conditions, but he found it failing for the first time. The lightning attribute of his spiritual energy was helping him, too.

    Thedy ghost watched him from the corner of her eye and said, "Elder Brother Yun, Eldest Sister Lin, we have a guest. Pleasee out and have an audience with him."

    Shi Lang was mentally preparing himself when he heard a voice, "It is fine, Xiao Ai. We have seen him since he entered the valley. He is fine, but we will not be making any moves. Ask this guy if he is willing to face the people from the Lost Bird Sect on his own."

    Shi Lang replied before Ai could say anything, "Seniors, I will do my best to deal with those people. You all do not have to show up. However, I hope you can help me protect the Rejuvenating Ghost Tulip."

    Xiao Ai turned her neck to look at him reflexively, and even Xiao Min was gazing at him with great interest. Shi Lang did not know if it was a good thing, but he had no choice but to go ahead and let them do what they wished. Two ghost emperors locked onto him, and he would not be able to put up any resistance even if he wanted to.

    Xiao Ai asked, "What do you need the rejuvenating ghost tulip for?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I do not need it. It is just that the person I am looking for is after this herb. He is a traitor to the righteous side and has killed many experts with the cooperation of the demonic cultivators."

    The ghosts were surprised, but then Xiao Ai asked, "What does this have to do with us?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Senior, ghosts are also spirits. Have you never heard of Demonic spirits these damned people use to harm others? Demonic spirits do not have a will of their own. They are just puppets to the demonic cultivator who captures them and instills them with unfounded hatred and negative emotions by having them witness bloodshed and casting illusions on their minds."

    Xiao Ai sighed and said, "You humans are very articte."

    Shi Lang shook his head calmly and replied, "I am only stating the facts. If the higher-ups of the Lost Bird Sect knew about your existence, they would alsoe over and capture you. Is that not why you guys stay hidden in here and helplessly watch your people get taken away by them? You hide them in the arrays to avoid getting noticed, but these people break the arrays, and they capture the people. I know that you people are not alive in humane terms, but as long as you are beings with consciousness, no one in the world has the right to bother you and oppress your freedom."

    Xiao Ai seemed to have taken a deep breath and said, "You are the first human in countless years who has not shown me any repulsive behavior. On the contrary, you address me as a Senior. Young human, you have put all of us on a pedestal, so if we could not even take a stand for our own sake, how will we deserve this title?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly, and thedy said, "Very well, we will guard the Rejuvenating Ghost Tulip. However, we will only do it from a distance. You will be alerted as long as someone appears to harvest the herb. Till then, you can stay here. Those humans all go to the Silver Mirror Lake. They hardly take a turn here."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for letting me stay here."

    Xiao Ai shook her head and said, "You can pay us back by telling the recent developments outside the valley. It has been ages since we have stepped out."

    Shi Lang nodded and told them some stories he had heard on the way. The ghosts were all old, and they had a deep understanding of the human world. It turned out that Shi Lang was learning many things from them in return for telling stories.

    ...

    Days passed quickly, and Shi Lang had been cultivating under the dead willow tree. He could tell that the Ghost Emperors were living inside this willow tree, and they had created that this tree was dead. On the contrary, this tree and the ghost emperors have reached a consensus and developed a co-dependant rtionship.

    While the tree allowed them to live in its body, it was given a share of the Yin energy, making its spirit evolve slowly every day.

    Shi Lang could not help but ponder on the delicate bnce of the world. He even thought it would be better if humans and the demonic cultivators died and left the ce barren and thriving with natural beauty and serenity.

    As he was cultivating, Xiao Ai appeared beside him, saying, "Seven people are entering the valley, and they are seeking the Tulip. One of them is quite talented and managed to capture Old Li."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "It is time I got to work."

    He stood up, and his joints issued crackling sounds. The terran was going to kill these people and even more, he intended to use them for a deeper purpose. He took out his spear and said, "Senior Ai, I will be going ahead. See you in a bit."

 Chapter 625 Lost Bird Sect.

    <h4>Chapter 625 Lost Bird Sect.</h4>

    Shi Lang vanished from under the tree. Xiao Ai and Young Master Min watched him leave and were surprised. This guy did not seem to be affected by the Yin energy. Xiao Ai shook her head and said, "The vitality of Lightning energy sure is no joke."

    Young Master Min said, "I hope he knows what he will do. I would not mind killing him if he made trouble for us."

    The young ghost waspletely serious at this moment, and he did not seem to be the child he yed to be all the time.

    Xiao Min shivered a bit before nodding.

    ...

    The terran walked through the shallow fog but did not create much movement. Soon, he arrived where Old Li lived and sensed seven people, as Xiao Ai told him. He nned to use these people to infiltrate the Lost Bird Sect and destroy it all in one smooth move.

    Shi Lang found that one of the disciples was holding a wooden cage, and a light was flickering inside. The terran narrowed his eyes and found the light was the old ghost Li. He shook his head and found that the seven young men were not talking. The only possibility was that they weremunicating with spiritualmunication.

    Their movements were slow and silent. It was as if a cat was walking on water without any ripples. Shi Lang raised his brows. These people were all trained to enter the valley as they wished. The terran smiled. These people must have some value in the Lost Bird Sect if this were the case. They will serve him well.

    Shi Lang appeared before the guy in front, and his eyes shed blue. The terran caught these people off guard and did not give them time to recover. He flickered all around the seven people, and his gaze shined.

    All seven people were trapped in the illusion of the Shura Realm. Shi Lang did not give them a hard time. Inside the illusion, they only saw themselves doing what they were doing. Shi Lang had left a w in his encounter with the mountain bandits. He cast an illusion that was shared by all of them.

    However, he created separate illusions this time, and thus, he did not have much time. If the people inside the illusion noticed anything weird, they might break it. Using this time, Shi Lang bit his finger and dropped seven drops of his blood on the ground. The terran did not wait for the clones to form and took off the space rings of the seven people in a flurry.

    He did this to prevent them from waking up and directly issue any help signals. Shi Lang then ced his hand on the head of the young man in the front of the group and searched his soul. Shi Lang drained all the memories of the young man, and he then channeled them mentally to one of the clones he had created.

    Then Shi Lang continued doing the same to the others. He was dealing with the fifth guy when the other two woke up. However, they were surprised to see their figures standing before them stark naked.

    The terran moved quickly and, using his multitasking skill simultaneously searched both people''s souls. Simr to the clones in the past, they were given the memories. Shi Lang looked at the wooden cage and said, "Old Li, you should apany my clones back to the Lost Bird Sect. Do not worry. You will not be harmed."

    Old Li nodded to him, and the next moment, Shi Lang waved his hand. The clones began taking off the clothes of the dead disciples. Their bodies morphed, transforming intoplete replicas of the disciples before them. Everything was identical, even the spots on their bodies.

    Shi Lang did not follow them but let the clones move ahead to infiltrate the valley. He was going to look for the target of his assignment and, in the meantime, arrange a method to clean up the entire ce.

    ...

    The clones returned to the sect. The Lost Bird Sect was situated atop the mountain. The scenery could have been said to be impable. The entire mountain was covered with cheery blossom trees, and swallows could be seen flying everywhere. Shi Lang did not expect the ce to be like this.

    On top of the mountain sat a sect with stone doors, and the ce looked like a pce. Several Immortal Lords stood guarding the door. One of them spotted the seven clones and asked, "Yo, Brother Yuling, back so soon? Is everything alright?"

    Yuling raised his hand and revealed the wooden cage with a flickering light. The guards eximed, and Yuling said, "Going further would have been a waste. This old ghost cried so much that they would have gone into hiding."

    The guards chuckled and said, "It is obvious for the deer to run when it faces a tiger. Yuling nodded and said, "Inform the seventh elder there is something wrong in the valley. The Yin energy is radiating. This ghost told me something about a heavenly natural treasure blooming in the valley''s depths. If the Yin energy does not go down, entering the valley will be a hassle."

    The guard disciple nodded and said, "I will inform him immediately."

    Yuling led the rest of the team inside. The guards got busy informing the so-called seventh elder. From the memories of these seven people, Shi Lang had found that the seventh elder was responsible for the teams that came down for an expedition in the valley.

    Shi Lang wanted to see if he could find anything from this guy and then make him into a handy man, too. After all, this guy was an Immortal King. However, the Terran had ns to deal with this guy. He was going to use his mind to take down the bigger muscle. As for the person who might have suffered meridian injuries was yet to be found.

    For what it was worth, Shi Lang had his clones infiltrated the Lost Bird Sect and the enemy was not very far from his grasp.

 Chapter 626 Seventh Elder.

    ?

    Yuling went inside the sect andmunicated with spiritualmunication. On the other hand, the guards have informed the seventh elder.

    In a magnificent hall, an elder sat with his legs crossed, and this guy looked very amiable. When the guard disciple informed him that Yuling and his team conveyed something wrong in the valley, the old man only smiled and said, "It is alright. Can you tell Yuling and his fellows toe over so that we can discuss the issue before I act?"

    The disciple nodded and rushed off to call Yuling and the rest. This elder was of high status and could not be approached by anyone else but the security disciples of the Lost Bird Sect. Soon, the disciple found Yuling and told him to go and see the seventh elder.

    Shi Lang''s target was not the elder but the knowledge of the elder. Yuling moved through the sect and found the hall where the seventh elder was. He knocked on the door, and an old voice sounded, "Come inside, Yuling."

    Yuling pushed the door and entered the room. He spotted the elder and bowed to him. The old man smiled and said, "Take a seat first."

    Yuling nodded and sat down on a cassock. The elder asked, "Now tell me, what did you and your brothers encounter?"

    The clone replied, "Elder when we entered the valley, we found that the Yin energy was higher than usual. Another thing that stood out was the disrupted natural formations that usually make things difficult. We caught one of the low-level ghosts, and this guy told us that in the depths of the Silver Mirror Lake is a natural treasure that is about to bloom."

    The old man raised his head and asked, "What treasure?"

    Yuling sighed and replied, "Rejuvenating Ghost Tulip."

    At this moment, the young clone was gazing at the old man with great focus, not missing out on any change, and this gamble paid in full. The eyes of the old man shimmered for a blink before they returned to calm.

    Yuling watched the silent old man and asked, "Elder, what is this treasure? Why do these ghosts seem so agitated about it?"

    The old man sighed and said, "It is a Yin treasure, but it can be counted as the best healing medicine in the world."

    Yuling was surprised and asked, "The best healing medicine in the world?"

    The old man smiled and said, "Do not be so surprised. This herb was removed from the thousand natural treasurependium because it is of Yin nature. The righteous side considers this treasure as an evil herb."

    Yuling snorted and replied, "They are fools. How can they know the world''s wonders and im to be righteous? If they were so good, would there be a need for our home?"

    The elder nodded and said, "Do not worry. However, tell everyone else not to venture into the valley anymore. I will go and try to obtain the treasure. It will be of great help."

    If it were someone else, they would have asked what the treasure would be helpful, but Shi Lang was not in a hurry and only nodded. He then stood up and left the room. He had noticed the joy radiating on the face of the old man when he stated that the righteous sect was not righteous enough.

    He had also noticed how eager this old man was to go down the mountain and pluck the tulip. Shi Lang did not sense any spiritual energy radiating around the old man. His realm of cultivation seemed to be on par with Immortal King. The terran was sure that something about this guy was wrong.

    Yuling retreated and came to find all the people from the valley venturing squad. They all agreed to gather in the evening. Meanwhile, Shi Lang had the rest of the clones moving around the sect and secretlyying the spirit stones to create an array.

    ...

    Shi Lang was sitting on a tree with Young Master Min beside him. Thetter asked, "Why did you send your clones to the sect?"

    The terran replied, "I only did that to confirm if all the people in the sect were linked with demonic force. It turned out that my doubt was wrong."

    Young Master Min asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang replied, "It seems that the seventh elder is the only expert in the sect. He is the only person above the Immortal Lord level. I do not know if he is a colluder or a genuine Demonic cultivator who had been hiding in in sight while brainwashing the disciples. From what I have learned, thetter situation''s chances are higher as he is very cautious in who to brainwash and whom to hide his business from."

    Young Master Min asked with confusion, "What about the other experts in the sect?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "They did not seem present inside. I would say that that old seventh elder has yed those experts a death hand."

    Young Master Min thought about it and said, "You might be correct. These visits from the sect people and capturing our people only began in thest decade."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Do not worry. If he is the person I am after, then the matter is easy to deal with. After all, our preparations have not been a waste of time."

    Suddenly, Xiao Ai appeared on the tree branch and said, "That old man is here."

    Shi Lang became alert and smiled, "I did not expect him to be so quick to act. Now we have to wait for a good show."

    ...

    Seventh Elder was moving towards the Silver mirrorke. His pace was slow, but his strides were calm. On the way, his gaze kept darting all over the ce. He was looking for any oddity. However, he did not find anything out of the ordinary. The ghosts lived in the depth of the valley and he did not dare to enter there, it was only when they found any ignorant ghost wandering around did they capture them.

    The moment Seventh Elder reached the silver mirrorke his gaze was looked onto a wilting flower in the center of theke. He smiled and said, "Finally, my chance has arrived."

 Chapter 627 Espionage.

    <h4>Chapter 627 Espionage.</h4>

    Shi Lang waited silently on the tree. He wanted to see what the old man would do. He stood at the bank of the silver mirrorke, gazing at the wilted Tulip with a fervor. However, his vignce was not low. He stepped on the surface of the water and walked ahead. Shi Lang could not help but raised his brow and said, "Seems like he has used other methods to heal his injuries."

    The two ghosts looked at each other and asked, "What do you mean to say?"

    Shi Lang replied, "ording to my information, the target was looking for the nine-leafed golden lily. However, Iter discovered that legendary beasts guarded the lily, and humans could not im it. As for the usage of this herb, it was to heal the damaged meridians.

    Damaged meridians are an injury that can leave you crippled. Every time you try to channel your spirit energy, you will experience a pain that would make you wish for death. However, this guy used his spiritual energy to walk on theke''s surface. So, the only thing that can allow him to do that is remedies he had taken before this."

    Xiao Ai frowned and asked, "Doesn''t that mean he will be a strong threat to you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head. The ghosts here were strong, but they did not have much experience. He replied, "His body is not yet at the peak of his ability. He would have reached the banks if he was fully healed. Yet, he did not move that quickly. It is because he wants to avoid unnecessary pain. Look at his face, and you will understand what I mean."

    The ghosts shifted their gaze and found the old man grimacing in pain. They nodded, and Young Master Min asked, "How long will you wait before you act?"

    Shi Lang said, "I only wanted to have this guy fall into an illusion before I can extract a confession from him. I have already cast a great illusion array around the Tulip for this. The array will trigger as long as he is five meters away from it."

    Xiao Ai asked, "What if he notices it before the array triggers?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "It will be toote for him to do anything by that time."

    The seventh elder walked closer to the flower, and his eyes gleamed joyfully. However, suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. He narrowed his gaze, and Shi Lang sighed as he said, "Senior Ai, you have the talent to jinx things."

    Thisment startled the ghost, and she found that Shi Lang had picked up his spear. When she was confused, the old man said, "Who are you? Come out."

    Xiao Ai was surprised, while Shi Lang vanished from the ce and appeared opposite the old man. The two people stood ten meters away from each other. The seventh elder was surprised to see a young man and asked, "Who might you be?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "That is a bit confidential, Seventh Elder."

    The old man narrowed his eyes andmented, "Is it not disrespectful of you toy such traps for an old man?"

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "I had no other method to confirm my conjecture. Please forgive me."

    The old man frowned and asked, "What conjecture are you talking about?"

    Shi Lang nced around and said, "Elder, the righteous side has put you on a list."

    The old man was surprised and asked, "What do you mean? I do not understand."

    Shi Lang frowned and mumbled, "Could I have found the wrong person? Fuck, Elder Yin will not spare me."

    The old man asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Old man, I apologize, but you are not the person I sought. I can only kill you to prevent my secret from spilling. What a hassle."

    The old man was surprised, and his frown deepened. He asked, "What secret are you talking about?"

    Shi Lang took a talisman from his space ring and said, "Since you are about to die, I do not mind telling you that I am what you righteous bastards call a colluder. You do all look down on the weak, and you lick the boots of the strong. One person''s righteousness took away my family, and now I will take away everything you all hold dear."

    The seventh elder was shocked. When he sensed Shi Lang moving his spiritual energy, he became flustered. He could not see what the talisman was like, so he could not determine its purpose. He was flustered. The indifferent gaze of this young man made him think that death would be imminent as long as the talisman was triggered.

    He knew he could no longer hold onto his cover and blurted out, "Wait! I am on your side, too."

    The seventh elder saw Shi Lang was surprised and said, "I am a colluder too."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Old man, you cannot fool me with just that. My ally should be unable to use spiritual energy, and his meridians are damaged. If he were to use spiritual energy, death would be the only thing he need."

    The seventh elder sighed, and said, "Beforeing here, I have used the Yin energy of the few ghosts and the life vitality of the other elders to heal myself. Yet my condition is deteriorating daily. It won''t be long before my facade is blown and the disciples discover my reality. That is why I need this Rejuvenating Ghost Tulip."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Any other proof?"

    The old man red at Shi Lang, and then a dark energy surged out of his body. However, it was just a bit of smoke before the old man coughed up blood. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "Thank you."

    He had been waiting for a moment of weakness. This was it. He vanished from his position, and the next movement, his lightning spirit energy, was concentrated at the tip of his spear. The spear was aimed right at the heart of the old man.

    The seventh elder was shocked, but he would not lose so easily. He roared, "Insolent!"

    He raised his hand and held the tip of the spear in his hand. His grip was firm, but the toll on his body was not shallow. He puked another mouthful of blood and said, "Bastard, if I am to go down, I will drag you along."

    Shi Lang chuckled, and the old man was shocked because the next moment, he sensed a profound intent seeping into his body. The lightning turned his body numb, and the spear intent left his meridians with holes. The old man eximed, "Spear intent."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now you arepletely useless."

    The old man red and said, "You underestimate me too much."

    Shi Lang smiled and watched the old man take out a spirit jade from his space ring. Then he crushed the jade and coldly said, "Just wait. You might be strong, but you won''t be able to evade the pursuit of hundreds of guardian swallows."

    Guardian Swallows was the designation for the security team or the guardian disciples. Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Look at the mountain''s peak, and you will see your swallows are trapped in my cage."

    The old man raised his head and found the entire peak was covered in a red glow. His pupils constricted, and he eximed in disbelief, "What is this? How! How is this possible?!"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "You are not the only one who knows espionage skills, old man. You demonic scum think that we from the righteous side are fools, right? How does it feel to taste the same medicine you feed the others? Why are you silent now? Didn''t you want to ask what I did to those guys?

    I had them gather in one ce and cast an imprisonment array. If they try to break through it, their mental demons will attack them, and they will die. If they try to persist inside, they will end up frustrated and kill each other. That is how you demonic bastards usually act, right?

    The Lost Bird Sect used to be a haven for the people wronged by the world, but you came ten years ago and then allowed anyone toe in and call that ce home. You did not care if they were criminals or sinners of humanity. The mass recruitment was your first mistake.

    Secondly, you should have kept a low profile and not make all the elders vanish from the public eye. The third mistake, you got injured and left behind a trace of your identity, the swallow tattoo. Your symptoms made it easy to find you. Fourth, call it a coincidence, but a sudden encounter made mee here."

    The old man was shocked and then he asked, "How did you do it? How did you get inside the sect?"

    Shi Lang smiled cheekily and said, "Sorry, it is a trade secret, I cannot tell you."

 Chapter 628 Contact.

    <h4>Chapter 628 Contact.</h4>

    The cheeky smile on the handsome face was thest memory of the Seventh elder. He was not dead, but he was forced into deep sleep. Shi Lang intended to bring this man back to the Teixian City and have the head hunter organization deal with him.

    He was sure that this guy must be aware of the other colluders. The terran intended to squeeze this guy out. He held the old man''s cor and dragged him out of theke. Xiao Ai and Young Master Min stood at the bank. Shi Lang smiled and said, "You can have the herb now."

    The two ghosts were shocked, and Shi Lang said, "What? Did you think I would not notice that this herb is special for you?"

    The terran smiled and said, "I still have some business left to deal with in the sect, so you both can proceed. I will have Elder Lie back soon."

    He did not bother to wait and vanished from the ce. This herb had no significance for him; since that was the case, he did not wish to covet it. The ghosts had given him enough help in this matter. Shi Lang was not ungrateful.

    After leaving the valley, he quickly trekked the mountain and came to the sect gates. The gates of the sect were left unguarded, and Shi Lang waltzed in, holding the asleep elder in his hands. He came to a ce where many disciples were gathered. He stood behind and asked a disciple, "Brother, can you tell me what is happening?"

    The disciple was busy looking at the drama and did not notice that Shi Lang was an outsider. And said, "Someone erected a barrier with the entire security team inside, and now these people are fighting each other. We have no idea, but they do not seem to be the people we know. I mean, look at them. Why would they kill each other?"

    Shi Lang replied, "They are trapped inside a demon-bane array. This barrier will invoke the truest of their nature and bring it out for the world to see."

    The disciple was shocked and turned to look at Shi Lang. He was scrutinizing the young man beside him. However, he did not see the tattoo of the swallow on his nape. The young disciple was shocked and eximed, "Who are you?!"

    His loud voice gathered the attention of everyone in the surroundings. They all looked at Shi Lang, who smiled and said, "Now, you do not have to feel so alert. I am from a head-hunting organization. My name is Ace. I came here looking for a colluder who has been brainwashing the disciples from your sect and using them as his tool."

    The people could not believe him. After all, the seventh elder was a gentle soul in their hearts. Shi Lang could perceive their thoughts from their doubtful gazes and said, "Can any of you go and check where the rest of your elders are?"

    The people were surprised, but the disciple closest to Shi Lang said, "The elders are all indulged in seclusion. They will onlye out when they have reached the Immortal Emperor realm."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "If I tell you that all of them have already been killed, would you go and check their cave dwellings?"

    BOOM!

    These words were like a bomb exploding in the minds of everyone around. They did not expect Shi Lang to point out something like this. Shi Lang said, "I will not move even an inch from my spot, and you can verify my usations. All the people inside the array belong to the security faction. Why are they only killing each other and not you guys?"

    One of the disciples raised shouted, "What do you mean? Did you not say that this array targets their inner emotions? How can we believe you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Big Brother if you think I am so free as to trick you all, why don''t you step inside? Do not worry. As long as your heart is not demonic or you do not have any ill-will for anyone, you can walk out easily."

    The disciples did not trust him much, but one stepped up solemnly and said, "I will go in and test. If I fail toe out, you all kill him and hang his head outside."

    Shi Lang shrugged at the people and said, "If he goes inside and has a dark heart, he will not be able toe out, and I will not stand here for you to kill me. I will retaliate, and even if you are an immortal lord, you might fail to take me down."

    His words narrowed the people''s gazes, and Shi Lang looked at the volunteer disciple provokingly. The disciple frowned but did not hesitate and stepped inside the barrier. The people inside sensed his arrival and charged at him with bloodshot eyes and bare weapons.

    The disciple was not a fool and could tell that these people had fallen victim to a demonic mindset, and they have given up on thepassion and humanity in their hearts. The disciple was quick to react and retreated. He instinctively tried to cross the barrier, and to everyone''s relief, he came out safe.

    The people let out a sigh of relief. They turned to look at Shi Lang, who was still standing casually, and exchanged nces. The disciple who walked out of the array cupped his fist and said, "Fellow Daoist, I apologize on behalf of my brothers and sisters. Please forgive us."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not have to worry about it. We are all the same. I have suffered at the hands of the demonic cultivators, and you must have suffered somehow, too. We should help each other. Forgive me for being abrupt earlier."

    The disciple shook his head and said, "I am Yang Niao. Thank you for saving our sect."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Brother Yang, if you do not mind, I want to address you like that. Can you please have the disciples check the cave abodes of the elders? If any of them is alive, there is hope to save them."

    Yang Niao nodded. Shi Lang had guessed correctly. This guy had a great say among the elders. The disciples followed Yang Niao''s instructions and checked the cave abodes of the elders. The things they discovered were not happy, and the sect was gloomy. Yang Niao had issued the initial instructions, and his poprity seemed to be the highest, so everyone subconsciously looked to him to lead them in this troubled situation.

    Shi Lang said, "Brother Yang, everyone. If you all do not mind, may I advise you?"

    Yang Niao looked at him and said, "Please, Brother Ace, tell us what we can do in this situation."

    Shi Lang said, "You should close down the sect and hold a funeral for the fallen. Stay indoors, reform the system, and learn more about the traitors. When you finish it, try all the methods to increase your strength. You can pass this tribtion only when you are strong and standing beside each other. None of you have a ce to call home other than the sect. The people beside you at this moment are your family."

    After calming the turbulent emotions of the people, Shi Lang decided to stay in the sect for a few days and help them stabilize the situation. He was thorough in his investigation for the clues left by the demonic colluders.

    During this time, he had crippled the Seventh Elder, and the old man was held captive in the sect, and a week had passed like this.

    ...

    In the War Maiden sect, a disciple walked up to the courtyard. This ce was one of the most heavily guarded spots inside the sect. This was the house of the sect leader or the heiress of the legacy.

    As soon as the disciple appeared, the guardian elders appeared from the side. They red at the girl with an intimidating gaze. The disciple bowed her head and said, "There is a letter for the Sect Mistress."

    The olddies frowned and were about to deny her entry when Ying Yu appeared before them. She said, "Elder, it is fine. I will handle this matter."

    The elders exchanged gazes and nodded. Ying Yu smiled and asked the disciple, "Junior sister, what is the matter?"

    The disciple handed her the letter and said, "Senior Sister, this letter arrived in the morning, and the person said it was an urgent message for Amelia. I found that Senior sister Amelia resides here, so I only came to pass it to her."

    Ying Yu was surprised and asked, "They asked for her by name?"

    The girl nodded and replied, "I was on guard duty when this came."

    Ying Yu epted the letter and rushed inside the house. She came to the innermost room of the house and found Amelia sitting on the floor, meditating. She said, "Amelia, you have a letter, I guess you would know whom it is from."

 Chapter 629 Sect Leader.

    <h4>Chapter 629 Sect Leader.</h4>

    Amelia slowly opened her eyes and was confused about what Ying Yu was discussing. She asked, "What letter?"

    Ying Yu smiled as she handed her the neatly folded letter. Amelia had been working hard to prepare and leave the sect to locate Shi Lang. However, when she looked at the letter, she was shocked. On the front of the letter was a symbol. She could not forget this symbol, the monogram of the federal military.

    She smiled and opened the letter. She was surprised but found that the letter was written in one of the most basic codes driven by humans in the lower realms, the Morse code. She was certain who could have sent her this letter. Her heart was filled with warmth as she did not expect him toe looking for her so quickly.

    The letter read, ''Amy, my love. I cannot tell you how much I have missed you by my side in this chaotic world. I am d you have managed to cross through, and I hope everyone back home is fine, too. I miss Tao and the others. I was worried when you ascended and themunicator broke. Could those useless people not have invented something that could prevent the damage?

    I learned about you from an intelligence tradingpany, Cloud Pavilion. You can reach me through them, but they are costly as fuck. I have reached the Immortal Lord level and am traveling across the central in to strengthen for the uing Centurian tournament. You should be able toe there, given your talent.

    There are many things that I wish to say and do, but I cannot. I wish you are well, and if you find this letter and want to tell me something, pass on a reply to the Cloud Pavilion. I will get it from them and use the same code.

    I love you, yours forever, Lang.''

    Amelia did not realize that tears slid down her cheeks as she read the letter. Ying Yu was worried and asked cautiously, "Amelia, are you okay?"

    The terrandy raised her head and wiped her tears with the ends of her sleeves. She replied, "Everything is fine, Senior Sister Ying. This letter is from my husband."

    Ying Yu was surprised and relieved at the same time. She asked, "How did he find out about you?"

    Amelia smiled and replied, "Cloud Pavilion."

    She had gained a deep understanding of Ying Yu''s nature and knew that this girl was not dishonest. Ying Yu clicked her tongue and said, "Your man knows how to make things work."

    Amelia smiled, stood up to bring up a piece of parchment, and began marking it with code. She folded the page neatly and said, "Senior Sister Ying, can you help me pass this letter to the person who bought it here? He mentioned that I can pass a reply."

    Ying Yu nodded and said doubtfully, "I wonder if the carrier is still outside."

    Amelia nodded, and Ying Yu left with the letter. The former smiled, gazing at the letter from Shi Lang, and then mumbled, "Do not worry. I will make sure that my name resounds in the Centurian Tournament."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know what was going on in the outer world. He had just finished organizing the management structure of the Lost Bird Sect. At this moment, he was breaking bread with the two hundred disciples of the sect left. After the crisis and espionage, many people thought the sect was unsafe, so they decided to leave.

    Shi Lang did not say anything to them. He did not let Yang Niao stop anyone either. It has been a week since thest person left. Yang Naio asked, "Brother Ace, can you tell me why you did not stop anyone from leaving the sect?"

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded. He did not speak immediately, looked at all the people around him for a minute, and said, "All those who stayed behind with the belief that the sect is still the ce you can call home and that the people here are your family. Those are the only people you need. As for those with doubt in their hearts, they will not be able to do anything in their lives and drag those around them into the mud, too. That is why I did not stop any of them."

    Yang Niao and the rest of the people were surprised, but they thought and could not help but exchange gazes. Yang Niao was sure that, at this moment, he sensed true warmth from the people''s gazes. Earlier, he and Shi Lang had the people walk through the array to invoke the true nature of everyone.

    None of these people had the slightest ill will for each other, and it proved that this group of two hundred people was a real family. One of the disciples stood up from his seat and held the ss of wine high before he said loudly, "Brother Ace, you came and rescued our home from a great danger. You showed us what a real family should be like. I will honor you with this toast."

    Shi Lang did not shy away; he raised his ss high, and the two people chugged down the drink. The terran spotted other people also inching for their sses, and he said, "Wait! Before you all decide to get drunk, let us finish dealing with an important matter."

    The people stopped and looked at him in confusion. Shi Lang said, "The sect needs to have a leader and a group of elders that can manage the various aspects of the sect. Although we have established a basic management system, it will not be upheld in the long run. A chain ofmands is necessary."

    Yang Naio and the few other top disciples nodded in agreement. They have been very busy and found things difficult to deal with without a chain ofmand. Shi Lang said, "I will say the heads of the departments should take responsibility for the elder''s powers. If any of you wish to be the sect leader, you can stand up, and the sect members will vote for the one they prefer for the position."

    The disciples looked at each other, and they nodded. Yang Niao said, "Let us discuss and devise a proper solution. What do you all think?"

    The people expressed their agreement, and Shi Lang did notment. After all, he was an outsider and had little say in these matters. He sat silently and ate his meal slowly. Yang Niao and the rest of the heads of departments held a discussion. They did not move anywhere else butmunicated with spiritualmunication.

    After half an hour, Yang Niao nodded and asked, "Has everyone heard our proposal?"

    The disciples replied in unison, "Yes, Elder Brother."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "What is going on?"

    Yang Niao said, "Brother Ace, we all have been watching you and learned a lot from you. Whether it is your strength or wisdom, you are better than us. We have no hope ofpeting against you, even in the same realm. Thus, all of us have agreed that if you could ept the position of the sect leader, we will be grateful to you, and maybe there will be hope for Lost Bird Sect to grow in strength and leave a mark on the world."

    Shi Lang was shocked into a daze. He did not expect these people toe up with such a proposal. He shook his head and said, "No, this cannot be done."

    Yang Niao smiled and said, "We know that you do not wish to be bound to one ce, and believe it, we will not ask you to stay behind. However, we hope you can also lead us to the peak."

    The terran was overwhelmed for the first time in a while. He did not know how to react, and a female disciple said, "Brother Ace, please ept the position of the sect leader and take us along with you."

    That said, she bowed to him. Following her example, all the disciples stood up one by one and bowed to Shi Lang. They all said the same thing and the terran did not know how to react. When he turned to look at Yang Niao, he found that the heads of the department were all bowing to him, too.

    Shi Lang stood up and said, "Have you all drunk a bit too much? Do you know what you are asking for? If I ept this position, first of all, I will change this gypsy name of the sect, and then I will drive you all through hell. Let me tell you the truth: Ie from the lower realms and am a general in my world''s army. I do not like weakness, and I never let my subordinates be weak, either. You want me to ept this position, right? Fine, I will ept, but you have to swear on heavens that you will listen to my words without any doubt, and if I ask you to stab yourself, you will do it without hesitation. Do you agree? Do you have the resolve to reach the peak?"

 Chapter 630 Asura Hall.

    Shi Lang''s question and his drive shocked the people. Yang Niao and the rest could see that he was not joking. The terran was asking them seriously. The disciples did not raise their heads, but the heads of departments exchanged nces and nodded.

    Yang Niao replied sincerely, "We all wish to reach the peak. You may not understand, but we have nothing to lose. Our pride and family that we found in this sect was the only thing that we cherished. However, these demons waltzed into our house, and they crushed it. Our elders were all kind people and gave us so much love that we forgot the cruelty of life. We have suffered once but do not wish to suffer again."

    Shi Lang watched them very carefully, and after a few minutes, he said, "The peak is not that easy to reach. To navigate through blood and deceit the bird must be a monster. If you all are willing to follow this path, then I will ept the designation of the Sect Leader."

    The people were filled with bliss. Yang Niao cupped his fists and with a bow said, "Yang Niao greets Sect Master."

    Shi Lang stood up and bowed back to him. The others also followed Yang Niao and greeted Shi Lang. The terran jumped and stood on the table. He said, "We are all of the same level, and our numbers are not enough for us to be called a sect. While we aim for the peak, we have to maintain a low profile. None of us wish to incur trouble from those arrogant big ces.

    If you are not wrong, do not bow, if you can avoid the trouble, then take a turn. Endure and wait for the right moment to strike back and enact revenge. Form today forth, we shall be called Asura Hall."

    Yang Niao and the rest of the people looked at each other in daze. Shi Lang was not lying to them. They all have gained an understanding of this world, if they have not been found by the elders of the sect, they would have been crushed by the cruel reality. If they wished to excel they would need to be cruel to themselves. Otherwise, they will always rot at the bottom the peak they seek.

    Yang Niao said, "Since, we are renaming to Asura Hall, then you shall be known as the Hall Master."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Shi Lang sighed and said, "Well, if you all do not mind, I would like to get on with the uplift of the Hall member''s strength right away."

    One of the disciples asked in a jovial tone, "Hall master, can we not even celebrate?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Celebrate when you have grown stronger. As for now things need to be done quickly. Their is not much time left before the Centurian tournament. You all will enter the tournament and fight for as long as you can. Test yourself against the world. Only by that can you grow stronger."

    The people gasped, Yang Niao eximed, "Hall master, what about keeping a low profile?"

    Shi Lang replied indifferently, "Centurian Tournament is open to everyone. What is so odd about it? Have you never heard of people who would participate in activities to clinch on any and every chance to grow stronger? Be that person, but know when to stop. If you do not wish to stop and die on the path of the strong, it will be your glory."

    None of the people knew how to react at this. They have epted Shi Lang but that did not mean they were ready tomit to death also. Shi Lang said, "This was why I asked earlier, do you have the resolve to be at the peak. This was the reason I do not wish to take anymanding roles."

    That said he came down from the desk and left the mess hall. The disciples were all confused. Some wanted to stop Shi Lang while some could not yet process their thoughts. Yang Niao suddenly turned around and said, "Hall Master, I will follow you. I will go to the Centurian Tournament and fight till the moment I can stand on my feet or hold on to my weapon."

    Shi Lang did not say anything but walked away. He did not wish to waste his breath on these people. They did not have the guts to see through their ambitions and he did not like such people.

    Yang Naio could feel this and said, "I, Yang Niao, swear to the heavens that I will follow all and any instruction that the Hall Master of Asura Hall, might give me."

    The clouds above the mountain thundered. Shi Lang froze in his spot, he turned around to look at Yang Niao who was standing on the otherside of the doorsill and said, "You know, one person does not make a difference."

    Yang Niao said, "I do not speak for others but I will do my best to do what I need to in order to get stronger."

    Shi Lang nodded but did not say anything. Yang Niao turned around to look at all his fellow disciples and said, "We are all we have. I hope you all can trust me and follow him without hesitation. He does not have anything to gain by making us stronger, but we might be able to gain a lot."

    One of the heads of department said, "I will follow you, Senior Brother Yang."

    The youngdy made a heavenly oath and the rest of the people followed them with some hesitation. However, once they made the heavenly oath, their hearts lightened up. They people all stepped out of the messhall and Shi Lang said, "Since you all have decided to follow me, I shall promise to lead you all without any ill intention too."

    He spoke in a sonorous tone, "I, Shi Lang..."

    Everyone was touched by this gesture of his. Yang Niao and the rest even went to the extent of taking a blood oath to assure him that none of the people would ever betray the Asura Hall. After a couple of hours when they finished doing so, Shi Lang said, "I have noticed that you all have some defects in your cultivation foundation, that is why you are weaker than some people in the same realm."

    The people knew this and they nodded. Shi Lang took out a spirit jade bottle from his space ring and said, "This bottle contains thousand drops of Spirit liquid, take out four hundred for two hundred people, two drops each and practice will help you gain a wless foundation."

    His actions shocked the sect disciples. None of the people had expected for Shi Lang to take out such a big gift for them. The terran said, "You are not to increase your cultivation until the weaknesses in your foundation are sorted."

    The people nodded and Shi Lang continued, "I have to leave to submit my task, Brother Yang will be leading you all in the meantime. Do not go out and publish that we have reorganized. Just stay calm and act like nothing has changed. We will act when the time is right."

    After everything was settled, and the Asura Hall was set-up, Shi Lang walked out of the door and headed to the Teixian city.

 Chapter 631 Head Hunter.

    Chapter 631 Head Hunter.

    Shi Lang did not leave the Asura hall right away. He told Yang Niao to have a few disciples go down to the valley and converse with the ghost cultivators to see if they could reach a coboration. This will be progressive for them. He also made an array te that would trigger the mental demons faced by all the cultivators in the group.

    This allowed them to temper their minds and achieve a better spiritual ground. If the disciples were to reach a level where they could not continue, the array would stop and send them out. At the same time, he assigned a task to the array of master disciples in the Asura hall to develop an artifact that could be used tomunicate even from a great distance.

    The task was tough, but when Shi Lang gave them the groundwork of hismunicator, the array masters decided to develop something simr. This sort of artifact will help them improvemunication and give them a chance to earn money. Shi Lang had told them to keep the first version safe and sell the device to the outside world if they could improve the design and develop a second version.

    After all the major issues were settled, Shi Lang left the Asura Hall with the old man, the Seventh Elder. He held the old man from his cor and dragged him through the skies. It took him three days to reach the Tiexian City. The guards at the door were surprised when they found Shi Lang dragging an old man.

    The guard stepped forward and asked, "Sir, who is this person, and why are you dragging him."

    Shi Lang did not mind and said, "This guy is a colluder and is responsible for many deaths. I am here to turn him into the head hunter organization."

    The guard was surprised and was about to say something when Shi Lang said, "This matter is a secret, but if you do not trust me, you can tag along with me to the head hunter organization, and they will verify his identity."

    The guard was surprised and shook his head like a rattle. He replied, "Sir, please go ahead. The city guards do not have the right to interfere in Head Hunter Business."

    Shi Lang nodded and calmly walked away, holding the old man from his cor. He walked through the city, and his gaze fell on the cloud pavilion building on the way. The terran calmed his heart and decided toe hereter. Lie Hu has been sent back to the Inheritance pce after that guy acted all frightened inside the valley.

    The terran walked inside the Head Hunter building and looked at the same deste reception hall before he came to the counter and tossed the old man on the floor. He said, "Sister, I am here to hand in my test task."

    Thedy raised her head and was surprised to find a young man. She regained herposure and stood up from the chair. She looked over the counter and found an old man. Shi Lang took out the task scroll and passed it to her. After reading the scroll, she asked, "How did you confirm his identity?"

    Shi Lang took out an image stone and handed it to her. This stone was embedded in the array he had erected to entrap the old man. Since the old man evaded the array, Shi Lang still used the stone to record the battle.

    Thedy took the stone and said, "Wait here. I will bring it to the elder to assess."

    Shi Lang nodded and sat down in the chair. The seventh elder had been asleep all this time. Shi Lang had sealed his spiritual points to keep him like this so that he does not make any ruckus. However, the terran was aware that such long periods of sleep can be deterimental for mental health and thus he awakened the old man when he was locked in the Asura hall.

    After ten minutes, and old man walked down from the stairs on the side followed by the receptiondy. Shi Lang stood up and greeted the old man, "Greetings, Senior."

    The old man stroked his beard and nodded. He said, "I am Yu Xian. The iron-grade elder of the Head Hunter Organization."

    Shi Lang introduced himself and the old man nodded. He said, "Ace, you have done a good job of dealing with this guy. You have our gratitude."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I just did what an honest person should do. Please do not push my on a pedestal. I still have a long way to go."

    The old man nodded with approval in his gaze. He said, "Follow me, I will exin to you the structure of the Head Hunting organization."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the old man up the stairs. The terran turned to gazed at the old manying on the floor. Yu Xian said, "Do not worry, Xiao Lin is good enough to deal with this guy."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed him upstairs. The receptiondy mumbled, "Hmmm, this seal is quite exquisitely done. This guy does have some skill."

    ...

    Yu Xian said, "You can call me Old Yu."

    Shi Lang nodded as he watched the old man open a door. They entered the room and Shi Lang was surprised. This room did not seem to be in the same space as he was earlier. He has been using his sensory abilities for quite a long time now and he could tell whether he was in the same space or not.

    The map in his mind haspletely changed. The shocked was visible on his face. Old Yu raised his brows and said, "To think you can sense the oddity in this ce."

    Shi Lang nodded and the old man continued, "This is the small space where the real Head Hunters reside."

    That said the old man opened the door one more time and Shi Lang found himself gazing at a vast grasnd with a pce in the center. He took a deep breath and asked, "What is going on?"

 Chapter 632 High Elders Request.

    Chapter 632 High Elder''s Request.

    Shi Lang walked out of the room and was surprised to see a pristine white pce standing in the middle of a vast clearing. Looking around, he found many doors erected around the ce.

    He gulped and said, "The legendary artificial small world."

    Old Yu was shocked. He remarked, "You even know about this? Kid, you sure have some secret."

    Shi Lang gazed at him, and the elder replied, "Don''t look at me like that; everyone has a secret, and I do not covet yours."

    After saying that, Yu Xian walked ahead with his hands crossed behind his back. Shi Lang turned to look at the closed door behind him and knew that the only option before him was to follow this old man.

    The terran followed the old man and asked, "Where are we?"

    Yu Xian replied, "We are in the secret world of the head hunters."

    Shi Lang asked while gazing around, "All the head hunters know about this?"

    Yu Xian shook his head and replied, "Head Hunters work with ranking systems. Only tinum-level hunters know about this ce."

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and asked, "I am not a tinum-level hunter."

    Yu Xian nodded and said, "Indeed, you are not. However, the task youpleted to get epted into the organization was a tinum-level task handed to you by mistake. I have to say, not only did you find out the real colluder, you even dealt with the corrupted ones."

    Shi Lang did not say anything. He was trying hard to wrap his mind around the proceedings of this stupid organization. One part of his heart even wanted to quit because he originally wanted to make a name for himself, but he had already contacted Amelia and was not desperate to get fame.

    He asked, "So, does that mean I will be promoted to the tinum level directly?"

    Yu Xian nodded and said, "No, you will get the silver rank. However, aspensation for putting you at risk, one of the high elders wishes to meet you."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Can you tell me why? Why did you bring me to the inner sanctum of your organization? What if I am a traitor?"

    Yu Xian turned to cast him a gaze, but his steps did not stop. He smiled and said, "The high elder has spoken highly of you. It was his guarantee."

    Shi Lang nodded, but he sensed Raksha getting agitated the next moment. He understood what was going on and who was the high elder that wanted to meet him. He said solemnly, "Immortal Sovereign Tian Long."

    Yu Xian was shocked and did not expect this guy to figure things out so quickly. He asked, "How did you know? The identity of the High elders has always been a secret."

    Shi Lang replied, "That is the only person I know who can hold such a high position and even vouch for me. The rest of the Immortal Sovereigns are too arrogant to look at an immortal lord like me."

    Yu Xian nodded but still found it unfathomable that this guy could figure things out so clearly. Yu Xian said, "Every Head hunter has to hand in ten consecutive sessful tasks to get promoted to another rank."

    Shi Lang nodded as Yu Xian exined to him further. The terran discovered that the Iron-level head hunter was the lowest level above silver, gold, and tinum. tinum head hunters had to hand over five sessful tasks consecutively to get promoted to the Elder level.

    The elders also had a strong ssification. However, Shi Lang''s volunteering skipped the details as it was too useless for him. As he finished speaking, the old man brought Shi Lang to the pce gates. He said, "Submit all your weapons here."

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze, but he did as he was told. He ced his space ring under the custody of the guards at the gateway. He found that all of them were early-level Immortal Kings. His heart shivered a bit because he did not expect the security detail to be made up of a few immortal kings.

    If he did something, then he would not be able to withstand the oue. Shi Lang walked behind the old man. He asked, "You guys sure have a heavy security."

    The old man replied, "They are not security. They are only here to train. When someone reaches an Immortal King realm, their mindset bes too delicate. They are here to recover from that. Immortal Kings think they are the almighty and be arrogant. However, that is not the correct way of thinking and is not progressive."

    Shi Lang nodded. He figured out that these people must be head hunters also. Yu Xian led Shi Lang to a garden on the side. He was confused, and the old man said, "The pce is not somewhere you can go at your current level. Only Immortal Emperors can withstand the pressure inside."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and said, "An Immortal God left this ce behind."

    Yu Xian''s pupils constricted, and he froze. At this moment, a calm voice sounded, "As expected, always quick on the uptake."

    Shi Lang turned around and said, "Old man, you are acting cocky again."

    Yu Xian was shocked to the core of his existence. He did not expect Shi Lang to greet the newer in such a manner. When Tian Long said, "Elder Yu, you may leave, he wanted to say something. We have a few things to discuss."

    Yu Xian bowed and quickly left the ce. Tian Long waited for him to leave before he erected a spiritual barrier and said, "Bastard, you have to malign my image everywhere. I will kill you one of these days."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "To think you would never grow up, ancient man-child."

    Tian Long developed a twitch at the corner of his eyes. He clenched his fists, and Shi Lang sighed as he asked, "Come on, don''t be like this. Old friends are supposed to joke with each other. Don''t you feel alone and isted with no one to bring out the real Tian Long?"

    The sovereign was shocked at this moment. Shi Lang asked, "Fine, since you think you have grown too old, I will not banter. Tell me, why did you call me here? I have to go and visit the cloud pavilion."

    Tian Long took a deep breath and said, "You have joined the head hunter organization, and I hope you can speed up the tasks a bit. In three months, rise to the level of a gold-level head hunter at the least."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What is the hurry for?"

    Tian Long looked at the sky and said, "It will be blood moon night in three months. During that time, the demonic cultivators go mad from the raging demonic aura in their bodies, and they raid the viges near the border and ughter many people. This happened five years; we do not know why it happened but it is a headache for all the forces."

    Shi Lang asked, "What do you mean? Can you all not hold them back?"

    He could not fathom this. To think Tian Long seemed so helpless about things. Thetter replied, "We cannot handle it because the raging demonic energy tends to corrupt our own if they fight the demonic cultivators for too long. Another thing is that amon Demon Lord can fight with the battle capacity of an Immortal King at that time. Our forces are useless for an entire night. We prepare evacuations, yet the death toll is very high."

    Shi Lang''s face turned solemn; he could not understand the situation, and Tian Long said, "The only constion is that the next morning, these demonic humans arembs for ughter. They be so weak that we can just kill them as easily as if killing a chicken."

    The terran shook his head and said, "That is not a good thing, Long. You know that once you lose a war the impact on your brain is permanent. The forces cannot suffer such things every year."

    Tian Long nodded and replied, "I understand what you are saying. That is why if you can rise to the gold level, then I will let you assumemand of the dragon army."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "At times like this I would love to bring some mechs from the federal reserve and give the enemy a glimpse of hell."

    Tian Long smiled faintly and Shi Lang said, "Fine, I will try my best, if that is all, I will be heading back."

    The sovereign nodded and they said, "Do you remember Fairy Moon jade?"

    Moon Jade was the nick name of his daopanion, thedy who ascended to the immortal world with him. Shi Lang froze for a second and then sighed, "Do not tell me she still have not forgotten me? I am a married man now, I cannot uphold this debt of love."

    As he finished speaking he let out a sigh and walked away. A few momentster, the entire pce rang with a strong roar, "Shi Lang, you bastard!!"

    Shi Lang had already made his way to the gateway and was collecting his space ring.

 Chapter 633 Visiting Cloud Pavilion Again.

    Chapter 633 Visiting Cloud Pavilion Again.

    Shi Lang collected his space ring and arrived at the gate where Old Man Yu Xian awaited him. They did notmunicate about the interaction Shi Lang had with Tian Long. Yu Xian knew his ce on the food chain, and he had some morals, too.

    He quietly guided Shi Lang out of the space gate, took a silver te from his space ring, and said, "This is your identity te. You will have to show it to ept the tasks."

    Shi Lang nodded and thanked the old man. They came down the stairs, and Shi Lang shook his head. He mumbled, "What wondrous things one can do with spirit energy."

    Yu Xian nodded and said, "Indeed. I have been meaning to ask you, what do you intend to do now?"

    Shi Lang said, "I will look at the tasks and then leave toplete the missions. However, it is a hassle toe back and turn in every task here."

    Yu Xian smiled faintly and said, "You can hand in the task to any Moon Night Dining, Soul Bell Gallery, and Tryst Smithery. These three ces work with the Head Hunter organization."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "I see. It seems like the Head Hunter Organization has quite an extensivework."

    The old man nodded and said, "You can check the missions on the mission board."

    Shi Lang nodded and came downstairs quickly. He spotted the board hanging behind the reception counter, and to his surprise, a new person was sitting there. Thedy raised her gaze to look at him before returning to her work. Shi Lang also did not bother and looked at the tasksbeled for a silver-level head hunter.

    After skimming through the board content, Shi Lang asked, "Miss, I would like to ept Task number three two two."

    Thedy stood up like a machine and approached the board. When she gazed at the content, she was surprised but tore down the note and returned to hand the task to Shi Lang.

    She said, "The task is limited to seven days, and you do not have to bring physical evidence. An image stone recording will suffice."

    Shi Lang nodded and epted the task. The young man put the document in his space ring and walked out without a word. Thedy raised her head and asked, "Grandpa, who is this person? Is he eager to die by choosing that task?"

    Yu Xian smiled and said, "You did not see him finishing a tinum-level task ahead of time. That is why you are saying so. Do not bother about him. Go to your work."

    The girl was shocked and watched the old man walk away.

    ...

    Shi Lang walked to the Cloud Pavilion building and hurriedly entered the reception hall. This ce was more active than the Head Hunter organization. He approached the reception counter and took out a jade card the elder gave him. Thedy behind the counter was surprised but then gave him a professional smile and said, "Sir, please follow me to the second floor."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed her to the second floor under the gazes of many people. He did not care one bit about their thoughts. He would kill them if they dared to have ideas about him.

    After a flight of stairs, he came to the second floor, where thedy led him to a room and said, "Sir, your package has been collected. Please have some tea while I retrieve it."

    Shi Lang nodded calmly as the girl bowed and left. His mind was much calmer than in the past. He looked at the porcin tea set and smiled faintly. ''If those people in the federation saw it, they would go crazy.'' he thought.

    He poured himself a cup of tea and took a modest sip. He felt his spiritual energy triggering as he gulped it down his throat. He held the cup and ran his cultivation sutra. After running a cycle, he mumbled, "Good tea."

    The curtain parted, and the receptionistdy came back with a letter in her hand. She said, "I apologize for the dy, Sir."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "That is fine."

    The girl handed him the letter and said, "Please call me if you need anything."

    Shi Lang nodded as he watched the girl sensibly leave. She knew this package was a letter and gave him some privacy. The service of the Cloud Pavilion was good. Shi Lang opened the letter. The letter read, ''Love, you know I was about to leave the sect ande looking for you. However, as usual, you are faster than me. I miss you too and do not worry, everyone back home is fine. Mom and Dad have decided to stay back and look after the family''s younger generation. Tao will be ascending soon, I guess.

    She has made sure to instill your character in Xiao Gao. The little one has a low talent, as they say, but she is very hardworking and has made the talented run for their money.

    I am well, do not worry. If anything, you should worry about yourself, and you cannot address me as Amy anymore. I am Sect Maiden Amelia. I am talented enough to seed the sect mistress. I will vent to gain strength and see you in the Centurian Tournament. Make sure you do not lose before fighting me. If youe here, I have instructed the people that they will not stop you from meeting me.

    The rest, we shall talk when we meet.

    I love you, yours, Amy.''

    Shi Lang nodded, and he said, "Excuse me."

    Thedy outside entered the room and tentatively asked, "Sir, is there anything I can do?"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I would like to send back a message to this ce. Can you tell me the fee?"

    Thedy said, "Sir, I will call an elder to help with your queries."

    Shi Lang thought about it and shook his head. He replied, "Forget it, it won''t be necessary."

    Then he stood up and left the ce. He would earn some money before he could send another message to Amelia. He wanted to flex his status as a Hall Master, but his forces were too immaturepared to the War Maiden Sect.

    Shi Lang walked out of the cloud pavilion and stretched his body. He snapped his stiff neck and mumbled, "Time to work again."

    He left the Tiexian City and flew to the location of his first mission.

    ...

    Tian Long walked out of a void portal and stomped into the courtyard. His arrival made the gentle Guzheng sound. A gentle voice echoed in the surroundings, "What made you so angry?"

    Tian Long snappily scoffed, "Who else could it be that bastard Shi Lang? Why does he have to get on my nerves all the time."

    His Daoistpanion walked over from the pavilion and said, "He is only messing with you. Do you not see that he has never been able to form a strong bond with anyone in this life? Only his immediate family and wife are the people he is deeply connected to. However, they do not know his secret. You know, and that is why he acts like this.

    Shi Lang was the scavenger you used to praise the most. You cannot go around saying he was the only one you knew. Neither can you pay off the debt of life you owe him. If he had let you die in that cave, he could have been a strong person in the Immortal realm. That opportunity cost him his chance of ascension and his life. He could have selfishly ascended, but he did not and saved the world."

    Tian Long sighed and said, "To think his charm is so great that even you speak in his favor. This guy is my life long enemy. I will fight him when he reaches my realm."

    He was annoyed to the core. The fairy beside him smiled and said, "Be careful what you wish for. He is no longer a scavenger."

    Tian Long snorted and said, "Come, y me your song again. I do not wish to talk about that guy."

    Thedy chuckled and went back to y the Guzheng again.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood on a high peak and looked at the valley with furrowed brows. He could not understand which fool decided to form a bandit group and hide in this ce.

    The location was called Acid Swamp Canyon. This ce was filled with swamps that gave off rancid stink and were so toxic that even an Immortal King would die if he fell in the swamp. This ce was a graveyard of experts.

    It was said that if the swamp did not kill you, swamp thorn bandits would. These people were notorious, and they did not spare anyone. These bandits have been living in the swamps for generations. However, despite being the size of a small vige, they had managed to remain undetected.

    Shi Lang wanted to know how they did it, so he chose this task. To Challenge himself.

 Chapter 634 Acid Swamp Canyon.

    Chapter 634 Acid Swamp Canyon.

    Shi Lang looked down at the great canyon and frowned. The ce was flowing with thick, acidic water. The entire ce was stinking, and he was thinking about how to locate the bandit vige hidden in this ce. The canyon was spread over andmass of five hundred kilometers, and that was the only ce humans have ever discovered.

    At the end of the canyon was an inactive volcano. That ce was the root from where the acidic swamp originated. That volcano was deste. Forget about humans; even spirit beasts did not venture around it. The only thing capable of surviving in that ce were the scattered stalks of ck cotton orchids.

    Shi Lang could notprehend how this worked, but life was miraculous. This herb had no significant quality, and the people did not search for it. ck Cotton Orchid could leave a person paralyzed upon touching it. It was said that some ten-year-old orchids were so strong that they could stun a person from a twenty-meter radius.

    Shi Lang walked along the dusty ledge, trying to think where he might find the enemy. After walking for several kilometers, he froze in his path. Before him stood a human skeleton tied up to a wooden pole. The terran frowned. This thing was left here on purpose. The bones had been carefully drilled through, and the skeleton was weaved with dexterous wooden rope.

    Shi Lang was about to take down the skeleton and bury it when a loud snort echoed beside him. The terran was surprised. He did not expect someone to appear next to him without getting detected.

    His sensory ability allowed him even to detect void tunnels, let alone this person. He turned to the side and found an old man standing beside him. Shi Lang could not sense any spirit fluctuation from this person and hurriedly cupped his fists.

    He asked, "Senior, did I do something wrong?"

    The old man waved his hand and said, "It is not you,d. It is this bunch of bandits. They have been killing all the people who have ever crossed this skeleton. Many kind-hearted people have tried to bury the skeleton, but they will dig it up repeatedly."

    Shi Lang asked, "Why would they do something like this?"

    The old man sighed and said, "It is said that this skeleton belongs to their ancestor. The person was the first leader of the Swamp Thorn Bandits. He did many dreadful things to protect his family from his enemies, and in the end, they were dubbed the Swamp Thorn Bandits.

    However, the seeding generations interpreted the necessary evil as a devil and began massaging anyone who woulde close. Over the years, they have killed people brutally, and this skeleton has be a symbol of their cruelty. The current leader of the bandits thinks that if they are crueler to themselves, the world will fear them."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and remarked, "What a cryptic way of thinking. No wonder the head hunters hunt them."

    The old man sighed and replied, "I wonder if there will be a day to rest in peace."

    Shi Lang was surprised momentarily and then turned around to find that the old man was missing from his position. The terran sensed his hair stand up on its end. He looked back at the skeleton.

    He mumbled, "No wonder you would call them cruel. To think they will do such a thing to their ancestor. I shall let you cross over now."

    Then he walked over to the wooden stalk and stood down the skeleton. He said, "Elder in my world, the deceased are burned, and their ashes are scatted in some holy river or ce where they would like to rest. Since you bore the burden of darkness for your loved ones in this region, I shall only scatter your ashes in the valley."

    He used his spirit energy to burn the bones into ashes. He did not waste any time, and with a wave of his hand, the ashes were scattered into the canyon. He folded his hands and prayed for the peace of the departed soul. Shi Lang was not foolish enough to believe everything a human would say, but a ghost had nothing to hide.

    Shi Lang had learned from the old ghost''s words that the bandits could sense if someone moved the skeleton. While taking the bones down, he found a few marks engraved on them. These marks prevented the bones from decaying or withering in the weather, and also a proximity array.

    Since he had moved the skeleton, the bandits woulde to check. They could not track him as the array was destroyed in the fire. Shi Lang spotted a huge boulder and hopped onto it. He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

    This task was a silver-level task and did not have great difficulty. It was just tricky. The bandits did not have a high battle strength, but they roamed where the mental limits of the hunters were constantly challenged and gradually eroded.

    The best way to kill the bandits was to draw them out. He was confident in his skills after waiting for half an hour. His sensory ability showed signs of movement. Shi Lang raised his brow and mumbled, "Interesting."

    He spotted seven people rushing toward him. They all had the same location, five meters from where he sat. However, the ce before him was empty. Shi Lang used the sounds from the ce to look at the scene. The three-dimensional map was something he used rarely. His ability was not invincible.

    After looking at the three-dimensional map, he found that the people were moving underground. He could see the tunnel sections neatly spreading behind them.

    Initially, he was going to interrogate the bandits. However, now, he just decided to end them. The tunnel will lead him to the vige. He waited patiently as the bandits decided to climb, opened a hatch mechanism, and revealed their heads. Shi Lang counted seven of them.

    He could sense killing intent radiating from them. It seems like these people have been killing at regr intervals. As for what they were killing, he did not need to guess. The seven people exited the tunnel and gazed at the empty wooden stalk.

    They conversed with each other, and one of the bandits located Shi Lang said, "Did you move the skeleton here?"

    Shi Lang did not hide anything and nodded. The bandits tightened their grips around the machetes and swords they were holding. The terran asked, "Do you want to kill me?"

    The bandit said, "If you do not tell us where the skeleton is, I will remove your flesh and rece the skeleton with yours."

    Shi Lang smiled and jumped off the boulder before he said, "The skeleton has been turned to ashes and scattered to the winds. The old should rest well."

    The bandits were surprised that this guy confessed so easily. Shi Lang did not allow them the chance to react and said, "Now, do not worry. I am not so cruel. I will send you all to meet the ancestors."

    The bandits were shocked, but the next moment, they sensed warmth spreading from their necks and flowing down their skins. They did not even realize that Shi Lang had attacked them. They held their throats and opened their eyes wide as they fell.

    Thest thought they had was filled with shock and fear. The terran did not leave their corpses behind. He carried them in his space ring and jumped inside the hatch. He was surprised by the mechanical craftsmanship on disy. Suppose he had not used the sensory ability. He would not have found this tunnel.

    The people made this god-forsaken ce to be their own. Shi Lang explored the tunnel and discovered why these people had such thick killing intent. The tunnels were crawling with rats and various spirit insects. They charged at Shi Lang, but the terran invoked lightning spirit energy.

    The pressure from his body was enough to repel these critters. He walked into the tunnel and found that this ce was not artificial. He scratched the surface of the wall and sniffed it. He frowned and mumbled, "Sulphur, is this ava duct."

    He increased the pace and discovered manyva ducts connecting as he went deeper. On the way, he sensed human activity and dealt with them promptly.

    Soon, he found himself standing in a tunnel thrice wider than he had initially entered. This ce was artificially erged. Shi Lang could sense heightened heat in the air. He guesses that this ce should be closer to theva reserve.

    He looked around for human traces and found a lot of them. His doubts were cleared. The bandits were living in theseva ducts. They survived on the spirit beast rats and insects. They lived like savages, so they acted like one, too. His task was to kill a few and bring back the proof. Now that he had located them, he did not know if he should kill or rehabilitate them.

 Chapter 635 Last Stage.

    Chapter 635 Last Stage.

    Shi Lang stood in the big opening. He was surrounded by darkness. The terran did not know what to do. A spontaneous thought left him in a quagmire for the first time. He did not know if he should kill these people for acting like savages or find a way to integrate them with the outside world.

    He shook his head, thinking whether the outside world or these people would ept each other was not up to him. They have grown up in a cruel environment. They have done cruel deeds. It was another thing to say that they did not know better. After all, their ancestor did not leave a good example for them to look up to. Yet, they should have left themselves some way out of this mess.

    Shi Lang sighed as he thought. These people had notoriously killed everyone who had ever stepped into their territory. While moving inside the tunnels, he found many hatches that led to the surface. No wonder these people were thriving on plunder.

    He could analyze their actions with ease. They hunted at night and killed the cultivators by sneak attack. These people had been living in this ce, and they had adapted to the odor of the swamps. The people they ambushed could not differentiate them from the surroundings. Shi Lang was sure that these people were able to observe the targets.

    The longer the target spends in this ce, the morex their senses will be. These people did not simply kill the people. They hunted them methodically. Given this point, only calling them savages was an understatement. Shi Lang knew these people had done great damage but could not decide whether to kill them in cold blood.

    He never had such hesitations in his mind, but for the first time, he could not understand what to do. The reason behind his hesitation was the number of children that might be dwelling in this ce. These children had been living a vicious life. If he were to spare them and take them away, they would grow up with hatred for him, and it would be followed by more.

    Shi Lang was thinking about things when he heard a few voices echoing in the tunnel.

    "That bastard Mie, who does he think is he? I asked him to sell me his wife, but that bastard denied it. He acts saintly, but do we all not know how he killed her entire family over a dispute and took her as a ve? Also, that woman, why must she be with him?"

    "Tch, do you not know her father used to do things to her and twisted her mind at a young age? Why do you have to go after her? There are many people in the vige."

    The voices belonged to people who were moving through the tunnels. They held torches, and Shi Lang could see the glow intensifying. However, the words from earlier made him decide what to do next.

    He was going to purge the vige with his clones. Set up a formation and test the people for demonic nature and thoughts. If they survived, they will have themselves to thank for it. However, if they failed, they could only me themselves.

    The terran cut his hand, a few drops of blood fell to the ground, and clones formed around him. These clones looked like the people he had killed. Shi Lang did not wait for the two people toe over. He rushed in with his clones.

    The two people were shocked when a figure flickered before them. Then, they were engulfed in darkness. Shi Lang killed and moved. He hade to understand that this ce had no order or moral. If someone were to survive, they would survive the array he was about to set up.

    During hisst days in the Spirit Heart sect, he had learned demon detection spirit arrays to the best of his capabilities. He was going to use that knowledge and handle things.

    The terran moved through the dark and quickly located the vige of the bandits. These people were living at the end of theva duct. At the back of the vige was a wall of boulders. Shi Lang could guess what this wall was covering. He predicted that behind the wall must be theva reservoir.

    He waved his hand, and the clones rushed inside the vige. From the tunnel''s opening, Shi Lang could see the chaos in the vige. He took out an image stone but did not use it just yet.

    Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from the vige, "Who goes there?"

    The people in the vige were shocked, and they froze. Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and walked out of the darkness. His clones were embedding the spirit stones in the ground at this moment. The terran said calmly, "My name is Ace. I came here to see if the leader of the Swamp Thorn Bandit is worthy of his name."

    The people in the vige could see the young man, and they were shocked to see such a young person barging in their domain. The terran channeled his spirit energy in the image stone, and it began to record everything in the surroundings.

    The person who spoke was the leader of the bandits. Shi Lang could sense that the cultivation realm of this guy was the immortal lord realm. After the terran came out of the shadow, the bandits'' leader also came out of the hut in the center.

    Shi Lang raised his brow, looked at the man, and could not help but remark, "To think that an expert can cultivate to this level amidst such chaos. You surely deserve your name."

    The bandit leader replied, "My name is Schmile. You are the first person to have evere this far. Assuming that all the people outside have died in your hands should not be wrong, right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "You are smart. How about it? Would you like to fight it out with me? Or are you going to lean toward the path of reason?"

    Schmile shook his head faintly and said, "You must have already decided what to do. Why do you waste time with words?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I did make a decision, but I would like to give everyone a fair chance. Can you please tell me why you do not fight?"

    Schmile replied calmly, "My strength is not suited for closebat. I can only win with a sneak attack.."

    As he talked, his calm gaze suddenly changed, and he vanished from his position. Then he appeared next to Shi Lang with a dagger aimed at thetter''s throat.

    What sort of battle had Shi Lang not seen in his life? How can this guy take him out with such ease? The terran tilted his neck to the side and evaded the attack. While doing so, his right fist moved upward. The blow made contact with Schmile''s guts.

    Schmile reeled back from the impact in his guts. He was prepared to receive the next attack from the Terran. However, the usually ferocious Shura was standing in the distance, watching him with a mocking smile on his lips.

    Schmile could not understand what was going on. Why did the enemy not attack him? He was about to return and call for his band when Shi Lang said, "Okay, array, rise!"

    Schmile turned around and found a golden dome forming over the settlement. He had a bad premonition. He looked at Shi Lang and roared, "What did you do?!"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You do not have to worry so much. This is the fair chance I was talking about. The Judgement Heart Array now surrounds the vige. It is usually used to test if a demonic cultivator still hopes to give up on their way of life and correct it. I am checking if any of your corrupt vigers have the potential to change. If they do, they will live. If they do not, they will die."

    Schmile ground his teeth and charged at Shi Lang. The terran did not need to buy anytime and engaged inbat with this guy. He used no weapons but decided to train his fists and legs.

    Ever since he started on the path of martial arts and cultivation, Shi Lang had seldom relied on kicks. However, he realized that the world was vast and people were always above him. Thus, he wished to perfect his skills without leaving any thing out.

    His legs turned into shadows as he practiced various styles on Schmile. The bandit leader was not shabby in terms of skills. He looked around forty years old and had a significant killing intent shrouding his body. His fighting skills were meant for killing.

    Thus, he couldpare with the terran, who was only sparring light-heartedly. Shi Lang was using the skills he had learned on Federation in his sses. Suddenly, Schmile opened a gap between them and said, "You dare to treat me like a whetstone? Fine, I will also not hold back. You righteous piece of scum."

 Chapter 636 Beating To The Pulp.

    Chapter 636 Beating To The Pulp.

    Shi Lang watched Schmile rushing at him with a big smile. He discovered the sadistic twist to his nature when he came out of training from Camp Ragnarok. Since then, he enjoyed crushing the wrong people, yet they tried desperately to fight against him. The terran did not hesitate; his fists were covered with lightning as he shed with the enemy.

    While the two people were fighting, the clones maintained the array over the vige. Shi Lang did not have to worry about the array. He fought Schmile to his heart''s content. His fists turned into an afterimage as they shed with Schmile. Thetter had a red glow on his fists.

    The terran could sense this energy was not spiritual energy. Hended a punch on the shoulder of the enemy and opened up some distance between them. He asked, "What is this energy?"

    Schmile smiled wretchedly and asked, "Why do you care? Do you feel the energy invading your body? Do you feel that your lightning is useless before my blood aura?"

    Shi Lang sighed and mumbled, "I have no idea why I always meet with people who think they can defeat me with puny means. Just because this is my first time seeing this energy does not mean I will be defeated."

    The next moment, strong lightning shed behind Shi Lang, and he said, "Allow me to show you what happens when lightninges in contact with blood."

    He assumed a fighting stance and said, "Lightning Fist, final move, sh Burst."

    He punched out in the void, and the space around his fist shook. Shi Lang moved forward. Schmile saw the young man punch him and thought it was simple. However, he was underestimating Shi Lang very much.

    This punch had a simple stance, but the lightning in his fist wasn''t. The temperature of lightning in this blow was higher than any other attack Shi Lang had used till now. His spirit energy was condensed on a higher density and thus the higher temperature.

    Shi Lang''s fist was halfway in the void when Schmile roared and said, "Blood Fist, Tsunami Blood."

    A huge Tsunami of blood-red aura appeared behind Schmile as he attacked. The visual effect of the wave was so terrifying that if it were any other cultivator, they would have been stunned or scared to death. However, the terran snorted and released a hot current from his fist. The lightning sh released from his fist collided with the wave of blood, and then it was engulfed by the blood wave.

    Schmile smiled andughed, "Hahahahaha, this was your final...."

    Shi Lang sneered as he looked at the frozen smile on Schmile''s face.

    Boom!!!

    The flood wave vanished. Shi Lang smiled and said, "That is what happens to the overconfident people."

    He crushed his attack so brutally that the bacsh caused Schmile to cough up blood. His internal organs were shocked. Shi Lang did not say anything and walked over to the fallen enemy. He watched him shivering in pain, but he did not attack. He said, "You led your people on the path of destruction. Now, you must watch it through."

    He waved his hand, and the spiritual energy wave lifted Schmile in the void. The terran punched thetter in the guts and crippled his cultivation. Shi Lang said, "Now you do not have the power even to protest like they did not."

    The terran turned his head to look at the array covering the vige. The people under the array were watching scenes shing in their minds. They were all losing their minds slowly and erupting in maniacal behaviors. They were beginning to fight with each other, and the situation was bing more chaotic.

    Shi Lang watched the scene with his hands tied behind his back. The voices of the chaos increased, and they became screams. People killed each other so brutally that the streets were filled with blood. The clones looked around to see if anyone would survive the onught.

    However, none of the people were holding back. Schmile said, "You think you are a messiah but a monster. How can any innocent soul survive this?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Do you think I am like you? Others will not attack the people who do not take the initiative to attack. The test is not to see if the people have an innocent heart. The array is not only shing the scenes in their minds but also a heart-cleansing mantra."

    ...

    The terran stood and watched the ughter; the people had forgotten they were cultivators. The people had been attacking each other with great brutality. They did not use spirit energy but only physical force. However, amidst the chaos, a child walked up to the edge of the array.

    The child was shivering, and the eyes were bleeding. Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "Oh, to think that a young child will have such tenacity in your vige and survive something like this."

    Schmile did not reply to him. Shi Lang gazed at the child, and then, with a surprised reaction, he turned back to the bandit leader and asked, "This is your child?"

    The bandit leader spat blood and said, "This weakling has nothing to do with me. He is an ant born to that bitch I took fancy of. That is all."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "After this, I will have your tongue out."

    The terran turned back to look at the young child and fell into contemtion. After a few minutes, he said, "If this child survives, I will train her to be the bane of people like you. I wonder if you would like that oue."

    Schmile replied, "Do anything you find worthy. I do not acknowledge her to be mine."

    Shi Lang realized this child was a girl. He smiled and said, "You know, the funny thing is that I seem to have a weird affinity with girl children. Even in the past, the disciples I found were girls in dire straits, and then they outshone the entire world. I wonder if this girl will be the same too."

    As he said this, he reminisced the days from the past. During his days in the academy, he taught the problem ss and how the children grew up to be the idols of many generations.

    ...

    Shi Lang waited for the chaos toe to a halt. Then he sent the message to the clones to take down the array and walked over. Schmile floated behind him in the void. Shi Lang came to stand before the child and waved his hand to raise her above the ground.

    The girl opened her eyes and looked at him. Then he gazed at Schmile floating behind Shi Lang, and she asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "My name is Shi Lang. I am a head hunter who came to deal with the bandit vige. I am the one who caused this massacre. Why do you ask? Do you hate me?"

    The little girl shook her head and replied, "My mother told me that the weak do not have the right to hate the strong. Doing so will only make me fall to the demonic path. I do not wish for that to happen."

    Shi Lang nodded calmly and asked, "Do you hate those who follow the demonic path?"

    The girl thought briefly, saying, "I do not know what I should feel towards them. Why should I hate all of them, or why should I not? I do not understand what I should feel."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Do you want to get strong and see the world to understand your feelings?"

    The girl thought for a bit and then nodded. Shi Lang asked, "Would you like to follow me as your master? I will teach you how to be strong."

    This time, the girl did not think but nodded her little head. Shi Lang asked, "Very well then. I, Shi Lang, ept you as my second disciple."

    His first disciple was Shi Tao, but thedy was still in the lower realm. The girl nodded, still floating in the void, and her eyes were still unfocused. Shi Lang asked, "Ask me for anything that you wish. It will be my gift for you as a master."

    The girl thought briefly, saying, "Can you beat this man to the pulp? Can you break his bones and leave him to die?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I can do it."

    Following that, the clones came forward and began beating Schmile. Shi Lang did not say much, and he just watched the girl. She was watching the scene with great anticipation. Shi Lang guessed she was about seven years old, and to think she had such hatred for the man in her heart.

    The terran asked, "What is your name?"

    The girl replied, "My mother named me Yu Xiedi, jade carved out of blood."

    Shi Lang smiled and patted her head as he said, "You have a good name. Blood Jade."

 Chapter 637 Yu Xiedi.

    Chapter 637 Yu Xiedi.

    Shi Lang finished dealing with Schmile and the rest of the ce. He ensured the clones searched every nook and cranny to see if someone survived. To ensure those on the ground were dead, Shi Lang stabbed them in the head. He might look cruel, but if some fish escaped the and came back to bite him in the future, it would be his foolishness.

    As the clones dealt with the aftermath, Shi Lang sat in the distance with Yu Xiedi. He gave her some food and water. The girl ate with relish. From her looks, she seemed to be severely malnourished. Only when she finished eating several meat buns did she stop?

    Shi Lang asked, "Xiedi, tell me about yourself."

    Yu Xiedi gazed at him briefly and said, "That man, the leader, was my father. My mother told me she was a cultivator from the Northern Wind Sect. She came out for an expedition but ended up chasing after a group of bandits who massacred a caravan in the vicinity.

    She was unaware of the situation here and was captured by the bandits. Schmile vited her for over a year, and one day, my mother got pregnant. Schmile wanted to kill me, but my mother protected my life. Three days ago, I was hungry, and when Schmile came to our shed, I asked him for food.

    He was irritated and kicked me. My mother tried to fight him off, leaving him with a shallow cut on his forearm. In his rage, Schmile beat my mother to death and tossed her behind the wall in theva. He wanted to kill me too, but one of the people around him said that it would be nice to have me grow up and then use me."

    Shi Lang did not know why, but his fist was clenched into a ball so hard that it had turned white. He could not believe how someone could have no affection in their hearts. He was sure that the bandit vige had not yet fallen to the demonic path, but from what Yu Xiedi told him, it seemed they were not far from getting their souls corrupted.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I did not realize you have suffered so much, child. Let me ask you again. Would you like to follow me, or shall I send you back to the Northern Wind Sect?"

    The little girl raised her head and said, "I may be young, but I am not a fool. Why should I go to look for those fools who did not care for my mother? You came to this ce alone, and you put an end to these people. Could they, with so many people, not do anything?"

    Shi Lang wanted to say something when the child stood before him and knelt on the ground. She kowtowed to him thrice and said, "Master, Disciple Yu Xiedi greets you."

    The terran was surprised and waved his hand. The girl was pulled up from the ground. Shi Lang asked softly, "Who told you about this worshipping method?"

    "My mother." replied the little girl.

    Shi Lang nodded as he said, "Now that you are my responsibility, do not worry. I will not let you suffer needless harm. However, let me tell you, cultivation is a hard and tough thing to do."

    Yu Xiedi nodded and, with a calm face, said, "I wonder if the pain will be greater than what I have already faced."

    Shi Lang patted her head and asked, "Do you have anything that you wish to bring along from this ce?"

    Yu Xiedi shook her head and said, "I have nothing except a nket that I cannot care much about."

    Shi Lang sighed. He could not help but feel frustrated. Schmile had turned this child into a cold-hearted human at such a tender age. This made him wish to resurrect Schmile and kill him one more time. He sighed and bought the child out of the tunnels. He did not waste any time in this ce and headed to the closest city.

    He wanted to find a ce for Yu Xiedi to rest and recover first, and for that, he needed to find a courtyard house. He will be able to teach her a bit of basics as well. The two of them came to the nearest city. Shi Lang stated that he was a traveler and the child was his disciple.

    In the immortal ne, it was quite understandable for the people to ept disciples. Shi Lang was an Immortal Lord, and the girl did not look much older. She seemed to be someone who was going to enter the path of cultivation, so it was normal. After they paid the entry fee to the guards at the city gate, they entered smoothly.

    Shi Lang had yet to meet some arrogant young master because he would travel low-key and had no intention of chasing young mistresses of big families. Yu Xiedi has never left the cave vige, so this experience was new for her. Despite having a cold and detached facial expression, her eyes were gazing around very actively. Shi Lang smiled in his heart. After all, she was still a child.

    The first thing he did was to settle Yu Xiedi in a lodge. He rented a room with two beds and bought the girl upstairs. He asked, "Xiao Yu, you rest, and after a few minutes, take a bath. I have set the water to get warm. I wille back with some clothes and food for you. Okay?"

    He spoke very softly to Yu Xiedi because she reminded him of Shi Tao when she was a child. He regretted every moment he could not watch her achieve great things. He saw Yu Xiedi nod to him and he told her again that he was leaving and will be back soon.

    The girl locked the door from inside and Shi Lang rushed to the spot mentioned by Elder Yu Xian to exchange his task and get things done with.

 Chapter 638 Moon Night Diner.

    Chapter 638 Moon Night Diner.

    Shi Lang moved through the bustling streets and found the ce he had been looking for, the Moon Night Dinner of the Qiling City. The best thing about the Central ins was that the strongest faction ruled them, ''Frontier Council.''

    It was not ruled but governed. The strongest person in the city was the city lord; they would holdpetitions to select one, and the cities often rivaled each other. These city lords were the people who were affiliated with various members of the Frontier Council and were responsible for scouting talented people from everywhere and rmending them to the higher forces.

    The cities in the central in were divided into tiers. Cities with city lords in the Immortal King realm were the weakest of them all and called Tier One. Suppose the city lord was an Immortal Emperor. It will be a Tier Two city. The grades rose in rank.

    The higher the tier, the higher the poption. However, one must not underestimate the City with Tier One. On a given day, a hundred thousand people passed through them. Most of them are cultivation experts.

    Central ins was not a ce for the weak; thus, none of the people here were ''mortals.'' They were all cultivators. The proud Immortal Soul realm cultivators in the eastern barrens were nothing but doorkeepers in this part of the world.

    Shi Lang stood before the Moon Dining hall, and he was astonished at the luxurious ce. The building was painted moonlight blue and had sapphire-colored windows on the second floor. On the peak of the second floor, there was a silver crescent moon.

    The terran climbed five steps and came to the door. The doorkeepers bowed and pulled the ss doors open for him. Shi Lang stepped inside the establishment, and he was shocked. This ce looked fragile, but formations guarded it, and even experts were hidden in the ce.

    He moved up to the bar, and a beautiful bartender approached him. She asked with a blinding smile, "What can I get you, Sir?"

    Shi Lang replied, ''I am here to hand in a task.''

    His reply only echoed in her mind, and he did not use his lips. That said, he revealed his silver head-hunter te. The bartender was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "One ss of some light spirit wine will do."

    Thedy smiled, picked up a y pot from behind her, and poured some of the liquor into a wide-mouthed cup. She said, "Please enjoy your drink. It is on the house."

    At the same time, her voice rang in Shi Lang''s mind, ''You may submit the task on the second floor. Just tell the attendant to lead you to the big dipper room.''

    Shi Lang nodded to her thankfully and gulped down the contents of the wine. He kept the identity te back and left the ce. The business was booming, but not many people in the city would sit at the bar. After all, they all had some status and did note alone to such avish ce.

    Shi Lang came to the staircase leading to the second floor and said, "The big dipper room, please."

    The attendant was an Immortal Lord. However, he was quite old. He gazed at Shi Lang and nodded before he brought him upstairs in a hallway. The old man bowed slightly and gestured for Shi Lang to follow him.

    The terran did not say anything andplied. His ability let him sense through the entire floor. The people were eating andughing with each other inside the rooms. After a few steps, they reached the big dipper room, and the old man pushed the door open.

    Shi Lang went inside and was surprised. This ce was enchanted with space formation, and the door wasbeled as a storeroom. Inside the room, a young man sat behind a counter. Watching the terrane over, the guy stood up and said, "Wee. Are youing in to submit a task or to ept a new one?"

    Shi Lang walked forward and said, "I would do both things. First, I would like to hand in a task, and second, I would like to ept a task."

    The young man nodded, and as Shi Lang reached the desk, he said, "Please show the evidence."

    Shi Lang ced the image stone on the table, and the young man said, "Please wait for a few minutes. I will get it confirmed soon."

    Then, the young man ced the image stone on an array pattern, and then Shi Lang watched the image stone vanish. The young attendant asked, "May I see your identity te?"

    Shi Lang put the silver te on the desk, and the young man took out a box filled with scrolls and said, "You can select a task from these scrolls. I will inscribe the progress once I receive confirmation of sess from the headquarters."

    The terran began to skim through the contents of the box, and after reading a few of them, he picked up a task and said, "I will select this one."

    The young attendant nodded and said, "You must hunt five packs of Leaf wolves in the forest around the Qiling City. The taskpletion time is seven days. Do you ept?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the young man handed him the scroll back. Then, the array pattern on the table glowed, and he picked up a sharp engraving knife and etched the number one on the surface of the te.

    Then he waited for a few seconds before a pill bottle appeared on the array pattern, and the young man said, "This is your reward. Ten middle-grade Spirit Rejuvenation pills."

    Shi Lang nodded and took both the silver te and the pill bottle before he left the ce. He was going to a pill shop and buying a high-grade meridian washing pill for Yu Xiedi. Over the years, she had not received proper nutrition and her body was weak. He would have to affirm that her body was tempered before she could handle the stress of spirit cultivation.

 Chapter 639 Imparting Cultivation.

    Chapter 639 Imparting Cultivation.

    Shi Lang exited the Moon Night Diner and went to the nearest pill shop. In this world, meridian-washing pills were not hard to find. However, not many people bought them because of the low possibility of the pill working.

    It was said that the cultivation potential of a person would improve if they could clean their meridians, but not one said that the chances of that, even with pills and opportunities, were low. The chances were close to zero unless you had a heavenly natural treasure, like the spirit liquid from the Inheritance pce.

    The terran finished buying the pills, shopped for clothes suitable for a girl and bought a pair of wooden swords on his way back. He did not intend to decide what weapon Yu Xiedi should learn to use, but the sword was what he was proficient in, and he would like for her to understand the skills so that until she decides what she wants to do, she could defend herself.

    Shi Lang came back to the inn and entered his room. He found Yu Xiedi lying on the floor. He was shocked and approached her quickly. He checked her and sighed. The girl seemed to be exhausted and had fallen asleep while resting. He approached her to pick her up, but her senses were sharp. She sat up with a reflex action and wed at Shi Lang.

    The terran was fast and held her wrists and gently said, "Xiao Yu, it is me."

    Yu Xiedi had reacted out of vignce just now. Shi Lang understood this and realized that the girl must have sensed someone approaching her and attacked to defend herself. He was enraged at what this child must have been subjected to in that bandit vige over the years that turned her into what she is now.

    He infused spirit energy in his throat, so the voice had a calming effect when he spoke. Yu Xiedi looked at him and stopped struggling. She said, "I apologize, Master."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It is alright. Come, would you like to eat first or bathe?"

    Yu Xiedi said, "I would like to bathe first. My mother used to clean me with spirit energy when I was little. But she stopped doing so after that man looked at me with ill intentions."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes to calm his anger. He then carefully sent the girl inside the washroom and gave her the clothes. He told her to wear anything that she fancied. He was now an old person, excluding his age. Shopping for a child was simr to buying things for his great-granddaughter.

    When she came out, Yu Xiedi finished bathing after half an hour. Shi Lang was stunned and said, "To think my disciple is a doll. I must have done some good deeds."

    The girl did notment but only lowered her gaze. She wore a white hanfu and looked like a porcin doll. Earlier, her beauty was hidden under dirt and filth, but now she looked like a princess.

    Shi Lang beckoned her to his side and served a few dishes he ordered from the inn. The two of them ate slowly, but from the sparkling eyes of the young girl, Shi Lang could tell that she was enjoying every morsel of the food. It was not hard to imagine that food was a luxury in a ce where she did not even have anything to sleep properly on.

    After the meal, the terran asked, "Xiao Yu, I would impart your cultivation. Do you want to do it today?"

    The girl nodded without any hesitation. Shi Lang smiled and said, "You have never cultivated before this, so your physique is weak. Many families in the immortal world use elixirs to support a pregnant woman. Even low-ie families can provide some spirit beast meat to the expecting mother. These elixirs make the child born with a stronger physique."

    Yu Xiedi nodded, and Shi Lang continued, "Since your mother could not have any elixirs when carrying you, we must find a way to make up for that. You have a good enough spirit root, but the body can improve."

    Yu Xiedi asked, "Master, isn''t cultivation about spiritual energy refining? Why do I need to strengthen my body?"

    Shi Lang smiled and patiently answered her doubt, "You see, a cultivator''s body is akin to a vessel, and the spirit energy is water. If the quality of the vessel is poor, the amount of water it can hold might be the same as a good one, but it will notst long.

    The water inside will exert pressure, and what if the vessel breaks from that pressure?"

    Yu Xiedi replied, "The water will leak out."

    Shi Lang nodded in approval and said, "Correct, the vessel will break, and the person will be left crippled. Do you understand the importance of a good body?"

    Yu Xiedi nodded, and Shi Lang began to teach her various things like stances to strengthen her core and the knowledge of the human body acupoints. He did not expect her to remember and was patient with the process.

    There was only so much a child could do. At night, he asked her to sit before him and touched her back. He said, "Xiao Yu, I will be channeling spirit energy through your body to condition it. Try to calm down and remember this feeling."

    The girl nodded, and Shi Lang gently channeled his spiritual energy into her body. Yu Xiedi shivered slightly, but she calmed down soon. Shi Lang was not only going to temper her body with the spirit energy but also force out some blockage from her meridians because, after this session, he would take her out with himself andplete the hunting task of hunting wolves.

    He was not worried about putting the child in danger because he was not going out with the conventional tools of a cultivator. He had something special in his mind.

 Chapter 640 Out For Hunt.

    Chapter 640 Out For Hunt.

    Shi Lang spent half the night tempering and cleansing Yu Xiedi''s body before he called it quits. The girl was tired from sitting silently, but how could the tremors in her body escape his senses? On one side, he was happy that the girl was so persistent, but on the other, he felt guilty for putting the girl through such a hard time.

    He said, "Xiao Yu, go to bed. We will go out in the morning, okay?"

    The girl gazed at him softly and nodded. She tried to stand up, but her legs were numb from sitting with his legs crossed for so long. She wobbled and stumbled. At this moment, Shi Lang reached out and held her dainty body. He said, "Let me help you."

    Then he supported her to walk to the bed. Yu Xiedi said, "Master, I will sleep on the floor."

    Shi Lang patted her head gently, and they said, "Do not worry, I have to do a few things. You should sleep. I will not harm you."

    The girl was confused, but Shi Lang ced her on the bed before she could say anything and made her lie down. Then he turned to the side and bought out a lot of metal from his space ring.

    While shopping for the pulls, he found that the people were also selling and throwing out a few things. These things were discarded as trash but were no less than a treasure to Shi Lang.

    The terran used his spirit energy to turn the scrap into a rifle barrel and mechanism. He had extensively researched hot weapons during his time in the federation. With his memory andmand of spiritual maniption, it did not take long for him to finish the mainponents of the rifle. Then, he started to work on the casing.

    The rifle casing was designed around one of the most popr rifles in the federation. After spending an entire night finishing the weapon, Shi Lang was not tired but felt quite happy. He also molded a lot of bullets from the leftover scraps.

    However, this product had a twist: the bullets were covered with spiritual array runes. The bullet casings were filled with some rudimentary mix of natural chemicals, which acted as an alternative to the gunpowder. The barrel was also engraved with spirit array runes, allowing one to gain a telescopic view.

    One more sound cancetion array rune was carved forplete sound suppression. When the young man was finished dealing with his work, he took a few pieces of parchment and recorded the design. He would send the design to the Asura Hall, have them craft more copies, and use them for assignments.

    Asura Hall will take on dangerous tasks in the future, and the better equipment they have, the lower their risks. He will be paying a visit to the Tainxu Pavilion in the city. They provided a secure courier, and he could also gain a discount with the token in his hand.

    He turned around and saw that Yu Xiedi was looking at him with great curiosity in her eyes. She asked, "Master, what did you make?"

    Only Shi Lang realized she was staring at the gun hovering in the void. The terran smiled and said, "I made a weapon. Do not worry. You will see how it works when we go out."

    The girl nodded, and they got ready and left the Inn after a good breakfast. Shi Lang discovered that the girl liked eating good food. Shi Lang took her to the Tianxu Pavilion. The girl was not good at dealing with big crowds, so Shi Lang told her to hold the sleeves of his hanfu as they moved.

    This gesture calmed her nerves, and Shi Lang knew the journey would be long. After all, childhood trauma was the most difficult to heal. Shi Lang came to the reception counter of the Tainxu Pavilion and said, "I would like to courier some papers securely."

    The person nodded and said, "Please tell me the location."

    Shi Lang nodded and told him all the details, and the receptionist said, "Sir, it will cost you seven hundred high-grade spirit stones."

    Shi Lang took out the spirit stones and showed his Tianxu Token. The receptionist was shocked but calmed down and said, "Sir, you should have told me earlier."

    The terran smiled, waved his hand, and asked, "Can you tell me if I still have a discount?"

    The person nodded and said, "This much is nothing, sir. We will arrange for it to be sent free of cost."

    Shi Lang was surprised and said, "Thank You."

    After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two people left the pavilion. During this time, Yu Xiedi was surprised at the bustling streets, and even more, she could not help but look around in awe.

    Shi Lang sensed her awe and said, "Xiao Yu, calm down. All these things will mean nothing when you have gained true strength. Remember, in this world, only strong people can walk with their heads held high. Money and fame, everything flows to you when you have power."

    Yu Xiedi understood what happened and said, "Yes, Master."

    ¡­

    The two people came to the forest, and Shi Lang said, "We are going to hunt wolves. You will stay on top of the tree and watch everything from a safe distance. Your only task is to practice the stances and consolidate your foundation. Okay?"

    The girl nodded and Shi Lang said, "Come, let us get you settled."

    The terran took her to the top of the crown of a tall tree and set up a fewyers of the istion barrier. He said, "This ce will keep you safe. If anyone even came five hundred meters close, I would approach you. Practice with ease."

    The girl nodded and sat down. Shi Lang ced some snacks and drinks next to her and said, "Little foodie, you can eat these every two hours, but not all of them, okay?"

    Then he poked her cheek gently, and the girl could not help but smile faintly. It was just a fleeting moment, but Shi Lang was happy. He said, "Now, I shall go and dance."

 Chapter 641 Hunter.

    Chapter 641 Hunter.

    Shi Lang ensured the little girl was settled in her enclosure and moved through the forest. He had left his spirit imprint on her person, so if someone came seeking trouble, he would be able to detect it promptly.

    He was not going to look for Wolf packs. Using the trick he learned to lure out spirit beasts, he decided to lure the wolves with the scent of meat and herbs. Thebination was odd, but it was a tried and tested tactic that worked for him in the past.

    He took out a few cattle carcasses from his space ring and then took out some herbs. Shi Lang carefully roasted the herbs and stuffed them inside the carcasses. Then, he tossed the carcasses onto the ground in three directions. The cement seemed casual, but theyy in the range of his vision.

    If he wished to shift his focus, he would only need to turn his head slightly, and the whole field would shift. This was a tactical decision he took to increase his killing efficiency. Shi Lang had decided that he would not use his clones, although that skill was his strength, but controlling the clones simultaneously held him back from attacking in real. Also, the clones were formed from his blood essence. If anyone witnessed it, they might confuse him with a demonic cultivator, and he did not wish to be wrongfully implicated.

    Shi Lang hollowed a tree trunk and made himself a space toy prone. He manipted the spirit energy, and the wind around him began to blow over the carcasses.

    The herbs he had roasted and stuffed inside the carcasses gave off a particr smell that made most of the spirit beasts in the region avoid it, but the Leaf Wolves were attracted to it. This herb was akin to a natural enemy of the Leaf Wolves. They could not resist it. This herb was named Wolfbane. Ironically, if the wolves got to digest this herb, it would increase their bloodline purity.

    The stronger the bloodline, the stronger the wolf and the higher the authority they will have in the pack. This was why Shi Lang had procured this herb from the pill shop. He waited as the wind carried the scent of the herbs and the meat to the forest''s depths.

    Shi Lang had been observing the situation of the tree that Yu Xiedi was cultivating. His spirit imprint worked two ways. He had to say that the girl was hard-working. He also understood why she was so desperate to get stronger.

    Several hours passed, but Shi Lang did not flinch even an inch. Looking at the target through an enhanced vision array made him feel like he was back in the military. However, he did not let his focus shift. At this moment, he sensed some movement in the thicket.

    Shi Lang ced the butt of the rifle against his shoulder and slowly loaded a bullet in the chamber. He was ready to shoot when he confirmed the target was a Leaf Wolf. The terran knew he couldn''t finish five packs with a sniper rifle. After all, the spirit beasts had some skills to counter deadly attacks.

    A figure moved through the thicket, but Shi Lang almost could not see where the beast was with his eyes. It was good that he was blessed with the ability to sense the situation around him. Shi Lang located the spirit wolf standing next to the carcass and sniffing it carefully.

    This guy was not yet a spirit beast lord, and his intelligence was not very high. However, the number of wolves in these packs made trouble for the hunters.

    The terran watched the beast and found that the camouge of this beast was so good that Shi Lang clicked his tongue and internally thought, ''I used to think that we had good camouge in the federal military.''

    He had almost missed this guy and shook off these useless thoughts. A few secondster, the wolf fell on its side. The forest seemed to have fallen silent, and Shi Lang sensed another beast approaching, and the terran shot again.

    Another wolf fell, followed by loud howls that echoed in the surroundings. Shi Lang knew that he had achieved his initial goal. The universal truth about the wolf packs was the sense of unity. If you kill one of them, all of them will hunt you.

    Shi Lang walked and sensed many wolves rushing over to the spot from the thickets. He aimed and began to fire bullet after bullet. His finger moved quickly, and corpses fell on the floor.

    Shi Lang killed thirty wolves before the pack slowed their attack. Suspicion rose in his heart. He could sense a stronger beast approach.

    He raised his brow and began to think if he should give up the rifle and engage in hand-to-handbat. The spirit wolves had yet to locate him, so they did not get to use any spirit skills they had against him.

    As Shi Lang was thinking, the dry leaves around the tree began to float in the void. The terran was not worried, but his gaze became cold. He knew that the Alpha of the pack had arrived.

    Shi Lang tried to sense where the Alpha was, but the floating leaves shot into the void before he could do that. They did not have any aim, but they were lethal. The tree trunk that Shi Lang was using for his cover was stabbed with a few hundred leaves.

    If he were to stay in this ce, he would be discovered, and the collective ambush of the wolves would put him under some stress. He did not wish to look bad before his new disciple. How embarrassing that would be after all the morale-boosting things he said?

    Shi Lang put his rifle back in the space ring, then rushed out of the hollow with spiritual energy covering his body. He spotted the Alpha and vice-versa. The wolf howled and the wolf pack bared their fangs at him.

 Chapter 642 Hunter (2).

    Chapter 642 Hunter (2).

    Shi Lang rushed out of the tree hollow with lightning energy covering his body. The wolves noticed him, and, following the Alpha''s howl, they all bared their fangs at him. The terran had yet tond on the ground when the leaves began to surge toward him from all sides.

    He would not have spared a second thought if it were simple leaves, but these leaves were life-threatening weapons. In the task scroll he had received from the Moon Night Diner, he had discovered that the Leaf Wolves specialized in shredding their prey when it was alive. They will feast on the shreds of what was left behind.

    This bizarre way of hunting surprised Shi Lang, but he realized that this method was probably more efficient since Leaf Wolves had big packs numbering from thirty to forty members each. They might need to hunt more than a few prey to meet the needs of the entire pack.

    Shredded meat was easy to digest and quick to eat. However, now was not the time for him to admire the ingenuity of the enemy. Wolves were verypassionate. Once they know who killed their kin, they will all hate you. Shi Lang did not wish to be entangled with all this.

    The leaves were burned to ashes when they came into contact with his body. Shi Lang watched the Alpha wolf and found that not only were the coats of these guys very simr to the leaves on the trees, but they also had a few wooden twigs sticking out of them. This made the wolves look simr to bushes in the forest.

    He swung his spear, and the lightning energy condensed in a visible arc before it hit a wolf nearby. Shi Lang did not stop there and began dancing with his weapon swinging along. Arcs of lightning energy assaulted the charging wolves. However, the Alpha had yet to enter the battle in the true sense. It was only watching Shi Lang with a cold and cruel gaze.

    This made Shi Lang feel odd because he was sure that this guy was not just the biggest wolf of the pack but also the most cunning. The eyes of the wolf gave away his intelligence.

    The terran was not overly cautious. He could tell the guy would sneak up on him when he took his mind off the Alpha. This could lead him to be severely injured. Shi Lang did not wish to hinder his progress, so he let out a light shout, "Lighting Rain."

    His spear turned into afterimages as he attacked the wolves. His speed was not the only thing that made this attack lethal but also the damage from the lightning energy. The attack was enough to destroy the internal organs of the wolves.

    They fell to the ground with painful growls. This sequence of disys from Shi Lang enraged the Alpha. The beast vanished from its ce and appeared behind the terran. Shi Lang could sense every moment of the beast, and he swung his spear in an arc, and the sharp headnded two inches before the beast.

    The wolf had a good sense of danger and flinched back when the attack wasing his way. Shi Lang raised his brow, and the next moment, he stabbed forward with the spear. The lightning radiating from the tip pushed the Alpha wolf into passive defense.

    The other wolves tried to attack but were even more scared of Shi Lang than their leader. The Alpha had a higher bloodline purity and, thus, could dodge the attacks. As for the other wolves, even if they managed to avoid a death blow, they were severely injured.

    The terran did not wish to waste any more time on this group of wolves. It was already evening, and he needed to feed Yu Xiedi. He did not forget that his disciple was here, too. The Alpha sensed danger increasing, and it howled. Its body scattered and broke down in small leaves. These leaves surprised Shi Lang. He did not expect something like this.

    He held his spear and looked around vigntly as he mumbled, "Turns out that the Beast Lord is not that easy to deal with."

    The wolf before him wasparable to the Immortal Lord. This level was not easy to achieve for a spirit beast, and the skills it disyed contained a trace of daows. Shi Lang could tell that it was the Laws of the wind that the beast had touched upon. Thinking about this, he was almost driven to use his skills, too, but he decided not to.

    He wanted to save the card for grave situations. He said, "Lightning Domain."

    The boundary of lightning appeared around Shi Lang. The flying leaves became slow, and the terran spotted a silhouette floating amidst them. He narrowed his gaze and stabbed his spear. He did not stab where the silhouette was, but he predicted the spot it was going to be and stabbed forward.

    As he stabbed the silhouette, a painful howl echoed. The leaves around Shi Lang had been moving slowly because of the domain. However, they were still fast enough to cut him, and as they were getting closer to him.

    After the howl, the leaves gradually condensed back into the beast''s body, and the beast fell to the ground. The spear was stabbed into the heart of the wolf. Shi Lang smiled and twisted it. The clear eyes of the beast became hazy in an instant.

    Shi Lang looked around and found that only a few wolves were alive. They witnessed the demise of the Alpha, and they lost all their will to fight. A gaze from Shi Lang, and they ran away.

    However, Shi Lang did not intend to let these guys go away. They would not give up on hating him, and they coulde after him. Hatred was a strong force that could drive mountains away. He chased after them and killed them quickly.

    After everything was done, Shi Lang kept all the beast corpses in his space ring and left. While rushing toward Yu Xiedi, he sensed someone invading the protection boundary around the tree. His speed increased exponentially. When he reached the tree, he found a group of cultivators looking at the tree curiously.

    He yelled, "Who are you?!"

 Chapter 643 Encounter.

    Chapter 643 Encounter.

    Shi Lang''s cold voice made the people tremble, and they did not expect someone to approach them all of a sudden. The group of cultivators was dressed in soft leather armor, and they all had a short sword tied to their waist, while two also had bows and arrows tied at their backs.

    Shi Lang was not scared. Even if these people were in the Immortal Lord realm, they were not his match. He held his spear and walked over with lighting sparks flickering over the body of his weapon.

    The group had five people: three men and two women. Watching him approach so aggressively, the people ced their hands on the hilts of their swords and were ready to attack when the young man in the middle stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoist, we did not know that you set up this barrier."

    Shi Lang did not wish to escte the situation and asked, "Can you tell me what you intend to do here?"

    The young man gave a sheepish chuckle and said, "We thought someone must have hidden a treasure here, so we came to check. I apologize for the misunderstanding."

    Shi Lang sighed and shook his head. He said, "It is good that you did not proceed further. The tree does not only have barriers around it but also a killing formation."

    His calm tone sent chills down the spines of the five people. They did not expect Shi Lang to have gone to such an extent. One of the group members spoke using spiritmunication, ''Since he has put up a killing array, it must be a treasure. Why not the five of us attack him and take the treasure for ourselves?''

    The young leader replied, ''Brother Man, are you blind, or have you turned into a dimwit? Can you not sense the bloody smell surrounding him, or is your perception of killing intent turned nil?''

    His words directly choked the desire to battle in his fellow teammate. The group watched as Shi Lang lifted the arrays and climbed the top of the tree with ease. He found Yu Xiedi sitting in the lotus position with her eyes closed.

    She was in a deep meditative state. He smiled and did not disturb her, and looking at the side, he found that all the snacks were finished already. He rested for a few minutes before he found that the little girl opened her eyes and was surprised. She asked, "Master, when did youe back?"

    Shi Lang replied softly, "A few minutes ago. How are you cultivating? Do you have any doubts about the spirit acupoints?"

    The little girl nodded and discussed the importance of the spirit acupoints. She even mentioned other doubts, and Shi Lang exined things to her patiently. Yu Xiedi nodded, and just when she wanted to say something, her stomach grumbled. Shi Lang smiled when he watched her look down with a tint of red on her cheeks.

    He chuckled and said, "Come, little foodie, I shall cook some wolf meat for you."

    The girl raised her head with a surprised expression on her face. She did not expect Shi Lang to be so nice to her. The terran held her in his arms and brought her down to the ground. The cultivation group did not leave, but they set up a camp a short distance from his spot.

    Shi Lang did not bother with them. He ced Yu Xiedi on the ground and walked ahead. The girl was extremely sensitive. She also sensed the presence of the cultivators and grabbed onto Shi Lang''s sleeve. The terran smiled and patted her head gently before he walked ahead.

    They came to a small clearing, and Shi Lang bought out the corpse of a leaf wolf. He cleaned the corpse with great proficiency and taught her how to do it in the future. Yu Xiedi did not show any appalled expression of the process. It could be because she has seen a lot of bad things already.

    Then he collected some dry wood and then gathered them in a ce. Yu Xiedi was akin to a tail following behind him. Shi Lang smiled and taught her everything necessary for survival in the world. He set a fire alight and ced the cleaned-up meat pierced with a skewer next to the me.

    Yu Xiedi watched the situation silently and then watched Shi Lang patiently rotate the skewer. The girl did not know what Shi Lang was doing, but her tongue was licking her lips. The terran smiled and said, "Have some patience, Xiao Yu."

    The girl nodded, but her eyes were reflecting the gradually cooking meat. Shi Lang spread some drops of oil and some condiments on the meat, and a strong fragrance emitted from the meat. Yu Xiedi was having a hard time controlling herself. Shi Lang blew on a skewer and handed it to the young girl.

    The girl almost snatched the skewer and opened her mouth to take a big bite when Shi Lang said, "Xiao Yu, learn to restrain your heart. It will not run away, and I will not let anyone snatch what is yours. If you act too hasty, the food that you like so much might burn your mouth."

    Yu Xiedi was listening to him, but her control was not too good, and she bit into the hot meat. The scalding sensation on her tongue made her spit out the chunk of meat, and she eximed in pain. Shi Lang did not inch forward to help her, which was the growth process. A human would not mend their ways until they have stumbled over and fell to the ground.

    Yu Xiedi calmed down after the burn and slowed down to eat. She looked at Shi Lang, who nodded faintly as she continued. Suddenly, the girl turned her head around and spotted the five cultivatorsing over from the tree line. She stood up and rushed to behind Shi Lang. The terran asked, "What do you want?"

 Chapter 644 Encounter. (2)

    Chapter 644 Encounter. (2)

    .c¦Ïm ?

    Shi Lang''s cold tone made the group of people stop. The young leader of the group said, "Fellow Daoists, we are here to cook our food beside the stream, that is all."

    Shi Lang did not respond and turned to Yu Xiedi. He coaxed her for a few minutes and had her sit beside him as they ate. He did not wish to be entangled in any unnecessary trouble; after all, these guys might not threaten him, but if a conflict arose, it might harm Yu Xiedi. He did not wish for that to happen.

    Yu Xiedi was eating her food, but despite Shi Lang''s assurance, she was vignt of the group. Any quick moment, and she would raise her gaze. The terran noticed all this, but he said nothing to her. Time will make her understand everything, but his deliberate intervention will not be the permanent solution.

    The two of them sat together, eating in silence. Shi Lang did not mind what the group of people was doing. Suddenly, the young man from the other side said, "Fellow Daoist, I am Man Micheal."

    Shi Lang was surprised to hear the Western name and replied to gain information, "I am Shi Lang, and this is my disciple, Yu Xiedi."

    The young man was slightly surprised, but then he nodded. He gazed at Yu Xiedi, who timidly avoided his gaze and chuckled. He said, "Seems like Brother Shi Lang''s disciple is very shy."

    Shi Lang did not reply but patted the little girl on her head. Man Micheal asked, "If you do not mind me asking, Brother Shi Lang is in the forest for?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Some training and bringing Xiao Yu around to learn about the wild."

    Man Micheal nodded and said, "We came here to look for some herbs. Three days and no luck, so we thought of going back to the city and replenishing our supplies. On the way back, we met a caravan and bought stuff from them to continue our expedition. That was when we came upon that tree."

    In the end, the young man smiled sheepishly. Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Your name does not sound from around here. Where are you from?"

    Man Micheal chuckled and said, "Well, you have a quick knack for the details. However, to disappoint you, I am from the central ins only, a small vige at the border of the southern provinces. However, my ancestor was not from the central ins."

    Shi Lang pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, where was he from then? Southern Provinces?"

    Man Micheal shook his head and said, "My Ancestor was from a lower realm."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, but he was not surprised. In his home world in his past life, the western hemisphere was filled with people who had such names. The people from the east did have a tranted name for these foreigners, but the real names were different.

    Shi Lang guessed that this person must have the same root as his. He said, "We do have some fate."

    Man Micheal was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "My ancestor also ascended to this world and settled in the Eastern Barren. I am probably the first from my family bloodline to make it over to the Central in."

    The five cultivators were shocked. Man Micheal exchanged nces with them and said, "These are all my cousins. The survival and the chances to grow stronger were limited in the vige, so we decided toe out and explore. The immortal in is no longer critical about the ascenders, at least not as much as it was in the past."

    Shi Lang nodded. He took a water sack and handed it to Yu Xiedi beside him. Man Micheal asked, "Brother Shi, how did youe to the Central in?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Grace of a Senior. I cannot tell you much about it because his identity is somewhat sensitive."

    Internally, Shi Lang cursed Tian Long for all the mess he had suffered, but he also thought the sovereign was a good cover. Yu Xiedi was leaning against Shi Lang, and unknowingly, she had fallen asleep.

    The Terran sensed her steady breathing and said, "Brother Man, I will take my disciple back. Have a good meal."

    Man Micheal nodded as he watched Shi Lang leave with Yu Xiedi in his arms. Shi Lang arrived back at the tree andy the girl on a soft quilt to sleep. She had yet to start cultivation, and thus, this routine was very exhausting for her physically.

    The terran was on the night watch when he suddenly heard a few weapon-shing sounds from the direction of the clearing. He frowned and waved his hand to cover the tree in a barrier and killing formation. This time, he even covered it in an illusion array. These basic arrays were not very time-consuming for him.

    After he was done, the terran took out the sniper rifle and hopped on a tree crown. He took his attack position and found that Man Micheal and his people were fighting with a group of people in brocade clothing.

    These people seemed like they were some young masters from big families. He heard one of the guys say, "Do you know that it is your sister''s fortune to have been fancied by me? I have an Immortal King elder behind me. What can you do? It is useless to put up a struggle. Just give up, and I will spare you all."

    Shi Lang noticed a notorious light shing in the eyes of the arrogant young man. He was standing behind the five people who were fighting Man Micheal and his group. The terran scanned the area and found the Immortal King level elder, who was standing behind the young man shrouded in the dark.

    He blinked his eyes and entered a state of indifference. As the battle progressed, Man Micheal and his people gained on the attackers. The young man frowned and said, "Elder Kang, please end this facade."

    As the old man was about to make a move, Shi Lang fired the bullet. Before the old man could even react, the bullet had pierced his thigh. The pain made him retreat, and he eximed, "Who''s there?!"

 Chapter 645 Lesson.

    Chapter 645 Lesson.

    Shi Lang heard the old man exim as thetter sealed his acupoints to stop the bleeding. The bullet was specially covered with array patterns that gave it higher pration power. This was why the bullet injured the old man. Otherwise, the physique of an Immortal King was not something that Shi Lang could have injured with a projectile weapon.

    The terran replied calmly and indifferently, "Who I am is none of your concern, but what you should know is that if you did not leave here. I will give you all an unforgettable lesson on how a dignified, righteous family should act."

    The voice was not loud, but it was audible to everyone. The scream earlier had stopped the battle. The young man was frightened by the sudden attack on his backer. The old man heard the tone, and he frowned. It would have been fine if Shi Lang hadpeted in terms of strength, but the mention of righteousness gave him second thoughts.

    Shi Lang was not a fool topete with this band of brigands in strength. He may be sure of dealing with all the Immortal Lords at the scene alone, but he knew his limits. This peak of Immortal King man was not someone he could handle with ease. So, the best way to hold them back was to drag them through the mud. The more phony a person was, the more they valued their face.

    This will never change, no matter what time or world he went to. The old man said, "If your excellency is willing to step back, the Wang family of the Qiling City will remember this favor."

    Shi Lang scoffed and said, "I do not need your favor. This is yourst chance, begone, or face the consequences."

    As he was answering, the terran had already aimed for the head of the Immortal King. It was not guaranteed that he would seed in killing this guy, but one thing was sure. He would be intimidated. Shi Lang was in an indifferent state of mind, and his breathing was minimal. Even the vibration from his heartbeat was reduced to the minimum.

    Shi Lang thought of something while the Old Man tried to refute him, "Do you understand that by doing this, you will be making an enemy of the Wang Family? We will never stop pursuing this matter and hunt you down throughout the immortal world, and when we find you, we will make sure you regret going against..."

    Shi Lang interrupted him and said, "Too much nonsense."

    The next moment, he squeezed the trigger, and a bullet flew out from the barrel. However, this time, the old man was prepared, and his entire body was covered in golden spirit energy. He sneered and said, "The same trick will not work twice. You are done for now."

    The old man was sure the projectile would not hurt him if he covered his body with dense spiritual energy. Shi Lang smirked silently as he watched the confident old man projecting the arrogant vibes.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm The bullet was getting closer to the body of the old man, and the old man predicted the point of contact and focused his spirit energy there, but to his surprise, the bullet exploded right before the contact. The explosion shifted the point of impact, and the old man was caught unguarded. One of the shrapnels found its way into his eye.

    The old man screamed as he clutched his eye, "Ahhhh! My eye! What have you done?! Who the fuck are you? I will kill you. I swear I will kill you."

    Shi Lang realized that the two parties had formed an irreconcble enmity. He picked up a bullet from the side and channeled his lightning energy into the tip. Then he aimed and fired. All this was done in one go, and this time, the old man could not defend himself at all.

    Itnded straight on the head of the old man and prated the skull, and then the discharge of lightning directly turned the brain of the old man into mush. The old man did not even know where he was attacked from. He died, leaving all the youngsters in a state of shock.

    Shi Lang said, "Boy, it is time you leave here. Otherwise, I will have to send your bodies back to the Wang Family."

    He did not wish to kill more than necessary because he was not alone. He had a child apanying him. If he causes too much trouble, it will affect Yu Xiedi. He did not wish to put her under more stress.

    Young Master Wang did not expect that his backer would die without even putting up a struggle. He thought that Shi Lang was probably an Immortal Emperor expert. He shivered, but Shi Lang said, "Are you dead from fright already, kid? If I hear you spreading any misleading word back to your family. I will do to you exactly what your elder intended to do to me."

    Young Master Wang directly knelt on the ground and said, "I apologize to you, Senior. Please forgive me, do not kill me, please spare my life. I swear I will not do anything bad from now on. I can swear on my dao heart that I will not do anything wrong toward you and these fellow Daoists."

    Shi Lang did not reply and watched how Young Master Wang rushed away with hisckeys. They carried the corpse of the old man as they rushed away. Young Master Wang did not swear on his dao heart, but the fear in his heart was strong enough to give the people some time.

    Shi Lang had to finish his task of hunting the packs, and Man Micheal and his group needed to get away from this ce, too. After all, the terran had just killed an Immortal King Realm expert. The Wang Family wille after them.

    After the people left, Shi Lang jumped off the tree and quickly came to Man MIcheal and his group. He asked, "Is anyone injured?"

    Man Micheal was surprised to see him and shook his head in a daze. Shi Lang nodded and said, "You all must leave this city. The Wang Family wille to investigate, and it will be troublesome."

    Man Micheal woke from his daze and said, "Yes, Brother Shi, you are correct. I almost forgot. Thank you for your timely help. Otherwise, we would have been seriously in trouble."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "Let''s leave the pleasantries out of the equation. Hurry and leave."

    Then he turned around and left the spot quickly. He moved through the thicket to the tree where Yu Xiedi was resting. He climbed the tree crown and found the girl sleeping peacefully.

    He sighed and mumbled, "I wonder how long this peace willst."

    The terran was worried about the chances that the arrogant Young Master woulde after them. The injured snake was more dangerous. Young Master Wang valued his face and to redeem his prestige before the cronies that followed him. He wille after them.

    Shi Lang decided that first time in the morning, he would move out of this ce and camp deeper in the forest. Although he might have some trouble with the beasts, he will not be worried about the Wang Familying after them.

    He meditated in the night, and soon the sun came up. Yu Xiedi woke up on her own. She was dazed for a few minutes before she became active. Shi Lang said, "Xiao Yu, today I will teach you how to avoid getting tracked by enemies."

    Yu Xiedi was confused and said, "Master, will Xiao Yu not get any food?"

    He froze, and then, with a chuckle, he took out a spirit fruit from his space ring and said, "Here, eat this. You little foodie."

    Shi Lang understood that to grab her heart, he needed to grab her stomach. Yu Xiedi realized that she had acted very gaffe and returned to her calm and indifferent personality.

    Shi Lang patted her head, and after the young one ate, they left the tree crown. He brought the girl back to the small clearing where they were fighting. Yu Xiedi asked, "Master, what are we doing here?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Last night, those people I was chatting with got into a fight, and I helped them. Now we have to hurry and move and remove the signs of our presence from this ce so that the strong people from the enemy side can not find us."

    Yu Xiedi frowned and said, "I knew they were not good people. Master, why did you help them?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Xiao Yu, it is not about good or bad people. It is about the right or wrong people. Those people had nothing to do with me, but someone was harassing them because they were strong. That is wrong. One who has the strength should look out for the weak. Do you understand?"

    Yu Xiedi was stunned for a second and then she nodded. Shi Lang decided to continue with the lesson, unaware that his lesson to Young Master Wang, who was inside the city, was losing its tutorial effect.

 Chapter 646 Task.

    Chapter 646 Task.

    Shi Lang taught Yu Xiedi a lot of things about how to clean up the scene. He focused on cleaning up the mess made by his intervention only and not the five from the Man Micheal''s group.

    Yu Xiedi was confused and asked, "Master, you said we should clean up the scene, but there are still signs of a battle."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I left it like this to mislead the enemy. What if the person thinks this ce is a bit too clean and they suspect us? Man Micheal and his team have left the ce. Now, we need to go back to our task. This will be enough to mislead them."

    Yu Xiedi nodded, and then, after Shi Lang finished looking around for the final time, they left the spot. They moved deeper into the forest, and Shi Lang moved deeper into the forest. He used the same strategy to lure and hunt the wolf pack. His speed was slower than before because, like before, he did not use the rifle to kill the beasts. He did not wish to risk the weapon and arouse the suspicious snakes hiding in the dark.

    After he finished dealing with another pack of wolves, he headed back to the hideout. Yu Xiedi was awake, and she was meditating. After a few minutes, the girl opened her eyes, but before she could ask for food, a voice interrupted them.

    "Excuse me, may I ask which fellow Daoist resides here?"

    Yu Xiedi was shocked, and Shi Lang patted her head and gave her a message with his spiritmunication. The girl calmed down and then nodded. Shi Lang got down the tree with the little girl in his arms. Yu Xiedi was scared, so she wrapped her hands around his neck.

    Shi Lang looked at the people before him and noticed that they wore the same crest on the sleeves as that of the elder he killedst night. He asked calmly, "May I ask who you might be?"

    The other person was a faintly smiling middle-aged man. Shi Lang sighed internally and said, ''To think I will meet a snake.''

    The person said, "I am Yang Shin. I am a guest elder from the Wang family, a big family in the Qiling City with prestige equal to the city lord."

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am Shi Lang. I am a Silver-grade Head Hunter. May I ask what you need, fellow Daoist?"

    He directly stated his status as a silver lever head hunter so the other party knew he was not easy to deal with. Just as he predicted, Yang Shin''s eyes flickered for a moment before he nodded and turned his gaze at Yu Xiedi. He raised his brows but immediately shivered, and he sensed a killing intent radiating from Shi Lang.

    He said, "Fellow Daoist, please calm down. We bear no ill will. Today, we only came here to investigate a murder rted to our family."

    Shi Lang raised his brow but then frowned and asked, "Could it be that incident took cest night?"

    Yang Shin was surprised but then nodded and asked, "Yes, yesternight, an Immortal Emperor made a move in the dark and killed one of the Wang Family elders."

    Shi Lang acted surprised and took half a step back. He asked with disbelief, "An immortal emperor? No wonder."

    Yang Shin narrowed his gaze, and Shi Lang sighed, "Fellow Daoist, you do not have to act like this. I am only in the initial Immortal Lord Realm, and my disciple has yet to start cultivation. Last night, I heard some conflict erupting near the stream. However, I heard someone say that an Immortal King backs them. So, I came here with my disciple."

    Yang Shin frowned. He could not say that Shi Lang was responsible for the chaos, but he was unsure what was wrong. He could tell that Shi Lang was indeed an Immortal Lord. How could a normal Immortal Lord kill a person at the peak of the Immortal King realm?"

    He said, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Shi could grace the Wang Family with his presence. Allow us to host you in the Qiling City?"

    Yang Shin decided to bring this suspicious man with him. Shi Lang frowned and said, "If I refuse?"

    The elder said, "What if I insist?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Yang, I am in the middle of a task, and if you prove to be a hindrance to the Head Hunter Organization, you must be aware of the consequences. Anyhow, if you think the head hunter organization is not good enough, I have no other ways to convince you except my fists."

    As he dropped thest few words, his aura was released, and he bought out a spear from his space ring. He held the spear in one hand and circted lightning energy through his body. His aura was strong enough to make the entire group of people shiver.

    Shi Lang did not back down in the face of five people at the peak of the Immortal Lord realm. Yang Shin narrowed his gaze, and just when he was about to say something, a re lit up the sky. Everyone looked in that direction, but Shi Lang was focused on Yang Shin and hisckeys.

    Thetter said, "Xiao Gu, go rush to their aid. I will follow you."

    Then he turned to look at Shi Lang and said, "I apologize for the trouble."

    Shi Lang did not say anything as he watched the people run away. From what he knew, Man Micheal and his people were already far away, and they must not have left any signs in the forest either.

    Thinking about this, he set up a fire and made some grilled meat for the little foodie in his arms. Yu Xiedi sighed and said, "Master, that guy was not a good person."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I know. Xiao Yu, I understand that what you have suffered is not a good life, but it has also taught you very important life lessons. You can understand who is good and who is bad. That makes me feel better. At least, you will not be schemed against."

    Yu Xiedi nodded and focused on eating her food. Shi Lang continued dealing with the packs of wolves, but he was also aware that the forest was not quiet and he was not alone in the woods. The wang family has been scouring the ce for any clues about the people who might be involved in the death of that elder.

    Shi Lang was unbothered by it, but he was also under observation. After five days, when he finished dealing with the wolf packs, he and Yu Xiedi moved back to the city. He knew that it was not wise for him to stay in this city. So, he made a pair of clones and sent them out of the city after resting in the inn for a day.

    After determining the clear cost, Shi Lang rushed to the Moon Night Diner with Yu Xiedi. He brought her straight to the big dipper private room. The young man behind the counter verified the taskpletion and said, "Sir, there has been a task open for all. Would you like to check it?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Task open for all?"

    The young man pulled out a scroll and handed it to the terran. Shi Lang read the details and was surprised. He asked, "Is this not a bit too coincidental?"

    The young man replied, "The Wangs have been colluding against the city lord for quite some time. The city lord has put up a request for a head hunter to fight against the people of the Wang family in a legitimate martial art battle. The loser will have to leave the city."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is mentioned in the scroll, but what is the prize?"

    The young man said, "They offer two hundred high-grade spirit stones for participation. If you win a battle, they will award you with one spirit essence stone. You can select any element. If you win two battles, they award a spirit artifact of your choice."

    The terran remarked, "The city lord sure is rich."

    The young man smiled faintly. He then gazed at Yu Xiedi and asked, "Do you guys have any rooms where we can stay?"

    The young man said, "You will be safe and sound in the city lord''s mansion. They do offer amodations."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the ce with Yu Xiedi. The little girl asked, "Master, what are we going to do?"

    The terran replied, "We will earn Xiao Yu some good treasures."

    Yu Xiedi was confused and gazed at him in askance. Shi Lang did not reply and smiled gently at her. Soon, they reached the City Lord Mansion, and the terran found that the ce was akin to a pce. He approached the gates, and the guard raised his spear. He said loudly, "Stop! Who are you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I am Ace, I came here to participate in the task issued by your city lord."

 Chapter 647 Command.

    Chapter 647 Command.

    Shi Lang came to the city pce, and the guards let him go after some general questions. They had been instructed that the people from the Head-Hunter Organization must be let in.

    The terran was worried earlier, thinking that posting a task with the head hunter organization was too much. However, after careful thought, he found this was the best option. The head hunters were a known faction, although they were mysterious. They were renowned for their moral character. They never betrayed their organization.

    Shi Lang found it hard to believe because, without fear, there was no obedience or total loyalty. However, this organization was not exactly a brotherhood unless the people were mindlessly loyal. The Higher-ups must adopt some hidden means to keep the people under a leash.

    Shi Lang did not talk much and arrived at the pce''s main hall under a maid''s guidance. Yu Xiedi was gazing around with great interest. Shi Lang could not temper her mind and said, "Xiao Yu, remember what I told you about having strength over riches?"

    The young girl immediately broke away from the charm of vanity, and her eyes shined. She nodded and said, "I will be careful from now on, Master."

    Shi Lang nodded and sat down on a chair beside her. There were a few people present in the hall. They were almost all in the Immortal King Realm. However, Shi Lang did not feel out of ce, nor did the people look down on him. On the contrary, they were curious to understand who was this kid who bought along a tail.

    Shi Lang did not say anything but waited patiently. He closed his eyes and meditated. Yu Xiedi observed him and followed his actions. She closed her eyes and began to meditate. These past few days, she has seen Shi Lang take on packs of wolves and other beasts, which impressed her greatly.

    The valor of a hero ying swarms of beasts. He was strong, and she wanted to be like him. He walked into the prison and broke her out bravely. The demon who terrorized her could not even hold a candle against him. She wanted to be like him. He was not overly arrogant but a calm fish who knew which bait to take and which to avoid.

    He was aplete survivor, and she needed a survivor. After a few minutes, the people in the hall turned their heads to look at the doorway on the side. Shi Lang opened his eyes. He looked at Yu Xiedi and smiled a bit. This girl loved to follow him in all the aspects she could. She had developed a habit of meditating whenever she had some free time.

    The terran stood up and followed the gazes of the rest of the experts. Soon, a middle-aged man with a dignified aura walked over. Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and found that this man was at the peak of the Immortal Emperor realm. After meeting people like Lie Wang, the sect master of the Dragon Sword Mountain, or Tian Long, the leader of the dragon army, he had somewhat learned how to discern the realm of the people.

    The spirit energy fluctuations from the body of this guy were close to minimal. If someone did not know the identity and looked at him from a distance, this man would seem to be in the realm of a simple Qi-gathering cultivator.

    Shi Lang sighed as he thought about when he could break through. Although the spiritual roots of lightning had blessed him with a higher battle prowess, the advancement of the realm was equally tough, too. He did not know if it was a boon or a bane for him. However, he understood the principle of making the best out of what he received.

    The middle-aged man arrived in the center of the room. He addressed them and said, "Thank you for your keen interest in the task. I hope you all understand that this matter is of utmost importance, and we should not give them a chance to slip away."

    Shi Lang watched silently. He was young and weak. It was not his ce to speak just yet. The city lord continued and told the people about his strategy. Shi Lang heard and could not help but furrow his brows. After he was done, the City Lord said, "If Fellow Daoists have any advice, please step forth."

    The people exchanged nces and shook their heads. Shi Lang waited, but none of the people stepped up. He did and said, "City Lord, I would like to say a few things."

    His voice attracted a lot of attention. The people were surprised and in disbelief. None of them expected Shi Lang to speak amongst them. One of the older Immortal Kings said, "Young man, is this a ce where you should be talking?"

    Shi Lang did not mind him and sped his fists. He replied, "Senior, if you all think the words I have to say are useless, then I will apologize to you all and leave the city pce."

    The people were again speechless, and they did not expect this young man to have such a bold proposition. Even though he said he would willingly apologize and bowed a bit, this gesture only made the people look at him positively. The people admired this strong character.

    The City Lord was also impressed, saying, "You can speak what you have on mind without worry."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The feasibility of your strategy against the enemy to reap fruit is not high. If the Immortal Kings were to attack the ce from four sides, there would be some fish that escaped the. Since we will fish in the troubled waters, why not lead the current towards the?"

    The people were confused, and Shi Lang continued, "City Lord must have some people skilled in the Dao Of Array Formations."

    The City Lord nodded and said, "I understand your idea, but we cannot enlist those people to help. The Wang Family already has a defense formation with a higher level than what my people can do. It would be nothing but futile."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "We do not need them to make an array that can overpower the Wang family. However, we need an array to Iste them. The best way to catch prey is when they are anxious."

    City Lord furrowed his brows and said, "Keep going."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Just to kill them all does not mean that we need to be all gnt. These people are associated with the dark side. They do not need to be made into historical characters. They killed those who stood behind the weak and made a fortune. It is time for their fortune to vanish along with them. We block their water, and we block their spirit energy. I would have suggested poisoning their water supplies, but that would be too sinister."

    The people were surprised, but they nodded. This waspletely fair. The older Immortal King chuckled and said, "Kid, you are even more cunning than a fox. Tell us, what do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior, we should remove the forces currently moving outside the city. The Wang Family lost an Immortal King a few days ago. So, they have people outside."

    The City Lord asked, "How do you know about this?"

    He was surprised to see this young man aware of something that the Wang Family had been trying to keep under wraps. Shi Lang smiled and said, "I killed that guy."

    The people all turned their gazes to scrutinize him. Shi Lang said, "My battle method is slightly different from the rest, so it gave me the power."

    The City Lord did not say anything, but then he said, "What do you say? How do we kill these people without glorifying them?"

    Shi Lang looked around and said, "If we face the forces from the Wang Family and their guest elders, it will be too much of a risk for the people of the city, and the damage will be too much also. We should all head out to the forest. We move in teams of two and kill the Immortal Kings they have invited. This will put a rest to at least half of the Wang Family force."

    The City Lord shook his head and said, "The disciples of the Wang family all have a jade life slip. If that slip breaks, the Wangs will be alerted."

    Shi Lang said, "It should not be easy for one of the team members to apprehend all the Wang Family disciples while the other is fighting with the Guest Elder. Would it?"

    The City Lord thought, and the rest of the Head Hunters nodded. They were experienced and were all gold te members. They had enough skills to back them up. After all, it took them many attempts to reach a ten-task streak.

    They nodded and expressed their approval. The City Lord thought about it and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what is your name?"

    This question was for Shi Lang, and the way he addressed the terran as fellow daoist, it meant that he looked at him to be on the same level.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Shi Lang replied, "I am Ace."

    The city lord said, "Young friend Ace, how about you lead us to deal with the Wang Family as quietly as possible?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and then said, "I will do my best, Sir."

 Chapter 648 Cruel Means.

    Chapter 648 Cruel Means.

    Shi Lang looked at the Immortal Kings and the City Lord before him and said, "Gentlemen, although I have epted this responsibility to lead the mission, I will say the bitter words first. I have led military operations and was a general in my world. Higher strength does not make one a greatmander, but having a great brain does. Only when you follow themands that make you bring out the best of you can you achieve great results?

    I understand that it might sound arroganting from me, but I hope for yourpletepliance. In return, I will assure you that I will not harm your dignity or make you bow your head."

    The experts were shocked when they heard this. After all, they did not expect this young man to act so pompously. The city lord also furrowed his brows, and he regretted his decision to let Shi Lang be themander. However, to his surprise, one of the older people asked, "Boy, I will decide if I will follow you after I have heard of your n. What do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang looked at them and said, "The City Lord mentioned earlier that the Wangs have a total of fifteen Immortal Kings. One of them is already dead under my hands, so that leaves fourteen. From the intel, we can conclusively say that out of these fourteen, six are external guests they have invited to strengthen their pose in the city. We have seven Immortal Kings and one Immortal Emperor.

    Even if we decide to deal with the guest elders from the Wang family, we will likely suffer some injuries, if not casualties..."

    The Immortal Kings nodded, and Shi Lang continued, "Previously, I said that we should notify the other families not to help the Wangs, but in the current situation, where we stand outnumbered and given a certain possibility that as colluders, the enemy must have prepared for rainy days, we might face an even bigger tribtion. Let''s invite the other big families to the mix. We are outnumbered two to one.

    Let them deal with the Wangs and then distribute the businesses and the assets of the enemy force after equally when they have won. Of course, if they are hesitant, we can use the carrot-and-stick approach. The City Lord can directly state that either they will help us for a noble cause and prove that they all are from the righteous path, or the City Lord will call upon sanctions from the Martial Council on the grounds of suspicion."

    The City Lord asked, "You want me to bluff with them?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Wars are not about muscle power, but brain too. However, you must retain flexibility and exploit the resources on your hand to finish the enemy from its roots. If you do not have resources, then you should procure them. With all due respect, seniors, these demonic bastards win against us only because they snatch our resources and people forcefully."

    The old Immortal King said, "Kid, you might outdo the fox n one day."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Elder, you praise me too much."

    Hearing this, the people around him also erupted inughter. After a few minutes, they calmed down and left to deal with their duties. Shi Lang arranged for a room where Yu Xiedi would stay, and then he rushed to the forest with an Immortal King. They were going out in disguise, and Shi Lang was careful to instantly hook a fish in his bait.

    The Immortal King with him said, "Ace, someone is following us."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is highly likely that the person following me is Yang Shin, a guest elder in the Wang Family. He suspects that I killed his fellow, which is not wrong, but if not for the sake of the Head Hunter Organization, this guy wanted to apprehend me. Senior Lin, would you mind holding him back for a minute? I will deal with him quickly. I need time to prepare."

    Lin Kang, the Immortal King, was surprised, but hearing that Shi Lang had killed one Immortal King before this, he had the means to deal with this guy quickly, too. This made him curious, and he wanted to see what this young man could do. He nodded, and they descended to the ground.

    Yang Shin knew that he had been discovered and decided to show up and fight fair and square. He watched Shi Lang leave the side of the Immortal King. He sighed and confidently said, "This young man you are trying to save cannot escape me. I knew something was wrong with him. If he gives up the method of killing someone one major realm ahead of him, I will spare him."

    Yang Shin wasparable to Lin Kang in terms of the cultivation realm. He was sure he could handle Lin Kang easily, but to avoid unnecessary hassle, he decided to talk and convince him that he only sought the method of killing someone one realm above them.

    Lin Kang asked, "Why are you so sure he has such a method?"

    Yang Shin said, "I know the person in the descriptions of Young Master Wang. The killer should be an Immortal Emperor, but I found something lodged inside the skull of Old Ming."

    Yang Shin retrieved a bullet from his space ring. This bullet was what Shi Lang shot in the head of the old man but did not get a chance to retrieve¡ªno wonder this man was so fixated on the issue.

    Lin Kang frowned and said, "I cannot think of anything now. Also, you have the wrong idea: I am not his protector. I am a head hunter, and he is my junior. We are heading for a task, and since he found you following us, he left in a hurry."

    Yang Shin narrowed his gaze and said coldly, "Will you call him over or not? I do not care about anything else and want that boy."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not pay attention to what Yang Shin was talking about. He had already taken up a position and found himself a clean line of sight. His sight had many leaves, but his ability to sense everything around him allowed him to find the perfect pathway for his shot.

    Shi Lang took out the rifle and set it against his shoulder. He was kneeling on his knee, and he ''saw'' Yang Shin holding a bullet in his hand and sighed, "What a blunder."

    Then, he focused on his state of mind, concealed his intentions, and became indifferent to life and death. He ''looked'' through the scope, charged a bullet with lightning, and ced it inside the chamber before squeezing the trigger.

    ¡­

    Yang Shin did not even realize what happened. He sensed something and turned to look at his side. A bullet simr to the one he was holding flew through the void, and before he had the time to react, it prated his skull.

    The speed of the bullet was not something a normal hidden weapon could match. By the time he found out, the bullet was inside his skull. Yang Shin felt a great deal of pain, and he wanted to squeeze the bullet out of his skull, but a discharge of lightning energy directly turned it to mush.

    Yang Shin fell to the ground with disbelief in his eyes. Lin Kang was also watching everything from the side, and he was shocked as well. He could not understand why things went like this. Yang Shin was still talking to him just now. He turned around and found Shi Lang rushing over.

    The terran did not say anything and crushed Yang Shin''s skull to extract the bullet stuck inside. Lin Kang asked, "Ace, What is this?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is a secret method from my sect, Senior. I apologize, but if I divulge this secret, I will lose my life."

    He uttered nonsense without holding back. He nned to mize the rifles. If he were to give them out for free, where would his Asura Hall get the strength from? These things will go on to y a big role in the military as well.

    Lin Kang was surprised by what Shi Lang said and nodded, "I apologize. I did not think so much."

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang waved his hand and took the space ring from Yang Shin. He said, "Senior, you should keep this ring, and we will share the goodster?"

    Lin Kang was touched by this gesture of trust and nodded. Shi Lang sessfully diverted the topic before they left the ce to look for other Wang family guest elders and disciples to deal with.

    The battle had begun, and on the other hand, City Lord Qiling was meeting with the big families to rally them against Wang Family. Shi Lang and his people were working hard now, as the enemy was not only Wang Family but time itself. Wang''s family was not filled with fools. They will realize something is wrong, and the chances of fleeing or pulling a quick one on Shi Lang would be high.

 Chapter 649 Battle Begins.

    Chapter 649 Battle Begins.

    Lin Kang moved along with the Terran, and they located another group of Wang Family elders. There were four disciples and one Immortal King. Shi Lang used his rifle and sniped the knees of the four disciples while Lin Kang fought and dealt with the Immortal King.

    The three teams of two peoplemunicated through themunication jades. By the evening, they had managed to finish the task. However, the Wang Family had been alerted.

    The old Immortal King, Old Yin, had even sacrificed his life to kill one of the enemies. From the reports, Shi Lang found that the enemy used a forbidden technique and was about to kill them when Old Yin decisively charged at the man and exploded his core.

    It was a big loss on their side, and Shi Lang was sure that the Wang Family would take action. He told everyone to regroup near the Wang Family Mansion. The people were surprised, but he said, "Seniors, we do not have time to waste. If the Wang Family decides to run away, it will be difficult for us to hold them back. If the five of us buy some time, there is a chance for the City Lord and the rest of the big families to gather and join forces."

    The people thought and found that Shi Lang was right. During one of their raids, a disciple managed to pass the message of the attack back to the Wang Family mansion. It was highly likely that the family''s elders would take action.

    They all moved through the forest and quickly entered the city. The tension was evident in the air. The city guards were all alert. If they spot any suspicious activity, they will act quickly. The citizens sensed something was wrong, so the markets were vacant.

    Shi Lang and the others arrived in the alley opposite the Wang Family mansion, and the terran sensed a lot of movement. He sighed and said, "They are indeed moving. We should call the City Lord."

    The rest of the people narrowed their gazes, and Shi Lang said, "I can sense their movements inside and under the house. This a special skill I learned in a ruin."

    The seniors nodded. After all, this world was filled with many bizarre things they did not know about. Lin Kang took out a spirit jade from his space ring and crushed it.

    After a few minutes, City Lord Qiling appeared in front of the mansion. He had covered his body in a ck cloak. Shi Lang spoke to him with spiritmunication and called the man over.

    Shi Lang asked, "City Lord, what is the status of the big families?"

    City Lord Qiling said, "Two of them are on board, and thest one does not have experts in the city. Their patriarch is in seclusion."

    Shi Lang nodded, and City Lord Qiling was about to continue when five people appeared outside the alley. The City Lord made introductions, and what surprised the neers was that Shi Lang was the leader.

    Shi Lang did not waste time and said, "City Lord, we should ce an istion barrier around the house and call them out directly."

    City Lord Qiling nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Please delegate a legion of city guards to the south gate. The Wang Family is moving under the ground. They have a tunnel which travels to the southern direction."

    The people gazed at him oddly and could not understand what was happening. Lin Kang said, "City Lord, you better believe this kid. He is not as simple as he seems to be."

    The city lord looked at the others, and they nodded in approval. The former was forced to send guards to the southern gates. Then, all the experts expect Shi Lang spread around the Wang Family mansion, and the City Lord said in a sonorous tone, "Old Master Wang, it is about time youe out of your hole along with your people. Or do you wish me to copse this mansion with your people inside the tunnel?"

    Although it was just a threat, it worked. The Wang Family was pushed into a corner, and they were trying to run away to save their lives. They knew things would not be good once the City Lord acted.

    An old man appeared in the void above the Wang Family mansion. His back was hunched, and he had a long beard. Despite his weak, skinny skeleton, his eyes radiated the viciousness of a snake. He gazed at the City Lord and said, "City Lord Qiling, do you think it is yet your turn to bark at the Wang door?"

    City Lord Qiling smiled and said, "Old Wang, among us, who is the dog and who is not, you know well."

    Old Wang red at him but did not say anything. City Lord Wang said, "You have one chance to surrender with your entire family. After the investigation, we will let go of the innocent people. However, if you tried to run away, the punishment isplete rectification."

    Old Wang smiled and said, "You may not understand this, but those who dwell in the shadows always prepare for the sudden invasion of the light. I will not let you trample the dignity of my family."

    As he finished speaking, several people appeared behind him in the void. Eleven people faced City Lord Qiling, the head hunters, and the Sun and Ming family experts.

    The leader of the Sun family said, "Old man Wang, we have known each other for such a long time, yet you did something like this. What was it that pushed you to the dark side?"

    His voice was calm, and his face was solemn. Shi Lang, observing everything from the shadows, thought these old people were friends with each other in the past. Old man Wang said, "Sun Xiang, do you not know what pushed me to the dark side? All my life, I have been trying to achieve the realm of an emperor, and the only way out for me was to lean to the dark side. After all, I do not have much time left to live."

    Old Sun opened his eyes wide, as did the others, as they watched the old man release the Immortal Emperor realm pressure. They knew that Wang Xingdao, the son of Old Master Wang, was an Immortal Emperor, but this guy was also an Immortal Emperor, which put them in a bind.

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang raised his brow. He knew that something was definitely up with the Wang Family, but he did not expect them to put the card on the table so quickly. This meant only one thing. He said to the City lord and the rest, ''They are going for a death fight. You all must be careful, and they do not have anything to lose now. The only oue for them is death while hoping for someone from the dark side to rescue one of their children. Fight carefully, and do not take any baits.''

    That said, Shi Lang moved over to the roof of the building next to him. He found a rtively covered spot and took out his sniper rifle. He would fight face-to-face only when the situation was pushed to an extreme where he had no other choices.

    He aimed the gun at the Wang Family elder. This person stood at the end of the formation. Old Master Wang said, "Sun Xiang,e let me show you the strength of an emperor."

    As he said, the old master was ready to move when he heard a cry from the side, "Wang Shidong!!!"

    Shi Lang had taken a shot, and he killed Wang Shidong unannounced. The cry of the Wang Family experts made them all pause, and the terran said, "Go, attack them. Senior Lin helps Old Man Sun to deal with Old Man Wang. City Lord Qiling will take on Patriarch Wang."

    Surprised by this sudden change, the people moved quickly, and the battle began. Lin Kang teamed up with Elder Sun Xiang, and they managed to hold off the advances from the old master. On the other side, the battle entered aplete stalemate.

    Shi Lang kept his rifle aimed at the scene. The aftershock of the spirit attacks would not allow his bullets to reach the target. Suddenly, he noticed an expert from the Sun Family fighting with a member of the Wang Family.

    He said, ''Senior Sun Qiang, please open up some distance and do not attack this guy back.''

    Sun Qiang was confused, but he was also aware that the young man was not simple, and he did as told. Yes, his mind was filled with doubt, but he still did it.

    Shi Lang had already aimed at the enemy, and he squeezed the trigger. The bullet was shot, charged with lightning energy, and the bullet flew with the speed of sound. However, Shi Lang had engraved spirit arrays on the rifle, and theypletely canceled the sound.

    The expert of the Wang Family fell, and the scale tilted. Old Master Wang suddenly roared, "Bastard!! I will kill you!!!"

    With a roar, the old master charged at Shi Lang.

 Chapter 650 Emperor On Knees.

    Chapter 650 Emperor On Knees.

    Shi Lang watched the old man charging at him. He was sure that this guy had superior speed and superior fighting skills. He did not waste time and mumbled, "Shura domain, lightning domain."

    The two quasi-domain skills ovepped each other, and Old Master Wang was stunned by a send. Although the effect of these boundaries was limited, it still managed to slow him down by a notch. He was surprised to see such a method. However, this disy of skills made him even more adamant about his thought of killing Shi Lang.

    The terran would not wait for this old man toe over and kill him. Shi Lang jumped off from his spot, and the next second instead of retreating, he rushed toward Old Master Wang.

    The people could not see anything inside the boundaries, although all of them had domains of their own, their domains were condensed of Spirit energy, and they were mostly invisible. Shi Lang''s domain, on the other hand, blocked the sightpletely. They were shocked because Shi Lang did not run away. Instead, he took the initiative.

    Old Master Wang said, "Kid, do you think this gimmick can stop me?"

    Shi Lang did not bother to reply to the old man. He moved forward quickly to lessen the gap between the two of them. He raised his gaze to look at the old man and said, "You will see what I have for you, Old Man."

    Old Wang sneered and raised his hand to catch a grip on Shi Lang''s neck. His eyes shed with a glimmer of blue. The next moment, the hand reaching towards him froze in the next moment. The next moment, he took hold of his spear. Shi Lang knew that he could not kill the old man, but he needed to make a critical attack on him.

    Shi Lang concentrated his spirit energy on the spear''s tip and let out a soft roar, "Lighting Dragon Dance."

    The attack manipted the spiritual energy behind him, and gradually, it all formed into a dragon. The more spiritual energy Shi Lang concentrated on this attack, the more life-like the dragon became.

    Shi Lang did not move forward with the attack but condensed it as much as possible. The reason was simple. He wanted to wait till the old man broke out of the illusion. This way, he would be able to get in a strong attack and leave Old Wang with a deep injury.

    This way, the City Lord will be able to kill this guy. Even if the City Lord could not kill Old Man, the others, Old Man Sun Xiang and Lin Kang, might be able toe over and deal with them.

    Shi Lang waited for a few moments before Old Man Wang finally woke up. He had just fought with the spiritual illusion, and he was very angry. He woke up and found a lightning dragon staring back at him. He was enraged and said, "Bastard! Die! The world bows to the emperor!!"

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang was waiting for this moment. Old Man Wang used the skill, and he concentrated his attack. The terran smiled and said, "Old Man, thank you."

    As he finished speaking, the dragon behind him charged at Old Man Wang, who was amidst gathering his spiritual energy to counter. The reason behind this was to do as much damage as possible. Old Man Wang was filled with spiritual energy. If he could not provide his energy a release point, then the damage would leave him in tatters.

    Shi Lang watched as the Lightning dragon flew through the void and headed straight to the Old Man. Thetter wasmitted too deep into the attack to pull back. He braced himself for the impact. He was not a fool. He knew this young man was not simple, and he deliberately attacked him with this set of moves.

    The lightning dragon collided with his body, pouring inside every cell. Old Man Wang let out a wail filled with pain. The aftermath of the attack sent Old Man Wang flying out of the boundary and directly into the walls of the mansion. The terran heaved a sigh of relief. He did not care if the battle around him had ceased.

    He said with spiritualmunication, "What are you all stunned for? Kill them all."

    The people from his side woke up from the daze and attacked the enemies. Patriarch Wang shouted, "Father!!!"

    Shi Lang did not care about the person and aimed at the weakest Wang Family expert with his rifle. He did not wish to waste any more time. Sun Xiang and Ling Kang were going to deal with other people when Shi Lang said, ''Old Master Wang is still alive. You need to hold him back till City Lord Qiling can kill Patriarch Wang.''

    Lin Kang and Sun Xiang exchanged gazes, and they nodded. Old Man Wang was a formidable enemy. Shi Lang did not care how these older people would deal with this guy. He had done more than enough. If they failed to take down a wounded old man, then it was better that they died.

    Shi Lang may seem verypassionate towards his people, but he was not known for dragging crippled baggage. His name as the Asura in the federal army was not just for show.

    He aimed at the target and fired a shot. In tandem, City Lord Qiling said, "Patriarch Wang, I have heard enough of you. Please die."

    He raised his sword and said, "Vanquishing sword art, seventh move."

    His sword shimmed with a silver glow, and the next moment, a spirit sword de formed in the void and shed at Patriarch Wang. The attack did not seem to be very strong, but Patriarch Wang was left stunned. He seemed to have frozen in the moment. He watched as the attack pierced through his dantian.

    Shi Lang watched this and was surprised. An elder from the side said, "I did not think City Lord Qiling would use such a method. This is the fabled time sword?"

    The terran was surprised by the word. He did not expect this city lord to be so awesome that he learned the Time Dao Laws. The second long flinch made turned the patriarch into a cripple directly. This guy did not have a single chance to defend himself. The Patriarch was the backbone of the Wang Family attack.

    First, Old Man Wang, and now the Patriarch himself. They could not help but waver in their decision to fight to the death. However, by now, the City Lord had made up his mind of killing the Wang family and rectifying the ws from the roots.

    He raised his sword and was about to attack when Shi Lang shouted, "Damn it, City Lord is stealing the rewards."

    The people gazed at him in surprise, and then they saw something that shook the cores of their souls. Shi Lang raised his rifle and channeled spirit energy in the magazine directly, and began to shoot the Wang Family experts. The bullets flew through the void. They moved at blinding speeds, and the targeted people dodged.

    However, Shi Lang was a demon with a thousand brains. He attacked spiritual energy threads with the bullets. The threads moved, and the trajectory shifted. The Wang family experts did not know how these projectiles followed them. However, they could not dodge them. The bullets left them wounded. One of them died as he was too close to Shi Lang.

    The City Lord shook his head and stroked his sword to kill the leftover people. Shi Lang watched the people die and fall from the void to the ground. Old Man Wang watched this happening in front of him, and he was enraged. He wailed, "No!!!"

    City Lord Qiling appeared before him and said, "Old Man Wang, why did you not listen to me when I asked you to surrender? Do you regret your actions now?"

    Old Man Wang gazed at him with an enraged gaze, blood channeled in his eyes, and he said, "City Lord Qiling, you will pay for what you have done."

    The City Lord smiled and said, "I shall wait for what is toe my way, but you should also pay what hase your way. Please be on your way."

    He shed his sword and killed Old Man Wang with ease. After he was finished doing so, he turned to look at Shi Lang and asked, "Brat, what was it that you were saying just now?"

    Shi Lang smiled and chuckled, "Hahaha, I was joking with you, City Lord."

    The rest of the people saw him acting gaffe and erupted inughter. Shi Lang said, "Now if you all do not mind, I would like to go and rest. I also have to prepare meals for my disciples. She is a little foodie and gets hungry at this time."

    City Lord Qiling nodded and said, "You can go ahead and rest. I will have the city guard round up the other suspects. You do not have to worry."

    Shi Lang nodded and then moved back to the city pce. He did not look like the martial expert who bought an Immortal Emperor to his knees.

 Chapter 651 Exchanging The Rewards & Sending A Gift.

    Chapter 651 Exchanging The Rewards & Sending A Gift.

    Shi Lang returned to the city pce and moved to the room where Yu Xiedi was residing. He did not have any scruples about the City Lordpleting his task; Shi Lang had finished dealing with the things on his end, and that was it. He was in the clear.

    He knocked on the door, and Yu Xiedi opened it from the inside after a few minutes. Shi Lang smiled and asked gently, "What were you doing, Xiao Yu?"

    Yu Xiedi stood at the side, allowing him to enter, and said, "I was waiting for you, Master."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Why were you waiting for me?"

    Yu Xiedi said, "Master while meditating, I sensed a warm current enveloping me. I wondered what it may be, so I did not move any further with practice. I thought of asking you when youe back."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Give me your hand."

    Yu Xiedi came next to him and stretched her hand for him to check. Shi Lang ced his fingers on her fair, skinny wrist. He checked the situation of her body with his spiritual sense, and after a while, he smiled. Yu Xiedi cast him an interrogative look, and the terran replied, "Xiao Yu, it is time that you start cultivating spiritual energy and use it to temper your body."

    Yu Xiedi was surprised, and she asked, "Master, are you joking with me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Why will I joke with you, my little darling?"

    As he spoke, he poked the tip of her nose. Yu Xiedi was dazed, and she clenched her fists. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and watched her surge of emotions. He was not sure what this girl was thinking about. He was prepared to intervene if she went down the dark path of venting her hatred toward the Thorn Bandit chief.

    However, his worries were unfounded. The girl took a deep breath and said, "I will fight those who bully others. They will suffer a fate that will make anyone with the same thoughts shiver."

    Shi Lang raised his eyes and said, "Kiddo, this will be tough for you to move ahead. Are you sure you wish to be like this? Let me make it clear. Helping someone may not bring you blessings all the time. It can also cause you to be a viin for the world."

    Yu Xiedi fell silent, and after a few minutes, she raised her head to match his gaze and said, "I do not care about the word. As long as my heart is clean, I will continue going down this path."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, aren''t you a natural?"

    Then he taught her his cultivation sutra, the Shura Sutra. He did not hold back anything, but to ensure she did not overreach, he ced seals in her mind. He said, "You will only find the next level of the sutra when you have reached the peak of thest one. It is necessary so that your knowledge does not get sidetracked or damage your foundation."

    Yu Xiedi nodded, and Shi Lang said, "I have also imparted to you my understanding of martial skills. From now on, you will follow behind me and learn to fight spirit beasts. Okay?"

    Yu Xiedi nodded without any hesitation in her eyes. She was ready to go and fight the beasts because she knew how hard Shi Lang worked and how he fought with people. She wanted to be strong like him. In her life, which was dreaded with fear and abuse, Shi Lang was a Sun. He changed his life, treated her with love, and made her feel like a human who can have dreams and excel at them.

    Shi Lang took her out of the room and found something to eat. Then he found that the City Lord hade back. The man was distributing rewards to the people. Shi Lang was invited to receive his rewards. The terran walked over to the main hall with Yu Xeidi in tow.

    The little girl was eager to know what reward Shi Lang might receive and had a spring in her step. She did not know much, and that was why she wished to find out more and learn more about the world. Shi Lang had a faint smile on his lips as he watched the youngdy follow him like a tail.

    Soon, they came to the main hall. Shi Lang met Lin Kanging out. The two exchanged pleasantries before Lin Kang said, "Brother Ace, let us meet again if fate permits."

    Shi Lang returned the gesture and bade him farewell. The head-hunters would travel all over the central ins to finish the tasks. The dark undercurrents were always present, and their task was to counter such dark tides constantly. Shi Lang walked inside the main hall and found the City Lord sorting out a few boxes. He gathered these boxes to store his reward from the task.

    City Lord Qiling noticed Shi Lang and said, "Young Friend Shi Lang, I was waiting for you toe over."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "City Lord, what can I do for you?"

    City Lord Qiling smiled and replied, "You have already done much for us. Now, I must return the favor."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Among the rewards, I know you have prepared some Ice Elemental Spiritual treasures."

    City Lord Qiling nodded and replied, "Yes, why? Do you not want them?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Of course I do. However, I want to exchange these treasures for a few things."

    City Lord Qiling was surprised but nodded. After all, not everyone had the same need. He asked, "Tell me what do you need?"

    Shi Lang said, "I would like to exchange two of these four rewards for one Lightning elemental treasure. It does not need to be an armament or spirit artifact, but I need a treasure to help me increase my cultivation level. One of the two remaining should be exchanged for an equivalent amount of basic cultivation resources, such as body tempering pills and other things."

    City Lord Qiling was prepared, but his words still surprised him. They did not know much, but looking at Yu Xiedi besides Shi Lang, the City Lord understood what was happening. He thought momentarily and asked, "What do you want to ask for thest remaining?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I would like to send it as a gift for a disciple of the War Maiden Sect."

    City Lord Qiling furrowed his brows and said, "The war maiden sect? Are they not closed off from the world?"

    Shi Lang asked, "Is something wrong?"

    The middle-aged man replied, "Yes, the sect mistress has entered a cultivation retreat. She is charging at the Immortal Sovereign realm."

    Shi Lang thought briefly and said, "Forget it then. I will make the arrangements on my own."

    City Lord Qiling nodded and handed one box to Shi Lang, and he said, "You might have to wait for a bit longer. I will need some time to arrange all these things."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will take Xiao Yu out for training. The wild is the best ce for a warrior to get stronger. I will return in a few days."

    City Lord Qiling was shocked. He could not understand why this young man would bring a child out in the wild. However, noticing the cold eyes of the youngdy, he could not fathom their depth.

    Shi Lang nodded, took one of the boxes, and left the ce with Yu Xiedi. The little girl walked beside Shi Lang briskly. Once outside the City Pce, he asked, "Master, why did you take this one box?"

    She was smart enough to understand that the lightning spiritual treasure was for himself, while the basic resources were for her. She wanted to know why he saved this box. Whom did he want to send it to?

    The terran replied, "I intend to send it to your mistress."

    Yu Xiedi was surprised and opened her eyes wide. She asked, "I have a mistress?"

    Shi Lang smiled, and Yu Xiedi asked, "Can I meet her?"

    The terran nodded and said, "I will take you to see her soon. Do not worry."

    Yu Xiedi nodded and asked a few more questions about Amelia. Shi Lang replied to the ones he could and avoided the ones he found sensitive. They came to the Moon Night Diner, and Shi Lang came to the big dipper room. He ced a task with an iron-level head hunter. He posted a reward and handed it to the Head Hunter Organization to handle.

    They would pass on the reward when the task waspleted. At the same time, he got his silver te upgraded with the status of two taskspleted. Shi Lang also wrote a letter for Amelia and ced it inside the space ring with a few treasures in his possession.

    He did not leave any imprint on the ring because the people of the head hunter organization were trustworthy. After he settled the affairs, Shi Lang said, "Come, Xie''er, we are going to fight some bad guys."

    Xiao Yu was surprised by his affectionate address and smiled with her head bowed. Shi Lang held her hand and led her outside the cities.

 Chapter 652 Tycoon.

    Chapter 652 Tycoon.

    Shi Lang moved through the forest with the little girl in tow. The mission he received this time was to track a fugitive. This guy was at the peak of the immortal Emperor realm, and his task would finish when he was done tracking this guy. The rest would be left to the higher-level hunter.

    Shi Lang was not in a hurry to kill an Immortal Emperor and make a name for himself. This was not the way to do things. Even if he managed to harm the Immortal Emperor, he would not be able to kill him. The terran was more interested in letting his disciple fight with some low-level beasts.

    When they entered the forests, Shi Lang spotted an Emerald sparkle rabbit. This thing looked very docile, and it may not have any presence in the hierarchy of the forest. However, it was a good enough training partner for Yu Xiedi.

    He cast a gaze at the beast and was taken aback. Usually, this thing would note out of the burrow until it was the peak of the daybreak. At that time, most of the predators would return to their hideouts. Shi Langpared the creature against the record in the beastpendium and found that this creature was pretty young. The adults of this species were as big as a dog, and their speeds could evade the sense of even an immortal general.

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and the spirit energy around the rabbit fluctuated and bound the creature from evading. He said, "Xiao Yu, look there."

    Yu Xiedi followed the direction of her master and found the rabbit shivering beside the bushes. The rabbit had an emerald coat, but the fur tips emitted a shimmering sparkle. She found the little thing very adorable and asked, "Master, what is that?"

    Shi Lang replied with a dotting smile, "That is an Emerald Sparkle Rabbit. It is an inferior-grade herbivorous spirit beast. However, the highest it can reach is a Beast general realm. It has a decent speed among its peers. It can make a Beast General predator run for its money."

    Yu Xiedi nodded calmly, but the sparkle in her eyes could not be hidden from Shi Lang. Shi Lang smiled and said, "This guy is your gift. I will leave you to tame it and train with it. When you can catch this guy, I will teach you other martial arts."

    Yu Xiedi asked, "Master, how should I catch this guy?"

    Shi Lang replied, "That is a task for you to figure out, my dear. The first challenge you face is to run as much as this guy can. You do not have nearly enough stamina, so you will not have as much strength as this guy. How can you catch it? Come practice breathing and run the spirit energy ording to the Shura Sutra I have imparted you."

    Yu Xiedi nodded and asked, "What about the rabbit?"

    Shi Lang waved his finger, and the rabbit flew from beside the bushes andnded before Yu Xiedi. The rabbit may be small, but it knew that Yu Xiedi was not particrly strong, so it bared its bucktooth at her. However, this was not nearly enough for Yu Xiedi to feel scared.

    The youngdy grabbed the rabbit from the back of its neck. She held it in her arms. She was unafraid of this beast attacking her because Shi Lang had cast a barrier on this little thing. Yu Xiedi patted the back of the rabbit gently and asked, "Master, do you know how I can tame this guy?"

    Shi Lang nodded and told her the procedure. Yu Xiedi said, "Then, how will this guy obey me?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Do not worry, I will make a temporary spiritual pet bond with this guy. When you can cultivate your spiritual energy, I will dissolve the bond and take this guy back."

    Yu Xeidi nodded. She did not mind, and from these days of learning, she understood that Shi Lang''s spiritual presence would be able to deter this guy with ease. Shi Lang procured a drop of blood on the tip of his finger and flicked it at the forehead of the spirit beast.

    The drop of blood on the forehead culminated in Shi Lang''s intent. How could the little rabbit deny or break free from this pressure? He gave into the spiritual pet bond with ease. The intelligence of the little guy was slightly higher than that of a toddler, and Shi Lang said, "You only have one task: y tag with Xiao Yu. Do not worry. I will not treat you badly."

    After the beast settled, Shi Lang told Yu Xiedi about the arrangement, and the little girl ced the rabbit on the ground. This little guy was not only fast, but he also had a great knack for tracking. Shi Lang told the little guy to move slowly and look for the traces of another human in the forest.

    The beast nodded and dashed around them in a circle before it ran in a particr direction. Shi Lang walked slowly, but Yu Xiedi chased after the rabbit. This was her way of training. She would run after the rabbit while carefully running the Shura Sutra to refine her body.

    Shi Lang spent three days in the forest looking for traces of another human, but he did not find anything. All the leads would turn into a dead end or lead him to someone he was not looking for. He was not in a hurry.

    ...

    On the other side, ady dressed in light armor stood before the entrance of the War Maiden sect. A guard looked at her coldly and said, "The sect is closed. You are not allowed to go inside."

    Thedy nodded and replied, "I am not here to enter the sect. I am here to deliver a message to one of the disciples in the sect."

    The guard softened her intent and said, "You can hand it over to me and leave."

    Thedy nodded and took out a letter and a space ring to the guard. She said while handing over the ring to the guard, "You better not pire inside the space ring. The array formation on the articles inside could not be opened by someone who does not know about them. They will take away at least one of your immortal emperors if you try to use force."

    The guard was surprised, but she did not doubt thedy after all. She was a head hunter, and they were known to use such means. She asked, "Whom should I give this ring to?"

    The head hunterdy thought and said, "Disciple Amelia."

    The guard was surprised and said, "This is the second messageing for her."

    The head hunter said, "If you do not mind, please hand things to her soon. I need to bring along proof that she has epted this task."

    The guard remarked, "To think people could be this thorough."

    Then she called a servicing disciple and told her to bring the space ring to Disciple Amelia. The disciple nodded and rushed away at a quick pace. In the past few days, they held an internalpetition. The sect elders even called back the disciples who had gone out to gain experience.

    Everything happened in the short term, and it happened quickly. Amelia was put through the motions. The people did not agree to let this unknown woman lead her. The conflict was limited to the younger generation only. The elders did not stop them and left it for Amelia to handle.

    The youngdy took a simple approach. She stood on a tform and defended her im against all the challenges. The younger generation said that the girl was arrogant. Amelia was no less ruthless than Shi Lang. She broke the tactics with brutal strength. The people were forced to submit to her might. They did not have any other option left.

    They had their honor and their pride. They could not say anything that would make their stature look short. Amelia was not overbearing either, and she just let them do what they usually did. Yu Ying was in her favor because, over the days, she had been sparing with the youngdy, and she knew that Amelia was not an easy opponent.

    The battle prowess disyed by the youngdy was too high, and her battle sense was even greater. At this moment, she was handling a few things rted to the sect. Yu Ying was her second inmand.

    Suddenly, a servicing disciple rushed to the main hall and said, "I have a message for Young Mistress."

    The guard was in doubt when Yu Ying said, "Let her in."

    The guard disciples obeyed her, and they moved to the side. The servicing disciple rushed in and gave the space ring to Yu Ying. She said, "Senior sister, a head hunter is waiting outside to collect a reply."

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Yu Ying nodded and collected the ring. She then bought it to Amelia, who was reading some parchment. Yu Ying said, "Amelia, your message."

    Amelia was surprised and looked at the space ring. The elder beside her checked the ring and said, "It is safe."

    Amelia took the ring quickly and looked inside to check the content. She took out a few things and then read the letter. Yu Ying opened the small bottle out of curiosity and said, "What is this liquid?"

    She showed the content to the elder, who eximed, "Yu Ying, close the bottle quickly."

    Yu Ying was shocked as she watched the olddy create a barrier around the main hall. She asked, "Amelia, what did you receive?"

    Amelia said, "My husband sent me a gift. Elder, is everything okay?"

    The elder took a deep breath and said, "Young Mistress, your husband is a tycoon."

    When she exined the liquid in detail, Amelia smiled and said, "He is not a tycoon. He puts the people he cares about above him."

 Chapter 653 Mind Game.

    Chapter 653 Mind Game.

    The Elder told the girls about what the content inside the bottle was; she said, "Do you know that one drop of liquid spirit is sold of hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones? I have seen Immortal Sovereign-level alchemists going crazy for it. One drop can help increase the grade of a medium-level pill to the top level, and ten drops can raise a top-level pill to a supreme grade."

    Yu Ying raised her brows and eximed, "Elder, are you exaggerating?"

    The olddy sighed and said, "I wish I could be, but this is a fact. You can take this bottle to Sister Kami, and she will tell you if I am telling you the truth or not."

    Amelia was stunned. She was not clueless about the way things worked in the immortal in anymore. The Elder continued, "If you add ten drops of this bottle into a medicated bath, it will increase the efficiency of the bath by a hundredfold. This liquid is the best remedy to clear the blocked meridians or make them stronger."

    The benefit of refining strong meridians was endurance and capacity. The endurance to handle a higher spiritual cirction and capacity meant holding more spirit energy inside them.

    Shi Lang had given her a wonderful gift, and Amelia was very touched by this. The Elder said, "Before you open the next box, finish reading the letter and respond to the head hunter. She must be on the clock to finish this task."

    Amelia nodded and took out the letter from the space ring. It was written in the same old Morse code. This time, Shi Lang passed on a rifle design and told her about the Asura Hall. He asked her to see if the two forces can work together. He also told her about his n to make amunicator.

    The big news that surprised Amelia was Shi Lang epting a disciple, how she was rescued, and what future he envisioned for her. In the end, he gave her the sweet words of love.

    She took a piece of parchment and wrote down her message. Then, after neatly folding it, she handed it to Yu Ying. Thetter rushed out of the main hall and passed the letter to the servicing disciple.

    The head hunter waited patiently, and only when she received a reply did she leave. Inside the sect, Amelia became a sensation. She distributed a few drops of liquids to all the elders. None of them expected her to be so generous.

    Amelia mentioned the Asura Hall. She did not tell anyone about the rifle because she was not clear if these people were worthy enough to hold such a weapon.

    ...

    On the other hand, Shi Lang was training Yu Xiedi inside the forest, and he was making her chase after the rabbit with all the strength she had. The girl would get tired, and she would rest and then get up again. The terran did not control the pace of her training. He patiently watched her improve on her own.

    The reason behind this freedom was her immature physique. Shi Lang could not put her through devilish pressure. She needed to find her limits on her own and explore them even more.

    At this stage, Shi Lang could not help her with anything other than herprehensive doubts about the technique. He could not improve her body with a wave of his hand. Shi Lang watched her run around, but he had not forgotten his task. He was checking every nook and cranny to locate the fugitive Immortal Emperor.

    He did not tell Yu Xiedi about his task because he was afraid. If the girl said anything out of her innocence, it would spell disaster for them. Shi Lang did not wish to see that happen.

    It has been four days since he has been looking for humans. He had yet to find the one he was looking for. Anyhow, he had been consistent with his story. If he came across someone, he would say, ''I am here with my disciple to train.''

    Also, he would exchange petty gifts with them as a show of goodwill. During these four days, he had not killed anyone. He was not a bloodthirsty demon. He did not wish for Yu Xiedi to see the gore unnecessarily.

    At this moment, they were resting, and Yu Xiedi held the Emerald Sparkle Rabbit. Shi Lang constantly used his sensory ability, and his spirit sense was spread around, too. Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching, but he did not react. The uninvited guest was a human. His movements were slow, but they were superbly concealed. If not for the sensory ability, Shi Lang could not have detected this person''s approach with his spiritual senses alone.

    The person close to them and the rabbit reacted. Beasts had a better perceptiveness. It did not matter if they were of an inferior realm. They all had their ranges of perception.

    The startled rabbit woke up Yu Xiedi. Shi Lang also ''woke up'' and said, "Who''s there?"

    He stood up and heard a gentle chuckle. He looked and found an old man. This person looked very amiable and gentle. Shi Lang sighed and asked, "I apologize for the rudeness, Senior."

    The old man smiled and waved his hand. He said, "It is not easy toe across a young man who could react this fast."

    Putting up the aura of a dignified senior, the old man drew close to Shi Lang. He asked, "What brings you here in the wild, and that too with a child?"

    Shi Lang ced his hand on Yu Xiedi''s head and said, "The youngdy is going to participate in the family gathering, and it is about time she learned something. So the elders sent me to guide her."

    The old man was surprised, and he did not expect the two of them to have a family behind them. He did not show anything on his face and asked, "A youngdy, I wonder which family would go to such lengths to train young talents."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Our family head has ced a seal on us. We cannot use the family name outside. He forbade special treatment for any of the young talents."

    The old man narrowed his gaze slightly. He was sure that it was a big family that did not like to interact much with the world. He wondered if he could take advantage of this young girl when Shi Lang disrupted his thoughts, "Senior, are you here to investigate the uing red moon?"

    The pupils of the old man constricted, and he asked, "What do you know about it?"

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang replied with a faint smile, "I am just a puny Immortal General. A few days ago, His Highness Tian Long came to our home and asked us to lend forces in containing the berserk spiritual beasts."

    The old man was in disbelief. He did not expect these people to have a connection with Immortal Sovereign. His heart was filled with doubts, and at this moment, Shi Lang said, "Senior, thank you for your hard work. Please ept this natural treasure. I can see you. are injured."

    The old man was surprised. He saw Shi Lang holding a jade bottle. His spiritual senses checked the content and found it a peak medium-grade healing pill. Although it might not have much effect on him, it was still better than anything. He asked, "Why do you offer me a gift? We do not know each other."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, Elder, I have learned in the past that pleasing a senior is not a bad thing."

    His expressions were bashful,pletely different from the Shura who killed without batting an eyelid. Yu Xiedi did not say anything, and she had learned that Shi Lang would put up a humble act most of the time. This allowed him to get by without much trouble. When he faced some trouble that could not be solved by wit, only then he would exercise his strength.

    The old man watched Shi Lang for a prolonged moment. Shi Lang slowly stopped smiling and asked, "Senior, is something wrong?"

    The old man woke up from his thoughts, and he had been trying to see through the young man before him. However, when he found nothing suspicious, he smiled and epted the pill bottle.

    Shi Lang bowed slightly and said, "Elder, I will leave now. The gathering will start tomorrow."

    The old man nodded and watched Shi Lang and Yu Xiedi walk away slowly. Shi Lang did not dare to act doubtful. He was not sure if the Immortal Emperor would kill him for this. After he left the forest, he hurried back to the Moon Night Diner with Yu Xiedi in his arms. He was not sure if the n would work or not, but he needed to report, and his work would be finished.

    Shi Lang came to the big dipper room and found the young man behind the counter. He said, "I found the old man you guys are looking for. I gave him a medium-level healing pill, which also contained a speck of Shadow Scorpion w powder. That can be tracked. The eastern part of the forest, near the pond. That is where that guy is."

    The young man nodded and said, "It will take us a few days to verify the situation ording to your ount."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will stay at the city pce."

 Chapter 654 Family?

    Chapter 654 Family?

    Shi Lang finished reporting the things he had discovered about the old man to the Head-hunter operative and left for the city Lord Pce. He needed a ce to stay, and Yu Xiedi could use a silent atmosphere to practice the basic level of body refinement. Although his growth in the forest has been remarkable, Shi Lang still preferred a bnced manner of things.

    There was another thing that he needed to do inside the city lord''s Pce, and that was to collect the rewards he had exchanged. It was crucial for the growth of the master and disciple pair.

    It just so happens that after how he led the mission against the Wang House, the city lord had be overly curious about the Terran. In a nutshell, the City Lord wanted to learn the tactics and the various methods that Shi Lang used to predict and tackle the enemy.

    Yes, City Lord Qiling had taken notice of how Shi Lang alerted them about the Wang Family having a trump card that they did not know about and how they might fall into a disadvantageous situation if caught unprepared. However, the alert itself was not a big contribution. However, the way Shi Lang issuedmands spontaneously and his sudden attack to take down several Wang Family experts made this incursion smooth.

    They did have some injuries, but nothing devastating. This time, City Lord Qiling came to the gate of the Pce to wee Shi Lang. The former smiled and asked, "Brother Ace, you took some time with training your disciple."

    Shi Lang patted the head of the little girl beside him and said, "Well, she is a hard-working one. I cannot help but have high hopes for her. City Lord, may I ask if the requested things are prepared?"

    The man nodded and replied, "They are ready to take whenever you wish, Brother Ace. Also, we could be called brothers-in-arms. You make it sound too distant by addressing me as City Lord. How about this? I am a decade older than you. Why not call me Uncle Yuwan?"

    Shi Lang was surprised by this sudden burst of affection. He was a cautious man and more than a scowl; he was cautious of an amiable smile. He thought, ''I did not expect this guy to be a scheming old fox, but well, he is an Immortal Emperor, while I am a weakling. Forget it.''

    The Terran smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Yuwan."

    City Lord Qiling smiled. It was such an exaggerated expression that Shi Lang shivered a bit. Yuwan led Shi Lang and Yu Xiedi inside the city pce, and he found out while talking that the girl needed a controlled environment to practice body refinement.

    He arranged a room near the garden. This way, she can practice with her bunny and cultivate in a silent ce. It was dinner time, and Yu Xiedi was gazing at Shi Lang with hunger in her eyes. The Terran smiled and said, "Do not look at me like that. We are guests at the City Lord''s residence. He had invited us for dinner earlier. Now, tell me what you want to wear?"

    Yu Xiedi had a spark run through her eyes, and she rushed to Shi Lang and said, "Red one."

    Shi Lang smiled and took out a red hanfu from his space ring. The girl took the dress behind a wooden partition and quickly changed into it. She rushed to Shi Lang and said, "Master, let''s go."

    Shi Lang could not help but chuckle at this girl. He poked her nose and said, "Xiao Yu, you are very adorable?"

    Yu Xiedi nodded and replied, "My mom used to say the same. Xiao Yu knows it well."

    Shi Lang smiled at her and held her hand as they left the room. They reached the dining hall under the guidance of a servant. Shi Lang found that the City Lord was not alone, but he had two children sitting at the table. Shi Lang did not expect City Lord Yuwan to have him dine with his family.

    Yuwan sensed his arrival and stood up to greet him. Shi Lang smiled and said, "I did not expect you to have kids at home too."

    Yuwan smiled and said, "They only returned from their uncle''s house in the evening. Come, let me introduce them. Yan''er, Jingjing,e here."

    The two kids looked at each other, and they stood up from the table and walked up to Yuwan. Thetter said, "These two are my grandchildren. Their father is posted at the front; they are now with their mother. She is cooking in the kitchen."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now that you have told me that their mother is cooking, I am missing my mother and her cooking, too."

    He gazed at the two kids. Yan''er was a girl, while Jingjing was a boy. Yan''er was taller than Jingjing by one head. Shi Lang smiled and squatted down to reach their eye level. He said, "Hmmm, so you two little guys have not started cultivating, have you?"

    The two kids shook their heads. Yuwan watched the two of them from the side and did not interrupt. Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, it is my first time meeting you; I wonder what I shall gift you with. Tell me, what do you like?"

    The kids first looked at each other and then at Yuwan. Only when the elder nodded did they speak. Yan''er said, "Uncle, Jingjing likes cotton candy."

    Jingjing was surprised at this, while Yan''er was blushing faintly. Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Jingjing, what does your sister like?"

    Jingjing said in a daze, "Sister says she likes to practice swords, but she always gives them to me and takes the candy away. She says that my teeth will rot."

    Shi Lang chuckled, and so did Yuwan. Yan''er pouted and smacked her brother on the shoulder, who ran to hide behind Yuwan.

    Shi Lang calmed down and said, "Well, I do not have any cotton candy on me, but I have a practice sword. If I give any of you a gift, then it will be unfair. Here, take these satchels."

    He took out two red satchels from his space ring. They contained some high-grade spirit stones, and Yuwan did not reject Shi Lang either. The purpose of this meal was to integrate Shi Lang into the family. He was very impressed by the skills this young man had disyed, and people love to ride on the coattails of a talented person.

    The children looked at their grandpa for permission. Yu Xiedi was also watching all this from the side. However, she did not feel envied because, as a child who longed for love and had been taught by Shi Lang, materialistic gifts had lost value in her eyes.

    Yuwan asked, "Ace,e, have a seat. Xiao Yu,e along."

    When she heard this, Yu Xiedi inched closer to Shi Lang and said, "Yu Xiedi."

    Shi Lang was surprised and sighed, ''Uncle Yuwan, I apologize, but Xiao Yu does not warm up to people quickly. She has a traumatic past. Please do not mind her.''

    He said this with spiritmunication because he noticed the City Lord was shocked. Even grown-ups do not correct him, let alone this child; it was an obvious reaction.

    Shi Lang stood up, and they all took seats around the table. Yuwan and Shi Lang began discussing the battle against the demonic cultivators when ady entered the dining hall with a row of servants in her tow.

    Yu Xiedi gazed at the woman in shock and said, "Mother!"

    The entire dining hall was echoing with silence. Shi Lang opened his eyes wide, but by the time he could react, Yu Xiedi had rushed off the table and stood before thedy. Shi Lang stood up quickly and asked, "Xiao Yu, why did you address her as your mother?"

    Yu Xiedi did not care about the question but gazed at the stunneddy before her. She could not sense any warmth or familiarity but endless doubt from those blue eyes. She looked at Shi Lang and said, "Master, thisdy looks like my mother, but her eyes are different."

    Shi Lang asked softly as he walked over to her, "What do you mean by that, my dear?"

    He crouched before the girl as thetter said, "My mother had ck eyes. They were deep and warm."

    Shi Lang nodded, raised his head to look at the stunneddy, and bowed slightly before saying, "I apologize for the misunderstanding. Xiao Yu is my disciple, Young Madam. Her mother is no more. Probably, your face matches herte mother, and that is why the child had such a reaction. I apologize. Please do not take offense to her words."

    The terran bowed, and thedy woke up. She had a faint blush of embarrassment on her face. After all, Shi was a cultivator and the host, losingposure before a guest and that too a child, how stupid of hers.

    She hurriedly shook her head and replied, "Do not think as such. How can I take offense from such a little girl, and she is so lovely as well."

    Shi Lang thanked her, and they went back to the dining table. Yu Xiedi was eating, but her usual excitement was missing. She would sneak a peek at thedy now and then. During the introduction, Shi Lang found that thedy was Yu Mingxue. Something clicked in his mind, and he gazed at his disciple.

    He raised his head and asked thedy with spiritualmunication, "Young Madam Yu, may I ask if you are familiar with the Northern Wind Sect?"

    Thedy raised her head and was shocked. Her reflex action caught the attention of the City Lord, too. Shi Lang told the old man what he had asked thedy. He stated that he wished for themunication to be a secret lest the result saddened Yu Xiedi.

    He had a hunch that Yu Mingxue and Yu Xiedi were rted, but how, he was not sure. He wanted to find out if his disciple was family with thisdy.

 Chapter 655 Family? (2).

    Chapter 655 Family? (2).

    Yu Mingxue was stunned by this question. It was not that she did not expect Shi Lang to say anything. She was thinking about why this little girl called her mother and why she said her eyes were different.

    Now that Shi Lang mentioned the Northern Wind Sect, she was startled and asked, ''How do you know about the Northern Wind Sect?''

    The terran was prepared for her reaction, and this confirmed his doubts even more. He sighed and replied, ''Xiao Yu''s full name is Yu Xiedi, and her mother was a cultivator of the Northern Wind Sect. She had epted a mission and then was captured by the bandit leader. Xiao Yu was born in their union. However, her mother taught her well, and Xiao Yu avenged her mother with my help.''

    Yu Mingxue''s eyes fluttered but quickly returned to normal. While serving her children food, she asked, ''Yes, I am familiar with the Northern Wind Sect. My father is an elder in the sect. Do you want me to find out about this child''s family so they can take her in?''

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and calmed his temper before he said, ''You do not have to think too much. I do not wish to send Xiao Yu away to a ce where people might not even consider her one of their own. I would only like the people of her family to know that she is alive and that the lineage of their junior did not end in the canyon. Yes, you might think that Xiao Yu is born from the union of a bandit and might sound like an illegitimate child, but I will nurture her into a prodigy that will shock the world, and when that happens, I hope that her family stays away like they intend to.''

    Yu Mingxue red at him, and she did not expect him toe back at her like this. He did not intend to let the child back into the family and even imed that he would turn her into a prodigy. She was not against Yu Xiedi meeting the family but knew little about Shi Lang.

    All Yuwan had told her was that this young man was a head hunter and a geniusmander. She had all the right reasons to suspect that Shi Lang could be a spy of the demonic side, or he could be using Yu Xiedi to squeeze the family behind her. However, this suspicion was unfounded, and her re softened.

    She said, ''Young Sir, I apologize for my behavior. It is not that I do not sympathize with the child. Neither do I wish to be an obstacle between reunions with her family. However, it has been eight years since my sect issued a mission, and till now, we have only been disappointed. I did not wish to face the same again.''

    Shi Lang was confused by thetter half of her statement. He asked, ''What do you mean? What task?''

    Yu Mingxue sighed and said, ''Seven years ago, a group of young female disciples left the sect for a mission to avenge a couple of our senior brothers and sisters. The enemy was none other than the swamp thorn bandits. However, we never heard back from them. My father is the elder who is responsible for Disciple Welfare. He discussed with the leaders, who posted a task in various organizations to find the disciples'' news.

    We received a few words initially, but they were all unfortunate. Then we gave up. My father has developed a knot in his heart and even stepped down from the position of welfare elder. Today, when you bought this child and asked me the questions, I lost self-control. I apologize.''

    Shi Lang shook his head lightly and asked, ''It is alright for you to do so. I can understand. Can you tell me if you can locate Xiao Yu''s family?''

    Yu Mingxue smiled faintly and said, ''My parents will being here in the morning. It is my son''s birthday. They will not miss it, and they will devise a way to recognize her.''

    Shi Lang nodded calmly, and he was not rushing to leave or force thedy. She had taken a step back upon confirming his intentions. He knew that she was caring for her family, the sect. It was only reasonable for her to do this.

    He nodded and said, ''It would not matter to wait till the morning.''

    Thedy nodded, and Yuwan said, ''I hope this child is reunited with her family.''

    Shi Lang nodded, and the people continued eating in silence. After dinner, Shi Lang took Yu Xiedi back to the guest room. He did not tell the girl to cheer up because, after all this while, he understood that Yu Xiedi woulde around the troubles she faced on her own.

    She was not weak and did not like hearing the honeyed words. Shi Lang felt bad about this but could not do anything else. He sat on the ground to cultivate when his gaze fell upon the Emerald Sparkle Rabbit. The terran thought about something and manipted the Inheritance pce entrance.

    A void tunnel formed before him, and Yu Xiedi turned to look at the dark circle with great curiosity. When she was about to ask what was happening, the rabbit beside her jumped up from the ground andnded right behind Shi Lang. Yu Xiedi was startled, but she did not sense anything.

    Shi Lang watched the lightning leopard stepping out of the void tunnel. He waved his hand, and the tunnel copsed. Shi Lang asked, "Lei Hu, I have a task for you. Also, can you rein in your aura? You do not wish me to send you back there, do you?"

    The intimidating beast king suddenly calmed down. Then, it bowed its head to Shi Lang. This was the act of submission towards the master. Yu Xiedi asked glowingly, "Master, you have such a big cat?"

    Shi Lang was stunned, and then he chuckled. Lei Hu red at Yu Xiedi and bared his fangs. However, the terran directly kicked his butt and rebuked, "Aren''t you acting a bit too pompous? That is my disciple. I will make a coat out of you, fool."

    The leopard growled in dissatisfaction. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Fine, you are a dignified beast king. Why do you have to be so touchy about a child? Do you not know that cats are more likable than boorish big beasts?"

    The leopard rubbed his face with its big paws. Shi Lang said, "Xiao Yu, this is not a big cat. He is Lei Hu, and he is a beast king. Although I am his master, this guy is equally strong as I am. He is a lightning leopard. This guy is still just a few years old, so you can call him Xiao Hu."

    .c¦Ïm Lei Hu was getting smug, thinking this human was giving him due respect, but the situation took a turn for worse. Shi Lang allowed this weak child to call him Xiao Hu. What did he mean by that? He was mocking the dignity of a beast king. He red at Shi Lang and wanted to roar when he immediately became alert and turned to look at the door.

    Shi Lang had already sensed the City Lord arriving. The pressure radiated from Lei Hu initially must have triggered him to respond. The terran waved his hand and opened the door. Yuwan was surprised but saw a big Leopard standing in a vignt stance beside Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang stood up and said, "Uncle Yuwan, I apologize for startling you. This is my spiritual beastpanion, Lie Hu."

    Yuwan sighed and said, "I wondered why a beast king appeared here. Haha, I was too anxious. Ace, carry on. I will take my leave."

    Shi Lang nodded and watched the old man leave the ce briskly. He closed the door and said, "Lei Hu, you will leave here and head to the War Maiden Sect. Your task is to stay beside your mistress and protect her from danger. Once you reach there, tell me. I will open the portal to bring her inside the Inheritance pce."

    Lei Hu was stunned to discover that he had a mistress. Then the beast recalled Yan Xue and nodded. Shi Lang did not know what was happening in the beast''s mind. After writing a brief message, he took a piece of parchment and gave it to Lei Hu. He told him how to act at the War Maiden sect if it did not wish to die. The Leopard understood the old humans were very scary, so he nodded. The experience in the Inheritance pce had left a great mark on him.

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and the Lightning Leopard dashed out the window. As long as this guy did not provoke any beast emperor or get caught by a Human expert, it will be safe on its way north.

    His strength was enough to help him survive the wild. Yu Xiedi was sad and Shi Lang said dotingly, "Xiao Yu, do not be upset, tomorrow, Master will bring you a bigger surprise."

    Yu Xiedi was confused and the night fleeted away.

 Chapter 656 Family? (3).

    Chapter 656 Family? (3).

    Yu Xiedi did not know how to react to Shi Lang when he said he would bring her more surprises. She only nodded and went back to meditate. Shi Lang had taken her mind off the constant thought of her mother at this moment. The terran was worried that the girl might develop some heart demon.

    Shi Lang also sat in the lotus position, and he took out the lightning resource that the City Lord had given him earlier. The terran wanted to be stronger. These past few days, he had been stimting battles in his mind and running the lightning shura sutra in his mind. The spiritual energy had peaked in all aspects, whether quality, quantity, or purity. An early Immortal Lord-level cultivator would not be able to top this.

    Even if the people met some heaven-defying chance, the destruction of lightning was too much for other elements to match. Shi Lang held the stone as big as a baby fist in his palm and began to refine it. The spiritual energy could not refine this stone very quickly.

    This fist-sized stone was called the Lightning essence stone. These stones were formed when an Immortal King faced their ascension tribtion. This stone was not rare, but it was not easily avable. The reason was the delicate nature of this stone.

    It had another name, the gentle ss stone. This stone could crumble when in strong contact with spiritual energy. This was why Shi Lang was using his spirit energy slowly. He could not afford the loss of such a pure treasure. This stone carried the essence of lightning.

    Once, this treasure was used for cultivation. The essence of lightning in this stone could improve the understanding of the element itself. Shi Lang needed to understand the deeper meanings of the lightning. The heavenly lightningprised five elemental essences and could destroy anything. The terran wanted to understand the power of destruction.

    Do not look at his humble and easy-going nature. He never gave up on his ambitions, even when he had no strength in the federation. Will he give up now when he has achieved a strength like never before?

    No chance. Shi Lang did not rush after sess. He chased perfection and skill. He did not mind being slow, but it had to be smooth. He gradually understood what the stone was doing for him, and the longer he cultivated, the stronger he would be. The essence from the stone entered his body, akin to a fuel spray in thebustion chamber.

    The purity of lightning was increasing with every passing moment, and the destructive force was increasing, too. The difference was negligible, but Shi Lang was persistent in his effort. The sun rose in the sky quickly, and Shi Lang woke up from his state of cultivation when he sensed someone calling for him.

    Yu Xiedi stood before him and said, "Master, they are calling for us."

    Shi Lang turned his focus to the door and found Yao''er and Jingjing standing outside the door. He nodded at them with a faint smile and said, "Let us go then, Xiao Yu. Also, tell me, did youb your hair?"

    Yu Xiedi shook her head and said, "Aunty Min helped me."

    Shi Lang was confused when the little girl pointed at the maid behind the two children. Min bowed slightly, and Shi Lang thanked her. Thedy said, "Sir, City Lord is calling for you and Young Miss Yu. He said the guests from the Northern Wind sect are here."

    The terran nodded and stood up from the ground. He ced the lighting essence stone back in his space ring and left the ce holding Yu Xiedi''s hand. He greeted the two children and asked, "Did you like the gift Uncle gavest night?"

    Yao''er nodded and said, "I liked it, Uncle Ace. You are a good person."

    Shi Lang smiled bitterly. This little girl was too cunning. The group moved along, and Yao''er and Jingjing talked a lot on the way. Shi Lang tried to get her into the group, but she did not feel any connection and stayed quiet all the time.

    When they reached the main hall, Shi Lang found an elderly couple sitting beside the City Lord. Yuwan was chatting with them casually, and at this moment, the children''s chatter attracted the elders'' attention.

    Yao''er and Jingjing rushed next to the older couple. Shi Lang also walked slowly, holding Yu Xiedi''s hand. The two elders looked at him and were confused. Yuwan stood up and said, "Good morning, Ace. Come over, let me introduce you to my rtives."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Yuwan said, "This is the young man I have been telling you about. Ace helped us tremendously in taking down the rogues."

    The two old people gazed at Shi Lang and nodded. Yuwan continued, "Ace, this is Master Yu Xian and his wife, Lady Han Kim."

    Shi Lang sped his fist and bowed, "Greetings, Seniors."

    The two people before him were all Immortal Emperors. The two elders nodded at him with a gentle smile. Yuwan said, "The little one beside him is Yu Xiedi. Ace''s disciple."

    The elders looked at the little girl. Shi Lang patted Yu Xiedi''s head and said, "Xiao Yu, greet the elders."

    Yu Xiedi looked at him and held her fist as she bowed and said, "I have seen the elders."

    The two elders nodded, and the olddy said, "Child, raise your head ande here. Let me look at you."

    Yu Xiedi raised her head and moved slightly closer to Shi Lang. The girl was not yet open to getting close to other people. Shi Lang gazed at Yuwan, crouched before Yu Xiedi, and said, "Xiao Yu, do not be so afraid."

    The girl was looking at his eyes but could not hide her fear. Shi Lang said, "I am here. Go ahead. Nothing will happen to you."

    His voice was soft while Shi Lang calmed the young girl''s heart. Yuwan was narrating the story of her background. The more they heard, the more solemn their expression grew. Of course, Yuwan was telling it to them with spiritmunication, but the olddy constantly gazed at Yu Xiedi.

    After hearing Shi Lang''s words, the girl nodded and slowly walked to Han Kim. Yu Mingxue arrived at this time, and she was watching things silently. She knew what this moment meant. If the child was whom she was thinking of, then there was a chance of her father''s demon-solvingpletely.

    Han Kim smiled at the girl standing before her and asked softly, "What is your name, little fairy?"

    Yu Xiedi replied in a low voice, "Yu Xiedi, elder."

    Her chin was straight, but her eyes were not locked with Han Kim. The olddy said, "Would you like to see something magical?"

    Yu Xiedi did not know how to reply when the olddy bought out a transparent crystal from her space ring and said, "Here, look at this crystal and tell me what do you see?"

 Chapter 657 Family Indeed.

    Chapter 657 Family Indeed.

    Shi Lang watched Han Kim hand over a transparent crystal in the hand of Yu Xiedi. Yu Mingxue''s voice sounded in his mind, "That is a blood crystal. The blood of my mother binds it. If the little girl is rted to us, the crystal will glow..."

    She had yet to finish it when the crystal started to glow with golden light. The people were shocked, and Shi Lang smiled. He did not know why but had a bittersweet feeling now that Yu Xiedi had discovered her family. He was happy that the girl found her family, but at the same time, he was afraid that the girl might go away from him.

    Han Kim had covered her mouth, and old man Yu was gazing at the crystal in a daze. Shi Lang said something to Yu Mingxue, and she hurriedly approached Yu Xiedi. She knew that the girl had a delicate mentality. She said, "Xiao Yu, why don''t you go and y outside with Yao''er and Jingjing? We have a lot of good ces in the garden."

    Yu Xiedi shook her head and said, "I want to go and train."

    Yu Mingxue was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "Yes, you can go, take Yao''er and Jingjing with you. They can train with you. Also, remember not to harm each other. Okay?"

    Yu Xiedi pursed her lips, but then she nodded. Yu Mingxue told her children to look after Yu Xiedi, and they left. The old people reacted instinctively and wanted to keep Yu Xiedi back, but Yu Mingxue said, "Father, Mother, wait."

    The two realized they had lostposure and took a deep breath to calm down. Yu Mingxue sighed and said, "You might have scared the child just now."

    The two elders nodded, and Yu Xian said, "Young friend Ace, tell us about your experience. Please."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is my intention, Senior."

    They sat around a table, and Shi Lang told them about his experience with the thorn bandits. He described the way these people stayed under the ground to avoid the spiritual sense of the experts.

    Han Kim said, "Young friend Ace, can you tell me more about Xiao Di?"

    Shi Lang understood that thedy had just given Yu Xiedi a nickname. He nodded and told her about the experiences of the little child in that god-forsaken ce. Yu Xian clenched his fists, and his eyes were turning red. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Senior, that man and all his people have died in the worst way possible. I did not leave anyone with a shred of demonic thought behind. Only Xiao Yu survived that array, so I guess it was a blessing."

    The old man nodded and stood up. He bowed to Shi Lang and said, "Young Friend, I am thankful for you to rescue my granddaughter. Do not worry, and we will take it from here. Thank you for bringing her to us."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and his gaze turned cold. Yuwan sensed this change, and he was shocked. He was not ming Shi Lang because Yu Xian had over-stepped his boundary. Yuwan had introduced Yu Xiedi to him as Shi Lang''s master. He said, ''Thank you for bringing her to them.'' What was that supposed to mean?

    He was not alone in this opinion. Yu Mingxue was surprised, too. At first, she did not think that Shi Lang would mind much, even if her father were wrong. He was a person with the cultivation of an Immortal Emperor. However, she was wrong, and Shi Lang did not hide his offended expression.

    Yu Xian also sensed this and raised his head. He frowned and said, "Could it be that I said anything wrong?"

    Shi Lang tilted his head,, looked the old man right in the eye,, and said, "You think just because you are older and had extra time to cultivate, whatever you spout from your mouth will be correct?"

    His tone was like a p across the old man''s face. Yu Xian released his Immortal Emperor-level pressure to suppress this bold young man. However, Shi Lang was not only ineffective. He also stood up from the chair with lightning covering his bodypletely.

    His aura was not losing out to that of an Immortal Emperor. He said, "You think I will do whatever you say just because I am an Immortal Lord? I live to defy the heavens, and I do not bow my head to anyone other than my parents."

    Yu Xian said grimly, "Then do you believe if I said that if you did not give in, I would capture you and kill your parents before your eyes."

    Shi Lang''s figure shed, and he appeared behind Yu Mingxue. His spear was already out, ced behind her heart, and her neck was gently held in his grip. He said in a cold voice, "Old man, if you are going to act like a senile fool, then before you can even kill me, I will kill your daughter right before your eyes. As for my parents, talk big when you have the power to traverse through realms to locate my parents."

    The three elders and Yu Mingxue were surprised when they heard this. Shi Lang did not care and said, "I am an ascender, and I follow the Sovereign Heavenly Dragon. You would suffer his rage if you dared to mess up with me. I wonder if you will be able to withstand that."

    Yu Xian snorted and retorted, "So what? We also have a sovereign in Nothern Wind Sect."

    Shi Lang smiled coldly and said, "Old man, do you think your sovereign will save you and go to war with Tian Long?"

    Yu Xian was stumped. He did not expect this young man to be so witty. Shi Lang said, "If Xiao Yu says she wants to stay with you, I will not object. However, this will not change the fact that I am still her master. If you tried to take my disciple from me, then one day I will kill you all."

    Yu Xian was about to retort when Yuwan said, "Ace, calm down. Do not act like this. I ept that Old Yu said something wrong, but that is just because he has reunited with his granddaughter."

    Yu Xian red at Yuwan, but at this time, even Han Kim stood up and said, "Young Friend Ace, I apologize to you on behalf of my husband."

    The people were shocked; they did not expect Han Kim to oppose her husband, but Shi Lang did not give up his guard. He said, "Senior, I have nothing against any of you. Please do not bow your head. However, I will not suffer this humiliation in silence. If he is that protective of his family, he should not have let them go to that hellhole alone. If only he could see the way life was treated in that ce. Forget it. If you wish to take Xiao Yu away, please ask the little girl and respect her wishes. That is what a family does, instead of imposing values."

 Chapter 658 Choice.

    Chapter 658 Choice.

    Shi Lang gazed at the olddy and asked, "Senior Han, how much of what you said do you mean? I am not saying that I do not believe you, but considering my position, there is a high chance that Old Yu might kill me the moment I let go of your daughter."

    Han Kim narrowed her gaze and took a deep breath, and she said, "Young Friend Ace, I understand your stance as well. The person you saved is my granddaughter. Despite her birth, she is a part of my family, and I do want to have her by my side and protect her. However, I know what my daughter would have wanted, too.

    You saved her, and you faced a formidable enemy in the process. It is only a coincidence that you havee across us. Otherwise, what were our chances of finding her before you took her to the sect? You have been protecting her all this time, and I can sense that when she looks at you, it is not as a disciple looking at their master but a child looking at a parent.

    Yu Xian may think you are weak, but I do not think that someone who can fight their way in the martial world and look after a child so patiently is a weak person. I am not speaking in the capacity of an Immortal Emperor but a mother. So, please believe me, I mean every syble of what I just said."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Senior, I respect you, and Senior Yu, I also respect you the same. I am not saying this half-heartedly. I can understand that you are trying to shelter that child with all that you have. However, I would like you to consider that she has already witnessed that vige''s dark side of humanity. Now, she needs more than protection: the skills to defend herself. If you think my strength is low, you may ask City Lord Yuwan if I am good enough to teach her."

    Yu Xian gazed at City Lord Yuwan, who nodded and said, "I can bear witness that Young Friend Ace yed three Immortal Kings, and he fended off against an Immortal Emperor. I can testify with a heavenly oath if you want to."

    Yu Xian, Han Kim, & Yu Mingxue could not believe their ears. Shi Lang was an Immortal Lord. How could he deal with an Immortal Emperor? This was unprecedented in what they understood about the cultivation world.

    Shi Lang said, "I told you all that I am an ascender, and I have a better foundation than you guys, so my spiritual energy is better in terms of purity, allowing me to hold my end against the Immortal Emperor realm experts. But I am not invincible. I can defend myself when I give it my all. If I fail, I will die at the hands of my enemy."

    Yu Xian did not say anything, and the pressure from his body was reined back. Han Kim said, "Young Friend Ace, let go of Xiao Xue."

    Shi Lang was still doubtful but did not say anything against it. He took away his spear and apologized to the youngdy. Yu Mingxue did not make any fuss. She deeply understood diplomatic skills and knew that her father triggered Shi Lang''s action.

    Also, the young man apologized to her through spiritualmunication. She was aware that he did not have any intention to kill her and only asked for her cooperation to hold back her father.

    Han Kim said, "Why do we not call the child inside and ask her what she wishes for."

    Yu Mingxue nodded and left the hall to bring back Yu Xiedi. Shi Lang did not sit down on the sofa but stood at the side with his spear in his hand. Han Kim red at Yu Xian while Yuwan smiled bitterly.

    Shi Lang was vignt, and he was not putting his guard down. It was not his fault, after all. Who knew what an irrational person would do?

    After a few minutes, the silence in the hall was deafening when the children walked in with giggles andughter. Shi Lang caught Yu Xiedi walking behind Yao''er and Jingjing. The girl did not seem overly happy, but her eyes shone. She must have enjoyed a good time in the garden. The rabbit in her arms was gazing around in fascination.

    Yu Xiedi spotted Shi Lang in the room and made a beeline to stand beside him. Shi Lang patted her head and asked, "Xiao Yu, did you have a good time?"

    The girl nodded gently and said, "Master, I want to ask something."

    Shi Lang crouched beside her and nodded for her to go on. The girl said, "Master, it feels warm here."

    Her voice was akin to a whisper, but Shi Lang could make it out properly, and he saw her ce her hand over her tummy. The terran did not waste any moment and touched her shoulder. His spiritual energy covered the little girl, and he found that her body was gathering the spiritual energy inside the abdominal cavity. Although her dantian had yet to form, the process of a breakthrough had begun.

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang frowned and said, "Sit down and sense the inside of your body. Focus on this warmth and try to channel it all over the body. Okay?"

    Yu Xiedi nodded, sat in a lotus position, and began to sense the energy in her dantian. Shi Lang waved his hand and cast a spiritual barrier around her body to iste her from all distractions.

    Han Kim asked, "Young Friend, is everything alright?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Yes, Senior. She has been absorbing the spiritual energy gathered in her abdomen while running around. I just told her to use this energy to refine the body to a higher level. She is still in the initial stage of the body refinement, and it is not good to break through to the spirit-gathering stage."

    Yu Xian asked, "Why do you say so? She can cultivate both levels simultaneously, and her body will be stronger along with her control of the spiritual energy."

    Shi Lang gazed at him and replied indifferently, "You might be right if she was following any other cultivation technique, but the skills I have imparted to her do not allow the people an option of modification."

    Yu Xian raised his head and asked, "What sort of backward skill is that?"

    Shi Lang snorted and said, "So the knowledge of your ancestors in the Immortal God realm or even higher was waste?"

    Yu Xian narrowed his gaze and said, "Are you trying to malign my ancestor, bastard?"

    Shi Lang grasped his spear and said, "Who are you calling a bastard old man? It was you who questioned things without knowing anything and not me. Understood. Do not act smart with me. I eat senile people like you for breakfast. If you do not change your attitude, you will humiliate yourself. Act like you are an Immortal Emperor. Did you see your peer acting like you?"

    Yu Xian was about to re up when Han Kim said, "Young Friend Shi, your tongue surely can leave scars on the souls."

    Shi Lang shrugged and turned his attention to Yu Xiedi. Han Kim began to pacify Yu Xian, and Yuwan began to talk to his grandchildren about what happened outside, and they narrated the scene in great detail.

    After half an hour, Yu Xiedi finished her cirction, and Shi Lang checked her body again. The skin of the little girl had improved now. He smiled and said, "Do you remember I told you about a surprisest night?"

    The girl nodded, and Shi Lang said, "The two elders here are your grandparents. They are the parents of your mother. Young Miss Yu is your aunt, so she looks familiar to your mother. Yao''er and Jingjing are your cousins."

    Yu Xiedi was shocked, and it was evident in her eyes that she was trying to wrap her mind around everything. After a few minutes, she asked, "What should I do now, Master?"

    The girl was asking the young man about what to do. How can old man Yu watch this scene? However, after some harsh words from Han Kim, he turned to look at his wife, who ignored him.

    She trusted Shi Lang, and the Terran did not disappoint them. He said, "Xiao Yu, they are your family, and if you want to know more about your mother, you can go with them and live for a few days."

    Yu Xiedi gazed at him with a frown and asked with shivering lips, "Do you not want me anymore, Master?"

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people were surprised, but they calmed down quickly, too. The terran did not expect the child to be so deeply connected to him. He cupped her face and said, "I would not give you up for the world, my little darling. But you have to choose what you want to do. We can always go and see where your mother lived and learn her skills in the future. However, your rtives have also been searching for you for a long time. I will not ask you to do anything against your will, nor will they.

    How about this: before you decide, why don''t you spend some time with them here and learn about them? I will be in the city for my tasks also."

    Yu Xiedi thought briefly, saying, "I will stay here to see what I decide. Is that okay?"

    Han Kim chuckled and said, "Of course, sweetheart, everything you say is fine."

 Chapter 659 Tasks.

    Chapter 659 Tasks.

    Shi Lang agreed with Yu Xiedi. She wanted to stay back and learn more about these people. Han Kim and Yu Mingxue were happy about it. They understood that the little girl was not like the other children, and they needed to be more patient with her.

    Shi Lang was at peace watching these people being amodating in handling this child. He could not express what was going on in his mind using any word of the world. This girl reminded him of his daughter, Shi Tao. During his time in the federation, he did his best to support Shi Tao to grow stronger, but while he shouldered the federation''s responsibility, he missed out on the most important years with her.

    This regret has always bothered him, and Yu Xiedi was a way he was trying to make it up for himself. He knew that regret was an ailment that could not be cured with any medicine in the universe. He sighed and meditated. Yao''er and Yu Xiedi had developed a preliminary friendship and spent the night together.

    Han Kim spent time with two granddaughters and told them many stories. It was not until Yu Mingxue forced them the two went to sleep. Although Yu Xiedi did not speak or react much, she silently and attentively listened to everything Han Kim said.

    She let the olddy brush andb her hair. It was morning when the girl discovered she had fallen asleep in the same room as Yao''er. She was flustered and rushed out to find Shi Lang.

    Somewhere in her heart, the girl was scared that the terran would leave her. However, she was overthinking. Shi Lang was cultivating with the lightning stone inside his room. He only woke up when Yu Xiedi entered. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. The girl walked up and sat across him on the ground.

    Shi Lang asked her a few things, and the girl told him everything. After the questions were done, it was time for cultivation. Yu Xiedi asked what she did not understand, and Shi Lang told her everything.

    The young one was cultivating, and Shi Lang observed her spiritual movements and could not help but praise, ''Such a delicate control over the energy flow. I picked up a diamond.''

    Suddenly, the room was knocked, and Shi Lang found that it was a maid. He asked what was happening, and thedy presented him with a scroll and left.

    Shi Lang recognized the seal on the scroll. The Head-hunter organization has sent him something. The terran opened the scroll and found a letter inside. He smiled. Amelia had sent her a reply.

    She told him about the situation inside the sect and wondered when they would be able to meet, and the terran sighed. He has been too busy. He sighed and decided to look at the Moon Night diner and then ept a task while he sent back a message.

    He needed to find a better way tomunicate with his wife. Shi Lang nced at Yu Xiedi, who was doing squats and said, "Xiao Yu, I am going to ept a task. Okay?"

    Yu Xiedi gazed at him calmly and said, "Master,e back soon."

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, "Yes, madam."

    Then he bowed and walked away. Yu Xiedi watched him leave, and a smile appeared on her face. She got back to her practice without any unnecessary thought in his mind. Shi Lang came out of the room and found Yuwan. The man also seemed to be going out to deal with some official business.

    Yu Xian had turned his attention to his grandson and was teaching him how to be a man. Shi Lang wanted to shake his head but silently walked away. They came out of the pce and parted ways. Shi Lang entered the bustling crowd and came to the Diner.

    He entered the secret room and found the young man behind the counter. The terran could not help but ask, "Say, do you not go back home? Like ever?"

    The young boy smiled and said, "My home is just a step away."

    Shi Lang looked at him curiously and asked, "Can you help me return this to the War Maiden Sect?"

    The young man returned the letter and said, "Yes, it can be sent. Anything else I can do for you?"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked the man to show him some tasks. The process went smoothly, and the terran had new work. He was needed to investigate a series of murders that had been taking ce in the nearest county. However, these deaths had been dered to be snakebites. The people could not digest this fact.

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow at this. He could not go around this task, as it was the only one left to deal with. With a sigh, he looked at the details. And he was left immediately. The purpose was investigation, and the time was ten days. There was a note mentioned below the details. It was possibly the work of a demonic cultivator. The preys were all young teenage cultivators and most of them were women.

    The task required him to go to a remote town. He had to inform Yu Xiedi that this mission was not easy, and if he were to bring her along, the risk to her life would increase significantly. He did not wish for that to happen.

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang epted the task and left the Diner. He moved quickly, and when he came to the City Lord Pce, he found that Yu Xiedi was running behind the rabbit, and she was not slow at all.

    He came to the garden and stood beside her. He did not disturb her and watched her moves. Yu Xiedi had be more adept at the task now. She could take a sharp turn without any fluctuation. Shi Lang watched her and then nodded. The cirction of spiritual energy will help herter on.

    After half an hour, the girl stopped; she was covered in sweat, and her breathing was fast. Shemented gently, "Xiao Du, you run so fast, I wonder if I will ever be able to catch you."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You will be able to catch him soon."

    Yu Xiedi looked at him with surprise and blushed. She asked, "Master, when did you arrive."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Xiao Yu,e here and take these."

    He took out a spatial pouch and handed it to the girl. The girl was confused, and Shi Lang said, "I have epted a task, but it will need me to go to another town. I know that you wish toe along, and I also want to take you away, but it is a bit too risky this time, and with you by my side, I might not be able to perform well. This spatial pouch contains the cultivation resources you will need and a jade slip with the details of you to use them."

    Yu Xiedi was visibly shocked. Her lips quivered, and water gathered on her eyelids. Shi Lang said, "My dear Xiao Yu, the master will return safe and sound in five days. I promise to you."

    Yu Xiedi still said nothing, and Shi Lang waved his hand. The lightning mane horse came out of the void tunnel. The beast looked very energetic and strong. The lightning in his mane gave him an imposing look. Yu Xiedi was shocked, and Shi Lang said, "This is Xiao Hei. He will keep youpany in my steed, right Xiao Hei?"

    The horse was very humane, and it nodded. The ck fur on its body dazzled, and the mane flickered with lightning. Shi Lang said, "You must follow everything my disciple tells you to. Do not attack anyone just because you do not like them. Three Immortal Emperors are in this house, even if they were not here. I would like you to be on your best behavior, or I will beat you up."

    Hei Lei was more docile than Lei Hu. The horse nodded with his head lowered. Shi Lang patted the side of his neck, picked up Yu Xiedi, and ced her on his wide back. He said, "Xiao Yu, please let me go to work. If I do not work, your mistress will leave me."

    Yu Xiedi finally gave in and nodded. Shi Lang pecked her forehead and said, "I will leave now. You y here."

    The girl was very reluctant, but she did not want her Mistress to leave her Master. Shi Lang turned around and left the garden, only to find that Han Kim and Yu Xian were waiting outside. They must have sensed the appearance of a beast king.

    Shi Lang told them about the matters and the olddy agreed to the arrangements without hesitation. Yu Xian tried to rebuke Shi Lang for hurting Yu Xiedi, but thedy canceled him out with a snort and a wave of her hand.

 Chapter 660 Death In The Air.

    Chapter 660 Death In The Air.

    Shi Lang made a few preparations after he left the city pce. He wandered the market and procured some antidotes and clothes for disguise. His clothes were very neat, and although they were not brocade or silk, they were very clean.

    Shi Lang often wore a neat white and blue hanfu, but since he was going to investigate a serial murder, the chances were for the level of the task to harden all of a sudden. Who knew if the enemy waiting in the dark was stronger than him? He had to prepare for it all, just in case.

    Thinking about it, the terran bought a set of coarse linen clothing. He left the city quickly and changed his clothes on the way. In his mind, he could sense Lie Hu, the lightning leopard, and Lei Hei, the lightning mane horse, getting by just fine. He did not have to worry much now.

    To maintain some secrecy, he did not use any public caravan to move, nor did he rent a spirit beast. He hid his space ring inside his hair. Only a basic spear was tied to his back. His spiritual cultivation level was equal to that of an Immortal General. Yes, he intended to distract his enemy into making a move and catch them off guard.

    He traveled at a fast speed and reached the destination after two days. He came to a remote town located in a valley. The ce did not look too big, but Shi Lang frowned upon seeing the situation in the town.

    The terran sighed and mumbled, "Such a lonesome town. No wonder such a thing happened here."

    That said, he began to make his way down the mountain. His speed was not fast, and neither was it slow. He was sensing every possible spot in his reach to find if someone was hidden in the vicinity. Although he did not find any signs of humans, what surprised him was theck of animal activity as well.

    It was understandable that the big predators did not move too close to the human settlement, but small animals should have been present. This made his doubts even stronger. The happenings in this ce were caused by human intervention.

    Shi Lang moved closer to the town and sensed the temperature of the surroundings fluctuate greatly. He furrowed his brows and devised a n to infiltrate the valley. He took a deep breath, and his bones began to crackle. His back bent a little, and his shoulders slumped on the sides.

    His face also went through a great transformation. This was not a spiritual technique but the prowess of a terran that allowed him to change his body structure. He left the forest and traveled along the mountainous path. He came to the town gate and found a young man about eleven years old holding a wooden staff. He seemed to be guarding the town.

    Shi Lang was surprised to see this child and walked closer. He deliberately made some sounds that alerted the boy. The child immediately became cold and vignt and pointed his staff at Shi Lang as he asked loudly, "Who are you? Why have youe here?"

    Shi Lang nodded in approval. The young man revealed a trace of protective instinct. He was trying to protect his town from evildoers. The terran replied, "Child, I am a travelling cultivator. A few days ago, I fought a demonic cultivator and suffered an injury. Is it possible for me to stay in this town till I recover? I promise to pay you duepensation."

    The child did not care. He did not care about Shi Lang''s reward and took a step forward. Shi Lang was shocked; this child was a mortal, yet he was taking a stand against a cultivator.

    Shi Lang quizzed the child, "Are you not afraid of death?"

    The young man froze in his steps. Shi Lang had induced a touch of killing intention in his voice just now, and that shocked the child. He was shivering, and sweat covered his forehead. The terran said, "Tell me, Child. Why do you go to such lengths? What is it that you wish to protect?"

    The child was under the influence of a killing intent, and he could not hold back his thoughts. He said, "My sister. She is the only one I have, and she could be the next to die. I will protect her till myst breath."

    Shi Lang nodded and took back his killing intent. The mind of a child was delicate. If he was to keep him under the influence for any longer than a minute, the child could go mad. Shi Lang watched the child shiver and fall to the ground, but he did not help him up.

    He waited for the young man to stand up. The child stood up after a few minutes and asked, "Why didn''t you kill me?"

    Shi Lang replied, "You are not my enemy, and I am a bit curious about the town''s situation. You just mentioned that there had been a few deaths. What is that about?"

    The young man did not reply instantly, and Shi Lang sighed, "Kid, I spared your life to prove that I have no ill intention. Do you think if I wanted to kill, I would have spared you for this reckless behavior?"

    The young child woke up from his paranoia and said, "People have been dying in the town since half a month ago."

    Shi Lang asked, "How did they die?"

    The child replied, "The apothecary says they died of snake bite. Bullshit, if they did."

    Shi Lang raised his brow. This child seemed more interesting than he thought. He asked, "Why do you say so? Do you know more than the apothecary?"

    The boy looked around and said, "They were all cultivators. How could they die from the poison of a normal snake?"

    Shi Lang was truly surprised. He noticed the cautious expression of the young child and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

    The child wanted to say something when a soft sound interrupted them, "Xiao Ren, where are you?"

    Shi Lang looked at the side and found a young teenage girl. She was dressed in white and looked as if a fairy had stepped out of the painting. However, he was shocked to discover that this girl, despite looking beautiful, had hazy eyes.

    He sighed at the predicament of this child. Heavens must have been jealous of her beauty and taken away her eyes. The boy hurriedly approached the girl and asked, "Sister, why did youe out? Do you not know that it is not safe outside?"

    The girl smiled and said, "I was waiting for you toe back for a meal, but you did note, so I came to check on you."

    She paused and then turned her head toward Shi Lang as she asked, "Who is there?"

    Shi Lang was taken aback but replied, "My name is Ace. I am a traveling cultivator. A few days ago, I suffered some injuries, and I was asking this child if I could rest here for a few days?"

    The girl nodded and said, "You can stay here for as long as you like, Senior."

    Shi Lang nodded and walked up to enter the town when suddenly, the young boy said, "Old man, do you know anyone here?"

    Shi Lang froze and shook his head. While the youngdy said, "Xiao Ren, address the senior properly, do not be rude."

    She apologized to Shi Lang. Thetter brushed it off, and the youngdy said, "Senior if you do not mind, you can stay in our house. We have two rooms, and you can take Xiao Ren''s room. Please think of this as our apology."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Fine, lead the way."

    He was sure that this child, Xiao Ren, knew something. He wanted to know what made this child act so rashly. He asked, "I have told you my name, but what about yours?"

    The girl replied while holding her brother''s shoulder, "I am Hao Mei. This is my brother Hao Ren."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Good names."

    The girl thanked Shi Lang and led him through the town. They lived in a small house, but the condition of the house was decent. Shi Lang could feel that must be because Hao Mei was a cultivator.

 Chapter 661 Death In The Air (2).

    Chapter 661 Death In The Air (2).

    Shi Lang came inside the small courtyard and sat down under the porch. He did not intend to go inside but asked Hao Mei, "Girl, do you have a master to follow?"

    Hao Mei was surprised and replied, "No, Senior."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Then how do you cultivate?"

    Hao Mei replied, "A few years ago, a passing immortal noticed that our vige was situated in a remote location, and he found that a few children had the talent for cultivation, so he imparted us a technique. We all followed that technique and learned to cultivate."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and looked at Hao Ren. He asked, "Boy, do you know what that master looked like?"

    The young boy shook his head, and Hao Mei said, "Senior If I remember correctly, that senior wore a white hanfu and looked very handsome."

    .c¦Ïm Shi Lang asked, "Hao Mei, do you know about this?"

    The girl revealed a bitter smile and replied, "Sir, I was not blind from the beginning. A deviation in my cultivation made me lose my eyesight."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows. His heart was filled with doubts. He asked, "If you do not mind, I can check your pulse. I have some understanding of medicine."

    Hao Mei was shocked, and so was Hao Ren. Thetter asked agitatedly, "Old man, are you telling the truth? I am telling you, if you dared scheme against my sister, you would suffer my staff''s wrath."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "It is up to your sister to believe me. What are you getting so worked up for? I am only going to check her pulse, and that does not even require physical contact. Your brain sure is filled with rotten thoughts at this young age."

    Hao Ren pointed his finger at the terran and wanted to rebuke him, but Hao Mei stepped up slightly and said, "Senior, thank you very much."

    Shi Lang nodded waved his hand, and the spiritual energy condensed into a thread. The thread wrapped around her wrist. Shi Lang did not say anything and sensed the spiritual energy fluctuation in her body. He took a deep breath and suddenly found the reason for her ailment.

    Hao Mei was not suffering from a spiritual deviation, but it was an insect nted in her brain. This parasite was now big enough to collide with her optical nerves. Shi Lang felt a chill down his spine. He was sure that such a thing was a scheme of a demonic cultivator.

    The usible suspects were the apothecary or the immortal master who had imparted her the cultivation technique. Shi Lang took his hand back and said, "The good news is that your illness can be cured."

    Hao Mei was stunned, and Hao Ren was ecstatic. He skipped over and asked, "Do you mean it?"

    Shi Lang nodded calmly and said, "I do not have any reason to lie about it. However, the treatment will cause you great pain. If you fail to endure, you might not make it."

    Hao Mei and Hao Ren froze. The ice on their hopes had yet to be thawed when Shi Lang dropped the bomb. Hao Mei hesitated but asked, "Sir, can you tell me what is my ailment?"

    Shi Lang gazed at Hao Ren and delivered the words directly to the girl with spiritualmunication. He told her the details of the ailment honestly. The girl was shocked but did not show anything on her face. She was wise enough to realize that Shi Lang did not say it out loud because of her brother.

    She strengthened her heart and bowed before saying, "Senior, thank you. I want to take the treatment. I have always felt that things are not as simple as what I thought them to be."

    Shi Lang thought about it and then nodded. He said, "I will treat you tomorrow, for today, you shall rest and consolidate your mind."

    Hao Mei nodded and then entered the house. Hao Ren was confused and asked, "Can you tell me what is the big deal? Why did I not hear anything?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not have to think so much. Tonight, you will rest in the house. Do not wander outside. It is not safe."

    Shi Lang sensed that the bug in Hao Mei''s head was not simple. This thing was feeding on her spiritual energy and also her Yin energy. The rate of absorption was very slow, but the flow was steady. This parasitic bug would not have been noticed until it was toote.

    The bug''s shape was akin to a spike, and given that victims died from snake bites, Shi Lang concluded that this was a Yin Yang Spike Gu. This bug would stay inside the host''s body till it is mature enough to divide. After division, this guy will have a Yin bug and a Yang bug. It will then leave the host''s body and release a strong toxin in the host''s body to kill it.

    If he followed this line of thought, Shi Lang was almost sure that it was not the apothecary who was responsible for all these murders. However, he would not leave anyone out of the circle.

    After sending Hao Ren inside the house, the terran sat in meditation. He was not cultivating but pondering over the doubts and theories in his mind. He wanted to know the person''s motive rather than how he did it. Another question in his mind was if this was the work of one person or a group.

    If it were a group, he would have toe up with ways to defend the people in the town. Shi Lang sighed internally at this thought, and he did not expect the difficulty of this task to increase so sharply.

    The day passed quickly, and the moon rose high in the sky. Shi Lang opened his eyes and looked at the sky. His sensory ability caught a few traces of human movement around the house, but none of the people revealed any malice. However, just now, he sensed something.

    It was a fleeting sensation, but Shi Lang could tell that it was a strong intention of killing pointed towards himself. The terran was not in a hurry to take action because he could sense the person''s movement around the house.

    It seemed to him that the other person was also measuring him. However, Shi Lang did not reveal any spiritual fluctuation in his body for the enemy to gain any advantage over him. He was going to y possum and lure the predator close. It would not be easy, but only this way would he be able to ensure a sure kill.

    If the person were a demonic cultivator, he would not need to use any weapon; a condensed lightning de would be enough to kill this person. Shi Lang sat down till the middle of the night. Suddenly, he sensed some movement inside the house. It was Hao Mei, and she was moving around, going back and forth in her room. Shi Lang could understand that the girl was troubled with her ailment.

    Shi Lang sighed internally but could not say anything about it. This was the path of cultivation, and she needed to tread with a firm mind and heart. He watched silently as the night passed. While one part of his soul was worried about the situation in the house, another half of his mind was upied with the man hiding in the dark.

    Shi Lang did not move, but as the night darkened, the air became heavy. Suddenly, there was a dull thud inside the house. The terran found that Hao Mei had fallen to the ground. However, he still did not respond.

    Just as he wondered if the dark hand would make a move, a gust blew around him. Shi Lang sensed someone appearing before him. The terran opened his eyes and asked, "I was beginning to think you had no guts to make a move."

    The person was taken aback for a second. He calmed quickly and said, "I was also beginning to think. Howe none of you righteous pieces of shits showed up till now."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "We had toe and entertain ourselves. After all, you insects crawl over from the darkest corners repeatedly."

    The demonic cultivator chuckled, and then his figure shed. He appeared close to Shi Lang, and his palm was wrapped around Shi Lang''s neck. He asked yfully, "What would you like to do now?"

    Shi Lang smiled and then touched the demonic cultivator''s dantian. Then, his spiritual energy charged into thetter''s body. The energy attack turned off the cultivation of the demonic cultivatorpletely.

    The grip around Shi Lang''s throat loosened, and the demonic cultivator fell to the ground. He looked at Shi Lang with great shock in his eyes. He could not understand what had just happened.

    The terran smiled and said, "Hello, I have a lightning spiritual energy."

 Chapter 662 Death In The Air (3).

    Chapter 662 Death In The Air (3).

    Shi Lang watched the demonic cultivator that had fallen to the ground. Thetter gazed at the Terran and asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "That is not important. Now, can we get to more important things here?"

    The demonic cultivator narrowed his gaze and retorted, "What makes you think I will tell you what you wanted to ask?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Oh, you will tell me unless you wish to die horribly."

    The demonic cultivator chuckled and replied, "You think that I will be afraid of death? After all this time, I have pursued the path of demonic cultivation. What sort of pain have I not been through yet?"

    Shi Lang replied with a sadistic smile, "You may have spent your time on the edge of death, but you may have never sensed the real sensation of death gripping your heart. How about we try for a round? If you are still so adamant, I will release you from the binds of life and get done with it."

    The demonic cultivator was aware of the fact that he could not leave the ce. Shi Lang smiled, and his eyes shed with a lightning-blue spark. The demonic cultivator stiffened, and the next moment, he found himself standing in a void filled with darkness.

    The ce was utterly silent. The demonic cultivator snorted and sat down in the lotus position. He thought Shi Lang was utterly stupid for thinking that a silent ce would bother him. As a cultivator, he was used to living in silence. However, the real trouble came at him when he began to focus.

    The scenes from his life began to sh in his mind. He had not seen these memories for ages, but they triggered a surge of emotions in his heart. This was a taboo for a demonic cultivator. The demonic cultivator could not understand why Shi Lang knew about all these things.

    Suddenly, he saw a little girl walk close to him. He shivered. This child was the first person he had ever killed to embrace the darkness. He had never let go of the guilt of the situation.

    A voice echoed in his mind, "Why did you kill me?"

    The girl looked him dead in the eye, and before he could react, the little girl turned into a pale, ethereal form and then stabbed her hand through his chest. The demonic cultivator froze. He could feel something cold gripping his heart. He could not react. The apparition of the girl smiled and said, "Would you like to feel the same pain?"

    The demonic cultivator shivered, and he felt a deadly pain erupting from his chest. After a few minutes, the pain vanished, and before the cultivator could catch his breath, another apparition appeared before him.

    The scene continued, and the cycle repeated. The demonic cultivator was not only suffering from mental pain but even emotional agony that he could not exin with any words.

    Suddenly, the cycle broke, and Shi Lang appeared before him. The Demonic Cultivator tried to open his mouth and bite his tongue, but he found his jaw to be dislocated. Shi Lang smiled and said, "While you were having fun, I removed the poison capsule inside your teeth and jaw."

    The demonic cultivator was left stunned. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do you understand the feeling of helplessness? You have been feeding on this helplessness over the decade. How do you feel going through the same?"

    Shi Lang did not leave the demonic cultivator any way out. The demonic cultivator was not an elite soldier of the dark forces. He shook his head, and his eyes were filled with tears. Shi Lang asked, "Do you want to die?"

    The demonic cultivator nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Tell me what you are up to, and I will let you die."

    The enemy nodded and began to scrabble on the ground. He began to write down everything he knew. The more Shi Lang read, the colder his expression became. These people have been nning to execute the same n in multiple spots. Shi Lang also found the names of those locations.

    He recorded everything in an imaging stone and then waved his hand. He did not trust the manpletely. He searched through his soul, and only after he confirmed the motive of the group he killed the demonic cultivators. Shi Lang waved his hand and the body of the demonic cultivator was sucked inside a wormhole.

    Shi Lang intended to use the corpses of demonic cultivator as nutrition for the Demon Bane tree. After he was done, he looked at he house and walked inside. He opened the door and the next moment, Hao Ren fell out from behind the door. He looked at Shi Lang warily.

    The terran said, "Whatever happened here, keep it a secret for the sake of your sister, and lets talkter as I need to cure her."

    Shi Lang pushed the guy aside gently and quickly walked inside the room where Hao Mei had fallen on the floor. The terran waved his hand and with the maniption of the spiritual energy, he lifted Hao Mei from the ground and ced her on the bed.

    He walked close to her and covered her forehead with his palm. Slowly he channeled spiritual energy in her brain. He was going to extract the Yin Yang Gu insect, to do that he needed to iste the insect with spiritual energy. This will save the her brain tissues and also the optical nerves.

    Shi Lang injected the spiritual energy, and the bug sensed it. When the energy neared the optical nerve, the bug moved away, and Shi Lang go the chance to cover the tissues and nerves. The bug did not have a great room to move, it depended on the demonic cultivator to extract it from the host.

    Shi Lang had already killed the harvester, and now he was covering the insect with spiritual energy. The lightning attribute of his spiritual energy gradually began to burn the Yin Yang insect. The terran did not stop, because the youngdy was already shivering from the pain in her body.

    The terran took a deep breath, and focused his thoughts also. It was not easy for him to tackle the gu bug. This thing was as big as a finger, but it held the power to secrete a poison that could not be treated by any medicine in the world. This poison was so potent that it could even corrupt the spiritual energy.

    Shi Lang gradually burnt the body of the insect, the first step in this procedure was to burn the back of the insect, and another set of parallel action was to make a small incision on the forehead and extract the bug physically. He closed the blood vessels with spiritual energy, and began to manipte the bug with gradual pushs of the spiritual energy to pull the bug out.

    The terran did not dare to rx, he slowly pulled the bug from the skull. He createdyers of spiritual energy barriers behind the bug to make sure that the poison is not released.

    After a few minutes, half of the bug had came out of the skull. The terran took a deep breath and just when he was thinking what was going on, suddenly, the bug shivered and it released the poison. Shi Lang was prepared for all contingencies. He was aware that the bug had great tenacity.

    This bug hadprehended the rules of Yin and Yang. As wondrous as it may sound for a tiny bug toprehend the ways of Yin and Yang, it was a pain in the ass too. The righteous side opposed the use of this bug, but when the demonic cultivators used this bug to harvest greaterprehension of demonicws, they shocked the world.

    Shi Lang kept makingyers of spiritual energy one after the other. While doing so, he pulled the insect out of the skull. The poison was not much, but the speed it was consuming through theyers was an outstanding phenomena.

    The bug waspletely out of the body, and Shi Lang flung it to the side. The poison was still consuming through the spiritual energies, but Shi Lang was quick with his hands. After he flung the bug away, he manipted the spirit energy to pull out Hao Mei from under the poison drop.

    He caught the girl and the drop of poison burned through the bed and formed a big hole in the floor as well before it was finished. Shi Lang let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thank god."

    Shi Lang said, "Hao Ren."

    The young boy came inside quickly and asked, "What happened?"

    He was surprised to find Shi Lang carrying his sister. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Is your room clean? The procedure isplete but she will still need to rest for the night before she can function properly."

    Hao Ren nodded and the terran said, "I wille and check on her in the morning. I have something to tend to."

    Shi Lang followed the young child and ced the girl on the bed. When he was done, he gave Hao Ren a few pills and told him to feed them to Hao Mei.

    When he walked out of the house, the air around his body was almost condensing with killing intention. Shi Lang was out for blood, and he would not stop before he gets it.

 Chapter 663 Death In The Air (4)

    Chapter 663 Death In The Air (4)

    Shi Lang was angry with the actions of the demonic cultivators. He could not fathom how low these people could fall to achieve their goals. The path of darkness was not supposed to be like this.

    Shi Lang had read the records where darkness was perceived through much self-infliction. The people who pursued darkness would not harm the people for their pursuit of strength.

    However, it was not yet his turn to correct the wrongs, and he flew through the void with intense killing intent condensing around him. He was heading to the cavern where his previous prey had marked the group to be gathering. The demonic cultivator told Shi Lang that the group of demonic cultivators was gathering in a cavern outside the town.

    Shi Lang was going to bury these people inside the cavern with people. The terran flew at his fastest. He did not have to worry about anything because the Demonic cultivator was very detailed. They had not set up any means of defense around the cave to avoid attention.

    This saved Shi Lang some effort to dissolve the situation. He was going to attack these people when they least expected it. Right now, they must be waiting for the return of the demonic cultivator.

    Soon, Shi Lang was out of the dense forest and found a cave with lingering demonic energy everywhere. He took a deep breath andnded on the ground. He took out his spear and walked to the entrance.

    The demonic cultivators were cautious and deployed two guards at the cave entrance. Shi Lang could have chosen the stealthy method to kill them but was not in the mood to stay silent. He wanted to make these bastards feel some fear. The same thing they had been inducing in the hearts of countless people.

    Shi Lang was not in the mood to let them slip by silently. The guards saw him, and one shouted, "Who are you?"

    The terran replied, "Your death."

    The guards were stunned. Usually, Shi Lang would have moved up and killed them instantly. He allowed them the time to wake up from the daze. They chuckled and asked, "Do you know how many of us are present here?"

    Shi Lang replied indifferently, "It does not make any difference."

    The guards chuckled, and theyshed at him. Shi Lang did not react and waited for them toe closer to him. The moment the people came closer to him, within the range of attack, his spear whipped through the air. The demonic cultivators suddenly froze in their tracks, and the next moment, they screamed in pain.

    Shi Lang used his spear to cut off their legs, and the brain took a few moments to register the pain. They fell to the ground, wailing in pain, and their voices alerted the demonic cultivators inside the cave. Shi Lang smiled at this and said, "Thank you for your services, goodbye."

    Then he stabbed the spearhead covered in lightning spiritual energy through the forehead of the enemies. He was not going to let these scum reincarnate, and he destroyed their immortal souls. They only sensed a strong pain in the depths of their soul before they died in agony.

    Suddenly, Raksha spoke in his mind, "Can you let me out and have some fun?"

    Shi Lang directly opened the spirit tattoo and let her out. The sword shimmered, and Raksha''s spirit formed before him. She asked, "Is it okay if I kill them?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can do what you want, but I hope you make them suffer. None is to die easy, and none is to reincarnate in this world."

    His voice was cold, and his aura was indifferent. Raksha nodded and said, "Very nice. I would love to make them suffer."

    Shi Lang stopped talking, moved to the side, and sat in a lotus position. He watched Raksha unleash hell over the demonic cultivators who charged out of the cave. He manipted the image stone to stop recording. He watched the process silently, letting the screams and wails echo in the dark forest.

    The group of demonic cultivators was not made of elites. The strongest one of them was an Immortal Lord. Killing such an insect was not a big deal for Raksha. The sword spirit was not as merciful as she was in the past. She had be somewhat murderous since she merged with Shi Lang''s shura sword spirit.

    She sought opportunities to kill and massacre the demonic cultivators. The terran watched things unfold slowly, Raksha enjoyed the feeling, and herughter was akin to a knife hidden in the darkness.

    After ten minutes, the sword spirit finished killing the demonic cultivators. Shi Lang thought briefly and then said, " I shall leave a statement for those who aim to be demonic cultivators, that no matter where they hide, they will perish."

    Raksha nodded and then watched Shi Lang procure wooden stumps from the forest. He took out one stump for one head. Then, like a barbarian, he buried one stump in the ground and protruded one head on top of it. Shi Lang performed the entire process very calmly.

    Raksha said, "Lang, you have be very cold regarding killing."

    Shi Lang turned to look at her and asked, "Have I ever been not cold when killing people?"

    Raksha replied calmly, "No, you never have, but this time, the air of death is almost condensing around your body."

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "It could be that I have be more decisive. When I learned from Teacher Shadow de in the inheritance pce, I found that the orthodox path of darkness was not this twisted. Ever since then, I have grown more disgusted with the current people of the demonic path. I cannot help but wish to kill them."

    Raksha nodded and said, "I do not mean to preach, but you must calm down. Remember not to be what you hate."

    Shi Lang gazed at her and replied, "Yes, you are correct. I need to restrain myself."

    Raksha shook her head and said, "Restraining is not good in every situation. It would be best if you diverted your energy. Do not be so focused on the pursuit of strength."

    Shi Lang was stunned and then realized what he had been doing these past few days. The sword spirit noticed his changes, and then she returned to her true self. She said, "You understand what needs to be done, Lang. I only hope that you do not always try to shoulder everything on your own."

    Shi Lang smiled as he raised his hand to grasp the sword''s hilt. He said, "I will call upon you more frequently if I am in doubt from now on, partner."

    Raksha snorted and said, "You are lucky to have me as your partner."

    Shi Lang nodded and kept her back in the spirit tattoo. He looked at the scene and used his spear to carve out some words on the wall of the caves. Then he finished checking everything and removed all his traces before he left the ce quickly.

    The screams must have alerted the people or other experts moving around them. Shi Lang returned to the town, and the sun rose on the horizon. He changed his appearance and walked toward Hao Mei and Hao Ren''s house.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and stepped inside. The door of the house was opened at that time. Hao Mei walked in with a questioning look on her face. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Xiao Mei, did you forget me so soon?"

    The young girl was shocked. She did not expect the Senior who saved her life to be a young man with bedazzling features. Shi Lang smiled at her, and the youngdy asked, "Are you the person who saved my life?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I am no such savior, but I did help you a bit."

    Hao Mei came to stand before him and bowed in respect. She said, "Thank you for your help, Senior. I cannot repay this debt."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I think you can."

    Hao Mei was surprised, but she did not raise her head. Shi Lang waved his hand and raised the girl to stand straight. He smiled and said, "Would you like to follow me as your master?"

    Hao Mei was surprised and could not understand what was happening. Suddenly, she thought and said, "Sir, I cannot follow you and leave my brother alone."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will take your brother along, too. Do not worry. He will not be my disciple, but he will be treated with respect, and if someone takes the fancy to him, he will ept tutge from that respected senior. I will send him to where he will have a chance to turn into a true immortal expert."

    Hao Mei was stunned she did not understand what was going on. Her life was about to change, and the change was not simple. She had been served with a chance to rise to the peak. She knew Shi Lang was not a simple person. After much deliberation, she knelt to him and said, "Disciple greets you, Master."

 Chapter 664 Introduction.

    Chapter 664 Introduction.

    Hao Mei was kneeling on the ground, and Shi Lang acknowledged her disciple status. He waved his hand, and the girl was picked up from the ground. The terran asked, "Xiao Mei, you will be my second disciple. I have another disciple, her name is Yu Xiedi. She has not yet started cultivation, so you must look after her. You can decide who will be the senior or the junior among each other."

    Hao Mei nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Do you have any business you wish to sort here, or shall we go."

    Hao Mei thought for a bit and said, "Master, the reason we all stayed in the town was to protect it from the evasion of the beasts. If we go, what will the people here do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I can set up a barrier array. This will allow only humans to go in and out of the array. The beasts will not have a chance to invade."

    Hao Mei thought and bowed, "Thank you for your grace, Master."

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head, "Do not be so restrained, Xiao Mei. Although I am a few centuries old, you do not have to be so polite with me."

    Hao Mei said, "Yes, Master."

    She nodded, and Shi Lang told her to go inside the house and pack her valuables to leave with him. The girl had to brief her younger brother so they could leave together with Shi Lang.

    Meanwhile, the Terran began to set up a barrier around the town. He finished his task in five days, and it was about time he returned to the City Pce in the Qiling City. He was missing Yu Xiedi, as he was worried about the people she was surrounded with.

    Although he had established an image before the people using Tian Long''s name, it would not be good if they were still to do something to Yu Xiedi. He might be unable to do anything to Yu Xian or Han Kim. They stood at the peak of the power chain, and he was merely at the first step. It was not just their cultivation realm. They belonged to a prominent group of people who fought against the demonic cultivators and beasts.

    He was sure that these people must be members of some group, and even if Tian Long were to side with him, the heavier side would still favor the two old people. After all, the old were better teachers for a child, right?

    It was evening when Shi Lang finished setting up the barrier. He came to the house, and the two young people stood in the garden waiting for him. Shi Lang asked, "Are you two ready?"

    Hao Mei nodded while Hao Ren stood behind her. His temper seemed to have been restrained a lot. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Let''s go then."

    The terran took out a spirit sword from his space ring. He had bought This flying sword when he came out of the Qiling city. It would be easier for him to fly with Yu Xiedi when the spirit beasts were busy. The girl liked the feeling of soaring through the blue skies, so Shi Lang bought this flying sword used by Immortal general-level cultivators.

    Shi Lang channeled his spiritual energy through the sword, and the size of the de extended. He jumped off the ground and steadilynded on the t de. He said, "Xiao Mei,e along."

    Hao Mei hesitated but then jumped off the ground and reached the top of the sword. The terran saw Hao Ren standing on the ground with a perplexed expression. Shi Lang smirked and said, "Brat, weren''t you brave earlier?"

    His remark annoyed the young man. He walked closer to the flying sword and jumped off the ground. Hao Mei caught his hand and helped him stand on the de. He turned to look at Shi Lang provocatively and smirked.

    The terran smiled and said, "Let''s see how long you can hold onto that smirk, kid."

    That said, he controlled the flying sword to move through the void, and the speed increased significantly. Although Shi Lang had formed a wind barrier shield before the people, it did not help with the sword. The young man was terrified, and after five minutes, he wailed, "You Devil!!!"

    After a couple of hours, the people stopped before the Qiling City. Shi Lang and the Hao siblings walked through the city gates together. The two youngsters were in awe and had never seen such a big city. It was close to midnight, yet the ce was bustling with activity. Shi Lang took them through the crowd and came to the City Pce.

    The guards saw him and were surprised. They bowed to him before letting him pass. Shi Lang nodded and took them inside the mansion. He sensed Hei Lei resting in the garden, and from what it seemed like Yu Xiedi was cultivating beside him. She was standing in a horse stance, and her body was sweaty.

    Shi Lang went to the garden with his hands tied behind his back. Hao Mei and Hao Ren walked behind him. They could not understand where they were going but could tell from the atmosphere that this ce was not ordinary.

    The terran reached the garden, and Hei Lei raised his head. Shi Lang gestured for him to stay silent. He walked over to the steed and brushed his mane gently. Hao Mei and Hao Ren were surprised to see the ck horse. The ce was illuminated with night pearls, and the shiny fur seemed to be made of sparkles.

    Shi Lang gazed at Yu Xiedi and nodded gently. It was as if the girl sensed his gaze and opened her eyes. She rxed her posture, and Shi Lang said, "Xiao Yu, overworking yourself again?"

    His voice was very soft, brimming with a doting sensation. The girl stood tall and did not react to him. Shi Lang walked closer and patted her head. At the same time, his spiritual energy coursed through the body of the young girl. Yu Xiedi rxed even more. She said nothing, but her body was stiff from the practice.

    As soon as she regained control of her body, she turned around and hugged Shi Lang. The terran smiled and patted her head. Shi Lang asked, "Did you miss me?"

    Yu Xiedi nodded gently, and the terran said, "What have you been doing these days?"

    The girl replied in a mosquito-like sound, "Practice."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I have a reward for your hard work."

    The girl raised her head to look at him. Shi Lang said, "I have two rewards. Which one do you want to see first?"

    Yu Xiedi thought and said, "Both."

    Shi Lang chuckled and poked the tip of her nose, "You greedy cat."

    He took the flying sword from his space ring and said, "One is a flying sword, and the other is a big sister. She is my new disciple."

    Yu Xiedi was surprised and gazed at Hao Mei. She did not expect her master to leave the city and bring back a fellow disciple. These past few days, she had been living in this ce and interacting with the people of her supposed family.

    Shi Lang waved for Hao Mei toe over and said, "Xiao Yu, this is Hao Mei. She is older than you and has been cultivating for some time. However, you are my first disciple. You can decide who will be the senior among you."

    Hao Mei smiled and said, "Hello, Sister Yu."

    Yu Xiedi nodded and hesitated for a bit before she said, "Hello, I am Yu Xiedi. Greetings, Sister Hao."

    Hao Mei smiled and said, "You can call me Meimei. I have always been addressed like that."

    Yu Xiedi nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Xiao Mei, you and Xiao Yu should familiarize yourself with each other. I will bring Hao Ren to a ce for cultivation. I suggest that you say your farewell. It may be some time before you two can meet each other."

    Hao Mei was stunned and asked, "Master, is it too soon?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Xiao Mei, it is not that I want to distance you from your sibling. It is just that Hao Ren is already twelve years old. The optimal time of his cultivation is now. If I wait too long, it will hamper his future growth."

    Hao Mei and Hao Ren looked at each other. The young man said, "Sister, I do not want to cultivate if I stay away from you."

    Hao Mei shook her head and said, "Ren, you understand how this world works. Ever since I started cultivating, my treatment in the town has changed. This world caters to the strong. I do not wish for you to stay weak. You need to walk the path of the strong. I want you to stand beside me on the peak of this world."

    Hao Ren was already crying. His eyes were flooded with tears. The young man did not expect his sister to instruct him. He could understand that she was also in pain, but her control over her emotions was significantly greater than his.

    Shi Lang watched them both from the side. He did not say anything. The matters of the heart were to be solved by themselves. Yu Xiedi was also watching the scene, and she was confused. She had never faced a situation like this. In her small lifetime, the only human emotions she had faced were negative.

    People were filled with rage, lust, and greed. The only person who gave her warmth was her mother, now Shi Lang. Even her so-called grandparents and aunt did not give her such warmth.

    Shi Lang patted her head gently and said, "Xiao Yu, what happened?"

    Yu Xiedi replied, "Master, I wish to understand what they are going through."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "In the future, my dear. You will know everything in future with time."

 Chapter 665 Brief Return To The East.

    Chapter 665 Brief Return To The East.

    Shi Lang spent a night with Yu Xiedi and learned much from her about Yu Xian and Han Kim. His worries were unfounded as the two elders were warm and loving to her.

    However, the child was not a fan as the elders did not allow her to cultivate in peace.

    The terran was helpless, and he could not do anything about her obsession with power. However, she paid great attention to her rest. She wished to push herself closer to the edge every time she practiced. This was the method she had figured out to exceed her limits slowly.

    Never in the past few days has she managed to rub past the tail of the Emerald Sparkle Rabbit. The girl had been working hard, but her efforts had yet to bear fruit.

    Shi Lang spent the night solving the doubts of his disciples. On the other hand, he allowed Hao Mei and Hao Ren to spend more time together. He was cruel, but when he saw how dependent they were, he could not bear to split them apart.

    ...

    In the morning, Yu Xian came to find him and discuss his granddaughter''s obsession with getting stronger. The old man was a dignified Immortal Emperor, but he could not stand aside as the child toiled throughout the day.

    Shi Lang did not mind the old man and said, "Xiao Yu, do not overwork. You will reach the peak if you know when to rest and exert. Sometimes, taking a break can help you better understand the principle of cultivation."

    The old man was angry, but his granddaughter and wife supported Shi Langa. Even Yu Mingxue did not say anything regarding the hard work Yu Xiedi put into her cultivation. She wished for her niece to rise to the peak of strength and not suffer the same faith as her sister.

    Shi Lang did not intend to waste his time. He finished dealing with the old man and went to find Hao Mei and Hao Ren. Yu Xian did not give up and followed Shi Lang. He wanted to see where this young man would take her granddaughter.

    Yu Xiedi cast the old man a stink eye as she followed her master like a tail. She did not care about this grumpy grandpa. Shi Lang came to Hao Mei''s room and knocked at the door gently.

    A few momentster, the door was pushed open, and Hao Mei revealed her head. She smiled and said, "Good morning, Master."

    Shi Lang smiled back at her and asked, "Xiao Mei, are you both ready?"

    Hao Mei nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Come along, let us drop your brother to the ce where he will learn to forge his path of cultivation."

    The girl nodded and opened the doorpletely for Shi Lang to enter. She greeted Yu Xiedi with a smile and bowed to the old man. Shi Lang entered the room and said, "Senior Yu, with all due respect, I would appreciate it if you could leave me and my disciples alone."

    Yu Xian narrowed his gaze and said, "What do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang looked at the old man and said, "I am taking Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei to a special ce for cultivation, and on the way, we will see off Hao Ren."

    Yu Xian nodded and saidmandingly, "I want toe along."

    Shi Lang gazed at the guy and said, "Xiao Yu, can you please call your grandmother over? I think Senior Yu is feeling under the weather."

    The little girl nodded, and before the old man could say anything, she vanished from the ce. Hao Mei was shocked, and Hao Ren was dazed. They could not understand how the little girl was quicker than them.

    Yu Xian was stunned, and then he became angry. He red at Shi Lang and said, "You brat, who do you think you are?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "I am Xiao Yu''s master."

    Yu Xian clenched his fist andwas about to yell when Yu Mingxue arrived and said, "Father, my father-inw wants to talk to you about something important."

    The old man turned his head, and the girl told him something through spiritmunication, ''Father, someone yed seventy demonic cultivators and left their heads on pikes. This expert left behind a message for the demonic cultivators as well."

    Yu Xian was shocked and did not expect to see something like this in the morning. He red at Shi Lang and said, "Brat, if anything happens to my granddaughter, I will kill you."

    Shi Lang was not in the mood to waste any more time and did not reply. Yu Xian and Yu Mingxue left the ce to discuss the matter silently. The terran did not care about them. He waited a few minutes before Yu Xiedi came over with Han Kim. Shi Lang bowed to thedy and said, "Senior, I will bring Xiao Yu along with me to see off Hao Ren and support Xiao Mei."

    Han Kim smiled and asked, "Do you need any help?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not intend to hide this from you, but I hope you also respect my privacy. I will bring them to visit a controlled secret ce for cultivation. They all can use some nourishment and should have a purer foundation in the early phrases."

    Han Kim understood that the young man was asking her to keep these things a secret and nodded. She was not someone to speak unnecessarily, plus this method was connected to her granddaughter''s safety; how dared she be careless?

    She nodded and said, "Young friend Ace, I have seen you care for Xiedi a lot, so rest assured that I trust you will get the best for her."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "We will leave now."

    He told the olddy that she should give them the needed space because he would use special means to bring the children out.

    Han Kim nodded and left the ce. Shi Lang watched her vanish in the corridor, but he could still sense her spiritual sense lingering around. The terran shook his head and waved his hand to close the door and invoke a barrier around the ce.

    After blocking the room, he opened the space tunnel and said, "You guys, hold my hands."

    They nodded, and Yu Xiedi and Hao Mei held both his hands. Hao Ren held onto his sister. Shi Lang moved, and they jumped into the ck void tunnel.

    He would bring them to the eastern barren via the Inheritance pce. He was not in the mood of gifting anything to those legendary beasts. He knew that his clones had been enlightened by one of the kinder existences there, but not everyone was the same.

    ¡­

    After a moment, the children opened their eyes. They found Shi Lang standing before a few ethereal people. The terran seemed to have sensed their gazes, turned around with a smile, and said, "Are you guys not going to greet the seniors?"

    After regaining control, The children stood up and bowed to the ethereal figures. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Seniors, Xiao Yu is my first disciple, and I have imparted her with all my skills. Xiao Mei is still new, so I have not taught her my skills. I wonder if they followed my skills, will it hamper their future? Please give me some advice."

    The figures exchanged a few nces, and then one of the older women said, "Wait till we have tested their potential. Only then can we tell you about it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then I will leave them in your care. They both have some experience of cultivation and the hardships it can bring."

    The elder phantom asked, "What do you intend to do with the boy?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will bring him to the Spirit Heart Sect. They will guide him initially, and when he proves his worth, he might get a chance toe here and inherit your skills."

    The phantoms nodded, and the elder said, "Then you should leave now."

    Shi Lang nodded and left the pce with a void tunnel. He appeared outside the pce with Hao Ren. The ce was supposed to be a barrennd. Still, the nourishment of the spirit refining lotus alone has transformed the ce into a paradise flourishing with natural herbs and thick spiritual energy.

    When Shi Lang came out, he sensed a few Immortal King realm experts appearing next to him. The people surrounded him, and they all were surprised.

    Shi Lang spotted an old acquaintance. He smiled and said, "Grand Elder Long, greetings."

    The grand elder of the dragon sword mountain looked at him with a faint surprise and said, "Long time no see, Xiao Lang. Care for a duel?"

    Surprised, Shi Lang chuckled and said, "I humbly seek your advice, Elder."

    The experts were taken aback, but then they gave the two people room. They all have gotten used to this old man seeking challenges. If not for the fact that he had to guard the holynd, he would have left to try his mettle in the central ins.

 Chapter 666 Instilling With Morales.

    Chapter 666 Instilling With Morales.

    Shi Lang stood ten meters from Long Tian and asked, "Senior, how shall we proceed?"

    Long Tian thought and said, "Sword skills only. What do you say?"

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded. Then he watched Long Tian take out his spirit sword. The weapon was ordinary, but since they werepeting regarding sword skills, this sword would suffice.

    Shi Lang took out a simr low-grade sword and assumed their battle stance. One elder from the side said, "Begin."

    Two men, one old and another young, rushed at each other, holding cold swords. They did not waver, nor did they have any fear in their gazes. The battle had begun even before they wielded their swords.

    Shi Lang smiled as the des connected and loud sounds echoed in the surroundings. They did not recoil because they were moving swiftly as they shed. The des flickered through the void. Sparks were the only things left behind in the void.

    Hao Ren stood at the side, watching everything with fascinated gazes. He wondered what it took to fight so elegantly. He could not see the weapons, but he could sense them. Suddenly, he closed his eyes and began to immerse deeper in the sensation of des falling through the void.

    The elder beside him noticed this and waved his hand to iste the child from all the disturbance. He could tell that although this child had yet to start his path of cultivation, he had gained enlightenment from this duel.

    Not just him, but even Shi Lang and Long Tian sensed this oddity. The terran gazed at the old man, and thetter nodded. They began to increase the pace and aid the young boy to feel the sword rules even more.

    Hao Ren was synchronizing with the rules of their sword rules. Shi Lang was happy to nurture this young man because of his sister. He did not wish for Hao Mei to feel like he was partial.

    The two people began to fight to a higher degree and were ferocious. Nothing held them back now except the agreement not to use their spiritual energy.

    Shi Lang was calm and gradually revealed his edge to the old man. Long Tian also did not hold back and fought with great enthusiasm. The old man may have only one arm, but his skills were no less impressive than the young man.

    The older people were in awe. They did not expect him to be so marvelous, and his skills have grown stronger since he left the Eastern Barren.

    The two people fought, and suddenly, they all came to a stop. They turned to look at Hao Ren and found his body covered in a subtle shimmer. The spirit swords in their hands emitted a low scream before they fell silent.

    Shi Lang looked at the stunned Long Tian and asked, "Elder, is he."

    Long Tian nodded and said, "He is a natural swordsman. His heart is a sword itself."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "They both were diamonds in the rough."

    Long Tian asked, "What do you intend to do with him?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I wish you to take him under your wing. Do not groom him to be the sect leader. Train him to leave the eastern barrens andmand the forces against demonic cultivators."

    Long Tian nodded and said, "I agree."

    Shi Lang replied, "Then you can take him with you. I wille and check on him when I have some time."

    Long Tian nodded and said, "Do not worry. He will be fine with me. I will have the Dragon Sword Sect nurture him with the best conditions."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Have him suffer some hardships. Do not give him too muchfort or let him turn arrogant."

    Long Tian nodded and said, "I know, boy. Are you going to meet Sect Master Ling?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Please tell them I said hello. I have some urgent issues to look after in the central ins. I will get going now."

    The people did not say much when Shi Lang vanished inside a void tunnel behind him. The people did not even get the chance to react when Shi Lang vanished.

    ...

    The terran appeared inside the pce once again. He found that the two children were missing. He looked around but could not find anyone. Just when he was about to look for them with his consciousness, a figure materialized next to him. The figure was an old man.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior, have you seen my disciples."

    The old man smiled and said, "Xiao Lang, your disciples are marvelous. They both can reach the sovereign realm. We cannot teach Xiao Yu as she has epted your teachingspletely, but Hao Mei has the potential to surpass the alchemy achievements of Fairy Nector."

    Shi Lang was aware that Fairy Nector was a senior in the mausoleum who had reached the peak of alchemy, but she lived in recluse. The terran smiled and said, "Senior, it will be my Disciples fortune to receive the inheritance and wisdom of Senior Nector. I cannot ask for a more apt path of cultivation."

    The old man nodded and said, "You should go to the ce where the demon bane is nted. All of them are gathered around the tree."

    Shi Lang bowed to the old man and left the ce in a quick reaction. The old man smiled and vanished from the spot. Shi Lang came to the room where the demon bane tree was nted, and he was surprised to find the two girls standing under the tree.

    They gazed at the tree, and Shi Lang asked, "What are you looking for?"

    Yu Xiedi replied, "Master, that elder said if we could acquire a fruit from the top of this tree, we would be stronger. We are thinking how to do that."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Since this is your test, I cannot help you. But I will give you two a hint."

    Hao Mei pursed her lips and said, "Master, Elder Yin told us not to sumb to external help. How can we take your hint?"

    Shi Lang nodded seriously and asked, "Fine then, can you answer my question?"

    The two girls nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "What must be done when the answer cannot be found outside?"

    The question stumbled over the two girls. They did not know what their Master was asking them. So they began to think. Shi Lang waited patiently at the side. He wanted them to work their way to the reward. He sat in the void, watching the two girls. He could tell what they were thinking of from their expressions.

    After a few minutes of deliberation, the girls exchanged nces and nodded. Shi Lang said, "If any of you answer wrongfully, the other will not get the prize. I treat you both equally since you wish to get the prize, then either you get it or none of you."

    Yu Xiedi and Hao Mei looked at each other. Shi Lang was not trying to drive a wedge between them, but he was trying to make them work together. Only when they know the importance of teamwork will they be able to support each other in the future.

    Shi Lang watched them discuss the answer with each other in a hushed tone. This scene filled him with great joy. Two little girls were trying toe up with an answer to get some reward, and they were trying hard for it.

    After a few minutes, the girls nodded to each other, and they came to Shi Lang. Yu Xiedi said, "Master, Sister Meimei, and I havee up with an answer."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Hao Mei said, "Master if the answers cannot be found outside, we must look inside."

    Shi Lang smiled happily, patted their heads, and said, "You are correct. Now that you know the answer to this question, can you tell me what you must do if you cannot solve something alone?"

    Yu Xiedi nodded and said, "We must look for you."

    Shi Lang was stunned and said, "You naughty one. If you cannot solve the problems independently, ask your partner for help."

    Hao Mei said, "Master, you are helping us again."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am correcting you. Now, you have one hour to devise a way to take the fruit from the top of this tree. Because that fruit will spoil after ten minutes, it ripens."

    The girls were startled, and they both pouted. But they knewining would waste time, so they started thinking about it. Shi Lang shook his head and sat back in cultivation. He was not going to meddle this time.

    He closed his eyes and sat down in meditation. He could sense a few ethereal figures standing beside him. These people have been looking for the two children and testing their potential.

    Shi Lang watched the two little ones hop on their spots. They realized that they could not get to the top so they exchanged nces and Yu Xiedi said, "Help each other?"

 Chapter 667 Baptism.

    Chapter 667 Baptism.

    The two girls cooperated to get the fruit from the top of the tree. Shi Lang watched as Hao Mei lifted Yu Xiedi with her palms. Thetter hung from the tree branch and pulled up Hao Mei.

    Yu Xiedi might be the younger one, but she was stronger regarding physical prowess. Shi Lang nodded and watched them carefully reach the tree''s crown. Yu Xiedi was the first to pick a fruit, but she handed it to Hao Mei. It just so happened that the elder one had also picked up a fruit from her side of the crown and turned to give it to Yu Xiedi.

    The two girls smiled and climbed down the tree as they had climbed it. The girls came up to Shi Lang and extended their hands. The terran said, "Eat it. I have consumed it once in the past. One person can only have this fruit once in their life. Eating any more will be a waste of time."

    Yu Xiedi and Hao Mei nodded. They did not doubt his words. In their eyes, Shi Lang was omnipotent. This was especially the case with Yu Xiedi. Hao Mei was just out of her remote town, and she did not know that the people in the city pce were all stronger or equal to Shi Lang regarding the cultivation realm. However, her master did not fear her grandfather. He would express an opinion and stick to it.

    Shi Lang was not afraid of anyone; he would not offend the seniors, but as long as they did not tarnish his dignity, that is. The two girls ate the fruit quickly, and Shi Lang said, "Sit down. I will aid you in cleansing the bodies and refining the fruit''s spiritual energy to enhance your power."

    The two nodded and sat on the ground in a lotus position. They both sensed that the body was brimming with a warm current. Shi Lang ced his hands on their forehead and began monitoring the spiritual energy flow in their bodies. He ensured the energy did not leak out or enter the wrong path.

    While helping them refine their energy, he also taught Hao Mei his skills. The spiritual was being circted following the route of the Shura Sutra. Shi Lang was very careful in the process because the meridians of the girls were not strong enough to handle a fast and rigorous flow of energy.

    Shi Lang kept on his task and sensed the impurities in the bodies of the two disciples were beginning to surface. The demon bane tree not only increased the physical strength but also cleansed the consumer''s body. After a couple of hours, the two girls could not absorb any more residual energy from consuming the fruit.

    Shi Lang cast a spiritual seal on the energy inside their bodies. This seal had a tiny leak for the girls to keep on absorbing the leaking energy. This will ensure that they continue to grow stronger in the future. The terran took his hands back and waited for the two to wake up.

    They had been cultivating these past hours and eventually entered the deeper cultivation state. It would do more harm than good if he were to wake them up forcefully.

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and all the impurities on the surface of their bodies were removed. He sat silently, waiting for them to wake up. After a few minutes, the girls woke up, and Shi Lang noticed the obvious improvements in their strengths. He asked, "How do you both feel?"

    They told him about the changes, and Shi Lang took them to the pce''s main hall. This ce was empty and could be used as a training ring for the children. The terran created blood clones and adjusted them to match the stature and builds of the youngdies.

    He said, "I have imparted you both with battle skills. You will be fighting these clones. You are nowhere close to beating them, so I would let you take an hour of the break for every ten minutes you manage to dodge their attacks."

    The girls were surprised, but Shi Lang snapped his fingers before they could say anything, and the clones began to attack. The girls were left with no option but to dodge the attacks desperately. Shi Lang was trying them like he would treat any soldier.

    The ethereal figures of the Immortal Gods were also watching everything inside the pce. They were stunned but nodded in approval. Shi Lang was not in the wrong to train the children like this. At this moment, they were all gathered inside a room that belonged to Fairy Nector.

    Fairy Nector was sitting in the center, and the scene from the main hall was ying in her mind. The others were also watching the girls train. Edler Yin said, "I did not expect him to be so cruel, but this is also necessary. He intends to raise these girls into Immortal Sovereigns. What do you think?"

    The question was aimed at Fairy Nector, who nodded and said, "As an alchemist, the person must be disciplined and patient. The training is instilling just that in their being. He is indeed a remarkable youth."

    The people nodded, and after a bit, Fairy Nector said, "I am ready to pass down the skills and knowledge I have to this girl, Hao Mei."

    The people nodded, and suddenly, the room''s atmosphere turned silent. They all knew what happened to the souls that had finished passing down their skills to a younger generation. The soul remnant was left behind to select a worthy descendant, and then the soul would vanish.

    Although the spiritual energy in the pce allowed them greater freedom to move around and stay stable, it would notst forever. Fairy Nector sensed the grief and said, "Are you people not making a big deal out of it? We are remnants. Unless we go through the cycle of samsara, we might never be able to be reborn. We should be thankful that Xiao Lang found the pce and is helping us so much."

    The people nodded, and Elder Yin said, "Alright since Sister Nector has decided on her sessor, we should leave. It is time shepletes her task."

    The figures bade farewell to Fairy Nector, and this was probably thest time they could see each other. Although remnants, they still had their emotions intact.

    ...

    Shi Lang was informed by an elder phantom that the Fairy Nector was calling for Hao Mei. The terran was surprised that it was going to be this soon. However, he could not dy this process. This was a heaven-sent chance for Hao Mei, and he would support herpletely.

    Shi Lang manipted his clone to stop moving. He did not stop the one fighting with Yu Xiedi but Han Mei. The girl looked at him in confusion, and he said, "Xiao Mei, go and wander around in the pce. Someone is waiting for you."

    Those were the rules one needed to locate one''s destiny. The girl asked, "Master, what do you mean?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "This pce is a ce where people get a chance to inherit the mettle of a very strong senior. It is time you find your inheritance."

    Hao Mei was surprised and wanted to ask something.

    But Shi Lang said, "Little one, do not worry. Your brother and sister will also find a simr chance when the time is right. They are a bit too weak at the moment."

    The girl nodded, and then, after a bow, she left the main hall to wander around the pce. The seniors had set up traps to test the seekers'' potential. However, the elders selected Hao Mei and Yu Xiedi, so they did not need to pass any tests.

    Shi Lang watched the little girl walk out of the room cautiously with a smile on his face. Hao Mei was a very gentle soul. The path of alchemy was the best way for her. This was his intention when he brought her to the inheritance pce. Yu Xiedi had seen the darkness from the closest seat and had been surrounded by it for most of her life.

    The path of an asura was suitable for her and not for Hao Mei. As for Hao Ren, Shi Lang did not take him in because he was not a chivalrous knight in shining armor who fought to uphold values. He was an opportunist who did not mind bowing to the stronger party to avoid trouble and would kill someone most cruelly if he were to make a move.

    He could not teach the kid his ways and limit his future. Hao Ren had an upright personality. He selfishly took in Hao Mei because the girl was determined to change her brother''s fate with her effort. He needed someone like this to back the Asura Hall. He would not let her suffer, but her support was necessary for the future stability of his forces.

 Chapter 668 Departure From Qiling City.

    Chapter 668 Departure From Qiling City.

    After a week, Shi Lang returned the little girls from the Inheritance pce. The two of them have gone through tremendous change. Hao Mei was not timid anymore. On the contrary, she carried the vibe of elegance. Her mindset has be very steady. Now, her gentle attitude could not be mistaken for her timidness.

    Shi Lang was very happy with her growth, and the girl was also practicing how to manipte her spiritual energy to generate spirit fire. Thanks to the inheritance, the knowledge of spirit herbs and many pill recipes was already stored in her brain. Hao Mei was in the spirit-gathering realm. Once she reached the Spirit formation realm, she could practice medicine refinement.

    Yu Xiedi, on the other hand, reached the peak of the body refinement realm. Her progress was too quick. Shi Lang had given her a few drops of liquid spirit, and her body had been refined to the peak. The girl was very hardworking and achieved the first level of jade bones.

    The terran bought them back inside the city pce the same way as they had left. The first person who came across them was old man Yu Xian. He saw that the realm of his granddaughter had been raised so quickly. He was about to fly off the handle and ask Shi Lang why this happened.

    The sudden increase in strength was detrimental to the foundation. Shi Lang could sense the rage in his eyes and said, "You can sense their realms, then you must be able to look deeper at their foundation. Today, I will teach them how to hide their cultivation realms. You will not be able to peek again."

    Yu Xian snorted and sensed carefully, and just as Shi Lang had said, the foundation of the two girls was impable. He could not help but ask, "How did you do it?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow but did not answer. On the side, Han Kim pped her husband on the elbow. She said, "Young friend, do not think too much. Old Yu was bold to ask you about this secret."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "It is obvious to have such a reaction, Senior."

    Thedy nodded. She liked Shi Lang''s way of handling things. He did not cause trouble and was very amiable to the ones who did not make trouble for him. She looked at her granddaughter and asked, "Xiao Yu, you have spent a few days with us, and I hope you know our feelings for you. Although I wish you to go to the Northern Wind Sect with us, I will still respect your wishes. Can you tell us what you have decided?"

    Yu Xian was shocked and did not expect his wife to listen to a child''s opinions. However, he could not say anything as she had already told him to stay silent with spiritualmunication.

    Yu Xiedi gazed at her grandmother and then at Shi Lang. The terran smiled and said, "Xiao Yu, say what you want. Be sure we both support your decision and will not make things difficult."

    The little girl nodded, sure that Shi Lang was a person of his word. The girl looked at Han Kim and said, "Grandma, I wish to stay with Master. I want substantial strength before I go to the Northern Wind Sect to recognize my ancestors."

    The old man closed his eyes with a frown while the olddy smiled and said, "Xiao Di, you are so thoughtful. I knew you would prioritize the prestige of your mother beforefort. Do not worry. Tread ahead with peace in your heart. We will support youpletely."

    Yu Xiedi stood up and circled the table to approach her grandmother. The olddy embraced the little one and said, "Young Friend Ace, I hope you will look after her."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior, you do not have to worry. I will have my people look after her with great care. She will not suffer any unnecessary pain or trouble through her way to the strength."

    Han Kim nodded and patted Yu Xiedi''s head. Thedy bought a space ring from her sleeve and said, "Xiao Di, this ring has some gifts from Grandpa and Grandma to you."

    The girl was surprised and gazed at Shi Lang. The terran said, "This is the blessing of your family. Do not hesitate to ept it. Work hard so that you do not let them down."

    Yu Xiedi nodded and took the space ring as she thanked her grandmother. Hao Mei looked at the scene and then turned to look at Shi Lang. Her eyes flickered with some questions, but Han Kim suddenly said, "Xiao Mei,e here."

    Hao Mei was surprised, and then she walked around the table. The olddy smiled and said, "You will be sisters with Xiao Di. That makes you my granddaughter, too. Here, this space ring is for you. I wish you good luck on your path."

    Hao Mei was shocked. She turned to look at Shi Lang, who smiled and said, "Take it. Do not let Grandma Han down."

    Hao Mei nodded and epted the space ring with shivering hands. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She did not know how to express her feelings. She had no family member who would have left her with something this valuable. Her parents had left her with some money, but the immortal cultivator gave her a chance to change her life.

    However,ter, she found that the immortal cultivator was also using her for his means and even caused her to live like a blind.

    Only Shi Lang gave her the sense of security that she craved ever since her parents passed away due to the gue. Today, when she saw Han Kim giving a space ring to Yu Xiedi, she was envious, and the longing deep in her heart surfaced once more.

    Han Kim did not expect Hao Mei to cry and hurriedly said, "Dear, why do you cry?"

    Hao Mei shook her head and rushed to hug Shi Lang. The terran patted her back and said, "Xiao Mei, you have a family now. Why are you crying, my silly child?"

    Hao Mei shook her head and did not say anything. She was not in the state to say anything. Shi Lang took the initiative and said, "Senior Xiao Mei is overwhelmed with emotions."

    The olddy understood and nodded. She said, "It is fine. I understood what was going on in her heart. She is still young, and her heart is tender."

    Shi Lang nodded and consoled the little girl silently. After he was done, Shi Lang said, "I will leave the Qiling City tomorrow and bring them to the training ce. Xiao Yu will walk the path of a warrior while Xiao Mei will tread on the way of an alchemist."

    The elders were surprised, but they nodded after some thought. Hao Mei was indeed gentle, and the path of an alchemist fitted her well. Shi Lang was on a time constraint. He needed to reach the peak of his cultivation realm in two months. If he were to look after the two girls at every step, it would hinder both of them.

    Han Kim said, "Young Friend Ace, you cane and find us whenever you wish. The gates of the Northern Wind sect are always open for you."

    Shi Lang nodded and bowed in gratitude. He then took the girls to pack their stuff and bade farewell to Yuwan and the rest of the people. Yu Xian was unwilling, but his protest was limited to his facial stiffness. Han Kim had a tight leash on this guy. The terran could not help but think of Amelia when he looked at this scene.

    He made the two girls sit on the broad back of the lightning mane horse with him, and they set off.

    ...

    On the other side, Lei Hu appeared at the door of the War Maiden Sect. His appearance shocked the guard disciples. They were about to attack him when the beast king produced a scroll and flung it to them.

    The disciples were shocked as they caught the scroll and heard a voice in their minds, "Give this to Amelia. She will know what to do."

    The disciples exchanged nces and quickly rushed inside to alert the elders. The tranquility of the sect was disturbed in a few moments, and many people gathered at the door to watch a Beast King.

    Soon, Yu Ying and Amelia arrived at the door. The people knew their identity now and respectfully opened a path for the two. Amelia reached the gates and found a four-meter-tall Lightning Leopard sitting on the ground with a calm expression.

    She asked, "Senior, what can I do for you?"

    Lei Hu opened his eyes and said, "Madam, did you not read the letter?"

    Amelia was surprised and heard that the scroll came from a beast king and hurried over. She did not read the letter. Now that she heard the beast call her madam, her heart beat picked up the pace.

    She looked at the letter''s content, and her doubts were cleared.

 Chapter 669 Back To Asura Hall.

    Chapter 669 Back To Asura Hall.

    Amelia was stunned when she realized that Shi Lang had sent this beast king to protect her. She did not expect her husband to be this mboyant. She raised her head to meet the gaze of the lightning leopard.

    The beast king said, "Madam, what should I do now?"

    Amelia smiled wryly and replied, "Senior, I am humbled by your effort. Thank you for looking after me."

    The lightning leopard was surprised. He did not expect thedy to be so polite. She was the opposite of Shi Lang. The beast king stood up and said, "It is what I must do. Master has given me a lot. It is time I return something to him."

    Amelia took a deep breath and bowed to him slightly. Then, she led him inside the sect and told the elders about the situation. The people were shocked to find that Amelia''s husband could subdue a Beast King. They did not know Lei Hu was a beast lord when he met Shi Lang, and his chances of advancing were very shallow.

    Inside the pce, the elders made him and Hei Lei their entertainment, put them through the obstacles of the pce, and triggered their bloodlines. The intensive exercise was targeted at specific aspects of their beings. Plus, the nutrition they got from the liquid spirit. The purity of spiritual energy inside the pce was impable.

    ...

    Shi Lang was riding with the two girls when he received the message that Lei Hu had reached the War Maiden sect, and everything went smoothly. He smiled, and his aura softened suddenly. Yu Xiedi sensed this and asked, "Master, what happened?"

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head. He said, "Hei Lei, increase the speed. I need to reach the Asura Hall soon."

    The horse neighed and then rushed forward at a higher speed. Hao Mei and Yu Xiedi were scared because, till now, the ride was smooth. Shi Lang said, "I can erect a shield to protect you both from the wind. However, you need to face some pressure."

    The girls nodded, and they resisted the air pressure. Shi Lang gave them the idea that not everything would be served on a silver tter. After a few minutes, when he found that the girls could not bear the wind, he created a spiritual shield before them.

    The pressure was relieved, and the girls sighed. Yu Xiedi said, "Master, where are we going?"

    Shi Lang replied, "To the Asura Hall."

    Hao Mei asked softly, "What is Asura Hall?"

    The terran replied, "It is a force that Imand. You will meet many experts there. Although they are not the best in the world, they are all strong in their manner. You can learn from them."

    Yu Xiedi frowned and asked, "Master, What is the point of learning from weak people?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "None of the people in the world are weak. If you wish to grow strong, the first lesson is to ensure you do not look down on anyone else. One does not be a good cultivator if they have never made any mistake. You be a good cultivator when you know your mistakes and if you make sure not to repeat them."

    Yu Xiedi and Hao Mei nodded. They spend the night traveling on the road. The aura radiated by Hei Lei made the beasts scatter away, and his speed made it impossible for the bandits and the malicious cultivator to attack them.

    Hei Lei has improved a lot in terms of endurance and reflexes. He could travel at his top speed for two days in a row. It was enough for him to carry the three people to the foot of the mountain.

    Shi Lang jumped off the horse and took the girls to Asura Hall. The summit of the mountain was surrounded by fog. Yu Xiedi asked, "Master, this ce is scary."

    Hao Mei nodded, and Shi Lang said, "This is to make the troublemakers run away. Do not worry."

    The girls nodded, but they could not rx with the situation. They were both following him closely; the atmosphere was cold, and it gave them a scare. Shi Lang came to a stop all of a sudden and said, "Girls, make sure you follow my footsteps from now on."

    Hao Mei said, "Master, it is so dark. How can we follow you?"

    Shi Lang realized his blunder. He took a luminescent moon pearl from his space ring and handed it to her. He said, "Now, you must follow my footsteps. Do not step anywhere else but only on my footmarks."

    The girls exchanged nces, and they nodded. Shi Lang walked ahead and controlled his spiritual energy to leave footmarks on the ground. This way, it would be easier for the girls to follow his trail. Usually, the terran did not leave any marks on the ground, all thanks to his extensive training in the federation.

    Hao Mei and Yu Xiedi walked the trail and could not help but converse with each other. Yu Xiedi asked, "Sister Meimei, why is master walking like this? Can we not walk in a straight line."

    Hao Mei had received the inheritance of the alchemist master, and she knew a few things about array formations and replied gently, "Xiedi, I think Master is taking us through a protective formation around this ce. This barrier stops people from entering the sect, and only those who know where to step can enter."

    Yu Xiedi was surprised and asked, "Then what about those who do not know?"

    "They will have to face a killing formation to survive, which is almost impossible. The defensive mechanism of the sect protection barrier should not be underestimated."said Hao Mei.

    Shi Lang was listening to them talk and did not say anything. He wanted them to learn things on their own. With Hao Mei being somewhat knowledgeable, she could teach Yu Xiedi a few things, too.

    As he thought of this, another business surfaced in his mind. He exited the array with the two girls behind him, and a figure appeared before him. The person was stunned and then bowed and said, "Wee back, Hall Master."

 Chapter 670 Fund Raising Auction.

    Chapter 670 Fund Raising Auction.

    Shi Lang looked at the young man before him and said, "Oh, Yun Qian, you are on guard duty?"

    The young man nodded and said, "Yes, Hall master."

    Suddenly, Yun Qian turned to look to the side and found two little girls standing beside Shi Lang, looking at him curiously.

    The terran smiled and said, "This is Martial Uncle Yun Qian, the head of sect defense. Greet him."

    Yun Qian was shocked, but his heart was filled with pride to see that Shi Lang had called him a martial brother. The girls stepped forward and bowed to him as they said, "Disciple Hao Mei (Yu Xiedi) greets Martial Uncle Yun."

    Yun Qian chuckled and said, "Raise your heads, my dear children."

    Then he looked at Shi Lang and asked, "Are they your disciples, Hall Master?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The taller one is Hao Mei, and the younger one is Yu Xiedi. They will live here at the Asura hall from now on and learn all they can before they go out to experience the troubles of the Cultivation world."

    Yun Qian nodded and said, "Hall Master, please head inside. I cannot leave the guard post."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and asked, "Why is that? You are the head of the defense team. Why are you guarding the door by yourself?"

    Yun Qian smiled bitterly and said, "The surrounding sects wille to meet us tomorrow. The rest of the people are busy."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Why will theye over? We are not that big in size or strength. What is going on here?"

    Yun Qian replied, "Sister Qin went out using the spiritualmunicator a few days ago. The device caught the attention of a senior from the Seven Birds sect. Sister Qin thought it was a good opportunity to set up a business front and told them they could buy the device at an auction. Tomorrow is the day of the auction. We will all set up a stall at the foot of the mountain and give out one hundredmunicators."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "This means we have enough for ourselves?"

    Yun Qian nodded and said, "You can ask Brother Yang Niao about the rest of the details. I have to pay attention to the sect defense. We are adding two moreyers of killing formations outside and a dozen mist illusion arrays to keep those old monsters away."

    Shi Lang nodded and bade farewell to Yun Qian. He arrived at the main hall and found the ce bustling with activity. The people did not spot him initially, but when they noticed the two little girls gazing around curiously, one of them eximed, "Hall Master is back!"

    The activity suddenly stopped, and the people turned around to look at the hall''s center. Shi Lang was surprised, and the people bowed to him in unison. The terran waved his hand and asked, "Can someone tell me where I can find Deputy Hall Master Yang?"

    A resonant voice echoed in the hall, "I am here, Hall Master."

    Shi Lang turned around and asked, "Can someone arrange a room for them?"

    Yang Niao was surprised and nodded quickly. Shi Lang said, "Xiao Mei, Xiao Di, go along with them. I will find you after I have settled business here."

    The two girls were sensible, and they could sense the change in his temperament. Yang Niao arranged for a girl to bring the two children to the room before he came beside Shi Lang. He ced his hands before his waist and asked, "Hall Master."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Brother Yang, it is good that the hall moves forward steadily. However, before I permitted you to sell themunicators, I remember I mentioned that you needed to set upmunication centers. You know that the third generation of the spiritualmunicator will not work without a spiritual signal ry."

    Yang Niao smiled and replied, "Hall Master, you do not have to worry about it. The central province is not linked to many smaller signal ry stations, and we canmunicate information seamlessly."

    Surprised, Shi Lang asked, "How did you manage that?"

    Yang Niao replied, "These days, the central in prepares for an event in the shadows. The night of the blood moon ising closer, and at a time like this, themunicators will provide us with great help.

    To set up the small signal rys, we have decorated them into headposts. Many small families have been deceived and sold with headpieces customized to their needs. The spiritual rys are always intertwined with spiritual energy. Some people were suspicious but had a feng shui master check for the head posts. When they found nothing wrong, they ced these headposts at the highest positions of their houses.

    The big families will not buy from us, and the medium families might be scared to show off, too, so the small families disguised the headposts as an emblem of the ancestral halls. The big families will not pay attention to the details of the small houses."

    Shi Lang was surprised by this method of exploitation and deception, but it was a good thing. He nodded and asked, "The night of the blood moon is only two months away; during this period, the Hall members will rush forward to increase their strength. Leave behind a few people to manage the regr hall affairs and gather back to fight the beast tide."

    Yang Niao nodded and said, "Sir, the arrangements have been made. Since we are trying to hide our true strength, we will have most people fight as troops under the names of different forces."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Brother Yang, I will be here to watch over the auction. How sure are you that things will not go out of control?"

    Yang Niao said, "We have asked the two sects to keep things silent, and then we have given them a very reasonable price. It is up to them how far they are willing topete. The auction will be done in batches of ten, so the sects cannot me us for hunger marketing or any benefitting strategy."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good. Let me talk to my disciples for a bit, and then I will help you finish the work."

 Chapter 671 Spiritual Communicator.

    Chapter 671 Spiritual Communicator.

    Shi Lang met the two girls and told him about the n. He did not hide that he would leave the sect to practice and improve himself. The girls understood that he was not only their master but also a cultivator himself. They could not ask him to sit back and babysit them.

    Shi Lang gave them both a careful n for their cultivation. The amount of details mentioned prevented them from making unnecessary mistakes and also slowed down their rush to the path of the strong. Shi Lang was not hampering their growth but was regting them towards a ce where they had impable cultivation foundations and firm basics.

    In thetter stages of the cultivation, they would not need fancy spiritual skills, but the knowledge of basics will help them better understand the essence of skills. The two girls took the ns and began to study them carefully. Shi Lang left them to their measures and came to the main Hall.

    He saw Yang Niao talking to a female disciple. The deputy hall master was focused on excelling the Asura Hall to the peak. He spotted Shi Lang and said, "Hall Master, the base price for themunicator is set at a hundred medium-grade spirit stones. Do you think it is worth it?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is alright, but I have another option to maximize the benefits."

    The female disciple trained her ears and asked, "Hall Master, what is it?"

    Shi Lang guessed that she was probably the person looking after the economic aspect of the Hall. The terran nodded and said, "During the sale of thest batch of themunicators, the transaction can be made with cultivation techniques of the equivalent amount. Although the techniques we win with such a method will not be substantially good, we will still have a better arsenal. Once we master these techniques, the people can work together to find the defects and use them against any enemy who uses them or to make ourselves stronger. Simrly, cultivation resources can be exchanged as well. Do you understand what I mean?"

    The young disciple was shocked, but then she nodded quickly. Yang Niao waved his hand, took a third-generation Spiritmunicator from his space ring, and handed it to Shi Lang. The terran inspected the device in every aspect and found that the craftsmanship of the immortal experts was putting the urban factory-produced units to shame.

    After careful thought, he found that the immortal experts were above the machines they made in the federation. No wonder the final result of their work was this great. He could not understand how they managed to rece the power source initially. Still, when he used themunicator, he found that the spiritual energy in the surroundings slowly gushed toward it.

    Shi Lang found that he was able to use many necessary features. One of them was the map of the world. A small mechanism shifted a small jade sphere over the center, and the spirit energy flowed through it from below. The jade illuminated a holographic geographic map of the surroundings.

    A dial on the side of themunicator could spin the jade and change the location to check the map. Many details werebeled on the map, like the big families of the region, the territory lines, and the mainndmarks of the wilderness.

    Shi Lang was surprised and turned to look at Yang Niao, who said, "This generation of spiritmunicators will allow us to store the spirit essence of a person in jade balls. All the rys are paired with a spirit essence guidance array formation. So, if a user channels the spiritual essence to convey a message to the people outside, the array in the nearby ry will ry it to the Asura Hall.

    Then, another ry will channel the spirit essence to the receiver''s nearby ry and, finally, the receiver''smunicator. We are currently limited to text messages, but we will find ways to createplete holographicmunication in the future."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I am impressed by the quality of this unit, but I want to ask why have you guys not made it the way I asked you to?"

    The initial n that he had handed out was based on his originalmunication. He could not understand what could have caused the problem or obstructed them from producing a simr model.

    Yang Niao sighed and said, "Hall Master, we intended to make it simr to what you have told us, but the fact is that we do not have the resources to keep up with the production. The biggest issue is the ry probe in the void. We cannot make that until we have a mine in the backyard."

    Shi Lang was stunned and said, "I have forgotten the need for such resources. Well, is there any way we can find them?"

    Yang Niao nodded and said, "If we can form connections with someone from the guilds or the trading houses, such as the Xiao Family of the Tianxu Pavilion or the Cloud Pavilion. Even the head hunter organization is a good partner. However, they are too reclusive, and the trade houses would seek monopoly over our resources."

    Shi Lang nodded thoughtfully and said, "You do not have to worry. We have several ways to make connections with these forces."

    Yang Niao was surprised, and Shi Lang continued, "Have the experts who worked on themunicator arrays and smithing aspects join the guilds. I will work to reach the golden rank head hunter in a few months, and then I will have a better chance to ess the channels and get the resources."

    Yang Naio was not surprised, but he was not very confident either. Shi Lang was still young, but Yang Naio agreed to the idea of how to join the alliances. The terran said, "Do you need any help with the auction?"

    Yang Naio shook his head and said, "Do not worry, I will handle that. You can sit back and enjoy the show."

    Shi Lang nodded and sat on the sidelines as he watched the people create a stall at the foot of the mountain. He closed his eyes and focused on his cultivation. The spiritual aura on the hilltop was strongerpared to before. It turned out that the people had engraved a cluster of smaller spirit-gathering arrays on the ground.

    ...

    In the morning, the representatives of both sects gathered, and they were stunned that the Lost Bird Sect hade across such an artifact and were willing to sell it for resources and more spirit stones. The first batch was sold to the seven birds sect for five hundred spirit stones.

    Shi Lang did not say anything to the people and just watched them from behind the barrier. He bought out the two girls to watch the proceedings with him. They had heard about the world of cultivators, but this was the first time they had experienced the situation.

    Shi Lang gave them a couple ofmunicators and arranged for guardian disciples. These disciples will protect them and teach them the cunning they need to survive in the world of cultivators. They needed to master everything, like business and diplomacy. He could not bring them inside a simtion cabin, or the time saved would have been significantly high.

    He shook his head and shook off the thoughts of advancement, and he would think about this when he was reunited with Amelia. After all, creating a simtion cabin was not something that he could handle on his own, and he did not think that the experts would be able to handle that high-level task.

    ...

    The next day, Shi Lang departed from the Asura hall. He left behind his spiritual essence for connection, and Yang Naio and his disciples could reach his spiritmunicator. Hei Lei was also left behind to guard the two disciples. The lightning mane horse may not look like it had greatbat effectiveness, but it was all a facade.

    If not for Shi Lang being someone with lightning spiritual roots, he would have died the first day he tried to tame Hei Lei.

    ...

    Shi Lang began his journey on a high note and hunted down a group of assassins wanted by the Head Hunter organization for killing several virgin girls to seek demonic power. Shi Lang was quick, and his actions were ruthless. He directly submitted the heads of the three people to the Moon Night diner.

    Then, he went on to hunt many criminals and demonic beasts in the region. His speed was anything but slow, and his effectiveness had gained him respect in the circle of headhunters. In just a month and a few weeks, he had finished ten tasks and was promoted to the golden rank headhunter.

    Shi Lang had just received his golden te when he saw a task that needed him to visit the front, where he would have to fight the demonic beasts on the night of the blood moon. The task was posted by none other than the high elder.

 Chapter 672 To The Front Lines.

    Chapter 672 To The Front Lines.

    Shi Lang flew through the void, and he was heading east. He had sent a letter to Amelia telling her that he was heading to a battle. The terran was worried, but he did not tell her. He did not know what the situation would be like, but he spotted many cultivators rushing to the east, and his heart calmed down slightly.

    He knew that he was not alone while facing this storm. The terran did not take many breaks and rushed ahead at full speed. It took him seven days to reach the front after he hitched a ride on a spirit vessel. This was the first time he realized the central ins'' vastness.

    Shi Lang was standing on the vessel''s bow when an old man approached him and asked, "What makes you sigh, young friend?"

    The terran smiled and said, "The vastness of the central in."

    The old man nodded and replied, "Yes, indeed. This is a ce where dreames true."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Elder, are you also heading to the front?"

    The old man nodded and said, "Every five years, this night of doom haunts us. My family has sworn that we will always answer the call of the dragon banner. When the dragon army called for us this time, I was asked to lead the youngsters to the front. This is their chance to face the tribtion of the cultivation world and grow stronger."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am heading to the dragon army front. We will berades at the edge of life and death."

    The old man chuckled and said, "Hahaha, well said. I am Qin Shan. What about you, young friend?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Ace."

    Qin Shan nodded and said, "Nice to meet you, Young Friend Ace. I hope that you can guide these youngsters."

    Shi Lang turned to look behind and found a group of young men and women gathered together. He could not pick up any sign of hesitation or worry from their faces. They all looked like newly promoted Immortal Lords. He said, "They have not yet gained control of their Lord Aura. Why did your family send them here, elder Qin?"

    The old man sighed and said, "They are the only ones left to answer the call of the dragon g."

    Shi Lang frowned and asked, "Why do you have to answer the call of the g? This is not the feudal time. Your family does not have new blood to throw in the fire of the fronts, yet you bring them here? Is it because you fear Immortal Sovereign, or are you just eager to seek the doom of your lineage?"

    Qin Shan sighed and said, "The benefits of surviving a night of terror outweigh living a long, happy life."

    Shi Lang raised his brow in surprise and asked, "Can you tell me what this benefit is?"

    Qin Shan replied while gazing at the faces of the youngsters, "The survivor''s family will be given a share from the demonic beasts and demonic cultivators killed. Even if one survives, the amount of resources will ensure the family survives for the next decade."

    Shi Lang was surprised and remarked, "If you say it like that, I cannotment if the situation is bad or good. However, as long as I can help it, the people with me will not die."

    Qin Shan was surprised and nodded subtly as they gazed at the gradually changing horizon. After traveling for one more day, Shi Lang found himself gazing at a lonely ce. Thendscape seemed to have died. Shi Lang asked, "Elder Qin, is this the front?"

    Qin Shan nodded and said, "This is the outer periphery and the region''sst line of human civilization. Usually, the various armies guard here, but due to the night of the blood moon, they must have moved ahead to get some time with the evacuations."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I suggest we all get down here. The spirit vessel can help the people below."

    Before Qin Shan could say anything, one of the young men asked, "Why must we give up our ship for them? We are not obligated to do anything like that. It would be best if you were thankful that we let you hitch a ride with us. Hmph, what gives you the right to dictate what to do?"

    Shi Lang turned to look at Qin Shan and asked, "Elder Qin, can I have it my way? They need some quick lesson."

    The old man looked at the youngsters and nodded solemnly. Shi Lang''s figure shed from his ce, and he appeared before the youth. He did not say anything but buried his fist in the young man''s guts. He said coldly, "Do you think this is still the Qin family house, and you are some entitled young master? This is the frontline, where life and death are decided in a blink of an eye. Did you not hear how the predecessors of your family gave away their lives here?"

    The punch stunned everyone, but the young man who suffered the impact was breathless. Shi Lang had hit him directly in the guts and knocked out all and any air in his lungs. It was a painful process to inhale after a gut punch. Shi Lang was cruel to the bone, and after finishing his lecture, he walked around the people and patted the young man on his back, helping him heal from the trauma.

    Shi Lang said, "You are here to earn honor for the name and legacy of your family. If you act like this at the front, you will die sooner than a blink of an eye because the soldiers who are posted here all year long will not tolerate your actions, and they will throw you to the demonic beasts and use you as meat shields. Is that what you came here for?"

    The youngsters sensed their blood boiling and replied, "No!"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What did youe here for?"

    The young people of the Qin family were immediately schooled and replied, "We came here to fight."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "What are you fighting for?"

    The youngsters fell silent, and Shi Lang said, "You are fighting to protect the humanity in the world. You are fighting so that the people back home can sleep in peace. You are not here for vanity or to earn glory. You are here to protect the people you care about and love from those mindless killing creatures. Do you hear me?"

    The youngsters nodded, and Shi Lang narrowed his gaze as he said, "I did not hear a response."

    They all replied loudly, "Yes, we know!"

    Shi Lang nodded slightly and said, "You all are barely passable as canon fodder. Later, when the fight begins, do not try to act brave. Stay together and cover for each other. You might survive a bit longer."

    The people nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Old Qin, we will get off right here. Have the captain and the crew help with the evacuations."

    Qin Shan nodded and said, "Yes, right away."

    That said, the old man went to talk to the captain while the youngsters prepared to get off the spirit vessel. They were all very disciplined now after Shi Lang taught them chivalry and code of conduct.

    ...

    The group of people flew off the spirit vessel and traversed the barrennds for half an hour before they spotted a high gpost. On the g, a golden dragon was intricately embroidered. They descended to the ground and walked up to the camp gates.

    Shi Lang was stopped by a guard who asked, "Are you here to volunteer?"

    The terran nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

    The guard smiled faintly and said, "Wee to the dragon army. You can enroll over there."

    Shi Lang followed the direction mentioned by the guard and came to a tent where another soldier was filling in the details on a scroll. Shi Lang reported his name, and the soldier asked him to scan his spiritual energy on a spirit-checking stone. His cultivation realm was also confirmed with this stone.

    The soldier said, "You have to report to Lord Doulo."

    Shi Lang nodded and found his way to some of the officer''s tent houses. He asked, "Sir, may Ie in?"

    He was new to them. Shi Lang asked, "Ace, reporting for duty, sir."

    Surprised, the lord inside the tent said, "Come in."

    Shi Lang walked in and found a middle-aged man sitting beside a scroll, and he was writing on it. The man gazed at Shi Lang and said, "You have a great deposition, young man."

    Shi Lang smiled in response and asked, "Can I ask to lead a team to the front?"

    The older man was surprised and shook his head. He denied it and said, "That is something Lord Tian Long will decide. However, you need to show that you can do that."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for?"

 Chapter 673 Meeting Old Friend.

    Chapter 673 Meeting Old Friend.

    Shi Lang stood in a barren field, and an old man with a halberd stood before him. The old man was amander, and Shi Lang was a new volunteer. The former was an Immortal King. However, the people did not find this odd. They have seen many volunteers who tried to act out, butter, themanders of their forces would tame them down.

    To the soldiers at the side, Shi Lang was just another guy who overestimated himself. The old man said, "I am Yan Lian, the seventhmander of the Dragon Army. Do you want to challenge me for the right to lead a unit?"

    Shi Lang nodded and took out his spear. The old man was holding a halberd. Yan Lian watched Shi Lang and frowned. He could not pick any gaps in the stance, but Shi Lang did not seem serious. This was something he had never faced before. He shook his head, thinking it was a tactic for Shi Lang to disturb his thought process.

    He said, "The battle will be simple; the one who can make the first life-threatening attack will win. We all must remember that despite the internal struggle, the aim is to fight the demonic beasts and not kill ourselves."

    Shi Lang nodded softly, and he had no problem with these rules. On the surface, it may seem like the old man held the advantage and would suffer a bitter loss, but only he knew what he could and would do when facing the old man.

    Yan Lian said, "Cheng Kang, you will be the referee."

    Cheng Kang was an immortal lord, and Shi Lang guessed this middle-aged man to be the deputy serving under Yan Lian. He had no problem in this regard either. He was nning on aplete victory so the referee would not be able to make things difficult for him, and if something unexpected happened, he would call out to Long Tian.

    ...

    While the two people were preparing to face each other in the battle, Tian Long sipped tea in the camp with Fairy Moon Jade beside him. Thedy said, "He has arrived. Are you not going to meet him?"

    Tian Long snorted and said, "You can go and meet him if you wish to. I have important things to do."

    The Fairy smiled and vanished from her ce. She was going to look for Shi Lang because, like Tian Long, she also wanted to see someone from her past. It had been such a long time since she had seen this guy and had some fun.

    Shi Lang had a name and reputation in the past life, the scavenger king. This name was not to glorify his skills but how he would not spare anyone who stood in his way. This guy was so focused on reaching the peak back in the day that he did not even spare women and robbed cultivation resources from them.

    Fairy Moon Jade appeared in the void and concealed her aurapletely as she watched the two people about to fight with each other.

    ...

    Cheng Kang gazed at the two people and said, "The rules are simple: first deadly blow wins. No killing, maiming, or crippling of cultivation is allowed. If you are found using any restrictive medicine, then death would feel like a luxury. Do you both understand?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and so did the old man. Cheng Kang said, "Begin."

    The two people rushed off from their positions. They were so fast that people could only glimpse their afterimages. They could understand what was happening to Yan Lian, but Shi Lang could move this fast, which stunned them all.

    The oldmander was shocked himself. He did not expect this young man to be this fast. While he was in a daze, Shi Lang said, "Lightning domain."

    The next moment, a boundary of lightning erupted. Yan Lian was caughtpletely off-guard. Not only was Shi Lang fast, but he also hindered his speed. This wasn''t good. At this rate, he would suffer a defeat. His brain was jumbled, as he did not know how an Immortal Lord could produce a domain skill.

    Shi Lang smiled as he approached the old man and attacked with his spear. Yan Lian was slowed down but was still quick enough to block the attack. The terran had expected this. After all, he was well aware of his skills. He watched the old man cut at him with the halberd, and he bent down to dodge the attack.

    Yan Lian sneered. He was sure he would win because the angle of dodging the attack was inappropriate. However, the joke fell on him. Shi Lang dodged the attack and moved to the side with his spear swinging behind him in a beautiful arc thatnded a blow to the old man''s side.

    Yan Lian was an experienced soldier, but he had been fighting beasts for so long that his skills against the humans were a little rusty. Shi Lang created a window and exposed it brutally. The impact was controlled, but Yan Lian was still forced to retreat a few steps. When he recovered, Shi Lang was onto him with the tip of his spear. The duel ended, and Yan Lian, themander of the Dragon Army, was defeated by a new volunteer.

    The surrounding was filled with utter silence. None of the volunteers or the soldiers knew what to say to this. Shi Lang had disyed skills that none of them would ever be able to reach. The courage to face an expert above the boundary of his realm and that too without asking the opponent to lower the realm. This was worthy of respect, and he managed to win in such conditions.

    The people did not know how to react, nor did the opponent, Old Commander Yan Lian. At this moment, a faint apuse from the void broke the silence, and the people realized that what they had watched was real. The people raised their gazes to look at the pping person and found a fairy.

    They could not see her face but knew who this person was. Dressed in pristine white, this person was Immortal Sovereign Zither Soul. This was Moon Jade''s name in the immortal realm. She was also the daopanion of Sovereign Tian Long. Thisdy was taking note of this match and even appeared in person. It was truly too shocking for them.

    Yan Lian was still in a daze when thedynded on the ground. He woke up and quickly knelt on the ground with his right palm covering his heart in a salutation. The rest of the soldiers followed his actions. Even the volunteers did the same. Then they saw another shocking sight. Shi Lang was standing on the ground with his eyes looking at thedy.

    They were sure that now he was going to die. Sovereign Zither Soul hated those who acted boldly before her. Many people had died at her hands before she had gained the title of Sovereign.

    Shi Lang opened his mouth and said, "In the cloudless night, the moon shines like the jade, and a fairy descends on earth."

    The people''s hearts were about to explode when they heard a gentle chuckle, and thedy spoke, "To think you would still remember that, old friend."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It would be a pity to forget a beautiful poem. Also, I am not old just yet, Fairy."

    Fairy Moon Jade chuckled and nodded. She said, "Commander Yan Lian, you lost to him fair and square. Do you have any objection to ceding your position to him? Let him lead your unit, and I promise you the casualties will be lower than ever."

    Yan Lian was shocked. He looked around and found that the other people were just confused. He realized that the Sovereign had created a barrier around them. After all, she had been talking to Shi Lang in such a familiar tone that it was evident that they knew each other.

    He nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I will follow yourmand. So will the men under mymand."

    The fairy nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "Fairy Moon Jade, where is this fellow? He called me here, but he has yet to show up. Such bad reception."

    Thedy smiled and said, "He is dealing with some business. Do not worry, you will meet him soon. Now shall we move to a tent and have a chat? We still have a day to wee the beast tide."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I do not mind that unless you want to settle the ount of that soul-nourishing grass."

    The fairy waved her hand and said, "I am not that petty just yet. However, do not tell him about this. He might puke some old blood."

    Shi Lang nodded solemnly as they walked toward a tent on the side. Yan Lian shivered, realizing what the people were talking about. He did not expect the rtionship between them to be so close. He realized why he lost to this young man.

 Chapter 674 Quick Commands.

    Chapter 674 Quick Commands.

    Shi Lang and Fairy Moon Jade spent some time having tea and reminiscing about the old days. The Terran expressed that he did not wish people to know he was an old soul. Moon Jade understood and promised not to reveal this information to anyone.

    The terran then left the tent to see the situation of the unit he had tomand. With the order directlying from the sovereign of the army, he would not have much trouble gaining control, but he wanted to gain the people''s trust. Only then will he have the confidence to fight the demonic beast tide.

    He reached the tent where Old Commander Yan was packing his stuff. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Old Commander Yan, you do not have to move out or give up your position. I am here only temporarily. I will be heading back after the blood moon night."

    Surprised, Old Yan said, "Sir, this is not in line with the military regtions."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It does not matter who lives in which tent, Old Yan. What matters is who is standing out there on the battlefield beside you. I am not someone to fuss over such things. Forget it, and we have a business to take care of."

    Perplexed, the old man stopped packing and said, "I await yourmands, Sir."

    Shi Lang said, "Have all the men gather in the field. I will discuss a few things with them. Before they fight with me, they have to know who I am."

    The old man was surprised to see this guy having such a deep thought process. He nodded and said, "Cheng Kang, you heard themander. Get them all gathered."

    Cheng Kang nodded and left, but the sight of hesitation in his eyes did not escape Shi Lang''s gaze. However, the terran was not worried. He was sure to earn back the recognition of this group before the sun rose in the sky.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang followed the oldmander to the gathering spot. He saw a force of thousand men and women. All of them radiated a cold killing intent that made many volunteers shiver. These people were embroiled in life-and-death battles throughout the year. They were not something the fresh blood could handle.

    At this moment, these people were demonstrating their fighting spirit as a silent protest against Shi Lang being appointed as themander in ce of Old Yan. Shi Lang gazed at the scene and climbed a small pedestal with Old Yan.

    The old man was about to tell the soldiers to stop when he sensed something cold beside him. Yan Lian turned to look at Shi Lang, and he felt a shiver in his soul. The young man gave off such a cold aura, like a demon from hell. Shi Lang was radiating his killing intent and amplifying it with shura sutra.

    Shi Lang did not say anything to the people, but first, he subdued their intent to kill. The soldiers shivered a bit. They all saw a blood-red dragon condense behind Shi Lang. This dragon looked so life-like to them that it made even the real dragons ashamed.

    The terran said, "Do you think the sovereign will appoint me to lead you just because they know me? Do you think they do not care about your lives? Are you people that conceited and narrow-minded?"

    His words shocked the soldiers. They did not expect him to say something like this. Shi Lang continued, "You all think just because my realm is small, I do not have the skill to lead you all, but let me rify one thing. I am not here to watch you all publicly protest before me. I came here to lead you in battle. That means I will stand ahead of you when those filthy bastards charge at us.

    I do not want you to acknowledge me. I want to know if you care about the person beside you now. Tell me, do you?"

    His voice was calm but echoed in the people''s minds as if it were a war drum. They all replied loudly in unison, "We do."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then, as long as I can guarantee the safety of yourrade, do you think it is worth following me?"

    The crowd fell silent for a bit, but then they eximed loudly, "It is worth it, Sir."

    Shi Lang nodded subtly as he continued, "Now, be a good soldier and follow themands. I do not want you to fight for some noble goal to save humanity. First, fight to save the person next to you, then fight to save the people in this unit, and if you still have some spirit left, fight for humanity. Your individuality means nothing before the unit. Do you hear me?"

    His words made the people''s blood boil. They eximed, "Yes."

    Shi Lang snorted and said, "What, yes? Say, Sir, yes, sir. Understood."

    "Sir, yes, sir!" replied the crowd of soldiers.

    At the side, the volunteers watched him in awe. Shi Lang said, "Now, one thing we must understand while fighting these brainless demonic beasts. They do not have what we have. Can someone tell me what it is?"

    One clear voice sounded, "Mind, sir."

    Shi Lang turned to look at a young man standing among the ranks and nodded. He said, "We have a brain that gives us the advantage to coordinate and fight against these things in a much more efficient manner. They may have brute strength, but all that can be controlled."

    He watched the soldiers nod as he continued, "I willy down a n. If you have anything to contribute, then do not hesitate to step forward and discuss the idea. We are all fighting this together."

    The soldiers were surprised. This was the first time they had seen a superior officer encouraging the junior soldiers toe up with opinions. Shi Lang said, "I want the people with expertise in defense spirit techniques to form a line in the front of the unit. Your task is to hold back the demon beasts; do not worry, Immortal Kings will support you. Can you do it?"

    The soldiers thought and replied, "Sir, Yes, sir."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Then do not stand there. Move ahead."

    Following his words, the defense experts separated from the queues and came to the forefront of the unit. Shi Lang looked at Old Yan and said, "Commander Yan will lead in coordinating with various immortal kings assigned to our unit. You all will maintain a domain to slow down the demonic beasts. This will help you save spiritual energy andst longer. At the same time, the primary attack force will y the beasts."

    Old Yan had no problem. As long as it was only slowing down the demons, they could do it easily. Shi Lang said, "The maid task of the defense line at the front is not to block the demons but to attract the attention of the dimwitted ones. The demon beast kings might have an intelligence on par with the humans, but when they are charged with demonic energy to the brim and tantly looking for an outlet, the intelligence will be low. We will be exploiting them. Understood?"

    The people replied with a stomp of their feet on the ground. Shi Lang nodded and continued, "Attack teams, you will be responsible for the lives of the defense experts. I do not wish to see anyone fighting alone, relying on each other. Share the burden and pain because that is what a human should do. Any questions?"

    What followed was a tremor in the ground caused by the constant stomp of the soldiers. They may be a military force, but they all had weapons and styles. Shi Lang said, "Spear users will support the sword users, and long-distance weapon users will support the defense experts from the effective range in controlling the pace of the beast charge. However, do not make any moves that might let the beasts go crazier than they already are. It will cause an outbreak, and many people will die. Controlled rage is the best weapon."

    Following this, Shi Lang arranged many things in the unit. The entire process did not take him long, but the soldiers were shocked. Shi Lang would watch them perform some moves and then arrange for them to fight alongside the person whoplimented their fighting style and increased their strength. The corrtion of such small teams formed a chain of troops.

    The unit''s soldiers were filled with confidence and eagerly awaited the moon to rise in the sky. Shi Lang did not nag them about this because he was also waiting for the moment to let loose. He said, "Old Yan, if the situation tilted in the favor of the demons, I will be charging out. You will assumemand of the unit then."

    Old Yan was surprised but nodded, and he did not know manymanders who were so young and so decisive. He said, "I will arrange for Cheng Kang to follow you."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "Do not do any such thing. I will be fine on my own. I am used to fighting alone ever since I came to the immortal realm."

    Old Yan found out that Shi Lang was an ascender, and the respect in his heart grew even more. A part of his heart wanted Shi Lang to go out to fight the demonic beasts so that he could see the limits of skills this young man had.

 Chapter 675 Eruption.

    Chapter 675 Eruption.

    All the guard units at the front stood with rapt attention. They looked at the horizon, and their emotions began to fluctuate. The air around the ce was getting more and more heavy. The soldiers were waiting for any moment so that they could attack in return, but they could not sense anything.

    Old Yan and Shi Lang stood at the forefront of the forces, but they did not have any restlessness on their faces. The terran was not used to this but was not impatient either. Old Commander Yan asked, "Commander Ace, what should we do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "We do not need to do anything. Look at the sky. The blood moon is not out yet."

    The people raised their heads and saw the sky covered in clouds. Old Commander Yan narrowed his gaze as he said, "No wonder they have not acted yet. The clouds are covering the skies and blocking the blood moonlight."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I feel the attack will be led by flying demonic beasts."

    Old Yan thought about it and said, "Yes, it is quite possible. What shall we do?"

    Shi Lang said, "The region behind us is imposed with no fly arrays. What we have to worry about..."

    A loud, shrill scream broke out in the distance as he spoke. Shi Lang sighed and said, "The flying demonic beasts will clear the sky. We need to deal with them first and foil their ns."

    The flying demonic beasts rushed down from the skies, making the clouds a sieve. Red light poured down on the ground, and Shi Lang watched it fall over the demonic beasts gathered on the barren patch ofnd before them.

    He was at a loss because these demonic beasts were not there a minute before. He did not understand how they managed to gather in such arge number. Old Yan said, "Shit, these bastards have gathered even demonic beast kings to lead the charge."

    Shi Lang looked to the side and found thirteen demonic beast kings moving among the horde of demonic beasts. He said, "The immortal kings will face the demonic beast kings head-on. You are not to engage in active attacks but only to intercept their attacks."

    One of the Immortal Kings asked, "Commander Ace, won''t these acts of interception make the demonic beast kings go mad?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Sir Qiang, as long as we stop them, these demonic kings will attack their own in frustration. It will save us a lot of effort. As I said earlier, heaven graced us with the wit these guys do not have."

    The conversations among the top brass were always keenly observed by the lower levels to learn something, and just now, when Shi Lang told them the way to fight, the people all realized the significance of wits.

    The beasts approached them, and Shi Lang said, "Get into the formation!"

    His voice was loud but calm, and it eased the nerves of the entire army. They saw Shi Lang hold a lightning spear and leave the formation. He was standing ahead of the defensive line. His back was straight like his spear, and his aura reflected confidence and conviction.

    Shi Lang said, "Hold the lines. I will direct you guys if the situation changes. For now, I am going on ahead, brothers and sisters. Do you best to hold the fort for me, will you?"

    Never did amanding officer call them all brothers or sisters. They have been fighting together, but they all sought their fortune. They did not expect Shi Lang to call them brothers. Unknowingly, the bond these people shared did make them a family. But the recognition of a higher-up was truly something that warmed their hearts.

    They all raised their heads and saw Shi Lang looking doubtfully at them. He said, "I cannot promise that all of us will stay together at the end of this. I can only promise you that no matter what happens, whether I live or die, you will all be a part of my memory and soul. I have ced my life in your hands just like how you have ced yours in mine."

    Someone from the crowd of troops said, "We will wait for your return, Commander!! In death and life, forever, we fight."

    The slogan spread to everyone. They all began to chant, and Shi Lang chuckled, "In death and life, forever, we fight!"

    Then he raised his spear, and lightning fell from the dark skies. The impact of the lightning strike killed many beasts at the front of the demonic army. Following this, many demonic beasts died before they could even reach close to the people. Shi Lang vanished from his spot.

    Tonight, he was going to kill to his heart''s content. He was not afraid ofing into contact with the demonic energy. The other people were scared, and some even asked what he was doing, but then they heard a loud voice, "Do not lose your focus. Ignore me and do what you can. Remember who we are and what we are fighting for."

    ...

    Fairy Moon Jade was watching the scene unfold with her group of immortal emperor troops. The squadron was filled with women only, as thedy did not like tomunicate with boorish men who preferred fighting with brute methods. She liked Shi Lang because he knew how to use his intelligence.

    She smiled when she saw him rushing toward the beast horde and killing everything he came into contact with when ady spoke softly, "Your excellency, why do I feel that this man is using a sword intent to protect his body when wielding a spear? My blood plume is getting restless."

    Moon Jade gazed at thedy and said, "It seems that his attainments on the path of sword dao are not shallow at all."

    Thedy was surprised, and Moon Jade continued, "There is a reason why Long and I selected him at such an immature stage to lead a unit of the dragon army. That reason is his determination to reach the peak of strength. He is an ascender who hails from the same lower world as us. He had to face off against a demonic cultivator''s avatar to ascend to the immortal in. Can you imagine how hard it would have been for him to do so?

    He may only be at the early peak of the immortal lord realm and may seem weak, but it has only been a year since he ascended. He is a master of the sword dao and uses the spear against these demonic cultivators to increase his strength and the cards he holds.

    Many people may see this behavior as a nuisance, but he is logically advancing and rectifying the weaknesses in his cultivation path. He is not practicing now but with the long future in mind. This is his strength, and look at the attack from the dragon force unit."

    Thedies turned their heads to look at the unit led by Shi Lang and found that the demonic beasts were being easily yed. The front barrier did not budge. If any experts were about to get into trouble, the immortal kings intervened and asionally eased the pressure.

    Shi Lang had turned the unit into a demonic beast-killing machine. They were killing beasts and taking off the pressure from the other units. Themanders from the other units were also smart and quickly adjusted to follow the unit led by Shi Lang.

    The immortal emperors were surprised by this change, but the surprise was pleasant. One of the immortal emperors asked, "Your Excellency, what is the reason behind his terrifyingmanding abilities?"

    Moon Jade replied, "He spent his life serving the military of humans in an era without spiritual energy, and they ventured into the starry sea to explore and grow stronger. The humans in the lower realm are not weak at all. They have many worlds under their leadership. Commander Ace was the supreme general in their military. Also,dies, I hope that you all do not circte the information you heard just now, or I might have to make a move. After all, we do not wish to see such a talent to be hunted by those narrow-minded fools, do we?"

    The aura in her voice was cold. Despite the blooming smile, thedies shivered, and they nodded hurriedly. They did not expect the Sovereign to provide so much protection to Shi Lang, but this was understandable.

    When they were talking about things, they all saw a bright dragon made of lightning flying in the void above the demonic beast swarm. The dragon roared, and the void shook. A loud voice echoed in the surroundings, "Rage Of The Dragon."

    The lightning dragon was extremely life-like and dove down from the void to devour the demonic beasts. Shi Lang had cleared the region of a mile around him. The lightning dragon littered the ce with the corpses of the demonic beasts in its wake while Shi Lang stood in the center of the battlefield, dancing with his spear frantically.

    The shura had erupted with his desire to kill and his hair revealed a blue sheen. The battlefield was not going to be his yfield.

 Chapter 676 Duet Of Death.

    Chapter 676 Duet Of Death.

    Shi Lang danced on the battlefield, ying demonic beasts. The scene was stunning; the lightning dragon followed the lines of the tip of the spearhead. Demonic beast kings noticed this, and the casualties were piling up.

    The stronger the beast, the more resistant they were to the madness caused by absorbing the blood moonlight. Shi Lang''s action on the battlefield and the overall resistance of the dragon army irritated them. The humans were proving to be a worthy match.

    One of the thirteen demon beast kings was close to Shi Lang. It was a huge tiger, seven meters tall on its four legs. The body was shimmering ck, and its eyes were blood-red bulbs capable of shaking the souls of the onlookers with just a nce. The human had to be killing many of hisrades, and this did not sit well with him.

    The demon beast roared and charged towards Shi Lang. It did not care about the weaker beasts it killed during its charge. The demon beasts did not have any special skills. These beasts have been allured to the dark side naturally. They forsake their spiritual skills for greater strength.These beasts would never be able to gain a human form. However, they gained demonic skills.

    Shi Lang spotted the demon beast king rushing close to him and moved his spearhead to strike the tiger head-on. The demon beast king roared, and the lightning dragon roared, too.

    The sh made every demonic beast scurry away from the two entities. Shi Lang retreated a few steps, and his expression turned solemn. He narrowed his gaze as he sensed the demon tiger siphoning off the spiritual energy flowing through the lightning dragon. Shi Lang figured out that this was the skill of this demon tiger.

    He watched the lightning dragon fade away and heard Old Commander Yan''s voice, "Commander Ace, move back. I will deal with this guy."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I am not that weak, Old Yan. Focus on the line and protect the defenders. This feral cat is going to die at my hands."

    The people were shocked because Shi Lang was only an Immortal Lord. How could he kill a Demon beast king? When everyone was confused, Shi Lang said, "Shura Body!"

    The next moment, an avatar of spiritual energy appeared behind him and melded with his one. Shi Lang shone with a golden glow as if he were the sun. The people had to squint their eyes to face the glow. Following this, another call echoed, "Lightning Fist, shaking the heaven!"

    Shi Lang''s fists turned lightning blue as he vanished from his spot and appeared above the forehead of the tiger. The beast raised its head. Even with abnormally strong reflexes, the beast could not anticipate Shi Lang''s speed. Every expert saw this scene, and they could not help but feel a shock in their hearts.

    Shi Lang was faster than an Immortal King. The terran did not care about anyone and directly smashed his fist against the forehead of the demon tiger. This attack did not channel even the slightest of his spiritual energy through the demon beast. Shi Lang used pure strength to contend against a demon beast in a higher realm.

    Even the Immortal Kings in the Dragon Army unit were shocked. The punchnded on the forehead and emitted visible shockwaves. The beasts in the surroundings were thrown back uncontrobly. Shi Lang did not hold back, and he did not wish for his enemies to have time to recover. This was the thumb rule of his attack pattern.

    His fists began to shower on the forehead of the demon beast king. The people in the back could only watch him rough up a demonic beast king to meat pulp with eyes wide open. They did not expect Shi Lang to be so ruthless. However, on the other hand, this boosted the army''s morale. The leader was so strong. How can they hold back and die like some puny sissies?

    The killing output spiked once again. Shi Lang was unaware of all this. At this moment, his brain was clouded with the desire to kill. The demon tiger wailed in pain and rage, but it could not do anything to retaliate. The demon beast king was dead, enraged the surrounding demon beast kings.

    The immortal kings wanted to move, but they were in a bind; the demon beast kings had made all the demon beasts under theirmand charge at them. If the immortal kings were to pull out from the attack line, the barrier line would copse, and the scene would turn into a ughter of human fighters.

    At this moment, Shi Lang, holding his spear, said, "Fairy Moon Jade, will you kindly lend me a song?"

    The voice surprised everyone, and what shocked them even more was a calm voice asking, "What song do you want to hear?"

    Everyone doubted their lives at this moment. Since when did Sovereign Zither Soul be so amiable with males? Was she not the most aloof woman under the heavens?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The song of death."

    Fairy Moon Jade stood in the void with a shocked expression. However, she chuckled and said, "Fine, it has been a long time sinceI have yed it, but are you sure you wish to take it on in this realm?"

    Shi Langughed and said, "I am sure. Come, y it."

    He said, "Lightning Shura domain!"

    The area around him turned into his backyard. The domain boundary was not opaque, but it allowed the people to see what was happening inside. The ground turned into a swarm of blood and mud, with lightning snakes flowing inside it.

    The scene looked like andscape from hell, and Shi Lang stood in the middle of this domain like a king. Everyone was shocked at the capability of this young man to use the domain without being in the realm of Immortal Kings. A clear zither note echoed in the surroundings.

    This note seemed to have no effect on the people and the situation around them, but then the speed of this note increased and slowed. Gradually, everyone felt as if they were in a trance. This trancested for a fleeting moment.

    People woke up and found that demon beasts in the range of five kilometers were frozen stiff. Even the demon beast kings charging at Shi Lang were slowed down a bit. The people sucked in a cold breath. The Zither Soul Sovereign was disying her prowess.

    The people focused on Shi Lang and found himpletely unaffected by this song, the terran was moving quickly, and his spear radiated a sharp intent to pierce anything in its path. The demon beast king closest to him was caught in the domain range. Shi Lang stabbed his spear, and lightning snakes from the blood swamp under his feet flew up to stab the demon beast like guided missiles.

    The demon beast could not defend itself and wailed as the attacknded on its buffalo-type body and killed it within seconds. Shi Lang was not interested in admiring the demon beast king and said, "Spear domain."

    This was his special move. Shi Lang did not need to practice his moves to perfect them like the other immortal cultivators. He was a terran. His brain worked on a higher level, allowing him to simte the situations in his mind. This was why he could find the best way to make a move work with a single try.

    Shi Lang moved ahead quickly as the demon beast king died to finish the others. These beast kings were the reason the demon beast horde could hamper human experts and kill many people.

    Moon Jade would not intervene directly, but ying the death song was enough of a contribution. This song was not to kill people but to boost the targeted person. This boost will increase their speed and physical prowess by instilling them with a greater concentration of spiritual energy.

    Shi Lang had seen Fairy Moon Jade use this song once during a warbetween the two sects, and she changed Tian Long into a machine that killed two thousand experts on his own.

    Shi Lang did not wish to ask her for a favor but was aware that he would not be able to fight with the Demon Beast Kings without her aid. However, the cost of this performance would be very painful. Shi Lang would be incapacitated after this song ends.

    He would not be able to use his spiritual energy for at least ten days, and he would be vulnerable but at this moment, he was not concerned about this. He wanted to get over with the beasts quickly because the presence of the Immortal Emperors and Immortal Sovereigns meant that something even stronger was going toe to them.

    In his mind, he cursed Tian Long for not telling him the whole thing. Shi Lang killed three more Demon Beast kings in the next one minute. His figure had turned into that of a dancer, and the scene sent chills down the spines of the people who watched it unfold. Shi Lang was akin to a death god, and the demon beast kings were like thembs for ughter.

    The duet of death kept on for the next five minutes. Shi Lang finished off all the demon beast kings and stood panting on the battlefield. His back was straight but he was holding the spear to support himself.

 Chapter 677 Crisis?

    Chapter 677 Crisis?

    Shi Lang stood amidst the piles of corpses of Demon Beast Kings. He was panting, and his forehead was trickling down with cold sweat. The song of death yed by Fairy Moon Jade had ended, and the terran had achieved his goal. He yed thirteen demon-beast kings that could turn the tables against their forces.

    However, even at the cost of his spiritual energy, it was not yet the end. Shi Lang sensed impending doom and held himself together with whatever spiritual energy he had left inside him. He saw that the demon beasts did not approach him despite being mad from the overflow of the demonic energy inside them. The fear of death made them avoid him.

    Shi Lang took out a few spirit-replenishing pills from his space ring and ced them in his mouth. The effect of the pills was instant, but the quantity that he needed to keep on fighting could not be regained with just these. He took a deep breath and said, "Your Excellency, the crisis is inevitable."

    The words confused the major military figures, and to clear the haze, a dignified voice replied to Shi Lang, "Do not worry, we are here. Those old cowards of the demonic race will not have a chance to turn the table."

    Shi Lang nodded, but his mind was still not peaceful. He knew that despite the assurance made by Tian Long, it would not be easy to fend off against high-level demonic beasts. The terran contemted things on the spot because he found his body cramped all over, and moving was painful.

    He wondered how to defend himself if attacked by some high-level demon beast. When he was in thought, a roar caused the ground to shiver, with a thump reverberating through his body. Shi Lang gulped and asked, ''Raksha, what should I do?''

    Raksha replied to his consciousness, ''I am also thinking about that because until you swing my de, I will not be able to unleash myplete strength to deal with the high-level demon beasts. Who told you to dance to that song, you idiot? This is what happens when you get carried away in chasing fame.''

    Shi Lang sighed. He was in the heat of battle and did not think about what he should do or not. Although the killing aura on him could scare away the low-level demon beasts, this would notst long either. Gradually, his aura will calm down, and he will be amb on the chopping board.

    The ground shook from the roar earlier when he said, "There is a demon beast emperor heading our way."

    Tian Long appeared beside him and nodded. Shi Lang cast him a side nce and said in a voice they could only hear, "Old man, send me back."

    Tian Long sneered and asked, "Why? Are you scared of death now, Ace?"

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, "I am never afraid of death, and you know that better than the rest. I do not wish to die helplessly. Please remember whom you owe your life to, or people might take you for ungrateful."

    Tian Long snorted and looked at the Terran coldly, saying, "Do you think I cannot kill you right now?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You can try to do that, and I will ensure that I will nullify your cultivation before I die. Do you understand?"

    Tian Long kept gazing into Shi Lang''s eye, and he knew that this guy was not bluffing like him. Tian Long did not mean to harm Shi Lang, but he was only messing around with him. He did not expect Shi Lang toe back with a serious death threat.

    He sighed and took out a pill from his space ring. He said, "This pill has a miraculous effect of countering the effects of the song of death on the target''s body."

    Shi Lang was shocked, and Tian Long said, "When the two of us ascended here, we both struggled a lot and had to lean on the song of death to carve a ce for ourselves. During that time, we had consecutively been incapacitated. So, an alchemist specially procured this pill we made friends with. It works and allows one to recover a bit. Take it, quick."

    Shi Lang opened his mouth, and Tian Long tossed the pill in his mouth. The two of them did not speak. Tian Long stood before Shi Lang while thetter stood behind him and silently healed his body.

    Tian Long sighed and mumbled, "When I joke, you be so serious, and then you call me old."

    Shi Lang replied, "You must check your expressions and tone while joking, old man."

    He did not bother with the sovereign anymore. Tian Long waved his hand, and a few men appeared beside him. The people stood behind Tian Long in silence, and they were the generals of the dragon army. Tian Long said, "I can sense seven Demon beast emperors. Bring me their corpses."

    The five generals nodded, vanished behind him, and appeared in the void. Shi Lang did not care. He was healing himself. The question was how the five Immortal Emperors would fend off the attacks of seven Demon Beast Emperors, and the thumping tremors indicated that these guys were big.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and watched everything unfold with his spirit sense. He saw seven behemoths walking toward the front. Their ck bodies were blended in the dark of the night. Shi Lang heard Tian Long say, "The generals of the Dragon Army must be of Immortal Emperor Level, but they should be able to fight against an Immortal Sovereign. These people are what I have nurtured personally. They have faced all the tribtion they possibly could and are the only ones left from a group of twenty most talented people I scouted for."

    Shi Lang did not reply, and he watched as the five people held their weapons and rushed forward. They all initiated a direct assault campaign and resisted the strong beast emperors. The scenery was a mess, and Shi Lang silently watched everything.

    Tian Long beside him had created a forcefield to rectify the shock wavesing from the sh. After fifteen minutes, one of the Immortal Emperors suddenly turned around and appeared behind the other general, stabbed his spear through the back of hisrade,

    The people were shocked, and at the same time, a simr event took ce among the team of Immortal Emperors standing beside Immortal Sovereign Zither Soul. Ady took out a long knife and struck at Zither Soul. However, this woman was not clueless when she saw someone from the Tian Long faction defecting to the demonic side. She was sure someone in her group would also be a defector.

    She waved her hand as soon as the defector surfaced. The powers of an Immortal Sovereign were on apletely different level, and the traitor had no chance to act against it.

    Fairy Moon Jade gazed at the person coldly and palmed her dantian. The spiritual essence was vaporized, and her dantian was broken. The traitor opened her eyes wide; she had not expected Zither Soul to act so decisively.

    On the other side, Tian Long was enraged. He vanished from his ce and grabbed the immortal emperor from the back of his neck as if he were a pup. Tian Long used his spirit energy to save the injured person''s life, and then he kicked the dantian of the traitor.

    Tian Long said, "You guys, get back. I will deal with them."

    The immortal generals wanted to say something in their defense, but they knew that if they were to annoy Tian Long, he would start killing them. The sovereign was not someone to be messed with. Tian Long was amiable, but once he lost his temper, the blood in his veins would turn to ice, and he would erase the problem from root and stem.

    The immortal emperors retreated, and Tian Long said, "Golden dragon shing the heavens."

    Then he waved his sword, and a loud dragon roar echoed in the surroundings. Even Shi Lang inside the shield sensed a strong pressure from this move. He took a deep breath and thought, ''I need to stop messing with him.''

    The roar was not why he felt pressured, but the sword intent condensed into a golden dragon and chopped through the thirteen demon emperors. This level of strength was something that Shi Lang dreamt of achieving. He sighed as he realized it would be long before he could gain such strength.

    Tian Long easily yed the beasts, but his rage was not yet quenched. He roared to the sky and called out, "Scum of darkness, I dare you to fight me. Come on!"

    Following this, the world suddenly felt very silent. The demon beasts charging to the human side froze in their spots, and some eveny down on the ground. Shi Lang sensed his hair stand up. He mumbled, ''Fuck.''

 Chapter 678 Power Of The Sovereigns.

    Chapter 678 Power Of The Sovereigns.

    Shi Lang eximed in his mind as he rushed back to the lines. He knew Tian Long could not protect him while fighting against the new enemy. The new enemy was not a behemoth but a small fox. The fox seemed to be a personification of darkness itself. This small fox had nine tails behind its back.

    Shi Lang could not mistake this aura. It was simr to the experts of the legendary spirit beast ns. He recalled his five sentinal clones. They told him about receiving enlightenment under the tutge of a legendary nine-tail fox. This small cub had only five tails, but the aura was not losing out.

    The terran even doubted if Tian Long could handle this thing alone. However, Tian Long was on his own. Thest hope would be for Sovereign Zither''s soul to join in confronting the demon sovereign, given that this fox was the only one present in the dark to witness the death of human soldiers and experts.

    Tian Long was looking solemnly at the demon sovereign. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and was about to attack when the Demon Fox said, "You are nothingpared to that young man who killed all the beast kings. Tian Long, you will not be able to leave alive this time."

    Tian Long chuckled and said, "Demon fox, have you forgotten why you have only five tails left? Should I make them four or three?"

    The Demon fox let out a roar. It tried to enrage Tian Long, but thetter was better at infuriating the people. Sovereign Heavenly Dragon had his pride, and in the reply of the roar, he shed his sword. The battle among the peak yers began. However, Shi Lang was not sure if this was a good thing.

    His actions may have caused the dark hands to y their cards earlier than they intended to, but the night was still young. If the battle did not end before the night peaked, Shi Lang feared that Tian Long would be disadvantaged.

    He turned to gaze at Sovereign Zither Soul and found her watching everything unfold with her hands folded under her chest. He could not spot any nervousness on her face. He focused on her eyes and found her to be very solemn. He sighed, "This girl will never change her facial expressions. Just like the legends back home."

    Raksha said, "You know that is the Moon Jade you are talking about, the legendary cold beauty who even dared to p Tian Long across his face when he was at the peak of his strength to wake him up from his arrogant mindset."

    Shi Lang nodded. At this moment, none of the people were paying him any mind. They focused on Tian Long and his fight against the demon fox. The fox and the human fought ferociously; the aftermath of their blows had killed many beasts in the surroundings, and the shock waves had made the human experts retreat.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I will take action if Zither Soul cannot help him in need."

    Raksha nodded and said, "I am confident I can kill this thing with your current strength if Tian Long manages to deliver a critical wound."

    Shi Lang nodded and conveyed the thought to Zither Soul, who was shocked but ryed it to Tian Long. The terran did not approach the old man directly if he disturbed him. Anyhow, thedy better understood how to break the news to him.

    Shi Lang observed Tian Long fighting even more seriously all of a sudden. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I did not expect this guy to be such a big opportunist. Look at his move. If old legends like Young Master Shun and Chilli Pepper Princess Yang Mi were to see him like this, they would curse him."

    Raksha chuckled and said, "You bet they would. Tian Long despised such a manner of fighting and always took things head-on during those days."

    Shi Lang scoffed, saying, "This was why those dark ns always hunted him. Mister righteous offending the heavens and the shadows with his simpleton behavior."

    Raksha replied, "This adverb was why he practiced and became so cunning."

    Shi Lang nodded silently and watched the battle. Tian Long and the demon fox were embroiled in intense fighting. While Tian Long used his sword skills to attack, the demon fox used its wisp-like tails to define and its ws to attack the human.

    Tian Long had practiced many arts in his lifetime and was putting them all on disy for the younger generations below. He truly hoped for at least someone to gain enlightenment by this disy.

    Shi Lang sighed and watched everything. At this moment, when Tian Long was moving faster than the wind, and his de was exploiting all the gaps exposed by the enemy, he realized why the person was so strong.

    He closed his eyes and repeatedly yed the scene in his mind. After a few minutes, he concluded that sword art was the one he had heard legends about, The lost sword art of Yin and Yang.

    Shi Lang began toprehend it. He was not going to leave this chance. The strength of this sword art was unlimited. The strength originated from the core of the sword art, where one person will follow the rules of yin and yang to augment their other sword arts.

    If Shi Lang managed to learn even a little bit, then the strength of his sword would increase by at least ten times. Raksha could sense his movements and created a barrier around him. The movements were subtle, but Fairy Moon Jade still caught them. She did not say anything after all, and it wasmon for people to learn from the seniors.

    It was not like Shi Lang would stand against Tian Long. She turned her mind back to the battle and found that Tian Long had lurched at an opening exposed by the demon fox and shed at the root of its tail, the most sensitive spot of the demon fox''s anatomy. The pain made the beast roar in madness.

    The dashed around and swallowed many of its kin. Tian Long could only watch it as he did not have the speed to catch up to this beast. The beast could heal all the injuries it had suffered till now, and Tian Long took various healing and rejuvenating pills.

    He narrowed his eyes and, holding his sword, said, "All or nothing, dragon sword art, yin and yang sh."

    He shed the sword at the beast in a seemingly basic fashion. The attack was calm, and it was in old sh. The speed was slow, but in reality, the attack was so fast and so ferocious that the void had begun to split even before Tian Long had finished the arc of his de.

    Shi Lang was lost in cultivation, but he could still sense the sword''s intent radiating into the void. Raksha, who was resting inside his spirit tattoo, was getting restless. This was just an innate feeling to flex her strength. All the swords worshiped the stronger de, but Raksha was apetitive de spirit. She just wanted to go out and block this attack.

    She cursed Shi Lang for being slow in her mind. The golden sh hit the demon fox even before it could react. The demon fox opened its mouth and blew the ck breath of darkness, trying to suppress the attack. However, the attack was condensed with thews of Yin and Yang; they epassed all things and surpassed all things simultaneously.

    Tian Long could stand against the terrifying forces on the human side because of his understanding of Yin and Yang. He was not called the Heavenly Dragon just because of his name but because the Heavenly Dragon was an entity with a great understanding of Yin and Yang. The beast that guarded the north in the eight trigram seal.

    Tian Long''s attack shed through the ck breath but was slightly corroded. However, the impact was still strong enough to cut off one tail of the demon fox and leave a ghastly gash on his chest. The gash was so deep that even the ck jade-like bones of the beast were visible.

    Tian Long swayed slightly while the beast roared as it fell from the sky. Zither Soul took out her zither and appeared near the demon fox. She started ying a song and said, "Ripples of samsara."

    The notes intertwined and concentrated as they flew toward the other tail joints of the injured demon sovereign. Fairy Moon Jade was exhausting one of her most powerful cards to increase an even more severe injury to the beast.

    The notes condensed into shining silver weapons hurled at the beast. The demon fox wailed in rage, pain, and fear. The eyes of the beast were shivering in fear as the weapons neared it.

    Tian Longnded next to Shi Lang, and as the weapons finished their task of chopping off one more tail of the demon fox, he said, "It is now or never. This guy will run away."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and took out Raksha from his spirit tattoo as he said, "I do not have a habit of letting my prey go, Old man."

 Chapter 679 Terror Of The Shura.

    Chapter 679 Terror Of The Shura.

    Shi Lang gazed at Tian Long and said, "I do not have the habit of letting my prey run away, Old Man." That said, he took hold of Rakhsa''s hilt. He shed from his position and appeared next to the Demon Beast Fox. Shi Lang could sense the rage flickering in the blood-red eyes of the beast. One needs to understand that in the realm of cultivators, even the weakest people have their pride, and this demon beast was a sovereign-level entity. The creature that stood among the strongest in the world. Yet, now a puny Immortal Lord dared to prance before it with a sword. This sphemy was not tolerable. The demon fox opened its mouth and roared at Shi Lang. The demonic energy from his body shrouded the figure of the terran. The people gasped, and they did not understand why Shi Lang went to his death. They could tell that Tian Long told him to move, but why, and why was this spear user wielding a sword? Just when some people were wondering, they spotted Fairy Moon Jade appear next to Tian Long and ask, "Why did you send him?" Tian Long said, "Do you not know how he washed his body? When infected with it? Do you think this much would do anything against him?"

    Fairy Moon Jade was surprised as she recalled that Shi Lang had long washed his body with sword intent and suffered greater pain than he would have suffered by being corrupted with demonic energy. She turned to look at the figure shrouded in dark smog and found it to be moving forward slowly. The people did not know what was happening at this moment. A sharp whistle echoed in the surroundings, and the people felt their swords tremble. A calm voice followed this phenomenon, "Do you think that such a shitty attack will affect me?" A blue lightning passed through the ck smog the next moment, scattering it all. Shi Lang appeared before everyone, holding a de in his hand, and his body was covered in an armor of lightning spirit energy. Shi Lang walked slowly, but every step he took umted a mountainous aura. The demon fox seemed to have fallen short under Shi Lang''s shadow. Tian Long watched the scene from the side and said, "To think he mastered the ten steps to heaven and even managed to argue the technique with the rules of yin and yang. Is he a monster?" Fairy Moon Jade remarked, "He is not a human, but a Terran. That is his advantage. I also feel that he is a monstrous talent. But he still has a long way to grow into an entity that could lead the humans into an age of peace." Their voices were calm, but the people behind them caught the whiff and were shocked. They did not expect this young man to have such a high opinion in the minds of the two sovereigns. This was unprecedented with how Tian Long and Moon Jade were. Even the most terrifying geniuses in the central in never received such praise from them. The people began to look at Shi Lang in a new light. He was no longer just a hot-blooded expert but a future sovereign who could change the path of humanity. Shi Lang stood before the demon fox and shed his sword. Raksha had been umting a lot of sword intent on her edge. Compared to Tian Long''s attack, where the void was ripped apart, this attack seemed rather nd. However, it was this ndness that the people shivered in fright. The attack did not even emit any light or cause any spiritual fluctuation. Yet, the attack ended, and the demon beast roared in a wail as its body twitched on the ground. The people shifted their gazes to look at the demon beast and found that one more of its tails had fallen off. Shi Lang did not stop. He swung his sword in a backhand action, and another tail fell off in a very generic fashion, but the roars of the demon beast told the people that it was not a simple thing. The demon fox cursed, "Fucking human! I will avenge this humility." Then, it flickered a distance away. The onlookers were shocked to see that the Demon Sovereign was running away from an Immortal Lord. However, Shi Lang did not chase after it. This response was expected because a sovereign was quicker; technically, Shi Lang could not catch up. He took out a long object from his space ring. Tian Long asked, "What are you doing?" Shi Lang did not reply to him and assumed a firing stance. He could see the demon fox in the crosshair. He channeled his spiritual energy inside the bullet and squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew out of the firing chamber, and it vanished. The people were confused, and some even thought that the Terran was putting up an act. But before their thoughts could run wild, the demon fox wailed again. The people saw a hole in its hind leg. Before they could even feel the shock, another hole appeared in the hind legs of the demon fox. Tian Long and Moon Jade were shocked and did not expect Shi Lang to have such a terrifying weapon. The terran did not stop. He walked into the void with his rifle, firing shots at the beast constantly. He turned the demon fox into a sieve. The dignified demon sovereign was looking so pitiful that some people even sighed. Old Commander Yan said, "Now, do you guys understand how strong he is?" The soldiers behind him nodded. The minor demon beasts on the ground were already frozen when Tian Long injured the Demon Fox, but now they found that the person responsible for killing the Demon Beast Kings was even killing their leader. They were shivering in their spots. The terran had instilled fear in the heart of the most feared creatures in the world. Shi Lang approached the demon fox and said, "Did you think I would let you go? Wrong, I will have my sweet time with you." Then he stowed away the rifle and took out Raksha. The sword swiftly stabbed through the skull, and the demon beast became limp. Tian Long and everyone else thought that Shi Lang killed the sovereign, but the fact was that Shi Lang had imprisoned the soul of the demon fox inside the Shura Realm. He intended to feed this soul and corpse to the demon bane tree and see if it would improve the tree. He turned to look at the people and found that many were looking at him wryly. Shi Lang had subverted their understanding of the world. It was true that the Sovereigns had weakened the beast, but Shi Lang managed to overpower the Sovereign-level Demon Beast in the battle. They had never expected this, and now their minds were frozen. Shi Langnded on the ground and brought the corpse of the demon beast to Tian Long. He said, "If you do not have any use for this thing, give it to me." Tian Long nodded and did not ask much. He looked around and only said, "I wish for you all to go and y as many beasts as you can before the morning. The demons, under the influence of the blood moon, transform. They are no less than treasures, and I hope you know what that means." Shi Lang vanished from the side and began to reap lives. His speed was quick, and his attacks were lethal. As he continued killing, his body became enshrouded in a killing aura. Everyone who matched gazes with him felt like they were staring at a reaper from hell. The terran did not care, and he had entered a state of indifference. Fairy Moon Jade said, "This guy knows how to preserve his prey." None of the people in the army were killing the demons near Shi Lang. It was as if they were afraid of stepping into his Territory. Tian Long sighed and said, "I have been watching him for a long time now, and I can never understand what makes him this furious. Why does he charge to chase strength? Look at him. At this moment, no one can associate him with humanity but a cold-blooded killing machine. Why does he do it?" Fairy Moon Jade stood in the void beside him and said, "It could be because he never had things like background and support like we did. Even then, he tried his best and reached the peak of strength. His effort was for a naught. Everyone who came to be on good terms with the Scavenger King knows that he looked at people on the peak as his rivals and tried his best. Maybe that obsession of his continued to this life also." Tian Long looked at the people on the battlefield and said, "The attacks he used earlier were not simple. I feared his de, even if it was for a fleeting moment, I feared that if I was to take the attack head-on, I will notst even for a second. This guy is really terrifying."

 Chapter 680 Reward & Trouble.

    Chapter 680 Reward & Trouble.

    Shi Lang fought with the horde of demonic beasts till the morning. He did not rest even for a second while he was fighting. None of the people stopped him because they could sense he was practicing. His moves were different, but the feeling they gave was consistent with the sh he used against the demon fox. Tian Long told the people not to disturb him as he consolidated what he had learned thus far. The dragon army was happy with this because they could reap more benefits with Shi Lang around. Till now, the human side had suffered only a few casualties, and they were all people from an older age. Many of the young suffered great injuries, but it was all under control. Shi Lang''s strategy had changed the flow of battle, and in the future, whenever the demons tried to flood the front, they would be met with a defense like this. When Shi Lang finished dealing with the beasts, he stood on the ground with his spear stabbed beside him while his hand grasped the hilt of his sword. His body was covered with wounds of all sizes. He was not invincible but did not stop killing until the sun was on the horizon. The ground was littered with corpses. He took a healing pill and stood his ground. He was going to meditate and recover from his injuries. It was noon when Tian Long and Fairy Moon Jade approached him. They had many immortal emperors and Immortal kings following them. Shi Lang opened his eyes, and Tian Long said, "How are you recovering?" Shi Lang replied, "The side effect of using the song of death will take some time. The rest of the injuries were small issues. What brings you here?" Fairy Moon Jade said, "You have contributed greatly in this battle. With a unanimous vote, we have decided to award you the Champion of the Dragon Army rank title." Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and cupped his fist to Fairy Moon Jade while asking, "Your Excellency, please tell me what obligations I have as the Champion of the Dragon Army?" Tian Long smiled and said, "You do not have any obligation as such. Juste over when the situation demands it. This title will prevent those hypocrites froming after you." Shi Lang looked suspiciously at the sovereign and asked, "What hypocrites?" Tian Long said through his teeth, "The so-called big families of the central in." Shi Lang was curious to know more but realized the time or ce was not yet. He nodded and watched Fairy Moon Jade take out a jade medallion. She said, "This medallion serves two purposes. One of them is to have the dragon army follow all yourmands on the front. You cannot use them for personal gain." Shi Lang nodded and asked, "The second purpose?" Thedy said, "You can visit the Jade Towers in any city for free." Shi Lang was stunned for a second and said, "I did not expect Your Excellency to have such a card up your sleeve. I wish us a happy cooperation."

    The people were surprised; they had not expected Shi Lang to say such a thing. How dare he treat the Sovereign in such a casual manner. However, before they could say anything, Fairy Moon Jade asked with a smile, "So, what is it that you want to cooperate on?" Shi Lang raised his left hand and revealed a spiritualmunicator. On the other side, Amelia had finished familiarizing herself with the device and used the spirit formation array to contact the person she had longed to meet for so long. Shi Lang was about to introduce themunicator to Amelia, but suddenly, the device glowed subtly. In the void above his hand, a text appeared. The text was written in thenguage of the federation, and Shi Lang was shocked. He froze as he read the text. Then his eyes turned soft, and water gathered on the brink of his eyelids. The people around them all looked at him with surprise, and the device caught their eyes, but the change in expression of this young man surprised them even more. Shi Lang took a deep breath and calmed himself. He said, "Would you believe it if I tell you that this message is delivered right from the northern provinces and is all happening in real-time?" Tian Long was the first to wave his hand and said, "Oh, please, how can you joke with us like this?" Shi Lang did not say anything and controlled the arrays to reply to the message on his own, and then everyone watched the symbols change. One of the experts said, "Commander Ace, even if you want us to believe that this thing is capable ofmunicating. Can you please use the native text of Immortal in?" Shi Lang was shocked, and then he chuckled. He nodded and typed a message in the native text, saying, ''Amy,municate in the native text for a moment. I have a few people who wish to buy themunicator. This is a good marketing opportunity.'' A few secondster, everyone was stunned, ''You want to use this time to market this lousy product? Do you even care for your wife? You have certainly changed aftering out here. I am warning you, do not think I am on my own in this foreignnd. I will beat you up.''

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do not mock me, seniors, but my wife is upset that I have not given her any time to meet her in a long time." The people were surprised. Shi Lang held a proper conversation with Amelia and told her that he woulde to meet her at the Centurion Tournament. Thedy calmed down, but Tian Long did not believe Shi Lang and asked him to type a text specifically asking a question that no one could have predicted. The terran did as told, and when Amelia answered the question, everyone was shocked and realized that Shi Lang was telling the truth. One of the older people asked, "Young Friend Ace, can you tell us how this works?" Shi Lang smiled and said, "I apologize, elder, but an elusive senior invented this device. I have not met him often, and he does not wish to dwell on the secrets. He only says that this device will help usmunicate with the help of spiritual essence. I know how this device works, but I have no idea how the spiritual messages are exchanged." The elder nodded and said, "Some old Immortal Sovereign can be living in seclusion to develop something like this. Say, young friend, can you sell me this device? I will pay you fifty thousand supreme spirit stones." The elder was dignified, and even Tian Long did not speak much to intervene. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I apologize, senior, but this device has been paired with my spiritual essence; it will do you no good. Another thing is that tomunicate with this, the person on the other end should have a simr device." The elder frowned, and Shi Lang replied, "You all do not have to worry, elders; the Jade Tower will help you buy this device. That exalted senior did promise me to sell this device in batches. However, he needed material and a distribution partner. Jade Tower is one of the most popr names in the Immortal in, and it is a ce run by Sovereign Zither Soul, who is known for her fairness. Please just be patient, and you will have this device soon." The people eased up a little. The significance of this instantmunication device could not be exined in words. This will change the face of human forces. Tian Long nodded subtly and said, "You all can leave now. The corpses have been distributed. You all go and rest. If you wish to do something, you can go to the infirmary and help the injured or man the stations to maintain vignce. Who knows when these demons will attack again." The people bowed to him slightly as they all left the ce in a blink. Shi Lang and the two were the only ones left here now. Tian Long had not only just made the others leave, but he had also cast a thin barrier. He asked, "Tell me, where did you get this?" He was not a fool to believe what Shi Lang said about the old expert in seclusion. The terran also did not hide things like how themunicator worked from them. The two Sovereigns were shocked. They did not understand what Shi Lang was thinking when he came up with this idea, but when the terrain revealed that he had his strength now, the two people understood what he was onto. After the battle, Shi Lang received not only fame but also rewards, and for the time he was inside the dragon army camp, things were fine, but as he prepared to head back to the Asura Hall, he received news that people were searching for him. Shi Lang found that he was being targeted for hismunicator and the weapon he disyed in the battle. The senior people of the big families did not interfere in the matter, and they even proimed that as long as Shi Lang joined them, they would make things smooth for him. Another thing that happened following this was Tian Long announcing Shi Lang as the champion of the Dragon Army. This meant none of the families coulde after him. Otherwise, they would have to face Tian Long, but they could still challenge him fairly. Shi Lang could not refuse any match requested, and this was the trouble that the terrain cursed Tian Long for.

 Chapter 681 Departure.

    Chapter 681 Departure.

    Shi Lang had talked with Tain Long about manufacturing Sniper Rifles. Still, he had declined the dragon sovereign''s offer because this weapon''s mass production was impossible without a huge stock of material needed. Also, Shi Lang intended to monopolize this weapon. He intended to develop a self-destruction array hidden inside the weapons, so if anyone tries to reverse engineer this, it will destroy before letting anyone see the mechanism inside. Plus, the spiritual sniper rifle would be an extremely crucial card for the Asura Hall in the future. The cover of the lost bird sect wouldst for ten years; before that, he would strengthen the organization by a higher degree. The terran was ready to leave when Tian Long approached him and told him about the situation with the big families. Shi Lang frowned, and Tian Long said, "This is obvious. The devices you have showcased were bound to gather attention. I have acquired news that these big families intended to go to the War Maiden Sect to reach a coboration, but the grand elders and the rest of the people have firmly denied coborating with them. The War Maiden Sect is not a small faction. These cowards fear drawing attention from their upper echelons. After all, the so-called peace and tactic understanding among the big names keeps things in bnce. Since one door has been closed for them, the only option left is to look for you." Shi Lang nodded in understanding, familiar with such diplomacy, and asked, "So, what is the problem? You have already stepped forward and announced that I am the champion of the Dragon Army. I do not think the old people from these big families will being after me." Tian Long nodded and replied, "You are correct. They will note after you, but the younger generation, everyone below the Immortal Emperor Level, wille after you." Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Does that include Immortal Kings too?" Tian Long nodded. The terran sighed and said, "I did think this would happen, but to cull a talent in his birth, you humans are crueler than those demonic shits."

    The dragon sovereign just rolled his eyes at them. He said, "Go, and if anyonees at you, make sure you beat them to the point they cannot stand up. You know what to do if someone reveals the slightest bit of killing intent. As for their families, I will intervene. Hump, they do not yet dare to duke it out with me." Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am grateful for your favor, old man, but please look at your age before you initiate a war. I have a family to look after. Also, you must clean up your house before taking on anyone else." Tian Long took a deep breath and said, "One of these days, I will beat you to the pulp." Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Come at me if you dare to fight in the same realm." Tian Long snorted and rebuked him, "Cheap shot, when has enemy lowered their strength when fighting with trashy low levelers." Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, "If you do not have the guts, do not pose like a hero to me. I know better than you. The weak rely on their minds, while the strong only move with their muscles." Tian Long wanted toeback, but Shi Lang had walked away from the ce with his chin high. He said, "Keep my forces a secret, or you know what I am capable of."

    Tian Long sneered and said, "I did not expect that the Scavenger King was so caring of his cronies." Shi Lang stopped and said, "That is because I am not Tianjio Heavenly Dragon, who would leave his friend behind to fend alone." Tian Long froze, and Shi Lang sensed that his words had poked the open wound in the heart of the former. He continued, "Young Master Shun admired you and happily took that step back then. I know very well that he was the one who asked you to leave under the pursuit, but if I were in your ce, I would have died alongside him. You are alive, and the friendship between the two of you still lives on. Do not think too much, not matter how much I love Fairy Moon Jade, or she prefers me over you. Once you die from cultivation diversion, she will have to stay in seclusion for two years ording to the Ling continent customs." Tian Long felt better when Shi Lang consoled him with the truth of the situation back then, but this bastard dared to say such a thing about his wife. This sent his blood pressure in a hyperventting loop. The terran walked away, fearing a violent reaction from the old man. He was not wrong. As soon as he left the tent, Tian Long roared, "You bastard! One day I will kill you!" Everyone in the Dragon Army camp was shocked to hear such profanities from Tian Long. He was not someone who would easily lose his temper. Shi Lang came to the camp entrance and found Sovereign Zither Soul waiting for him there. He smiled and asked cheekily, "You still came to see me off? That old man will think I cucked him. He might surely kill me." Fairy Moon Jade smiled and said, "I will stay with him till the day he lives. That was our promise, and I will deliver that promise. Anyhow, I only came to say that just because the danger is not obvious, please keep your mind open and your senses trained." Shi Lang nodded and vanished from the gates with a wave of his hand. Ady stood beside Fairy Moon Jade and asked, "Your excellency, even if this guy is a strong young hero, how can he make such remarks to you? He has no respect for you guys." Fairy Moon Jade smiled and said, "You will not understand the reason, but if I am to say something in his defense is that he is family." Thedy was shocked, she did not expect that young man to be family members with the two Immortal Sovereigns. She turned to look in the direction where Shi Lang vanished and said, "I wonder how he will deal with those people, Your Excellency." Fairy Moon Jade smiled and said, "The power dynamic of the central ins is about to change drastically. Follow the news in these following days."

 Chapter 682 Unexpected Proposal.

    Chapter 682 Unexpected Proposal.

    Shi Lang had just left the dragon army camp when Tian Long''s voice echoed in his mind, "Do not fly high. The skies are not safe." The terran was surprised, but then he understood. It must be the old fellows of the big families. Shi Lang shook his head as he rushed ahead. Lightning Mane''s horse was left with the two disciples, and the lightning leopard was guarding Amelia. He did not have many options except to teleport to the Inheritance pce. However, that was not a good thing either. Two of his biggest cards were already under scrutiny, and people were eager to get their hands on them. If the means were reasonable, he would not have minded it, but the disy of force made him realize once again that the powerful people would stoop to any low to get things their way. After all, the victors wrote the history. Shi Lang would not let these people use some divination method to find his location and jeopardize the Inheritance Pce. It was not an exaggeration on his part to think like this. Tian Long could divine his future from the immortal realm when this old dragon was not the peak expert in divination. The terran reached the wilderness and pricked his finger. He created eight clones, forming a matrix formation as they moved. Shi Langter had these clones separate from the formation and scout the directions for enemy encampments. He could perceive the thoughts of these people like the back of his hand. The scouts reported the enemy position and melted. So, even if the enemy was alerted, they did not find anyone. The leaders of these teams were Immortal Kings, and they had Immortal Lords patrolling the ces. Immortal Generals were no match for an Immortal Lord. The people knew that Shi Lang was a genius who had fought and led a unit of dragon army to reduce the casualties on the human side and that he had also yed a few Demon Beast Kings with the help of Sovereign Zither Soul. The ignorant people crowned Zither Soul as the main force behind ying the thirteen demon beast kings. In their eyes, Shi Lang was just another guy who rode the coattails of a sovereign and gained fame. What interested them were the talks of amunication device and the weapon that shot spiritually charged projectiles. Shi Lang was not as clueless about the issue as Tian Long thought him to be. The terran had ced his clones in many influential ces, and his informationwork was strong. Even the Asura Hall was not aware of this. As the leader of the force, Shi Lang needed a few cards to deal with the misty, dark world. The terran avoided many encampments with the help of his clones. However, half a dayter, he found himself in an inescapable situation. He did not think that someone would be moving around like a gypsy to hunt him down. Yes, just as the sun was about to go down, Shi Lang was spotted by a group of five Immortal Kings. He stopped, the terran knew that he could not run away from these people. He took a deep breath and asked, "Who are you, and what is the meaning of this?" The five of them had been following him for a bit, and now they had blocked his way. He was not afraid but wanted to take the path of reason if possible. Otherwise, spilling blood was not new for him. The leader of the group seemed to be a charismatic young man, who said, "Greetings, I am Xuan Qiling, this young man with red hair is Carl Hamilton, thedy in green hanfu is Miss Yue Hanling, and the two simr-looking people in the back are the twins from Cao Family, Cao Jian, and Cao Shiyan. d to meet you." Shi Langmitted their names to his memory and asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the young scions of prestigious families?" Yue Hanling narrowed her gaze and asked, "Do you know who we are?" Shi Lang nodded, and thedy said, "If so, then why are you not bowing to us? Do you not fear upsetting the Immortal Kings?" The terran did not respond to her and instead asked, "Your purpose here is?" His calm and stable tone made Cao Shiyan frown a bit before he restored the tranquil expression on his face. Yue Hanling narrowed her eyes and emitted a cold aura from her body. Shi Lang did not seem bothered and asked, "The sun is about to go down, and I was nning on barbequing some nice spirit beast meat. I will take my leave if you have nothing important to say." Xuan Qiling asked curiously, "Can you tell me what is Barbeque?" Shi Lang cast him a nce, then looked at Cao Shiyan. He said with a deadpan expression, "I know you are the leader of this group. Would you give up the pretense and tell me what you want?" The five people were stunned. Shi Lang noticed something crucial, too. The people were stunned because he picked out the correct group leader, and at the same time when Shi Lang asked them to give up the pretense, these people stopped a bit.

    Cao Shiyan raised his brow. As the leader of the group, he still had some redeeming qualities. Shi Lang smiled and asked, "What do you want? You people are not even as strong as themanders of the Dragon Army, yet you have the gall to block my way. Either you are a bit too desperate, or you have a death wish." Shi Lang had caught a whiff of their weakness and would not let them get away. These rookies gave him such a headache by following him for so long. The terran almost thought that some expert had tagged him, but it turned out that they were only hesitating. Shi Lang revealed a cold-blooded aura and covered the group before him. The people were taken aback because this guy was strong, and his aura alone made chills run down their spines. Cao Shiyan said, "Wait, let us talk first. If you think what we have to propose is not a hindrance, give us a chance to cooperate. Please." Shi Lang gazed at the people silently for a prolonged period and nodded. Cao Shiyan looked around and said, "This ce is not safe. Shall we find another location?" The terran was willing to listen but was not trustful of these people and said, "You can say what you want to say right here. The encampments of the Xiao Family of Luan Province is three kilometers west, and the encampment of the Jian Family is four kilometers east. They will not find us here. Now, speak."

 Chapter 683 Cooperation?

    Chapter 683 Cooperation?

    Cao Shiyan sighed and said, "Well since you want to do it here. We are all second in line. I do not know if you understand, but we are always treated as the first losers in our families. We have no respect, nor do we have anyone to love us."

    Shi Lang looked at them and could tell they were telling the truth from their gaze. Yet, he did not empathize with them and asked, "So, what does that have to do with me? You probably do not know, but I am an only child and never faced thepetition you do, so forgive me, but I do not care." Yue Hanling stepped forward and said coldly, "Bastard, we are not asking you to care for us. We are enough. Listen before you start spouting shit." Shi Lang nced at her from head to toe and said, "You sure have a dirty tongue for that pretty face, but fine, continue." Cao Shiyan said, "The family has asked our so-called genius elder siblings toe out and use all means necessary to win the two things on you." Shi Lang nodded, and Cao Shiyan continued, "I am aware that your devices must be very meaningful to you, but still if you can provide us with the n to manufacture them, we can promise you a share of the profit." The terran smiled and asked, "You people do not have dignity in your own house. How can you promise me a share in the profit? Do you see anything written on my forehead?" Cao Shiyan nodded and spoke sincerely, "Your doubts are reasonable. However, the elder siblings have lived enough. We will be taking over their positions soon." This shocked Shi Lang; he had not expected this bunch to have such a n. He was sure that whatever was going on in there, these five people stood behind each other inplete support. For a second, he seemed to have seen the glimpse of his Ace Squad back on the federation. Shi Lang replied, "I will not ask you how you intend to achieve how you will this, but what is the surety? After all, your elder siblings are stronger than you." Cao Shiyan smiled and said, "How about this? We will show you ours, and you can show us yours?" Shi Lang narrowed his gaze; he had not expected Cao Shiyan to act so confidently. He thought briefly and asked, "Sure, mine is easy to show, and it will motivate you guys. I will go first. Come along." The group of people was surprised, but they still followed Shi Lang quickly. The terran took them to the zone where wolves lived. It was dark, and the beasts were already active. Shi Lang said, "We are looking for a lone wolf, not the pack. They have Beast kings among them, and I do not wish to live with their hatred on me." The people nodded, and after searching for fifteen minutes, Carl Hamilton suddenly released a low whistle, and everyone gathered around him. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Thank you for your contribution. Now, please enjoy the show." Shi Lang found the tracks of a wolf, and the hunt began. The people did not know what he would do, so they followed him. After walking several meters, Shi Lang waved his hand for them to stop. He said, "Converge your spiritual energy flow. Only watch there." The terran pointed in a direction, and the people spotted a wolf chowing down on a deer. This was the mostmon prey. Shi Lang crouched on the ground and took out his sniper rifle. He took out a bullet and showed it to the people. The group was hooked. Cao Shiyan mumbled, "Array formations?" Shi Lang nodded. He knew this guy was a brainiac, which also saved him a lot of time. Shi Lang charged the bullet and ced it inside the firing chamber. He used the bolt to load the weapon and aimed it at the wolf. The trigger was squeezed, and the bullet flickered through the void and prated the skull of the beast with pinpoint uracy. The shot was silent, and the distance shocked the five people the most. Shi Lang did not use his spiritual sense just now, so how could he make a shot at the wolf with such an error? The terran could sense his intent gaze and said, "I ced a telescopic vision array on the two crystals embedded on the top of the barrel." The group looked at each other, and they did not know that someone couldbine these seemingly useless array formations toe up with such a nice weapon. Shi Lang said while walking, "It may look like this weapon is only useful at the low-level cultivators. However, the fact is that it can be used by Immortal Emperors too. It is just that this particr specimen cannot store more spiritual energy." Cao Shiyan said, "If what you said is true, then this weapon will rece bow and arrowpletely." Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "This weapon may seem efficient, but it has its own requirements. You need to clean it every once in a while, and for that, you need an array expert who can get around the array patterns without damaging them. This is such aplicated process. The people who are looking to manufacture these in big batches. They are risking the lives of their people." Yue Hanling asked, "What do you mean by that?" Shi Lang crouched down near the dead wolf while saying, "The barrels will explode if it is clogged up. The array patterns will explode if they are damaged during maintenance. Imagine the damage this ordinance can do if it is charged with spiritual energy and explodes near the user?" The five people shivered at the thought. Xuan Qiling asked, "Can you tell me why you are inputting the spiritual energy into your projectile just now?" Shi Lang nodded and replied, "The steel used for this projectile is just your average metal. Without the aid of my spiritual energy, it will not be able to prate the head of the earth-back wolf. This guy has a diamond-like skin." The terran stopped paying attention to them and began cleaning the corpse to extract meat and tradeable parts. The five people conversed with each other using spiritualmunication. After Shi Lang was done, he asked, "Tell me, do you think it is worth cooperating with me now?"

 Chapter 684 Cards On The Table.

    <h4>Chapter 684 Cards On The Table.</h4>

    Shi Lang asked the five people if the families behind them would be willing to manufacture such a high-maintenance weapon. He thought that the people focused on benefitting from this weapon would not move ahead. Still, to his surprise, Cao Shiyan said something that made the terran wonder if this guy had also ascended from the Federation.

    Cao Shiyan replied, "Brother, you do not have to worry about anything. The families will set up maintenance shops. They are all money-grubbing old fellows, so they have been unable to reach the next level for decades. They are very materialistic; thus, the mindset hampers their cultivation, yet they never learn. They will not let go of such an opportunity."

    Shi Lang was stunned, but then he nodded after he understood the sentiments of the people. He said, "Fine, I will give you the designs for the weapon, but the Jade Towers will distribute themunicator. You can have those old men go there and talk to Fairy Moon Jade."

    Cao Shiyan nodded and said, "I understand. It was a good choice of business."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now it is your turn to show your cards. How are you going to take care of your elder siblings?"

    Cao Shiyan smiled and gazed at Carl Hamilton. Thetter said, "You know my name, so let me tell you what I can do. I know a poison that will sit deep inside your body harmlessly, even if it was thousands of years. The poison will not affect your body or hinder your cultivation. However, once ites in contact with lightning, the poison will erupt, and your body will turn ashes."

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and asked, "What is the name of this poison? Will it not be detected after the bones have turned to ashes."

    Carl Hamilton shook his head and said, "The poison is called Cursed extermination. The name sounds a bit too loud, but the effect is apt. The biggest quality of this poison is that it cannot be detected until someone from the Immortal Sovereign realmes and personally checks it."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, "Carry on. You are leaving me too much room to doubt you."

    Carl Hamilton said, "If theye into contact with lightning now, they will die. The poison was administered to them after they consolidated their foundation as Immortal Kings. They did not have the skills to detect the poison, and we have acted like good stewards since they were young. They are out of the family now, and the Immortal Emperors guard them from the families. If they were to fight you, they would die, and the expert from the family would report it back to the family by themselves."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Do you think I am a fool to fight with them and take the me for their deaths? They are the first children of the family. Young masters and young mistresses, if they died fighting a nobody, the family would look for me. On the other hand, you people will reap the rewards.

    Now that I know what you are up to, I might as well hand things over to them, and do not think you can stop me."

    Cao Shiyan replied, "You are correct, but who said you will have to fight with them? You only have to do one thing."

    Shi Lang asked, "What is that?"

    Cao Shiyan smiled and said, "Rain lighting on them. Make it seem like they are going to face a tribtion."

    Shi Lang gawked, and then heughed. Heughed so loud that the five people frowned. The terran regained hisposure and asked, "It is not that you take me for a fool. You are a fool yourself. Do you not know the difference between the magnitude of a tribtion? I will never be able to create an effect like that."

    The people sighed, and Cai Shiyan said, "You underestimate us too much. Your task is to gather clouds and throw lightning in the mix. They will die, do not worry."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows, and Xuan Qiling said, "I have a beastpanion that can create the effect of the lightning tribtions strike."

    The terran wanted to roll his eyes when he saw Xuan Qiling bring out a beast as big as an infant deer. He was shocked and did not know what was going on there. He mumbled, "This is a legendary beast cub?"

    Xuan Qiling smiled and said, "When I was not yet born, my great-great-great-grandmother saved the life of a Qiling. The patriarch of the Qiling n was embarrassed and wanted to pay off the debt of life. My ancestor scammed him into entering a lifelong bond of friendship. So, every child in the family gets to visit the Qiling n, and the newborns there will select a person they like.

    My elder brother was despised for arrogance, but I don''t know why Xiao Qin chose me. Do not look at her size. She is ten years old and a hell of a lot smarter than me."

    Shi Lang was shocked. He did not know why, but he wanted to ask, ''Can your family adopt me?''

    This was a legendary beast. This entity was so strong that it could level kingdoms in a blink, and that was when it was a child. Shi Lang bowed his head to the small deer-like creature, too.

    The people were surprised, and what shocked their souls was that the Qiling also bowed back to Shi Lang. It was said that Qilings, especially the legendary beasts, would not bow to a human until they owed them a favor or acknowledged the person''s presence at an equal level.

    Shi Lang raised his head, and without caring for their shocked faces, he asked, "What is the n?"

    Cao Shiyan said, "They are all gathered in the encampment of the Ning Family. The Ning family is the local snake in this region. They are the biggest and the only option for the people to seek resources this close to the border. They manipte the supply chain and monopolize the cost.

    Our four families wish to hug their thighs and make a fortune. The entire encampment has five Immortal kings and thirty Immortal lords inside. They will begin searching for you in the morning because, at this moment, they are busy with strategy meetings."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Cao Shiyan continued, "One of my spirit ves is there, and when I send her the signal, she will provide them with dinner. This dinner will make them feel that their spiritual foundation can no longer be suppressed, and they will try to break through. You need to fly high in the sky with Xiao Qin and gather some dark clouds, andter, our little darling will shoot down lightning at the people, giving them a painless death."

    The terran thought for a bit and said, "Can the five of you take a martial oath? Stating that what you said from the moment we met till now is true and that you do not intend to harm any innocent person? I can take an oath that I will give you the blueprints for the rifle in return for the cooperation of your families and ten percent of your monthly sale profit."

    The five people were stunned, but thinking about it, Shi Lang was correct in doubting them. They did not know each other, and their credibility was zero. This was the right thing to do to establish an agreement that would be kept.

    Cao Shiyan nodded, and they began to sweat heavenly oaths. The terran was moved by the resolve of this young bunch. These people were after their siblings with such gusto that it scared him. he asked, "Why do you hate them so much?"

    Yue Hanling said, "You are an only child, so you do not know. We have the same father but different mothers. My mother came from an influential family, but my father preferred a son over a daughter. My elder sister has taken a vow never to marry and plotted against me to be caught with a young man. She took away my reputation and even sent me to the cold caves for five years. When I came back, I found her to havepletely brainwashed my father and gained the title of Young Miss of the Yue family.

    If only my father could see how she acts like an whore and meed multiple men to satiate her lust. That is why I wish to kill her."

    Shi Lang gulped, he did not expect the hatred to be so deep, but it did not matter to him. He nodded and the rest of them also shared their stories. Shi Lang sighed and said, "I used to think that the rich really had too much trouble, and looking at your countances, I will keep my belief that you do have a lot of troubles."

    The five nodded and Shi Lang continued, "Forget it, let''s go. Time to get things done."

 Chapter 685 Improvisation.

    <h4>Chapter 685 Improvisation.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the group departed from the woods and headed to the encampment of the Ning Family. The Qiling beast ran along with them, and its aura was enough to scare away the spirit beasts in the region. It saved them a lot of time.

    The terran did not speak much during the journey because he was still calcting many things in his mind. It was not the profit he was specting about but the reasons behind this assassination. He had been a soldier, and it was not new for him to assassinate someone, but his deed''s cause must be justified.

    At this moment, he was going to stage a heavenly phenomenon and kill four people for the sake of what? The answer was standing. His organization was built on the mental model of the Special Forces. They dwelled in the dark and kept things in check. He needed a few people in the light to make sure that the transition of his work was smooth.

    However, the dilemma struck him as if all this was worth it. Shi Lang argued that this world was different from the world of the federation, and he needed to be decisive and do a few unwanted things to get a ce in the chain ofmand.

    Shi Lang did not know but had liked this feeling of operating in the shadows. It was not that he did not like to deal with things while being in the light. It was just that staying in the dark allowed him to be ahead of all who might have an underlying objective against him.

    The people reached the periphery of the Ning Family encampment, and Cao Shiyan said, "I will head inside the rest and get things going. You must stay ready, and when you notice the people moving, begin that is your queue."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will time it ordingly, but you all need to ensure that you do not drop the ball at the critical moment."

    Suddenly, Cao Jian, who had been silent for all this while, said, "Sir, we do not have any backup n. If we are caught, I hope you can get away and take Xiao Qin. None of you can tell me not to be prepared for the worst."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Do not worry, let alone Xiao Qin. I will not let either of you fall behind. It may seem like I am talking too much, but you will know when the timees. Now get going."

    The five people exchanged nces, and they rushed away. Shi Lang crouched next to Xiao Qin and said, "It looks like we are the only ones left behind, Xiao Qin."

    The Qilin beast nodded gently. Her eyes were flickering with a great amount of wisdom. Shi Lang felt that he was captivated by them. He asked, "You are strong enough to advance to the realm of a beast emperor. Why do you hold back?"

    Shi Lang was not a fool, and he could sense immense power held back by the Qilin. The beast raised her deer head and cast a gaze in the direction where Xaun Qiling had gone. The terran smiled and said, "For yourpanion''s sake, are you holding back?"

    The beast nodded. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "If fate wishes for it, he may have his chance soon."

    Xian Qin released a soft bleat as she rubbed her snout against Shi Lang''s shoulder. There was a reason why Shi Lang was so surprised when he saw this beast. Qilins were said to have mastered the five elements, but inbination with that, these guys had another ability.

    None of the humans knew if this legend was true, but Qilins had the power to look into a person''s future. They could look at one person''s future for one time in their lifespan. Shi Lang asked, "Can you look into the future?"

    Xiao Qin was shocked and took half a step back. Shi Lang smiled and said, "I do not wish to harm you or to tell my future, but I only wish to confirm if you bowed back to me because you could see my future and that I will help Xuan Qiling."

    The terran could perceive the hesitation in her eyes, and just when he was about to drop the topic, the Qilin nodded. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, I do not mind. At least you know I am not a bad guy."

    The Qilin nodded, and the two silently sat on the ground, leaning against each other. There was still some time for them to take to the skies.

    ...

    Cao Shiyan and the rest arrived at the Ning Family encampment. They did not show any change in their faces. The immortal lords that served under the wings of their siblings were all very lofty and just respected them symbolically.

    Cao Shiyan and the rest had discussed the n many times, and they knew what to do. Xuan Qiling may look like a simpleton, but he was quite clever. All these years, his airheaded behavior was only to keep his brother off his back.

    They all came to the tents of their siblings and asked for an audience. They pretended to havee over to help them in the expedition. The elder siblings were not surprised. On the contrary, they treated their younger siblings as fools who did not know the difference between the good and the bad.

    They did not know their dark deeds were known to the younger siblings. Cao Shiyan and the rest eagerly took instructions and even asked crucial questions. They weaved a delicate around their traps.

    The instructions were out, and the younger ones left the tents. Shortly after, the elder siblings were served with exquisite spirit beast meat. They all sat in one tent and feasted before the hunt began.

    However, suddenly, they found their spiritual energy getting excited. Cao Shiyan and the rest arrived at this time. They saw the situation, and Xuan Qiling eximed, "Oh my god, heavens have blessed us all. Big brother, you guys are breaking through. The tribtion must be close. You do not have to worry; we will take you to a lonely ce and guard you guys."

    The young man acted simrly airheaded and rushed out of the tent to alert the soldiers. The young master of the Ning Family heard this and rushed over with his protector.

    Cao Shiyan had told Shi Lang that the protectors woulde and stand close to their wards when such a situation arrived. He was only praying that Shi Lang was ready now. They led the four people out of the encampments, and the clouds began to rumble and surge.

    Shi Lang did not let them down; he watched the movement, and Xuan Qiling even sent a spiritual message to Xiao Qin that they had begun. The moment the Immortal Emperor''s protector appeared next to Young Master Ning, the terran made his move. The four families did have immortal emperors to protect the young Immortal Kings, but with the protection from the top expert of the Ning Family, they did not worry.

    Shi Lang observed everything on the ground and said, "Xiao Qin, you must be ready."

    The Qilin nodded gently. Shi Lang loved this creature for her gentle nature. However, Qilins were not looked down on because they were calmer and gentler. Even a dragon might be unable to deal with them if they got angry.

    Shi Lang channeled a spark of lightning in the clouds, and Xiao Qin manipted the water vapors to gather and condense. The clouds turned dark, and with the maniption of the Qilin, they all surged in one direction.

    None of the experts could say it was against the climate because heavenly tribtion defied everything to test the people who sought ascension into a higher realm.

    In this part that Cao Shiyan had juste up with on the spot, Shi Lang only had to channel his lightning through the clouds so that the Qilin could focus on shooting her lightning at the people below.

    This will increase the power of the attack and the chances that the five died. Cao Shiyan was not only calm and clever, but he was ruthless also. He was going to kill everyone, but he did not tell anyone about this. He did not believe that the Ning family would be foolish enough to believe that the tribtion was real.

    When the lightning appeared, the four people sat down in a square formation. Shi Lang sighed and mumbled, "Looks like these people are not stupid. Xiao Qin, I am going to do something. I need you to cooperate with me, okay?"

    The beast was not sure, but she realized that if the four people were going tobine their efforts and deal with the tribtion. Her attacks will not hold much power until she broke through, and now was not the optimal time to do so.

    Shi Lang pped his chest and coughed up some blood. He intended to make a clone, but the clone was not going to be a regr one. He intended to use a skill that he had never used before. He found this skill when he ascended into an Immortal Lord realm. The lightning spirit clone.

 Chapter 686 Heavenly Wraith.

    <h4>Chapter 686 Heavenly Wraith.</h4>

    Shi Lang coughed up some blood by pping himself on the chest. The Qilin beast was surprised, and she did not expect this human to be injuring himself to see through the task. This was the first time she had seen suchmitment.

    Shi Lang arrived next to her and said softly, "Xiao Qin, I will need to borrow your lightning energy."

    The Qilin nodded hurriedly and channeled her spiritual energy through Shi Lang''s body. The terran understood the difference between the invincible and supreme at this moment. He had always thought that his cultivation was good and that the purity of his spiritual essence was also high, but he sensed something he could not put into words right now.

    The spiritual energy of the Qilin traveled through his meridians, and it refined his spiritual energy to a higher level. Shi Lang did not feel bad because he lost a significant portion of his spiritual essence or because his cultivation path slowed down even more. He was ecstatic because facing an Immortal King was easy with this quality of lightning spiritual energy inside his body.

    Shi Lang did not dare to be careless as the spiritual energy coursed through his body. After a few moments, he nodded, and the beast stopped. Xiao Qin watched as Shi Lang channeled spiritual energy through the drops of blood. The blood absorbed the energy greedily and gradually began to squirm.

    Xiao Qin was confused when Shi Lang said, "It is time for you to let them shiver with the thunder. The beast nodded and manipted the clouds. The thunder from the clouds was so loud that it shook thends.

    The people who were gazing at the clouds in doubt were shaken. They were suspecting the clouds, thinking that the clouds and the tribtion were just a random storm till now. Then, after the rumble, a ray of lightning shed in the void before itnded in the center of the four people.

    The protector of the Ning Family was shocked and said, "We need to leave, young master."

    Yong Master Ning was shocked when he heard this. He asked, "Elder Kun, what is the matter?"

    Elder Kun was an old man with a long beard, but his straight back defined his strength. He said, "These people are trying to resist the heavenly tribtion together. It is not advisable to do so. They will trigger that wrath of the heavens, and I do not think it would be wise to have you dragged down in this mess."

    Young Master Ning did not know why the old man was so fidgety. However, before he could ask anything, Elder Kun said, "Look up, and you will find your answer."

    The young man raised his head and took three steps back in shock. He saw an avatar. The avatar wasposed of lightning and held a sword. After the initial shock, he asked doubtfully, "Why do I feel the pressureing from this thing is only that of an Immortal Lord?"

    His question was correct, but Elder Kun shook his head and said, "The purity of the heavenly lightning is equal to that of an Immortal Emperor. Do you think the heavens need to disy overwhelming might while dealing with the four? Do not underestimate the power of the heavens, Young Master. Let us retreat."

    The old man had just stopped speaking when Cao Shiyan and the others approached him and began to plead, "Elder, can you suggest any way to deal with this tribtion? Our elder siblings are the future lords of the family. If anything misfortunate urs, what will we tell our family?"

    Elder Kun shook his head slowly and said, "Child, I admire your sentiments for your brother. However, none is stronger than the heavens. All I can do for you is ry whatever is happening here to your family so you will not be implicated."

    Cao Shiyan could not have wanted a better solution to this predicament. Initially, he was prepared to kill everyone here with the poison, but he found that Shi Lang was smart and improvised the n in a manner that even the strongest and the wisest person among them was fooled.

    Xiao Qin had been rying everything that went up in the sky to Xuan Qiling, who passed it down to his group. While the people were talking, Shi Lang used his immortal soul to take control of the lightning clone andnd on the ground. He stood right between the four people.

    The four people were prepared tobine their spiritual energy to deal with the lightning bolts and were taken aback when they saw this humanoid standing amidst them. Shi Lang, being the efficient killer that he was, made his move. He was so fast that he appeared behind a young man in green brocade robes and a schrly aura. This person was called Cao Zhihui.

    Shi Lang selected this guy for a straight reason; he noticed this guy was the calmest among the group members. He was not afraid of the strongest person but the one with the most wisdom. His lightning clone was not invincible, and if the weakness were seen through so easily, it would be a problem.

    The terran did not give the enemy any chance to recollect himself, and a lightning sword moved through the back and prated out of Cao Zhihui''s chest. The poison was channeling through his body as soon as the lightning de discharged the aura inside the body. Cao Zhihui froze, and then his body burned from the inside out.

    Cao Zhihui fell in battle without a chance to fight back, and even his soul was scattered to the winds of samsara. Cao Shiyan saw this and yelled, "No!"

    The acting was realistic; he stepped forward, but lighting shed before him. Elder Kun reacted and pulled the young man back from his cor. He scolded loudly, "Brat, if you wish to die, do it in your own time. I am leaving this ce lest any of you emotional young fools bring tragedy over us. I will keep my word, and your families will not me you."

    That said, the old man grabbed the arm of Young Master Ning and said loudly, "Ning family, leave this ce. We are going back. The quest has failed. I will not say it again. Move out!"

    The people of the Ning family heard the call, and they moved away as if they had never visited this ce in the first ce.

    ...

    On the other side, the people of the four families were shocked. Cao Zhihui fell, and the other three did not have time to react when the lightning phantom began to toy with them. Shi Lang dodged every attack; it was like watching them y in slow motion.

    He was not underestimating these people; he was still gauging the limits of his skill, and at the same time, he was waiting for these people to fall into a panicked state of mind. Suddenly, he realized he was not the only one pushing the limit. Even Xiao Qin was under great stress.

    Shi Lang unleashed the lightning domain, and then what happened the people would not forget even in their afterlife. The terran controlled the space and restricted the enemy''s movement while boosting his own twice as normal. His avatar flickered, and the lightning de reaped three lives instantly.

    Shi Lang willed the clone to raise his head and roar before it vanished into the sky. The moment he appeared in the sky, he sensed something. Thanks to the fact that they were all surrounded by clouds and lightning, the other party did not approach them in a hurry.

    Shi Lang ced his hand over Xiao Qin''s head, and they vanished inside a portal leading to the Inheritance pce. The clouds did not vanish but started raining on the parched ground. Yes, the lightning avatar had scorched the ground and left ashes behind. The members of the four families were grieving with the five youngsters.

    Xuan Qiling sensed that Xiao Qin had vanished, and he said, ''Shiyan, Xiao Qin is missing.''

    Cao Shiyan raised his head and gazed at the sky. Just when he was about to say something, he spotted Old Man Kun descending from the clouds. Hemunicated with his spirit sense, ''Do not worry. Ace must have taken her away to safety. This old ginger is spicier. He went up there to check what was going on.''

    Xuan Qiling calmed down, and they all sat listlessly on the ground. The rain washed over their visage, and they did not reach when Elder Kin approached them. The elders of the four families were busy rying the information back to the main house. The protectors of the five youngsters were present behind them, but they were all in cahoots with them.

    Elder Kun said, "Children, do not worry. I will see that you all reach home and that your families do not bother you. Calm your hearts. It is glorious for cultivators to die as they face a heavenly wraith."

 Chapter 687 Promise Delivered.

    <h4>Chapter 687 Promise Delivered.</h4>

    Shi Lang waited for some time, allowing the Qilin to recover her spiritual energy. The sudden change in the spiritual density shocked the beast, but it nourished her. The terran, in the meantime, came to the demon bane tree''s ce and poured out the corpses of the demonic beast Tian Long had rewarded him.

    He did not wish to use these things for his own, but the fruits from the top of this tree would be helpful for everyone. The corpses were all high quality, and the demon beast kings and demon beast emperors were so strong that even in death, as soon as Shi Lang bought out their corpses, the ce was brimming with demonic energy.

    The ce was not corrupted, thanks to the demon bane tree''s terrible appetite for such pure demonic energy. Shi Lang observed the situation briefly before he nodded and walked away.

    After he saw that Xiao Qin had finished recovering the terran, he opened another portal. He did not appear in the void but in the woods some distance from the encampment. Xiao Qin let out a soft, bleating sound. Shi Lang smiled and rubbed her head.

    The beast was thanking him. Shi Lang took a piece of parchment and said, "You can bring this to Xuan Qiling and the others. I do not wish to go and meet them now. I have to head back home. The rest of the things are written in this parchment."

    The terran took out a space ring and stowed the parchment and the jade slip inside the ring. Xiao Qin hid the ring inside her mouth and rushed away. Shi Lang did not wish to face an old ginger who might kill him under the pretense of suspicion.

    Shi Lang left in another direction and did not need to worry about Xiao Qin. She was even stronger than him. The terran continued to avoid the encampments and even patrols on the way. It was all thanks to his clones and the anti-recon training he had learned in the federation.

    ...

    In the War Maiden sect, Yu Ying watched an elder leave the ce with a cold expression on her face. She shook her head and sighed. Just then, she heard a calm voice, "Sister Yu, why are you sighing?"

    Yu Ying did not even turn her head and said, "Is it not for your husband? Who else could upset the elder gallery so much?"

    Amelia raised her brow and asked, "What do you mean by that? What did he do?"

    Yu Ying shook her head and said, "That guy joined the Dragon Army, fought at the frontline with two sovereigns, and earned the champion title. The news is that he managed to kill thirteen demon beast kings with the help of Immortal Sovereign Zither Soul."

    Amelia nodded and asked, "I still do not see anything that would make the elder gallery feel upset with him."

    Yu Ying gawked at Amelia and asked, "What sort of love soup did he feed you? They all say that his conversation with Immortal Sovereign Zither Soul was too uncultured and that he was acting shamelessly."

    Amelia smiled and said, "These are all hearsay."

    Yu Ying raised her brow and asked, "Why do you think the elders are fidgeting?"

    Amelia took a deep breath and said, "Are you sure you want me to tell the truth?"

    Yu Ying nodded. Her heart was palpitating because she knew Amelia was not as simple as she seemed on the surface. Nothing in the sect escaped her eyes.

    Amelia said, "The elder gallery has two factions. They have been making trouble for me since discovering I have a husband. Now, the news came that he cooperated with Sovereign Zither Soul and was on friendly terms with her. They wish to use this excuse to wedge a rift between him and me. They wished for the sect to be run by a women who lived alone like them. Idiots!"

    She flicked her hair with disdain, brimming her eyes, and said, "Sister Yu, tell the elder gallery to stay in line. If they try to act out of their ce, I will make sure to put them in their graves. As for his involvement with the Immortal Sovereign, we alle from the same lower realm. If they do not wish for me to call the sovereign judgment upon them, they should fix their attitudes."

    That said, she left a stunned Yu Ying. Amelia would not allow anyone to step between herself and Shi Lang. Anyone who did so was her enemy. She loved Shi Lang, not because of their somewhat forced early rtionship but because he was a man of his word. He never mistreated her, and after their marriage, he almost died to save her.

    He rose to the peak, changed the world for the better, and raised an orphan as his own. Yes, it was debatable why Shi Lang did that, but the fact remains that he was selfless in this process and never exploited Shi Tao.

    Amelia admired him and his decisiveness. If anyone were going to take him from her, that person would suffer a fate worse than death.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know this and returned to Asura Hall. He found that his disciples, Yu Xiedi and Hao Mei, were in seclusion. He was surprised, but he still checked upon them. He found that Xiao Yu had reached the peak of body refinement and was now refining spiritual energy.

    Hao Mei was also entering the peak of the gathering realm. He could not determine the reason behind this growth and found Hei Lei in the stable. The beast saw Shi Lang and bowed his head. Shi Lang asked, "What is going on with them?"

    Hei Lei replied, "I guided them in calming their thoughts and told them that only when they are strong would they be able to stand by your side in the future."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Forget it. Just ensure they do not push too much and end up hurting themselves."

    ...

    On the other side, Cao Shiyan and Xuan Qiling found the space ring from Xiao Qin. They kept it a secret from Ning Family elders. Cao Shiyan had his n, and his group supported himpletely. After an entire day of investigation, when Elder Kun could not find anything wrong, he told the people of his family to look for Shi Lang.

    As for the four families, they asked to return home as the death of their young patriarchs needed to be mourned. Elder Kun sighed. Although he could have used these people here asbor, he needed to amodate them, or other people whoe across them might tarnish the impression of the Ning Family.

    The four families departed, and the five youths sat on the back of a flying spirit beast. Cao Shiyan took out the jade slip and the letter inside the space ring. He read the letter, "I have engraved the rifle n on the jade slip. There are four families, and I am cooperating with all of you. This jade slip has a restriction that restricts the four of you from learning one section of the technique.

    You can have the expert of your family inspect it and conclude if what I said is the truth. To make the rifle, you will need to work together, and I hope that none of you tries to pull any dirty tricks on each other for the profit margin. I am not interested in anything but the harmony of the force.

    To ensure this, I have already ced several spies among your families. You will never escape my sight; do not waste time looking for those spies. You will be chasing a cloud of smoke. Lastly, you can deliver my promised share to the Jade Tower, and I will collect it from there."

    Cao Shiyan raised his head, and Yue Hanlingmented, "I used to think Shiyan was the sly fox; it turned out this guy is a step further than him."

    The people nodded; they did not expect Shi Lang to have tied them together, so they would suffer if they tried to break away from the responsibility. Cao Shiyan thought about it and said, "If someone asks you why we promised him the conditions, just say that he made an offer that would set the path for the future of our families, and ten percent of profit was not a bad thing."

    The people thought about it and nodded. Cao Shiyan said, "Ace not only gave us the throne but even saved our lives from those bastards. We cannot let him down like this."

    The people discussed for a bit, and then they reached their homes differently. The word spread in the four families, and the patriarchs met secretly. They confirmed the authenticity. The appearance of Elder Kun has pacified the people at the higher level, and now, when the childrene back with the ns for the weapons, and they do not even tell the Ning family, it is obvious that they had a chance to rise. The children of their family were very promising.

 Chapter 688 Asuraâ€™s Goal.

    <h4>Chapter 688 Asura''s Goal.</h4>

    Shi Lang checked on his disciples and became busy with Yang Niao. The selected heads of departments were all called for a meeting. These people did not know what Shi Lang was up to but knew he would not harm them. In the past few months, the ranks of the hall members have risen a lot.

    Shi Lang watched everyone arrive and asked, "Why do I see changes in the heads of departments?"

    Yang Niao replied, "These people have risen through ranks, and they bested the previous heads of departments, and so unanimously they were promoted."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is fine to entertain the idea of internalpetition, but ensure that no bad blood will develop in this hall. If I find anyone disrupting the unity and harmony of the hall members, I will personally skin the culprit and hang it on the gate. Understood?"

    The people stiffened and replied, "Yes, hall master!"

    They could understand why he said these words. After all, this hall was something that he bought together, and recently, they have discovered the benefits of unity and strength. Shi Lang heard their response and said, "Do we have any master builders in our numbers?"

    Yang Niao thought briefly and said, "Brother Tei Pang has some knowledge about this matter. Shall I call him over?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have a few ns about the hall. Also, please ask someone to retrieve my oldmunicator from the storage vault."

    Yang Niao nodded and quickly asked some disciples to finish the two tasks. Although most people in the Asura hall were of the same age, they all followed a strict hierarchy. A chain ofmands was etched in their being by now.

    However, what they were about to face now would leave an impression they could never forget. The two tasks were simple because the Falling Bird Sect was not established in a big area. Tie Pang and themunicator were present in the main hall.

    Shi Lang collected themunicator and initiated a booting sequence. He said, "Asura Hall is a ce that should excel in information collection, espionage, infiltration, and assassination. However, at the same time, we must all have no problem dealing with the threats head-on. We have acquired a lot of technique manuals in the past, and the Sect is better protected now. However, this is not the final goal. We need to work harder and strive harder. Only then can we reach the peak."

    The people agreed with him but did not know what he was doing with hismunicator. After a few minutes, Shi Lang said, "Brother Tei Pang, these are the ns of the structure I want you to construct inside the mountain."

    The people were shocked. Shi Lang did not care about them and said, "As you all know, I am an ascender. In my world, thisbyrinth used to be the training ground. We did not have ess to spiritual energy inside thebyrinth, which helped us develop nice skills. The more familiar you are with your body, the better skill execution you achieve."

    Yang Niao asked, "Hall Master, do you wish us to train in this ce and not use spiritual energy?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It will be hard because thebyrinth will beced with killing arrays, illusion arrays, and even automatic spirit rifles. A group of people will use the observation array to monitor the condition of the trainees; if they are severely injured, the training will stop, and they will be carried out to heal. If the injuries are light and the trainee needs to heal, they must find a way out of the ce alone. Unless the risk of your injury is life-threatening, the training will not stop."

    The people were shocked, and you need to understand that they had to face all these things without any augmentation of spiritual energy. Tei Pang asked, "Hall Master, when shall I begin?"

    Shi Lang said, "As soon as possible, bring along as many brothers or sisters as you need to finish the construction within a week."

    Tei Pang was shocked, but Shi Lang said, "Do not use your normal tools, but spiritual energy to excavate and reinforce the structure. It will save you a lot of time."

    The architect, Tie Pang, was shocked when he heard this. He did not expect Shi Lang to say something like this. He said, "Hall Master, leave this task to us."

    Shi Lang realized that it was the immortal ne and that the people should know their tasks. He had overstepped his boundary and said, "I apologize for teaching the master, Brother Tei."

    The people smiled, looking at their high and mighty Hall Master acting like a rookie. This was a rare sight. After the meeting finished, the departments were flung into action. After all, the construction was not going to be finished for free. Shi Lang guided the people to send themunicators to the Jade Towers.

    Jade Tower was a big name, and they had sufficient capital, so the staff of the Jade Towers had already received instructions from Fairy Moon Jade to ept the people from the Asura Hall and not investigate them.

    This was the courtesy she disyed to Shi Lang. The terran was an important ally of hers; this was the least she could do. Shi Lang was not bad, either. He sent two of thetestmunicators to her as gifts. One was meant for her, and the other for Tian Long. Shi Lang wanted to optimize the ie and told thedy they could create a custom decoration to add a personalized touch to themunicator.

    The rich and strong wished to stand out no matter what realm it was. Shi Lang was no less of a money-clinching capitalist. They had negotiated a split of seventy-thirty. Shi Lang took seventy, and Jade Tower took thirty. This was something thedy had no problem with. She was only selling it and acquiring an even highermission than usual.

    She was not greedy because this business would bring her many other opportunities, and she would grow rich. On the other hand, she will gain Shi Lang''s forces as an ally. Given how tricky this guy was, how can the forces he created be shallow?

    While all this was happening, Shi Lang also focused on his cultivation. The people from the lost bird sect began to venture out in disguise, disposing of all the dirt and stones dug up from the mountain. The entire Asura Training Hall was based upon Tartarus'' tower back in Mythia, but the opening of the towers was so simple that it looked nothing more than a well.

    Yes, the Asura Hall hid the most crucial facility in the ne''s sight, so if some expert in the higher realm were to visit them, the spirit restriction arrays blended with a fake flooring mechanism would give off the impression of a dry well. This was what Shi Lang wanted.

    The power of spiritual arrays was so high that fooling a high-level expert was possible. Another example of hiding in in sight was the disciples. They all wore normal clothes, but their faces were covered with masks that changed their appearance. The people could not tell that it was a mask until they scanned it with a spiritual sense.

    Shi Lang also guided a division of craftsmen in looking for some people to start a chemb. When he told them that the metallurgy and other things would help them create more advanced devices they became curious. Shi Lang had retrieved the data from hismunicator and handed it to them.

    Maybe at that moment, these people did not realize the significance of this, but in theing five years, they would create a name for themselves that would shock many people and even strike fear in the hearts of people who intended to do bad.

    In a week, the Asura Hall had changed a lot. Under Shi Lang''s instruction, the people had gathered many mathematicians who had been neglected in the world of power. These people swore oaths to Shi Lang and pursued the peak of mathematics. However, they were settled far away from the original Asura Hall for safety reasons.

    These people would work with the metallurgy and craftsman departments to create advancedmunicators andputing devices. These devices will need a knowledge of mathematics and other sciences. Shi Lang had not only given the people a knowledge database but also entire details of inventions from the very first vacuum tube made by humans to thetest holographicmunicator.

    He would monopolize the tech in this world and use it to make Asura Hall a giant that overlooked everything from the shadows. He was not going to release all these things to the public all of a sudden, or those old fellows woulde after him and his people like they did for the rifle and themunicator this time.

    He was going to set up a ce in the light and one in the dark. The Asura was going to dwell in both of them and rule the world silently.

 Chapter 689 Conflict.

    <h4>Chapter 689 Conflict.</h4>

    Shi Lang had spent two months doing nothing but training and managing various things in the Asura Hall. The effect of the training in the Shura Pit was drastic; most Asura Hall members had been promoted to Immortal Lord, and Shi Lang himself was on the verge of stepping into the Immortal King realm.

    Yes, he had beenprehending everything he had learned and condensing his dao path into a crown over his head. An immortal general needed to condense dao weapons, an immortal lord had to condense dao armor, and an immortal king needed to condense the rules of their dao path into a crown.

    Shi Lang had sessfully condensed his dao armor, but now he was waiting. When he corresponded with the various books the Asura Hall managed to collect over the years, he found that the immortal king''s crown was divided into many categories.

    They were inferior, mediocre, supreme, and invincible. The differentiation was based on the rity of the dao path rules. It worked like this: the greater the rity one had while condensing the dao crown, the higher the category.

    Inferior Immortal Kings were the weakest andposed most of the Immortal King count. Also, the higher the rity of the Immortal King crown, the higher and the smoother the chance a cultivator had of ascending in the emperor''s realm.

    The rity could be improved, but the duration of time people needed was too much. Shi Lang did not wish for that. He wanted to condense an invincible level crown to pass through the realm barrier. The reason was simple: if he needed to spend a long time in the realm of the Immortal King, then his time would be wasted, and he did not intend to do that.

    Shi Lang stood on the cliff''s peak, watching over the Asura Hall. Yang Niao appeared behind him and said, "Hall Master, what are the arrangements?"

    Shi Lang did not look back and said, "Tell the youngsters to hold the fort. As for those in the peak of the Immortal Lord realm, they can go out and join the Centurion Tournaments. One person will apany you and record your battles. If you do not do your best in every fight, I will face you in the Shura Pit."

    Yang Niao shivered and said, "Yes, Hall Master."

    Shi Lang said, "I will leave with Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei tonight. You can decide when you depart on your own."

    Yang Niao nodded and retreated quickly. Shi Lang had acted as the final boss in thest level of the Shura pit many times, leaving everyone he faced devastated. He avoided vital points, but his attacks broke the bones most brutally. Even the best alchemists had to suffer when they cured these people.

    Some people even picked the wilderness to grow stronger over the chance of facing Shi Lang. The terran did not mind that. He was happy with it if they were willing to push themselves hard. After the preparations werepleted, the entire sect transformed into a bunker.

    The killing arrays were set up around each other inyers one after the other, and the closer one got to the sect, the stronger the array efficiency was. Shi Lang waited till evening, and after giving a nod on the matter, he left with Hei Lei.

    Hao Mei and Yu Xiedi had been practicing sincerely. They were given a lot of affection from the people, so the two were a bit reluctant to leave the sect, but Shi Lang was taking them back to Qiling City as he was going to join the Centurian Tournament, and it was not safe for him to bring around these two little ones.

    Hao Mei sat behind Yu Xiedi on the back of the lightning mane horse and asked, "Master, how does such a bigpetition work?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly. He was flying in the void beside the horse and could keep pace. He said, "They hold small tournaments all over the world. The winner from each region advances and fights in a battle royal held in a mysterious realm."

    Yu Xiedi asked, "What is a mysterious realm, Master?"

    The girl hade a long way from her cold self. She would frequently converse with Shi Lang and Hao Mei. Hearing her question, the Terran replied, "You can think of a mysterious realm like a hidden room inside a mansion. This realm is hidden in our world but cannot be seen."

    Hao Mei was surprised and asked, "I have read about these mysterious realms, Master, are they not very dangerous?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, you are correct, Xiao Mei. They are dangerous ces. That is why, in the future, you both must not act recklessly when you visit them."

    Yu Xiedi asked, "Master, why will you let us go to such ces?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You two wish to be greenhouse nts? How will you grow stronger if you do not venture outside?"

    Yu Xiedi asked, "Master, can I not grow stronger in the sect? I can practice with the other disciples."

    Shi Lang shook his head and solemnly said, "Xiao Yu, cultivation is not only about umting spiritual energy but also aboutprehending the secrets of dao. You cannot find that in the sect. Your master had to travel two worlds to reach where he is now."

    Hao Mei asked, "Master, are there other worlds?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You will know more when the time is right, little ones. Now, you shall focus onying down a strong foundation."

    The two girls nodded, and the people rushed to the Qiling City. Hei Lei had also grown strong in his cultivation. Ever since Shi Lang returned to the Asura Hall, he let the horse go out and fight his way with the other spirit kings. The lightning mane horse was now at the peak of the spirit beast king''s level.

    They quickly arrived at Qiling City and visited the lord''s mansion. Yuwan was a kind person, and he gave them a token so that they did not suffer outside. The guards bowed to them respectively, and they moved inside.

    Yuwan was out at the moment because he was an Immortal Emperor. He needed to watch over the tournament arrangements, but Yu Mingxue was present to attend them, and she greeted Yu Xiedi with great warmth. The little girl also did not act cold but was still somewhat restrained.

    The olderdy did not mind and was aware of her nature. Shi Lang waited and said, "Madam, I will leave them under your care. I need to travel and participate in the tournament."

    Yu Mingxue nodded, and Shi Lang told both the girls to be nice and not to ck off in their practice. The two children were not very clingy to him now. They knew from the other people in the sect that their master could flick his hair and transform into a monster. They even saw him beating up Yang Niao in the Shura Training Pit.

    Shi Lang went out and then headed out of the Qiling City. He did not wish to join the tournament here and wanted to find two people to join him: Bo Qingtan and Yan Xue. The people in the Asura Hall had found him the details of the two. They had both joined mercenary groups and had been fighting at the front line.

    It just so happened that the two of them were also close to Qiling City. The two of them had been working in mercenary groups, and the leaders of these groups were siblings. They hadplete gender segregation. As Shi Lang was thinking about it, he entered the forest next to the city and stopped suddenly.

    He sighed and said, "Brother Bo, will you have them fight with me?"

    The surroundings were silent, but suddenly, Bo Qingtan stepped out from behind the tree, and with a surprised gaze, he appeared next to Shi Lang. He asked, "What the heck have you been up to? We were so worried about you!"

    Shi Lang smiled and hugged the guy directly. He said, "You really need to cool down and call your brothers out. I am getting anxious."

    Bo Qingtan gently punched Shi Lang on the back and said, "Yeah!"

    The two broke up the hug, and Bo Qingtan said, "Brother Xing, it is safe. He is my brother. Come out."

    A few silhouettes stepped out of the trees, and Shi Lang found them all holding their weapons. Surprisingly, one of them was holding a sniper rifle. Shi Lang smiled and shook his head.

    The young man with the rifle narrowed his gaze. He noticed Shi Lang smirking a bit and asked, "What are you shaking your head for?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I just think that you do not know how to use the full potential of the weapon in your hand?"

    The young man sneered and said, "Have you even seen a rifle like this? Brother Bo, tell your friend to stay within limits."

    Bo Qingtan said nothing and shrugged his shoulders because he knew that Shi Lang would not take this lying down.

    The terran smiled and said, "Allow me to teach you how to use it."

 Chapter 690 Show Of Strength.

    <h4>Chapter 690 Show Of Strength.</h4>

    The young man with the sniper rifle looked at Shi Lang and asked, "Are you sure you want to act so cocky with me?"

    Shi Lang smiled and took out his sniper rifle. The people around were shocked and did not expect this guy to have a weapon in his hand. Bo Qingtan eximed, "Whoa, where did you get this?"

    Shi Lang smiled, and suddenly, a person from the side said, "Why does this look different than the one Jack has?"

    Everyone turned their gazes andpared the two weapons. Shi Lang replied, "My rifle is custom-made. That is why it is different in appearance. The rest of the functions should be the same."

    Bo Qingtan said, "Brother Xing, what do you think?"

    Shi Lang turned his head and found a young man with a broad chest gazing at him with great interest in his gaze. Hearing Bo Qingtan''s question, he said, "I am fine with it as long as both of them do not harm each other."

    Shi Lang took a few bullets and said, "We can use these practice bullets. However, a simplepetition would be boring. I want to propose something."

    Before Xing could say anything, Jack said, "Yeah, tell me, do you want me to give you a handicap?"

    The people chuckled; they were all mercenaries and crude people. Shi Lang did not mind this and said, "I will give you a handicap. I will not use spiritual energy in the bullets."

    The people were shocked. They did not expect Shi Lang to be so tant. Even Bo Qingtan was shocked and felt unsettled at this moment. However, when he looked at Shi Lang''s calm visage, he stayed quiet. Even if Shi Lang were to lose the battle, it would not make any difference.

    Shi Lang said, "The real skill of sniping does not need spiritual energy. I use spiritual energy to charge the bullet because I am up against a stronger enemy. Come on, I will show you that I can still match you without spiritual energy."

    Jack took these words as an attack on himself. He clenched his fist and said, "Fine, if that is what you want to do, thene. I will show you what sniping is, you cocky bastard."

    Xing said, "The terms are set. You both have an hour to locate Xiao Jun and hunt him. You can only target his limbs and nothing else."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. Jack smirked and asked, "Do you know who Xiao Jun is? He is the scout in our ranks and is the fastest."

    Shi Lang did not reply but only smiled silently from the side. He had his ways to fight against these people. Xing looked at the two men and snapped his finger. A figure from the crowd rushed into the forest. Xing said, "After ten minutes, you both can chase him."

    Shi Lang nodded and began to check his weapon. Jack said, "We should also decide upon a penalty for the loser."

    The terran replied while gazing at checking the arrays on the rifle, "Indeed. Tell me what you have in mind."

    Jack felt his lips twitch at this guy''s confident appearance. He said, "The one who loses will have to surrender his weapon and never use it again?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will do this if I lose, but if you lose, you will have to learn the skills of sniping sincerely."

    Jack was surprised and wanted to rebuke the terran when Xing said, "I agree on his behalf."

    Jack was shocked. He looked at Xing and heard his voice in his mind, "You need to stop underestimating him. I can sense the killing aura on him even when restraining it to the limit. Shut up and do your best. You will not lose anything in this ordeal."

    Jack was smacked off ruthlessly by Xing. However, he did not dare to rebuke the leader. Even if they were all at the peak of the immortal lord realm, Jack knew that Xing could beat all of them on his own. The leader was warm, but when he turned cold, even the ice paled in hisparison.

    Ten minutes passed, and some of the mercenaries even decided to ce a wager on who would win. Shi Lang, in the meanwhile, talked to Bo Qingtan. He asked, "Where is Yun Xue?"

    Bo Qingtan was surprised and said, "We came here this time to find them."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "What does that mean?"

    Bo Qingtan sighed and said, "Earlier, we found that the people from the Yin Blood Sect have been hiding in the woods here. Yun Xue headed here with her team of mercenaries, and even the leader of the female division hade over. However, things did not go as expected. The entire division is trapped inside the enemy''s barrier array. The condition inside is unknown."

    Shi Lang frowned and said, "You should have told me sooner."

    He wanted to say more when Xing said, "Ten minutes are up."

    Shi Lang turned around and found Jack rushing through the woods. The terran flickered from his position, and Xing stood in his ce with a shocked expression. He gazed at Bo Qingtan, who said, "You will know soon if what I told you about him is true. He is a monster."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not care about anything and located a trace of Xiao Jun. His tracker mind flipped on, and he rushed through quickly. He held the gun in his hand, and after one point, he found the traces disappearing.

    He looked around and mumbled, "The best scout ability is not to run but to collect information by getting close to the enemy. He is hiding."

    The terran turned around and found Jack fluttering through the woods. Shi Lang selected the highest tree and made his way over. In the distance, everyone was watching this scene unfold.

    Someone asked, "Bo, what do you think your friend is doing?"

    Bo Qingtan smiled and said, "Just watch, and you will understand."

    The people exchanged nces and turned to look at Shi Lang, who was at the top of the tree crown. He held the rifle against his shoulder and looked around. Suddenly, he turned to his right, loaded the rifle, and aimed it against a tree. Just when everyone thought he would shoot, he froze.

    On the ground, Jack spotted something and raised his rifle to shoot. The bullet flew through the void and hit the trunk of the tree by a margin. Xiao Jun behind the tree was startled, and he ran to seek cover somewhere else.

    However, he had just taken five steps when he felt something sting on his leg. He looked below and found a rubber bullet stuck to his leg. The scout was shocked. He raised his head to see where the projectile came in from.

    He said, "I am out. He shot my leg."

    Jack had just finished the second bullet in the chamber when he heard this and was shocked. Shi Lang had defeated him so quickly. He wanted to say that it was unfair and that the terran had taken advantage of his shot earlier, but that would make him look like a sore loser.

    However, he could not understand how Shi Lang made a shot at Xaio Jun while he was running because the target was a fast runner, and using the spiritual energy to propel him made it very difficult for the spotter to make a shot.

    Shi Lang jumped from the tree, and everyone surrounded him. Jack asked, "How did you make the shot?"

    The terran rolled his eyes and said, "I calcted where he would be moving before I squeezed the trigger."

    Jack was surprised and wanted to ask a few more questions, but Shi Lang said, "Your questions can wait forter. Right now, we have another issue at hand."

    Xing nodded and said, "I agree with Brother Ace. We need to find my sister and the rest of the girls."

    The people immediately became serious and battle-ready. Shi Lang asked, "Can you tell me if you know where is the formation?"

    Xing nodded and replied, "We found it three kilometers south here. The reason we backed off is the demon beast patrol."

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and asked, "How many and at what level?"

    Bo Qingtan said, "Three, two lords and one king."

    Shi Lang frowned and said, "If you do not mind, can I lead?"

    His gaze was focused on Xing. Thetter frowned, and Shi Lang said, "I have experience leading a unit in the dragon army during the blood moon night."

    The people were shocked, and Jack said, "Do not utter nonsense until you can take out the pr..."

    He was about to say proof when Shi Lang took a token from his space ring and showed it to Xing. Thetter was in a daze, gazing at the token and mumbling, "The new dragon champion, you are that Ace?"

    Shi Lang nodded and Xing said, "Please lead us, Sir."

    The impression everyone had of Shi Lang switched instantly. Even Jack''s gaze softened and was filled with respect.

 Chapter 691 Yin Blood.

    <h4>Chapter 691 Yin Blood.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people gathered in the wild. Xing said, "The Yin Blood is a small group of ult demons who think that sacrificing women can bring them the boons from the demons themselves."

    The terran asked, "Is this even possible? The demons do not exist, at least not in this world."

    Xing nodded, and Bo Qingtan continued, "What you said is correct, brother, but there are other realms where demons exist."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and Xing said, "As you know, the world is divided into two territories. One is governed by the chaotic forces of demonic cultivators, and spiritual cultivators inhabit the other. It may seem too unbelievable, but there used to be experts in the realm of the Immortal God. Simrly, there were entities in the Demon God realm."

    The terran nodded, and Xing said, "One of these demon gods was called Yin Demon God. Many such gods fell before the age of change, but in thest few decades, such rituals have urred in the Immortal Realm. This cult, called the Yin Blood sect, is one of those fanatics.

    These people want to strengthen from sacrificial rituals to the Demon God Yin Blood. By now, they have killed seventy women from young to old. None of the people have been able to stop them. They run away and leave behind a sight too horrible to forget."

    Shi Lang asked, "Any idea how they can run away?"

    Xing nodded and said, "As you can see, they have deployed an illusion array. The array''s level is unknown to us, and they can have ovepped this illusion array with another killing array. Another thing is that they have three demon beasts running around the array to maintain vignce. If we kill these, then the enemy will be alerted. That is how they run away."

    Shi Lang nodded, and looking at the people, he asked, "Does anyone else have experience of shooting a rifle?"

    The people shook their heads, and Shi Lang said, "Jack, I need you to get a position on the top of the tree in the vicinity. The others will attract the attention of the demon beasts in three different groups."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Why split forces?"

    Shi Lang said, "If the demon beasts are patrolling a certain route and are not berserkly rushing all over the ce, someone controls them. Suppose the person is forced to control three different situations simultaneously. He will fumble, and we will have an easier time killing him. I do not believe that controlling demon beastses without any bacsh."

    The people found his instructions valid. One guy asked, "Brother Ace, how many people will you need to handle the Demon King?"

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "I can make do with three, including me. However, I will need them to follow the strategy to the dot without improvisation or hesitation. I want to tell you all that as long as I am with you, I will die before anything happens to you. I do not leave my people behind."

    Xing was surprised, but from the legend he had heard these past few days, Shi Lang was indeed the person he imed to be. On the night of Blood Moon, none of the people in the dragon unit led by him suffered a death or injury because of him. His feet of killing demon kings with the aid of the Sovereign may sound exaggerated, but since none of the dragon army fighters or the volunteers rebuked it, it must hold some truth.

    Thinking about this, Shi Lang asked, "After dealing with the demon beasts, we will enter the Illusion formation, but I will go in first, okay?"

    The people nodded. It did not matter who entered first orst. They all had to cross it. Also, Shi Lang, being the strongest among them, gave them much confidence. After all, this guy could have sat on the sidelines instead of risking his life.

    Xing quickly split the group of twenty-one people into three teams. Shi Lang had two people beside him, Jack was told to work alone, and Bo Qingtan led one team of eight people. Simrly, Xing led eight men too.

    Shi Lang nodded in approval. He was not wrong about Bo Qingtan. This guy did have the skills to make it big. He quickly rose to the top level in a mercenary team, which meant something. After the distribution, the people all moved away quickly. They would surround the illusion array and attack the demon beasts on Shi Lang''s signal.

    ...

    Inside a metal cage sat a fewdies. They were all covered with battle marks, but their eyes were filled with hatred. Among these people, ady was sitting in white armor with silver hair. She was Yun Xue; her appearance had changed drastically, and her aura was much more ruthless. A scar on her face ran along her chin to ear.

    She disliked everything after suffering this wound, even herself, which was the reason for her cold aura. Beside her sat anotherdy with a somewhat simr aura. She said, "Xiao Xue, do not worry, I have received a message from Brother Xing."

    Yun Xue asked, "Are they here?"

    The girl nodded and said, "They are here, and they have bought that guy, Ace, the champion of the Dragon Army. It is very much possible that we might escape this ordeal."

    Yun Xue froze, and her body began to shiver. Unknowingly, her fingers ran across the scar on her face as she bit her lip to wake up. The fluctuation in her emotions calmed down, and her eyes turned hazy. The people were too upied to see the sadness in her eyes.

    She said, "Now, we can rest assured, these bastards will not survive."

    The people were shocked. They had never seen Yun Xue disy such confidence in others. They knew she loved Shi Lang, but why she loved him was a secret. After the fight where she got scarred, her persona transformedpletely.

    The girl from earlier asked, "Xiao Yun, why do you say he can handle this group? There are at least fifty Immortal Lords."

    Yun Xue raised her head to peek at the group of people busy outside the cage and said, "You will see how their heads rain and their blood smears the floor in a bit, Sister Ming. He is not only the champion of the dragon army but the bane of demonic cultivators."

    ...

    Shi Lang and everyone else took positions. Jack watched this and fired a shot at the Demon Beast King as it reached closer to Shi Lang and the other two. Demon beasts were vtile by nature; if they were attacked, they would react, and that trait of their nature could not be changed.

    Shi Lang stood tall on the ground and said, "You two rush at its nks and attack its eyes."

    The two men nodded, and they rushed. The demon beast was ten meters tall, and Shi Lang looked puny before it. The beast resembled a mutated cross between a pit bull and a jackal. When it watched Shi Lang standing before it, the beast opened its mouth to reveal the inner wall covered with saw-like teeth.

    Shi Lang nodded, and the attacks of the two Immortal Lordsnded right at its eyes. The effect was negligible, but the beast closed his stone-grey eyelids to prevent damage. Even if it was a demon beast, the instincts were still there.

    Shi Lang moved forward with the spear in his hand. This demon beast''s back was covered with armor patches and warts. These warts were not its weakness. They were filled with ck miasma. Once they explode, the attacker will be poisoned with dark demonic energy.

    Shi Lang observed the beast and found the weakness to be its underbelly. That was Shi Lang''s aim; he slid under the towering body of the beast, and his spear tip turned into aser precision scalpel. The beast wailed in agony as Lightning energy not only cut open the skin but also purified the demonic energy in its body.

    The effect was stronger than usual because the terran had an improved quality of spiritual energy, and he was deadlier. The experience gained from the encounter on the front line told him many things about the demon beasts. The purer the spiritual energy they faced, the weaker they became.

    Because these beasts did not have anyprehension of the dao rules, Shi Lang came out from under the beast''s body and jumped into the void. He held his spear like a javelin and said, "Shura Lightning Spike."

    Shi Lang released the spear with all his might, and the weapon turned into a lightning rod. Not only that, but a small number of thunder clouds appeared above them. The next scene sent a great shock to the human helpers. The lightning from the clouds surged and focusedly approached the spear.

    The spear hit the demon beast king square on the forehead and apanied with the might of the lightning, it pierced through the beast king as if it was made of butter. With a dust cloud the demon beast fell to the ground and Shi Langnded softly. He said, "Let''s go, we have a lot of work to do."

 Chapter 692 Yin Blood (2)

    <h4>Chapter 692 Yin Blood (2)</h4>

    Shi Lang and the two men rushed over to help others, the situation was under control, and the terran did not down the ability of these people, but he was pushing for time. He needed to finish dealing with these beasts to breach the illusion array with his team.

    The terran had been transformed by the demonic cultivators, and this was helpful for them. The other groups saw Shi Lang approach them, and they were shocked. This momentary daze caused the demon beasts to close in on them.

    Thankfully, Shi Lang was watching the entire scene from a distance. He quickly took out his sniper rifle, loaded the bullet, and squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew across the void and hit the target square''s eyes.

    Shi Lang put in another bullet and began shooting at the demon as he moved forward. The bullets were charged with lighting energy and aimed at only one spot. The terranmanded, "All of you attack the legs of this guy. If you cannot blind it, immobilization is the next best thing."

    The men of the mercenary group were injected with adrenaline when they saw such a disy of courage. Shi Lang was moving ahead while shooting, and they all followed his instructions. Various attacks were directed to the legs of the beast.

    The demon beast was overwhelmed, and its movements became more reckless. Shi Lang confirmed his conjecture the beast was being controlled. He reached closer, switched his rifle for his spear, and engaged in hand-to-handbat with the creature. The forest echoed with painful wails as the demon beast fell to the effort of the humans.

    All this happened within a few minutes. The people realized the difference between them and Shi Lang. They were awed by this; simrly, they felt confident in themselves.

    Shi Lang had directly shared half of their burden. It was his realm, but how he applied his skills shocked them. He took down the second Demonic Beast in five minutes. This was because he was holding back and passing instructions to the mercenaries.

    They all understood that his strength was not limited to his skills but also his mind. The terran finished dealing with the beasts and said, "Follow me, and prepare yourself."

    The people did not know what he meant, but they all charged behind him in a single queue. He said, "All of you hold on to each other''s hands."

    They were surprised, but they still held their hands. Shi Lang told Xing, "Do not struggle, and do not scream."

    Everyone in the queue heard it, but they did not know what Shi Lang meant, as Xing thought the young man was aware of the nature of this illusion array. However, the next moment, they were shocked.

    The shock was not an emotion but the aftereffect of lightning coursing through their bodies. They all held their mouths as they twitched, but soon, they found that the anticipated illusion did note. They stood in the distance and could look at the enemy camppletely.

    Xing was eager to lean forward and move, but Shi Lang pulled him back. He said, "If you do not mind, can you give me a few hours?"

    Xing raised his brow. The situation was critical. Every minute they spent here would prove the situation dangerous for their people. Shi Lang said, "It may sound selfish, but I am very close to breaking through in the next realm. This encounter was a chance for me toprehend the Dao rules. I hope that you allow me to move alone. If you think that the enemy is going to harm the captive, then take action. I will not stop you from intervening."

    Bo Qingtan said, "One hour, they must expect us toe out of the illusion array after an hour, to them, we are still standing like puppets exhausting our spiritual energy. They will not attack us."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "One hour is enough."

    Xing thought briefly and said, "Fine, one hour, but if they moved against the captives, then I am moving in with the rest."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then he took out a set of daggers from his space ring and vanished. He was going to kill everyone with lightning speed and stealth. These past few days, he has gained aplete understanding of the destruction lightning can cause. He has also gained insights into the healing of life aspect of the element. However, the peak of speed that lightning held evaded him always.

    He used the knowledge of mathematics from the federation to correspond with the information to raise hisprehension. Suppose he broke through to the king''s realm. He was sure of getting a supreme crown, but the aim was an invincible crown. For that, he needed to experience strength on his own.

    Shi Lang rushed forward with his body low; his speed was fast, and the mercenaries were shocked. One guy remarked, "If I had not seen his way of dealing with the demon beast king earlier, I would have questioned the viability of his moves, but now I see him, and if feels like he is invincible."

    Bo Qingtan added, "In his realm and at least one realm above him, no one has ever been able to defeat him. He is not the champion of the dragon army for nothing. Also, monsters are carved from a different mold, aren''t they, Brother Xing?"

    Xing red at Bo Qingtan and asked, "What do you mean by asking me such a question? Are you calling me a monster?"

    The rest of the people stifled theirughter. On the other side, "Shi Lang approached a demonic cultivator and stabbed his neck with his dagger and severed his head the next moment.

    The moves were clean, and they were neat. It was as if he had practiced it a thousand times. Well, he had practiced them at a practical level, too. The enemies he had killed could now be piled up in a small mountain.

    The guards were all moving in groups, and one of them sensed some movement behind him. He quickly turned around to check what was going on when Shi Lang''s dagger shed again, and before the guards could react, he killed them all.

    The people in the distance could see everything, and they shivered. Xing gulped and said, "Yes, monsters are made different."

    The demonic cultivators Shi Lang killed were all Immortal Lord realm cultivators. They could sense people from miles away, yet Shi Lang approached them so close that they even yed them without getting noticed. This was not something a normal person could do.

    Bo Qingtan said, "Later, when you meet him, it does not matter what happens; reign in your intentions to fight or kill. He is a beast that senses such intentions and attacks to kill."

    The people nodded. They continued watching as Shi Lang moved at a quick speed, and wherever he went, demonic cultivators would fall. Their heads separated from their bodies in one clean attack.

    Shi Lang spent fifteen minutes cleaning all the tter outside the camp zone. He took out his sword and mumbled, "Raksha, reap."

    The de shivered, and he vanished. Following this, the entire demonic camp was shocked because a peal ofughter echoed in the void, followed by screams of people falling to their demise.

    Shi Lang was killing rampantly, and Raksha was reaping souls from these demonic cultivators. The terran was not rxed, and he was moving quicker. Raksha sensed something and said, "There is a ritual altar in the middle of the camp. They are gathering the captives there."

    Shi Lang nodded and moved through the barricade of guards and killed them. When he arrived at the center, he found the demonic cultivators dragging a few women with their hair and throwing them in the center of a red ritual circle. In the middle of the circle was a stone altar, and a white-haired woman was tied there with a lifeless look on her face.

    Shi Lang was stunned for a moment, and this allowed the Mercenaries to catch up with him. They had seen the demonic cultivators moving the captives outside. They could not wait anymore and moved.

    Bo QIngtan said solemnly, "That girl in the center is Yun Xue. We need to hurry."

    Shi Lang gazed at the man and then at Yun Xue. His anger burned. He did not expect his next meeting with thisdy to be so unkempt and eventless. His eyes turned red from the flow of blood in them. Suddenly, Shi Lang smiled.

    Bo Qingtan shivered and took three steps back. Shi Lang was very scared at this moment. The terran turned his head to look at the demonic cultivators charging at them and said, "Shura cut."

    His de flickered, and he vanished. It was as if the world hade to a stop. The next moment, Shi Lang appeared. He was behind the group of demonic cultivators. He did not look back and kept walking forward to the alter as the demonic cultivators behind him, all forty of them, fell to the ground in pieces, and blood sprayed from the body like a jet.

    Note: The book''s cover has been changed, and I hope you like it. Also, the Author is underway to create an FB page for the readers to gather and discuss the story, so if anyone is interested in moderating the page, pleasement or reach out on discord: the_wordsmith06

 Chapter 693 Wrath Of Shura.

    <h4>Chapter 693 Wrath Of Shura.</h4>

    Shi Lang''sughter made everyone shiver. This disy took aback the demonic cultivators. The aura around him was almost materializing into a solid structure. His hair turned red, and this change had not urred long.

    At this moment, his appearance alone was enough to scare the people. The terran opened his mouth and spoke hoarsely, "Bo, take them back."

    Bo Qingtan woke up and said, "Brothers, retreat."

    The people were all confused. Even if Shi Lang was enraged and his body produced such an overwhelming aura, they should not retreat. Xing wanted to voice his doubts, but then he saw Shi Lang take his sword and cut his palm. Blood dripped down the de of his sword, and soon, it turned into a small puddle at his feet.

    Shi Lang said, "Supreme Shura Clone."

    His voice was hoarse, and his tone was cold. The mercenaries did not understand at first, but soon, they realized that if they did not retreat from the ce now, they would not be able to returnter. The spiritual energy in the void fluctuated like nothing they had ever seen before.

    The leader of the demonic cultivators, who was watching everything from the center of the altar, stepped forward and said in a reprimanding tone, "What are you bastards waiting for? Go kill him."

    The mercenaries wanted to defend Shi Lang when Xing said, "Hurry and retreat. Do not meddle, or none of you willst to tell the tale. Retreat!"

    His cry forced the mercenaries to retreat, and they would never overlook their leader''smand, which was meant to save their lives. The people from the demonic side found the opening, and they all charged at Shi Lang. However, the terran was looking at thedy tied to the pir in the center.

    The blood under his feet squirmed and gradually formed a human figure. This figure looked exactly like Shi Lang. The terran took his spear from his space ring and said, "Don''t leave even one of these insects alive; I want the ce to echo with their screams."

    Xing and his people were shocked, but Bo Qingtan only shook his head. He was aware of what fate was awaiting the demonic cultivators. They watched Shi Lang(s) meeting the horde of demonic cultivators. Then, a brutal scene unfolded in front of the people. Shi Lang was an Immortal Lord, and so were the demonic cultivators.

    However, at this moment, Shi Lang(s) were chopping their limbs with lightning-covered weapons as if they werembs on the chopping board. The terran and his clone did not kill anyone. They just decapitated their limbs and turned off their cultivation. The pain that these people were able to tolerate because of the demonic energy in their bodies was now unleashed, and they screamed as they fell to the ground.

    Shi Lang was true to his motive, he left the people to suffer in agony, and their cries echoed in the distance. This entire thing was making his bloodlust go wild.

    Raksha spoke in his mind, "Lang, do not lose control."

    Shi Lang replied, "I know!"

    He was angry. His immortal soul was emitting the same emotions at this moment. He was angry that Yun Xue was suffering like this. He was angry that he was not by her side when she was suffering. He was angry that these filthy demonic beasts were killing innocent people for their own good.

    He hated the idea of demonic cultivation that needed them to kill innocent creatures and betray the essence of humanity. The terran had seen two lifetimes, and he had lost many people to these selfish ways of the people, and thus, he hated them.

    The more he thought about this, the angrier he became. His speed increased, and the lightning began to emit from his body. However, the color of his lightning changed from blue to red. Shi Lang did not realize this, but the others did, and their eyes opened wide.

    Bo Qingtan stepped forward and said, "Are those red sparks?"

    The people nodded, and Xing asked, "What just happened? Why is he able to produce such a threatening power?"

    Bo Qingtan did not say anything and did not know anything to exin. Suddenly, at this moment, an old man appeared behind them. The people took out their weapons, but the old man smiled and said, "Rx, young ones, you have a good reaction. I am here to protect him this time, but it does not seem I need to do anything."

    Bo Qingtan rxed and sped his fists, "Senior, you are?"

    The old man said, "This old man is known as Emperor Hell me."

    The people were shocked, Xing asked, "Senior, you are from the Dragon Army?"

    The old man smiled and replied, "The sovereign told this old man to look after the champion. You know those old people like to y cheap games."

    Xing and the rest nodded, finally realizing that Tian Long was not joking about Shi Lang''s status. Bo Qingtan asked, "Senior, can you tell us what is happening to him?"

    Emperor Hell me said, "Ah, the red color of lightning. The heavenly tribtion has many levels, blue, which tests themon people. Violet tests above-average people. The red tests monsters. Finally, gold, which tests the monsters among monsters."

    The old man continued, "Right now, what you see is the limit of Shi Langs''s current realm. He hasprehended the rage of lightning. The rage that increases every quality of his but also makes him an agent of destruction. At this moment, he will kill anyone and everyone who stands in his way of saving the girls."

    The people shivered, and Xing asked, "Senior, do you mean that as hisprehension grows deeper, his lightning might be golden?"

    The old man smiled and said, "Yes, possible. If this old man can touch the threshold of golden mes, then a genius monster like him certainly can do it."

    The people gulped. They feared what Shi Lang might be able to do once he finishedprehending the dao rules of lightning.

    ...

    Shi Lang had decapitated almost a hundred people in just a few minutes. Ming was tied to a pir as she watched the scene unfold with shock. She could not help but look at Yun Xue, who was at the center of the altar circle. She recalled what this girl had said, ''The heads of the demonic cultivators would rain all over the ce as Shi Lang charges ahead.''

    She looked at Shi Lang, who was now facing the leader of the demonic cultivators. Behind himy limbs and corpses. She could not believe what just happened. Even as a mercenary, she was not so brutal in her endeavors. Shi Lang left no room for anyone to leave his range alive.

    Over the years, she had killed many people. However, the scene before she made her intestines squirm, and a retched feeling overwhelmed her. She was not the only one with this feeling. All the girls were the same. They could not fathom this brutality.

    Ming turned her head to look at Yun Xue again, and she found that thetter was gazing at Shi Lang without blinking her eyes even the least. It was as if the Terran was the only person who existed in this world for her.

    She looked back at Shi Lang, who stood calmly before the leader of the demonic cultivator. The two people with strength that surpassed her. However, the striking contrast in their character was as if day and night. She hated the leader of the demonic cultivators, and respect surged from the bottom of her heart when she gazed at Shi Lang.

    ...

    The demonic cultivator remarked, "You are pretty decent in strength, but is that all?"

    Shi Lang did not reply but gazed at the man in a ck cloak with a cold gaze. The demonic cultivator said, "I do not need much time, just a few seconds and this array altar will work. You will watch these girls die."

    Shi Lang said, "If you dared to move against them, I will give you a fate that would be worse then death, and even your demon gods will not be able to help you."

    The leader of the demonic cultivators did not take him seriously and chuckled. He said, "Do you think you can do anything to the demon god? Hahahaha, you ignorant fool."

    Shi Lang smiled coldly and twisted his neck to the side. He said, "Your demon god is a coward who must have hidden in some dark hole to evade the crisis that befell his kind. Do not worry. Today I will kill you, and I may not be able to deal with your god, but there was a time when I could not deal with the likes of you. We shall see what the future holds for us."

    His words insulted and discredited the status of the demon godpletely. The leader of the demonic cultivators gnashed his teeth, and raised his ck sword. He said, "Come at me, you puny human."

 Chapter 694 Clash Of Lords.

    <h4>Chapter 694 sh Of Lords.</h4>

    The terran stood facing the leader of the demonic cultivators. Thetter said, "What is your name, Human?"

    Shi Lang did not reply to him at all. The demonic leader said, "I am the seventy-sixth sect leader of the Yin Blood Sect, Yao Jashin."

    The terran shook his head and replied, "Would you like to fight? Or shall we continue talking only?"

    Shi Lang did not bother to tame his contempt toward the Demonic Cultivator. Thetter rushed at the terran. His body flickered, and Shi Lang raised his sword across his body. The enemy held a scimitar, and the two weapons shed. Sparks flew, and the two people entered in a stalemate.

    The terran''s gaze flickered, but it was just momentary. He did not budge even an inch from his spot. The demonic cultivator was shocked. The dark demonic energy around his body shed with the red lightning, but he did not lose ground.

    ...

    Emperor Hell me raised his brow and said, "To think that a demonic genius was hidden in such a ce? I wonder how Young Master Ace will handle the situation."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Senior, what do you mean by Demonic Genius?"

    The old man sighed and spoke with a solemn expression, "The demonic disciples who received the blessing or the origin of demonic energy from the demon god are called demonic genius. These people are rare to find, but they are said to be extremely strong in the same realm. I have yet to meet such an entity, so my knowledge of their skills is shallow."

    Xing took a deep breath and said, "I wonder if Shi Lang will be able to win against this guy?"

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and said, "He has no other option left for him now."

    The people looked at Emperor Hell me, and Bo Qingtan said, "Shi Lang is a person who would die fighting but will not ask for help. Also, Senior Hell me is not here to help him in his fights. The mandate of Champions prohibits any protector from helping the champion with battles with the enemy in the same realm."

    Emperor Hell me was surprised and asked, "Well, young man, you know your stuff."

    This affirmation made everyone understand that even if Shi Lang were to die, he would not be given any help from the Emperor. After all, if the champion of the dragon arms were to lose a demonic cultivator in the same realm, what sort of a champion was he?

    ...

    Shi Lang and the Demonic cultivator fought with each other, and the shockwaves from their sh shook the void. The ground was covered with cracks, and sparks flew into the void.

    However, none of them was willing to give an inch. The shocking fact about this sh was that the two people justpared their physical capabilities. None of them had yet released a spiritual or demonic art. They were silentlyparing themselves with each other. The one who released the arts first would be losing the battle.

    The terran was using this opportunity toprehend the change in his lightning element. The dao rules he touched upon due to hate and rage toward the demonic cultivators have not yet subsidedpletely. However, his rage has calmed down, and this was the perfect opportunity for him to learn.

    The terran was smart, but his enemy was not a fool either. He could tell that the terran was using him as a whetstone. His rage was amplified, and he yelled, "Insolent human, you shall suffer the wrath of Yin God for this sphemy."

    Shi Lang did not dare to take this attack in an off-handed manner. The demonic cultivator shed his Scimitar, and the de passed through the void, and the tip of the weapon that should have been aimed at Shi Lang''s torso appeared behind his head.

    The attack was so fast that no normal cultivator would have been able to counter it, but Shi Lang could sense things around him, and not only that, he could even perceive the attacks aimed at him. This was an acquired skill. He had trained his body and instincts to this level by fighting in countless battles throughout his life.

    The tip of the weapon passed through Shi Lang''s head, and the people in the distance gasped. However, soon, they rxed as Shi Lang''s figure faded away.

    The terran was so quick that his body left behind an afterimage. The demonic cultivator frowned. He sensed no movement from Shi Lang, yet the attack was easily dodged.

    Shi Lang appeared again behind the enemy, but he did not stop this time. The demonic cultivator had predicted that Shi Lang was moving, and he swung his Scimitar backward. The terran did not counter and still chose to evade. He moved one more time and then again and again.

    The Scimitar was shing through the void, while the terran seemed to have be one with the void. They could not detect his presence after the initial few evasions, whether it was the enemy or the mercenary forces'' allies.

    Emperor Hell me smiled, and then he let out a peal ofughter. The mercenaries were shocked. Bo Qingtan stood beside him and asked, "Senior, what happened?"

    The old man stroked his beard and said, "Before I was designated to protect the Young Master, many old fools wanted to enroll for this task and even designed to take him as their disciple. However, the Sovereign scoffed, saying, "You have no idea of his terrifying potential. If you try to teach him, you will find that he will surpass you quickly. At that time, I was skeptical, but watching him fight now, I think that even the Sovereign underestimated his growth rate."

    Bo Qingtan and Xing exchanged gazes filled with shock. They could attest that Shi Lang was a monster, but if an Immortal Emperor said that Shi Lang''s potential surpassed even the thoughts of the Immortal Sovereign, then it meant this guy was a monster among monsters.

    Just as they were thinking about it, the leader of the demonic cultivators changed his direction, and this time, he rushed toward the captives. He wanted to use them as an excuse to deal with them before he could do anything about Shi Lang.

    But his ns were foiled by Shi Lang before he could even attempt to do something bad. The terran appeared beside the demonic cultivator, and then his sword shed.

    The attack made the demonic cultivator retreat, but the attack was not just simple. It was not only Shi Lang who was moving quickly; even his sword was leaving behind optical residue. The demonic cultivator moved back, but he found a gash on his torso.

    He shivered in both rage and fear. He was a demonic genius. How could an attack by a human hurt him? The fear came from the fact that this human had yet to suffer in his hands, yet he was able to harm him. He raised his head to look at the human who harmed him.

    The demonic cultivator said, "What is your name, human? How can you harm me, Zephyr?"

    Shi Lang looked at him indifferently and said, "My name is Ace, as for the second question. You are just pathetically weak."

    Was he not fighting with the enemy physically or spiritually but mentally? His words may sound arrogant, but they were true. In the eyes of the Terran, this guy was currently very weak.

    Zephyr leaned forward, and with a roar, he charged ahead. He wanted to kill this human at any cost. Shi Lang was smiling at him with a smirk on his face. His neck was tilted to the side, and he moved ahead quickly.

    The sh began again, and the void cracked again. Shi Lang pushed back the guy, and Zephyr realized his wound was not healing. His body was covered with demonic energy, yet the wound was not healing, and that was another reason he could not put much force behind the attack.

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Can you feel the body burn slowly?"

    Zephyr asked in disbelief, "You did this?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The burn you are experiencing at the moment originates from the lightning energy coursing through your veins."

    Zephyr was shocked. He could not believe it when this guy channeled lightning energy inside his body. He recalled the attack earlier and asked, "You used your sword to channel the energy inside me?"

    Shi Lang smiled but did not answer. On the contrary, he moved to attack the demonic cultivator quickly. The speed of the two people elerated, and the people were shocked. They could not understand what was going on. This speed was not something any of them could even dream of reaching.

    They both appeared before everyone, but they were covered with wounds of varying degrees. Zephyr was shivering; his knees were weak, his breath was ragged, while Shi Lang stood tall, and his back was straight like a spear. Zephyr asked pantingly, "Why aren''t you effected?"

    Shi Lang smiled and his wounds began to heal. He said, "Just because you have demonic energy, it does not mean you can harm me, dimwit."

 Chapter 695 Zephyrâ€™s Horror.

    <h4>Chapter 695 Zephyr''s Horror.</h4>

    Shi Lang spat on the ground as he disyed his disgust toward the shocked leader of the demonic cultivator, Zephyr.

    Thetter asked in disbelief, "What do you mean the demonic energy cannot harm you? Even if you have lightning spiritual energy, if the demonic energy enters your body, it would still do you some harm. How are you able to stand up without any trouble? Tell me!"

    Zephyr felt that if this continued, he would go mad. In his sect, his demonic energy was stronger than anyone, including his master. This human was the strongest person he had ever faced. Not only did this battle shatter his arrogance of being invincible in his realm, but it also made him doubt himself.

    Being able to be tagged as the Demonic Genius meant that he did have considerable skills and talent. Even more so, the resolve and fanatism it took to rise in the ranks of demonic cultivators was not low. Zephyr had faced many setbacks in the past, too, but this time, he needed to know if he could get up from this knockdown.

    Shi Lang replied, "I am channeling my sword intent through my body to cleanse and purge this demonic energy of yours. That is why I can withstand the corruption, and my spiritual energy heals me as the demonic energy is purged out."

    Zephyr was not the only one. Everyone else, including Emperor Hell me, sucked in a cold breath. They did not expect that Shi Lang would be this cruel to himself. The pain of sword intent coursing through the meridians gave many stronger people nightmares.

    Refining body with sword intent was not a path any sane man would opt for. Only insane cultivators choose this path. However, Shi Lang used this method to protect himself from demonic energy. They could understand that the application was reasonable, but he resisted all the pain from his core and fought the enemy simultaneously.

    This resilience made the people respect him more, but they still could not digest that Shi Lang was cruel to his enemy, but he was even crueler to himself. Emperor Hell me said, "To reach the peak of greatness, you need more than talent and providence. Even the heavens bow down to those who go to the next level in their strives to improve. No wonder this young man could gain the title of a champion."

    The mercenaries behind him nodded silently. Both the fight and the people fighting transcended their knowledge and understanding. Emperor Hell me''s words were precious guidance to them, and Shi Lang''s actions inspired them to be stronger.

    The terran stood facing Zephyr, who had numerous cuts on his clothes. However, the wounds on his body were almost healed. The cuts and gashes were no longer bleeding; a faint red mark was visible. This was the terrifying regenerative ability of his Terran physique. He did not need much medical support, and the spiritual energy boosted his recovery ability.

    Shi Lang cracked his neck by tilting it side to side and said, "Enough time wasted. Now you can go and wait for your god in hell."

    His aura surged, and Zephyr panicked. He took out a ck jade slip. He wanted to escape, but Shi Lang did not want to let him escape. He said, "Shura Domain."

    The entire ce within fifty meters was covered with red lighting bolts. Shi Lang''s lightning domain had improved qualitatively. It was transparent, and everyone could look inside the domain. They all watched Zephyr shiver and freeze. The dark cloak of demonic energy around him was shredded slowly.

    The terran walked ahead slowly, and Zephyr yelled, "Stop! You bastard, do you know that killing me will make Yin Blood Secte after all your people? Your family members, your friends. Especially your women? Let me go!"

    Shi Lang did not react and kept walking ahead. He did not care about any of the threats that this guy threw. The terran believed in one thing: if his action was to cause the death of his loved ones, then so be it. He will just go on a killing rampage and kill all the demonic cultivators before him.

    Zephyr saw that his words did not threaten Shi Lang enough, so he said, "My father is a demonic Emperor Blood Saber. He is the leader of the Yin Blood sect. Please spare me, and I will ask him to let you go."

    Shi Lang sighed and stopped as he reached close to Zephyr. He asked, "Do you think anyone here will go and talk to your father and tell him that I killed you and your bitch ass tool men?"

    Zephyr was shocked, and Shi Lang spat on his face. The terran said, "Feel that, wake up. Now, time to die."

    The demonic cultivator watched as a de fell on his neck, and his world began to spin. He detached his primordial soul from his dying body and tried to fly away when a strong suction pulled his soul into Shi Lang''s hand. The terran said, "You will not be able to run away without suffering for what you have done here. Death is too easy a punishment for you and your filthy kind of distorted demonic cultivators."

    A ck ball of light flickered in his palm. The ck ball of light was the primordial soul, the most sensitive part of a Cultivator''s being. Shi Lang smiled as he looked at the primordial soul and said, "You will serve as a good food for the demon bane tree."

    The light flickered, and Shi Lang looked at Emperor Hell me with narrowed eyes. He asked, "Do you have any means to hold this soul?"

    The old man shivered and nodded before he appeared next to Shi Lang. Then he took out a jade bottle. Shi Lang ced the soul inside the bottle and said, "Please keep it for now. I will take it back after finishing my task here."

    Emperor Hell me did not dare to put any air at this moment because Shi Lang was gazing at him with great indifference. The old man even had the urge to bow down. The terran turned around, and the old man asked, ''Why did I want to bow to this young man?''

    Shi Lang walked closer to the altar and heard a small voice, "Do note here. This ce is rigged. If you step in, the array will trigger, and the altar will activate."

    The terran raised his head and found that it was Yun Xue speaking. The girl had her hands tied to a pole, her feet were shackled, and her white hair covered half of her face. Shi Lang thought about it and said, "You do not have to worry about me, Xiao Xue."

    He spoke as softly as possible. He looked at the ground and then at the sky. He asked silently, ''Raksha, what can we do?''

    The sword spirit replied, ''Well, I have some pent-up frustration. Cut this pattern with sword intent. That should do the trick.''

    Shi Lang thought and nodded, and he flicked the sword. The sword intent materialized in the void, and multiple sword rays ran along the ground. The girls inside the circle froze, not daring even to flinch.

    A faint curtain between the altar and the terran melted away at this moment. Shi Lang took a step forward and observed the surroundings for any changes. After confirming things, he nodded and walked up to Yun Xue. With a gentle tap of his feet, he rose to the void, and his gaze met her.

    Yun Xue looked at him for a moment before she turned to look back at the ground. He asked, "I thought you would wait for my wife to ascend and ept your pursuit. Here you are, with the eyes of a loser."

    Ming sat on the ground, and she took offense to this statement. She wanted to rebuke Shi Lang when thetter continued, "Do you think I am a shallow man interested in appearances?"

    Yun Xue raised her gaze, but her eyes were brimming with tears. She shook her head slightly, and Shi Lang waved his hand to cut off the rope tying her arms. Yun Xue gentlynded on the ground. The terran did not touch her directly and used his spiritual energy to guide her down.

    This gesture was so soft that the cruel warrior aura from earlier could not bepared. Before the two could discuss anything further, the mercenaries arrived beside them and began rescuing everyone. Shi Lang returned his sword and said to Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue, "After this, we will head to the north, Valley of forgers and that is where we will register for the Centurion Tournament."

    The two people were confused and shocked, but Shi Lang did not give them the chance to put up any questions, he made his way to Emperor Hell me, as he needed urgent help with something.

    Hell me saw Shi Lang walking toward him and was ready to give him any help, when suddenly the sky turned dark. The terran stopped and said, "Senior, I have to face a tribtion, please bring them all away from harm."

    BOOM!!!

    The sky rumbled with red lightning bolts as he finished speaking.

 Chapter 696 Test Of The King.

    <h4>Chapter 696 Test Of The King.</h4>

    Everyone was shocked to see the sky suddenly turning dark. The red lightning gave them an even bigger scare. Shi Lang had asked Emperor Hell me to take all these people away from the spot because he could sense that the battle had unsettled his foundation.

    He could not suppress his cultivation without facing a strong bacsh. So, he decided to unveil the pressure of a peak Immortal Lord realm cultivator, and that''s why the tribtion was upon him.

    Emperor Hell me waved his hand, and the strong spiritual pull dragged everyone to the side. He said, "Let us move. The tribtion of a king is not restrained like the others."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Senior, what are his chances? He will be alright, right?"

    The old man shook his head and, gazing at the sky, said, "The king''s tribtion tests a person''s primordial soul and theprehension of the dao rules. Half the people die during the third lightning strike. That is when the tribtion is a normal blue one. Look at the sky. The lightning is red."

    The people understood that the old man was not optimistic about Shi Lang surviving the tribtion. Yun Xue shivered, and Bo Qingtan patted her shoulder as he said, "Do not worry, he will be fine."

    The old man said, "We shall leave him to handle this. Let''s get away first."

    ...

    The crowd moved away, and Shi Lang used his spiritualmunicator to send a message to three people. First, he sent the message to Hao Mei, and second, to Yang Niao, telling them that he would soon face the tribtion of an Immortal King.

    Thest message was written to Amelia. He wrote, "I wanted to wait a bit longer before I faced the tribtion for an Immortal King. I wanted to meet you before it, but something unexpected happened, and the trouble is here. Unlike all times, this time, I am somewhat nervous. I do not know why, probably because this was not on my nner list. Well, know this: I will try my best, and I love you."

    Shi Lang was not exaggerating. The tribtion did not need him to be prepared physically but also mentally. More than the rest, this particr tribtion would inspect his primordial soul and its understanding of the dao rules. If he were not mentally prepared, the result would be death.

    The terran has never feared death. He feared having regrets when he died. At this moment, the person he truly loved hade to the immortal in following him, but he had yet to see her.

    The clouds rumbled, and Shi Lang shook away the disturbing thoughts. He removed hismunicator and threw it to Bo Qingtan in the distance. Strength worked wonders. Shi Lang said, "Hold it for me, Brother Bo."

    Thetter nodded as he caught the spiritmunicator. He looked at the device, thinking what it could be, when a streak of red shed in the surroundings.

    BANG!!

    The people saw a lightning streaknd on Shi Lang''s forehead. The terran was thrown off his feet and flung like a rag doll on the ground.

    The terrany on the dirt without any movement. The people gasped and thought Shi Lang was done for. Even Yun Xue clenched her fists. Emperor Hell me shivered at this moment and remarked, "What a terrifying young man."

    Xing asked, "Senior, what do you mean?"

    The old man replied, "He bore the full impact of a red lightning strike on his physical body alone. Look at the ground where the lightning struck. It is covered with charred cracks and look at his body. He ispletely fine."

    The people turned their gazes at Shi Lang, and as the old man said, "The terran was lying on the ground, but except for some dirt, his body was clean. He was not injured. As they were wondering how strong Shi Lang was, another streak of red fell at him.

    The terran flipped over on the ground and revealed his Dao Weapon, the spear condensed of the lightning element.

    The lightning bolt hit the blue spear shaft, and Shi Lang struggled to defend himself. An impression of his body was formed on the ground below him. The strength of this lightning strike was twice more than the first one. The terran channeled his spiritual energy inside the spear to fend off the attack.

    He did not take the initiative to attack the lightning strike because that would make the heavens even more pissed at him. He was not a fool out of some novel. The terran grunted as he bore the burden of the strike.

    However, soon, his grunt turned into a roar. The void was filled with visible shockwaves. He was mad. The impact of the strike made him realize that if he kept holding back, the result would be death.

    He did not wish to die so soon. The terran roared and began to push against the lightning bold. Soon, he was standing on his feet, his eyes staring at the clouds in defiance. His veins popped from the strong force his body produced.

    Shi Lang roared one more time, and the lightning bolt vanished. The terran took a few deep breaths as he panted. The heavens did not seem to be in a hurry. He raised his head and found that the lightning was swarming over his head, and it would strike after some umtion.

    The terran caught his breath while refining spiritual energy around his body, and he summoned his second weapon out of his dantian. The sword appeared in his hand, and his aura rose by one more point.

    The people around him were shocked, and Xing asked in disbelief, "He still had more to give? Does that mean he was holding back when fighting Zephyr?"

    Emperor Hell me nodded and said, "I have heard of people who condensed double dao armaments, but this is the first time I''ve watched one. His aura matches that of Inferior Immortal Kings. Such a pity."

    Yun Xue asked, "Senior, what do you mean by that."

    She wanted to know why the old man said it was a pity for Shi Lang''s aura to be matching with an Inferior Immortal King.

    The old man gazed at her and said, "He is too young, and it has not been long since he perfected his lord''s armor. If he had slightly more time to face the tribtion, then I am sure he would have condensed a supreme Immortal King crown, but now I think he should still be in the Mediocre grade. It is a pity. He is so talented."

    Yun Xue nodded in understanding. She said, "Is it because of the battle that he had to face this tribtion now?"

    The old man did not say anything, but the expression on his face said it all. Yun Xue felt downhearted. She looked down at her feet, and suddenly, Shi Lang''s voice echoed in the surroundings.

    "You dare to look down on me? Do you think this pathetic disy of your strength will defeat me? Come at me, god damn it!!! Come, and I will show you how I defy you!"

    The people were shocked, raised their heads to look at the sky, and found that the lightning changed colors. Followed by this, a deafening thunder echoed in their minds. They all covered their ears, and even Emperor Hell me revealed a shocked and frightful expression for a second.

    Xing asked, "What is he doing?"

    Looking at Shi Lang without blinking, Emperor Hell me said, "He challenged the Heavenly Tribtion."

    The mercenaries all turned to look at the old man with their eyes wide in surprise. Then, a golden-red lightning streak fell from the skies. It looked like a snake was baring its fangs as itunched against prey. Time slowed down as everyone watched Shi Lang jump off the ground and sh his sword at the lightning bolt.

    The sh was so strong that it split apart the void like a de moving through a silk curtain. Shi Lang yelled, "Shura shes the heavens."

    The lightning streak and the sh collided, and sparks flew around. It was as if a rain of fire. The sparksnded on the ground and scorched it dead. The ground trembled, and the air evaporated around Shi Lang.

    Emperor Hell me was shocked, but the shock did notst for long. He turned his head to look behind him and found Tian Long and Fairy Moon Jade walking out of a void tunnel. He got flustered and bowed his head in greeting. The rest of the youngsters were shocked when they heard the old man saying, "Greetings, Your Excellencies."

    Fairy Moon Jade smiled and said, "Elder Hell me raise your head. We are not in the camp."

    Tian Long did notment and walked ahead to watch the tribtion from the edge. Hemented, "Oh, this guy still has some talent."

    Fairy Moon Jade rebuked him, "Long, you better not act too high, or I will tell everyone what level your tribtion was."

    Tian Long''s face turned ck as he gazed at his daopanion and asked, "Why do you always favor him?"

    Thedy replied, "You know in your heart. Now do not bother me. If any old foxes tried to make a move, you better hold them back."

    The people were stunned by their conversation. They did not expect them to value Shi Lang so much that they would appear in person to protect him. Yun Xue looked at the visage of the Sovereign and found that shecked in terms of appearance and another seed of doubt bud in her heart.

    Fairy Moon Jade sensed this and said, "Do not worry. He is like my younger brother. Also, we can easily deal with your problem after his tribtion. Think of it as a gift from me."

    Yun Xue was shocked; she had not expected thedy to be so generous to her, no to Shi Lang.

    ...

    Inside the Qiling City Pce, Hao Mei was preparing a cauldron of pills when she received Shi Lang''s message and put things on hold. She knew she could not do anything about the situation and began praying.

    While in the war maiden sect, Amelia was walking in her residence with a nervous expression on her face. Yu Ying sat beside her, but she could not say anything. After all, the tribtion was not under her control, and she could not rte to Amelia''s panic.

    ...

    A few old people in the big families sensed something, and they all raised their gazes to look in the direction where Shi Lang was facing his tribtion. Their eyes shed, but soon they returned to normal. One such old man was the owner of a private force. His attendant sensed his movements and asked, "Master, what is it?"

    The old man said, "Tell Xiao Long not to make enemies of the young talent in the Centurion Tournament. If he did, I will disown him and personally take his head off his shoulders."

    The attendant was shocked, and wanted to ask more when the Old Man said, "The providence of a heaven-defying entity has been awakened. If he does not wish to bring an end to our entire force, he must watch his conduct. Or I will lock him in the depths of the cold pit. Do you understand?"

    The attendant nodded and left the ce quickly to inform the named person. He has never seen his master talking so rashly but he could tell that the old man was uneased about something and it was not wrong to say that the old man revealed some fear concealed in his eyes.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know that his tribtion sent waves inside the hearts of some old monsters. He finished dealing with the third bolt of lightning, andnded on the ground with a thud, waiting for the fourth lightning bolt.

 Chapter 697 Test Of The King (2)

    <h4>Chapter 697 Test Of The King (2)</h4>

    Shi Lang tolerated three lightning strikes and was still amidst the tribtion. Yet the people from all sides have begun noticing him. Emperor Hell me sighed and said, "This tribtion is harder than most emperors even face. Yet he stands tall on his feet after three lightning bolts. What a genius!"

    Tian Long nodded and said, "You are correct, Elder Xi. However, he is not a genius. He is a monster working his way up the ground for as long as I have known him."

    The people were surprised, and Tian Long continued, "He belongs to the same lower world as I do. Soon after my ascension, demons barged into the bridge that connected the two worlds. They prevented any talent from rising and ascending to the Immortal Realm. Gradually, the spiritual energy of my home world was also exhausted.

    Only after eons did this kid run into Spiritual energy and, by chance, found a set of techniques that allowed him to cultivate. Not only did he cultivate alone, but he also enabled his entire species to follow the path of cultivation. They secured a strong foothold in the lower realm. His effort and strength are not because of his talent but his persistent effort.

    If he were a normal genius, he would not channel his body with a sword intent to wash out the demonic energy. If he were a normal genius, he would not be able to fight with people in higher realms. He is a spark of change."

    At this moment, ady appeared beside Tian Long. The people were shocked as they did not sense her movement. The sovereign was taken aback, but then he calmed down and asked, "What are you doing here, Raksha?"

    Thedy smiled seductively and replied, "He needs to face the tribtions alone. My presence around him will make it difficult for him."

    Tian Long nodded and asked, "What do you think? Will he make it through?"

    Raksha raised her brow and said, "I believe he will."

    Tian Long asked again, "How do you have so much trust in him?"

    Thedy chuckled, saying, "Because he has never let me down."

    Tian Long suddenly had the urge to cough up blood. Beside him, Zither Soul could not help but chuckle. Raksha gazed at her and said, "It has been a long time, Sister Moon."

    Fairy Moon Jade smiled and nodded, "It has been long, indeed. I see that you have grown stronger."

    Raksha nodded, and they conversed with each other. Tian Long endured the twitch at the corner of his mouth as he observed Shi Lang preparing to face the fourth bolt of lightning. The terran was tired, and facing those three bolts was no joke. He was even forced to release his sword to fend off the attack.

    If there was any good news, then it was the fact that he was not injured after three attacks. Any injury by the lightning bolt meant he lost his fighting capability. He took out a few pills from his space ring and swallowed them without much thought.

    He did not use medicine to heal his wounds, but he prepared spirit rejuvenation pills to help him withstand the onught of the heavenly tribtion and back-to-back battles. Shi Lang was just one of those people. He did not treat himself as some invincible entity. He knew his limitations and was always prepared for the rainy day.

    The terran stood on the ground as he watched the fourth bolt of lightning rushing at him. He said, "Shura body."

    His body began to glow with golden light, and as the light struck him, his body was flung away. The terran groaned as he bounced on the ground and left pits behind him. When he finally came to a stop, he mumbled, "I need to strengthen my physique even more. I can only take one more attack."

    As he groaned and grumbled, the Terran stood up, and the fifth lightning bolt fell down the sky. The impact of this bolt was even stronger. However, Shi Lang did not bounce on the ground. He was struck in a pit. The fifth bolt subsided, and the people observed a few feet deep pits on the ground.

    Shi Lang made some effort and climbed out of the pit, only to face the wrath of the sixth bolt of lightning. The terran yelled, "Shura Fist!"

    He punched at the bolt of lightning while the golden glow on his body faded away. The impact of the strike sent the Terran flying for a few meters. As Shi Langnded on the ground, he coughed up blood. He was injured. Earlier, he channeled the energy of his fist. The attack managed to reduce more than half of the sixth bolt.

    However, Shi Lang still sustained some damage, making him cough up blood. His body was fine, but the impact of the attack had shaken his internal organs. The terran sat on the ground, trying to sense and regte his condition. He took another bottle of spirit pills and replenished his energy while channeling the spiritual energy through his organs.

    ...

    In the distance, Tian Long said, "The final phase of the tribtion is about tomence."

    The two people beside him nodded, and Raksha asked, "What do you mean?"

    Fairy Moon Jade replied, "There are three phases of the tribtion. The first one tests your resolve. The second one tests your physique, and the third phase tests your soul andprehension of dao rules.

    Shi Lang easily passed the resolve, but in the second phase, he struggled and had to use his trumps. Now, the third phase will push him to the limits. His immortal soul will be checked, and while he defended his immortal soul, his body will be left defenseless. The heavenly lightning will rampage inside his body, destroying it in parts.

    Raksha frowned and asked, "Anything we can do?"

    Tian Long shook his head and said, "You cannot. If you tried intervening now, the heavens wille after you, and do you think he can withstand the burden of a golden lightning?"

    Raksha shook her head and replied, "He is still too weak. It will not be long, but I guess, this time, he is in a bind."

    Tian Long nodded and said, "The heavenly tribtions are a bind for everyone."

    Raksha rolled her eyes at him and said, "You need to speak about yourself and not the others. Are you the nanny of the world?"

    Tian Long clenched his fists, and Fairy Moon Jade chuckled softly. Emperor Hell me was scared to his core. He did not know who this youngdy was and why she was so familiar with the two people. He could not even sense any spiritual fluctuation in her body, which confused him even more.

    Shi Lang finished eating his pills and healing his internal organs. The terran wanted to stand up when a streak of red and golden lightning fell on his forehead. His body was covered with sparks, and his skin slowly turned red.

    The lightning transformed into a snake in his soul sea, which charged at Shi Lang. The terran stood in his soul sea with a sword in his hand. The sword was his dao armament as he fended for himself.

    The battle was not quick. On the contrary, Shi Lang did his best to defend against the snake. This beast of lightning was testing his daoprehension. Shi Lang could not take offensive action against him. Dao was not to wage wars.

    While he struggled inside his soul sea, outside, the battle affected his physical body. His skin was ked in many spots and bleeding¡ªa dome of lightning around Shi Lang shot rays of lightning at him.

    After fifteen minutes, the lightning was exhausted, and the lightning dome vanished. However, the test was not yet over. The eighth strike of lightning befell him in quick session.

    In the soul sea, the terran had no time to breathe. This time, the lightning condensed into the form of a five-headed snake. Shi Lang sighed and entered another battle. His immortal soul was injured. He was not invincible, and there was still room for him to improve his understanding of the dao rules, and because of that room, he suffered the damage.

    However, the terran was sure there was no perfect daoprehension, only the most suitable one in this world. The crux of this test was not to showcase the wlessness of his foundation but to show his belief in the path he had chosen to walk.

    His physical body was damaged, his muscles were electrified, and the wounds became bigger. His clothes were torn and reduced to ashes. Shi Lang fought with the lightning hydra for half an hour before the effects subsided.

    Tian Long looked at the sky and said, "I do not know if he could manage this."

    Raksha followed his gaze, and they found a lightning dragon swarming among the clouds. She said, "I trust that he will survive this. He will not give up. Do not worry; do not Jinx him, old man Long, or I will beat you purple."

 Chapter 698 Title At The End... :p

    <h4>Chapter 698 Title At The End... :p</h4>

    Tian Long and Raksha looked at the red dragon condensed from heavenly lightning and felt their hearts skip a beat. Fairy Moon Jade gasped and eximed, "What does it mean?"

    Tian Long replied, "Snake, Hydra, and Dragon all carry the blood of a heavenly dragon. The heavens are testing hisprehension. If he managed to hold onto even a shard of his belief after this, he would be promoted and would condense the unbeatable level of the Immortal King crown. If he failed, his soul will scatter to ashes."

    Raksha nodded gently and said, "What other option do we have but to believe in him?"

    The trio exchanged nces and nodded. Fairy Moon Jade gazed at Yun Xue and said, "Do not worry, he will be fine."

    Raksha looked at Yun Xue and said, "Girl, I will not give you any fake hopes. In the future, you will also face a tribtion. It may not harm you physically, but mentally, it will squeeze you dry. He and Amelia can give up anything for each other. You have to be prepared."

    Yun Xue was shocked and said, "I understand, Senior. Please rest assured, I do not seek any title or a ce beside him but his acknowledgment of my feelings. I will try my best, and if that is not enough, I will keep trying until I die."

    Raksha looked at her for a prolonged moment and nodded before they turned to gaze at the Terran sitting on the ground.

    ...

    Shi Lang was on the ground with a body that ached all over. His bones were fractured, and his muscles were torn. He could not move, as most of his body was paralyzed. The terran thought, ''I did not expect it to be so hard this time. Unlike in the past, I cannot even absorb the energy from the lightning. What bad luck. It must be because someone jinxed me.''

    As he was thinking, a roar echoed in his mind. He sighed and said, "Come."

    Then his body jolted, thrown up in the void by the impact, and flung a hundred meters. Many trees were turned into shards as Shi Lang collided with them. The terran coughed up a lot of blood, and his face was pale. He did not stand back on his feet after the strike.

    His organs were damaged to a great degree. The only thing keeping him alive was his immortal soul and the lightning coursing through his body. It destroyed him, but it also forcefully kept him alive.

    Inside his soul sea, the situation was the opposite. His immortal soul was dressed in an armor of lightning and fighting against the dragon. The destruction was mutual. The soul sea was filled with cracks and deste patches stuck like a sore thumb in the beautifulndscape.

    However, Shi Lang did not have the luxury to enjoy the view at the moment, and he needed to slowly fend off the dragon eroding his immortal soul along with hisprehension and beliefs of the dao path.

    The de in his hand was getting dimmer. The lightning dao rules that heprehended to condense it were damaged. Shi Lang did not have the time to care about them. He drew his spear in one hand and faced the dragon, charging at him to the best of his ability.

    He tried to block the attacks and retaliate against the dragon with his attacks, but nothing worked. Shi Lang did not know how to fight this thing. It was like a child standing against a god. The fight made him realize that he was still weak.

    As he fought, he dwelled on this idea. Why was he weak? Why was he still unable to stand against the wheel of the heavens? After all this effort and pain he had to endure? Shi Lang thought about why he had started cultivating in the first ce.

    To live a life without regrets. He wished to reach the peak while having no regrets. To achieve this, the infamous scavenger king stopped doing what he usually did. He stopped snatching chances from people and became soft. He stopped seeking adventures and tried to do things in a low-key way to reach the peak of his potential.

    However, thinking about this, he was not a person who was easily satisfied. Jumping on the side to avoid the dragon lurching at him, the terran thought about what happened to him. When did he be so soft?

    At this moment, the dragon roared, and the next moment, Shi Lang found himself standing on a peak. The summit of a mountain was surrounded by thick fog. Shi Lang wore a murky robe, covering his face with a mask.

    Shi Lang was surprised, and then he tried to recall where he was when he heard a loud shout from behind him, "Scavenger, stop! You cannot run away. This Hundred Sword peak will be your burial ground."

    The terran took a deep breath to let the moment sink in. This ce was where he made his first-ever snatch from a big family. He looked up and found a group of people all wearing brocade robes, and they were ring at him.

    The terran chuckled and said, "Young Master Yan, if res could kill, I would have died by now for sure."

    The young man against him yelled as he walked closer, "You will die, Scavenger, not by my gaze, but my hands. I will kill you with my bare hands."

    Shi Lang smiled and took out a scroll from his sleeve. He extended his hand over the cliffside and said, "Young Master Yan if you took one more step, do you believe I will throw this precious treasure that you have been searching for in the ravine of the dead?"

    Young Master Yan froze and rebuked, "If you dared to do any such things, I will chop you to pieces, and then I will dump your corpse into the ravine as well. However, if you gave me the scroll, I will let you walk away from him with just one hand as a penalty for stealing."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do you think I will believe your words? You probably are not very aware of your morality. Anyhow, since you intend to kill me with or without the scroll. I prefer to die with it."

    Young Master Yan could not understand what the Scavenger would do, but then he saw Shi Lang jumping off the cliff and into the ravine. The young man was shocked and rushed forward to check, but he could only see so far because of the mist. After uttering a few profanities, the young man left the ce.

    The sun set down, and the howling wind became the only sound in the surroundings. At that moment, some stones cluttered, and Shi Lang walked up from the side. The young man had to make quite an effort to get his feet on the ground.

    He panted and spat on the ground. Shi Lang mumbled, "Fuck you, Yan. Fuck your family and just wait. Once I break through to the next realm, I will visit your family treasury for an aptpensation."

    ...

    The scene made Shi Lang chuckle and realize how he had acted in the face of death. Earlier, before he snatched at Young Master Yan''s stuff, he had tied a rope to the cliff wall, and when he jumped, he made sure to catch that rope. To avoid getting detected by the young man, he hung onto the rope for a whole day.

    This was a crazy but necessary precaution that he needed to take for survival. As brave as he was to go against the big guns, he feared death, too. He was never caught and became known as the Scavenger King.

    Thinking about this, Shi Lang found his lost spirit. His drive to seek fortune in the face of trouble. He opened his eyes and found the dragon rushing at him through the void. He held his sword and said, "Before I became the Shura, I was the scavenger. Come."

    The terran charged at the dragon for the first time. This time, he was not aggressive in a passive manner. He was charging at the dragon, holding what he believed in. This was a survival of the fittest world, and Shi Lang may not be the fittest, but his desire to survive was greater than anyone.

    ...

    Tian Long narrowed his eyes suddenly and asked, "Moon, do you sense that?"

    Fairy Moon Jade smiled and said, "Look, who is back."

    The two exchanged nces, and Tian Long sighed and shook his head. Fairy Moon Jade erupted into aughter. The people were confused, and Raksha said, "The entire Immortal ne is about to be flipped upside down on its head."

    Emperor Hell me could not understand what they meant and could not help but ask them, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

    Tian Long sighed and replied, "Believe me, Elder Hell me. You do not want to know what they mean by this. Not everyone can take the burden on their hearts."

    Raksha rebuked him, "Old Man, you better not make too big of an issue out of it and tell him to stay low. He will not survive the next level like this. Aftering to this ce, the sense of staying low dulled his instincts. He needs to be the way he was in the past. Only then can he do what he is meant to. Understand."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded and said, "I agree with her. You better not do anything like that to save yourself the trouble. It is time you work up your bones again."

    At this moment, the skies rumbled, and the red and golden lightning slowly vanished. The skies cleared, and bright golden light fell on Shi Lang''s body. The people had sensed the change in his aura, but they did not notice that his life was hanging by a thread.

    Shi Lang''s body was covered with a golden glow, and he floated in the void. The terran''s body was repaired by heaven''s providence. The people watched him change, and slowly, a crown that looked like blood jade with a tint of gold condensed around his head, an armor of lightning condensed on his body, and he held a lightning sword and a spear in his hands.

    Yun Xue fell to her knees, and so did the others. The excitement of this tribtion was too much for them to take. Emperor Hell me took a deep breath and mumbled, "Even though I have a higher than him. I still feelpelled to bow to him. Why so?"

    Tian Long said, "It is because he has an invincible crown on his head."

    Raksha smiled and said, "Look at him smile. I have missed that smirk of shamelessness."

    Tian Long said, "How about we title him the shameless king?"

    Fairy Moon Jade chuckled and said, "Petty, his title is decided. Ladies and gentlemen, lo and behold, Shura King."

    ...

    Title: The Rise Of The Shura King.

 Chapter 699 Improvements.

    <h4>Chapter 699 Improvements.</h4>

    Shi Lang basked in the golden glow, and gradually, his body healed. The wounds vanished, and his aura became vital. The people who were watching all this from the ground were surprised. This was the first time they had seen someone cross the lightning tribtion for the Immortal King Realm.

    Tian Long said, "I want to see how much he has improved."

    Raksha replied, "You need to wait till the tournament. He will need time to adjust, too."

    The sovereign nodded and said, "Now that the tribtion has ended, I will return. The old monsters that are paying attention will not make any moves now. So, you guys have nothing to worry about."

    Raksha rolled her eyes at him. The meaning was simple: if anyone were to make a move on them, she would forcefully unlock her strength and kill them. However, she did not wish to argue with the old man.

    Tian Long sighed at her expression and left the ce through a void tunnel. Before leaving, Fairy Moon Jade passed Yun Xue with a pill that would help her restore her appearance to normal.

    Yun Xue sat on the ground in a daze. She did not know if whatever happened was true or not. She raised her head and found Shi Lang slowly descending on the ground. His eyes were still closed, the crown around his forehead was glimmering, and his body was covered in an armor of lightning.

    Thebination of red and gold made him look very majestic. The armor of red lightning was aplete set, with greaves that would protect his legs, followed by cuisses to protect the thigh,yered with groin guards. His torso was covered with chainmail weaved with lightning, his hands were covered with gauntlets, and his shoulders had sleek pauldrons to protect him from harm.

    The terran held two weapons in each of his hands, and as his hair fluttered in the win, he looked very valiant. Emperor Hell me asked, "This armor is so different, so unique."

    Raksha smiled and said, "It is inspired by something the humans wore in his home world."

    Emperor Hell me nodded and said, "It is an ingenious design. What makes me astounded is the chainmail. That thing around his chestprises dao rules condensed and weaved together. It must be really strong."

    Raksha nodded and said, "I wonder why is he not waking up yet?"

    ...

    Shi Lang was standing inside his soul sea. He found that thendscape has changed beyond recognition. Earlier, the ce was covered with grass and a twilight sky. However, now, it was filled with a sea of lightning, atop which flew a small ind with a castle.

    He did not know what to say at this point. His mentality has changed during the tribtion. The things he experienced in the past shaped his soul sea into a scene straight out of his fantasies. When he was a scavenger, he had bigger dreams. Those dreams drove him to do things, but he never regretted any of them because he knew why he did all that.

    He sighed and said, "To think I will have to return to that time and find the means to survive the tribtion. Indeed, I have forgotten what I was. Even if it is my past life, it is my life. As long as I have memories, I am both the old and the new."

    Shi Lang looked inside the castle and found it very simr to the ce etched in his memory¡ªwhere the human emperor left his inheritance. This ce was where his life changed, where he found the heavenly artifact, ultimately saving his life.

    After inspecting the castle, Shi Lang looked at the sky and found it filled with stars. Below the ind, there was a boundless ocean, but it was flickering with lightning.

    The terran sat on the ground and crossed his legs. Then, he began meditating to learn more about himself. As he concentrated, he found that his spiritual energy had be more unyielding. The vital tenacity of the energy was rted to the change in his mentality at the end of the tribtion.

    ...

    In the outside world, all the people stood around Shi Lang. The terran opened his eyes, and they flickered with red lightning. He was surprised to see so many people, but then he heaved a sigh of relief. Looking around, he found Raksha standing with her hands crossed before her.

    She was gazing at him with great interest. He asked, "What are you looking at?"

    Thedy smiled and said, "I was thinking when we would be raiding anyone like you used to."

    The conversation was made with spiritualmunication, so the others did not understand. The terran smiled and shook his head as he replied, "Not for the time being. I need to get stronger and more used to this power."

    Raksha nodded, and Shi Lang stood up from the ground. He looked around and said, "Brother Bo, can you return my device?"

    Bo Qingtan woke up and quickly pranced to Shi Lang''s side. The terran asked, "Have you said your goodbyes?"

    When he heard this, the young man was shocked, but he said, "Give me a few minutes. I will see to it right away."

    Shi Lang nodded and gazed at Yun Xue. With a helpless chuckle, he asked, "What are you looking at me in a daze for? Hurry. I do not wish to meet people who consume my time."

    The people understood what he meant; the strong experts in the vicinity should being over to meet him, and Shi Lang considered that a waste of time. She nodded and returned to greet the people of her division.

    Shi Lang took a moment to send messages to the three people and tell them about his safety. Who knows what the people on the other side were thinking now?

    ...

    When the former received the message, Yang Niao and a few disciples were busy exploring a ruin. The pressure on his heart was removed. He typed a congrattory message and informed the rest of the sect about the news. The people were genuinely happy.

    Shi Lang was their leader, and not only did he give them direction to advance, but he also led them from the forefront. The sect prospered because of his guidance; the people were stronger and had regained sight of their ambitions.

    ...

    In the Qiling City, Hao Mei meditated when she sensed energy gushing through themunicator. She raised her wrist hurriedly and was pleasantly shocked. The girl congratted her master and rushed out of the room to find Yu Xiedi.

    The younger disciple was anxious, so she decided to vent her energy on the dummies in the training field. She was moving around quickly and waving her sword to obliterate the dummy. Her aunt, Yu Mingxue, watched her in awe because she did not expect this child to be so talented and hard-working.

    At this moment, Hao Mei rushed inside the garden and said, "Xiao Yu, Master seeded."

    Yu Xiedi stopped her sword, and Hao Mei nodded at her with a gentle smile. The two girls embraced each other, and Yu Xiedi also sent a congrattory message to her master. Yu Mingxue was surprised, but she did not say anything. The first time they met, Shi Lang was in the middle stage of the Immortal Lord realm.

    This speed of advancement was shocking. However, she did not think the terran ascended with an invincible crown. If she knew, she would faint from fright.

    ...

    While everyone was happy, one more anxious soul moved around in her office. Ying Yu sat on the side, watching Amelia move and chew on her lip asionally. Ying Yu sighed and said, "Amelia, calm down. I cannot understand why you are so anxious. He is strong enough to deal with the heavenly tribtion."

    Amelia shook her head and said, "It is not that I do not trust him. I am just worried if his tribtion will be something he can tolerate. There are different grades of tribtion. What if the heavens tested him hard."

    Ying Yu pinched her chin and said, "Why do you make it sound like the heavens have some unfinished business with him?"

    Amelia rolled her eyes at her friend and said, "Sister Ying, do you know what he is capable of?"

    Ying Yu nodded and said, "I did hear the news that he took down the Demon Kings, and his weapon also dealt heavy blows to the Demon Emperor. Is there more to it?"

    Amelia sighed and said, "The tribtion will test his mind physique and dao ruleprehension. His weapons were designed by him only. What does that mean? His mind is also good, and not only his strength. Heavenly tribtion will be testing everything in one fell swoop. What do you think happens when a strong mind and strong bodybine?"

    Ying Yu stood up in surprise and said, "I did not consider that. It will not be a normal tribtion. What should we do?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Nothing, all we can do is wait for his word. If that guy died, then I will revive his soul and then whip his ass."

    At this moment, her spiritualmunicator shivered.

 Chapter 700 Setting Off.

    <h4>Chapter 700 Setting Off.</h4>

    Amelia received Shi Lang''s message and sat down on the ground. Thedy had no idea how to express this sensation. In her entire life, she had never been able to get ahead of Shi Lang. Even if she was a genius in her own right, she was one step behind this guy.

    She felt nostalgic and emotional reading the message. Ying Yu caught her expression and asked hesitantly, "What happened?"

    Amelia smiled and said, "You know when I first met him? He was weaker than most of the people. I never told him, but his achievements on that level and the recognition he received from our teachers made me admire him a lot. He strode toward a higher ce, sat among those stronger than him, and never shied away from hardship.

    I thought that he would lose his individuality. His ss of people was deemed unfit for frontal positions in the army. They were destined to work in the shadows, yet this guy led them to the top. He created a spark that burned the entire system of our world.

    When my mother decided to marry me to someone I did not like, I approached him in the guise of a trade. He helped me defeat that person, and not only that, but he befriended that person and changed him for the better. Everyone in our world knew that I came from a prominent family. My mother was a General in the army.

    While he came from a humble background, my mother thought that since he could defeat the person she thought was optimal for me, she decided to match me with him. I knew he had just left the person he sought to spend his life with. I was selfish and did not give him any chance to retreat, and manipted him into saying yes to be my fiance."

    Ying Yu was shocked and remarked, "I did not expect you to be so cunning, Amelia."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "Love is a war, Sister Ying. He was the person I wanted to spend my life with. Our rtionship may seem forced, but it was all a cunning n on my side. He failed to be with the person he loved because he was not good at saying what was inside his heart."

    Ying Yu was hooked and asked, "Do you think he loves you? What if he finds out that you nned all this? Will he still be the same? What if he found someone else after he came to the Immortal in?"

    Amelia smiled and shook her head, saying, "When we had just married, people attacked us. At that moment, he had the chance to run away. He could have left me to die, but he ced my life above his. He was so badly injured that many people thought he would not make it through.

    When he was recovering, I decided to give him no matter what he asked of me. If he is to stand before me and ask me to give up my life, I will do it without a flinch."

    Ying Yu was surprised and said, "Calm down. He will be fine."

    She was afraid that if anything happened to Shi Lang, Amelia might be unable to continue living and would end up doing something stupid. Amelia knew her thoughts, but she did not say anything.

    She knew that Shi Lang was always one step ahead of her, and instead of feeling bothered, she was relieved because the stronger he became, the safer he would be. She did not wish for him to suffer at all.

    ...

    Conversely, Shi Lang discovered that Tian Long and Fairy Moon Jade hade over to protect him. The terran did not say that he was moved or touched. He said, "That old foggy could not leave a congrattory gift. How cheap of him."

    Raksha chuckled and said, "Indeed, cheap of him. However, Sister Moon left your side chick a pill to restore her face."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and said, "She is not my side chick. You know I do not like such terms."

    Raksha sighed and said, "Yes, yes, your highness."

    Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue approached him while he was talking to Raksha. They were done with their farewells and were ready to leave for the Valley.

    Emperor Hell me asked, "Shall I open a void tunnel for travel? It will be safe."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "A couple of months before the tournament begins. We will move through the wilderness and train."

    Emperor Hell me nodded and said, "You might not find much of a challenge in the wilderness."

    Shi Lang replied, "I will visit my disciples first and pick some tasks from the head hunter organization. These two can use some rest, too."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Why do we need to rest?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Ever since you came to the Central in, have you stopped fighting battles or taking part in any tasks?"

    The two people shook their heads, and Shi Lang said, "Take the day off, consolidate what you have learned, and then we will move. My disciples can also use some consoling, too."

    The two people nodded. Shi Lang was being considerate of them. The terran led the people back to the Qiling City, and Emperor Hell me returned to guard duty. Shi Lang arranged for the two people to stay inside an Inn. He did not wish to use the city pce as his guesthouse. That was too disrespectful.

    Shi Lang arrived at the City Lord Pce, and the two little girls found him quickly. He told them what happened and also told them about his ns. The two children were upset but knew this was Shi Lang''s intention beforehand. Without the tribtion, he would not have returned to see them before the tournament.

    Yu Mingxue congratted him for his ascension to the next realm. Shi Lang replied politely and wanted to leave when thedy asked, "Sir Ace, is it okay if I teach Xiao Di some skills of my family."

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "You do not have to ask me about this, Lady Yu. If she wants to learn it, and the things you want to teach do not conflict with her path, it is all fine with me. Her opinion is the only thing you need to be concerned about."

    Yu Mingxue was surprised and asked, "Sir, how can you let a child decide what is right for her or not."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "As you know, I am an ascender. I never had a master in the lower world. In this world, I have a master, but I have only gained a superficial understanding of what he wants me to learn. He did not impose things on me and told me to take things on the go. I am only passing on the doctrine of the same."

    Yu Mingxue thanked him, and Shi Lang left the Qiling Pce. He did not wish to stick around and face questions about his realm and his tribtion. If the people knew that he survived a red-level tribtion, they would be curious about him.

    It was not that he wanted to stay low-key, but secrets served as cards. He wanted to hold his cards up his sleeve till thest moment possible. The terran picked up a few tasks from the diner office of the Head Hunter organization.

    Then, he spent the night cultivating and absorbing all the new dao rules heprehended. The next cultivation level was Immortal Emperor; for that, he needed to embed a dao seed in his crown. The limit of such dao seeds was four, but even if you managed to condense one such seed, you would be an Invincible emperor.

    The path was tough, and it was long. Shi Lang was in no hurry. On the contrary, he wanted to ask the old man Tian Long what the n was to face the demonic soldiers. However, he did not have the time to seek an audience with that old guy.

    The sun rose quickly, and Shi Lang left with Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. He bought a spirit vessel to ease their burdens. At this moment, he was notcking money. After all, he participated in the blood moon night battle.

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were talking to each other about many things that happened to them when they were in the mercenary. Shi Lang listened to them and told them many things, too. Ultimately, he said, "I have a force specializing in information collection. I also intend to make this force a hit squad for the traitors of humanity."

    The two were surprised but then nodded. They agreed with his views, and Shi Lang asked them to join his Asura Hall after the tournament. Bo Qingtan agreed.

    Yun Xue asked, "What task did you pick up from the Head Hunter Organization?"

    Shi Lang said, "Just going to hunt a corpse master. This guy has been killing people and refining them as his puppet. Three days ago, in a small vige near the Shimmer River, he killed five people, and three of them were women carrying children in their wombs."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were angry, but they could see the flicker of red in Shi Lang''s eyes. They calmed down, and the girl said, "You ought to calm down. Your aura is all over the ce."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am calm, but the rage inside me is boiling. I wish he would meet me soon. Otherwise, he will beg me to kill him, but I won''t."

    ...

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 Chapter 701 Hunting The Corpse Refiner.

    <h4>Chapter 701 Hunting The Corpse Refiner.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the two reached the periphery of the small vige known as Plum Vige. The vige was settled at the base of a mountain and had a river stream flowing from the side.

    The ce was very scenic, but when Shi Lang and the other twonded, they found a gloomy aura surrounding it. They exchanged nces and walked over. Shi Lang did not reveal his aura and wanted the enemy to think he was a weaker cultivator. If the enemy took the bait, he woulde after him.

    The three walked through the entrance, and Yun Xue said, "This ce is covered in demonic aura."

    She revealed a small stone tied to her wrist. Shi Lang raised his brow, and thedy replied, "This is the Xena stone. An ancient array master invented it. The stone looks like a normal ornamental stone in normal situations, but as soon as ites into contact with demonic energy, it starts glowing, like right now."

    Shi Lang thought about something and asked, "Is the array used to inscribe this stone public knowledge?"

    Yun Xue nodded and asked, "Why do you ask?"

    The terran replied, "The frame of the spiritualmunicators is made of stone, so they can be engraved with a simr array to act as a demon detectionpass."

    Thedy smiled faintly and said, "You sure know how to milk money from other people."

    Shi Lang smiled back as they walked deep inside the vige. Bo Qingtan remarked, "This ce seems a bit too fishy."

    The terran replied, "I can sense gazes from the window cracks. They do not dare toe out and talk to us."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and Yun Xue said, "Everyone, we are here to help. You do not have to fear us."

    Her voice echoed in the vige, and a few heads popped out of the windows. However, soon, these heads vanished. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Let us not waste time on the people here. Let''s find the leader of the vige and find the details of the five victims."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Why are you calling them victims?"

    Shi Lang looked at him and asked, "Do you know what corpse refiners do?"

    Thetter nodded, and the terran asked, "Do you still think there is a chance that any of the people have a chance of survival?"

    Bo Qingtan clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword, and Yun Xue said, "We still need to find this guy to make sure that no one else suffers like this."

    The three of them soon found the biggest house in the vige. It was not a mansion, but the courtyard size was bigger. Shi Lang wanted to enter when Yun Xue asked, "How do you know this is the vige chief''s house?"

    Before Shi Lang could reply, Bo Qingtan said, "Even if it is not the vige chief''s house, it must belong to the richest man in the vige. Such people often have a lot of valuable information."

    Yun Xue nodded, and Shi Lang pushed open the courtyard gate and walked inside. They looked around and found that the ce was in order. Shi Lang said, "Yun Xue, check for any arrays or involvement with the demonic forces."

    The girl was surprised, but then she nodded and began to look around. Shi Lang was not wrong to suspect a native of the vige. As they stood in the courtyard''s center, an old man with a bulging belly walked out from the side.

    The man asked vigntly, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

    Shi Lang saw the man holding a sword behind his back, and he said, "I am a head hunter. I epted the task of looking for the demonic cultivator who was responsible for the tragedy in this vige. Can you shed some light on the issue?"

    The old man did a double take on the three people and saw them standing in their ce without any movement. He asked, "Can you help us?"

    Shi Lang noticed something and replied, "Only if you can provide me with the information I need."

    The old man said, "Please,e inside."

    Bo Qingtan checked the door behind them and closed it slowly before following Shi Lang and Yun Xue inside the house. They sat on the couch in the living room, and the old man waved his hand.

    A seven-year-old boy came out from the side room and served the three people tea. The old man said, "Exalted ones, I apologize, but this is all I can offer you now. That demon, not only did he take away the people from our vige, but he even robbed all of the fortune we had."

    Yun Xue asked with narrowed eyes, "Sir, first introduce yourself. Then tell us what happened."

    The old man nodded and said, "My name is Ding Shu. I am a merchant. This is my grandson. His father is out of the vige at the moment for trade, and his mother, well, my daughter-inw, was taken away by that demon."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "borate, how did that demon manage to do all this?"

    Ding Shu nodded and said, "Sir, I do not know how he did it. However, that demon lived among us for several months. He gained the vigers'' trust and helped us in many things. We all thought he was a good person, and he suggested we set up abined business.

    The vigers all agreed and poured out their fortune to them. Initially, the profit was high, and we agreed to let him manage it. A few people were cautious, so we let the people from our families work with him.

    He meticulously delegated important tasks to our people and sent them out of the vige. We all rxed but did not realize that this demon had charmed the women in our houses. He coaxed them, and then they all ran away with the money.

    This was not all exalted ones, but the young children that had been taken away were their children. Those women took away those innocent children."

    Shi Lang asked, "The women are reported to be pregnant. Why would they run?"

    Ding Shu shook his head and said, "I have no idea, Sir. We only managed to gather whatever we had and post a task in the head hunter hall a few days ago. The people there were kind and assured us to get justice. They investigated to confirm that the action was taken by a demonic cultivator and not some normal human."

    Ding Shu suddenly knelt on his knees and said, "Exalted ones, I beg you to save those people. You can take everything I have, but please save those children."

    Shi Lang tilted his head and asked, "The other people did not evene out to speak with us, but here you are, serving us tea and even kneeling for help. Mister Ding, I will promise you one thing. I will find those people, as for their lives, that is up to fate. It has already been a week since they left, I think.

    However, if I discovered that anyone from your vige is involved in this issue, I will make them suffer in a manner you cannot imagine."

    He was squeezing the old man for more information. If people in the vige were in the mix, they would be alerted, and eventually, they would make a mistake. Shi Lang was not leaving anyone out of suspicion. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were surprised but did not say anything.

    Shi Lang was the leader, and they were sure he must have his reasons behind such words. Ding Shu was shocked but then folded his hands and said, "Sir, I swear in the name of my son and grandson. I have not done any such thing. The only fault I made was to allow that demonic cultivator to stay in the vige when he had juste."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Why do you say so? Did you notice something about him that you should have told the people?"

    Ding Shu looked at his grandson and then nodded with great effort. Shi Lang leaned forward and waved his hand. He cast a barrier of spirit energy around them and lifted the old man from the ground. He asked, "Tell me, what was it you saw?"

    Ding Shu took a deep breath and looked at his grandson again. Bo Qingtan said, "The child cannot hear anything. Speak what you must."

    The old man sighed and said, "Sire, on the night of the full moon, that guy would go out for a stroll in the mountain. One time, I found him eating some raw meat from the carcass of a bull. It was a scary sight, and I hurriedly left the ce. Then, to confirm my conjecture, I followed him and found the same thing again.?I have no idea what to do and decided to put things back in my head because of the steady profit flow in the coffers."

 Chapter 702 Investigation.

    Chapter 702 Investigation.

    Ding Shu was a profit-driven businessman. He put aside his morale stigmas when he saw that he could gain wealth. His sumbent behavior in the face of wealth was not the biggest regret in his life.

    Bo Qingtan clenched his fists and yelled, "Did you sell your soul to the demons as well, you foolish old man."

    Yun Xue grabbed his shoulder and said, "He is unlike us. Do not lose your temper; we must focus on the corpse refiner."

    Bo Qingtan forcefully calmed his mind and said, "We are leaving this ce. I do not see anything of value in this ce. We should go and find out from the rest of the vigers."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Calm yourself. Never let your personal feelings meddle with the task at hand. We are not vigntes who would act on their interests. The other thing of interest is this child. I will talk to him and try to find anything of use."

    Ding Shu cowered and hurriedly said, "Sire, is it really important to mix the child with all this?"

    Shi Lang looked at him nonchntly and replied, "Children notice things that even adults do not. You can keep your heart back where it belongs. I know what to ask and what not to ask."

    The terran dispelled the barrier around them, and the child walked beside Ding Shu. He asked, "Grandpa, are you okay?"

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded at Ding Shu. The old man bit the bullet and said, "Xiao Gun, this immortal master is here to look for your mother and other people. He wants to ask you a few things. Answer honestly, okay, do not hide anything."

    Xiao Gun was hesitant. It was obvious, given that he was a child and his heart was very sensitive. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do not worry. If you answer my questions honestly, I will give you a gift enabling you to protect yourself and your family."

    The child was immediately charmed. At this moment, he longed for the strength to protect his family. He felt very helpless at the hands of fate. Shi Lang had juste to him with a great deal. The child weighed the pros and cons. He nodded and walked forward.

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Can you tell me anything about the guy who took all those people?"

    Xiao Gun thought and nodded. Shi Lang said, "Go on then."

    The child replied, "That person is Cao Yanjing. He is tall and skinny. He used to scare us with scary stories."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you tell me what that guy looked like?"

    Xaio Gun nodded. Shi Lang said, "Look into my eyes."

    The child looked into his eyes and found the surroundings changed. He panicked, and the terran said, "Calm down, this is just a ce for you to tell me what that person looks like."

    Xiao Gun found that Shi Lang was standing next to him. The terran snapped his fingers, and a young man appeared before them. Shi Lang said, "What is different about this guy from Cao Yanjing?"

    Xiao Gun said, "His nose was broader..."

    The two people fine-tuned, and Shi Lang made sure that he found out the correct appearance of the culprit. He used the advanced interrogation tactics from the federation to lead the young man into revealing the truth.

    Shi Lang finished the interrogation and brought Xiao Gun back to reality. He said, "We have what we need. Now, as agreed, I will leave you a set of cultivation sutra, a fist technique, a sword technique, a spear technique, and a bottle of pills. You can reach the peak of Immortal Soul Realm if you cultivate diligently.

    However, I will leave a seal on your mind and the techniques. You will not be able to pass on my techniques to other people. When you reach the Immortal Soul level, you can leave the town and venture out for new opportunities. Another reason I leave this seal on you is to prevent you from falling to the demonic path. If you ever did find the dark side alluring, you would die before you could try it."

    Xiao Gun nodded and said, "I will not be like that person."

    Ding Shu wanted to talk, but he could not say anything at all. Bo Qingtan was gazing at him like amb to ughter. Shi Lang imparted a set of techniques used by the Asura Hall. He then took out a token of the hall and gave it to the young man.

    He said, "Keep this token on your person. If you ever meet someone who uses the same techniques, show them the token, and they will bring you to me."

    ...

    Shi Lang and the two left the courtyard to visit other vigers. They did not find anything substantial in these visits, but they could confirm the rest of the information they gained from Ding Shu more or less.

    The three gathered outside the vige. They wanted to n the next step of their hunt. Yun Xue said, "If only we had something that the demonic cultivator used. I could have used the tracking spell to find him."

    Bo Qingtan shook his head, "He is a demonic cultivator, and since he can use such a n to infiltrate the ce, he would not leave behind any trace."

    Shi Lang said, "But can we not use the spells to track those hostages?"

    Yun Xue said, "We can, but only if they are alive."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "ording to the information we have gathered, thedies were due to deliver the children in a few days. It should be in the next couple of days for the babies toe, and if the corpse refiner is after some ult ritual, he will wait for the babies to be born. The women are most likely to be alive."

    Bo Qingtan hurriedly remarked, "What are we waiting for? Hurry and gather the material."

 Chapter 703 Tracking.

    Chapter 703 Tracking.

    Bo Qingtan returned to Ding Shu''s house and asked, "Old man, hand us something your daughter-inw used frequently."

    Ding Shu was surprised but knew that since the immortal master had asked for it. The matter was important. He rushed inside the room where her daughter-inw stayed and picked up a dress and a hairb from the dresser.

    He asked, "Exalted Immortal, will this work?"

    Bo Qingtan gazed at the hairb, found a few strands entangled with it, and nodded. He took the hairb carefully and left without another word. He was not interested in conversing or consoling this old man. Bo Qingtan regrouped with Shi Lang and found that Yun Xue had finished carving a circle on the ground and made a few seals with her hands.

    Shi Lang said, "When she waves at you, toss theb inside the circle. Make sure to time your action perfectly. This will increase the uracy of the tracking."

    Bo Qingtan nodded, and soon, Yun Xue waved her hand, and the former tossed the coin inside the circle. Theb did not fall still on the ground. It began to shake. Shi Lang watched the process carefully, and soon, the array circle that Yun Xue had carved on the ground began to emit golden light.

    The golden light gradually moved to theb, and the object shot through the void. Yun Xue chased after it, and Shi Lang and Bo Qingtan followed her trail. The boys did not know that this tracking mission included a chase. However, it did not matter much to them.

    Shi Lang and Bo Qingtan had no trouble keeping up with Yun Xue''s speed. The terran was enjoying it. The haib was not flying at a higher altitude but moving through the treeline. The reason was obvious: Cao Yanjing must have used the ground to navigate the forest with so many hostages.

    The people he kidnapped were mortals. This was the only option left for him. After a few minutes, they reached where Yun Xue caught theb, and Shi Lang said, "They were here."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and crouched down on the ground to examine the side. After a few minutes, he said, "I sense the tracks of eight people."

    Shi Lang shook his head; the ground was covered in tracks, and he said, "Nine, the demon would not leave his tracks behind for us."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "Yes, correct. Thank you."

    Yun Xue asked, "What''s next? This object will take us to this ce only. What do we do now?"

    Shi Lang looked around and said, "It is enough. I can track them now."

    Bo Qingtan took the initiative, "Teach me how to track."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then nodded. Yun Xue chimed in, "Tell me too."

    The terran sighed and began telling them everything rted to tracking. He did not speak but used spirit consciousness to convey his meaning. He wanted them to learn anti-tracking tips, too. He did not want to divulge the knowledge he painfully gained in the federation.

    You know, nothing that he learned came free of pain. It was just that Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were his people. He wanted them to be able to work as the extension of his forces. They were willing because they had seen Tian Long and Fairy Moon Jade speaking highly of Shi Lang.

    The two knew that Shi Lang was arranged to learn from the Spirit Heart Sect by the Sovereign himself. This meant that Shi Lang had caught the eye of the big shot even before he started cultivating in the immortal realm. This meant only one thing: they had foreseen something about Shi Lang''s future.

    Also, they were indebted to Shi Lang. The terran had taught them many things and helped them grow to this level where they could fend off for themselves in the central ins.

    They wished to strive for more, and tagging along with Shi Lang was not bad. As they learned about tracking the enemy, they were surprised that this aspect needed so much consideration. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue did not make any interruptions because they feared it would disrupt Shi Lang''s flow.

    Another thing that surprised them was how Shi Lang taught them, like a sculptor carving things in their souls. The knowledge he passed down was simple and easy to understand, yet simultaneously, it was so delicately intertwined that one mistake and they will mess up the entire thing.

    They followed the trail on the ground for half an hour and Shi Lang suddenly said, "We are being misled."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The tracks changed. They did not have shoes before, but now they do."

    Yun Xue nodded and asked in confusion, "Could it be that Cao Yanjing gave them shoes?"

    Bo Qingtan rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, in our dreams, sure."

    Shi Lang shook his head, "You are not wrong, but did you notice that we have been following just a single set of footmarks for the past few minutes?"

    The two people were surprised, and they quickly put all things together. Bo Qingtan said, "Huh, could it be that he made one person break away from the pack to lead us astray?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Yes, correct."

    Yun Xue asked, "What do we do now?"

    Shi Lang said, "Brother Bo, go find trails for the pack, and I will search for the person who led us away from the pack. I fear this person has already be food for a spirit beast."

    Yun Xue froze, and then her eyes turned red. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Yun Xue, you will be responsible for helping Brother Bo to look for the pack in a different direction. If you find them, you will tell me before you act. I do not care what rage you experience but do not act alone. Do you understand?"

    The two people nodded and left quickly, but Shi Lang could tell that his words were useless. He shook his head and decided to look for the decoy. As for the other two, he would see what was toe when it came.

 Chapter 704 Cruel Demons.

    <h4>Chapter 704 Cruel Demons.</h4>

    Shi Lang delegated the tasks to the people and began searching for the decoy. He moved quickly through the woods, and the tracks were getting obvious. They were getting more obvious with the distance they covered.

    Shi Lang could conclude that the decoy was getting tired, and the fatigue was physical and mental fear. This forest was not exactly a ce to wander. Even the strong cultivators might suffer if they came across a strong spiritual beast. Spirit beasts were magical beings, and they were not feared for nothing.

    The terran was searching for the person when he found the tracks getting even more rushed. He looked around carefully with the aid of his spiritual sense. He concluded that a reptile spirit beast was after the decoy.

    There was one fact in this detail that he held back from the other two. The decoy was a child. The shoes the decoy wore were big, but the pressure on the ground indicated that the shoe was bigger than the actual foot inside. Soon, Shi Lang found the impression on the ground to change back from a shoe to human feet.

    His suspicion was confirmed. The demon had used a child as a decoy. Shi Lang moved quickly. Even if he knew the child must not have met a good ending, he still wanted to find out the spirit beast and confirm. Shi Lang was taught not to reach conclusions. It was a simple case of seeing the corpse to confirm the death.

    ...

    While Shi Lang was searching for the traces of the decoy, Bo Qingtan was looking for the pack. He did find tracks, but soon, he noticed that they all had a pattern, and after a few miles, the tracks would divide. This time, it was not as simple as a single set of feet but multiple ones.

    His brows furrowed. He was also smart to know that the demonic cultivator had used people to serve the purpose of a decoy. He could not help but shake his head and clench his fists. Until he found the demonic cultivator, he could not do anything good.

    This was the bitter reality of the moment. He realized he was getting emotional and sighed as he mumbled, "I do not understand how someone can manage their rationality in such a cruel situation."

    He was not alone in this dilemma. Yun Xue was searching in another direction, but like the two guys, she did not intend to find a spirit beast to conclude the death of the decoy. In her mind, she would rather focus on finding the ones with a higher chance of survival: thedies and the children they carried in their wombs.

    It was not that she was not effected. On the contrary, she was doing this because her rage was suffocating her. She could think of nothing else but to kill the demonic cultivator behind all this mess. She wanted to p those women awake from the spell and ask them if they lost their minds when they decided to indulge with such a guy.

    She was not thinking with rationality anymore. She was already moving at her top speed, and her de was already in her hand. She was going to take the route of ''attack first and talkter,'' although it seemed to be a good choice, she forgot something crucial.

    ...

    The triobed the forest, but they gained nothing. Shi Lang was farther away, and Bo Qingtan was chasing after Yun Xue. He was afraid that thedy might lose her cool and act recklessly.

    The young master of the Dragon Sword Sect rushed quickly, but his heart palpitated when he reached his goal.

    Yun Xue was already charging at a group of people. Bo Qingtan looked at the group and found three women tied to a pole inside an array spell circle. A man stood under the pole with his hands folded. His expression changed. This guy was performing a ritual and a very dangerous one at that.

    He rushed forward and yelled, "Yun Xue, stop! Do not go further."

    However, his words fell on a deaf ear. Thedy yelled, "Die, Demon!! Blizzard de."

    Her sword glowed icy blue, revealing a cold sword intent that froze everything in its path. Unlike before, this attack was refined and well-controlled this time. She had used this move against Shi Lang in the tri-sect tournament.

    The demonic cultivator inside the circle did not react, but a ck sword wave emerged from the side and collided with Yun Xue''s attack. The impact of the two attacks canceled out each other. Yun Xue was enraged and shouted, "Who dares!"

    A light chuckle sounded from the surroundings. Yun Xue turned around to find the person who had foiled her ns. Soon, her wish came true. She found herself looking at ady who was dressed seductively.

    She frowned and asked, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

    Thedy smiled and replied, "Who I am, does not matter, as for what I want. I can use your pretty face as an alternative to mine. Come here, let me peel it off your head."

    Yun Xue tightened the grip around the hilt of her sword. She pointed her de at thedy and said, "It seems that not only are you demonic cultivators scourge of the realm, but also mentally ill."

    Thedy in the violet grab did not mind and chuckled. She replied, "If you do not wish toe, let me take this young gent behind you. He will serve me well as a pleasure toy. Hehehe, what do you say, young man? Let big sister take you on a ride of your life."

    Bo Qingtan had arrived behind Yun Xue and asked, "What do you intend to do with these threedies, big sister?"

    His words shocked Yun Xue and the demonic cultivator herself. The former did not expect Bo Qingtan to be talking so respectfully to a demonic cultivator, and thetter was the same. However, after the initial shock, the demonic cultivator said, "Since, you asked nicely, I will tell you, little brother."

 Chapter 705 Cruel Demons (2).

    <h4>Chapter 705 Cruel Demons (2).</h4>

    Thedy smiled and said, "You see this young man?"

    She pointed her sword at the man standing inside the array circle and continued, "He is trying to reach the Demon King level in one step. Yes, he is a demon general now, but he wants to reach the Demon King realm in one go before returning to the Corpse Refining Sect."

    Bo Qingtan snarled, "You lunatics! If you have the guts toe at me, why must you harm these innocent people? What the fuck is wrong with you bastards of the demonic path."

    Thedy giggled coquettishly, "Hahaha, little brother, you surely know how to jest. These women will not be harmed, and they are not innocent. You know, they are all adulterous bitches. Even a big sister does not fuck with another man till she finishes the one she has. Yet, these bitches could not resist him and even decided to bear his children."

    This statement shocked the two, Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan, beyond their expectations. They did not expect something this bizarre to unfold when they found these people. The demonic cultivator wanted to say more when Yun Xue rebuked her loudly, "You lying bitch. How could they have done it if your aplice did not use charm tactics on them? He bewitched them."

    Thedy shook her head with a disappointed expression on her face. She said, "Youngdy, you are the epitome of idiocy. The corpse refining sect does not work like the Yin Cultivators. We do not use bewitching tactics as we fantasize about thews of death. We have no room to learn such petty tactics.

    The charm of having a puppet do your bidding without asking anything is nothing that can bepared with lustful branches. Do you know how much hard work it takes to bring someone to bed if you use the lust tactics? Hahaha, we have an easy way: kill the person, refine a puppet, and get them to worship you as if you are a god. So simple."

    Yun Xue lost her cool, and her figure shed. She appeared next to thedy and shed her blue de. Thedy was prepared. She raised her sword to defend herself and pushed Yun Xue back while she took a few steps back.

    Yun Xue saw Bo Qingtan standing in his spot, and she asked, "Why are you not attacking her? We outnumber her, and we can kill her easily."

    Bo Qingtan shook his head and said, "She is holding back. Her true strength is higher than this. All this is designed to distract us from the array circle and upy our time. This ritual does not seem to be ending quickly. You ought to calm down and wait. If we push things, then it can y against us."

    Thedy chuckled and flicked her hair as she said, "Little girl, listen to this little brother. He is not speaking against you. Also, little brother, are you sure you do not want to go on a ride of your life with big sister? Is there anything that you do not like about my body?"

    Bo Qingtan did not answer her but kept holding his sword as he diverted his attention to the person inside the array circle. He was trying to look for a weakness in the circle. It was not easy for him to figure things out. Thedy spoke disappointedly, "You look down on me because you think I am not pure anymore? But do you not think someone like me can teach you much about women and how to make them happy? How about this: you can teach from me and then teach the knowledge to this little sister?"

    Bo Qingtan''s gaze turned cold, and he retorted, "Shut the fuck up, bitch."

    Yun Xue also could not handle this allegation of her dignity and vanished from her spot again. Thedy in the ck tilted her head and barely missed the de that cut at her face. She moved and began to defend against Yun Xue.

    While fighting, she said, "Oh, you two are not a couple? I apologize, but you can still use the knowledge on someone else, right? Do you spiritual cultivators always preach that knowledge never goes to waste?"

    Bo Qingtan narrowed his eyes and said, "Yun Xue, hold calm while you fight. She is trying to get inside our head."

    Yun Xue was not in the mood to talk. She wanted to take the head of thisdy at any cost. She was a demonic cultivator. That reason was enough to kill her, and these words that she was speaking were enough for the two of them to use everything they could to fight to the death.

    Bo Qingtan was not acting because he could not shake off the feeling that thisdy was trying to trap them. He did not want to act till the enemy was forced to y all her cards. Since Yun Xue had initiated the battle, it was better to let her continue.

    He focused on the array circle, but no matter how hard he tried to look through the mess, he could not find any breakthrough. He looked at the threedies on the pole and found that they were still gazing at the young man with infatuated gazes as if this was the only thing that existed in their worlds.

    He clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword and even thought of using sword array to kill them and foil the entire ritual. However, he was sure that he would be killing the three children in their wombs. They could not barge inside the array circle because it was cordoned off with spiritual energy.

    As he looked at the people, Yun Xue was fighting with thedy, and she was pushing the enemy harder and harder every moment. Her battle prowess had not improved, but the battle had allowed her to vent, and now that she was calm, she could beat the enemy back, even if thetter was in a higher realm.

 Chapter 706 Yun Xues Trouble.

    Chapter 706 Yun Xue''s Trouble.

    Yun Xue became calmer and used her head to push back the enemy. The demonic cultivator did not expect this young girl to have such an intricatemand over her skills. She was the stronger one among them, yet she was the one feeling the pressure.

    She could not take down this, but watching Bo Qingtan standing on the sideline and observing the array circle, she dared not reveal her card. The enemy was wary of her because she made them think she was also a corpse refiner. However, she was only manipting the situation, and it was not true.

    She was thankful that her enemy was filled with rage, and they did not look too deeply into why she was helping Cao Yanjing. She never thought she would feel good about the spiritual cultivators hating her.

    Yun Xue began to gain ground in the battle as she faced the dilemma of using her cards. The entire ce was about to turn into an icend. This cold was hindering her. She was unable to concentrate on her attacks. One thing was her attire. However, she could not use the demonic energy to prevent the cold from seeping into her body.

    She could not figure out what was happening because when she had faced other spiritual cultivators in the past, nothing like this had happened. Why was Yun Xue able to hinder her so much?

    The eyes of the twodies met, and Yun Xue smirked. She could sense that what she was doing was working. Her de began to move swiftly, and she aimed at the vitals. If the enemy failed to defend herself, the enemy would be injured.

    Yun Xue was cleverly using her skills and making thedy expose loopholes in her techniques. She did not look down on the enemy, but she did expect some weakness in her skills. None of the cultivators in the world were perfect. All the techniques in the world had a counter.

    The youngdy from Snow Maiden Peak was known for her smoothness, and she was ruthless. Before meeting Shi Lang, she had never shown a soft side, and everyone thought she was inhumane on a battlefield. None of her prey have ever managed to get away from her.

    Shi Lang was the only one who could make her break a sweat and even feel the fear of death. The scar on her face did not affect her confidence in battle. Only the impression Shi Lang would have of her bothered her conscience. Even with the scar, she was battle crazy.

    In the mercenary group, she was even stronger than Ming, the female leader of her division. As she fought the enemy, her confidence grew. She could tell that the enemy was faltering. However, it could be one of those days or her hatred towards thisdy that she let her guard down and was about to make a decisive blow when she realized something was off.

    The realization hade toote. She hadmitted so much to the move that she could not return it. The options she had now were all disadvantageous for her. It was only the question of whether she wanted to suffer a bigger loss or a smaller one.

    If she pulled back from the attack, she would lose all the momentum and even suffer a bacsh. If she took the enemy''s attack, it would leave her with significant damage. The battle will slip out of her grasp, and it will be her death soon.

    She knew Bo Qingtan was here, but he may not have helped her. The only thing that she could hope for now was for Shi Lang''s arrival. Only he was strong enough to help her and Bo Qingtan save themselves and these hostages.

    The demonic cultivator smiled, and then she moved in to attack. She knew there was a good chance for Yun Xue to pull back, but she would not allow that to happen. Her de shimmered, and it turned into multiple images.

    Yun Xue thought she spotted Shi Lang wielding a sword at her, and suddenly she moved back. One of the images came close to her heart, and she moved to the side with a quick step. The de stabbed through her shoulder, and Yun Xue winced. She yelled, "Yin Demon!!"

    Her cry alerted Bo Qingtan, who knew he had no option but to intervene in the matter now. He moved quickly and arrived beside Yun Xue. He stabbed the sword and the enemy and pushed her back. Yun Xue''s sword-wielding hand was injured. She would not be able to fight with the efficiency she had earlier.

    Bo Qingtan asked while facing the enemy, "How are you?"

    Yun Xue gazed at her wound and examined it carefully before she said, "I will live, but my hand is paralyzed for the time being. Her de is smeared with toxins."

    As she spoke, she took out a pill from her space ring and popped it. The demonic cultivator smiled and said, "Commendable, I did not expect you to be able to identify my poison and even carry an antidote pill. You are indeed a strong enemy. Tell me something, how did you manage to make me feel cold? You know I thrive on the cold of Yin energy, yet your skill made me shiver and y defensive. What did you do?"

    Yun Xue replied, "Do you think I will reveal my technique to you? Fuck off, you lustful bitch."

    Bo Qingtan raised his brow, and Yun Xue continued, "This woman is a yin demon. She siphons off the Yin energy of a person to gain strength."

    Bo Qingtan was in battle mode, but now he even raised his mental barriers by a notch. This was not an easy enemy to face. Just as he was thinking about how to face this person, he noticed that Yun Xue coughed up blood.

    He looked at thedy, who bitterly smiled and said, "To think that your poison was not only a paralyzing agent but also a spirit melting agent. You are one cunning bitch, I will give you that."

    Thedy chuckled and replied, "Thank you for the trouble, now do yourself a favor, sit down like a good girl and I will show you how to do adyter. It will be fun, you will like it."

    Yun Xue looked at Bo Qingtan''s back and said, "Sorry."

    Her carelessness had dragged herpanion into trouble.

 Chapter 707 Dignified Sword.

    Chapter 707 Dignified Sword.

    The terran moved quickly through the woods. As he looked for the two people, he became more anxious every moment. He did not know why, but he felt uneasy. Both The terran moved quickly through the woods. The terran moved quickly through the woods as he looked for the two people.

    As he looked for the two people, he became more anxious every moment. He did not know why, but he felt uneasy. Both the people hade with him because they wanted to get stronger, but at this moment, he was thinking if his actions had put them at risk.

    He could not help but move his spiritual sense to the limit. He moved at the fastest speed possible and even used his moment techniques. However, this would not allow him to catch up instantly with hispanions.

    They were also powerful people and moved fast, and they could be hundreds of miles away, but he could not use void travel unless he knew their location. With a grunt, he kept on moving forward.

    ...

    Bo Qingtan stood facing the enemy before him and asked, "Lady, tell me your name."

    The demonic cultivator was covered with cuts all over her voluptuous figure. However, she was still standing tall. She twirled her hair leisurely and said, "Since you are asking so nicely, I am called Dream."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I am Bo Qingtan. I hope you do not hold back while fighting."

    Thedy could not help but chuckle as she remarked, "Little brother, you are adorable. Come, big sister will conquer you with all her might."

    The next moment, she revealed ck armor on her body and a crown on her forehead. Yun Xue was watching all this from the side. She realized two things: she was foolish when she did not invoke her Dao Armor, and the enemy was betting on her overconfidence. She was ying into the hands of thisdy from the beginning.

    Dream looked at Yun Xue''s expression and said, "You do not have to think so much. I was intending to y you, but your technique did give me a scare for a bit. I am not confident in fighting with this little brother without using my full strength because of your attacks earlier. They have frozen a lot of my muscles to the core."

    Yun Xue did not know what to feel. Her enemy was consoling her at the moment. It would have been different if she had tasted her defeat at the hands of a spiritual cultivator, but this person was a demonic cultivator. She could not help but haveplicated thoughts at the moment.

    She looked at Bo Qingtan, who was covered withyers of wood, and his sword was reced by a wooden sword, too. He was not kidding, and she could feel his sword intent resonating in the surroundings.

    She looked back at Dream and found that thedy was holding the hilt of a sword. This was the first time she had seen a demon dao weapon.

    Bo Qingtan moved from his spot. He was rather quick, and his body was brimming with Yang Energy. He was a natural enemy for Dream; thedy was a Yin Cultivator, and Yang countered her attribute. The two people moved, and their weapons moved.

    Bo Qingtan sensed that the sword Dream held was different and weird. His usual attacks would pass through the air, so he used his sword intent from the get-go. This was just a means to test the enemy. He would not hold back like Yun Xue and give this battle his all.

    As he had expected, the sh of the weapons did not cause any sound, and it was just the wind whooshing noises followed by a visible shock wave causing ripples in the void. Bo Qingtan could sense that this was the collision of their intents. The sh was inaudible and invisible.

    However, he could sense that his intent of the sword was stronger than that of the enemy. This was because his intent lingered for a bit longer. Yet, he did not lower his guard. Yun Xue was a lesson.

    After the testing, Bo Qingtan returned and said, "Dragon shes the heavens."

    Wooden dragons protruded from the ground below him and charged at Dream. Thedy was taken aback and dodged the attacks. She blocked them with her move, "Wall Of Love."

    The pink smoke materialized before her, and Bo Qingtan found that his dragons could not prate it. He said, "You are strong, Senior Dream."

    Dream was surprised, and then she said, "Little brother, are you sure you belong to the Spiritual Path? Are you calling me a senior? Were you not cursing me a few moments ago?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I did curse you. I will not apologize for that because I did not lie to you then, and neither am I lying now. The strength of a person is what I acknowledge as a senior. Yes, we are enemies, and yes, you might be looking down on me for talking in such a manner, but it makes no difference to me.

    I have been taught to respect the enemy and never look down on them. No matter their realm or path, everyone in the world has something good that I can learn. Facing all sorts of dangers in the past few months, I have realized the importance of this fact even more. That is why I respect you, so I can learn from you and use it against you."

    Dream chuckled, and sheughed momentarily before she collected herself and said, "You are an interesting person. I wish we had met in some other circumstances, but what must happen will happen. You respect me, and so do I. However, this does not change the fact that this battle will end with the death of one of us."

    Bo Qingtan nodded calmly and replied, "There is only one option for me when I battle with my dao armament, and that is death¡ªeither yours or mine. Come at me, Senior Dream, let me learn from your strengths and use the knowledge to defeat you."

 Chapter 708 Paragon Sword.

    Chapter 708 Paragon Sword.

    Dream nodded and moved forward. Bo Qingtan charged forth, too. He was not going to take things lying down. This time, Dream did something new. She shed at Bo Qingtan with her sword intent, but the moment the attack was finished, the pink smoke around her body, emitting from her armor, condensed into a shiny de, and with a backhand sh, she left a cut at Bo Qingtan''s sword hand.

    The young man did not even frown. He was not afraid of the poisons because the wood element had the quality to negate them all. He kept on with his charge, and Dream did the same thing again, but this time, the young sword master was prepared.

    He moved the wooden armor to cover his left hand and negated the attackpletely. Dream did not expect this young man to be so quick. However, she was not worried because Bo Qingtan had another thinging at him. Although she knew this guy was unaffected by her poisons, her smoke was not ordinary.

    It was made from Dao Rules. Bo Qingtan was quick on the uptake, but he could not resolve the effects of the influence of the Demonic Dao Rule. When Dream saw Bo Qingtan''s footwork faltered, she moved in to attack.

    However, just when her de was close to stabbing through the chest of the young man, thetter moved like a scepter and appeared behind her. He left a big gash on her back.

    The smoke armor was prated, shocking Dream. She winced as she created some distance between the two of them. She turned around and asked, "How did you shake off the effects of my smoke?"

    Bo Qingtan replied by raising his chin. His nostrils were plugged with wooden fennels. Thedy frowned, and Bo Qingtan said, "I saw you emitting smoke and condensed the wooden spiritual energy inside my nose to block it off. I am not entirely dependent on your teachings to fight you, Senior Dream."

    Thedy was taken aback; she wanted to ask more, but Bo Qingtan moved quickly. His de moved like a phantom and looked like small wooden-greenish dragons were striking at Dream. Thedy was dodging the attack when she heard Bo Qingtan say, "Dragon de Prison."

    The next moment, the attacks that were limited to her front began toe at her from everywhere. Dream was startled. She did not know what to do, and this move gave her no choice but to reveal her card.

    She said, "Phantom Of Love."

    Her ck crown shone with a gentle glow, and two phantoms appeared behind Bo Qingtan. These phantoms had the same battle power as she did. She also said, "Smoke Domain."

    This move, which ovepped with the phantoms, would slow down Bo Qingtan by reducing his visibility. However, her cards were meant to fail. The young man said, "Dragon charging the heavens."

    The ground below Bo Qingtan burst open and wooden dragons with menacing mouths appeared out of nowhere. The phantoms of the enemy close to him did not get any chance to attack when they were chomped down. This move served the purpose of a domain. He learned this after his defeat in the battle with Shi Lang.

    He was proud of this move and only revealed it in difficult situations by sensing the enemy with his threat perception and attacking them with a sudden blow. Bo Qingtan has practiced his sword for as long as he can remember, and his perception of threat was the same. Even without his spirit sense, he would not fall for simple tricks.

    Dream was shocked and suffered a bacsh from the nullification of her attack. She coughed up a big mouthful of blood. The domain she had created around Bo Qingtan vanished, and she saw the young man covered in a wooden armor gazing at her with great calm.

    In this entire battle, she could not take the lead even once. Bo Qingtan before her was different than the guy who was cussing her earlier. She smiled and said, "You are a sword master, little brother. Your personality is also like your de, and you hide it well in the sheath of ignorance and temperamental youth."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "Thank you for thepliment."

    Dream nodded and said, "Come, let us finish this with one move. I will spare your life if you manage to take this attack."

    The young man frowned but said, "You intend to break my sword heart by sparing me. It is a fate worse than death. However, I ept the stakes. Come at me."

    His voice was calm, but his sword intent was brimming to the brink. Thedy also charged her aura and condensed the smoke into a giant behind her. The giant materialized into a metallic form and stood behind her, holding a long sword.

    Bo Qingtan did the same and said, "My final move, The Paragon Sword."

    That said, the ground cracked, and a pair of hands appeared from inside the crack. The hands supported themselves against the ground and pushed a huge man out of the crack. The crack in the ground seemed like a ck portal. The man was dressed in dragon armor and looked valiant. The pressure of this move alone won inparison of Dream''s attack.

    The giant man reached inside the crack and took out a wooden sword. Bo Qingtan said, "Shall we?"

    Dream smiled and said, "What options do we have?"

    She nodded and raised her sword, and Bo Qingtan did the same. The avatars behind them both moved in unison, looked like mirror images of each other, and then charged forward.

    Dream shed down, and Bo Qingtan reached to match her sword. Her de passed through his de. Dream revealed her sword intent. She intended to exchange lives with Bo Qingtan. However, what she did not know was that Bo Qingtan suddenly changed the direction of his de and knocked his sword on the side of the enemy''s de.

    Then he held his de parallel to the ground and said, "Paragon shing The Horizon."

    His de vanished and appeared on the side of Dream''s neck. After a few moments, Dream''s head flung off in the void, and fell on the ground with a thud.

 Chapter 709 Oriole.

    Chapter 709 Oriole.

    Bo Qingtan watched Dream''s head spin and fell to the ground. The avatar behind her also met the same fate. The young man took a deep breath as he looked at his shoulder. He did not manage toe out of the attack unscathed. His sword-wielding hand was injured on his shoulder. He smiled bitterly and said, "Well, it is still a better result than expected." He had expected for thedy to at least severe his hand. Bo Qingtan was satisfied that he managed to kill a Demon King. This was an achievement that gave him a lot of confidence. He turned around to look at Yun Xue, and his expression changed. Behind Yun Xue stood two men. They were all gazing at him with great interest. Bo Qingtan tightened the grasp on the hilt of his sword. He could not show that he was incapacitated. These two people were not allies. Just as he was thinking what the motive of these people could be. One of the men sighed, "Uff, I have no idea why these bitches from the Yin Soul Sect are always acting out of their ce. Senior Brother Teng, that whore could not even deal with this kid in the immortal lord realm." Senior Brother Teng looked like a refined person. If not for his deadly pale appearance, it would not be possible to tell that he was a demonic cultivator. The person beside him looked like a delinquent; his mouth was not the only dirty thing. Senior Brother Teng frowned and said, "Mind your tongue when you talk to me, Junior Brother Amish." Bo Qingtan raised his de diagonally and pointed at them. He slowly walked forward Yun Xue. The two people still were a few steps away from the girl. Senior Brother Teng noticed this and said, "I would advise you not to move ahead. If you do not wish for me to have my puppet, vite her dignity and then refine her into a corpse puppet." Bo Qingtan stopped and asked, "What do you want?" Amish spoke up and said, "You are a strong person. I can use you as my corpse puppet. Would you agree? I will give you a quick and painless death." Bo Qingtan frowned and stopped moving. He was incapacitated, and so was Yun Xue. They both could not even put up a struggle. The young man was sure these two people were from the Demon King realm. The conclusion was based on how they looked down on Dream. Two people who were geniuses in their own right could not put up a struggle, and Bo Qingtan felt so helpless. His sword hand was shivering, and it was also getting difficult for him to hold the weapon. His Dao Armor was already fading because he had used almost all his spiritual energy. Yun Xue was unable to move at all. She looked at the pale, and her forehead was sweating. Bo Qingtan did not know what to do in this situation. He summoned his Dao Armament back inside his dantian. His spiritual energy was spent, and even standing was taxing for him. The blood from his shoulder was still seeping. He took a deep breath and said, "You know, you will not have a good ending." Amish chuckled, saying, "You do not have to worry about our ending. Now, would you like to die from poison, or shall I take out my de to let you both bleed to death?" Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue looked at each other in the eyes. They did not know what they could do or when Shi Lang might arrive. They had just finished dealing with one and thought things would take a lookup. Yet, the situation turned from bad to worse. The two people looked at each other and smiled bitterly. They did not fear death; at least, they were going to die whatever they believed in. However, what they could not ept was that they were going to die and be corpse puppets. Amish said, "Senior Brother, I will take this man. I am not interested in this woman. She is so stupid that she did not even manage to hold on against the whore." Teng looked at his junior and said, "This is thest time. I ask you to mind your tongue, or I will remove it." Amish made a gesture to zip his mouth and took out his sword. He walked toward Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue, asking, "Senior Brother, shall I cut her wrist and let her bleed out, or will you handle things alone?" Teng replied, "Make a clean incision, unlikest time." Amish chuckled, and he stood next to Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. The two people shivered, and just when Amish raised his de to cut down, a cold voice sounded, "So, you wish to turn my friend into a corpse puppet." Bo Qingtan sighed and fell to his knees, "Finally." Amish and Teng were surprised, and they did not realize that someone woulde and interrupt them. Amish wanted to say something, but he could not. He did not even realize that Shi Lang had grabbed his throat. The demonic cultivator waspletely shocked, he tried to look at Shi Lang, but the next second, the terran grabbed his neck with both hands and said, "You pieces of shits, demonic cultivators think that you are the masters of this world, but you do not know that there is a world above the world." Then the terran channeled his lightning energy into the body of the demonic cultivator, destroyed him inside out, and when Amish was groaning in pain, Shi Lang began to exert strength at the neck of the demonic cultivator. He did all this while facing Teng to ensure this guy did not pull any cheap shots. The terran spread his legs and let out a loud grunt, and he pulled the neck off the body with his bare hands. Blood sprayed off the body as if a fountain exploded. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the Oriole behind."

 Chapter 710 Teng Yinlan.

    Chapter 710 Teng Yin.

    Teng Yin watched all this happen but did not move even an inch. His face did not change, and he did not even blink. It was as if he was watching something insignificant happening before him. Shi Lang did not care; he was here to kill all the demonic cultivators and save his friends. He threw away Amish''s head and his body in two different directions like it was trash. He said, "If you are wondering what happened to his Demon soul, I destroyed that along with his demonic energy. He was useless." Teng nodded. If someone were to look at them from the sideline and be unaware of the situation, they would think these two people were friends. The terran continued speaking, "Would you mind if I treat my friends first and kill that guy inside the array circle before I deal with you? Or shall I prioritize you and then the rest of the people?" Teng replied calmly, "You should stabilize your friends and then deal with me. If you manage to kill me soon, disrupting the ritual will not be a hassle, but if you fail to deal with me after dealing with the ritual, it will cause me great difort to reorganize all this." Shi Lang said, "Fine since you are so fair in the deal, I will stabilize my friends before I deal with you." The demonic cultivator nodded and revealed his understanding. Shi Lang tossed a pill to Bo Qingtan and ced his hand on Yun Xue''s forehead. One cycle of his lightning energy and the poison was purged from her body. Shi Lang said, "Brother Bo will be able to deal with the poison after he restores some of his energy. Do not worry. You are not in danger now, but do not use your spiritual energy just yet." Yun Xue felt a sensation return in her body, and she nodded. She said, "Go and be careful." Shi Lang nodded and patted her head gently before he stood up again and looked at Teng. He smiled and said, "I apologize for the dy." The young man shook his head and replied, "No need to fret. Shall we begin?" Shi Lang took out his spear and stomped the shaft on the ground. The battle between the two of them begins. Teng said, "I am called Teng Yinn. A cultivator of the demonic path and a corpse refiner." Shi Lang replied, "Shi Lang, cultivator or the spiritual path." He did not reveal any other details. Teng Yin did not ask for it either. Thetter waved his hand, and a human appeared beside him. The demonic cultivator said, "Go, kill." The human figure charged at Shi Lang. At this moment, the terran found that the puppet rushing at him was an older woman. Her eyes were murky and devoid of any consciousness. She wore big bangles on her hands. These bangles were her weapons. Shi Langmented, "A palm master." Teng Yin nodded, and Shi Lang left his spear behind as he charged ahead to meet the olddy puppet with his bare hands. He would also destroy a palm expert puppet with his palms since he was facing a palm expert puppet. Although a puppet, this person was once a human expert, and she was someone worth respecting. Shi Lang wanted to put her to rest with a method she would have enjoyed learning. This was his way of making things right for the elders who fell in battle against these demonic cultivators. The two people came close and shoved their open palms at each other. Shi Lang let out a gruntled cry, "Dragon Palm." The lightning shot from his palm and condensed into a small dragon. Thedy shoved her palm forward, too. She was dead, and her consciousness was bound by demonic energy. Yet, the body retained its muscle memory, and under the maniption of the corpse refiner, the attack was still something that could hold its end against Shi Lang. A puff of ck mes erupted from the olddy''s palm and condensed into a lotus flower, which floated toward the lightning dragon. Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said, "Nether me Palm, impressive." The technique was very famous, but it was only practiced by a small group of people, and they had never taught this sutra to anyone outside their sect. Thisdy could master it to the stage where her mes condensed, meaning she was a prominent figure in her sect.

    Teng Yin nodded and said, "You do know your stuff."

    The two energies collided against each other. The dragon and the lotus were pushing against each other. They had entered a stalemate. The people could not do anything, but suddenly, the energies exploded and sent a shockwave. Shi Lang stood his ground, but the puppet was pushed back. The terran did not intend to let this continue and shoved his palm again, but this time, he did not hold back and performed a chain of attacks. Lightning dragons shot out of his palms, ovepping each other. Soon, a seven-foot-long lightning dragon was charging at the old woman''s puppet. Teng Yin furrowed his brows, but he manipted the puppet quickly. However, the attack did not manage to gain the momentum that Shi Lang had. Even if he refined the puppet and entrapped the divine consciousness, he could not perceive the secrets of any move. The two attacks collided, and the seven-foot lightning dragon ignored the four pitch-ck lotuses grinding against its body. The lightning dragon collided with the olddy, and then it exploded. The attack''s impact was devastating and gave rise to a dust cloud. After a few minutes, when the cloud settled, a mangled corpsey on the ground. However, Teng Yin was not in his ce. Shi Lang did not worry. He flickered from his position and appeared next to his spear. He looked around and mumbled, "Do not tell me you ran away. It would be such a letdown." A voice sounded in the vicinity, "I would be a fool not to run away after watching you take down mypanion with such ease and even destroy my silver-grade corpse puppet in two moves. I may be a demonic cultivator, but I am not an idiot. Do not worry. I will seek you out when the time is right." Shi Lang looked around and asked, "Do you think you will be able to leave just because you want to? Is this some park?"

 Chapter 711 Shura King Debut.

    Chapter 711 Shura King Debut.

    Shi Lang smirked as he asked Teng Yin if he thought he could leave the ce once he was here. The surroundings turned silent when he finished talking. After a few minutes, the demonic cultivator appeared before Shi Lang and said, "You prepared a void lock array beforehand?" Shi Lang smiled, shook his head, and said, "I only asked my protector to lend me a hand. I cannot have a good prey running away like this." Teng Yin frowned, and the next moment, his body was covered in an armor that seemed to be made of bones. He was holding a bone scimitar, and a bone crown appeared around his head. He said, "Your protector might be able to lock the void, but if I kill you, even if he stopped me here, it will be worth it." Shi Lang smiled and shook his body, emitting crackling sounds all over the bones. His Dao Armor appeared on his body, with a red-gold spear and a crystal clear red-gold crown on his forehead. Teng Yin was shocked and took a few steps back, pointing his finger at Shi Lang. He mumbled, "You are an invincible Immortal King?" Shi Lang smiled and said, "Bingo!! I will give you a slow and yful death for the correct answer. I do not know about you, but I will enjoy it." Then, with a lingering chuckle, Shi Lang vanished, and the battle began. The terran did not fight in his usual way. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were surprised. Shi Lang never used to talk with the people he wanted to kill. However, today, he was teasing the enemy and even making jokes. The young man looked around to seek answers. However, he was alone. Yun Xue was still healing. Just when he tried to deduce the answer, a voice echoed in his mind, "Young Master has changed a bit. Do not worry, he will be able to handle this scum with great ease." Bo Qingtan recognized this voice and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior." ¡­

    Shi Lang fought with Teng Yin and asked, "So what is it that gave you the confidence to barge inside the spiritual region and kill people without any restraint and get away with it?" Teng Yin parried the jab of the spear with his scimitar, but he did not reply. Shi Lang was trying to get the enemy to expose any weakness. However, he was astounded by the ability of the demonic cultivator to control himself and his moves. Shi Lang gave up the idea of a quick battle, but he began to y the battle of push and pull with the corpse cultivator. He decided to study the movements of this guy and learn from them. He wanted to learn such control and even pass it down to the rest of the people of the Asura Hall. Teng Yin asked, "Can you not kill me with dignity? Why are you teasing me?" Shi Lang stopped and shook his head in retort, "Wrong, I am not teasing you; second, I am not humiliating you. Also, you are not my friend, so I cannot do any of this with you." The Terran was pissed; how could this guy say such a thing. Shi Lang was not easy to shake off once he caught up with you. His speed and his intellect were too scary. Teng Yin had no options at his hands. Shi Lang was overpowering him. The terran was having fun while fighting with the demonic cultivator. He was not going to fight fair. The demonic cultivator was shocked because he had not expected Shi Lang to use all sorts of personal attacks to me the fire. As a demonic cultivator, although Teng Yin had done a good job in developing his tolerance, Shi Lang was calling him a whoreson the entire time. Teng Yin had reached his limit of getting cursed. He yelled and said, "Bastard, I will show you what this whoreson can do." Shi Langughed out loud and said, "Brother Bo, look, he admitted that he is a whoreson." The young man in the distance could only reveal an awkward smile, and Teng Yin revealed a big bronze coffin from his space ring. He opened the coffin, and a corpse puppet was revealed. This puppet was different. It was a middle-aged man, and his body was covered in a golden glow. Shi Lang saw this man wielding a war axe. He smiled and said, "Okay, one more senior going to rest in peace." He appeared above the corpse puppet and stabbed his spear through the void tunnel. He hadprehended thews of space when he broke through the Immortal King realm. It was not that he had gained space element, but his own body was now somewhat a replication of the Great Dao as all the lightning elemental Dao Laws were etched in his bones. A shred of space element allowed him to traverse through the space. Shi Lang stabbed his spear in a tiny void tunnel, and suddenly the tip of the spear appeared before the Middle-aged man. The tip of the spear was covered in red lightning, and Shi Lang willed for the lightning to attack the puppet. The bolt of lighting was as big as a match, but it was so strong that it prated the skull of the puppet. Teng Yin, on the other side, coughed up blood and fell to the ground. He did not expect that a golden level puppet would fail like this before Shi Lang. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue exchanged a nce and gulped in a mouthful. They both knew the difference between and Shi Lang had increased significantly again. The corpse puppet turned into a statue of ash, and the terran appeared before the demonic cultivator. He smiled and said, "You failed." Teng Yin wanted to say something, but Shi Lang did not give him the chance to. The lightning spearhead broke through the skull, and red destructive lightning rushed through the body of the demon king before it turned him into a mound of ash.

 Chapter 712 Ritual Disrupted.

    Chapter 712 Ritual Disrupted.

    Shi Lang killed Teng Yin and said, "Senior Hell me, please remove the barrier and erase all the traces as well." Old Man hell me appeared beside him and asked, "Why? Is it because you do not want any senior demon to find my existence?" Shi Lang replied, "That is only half why I am asking you for it. I want to check on the people inside the array circle. If a demon god exists, I want to see what they might be like. If I disrupt the ritual when it is almostplete, and the demon god has been summoned, the impact will be greater, and the demon will suffer." Emperor Hell me was shocked. He remarked, "Young Master, it is a demon god we are talking about. Why not y safe and foil their ns?" Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is the problem, Senior. No one ever tried to make a blow where it mattered. This is the reason why these demonic bastards can waltz in and out of our territory and harm the innocent and weak." Emperor Hell me thought and said, "Fine, you can try your best, but I will intervene as soon as I find things getting out of hand." Shi Lang winked at him and checked the young man and youngdy. The two of them have recovered from most of the injuries but are still incapable of battling it out. Bo Qingtan listened when Shi Lang was talking to Old Man Hell me. He asked solemnly, "Are you going to do it?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will. You guys stay alert and mind yourself." Yun Xue nodded and said, "Next time you take on a task, you better make sure there are no changes." Shi Lang chuckled and turned to look at the demonic cultivator who was praying inside the array circle. The terran could tell that a thinyer of demonic spells separated the space inside and outside the array circle. It was done so that the demonic cultivator inside could concentrate onpleting the ritual and summon the demon god. The terran watched the scene without a hint of a hurry. He did not believe that a higher realm demon would dare to expose himself or herself at this moment. Emperor Hell me would not just watch these people from the sideline.

    Time passed, and the sun descended on the horizon. It was close to dusk when the terran took a step forward. Bo Qingtan asked, "What is it?" Shi Lang replied without taking his gaze off the enemy, "Twilights are when these demons can influence the atmosphere the most because the spiritual energy fluctuates between Yin and Yang." He continued, "The ritual is almostplete. I want to see the demon god appear before us somehow." Yun Xue shivered and asked, "What do you intend to do?" Shi Lang gave her an ''ok'' gesture and walked closer to the barrier. In his mind, a voice sounded, "Lang, baby, what are you doing? Do you know this will make the demon gode after you with all its might?" The voice belonged to the one and only Raksha. The terran nodded to reply to her, and the sword spirit asked, "Why do you want to do this? Is it not enough to find the tribtion to kill you? Has your addiction evolved?" Shi Langughed in his mind and said, "It is certainly not that. Do not worry, and I will handle it well." The sword spirit knew her words made no difference to the Terran. Shi Lang was not the terran she knew. He was now the scavenger king of the old days. He will not back off from the things he has decided to achieve. Since he was going after the demon god, it meant that he was going after the demon god. Shi Lang stood next to the array circle, channeling his sword intently on the ground. It quickly left a ravine on the ground. The incision was smooth and destroyed the array circle. The terran walked inside the array circle, and the demonic cultivator turned around to look at him. Thetter was shocked. He was sure no one could pass through those three people. How did Shi Lang manage to get past his defense?

    He could not help but ask, "Where are Senior Brother Teng and Senior Brother Amish? That yin n bitch, do not tell me you are her partner. I will kill you when I receive my powers, bastard." Shi Lang smiled and pointed behind him. He walked closer to Cao Yanjing and said, "They are all resting outside forever. Shall I reunite you with them?" Cao Yanjin looked behind the terran, and he shivered. Indeed, there were the corpses of his senior brothers. He looked around and found the corpse of Dream, the Yin Demon. He red at Shi Lang and clenched his fist. He said, "Just because you have killed them does not mean that you can kill me. I am a priest of the Demon God Crescent Moon. You will suffer a fate of horrible then even death. Just wait for the Demon God to descend." Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you tell me what is up with thedies?"

    He was acting very casually. This surprised the demonic cultivator. Cao Jingyan asked, "Why do you want to know about them? They are just vessels carrying my demonic energy in their wombs. Soon, they will be morsels of the demon god, and in return, I will receive a purer demonic energy. I will rise..." As he was speaking, Shi Lang waved his hand, and Cao Jingyan''s head was detached from his body cleanly. The terran looked at the women and began humming. He watched the situation unfold slowly. It did not long for a portal to appear above the pole where thedies were tied. Cao Yanjing had fulfilled his purpose of summoning the demon god. Shi Lang saw nothing but an endless void inside the portal. He wondered where the Demon God was or what this entity looked like when a big eagle w reached out for the three women. Shi Lang took out his sword, and everyone watching him stopped breathing. This w alone was enough to give them all a fright. They did not understand why and how Shi Lang was able to attack this thing. Yes, as they were watching, Shi Lang waved his sword. His sword intent looked like a red lightning bolt. The red streak entered the portal, and a roar shook the void. Shi Lang coughed up blood as he fell to the ground. Even Emperor Hell me held his head in both hands. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan quickly ran cycles of their cultivation sutra to the peak, but if the people stronger than them could not handle things, how could they do it? They coughed up blood and even shed tears of blood before they fainted. Shi Lang did not say much and sat on the ground, trying to calm his blood cirction. He was afraid that the demon god mighte and attack them. However, this did not happen. His attack broke the equilibrium that maintained the void tunnel. This attack was not targeted at the demon god. The void tunnel broke too quickly, and the w of the demon god was forced to retract, but not before leaving his words out for people, "Human, you pathetic waste of flesh, you will die. You will die like a pig the day youe before me." Shi Lang smiled, but he did not reply to the demon god. The void tunnel closed, and the void stopped shaking. Emperor Hell me settled down next to Shi Lang, "Young Master, are you okay?" The terran took a deep breath and gave him a thumbs up. Shi Langy on the ground silently and recovered his energy. The old man looked back at the two people who fainted on the side and sighed. He could sense that Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue were right. These two people suffered some injuries but were not so major that they had to worry. The old man waved his hand and lowered the three people from the hoist. Shi Lang did not say much when he saw this. His spiritual energy was still agitated. This left him unable tomunicate with the old man. However, the old man was wise himself. He walked up to the threedies. They were mortals but sitting on the ground in a daze. It was as if the pain in their hands did not matter. The old man checked their bodies and found that their brains had long been disabled by the demonic energy swarming their body. He sighed and said, "Young Master, these women are beyond help. The reason they are alive right now is because their bodies are filled with demonic energy." Shi Lang sighed as he gazed at the sky. He could not say anything in this matter. He said, "Contain the demonic energy, and we will bring them back to the vige. Let the families decided what they want to do with them."

 Chapter 713 Fate Of The Weak.

    Chapter 713 Fate Of The Weak.

    After a few hours, Shi Lang found Old Man Hell me, helping Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue. The terran turned his head to the side and gazed at the women. He sighed at the situation. After all, he had no solution to aid them. They had given up their lives the moment they indulged with the demonic cultivator.

    Even spirit beasts can let go of people, but demonic cultivators do not. Shi Lang had faced this situation many times, and this time, he was experiencing the dread one more time. The terran sighed and stood up from the ground. He took out the spirit vessel and said, "We will leave here when you are ready."

    He did not wish to stay in such a ce. He was going to take the people back to the vige, and he already knew the fate they would be facing, but he did not wish to bear the burden of this karma on his heart.

    ...

    Amelia stood in the War Maiden Sect in red and ck armor. She looked very gentle, but her gaze was cold. Seven women stood before her, all dressed in war armor of different colors. They gazed at Amelia with equal firmness.

    The war maiden said, "We may have different opinions, but that makes us humans. However, sometimes, we must put aside our differences and unite to counter the situations ahead. You all are aware of the situation we have before us, but let me rify. A cult of demonic cultivators is besieging a vige under the sect''s protection. Five experts of the Immortal Lord realm are at the spot, trying to support the defense array. However, they do not have long. ording to the estimate of the grand elder, they will notst till sunrise tomorrow.

    We are gathered here to go out and deal with the enemy. The elders have suggested that we push them back. However, I beg to differ."

    The elders in the hall gazed at Amelia with surprise. They wanted to talk, but the Terran did not let them and continued, "I will not let a single one of those demonic scum walk out of our territory alive. We are the war maidens, and we fight to defend and protect. If any bastard thinks they can waltz in our region and run uwfully, they have something worse than deathing at them."

    Thedies in the room, young and old, both were stunned. They could sense the battle intent disyed by Amelia. This was not something they expected from her. Only Ying Yu was smiling calmly in the background. She knew Amelia way better than them all. She knew that this gentle-looking woman was a hell of a warrior.

    The lightning leopard beast king resting beside the throne also raised his head. He did not expect Amelia to be like this, too. This girl was so kind to him that he thought she would be easily crushed by the people here, and that was why Shi Lang had asked him toe over.

    Shi Lang was someone who gave him a scare. Amelia took a deep breath and said, "I know you all have opinions of me being an outsider. You may think I am an ascender, so you, the natives, are stronger than me and have a rightful im to the throne. However, I have beaten you all inbat, and this time, I will prove my worth in battle, too.

    The task of a leader is to lead a team that can work independently. I will do my best. I have spent my life in wars and training. I have fought through corpses, walked the shadows of my world, and faced death without the aid of spiritual cultivation. If I can walk my path to this point, then I can walk further ahead and be stronger.

    I am going on this mission; it is up to you if you wish to follow me or take your path, but if you cross me when saving people, I will not spare anyone."

    Her cold aura turned from battle to killing when she spoke thosest three words. They did not know where she gained confidence, but it worked nicely. Thedies in the hall stood up, and the seven armored women raised their weapons as they called, "To war!!"

    Amelia nodded and left the ce with Ying Yu and Lei Hu. Their speed was fast, and they headed to battle.

    ...

    Amelia and the War Maiden Sect experts boarded the spirit ship and set out to the location of the incident. Thedy stood on the ship''s bow with her arms behind her. She was lost in thought. Ying Yu asked, "Are you thinking of your husband again?"

    Amelia nodded absent-mindedly, and Ying Yu asked, "What is it this time?"

    The former replied, "He used to give speeches like this, and every time, he would beat up some seniors in the military to prove his point."

    Ying Yu chuckled and said, "I can imagine him doing that. Hey, wait, tell me, how did you guys look in those uniforms?"

    Amelia smirked and said, "Well, I shall sew a few dresses from the lower realm for you. The fashion sense here is a bit too dull."

    Ying Yu nodded eagerly. Lei Hu sat on his hind legs beside Amelia. Looking at the horizon, he said, "Young Miss, may I have the pleasure to face the demon beasts?"

    Amelia nodded and said, "Yes, Senior. Please do as you fit."

    Lei Hu said, "Thank you, I wille to your side whenever needed. So rest assured."

    Amelia shook her head and said, "You do not have to worry about me, Senior. I have people in the sect watching over me. I will not suffer any grievances."

    Lei Hu nodded, but he would defend her when needed. Time passed, and a few minutester, an elder cried, "Sect Mistress, we are here."

    Amelia could see a small vige surrounded by ck silhouettes. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Listen up!"

    The entire spirit vessel froze, and the people focused on her. Amelia said, "The weaker ones will stay here and use long-distance attacks to control the pace of the enemy. The spirit vessel is engraved with spiritual arrays and will defend you. The Immortal Emperesses would stay behind to protect you people. They would not interfere in the battle unless the Demon Emperors acted."

    Many people did not wish to stay behind, but Amelia said something that held them all back. She said, "Battles are not won by spilling blood. You must understand that your attacks might not make a difference on the ground. However, yourbined effort can save lives and change the course of battle. You are not here to fight for glory. You are here to fight for the lives of people standing next to you. Do you understand?"

    The people took a deep breath and looked at the people next to them. Amelia said, "Elder Swan."

    "Here, Sect Mistress." said a middle-aged Immortal Empress.

    Amelia said, "You are assigned to defend the spirit vessel. Please select the people to serve as the operatives who will hold the fort here. Do you agree?"

    Swan thought for a bit and nodded. She was the weakest Immortal Emperess in her batch and also the oldest. Amelia had conveyed to her with Spiritual Communication to use her wisdom and experience to guide the young ones.

    After a quick segregation, Amelia said, "Charge your attacks and dive. We aim to break their attack first and stop the impact on the defense barrier. This will give the people inside a chance to breathe. Attack at the same time and cause the enemy to panic. Elders, you all will be holding the skies. You cannot take any direct action, but you can help us by locating themanders. That is our second target. If you agree, follow me. If you wish to act independently, do so, but do not hinder the progress."

    That said, she took out her sword and walked to the bow. The people who wished to act alone looked at her after hearing her n. They realized that this girl was not a shallow yer.

    ...

    Shi Lang reached back to the vige, and they came to meet Ding Shu. The rest of the vigers had also gathered around. When they saw the threedies, they were happy. However, Shi Lang stepped forward and told them all the details.

    It could be said that the aura of the vige that had vitalized for a minute turned from sour to sorrowful in a blink. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan stood behind Shi Lang, and they heard the people cursing him and ming him for everything, calling him a failure.

    The two saw Shi Lang clenching his fist, but he could not say anything. The terran faced such things alone, which shocked them. The burden on his shoulder was so heavy that they were imagining them sink.

    Shi Lang waved his hand and the vigers fell silent. The terran said, "This is the fate of you weak people. This is what happens when you give in to greed."

 Chapter 714 Ferocious Maidens.

    Chapter 714 Ferocious Maidens.

    While Shi Lang made his way out of the vige after he dropped the cold sentence, the terran made them realize their own mistakes with just one sentence. He was not omnipotent. Fate was cruel, and it would hold one responsible for their wrongdoings.

    The viges sumbed to greed and lusted for material. They forsake their morals, and thus, they fall into the traps of the demons. He shunned those who were too blind to see their own mistakes.

    He walked out of the vige but was stopped in his tracks. Tian Long and Zither Soul stood in the void before him. The terran knew these two were just their spiritual projections, but since they had appeared, it meant they found out about his run-in with the demon god.

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I know what you havee to ask, and because my mood is all fucked up. Let me rify: I was assigned to locate missing people from this vige. They were suspected to have been abducted by a demonic cultivator.

    When I found those people, mypanions had to face a Yin Demon King and almost died. To make things worse, we were attacked by two more Corpse Refiner Demon Kings. They were protecting a Demon General who wished to exchange three women vessels carrying demonic energy for purer energy that would allow him to ascend two major realms in one go.

    I was dyed, and the ritual for summoning waspleted. I had to save lives. Even if these women had been tainted and broken by the demonic energy inside their bodies, it was not up to the Demon God to kill them, so I attacked and destroyed the void tunnel with the demon god''s hand inside it."

    Tian Long and Zither Soul looked at each other, and thetter said, "Lang, you will not have to take any more tasks. Just go into seclusion and reach the Forger City."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Ick resources and need to earn them. I have to support my wife, you know."

    Tian Long sighed and said, "Even my spiritual avatar finds you annoying and shameless, Scavenger. The wife you wish to support is right now leading the charge against an entire demonic cult that came after a vige in her territory. You do not have to worry about her, as for your cultivation. I will have someone deliver you with the goods at the forger city."

    Shi Lang pinched his chin and acted as if he was in deep thought. Tian Long said, "Scavenger, do not reach for it."

    The terran sighed and said, "Fine, old man, but you need to get me a better armor. I am the champion of your army, yet I have no wealth befitting the title. The people will mock you for being a miser."

    Tian Long did not reply to him and vanished from the spot. Zither Soul wanted to say something when she stopped as Shi Lang smiled. She shook her head and said, "Lang, why do you always have to piss him off?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "It is so much fun. Hahaha."

    Thedy shook her head and vanished from the ce, too. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "Let''s go, guys."

    The duo followed him out of the vige. His mind was upied by the news that Tian Long had broken to him just now. Amelia was fighting against an entire cult of demonic cultivators. Although he knew that a sect backed her, a massive number of experts. This could not make his heart ease up.

    ...

    Amelia did not know that her endeavors had been revealed to her husband. She jumped off the vessel with the rest of the people in tow. The people did not use spiritual energy, as Amelia had told them. They let gravity carry them, and they could only use their spiritual energy to fly when they were close to the ground.

    She pointed her sword at the target when they were close to the ground. She channeled spiritual energy inside the weapon, letting it gather at the tip. Then, she shot the ball of spiritual energy at the machine on the ground. This machine was hauling stones at the walls of the vige.

    Amelia found the weak spot of the machine and directly struck at it. The demonic cultivators were still yet to register what was happening when all the siege machines were hit with such attacks.

    A demonic captain yelled, "Enemy attack!!"

    They all were ready to unleash their demonic arts when, suddenly, the sky changed color. It was filled with lights of different colors. When the demons looked up, they realized the attack had just begun.

    Fifty spirit strikes were unleashed over them and on the ground. The demon forces were hit with a series of attacks that rendered them useless. The impact of these attacks was too devastating. These demonic cultivators were all blood refiners. They wished to massacre the people and use their blood to increase their strength.

    However, they did not expect the War Maiden sect to have posted experts here to defend the situation. Amelia was disgusted by the details she read about these people. She moved quickly, and with her sword, she chopped off heads as if they were vegetables in her kitchen.

    The people from her sect were also fighting but could not keep up with her flickering figure. Amelia did not kill blindly. She saved the sisters who fought beside her. They were all surprised to see this. Amelia has never received any care from them.

    Amelia had a different way of thinking. She was trying to lessen the damage to her strength. These people may not mean anything to her, but they meant something to some people. If she could not even pay attention to the people in her sect, how would she defend the rest of the people?

    She was a woman who had served in the army. The first thing they learned was to fight for the person beside them, which was why she stayed in the military. The principles and disciplines suited her very well.

    As she moved through the battlefield, she saw that the people on her side had picked up the pace, and she nodded. The spirits of the sect members were ignited as they watched her performance. None of the enemies she met on the way managed to hold a candle to her.

    As the blood covered the ground, suddenly, an elder spoke in her mind, "Sect Mistress, I have located themander of these demons. He is just a few strides ahead of you."

    Amelia narrowed her eyes and looked ahead of the crowd. She found a burly man entangled in a battle with Ying Yu. She narrowed her eyes because her friend was overwhelmed in battle. The enemy used a war axe and swung it at the youngdy.

    Ying Yu raised her sword to block the attack, but the impact still sent her flying through the void. Thedy could not hold back andined, "This guy is strong."

    She was about to stand up when Amelia passed her side. She moved quickly, and even Ying Yu was shocked. She eximed, "She was still holding back?"

    Amelia was moving faster than anyone had ever seen her move before. The young sect mistress was unting her potential capital. The demonmander smirked and spat on the ground as he remarked, "Hmph, another bitch in heat."

    Amelia narrowed her gaze, and an icy armor appeared on her body. Her sword also turned into a transparent ice weapon. She waved her sword, but the demonmander blocked her attack. He would attack the same way as Ying Yu, but he found that his ax had passed through a void.

    He was surprised, but he felt a cold feeling in his abdomen before he could find where Amelia had gone. He gawked and coughed up blood. Amelia appeared behind him, her sword passing through the body of her enemy stained with blood.

    She had a cold expression as she withdrew the weapon and flicked her wrist. The blood was shaken off, and it stained the ground. Amelia stabbed again, and the weapon passed through the head of themander. She said loudly, "Make sure you stab the injured in the head to destroy their demon soul. I do not want these scumbags to possess some spirit beast and lead them astray."

    Her voice echoed through the battlefield, and then the war maidens replied, "Yes, Sect Mistress!!"

    The voice was so loud that the hearts of the people shook. The war intent of the maidens was overwhelming. Many demonic cultivators had lost their resolve to continue by the shout alone.

    Amelia wielded her de, and her sisters followed. They were relentless. Whether it was the ground battle or the air support, they destroyed the demonic cultivator forces. The people gathered to watch the battle from the sidelines were astounded. They did not expect the War Maiden Sect to have a young Sect Mistress, and thatdy had such skills and grasp over the sect.

    The immortal ne was taken aback by the rise of Ferocious Maidens.

 Chapter 715 Trouble At The Gates.

    <h4>Chapter 715 Trouble At The Gates.</h4>

    Shi Lang and the two were told to get to the Forger city immediately. Tian Long had arranged a ce to stay for them. This ce was located in the northern part of the Central ins. It was the hub for weapons and artifacts forging in the immortal in.

    Demonic forces had often attacked the ce to disrupt the operations here. Many big forces have their forgers to procure the weapons for the soldiers. Tian Long had sent Shi Lang and the rest to stay with the Dragon Army forger team members.

    In the Centurion Tournament, there were a few unspoken rules. The strongest person in the cities would be the uncrowned King of the city for the next five years. The duration may not be long because the centurion tournament was held every hundred years.

    However, the winner will get a hefty discount on purchasing raw materials in five years. This may seem too petty, but these big forces maderge orders for their forces, costing them a lot of money. Another thing that made it so hard to ascend to the top rank was the gathering of talents.

    Since the city was so crucial, how could Tian Long be the only one scheming to send Shi Lang here? There were other ces where Shi Lang could have emerged on the top. But the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign wanted to capture this forger city. In theing time, Shi Lang''s rifle would be the primary spiritual weapon. It was not that the people did not like spirit swords and other cold weapons, but the rifle was optimal for mass area control.

    Shi Lang handed the rifle to the Cao brothers and his partners. He would not go back on his word and be a businesspetitor. But Shi Lang was going to design things like grenades and repeat-firing rifles.

    He would make one more thing, but it waspletely a secret. This weapon will grow up to be symbolic of the Asura Hall.

    Three people came off the spirit vessel and stood at the city gate. Shi Lang was observing the gates and machines ced above the arch.

    Bo Qingtan looked at the gates and let out a whistle, "I cannot imagine how they forged it."

    Shi Lang replied, "One person did not make it, and if you have doubts, use your spiritmunication to talk. Otherwise, the people will call you a country bumpkin."

    Bo Qingtan was surprised, and Yun Xue chuckled. She nudged the young man with her elbow as they followed Shi Lang up to the guard post.

    The guards were all burly, and one was an Immortal Lord. The Immortal Lord saw three people approaching them and said, "Stop, who are you, and what do you need here?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "We wish to enter the city. What is the entry fee?"

    The Immortal Lord furrowed his brows and checked them with his spirit sense. Shi Lang''s gaze turned colder, and he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

    The immortal lord snorted and said, "Hmph, why are you making a fuss? This is a normal security check. Now, bring me your space rings. We will check it and then return it to you."

    Shi Lang tilted his head as he checked out the guard from head to toe. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were also ring at the guy with anger. Shi Lang said, "Are you sure?"

    The guard was surprised, and then he chuckled. The guards beside him also had mocking smiles on their faces. The head guard asked, "What do you mean if I am sure? If you do not want to hand over your space ring. Go back to whatever cave you came from. We have enough crowd inside the city, anyways."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and reined in his anger. He turned around and said, "You will pay for what you did, and I will make an example of you."

    He walked away from the ce because he knew someone from the city woulde seeking him once he did not appear inside.

    Bo Qingtan was the calmest among the two, not because he was not offended but because he knew these two people would make the guard pay for his insolent behavior. He was thinking about something else.

    He looked at the guards again and found that their armors were engraved with symbols of the letter Zhu. He thought of something and caught up with Shi Lang and Yun Xue.

    Thedy asked, "What were you doing?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "I was thinking about why this small-time guard acted so preposterously."

    Shi Lang replied with a calm tone, "A big family backs him."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "You noticed the engraved character?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It is the quality of his weapon."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "I also noticed his mace looked simple, but it was a thousand-refined ck star iron weapon."

    Bo Qingtan scratched his head and asked, "I do not understand all this, but I noticed a character engraved on the back of his armor."

    Yun Xue asked curiously, "What character?"

    Bo Qingtan said, "Zhu."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Forget it. Someone wille looking for us."

    The three nodded and took a seat on a cliff outside the city. Many people left the city, and many people entered the city too. Shi Lang watched them all and saw how the people tried to avoid the head guard.

    A young man wearing red and ck hanfu came out of the city gate, and the usually confident head guard''s face scrunched up. He distanced himself from the young man.

    The young man did not care about him and asked, "Can you tell me if you have seen a trio of young people?"

    The guard replied, "Lord Yang, many people go in and out of the city. How can we remember them all?"

    The young man gazed at the guard calmly and said, "If you people are still up to your petty tricks, you will suffer."

    The head guard was shocked. He did not know what kind of person could make Lord Yang walk to the city gate. He wanted to ask Lord Yang who this person was, but the young man quickly left.

    He quickly moved around to search for the people he was looking for. Shi Lang saw him and asked, "Are you Yang Tie?"

    Lord Yang looked at Shi Lang and approached quickly, "Are you Young Master Shi?"

    Shi Lang nodded. Young Master was his title as the champion of the Dragon Amry. Yang Tie sighed and said, "Young Master, what are you doing here? I was waiting for you inside the city."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I apologize for your trouble, but the head guard at the gate wanted to skim through my space ring before I entered the city."

    Yang Tie was instantly enraged and clenched his fist. He said, "Please follow me, Young Master. I will get you an exnation about this situation."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I can get the exnation alone. Please handle the forces behind this guy. Can that be done?"

    Yang Tie smiled and said, "Young Master, the banner of the heavenly dragon stands supreme."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "I did not expect old man Tian to have such prestige. Well, good for him. Come on."

    Yang Tie nodded. He was not surprised that Shi Lang addressed Tian Long in such a manner. Shi Lang had a reputation that had spread widely and far. He was a legend, especially in the dragon army camps and among the people.

    The world may think that he achieved his glory by riding the coattails of the sovereigns, but they all knew that it was his effort. Tian Long himself had said that Shi Lang killed the demon kings with the cooperation of the Sovereign.

    Yang Tie had long wanted to see this guy, and today, he got to see if Shi Lang was true as Tian Long said he would be.

    Shi Lang and the rest arrived before the gate again. They had asked Yang Tie to watch over them in the distance. The head guard saw them and smirked, "So, you beggars have decided toe back?"

    He extended his hand and said, "Do not waste time. Hand me the rings. I will return them to you in a quick bit."

    Shi Lang smiled, looked at the hand, and asked, "Sir, head guard, are you sure there will be no more trouble if we hand you the rings?"

    The head guard smiled and nodded heavily as he said, "What trouble could there be? We all should take care of each other, right? Come on. There must be good things for you to attend to. Let''s get it over with."

    Shi Lang gazed at the hand before him and waved his hand. None of the people expected him to release his sword intent. The head guard had no chance to react, let alone defend himself. The terran smiled and said, "You are correct. Let''s get it over with."

    A wail echoed at the city gate. Yang Tie gulped a mouthful and as his eyes sparkled with excitement, he mumbled, "Forger City is going to be lively now."

 Chapter 716 Battle Of The Words.

    <h4>Chapter 716 Battle Of The Words.</h4>

    Shi Lang''s decapitating the Head guard''s hand took everyone by storm. The guards behind him, Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan took out their swords. Shi Lang was still smiling as if nothing happened.

    With an indifferent gaze, he looked at the head guard, who was using his spiritual energy to stop the bleeding. The head guard raised his head to match the gaze of the Terran. His eyes were red, filled with blood, and he yelled, "Do you know who I am? You will pay with your life, you swine."

    Shi Lang smiled, took out his champion token from the space ring, and asked, "Do I need to care who you are?"

    The head guard was pissed, and he wanted to spew out more curses when he realized what this token represented. He froze in his tracks. Yang Tie stepped forward from behind Shi Lang and asked, "Head Guard Zhu Xiameng, do you ept the punishment of disrespecting the Young Master of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion?"

    Zhu Xiameng shivered; he would have epted the punishment if it had been dealt with privately, but this was the question of his dignity. He was the head guard of the Forger City guards. He was the direct member of the Zhu Family. How can he stand some stranger iming to be the Young Master of the Dragon Pavilion walking up and cutting off his arm?

    He was unsatisfied, and just when he was about to retort, he felt a pressure descend on his shoulders. Looking up in horror, he found a red and gold crown over Shi Lang''s head. Zhu Xiameng realized that this guy did not intend to let him go. He was not after his dignity only but his life too.

    The head guard''s forehead was alreadyced with sweat, and hisckeys were the same. Their eyes were filled with shock and fear. Shi Lang observed them and thought, this is indeed the world where the strong are worshipped.

    Just as he was about to make a statement to scare the shit out of Head Guard Zhu, a calm voice sounded from the other side of the city limits, "May I ask, what is going on here?"

    Yang Tie looked to the side and came to stand half a step behind Shi Lang.

    He briefly introduced Shi Lang with his spiritual sense, "Young Master, he is the Third Young Master of the Zhu Family. He is responsible for maintaining order in the city. Zhu Xiameng is his direct subordinate. Be wary of this youth, Sire. He is known for his cunning and cruel nature."

    Shi Lang gazed at the neer and said, "Do not worry, Yang Tie, I know what I am doing."

    Zhu Xiameng hurriedly rushed to the new arrival and said, "Young Master Lin, you must get me justice. These people from the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion are running amock. Look, they even severed my arm."

    The Third Young Master Zhu looked like a refined young gentleman, but his eyes were like a fox, filled with cunning and cruelty. He looked at the severed arm and said, "Pick your arm and go to the family apothecary. They might be able to reconnect this."

    Zhu Xiameng thought he had been delivered with amnesty and quickly picked up his severed arm and decided to rush away. However, a cold voice sounded behind him the next moment, "Head Guard Zhu, I do not think I agreed with you leaving the ce."

    The third Young Master Zhu, was shocked, but he looked at Shi Lang with a scrutinizing gaze. His gaze skimmed the jade crown, and his heart palpitated. He asked, "May I ask, who might you be?"

    Shi Lang did not reply. Yang Tie said, "Third Young Master Zhu, let me introduce you to the Champion of the Heavenly Dragon Army and the Young Master of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, Master Ace."

    These words sent a wave of surprise through Zhu Lin''s heart. He sped his fist in greeting and asked, "It is my folly not to recognize you. Wee to the Forger City. May I ask what the matter is? How did my subordinate upset you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and greeted the guy, "Thank you for this warm wee, Young Master Zhu. Your subordinate has been causing great harm to the people and the image of the Forger City and the respectable Zhu Family."

    The Third Young Master Zhu was surprised by this statement. He did not expect Shi Lang to be so good with words. The terran had just spoken once and perfectly painted Zhu Xiameng as the viin. Also, the statement was so tightly packed that it left him no room to maneuver.

    Shi Lang did not care about the surprise. He continued, "When I arrived at the city gate, I was stopped by the city guards. I thought it would be a usual inspection, after which I would be asked to pay an entry fee. However, what Head Guard Zhu did not only used the nature of his job but also put a blemish on my dignity."

    Yang Tie was shocked; he almostughed out loud at this act. Shi Lang was grinding the young master of the Zhu family. One has to know that Third Young Master Zhu was not to be looked down on because he was called the Third. He was more authoritative than the first and the second Young Masters of the family.

    This guy was so cruel that he killed his younger brothers and sold off his step-sisters to secure alliances with other families. The elder Young Masters of the family were busy with their expeditions and growing stronger at the frontline. Even if those two people decided to return to the family, they would have no power to stand against Zhu Lin.

    Zhu Lin narrowed his eyes and asked, "Fellow Daoist Ace, can you tell me what happened?"

    Shi Lang put up a bitter smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhu, he asked for me and mypanions to hand over our space rings for a check. Do you think this is in line with the checking? How can a cultivator be asked to have his personal belongings inspected?"

    Zhu Lin froze, but he was not to be defeated so quickly. He replied, "I apologize for the misunderstanding, but we always do this to prevent any demonic cultivator from infiltrating the city."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Is that so?"

    Zhu Lin nodded, and the Head Guard raised his chin. He wanted to see what Shi Lang would do now. However, the next moment, he was shocked.

    The terran asked, "Do you think that the champion of the Heavenly Dragon pavilion, who is chosen to bear the title by the Sovereign Heavenly Dragon and Sovereign Zither Soul and unanimous votes of many Immortal Emperors and Immortal Empresses, is a demonic cultivator? So, do you mean that my respected Seniors are all blind fools?"

    Zhu Lin was trapped again, and nothing he said would help him this time. Shi Lang had trapped him in a checkmate, where the third Young Master Zhu had to retreat to survive this situation without starting a war.

 Chapter 717 Iron Fist.

    Chapter 717 Iron Fist.

    Shi Lang''s question directly questioned the motive of Third Young Master Zhu. Yang Tie was stunned by the presence of mind disyed by Shi Lang, which was too overwhelming.

    The Third Young Master Zhu was stunned and speechless. He did not know how this guy turned the tables on him. This was the first time Zhu Lin had met a match in a battle of words. He wrecked his brain to respond, but he could note up with any suitable one.

    If he tried to move ahead, the situation would look like he was questioning the dignity of the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion. In the Forger City, his family may appear to be the overlord, but the Dragon Pavillion rules over the overlords. They had the best forgers in the city and were the highest taxpayers.

    In the past, there was an incident when an opposing force offended a Master Forger of the Dragon Pavillion¡ªthetter directly closed shop and left the Forger City. The impact was so huge that the City Lord was forced to visit the Dragon Sovereign and beg him to have his people return.

    The opposing force was brought down to their knees and were forced out of the Forger City. This story was an example to follow. The Zhu Family was not over the City Lord Pce. They were just the people appointed by the City Lord Pce to share the load of the City Lord''s pce.

    Suppose the news leaked that the Zhu family had offended the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion. The impact will shake the foundation of the Zhu Family. Zhu Lin was arrogant and ensured never to suffer any losses. At this moment, Shi Lang had been ced in the position he hated the most. He would have to choose between the life and trust of his subordinate or the foundation of the Family.

    If Zhu Lin surrendered his subordinate''s life, it would cause unrest and mistrust among the rest of the people under his wing. As for avoiding this issue and relying on family, the repercussions were obvious.

    He looked at Zhu Xiameng and then at Shi Lang, "What you say is a bit too exaggerating, Young Master Ace. How can the Zhu family bear any disrespect to the people who fight on the front for our safety? I am in the wrong for being unable to convey my meaning. I apologize to you."

    Many people gathered in the area. After all, this was a big issue. The heavenly dragon pavilion was confronting the Zhu family. They all wanted to get a piece of drama for themselves. So, when the Prideful Third Young Master of the Zhu Family apologized, the crowd gasped.

    Even Yang Tie opened his mouth wide in shock. Bo Qingtan used his spiritual energy to close it. He said, ''Lord Yang, please calm down. You will know in theing days that this Young Master of yours is no ordinary person.''

    Yang Tie nced at him and nodded. On the other side, Zhu Lin continued, "So, Young Master Ace, as an apology from my side, I seek your advice on handling this issue."

    Shi Lang shook his head with a humble smile, "Young Master Zhu, you embarrass me. The city is your home, and you know better than me about how to govern and correct the issues you have. However, if you still wish to ask for my opinion, I suggest the guards be equipped with a demon detection stone. It will prevent the guards from offending anyone in the future."

    The suggestion was shockingly humble. The people were in awe. Shi Lang was the Young Master of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, and he let go of Zhu Xiameng with just an arm. He even told the Zhu Family about the demon detection stone that would allow them to evade such conflicts in the future.

    One person in the crowd said, "This guy deserves to be the Young Master of the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion. He is so generous, letting this scumbag Zhu Xiameng with just an arm and even helping the Zhu family improve their impression of the city folk. This is true wisdom."

    It was difficult to determine who among the crowd started this, but just like a stone in theke, ripples appeared, and the rest of the people began to express their agreement and good opinion of Shi Lang''s action.

    Yang Tie nodded and said, "If someone else was in ce of Young Master Ace, Head Guard Zhu Xiameng would have been directly beheaded, and the two groups would have be enemies. However, not only did Young Master Ace help the Zhu family rectify the crooks in their house, but he even suggested how to improve their impression.

    Third Young Master Zhu, what is your opinion on this matter? You have also used the Seniors of the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion of some unknown mistakes. What do you think? Our Young Master forsook the life of Head Guard Zhu. Why don''t you let go of this matter and apologize to our seniors. Both parties will go their separate ways in harmony."

    Yun Xue was watching all this from the side with Bo Qingtan. They were both surprised to see that this refined gentleman, Lord Yang, could kick the enemy when he was down.

    Zhu Lin sharply moved his gaze from Shi Lang to Yang Tie and remarked with a smile, "I beg your pardon, Head Steward Yang. I did not see you there."

    Yang Tie knew that Zhu Lin was mocking him for being a steward. However, he did not care. He bowed and said, "Third Young Master Zhu, it is alright, you do not have to mind me. I will be happy to convey the details of the day to my Master, as long as you address them."

    His words were a silent threat. This issue was going to be conveyed to Master of the pavilion, Tian Long. If the young leader of the Zhu Family did not react appropriately, then he will be facing Soveriegn Heavenly Dragon and Zither Soul.

    Yang Tie and Shi Lang were ready to bring down the Iron Fist upon the Zhu family, and they were not bluffing. Zhu Lin''s face scrunched up at this situation, he already lost the trust of his subordinates earlier, and would now have to work again, to make things worse, even his dignity was about to be robbed away.

 Chapter 718 Glory & Trouble.

    Chapter 718 Glory & Trouble.

    Zhu Lin was troubled. However, he could not say anything now when he wanted to find a way out. An elderly voice nailed his foot to the ground.

    "Hmmm, Lord Yang, what are you doing here?"

    Everyone turned around and found an Old man with a hunched back walking over from a distance. The old man wore a coarse white robe. Yang Tie sped his fists and bowed as he said, "Greetings, City Lord Pei."

    Shi Lang took the hint and followed Yang Tie''s example to bow and greet the old man. The old man revealed an amiable smile. After all, everyone present was bowing to him in greeting. This lean and hunched old man was an Immortal Emperor. On top of that, he was a saint-level forger.

    There were distinctions between the forgers, and this old man was a saint-level forger. He was able to craft weapons and artifacts with spirit imbued in them. Master forgers could create a hundred refined weapons or artifacts. This artifact will allow a smooth spiritual flow and increase the lethality of the attack by ten percent.

    A forging grandmaster could refine a thousand-refined weapon or artifact with an amplification of fifty percent. The damage capacity of this weapon would be off the charts. Then came the Legendary Forgers, capable of creating a ten thousand-refined weapon or artifact with a hundred percent spiritual energy amplification.

    Yang Tie was one such legendary forger. As for the saint, think of it as the person who could bring the weapons and artifacts to life. Yang Tie said, ''Young Master, City Lord Pei is a saint forger.''

    This point made Shi Lang understand the world''s vastness one more time. He conveyed the same thing to Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan. It was not only the strength of an Immortal Emperor but also the identity of the Siant Forger that made the people hold him in high esteem.

    The old man waved his hand and said, "Lord Yang, please raise your head. The old man was passing by your pavilion and found from Old Mao that you hade to the City Gates to the Champion of the Dragon Army, so I thought, why not take a look? So, tell me, where is this fabled young master of your pavilion."

    Yang Tie was humbled by this old man and wanted to introduce Shi Lang when the Terran stepped forward and bowed to the City Lord before saying, "Junior Ace has seen your excellency."

    Old Man Pei was surprised. What sort of prideful genius had he not seen in this world? They would all greet him and look expectantly as if seeking their favor. However, the terran did no such thing. He bowed his head willingly.

    Old Man Pei waved his hand again and chuckled loudly, "Young Man, raise your head."

    Shi Lang did as he was told. He looked at the wrinkled face of the City Lord and found that this person had a long beard, and his face was covered with wrinkles. However, despite the marks of time, the vitality radiating from the eyes of the old man was blinding. It was as if Shi Lang was facing a child filled with curiosity.

    Zhu Lin also said, "Greetings, City Lord Pie."

    The old man''s expression changed, and he indifferently nodded to the young man. He had no attachment to the Zhu family''s pride whatsoever. This young man was too ambitious for his good. Shi Lang watched the scene and picked up the hint. He was not the only one. This gesture cleared what was going on among the management of the city.

    Old Man Pei asked, "Guard Chief Zhu, would you be ever so kind to enlighten this old man on the situation here?"

    His calm tone was akin to cold water pouring over the Zhu family members. They did not expect the old man to draw a line with them in such a manner.

    Zhu Lin took a step forward and began to narrate the entire incident. Shi Lang was listening to him keenly. If the young man were to add or subtract anything, he would not hesitate to correct him. However, Zhu Lin was tactful. He knew what to do and did not add to his disadvantages.

    Old Man Pei listened calmly and said, "Well, what Young Master Ace did is quite reasonable. Let alone the people from outside the city. If the Former Head Guard were to offend the Young Lady or the Young Master of the Meng family, he would have been hanged at the city gate without a shred of clothes.

    Also, the city council has been providing you people with enough money, and I think, given that you are so wise, by now, the demon-detecting stone could have been handed to the city guards. I do not know what is happening with your city guards, but get those stones equipped by sundown. Do you understand?"

    Zhu Lin''s face was so pale that he looked like a corpse. However, to save himself the remaining dignity, he nodded and replied, "Yes, City Lord."

    Old Man Pei nodded and turned to face Shi Lang. He said, "Young Friend Ace, how about we go to the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion and have a chess game?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and said, "I would be honored to learn from you, Senior."

    They had established a friendly rtionship in front of Zhu Lin and the crowd. This vexed Zhu Lin a lot, but what could he say? The two people walked away, and Zhu Lin could only watch them leave in the crowd. One thing good happened from this entire issue. Shi Lang did not continue to nag him about the apology to the members of the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion.

    However, before he could heave a sigh of relief, Shi Lang turned around and said, "Young Master Zhu, about that apology. It would be kind of you to send a letter addressing the Sovereign before sundown. That is when Yang Tei will report the entire day''s happenings to them. Sovereign has been very troubled, first with the blood moon and now with the centurion tournament.

    I would not allow him to vent his frustration if I were you. Sovereign Heavenly Dragon may look nice, but he is grumpy inside."

    The people heard thest sentence and stifledughter while Zhu Lin''s face turned ck. Shi Lang did not wait for Zhu Lin and said, "It was nice meeting you, Guard Chief Zhu. See you again."

    They left the ce quickly, and the crowd watched Zhu Lin with mocking expressions. After a few minutes, the city gates were deserted. Only the Zhu Family men were left behind. Zhu Xiameng was shivering. He was sure that he was going to die. The third young master was not to swallow such humility lying down. Shi Lang had left him no face after this encounter and as the reason at the roots.

    Zhu Xiameng would die without aplete corpse. As he thought about the oue of this incident, his heart palpitated. His family will not be left alone, either. They will suffer the wrath of the Third Young Master.

    Thinking about this, he collected himself and steeled his resolve. He walked before Zhu Lin and knelt on the ground. He said, "Young master, I am why you were dragged into this mess. Sire, I am willing to pay with my life. You can behead me and use my blood to write the letter to them. I am willing to do anything you want, but Young Master, please spare my family."

    Zhu Lin gazed at Zhu Xiameng coldly and said, "You will be paying for this either way. However, you are of greater value to me than died."

    He waved his hand and left the ce with the group of people. He had to write a letter and also settle the rattled subordinates. He did not have the time to think about Shi Lang and the heavenly dragon pavilion. However, his eyes were filled with indignation. He said, "Young Master Ace, today''s humiliation will be returned to you a thousand times."

    ...

    Shi Lang followed Yang Tie to the Heavenly Dragon Pavillion while talking to Old Man Pei about various aspects of forging. The old man was surprised when Shi Lang told him about many ideas of artifacts and weapons. Old man Pei did not expect such ideas toe from a young man.

    He could not help but ask, "Young Friend Ace, do you have any samples?"

    Shi Lang smiled and revealed the spiritualmunicator on his wrist. He said, "Senior Pei must have seen this device being supplied from the Jade Towers, and also the rifle from the Cao Union?"

    Old Man Pei nodded and said, "These two artifacts are really mind blowing. Although the level is not too high, but the efficiency is very good. I wonder how these things came to be."

    Shi Lang replied with his spiritual sense, ''Senior Pei, these two things are designed by me, and they origin from the Lower ne where I lived.''

 Chapter 719 Young Masters Skills.

    Chapter 719 Young Master''s Skills.

    As soon as Shi Lang told the old man about the origins of these two artifacts. Old Pie looked at him with great shock. Shi Lang smiled and continued, ''Senior, I did not hide the truth from you because I know a Saint Forger like you would not be interested in something of this level.''

    His words made the old man look at him in a new light. City Lord Pie shook his head and said, "I cannot win an argument with you, young man. Your future is going to be bright."

    Shi Lang smiled even brighter and bowed in gratitude. They quickly reached the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. The architecture of the ce was simple, but one nce and Shi Lang could tell where this idea came from. He mumbled, "Myriad Dragon Ruins."

    In his old life, he had entered an ancient ruin where Tian Long became the top winner. He found the inheritance of a senior and yed sevenpetitors with a shallow understanding of the scripture. Shi Lang gained a lot from the fallen geniuses because he was there to scavenge while Tian Long burned his energy to kill those who stood against him.

    Shi Lang mumbled, and Yang Tei looked at him confusedly. However, before he could say anything, a young girl walked over. She hurriedly said, "Pavillion Master, you have finally returned. Did you forget that today is the meeting of all the staff members? Why do you not pay attention to anything at all?"

    Yang Tie sighed and said, "Everyone, this is Elfie, and I work for her."

    Shi Lang was taken aback, but then he understood Yang Tie was messing around and smiled. He greeted the youngdy, gazing at the ground and blushing hard. Yang Tie continued speaking, "I did not forget about the meeting. I was picking up an important guest."

    The girl raised her head and looked at him in askance. Yang Tie sighed and pointed toward Shi Lang as he said, "The Young Master of the pavilion. The personage whom the sovereign was talking about."

    The girl was shocked and wanted to say something when Shi Lang asked, "Big Brother Yang, is Old Man Tian here?"

    Yang Tie was shocked, and Elfie froze in her ce. Bo Qingtan held his face in his palm and said, "Brother,nguage."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "All of you need to rx. Anyways, Brother Yang is Sovereign Heavenly Dragon here?"

    Yang Tie shook his head and said, "His Excellency just visited us to inform us of your arrival, and then he returned to his residence."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Shall we begin the meeting, or can I have a chess game with Senior Pie?"

    The City Lord smiled and said, "You do not have to dy anything for me. I wille back in a few days to have that game. Till then, get used to this ce. I hope you can learn some forging techniques. It will be helpful, and given your mind, I look forward to the designs."

    Shi Lang was surprised and bowed deeply to the old man. He said, "I will certainly try my best, senior, but no promises."

    The old man stroked his beard and chuckled as he walked away with a smile. Shi Lang quickly gestured for Bo Qingtan to follow the old man and see him at the door. Bo Qingtan did not say anything else and nodded as he followed the old man.

    Yun Xue stood beside Shi Lang silently. She was an icebergdy and a person of few words. She watched Elfie, who was scrutinizing Shi Lang from head to toe. Women had a strong intuition, and Yun Xue did not sense any threat from Elfie.

    She could tell this girl was all for Yang Tie. Shi Lang watched the old man leave and asked Yang Tie, "Brother Yang, where is this meeting held?"

    The young man gestured for Shi Lang and said, "This way, Young Master."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed him. Elfie and Yun Xue had taken their positions beside the men they imed to be theirs. The two women had a tactic understanding and nodded to each other in greeting.

    Soon, Shi Lang and Yang Tie arrived at a hall. Thetter introduced the ce, "Young Master, this is the Auction Hall. The big events are also held here. We have two hundred Master Forgers, fifty Grand Master Forgers, and one Legendary Forger. The rest of the people cannot fit anywhere else, so the meeting was held here."

    Shi Lang nodded andmented, "The strength of numbers is there, and given how the Sovereign is, the quality is not to be questioned either. Brother Yang, do tell me what the purpose of this meeting is?"

    Yang Tie was hesitating when Elfie said, "Young Master, everyone wishes to see your skill."

    Yun Xue raised her brow and asked, "Do they not believe in his martial skills even with the sovereign speaking for him?"

    She was a bit surprised, but her experience with the forgers did tell her about their entric behavior.

    Elfie shook her head and said, "You took it wrong. They are not concerned about the martial skills. They wish to test the Young Master in forging skills."

    Surprised, Shi Lang smiled and said, "His Excellency did not tell them no?"

    Yang Tie sighed and said, "He did, but these guys tend to be unruly and n to goad you into it."

    Shi Lang chuckled and shook his head. He asked, "Brother Yang, I have some ideas; do not worry; let nature take its course. I do not mind learning the skills to help me grow stronger."

    Yang Tie nodded. He thought, ''Indeed, how can someone selected by his excellency be of such a narrow mind? Hmph, Old Huang and the rest are about to get it good this time.''

    Yang Tie took Shi Lang inside the hall from the back door, and they came directly onto the stage. The terran had sensed two hundred and fifty people inside. It seemed to him that the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion was keen on testing his skills.

    Yun Xue was worried and used her spiritual sense, ''Will you be okay?''

    Shi Lang nodded lightly, and Yang Tie pped his hands. The people knew their arrival but still used spiritual senses tomunicate secretly. The p dispersed their ideas, and they all turned to focus on Shi Lang and Yang Tie.

    Yang Tie said, "The person you have all been waiting for so eagerly has arrived. Young Master Ace."

    Shi Lang stepped forward, sped his hands, and bowed to the people. Everyone looked at him with great curiosity. Shi Lang noticed these people wearing uniforms. He guessed them to be divided into masters and grandmasters.

    An old man in the crowd stood up and said, "Young Master, I am Huang Jin. I am a Grandmaster Forger. We all know His Excellency sent you here to fight in the tournament and win. However, we are all boorish people. We do not understand either martial arts or politics.

    Forgive me for being blunt, but can we ask you to showcase your skill in forging?"

    Shi Lang smiled politely and said, "Senior Huang, I am just a junior, and when ites to forging, I have little experience. If you wish to see it, I do not mind. However, please forgive me for being ugly, and I humbly seek your advice."

    Old Man Huang did not expect this genius toe out so humbly. He nodded and said, "Please create a weapon of your liking, Young Master. We look forward to it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Can I have twenty kilograms of ck Moon Iron and twenty kilograms of Star Cotton Steel?"

    Yang Tie was surprised but did not ask anything and just nodded. A servant rushed away, and Old Man Huang said, "Pavilion Master, please arrange a forge also."

    Yang Tie was about to follow the suggestion when Shi Lang said, "I do not need a forge. Just a set of hammers and a quenching bucket will do."

    This shocked the people. They did not know what Shi Lang was going to do. However, before he finished, they had no right to call out his methods.

    Soon, the two metals were brought to the stage, and Shi Lang found that the two metals were piled in three cubes. He began to arrange the cubes together into a sandwich. People wondered what was happening here when Shi Lang began to channel his spiritual energy through the tower.

    The structure soon turned red, and the Terran began to hit the top of the tower. The hall echoed with nks of the hammer hitting the hard ck Moon Iron. Shi Lang did not stop and ttened the entire thing. Then he folded the sheet into itself.

    The process repeated a few times. The forging masters hoped for Shi Lang to fail but found that this guy was a terrifying genius. Old Man Huang was excitedly shivering as he saw Shi Lang shaping a de.

 Chapter 720 Master Forger.

    Chapter 720 Master Forger.

    Shi Lang used the hammer to fold the hot metal into itself multiple times. The big pile of metal was reduced to a stick that was three feet tall. The forging masters knew this weapon was a sword but did not know the type.

    To make a spiritual weapon, one had to carve array patterns on the weapon that allowed a smooth flow of the energy inside the weapon. It was like an electric circuit; one wrong line would cause a short circuit. They wanted to see what Shi Lang''s limity.

    His ability to refine the metal a hundred times impressed them. After all, Shi Lang came from a martial artist background. They had to admire him for that. A hundred refinings did not mean beating the metal with the hammer a hundred times. It meant the forger needed to hit the metal and remove its impurities. All hundred hits were to purify the metal and make it denser.

    Shi Lang did not stop. His hammer rained down on the stick, and it became even finer. Grandmaster Huang was watching things in a daze. He did not know how Shi Lang managed to do it, but he could not deny that it happened. Yang Tie stood beside him and asked, "Do you understand why the master has chosen him?"

    Old Man Huang nodded and said, "This weapon is about to reach the level of a thousand refined ones. All this with five hundred hits. The refining process dictates that one light hit detects the impurities, followed by the hit to eliminate them. I have no idea how he is doing this, but he can sense the impurities dead on and refine it with every hit. This is unprecedented to what we knew about forging."

    Yang Tie nodded and remarked, "It could be his secret, but who among us does not have a secret?"

    Old Man Huang nodded, and suddenly, the hall echoed with a hiss. Shi Lang had quenched the de. The steam gradually vanished, and the Terran removed the de from the quenching vessel. He inspected the surface and nodded. The de turned out to be a traditionalmon long sword.

    He manipted his spiritual energy and lifted the de into the void. After some thought, he said, "This weapon is a long sword, optimal for shing. You may be thinking how I made a long sword from the ck moon iron and star cotton steel. One of the metals is so hard that it is extremely brittle. Besides making mechanical parts, this metal is deemed unsuitable for forging."

    He paused, the people nodded, and he continued, "However when the brittle ck moon iron meets the mushy and extremely malleable Star Cotton Steel, ites to life. These two metals have different properties but have a few things inmon."

    One crowd member remarked, "They can channel spiritual energy almost seamlessly. They are also used as blending mediums to unite other materials."

    Shi Lang nodded and smiled, "Yes, you are correct, brother. These two metals are used to support forging projects in many cases. They are the most easily avable metals in the immortal realm."

    Old Man Huang was surprised by the ingenuity of this forge, and at this moment, he could not hold back his questions and asked, "Young Master, I have a few questions for you."

    Shi Lang faced him and nodded. The old man was a senior and hungry for knowledge. Since he asked him a question, it must be something very confusing.

    The old man asked, "Can you tell me if the method you used for refining the metal is something you inherited? I do not have any ill will, but I am just curious."

    Shi Lang gawked at him, and everyone else was surprised. No one in the hall expected Old Man Huang to say this. Yang Tie furrowed his brows and wanted to use his authority when Shi Lang erupted inughter.

    His voice was loud, and everyone was taken aback. Shi Lang asked, "Senior, do you think that what I did was an inheritance?"

    Old Man Huang was dazed as he nodded. Shi Lang replied, "Well, let me tell you how this works. I used my spiritual energy to heat the metals, and I could sense the structural change in the metal with my spiritual energy flowing through them. You are curious about how I managed to detect the impurities. Well, that is how."

    Everyone was shocked, not because it was such a small trick but because Shi Lang shared it with everyone. He did not tell them that he was ten times more sensitive to spiritual energy and that his special ability gave him a three-dimensional mental image of the weapon.

    Even if the people knew how he did it, they could never copy him. Well, at least not without any effort. Old Man Huang walked closer to Shi Lang and bowed to him deeply. The people were shocked awake from their daze and bowed to Shi Lang.

    Yang Tie bowed and said, "Young Master, thank you for your teachings."

    The people followed his words and said, "Young Master, we thank you for your teachings."

    Shi Lang sensed a twitch in the corner of his mouth and asked, "What do you mean? Can you all please raise your head? I did not teach you anything special. In my world, this is basic knowledge. I do not wish to sound high or mighty, but this is true. We do not use human hands to craft anything but machines that work on the principle of precision."

    Old Huang was immediately interested and asked, "What sort of machines are those, young master?"

    Shi Lang smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It is impossible to create them in this world, Senior Huang. The human hands here are better than machines. After all, artifacts may help, but they only work in the hands of a human. Right?"

    The people nodded. Shi Lang ced them above the machines and technology of his home world. That made them look at the young man with a higher opinion. Following this, Shi Lang handed the sword to Old Man Huang.

    The old man inspected the de and asked, "Young master, do you not intend to carve any array on this de to increase its functionality?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I have carved the array of channels inside the de''s body with the help of my spiritual energy."

    The Grandmasters were shocked. They quickly checked the weapon with their spiritual energy and were shocked. Shi Lang had carved the patterns inside the de''s body into tubes. They looked like blood vessels, but the effect of the spiritual flow inside the weapon was higher than anything they had seen on this level.

    The old man passed the weapon to Yang Tie, who was also shocked. He did not expect something like this to be done when carving arrays. This was an extremely dangerous process. One mistake and the weapon would explode. Shi Lang did it while refining the de.

    Yang Tie looked at Shi Lang in a daze. His heart shivered. This young man was a monster hidden in human skin. He did not dare to estimate the potential of this person anymore. Shi Lang had given him shock after shock, and he was reaching his limit.

    After the inspection, Yang Tie said, "Take this weapon to the forger association and get a Master Forger title te for Young Master. Use my seal to vouch for his abilities."

    Old Man Huang and the other grandmasters exchanged nces and said, "Pavilion Master, take our tokens too. The association will not be able to question it then."

    Shi Lang was surprised but thought it would not be this easy, would it? After all, people had to spend decades learning things. Even if he knew the lower realm, it meant nothing to the rules here. Elfie walked up to Yang Tie and said, "I knew you would ask me to do something like this, so I have recorded the process in the image stone. It will be much easier for the processing."

    Shi Lang was surprised by this person''s attentiveness. He smiled and said, "Miss Elfie, you remind me of an adjutant who once served under mymand. Very diligent of you."

    Elfie knew that Shi Lang wasplimenting her. She did not take offence, but if someone was able to get his recognition, that meant the person must be good.

    She bowed slightly and said, "Young Master, sister Yun told me about your conflict with the Zhu family. I suggest that you stay inside the pavilion for the next few days."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Elfie continued, "I will take Sister Yun and Brother Bo to tour the city."

    The terran nodded in a daze, he did not know why but the suggestions made by this girl were epted by him. He furrowed his brows and shook his head. He asked calmly, "What are you doing to me?"

    The people around him were shocked. Elfie was shocked, she saw red light flickering in Shi Lang''s eyes, and hid behind Yang Tie. Shi Lang''s gaze turned cold and he asked, "What is going on here?"

 Chapter 721 Fear Begets Respect.

    Chapter 721 Fear Begets Respect.

    Shi Lang''s cold and murderous gaze shocked everyone. Yang Tie was an Immortal Emperor, too, but he was shocked and shivered when being stared at by Shi Lang.

    He quickly asked, "Young Master, what is it? Did Elfie do anything?"

    Shi Lang matched the gaze of the Pavillion master and asked coldly, "Are you really that clueless, or are you trying to fool me? I feel sorry for you if it is the former, but if it is thetter, I must say that your acting skills are amazing."

    His tone was indifferent and distant. It even made Yun Xue wonder if this was the same Shi Lang. Even though the words were not aimed at her, she felt cold.

    Yang Tie was shocked, too, but his reasons werepletely different. He was thinking about what Shi Lang just said. With those thoughts in his mind, he could not help but turn to look at Elfie, who was hiding behind him.

    Shi Lang asked, "Lady, either youe clean about how you influence my thoughts, or I dig it out from the depth of your soul."

    His pupils were changing color to a darker shade of red with lightning flickering inside them. Elfie shivered and replied, "Young Master, it is my innate ability. I have no control over it."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and asked, "What ability is it?"

    Elfie replied, "My bloodline has a trace of the Snow Fox. After seventy generations, I am the only one who has awakened this ability to influence the people around me."

    While the people were shocked, Elfie knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shi Lang. She knocked her head on the ground and said, "Young Master, I swear on my cultivation that I never had any ill-intention and do not use the ability deliberately. Please forgive me. This pavilion is my home. Do not kick me out."

    Yang Tie looked at her and wanted to say something in her defense. After all, this young assistant had been working with him for quite a long time. It would be a lie for him to say he had no other feelings.

    The rest of the staff was the same. They knew this girl, and she had never caused them any trouble. They all wished to speak, but Shi Lang''s aura scared the shit out of them. Yun Xue felt bad for Elfie. The girl may not have met her very long ago, but she did not have any ill intentions.

    Shi Lang looked at everyone and sighed. His aura dwindled, and with a wave of his hand, Elfie stood up. Shi Lang sped his fist and bowed to her. He said, "I apologize for scaring you and making you kneel. You have done nothing wrong, and despite any reason, I overreacted. It is just that things outside are not all kind. Forgive me for the harm I have caused to your self-esteem."

    Elfie raised her head and looked at Shi Lang in disbelief. This young man was bowing to her and even apologized on the spot. This thing took more courage than killing her. Shi Lang was a highly respectable person in the pavilion, and he apologized to her instantly. This was not something many people were capable of doing.

    Elfie shook her head and said, "Young Master, I am at fault. I should have told everyone about this."

    Shi Lang shook his head and raised his hand to stop her from speaking. He said, "Everyone has the right to keep their secrets. I am in the wrong by acting so tantly. I forgot to take into ount the fact that your words did not make me do anything harmful. The feeling of losing control was the reason I lost control. I apologize to you sincerely. However, I hope you could train in this aspect and improve your ability to the point where it could save lives."

    Elfie covered her mouth as tears fell from her eyes. The people all saw Shi Lang bowing and apologizing publically. He did not put on any airs. It was true that they were surprised when they thought about it if they were to be in his ce. They might all react the same way.

    Shi Lang was kind enough to ask for rification. He even disregards the spiritual beast bloodline that Elfie possessed. If it were some other family, Elfie would have been treated in a manner that was nothing but inhumane.

    The Terran raised his head and said, "What happened here is not to be leaked. Suppose I discovered that Elfie''s identity had been divulged outside these halls and that it led the people in the city to look down on her. Ormit any other lowly action. I will use the head of the guilty person aspensation."

    The forgers were shocked. Shi Lang did not stop. He continued, "This is the heavenly dragon pavilion. We all stand united and are a family. It is normal to have different opinions and disputes in the family. However, never let a third person step in and gain from our differences. This act of treason is punishable by familyws and is a capital sin. Only blood can clean such actions. Understood?"

    The people nodded like they were puppets, and that said, Shi Lang left the auction hall quickly. Yun Xue wanted to follow him, but he said, "Go visit the city and scout."

    Yun Xue nodded, then moved out with Bo Qingtan and Elfie.

    Old Man Huang said, "Pavilion Master, it seems to me that Young Master is not just a talent but a monstrous one."

    Yang Tie sighed and said, "Old Huang, do you think a normal talent can pass a red heavenly tribtion? He is decisive, and he is virtuous. He did not hesitate to bow to acknowledge his mistake on the spot and humble himself. We cannot measure him with any scale, let alone the ordinary one."

    They were in awe when the people heard that Shi Lang had passed a red heavenly tribtion. This was something they did not even imagine. Old Huang said, "Well, that is something you do not hear even in a hundred years."

    Yang Tie chuckled and said, "Wait till I tell you what happened at the city gates."

    While the bunch of people gossiped, Shi Lang gave himself a tour around the pavilion. He found that this ce deals not only in artifacts and weapons but also medicine and arrays.

    The business or array inscribing was very popr, it seemed. People would bring their old artifacts and have them serviced by an array master. Shi Lang did attract the attention of all the staff members, but they did not stop him.

    In the absence of the masters and grandmasters, their apprentices manned the pavilion. These people did not offend anyone. They did not fear trouble but did not wish to get scolded. The terran did not know if this was the management''s foresight or the elegance of working in a force backed by one of the most prominent figures in the immortal world.

    As Shi Lang was dwelling, he sensed a spiritual sense washing over him, and the next moment, Yang Tie appeared before him. Shi Lang asked, "What is it?"

    Yang Tie clenched his fist and said, "Zhu Lin has sent a message."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What is it?"

    The pavilion master said, "Young Master, I think it would be better if you saw it in person."

    Shi Lang was curious. He nodded, and Yang Tie led him to the pavilion''s main hall. When they arrived, a lot of people were gathered. They parted to allow the two to move through. The terran spotted the object in the center of the hall. He narrowed his eyes and walked closer.

    His face was calm, and his steps were steady. The other people in the hall were pale from the sight. Shi Lang walked around the object and said, "To think that the third Young Master of the Zhu Family will y his servant alive and use his skin as a letter and his blood as ink to seek apology? Does he not understand that this is an act of war?"

    The people were surprised. Yang Tie said, "Young Master, we cannot fight with the Zhu Family so abruptly."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Wars do not demand spilling blood every time, Brother Yang. Sometimes, they are yed with minds, and the enemy is bought to his knees without drawing the des."

    Yang Tie did not understand what Shi Lang said. The terran smiled and said, "Do you think anyone saw this?"

    Yang Tie shook his head and said, "This was delivered in a carriage. I doubt anyone saw it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Zhu Lin wants to show us that he is cruel and intimidating. However, I have an idea to show the world that he is cruel and sick."

    Yang Tie was hooked and asked, "Please tell me what you are thinking of, Young Master?"

    Shi Lang smirked, and the people shivered. They respected this person, but they feared him more.

 Chapter 722 Speculation & Alliance.

    <h4>Chapter 722 Spection & Alliance.</h4>

    Yang Tie asked Shi Lang what he wanted to do in this situation. How did this young man wish to get back at the Zhu family for their atrocious action? The pavilion master was worried about this issue because one mistake could kick-start a war inside the city.

    They were not afraid of it, but the centurion tournament was around the corner, and something like this would affect the proceedings. Yang Tie did not want that. If Shi Lang suffered any injury in this scuffle, Tian Long would me him.

    Yang Tie said, "Everyone, leave."

    The people realized that the Pavilion Master did not wish for them to hear the things rted to this matter. They were the higher-ups, and it was not that they did not trust them. Yang Tie did not wish to drag them into unnecessary issues. The people left, and Shi Lang stood calmly before the husk of skin.

    When everyone was out of the room, Yang Tie erected a barrier, and the terran said, "Have a few people carry this to the City Pce and show it to the city lord. At the same time, send Elfie to Zhu Xiameng''s house. Pleasepensate them and tell them we did not wish to see such an ending. Elfie can help them acknowledge our sincere condolences."

    Yang Tie was surprised and asked, "Young Master, can you tell me what you intend to achieve by doing this?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I wish to unsettle Third Zhu. I wish for him to make a mistake. He wille knocking on the door. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he is overly ambitious. How he looks at Senior Pie, his family is up to something."

    Yang Tie was shocked. He said, "Young Master, how can you be so sure? Zhu Lin could be after the administration of his family, right? He wants to be the next patriarch."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "He does want to be the patriarch, but have you considered that if the city''s administration changed hands, what would happen?"

    Yang Tie replied, "Young Master, we have the sovereign backing us up."

    It was correct, and they did have a couple of Immortal Sovereigns backing them. Shi Lang shook his head, "The change in city administration will influence the power dynamics of the city. City Lord Pie is an Immortal Emperor with two sovereigns'' backing. However, the Zhu Family is also prominent in the city. They might have some sovereign backing them. If the Immortal Emperor from the Zhu Family acted low profile, slowly gathering strength. They can create an upset and take down the influence of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion.

    Today, Zhu Lin gains the Zhu Family, and tomorrow, he takes down the city. His ambition is not small, and neither is his cunning. He is a snake that will hide in the hole for centuries to stalk a prey."

    His words surprised Yang Tie. The pavilion lord did not know there could be such reasons. However, he did not follow Shi Lang blindly and asked, "Young Master, all this is just your spection. Right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I won''t say I couldn''t look too deep into the situation. However, to confirm that the snake is stalking prey, we must send bait. In this situation, we need some chaos."

    Yang Tie thought about it and nodded. He said, "I will have someone rush to the City Pce, and when Elfie returns, she will visit Zhu Xiameng''s house."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you show me the way to the library?"

    Yang Tie was surprised but nodded and took the young man to the library. Shi Lang was not omnipotent and did not wish to waste time. He selected a few books on forging and array formations in the library. He asked, "Brother Yang, You can go and do your work. I will be reading my stuff."

    The pavilion master nodded and left. Shi Lang sat down next to a window and began reading.

    ...

    Amelia stood on the battlefield. The scene was that of carnage. Destruction was the word that could be used to describe the actions of the War Maiden Sect. They were ruthless, and they fought in a manner where none of the Demon Cultivators could find any solution to get a break. Amelia had given out clear orders. None of them were to be taken prisoner. None of them were to be spared.

    Right now, her breathing was uneasy. She had just withdrawn her de from the chest of thest person. She was still looking around to kill more people, but no demon cultivators were left standing. Suddenly, an elder spoke, "Be Careful."

    Amelia raised her eyes and found a group ofdies standing in the void. She was surprised by the beauty of thisdy, but her expression calmed down. The elder who spoke earlier appeared beside her and asked, "Lady Zither Soul? To what do we owe this pleasure?"

    Amelia narrowed her gaze and waited for thedy to reply. Zither Soul smiled faintly and said, "Ie in peace, Sister Flower Sword."

    Zither Soulnded on the ground, bowed to the olddy, and said, "I came here to deliver a gift."

    Flower Sword was not buying the smile and asked coldly, "What is the asion?"

    Zither Soul smiled and said, "My brother asked me to pass this to her. She is the sect mistress of the War Maiden Sect, while her husband is my sworn brother and also the champion of the Heavenly Dragon Army."

    Flower Sword was a sovereign from the Grand Elder Lineage. She knew the news, but Zither Soul confirming things in person had a different implementation. Zither Soul continued, "Not many people know that we swore in as brother and sister. He did not wish for the world to know it either because of the current difference in our status. But I assure you that I will be relying on him more than he ever relied on me in the future."

    Flower Sword was surprised, and she asked, "What gift have you bought for the sect mistress?"

    Zither Soul waved her hand, and a case appeared in the void. Amelia was surprised, but then she smiled. She walked closer to the box. Flower Sword wanted to stop her, but the Terran Lady said, "I ept this gift, Elder Sister Zither Soul."

    Zither Soul smiled widely and said, "It seems he knows you well."

    Amelia smiled and replied, "If he did not even know this much about me in all these years, then I would have dumped him long ago."

    Flower Sword watched the exchange and saw Amelia opening the box carefully. Insidey a rifle made of white jade and golden trimmings. Amelia picked it up and asked, "He gave you the design?"

    Zither Soul nodded and said, "All the arrays and functionalities of the rifle were specified by him also."

    Amelia nodded and took an aiming stance. She aimed at the gpost of the demon cultivator sect. The g post was three kilometers away, and everyone looked at what thedy wanted to do. Amelia loaded a bullet from the box inside the chamber and squeezed the trigger. She channeled her spiritual energy through the weapon.

    The efficiency and the damage count of the bullet had increased. Another thing wasplete sound suppression. The bullet flew through the void and hit the g post square. Flower Sword asked in surprise, "How?"

    Amelia replied, "Invisible bullet."

    She was happy that Shi Lang had someone of high status send such a gift to her. This was something she missed in the cultivation realm. She turned to look at Zither Soul and bowed as she said, "I thank you for this gift."

    Thetter waved her hand and said, "I came here for another purpose. I seek an alliance with your sect."

    Flower Sword narrowed her gaze and thought Amelia would promise instantly. In the cultivation world, people had to be worried about the humans more than the demons.

    However, Amelia said, "Elder Sister, it is not easy to ally with a sect. This one rifle will not cut it. How about youe to the sect? We have just finished an expedition and are tired, after freshening up. We will talk in detail."

    Flower Sword and the rest of the people were surprised, but the ball was now in Zither Soul''s court. Thetter smiled and nodded. She said, "It would be my honor to visit your sect."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Sister Ying, leave one-fourth of the people to clean up and stabilize the region. Organize the search patrols on the borders and check for any demonic cultivators. If you find any signs, react first and inform uster. Don''t let them walk in if it is some human sect."

    Ying Yu nodded and began to organize the ce. Amelia arranged for Zither Soul to get on the spirit vessel. She was curious as to what thisdy might ask her. She sent a message to Shi Lang informing him of her safety and the arrival of his gift.

 Chapter 723 Learning.

    Chapter 723 Learning.

    Shi Lang was reading a book when he saw Amelia''s message. The terran took a deep breath and told her to deal with the issue how she deemed fit. He did not know why Zither Soul sought an alliance, but he would not force his wife into this connection.

    Amelia was a person of her own and had her ideas. After the small exchange, they both went to their things. The tournament was approaching, and Shi Lang wanted to do good. He advised Amelia to do the same, and thedy agreed.

    They both had forces of their own. They needed to nurture these forces into something that could give them a steady foothold in the immortal realm. Shi Lang did not intend to rely on Tian Long. It was not that he did not trust the guy, but he was a man of his ideas.

    Shi Lang shook off these thoughts and focused on the books before him. He had a long way to go in this field. He was engrossed in the book, unaware of the chaos he had raised in the forger city.

    Yang Tie assigned a few people to bring Zhu Xiameng''s skin husk to the city lord''s pce. The person leading this team was an elder called Ting Zhishuang. The elder had a gentle vibe about him and was a grandmaster forger, too. If it were some other grandmaster, they might not have gotten the chance to meet the city lord.

    However, Ting Zhishuang was the person who the old City Lord favored. Why? Because Ting Zhishuang almost died saving Old Man Pie in a demonic raid. The attack extinguished his potential and made him just a grandmaster for his life. Old Man Pie never forgave that favor and always amodated Grandmaster Ting.

    Ting Zhishuang did not misuse his authority as well. He waited for the order of the Pavilion to visit Old Man Pei only when it was serious. The City Pce was different than other cities.

    There were no guards on the doors. Old Man Pie used the ce as a shelter for the poor and the unprovided people. The city guards wille over for patrol. So, the entry was simple, but Elder Ting was worried that there were spies from the Zhu Family around them.

    As he entered the pce premises, he began to look for the City Lord. Old Man Pei happened to be reading a book in a small garden. Ting Zhishuang said to the people on the side, "Go and help around. I will talk to the City Lord."

    Old Man Pei asked, "Xiao Ting, what made youe here?"

    Ting Zhishuang looked old but was still a few decades younger than City Lord Pei. He smiled and said, "Young Master Ace sent me to bring you something."

    Old Man Pei became curious and asked, "What is it?"

    Ting Zhishuang took a deep breath and replied, "Young Master Zhu sent an apology letter."

    The City Lord raised his eyebrow and asked, "Why did that need you toe and talk to me?"

    Elder Ting shook his head and replied, "Senior Pei, I think it would be wise to check this yourself. The cruelty of the Zhu family is redefined in the apology."

    Old Man Pei raised his brow and watched Elder Ting take out the husk of skin. The expressions of both people changed in the moment. Old Man Pei asked solemnly, "What does your Young Master wish to convey?"

    Elder Ting replied softly, "The Zhu Family is acting increasingly rampant. The young master may be young and new, but all of the city knows how things are and how deep the water runs. Young Master wishes for a safe beginning of the tournament."

    Old Pei smiled and said, "Your Young Master, Xiao Ting, is a very enigmatic personality. Anyway, thank him for the heads up. I will mobilize my forces to find out what is going on."

    Ting Zhishuang nodded and said, "I shall take your leave."

    The city lord nodded, and the elder left. Old Man Pei stared at the husk for a moment before he blew on it, and the thing turned into dust. He mumbled something before he opened his book again and sat down to read it.

    ...

    Elfie and the two came back to the Pavilion. Someone told them that the pavilion master had been waiting for them. Elfie rushed over quickly and soon came to Yang Tie. Thetter was looking at a badge with a smile.

    Elfie asked, "Pavilion Master, you called me?"

    Yang Tie nodded and said, "First, you deliver this badge to the Young Master. He has been approved as a Master Forger. Then you shall visit the house of the former city guard head, Zhu Xiameng."

    Elfie was surprised and could not understand what Yang Tie wanted her to do. But the Pavilion Master said, "Young Master wants you to use your ability and extract information from the victim''s family."

    The three people were shocked. Yang Tie said, "We must find out what the Zhu Family is up to. Especially the third young master. He bears ill will for the Young Master and wille after him."

    Bo Qingtan thought briefly, saying, "Well, it might not be that soon. However, the better we are prepared, the better our chance against him."

    They were all in agreement on this point. Elfie went to find Shi Lang in the library with Yun Xue, and thedy wanted to talk to him about the ns. Bo Qingtan went to his room to cultivate.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the badge that Elfie handed to him. It was a hammer in bronze color. He nodded and ced it inside the space ring. She also asked him, "Young Master, what should I do at Zhu Xiameng''s house?"

    The terran smiled and said, "You can first locate the family and find if they are alive or suffered a fate simr to the Head Guard."

    Elfie nodded, but her fists clenched. Shi Lang continued, "The next thing for you to do is to make them incline toward us. Find out the details of what Zhu Lin has been up to or the power dynamics of the Zhu Family. I am sure these things are hidden from the eyes of the people outside."

    Elfie nodded, and Shi Lang said, "You can take Yun Xue with you. She will help you through the loopholes."

    The terran looked at Yun Xue with a faint smile and said, "I know you wish to discuss the ns. However, for now, this thing takes priority. You know how to lead and cover up for Elfie. Seal your ears with spiritual energy, and watch Elfie for any signs where she needs help. Communicate with her with the spiritual sense."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Fine, but when we return, I want you to spar with me. I need to improve."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fine. Now, get going."

    Yun Xue pulled Elfie away from the library. The snow maiden wished to grow stronger and catch up with the guy who surpassed her. She did not wish to be a vase in his gallery.

    Shi Lang shook his head and began to skim through his books.

    ...

    Elfie and Yun Xue moved through the crowd in the city. Many people cast them second nces. After all, they were beautiful women, and men could not resist their charms.

    Yun Xue asked, "Where does this family live?"

    Elfie replied, "They live outside the main mansion of the Zhu Family. However, the wife of the head guard works in the main mansion."

    Yun Xue nodded subtly and asked, "You need to be careful. Do not push the buttons too hard."

    Elfie nodded and asked, "Sister Yun, do you have much experience in this?"

    She was curious about this new friend of hers. Yun Xue shook her head and said, "He has taught me and Brother Bo about things."

    Elfie nodded, surprised that the Young Master could teach them to interrogate someone. Not many people would be passing on such knowledge to other people. She asked, "Can you teach me the same too?"

    Yun Xue smiled and said, "You should learn it for sure. You are meant to be an interrogator, Elfie."

    Elfie smiled bitterly and shook her head. She said, "It may sound like I am blessed, but the fact is that this ability is the reason why I am not even to stay with my family."

    Yun Xue was shocked. Elfie continued walking through the city, "When my father found out that my mother had a spiritual beast as her ancestor, he was shocked. He wished to break up with her. However, my mother convinced him that the trace of the bloodline was minuscule and only I had awakened it. To save the family from embarrassment and to save her rtionship. She told me to leave home. Sovereign Zither Soul noticed me sleeping in a burrow in the wild. Otherwise, I might have died long ago."

    Yun Xue gulped and recalled how Shi Lang had acted earlier. She could not digest that her parents pushed the girl to a dead end. She sighed and said, "Somethings are better unlearned."

 Chapter 724 Extracting Information.

    <h4>Chapter 724 Extracting Information. </h4>

    ?Elfie and Yun Xue arrived at a residential block where many of the Zhu Family disciples lived. Thetter asked with spiritualmunication, "This ce is so shabby for a prominent family person to live, right? It is hard to imagine they mingled with someone from the lower part of the food chain."

    Elfie replied, "The power chain is simple. The top operates and monopolizes the lower levels. The lower levels benefit if they are of use to the top order. They have been trained for generations to look at the top brass as gods. This is why the Zhu Family has been so stable. They do not allow anyone else to work with their family and vice versa."

    Yun Xue raised her brow and said, "I once read in a book that a lone tree attracts more wind than the forest. However, the Zhu Family has a seven-century history. They must have been very tedious and cunning to reach this level."

    Elfie nodded and said, "That is the fact. These people have been acting like one with the forest, standing at the back of the trees."

    Yun Xue asked, "What other big trees are there?"

    Elfie replied, "Meng''s family are the merchant overlords. They trade in everything but their morals. They are a good family but very fiery people."

    The snow maiden smiled and nodded. Elfie said, "Another big tree in this city is the Frencer Inn. I will tell you about themter. Here, this is the courtyard where they should live."

    They had reached a small courtyard. Yun Xue found that the ce was covered with ck banners. She followed Elfie to the door, and just when they were about to enter the ce, a calm but decedent voice sounded, "Who are you? What do you need?"

    Elfie and Yun Xue looked at the source of the voice and found a middle-aged woman. She was wearing a ck armband and seemed to be grieving. Yun Xue noticed something and narrowed her eyes before she said, ''Elfie, tell her who we are and what we are here for.''

    Elfie stepped forward and said, "I am the head attendant of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, Elfie. This is my colleague, and we havee here to express our condolences to you."

    Thedy was stunned, and Elfie continued, "Our Young Master feels guilty for this cruel oue, and he wished he could go back in time to correct his mistake."

    Thedy finally understood what they were talking about. Her calm face changed, and she asked aggressively, "Why have youe here? Did you not feel good when my husband died? Did you bothe here to make sure that I am having a miserable life? Tell me, why do all you rich and strong people take pleasure in the pain of the poor."

    Elfie sighed and approached thedy silently. Her words had hit the string of her emotions, and she needed to calm them down before she could extract anything. She said, "Elder Sister, you are misunderstanding us. My Young Master is a kind person. He only punishes the wrong people. Your husband overstepped and offended him. My Young Master only punished him by severing an arm. He did not intend to kill your husband.?We are here with a smallpensation that the Young Master has sent for you and your children."

    Thedy shook her head and said a few things, but Elfie''s repeated persuasion calmed her down. Yun Xue was impressed. She understood why Shi Lang had appointed this girl for such a task. Elfie was a natural. She was handling the tragic wife with much ease.

    Yun Xue waited till the situation calmed down and used her spiritual sense to guide Elfie, ''Ask her why she loves a man such as her husband.''

    Elfie was shocked and turned to look at Yun Xue, but thetter nodded calmly. The young steward asked in a low voice, "Elder Sister Yuan, why did you love your husband? I heard that he was not a good man."

    During the earlier confrontation, they discovered that thedy was called Yuan. Thedy looked at Elfie with suspicious eyes. Elfie wanted to say something when Yun Xue said, ''Do not rush, be patient.''

    Yun Xue was too experienced in reading a person now after her time in the mercenary group. Conversely, Elfie was about to witness something that would shock the core of her being.

    Lady Yuan looked around carefully, and after a few minutes, she said, "I have never told anyone, but it is a good thing that scum has been removed from this world."

    Elfie was shocked, and Yun Xue snapped her fingers to cast a small barrier around them. She nudged the Elfie and said, ''Ask her why does she say so?''

    Elfie nodded and ryed the question. Lady Yuan revealed a bitter smile, "You also know that he was a greedy man. Often, he woulde back home and beat me up after getting drunk. He would beat me up to even look at the visage of another man while he spent his nights in brothels. Zhu Xiameng was a bastard, but thankfully, he was injured in a battle and could not have children. Otherwise, I would have been forced to bear his sinful seeds. That thought alone appalled me to death."

    Elfie was so shocked that her face had turned pale. Yun Xue smiled because she was expecting something like this. She had seen a fleeting spark of disdain when they earlier offered condolences. She did not tell Elfie any of this so the girl could gain real experience on her own.

    Yun Xue again nudged the girl back to reality and told her to ask more questions. As the questions proceeded, the sky became darker. The amount of information they found out from Lady Yuan was shocking. Elfie began to enjoy the situation and wanted to dig deeper when Yun Xue said, "Head Stewardess, we should return. It is getting dark."

    Elfie pouted in protest, but Yun Xue did not give her a chance. She took a small bag from her space ring and gave it to Lady Yuan, saying, "Elder Sister Yuan, please ept these hundred supreme-grade spirit stones. I hope you leave this ce as soon as possible too. The Zhu family might likely act against you."

    Lady Yuan was shocked to hear the amount of spirit stones in the bag. She snatched the bag and stuffed it in her bosom. She nodded and said, "I have been told to evict this courtyard for the next head guard. I will be gone by tomorrow morning."

    Yun Xue nodded and then dragged Elfie out of the courtyard. The sky was still dimly lit, but Yun Xue did not wish to encounter any trouble in this area. After all, if they were to be apprehended inside this area, then Shi Lang would have huge trouble.

    The two moved quickly but carefully through the slums and came to the city''s main street. They reached the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion and came to find Shi Lang. Yun Xue had Elfie call over the Pavilion master Yang Tie as well. This information was not to be withheld, or it would spell disaster for them.

    A few minutester, Shi Lang and Yang Tie sat across each other in the library. The pavilion master was surprised by the pile of books on the side. He could not understand how someone could read so much in such a short time. However, he could notment on such things. After all, in his mind, Shi Lang was not a normal human.

    Shi Lang gazed at Yun Xue and asked, "Can you tell me now? I am reading an important chapter?"

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "The Zhu Family is backed by the Titan sect in the north. Their patriarch is about to step into the peak of the Immortal Emperor realm. They do have every intention to attempt a coupe."

    Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and asked, "And?"

    Yun Xue smiled and said, "The Zhu Family has been hoarding up a lot of rare spiritual material. They are looking after aplete lockdown of the city by using Trigram Lock Array."

    Yang Tie was so surprised that he stood up from his chair. Elfie ced her hands on the shoulders of the towering man and said, "The good news is that the lower level of the Zhu Family is not happy, especially the women. The men in their family are abusive, and they often beat them. These women meet in secret at a ce every fifth day of the week."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can use this gathering to find more information, but so what?"

    Yun Xue sighed and said, "Sir, you might not understand, but an upset woman can cause the end of the world. If we manage to use these women for our gain, not only will we get more information, but we will also be able to attack the enemy without drawing our swords. From the inside."

    Shi Lang smiled meaningfully and asked, "So, you mean to tell me that you intend to guide all these knives inside the belly of the demon without knowing where to attack? Do you think that your knives will be able to gain eyesight and take down the Zhu?"

    The two women, who had been very happy till now, suddenly stumbled upon a question they had no solution for. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Do not worry, go and rest. I will read this book before pondering on how to act. For now, calm down."

 Chapter 725 Awaiting The Dawn.

    <h4>Chapter 725 Awaiting The Dawn. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang dismissed everyone under the premise of reading the book. He did not tell them that despite all this information, they had nothing substantial. This information alone was not enough to act against the Zhu Family. It was only normal in the Immortal World for people to strive for power and control.

    If they used the fact that this power struggle would cause problems for them, then they would appear even more shallow as a force. Shi Lang needed to know more and suddenly thought of something. He folded the corner of the page he was reading and closed the book before he took out the spiritualmunicator and sent a message to Amelia.

    He typed, ''I need as much information about the Titan Sect and how they formed a connection to the Zhu Family of the Forger City. Something is happening in the shadows, and I do not wish to be caught unprepared.''

    After he sent the message he picked up the book to finish the task at hand.

    ...

    On the otherside, the War Maiden Sect was busy in celebration for the safe return of the people. Amelia received the message from Shi Lang and was surprised. She thought for a bit and said, "Sister Ying, find me the information on Titan sect."

    Ying Yu was surprised but she nodded. In her view Amelia must be trying to get familiar with a neighboring force. Zither Soul was arranged to stay in a big courtyard with a scenic location along with her guards.

    Yes, it may seem like a bit too much, but even Immortal Sovereigns were apanied by guards when they go out. This was all a part of their flex and theatrics. Amelia showered in hot water and washed away all the blood on her being before she was visited by Elder Flower Sword.

    The olddy sighed and bowed, "Young Miss, what do you think thedy hase to seek an alliance for?"

    Amelia smiled as she looked through the details Ying Yu had passed her, "Elder Flower Sword, why do we have to worry about the things that are not under our control?"

    Flower Sword thought for a bit and said, "I do not know, this sudden visit is making me feel unsettled."

    At this moment, a calm and wise voice echoed inside the room, "Amelia is right, Flower Sword. You need to calm yourself."

    Flower Sword looked at the side, and found another olddy standing there. She bowed and greeted, "I have seen the grand elder."

    Amelia stood up from her table and walked closer to the newly arriveddy before she said, "Greetings, Master."

    The olddy smiled and patted her head. She said, "You have done good this time. The sect is united together and they are all willing to work together for a greater cause. The elder council is happy."

    Amelia smiled and the grand elder continued, "Do you need help in negotiating with Zither Soul?"

    The terrandy shook her head and said, "My husband did tell me to go ahead with what I feel about this issue. Even if we have the intention of refusing them, I think it is better to listen what they have to say about this matter. Senior Zither Soul is a senior member of the martial arts association and a business woman who owns the Jade Tower conglomerate. We should not disrespect her."

    The Grand Elder smiled faintly and nodded as she said, "I did not think that fate will bring me to pick up such a jewel. Go ahead, deal with it how you find it appropriate."

    Amelia nodded, and then the Grand Elder vanished from the sides. Flower Sword sighed and said, "Well, I think it is wise that you deal with this on your own. I will be at your side at all times."

    Thedy smiled and said, "Yes. That is for tomorrow. Do not worry about it now."

    Flower Sword talked to her about a few more things and then she also retired to her quarters. Amelia read through the details of the strength and upational range of the Titan Sect. Turns out this group of people were all celebate men. They practiced the ways of the puligists.

    Amelia could not help but raise her brows to this fact. It was like a counter part to the War Maiden Sect. These people trained till they were at the realm of Immortal Generals before pouring themselves at the front lines. They will battle for seven years non-stop before they coulde back to the sect and try to advance to the next level or die trying.

    Another thing that surprised Amelia was how one of the inner court elder of this sect was called Zhu Tianlong. This person was now a personal aid to the Sect Master, an Immortal sovereign like Flower Sword. However, he was still not at the peak.

    Unlike the War Maiden Sect, Titan Sect has been involved in mundane matters more than frequently. They owned many businesses and trained the younger generation by working as Head-hunters or bounty collection. Recently, they have started showing interest in acquiring the Forger city.

    It was evident that the advantage of having an entire City give them weapons as tribute was going to boost their morale. Amelia was reading through the rest of the data when Ying Yu arrived. The former asked interestingly, "What happened?"

    Ying Yu handed her a piece of parchment and said, "This just arrived and I think, this is why Sovereign Zither Soul hase to us."

    Amelia was immediately interested and took hold of the paper. She read the details and then looked back the at the page from the Titan Sect. She mumbled, "If the spection is correct than we can help them. After all, the Titans are acting a bit too much out of line with this conquesting style of theirs."

    Ying Yu was surprised but she nodded. Amelia was not looking to uproot the sect, but she was going to push back the Titan Sect as these people have been acting out. She said, "Thank you, Sister Ying."

    Ying Yu nodded and said, "What do you intend to do?"

    Amelia thought for a bit and set, "Get me the Seven Maidens. They will be the keys to upset the ns of those grizzly bears."

    Ying Yu smiled and said, "Amelia, sometimes I feel so gratified that you are not the enemy."

    Amelia gazed at her and chuckled. She then operated her spiritualmunicator and began to summarize the details of the data and pass it to Shi Lang. Her husband will be fighting the same war as hers if they were to stop the charge of the Titans.

    ...

    It waste at night and Shi Lang was still sitting in the library. The Young Master''s preservance have shocked everyone. He was sitting in the same position for almost a day now. Shi Lang was reading when he found a message on his spiritual controller. He found that the data was a bit too much.

    He took out a paper and began to write down with an ink brush. He mumbled while dipping the brush into the ink, "I need to make myself a fountain pen."

    The more he wrote down, the more surprised he felt. After he was finished, he thanked Amelia and gave her a few words of sweet nothings. Then he stood up from the chair and stretched his body issuing a few crackling sounds. He looked at the sky and found that it was prettyte.

    He shook his head and looked at a Young Man standing outside the library as he left the ce. He asked, "Can you tell me where can I find a vacant forging room?"

    The Young Man was surprised, he wanted to mock Shi Lang, but then he saw the red and gold dragon medallion tied on his waist. He froze and nodded hurriedly, "This way please, Young Master."

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile as he followed the guy. He asked the young man, "Brother, what is your name?"

    The young man was flustered, "Young Master, you can call me Xiao Jun."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Xiao Jun, do you know where is Pavilion Master Yang at this hour?"

    Xiao Jun shook his head and replied, "Young Master, I am just the gatekeeper for the library at night. I do not know where Pavilion Master would be at this hour."

    Shi Lang nodded and quietly followed him. As they reached the forging rooms, the Terran said, "Do me a favor and find the pavilion master for me?"

    Xiao Jun nodded and replied, "Yes, sir."

    Then he rushed away. Shi Lang shook his head with a smile and entered the room as he hummed, "Time to cook a storm, and break the norms. The world of the strong awaits a new dawn. La........."

    Shi Lang knew what the Zhu Family was after and what gave them the courage toe after the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion and the City Pce. He was not going to let them have their way. He was no longer the Terran Soldier, but the Scavenger King who was going to make them all miserable.

 Chapter 726 Emeris.

    <h4>Chapter 726 Emeris. </h4>

    ?Xiao Jun rushed through the corridors at full speed. He was an Immortal Soldier, and his speed was quick enough to round up the ce in a few hours. He reached the pavilion master''s courtyard and was stopped by two Immortal Lords at the entrance.

    Xiao Jun knew these two people and said, "Senior Dong, the Young Master has called for the Pavilion master at the forge room. He said it was urgent."

    Senior Dong was a guard beside Yang Tie and had been instructed to be informed promptly if Shi Lang was to send for thetter. Guard Dong nodded and then rushed inside the house.

    Yang Tie was cultivating at this moment, but his senses were alert. He sensed someone approaching the door of his room, and he opened his eyes. He asked, "Xiao Dong, what is it?"

    Do not look at his young age. Yang Tie was very old in real. The guard outside was used to this reaction from the old man and said, "Pavilion Master, an attendant is outside with a message from Young Master."

    Yang Tie stood up and walked out of the ce. He asked, "Who is the attendant?"

    Guard Dong replied, "Sir, the young man is an attendant at the library for the night shift."

    Yang Tie nodded, and then he came to the front of the house. Xiao Jun was getting anxious, but when Yang Tie appeared, he said, "Pavilion Master, Young Master asked me to guide him to a forging room, and now he is waiting for you there."

    Yang Tie nodded and said, "You did good, thank you."

    Xiao Jun bowed, but Yang Tie vanished the next moment. The young attendant shivered and shook his head to regain hisposure. Guard Dong said, "Do not worry, kid. We can never understand what game the elders are ying. Just keep doing your tasks, and you will receive rewards."

    Xiao Jun bowed to Guard Dong and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Dong. I should get going now."

    Guard Dong nodded, and Xiao Jun rushed away.

    ...

    In the forging room, Shi Lang faced a big furnace, dropping a few pieces of metal inside it every few minutes. He left the door open after entering because he expected Yang Tie to arrive at any moment.

    His expectations were not let down. Yang Tie dide over quickly, and the terran said, "Brother Yang, what can you tell me about Emeris?"

    The pavilion master was taken aback, but then he said, "Young Master, Emeris is a rare natural treasure. It is a metal capable of bncing and uniting any material. It is an omnipotent stabilizer, and even Saint-level forgers cannot get enough of it."

    Shi Lang nodded while he grabbed a red-hot piece of metal with a pair of long tongs. He asked, "Can you tell me the value of one gram Emeris?"

    Yang Tie shook his head and replied, "I have never seen this metal, and from what I have heard, every time this metal appears in the immortal in, it is acquired by climbing a mountain of corpses."

    Shi Lang nodded and picked up a hammer to beat the metal, "What would you say if I told you I have a mine of Emeris at my home?"

    Yang Tie was shocked. Then he chuckled, "Hahaha, Young Master, you sure are funny."

    He thought Shi Lang was joking, but the Terran said something that. shocked Yang Tie pale, "Pavilion Master Yang, you probably do not know, but the Zhu Family found an old ruin a few decades ago, and after careful probing, they discovered a chest filled with Emeris. The total weight of this metal is unknown, but you can understand that even if the metal is just a chunk. They have the power to drive many forces to their banner."

    Yang Tie shivered and said, "You mean to say Zhu Family has possession of Emeris?"

    Shi Lang nodded as he hammered away at the metal. He acted as if he was calm and dealing with something mundane. Yang Tie did not know what to say. He asked, "Young Master, what can we do?"

    Shi Lang said, "We steal it."

    His calm voice was like an explosion that destroyed Yang Tie''s resolve. He thought about what Shi Lang was saying and fell to the ground. Shi Lang stopped hammering and ced them in the quenching vat. He was surprised at Yang Tie''s reaction and said, "Come on, have a stomach. This is just the beginning. You will find how entertaining things can be with me around."

    Yang Tie took a deep breath and said, "Young Master, please do not say anything. More. I cannot take it."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You do not have to worry much now. Come with me. Let us go and find the city lord. I need his help."

    Yang Tie lunged and grabbed Shi Lang''s legs, "Young Master, I beg you, please spare me."

    Shi Lang sighed at the sight and said, "Listen here, Pavilion Master Yang. Wars are not always fought from the light; enemies do not need to be confronted head-on if you cannot stomach this situation. I will ask Old Man Tian Long for another Pavilion Master."

    Yang Tie shivered. He could not understand why Shi Lang was suddenly so cruel. His life''s work and effort were about to be gained and nullified. He asked worriedly, "Young Master, I will help you with everything I have, but please do not do this to me?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Brother Yang, I have no interest in discrediting you. However, please support me in this venture."

    Yang Tie smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, Young Master."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then they walked out of the pavilion. Yang Tie, who was against this entire operation, could not help but ask, "Young Master, why are we seeking the City Lord?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I need his saint-level forging skills."

    Yang Tie was surprised and said, "What makes you so sure he will help you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not understand the way of the world. If I promise him some Emeris, will he not agree to us?"

    Yang Tie was shocked. He could not understand how Shi Lang was so sure. However, the offer was attractive. Anyone would sell their soul for this metal, let alone a Saint-level forger.

    They did not leave the pavilion entrance but rushed out in a void tunnel. Yang Tie led them directly to the City Pce. They were both experts and hid their spiritual aurapletely. Suddenly, a figure appeared behind them and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

    Shi Lang sped his fist and bowed his head, "Pardon the intrusion, Senior Pie. However, I need an urgent favor from you."

    Old Man Pei asked coldly, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang asked calmly, "Sir, can you please inscribe these armor with masking arrays?"

    Old Man Pei nced at Yang Tie beside the young man and asked, "What arrays could you need that even a legend-level forger cannot inscribe?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Something that can fool the senses of an immortal sovereign."

    Old Man Pei was stunned, while Yang Tie was shivering from fear. Shi Lang was too direct for the two of them. Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Can you do it?"

    Old Man Pei regained hisposure and asked, "What do you intend to do with these arrays?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Sir, I intend to rob the Zhu Family of their most valuable chip in this game."

    City Lord Pie had been investigating the situation, and given his contacts, one day was enough for him to know that something was off with the Zhu Family. It was not a small matter now that Shi Lang had stepped forward to rob something from them.

    Old Man Pei asked, "What do you want to steal? Why should I help you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will give you one kilogram of what I will steal."

    Old Man Pei sneered and asked, "What could it be that can make you buy mybor, and that too for just a kilogram?"

    The terran smiled and said, "Would you still say the same if the payment was made with a kilogram of Emeris?"

    Old Man Pie thought Shi Lang was joking andughed. Hisughter was so loud that the people would have woken up from fright. He asked, "Kid, are you joking with me at this hour? Do you think you can get away after messing up with me just because I have a smiling face?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said sincerely, "Elder Pie, I have no such thought, and I love my life more than you can imagine. I have news that the Zhu Family possesses a couple of Kilograms of Emeris, which they have used to lure the Titan sect of the northern region into this alliance."

    Old Man Pie could not find Shi Lang lying and asked, "Are you serious?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "What will I gain by lying to you?"

 Chapter 727 Inside Zhu Mansion.

    <h4>Chapter 727 Inside Zhu Mansion. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang held the armor and inspected it carefully. He sighed again and again before he looked at Old Man Pie, "Elder, your prowess has made me know fear."

    Old Man Pie smiled as he waved his hand. The old man was not just a namesake. He said, "Young Man, I hope you know that yourpliment will not pay the bill. Don''t think I am cruel, but trade is never free. I did not work so hard for all my life to give away my effort to youths like you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I agree with your words. Do not worry. I will be back with good news. However, please try not to make things seem obvious to the Zhu Family."

    Yang Tie nodded and said, "You do not need to worry, Young Master. We also know we will have to face the Titan Sect if the news is connected to us."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now, you do not have to worry, but if you hear nothing from me for a few days, do not worry. As for your payment, Senior Pie, I will get it for you quickly."

    ...

    Shi Lang geared up and used the dark veil of night. He ventured near the Zhu Family mansion. He used no spiritual ability, whether in a void tunnel or flying in. He came directly to the mansion''s walls with his spiritual energy hidden. He could not get things done the easy way this time around.

    If he moves through the mansion with his spiritual energy flowing out of his body, it will be detected by the guards. If that happened, he would be dead without any remains left behind. Shi Lang took a deep breath and channeled his spiritual energy into the armor pieces he had worn.

    The terran made the armor tes as thin as possible and wrapped them on his body to hide itpletely. Another thing he did was to engrave his clothes with aplexwork of Illusion arrays. He did this to attain a camouge effect and trick the low-level tools moving around in the mansion as guards.

    Shi Lang jumped high and stood on the mansion wall. He did not go to the other side directly. It was not good and wise of him; this was enemy territory. He channeled spiritual energy in his eyes to find if there were any traps imnted in the ce.

    After ensuring things were fine, Shi Lang jumped off andnded in the mansion''s boundaries.

    ...

    City Lord Pie and Pavilion Master Yang parted ways and were waiting for Shi Lang to return to their ces. It would look suspicious if they were to be found by anyone in the same ce when the city was about to flip upside down.

    Old Man Pie was skeptical of Shi Lang, and so was Yang Tie. However, thetter waspelled to go along in the situation. He was a forced aplice. Yang Tie did not trust Shi Lang''s course of action. Fuck! He did not know where this guy found the Zhu Family owning Emeris. This was the rubbishiest thing he had ever heard.

    He shook his head and walked back and forth inside the room. He was as anxious as an ant on the stove. The arrival of the Young Master was supposed to be a good thing for them. Yet, this guy had not been here for a week and was embroiled in this mess.

    The more he thought, the more aggravated he felt. He was the pavilion lord. No person in this ce has ever defied and dragged him behind like this. He wished to inform Tian Long right away andin. However, he thought he would look like a child being bullied.

    He did not know what to say. If he had notined, his heart might not have been able to withstand the pressure. If he didin, he would look like a child, which would disgrace him. He was the subordinate of an Immortal Sovereign. His behavior was an extension of how his master behaved. If his actions reflected badly upon the sovereign, what would he do?

    Yang Tie could not help but sit on the ground as he thought about what to do.

    ...

    Tian Long was cultivating when he suddenly sneezed and woke up. He left the room, only to find Zither Soul standing before him. She was smiling, and Tian Long asked, "Did you get her on board?"

    Zither Soul nodded and replied, "Yes, I did. She agreed to it. She knows that Shi Lang and the future ascenders will need this alliance. The War Maiden Sect will provide them a good ce to train."

    Tian Long nodded and asked, "I wonder what that guy would say if he knew."

    Zither Soul thought of something and said, "You might want to meet him. I think Xiao Yang needs you to console him."

    Tian Long raised his eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Zither Soul sighed and replied, "Well, forget it for now. You will know soon enough."

    ...

    Shi Lang avoided the guards on the periphery and quickly made his way to the internal region of the Zhu Family Mansion. Given his sensory ability as a terran, it was not difficult for him. His real challenge was irregr probes of spiritual energy running through the mansion.

    This confirmed that the Zhu Family was up to something for sure. Otherwise, they did not seem to have any reason to run such probes. They must have something to hide and to protect.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath as he ventured deep inside the mansion. His speed was smooth, and he was very careful in his actions. It had been three hours since he started to move deeper inside the mansion. Now, the pressure on his psyche was umting slowly.

    The Terran had discovered the structural anomalies in many spots inside the Mansion. However, he was not in the mood to check if these spots were treasure lodes or death traps. He moved forward with one goal. Being a scavenger was not easy.

    He needed to maintain focus on his goals. People who search for treasures should focus on goals they had decided upon earlier. The more they tried to gain, the more they gave in greed. The more they were prone to dying early.

    The only trouble Shi Lang had to face now was to distract the expert guarding the treasure trove. Zhu''s family was very secretive. Their family vault was in the center of the mansion, and right above it was the sleeping chamber of the family''s ancestor.

    Usually, no one would go to that ce because the Zhu Family had strict instructions not to disturb the ancestor from his cultivation. The ancestor was in a state of half-death. He was an Immortal Emperor at the top of his realm. He could not reach the realm of a Sovereign.

    This old corpse had one breath left in him. He could only make one attack, which would be the family''s trump card to defend them. Shi Lang did not wish to fight with this person either because, other than this guy, they had a few more Immortal Emperors.

    Shi Lang had another n. He would be using another tactic to deflect these things. He located Zhu Lin, his enemy. The terran neared the room, where he sensed Zhu Lin cultivating. Shi Lang spotted a guard standing out of the door. He looked inside the room and found things to be different than what they appeared to be.

    Zhu Lin was having a good time with a couple of women. Shi Lang moved closer to the guard outside the door and took out his knife to directly sh at his neck. The guard did not have any time to react at all. Shi Lang cut the throat of the guard and shoved him inside the inheritance pce.

    Then, he slowly opened the door of the room and entered inside. Zhu Lin was banging two women, and his face was the epitome of euphoria. Shi Lang walked closer and made sure to keep his footsteps mute. He took out two needles from his space ring and flung them at the twodies.

    The women instantly fell silent, and Shi Lang appeared behind him before Zhu Lin could react. His fist dug into the spine of Third Young Master Zhu, disabling his body and also the cultivation.

    Shi Lang did not wait anymore. He left the room quickly, leaving Zhu Lin wailing on the cold floor of his room. The Zhu Mansion was instantly alerted, and Shi Lang steered clear of the chaos.

    His goal was to find the Emeris. That was likely to be found under the possession of the Ancestors. The family reacted, and someone noticed Zhu Lin and cried, "Third Young Master has been attacked!!!"

    The elders of the family rushed forward, and a loud voice echoed in the void, "Who the fuck dares to act so arrogant in Zhu Mansion?"

    The shout was so loud that it echoed throughout the entire city.

 Chapter 728 Scavenging Is An Art.

    <h4>Chapter 728 Scavenging Is An Art. </h4>

    ?The entire Forger City woke up from the roar that originated from the Zhu family mansion. Yang Tie was sitting on the ground; he propped up to his feet in a hurry and said, "Seal the pavilion. Increase the security!"

    Shi Lang had instructed him before entering the Zhu Family. They had to y decoys. Yang Tie picked up his sword and dashed out of the room. The entire pavilion was alerted, and Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue came out, too. They did not know what was going on. They looked around and found each other.

    They found it odd that Shi Lang was missing; they quickly approached his room and saw him calmly walking out of it. He asked, "What is going on?"

    Yun Xue shrugged, and Bo Qingtan said, "We should look for the Pavilion Master; it was his voice earlier."

    Shi Lang nodded, and they moved to look for Yang Tie. The pavilion lord instructed the head of security to strengthen the defense around the ce. When he saw Shi Lang walking up to him, he froze.

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and used his spiritual sense, ''Can you get a grip, Brother Yang? You arete.''

    Bo Qingtan asked, "Senior, what happened?"

    This address was correct because he was Shi Lang''s friend and not Shi Lang. Yang Tie said, "Something is wrong with the people in the Zhu Family. I am just acting on the defensive protocol. Young Master, since you are here already, please takemand. Have them guard the pavilion. I will head to the Zhu Family to check what is happening."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "You do not have to worry about anything, Brother Yang. Please go ahead and deal with what you must."

    Yang Tie nodded and rushed away. He did not even wait for Elfie toe by his side. The security head was stunned and could only look up to Shi Lang in a daze. Shi Lang sighed and continued instructing the man to arrange for patrols and other things more efficiently.

    The security head knew how to arrange a defensive detail. That was his job, but Yang Tie was so fucking anxious that he could not help but step up. He had even forgotten that Shi Lang left behind a clone in case anyone paid a sudden visit. They would not be busted.

    Elfie assisted Shi Lang, and this girl did not find anything unusual. The terran understood things were simple. Shi Lang moved through the pavilion and said, "Everyone, the situation in the city looks tense. I advise that everyone return to their rooms and ease the guardians'' work. Please, you will be updated as soon as there is any change."

    The people nodded and left.

    ...

    Meanwhile, the real body of the Terran was standing frozen in a corner, watching the ce bustling with activity. No one spotted him, thanks to the illusion and the spiritual disguise arrays on his armor.

    He was waiting for Yang Tie and Old Man Pie to arrive outside the mansion and capture the attention of the elders and the ancestors of the family so that he could invade deeper.

    Yang Tie and Old Man Pie were quick to arrive. Shi Lang had told them not to dy because theter they came, the more loopholes they would expose. Yang Tie was the first to appear, "Yang Tie seeks an audience with the Zhu Family."

    The Zhu Family was already having trouble looking for the guy who came into their home and disabled their young master. This action was done right under their noses, and they had no clue who had done it. This was a shameful event, and Yang Tie arrived when they were wrecking their brains to discover more about the culprit.

    This was going to be tough. An elder appeared in the void above the Zhu Family Mansion. He said, "Greetings, Pavilion Lord Yang; I am the second elder of the Zhu Family, Zhu Qai; how may I help?"

    Yang Tie frowned and said, "Second Elder Zhu, you do not have to introduce yourself. I am aware of your identity. Please pardon me, but a few moments ago, the ancestor of the Zhu Family had shouted. The impact on the city is too much. The people are on the streets, and it is very chaotic."

    Zhu Qai frowned. He could not understand why Yang Tie was so flustered. He was about to say something when City Lord Pie and another Elder appeared beside Yang Tie. Zhu Qai held his questions and asked, "City Lord Pie, Elder Meng Quan, what brings you two here?"

    City Lord Pie had a smile on his face, but Meng Quan was not amused. Thetter asked, "Fourth Zhu, better cut to the chase and tell us why that old ghost in your family is yelling in the middle of the night. Does he not know how to control his temper? Is he not afraid that hisst breath will be wasted if agitated?"

    Zhu Qai clenched his fist and rebuked, "Fifth Meng, you better watch your tongue. This is not your Meng family chicken coop. This is the Zhu family."

    As Zhu Qai spoke, his voice rose, and a few more people from the Zhu Family appeared behind him. They were all Immortal Kings. However, the Meng Family elder did not affect him, and he sneered, "Dogs always fight over territory, but a Lion walks unfretting. This ce I am standing on is still outside the Zhu Mansion. Do you believe your words can trigger a war?"

    Zhu Quan clenched his fist and wanted to attack them when City Lord Pie sighed and said, "Elder Zhu, Elder Meng, why not both of you take a step back? There is enough trouble in the city. Why can you both not act like your age? Just tell us what is going on, and we can help you. The quicker you solve things here, the quicker our city will calm down, too."

    Zhu Quan wanted to retort Old Man Pie when he heard a voice, "Xiao Quan, calm down."

    An old man appeared beside Zhu Quan, the first son of the Zhu family and the current patriarch. Yang Tie greeted him respectfully, "Greetings, Patriarch Zhu."

    The man nodded and said, "Pavilion Master Yang, apologize for the inconvenience at this hour, but an intruder has assaulted Xiao Lin. The ancestor is angry, and thus, there is chaos. We have not found any trace of the person inside the mansion."

    Yang Tie opened his eyes wide. He could not believe that Shi Lang did something like this. Not only he but even the City Lord and Meng Quan were shocked. Meng Quan asked, "Brother Zhu, do you mean someone entered the Zhu Mansion and attacked Zhu Lin? Also, this person even managed to evade the mansion from under your noses?"

    Patriarch Zhu was not amused by the stifledughter he noticed on Meng Quan''s face. He said, "If you have had your fill ofughter, please get lost, Meng Quan. If the Meng Family wishes to discuss this, tell them to send someone with a bit more etiquette than you have. I do not have high expectations from your kind of barbarians."

    Meng Quan did not bother with the criticism and replied, "Brother Zhu, if you know that we are all barbarians, then why do you expect things like mannerisms from us? Just tell us how you n to calm down the city?"

    Yang Tie wanted to speak when City Lord Pie told him to shut up. This guy had no tact and diplomatic sense. Patriarch Zhu took a deep breath and said, "I will send out the Zhu Family elders. That should be enough to soothe the chaos and unrest of the family."

    ...

    The moment, Yang Tie spoke loudly. Shi Lang took the queue and moved closer to the room where the ancestor of the Zhu Family was resting. The door was unguarded, and the Terran thought, ''This old man seems quite paranoid with the fear of death.''

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and dripped a drop of his blood on the floor. The drop squirmed through the grooves between the tiles. This drop of blood would go unnoticed by the senses of the old ancestor because the corpse was too busy looking for the culprit outside.

    Shi Lang was patient. He did not control the blood to move it too fast because even if the old man could be fooled, this could not be taken for granted. The drop of blood moved through the grooves, and the Terran located the secret trap door. This ce was located directly under the bed of the old corpse.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and controlled another drop of blood he had left on Zhu Lin''s body to create a clone. This clone did not look like him. However, when it suddenly appeared, it attracted the attention of all sides.

    His n worked just as he spected, and the old ancestor instantly vanished from his room. Shi Lang smiled and thought, ''The game begins.''

 Chapter 729 Rat Chase.

    <h4>Chapter 729 Rat Chase. </h4>

    ?An old man appeared inside the room where Zhu Lin was resting. He looked around but could not find anyone. The old man was perplexed, but upon searching again, he found the same unknown man appearing in another corridor. He vanished from the spot again to find nothing.

    Meanwhile, Shi Lang walked inside the old man''s room. The ce was decorated with minimal stuff. Shi Lang spotted the tile under whichy the treasure vault. He pressed it gently, and a click was heard.

    The blood had seeped inside already, so he was sure this thing had no traps. The tile sunk under the pressure and slid to the side, revealing a big ck pit. Shi Lang sensed the ce and found an anti-flying array engraved on the walls.

    This was a trick to prevent people from stealing. Such arrays could only be negated with special keys, but Shi Lang did not intend to return with the same route. He had something else nned. As he was entering the vault, he also controlled his clones.

    Shi Lang sensed that the old man was quickly catching up with his clones. If any of his clones were caught, who knew what method this old corpse would use to get to him? He jumped down in the vault and found the ce lingering with snakes. He did not even have the time to stabilize his feet when the spirit beasts lunged at him with their vicious fangs.

    The Terran channeled his spiritual energy through his body and retaliated. His sensory ability had already told him where the treasure was. He did not need to kill these beasts; he aimed to stun them and run away with the treasure. The reason behind this was the activation of his spiritual energy.

    The old ancestor will leave everything and rush here directly to check things. Shi Lang estimated a window of three seconds, given the fact that the old man was far out to the mansion boundaries. He would sense Shi Lang''s presence from the inside of the mansion. The shock will give the Terran a minute and one more second for him to reach inside.

    Shi Lang pressed his feet against the ground and shot inside the vault. His lightning energy was strong. It stunned the beasts in an instant. He can scan the ce repeatedly to narrow down his search. The properties of Emeris were unique. It would turn dark in light and glow in the dark.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath as he located three such treasure chests. He reached close to them all and ced his hand on the chests. The next moment, the chests were moved directly into his space rings. The Terran sensed a threat, opened a portal directly to the inheritance pce, and vanished.

    This ce was engraved with a space-locking array, but the inheritance pce was unique. It was made by Immortal Gods and had many dao rules applied to it. These rules allowed the portal from the pce to open anywhere at themand of the Pce master.

    Shi Lang vanished, and the old man of the Zhu Family appeared inside the vault. His sharp eyes noticed the missing treasure chests, and he roared angrily, "Insolent thief!!!"

    The entire mansion shook from his anger, and the people rushed to his side.

    ...

    Yang Tie and the two were about to leave outside the mansion outside the mansion when they heard the roar. Old Pie frowned and quickly waved his hand to contain the spiritual shockwave in the void. The tremors were not limited to the void; even the ground was trembling, too.

    Meng Quan wanted to ask something when the ancestor of the Zhu Family appeared in the void. His eyes were akin to that of a vulture. He looked at all three of them and asked, "Are you three rted to that thief who robbed my home?"

    The people were shocked. Meng Quan was shocked that this old man asked him something like this. City Lord was shocked that Shi Lang seeded in his task, as for Yang Tie, he was worried about the old man discovering anything.

    Despite the fear, he did not say anything or show it on his face. Old Man Pie came to salvage the situation, "Elder Zhu, how can we make a move against your family? Not only are you a big name in the city, but your family is also responsible for maintaining the peace in the city."

    Elder Zhu waved his hand and said, "Cut me the crap, Pie. You know very well what I am talking about. Suppose I discovered that any of you petty bastards made a move against my great-grandson and even dared to rob the house. I will have you stripped naked at the city center."

    Old Man Pie tilted his head and said, "Feel free to do what you must. If you troubled the people in the name of investigation, I will show you what a city lord can do."

    Elder Zhu looked at Old Pie in surprise, as did the rest of the people. The former raised his aura and asked, "Did you forget who you are addressing, kid?"

    City Lord Pie smiled and said, "OId man, I am respectful because you look like someone who has done much for his family and is on thest leg of his life. If you move against me, you better make sure that I die. If I survive your attack, I will bring down the entire Zhu Family."

    Elder Zhu narrowed his eyes and asked, "What gives you the strength to back your words?"

    Old Man Pie replied, "The martial arts council is not filled with clowns. Mind your own business. We can settle in the city. If I find any of your people making a mess, I will use them as an example. It is about time the city is cleaned of scourge."

    Elder Zhu was enraged; when had he been scolded like this? He asked loudly, "Who are you calling scourge?"

    City Lord Pie replied, "I have been closing one eye at what your great-grandson did while he was designated as the City Guard Chief. However, now that he has been disabled, he is no longer the city guard chief. I will find someone else for the job. As for the Zhu family disciples in the city guard, they better act within their limits. I do not mind having them keep Zhu Linpany."

    Elder Zhu and the rest of the family people clenched their fists. They were enraged as the old city lord scolded them. Yang Tie''s back wasyered with cold sweat. He wanted to meddle and calm the old man down, but looking at Meng Quan, who was all smug, he could not understand how things were going.

    Old Man Pie finished his piece and said, "I will leave now. You can mind your own family."

    The old city lord vanished, and Meng Quan followed without a word. Yang Tie bowed to the Zhu Family people and vanished from his spot. Elder Zhu was so angry that he could not help but cough up some blood. Patriarch Zhu spotted this and quickly helped him back to his chamber.

    However, the sight before him was shocking. The bed of the ancestor was flung away, and the vault below was revealed. He said, "Seal the family. No one goes out, and nonees in. Call back all the disciples from their tasks. The family is under attack."

    This announcement shocked the rest of the elders, but they could not say anything. Elder Zhu cleared their doubts. "Someone entered the vault and stole Emeris''s chest. This guy also took away the Celestial Gold Chest. The family will never ovee this crisis. We are forced into a corner."

    The people were shocked into a daze. They could not understand what the old ancestor just said. Zhu Qai asked, "Second Uncle, what you mean is someone came inside the house. Not only did they disable Xiao Lin, but they also took away our valuable treasures?"

    The old man coughed up again, and blood seeped out from the corner of his lips. Patriarch Zhu red at Zhu Qai and spoke coldly, "If you have so much energy, look for the bastard who did this. Call back everyone and have them look for any clues. I will not rest until I have found this bastard. I want to see his corpse even if he has been imed by the lord of death himself."

    The elders bowed and rushed out of the room. Patriarch Zhu asked, "Grandfather, what is it?"

    The old man shook his head and said, "I checked every nook and cranny but found nothing except a few drops of water. It is as if someone knew where and how to get to the treasures. Find out if anyone from the family is missing. I suspect we have a rat in our home."

    Patriach Zhu was shocked, but he also knew that things ran deep in this world. He nodded and said, "I shall get to it at once. You must take rest. The centurion tournament is around the corner. We will need your presence to make a move."

    The old man nodded and said, "Go, chase. I will be fine."

 Chapter 730 Sharing Is Caring.

    <h4>Chapter 730 Sharing Is Caring. </h4>

    ?The Zhu Family was in chaos; they could not find any trace of the person who had robbed them. They could not do anything about it buty low. If they told the other people what happened apart from the attack on Zhu Lin, this entire debacle would be a stain on their faces.

    They could sacrifice Zhu Lin with the title of the wasted youth, but they could never lose their faces as the big name in the city. People with insecurities preferred their faces more. The Zhu Family was no different.

    ...

    Yang Tie returned to the pavilion and was disconcerted by what he witnessed. The young master managed to hunt the treasure inside the Zhu Family. Another thing that shocked them was that City Lord Pie did not give a face to the ancestor of the Zhu Family.

    He was almost flying off the handle and triggering the chaos in the city. The Zhu Family lost their Third Young Master inside their home. This was not as simple as just an assassination but also a challenge to the fortitude of the family. The more Yang Tie thought about it, the more his head spun.

    He retired to his room quietly. City Lord Pie had agreed to visit them after a week to find his share of the loot. Yang Tie was worried that anyone would find out what they had done. The Zhu Family might give up all pretense ande at them with a full-blown battle.

    This was not the optimal time to have a battle. The tournament was crucial, and the people could use any chance to ruin the contenders of the other force. Thinking about this, Yang Tie wanted to go out and meet Shi Lang.

    However, thetter appeared at his doorstep before he could find the Terran. Yang Tie opened the door and hesitated. Shi Lang sighed and said, "It is me, Brother Yang, and you must get a grip. You are a pavilion master. Please be a bit more confident."

    Yang Tie let out a breath and fell to the ground. He was exhausted. This entire thing was mentally taxing to him. Shi Lang shook his head and asked, "Did you contact old man Tian?"

    Yang Tie was dazed, and Shi Lang waved his hand and turned around. He was going back to his room. The pavilion master was overwhelmed by all the things that happened that day. Shi Lang thought he was expecting a bit too much from him.

    He went back to his room and sat down on a cushion. He sent a message to Tian Long with his spiritualmunicator. He only mentioned that he wanted to meet thetter. After that, he sighed andy back on the ground.

    He mumbled, "I wonder if that old lizard will be shocked to death."

    Thinking about this, he smiled. He had already inspected the goods and found that the chest filled with Emeris was bigger than the other two. The people from the Zhu family had already handled the chest. They had ced a few restrictions on it, but nothing that could not be handled by the old ghosts in the inheritance pce.

    As for the spiritual treasures, those ghosts charged him a few and absorbed the natural treasures to be stronger. Shi Lang did not even have the time to protest. Raksha shivered inside his spiritual tattoo and said, "Lang, can you give me a handful of Emeris?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Why do you need that thing?"

    Raksha replied, "To craft a sheath for myself. Also, will absorbing the material allow me to pass the heavenly tribtion?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and asked, "What do you mean by the heavenly tribtion?"

    Raksha smiled and said, "I am a Legendary spiritual artifact. However, you do not know I can ascend to the saint-level spiritual artifact. Imagine how strong I can be then."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Are you sure you only need a handful?"

    Raksha nodded and answered, "Well, as far as Emeris is considered, yes."

    The Terran became alert and asked, "What do you mean by ''as far as'' Emeris is considered?"

    Raksha replied, "You think promoting a spiritual artifact is easy? We have it harder than you humans."

    Shi Lang sighed and shook his head, "I have no idea how many such treasures you will be consuming."

    Raksha shrugged and replied, "Even if you give me all the treasures you find, it is not guaranteed that I might ascend the level easily. One must not depend on external resources. Heavens, do not forget that."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fine, I will give you the Emeris when Tian Long is here. Let me rub it in his face a bit."

    Raksha asked in surprise, "You do not intend to give him anything?"

    Shi Lang shook his head, "I will give him. After all, he sent me to this city. It was his credit somehow. However, I will give him a pinch of it."

    The spiritual artifact could not help but burst intoughter. She calmed down after a bit and said, "I wonder if he would cough up blood."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "This reminds me, what happened to that old guy of the Zhu Family?"

    Raksha replied, "I was with you. How would I know?"

    Shi Lang thought and said, "Yeah, correct. Someone ought to know, though?"

    A calm voice echoed behind him, "Ought to know what?"

    Shi Lang stood up and turned to find that Tian Long and Zither Soul had appeared inside his room. The Terran smiled and said, "Old Ancestor of the Zhu Family probably got hurt."

    Tian Long raised his brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang smiled, approached Zither Soul, and said, "I have a gift for you."

    Tian Long rolled his eyes and asked, "Are you ignoring my question?"

    Shi Lang''s smile vanished and said, "Raksha, deal with this guy."

    Raksha appeared beside him, and Shi Lang took a chunk of silver-ish metal and presented it to her. Zither Soul was confused and asked, "Lang, what is this?"

    Shi Lang smiled and told her with a spiritual sense. Thedy was shocked and then gave up herdy-like cold manner directly to snatch the piece of metal. The Terran smiled and said, "Don''t share it with your husband."

    Zither Soul nodded. Tian Long saw this and asked, "What is this about?"

    Shi Lang tossed a chunk of metal to Raksha and then took out a smaller one to hand over to Tian Long. The sovereign was not clueless; he gawked at the piece in his hand after a thorough examination. He asked with a stammer, "Where... where did you... find it?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "In the secret vault of the Zhu Family. They are worthy of being called a big shot."

    Tian Long and Zither Soul were shocked. They exchanged nces, and the man asked, "Did they find it was you?"

    Shi Lang nced at him in disdain, "Who are you talking to, plebian? I am not the Scavenger King for nothing, okay? Mind your business."

    Then he flicked his sleeves and turned to look away from him. Tian Long clenched his fist and asked, "Bastard, stop with the antics. If you are discovered, the situation will be bad."

    Shi Lang said, "That is why I have called you here."

    He took out another chunk of Emeris and said, "This thing is to be divided among the people involved in this conspiracy. This thing and your face value shall be enough to alleviate them."

    Tian Long was surprised and asked, "Why pacify them?"

    The Terran asked, "I am not strong enough to kill a Saint-level forger. Also, it would be a huge waste."

    Tian Long appeared behind him and grabbed his shoulder. He asked in disbelief, "What did you just say?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "The aplice who provided me with the means to infiltrate the senses of a peak Immortal emperor is a Saint-level forger, also known as City Lord Pie. Can you handle him, or do you need me to go?"

    Tian Long almost coughed up blood, watching this guy act so nonchntly. He did not expect Shi Lang to up his game to the level where even the City Lord was involved in such a conspiracy. He wanted to ask what medicine Shi Lang fed them but held his question back for the risk of being called stupid.

    Zither Soul said, "What are you waiting for? Long, go and deal with the issue."

    Tian Long nodded and walked out of the room in a daze, and the people heard a loud call, "Yang Tie,e here!"

    Shi Lang shook his head and remarked, "Sis, you know this pair of men has no guts. I wonder why old Tian was called the Heavenly Providence. Why did you fall for him? He has no spine."

    Fairy Moon Jade sighed, "In the Immortal in, I had no other options. He is stillparatively better than the rest."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Such apromise. By the way, do you want to drink? I made the first big score in this world."

    Moon Jade chuckled and said, "I have bought you good wine. Come. I also want to talk about the Alliance with War Maiden Sect."

    Shi Lang gave her a thumbs-up and followed her to the garden. He sent a spiritual message to Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue as well. The things they were about to talk was a big issue and he needed them to learn.

 Chapter 731 Scheming Against The Titan.

    <h4>Chapter 731 Scheming Against The Titan. </h4>

    ?Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan stood behind Shi Lang in awe. They watched him sit across an Immortal Sovereign in the garden upon arrival. Zither Soul took out two earthen cups and a jar of wine from her space ring.

    Shi Lang opened the jar and poured some liquor into the cups for both of them. He sniffed and eximed, "What is this nostalgic scent?"

    Fairy Moon Jade smiled and said, "Home Brew."

    Shi Lang raised his head to look at her and said, "Someone finally learned to share the good stuff."

    Thedy chuckled and did not mind. Because of this wine, the two became sworn siblings in the past. Shi Lang tasted this wine by chance after robbing it of a person of a reputation sect. He searched for the source and found Moon Jade to be the person who came up with this recipe. In theing decade, he tried stealing the recipe ten times.

    Moon Jade was tired because Shi Lang was such a menace. Finally, she decided to give up. Moon Jade owned a ce in the imperial capital called Crescent Moon Bar. This brew was the life source of that bar. So, she sent out a public invitation for the scavenger king.

    Shi Lang knew many people would attack him if he went there. Yet for the sake of this wine, he still arrived and shocked Moon Jade. She asked him why he was after the recipe for this wine. The rogue cultivator replied simply that he loved the wine, and it helped him in cultivation.

    Thedy then proposed giving him ten jars from every batch she brews, but she would have to swear not to divulge the recipe. Shi Lang gave in without any resistance. He proposed that they both take an oath not to harm each other.

    Moon Jade thought about it and agreed; they dealt more with each other over time, and Shi Lang covered for her many times. Moon Jade once asked him, "Do you never have the intention to harm me and take away the fortune I have umted?"

    Shi Lang drank his wine and said, "I may be a scavenger, but I am not without morals, sister."

    Recalling that moment, Moon Jade raised her cup and said, "To the bond strengthened with time."

    Shi Lang was dazed, and then, with a smile, he raised the cup against her as he said, "To the bond that is chosen above all."

    The cups collided with each other. They chugged it down, and the Terran asked, "Can you tell me what you wanted to discuss so urgently?"

    Moon Jade had a faint blush and looked even more beautiful. Bo Qingtan was in a daze, and even Yun Xue was charmed. However, Shi Lang snapped his fingers, and they both woke up from their daze. The Terran said, "You two, take control of your emotions and do not look her in the eyes."

    Moon Jade sighed and said, "I still cannot control the charm, can I?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand in ax manner and said, "You need not worry. They are just kids. Now get to the important business."

    Moon Jade took a deep breath and said, "You know the alliance I have gotten into with the War Maiden Sect?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and Moon Jade continued, "You know that the Titan Sect is backing the Zhu Family here. What you do not know is that the Titan Sect has been going to many different cities and supporting many such small ns to usurp the powerful positions in the city."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "What is this? Covert manifestation of a united human side? Or are they being too ambitious?"

    Moon Jade replied calmly, "Thetter."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and asked, "You do not know much, do you?"

    The Immortal Sovereign was instantly humbled. The blush on her face deepened, and Shi Lang said, "Give me a few days; I will find out what is going on with them."

    Moon Jade asked, "Do you think that I cannot find out anything?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "You can, but the information''s reliability will be questioned. You and your people have too much fame and are too easy to notice. Easy to mislead."

    Moon Jade frowned and said, "Lang, we do not have much time. I am sure they will find out about the upset here soon. They mighte knocking at your door."

    Shi Lang thought about it and pinched his chin. He asked, "What have you allied with the War Maiden sect for?"

    Moon Jade replied, "To repel and counter the actions of the Titan sect in various regions. They have even started working. The prejudice of the two sideses in handy over this issue."

    Shi Lang hummed and said, "From what I understand about the Titan sect, they are led by men. They are arrogant and also prefer to settle every dispute with their fists. Do you not find it odd that they are supporting people in the shadows and trying to gain more control over the cities?"

    Moon Jade nodded and said, "That''s the most bothering fact. I have no idea who could be behind this. This change ispletely unexpected. Many of the forces have been alerted. Although they have not yet formed any alliance, I am sure they are looking into things."

    Shi Lang nodded and leaned over the table. He said, "Brother Bo, would you like to go and check if the Titan Sect is worth it?"

    Bo Qingtan was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang turned around to look at him and said, "Every major sect has a trial arena. They send their disciples there to fight and test their skills. Titan Sect has a simr ce, but the ce is open to all. What do you think?"

    Moon Jade looked at Shi Lang with a surprised gaze, and Bo Qingtan asked with his arms crossed before his chest, "What''s the catch? There is no free lunch."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied honestly, "If you lost, you will have to give up a secret skill or theprehension of your knowledge to them aspensation."

    Bo Qingtan shivered and said, "You are kidding me, right?"

    Yun Xue said, "What are you so worried about? Will this not mean they will be learning from you?"

    Moon Jade shook her head, "Lang, you are forgetting to mention something, are you not?"

    The Terran sighed and looked at the sky as he said, "They will be disabling your cultivation if you lose."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan reacted in unison, "What the hell!!!"

    The Terran shrugged and said, "Fine, do not go."

    He pulled up his sleeve and used his spiritualmunicator. Bo Qingtan inched closer to him and asked, "What are you doing?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Sending out the people from Asura Hall to swing by that ce."

    Bo Qingtan asked, "You are okay with them being disabled?"

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and said coldly, "What do you mean? I protect my own, but the people in Asura Hall are not weak. They will not give up on a task before even trying. Also, there are methods to protect or even regenerate cultivation for someone in adept time."

    Bo Qingtan clenched his fist and asked, "What do you mean? You speak of it as if this thing is child''s y. Do you know how many heavenly natural treasures are needed for this?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am not forcing them. The task is voluntary. If none of them goes to Titan Sect, I will go myself."

    His words soundedid back, but the people knew he was serious. If any of his people suffered in the Titan Sect, Shi Lang would destroy that sect. He was not talking big but stating facts. One of the few things Bo Qingtan learned from Shi Lang was that to bring down a big enemy, and one did not need to be strong; wisdom was also a lethal weapon.

    He took a few minutes and said, "Fine, I will go. Give me the location."

    Fairy Moon Jade was surprised and asked, "You should think carefully."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "Senior, I have thought carefully about it. Do not worry, and I am a sword cultivator. I cannot give into the fear of death. Otherwise, I should not have set out on the sword path either."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, well said. Get going then."

    The people found his reaction odd, and they looked at him. Fairy Moon Jade lunged and snatched the wine jar from him. She rebuked him, "You greedy man, when will you learn to stop drinking? Do you wish to explode? Go work it up."

    Shi Lang nodded in a daze and he stood up wobblingly. He moved some distance away from the table and began to perform his boxing and kicking routine. Yun Xue asked, "What happened? His face is flushed."

    Fairy Moon Jade said, "He is high on spirit wine, he needs to work it up. The daze will allow him better protection from distraction and maybe he might gain enlightenment."

 Chapter 732 Changes In The North.

    <h4>Chapter 732 Changes In The North. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang began to punch and kick through the void. His footwork was unstable, but he did not fall. Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan watched him from the side, and the former asked, "Senior, can I have a mouthful of this too?"

    Zither Soul was surprised but regained herposure and said, "You can have the mouthful, but you will not gain enlightenment from it."

    Yun Xue asked, "Do we need to get drunk?"

    Zither Soul nodded and replied, "Yes, this brew is not something anyone can consume; you need to be at least in the Immortal King realm to control the kick you get from it. Lower realm practitioners can lose themselves to ecstasy. Do you know what that means when you have the power to destroy a mountain with a punch? Chaos."

    Yun Xue nodded to her. Zither Soul said, "You do not have to feel down about it. I will give you this jar as a gift."

    The snow maiden was shocked. She wanted to refuse when Zither Soul said, "You are at the peak of the Immortal Lord realm. You can step into the next level at any moment. This will help you consolidate your foundation in the next realm."

    Yun Xue nodded, and Zither soul took out two small jars. She casually tossed them to both of them. Bo Qingtan was surprised that he also got one. He asked, "Senior, is the growth of the Titan Sect really that bothersome?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "Yes, it is not about who holds more power but self-monitoring. The history of the Immortal ne has proven time and time again. Power can make people go mad and act in ways detrimental in the long run."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "Back in the sect, my Master used to teach us that people with power should always maintain a humble mindset and help the weak. Only aftering to the Central ins did I realize that those with power are hungry for more and want it at any cost."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded and said, "That is the truth. If not for this eternal internal strife. The demons would not have been able to get the better of us."

    The two nodded and wanted to talk more when Tian Long arrived. The two bowed to greet him, and thetter hummed in acknowledgment. He said, "Why are you two standing? Have a seat."

    Bo Qingtan was flustered and asked, "How can we sit next to you, Your Excellency."

    Tian Long rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up and sit down already."

    Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan were denied the right to protest. Tian Long looked at Shi Lang and asked, "He is drunk again?"

    Moon Jade nodded. The two youngsters found it odd when the two seniors acted as if they had known him for a long time. Tian Long noticed this and said, "It is about time I will tell you both something. You must keep it a secret from Shi Lang."

    The two were stunned and nodded. Zither Soul watched her husband with curiosity. Tian Long said, "We talk about him like this because his soul has a fragment of a friend we knew from our time in the lower realm. You two may not understand this, but souls are very mysterious. Even though we do not know how it works, it is the process of reincarnation. This is why he gets some special treatment."

    The two people were stunned; they did not expect Tian Long to let them in on something like this. After all, this was a sensitive issue. Yun Xue asked, "Does he not know the truth?"

    Tian Long nodded and replied, "He does not and should not. The awareness of this thing can change the course of his life. We do not wish to do anything like that."

    The two youngsters nodded. Zither Soul asked, "What happened to the issue he sent you to deal with?"

    The heavenly dragon sovereign replied, "I have solved it. To think this guy has charmed a Saint Forger intomitting such a crime. If the Zhu Family or the Titan Sect found out, they would go crazy."

    As he finished speaking, Zither Soul appeared behind him and smacked the back of his head. The people were stunned, and Zither Soul said, "Have you lost your mind? Why are you talking out loud? Do you think the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion is free of spies? My brother is correct. You are gettingcent in your old age."

    Tian Long was stunned; it had been long since Zither Soul snapped at him. He raised his head to look at her and wanted to apologize when thedy red harder at him and replied, "Not another word."

    Tian Long was trained to be an obedient child. Zither Soul looked at Bo Qingtan and said, "Boy, you should get going now. Titan Sect is far."

    Bo Qingtan stood up and followed the eviction order. Yun Xue was smart and stood up from the side as she said, "I will be heading to cultivate as well. Have a good night, Seniors."

    Zither Soul nodded, and Yun Xue trotted away quickly. Shi Lang was still practicing his moves in a daze, but he was getting sharper with every step.

    ...

    While Shi Lang was practicing, Amelia was investigating the Titan Sect. She had sent out scouts and wasing up with a strategy to deal with this shady move by the Titans. The main hall of the War Maiden Sect had been transformed into a war hall. The elders and the elite legacy disciples were present to help Amelia.

    Amelia stood at the table, looking at the situation with narrowed eyes. All the details they had about the Titan sect and their strength werepiled and verified at this ce. She said, "Elder Flower Sword, do we have the people in position?"

    Flower Sword nodded and said, "Seven teams have been selected. Each will be under the lead of an Immortal Empress. But, Sect Mistress, I have a question."

    Amelia nodded and asked, "Yes, please tell me what it is, Elder."

    Flower Sword''s words made everyone look at Amelia. They also wanted to know a few things. The elder asked, "Why are we sending out an Immortal Empress to deal with these forces?"

    Amelia nodded and replied, "You misunderstood my actions, Edler. We are not sending the seniors to deal with the enemy but to protect the teams in action. The young will take the action, and the seniors will only guide them when necessary. The expeditions are an experience for the maidens out there.

    Another purpose for the Seniors is to notice if there is any suspicious movement in the shadows. I will not be ruling out the possibility of any demonic involvement in this situation. The Titan Sect has been upright for thousands of years. Why are they trying to upset the bnce of power in the immortal region? I need to find out all these answers. Also, please instruct the teams if they encounter anyone with ck and red robes. They are not to attack and cooperate with them."

    The women were surprised when Ying Yu said, "Those people belong to allies from a secret investigative agency operated by Ace."

    The name Ace was enough to make everyone understand it. Amelia said, "Go on, begin the operation."

    Flower Sword nodded, and then she used the spiritualmunicator. The War Maiden Sect used this device for tactical usage while the world was still catching up to normalmunication. The jade tower has gifted thesemunicators to them as a gift of alliance.

    Amelia was happy because she knew what a big deal it was for her sect. She grew up where these things were hailed from and knew how to use them better. She exchanged a message with Shi Lang to develop a tacticalmunicator that could be used for instantmunication, and the Terran had promised her that he would be doing that soon.

    She raised her head and gazed at the seven spiritual screens suspended in the void. Flower Sword said, "The attack hasmenced."

    Amelia nodded. In the past few days, they have been training to covertly infiltrate and take down the enemy. Amelia was teaching them the Terran way of attacking. They haveplete knowledge of which forces were conspiring with the Titan Sect. The important targets were all sorted.

    They would take out the people who betrayed the alliance with the War Maiden Sect and make an example out of them. Amelia may look gentle but even colder when maintaining a higher status in an alliance. Ying Yu watched the people move on the spiritual screen and said, "Do you think someone is in the shadows?"

    Amelia replied calmly, "Too early to tell. Elder Flower Sword instructs the teams not to drop their guard at the end of it all. If they fell in a trap, I will skin them even if they survived."

    Her cold,manding nature made the people fear her, and Flower Sword hurriedly forwarded the message. The sect hade to believe in a new ideology, ''Cruel to the enemy, crueler to yourself.''

    Amelia followed this path of thinking to her core. After three hours of continuous monitoring, the teams reportedpletion with minor injuries. Amelia instructed them all to pull back immediately. She said, "Sister Ying, send the message to Senior Zither Soul. There is a dark hand in shadows."

    The people were shocked because they did not know what Amelia noticed.

 Chapter 733 Enemy At The Door.

    <h4>Chapter 733 Enemy At The Door. </h4>

    ?Amelia ordered Flower Sword to message that someone was in the shadows. She was sure of it because the raids went smoothly. It was too smooth. If not for her experience, she would not have noticed this face.

    Ying Yu asked, "Sect Mistress, what did you detect?"

    Amelia smiled and said, "Before I reveal the finds, seal the sect, and everyone in this room must take a heavenly oath that they have never divulged the secrets of the recent meetings to any outsider. I am only doing this to ensure we can trust each otherpletely."

    Flower Sword frowned and asked, "Sect Mistress, do you mean that there is someone among us who betrayed the sect?"

    Amelia nodded, and the people gasped. The young sect mistress continued, "Edler, it is not that the traitor is among us in this room. It could be anyone. That I have not yet been attacked for revealing this confirms the conjecture. However, we still need to ensure that our chain has no weak links."

    The people discussed each other. Amelia waspletely on her toes at this time. If there were any movement that endangered her, she would attack with everything she had and die trying to kill the traitor.

    Ying Yu sighed and said, "What do you people have to think so much for? Are we sisters so weak? Then I will take the first oath."

    The women were all surprised when they watched Ying Yu swear a heavenly oath. She managed toe out alive from it, and Amelia followed her. Flower Sword was the third, and slowly, all the elders and the seven legacy disciples took the same oath.

    Amelia said, "One of the people among the raiders is likely to be the traitor. I suspect they leaked the information to the enemy in the shadows."

    A legacy disciple asked, "Why do you think so?"

    Amelia replied, "Senior Sister Mel, there are too many variables in such raids, even after the rehearsals and the experience. We cannot narrow down the risk to zero. I am not saying that someone must die. However, you all have witnessed. Do you think these raiders found the gist of such attacks in just their first incursion, and they were smooth?"

    Mel thought about it. She looked at the spiritual screen and said, "Now that you mention it. Even if the enemy was surprised, they must have reacted somehow. The fights they put up were not desperate enough. They epted deaths a bit too easily."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Correct, that is the reason behind my conjecture. Elder Flower Sword, please ask the Immortal Empresses to search the cities with their spiritual senses to look for spaces they cannot detectpletely and prepare me a list."

    Flower Sword nodded, and Ying Yu remarked, "You suspect the enemy is hiding in in sight. You want us to get them in a surprise attack?"

    Amelia shook her head and replied, "We do not have the time to make a second move. We need to prepare; I suspect guests will being. We will need Master to make an appearance. As for the enemy, leave them to my husband. We have done our part."

    Legacy disciple Mel said, "I want to see how your husband will deal with this."

    Amelia smiled and said, "I will have him send someone here so we can learn from them."

    Mel and the rest of the people nodded but were not expecting much from the Asura Hall. Amelia sent out a few messages from her spiritualmunicator and then urged the Sect to clean up the ce.

    ...

    On the other side, Tian Long and Zither Soul were sitting across each other as they watched Shi Lang''s fists and kicks be sharper. The former said, "Why does it feel like he is gaining some enlightenment?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "Leave him be. Please tell me how you will deal with the Zhu Family. They will be crying to their fathers by now."

    Tian Long nodded and said, "I will stay here. I will deal with them if theye before Shi Lang has finished his enlightenment. If his enlightenment ends before theye, I will let him handle the things. After all, he was the one who created this mess."

    Moon Jade nodded and said, "Well, he is not scared that much, is sure, and given how witty he has be from his second life in the lower realm, he will have those muscle mountains run for their money."

    Tian Long nodded as he continued to watch Shi Lang. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. Moon Jade asked him softly, "What happened? Why do you smile?"

    Tian Long replied, "Do you know how we got together?"

    Moon Jade was surprised about why he bought this up. She asked, "Was it not because you saved my life valiantly and we became friends?"

    Tian Long shook his head with a smile and pointed at Shi Lang. Moon Jade was confused, and the man said, "I remember it was the night of Summer Solstice, and he had just finished exploring a ruin for the seventh time. Someone tipped off Bounty Hunters of his sighting. They had surrounded him, but he managed to run away like always.

    However, he got hurt in the process. Coincidentally, his body washed up at the shore where Princess Ying was camping. He never had many friends but never stole from righteous ones. Princess Ying helped him, and he asked her to repay that debt.

    She asked him if he could pair her up with me. I owed him the debt of my life, after all. However, Shi Lang refused and told her he had selected me as his sister''s groom. Princess Ying was surprised; this guy left her with a piece of forest essence. During a joint expedition, Princess Ying told me about this incident when she got drunk.

    I was about to wave it off when he suddenly appeared. He was bleeding and was injured again. He only told me to save the life of the person in the direction he pointed and fainted. That was how I met you."

    Fairy Moon Jade was surprised and did not know what to say. After a moment, she said, "Do you know what happened that day?"

    Tian Long shook his head, and thedy said, "We both met by coincidence and rushed in an ambush while chasing a heavenly herb. Shi Lang did not stand to gain anything from that herb, but I did. He secured the herb and garnered hatred from Sun Zhuling. When we were attacked, he saved me by taking on the fatal attack. He used his most precious life-saving card at that time.

    Although he never said it, I knew that in the attack, he suffered damage to his spirit foundation. You came and saved me, but the one who paid the price was him. After that fight, I realized he meant it when he called me Yue Jie."

    Tian Long nodded and said, "He never had a family in that life. Thus, he clung to people even if it were to be hated."

    As he said that, Tian Long held Moon Jade''s slender palm. Thedy said, "I wonder if I would ever be able to make up for the things he did. If not for that injury, he would not have been stuck in the lower realm to the point where the spiritual energy was exhausted. Maybe he could have be an Immortal Sovereign by now?"

    Tian Long took a deep breath and said, "Do not worry. If he found that you me yourself for it, he would not like it. He is here now, is he not?"

    Thedy sighed as she fell silent. Shi Lang''s figure suddenly came to stand still. Tian Long had been observing him and leaned forward. He said, "He came up with something."

    The next moment, he spotted a shallow phantom of a fist shooting through the void. The sovereign smiled and said, "He touched upon the unity of man and heaven."

    Raksha''s phantom appeared beside him, saying, "Indeed, your eyes are still sharp as ever."

    Tian Long raised his chin and said, "I just hope he does not waste his chance like this."

    Raksha chuckled and said, "You need to stop looking at him with the sses of mundanity on your nose."

    Tian Long was confused, but the next moment, he spotted the spiritual energy around Shi Lang, which began to spin and condense into a vortex. The energy was pouring into his body.

    He waved his hand and cast a barrier as he yelled, "Seal the Pavilion!!!"

    The Pavilion was already sealed, but even the spiritual energy was now sealed. Zither Soul said, "We will guard him."

    Raksha nodded and said, "Hmmm, you can, but what will you do about those two who just arrived in the city?"

    Tian Long said, "I will handle them. Do not worry."

    Raksha nodded and said, "If they make a move, I will remove their heads. Regardless of the consequences."

    Tian Long nodded when a loud voice reverberated in the pavilion, "Inner Sect Elder, Tie Gang of the Titan Sect seeks an audience with His Excellency Heavenly Dragon."

 Chapter 734 Titan Envoys.

    <h4>Chapter 734 Titan Envoys. </h4>

    ?Tian Long sighed after hearing the noise. He said, "Elder Tie Gang, I would appreciate you returningter. It is inconvenient for me to allow you inside the pavilion now."

    Tian Long denied the meeting, thinking that the person would go away, but Tie Gang replied, "Your Excellency, I havee here with the token of Sect Master Lan. I must see you."

    Tian Long raised his eyebrow and said, "Do you think you are Sect Master Lan? Even if he was here himself, I do not have to entertain you, do I? Mind your temper and leave while I am still talking nicely."

    They would have given up after such a stern warning if it were someone else. However, Tie Gang was not fazed and said, "Your Excellency, the sect master asked him toe here and talk to the strongest person in the city about a matter of theft. The stolen item is a rare treasure, and if you can help us investigate the issue, the sect master will happily divide the recovered item with you."

    Tian Long ced a hand on his mouth to stop hisughter but then sighed, "Fine! Come in, but if you tried to pull something funny before me. I will send your head back to your sect. Do you understand?"

    The guards heard themand from Tian Long, and they rxed. Tie Gang and hispanion were surprised to find the building on such a high alert. They became suspicious. After all, what could be the reason Tian Long was present in person and the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion was closed off to people?

    The two people came inside, and then a guard led them to the garden where Tian Long and Zither Soul sat under the tree. Tie Gang sped his hands, bowed to the two sovereigns, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellencies. I did not expect to meet the both of you when I came here."

    Tie Gang was an Immortal Emperor, and he had sensed their aura and decided to investigate first. Tian Long nodded, while Zither Soul did not react at all. She did not intend to deal with just anyone. Tie Gang did not have the authority even to mind her indifference.

    Tian Long asked, "Why has Old Lan sent you over?"

    Tie Gang replied, "The Zhu Family in the city had been safe keeping a treasure for the Sect Master. We just learned about theft. The thief attacked my closed disciple and disabled his cultivation. We wanted to seek assistance from the City Lord, but now that I found you, I decided to ask you. Please give the Sect Master some face and help us, Senior. The titans will not forget this debt."

    Tian Long spoke slowly, "I did hear of this incident from Xiao Yang. However, I am afraid I cannot help you until my junior finishes his cultivation."

    Tie Gang was surprised when suddenly he sensed the boiling spiritual energy from the side. He turned his head and was stunned to watch Shi Lang standing amidst the vortex of spiritual energy. He opened his mouth but could not say anything. One thing was sure to him, the man inside the vortex was sucking the spiritual energy akin to a ck hole. The potential of this guy was massive.

    Suddenly, Zither Soul asked, "Who else did you bring along, Elder Tie Gang?"

    Tie Gang woke from his daze and replied, "This is my first disciple, Yun Tian."

    The young man stepped up and greeted the two people again. Zither Soul gazed at him for a prolonged second before she went back to being indifferent. Tian Long nodded to Yun Tian and said, "You have a stable foundation. Keep up the good work."

    Yun Tian smiled and replied, "Thank you, Senior."

    Tie Gang thought highlighting his disciple''s achievements was a good time. He said, "Your praise will send him to the skies, Senior."

    Tian Long waved his hand and wanted to ask him something when the clueless Tie Gang said, "Recently, when he ranked among the top five in the sect disciplepetition, he thought he was a big shot. I had to teach him a good lesson."

    Tian Long curled his lips, and the two guests thought he was happy with them. They wanted to talk more when the spiritual vortex calmed down. Tian Long stood up, and a calm voice sounded, "Old Tian, it is time for a spar."

    Tie Gang and Yun Tian were shocked to hear such a tone. They looked at the source of the voice and found Shi Lang stretching his body. They were shocked even more, but then Tian Long said, "I will not lower my realm, but I will only use physical attacks."

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders as he gazed at the two guests. He said, "Big Sister, it is time to cast a barrier around us. The pavilion will crumble away. Also, prepare some medicine for your husband. I want to paint him blue."

    Tian Long raised his brow and said, "Aren''t you getting a bit too cocky?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and beckoned him over. Tian Long moved from his position and appeared beside Shi Lang with a punch aimed at his temple. The movement was so quick and sharp that Tie Gang sucked in a cold breath.

    Shi Lang smiled and allowed the punch to pass through his body. Then, his punch made contact with Tian Long''s waist and pushed him back. The impact did not do any damage, but it pushed him off.

    Tian Long was surprised and asked, "What did you do? How did you avoid that punch?"

    Shi Lang smirked and said, "Old man,e find out the answer yourself."

    The two began fighting, and Zither Soul watched the sparring session from the side with a smile. Tie Gang and Yun Tian were forced to move behind her to seek protection from the shockwaves that Tian Long''s attack created.

    Tie Gang asked, "Senior, who is this young man?"

    Zither Soul gazed at him and said, "My younger brother. The champion of Dragon Army."

    These words sent the two people into shock. They did not realize they were bragging before Tian Long while the champion stood in the same ce. They were embarrassed but could not say anything. They could only watch the two people spar with each other. Tie Gang said, "Xiao Tian, watch them carefully and try to learn."

    Yun Tian was a genius, but this level of the fight was holy material, and he nodded.

    ...

    Amelia was sitting in the main hall in the northern region, serving tea to her master. Thedy asked, "Why have you called me here?"

    Amelia did not hide anything. She told her the entire issue and the olddy nodded. She said, "You did well, do not worry. I will hold the fort if anyone dares to look for trouble."

    Amelia sighed in relief and said, "I need to climb the realm now. The heat of chaos is getting higher. Master, I have a bad feeling about this Centurion Tournament."

    The grand elder nodded and said, "I agree with you. However, you cannot be reckless. One step at a time."

    Amelia nodded, and they began talking about things. Suddenly, a loud voice echoed, "Lan Xiang, apologize for unannounced arrival. I wonder if the Sect Mistress is inside."

    The voice had just dropped when the main hall door was pushed open. This was an audacious action. Lan Xiang was stepping on the dignity of the War Maiden Sect. The Grand Elder calmly said, "Oh, I was wondering who let their dog out. It turns out that the king of mad dogs himself has arrived."

    Lan Xiang frowned and said, "Grand Elder, I came here to meet your Sect Mistress. Are you not stepping over a bit too much?"

    Amelia chuckled and said, "Sect Master Lan Xiang, you barge in our Sect unannounced. You barge into our main hall, interrupt our uncultured work, and dare to use my Master of overreaching? Do you think we are afraid of a war with you and your bunch of barbarians?"

    Lan Xiang yelled, "How dare you talk to me this way?"

    His aura raged and scared the people. He was an Immortal Sovereign; even Immortal Emperors could not hold a candle to him. Amelia was suppressed, but she did not show any fear on her face and replied, "Sect Master Lan Xiang, do you remember where this ce is? I can tell that even if this is your spiritual avatar, it will hurt you a lot if I destroy it."

    Lan Xiang and the others were shocked; when they turned to look at Amelia, they found that thedy was already dressed in ice-blue armor. The grand elder sighed and said, "Lan Xiang, if you are here to ask for an exnation about our moves against your people. Then it would be best if you got lost. The war maiden sect was never on good terms with your school. Also, you dared to move into our territory; if I brought this up to the Martial Council, you would have more than me to worry about. Lastly, if you have forgotten how I trashed you like a kid in our youth, I would not mind refreshing your memory. I do not wish to cause bloodshed. Leave!"

    Lan Xiang clenched his fists, and his eyes turned red from rage. He said, "Fine, old bitch, wait till the tournament. I will have my disciples kill every woman from your school theye across."

    Amelia tilted her head and said, "For every person of my sect, I will take ten of yours. So, if you wish to start a war, be very careful. I will not ept surrenders, and I do not need ves."

 Chapter 735 Titan Envoys (2)

    <h4>Chapter 735 Titan Envoys (2) </h4>

    ?Lan Xiang did not expect the War Maiden Sect to show him such aggression. He knew their sects were almost equally matched, but the War Maiden Sect was known for its calm attitude. He clenched his fist at Amelia''s deration.

    He asked, "What gives you the courage to say that to me?"

    Amelia smiled and replied, "The fact that I can invoke the sect defense array and then the Immortal Sovereigns and Emperors here can kill you in the name of self-defense because you barged in ournd. The fact that Martial Alliance will stand beside us in the hearing gives me the courage to call you out, Sect Master Lan. If you finish your act, please leave and do not make any other shady move in the territory of War Maiden Sect. As you know, we carry War in our name."

    The grand elder beside her nodded. Shepletely supported Amelia''s decision. The rest of the people rushed over from the outside by now, and they heard what Amelia said; some young women even held their swords to jump into action when Ameliamanded them.

    Lan Xiang looked at the situation; he was a barbarian but not a fool. After weighing the pros and the cons, he flicked his sleeves and said, "Fine then, I shall have my people wait for you in the Centurion Tournament."

    That said, he opened a void tunnel and vanished from the ce. The atmosphere calmed down, and Amelia finally cked her shoulders as she wobbled around. Her nose bled, and just when she was about to lose her footing, Grand Elder appeared beside her and grabbed her arm.

    She said, "Xiao Ying, take her to rest. The toll of suffering the pressure of an Immortal Sovereign is not low. She is exhausted. Get her to rest."

    Ying Yu nodded, and with the help of anotherdy, she brought the unconscious Amelia to her room. The grand elder narrowed her eyes, and her aura became cold. Every person looked at her, and the olddy said, "Flower Sword, increase the security of the sect. All the disciples attending the Centurion Tournament will train with me in the Forbidden Valley. They have to kill the Titans or die trying."

    Flower Sword was shocked, and the disciples took a deep breath. They could not help but shiver at the thought of stepping inside the forbidden valley. Amelia was the only one who had been there and was the strongest in her realm. They all feared her terrifying skills and knew it was all the result of training in the Forbidden Valley.

    Although people wished to be like their idols, when they got a chance, they feared if they could see things through. However, the grand elder was not in the mood to give them any chance to back off and said, "All of you, report to the valley entrance by midnight. Dismissed."

    War Maiden Sect had thrown down the gauntlet. They were going to War with the Titan sect. The barbarians will be met with a force they would not expect.

    ...

    Shi Lang and Tian Long had been sparing in the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion for five minutes. They were both shockingly talented. However, what looked like a nightmare to the people was that Shi Lang had the upper hand regarding technique.

    He was not yet able to harm Tian Long, but his blows did leave a few marks on the sovereign''s body. Tian Long had very long hair, and when he moved, they looked like a cloak of death. However, the cloak had been wrinkled.

    The pavilion staff heard the sounds of the battle and came over. They stood outside the barrier, but they could watch the battle in itsplete glory, and they were shocked to see Shi Lang being so skilled. Thebat techniques he disyed were baffling.

    Many Times, he caught Tian Long in a position where he could not defend himself, let alone react. Zither Soul smiled at the scene and said, "Long, you should stop. Your cheek is bruised."

    Tian Long grunted, and his fighting speed increased. For a moment, Shi Lang was overwhelmed. A golden armor was surrounding Tian Long. However, the Terran was not to be pushed back so easily. He also summoned his lightning armor.

    A girl from the side could not help butment with a blush, "Young Master looks so valiant."

    Tian Long heard it along with the rest of the people and focused on Shi Lang. He found an indifferent person who concentrated on battling him without any distractions. He was like a machine with the sole purpose of beating Tian Long. The sovereign understood why he was losing out.

    Shi Lang''s concentration was way ahead of him. He knew that the attack would defeat this guy if he acted with his full strength. He could injure Shi Lang. The sovereign took a deep breath and then said, "Enough!"

    The Terran stopped attacking and asked, "What happened?"

    Tian Long took a deep breath and said, "This much is enough; I was going summon my crown; you would notst for long then."

    Shi Lang thought briefly, saying, "If you say so, but I would have found my limit. However, forget it."

    Tian Long said, "Come, we have guests."

    The Terran raised his brows and gazed at the two unfamiliar men behind Zither Soul. He sped his fist and said, "Wee to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, Senior and Fellow Daoist."

    Tian Long quickly updated him on what was happening using spiritual sense. The two guests returned Shi Lang''s greeting. Tian Long approached the table, and Shi Lang stood behind him. He wanted to talk more when his spiritualmunicator shook a bit.

    Shi Lang checked the situation and found that the message was from Amelia. He hadplete control over his facial expressions and replied to her that he would look into it. He passed the details to the two Sovereigns with a spiritual sense. Tian Long took the lead and said, "Elder Tie Gang, I have urgent issues to deal with at the front. This matter will be left for Ace to see through. He will help you with the investigation. I wonder what you think about that?"

    Tie Gang was ted. The help of the Dragon Army champion meant a good thing for his ns. He hurriedly caught up to the bone thrown at him. He nodded and said, "I greatly appreciate this favor, Your Excellency. Thank you for your benevolence."

    Tian Long waved his hand and replied, "We should help each other when possible. Do not mention it. However, I wonder if anything will turn up because if the people of the Zhu Family cannot do anything to detect the thief, then I wonder if anyone else could."

    Tie Gang nodded and said, "We can only hope for the best, Your Excellency."

    Tian Long nodded, gazing at Zither Soul, "Shall we go?"

    Thedy nodded and gazed at Shi Lang, "You better take care of yourself. Do not miss out on your practice. The tournament is close, understood?"

    Shi Lang smiled at her, even though she spoke sternly, but her eyes were gentle. He replied, "I understand, Your Excellency. Please be safe on your way."

    He stood up and bowed to her gently. Thedy nodded, then vanished from the spot with Tian Long. Shi Lang looked around the crowd and said, "Alright, guys, it''s over. You should get back to your tasks."

    The crowd dispersed, and Shi Lang gestured for the two guests to take a seat. The people sat down, and Shi Lang served them tea. Tie Gang asked, "May I ask what caused the Sovereign toe over?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "The issue with the Zhu Family caused a lot of unrest, and the City Lord told them not to behave. Pavilion Master Yang reported the issue to His Excellency, and he came over."

    Tie Gang nodded and took a sip from his cup. Yun Tian asked, "Brother Ace, what happened to you earlier?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and Tie Gang scolded Yun Tian, "Xiao Tian, it is not nice to ask such questions."

    Yun Tian quickly apologized, but Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Elder Sister pointed out a few things, and I found them helpful, so I was cultivating. The vortex of spiritual energy was caused by me trying to control the energy around me."

    He was not a fool to tell them about his enlightenment. He changed the topic quickly, cutting off their chance to probe more, "Can you tell me, senior, how shall we approach the investigation?"

    Tie Gang nodded and said, "I will take Yun Tian to the Zhu Family mansion. You cane over there in the morning. Help Yun Tian check through the scene and see if you find any peculiarities."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will arrive in the morning. In the meantime, Brother Yun, please leave me with your spiritual trace. I will contact you in the morning only."

 Chapter 736 High Risk High Stakes.

    <h4>Chapter 736 High Risk High Stakes. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang watched the two people leave and sighed. He stood up from his chair and made a beeline to Yang Tei. He wanted to find out if Tian Long schooled this old boy. The Terran was up to something really scary. If the people around him did not have enough guts to see things through, then it would be a hassle, and they might get caught by the enemy.

    He stood at the courtyard door and asked the guard, "Is the pavilion master inside?"

    The guard nodded and replied softly, "Yes, young master."

    Shi Lang nodded and began to think about how to approach this issue. On the other hand, the guard was just a step away from getting down on his knees. Shi Lang''s spar with Tian Long had already been spread over to the people in the pavilion. They all had no idea their Young Master was such a terrifying monster. Now that they knew the extent of his skills, his presence alone was enough to suppress them all.

    After a few moments, Shi Lang asked, "Can I go in?"

    The guard nodded and took a step to the side. Shi Lang smiled and thanked the man before he walked inside. His small action impressed the guard even more. Shi Lang entered the courtyard and said, "Pavilion Master Yang, are you awake?"

    A few momentster, the door was opened, and Yang Tie walked out. He asked, "Young Master, what can I help you with?"

    Shi Lang gazed at the young man from head to toe, and Yang Tie shivered. The Terran smiled and asked, "What did old Tian tell you?"

    Yang Tie replied, "He told me to steel my resolve. The things you will do will only bear fruit when those who follow you have the utmost faith in you. He told me that we cannot stand at the peak of our beliefs with only diligence. We need to use our minds and sometimes underhanded means. I only hope that no innocent will be harmed."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I promise that I will not harm any innocent or will not ask you to do something that stains your dignity or conscience. However, in return, I hope you can stand strong beside me. The Peak is not something that just one person can take. The peak is a chase thatsts for as long as you are alive."

    Yang Tie nodded and asked, "I understand; I will try my best to aplish the tasks you assign me."

    Shi Lang nodded and took out a space ring. He used his spiritual sense and said, "This space ring contains a kilogram of Emeris and five kilograms of celestial goal. I want you to develop a few things from these metals."

    Yang Tie''s hand trembled as he held onto the space ring. He asked, "What equipment?"

    He expected Shi Lang to throw him in a bind, but this waspletely unexpected. If this was a test, then he had no margin of failure. If he failed to refine these rare materials, then he would rather kill himself with his hammer.

    Shi Lang nodded and gave him a few pages. The more Yang Tie read, the more baffled he became. He looked at Shi Lang, who said, "Go get things done. I need them as soon as possible."

    That said, he turned around, leaving the pavilion master. Shi Lang returned to his room to meditate; his gains that day were not shallow. The first thing he learned was the first intent, and the second was the intent of speed.

    His speed was so high that he could now vibrate his body, and the attacks would pass through him. This does not make him invincible, and he could not have made this move many times. The consumption of spiritual energy and stamina was too taxing. In the spar, he could only use it once, and that too on his whim.

    He consolidated hisprehension and waited for the sun to rise on the horizon.

    ...

    Amelia woke up in a daze, and after collecting herself, she sat up. She looked around briefly and then ran her spiritual cycle to check her health. When she finished checking, she stood up and left her room. Ying Yu happened to be standing outside.

    Amelia asked, "Are you here to check up on me?"

    Ying Yu shook her head and said, "Nope, just here to tell you that a little girl ims to be an Asura Hall member. Someone apanies her, but I have no idea what to do. She presented this token."

    Amelia was shocked and took the token. She inspected the token with her spiritual sense, and her brows furrowed. She said, "Take me to her."

    Ying Yu nodded and took her to the gathering hall. Hei Lei followed her, usually standing down to wait for hermand, but today, he wanted to see who was sent over by his master.

    Amelia came to the attending hall, where all the visitors gathered for events. She found the ce crowded with outer sect disciples. She frowned and asked a person from the crowd, "What is going on here?"

    The disciple was surprised, but Amelia gestured for her not to react too loudly, and the disciple said calmly, "Sect Mistress, the visitor was too cold to Ling Yue. Ling Yue asked her why she pretended to be so high and mighty. Who knew the child would challenge her? They are battling right now."

    Hei Lei heard the incident and said, "Madam, Ling Yue might be in trouble."

    His voice echoed in Amelia''s mind, and she looked at him in surprise. The lightning leopard said, "Xiao Yu came in person to meet you."

    Amelia mumbled, "Xiao Yu?"

    Her eyes opened wide, and she used her spiritual pressure to part the crowd. She moved close to the center and found a tiny figure fleeting around with an oversized sword in her hand. Ling Yue was using a spear, yet she was at a disadvantage.

    Amelia was stunned by Yu Xiedi''s disy of skills. She looked around and found a figure cloaked in a red and ck cloak with a mask on her face. This person was an Immortal Lord. Amelia guessed this must be someone from the upper echelon of the Asura Hall.

    She nodded to the person, who sped their fist and bowed in greeting. Amelia initially wanted to stop the fight but thought it was a good chance for the Asura Hall people to establish their reputation in the sect. However, the more she watched, the more shocked she became; Yu Xiedi was fighting exactly as Shi Lang used to in the federation.

    She could not help but smile. When Yu Xiedi was about to defeat Ling Yue, the person from the Asura Hall said, "Xiao Yu, that''s enough."

    Although they were establishing their reputation, they did not wish to harm the host''s confidence. Yu Xiedi pulled back her sword and came to a standstill. She said, "You have a good pace; you only missed out by falling into the loopholes I exposed purposefully."

    The little girl sped her fist and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

    Ling Yue was stunned, and Amelia said, "Ling Yue, greet the opponent."

    The girl woke up from her thoughts and returned the greeting. Yu Xiedi nced at Amelia and knelt on the ground as she said, "Yu Xiedi has seen Mistress."

    The crowd was shocked; they had not expected this little girl to greet Amelia as her mistress. Amelia waved her hand with a smile. The wave of spiritual energy lifted Yu Xiedi from the ground. She said, "You do not have to be so formal with me, Xiao Yu."

    Ying Yu said, "Alright, the show is over now. Go back to your tasks and focus on your cultivations."

    The crowd quickly dispersed, and Amelia asked, "Did your mastere you to ask here?"

    Yu Xeidi shook her head and said, "I sneaked out, but Senior Sister Meimei permitted me toe here with Elder Tang."

    Elder Tang walked over and bowed slightly, "Greetings, Sect Mistress Amelia."

    Amelia smiled at them and said, "Did he send you here to show how you work?"

    Elder Tang nodded and said, "The investigative teams have already set out. If you can arrange a ce."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Come along."

    Then, thedy ced her arm around Yu Xiedi''s shoulder and led them to the main hall. Yu Xiedi took a jade bottle from her space ring and said, "Mistress, Senior Sister Meimei sent you a gift."

    Amelia smiled and said, "Thank her for me."

    She epted the pill bottle and asked, "How is Xiao Mei?"

    Yu Xeidi talked to her briefly as they reached the main hall. The people in the hall knew that someone from the Asura hall had arrived. Amelia gestured for Elder Tang to get to work.

    Elder Tang quickly used the spiritual array tes and patched them with the spiritual screens. She looked at Yu Xiedi and said, "Xiao Yu, wanna call it?"

    Yu Xeidi thought and said, "Guide me if I am wrong."

 Chapter 737 Little Monster.

    <h4>Chapter 737 Little Monster. </h4>

    ?Yu Xiedi stood in the center of the room and gazed at the spiritual screens. Elder Tang stood beside her silently. Amelia asked the elder with her spiritual sense, "Can she handle it?"

    Elder Tang nodded and replied, "She is the direct disciple of our Hall Master. She is only restricted by her cultivation realm because the Hall Master forbade her. However, her investigative skills, tactic understanding, and even deduction are top-notch."

    Amelia nodded, not believing the exaggerationpletely because it was hearsay. It was not prejudice but a habit formed over the years. She wanted to see what this little girl was capable of other than being good at her martial skills. Amelia was stunned that this six or seven-year-old girl was at the peak of the spirit formation realm, but that was it.

    Yu Xiedi suddenly said, "All squads, do you copy?"

    Amelia was surprised, and Elder Tang said, "Theb in her hair is amunication device developed by the research department. It helps with quick vocalmunication. It is just a prototype, and Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei are testing them with the investigation troops."

    The Terran thought and asked, "Is there any chance we can get this?"

    Elder Tang nodded and replied, "It is possible. We are in the final stages. It will take a week at most, but Sect Mistress, this equipment is meant for internal uses only. I hope you understand what I mean. Please, do not take any offense."

    Amelia shook her head and replied, "I understand what you mean. This piece of technology is too good to be sold. Demonic cultivators aside, even the humans will use it against each other."

    Elder Tang nodded, and Yu Xiedi said, "The checklist isplete. You have your objectives. Go out and find what is going on in the shadows. If it is a demonic cultivator, kill them. If it is a human, catch them and return them to the hall for interrogation."

    Amelia raised her brows with a curl on the tip of her lips. She asked, "How will you interrogate the people involved in the shadows, Xiao Yu?"

    The girl replied calmly, "We have learned a lot of methods. The most effective one is to feed them some spirit bane powder, then physical torment."

    Amelia nodded, decided to quiz the girl, and asked, "Why physical torment?"

    Yu Xeidi replied, "The visual impact of such a method hinders the thinking capabilities of a person. So, if you find two people, you can tie one on the side while trying to crack another. The one on the side speaks up faster in most of the cases. Master passed me the technique for mental torture as well, but my realm is too low."

    Amelia nodded and wanted to ask something else when Yu Xeidi narrowed her eyes and gazed at a screen. She said, "Do not react in haste. The suspect is alerted. There are many children. Do not give him the chance to catch a hostage."

    Amelia followed her gaze and found a young man looking around himself and moving in crowded ces. His shoulders were slumped, and his steps were quick. He would often raise his head to look around quickly. Not only this, but the person was trying desperately to evade the followers.

    Yu Xeidi sensed his anxiety and advised the followers to maintain their distance. Amelia nodded, and Ying Yu could not help but speak through her spirit sense, "The brilliance and decisiveness of your disciple take over the entire crowd. Why not poach her."

    Amelia chuckled and replied, "She learns the sutra directly from Shi Lang. If this little monster went berserk, we would be unable to contain her."

    ...

    It was already morning, and Shi Lang had awakened from his meditation. He informed Yang Tie that he would visit the Zhu Family mansion. The pavilion master appointed an Immortal King cultivator as Shi Lang''s attendant. Thetter had noints because Shi Lang was a monster he feared.

    Shi Lang was walking through the streets. He watched how the people were graduallying over to handle business. He smiled at the hustle and bustle of the marketce. Suddenly, he spotted a little boy selling apples. He approached the boy and asked, "Young man, how do you sell these apples?"

    The young man was surprised, but he said, "Sir, two apples for a copper coin."

    Shi Lang raised his brows in surprise. Then he patted the child on his head and took out a gold coin. He stuffed the coin in the boy''s head and asked, "Can I buy all your apples for that?"

    The boy was just over seven years old and was stunned. The gold coin was probably something he could have never imagined. Shi Lang patted his head one more time, and the child nodded. He handed Shi Lang the basket with a dozen apples and to Shi Lang.

    The terran waved his hand and helped the child stand up. Then, he continued his journey to the Zhu mansion. The attendant asked, "Young Master, why did you spend a gold coin when you could have bought these things for six coppers."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Brother Yao, not everything is to be measured with worth. One gold coin gave the family of that child hope and peace. Hope that he was worth something and the peace that his family can now have enough food."

    Yao Jiming asked, "Young Master, if you wished to help him, then why not give him some resources like a spirit stone and sutra?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You can give them a pointer, but do not offer them help. The ties of karma can be cruel."

    Yao Jiming thought briefly and asked, "Young Master, how does helping someone affect our karma?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Brother Yao, think about the consequences he can have if you help him get onto the path of cultivation. The heavens will see you as a turn that changed his life. You will share the consequences of whatever thates at him."

    Yao Jiming thought about it. He had traversed the cultivation world and knew the dangers of this difficult path. Thinking about how his intervention could change a person''s life and turn it from bad to worse. He shivered. He said, "Thank you for your advice, Young Master."

    He found that not only did the Young Master have a monstrous fighting capability, but his intellect was equally frightening. Shi Lang was a monster through and through. Yao Jiming could not help but say, "Young Master, I am grateful that you are not an enemy."

    Shi Lang could not help but chuckle as he bit into the apple. They reached the Zhu Mansion, and a team of ten guards immediately raised their weapons. Yao Jiming frowned and said, "Were you not told that the Young Master of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion wille over?"

    The guards were still in battle stance, and Shi Lang raised his brow. A young voice sounded the next moment, "Oh, I did not expect the esteemed guests to be so punctual. Forgive me for the slip-up. I was assigned to inform the guards of your arrival, Young Master Ace."

    Shi Lang gazed at the Zhu Mansion door and found ady behind the guards. Thisdy was very beautiful. She wore a lc hanfu with a gentle ck print over it. Shi Lang asked, "Who might you be, fairy?"

    Thedy was stunned by the way he addressed her. She regained herposure and replied, "You tter me, Young Master Ace. This uncouth one is called Zhu Lingxue. Greetings, and wee to the Zhu Mansion."

    Shi Lang smiled and returned her greeting as he said, "Greetings, Fairy. Pleased to meet you."

    Zhu Lingxue smiled and said, "Elder Tie is waiting for you, Young Master Shi. Please follow me."

    Shi Lang nodded, and the guards lowered their weapons. The trio moved inside the Zhu Mansion with the woman. The Terran used his spiritual sense, saying, "Cover your ears with your spirit energy and read their lips. This woman has a charm technique mastery."

    Yao Jiming was surprised, but he nodded. Shi Lang followed the woman while using his sensory ability to map the entire mansion. It was not his first time in the ce, but he wanted to see if the Zhu Family changed the details. His suspicion was true, and the entire mansion was guarded by teams of Immortal Generals led by Immortal Lords. The spiritual senses of Immortal Kings were well distributed to cover every inch of the mansion.

    They reached the guest hall, and Zhu Lingxue brought Shi Lang to Elder Tie. Shi Lang greeted the man with a standard salute, and looking around, he remarked, "Our pavilion falls short in terms of the decoration. Zhu Family has a good taste."

    Before Elder Tie could speak, a sonorous voice replied, "You have good eyes for a youngster. Seems like Sovereign Tian Long got lucky when he found you."

    Shi Lang turned to the side and found a middle-aged man sitting on a throne chair. Yao Jiming greeted the man, "Greetings, Patriarch Zhu."

    Shi Lang quickly followed and said, "I apologize for not sensing your approach, Senior Zhu."

    Patriarch Zhu waved his hand and said, "Young Master Ace, I heard you had a small conflict with my third son, Zhu Lin. Can you shed some light on it?"

    Shi Lang was surprised and answered the question with his own, "Am I being suspected by you, Sir?"

    The question immediately made the wind fall stale. Elder Tie was surprised to learn something like this. However, he could not say anything now. All that was left for him to do was wait for the two sides to solve the debate before he could intervene. Even in such a situation Shi Lang was acting tough and his back was straight, he could not help but mumble internally, ''Little Monster.''

 Chapter 738 Investigation.

    <h4>Chapter 738 Investigation. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang looked at Patriarch Zhu and replied, "With all due respect, Sir. The intersection I had with Young Master Zhu was not a dispute. It was an incident where Iined to him about the misconduct of someone designated to work for him. This person humiliated me by relying on your family name. Young Master Zhu Lin was kind to me and provided me with justice. I do have to confess that I was out of line in my actions."

    He was trained in diplomacy; how could he let Patriarch Zhu get ahead of him? His words were so tight that the old man was surprised. Patriarch Zhu narrowed his gaze, and even Elder Tie was shocked. They both discussed Shi Lang''s involvement the night before. Patriarch Zhu was surprised to find that an Immortal King realm cultivator could keep up with the attacks of an Immortal Sovereign.

    Even if it was just the physical aspect of things, it was nothing a normal person could do. When the physique of a cultivator was etched with the rules of dao, their attacks carried the force of dao rules. Shi Lang managed to face that and remained scratchless. Either Tian Long pulled his punches a lot, or this guy was a monster.

    However, aside from that, the tact this guy disyed just now was too advanced for a young man. It was as if he was not bothered by the pressure that Patriarch Zhu emitted. Elder Tie stepped in before the Patriarch could push things further and said, "Young Master Ace, I am grateful you came. Would you like to have some tea, or shall we get to business immediately?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Elder Tie, I want to get to the business. As you know, not much time is left before the Centurion Tournament. I want to do my bit and then go back to practice."

    Elder Tie nodded quickly and said, "I understand. Xiao Yun will take you to the ce where Zhu Lin was attacked. You will know about things then. I have to discuss the security issues with Patriarch Zhu."

    The Terran nodded and said, "I wonder if it is alright for me to bring along Brother Yao. I apologize if it sounds imposing or distrustful of me, but the Sovereign ordered Pavilion Master Yang not to let me go anywhere alone."

    Patriarch Zhu nodded and said, "You can take him, but do not wander off too much; this is the Zhu Mansion and not Heavenly Dragon Pavilion."

    Shi Lang smiled at him and bowed slightly like a junior. He did not wish to lower himself to the standards of this old man. Yao Jiming wished to start brawling with the old man, but when he heard Shi Lang''s spiritmunication, he calmed down.

    The Terran told him to ignore the dogs. Suddenly, he turned to look at the young man walking inside the hall. Shi Lang smiled and greeted, "Brother Yun."

    Yun Tian smiled back and said, "Brother Ace. Pleasee this way. Master has informed me about the situation."

    Shi Lang nodded as he followed Yun Tian. The arrogant Yun Tian ignored Yao Jiming but could not care less about a snob acting high and mighty. Yao Jiming followed Shi Lang silently. His task was to protect the Young Master and other than that; he did not care for anything at all.

    Yun Tian talked about random things with Shi Lang as he led him to the room where Zhu Lin was if someone asked Terran what he felt at that moment. He would say that this guy took him from a longer route. When they arrived at the room, Shi Lang found Zhu Lingxue standing at the door with an upset expression on her face.

    Yun Tian looked at the guard and said, "Let us in."

    Then he turned to Shi Lang and said, "Brother Ace, the ce has been untouched since yesterday night. Zhu Lin has been moved to another ce for treatment."

    Shi Lang nodded and was about to follow him when he looked at Zhu Lingxue and asked, "Fairy Zhu, do you need anything here?"

    Zhu Lingxue was surprised, but she still replied, "Young Master Ace, I wish to see the scene where my brother was hurt. I wish to aid the investigation."

    Yun Tian sighed in the front and said, "Miss Zhu, your father prevented you from participating in this investigation, did he not? How can I go against his wishes?"

    Shi Lang breathed, saying, "Well, Brother Yun, sometimes we should consider other factors. Yes, our elders wish us well, but what would you do if you were in Fairy Zhu''s ce?"

    Yun Tian was speechless; he had not expected this guy to side with Zhu Lingxue. Shi Lang said, "If anything happens, you can me it on me. Okay?"

    Yun Tian shook his head and said, "Forget it, Brother Ace. I can still do such small favors to my friends."

    Shi Lang smiled with his eyes narrowed at the young man before him. He noticed how he called him a friend yet stated that he was doing him a favor. Shi Lang gazed at the guard and said, "Brother, you do not want to suffer from the Patriarch''s rage, do you? Please do not tell him anything. Do not worry. You will not be treated badly."

    Then he gazed at Yao Jiming and told him to stuff some spirit stones in the guard''s pocket. This alleviated the situation, and with Yao Jiming guarding the ce outside, Shi Lang entered the room with Yun Tian and Zhu Lingxue.

    Yun Tian said, "During the visit earlier, I found these two needles from the side of the bed. I do not know what they are used for."

    He took out two needles and showed them to Shi Lang. The Terran used his spiritual energy to control the needles to levitate in the void before him, and he said, "Hmmm, did you seek advice from any alchemist?"

    The young man shook his head, and Shi Lang said, "Needles are hidden weapons. They are used in assassinations. So, I am assuming this thing to be coated with poison or a sedative. You should get an alchemist and have them seek what poison was used. If we find any poison, then we can narrow down which assassination organization pulled off this stint and harmed Brother Zhu."

    Yun Tian was shocked, and Zhu Lingxue was stunned. By looking at the needles, Shi Lang had already found a direction to chase the target. This was something they could never do. The Terran ignored the puppies and turned to walk around the room, pretending to look at things in detail.

    Shi Lang found nothing but still mentioned, "This room has the scent of an essence stick in the air. Can anyone tell me what this scent is?"

    Yun Tian walked closer to him and then took a deep breath. Soon, he said, "This is a pleasure moon. This essence stick is often used in brothels."

    Shi Lang quickly stepped away from the guy and looked at him weirdly. He said, "Brother Yun, I did not expect this from you."

    Yun Tian was surprised but heard a clicking sound and found Zhu Lingxue gazing at him disgustingly. He turned to face Shi Lang and asked, "Brother Ace, why do you speak as if you have never been to such ces?"

    Shi Lang raised his chin and said, "I am loyal to my wife. Also, Brother Yun, do you think the heavens gifted me my strength?"

    Shi Lang left Yun Tian dazed, and Zhu Lingxue smiled with her head down. Shi Lang said, "Do we have any other ce to go? If not, I leave this task of finding the woman who came here for Brother Zhu. Find her and ask her if she saw anything that night. It will give us help."

    Yun Tian nodded and said as he thumped his chest, "Do not worry, Brother Ace. I willplete this task and find her."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fairy Zhu, you can take these needles to your father and tell him we would like to ask what an Alchemist says about them."

    Zhu Lingxue thought and hesitated. Shi Lang said, "Just tell him we asked you to do this. After all, the important task of locating the woman has been undertaken by Brother Yun, and I have to deal with things at the pavilion."

    Zhu Lingxue nodded and bowed to Shi Lang thrice before she took the needles and left the room. Yun Tian asked, "Brother Ace, are you sure you wish to entangle with the Young Miss?"

    Surprised Shi Lang asked, "What do you mean, Brother Yun? I am a married person, and my wife is pursuing strength in the other as we talk. Why would I be interested in Fairy Zhu."

    Yun Tiang shook his head and said, "How she looked at you, and how you favored her, I was wondering what is going on?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Brother, she is a woman who wishes to prove her worth to her father. Nothing else. What''s the harm in giving her a chance? Everyone is worth a shot."

    Yun Tian nodded and said, "Fine, if you say so Brother Ace. For this investigation, I will ask her father to approve."

 Chapter 739 Pawns.

    <h4>Chapter 739 Pawns. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang pacified Zhu Lingxue and Yun Tian. After giving them careful instructions, he left the Zhu Family mansion. Outside the mansion, Yao Jiming asked him, "Young Master, why did you show favor to Lady Zhu?"

    While gazing at the bustling marketce, Shi Lang smiled and said, "The Zhu Family wanted to change city governance. This incident may have set them back for a few days, but they will not stop. So, to ease my troubles, I thought, why not instill a pawn of my own in this game of chess."

    Yao Jiming was smart enough to understand what Shi Lang meant and confusedly asked, "Young Master, how will this pawn help us? Do you think that Lady Zhu will go against her father and family?"

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded as he said, "What happens when you set a caged bird free to explore the limits of the sky, Brother Yao?"

    Yao Jiming took a deep breath and said, "Young Master, you are indeed unfathomable for a dimwit like me."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and shamelessly replied, "Now, I am not that special."

    The two men talked a bit as they moved through the market and came to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. At this moment, Shi Lang received a message from his spiritualmunicator, "You trained the Little Asura well."

    Shi Lang received the message from Amelia, and he put two and two together before he smiled and replied, "Tell that brat not to miss on cultivation. How is everything going? Did you find anything in the investigation?"

    Amelia quickly replied, "Yes, we did find the involvement of the few major families in the Central ins. They are stocking the mes in many major sects. We think such a thing ismon, but at this moment, I would not rule out that some divergent family is up to it."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I wish Xiao Tao were here to help in administration. I would have been able to rx."

    Amelia replied, "Do you want her to beat you up?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and then said, "I am going to practice. Take care."

    ...

    In the War Maiden Sect, Amelia stood beside Yu Xeidi, telling her about the conversation she had with Shi Lang. The little girl smiled and did not say anything. She looked at Elder Tang and said, "Elder, can we get the interrogation to speed up a little? I have to head back to stay with Senior Sister."

    Amelia asked, "What is the rush for?"

    She did not want Yu Xeidi to leave so quickly. She saw a glimpse of Young Shi Tao in this child. Yu Xeidi replied, "Mistress, Senior Sister is a homebody, and she does not like to talk much apart from Master and me. She is very shy, so I do not wish to leave her alone. Who knows if she wille out of that closed room for some sunlight or grow moldy."

    Amelia smiled and asked, "Who taught you this?"

    Yu Xeidi tilted her head and said, "Master told us once that we should rest and enjoy nature sometimes, or we will grow moldy."

    Amelia chuckled as she shook her head. She said, "Fine, I will give you two a gift as a token of my love for you."

    Yu Xeidi was surprised and wanted to refuse when Hei Lei said, "Xiao Yu, ept whatever your mistress gives you. You treat your Master like a Father. Your mistress is like your Mother. Will you refuse your Mother?"

    The little girl shook her head, and Amelia told Ying Yu to bring her something from her quarters. Thetter soon returned with a rectangr box in her hand. Amelia opened the box and said, "I know you like to use epee as a weapon. The best forgers in our sect craft this one. It is a medium-grade spiritual weapon. It is light and swift. You are practicing the path of a Shura. But while your Master is a man and can practice the way of strength. You are a girl, and you are blessed with quick speed and flexibility. This weapon will not change your fighting style but give you an advantage and put less strain on your body."

    Yu Xeidi took hold of a silver-colored epee, noticed a set of characters, and mumbled, "Blood wave."

    Amelia smiled and said, "How about it? Do you like it?"

    Yu Xeidi nodded heavily as she began to move the de. Amelia said, "This sword can be upgraded as you grow stronger. Another thing is that the sword size can change by manipting the array on the hilt. The smaller the size, the greater the weight."

    Elder Tang could not help but say, "This is a good gift. Xiao Yu, why have you not thanked your mistress?"

    Yu Xeidi stopped her movements and bowed to Amelia in thanks. Thetter smiled and said, "This is for Xiao Mei. Could you bring it to her carefully? Okay, Xiao Yu?"

    She handed a small box to Yu Xeidi. The little girl did not check it and quickly put it back in her space ring. Amelia nodded and asked, "So, when can we expect the result of the interrogation?"

    Elder Tang said, "They will reach out anytime now; if someone is proving difficult, it might take a few more hours."

    Amelia nodded and said, "Well, with this entire exchange, the War Maiden Sect has gained a lot. So, if you need anything, do tell us without hesitation."

    Yu Xeidi said, "Mistress, will it be possible for your sect to pay for the instant long-distancemunication devices?"

    While Ying Yu was shocked, Elder Tang spoke, "Xiao Yu."

    Amelia smiled and asked, "Why do you ask for it, Xiao Yu?"

    She wanted to see what this youngdy was up to. Yu Xeidi replied, "Master taught me that developing new technology takes resources, and we can only procure them by spending money. Although the Asura Hall has begun to take on tasks like assassinations and information gathering. We have never killed any innocent person. The ie is just enough for the members to get by. If we wish to develop more technology, we will need money to get raw materials.

    This technology is too delicate for the bnce of power, and it cannot be sold outside, but we will still need to deal with the Dragon Army and the Jade Towers. If they found out that it was given to your sect for free, it might cause them to be dissatisfied. This is why I asked if your side would pay. We will only charge them the manufacturing cost from all the forces."

    Amelia smiled and said, "So, you wish to use this small fee to develop more technology and strengthen the Asura Hall? The missions your people take are risky, and this money will be used as a payment for them. You intend to use the reward system to boost the morale of your hall members and even advance research and development. Am I right?"

    Yu Xeidi nodded, and Amelia patted her head gently as she said, "My husband found himself a gem. If I covet you, will he get upset with me?"

    The little girl blushed and said, "Mistress can also have me as Master do."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "I know, my dear. It''s just that your master is a petty man."

    Ying Yu and Elder Tang imagined Shi Lang coughing up blood and chuckled. They knew it was not true, but Yu Xeidi was truly a gem disciple that anyone would covet.

    Soon, the interrogation results were transmitted to Elder Tang on her spiritmunicator. She had someone take down notes. Amelia and the rest of the big shots listened to her dictation.

    Flower Sword said, "Thest time when Wang Family''s prince was proven to be divergent, they directly cut off all the connections with him and even managed to prove their innocence to the Martial Association. They had been facing business and military sanctions from the martial association, yet they were not resting in their hole. It means they are up to something again."

    Ying Yu nodded and said, "During that battle, I came across Hall Master Shi. To think that the Wang family has not yet learned their lesson. This upset of bnce can throw the entire human race into the jaws of civil wars. I wonder why they are doing this. What will they achieve?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "If someone does not learn their lesson even after losing a limb, then it means they are not ying the game. They are nothing but suicidal pawns. We must not act against them but find the real yer."

    Flower Sword was shocked and asked, "Who could be so cunning to use the Wang Family, one of the top ten families in the Central ins as pawns?"

    The people all wanted to ask who it was, but they did not have any answer. Amelia took a breath and said, "Time will tell who is the king behind these pawns."

 Chapter 740 Spar.

    <h4>Chapter 740 Spar. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang spent two days cultivating in seclusion when Yao Jiming informed him that Yun Tian hade to find him. The Terran nodded and came out of seclusion. He sighed in his mind, ''It is so hard to mislead people. They are so sticky over a few tonnes of materials.''

    He sorted his clothes as he walked through the pavilion and entered the garden where Yun Tian was waiting. Shi Lang found him gazing at Yun Xue, practicing her sword move in the distance. He asked, "Sorry to tell you, Brother Yun. Thatdy is taken."

    Yun Tian was startled by the sudden sound and replied, "Brother Ace, you scared me. Also, I am not interested in thatdy. The sect forbids us from falling in love or anything like that. However, her swordy is very good. I have not seen such a technique."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I was only joking with you. Well, yes, she is trying toprehend her dao path with a sword. Anyway, what brings you here?"

    Yun Tian replied, "I located the twodies, but they had been forced to move out of the city. So, I was dyed. Upon interrogation, they said that Young Master Zhu would often call them for pleasurable services, and then he would do them before paying them nicely. This time, they admitted that while they were still indulging, someone entered the room, and after a stinging feeling in their necks, they both fainted."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "This confirms that the assant used those needles to knock them out. We should find out what poison it is."

    Yun Tian sighed and shook his head as he said, "You should have done the investigation with the alchemists by yourself, Brother Shi. Lady Zhu is dying a lot of things. It is a simple task to present the needles to the alchemists, and they will be able to tell us what the poison was."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will talk to her. Do not worry. For now, you should have some tea. I need to spar with Xiao Xue."

    Yun Tian said, "How about you spar with me too?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I do not mind that, but I will first see about this girl. She will beat me for dying for a couple of days."

    Yun Tian nodded. He was quite keen on watching Shi Lang spar. The Terran approached Yun Xue and took a long spear from his space ring. Yun Xue saw this and smiled, "What? Intending to go easy on me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "When have you seen me hold back?"

    Yun Xue smiled and said, "Good,e then. Let me see how big the difference between you and me is."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Brother Yao, can you please erect a barrier?"

    Yao Jiming was standing nearby, and when he heard the request, he replied, "Yes, Young Master."

    Do not look at this guy because he was assigned to attend Shi Lang; he was a pinnacle Immortal King. His skills were above the average of the Immortal Kings. Only when he deployed the barrier did Yun Tian realize this fact.

    Shi Lang nodded and assumed a battling stance. Yun Xue saw his expression change and recalled the moment they faced each other on the Tri-sect duel tform. She said, "One move?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Let me enjoy this fight."

    Yun Xue nodded, and a gust of wind made a few. Leaves fly in the void. The two people waited and moved when the leafnded on the ground. The garden echoed with ngs, and Yun Tian was shocked. He could not understand what was going on. Yun Xue was pushing forward with all her might.

    Even when he ced himself in Shi Lang''s shoes, he could not help but feel some pressure. However, Shi Lang was moving around like it was nothing. He was not even exerting his spiritual energy. His spear was like a willow branch. No matter how strong the attack he met was, the branch will spring back again.

    The battlested for ten minutes before Yun Xue stopped. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Did you realize it?"

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Yes. Ice is but water. Ick the fluidity of water. Only the sharpness of ice will not do me any good."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Go, cultivate and consolidate. Ponder over it, and you will find the way."

    Yun Xue put up a sincere expression and bowed to him as she said, "Thank you for your guidance, oh exalted one."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then chuckled. Thedy smiled and then ran away. The Terran looked at Yun Tian and asked, "Brother Yun, do you want to have a go?"

    Yun Tian was eager, but suddenly, his spiritualmunicator lit up. He checked, and his expression turned serious. He said, "I apologize, Brother Ace. Master is calling me. I have to leave right away. Please look into Lady Zhu for me."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but he nodded. He could not help but think about what could have made Yun Tian react this way. He shook his head and began to practice his spear. For the next few minutes, he danced around with his spear. Suddenly, Yao Jiming said, "Young Master, Lady Zhu is here for you."

    Shi Lang stopped using his weapon and stowed away his spear. He took out a towel and cleaned up the sweat on his forehead. He asked, "Where is she?"

    Yao Jiming replied, "She is in the guest hall."

    The Terran nodded and made his way to the guest hall. He was calm andposed. Before meeting thisdy, he had to sort out his thoughts because what he was about to do could put him in a bind.

    When he arrived at the guest hall, he found Zhu Lingxue sitting on the couch, and a maid was handing her a cup of tea. Thedy epted the tea with a polite smile on her face. Shi Lang said, "Sister Ya, you can leave. I will attend to the guests."

    Surprised, The maid nodded to Shi Lang before greeting Lady Zhu and leaving the hall. They sat across from each other, and Shi Lang asked, "I hope you have been well, Fairy Zhu."

    Zhu Lingxue nodded and said, "Young Master Ace, the investigation has been concluded. The poison on the needles is called snake grass. It is a potent butmonly found spirit herb. Mainly used in sleeping medicines."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is good, but it does put us in a fix. We have no idea who could have used this medicine. After all, if it ismonly found, we may not be able to narrow down the search. It seems we need to find some other lead."

    Zhu Lingxue nodded and asked, "Where do you think we should look first, Young Master Ace?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I might have to visit your home for this."

    He noticed a flicker in her eyes when he mentioned the word " home. " He asked, "Fairy Zhu, if you do not mind, can I ask you something personal?"

    Zhu Lingxue was surprised, but she nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "Why do I feel like you always want to prove yourself to your father?"

    Thedy was taken aback, but then she chuckled and asked, "Is it that obvious?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and Zhu Lingxue continued, "My mother belonged to an orthodox demon Sect, Yin Skull Sect. She used her charm technique to take advantage of my father. However, when my father saved her life, she gave up her intentions. After five years of dwelling in the forest, they formed a good rtionship and had me. My father wanted to know more about her. My mother revealed she was the only descendant of the fallen orthodox demon sect.

    However, it was still too much for my father to digest. After all, orthodox or not, it was a demon sect. My mother gave up her life in return for my father''s promise of raising me as his daughter."

    Shi Lang was surprised and remarked, "I did not expect your story to be filled with tragedies. However, if your mother passed away at an early age, why do you know so much of her history or even practice the technique of charm?"

    Zhu Lingxue smiled and revealed a pendant tied around her neck. She said, "This is the only I have left from my mother, and it carried a letter and a few books on the technique she learned. This is how I know."

    Shi Lang still had doubts but Zhu Lingxue said, "Young Master Ace, I can swear a heavenly oath to dispell your doubts. I have no dealings with the demonic sects at all."

    The Terran nodded and said, "Go ahead, Fairy Zhu. Make the oath. If you passed, I will give you a proposition that will allow you to rise and be someone more than a bargaining chip."

 Chapter 741 Alliance.

    <h4>Chapter 741 Alliance. </h4>

    ?Zhu Lingxue was stunned when she heard Shi Lang saying that what he was going to say could change her fate. It was not like she wanted to be used as a pretty bargaining chip that could be exchanged for social upgrade at the whim of her father.

    The entire family had an indifferent attitude towards her. Although they did not love her, they did not make things difficult for her either. However, she did not want to be treated like this. She wanted to experience their hate if not their love. No matter what she did, and no matter how hard she worked, none ever acknowledged her.

    Shi Lang was the only person who gave her a smile in ages, and even gave her the respect of arade. He allowed her to work along with him and he also understood her agony. She gazed at him and asked solemnly, "Is what you said true? Can you really change my fate?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I can, you see once a human has emptied their hearts to fill a broken cup they grow empty and void. You still have somepassion left in you. If you can prove that you do not have any entanglement with the unorthodox demonic path, I will ensure that you outgrow the role of a bargaining chip."

    Zhu Lingxue took out a dagger from her space ring and made a sh on her fair palm. Her blood dripped on the floor, as she said, "With the heavens as my witness, I swear that I have no entanglement or ns to ever engage in the ult practices of the unorthodox path of demonic cultivation."

    The blood from her hand stopped dripping and condensed in a blob, levitating in the void. After a few minutes, the blood evaporated but Zhu Lingxue was unharmed. Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Congrattions on passing the heavenly blood oath."

    This oath was the only way to prove that you are not entangled with the demonic path in the immortal realm. If you failed, then all the people from your direct bloodline will suffer the fate of eradication.

    Zhu Lingxue asked solemnly, "What can you offer me now, Young Master Ace?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I have two propositions for you. You can decide which one you want."

    Zhu Lingxue nodded and said, "Please go on."

    Shi Lang continued, "The first proposition is for you to break away from the Zhu Family and join my organization. I can assure you that your capability of digging out truth from the most heinous of people will be put to a good use. We do not harm any innocent person. We only gather information and hunt down those who are indulged in Unorthodox demonic cultivation practices."

    Zhu Lingxue leaned back on her seat and she asked, "What about the second option?"

    Shi Lang did not reply to her instantly, he scanned the ce with his spiritual sense before saying, "You can take the helms of the Zhu Family."

    Zhu Lingxue opened her eyes wide in disbelief. She pped the table and broke it into shards of wood. She rebuked Shi Lang, "Do you think this is a joke? Do you think I do not know that the path to ascend to the helm of the family needs ughter and sacrifice? Yes, I ept that they do not love me, but they do not show me their hatred either. I have lived a convenient life with them, why should I go against them?"

    Shi Lang was unbothered by her outburst. He took a deep breath and said, "Do you think that I am asking you to go to war with your family? Please do not tell me that you have no idea what that bunch of old coots have been up to. City Lord Pie will be bringing down his hammer soon. The Meng family is not further away in clearing their ounts with your elders. Also, do you think the Sovereigns or the Martial Council will sit still when they find that your old man conspired with the titan sect and their ambition to gain power all over the central in?"

    His tone was calm, but the words were as sharp as a dagger in the heart. Shi Lang watched her fall silent and waved his hand to assemble the wood shards back as a table. He said, "You can take your time to think, or even go and tattle to your father. You will see that not only is their mind clouded by arrogance and ambition, they will not appreciate your concern. If you wish for them tobel you as a coward, then please go ahead."

    Then he leaned back in his chair without caring about the stunned girl. Zhu Lingxue was not disturbed and Shi Lang gave her free rein to ponder over the subject. After a few minutes, Zhu Lingxue gazed at Shi Lang and said, "I will take care of my family."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, if you can find anyone who epts you as their leaderter, I will support you. However, your priority is to make sure that you do not end up as a coteral damage in the struggle and simrly try to save as many innocents as possible."

    Zhu Lingxue red at Shi Lang and said, "What do you mean if someone is left to protect after the struggle?"

    Shi Lang replied, "What I mean is that if you act now, your elders will kill you for meddling and harboring ill-intentions. After all, you still have two brothers that will be heading back for the Tournament."

    Zhu Lingxue was surprised, and Shi Lang continued, "I am not saying this because I fancy your abilities and want to recruit you. I am saying this because it would be a waste for a resourceful person like you to die at the hands of a few old men who could not see the big picture."

    Zhu Lingxue clenched her fists and asked, "If that is the truth then why did you even mention the second path for me?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and replied, "I am not a messiah. I am only giving you the truth of the situation. If you want my help then I will be there but it will be very limited. I am helping you out of kindness Fairy Zhu. I do not stand to gain anything from this."

    Zhu Lingxue scoffed and said, "So, you are a saint are you? Helping me out of kindness, my foot. I am not a fool, Young Master Ace. You better tell me what you are looking for."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It is always easy to talk to smart people. If I said that I would like you to find out what the elders of your family are up to. Would you be kind to provide me with such detail?"

    Zhu Lingxue was stunned and she stood up from her chair. She asked, "How audacious of you? You cannot help me and even want me to help you? Shameless."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "Your father is a killer, he did not think twice and yed your mother because she was from an Orthodox Demonic Path. Aren''t you a bit to naive to think that he will allow you to get ahead in ranks? Over his dead body. That wastrel Zhu Lin was able to gain all the control of the young forces in the family, why? Because he was cruel, and did not spare even his brothers. Do you think that your father or the elders of the family do not know all this?

    Zhu Lin became so strong because the elders supported him. They do not need a righteous leader, but a cruel sword that would y everything in its path to ensure survival and prosperity. If I told you that the so called Titan Sect is manipted by the Wang Family of the central in, would you understand that your family has remotely made connection with the demonic path? The same path that ruined the lives of people like your mother and made them a culprit in the vision of the rest of the world?

    Shame on you, Zhu Lingxue for sticking to the people who took so much for you in return of afortable life and good food."

    That said, he stood up and walked out of the guest hall. He stopped at the door and said, "Fairy Zhu, life gives us all a chance at redemption and finding the purpose of our life. No matter whatever decision you make, as a man of my word, I will help you. However, I hope that you make a decision that you do not end up regretting. I am sure your mother must have regretted her decision of trusting your father."

    Shi Lang left after setting the heart of the young girl on fire. He did not touch upon her wound, but he stabbed the wound and let it bleed. At this moment, Zhu Lingxue was obviously thinking about her deceased mother. The fact that her father was the person who killed her Mother, she had been trying to please the man. This made her uneasy. She thought that she had betrayed her mother and defied the purpose of her sacrifice.

    She closed her eyes as a few tears ran down her cheeks. She sighed and said, "Young Master Ace, I know you can hear me. What you said may have woken me up but it has also caused me a great deal of pain too. I am willing to help you, and after that I will join your organization, but do not think that I owe you anything."

    Shi Lang''s voice sounded from outside the guest hall, "I never did."

 Chapter 742 New Ideas.

    <h4>Chapter 742 New Ideas. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang sent off Zhu Lingxue. He gave her a spare spiritualmunicator and exchanged a wisp of his essence to ease themunication. Thedy will pass on all the information she found in the Zhu Family rted to the moves they wanted to make against the old city lord.

    The Terran was heading back to his room when Yao Jiming appeared behind him and said, "Young Master, the Pavilion Master has called for an audience with you."

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile and made his way to the courtyard where Yang Tie resided. The guard did not stop him and took a step to the side. Shi Lang was given imperial treatment. The Terran could not help but feel happy about it. Even as the supreme general in the federation, he had to show his credentials in many ces.

    Yang Tie seemed to have sensed his approach and exited the house. He said, "Young Master, I have finished preparing what you requested."

    Shi Lang smiled. He was ted and said, "Good job, no wonder they call you a legendary forger. Show it to me quickly."

    Shi Lang had asked him to create a prototype of a spiritualmunicator that could match the standards of the Federation. Yang Tie brought him inside the room and closed the door before he took out a watch-like device from his space ring. He carefully handed it to Shi Lang and said, "I did not use the rare metals too much. Just a pinch of them did the work of blending the other materials."

    Shi Lang ced the spiritualmunicator on his wrist and tried to control it. Yang Tie said, "The projection array has been engraved on it. You can see things hover in the void now. If you contact someone, then you will be able to see them in real time. I used abination of spiritual arrays for that. Also, the metals used in the forging aremon ones. The spiritual energy needed to make this thing work is massive. These metals ordinarily cannot handle that sort of spiritual flow. That is why a pinch of celestial steel and Emeris was blended."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Good job; now, can you tell me if this can be mass-manufactured?"

    Yang Tie nodded and said, "The structural forging is easy. The trick lies in the step where the rare metals are blended. They are too delicate for any rookie to handle. Overexert even a bit, and they will foil like scraps. The loss will outweigh the profit."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have a theory. You can tell me if it will work."

    Yang Tie asked, "Please tell me."

    He was curious to see what this guy hade up with. Shi Lang said, "So, imagine if thepound mix of Celestial Steel and Emeris runs along the body ofmon metals, such as Dark Star Iron-like veins coursing with spiritual energy. Will the device work?"

    Yang Tie looked at Shi Lang like the Terran was a fool and said, "Do you think I have not simrly forged this thing? The rare metals are already running through the body ofmon metals like veins."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "You do not understand what I am saying. What if the veins and the body were manufactured separately and fusedter."

    Yang Tie was surprised and remarked, "I do not think it is possible to fuse them."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "See, the onlyponent in thismunicator you need to be attentive toward is the veins of a rare metalpound, right?"

    Yang Tie nodded, and Shi Lang said, "So, what if you created the body around the veins after creating them? That will save time, and given the innate nature of these metals, these rare metals will blend in with themon ones on their own."

    Yang Tie was doubting his entire life after Shi Lang finished speaking. This guy just proposed something that has never been even thought of before, let alone attempted. He was urged to open his skull and look what was hidden inside.

    He took a deep breath and said, "I can certainly try to explore the possibilities."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will keep this prototype. Thank you for your hard work, Pavilion Master."

    Yang Tie shook his head, and after a few words, Shi Lang left because the former was getting agitated to work on the new ideas. The Terran had not even left the courtyard when he received a message from Zhu Lingxue.

    The content of the message was as follows: ''The elders have decided to pin the me on the city lord. Elder Tie Gaung has agreed with them because regardless of whether the City Lord is the culprit, they must take him out. They n to kill him and contest for the city lord within the next two days.''

    Shi Lang raised his brows and waved his hand to open a void portal. Yao Jiming was right next to him and was surprised. He asked, "Young Master..."

    However, Shi Lang only said, "Keep up."

    Before he vanished inside the void tunnel, Yao Jiming was startled by this sudden change of pace, but he jumped in the tunnel regardless. Shi Lang arrived at the City Pce and found the old city lord standing before a forge. The old man sensed his arrival and asked, "What do you want now? I will not help you forge anything until you cough up something more."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Old Sir Pie, if I were here to hire you for a service, I would have coughed up a fair sum, but tonight, I came here to tell you in the next two days, the Titan Sect and Zhu Family will being after you."

    Yao Jiming had juste out of the void portal, and he was shocked when he heard this. He looked at Old Man Pie, who stood with his hammer calmly. The city lord asked, "Do you think I do not know this? They cannot hold on any long. They want to pin this on me and be done with it."

    Yao Jiming raised his brow and asked, "Sir, do you mean the incident of the loot the other day? You were in the city. We have witnesses. How can the Zhu Family do this?"

    Old Man Pie raised his head to look at Yao Jiming and sighed while shaking his head. He asked, "Young Friend Ace, your friend seems to be a bit slow on the uptake."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Cannot me him; he has been in the forge mostly, so he does not understand the power dynamics much."

    Yao Jiming scratched his head and asked, "Young Master, did I say anything wrong?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Well, let me tell you. The Zhu Family is stronger that Old Man Pie here in terms of number. But now they have the aid of the Titan Sect. Do you think City Lord can stand the attack from these two forces? If he does not abdicate the position, he will be killed. The witnesses will not step up because they cannot stand against the Zhu Family and the Titan Sect. The strong make the rules, Brother Yao. Never forget that."

    Yao Jiming nodded solemnly and asked, "Young Master, what are we going to do then? Do you think it is possible for us to seek any aid from His Excellency Heavenly Dragon on this matter?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "That old guy will not do anything because he is the member of the Martial Council. Until the council votes to deal with Titan Sect, he cannot move. Another thing is that the council will not move for a small issue like the power struggle in a single city. The Zhu Family will make sure that the Centurion Tournament goes on smoothly until they wish to beshed by the council."

    Yao Jiming nodded and Shi Lang continued, "However, with the Zhu Family in power the other forces will be suppressed a lot and it will effect the revenue and control of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion."

    Old Man Pie took a breath and raised his hammer to beat the metal on the anvil. He said, "Young Friend Ace, what do you suggest that we do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You ask me as if you have not decided on what to do. Ofcourse, the only option we have is to deal the enemy a vital blow before it can even harm us."

    Yao Jiming was surprised and asked, "Young Master, you want to go to war with the Zhu family?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and shook his head while saying, "I n to massacre the shot callers of the Zhu Family and leave it in the hands of Fairy Zhu."

    Old Man Pie yanked his hammer against the metal again and asked, "How do you n to do that?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "That is up to me, but I want to know if you wish to contribute to this task?"

    Yao Jiming looked at the old and the young with shock in his gaze. These people were talking about killing an entire family as if they were talking about buying grocery.

 Chapter 743 Asura Hall Debuts.

    <h4>Chapter 743 Asura Hall Debuts. </h4>

    ?The Terran ignored Yao Jiming and looked at the old man standing before the anvil. Thetter asked, "What do you want?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I was thinking if you coulde up with something that can restrain the cultivation levels of those people."

    Old Man Pie raised his gaze to look at him and said, "You sure have some high-spirited ambition, boy. Do not tell me you intend to take them all alone."

    Yao Jiming turned to look at Shi Lang in horror, and the Terran said, "Not on my own, but yes, with a force under mymand. Now, back to the main concern: can you make something restricting their cultivation levels?"

    Old Man Pei shook his head and said, "That barrier can only be found in some ancient ruins. Even if we know they exist, none of the people have seeded inprehending them. You can probably take the aid of medicine."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Hmm, poison is an option to dampen the enemy before the attack. However, those old coots are not to be fooled easily."

    The City Lord nodded and said, "d you know yourself."

    Shi Lang hummed as he began to walk around and asked, "If I can find an undetectable poison that attacks not the person but the spiritual energy for a certain time and then take them all out. It can work."

    The city lord was surprised by how quickly Shi Lang reacted, and Yao Jiming sensed his heart fall into the depths of cold hell. He was shivering, thinking that Shi Lang was a maniac. The Terran said, "Well, you can prepare to address the Martial Council. I am undertaking this assignment in exchange for your services. Agreed?"

    The City Lord shook his head and said, "Do you think you are the only one who can make the Zhu Family pay?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I am well aware that you are in cahoots with the Mengs, but that struggle will upend the peace in the city."

    Yao Jiming could not take it anymore and said, "Young Master, will our attack not have a simr effect on the city?"

    Shi Lang gazed at his attendant and sighed, "First, it is not our attack. I will call for people from outside. Second, no, it will not be a massacre. It will be selective targeting. The Zhu Family is not the problem. The family''s shot caller is. So, we will take them out. Simple. Do you two have any other doubts?"

    Yao Jiming was speechless, and City Lord Pei said, "How long do you need?"

    Shi Lang thought and said, "The attack will begin tomorrow night. Well, old sir, I have many things to deal with. See youter."

    Yao Jiming took a deep breath, and the two people left the pce. Old Pie watched them leave before he went to his forging. Shi Lang returned to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion and said, "Brother Yao, you can rest for the night; I will be heading out."

    Yao Jiming wanted to argue that he could not allow it, but Shi Lang took out the Champion''s token and said, "It is an order."

    His tone did not give Yao Jiming any room to refute. Thetter sighed and agreed. Then Shi Lang opened the void portal again and vanished. He appeared outside the Asura Hall protection array. He could sense cold gazes set on his figure and said, "Good response."

    A person walked out from the barrier and bowed, "Wee back, hall master."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, Security Head, it''s been long since we''ve seen each other. I hope everything is good."

    The person smiled and said, "It is. Everyone is good."

    Shi Lang exchanged pleasantries and walked inside the barrier with the person. He headed straight to the hall, and the difference in the ce''s ambiance was evident. The people moved around calmly and silently. It was not that they had turned into mindless machines. They still had fluctuations in their eyes. However, they were at peace.

    The security head said, "The disciples have made great progress, and the information collection has sped up in the past few months."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is good. I would trouble you to call over all the squad heads. It is time for the world to know we are watching them."

    The security head was surprised, but he left quickly. Shi Lang went to the chambers, where he smelled a medicinal fragrance. Now that he was here, he was going to meet his disciple. As he approached the chamber, he found a young girl instructing a few people with a smile as they tended to the herbs nted in the garden.

    Shi Lang smiled and said softly, "Xiao Mei, should Ieter if you are busy?"

    His voice stunned the girl. She looked at him and rushed over quickly. Shi Lang was surprised, but the girl hugged him and said, "Master, you finally came back."

    The Terran realized that this child must have missed him. He patted her head buried in his waist and said, "I missed you too, my dear."

    The rest of the disciples woke up and bowed as they said, "Greetings, and Wee back, Hall Master."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and gestured for them to continue their actions. He said, "Xiao Mei, go prepare for a journey. You will tag along with me and see how things work."

    Surprised, the girl asked, "Master, what do I need to do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You do not need to do anything but walk how things work. I will not hide it from you, but the hall''s purpose is to ensure that the bnce of power in the central ins is stable. For this, we might have to sabotage someone or sometimes walk through the rivers of blood. You did not need to embroil in the dirty work, but I hope you are strong enough to know what needs to be done."

    Xiao Mei smiled and said, "Master, Yuyu always tells me that the path of medicine and martial arts is not different. If someone can walk both these paths simultaneously, then yes, they might be slow, but they will be able to reach a peak that others cannot imagine."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Well, Xiao Yu is intelligent. Come, meet me at the elder hall."

    Xiao Mei nodded and rushed back to finish the tasks and prepare to set out with Shi Lang. In the meantime, the Terran made his way to the elder hall. When he arrived, the ce was filled with people. Shi Lang counted and found seventy people. Seven squads in the Asura Hall were named after the seven sins. The squad members saw Shi Lang, and they bowed to him.

    The Terran entered the hall and found seven leaders standing around the big table. The security head was also present, and so were the other officials of the Asura Hall. Shi Lang looked at them and said, "I will cut to the chase. We do not have much time. I believe the information you have gathered all these days has made you aware of the situation in the Forger City. Particrly the Zhu Family."

    The seven people nodded, and one of them said, "They have links indirectly to the Wang Family."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good. The Zhu Family is trying to make a move in the forger city and upset the power bnce. They are going after the Old City Lord. The person happens to be a Saint-Level Forger. The Heavenly Dragon Army and the sovereign Tian Long himself back him.

    Forger City is a significant marketce that I intend to capture. So, now, please tell me what you think about how to deal with this situation. Shall we stand at the sidelines and watch them do what they are doing, or shall we take control of things?"

    One of the people stood up from his seat and said, "Hall Master, before we make any decision, I would like to ask, what do you have in mind?"

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head. He replied, "I would like to know your stand before I tell you why I made my decision. Asura Hall is not a sect. We are not an army but a family that works together and trusts each other. You people are selected as squad heads because of your outstanding abilities. You represent the will of your teams. So, go on and tell me after deliberating over this issue."

    Ady stood up and said, "Hall Master, if the Zhu Family is going after our asset, then I would vote for taking control."

    However, another person stood up right after her and shook his head. He said, "Asura Hall is still weak, and exposing ourselves now can spell danger for us. We can fall into the cross-hairs of the Wang Family; even if the Martial Council has stationed them, they are still not weak enough yet."

    Seven people had seven different opinions; they had valid points, and Shi Lang raised his hand to silence them. He said, "Your concerns are not without reason. We will face many such troubles if we act now, but if we manage to take this level of target down, then do you not think we will have the capital to intimidate them all?"

    The squad leaders were shocked. Shi Lang said, "Intimidation is a kind of power that can deter most of your troubles. What do you say, boys and girls, shall we do it?"

    People looked at each other, and after some deliberation, they all nodded. Shi Lang said, "Prepare your squads. Tomorrow night is when we announce our presence to the world."

 Chapter 744 Cleansing Rain.

    <h4>Chapter 744 Cleansing Rain. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang spent one night in the Asura Hall reviewing all the preparations. The teams were familiar with how things must work and had performed many drills to be increasingly efficient.

    The Terran gave them all a mission briefing, in which he exined theyout of the Zhu Mansion and then the strength of the Zhu Family. He also asked his price disciple to prepare arge amount of spirit decay poison. Xiao Mei was surprised, but she did as told.

    She was about to remind Shi Lang that this poison could also be fatal to them, but Shi Lang asked her to make antidotes for all the people inside the hall. He was sure that the strong people of the Zhu Family would detect the poison and take action against them. So, he came up with a suicide n.

    It was not as if he wanted his people to die, but this was the only way for them to take down the Zhu Family. The squad leaders did not flinch, but they all nodded with a smile. Shi Lang mumbled, "I had no idea they were mad like me."

    Xiao Mei looked at her Master and chuckled as she covered her mouth. Shi Lang said, "Since you all agreed, let''s go. You will have to infiltrate the city on your own. I do not intend to use the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion''s region of influence for this."

    The people agreed, and Shi Lang opened a void portal outside the city. The big yers of the Asura Hall were on the verge of breaking through, so they did not manage toe back, but they all wished Shi Lang well.

    The Terran thanked them in return. He could not ask them to return because he had told them to go out and push their limits. The squad leaders took their positions and began discussing infiltrating the city.

    Shi Lang did not tell them anything. He only held Xiao Mei''s hand and walked to the city gates. The lightning mane horse seemed to be in seclusion, so Shi Lang did not bother bringing him over; another thing was that the spiritual beast king was crucial for their backup and protection of the Asura Hall.

    The guards spotted Shi Lang and were urged to stop him, but they all stepped back when they looked at the token on his waist. The ending of the former guard leader was still fresh in their minds. This guy was a gue god in their eyes.

    Shi Lang held Xiao Mei''s hand and led her inside the city. They were headed to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. The little girl had nevere out of the small town or the Asura Hall. The maximum time she spent outside was in Qilin City, so she was very curious about this new ce.

    As they passed the market, Shi Lang bought her all the herbs she fancied. What surprised Shi Lang was that this little girl could bargain with the vendors. She reminded him of his mother, and he shook his head with a smile. As they moved through the crowd, Shi Lang asked, "Xiao Mei, how are you doing? Also, do you have any issues with your cultivation?"

    Xiao Mei replied with a smile, "Master, I am good. The people back home treat me nicely. I miss my brother sometimes. I hope to visit him soon. As for my cultivation, it is all fine, Master. When I have trouble in martial arts, Xiao Yu helps me."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I sometimes feel that it was not right for me to take you both in as a disciple. I do not have the time to sit down and groom you both. What if you feel like I am neglecting you?"

    He wanted to say more. It was his guilt from the time he missed the good days with Shi Tao that wereing back to him. However, the little girl held his hand and said, "Master, do you think XMaster and I are so selfish? When you took us in, that was your kindness. You supported us when we had nothing, and not only that, you pointed the direction of our future path. You do not have to worry about having time for us. We know that cultivation is arduous, so please do not worry."

    Shi Lang could not help but pick the girl in his arms as they walked into the city. They reached the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, and the guards sighed at his arrival. One of the guards said, "Young Master, Pavilion Master has been hunting for you."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and asked, "What happened that made him hunt for me?"

    The person shrugged and said, "I only know Elder Yao was scolded."

    Shi Lang winced and quickly entered the pavilion. He found the entire ce in disarray. He looked at a maid disciple and said, "Sister Yen, can you tell the Pavilion Master I am back?"

    The maid disciple froze, and then she ran away yelling, "The Young Master has returned. The Young Master has returned."

    Xiao Mei asked, "Master, are you some sort of a god?"

    She was not that gullible, but she could not understand why these people were so agitated. Also, she was teasing Shi Lang. The Terran red at her fairy-like face and said, "No, Xiao Mei, Master is not a god but a demon."

    The girl pretended to be scared and asked, "What kind of demon?"

    Shi Lang let out a devilish chuckle and said, "The one who likes to tickle little children."

    Xiao Mei froze, and then Shi Lang tickled her, making herughter echo in the pavilion like jingle bells. Yang Tie suddenly appeared before Shi Lang, and just when he wanted to say something, he froze. Shi Lang stopped teasing the child as thetter leaned on his shoulder. He asked, "Why are you looking for me? Can you not handle your temper? Hmph, what is the fuss about?"

    Yang Tie was pacified; he had acted paranoid since the previous night. Shi Lang''s scolding brought him back to reality. He said, "Out of two hundred metals, I was able to make three suitable candidates for themunicator body."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You can proceed on this topic with your ideas. I have something else to deal with tonight. This can wait till then."

    Yang Tie was surprised but saw a little girl in Shi Lang''s arms. The Terran said, "This is my disciple Xiao Mei. She will stay with me for a few days. Do not worry. My courtyard has a lot of vacant rooms."

    Yang Tie nodded, and Shi Lang introduced the little girl to him. Xiao Mei was very polite and gentle by nature, and it did not take her long to subdue the people in the pavilion. Elfie had be a good friend of hers.

    Shi Lang went to his room and waited for nightfall. He stood at the door of his room and suddenly said, "The god seemed to be helping me."

    Xiao Mei handed him a few bottles of pills and said, "Master, the antidote."

    Shi Lang took a pill and patted her head. He said, "Later, you will stay on the outer parameter; do not go any closer. If things go wrong, I will have someone bring you back here. You will be safe."

    Xiao Mei was surprised and asked, "What about you master?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I will be fine, sweetheart. Come along, and it is about time."

    He left two clones inside the room and opened a void portal to travel to a dark alley in the city. They both were dressed in ck cloaks with red trims. Their design was the simplest, but it represented the highest authority in the Asura Hall. Xiao Mei''s cloak had a cauldron embroidered for her status as an alchemist.

    After they appeared in the alley, they covered their heads with hoods and jumped above the walls of the buildings beside them. Suddenly, the skies lit up with lightning streaks, and Shi Lang spotted many figures dressed in ck cloaks standing atop the walls. He held Xiao Mei''s hand and went to the Zhu Mansion, running from roof to roof.

    Soon, they came to the boundary of the Zhu Mansion. Shi Lang looked around and found that the entire mansion was surrounded. He sent out a message on themunicator, and half the people knelt on the walls as they took out their sniper rifles to scan the ce.

    Then, he sent another message to his ally, Zhu Lingxue. Thedy told him that she was unable to convince anyone. The people all even thought that she was going crazy and that her ambition was misced. Shi Lang told her to stay in her room; no matter what she heardter, she was not supposed toe out.

    Zhu Lingxue agreed, and it started raining. Shi Lang looked up at the sky and sent a message, "You all know what to do. Nature is aiding us in this mission. Let the rain cleanse the Zhu Family. Do not spare anyone who tries to harm you. Do you understand?"

    The squad leaders sent him a positive message. Shi Lang assigned one of the snipers to look after Xiao Mei as he lept inside the mansion with the rest of the people. The Zhu Family was going to face a storm tonight.

 Chapter 745 Water To Blood.

    <h4>Chapter 745 Water To Blood. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang and the seven squad leaders jumped, and the people on the sniper rifles aimed at the guards closest to the ce their leaders wouldnd. They shot the people with the tranquilizers filled with poison.

    The seven squad leaders all had equipment that allowed them to evade the senses of an Immortal Emperor as long as they were not too audacious with their movements. The guards were surprised by the sudden sting, when Shi Lang and the seven people appeared beside them and cast an eye technique.

    They were going to use these patroling guards to pass on the poison to everyone below the Immortal Emperor level. From what they knew, Zhu Family had three Immortal Emperors, including Elder Tie. Due to recent events the Zhu Family had the entire mansion guarded.

    Thanks to the sales of the spiritualmunicator, Asura Hall has amassed a great deal of cultivation scriptures and they also had gained various optical techniques to cast illusions over the weaker people. The majority of the guards were Immortal soldiers and a few Immortal Generals.

    Shi Lang cast the spell on his target and then handed over a packet in his hand. The seven others also did the same and then they retreated. They were going to wait for the poison to cycle around. The others did not have the power to monitor their preys. However, Shi Lang could sense what the progress was with his sensory abilities.

    After half an hour, everyone in the mansion had been poisoned and Shi Lang said, "Have you all finished locating the out nodes for their defense array?"

    The squad leader replied, "Commander, this is pride squad. We have finished locating the nodes."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Remove them and rece them with our barrier. You will hold the barrier till things are finished. Lust Squad will guard your people."

    The teams epted the mission and got to work. Shi Lang said, "Rest of you, leave two squads behind to assume sniping positions and the rest will engage the enemy."

    He only received a yes in reply and he said, "I wonder if patriarch Zhu is home? Someone said that he is a formidable expert so I came here to challenge him."

    His voice was sonorous, and as soon as his words finished an angry roar erupted from the mansion, "Who dares to make trouble at Zhu Mansion?"

    A young man appeared in the void. Shi Lang smiled at the person, he was wearing a mask on his face and waspletely hidden from the gazes and the spiritual senses of the enemy. The young man thought someone randomly came to make trouble and that he would scold him and things will settle.

    However, he was shocked. When he demanded for Shi Lang''s identity, the lightning crackled and illuminated the surroundings of other Asura Hall people. All of them gazing at him coldly with white and red jade masks. Their ck and red robes fluttered with the wind, and the subtle rain sounds made things even more dramatic.

    The visual impact of so many people arriving at their doorstep was too strong. He turned to look at Shi Lang, who was already standing before him, and found himself unable to make a sound.

    Shi Lang had grasped his neck in his iron grip and was squeezing life out of him. The man struggled and tried to punch Shi Lang but the Terran just watched him flutter like a fish in his grasp. After a few seconds, when the young man was deprived of his life, Shi Lang threw his body hard.

    The body of the immortal king was strong like a rock, it smashed through the wall and fell at the feet of the Zhu Family elders. They were shocked for a moment, and then chaos erupted.

    Third Elder Zhu was the first one to rush out and yell loudly, "Insolence! How dare you?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and then all the guards or the people who rushed out of the building were shot straight in their heads. The snipers were quick and scored kills in a blink. Shi Lang said, "That''s how. Is your patriarch still going to hide in his hole?"

    The Zhu Family was shocked, because not only did this guy came to their ce, but even killed so wantonly. He did not show any fear when facing an Immortal Emperor of the Zhu Family. Third Elder Zhu said, "Boy, you and your people will never leave here. Men, attack."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Kill them. Erect the barrier."

    The people outside the mansion quickly channeled their spiritual energies inside the nodes and a barrier was erected. This barrier was not to hold the people inside, but to prevent the spiritual energy from entering inside. Third Elder Zhu sensed this and grimaced, "Bastard, do you think you can stop me from killing you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I will kill you."

    He took out his sword and swung it to meet with the attack from Third Elder. Meanwhile the squad captains were still waiting for the two other targets to appear. Shi Lang told them that Patriach Zhu and the elder from the Titan Sect were their''s to handle. They had all stepped in the Immortal King realm a few days ago and had consolidated their foundation.

    Shi Lang wanted them to use coordinated attacks to take down the stronger enemies. It was just like how he used the strength of his ss mates to fight with a veteran soldier in his school days.

    Shi Lang''s sword attack shook the third elder and left his shocked. He said, "I did not expect you to have such skill, kid. Too bad you are going to die."

    The terran did not reply but simply said, "Lightning shatters the sky."

    Then he swung his sword at the third elder and a Lightning dragon condensed in the void before it rushed to strike the enemy. Third Elder Zhu was not weak, he brandished his halberd and said, "Ten thousand waves of agony."

    His halberd issued many fluttering attacks at the dragon, but how could wind hold its own end against lightning. The dragon roared and its color changed from blue to crimson. Shi Lang said, "I will not waste more time on you."

    He summoned his lightning armor and vanished from his spot. Third Elder Zhu sensed a significant threat to his life and directly released his immortal armor and crown along with a cape of spiritual energy behind him. He was going to face Shi Lang with hisplete strength.

    However, the terran was way too strong for him to handle. Shi Lang''s aura climbed it''s peak, and then his hair turned red. He said, "Lightning domain."

    Third Elder Zhu was surrounded by a domain of lightning and he countered, "Dark Wind Domain."

    His elemental attribute was wind, but itter mutated to that of smoke. So he named the domain domeeniringly. As dark smoke filled the lightning domain, Third Elder Zhu said, "Bastard, in this field I am the god. How will you survive now?"

    He chuckled maniacly, he could sense everything in this smoke, but just as he sensed where Shi Lang was, hisughter came to an abrupt stop. He found many people in the domain, all of them were identical and even had the same spiritual presence. Just when he was confused, he felt a strong threating at him, and moved to the side.

    However, Shi Lang had trapped his prey and he did not intend to let him go free. He began to attack with sword intent in small shes. The attack left Third Elder Zhu with many cuts. They did not seem to be very dangerous for him, but the sword intent umting inside his body was a trouble that he could not handle for long.

    Shi Lang''s intent was not simple, it had too many elementsbined and the Terran had the capability to manipte the intent even if it was inside the enemy''s body.

    ...

    On the other side, the battle between the squad members and the Zhu family people was also getting stronger. None of the Zhu Family warriors were able to handle the Asura Hall squads. The floor was covered with blood, and the rain was constantly washing it away. At this moment, Yun Tian charged outside. He revealed a strong Immortal King aura and charged at one of the squad leaders.

    Thetter was prepared and took the attack head on, leaving the six people on stand by to handle the two big fish. Yun Tian was poisoned but he did not realize it until it was toote. When he invoked his spirit domain, he noticed that the consumption of his spiritual energy was higher than it was in the past.

    However, before he could inspect what the real reason was, he was attacked by a sniper on the side. The bullet startled him, and opened a loophole in his attack. The Asura Hall squad leader directly threw his flying knife at Yun Tian and stabbed him in the abdomen.

    "How dare you?!"

    A loud roar shook the ce, Elder Tie appeared beside Yun Tian, he wanted to seal the dantian of his disciple but the squad leader said, "Explode."

    The next moment, the knife exploded injuring the dantian permanently. Elder Tie''s eyes turned red and he looked at the person who destroyed his disciple, and he leaned forward to attack, when suddenly he sensed three people appearing in his way. He said, "You all will regret this."

 Chapter 746 Taking Down The Enemy.

    <h4>Chapter 746 Taking Down The Enemy. </h4>

    ?Elder Tie Guang was not forgiving in nature. He was among the people who feared the strong and bullied the weak. In his eyes, the three squad leaders were just weak Immortal Kings. Even if they had any skill, they would fall like weak twigs in the face of his overwhelming strength.

    He vanished from his spot, letting his spent disciple fall on the floor to bleed to his death. The three squad leaders were prepared, and one said, "Spring Wall."

    The spiritual energy around him condensed into a wall of cherry blossom petals. The barrier seemed weak, but Tie Guang''s fist collided with it at full force. The wall rippled like water and dispelled the force. The Titan Sect elder did not act surprised, and he grunted and condensed his Dao Crown.

    The old man yelled, "Brawling Titan."

    His fists glowed with red aura as they turned into streamers. The squad leader who created the wall took half a step back and said, "Go."

    They were a team of three; how could they face this enemy alone? Each person had a different task: one to defend and another to attack. In contrast, the third person would seek opportunities to support the teammates by critically attacking the enemy.

    The second person made a move, and ady appeared behind Elder Tie. She condensed her spiritual energy into a Tiger. She said, "Ferocious Tiger Palms."

    The next moment, the tiger pounced on the old man. The beast wed at Tie Guang''s back, sabotaging his attacks on the flower wall. Tie Guang felt shaken from the attacks. He was an Immortal Emperor but was not invulnerable by the sudden attacks. The tiger maskdy targeted the vital organs of the enemy. This was the basic training she had received in the training.

    If the enemy is stronger than you, do not waste time and aim for the most vital parts of your body. The tiger ws had left a few marks on the back. Tie Guang kicked the ground and jumped up into the void. He nced at thedy and said, "Mountain Stomp."

    He fell with a mountain behind him. It was like the mountain was going to tten the tiger maskdy. However, the next moment, something flickered in the void. Tie Guang had caught sight of this object and turned his head to the side. Following this, a few explosive bulletsnded on his knee and changed the trajectory of his stomping foot by a few inches.

    This difference was enough for him to miss the tiger maskdypletely. The third team member had made his move, making the old man miss out on a critical attack. The flower wall guy said, "Vine cage."

    Green vines popped up from the ground, entangled with Tie Guang''s foot. The elder tried moving but could not find the chance to do so. The entanglement was sudden, and the thorns stuck to his leg. These vines did not attack his body but siphoned off his spiritual energy at a shocking pace.

    Tie Guang snorted, "Petty Tricks."

    Then, he exerted some strength and broke free from the vines. He was not worried about losing the spiritual energy because these guys were just initial-level Immortal Kings. However, he was a peak Immortal Emperor.

    He looked at the two people while using his spiritual energy to look for the third guy; however, at this moment, he suddenly heard a loud bang from the side. He found Third Elder Zhu falling on the ground, making a crater. He was stunned, and looking up, he found Shi Lang putting his sword back in its sheath.

    The Terran said, "Flower, Tiger, Shade, finish this old man quickly. It is pathetic to watch you struggle against him."

    His words spurred the three squad leaders, but they greatly insulted Tie Guang. The Titan sect elder yelled, "Who do you think you are, you puny Immortal King."

    Shi Lang cast him a disdainful nce and waved his hand. The next moment, the pace of the attack changedpletely. The Squad leaders began to use void portals to attack Elder Tie Guang. They moved so quickly that the old man was troubled. After a few blows, he raised his head and yelled, "Titan rage."

    His spiritual pressure began to climb, and Shi Lang said, "Foolish."

    The ce had no spare spiritual energy for the people to absorb. If Tie Guang used such a technique to force his realm to the next level, it would not be effective but would adversely affect him. Instead of spiritual essence, he would now burn his life force.

    Shi Lang was not bothered about him and spoke in a sonorous tone, "Hmmm, to think that the patriarch of the Zhu Family is a rat hiding in his hole. How disappointing it is. Do you have no shame left in your heart? How can you even live on with this attitude? You dared to collude with those who cause harm to their fellow humans. You are no lesser than a demon that feeds on the innocent."

    His voice echoed throughout the city, and many experts tried toe forward. However, they were intimidated by the twenty people who surrounded the Zhu Family mansion. At this moment, Elder Pie appeared in the void outside the mansion. He asked, "Who are you, and why are you causing chaos in my city?"

    His voice was calm, but the old man appeared in his Immortal Emperor gear, greatly suppressing the atmosphere. Shi Lang replied, "The Zhu Family is colluding with the Titan Sect to upset the bnce of power in the Central ins. Not only that, but the Wang Family of the Emerald City even feeds them. The same Wang Family that was used of collusion with the demons. They denied it all and never said that the death of their young master was justified. Yet, they are doing things like this under the tables. Do you think I will sit back and tolerate?"

    Old City Lord heard Shi Lang''s voice in his mind, too. He sensed with his spiritual sense that the young man was amongst the crowd in the distance. The clone waspletely capable of fooling people with the same Spiritual presence.

    Old Pie looked at the robed figure and asked, "Do you think I will allow you, a vignte, to act against the people of my city?"

    Shi Lang turned his head around and said, "Old City Lord, it is because of people like you that innocent suffer. Ask your city folks, and they will tell you if the Zhu Family is worth saving¡ª

    these people fear the strong and bully the weak. They deserve to die, and also, if you dare to interfere, I can promise you that the people behind me will raze this ce to the ground."

    Old Pie acted to be shocked and clenched his teeth before he asked, "Who are you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Since you all are keen on finding who I am, listen well. Commit this name to your hearts, and make sure you do not forget. We are the Asura Hall."

    As soon as he said that, a wail echoed in the surroundings, only to drown in the thunder and lightning. The three squad leaders appeared beside Shi Lang, and the tiger maskdy said, "Commander, the head of the titan."

    Shi Lang looked at the side and found her holding Tie Guang''s head. He said, "This thing is not a trophy but a message to the people acting against humanity. No matter how strong you are and no matter how tall your walls are. Asura Hall wille for you."

    Then thedy crushed the skull and flicked her palm to shake off the brain matter sttered on it. Shi Lang said, "If this old man tries to interfere, you can take him on."

    Then he turned around and said, "Patriarch Zhu, I thought you would be a good opponent for my people, but since you rely on the old ancestor so much, it would be a waste to wait."

    Shi Lang took out a sniper rifle and charged an Emeris Bullet with his spiritual energy. He had crafted this bullet to remove an Immortal Emperor with one blow. He was unaware of the capacity of spirit energy this bullet could hold, and right now, he was pouring all the energy he could, but the bullet seemed to be an endless pit.

    Just when he was thinking if he should shoot, the central part of the mansion exploded, and Patriarch Zhu appeared in the void. He was brimming with vitality, and his power seemed unfathomable.

    Shi Lang gave up thest bit of hesitation and shot the bullet. It was as if time hade to a standstill. Patriarch Zhu caught the bullet. However, before the man could express his shock, the world was flooded with blinding golden light. Followed by a loud explosion.

    Boom!

    The people shook and fell to the ground. Even Old Pie was forced to take a step back. What they saw after the light dimmed away was so shocking that the people were lost in a daze.

 Chapter 747 Might Of The Asura.

    <h4>Chapter 747 Might Of The Asura. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang''s attack left the people in a daze. The impact was so strong that the building of the Zhu Mansion copsed under it, and the area that came in contact with the energy ball evaporated. However, Shi Lang was not done. He said, "He is injured but still stronger than that Titan sect pig. Go deal with him."

    The people who did not have stinging ears all heard his calm instructions and were surprised. They could not understand how someone could survive an attack of this level. The squad leaders had an inkling of doubt in their hearts, but they did not let it hesitate them. The people moved together to face the person.

    The glow from the explosion dimmed, and the people saw Patriarch Zhu standing in the void with blood leaking out of his mouth. The people gasped collectively, and the squad leaders exchanged gazes with each other. He said while taking deep breaths, "You are strong. I will give you that, but an attack this strong cannot be repeated as you like, am I right?"

    Shi Lang nodded in approval. The old man was his enemy, but that did not mean the former was a fool. Patriarch Zhu continued, "Since you have used your strongest attack, you cannot fight me. Too bad. Among all the people you have brought, none can match me."

    The terran said, "Patriarch Zhu, you should know that jumping to early conclusions can often lead to disappointment. What are you all gazing at? Go and deal with him."

    The seven squad leaders surrounded the old man and replied, "Yes, Sir."

    Patriarch Zhu smiled and said, "So, you think this trash can take me down? Hahahaha, hubris. I know the Zhu Family is finished, but I will take down as many of you as possible."

    One of the squad leaders said, "Domain Ovep."

    They all made seven different seals and said, "Spirit Domain."

    Patriarch Zhu wanted to act but did not expect these people to deploy domains directly. He had been watching them when they were fighting with people from inside the cultivation room. He thought they woulde at him with various attacks.

    Seven domains piled up over one another, quickly beginning to weigh down on the old man. Even if he was an immortal emperor, he did not expect to face such a scene and was caught unprepared. Old Man Pie watched the battle from the side and was stunned. He asked, "How can their domains exist in such harmony? Usually, domains do not ovep each other. What is going on here."

    Shi Lang replied, "Secret technique of the Asura Hall."

    Old Pie was stunned to see that something like this existed. He did not know that Asura Hall had set up a research center where people spent time testing and developing more theories. This technique was one such product.

    The seven people all had different elements and different personalities. How were they able tobine the domains? The answer was hidden in their psyches. The simple exnation was that the more they held harmony with each other, the more harmonized their domains became.

    They all controlled themselves to gain equilibrium by adjusting to their teammates'' situations. They had been training like crazy and had a good enough idea of each other''s temperament and also what they thought in different situations. Shi Lang had trained them not physically but even psychologically.

    The more they adjusted ording to the people around them, the easier it became for them to blend in. They all shaped each other''s domains to fit in the gaps left by the other person. Patriarch Zhu stood inside a domain filled with burning cherry blossoms and ming tigers that had wings and attacked him with wing des and ws as heavy as mountains.

    The scene was utter carnage. The tiger maskdy said, "Tiger descends the mountain."

    Five ming tigers charged at Patriarch Zhu and roared. The soundwave from all sides concentrated and hit the man from all directions. The old man could use his spiritual energy to defend himself, but the sound waves also created ripples in his defense. Another person with a ck mask said, "Hell wind."

    His voice was cold, and his attack was terrifying. This guy was a cultivator of the wind and ice elements. However, the wind will notst on its own in the heat of this domain, so he has totch on to the ming tigers. The wing of ice provided the beast agility and a cold edge that could leave serious damage. As soon as his words stopped, the wings of the ice pped, and cold wind des assaulted the spiritual wall.

    The des managed to cut through the weaknesses caused by the sound waves. The uneven distribution of spiritual energy caused Patriarch Zhu to suffer as the wind des ripped his chest open.

    Just when the people were about to get happy, they heard a voice, "Don''t rx. A wounded beast is more dangerous than a normal one."

    This warning came from a small figure in a ck cloak. Shi Lang smiled and then said, "You are correct Doll."

    The seven squad leaders took the hint and began focusing on the enemy. After the Ice Wind attack, Patriarch Zhu had a big wound on his chest. He was enraged, but before he could attack, a calm voice sounded, "Silence Peak Suppress."

    The ming tiger approached once more and then waved its ws. Behind the ws, a huge mountain materialized. The spiritual energy object was the technique of the squad leader from the Lust team. The mountain hit Patriarch Zhu from the side and sent him flying to the center of the zone.

    The rest of the people said, "Four Directional Pull."

    The flowers connected and turned into vines and entangled with Patriarch Zhu''s limbs. The old man had been mustering up his spiritual energy to break off from the domains, but he found that the vines were now sucking away the spiritual energy in his body. He roared, "How dare you! Let go of me, bastards! Do you know who I am?"

    Shi Lang replied, "You are an insect I need to trample so that the people know how they should not act against humanity if gains blind them."

    Patriarch Zhu wailed from pain as he sensed his limbs being pulled, and a burning sensation overwhelmed him. The entire Forger city was shocked by the scene. The vines were pulling on Patriarch Zhu''s limbs while the fire on his body slowly melted his skin. The melted skin dripped on the ground. The people shivered from the visual impact. They had no idea that such a thing would happen to people.

    Shi Lang said, "Burn his immortal soul, too."

    The people of the city looked at Shi Lang, and they shivered. They thought this was painful, but if the immortal soul were to be burned, then the pain would increase a hundredfold. Patriarch Zhu wailed, but to no avail; his screamssted five minutes. However, to the people, it was akin to five years.

    Their hearts almost gave in; even the strongest and most cold-

    blooded people looked at the figures in ck and red cloaks, and they shivered. Some of them were already kneeling on the ground. The scene was pandemonium. They had never witnessed such a scenario.

    Shi Lang said, "Perform a sweep."

    The snipers posted on top of the walls jumped down, and they stormed the Zhu Family Mansion. Shi Lang sensed Zhu Lingxue and said, "Young Lady of the Zhu Family, step out. You have my word. We will not harm those who surrender and take a heavenly oath to not act like their predecessors."

    Soon, Zhu Lingxue led out a few women and children the family left behind, and another group gathered on the opposite side. Shi Lang asked, "What is going on here?"

    One of the people from the side said, "Sir, we are willing to make the heavenly oath."

    Shi Lang asked, "Who are you?"

    The man said, "My name is Zhu Shing. I am the eldest member of the Zhu Family now that all the elders have passed away. I wish to lead the family."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I have no interest in who wags his tail to whom. I have promised thedy if she wishes to stay here, fine. If she wants asylum, I will provide her that, too."

    He looked at Zhu Lingxue and asked, "What do you want, Fairy Zhu?"

    When Zhu Lingxue heard this, she froze. She looked at Shi Lang in shock. She knew he was strong, but this was getting out of proportion. Ady behind her nudged her while she shivered. Zhu Lingxue said, "I will seek asylum. I only loved my father in this family, but he never acknowledged me. I have nothing left here."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Very well. Wee to Asura Hall. Let''s go. We are done here."

    The seven squad leaders opened void portals the next moment, and the people jumped into them. Shi Lang opened a void tunnel before Zhu Lingxue and said, "Be quick."

    While the people were leaving, Shi Lang looked at the city and said, "We Asura Hall do not harm those who are innocent, but we will not spare anyone who dares to collude with demons and tries to act mighty."

    The Terran also left the ce, and the city fell into silence. However, the world was in a chaos. Asura Hall became a legend.

 Chapter 748 Fame.

    <h4>Chapter 748 Fame. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang vanished with Zhu Lingxue, and the handful of people she brought along with her were left for the sect people to handle. The Terran wanted to return to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion with Xiao Mei. He warned everyone to be wary of Zhu Lingxue and monitor her actions for some time. He even made them stay outside the sect grounds.

    He would be a fool to trust someone he just met and knew had the power to manipte someone else''s mind. All the arrangements did not take him long, and at the same time, he gave out instructions to all the disciples who were traveling the world to gain experience that they were not to use the Asura Hall uniform at all. With the ssh they madest night, it would spell trouble if someone strong caught on to their trail.

    Shi Lang returned to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion with Xiao Mei and dissolved the clones just in time for Yun Xue toe looking for him. Thedy was surprised to see a little girl talking to Shi Lang.

    She was stunned, and Shi Lang said, "Yun Xue, this is my disciple, Xiao Mei. Xiao Mei, this is my friend, Yun Xue."

    The little girl nodded and greeted Yun Xue, "Greetings, Elder."

    Yun Xue woke from her daze and smiled, "Greetings, little one."

    She turned to Shi Lang and said, "I did not expect you to have such a beautiful gem. Can I steal her?"

    Shi Lang smiled but ced his hand atop Xiao Mei''s head. He said, "Nope. You came here at this hour. Do you need anything?"

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Did you destroy the Zhu Family?"

    Shi Lang nodded and epted. Yun Xue knew that the Asura Hall was Shi Lang''s force. However, the battle description she heard was too surprising. She asked, "Do you not think your action will cause the Titan sect toe after you?"

    It was true that with the Zhu Family gone, the Titan sect would suffer losses, and the death of a core member was a great insult to them. They wille after Shi Lang and the Asura Sect.

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do. What is the matter?"

    Yun Xue spoke exasperatedly, "Why are you so calm?"

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Why are you so worried? Do you know where the Asura Hall is located?"

    Yun Xue was stunned; that was right; she did not know where it was located; Shi Lang had never told her. She looked at him, and the Terran said, "It is not that I do not trust you, but until you have joined the force, it is safer for you not to have much knowledge."

    Yun Xue thought and nodded. She asked, "What now? The Zhu Family is gone. What do you want to do next?"

    The Terran replied, "Cultivate and practice. The tournament is around the corner. I do not want to waste more time in the pointless power struggle."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Fine, I am going into seclusion. I can sense that my breakthrough is near."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Go on then. I will protect the ce when your tribtion arrives."

    Yun Xue nodded and waved her hand at Xiao Mei before she left the room. Xiao Mei said, "Master, my limit is close. I wish to go back. Xiao Yu would be back soon, too. Secluded cultivation will prove good."

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "Hmmm, okay, but do not stay cooped inside the house. Bnce between work and leisure."

    The little girl nodded, and Shi Lang waved his hand to open a portal for her. Then, he came out to inform Yao Jiming that no matter what happened, he would not be disturbed before the day of the tournament''s inauguration. Yao Jiming nodded and said, "I will keep that in mind, Young Master."

    Shi Lang did not care about what was happening outside. The entire immortal realm was bustling with the news of a group of people that raided a thousand-year-old family and destroyed them. Not only this, but even their skills shocked the people.

    ...

    Tian Long was sitting on his chair when he sensed something and said, "Old friend since you havee over, why don''t you speak?"

    An old man appeared before him wearing a green hanfu. This man had a long beard and was a peak-level Immortal Sovereign like Tian Long. He said, "Old friend, did you hear about what happened to the Zhu Family of the Forger City?"

    Tian Long nodded and said, "I cannot help but feel like my ears are numb at the mention. Themunicator is about to explode from the same message from everywhere. Tell me, Lao Xi, what do you want to discuss?"

    Lao Xi took a deep breath and said, "Well, I want to ask if this force is linked to you?"

    Tian Long shook his head and asked, "What made you think so?"

    Lao Xi said, "Well, you have been looking into the Titan sect, and your champion is also in that city. So I thought I should directly ask."

    Tian Long cursed this old man for being too clever and said, "Old man, you are just looking too deep into things. I have no idea about this Asura Hall. Also, that champion of mine cannot take down Emperors. If you have not realized, it was because Zither Soul yed a boosting soul for him. Also, killing demon beast emperors that night was after I had significantly weakened them."

    Lao Xi scoffed, saying, "You speak as if he has no merit to himself. Hmph, who are you trying to fool?"

    Tian Long said, "Do you want me to take a heavenly oath that I am not rted to this? Also, he does have merit, but he is not mature enough to deal with those old coots of the Zhu Family, and he would not offend a major sect like this. Another thing that you are forgetting is that I made him the champion because hees from the same realm as I am. I trust him. Do not go making nonsense stories."

    Lao Xi saw that Tian Long was annoyed and decided to calm down, saying, "Fine, if you say so. However, if this force is as strong as the circting stories, it would be nice to ask the person at the helm to join us in the Martial Council."

    Tian Long looked at the old man and said, "You are thinking too much. They just killed a few corrupt people, and we should ask them to join the council. Is it that easy now? The others will not agree and will not have any ideas. Let us focus on other pressing issues regarding this force joining our ranks. Let us wait and see what they are up to."

    Lao Xi considered it and left after a few more words. Tian Long took a deep breath and said, "Ugh, this guy is always creating trouble for me."

    This was not just Lao Xi; all the experts in the central ins were looking for ways to learn more about Asura Hall. While there were people who supported them, there were also those who hated Asura Hall. Of course, these people did not wish to enter the light, but they also pulled strings to find out more.

    One enraged party was the Titan Sect, and they did not hide it either. They had put out bounties, and all the disciples who could spare time were looking for Asura Hall or any news rted to them. Many profiteers used this chance to gain wealth by circting rumors. The Asura Hall was sealed, and they did not care about it because they were getting all sorts of information ryed to them.

    This incident allowed them to gain fame and, at the same time, identify many other corrupt people. Within a week, the target list had a hundred names on it. The squad leaders wanted to go out and hunt down some people, but recalling what Shi Lang had said, they calmed down.

    Xiao Mei watched all this and came forward to address the seven squad leaders. She told them that the discipline was not to be vited or Shi Lang would not be happy. This was enough to appease these eager people.

    ¡­

    Amelia was also in seclusion, but as a sect mistress, she was still receiving stable news input. While she was happy that Shi Lang pulled off something this big, she was also worried about being left behind.

    The War Maiden Sect elders gathered to discuss the issue, but the grand elder told them not to hold any bias against Shi Lang. His strength and integrity were not to be questioned after this. The elders were still unsatisfied about Shi Lang being involved with their sect mistress, but after this incident, they all agreed to ept him. Well, it''s not like Amelia cared.

    Thinking about this, the grand elder thought of something and said, "Deliver a message to the champion of the Heavenly Dragon Army for me. I wonder what he will do in that situation."

 Chapter 749 Gathering.

    <h4>Chapter 749 Gathering. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang did not know about the things happening outside after the incident with the Zhu Family. He was immersed in cultivation and wanted to reach the peak of the Immortal King realm. It was said that all the Immortal Kings were allowed to participate. However, that was too broad of a spectrum.

    There were many rules that the people did not mention in detail. Well, the initial assessment was when the people thought the tournament had begun because not everyone managed to ace it. There have been many deaths because the cultivators were stubborn and did not give up.

    Tian Long had told Shi Lang about the difficulty level, and thus, he was preparing the best he could. Yun Xue was also the same; she was at the edge of ascending to the Immortal Queen realm. The tournament had just been held two days ago, and Shi Lang had yet to escape his seclusion.

    Just when Yao Jiming was about to risk his neck and enter the room to awaken the Young Master, the spiritual flow around Yun Xue''s room suddenly changed. Every Immortal King and Immortal Lord sensed it. Yang Tie left his room and said, "Raise the barriers."

    The guards have been on edge these past few days. They did not know if someone would attack the pavilion to disrupt the preparations of the Young Master and Lady Yun. These days, when Yun Xue steps out of her room, she spars with the people she can find. Heavenly Dragon Pavilion had forgers, but none of them were weak. They would spar with her and, regardless of their ages, seek guidance when she defeated them.

    Yun Xue was never stingy, and she guided the people without holding back anything. Thus, she gained the name Lady Yun. The people were respectful to those who had power. A maid whispered, "I wonder if Young Master wille out. Lady Yun had been working hard to catch up with him."

    Another maid nodded and remarked, "I wonder why Young Master has not gone after her yet?"

    At this moment, they hear a calm voice, "It is because I have yet to gain permission from my wife. I will not do anything that will upset her; that was my promise to her now if you, to kinddies, would allow me. Yourdy needs to be taken away for her tribtion."

    Thedies were startled; they had not expected Shi Lang to appear behind them. The Terran smiled as he enjoyed messing up with them. He waved his hand and undid the restriction on the room. Yun Xue opened her eyes, and her body shivered. She was holding back the strong, surging spiritual energy within her body.

    Shi Lang said, "Off we go?"

    Thedy nodded, and then the Terran opened a portal to teleport them to a barren ce in the eastern barrens. Yun Xue asked, "Why are we here?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The spiritual energy is scarce. It will give you a few more seconds to prepare for the next bolt."

    The lightning bolts will not condense as soon as they would with abundant spiritual energy. Shi Lang was applying simple logic to make things safer. He could not interfere directly with the tribtion difficulty, which would be increasingly dangerous. Yun Xue nodded and distanced herself from Shi Lang.

    The Terran wanted to say some encouraging words, but he could not. He admired Yun Xue for being the person she was, and he was attracted to her, but it was not maddening love. To him, Amelia was the person he loved truly because not only was she the person who indirectly gave him a chance to redeem himself when he was at his lowest, but she was the person who made many sacrifices for him¡ªsomeone who understood him properly.

    The clouds condensed, and lightning bolts fell to test Yun Xue''s skills and understanding of Dao. The tribtion did not exceed a few minutes, but Shi Lang thought it had been ages. He knew what it was like to face these tribtions.

    He checked hismunicator and found Yang Niao had be an Immortal King. Amelia also informed him of her ascension and that she awaited him in the Tournament. Shi Lang congratted her and expressed his wish to see her soon.

    The tribtion ended as he chatted with people, and Yun Xue finished her ascension. He did not wait for her to heal from her injuries and threw her a set of clothes. When Yun Xue finished healing and stood stark naked, she hastily picked up the clothes and dressed up.

    They returned to the Forger City and found Yang Tie pacing in the garden. He looked troubled. The terran approached him and asked, "What is the trouble?"

    Yang Tie sighed and said, "I have been working hard and cannot find any solution to the device prototype."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You cannot invent anything overnight, Pavilion Master. Calm down, and you will eventually find a way. Take one step back and move two steps forward."

    Yang Tie nodded and caught sight of Yun Xue. He congratted her and said, "Your breakthrough came at the right time. The tournament will start the day after tomorrow."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yun Xue, go and consolidate your foundation."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "I will try to consolidate as much as possible."

    The Terran nodded, and after she left, he asked, "Can you tell me who the people to watch out for in the city are?"

    Yang Tie replied, "The Meng Family is filled with talented individuals. Also, a few days ago, the two young masters of the Zhu Family returned. They were enraged about how their family suffered, but then they pinned it all on their stupidity when Old Pie arrived and told them what happened."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Then?"

    Yang Tie sighed and replied, "They pinned it all on their wild ambition, and Zhu Lin was thrown out of the house to die. I heard that he had bullied some women from the brothel in the past, so they avenged themselves and left his naked corpse in the alley."

    Surprised, Shi Lang said, "Well, it does not matter. What about the two young masters of the Zhu family? Do they have any remarkable skill?"

    Yang Tie nodded and replied, "They have been trained inbat at the front lines. They both hold a high position in the military headed by the Northern Sect Alliance."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "What skills do they have?"

    Yang Tie shook his head and said, "This information can only be found by shady means, which I do not entertain. As for their weapon of preference, they are both spear masters."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I would love to y with them in the tournament. Now tell me about the Meng siblings."

    Yang Tie replied to his queries, and the two chatted about the tournament''s rules and in-depth mechanics. It was morning when Shi Lang left toplete thest-minute preparations. He had to see if he could overhaul the quality of his spear for use in the tournament. If nothing worked, he would ask Yang Tie.

    He took out his spear in the forging room and prepared to fuse it with a small amount of celestial steel. Emeris was too rare for the experts to recognize. Celestial Steel was still somewhat stored with a few older experts. Tian Long had a sword that was made ofpletely celestial steel.

    If he managed to fuse the metals, then his spear''s spirituality would improve along with the level of damage. Shi Lang took a chunk of celestial steel and got to his work. The entire day, he spent time in the forging room, and when everyone was gathered, they did not find him.

    Yao Jiming rushed over and said, "Pavilion Master, young master is at a critical stage of

    refining his weapon, it will take him some time."

    Yang Tie frowned and said, "How long do you think?"

    Yao Jiming said, "I think half an hour."

    Yang Tie thought about it and said, "Fine, I will try to hold them for a bit."

    That said, Yang Tie left the pavilion with the rest of the people to gather at the square where the initial assessment would be conducted. Yao Jiming rushed to the forging room to inform Shi Lang about this when he came out.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, the biggest cleared space in the city, the central square, which was about five hundred meters wide in radius on all sides, was filled with Immortal Kings and Immortal Lords like ants. Among this crowd were the people from the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. Yun Xue looked around and said, "I did not expect this tournament to be such a big gathering."

    A few Immortal Queens beside her heard this and said, "Lady Yun, I heard that such gatherings are being held in almost all the cities of human territory."

    Yun Xue nodded. At this moment, an old man appeared in the void. It was the City Lord Pie. He spoke in a sonorous tone, "Wee, everyone. I am the city lord of the Forger City and the junior invigtor of the entrance assessment for the Centurion Tournament."

    The people immediately fell silent, and Old Pie said, "Immortal Lords will have to withstand the pressure of five immortal lords for five minutes. You will be disqualified if your knees touch the ground or if you use any spiritual tools. As for the Immortal Kings, please await your turn. Without further ado, let us begin."

 Chapter 750 The Test.

    <h4>Chapter 750 The Test. </h4>

    ?After Old City Lord finished speaking, four people appeared in the void. Old Man Pie said, "These are my fellow invigtors. The martial council has sent them over to test you. Now you have ten seconds to prepare yourself. I advise that if any of you feel that you cannot go on. Please ept defeat. You can gain glory and fame only when you are alive."

    The crowd fell silent, and the tension in the environment reached its peak. Old Man Pie said, "Begin."

    The next moment, the spiritual pressure of an Immortal Emperor descended on the shoulders of all the Immortal Lords standing in the square. Yun Xue noticed the people shivering a little. However, they did not seem to be very strained. After one minute, some people had sweat dripping from their foreheads, but their faces looked calm.

    But just then, another Immortal Emperor emitted strong pressure and ovepped with another invigtor. A few people were unprepared and fell to their knees. An Immortal Lord was standing next to Yun Xue. This was strong, and he could handle the pressure on its shoulders.

    Yun Xue asked, "Are you okay?"

    The young man nodded and said, "Forging tempers our body. We can still handle pressure, even if not in the Immortal King realm. I can deal with fouryers, but the fifth will be hard."

    Yun Xue nodded. She understood that theyers meant the pressure oveying on his shoulders. She looked at the crowd and found that two young men were watching everything coldly. She frowned for some reason and took back her gaze. Shi Lang had taught her that one should not gaze over people for a prolonged time. In the immortal realm, cultivators had a stronger perception.

    Yang Tie had told her that these two people were the young masters of the Zhu Family, and they had reassumed themand of their family from the person who stood up against Zhu Lingxue. That person now served as the manager for the two brothers. The assessment continued, and out of the supposed five thousand Immortal Lords in the square, only two thousand stood with difficulty.

    The pressure of the fifth Immortal Emperor had yet to descend upon them. Yun Xue looked at the guy next to her, and she said, "Do your best."

    The Immortal Lord nodded with difficulty. The pressure from the fifth guy had just descended. Yun Xue sighed and said, "This guy is gonna miss the assessment."

    She was talking about Shi Lang. Hearing her, the person beside her said, "Brother Yao said Young Master hase out of his forging and is heading over, so do not worry. I am only concerned about the test we have to face."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Yes, I do not understand why these people are gatekeeping all this information. I tried asking, but everyone said you should participate to find out."

    The other person replied, "Lady Yun, they are not hiding anything, but the fact is that these tests are not the same. People who did not participate do not have much information either."

    Yun Xue did not think this was the reason, but she did not want to bother with these people. She looked at the few Immortal Lords in their group and found them cleverly parting their feet to evenly spread the pressure on their shoulders.

    Thedy could not help but nod at this execution. The minute passed slower than usual, and only a few hundred Immortal Lords were left standing. Heavenly Dragon Pavilion had twenty-three people, neen of whom were Immortal Lords. After the five-minute limit, only ten were standing, and it seemed like they could pass out at any movement possible.

    Yun Xue asked, "Are you okay?"

    The person nodded with a faint smile. Old City Lord said, "Those who stood their ground, congrattions; you have passed. You can now leave the square ande over tomorrow morning."

    The people bowed to the Immortal emperors and left the square slowly. Some people came forward to help a few Immortal Lords who had fainted. Old Man Pie sighed and said, "It is good that no one died."

    The other invigtors nodded and remarked softly. They had been worried about deaths because sometimes the younger people fail to see the line. They try to push hard but end up hurting themselves seriously or worse. However, despite this worry, they could not hold back their pressure because the tournament was a challenge for the young people to grow and reach a level higher than they were at.

    Old Man Pie said, "Now, for the Immortal Kings who have gathered here. Your assessment has three levels."

    The Immortal Kings were surprised but could not say anything against the invigtors. This was the ironw of the Centurion Tournament. No questions or arguments. If you have anyints, you can only mention them at the stake of your life. Centurion Tournament worked on the normal life framework. It was unfair as fuck, and just like life if you are wrong about your decision. You forfeit your life.

    Old Man Pie continued, "The first task of the assessment is to hit this pir of Vajra Iron and leave an indent on it. This indent must be an inch deep."

    The people shivered because Vajra Iron was the hardest metal. Not everyone could leave an indent on it, and even immortal emperors had trouble handling this particr item. Yun Xue said, "What do you think?"

    Thedy beside her sighed and said, "This is how they weed out talent from average people. There is no trick to go around this test."

    Old Pie removed a pir of Vajra Iron from his space ring and dropped it on the ground. He said, "I forgot to mention, you will have to hit the pir while withstanding the pressure of the five Immortal Emperors."

    Someone was urged to say that the old man was kidding with them, but the sudden pressure on their shoulders made them fall quiet. At this moment, Shi Lang walked up from the side and asked, "Sir, I apologize for beingte. Can I still participate?"

    One of the Immortal Emperors said, "You can. Only those who approach the pir will face the pressure."

    Shi Lang hurriedly thanked them and rushed over to Yun Xue''s side. Thedy red at him and asked, "You almost missed it."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It was a risk worth taking."

    Yao Jiming sighed and said, "Young Master, you are too adventurous. It is not good for my heart."

    Shi Lang smiled and looked around at the people approaching the pir. Many people attacked the pir one by one. Shi Lang could tell they were trying their best, but they could not leave a mark on it. He used his sensory ability, smiled, and asked, "Do you all want to know what this test is about?"

    Yun Xue asked, "Explosive force?"

    Shi Lang shook his mind and said, "It is about wisdom. If you know the properties of the Vajra Iron, you will ace this test. It does not mean you wille out on top, but at the least, passing will not be a problem. After all, the five Immortal Emperors are not kidding."

    Yun Xue asked, "Tell me the properties of Vajra Iron."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I will not cheat. Your only option is to wait it out and learn the trick from someone who will pass the exam."

    Yun Xue pouted and red at Shi Lang. However, she could not refuse what he said. It would be a waste of time to convince him to help her. Shi Lang was a person who believed that one''s effort must gain everything.

    Suddenly, Yao Jiming said, "Young Master, the Zhu Family is making a move."

    Shi Lang looked at the side and found two armored young men walking up to the pir. The first guy was tall and had long hair; he wore crimson armor and had a spear tied to his back. Shi Lang said, "They will pass."

    Yun Xue asked, "Why are you so sure?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Intuition. Just watch carefully. They will give out the hint you need."

    The first young man stood before the Pir and punched out. The impact of the punch not only produced a loud sound but even made the pir shiver. Yun Xue focused her gaze on the pir and was surprised because there was an inch-deep indent. After hundreds of people, this guy from the Zhu Family was the first to advance.

    She could not help but look at this guy and then at Shi Lang. The Terran asked, "What happened?"

    Yun Xue asked, "What hint were you talking about? He did not even use his spiritual energy to hit the pir."

    Shi Lang smiled and gazed back at the girl, saying, "Sometimes the solution we need is right in front of us, yet we are unable to see it."

 Chapter 751 Second Round.

    <h4>Chapter 751 Second Round. </h4>

    ?Yun Xue could not understand what Shi Lang was talking about, but soon, the second Young Master Zhu also managed to pass the assessment. Shi Lang observed that Yun Xue could not understand him and said, "You can try by focusing on their spiritual energy."

    Yun Xue and thedy began to observe the people, but after the two Zhu family''s young masters, it was long before one person left an indent on the pir. The people looked at this guy with great curiosity and began to discuss with each other.

    Shi Lang asked, "Do we have any details about this guy?"

    Yao Jiming shook his head and said, "He seems to be from the Military forces on the front, the renegade brigade."

    Shi Lang nodded in understanding. Renegade brigade was a military organization made up of drifting cultivators and would train them inbat at the front lines. They were the secondrgest military unit in the immortal realm. They consisted of averagely talented Immortal Lords and Immortal Kings, headed by a few old men in the Immortal Emperor realm.

    These people were not strong, but their sheer number was enough to deter many famous families. Renegade Brigade would always travel in big groups, and despite not being affiliated to any sects or forces, these people had a unity that none others had.

    Shi Lang watched a few more peoplee over to make their moves. Although they managed to get the technique right, their strength wascking. Although they managed to leave an indent on the Vajra Pir, it did not meet the requirements.

    Only ten of the fifty people met the requirements. Shi Lang looked at them and said, "Lady Yun, did you figure anything out by their disy, or do you need a spoon?"

    Yun Xue kicked his leg and said, "I am slow but not dumb."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Then what are you waiting for? Go do it."

    Yun Xue asked, "What about you?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I will watch for a bit more."

    Yun Xue nodded and then left with anotherdy and Yao Jiming. Shi Lang looked around and observed every action of the forces. Not only had the residents of Forger City stepped up to participate in the trial, but many people from neighboring cities or young people from small viges came over to watch the excitement and try their mettle.

    While he was looking around, Shi Lang found the Meng Family group. A couple of youths were standing at the edge of the group. They also happened to be looking at Shi Lang curiously. The Terran smiled and sped his fist to them in greeting from a distance.

    The Mengs were surprised to see this disy of goodwill, but they responded to him. Only a few people were left in the square. The Immortal Kings who failed to pass the assessment had already left. They did not wish to be embarrassed by the invigtor''s speech.

    The Meng Family began to move, and they were all very strong. They had a contingent of seven people; surprisingly, five cleared the test. Shi Lang was surprised. He looked at the three people from the Heavenly Pavilion, and they all, even Yun Xue, managed to pass the assessment.

    Shi Lang was not very optimistic about this girl''s chances because she had just ascended to the Immortal King level, and he thought her strength might not be up to the level. When he was thinking this, he recalled that he had gifted her a Demon Bane fruit. After she ate that fruit, her power increased.

    Suddenly, Old Man Pie said, "Young Man, you are the only one left to test."

    Shi Lang was startled and found that it was his turn. He sped his hand to the old man and hurriedly moved closer to the Vajra Iron Pir. Ten meters away, he found the pressure from the five Immortal Emperors staked on his shoulders. However, what shocked the people was that Shi Lang did not even flinch a bit.

    The Immortal Emperors were also surprised and increased their pressure, but Shi Lang was walking as if this pressure did not bother him. The Vajra Iron Pir was one meter away from him. Shi Lang circted his spiritual energy and created a barrier around the pir, but he ensured that the barrier deflected the pressure from the old men in the void.

    Vajra Iron had a property: the more spiritual energy passed through it, the harder and denser it would be. Forgers loved this metal because it was very soft when there was no spiritual energy inside it, and they could create good weapons without much effort. Shi Lang lowered his body and assumed a fighting stance.

    He looked at all the indents and found only the one made by Second Zhu, which was deeper than an inch. Shi Lang smiled and thought, ''Interesting, this guy is having difficulty holding back.''

    He closed his eyes and then let out a simple punch. The movements were textbook punching ones. Shi Lang covered his body with spiritual energy when the punchnded and connected with the pir. The bang it caused was so loud that the people were startled. Even the invigtors did not expect this.

    They quickly came down and found that the indent was only one inch deep. However, they were not disappointed, and their old eyes still managed to sense the faint ripple on the surface of the Vajra Iron Pir. Old Man Pie said, "This assessment ispleted. You must all face one move from an Immortal Emperor for the next round. One move, and you will get to the third round.?Allow me to tell you that the third round is a fight with the five of us after forming a group with the people who survived this assignment. So you can apply in advance."

    Old Man Pie had a big smile on his face. Shi Lang looked at him and said, "City Lord, you sure know how to have fun."

    The old man chuckled, and Shi Lang walked over to his group. He said, "Focus on dodging the attacks or parrying them. Do not block head-on."

    Yao Jiming nodded and said, "Yes, young master."

    Shi Lang looked at Yun Xue and said, "If you think it is too much, then back off; do not injure your foundation."

    Yun Xue nodded and asked, "I will pay attention to it, but Brother Bo is taking the assessment in Titan City. He said things were not looking good."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is fine; tell him to endure and keep moving forward as much as possible, and if he fails, he can step back."

    Yun Xue nodded, and just when she was about to speak more, Old Man Pie said, "So, who wille up first?"

    None of the people wanted to go; they were still thinking, and at this time, Shi Lang said, "Since no one else is going, I would like to try. Also, City Lord, I will apply in advance."

    Old Man Pie and everyone else was shocked. Shi Lang said, "See, you seniors wish to toy with us, so you say there are three levels in the assessment. However, I fail to see the point of the second level when I have to face you all in the third level."

    Old Man Pie nodded and asked, "Well, so you want your group of four to fight with us five?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Old Sir, would you get serious? Please?"

    The old man sighed and replied, "Fine,e. You can fight one of us, and if you are still standing after ten minutes, then you pass."

    The terran nodded and took out his spear. Everyone here knows that he was an expert in the spear. Zhu Brothers exchanged a nce, and they looked at Shi Lang. Thepetition had begun, and this battle would allow them much information about Shi Lang. All the Immortal Kings standing on the ground were keen on finding out the limits of their opponents, and in such a situation, Shi Lang taking the initiative to fight was a good thing for them.

    Old Man Pie asked, "Who do you want to fight?"

    Shi Lang said, "You can decide. I do not mind, but I would like it if the person does not look down on me."

    He smiled at the five Immortal Emperors without fear in his gaze. He began to move his spear slowly, but as the old people discussed who would fight Shi Lang, the movement of his spear grew faster and shaper.

    The First Young Master Zhu said, "It looks like he is trying to get used to the weapon. Why?"

    His brother squinted and said, "The weapon is freshly forged. It has no marks on it."

    ...

    Yao Jiming sighed and said, "Looking at him, I am betting this guy is about to go crazy."

    Yun Xue shook her head and said, "He isying a bait for the fish to bite the hook."

    The two Immortal Kings did not understand what Yun Xue meant, but thedy did not care to exin it to them either.

    ...

    After five minutes, an old man stepped forward and said, "My name is Azul Herman. I will fight you."

    Shi Lang stopped moving and focused his gaze on the old man. He greeted him and said, "Greetings, Seniors. Thank you for your guidance."

 Chapter 752 Battle Maniac.

    <h4>Chapter 752 Battle Maniac. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang held his spear as he faced Azul Herman. The battle was going to be held in the square. Old City Lord Pie waved his hand and created a barrier. He said, "You have to defend yourself for ten minutes. If you feel a threat to your life, make sure you surrender quickly."

    The terran nodded and held his spear in a battling stance. He said, "Senior Azul, I hope you will not hold back."

    As he finished speaking, his expression changed. Azul Herman removed his spear from his space ring and said, "Ready or not, kid, here Ie."

    The old man moved, and the Young Master from the Zhu Family said, "I know who this old senior is. His Dao title is Spring Spike. He is among the top twenty spear masters in the human warrior rankings."

    After much deliberation, Yao Jiming looked at the young man and asked, "Young Master Zhu, the human warrior ranking has hundreds of people in the ranks. Can you tell me the significance of being in the top twenty?"

    The young man looked over and said, "The top twenty means they have the potential to rise to the level of an Immortal Sovereign. Now, do you understand? He is stronger than your normal Immortal Emperor."

    The people realized what was happening and heard a loud ng. Looking at the battlefield, they found Shi Lang facing Azul Herman head-on. The attacks were quick and sharp. Azul Herman was also taken aback because he did not expect this young man to show such a resilient attitude.

    Shi Lang smiled and enjoyed every minute of this battle. The tip of his spear moved like a snake hunting for prey. Azul Herman, known as the Spring Spike, was quick and fluent. All his moves seemed connected so well that his spear appeared to be a storm that wanted to blow Shi Lang away.

    The Terran was pushed back, but quickly, he would take a step forward to regain the lost ground. They were both pressing hard and unwilling to give up even an inch. Shi Lang disyed skills that surprised everyone in the square. Only Yun Xue was calm. Yao Jiming eximed, "I did not expect Young Master to be this skilled."

    Yun Xue replied, "Do you think he dealt with the ten Demon Beast kings while he was just an Immortal Lord by fluke?"

    The people heard her words and recalled the legend about Shi Lang from The Blood Moon Night. The terran suddenly said, "Have you finished testing my skills?"

    Azul Herman backed off and nodded. He said, "You have good skills, but that is not enough."

    Shi Lang invoked his Dao Armor and summoned his Dao armament. The blue lightning spear had turned into a red lightning spear. It blended inside the body of Shi Lang''s spear, and the young man said, "Why don''t you see if this is all I have?"

    Azul Herman was not to be outdone by a young man before his peers. He also invoked his Dao Armor but did not bring out his dao armament. He thought his spear was enough to handle Shi Lang. However, Shi Lang''s spear started vibrating.

    The red lighting covered the weapon, and Yun Xue said, "I wonder if this senior will manage to hold him off."

    The young master of the Zhu Family heard this remark and said, "It is good to be confident, but overconfidence can make one look ashamed."

    Yun Xue turned to look at him and said, "I do not think anyone asked for your opinion, Young Master Zhu?"

    The Meng Family people raised their brows, and so did the remaining Renegade Cultivators were the same. They did not expect Yun Xue to stand against the Zhu Family''s twin dragons.

    The young man wanted to refute when his brother touched his shoulder and said, "Watch the battle."

    The people trained their eyes again at the battle and found the two turning into flickers. The ground was covered with multiple figures of Azul Herman and Shi Lang.

    The people were surprised as they did not understand how Shi Lang could keep up with them. Old City Lord said, "Although I have seen lightning element users, I have never seen anyone with such speed. Hisprehension of lightning element and daows is outstanding."

    Another Immortal Emperor said, "Yeah, I agree with you, Old Pie, this guy is something. No wonder His Excellency took him as a champion of the Dragon Army. His skills are solid, but that aside, his guts are made of steel.

    Herman is not holding back. He has not used any stronger moves, yet this guy can keep up with him. The old man is having a hard time."

    The rest of the people heard this evaluation, and they were shocked. This was a group of Immortal Emperors talking about an Immortal King.

    ...

    Inside the barrier, Shi Lang moved quickly, and he was keeping Azul Herman at bay. However, he knew he could not keep up this output level. He took a deep breath and invoked his Dao Crown.

    The sudden change took Azul Herman and Shi Lang aback. They turned the gear up a notch, and he said, "Slithering Dragon."

    His spear seemed to havee to life. Shi Lang stood in his ce, holding the spear. The weapon began to spew energy streaks through the void, and the lightning waves made buzzing sounds as they traveled through the void.

    Azul Herman waved his hand and formed a spiritual shield to defend himself against the attack, and he walked over to Shi Lang''s side. However, the Terran was not surprised. He smiled and said, "Thank you."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and lowered his center of gravity. He took a deep breath and said, "Dragon piercing the sky."

    The next moment, his spear trembled and left his hand. Azul Herman stopped walking, and his hair stood up at their hands. He immediately took out his Dao Cape and said, "Spike threading the petals."

    This shocked everyone, and Old Pie immediately said, "Stop him. If this kid dies, Tian Long will raze the city."

    The four Immortal Emperors moved in to stop Azul Herman, but they were toote. Thetter quickly vanished from his spot. Shi Lang stood at his spot; his gaze was firm, but he was not afraid.

    Young Master Zhu said, "One needs to know where the limit lies."

    Everyone was anxious because it was not only Azul Herman who felt fearful of the move; everyone felt it. Even the arrogant Young Master Zhu had his senses rattled by the attack.

    The battle intent that Shi Lang held at that moment made them realize that this guy was a battle maniac. This was a dangerous thing for those who had ill intentions towards him. Such people would go to any lengths to satisfy their urge to fight, and the scene before them was a statement supporting this logic.

    Shi Lang had unleashed his spear intention along with his spear. Azul Herman made his move not to kill or attack Shi Lang but to defend himself. He was aware that if he underestimated this attack, he could get severely injured or, worse, die.

    Suddenly, Azul Herman appeared five meters away from Shi Lang, holding the spear shaft and pushing forward. The collision stirred up a dust cloud, and the void shook around them. That was not all, and the impact made the ground crack up.

    The crack spread from under their feet to where the people were standing. The people felt the tremor coursing through their bodies. They found that the attack even burned the spiritual energy.

    The two people were still locked intobat. Azul Herman had a bleeding wound running along his forearm, and Shi Lang had a hole in his right shoulder. However, while Azul Herman looked pale, Shi Lang was still smiling.

    The Terran took a pill from his space ring and swallowed it. The wound on his shoulder was as big as a human fist, but the pill began to heal him quickly. This was a rapid-healing pill. It repaired the physical damage by using the spiritual energy inside the body.

    As his wound began to heal, he asked, "Do you want to continue, Senior?"

    Azul Herman had caught his breath, and his face looked better as hemented, "Do you think I am that eager to die? Brat, you dared toe at me to kill. Did you think I would not do anything to you? Is the dignity of an Immortal Emperor joke in your eyes?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I battled you with the best of my capabilities, that is enough to prove how much I respect you. A warrior shall face another warrior withplete strength; otherwise, it will be a disgrace."

    Azul Herman chuckled and said, "Good, you passed this test. I forfeit."

    ...

    Yun Xue said, "You were correct, Young Master Zhu. One should know their limits."

    The sparks of battle were flying in the void as Shi Lang walked back to the group of spectators.

 Chapter 753 Spark Of Madness.

    <h4>Chapter 753 Spark Of Madness. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang took a deep breath when Azul Herman epted defeat. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

    Then he turned around and walked to his people. He sensed a certain tension in the void and found that Young Master Zhu was gazing at Yun Xue coldly. He frowned and said, "Young Master Zhu, I wonder who among you is the elder, and who is the younger?"

    The young man staring at Yun Xue said, "I am Zhu Liang. Behind me is my big brother, Zhu Tian."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Greetings. I am Ace, the Young Master of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. It is nice to meet you both."

    Zhu Tian was surprised by this and gazed at Shi Lang for a prolonged moment before nodding. He knew in his heart that this young man was anything but easy. When Shi Lang gazed at them, it was like a beast was looking at them. Once they step on his tail, he would tear them to shreds. Given his battle capacity, they were sure that Shi Lang had the skills to do that.

    Zhu Tian was not a fool to believe that Shi Lang disyed his trump cards in the battle just now. He said, "Good fight, Young Master Ace. I have heard about your spoils at the frontier. Please to meet you."

    Shi Lang smiled and then looked at Yun Xue as he said, "Go on, take the exam now."

    Yun Xue nodded and left the spot with a sword in her head. She said, "Senior Pie, I seek your guidance."

    The old city lord nodded and asked, "Who do you want to fight?"

    Yun Xue said, "I practice swords, so I wish to learn a few things from the seniors."

    She politely told them she wanted to learn from the seniors and then selected the sword user to battle. She may not look like it, but this young snow maiden was a trained diplomat.

    Old Man Pie looked at his friends since Azul Herman was injured, and this girl used the sword. He gazed at a middle-ageddy, who took the hint and nodded with a smile. She took a step forward and asked, "I am Milin."

    Yun Xue bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Milin; I seek your guidance."

    Milin gestured for thedy to move up to the center, and the rest of the Immortal Emperors erected a barrier. Yun Xue turned to the side and found Shi Lang smiling at her as he said, "I will wait for you to pass the test."

    The youngdy nodded and then turned her head to look at Milin before she brandished her sword. Yun Xue was not a pushover. She was strong, and the people doubting her on the sidelines were about to find out.

    Old Pie gave the signal, and the battle began. Shi Lang locked his sensory ability on the battle as he used his spiritualmunicator to contact Amelia and tell her that he was done with his assessment and that he had passed. He instantly received her message informing him of the same. The couple talked about things briefly, and it turned out that Amelia was tested against Demon Beast Kings and captured alive by the Martial Council.

    When Shi Lang told her he had to take on an Immortal Emperor, thedy was surprised and asked what was happening. Shi Lang gave her a detailed ount of the battle, and thedy replied, "Good, I know you are strong but do not need to flex."

    Shi Lang smiled as he raised his head to look at Yun Xue as Milin pushed her back. He narrowed his eyes and said, "What is the point in holding back when the enemy is overpowering?"

    Everyone agreed with his idea. They all nodded; suddenly, the youngdy from the Meng family said, "What if she is looking for a weakness?"

    Her brother was surprised that the girl was taking the initiative to converse. Shi Lang replied, "Miss Meng, when your opponent is as strong as Senior Milin, it is advised that instead of looking for holes, you should attack proactively and create holes to exploit."

    The people were surprised, and Lady Meng chuckled and said, "Young Master Ace, only a battle maniac like you can take that path. People like us have to tread carefully."

    Shi Lang did not mind the name she used and chuckled as he said, "Young Lady Meng, we all have the potential to achieve greatness. What we allck is a shred ofmitment."

    Young Master Meng asked, "So, do you think we have notmitted enough?"

    His question spoke for all the people in the square. Everyone who came to this level of assessment was a genius in their own right. Now that Shi Lang had brought up themitment issue, they wanted to ask the same.

    The Terran smiled and said, "I never said that any of the people had notmitted their utmost. All of you are strong, and I acknowledge your might. Themitment I speak of is a spark of madness that you will not take back your steps even in the face of death. This spark is exhausted by logic. Defy the logic, and you will see that what I do is not hard. Yes, it is dangerous, but fortune favors the bold, and the treasures are often apanied by trouble."

    Zhu Liang smiled and said, "I don''t know if such madness will bring us greatness or give us a quick death."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The City Lord had this madness, which is why he is a Saint Forger. The demonic cultivators we face have this madness, and this is why they are so hard to handle. I am not saying we should look up to them, but I know only poison can work against poison."

    Suddenly, everyone turned to look at the battle and found Yun Xue standing on the ground with her hair turning white. Her body was covered in Dao Armor, and an Icy Blue Dao Crown rested on her head. She said, "Realm Of Ice, Snow ke Sword."

    The entire ground inside the barrier froze instantly, and snowkes began to materialize around them. Milin was surprised and said, "You juniors sure are not easy to deal with."

    She summoned her Dao Crown and said, "Sparkling summer."

    The next moment, her part of the ground began to steam, and sparks of fire began to shine inside the barrier. However, Yun Xue did not stop and began to dance with her sword. Milin also did notg, and she countered. The essence of the two moves seemed to be simr. However, Yun Xue was losing elegance and fluency. After all, she was facing an old Immortal Empress.

    Shi Lang said, "Prepare a healing pill."

    The people were perplexed about what he was saying when they suddenly sensed dangerous feelings erupting from the core of their hearts. A loud explosion shook the square. The impact was stronger than that of Shi Lang and Azul Herman. None of the Immortal Emperors predicted it. Inside the barrier, there was a big dust cloud.

    No one could see anything, but Shi Lang was sure the two people inside the barrier were fine. He said, "Do not worry so much. They are just stunned because they did not expect the explosion."

    Young Lady Meng asked, "What do you mean, Young Master Ace? Is this explosion not caused by their attacks?"

    Shi Lang replied, "In a way, it is, but it is not. How do I exin this? Well, see, ice and fire are natural counters. Senior Milin was stronger in her elemental proficiency, but Yun Xue was not, and there was a disbnce in the elemental energy dynamics. That caused this explosion, and the shock wave was so sudden that none of them were prepared and got knocked out."

    The people understood and nodded. They all had mastery of their elements. However, they had never thought something like this could happen. Shi Lang said, "This only happened because the barrier was like a bubble. If it were open, it would not have been a problem."

    This was the key point that these people had been missing. Old Man Pie removed the barrier. Shi Lang moved in to look for Yun Xue. He quickly found her and fed her a healing pill. Her organs were shaken from the unexpected shockwave, and she needed to rest.

    The Terran removed her from the barrier and said, "Brother Yao, go and take your exam. She is fine."

    Yao Jiming nodded and then walked forward. Old Man Pie looked at Milin and asked, "Sister Milin, are you okay?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "This Junior passed the exam. My realm aided me. Otherwise, the impact would have left me knocked out as well."

    Old Man Pie nodded and said, "Young Master Ace, your friend passes."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you."

    They all knew that Yun Xue was a newly promoted Immortal Queen. Yet she managed to handle an Immortal Emperess. The people in the square realized that the contenders from Heavenly Dragon Pavilion were not weak.

 Chapter 754 Strategizing & Sudden Visit.

    <h4>Chapter 754 Strategizing & Sudden Visit. </h4>

    ?Shi Lang took Yun Xue to the side, and thedy woke up after a few moments. The first thing that attracted her mind was the trembling ground. She looked around and found that Shi

    Lang was cultivating to regain his energy while Yao Jiming stood beside her.

    She asked, "What is going on?"

    Yao Jiming replied, "Sister Mel is going through her assessment. It is not easy, but she is holding up pretty well."

    Yun Xue sat up and nodded as she asked, "Did you pass?"

    Yao Jiming nodded and said, "By the stroke of luck, managed to fend off a senior."

    Yun Xue was not surprised. This person was following Shi Lang. How could he be mediocre?

    She sat up and asked, "The rest of the people have yet to take their assessment?"

    Yao Jiming shook his head, and Shi Lang said, "Focus on regaining your energy. It will not be simpleter on."

    Yun Xue thought and nodded. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes to gather spiritual energy. After a few minutes, the barrier was undone, and Old Man Pie said, "Mel Drake passes the test."

    Yao Jiming walked over to help the injureddy. Although the injury was not fatal, it did affect Mel''s fighting capability. Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "Brother Yao, we are returning to the pavilion."

    His words surprised the trio. However, they could tell from his gaze that things were not simple. They nodded, and Shi Lang asked Old City Lord, "City Lord, can we go back?"

    Old Man Pie and the rest of the people were shocked and did not know why Shi Lang wanted to leave. He asked, "Young Master Ace, why do you wish to return so quickly?"

    Shi Lang replied with hubris, "We are all weapon forgers. I am a newly promoted Forging Master and must practice my skills daily to improve. Thus, I wish to return, and my friends will leave with me. If we have no further assessments to undergo, I would not like to stay idle."

    Old Man Pie had a twitch at the corner of his mouth, but he nodded and said, "Pleasee over tomorrow morning. The third round of assessment will begin then."

    Shi Lang nodded and left with the people beside him. His exit shocked the people. The biggest reason they were all standing here was to observe their opponents'' skill level.

    However, Shi Lang walked away as if he did not care about anything. This made some people angry because they thought he was looking down on them.

    However, if they were to learn of his thoughts, they would be scared as hell.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and the rest returned to the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion with Yang Tie and the rest of the people. The ones who were eliminated were not allowed tomunicate with them. Yang Tie was forbidden from interactions as well.

    Once they came back to the pavilion. Yang Tie asked, "Young Master, what happened?"

    Shi Lang replied, "We need to prepare for the next round."

    Yang Tie and the rest were surprised, and the former asked, "Do you know what the next round will be like?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Do you think I have that connection with those old people outside? The one old man I know will y hooky on me. That bastard neveres to help me. I have an idea of my own. Go, I do not need you here."

    He waved his hand and dismissed Yang Tie with a sudden scolding. Not only the Pavilion Master but even Tian Long was not spared. Shi Lang issued the eviction order. Yang Tie hastily left the ce, and Shi Lang continued, "Okay, now tell me, what do you think could be the next trial?"

    Yun Xue replied, "Survival?"

    Yao Jiming said, "Could it be that we have to fight against the rest of the people?"

    Shi Lang nodded faintly and looked at thest person in the room. Mel Drake said, "Young Master, I agree with the two."

    The Terran nodded and said, "You all agree with me. However, I think they will throw us a curve ball."

    They all looked at him in confusion, and Shi Lang cleared his throat as he said, "I mean, we might have to survive while fighting with the other opponents. However, they could throw in the demon beasts to increase the difficulty. There are many things they could do. So, the main motive is to develop strategies for all the possible scenarios we can think of."

    Yun Xue asked, "What will that do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "It will narrow down risks. You will have less chances of getting caught in an unprepared situation."

    Yao Jiming nodded and said, "I agree. However, Young Master, what about the information on the opponents?"

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Yeah, they have all seen us fighting."

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "You all fought following my instructions, right?"

    Mel Drake nodded, and the other two followed. The Terran had told them not to use special skills or their domains. He said, "Since you did not expose any of your major skills, they can still try to estimate your mastery of them. Also, while they are busy thinking about the extent of our strength, we are already preparing to deal with them."

    Yao Jiming nodded and asked, "Young Master, what must we do?"

    The Terran stood before them and said, "Brother Yao, we might be forced to operate inside a closed space. They might iste us from the world and force us to separate from each other. In that case, we must locate each other quickly and regroup. For that, I would need a small transmitter that allows the four of us tomunicate."

    Yao Jiming was surprised by this idea. He was wondering whatmand this guy had now, but what he had waspletely unexpected and swooped him off his feet. Then Shi Lang said, "Sister Mel, you were injured, although you have taken medicine. Here, take this, and you will return to your optimal state with five drops. Share the rest with the two of them. Yun Xue, gather a port of poison antidotes and anti-demon medicine."

    Yun Xue raised her brow and asked, "Are you thinking we might up against Demon Beasts?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Until I have finished the third round, I will not rule out this possibility. Now get to work; I have to inform others, too."

    The trio nodded and left the room quickly. Shi Lang handed the design n of a transmitter to Yao Jiming, and the jade bottle contained fifty drops of spirit liquid¡ªthe best medicine to rejuvenate the spiritual energy.

    After everyone was gone, he quickly began to correspond with Amelia and Bo Qingtan, along with the major yers of the Asura Hall, Yang Niao, and the rest of them. The conversation was very fulfilling and gave the people a good idea of what they could face in the next round. Although the people from Asura Hall had be stronger, they had a few weaknesses in their foundations, and thus, some could not pass the assessment.

    Shi Lang consoled them with one line: "Go train harder, and I dare you to leave the training before you have rectified the ws."

    The people took hismand and quickly returned to the Asura Hall for punishment. Meanwhile, those who had passed the test began to prepare ording to what Shi Lang said. The Terran had a feeling that the third round of the tournament would be same for all of the people.

    After he was done with the instructions, he was about to go for cultivation when a voice echoed in his mind, "I wonder if I can have an audience with Young Master Ace."

    Shi Lang was surprised because he did not sense anyone around him. He braced himself and said, "I would be obliged, Senior."

    Since his senses could not pick up the person, he was sure a senior was visiting. As soon as he said this, Yang Tie appeared at the door. He asked, "Young Master, are you okay?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and a person appeared beside Yang Tie. This person was dressed in a sky-blue hooded robe. Yang Tie quickly turned around and raised his hand while asking, "Who are you?"

    The figure replied, "I am a messenger from the north. Pavilion Master Yang need not worry."

    Yang Tie scoffed and replied, "You barged inside the pavilion unannounced. Who do you think you are?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Pavilion Master, can you calm down? This senior is not an enemy."

    Yang Tie put down his foot and said, "Young Master, I can tolerate anything, but the dignity of the Heavenly Pavilion is not to be tarnished."

    Considering this, Shi Lang nodded and said, "Senior, you need to sort this out with Pavilion Master Yang before I can converse with you."

 Chapter 755 Third Round.

    <h4>Chapter 755 Third Round. </h4>

    ?The person in the blue robe stood against Yang Tie and sighed, "Pavilion Master Yang, I apologize for the unannounced arrival and the intrusion, but I am here on the orders of the Grand Elder of the War Maiden Sect. If it were not urgent, I would not havee here."

    Yang Tie was surprised and looked at Shi Lang, who sat on the side as if this issue had nothing to do with him. He sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist, I apologize, too, but I hope you understand that you would have reacted the same way if you were in my position. Please continue with your business. I will take my leave."

    He sped his fist in greeting before he left the position. Shi Lang shook his head and asked, "Senior, you can tell me now."

    Thedy stepped inside the room and waved her hand to close the door. She took off her hood, and Shi Lang watched her calmly. Thedy was surprised but then said, "Young Master Shi Lang, I am Kamal Tai. The grand elder asked me to tell you that Sect Mistress''s life could be in danger."

    The gentle aura surrounding Shi Lang immediately morphed into a battle storm that could swallow anything. Thedy was shocked when she sensed this change. Not many people in the Immortal realm had such a horrible aura. She gulped and continued, "The sect master of the Titan sect once barged into the gathering hall and med us for killing their people in our territory. The sect mistress stood her ground, and the dispute escted. In the end, the Titan sect threatened to kill all the disciples from the War Maiden Sect theye across in the tournament."

    Shi Lang''s eyes were turning blood red in rage. Kamal was an Immortal Empress, but she could not help but feel threatened. She knew that Shi Lang would react, but this was too intense for her. Shi Lang asked in a restrained voice, "And what next?"

    Kamal gathered her thoughts and said, "The disciples will be safe till the provincial rounds. However, when they enter the main event, the Grand Elder has asked for you to aid us."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You do not have to stand on formality with me, Senior Kamal. Amelia is my family, and I love her more than the entire Immortal Realm. Simrly, you are Amelia''s family. Suppose those bastards tried toy a hand on my family. I will not give them a slow death. You can tell the grand elder not to worry about this issue. Also, next time, you can use the spiritualmunicator."

    Kamal smiled and said, "I wanted to do that, but Xiao Yu and Sect Mistress were in seclusion, and when they woke up, we could not ask them to pass this message. Sect Mistress does not wish to burden you."

    Shi Lang calmed down and reined his aura as he said, "This woman is still the same. She always tries to shoulder it all on her own. Please take my spiritual essence so that you can contact me."

    Kamal stayed for one more hour, and Shi Lang discussed the issue of the Wang family with her for a bit before she left in awe. She found this guy was as wonderful as Amelia imed to be. However, the one thing that she could not hold back was the cold sweat that covered her back.

    She waved her hand and vanished inside a void tunnel. She appeared outside the small courtyard where the Grand Elder lived. Kamal was an attendant beside the Grand Elder and one of the few people capable of bypassing the restrictions.

    The olddy was sipping on a cup of tea when Kamal walked over. She noticed the state of her attendant and asked, "Kamal, what happened? Did you meet a strong expert?"

    Kamal shook her head and took a deep breath before saying, "Old Madam, that guy is not simple. He is scary."

    The olddy raised her brows and asked, "Are you telling me that a child rattled you?"

    Kamal took a deep breath and replied, "Old Madam, he is not a child. When I told him about the visit from the Titan Sect Master, his aura was so scary that I had the urge to summon my Dao armor."

    The olddy was surprised; she thought Kamal was exaggerating, but in her heart, she knew that Kamal was not such a person. She smiled and nodded, saying, "If that is the case, then I think having him on our side is nice."

    Kamal nodded; she said, "Old Madam, I think, this time if the Titan Sect does not hold back, they will suffer more than they can imagine."

    The Grand Elder smiled and said, "It is time someone put them in their ce."

    ...

    Shi Lang was not settled after Kamal left; his eyes were cold, and he was dancing with his spear in the garden. The ferocity behind his moves was unconsciously forming wind des. The people who watched him were shocked and decided to keep a distance. They had never seen Shi Lang acting like this; he was terrifying.

    The Terran was so annoyed that he wished he could go and destroy Titan Sect once and for all, but he was not that strong. However, he would handle things differently since he could not do that. He will take down the talents that the Titan Sect has gathered up. He intended to give them a death that sent chills down the spines of the people and prohibited them from meddling with him and his people.

    It was not that the rage blinded Shi Lang, but he needed to vent some of it, or it could consume him. He was practicing the Shura Sutra, and umted rage could make him go berserk and turn him into a mindless demon. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, "Why do you have to think so much? When the timees, take me out, and we will show those old bastards what we are capable of."

    Shi Lang did not stop moving his spear but replied, "I know, do not worry. You will have your chance of ying people again. It will be soon."

    Raksha was active again; she usually stayed in the background like an ordinary sword. However, when Shi Lang had the urge to burn down everything around him, she calmed him down.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang stopped dancing and found Yao Jiming standing in the distance, gazing at the sky. He asked, "Brother Yao, are you done?"

    Yao Jiming nodded and rushed over quickly. He said, "Young Master, the transmitter isplete."

    Shi Lang nodded and watched thetter bring out a metallic pyramid. The entire thing could fit on a palm, and when the Terran examined it, he was surprised. He remarked, "I did not expect you to have such a goodmand of inscriptions. These tightly packed arrays saved us a lot in terms of size."

    Yao Jiming smiled and thanked Shi Lang. The Terran quickly left his spiritual imprint on the transmitter, saying, "You should get the two of them to imprint on this."

    Yao Jiming nodded and left. Shi Lang stood in the garden. Shortly after, Yun Xue approached him and told him she had prepared the antidotes. Shi Lang told her to divide them into four rings and hand over the package to all four of them. Yun Xue knew his intention and did as she was told.

    This was not just them; every participant who managed to pass the second round was preparing for things. They all were hoarding medicinal supplies and even rations and weapons. Shi Lang was not wrong, and specting and preparing was not against the rules. This test did check the presence of mind, but the hidden test was the far-sightedness.

    The sun rose on the horizon, and the city picked up pace. Everyone was curious and wanted to know the third test for the Immortal Kings. Yesterday, the people were shocked to see the Immortal Kings keeping up with the Immortal Emperors.

    Shi Lang looked at the people behind him, and they all moved toward the square. On the way to the square, many people pointed at them and even sang praises, while some called them stupid for showing all their cards. However, the people from Heavenly Dragon Pavilion did not react.

    Soon, they were joined by the Meng Family group. Both groups had a silent understanding. Shi Lang and Young Master Meng exchanged a gaze and nodded to each other. Thetter said, "Young Master Ace, what do you think the Zhu family is up to?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "Young Master Meng, as long as they do not bother with me, I will not bother with them. Everyone likes healthypetition. However, if they try anything funny, I will have their heads on my waist when I return. I do not care of the frontier army loses two dumbfucks."

    Young Master Meng chuckled as they arrived at the square and said, "Good luck, Young Master Ace."

    Shi Lang nodded to him and said, "Same to you, Young Master Meng."

    Old Man Pie appeared in the void and said, "Since everyone is here, I will now announce that the Third round of the Assessment for Centurion Tournament begins."

 Chapter 756 Rakshasa Wilderness.

    <h4>Chapter 756 Rakshasa Wilderness. </h4>

    ?As soon as City Lord Pie announced that the final round of the assessment wasmencing, everyone trained their ears on it. Shi Lang watched the four people behind the City Lord and said, "It''s a good thing we came prepared."

    Yun Xue wanted to ask him what he meant when Old Pie said, "The participants who managed to pass the assessment yesterday will now be sent into a secret realm."

    Azul Herman stepped up and continued, "You will aim to fight with each other and snatch the jade slip. Once the jade slip has been taken away from you, the rules of the secret realm will eject you from the realm. The five staying inside the longest will participate in the main tournament. The assessment is seven days long. Inside the secret realm, the time is different. One day here is seven days there."

    The crowd was surprised and anticipatory. Yang Tie asked, "Senior Pie, can we see the assessment proceeding?"

    Old Man Pie smiled and replied, "Yes, we have to surveil them all so you all can watch them."

    Shi Lang raised his hand and asked, "Senior Pie, do we only have to fight our opponents? What are the rules."

    The old man chuckled, and Milin stepped up and said, "You will have to fight with each other. There are no hold bars, and in addition to that, you will have to face Demon Beast Kings. How many of them are kept there, we do not know."

    The people were surprised, and Old Pie said, "I can sense your eagerness, so please go ahead."

    The four Immortal Kings took out four almost identical wooden square blocks and tossed them into the void, all connected like mas. Then, the four of them moved their hands and pulled the four squares away. The squares were spiritual tools, and they were used to open void tunnels leading to the secret realm.

    Old Man Pie waved his hand, flicking a few jade cards at the participants, and said, "Everyone, please move through the spirit tunnel."

    Shi Lang did not wait for the others this time, and he moved with Yao Jiming and the rest. The people were stunned because they did not expect him to rush in.

    Yang Tie sighed and mumbled, "I wish hees out safe."

    ...

    Shi Lang and his team rushed through the void tunnel. They were all sucked in by a strong suction that made their bodies ache. Even when they were Immortal Kings, they could not control their bodies.

    Shi Lang did not resist but covered his body with spiritual energy to avoid injuries. They had a strategy and ns to execute as soon as they entered the secret realms unless he was teleported directly inside the mouth of a Demon Beast King.

    After a minute, Shi Lang opened his eyes, realizing he was not moving, and sensed the ground approaching at a high speed. The Terran was falling down the sky. He tried to fly, but the effort was futile. He concluded that this ce had a flight restriction in ce.

    However, while falling, he spotted a few minuscule shadows. These spots were the other participants. Shi Lang turned and looked at the terraining closer, clenched his fist, and said, "Lightning Fist."

    He punched at the ground, and the recoil of his attack was well-controlled, helping him decelerate quickly, but still, hisnding was a bit rough. Shi Lang checked himself for injuries and quickly gathered himself to find a high vantage point. His speed was fast, and he paid attention to not leave behind any signs of his presence.

    ...

    Yao Jimingnded softly at the back of a swamp. Then he stood up, removed the transmitter from the space ring, and ced a few supreme-grade spirit stones in the slot before cing the device at the crown of the highest tree in his vision.

    Then, he tried to connect with the people on his team. He sent a message to his teammates and soon received a message from all of them. Shi Lang told them the position, and they all decided to regroup. They determined the direction using the sun in the sky. This ce was a simple dimension within the dimension.

    ...

    Yun Xue was rushing through the wilderness when she suddenly removed her sword and unleashed a strike at her left. She abruptly stopped and was stared down by a Demon Beast King. She mumbled, "Just my dumb luck."

    The demon beast king was like a wolf and had a pair of goat horns on its head. It was five feet tall, and demonic energy formed a cloak of ck smoke around the body of this creature¡ªthe menacing red blobby eyes. The beast revealed its shiny ck fangs as it charged at Yun Xue.

    She channeled her spiritual energy into the weapon and said, "Frost maiden sh."

    She summoned her Immortal Lord Armor as she charged at the beast. Thedy noticed the menacing ws of the beast. As the creature lunged at her, it shed the ws at her. The strength of this beast was so strong that a few trees were cut through the moment it brandished its ws.

    Yun Xue clenched her fist around the hilt of her sword, and then she dived down to the ground, striking at the ce where the Demon Beast did not expect her to. She slid under his tall body, and her sword shed from head to tail tip. Her attack carried her sword intent through the beast''s body, slicing it in two and simultaneously freezing it from the inside.

    She stood behind the beast and checked her surroundings before quickly leaving, leaving no signs of her presence. Shi Lang had taught her well. She moved quickly, and after a few miles, she sensed someone approaching her. It was Mel who joined her. Yun Xue asked, "How was your journey?"

    Mel replied, "One Demon Beast King and two humans."

    Yun Xue looked at her, and she raised two fingers, meaning she had two jade cards. The former smiled and said, "Impressive."

    Mel shook her head and said, "I wonder how Young Master is faring."

    Yun Xue replied, "You do not have to think much about him. If anything or anyone dared to make a move against him, they would not be his match."

    Mel smiled and said, "You have so much trust in him. I wonder why?"

    Yun Xue replied with a nostalgic smile, "When I first met him, it was a tournament. He was the strongest among his sect''s people. His realm was the lowest, and even I was behind him. During our confrontation, I asked him to settle it with one move. He survived my strongest move, even though I lost control, and then he made a move that could have killed me."

    Mel was surprised, and Yun Xue said, "My guardian elder pressured him, but he threatened her that if she meddled in the fair proceedings, he would not go down without chipping away at her."

    Yun Xue smiled and said, "Imagine an Immortal General saying that to an Immortal King."

    Mel was stunned and left speechless. Soon, they arrived at the meeting location and found Yao Jiming standing over the corpse of a Demonic Beast. Yun Xue asked, "Did he not arrive?"

    Yao Jiming replied, "The Young Master said that he encountered Zhu Liang, and thetter wants to challenge him."

    Yun Xue sighed and said, "I knew that guy did not want to live a peaceful life."

    She used her hand and sent Shi Lang a message toe over quickly.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang stood before Zhu Liang and asked, "Young Master Zhu, why must you do this?"

    Zhu Liang smiled, "Fighting a strong opponent improves your craft. You seem strong enough to hold your own against an Immortal Emperor, so you are a good enough opponent for me."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You are getting on my nerves, Young Master Zhu."

    Zhu Liang took out his spear and asked, "Will you fight me or not?"

    Shi Lang raised his brows and said, "I hope you won''t regret it or beg me for mercyter."

    Zhu Liang chuckled as he kicked the shaft of his spear and mboyantly charged at the Terran. Shi Lang reciprocated, and the two people began to fight each other. The Terrans were worried that their battle sounds might attract others, so as a precaution, they avoided shing the weapons with Zhu Liang.

    Shi Lang dodged and weaved while trying to do some damage to his opponent. Zhu Liang knew that Shi Lang was holding back, which annoyed him a lot. Finally, after battling for five minutes, he pulled back and yelled, "Are you fucking kidding me? Why are you holding back like a sissy?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "I wish to beat you ck and blue. But you just had to make a mess and attract Demon Beasts."

    Zhu Liang wanted to say that Shi Lang was making an excuse, but his expression changed when he sensed tremors running through the ground.

 Chapter 757 Who Is The Demon?

    <h4>Chapter 757 Who Is The Demon? </h4>

    ?Shi Lang and Zhu Liang were both strong people, and they could sense what wasing at them. The two of them stopped fighting and looked at the iing trouble. Shi Lang quickly looked at hismunicator and replied to Yun Xue, "Demon Beast Tide, run away. I will find a way to catch up."

    Zhu Liang was unlike him, and his eyes were glowing with the intent to battle. He asked, "Say, Young Master Ace, why don''t we see who will kill how many demon beasts?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "Young Master Zhu, I don''t mind that, but are you sure you will stay alive to count the result?"

    Zhu Liang chuckled and said, "We shall see when the timees."

    As they fought, they watched the trees in the distance fall. Shi Lang used his sensory ability and said, "Fifty demon beast goats. All of them Immortal kings."

    Zhu Liang asked, "How do you know?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Everyone has a secret of their own; now if you do not want to be a pile of sheep dung, focus."

    His words immediately spurred Zhu Liang''s solider instinct. Even Zhu Liang himself was surprised by this reaction. He did not expect that Shi Lang would have such an impact. His aura was that of a general leading his troops to battle. He looked at Shi Lang and found thetter standing half a step ahead.

    Zhu Liang wanted to move forward, but something in his heart told him he was safer in this position. When he was dwelling on whether he should move forward, he spotted the demons iing. The beasts all had a simr appearance. It was a pack of wolves with goat horns protruding from their foreheads.

    Shi Lang lowered his body and said, "Young Master Zhu, do not fight them head-on. I have a bad feeling about their foreheads."

    Zhu Liang nodded and said, "I agree."

    Shi Lang knew that Zhu Liang had been training at the frontier and was not an average Joe. The wolves spotted the two of them and howled. Suddenly, Shi Lang and Zhu Liang spotted a mass of dark energy gathering in the middle of the horns. They exchanged nces and vanished from their spots just in time to evade a beam of dark energy.

    Shi Lang appeared next to the beast, and his spear shed. The stabbing attack opened a hole in the side of the wolf demon beast. Shi Lang channeled his lightning spiritual energy through the weapon, finishing the process quickly. On the other hand, Zhu Liang was quick in his assault, too. His attack was even more brutal; he used the shaft of his spear to hit the back of the wolf''s head and squash it like a watermelon.

    Shi Lang sensed it. The young man was a master of the earth element. He was using his strength topensate for his speed. Shi Lang nodded. At least this guy was not a total waste. He focused on fighting the beasts charging at him. Shi Lang recalled the feeling of simultaneously being shot at by multipleser beams.

    The wolves attacked him simultaneously, all charging at his vital points. However, he was not intimidated. He channeled his spiritual energy into the aimed parts and used it effectively as armor against the attack. However, Zhu Liang was not as efficient as Shi Lang, and his body was covered in scales made of rocks.

    It provided him with great defending prowess, but when faced with the savages, this method consumed his spiritual energy faster. If it continued, he would notst long. Shi Lang did not intend to take on an unnecessary battle, but he had to help Zhu Liang if he wished to oust this tide.

    ...

    Everyone was still gathered in the square in the forger city, except the two people who had fought with Mel. A few rogue cultivators had also been sent out, and word was that one person had been consumed by the demon beasts inside the secret realm.

    At this moment, multiple screens were erected in the void. Old Man Pie and the other Immortal Emperors were monitoring the contestants. They could not intervene between life and death, but apart from self-defense, all other deadly attacks on fellow humans were forbidden.

    Suddenly, the people in the square noticed the screen where Shi Lang and Zhu Liang were facing the demon beast horde. They gasped and began to mor. An elder from the Zhu Family suddenly yelled, "Why is this guy not helping, Young Master Liang? What is the use of his title as the champion? Is he deliberately waiting for Young Master Liang to die?"

    Yang Tie heard this and turned to look at the guy with a cold gaze. When the people saw this, they calmed down. Inside the heavenly pavilion, Shi Lang and Tian Long were his superiors, and they had the guts to do insane things that he could not imagine; thus, he was always rattled around them.

    However, if he faced anyone else, his temper was that of a dragon. He replied in a cold tone, "Oye, Zhu, are you and your family members blind? Can you not see that Young Master Ace is fending off demons alone, too? If not for the mor created by your battle-blind Young Master Ling, these demon beasts would not have attacked them in the first ce. Have your family not learned their lesson? Control your ambition and tongue because they can both draw dangers toward you."

    The Zhu Family elder turned to look at Yang Tie and said, "Who do you think you are? Just a dog of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, and you wish to teach us a lesson? Do not forget your ce."

    Yang Tie was not upset but replied, "We all know who is a dog to whom. Why cannot I see your elders and patriarch here? Oh, I forgot they were ughtered like dogs for wagging their tails to some foreign forces. You better keep your mouth shut to maintain the pretense of being wise before the city folks."

    Zhu wanted to retort, but Azul Herman snorted, quieting them. He was done with this hubris.

    ...

    Inside the secret realm, Shi Lang killed the demons attacking him as quickly as possible, storing the corpses in his space ring while making his way to Zhu Liang. Thetter was being pushed into a corner and was seriously overwhelmed by the pack of wolves. Shi Lang noticed a few patches of rocks were missing from his body.

    He instructed, "Get down."

    Zhu Liang did not know what this guy would do, but the next moment, he took out a rifle from his space ring and began to shoot spiritual bullets one after the other. These bullets were not metallic projectiles, but they were pure spiritual energy.

    Shi Lang was not wasting his time, and it was not only his spear. He modified his sniper rifle as well. Making it so that the weapon could condense spiritual energy faster and act like a repeating rifle rather than a bolt action.

    This was the first time he had tested it, and the red lightning bullets moving through the void proved deadly to the demonic beasts. They fell on the ground like puppets whose strings snapped.

    Zhu Liang watched this and was shocked. He could not help but think that if Shi Lang had used this weapon to fight him, he would have died, too. The attack speed and the impact were cruel. Every demon beast that suffered the burn of the attack was charred, and the lightning was so destructive that when the beast fell on the ground, the corpse would turn into ash.

    Zhu Liang saw that some part of the corpse was not burnt and remained intact, but it was slowly fusing and releasing smoke. He gulped and looked at Shi Lang, whoseplexion was looking pale. At this moment, Shi Lang stood with his back facing Zhu Liang. Thetter held the shaft of his spear tightly, and his eyes flickered, but Shi Lang said, "Do not think you will live if you try to move."

    Zhu Liang was shocked and did not expect Shi Lang to be able to tell what he was thinking when he was focused on the demon beasts so intensively. Shi Lang was dealing with the demon beasts so urately that he only shot a few dozen shots before all the demon beasts were done for.

    The Terran did not rx and rushed away from the position. He turned to face Zhu Liang and asked, "You wanted to kill me just now, did you not?"

    Zhu Liang wanted to nod, but when he sensed Shi Lang''s indifference in his eyes, he shivered and shook his head. Shi Lang said, "Second Zhu, it would be wise if you handed over your jade card and left before I lost control and killed you."

    Zhu Liang shivered. He was sure that if he did not do as told, Shi Lang was going to kill him. At this moment, he could not understand if this guy before him was a human or a demon beast. As he moved his hand to take out his jade card, Zhu Tian appeared between him and Shi Lang.

    Zhu Liang took a sigh of relief, and Zhu Tian said, "On the ount that you saved my brother, leave now. Or I will take your jade card."

    Then he aimed his battle intent at Shi Lang, who smiled like a demon and said, "dly."

 Chapter 758 Asuraâ€™s Terror.

    <h4>Chapter 758 Asura''s Terror.</h4>

    ?Shi Lang smiled demonicly at the people before him. The next moment, he took out his sword. The Zhu brothers were shocked at this. They did not expect him to practice swords, either. However, they did not have the time to react before Shi Lang moved from his spot.

    Zhu Tian raised his spear, and the impact of the iing attack shot him a few stops back. Zhu Liang was stunned but quickly raised his weapon to help his brother. They did not know what made Shi Lange at them with such a dense killing intention. Only by looking at them did they sense their hair standing on their ends.

    They stood back to back because Shi Lang was moving so quickly that they could not spot him. The Terran would sh at them from different angles, leaving the two of them in apletely defensive situation. They knew that Shi Lang, with a spear, was a genius, but with a sword, this guy was apletely different demon.

    ...

    Everyone in the square was surprised by this sudden turn. Old Pie frowned, and he wanted to talk to his fellows when the elder of the Zhu family yelled, "What the fuck is he doing?"

    Yang Tie replied calmly, "Your young master repaid the favor, intending to kill him. Did you take him for a cow who will not act? He has the right to kill Zhu Liang. Zhu Tian only incurred the wrath on himself."

    Zhu family members clenched their fists, and a person from the rogue cultivators said, "So, you mean to say that as long as someone holds an ill intention against him, your Young Master will directly kill that person?"

    Yang Tie looked at the person and said, "Fellow Daoist, Young Master Ace is apassionate person, and he never hesitates to stand at the front and face death when he is fighting against demons. That is what he did even in this situation. He saved Young Master Zhu Liang at the cost of using a lot of his spiritual energy.

    However, Zhu Liang did not appreciate this, and thus, the anger Young Master Ace had against him was justified. You all might not think of it as a big deal, but the reason he is acknowledged by the people of the heavenly dragon pavilion is because of the efforts he made on the battlefield and the lives he saved while staking his own."

    The rification instantly left the people silent. This was the truth, and Shi Lang had made many achievements. Old Man Pie thought that the situation did not need his intervention. The other Immortal Emperors were the same. They all had their pride, and if someone whose life was on lease from them came to kill them, they would do exactly what Shi Lang was doing.

    ...

    The Terran was fighting hard against the two people, and the longer the battlested, the better the Zhu siblings understood the horror. However, they thought that Shi Lang would not kill them when, suddenly, Shi Lang said, "Lightning Domain."

    The next moment, a huge patch ofnd was covered in lightning streaks falling from the sky and striking the two people. Zhu Liang shouted, "Big Brother, do not let these streaksnd on you; they will destroy us inside out."

    Zhu Tian had just fended off a lightning streak that hit his spear shaft, and his arms tingled when he heard this. He understood what his brother was talking about. Things were not simple; Shi Lang had already left them feeling helpless, and now his domain boundary caught the two of them simultaneously, giving them no option to save themselves.

    When two people were inside a domain, they could not use their domain as the ovepping could prove dangerous for themselves more than the enemy. They would not be able to do anything to counter it like this.

    Shi Lang did not hold back or care if the enemy could keep up with him. All he had in mind was to kill them. He moved like lightning itself. His de was now vibrating and emitting a sharp whistle. The sound had more than one use. It was to confuse the people and disorient their senses.

    Zhu Liang yelled and tried to attack, but he could not move. Shi Lang was like a beast, and they were the prey. He was toying with them. Zhu Tian yelled, "We concede. Young Master Ace, we concede."

    However, Shi Lang did not stop. He was not seeking their surrender, but he wanted them to die under his de. His de suddenly trembled and emitted a strong sword intent. Zhu Tian shouted, "Xiao Liang, give up your jade card. We would not be able to live if this continued."

    Zhu Liang was unreconciled and said, "I don''t want to give up."

    Zhu Tian replied, "We will always have a chance as long as we are alive."

    While Zhu Liang was rashly adamant about his choice, Zhu Tian could tell that they could not face the Shura Sword Intent. The destructive element in the sword''s intent was making his heart palpitate.

    He gave up saving his brother, removed the jade card from his space ring, and threw it on the ground. The next moment, just as the Immortal Emperors outside had said, the world''sws reacted, and Zhu Tian vanished from his brother''s side.

    Zhu Liang was shocked, but while he was in a daze, the sword intentionally shed out by Shi Lang made its way to meet his neck. A protective spiritual energy appeared before Zhu Liang, but the next moment, it was cut through clearly. Zhu Liang was sure that he was going to die.

    However, his heart surrendered to the devices of fate as he closed his eyes. But he felt nothing. As his senses calmed down in eptance of death, he sensed that he was still breathing. He opened his eyes and found Shi Lang standing with a calm, icy face. The Terran said, "Do not think I am showing you any mercy. You are not worth it. However, I do not wish to kill a strong human soldier."

    Zhu Liang was shocked and wanted to ask why, but his throat did not produce any voice. Shi Lang said, "Give up your ticket. Otherwise, I will take it on my own."

    Zhu Liang shivered; he was unreconciled but helpless against Shi Lang''s brute strength. After thinking about his brother''sst words, he took out the jade card and said, "I will return the shame from today in the future."

    Shi Lang tilted his neck and said, "If you wish to forfeit the lease on your life, then I shall wait for you."

    Zhu Liang clenched the shaft of his spear and gave up the jade card. The world rules sent him out of the secret realm. Shi Lang waited for a few minutes, then pretended to cover his face while swallowing a few drops of liquid spiritual energy. He did not wish for the old people outside to catch a whiff of his wealth.

    ¡­

    Everyone watched this confrontation in the square, and they all saw Zhu Tian appear in the void with a vexed expression. They all thought that Zhu Tian had abandoned his brother and that Shi Lang was going to kill the young man, but that did note to pass. The shock came when Shi Lang dispelled his sword intent right after breaking through the spiritual wall of the protective talisman.

    Yang Tie looked at the Zhu family and asked, "Zhu, were you not questioning if Young Master Ace was a good man? He is a good man, and Zhu Liang''s life is the best evidence."

    Zhu Tian red at Yang Tie, but he did not act rashly. The next moment, Zhu Liang appeared in the void and slowlynded on the ground. Zhu Tian took a step forward to console his brother. However, what he got was coldness from Zhu Liang''s gaze.

    Zhu Tian stopped and asked, "What did he say to you?"

    Zhu Liang did not answer quickly but said, "I am going back to the front."

    This was a sudden announcement that shocked the Zhu family. Meanwhile, the other people just wanted to watch the drama. Yang Tie looked at the few people beside him and smirked.

    The people of the Heavenly Dragon Pce had no qualms about ridiculing them; however, at this moment, someone from the crowd yelled, "Look, the Meng Family is approaching Young Master Ace."

    The people all forgot about the Zhu Family in a blink and focused on the people appearing on the screen.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was waiting for his teammates toe over after sending them a message. Suddenly, he turned his gaze to the side and said, "Young Miss Meng, why are you hiding behind that tree?"

    The girl slowly stepped out, and Shi Lang said, "Come on, guys, do you want me to call you out?"

    The Meng Family people walked out of their covers, and Young Master Meng asked, "Can you tell me how you found us?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly, but the Young Miss asked, "Will you marry me?"

    Everyone was stunned by this blunt behavior, including Shi Lang.

 Chapter 759 Treating Demonic Energy.

    <h4>Chapter 759 Treating Demonic Energy.</h4>

    ?Shi Lang stood up reflexively and said, "Young Miss Meng, can you please mind your words? I am a married man."

    Young Miss Meng was stunned and asked, "What did you say?"

    Her eyes were open wide as if Shi Lang had said somethingpletely out of the world. The Terran nodded and said, "I am not lying. I am married, and my wife participates in the Centurion Tournament."

    Young Miss Meng clenched her fist and asked, "Is it Lady Yun?"

    Shi Lang shook his head, and the youngdy said, "I see. I will meet her in the future. For now, let me introduce myself. I am Meng Xueyan. You can call me Xueyan, or Xiao Yan."

    This sudden disy of familiarity took aback the Terran. He was not a verymunicative person unless it was anything that brought him benefits. As he thought about what to do, a young man walked out of the woods. Shi Lang recognized this person and said, "Young Master Meng, can you please get a hold of your sister? Tell her she cannot and should not just propose to anyone for a marriage."

    Young Master Meng looked deeply at her sister and said, "Xiao Yan, how many times do I have to tell you to please be like other women if you want to find a partner?"

    Meng Xueyan turned to look at her brother and said, "You mind your own business. You speak as if you are very experienced in rtionships."

    Shi Lang was confused about how the siblings started quibbling with each other. He frowned and turned around to leave. Meng Xueyan noticed this and turned to ask, "Where are you going, Young Master Ace?"

    Her tone was mellow, and it made Shi Lang shiver. He said, "I have things to do, Young Miss Meng. Please stop bothering me."

    That said, Shi Lang vanished from his spot and rushed deep inside the forest. Meng Xueyan was going to chase after him, and her brother tried to stop her. They began to fight with each other. The battle was not too dangerous, but they both were brutal to each other.

    ...

    Shi Lang reached the regroup point and found his team. Yun Xue was cultivating while Yao Jiming and Mel were guarding the ce. Thetter looked troubled, and Shi Lang asked, "Sister Mel, what happened?"

    Thedy replied, "It is nothing, Young Master."

    However, she evaded his gaze. Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "I will give you a chance toe clean because if I use my means, you will lose my trust. No matter what, I will not judge you as long as you trust me."

    Yao Jiming was rmed by this conversation and turned to look at the two people. Shi Lang did not say anything, but he kept looking at Mel. Thedy tried to speak up a few times, but after a few minutes, she said, "Young Master, earlier, when I was fighting with Demonic Beasts, I got infected by the demon energy of the beast I was fighting."

    Shi Lang was surprised, and he appeared next to her. He said, "Give me your hand."

    Mel was taken aback, but then she nodded and raised her arm. Shi Lang condensed a thread from his spiritual energy and wrapped it around her wrist. He asked, "You have been feeling waves of violent tendencies surfacing in your heart?"

    Mel nodded. Shi Lang said, "I can treat it right now, and I promise the energy will bepletely cleaned, but would you be able to tolerate that much pain?"

    Thedy opened her eyes wide after hearing his words. She asked, "What pain?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath before saying, "I will have to channel my spiritual energy through your meridians. You have been using your spiritual energy to prevent the demonic energy from entering deep into your body. The pain from the cleansing will be colonized inside the affected meridian, but it will be something that might make you wish for death."

    Mel thought briefly, saying, "It is better than bing a mindless beast, Young Master. I will follow your advice."

    Shi Lang took a leather braid and said, "Bite on it when you feel the pain. It will prevent you from biting your tongue."

    Mel nodded and ced the braided leather strip in her mouth. Shi Lang looked at Yao Jiming and said, "ce spiritual sense linked on her. If she tries to attack me or herself, contain her."

    Yao Jiming replied, "Yes, Young Master."

    Shi Lang said, "If you tried to resist my spiritual energy, it will explode inside your meridians, and you will die. When I Inject my spiritual energy inside your meridians, keep retracting your spiritual energy, and then, when I reach your affected meridian. Iste your spiritual energy inside your dantian, and I will seal it."

    Mel had her doubts, but she could only nod. The situation was tricky, but she had no way to get away from it. The treatment outside was too costly and was very slow in producing results. She decided to take the free and quick but painful option.

    Shi Lang and Mel sat opposite each other, and the Terran started infusing minuscule wisps of spiritual energy into her body. The crimson lightning energy was a bane to poison and demonic energy but was also very destructive. Shi Lang did not want to injure Mel and make things worse for her.

    He was very careful in his proceedings. It was as if his spiritual energy had grown eyes of its own. The wisps felt the meridians and moved along the meridian walls. Shi Lang closed his eyes, but his spiritual sense focused on mapping every little change in Mel. At this moment, she was very calm and even enjoyed the warmth of lightning energy.

    Time grew wings. Yun Xue woke up from meditation and learned about the situation from Yao Jiming. She also joined the guard. Meanwhile, the city square was exploding.

    ...

    In the square, things looked different. Zhu Liang and Zhu Tian stared at the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion people with death res. If their eyes could kill, they would have massacred the whole lot of people here. However, the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion was not afraid of the two of them.

    Yang Tie will y them if they even raise a weapon facing the pavilion. However, the shock was not the quick dismissal of the two young masters but how Shi Lang treated Mel.

    Someone asked, "How can he put Mel through such a method? Also, I have never heard of such a treatment n before."

    Another person replied, "That is because the users of lightning elements are rarer than rare. Also, what is pain when it can save you money and significantly cut time."

    City Lord Pie asked, "Pavilion Lord Yang, do you know this technique?"

    Yang Tie pondered briefly before he replied, "His Excellency Heavenly Dragon once told me that Young Master Ace once suffered severe demonic energy infection when he was fighting an entire horde of them, and to make sure that he survived, Young Master Shi washed his body with sword intent and lightning."

    The people gasped collectively; they had not expected Shi Lang to be such a daredevil. Zhu Tian clenched his fist as he looked at the spiritual energy screen. Zhu Liang nodded and said, "Only he can pull off something like this. You can watch them y. I am heading home and will leave for the frontier."

    Zhu Tian was shocked and asked, "Do you want to go back so early? What happened?''

    Zhu Liang looked at him and replied, "Did you not leave me inside to die back there? I will leave you here. You cane when ready, but I wish to fight that monster again and defeat him."

    That said, Zhu Liang did not wait on his elder brother and walked away. The crowd did not know how to react to this feud. Shi Lang spared Zhu Liang and even showed himpassion by epting to fight with him in the future.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, back inside the secret realm, Shi Lang slowly infused spiritual energy into Mel''s body. After seven hours, he said, "You can seal your dantian."

    Mel nodded anxiously, retracting all her spiritual energy inside her body and sealing it inside her dantian. The demonic energy that she was holding off began to run wild. Shi Lang was prepared, and his lightning energy charged inside. The Terran formed a barrier at the opening of the meridian to prevent the demonic energy from rushing out.

    The sh began, and finally, Mel understood the gravity of the situation. She never realized that the pain would be so deadly. She bit on the leather braids and let out loud groans. The voice was so loud that it woke Yun Xue from her meditation.

    Mel suddenly raised her hand to p her forehead, as the pain was exceeding her limits. She wanted to crush her forehead. However, Yao Jiming moved in quickly and used his spiritual energy to hold her in a ce. The young man looked at a sweaty Shi Lang and gulped.

    He was sure that if it were not for Shi Lang''s prior warning, Mel would have died and her brain would have sttered all over the ce.

 Chapter 760 Hunt Begins.

    760 Hunt Begins.

    Mel sat on the ground, shivering constantly. The pain was making her mad, and the impact on her body was increasing as well. Lightning energy in her veins was destroying the demonic energy bit by bit. However, the process was slow. Yao Jiming was controlling her body so that she did not move much, but he was getting mentally exhausted. Thedy before him was groaning like crazy, and her eyes were so red as if they were made of blood. Shi Lang was already doing his best to eliminate the demonic energy from thedy''s body as fast as possible. However, he had to be extremely cautious because his spiritual energy could reduce everything to ashes. The meridians were pathways that provided the cultivator with spiritual energy to execute their techniques. If the meridian were damaged, it would affect the body and the path of cultivation. Shi Lang did not wish to bear the responsibility of leaving a good expert like Mel as a disabled person. He focused on eliminating the demonic energy while protecting the meridian pathways. Shi Lang was calm, but this operation was taxing. Yun Xue was watching everything from the side. She did not intervene because the slightest disruption could cause big damage. Another role she had in this situation was to maintain order and see if anyone came seeking trouble. She was skeptical about why Shi Lang chose the clearing for this procedure but realized that things were not simple. If they had been staying inside a closed space and encountered some demon beasts, things would have turned crazy odd for them. ...

    The people in the square saw things, and they were stunned. None of them understood what Shi Lang was doing. Old Man Pie had a keen eye and said, "He is purifying Lady Mel''s body of Demonic Energy by using his lightning spiritual energy. His method is very effective. Look at the ck marks on the arm, and they are slowly shrinking." Azul Herman nodded and said, "This young man is quite talented, and his control over his spiritual energy is also high. This method is feasible." Another Immortal Emperor said, "We may not have many lightning spiritual energy attributed cultivators, but maybe a group of weaker fire spiritual energy cultivators could be useful with this." Yang Tie nodded when he saw this scene. He stood tall in the square, and many people from various forces looked at him with envy. The pavilion master was taking pride in the situation. ...

    After seven hours, Shi Lang finished dealing with everything and sighed in relief. He put his hands down and moved away. He waved his hand to Yao Jiming to release the spiritual binding on Mel. Thedy was relieved, but she was exhausted from the pain and fell to the ground. Her breathing was all over the ce, but her face was peaceful. Demonic energy would cause a person to be overwhelmed with negative energy. They would try their best to control themselves, but even when they managed the mental exhaustion of the situation, it was too much for them. Mel was experiencing relief like never before. Yao Jiming sighed in relief as he stretched his body and said, "Finally." Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "You speak as if you were the one who suffered here or cured her." Yao Jiming gave a shallow chuckle and asked, "Young Master, what''s next?" Shi Lang looked at him and said, "Are you a human, Brother Yao? Can you not let me have a moment of peace?" Yun Xue chuckled and walked up to help Mel and check her condition. She Lang took a deep and stood up from the ground. He nodded and said, "We can go out and hunt like crazy; after all, fighting Demon Beast kings is fun, or we can rest. It is only our first day in this secret realm. Let us spend some time here and rx." Yao Jiming took a deep breath and said, "I would like to hunt the demon beast kings and hone my skills." Yun Xue thought about the situation and said, "Yes, I favor your idea." Then she looked at Mel in her arms; thedy was awake but not yet strong enough to stand up on her own. Shi Lang looked at her and said, "It will take a few days to unseal your dantian. It may upset you, but it would be better to consider leaving the secret realm, Sister Mel." Yun Xue wanted to call him insensitive, but Shi Lang continued, "I have faced a simr situation back when I was in my world. I had to clean my body with sword intent, and even after cleaning, I could not use any Spiritual energy for ten years. You were lucky that your infection was cleaned almost immediately after contracting it. You will be back in your prime within a week. Just give your body the time to heal."

    Mel nodded and said, "Young Master, please send me out. I do not wish to be a burden on any of you." Shi Lang sighed and said, "I am not asking you to return because I consider you a burden. I do not want you to be forced to use your spiritual energy. The cons outweigh the pros." Mel was silent, but then she nodded and decisively took out the jade card and handed it to Yao Jiming. Yun Xue and Shi Lang were surprised, but then they found Yao Jiming blushing a little and understood what was happening.

    ...

    Mel exited from the secret realm and was brought back to the heavenly dragon pavilion to rest. Her journey in the Centurion Tournament came to an end with this. However, thirty people were still fighting to get the top five rank. The assessment reached its final leg in the northern provinces, and Bo Qingtan was rushing to clench the top five position. At this moment, he was surrounded by a horde of feral Demon Beast Kings. These beasts were all tiger-like creatures, and they had already killed a few strong cultivators. Bo Qingtan was the only one left among the rogue cultivator groups. However, he did not faze and held his sword with a calm gaze. As the beasts neared him, his de began to vibrate and emit a high-frequency sound. The young sect master of the Dragon Sword Mountain took a deep breath and said, "Seven Dragon Sword." His long sword trembled, and Bo Qingtan spun on his toe. His de emitted a cold white ray as thin as a hair. He stepped to the side and flicked his de in an arc. The young man disyed a sword dance that cast a of sword intent around him when the beasts closed in on him. Bo Qingtan stood up straight. The observers thought he was going to die, but when they saw the demon beast kings being diced as they approached close to him, their mouths opened wide. The Demon Beast Kings that had caused many cultivators to run away and kill theirrades were dealt with in such a fashion. Bo Qingtan finished dealing with the demon beasts before he turned around and raised his weapon. He said, "It is not good to spy on someone fighting for their life." A figure walked out of the thicket and asked, "Fellow Daoist Bo?" Bo Qingtan was stunned and found that the person before him was Ying Yu. They had spent some time together in thend of Inheritance and knew each other. He quickly lowered his weapon and cupped his fist in greeting. Ying Yu returned the gesture and asked, "You are not in the central in?" Bo Qingtan shook his head and replied, "Young Master Ace sent me out on a task." Ying Yu nodded and sighed as she said, "This pair of husband and wife are ve drivers, I am telling you." Bo Qingtan chuckled and said, "I agree." At this moment, a cold voice echoed from the woods, "Sister Ying, it is not good to gossip about someone." Ying Yu turned to the side and said, "I will not apologize, Amelia. You do not know the concept of rest. Also, see, your husband also sent his friend out here alone for work." Amelia was surprised and quickly looked at Bo Qingtan. Surprised, The young man quickly cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Sect Mistress Amelia." Amelia reacted and said, "Fellow Daoist, you do not have to stand on formalities with me. You are his friend, so you are my friend too." Bo Qingtan was surprised and quickly lowered his hands as he said, "Brother Shi was correct. You are indeed different from others." Amelia smiled faintly, and Ying Yu said, "I wonder if the people outside will die from jealousy or if they will be awed by you, Sect Mistress." Bo Qingtan was confused, and Ying Yu said, "She does not smile; everyone calls her the Ice Queen." Amelia snorted and said, "I will tell him when I meet if you dared to say anything." Bo Qingtan smiled and asked, "Are you both hunting demon beast kings?" Thedies nodded and Bo Qingtan asked, "If you do not mind, shall we hunt together?" Please vote with power stones and golden tickets. Thank you for your love and support. THE_WORDSMITH

    Suy ngh? c?a ng??i t?o n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 761 Demon Beast Emperor.

    761 Demon Beast Emperor.

    Shi Lang was hunting Demon Beast Kings with his team, and they were scary. The cultivators from the other team saw them, and they could not fathom how they were moving and fighting the beasts so efficiently. Shi Lang was inmand, giving instructions to the other two with his spirit consciousness. The visual impact of their hunt scared a few people who wanted to gang up on them. The three of them had decided to snatch Jade''s cardster in thest two days. But they knew that the Meng Siblings were thrashing people and scaring them. However, they came across a tough opponent. The leader of the rogue cultivators, Han Mx. This guy fought with Young Master Meng to a draw. The two could not decide the oue, and Meng Xueyan was uninterested in fighting Han Mx. She wanted to locate Shi Lang and fight with him only. She thought that if she could make him see her battle prowess, then she would be able to have him marry her. Well, Shi Lang was not that foolish to fall for her. He was busy honing his skills and training the other two people to kill demon beasts. He wished Yun Xue would lead the hunter division for the Asura Hall. Shi Lang stood nearby, watching the two people fight with two Demon Beast Kings. Two bears were fighting two humans. The battlested ten minutes, and the bears were not much injured. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The Terran took a deep breath and said, "Have you two forgotten how to block the demonic energy? Do you need me to tell you every time you are fighting?" Shi Lang was very harsh in his criticism. The two of them shivered because Shi Lang did not only criticize them, but he would punish them for their mistakes by throwing them into the illusion of the shura domain, where they would have to fight an overpowering beast and practice their moves. They had tost for ten minutes, and they had to fight this beast for ten times. Yun Xue and Yao Jiming quickly started injecting the demon beasts with their spiritual energy, and after half an hour, they managed to kill them. The two of them were panting when suddenly Shi Lang shouted, "Retreat!" The two people were shocked and did not know why he suddenly snapped, but they reacted quickly and followed his instructions. Shi Lang took out his sword, and they realized how serious the situation was. The Terran did not take out his sword until it was serious. Shi Lang said, "Retreat further, and if you find anyone getting closer, tell them to do so at their own risk." Yun Xue asked, "What happened?" The Terran replied, "Demon Beast Emperor." A roar shocked the realm before the two could even process the words. The entire ground trembled, and the people were stunned. The ground pulsated like an ocean with raging waves of water. Yun Xue and Yao Jiming quickly retreated to a safe distance. They knew that themotion here would attract all the cultivators'' attention. ...

    Old Man Pie narrowed his eyes and said, "What is this? How did a Demon Beast Emperor survive the cleansing of the Martial Council?" Az Herman replied, "It could be possible for the Demon Beast King to ascend after the inspection." Yang Tie''s face turned cold. He wanted to ask the old man to intervene but did not wish to lose face and shame his Young Master. So, he chooses the next best option. He took out his spiritmunicator and passed the news to Sovereign Tian Long. ...

    Tian Long was sipping tea in his garden when he saw the message. He took a deep breath and remarked, "It seems to me that the clearing teams of the council have been enjoying themselves a bit too much."

    Zither Soul was sitting across him,bing her hair. She asked, "What happened?" Tian Long replied, "There is a Demon Beast Emperor inside Rakshasa Wilderness, where Shi Lang is taking his final test for the Centurion Tournament. Xiao Yang asked for my instructions." Zither Soul said, "Go there, but tell them to let things proceed how they would without any intervention." Tian Long pondered for a bit and said, "Hmmm, so you want the world to know that we care about him but will not intervene in his path?" Zither Soul nodded and replied, "It is not me who wants that. If I am allowed, I would directly barge inside that secret realm, but he would get pissed. So, follow the desire and let him carve his path. I have a feeling that he will enter the ranks of the Golden Kings even before the Tournament begins." Tian Long nodded and said, "He certainly has the potential. Well, I will be back soon." Zither Soul nodded and continuedbing her hair as Tian Long vanished from his ce. ...

    Tian Long appeared in the square, and everyone was surprised. Old Man Pie and the four Immortal Emperors paid their respects, and thetter wanted to say something when Tian Long said, "Let it continue; he is not a weakling." The crowd was stunned. They did not understand why Tian Long would endanger such a strong expert. Yang Tie said, "A tree is only as strong as the storms it survives." They understood that Tian Long wanted to temper the champion in this situation.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood on the ground with his body lowered, ready to charge at the iing enemy. He could tell that the enemy was not too far. He sensed everything around him and found that the epicenter of the waves was not above the ground but under the surface. 16:26

    Shi Lang stood on the ground with his body lowered, ready to charge at the iing enemy. He could tell that the enemy was not too far. He sensed everything around him and found that the epicenter of the waves was not above the ground but under the surface. He narrowed his gaze and looked at a hill in the distance. The hill was trembling, and rocks fell apart from it. Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Fuck my luck, a turtle." The hill began to move, and then a huge head appeared above the tree line. The demon beast emperor was a ck turtle. The beast freed its legs from the restraints of the ground and let out a roar. The beast''s appearance was scary. Yao Jiming shivered when he caught a glimpse of it. Yun Xue snapped and shouted, "Do not look in its eyes." Yao Jiming said, "Right now, I just felt as if my soul was being sucked away."

    Yun Xue nodded and ryed the information to Shi Lang. The Terran was closer to the beast and must know a few things about the enemy. The Terran did not waste time and said, "Shura Body." His body was covered with red lightning streaks running under his skin. He would not hold back and invite the goddess of death to take him on a sweet ride. The turtle opened its mouth and let out a roar. The impact of the sound wave shocked the void, causing it to ripple. The attack rushed towards Shi Lang at a blinding pace. Shi Lang had no option but to move away from the attack''s path; the next moment, he was already charging forward to close the distance between him and the beast. He did not care to pay attention to the devastatedndscape. The trees were uprooted from the roots, and the ground in the sound wave''s path was left with a hundred-meter-deep ravine that could be seen as far as a human could see. Shi Lang could sense the changes, so he did not want to waste his time looking at them. Yun Xue and Yao Jiming''s faces had turned pale and frozen in their spots. Young Master Meng and Meng Xueyan appeared close to them, and their eyes opened wide. Han Mx also arrived in the vicinity, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. They all had to use their spiritual energy to withstand the osciting ripples. They stood at a ce where the effect would be minimal, yet they felt their internal organs suffer the heat of the attack. They were shocked to see Shi Lang rushing to face the Demon Beast Emperor. Even in the face of such a devastating attack, his steps did not falter, and he started to counter almost instantly. They all agreed that Shi Lang was the winner in terms of courage alone. The Terran was not thinking about anything at this moment. He was focused on the enemy before him. His body sword began glowing with red lightning streaks as he said, "Raksha, do not hold back." The sword trembled and issued a sharp whistle in the void. The turtle turned slightly to see a golden streak approaching it. The sharp whistle was akin to a battle cry, and the pride of a Demon Beast Emperor was poked in the eye. The beast roared at Shi Lang, who vanished in a blink. The Terran had gone supersonic and appeared beside the beast''s leg. He shed the de at the leg and drew the first blood. ...

    Tian Long watched the scene and said, "Xiao Yang, when hees out, tell him to visit me." Yang Tie was surprised and asked, "Master, are you not going to watch the battle?" Tian Long nced at him and said, "I have better things to do."

    That said, Tian Long vanished from his ce. Leaving behind a square filled with a stunned audience. Please vote with power stones and golden tickets. Thank you for yourments, and love. THE_WORDSMITH

    Suy ngh? c?a ng??i t?o

 Chapter 762 Turtle Soup From Shuras Kitchen.

    762 Turtle Soup From Shura''s Kitchen.

    Shi Lang had shed his sword at the leg of the turtle demon beast emperor. His speed was not slow, and he was under great stress from the enemy. The attack did some damage, but it wasn''t very important. The turtle was strong, and its defense attribute was off the chart. However, the lightning energy from Shi Lang''s de was only strong enough to burn the demonic energy. Although his body channeled strong energy, he was not doing much damage. Raksha said in his mind, "Can you stop holding back? I want to chop this thing off right away." Shi Lang replied, "Woman, do you want those watching use after me to acquire you? Also, what is a battle if we cannot have a little fun?" Raksha trembled and said, "Fine, have it your way, you bastard." The sword emitted a sharp whistle, and the void around the de began to fold. The turtle raised its leg and stomped on the ground. The attack made the ground tremble, and Shi Lang was pushed into the void. He smiled and said, "Lightning de, consecutive sh of the battle god."

    Shi Lang''s de turned into an afterimage, and lightning shes fell on the back of the Demon Beast King. The attack was fast, but more importantly, it was focused on one point. The demon''s shell was a mountain, so Shi Lang aimed at the head of the demon turtle. The attacknded, sessfully damaging one of the beast''s four eyes. The turtle stomped rapidly on the ground as it wailed from pain. The people were stunned and quickly erected their spiritual energies to withstand the sound wave. Shi Lang could not fly in this area because of the restriction. He changed his posture and fell when a few ck shadows lunged at him while he was in the sky. Yun Xue watched the entire thing and eximed, "Those are Demon Beast Lords and Kings. They were hiding in the mountain shell of the Demon Beast Emperor?" Yao Jiming replied, "This Demon Beast Emperor may be using them as tools for his desire." Young Master Meng nodded, but suddenly Meng Xueyangmented, "They are puppets. The demon beast lords and demon beast kings lunging at him are corpse puppets. The Demon Beast Emperor has sucked away their souls and left a shred of its consciousness on them." Yun Xue clenched her fists and wanted to enter the battle, but Yao Jiming said, "We will be his burden if we try to help him." They turned to look at Shi Lang in the distance and found him moving around in the void as if he were on the ground. Meng Xueyan eximed, "The heck, he is using his spiritual energy as a base to move himself around. How minute is his control over spiritual energy?" ... N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Shi Lang did not fluster when these beasts came at him. The Terran pushed himself around, and his de ughtered the Demon Beasts in the void. After a few moments, hended on the mountain shell. Looking at his de, he said, "Time to shed some of its weight." Raksha nodded and replied, "I have been waiting for it." Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Heavenly Dragon, cleaving thend." He raised his de, and the sky turned dark. The clouds suddenly filled with red lightning. Shi Lang shed his sword at the ground, and a lightning strike transformed into a python. The next moment, the python hit the mountain on the side, and the Demon Beast Emperor was toppled over to the side. The ground trembled, and the Demon Beast Emperor roared. The people were frozen. Those inside the secret realm and those outside the square could not believe what they witnessed. They touched each other to check what was going on. Shi Lang exited the mountain and checked the turtle''s belly. His speed was blindingly quick. It took him a few seconds only, and just when he raised his hand to attack the beast, the Demon Beast Emperor, thetter suddenly shot out demonic energy spikes at him. Shi Lang was unprepared for this, and he crossed his arms before him as he summoned his Dao Crown. The spike hit the de of his sword, and the blunt impact sent him flying in the distance. Shi Lang flew over for a kilometer or two before he came to a stop. The damage made him cough up blood. Yun Xue and the rest were shocked. Their hearts almost exploded from the fright. The attack sent Shi Lang flying and even changed thendscape massively. After a few moments, Shi Lang stood up from the ground. He looked at the beast in the distance. The Demon Beast Emperor was still trying to get back up. Shi Lang chuckled; his chuckle was the only thing that echoed in the surroundings. Theughter was filled with mania. He yelled, "Good! So good! It has been so long since I felt real pain. Hahahahaha!!!" He was gazing at the sky as heughed. He did not care that hisughter made the humans feel afraid of him more than they feared the Demon Beast Emperor. His eyes had turned red, and his hair color also changed. His aura became frighteningly destructive. The trees around him exploded into shards of wood, and the debris flew into the void. His sword began to tremble, and his body was covered with lightning. The pressure from his aura made people tremble in fear. A blood-red veil of energy surrounded Shi Lang. He was holding his sword and walking step by step toward the beast. The demon beast kings moving towards him were directly disintegrated. Shi Lang''s eyes had no emotion. He was the personification of death. The demon beasts were vaporized as they came close to him. Shi Lang was five hundred meters away from the demon beast emperor. He spread his feet apart and said, "Lightning sh, shing at the heavens." The sword was held above his head, and he shed it down. His sword intent radiated from his de. The sword intent materialized in a streak of red lightning as it shed through the void andnded on the body of the Turtle. The attack sliced theyer of demonic energy covering the body of the demonic beast emperor. Shi Lang did not stop and said, "Shura sh." He shed the de again, but the attack was made this time, shing from the ground to the sky. The arc was slower than the previous one, but the attack sliced the void open. It was the destructive element in the attack that caused this to happen. ¡­

    Yang Tie was shocked to the core of his soul. He did not know what to say in this scene. He was not the only one; he looked at the visage of the invigtors and found them looking a bit paler. He smirked, and when he looked at the Zhu family camp, he found them shivering. The next moment, he smiled andmented, "No wonder Master left when he saw Young Master rushing away." ¡­ The second attacknded on the demon beast emperor and almost decapitated the beast. The roars were so loud that the scenery began to crumble. Everyone brought out their protective treasures. They were all surrounded by spiritual energy shields. Shi Lang stood on the ground and walked closer to the Demon Beast''s mouth. He ced raised his hand and concentrated the energy on his fist. He took a deep breath and said, "Shura Fist, Rage Of Ares." The lightning on his fists concentrated into something liquid. It was as if a blob of blood. He vanished from his spot, and then his fistnded on the chin of the beast. The impact sent ripples across the demon beast. Shi Lang sensed the facial bones of the beast break into fragments. Shi Lang did not stop after just one punch; his fists turned into a blur. After a hundred punches, the head of the beast was just a mangled mass of flesh. However, this thing was not dead. Shi Lang stabbed his sword in the beast''s body and said, "Feed." Raksha began to siphon off the demon''s blood and energy from the corpse to refine it all. Shi Lang was not finished yet; his fists began raining on the beast''s body, and he was venting the rage in his heart to calm down. He wanted to erase the traces of the Demon Beast Emperor with his attacks. He invoked the spirit domains and unleashed all his techniques. The people were surprised, and they wanted to move forward and stop him, but when they heard Shi Lang roaring into the void in rage. They had no idea what to do with him. The impact was causing the ground to shake. The body of the beast was turning into a mangled mass of meat and gradually turning into liquid from the heat of lightning traveling. Yao Jiming gulped andmented, "Young Master turned that turtle into soup." Young Master Meng said, "I will never make him mad. He is scary." Please vote with power stones and golden tickets. Sorry for the blunder earlier. THE_WORDSMITH

 Chapter 763 Insatiable Battle Lust.

    763 Insatiable Battle Lust. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Shi Lang did not stop beating the corpse of the Turtle Demon Beast Emperor. He was acting like a madman. His fists were moving like a shadow, and the friction was causing the air to emit sparks. He was roaring asionally, and his body was emitting strong heat without cirction of the spiritual energy. Yun Xue frowned and said, "Why is he still beating the corpse?" Yao Jiming shook his head and replied, "I have no idea. It is unlike him." Yun Xue nodded and replied, "I know it is unlike him. I know that his technique can cause him to lose control when in battle, but hardly ever would he be unable to rein the battle lust." Yao Jiming said, "We can let him keep beating that thing." Young Master Meng replied, "Do you think it is usible? The heat from his body is strong enough to cause the mangled flesh to melt into a soup. How long will that corpsest? Every attack is depleting the integrity of the corpse." Yao Jiming took a deep breath and said, "I think we can try something wild, but only if we are in it together." Meng Xueyan narrowed her gaze and looked at Yao Jiming before she asked, "Are you asking us to fight this monster?" The three people were surprised and looked at Yao Jiming and Meng Xueyan with surprised expressions. Yun Xue asked, "Brother Yao, have you lost your mind? Do you think we will be able to withstand his attack?" Meng Xueyan smiled and said, "We are not Immortal Emperors, but we are five people, and we can wait till he has finished dealing with the corpse of that demon beast emperor. Even if he is not using any spiritual technique to attack the corpse, he is still running his spiritual sutra. Also, if you look at the surroundings, his actions are enraging the Demon Beast Kings hidden in the surroundings. They are alsoying low to find a chance where he lowers his guard." Yao Jiming shook his head and said, "You do not know what he is capable of, do you? If you dare to point even the slightest bit of killing intent towards him, you will not even know what killed you. The Zhu siblings are the best example. Zhu Liang did not even intend to kill Young Master. It was a fleeting thought, but he was almost killed. Young Master Ace is not only strong, but if you hold a shred of ill intent towards him, then only death is your salvation. He does not stop before he has killed his enemy and buried them ten feet under the ground. Do you think you can handle him?" Meng Xueyan gulped when she realized this. She could tell that Yao Jiming was serious and looked at Yun Xue, who also looked solemn. Han Mx also listened to this, saying, "I would like to fight him, and if the underlying problem is killing intention, then we can just fight him without revealing any thoughts." Young Master Meng asked, "How do you hide your thoughts from the people? Especially that monster over there?" Han Mx took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Gradually, his emotions calmed down, and he opened his eyes. The people were surprised to see that his eyes looked dimmer than usual.

    Yao Jiming eximed, "The realm of indifference. Have you achieved a union with Dao?" Han Mx''s eyes regained a spark, and he smiled, "You praise me too much, fellow Daoist Yao. I am simply using a technique I found while raiding one of the ruins. If you all do not mind, I can share it with you. Given your talents, it will not be hard to learn and master the entry-level." The people were surprised when they heard the offer. Young Master Meng asked, "Are you sure? Do you not want any rewards in return?" Han Mx waved and said, "I would like to be paid for your friendships. I have seen you, people, and even if you are affiliated with various forces, you are all very righteous and do not act out of line. You all had the chance to kill the cultivators from the renegade alliance, but you let them go. So, you people are up my alley." Young Master Meng chuckled and said, "I love making friends, but I always make an oath to the heavens so that the people trust mepletely." Han Mx nodded and said, "I have no problem with a heavenly oath." The group exchanged nces and made a heavenly oath quickly before Han Mx handed them the technique. The technique was simple, developed for an alchemist to help them calm their thoughts. It was derived from a Buddhist sutra. Yun Xue was the first person to master the entry level of this technique, followed by Meng Xueyan and Yao Jiming. Young Master Meng was thest to finish learning this technique. When they were ready, Han Mx said, "I will take the lead." The people nodded. Han Mx was the master of the indifference technique. They all rushed down the trees, and Yun Xue said, "Be careful while using your domains. We cannot ovep with each other." Meng Xueyan said, "We cannot ovep, but we can ensure that the damage from the domain is only concentrated on Young Master Ace. The rest of the people can still take part in attacking him with quick attacks." The people agreed, and as they reached closer to Shi Lang. Han Mx took a deep breath and took out his bow and arrow. The others were right behind him, ready tounch a follow-up attack. Han Mx said, "Eagle Strike."

    The arrow was released from the bow, flying through the void with a high-pitched whistle. The arrow''s speed was fast, and Shi Lang was consumed with beating the corpse. He did not notice, and the arrow hit him in the back. The impact shook him off the ground and sent him flying into the rocky shell of the demon turtle. Yun Xue called behind him, "Frost Queen sh." Snowkes condensed out of nowhere and shot at Shi Lang. They were so cold that thend trailing their trajectory froze. The snowkes hit Shi Lang, and his body was covered with frost. Yao Jiming was holding his halberd, and he said, "Cresent moon falling to the ground." Earth''s elemental spiritual energy condensed into a six-foot crescent moon and flew through the void at a supersonic speed before hitting the frosty Shi Lang. The impact was so loud that it sent shockwaves in the void. Meng Xueyan took a deep breath and said, "Lion stabbing the sky." She wed at Shi Lang from a distance, but her spiritual energy manifested into a fiery lion that rushed at Shi Lang at full speed. The Terran was lying on the ground, and the beast was wing at the Terran so hard that it left marks on the hard surface of the mountain. Shi Lang''s clothes were tattered, but his body was unscathed. His body used the Shura Body technique and could not be harmed by such normal attacks. Young Master Meng did not attack but followed the trail with the rest as they got away from Shi Lang. The Terran had stood up from the ground and looked back in their direction. Their battle intent was concealed, but whether Shi Lang was fooled was still unknown. The terran looked around and began to kill the Demon Beast Kings. The people were taking a risk by acting like this. Shi Lang killed the demon beasts, and he was very efficient. Yun Xue said, "It works." The others nodded, and they moved quickly and surrounded Shi Lang. They allmunicated with a spiritual sense and devised a sequence of attacks. Yun Xue moved first, and when she found Shi Lang in the range of her domain, she said, "Frost Goddess Boundary." A snow field appeared around Shi Lang, and the ground turned to ice. It was clear, and it was smooth like ss. The rest of the people moved in to attack Shi Lang using their techniques, and the Terran ignored the iing attacks. He was thrown around like a rag doll. Shi Lang stood up quickly and roared as he looked at the sky in frustration. Yun Xue removed her boundary, and then Yao Jiming invoked his boundary. The cycle continued, and they all thought that Shi Lang would lose and fall unconscious. Shi Lang was getting frustrated more with every attack he suffered. He took a spear from his space ring and danced with the weapon. His spear emitted lightning spear intent with every swing. He was destroying everything around him because he could not find any people hitting him. At this moment, all the people were busy dodging the attacks. Yao Jiming was not quick enough to move away from an iing attack. His arm was grazed, left with blisters all over, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat as he tried to push out the lightning intent lingering in his arm. Shi Lang had gone berserk, and these people did not know how to stop him. Please vote with Power Stones and Golden Tickets. Thank you for your love and support.

 Chapter 764 Raksha To Rescue.

    764 Raksha To Rescue.

    Shi Lang''s attack injured Yao Jiming, and thetter revealed his intention of resentment towards the Terran. Shi Lang turned to look at Yao Jiming and rushed at him at a blinding speed. He was moving as fast as lightning, and he had dropped his spear. The rest of the people saw this and were shocked, and they thought that Shi Lang would kill Yao Jiming. They rushed to rescue the guy, but the attempt was futile. Shi Lang was way faster than them. He appeared before Yao Jiming and punched him with a fist glowing with lightning. Yao Jiming knew he could not withstand the impact, but instinctively, he raised his arm to defend himself. Shi Lang''s fist was just a few inches away from his body, and Yao Jiming felt the pressure making his body tremble. He closed his eyes to surrender to his fate, but the pain he was expecting did not arrive. Instead, he was thrown back by a shockwave and a nging sound. He was surprised, and when he opened his eyes, he found ady dressed in a ck and red hanfu, holding onto Shi Lang''s fist. The others were also stunned by the sudden appearance of thedy. However, they were relieved that she was helping them. Raksha said, "Have you lost your mind? Why did you try to imprison that demon soul in the Shura realm? Did you not know that the power of that soul could destroy the Shura Realm?" Shi Lang looked at her, and with great difficulty, he said, "I knew, but if that soul was to possess someone, what then? I needed to do something about it. So, I chose to seal it forever." Raksha shook her head and said, "Why do you always carry all the burden? I would have been fine swallowing that soul and the blood essence." Shi Lang shook his head slightly and replied, "I cannot allow you to do that. If it infects you, I will be left without a weapon." Raskha smiled at him and said, "You are just reckless. Wait till I meet Amelia. You shall receive your punishment." Meng Xueyan was confused, and she asked, "Excuse me,dy, can you tell me what is happening here? Why are you talking to my husband with such familiarity?" Raksha chuckled and said, "Little girl, if you do not wish to die, I suggest you tone down your attitude. You are addressing a heavenly spirit artifact. Even Immortal sovereigns are not worth shit in my eyes. What are you? Also, who are you calling your husband?" Meng Xueyan was stunned, and Yun Xue jumped in, "Senior, forgive Young Miss Meng. She was only joking." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Raksha snorted and looked at Shi Lang before saying, "This soul sure is notorious. It is influencing me." Shi Lang nodded and said, "If not for you sharing the burden, I would still be going berserk." The sword spirit said, "Let the others leave the realm and let go of that soul. Then leave this ce, too." Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Once I try to open the prison, the others inside will alsoe out. They will not stop before the secret realm is destroyed." Raksha thought and asked, "What do you suggest then?" The Terran shrugged his shoulders and said, "I have no fucking idea." The situation was at an impasse. The people in the square took a deep breath when they found Shi Lang to calm down. However, they did not take the earlier berserk behavior well. Yang Tie could sense questioning gazes lingering on his back. He thought for a bit, and since a soul caused the trouble. He decided to seek assistance from Zither Soul. ...

    Zither Soul was ying a slow song on the zither when she received a message from Yang Tie and smiled calmly. Tian Long asked, "Why did you stop?" Thedy replied, "My brother needs my help. I wille back in a bit." Tian Long was about to ask more, but thedy had vanished from her spot. He sighed and shook his head. He knew that Shi Lang could handle the Demon Beast Emperor but could not guess the circumstances requiring Zither Soul to go over there in person. ...

    The people in the crowd were watching Shi Lang fighting with the others, and they wanted to vent all their negativity on Yang Tie when they suddenly sensed a huge pressure falling on their shoulders. Old Pie eximed, "Your Excellency Zither Soul." The people realized that the person who suppressed them was Zither Soul. They all calmed down, and the Immortal Emperors greeted her while she floated above them, looking at the spirit screens. She looked at Yang Tie on the ground and said, "Are you a fool, Xiao Yang? How many years have it been since you became an Immortal Emperor? How often have I told you to read more than metals and forging? Can you not travel outside and see how vast the world is?" Yang Tie was unsure why he was being scolded. He took a deep breath, and Zither Soul continued, "Your ignorance is why people are panicked. The soul residue of the demon beast emperor influences my brother. He is not berserk but is fighting off the strong influence." Yang Tie gulped a mouthful and said, "I understand, Your Excellency. I will make sure to learn about more things." Zither Soul waved and said, "I am going back." She vanished after a quick rebuttal. She did not let anyone find out she had already helped Shi Lang. ¡­

    Shi Lang was shivering as he held onto Raksha''s palm. The two of them were sharing the burden of the demonic soul. However, they were quickly reaching their limit. Raksha looked at the Terran and said, "Why don''t you refine this soul energy?" Shi Lang smiled and said, "Myprehension will not keep up. I will have trouble ascending to the next level." Raksha shook her head and replied, "I will cast a seal on your soul energy. You will be able to unlock it slowly as yourprehension grows." Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Fine." Raksha nodded and said, "Protect the order around us. The demon beasts are trying to snatch the demonic soul energy from the emperor beast. Ace will refine the soul energy, and the beasts will struggle even more." Shi Lang thought for a bit and looked for the technique that allowed him to use spiritual energy to elevate the level of his soul. Immortal emperors needed to engrave their souls with Daows. They needed a stronger soul because the burden on the soul was significant when thews were engraved. However, a stronger soul would not be in sync with the cultivator''s body. Shi Lang did not wish to face that issue because it would take him a lot of time to recover. At his level, physical tempering could not be increased quickly. He could not cast a seal on himself, but Raksha could cast a seal on him. He began to refine the soul energy, and the demon beast in the surroundings sensed the change. They began to rebel and attack carelessly, and the four people spent great effort to kill them. A blob of white light was floating above Shi Lang''s head. This was the excessive soul energy that he could not absorb. Raksha waved her hands to tighten the chains around the blob and said, "It is contained now. You must engrave the chains with daows to unlock them." 16:29

    Raksha was supporting them every time they had a brush with death. Shi Lang was refining the soul energy inside his soul sea with lightning energy and turning it into pure energy. When he sealed the major part of the turtle demon''s soul inside the Shura realm. The leftover part invaded his soul sea. The tug-of-war between the two forces was the reason behind his madness. With Raksha''s help, he slowly stood refining the alien soul energy, and his soul was gaining power. The illusory immortal soul was materializing into a glowing avatar of the Terran. ¡­

    Shi Lang stood in his ce for two days, and the rest of the people stood around him with their eyes closed. They had been fighting without blinking their eyes even once. They gained much experience but were exhausted because the beasts were all Demon Beast Lords. Shi Lang opened his eyes, and Raksha said, "I will seal the excessive energy into a spiritual sword." She ced her hand over his forehead and then closed her eyes. Shi Lang''s eyes were glowing very brightly. She appeared in his soul sea and made a few seals with her hands. She used her spirit energy to cast chains above Shi Lang''s avatar. A blob of white light was floating above Shi Lang''s head. This was the excessive soul energy that he could not absorb. Raksha waved her hands to tighten the chains around the blob and said, "It is contained now. You must engrave the chains with daows to unlock them." Shi Lang nodded and said, "It will help us both in the long run." Raksha nodded. She said, "We shall see about that when the timees. For now, you have toprehend the art of apologizing. Yao Jiming almost lost his life thanks to your foolery." Shi Lang nodded, and they both left the soul sea. Please vote with power stones and golden tickets. Thank you for yourments and support. THE_WORDSMITH

 Chapter 765 Regional Champion.

    765 Regional Champion. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and looked at the five people around him. They were all tired and had various injuries covering their bodies. He cupped his fist and said, "I apologize for the trouble I have caused you all. Also, I am grateful for your protection in this critical time. I will remember this favor." The people smiled and exchanged their nces. Shi Lang turned to look at Yao Jiming and waved his hand to extract the sword intent from his body. The relief was sudden and evident by the expression on thetter''s face. He sighed and said, "Thank you, Young Master." Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You do not have to thank me, Brother Yao. It was my fault in the first ce. I am d you did not abandon me after my foolish behavior." Yun Xue nodded and said, "Good that you are grateful." Shi Lang smiled faintly and asked, "I think it is just the six of us left in the secret realm. Shall we head out?" Han Mx said, "Young Master Ace, we can only go out when only one of us is left in the secret realm. For that, we will have to decide upon the title of the Regional Champion." Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What do you all think?" Meng Xueyan said, "Young Master Ace if you are willing to marry me, I will give up thispetition immediately. Otherwise, you will have to spar with me." Shi Lang replied without hesitation, "I choose to spar." Meng Xueyan pouted, and Young Master Meng said, "Young Master Ace, I would like to spar with you as well." Shi Lang nodded and said, "Everyone has the same intention. Then, if you do not mind, you can alle to me simultaneously. That should be a fair chance." Han Mx asked, "How is that a fair chance? You were about to kill us earlier." Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I apologize to you, fellow Daoist. Rest assured, I know how to hold back now." The people exchanged nces, and Yun Xue said, "I will not hold back this time." The Terran smiled and said, "Suit yourself." They found a clearing a few kilometers away. It was the ravine created by the attack of the demon beast emperor earlier. Shi Lang took out his spear. Han Mx asked, "Why are you not using your sword?" The Terran replied, "My sword is only to cut down foes. I do not raise it against my friends. Do not worry; I am not weak with my spear either." Yun Xue wielded her sword and moved quickly to attack Shi Lang. The battle has begun, and the winner will be the regional champion. The champion will then go on to fight for the ultimate title. ...

    Amelia was panting as she stood before a young man. The other party was not in a good state; he was missing an arm, and his shoulder was bleeding profusely. His face was turning paler with every moment. He used his other arm and spiritual energy to stop bleeding. The young man said, "I made a mistake underestimating you, Sect Mistress Amelia." Amelia had a cold face and did not respond to him. The young man asked, "Why do you not speak? Am I not worthy of hearing your voice?" Thedy replied, "I do not like to associate with dogs who enjoy vanity provided by others." The young man clenched his fist and said, "If you manage to withstand this attack of mine, I will let you go. If you are injured, then I hope you surrender to me like a bitch." Amelia sneered and then took a deep breath, watching the young man raise his left arm and point a finger at her. He shouted, "Titan finger." Thedy frowned and did not wait for the attack tond on her. Instead, she vanished from her ce. The finger of the young man had turned into a ray gun¡ªa wide beam of spiritual energy condensed in the void. It vaporized everything in the path, even the ground, and left a smooth curved ravine on the ground. The young man did not see how Amelia had vanished. However, just as his attack was about to finish, a strong, threatening feeling grabbed his throat. He froze. Amelia had appeared behind him. He asked with difficulty, "How are you so fast?" Amelia did not reply to him but drove her sword through his body. She said, "You do not need to do any of that. What you need to know is that you are better off dying at my hands. If my husband were to find what you said to me, he would make you beg for death." The young man could not say anything as life seeped out of his body, and he fell to the ground. Ying Yu and Bo Qingtan were standing in the distance. The trio was hunting demonic beasts when they came across a cultivator from the Titan Sect. Thetter provoked them by passing obscene remarks at Amelia. Thedy was quick-tempered and decided to y the man to make an example out of him. After she killed the guy, she turned around to look into the distance. She said, "If you do not have the guts toe out and fight me, do not peek at me. I will dig out your eyes." Someone was gazing at her hidden in the treeline. Bo Qingtan unsheathed his sword and attacked the person with his sword intent. The attack was terrifyingly quick. The person in the distance did not have the time to react much and decisively gave up the jade card. Amelia nodded to him, and he returned the favor. The Titan sect and War Maiden sect were both located in different regions. However, the test was held in amon secret realm, and it was said that the top ten would be promoted to fight in the final round-robin duel matches. Amelia had followed Shi Lang''s instructions and made a small transmitter tomunicate with her sect mates. She found that Titan sect people wereing after them. She was not a defensive person, and by now, she had killed seven titan sect practitioners after the other side came after one girl from her sect. She believed in fighting till thest troop standing. Her means have pacified the Titan Sect. However, the Young Master of the Titan Sect has imed that he will kill Amelia in the final round before the dignitaries of the Martial Council. ... Outside the secret realm, the grand elder of the Titan Sect stood with his fists clenched tightly. He would re at the old grand elder of the War Maiden Sect. However, thedy ignored him as if he did not exist. Finally, unable to hold him back, the old man asked, "What does that woman think of herself, Old hag Yuan." Olddy Yuan turned her head to look at him and replied calmly, "Old bastard Ming, do you need me to teach you a lesson before all these juniors to help you remember whom you are talking to? As for what my disciple thinks of herself, you do not need to know. Just remember that she is capable of backing her words with her skills. If you cross her, you will face a crisis like never before." The old man snorted and said, "Do you think that I will not kill her?" Old Lady Yuan replied, "You can try toy a hand on her and see if your Titan sect will stand intact." Old Man Ming was left speechless. He was helpless in dealing with thisdy. She was an iron-fist maiden who suppressed everything with her power. He snorted and turned to look at the invigtor, "There are only ten people left. What is the point of continuing this assessment?" The invigtor replied, "It is the discipline of the martial council. Do you want to offend them? If so, please be my guest." Old Man Ming took a deep breath and calmed his mind because, despite being a sovereign, he was no match to the forces of the martial council. ...

    On the other hand, Shi Lang finished defeating all the contenders. Han Mx was the first to lose, followed by Young Master Meng and Yao Jiming. Yun Xue and Meng Xueyan were both at the same level, and Shi Lang had to take them on simultaneously and did not back off for a long time. The girls meant every word when they said they would fight all out. Shi Lang did not disrespect them and showed them his real strength. His intent of spear was to shake their souls. They were bothpletely terrorized, and their faces turned pale. At that moment, Shi Lang disarmed them. The battle showed the people that Shi Lang was stronger than them all, even without the influence of the demonic soul. As the Terran stood alone in the void, he took a deep breath and said, "Time to meet Amelia ising soon. I should get her a gift."

 Chapter 766 Gathering In the Capital Of Hope.

    766 Gathering In the Capital Of Hope.

    After dering the result, Shi Lang exited the secret realm and locked himself in a forge. He was going to refine an artifact for Amelia. While he was working his ass off, the rest of the world was going crazy. The final round of the assessment was finished, and the results were all out. The world saw a rise of the dark horses. Some experts had predicted that many new talents would rise to fame in this tournament. However, some people still lived a life gilded with arrogance and were pped in their faces. These newly famous experts consisted of both individuals and also of forces. Many forces had taken the world by storm. One of these forces was Asura Hall. None of the people knew anything about this force other than the fact a few people among their ranks managed to erase an entire family of experts to the ground, and another thing was that the expert who led that team was not participating in the assessment. The people tried to look for people of the Asura Hall again, but they were stunned again by the emergence of another such organization in the southern provinces. The people knew nothing about this group, but they were a big talk in the Immortal Lord realm cultivators, and the leader at their helm was a woman. The contestants were told to gather in the Hope Capital City. The capital city was a ce where all the major human experts lived. More importantly, the headquarters of the Martial Council was located in this city.

    This was one of the reasons why all the experts were asked to gather in the capital. The upper echelons could protect the young talents if any demonic cultivator tried to attack them. The history of the Centurion tournament was written in blood. Not only the blood shed by thepetitors but also the attacks from the demonic cultivators. If the humans were fighting them and killing them, these people also sought out ways to enter the closed circle and then cause destruction. Tian Long had also seen his fair share of attacks in the tournament''s final stages in the past three centuries. Every time, the Martial Council would impose new ways to defend, and this time, they had devised an optimal strategy to defend the young talents. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    People from all over the human territory wereing inside the Hope Capital. They were not the participants but viewers. The martial council had ordered the opening of only four out of eight city gates. Guard the ce under the direct supervision of the Immortal Emperors. If any demonic cultivators managed to enter the ce, the guarding Immortal Emperors would be in as a punishment. This regtion was imposed to ensure that the Immortal Emperors did their jobs nicely. Martial Council had also invited a few legendary beasts to the final battles. It was said that this was an attempt to ease the tension between both species. So, everyone was focused on the final rounds, and the popce was excitedly bustling. ...

    Shi Lang finished his time inside the forging room, and after a few days, he came out with a small box in his hand. He found the young attendant standing outside, who said, "Young Master, thankfully you are out. Everyone has already left for the Hope Capital. If you do not report to the city''s northern gates within two days, you will not be allowed topete in the final round." The Terran was surprised, but then he nodded and said, "I understand. Can you tell me if the Pavilion Master is home?" The young man shook his head and said, "No, young master, I have no idea where he is." Shi Lang thought for a bit and nodded before he said, "Fine, then I shall get going." The terran quickly waved his hand and appeared outside Forging City. He checked his spiritualmunicator and found many messages. The people were informing him about where they were. Shi Lang thought for a bit and asked Yao Jiming about the directions. After the initial shock, Yao Jiming told him the directions, and Shi Lang took out Raksha. The sword spirit waszy and asked, "Why are you bothering my sleep?" The Terran said, "Two days to reach the capital, or we will be disqualified. Also, we must find a way to travel seventy thousand miles to the city." Raksha opened her eyes wide and asked, "Seventy thousand miles? Where the hell are we going?" Shi Lang told her that Hope City was located in the southern direction and the center of the human territory. The sword spirit thought about something and suddenly asked, "You want me to carry you to a distance that far?" Shi Lang gulped, took out a chunk of Emeris, and said, "This is mypensation. You know that if anyone else saw this, it would be bloodshed. Please help me, Raksha." His sword spirit had a strong bond with him, but she was not a normal spirit either. Her consciousness was akin to having a human being, and she had a humane temper, too. He could not go about her and ask her to act like a mundane spirit. Raksha took a deep breath and said, "Fine, but do not make a habit out of this." Shi Lang nodded and handed her the chunk of Emeris. The sword spirit withdrew herself inside the de, and then Shi Lang jumped on the side of the de. Raksha shoots off into the void. They moved quickly, and Shi Lang used his void portals to shorten the distance. Void portals were a blessing to the cultivators after they ascended to the level of an Immortal King. They did notprehend thews of space dao. Thus, the range of the void portal would only take them to a certain distance. The distance would depend on the strength of the person. Shi Lang was strong enough to open the portal a hundred miles away. But if he opened ten portals, his body would exhaust all the spiritual energy. That''s why he asked Raksha to give him a ride. The sword moved through the void at a quick speed, and it created a wind pocket before the two of them. The terran spent the timeprehending thews of lightning dao. He stiffened the muscles of his body to maintain a proper bnce and posture as he rode the sword. Raksha had crossed five thousand miles in one day, and she did so without stopping. She was a heavenly spiritual artifact and could easily extract spiritual energy from the world. She understood that Shi Lang wasprehending, and thus, she stopped moving. The Terran was making a breakthrough to the peak realm of the Immortal King realm. The sword spirit created an intent field around her quickly. She wanted to stop the people from approaching the two of them and create a stir for Shi Lang. The breakthroughsted six hours, and as soon as the aura stopped, Raksha shot off into the distance after retreating her intent. Her speed was quick, and she said, "You seem to be having a good time riding me." Shi Lang opened his eyes and replied, "Do not talk like that. The readers might get the wrong idea." The sword trembled and almost dropped down to the ground at this. Shi Lang said, "Raksha, how do you think Amelia will react?" Raksha replied, "I wonder if she would p your ugly face and break it to pieces." Shi Lang smiled. He did not mind her banter. They reached the vicinity of the Hope Capital. The terran jumped off the de and stored her inside the space ring. He waved his hand and opened a few void portals. He appeared before the city gates and yelled, "Excuse me, I amte for reporting for the final round. Can you let me through?" The people turned around and looked at him with confused gazes. One middle-aged man yelled, "Young man if you are here to participate, then I am the judge." Many peopleughed, and Shi Lang said, "Do not mind me being rude then." His body shed with red lightning, and he vanished from the spot. He appeared below the gate and stopped before the city guard. His speed was quicker than almost all of the people. They were all shocked and did not even catch a hint of his shadow. Shi Lang looked at the guard and said, "Sir, can you sign me up?" He revealed a jade token to the guard, who nodded indifferently. Shi Lang realized that the people from the Hope Capital must be used to all this. Soon, the registration wasplete, and the guard let Shi Lang inside and said, "You are allocated to the fourth arena. Please follow the markings on the streets to locate the arena." Shi Lang thanked the guy and quickly rushed in. What he did not know was that while he was rushing through the city, a silhouette catch sight of him, and the person smiled, while saying, "I wonder how you will react when you see me." Please vote with power stones and golden tickets. Thank you for your love and support.

 Chapter 767: Round Robin.

    Shi Lang followed the markings and quickly moved through the crowd to reach the fourth arena. He was not alone; many were moving through the crowd to reach their allocated arenas topete for glory.

    The Terran sighed as he thought Hope City was the biggest city he had ever visited. He had been inside the city for half an hour and been running non-stop. He could not help but feel frustrated. However, he suddenly spotted a huge coliseum before him, and his spirit was rejuvenated.

    He arrived near the building and found a few people discussing howpetitors have different passageways. Shi Lang used his ability and quickly located a passage with a few people moving in and out. He turned in that direction and found himself standing before a guard.

    The person mumbled, "Another one almost missing the shot of his life."

    Then he continued, "Please head in straight and wait for the person from the Martial Council to announce themencement."

    Shi Lang nodded and left quickly. He did not wish to partake in a conversation with this guy. Inside the city, he noticed the restrictions being ced on them. The people could not fly, and they could not fight. Another thing that stuck out as a sore thumb to him was the patrolling guards.

    He was sure all these people had seen their fair share of bloodshed and were not justmon guards. He used spiritualmunication and found that everyone he knew was assigned to different arenas. It would not be easy for them to meet until the final battle.

    Shi Lang sighed as he waited inside a grand hall with a hundred other people. One guy approached him and asked, "Are you perhaps thinking why none of them are talking to each other?"

    The Terran was not startled and faintly nodded in reply. The young manmunicated with him using a spiritual sense, so it was obvious that other people could do the same. The young man continued, "I am Heim. What about you?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Ace."

    The young man nodded and said, "Which city are you from?"

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "I am from the Forger City."

    Heim was surprised and checked out Shi Lang from head to toe before he said, "I am from Dew Lake City. It is a small cepared to the Forger City."

    Shi Lang nodded faintly and asked, "Do you know how the final round works?"

    Heim turned around, pointed at a normal scroll pinned to the wall, and said, "They posted it there. So, hundreds of us willpete in a round-robin, where you can get hit from anywhere or by anyone. Then, thest twenty men and women will randomly be selected and matched by the martial council before they are reduced to eighty. The rounds will continue till there are twenty people left.

    These twenty people will have to face a challenge from any of the people in the loser bracket. After all, luck is a part of your strength, too. If you defend yourself, you must fight among the twenty people. The one whoes at the top will be crowned the strongest centurion."

    Shi Lang thought briefly and said, "Fine."

    Heim continued calmly, "Yeah, two people get to ascend the top twenty by doing nothing, but if challenged by any of the people at the top and they lose, they might have to forfeit their lives."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "None of those work hard like those who rely on their luck."

    Heim nodded and said, "Yes, they do not."

    A bell rang outside the hall as they talked, and a man walked inside. This man wore a green robe with a logo embroidered on the hem. Heimmented, "Hmm, a retainer from the martial council."

    The retainer said, "Hello, everyone, the gates are now closed. We can begin the final round round. Please get ready and follow me to the main arena ground."

    The person did not take any reaction from anyone and left the room. Many people quickly followed them. Shi Lang came out and found himself standing inside the main arena, and it would be a lie to say that he was not shocked. At this moment, a defeating sound echoed around him.

    The cheer of a million people was soul-shaking. He used his spiritual energy to cover his ears from the sound waves. Suddenly, an old man appeared in the void and cleared his throat. His gentle cough was strong enough to drown the cheer of the millions. The people calmed down, and the old man said, "I am Sovereign Hammer Fist.

    Imend you all for advancing to the final stage of the Centurion tournament. However, I also know how you all thirst for glory."

    Shi Lang nodded slightly. The old man made sense. Hammer Fist continued, "After I vanish, you all must fight for the top twenty positions in this arena. It will be a mess, so I hope you all are ready. Bring your jade tokens and tie them around your neck or waist. Once the jade token breaks, you will be teleported outside the arena, and your path will end."

    Everyone followed the instructions, and Sovereign Hammer fist said, "Your jade token will change darker as you fight and eliminate your opponents. The darker your jade pendant, the higher your rank."

    The next moment, Hammer Fist vanished, and Shi Lang drew out his spear to attack the person closest to him. He was not the only one, but many others did the same. The chaos began, and the people were eliminated. The crowd was going bonkers as they cheered madly.

    Many people could not bear the pressure and were pushed into a situation where they had no option but to use defensive measures. However, it did not help them against multiple people. The entire arena was filled with shes of spiritual attacks.

    Shi Lang moved quickly. He was like a god of war. Just like he had lived during the training sessions and countless battles in the federal army, he was fighting against people simr to him in skill level. He was filled with exhration. The mad rush to beat people without having to worry if they will die was very satisfying to him.

    It was not just the spear that he was using; he was even using his sniper rifle with one hand to steal people from other people. None of the people could understand who was stealing their kills, but they did not have the time to bother about it.

    ...

    In the void, several sovereigns were looking at multiple arenas. They all looked indifferent to each other. Hammer Fist said, "The young people are energetic."

    Many others nodded, and someone asked, "Who is this kid? He is using that new weapon to take down people."

    Hammer Fist stroked his beard and said, "Is that guy not rted to you, Heavenly Dragon?"

    Tian Long nodded and replied, "He is the champion of the dragon army."

    The others were surprised, and someone asked, "Why did you rush too early to select him? That girl with the whip is also good. I have taken a liking to her. If she reaches the top twenty."

    The speaker was ady. Tian Long replied, "I have my reasons. Can you all watch it silently? So old, yet you cannot stop talking."

    ...

    Many other people were doing the same thing, but despite all the action, Shi Lang was still not the top contender. Many people were ahead of him. They all used wide-area attacks to defeat multiple people simultaneously. At the same time, Shi Lang was focused on one person at a time.

    After two hours of mad fighting and dodging the attacks, Shi Lang reached the top twenty. He looked around and found that while no one was weaker than him, no one was stronger either. Shing could understand that they have not used theirplete strength. This was obvious, after all. Who knew what kind of monster they would face in the further stages?

    Shi Lang stood tall in the arena, looking listlessly in the void. His sensory abilities were locked on everyone in the arena. One of the contenders defeated thest person and finished the round-robin process.

    Sovereign Hammer Fist appeared in the void again and said, "Congrattions, young ones. You all are the top twenty among the hundreds who fought in this arena. You all have the right to brag now."

    The old man chuckled, and the crowd in the viewing standsughed. The old man said, "Now, without dy, we will begin thest stages of the final round."

    The people were surprised, and the old man waved his hand. The next moment, the arena began to tremble, and people panicked. Old Man Hammer Fist said, "Do not worry, it is normal. I am just going toyer the Arena on top of the other. The four arenas will stack over each other, and you can witness four fights simultaneously."

    Shi Lang had no other thoughts in her mind, and he was only worried about how he would face Amelia. As he thought about it, his heartbeat quickened.

 Chapter 768: Rage & Love In The Air.

    Shi Lang watched as the massive Arenas flew into the void and stacked over each other like a set of cards under the control of an Immortal Sovereign. He raised his head and found that only the viewers'' positions were stacked over each other. Shi Lang could not help but feel insignificant in the face of such power.

    He took a deep breath, and Sovereign Hammer Fist said, "Boys and girls, the time hase for the final round of the round robin."

    The crowd cheered. Although the effect was not as loud as before, it was still significant. Shi Lang sensed vibrations coursing his body. He has never seen this level of crowd. Even the intergcticpetition did not give Shi Lang such a vibe. These people were all crazy for battle.

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and looked around to find Amelia amongst the crowd, but before he could do so, Sovereign Hammer Fist said, "Let the battle for the top forty begin."

    None of the people even had time to think when the old man waved his hand, and people flew through the void to fight each other. Shi Lang was not worried about his opponent and still tried to look around for Amelia. He caught a glimpse of a person in fiery red armor. However, a loud yell interrupted him before he could say anything, "How dare you look away from me?"

    Shi Lang was pissed off and said, "You dare to disturb me from looking for my wife?"

    The Terran was enraged, and his voice echoed throughout the Arena. The next moment, he clenched his fist and said, "Lightning Fist, lightning shower."

    His fists were covered with red lightning, and they turned into afterimages. The blows rained down on the burly man instantly, and the impact was so strong that the punches went through the defensive spiritual shield as if a hot knife were stabbing through butter. The people only saw lightning streaks raining down on the burly man before he was shoved into the ground.

    Shi Langnded on the ground and yelled, "Who is next?"

    Sovereign Hammer Fist chuckled and waved his hand again. Shi Lang found himself standing before another person, and the battle began. The other person had just finished a battle when Shi Lang charged him with lightning-covered fists. The Terran did not allow the new opponent to register what was happening.

    The other person only saw a great flurry of red shadows before him, and the next thing he knew was darkness. Shi Lang was furious at old man Hammer Fist but could not do anything to the person in the void. Since he could not do anything to him, the next best option was to the person he was asked to fight.

    After five fights, the crowd was reduced to twenty people in the Arena. Shi Lang looked around, and just as he spotted Amelia, old man Hammer Fist said, "So, now is the time to..."

    Shi Lang raised his head and yelled, "Old man, do you think just because your realm is higher, you can keep yapping your old mouth like that? Believe it or not, if you stopped my reunion with my wife, I will show you what a real hammer feels like."

    Sovereign Hammer Fist and the rest of the people in the Arena were shocked. However, a chuckle broke the solemnity. Tian Long appeared beside the stunned Hammer Fist and said, "Old man, calm down. Let the youngsters have a break."

    Shi Lang did not care about anyone. He rushed toward Amelia, who was looking at him, stunned. She did not expect him to even bad mouth a Sovereign like that. She watched him walk towards him; it was not just her, but many people in the Arena were watching him. Four of his friends, Bo Qingtan, Ying Yu, Yang Niao, and Yun Xue, were also watching him.

    They were all stunned by the galls of this guy. As Shi Lang was getting closer to Amelia, the hearts of many women were beating in anticipation of a heartwarming reunion. However, it seemed as if everyone was against Shi Lang.

    A young man appeared before him and flung a fist at Shi Lang. None of the people expected such a thing, and even Shi Lang, who has never suffered a sneak attack, did not because he did not expect anyone to stand up to him at this juncture.

    Shi Lang was punched square in the face, and he moved ten meters away from the original position. However, Shi Lang regained his bnce, and looked at the person before him. The young man smirked and said, "If that is all you have, and yet you dare to act out before his excellency, you sure know how to bark."

    The Terran did not say anything, and he watched the person talk calmly. The young man continued to say, "Do you think you and your wife are above the martial council? How dare you act like a ruffian here? You country bumpkin."

    Many people found this act amusing and cursed this young man, mostly women and some romantic men. However, those who knew Shi Lang, inside or outside the Arena, knew how this would end.

    The young man asked, "Why are you not talking now? Do you not want to meet your wife? Or did my blow give you amnesia? Hahaha!"

    Shi Lang raised his head to look at Tian Long and asked, "Does his life matter?"

    The people were stunned. The next moment, Tian Long shook his head. Shi Lang vanished from his ce and appeared behind the young man. He kept on walking ahead as the young man stood in his spot. Shi Lang stood before Amelia and said, "Sorry, I lost my temper just now."

    Amelia wanted to say something when everyone in the viewer''s pavilion gasped. The young man''s head slipped off his shoulders andnded on the ground with a dull thud. Shi Lang touched Amelia''s cheek and said, "I have missed you a lot."

    Amelia closed her eyes as she rubbed her face against his palm. She held his hand and said, "So have I, my love. So have I."

    Shi Lang did not know why, but he wanted to cry. Amelia leaned in and kissed his lips suddenly. She did not care about the mor of the people, nor was she afraid of anyone.

    A pair of gazes were locked at the couple, brimming with malicious intentions. The Terrans avoided the gazes for the time being. He held Amelia tightly with his arms coiled around her waist. He pulled her and spoke with his spiritual sense, "I wish I could take you right here and right now."

    He did not understand why, but despite having controlled his urges for so long, he was about to lose himself in lust for his wife. Amelia blushed a bit as she broke away from the kiss. She said, "After the tournament."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and calmed down after a few moments. He nodded and cupped his fists as he bowed to the elders in the void, "Elders, forgive me for my impudence. I am a person who has ascended from a lower realm. My wife has made an even greater effort toe after me. I could not help it."

    Tian Long nodded and said, "This is what a man should be. Commit to the depth of your soul and go crazy for the one you love."

    Many people shouted from the viewer stands. They cheered for Shi Lang and Amelia. Sovereign Hammer Fist raised his hand and said, "I understand what is going on; after all, you have emotions, too. However, I have a question. Tell me if you would repeat your actions?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and was about to answer when the old man put out a strong pressure. The Terran was about to kneel but held his head high as his feet sunk into the ground. He knew that the old man was testing his resolve.

    Shi Lang looked at Amelia''s shadow on the ground and smiled as he said, "I will do it all over again, even if I have to fight the entire world, even if it is the gods or the demons. I will stand against them to get to her and my family."

    A calm voice sounded from the void, "Old Man Hammer Fist, you are still up to your silly test of hearts?"

    The old man did not say anything and withdrew the pressure. He said, "Sovereign Tian Long, you can take the lead from now on, or she will beat me up."

    Tian Long chuckled and said, "I will try my best."

    Shi Lang managed to stand up and held Amelia''s hand. The Heavenly Sovereign said, "Alright, so getting on with the final stage now. Let us set up the neen pirs of strength for our top fighters."

    Tian Long waved his hands, and long wooden poles appeared on the ground. The people cheered watching the excitement. The final battles were about to begin.

 Chapter 769: Rewards & Surprise.

    Tian Long waved his hand, and a few pirs rose from the void. The sovereign said, "These pirs are made of the strongest and hardest stone in the world. They can withstand attacks from Immortal Emperors. So you guys will not have to worry about fighting for your best. Now, get on there."

    Shi Lang and the other people jumped as they climbed the pirs. The pirs were thirty meters high, and everyone frowned a bit. Tian Long smiled and said, "Yes, your senses are correct. The top of the pir is engraved with a gravity array. It is to prevent you from flying in the void."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and flexed his body to get used to the effects of amplified gravity on the peak. Tian Long said, "So, for the first phase. Those who lost earlier, you cane forward and fight these people. If you win, you get their ranks and rewards."

    Bo Qingtan thought of something and asked, "Senior, can you tell us the rewards?"

    Tian Long was surprised and eximed, "Oh, finally, someone who knows their business."

    The crowdughed out loud at his joke. Tian Long ced his hands behind the back and said, "Well, there are neen of you. The ranking is based on how many fights you win."

    This was fair logic; everyone agreed, and Tian Long continued, "Thest five will get a million superior-grade spirit stones and a medium-level spirit artifact."

    The crowd gasped at the extravagance. A million superior-grade spirit stones were enough to buy a city in the central ins, and the medium-level spirit artifact would amplify the strength of a person by twenty percent.

    Tian Long continued, "The people who rank from tenth to fifteenth will be rewarded with one million superior-grade spirit stones, one medium-level spirit artifact, and a bronze-level membership to the martial council."

    The people were shocked that the arena exploded into a mor. This sort of thing was never given out as a reward in any of the contests. Merits earned membership in the Martial Council, not given out as a reward.

    Tian Long said, "Many of you are probably thinking that the old fogies at the Martial Council have gone mad for handing out the membership to these young people so easily. However, you must agree that young people are the world''s future. This membership will allow the people to learn how things in the Martial Alliance work."

    The people understood what the Martial Council intended to do. Tian Long continued, "The people who rank from fifth to ninth rank will be given a chance to pick a master from among the Martial Council Seats. They will all get the same rewards as the rest."

    The crowd was shocked again, but Tian Long continued, "The top five will have a chance to seek the inheritance from the esteemed seniors who rest in the Hall Of Gods. They will also have all the rewards that others have."

    This reward was very generous, and the surprise it brought to the people was too much for them to express. Tian Long said, "Thest surprise is for the person who manages to attain the first rank. Their name will be ced in the Golden Dragon ranking scrolls. They will have a right to form their army at the frontline and act without interference.

    They will be supplied with ten years of resources to sustain their armies, after which they must depend on their merits."

    Many people on the pir had sparks flying in their eyes. They all wished to attain glory, but a few people were standing calmly. They could not help but exchange nces and think about why the Martial Council was doing this. They could have given out some resources at max to appease the top rankers.

    Most people here were after the fame of winning the Centurion Tournament, and rewards did not matter to them.

    Tian Long cleared his throat and said, "This must rify all your doubts. Now is the time for those who lost the chance earlier to try and clinch the opportunity."

    Suddenly, a few people challenged those standing on the pirs. Shi Lang sat down on his pir. No one approached him. The major cause was how he beheaded the young man with a move. The challenges were not interesting enough and were settled instantly without any change in the ranks.

    Tian Long nodded and announced, "That concludes the second chance duels. Now, you all can challenge each other."

    Shi Lang was still sitting on the ground when he sensed a few people gazing at him. His friends were not looking at them, but a few who did not know him were eager to try and fight him.

    The Terran stood up from the ground and said, "Come."

    The first person that appeared before him was cloaked in ck clothes. He was calm, but his heart was uneasy all of a sudden. Shi Lang had not paid much attention to this person before, so he had no recollection. He assumed a battle stance and found the person standing straight before him.

    He wanted to take the initiative and attack when the person moved and appeared beside him with a golden sh. The Terran defended himself, and blows from everywhere began tond on his forearms.

    Shi Lang was stunned that someone could suppress him in such a fashion. However, the more they fought, the more his heart began to beat. The people were surprised by this scene because the invincible and daunting impression of the Terran was falling apart.

    Tian Long wondered if this guy had run out of strength, while Yun Xue, Bo Qingtan, and Yang Niao were shocked to see someone who could stand up in such a manner. However, Amelia had her mouth covered as tears flowed down her eyes. Ying Yu noticed this and thought Amelia was crying because her husband was about to lose.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang evaded one of the blows and wed at the cloak. The fabric could not withstand the crackling lightning and tore apart like a thin paper on the window. The torn cloak revealed a woman. The person was dressed in armor like nobody had ever seen before.

    Thedy was beyond beautiful, and many people were stunned by her appearance. Shi Lang himself opened his eyes wide and shivered in shock. The woman had hair cascading down her shoulder, forming a curtain as dark as the night sky. She was looking at Shi Lang with a smile and provocative expression.

    Amelia knelt on the ground as tears fell down her eyes like a dam had broken. Shi Lang stepped closer to the woman, but the person said, "Are you going to let me win so easily?"

    The Terran realized where he was and looked around at the people. He chuckled, wiped his eyes, and said, "I will not."

    The woman gestured for him toe at her. Tian Long sighed at the scene while Ying Yu and Yun Xue frowned. Shi Lang moved quickly, and so did thedy before him. They exchanged blows, but the Terran was not suppressed this time. His body was covered with red lightning, and the woman before him was covered with golden energy.

    The fight was strictly melle, and they were fighting like people who were crazy. The shockwaves from their waves were visible in the void. After five minutes, Shi Lang changed his fighting style and revealed a martial art style that surprised the girl. With every few blows, he changed his style, and eventually, the girl could not keep up. Shi Lang caught her in a grip that made her unable to move.

    Tian Long waited a bit, and thedy said, "I forfeit."

    Tian Long nodded and announced the result. The people were troubled because the fight was not as dynamic as expected, but suddenly, the girl asked, "Did you miss me, Baba?"

    Shi Lang loosened his grip and replied, "You miss the people you forget, but I did not forget you, Xiao Tao."

    As he said this, he hugged the Shi Tao in his arms. The Terran was extremely emotional, and his eyes were brimming with tears. Tian Long cleared his throat, and Shi Lang raised his head with a re and said, "Old man, this is my daughter."

    The sentence was equal to a bomb exploding in the Arena. Many people did not know what was going on. Tian Long was stunned and asked, "Damn it, did you bring your entire family?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Don''t worry, they might not be far, but they are not yet here."

    Shi Tao smiled as she wiped away her tears. She missed Shi Lang, not because he was a father figure to her but because he was the first person to give her a home when she was alone. Shi Lang smiled and asked, "I will catch upter with you. For now, let''s focus on the tournament. If you find it too hard, do not risk your life."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "I know."

    He was saying that she had returned to her pir. The final round started with an emotional start, but the people were looking forward to the battles even more. Why? No one among the top ten wanted to have a group of people from the same team to monopolize the ranking.

 Chapter 770: Enemies Crossing Paths.

    Shi Lang stood tall at the pir, and so did the others. Tian Long announced that the fights would continue, but no people moved. The crowd did not mor at this time as if they had sensed the tension among the contenders. Shi Lang and his friends amounted to seven people out of neen.

    They couldn''t fight to death for fame, plus Shi Lang was not someone they could beat, so they did not even think about it. The other twelve people began to challenge the people they thought they could win. One guy with a chiseled body said, "I would like to challenge you."

    Everyone saw his finger pointed at Amelia. The person who challenged her was a burly young man. This guy wore brawler gloves. Shi Lang noticed that this guy was projecting some hatred toward Amelia. He frowned and wanted to ask the person''s identity when Amelia said, "It seems that the Titan Sect is adamant on this path of destruction."

    The young man replied, "We shall see who will be destroyed in this sh then. Are you ready?"

    Amelia chuckled and took out her long sword. She said, "Come at me."

    The young man jumped from his pir and hopped through the other pirs before reaching Amelia. The top of the pirs was thirty meters wide. They all were ced in a circr position and served as skipping stones.

    The young man stood before Amelia and sped his fist, "Dawn Everest greets Sect Mistress Amelia."

    Amelia raised her brow and remarked, "Your people from the Titan sect surely are filled with a skill for dramatizing things. When your sect master barged in my ce, did he greet any of us? He issued a threat to kill all the maidens from my sect that his disciples came across.

    Then there is you, sping your hands and greeting me like a gent. After I have killed how many seventeen of your brothers because you dared to touch one of my sisters, you guys are unique."

    Her words sent waves through the crowd. Everyone wanted to know what was happening, and quickly, the people who were aware began spreading the word. The viewer''s pavilions were no less than fields of dry grass. News of conflict spread around faster than dry grass catching fire.

    The young man heard the murmurs and furrowed his brow. He asked, "Do you intend to insult me and my sect, Sect Mistress Amelia?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "I have no such intention. Please make your move and get on with it."

    Dawn Everest found her very arrogant, and he hated it when someone acted arrogant before him for no apparent reason. The young man charged at Amelia quickly with his fists covered with metallic gauntlets.

    Amelia smiled and intercepted the iing attack with a parry. She glided to the side quickly and tackled the followed-up kick by Dawn Everest. The young man kepting at him and was ferocious in his attacks. The frustration on his face was evident, and gradually, it was all changing into rage.

    Shi Tao asked Shi Lang with spiritualmunication, "What do you think will happen?"

    The Terran smiled and asked, "Worrying about her?"

    Shi Tao nodded and replied, "All the experience I have of this world is seclusion and gathering a few like-minded people to fight against the Demon beasts that terrorize the masses. I have only climbed the realm because of my special physique."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "That was to be expected of you. Do not worry. The people here are not different from us. Sometimes, I even find them less intelligent."

    Shi Tao chuckled and replied, "Baba, you have grown condescending."

    The Terran chuckled in return and replied, "Brat, I will have you train properly after this ends. Just wait."

    Amelia danced on the pir with her sword while the pair of father and daughter had a good time. The ce was not cramped, and the thirty-meter diameter allowed her to dance and mesmerize the people.

    However, Dawn Everest was not enjoying things. His rage was getting bigger and bigger with time, and his rage was turning into the intention to kill. Amelia''s expression became calmer with time, and suddenly, she vanished from the sight of her enemy.

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "It evolved."

    Shi Tao nodded and replied, "I cannot sense her."

    As the woman vanished, Dawn was flustered, but he sensed her behind his back the next moment. Amelia spoke, "Butterfly de stinging the window."

    Her sword tip flickered, and it moved at a blinding speed. Dawn Everest was attacked with stabs, and all these stabs were aimed at his vital body parts. The young man moved quickly and avoided as many attacks as he possibly could, but even then, he was stabbed in his right shoulder.

    Amelia and Dawn Everest both opened up a distance between themselves, and they both frowned. While Amelia disliked that she could notnd more than one attack, Dawn frowned because he could not harm thedy despite his efforts.

    Amelia sighed and said, "It is about time I finish the battle. It has been a good while."

    Dawn Everest took a deep breath and roared, "It is not over until I say so."

    Amelia waved her hand and provoked him toe over. Dawn Everest bellowed, "Ster Fists."

    The void began to glitter, and all the shiny dust-like substance began to wrap around his fist. Someone from the crowd eximed, "That is the strongest fist technique of the Titan Sect. It is said that once mastered, an Immortal King can destroy mountains a thousand kilometers away with just a punch. It is like a star falling from the sky."

    Dawn Everest quickly moved and punched at Amelia. Thedy held her sword before her and said, "Spring shield."

    She flicked her wrist, and her sword intent condensed into a curtain of cherry blossom leaves. The leaves moved to form an umbre above Amelia that stopped the blow from falling over her head.

    The ster fist condensed a fist as big as a mountain above her and fell down the sky to kill Amelia. The blow connected with the flower shield. Fragility versus bruteness, the contrast of the two energies, left people speechless. They had no idea how Amelia was going to survive.

    However, the next moment, the mountainous fist stopped advancing. It was as if the first imprint hadnded in a mud swamp. The ground was shaking, and so was the rest of the arena. The impact of this one attack was far stronger than any other battle.

    The next moment, Amelia took a deep breath and said, "My turn."

    The fist was still hovering above her, but Amelia just took hold of her sword and vanished from her spot. The next moment, she appeared behind Dawn Everest and said, "Silent sh in the night."

    The next moment, her de flickered, and Dawn Everest froze. Amelia said, "Once upon a time, in the lower realm, there was a mountain called Everest, but when the heavens decided to destroy it, it could not withstand it. You are like that mountain, portraying your elegance and strength, but in reality, you are just a dune of hardened sand and rock.

    Dawn Everest fell, and Tian Long said, "Amelia won the battle."

    The young man from the Titan sect lost consciousness after falling to the ground. Shi Lang gazed at his daughter and raised his brows as if showing off to her. Shi Tao rolled her eyes at him.

    Tian Long said, "Okay, so now the Sovereigns from the martial council are all present and will join thementary. I apologize. Some of these old people have grown obsolete and take their sweet time moving through the void."

    The people chuckled, and a feminine voice sounded, "Boy, are you calling me old?"

    A maturedy appeared beside Tian Long. She was wearing a green satin hanfu, and despite the signs of age, she looked beautiful enough to make men go crazy.

    Tian Long replied, "Greetings, Senior Meimei, but you call a thousand-year-old person like me a boy. Do you still think they will not discover you are getting old?"

    Then he ignored the res from the olddy and said, "This personage among us is the reputed and renowned Sovereign Amythest. Another senior, Sovereign Mand, will join her."

    Next to Tian Long appeared a man dressed in a cassock. The person had a calm expression, and a gem was embedded in his forehead. Sovereign Mand replied, "Greetings, patrons."

    Tian Long replied, "Now, for the next battle, who wille forth?"

    A young man took a deep breath and said, "Senior, I wish to challenge him."

    The guy had pointed at Bo Qingtan. The sword cultivator stood up from his meditation and said, "Finally, someone decided to challenge me."

    Tian Long chuckled and said, "Go on then. I am sure everyone else is anticipating an exciting battle."

    The crowd cheered as the challenger moved through the pirs to meet Bo Qingtan.

    ...

    Important announcement: The new book is now out, and I hope you all show it the same support as you have shown Ace of Terrans. I am mentioning the title and the link below.Please look it up and add it to your collections.

    /book/reincarnation-descent-of-the-heavenly-prince_28595739000232205

    Reincarnation: Descent Of The Heavenly Prince.

 Chapter 771: The Sword. (1)

    Bo Qingtan stood facing the guy who challenged him and said, "I am Bo Qingtan. Greetings."

    The middle-aged man replied, "My name is Yh Suri. I am a saber cultivator from Justice des."

    Bo Qingtan raised his brow and asked, "Justice des, your group is the one who deals with bandits and the cultivators who use their strengths for heinous activities?"

    Yh Suri nodded and replied, "Yes."

    Sovereign Mand said, "Shall we begin the battle?"

    The two people bowed to each other, and then they drew their weapons. However, the des were still sheathed.

    Sovereign Amethystmented, "These guys are an interesting match, won''t you agree, Mand?"

    Sovereign Mand replied, "Indeed, Saber of justice versus the Sword. I wonder what sort of sword Bo Qingtan bears."

    Thedy nodded and asked, "Why do you call Yh Suri the saber of justice?"

    Mand replied, "Yh Suri has made quite a name for himself over the years by fighting criminals. Some people even say that if not for the fact that he was busy avenging wronged people, he might have made it into the realm of Immortal Emperors, but his sense of justice prevailed over his cultivation."

    The people were impressed by Yh Suri. Not many people would avoid their cultivation for random strangers'' suffering. On the other hand, Bo Qingtan had no such image before people. They only saw him today for the first time.

    Lady Amethyst remarked, "While Yh Suri is a guy who has a great sense of justice, this young man seems to be somewhat talented."

    Mand replied with an ever-so-faint smile, "We shall see that when they stop testing each other?"

    On the top of the pir, two men holding their weapons stood opposite each other, staring at each other with sharp gazes. However, even without engaging in battle, the air around them stirred up, making many snapping sounds.

    The people in the stands were curious about what was going on, and Amethyst said, "I did not expect that their spiritual aura collision would cause such a sight. The air is snapping like crackers."

    The two people on the pirs smiled and suddenly vanished from their spots. Then, the entire arena was flooded with nging noises. Mand watched the people and the other contenders looking at the battle and smiled, "A lot of first-time viewers would wonder if the battles are done without dy. The answer is simple. The Centurion Tournament is based on the virtues of cultivation.

    When in battle, they will have to fight with the enemy whenever theye at you."

    Amethyst rolled her eyes and said, "Allow me to tell you that the seniors of the martial council just want to have pleasure out of the misery of these juniors, and that is why the rules are not refined."

    The peopleughed at her remark. On the pir, the battle was getting heated. The two people exchanged blows, creating sparks of fire in the void. After a few minutes, they stopped and appeared back in their original positions.

    Yh smiled and said, "You are quite good."

    Bo Qingtan said, "The same applies to you."

    Yh asked, "Shall we get serious?"

    Bo Qingtan nodded and replied, "Yeah, please."

    Yh Suri unsheathed his saber. It was a three-long ck de as if made from charcoal. Bo Qingtan held his sword, and the former asked, "Why haven''t you taken out your sword?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "I will do so when I need to. I am not looking down on you. However, I will only move when I need to draw a de."

    Yh Suri chuckled and said, "Tell me, why do you wield your de?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "To protect my own beliefs."

    Yh nodded and replied, "Noble thought since you wish to follow your beliefs. Here Ie."

    Yh vanished from his spot and appeared before Bo Qingtan with their des locked with each other. The air around them exploded. Yh was slightly surprised. He used seventy percent of his strength but did not make Bo Qingtan budge even a little.

    Yh Suri moved quickly and began attacking Bo Qingtan from all sides. Shi Tao was surprised by this and asked, "Mom, what is going on?"

    Amelia smiled and asked, "So you finally remember you have a mother?"

    Shi Tao smiled goofily as she rubbed the back of her head. Amelia chuckled and continued, "I think your Baba knows the answer better than me because even I am surprised at how he is doing that."

    Shi Lang listened to them and said, "Xiao Xue, tell them what is happening. I am more interested in the battle itself."

    Yun Xue rolled her eyes and said, "Can you not skip the opportunity to learn? You have not even introduced me to them."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Fine. Amy, this is Yun Xue, a friend of mine. Xiao Xue, this is Amelia Knight, my wife."

    Yun Xue blushed a bit and greeted Amelia. In reality, Shi Lang had told about Yun Xue and her emotions for him in a message over hismunication with her. However, Yun Xue did not know about it. So, she was being yed by the two of them. Amelia had told Shi Lang that she would find out what sort of a person Yun Xue was before considering anything else.

    Shi Tao found the situation weird and asked Shi Lang, with her spiritual sense, "Baba, what is going on?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Talkter. Learn first."

    He was focused on the battle because he was a sword user and wanted to learn how Bo Qingtan could dodge all the blows with minimal movement. Yun Xue shook her head and said, "This is a technique that he learned as a mercenary hunting for the demonic cultivators and beasts.

    He angles his de in a manner that shakes most of the impact off, and the momentum transferred to his body is dispelled by the cirction of his spiritual energy and the muscles."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and remarked, "It is quite usible to achieve an effect like this."

    The people nodded, and Sovereign Amethyst said, "To think that a junior would create a technique of his own. Also, looking at how he implies it, I would say that it is not easy to master."

    Sovereign Mand nodded, and the people in the arena began to take notes. Yun Xue finished talking, and Bo Qingtan said, "Fellow Daoist Yh, it is about time you stopped holding back and used spiritual energy in your attacks. Don''t you think using physical strength and basic skills against me is insulting?

    There might be people capable of defeating me with basics, but you are certainly not one of them."

    Yh retorted, "Do you think you can make me push all the way? Are you not overestimating yourself?

    Bo Qingtan sighed and replied, "Have it your way. Dragon Forest."

    The ground erupted, and following the strokes of his de, many wooden dragons emerged from the ground, charging at Yh Suri from all directions. Shi Lang eximed, "Huh? When did he improve this one?"

    Yun Xue rolled her eyes and replied, "Did you think he would always watch you get ahead? He is ferocious when ites to getting better, okay?"

    The people were taken aback because the attack consisted of over fifty wooden dragons charging at Yh Suri from all sides. The fascinating part of this attack was that Bo Qingtan was controlling the dragons with the strokes of his sword. His de was moving like a fleeting flicker of light.

    Normal people had trouble keeping up with it. Shi Tao gasped and asked, "Baba, do you know this senior?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "He is my sworn brother. You can ask him for giftster on."

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "You have grown shameless, Baba. Grandma would have scolded you."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "How are they?"

    Shi Tao and the Terran talked while the battle on the side continued. With just one attack, Bo Qingtan took control of the battle. Yh Suri yelled and said, "Light sh."

    He could not get close to Bo Qingtan, so he used his saber intent and shed at the wood dragons with his weapon. The ck de emitted a contrasting white light. The attack looked weak but cut through the dragons like a hot knife through butter. Shi Lang was surprised to see this, but it was nothing to worry about.

    Bo Qingtan chuckled and said, "Good."

    His fighting spirit was ignited, and he charged at the iing sh. He could sense the void burning from the heat radiated by the attack, and he said, "Void sh."

    When everyone thought Bo Qingtan would end up bearing the burden of the attack, he flickered and appeared where Yn Suri was. The people were stunned when they saw this because Yn Suri stood in the ce where Bo Qingtan should have been. The two of them had exchanged ces, and this waspletely unexpected.

    Sovereign Mandmented, "A spatial technique. Indeed, this young man is not to be underestimated."

    The crowd was in an uproar. Suddenly, Sovereign Amethyst clicked her tongue and said, "Old man Yanshu, did you take in a disciple and hide the fact from all of us?"

    A heartyughter echoed as an old man appeared beside the two people. This person wore a gray hanfu and had a bald head. He said, "Indeed, I took Xiao Tan as my disciple during my travel five months ago. This child walked through a demonic hiding spot and yed all of them. He also freed many innocent people and saved lives.

    Not only that, but he even helped a Spirit beast, but he did not covet the beast and let it go after helping it. This selflessness and dedication to his beliefs is not seen very frequently. He was fighting an Immortal Emperor when I found him. How could I have not taken him as my disciple?"

    Mand remarked, "You thought him Void sh as a gift? Generous soul you are, Yanshu."

    Yn Suri was shocked by this but before he had a chance to figure out what happened, he had to deal with his attacking at him in full force.

 Chapter 772: The Sword (2)

    Bo Qingtan turned out to have been epted as a disciple by an elder in the Martial Council. It did shock the people, but what shocked them was the move he had just used against his enemy. He just swapped positions with Yn Suri in a blink, and the other person did not even have the time to figure out what happened.

    Yn Suri was subjected to bear the full burn of his attack. The saber master raised his de and shed it right against the white beam of light. This time, the attack was made with the energy of a ck sword. The two attacks collided, and they restrained each other.

    Soon, both the attacks vanished. The people gasped because they watched the attacks cancel out the impact on each other. The pir surface was left scorched. Bo Qingtan said, "You sure are good, Fellow Daoist. Now, my turn."

    The young man in white hanfu raised his sword and said, "Void Dragon sh."

    The sword intent from his de let out a high-pitched whistle, and everyone sensed their swords tremble. Sovereign Mandmented, "Unity with the sword. Impressive."

    Unity with the sword was a doormat to the realm that every sword master craved for, the sword fairy. If Bo Qingtan managed toprehend the deeper meaning of his Dao path, he could control as high as a thousand swords with his thoughts. They would submit to the refined sword intent he emits.

    Sovereign Amethyst said, "You need to focus on the attack he just exhibited. Why do I feel that it is not yetplete?"

    Old man Yanshu chuckled and spoke while stroking his beard, "Indeed, Lady Amethyst, this attack is not yetpletely developed. Xiao Tan used a basic understanding of the void sh and integrated it with his attack, Dragon sh. He has been trying to improve the attack but has never found a rival to squeeze the best out of him."

    ...

    On the pir, Bo Qingtan''s sh cut the void like ayer of window paper, and a dragon appeared from the cut. The dragon was made of wood and proceeded towards Yn Suri with great force of destruction around it. Thetter was forced to defend, and that too, desperately.

    The people were stunned because suddenly, another dragon tore through the void and charged at Yn Suri. Bo Qingtan was dancing, shing at the void quickly and repeatedly.

    Shi Lang looked at the attack and clenched his fists. Yun Xue noticed this and chuckled, "What happened to you?"

    Amelia said, "He just wants to fight someone after seeing that attack. I ce my bet on Bo Qingtan."

    Yun Xue nodded and chuckled. Shi Taomented, "Why does it feel like he never grew up? I remember him beating up the ss because one of us managed to pull up a cool trick."

    Ameliaughed, and Yun Xue said, "Well, he beat me thrice before the tournament began to prepare for it because I had a breakthrough in my technique."

    The women nodded, and Yang Niao, listening on the side, wanted to tell them about the hell hole called Tarturus. However, Shi Lang did not allow him to grieve about it.

    The battle was still going on, and Bo Qingtan was shing every few minutes. The dragons were swimming around in the void, emitting strong sword intent, and the void was folding over. The spiritual energy around the dragons was getting sucked up in the void portals.

    Shi Lang stomped on the ground and said, "Fuckin end it already!"

    Bo Qingtan chuckled and said, "Fine."

    The young man said, "Fellow Daoist, be careful. Void Dragon Explosion."

    All seventeen dragons exploded and scattered the next moment, the sword intent covering the entire ce. Many people used their spiritual energy to cover themselves up to avoid getting cut by the sword cuts.

    Yn Suri tried the same thing, but the sword''s intent was so strongly focused on him that it cut through the spiritual shield like butter. The guy did not hold back and quickly released his saber intent. The void fluctuated from the sh of the two intents, but the pressure on Yn Suri was greater because he was defending himself.

    Mandmented, "I did not expect this attack to turn out like this."

    Old Man Yanshu smiled and said, "On the contrary, that is how an iplete technique works. What I like about Xiao Tian is his ability to use his ws for his gain. Not all of us are made equal, but how we use our gifts makes the difference."

    On the other hand, Amethyst asked, "Can anyone tell me why Bo Qingtan released the attack when that young man shouted?"

    Tian Long appeared beside them and said, "Old man Yanshu might not know this, but this child, Bo Qingtan, is like a brother to the champion of my army, and they have known each other for a long time. So, probably, it is because of that connection."

    The three elders gazed at him but could not say anything more. Yn Suri yelled and asked, "Why? How can your intent be stronger than mine?"

    Bo Qingtan smiled and replied, "I will tell you once you have epted defeat."

    Yn Suri snarled and replied, "I will die, but never admit defeat. I am Yn Suri, the saber of justice. How can justice lose?"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "Even when you know that only when you live do you have the chance to improve your dao? If you are among those foolish people who think their ego and pride are above everything else, goodbye."

    He flicked his sword, and the sword intent around Yn Suri began to trap him hard. Thetter still did not wish to give up and exerted much force. However, nothing he did could stop the iing attack.

    His body was already covered with a few sh wounds from the sword intent, and he found that his saber intent was failing him. Yn Suri coughed up blood and fell to his knee as he said, "I give up."

    He may appear strong and cool, but he feared death. Mand waved his hand and dispelled the sword intent around him. Bo Qingtan was announced as the winner. Yn Suri stood up from his spot and asked, "You said you would tell me why your intent was stronger than mine. Why?"

    Bo Qingtan replied calmly, "You use your weapon as a tool. You follow the path of fights to gain fame, and your intent of saber does not protect your beliefs but is to guard your vanity."

    Yn Suri was defeated, but that did not mean he would let someone humiliate him. He said, "How dare you mock me?!"

    Bo Qingtan replied, "I am not mocking you. I do not have the time to do that. However, do you realize why you hold that weapon now, and why did you hold it for the first time? If you do not recall the roots of your cultivation path, then no matter how much you progress, you will not improve."

    Yn Suri was enraged and did not notice that many people, including the Sovereigns, nodded at this statement. He clenched his fist and said, "I wield my sword to fight for justice. What else."

    Bo Qingtan smiled and replied, "Are you sure? How many people have you killed in the past battles? How did you decide that they were guilty?"

    Yn Suri was shocked, and he could not reply at all. It was true; he had not been fighting with the sense of justice he had in the initial days. These days, he had been fighting to make a name for himself. The people he killed were all weaker than him, and he did not even listen to their defense.

    Bo Qingtan looked at his opponent and said, "Look deep in your heart and ask yourself if what you pursue is still the sense of justice. If I can tell this much about your de by exchanging blows with you, then you should have greater self-awareness."

    Everyone was focused on the two people andpletely ignored Shi Lang, who was getting restless with every passing moment. Yn Suri stood silently in his spot, and the others seemed to be waiting for him. The Terran took a deep breath and said, "Old man Tian Long, are we here to guide the misled? I did not know if this ce was a tournament or a rehabilitation center."

    Tian Long red at him and said, "Do you know where you are?"

    Shi Lang replied sarcastically, "At the centurion tournament, we are fighting to attain a top rank. Did you lose your memory?"

    The sovereigns all looked at Tian Long with an amused expression while the crowd was shocked. Tian Long spoke through his teeth, "Do you wish to enrage me so much? I will beat the hell out of you."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Do you think I am scared of you? Do not get too cocky. Come down to my realm and see who will beat whom, alright? Now, do your job and announce the next fight. I want to beat people."

    Shi Lang ruined the moment, but the people liked his cockiness.

 Chapter 773: The Sword. (3)

    Shi Lang issued a challenge, expressing a desire to engage inbat, yet Tian Long struggled to control his temper. The crowd found amusement in this exchange, having witnessed many unruly experts, but this marked the first time someone acted unruly in the presence of numerous Immortal Sovereigns.

    Lady Amethyst asked, "Boy, do you realize that you''re not only disrespecting a sovereign but also the entire martial council?"

    Shi Lang bowed slightly and replied, "I apologize to you, senior. However, given my rtionship with Sovereign Tian Long, I''m addressing him as a friend. I have no intention of offending any of you esteemed seniors."

    Old Man Yanshu chuckled and said, "I did not think that you would have such skill with your words, boy. Good for you."

    Shi Lang smiled but remained silent. Sovereign Mand said, "Go on, then challenge anyone you''d like to."

    The Terran sped his hands, thanking the monk before looking around. Shi Lang then stated, "I wish topete with that Fellow Daoist."

    All eyes turned to the person he pointed at, and a collective gasp swept through the crowd. The individual stood indifferently, emanating a powerful aura, as if spiritual energy ran rampant in his body. Mandmented, "Your desire for battle is quite strong; you''ve challenged Celestus Stone."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and thedy continued, "Celestus Stone was born with a special physique; his body is made up of celestial stone. To date, the battles he''s won didn''t require him to break a sweat. He''s an invincible wall on the battlefield."

    The Terran nodded and said, "Good, I hope hests long."

    Yanshu chuckled and said, "Let them fight then."

    Shi Lang hopped off his pir and rushed to fight Celestus but not before sneakily kissing Amelia, who blushed as if blood was about to drip from her face. Celestus watched all this with an indifferent expression. Shi Lang stood before him and said, "Ready?"

    Celestus nodded, and Shi Lang moved; he appeared before the former with his fists charged with lightning. The attack was quick and strong; the void folded from the momentum. Yang Niao whistled and remarked, "Would you look at that? He looks serious."

    The people on the other pirs nodded, and Amethyst waved her hand to create a barrier around the pir where Celestus and Shi Lang were fighting. Shi Tao raised her gaze at her, when thedy said, "Do not worry; you people seem to have a better understanding of him than all of us together."

    Amelia shook her head and replied, "Senior, I would not be so sure. In our world, if you ask someone what they know about him, they will say he is unpredictable and scary."

    Yanshu smiled and asked, "Child, does it mean he is a pioneer in your world?"

    Shi Tao shook her head and replied, "No, senior. He is the Ace in the deck of cards. A card that trumps them all."

    The people were stunned at this, and Tian Long said, "While the two of them are warming up, please tell everyone more about him."

    Shi Tao sped her fists and said, "My father was the person who revived spiritual energy in our world. He was the one who restored the path of ascension by fighting a demonic cultivator''s avatar. He was the one who changed the system of how our entire society functioned.

    If any of you go down there right now and say something bad about him, regardless of our strength, the entire world will rebel against you.

    Also, when I say world I do not mean just us humans, but all sorts of creatures who can cultivate or enjoy equal rights. In your world, there ispetition, but there is no enmity. However, before leaving the world he formed an organization that watches over those who would stir trouble and maintain the bnce."

    Amelia smiled at this and felt her chest swell up. She did not notice that her chin was slightly raised up to the house. Shi Tao continued, "I will speak for myself, but to me, Baba is a god. Even if he walks the path of darkness I will follow him. Don''t be scared; it is just an exaggeration of how I feel about him.

    He went across the rivers of stars to kill an entire species to avenge the honor of our people. So, I hope you can understand what sort of a person he is."

    Tian Long sighed; he did not think that Shi Tao would go on and give off such an excellent image of Shi Lang''s character. However, he could not help but feel happy about it. The Sovereigns were all indifferent and Amethyst said, "No matter what he has done in his lower realm. Those things do not mean a thing in this world."

    Shi Tao nodded and replied, "I understand that, but Senior, look at him. A person who ascended from a lower realm just a few years ago, how did he manage to climb the top of the pir amongst the plethora of geniuses?"

    The Sovereigns were left speechless for an answer. This was indeed a fact they could not refute. Tian Longmented, "Oh, someone is getting serious."

    Everyone caught the hint and turned their gazes at the pir. Shi Lang and Celestus were moving all over the ce and they were exchanging blows. The Terran had been using the technique he used against Tian Long.

    Lightning sh fist and the damage it did was too much for anyone to handle. Earlier when Shi Lang was fighting, he could not even get Celestus to move. It was as if his body was made up of metal. However, when Lightning met metal, it was a melodious symphony in the prelude of victory.

    The battle was in Shi Lang''s favor, but it was not a small or instant victory. Celestus was forced to give a reply. His speed was slow, but every blow that connected with Shi Lang was crazy strong. The Terran chuckled andmented, "You are making my bones tingle. Hahahaha, good feeling."

    The people were stunned that Shi Lang was going toe to toe with the cultivator who was known as the wall in the battlefield. Celestus was the first to charge through the lines, and he had in countless enemies, yet he managed toe back from every battle without anything as much as a few wounds.

    The even more baffling fact was that Shi Lang had already managed to wound Celestus. After fighting with each other, Celestus was overwhelmed for the first time and he said in his deep voice, "After all these years, I cannot remember when was thest time anyone in the same realm pushed me this much. Fellow Daoist, you have ignited my spirit to battle. Come."

    As he said that, he summoned his Dao Armor and Dao Crown, and a jet ck mace appeared in his hand. Someone from the crowd said, "Titan King!"

    The crowd started chanting, "Titan King! Titan King! Titan King!"

    Shi Lang was repelled by a mace attack. He raised his head andughed. Then everyone saw a red armor of lightning condense on his body, and a red and gold crown appeared on his head. Shi Lang moved at a speed faster than

    before. Celestus was unable to sense the Terran approaching him.

    Celestus yelled, "Titan Body."

    His body turned ck as if made of iron. The attacks still troubled him, but his defense was enhanced; he was sure that if he could hit Shi Lang with his mace, things would turn in his favor. However, the next moment something changed.

    All the chants faded, and the wind stopped. Celestus shivered; he turned around to find Shi Lang looking at him with a calm expression but eyes brimming with battle intent. Bo Qingtan sighed and remarked, "He is going to wield the sword."

    Yun Xue nodded and said, "Good, the fight is about to end."

    The people were confused when they heard Shi Lang say, "Sword,e!"

    Raksha appeared from inside his spirit tattoo, and everyone stood up in shock. The entire popce of the fouryers of the arena stood up on their feet, and all the Sovereigns who were watching from the clouds appeared in the void above the battle pirs. They all gazed at Tian Long with envy and hatred.

    Lao Xu was among these people, and he asked, "Why did you lend him a heavenly spirit weapon?"

    Tian Long smiled and said, "Do you think I am that selfless? That weapon chose him when he was in the lower realm. It is cultivated by not onlyws of Dao but also the blood of demonic cultivators. That weapon is not to be envied; it is one with the cultivator."

    The impact of this moment willst for ages. A member of the viewers said, "The sky changes color when the Shura King calls for his sword."

    The crowd chanted, "Shura King! Shura King!"

    The sky had changed color as soon as Shi Lang grasped the hilt of the sword.

    ...

    Guys! Please give a review to the new book, Reincarnation: The Descent Of The Heavenly Prince. Please support me like you have done always, I am really on my knees.

 Chapter 774: Shura King & Shura Princess.

    Certainly! Here are some grammatical corrections without altering the word count by more than 50 words:

    The people who initiated the chant were from the Asura Hall, attending the tournament to watch and learn. Shi Lang had clear directives for them to do so. When they saw their hall master bring out his sword, they knew things were going to change.

    The sovereigns all looked at the scene with solemn expressions. They all thought it was Tian Long who gave Shi Lang the sword; however, when they found that it was the Terran who tamed this weapon and made it acknowledge his strength, they were all surprised. When they heard that the sword was nurtured by the blood of demonic cultivators and demonic beasts, it made their hearts skip a beat.

    Every eye was trained to gaze at Shi Lang, who stood before Celestus Stone and said calmly, "As long as you do note at me with the intent to kill, I will fight with you. However, if you fail to restrain your thoughts, I will take that head of yours."

    His calm voice sent chills down the spine of many people, including Celestus. Thetter asked, "Do you really think you can kill me that easily?"

    Shi Lang matched his gaze and asked gently, "Do you want me to try?"

    His one sentence wasced with a cold, creepy aura; even the sovereigns could not help but look warily at him. Tian Long sensed this and said, "Do not worry; he may sound like a ruffian, but he is very reasonable."

    The old people realized they had lostposure and regained calm. How could they, the people who stood at the apex of cultivation in the whole realm, look so weak in the presence of a junior? Tian Long continued, "My wife is his sworn sister, you know."

    The people red at him as he gloated. This guy was teasing them for missing out. Back on the pir, Celestus vanished, and Shi Lang raised his sword. The people heard a loud nging sound. When everyone saw what happened, they were speechless, and their eyes were wide open.

    Shi Lang had blocked the heavy mace with the hilt of his sword, and he did not budge even an inch. Celestus asked, "How?"

    The Terran opened his mouth and said, "Shura Body."

    His body, already covered with red lightning armor, was now augmented by the aid of the Shura Body technique. The crimson Dao armor was fluctuating with a golden glow on it. Amelia could not help but blush and say, "How does he look so dashing all the time?"

    Yun Xuemented with a sigh, "I really do not know, sister."

    They were not the only women going crazy over his looks; most of the women in the viewing tform were going crazy and yelling at the top of their lungs. Shi Lang suddenly smiled and said, "You are not the only one who has a strong body."

    Celestus was forced to retreat, and Shi Lang changed his stance. He raised his sword above his head and said, "Shura Sword Art, Edge of chaos."

    The sword was shed down directly, and the attack caused the void to ripple. Celestus sensed a huge threat that could destroy himpletely and raised his mace to block. A few secondster, he sensed no impact, but a slightly warm feeling flowing down his nose. He opened his eyes and lowered his arms to realize that his mace had been cut in two sections.

    He shivered, and when he touched his forehead, a trace of blood was present there.

    He raised his head to look at Shi Lang in horror. He could note to terms with what just happened. Shi Lang''s attack was so swift that not only did it cut through his meteor iron and celestial gold mace, but also left a scratch on his skin. In all his life, even if he has suffered an injury, it was internal. His body was special, and none of his opponents have ever managed to leave a mark on it.

    Celestus shivered in disbelief.

    Shi Lang appeared before him and said coldly, "If you dare to give in now and fall prey to the mental demon, I will kill you for sure. A weakling is of no use to anyone."

    His words hit Celestus in the face. Thetter asked in a dejected manner, "What difference does it make to you? I am the one who lost, and it is my pride that has been crushed."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "This is the problem of the strong people in the human territory. Have you ever seen a demonic cultivator hold on to something as shitty as pride when they face death or danger? You are one of the strongest people on the battlefield, yet you dare to give up because of one defeat? Pathetic waste of strength and spiritual resources.

    If your resolve to get better was so moot, you should not have stepped up here.

    Look at the other people; all of them must have worked hard. Do you think that we are invincible? Hmph, that old man Tian Long in the void used to beat me up in the name of training. Yes, you lost, but at least you put up an effort to defend yourself. How weak should we feel when faced with those demonic cultivators who are at the same level as our seniors?

    Would you refuse to make a stand and run away with your tail tucked between your legs?"

    Celestus was shocked by the rebuttal and realized that what Shi Lang said was correct. The Terran said while looking at all the people around him, "We all know failure, some more than the others. If you always keep winning, you will eventuallye to think that you are the heaven, but that is not the truth. There is a sky above the sky and a mountain above the mountain.

    So, do not give up and be stronger."

    Then he looked at Mand and asked, "Senior, could you please announce the result? I spared his life with thest attack."

    The monk nodded and said, "Winner is Ace."

    Shi Lang patted Celestus on his shoulder and said, "Good battle." before he left.

    ...

    The battles continued; a few people challenged Yang Niao and Ying Yue. One person even came after Yun Xue, but he was taken down by her. The only one who was standing in the arena without any challenge yet was Shi Tao.

    A young man said, "Fellow Daoist, I wish to fight with you."

    Shi Tao sped her fist and said, "I am obliged."

    The challenge was epted, and Amelia looked at Shi Lang. She said, "Tao, you know what to do, right?"

    Shi Tao nodded and stepped forward to confront her opponent. The young man said, "My name is Omi Shuyan."

    Shi Tao made her introduction, and the two people stood face to face. It was evident that Omi Shuyan was smitten by the beauty of the youngdy, but Shi Tao was gazing at him with contempt and indifference. This was not the first time when she has received gazes like this.

    Omi Shuan said, "Fellow Daoist, I apologize for the offense."

    Shi Tao shook her head and replied, "I hope you can withstand my father if you hurt me or try to pull something. However, do not worry, I will fight fairly with you. Please teach me."

    That said, the girl took out her whip, and the battle began. Tian Long was confused about what thest statement sent by Shi Tao meant. He asked, "Can you tell me what is going on?"

    Amelia smiled and replied, "This guy has another moniker to himself, Senior."

    Tian Long was curious and asked, "What is the name?"

    Amelia chuckled and said, "Many of Shi Tao''s generational friends call him Uncle Monster."

    The people were confused, and Amelia said, "If any guy tried to approach Tao, they would be intimidated by his aura and gazes. It is not like he stopped Tao from finding love, but he was so protective of her that people were scared to even look at our daughter."

    Tian Long chuckled and said, "I did not expect him to be so childish."

    Shi Lang coughed and said, "Have you forgotten about something?"

    Tian Long gazed at him, and the two people entered a stare-down. They were always fighting with each other, but by now the people havee to understand that they were really good friends, and the realms of cultivation meant nothing to them.

    On the pir, Shi Tao said, "Spirit Whip."

    Her wrist moved, and the whip transformed into a snake made from spiritual energy hunting Omi Shuan. The young man used a spear and tried to get the advantage with a long reach, but Shi Tao did not falter. The flexibility of her whip was far ahead of the spear, and she was cunning to aim at the ces where Omi Shuan was suffering.

    After a few minutes, she said, "Spirit Shura."

    The people realized Shi Lang was not the only Shura King; his daughter was also Shura Queen or, as a person from the stands shouted, "Shura Princess!"

    Shi Tao was gorgeous in her golden Dao armor and golden crown. She looked like a princess in every manner possible.

    ...

    Please support the new book, Reincarnation: The Descent Of The Heavenly Prince.

 Chapter 775: Sudden Twist.

    Shi Lang watched as people addressed Shi Tao as the Shura Princess, and he smiled faintly. Shi Tao was his first sessor; she held the inheritance from his cultivation technique in the lower realm. He was proud of her because the girl had mastered his technique and made it her own. Her techniques were different, and the way she used tactics was different.

    The simrityy in the core of their execution. Shi Lang had taught his daughter the skill of impable execution, and Shi Tao had followed this method, her efficiency was crazy good.

    As she fought with Omi Shuan, her speed was fast, and she maintained a good distance from the opponent. His spear was unable to touch her, but the whip held by thedy was akin to a snake sneaking up at its prey from all sides. After being pushed around, the young man said, "Serpent Spear."

    Behind him manifested a big serpent with fiery eyes and amber scales. The spiritual manifestation of the beast was very lifelike, and it charged at Shi Tao. The girl used her spiritual power to attack the snake; however, she was being pushed back.

    Shi Lang watched calmly when everyone else was frowning and worrying about Shi Tao. The males in the stands raised a ruckus, calling Omi a loser for attacking a female contender, acting like lunatics from some religious cult.

    Shi Tao blocked an attack from the serpent and was pushed back in the void. She stood on the side and said, "It is time to fight you."

    The next moment, Shi Tao took a stance and moved forward quickly. Her speed was so quick that Omi Shuan could not even spot her shadow. Shi Tao was attacking the snake and moving closer at a fast pace.

    Amelia and Shi Lang exchanged nces as they smiled. Ying Yu asked, "What is this style? It is so quick and effective."

    Amelia replied, "This is called the hero stance. The predecessor of my husband was the first person to use this style to fend off a strong enemy. Then when my husband confronted that predecessor in a battle, he defeated thetter with his own moves. Later on, Tao picked it up from a young age. She even improvised the loopholes in the style."

    Ying Yu smiled and said, "Your daughter is a genius like you." Amelia smiled but did not reply.

    ...

    In the void, Lao Xu said, "This child has a special physique."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Tian Long said, "You all know that her father belongs to my army?"

    The people all red at him, and Sovereign Amethyst said, "Do you think that her father will hamper her future if you tried to keep her in the heavenly dragon army forcefully?"

    Tian Long shook his head while the other people smiled as they saw a chance to rope in Shi Tao. These old people were always looking for strong disciples who could handle the responsibilities of their armies and influence. Shi Tao was a fine candidate for that.

    Tian Long replied, "I will not be forcing her to do anything that would be against her will. You people know the way I work has more freedom than you all havebined. So, let us not talk about this. She will side with us when the timees."

    The people fell silent and they nodded slowly before turning their attention back to the pir.

    ...

    Shi Tao was fighting with Omi Shuan, and she was getting very close to victory when suddenly, thetter stopped attacking. His face turned pale, and he held his chest as he fell to the ground. Shi Lang shouted, "Tao! Get back."

    Shi Tao reacted and quickly opened up the distance between herself and Omi Shuan. The sovereigns frowned, and Mand said, "These Demons."

    As soon as he said that, many signals erupted in the sky. Tian Long said, "Everyone prepare for battle. The demonic cultivators have attacked the city. There is a change in the game rules. The person who kills the most Demonic cultivators will be the champion. Any objection?"

    The contenders all looked at each other, and Shi Lang said, "See, we all have to fight these scumbags. Why not know? At least we will not have to hold back. Right?"

    The cultivators saw this and nodded. Shi Lang said, "Old Man Tian, get the people to safety, I do not think Demons will be sending over a small number or weaklings."

    Tian Long nodded and said, "Let us move the people to the shelters; they can y the role of logistics."

    The sovereigns nodded andmanded the people quickly. Shi Tao, Amelia, and the rest came to Shi Lang''s side. The Terran looked at the small ck dot in the void above Omi Shuan''s body and said, "There are eighteen of us. I will not ask you to fight with me, but I hope that you all stay in a group and be on the lookout for each other. Our unity is our biggest asset.

    Kill as many as you can, but know that the life of a person fighting alongside you is the best reward because if someone dies on your watch, the burden is too big."

    The people nodded solemnly; they all knew what it was like to lose friends, and even if they did not share much of a rtionship with each other, they were stillpatriots who have exchanged blows and respected each other.

    Amelia asked, "What is the strategy?"

    Shi Lang smiled at her and said, "You all look after each other and fight; I am going to fight alone."

    Shi Tao raised her brow and asked, "Baba, what do you mean?"

    Shi Lang smiled and vanished from his spot. They all found him standing on the pir where Omi Shuan''s corpse was. He drew a small knife and cut his palm before waving it around. Everyone looked at him as if he had gone crazy when Amelia sighed and replied, "It''s okay; he has an army of himself."

    The people who did not know Shi Lang were confused, but as they were preparing to fight, they saw several Shi Lang standing on the pir. They all held some sort of weapon, and the people rubbed their eyes. Shi Tao facepalmed andmented, "These demons just came to help him."

    As she finished speaking, Amelia said, "Baby, stay with me. You have a strong foundation, but you have not practiced any heavy damage skills."

    Shi Tao nodded and asked, "But what will I do?"

    Amelia whipped out her sniper rifle and said, "Here you go. Bring up the rear and support us in need?"

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "Just like old times?"

    Amelia took out her sword and said, "Yeah, well I miss my team. I wonder how they are doing."

    Shi Tao replied, "Well, they are all doing good. I estimate that in a few years, the Terran frontal forces will be ascending too. They will leave behind a few people to look after the young ones. Also, Commander Silence will being over next. She was just a touch away."

    Amelia nodded and replied, "Do not tell your dad about it. He will call dibs on her to join his team."

    Shi Tao chuckled as she learned how to use the sniper rifle, and then they saw the ck dot turn into a full-sized void portal. Thousands of Demonic cultivators jumped in the arena. These people were not average Demon Lords, but their number was going to be a troublesome thing for Shi Lang and the rest to handle.

    The Terran said, "Lightning Domain."

    All twelve of his avatars moved, and they ced their domains all around the ce. Shi Lang began to y demonic cultivators in his sight as if he was chopping carrots and radishes. The others were also not slow; they began fighting, and Shi Tao became a marksman with deadly precision.

    She was being guarded by Yang Niao. Shi Tao asked, "Sir, you know my father, right?"

    Yang Niao replied, "Yes, young mistress."

    Shi Tao was surprised with the address, then Yang Niao said, "We should talk after the battle. I believe you will like to know more about your father''s identity here in the immortal in."

    These words sparked up Shi Tao''s curiosity. The battle continued, and blood spilled like rivers flowing through the dry grasnds.

    Tian Long stood in the void with the rest of the Immortal Sovereigns and asked an enemy, "Tell me something, why do you people wish to die so badly? Why do you chase after us from time to time? Do you not think that living a few days longer is a good thing for you? Have you finally realized that there is only one end to the demonic path? Old centipede."

    Before him in the void stood an old man wearing a ck cloak. The person chuckled and said, "Heavenly worm, you sure have a vivid imagination. This time, we will definitely take your head off."

    Tian Long took out his sword and said, "Sure, try your best."

 Chapter 776: Tear Of Blood.

    Shi Lang was unaware that demon sovereigns had picked up weapons against them and had evene in person to fight with the human experts. He fought the demonic cultivators before him with full force. The output was unimaginable; his body was covered with demonic blood, and his footsteps were all over the Arena.

    The battle was so devastating that the neen pirs shattered, and the ground was covered in rubble. Shi Tao knelt on one of the remaining pirs, taking care of the Demon Lords.

    She spoke using spiritualmunication, "Mom, you have two at your six."

    Amelia replied, "Got it, watch."

    Watch was used as a tactical position and a tag. The Terrans were a military creed; it did not matter how long they had been away from the battlefield. As soon as they held a weapon, they were all killing machines. Amelia disyed that same spirit, and Shi Tao recalled the military way, her expression bing serious.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the people around him; he would manipte his clones to go and help them when needed. He saw Shi Tao regting the pace of the attack, and they were all fighting very effectively. The Terran took a deep breath and wanted to say something when a hoarse voice sounded behind him, "How dare you look away when fighting with me?"

    Shi Lang looked at him and said, "You are not strong enough, pissant."

    He did not hide his disdain for the guy at all. Demonic Cultivators were crazy people, living to watch the world burn in chaos. After Shi Lang insulted the guy, he came over to attack Shi Lang with scimitars.

    Shi Lang got busy with the enemy, unable to pass his instructions to Shi Tao. The battle was intense, and the city suffered a lot of damage. People unable to cultivate had all been sent to safe houses, as demonic cultivators had ced multiple portals inside the human cultivators.

    This was a technique that could not be countered; no one would be able to tell if the human cultivator had been weaponized. So the martial council hade up with emergency protocols, ensuring the city was sealed and civilians were safe. The city army would be present inside the city and would fight the enemy.

    Casualties were fewer, but some unfortunate souls could not escape fate and died. Their corpses lingered along the streets. The soldiers were fighting the demonic cultivators to the best of their abilities, but they were unable to keep up with them.

    The force that protected the force was often trained to lower coteral damage, making them slow down and be more cautious. The city guard captain yelled, "Men! Do not lose hope."

    They were being pressed hard, and this was the only thing he could say to them. However, suddenly, they heard a demonic cultivator yell, "Who the fuck are you?"

    The city guards caught sight of figures dressed in ck and red cloaks. They all seemed mysterious and dangerous. The leader of this group said, "Go, leave none standing."

    These people moved like phantoms and were so quick that they killed every enemy before them in a few attacks. The people worked in unison, as if performing for the masses in a theater.

    The city guard captain was taken aback, but the leader of the other group said, "Are you going to stand there and sleep the entire battle?"

    The man woke up and spotted the cloaked figure standing next to him. He was scared, but the figure said, "Tell your men to guide these scum to us. I hope you know what I mean."

    The guard captain nodded and quickly instructed the soldiers to kite and guide the enemy to the group of neers. All these people in ck and red cloaks were the elite squads of the Asura Hall. The five big squads out of seven hade over, fighting the enemy all over the city.

    The streets flowed with blood, and the Asura Hall people were the reason. They were killing the enemies and moving forward. The entire city was a yground for them. It was not like they were the only people, but they coordinated in a way that none else could have imagined.

    ...

    Outside the city barrier, Tian Long and the rest of the Immortal Sovereigns were fighting the demonic sovereigns with great ferocity. Tian Long faced the person he called Old Centipede.

    The reason behind this was that the person belonged to the Bug sect. These people used bugs to harvest blood from humans and then refined it to cultivate. This man, Old Centipede, was the expert from the bug sect. He was so deeply involved in cultivation that his face had developed a scar.

    Tian Long fought with him using his sword, while Old Man Centipede had a huge centipede made of demonic energy. The battle between the sovereigns was nothing too damaging. They fought using Dao Laws.

    Tian Long waved his sword, and it collided with the centipede. He practiced the Dao of Sword and had the element of fire. The centipede shivered from the Daows channeling through its body. The sword Daows cut it up from many ces, but the demonic Dao Laws from the centipede also attacked Tian Long.

    Suddenly, Mand appeared behind Tian Long, and he turned around to attack the monk. He could sense that the monk did not have any good intentions for appearing behind him. The monk smiled and said, "I apologize, Patron Heavenly Dragon."

    His third eye opened, and a ray of light shed through the void. Lao Xu saw this and yelled, "Traitor!"

    Tian Long''s body fell from the void; it was not sure if he was alive or dead. The people stopped, and Lao Xu attacked Mand. Thetter defended the attack but suffered some bacsh from it. Amethyst asked, "Why? Why?"

    Mand smiled and replied, "It was necessary, he was holding power for too long. He was about to disperse the bnce of the forces of the dark and the light. He had to be stopped."

    Suddenly, the void tunnel opened, and Zither Soul appeared before them. Thedy did not say anything to anyone, and no one attacked her as shended next to Tian Long. She saw a hole through his brows, raised her indifferent eyes, and looked at Mand as she said, "You used the Dao Laws of space to kill him, giving up all your cultivation. Was it worth it?"

    Mand nodded and said, "Yes, it was."

    Zither Soul nodded, looking back at the face of her belovedying on the ground as if sleeping with peace. She took out her zither and said, "Since you wish to keep the bnce so much, then you shall also pay a price."

    Thedy began to strum the strings one at a time. The sound of the zither passed the people, and they were calm. However, when the demonic cultivators heard this song, they exploded into a mist of blood.

    The people were shocked, unable to understand what was going on.

    ...

    Shi Lang was fighting inside the city when he suddenly heard Lao Xu''s loud yell. A few momentster, he heard a string sound. The demons before him began to explode in blood mist. He stopped, and so did the other people.

    After hearing a few strums, his eyes widened, and he turned to look at the direction where the sound originated. Shi Lang yelled, "Amy, you have themand."

    He rushed

    away out of the arena and appeared outside the city in a few shes. Shi Lang saw all the people standing in a daze, and he saw Zither Soul strumming on the zither. He rushed closer to her and yelled, "Moon, do not do that. Stop ying that song! I beg you, stop ying."

    Moon Jade turned to look at him and with a sad smile said, "Tian is gone, what can I do by staying here."

    Shi Lang was stunned; he looked beside Moon Jade and found Tian Longying on the bed. His eyes opened wide, and he walked closer with heavy steps. His sword was trembling and emitting a sharp whistling sound. Raksha materialized next to Moon Jade and ced a hand on her shoulder.

    She was Tian Long''s sword and had some attachment to him. Watching him like this, she was going crazy. Shi Lang touched Tian Long, and after some thoughts, he said, "Stop ying that song. He is not yet dead."

    Everyone was shocked, and Shi Lang said, "Trust me, Moon."

    Moon Jade was crying but even then she stopped ying the song of death. Mand said, "Young man, how can he survive the attack that destroyed his soul sea? Could you not sense that his soul just dissipated."

    Shi Lang took a calm look at him and said, "Did you attack him?"

    Mand nodded and Shi Lang asked, "Why?"

    The monk replied, "For the bnce."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You followed your karma, I will follow mine."

    Everyone was surprised and then they saw a tear of blood drip from Shi Lang''s right eye as he said, "Those who harm my people shall die be it the demons, be it the gods, or be it the monks. If anyone tried to stop me I shall y them be it friends, be it family, or be it the heavens."

    Lightning shed across the sky and the air turned heavy. Shi Lang was not angry but he was agonized and he sought for the destruction of his enemies. He raised his hand and Raksha''s hilt materialized in his hand following with the de.

 Chapter 777: Shuras Sacrifice.

    Shi Lang had a tear of blood tracing down his cheek. His eyes were nk with no emotion in them. He took a step forward holding the sword in his hand. The people could sense that something about the atmosphere was different but they could not point out what.

    The sovereigns on the human side were ready to attack when the Terran said, "Watch over Moon and Tian. If they suffered, I will y you all."

    Lao Xu and Amethyst were the first to notice that his voice was not echoing in the surroundings but it made their soul seas tremble. They were shocked by this sudden change. Sovereign Amethyst quickly helped the weakened Fairy Moon Jade with her. Lao Xu carried away Tian Long''s body.

    Mand watched all this and crossed his hands before his chest as he said, "Junior, you need to understand that the bnce of the world is crucial. If Tian Long was to seed then the good of the world would overwhelm it and gradually lead to the destruction of the world as we know it. I could not have let that happen, could I?

    Also, do you think that if you mindlessly try to attack us, you will seed? Why do you wish to die so soon? Cherish some more time with your family and friends. I will not advice you to throw your life away."

    Shi Lang was looking at him with a calm gaze, and as he walked his Dao Armor and Dao crown vanished. The people thought that the shock of a friends death was effecting him. The demonic sovereigns exchanged gazes and Old Centipede said, "Hmmm, the darkness in his heart at this moment, almost gives me the urge to eat him alive. How delightful he would taste?"

    His fellow cultivatorsughed and began passingments. However, the next moment, Old Centipede stoppedughing abruptly. Nobody knew what happened, but Shi Lang appeared before him, and Raksha''s de was already passing through Old Centipede''s abdomen.

    The lightning in the sky shed as if the world was going to end. The people were shocked at the scene, there were at least twenty sovereign level cultivators present at the scene but none of them sensed how Shi Lang moved and appeared before the Demon Sovereign.

    Old Man Yanshu took a deep breath and said, "He did not use the space element, then how did he go there?"

    Old Man Centipede struggled and tried to put distance but he could not move, his life was being sucked out of him at a visible pace. Shi Lang gazed at the man impaled by hi sword and said, "Raksha says you taste like filth."

    Old Man Centipede tried to use his demonic energy to attack Shi Lang, but he could not circte it at all. Everything inside him was being sucked. It could be that influenced by Shi Lang''s rage, Raksha had been devouring everything in her way quickly. In just two breaths, that seemed to be a long time, the Demonic Sovereign was consumed and only a husk of his body was left.

    Shi Lang suddenly turned around to look at Mand and said, "Lightning Shura."

    The lighting from the sky fell down and appeared before Mand. The monk had just used his Dao Laws to directly attack Tian Long and his realm had fallen back to that of an Immortal Emperor. He was weak and Shi Lang was going to trap him so that thetter is unable to run around.

    The Terran moved and slowly approached the Demonic Sovereigns. The enemy did not run after watching how Shi Lang was dragging the husk of Sovereign Centipede, it was below them to feel threatened or show fear to a junior.

    However, the spiritual experts were having a hard time believe what they just witnessed. Yanshu mumbled, "He killed that Centipede, right?"

    He could not believe what just happened, and neither could the others. As Shi Lang walked ahead many demonic cultivators attacked him, but before they could even get close to him, lightning streaks fell on them and incinerated them into mounds of ashes.

    No one understood what was happening, they could not figure out a technique that would allow Shi Lang toy waste to demonic sovereigns stronger than him by this level.

    The demonic cultivators that rushed to him were all demon kings, killing them like cutting cabbage was still somewhat understandable for them. However, killing a Demon Sovereign who was capable of destroying a country with a punch with Shi Lang being a king who could take out just a mountain seemed too unrealistic.

    Amethystmented, "I am sure he is using some kind of sacrificial technique but what is it. I do not understand. I just hope that when it all ends, we do not have to grieve for two of our brave friends."

    The sovereigns nodded, they acknowledged Shi Lang''s strength.

    ...

    Amelia and the rest finished dealing with the Demonic Cultivators inside the arena, and they moved outside. Suddenly, Yang Niao said, "We should head outside the city, the Demonic cultivators are rushing out there for some reason."

    The people did not even ask how he knew that but took off after him. Shi Tao cast him a suspicious nce when Yun Xue appeared beside him and said, "Brother Yang is the deputy hall master of the Asura Hall, a force cultivated by your father."

    Shi Tao nodded, and Amelia appeared beside her too. They were all rushing through the streets as fast as possible, and Shi Tao asked, "What happened Mom? You seem different."

    Amelia said, "I am getting a bad vibe from Lang taking off on his own. I am worried something is going..."

    She had not yet finished speaking, when they arrived at the battlefield. Amelia was stunned by the scene before him. So was everyone else, a warrior was walking among lightning shower from the sky, and the army of Immortal warriors watched his back in a daze. Every now and then, the warrior raised his sword and wails echoed in the battle field.

    They watched Shi Lang killing Demonic Sovereigns with ease and the fearsome existences that caused many to dread were screaming and wailing in pain under his de. On the side, Amelia spotted Fairy Moon Jade kneeling on the ground holding hands with a manying beside her.

    She trembled and Shi Tao supported her quickly. Thetter asked, "Mom, are you okay? Where is Baba?"

    Amelia looked at her daughter wanting to answer but Yun Xue was quicker, "There."

    She raised her finger and pointed at the figure that was killing Demonic Sovereigns with his red sword. Shi Tao could not recognize her father because of his red hair and even more, his aura waspletely different than what she knew about it.

    She was confused when Amelia said, "He had beenprehending the Dao Of Indifference along with the path of Lightning and Sword.He never used thews of indifference. Then why today?"

    Lao Xu heard this and appeared before her, and he asked, "Tell me, what is this technique he is using?"

    Amelia was surprised by the sudden appearance of the old man but she found that almost all the sovereigns were looking at her. She steeled her heart and put up a cold face. She replied, "I will not tell you anything, unless you swear on your Dao Heart no to trouble him after this. You may think that I am being excessive but it is for your own good that you do so.

    Otherwise, you can see the impact of his skills on the Demonic Cultivators."

    The people were shocked, they had their ways to make Amelia talk, but her threat did make them wonder if they would be able to survive Shi Lang''s fury. Amethyst stepped forward and made the oath, shocking the others.

    Thedy said, "If our juniors do not trust us with the knowledge, then do you think we are any different from those demonic scums?"

    Her words put the rest to shame and they sighed and nodded. After they made the oath, Amelia sighed and replied, "The Dao of Indifference has itsws like any other Dao path. The reason you cannot figure it out is because you do not practice it. You all practice Zen and Peace, but Indifference ispletely different aspect of emotions.

    As strong as it may look like, it cannot be used again and again. Ace is able to use it because he is holding back his pain and agony. Otherwise he would go berserk."

    The people were stunned, they did not expect Shi Lang to be in such pain over the death of his friend. Amelia continued as she gazed at the figure in the lightning sea, "The technique is inspired by a sacrificial technique in his sutra. However, it does not require him to burn blood or exhaust his soul. It takes his Dao Laws, in return of seven minutes of invincibility.

    He is sacrificing the Dao Laws of Indifference to avenge his friend and kill the Demonic Cultivators."

    The Sovereigns were shocked, when they heard this. Yanshumented, "It is just like Mand using his Dao Of Space to attack, Heavenly Dragon."

    Ady among them shook her head and said, "This child is unlike Mand, he sacrificed his Daows to avenge his friend and not meet his selfish desires toprehend a greater path like that monk. Do notpare them, or the Medicine God Valley will abandon you all."

    The threat of a big shot alchemist worked, and everyone turned to look at Shi Lang killing demonic cultivators with ease.

 Chapter 778: The Real Shura.

    Shi Lang was in a state where nothing around him had any effect on him. Earlier whenever he entered the state of indifference he would be extremely sensitive to the intentions of those around him. Many a times he would evensh out against them. However, this time things were different.

    He was the master of his mind and thoughts. He was invincible, however, the cost was using up and burning through theprehension of Dao Laws. The sacrifice of Dao Laws was supreme, if he was burning them there was a chance for him toprehend them again in the future but it would be harder.

    Shi Lang did not care when he invoked this technique. He had beenprehending his Dao Laws ever since he was in the federation and had just regained the taste of cultivation. He knew the importance of Dao Laws, and his training taught him to be indifferent to all the changes in the battlefield to maintain his efficiency.

    Thus he decided toprehend the Dao Laws of Indifference even before the ways of sword and element. He knew he could catch onto sword arts easily thanks to theprehension of his past life.

    ...

    Yun Xue asked, "Can someone tell me, why is the enemy not scared of him?"

    Lao Xu smiled and replied, "This is the effect of Dao Law sacrifice."

    The people looked toward him and he continued, "Dao Laws are a part of the nature. They are what makes the world work and are the base of its existence. Think of them as a currency, when cultivators progress in their paths, they engrave themselves with these Dao Laws.

    The sacrifice means erasing the Dao Laws from the various parts of their being. The energy generated from the erasure bounds nature to think of you as a part of it. Shi Lang is at the moment, one with the nature. That is why he is invincible, an existence between heaven and earth."

    The woman from the medicine god valley said, "I am Shina Ryu, all of you juniors may think that probably you can also do such a thing in the future, but that is not rmended. The impact of erasing the Dao Law can leave your foundation with cracks."

    Amelia was startled, and asked, "Senior, do you mean, he will be in trouble?"

    Shina Ryu shook her head and replied, "That is not the case. He is stronger than the average people."

    Amelia let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Shi Lang in the distance. He has finished ying thest Demonic Sovereign with ease.

    ...

    Shi Langnded on the ground. The surroundings around him were scorched crisp. He looked around and walked toward the ce where Mand was fighting with the lightning spiritual avatar.

    The avatar stopped moving and then vanished from the sight of people. Mand seemed exhausted after the battle, his breathing was rugged. His realm was still dropping, from the peak of Immortal Emperor realm, he was now in the initial level Immortal emperor.

    The monk red at Shi Lang and said, "You really wish to kill me that bad. How can you not see the oues of the disbnce? Are you really that blind?"

    Shi Lang did not say anything, he dropped the sword and the de was stabbed in the ground. His Dao Armor and Dao Crown also vanished. His red hair turned ck and his eyes returned to normal also.

    Everyone was confused when they saw these changes, and Moon Jade covered her mouth as she cried. Amelia could not help but feel like something was up. She approached Moon Jade and asked, "Elder sister, can you tell me what is going on. Lang seems different from usual."

    Moon Jade realized that her emotional fluctuation made Amelia realized something. She replied, "When the first time he found out about our identity, he asked us many questions. Tian Long had left a pill back on the spirit beast world. Shi Lang consumed that pill and the memories of his past life, where he was a renegade cultivator with us came to him."

    Amelia was stunned and so were the rest of the people. Moon Jade did not give them any more time to think and continued, "He was thest cultivator in our generation to have reached the peak of the cultivation and was about to ascend to this realm when the spiritual energy ran out and the world began to crumble. To protect whatever was left of the spiritual energy, he gave up his life.

    Later, he was reincarnated as the current person. Please do not think that he is a different person, but at this moment, the true nature of his cultivation path is guiding him."

    Shi Tao asked calmly, "Senior, what is his path of cultivation."

    Moon Jade said, "Back when he roamed the lower realm with us. He was known as the Scavenger King. He was ruthless to his enemies but he never betrayed anyone. In his past life, me and Tian Long owed him our lives. When we came here, Tian Long predicted that his path is that of conquest or sacrifice. At this moment, he is out to conquer an Emperor with his mortal prowess."

    Everyone was shocked when they realized that Shi Lang was going to fight Mand as a mortal. It did not mean that he would not have the strength to fight. He was just going to use his physical ability and fight with Mand.

    The monk was stunned when he saw Shi Lang walking over without a slightest of spiritual fluctuation. He has been cultivating for ages, but today this young man was insulting him this much, it was not something he would tolerate. He yelled and charged at Shi Lang. The Terran did not even need to rely on his sensory ability.

    His experience was enough to know that the monk wasing after his head. Shi Lang tilted to the side, and then Mand missed. The Terran had a dagger in his hand and as Mand passed him, the former attacked his back. Leaving a deep sh wound.

    The monk could not even understand how the de could injure him this much. He turned around to look at Shi Lang and found the young man looking at him with dead pan gaze. He asked in disbelief, "How can you damage me this much with amon dagger?"

    Shi Lang did not replied he lowered his body and moved quickly to close the distance between them. The Monk used his palm to strike the Terran, but Shi Lang used the pommel of the dagger to hit the side of the palm. Then he shed at Mand''s torso with his daggers. The attacks were quick and not only was it a sh, but also a stabs.

    The Terran did not even give out any chance for Mand to react, he took out a second dagger and his speed was blindingly quick.

    ...

    The people from Shi Lang''s group were shocked, Sovereign Amethyst said, "The Dao Of Intention? Am I dreaming? Is this kid a monster?"

    Moon Jade shook her head and replied, "He mastered the Dao Of Intention in his previous life, he was the most hated person because even when he was attacked by people ten times stronger than him. He survived the injuries and came back stronger."

    All the Sovereigns looked at her and thedy continued, "He did not reach the apex of strength only because he did not wish to give into any force. The Dao heprehended was practiced the hard way. It may sound like I am boasting, but he never did things that he was not confident in."

    The people nodded and Shi Tao said, "The monk is done for."

    These words attracted their attention and turned to look at Shi Lang. The Terran had a simr stance like Shi Tao had in the tournament, ''Hero Stance''. Mand tried to attack Shi Lang with spiritual attacks, however, nothing worked against Shi Lang.

    The Terran was glided around the battlefield with such grace that the people were in a daze. Mand was wailing in frustration time and time over. In his mind, Shi Lang was a fly that he could not squat away. This insect was buzzing around his head over and over.

    Shi Lang used the Hero Stance to counter the monk, blood flew after every sh. des left Mand ridden with sh wounds. The Terran moved for ten minutes and then he stopped. Mand was standing with his shoulders drooping and his face was pale. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "If you wish to restore the bnce, then you should pay for it yourself."

    He appeared before Mand and stabbed his dagger in the monk''s abdomen. Mand opened his eyes wide and wailed, "NO!!!"

    Shi Lang remarked, "The price of bnce is not shallow. You need to give up your cultivation."

    Then he grabbed the monk from his shoulder and yanked his hand out. The people shivered when they heard the flesh tearing sounds. Shi Lang used his bear hands to tear apart the limb of an Immortal Sovereign. Mand wailed, however, Shi Lang did not stop, he decapitated the other arm too.

    The battlefield which was filled with battle cries and nging sounds of weapons was now reced by agonized cries of a traitor. All of the sovereigns were shocked, they all took a deep breath and exchanged nces. Shi Lang yanked the monk up to his feet and stabbed a spear through his chest and back.

    Mand was hanging on the spear with his feet dangling. Shi Lang said, "Your attack on Tian Long would make this ce known for his fall. I cannot let that happen. He is my friend, since you dared to harm him, I shall return the favor. This ce will be known for your demise, traitor."

    As he said this, he dug out the gem embedded in the monk''s forehead. Shi Lang turned deaf to his wails and chopped of his legs as well. The people could notprehend what was going on. A dignified sovereign had been turned into a living dead and his body was left on the spearhead.

    Shi Lang turned around and walked toward where all the experts were gathered. He said sonorously, "If anyone tried to help him closer, the asura hall will execute them. I will make sure that not only them but even their families are removed from the roots. Humanity will take as many attacks as the demons can make against us, but if any human dared to turn traitor. Is that clear?!"

    The Asura Hall members appeared from within the crowd, "Yes, Hall Master!!!"

 Chapter 779: Questions.

    Shi Lang walked over and everyone looked at him with surprised hazes. The people from the Asura Hall were still in their masks, but Shi Lang''sst words confirmed his identity as the hall master.

    One of the people from a prestigious family stepped up and asked, "Boy, do you mean to say that you are from the Asura Hall? Do you realize how many enemies you have?"

    Shi Lang looked at the guy and said, "Do you know how many Dao Laws I have to sacrifice and get rid of old codgers like you? Also, do you realize how easy it would be for me to deal with you all right here as you are all gathered together?"

    The old sovereign was left speechless and fearful. He just watched something that he could not even have imagined, and this threat really was useful. Shi Lang said, "Asura hall and all its members are bind with the heavenly oath to deal with the demons and the internal scum of humanity.

    We have never misused our power, and we never meddle in petty things, however, if a person who inclines and sells their conscience to the demonic cultivators tries anything. They are done for."

    The people were stunned, and Shi Lang approached near Tian Long. He sighed and first helped Moon Jade up from the ground. He asked calmly, "How long are you going to look at him?"

    Moon Jade had been unable to stop crying, and she was extremely touched by how Shi Lang dealt with Mand. She threw herself in his embrace like a child. She wailed, "Lang! What will I do without him? All our lives we have been with each other. I cannot imagine a path without him.

    Tell me what can I do?"

    It was true, cultivators did not express their emotions much, and spent ages together. The treated their partners as an element to their Dao Path. Once that element was gone, they all suffered a lot of pain on the spiritual level.

    Shi Lang patted her back and said, "Do not worry, he is not dead."

    Everyone was stunned, they did not expect Shi Lang to say something like this. Moon Jade was stunned and she raised her head from his chest and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "When he was stuck from the ray of Dao Laws, he moved his soul into his Dantian. However, his soul sea was destroyed and he could not stay in the Dantian for prolonged times. So, he used a secret technique to seal his soul inside the body of a living being."

    Then he raised his left hand and revealed a dragon tattoo coiling around it. Lao Xu flickered and appeared next to Shi Lang. He grabbed his hand and inspected briefly before nodding to everyone. Lao Xu was an expert in terms of soul matters. His Dao Title was Sovereign Soul Priest.

    Amelia asked, "So, how can we bring him back to life?"

    Shi Lang hummed and broke away from Moon Jade''s embrace. He walked over to Tian Long''s side and squat beside his body. Suddenly, Shi Tao said, "I do not have a good feeling about it."

    The next moment, people could not evenprehend when Shi Lang pped the body across the cheek hard. He shouted, "You ipetent old reptile, how the fuck did you let a two dime beggar catch you off guard? How many times did I tell you to not growcent, you motherfucker!"

    Shi Lang pped the other cheek hard too. He continued, "You know what, I wonder if the people will find it funny if I stick your own finger in your nose, two at the same time? Oh, I have a better idea, how about this big hole on your forehead? Do you think it is easy for you to shit with this hole? You gigantic asshole!!!"

    Shi Tao and Amelia held their faces, Yun Xue had already hid behind the two in order to stop herself fromughing. Bo Qingtan was looking at the floor, and the Sovereigns were speechless at this behavior of their so called hero.

    Shi Lang sighed and ran his hand through his hair, as he sighed, "Seniors, I apologize for my conduct, but this bastard has always been useless and over-rated. He tricked my sister like this. Now can you please tell me a way to reconstruct his soul sea? Also we will need to take care of his physical injury too. Imagine if he came to be and walked around with a tunnel through his head."

    The Elders could not help butugh at this. It was lowly but they could not help themselves. Imaging Tian Long walking around with a tunnel in the head. Even Fairy Moon Jade had a faint smile on her face. She pinched Shi Lang''s arm and said, "Do not make any more fun of him. Please."

    Shi Lang rolled eyes and said, "If not for your sake, I would have dealt with him back then already."

    Thedy smiled and nodded gently. The people were surprised when they saw Fairy Moon Jade being so amiable with someone, and Shi Lang was acting like her elder brother. Sovereign Shin stepped up and pped her hands to gather the attention of the people. She said, "Their has only been one person who had managed to create a pill that would re-create the soul sea."

    Old Man Yanshu said, "You are talking about Senior Yama Taiping."

    Sovereign Shin nodded and said, "In the medicine god valley, there is a record which states that Senior Yama created the Soul Sea Creation pill. However, the recipe was kept a secret and nobody knows about it."

    Shi Lang frowned but he held himself back from saying, ''Damn it.''

    Sovereign Shin continued, "It was said that in order to seek a legendary ingredient, Senior Yama went to the Titan mountains. However, he was hunted down by the dragon kin and eventually fell in battle. Though, one time a senior managed to track his trail and found a journal which indicated that his inheritance is hidden inside the southern ridges.

    So, if we send a team over, and try to look for it, we might find a way to revive, Tian Long."

    Shi Lang crossed his arms and asked, "Do we have any other options?"

    Sovereign Shin said, "Unless you can find a heavenly natural treasure."

    Moon Jade shook her head and said, "That is even rare. We will make a team."

    Yanshu shook his head and said, "If any cultivator happens to get spotted by the Legendary beasts, it will be a fate worse then death. Titan Mountains is not a dreadful ce for nothing."

    Shi Lang said, "You all do not have to worry about that. I will take responsibility of that. You all should get the situation under control. Demons walked in our home, and cause such a scene. One of the high seats in the martial council turned to be a traitor.

    What do you think is going on here? We may have won the battle, but the war is slowly getting out of grip. The mortals respect us because they think we will protect them. If such things happen, then they will give in to fear. You all are wise to know that the clutches of fear are stronger."

    Lao Xu nodded and said, "I agree, we cannot sit back at this time. We must have our people counter the demons at the front and harder than ever."

    Moon Jade clenched her fist and said, "Dragon Army will charge ahead to take care of that."

    Shi Lang raised his hand and knocked his knuckle on her forehead. He said, "Have you lost your mind to go out in this condition? Your emotions are all over the ce, and that fucking song you yed earlier. Do you think I do not know what it could do to you? If I see you prancing around to beat up hooligans, I will not revive your weakling of a husband.

    You are grounded and that is not up for negotiation."

    Moon Jade wanted to say something but when Shi Lang gave her a firm re she sighed and said, "Fine. But who will lead the army?"

    Shi Lang pointed at Shi Tao and said, "Do you think she is just a pretty face? My daughter is capable of the task, give her a week, let her learn some techniques. She will do it."

    Moon Jade shrugged and said, "I do not mind."

    Shi Lang turned to Shi Tao and said, "General Shi Tao, you are instated as the actingmanding officer of the Heavenly Dragon Army. Do you ept?"

    Shi Tao stood up in attention and saluted Shi Lang as she replied, "Yes, Supreme General, Sir."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Now that we have our general direction, let us all take some rest before we regroup and figure out the final steps. Have a talk with your subordinates and organize everything."

    The people nodded and Amethyst looked at Mand in the distance. She said, "What about him?"

    Mand was still alive, he was still groaning. Shi Lang looked at him and said, "He will still live for ten years in that state. Tian Long will free him from his bind, no one else."

    One of the expertsmented, "What will we do if the House Of Lotus came to seek trouble?"

    Shi Lang gazed at the person and replied, "Let me handle them. You will know where those bald donkeys can find me."

    The Terran picked up Tian Long on his shoulder and said, "Amy, where are you staying? Mind if we put up with you?"

    Amelia chuckled and said, "Here I thought you forgot about me in all this excitement."

    Shi Lang smiled and they all dispersed. The event may havee to an end, but another exciting page was about to open in the story of Ace.

 Chapter 780: Recovery Retreat.

    Amelia arranged for Fairy Moon Jade and Shi Tao to stay with them, while Tian Long''s body was being moved to the Asura Hall. Shi Lang had told the people about his identity but they did not know where the Asura Hall was located and even if they managed to find it. Shi Lang intended to keep the body safe in the research center.

    Everyone was tired and they were sitting in garden where a few service disciples were serving tea. Shi Tao was very calmly sitting on the side, and watching the elders sip tea. Amelia said, "Tao you are getting anxious."

    The girl sighed and said, "Mom, I have not seen you guys for ages and now the first thing is this big event."

    Amelia smiled and said, "Sweetheart, I also want to gossip but the situation is a bit delicate."

    Shi Tao did not understand and Shi Lang said, "Okay, I am going to take a bath, you alling?"

    Everyone was shocked but the Terran waved his hand and a portal appeared before them. Shi Lang stood up and walked inside the portal as he said, "This is an secret ce you all will thank me for such nourishment."

    Amelia stood up and said, "What are you being so mysterious for? Isn''t this the ess to spirit liquid pond?"

    Shi Tao did not know what it was but she followed them. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue knew this ce and even Ying Yu joined them. Fairy Moon Jade also followed them curiously. She had settled down quiet a lot after Shi Lang told her that he would go and find a way to cure Tian Long.

    Everyone came inside the Inheritance Pce and Shi Lang said, "Hmm, wait here. Brother Bo, the elders said they will be dering the results tomorrow, after that, you should rx, and also visit Dragon Sword Mountain. I can sense you are reaching a breakthrough."

    Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I will do that. The east has not seen my strength in many years. I will also use this time to scout more talents."

    Shi Lang gave him a thumbs up, and mentioned about Hao Mei''s brother. Bo Qingtan assured him that he would take care of it. Yun Xue sighed and said, "To think I forgot you have this space."

    Shi Lang shrugged and he wanted to say something when he shivered and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Amelia flickered and appeared next to him. She asked worriedly, "What happened?"

    Shi Lang smiled weakly, and Shi Tao said, "His internal organs are shaken from the battle earlier. Those movements put too much strain on him."

    The people looked at the youngdy who was holding a device in her hand. Amelia raised her head and asked, "How did you manage to bring that over?"

    Shi Tao smiled and said, "Well, you know how cool Dad''s tattoo is? So I had some people research on that for me, and they came up with a way to create it. I have a tons of space on this tattoo too?"

    Shi Lang asked weakly, "How much?"

    Shi Tao replied, "Ten thousand square feet? I have a small mobile battle armory in here."

    Shi Lang held her shoulders and asked, "Please tell me you bought me aposite tactical suit?"

    Shi Tao chuckled loudly and smirked, "I bought something better."

    Amelia and Shi Lang gazed at her eagerly and Shi Tao said, "I got you a creation matrix."

    The couple jumped in the void and cheered in excitement. Shi Tao chuckled and said, "You two look like teenagers."

    Amelia red at her and said, "You mean to say we have gotten old, youngdy?"

    Shi Tao shook her head and ran away as Shi Lang and Amelia began to chase after her. Yun Xue and the other three were surprised when they saw this scene. Fairy Moon Jade said, "To think they would act like children."

    Ying Yu said, "Senior, I swear to god, sometimes when Sect Mistress is instructing us, I have the urge to open her skull and see if her brain is made up of ice."

    The people chuckled and suddenly they heard a calm voice, "Oh, Lang brought guests."

    They were all powerful people and this sudden appearance shocked the hell out of them. They all jumped and looked to the side. They found an ethereal figure standing next to them. The person was dressed in a ck and golden robe. Yun Xue sighed and said, "Senior, you just gave us a scare."

    The old man chuckled and said, "If I did not even do that while being a ghost then what is the fun of it?"

    Fairy Moon Jade was visiting this ce for the first time and she did not know who the spirit phantom was. She asked, "Can someone please give me any context of what is going on here?"

    Bo Qingtan said, "Senior, this ce is the inheritance pce. A ce where many seniors from both Demon Community and Spiritual Community are resting forever. During theirst breaths, they left behind their inheritances here."

    Ying Yu smiled and said, "Just not that, it is aplete inheritance that leads one to the realm of gods."

    Fairy Moon Jade was shocked, she could not understand what was going on. The realm of gods was a forever long question to many peak level sovereigns. Yun Xue said, "Senior, I understand that you probably want to share the fact that Realm Of Gods is true, but it will cause the entire world to go at war."

    Moon Jade woke up from her daze and said, "Yes, you are correct. This issue cannot be known public."

    The Spirit Phantom looked at Moon Jade and said, "Hmmm, you excel at the Dao of Sound and music. I wonder if you found a partial inheritance to Demigod String Witch."

    Fairy Moon Jade was stunned but before she could say anything, suddenly azy voice echoed in the pce, "Hmmm, Old Man Chu, why are you calling for me? I am not going to sing you a luby this time."

    The old man chuckled and said, "I was going to share a important discovery with you but with that attitude, no more. Go back to sleep."

    Another figure appeared beside the old man, this woman was dressed in exposive clothing and she was really charming. Bo Qingtan was blushing as he looked at her. Her hanfu had a slit that reached up to her thighs. She looked at the spirit phantom of the old man and wanted to say something when her gaze fell on Fairy Moon Jade and she froze.

    The next moment, she appeared before Moon Jade and thetter was frozen. She could not move, and then the spiritual energy inside her body began to run a cycle. Moon Jade was shocked when the spirit phantom startedughing.

    Everyone was surprised and thedy said, "Finally, I have a descendant. Hahahahaha, wonderful."

    Moon Jade was shocked and the spirit phantom said, "Sweetheart, wee to the linage of Raga House."

    Moon Jade shivered, and thedy released her binds. The sovereign said, "Senior, isn''t Raga House a demonic cult?"

    The spirit phantom frowned and said, "They have twisted our names beyond imagination for their own use. We are not demonic cult but a sect that pursued the Dao Of Music and Sound. We mastered the ways to manipte the spiritual energy fluctuations and then influence others by controlling them."

    Ying Yu raised her brow and Shi Lang''s voice sounded, "That does sound demonic."

    The spirit phantom red in his direction and said, "You better not spout nonsense or I will throw you outside the pce."

    Shi Lang zipped his lips and threw away the key. Demigod String Witch said, "We all used spiritual energy, and the reason they called us demons. The unique attribute of our cultivation that made us stick out of the flock. So we were eliminated to preserve the authenticity. What is good and what is bad depends only on your thoughts."

    Moon Jade nodded when she heard this. She took a deep breath and said, "I apologize for my transgression Senior."

    The spirit phantom waved her hand and said, "Its fine. Tell me where did you get the sutra?"

    Moon Jade started narrating her story and Shi Lang took Amelia and Shi Tao for a tour of the Pce. He bought the girls to the demon bane tree to give them the fruits and then took them to the liquid spirit pond where he said, "Go and take a bath. Soak yourselves and get rid of all the impurities. This will improve your foundations."

    Shi Tao nodded and jumped in the pond. The spiritual mist created a barrier to prevent people from seeing anything. Amelia stuck to Shi Lang and walked close to him. The two of them embraced each other and Shi Lang said, "You know many seniors are peeping at us."

    Amelia smiled and said, "I know. I do not care."

    Shi Lang pinched her chin and said, "The side effect of getting stronger is that you have gotten shameless."

    Thedy smiled and said, "Says the one who found me apetitor."

    Shi Lang frowned and shook his head as he said, "No one can everpete with you. Never."

    Amelia kissed him and a whistle echoed in the surroundings.

 Chapter 781: Guests Arrive.

    Shi Lang and the rest of the people spent a night inside the Inheritance pce to recover from their bodies. The Terran also bought out a significant amount of spirit liquid for the members of the Asura Hall. Shi Tao was surprised by the quick changes in her body, and she also took the test of the pce.

    However, she did not gain the acknowledgement of any senior. She was not disheartened. Many of the Spirit Phantoms told her that she had good potential but the reason she did not resonate with them was because herpatibility with them. Even Shi Lang did not resonate with them. The only reason he got to im the ownership was because of the sword resonance he had with Demon de.

    The people returned back to the ce Amelia was staying at and Shi Lang called over Yang Niao. The man had gone off to see the injured from the Asura Hall squads. The teams were efficient but they still suffered some injuries, and as the deputy hall master, he had to check on his people.

    Shi Lang sat down and gave Yang Niao a big barrel of spirit liquid and said, "You can give this to the injured of the team."

    Yang Niao nodded and said, "Hall Master, I received a word from the hall. The two kids are here."

    Shi Lang jumped up from his chair and asked, "How did they get here?"

    Yang Niao gulped and said, "Umm, from what I know, Young Miss Xeidi fooled the guards and dragged Young Miss Mei with her."

    The Terran covered his face with his palm, and Shi Tao whispered to her mom, "What is going on?"

    Amelia smiled and replied, "Your father epted two disciples. The elder one is Hao Mei, an alchemist prodigy, while another one is Yu Xeidi. She is a warrior like your father, and is very skilled."

    Shi Lang gazed at Amelia and said, "Xiao Di works harder than the most of the people in the hall."

    Amelia nodded and said, "I know. I wonder where they are."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Did you send anyone to find where they are?"

    Yang Niao nodded and replied, "I dispatched the patrolling groups, we will have a news soon."

    Ying Yu asked, "Why are you not using your spiritual sense to located them."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The side effect of the trick back there was not only taxing on my Dao Lawprehension, but also my spiritual sense. I am exhausted, and cannot find them."

    Yun Xuemented, "They will be fine, do not worry. They must have someone guarding them."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Those two kids are more talented than you at the anti reconnaissance techniques."

    Shi Tao was surprised and asked, "How old are these kids?"

    Amelia smiled and replied, "None of them is older than twelve."

    Yang Niao smiled and then left. Shi Lang sat down on the chair beside Amelia and said, "Tao, do you want to learn a few techniques from me?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "I do not see the harm in it given that you are the big hot shot in the market."

    The Terran rolled his eyes and said, "I did not expect you to grow into a hooligan. Look how you talk to your Baba."

    The conversation started and the people found out a lot of things about Shi Lang and the way the lower realm worked. The Terran was at peace when he heard that the people were well and that the level of the civilization was improving in terms of spiritual knowledge.

    Ying Yu and Yun Xue helped Shi Tao understand a lot of things in the Immortal Realm as well. Bo Qingtan asked, "I heard from brother Shi, you have a team of your own. Where are they?"

    Shi Tao replied, "It is a small town in the southern deserts called Cosmic Cliff Town. For some reason that ce is littered with Demon beasts. None of the people who join the protection task forces have managed to live past fifty battles."

    Shi Lang asked calmly, "You have hunted fifty demon beasts?"

    Shi Tao nodded and Shi Lang said, "When your uncle Yanges, give him the coordinates. The Asura Hall will use that ce as their training grounds."

    Yun Xue looked at the sky and said, "You know, this is the reason not many people like you. Those poor young people just caught a break from life and death situation, do you wish to throw them back at it again?"

    Amelia replied calmly, "Only when a person is at the edge of life and death theirplete potential is put to use."

    Yun Xue said, "I am not in disagreement, Sect Mistress Amelia, however, I just mean that they should have some time to rest."

    Shi Lang said, "I will not send the frontier forces. I intend to dispatch the people at home, They are getting too rxed. A pair of children managed to fool them. Hmph, lousy ckers."

    The people chuckled and a youngdy came over to them and said, "Sect Mistress, a youngdy from Asura Sect dropped off two kids at the door. I wanted them toe over, but they seem pretty scared. They are both crying and we cannot seem to find any way to calm them down."

    Shi Lang leaned back in the chair and said, "You can tell them if they did note here in ten breaths, then I wille and find them for some nice training."

    The youngdy smiled and vanished from the sight. Shi Tao asked, "How much have you scared them?"

    Shi Lang wanted to reply but then he spotted two shadows rushing over to them. He said, "Without fear, there is not respect."

    People nodded and Shi Lang looked at the two little girls. They had been shedding crocodile tears, but right now they were both standing with their heads down. Shi Lang smiled and then returned to a calm look before he asked, "How did you two fool the guards?"

    Hao Mei and Yu Xeidi exchanged a nce before thetter said, "I prepared a sculpture of me and senior sister."

    Hao Mei said, "Then I carved a spirit gathering array in the statue along with the channels to run the energy through pretending for it to look like we were cultivating."

    Shi Lang remained calm but the rest of the people were shocked and they were talking to each other with spiritualmunications about how these two coulde up with such an idea.

    The Terran continued with his interrogation, "How did you hide your spiritual fluctuations?"

    Hao Mei replied, "Master, you taught us the trick to be indifferent and we have been trying that for sometime. This time we managed to sneak past the guards."

    Shi Lang then asked, "How long did it take for them to discover the truth?"

    Yu Xeidi scoffed and said, "It was Hie Lei wo discovered us. The elders all thought we were being good."

    Shi Lang finally could not hold back and burst intoughter. The two girls were stunned, they thought Shi Lang was angry on them. Yu Xeidi spotted Amelia and held Hao Mei''s hand to rush over to her side.

    Amelia smiled and asked, "What happened?"

    Yu Xeidi peaked at Shi Lang and whispered, "Master will put us in Tartarus pit, Mistress. I do not want to go there. It is so tiring. Please save us. We will never do anything like this again."

    Shi Lang said, "I am not angry, but what you did was indeed wrong. I do not stop you from going out of the campus, but you both know what the world really is like. Next time, take an elder with you."

    Shi Tao sneered and said, "You are saying that because all the people in the guard detail will be going south to fight Demon beasts."

    Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei looked at Shi Tao with curiosity. Amelia said, "This is your senior sister. She is Shi Tao, master and my daughter. She just came over from the lower realm."

    The two girls were surprised but Shi Tao came closer to them and squatted on the ground. She waved her hand and took out two hover boards. She said, "These two are meeting gifts from me to you. You both are too young to fly on swords. These hover boards are self sufficient and they will never run out of spiritual energy. They can also block a direct attack from anyone below Spirit Lord realm."

    The eyes of the people sparkled and Shi Lang tilted his head as he asked grimly, "Did you test it during one of your battles?"

    Shi Tao shivered and looked at Amelia, who sighed and shook her head. Shi Lang was moving into his protective father mode. However, before she could say anything, a loud voice echoed in the city, "Where is the sinner who dared to do this to our High Abbot? Come out, the House of lotus demands an exnation."

    Amelia said, "Go easy on them."

    Shi Lang chuckled and yelled, "Oh, another bunch of bald donkeys dared to show up with their idea of justice and honesty mixed up with selfishness and blind faith. About time I kick some sense in those hollow skulls."

    His voice also echoed in the surroundings and he vanished from his spot to attend to the uninvited guests.

 Chapter 782: Defining Humanity.

    After the attack yesterday, the flying restriction arrays had been damaged, and many people who were reconstructing the city infrastructure were allowed to fly over and speed up the work.

    Shi Lang vanished from his spot in the pavilion and appeared above the city. Behind him Lao Xu, Sovereign Amethyst, and Sovereign Shin, who was also called, Healing hands, appeared with a few more members of the martial council.

    They were facing seven monks dressed in a simr fashion as Mand. They were all bald, but they did not have any gems embedded in their foreheads. Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Exalted Masters. What can this humble one do for you?"

    The monks were surprised and the elders from the martial council were surprised as well. They did not expect that Shi Lang would meet with these people so humbly. Lao Xu remarked with his spiritual sense, ''Was he not very confident about dealing with these men?''

    Amethyst did not reply but pursued her lips. Sovereign Healing Hands replied, ''Let us see where this is going.''

    The rest of the people expressed their approval silently too. The monks regained their surprise, and the one in the lead said, "Can you exin to us, why did you attack Sovereign Mand?"

    Shi Lang smiled and looked at the monk standing at the end of the formation and said, "Master, I suppose it would be better if you discussed this fairly. Otherwise, no matter what exnation I provide, you will just use it as an excuse to establish dominion."

    The elders from the martial council were confused while the monk in front of the formation furrowed his brows and asked, "Why are you asking him toe forward? Have you no respect for the elders?"

    Shi Lang looked at him calmly and said, "I am only talking to him because it is apparent to me that he is the real leader. Also, if not for the fact that I was respecting you all, you would have regretteding here already."

    The monks were all surprised and the leader spoke again, "What do you mean that he is the real leader of the team? How dare you threaten us?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Theposure you disyed and the way you yelled is enough a statement of your attainments in Daoism. As for why do I say that he is the leader, that is because he is the only one whose gaze did not fluctuate. His heart isposed and he is the reason I am respecting you call. So do not think too highly of yourself.

    If Mand can be the representative of your faction in the Martial council, then I suppose you are all weaker than him. What makes you think that if I can cripple himpletely, why cannot I do the same to you?"

    Lao Xumented, ''Sure enough, here we go.''

    The rest of the elders nodded in approval, they were happy that someone from the younger generation was able to stand up to the pretentious people.

    The monk retorted, "Are you sure you want to threaten us? Do you think that the martial council will do anything against us if we punished an insolent youth like you?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Bald donkey, you and your folks thought that you would waltz here in your father''s backyard and through your weight around by fashioning to be spiritually enlightened and preaching peace and dignity, and I will just do things your way?

    Who the fuck do you think you are?! You dare to question me and use me? Let me tell you that even if the Martial Council did not attack you for me, but every expert in the Heavenly Dragon Army is currently sharpening their des to y your cult of cowards and be done with it.

    You came here seeking exnation, then let me ask you for an exnation as the champion of the Heavenly Dragon Army. How dare you bunch of virgin bastards allowed that phndering lunatice over here and attack our Sovereign? Huh? Answer me you old piece ofrd. Why are you quiet now, you son of a bitch, tell me what gave you the right toe here and question me?"

    The people in the city all heard that Shi Lang was really demeaning a bunch of immortal sovereigns and some people even covered the ears of their children lest they grew up as rowdy as him.

    Amelia in the pavilion looked at Yu Xeidi looking at the sky with sparkling eyes and said, "Xiao Yu, do not take after your master. He is not a girl. Women should be elegant."

    Yu Xeidi replied, "But Mistress, Master looks so cool."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "You cannot deny that."

    ...

    In the void, the monks were all ring at Shi Lang with their eyes popping out as big as bells. Suddenly, a calm voice sounded, "Patron, we are not hear to use you of anything. The reason we came here was to learn something from you."

    Shi Lang looked at the speaker andmented, "Finally decided to show yourself? Well, since you want to learn something from me, your teammates should know how to be humble. I am not bound to tell you anything when you have such an attitude."

    The monk nodded and bowed slightly, "I understand and I am sincerely apologizing to you for the transgression of my team."

    The monks were surprised and they all wailed, "Senior Brother."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Raise your head master."

    The monk raised his head and Shi Lang asked, "Please tell me what you want to ask."

    The monk said, "My given name is Kamand. It is clear to me that what Mand did was wrong, and for that he has been expelled from the House Of Lotus. We do not advocate in his behalf. However, I wish to ask you, why did you act so cruelly toward him when you are clearly strong enough to kill me easily?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The reason I did what I did is because he went against the hopes of humanity. He attacked my friend, and more than that, he trampled the dignity of the human forces that are constantly shedding their blood on the frontier.

    Tian Long and all the members of the Martial Council are doing their best to lead the forces and keeping the demonic forces at a bay. How should have I reacted when one of the pirs of my race fell to his knees before me? I was enraged, and thus I made a move that will create an example to those who have secondary ideas in their minds."

    Kamand was at a lose, he thought for a few minutes and replied, "I cannot agree with your methods. If someone defies the hopes of humanity and we act cruel towards them, aren''t we bing demons ourselves?"

    Shi Lang looked at him in a daze, the monks thought that Kamand has defeated the Terran and smiled. However, Shi Lang burst intoughter. His voice echoed throughout the city.

    The monks were stunned and Shi Lang said, "Just because you follow the path of zen, does not mean we should follow it too. Just because you give up on your emotions does not mean we should do it too.

    Look at your hand, Master Kamand, are your fingers and tell me if they are all equal sized."

    Kamand said, "I understand what you are saying, Patron, but I will not agree with this method."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You are acknowledging the fact that we all could be different but can exist in harmony. As long as the people can exist in harmony it is not a bad thing. Your thumb does not have to wait for your index finger to acknowledge it.

    Humans are the same, you do not have to acknowledge me or the methods I used to defend my beliefs as long as they do not conflict with yours, and vice versa."

    Kamand was surprised but then he could not find a legit rebuttal about this. Shi Lang continued speaking, "Humanity is not so weak, if you choose to preach peace, then tell me what would you do if someone was to betray the trust of your House of Lotus?"

    The monk behind Kamand remarked, "Betrayal is punishable by death."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Admirable, but then howe you are here to preach to me that I should be have been lenient with that man who Betrayed the entire race?"

    His question stumped the monks and he said, "Master Kamand, it is easy to preach about peace unless you have seen the people you love cry. If you see a child on the street begging for food, you give them pity and I give them food and shelter where they can train and grow strong so that they could do the same for someone on the street.

    You teach them sutras and the art of peace. I teach them what a human is. A human is a social animal, that lives in groups and it is cannibalistic in nature for it feeds off the weak."

    His words shook the hearts of the monks. Kamand suddenly looked at Shi Lang and said, "Will you ept me as your disciple?"

 Chapter 783: All In Good Faith.

    The people had their minds blown by what Sovereign Kamand said. He asked Shi Lang to be his master. However, the Terran had a reallyposed expression on his face. It was not as if he was not shocked, but he regained hisposure in a few moments.

    Everyone was looking at Shi Lang and thinking what would he do. Yanshu said, ''I bet he will say yes.''

    Lao Xu smiled and asked, ''What is the wager old man Yanshu? You cannot bet without a stake.''

    Yanshu thought and said, ''One scripture scroll that I found in the god-field? However, the principle gambling states that you must meet the ante.''

    Lao Xu nodded calmly and said, ''That is true, now, I will give you a pill that I found in the ruins of the god-field.''

    The people were all surprised and Sovereign Healing Hands asked, ''What is the effect of that pill?''

    Lao Xu replied, ''It heals injuries on your soul.''

    The people were surprised and Amethyst asked, ''If you had something like this then why did you not offer it to Tian Long?''

    Lao Xu shook his head and said, ''Even if he manages to repair the injuries to his soul, where will he reside without a soul sea? I have two such pills and I am sure that guy also has one on him because he was there with me.''

    Everyone understood why Lao Xu held back the pill. Sovereign Healing Hands said, ''Very well, I will try my luck. I stake a divine pill refinement opportunity. He will say no.''

    The two old men were surprised but then they nodded and looked at Amethyst who brushed her hair and said, ''I am not interested. Lao Xu you did not say what you are staking at.''

    Lao Xu smiled and said, ''I am staking that he will insult them and then ept Kamand as his disciple.''

    ...

    While the elders were gambling, Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei were holding hands with sparkling eyes. Shi Tao looked at them amusingly and asked, "What are you two little ones thinking?"

    Yu Xeidi replied, "Senior Sister, if Master epts that uncle as his disciple, then we will be senior sisters and when he disagrees with us. We will block his spiritual energy and throw him in Tartarus."

    Amelia was surprised and so were the otherdies. They exchanged nces and erupted inughter. These kids were thinking of punishing an Immortal Sovereign when they were not even in the Immortal soldier realm. If Kamand found this, he would have felt so humiliated.

    ...

    Shi Lang looked at the monk bowing to him and shook his head before he said, "I apologize, but I am not skilled enough to ept you as my disciple."

    The monks behind Kamand were relieved while the person of focus was shocked.

    ...

    Sovereign Healing Hands smiled and said, ''I win, please leave the ante before you leave.''

    Amethyst smiled with her and the faces of the two old men turned gray in regret.

    ...

    Kamand asked, "What is it that makes you think that you are not as skilled as me? You defeated an Immortal Sovereign stronger than me. You have a thought rity like none I have evere across, and you know what a true human is better than me or the rest of the people I have learned from. Why can you not ept me in your tutge?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior Kamand, you just acknowledged a few of your weaknesses on your own. I believe a person who has the candor to ept his own mistakes has the potential to surpass the limits on his own too. You wish to be a better human, then you will have to find out the meaning of humanity. You will have to seek out the humanity hidden deep inside you.

    You do not need to be my disciple. Take nature as your master and you will learn the truth."

    Kamand was surprised to the core. He was at a loss, not because this guy rejected him, but because Shi Lang casually gave him the pointers that made him find a new direction to grow. Kamand was very well versed in scriptures and the rules of his path. He has never been unreasonable, but even Mand could not best him in philosophical debates.

    However, for the first time, he met someone who not only bested him, but even taught him a way to improve himself. He could not help but be moved by this. He looked at Shi Lang and sped his fists as he said, "Young Friend, you have shown me what it means by the sky above a sky. I am eternally indebted to you. From now on till the day I exist in this world. You will be my friend.

    If you ever need any help from me, as long as it is not against my moral conscience. I will aid you even if it meansying down my life."

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head, "You glorify me senior. I did nothing but uttered hubris. If your doubts areplete, I would like to leave. I need to spend some time with my wife."

    Kamand nodded and Shi Lang turned around to leave. He did not know that his casual attitude to handle the situation was simply too shocking for the people. The mortals and the young cultivators in the city all heard what transpired between the two sides. Shi Lang did not even need the support from the martial council to subdue the people from the House of Lotus.

    Shi Lang had only turned around when a few old men dressed in elegant robes appeared on the other side. They all had an indignant expression on their faces. The leader said, "I am Wang Qian, patriarch of the Wang Family. In the past few days, many of my family members have been hunted down by the organization of cowards headed by you. I wonder how would you exin it to me."

    Shi Lang ced his hands behind his back and nodded slowly before he said, "I have only one exnation for you, and that is, fuck you."

    The people were stunned but Shi Lang continued, "Do you think that just because you have a number of sovereigns that will scare me?"

    Wang Qian took a deep breath and asked, "Do you think you will be able to stand up to us? Even with that trick of yours, you will not be able to stand up to against all of us."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "How many people you have?"

    Wang Qian smirked and replied, "We have ten people, do you think you will be able to sacrifice your Dao Laws again?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I have ny three Immortal Kings in my group, the Asura Hall. They are all able to sacrifice Dao Laws. Forget about me taking you down, I canmand them to go and raze your Wang family to the ground. Leaving behind nothing. I will make sure that even the Dogs of your house are chopped up and left in the streets.

    If you are ready to stake that much, please by all meanse over."

    Wang Qian was shocked, he did not expect Shi Lang to be so cruel. He clenched his fist and said, "How dare you bluff?! Do you think we will be scared of you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am bluffing? Do you think I am as lenient as the Martial council? I do not know what these people were thinking when they let a snake like you live in the human domain. You bastards have been stirring up trouble over and over again. Do you think if the Demons managed to rise to power they will spare you dimwitted bunch of cock sucking parasites?"

    ...

    Amelia sighed and said, "He has gotten so creative with his cussing skills."

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "Bad thing to praise him you lover girl."

    ...

    Wang Qian was shivering in rage and Shi Lang said, "In this world, whenever something or someone unique appears people like you mark them as demons. Why do you do so? So that you can regain your dominance over the people. You are the cowards that feed at the bottom of the well and make the other people think you are strong and that is why you are hiding in the dark.

    Listen hear, you coward. Take the bunch of your clowns, and go back to dance for your own sake. If you messed with me, I will have your head inside my toilet and serve as pee bowl. Understood? I am advising you in good faith. I hope you know what is good for you."

    Wang Qian was enraged, he channeled his spiritual throughout his body and Shi Lang raised his brow. He turned to look at Kamand and said, "Now do you see why I did what I did? People like this, who are driven mad with their own intentions in mind are incapable of thinking for humanity. He is here to kill me, now if I have to kill him, don''t me me."

    That said, he closed his eyes and his hair color began to change. However, before he could do anything. Kamand said, "What you said is true. Patriarch Wang, I hope you reconsider your actions. Otherwise, the House Of Lotus will list you as an enemy. I think you should know what happens when someone bes enemy with us."

    Shi Lang thought, ''Disy of good faith can really make the world go around.''

 Chapter 784: Love & Duty.

    Shi Lang watched Kamand standing up for him and then turned his gaze to the people from the martial council. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Senior Lao, are you going to watch them bully me around? I can make an heavenly oath to prove that me or Asura Hall has never attacked anyone who is innocent.

    The Wang Family is corrupt and they have been infested by the crooked heretics of the unorthodox demonic cultivation that is why we took them out."

    His statement seemed to be very simple but the people from the Martial Council were alerted, they picked up a different scent from what Shi Lang said. Sovereign Healing Hands said, "Patriarch Wang, before you manage other people, please go back home and deal with the internal problems. The Martial Council will not sit by and watch if you tried to harm him."

    Her voice was gentle but the weight it carried was significantly heavier. The medicine god valley was a major provider of healing pills to the world. If they hated someone, the entire world will draw lines with them.

    Shi Lang thought, ''Hmm, rich friends can save us from trouble.''

    Patriarch Wang clenched his fists and said, "Fine, if that is how it is going to be. I will not make a move against him, but he cannot make a move against us without proving that the usation of demon indulgence is true."

    Before the elders could agree stating that it was only fair, Shi Lang said, "I agree, and to keep things transparent, I will have my people publish everything we discover to the entire world. This way nobody will be able to manipte anything. Is that okay?"

    Patriarch Wang nodded and left with s snort, unaware that he dug a deep pit for himself and his fellows. Shi Lang smiled at this and turned to greet the elders and said, "Thank you for your support, now if you would allow me, I would like to leave."

    However, his request was declined by Sovereign Healing Hands, "Young man, I think we need to have a conversation about your words just now."

    Shi Lang raised his head, and said, "I knew it that you would catch onto it. How about we all gather in the evening? I will prepare a meal for you all. A family recipe that you would enjoy."

    Old Man Yanshu stroked his beard and asked, "Boy, are you toying with us?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Elder, I only wish that the exchange of ideas is held in harmony. I hope that I am not asking for too much, am i?"

    The sovereigns looked at each other and Amethyst said, "Fine, we will see you in the evening."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists and left the ce. Kamand watched him vanish and after a few moments he said, "I wonder what he is thinking about now."

    Lao Xu sighed and remarked, "Whatever it is, I bet he will cause a storm. This kid is a no-good trouble maker. I wonder why Tian Long selected him to be the champion."

    The others did notment, but the statement Shi Lang made earlier did not sit well with them. It was not their fault. The ideas they were following belonged to a time where even their forefathers did not exist. Old Man Yanshu said, "We need to get going and have Fellow Daoist Kamand understand his duties in the Martial Council."

    That''s right, Kamand was the person chosen to represent the monkmunity in the immortal world. Every person at the top seat of the Martial Council was a powerful expert who held distinguished abilities in his specific Dao Path, or represented arge number of people.

    For example, Lao Xu was a person who mastered the Laws of Soul. While Sovereign Healing Hands was an apex leader in terms of alchemy. Such people regted each other from running rampant and managed the bnce of all themunities.

    ...

    Shi Lang came back to the pavilion and sat down with the people. Amelia checked his calm expression and asked, "What trouble did you create now?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Nothing that could not be resolved over a barbeque."

    Shi Tao pped her hands and said, "I have the grill, and I also have a huge stock of beer."

    Shi Lang gave her a thumbs up and Hao Mei asked, "Senior sister, what is beer?"

    Amelia furrowed her brows and said, "It is a beverage for adults. You two, go and finish cultivating."

    The two girls gazed at her with googly eyes as they wanted to stay but Amelia was strict. Even Shi Lang gave up before her re. Ying Yu volunteered to watch over the kids, and Yun Xue tactfully left the family of three alone. Shi Lang only asked her to bring a lots of chicken.

    Meanwhile, Shi Tao began to infuse spiritual energy in beer and mixed it with a gentle dose of harmless herbs that caused people to get a bit tipsy.

    Amelia and Shi Lang sat next to each other holding hands and thedy asked, "What do you think will happen in the future?"

    Shi Lang did not reply instantly, but fell in a deep thought, after a while he said, "We are headed towards a war. It is not a simple war between demons or the spiritual cultivators. It will be a war between ideas. We will have to find the orthodox demon cultivators. Only when they are here we will be able to convince the rest of the world that things are not that bad."

    Amelia nodded and replied, "The time for that war is still far ahead. I am worried about you entering the Titan mountains. That ce is filled with Legendary Spirit Beasts. Those things are so arrogant that they do not even bother with an Immortal Sovereign."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I know what you mean. When I crossed the Titan Mountain on the spirit vessel, I did see them bullying the humans. However, even if they try to ride my head I have to go there for Tian Long''s sake."

    Amelia looked at him silently, she could not help but think about what Fairy Moon Jade told her about Shi Lang regaining the memories from his past life. Shi Lang asked, "What are you thinking about?"

    Amelia asked, "Do you really have the memories of your old life?"

    Shi Lang was stunned, he did not expect Amelia to ask him something like this. He wanted to ask what happened, when a gentle voice echoed in his mind, ''I told her when you were fighting.''

    The voice belonged to Fairy Moon Jade who seemed to be listening to the two of them. She told the Terran about everything she said, and left him to handle the situation anyhow he wanted.

    Shi Lang was calm, and then he nodded. Amelia was prepared for this but she still could not help but feel overwhelmed by the shock. The Terran asked, "Do you also think I am a different person?"

    Amelia woke up from her daze and shook her head hurriedly. She did not want Shi Lang to think that her views of him will change. She replied softly, "Even if you remember the memories from your past that does not change who you are."

    Shi Lang smiled and replied softly, "I am d you think like that, Amy."

    Thedy smiled and Shi Lang leaned in to kiss the corner of her lips. She mumbled, "You better not unlock that smile you left here."

    Shi Lang whispered in her ears, "Never, my love."

    Amelia rubbed the tip of her nose against his and then kissed his lips. The moment between themsted not long, but it conveyed the centuries of love she held for him. Time moved differently in the lower realms and the immortal realm. She had waited for a long time to see him again, to sense his warmth around her.

    Today happened to be the day when she could feel his love again. Shi Lang was the same, but he did not say much. All this while he had been struggling to keep up with his duties and many times he thought that he was missing out on the love. Shi Tao was one of those examples.

    He did not care how Amelia came to his life or was she just a person he contacted for his gains initially, she was the person who gave him everything she had.

    She was the person who looked at him and saw through his oddities even when they had just met. She could always tell what was going on in his mind. This connection they both shared, it was something that existed beyond the realms of his understanding.

    After breaking the kiss, the two looked into each others eyes in silence. Shi Lang said, "I love you."

    Amelia smiled and replied with a faint blush, "I love you more. Now can you please be a dutiful husband and tell me what is going on with you and Yun Xue?"

    Shi Lang was about to answer when he realized the subject and he froze up. He could sense a wave of chill radiating from the warm smile of his wife. He stood up and said, "I will talk about this when I have settled those old people. For now, I need to go and check the preparations. I will cook chicken like mom."

    Amelia watched him run and chuckled as she said, "Fellow Daoist Yun, if you do not mind, let us have a conversation regarding this issue."

    Yun Xue was listening in on the two of them as well, and she was shocked that Amelia spotted her, and replied, "Yes, Sect Mistress Amelia."

 Chapter 785: The Great Debate Of Right And Wrong.

    Shi Lang was preparing food for all the guests that wereing over soon and did not notice that the sun was going down on the horizon. When Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei watched him from a distance, thetter asked, "What is master doing?"

    Yu Xeidi replied, "Mistress said he is cooking but what is he cooking I do not know."

    Shi Tao was done with her work and as the person who did not know much about how things worked in the Immortal Realm had just finished a lesson with Ying Yu. Meanwhile she was also curiously looking at the two women in the pavilion at a distance. Amelia has been engaged in a conversation with Yun Xue since the noon and it did not seem toing to an end.

    Since she had nothing better to do, she was watching over the two kids. Just when she was about to say something a mellow voice rang out behind them, "Young Master Ace, I wonder if you are trying slip past the discussion with a dose of food?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied while flipping over a kebab he was roasting on me, "If only it was that easy to make things work, Senior Amethyst, I would have opened a chain of restaurants."

    Amethyst chuckled andmented, "I am the first one I think."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, Senior. I apologize for being the bad host, but I will need a few more minutes before I can get away from this dish. Tao."

    Shi Tao replied, "On it, Baba."

    She came forward and greeted thedy with two people beside her. Amethyst looked at the two girls and asked, "Oh my, who are these two?"

    Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei greeted her. Amethyst smiled and said, "You two have a great foundation. Work hard."

    The two girls nodded and Shi Tao led the sovereign to the pavilion. Shi Tao said, "Senior, I will pour tear for you."

    Amethyst nodded but Hao Mei said, "Elder Sister, let me do it."

    Shi Tao was surprised but Hao Mei had meticulously bought out a tea set and prepared a beverage very carefully for the two of them. Amethyst narrowed her gaze and asked, "Hao Mei are you an Alchemist?"

    Hao Mei nodded silently, and Amethyst looked in Shi Lang''s direction before she said, "Young Master Ace, you better hide your disciple, Sovereign Healing Hands covet talented young alchemists. Do not me meter on?"

    Shi Lang smiled but before he could reply, a soft voice echoed and Sovereign Healing Hands appeared outside the pavilion saying, "Why will he me..."

    She did not even finish speaking when she spotted Hao Mei. However, another figure shed before her and blocked her view. Yu Xeidi not only stood between the two, but this little one already had an over-sized sword in her little hands. Her eyes were narrowed and she was in a fighting stance.

    Shi Tao, Amethyst and Healing Hands could not fathom this scene. At this moment, Amelia arrived with Yun Xue beside her and said, "Xiao Yu, why are you holding a sword?"

    Yu Xeidi did not take her gaze away from Healing Hands and said, "This senior is gazing at my senior sister with unrified intentions. I felt threatened."

    Amethyst was visible surprised and her eyes opened wide. Healing Hands was not much different, and said, "I am just curious in your senior sisters abilities. You do not have to feel threatened."

    Yu Xeidi still cast her a prolonged gaze and said, "I apologize for being rude, Senior. Master is a good person and he trusts everyone. I do not. If you threatened my Senior Sister, I will not mind fighting to death with you."

    Her voice was calm andposed, no one could digest the fact that it is a spirit gathering realm ant talking to an Immortal Sovereign. Healing Hands was unlike those people who would banter with a child. She erupted inughter and said, "Alright, I will keep that in mind."

    Yu Xeidi nodded and put her sword back in her space ring. Shi Lang was listening to all this from the side but he did not say anything. However, Amelia was angry, she was radiating a cold aura from her body.

    She said, "Xiao Yu, apologize to Senior Healing Hands."

    Yu Xeidi turned to look at her and said, "Yes, Mistress."

    She did not put up any protest and bowed sincerely in apology to Sovereign Healing Hands.

    Thedy waved her hand and replied, "It is good that you are so protective to your senior sister. However, you need to learn how to me measured."

    Amelia nodded and replied, "I agree with Senior Healing Hands, what you did was out of your protective instinct but the way you did things was wrong."

    Yu Xeidi pursed her lips, she could not understand why what she did was wrong. She began to think when Amelia sighed and said, "Child, we are all present here. Do you think if anyone has any ill intention towards you or your sisters, your master will sit by?"

    The little girl shook her head. Amelia nodded continued, "That is why you should believe in him and follow his actions till you grow up."

    The girl nodded, but she felt disheartened after being scolded. Hao Mei patted her small shoulder and stood there silently. Shi Tao said, "Mother, you are here, I will go take the kids in."

    Amelia nodded and Shi Tao led the two girls inside the courtyard. She was going to coax them, because from what she has understood by observing the two for the entire day. They were so tightly bonded that if one of them was happy, the other one would smile, and vice versa if anyone was sad or injured too.

    Amelia bowed and apologized to Healing Hands after the kids left. Lao Xu and Old man Yanshu appeared in the courtyard with Kamand. The men sensed that the ce had a slightly heavy air, and tactfully kept to themselves.

    Shi Lang finished dealing with the food and said, "Oh, Senior Lao, is no one elseing over?"

    Lao Xu shook his head and replied, "They will just listen to the high chairs when ites down to it. Now, can we get on with this discussion?"

    Shi Lang nodded and invited them to the pavilion with a gesture. Amelia and Yun Xue stood beside Shi Lang once the elders got inside and sat down on their chairs. They were all sitting in a hexagonal side.

    They were all sitting calmly and Shi Lang said, "Well, I know you all are eager to listen to my exnation, but can I ask if any of you would like to sample the food I have prepared while doing so?"

    Sovereign Healing Hands nodded and said, "I have no objection."

    The rest of the people nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Xiao Xue, can you please help Amy to serve the elders, also, carefully serve the vegetables to Senior Kamand. He is a monk and I presume meat is a taboo for him."

    Kamand cupped his fist and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Young Friend Ace."

    Lao Xu nodded and said, "Now, tell us what did you mean by, Unorthodox Demonic Cultivators?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Sometime ago, I had the chance to enter the battlefield of gods."

    The people nodded and the Terran continued, "So, there while exploring the ce and seeking an opportunity, I found a pce. This pce was called the inheritance pce. It is a ce filled with inheritances left behind by the Immortal Gods in theirst moments."

    The sovereigns were curious and Shi Lang said, "I was unfortunate and could not gain recognition from the seniors in there. However, what I found shocked me. The pce did not only house the Immortal Gods but also what are today called Demon Gods."

    The elders were shocked and Lao Xu grabbed the armrest so hard that it turned to shards. Shi Lang nodded and spoke solemnly, "You all might not believe it but that is the true. When I was confused the pce spirit materialized before me and he asked me a question."

    Old Man Yanshu asked quickly, "What question?"

    Earlier, they were all interested in finding out how this incident was connected to the exnation they were seeking. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "The elder asked me, ''What is right and what is wrong? What is the difference between an Immortal Cultivator and a Demonic Cultivator?'' and I could not evenprehend what he was looking for."

    The Terran took a pause for the sake of dramatics, and continued, "That senior told me that it was a bunch of strong people in the past who could notprehend the way they cultivated. They were always questioned for the methods they used to cultivate so quickly. So, once they could not provide an answer, the worldbeled them as heretics and they werebeled as demonic cultivators."

 Chapter 786: Legendary Beasts, & Cornered By Wife.

    Shi Langid down the facts as he saw them, however, the elders could not believe him. Lao Xu shook his head and asked, "So you mean to say that our esteemed forefathers manipted the society? Why would they do that and for what gains?"

    Shi Lang did not reply immediately because these old people could figure out why the weaker party would frame a stronger person. Amethyst sighed and said, "Old Man Lao it is possible that the glory of our ancestors was not all that great."

    Lao Xu wanted to reply but he could not say much. He was not a fool, he knew a lot of things. Healing Hands preached up from the side, "Given that what you say is correct, what will you say about the demonic cultivators who gave up on humanity and have been waging war against us so intensely that the entire world is divided in two regions?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Senior when the ancestors decided to dere the people has heretics and demons, they did not only wish to change the status they all had in the society. The organized hunts, and yed anyone who stood in their path. Even children from such sects were not spared.

    Some sects were strong enough to withstand the pressure and went into hiding, while some crumbled and all the survivors were left in despair. The reason demonic cultivators hold such hatred against humans is because of the torment they suffered from when they were following the path of humanity."

    Old Man Yanshu shook his head and remarked, "Junior as much as your reasoning is questioned, it is on point, but you still cannot forget that it is still just a belief of yours, we have not seen any conclusive evidence. It is also possible that the source of your knowledge, the spirit phantom inside that pce must have influenced your mind with such ideas? Am I wrong?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "You are not wrong at all, Senior. Everything in this world is possible. Even Mand going crazy in his search of bnce. It is possible for me to be influenced by someone in the pce."

    Amelia and Yun Xue did not say anything but stood behind Shi Lang. There was only a limit to how much they could push their opinions forward. The elders were not foolish. Kamand watched everyone fall silent and said, "If the ancestors made mistakes, it is our duty to correct them. However, if the demons tried to influence you, then it is our duty to eradicate them."

    The people nodded and Kamand continued, "If there is a person from one of these victimized sects, we will be verifying their ims and if they make a heavenly oath that they are good, we should make things right by them. We cannot have such talented people to bear ill-will and give in to the negativity of the demonic side."

    Lao Xumented, "Indeed, if we manage to find such people and they passed the tests, it would only do us good for us. It will weaken the forces of the demonic side."

    Amethyst looked at Shi Lang and asked, "So, how do you intend to look for such people?"

    The Terran smiled and shook his head as he replied, "I have to head over to the Titan Mountains first. Tian Long''s affairs take precedent over anything else."

    Healing Hands nodded and said, "True, the sooner he can be revived the better."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Senior Healing Hands, can you now give me the real location of that inheritance?"

    Healing Hands raised her brows and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

    Shi Lang asked in surprised, "Do not tell me that you revealed the real location of an exalted senior''s inheritance before so many people."

    Healing Hands nodded and replied, "I did, they don''t have the guts to venture into the Titan Mountains."

    Shi Lang looked at the rest of the people and Old Man Yanshu said, "Let alone them even I do not dare to go there."

    The Terran was confused and asked, "Why is so? What realm is the strongest spirit beast there?"

    Amethyst replied, "Not spirit beasts, but legendary spirit beasts."

    Kamanad remarked, "If you do not understand the difference between the two then it is good that we are here tonight and we can tell you."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists and asked, "Please guide me seniors."

    Lao Xu snorted and leaned back in his chair as he said, "The spirit beasts you have seen do not have the ability to assume human form until they are able to purify their bloodline to the peak. That is why they are called spirit beasts.

    As for legendary beasts, these beasts have purified their blood for a long time, and the strongest one of is a creature who has the ambition to blend into the Dao itself."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "How do you do that?"

    Amethyst sighed and replied, "By engraving as many drops of bloods in your body with the Dao Laws."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Do you think it is even possible for someone to do it?"

    Healing Hands coughed gently and said, "That is why they are called the Legendary beasts. As for the strongest one, I have no idea, but their are four known entities who are called the Legendary Beast Kings. We do not know their identity but they have existed since ancient times."

    Shi Lang sighed and leaned back in the chair as he said, "Now I want to regret my promise."

    Amelia red at him and said, "You wish to make Sister Moon upset."

    Shi Lang sat up straight and shook his head and replied, "I cannot break that vow, it''s just that the situation is tricky and I might have to change my ns."

    Yun Xue asked, "What did you have in mind?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I was going to bring along Hao Mei to the mountain range and see if she could get the acknowledgement from the left over spirit of the senior."

    The elders were shocked, they did not expect Shi Lang to treat such a crucial issue with this attitude, but before they could discipline him, Healing Hands said, "You want your disciple to have such an enriched inheritance? Imend your virtue as a master. However, it would be how long before Hao Mei could grow to a level and condense that pill?"

    Shi Lang realized the issue and said, "Senior, then what shall I do? Is it not wrong for you to ask me to venture in a ce of death and then bring out the gains to hand over to you?"

    His tone was calm, and no one could tell if he was being sarcastic or genuinely asking them a question. Healing Hands shook her head and responded, "You misunderstood me. If you venture in that ce the inheritance is yours, no one from the medical world will covet it. I only hope that if you are not acknowledged by Senior''s spirit will, then bring the inheritance to us at the medicine god valley."

    Shi Lang thought about it and replied in affirmation. Then he did not waste anymore time and began to serve food and beer to the people. Meanwhile, he kept on thinking if the people here also had any underlying intention. The people praised the food and the drinks, and they left after two hours of non-stop consumptions.

    These people had not tasted food in almost a hundred years, so they could not eat more even if it tasted good. After everyone left, Amelia sat across Shi Lang with Yun Xue beside her. The Terran sensed something wrong and wanted to flee away, when Amelia raised her brow and said, "Are you rebelling with me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and sat down obediently, as thedy asked, "Now would you tell me what do you think about Sister Yun?"

    The Terran gulped and turned his head to face the anticipating gaze of the youngdy. He could tell what answer she was expecting. He took some time before he said, "You know how I am, Amy. I let the nature take its course. Yun Xue has been a good friend and I have always cherished her. Initially I never thought that anything will take fruit.

    However, sometime ago, I having been getting protective of her. Yet, it would not be right to call it love. You know, I do not wish to give you a definitive answer right away, I apologize, Xiao Xue."

    Yun Xue hadplicated emotions in her heart after what she heard. Then she sighed and replied, "You do not have to apologize to me. When I fell for you, it was a whim, and I do not mind your dyed answer. I am happy to be the way we are, and let the nature take its course. Do not worry."

    Shi Lang guiltily avoided her gaze, and Amelia said, "Sister Yun, for the time being you should stay with me in the War Maiden Sect. This man can go wherever he wants to go. Hmph, a girl is waiting and yet he cannot find an answer."

    Although she said all this, secretly she was happy that Shi Lang was not quick to answer. She was his first wife so she was worried that her position will change but since her nightmare did note true, and watching how Yun Xue still devoted herself, she acknowledge the match putting aside the concept of wrong and right.

    She also decided to let nature take its course.

 Chapter 787: Departure.

    The following week passed by really quick. Shi Lang devoted his time to teach Shi Tao as many things as he could, and Yun Xue cooperated with Yang Niao and Bo Qingtan to takemand of the Asura Hall. They were going to manage things before Shi Lang came back. If they needed any big help, Amelia and Fairy Moon Jade will help them.

    Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei were going with Amelia to practice at the War Maiden Sect. Another significant thing was Shi Lang''s name appear at the golden dragon list. He was ranked thest but he was already in a position where most of the Immortal Emperors of the world could ever reach.

    During this week, Healing Hands had visited him in secret. She hade over to make sure that the Terran was not taking along any of his disciples, and also to give him a token. Shi Lang held an emerald green jade ball and asked, "Senior, what is this?"

    Healing Hands replied, "This is a soul token. All the experts of the Medicine god valley are required to leave a trace of their soul energy in this thing. Incase they suffer something misfortunate, the soul token can be used to detect thest trace of their existence."

    Shi Lang understood that this token could be used to locate the secret tomb of the expert. However, after what he learned about the legendary beasts he was doubting things more than ever.

    He bowed in gratitude and epted the token. Healing Hands asked, "When do you intend to leave?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and replied, "Tonight, I will board the spirit vessel from here to the port city."

    Healing Hands shook her head and said, "I will ask Yanshu to get you there, it will save you some time. On the other hand, you can avoid thinking over and over again to crush yourself."

    She probed his intention with this suggestion. Shi Lang pondered for a bit before he said, "I agree, I will go find senior Yanshu at the Martial Council Pce at the stroke of midnight."

    Healing hands nodded and then vanished from her spot. Shi Lang held the token and after a bit he sighed and proceeded to bid farewell to his loved ones again. Shing had done this many times by now, but even after all the experience it was really hard to do this.

    He spent his nights with Amelia and they did some crazy love making in thest week. So, he still wanted to do that but Amelia told him that the children needed to spend sometime with him before he left.

    Shi Langpromised and spent his night with the girls and friends. It was midnight, when he said, "I should go."

    His things had already been packed and Shi Tao had given him a batch of futuristic tools that did not run on spiritual energy and if he needed to use them it woulde in handy. Amelia and Yun Xue wanted to see him off to the Martial Council Pce, but Shi Lang refused and said, "I will not be able to go with you watching me."

    Thedies had to give up. Fairy Moon Jade was the only person who came along with him. She did not want to talk to him but she was just too anxious. Everyone could understand, her husband was already injured and incapacitated and now her brother was also going to venture inside a ce that might kill him. How could she sit still?

    Fairy Moon Jade replied, "You probably do not have to go. We can wait for a heavenly natural treasure to bloom."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "How long will that take? Do you think someone else will sit by and watch us take away the heavenly natural treasure? From what I have learned, it has been a few hundred years since the phoenix root grass bloomed in the central regions. Heavens are not by any means a wish granting factory, Moon."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded as they walked through the paths of the city, and she said, "But, what if, it came to be? I will give up anything I have for it to the people and then we can revive Tian."

    Shi Lang sighed and held her hand. He could sense that she was emotionally rattled. He said, "You are thinking too much. If a herb came to be, do you think someone will give it up for materialistic gains? Moon, did you not hear them when they said that the soul sea cannot be created without a recipe? How can you say that the next heavenly natural treasure will help us with the soul sea?"

    Fairy Moon Jade realized that she has been thinking in a wasteful direction. She clenched Shi Lang''s hand and asked, "Is there really no other way?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "No, also can you not squeeze so hard? My palm might turn to a mush of blood."

    Fairy Moon Jade looked at his already swollen fist and let go of the hand before the two of them chuckled. The atmosphere lightened and they arrived before the Martial Council Pce. This ce was made like a tower, and was very minimalistic design.

    Fairy Moon Jade took out a talisman from her space ring and then channeled her spiritual energy through it. The Dao Laws caused ripples and the next moment Old Man Yanshu appeared through a void tunnel. He smiled and said, "You people are really punctual."

    Shi Lang greeted the old man and Fairy Moon Jade said, "I assume Healing Hands have already told you what to do?"

    Yanshu nodded and said, "I was thinking where to drop him actually. I have no idea."

    Shi Lang thought and said, "You can drop me outside the border cities. I will make my way to the Titan Mountains from their on foot. I think if you opened a void portal closer to the mountains it will alert the legendary beasts."

    Old Man Yanshu nodded and said, "Indeed, a nice suggestion."

    Shi Lang turned around and looked at Fairy Moon Jade and said, "While I am gone, try to stay strong, and look after others. Tao will be going with you, and if anything happens I will contact her."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded with a faint smile, but her eyes were brimming with worry for his safety. The two people had a bond that existed beyond life time and they saw each other as family in this world. So it was obvious that parting was a little difficult.

    The two people hugged each other for a bit and then Old Man Yanshu said, "Come, it is time."

    The reason they asked old man Yanshu to take Shi Lang out was because this old man was well versed in Dao Laws of space element. Even if they were all Immortal Sovereigns they did not have the skills to open a void portal to near the Titan Mountains and get by undetected.

    Shi Lang patted Fairy Moon Jade on her back and then he stepped in the void tunnel behind Old Man Yanshu.

    The tunnel closed behind them and all the other Immortal Sovereigns appeared beside them.

    Amethyst patted Fairy Moon Jade and said, "Do not worry about it."

    Moon Jade sighed and replied, "I am not worried about him but I am worried about the Legendary beasts."

    The people looked at her with odd gazes and she said, "You have no idea what sort of a menace he is. He survived a span of thousand years on his own and earned the name of Scavenger King. Every sect in the lower realms dreaded him. His impulse for taking the good stuff is going to be the end of the world."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Old Man Yanshu appeared outside the border city together and the two people did not move for a few moments. Old Man Yanshu said, "Well, seems like I''ve still got it."

    The Terran asked, "What does that mean?"

    Old Man Yanshu said, "Well, I have not used this trick in many decades now so I was thinking if any of those old things woulde up to make trouble."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do not think they ever step out of their recluse."

    Yanshu nodded and said, "Whatever, it is. Young Man, you are Xiao Tan''s friend, so I will give you only one advice. Do not use your spiritual energy inside the Mountain range unless you are desperate to leave."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Actually, Elder, I was thinking if you could ce a seal on my body so that I cannot use my spiritual energy."

    Yanshu was shocked and asked, "Have you lost it?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, "Elder, I was born in a world without spiritual energy and we ventured through the sea of stars without any spiritual energy."

    Yanshu found it unbelievable, but after Shi Lang''s persistent effort he finally sealed his spiritual energy, only leaving a small gap in the seal for space ring operation.

    Shi Lang bought out a lev-bike and said, "Let''s hit it."

 Chapter 788: Joy Riding To The Foot Of The Mountian.

    Shi Lang did not care about what went inside the head of the old man. He had a clear idea about what he needed to do in order to survive this trip. He had met his clone that gained enlightenment under the guidance of a Legendary fox beast.

    That experiencebined with the knowledge he gained in the past seven days, he knew very well that the Titan Mountain was one big graveyard, one mistake and he would end up under the ground or worse inside the belly of a legendary beast. His body was no less than a treasure after all.

    He rode his levbike leisurely as he headed to the Titan mountains. The distance between the city border and the Titan Mountain was significant normal humans did not dare to travel that much and cultivators preferred spirit vessels to save time and cultivate. The people from the reputed business firms have established agreements with the legendary beasts to ensure a safe travel.

    The legendary beasts have been acting rampant and they do try to extort people by asking for gifts and tolls but the humans were indeed weaker. This world thrived on strength. If someday a legendary beast stood up and said, that he wanted to enve humans, it might not take them more than a few hours toplete the task.

    Immortal Sovereigns may seem to be omnipotent but that was all a facade because the legendary beasts focused on their cultivation and they did not wish to meddle with puny humans who waste so much time engaging in power struggles and selfish interests.

    Shi Lang agreed with the legendary beasts but his opinion did not make any difference at all. He was moving through lush grasnds at a high speed, and the sensation of the wind brushing against his face was something he had not felt in a long time.

    Usually when a cultivator flew in the void, they would be unconsciously generate a spiritual energy shield around their bodies and the wind will not brush up.

    Shi Lang liked his feeling and he began to maneuver the bike even more recklessly. It was like he was participating in a moto cross rally where his bike would run up some mud ramps and he would pull of pumping stunts. He was having the time of his lifetime, but he did not know that someone far away was ring really hard.

    ...

    In the War Maiden residence, Amelia and Shi Tao were watching the scenes transmitted from Shi Lang''s levbike camera and while the former was ring at the screen, thetter was having a hard time stifling herugh.

    The people around them did not know what was going on, but they could see that the Sect Mistress was not very happy about this and she was about to explode so they did not probe very much.

    Amelia looked at Shi Tao and smacked her shoulder gently as sheined, "Look what he is upto now. who told you to give him toys? He is such a child in his actions. Does he not know that we are still worried about him?"

    Shi Tao rubbed her shoulder with an expression that she has been wronged as she said, "How is it my fault? I only thought these things would be able to help us in dealing with situations where we could not use any spiritual energy. How was I to know that he would go on a stunt session?"

    Amelia hmphed and said, "On top of it all his spiritual energy has been sealed. If anything went wrong, how does he intend to recover? Ping the bike, and have him slow down."

    Shi Tao said, "Ma, this is only one way, we don''t have any transponders in this world for a data ping to work."

    Amelia snarled and said, "God! This man is a child no matter what world. He can go to hell for all I care!"

    That said she left the room in a huff, and Yu Xeidi chased after her. However, Hao Mei stood there gazing at the screen silently. Shi Tao patted her head gently and asked, "What happened kiddo?"

    Hao Mei asked softly, "Big sister, do you have something like this that I can use?"

    Shi Tao was surprised to find that the soft and docile Hao Mei wanted to try something like a Levbike. She asked, "Do you want to try the stunts?"

    Hao Mei blushed a little and nodded. Shi Tao smiled and said, "I have a board that will allow you to levitate above the ground, but you can only use it in secret. Do not let your mistress find out. She will beat me up otherwise. Promise?"

    Hao Mei nodded and extended her pinky finger. The two girls hooked their fingers, and continued monitoring Shi Lang.

    ...

    The Terran did not know that he was incurring wrath of the wife. It has been a few hundred kilometers but Shi Lang did not spot any human or even a spirit beast in the region. It would have been odd somewhere else in this world but not here. The surroundings were a giant grassnds.

    Shi Lang had read in one of the books that the great grasnds were created by the experts of the human race to prevent anyone from taking shelter in the forests and ces around the Titan Mountains. They did this to make sure that no conflict sparks up between the two species.

    This move may seem defensive but it was effective. These grasnds were untouched and as clean as nk paper. The Terran traveled a whole day before he reached a point where he could see the Titan mountains in a distance. Although, thendmass was not as towering as he imagined it to be but there was still a great distance between them.

    Shi Lang got off his bike and stretched his body around a bit. He had been riding the entire day and his muscles were stiff because there was no such thing as bumps. As he got down the bike, he looked around and his gaze fell on a camera embedded in the headlight of the bike. His spiritual energy was blocked but his sensory ability was still there.

    He waved at the camera and then made a few signs telling the people that he will go to sleep now.

    ...

    On the other side, Shi Tao looked at the fumingdy beside her and prayed for her father. Amelia was infuriated by his typical antics.

 Chapter 789: Night Camping.

    Shi Lang did not know anything about Amelia freaking out over his trip. Although thedy pretended to be calm before him, but even when they were in the Federation. Every time Shi Lang left for duty she would be like this.

    The Terran did not know much and spent the night under the stars. He wasying on his back gazing at the stars. The lev-bike had been stored back inside the space ring and he was wearing a battle suit from the federal military. The suit had the camouge function enabled.

    As long as hey still, it was impossible to see him with naked eye. Even cultivators would not be able to note the difference between the terrain and his body. Shi Lang could tell that the researchers back in the Federation must have focused on how to make these things useful against renegade cultivators.

    Another thing that he noticed was the badge of secret forces on the chest of the uniform. Shi Tao had told him that the secret divisions were all stronger than ever and they were well managed. As a former secret division soldier he could not help but feel happy and proud.

    Soon, the sun came up on the horizon and Shi Lang stood up. He warmed up his muscles before he rushed through thest patch of grasnd and within an hour he reached the foot of the mountains. His speed was not slow but the distance was one hundred kilometers, and standing at the foot of the mountains Shi Lang realized how gigantic the structure of these things.

    He took a deep breath and used his sensory ability to check whether there were any guards at the boundaries. Thankfully, the legendary beasts did not think that Humans would one day dare to guide him over. Putting aside all the wasteful thoughts, Shi Lang moved forward and treaded the mountains slowly.

    He was very cautious about everything he did in this ce. Shi Lang did not wish to attract attention and he even made sure to erase his traces. This was apletely uncharted territory for him.

    While moving forward he was recording the changes in the terrain and the atmosphere. He was able to breath a lot easier and the wind had a slight chill to it. This was an obvious indication that the ce had abundant spiritual energy. However, what he could not understand was the sandy white ground.

    The mountains were high enough to prate the clouds, but they were all covered with white sand grains. He bent down and felt the grains to confirm that their nature was simr to sand as he knew it.

    He collected a small sample and moved forward. Sovereign Healing Hands had told him that the tomb must be located in the southern part of the mountain range and it was going to be a long journey.

    Although he did not need to eat but now that his body was not flowing with spiritual energy, he would have to rest and recover his physical body. His battle suit did provide him with nano massage pads. It even regted the temperature of the body to ensure the agent wearing it wasfortable.

    He travelled for two days before taking a rest in a ditch. He justy there with the camouge on. Shi Lang wasying in a ditch at the top of a mountain peak. He had a clear view of the sky, and he was ready to bring out his sword the moment someone made a move on him.

    His sensory abilities allowed him to sense the space around him for over ten kilometers, and he was surprised because many spirit beasts were outside theirirs and gathering together. They were not fighting but they were gathered together. He was thinking if he should get closer to the group and see what they were doing. However, after some thought, he decided not to probe in too much.

    If the spirit beasts detected him and they alerted a legendary beast it would be a problem. He did not wish to die on his first night in this ce. Just as the thought of giving up popped up in his head, a human figure appeared before the group of spirit beasts.

    The next thing Shi Lang ''saw'' through his ability was the human figure grab a spirit beast and tearing it in two. The Terran took in a deep breath and thought, ''Thank god, I did not approach that group.''

    It was not that the spirit beasts didn''t want to run away, but they could not run away. The human figure had really locked down on them and they all were frozen. Shi Lang realized that legendary beasts were not simply just strong, but they were intolerant towards the weaker creatures.

    The human figure tore apart three spirit beasts from the group and then waved his hand before vanishing. The spirit beasts all fell to the grounds as they were drained of energy and wits to react. Shi Lang did not move, he controlled everything in his body, even his heartbeat was stopped, he opened his pores to infuse the oxygen directly into his body.

    This skill was not to be used until it was necessary because the body would not be able to reject the carbon dioxide trapped in his blood without the blood streaming through the lungs. Shi Lang did this because he was afraid that the human figure might show up in the void above the ditch and tear him apart.

    ...

    In the Martial Council Pce, everyone was sitting around a big table and they were discussing the things that Shi Lang bought up in the meeting a night before. Many people were in opposition to even entertain such an idea, however, their were some that supported this idea.

    Amethyst said, "You all do not have to get so worked up. Go back and think about this topic over theing days, because it will effect not only us, but even the future generations."

    These were old people and at the top of their game as they were worthy of sitting in the top brass positions, so they agreed with her and the council was adjourned.

    Amethyst asked, "What do you think? How is he doing?"

    Old Man Yanshu said, "I have no idea, but guessing from his wits, he might still be alive."

 Chapter 790: Dangerous Titan Mountains.

    Shi Lang had beenying in the ditch silently the entire night. He did not even take a breath too strongly. During the night he spotted the Human Figure move around many times. However, he did not appear on the mountain.

    The Terran had an objective now, it was to find out a pattern in the appearances of the human figure. Everywhere he appeared, he waited for a few seconds before vanishing. Shi Lang was confused if the man was performing a patrol routine or just out for a stroll. His movements were random.

    The sun came up and soon Shi Lang was on the move. He was quick in his steps but did not leave any traces behind. His suit also isted his odor. Shi Lang was worried that the legendary beasts would be sensitive to the human scent.

    His worries were not baseless, these spirit beasts were the sovereigns of this region and slightest change in the aroma or the surroundings did not go unnoticed from their senses.

    Shi Lang made his way to the few spots where the human figure had appearedst night, however, he did not find anything odd. After checking two spots he decided to move and investigate the ce where the human figure had ughtered a few spirit beasts.

    After half an hour when he reached their he discovered the corpses of the spirit beasts. He did not move closer to the corpses, what if the human figure could detect that someone has touched its prey? Shi Lang''s battle suit was equipped with nano-probes.

    He used them to conduct an investigation about the corpses condition. After a few moments, he was surprised, because while the body was torn apart in two segments, there was not a single trace of blood inside them.

    Shi Lang could not understand how that was possible, but then it clicked to him, it was very possible that the human figure from earlier had consumed all the blood essence of the spirit beast for its own use.

    Shi Lang could not help but feel his hair stand on their ends. This was not the first time he hade across cannibalistic creatures, but the viciousness of killing and then consuming the life essence was a very cruel process.

    He sighed and stood up to leave the ce quickly after recalling the nano-probes. They were not to be left behind and detected by the legendary beasts. Shi Lang moved deeper in the mountain range and in this ce he understood the meaning of the strong bullying the weak in real sense.

    After a weak, he found that every human figure would hunt for the spirit beasts. They will find the weakest of them and tear them apart. After a week, Shi Lang wasying on a ridge inside a cave when he sensed something and his body entered a suspended animation state.

    Every function of his body was closed off, no one would count him as alive at this moment. Why did he do so? It was because seven human figures all gathered at the entrance of the cave. Shi Lang would be lying if he was to say that he was not scared. The Terran was so scared that he almost shat himself.

    Seven human figures meant seven legendary beasts. Shi Lang decisively closed his body functions and even stopped circting his sensory ability anymore. However, before he had gone toy to rest inside the cave, he did set up the probes on the surface and they were recording and observing the surrounding for him.

    ...

    The seven people walked inside the cave and one of them snapped his fingers. A fire ball appeared in the middle of them and illuminated the dark cave. Seven people were dressed in silk robes and looked very beautiful and unworldly. People would have called them fairies if not for the fact that they had animalistic features on their faces.

    A man with snake like eyes said, "Have you all heard the news?"

    The people nodded and a woman with a deer antler poking out of her head said, "Master me is getting ready for a tribtion. Is that what you are talking about, Szar?"

    Szar was the snake eyed man. He replied, "Yes, Miss Livia. I am talking about that news only. These days the me lion n has been very alert and they are prohibiting even looking in their direction. It is getting out of control."

    One person with ck spots on his forehead said, "It is indeed true that they are acting a bit too paranoid, but who can me them? Last time they trusted the process and Master Kun attacked their patriarch during the tribtion. Although both of the ns have been maintaining neutrality since then.

    However, now that Master me is again approaching the tribtion, it will be hard to say what Master Kun might pull off."

    The others nodded and Miss Livia said, "I suggest that we all stay away from this ruckus. Last time we tried to intervene and our ns suffered great losses. What do you all think?"

    Szar sighed and said, "If we draw lines with them, then as weak ns we would not be able to withstand the istion that follows. You know we have to rely on them for many things."

    Livia sighed and said, "They also have to rely on us for many things otherwise will they be able to enjoy their daily lives with all smiles and arrogance? These people use us as handymen and in return provide us with resources, but don''t we all know how they despise us because of iplete transformations? Who caused us to be like this?"

    The man with ck spots said, "Monopolizing the pure grade resources and letting us suffer the side effects of defective ones. That is what they do always."

    The conversation went on and on and eventually it turned into the a ranting session. Suddenly, they all fell quite and the conversation took a u-turn. They were now praising the big ns and how they should guard Master me against any potential threat from Master Kun.

    The reason they did this was the impending arrival of a person who they could not mess with. After a few minutes, a young man walked inside the cave and all seven dignitaries knelt to the ground. The young man looked no different than a human. He had no animalistic feature.

    The seven people greeted him, "Greetings, Young Master me."

    The young man waved his hand and said, "Have youe up with a protection detail?"

    The seven of them nodded and began to describe him what they thought while they were on their knees. They did not even raise their heads to look at the young man. After half an hour the young man said, "Do well and I will get your people some more resources."

    The seven people replied, "Thank you for your grace, Young Master."

    The young man did not even say anything before leaving. After a few minutes, the people stood up from the ground and Szar said, "Thank god for the fact that he cannot control his overwhelming spiritual sense."

    The people nodded and then after discussing for a bit they decided to leave too. Shi Lang was like a corpse that had melted and bonded with the cave wall. That was why he escaped the spiritual sense of the Young Master.

    After detecting that there was no moment in the cave, the nano probes glided through the void and came to settle back on Shi Lang''s body before discharging a neural shock on the patch of skin behind his neck.

    The small jolt made the Terran jumpstart his body and the functions soon resumed. The nano probes settled inside the suit and then the man spent an entire night, watching and listening to the footage of the meeting.

    He did not expect that even among the legendary beasts their were discriminations and to think they despised humans. Such hypocrites these people were. The journey continued, and Shi Lang faced many challenges, sometimes he almost got caught. However, his gadgets helped him a lot.

    Soon, he was in the southern part of the mountain range and the soul jade on his waist shook. Shi Lang quickly locked in on the direction, and began to follow the direction. The Terran was excited but suddenly a calm voice sounded behind him, "You intend to die by entering the trap, don''t you?"

    He froze in his spot. The voice and the words of this person have been watching him for a long time now. How did he not trace her on his sensory ability. Suddenly, the voice said, "Do not think too much, quickly follow my directions if you wish to live. The me lion n is heading over to your side."

    Shi Lang was stunned but he did not know if he could believe a stranger''s word. Thedy said, "You can choose to die if you want to I will send your pieces back home to your family."

    The Terran sighed and ran in the direction told by the strange voice.

 Chapter 791: Allure.

    Shi Lang did not hesitate anymore, he could tell that this voice did not hold malicious intent toward him. He followed the instructions and ran quickly.

    The voice said, "Turn left, and keep running."

    Shi Lang took a left turn and rushed through the thicket. His speed was not slow, but he could sense a pair of eyes set upon him. It was not a legendary beast, but it was a spirit beast. This thing seemed excited after discovering Shi Lang and chased after him very quickly.

    Shi Lang did not wish to fight with this guy because he could tell that it was a spirit beast emperor. He was strong but his spiritual energy was sealed and he would not be able to keep up with the stealthy approach. Even if he used his spiritual energy, the outburst would alert the Legendary beasts.

    Just when he was thinking what he should do, when the voice in his mind said, "Stop thinking and run up the mountain before you. That Beast Emperor will catch up to you in seventy seconds."

    Shi Lang felt his heart pick up the pace. He gave up the restrains and began to use the kic boost in his battle suit. His leaps becamerger and his speed became faster. He leaped on the mountain side as if a ram.

    Just when he was about to reach the top of the mountain he caught the sight of the enemy behind him. Shi Lang swore that this was the first time he had seen a beast that had a lion head but deer antlersing out of its forehead.

    He quickly climbed the mountain and the voice in his head said, "Do you see the other side of the summit?"

    Shi Lang found that the summit was not wide, and forty meters away from him was the other end. He rushed and then heard the voice said, "Jump from there."

    For a moment, Shi Lang hesitated and then he decided to see things through and rushed toward the cliff to the best of his ability. He covered forty meters distance in two steps and then his figure leaped off the cliff in full momentum.

    Shi Lang looked down and gulped, the distance from the ground was almost three kilometers. He did not realize this when he climbed the top of the mountain blinking. While he was falling down, he managed to twist his body and look at the beast exploding into a bloody mess.

    ...

    Shi Tao was following Fairy Moon Jade to the front and while traveling she was watching everything that Shi Lang suffered from on a small monitor. Moon Jade asked her, "Did you give a simr device to Amelia?"

    Shi Tao shook her head and replied, "Mom does not have the patience to look at him going through all the trouble. She never watched any of his mission videos in the lower realm either. However, Hao Mie is very interested in the technology so I gave her a device."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded and said, "Xiao Yu is more like your father. While Xiao Mei shows a lot of his wisdom in her character."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Xiao Yu has the potential to grow into one of the most feared cultivators in the world and Xiao Mei is capable of growing into a big person who could support many organizations on her own. However, that time is still far away."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded silently. They were moving on a spirit vessel, because Fairy Moon Jade was not feeling well enough to go back to the front. She asked, "Tao, how confident you are in taking control of the army once we get back?"

    Shi Tao thought and said, "If I can beat up the strong contenders it will be settled quickly. If I am not allowed to fight with them, just give me a small contingent of women, I will tame the men."

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded and then she fell silent to look at the horizon. Shi Tao noticed the oddity in her mood and put away her device as she said, "You are missing Senior Tian Long?"

    Fairy Moon Jade nodded and replied, "Yes, I am."

    Shi Tao continued, "It is good that you are acknowledging this matter straight forwardly. However, if you stay gloomy things will not turn good."

    Fairy Moon Jade looked at her and Shi Tao said, "Senior, I do not mean to lecture you on the state of mind. You have every right to feel the way you are feeling right now. I just hope that you know, this vulnerability should not be showed to the rest of the world."

    Thedy understood what Shi Tao meant and nodded. She said, "Thank you, Tao. I seemed to have forgotten this fact. After all, these past few days many people treated me with great care and pampered me a lot."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "It was what we all do for the ones we care about. Things will be better soon. Just now Baba avoided getting chased down by a Spirit Beast Emperor. Also, I received a footage from a few of the nano-probes, there seemed to be many legendary beasts in the region."

    Fairy Moon Jade was curious and asked, "Show me what is going on."

    Shi Tao nodded and handed her the device as she taught her how to use it. She used this trick to make sure that Fairy Moon Jade was distracted and not feel blue.

    ...

    Shi Lang fell through the void and just when he was about to reach the ground, he took out a hover board and the levitation feature kicked in. However, the momentum of the freefall was too strong and even after the recoil force of the hover board hended hard on the ground.

    After getting a grip of himself, he sighed in gratitude that his body was intact and he did not suffer anything more than sprained muscles.

    After checking himself, when he turned his head around to check his surroundings he was stunned. He was standing inside a valley located between five mountains. His could not help but think that the ce was familiar.

    Just when he was thinking about the relevance of this ce a calm voice sounded from the side, "Finally, the master of those clones."

    The Terran reacted quickly and turned to the side as he assumed a battle stance. He spotted ady sitting atop a boulder with her white hair falling over her shoulders like a snowy waterfall. Her beauty could not be defined with mere words. Shi Lang could swear that he never saw someone like her.

    His heart that was usually stable was trembling. However, he quickly started chanting the Shura Sutra. He needed to calm his mind before anything else. This woman had the power to kill him with just a nce.

    Thedy noticed this and she nodded in approval. Shemented, "You are indeed quick with your wit, human."

    Shi Lang finished one cycle before he opened his eyes and greeted thedy with cupped fist and bowed head, "Greetings, Senior."

    Thedy smiled faintly and asked, "You do not wish to discriminate with me because I am a spirit beast or is it because you are scared of me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "Senior, I am not the one who discriminates in Humans or Spirit beast. We all cultivate to break the shackles set upon us. Also, yes, you are very strong and that is why I am afraid of you too."

    Thedy nodded and said, "I am Allure. You must have heard of me."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Indeed, I have. You are the personage who helped my clones gain enlightenment."

    Allure nodded and said, "So, what brings you here in the depth of the Titan Mountains?"

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "I am searching for a tomb as you know, the movement in the jade ball was to lead me to the tomb but you stopped me from walking into the death trap."

    Allure shook her head, Shi Lang could not help but feel worried about himself. Every movement she did, it carried the charm of Dao. She was on a level where a nce from her could make people give up their lives and they would not even realize.

    She said, "You were not wrong, there is indeed a tomb in that location. It belongs to the human expert who ventured here in the past. However, now that tomb is air of defected Spirit beasts."

    Shi Lang was surprised but given the sudden appearance of that beast emperor just now, it was true that Allure was not lying to him. He asked, "Senior, is there any way to defeat them? That tomb holds something of great importance to me."

    Allure smiled and said, "I can sense the presence of another soul on you. That tomb might have the inheritance left behind by that human expert. However, you will not find it so easily. You will need to do something for me before you can get to the inheritance."

    Shi Lang was confused but given that this was his only option, he asked, "Senior, what do you need me to do?"

 Chapter 792: Condition.

    Allure heard Shi Lang asking what she needed and she chuckled. The entire ce echoed with herughter, and Shi Lang sensed his heart tremble to the sound waves. The Terran calmed himself and heard thedy speak, "Your strength is not enough to give me anything."

    Shi Lang was confused by this. Obviously, he knew that he was not strong, if so then why did thisdy even mentioned a condition. This did not sit well with him. As he was thinking, Allure said, "I am trapped in this valley. I cannot go out. The only condition I ask from you is to help me break away from this binding."

    Shi Lang was shocked, he did not expect thisdy, who was so powerful that every move she made carried a hint of Dao Laws to be trapped in this valley. He was curious but did not know if he should ask her or not. Allure smiled at him and said, "Yes, I am trapped here."

    Shi Lang asked in bewilderment, "How? You are a legendary beast, right?"

    Thedy nodded and replied, "Being Legendary beast does not make any difference if you are weak."

    The Terran gulped a mouthful of saliva at this point. He asked, "Senior, can you tell me how you were trapped in this ce?"

    Allure sighed and said, "I was just a new Legendary beast, and someone from the moon wolf n lusted after me. I refused to indulge his demands of courtship. Foxes and Wolves were at odds, and so one day when I left my territory and was searching for some herbs, that guy appeared. He was stronger than me, and cornered me in this valley."

    Shi Lang was hooked to her story. He sat down on the ground to listen more attentively. Allure continued, "The wolf was the n''s Alpha and he was a strong person. When he thought he had me in the corner, I used my innate technique to charm him. When his guard was at the weakest, I asked him to kill himself."

    The Terran was shocked and stood up straight like a spear in fright. He forgot that thisdy could make him do her bidding with a blink of her eyes.

    Allure smiled and asked, "Are you scared?"

    Shi Lang nodded honestly, by now he knew very well that thedy could read the thoughts in his mind. He said, "I think it is necessary for me to have a guard up against everyone who is stronger than me. I do not wish to die cluelessly, at least."

    Allure chuckled and said, "You are an amusing one, Human."

    Shi Lang asked, "Senior, I do not understand how you were trapped in here even though that Alpha Wolf killed himself."

    Allure smiled and said, "He used his dying breath to put up a cursed array in this ce. It is called the death cage. I cannot get out of this ce unless I destroy my body."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and asked, "You cannot give up the body for freedom, because that would make you lose your strength, and your bloodline. No wonder you are stuck here."

    Allure nodded and said, "It took me three centuries to reach the realm of a legendary beast. I had only started to integrate by blood with Dao Laws. Now, I have ny five percent of my blood refined with Dao Laws. If only I was stronger in that moment."

    Shi Lang could sense her irreconciliation. Who would like to spend so much time isted in this array when you have such a wide world to travel? Allure said, "I have been here for five centuries. Even the memories of the world outside this valley has turned into a blur."

    The Terran gulped and remarked, "I cannot imagine spending five hundred years in a ce like you did."

    Allure sighed as she gazed at the sky. Shi Lang said, "You know senior, when I was in the lower realms, there were times when I would have to go through tough training to achieve a higher realm, and my heart would yearn for rest and travel.

    However, I still persisted. You are also persisting in a situation where you do not wish to stay. We both are simr to each other in that manner."

    Allure gazed at him in askance and Shi Lang said, "You might not want topare yourself with me."

    She did not hide her disdain for him. Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Senior, in our world there is an idiom, You only face the problems you are capable of dealing with. Your problem is bigger than mine, but that is because you are stronger than me. I want to ask you a question."

    Allure nodded, she did not have anyone to talk to her for years, so she was going to talk to him. Shi Lang asked, "Senior, how strong was the Alpha Wolf when he cast the array here?"

    Allure replied, "He was one of the kind genius, hundred percent blood refinement."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Then how did your charm work on him?"

    Allure replied calmly, "Innate techniques have the power to bypass realm if they are executed with a correct timing."

    Shi Lang was surprised but then he nodded. The logic seemed to be fair. Innate techniques were created with the rawest forms of Daows in nature. They allowed one to get through realm barriers and even if it was not a killing blow, the impact will leave the victim with a critical injury.

    The Terran asked, "Does the effect of this sacrificial technique stays the same always? Has it never diminished?"

    Allure shook her head and said, "The wolf n visits the surrounding every fifty years, they follow the will of theirte Alpha and strengthen the barrier to its peak every fifty years."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, andmented, "This is a sacrificial technique, so it must require sacrifices, right?"

    Allure nodded and replied, "It doesn''t they juste here to strengthen the grudge he held against me."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and asked, "Does it mean that Alpha Wolf can materialize?"

    Allure nodded and said, "You are quite smart to figure this out."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and asked, "How about we negotiate with him directly?"

    Allure was puzzled and questioned, "How do you intend to do that?"

    The Terran thought and asked, "Since his soul is holding onto a grudge and is settled here, doesn''t that mean he is unable to attain salvation and enter the cycle of life and death?"

    Allure was surprised by this. It was true. They were cultivators and just like how they cultivated Dao Laws, they had to be mindful of karma, and if they did end up dying, then it was their karma that would allow them to enter the cycle of life and death.

    Allure remarked, "So that means the Alpha is trapped in this realm."

    Shi Lang nodded but Allure clicked her tongue and said, "You might not know about this but the thing is that Moon wolves do not give up on their hatred. It is not in their nature."

    The Terran thought for a bit and said, "There must be some way to get rid of this hatred."

    He sat down and began to think. In all these years, Allure has never given up on the hope of getting out of this prison. Shi Lang did not know her but he knew that if thedy got out and helped him cleaning up the tomb and get that inheritance he will be a lot more stronger. Also, with the favor of a Legendary beast, it would not be hard for him to walk out of the Titan Mountain.

    The next day he asked, "Can you conjure a shred of your soul power and ce it inside a puppet?"

    Allure nodded and said, "I can. I have tried that but the Alpha''s remnant can always recognize the puppet not being me."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and asked, "What is your attribute of cultivation?"

    Allure replied, "At my level the attribute does not matter. I have the Dao Laws, I can control all of them."

    The Terran raised his head to look up at the sky and then asked, "Can you tell me what is special about your body?"

    Allure red at him, and Shi Lang sensed his hair standing up on their ends. He said, "Senior, what I mean to say is that there must be some difference between your real body and the puppet that the remnant soul can recognize."

    Thedy did not chill out, but after a few moments she said, "It could be the scent from my body."

    Shi Lang nodded, and replied, "usible. May I ask if you know how to detach your soulpletely from your body?"

    Allure nodded and raised her brow in askance. The Terran smiled and said, "Oh, I have an idea. I wonder if you would like to try?"

    Thedy was unsure and said, "Only if you can convince me that this idea will not harm me."

    Shi Lang chuckled and scared thedy even more before he said, "You just have to trust me, things will be alright."

 Chapter 793: You Save Me, I Save You.

    Shi Lang and Allure stood facing each other and the Terran had a smirking expression on his face. Thedy had just asked him about his idea of dealing with the predicament before them. Dealing with the remnant soul of the Alpha was not going to be easy. Imagine someone holding onto a grudge for five hundred years.

    One thing was sure that his soul was now just a vengeful spirit and it would not give up easily. Shi Lang would have to think out of box for this one. He asked, "Senior, let us try this."

    Allure nodded and Shi Lang waved his hand. The next moment a void tunnel appeared out of no where. Thedy said, "Did you not here that I cannot step outside this array even if you have a void tunnel?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior, this tunnel is not a void tunnel but an entrance to a secret ce. We can try this first as it would not do you much harm."

    Allure raised her eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by much harm? Human if you yed any tricks on me, then you will have to deal with more than just the Spirit Beast Emperors."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I know, do not worry. You can poke in your head first and then see if things work for you. If you are fine then go in. Then I will move out of the valley. If it did not work then we will use the second method."

    Allure was skeptical but she still poked her head inside the void hole. When she found that nothing was wrong, she stepped through the portal and Shi Lang closed the void tunnel.

    He did not bother telling her not to move around in the pce. If she offended any of those spirit remnants, then she would be on her own. Shi Lang took a deep breath and then decided to move forward to leave the valley.

    He moved quickly and came to the entrance of the valley, and tried to move out. He was expecting some kind of resistance from the barrier, but nothing of that sort happened. Shi Lang moved out and wanted to open the portal once more when suddenly he sensed a strong baleful energy erupting behind him.

    He kept moving forward until the baleful energy materialized into a spirit phantom of a man. Shi Lang felt a strong pressure descend on his body. He was frozen in his ce unable to move ahead. He sighed and turned around to find a man ring at him with cold red eyes.

    He had a buffed up physique and his hair were flowing over his shoulder. The man had a rough vibe about him but it did not stop there. His red eyes were a sign of his vengefulness. Shi Lang asked, "Senior, may I be of any help to you?"

    The phantom spat on the side and said, "Do not overestimate yourself human. Bring back Allure. I know that you have done something to her. Even if she is hidden from my senses. She will not be able to escape me."

    Shi Lang smiled and shrugged his shoulder, as he replied, "I apologize, Senior, I do not understand what you are talking about."

    The Phantom furrowed his brows and asked, "Do you think I will not notice if that woman is not inside the barrier? There is only one way for her to leave and that is without her soul."

    Shi Lang raised his hand and asked, "Can you detect her soul on me? Or can you detect any strong spirit energy on my body? How do you think I would have sent out Allure from that array?"

    The spirit phantom''s expression changed, and he said, "Boy, do you think this banter will get you away from me? I have frozen you in your spot, would I not be able to kill you?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I have two reasons to believe that you will not kill me, senior."

    The man was amused and he crossed his arms before him and remarked, "Let''s hear it then."

    The Terran smiled and said, "This barrier was created at your dying breath. I do not believe you have strength to attack me and then maintain the barrier. Your n''s people will not being over for the next decade or so to replenish the blood sacrifice. That''s the first reason, second is that even if you kill me, you will not find Senior Allure."

    The man was dazed by these words, he did not expect that this young man would have seen through his n. However, he was not going to give up easily and said, "What if I trap you in there?"

    Shi Lang watched the smirk on the corner of the man''s mouth and said, "Sir, I could have ran away using the same trick that senior Allure used. Do you think if you could not stop her, you would be able to stop me?"

    He was acting calm but his thoughts were all over the ce. He was facing an Alpha, if he did not show that he was significantly dominant in this situation, he would end up died. Another thing was that he could not use the portal inside the Titan Mountain again. The reason was that the space maniption would alert the Legendary Beasts.

    Inside the barrier no spiritual consciousness could reach them, it was like an independent world. However, if he was to use the portal to leave, then toe back he would have to ask that entric fox senior for help. Who knew if she would stick to her word. Heck, he was not even sure of thedy had not taken off right after she appeared in the inheritance pce.

    The man asked, "What can be done in this situation? What if I decide to give up my grudge with Allure and just kill you?"

    That said, he revealed a killing intent that materialized behind him with a red fog. Shi Lang was shocked, he realized that his n has backfired, this guy was a left over spirit and he was going to kill him no matter what. Shi Lang''s forehead was covered with sweat.

    He was cursing himself for the seal on his spiritual energy. If he had the energy then he could have at least put up a desperate struggle. He thought about using the Dao Laws, however, that would cause the Legendary Beasts toe after him even if he survived under the hands of this big guy.

    Shi Lang watched the man transform into a werewolf and he was thinking what he could do when a calm voice sounded beside him, "Haven''t you grown tired of this approach of yours, n Leader Soma."

    Shi Lang turned his head and found Allure walking over from the side and she was looking as beautiful as ever. The Terran could sense that something was different about this woman in this moment, but he could not put his finger on it. Just when he was wondering if thedy just used her void tunnel she said, "Do not worry too much, I flew here. That is why I took so long."

    Shi Lang nodded and the Werewolf phantom before him roared. Allure waved her hand to create a barrier around the mountain. She said, "We would not want anyone to hear you so loud, right?"

    That said she made her way to the phantom very slowly. The alpha wolf said, "Fine, since you want to die, then I will satisfy you, whore!"

    Shi Lang frowned and Allure''s ever so charming face turned cold. She moved in a blink and said, "Soul Fire."

    An ice blue ball of fire appeared hovering above her palm and then she shoved the ball of fire at the phantom. Shi Lang shivered, the ball of mes was so cold that the entire ce around them was covered in a two inches thickyer of frost.

    The ball of mes touched the spirit phantom. It caused the victim''s soul to wail in agony but it did not kill him instantly. Shi Lang grew numb as he stood on the side watching this scene. In the end, the soul of the alpha wolf was reduced to the size of an inch.

    Allure waved her hand and collected the soul inside a jade bottle. Shi Lang was perplexed as to why Allure did that. The legendary fox beast gazed at him and said, "It amuses me how you could be such a dummy."

    Shi Lang furrowed and asked, "Excuse me, Senior. Could you please tell me what do you mean by this?"

    Allure rolled her eyes and said, "That man caused me to be stuck in that circle for five hundred years. Do you think I would let him get away from me so easily? I am beautiful but I am not a saint."

    Shi Lang was shocked but then he nodded in understanding. He turned his head in the direction of the ruins, and Allure said, "First you need to grow to the Immortal Emperor level. Otherwise, you would not be able to enter that ce."

    Shi Lang was stunned and asked, "Are you kidding?"

    Allure shook her head and said, "Come, I will bring you over to see for yourself."

 Chapter 794: Immortal Emperor.

    Allure waved her hand and the two people vanished from the ce. They appeared outside another valley. Shi Lang could only see spirit beast emperors resting inside the valley and he was stunned. He could count at least two hundred of them visible to his eyes only.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Senior, what the fuck is wrong with this situation? Even if I ascend to Immortal Emperor level, these beasts would not spare me."

    Allure shook her head and said, "The ce is surrounded by a barrier that only allows Immortal Emperors to pass through. As for the beast emperors they were actually tamed by the human expert."

    Shi Lang was shocked and eximed, "What the heck? How can he tame any spirit beast in the Titan Mountains?"

    Allure smiled and replied, "That is what defines a genius. They are able to do things that could normal people cannot."

    Shi Lang was tired and he sat down on the ground before he said, "These beasts will not allow me to enter the ruins at all."

    Allure replied, "These beasts are at the Emperor level, and they are all spiritual. If you tell them that you are here to pay your respects to the experts, they will not harm you. You do have his soul bead, right?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and sighed, "To think that even after climbing to the realm of Immortal Emperor, I will have to give people a lip service."

    Allure smiled as she watched his expression. She said, "You can try to cultivate here. I will create a barrier around you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you, Senior."

    Allure waved her hand to create a barrier and moved away from Shi Lang. The Terran had no care in the world. He had been in this ce for only a week, and managed to find his location thanks to his sensory abilities. Other cultivators did not manage to survive this long, and he also managed to pay off the debt that he owed to Allure for enlightening his clones.

    ...

    While Shi Lang was cultivating, Amelia was guiding the two girls on their path of cultivation. Yun Xue was settling in her roles of the Asura Hall deputies with Yang Niao. She was using her experience from the mercenary days to work her way around the people.

    Bo Qingtan was traveling the Eastern Barrens to scout for new talents. He was going to gather them all and wait in the Inheritance Pce. Shi Lang would seek them out on his own.

    Amelia was busy guiding Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei in their cultivation. She was very strict and the girls even missed the days where they could cultivate with some peace thanks to their master. Shi Lang was strict but he did not grind them day and night.

    Yu Xeidi sobbed one day after finishing her training and was venting to Hao Mei when Ying Yu heard both of them. Thedy smiled and approached them. She asked, "Why are you two little ones so sad?"

    Yu Xeidi wiped away her tears and put up the strong front before her. She did not talk but stood behind Hao Mie. She did not open up with Ying Yu despite all the efforts put in by thetter.

    Hao Mei said, "Elder Ying, we are tired and miss our master."

    Ying Yu nodded and asked, "Is it because your Mistress is strict?"

    Hao Mei hesitated but Ying Yu continued, "You know why she is so strict?"

    The girls shook their heads and Ying Yu said, "The thing is, you two are girls and you will need to ovee the biggest obstacle set upon you by the nature."

    Hao Mei thought for a bit and said, "The strength of a man is higher then that of a woman. Master told us that."

    Ying Yu nodded and said, "It is not the techniques practiced by the people, but the strength of their body. Women are blessed with great flexibility, speed and healing abilities. However, all these skills can only be redeemed by repetitive practice."

    Hao Mei nodded and asked, "Elder Ying, is it true that Master''s teaching were wrong?"

    Ying Yu shook her head and wanted to say something when Yu Xeidi said, "No, Master cannot be wrong."

    Her belief in Shi Lang was unshakable. Ying Yu smiled and said, "Your Master is not wrong, and your Mistress is just very disturbed at the moment. She misses Shi Lang, and that is why she is also cultivating alongside you. However, she has forgotten that you two are children. Do not worry, I will talk to her."

    Hao Mei shook her head and said, "Elder Ying, please do not say anything to Mistress. She does not wish to harm us, but at this moment when she needs some time for herself, it is our duty to silently support her. If we cultivate beside her, she will not feel alone."

    Ying Yu was shocked, she could still digest that Hao Mei would say such a thing, but the moment she looked at Yu Xeidi, the girl said, "I will follow my Senior Sister."

    Thedy was stunned by the loyalty and dedication these two children disyed. Amelia had told her about their stories. She knew how much they loved Shi Lang but to think they were willing to bear all this for Amelia. She smiled and said, "Alright,e along, I have some goodies that Shi Tao left for us. You can use them to rx."

    The girls hesitated and then nodded to follow her.

    On the other side, Shi Tao had beaten up all the experts below Immortal Sovereign realm. She had came to a draw with people in the peak of Immortal Emperor Realm. The people were shocked, but when Fairy Moon Jade revealed the fact that she was Shi Lang''s daughter. The people understood the reason behind her skills.

    The girl was not as gentle as her appearance, she ruled with an iron fist, and she did not tolerate any mistake and the entire army worked like an extremely precise machine. They were killing people all the way on the front. The fame of the Heavenly Dragon Army was literally rising like the sun.

    The other armies understood that the Heavenly Dragon Army was enacting revenge on the demon cultivators but they were too ferocious. The hordes of demon cultivators would run away at the sight of ck armors. Shi Tao used an intimidation tactic. They would behead all the corpses after battle and create a pile of them on the side of the battlefield.

    They were simply terrifying. At this moment, Shi Tao was monitoring Shi Lang''s surroundings and found that the Terran was cultivating. She noticed Allure through the nano probe she manipted remotely and approached Fairy Moon Jade, who was charging ahead with the army to ensure the motivation of the soldiers.

    ...

    Shi Lang was cultivating and he did not notice the time that flew by. He wasprehending Dao Laws of lightning, destruction, and space. He was also looking into the Dao Laws of intent and indifference. However, theprehension was not easy. People did not know this but once the Dao Laws were sacrificed, they will fuse with the great Dao.

    Once that happened, the person would be despised by the Dao Laws for abandoning them. Then, ording to the heavenly punishment that person will have troubleprehending thosews.

    Shi Lang had never thought it would be so tough. He was immersed in getting stronger and did not notice that many things around him were changing quickly. Allure on the other hand was shocked. When she saw that the young man before her wasprehending Dao Laws her surprise turned into a shock.

    She did not expect him to have such a talent. However, she said, "If only you were a spiritual beast, then your talent would have been shocking. If only you couldpletely inscribe yourself with the Dao Law, your potential would have been enough to give the dragon race a run for their money."

    Just as she stopped talking, she was shocked to sense that Shi Lang''s pressure was rising constantly. She mumbled, "He is trying to inscribe thews on his blood cells. This is madness."

    Shi Lang was mad, because if he messed up the pressure and intensity of this task, then his blood could run dry. Every failed inscription could cause the lose of life. It was like a time bomb flowing through the veins. However, Shi Lang had no intention of stopping. He has just found that the few blood drops that were inscribed had increased his strength significantly.

    Even after that he was just a bit ahead of the spirit beast emperors, but not yet good enough to step into the Immortal Emperor realm. He focused on inscribing the walls of his Dantian. The spiritual energy flowing through his body became stronger by doing this. However, he was still not good enough. He tried to figure out what was going on, and Allure said, "Your Soul should be that of the Emperor."

    The hint was subtle, however, it was going to change Shi Lang''s strengthpletely.

 Chapter 795: Immortal Emperor (2)

    Shi Lang sat inside the barrier and he was improving his cultivation at a scary pace. He was engraving his blood with Dao Laws and at the same time he wasbining all the Dao Laws he had inscribed over himself till now as well.

    This was the most crucial step in getting to the higher realm. Shi Lang was really focused and his mind was doing three things at the same time. He was too crazy at the moment and Allure was shocked by just watching him cultivate.

    She smiled and mumbled, "This kid is simply too broken in his mind. If he makes even a slightest of mistake, he will just evaporate. Heavens might be rewarding, but they are also unforgiving."

    The Terran did not care and for the next one week he kept cultivating at the best speed that he could, and Allure had rained havoc in the wolf n to enact vengeance. She directly killed the elder of the n and many of the strong experts were fatally injured. Many people noticed this but none of them came to help the wolf n.

    Titan Mountains may be the paradise of legendary beasts but none of them would go out of their way to help someone. This world was even crueler than the rest of the world. Even Demonic cultivators had somepassion for the fellow demonic cultivator.

    Allure was sitting on a boulder sampling a spirit fruit she robbed from the wolf n when she noticed the sky darkening. The ce was filled with grey clouds and it was just the starting. She looked at Shi Lang and said, "Hmmm, he is reaching the peak of his realm very quickly. It is troublesome."

    She was worried that the iing tribtion would attract a lot of attention from a lot of strong people. Those with power were always worried about someone else getting stronger than them. They all manipted the weak and the means of getting stronger.

    Titan Mountains were filled with a lot of Immortal Emperors, and many of the Immortal Kings would ascend every now and then. However, the reason Shi Lang''s tribtion could gain attention from the people was the intensity it had.

    The Terran had mastered the red lightning but now the lightning on the clouds had a tint of violet. Even Allure could not remember when she has faced a tribtion like this forget about witnessing.

    Just when she was thinking about what it would be like, Shi Lang stood up from the ground and stretched his body. Allure said, "Boy, do you agree to carry my mark on your body?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and then asked, "Does this mark mean I am your ve?"

    Allure took a deep breath and nodded as she remarked, "You sure have some keen perception."

    Shi Lang sighed and asked, "You are giving me the mark so that I can be protected from the people in the Titan Mountains, right?"

    Allure nodded and the Terran replied, "Fine, I only hope that it is not a ve mark. I would rather die fighting than be a ve."

    His tone was firm and his eyes were clear. Allure understood that he was really serious about this. She walked closer to him and caressed his forearm with her fingertip.

    A me tattoo emerged on his skin. Shi Lang looked at the pattern and furrowed his brows. Allure raised her brow and asked, "What is it?"

    The Terran replied, "Nothing, this mark seem very familiar to me."

    Allure nodded and did not say anything further, because the lightning in the clouds was growing vtile. She said, "I will maintain the order, you can face the tribtion on your own."

    Shi Lang nodded and thanked her. Allure retreated in a distance, because she could not predict the impact of the violet bolts. She thought Shi Lang would be taking things slow and suddenly Shi Lang said, "Come on, what are you waiting for? Do you want your chosen children toe over and watch you y with me?"

    The heavenly lightning became agitated but it still did not fall over Shi Lang. The Terran chuckled and said, "You seem to fear those over-achieving old people. Why am I not surprised? Scared of the strong and bully for the weak."

    The lightning turned into stark violet, and it struck down. The lightning was as thick as a tree and it morphed into a python. The beast roared and caused the surroundings to tremor as it came down. The Terran smiled and closed his eyes as he stood in the void. The pressure of the lightning was weighting down on his shoulders and caused him to lose altitude but Shi Lang was not a quitter.

    He spread his arms and the lightning python crashed into his chest directly. Shi Lang fell to the ground as the python drilled inside his body. The Terran grit his teeth and clenched his fists as the heavenly lightning channeled through his body destroying everything that stood in its past.

    Shi Lang began running his cultivation sutra and focused on refining the heavenly lightning in his body. Allure was watching this from the side and she was stunned at the guts Shi Lang disyed.

    Suddenly, she frowned and mumbled, "Do note over if you wish to leave safely."

    A figure appeared not far from her. It was an old man with a pointy nose and burly body. His white hair flew around like clouds and his beard was braided thick under his chin. The personmented, "Hmm, a human dared to barge into our ce and even break through to a higher realm. An ant over reaching his hand, perish."

    The old man was about to wave his hand when he heard a calm voice, "Seems like the pearl crown vultures have grown senile in their old age."

    The old man furrowed his brow and said, "Hmph, Lady Mina, your jade peacock n has no business here, begone."

    The neer was an elegantly dressed woman. She was very beautiful, but still a little behind Allure, who said, "Have you two grown blind? Can you not see this seat?"

    The two people turned to look at Allure and they were shocked by her aura. Lady Mina asked, "Senior, you are."

    She was doubtful since not many people knew about Allure. Thedy asked, "Who is Lady Mertyl to you?"

    Lady Mina was stunned and replied, "Lady Mertyl is the matriarch of the n."

    Allure put on an amused reaction andmented, "Not bad for that snotty nosed princess. Well, call her over, it has been five centuries since we have seen each other."

    Mina was shocked and looking at Allure''s aura, she was sure that thisdy could be a friend with her matriarch, so to avoid any further trouble, she nodded and ignited a talisman. Meanwhile, Allure turned to look at the old man and said, "That young human is my familiar. If you dared to move against him, then the moon wolves will be your example. Do not mess with my ns. Ignorant fools!"

    The old man was immediately put in his ce. He turned pale from the sudden pressure squeezing his body from all directions. He quickly replied, "I understand, Senior."

    In the distance, Shi Lang finished absorbing the lightning energy in his body and the suit on his body began to crumble. He used his neural link with the suit to disperse the probes around, because the data stored in them could be useful in the future. The next moment, two pythonsshed at him from the sky.

    Shi Lang took a deep and said, "Come, I am not afraid of anything."

    The two neers were shocked to see Shi Lang acting so crazy in the face of violet lightning tribtion.

    ...

    Shi Tao was watching the lightning tribtion on her tab and she mumbled, "Baba, you are such a monster."

    Fairy Moon Jade appeared beside her and asked, "What do you think is happening?"

    Shi Tao sighed and told her the situation. Moon Jade was shocked to hear all this and said, "I only hope that he makes it out safely."

    The girl beside her nodded, because she was also worried about Shi Lang''s situation after watching this footage. She was wise enough to hold this information from Amelia. Or the war maiden would have rushed to the Titan Mountain directly.

    ...

    A graceful maturedy appeared at the site of the Tribtion, and asked, "Mina, why did you call me over?"

    Mina wanted to reply but Allure spoke up, "Snotty, you haven''t changed much, but your figure has improved quite a bit."

    Mertyl furrowed her brows and the next moment she red at Allure. Who was smiling at her with a gentle expression. She asked, "Who are you?"

    Allure smiled and replied, "What, you do not even remember me, snotty nosed princess?"

    Mertyl froze and a hazy memory emerged in her mind. She asked doubtfully, "Allure?"

    Allure nodded and Mertyl flickered from her position and appeared next to her. However, before she could ask anything, a loud roar echoed in the surroundings. Shi Lang was being rammed by the twin lightning bolts.

 Chapter 796: Immortal Emperor (3)

    Shi Lang roared as the lightning energy in his body was rampaging on a cellr level. He was running his cultivation sutra at full speed. However, it was failing to keep up with the speed of destruction.

    The Terran tolerated the pain but his skin, that was as strong as steel ripped open in many ces because of the energy channeling inside him. Shi Lang began to chant the sutra orally, "The will is the only thing that can surpass the heavens. Make your will so strong that it manifests in your life..."

    In the distance, Mertyl stood beside Allure, they had just caught up with each other when they heard the sutra chant. The former said, "Allure, this ve boy of yours does not seem to realize that he is giving away his cultivation secrets."

    Allure rolled her eyes and said, "Firstly, he is not my ve, second, you cannotprehend his secrets because you do not understand the essence and origin of the sutra."

    Mertyl smiled and said, "I am just messing with you. So, how did you get out of that barrier?"

    Everyone knew that she had been imprisoned but over the years even if they tried to help nothing worked. They could not get her toe out and as everyone grew busier in their cultivation and obligations they stopped meeting her.

    Allure replied, "This kid saved me, he used a secret skill to help me out."

    Mertyl was curious about the secret skill and Allure shook her head saying, "Do not ask me, I do not know. This kid is strong and helped me out in hopes of getting out of this ce."

    The matriarch of the Jade Peacock n asked, "How did he get in here?"

    It was a surprise for them to spot a human in the depths of Titan Mountains. Humans dreaded this ce, just a mention of the legendary beasts would make them run away for their lives. Yet, there they were, watching a Human going through the lightning tribtion.

    Allure shrugged and said, "Didn''t a spirit vessel past by a few days ago?"

    Mertyl thought for a bit and nodded, "Yeah, it was going from the south to the east. I collected a bounty from them, why?"

    Allure replied, "This guy fell from that spirit vessel and someone had sealed his spiritual energy."

    Mertyl nodded, and Allure continued, "I removed the seal so that he could leave me alone, but I did not expect him to do me such a big favor."

    The matriarch nodded and said, "It is good then, to think that a human would help a legendary spirit beast."

    Allure nodded and continued watching the situation keenly. Mertyl was also drawn to the human facing violet lightning before them.

    ...

    Shi Lang stopped reading his sutra aloud as he managed to pick up the pace of digesting the lightning energy channeling through his body.

    However, his situation was not looking good. The Terran took a deep breath, and diverted the left over energy into healing his body.

    He also used the energy to channel it through the inscribed Dao Laws on his body. The Dao Law runes were like drought effectednds where the energy was akin to water. They absorbed everything without leaving a single drop for the nature.

    The Terran absorbed the energy but containing such a big quantity inside his body was proving to be really dangerous. As he finished digesting the second bout of lightning the third strike was ready toe at him.

    Shi Lang raised his head to look at the sky as he said, "You sure know how to throw a tough one, don''t you? Come on, I am here to take it all."

    His breathing was slightly ragged but his eyes were firm. As if answering to his call, the lightning fell down towards him. Three bolts shaped as pythons. The impact was loud and it formed cracks on the ground running as deep as a few hundred meters and the mountain was close to copse.

    Shi Lang clenched his fist and yelled to the ground as he shivered in pain. It was as if his soul was burning. He ran the cultivation sutra when he suddenly sensed that some energy was channeling into the dragon tattoo on his forearm.

    The Terran took a deep and mumbled, "Tian Long, you fucking remnant, if you dared to take away my energy, I will fucking chop away your balls before you are revived? You motherfucker stay away."

    Shi Lang''s words made Tian Long''s remnant soul sealed inside the tattoo calm down and stop hogging off the spiritual energy from him. It was not a bad thing that Shi Lang stopped the soul from this, because the energy of the Tribtion was rare, and while absorbing it put a cultivator at the risk of death but the nourishment of the energy was crucial.

    The more energy a cultivator absorbed the stronger they would be. Shi Lang had inscribed his body with multiple of Dao Laws. His body needed as much energy as he could get from the tribtion. Tian Long''s intervention was simply too abrupt and it needed to be stopped.

    Shi Lang began to channel his energy directly to the Dao Law inscriptions and the spiritual energy was absorbed quickly.

    ...

    Amelia was sitting in the meditation room, with Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei were sitting beside her. They were both bearing the burden of five times the normal gravity. They were covered in sweat but they were facing everything with a gusto.

    Suddenly, Ying Yu walked inside the room, and Amelia woke up from the meditation with an angry expression on her face. She asked, "Sister Ying what are you doing?"

    Ying Yu took a deep breath and said, "Senior M just returned, and we have found a hide out of Demonic Cultivators."

    Amelia furrowed her brows and asked, "The strike teams could take care of this situation, right?"

    Ying Yu shook her head and said, "They have seventy young children hostage. The Strike team cannot get inside the enclosure to check the situation. The entire ce us surrounded by a barrier. You are asked to go."

    Amelia thought for a bit and nodded. Despite what went in her mind, she was the Sect Mistress of the War Maiden Sect. She stood up from the spot and turned to look at the two little girls covered with sweat and Hao Mei was even looking pale inplexion.

    She was stunned for a second before she waved her hand to remove the gravitational array. She hurriedly came to their side and channeled her spiritual energy through their bodies so that they could feel a little better.

    Hao Mei woke up but Yu Xeidi was still in meditation. The elder girl said, "Mistress, is everything alright?"

    Amelia could not help but feel horrid by her negligence. She burst into tears and hugged Hao Mei in her embrace. Hao Mei also held her gently and said, "Do not feel bad, we are fine. Xiao Yu is dumb she sits in meditation for as long as she is not hungry."

    Amelia could not help but feel really guilty about the situation and said, "I apologize, sweetheart."

    Ying Yu watched this and smiled, she said, "Take your time, before you go out. I will look for more details."

    ...

    In the Titan Mountain, Shi Lang had already faced six strikes of lightning and the seventh one had justnded over him. The Terran was thrown away like a doll in the hands of the almighty. His body crashed in a mountain side and caused it to crumble down from the impact.

    The Terran experienced the pain of broken bones and shaken organs after a long time. He could not summon Raksha out because that would cause the Tribtion to go mad. However, he still used a lot of energy coursing through his body to heal his bones and resettle his organs.

    The eighth bolt that struck him looked like a smudgy dragon, and it made him cough up a load of blood. The amount of Dao Laws inscribed blood was just a few drops, and Shi Lang had stored it inside his heart.

    He could control his body so he made sure that his effort to cultivate his blood does not go to waste. This blood was half the reason he was facing this violet tribtion. By the time the eighth tribtion bolt struck the Terran, many people had appeared in the surroundings and were stunned.

    They all were legendary spirit beasts, and initially they were amused at Shi Lang, a human, trying to pass such a difficult tribtion, while some wanted to put him out of his misery but when Allure disyed her might, they all stood in a line.

    The after math of the eighth strike left Shi Lang half dead, his skin was charred revealing muscles that were smoldering slowly. However, the pain was keeping Shi Lang awake and agonized. He still stood up to face the final strike that was charging at him while he repaired his body by spending the spiritual energy left inside him.

    The ninth strike rushed down from the clouds and it was a humongous dragon of lightning, and when it struck Shi Lang, the world stopped, the shock waves from the impact changed thendscape in a blink, causing a thick cloud of dust and rubble to erupt on the ground. None of the people, despite superior vision could not see through the dust.

    However, when the cloud receded everyone found a charred figureying on the ground and it did not look alive to them.

 Chapter 797: Shura Emperor.

    The legendary beasts watched a huskying inside the crater. The dust cloud was slowly settling down. They did not have any expression on their faces. It was not a big deal for a cultivator to have died facing the Heavenly Tribtion.

    Mertyl sighed and said, "Did he really die?"

    Allure shook her head and pointed at the sky above. The tribtion clouds parted and soon golden light beams fell over the crater, focused on Shi Lang. This was a proof that Shi Lang had passed the tribtion and heaven was blessing him with energy to recover from his injuries and grow even stronger.

    The legendary beasts saw this and they immediately charged at the golden energy. The reward of heavens was miraculous, as long as they soaked in the light, they would be able to absorb it and grow stronger, heal hidden injuries they umted over the years.

    They did not care about Shi Lang, who did all the hard work. However, just before they could act, a blue ring of fire emerged before them. One of the people did not mind and barely touched the ring of fire before he screamed. All of the people looked at the source of the me ring, Allure, in horror.

    Thedy said, "That kid down there is under my protection. If you dared to steal his hard work, do you believe that I would refine your blood into medicine for him right here?"

    The people were shocked and many of them wanted to protest but when they sensed the pressureing off of her, they held their thoughts. Mertyl took a deep breath and said, "I did not expect you to be so strong after all this time, Allure."

    Allure took a deep breath and said, "It is nothing special, all these years I had nothing else to do and just cultivated."

    Suddenly, a voice echoed in the surroundings, "Have you forgotten that this territory belong to the Azure Scale Qilin n."

    A dignified old man appeared across the crater with a solemn gaze focused at the me ring. Allure looked at the old man and said, "Oh, so I weakened the Wolf n, and your kind swooped in like the vulture to im the territory? Are you sure you guys are Azure scale Qilins and not scaled possums?"

    Mertyl was shocked while the rest of the people gasped visibly when they heard this. They could sense the old man looking really strong, he was a superior legendary beast in their eyes. However, Allure did not show any fear.

    The old man red at her and said, "First, I will kill you, and then I will crush this half dead ant."

    Allure chuckled and said, "I am standing right here, try your best, Possum."

    The old man unleashed his spiritual pressure, and the surrounding people had some trouble breathing. They quickly created distance from him, and Allure was still smiling. She asked, "Is that the best you can do? What a waste of time and effort you are. Allow me to show you what true strength is like."

    Then she unleashed her spiritual energy and said, "They say that seventy percent of blood inscription make you a superior legendary beast. However, they forget to mention that every one percent casts a difference between the power level akin to that of the sky and the ground."

    Her pressure was stronger, and unlike the old Qilin''s it was focused on the old man only. The people who were hoping for the old man to put Allure in her ce were scared shitless, they could not understand how they came across an expert who was so strong. Superior Legendary Beasts did note out frequently, they valued their cultivation more than the world.

    The struggle between the two people began. Allure did not reveal herplete strength, because she did not have the habit of using a sword to finish a needles job.

    ...

    On the ground, Shi Lang healing from the injuries, and he was thinking how he almost died from thest lightning strike. In his mind a lot of thoughts were going on and he could hear the vocal exchange outside. As thankful he was to Allure, he was questioning the fact that he could have gone outside the Titan Mountain with allure ande back after finishing his cultivation.

    Yeah, he was regretting attracting so much attention to himself. However, the main worry at the moment was to see if the pressure from Allure and the Old man would crush his body or it would prove to be helpful.

    Forgetting everything, Shi Lang focused on healing his body.

    Allure and the Old Man were at an impasse for seven minutes, and at this moment, the golden light vanished. Everyone looked at Shi Lang, and they found him standing on the ground with his crimson hair fluttering in the wind. His muscles radiating vitality and power.

    Shi Lang himself was stunned when he sensed the power raging inside his body. He then flexed his body and all the bones issued a crackling sound. Allure scolded from the sky, "Put on some clothes, you insolent creature."

    The Terran did not argue, but quietly took out the set of clothes and put them up. He cupped his fist and bowed to thedy showing his gratitude. Allure said, "How do you feel?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Good enough. May we go?"

    Allure nodded and said, "Yes, it is about time."

    However, the old Qilin was still not willing to give up and said, "How dare you treat the Qilin n with such disrespect?"

    Allure rolled her eyes and said, "First, you bought this upon yourself. Second, I did it because I am stronger than you."

    Shi Lang watched this scene unfold silently. Then he sensed a strong suction aimed at him and his body flew toward the Old Qilin. The Old Man yelled, "I will kill this insect before I deal with you."

    Allure did not expect this and was caught off guard. The suction was so strong that Shi Lang was held by the old man in a blink, and he was dangling in the void. The old man fended off against the pressure from Allure and gazed at Shi Lang coldly. He asked, "How do you feel that you are about to die?"

    Shi Lang asked, "May I ask what is your name?"

    The old man was surprised and chuckled as he said, "Yan, Why?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "Goodbye."

    Just when everyone was surprised about why Shi Lang was bidding farewell to Yan Jing, when they all saw the old man open his eyes wide. A red and golden de was protruding through his torso. He tried to exert force on his hand, but Shi Lang was holding his hand.

    Everyone saw as Shi Lang removed the hand on his neck easily, and twist his de inside Yan Jing''s body. Let alone the people, even Allure was shocked at this disy. Shi Lang said, "Old man, you are strong but that is because you were born a thousand years or even more than me. You are just a pathetic waste of heaven''s blessing.

    Not only are you weak and narrow minded, you also bring shame to your n."

    While he was talking, Raksha was absorbing the blood in Yan Jing''s body very crazily. The person was shrinking up into a pale and wrinkled mess at a visible pace. Shi Lang said, "You must be wondering how I managed to kill you?"

    Yan Jing nodded and Shi Lang continued, "You let your guard down. Second, I have enough Dao Laws to sacrifice. I wanted to see if a Legendary Beast will die to the technique. Thank you for your help in my research."

    The people heard his cold voice and they shivered with a chill running up their spines. Shi Lang was unlike what they had thought about him. He was not weak, he was not a small creature that hade over to the Titan Mountain seeking death. At this moment, he cast a shadow over them that made him look no less then a monster.

    Yan Jing heard him speak as his life was absorbed by Shi Lang''s de. The young man said, "Goodbye."

    Then he kicked Yan Jing straight in his chest, and said, "Senior Allure, I apologize for going over board."

    Allure shook her head and replied, "He started it, and thus he deserved it. You killed him in self-defense. Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask you, what is your Dao title?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Shura."

    Allure nodded and said, "So that means, now you are Shura Emperor? This suits you, killing is an important part of your Dao Path."

    Shi Lang smiled and shook his head as he replied, "You praise me too much, Senior. Shall we go now?"

    He was not only getting praised but the more Allure chastised him, the more heat he was drawing from the Qilin n. Given that he absorbed a lot of providence energy, anyone coulde after him. He did not wish to stay here, and finally managed to get Allure to say yes, so that he could explore the ruin and find the legacy of the senior from Medicine God Valley.

 Chapter 798: Strong Commands Respect.

    Shi Lang had asked Allure repeatedly but it seemed as if the woman was not happy with him killing the elder of the Qilin n so she wanted him to stay in the ce and face the wrath of the entire n.

    The Terran sighed and without hesitation he thought, ''It is true, the stronger the people, the narrower their mind and bad their manners be.''

    Allure raised her brow and wanted to reprimand Shi Lang when a few strong presences appeared beside them. The Terran sighed and gazed at Allure. He could tell from her facial expression that she was caught off guard. She has spent a long time behind the barrier, everything beside her looks and the fighting strength had regressed. She did not understood much of the power dynamics probably.

    A loud voice echoed in the surroundings, "Who dares to shed the blood of my Qilin n, show yourself!"

    The people in the surroundings smiled and descended to the ground, leaving behind only Mertyl, Allure and Shi Lang in the void. The next moment, people appeared around the three of them. Five versus three and that too when Shi Lang was probably just amb for ughter.

    Right now he just used his Dao Laws of Intention. It could not be used over and over again. It did not work like that. Just when he was thinking what to do, an Old Man asked, "Human, why have youe to the Titan Mountains? Is your kind looking for a war?"

    Shi Lang sobered up and replied, "I feel from the spiritual vessel a few days ago. Then I helped Senior Allure and she bestowed me with the mark of a familiar, senior."

    The old man made a grabbing gesture and Shi Lang sensed his neck being strangled. However, his face did not change. He narrowed his gaze at the old man, and said, "So, are you Qilins just a bunch of pussies who woulde and bully the young in the name of revenge? Hypocritic assholes."

    His words shocked the people they did not expect him to stare death in the eye and yet not budge at all. The old man yelled, "Insolent fool! How dare you?! How dare you mock my n?!"

    Shi Lang sensed a strong pressure around his throat and heard Allure''s voice, "He mocks you because that person of your n died in fair battle. Ask everyone present here, your nmate died without even getting a chance to defend himself."

    The old man grit his teeth and Allure continued, "Unhand him."

    Her voice was calm but it wasmanding. The Qilin elder did not want to give up so easily and while exerting pressure against Shi Lang''s neck he asked, "What if I don''t?"

    The Terran''s face was turning blue from red, however, his eyes were not wavering. This was his belief in his path of invincibility. If he did not win, he would die, but he would not bow. Allure shook her head and said, "You just had to provoke me, did you not."

    Then she raised her hand and made the simr grabbing gesture. The old man opened his eyes wide. This woman was strong, she used the exact same method against him. However, he did not want to divert his attention from Shi Lang.

    He turned his gaze to look at his friends, but found that they were also struggling against a grip on their throats. Pale face, and eyes wide open. That was the situation of every Qilin n elder present on the spot.

    Allure said, "Last warning, you have three seconds to decide."

    Her words sent the man who held Shi Lang in a dilemma, he was contemting the pros and cons, when suddenly Allure exerted pressure causing his head to explode like a watermelon. The man did not know why he died till the end. Shi Lang''s neck loosened and he gasped for air.

    Allure looked at the other four people and said, "He came and died in a fair battle, do you all have anyint?"

    The four people immediately shook their heads and Allure said, "Begone! Your arrogance will bring the death of your n."

    They bowed to her, collected the headless corpse and ran away. Shi Lang caught up his breath and Allure said, "Come, now we should get going. It is about time."

    She turned to look at Mertyl and said, "I will take the kid away. It was nice meeting you Mertyl."

    Thetter nodded and even hugged Allure with tears trailing down her cheeks. Then Allure waved her hand and vanished from the ce. Mertyl wiped her tears gracefully and said, "I hope youe back soon."

    In her mind, she was thinking of ways to grow closer to her friend and use her strength to her purposes. She knew that after this incident, Shi Lang and Allure were going to be famous, and given that she was able to handle five superior Legendary beasts and killed one of them as if it was nothing major.

    One has to know that superior Legendary beasts were equivalent to Immortal Sovereigns in humanity. Two of them and one at the hands of an Immortal Emperor, a human. This was going to put shame to their name, and the legendary beasts woulde after Shi Lang, however, with Allure watching his back, it was not going to be easy.

    Thinking about this, Mertyl vanished from her spot. She was going back to her n and make them all get ready to wee Allure whenever she maye.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Allure appeared outside the ruin. The Terran took a deep breath and asked, "Senior, you could have defeated that guy without killing him, why did you kill him?"

    Allure smiled and said, "Young one, what you do not understand is that this world of Legendary Beasts work on strength. Only those who have strength can gather respect from the people."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit, and then said, "I understand what you mean, but will this situation not encourage them toe after us?"

    Allure shook her head and said, "It will not, you should head in to the ruin. I will handle everything."

    The Terran understood that he was over thinking about it. He nodded looked at the barrier before him. Inside the barrier there were many spirit beasts that were already gazing at Shi Lang, if not for Allure standing beside him they would have torn him into shreds.

    Shi Lang circted his cultivation sutra to calm his mind, and then he stepped forward. As soon as he entered the barrier the spirit beasts growled and Shi Lang took out the jade soul bead. The spirit beasts were stunned and Shi Lang said, "I havee here to pay respect to Senior."

    The spirit beasts roared and growled. It was obvious that they were able to understand his words. They were Beast Emperors. Shi Lang could not understand how this colony functioned. The beast at the front moved to the side and the others followed his lead. Shi Lang saw a clear path leading to a cave.

    He took a deep breath and walked through the crowd of Beast Emperors. All these beasts were watching him silently. Shi Lang was sure that if he made a single mistake, they will not hesitate into attacking him.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang reached the entrance of the cave and the soul bead began to glow. He bowed his head and raised the bead in his hand. He said, "Forgive me for disturbing your rest, senior."

    A wizened voice echoed out from the cave, "Atst, someone carrying the scent of home. Raise your head, young man."

    Shi Lang raised his head and said, "Greetings, Senior."

    "Come inside, these guys tend to make people a bit too nervous."

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded as he moved inside the cave. After going inside he let out a sigh of relief and he said, "Senior, how did you manage to keep them tamed?"

    A spirit phantom manifested before him and smiled, "I only used to provide them with medicines when I spotted them. It turns out their n has a blood line limitation. When I reached the end of my life, I cast a spirit barrier here, and they stayed beside me. They use their spiritual energy to provide energy to this barrier."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I see, they also strengthen your spirit presence."

    The spirit phantom nodded and asked, "Did youe here from the Medicine God Valley?"

    Shi Lang realized that it was time for business. He took a deep breath and said, "Ie from the Heavenly Dragon Army. The Sect Mistress of the Medicine God Valley, Sovereign Healing Hands asked me toe here."

    The spirit phantom frowned and asked, "What is going on here?"

    Shi Lang replied and narrated the entire incident to the spirit phantom. The spirit phantom took a deep breath and said, "You realize what you are asking me to do?"

 Chapter 799: Genius Alchemist.

    The spirit phantom was gazing at Shi Lang''s face as if staring at a dumb guy. He asked, "Do you realize what you are asking from me to do?"

    Shi Lang nodded but did not speak any further. The phantom said, "In my entire life, I have never came across someone quite like you. Asking for my inheritance when you are not even a member of the Medicine God Valley. Let me ask you, do you even know how to concoct a potion?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "No, sir."

    "What were they thinking when they asked you toe here?" asked Yama in an exasperated tone.

    The Terran raised the cloth covering his arm and said, "Senior Yama, this is the remnant of a Sovereign''s soul. He was betrayed by another expert from the Martial Council."

    Yama trained his gaze at the dragon tattoo and said, "Is this person very important?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Umm, hemands the strongest army at the front. They surpass the strength of the united armies. So, I guess he is somewhat important. Another thing is, my sister is his Dao Companion."

    Yama realized that more than anything else, Shi Lang was here because of his sister. He took a deep breath and said, "I will give you a chance just because you staked your lifeing here through all the dangers and threats of the Titan Mountains."

    Shi Lang bowed and said, "Thank you very much Senior. I will not let you down."

    Yama scoffed and said, "Forget about me kid, you better not let yourself down. This is not going to be as easy as killing someone. Alchemy is an art of creation, it can bring forth life, and snatch away people from the clutches of death. In one month, you will have to raise your level to a grand alchemist, only then will you be getting a glimpse at my inheritance. Otherwise, forget it."

    Shi Lang was stunned, because people would take ages to rise to the grandmaster level. He was a master forger and even with all the knowledge he learned in the federation, he was not sure if he would be able to rise to the higher level any soon.

    He asked doubtfully, "Senior, is it possible if I bring out your inheritance to a suitable candidate of the Medicine God Valley?"

    Yama shook his head and said, "If it were possible, I would have sealed my entire soul inside the bead for someone to extract itter. However, my own Dao Laws make it impossible for me to do that."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and asked, "Can we gather some materials to create you a new body?"

    Yama could not help butugh at this, and remarked, "You are a funny one kid. You think it is that easy for an ancient remnant like me to possess a body? Do you know the materials you are thinking about do not exist in this world anymore? They are all heavenly natural treasures. Even if you find them, you are not yet strong enough to gain possession over them. The legendary beasts manipte them."

    Shi Lang sighed and remarked, "I cannot help but think how I wish to beat these guys up for being strong and maniptive."

    Yama smiled and asked, "Enough jokes, do you wish to go down fighting or do you want to leave now?"

    The Terran shrugged his shoulders and said, "I would never give up before fighting for a fair chance senior."

    Yama nodded and a light shot out from his finger melting straight inside Shi Lang''s mind. He said, "This is all the knowledge you will need to reach the Grandmaster Realm. If and when you seed in that, I will pass on the pill forms that I created on my own."

    Shi Lang realized at this moment, that the inheritance was not the art of alchemy, but the pill forms he created. He bowed to him, and Yama said, "I will see you after a month. You can use my old cauldron and the materials in the space ring inside."

    Shi Lang looked to the side and found a dusty cauldron ced there. To think of it, he did not find Yama''s body anywhere inside the cave. As if guessing his doubts, Yama said, "My body has long perished. I was only an Immortal emperor with some skill for alchemy. My physique was below average."

    The Terran was surprised and asked, "Senior, if you knew all that, then why did youe here?"

    Titan Mountain was a ce that even the Immortal Sovereigns avoided, why would a weak Immortal Emperore over. Yama smiled faintly and replied, "I heard from a boasting young legendary beast that there exists a pool of heavenly lightning."

    Shi Lang was stunned and asked, "Senior what do you mean?"

    Yama said, "That same emotion you have right now was the reason I ended up here. To locate the pool of heavenly lightning. Imagine a ce where even the lightning was present in liquid form? The chances that it bought along with it were infinite. I even managed to find it, but a group of supreme legendary beasts guard that ce. How can they allow a human toy a sight on it?

    So, the next thing I know, I was here."

    Shi Lang gulped a mouthful of saliva, imagine a group of supreme legendary beasts. A group of people simr to Allure, and capable of reducing you to ashes with mere thoughts. He shivered and shook off the rubbish in his mind.

    He sat down to meditate. Shi Lang was not in a hurry to look at the cauldron and check the material, he first wanted to ess the knowledge in his mind and digest it all. Only when he had the theory knowledge nailed down will he be able to pass through the practical application.

    Shi Lang took two days to sort out the knowledge in his mind. Then he stood up and inspected the cauldron and the space ring to check the materials. The Terran familiarized himself with the herbs stored in the space ring, and then he took out the simplest recipe in his mind, the body refinement potion as a practice material.

    The cauldron was engraved with me control arrays, one had to infuse spiritual energy in them to control the temperature. Shi Lang tried using it once without any herbs inside the cauldron. When he developed a sense of familiarity with the cauldron, he took a deep breath and began to put in the herbs ording to the potion form.

    His speed was steady and his spiritual energy output was controlled too. Yama''s spirit phantom was monitoring him in the void, and could not help but think that Shi Lang was a genius.

    A genius would be the person who managed to excel at everything. That was Yama''s initial response because in his eyes, Shi Lang had never held a herb in his hand let alone preparing a potion with such ease and mastery.

    What he did not know was that Shi Lang had been simting every process in his mind over a thousand time. This was a gift of being an evolved human. Shi Lang could visualize himself doing a lot of things and when his visualization was detailed enough, his body would act just how he wanted it too.

    After an hour, Shi Lang finished the product, and thought about how to check the effect, and heard a sound from the void, "This is pass. You qualify as an Alchemy apprentice."

    Shi Lang was stunned but realized that it was Yama''s spiritual presence that was monitoring him. Then began a storm of work where Shi Lang created one potion after the other, and he only took a fifteen minutes gap between every potion.

    One reason was toprehend the things he learned from the earlier process and the other was to regain his spiritual energy. Even Yama could not help but recall how long it took him to realize that he needed to spend some time toprehend things from every concoction. He even had the urge to sigh repeatedly thinking that such a talented guy was busy fighting as a martial artist.

    ¡­

    After fifteen days, Yama''s spirit phantom had grown numb to Shi Lang refining pills. It was not that this guy only refined pills but he even improvised the pill forms in his possession. These forms that existed from ancient times were being improvised by a guy who had no knowledge of alchemy fifteen days prior to this.

    He did not know how to express his shock and awe about the things before. Many time he had the urge to stop Shi Lang in the process and then tell him to ept the inheritance. However, the alchemist inside him wanted to see how far this guy could go.

    Shi Lang did not know what was going on around him. Even outside the cave, the spirit beasts were surprised by the scent of pills being refined inside. They could not help but calm down and absorb them. Suddenly, on the sixteenth day, when Shi Lang was refining a grandmaster level pill form called, soul rejuvenation pill, clouds condensed above the ruins.

    Yama gulped and thought, ''This guy called forth a pill tribtion?''

 Chapter 800: Pill Tribulations.

    Allure was sitting outside the ruins when she saw the lightning clouds gather above the cave. She sniffed the air and was surprised. Just when she was trying to think what was going on, a red dot shot out from the cave, and the lightning descended on the pill.

    ...

    Inside the cave, Shi Lang was standing in a daze. He had just finished refining the pill and opened the cauldron to check the product when the pill floated in the void and shot outside the cave with the speed of light. The Terran was dazed, he did not understand what even happened.

    Yama''s spirit phantom manifested and said hurriedly, "Go after the pill, and when it is done passing the tribtion, catch it quickly."

    Shi Lang dashed out. He did not fly but ran on his feet. Only recently has he faced his lightning tribtion and was not in the mood to face another one. The spirit beasts outside ignored him as they all focused on the pill levitating in the void, and the lightning streaks that keptnding on it.

    The intensity was too low for Shi Lang but he looked around and found that the spirit beasts were quiet fascinated by the lightning in the sky. The pill was shivering constantly from the impact of the lightning strikes. After nine shes of lightning the lightning clouds vanished and Shi Lang quickly flickered from his position to capture the pill with his spiritual energy.

    Then he inspected the pill and found a few lines on the pill surface. The red pill that seemed to be a bit murky but now it appeared to be clear as if a gem. The Terran stowed it away in his pill bottle and went back inside the cave.

    It was not that he did not know how big of an event it was to get a pill tribtion and pass it but it was not something that helped him achieve his goal. As far as Shi Lang was concerned, this was a fluke.

    He did not have time to celebrate this achievement, one month deadline was around the corner and he was not yet a high grade master let alone being a Grandmaster. While he walked inside the cave, the spirit beasts could not tell what was going through his mind, but they looked at him with reverence.

    Shi Lang was thinking about how to improve his skills in the shortest time possible. He found himselfcking. If Yama''s spirit phantom was to hear this, he might materialize and use thest of his might to break Shi Lang''s skull open and take a piss on it.

    After reviewing his method of working andprehending, he could not find a more optimal method, and with a sigh, sat down toprehending the situation. After some minutes, he stood up again and began refining another pill. The pill form was the same as thest time and the actions he used were the same as thest time too.

    He wanted to see if the sequence of moves would summon another pill tribtion.

    Sure enough, his precision was so high that in the next five attempts he summoned four pill tribtions. The one time he missed was to confirm that it was only one set of actions that could refine the pill to its limits and summon the tribtion.

    Yama was doubting himself and thinking that he was acting like a big shot before a monster earlier. Even he would not be able to achieve something like this. Shi Lang settled his doubts and asked, "Senior, may I go outside to refine pills?"

    Yama asked, "Why?"

    Shi Lang said, "If I trigger a pill tribtion it wastes two minutes for me to go out and capture the pill. It is too much."

    Yama was in a daze and nodded. He could not understand if Shi Lang was overestimating himself or was he underestimating the Terran.

    The next round of refining continued outside the cave, surrounded by uneasy Spirit beast emperors. They were all benefitting a lot from Shi Lang''s refining, because the pill tribtion caused high level of heavenly energy to be discharged in the void and they absorbed it.

    In the next week, they had lost count of how many Pill Tribtions have urred. Even Allure who was standing outside was in a shock. She knew that Shi Lang was very capable since he saved her, and even killed a Legendary Spirit Beast on his own, but this time he was doing something that was impossible for the alchemists sitting at the saint level.

    She was alerted because she knew that this sequence of pill tribtions was being noticed by many superior Legendary level spirit beasts. They might not have arrived over at the moment, but that was only because they were waiting for someone from their n to alert the elders.

    Allure knew that the moment Shi Lang stepped out of this ce, he would be targeted by a lot of legendary beasts. If they did not listen to reason then it would be a war. They would force him to make pills for them. She took a deep breath, and began to think what she could do about this.

    ...

    Inside the barrier, Shi Lang was also sure that he was being watched by more than five people. His sensory abilities were able to bypass the barrier, and he even knew the location of those people. However, it was not under his control so he directed his energy to one thing and one thing only, the pill refining.

    He was akin to a machine, no emotions, no weakness, and one after the other his pills would reach the level to trigger a pill tribtion. Shi Lang perfected his pill refining skills by refining one recipe at a time.

    Suddenly, he realized that he was at the peak of master level alchemist. However, now only one more day left for him to pass the test or all his hard work would amount for nothing. Shi Lang began to push himself to the limit.

    His speed was improving and after four hours, he finished refining all the pills that were important for a Pill Master to know. The only test on his hand was the final form, if he seeded then he would reach the level of an Alchemist Grandmaster.

    The final recipe was called Limb Reconstruction Pill. The effect of this pill could not only connect decapitated limbs back to the body, but if the quality of the pill was good enough, it could help the consumer to grow an entire limb from nothing.

    It was said that a new limb growing from a high quality pill was better than attaching an old one, because no matter what an alchemist does, the connections would never reach the natural perfections.

    This was how things worked and it was not an exaggeration. Shi Lang very carefully took out the herbs needed for the refinement. He measured them ording to the form and began to process them all one at a time.

    The herbs levitated around him enveloped with spiritual energy, and they were beingpressed to a high level that their essence condensed into liquid. Shi Lang was very careful and was taking his sweet time. He had only a few more hours left to do this, but yet he was not sure if he would seed.

    After another couple of hours of preparation, Shi Lang put the ingredients inside the cauldron. The process was slow, but steady. Shi Lang did not wish to trigger any tribtion. His goal was just to pass the test set up for him.

    What he did not know was that in his act of caution, he has pushed his pill refinement to the limit. After a few minutes when Shi Lang finishedbining all the essence of the herbs, a fragrance emitted from the cauldron.

    Shi Lang did not know what was going on. He did not even pay attention to the fact that ck clouds have gathered above him and they were shing red. He made a few seals with his hands and shouted in a low voice, "Pill Condense."

    After a moment, he heard a dinging sound. It confirmed that the pill was condensed, and Shi Lang hurriedly opened the lid of the cauldron. He was about to reach in to inspect the pill, when the cerulean colored pill shot through the void and moved toward the ck clouds.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath when he gazed at the sky and said, "Fuck, I think I am in trouble."

    He finally noticed that the clouds shing with red lightning streaks, and not only that, but other than Allure five more people stood around the barrier. Thankfully they were gazing at the pill and Shi Lang was not their concern.

    However, the Terran was concerned because these people coulde after him. They might not be looking at him at the moment, but when the pill finishes its tribtion, he will be under the crosshair.

    The red lightning struck the pill, and the cerulean blob began to rotate at a quick speed. After half an hour, the pill stopped moving andnded back in Shi Lang''s palm. Just then he sensed the barrier tremble.

    His worst fear came true, the legendary beasts had attacked him. He wanted to cry, because he did not even receive the inheritance at the moment. Quickly he rushed in and the Spirit Beast Emperors wailed.

    ...

    Allure said, "Red Dragon, you need to keep your ws away, or I will discount them for you."

    The person attacking the barrier stopped and looked at Allure with amusement as he asked, "Do you want to fight me?"

    Allure replied, "Are you worthy?"

 Chapter 801: Deception.

    Allure had directly challenged the dignity of the Red Dragon when she called out if he was worthy of fighting her. Dragons were innately arrogant creature. Perhaps, only heavens knew why this particr species, no matter if they were at the bottom level, for example an even a earth dragon, a beast lord level spirit beast would be very arrogant too.

    Imagine the level of the Red Dragon. As soon as Allure questioned, the Red Dragon made his move without hesitation. His speed was quick and as he wed at Allure. The surrounding Legendary Beasts did not say anything because they did not have the guts to go against the dragon n.

    However, Allure suddenly vanished from her spot and an eerie chuckle echoed in the void. The people gathered here were all supreme legendary beasts, but theughter sent chills down their spines.

    They all tried to look for Allure but they found no trace of her. Red Dragon sneered, "Petty tricks."

    "Is that so, red worm? How about this then? me shots."

    Out of nowhere blue me balls began to condense and shoot at the man called Red Dragon. He waved his hand to create a spiritual energy shield but the me ball passed through it as if a hot knife going through butter.

    Red Dragon was stunned and when the me ball made contact with his chest, he realized the horror of it. He wailed from the pain. It was akin to his soul being roasted alive. The people were stunned and they found that Allure appeared in her old position. It was as if she has never left the position.

    ...

    Shi Lang took advantage of the chaos and rushed inside the cave. In the past one month his face had grown hair, and he had a thick stubble of hair. Thinking about the dire situation, he came up with a n. Just when he was about to execute his n to evacuate the ce, Yama''s spirit phantom appeared in the void.

    The old man said, "I can finally rest in peace."

    Shi Lang was surprised but then a stream of light hit Shi Lang''s forehead. The Terran sensed his mind flooded with a lot of information andprehensions of Alchemy. Yama had passed on hisplete knowledge to Shi Lang.

    The Terran bowed to him and said, "You have my gratitude for this, Senior."

    Yama shook his head and replied, "No, you earned this. I hope you do well. My presence will vanish now."

    Shi Lang thought of something and said, "Senior, can I ask you for onest favor?"

    Yama was confused, but then Shi Lang told him a n that surprised him. However, he still agreed. Even if he was a remnant soul the chance to go on onest adventure to get back at the conceited legendary beasts was not something he was going to miss.

    After getting Yama''s agreement, Shi Lang focused his spiritual sense andmunicated with Allure. He needed her to be on board as well. Otherwise, the n would fail. He could not afford for it to fall, at least not at this point.

    Allure was fighting Red Dragon when she heard this and after some thoughts she agreed.

    ...

    Suddenly, she pretended to have been injured, the acting was very natural because she allowed Red Dragon to hit her and she was cut. At this moment, she looked at the barrier, and yelled, "What the fuck do you think you are doing ve?"

    Everyone turned to look at Shi Lang who stood amidst the crowd of spirit beast emperors, and his body was circting with an abnormal amount of energy. All the legendary beasts frowned and Shi Lang said, "Elder Allure, I am thankful for the things you have done for me. However, I cannot let you suffer for my sake. If these people wish to capture me then so be it. Please go back."

    Red Dragon heard this and burst intoughter. He said, "I cannot believe that someone would want to give in to be a ve while someone is trying to save him. Hahahaha, do you know the fate of the ves?"

    Shi Lang raised his head to look at the Red Dragon and said, "Do you know the problem you people suffer?"

    Red Dragon and the rest of the superior Legendary Beasts frowned and Shi Lang continued, "You people suffer from a mental disorder that makes you all think that you are superior to the rest of us.

    However, you forget that you are just a bunch of undying ancient animals who have gained a significant strength but still you live in fear and do not use your strength, because heavens wille after you. Is that not correct? Tch, glorified reptiles."

    These words shocked the people but it enraged Red Dragon, who roared, "Insolent Insect! Die."

    He clenched his fist and attacked Shi Lang. Red Dragon''s fist intent materialized into a dragon condensed of hotva as it rushed forward. In his eyes, Shi Lang was standing frozen in fear, and the Beast Emperors were turning into ashes from the heat. When the dragon got close to Shi Lang he had already melted into a puddle of blood which then vaporized.

    The attack caused a huge crater to appear on the ground. Red Dragon snorted and turned to look at Allure, who was ring at him and said, "Learn to walk with your head down, rodent. Or I wille for you."

    Allure clenched her fist and her face turned red but she did not say anything after that. Red Dragon turned around to leave the ce without giving anyone a chance to react again.

    Allure waited for him to leave and only when his spirit sense vanished did she leave the ce andnded at the crater.

    Her face was an epitome of sadness. She picked up a fistful of sand from the ground before leaving the ce. After she vanished, Red Dragon appeared in the region and ran his gaze over the entire ce. He was searching the region because he did have a doubt about the result.

    In his mind, even if the fist was shot to express the rage but it was not so overpoweringly strong to erase so many spirit beasts. Even their ashes did not exist in the ce. However, when he thought about it, it was possible that they also vaporized along with that human. Red Dragon was famous for his prowess of heat.

    He smirked and left the ce. In his eyes, Shi Lang was just an insignificant human he had killed, but what he did not know was that he just made a really petty enemy.

    After he left, Allure appeared in her position. She used an innate skill to erase her presence, and waited for Red Dragon toe over and check. She mumbled, "That kid was correct, he dide back to check."

    Then she scoffed and vanished from her spot.

    ¡­

    Allure appeared in the eastern barren next to the inheritance pce. She looked around and found a horde of Spirit Beast Emperors gathered in a clearing. She approached over and the grunting and growling beasts fell silent.

    Shi Lang walked up from the side with a big grin on his face. She could see through his facade. His anger was almost materializing around his body. She asked, "d it worked."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not care about it. I will visit that ce when I am stronger. Then I would like to see him act so arrogant."

    Allure nodded, she was well aware of the concept of enduring till you are sure of killing the person. Only the strong can change the situation.

    She asked, "What will you do about these guys?"

    Shi Lang cast a gaze at the Beast Emperors and said, "They can do what they want. I do not have the resources to keep them with me. It was just an act of kindness that I saved their lives. They do not trust me. So, I have nothing to say."

    Allure said, "You can use them. Bring them to the front to fight the demonic beasts. There are two hundred seventy beast emperors before you. What sort of a general would let go of such an army?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Who would keep them in line? They do not respect humans. Also, I do not have the time to look after them. After going back I have to locate the herbs needed for a soul recreation pill. I do not have much time left before the soul inside this tattoo can be used. Once it goes dormant, no one knows when it will wake up."

    Allure sighed and said, "You are correct, since things are like this, how about I guide them to the battlefield and deal with them?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Knock yourself out."

    That said, Shi Lang took a look at the Inheritance pce and said, "I am leaving. I need to tell them that I am back."

 Chapter 802: Return.

    Allure watched Shi Lang talk to the elders guarding the Inheritance pce and how they revered him. She could not help but wonder what it was about this youth that made them all respect him so much.

    Thinking about it she could tell that Shi Lang was anything but a simple person. He was more like a genius but she could not see anything highly talented about him. The more she watched the curious she became. While she was immersed in her thoughts, Shi Lang came to greet her and tell her about the arrangements, but thedy nodded in a daze before she said, "That all aside, I aming with you."

    Shi Lang took a second to register this and sucked in a cold breath. He had not expect her to say something like this and asked, "Senior, are you sure? You know the legendary beasts and the humans do not get along well."

    Allure nodded and replied, "I know, aren''t you a genius. You get the opportunity to be the negotiator from my side."

    Shi Lang opened his mouth but he knew that nothing he said would work so he surrendered to his fate. He then looked at the beast emperors and said, "The people here do not mind the beast emperors to roam in the barrennd as long as they do not attack humans. So if possible please leave them with a brand of your. If any of them makes a ruckus then I would like to use that brand to intimidate them."

    Allure did not see a problem with that and walked through the Beast Emperors. She located someone with a purer blood and gave him a brand. Then she turned to look at them all and said, "If you ever troubled the humans anyhow. I wille back and strip you all off your skin and balls. Do you understand?"

    The beast emperors nodded and Allure waved her hand for them to leave the ce. Then she turned to look at Shi Lang and said, "I should not ask you but how did you manage to convince them of your death?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I have a technique that allows me to create clones as you know that. So inside the cave I concealed my presence and then when Red Dragon attacked, I used his spiritual fluctuations as a cover and opened a void tunnel through to the inheritance pce.

    The spirit presence of the senior inside the cave called for the beast emperors toe through the portal and the next moment we were here."

    Allure was surprised by his quick thinking. She did not expect that a human would have the wits of blindsiding a legendary beast, but then again Red Dragon was a brawn for brains type of guy.

    Shi Lang watched her think silently from the side. Allure asked, "How are we traveling?"

    The Terran shrugged and said, "If I was alone I would have opened two void tunnels but since you are here, can you take us there? Yourmand on the Dao Laws of space are higher than mine."

    Allure nodded and replied, "Sure."

    Then she grabbed Shi Lang from the back of his neck and vanished from her spot. The Terran only sensed the world squeeze around him and push him forward. This sensation was simr to the space jump back in the federation.

    They appeared above the first city. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Whoop, it has been quite some time since I have felt that."

    Allure asked, "Have you ever traveled at this speed?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Usually the seniors can only open void portals and they do not give such a feeling. However, back in the lower realms we had a technology that could squeeze the structure of our vessel and then shoot us through the vacuum at a simr speed."

    Allure was surprised and asked, "Do you mean the people who do not cultivate can still travel at that speed?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "It is not quite simr to the spiritual cultivation. Well, I do not know the details of that technology, so I cannot tell you, maybe in the future you will see."

    Allure nodded as she watched Shi Lang bring out Raksha and said, "Raksha, we need to get back to the capital."

    The sword trembled, Raksha did not appear before Allure, because she did not trust her much. Shi Lang sighed and wanted to convince her when suddenly, he heard a voice, "You are back so soon."

    Shi Lang did not sense this person approaching, and raised his head to find Old Man Yanshu.

    He bowed to the old man and said, "Senior Yanshu, yes, I had help and managed to achieve my goal sooner."

    Yanshu was surprised and looked at Allure. The next moment, his pupils constricted into the size of a needle. He was getting ready to attack when Shi Lang said, "Senior Yanshu, this is Lady Allure. She is a legendary beast who helped me. She does not have any malice for humans."

    Yanshu furrowed his brows and asked, "You think I would believe it?"

    Shi Lang sighed and put on a cold reaction as he said, "Senior Yanshu. Senior Allure is a superior legendary best, and one of the strongest people inside that mountain range. Are you sure we should be enraging her like this?"

    Yanshu''s face turned pale when he looked at Allure. Thedy was gazing at him with a dead pan expression. She said, "Kid, howe someone of your talent is working with them?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Senior Allure, please do not talk like that. Senior Yanshu is very strong and wise. He did not attack you, but his caution is not uncalled for. You know how those legendary beasts treat us humans, do you not?"

    Allure waved her hand and said, "I have not yet put use to my innate charm, is that still not a gesture of trust? I am here because of you, but if they act so cocky then I will go back to the eastern barrens. I do not have any need to degrade myself to help a bunch of old humans."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I understand that Senior, but since there is so much bad blood between two sides, we need to be patient with each other."

    Allure took a deep breath and said, "Fine, for your sake I will give them a chance."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, Senior Yanshu, can we go to the Martial Council?"

    Yanshu took a moment and then he nodded. He opened a void tunnel and then the trio leaped through it.

    ...

    Fairy Moon Jade got the word that Shi Lang had bought over a Legendary beast as apanion. They were now having a meeting with the big five of the Martial Council.

    She sighed and looked at the sky, wondering how life was a mix of the good and the bad. Shi Lang met his goal and passed in flying colors, however, the arrival of the Legendary Beast caused turmoil in people''s heart. They all knew that Allure was someone who could destroy humans easily.

    The fear of the legendary beasts was not baseless. Shi Lang also agreed with it. These beings were the embodiment of selfishness. They were cruel and would go to any lengths to get what they want.

    ...

    Inside the Martial Council meeting room, Amethyst, Kamand, Lao Xu, Healing Hands and Yanshu sat on a high table. Allure was waiting outside the room, but they could sense her spiritual presence in the room. It was inevitable, she did not trust them, but since she did not barge in the room for Shi Lang''s sake they did not kick a fuss over it.

    Healing Hands asked, "Did you get it?"

    Her eyes were brimming with anticipation and he said, "I have been tutored by Senior Yama in alchemy and I am a grandmaster now. He also passed down the recipes that he created. However, most of them are already public apart from the Soul Creation Pill."

    Healing Hands nodded and said, "Good, now what do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang was confused and wanted to ask if she was asking him to hand over the pill form, but Kamand cut him short and said, "Patron Healing Hands is asking what do you wish to do in regards of the pill refining process."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "I will have to hunt for the ingredients listed in the pill form."

    Lao Xu asked abruptly, "What is this about? Why did you bring that Senior along?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly, at least, unlike Yanshu, this old man was somewhat smart. He said, "Senior Allure has been cultivating in seclusion for eight hundred years. She is very dedicated to fighting the demons and wanted to contribute by training the young people. Plus, she also saved my life from a Dragon n shit stick."

    The people were stunned and when Shi Lang finished narrating the entire chain of events, they agreed and Amethyst said, "You will be her host."

    Shi Lang bowed to them and said, "Yes, Senior."

    After that Shi Lang left with Allure, no one knew where they were headed but they did notment. Shi Lang''s journey was not an easy one, and he was still willing to go on. They could only see how it will unfold.

 Chapter 803: Sea Of Lighting.

    Shi Lang took his leave from the martial council and directly headed to the front to drop off Allure at the front. She had expressed to him that she wanted to fight with Demonic cultivators. It has been ages since she fought and her body craved for action.

    The Terran would use this opportunity to meet Shi Tao and Fairy Moon Jade in person. Allure did not say much through the journey. They did make a few stops for the legendary beast to observe the human world. She had a very contemtive expression on her face the entire time. Shi Lang did not ask her what she was thinking about. He was upied with his own thoughts.

    After two days when they reached the front. Shi Lang approached the Heavenly Dragon Army camp and the guard recognized him. The person saluted him and said in a loud voice, "The Champion, Young Master Ace, has arrived."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "You did not have to make it so loud."

    The guard smiled sheepishly and said, "Young Master, you do not know but these people from the other armies have been saying many upsetting things these past few days."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said loudly, "That is what happens when the weak try to make up excuses for their bad deeds. Do not let them get the best of you, or you will end up like them. Focus on your duty and follow your path."

    The guard nodded forcefully, and by the time Shi Lang entered the camp threshold, all the generals and Fairy Moon Jade were gathered inside. Suddenly, the Terran raised his brows and asked, "Where is Tao?"

    His voice was calm but his aura was grim. Fairy Moon Jade said, "She is resting. Two days ago she faced a group of Demon Beasts who ambushed her unit. Although she managed toe back with her entire group. A few of them have been infected with demonic energy. We have no way to help them and Xiao Tao is feeling responsible for it."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brow and said, "Lead me to her."

    Fairy Moon Jade wanted to say something but she knew Shi Lang, he would never change his decision. She greeted Allure with a bow and led the two of them to the barracks. Shi Tao''s tent was resting in Shi Lang''s old tent.

    The Terran entered the tent and said, "None of you are to follow me."

    Shi Tao was meditating, he could see the struggle on her face and his heart ached. He took a deep breath and knelt before her. He gently caressed her brows and called her name.

    Shi Tao opened her eyes and said, "Wee Back, Baba."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What troubles you?"

    Shi Tao opened her mouth to say something but help back at the final moment. Shi Lang said, "Is it because your teammates got infected that you me yourself?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "They would not have been facing this ordeal if I had not led them in the ambush. I knew something was wrong, but in the heat of battle I forgot the basic ofmand tactics and waltzed right in the trap. Seven girls are now battling for their life. Just because I was careless."

    Shi Lang patted her head and said, "Now that you have suffered this, you will remember this feeling always. Etch this helplessness and guilt in your heart and soul. If you ever face a situation where death may seem inevitable, you must not abandon yourrades till thest breath. That is the principle of the Federal Military and you upheld that, I am proud of you.

    However, now we have another pressing matter on our hands,e along."

    Shi Tao stood up and followed her father briskly. As they came out of the tent Shi Lang asked, "How long have they been exposed to the demonic energy?"

    Shi Tao replied, "Fifteen hours and seven minutes."

    The two of them passed through the crowd and headed to the holding area. Shi Lang said, "Write down the ingredients."

    Shi Tao immediately pulled out a tab from her space ring and Shi Lang said, "Seven stalks of red crown lily, fourteen jade python galls, seven raven eye spirit grass, seven scales of me lion. Get me these medicinal materials."

    Shi Tao was confused but did not defy him. Moon Jade was following behind them and quickly waved her hand for a soldier to bring out the material from the inventory. They came to the holding area and found seven women to be chained to the ground. They were all struggling to hold onto their sanity.

    Shi Tao said, "I have told them to fight the demonic energy with their intent but unfortunately their hearts are shaken."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "It is no big deal. I will handle this matter now."

    The Terran pushed himself off the ground and jumped over the wooden fencing. Many soldiers were guarding the ce, ready to take down the seven of them if they did not manage to regain control.

    Shi Tao had requested Fairy Moon Jade to allow her twenty four hours. If the seven of them managed to purge the demonic energy with the use of their intent, it would be a win.

    Everyone watched Shi Lang walking among the sevendies, who were staring at him with their eyes brimming with blood lust and pleas of help. The Terran said, "Hmm, you all are not yet corruptedpletely. However, the time where you all will be put down is not far away either.

    You all doubt yourself, you doubt the hard work you have done to gain this strength. You doubt the foundation of your cultivation, that is why the demonic energy is rampaging inside you. I understand that it is not easy to bear the pain and believe in yourself. However, if you give up know and fall victim to the very thing that you hated.

    Do you think it is all worth it? Is that how you want to do down? Was it not your dream to stand on the apex of cultivation? Did you not wish to y the demons who harm innocent? Are you going to give up so easily? Can you not grind yourself against this pain and grow stronger?

    If not then why did you join the heavenly dragon army?"

    His voice was loud, and it resonated with everyone in the camp. Shi Lang paused for a second before he said, "If you all can hold on for five hours, I will save you. That is my promise. However, if I found anyone of you having any doubts in your mind, I will leave you to die and then your friends will kill you. So fight this thing for the sake of your friends if not for yourself."

    Then he walked out of the fence and said, "Shi Tao, guard them, and if anyone of them tries to give up, cut yourself and let the wound bleed so that they could see. This is your punishment for leading them in a trap. Do you hear me?"

    Shi Tao stood up in attention and replied loudly, "Sir, Yes, Sir."

    Allure was surprised by this but she did not say anything. She could tell that Shi Lang cared a lot about his daughter, but why did he punish her so cruelly. However, when she noticed the shock in the eyes of the chained women. She understood what was going on. The expression of pain was not reflected on just the seven infected women, but everyone in the camp.

    She understood that humans may not bond with each other in happy times, but once pain is imposed over them, they unite like nothing else. Fairy Moon Jade got Shi Lang all the herbs that he needed and Shi Lang said, "I am going out to the front."

    Moon Jade did not understand what was going through his mind, but Allure said, "Do not worry, he will be fine. On the contrary, the people around you are about to learn a painful lesson."

    Moon Jade bowed slightly and agreed, however, she was still confused. The only option left for her was to watch patiently.

    A few guards came to the front, which was a vast barren ground. This was a no man''snd. Demonic cultivators resided on the other side, and overtime they would try to invade the Human side and infect the people with demonic energy. This war had no end, because the demons kept oning at them. However, they were not fools, they tortured humans by sudden attacks and then retreated.

    Many times when a human expert managed to kill a significant number of them, the Demon side would put on a bounty on that human expert.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and bought out his cauldron. His movements were noticed by many people in different army camps, whether it was human or demon side. He began to refine a demon purge pill.

    The herbs were processed quickly and then they were put inside the cauldron, where the heat and the pressure caused the herb essence to bind together. Then Shing used his spiritual pull to divide the herb essence into many small pills.

    The process was delicate and took some time, but after a couple of hours Shi Lang was done. Then he saw a team of Demons running towards him. He raised his head and said, "I give you all a death by drowning in the sea of lightning."

    Many people did not notice that the sky was filled with lightning cloud. Shi Lang took off the lid, and the seven pills inside the cauldron flew out. They were like seven bullets, and shot in various directions. However, the heavenly tribtion had sensed them and Lightning fell down.

    One after the other sixty-three lightning bolts hit the pills, and the ce really looked like it was a lightning sea. While Shi Lang fought with Demons. He was dancing amidst the chaos with his sword and ying demonic cultivators left and right.

    The ones who tried to go after the pills were dealt by the heavenly streaks of lightning. The people were shocked to witness this strength. First the shock of Shi Lang, the strongest centurion warrior to be a pill master, and not only that but he triggered a lightning tribtion for all the pills in his cauldron. This was going to set off an rm around the world.

    Shi Lang did not mind though, he only focused on the battle before him.

 Chapter 804: Sorting Thoughts.

    Shi Lang fought the demonic cultivators for a bit and killed a few demonic kings too. The lightning tribtion stopped and the Terran quickly caught a hold of the pills levitating in the void. He also stood on the spot to absorb the gentle trace of lightning energy in the void.

    Allure was watching this scene from the camp edge with Fairy Moon Jade and clicked her tongue with a smile on her face. Moon Jade asked, "Senior is something the matter?"

    Allure looked at her and said, "You said you are his sister, right?"

    Moon Jade nodded and the Legendary Beast said, "This guy is a monster. He just absorbed the lightning energy remnant in his body. It will help him a lot."

    Moon Jade smiled and said, "It will indeed help him, but such things do not happen daily, do they?"

    Allure chuckled and said, "He is a unique alchemist, every pill that he had refined in the past few weeks had triggered a pill tribtion. If you do not believe me ask him for the most basic pills that he have on his person and try to auction them off. You will know the value he holds at the moment."

    Moon Jade was surprised, she said, "I did not expect him to have such high skill in alchemy."

    As they were talking they saw Shi Lang moving back toward them. The demons were scared of him once again. Shi Lang came over and without talking to them he moved to the holding area. When he reached the ce he found that Shi Tao''splexion had turned pale. He noticed two pink lines on her forearm.

    On the ground his blood was turning into a puddle. He observed the seven girls in the center. They had some wounds on their bodies. Shi Lang could tell that these wounds were inflicted by themselves to push out the demonic energy.

    He was calm and said, "You did a good job holding on till now. Your eyes also look clearer. Open your mouths."

    Thedies did as they were told and opened their mouths. Shi Lang flicked his wrist and tossed the seven pills in the mouths of thedies. The red jade like pill melted upon entry and the enzyme flooded the bodies with a strong spiritual energy.

    Shi Lang said, "Hold on, it will not be easy."

    Thedies shivered when the energy from the pills rushed through their bodies. The demonic energy was not so easy to purge. It had the tendency to fight back. It would fight back harder and the damage to the body will increase. Shi Lang watched thedies struggle and said, "Use your spiritual energy to cover your meridians. Do not worry, everyone is here with you."

    They did as they were told and soon found the pain to ease a little. Shi Lang smiled and looked at his daughter. He frowned and asked in a low voice, "Why did you cut it so deep?"

    Shi Tao revealed a sheepish expression and Shi Lang moved closer to her. He ced his hand on the pink scars, then he took out a pill from one of the bottles and gave it to her as he said, "Eat this, it will replenish your blood."

    Shi Tao consumed the spirit pill and the effect was instant. She remarked, "I did not expect you to be such a skilled alchemist."

    Shi Lang replied, "It is thanks to my special ability."

    Shi Tao understood and nodded. She looked at the sevendies. They had all calmed down after the initial struggle. The demonic energy was being purged from their bodies slowly. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I have to leave."

    Shi Tao asked, "Where are you going this time?"

    The Terran replied, "To the north, there is a secret realm that is open all the time. However, it is hard to locate as the entrance keeps flickering every week."

    Shi Tao asked, "How do you intend to find it?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Thank to you it won''t be difficult."

    Shi Tao was confused when the man said, "I am going to use some topographical probes."

    Thedy understood what he meant when he thanked her. She was the one who bought over the technological devices. She said, "Baba, you do not have to thank me for any of it. I have given the manufacturing studio to mom, you can get as many probes as you want from her."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and then said, "Fine, I will go visit her, though I do not know if her sect will allow me inside."

    Shi Tao smiled and replied, "They will allow you inside because she has made her stand clear. War Maiden sect does not stop the disciples from having a family. However, they do not tolerate any cking behavior either."

    The Terran nodded and said, "That is the right attitude, when the disciples wish to protect the ones they love, they work harder too."

    Shi Tao stood beside him for a bit and the two talked. Unknowingly, the conversation diverted to the status of things in the federation and Shi Lang asked her about the well being of his friends and family. Shi Tao leaned against his shoulder as she said, "I miss her."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "How old was she when you came here?"

    Shi Tao replied, "Thirty, however, baba, it is her realm that is too shallow. I am afraid if she would evere here."

    She was talking about her daughter and Shi Lang said, "Let us leave it to the fate. If we are strong enough to go back, then we will go back. However, we should not worry too much about the things that are not under our control."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "When will you leave to meet mom?"

    "Tomorrow, I wish to spend the night cultivating. My realm is not yet firm."

    He has ascended to the Immortal Emperor realm but the things that happenedter were a bit too quick for him to have any time to stabilize his realm. Shi Tao said, "You can stay in Mom''s sect. There you can consolidate your foundation and monitor the result from the probes."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You have grown up so much."

    He raised his hand and patted Shi Tao on her head. Then after another round of small talk, he retired to his quarters. He took a simple tent and sat down in meditation. At this time, Allure walked inside the tent and asked, "I heard you are leaving in the morning."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and nodded, "Yes, Senior. I am leaving in the morning."

    Thedy asked, "Then what about me? Where will I go?"

    Shi Lang said, "Senior, you can stay here and fight the people as you want. This ce will give you all the action that you desire."

    Allure sighed and said, "Fine, I will stay here and train these kids."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and prayed for the people here. He took a deep breath and said, "Very well, do as you see fit."

    Allure nodded and then she left the tent. Shi Lang raised his wrist and left a message to Moon Jade that the soldiers would soon be in trouble. She did not understand much, but when asked, Shi Lang told her to deal with it herself. He had more than enough of Allure these past few days.

    ...

    He spent the night consolidating his foundation and simplifying the information about alchemy. If someone asked him what was going on inside his head, then it would be a lie to say that his thoughts were sorted. In the past few years, he has been on the roll constantly. This process muddled his thoughts, Shi Lang seemed to have lost the rity he had for his future.

    Now, with his peopleing over, he needed to make preparation. He was not happy with how things worked in the Immortal world. He did not wish for the liberal minded people of the Federation to entangle with the twisted notions of this ce. For that he needed to expand his forces. Asura Hall did not receive any challenge, but they were still forced to work in the shadows.

    Shi Lang did not have any intention of making the Asura Hall move in the light but he still wanted for them to have more presence in the society. Asura Hall was not a ughter house that should be named only when someone was killed.

    As he sorted his thoughts, the sun came in the sky. Shi Lang opened his eyes wide and stood up. He left the tent and greeted Fairy Moon Jade and Shi Tao before a brief meeting with the generals.

    He told them that the first part of reviving Tian Long has beenpleted, and that now he needed to seek the materials for the special pill. However, since no one knew what those ingredients were, the secret was safe. Shi Lang did not even tell Healing Hands.

    After everything was finished, they wished him all the best and assured him that they will look after Shi Tao. After all, despite the talent, the girl was still an Immortal King. They were her seniors so it was their responsibility to look after her.

 Chapter 805: Mysterious Staircase.

    Shi Lang departed from the front, ignoring the fact that his reputation was soaring through the skies. The people from all the forces have seen him refine pills and triggering lightning pill tribtions. What scared them was the fact that the whole process seemed to be pre-emptive.

    They all saw Shi Lang walk to the battlefield with his cauldron and he was not shocked by the lightning tribtion. There was not other exnation, the old timers behind every big name force could tell that Shi Lang had risen to a level where if they touched him, they would be incurring wrath from the entire world.

    The Terran traveled by using void tunnels and after three days he arrived at the foot of a mountain range. This ce was called the battle valley. The location where War Maiden Sect was situated.

    Shi Lang stood at the entrance of the valley not knowing if she should go inside or call for Amelia toe out. Despite the fact that his wife supported him. Shi Lang was worried because this ce had a history of thousands of years, and he was not sure if he should step on these grounds.

    As he pondered over it a calm wizened voice echoed in his mind, "You do not have to hesitate so much, Junior Ace."

    Shi Lang was startled but he knew that it must be some elder from the sect that was inviting him. He cupped his fists and stepped forward. He did not fly or use his spiritual sense to show that he did not want to offend anyone, but he did not stop using his innate Terran Ability. He sensed the entire valley and created a map of it in his mind.

    The more he scanned the ce, the more astounded he was, this ce was so deep inside the mountains yet the infrastructure was so well developed that he did not expect it. He could see a systematic apartment area, where the disciples lived, and then multiple training grounds.

    Shi Lang was sure that in the past few months, Amelia had used the manufacturing nt to face lift this ce. This architecture was akin to the Federal Standards. Unknowingly he arrived at a flight of stairs and raised his head.

    Amelia stood at the top of the stairs with Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei beside her. They were looking at Shi Lang and suddenly the Terran noticed an olddy standing half a step ahead of the three. He also sensed many gazes concentrated on his back. He cupped his fist to the olddy and said, "Greetings, Senior."

    The olddy nodded and said, "Young man, as much as I wish to let you in the sect, I cannot do that. You see, the war maidens have a tradition that must be upheld in all cases. Even if Amelia is not the sect mistress, she cannot go against the rules."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I understand, Senior. Please tell me what is the test."

    The olddy was none other than the grand elder of the War Maiden Sect. She said, "If you wish to enter the sect, you will have to climb the stairs."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I bet it is anything as simple as what you are saying."

    Grand Elder smiled and gestured for him to begin. Shi Lang gazed at the faces of his spouse and disciples before he took a step on the staircase. The first thought in his mind was, ''Fucking hell, the pressure of a Sovereign right away.''

    His shoulders had trembled a bit before he gathered himself and took another step forward. The pressure intensified by ten percent but it was not something Shi Lang could not handle. He began channeling spiritual energy in his body and reciting the Shura Sutra in his mind.

    ...

    As Shi Lang climbed a few more steps he paused for a bit on the tenth step. Yu Xeidi asked, "Why is Master having so much trouble?"

    Amelia looked at the grand elder who nodded and continued, "Your master has gotten stronger. He is now an Immortal Emperor who is facing the pressure from an Immortal Sovereign."

    Hao Mei replied calmly, "Master can handle an Immortal Sovereign with ease. Even five would not be a problem. Why is he so troubled at only the tenth step?"

    The Grand Elder chuckled and said, "Yes, indeed, your master is indeed strong enough to face five people at the same time. However, the spiritual he is facing is hindering him from using his Dao Laws. This staircase is designed to forbid the usage of Dao Laws. Which is why he is having such trouble. Regardless of his Dao Comparison, his spiritual energy is still that of an Immortal Emperor."

    The young ones nodded to her and silently watched Shi Lang climb.

    ...

    On the tenth step Shi Lang was resting because he figured out the problem in this test. After he figured this out, he began to climb again. Every five steps the pressure will increase exponentially.

    For example, if he was facing one Immortal Sovereign on the first step than on every sixth step he would face a second Immortal Sovereign adding on to the burden. He did not show it but by the time he got to the twenty-fifth step he was facing five Immortal Sovereigns and he could not use his Dao Laws.

    He was sweating profusely but his back was straight and his shoulders were square. His steps have been steady till now. He looked at the people atop the staircase watching him silently. He could sense awe, and concern from those eyes.

    He did not know who was doing what, but Yu Xeidi was ring at him. Shi Lang was confused as to what he might have done to offend the young one. He gathered his thoughts and continued climbing. The pressure was increasing but it was not as drastic as it was on the first twenty-five steps.

    The increase was just one percent. Shi Lang kept on climbing and suddenly Amelia looked at Yu Xeidi and asked, "Why are you ring at him?"

    Yu Xeidi replied, "I finished the entire course, why can''t he? If he failed then I will not talk to him."

    Amelia was surprised but before she could say anything Hao Mei appeared behind her and smacked the young one in the back of her head and said, "You are a puny Spirit formation cultivator and you faced a core formation pressure on the climb. Master is an Immortal Emperor, do you know the difference?"

    Yu Xeidi rubbed the back of her head and said, "But Master killed that evil monk when he was an Immortal King. No?"

    Hao Mei shook her head and said, "You may not know this but things are not simple like that battle. Master cannot use his Dao Laws."

    Yu Xeidi thought about it and said, "So, what is the difference?"

    Hao Mei clenched her fist and took a deep breath as she said, "The difference is that everyone below the Immortal Lord realm is weak. You need to reach the Immortal Lord realm before you canpare the situation."

    The Grand Elder saw this and nodded in admittance. These two young ones had a better mind on their shoulders than some of the disciples in the sect. She said, "You have taught them well, Amelia."

    Amelia shook her head and said, "I cannot ept this credit, Master. It was Lang who taught them. I am not highlighting him. However, I have only been responsible for teaching them some basics ofbat, diplomacy and workout."

    Then she turned her head and found that Shi Lang was already standing on the seventieth staircase. She looked at the olddy and held her quite.

    The Grand Elder said, "He is already qualified to walk up all the way. However, I want to see what is his limit. How much of it can he take."

    Amelia nodded and kept silent. She wanted to tell the olddy not to mess Shi Lang, but it was toote.

    ...

    Shi Lang was catching his breath and began to walk over once again. His breathing was haggard. His clothes were torn. So Shi Lang ripped the robe away from his torso, revealing his dynamic muscture. Many of the women in the crowd were fascinated but Amelia said, "You better not have any ideas. I will beat you up even if you are rted to Master."

    The Grand Elder chuckled and said, "My, my, I did not expect my disciple to be so possessive."

    Amelia blushed faintly but she did not rebuke her statement. After an hour of hard work and determinant work, he stood at the final step. However, a bad premonition rose from his heart. He did not know where this feeling originated from but it was sure that if he took this step, death was imminent.

    However, he did not wish to quit, because it was sure that Amelia would be embarrassed if he quit. He could not let that happen, so he took a step forward and stood on the final step. The change that he anticipated, did note. On the contrary, his body rejuvenated to its normal peak.

    He looked around and asked, "What is this stair case?"

 Chapter 806: Maiden Under The Moon.

    Shi Lang mumbled, "What is this staircase?"

    The grand elder said, "This stair case is a test for those who wish to gain acknowledgement of our sect."

    The Terran was confused and the olddy continued, "The founder of the sect was a married woman. However, as remarkable she was, her husband did not manage to gain approval of the women in the sect. So they all decided to test him. They asked the Sect Mistress''s husband to climb the staircase while they all expose him to their spiritual pressure.

    The husband managed to climb with much struggle. He gained approval from everyone, and then the sect mistress suggested for this method to be used for all future visitors. The practice was lost when the sect members divided into to factions."

    Yu Xeidi said, "Master, you took a longer time then me."

    Shi Lang looked at her in askance, and asked, "Why did you climb this staircase?"

    Yu Xeidi replied, "I wanted to see how strong I was. I am stillcking a bit."

    The Terran nodded and said, "Good that you know what you arecking in."

    Ying Yu cleared her throat and said, "Are you going to stay here at the entrance? Grand Elder, Sect Mistress is not inviting the guest inside."

    Amelia was still watching Shi Lang as he was drenched in sweat and his long hair were stuck to his body. She was still in a daze and woke up when Ying Yu nudged her gently. She waved her hand and all the sweat on his body evaporated. Shi Lang smiled at her and Amelia said, "Come in."

    Then she took his hand and led him inside the sect. Everyone followed the two and the Grand Elder said, "I will leave things to you and Xiao Yu."

    Amelia bowed to her and Shi Lang bowed along with her. The grand elder nodded and left. Ying Yu looked at all the disciples gathered around them and said, "Go, do you not have anything to do today?"

    The disciples were scared away by her, because Ying Yu was not just a person beside Amelia, she was the retainer of the sect, and she was famous for grinding people. They did not wish to project an ipetent impression before Shi Lang.

    Amelia sighed and said, "I apologize for this."

    Shi Lang waved his hand, and said, "It would have been the same if you hade to Asura Hall."

    Hao Mei shook her head and replied, "Master, you underestimate your fear in the hearts of all the disciples."

    Amelia and Shi Lang chuckled, this was the truth. Yu Xeidi said, "Senior Sister, it is time we go and train."

    Hao Mei nodded and Shi Lang said, "Wait. I have something for Hao Mei."

    The girls were surprised and Shi Lang pointed his finger at Hao Mei''s forehead and a ray of light emitted from it. The knowledge of alchemy that he gained from Yama had been passed on to Hao Mei. He waited for the girl to digest it and said, "I have never given you anything that a master should.

    I know that the inheritance you obtained from the Inheritance pce is of a higher level, but these are the few basic things that I inherited from a senior."

    Hao Mei as silent for a bit and then a tear dropped from her eye. Shi Lang was worried when the girl said, "Master, you must never think like this. You have given me more than I could have ever asked for. You saved me when I had no hope left."

    Then she threw herself in his embrace. Shi Lang was overwhelmed with warmth gushing through his heart. He patted her back and after a few minutes the girl calmed down. They left for practice after Shi Lang promised to Yu Xeidi that he will teach her sword y too.

    Ying Yu took off with the girls after casting a meaningful look at the couple. Amelia shook her head and led him to her quarters. Shi Lang looked around the ce andmented, "You have modeled the entire ce ording to the federal system."

    Amelia nodded as they walked through the garden and said, "Tao suggested this system. I found that it was indeed a good thing. Living in caves was not good, they were too far scattered."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "I hope that in all this the natural flow of the spiritual energy is undisturbed."

    Amelia nodded and replied, "We focused on that reason only. If the natural flow was to change then this world might end up like the Federation itself. Devoid of spiritual energy. That will do us no good."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is true, these people do not understand the value of the spiritual energy. If one day they are left without it, the demons could take over the worldpletely."

    Amelia nodded as she knew that his words were true. They entered the house and Shi Lang could not help but smile widely. He saw the furniture simr to his house in the federation. He asked, "You remembered these?"

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Tao bought them over. She had enough space to carry them in space rings."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It could be that these things were getting older and they wanted to change so that she bought them over."

    Amelia replied, "She bought along a lot of pictures for us to see how everyone was doing."

    The Terran smiled and said, "I would like to see them."

    The two of them sat down together watching the various pictures and markings that told them what was what. Shi Lang leaned back in the couch and said, "So familiar yet so strange."

    He closed his eyes and then sensed a soft and warm sensation on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and asked, "Amy, how have you been?"

    The emotions contained within this gentle question were too deep for anyone else to understand. He was not asking her physical well being, but he was addressing how she had been after all this time away from him. Amelia replied, "I don''t know how I have been."

    Shi Lang raised his head and looked at her before he said, "I apologize for always making you follow me in my selfish paths. You always chased after me, and while I am grateful to you, I cannot remember when have I done anything good for you."

    Amelia smiled and replied, "You have done a lot of things for me. What you do is enough for me, I get to flex that you are my husband."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Do not try to make me feel better."

    Amelia raised her head and looked at him with a calm gaze and said, "Hold me."

    Shi Lang smiled and held her in his arms, before he engaged a kiss. Their feelings of passion rekindled. They kissed each other, as their hands explored each other. They both knew each other so well, yet this feeling seemed new to them.

    While they were feeling the softness and warmth of each others body, they had taken off their clothes and now only air remained between the two of them. Shi Lang could not help but slide his hand between her legs when Amelia said, "Wait, wait, let''s go to the room."

    Shi Lang picked her up and they went inside the room. What followed was the loud pping and moans. Amelia and Shi Lang had been holding back each other for a long time, and right now they both were embroiled in the feeling of lust.

    The couple spent two days and three nights engaging in acts of passion. It was the third night when Ameliay on Shi Lang''s bare chest as they both gasped for air. The man looked at the womanying in his arms as moon light shone upon her face, and he sighed.

    Amelia opened her eyes and asked, "What is it?"

    The man replied, "You look so beautiful."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "I am telling you, this act of seduction will not work. Even with all this cultivation I am sore."

    Shi Lang said, "I am tired too, yet I wish to devour you over and over again."

    Amelia blushed faintly as she held him in her arms. She said, "Sometimes I wish to go away from all this power struggle and live in a forest."

    Shi Lang replied, "You can go to the Asura Hall. There you will find some peace. People do not care about things like the power struggle there."

    Amelia rolled her eyes and said, "You could have made a spa for me to go and have a good massage and manicure."

    Shi Lang could not hold back andughed loudly. After a few minutes, he asked, "Can you tell me when have you ever gotten a manicure?"

    Amelia pouted and bit him in the shoulder and they frolicked with each other again. Amelia asked, "What do you n to do now?"

 Chapter 807: Knowledge & Technology.

    Shi Lang and Amelia spend a few days of passion with each other, and when they were done, Amelia had to get back to her sect mistress duties. When Shi Lang left the room, his spiritual energy was at the peak of the early phase of Immortal Emperor realm. The two of them had been dual cultivating with each other. Which helped the two of them improving their cultivation realms.

    Amelia had reached the peak of the Immortal King realm and could step into the Immortal Emperor realm any moment. Shi Lang came out of the courtyard and found Ying Yu chasing after Yu Xeidi.

    He vanished and the next moment he caught hold of his disciple with a questioning gaze. Yu Xeidi said, "Master, Elder Ying is bullying me."

    Shi Lang gazed at Ying Yu who smiled sheepishly and said, "I just wanted her to try and dress up in a female set of clothing."

    The Terran sighed and said, "Daoist Ying Yu do not force her to do something that she is notfortable with."

    Ying Yu''s shoulder slumped and she nodded dejectedly. He said, "Xiao Yu, why did you not tell her that you do not feelfortable with all this?"

    Yu Xeidi let her limbs loose and said, "I told her master, but they say I am a child, and do not know what is better for me. I feel good in a battle suit, but elder Ying says a girl who does not dress well does not get married."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "You have a lot of time to even think about that, go on, practice."

    He dropped her on the ground and the little girl ran away with a whoosh. Shi Lang looked at Ying Yu and said, "Daoist Ying Yu, please do not force her to change her ways. It will hinder her martial path."

    Ying Yu nodded and said, "I know that, but sometime I just want to tease her so that she does not keep on cultivating."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "This is indeed bing a problem. I will talk to herter about it."

    Ying Yu smiled and asked, "Would you like to see more of the sect?"

    Shi Lang agreed and they began to roam around the ce. Ying Yu told him about many things about how Amelia had changed the sect in many ways. He visited theirmand center and gave in a lot of suggestions on how to make things better.

    The people heard his insights and they were impressed. Not only did he climb the staircase of acknowledgement, but his mind was also sharp. The way he exined the key points for the operatives to keep in mind when they go out on sect missions, it was like nothing before.

    Amelia was good, but she still could not hold a candle to Shi Lang. Even the elders of the sect gained a lot from this one session. The Terran spent his entire day helping with the optimization, and only stopped when the disciples asked him to teach them sword y and otherbat skills.

    The people gathered on the training ground and Shi Lang held a wooden sword in his hand. Opposite to him stood Yu Xeidi. Shi Lang said, "Xiao Yu, do your best, do not hold back."

    The girl took a deep breath and blinked her eyes. The people were shocked when they saw her open them. If they had not been watching her with their own eyes, they would not be able to sense her presence.

    Shi Lang nodded and Ying Yu shouted, "Begin!"

    Yu Xeidi charged at Shi Lang with her sword and thetter held his wooden sword before him. The girl did not take a single line of approach but she moved in different directions, creating angles of approach.

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is the best way to confuse your enemy if your realm is lower than them. However, tactics only work to a certain level. All trickery falls short in face of overwhelming strength."

    As Yu Xeidi swung her big sword at him, Shi Lang used the back of his wooden de to parry the attack, he said, "Speed does not mean uracy, Xiao Yu."

    The girl acknowledged with a soft hum before she continued attacking Shi Lang. The two fought for a couple of hours. No matter how many times Shi Lang hit her, Yu Xeidi would stand up and keep on fighting. The disciples were impressed and when she took rest, Shi Lang said, "Hmmm, well let me teach you all a little something."

    The disciples became interested and Shi Lang said, "The human body represents harmony in five elements. Blood is water, flesh and bones are earth, heat of organs is fire, breath is air, and finally the eyes they represent the sky."

    The girls nodded and Shi Lang said, "We all have an attribute of spiritual energy in our body. It develops with our cultivational progress. However, we be so focused on it, that we forget that all elements are made from spiritual energy. If we can focus on the raw form of spiritual energy we can manipte all elements."

    Shi Lang smiled and waved his hand and a ball of rock appeared in the void before everyone. The people were surprised and Shi Lang said, "I have affinity to lightning element. It is said that lightning is a mix of fire and air. However, I am able to move rocks a little.

    The point of this knowledge is not to waste time in doing something like practicing the elements that do note to you naturally, but to use these elements and sense the enemy or secret traps."

    The girls were in an awe, they did not expect Shi Lang to tell them something like this. The lecture began and the more he spoke the more he impressed the girls. He even asked them to conduct an exercise to try and get a feel of the elements. The people were surprised by this but it was indeed useful.

    As the sun was about to set, Amelia arrived and said, "Alright, the ss is dismissed."

    The disciples who were still asking questions were disappointed but they could not say anything in front of Amelia. They all dispersed and Shi Lang smiled at his wife. Who was ring at him.

    Shi Lang said, "What? I was just teaching them."

    Amelia shook her head, this guy was like this and could not change himself. She said, "Come, I have your battle suit and mech ready."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "What do you mean, mech? It has been ages since I piloted one. Also, does that thing even work in this world?"

    Amelia nodded and said, "I was thinking the same way. Tao told me that they made this thing with by using array circuits and spirit weapons."

    Shi Lang was stunned and approached her quickly, as he said, "Show it to me."

    Amelia chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, Supreme general."

    Thedy led him to a secluded ce in the sect where a metal giant stood on the ground. The mech was thirty feet tall and it was equipped with two cannons and a lot of other weapons. Amelia said, "I have not yet stepped inside the cockpit but..."

    Shi Lang vanished before she could say anything and eximed, "OH MY GOD! This thing has a spiritual link. Amy, why the fuck was I not given ess to this when I went to the Titan Mountains. I would have kicked ass."

    Amelia sensed his excitement and smiled contently, as she said, "It was not calibrated then, I had to put in some work to optimize it."

    ...

    Inside the cockpit, Shi Lang did not see any disy monitors, but when he sat in the seat, a part from the head rest extended and quickly turned into a cap that even covered his eyes. The next moment, an instruction appeared in his head and Shi Lang channeled his spiritual energy in the cap.

    The next moment he found himself standing outside the cockpit, and he looked around in shock. He could see things from the perceptive of the mech. Unlike the neural link in the federation, this connection did not put any strain on his physical body.

    Shi Lang could sense the entire mech working with a lot of spiritual stones embedded in the core of the body. Another thing that made him marvel was the hybrid system. Once the system was powered up, all the arrays on the mech began to work and absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings.

    He said, "Amy, this thing is a hybrid."

    Amelia smiled and said, "Go on, y for a bit and familiarize with it. I will bring out your battle suit."

    Shi Lang, the mech, gave her a thumbs up and the technologically advanced Shura was set to explore the north of immortal realm.

 Chapter 808: Technologically Overpowered.

    Shi Lang looked around him and then tried some radio exercises to familiarize with the erged body. However, he did not find anything out of the ordinary. He jumped on his spot, and found that the mech was quite nimble. Suddenly, he noticed an icon in his vision. He thought of essing it and found that it was amunication link.

    Shi Lang thought about who it could be connecting him to when he heard Shi Tao''s face appear in the void.

    Thedy smiled and said, "So, mom finally let you y with it."

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, "Indeed, this is a good one. Who came up with it?"

    Shi Tao replied, "This was the brain child of Aunt Jane. She often said that you would like it."

    The Terran smiled recalling his old friend and said, "I do like it. I am even more curious about the battle suit."

    Shi Tao replied, "That tech is even more sophisticated. The Terran research center took fifty years. They knew that I will be bringing one with me and give it to you. Those people take you a bit too seriously. If not for them, Uncle Jenkins was riding their head over it and denied al the prototypes saying, it is a disgrace."

    Shi Lang chuckled and shook his head. He began to perform some martial moves with the mech and while Shi Tao reported a few things to him about the front. She told him that the people have began to take the demonic energy invasion seriously.

    Shi Lang proposed that they should send the blueprint of the mech to the Asura hall research and development. Shi Tao agreed and said that she will discuss this with Amelia and then proceed ordingly.

    Then she went back to work, and by the time Shi Lang finished ying with the mech, Amelia came back with a battle suit. This whole thing was slightly taller than two meters, a bit taller than Shi Lang.

    It was called a battle suit because it was just an armor that provided him a better defense, a slight boost in agility and attack prowess. It was nothing like the mech, and was used to explore ces and leaving quickly without leaving any traces behind.

    Shi Lang looked at the red and ck colorbination. He smiled at Amelia and said, "You still remember?"

    Amelia nodded and said, "If I am correct and no one has touched our vault that your old suit is stillying their. Tao was considerate enough to scheme this after that one."

    The Terran nodded and circled around the suit before he touched it on the side and the suit morphed around him as if liquid. He said, "Nano tech?"

    Amelia nodded as she said, "Nano Spirit bots. They are all powered by small spiritual stone frags, all capable of powering it for ten years in a go, and simr to the mech they are hybrid. Nano engravement. You need to be careful with this. It will attract a lot of attention."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will use it with stealth mode, and stay away from humans. After all, the purpose of this expedition is to explore. I will not use them unless I am facing against a demonic sovereign."

    Amelia agreed to him before she asked, "You cannot take on a Demonic Sovereign?"

    Shi Lang shrugged and replied, "You can never be a bit too careful with such strong enemies. Who knows what cards they have up their sleeves."

    Amelia said, "Tell me when are you going to leave?"

    The Terran hesitated and said, "If I could, then I would not mind leaving right away. I think this battle suit and the mech are equipped with surveince probes?"

    The war maiden smiled and replied, "Yes they are, you do not have to worry about themunication either. Tao had a mini satellite with her, so it is ced above the War maiden sect. You can even use global positioning."

    Shi Lang was stunned and he asked, "How sure are you that the satellite would not be detected by anyone? Its is orbiting in the stratosphere?"

    The reply shocked him because it turned out that Shi Tao did not have just one satellite, it was a cluster of fifty such devices that divided and spread across the realm while taking note of the world beyond the stars using telescopes. Amelia also told him that these satellites carried a stick of meteor tungsten the hardest and strongest metal found in the immortal realm.

    However, these satellites were only spread over the human territory. Shi Lang did not mind that, otherwise he would be spying over the demonic region and taking out sects by dropping a stick of metal from the stratosphere with the impact force of a nuclear bomb.

    Shi Lang talked to Amelia for a bit and then he greeted the seniors of the sect and shared some the night with his two disciples. Listening to their stories and answering their questions. He was very thorough in guiding them and even the people who were listening to him from the side gained a lot.

    He did not realize that the sun hade up as he patted Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei''s heads gently. The two of them fell asleep sitting next to him as they were talking. Shi Lang did not move the whole night lest he disturbed the two of them. The girls would wake up whenever he stopped patting their heads.

    In the morning, Yu Xeidi woke up first and snuggled in Shi Lang''s shoulder. Hao Mei followed her example and snuggled the other side. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Lazy bugs."

    The moments he shared with them reminded him of the human warmth thatpleted him and bnced the cold warrior that lusted for battle and blood. Shi Lang could not help but think how he would be walking a path of senseless killing had he not tamed the Shura blood lust in the federation.

    He would not have been sopassionate, and the love these two girls had for him would not be there. He told Hao Mei that her brother Hao Ren has been doing well and if she wants, he would have someone deliver a spiritualmunicator to him. However, Hao Mei replied, that it was not necessary for the time being.

    He did not question it, the children had their own bonds, he did not wish to meddle in it.

    In the noon, Shi Lang left the sect with his tech gizmos stored in a space ring that was ced inside his spirit Tattoo. When he was leaving, an old voice sounded in his mind, "Junior Shi, do not fly in the northern skies. The secret realm you seek likes across theke of frozen time."

    Shi Lang was confused but he replied, "Thank you for your advice, Senior."

    Then after a prolonged hug, Shi Lang left the War Maiden sect. He did not know how the grand elder found where he wanted to go, nevertheless, it was helpful for him. He rushed out of the sect came to the first city near the War Maiden Sect and sat down inside a restaurant. The footfall of this ce was rtively high as this ce was really close to the sect.

    Many disciples could be seen moving around on the streets.

    Shi Lang ordered amon dish for himself and ced a superior spirit stone in the hand of the waiter. The young man was shocked, but Shi Lang said, "Do not worry, just tell me a few things, and I will leave."

    The waiter was even more worried, you know, it was a ce closest to the sect, and a stranger is asking him questions, being wry of this person could be considered a good thing. Shi Lang sighed and asked, "Kid, just tell me where can I find theke of frozen time."

    Hearing this the young waiter let go of his breath and said, "Theke of frozen timesy in the north from the city. It is a ce of extreme cold and it is said that even spirit energy solidifies around theke."

    Shi Lang frowned over the vague answer, but he still nodded, and ate his porridge before he left the ce. Then he used his spiritualmunicator and asked Yang Niao to find if any of the Asura Hall have gathered any information about theke of the frozen time.

    Sure enough, with so many people scouring thends, they are gathering and mapping the entire human territory and scouting for potential threats and possible opportunities. After a few minutes, Shi Lang received a detailed message from Yang Niao and found that it was basically an boration of what the waiter told him.

    Shi Lang left the city and traveled on his own, thinking how the difference between Asura Hall and the waiter was just a few more words. He did not like that, he furrowed his brows and mumbled while traveling, ''This needs to change.''

 Chapter 809: The Frozen Time River.

    Shi Lang did not take out his battle suit as soon as he set off to his journey, but he moved with a ck cloak around him. His speed was fast, he did not fly but maintained the ground approach. Since he was moving through unfamiliar surroundings, he wanted to avoid catching any eyes of the strangers.

    His speed was not a problem, but theck of cover made him understand the cruelty of cold weather. The north was frozennd, Shi Lang was circting his spiritual energy to keep the temperature in check. He knew that the Parent sects have deployed arrays around the cities to regte temperature for the people to live in but this ce was really too cold.

    The ground seemed to have frozen, Shi Lang did not mind it, but he could tell how hard this exploration was going to be. It took him two days to arrive at the frozen timeke. On the way, he did not find even a single high level spirit beast. The ones he found were Beast Lords and Beast soldiers. The leader of the area would be a Spirit Beast king. Not a threat for the humans, unless they provoke it.

    Shi Lang looked at the river before him and he realized that the situation was indeed as the people named it to be. The time here did seem to have frozen up. The ce trees in this region were bare of leaves, but they were glistening.

    He approached a tree carefully and tried to scrap of some of its bark to analyze with the technological equipment Shi Tao bought over, however, his attempts did not bear any result. He tried many methods to scrap at the bark of the tree, but none of them worked at all. The Terran was astounded, he thought of something and moved away from the ce.

    He took out a fruit from his space ring, and ced it on the ground.

    Shi Lang nned to observe the changes in the situation here. He watched it calmly a recorded the progress with a nano cam. The rapid cold caused the fruit to shrivel up and the water content inside it froze. The Terran nodded and then he ced another fruit next to the bare tree.

    Something surprising happened, the fruit stayed the same even after seven hours. Shi Lang was surprised, he recorded the situation of the fruit before he ced it on the ground. The data scan showed that the result was the same.

    He took out his mundanemunicator and dialed for Amelia instantly. Thedy picked up and asked, "What happened Lang? Are you okay, you aremunicating on the federalmunicator."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, I am fine, but something with this ce is wrong, definitely wrong. Here, take a look."

    He showed her the scenery through his camera, and told her what he found. His answer made Amelia surprised too. She said, "You do not worry, I will ask Master about it. She might be aware of what is going on in that ce."

    Shi Lang nodded and waited for her toe back with some knowledge. The reason the Terran was so concerned about this ce was because it was rted to Time. This was an element that not many knew much about. If space was the king, then Time was the emperor. If someone managed toprehend Timews, then he could be invincible.

    Shi Lang was also concerned if he will meet any trouble when crossing this river. He wanted to be sure, because this trip was not for him. On the other hand, if this ce was a location where he could have a chance toprehend thews of time, he did not mind trying his luck.

    Whilst he was waiting he did not stay simply in the ce, but observed the surroundings and collected the data by spending over his probes. He sat on the ground watching the telemetry data and he was in a daze.

    The time for the probes ced next to or over the trees and the stones on the riverbank was hundred times slower than the normal time flow. The Dao Laws could effect the entire world, because they resonate with the smallest shred of spiritual energy embedded in existence.

    The probes were made up of from natural and man-made elements. They were a part of the natural no matter how synthetic. The Dao Laws of time were effecting the probes. Shi Lang was amused and he began to think what time was in the first ce. It was not an easy question to solve.

    But what other things did he have to do? After two hours of clueless pondering, Amelia called back. Shi Lang saw her put on the grand elder on the screen who smiled genially at him.

    The Terran greeted her and thedy said, "It was said that in the ancient times, a phoenix bird ruled the northern mountains. This bird was not a beast that represented fire, but it represented, life and reincarnation. Many people worshipped the beast, but one day someone set out to hunt the beast and almost bested it.

    However, that nameless expert triggered the phoenix''s rage, and the holy beast self destructed."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "So, if I am correct, the connection of life and reincarnation is directly rted to thews of time, and thus this ce is effected by them."

    The Grand Elder nodded and said, "Yes, that is how it is supposed to be. However, the source of thesews is not yet detected. None of the people who went to find the source have ever been able to locate it, and half of them did note back."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Grand Elder."

    Amelia told him to not dwell on the issue for too long and get in to trouble. Shi Lang agreed but as soon as the call was disconnected, he took a quick scan of the area and took out his battle suit. He made a few eye movements and the detection system triggered the thermal imaging.

    The technology level was so sophisticated that it could peer into the souls of people. Shi Lang began to look around. His motive was to scale the lengths of the river bank and find if he could find the source of origin. It was not going to be an easy task, but if he managed to reach the source then he might have a chance toprehend something.

    ...

    Shi Lang knew that the river divided the northern mountains into two regions by flowing from east to west. He guessed that since Phoenix was a beast with fire affinity then proceeding in the east gave him a better chance. His battle suit increased his speed by two times. His Immortal Emperor strength was boosted by the battle suit perfectly.

    Shi Lang was a little worried about the input damage, but Amelia had made adjustments to some parts. The war maiden sect had a lot of skilled forgers there and they reced the parts with the material from the immortal realm.

    The ingenuity of this artifact was the design schematic. The Terran enjoyed pushing this machine to the limit as he advanced on his journey. He found that the biodiversity of this ce was limited, and as he proceeded further it even became scarce. He could not even find a twig closer to the source.

    After half a day of travel, he suddenly came to a stop. His sensors picked up something. Shi Lang found on the thermal monitor, a bunch of human heat signatures sitting on the ground. He frowned and decided to check the situation with a drone.

    He patted on his right tight, and a drone cam popped up from his shoulder de and flew forward. The connection of a spiritual neural link was amazing. Shi Lang looked around and the drone followed his thoughts while the live footage was broadcasted directly to his eyes in the suit.

    Shi Lang was surprised to see that the heat signature was not a mistake, but there was indeed a person who was sitting crossed leg by the river. His posture was that of a cultivator, but the camera turned on the night vision and Shi Lang was surprised. The man did not close his eyes.

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and decided to call back the drone. Then he tied a fruit under it, he was going to check the data for degradation and changes. If the data did not change in such a freezing cold then it was possible for the fruit to be in the range of the timews. Shi Lang did not want to go near those spots and invite trouble for him.

    He corrected the course of the drone many times and marked the regions where the timews were in action. The river bank was not a walk in the park, the timew zones here were not just a few inches of them nketing the dead trees and stones. The radius of the effective range was fluctuating and Shi Lang had to move through the maze.

    On the way he found a lot of humans, sitting on the ground with their eyes open.

    A sense of dread surfaced in Shi Lang''s eyes, but he could not stop now.

 Chapter 810: The Source.

    Shi Lang was moving the drone closer and closer to the source, when he found many people sitting in a meditative stance but their eyes were open. He managed to confirm that they were only staring in the distance. He could not tell what they were doing. Suddenly, it clicked to him as he mumbled, "They are like the trees."

    The drone moved further and Shi Lang followed through the mapped route slowly, carefully checking for any disturbance. He set the AI installed in the battle suit to take control if he spends more than five minutes in one ce and guide him outside the effective range.

    After traveling for ten hours, Shi Lang found himself standing before a spot that scared the hell out of him. He spotted a few dozen men and women standing on their feet as they looked into the distance. He regained hisposure and stopped the drone from moving any further as he followed the trail.

    When he reached the spot where everyone was gathered he felt chills running down his spine. He could not tell what was happening, utterly clueless, that was the word that Shi Lang used to define himself. No matter how many times he tried to look for an exnation he could not find one.

    Every time he thought he hade up with something the feeling would go cold and the logic will delude him. He boosted all his sensors to the max level to find anything that could be marked as a source but for miles, he could spot nothing. He stood on the ground and patted his feet while thinking about the situation.

    He looked at the faces of the living mannequins around him and thought, "What are they looking at if it is not the source? Thews of time froze them in their ces. Since they are frozen, does that mean their souls are also frozen?"

    He rubbed his chin and suddenly came up with a really daunting idea. He moved closer to one of the people and locked his gaze with them. Shi Lang thought for a bit and re-issued themands to the AI, and took a deep breath as he said, "Lords, Amelia will kill me if I screwed this up."

    He channeled a shred of his soul energy toward the old man before him and tried to get inside his soul sea. However, it was not that easy, he met great resistance from the person, and a voice echoed in his mind, "Who the hell are you?"

    Shi Lang smiled, this was a good news. He replied, "I apologize if I disturbed your cultivation senior. However, I am looking for the secret realm that has no fixed location. Can you tell me where should I go?"

    He did not wish to reveal his real intentions to someone he did not know till a few seconds ago. The old man asked, "I will give you the answer if you can get me out of here."

    Shi Lang thought for a moment, and asked, "Sir, are you not cultivating? How can I get you out of here when I do not even know what is going on here?"

    The old man replied and said, "Well, what can I say, I came here like all the others in search of the fallen Phoenix. However, as we got closer to it, we were frozen in the spot."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Frozen?"

    The old man did not let Shi Lang inside his spiritual sea, but he had woken up after the Terran tried to peek inside. This was another reason why Shi Lang did not trust the manpletely. He asked, "Senior, if I am to risk my life, I will need more information."

    The soul of the old man replied, "Fine, you see, this ce is where a phoenix used to live. It used to pick up a disciple every once in a while and teach them the Dao of Time. However, none of the human seeded in it. The Phoenix was not happy, so after a few centuries, she stopped.

    One of the human youngsters gained lot of power through his talent, and he was eager to try his luck. He came to find the Phoenix, but the beast disapproved of him. She saw deceit and arrogance in his heart. The young expert was using some spell to cover himself up.

    A great battle ensued between the two of them. The Phoenix killed the human but the injuries from the battle were so severe that it had no other choice but to reincarnate from the ashes. However, in the end moments, the holy beast decided to cast a spell. Since the human dared to trick her using the age reversal spell, the beast destroyed itself and sacrificed her Dao Laws to enchant the region.

    All those who came to seek her were trapped in the spell of time. We have been here for thousands of years and even lost the sense of time. If you had not connected with me, I would have stayed in this position till the end of the world."

    Shi Lang was shocked by the legend, then he asked, "Sir, you just mentioned that the holy beast sacrificed her Dao Laws in the end. How can I undo that spell? I am not where strong enough to bypass something like that."

    The old man said, "You can go to the source and there you can defeat the soul of the phoenix. It has been ages since the beast''s body ceased existing, it must have weakened and you can easily take it down."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Even if it is a remnant, it is still the soul of a holy beast. Another thing of notice is that I do not know where the source is."

    The old man''s voice echoed in his mind, "The sourceys under the ground. In a cave, that was where the holy beast died and sacrificed the Dao Laws. You can find her there."

    Shi Lang took in a deep breath, this was a big win for him. The Terran took a breath and then he programmed his probes to check the ground. Since there was a hole that led under the surface it must be around here. While searching, the nano probes drilled through the ground with abined effort.

    They used a circr motion to drill through the ground quickly, and after a few hours they stopped and pinged Shi Lang. The snow wasyered and the difference went back to seven thousand years. Shi Lang sucked in a deep breath. Even if this was the world of cultivation, seven thousand years could be considered ancient.

    Now he became even warier of the old man who talked to him. He approached the spot where the drones were drilling and waited for half an hour before it was confirmed that under two hundred kilometer of ice, there was a cavern.

    Shi Lang took out Raksha from his space ring and the sword spirit materialized before him. She said, "You finally decided to bring me out after so many days."

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder and said, "I was afraid because of Allure''s presence. Also, did I not rely on you to y those two guys?"

    Raksha snorted and said, "What are we doing in this frozen graveyard?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Under us is a ce where a Phoenix rests. I do not wish to disturb it but if I managed to learn the Dao Laws of Time, we will have less trouble for the war toe."

    Raksha nodded, and then she asked about how deep did the caverny. Shi Lang told her everything and thedy waved her hands into a triangle and cut the ice directly with lightning energy and evaporated the ice to nothing but steam.

    Shi Lang waited for the steam to clear up before he put Raksha back and jumped inside the hole with his arms crossed before his chest. The speed of his fall was super sonic. However, he did not try to slow down, because using spiritual arts to break his fall could look disrespectful to the Holy Beast.

    As he approached the end of the hole, he dug in the two daggers at an angel. The friction caused his speed to slow down and hended on the floor with a dull thud. Shi Lang did not need any source of illumination, night vision was enough for him to navigate through the tunnel.

    The size of this ce was massive, he seemed to be an ant in this massive tunnel. He gulped and just as he took a step forward, an ethereal voice echoed in his mind, "Who dares toe here and disturb me?"

    Shi Lang sensed a pressure like nothing before and quickly bent one of his knee and answered, "Senior, my name is Shi Lang, I havee to the north searching for a ruin."

    He raised his head and his soul shivered in fear. This was not ordinary fear but a primal fear that originated from the core of his being. Just when he was about to say something, the reason for that fear charged at him.

 Chapter 811: Soul Of The Phoenix.

    Shi Lang was scared shitless for the first time in his life. Even the people in the Tian mountains didn''t give him such a scare. The figure that rushed at him appeared to be an icy blue colored bird. It was something so massive that even some of the spaceships of the federal military might be ashamed.

    The Phoenix flew above Shi Lang and issued a screech. The sound was a soul attack. The phoenix''s soul prated Shi Lang''s soul sea, and it bypassed the protection array runes on his suit as if they were child''s y.

    The pain from the invasion caused Shi Lang to fall on the ground. He held his head in his palms as he crawled on the ground. His entire body was aching and his head seemed like it would explode anytime.

    The Phoenix raged in his soul sea, it was burning the soul sea and Shi Lang''s Immortal Soul was also getting hurt. The Daows engraved over it were slowly vanishing away. At this moment, Shi Lang was overwhelmed by the sense of dread as he could not even control his own body or soul. He has never been so helpless in his entire life.

    Just when the phantom of the phoenix soul was about to manifestpletely in his soul sea and cause him to explode, Raksha''s spirit appeared inside Shi Lang''s soul sea. Thedy manifested and she had a calm face.

    This was a sign that she was about to go crazy. She waved her hand and expelled the trace of phoenix soul from the soul sea. Shi Lang was relieved but he was not even able to stand up. In his mind, Raksha said, "Let me out."

    Shi Lang barely managed to ess his space ring and Raksha came out. She took her human form and said, "Old Chicken, you better not hurt him. You won''t be able to bear the consequences."

    "How dare you!!!"

    The Phoenix Soul yelled at Raksha. However, the sword spirit stood unfazed in the void. Her expression was calm, and the soul pressure from the fallen beast did not affect her in the least. She watched as the soul remnant charged at her with ws.

    Raksha sighed and remarked, "I told you not to."

    She waved her hand and released a strong concentrated wave of sword intent. The attack tore apart the void andnded straight at the bird''s chest. A painful screech echoed in the cavern. The sword intent did not stop, it tore through the mes.

    Raksha snapped her fingers and swords of spirit energy condensed around the bird. She said, "If you move even a little, I will shred your soul into oblivion."

    The beast was unwilling but it had no other options. Raksha was not joking. She was dead serious about her intention to kill.

    The Phoenix said, "Leave here."

    Raksha asked, "Do you really want to talk to me in such a tone? Has the time alone in this cave made you go senile?"

    The Phoenix screeched and said, "I despise the human kind. They cannot think of anyone else other than themselves."

    Raksha scoffed and said, "Your view of looking at things is very narrow. This guy is nothing like other humans. You can search his soul if you do not believe me, but do you think if he was just like other humans I would be protecting him?"

    The Phoenix did not say anything, it was none of her business whom Raksha protected or not. The sword spirit knew that the Holy beasts would not bow down to anyone. They had innate arrogance that defied even the heavens. How could they listen to reason so easily?

    Raksha did not say anything to the beast anymore, but looked at Shi Lang. The Terran was groaning, his body was affected and the damage to his soul sea caused his cultivation realm to drop back to Immortal King level.

    She frowned and said, "You better restore him to his peak. He did not harm you in the least."

    The phoenix snorted, but the next moment, the spirit swords flickered and prated through the beast''s wings. It may be a soul form, but it took a lot of energy to keep the form together, and despite being overpowering, it was quite fragile in the face of Raksha''s sword intent.

    The beast screeched in pain and Raksha said in amanding tone, "Restore him!"

    The Phoenix shook her head while bearing great pain. She did not want to aid humans, and would rather die than to help a human. Just as Raksha was about to put this beast out of her misery, Shi Lang''s voice sounded behind her, "Raksha, stop."

    The sword spirit remarked, "Are you a fool to spare this thing?"

    Shi Lang was straining himself a lot, when he spoke, his body was not in a good condition. He said, "When she attacked me, I saw her memories. She is right to hold a grudge against humans."

    The beast red at Shi Lang but the next moment a lot of spirit swords moved closer to her. Shi Lang sighed as he spoke, "You do not know, but the human expert harmed her child in order to trigger the fight. It was a shameful and despicable action, she is right to hold the grudge."

    These words ignited the pent up rage and grief in the heart of the beast once more. The Phoenix raised her head toward the sky and then let out a screech. Shi Lang watched the scene silently. If someone were to harm Tao, Yu Xeidi or Hao Mei to get to him, he would also go mad in rage.

    Raksha said, "I empathize with her, but I will not spare her for harming your foundation. You have a big heart but I don''t."

    Shi Lang sighed, he could not argue with her, she was doing this for his own good, but he did not wish to see the Phoenix soul suffer because of this. The situation reached an impasse.

    After some thought Shi Lang asked, "Senior, can you tell me why you trap those humans outside?"

    The phoenix did not reply instantly. Raksha sighed and said, "Can you not understand that if he wanted to harm you, he would have killed you by now?"

    The soul remnant replied, "Does he intend to help those people outside?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I have no right to meddle in your business, however, on the behalf of the human race, I can still try to help you vent. I do not intend to have those people live on if they have harmed you."

    The Phoenix soul was stunned, she was just a remnant but her eyes flickered with shock. She asked, "Do you mean what you said?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, I do."

    The remnant soul said, "Those people outside the hole, they were part of the human expert''s entourage that came over to challenge me. They were the first people who attacked my child. However, when the battle ensued those cowards ran away, and only came back when I had already finished the battle, and was trying to heal my child.

    They sneaked up on me and attacked me. I watched them devour my child''s body while he was still alive. In the end, when they were preparing to rush into a void tunnel, I sacrificed my body so that the timews could take control of the surroundings. It has been seven thousand and three hundred years. I cannot reincarnate because the timews will vanish then.

    Rebirth will take me back to my weakest self."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "As long as you remove the soul energy inside me, I will help you with this little problem."

    The Phoenix shook her head and said, "I have waited a long time, and I will continue to wait for even longer. Why should I heal you? What if you betrayed me?"

    Shi Lang did not mind it and said, "Senior, I can swear on my Dao Heart if that will relieve your doubts."

    Raksha sighed and rebuked him, "How many times have I told you to not make Dao Oaths on every two steps? Have you not learned anything?"

    Shi Lang opened the face mask of the suit and smiled sheepishly at her. The Phoenix thought for a bit and said, "If you can take down those people, I will remove the soul energy from you."

    They have reached another impasse. Raksha watched as the two sides kept debating for two hours. She really wanted to see how far these two would go. Shi Lang said that he was not sure that he would be able to kill these people because he did not know how strong they were.

    The Phoenix replied that she did not trust Shi Lang even if he took a heavenly oath. Suddenly, Raksha said, "Oi Lang, give it a break, go use your toys."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I cannot use it because I would not be able to control the mech to its fullest."

    The three people stood inside the cave, not knowing what to do. The soul of the Phoenix was not ready to budge from her decision.

 Chapter 812: Reward.

    The trio fell silent and suddenly, Raksha said, "Can you undo your time barrier on them?"

    The question was directed to the remnant soul of the Phoenix, who replied, "It will not be one by one, they will wake up all at once. I do not think you would be able to handle them."

    The sword spirit raised her brow and said, "Just do everything on my mark. You do not have to think too much if I can handle them or not. You bound those people and I have you under my thumb. Come back and talk to me when you get a body."

    The Phoenix screeched in anger. However, it could not do anything to Raksha or Shi Lang. The Terran had been meditating to stabilize his injuries. He woke up and said, "Raksha, you do not have to act cruelly. Just use a sliver of sword intent and cripple their cultivation. Only one person whom I woke up might be able to resist that, but I will put his soul inside shura realm.

    I do not like him."

    Raksha thought for a bit and said, "Good. I will do this."

    The phoenix did not understand what they were talking about but she could tell they were really confident. Shi Lang managed to tolerate her soul attack for five seconds. If it was any other expert, they would have died from the burns.

    His realm dropped but looking at him it did not seem like he was injured. Shi Lang stood up from the ground and said, "Help me get to the ground."

    Raksha nodded and supported him as they flew out of the triangr hole above their heads. The sword spirit knew very well the extent of damage he suffered in the attack earlier. His body was in shambles, tough exterior did not mean anything in the world of cultivation. The phoenix had left his foundation in cracks.

    The spiritual pressure he disyed might be that of an Immortal King but his skill level and battle prowess have fallen down to the immortal lord level. That was why he denied using the mech earlier.

    Raksha asked him, ''How do you intend to use the mech now?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I do not, but I have other ways to deal with these people."

    They flew up for a few minutes, and came to the surface. Shi Lang said, ''Condense intent needles and wait for my sign. Aim at their soul sea.''

    The Terrannded on the ground and made his way through the crowded spot to the spot where the old man stood. He clenched his fists, the barrier of Time Dao Laws made it impossible for the old man to sense his rage, but he quickly calmed his mind.

    He said to Raksha, ''Tell her to begin.''

    The sword spiritmunicated with the phoenix as she covered the region with her spirit sense and located every human in the vicinity. She condensed the sword intent into long and sharp needles. All of them were aimed at the forehead.

    A loud Phoenix cry echoed in the region, and Shi Lang closed his battle suit. He said, "Raksha the Dao Laws are flowing back to the Phoenix, she must have started the reincarnation process."

    The region was covered in Dao Laws. It was akin to a nket being pulled away and everything under it wasing back to life. Raksha was ready, as soon as the nket revealed the forehead of the human under it, the needle would pass through the flesh and explode inside the skull turning the brain to mush and even destroying the unprepared immortal soul of the people.

    They never expected death to take them in such a fashion. Shi Lang waited he told Raksha, ''Do not make them fall down.''

    The sword spirit understood his meaning, and did not have these dead people fall down, on the contrary, she used her trace of spirit energy to bind the corpses as puppets. As soon as the old man''s eyes opened, he looked around but Shi Lang undid his mask and said, "Senior, do you recognize me?"

    His voice was cheery, as if a young child looking at his grandfather. The old man looked at Shi Lang and said, "Are you the kid who woke me up?"

    The Terran nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

    The old man was awake and his soul was alert too, so he was capable of defending himself if Shi Lang attacked hastily. If the old man turned out to be stronger, than he would be inviting death and nothing more.

    Suddenly Shi Lang took off the mask and the old man was shocked. His eyes matched with the Terran and suddenly the surroundings changed. He looked around and asked, "Kid, what do you think you are doing?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Senior, this is a secret realm, can you not feel the spiritual energy?"

    The ce was a grasnd, everything was brimming with spirit energy, and the old man thought this ce was indeed nice. However, why would Shi Lang bring him to such a ce they did not even know each other. The Terran said, "Senior, the reason I bought you here is because of the strength you possess. Can you help me open a door?"

    The old man asked, "What door?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "The door of death."

    The old man took a second to register, but when he understood it was toote. He was already the part of emotion and the Shura Sutra had disconnected the bond of his soul to his physical body. The old man attacked Shi Lang but it stopped and thetter said, "Senior, you tricked me. You tried to get me killed at the hand of that Phoenix. You deserve a gruesome death."

    The old man was shocked, his attack was stopped, he was an Immortal Sovereign and an injured Shi Lang managed to take him down. How could this happen?

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Old man, now it is time for you to rest in peace. Good bye."

    After saying that, The Terran vanished. He quickly came out in the real world, but could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood. Raksha appeared next to him, and asked, "Are you alright?"

    Shi Lang did not have the strength to speak, as he passed out. The soul of an Immortal Sovereign was too much for him to handle. Raksha freaked out for a second, and the Phoenix said, "Bring him to me, quick."

    Raksha picked up Shi Lang and vanished from the ce. Her speed was so fast that after a few seconds the dead corpses were shredded into fine blood mist.

    ...

    Inside the cavern, the Phoenix soul remnant gazed at the fainted young man before her and said, "I never thought that I would be grateful to a human."

    Raksha snarled and snapped, "Shut the fuck up and heal him. You caused this. I swear to you bitch, I will fry your new body if anything happened to him."

    The Phoenix did not feel bad this time. It showed the strong bond shared by the two people. It let out a small hoot and icy blue wisps of energy flew off from Shi Lang''s soul sea toward the Phoenix.

    Not only that, but his broken soul sea began to repair, and expand at the same time. The Phoenix said, "I once had a human master, I wonder if this kid would be willing to keep me beside himself."

    Raksha said, "That is none of my concern, its your own equation. Ask him when he wakes up."

    Raksha was calm now, as she sensed the Terran''s realm restoring. Suddenly she sensed something off about Shi Lang. It was as if his body left after images as it shivered from the recovery.

    She was curious and asked, "What did you do to him?"

    The Phoenix replied, "I owed him the debt of life, and so I am rewarding him forpleting my quest by bestowing him with the Time Laws."

    Raksha sucked in cold air and opened her eyes wide. The Phoenix replied, "What sort of reaction is it? Did you think I would let my benefactors go without a proper reward? I am not ungrateful and I do not wish to be indebted and tie up in the cycle of Karma."

    The sword spirit said, "If so, that what did you mean by him having a contract with him?"

    The Phoenix replied, "It is not that simple. I will need someone I could trust to watch over my fledgling self. I could be of great help."

    Raksha thought for a bit and said, "Alright, I will agree to that."

    ...

    Shi Lang woke up in a daze, he did not know if he had a dream or was it real but he seemed to have gained some understanding of how the Time Laws work. He sat up on the ground, and picked up a pebble from the ground. He exerted strength on the pebble and it crumbled into fine powder. Then he waved his hand and the stone returned to its original form.

    Suddenly, when he was thinking about exploring this new power, a blue bird appeared on his shoulder. The sparrow looked at Shi Lang and said, "From now on, you will be my travelpanion."

    Shi Lang flicked his finger and made the bird fly away. He shook his head and said, "I am nopanion. Find someone else."

 Chapter 813: Hou Bings Travel Companion.

    Shi Lang spent some time meditating and getting used to his new strength. He did not bother with the sparrow resting on his head. However, he did admit that this little bird was very beautiful. All the feathers seemed to be made of metal.

    The bird was moody but at least it did not bother Shi Lang''s cultivation. His body was bursting with a power like never before. His soul was stronger and simrly his body was also stronger. It was almost unreal. He had been sitting here for two days, and figuring out the truth about it all.

    He could sense that the Phoenix had a hand in his recovery and even restored his Dao Laws. He focused on his soul sea and noticed something there. He sighed and asked, "Did you do something to me?"

    The little bird opened her eyes andmunicated with spiritual sense, "Yes. I did."

    Shi Lang asked, "What did you do?"

    He could not figure out anything even after two days so he asked the person responsible for this. The bird replied, "You looked in your soul sea. Did you not notice the new Dao Laws in there?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I did, but what are thosews. I had a dream when you restored my soul sea, I saw a few things from my past. Why?"

    The bird replied, "Because the Laws I gave you were timews. The first thing you would experience is a glimpse of your past. If you are strong enough than you would be able to do more. That is to send your consciousness back in time."

    Shi Lang asked, "If so, then why didn''t you send your consciousness back to the past when fighting that human expert?"

    The bird replied, "Even if you master the Dao Lawspletely, you cannot go that far back in time. I was born with them and yet I could not go back in time to save my child. The maximum I can do is five minutes."

    Shi Lang nodded in understanding. Time travel was not possible without setting up an alternate time line. If Dao Laws, allowed someone to move through time even if it was five minutes ago, that meant they would be able to save their lives in danger.

    The bird continued, "That move is only to be used when you are in danger."

    Shi Lang nodded and the bird said, "When you manage to reach the peak of the usage, you will be able to freeze the time. Every time you freeze the time it will take toll on your life. One second means hundred years."

    The Terran was shocked, he opened his eyes and eximed, "You froze things for seven thousand years, how much life you have on you?"

    The bird replied, "Do not think like that. A holy beast can live for five thousand years, but that is not enough. I gave up everything to hold those people in ce. If you had note over, so even after everything I have done, my soul would have extinguished in a few years toe."

    Shi Lang asked, "So, your soul couldst for a longer time?"

    The bird pecked his head, and Shi Lang yelled in pain. The little creature may look small but the strength it had could put an Immortal Emperor into pain with just a peck. Imagine if she went hell crazy and wed at Shi Lang?

    The Terran asked while grimacing, "What was that for?"

    The bird replied condescendingly, "Do you think your soul will grow as strong as mine? Wake up, Human!"

    Shi Lang realized the crux of the situation and sighed. He rubbed his head and replied, "Well, I will be leaving now. Good bye."

    The bird asked, "Are you perhaps talking to the void?"

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and asked, "Senior, I need to leave. Please get off my head."

    The bird burst intoughter and said, "Kid, you have to take me along with you. Did you not hear when I said that you are my travelpanion?"

    Shi Lang calmed himself down and asked, "Senior I remember you saying that but do you perhaps remember my answer?"

    The blue sparrow said, "Young one, I bestowed you with the Dao Laws of time. You cannotprehend thews of time or space to such a pure and raw level until theye from a holy beast like me. Also, you have to know this one thing, I signed a contract of spiritual equality with you. Now we are tied together by the fate."

    Shi Lang asked, "When did I agree to such a contract?"

    The reply shocked him, "When I got inside your head, you were at my mercy, and so, I slipped in a mark of ve. So if you want to get rid of that ve mark you will agree to the contract or I will take you around."

    Shi Lang could not help but think that this creature was a bully. However, he had to tolerate it all. He said, "I give my consent, remove the ve mark from my soul sea."

    This was the first time the Phoenix sensed a wave of rageing from Shi Lang. The Terran did not like to be subjugated to anyone, how would he tolerate the fact that he has a ve mark in his soul sea?

    The little bird did not dilly-dally either. She quickly dissolved the mark and then a few words appeared in the void. Shi Lang took a brief nce at it and pricked his finger as he flicked a drop of blood back on those words.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath as he sensed a strong connection to the phoenix. He looked up at the triangr hole and jumped. His speed was quick and he climbed out of the hole quickly. The ce was same as before but the human corpses were shriveled up.

    The Phoenix asked, "Your sword did this? I did not expect her to be this ambitious."

    Shi Lang did notment and reached out to grab the void. His grip tightened around Raksha''s hilt as the sword appeared out of nowhere. Shi Lang asked, "Raksha, are you done?"

    The sword hummed and then fell silent. He took out a ribbon and tied the de to his back without putting it inside a sheathe. The Phoenix asked, "Why not put her in a sheathe?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "She does not like it."

    The next moment Shi Lang began to walk ahead and all the shriveled corpses turned to dust. He erased all signs of damage and existence of humans in this ce. The Phoenix did not understand but she did notment on it either. Shi Lang continued walking forward through the ce and until everyst human corpse was turned to dust, he did not stop.

    Then he looked to the other side of the frozen time river, and the Phoenix asked, "What are you looking for?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The moving ruins."

    He heard a sigh from the creature riding his head, as the Phoenix said, "That ce is called the legendary ruins of nomads."

    Shi Lang asked, "You know that ce?"

    The Phoenix replied, "Yes, it has been here for the past ten thousand years, though, it is not easy to get in. Coming out is almost impossible."

    Shi Lang asked, "What if I tell you that a few hundred years ago a human expert made it in their and came back too, would you believe me?"

    "Why would I not? Am I the all knowing turtle? It is possible for someone to go inside and make it out, but believe me they have a good stroke of luck."

    Shi Lang nodded in agreement, this holy beast was older than him and even stronger than him. He asked, "How do we get in?"

    The holy beast said, "You will assign me a name, and then I will talk to you. I do not want to stay nameless."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "How little me?"

    The bird did not reply and Shi Lang thought about it for a few minutes, before he said, "How about Hou Bing?"

    The Phoenix thought for a bit and said, "Hmmm, fine I will pass it. Now run across the river surface and cross the river."

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then again he did as he was told. He took a deep breath and exerted force against the ground and he shot off. The moment his footnded on the ice, he sensed something below. Under the thickyer of ice, he sensed a deep aquatic life in existence.

    He increased his speed even more worried that he would alert the guy and attract its attention. Thinking about this he said, "Senior Hou, can you please take a flight? I have to change clothes."

    Hou Bing vanished from his head and appeared in the void fifty meters away. Shi Lang initiated the battle suit, and the nanobot armor engulfed himpletely. The speed increased as he progressed and the Phoenix was surprised. She asked, "Do you think I can also use something like this?"

    Shi Lang almost fell on the ground by the sudden question. It was at this moment, he knew that it was going to be a long journey.

 Chapter 814: Unexpected.

    Shi Lang had crossed the frozen river and the experience left his heart lingering with fears.

    A few moments ago when he was moving like the wind, and ignoring Hou Bing''s constant chatter, he sensed a creature charging towards the surface. He was not wrong, the creature that lived in the depths of the river wasing for him.

    Shi Lang said, "Hou Bing, what are you going to do?"

    Hou Bing was surprised and remarked, "I did not think you would be able to pick it up. What do you want to do?"

    Shi Lang said, "I do not think I can win by fighting it using normal means. The creature is probably a Spirit beast Sovereign."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "You are smart, indeed this thing is an Immortal Sovereign and just so you know it is hunting for me."

    Shi Lang almost wanted to strangle her and said, "You mean to say, that thing ising over because it can sense your weakened state?"

    Hou Bing nodded and Shi Lang replied, "Can you get off my hand, I have ten seconds to prepare for this battle."

    Hou Bing replied, "I cannot fly away, that thing wille after me, look at my size, do you think I can be a match with that guy?"

    Shi Lang gave up on his intention to divert attention. He was sure that this bird knew what was going through his head. He waved his hand and a big metal figure appeared five meters away from him.

    Hou Bing was shocked, and Shi Lang rushed up the body and slid inside the cockpit as he said, "Initiate the Battle System."

    He ignored the shock in the Phoenix''s eyes, and said, "Do not fly around and touch anything. Or, this thing will explode. Do you understand?"

    The sparrow did not know what happened, and just nodded in a daze. Shi Lang leaned back in his chair and said, "Initiate Neural Link."

    The scene before him changed and he quickly used the superior power to jump forward. The mech was big and strong, it gave him the ability to jump hundreds of meters in one attempt. Just as he moved, the frozen ice below him exploded. A roar echoed in the surroundings.

    Shi Lang sensed the ground trembling and the thick ice that has been frozen for centuries cracked up. He saw the data on the HUD and found that the ce recorded an earthquake above 8 Richter scale.

    He frowned and used the option to deploy probes to find out the size and characteristics of the beast he was up against. This thing was not small, and it was fast. So fast that it dodged his vision and the vision transmission arrays on the mech. The camera had been reced by vision transmission arrays because spirit arrays were faster than tech.

    Yet, he did not catch any sign of the beast movement. Shi Lang was surprised, but he was not off guard, on the contrary he became even more vignt.

    The probe sent the data that Shi Lang could not help but curse at. The enemy he was facing was a spirit beast sovereign, it was a whale, that was hundred meters big in size, and was now swallowing all the water inside theke. It created a suction that made the ice floor tremble, and fragment from inside out.

    Shi Lang sighed and controlled the mech to move over the broken hole where the beast attacked them for the first time. He took a deep breath and used the probe as a guide and locked onto the whale. He said, "Target is locked, firing spirit grenades."

    Shi Lang raised his right arm and aimed the cannon at the beast in theke andunched frags of spirit grenades. The size of each grenade was akin to a boulder, and thinking about something, Shi Lang fired only two of them.

    The nades traveled through the water at a subsonic speed and the whale beast swallowed them. Shi Lang counted slowly, "Eight, nine, boom!"

    As his count came to an end, the nades in the whale''s stomach exploded. The pain was obvious from the beast''s groans that made the entire ground tremble. Shi Langmented, "You are noisy."

    Then he sensed that other than the pain the beast did not show any sign of slowing down in his attempt to so he dived down the hole, and chased at the whale. He did not think that it was not his realm, but enemy territory. However, he was not scared. He took out a sword from the back of the mech, and it was covered with his sword intent right away.

    Shi Lang did not need any lights to move through the dark region. The spirit grenades have already stopped the beast from swallowing the water under the ice. He just needed to kill that thing.

    He moved quickly, using the propulsion device in his feet and back. The beast was unable toprehend what was going on, even if it was fast, the whale was not faster than Shi Lang''s de.

    The Terran shed the de and said, "Blood Rain."

    He did not stop at one attack but kept on moving and shing at the beast as if he was dancing. The groaning sounds did not stop at all. Inside the mech, Hou Bing was having the fright of her life. She was thinking, "Who the fuck did I make an equality contract with? This kid is a beast."

    This waspletely unexpected for her. She did not expect that Shi Lang would be such a ferocious warrior. This guy was so weak before her, so humble, but here he was, beating the shit out of the beast sovereign.

    The attacks would not have made any impact on the body of the beast sovereign but the sword intent did not miss. Shi Lang did not wish to let such a strong enemy take advantage so he channeled a shred of lightning energy through the water too. The whale being a creature of affinity to water, was naturally weak against lightning.

    Shi Lang''s lightning was not ordinary, and he was not holding back. The ck waters under the ice were glowing red as if they were fighting in a river of blood and not water. The Terran got closer to the beast.

    The beast was enraged by the situation. Howe he was being bullied by a human in a tin can? The whale let out a bleat and the dark waters were lit up with red lights. Shi Lang checked on the sensors and found that these were the underlings of the beast sovereign and he said, "Initiate overlord canons."

    He raised both his arms in the void and six small canons appeared around his forearms. The federal technicians had put theputer to work in cooperation with the spirit arrays, and so the targets were locked and the cannons fired condensed spiritual energy, or to say lightning bullets.

    Shi Lang was akin to a death god. He was moving his hands all over the ce and the lightning bullets were killing the Beast Kings and lords like a chef dealing with carrot and radish.

    The entire river was flooded with blood, flesh, and bodies. It was not only gruesome but it was also very efficient. The beasts developed a fear for Shi Lang, they hesitated in approaching him. They could not even cast their long distance attacks, because the Terran was just that overpowering to them.

    The whale was bleating and trying to attack Shi Lang time after time, but its n was being foiled by the Terran everytime.

    Hou Bing was thinking what this guy would do if he became an Immortal God. She could not help but imagine his name being spread in the entire realm. Suddenly, the beast sovereign turned around with its massive body.

    The waves caused Shi Lang to back off, and just when he was about to use a special move and drill a big hole in the carcass of the beast whale, thetter flipped its tail fin very strongly.

    The impact created a current that threw Shi Lang out of the river. The Terran initiated the jets in the mech and stabilized himself in the void. He looked down in the river and said, "You shouldn''t have thrown me out."

    He channeled lightning in the de and shed it up at the sky. Hou Bing was confused by this, she wanted to ask why did he waste such a strong attack when the clouds turned gray and the red lightning as thick as a tree rushed down from them and struck the river below.

    The impact caused the frozen ice to copse with brutal cracks and following that the water of the river boiled up to a huge degree. Shi Langnded on the bank on the other side and took a few breaths to calm himself down when he saw a Beast Corpse floating up on the surface of the river.

    Hou Bing could not help but say, "Well, that was totally unexpected from you."

 Chapter 815: Secret Realm.

    Shi Lang gazed at the corpse of the beast sovereign and propelled his mech up in the void. Hou Bing asked, "What are you doing?"

    The Terran replied, "I have two spirit beast kings, the blood essence and Dao Core of this guy will be useful for their cultivation."

    Hou Bing nodded and Shi Lang used the vibration de to cut open the skin of the dead beast. The protection of spiritual energy did not exist any longer. Shi Lang finished harvesting the core and the heart filled with blood essence. He even took some flesh from the corpse to share it with his friends and family upon return.

    This guy was a big fish and filled with nutrition. The beasts living in the river would consume whatever was left of the whale. After he finished with it, he jumped back to the northern bank of the river. He came out of the mech and stored it back in his space ring.

    Hou Bing asked, "Why do you not use it to advance?"

    Shi Lang replied, "It runs on spirit energy and consumes a lot of it at that. Also, the bigger size will make it easier for the enemies to detect it."

    Hou Bing nodded and replied, "I did not expect you to think that deep into the subject."

    Shi Lang said, "You underestimate me a bit too much."

    He did not mind her riding his head as he moved deeper in the northern mountain range. After running for a few kilometers, he asked, "Hou Bing, you were going to guide me to that secret realm, right?"

    Hou Bing nodded and replied, "The thing is that the secret realm we are seeking is not easy to find. Even if I can sense the space fluctuations that ce is hidden so well by the naturalws that I might miss it even if it''s right before me."

    Shi Lang asked calmly, "How do we find it then?"

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "Kid, I hate to break it to you, but I have no idea what to do in this situation. If only you could explore the entire northern range. This ce is not explored by many people in the past seven thousand years or even more than that."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Not a bad idea."

    He controlled his pores to secrete some blood and waved his hand to stter the blood around the ce. Hou Bing was confused when the blood began to squirm and a dozen clones appeared before her eyes. She was so shocked that her eyes widened. Shi Lang said, "Go explore."

    He gave all the people a camera also. These clones were going to explore the northern mountains and recording will be stored in the database for the future reference. As he dispatched the clones, hismunicator buzzed. He epted the connection and found Shi Tao looking at him with an anxious face. He asked, "What happened, Tao? Is everything okay?"

    Shi Tao sighed and shook her head as she said, "Baba, you left her here, and now many of the soldiers are closer to mental breakdown."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "The training regime is that hard?"

    Shi Tao nodded hesitantly. She added, "I have tried it, and barely made it. It is not for everyone."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Give me some time, I will think of a solution."

    His words were enough to calm Shi Tao''s mind. The call disconnected and Hou Bing asked, "What the hell is going on? Why was there a phantom over your wrist? Why did so many people like you emerged? Tell me, what is going on?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The clones were my technique. That should be enough for you. Second, this is not a phantom but amunication device from the lower realm."

    Hou Bing did not care about things like this and began to ask him a lot of questions about life on the lower realm. Shi Lang had to tell her about it all. In the end, Hou Bing was impressed by how the people in the lower realm lived.

    Shi Lang found himself a cavern and sat down there to cultivate in silence as they waited for the clones to report about the situation. However, he was unable to concentrate on the situationpletely.

    Hou Bing asked, "What are you worried about?"

    Shi Lang replied, "My daughter called me because an expert I introduced is making things harder."

    He gave Hou Bing all the details about Allure and his encounter with her. The blue sparrow asked, "Why don''t you call her over here? I am strong enough to restrain her and she will be helpful in dealing with the spirit beasts."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "How is that possible? You could not handle the Immortal Sovereign in the river. How will you deal with Allure? She is a legendary beast you know."

    Hou Bing chuckled and said, "Kid, do you really think I am that pathetic? I could have killed that little fish in a blink of an eye if I wanted to. Also, my bloodline is still intact, I can suppress that legendary beast with ease as well. The only reason I did not transform into a human is because I had to give birth to my child."

    As she said thosest words, her voice lowered. Shi Lang gazed at her and said, "I supposed time does not heal all the wounds, right?"

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "It is as if my heart has a hole in it. I do not know what to fill it with. That is also the reason why my strength is also dwindling."

    Shi Lang nodded and then asked, "Can you not have another child?"

    Hou Bing shook her head and replied, "It is not as easy for us to have a child like you think it is. Holy beasts are born naturally and we can only have a child when we decide to unite with the origin of it all. Such a chance is only one time opportunity for us."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "It seems that being the heavens favorite is not easy at all. You do have to pay the price."

    Hou Bing nodded and shook her head as she said, "Call over that fox. I will tame her."

    Shi Lang nodded and raised hismunicator to call Shi Tao. He said, "Tao, get Allure toe to me. You have my location, right?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Yes, Baba."

    The call was disconnected, and Shi Lang could tell that Shi Tao was happy and excited to see off the big demon.

    He and Hou Bing sat in the cavern talking about their lives and their thoughts over many different things. The two were bonding, and learning from each other. They spent two days talking and meditating, when suddenly, Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "She is here."

    Hou Bing opened her eyes and saw Allure walking inside the cavern. The legendary beast saw Shi Lang and said, "Why did you call me here?"

    Shi Lang did not reply her, but Hou Bing released her pressure and Allure fell to her knees as her eyes widened in shock. She kowtowed, "Forgive me, Your Excellency."

    Hou Bing said, "Stay there for a bit."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Hou Bing, we have a good news. They have found the secret realm entrance."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "Let''s go there."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and opened a void tunnel inside the cavern only. He said, "Let her off, we will need her where we are going."

    Allure was shocked to see that Shi Lang was talking to the Holy Beast like this. She could not understand how he managed to do that, but if Shi Lang decided to throw the entire Titan Mountain Range into chaos and subjugation, no one would be able to stop him from that, not even the strongest dragon n.

    ...

    Two humans and one bird came out of the void tunnel. They found themselves surrounded by green and blue, a burst of color that could possibly not exist in the northern mountains due to the cold.

    Hou Bing said, "Oh, this is needed the entrance of that secret realm."

    Shi Lang made a hand seal and dissolved all the clones he sent out. Hou Bing said, "Kid, the second test is to perceive the natural array and to get inside the realm. You have seven days only before this entrance moves away."

    The Terran looked around at the mesmerizing view and said, "It is a bit too tight."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "I cannot help you much, it goes against my Dao Path. I can only guide you. However, you are not alone."

    She turned to look at Allure and said, "You will help him, right?"

    Allure nodded her head rapidly and forcefully as she said, "Yes, Your Excellency."

 Chapter 816: Heavens Lock Array.

    Shi Lang and Allure had been told by Hou Bing to find a way to crack up the array and the Phoenix could not help them. The Terran made a hypothesis that it must be because she was a Holy beast and that was why she could not meddle in such affairs.

    Allure on the other hand, was working very diligently for this assignment. Shi Lang was impressed by Hou Bing. It was because she was watching Allure that made this fox work. After a day, Hou Bing asked, "Why are you not working hard? Do you think she will be able to solve it?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "It is not that I would ce my fate in the hands of someone else. I have a different method to solve problems."

    Hou Bing scoffed and remarked, "Enlighten me."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You said that the entrance of the secret realm is blocked by a guardian array. From what I know, such arrays have the power to kill armies in one attack. That is why they must not be breached with force."

    The little sparrow nodded humanely, and Shi Lang said, "To find the nodes of the array one needs to be able to see the connection of spiritual energy. I personally call these connections Spirit Lines. These connections move the spiritual energy through the array creating a web with particr effects.

    The entrance to the secret realmys in this garden. Now if you look at the elements of this ce, how many nodes can their be? It could be a number between five to thousand, we do not know anything. So, I am trying to perceive the spiritual lines and find the connections."

    Hou Bing remarked, "You sure have many interesting theories, and the way you put things, I cannot help but think of the saints who diluted the knowledge of the heavenly skills and phenomenon for themoners to learn."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You praise me a bit too much. I just do that to make it easy for me. I am no saint."

    Hou Bing did not say anything to him, she just watched him from the side as he meditated. Shi Lang was not uttering nonsense. He was seriously thinking of ways to perceive the connections of spiritual lines that created the array structure.

    Only when he managed to get them down to the dot would he be able to diffuse the nodes without making the array attack them or exploding by removing an unstable node.

    He sat with his eyes crossed for three days in a row, and no one came to disturb him. None of the spirit beasts in the region stepped inside the garden because Allure would scare them away with a nce of her cold eyes.

    Hou Bing was also resting these days, she had to cultivate as well because her body was not as strong as her soul or her bloodline, however, she knew what the best way to get back to the peak was from the past life.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up. Allure stopped her actions and Hou Bing also opened her eyes. The Terran moved closer to a tree and carefully began to remove the soil at the bottom. The two people did not understand what he was doing but soon he dug out a crystal as big as an adult fist.

    Allure was curious and wanted to see what the crystal was like when Shi Lang said, "Do not move. From now on, I will be handling everything. This entire ce just turned into an unstable bomb. Do not move or the fluctuation in the spiritual lines will be the end of us."

    The legendary beast was shocked and asked, "How do you n on clearing the array without moving?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I have my means, you just stay as you are and where you are."

    The fox wanted to berate him but then she sensed a pair of eyes focused on her back. She froze in her spot and not only her, even her thoughts were frozen.

    Shi Lang held the crystal node in his hand and then he waved his hand to fling a drop of blood onto another spot, a clone of his appeared behind Allure and reached out to grab a fruit hanging from a bush. As soon as the fruit was grabbed it turned out to be a small crystal as big as a human eye.

    Allure was stunned, Hou Bing asked, "Did you sense all the connections?"

    She was surprised and Shi Lang replied, "That would be wicked but no, I did not and I could not."

    Hou Bing asked, "Then how are you doing this?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Once you managed to sense one node, feeling the connection to the next is easier, however, there are fakes too. So, I have to be careful to find them."

    Hou Bing nodded but Allure asked, "What do you mean by fake connections?"

    Shi Lang hummed for a bit and then said, "How to answer this, well think of it this way. Imagine if a spear is impaling two trees at the same time. How would you know which one is the node?"

    Allure thought for a bit and shrugged as she said, "I have no idea."

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "The correct answer is to see if the spear is the only thing impaling the trees? If you find an arrow stuck to the first tree. The first tree would be the primary node, and the second tree at the end of the spear would be the secondary node.

    Same goes on with the array nodes, they have multiple connections passing through them and picking up the correct one is tricky."

    The legendary beast was shocked, she had been studying cultivation for a much longer time than Shi Lang and had seen arrays of a wide variety but never knew something like this. This human had just exploded the seal of her mind and opened up a whole new world.

    ...

    Shi Lang spend the next five days looking for nodes hidden all over the ce. Sometimes he would condense a clone by tossing a drop of blood in the void and grab the node hidden their.

    Two people were shocked to see this. Even after grabbing three hundred array nodes he did not show any sign of stopping. Allure was shocked that the nodes were hidden even as leaves of the trees and the bushes. Some pebbles at the banks of the pond were disguised as well.

    Two times Shi Lang picked up twigs at her feet that turned out to be array nodes. The Terran said, "These things would not react if the array was stable, but now, it is a volcano, one mistake and we are going caput."

    Allure asked, "What does that mean?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Vanishing into oblivion sister. The array is not a simple one. I think thatst time someone managed to get in and the array was rearranged by someone to increase the security."

    Allure was shocked and Hou Bing said, "I did not expect you to be able to figure that out. What gave it away?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "Do you think that one human would be able toe up with such an array? It might take them thousands of years to just n this. This array has been deployed step by step."

    Hou Bing nodded and Allure gulped as she asked, "Do not tell me that Her Excellency deployed it."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "No, Hou Bing did not have the time to do that even if she wanted to. So, the next best guess is, the popce of the secret realm did this."

    Hou Bing clicked her tongue and said, "You surely are a genius, kid. I did not expect you to figure this out."

    Shi Lang said, "That is not the conclusion of my theory."

    Hou Bing was interested and said, "Carry on, enlighten me."

    Shi Lang continued digging out the array nodes with his clones as he said, "There is not one entrance to this secret realm. They have hidden multiple of these arrays all over the northern mountain. They select which entrance is visible on a random."

    Allure asked, "What is the purpose of it?"

    The Terran replied, "It is possible that they wish to hide and survive. As to what they were hiding from, I have no idea. It could be the stronger spirit beasts in this ce or it could be humans who were hunting for the demon sects."

    Allure raised her brows and said, "That is indeed and interesting theory."

    Just as she said this, Shi Lang''s clone grabbed onto another array node and then he stopped. Suddenly, a void portal appeared before them and they knew that the array was solved.

    Hou Bing said, "Gather over, someone ising."

    Her tone was casual, but she had not yet finished speaking when Shi Lang and Allure stood before her side by side. An old voice sounded from the void portal, "Congrattions on breaking the Heaven''s Lock Array."

 Chapter 817: Brother.

    Shi Lang and Allure prepared to fight the entity that wasing out of the void tunnel. The Terran felt uneasy, he wanted to summon Raksha out of his space ring but if the enemy turned out to be stronger than him, then his n might work against him.

    He demanded, "Who goes there?"

    The void tunnel was still present but the person had yet to show up before them. So, either the person was inside the void tunnel or he was quick enough to hide from their sense. Either way, this wasplicating the situation and Shi Lang did not like that.

    As he was thinking about taking an action, the person from the other side appeared before them. Shi Lang was shocked to the core of his being. This person was a god level entity. His moves carried the essence of Dao.

    Shi Lang could confirm that because he has seen the spirit phantoms in the inheritance pce. Those seniors had an aura around them that could not be matched or replicated by anyone. Even Hou Bing did not have that charm.

    Shi Lang stepped forward to the address the smiling old man, and cupped his fist as he bowed his head and said, "Greetings, Senior."

    The old man smiled and nodded as he said, "Greetings, you bunch are quite young to have unlocked the Heaven''s Lock Array."

    The Terran replied, "Thank you for your praise, Senior."

    Hou Bing flew up to sit on his head, she could tell that the old man was stronger than anyone she has seen in the world. The old man noticed Hou Bing and said, "I did not expect to meet such a unique group like you. One human, One spiritual beast, and One Holy Beast."

    Shi Lang asked, "How do we address you, Senior?"

    The old man stroked his beard and said, "I am Kylo-Jan. You can address me as Senior Kylo or Senior Jan. Now, my turn to ask you a question."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Please."

    Kylo-Jan replied, "What is your purpose ofing here?"

    The Terran cupped his hands and said, "Senior, I am seeking some herbs to make a pill. Another human expert visited this ce and told me toe here if I wish to collect the herbs."

    Kylo-Jan raised his brows and asked, "You were sent here by Yama?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the old man asked, "Where is he?"

    The Terran shook his head and replied, "He united with the Great Dao."

    Kylo-Jan thought for a bit and said, "I see, since you know him, I trust that you are a person with pure heart. However, if you had any ideas after entering our world, you will beg to die but it won''te to you."

    Shi Lang did not defend himself and nodded calmly. He had no malice for the people who lived here, he came here because he needed something and not the other way around. If you look at the situation, this old man was capable of destroying the three of them with a wave of his hand. So, he had to stay calm at all costs.

    Kylo-Jan waved his hand and a strong suction moved them inside the void tunnel. However, before they knew anything, they were standing on the other end of the tunnel. Before themy a sight that made Shi Lang remark, "What the fuck!!"

    Everyone was shocked, and Kylo-Jan frowned at his action. He asked, "What did you just say?"

    Shi Lang knew that his words will not do any justice so he raised his left hand and controlled hismunicator and he said, "Senior, that ce before us, the one with that castle, what is it called?"

    Kylo-Jan replied, "That is the most prestigious building in this world. The Senate."

    Shi Lang looked at him and shook his head as he asked, "Do you have a court ofw, too?"

    Kylo-Jan furrowed his brows and narrowed his gaze as he asked, "How do you know that? Who are you?"

    Shi Lang tapped the screen of hismunicator and asked, "Is this what that building looks like?"

    Kylo-Jan looked at the model of picture that appeared in the void, a holographic image that Shi Lang just created to show him. The expression of the old man was evident that Shi Lang was on point. The Terran did not let Hou Bing and Allure question him before he asked, "Please tell me what does the name, Tsuu Ching means to you?"

    Kylo-Jan yelled, "How dare you use the name of His Excellency, the eternal sovereign?"

    Shi Lang did not falter but turned to look at him and said, "You can see that my soul is way older than my physical body, right?"

    Kylo-Jan did not wish to hear anything and he wanted to make a move to attack him, when Shi Lang said, "The mark of the moon sits on his forehead, the wisest of them all, the ruler of the west. Does that phrase make sense to you?"

    His words shocked Kylo-Jan, he was so shaken from the sudden change that he took three steps back in horror. Shi Lang sighed and said, "Get a grip senior. Tell me, is your eternal sovereign alive?"

    Kylo-Jan was in a daze and nodded to the question subconsciously. Shi Lang took a look at the senate and said, "Bring me to him, he will know who I am."

    Kylo-Jan shook his head and said, "His Excellency lives in the Senate but no one can enter that ce without his summon. Never, or you will be obliterated by..."

    Shi Lang finished his sentence before him, "Seeds of death."

    Kylo-Jan was shocked and gulped a mouthful. Shi Lang said, "Bring me to the sky above the senate. I will call him out."

    Kylo-Jan did not know what to do, and Shi Lang replied, "You do not have to worry about any persecution. I will protect you."

    None of the three people, whether it was Allure, Hou Bing or Kylo-Jan could understand what he was going on and on about, but thedies could tell that Shi Lang was influencing Kylo-Jan very effectively.

    Kylo-Jan shook his head and said, "You have to guarantee that you will not go inside the protective circle of the senate, His Excellency has killed many people who tried to barge in."

    Shi Lang said, "I swear I will not, on the contrary, he wille out to meet me."

    Kylo-Jan did not believe him, and Shi Lang said, "If he did note out to meet me after twenty breaths of me calling him, then you can kill me."

    Kylo-Jan thought about it but Hou Bing said, "Kid are you an idiot?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Believe in me."

    After much convincing, Kylo-Jan took Shi Lang to the center of the city where the senate was located. Many people saw them and they were surprised, however, Shi Lang was shocked, because he saw many immortal sovereigns walking the grounds.

    They arrived near the senate and Kylo-Jan''s colleagues appeared around them. He told them about the ims that Shi Lang made and the peopleughed, however, when they heard how he staked his life about it, they decided to up the ante. Many people wanted Shi Lang to be their ve and ady even wanted him to be her fuck toy if he failed.

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and agreed to the people and after getting their permission he rose up in the void and spoke in a sonorous voice, "Moon on the head, and sun on the butt. The ruler of the west dances in the bowel room,e out you mother fucker or it will be your doom."

    The Terran could bet that he heard the entire city gasp collectively. He had offended them all. Many of the colleagues of Kylo-Jan had already released their spiritual pressure to make a move when a voice echoed from the depth of the senate.

    "Who seeks me?"

    The city fell silent again, and Shi Lang chuckled as he said, "The King Of Thieves,e out you mother fucker."

    The next moment a figure appeared before him, the middle-aged man had shock and surprise brimming his gaze. He moved closer to Shi Lang and asked with hesitation, "Boss? Is that really you?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and patted his shoulder as he said, "What? Your virgin ass grew up so much that many people have seen your sun mark?"

    The middle-aged man blushed and said, "Boss, don''t say it like that, my wife will misunderstand you."

    Shi Lang chuckled which then turned intoughter. Tsuu Ching alsoughed along with him and the people were shocked. They did not expect their cold and aloof Eternal Sovereign to be this friendly with a child in Immortal Emperor realm. If that was not all, he even called Shi Lang, ''Boss.''

    Hou Bing fluttered her wings and appeared on Shi Lang''s shoulder as she asked, "Who is this person?"

    Shi Lang replied while he grabbed Tsuu Ching''s shoulder hard, "He is my brother..."

 Chapter 818: Bond Beyond Times.

    Shi Lang said, "He is my brother..."

    The people from both sides fell silent. Tsuu Ching smiled and said, "Boss, are you giving me face before my people? I was the attendant beside you, and I still am."

    The jaws of the experts like Kylo-Jan were dropping to the floor. They did not expect that Shi Lang, the boy they were disrespecting was a personage who was attended by Tsuu Ching, their eternal sovereign, wasn''t it a death wish?

    Kylo-Jan received death res and asked hurriedly, "Your Excellency, what is going on here? How could you be an attendant?"

    Tsuu Ching''s smile vanished and his face be cold. He said, "Do you think that you are qualified to question me?"

    Kylo-Jan took a deep breath and said, "No, Your excellency."

    Tsuu Ching said, "Boss,e inside first, you have yet to meet Man Li."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then followed him inside the big pce. Then he looked at the people behind him, and said, "Tsuu Ching, invite them also, they have been serving you for so long and they have always been loyal, I think they deserve some more courtesy."

    Tsuu Ching sighed and said, "When have I ever said no to you?"

    He looked at Kylo-Jan and replied, "You need to behave, or I will teach you how to be disciplined."

    Allure was standing beside Shi Lang, she did not dare to speak anything. She feared that this guy would kill her with a grunt.

    ...

    They came inside the senate and Shi Lang remarked, "You recreated the Meadow Nation Senate very well."

    Tsuu Ching smiled and replied, "I was unable to fulfill my promise to father in that world, but I recreated the nation here."

    Shi Lang nodded, the ce was veryvishly designed, and spoke of elegance. Tsuu Ching bought him to the reception hall and said, "Boss, you make yourself at home, I will bring over Man Li."

    The Terran nodded as he watched his friend going away. Hou Bing waited for a bit before she asked, "I want the details now. Everything."

    Shi Lang chuckled and replied, "Alright, Alright, I will tell you."

    He could sense that everyone was anxious about what was going on. Shi Lang took a pause and said, "Well, I have the memories of my past life, thanks to a fortunate encounter. That is why my soul age is higher than my bone age."

    The people nodded in understanding, Shi Lang continued, "In my old life I was an orphan and Tsuu Ching was born a prince. We had no connection, but he was a gentle child. His mother was from amon birth. One time the Queen Consort came to the orphanage where I lived. The children received welfare and that was the first time I saw a cultivator up close.

    Consort Tsuu was the gentlest soul in the world. She asked every child if they wanted anything. When it was my turn I asked for a basic cultivation sutra. Consort Tsuu asked me why I wanted it. I replied, ''I do not wish to be strong.''

    A few yearster, the kingdom arranged a tournament. I participated in it, but none of the people could win over the Princes. I was defeated by the first prince brutally. He broke my arm, and enraged I promise myself to kill him."

    The people were surprised and after a brief pause, Shi Lang said, "I left the city, and when I came back after seven years, I found that Consort Tsuu was killed, and Tsuu Ching was imprisoned. The culprit of it all was the First Prince. To im the throne he murdered his kith and kin.

    Tsuu Ching was abandoned, and the people were revolting against the throne. So, I kept my promise and challenged the bastard for a duel in the annualpetition. He was over confident and ended up falling to my sword. The wager of the battle was Tsuu Ching''s freedom.

    Tsuu Ching became my friend, and with nowhere else to go, I brought him on the road with me. We grew stronger together and one time the fallen prince stood up for a damsel. However, she was tricking him, so I saved him. Ever since then he would call me, Boss."

    Hou Bing asked quickly, "That exins it. However, his strength is really scary."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "That is what I am also wondering about."

    Tsuu Ching''s voice sounded from the distance, "I got stronger because when I came to this world, I found a chance to change my innate physique."

    Shi Lang looked at him and stood up from the chair. Tsuu Ching was carrying ady in his arms. Thedy was very beautiful but she had a fragile aura about herself. Tsuu Ching said, "Boss, this is Man Li. My wife."

    Man Li spoke so softly, that he almost did not catch her sound, "Greetings, Boss."

    Shi Lang was surprised and he red at Tsuu Ching and then at thedy as he said, "Sister-inw. Please call me Shi Lang, your husband is a bit different. I never liked being called Boss."

    Man Li smiled faintly and said, "As you wish, Brother Shi. Please forgive me for not being able to attend to you properly. I am cursed with some disease no one can cure."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and then said, "I have some understanding of alchemy, would you allow me to take a measure of your pulse?"

    Man Li was surprised and so were the rest. Tsuu Ching replied, "Boss, please go ahead."

    Shi Lang red at him and said, "You simpleton, have her sit down first. Do you intend to show you affection in such a brazen manner? My wife is away so are you bullying me?"

    Tsuu Ching chuckled and said, "I did not expect the scavenger king to ever find someone to love."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and Man Li was lowered in the chair. The Terran said, "I need you to trust mepletely. I swear in the name of heavens that I do not bear any ill-will towards you."

    The people were shocked that he swore a heavenly oath so quickly. This was a proof of his conviction. Not many people in the world would take an oath as if they were breathing or did not care about.

    Man Li nodded and Shi Lang raised his fingers to cast a thread of spiritual energy that wrapped around her wrist. The Terran closed his eyes, others thought he was counting the pulse or checking the energy flow. But Shi Lang was using his sensory ability to check the structure of her body down to the cellr level.

    After a few moments, he frowned and said, "The body is clear, what is causing this?"

    Tsuu Ching sighed and slumped his shoulders as he lost hope once again. He had been trying to cure this disease for a long time, but he had not been able to find someone who could even diagnose it.

    Shi Lang scanned everything from the muscles to the bones and every organ also. However he could not find anything. Suddenly, he asked, "Have she been taking any medicine?"

    Tsuu Ching nodded but Shi Lang said, "She had been taking spirit replenishing pills."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, the problem is not with her body, but the spiritual replenishment pill consumption. Her body has gotten addicted to them. Her body is rejecting the spiritual energy that she would make on her own by thinking it is foreign spiritual attribute."

    The people were shocked and they could not understand what he was talking about. After a few moments, Shi Lang said, "You do not have to worry, it is not critical. I have a way to treat her."

    Tsuu Ching asked eagerly, "Boss, what is it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I will block her spiritual channels and then feed her a detoxification pill. This way the pill poison in her body will flush out, and then she will stay in rehabilitation for a few days, before her spirit ways can be unlocked and then she will be back to her cultivation again."

    Kylo-Jan said, "Does it not seem a bit too simple?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Often in such cases, the most simple solution is the answer."

    Man Li raised her hand and said, "Given me the pill."

    Shi Lang smiled and took out a green pill from his space ring. He gave it to her, and said, "Here you go."

    He waved his hand and blocked her spiritual ways in a blink. Suddenly, an old man from the group of experts eximed, "Tribtion Detox Pill?"

    Tsuu Ching and everyone looked at him and the Kylo-Jan asked, "Master Barre, what do you mean?"

    Master Barre was the alchemy master in the secret realm, and he said, "Your Excellency, that is a tribtion level pill. This pill must have gone through a heavenly tribtion."

    Tsuu Ching looked at Shi Lang and asked, "Boss, why did you give out something so expensive? Do you know that you can buy out a city for one of these?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I have many such pills, but they do not mean anything if they cannot save the people I care about. It means nothing but waste."

    Tsuu Ching had tears in his eyes, as Shi Lang moved his hand so that Man Li eats the pill. The Terran said, "Why are you crying? If not for your mother, I would not be here."

    Tsuu Ching hugged Shi Lang tightly as he wailed.

 Chapter 819: Trial Of The Heavenly Herbs.

    The situation calmed down, Man Li recovered after half an hour. Shi Lang told her not to consume spirit rejuvenation pills for a few months. Tsuu Ching arranged rooms for the three of them, and after he finished dealing with his daily chores, he arranged for Shi Lang to meet him in the garden.

    Man Li was also present there, she served tea as the three of them sat around a small table. Tsuu Ching asked, "Boss, what made you look for this realm? I assume that not many people know about it."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Indeed, there are not many people who know about this, but a few hundred years ago, an alchemist managed toe here from the outside world, right?"

    Tsuu Ching thought for a bit and said, "He was an alchemist, if I remember correctly."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, that senior is my alchemy teacher. I needed to find the herbs needed to create a pill that could merge the soul back with the body and also repair the soul sea of an Immortal Sovereign."

    Tsuu Ching stroked his chin and asked, "It soundsplicated. Who are you trying to help?"

    The Terran said, "Tian Long."

    Tsuu Ching nodded at first and then he suddenly froze as he stammered, "Tian Long? As in the golden genius, Tian Long?"

    Shi Lang nodded, they all belonged to the same era. Tian Long was a genius renowned through out the world back then. Tsuu Ching stood up from the chair and walked around in the pavilion as he said, "When I came here, he had already made a name for himself by forming the Heavenly Dragon Mercenary group. I remember that Sister Moon was beside him too."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Did you not meet them?"

    Tsuu Ching shook his head and replied, "When I came here, my master happened to be roaming the world in disguise. So, when he found me, he bought me to his hide out in the northern mountains. I never met him during those days. I think he was stronger than me during those days. What hurt him?"

    Shi Lang replied, "A monk attacked him when he was weak and he used Dao Law sacrifice, so Tian Long took the full burn of the attack. He removed his soul from the soul sea, but the damage was significant."

    Tsuu Ching asked, "How weak do you need to be to fall for these traps?"

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulder and said, "Peak Immortal Sovereign."

    Tsuu Ching made a peculiar face and Shi Lang said, "I came here after a life time and I am an Immortal Emperor, I guess it might be the pressure of being a genius."

    The two men exchanged gazes and they burst outughing. Man Li could not understand why they were so happy but she smiled when she saw her husband enjoying himself. The twoughed for a few minutes, and then Shi Lang showed Tsuu Ching a photo of Tian Long''s body after the attack.

    While Man Li was curious about the way the image floated in the void, Tsuu Ching was having another fit ofughter. Shi Lang looked at Man Li and asked, "Sister-inw, you are curious about this device?"

    Man Li nodded, do not look at her timid personality she was an Immortal Sovereign. Shi Lang described the device to her, and Man Li was surprised and even wanted to try it. The Terran searched his space ring and bought out an older version ofmunicator. He gave it to her. Apart from some offline features such as clicking pictures, and recording videos themunication would not work.

    Shi Lang asked, "Tsuu Ching, what is the story behind this secret realm?"

    Tsuu Ching replied, "Ummm, after the purge, the people from many sects hid in the northern mountains, but we all knew they would be upon us soon. Coincidently one day, I was wandering around and found this ce. When I came here, the secret realm waspletely barren, it took us a long time to make it habitable."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then do you have the herbs I need?"

    Tsuu Ching sat down on the chair and said, "Boss, I won''t hide it from you. Getting herbs will depend on what you need."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I need five herbs, Fire rose root, cerulean pearl, shell of the earth crab, and butterfly dandelion. Lastly, I will need a Dao Diamond."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "You can find them here, but you will need to go through trials."

    Shi Lang raised a brow and asked, "What sort of trial?"

    Tsuu Ching replied, "Boss, the herbs you have asked for can be used by the people in here too. This was a method we came up to make sure there is not biasness. Even if you are my boss, I cannot let you take the herbs as they are."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I do not want to put you in a tough spot. Just tell me what I need to do. I will handle the trials."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and after some thought he said, "An elder from the pill formation hall wille to look for you tomorrow. They will tell you about the trial details. However, these trials take ce in public view to ensure fairness."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Alright, just tell me when the timees."

    They chatted the whole night, catching up on the ages.

    ...

    Shi Lang was still meditating inside the pavilion when Man Li came over with an elder in tow. She said, "Brother Shi, the elder from the Pill Formation hall is here."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, "Thank you for informing me, Sister-inw."

    The young man stood up from his position and followed her. The elder was dressed in an emerald green robe with a ck shirt. He greeted Shi Lang and Man Li respectfully, and Man Li said, "Elder Cao, I hope that you look over the situation fairly. Brother Shi is my benefactor."

    Elder Cao bowed and said, "Don''t worry, My Lady, we have always followed the rule and will always follow them.;"

    Man Li nodded and said, "Brother Shi, be careful."

    Shi Lang gave her a signal that he would be fine. Then he left with the elder. However, he had not yet even left the building when a blue bird appeared on his shoulder. He asked, "Did you sleep well?"

    The bird did not reply but closed her eyes. Shi Lang smiled as he asked, "Elder Cao, where are we headed?"

    The old man reply, "We will head to the Volcano garden. The first trial you will have to face will be conducted there."

    Shi Lang nodded, he did not ask the old man about the content of the trial because that would make him look shallow. What would he do if the walk from the senate to the volcano garden is a trial too. Shi Lang followed the man silently.

    He noticed that the city was densely popted but it had great execution and distributionws. Soon they arrived at the garden that was filled with a variety of herbs but all of them had affinity to fire element.

    Elder Cao said, "The first trial is for you to carry this flower to the center of the garden. Then you will have to nt this and bring back some dirt from that ce."

    Shi Lang nodded, although he was confused how this would work, but he nodded and epted the trial. Elder Cao had given him a normal dandelion.

    The Terran had no idea what wasing at him so just for safety, Shi Lang erected a wall of spiritual energy around the Dandelion. He crossed the gates of the garden and he realized what wasing at him.

    The ce was called volcano garden, and the air inside the garden was scorching hot. Shi Lang was an Immortal emperor, yet he sensed his skin burning slowly. He looked at the dandelion and added even more spiritual energy in the protective walls. He thought such a ce might not be too big, but he was proven wrong again.

    The Volcano Garden was ten kilometers big in diameter. Shi Lang had been using special methods to walk but still covering five kilometer with a fragile flower was not easy. After ten minutes when he reached the center, his skin was scaring from ny percent third degree burns.

    He ced the dandelion down, the spiritual protection will support it for the next half hour, even if someone checked up. However, he did not know how to pick up some soil from this ce. He had touched the granules and the temperature was so hot that it could melt steel.

    Thinking about it, he controlled the nerves in his body and disconnected the sensation from his right hand. He picked up the soil and rushed out quickly. The misery has just begun.

 Chapter 820: Trial By Fire.

    Shi Lang had just picked up the soil in his hand and ran out of the garden, when he found that the heat from the soil did not only burn his body, but it was attacking his soul too. The Terran was strong but he still felt the burn from the heat.

    He grit his teeth and rushed towards the exit. The distance that he covered in five minutes earlier was no longer as small as before. The hot winds were concentrated and rushed against him. Shi Lang''s burns were getting worse, some ces even revealed a little of his bone.

    The Terran took a deep breath and bought out Raksha from his space ring. At this moment, he was not capable of channeling his sword intent because he was busy protecting his soul. The sword trembled and created a sword intent barrier around him. He was cutting through the hot winds.

    Every step took a lot of effort from him. Raksha said, "Do you think you willst through this trial?"

    Shi Lang said, "I might if I try. Don''t be pessimistic about it and do not talk to me."

    Raksha did not retort him, because she could tell that this heat was not ordinary. She was a heavenly artifact, even the hottest of the mes could not leave a mark on her. She said, "Blindly rushing forward will not help, try toprehend the secret of this me, it will help."

    Since, Raksha was fending off the mes, the pressure on him eased up a little. Shi Lang closed his eyes to gain some insight on the mes. He began by sensing the heat from his body. mes were not tangible, but the heat that burnt him left its mark.

    Shi Lang sensed the heat, and his body and he found that his body was notpletely damaged, his bones were constantly getting stronger, and the process wasn''t slow either. However, while this was a good thing, if the pressure exceeded a certain limit, it will make his bones brittle too.

    Shi Lang realized that this heat was burning away every smallest impurity in his body, and the soil was cleansing his soul. He took a deep breath and said, "Raksha, you might have to drag me forward. I cannot spend a long time here, but I know what I want to do."

    Raksha nodded and waved her hand to pull him along as she moved slowly. Shi Lang focused on the heat that was channeling inside him. He used the element of lightning and was not unfamiliar with the heat and burns. However, while his lightning focused on destruction and eliminating everything in its path, the mes in his body burned to purify.

    The Terran tried to sense the mes in his body, and seeded too, hisprehension was not bad. He guided the heat inside his dantian. Raksha was carrying him, and she sensed this. She opened her eyes wide and said, "This guy, does he intend to burn himself to cinders?"

    At this moment, she heard a mellow voice, "Oh, you are wrong."

    The voice belonged to the blue sparrow that had a tint of red on her feathers now. Hou Bing had been sitting on Shi Lang''s shoulder all this while, she was absorbing the heat from the mes to cultivate quickly. Raksha said, "You are the reason why the mes are surging so much?"

    Hou Bing replied, "I cannot help it, I had toe here to cultivate. It would be a waste of an opportunity."

    She was acting selfishly but it was not a big deal. Raksha narrowed her gaze and the bird said, "Do not look at me like that, I would have helped him when he really needed it. Do not underestimate him. He is just cautious and so he called you."

    The sword spirit could not argue against her, because Hou Bing was indeed correct, Shi Lang was weak enough to evaporate in the me storm.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang was purifying his spiritual energy and Dao Laws with the heat, but he did not know the storm he had caused outside the volcano garden. Master Barre, the alchemist supreme and Tsuu Ching were observing the situation from the outside with the other elders.

    Master Barre and the rest had their eyes wide open, they did not expect for Shi Lang to be in possession of a heavenly artifact. It would be a lie if they said they were not tempted, but when the sword master in the group said, "That sword will dye the world red if you tried to act out."

    They took it seriously, this guy had a heavenly artifact in his possession too, a spear, but that guy was scared of Raksha. Innate emotions of heavenly treasures never lied. Tsuu Ching said, "Do not think about harming him. Forget about him being my elder brother, if you acted on the fact that he is weaker than you and left him alive. Then he wille surelye for you.

    Even if that meant chasing you in hell. The Scavenger King is not to be trifled with."

    Kylo-Jan asked, "Sire, why do you call him Scavenger King?"

    Tsuu Ching replied, "He relied on his own, to climb the peak of strength. His has always been witty and even when he was weaker than the most of the people, if they tried to walk over him, he would destroy nations. Do not judge him by how mellow he looks. Not to mention he can make pills of tribtion level. Looking at his strength, I am sure he can best out the average Immortal Sovereigns."

    Master Barre said, "Your Excellency, I would like to warn everyone to not have any ill-intention towards him. His bones are refined to a level that none of us can imagine, and he is still going on with the refining. The pain can drive one crazy, however, he is not only tolerating that but even channeling the heat to his dantian to refine his spiritual energy even more."

    The people were shocked and Tsuu Ching asked, "Master Barre, do you think he can step up to that level?"

    Master Barre took his time thinking, during this entire time his eyes did not leave Shi Lang. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and said, "Your Excellency, he will."

    Tsuu Ching smiled brightly and remarked, "He never seizes to surprise me, hahahahaha."

    He erupted inughter from the joy.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang did not know what the people were thinking outside, he was focused on the heat moving through his body and cleansing it thoroughly. In his dantian, the heat had created a swirl, Shi Lang was funneling his spiritual energy through the swirl and purifying it to the level where it was liquefied.

    The more heat entered the dantian the more pressure it created, Shi Lang was bloated, he thought of something, and since he was able to make the heat swirl he began to condense it. This action gave the heat a tint of vermilion.

    Shi Lang did not care, he did not have the luxury to divert his attention from the heat at all. It was going cause him to explode. As he condensed the swirling heat, the inflow of the energy increase even more. Raksha and Hou Bing sensed this change and they both smiled at each other.

    Raksha was halfway through the distance and she said, "I will open a hole in the barrier, can you guide the me to him?"

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "Certainly."

    Raksha opened a hole as she said, and Hou Bing waved her feathers, the hot winds formed a drill and hit Shi Lang directly on the abdomen. The Terran shivered, and coughed up some blood from the sudden increase of intensity.

    His body shivered, but he grit his teeth and clenched his fists to stabilize the situation. The soil in his hand seemed to be squeezed of its juices and channeled the heat to his soul. Almost setting him on fire. Shi Lang groaned but he endured and channeled the energy in his dantian, his speed was quicker as he had the idea what to do.

    The vermilion trace in his dantian intensified. Sparks of embers were flying every now and then. Shi Lang began to chant his cultivation sutra verbally. Raksha created a barrier around him that prevented any noise to be heard by any stranger.

    Hou Bing was shocked and asked, "Does he often do it?"

    Raksha replied, "You have no idea, this kid is anything but easy to handle. He is like a problem child, I swear. His genius aside, his ws are seriously appalling."

    Hou Bing nodded, and Shi Lang continued what he was doing, as he reached closer to the entrance the swirling heat in his body had transformed into a me tornado. Raksha took him out of the garden and said, "Open your hand, idiot, your soul is injured."

    Shi Lang coughed up a mouthful of blood and opened his eyes as he yelled, "Tsuu Ching, you brat, wait for me to recover, I will beat the shit out of you."

    He fell to the ground and his body began to heal. While Tsuu Ching stood before him with an awkward smile and said, "Boss, you see, it is not me who made these rules."

    Shi Lang did not reply, Raksha asked, "Can you tell him if he passed the trial?"

    Tsuu Ching said, "My Lady, the trial is consisted of five rounds. Passing one does not mean anything. Boss will have till the morning to rest and go on for the next round."

    Shi Lang barked, "Get out of my sight, you brat."

    Tsuu Ching chuckled as he left, but not before saying, "Boss, your head will give the moon a run for it''s money."

 Chapter 821: Flame Seed.

    Shi Lang sat outside the volcano garden the entire night, he had realized that the flow of time in this ce was different than the normal. He meditated on the swirl of me inside his dantian. He tired to manipte it but that did not work. His brows were furrowed, and in the middle of the night he opened his eyes.

    He was not gaining anything by mindlessly approaching the situation. A figure appeared before him, it was Master Barre who was the alchemy expert of this world. Shi Lang sped his hands and said, "Greetings, Senior."

    The old man shook his head and said, "You embarrass me by this respect, Young Master Shi Lang."

    Tsuu Ching had told them his name, so they all knew about him. Shi Lang was taken aback when the person in the Immortal God realm told him not to greeting him as a senior. Master Barre smiled faintly and continued, "In the field of alchemy, only the one with a superior skill is worthy to be respected as senior.

    You, young master have created a pill that passed the tribtion, and so your skill is above mine."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Elder, do you mean to say that you have not made any pill that could pass the tribtion?"

    Master Barre shook his head and said, "I have not yet, although it is my biggest obsession but Ick the finesse for it. Perhaps some of my disciples in the future may achieve it but I cannot."

    Shi Lang frowned and said, "Elder, you sound very pessimistic to me. I am guessing that you still have three thousand years as your life time. Or perhaps even more. Why do you give up?"

    Master Barre said, "All my life, I have made pills, and potions. However, I have always missed the perfect pill level concoction by an inch. My master passed away when I was quite young, and ever since then, in my duties to support our people I could not master the foundation skills. That is the reason I fail."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Then why don''t you start from the scratch?"

    Master Barre was surprised and Shi Lang continued, "You are so strong and so wise, if you start making basic level potions again, you will be able to grasp the key."

    The old man asked in doubt, "Is that not shameful?"

    Shi Lang realized that the old man was doubting himself, thinking it was shameful for him to dwell on the foundation skills. The Terran took a deep breath and said, "Master Barre, who needs to know what you are doing? Does the matter of other people matter so much over you that it can bar your Dao Path?"

    His words sent Master Barre in a daze. He woke up after a few moments and took a deep breath as he bowed and said, "I thank you for your guidance."

    Shi Lang took a step to the side and said, "Elder, please do not tie me in the bounds of Karma."

    Master Barre smiled as he raised his head and said, "I came here to help you, but did not expect you to return the favor is such a manner."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and the old man took out a notebook. The Terran was surprised to see such a delicate book, Master Barre said, "This book contains the records of a technique that allows an alchemist to manipte the fire in their Dantian."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide in surprise, this was a precious technique, he did not understand why Master Barre was sharing it with him. He asked, "Elder, why are you sharing it with me?"

    Master Barre could sense his hesitation, and said, "Young Master, do not worry, you will not be tied with karma if you ept this technique now. Think of it as a way I am paying back for your help."

    Shi Lang was surprised but then he smiled and said, "Yes, that is eptable."

    He epted the manual with both hands and said, "If you do not mind, Elder, I would like to get to it right away."

    Master Barre nodded and said, "I will see you in the morning, Young Master Shi Lang."

    The Terran did not care why this guy was addressing him as the Young Master, but he did not have the time to ask him the details. Shi Lang sat down on the ground after the old man vanished, and began to read the content of the manual. His speed was quick and he mumbled, "This is interesting, let''s try."

    He closed his eyes and began to focus on the mes inside him. The manual suggested that he should first create a me seed inside his Dantian, and establish it above his spiritual energy reserve. This seed of mes will still work as a filter, it will burn the impurities of the spiritual energy, and the more these mes burned the stronger they will be.

    The seed will bloom into a lotus. Shi Lang also learned that once the me seed was engraved with Dao Laws of heat and purification, he would be able to manipte the mes. The Degree of maniption will vary as per his practice. The Terran focused on the first task at his hand and began to condense the swirl even more.

    The speed was not slow but still felt a little tired. The spiritual energy began to flow through the mes even smoother with every passing moment. After five hours when the sun climbed up the horizon, the heat from its rays hit Shi Lang. The Terran sensed the heat travel through his body and moved toward his Dantian.

    Inside Shi Lang''s Dantian, had a small ember colored dot spinning around at high speed. The Terran took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He opened his palm and a few sparks of fire appeared in them.

    Hou Bingmented, "Well, look at that, some rudimentary understanding already."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have only engraved a little of heat and purification that I could understand, it will take a lot of time for me to rise up to that level."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "Good that you know."

    Shi Lang stood up from the spot and said, "Xiao Tsuu, you dared to pun on my head, you brat, time be my witness, I will whoop your ass soon."

    A voice sounded from behind Shi Lang, "Boss, since when did you be to petty? It was a harmless joke."

    Suddenly Raksha appeared beside Shi Lang and caressed his bald head. The Terran rolled his eyes and said, "Do you still have the guts to repeat what you were saying?"

    Tsuu Ching sighed and said, "Okay, time is up, pleasee over. You need to go through the second level of the trial."

    Shi Lang stretched his body and asked, "What do you want from me?"

    Tsuu Ching waved his hand and they all vanished from this ce, and then they quickly appeared next to a huge reservoir. Tsuu Ching said, "This ce is cold, as you can feel, and under there is your next trial."

    Shi Lang asked, "Cut to the chase."

    Tsuu Ching said, "Elder Marina, you are in charge of this."

    Ady appeared beside him and said, "Yes, Your Excellency."

    Shi Lang looked at thedy and thedy said, "Young Master, inside the pond is a pearl that you need to retrieve. The pearl is very delicate so please mind that you cannot use your spiritual energy to handle it."

    The Terran raised his brow and said, "Oh lords, you guys are going really hard on this, aren''t you?"

    Elder Marina smiled at him, and Tsuu Ching said, "I have to handle a few more things so I will get going."

    Shi Lang shook his head and remarked, "As unreliable as ever."

    Elder Marina said, "Young Master, you should get going, the higher the sun, the colder it is inside the pond."

    Shi Lang thought of something and asked, "May I use an armor?"

    Marina shook his head and replied, "You cannot, the principle of these trials is to test you and your soul. The people who wish to acquire the heavenly herbs they have to stand fast in the trail of the elements. Only then the heavenly herbs surrender."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and Marina said, "You should worry about thatter."

    Then she pointed at the sky, and Shi Lang jumped inside the pond directly. Hou Bing did not go along with him because cold and water were not her elements. Marina looked at the blue bird who said, "What are you looking at? I did not go in because cold is not my element."

    Marina furrowed her brows and said, "Is that true? You do give off the cold energy."

    Hou Bing sighed as she rolled eyes and said, "Even the readers know that when heat reaches extreme it gives birth to cold. This is why you are just an elder."

    Hou Bing did not hold back the sword like beak, and Shi Lang dived deep under the pond that was chilling his soul and he was cursing Tsuu Ching leading back to his nine generations.

 Chapter 822: Ice Glass Bones.

    Shi Lang dove deep inside the pond, he had to swim quickly because the cold was freezing him, not only his blood cirction was slowing down, but even his consciousness was slowing down. The effect of the chilling water was somewhat simr to the me wind in the Volcano Garden.

    He figured out one thing, these trials were designed to test the mettle of the body and soul in various ways. While the mes agitated his soul, the cold was slowing it down.

    He had to circte his spiritual energy at a quicker pace to make sure that his body handles the stress from the cold. His body had been purified to the limit and the frost was corroding it. Thinking about it, Shi Lang stopped circting his spiritual cultivation sutra, but focused on the me maniption technique.

    The me seed spun quickly and the heat from it began to move through his body. The chill reduced and Shi Lang continued to moved in deeper. He saw a few creatures inside the pond thanks to his sensory ability. The scale of these creatures was massive, but nothing he hasn''t seen before.

    The thing that confused him was the fact that none of these creatures were attacking him. Shi Lang thought that probably they have been tamed by the people of the secret realm.

    ...

    Hou Bing looked at the pond and said, "Hmm, if used wisely, this pond can be extremely beneficial for people."

    Elder Marina knew that this bird wasn''t simple and nodded, she said, "This pond is very deep, and the people are not allowed to approach it. However, if we take the water from it and use it for cultivational baths, there is a chance to gain icy bones."

    Hou Bing nodded at this. She said, "I wonder if he would be able to achieve them too."

    Elder Marina shook her head and replied, "The people with affinity to fire cannot withstand the chill. The cultivator who came here in the past, he used his knowledge of pills to pass these tests. Master Barre told us that he created pill recipes that countered the burn and the chill to get through the test."

    Hou Bing replied, "That man must have been a good alchemist, but Shi Lang is not an alchemist primarily."

    She did notckebacks and what she said was not wrong either. Elder Marina knew that Shi Lang was not an alchemist because he thought like a warrior, facing everything head on. She said, "But senior, none of the fire attributed cultivators have managed to gain anything from this pond, why do you think Shi Lang would?"

    Hou Bing turned her tiny head to gaze at Elder Marina and said, "The people bath in these waters outside, but he is going in the depth. What do you think happens when such a pressure befalls anyone?"

    Elder Marina was stunned, she opened her eyes wide and said, "Senior, if the pressure is not released that the person can die."

    Hou Bing shook her head and said, "You, youngsters all fret too much. Look inside, and see for yourself. He is not someone who would give up so easily."

    Elder Marina finally realized that something was up. She turned her head to peek beyond the water, and was dazed.

    ...

    Shi Lang was diving deeper with every moment, he was using his pores to breath, the technique that he learned as a Terran. His body was heating up gradually with the maniption of the me seed. While diving down, Shi Lang was dwelling on the topic of heat and purification.

    His bones were the facing most of the chill, because they were buried under flesh and muscle, the cold was trapped inside them.

    Shi Lang had to channel the heat from the mes in his bones. If his bones got too hot, then he would have to stop. This process of cooling and heating became a cycle and Shi Lang continued to dive deeper increasing the pressure on his body.

    He knew that the cold and heat were changing his bones. It was akin to a metal being heated and then beaten by the forger. The water around him waspressing his body. His physique was reaching a level where the shura body looked like a paltry trick. His weight increased and he sunk faster.

    After one hour hended on the surface, surrounded by utter darkness. However, looking around he located a shining blue light. It became clear that this blue light was the object he needed to collect. Shi Lang moved over but the water seemed denser than regr. It urred to him that it was probably because of the water pressure being too high.

    This was not ordinary water, but spirit water. It''s density varied from normal water, and that was why it effected him so much. However, what Shi Lang did not understand was where did this cold originate from. If the source was located in the depths of the pond then this ce should have been terribly cold and not some ce where his marginal me seed could sustain.

    However, he did not have the time to pay attention to all this and moved, closer to the blue light. After a few moments, he stood next to the blue pearl and gasped mentally. The pearl seemed to repel all sort of chill and spiritual energy around it.

    There was a vacuum around the pearl. He frowned and crouched down next to thing mumbling, "What are you?"

    He pursed his lips and then reached out to pick it up. Shi Lang was careful, he pulled back all the spiritual energy from his hand, and as soon as the pearl came in connection with his hand Shi Lang was washed over by a vacuum.

    He opened his eyes wide and exerted the outmost strength to shoot up and reach the surface. Shi Lang had no pressure around him, it could make his body shrink and implode by its own pressure. The return to the surface was simply effortless.

    The cold water and every property it had was nullified by this pearl.

    ...

    Elder Marina took a step back and Shi Lang popped out of the pond. She said, "You can drop the pearl back in the pond now."

    Shi Lang did not have the time to say anything and simply let go of the pearl. He plopped back in the pond and caught his breath while swimming his way back to the shore.

    He ran his hand through his hair as he asked, "Can someone tell me, what just happened?"

    Elder Marina replied, "You have passed the test. You can rest now, and it the morning, you will have to face the sword master."

    Shi Lang asked, "Why am I being tested in the way of sword? What does that have to do with the herbs?"

    A calm voice sounded behind him, "Young Master Shi, the sword can defend and it can y. Simrly, the herbs that can give life can also take it."

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, "Elder Barre, you wish to test my mentality?"

    Barre nodded and then after a small talk, he vanished. Shi Lang sat down on the ground and Hou Bing said, "Look inside yourself."

    The Terran raised his brow and asked, "Why do you say?"

    Hou Bing asked, "Don''t you feel anything different?"

    Shi Lang thought and said, "Now that you say it. Lemme check."

    He crossed his legs and assumed the lotus position as he channeled his consciousness to look inside him. His brows furrowed as he inspected his body. The me seed was slightly bigger, his spiritual energy was flowing smoother and it was akin to a golden blood that moved through his meridians.

    Hou Bing asked, "Checked your bones?"

    Shi Lang diverted his attention to the bones and after a second he yelled, "What the heck is this?"

    Hou Bing chuckled and asked, "What? Scared of the ss bones?"

    Shi Lang''s bones looked as if they were made of ss. Brittle and delicate. Of course he was scared. Hou Bing said, "Sense them carefully, do not be childish."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and calmed his mind one more time. He sensed his bones and said, "They seem cold."

    Hou Bing nodded and replied, "They are called the legendary Ice ss Bones. They are the strongest bones that exist under the heavens. Also, they are very suitable for engraving the Dao Laws."

    Shi Lang asked, "But, how did I even get them? While diving, I knew something was changing but I thought it was my body that was going through the baptism of the spirit pond."

    Hou Bing shook her tiny head and replied, "Not everything is as simple as you imagine it to be, and not everything is overly difficult either. This is a blessing from the nature, and you should enjoy it. Other than the people who are born with the physique of Jade Bones and Ice muscles, these properties do not appear so often.

    Your bones are a mix between ice and jade, so they are called Ice ss bones. They will eliminate all the me toxin that you will produce when making pills. Your strength must have increased too."

    Shi Lang clenched his fist and nodded slowly. He said, "I will know that in the morning, for now, let me rest."

 Chapter 823: Sword Heart.

    Shi Lang rested beside the pond for the night, practicing the me maniption. He did not waste any time, this was not his habit. As long as there was something about him that could be improvised, he would not stop. Until now, for quite some time he had been sensing a dead end appearing in the path of his cultivation.

    The Terran did not wish for that to happen, and exploring new ways was the only way to either bypass the wall in his path, or to find a way to climb the wall to proceed further.

    Shi Lang stood up in the morning, and absorbed the heat from the first rays of the sun. He opened his palms and the sparks of amber were reced by fumes of mes. Hou Bing nodded slightly and said, "You do have a quality or two about yourself boy."

    The Terran said thank you, when Tsuu Ching appeared and tossed him a spirit fruit. Shi Lang asked, "What is this?"

    Tsuu Ching replied, "This is the ten years old me spirit fruit. It will aid your mes to be stronger."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you, can we go and meet the sword master?"

    Tsuu Ching nodded with a smile and said, "We can."

    The man waved his hands and the three of them vanished. When they appeared, they were standing atop a cliff overlooking the entire city. Shi Lang looked down and asked, "Tsuu Ching, if I told you that there is a chance for your people to return home, what would you say to that?"

    Tsuu Ching replied, "I would not be the one who gets to say anything, Boss. The people will decide if they wish to go back and trust those phony big families or not."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, that is how it should be. I have gotten a few people on the martial council who are willing to rethink about the situation. However, I also understand what the survivors of that cruel purge must have suffered. So, do not worry, I will not tell anyone about this ce, and if you decide to go out there, tell me, and I will do my best to help you."

    Tsuu Ching smiled and replied, "I know you will, boss. Do not worry. If anything came up, you would be the first to know."

    Shi Lang nodded, and turned around to look at the empty cliff top. He suddenly focused his gaze on a sword that was stabbed in the ground. He asked, "Xiao Ching, what is this ce?"

    Tsuu Ching replied, "This is the ce where all the sword cultivators of the Divine Edge sect, the most powerful sword practicing sect woulde to go through their tribtions."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, and asked, "So, why am I here?"

    Tsuu Ching said, "The tribtion they face is not the heavenly tribtion that everyone else does to excel in cultivation of spirit energy. The divine edge sect practices nothing but sword. Completely, their bodies contain sword energy."

    Shi Lang asked surprisingly, "Do you mean to say that they do not harvest the spiritual energy?"

    Tsuu Ching smiled as he nodded, and remarked, "Precisely, they are the swords and swords are them."

    Shi Lang gulped and asked, "Do not tell me that all have achieved unity with the de and heaven?"

    Tsuu Ching chuckled and said, "No, they are not that exaggerated, but almost all of them have achieved the level of sword grandmaster before the end of their lives. Unless they met their demise in battle."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The level of skill one needs to wield the sword and to master it is very high. Those with spiritual cultivation take decades to reach that stage, how does someone without spiritual energy do that? I do not wish to imagine, it is truly impressive."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "They do it with their resolve. And simrly this test is designed to test you for the same."

    Shi Lang looked at Tsuu Ching beside him, who said, "The sword master of Utopia will test you."

    A middle-aged man appeared before Shi Lang in the distance. The Terran was surprised because he could not sense any spiritual energy from this person. If not for his figure visible before him, this person did not even show up on his sensory radar. Shi Lang gulped, it seemed that he was helpless in this situation.

    To make things worse, Tsuu Ching poked his back seven times, and Shi Lang froze. The former has blocked his spiritual energypletely. The Terran was shocked, but he regained hisposure and asked, "So, sealing my spiritual energy so that I stay as strong as he is? Or is it just some bizarre way of saying that life is unfair?"

    Tsuu Ching shook his head and said, "We are testing your heart, because only when you are honest to yourself would you be able to..."

    Shi Lang gave him a middle finger andpleted his sentence, "Compel the heavenly herbs to acknowledge me. Right?"

    Tsuu Ching smiled bitterly and Shi Lang said to him in a low voice, "I do not know what you are ying at, but I am going along only because of Tian Long. Otherwise, I was happy with my wife and children."

    The lord of the Utopia said, "Boss, do not think of me like that. I will never harm you, after all that you have done for me."

    Hou Bing was looking at him from the side and said, "Kid, I may be weak, but if you did anything to Shi Lang, I will use my innate fire to reduce this entire ce to ashes."

    Tsuu Ching was shocked but sighed and said, "Boss, how can I make you understand? Trust me. I am only doing what the rules of my people have stated. The person before you had to go through this too. However, instead of a sword he used his cauldron. His heart was one with his cauldron and thus he passed this."

    Shi Lang snorted and said, "I will not use my spirit sword."

    Tsuu Ching was confused, and Shi Lang took out a normal wooden sword from his space ring. He said, "I am going to rify one thing, I am not looking down on anyone."

    The sword master said, "I do not care what you think. You are a cultivator, be responsible for your own actions."

    Shi Lang nodded and walked closer to the man. The two of them stood ten meters apart from each other and Tsuu Ching asked, "What do you think? Who will prevail?"

    Hou Bing was sitting on the stone on the side, she looked at him and said, "Mind your business."

    Tsuu Ching was surprised by the cold behavior, but before he could say anything the two people began fighting. The sovereign of the Utopia was surprised to see that Shi Lang could keep up with the speed of the Sword Master.

    Hou Bing said, "Do not be so surprised, he is not ordinary."

    Tsuu Ching nodded in a daze.

    Shi Lang fought with the sword master using only his physical strength and his sword skills. The longer the fight dragged on, the stronger Shi Lang seemed. He was getting used to the power of his newly refined bones. His body was stronger than ever and his sword was on point.

    However, suddenly the sword master pulled a move, he attacked Shi Lang''s eyes. The Terran was not prepared but the sword intent from the sword master impaired his sight. He took a jump to open distance between the opponent and himself when an impact to his chest sent him flying.

    The sword master said, "You have been doing well for someone who could not even sense my deing at you. But that ends now. If I draw blood, you will lose."

    Shi Lang stood up from the ground and assumed his stance. He could not see the opponent, but he could sense his movement. His sensory ability allowed him to sense the miniscule changes on the ground as the sword master moved. Shi Lang used this to evade the attacksing at him.

    However, his opponent said, "You do not have the sword in your heart, you will not be able to win."

    Shi Lang thought about it and he stopped moving. The sword master did not charge at him either, but suddenly, the Terran also dropped his sword. He said, "Come."

    The sword master did not know what Shi Lang was trying to do, but he raised his weapon and charged at thetter. Shi Lang relied on thews of sword art engraved on his heart as he jumped into the fight.

    Long ago, Shi Lang had learned that swords resonate with each other. He wanted to sense that resonance. If the des could resonate so could thews. As the Sword Master was about to sh across his chest, Shi Lang took a step back and used his hand to counter the attack.

    A wave of sword intent released from his hand, shing with the de of the sword master.

 Chapter 824: Pill Refining.

    The sword master''s de and Shi Lang''s sword intent collided, and the former stepped back. He opened up the distance between the two of them. However, Shi Lang had not even moved an inch away from the spot he was standing at.

    The sword master replied, "You had this capability from the first blow, why did you not use it?"

    Shi Lang opened his eyes slowly and said, "All my life I wielded the sword to defend myself, protect my beliefs and my people. I never looked at a sword or any other weapon as means of killing, or tools to show off my worth in the world.

    All these tests mean nothing to me, however, while I was exchanging blows just now, I realized that if showing off my worth can end this trial then I would not hold back."

    The sword master fell in a thought before he said, "You are good, both with words and with your de. I hope that you step in the realm of a sword saint."

    Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Thank you for guiding me."

    The sword master said, "My name is n Makki. Thank you for the spar."

    The person then nodded at Tsuu Ching and left the ce. Shi Lang asked, "Tell me what is the next thing I need to do?"

    He did not forget to store his wooden sword back in the space ring, it was a tool he used to teach Shi Tao, and Yu Xeidi with, he was not going to put this ce here. Tsuu Ching said, "The next trial is for you to refine a pill."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "So, you are asking for proof of my skill?"

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "Master Barre will give you a pill form. You will have to create a superior level pill to pass the trial."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Let''s go, what are you waiting for?"

    Tsuu Ching said, "Let''s take a walk."

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders as he did not mind going on for a walk. Hou Bing sat on his shoulder. The Terran enjoyed the scenery of the ce. This secret realm seemed to be aplete world in itself. Tsuu Ching said, "When I hade here, this secret realm had nothing apart from the terrain variation and vastness. No spiritual energy."

    The Terran nodded and Tsuu Ching told him how the survivors of the purge managed to salvage the situation. Shi Lang replied with apliment, "You people are unique and strong. You have the wills that suit a cultivator and you were not afraid to explore the path of Dao with the ideas you believed were correct."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "That was the only reason we were called demons."

    Shi Lang sighed as he gazed at a bunch of children running on the side as they entered the residential area, and said, "You have done the best that you could, and you are not alone anymore. If your people show up outside the secret realm, those undying old men would cower in fear."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "I know that, but we have found peace here. We do not wish to embroil ourselves in the situation outside. The young ones are free, but we only go out when we need to break through."

    Shi Lang realized that Tsuu Ching was telling him that the people here would not being outside the secret realm. He did not mind that, and said, "I respect your decision Tsuu Ching, tell your people that. However, if you do not mind, I have a proposal."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and Shi Lang said, "I have a faction of people under me, and your sister-inw is the sect mistress of the War Maiden sect too. If you do not mind, we would like to send a few top level young talents over here and have them train under the guidance of the elders here. Do not worry, the location will be kept secret. I will make sure of that."

    Tsuu Ching pursed his lips and Shi Lang said, "There is a lot for people to learn here, and they would be able to help the people outside. This exchange will revive the reputation of the so-called demons. You people are following extreme spiritual cultivation, and you should be named like that too."

    Tsuu Ching chuckled and said, "You get a bit too worked up in such things. Forget about it all, I will discuss things with the elders but no guarantees."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do not want any, however, I would like to repay this debt. When the younger generation from here wishes to see the world outside, have them look for me. I will help them."

    Tsuu Ching nodded. Soon the two people arrived before the building known as the Pill Tower. This tower was ten floors high, and the entire surface was carved with intricate designs. Shi Lang pped his hand and remarked, "Remarkable craftsmanship."

    Tsuu Ching smiled at him, and said, "Come inside."

    The two people went inside and Master Barre appeared in the main lobby. The people present in the lobby all bowed to Tsuu Ching and Master Barre while they gazed at Shi Lang with curiosity. They had known that an outsider was amongst them but they never saw him up close.

    Master Barre bowed to Tsuu Ching and said, "Young Master Shi, this is the pill you will need to refine."

    Shi Lang took the jade slip while the people were surprised and confused by why Master Barre called Shi Lang, young master. Terran read the form and said, "How long do I have before I have to refine this pill?"

    Tsuu Ching said, "Six hours."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "How many tries?"

    Master Barre replied, "Two."

    It was not a problem, because Shi Lang had an idea in his mind. He said, "Let us begin now."

    Tsuu Ching was confused and asked, "Boss, are you sure you want to do it? This pill is not a simple one."

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I know that I will fail in the first attempt, but it is a form that I have nevere across, however, unless I try, I will not know what I am missing."

    Tsuu Ching looked at Master Barre who nodded and said, "Very well, then you will have six hours, and two tries."

    Shi Lang agreed and Master Barre brought him to a refining room. Shi Lang took out his cauldron and said, "Xiao Ching, my spiritual energy is still sealed."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and poked his acupoints and Shi Lang sensed the familiar sensation of warmth moving around his body. Master Barre waved his hand to a disciple, who brought two sets of ingredients from the side.

    Shi Lang did not get to the refining right away, he first inspected the ingredients. Familiarizing with their properties and textures. He was using his sensory ability on these herbs to get a perfect replication of their structure in his mind. After half an hour, the Terran began to extract and refine the herb essence from the herbs using a normal me conjured by his spiritual fire.

    He was not in a hurry to use the Heavenly Lotus mes in his dantian. That thing was too unpredictable to be used in a pill refining.

    While Shi Lang was busy extracting the essence, Tsuu Ching asked, "Master Barre, what pill did you give him?"

    Master Barre shook his head and said, "You can only know after the trial, Your Excellency."

    Tsuu Ching sighed and replied, "This is too strict of you."

    The old man smiled as he watched Shi Lang work carefully. After fifteen minutes, when the herbal essence was extracted, Shi Lang made a grab gesture and removed them from the cauldron. Then he began tobine them, one drop at a time.There were seven herbs in the mix, he did not want to miss anything and cause a failure.

    However, the next moment, Shi Lang was correct, the cauldron shivered and Shi Lang stopped refining, followed by which everyone heard a gentle bang inside the cauldron. Tsuu Ching sighed and wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, "Shut up I am focusing."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and left the ce, Shi Lang in the meantime, sat down on the ground and began to run simtions in his mind. Everything was taken into ount, how these herbs reacted when put to refinement. The people were confused, they had never seen anything like this, but they understood that Shi Lang only had two trials and now only one was left for him.

    Couple of hours passed, when Shi Lang opened his eyes and asked, "Master Barre? Can I refine this pill outside in the open?"

    Barre was surprised but Shi Lang said, "You will know why I am asking this shortly. Please."

    The old man nodded and they moved outside, in front of the pill tower.

 Chapter 825: Tribulation Pill.

    Shi Lang stood before the pill cauldron outside the pill tower and many people had gathered to see him there. Master Barre said, "I have erected the barrier, there will be no disturbance, you can start."

    The Terran nodded and waved his hands as five stalks of different herbs were suspended in the void above the cauldron. He channeled the mes inside his body, to create a ring around the herbs. Then he manipted his spiritual energy to cover the herbs and began to rotate the herbs inside the ring of fire.

    The speed was slow, and not many people understood what he was doing but they were curious if this guy would be able to make the pill.

    Tsuu Ching and Master Barre were watching the process and the former asked, "Why does he not refine them inside the cauldron?"

    Master Barre replied, "I am not too sure what is he thinking, but it could be that the pressure and heat inside the cauldron would not be as easy to manipte as it is outside."

    Tsuu Ching nodded, and cast a gaze at Hou Bing. The little bird was watching things with great interest. He asked, "Do you know what he is doing?"

    The bird did not reply, and only turned her head to re at him. She did not wish to talk to this man, all she cared about was Shi Lang. She had never seen this guy cooking any pills, however, what she was looking forward to the most was what kind of anomaly Shi Lang would create in the process.

    She could sense that something was about to happen and she wanted to see. Sure enough, Master Barre gulped beside them. With everyone watching silently, a gulp like that was audible to everyone. While some people looked at the old man in shock, some people looked at him in askance.

    It was a rule to maintain absolute silence when observing a pill refinement, however, the most capable alchemist broke that rule, there must be a reason, right?

    Tsuu Ching used his spirit conscious and asked, "What is it, Master Barre?"

    The old man took a deep breath and replied, ''Sire, look at the herbs."

    Tsuu Ching rolled his eyes and said, "I am looking at them, they seem the same to me."

    Master Barre shook his head and replied, "Sire, all those herbs are equally heated, and Young Master Shi is using the mes from the volcano garden. He is purifying them, the reason he is rotated them is to protect the herb essence from leaking and getting equal exposure to the me.The mes are eliminating the impurities from the herbs slowly but efficiently."

    Suddenly, Master Barre said, "The Azure Sunflower has been refined."

    Everyone saw a big petal of azure slowly changing shape into that of an azure blob before slowly entering the cauldron. Tsuu Ching asked, "They have to be refined sometime?"

    Master Barre shook his head and said, "The herbs all need to be mixed in a certain amount of time from each other, if he misses even by a blink it will not work."

    Shi Lang made a few seals with his hands and the ring of fire turned into balls that moved around the herbs faster. The speed of all the fire balls was different. Master Barre sighed and said, "What a genius! You see, Your Excellency, the speed of the fire balls is different from one another, the difference in speed is proportionate to the heat they generate."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "I know this much about mes, Elder, but thank you for your guidance."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not stop, he did not care about anyone in the world. The herbs were refined and they were added to the cauldron at the precise time. Then Shi Lang waved his hand to close the lid as the herb essence began to mingle. Shi Lang learned from his body.

    To purify the herbs to the maximum, he created a small vortex of mes inside the cauldron and passed the herb essences through it at a high speed.

    He was not longer afraid of losing control because while he may not have mastered the use of the mes but he was short on time. He needed to take the risk to meet the requirement of the trial. His speed helped him a lot and when the herb essence was refined quickly and the quality of it was very pure.

    The entire square was filled with the aroma of the pill. Shi Lang ignored it all and just concentrated on preserving as much herbal aroma as he could. Soon, the herbs all blended with each other and became one single liquid.

    The Terran made a seal with his hands and grunted, "Condense."

    The cauldron trembled as the pressure and temperature dropped all of a sudden. Shi Lang raised his head and saw a budding gray cloud. He said loudly, "Everyone, please do not spiritual energy. If you see anything odd do not worry, I will handle it."

    The people were surprised, but then Shi Lang removed the list and the people saw a purple light shooting out of the cauldron and heading to the clouds. Hou Bing opened her eyes and beak wide. She eximed, "This kid tried a new recipe and made a tribtion level pill in his second attempt. Are you fucking with me?"

    Tsuu Ching was more shocked than her. In his eyes Shi Lang was a ferocious warrior, and an even greater leader. However, he was an alchemist? That too who refined a tribtion pill.

    The clouds thundered and next moment a steak of lightning shot at the pill. The people were scared but the pill hovered in the void and tackled the lightning steak. Even cultivators might not be able to get away from the burn of the heavenly lightning and suffer damage. However, this small peck of a pill managed to stand its ground.

    When a pill went through tribtion it was tested in terms of purity and the intentions that were embedded inside it by the alchemist. Shi Lang always created pills with the intention to serve and protect people. Thus his pills withstood the destruction. They were a man-made counter for the destructiveness of the heavenly lightning.

    Tsuu Ching let out a whistle and said, "I have a feeling that Boss might be a person who only refines tribtion pills."

    Hou Bing nodded slowly and said, "Kid, do not steal my lines. I am now even more curious about his future."

    The sky was filled with lightning streaks falling at the pill, and after five minutes when the pill passed the test, it came back to Shi Lang''s hand. The Terran turned around and asked, "Master Barre, do I pass the test?"

    Master Barre was shivering and looking at Shi Lang he had so many emotions that he was going crazy. He wanted to kneel and take him as his master, and even revere him. However, he was also asking himself if he was worthy enough to be a disciple to Shi Lang after being stuck at the grandmaster level and never refining a tribtion pill in his life.

    The tip that Shi Lang gave him to revise the basic methods did make a difference but it was still a long way for him to rediscover his entire path. He bowed and cupped his hands as he said, "Young Master Shi, please do not embarrass this old man. You are a far superior alchemist than I am. You pass the trial."

    Shi Lang was flustered and quickly approached the old man as he helped him stand up straight and said, "Elder, you are praising me a bit too much. I might be arrogant and spell my own doom."

    Master Barre nodded, and Tsuu Ching asked, "Boss, how many tribtion pills have you refine?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Quite a lot, sometimes actually more than one in a batch of low level pill."

    The people were gazing at him as if they were gazing at a monster. Hou Bing came and sat on his shoulder as she snuggled in his neck. Shi Lang was surprised and Hou Bing said, "When ever you refine extra pills, can I have some?"

    Shi Lang realized that the proud phoenix was buttering him up, and he smiled as he said, "Fine, you may."

    The bird chirped in happiness and Shi Lang asked, "Tsuu Ching, do you think you can tell me thest trial I have to face?"

    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "Thest trial is a bit tricky but I am sure you will be able to handle it. You see, the chances of a stronger enemy coulde to you and chase you for your treasures are quite high. So, in order to protect them, you need to defend yourself.

    So in the final trial, you will be facing me and if you managed to take an attack from me, then you will win. How about it?"

    Shi Lang was surprised but then he said "If you wish to be humiliated then fine, but I bet you would not be able to eveny a finger on me,"

 Chapter 826: Facing A God.

    Shi Lang was cultivating and restoring his spirit energy to the maximum level, because he knew that the opponent against him was not going to hold back and if he was careless, he could die.

    Tsuu Ching was thest hurdle he had to face, and the man had told him before everyone that he would not hold back. Although an Immortal God, did not want to attack him actively, but facing his pressure alone would be scary.

    Shi Lang was not afraid, but he had no idea how strong Tsuu Ching was, or what he should do to survive the battle. This was not going to be easy for him. Hou Bing shared a wisp of her spiritual presence with him and she said, "You know how strong the pressure of an Immortal God is?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and asked, "How different would it be if I say that I have faced an Immortal God''s spirit phantom?"

    Hou Bing replied, "Oh, I am surprised you did. Well, given a rough estimate, Tsuu Ching should be ten times stronger than the spirit phantom you faced."

    Shi Lang pinched his chin and said, "What if I get ten people to train me a bit better?"

    Hou Bing chuckled and asked, "Do you have the time for that, and where are you going to get then people as strong as an Immortal God? Do you not know the path to god in had been blocked?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I do have an idea about the path being blocked. However, let me take you to a ce where I can train."

    Hou Bing asked, "What about allure?"

    The Terran replied, "Umm, she can wait here, can you tell her to hold the fort?"

    He pricked his finger and sshed two drops of blood on the ground. Two clones appeared before him, one looked simr to him but the other was a small blue bird. Hou Bing asked, "You don''t want to let these people know where you are going?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Indeed, can you please leave your spiritual wisp on the puppet."

    Hou Bing nodded and left her spiritual wisp on the blue bird. Sure enough, the next moment she was surprised to that she could not tell difference between her real body and the clone.

    ...

    A few disciples stood inside the Inheritance pce, they were all the winners of the tri-sectpetition and were given the chance toe over and seek an inheritance. They had no idea if they would be able to get acknowledgement from the seniors here and were pretty nervous.

    A disciple from the Dragon Sword Sect said, "I cannot imagine that three of our predecessors managed to bring out such a wondend from the battle field of gods."

    The others nodded and one guy from the spirit heart sect said, "I would love to meet them and get some guidance."

    Just then, a void portal opened before them. Three disciples were shocked and immediately grabbed their weapons, ready to attack, when they saw a human walking in as a small blue bird flew out behind him. Shi Lang looked around and then he was surprised to find three youngsters before him.

    He asked, "Umm, are you three winners of the Tri-sect meet?"

    The three of them nodded, and Shi Lang looked at them with a smile, he said, "My name is Shi Lang, I am not sure if you have heard of me. However, which one of you is from the Spirit Heart Sect?"

    The young man who was speaking early quickly replied, "Senior, it is me, Yan Jitian."

    Shi Lang smiled and took out a long spear from his space ring. This weapon was something he collected from a demonic cultivator during one of his battles at the front. He said, "This spear is your gift, I have purified it of any demonic energy. I hope it helps you in your future endeavors."

    The two people gazed at the spear with envious gazes.Shi Lang chuckled and took out two more weapons. The grade of the weapons he handed over to them was almost the top grade. He said, "Yan Jitian, if you do not mind, upon your return please pass a message to the sect master for me?"

    Yan Jitian punched his chest and said, "Yes, Senior Shi."

    Shi Lang handed him a jade slip and said, "Here. This would do."

    Then he looked at the guy from the Dragon Sword Sect and said, "Is Chief Yang doing good?"

    The young man nodded and thanked him for the concern. Shi Lang gave the girl from Snow Maiden Sect an advice about her cultivation, and she thanked him with a bow. Then he said, "You all can continue your trial. I have some other business here. Also, do not forget to bathe in the spirit liquidke. Okay?"

    The three people nodded and Shi Lang was about to move when he looked around and said, "Oye, Hou Bing, god damnit you are a phoenix, what are you hogging all the spirit liquid from the children? I will be the sinner of three sects. Youe out."

    As he said this, the three teenagers watched him chase after a small blue bird who was flickering all over the ce, and the girl said, "That is a phoenix."

    They gulped at this, Shi Lang was strong before, but now his impression was akin to a god in their minds.

    ...

    One day passed, and Shi Lang stood before Tsuu Ching. They were both standing in a martial arena. This ce was used for battles between people and also to settle the disputes. Killing was prohibited, and if anyone disobeyed the rules they would be spanked by the elders.

    Yes, literally spanked till their cried their eyes out. Shi Lang looked around and found that all the elders were in the void, as they createdyers of ovepping barriers round the arena to protect the people.

    Tsuu Ching said, "The rules are simple, you would have to withstand my pressure for one minute. Or you have another choice, you can face one of my attacks. I promise that I would not kill you."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Did youe here to chatter? Get started and get it over with, I have urgent things to do back home."

    The people shook their heads. In their eyes, Shi Lang was just provoking the monarch and he would lose the very next moment.

    Elder Kylo-Jan was the referee and he said, "Begin!"

    Tsuu Ching emitted his pressure and it all fell down on Shi Lang''s shoulder. The Terran replied by emitting his own spiritual pressure. The impact was miniscule, but it helped him tackle the situation.

    His feet were already two inches deep in the ground and he could tell that Tsuu Ching was not yet serious. This was just ten percent of his power. Shi Lang realized that he was a fool for holding back. Now that he understood the despairing gap between an Immortal Sovereign and an Immortal God, his forehead was covered with sweat and he radiated a strong sword intent as well.

    Tsuu Ching raised his brow and said, "Sword intent? That is a good way of countering me, but is it not toote?"

    Shi Lang was sinking one inch at a time as the pressure began to hit him right over the shoulders. The entire ce was so tense that even the crowd did not dare to take a deep breath. Shi Lang felt stifled. It was as if he could not breath at all.

    The pressure was truly as overwhelming as he had imagined and experienced in the inheritance pce. He released the sword intent in waves, and it gave him some relief. However, it was still not enough for him to catch a break.

    Tsuu Ching even teased him, "You can tap the ground three times if you want to quit. No one will make fun of you. Yousted three seconds."

    Shi Lang clenched his fists as his body became heavier with the passing time. He spoke in a grungy voice, "You need to stop getting cocky, Xiao Ching."

    He closed his eyes and channeled his spiritual energy inside his body at a rapid pace. He was enforcing his body to bear the pressure. His bones may have been transformed into ice jade. He was angry, on his weakness, the rage was building up in his heart.

    Shi Lang stood on the ground for what seemed to be an eternity, but in reality it has been just thirty seconds.

    The people outside the barrier were really dazed. They did not expect this outsider to have the talent to with stand the pressure of the Eternal Sovereign. Kylo-Jan announced in a sonorous voice, "Half the time is finished."

    Shi Lang raised his head with difficulty, and looked at Tsuu Ching with a gaze that scared him. He said, "Shura ys The Dragon."

    Raksha appeared in his hand as he shed at the eternal sovereign.

 Chapter 827: Shura Defying Heavens.

    Shi Lang shed the sword and his hoarse voice was heard by everyone.

    "Shura ys The Dragon."

    The attack condensed into a dragon made from red lightning. It looked like it was moving forward very slowly. However, that was only to the people outside the barrier. The elders and Tsuu Ching, were shocked.

    Shi Lang not only managed to withstand the cruel torture for thirty seconds, but he even attacked them. Tsuu Ching could sense that something about this attack was odd. He was at the peak of his realm in this world. He could see through the Dao Laws on the dragon but at the same time, he could not figure out something.

    He narrowed his eyes and waved his hand. A spiritual gust blew and rammed itself against the dragon. However, while the gust shifted the dragons trajectory, it did not leave any damage. The Dragon seemed to have grown conscious and circled around Tsuu Ching.

    The dragon was conscious. The people outside gasped and mored. The elders squinted there eyes as they saw the scene before them. Kylo-Jan looked at the scene and asked, "de, what do you think?"

    de was the sword master''s nickname, he said, "This kid hid his cards. He did not unleash anything thisplicated while fighting me."

    Master Barre said, "This guy is following the path of invincibility, everything he dabbles he would have to master it like nobody else ever had. His alchemy mastery is an evidence. If he failed even once, his path will stop evolvingpletely."

    The rest of the people agreed with him. The Dao Path people walked often focused in one direction, however, Shi Lang was someone who was moving ahead and his path had many possibilities. In a way he was cynical to attempt so many things at the same time. He did not seem to mind the risk of failing and did what he wanted to.

    ...

    Inside the barrier, the dragon revealed its ws and attacked Tsuu Ching with them. The eternal monarch was still emitting the pressure to pin down Shi Lang, however, he was annoyed by the dragon messing with him.

    The dragon seemed to be able to dodge his attacks and its pacing was erratic also. Sometimes it was slow, and sometimes it was fast.

    ...

    Hou Bing was standing over Allure''s head, and snorted, "Hmph, thinking too much of yourself, Tsuu Ching, this boy is not joking, and he is not simple."

    Allure nodded slightly and said, "Your Excellency, Shi Lang seemed to have integrated thews of Time in his attack."

    Hou Bing clucked and said, "Good vision, Allure. You do have some hope of redemption after all. Indeed, he integrated thews of time in his attack, but it is not that simple as it may seem to be."

    Allure asked, "Please guide me, Your Excellency."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "You see, when you integrate thews in a action, they are often very straight and simple. You imprint yourprehensions on them."

    Allure nodded in agreement. This was how everyone operated. Hou Bing continued, "This method is verymon, and almost everyone in this world knows how Dao Laws are integrated in any attack. Even if they do not know yourprehension level, but if they know the structure and have some knowledge about how to identify thews, they will have the chance to break through yourws. Correct?"

    The legendary beast nodded, the higher the realm of cultivation the better and deeper theprehension, that was why strong experts were able to wave their hands and disperse many attacks from different elements and stuff like that.

    Hou Bing spoke again, "Shi Lang has embedded thews in a broken format. He told me that hisws are not like a string, they are partially scattered. For example, speed is an element of lightning, so is agility. Time has the simr aspect of speed. However, the two arepletely different.What happens when you manage to swap the elements of these two Laws?"

    Allure opened her eyes wide and was shocked. She eximed, "How is that possible? Twowspletely different, even if the element has simr properties the core meaning is different from each other, how can they be stable? If the Dao Law attack fails it would be inevitable death for the caster, or even worse, crippling the cultivation."

    Hou Bing chuckled and said, "You think a bit too much, Allure. The people forget the basics of Dao Laws, they resonate with each other, they exist in harmony. The Dao Laws originate from various sources but they all lead to the one great Dao. As long as they are integrated in the same attack, they will resonate with each other and increase the integrity of the attack. Look at the lightning dragon."

    Allure looked up at the dragon and after a brief observation, she said, "It is very condensed for a spiritual manifestation."

    Hou Bing nodded and Allure continued, "The destructiveness is from the sword intent, the varying speed is originating from the two elements of speed, one from Time Laws, and other is from lightningws."

    The Phoenixplimented, "Very good, keep looking."

    Allure said, "Your Excellency, the integrity of the attack is higher because of Dao Law resonance. But why is the dragon moving around? Shi Lang is focused on enduring, I doubt he has the time to control the attack."

    Hou Bing smiled and said, "Look at his hand."

    Allure found Shi Lang to be holding the red and golden sword. Her pupil constricted, and she mumbled, "Cunning."

    ...

    Inside Shi Lang''s soul sea, Raksha was standing with her hands crossed before her chest. She had a bond with Shi Lang. He was her master, and her actions represented her. She was controlling the dragon on his behalf, as an entity who had ess to his soul sea, she could see the Dao Laws inside and manipte them being partially simr to them. Her origins were also natural like the Dao Laws.

    Beside her, Shi Lang''s immortal soul was working its best to endure the pressure, the entire soul sea was shivering slightly, and it seemed very fragile. Raksha said, "Last ten seconds."

    In the physical world, Shi Lang said, "Dao Armament."

    A red lightning sword appeared in his left hand, a red and gold crown manifested over his head, along with a long red cape on his back. These were the symbols of his realm, and at the core of these symbols were Dao Laws that Shi Langprehended and instilled in them.

    He raised his head to look at the sky, without opening his eyes he said, "Tsuu Ching, be careful."

    The Eternal Sovereign shivered, he raised his guard as he heard him talk. The lightning dragon from earlier was giving him trouble for thest twenty second. Although he did not use any overwhelming attack but it was still a shame that an Immortal Emperor was pushing it so far against an Immortal God.

    The Terran raised both his swords with great difficulty and ced them across each other. It formed an X. He took a deep breath and his ck hair turned crimson red. Shi Lang said, "Shura sword art, final move: Shura Defying Heavens."

    He moved his sword, the sight appeared very slow to the people, but Tsuu Ching, had toe down on the ground. Everyone was shocked, Shi Lang made the Eternal Sovereign of theirnd to get down on the ground.

    The elders exchanged gazes, as they saw the situation and their hearts trembled. Tsuu Ching said, "The trial ends, Shi Lang wins."

    The people were alerted once again, why did the Immortal God took the initiative to admit defeat.

    Kylo-Jan and the restnded next to him and asked, "Your Excellency, what just happened? Why did you admit defeat?"

    Tsuu Ching smiled with a bitter expression and said, "You all need to rest assured, I have never defied the rules and I will never defy them in the future either. As for this trial, well, I have been defeated. Look up."

    He raised his hand and pointed to the sky, everyone saw a huge X on the top of the dome. They understood that it was caused by Shi Lang''s attack earlier. Not only that, even the sky, the ceiling of their realm had a void tunnel in X shape.

    Tsuu Ching said, "Elders, please seal the void fissure. I need to calm my heart. If not for my reaction, I would have lost a hand just now."

    His statement shocked the people. They realized how dangerous this attack was. For them, Tsuu Ching''s realm was heavens, and Shi Lang''s attack was an attempt to defy it. The attempt was sessful and the heavens were pushed on the back foot.

    Every set of eyes in the Arena was gazing at Shi Lang, who was standing on his feet, holding a sword. His Dao armament has vanished back inside his body, he exerted everything he had. The fact that he could still keep his eyes open and look around was enough to prove that he was conscious and he won.

    Tsuu Ching took a few breaths and asked, "Boss, did you intend to kill me just now?"

    Shi Lang gazed at him but did not say anything. Raksha manifested beside him and said, "Lord Tsuu, was it not you who said, Death is a possibility in this trial? Are you afraid of my master?"

    Tsuu Ching was surprised, but then he chuckled. He said, "Yes, I am afraid of him, I always have been, because he is someone who can defy heavens. Am I wrong?"

    Raksha smiled and shook her head as he said, "You are intelligent."

 Chapter 828: Gains & Herbs.

    Shi Lang was spent, and after Tsuu Ching announced that the trial has ended, he lost consciousness. The eternal sovereign himself carried him back to the resting ce. He was worried, but also relieved that Shi Lang was not seriously injured. He was just exhausted from the usage of spiritual energy.

    The output spike was draining on him, however, as he recovered it would be good for him. The me seed in his Dantian was spinning so fast that if anyone was to check it would appear to be still. The Terran spent three days recovering, and only then did he open his eyes. He had closed his soul sea as well, even Raksha could not get in.

    Hou Bing was the first to sense him waking up. She was resting beside the window in his room when he opened his eyes. She asked, "How do you feel?"

    Shi Lang sat up and nodded to her. Hou Bing asked, "What are you thinking about? Did you gain something during the trial?"

    The Terran knew he could not hide anything from her, so he nodded and took Raksha out of his space ring. The sword transformed into spirit form and thedy hovered in the void while smoking a pipe. She asked, "What did you call me for?"

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "I locked my soul sea for a reason."

    Raksha raised her eyebrow and asked, "What does that have to do with me?"

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Go and see it before you babble alright."

    The sword spirit tilted her head as sheined, "First you lock me out and then you ask me to take a look? Do you think I am your servant?"

    Shi Lang held his forehead and said, "I apologize, but I was not locking you out, but I did not want the other people to look inside my soul sea."

    He said this sentence with his spiritual connection to Raksha. The sword spirit was surprised now. She realized that he did not trust anyone, and he locked her out to prevent any conflict from happening.

    She sighed and remarked, "Call me soft-heart, and you pitiful. What would you do without me?"

    She vanished from the void and appeared in his soul sea, andmented, "What''s the fuss..."

    She had not yet finished speaking, when she realized the difference and was shocked.

    Outside, Shi Lang said, "Hou Bing, you can take a look as well."

    Hou Bing was undoubtedly curious and nodded. She sent a wisp of her spirit conscious to Shi Lang, who let it inside his soul sea without any protest. Hou Bing was calmer than Raksha, she said, "You inscribed thews of space here?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I had no idea what was going on, during the trial when I was being crushed, I recalled my time in the lower realm. There I learned interesting ways of how the Terrans saw and understood space. When I was casting the final attack, thews of space became clear to me, and a shred of them channeled through my Dao armament."

    Hou Bing nodded andmented, "No wonder you caused a space fissure and also suffered exhaustion. It all adds up. You do have spacews inscribed in the soul sea. But what I find even more curious is the fact that you managed to do this in three days."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Look carefully."

    Raksha spoked up from the side, "The flow of time here is different than outside."

    Hou Bing eximed, "You understood Time Laws?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Space and Time are very much interconnected in the lower realm, I just used the understanding of this ce and spiritual energy to look at them from a different angle and it worked."

    Hou Bing clicked her tongue and said, "Boy, you do know that if this was to back fire, you would have destroyed this entire secret realm, right?"

    Shi Lang nodded, Rakshamented, "Thankfully, Tsuu Ching dered an end to the trial and I retracted the sword intent. Shi Lang, you really need to be careful when you are such a monster."

    The Terran looked at her aggrievedly, how was he to know that he was a monster in this case? As they were talking, Tsuu Ching appeared at the door of his room and asked, "Boss, are you awake?"

    Shi Lang retraced his consciousness back to the outside world and said, "Yeah, Tsuu Ching,e in."

    The man walked in and first he checked Shi Lang with his spiritual conscious. He said, "Phew, the mistress of the house was so pissed when she found that you have fainted, she made me kneel."

    Shi Lang smiled and Tsuu Ching said, "Do not tell others, they willugh at me."

    The Terran was amused by this behavior as always, and asked, "Well, I was about to find you. Where are my herbs? I need to wake up Tian Long as soon as possible and also get back home. Your sister-inw and niece are waiting for me."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and took out a wooden box from his space ring. He said, "These are the five herbs that you needed, and one warning. As soon as you take them out of the box, you should start refining them. They lose vitality very quickly."

    Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "Brat, if you dared conspire against me, I will bring an army of legendary beasts at your doors."

    Tsuu Ching opened his eyes wide and said, "Hey, how can you think of my like that. The reason they loose vitality is because they represent the bnce of spirituality and when ced in close proximity they tend to achieve union and vanish. They only leave behind a small hole of vacuum that sucks away spirituality and takes a lot of effort to close."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes wide and said, "Oh my god! These herbs can achieve singrity."

    The geek that he had be in the federation had an urge to try the fact. Raksha asked, "You said close proximity. Then why are they not reacting inside the box?"

    Tsuu Ching raised his chin and said, "This box is a treasure, there are fivepartments inside this box and all of them are spatialpartments. So, the herbs are not close enough."

    Shi Lang gulped and took the box. He quickly stowed it away in his space ring. Tsuu Ching was surprised and then he chuckled, "Boss, I do notck these boxes, I won''t snatch them from you."

    The Terran shook his head and said, "I do not trust you. You snatched my buns one time, and you very well know why you did it. I wonder if sister-inw would like to hear that story."

    Tsuu Ching shivered and shook his head like a rattle. He said, "Forgive me. Here, let mepensate you."

    He took out five jade tokens from his pocket and said, "You can use these as a key to ess this realm from anywhere in the immortal world. You can give them to your family members, but I hope you understand that there will be a oath ceremony before we trust them."

    Shi Lang gave him a thumbs up and said, "Good, I understand. Now, I shall prepare to leave."

    Tsuu Ching was taken aback, he asked, "Did youe here only because you wanted to get some herbs from me? Do you have nopassion to spend some time with me and relive the good old days?"

    Shi Lang patted Tsuu Ching''s shoulder and replied, "I want to stay here and take a vacation. However, my daughter is posted at the frontlines with Sister Moon Jade. I havee here for five days, but I can sense that time here is different than outside."

    Tsuu Ching was surprised and said, "You noticed?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, "One day here is five days outside, right?"

    Thetter nodded in confirmation. Shi Lang said, "So, it has been almost a month outside. My wife is unlike sister-inw. She gets very anxious, so I should head back. However, do not worry, I woulde by often."

    Tsuu Ching nodded, and the two men walked outside. On the way to the gate way array, Shi Lang greeted all the elders and Tsuu Ching''s wife apanied them silently. She could understand that the atmosphere was getting heavy.

    Tsuu Ching said, "Boss, when do you think you will step into the Immortal Sovereign realm?"

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, "I have yet to discover my Dao Path that far, so I have no idea. Why do you ask?"

    Tsuu Ching thought of something and then said, "I will tell you when to reach that realm. Otherwise, there is no point in it."

    Shi Lang sensed that someone was weighing down on Tsuu Ching, and he asked, "Xiao Ching, I will not force you to tell me anything unless you are willing to, but know this, that I would not make you wait too long."

    Tsuu Ching smiled and said, "I will wait for you then, Boss."

    The two men hugged each other tightly for a few moments, before Shi Lang leaped into the gateway. Tsuu Ching turned to face his wife, who asked him, "Why didn''t you ask him?"

    The expression on Tsuu Ching''s face was unlike the happy and cheery person he was a moment ago. His aura turned gloomy and his smile vanished. He said, "He would give up his goals for this, and I do not wish that. He has already done a lot for me in his past life, and I am sure he would do it this time if I asked him too. However, I don''t want him to get troubled.

    It would be an easy thing once he bes an Immortal Sovereign. Trust me, it will be fine then."

    Thedy nodded as the two people returned to the senate holding hands. What was the mystery Tsuu Ching held back? Who knows?

 Chapter 829: Soul Regeneration Pill.

    Shi Lang appeared in the wild north mountains and stretched his body as he said, "Let''s go to the War Maiden Sect first and then we will leave for the martial council."

    Hou Bing sat on his shoulder without any intention of flying, and Allure said, "I shall open the way."

    Shi Lang shrugged, he was intending to travel on his own, but Allure was stronger than him so it was better for him. Allure waved her hand and a void portal appeared in the void. Shi Lang moved through first, followed by Shi Lang and Hou Bing.

    They appeared at the gates of the War Maiden sect, where the disciples had already raised their weapons against Allure. As soon as Shi Lang appeared they lowered the weapons and bowed to him, "Greetings, Teacher Shi."

    Shi Lang nodded with a smile and said, "So, it turns out Xiao Ran and Da Ran also have to take the guard duty now? Good."

    The two girls were named simr so Shi Lang used to call them Xiao Ran and Da Ran for convenience. They smiled embarrassedly, as they used to look down on the guard duty and then they met Shi Lang who taught them of its importance.

    They said, "Sect Mistress went into seclusionst week, she will not being out any sooner, Elder Ying is managing the sect."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Next time, do not tell me any of this information. It is sect secret. Okay?"

    The two girls realized their foolishness and nodded. The duty of a guard was only to inform the sect administration when someone came, and to alert in case of an attack. They apologized and Shi Lang climbed the icy stairs leading to the sect with Allure behind him.

    He came to find Ying Yu who was directing some elders. He stood at a distance and did not disturb her. Hou Bing said, "Hmm, they all seem very remarkable."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "They are. This is the biggest solely female cultivator sect. They all are hardened by trials of war and battles. None of the people here are herbivorous by nature expect the disciples below Immortal Soldier level."

    Hou Bing nodded, she did not say anything. Soon, Ying Yu walked over, and said, "Sorry for the dy Brother Shi, I was busy."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You are thinking too much, Elder Ying, I only came to inform you that I am back from the northern ranges and wanted to see Amy on the way back."

    Ying Yu sighed and said, "She was reaching the peak of her realm and could not suppress it anymore, so, Grand elder suggested that she goes into seclusion."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is a good thing, but when shees out, please inform me. I would like to be here during her tribtion."

    Ying Yu smiled and after a small talk, Shi Lang took off. Allure asked, "To the capital city?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the legendary beast waved her hand to open another void tunnel. Shi Lang jumped in without hesitation. Allure would not betray him because she was afraid of Hou Bing. It was not just the bloodline suppression but also Hou Bing was hiding her real skills. She was the master of Time, one move and she could end Allure.

    Thetter obviously knew that and thus maintained an obedient image.

    The people traveled thousands of miles in a blink of an eye thanks to Allure. Shi Lang appeared at the front gate of the Martial Council. The guards were alerted, it was prohibited to use the void travel inside the city. They all raised their weapons and Shi Lang said, "I am the champion of the Heavenly Dragon Army, I havee back to see the esteemed high chairs."

    His voice was sonorous enough for the people to hear it inside the building. Allure appeared behind him and her gaze acted as a deterrent to the guards. Shi Lang gazed at her and said, "Wake them up."

    Allure nodded and released a shred of her aura. The next moment, Lao Xu, Old man Yanshu, and Sovereign Amethyst appeared in the void. They all spotted Shi Lang, and were surprised, Old Man Yanshu asked, "Junior Ace, you are here? Is everything alright? Did you not find the secret realm?"

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Elder Yanshu, can we go inside and talk? Or do you want me to exin everything to the world?"

    The old man chuckled and nodded as they invited him inside. Amethyst was gazing at the blue bird on Shi Lang''s shoulder, but she did not say anything. She could sense that something was odd about this bird. Not because it was acting extraordinarily, but because it was twitching and moving its head just like a normal bird.

    After reaching inside the meeting chamber, she asked, "Ace, who is this on your shoulder?"

    Discover what''s next at m,vl-em,py-r

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is Hou Bing, she is a me sparrow."

    Hou Bing had told him not to say anything about her real identity. Amethyst narrowed her gaze and Shi Lang said, "I found her near the secret realm entrance and she was the one who helped me discover it as well. So, I asked her to follow me."

    The old men nodded, but Amethyst raised her palm toward the sparrow. Shi Lang moved his shoulder and Hou Bing flew over quickly andnded in Amethyst''s palm. Thedy observed the little bird with great curiosity, while the bird reciprocated her gaze.

    Allure was uneasy and even wanted to smack Amethyst into a puddle of meat. How dare this human treat a Holy beast as if she was a normal sparrow? How dare she?

    However, Hou Bing hadmanded her to not move at all. Allure could only close her eyes, Amethyst noticed this and asked, "What is wrong withdy Allure?"

    While she asked this, she was stroking the neck of the phoenix with the back of her finger. Shi Lang gulped and said, "That, Allure does not like when humans y with spirit beasts. She is very sensitive to it."

    Amethyst realized what was going on and said, "Pardon me, Ace, did you contract this bird?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, this bird contracted me as an equal. So, she is the boss."

    The people were surprised and Amethyst sighed as she said, "You are lucky, this one is very peculiar. I do not know why but I sense that she has a deep understanding of Dao."

    The Terran shook his head and said, "Senior Amethyst, I have the herbs, and I can proceed to make the pill now."

    The topic was changed and the bird suddenly flew back to Shi Lang exploiting Amethyst''s shock. Lao Xu asked, "Did you really find them?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Elder, I have more reasons to say the truth than all of youbined."

    Yanshu said, "We are not doubting you, just pleasantly surprised. I will message Healing Hands, she should be here."

    The people nodded, and Yanshu messaged Elder Healing Hands and the rest of the people from the martial council. Shi Lang sat silently. The people arrived quickly and began to mor. The Terran did not say anything but as soon as Healing Hands arrived, one person said, "Elder Healing Hands, you should refine the pill."

    After this many other people followed the chant, they all wanted Healing Hands to refine the pill. Shi Lang opened his eyes and gazed at them coldly but they were all Immortal Sovereigns and they were not afraid of an Immortal Emperor.

    Healing Hands scoffed and said, "Do you even know how much work and effort, Ace has put into this? How dare you say such things?"

    The people fell quiet but someone said, "Elder, we are not discrediting him. But he is young, and his realm is not as high as yours. His understandings are also questionable. How can we trust him for this? Please refine the pill."

    Healing Hands was enraged and wanted to scold this guy but Allure snorted. Her snort was like thunder in the hearts of the people. She said, "Do you even know what he is capable of or do you humans love the politics and power dynamic games so much that you would spew shit out of your mouth?"

    Her voice was calm, but her gaze sent shivers down their spines. Allure was the most beautiful woman they had scene but her ferocity made them all look weak before her.

    Someone stammered as he questioned, "What are his qualifications?"

    Shi Lang looked at Healing Hands, whomunicated with him using her spiritual sense, "I will give out a pill and tell them that you refined it."

    Shi Lang shook his head and took out a few bottles from his own space ring and tossed them to Healing Hands. He said, "You can appraise my skills."

    Healing Hands was surprised but she noticed that the man before her went back to meditation and Hou Bing moved to his head. Allure raised her chin and said, "Check it, and tell these ignorant fools to fuck off."

    Healing Hands, opened a bottle and poured out a few pills. Her pupils shrank in shock as she eximed, "Tribtion Level."

    She checked the other bottles too, every pill in her hand was a tribtion level pill. The people also saw it and were stunned. Lao Xu asked, "Did he refine them all?"

    He was shivering at this moment, and Healing Hands said, "Yes."

    BOOM!

    Shi Lang stood up from his spot and gazed at all the people as he said, "Now, if you are all done, can we go ahead to refine the pill?"

 Chapter 830: Conflicts, Showing Power, Pill Tribulation.

    Shi Lang did not care what the people thought about him. He just sat down on the ground, with the four elders protecting in from the four sides. Allure stood behind him at a distance with Hou Bing on her head.

    He was meditating inside a barrier to correct his state of mind and ran simtions of the pill refinement. The atmosphere was still solemn, as this pill refinement was very crucial. However, the people in the crowd could not believe that Shi Lang was able to refine pills that were at the tribtion level.

    One of the Immortal Sovereigns said, "I do not believe that this kid can refine those pills. I am sure that he must have found them from the tomb of Senior Yama."

    Someone asked, "Why do you think he cannot do that? Are you doubting Elder Healing Hand''s opinion on this matter?"

    The crowd was divided in two groups already. One who supported Shi Lang because he was backed by Healing Hands, while the other half doubted him. However, the four elders did not bat an eysh at this situation, they had gotten used to these nonsensical disputes over the ages. If these people tried anything over board, then the four would not hold back.

    Shi Lang was uncaring towards all of them, he sat down inside the barrier with his eyes closed. He sat there for two days without moving a muscle. The people who did not support him were getting agitated, and one of them yelled, "What is this facade? Why is he just sitting there? I knew it he was a fraud. Elder Healing Hands, move aside, I will cripple this bastard for lying to us."

    Thedy frowned and asked, "Do you mean to say that I cannot tell if he is qualified or not? Are you doubting me? Also, who are you tomand me?"

    The people who believed in Healing Hands nodded and said, "Do you even know the level of this pill? Even Elder Healing Hands would have to meditate for long hours before she could stabilize her heart and mind. You brawn for brains losers do not understand the delicateness of alchemy. No wonder so many of you go out and die in the name of ferocity."

    Thement was akin to a personal insult and it triggered the rage from the people in the opposing camp and the leader who had spoke up earlier charged up his spiritual energy, and was ready to attack, when a knife appeared on his neck.

    The man froze and so did the people. They spotted a person appear out of nowhere. It was not just one person, but hundreds of people surrounded the area, they were all dressed in ck and red battle suits. In these past few days, Amelia had generously used the manufacturing station to create a uniform battle suit for the people of the Asura Hall.

    They were all domineering and radiated a strong killing intent. Shi Lang had told them not to stop from fighting all over the world. They had been hunting strong demonic beasts and demonic cultivators on a daily basis now.

    The Asura Hall was a name that made people shiver in their boots, specially ever since Shi Lang yed Immortal Sovereigns and dered to the world that he and his people knew the technique to sacrifice their Dao Laws.

    The man asked in a stammer, "You, what the hell are you doing? Do you know who I am? Take away the knife."

    The person did not react at all. A calm and deep voice sounded, "The hall master is busy, please maintain order. If anyone is found creating a ruckus, he or she would be dealt with an Iron Fist. Asura Hall does not tolerate any offensive advancements."

    One person asked, "Do you mean to say that you wille after all of us if we attacked, do you think you can handle us?"

    The person leading the Asura Hall looked at the man and said, "Squad, weapons hot."

    They have been spending some time learning modern tactics and attack ngs. As soon as the words dropped all the people from the Shura Hall took out spirit weapons and trained them at the group. The leader said, "You can try if you wish to fight us. But if the ten of us decide to go all out, you all will regret it in your afterlife."

    The people caught the hint. They were going to sacrifice Dao Laws. This was simply going to spell disaster for them. Recently a few Demonic cultivators surrounded an operative of the Asura Hall. The operator did not run and neither did he call for help. He directly sacrificed his Dao Laws and within five minutes hey waste to seventeen demonic cultivators all higher in realm than him.

    The Demonic cultivators did not dare to sacrifice their Dao Laws, because they would weaken without the power of negativity. While sacrificing the Dao Laws, one had to be careful and if they did not, the heavenly mental demons would trigger.

    The demonic cultivators suffered from demons and thus they could not use this technique. The leader of the Asura Hall did notmand anyone to lower their weapon. They did not trust anyone. Suddenly, everyone turned gaze at Shi Lang, who was now standing before the pill cauldron.

    He said, "Bring Tian Long''s body here."

    Lao Xu waved his hand and Tian Long''s body appeared before Shi Lang. The Terran manipted the spiritual energy and made the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign sit up in a meditative position and made a few seals with his hands.

    He rolled up the sleeves of his rode, revealing a swarming dragon tattoo. Then he brought the jade box out from his space ring, and extracted the five herbs. The impact of these herbs was so strong that even Allure''s heart was shivering. The faint aroma from the herbs entered the senses of the experts and all of them were agitated.

    Hou Bing had been resting on Allure''s head this whole time, she said, "Allure, you are not doing your job."

    The myriad fox woke up from the temptation and pped her hands. Everyone woke up from the daze and she said, "If you tried to do anything funny, I will kill you. Then I will kill your families too."

    The chill in her tone made the people shiver. They all woke up from the charm of the herbs. Shi Lang waved his hand and created a rings of fire around the herbs. Healing Hands reacted, "Heavenly Spirit me!"

    Her eyes were filled with surprise, there were many heavenly spirit mes. She also had one, but nothing she had seen couldpare to the one Shi Lang conjured. She could sense that this me was focused towards burning the impurities. This was the optimal me for an alchemist.

    Shi Lang held the herbs under the mes for two days. Yes, two days, nobody expected the herbs to withstand the mes for so long. Someone asked, "Elder Healing Hands, why is it taking so long to refine the herbs into spirit essence."

    Healing Hands replied, "These herbs are heavenly herbs, I can sense a strong elemental origin in all of them, however, being a nt type creation. They all have earth element within their core. Ace is trying to burn that away. Clearing an element that is pure is difficult, it can even take months for him to control every bit of the elemental essence and divide it from the herbs."

    The people understood what was going on and became silent. Time flew away quickly, Shi Lang spent seven days refining the herbs, and the people noticed a few sparks of green emitting from the herbs. They all opened their eyes, and Shi Lang continued the process without saying anything.

    It took a whole two days for him to separate the essence of earth from the herbs. Now the nts looked transparent but they all had a reflective hue of a different color. Two more days passed before one of the herbs began to look a bit mushy. Shi Lang''s forehead was covered in sweat. He was feeling tired, but he was focused on the pill form in his mind.

    After a total of fourteen days, the herbs were no longer herbs but they were spiritual essence. The purest elemental spirit essence one could have ever seen. Shi Lang recited the form and began to transfer the essence in the cauldron very carefully. The people held their breaths. They had many questions as to why Shi Lang was not adding them all together and they would bnce themselves.

    Healing Hands channeled her spiritual consciousness and told everyone when she sensed their curiosity, ''The soul is made from abination of five elements. It is not as simple as you think, if so that such a pill would not have been called the heavenly pill.''

    Suddenly everyone raised their heads, the sky was turning darker. Lao Xu mumbled, "Heavenly Tribtion."

    Everyone saw the Cauldron to shiver, as Shi Lang said, "There is a pill tribtioning, go away or the lightning wille for you."

    They all cleared away very quickly. Shi Lang made seals with his hands, his actions were so fast that even with spiritual consciousness the elders not catch him. Suddenly, after half a day of seal making, Shi Lang said, "Condense."

    The clouds in the sky thundered as if warning him not to go against the heaven''s will. Shi Lang raised his head and said, "Shut up and do your duty, do not tell your father what to do or not."

    He pped off the lip covering the cauldron and a seven colored pill levitated slowly, then it circled Shi Lang before moving towards the sky, where a lightning snake was moving towards it.

 Chapter 831: Rude Awakening.

    The people were shocked at Shi Lang. This man scolded the heavenly tribtion clouds. Was he not afraid of provoking the heavens. While the Asura Hall people were taking pride in this, one of the anti-supporters said, "Have you gone mad? Why did you provoke the tribtion?"

    Shi Lang vanished from his spot, and appeared before the man. He directly sped his throat and spoke coldly, "You good for nothing old bag of bones. For the past two weeks I have been listening you chirp here. Do you really think that I am a peace friendly person?"

    Then without caring for the consequences, Shi Lang punched the man straight in his face. He narrowed his gaze and said, "If you are so knowledgeable then why didn''t you volunteer to walk through the Titan Mountains? Why didn''t you try to refine this pill and gather the herbs by staking your own life? Huh?"

    Shi Lang forcefully smashed the man directly in the ground and said, "You better be silent now, or I will surely kill you all."

    His aura erupted and toward above the people and made them shiver. It was blood lust, not spiritual aura that could be fended off. Hou Bing suddenly said, "Calm down, its not like you can do anything in this situation."

    Shi Lang fell silent. To be honest, his reaction was a way to vent his frustration at the situation. He was not sure if the pill would be able to get through the tribtion. The first two lightning strikes did not make an impact, but as soon as it was the time for third strike, the lightning turned violet.

    The lightning moved through the void and collided with the pill.

    BOOM!

    The void shook and so did the people on the ground. The tremor was real. However, the pill was still spinning in the void. An alchemist could not do anything about the pill facing tribtion. The pills that are hundred percent pure or are the best version that could be made by following the form go through the tribtion.

    This happens because the heavens does not let just anything pass the limits set for them easily.

    Many people retreated, while Shi Lang said, "Do not get excited, observe and learn."

    The Asura Hall people replied, "Yes, Hall Master!"

    They all were watching the pill tribtion. Although most of them were Immortal Kings, but one could never get enough knowledge about the tribtion. Shi Lang did not know if he would be able to revive Tian Long, but he was going to use the opportunity and make sure that his force get stronger.

    Many people were looking at him with concealed hatred in their gazes, after all, they have been in this position for a long time and they did not have it easy, however, Shi Lang was climbing the ranks quickly and even the high chairs considered him as a strong expert. This sudden change in the power dynamics made them worried.

    Yet, despite having done such merits, Shi Lang did not join the council and was affiliated to the Heavenly Dragon Forces. This made them even more worried, after all, why would someone refuse such a good position? Unless they had bigger ambition.

    After the third lightning bolt five bolts fell on the pill in quick session. The surface of the pill was not lustrous as it was earlier, Shi Lang clenched his fist and his eyes narrowed. Raksha appeared beside him and said, "Calm down, or do you intend to go to war against the heavens?"

    Shi Lang spat on the ground and said, "I do not care about that, but this tension has began to piss me."

    Raksha patted his shoulder and said, "Well, do you know what is pissing me? The hidden intention of the people in the crowd, can I drink some blood?"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Forget about these maggots. If they dared to try something, I will kill them."

    The two of them did not lower their voices, and many of those who disliked them were angry, but the next moment a sharp sensation pricked their eyes. Raksha said, "re a bit more and I will take the eyes for marbles."

    The threat made the people calm down and scared. Lao Xu asked, "What is going on?"

    Healing Hands sighed and said, "It is a great deal that the pill managed to tolerate eight strikes and now it is waiting for the final one. The chances are getting steeper."

    As soon as she stopped speaking, the ninth bolt of lightning flickered and attacked the pill.

    Boom!!!

    The impact made the ground crack from different spots and the point of collision became so bright that everyone had to close their eyes for a few moments. Shi Lang waited till the clouds cleared and looked around with his senses. His face said it all, the pill was no where to be found.

    Suddenly, Healing Hands said, "Look there."

    Shi Lang followed her voice and beside his cauldron the pill wasying on the ground. A ray of golden light appeared from the sky, and baptized the pill. Shi Lang had never seen anything like this. He looked at Healing Hands who was shocked, and asked, "Senior, what is going on?"

    Healing Hands sighed and said, "Child, do you know that you have refined a saint level pill?"

    Shi Lang was confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Healing Hands said, "The pill you made has gained life of her own after the tribtion."

    Shi Lang was shocked, and so was everyone else. Suddenly Shi Lang asked, "Does that mean this pill cannot be used?"

    Healing Hands shook her head and said, "That pill has a life of her own, it can be used but you will have to understand, that it is a treasure that could grow to a level where it can save your life."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "Is that all?"

    Healing Hands nodded and then she saw Shi Lang roll up his sleeves and waved his hands. The Pill that finished the baptism flew over to him, and the Terran said, "I know that you can sense my thoughts, but the reason I created you was to bring someone back from the gates of hell. Can you help me?"

    The small pill was shining with the seven colored glow and bobbed up and down above his hand. Shi Lang then gazed at the dragon tattoo and said, "Wake up you parasite, get out of my body. Loser."

    The dragon tattoo swarmed on his hand and Shi Lang flicked is finger, the pill moved directly inside the hole on Tian Long''s forehead. Then it melted and the wound began to heal. Shi Lang said, "Go, deal with your soul sea. I cannot do that for you."

    The dragon tattoo flickered and vanished from his arm. The people sensed a strong spiritual energy suction. Tian Long was at the center of this suction. Shi Lang raised his left arm and passed a message to Fairy Moon Jade.

    Thetter replied instantly, "Are you kidding me? Why didn''t you tell me earlier? I am leaving right away."

    Shi Lang nodded and did not say anything in his defense. Raksha said, "Are you sure you want to do it?"

    The Terran nodded and said, "I have been holding it in for a long time."

    Raksha nodded, and added, "I will support you."

    Tian Long''s body healed and he was recovering his realm, but after half an hour he stopped absorbing the spiritual energy and opened his eyes to see the world. He stood up and the people cheered, "Long Live Sovereign Heavenly Dragon!"

    Shi Lang did not say anything, Healing Hands asked, "Tian Long, is something wrong?"

    Tian Long raised his head and said, "I think my cultivation has regressed."

    Healing Hands frowned and moved forward to check his pulse, suddenly she said, "Why is there a seal on him, Ace."

    Everyone was surprised and they looked at Shi Lang. The Terran said, "I only want to challenge him to a fair duel. I hope you can allow me that."

    The high chairs were surprised, Old Man Yanshu asked, "Is this appropriate? He just woke up?"

    Shi Lang looked at the old man and asked, "So? Was it alright for him to act conceitedly and end up half dead? Was it right for me to go through all this trouble to revive his pathetic ass? Or did you all think that I will not ask forpensation? If he wants to regain his realm, he will have to fight me for it. Otherwise, he can wait for five days before his cultivation recoverspletely."

    Tian Long asked, "Are you sure you want to fight me?"

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue, "The question you should be asking is How badly do you want to beat me?"

    Tian Long chuckled and said, "I may be an Immortal Emperor at the moment, but I am still capable of beating you up."

    Shi Langughed out loud and said, "Oh, did you ever manage to beat me, Xiao Long?"

    Tian Long also had enough of Shi Lang and said, "Fine,e at me, scavenger."

    The Terran replied, "Ready or not, here Ie, golden worm."

 Chapter 832: Brutal.

    Shi Lang and Tian Long stood fifty meters away from each other, they both held a sword in their hand, and the aura between them was already sending sparks on collision. The people were unable to understand why were the two of them fighting.

    At this moment, a void tunnel appeared and Zither Soul stepped out. The people bowed to her slightly, and thedy sighed, "He nned this."

    Sovereign Amethyst came to her side and asked, "Sister Zither Soul, what do you mean?"

    Thedy sighed and said, "Well, they had an agreement when they were in the lower realm. During those days, Ace saved his life and had to give up an opportunity that could have changed his fate and made him stronger. Tian Long said to him that if he ever fell in a situation where he needed his help to save his life, he would make up for it.

    However, Ace said that he did not need his favor, but he should not make me worry over him. This time I was ready to suicide along with him, that is why Ace is mad, after all, I am his family. As for his n, he dyed my arrival so that he could reel up Tian Long by poking his pride."

    The people realized what was going on here. Shi Lang was using this chance to vent all his frustration with Tian Long. The high chairs were present when Shi Lang had pped Tian Long''s face after he was taken down by Sovereign Mand.

    ...

    Tian Long asked, "Are you sure you want to fight? I won''t hold back."

    Shi Lang did not say anything, and tossed a spirit stone in the void. The moment the spirit stonended, he vanished from his position and said, "Lightning Domain."

    Tian Long was prepared for the attack, but to think that this guy opened the battle with his domain without even testing him out. However, he realized that Shi Lang had always fought like this, attacking with full power not leaving the opponent any chance to react.

    Tian Long waved his sword but his sword intent was matched by Shi Lang properly. The two of them were at a tie, and this made the former open his eyes wide. He asked, "How did you increase your sword intent this much?!"

    His shock was visible in his tone. Shi Lang did not stop, he moved quickly and took out a spear from his space ring. Since they were tied in sword intent, he was going to through something else at Tian Long.

    For some reason, Sovereign Heavenly Dragon had never been able to imitate his achievement in sword Dao to other paths. He was not a good weapon user. He said, "Dance Of The Dragon de!"

    His wrist began moving quickly with his body following the edge. He was deflecting the lightning and the spear attacksing at him, however, his face did not look panicked, on the other hand, Shi Lang seemed to be working hard and trying to find an opening.

    Suddenly, someone from the crowd said, "Hmph, challenging a sovereign, this is what you deserve."

    Many people nodded, but Fairy Moon Jade smiled. Healing hands asked, "Are you happy that Tian Long is winning?"

    Fairy Moon Jade shook her head and said, "He is not winning, but he is about to get his ass kicked."

    The people were confused when Shi Lang said, "Ghost step."

    His figure flickered and left after images. This was a technique from his old life. Tian Long knew about this technique. He scoffed and said, "Dragon eye."

    A visual technique that allowed him to see through every illusion and trick that the enemy might cast. Sure enough, he shed his de at an Image of Shi Lang that appeared on his left, his sword made a proper contact with Raksha, however, suddenly, Tian Long flew over from his position.

    The people did not understand this but Shi Lang had cast clone, and created a clone that acted as a decoy and handed it his sword. The clone yed his part well, but as soon as Tian Long turned around, Shi Lang appeared next to him and directly hit him with Shura Fist.

    The impact was sudden and it caused him to get off the ground, and the next moment, Shi Lang was on his back, his fists rained like an endless torrent. Shi Lang shouted, "Lightning Shura Fist."

    His fists were covered in lightning but the pattern and the technique of execution he used was that of Shura fist. Aiming for the vitals and nothing else. Many people were surprised by this sudden change. They did not expect Shi Lang to be so powerful and quick that he would turn the tides in a blink.

    Tian Long was not going to give up so easily and he said, "Dragon King Kick."

    He twisted his body in the void and his feet kicked Shi Lang. The punches and the kicks connected to each other, blocking the exchange. The two people opened up a distance between them. Shi Lang waved his hand and Raksha shoot over to his side. The heavenly dragon sovereign demanded, "Why are you doing this?"

    Shi Lang replied, "You died, I saved you. I wasted my time on your life. What did I get in return? A bunch of part time cultivators who scolded me for being pretentious, heck you consumed two months of my life, and I have not even seen my wife for that many days in a row ever since she came to this realm."

    Tian Long was irritated and yelled, "So what, so what if I was injured? What about it? Every one faces death one day or the other. Why did youe to save me? Do you think I do not know how you killed Mand? Why did you do it?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and his aura changed from battle to kill. His hair turned red and his eye be cold. He said, "You over estimate yourself too much. When you fell down, I did not care about it for two breathes. If I could I would piss all over your cold corpse as feed it to maggots, but you made my sister cry. Did you forget what I told you?

    Your life is not your own, but it belongs to Little Moon. Did you forget the samsara nectar I gave you that day was a favor on the ount of Little Moon?

    Did you forget that your fortune is a result of her rtion? Yes, you are strong and a genius, but a genius who is alive because someone took pity on him. Tian Long, you almost led my sister to the afterlife with you, and I am not ready to let her go, and I never will be. Even if the god of deathes for her, I will y him."

    That said, his eyes became indifferent and he vanished from his side. His sword shed, the intent he released wasced with thews of time, and space. The intensity of the attacks was so strong that they left fissures in the void.

    Tian Long was shocked, but he knew the promise Shi Lang made, he could not back off, after all, Moon Jade was watching him from the side. He also attacked and released his technique. He said, "me Domain."

    The lightning and mes danced together, but the impact did not stop them from moving forward. They both were at a level where they could detect the movements of the domain. Also, Shi Lang was solely focused on the battle only, and had no intention to stop until he crushed Tian Long and broke his pathetic pride to pieces.

    Raksha was emitting a high pitched sound in excitement. She had been longing to go against Tian Long''s new sword and finally the chance was here. The two des shed with each other at such high speeds that even the Immortal Sovereigns were having trouble keeping up with the movements.

    Ting! Ting! Ting!

    The sound did not sound loud, but the people understood, that Tian Long and Shi Lang pulled back their des as soon as they made contact with the sword intent.

    Yes, the sound was originated from the sh of sword intents that had almost materialized at the edges of the des. Suddenly, Shi Lang parried the attack with the side of his sword and took a step forward to sh the neck of this man with his de, but Raksha twisted her body in his hand and Shi Lang ended up pping Tian Long on the side of his face.

    Tian Long was forced to take three steps back and shake his head really hard. Shi Lang moved in closer and made a punch that was aimed for Tian Long''s face, however, the moment made the defensive move, Shi Lang kicked him on the outside knee.

    Tian Long knelt on the ground and Shi Lang shoved his keen directly in the former''s face. The impact caused Tian Long to break his nose. When has he been humiliated like that, however, with a cold vibrating de resting against his nape.

    He raised his head and said, "You are brutal."

    Shi Lang regained some emotion in his eyes and said, "Brutal would be me cing your head before my sister."

    That said, he stored his sword and dispelled his domain as he said, "Asura Hall is retreating."

    "Yes, Hall Master!" the operatives vanished as well. Leaving behind astounded people.

 Chapter 833: Future direction.

    Shi Lang issued themand and the people immediately retreated. They moved out the same way as they have appeared, they all invoked the spirit deviation arrays on the battle suits followed by a concealment array.

    Spirit deviation array was a secret of Asura Hall. It was only known to the researchers and made developers. The people were confused when they saw the group of people vanish. Many of them were Immortal Sovereigns, and when they could not detect Asura Hall members, they were shocked.

    Shi Lang just became a bigger threat in their eyes. The Terran stood a few steps away from Fairy Moon Jade, and said, "I will say it once only, if any of you wishes toe after me, make sure you kill me. Or I will destroy you in a way the people would never know you existed."

    That said, he looked at Fairy Moon Jade and said, "I have fulfilled my promise, bye."

    With a wave of his hand a void portal opened and Shi Lang vanished, however, before the portal closed, a jade token shot at Moon Jade. A voice sounded, "I am not longer the young master of his army."

    Fairy Moon Jade sighed and nodded in understanding. She knew that the reason Shi Lang spared Tian Long was because of her. The reason he even tried to collect the elixir was because of her. She was a person whom Shi Lang considered family.

    It was not as if Shi Tao or Amelia were not his family, but Fairy Moon Jade was a person from his past. A time where even the people whom he swore a heavenly oath did not enter his heart. Tsuu Ching was his brother from other mother, but none of the rich and affluent managed to make the cut.

    Shi Lang retreated and by returning the jade token, he broke off all rtions with Tian Long. Fairy Moon Jade knew this, when he saved his life the first time, he told Moon Jade, "Why do you love him? Can you not see how arrogant he is? Can you not understand that he does not care about anyone else but him? His only goal is to achieve the peak of power.

    Fine, you want me to save him, I will do it, but only two times. If you consider me brother, do not ask me to involve with him anymore than two times."

    Fairy Moon Jade had given her word to him that she would not pester him for any matter regarding Tian Long. She watched her brother leave, obviously there was pain in her heart, but she shill walked up to Tian Long and took care of him.

    ...

    Shi Lang arrived at the foot of the mountain, Allure and Hou Bing appeared from a different void portal. Allure could track his spiritual energy so, it was not a big thing for her. Hou Bing moved from her head to Shi Lang''s shoulder and asked, "I sense chaos in your heart, Shi Lang. Are you okay?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Tian Long has always been like this. If not for Little Moon, I would have let him die back in the lower realm."

    As he said this, he began to climb the mountain. This was the ce where Asura Hall was situated. Shi Lang hade over, and he wanted to spend some time in seclusion to process his emotions. Allure followed him, and asked, "Is this where you train your forces?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes."

    ...

    What happened between Shi Lang and Tian Long spread across the realm, and people were shocked that the Terran beat Tian Long so brutally. However, the bigger shock was how Shi Lang threw the position of the Champion at Tian Long''s face.

    Many people were talking about it, and in the heavenly pce, Tian Long was raging at this. He was humiliated, but he could not do anything to Shi Lang. Fairy Moon Jade had told him that if he dared to make a move against Shi Lang, she would never forgive him.

    Yes, he did care about Fairy Moon Jade. After all, he has been with her through thousand years. Many times he found other partners but thedy neverined. He did not know how and where did she get so much patience or so much virtue.

    As he was thinking about it, Shi Tao happened to walk inside the courtyard. She looked at Tian Long but did not say anything. Moon Jade raised her head and said, "Xiao Tao, what happened?"

    Shi Tao hesitated for a bit and then said, "Aunt, I would like to go and join my parents."

    Fairy Moon Jade was not surprised, and said, "Do you really want to do that?"

    Shi Tao nodded as she spoke softly, "My cultivation is stagnating and I am tired of fighting all day, every day. Even in thend of savages I have never seen so much blood shed."

    Fairy Moon Jade understood and sighed, "True, the fighting can take toll and influence the path of Dao. Fine, I will allow you to leave."

    Shi Tao bowed and returned the sword to her, before walking away. Tian Long asked, "Who was that?"

    Fairy Moon Jade replied, "Shi Tao, daughter of Shi Lang."

    Tian Long was surprised and asked, "Since when did she be a part of the Heavenly Dragon Army?"

    Thedy looked at him, as she replied, "The moment Shi Lang took the initiative to travel and gather the herbs for your revival. She volunteered, since you came back, her duties have been finished."

    Tian Long took a deep breath and came to sit down before her as he asked, "Tell me, what happened when I fell?"

    Fairy Moon Jade began to recount every detail to him, and the more he heard, the more surprised he became. After an hour, he said, "So, it seem like I have indeed let him down again."

    Thedy nodded and said, "It is over, do not approach him. I cannot guarantee your life. Even if you are a sovereign, the Legendary beast beside him can kill you three times over."

    Tian Long nodded with some guilt in his eyes. However, that was it. All he could do now was to move forward and handle his forces to the best of his abilities.

    ...

    Shi Lang came to the Asura Hall, and immediately told Yang Niao, "Call back Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei. I will teach them personally now."

    The girls have been staying at War Maiden Sect this whole time. It was time they came back. Allure was having a good time in this ce. The disciples would seek her for advice and they were not afraid of hardship. They would fight till they could move. Many times, she would tell them to a rest.

    What moved her even more was the fact that even disciples with average talent would grasp the principles of the moves she taught them. Hou Bing on the other hand loved going through the maze of Tartarus. She would ride the heads of the juniors who practiced there. The disciples did not mind her, they would give her strokes and often bring her some fruits to eat.

    They did not know that she was a Phoenix, but thepanion of their hall master would not be an ordinary creature and she was just adorable.

    Shi Lang was sitting on the top of a pir erected in the center of the sect. This pir was so tall that it hid in the clouds, and Shi Lang was the one who ced it here. He wanted some peace, but also not lose the connection to the outside world. He sat among the clouds with his eyes closed.

    He was thinking of how to approach his cultivation predicaments. The stagnation in his realm was spawned because of the stagnation in his understanding of the Shura Sutra. He could notprehend any more of the shura sutra.

    Shi Lang had encountered a huge bottleneck and the only way out of this situation was to push through. What he knew about cultivation was that if he wanted to break through to the Immortal Sovereign, then he would have to merge all his Dao Laws into a seed.

    This seed will be ced in Dantian and the spiritual energy that he refines would carry a trace of Dao Laws because of this. Shi Lang did not know how to condense the Dao seed. While he was thinking on what to do, suddenly a wild thought came to his mind.

    However, before he could get excited about it, a calm voice sounded in his mind, "Do not even think of doing that. You are too pathetically weak to get there. You won''tst for more than a month."

    The voice belonged to Hou Bing, who was telling him to give up his idea. Shi Lang asked, "How do you know what I was thinking of?"

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "How can I not know? I can see through time you know? Do not go to the demon side until you are at the peak of Immortal Emperor realm."

    Shi Lang asked, "Why?"

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "You will die even before you know it. The world rules forbid weaker ones from going there."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "The worldws? Why?"

 Chapter 834: Caged Shura.

    Shi Lang was confused when Hou Bing said that the worldws were at work. He asked, "What do you mean when you say that the worldws are the reason? I am just going over to the west and killing demonic cultivators. What is the big deal in that?"

    Hou Bing pecked his cheek hard and drew blood, making Shi Lang grimace. The bird said, "You want to cross the border but do you even know what will happen when you go there and kill enough people? Let me tell you, you ignorant child.

    The western part of the immortal realm is a doorway. If someone manages to go there and kill demonic cultivators they would gain a key to ess this doorway. What lies beyond is a world that you cannot even fathom at your level."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "You mean to say, a secret realm?"

    Hou Bing took a deep breath and said, "Idiot, that is the real world. The immortal ne as you know it is just a cage."

    Shi Lang was dazed, he could not believe what was going on here. He asked, "What do you mean, can you exin in detail?"

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "The immortal ne you live on is a ne, right? It is like a sheet of cloth spread on a table. However, you are wrong. The world is a representation of the Dao, how can it be ne? This entire ce you think of as the Immortal Realm, is just an isted continent where you all are caged."

    This was a shock that caused Shi Lang to shiver, and Allure was no different. She was standing in the void beside Shi Lang. The Terran calmed his mind and asked, "How is that possible?"

    Hou Bing said, "This happened thousands of years before the battle of gods. A few people who were extremely slow in cultivation formed an army and decided to take control of a small region. The powerful people did not think much of it. However, soon, people from the lower realm began to ascend.

    The strong people of that world decided to take these ascenders as ves or paidborers. However, the weak people could not tolerate this, and fought back. The death toll was so high that none of the people could fathom it. The weak side thought they have won, but just when they were getting happy.

    A few people from the stronger side, sacrificed themselves to erect a cage around this ce. This cage was a restriction Dao Formation. Other than capturing the people here, it had another effect."

    Shi Lang asked, "What effect?"

    Hou Bing sighed and replied, "Memory blocks. The more time someone spent in this ce the shallower their memories became. The current generation does not even remember that they have been locked up inside a cage. That is why there have been no Immortal God in this world for so long."

    Shi Lang was surprised and asked, "Then, Hou Bing, how do you know all this?"

    Hou Bing chuckled and said, "The special realm you visited, that unlocked my memories."

    Shi Lang gulped and asked, "Do you mean to say that Tsuu Ching and his people found a way to get out of this cage and they are living in the real world? Is that why they are so strong?"

    Hou Bing shook her head and replied, "You can think of it in a way, however, they are not in that world, but just extremely close to the cage. Just like outside your window."

    Shi Lang began to rub his brain quickly, however, he could not imagine the level of strength of the people who could create such a big cage around them. He asked, "Can you tell me, what is the highest level of the people in that world?"

    Hou Bing thought for a moment and replied, "In that ce, Immortal sovereigns are the basic level. Even teenagers can climb Immortal Sovereign. The mysteries they hold are too many, and herbs grow as if flowers in the wild. You know in that world you are still in your teenage."

    Shi Lang was shocked and eximed, "I am at least a thousand years old you know. How can I be a teenager in that world?"

    Hou Bing replied, "The timews in that ce are different."

    Allure nodded from the side, and said, "It is possible. However, Your Excellency, what could be the realm of the people in that world?"

    Hou Bing replied, "The highest realm their is Dao God."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and asked, "Can you tell me more about it?"

    The bird shook her head and said, "It is not yet the time for you to meddle in this. Focus on raising your strength."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and then said, "Hou Bing, although what you said is shocking but do you know that I have no way to advance on my cultivation path if I do not go andprehend the killing sutra?"

    Hou Bing thought for a bit and said, "Your technique is a mix of blood and spiritual cultivation?"

    Shi Lang nodded and Hou Bing said, "Fine, I wille along with you to that side, the moment I decide we have toe back, you will not say a word and follow mymand. Do you understand?"

    The Terran thought and nodded. He did not have any other option for himself. Hou Bing was an ancient creature and she knew about things more than him. Also, it was not in his nature to discard the advise of an more experienced person. With Hou Bing beside him, he might be able to make his way through ande back to thend of humans.

    The trio decided the action n, and Hou Bing still forbade Shi Lang from going to the demonic side before he reached the peak of immortal emperor realm. Shi Lang agreed. He asked Hou Bing if he could exchange this information with his wife, and she agreed.

    She was against breaking this news to the rest of the people because she did not trust them, but Amelia was fine, and so were the people of Asura Hall. They had all been loyal to Shi Lang and were currently working very hard. So, if they managed to increase their realm of cultivation they mighte in handy when Shi Lang moves to the demonic side.

    They were going to learn the Dao of ughter. So if they had a force behind them, it would be easier to deal with the maniac Demons. The n was set and Shi Lang came down the pir to look for the elders of the Asura hall.

    However, before he could tell them anything, Shi Tao arrived at the foot of the mountain. Shi Lang held her hand and asked, "How have you been, child?"

    Shi Tao smiled and said, "I am fine, Baba, why do you look so out of sorts?"

    The Terran replied by shaking his head and told her toe along. The elders were surprised but they quickly recognized Shi Tao and greeted her as the young mistress. Shi Lang said, "Sit down, I have to announce something."

    The people sat down and Shi Lang said, "In he course of next five years, all the people are to squeeze as much potential as they can to achieve the highest level of cultivation as possible. Thismand is for all the operatives, whether intelligence or the assault teams. Abandon all the intelligence gathering if you need to, put up digital surveince, focus on cultivation."

    Yang Niao asked, "Hall Master, is something the matter?"

    Shi Lang hesitated but then he said, "Asura Hall is a sword that should strike fear in the hearts of those who does wrong. That is why, I wish to traverse in the demonic realm, and practice the Dao of ughter."

    The people sucked in a cold breath. They did not expect Shi Lang to say something like this. However, Shi Tao beside him was smiling. She knew that if her father had given up on the position of the champion of the heavenly dragon army, he must have been thinking something bigger.

    She disregarded the fear and asked, "Sir, do we involve General Knight in this?"

    The people were confused and Shi Lang said, "You can talk in the terms of this world. As for involving Sect Mistress Amelia, it is not yet the right time to inform her. She is in seclusion, first we have to tighten our own belts. So, if you all do not have any objections, please push forward with as much vigor as possible. I will stay inside the sect."

    Yang Niao and the rest of the people looked at each other and conversed with spiritual sense for a few minutes. They were discussing the matter Shi Lang just mentioned and when they were done, Yang Niao said, "Hall Master, we all will follow you."

    Shi Lang let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you. I will not let you down."

 Chapter 835: Shura In Retreat.

    Shi Lang issued themand and Asura Hall set off on the rush to get stronger. They did not know the reason Shi Lang asked them to do such things, but they literally gave up the intelligence gathering activities.

    The operatives all over the human world moved into temporary hide out bases and started to cultivate. They would only head out when someone from the head quarter raised a g. Only when there was a threat to humanity or someone was acting against morality would they take action.

    Asura Hall stopped recruiting, they rescued the orphans and delivered them to the jade towers. Fairy Moon Jade was confused and she contacted Shi Lang. The Terran was in seclusion, and the request diverted to Hao Mei.

    Yes, the little girl was not in seclusion, as she was watching over the sect operations. Shi Lang did not underestimate them because of their age, they have received the education and the knowledge from the federal system. Shi Tao imparted her knowledge to them by spiritual impartation technique.

    Shi Lang never thought of this, he wanted the children to grow up as normally as possible. Hao Mei epted the call and greeted Fairy Moon Jade, "Greetings, Senior Zither Soul."

    Fairy Moon Jade saw the hologram before her and was surprised. She asked, "Xiao Mei, where is your Master. Is he avoiding me too?"

    Hao Mei shook her head and said, "Senior, master entered seclusion yesterday, and Elder Sister Tao has gone out of sect. I am handling the sect matters for the time being. Are you calling because of the orphans being delivered at the gates of Jade Towers?"

    Moon Jade nodded and asked, "Yes, what is it about?"

    Hao Mei replied, "Senior, Asura Hall is running low on resources, we cannot support the orphans at the moment. So, master suggested to have them delivered at Jade towers. He said that you would know what to do."

    Fairy Moon Jade was surprised but at the same time, she did not know what to do. She could understand that Shi Lang was in seclusion, but what was with the running low on resources. She raised her head and asked, "Xiao Mei, does Asura Hall need any aid?"

    The little girl shook her head and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Senior. The sect is going through a time of upgrade and that is why at the moment, we are unable to divert the resource allocation. However, as our business grows in the next six months we will be back to help you in this noble cause."

    Fairy Moon Jade finally understood what was going on, but her mind was spinning by the way Hao Mei was talking. It was simply like she was talking to a businesswoman. However she did not know what exactly was going on and epted the result. She told Hao Mei to contact her if need be.

    The call was disconnected. Hao Mei looked at ady beside her, and said, "Elder Chang, is the teleportation array to the medicine garden ready now?"

    Elder Chang replied, "Young Miss, it should be operable in a few minutes."

    Hao Mei nodded and said, "Please tell the guards to be attentive. Master mentioned the array and the medicinal garden as a top priority subject, we cannot bex in it."

    Elder Chang nodded with a smile and said, "Do not worry, Young miss."

    Hao Mei looked through a few more documents, when Shi Tao and Yu Xeidi walked inside the room. Shi Tao asked, "Xiao Mei, is everything okay?"

    Hao Mei recounted the call with Fairy Moon Jade and Shi Tao said, "You did the right thing."

    Yu Xeidi scoffed and said, "That guy thinks too highly of himself. Let me grow stronger, I will beat him into submission for master."

    Shi Tao chuckled and patted her head, "Xiao Yu, that person is still a Immortal Sovereign. You need not worry about him."

    Yu Xeidi said, "Eldest Sister, you do not have to coax me like a child. How dare he cause trouble for master? I am already in Spirit formation realm, it won''t be long before I make him kick the bucket."

    Shi Tao smiled and wanted to say something when suddenly her expression turned cold and the next moment, sound of sect bell echoed.

    Dong!

    Dong!

    Dong!

    Hao Mei said, "We are being invaded?"

    Yu Xeidi shed and ran out with her sword. Shi Tao and Hao Mei followed her. In the sect square, Yang Niao was holding Yu Xeidi''s arm, and sealing her cultivation. Shi Tao asked, "Elder Yang, what is going on?"

    Yang Niao said, "Young Miss, Sovereign Heavenly Dragon is outside the sect array, he just appeared out of nowhere and demanded to meet with Hall Master."

    Shi Tao furrowed her brows and suddenly an ethereal voice echoed in her mind, "I will deal with it."

    Allure walked over and began to climb the sky.

    ...

    Tian Long stood in the void with his arms behind his back. He saw Allure walking over calmly with a cold face. He knew about the existence of thisdy, and cupped his fist in greeting as he said, "Forgive me for arriving unannounced, Senior. I wonder if I can talk to him."

    Allure said, "He is in seclusion and will note out anytime soon. However, let me ask you something. Leave."

    Tian Long was not surprised by this abrupt dismissal. He took a deep breath and said, "Senior, I really need to ask him something, and if not for the fact that only he can answer my question, I would not have appeared here."

    Allure raised her hand and was about to attack, when Raksha appeared beside her. She said, "Hold it, I will deal with him. He does not understand simple logic."

    Tian Long looked at Raksha and sensed a strong repulsion from her gaze. The sword spirit said, "You came here, and if someone was to follow you, or trace your spiritual essence, they would track you here. Tell me, what is urgent that you havee here."

    The sovereign said, "Raksha, see, I understand that I was careless and I made a mistake, but the Heavenly dragon army is not the same without him. The tactics are not as affective as they were when he led them. I need his help."

    Raksha shook her head and said, "Out of question. He will not help you, and even if he did, I would not let him. He does not owe you anything now Tian Long. It could have been said that you helped him evade the demonic cultivators when he came here, but that is all. He saved your life, he raised the level of your army. He shed, blood, sweat, and tears.

    Even tears of blood, and now he is done.

    I made him swear a heavenly oath to not help you even if Moon Jade came forward. You are you and he is he. Do not mix the waters, the Asura Hall does not wee you. Leave."

    Tian Long clenched his fist, he was getting angry. He raised his head and said, "Do you think you can hold me back? Yeah, probably you can fight me, but what if I came back with more people? Would you be able to defend? I will force him toe out."

    Allure replied, "I will kill you, and everyone whoes over with you. I will then ughter all the people linked to you, including your Dao Companion. It does not matter if Shi Lang supports me or hates me after that. Do you want to try?"

    Allure shocked Tian Long and Raksha, however, thetter did not say anything. The myriad fox said, "Tell us the real reason, why did youe here?"

    Tian Long sighed and said, "Shi Lang gave up the champion token and now the resources he won for the heavenly army cannot be imed by us. It is causing a real trouble at the front. In the past two days, I have lost three men. I cannot let them walk to their deaths without those materials. I need Shi Lang to write a letter so that I can im those resources and help my men."

    Raksha thought for a bit and then said, "Fine, wait here."

    A few minutester, she came over with a letter and handed it to him. Tian Long smiled bitterly and said, "He is willing to sign the letter but not see me. Does he hate me so much?"

    Raksha shook her head and said, "He already knew something like this will happen so he left this letter for you. Tian Long, he does not hate you, he does not feel anything for you. The moment, you went back to your ways of putting him into situations he did not like, you lost the right of friendship. Leave here, and do note back."

    Raksha vanished after she said this, Allure watched Tian Long for a long time, before the man sighed and opened the void portal to leave the ce. The legendary fox checked the entire area before she went back.

    ...

    At the lowest level of the Tartarus trainingbyrinth, Shi Lang was sitting in the void with his eyes closed. Hou Bing sat on his shoulders and asked, "Do you really not want to see him?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I don''t, do not disturb me again."

 Chapter 836: Seclusion.

    Shi Lang was inside the core area of the Tartarus training center. He had came and made the life of the disciple even worse than before. He installed spirit guns all over the facility, and they were even more troublesome to deal in addition to the various killing arrays.

    The disciples were getting used to the arrays, but not only did Shi Lang change these arrays and their cements every day, he also told the array formation experts inside the sect to practice here and making them harder.

    Hou Bing enjoyed the scenes on the upper levels. Whenever Shi Lang took a break from his cultivation to ponder and meditate, she would chat with him and help him in oveing various obstacles.

    Shi Lang wanted to know how strong did he need to be in the world outside, when Hou Bing said, "You need to have a deeper understanding of your Dao Laws. What do you think Dao Laws are for?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "They are the pathways that guide us to the greater Dao, and they also allow us to get stronger."

    Hou Bing said, "That is why I said you have too shallow of an understanding. The Dao Laws are thews of the path you walk. If you go astray from this path you fall in the world of demonicws. In the world outside the cage, the people wield thesews in their hand.

    You only use them when it is necessary or inevitable. If someone is to punch you with a fist covered in Dao Laws, how long do you think your body would be able to take it? You will die in a few minutes."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then he asked, "So you mean to say that I should focus on wielding my Daows?"

    Hou Bing nodded, and the Terran asked, "I do use Dao Laws when I attack, can you exin what you mean?"

    The little bird said, "Think of spiritual energy as the fuel of your body, however, this fuel is made up of Dao Laws. A purer form of energy. Spiritual cultivation is about gathering energy in your body and proceed further.

    However, as soon as you be an Immortal Soldier, you task is toprehend Dao Laws, but you keep feeding your body with spiritual energy. Your body is inscribed with Dao Laws, every yet, youck the knowledge to harness the purer power of the Dao Laws."

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Ok, what you said makes sense, but how do I harness this power? Usually, we create a replica of these Dao Laws while attacking. Is that not enough?"

    Hou Bing shook her head and said, "Not even close, why don''t you try and run your spiritual energy through the inscription of Dao Laws inside you? But be mindful, it is not a pleasant experience."

    Shi Lang nodded, Hou Bing would not harm him, because she had a contract of equality with him. He choose to trust her and closed his eyes to enter introspective state. He had to pay microscopic attention to his body. From Hou Bing''s words just now, he was almost sure that something about this exercise was dangerous.

    However, treasure and trouble walked hand in hand, that was the thumb rule of cultivation. If people held back because they were afraid of trouble, then they would never step onto the path of cultivation. The sensation to break past your limits was an addiction that took control of all sanity and logic.

    Shi Lang slowly channeled the spiritual essence in his Dantian and channeled it outside, he was not going to start with the Dao Laws inside his Dantian. What if the things messed up and he exploded?

    He was cautious and Hou Bing who could see this nodded. Her eyes were flickering with a light that nobody else could see through. Shi Lang did not know anything about this, and he channeled the spiritual essence to reach the tip of his pinky finger. There were Dao Laws engraved inside his bones.

    The spiritual essence was like water, and the Dao Laws were like a ravine. The water released from the flood gates travelled through the ravines. However, it was not chaotic, but very slow, Shi Lang only proceeded over an inch in five hours. The problem was not his control, but the pain.

    It was said that all the fingers were directly connected to the heart. As Shi Lang fused the spiritual energy with the Dao Laws, a strong pain, capable of exploding his heart erupted in his heart. If he had not been careful it could have injured him very much. He had created a barrier inside his body, to block the neural receptors as much as possible, however, even now he could not bear the pain.

    He thought he should stop and take some time to stop when Hou Bing''s voice echoed in his mind, "Do not stop, the Dao Laws will start rejected the energy if you stopped and you will have to start over."

    Shi Lang was shocked, and asked, "Doesn''t this mean that I cannot stop until I finish this procedure all over my body?"

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "I had forgotten to mention it to you. Sorry."

    Shi Lang was so angry that he wished to pluck all her feathers and grill her, but this thing was a phoenix at the end of the day, and he would be the one who would end up on a grill if he messed with Hou Bing.

    The bird did not say anything but watched Shi Lang cultivate slowly. Often she would nod at Shi Lang''s visage. The young man was currently moving slowly but he was smooth, his progress was steady. Hou Bing had to say that Shi Lang was a talent in this area.

    Shi Lang''s forehead was covered with sweat, and his little finger had yet to go through aplete fusion. If someone was to ask him how intense was the pain, he would say that it was much worse than his battle with Tsu Ching.

    ...

    Time moved quickly, Shi Lang had been in seclusion for over an year now. Hao Mei, and Shi Tao with the help of the elders have been managing the sect and they have been growing steadily. Yu Xeidi has also grown a lot stronger under Shi Tao''s direct care.

    She was taller now, but she was at the beginning stage of golden core realm. Yes, at the age of eight years, Yu Xeidi has reached the golden core realm along with Hao Mei. The overall strength of the sect has grown exponentially as well. They had nothing much to do, other than cultivate.

    Many people were still carrying out missions every now and then but nothing loud. Amelia was visiting them with Ying Yu. They were surprised by the ouy of the Asura Hall. The former could not help but say, "This ce is so simr to Special Divisions."

    Shi Tao stood beside her and nodded. She sighed and said, "I wonder when will Commander Silencee over. I am having a hard time here. There is so much to do."

    Amelia smiled and said, "Even ifmander came over, she would be too low in cultivation levels to contend with others. This world does not care about the ranks we had in the federal military. They care about strength and strength only. Look at Asura Hall, everywhere you look, none of the people are below the Immortal Lord realm.

    The new ones and the less talented are not included in my list, but even they are putting a hard effort. I have been watching Hao Mie and Xiao Yu, they are so fierce when ites to cultivation. I think only your baba could match them."

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "They inherited this from him only. In thest one year, he has note out even once, but looking at the spiritual fluctuation inside the Tartarus, I can tell that he is fine."

    Amelia nodded and said, "I can also sense this, but I am curious as to what is he cultivating? He does not seem to be cultivating his usual sutra. The fluctuations are different and they are very strong."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "I have no idea, but I think if he could he would have told us. Let us wait for him toe out, and then we will know."

    Suddenly, Allure came over from the side with Yu Xeidi beside her. Shi Tao asked, "What happened? Weren''t you two off to guard the medicinal garden?"

    Allure nodded and said, "I was, and I did, I erected a barrier around it, no one would be able to even take a look inside let alone take any herb without permission."

    Allure was not long distant or dethatched. Yu Xeidi snorted. Shi Tao asked, "Xiao Yu, what did you do?"

    The little girl said, "A guy was trying to hit or Elder Allure, I beat him up."

    Shi Tao looked at Allure who replied, "I sealed his cultivation at the level of nascent soul realm. Xiao Yu won in five moves."

    Ying Yu asked, "Xiao Yu, your master will have a lot to tell you when hees out."

    Xiao Yu suddenly shivered and rushed off in the distance, "I am in seclusion cultivation. Master will not punish me."

    Thedies chuckled at her antics.

 Chapter 837: Gatekeeper Of Hell.

    Shi Lang had been in seclusion for three years, the sect was progressing calmly, their had been no troubles. However, a few months ago, many people who suffered the attacks of Asura Hall managed to find the location and hade over to the enact revenge by ying down everyone.

    They were all gathered at the foot of the mountain, and nning how tomence attack. Everything they did was visible to the people of the Asura Hall. Shi Tao, Allure, and the rest of the elders were standing in the control room with calm faces.

    Yang Niao asked, "What do you think we should do, Young Miss?"

    Shi Tao asked, "Elder, you are the deputy hall master. Why are you asking me?"

    She did not wish to overstep the authority after all she was aplete soldier and Yang Niao was superior to her. However, thetter replied, "Young Miss, you have a bettermanding ability than I do. You should lead us."

    The rest of the elders have seen her skills and they all nodded in agreement. Shi Tao sighed and said, "Fine, please have all the members to gather and be ready to attack at anytime. Meanwhile, post sentries in all the watch towers. Umm, who is responsible for the spirit canons we deployed on the walls?"

    A youngdy said, "Young Miss, I am."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Xiao Cao, as soon as you see anyone breaching the killing arraywork, st them."

    Xiao Cao nodded forcefully and said, "Yes, young miss."

    ...

    At the foot of the mountain, Wang Family''s head, Wang Xuan stood beside a few people and said, "Brothers, time hase for us to avenge our families and our pride. Asura Hall raided us all in the dark of the night, yed our people in their sleep and forged the evidence to shame us all as demonic cultivators and the traitors of humanity.

    Tonight, are you going to support me in bringing back their heads and offering them to our people?!"

    The crowd of a few thousand people roared at the same time, "YES!!"

    Wang Xuan retrieved his sword and pointed it at the summit, "Charge!"

    Wang Xuan was rted to Young Master Wang whom Shi Lang killed in the battlefield of gods. He has been holding in the grudge for a long time. His family were among the first ones who died at the hands of the Asura hall.

    ...

    A young operator inside themand room said, "Young Miss, Elder Yan Xue is seeking permission to return. The scouting has beenpleted."

    Shi Tao said, "Can shee back without mingling with this bunch of animals?"

    The operator shook his head and replied, "Not possible, Young miss, the barriers are already activated. If we allowed Elder Yan to get in, the invaders might slip in from the cracks."

    Shi Tao nodded and said, "Connect me."

    A few secondster, Yan Xue''s face appeared before her. Shi Tao said, "Elder Yan, we are under attack, but the situation is under control. Do you mind staying on standby outside for a bit. I will call you back as soon as possible."

    Yan Xue smiled and asked, "Why are you being so formal? The wartimemander has the responsibility of the entire sect. I did not expect Old Yang and others to shift it to you. Anyhow do not worry, I will wait outside. If you need me to do anything, contact me instantly."

    Shi Tao nodded, and the connection ended. An elder who was watching from the side said, "Young Miss, they have entered the killing formation."

    ...

    Wang Xuan was leading a force of thousand people, however, they were not very well disciplined and they ran amok it was akin to a bunch of bandits charging at a fortress.

    This battle was not only between the two forces, but many people from the martial council were watching the battle from the shadows. The High chairs were even present in the skies looking at the battle from the clouds.

    Lao Xu said, "To think that Asura Hall will not send out even one person in the face of an attack. I wonder what they are thinking."

    Lady Amethyst said, "They do not need to send a man out. Look at the surrounding ce, they are covered with ovepping killing arrays that are strong enough to deal with anyone below Immortal Sovereign realm."

    The people nodded when they saw the battle. The immortal kings in the allied forces were akin tombs on the ughter table. They were falling down like puppets cut from the strings. If someone managed to dodge the killing array, they would fall victim to soul attack arrays.

    No one could move freely within a fifty kilometers of the Asura Hall, because of the imposed restrictions. Shi Lang had turned this ce into a military zone. Other than the killing formations, soul spike traps, there was a flying restriction imposed with many concealment arrays all over the ce.

    Old man Yanshu said, "The capabilities of the Asura Hall are surely scary for those who sin toward humanity."

    The people nodded and Healing Hands said, "I have no interest in watching these people die. I am leaving."

    At this moment a calm voice sounded, "You all are gathering behind me now?"

    Tian Long appeared beside them. Lao Xu rolled his eyes and said, "Why would we do that, its just Ace does not want to entangle with you."

    Tian Long sighed and said, "For the past three years, I have been thinking of barging in and meeting him, but I know that if I did that, he will take my head off personally."

    The people raised their eyebrows and Tian Long said, "I have been trying to look further in the future these days. I found that Ace became so powerful that he could take me down with a p."

    The elders were shocked and Lao Xu asked, "Did he advance to the Immortal Sovereign realm?"

    Tian Long shook his head and said, "I could not divine it anymore. He seemed to have sensed me and blocked me."

    This was not surprising to them because all experts of Immortal Emperor realm could sense if someone was looking in their fate. At this moment, Fairy Moon Jade appeared beside them and she said coldly, "I told you many times to leave him alone but you did not listen. Do you understand what he would do if you touched his bottom line? I would not be able to help you this time."

    Tian Long nodded and he sighed.

    ...

    In the depth of Tartarus, Hou Bing opened her eyes and thought, ''Is this guy a monster, he is about toplete this step.''

    Shi Lang was fusing his spiritual essence with his Dao Laws in his Dantian. His speed was faster than ever before. It was like he could do such a dangerous thing in his sleep. He did not have any fear in his mind at this point. In the past years he has been adapting to this process and now he was able to achieve the speed that could kill people in a blink without any worries.

    After ten minutes, he opened his eyes and a lightning shed inside his pupils. His aura made the void around him twist and Shi Lang said, "Hou Bing, I want to try this power."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "You should get used to such energy in your body. The sect is under attack, do you want to go and take a look."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "I should."

    The next moment, he held Hou Bing gently in his palm and vanished from the ce.

    ...

    Wang Xuan and his cronies were not useless they were alling out of the killing arrays, and regrouping. Shi Tao saw this scene and asked, "Xiao Cao, why are you not sting off these scumbags?"

    She did not care about lives of her enemy, they dared to attack her, they should die. Even in the federation this rule applied above all. Xiao Cao replied, "Young Miss, the system says themand has been override."

    Shi Tao eximed, "What!"

    A calm voice sounded from the outside, "Asura Hall, stand down."

    Shi Tao and the rest were jolted in a daze. They quickly moved out of the rooms and halls. They saw Shi Lang standing in the void with ayer of lightning sparks running over his body. The red lightning sparks gave the aura of death and everyone shivered.

    Shi Lang looked below and said, "I will handle them."

    Then he walked away in the void. His movements were as if he was walking in the garden at his leisure. His appearance was a shock to everyone, even the elders standing above the clouds.

    As Shi Lang was moving towards the enemy, he raised his head to look up at the clouds.

    ...

    The sovereigns sensed his gaze and they shivered. They were shocked, Lady Amethyst said, "Why did I feel Like I was being looked down upon by a legendary beast or something even stronger than that?"

    The rest of the people looked at each other and Lao Xu said, "It is toote for us to leave, right?"

    The others nodded, after all, at this moment, if they left without greeting him. Shi Lang might misunderstand them.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood before the hundreds of remnants of Wang Xuan and his alliance. Wang Xuan seemed to have smelled blood and his eyes turned red. He raised his sword and said, "You Bastard, Ace. You will die today. How dare you act so arrogantly ande out on your own, you motherfucker."

    Shi Lang''s gaze turned cold and he condensed a fist. Then he shot a normal punch towards Wang Xuan. Thetter was also an Immortal Emperor, but when the fist shot at him, apart from hearing a sonic boom, he could do nothing else. Everyone realized that the gates of Asura Hall were Gates of Hell, and Shi Lang, was the gatekeeper.

 Chapter 838: Heart Of The Slaughterer.

    Shi Lang just cast a meager simple punch and it caused Wang Xuan and several people behind him to end up with a hole in their chests. The entire scene fell silent. There were a thousand people standing in the ce, but none of them even dared to take a deep breath.

    Shi Lang looked at his fist and said, "Hmm, interesting. I did not expect my strength to multiply by this much. Hou Bing, what to do you think is happening?"

    Hou Bing replied, "You have a strength amplification of a hundred percent. Taking down an Immortal Sovereign would be a simple thing for you."

    Shi Lang scratched his chin and said, "Let me finish here first."

    He stretched his hand and grabbed in the void. Raksha materialized in his hand. The sword spirit was not cking in a bit. In the past, she did not cultivate much, and only relied on absorbing blood from the enemies. However, in the past three years, she had refined herself as well.

    Her body was slender, but it was covered with intricate lines, however, theplexity of the pattern was not much. The edges of the de were crimson red, and a golden sheen was ever present on the whole length of the sword. Shi Lang said, "Raksha, you have worked hard."

    The sword spirit replied, "I could not let you get ahead of yourself. You should always remember that their is a heaven above heaven. Shi Lang, never think that just because you are working hard you can catch up to the opponent. The enemy is also working hard to get better, understand?"

    Shi Lang nodded silently and flicked the de in a swift horizontal movement. A terrifying sensation made the attackers freeze in their spots. The next moment, thousands of people wailed. The sword movement just now was akin to a dividing line, and all the people were shed in two with their waists as center.

    While the people inside the Asura realm shivered, and some young ones even vomited on the sides, the sovereigns in the sky gulped. Shi Lang had disyed the might that could even y thousands of people at the same time. This was never seen before, even if an Immortal Emperor was stronger than an Immortal King, but it should not have been to such an extent.

    Shi Lang waved his left hand and a barrier was erected around the people''s mouth directly. He said, "I left your ears open because I want you all to understand something. You left your families when you saw they cannot get away without paying for their sins. Now you dared toe at my home, and ask for an ount?

    Cowards. All of you are nothing but a bunch of pussies. Do you think you can scare me? Even if I give you the sword to cut of my head, do you have the guts to raise the de? Ptui, maggots are better than you. What did you think when you came at my home?

    I would wee you? Today, I will use your blood to paint the walls of my Asura Hall."

    As soon as he finished talking, Shi Lang waved his hand and controlled the blood that was flowing from the wounded bodies of the people. At this moment, they were all alive, and they watched as their blood stuck onto the outer walls of the Asura Hall. The murky colored wall turned bright red.

    Shi Lang waved his hand again and crimson lightning ran through the walls. The thick liquid was instantly dried and gave off a scary aura to the ce. Shi Lang said, "Now that you have contributed thest bit of your worth, please be on your way."

    He waved his hand again, and tiny void portals opened inside the brows of the people. They were devoured by the void from inside out. The method was so scary that it did not leave anything behind. Not even space rings.

    Shi Lang watched till every single invader was killed and his body flickered.

    ...

    Allure was standing inside the control room and said, "I feel like this Shi Lang is someone I never knew. I had no idea, that he was suck a strong cultivator. What happened in those three years?"

    Shi Tao took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "Xiao Cao, arrange a patrol team andb the area under our jurisdiction. If any of the remnants are left alive, finish them off."

    Xiao Cao replied, "Yes, Young Miss."

    Shi Tao nodded and began to deal with other matters.

    ...

    Shi Lang appeared above the clouds and cupped his hands to all the high chairs and bowed, "Greetings seniors."

    Although he greeted them, his aura was even stronger than him. Healing Hands stepped up before anyone else, and asked, "Ace, I apologize for looking too much in this matter, but if it is not a problem can you tell us, how is your body resonating with Dao?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Sooner orter, I was going to inform you all about this. However, would you like toe inside?"

    Everyone nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Please follow me, Little Moon, tell him I do not wee him. He can stay here."

    Fairy Moon Jadedid not know what to say, when Amelia appeared before him. She smiled and sighed, "Finally you came out."

    Shi Lang smiled and nodded, he told her that he just invited all the seniors inside Amelia asked, "Why are they standing there?"

    Shi Lang''s face turned cold, and he said, "Little Moon has given that thing a higher ce in her heart. I do not oppose it, but I do not support it either. Come let''s go home."

    Amelia sighed and said, "You have overlooked so many things for such a long time, why can you not let go of this grudge?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "I promised Little Moon that I will ignore his two big mistakes and I have done that. In this rtionship of siblings, I have many times made concessions because it would benefit her, and I was happy. However, this time, she did not think of anything and directly was about to sacrifice herself. Since she did not think of my heart, why should I care about her?

    Amelia sighed, she could not say anything against this logic. Shi Lang had given up many things and opportunities. Yet, Fairy Moon Jade choose to put Tian Long on a higher pedestal.

    The Terran did not say anything anymore and got inside the sect followed by the high chairs, and invited them all to the tea pavilion. Amelia sighed and said, "Fairy Moon Jade, Sovereign Tian Long, please follow me. I am his wife and by right this is my house too."

    Fairy Moon Jade said, "Amelia, you do not have to do this. I have been selfish and hurt him many times like this. I cannot do that anymore. Besides the news will be shared by all the people so I am still on the council."

    Amelia shook her head and said, "Don''t worry, juste with me. I will see what he does. If I did not make him beg for mercy for how he acted out today, then I will change my name."

    She turned around and wanted to enter when she saw Shi Lang gazing at her. Amelia knew that she has gone against him but she had to mend this rtionship. She mustered up her courage and said, "What are you looking at? Did I ask you to awaken your soul memories? If you had no connection with them, I would not have minded you treating them like this, but why must you act so indifferent?

    So what if Senior Tian Long made a mistake? So what if Fairy Moon Jade was about to kill herself for her? What would you have done if I was to fall in battle?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and without hesitation said, "I would die before you and you know that better than me. I do not need your logic. If their emotions are emotions then I am also a human being. Did he apologize for being an asshole? Did she apologize for hurting me? No, they went back to live in their own world like they did eons ago.

    I gave them everything I could, even my providence. Yet, the two of them see no one else. So fine by me, I missed reading how selfish they are.

    The moment Tian Long woke up he acted as if nothing happened. Huh? Did you see what I saw in the journey to revive him? This bastard dared to take my effort for granted? Who the fuck does he think he is? Ungrateful swine, yet he had the gall to look into my fate?

    He came to visit my house and even threatened my people? Do you believe it that I can kill him just like I killed Mand, and I wouldn''t even have to sacrifice my Dao Laws?"

    His voice was calm, but the shockwaves from it were causing the void to ripple. His eyes were turning red, even Amelia was surprised when she realized how many things Shi Lang had been holding in his heart.

 Chapter 839: Clearing Haze.

    Amelia sighed and said, "I know that you have been hurt, but can you really not look past this?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "Do whatever you want."

    Then he turned around and entered the sect. Amelia clenched her fist, she was aware that dissolving emotional differences were the hardest. Shi Lang was not angry with Tian Long, he did not even care if the guy was to die the very next moment, but he was angry because Fairy Moon Jade, who he considered to be her family did not even say a word when Tian Long did not mumble a word of gratitude.

    Shi Lang was hurt because his sister did not think of him even once when she was about to ignite her soul to kill Mand. She did not look back at the many people of the Heavenly Dragon army. Those people were loyal to the couple yet, these prideful and self centered people did not care enough.

    Amelia led the two people inside the sect. Moon Jade was a sovereign but her eyes were red. Tian Long was also embarrassed, and Amelia said, "I do not wish to say much, but I hope you can realize what he wants. I have never seen him like this. Forget about you, he has never raised his voice when talking to me, but today, he got angry on me. You guys owe me one now."

    Moon Jade sighed and said, "I know why he is angry, but I cannot say anything. He does not even look at me anymore."

    They came to the ground inside the sect while they were talking and Yu Xeidi rushed over quickly. She jumped at Amelia and cheerfully said, "Mistress, you are back."

    Amelia smiled as she carried the girl in her arms and asked, "Xiao Yu, did you grow strong again? Well, you have gotten prettier too."

    Yu Xeidi blushed for a moment and said, "Mistress do not make fun of me."

    She looked over Amelia''s shoulder and her gazended on Tian Long. She asked, "Mistress, did you let him in?"

    Amelia frowned and said, "Xiao Yu, is this how you talk to an elder? What happened between him and your master is their issue, you do not get to act like this."

    Xiao Yu looked at Amelia and got down from her arms. She bowed to Tian Long and said, "I apologize to you, Senior Tian Long. I am young and unwise, please do not mind me."

    Tian Long did not know what to say, Fairy Moon Jade said, "Xiao Yu, raise your head. Can you tell me why do you dislike us."

    Yu Xeidi looked at Amelia, who nodded and she said, "It is not that we dislike you. The Asura Hall takes you more seriously among all the Martial Council. However, you probably don''t know this, but that night when master came back he was severely injured. The entire sect was shocked, the extent of injuries was so much that he was groaning in pain."

    The trio was shocked, and Amelia asked, "What do you mean? Why was I not informed?"

    Yu Xeidi said, "Eldest Sister did not want you to worry."

    Fairy Moon Jade asked, "Did the injuries ur during the duel?"

    Yu Xeidi shook her head and said, "Elder Allure told us that Master faced an expert at the peak of Immortal God realm to acquire the herbs. He came back and refined the pill without healing quickly. However, watching how senior Tian Long did not even utter a word of gratitude and acted conceitedly he lost his temper and fought."

    The hearts of the three people shook. A figure in white approached the four of them and greeted Amelia. The girl was Hao Mei, she had grown to be very calm and gentle in persona, but when she saw Fairy Moon Jade and Tian Long, she only bowed in greeting and said, "Xiao Yu, go, Master is hosting guests in the tea pavilion. You are the youngest, go serve them tea."

    Yu Xeidi pouted and hugged Amelia one more time before she left. Hao Mei said, "Mistress, pleasee this way."

    Hao Mei led them to a ce that was in the opposite direction to the Tea Pavilion. They arrived in a garden where Shi Tao was waiting for them. Hao Mei said, "Eldest Sister, I will go and take over your post."

    Shi Tao thanked her with a smile and Hao Mei left. Amelia asked, "Tao, isn''t everyone going overboard? Yes, what happened was somewhat bitter for Shi Lang but this is not the way everyone should act like."

    Shi Tao sighed and served tea for the three of them as she said, "When Baba came back, his bones were cracked. All of them, his Dantian was unstable, and his Immortal soul was in a healing state. Senior Hou Bing fed him with tears of Phoenix, and even then it took him a month to recover.

    A few monthster, baba was in cultivation, and senior Tian Long came over. Would you believe it that Xiao Yu was the first one to pick her de and charge? I can tell this much that he did not intend to make things easy for us if not for Senior Allureing forward."

    Fairy Moon Jade and Amelia both looked at Tian Long coldly. Shi Tao said, "I do not have much to say, but if this is what a person get in return of saving your life, then it was better to have you die."

    Amelia wanted to say something when Shi Tao continued, "If you have the guts, then go and challenge my father like you did that day. I can assure you, Senior Tian Long, that you would beg for death if you enraged him. If you wish to redeem yourself, endure. My father is enduring a lot of ignorance from Senior Moon Jade, so you should too."

    Fairy Moon Jade was surprised but then she thought about something and said, "No wonder he is so cold towards me. I did not even ask him if he was alright. I was focused on Tian Long."

    Shi Tao continued, "Baba told me that he does not mind your ignorance, after all, you have your priorities, but the entanglement inside him has be a mental demon. He needs to find a way to deal with it on his own. To do that he needs to stay away from you both, because it would only cause his condition to worsen."

    Amelia was shocked, and she shivered as she asked, "He has a mental demon that is affecting him?"

    Shi Tao nodded, and began to show them the footage of Shi Lang having night mares and periods of rage during his cultivation. His spiritual energy was very violent, and it caused some damage to the space before he calmed down.

    ...

    Shi Lang was hosting the seniors in the tea pavilion in a garden. He did not take them inside because he did not wish for them to have a nce at the technology. Lao Xu sipped the tea and asked, "Shi Lang, what are those things on the top of the sect walls?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "Those are called spirit canons. They can fire a beam of destructive spiritual energy in a distance. The attack can kill an Immortal Lord in one go and at the same time, it can deal serious damage to an Immortal King. Repeated damage can even kill an Immortal Emperor."

    Sovereign Amethyst asked, "Can you sale a few to me?"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "What do you need it for, Senior? These things will have to be forged on a custom order."

    Thedy said, "To deal with the demonic invaders at the front."

    Shi Lang nodded to them, and said, "Well, I can give you all twenty such canons each for thousand medium spirit stones each. You do not have to do anything. Just channel some spiritual energy to activate the arrays engraved on them and they will start firing quickly."

    They all nodded and conducted business. Old Man Yanshu asked, "Shi Lang, I understand that your strength is a secret, but I still cannot help but shamelessly ask, what did you do? I can sense that your spiritual essence is still the same as it was before, yet I sense as if you arepletely different. What is going on?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The answer is simple, Senior. I had discovered the truth about this world."

    The people were confused and Shi Lang said, "Senior, this immortal realm is nothing but a cage..."

    The more these old people heard, the more shocked they became. They did not expect such a thing and before they could doubt Shi Lang, Hou Bing revealed her aura of a Phoenix. She convinced them about the things and asked them to look at the origins of their forces and ns. After some inspection the elders could not find a definitive answer, and they believed Shi Lang.

    However, they also asked for some time to conduct a deep level investigation and find any relevant evidence. Shi Lang did not mind, after all, he still had two years of life before he charged to the Demon Realm. He just wanted to clear the clouds of confusion for these people.

 Chapter 840: Imparting Knowledge.

    The sovereigns left the ce after they decided to investigate the situation on a deeper level. Shi Lang did not move, he kept sitting under the pavilion. Xiao Yu stood beside him. She looked at his visage and asked, "Master, can you test how much I have improved?"

    Shi Lang detected a trace of caution in her voice and nodded with a smile. The girl moved before him and took out the epee from her space ring. She began to perform a set of sword moves.

    The Terran nodded from time to time and when she finished, he said, "You have improved your weakness this time Xiao Yu, but know need to stop caring about the sequence of moves, in real battel the enemy can change his moves, and you need to be flexible with yourself to counter them."

    Xiao Yu nodded with her head bowed. Shi Lang said, "Come spar with me, I will teach you."

    Then he took out a wooden sword and began to teach Yu Xeidi about the points she needed to improve and even taught her how to think flexibly. The little girl may be naughty and furious but she was very sincere in her cultivation.

    After a couple of hours, Xiao Yu closed her eyes to meditate andprehend the things she learned in this session. Suddenly, she asked, "Master, may I ask you something?"

    Shi Lang sat before her and asked, "Since when did you became so conscious around your master? Did something happen?"

    The girl shook her head and said, "It is not me, but Master, your aura is not warm these days. I look at your eyes and I feel like you are not feeling well. I apologize for speaking out of line."

    Shi Lang was surprised but he shook his head and said, "No, you are not wrong. I am indeed not myself."

    Yu Xeidi said, "Master, eldest sister said that if we dwell on an issue that is not under our control, we end up developing heart demons that hinder our cultivations. You must not fall into such troubles, they restrict a person and made them demonic over times."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then he asked with a smile, "Then what do you suggest I should do, Fellow Daoist Yu?"

    Yu Xeidi giggled when he addressed her as a fellow Daoist. She sat up straight and squared her shoulders as she said, "In this world many things are not in our control. Even our own breathing, many times I think how we can breathe without needing to think about it. I tried to hold my breath, but then I found that I would suffocate to die.

    Since we cannot even control something that is essential for ourselves, why must we worry about the deeds that aremitted by the others? Why must we give someone else the power to effect us? Don''t we already have enough powerlessness? We are cultivators we only have one thing under our control and that is to charge forward and break the limits of our capabilities.

    That is what we should focus upon. To charge forward, forgiving the things that hurt us in this steep climb and carry the joys of this world in our hearts. The things that makes us happy are rare, like humans with wings. These happy memories are our wings, they help us climb the steep mountain of life."

    Shi Lang had already fallen in daze when he listened to Yu Xeidi. He began to ponder over it, and closed his eyes. Yu Xeidi saw this and closed her eyes too. The girl did not say anything that she did not mean from the bottom of her heart. She knew that if Shi Lang had not picked her up, she would have ended up dead or even worse.

    However, he changed her life. Other than Hao Mie none of the people knew that Yu Xeidi loved to read books and cultivation records of various people. One time Shi Lang had told her to train herself and be a sword both in mind and heart. That''s what she had been doing. Her intellect was hidden under a veil of her childhood and ferocity.

    She was willing to show some of her wisdom only before Shi Lang, because he did not brush her words saying you are a child what do you know. Her master trusted her and honored her by calling her Fellow Daoist so she told him what she thought about life and the trouble he was facing.

    While the two people were sitting on the ground and meditating, Amelia and Shi Tao were talking to Tian Long, and Fairy Moon Jade. The two had just learned that Shi Lang was facing a mental demon because of them and were shocked.

    Tian Long said, "I will go and apologize to him right away."

    Shi Tao shook her head and said, "If it were that easy to dispel Heart Demons, then the entire world would have been free from this problem."

    At this moment, Hao Mei walked inside the garden and said, "Eldest sister, master and Xiao Yu are in the garden, also, please see this."

    She waved her dainty finger over hermunicator and a video file arrived before Shi Tao, who yed it for the trio. Amelia was surprised and so were the other two. Shi Tao smiled and said, "This little fox, she hides her skill too much."

    The footage disyed where Yu Xeidi preached to Shi Lang. They shivered, although they could understand the meaning, it was definitely not as deep of an inspiration as it was for Shi Lang. The Terran was sitting with his legs crossed but he did not channel the spiritual energy inside his body, instead he began to ponder over all the things that happened in the past days.

    He came to various conclusions, and derived many questions from these conclusions also, however, in the end he thought, how did it effect him when Tian Long acted the way he usually did? Why was he effected if Fairy Moon Jade did not even ask for him.

    They did not ask him for help, he was the one who agree for it, he had a choice to refuse them. He also had the choice to walk away the moment Tian Long woke up. That way he would not have felt as if they took him for granted. However, that was not true either. This feeling had been residing in his heart forever.

    He used to help the two people in the shadows but never told them. The world took him as a beggar but he worked hard and put the people he considered friends before him. Moon Jade was his sister, his family, yet he found out that she had fallen for Tian Long from someone else and that too after a year.

    They may have cared for him but to him it seemed like they were guarded against him. Shi Lang thought more and found multiple instances when he was sidelined because of Moon Jade caring for Tian Long or her duties more. He began to doubt if he was really in the wrong, or was it not worth it for her to have prioritized her even a little?

    Shi Lang never asked Moon Jade to put him on a pedestal, but he also did not know why she did not give him the acknowledgement he deserved. Thinking about it he realized, could it be because he asked her to not be seen with him because the world was cruel and he did not want her to be targeted by his enemies.

    Could it be that the hide and seek nature of their rtion was the reason he failed to garner acknowledgement from Fairy Moon Jade? They have only recently acknowledged the connection with each other to the world.

    This made sense to him, Shi Lang understood human psychology so he could tell that since the rtionship was not normal in the beginning, how could it be normalter on?

    Thinking about this, he began to think what was his strife with Tian Long? It was nothing, his sister, whom he was so worried about did not die. She was sad because her loved one was hurt. While what Tian Long did had nothing to do with him.

    Shi Lang let out a deep breath, and then coughed up a bit of dark blood. Instantly, he felt relieved, as if the weight tying down on his chest was gone. He opened his eyes and looked at Yu Xeidi, who was looking at him with concern.

    He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Yu, thank you for imparting your wisdom upon me."

    Yu Xeidi smiled brightly and then put on a solemn reaction as she said, "It is no big deal, Fellow Daoist Master."

    Shi Lang was stunned and then he chuckled. Theirughter echoed in the surroundings. Everyone who heard it could not help but smile.

 Chapter 841: Silence.

    Shi Lang held Yu Xeidi''s hand as they walked around the Asura Hall. The Terran was inspecting every thing that has been going on inside the sect. He found that the entire ce has been transformed. All the members were using advancedmunicator like they did back in the Federation.

    The sect was being monitored without any blind spots in themon area. What surprised him was the fact that his sensory abilities have amplified qualitatively after the seclusion. He could even detected a speck of dust flying through the void if he focused on it hard enough. Shi Lang noticed that Shi Tao, Amelia, were chatting with Fairy Moon Jade, and Tian Long in the garden.

    He took Yu Xeidi and the two walked over leisurely. Amelia sensed him the fastest and turned to look at him. She was surprised but then she let out a sigh of relief. Shi Lang smiled and her and said, "I apologize for losing my temper earlier."

    As he said this, he ced his hand on her cheek and Amelia closed her eyes as she said, "It''s okay. You do not have to exin."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked at Shi Tao, and Hao Mei. He smiled at the two and said, "I see that the sect has been handled quite well by the two of you."

    Hao Mei shook her head and said, "It was the elders and Eldest sister."

    Shi Tao patted her head gently and said, "You do not have to shirk away from the credit you deserve, Xiao Mei. Too much modesty is arrogance."

    Hao Mei nodded but did not say anything. Shi Lang approached her and said, "How about I give you the recipe of forever youth pill?"

    Hao Mei raised her head, while Shi Tao and Amelia''s eyes lit up. Hao Mei thought for a bit and shook her head as she said, "Master, my spirit rejuvenation pill is stuck at ny percent purity. Can you teach me that?"

    Shi Tao and Amelia were deted, and Shi Lang chuckled as he poked the Hao Mei''s nose and said, "Yes, I will teach you in the evening. Go meditate and try toprehend the procedure of pill refining."

    Hao Mei nodded and dashed away. Yu Xeidi was about to chase her, when Shi Lang said, "Xiao Yu, did you cultivate today?"

    The girl froze, she was about to chase after Hao Mei. She looked at Shi Lang and shook her head. The Terran sighed as he said, "Girl, you just want to fight all day long, but you do not have the patience to sit down and cultivate?"

    Yu Xeidi bowed her head and Shi Lang said, "Take one day in the week as a vacation and that day you do not have to cultivate, be free. However, the other six days, cultivate so hard that if someone tries to mess up with your free time, you can beat the hell out of them."

    The little girl revealed a pristine smile as she said, "Yes, Fellow Daoist Master. Thank you for your wisdom."

    Shi Lang was surprised and reached out to catch her, when the girl rushed away giggling. Shi Tao asked, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Sometimes the wisdom of your juniors can open up the closed windows of your heart. Xiao Yu just did that earlier, and that became a joke among the two of us."

    Shi Tao nodded, and Shi Lang said, "Give me some time with them alone. Go on, I am fine now."

    Shi Tao and Amelia exchanged nces and left after greeting the two people. Shi Lang looked at Fairy Moon Jade and Tian Long for a moment before he sighed and said, "Old bastard, you have led my sister astray."

    Tian Long and Fairy Moon Jade were surprised as they saw Shi Lang acting calmly. They did not find any malice or rage in his gaze, he was acting just like he was in the past. The Terran said, "Sit down, both of you. We have some big issues to discuss."

    The two exchanged gazes and sat down, Shi Lang said, "I am not going to apologize for what I did. I just hope that you can put it behind you. I was trapped in a heart demon."

    Fairy Moon Jade said, "It was not your fault entirely. We also had some role to y in it."

    Shi Lang waved his hand and said, "Whatever happened, let it stay in the past. I have some news and you two need to focus and prepare ordingly."

    Tian Long said, "What is it?"

    Shi Lang said, "The secret realm I visited to gather herbs for you, is not a secret realm. It is an entrance and exit to the cage created by the Immortals to lock up the weak and outcasts."

    The two people were shocked, and Shi Lang continued, "You probably do not understand this at the moment but what I am saying is the truth. Hou Bing is the one who told me this. It is because of this cage you cannot ascend to the Immortal God realm. This whole dimensional cage is the reason why people think this world is a ne."

    He kept on talking and told them everything. In the end, Tian Long asked, "You said you found someone from the lower realm there, who was it?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Tsuu Ching."

    Tian Long and Fairy Moon Jade were perplexed and quickly searched their memories. They recalled who Shi Lang was talking about and Tian Long asked, "That guy is now an Immortal God? Damn it."

    Shi Lang scoffed and said, "Old man what does it feel to have someone less talented than you to take lead in the cultivation realm? Sucks to be you."

    Tian Long pounded his fist on the table and said, "Bastard, I dare you to take me there and see if I can fight an Immortal God."

    Shi Lang jeered, "Says the guy who almost died to an Immortal Sovereign. Loser."

    Fairy Moon Jade saw the two people bickering with each other, and said, "Lang, what do you want from us?"

    Shi Lang said, "Fuse your spiritual energy with your Dao Laws, however, keep it a secret. Also, remember this process is very dangerous. Be very careful when you do it."

    He spent a whole day talking to them about his ns and stuff when suddenly, he frowned. Tian Long asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Lang did not answer him, but then he smiled and said, "Nothing, life just became exciting. I will go and receive a few important people."

    He has just dropped his words, when Shi Tao appeared beside him with an excited expression. He raised his hand and said, "I know, I am going."

    Shi Lang vanished from his ce, and appeared at the foot of the mountain. He looked at the seven figures dressed in ck cloaks, and battle armors. He said, "What made you bunch take such a long time?"

    One person stepped forward and a mechanical voice sounded, "Good to see you, Supreme General."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Good to see you too, OB-One."

    This was the Artificial Intelligence bot that Shi Lang found in a ruin back at the Federation Military. Shi Lang looked at the other people and said, "How long are you people going to be in a daze? Come on, the people are waiting for you."

    Everyone took down there hoods and revealed their faces. They were all the Army people from the Federation. The person leading them was none other than Commander Silence.

    Shi Lang saluted her and said, "Wee to Asura Hall, Commander."

    Commander Silence was still wearing her ck mask, although the signs of struggle were obvious, but she did not give it up. She took a deep breath and said, "You sure did not make it easy for us to find this dump."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Come along."

    He waved his hand a void portal appeared. Commander Silence gazed at him and the man said, "The sect gates have been sealed a long time ago for collective seclusion. So, this is the only way to go inside."

    Commander Silence nodded, and walked through the void portal followed by a few more people who Shi Lang hugged tightly in the spirit of reunion. These people were his friends from the Federal Military. Now that they have arrived, his strength and confidence was soaring the skies. He did not have to worry about the training of his hall members. They will be whipped into the finest warriors.

    ...

    Inside the sect, Amelia, and Shi Tao were standing in the square. They watched Commander Silence appear, and out of habit the two of them saluted thedy, "Ma''am!"

    Commander Silence sighed and said, "I can understand Shi Lang being a dork from ranks and saluting me. What happened to the two of you? Do not tell me you caught what he has?"

    Amelia and Shi Tao exchanged nces and they burst intoughter. The threedies engaged in a group hug, and ignored the people who came out of the void tunnel, and the sect members who gathered around to see the neers.

 Chapter 842: Regrouped.

    Shi Lang watched the three women hug each other andugh. He look at the side, and said, "Everyone, may I have your attention please?"

    He did not infuse spiritual energy in his throat and still his voice echoed throughout the surroundings. When everyone looked at him, he said, "The people who joined us today are myrades. They are the people with him I have walked the edge of life and death. I can tell that some of you feel unsure, but do not worry, they cannot and will not rece any of you."

    The expressions of some people rxed and Shi Lang continued, "Allow me to introduce to them, although all of theme from the same creed of military in the lower realm, they have different roles in my life.

    The first person is Miss Archie Arkham. She was an officer set over me, we called her Commander Silence. The next are a few members of a team that showed me the ropes of battlefield, Carole, Hunk, Gamma, Shrapnel, Luby.

    Thest but not the least is the spiritual puppet, OB-one. I hope that you wee them as one of your own, and allow them to be a part of our family."

    Yang Niao stepped forward and said, "We here you, Hall Master."

    His voice was calm, but everyone heard it and the members began to chant. Shi Lang nodded at Yang Niao with a smile and said to Shi Tao, "Tao lead them to the guest room."

    Then he turned to Commander Silence and said, "Sir, you take rest, and then we will regroup."

    Thedy sighed and said, "Supreme General, can you please stop treating me as your senior? I can tell that your realm is not low anyway. Please give me some face."

    Shi Lang scratched the back of his when a burly arm was hooked around his neck and Hunk said, "Commander, you are speaking for yourself. I want to enjoy some courtesy from the Ace of Terrans. Not everyone gets this."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Fine, fine, go have rest and then meet me at the hall."

    The people nodded and they walked away under Shi Tao and Amelia''s guidance. Tian Long approached him and asked, "You intend to use them?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not intend to use them, I intend to work with them. Please feel free to leave, as you see I have other things to do now."

    Tian Long''s eye twitched and Shi Lang waved his hand at him. The Terran walked ahead and saw Moon Jade looking down at the ground. He patted her head gently and said, "Do not think too much about it. It is fine. I am better. I am only asking you to leave so that you and this bloke can get stronger before I decide to leave the cage."

    She nodded, and smiled slightly before leaving with Tian Long. As soon as they left, Shi Lang said, "Deputy Hall Master Yang, raise the security to the highest. We still have two years of umtion left before us."

    Yang Niao replied, "Yes, Hall Master."

    ...

    Shi Lang was teaching Hao Mei a few things about alchemy and did not notice that it was already night. The little girl was absorbing the knowledge at a quick pace. Shi Lang had a proud smile on his face when he saw his priced disciple working hard and improving before his eyes.

    After pointing out a thing or two, he would just watch her fumble and explore on her own. Amelia entered the room and saw Hao Mei refining a pill. She wanted to say something when she found Shi Lang immersed in the process.

    She waited for two minutes before Hao Mei jumped in the void, "Yes, Master, see."

    Shi Lang smiled and patted her head. The pill flew out of the cauldron and shot to the sky from the chimney. Hao Mei was nervous and Shi Lang said, "Come, let us go out to see."

    Shi Lang led her out while Amelia followed with a surprised expression on her face. In the sky a pill was going through a tribtion. The entire sect was there to watch it and they all cheered when the tribtion wasplete. Shi Lang lifted and ced Hao Mei over his shoulder and said, "Everyone, do you think, our Meimei is a talent?"

    "YES!"

    The crowd cheered. A small voice sounded, "I am also a talent, howe I do not get to ride your shoulder."

    Everyone was surprised when they looked at Yu Xeidi. They chuckled, the jealous little chilli pepper was here again. Shi Lang sighed and picked her up on his other shoulder and said, "Just so you know, you are a talented warrior, while your sister is an alchemist. Okay?"

    Yu Xeidi winked at Hao Mei who shook her head. She knew this kid just wanted to ride on Shi Lang''s shoulder. Shi Lang asked the people the same thing about Yu Xeidi and they said yes. Then he looked at Amelia, "Amy, is everyone well rested?"

    She nodded and said, "They are waiting for you in the Gathering Hall."

    The four of them walked inside the hall. Shi Lang took a deep breath and looked at everyone, and said, "Hello, I hope you have been well."

    The people talked about how things were going in the lower realm. It turns out that Shi Family was now running a small establishment to support the talented but under privileged children. Shi Lang was surprised but he also received a few messages from his parents that made him miss them more. He smiled and thanked Commander Silence.

    Suddenly, Yu Xeidi asked, "Your tea, Senior Silence."

    She was again given the duty to serve tea to the people in the room. Thedy took the tea and said, "Don''t learn from your master, he is a doofus. My name is Archie. You can call me Archie."

    Yu Xeidi shook her head and said, "One must not mix up seniority."

    Archie Arkham was surprised, she said, "Lang, you have a good disciple."

    Shi Lang nodded and patted the little girl on her head, and then introduced everyone to Hao Mei. Carole and Luby immediately took liking to her gentle demeanor. Shi Lang asked, "How did you alle over together?"

    Archie Arkham looked at OB-one and said, "Tin-man calcted the time we all might be reaching the ascension realm and we all nned to ascend within ten minutes of each other. However, I was surprised, that even ten minutes difference was equal to weeks here. Yet, after two months, everyone ascended."

    Shi Lang asked, "How did you bring OB-one with you guys?"

    Hunk said, "I stuffed him up inside my spiritual tattoo after taking out his core. Shrapnel bought the power core, and we put him back together. He is actually an improved version of OB-one, the original one is now running Card ss with X."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and said, "I did not think it would be like this, but what do you n to do now?"

    Archie Arkham looked at everyone and said, "You decide, we have been here for an year, but we have no idea what to do. Our cultivation has been very slow, as we traveled through the world to avoid trouble. Most of the time we could not cultivate to avoid detection from the strong."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I will arrange for that. By the way, Tian, where is he?"

    As soon as he spoke, he saw their faces change. Luby clenched her fist and said, "He was sent to Xena as a liaison, Xenon decided to break away, in the end the conflict rose to the level where they attacked out outpost. They fought for a month, in the end, the Xena people killed two children inside the outpost.

    Tian lost his temper and killed his way to the royal pce, took off Xenon''s head and kicked it like a football. Then he detonated all the bombs they had on the inside the silo''s The entire ce became a graveyard."

    Shi Lang was shocked and asked, "How could this be, Xena was a good ally."

    Luby replied, "Ace, this is not on you, it happened because it was supposed to happen. Xenon had never been too keen on epting guidance or helping out. We paid the price of trusting her too much, and she paid the price of underestimating our strength."

    Shi Lang leaned back against the wall and thought for a bit. He then raised his cup emptied it, then refilled it with wine, and passed the wine around. Then he raised his cup above his head and said, "To the spirit of Terrans, to therades who live with us, and to the brothers and sisters who died for us, to the heroes who stay immortal in our memories."

    Everyone raised their cups and chugged it down. Shi Lang then said, "Tao, call the elders. I have an important announcement to make."

    The people came over quickly and Shi Lang told them the truth of the world, they were shocked, but they believed him. Shi Lang said, "From tomorrow onwards, I am going back to seclusion. Amelia will go back and prepare the War Maiden Sect. Deputy Hall Master Yang, please arrange amodations, and also training resources for the people."

    Yang Niao nodded, and said, "I will get it done right away, Hall Master."

    Shi Lang looked at OB-one, and said, "Old friend, your task is to guide these two kids in cultivation. Specially this small one. She loves to fight."

    OB-one said, "I shall train them into the finest of them all."

    Yu Xeidi asked, "This puppet can train people?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Why, don''t you try his skills? If he is good, then you can learn under his supervision."

    Yu Xeidi thought for a bit and nodded.

 Chapter 843: Sparks In The Air.

    After a few minutes, all the elders were standing around the training field with many disciples of the Shura Hall were also present. Someone said, "I bet five high stones, on the Third Miss."

    Another person followed, and said, "I will match you."

    Soon, the disciples started betting and Shi Lang said, "OB-one, Xiao Yu, usage of spiritual energy is prohibited. Since you are testing each other, you will only test the martial skills. Understood?"

    Amelia and Shi Tao looked at him in surprise. This will make things harder for Yu Xeidi, after all, a robot had a better chance and physique to move. The same thought went through everyone else''s mind too, and Carole sighed as she said, "Still the same cruel to the core Ace."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "Begin."

    Yu Xeidi dashed forward, she did not carry her epee with her. She intended to fight bare handed, OB-one obliged and charged at her too, what surprised the people was that Yu Xeidi was as fast as the robot.

    The two people stopped when they were in close distance, Yu Xeidi shot a punch and OB-one matched it. The fists collided head-on, but the young girl was not surprised, she quickly opened her fist and used her small palm to grab and pull on the robots arm.

    She did it with the intention to pull him over, but when she sensed that the robot had a higher arm strength than her, she jumped on her own, and her knee was aimed at OB-one''s head.

    However, the robot was not going to take the blow with such ease, he raised his left arm and blocked the attack. Yu Xeidi seemed to have been caught in a vice, but she extended her right foot and with a grunt she stomped it against OB-one''s shoulder to push herself away.

    The robot was pushed back by two steps and then it charged forward. Yu Xeidi was still mid-air and was amid a beautiful backflip when she saw this. She twisted her body andnded on the ground with a quick roll she canceled the impact, and then as soon as she sensed her feet under her body, she dived forward to grab her sword.

    OB-one caught up to her rather quickly, and then he dished out a kick at the back of the girl. Yu Xeidi pulled onto the sword and used it as an anchor to change her position and avoid the kick.

    The crowd gasped, the shock came from Amelia, Shi Tao, and the rest of the federal soldiers who did not expect this child to be so agile. Commander Silence remarked, "Such a good seedling. You have done well to nurture her, Lang."

    Shi Lang nodded faintly but he did not say anything else. He was watching Yu Xeidi with great concentration.

    The girl avoided the kick, and pulled the sword out of the ground before she spun around and with a yell hit OB-one with the de.

    Hunkmented, "Good technique, she put in her weight and gained momentum topensate for her weakness and gain strength to counter OB-one."

    Yu Xeidi did not go easy, she stood up and her gaze turned cold. A few people said, "Little Shura has awakened."

    The field erupted with cheers, and the federal people were surprised. However, Hao Mei yelled, "If any of you dared to spoil her, I swear you can forget about your monthly pills."

    Everyone fell silent when they saw the Pill Master losing temper. Hao Mei took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Shi Lang smiled and patted her head gently. Luby asked Shi Tao, ''I thought she was gentle.''

    Shi Tao smiled and replied, ''She is as gentle as a wisp of steam, but when Xiao Yu acts out and entersbat state, she goes crazy. She worries about Xiao Yu, and baba a lot.''

    Luby nodded, and turned her focus back to the training field. Yu Xeidi was moving around with the sword and she was on a onught. OB-one was blocking the attacks with great ease, but at the same time the barrage made it impossible for him to counter Yu Xeidi.

    Shrapnel asked, "Lang, this style, did you pass on to her?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and the former asked, "Why don''t you give her the sma weapon or spirit weapon?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Those weapons can increase her attack power by ten percent or even more. However, she would not be able to learn her own limits. She is still young and her physique is developing. So using this lump of iron is good for the time being."

    The people nodded in understanding, and Yang Niao asked, "Hall Master, this puppet is extraordinarily strong."

    Shi Lang nodded and told them a few things about OB-one, and the people gained some rity. Hao Mei said, "She is going to do it."

    Yu Xeidi suddenly changed her attack pattern, and it became focused on the joints of the robot. The de might be a lump of iron, but it was still a heavy and high quality metal that could cut through iron like butter when used with force.

    While OB-one was made from a high tensilepound, the attacks from the de had left quite of its marks. Suddenly, he vanished from his spot and appeared behind Yu Xeidi. This was the superior strength of the robot.

    However, what he could not understand was Yu Xeidi rolling back, and thrusting her sword from theying down position and aiming directly at the torso of the robot. OB-one also had his foot a few inches away from Yu Xeidi''s face.

    The battle came to an end. Everyone knew that it was a draw, but Shi Lang said, "OB-one is a puppet, and if he suffers attack in his torso, he will still detonate due to damaged core. This match will end up with Xiao Yu''s defeat. Xiao Yu, do not have any contradictions in this judgement?"

    The girl shook her head and said, "I apologize for loosing, but within two years, I will beat up this tin-can."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Good girl. I don''t expect anything less from you, my dear."

    Everyone pped for the high quality duel, when suddenly, they saw a silver haireddy walking in the training field. Hunk, and Shrapnel were taken aback by her beauty and even the women were surprised, Shi Tao said, "Wake up, do not look at Senior Allure directly, she is not a simple entity."

    They all woke up, and looked at the elders of the Asura Hall, even when they looked at thedy, they had a revering emotion in their eyes. Shi Lang looked around and as if waiting for his gaze a blue sparrow sized bird appeared in the sky and then directly onto his shoulder.

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Allure, did you finally reach the peak?"

    Thedy nodded and said, "Before I trigger my lightning tribtion, Her Excellency told me to seek a duel and get used to the new power."

    Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Aren''t I looking for the same. Come it would be a nice spar."

    The people were stunned and Yang Niao said, "Deploy protective fields."

    Many elders including Amelia erected barriers around the two of them. Hou Bing was the only one who stayed inside the barrier. Commander Silence asked with spiritmunication, "That bird is not simple either?"

    Shi Tao nodded and said only a few words, "Ice me Phoenix. Holy Beast."

    Commander Silence and the others did not have much knowledge about the immortal in, but they all could sense some pressure in Shi Tao''s words.

    ...

    Shi Lang took off his robe and stood against Allure with a bare torso. Red lightning bolts were swarming over him and Allure raised her hand to gesture him toe at her. Shi Langughed and vanished from his spot. He yelled, "Lightning Barrage."

    Allure also vanished from her ce and yelled, "Mirage fists."

    The two people appeared in the center of the field and the impact caused the ground to tremble as they exchanged fists. Their hands were moving so fast that they seemed to have turned into flickers.

    They were defending and attacking at the same time. Hunk gulped and said, "I cannot even keep up with Lang''s attack. What level is he?"

    Amelia replied with a proud expression, "Immortal Emperor."

    The people knew what realms meant and they were surprised to see that Shi Lang was so fast in his cultivation. However, when they looked at Amelia and Shi Tao they sighed, this family was that of monsters.

    Hao Mei suddenly frowned and said, "Elder Yang, increase the barrier strength. They are about to move."

    Yang Niao nodded and the people increased the energy in the barrier and the next moment, the barriers began to tremble as if cloth in a storm. Amelia said, "It is still Xiao Mei who can sense them move."

    Hao Mei shook her head and said, "Senior Hou Bing told me to inform you all, Mistress."

    At this moment, Shi Lang and Allure spoke at the same time, "Lightning Shura Domain."

    Allure said, "Mirage illusory Domain."

    The training field was covered in lightning strikes and mist. None of the people could perceive what was going on inside, when Yan Xue arrived and asked exasperatedly, "Sister Amelia, what is he up to now? Oh lords, I am not going out to get any training field repair material."

    Amelia chuckled as the barrier trembled and said, "Do not worry, I will send some over. Come watch, you might pick up a few things."

    Yan Xue stood next to her and they all watched as the two of the strongest fought before them.

 Chapter 844: Asura Legion.

    The battle between Allure and Shi Lang ended with a draw, although Allure had reached the peak by refining her blood Shi Lang had managed to catch up with her thanks to his Dao Law fusion. Not only that but he has also been refining his blood by inscribing Dao Laws on the cells.

    The process was long and Shi Lang had yet to reach even five percent fusion with his blood, but he was already strong enough to go and pick a bone with the Legendary beasts in the Titan Mountain range.

    After the duel, the Terran imparted the technique to everyone in the Asura hall, he wanted them to be stronger in theing couple of years. His technique and rhythm to fuse spiritual energy with Dao Laws was perfect and it did not harm anyone. They did not have to be overly careful with their progress.

    Shi Lang did emphasize on everyone being careful. What shocked the Asura Hall Members was the fast progress of the Terrans. They did not use too many resources, and did not need much guidance, but using the techniques in the Asura Hall archives, they all have reached the Immortal King realm in two years.

    Yes, it has been now two years after Shi Lang and Allure spared. At this moment, they were all gathered in the training field once again, because today was the day when the frontal forces of the Asura Hall were going to leave their sect and head to the front lines. Only the people below Immortal Lord level were asked to stay behind.

    Shi Lang looked at everyone and said, "All of you who are present here to leave look at the people who will stay back here at home. These people will be our future and I wish to watch them grow stronger."

    Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei were standing together with OB-One beside them. Shi Lang had decided to leave behind Allure as a sect guardian, with Yang Niao. He did tell the two of them to work in rotations so that they will not miss out and also be stronger.

    Shi Lang watched everyone looking at him intently, and he continued, "So, tell me brothers and sisters, do you wish to watch the future unfold?"

    "Yes, Hall master!"

    Shi Lang asked sonorously, "Do you wish toe back with your friends or glory?"

    "Coming back with friends is glory, Hall master!"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then tell me once again, what are we?"

    "Asura Legion!"

    The ground trembled from the cumtive cheering of the people. Shi Lang smiled and said, "Suit up, and board the vessel. Let''s kill some demons."

    "Hoorah!"

    Shi Lang chuckled at this war call. He looked at Hunk and Shrapnel, these two people have gained a lot of fame in the sect because of the military missions they narrated to people and even disyed high quality holograms to support the stories. They had been told to teach the people how to achieve the optimal level of using the battle suit and Mecha.

    These people were no longer a small faction. Two hundred Immortal Kings, and five Immortal Emperors, all with the Dao and Spirit Fusion in ce. They had Five mechsuits, and they also had battle suits for everyone.

    There suits were painted red and ck, a ssic Shi Lang style. However, their was only one red suit, and that belonged to Shi Lang.

    The people boarded the ship and Shi Lang coaxed his disciples that he will be back soon. Commander Silence, and the rest have carried a lot of important parts for a sky-ship. OB-One took time off to assemble the ship and also crafted many mech puppets.

    Shi Lang sat in themand chair and let out a groan. Hunk and the rest chuckled as they saw him enjoying the feeling. The terran said, "Run a checklist."

    Hunk replied, "Engine at full capacity, captain."

    Shrapnel said, "Shields working fine, sir."

    Carole remarked, "Communication online."

    Luby said, "Telemetry and navigation system online."

    Shi Lang pped his hands and said, "Oh, how I have missed this."

    Shi Tao chuckled and said, "Commander, we are on a clock."

    The Terran shook his head as he sighed and said, "Take us to the front."

    Hunk nodded and controlled the ship. The vessel trembled and flew up. Shi Lang said, "OB-one, for your sake I hope this ship does note undone, or I will dissemble you into pieces too."

    OB-one replied, "Rest assured, Master. I will self destruct if I failed in such a task."

    Everyone chuckled at his remark.

    ...

    The ship moved through the void, and it was like a behemoth in the sky. Many flying type spirit beasts tried to attack but failed due to the spirit shields. A few Immortal Sovereign and Immortal Emperor level experts appeared in the void and intended to attack and investigate but when they saw the crimson insignia of the Asura Hall, they went back.

    Luby asked, "Captain, what terrible thing did you do before we came here? Why is everyone so scared of you?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and Shi Tao cleared her throat as she said, "He formed the Asura Hall after the model of the special division and then he used it to hunt down the traitors in the human side. Then when many people came to the door to find fault and kill us, he yed them all. Didn''t you see the red walls of the sect?"

    Everyone nodded, and Shi Tao said, "That paint is blood. Also, do you know why he appeared outside the sect to greet you?"

    The people were shocked from the earlier statement, yet they still shook their heads and Shi Tao said, "That point was the only ce where you were safe. If you had came any closer, the killing arrays would have triggered. The fifty kilometers around the sect is a kill and no trespassing zone."

    While the people were talking about Shi Lang being cruel and ruthless, the world was shaken. It was as if the immortal in had been put through a huge wok and they were being fried in hot oil. The news of the metallic flying vessel had spread in all directions. What''s more, many people even wanted Shi Lang to share the technology with them. However, they did not have the guts to ask.

    ...

    Back at the ship, Commander Silence asked, "Lang, the strongest realm is that of Immortal Sovereign, is their really no problem with us acting like this?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You worry too much, vice captain. I will handle those old undying freaks if they dared toe here."

    The blue bird on his shoulder said, "Kid, we areing at the front."

    Shi Lang nodded, and then said, "When we reach the front, locate an army with golden dragon g and stop above them."

    Hunk nodded and replied, "At yourmand, Captain."

    They arrived at the front in a few minutes. They stopped above the Heavenly Dragon encampment and Tian Long''s generals appeared in the void. Shi Lang was about to stand up when Shi Tao said, "I will handle them."

    She vanished from his side and Carole joked, "Aww, Lang got undermined."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "You are just jealous, I am happy she is strong."

    The people bantered around, even though they saw each other after ages, they did not have any distance. This was a bond betweenrades who shared life and death.

    ...

    The generals outside the ship were surprised when they saw Shi Tao appear on the bow of the vessel. They cupped their fist and greeted, "General Shi. Greetings!"

    Shi Tao cupped her fists and returned the greeting but then she said, "You all do not have to be courteous with me. I am not here as a general but as a member of the Asura Hall. We hope to position our vessel in the skies above your camp as we charge forward to the front lines."

    The generals were surprised and then they exchanged nces. One of them asked, "May I ask if Shura Emperor is there with you?"

    Shi Tao nodded and the general replied, "I apologize for hesitating, please feel free to ask us for anything. The cavalry has just returned and is still resting after a month long battle trip. You can use our position to fight."

    Shi Tao thanked them and conveyed the details to Shi Lang.

    ...

    The Terran said, "All troops, descend."

    Luby pressed a few buttons on the console and multiple hatch doors appeared. Two hundred members dressed in uniform suits and helmets got down quickly. The people from Heavenly Dragon Army, and the surrounding forces were watching curiously. They all couldn''t help but wonder what sort of armor were these people wearing.

    As the troops descended, Shi Lang said, "Tao, inform Yan Xue and her team to erect teleportation arrays. Call in the cavalry mounts."

    Shi Tao ryed themand, and Hunk asked, "Commander, what do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "You will see."

    ...

    On the ground, Yan Xue and two other emperors quickly ced small poles embedded with spiritual stones in the ground. They had rehearsed this pattern and after a few minutes and rechecks, they channeled spiritual energy in the array pattern. Suddenly, a void tunnel appeared, and Yan Xue replied to Shi Tao, "Tao, it''s done. Have theme over."

    Shi Tao replied, "Battle beastsing right up."

    The spirit beasts that Shi Lang had rescued from the Yama''s tomb had been tamed with great effort, and fifty beast kings were selected to form a battle cavalry with cooperation. Other than two hundred Immortal Kings who were standing on the ground in attention. Soon, people began to emerge from the teleportation circle.

    They all had a strong aura of battle, and after the two hundred fifty people assembled. Shi Lang appeared in the void and said, "Asura Legion, attention!"

    The forces that will change the way of warfare had appeared.

 Chapter 845: Breaking Through The Frontline.

    Shi Lang addressed the Asura Legion. He stood in the void with a calm expression on his face. He spoke in a sonorous tone, "Asura Legion, are you ready?"

    "Yes, Sir!"

    The army of two hundred and fifty people replied. They were not big in size, even the smallest army in this ce had thousand members at least but the aura of these people did not fall short of those seasoned armies.

    When Commander Silence and the rest hade back, they carried simtion pods and parts that could be used to make more pods. Asura Hall used twenty of these pods that have been modified to use the spiritual energy as a supplement instead of gic enhancement serums.

    The effect of training in these pods was simple and effective, the two hundred fifty people had gone through rigorous training and they were not to be messed with. Shi Lang looked at them and said, "We are not here to keep peace. We will not kill the demons who try to attack us. We are bringing the fight to them. Are you willing to charge ahead and y them?"

    The people yelled and the entire frontline shook. Shi Lang replied, "Move out."

    He vanished from the spot and the Hunk and Shrapnel appeared in his ce. They were given the responsibility to lead the legion to the front. Hunk handled the infantry unit and Shrapnel took the cavalry.

    ...

    The ground began to tremble, and many people who were engaged in cruelbat looked toward the human encampments. All they saw as a dust cloud rising on the horizon, but soon everyone, including humans and demons shook. They saw a group of beast kings rushing over with a crowd of men and women following behind.

    In a blink of an eye, the spirit beasts appeared close to them what shocked them was the fact that human figures were riding these spirit beast kings. Shrapnel said, "Weapons free."

    Then he raised a spirit gun in his arms and began to fire at the demonic cultivators far from him. While the beast king took care of those in close proximity. The attacks were baffling, the unorganized demon side has never seen such people.

    The cavalrymunicated and cooperated very nicely with each other. They had all sorts of attacks, the area of effect attacks, melee, and even the long distance. However, the real massacre began when the infantry arrived. They were a bit slower than the cavalry forces but when they came, swords and spears were let loose.

    The infantry was trained in all and every weapon. They were all wearing the helmets of the battle suits so they looked like machines that were meant for only one thing, and that was killing. They all executed low level skills but the collective impact made them akin to a lion among the sheep.

    Shi Lang was watching everything from the void, and nodded when he saw that after a couple of hours the legion has cleared up a few thousand demonic soldiers from the ce. There has never been such an intense battle at the front. However, the legion wasposed of humans, and they were all reaching their limits.

    The intense fighting skills they disyed were crazy high, and they were pushing themselves beyond their limits. Hunk sensed this and said, "Shrapnel, bring up the rear we are retreating."

    Shrapnel and his cavalry had cleared the way and attracted the attention of the beasts, and then they moved back so that the infantry could work. Now that the infantry needed to move back, they had to support them. Shrapnel replied, "Roger that."

    He directed the cavalry to clean up the area around the infantry quickly, and after half an hour they retreated. However, the battle was not yet over, the demon leaders were infuriated by this act. They felt humiliated by a human grouping over at their turf and killing so many of them.

    Theymanded the minions to chase and kill. However, at this moment, three behemoth sized metal figurines descended on the ground. The demon army was surprised and shocked. Three humans, Carole, Luby, and Archie Arkham were standing on top of these figurines.

    They entered the cockpit and began to attack the demon leaders. Yes, Shi Lang did not like the long windedness of battles and wars. He wanted to settle the front quickly so that his legion could pass through and settle a fake base camp inside the demon territory. Apparently the demons controlled arger patch ofnd in this cage.

    The mechs stood valiantly in the void and every demon was curious what was going on. Demonic side was stronger in terms of numbers but they were not strong in terms of quality. They have been viciously banding together and controlling the fate of the humans inside their territory, treating them like pigs and cattle for ughter because they could not control the resources.

    Shi Lang said, "Initiate."

    Archie Arkham and the two charged up the canons on the mechs and then, they released beams of highly concentrated spiritual energy directly onto the tents where the leaders and decision making people of the demonic side were.

    They had checked for any traces of human presence in the region before they fired these beams. Sure enough, the beams hit the targets and the demon kings were vaporized by it. Shi Lang said, "Take thirty and we will attack once again."

    The people nodded sat down on the ground outside the demon hoards to regain their energy. The death gods of the cavalry were waiting for any of the demons to charge at them and they could retaliate.

    After thirty minutes, one by one all the soldiers stood up. Shi Langmanded and the battle resumed. The visual impact of the ce was so strong that even the hearts of the senior standing back at the human encampment lines were shivering. They immediately contacted their lords to tell them about the situation. The entire spiritual cultivator scene was shocked by this.

    Many ambitious families even wanted to send out forces to aid the Asura hall, and help them take down the evil scourges, but Shi Lang suddenly appeared above the encampment area and said, "You all wish to send soldiers to the front, that is a good thing and I do not oppose you.

    However, if anyone made any move because of selfish motives and tried to create difficulties because of personal feuds, I will personally greet them and treat them."

    His words were a threat covered in a cloak of concern and the people had no other thought than to convey them to the highermand. Everyone was quick, and they replied that they will send out troops and help in the battle.

    Shi Lang did not take it to heart and left the ce. The legion attacked four times in the small period of eight hours. It had a set pattern, cavalry, infantry, cavalry and mech. The mecha had shocked the people so much that even in death their eyes were wide open.

    The demonic front was cleared up in two days. Many people from the demonic cultivation sect arrived to aid but all failed. They all could only ry themunication talismans to the higher ups in their sects.

    ...

    In the ship Shi Lang was sitting with his eyes closed, Shi Tao was torturing a Demon Lord level cultivator who was arrested for interrogation purposes. After a few hours of questioning, they had the clear understanding of how things worked in the demonic side of the cage.

    Shi Lang said, "Kill him."

    Shi Tao took off the head of the demonic lord, and said, "What''s next?"

    Shi Lang stood up from the chair and said, "Do you remember our friend who tried to stop me from moving forward in the lower realm? The demon who sent a true spirit clone down there?"

    Thedy nodded and Shi Lang said, "It turns out that he lives in the vicinity, I would like to pay him a visit."

    Shi Tao immediately mped his wrist, and said, "No! How can you rush in alone?"

    Shi Lang smiled and replied, "Yes, I can, do not worry, I will take the mecha with me. I have been holding in that grudge for a long time."

    Raksha appeared beside him and said, "Tao, even I have been holding this grudge for a long time. I want Zavir to die."

    Shi Tao sighed and said, "Fine go, but don''t die."

    Shi Lang chuckled and patted her head, as he vanished from the spot. The Asura Legion had already moved forward, and from the results of the interrogation, they have found many ces to raid and rescue people. Another reason why she let him go was because Yan Xue and the other two Immortal Emperors were staying behind with them.

    Shi Lang was flying through the void, and Hou Bing was keeping up pace with ease beside him. She asked, "What is the grudge?"

    Shi Lang chuckled and recounted the battle he had with Zavir''s clone.

 Chapter 846: Blood Demon Mountain.

    Shi Lang told Hou Bing what happened and she chuckled. The bird said, "Well, whatever the reason, that demon should die anyhow. He dared toe up with such a ploy."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I don''t know what they were so scared of, why did they give in to darkness if they had so much fear in their hearts?"

    Hou Bing replied, "They gave in because they feared the darkness. It is just that simple, Lang."

    Shi Lang nodded in understanding. He never thought of it in this way before. Now that Hou Bing mentioned it, he found that sometimes the simplest points that could tip the scale of logic.

    After traveling for three days, Shi Lang arrived at the destination. Before him stood a mountain that repelled everything, even the clouds, yet the size of this earthen behemoth was something that could shame many sects in the world.

    The ck mountain looked as if bleeding as the streaks of red traveled through it. Hended on the ground and said, "Hou Bing, this ce sure stands up to the name of a demonic sect."

    The bird nodded and said, "What do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit, and then said, "I will erect a dragon lightning formation around this ce. That ought to kill more people."

    Hou Bing was standing on his shoulder and said, "Do you think that will work? Won''t they have a protective array?"

    This was true, every sect had a protection array, and the Blood Demon Mountain was no different. Shi Lang hummed as he held his chin, and said, "Hou Bing, you have made me realize that I have be very over confident."

    The little bird rolled eyes at him, then he continued, "So, infiltrate, sabotage, and destroy. Uff the difficulty level of this round just increased a lot."

    Hunk and Shrapnel were two big boys, they have be Immortal Kings, but they loved their games, so, whenever he took a break from his seclusion, Shi Lang yed video games andpeted with the juniors in the sect. You can imagine the scene where some talented people defeated him and he could only sense his lips twitch until he could make ae back.

    Hou Bing said, "I would like to see how you do that."

    Shi Lang took out a raggedy ck cloak and put it over himself. He took a deep breath and said, "I will go in now."

    Hou Bing had already flew off his shoulder, no one could detect her if she did not want them to. The Terran moved quickly and first he set up a formation around the mountain, his speed was quick. Yet, even though he was an Immortal Emperor, it took him a whole day to circle the mountain.

    On the way, he avoided many patrols, the reason was simple because he did not want to attract any attention and alert the enemy. This ce was enemy territory. He has been trained for half his life, and those rules have been ingrained in his bones.

    He finally finished setting up the spirit stones, and moved towards the mountain. The cloak was a spiritual camouge developed by the federal army, and the rugged look had the purpose of making the people think that the wearer was a beggar or something.

    Shi Lang did not mind this, with his speed, the guards would not be able to detect him or even see him. This ce did not have any high tech monitoring. This ce was as open for Shi Lang as a park. Hou Bing was watching him climb mountain sides, dashing on paths, but what surprised her was the swiftness and how quickly he reacted to any changes.

    After five hours, Shi Lang was inside a cavern that led to the inside of the mountain. He was walking very quickly but silently. He did not want toe across any guards. However, not everything could be aplished with ease. Suddenly, Shi Lang sensed a young man walking over.

    The cavern leading to the inside the mountain was only as wide as two humans. Shi Lang took a deep breath and retained his spiritual aurapletely. He appeared no different than a mortal. The personing over caught a nce of his and before he could say anything Shi Lang asked, "Where is Young Master Zavir?"

    The guard was stunned and did not even think of asking Shi Lang a question again. He only said, "He is cultivating in the blood pool."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "Fine, leave!"

    The aura of a general he had cultivated did not fail him and the guard quickly ran away. Shi Lang smirked and dashed inside the mountain. When he came out of the tunnel, he could not help but marvel on the fact that the entire mountain that was tens of thousands of feet tall had been hollowed out and transformed into a sect.

    Shi Lang could not use his spiritual energy without alerting the seniors in this ce, so he relied on his sensory ability. Soon enough he had aplete map of this small city inside the mountain. He first moved quickly to the ce where a few elders guarded the protection array.

    Protection Arrays needed a special core, that would be bigger than any other node in the array, and then it needed an even stronger cultivator who could input energy to trigger a chain reaction between the spirit stones.

    Shi Lang came to a room, and saw two Demon King guards at the door. They also saw him. Shi Lang nodded to them and walked up to them. As he stood before them, he removed his helmet and his eyes shed with red. The illusion was cast on the two demon kings, and they stood as if nothing happened.

    Shi Lang entered the room, and saw four Demon Emperors sitting cross legged around a spirit stone as big as a boulder. He cupped his fists and said, "Brothers, something bad happened, the sect needs to be alerted."

    One of the Demon emperors raised his head and asked, "What happened?"

    Shi Lang said, "Spiritual cultivators managed to break through the frontline and are invading the demon territory."

    The four people were shocked and then theyughed. However, the moment theyughed four rays of spiritual beams shot at them. They were unprepared, but two of the elders managed to dodge the beams. While the other two were not so lucky. However, just when the two survivors turned around to attack, their heads fell off their shoulders.

    Shi Lang had used his sword draw technique to kill them without using his de. The Terran took a deep breath and moved closer to the spirit stone. Then with a wave of his hand, the boulder sized spirit stone vanished into his space ring. Only on m v|le|mp|yr

    Shi Lang then came out of the room and he moved along the length of the mountain. The thing about this whole city was that the designer had left a huge pir in the center which was connected to multiple other beams that supported the walls of the blood demon mountain from crumbling under its own weight.

    Shi Lang came to the summit and then he dropped the boulder sized spirit stone inside the hollow tube after carving an array rune on it. After a few minutes, he sensed the spirit stonending on the ground. He smiled and sat down on the tube to cultivate. This was the sect''s forbidden region and people did not dare toe over in normal conditions.

    Soon, the sky darkened, and Shi Lang said, "Now, we begin to the third phase."

    Shi Lang channeled his spiritual energy and all the array runes lit up. Every spirit stone he had buried was carved with array runes. Then a crimson barrier was erected outside the blood demon mountain. Shi Lang yelled loudly, "Zavir, you insect,e out and ept your death. You lowly piece of dirty blood!"

    The entire blood demon mountain was shaken and the people came rushing out of the sect.

    "Who dares to run amok in the blood demon mountain?"

    "How dare you cuss the young sect master? Show yourself you rat."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and then he said, "Lightning,e."

    The dark sky was filled with lightning clouds and as Shi Lang activated the final node of the array, the lightning fell down on the crowd of demonic cultivators. Soon the Blood Demon Mountain echoed with nothing but screams and wails of death.

    Many strong people managed to fend off the lightning, but not without paying a cost. After five minutes the lightning stopped, and a dignified voice echoed, "Intruder, show yourself. Who are you?"

    Shi Lang appeared before a few people and with sunny smile he said, "Oh, hello, survivors of the lightning. I am Shi Lang, and as you can see I am a spiritual cultivator. Today I havee bearing gifts of death and also I owe a visit to a coward called Zavir. May I ask if he is home?"

 Chapter 847: Fall Of The Blood Demon Mountain.

    Shi Lang was standing in the void before the Demons. Zavir, and the few people who stayed inside the caves were the only demons who could survive the lightning storm.

    The Terran smiled as he gazed at hundred of other the demons, as he asked, "Shall we fight?"

    These demonic cultivators were shocked to see that Shi Lang was a human and he managed toe so deep inside the Demon region.

    An elder raised his head and said, "What are you all so surprised for? Go, kill this puny insect."

    Shi Lang heard this and vanished from his spot. The next moment he appeared, he was standing behind the elder. He chuckled and said, "Yes, I am an insect. However, you lot of demonic parasites is worse."

    Then he waved his hand like a knife aimed at the elders head. His hand emitted sword intent and the head was taken off within a second. The elder did not even realize how Shi Lang was holding his head in the void, and said, "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

    Shi Lang let go of the head and kicked it hard at the person in distance. The demonic cultivator caught the head in reflex, and then it exploded. Zavir saw this and yelled, "You bastard, how dare you?"

    The next moment, all the demons shot forth with weapons or attack spells. However, Shi Lang was akin to a fish in a pond. No matter who came at him, no matter where they came from. His fists were shing with red lightning. Anything that came in contact with his fists was incinerated.

    Zavir was not acting, he wanted the people to act as bait, they would fight with Shi Lang, even if they could not harm him, they might be able to exhaust his energy reserve. When this darned human is weakened then Zavir would kill him.

    He was not worried in the slightest, there were at least thousands of demonic cultivator beside him. An old demon frowned beside him and said, "Zavir, who is this human? Why has hee here?"

    Zavir replied, "The person who destroyed my clone in the lower realm. That''s him. I did not expect him to be so strong in terms of a few years. His people have been protecting all and any humans who ascended the upper realm.

    I just go the news from young master of the Demon eye sect, a force of spiritual cultivators, only a few hundred strong have attacked the front and managed to get through the defenses.

    For the first time in who knows how long, these people areing after us. I did not expect that a prey who was barely able to fight me would grow to this level."

    The old man gazed at Shi Lang with sinister gaze and said, "A torch bearer, I see."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know that the leader of this group of insects and the main target were discussing about him. The enemy was not weak, they were all Demon Emperor and Demon King level people. They were attacking him with their strongest attacks, and Shi Lang could not find any pattern in these attacks.

    If he was an inexperienced yer, he would have been lost in the frenzy and end up wounded long ago, however, Shi Lang knew the game and how the rules changed. He fought without any care. Only one rule, kill the one closest to you first and do not get hurt.

    He was like a slippery loach, when he was in a pinch he used his superior speed to avoid the attacks, and many times he guided the attacks of the demonic cultivators to theirrades.

    Shi Lang was a god of ughter and Hou Bing was watching him kill from the side. She could not believe that their existed a human with so much potential to kill. The ground was already stained red and it was not going toe off. She thought to herself, ''He has yet to draw his sword or even use any other technique.''

    While the demons thought of this as a provocation and that Shi Lang was underestimating them, Hou Bing was getting really worried if the craze of ughter will infect Shi Lang and make him a mindless butcher.

    She wished for him to not take out his big guns. She was a holy beast and before she was caught inside the barrier, she had seen all sorts of geniuses, and one of them was so talented that he could have reached a level where no body could have been his match, however, even that guy was consumed by the desire to kill and had to be put down by the holy beasts for the sake of the humanity.

    Shi Lang was a person who gave her both hope and scare at the same time. Just when she was worried about him, she noticed something. Her eyes sparked and they shined with a luster that could shame the stars in the sky. Shi Lang was fighting and his actions carried a mysterious resonance with Dao.

    She mumbled, "He is using these demons toprehend the Time Laws inside him. What a monster."

    In her mind, Shi Lang was not a talented genius, but he was a monster who would adjust to all and any circumstances then he would shoot out like an arrow that would pierce anything that stood in his way.

    In the distance, the demon corpses were piling up and the older and the younger sect leader could no longer hold back. Shi Lang had instilled fear in the hearts of their people. Many demons were just watching from the side line, and some had even taken the lead to flee.

    Zavir looked at the sect master, who said, "We will need to put away our intention to kill each other and deal with this guy together. Otherwise, we don''t stand a chance."

    Zavir nodded and said, "I agree."

    The world of demonic cultivation was all about strength. They would not hesitate in killing the people that were supposed to be their closest kin. They did not care about things like moral, all they needed and wanted was the darkness, the closer they got to the darkness the stronger they became.

    It was a system of killing and plunder. Shi Lang seemed to have be the light in their worlds that was setting everything on fire. The two people rushed forward and Zavir said, "Blood Demon Palm."

    The sect leader moved quickly too and approached Shi Lang with his own attack, "Yin demon palm."

    Shi Lang looked at the two people approaching him at a fast speed. They were attacking him from the side while he was embroiled in battle with other people. He did not have the habit of underestimating his enemy so he took out his spear and began to dance on the spot. The attack pattern was unpredictable.

    None of the assants could sense if he was going to stab or sh the spear at them but whatever he did, death was confirmed as this abominable spiritual cultivator was injecting them with his lightning spiritual energy.

    The attack was fatal and instantly burned them from inside out. They did not have the protection of Dao Laws, and the lightning was akin to Dao itself, it consumed everything.

    Sect Master Blood Demon and Zavir were just a few feet away from Shi Lang when the world around him slowed down. He could see Zavir smiling as he drew in closer. Shi Lang spun on his toe, he urately grabbed the hands of the two attackers, and redirected them.

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    The two people may have missed the attack but they did not give up. More like, aftermitting so much in the battle they did not have any chance to pull back. Shi Lang would not let them even if they wish for it. Shi Lang''s body was covered with crimson lightning. As soon as anyone of them had the intention he would appear in their path and force them back.

    The Terran said, "Lightning Domain."

    Zavir and the Sect Master were standing back to back as a crimson phantom shed through the void and attacked them, beating them ck and blue. The two of them were unable to do anything and the void rang with their roars of irreconciled souls. They did not wish to ept this but they had no option.

    Shi Lang had tied them up in such a helpless way that they could not do anything. Suddenly, they heard Shi Lang saying, "Hmmm, this is getting boring."

    Then a red and gold sword passed through their bodies. Shi Lang stood face to face with Zavir and said, "Do you remember what I said to you back then? Maggot."

    Thetter only looked at him with a smirk and said, "I will not die so easily you lower realm trash. Hahahaha, you think that us demons only have one body? How do you know that this is not a true clone?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Well, I will let you see a world where you will wish for death."

    His eyes sparkled with crimson and Shi Lang pulled Zavir''s soul in the Shura Soul Prison. The Sect Master begged, "Forgive, me, give us a chance we can definitely reform ourselves."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, "Dude, do you know how pathetic you look right now? Tch, die already."

    Rakshaughed at this and absorbed the essence of these bodies. Shi Lang looked around and said, "Demon Bane tree will grow well here, This ce will serve as Asura Base Camp. The mountain has a good structure. Also, Raksha, clean up the loose fish please."

    The demon region was shocked, Blood Demon Mountain was taken down. Now only did they realize that they were under attack.

 Chapter 848: Purifying The Demonic Region.

    Shi Lang sat down on the ground after he finished the battle. The Terran ced his hands on the ground as he raised his head up to look at the sky. A few minutester, Raksha appeared beside him while licking her lips.

    Hou Bing asked, "Are you not afraid of being contaminated by the demonic essence?"

    Raksha replied, "No, I do not absorb their demonic essence, I merely focus on their blood after I purify it with the shred of lightning."

    Hou Bing nodded, and after some thought she said, "You know people in the world might call you demonic artifact."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "In my world, she would be a vampire. The one who survives and thrives on the blood essence of people."

    Hou Bing thought for a bit and said, "Oh your world also had such creatures? I thought that only in Immortal Realm can you find a race like this."

    Shi Lang was curious and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

    Hou Bing replied, "In the world outside this cage, there are different types of cultivators. Some refine the essence of life, they are called necromancers, some refines the way of sword. One of the example are the blood refiners. They need fresh blood or strong blood to refine and strengthen their qi and cores.

    However, despite the variety in cultivation systems, they all have amon factor, which is the Dao Laws."

    Shi Lang nodded and raised his hand to ess hismunicator and contacted, Amelia.

    Thedy replied quickly and asked, "How is the expedition going?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Blood God Mountain and Zavir are done, the rest of the group is handling a few rescue operations. From the information we have received, the demonic territory is a bit toorge. It might take a few years to clean this up."

    Amelia nodded and calmly replied, "It is obvious, because you will also need to make that ce live able. The demonic energy must be high."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I intend to nt a Demon Bane tree in every stronghold. It would grow fast and clean up the area a lot."

    Amelia nodded as she agreed, it was a sound idea to nt Demon''s bane tree. Shi Lang said, "When is your contingenting over? I think I can leave this to the children and focus on cultivation. I am still stuck at the early level Immortal Emperor, too slow."

    Amelia wanted to say something when Ying Yu appeared on themunicator and said, "How dare you say that you are slow you monster? I was stronger than you back then and now you have already overtaken me. Do you have no shame?"

    Shi Lang grimaced at the scolding, but he was like that, he did not have any great talent, he was just blessed with a head that helped him find the most effective way to deal with the troubles and grow his realm.

    Amelia chuckled and said, "We will be ready in a month at the fastest, because half of mymanders are still in seclusion. On the other hand, you''ve got Tao, and the special division peeps. So, you have it easy."

    Shi Lang smiled and asked, "Are you envious of my team, Amy?"

    Amelia blushed a bit when he teased her and said, "Shoo, I have things to do." Discover hidden tales at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    Shi Lang''sughter echoed in the surroundings. He stood up from the ground and walked on the ground, but the distance he covered with each step was at least a few hundred meters. Hou Bing was sitting on his shoulder and asked, "Why are we leaving? Didn''t you want to set up a base here?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am just looking for a water source. Demon Bane does grow well in dry areas."

    Hou Bing asked, "You have a Demon''s bane in your possession?"

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you answer a question for me?"

    Hou Bing nodded and the Terran asked, "If this ce is a cage and no individual can reach the level of an Immortal God, inside this ce, then why do I have a tomb of multiple inheritances left behind by the seniors in Immortal God realm?"

    Hou Bing replied, "Is it not obvious? Those people must have found a way to consolidate their Dao Laws. Consolidation means forming a flower from the essence of your Dao Laws. That is called the Dao Flower, it blooms within you and then you gain strength. If those people had proper guidance then it is not odd for them to gain such power."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brow and asked, "Why did they not pass on this knowledge to the other people?"

    Hou Bing shook her head and replied, "I do not know why did they seal the knowledge, however, it is also possible that they did not receive guidance from anyone, and only found a way to exceed the level of an Emperor. You are not the only genius in this world. Some people can break the shackles on their own. Also, you can directly as the people.

    If they did it on their own, then their inheritance has a lot of room to grow."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Then I would have to tell the people who were chosen by them. That reaching the Immortal God realm is not the end."

    Hou Bing nodded, Shi Lang stopped and smiled. He closed his eyes and a void portal appeared beside him. He stepped in through the portal and said, "Hou Bing this is the Inheritance pce."

    The little bird nodded, and many spirit phantoms appeared. Shi Lang greeted them all and they allmended him on his growth. They could sense his spiritual cultivation reaching a realm that they could not understand.

    One of the phantoms stepped up and asked, "Xiao Lang, what brings you here this time?"

    Shi Lang said, "I need to take away a root of the Demon Bane. Also, seniors, pardon me for sounding rude, but do you tell the children you select that Immortal God realm is not the end?"

    The elders were surprised and then they nodded. The leading person said, "Xiao Lang, we all have stumbled upon the path of cultivation with less to no guidance from our elders, we told them that Immortal God might be a start to something bigger."

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, "Hou Bing, you can talk to them while I grab a root stalk."

    She nodded and then flew off to talk to the people. Shi Lang meanwhile extracted a stalk of root from the Demon''s bane. It took him half an hour to locate the roots. They have sank in so deep in the ground.

    ...

    They came back to the Demonic Cultivator front and Shi Lang used his sword intent to cut up a canal leading to the Blood Demon Mountain. He led this canal around the mountain and nted the root stalks of the Demon''s bane around the canal. The nt seemed to have encountered and of bliss.

    It fed upon the demonic energy as if its life depended on it. Demonic cultivators hated this nt, because it wouldpete with them for the demonic energy. The first thing they did was to hunt down the demon bane tree. The hunt led this nt to be so scarce that only a few of them managed to survive.

    Within a couple of hours, four Demon''s bane tree were standing around the Blood god mountain. They were constantly draining the demonic energy from the surroundings. The water in the canal was as dark as night, but Shi Lang did not bother about it. Soon the tree would extend its roots to the main water stream and then it would grow even stronger.

    Demon Bane tree had a specialty, they would all link their roots to help each other grow stronger. After half a day, Shi Tao reached out to him.

    He epted the request and she said, "Baba, we found thousand human survivors. What do you think we should do?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "Bring them over to the blood god mountain. Use a teleportation array. The ce is being purified of the demonic energy, they will be able to live better lives here."

    ...

    Yan Xue was the first one to arrive by his side, she was surprised to look at the ce. The entire Demonic region had a faint trace of demonic energy in the wind, so they had been wearing their masks the entire time. However, when she came to this ce, she detected that there was no trace of Demonic energy in the air.

    She looked at the four towering trees and understood what was happening. The canopy of the trees was lush and so big that it couldpete with the ship they used to transport. She looked around and found Shi Lang sitting on top of a boulder with his eyes closed and legs crossed.

    She mumbled, "The entire demonic region is searching for him, and there he is, chilling."

    Hou Bing appeared beside her and asked, "Why are they looking for him?"

    Yan Xue said, "Someone from the Blood Demon Mountain slipped out a message that they have been attacked, and Shi Lang was named. There are a lot of demonic forces that might be moving to this side."

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "They all have a death wish, forget it."

    She was indifferent to Shi Lang killing people, this guy was indeed a nightmare for the demons.

 Chapter 849: The Slaughterer.

    Yan Xue and Shi Lang set up a teleportation array, and thedy said, "Lang, the people from the demonic realm are hunting for you. What do you think is a good choice to counter them?"

    Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, "I am not going to sit here to wait for them toe. I have the upper hand in my techniques and equipment, so the obvious choice is for me to go after them. I will kill any demonic cultivator I spot, I will obviously try to rescue the ones that I could. But the rest are just going down."

    Yan Xue was not surprised but she asked, "Why do you want to do that?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "Xiao Xue, the path of cultivation I walk is often called as the path of invincibility. Once I back down from any challenge thaty before me, it will be the end of times for me. I intend to use these demons to cultivate a killing aura, and thews of ughter Dao."

    Yan Xue nodded, and asked, "Is it because you intend to walk out of the cage before everyone else?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do intend to do that, however, the bigger reason I want to do this is to feel confident in myself. Hou Bing told me that the world outside this cave just treats us as ants. I have never felt good being treated that way."

    Yan Xue nodded and said, "Who does? Don''t worry, we will not be far away from you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I just hope that you all are safe when you go out there."

    Yan Xue agreed, and Shi Lang turned his head to look at an Asura Hall member walking out of the teleportation gateway with many people in tow. They all looked weak and scrawny, the people were tied up in shackles and they kept their heads down.

    Shi Lang frowned and looked at the disciple who suddenly saluted him and said, "Disciple Yu reporting to Hall Master. There are three hundred survivors."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Xiao Yu, contact home and have them send over a few simtion pods. These people need rehabilitation to grow. Do you understand?"

    Yu nodded and replied, "I will get to it right away, Hall Master."

    Shi Lang looked at Yan Xue and said, "Can you handle the rest? I am going ahead to find more Demons."

    Yan Xue nodded, and said, "I received word from home, Martial Council has deployed forces and they are handling the small forces near the frontline."

    Shi Lang nodded and replied indifferently, "Finally those old people are proving their worth."

    Then he grabbed the void and Raksha''s hilt appeared in his grip. He looked at the sword and rebuked, "Can you give up on some demon beasts? For god sakes you greedy thing you are a heavenly sword."

    Raksha materialized and replied, "Hmph, you simpleton, those guys wereing for the demon''s bane, I protected this silly nt of yours."

    The Terran and the sword spirit bickered with each other as they walked ahead. Disciple Yu looked at his back with awe, while Yan Xue shook her head.

    ...

    Shi Lang began his journey in the Demon region with his sword. He visited many hot spots and left behind a pile of shriveled up corpses, and a strain of Demon''s bane. He used a very simple tactic, that was to fight the demons head on. Every scheme fell short in the face of extraordinary strength.

    Shi Lang used his sword and spear all the way. Yes, he had decided to nurture his spear to another level as well. The pseudo-spirit inside the spear was beginning to. Shi Lang''s name resounded through-out the cage realm, and the demonic cultivators had began to set up scouts, they would run away as soon as he appeared in the rtive vicinity.

    The mean and selfish Demonic Cults were working together to ensure that they all stayed safe. They even went forward to erect barriers that kept outsiders away. They had raised their security levels to prevent Shi Lang froming in and breaking them from the inside out.

    ...

    After ten days, Shi Lang stood on top of a cliff with a ck cloak wrapped around him. He had long taken off his helmet, because the demonic energy in this region did not effect him very much anymore. The lightning spiritual energy was burning it as soon as it came into contact with his body.

    He had be a working air filter. Something else had changed about him these days. He had given up on using Raksha to kill demons, he was using his spear, the reason was toprehend the ughterws.

    Raksha was too strong for these demons, she was able to kill a few dozen of them with every sh. It was not helping Shi Lang. The spear was better, and after half a month of killing demons he has touched the surface of thews he sought and the simpleprehension had changed his eyes from ck to red.

    The red would go away as long as Shi Lang was not killing, people but once his killing intention was ignited he became a nightmare for even the most cruel demons. The Terran was looking into the distance with, because he saw a vige.

    This vige seemed abnormally calm and happy. Yes, happy. Shi Lang could not help but approach the vige and the surprise in his eyes escted to a level where he could not digest. He asked, "Hou Bing, do you think it is possible to have a vige like this in these parts?"

    The bird replied, "Anything is possible in this world, Lang. Why don''t we go in and check how much of this is true?"

    Shi Lang nodded and walked through the entrance of the vige. This ce was surrounded by the patch of green grass, and Shi Lang could hear a lot of activity going on in the vige. He could see figures from the outside, there were elders who taught the children how to fight and other crafts.

    However, what he found odd was that the entire ce was filled with old and children who did not seem to any older than ten years of age. One of the elder spotted him and he was so surprised that he dropped a tea cup in his hands.

    The voice caught attention of the people, and everyone gradually either eximed or cheered. Shi Lang could not understand what it was when he asked, "Elders, can you tell me why are you cheering?"

    One olddy rushed up to the young man and said, "Young Man, you are the first traveler we have seen in the vige after ages."

    Shi Lang asked kindly, "Aunty, can you tell me where are the young men and women of this vige? Why is there no one to take care of you elders?"

    A grumpy old man snorted and said, "The dogs from the Demon Eye Sect took away the young forbor and pleasure. They left us with these children. Theye every few months and ssify the youths of the vige based on their potential."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can you all tell me where is the Demon Eye sect?"

    One Elder pointed in the direction and said, "That ce is covered with illusions all year around, you have to be careful."

    Shi Lang suddenly asked, "Old Sir, what do you think of the demon eye sect? What do they do? Why are they allowing you to be together?"

    The old man replied, "Do you think we are happy here? The reason they have painted the houses and the grass and trees is to let the growing children know what colors look like. Their sect mistress has a habit of refining eyes of those who defy her, and thus the eyes that can see color are better than the ones surrounded in demonic energy. Such a b..."

    Shi Lang nodded and walked in the direction of the Demon Eye Sect. He was going to break that ce down the ground, and give the young children a chance to live a happy life. He was not selfless, his motive was to gain a deep understanding of the Dao of ughter.

    ...

    Amelia was sitting inside the hall and the grand elder appeared before her. The former bowed and said, "Greetings, Master."

    The olddy nodded and sat down silently. Amelia looked at the olddy and asked, "Master, is there something bothering you?"

    The olddy nodded and said, "You know, every hundred years, a cmity descends upon the War Maiden Sect, right?"

    Amelia nodded, and suddenly asked, "Is the hundred years time limit up?"

    The olddy nodded with a smile and said, "I will face the cmity, but I might not survive it. I only hope that you do not meddle in this issue."

    Amelia asked, "Master what is this cmity?"

 Chapter 850: Death Calamity.

    Amelia was talking to the Grand Elder for a couple of hours. The olddy left the ce, but the Terran was left with a confused expression. The olddy said a lot of things but none of them gave her a clear idea of what to look forward.

    She frowned and then went back to deal with the things in the sect. She will face the cmity when ites at her.

    ...

    Shi Lang was walking his way through the demon region with an indifferent gaze. Hou Bing sat on his shoulder and asked, "Why do I feel your emotions raging?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I always try to see reason through even in the most unreasonable situations. However, what I do not understand is how can someone be so cruel? You saw that vige, right? Even if the children are too young to know what is good and what is bad, the elders are left here to look after them.

    In their eyes, the fear was evident, it was as if they were thankful of being in this ce and sending off their young to fend off the evil.

    How tormented does one have to be in order to seek joy from the pain suffered by other people? How twisted someone needs to be in their mind that they would create such a vige? Faking happiness, hiding pain yet suffering as if molten iron drips over their hearts. How can I not be agitated?"

    Shi Lang was a human, and has lived for a long time. He has seen joy, pain, sorrow, but still he could never find an exnation of how people''s mind would lose the sense to reason in the face of quick gains.

    Hou Bing said, "Lang, there is a fine line between sane and insane. Insanity is the moment of anger that consumes your being. Once you get stuck in the anger, that is the moment when you are done for. The people who fell to the demonic path were all those who sought revenge from those who deprived them of their chances and future.

    The once who managed to see through the truth is now living outside the cage, while the mad live inside."

    Shi Lang stopped in his path and then he nodded with a gentle nod. It was indeed as Hou Bing has said, people would get stuck in the moment of hatred and rage and that would be the end of their sanity.

    Insane people saw the world as a twisted ce and they would do whatever it takes to make everyone fit in their molds and watch the world through their twisted sses. Shi Lang walkedfor a whole day before he arrived near a mountain. He spotted two people standing guard of the stairways that led to the summit.

    He could see everything clearly in his sensory ability map. The number of people in this ce was higher and they did not seem to be in a hurry to leave either. Shi Lang frowned and then his face returned to normal. Hou Bing said, "Lang, it does not look good."

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, "These fuckers are ready for a mass ughter. I wonder if it is a ritual or are they going through with it to keep me at a bay?"

    Stay connected with m-v l|e-NovelBin

    Hou Bing said, "They are doing a ritual. They are going to sacrifice one thousand and eight girls to gather and refine the yin in their bodies."

    Shi Lang asked calmly, "What is the use of this ritual?"

    Hou Bing shook her head and said, "I don''t know the use of this ritual, but if Yin energy can heal and strengthen the soul of a practitioner. They are called the demon eyes, so I think it should be linked to the ability to cast illusions."

    Shi Lang sighed and said, "I will deal with them."

    Hou Bing said, "Wait, you cannot rush in, they have set a cmity formation."

    Shi Lang still stood up and asked, "It would be a lightning cmity? Or will it be a big illusion?"

    Hou Bing replied, "It could be anything but nothingsts in face of brutal strength."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Correct, let''s go."

    He vanished from his spot and soon the world descended in chaos. Shi Lang dealt with the demonic sect in the same way as he had been handling them in the past. This incident did not cause a stir in the world. It was an ordinary cleansing.

    ...

    Two years have passed since the Frontline was breached, many of the demon sects have fallen down, and many of them have put up a great struggle. Right now, Shi Lang was sitting on top of a mountain with Hunk, Shrapnel, Carole, and Luby standing behind him. The Terran had his feet dangling on the cliff as he asked, "Luby, is there any news from Amy?

    Did she tell you when she would be able toe back here?"

    Luby smiled and said, "Boss, she just left two days ago, aren''t you missing her a bit too much?"

    The rest of the people smiled, Shi Lang looked at them and rolled his eyes as he said, "I don''t know but I have a bad feeling. It is as if something bad is about to happen."

    The other people calmed down and frowned, they all knew that as a cultivator grew stronger, they could develop a keen sense toward the changes in the fate. Since, Shi Lang said there was something odd, they all began to think.

    Luby said, "I will contact Amelia right away."

    She raised hermunicator, but the other party did not respond. She frowned and tried to ess her suit cam, but they did not work either. All the responses were static. Shi Lang frowned and raised his hand to contact Ying Yu, but she gave no response either. He thought for a bit, and then contacted Allure.

    ...

    Allure was watching over Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei as the two were sparing together. Hao Mei preferred piece but she knew that one must have the ability to protect the ones they love. She was learning martial arts skills even more because her alchemy would not reach another high so shortly. She had mastered all the recipes she could and every one in five pill would be a tribtion pill.

    This was enough for her. Allure wanted to correct the girls when hermunicator rang. She epted the request and Shi Lang said, "Go to war maiden sect, check out what is going on there. I have a bad feeling and none of the people are replying either."

    Allure nodded and waved her hand before she vanished from the spot. Hao Mei and Yu Xeidi received their instructions in their minds. The two girls began to discuss the things they have just learned during the spar.

    ...

    Allure was fast, and she quickly appeared above the War Maiden Sect. What she saw made her frown and she immediately dashed forward. However, a strong presence was locked onto her and she immediately lost control of her body.

    On the ground in the center of the War Maiden Sect, a young man stood with his hands behind his back. He wore a white and purple hanfu. He was handsome but had a devilish glint in his eyes. Behind him stood an elder, he wore simr clothes, but thetter''s stance was that of a servant.

    Before these two people, Amelia was kneeling with blood leaking from her lips. The young man said, "You fought me, you burned your true essence, you sacrificed your Dao Laws. I have never seen a sect mistress as stubborn as you. Though, I have tomend, that despite being a weak whore, you managed to scratch my forehead."

    As he spoke, his eyes grew colder and then he appeared beside Amelia, and kicked her in the face. Her beautiful face was rendered into pieces that were beyond recognition. The man did not stop he kicked her in the stomach and broke her Dantian.

    Amelia let out a muffled groan, her jaw was shattered. The grand elder of the war maiden sect stood in her ce clenching her staff tightly. The young man asked, "Why did you struggle so much? Because you have a husband? So what if you are used? I did not say that I wanted to take you as a bride.

    You could have just helped me relieve myself before I leave this ce, couldn''t you? Tch, what a waste of soft flesh."

    The man spat on the wounded Amelia, and said, "Old whore, do your job well, make sure to guard the entrance of the cage, if anyone from came out once again, I will have your head as my piss bowl."

    The old man looked at the grand elder and let out a snort. The grand elder fell to her knees and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The old man said, "Young Master Xian, a fox has appeared outside the sect. She seems to friends with these women."

    The young man shook his head and said, "Forget it, these bitches aren''t worth carrying the shoes of the women in the Blooming Moon Pavilion. Let''s go, the inspection isplete."

    The old man waved his hand and the two vanished from the ce. Allurended on the ground and quickly rushed toward Amelia, however, just as she was about to touch thetter, her body burst up with green mes.

    Aughter echoed in the void. The entire caged world heard thisughter.

    ...

    Shi Lang was moving on the cliff with his furrowed brows when he heard a loud and arrogantughter, followed by a voice, "Ants, my name is Juan Xian, I am the young master of Juan family. We are your masters, and as masters of a pigsty, all the pigs belong to us. The reason I am talking to you weaklings is because I want to tell someone named Ace, that your wife was good, but she was a bad bitch.

    She refuse to be my toy so I broke her. Hahahaha, she said you will avenge her. Hahahaha, I will wait for you toe out of this cage. To encourage you, I have disfigured your wife''s face, and crippled her cultivation. Also, you have an hour before she dies from the heat of my mes. Hahahaha, unfortunately, I have to leave this ce and cannot watch you wriggle like a worm when you hear this.

    Hahaha, goodbye, I will wait for you, if you ever survived stepping out of the cage. Hahahaha."

    The entire world was quite, only the wind and the lingeringughter could be heard. Everyone around Shi Lang turned to look at him, and found his stunned. Suddenly, Shi Tao appeared beside him with a tearing face. On hermunicator, Amelia''s body was visible, and Allure said, "Forgive me, I waste."

 Chapter 851: Fall Of The War Maiden.

    Shi Lang heard what Allure said, and he looked at Shi Tao''s face covered with tears. His spirit energy ran amok and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

    Shi Tao lunged at him, "Baba!"

    Shi Lang, the strongest Terran in the generation, and one of the most feared entities of the Immortal ne fell to his knees at this moment. His aura was all over the ce. One could see the extent of damage he was suffering. His spiritual energy was of the lightning attribute as soon as his emotions lost control the spirit would follow and give him a bacsh.

    Shi Tao and the rest quickly moved closer to Shi Lang but Hou Bing appeared beside him and said, "Stop. Do you all want to die?!"

    The next moment, a strong lightning wave was discharged from his body. Hou Bing pecked his back at different spots and said, "I have locked his spiritual energy."

    Shi Tao approached and held Shi Lang in her arms, the man said, "Take me there, please."

    Shi Tao''s heart shivered, she did not expect her father to be effected at such a level. Shi Lang had always loved Amelia, but this level of cultivations should have tempered his heart a bit more. The girl only hoped for things to get better, because now only Shi Lang was left behind.

    It may look like Shi Tao had made her peace a bit too soon, but that was not true, at this moment, Shi Lang needed her more than ever. She said, "Hunk, inform Commander Silence to take charge, we are leaving."

    Hunk nodded, still in a daze, they were all people of the military and they have seen many of theirrades falling before them, but this time it was away from the battlefield and they could not even make an effort to save Amelia. Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    Shi Tao did not waste much time, and directly opened a space tunnel to move. However, the efficiency and speed were both too low. After she opened a few space tunnels, Raksha appeared before them her eyes were brimming with concern toward Shi Lang. She could sense the turmoil and anguish in his heart.

    He was just looking at the void in a daze. The news seemed to have sucked his energy dry. He wanted to charge through the void when he heard the news, but the next moment, he sensed his connection with Amelia fade away. The spiritual mark in his soul sea that belonged to his better half was gone. This was why he knew that no matter how much he charged it won''t make a difference.

    Raksha said, "Tao,e on."

    Shi Tao jumped on the side of the de and the sword shoot through the void at a blinding speed.

    ...

    Every being in the caged world heard this news. The top experts began to move and converge toward the War Maiden Sect. Amelia was a renowned expert in this realm, she had many achievements and actively contributed to the battle against the demonic side. They all wanted to see if it was true or not.

    Tian Long and Zither Soul were the first to move, and appear above the War Maiden Sect. They saw the entire sect was gathered, but none of them dared to approach the burning Amelia. Zither Soul took out her zither and yed a few notes.

    The me gradually went out leaving behind an unharmeddy, and she said, "It was a soul me. Whoever it was burned her soul away."

    Tian Long thought for a bit and asked, "Can he refine a soul recovery pill?"

    Zither Soul shook her head and let out a sigh, "Only a shred is left behind. No pill would work."

    Allure approached Amelia and waved her hand, to restore her face. Amelia opened her eyes but they were only staring in the void nkly. She was barely holding on and mumbled, "Lang..."

    Allure felt her nose growing hot as she tried to hold back her tears. Many other experts gathered, and Allure denied theming close to Amelia. She could sense what the rest of them could not. Amelia was just a shell of herself and the soul fragment in her soul sea was waiting for Shi Lang to bid farewell to him.

    If anyone else came close the fragment might burn out and that would be the end of it all.

    Shi Lang appeared in the void, everyone sensed his arrival, but they were shocked to see his condition. His eyes were dripping with blood, and his aura was fragile. Shi Tao was holding him in her arms. Shi Lang did not look like himself at all.

    His gaze fell on Amelia and he rushed forward. However, he stumbled a few times before he got to her. Shi Tao was crying and she tried to support him but Allure shook her head to stop her.

    Shi Lang held Amelia''s hand and spoke in a soft voice, "Amy, see I am here."

    Amelia''s eyes were in a daze, and Shi Lang could not stop the drops of blood flowing out of his eyes. The unease in his heart made him want to set the entire world on fire. He looked at Hou Bing and yelled, "Save her! Please, Hou Bing save her! I beg of you to save her."

    Shi Lang was a proud man, and every force in the world knew about this. They had seen him stand with his back straight but today the man who made many experts bow their heads was kneeling beside a woman he loved and even begged someone to save her.

    Hou Bing''s figure shed and she appeared in an ethereal form of a woman. The people were shocked. Hou Bing said, "Lang, there is not enough of her soul left for me to save her. Thews of time cannot restore her soul."

    Shi Lang gave up all reason and yelled hysterically, "Use your blood if you have to, please save her. You are a phoenix, please save her. I will be your ve for the times eternal. But save my Amy. Please someone, anyone save her. Tell me what to do?

    I am willing to give up everything, even my cultivation just save her!"

    His yell shook the hearts of people. Many disciples in the war maiden sect were crying. At this moment a soft voice woke everyone up, "Love, don''t be like this."

    Shi Lang turned his head and found Amelia looking at him with sparkling eyes, she had finally regained some control. Her eyes were brimming with tears but on her lips sat a warming smile. She raised her arm with great effort and Shi Lang caught it gently.

    He was holding her as if he was holding a treasure. Amelia said, "Clean up your face, let me see you properly onest time."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes as he tried to hold back his wails. His heart was being torn in shreds and he was burning in pain and rage. Thedy went on to say, "I liked you from the first day of school. When I found that you never gave up and earned your way to the top, I was impressed. That day in the gym when you sensed me, I was very impressed.

    The time you almost gave your life to save me, I decided to sign my soul to you.

    You were the reason I came this far. You were my strength and you still are. However, I was unable to defend myself against that beast. Forgive me for being so weak. Forgive me for causing you harm."

    Shi Lang shook his head forcefully, and wanted to say something when Amelia said, "I don''t have much time left. You have to stay strong, I know you will seek vengeance, but do not be quick about it. You are my Ace, love, don''t let him get away with ease."

    Shi Lang nodded forcefully, the blood continued dripping down his face. The sky had turned dark, and the clouds were rumbling. Amelia said, "Give Tao my love, I don''t want her to see me in this condition, and look after everyone in my stead. Will you?"

    Shi Lang nodded to every promise that she asked of him, and he denied every time she med herself. He never knew that Amelia loved him so much. However, he never expected to find it out in such a state.

    Amelia''s voice was turning softer with every word she said, "Lang, I am going ahead, but you are not allowed to follow me. I need some time to rx in the afterlife. Sweetheart, don''t stop living while I am gone. I am feeling a bit cold, would you hold me in your arms, onest time? Kiss me, onest time."

    Shi Lang sobbed as he lifted her in his arms. Almost all the women were crying at this scene, even the stubborn Immortal Sovereigns were effected, Shi Tao was in Raksha''s embrace and they were both sobbing. The pain radiating through them was from the disy of emotions and vulnerability of a cultivator who defied heavens.

    The men were shook when they saw Shi Lang. This guy was their idol but today he was a fragile human who was emotional and cared deeply about the ones he loved. They all could not help but pray for him.

    Shi Lang kissed Amelia gently and as he parted, Amelia took herst breath. Shi Lang froze, as her hand around his shoulder dropped down lifeless. His world came to stop. The silence was deafening, and suddenly, he looked at the skies as he roared, "Nooo!!!!"

    The entire void shook, and his cries echoed in the entire realm. The clouds began to thunder as it rained, but even the heavens could not mute his wails and cries that shivered everyone. It was as if his agony was resonating with the world.

 Chapter 852: Shura.

    Shi Lang wailed for an entire day, and it rained continuously. His pain seemed to be flooding the entire immortal realm. In the end, he was drained of his energy. Nobody left the ce, they all watched him grieve and presented a silent support at the moment of need. The experts knew that it was Shi Lang who would change their fates.

    Shi Tao gathered herself and walked up to Shi Lang. She knelt beside him and with shivering hands, she reached to touch his shoulder. She was surprised, because her father''s body was cold as if a block of ice.

    Shi Tao said, "Baba, she did not want you to let the grieve overwhelm you, right? Also, can you please be strong for me?"

    Shi Lang raised his blood covered face to look at her, even the torrential rain could not clean his face. His eyes were filled with pain and sorrow as he said in a hoarse voice, "What do I do now?"

    Shi Tao closed her eyes and held him from behind, Amelia had been an integral part of their lives, now that she was gone, they both had a void in their hearts. She replied, "I do not know, but I want to kill the person who took her away from us."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath as he looked at Amelia''s body in his arms. He closed his eyes and gradually calmed down, however, the cold radiating from him was so strong that every expert was dreaded.

    Shi Tao raised her head to find that Shi Lang''s hair turned crimson. She took a step back, because she knew that from this moment on, her father won''t be the same. He was giving up his restrains.

    After half an hour, Shi Lang raised his head and asked, "Where is Ying Yu?"

    His body was void of any spiritual fluctuations but every expert felt threatened. The blood lust around his body was almost materializing. An expert from the War Maiden sect stepped up and said, "Lady Ying has been in seclusion for the past two months, Sire."

    Shi Lang asked, "Who can tell me what happened here?"

    Thedy shook her head and then her gazended on the grand elder. She took a deep breath, and said, "Sire, grand elder was the one who greeted those beasts when they came in."

    She choose her words very precisely, her heart was beating so fast that it could have exploded. She was scared because Shi Lang was staring at her with a pair of indifferent crimson eyes, as if she was a corpse. She was afraid that if she used the word humans for those people, Shi Lang might y her.

    The Terran turned his head to look at the Grand Elder and spoke, "What happened here?"

    His words sounded as if a question, but themanding tone was evident. The grand elder said, "I have no idea who those people were, however, their strength was obvious so I had toe forward. I was afraid they might bully the disciples." Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    Most of the experts furrowed their brows and wanted to say something when they heard a voice in their minds, "Don''t interfere, it won''t do anyone any good."

    Shi Lang looked at the olddy calmly and then said, "Tao, can you hold your mother?"

    Shi Tao nodded, and stepped forward. Shi Lang looked at the Amelia''s pale face and said softly, "I will be back soon, okay, love."

    He gently handed Amelia''s body to Shi Tao as he stood up and walked towards the grand elder. He stood just half a meter away from her and before anyone could say anything, his eyes shed with a spark of red. In the dark of night, everyone saw that spark, and the grand elder was dazed.

    Shi Lang asked calmly, "Who attacked Amelia?"

    The olddy replied, "They were from the Juan family. A force that exists outside the caged realm. Every hundred years they send a delegation of two people to check seals of the cage array. Usually theye and go without disturbing anyone but for the past two times, the person in lead has changed and hemits atrocious deeds."

    Everyone knew this person was called Juan Xian, but what shocked them was that the olddy knew about such visits. The fact that she knew about this realm being a sealed cage shocked them the most. Many people began to discuss among themselves. Shi Lang asked, "Why did he attack Amy, what did he do?"

    The grand elder replied in a daze and said, "That man saw Amelia and wanted to bed her, but she refused, saying that she is married. That person insulted her and said it would not be a life long event just one time. Amelia was enraged and told him to leave. The man was too strong, he threatened her to all the disciples of the sect.

    However, Amelia asked him to focus his rage on her by challenging his manhood.

    She stated the greatness and grace of her husband before him. The man made her kneel, and then he disfigured her face, before crippling her cultivation."

    Shi Lang asked, "How long have you known about this world being a sealed cage?"

    The grand elder replied, "A few centuries. The grand elders of the war maiden sect were the only people spared by those inspectors to guard the gateway of the cage."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Did you know that Amelia would be in danger?"

    The grand elder seemed to hesitate, but then she nodded dazedly. Shi Lang asked, "Why did you let your own disciple treat on such a dangerous path?"

    The grand elder replied, "If not for Amelia, that man could havee after the rest of the girls. Hundred years ago, the old sect master of the War Maiden Sect had been put through the same situation."

    The people gasped, and Shi Lang said, "Wake up."

    The grand elder woke up from the daze, and she was shocked by the realization of what she has said, she looked at Shi Lang and her forehead oozed with cold sweat. The stark change in Shi Lang''s appearance has made the young man from a handsome person to a demon from hell.

    Shi Lang said, "You were her master, yet you betrayed her. You kept her in the dark about the gravity of the situation. Among the people who killed her, you are also involved. You do not deserve to live in this world, but you also do not deserve to go and find her in the afterlife."

    Then with a flick, his finger was stabbed through the olddies forehead and a strong lightning spark rushed through her body and burned her soul. When Shi Lang retracted his finger, the body of the Immortal Sovereign turned into a mound of ash.

    Shi Lang turned around and came to Amelia''s side, he took her in his arms and walked away in the void. Shi Tao looked at his back and said, "From now on, the Asura Hall will withdraw from the battlefield. We have nothing to do with the world until Hall Master recovers."

    Raksha nodded and the two women vanished together, followed by Allure and Hou Bing. The people discussed the situation and Tian Long said, "Focus on clearing the demons and reestablishing the demon region. Also, issue an order, no one is to offend the Asura Hall. From now on, they won''t reason. I hope you all understand."

    The people gradually nodded and left to deal with the things they had. Tian Long looked at the martial council elders and said, "We should go to attend the funeral."

 Chapter 853: Guarding.

    Shi Lang walked in the void with Amelia''s corpse in his arms. He was lost and did not know what he was doing. Only his instincts were driving his actions. It took him two days to reach the Asura Hall. The entire sect knelt on the ground on one knee, this was their way of showing respect.

    A tradition imparted to them by Commander Silence and the rest. This was how things worked in the federal military, and since Amelia was a soldier first, this send off was apt.

    Shi Lang did not care about anyone at this moment, he did not even look at Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei, who were also effected by these events. Carole and Luby had told the girls what happened. They might be children but knew the cruel side of life. The two of them were worried about their master, and when they saw Shi Lang walking with dazed eyes, it became evident that their fear was correct.

    Shi Tao and Raksha were following Shi Lang as he walked through the sect. Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei joined them. They walked while holding Shi Tao''s hands. The three of them wereforting each other without saying anything.

    Shi Lang walked through the crowd and came to the small hill behind the Hall Master residence. He said, "Amy, what do you think about this ce? This is the most peaceful ce in the sect. You can rest here and no one will disturb you. Okay?"

    His eyes were empty but his voice was so soft as if he was afraid of waking someone up from their sleep. Shi Tao looked at the sky and shook her head before Hunk came up and said, "Lang, let us do it."

    Shi Lang looked at him and nodded. Carole came forward and took out a g from her space ring. Shi Tao and Luby helped her wrap the g around Amelia, and Commander Silence said, "General Amelia Knight, we thank you for your service. May you rest in peace."

    Everyone saluted as Hunk and Shrapnel finished setting up a pyre on the hill. At this moment, many martial council elders appeared around the sect. Yang Niao appeared beside Tian Long and said, "Sovereign Heavenly Dragon, please this way."

    He was not very effected and knew that they were all here for the funeral. Shi Lang watched as the peopley Amelia on the pyre and then looked at him. Shi Tao gently pressed her hand on his shoulder, and he mumbled, "How can I do this?"

    Shi Lang could never imagine about hurting Amelia, however, now he has to light her pyre. He felt weak. Shi Tao supported him and bought him over to the pyre, she mumbled her prayers and said, "Baba, only you can do it. She needs you to let her go."

    Shi Lang shakily epted a torch from Commander Silence and set the pyre on fire. They all backed off a few steps and Shi Lang said, "I will guard, you go. Hold her memorial."

    Shi Tao hesitated but then she nodded and left the ce. Only Shi Lang was sitting on the ground looking at the mes without blinking. These mes didn''t only take away Amelia''s remains, but also most of his world. His emotions, and his restraints were evaporating with every passing moment.

    Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei did not leave his side, they stood beside him silently. The man who supported them, and showered them with love, was now suffering through something they could not yet understand.

    Commander Silence stepped up beside him and said, "Lang, this is hers."

    She gave Shi Lang two rings. One was Amelia''s space ring, while the other was her wedding ring. Shi Lang took the rings from her, and then he put her wedding ring on his ring finger. He said, "Xiao Mei, can you bring this ring to your sister Tao, tell her to see through it and each of you somethings."

    Hao Mei shivered as she heard him speak, only now did she notice that Shi Lang''s back was bent, his shoulders were dropped, he did not look like the stalwart figure that could make people shiver in their shoes, instead, he looked like a weak man who had given up on life.

    The girl could not do anything for him at this stage, she just took the ring and left. Yu Xeidi sat behind Shi Lang. She was afraid of leaving him alone. His aura was very gloomy.

    The night passed, Shi Tao sent away all those who came to the funeral. She found Shi Lang still sitting beside the burning pyre, Yu Xeidi has fallen asleep behind him but the man did not seem to care. She watched him from afar, his eyes didn''t blink and the only thing that remained inside were mes.

    mes of revenge, mes of grief, and of anguish. Shi Lang was burning slowly and others could not watch him like this.

    ...

    Tian Long and Zither Soul sat inside a hall with Allure, Hou Bing and Shi Tao. Commander Silence and the rest of the people were there too, including the elders of the Asura Hall and Yan Xue. Tian Long said, "I heard that Ying Yu hade out of seclusion. She is now an Immortal Emperor and is heading over."

    Shi Tao replied, "Why is she here now? To offer condolences, to grieve? As if it would make a difference."

    Yan Xue sighed and said, "Tao, Ying Yu was not at fault, the person who was at fault is gone for long."

    Hou Bing shook her head and said, "I do not care about the rest of the world, but I have signed a contract of equals with Shi Lang. He needs to wake up from this daze."

    Allure questioned, "Your excellency, it has been six months. He hasn''t even blinked once and has been gazing at that spot ever since her ashes were scattered there. None of the people can even approach him apart from his disciples and daughters, what is going on here?"

    Yes, it has been six months since the night of funeral. After the mes receded, Amelia''s ashes were scattered around the hill top. However, Shi Lang had been sitting on his knees at the same spot.

    Nobody could understand why he was sitting there. Suddenly, Zither Soul said, "He is guarding her."

    The people looked at her, and thedy said, "In the lower realm, during our time, there was a ritual, which stated that if a person guards the ashes of a departed, then there was a chance for the departed to find his or her way back to the world of living and meet with the guard."

    Tian Long thought for a bit and opened his eyes wide, "Has he gone mad? He will be lost in eternity if he stayed there guarding that ce."

    Everyone was confused and Hou Bing asked, "What do you mean?"

 Chapter 854: Waking Up.

    Inside the meeting hall, Tian Long had just questioned if Shi Lang had gone mad for guarding the ce for an year.

    Hou Bing asked, "What do you mean?"

    Zither Soul sighed and said, "The ritual is very hard, and one needs to enter a state where their brain does not think about anything but the person they are guarding. They cannot close their eyes and cannot eat anything. Even the intake of spiritual energy is forbidden."

    Everyone opened their eyes wide and began to question if they should disturb Shi Lang or things like that. The reason they were so worried was because if the mind of a cultivator goes into a stagnant situation, there would be a chance for it to be lost in the spiral and not recover for ages.

    There were both type of people in the meeting hall, those who did not want to disturb Shi Lang, and those who wanted to wake him up. None of them meant him any harm but they had their own reasons.

    Shi Tao was silent, because she could not decide what to do. At this time, Yu Xeidi, who was standing beside Shi Tao''s chair yelled, "Silence!"

    The people were surprised, Yu Xeidi spoke in a grim tone, "In your need to help him don''t forget that his name is the Shura Emperor. My master doesn''t need any help from anyone. He has never done anything he was not sure of. Since he wishes to guard the Mistress then don''t bother him."

    Hao Mei came forward and said, "I agree with Xiao Yu, have faith in him, and everything will be fine. If you cannot have faith in him, then you shall leave the Asura Hall. However, if you anyone dared toe closer to Master, you will have to go through us."

    The people shocked, but they could not say anything to the two girls, they were both very protective of Shi Lang, one of them would sit at a distance from where they could see Shi Lang and cultivate or practice their skills in martial arts.

    They were the only ones who did not miss visiting him once a day. Shi Tao had to look after the sect and her own cultivation was there, because she wanted to get stronger as soon as possible to kill those who took away her mother. She looked at the two small figures leaving the hall and said, "Baba is the symbol of hope and strength for the two of them.

    In the past six months, they have reached to the middle stages of the golden core realm. Even I was not as big of a cultivation maniac as them back in the day. I suggest we wait it out. If Baba does not wake up in six months time, then we will seek other means."

    The people nodded, and only Tian Long looked like he was holding something in, but he knew very well that if he meddled in this matter, then even if Shi Lang woke up from the daze, it won''t end up any good for him.

    ...

    Under the cold sky Shi Lang sat gazing at the plot ofnd before him. His body was covered with a faintyer of dust, his hair had already matted and looked like a scab of dry blood on his head. His pupils were crimson but the rest of his eye was pinkish because of the strain they had been put through.

    Shi Lang had not moved from his spot, and his body was like a stone withstanding the tribtion of life. His face was now covered with a thick dusty beard that hid the dried blood on his cheeks.

    Rakshay beside him silently. She had been here from the night Shi Lang came to sit down here. The sword spirit had also entered a phase of sleep, and the hill had be a forbidden location in the sect.

    As the sun went down on the horizon, Yu Xeidi walked over with a te filled with pristine snacks, followed by Hao Mei who bought a stack of fine quality clothes. Shi Tao appeared in the end while carrying a big photo frame in her arms. They ced the photo beside Shi Lang, and knelt on the ground before the photo to kowtow.

    Shi Tao said, "Mom, it has been long since you left. I miss you."

    The other two stayed silence, and Shi Tao continued to mumble her prayer. She raised her head and burned two sticks of essence and then kowtowed before the photo by knocking her head against the ground nine times.

    Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei followed her actions, and the three girls stood up from their ce. Hao Mei asked with her spiritualmunication, "Eldest sister, will master wake up?"

    Shi Tao patted her head, Hao Mei had grown taller and now she reached her waist, and Yu Xeidi was the same, they both have grown a lot since they did not want the people they loved to suffer. They were not strong enough to handle the pain and guard the ce like Shi Tao or Shi Lang.

    Shi Tao heard the question and replied, "Let''s wait for the sun toe up. Then we will know."

    In Shi Lang''s mind the scene of him meeting Amelia was ying like an eternal loop. He also saw their rtionship being pushed because of their parents. Then he saw the moment of marrying her. His entire life with Amelia was like a film shing before him, and just when the loop was about to finish, he heard a voice in his mind, "Lang, wake up my love. There are many things that you need to do.

    You have to reach the peak like you always wanted to. I will watch you from wherever I am. Now go, Tao and the rest are waiting for you."

    Shi Lang shivered as the rays of morning sun fell on his body. The dust that had umted over his body cracked as he moved. Shi Lang closed his eyes and moved his neck which issued crackling sounds.

    A wave of energy erupted from his body, and spread through the entire sect. Shi Tao and the two girls were happy and surprised to see him wake up. The next moment, Allure appeared next to them with shock spelled over her face.

    Yan Xue and the rest also appeared, and they saw Shi Lang standing up on his feet and channeling spiritual energy through his body. His body issued crackling sounds as he moved and turned around to say, "It must have been hard on you all. Thank you."

    The people from the Asura Hall bowed and said, "Greetings, Hall Master."

    Shi Lang nodded and then he walked up to Shi Tao and hugged her. He said, "I am here now my child. Don''t worry, it will be fine now."

    Shi Tao let go and sobbed in his arms. The Ace of Terrans had woken up. Allure asked, "Did you refine your blood?"

    Everyone was shocked to hear this and gazed at Shi Lang with question in their eyes.

 Chapter 855: Immortal Sovereign. (1)

    Shi Lang consoled Shi Tao for a few minutes before he turned to look at the tree that grass in that has grown on the hill as he said, "I am going ahead, I wille back when I have taken the head of those beasts."

    He made his deration and suddenly the clouds turned dark and began to thunder. Shi Tao was confused but suddenly the concentrated spiritual energy told her that the clouds were tribtion clouds.

    Shi Lang said, "Tao, I am going to settle the demons."

    Shi Tao nodded subconsciously and Shi Lang vanished. The next moment, Hou Bing followed his trail while Allure let out a breath, and panted. The people were confused, Hao Mei approached her and asked, "Elder, are you alright?"

    Allure nodded as she patted Hao Mei''s head and said, "Tell Tian Long and the rest that your master is charging at the demon region and he is bringing a Heavenly tribtion in tow. They should get away from him and the battle front."

    Hao Mei nodded and rushed away quickly. Shi Tao asked, "What do you mean that Baba has be an Immortal Sovereign?"

    Allure nodded and replied, "He became a Sovereign."

    Shi Tao shook her head and asked, "But he did not even circte his spiritual energy so how could he haveprehended anything? Also, you asked if he has refined his blood, right? What is going on?"

    Allure took a deep breath and said, "He asked me once about the method of the Legendary beasts. I told him that we need to refine our blood with Dao Laws. Each drop of blood that is courses through our veins is to be engraved with the Dao Laws. This gives us physical strength like none other and when we havepleted refining the hundred percent amount of blood.

    We face the Tribtion to rise to the Immortal Sovereign."

    Shi Tao nodded, and wanted to say something when Allure continued, "That is the case for the spiritual beasts, but Shi Lang is a human, he would need to go through two different tribtions. When his spiritual cultivation rises he would need it."

    Shi Tao was stunned and said, "Shit!"

    They wouldn''t have been worried about Shi Lang if it was normal time. However, the moment he woke up, Shi Tao sensed that something about him was different. Other than that, his body was stuck in one stance for an year. Despite all this she could not do anything apart from praying for his well being.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not care about anything else and just moved through the void at a breakneck speed. His body was devouring the spiritual energy around him at a blinding speed. Hou Bing was keeping up with him and she asked, "Are you okay?"

    The Terran nodded and said, "My heart is just calm. I culled all the emotional fluctuations. This world has lost some of its vibrance in my gaze."

    Hou Bing shook her head but she did not say anything. It was not going to work, so why must a holy beast poke his tender wounds? Shi Lang did not speak and just flew ahead of the lightning tribtion clouds. His speed was faster than ever, he was using the Dao Law of lightning that boosted his speed.

    While he was flying, Hou Bing asked, "Do you intend to use the first tribtion to attract a second one?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That is the only way I will gain the perfect sovereign ground."

    Hou Bing replied calmly, "You will need to merge the two grounds, and for that you will need be a sage."

    Shi Lang replied indifferently, "The crown and the throne holds no use to me anymore. They are just condensed from the Dao Laws, and every sovereign must look past the vanity to gain the semnce of a sovereign."

    It took him a couple of hours to reach the front line. Yes, he has been flying at the speedparable to an Immortal Sovereign. There were people in the spiritual cultivator side and they were surprised to see Shi Lang arriving so soon.

    The Terrannded on the ground and the clouds thundered above him. The heavenly tribtion was a sentinel being, and once it found Shi Lang to be avoiding it, running from the fate, it was enraged. The lightning condensed inside the clouds. Everyone could see that it was as thick as a human thigh, yet, Shi Lang stood on the ground with his gaze locked onto the clouds.

    The demonic soldiers were charging to attack him but when the bolt of lightning descended, Shi Lang stood showering under the red glow, he absorbed as much energy as he could and then directed the surplus of it to the demonic soldiers.

    Their gathering saved him the trouble to look for them. He would not have to go after them, he would earn merit and he would also advance his cultivation. The reason he was so eager to do these two things was because in his heart, he knew that the only way for him to heal his wounded heart was to find the killers and destroy them.

    The hatred in his heart has chilled his emotions. The moment he made his peace with Amelia''s absence, that was the moment he sentenced the Juan family to death. The entire family would have to pay the price of harming the one he loved.

    While he killed the demonic soldiers and his body bore the burn of the heavenly lightning, he could not help but remember thest moments and words Amelia spent with him. However, despite going down the memoryne his heart was calm. He had gotten used to this, and he looked at the sky as he said, "The pain you bring is nothingpared to what I hold in my chest. Weakling!"

    The clouds thundered loudly, even the Immortal Emperors in the distance could not help but flinch at this reply from the heavens. Sure enough, the lightning thickened and the damage increased.

    Shi Lang''s skin was broken and he was bleeding from some cracks. Yet, he did not even pursued his lips. To him, no amount of physical pain could make him frown anymore. The lightning streaks fell one after the other, one stronger than the other.

    Shi Lang was absorbing the spiritual energy in his Dantianpressing it to make space for more energy. When the tribtion came to an end, Shi Lang threw around arge number of spirit stones. He said, "Hou Bing, Raksha, if anyonees close, y them and destroy their souls."

    Then he made a few seals with his hands and a huge barrier appeared around him. He sat crossed legs in the void and a cape and a crown appeared over his head and back. The immortal cultivators watching all this from the distance and were shocked.

    One of the experts eximed, "Wasn''t that his tribtion to ascend to the realm of a Sovereign? What is going on here?"

    The next moment, Tian Long appeared ahead of the crowd with Fairy Moon Jade, and the rest of the Martial Council top brass. They could not understand what was going on, when they saw Shi Lang disperse the cape and crown on his head into small specks of light that flew around him in a circle.

    It was as if a vortex of light was going around Shi Lang, and the man was the center of it all. The particles gradually moved faster and they gathered together to cast a ring around Shi Lang.

    Tian Long said, "He is charging at the Immortal Sovereign realm."

    The rest of the people nodded, and suddenly a general said, "My lord, the demon side has demon sovereigns gathering in the void."

    Tian Long frowned and said, "Do they think we are wind? I have yet to settle the score with these old undying bastards, yet they dare to show up here? Everyone, avoid the formation, just charge at the old and young. None of the demonic bastards shall be left alive!"

    Zither Soul did not even wait for anyone. She flickered and appeared in the position where she had ced herself right outside the array around Shi Lang and she sat down with her Zither.

    Tian Long took out a ck and red sword as he vanished from his position as well. Lao Xu, Amethyst, Old Man Yanshu, all of them joined the battle and the world descended in chaos. Suddenly Fairy Moon Jade said, "The clouds have yet to go away, do not make haste. None of you are to direct any intention towards the formation or the sky.

    You will have to face the lightning streaks of a crimson grade tribtion.Don''t tell me that you cannot see that this tribtion is different from the other."

    Hou Bing said, "This is indeed not a simple tribtion but the double tribtion. Shi Lang is aiming to get a perfect sovereign. How can it be normal?"

    The sovereigns opened their eyes wide because this realm was nothing but a mythological tale.

 Chapter 856: Immortal Sovereign (2)

    Shi Lang stood in the center of the demonic forces and he was bathing in crimson lightning. Demonic cultivators were shocked by this and they were afraid of approaching him. However, Tian Long and the rest had began their n to kill as many demonic cultivators as possible.

    The Terran stood under the lightning shower, and absorbed as much energy as he could. The surplus was directed to Raksha, and Hou Bing also absorbed a lot of heavenly energy. What shocked the people was the fact that Shi Lang did not even let out a groaning sound from his mouth as he went through the tribtion.

    Shi Tao clenched her fist and focused on venting her hatred at the demonic cultivators. All the experts from the Asura Hall were doing the same. They could tell that Shi Lang was absorbing all the energy to strengthen himself because he was in pain. To numb the pain in his heart, he decided to go through physical pain.

    Every shred of his being was suffering but he kept his eyes open. He looked at the sky and said, "You should stop holding back."

    The clouds thundered, and one after the other lightning bolts fell from the sky and hit Shi Lang. Every bolt was twice stronger than thest but even then Shi Lang only moved a few inches from his spot. The damage on his body was significant. It was covered with a lot of wounds but Shi Lang stood straight like a spear.

    After the ninth bolt of lightning, the surroundings calmed down. Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Get back, I am going in."

    The people were surprised but since the Shura said this, they all took a few steps back. Shi Lang flickered and appeared at the ce where Demon Sovereigns were. He waved his palm over and over, with every stroke of his palm a demon sovereign fell down on the ground and turned into ashes.

    The rest of the forces were also disintegrated in the same manner. The lingering sword intent was so strong that even the remnants of the Demonic energy were shreddedpletely. Shi Lang stepped back and said, "Hou Bing, the second tribtion is about to begin."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "I know, I will be here to absorb the energy you couldn''t."

    The Terran nodded calmly and went back to his original position. He sat on the ground and closed his eyes to control the energy inside his body. The spiritual energy and the Dao Laws from the sacrifice of the Dao crown and cape were now materializing into a solid tform. This tform would be the foundation for the future.

    The process was quick and Shi Lang was consolidating his foundation when suddenly the clouds lit up. The scene shocked everyone, because they saw golden lightning raging in the clouds.

    Hou Bing squinted her gaze and said, "Lang, the second tribtion is going to be tough. I might not be able to help you much."

    Shi Lang nodded but he did not open his eyes. The method to get through the sovereign tribtion was to assimte the heavenly lightning in the foundation in his Dantian. He took a deep breath, and the next moment, a golden sword shot from the clouds and headed straight for the Terran.

    The demonic forces on the front hade to an end. The people were relieved and curiously watched everything unfold before them. The golden lightning sword rushed at Shi Lang with full force and hit him squarely on the chest.

    There was not much impact because the sword entered Shi Lang''s body within a blink. The fire seed was spinning so fast that Shi Lang could sense a pull on his muscles. The fire seed was taming the destructive golden lightning and breaking it down into finer particles so that Shi Lang could use his inheritance to use the golden lightning to inscribe Dao Laws on the foundation.

    The processsted five minutes, but the damage was significant too. Shi Lang''s chest was scorched at the point of contact, because the golden lightning was extremely destructive. It contained thews of speed, and destruction.

    Tian Long and the rest frowned, Old Man Yanshu looked at Allure and asked, "Why is the essence of destruction climbing?"

    A deep voice echoed in the region, "To think that a human would be able to summon the heavenly golden lightning. I have underestimated your potential."

    Everyone was surprised because they all saw a dragon thousands of feet long circling around them. This guy was the fabled legendary beast that ruled the dragon n of the Titan Mountains.

    Tian Long clenched his sword, but a calm and crispy voice echoed in the void, "So you thought you can unt your size before me?"

    The void trembled, everyone turned to look at Allure. To be precise, the cerulean bird resting on top of her head was the one staring at the dragon. The dragon furrowed his brows and wanted to retort in rage when Hou Bing said, "You have yet to reach the level of a holy beast, yet you dare to be so unruly in the presence of one? Seems like your dragon race does not wish to live in peace."

    Her voice was sweet to hear, but the pressure her pam sized body gave off shrouded the Dragonpletely and thetter shivered as he quickly changed into his human form and appeared before Hou Bing.

    The people took a deep breath and the man said, "Forgive me for my insolence, Your Excellency, I did not expect to see you here."

    Hou Bing took a look at the man and said, "Hmph, go and stand at the side, if you dared to disturb him, you will not be able to pay the price."

    The dragon, who had just turned into a man could not say anything. He just bowed his head and stood beside Allure. He asked her with his spiritual sense, "Who is this human for Her Excellency to pay so much attention to."

    Allure replied, "She signed the contract of equals with him, on her own initiative."

    The man sucked in a cold breath and wanted to say something when Allure said, "She has not given him anything more than a chance to seek the Dao of time. It is his own talent and if you look at it, Her Excellency is absorbing everything that he cannot. He is giving her the benefits."

    The dragon gulped and watched the scene unfold.

    Shi Lang absorbed the Golden Sword, which was followed by a Golden Spear. The golden spear attacked him and this time the impact was strong. Shi Lang was injured as streak of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

    The spear was broken through by the fire seed in his body, and the effect of the golden lightning was such that the me seed had began to mutate. It had a shallow trace of golden lightning sparks over it. The spinning speed was faster than before and that made the condensation of the broken lightning energy faster too.

    Shi Lang was injured because his flesh was being sucked by the energy vortex created by the fast flowing fire-lightning seed. The Terran took this chance to direct the energy of the lightning that could not be absorbed or transmitted to the Dantian, was moved over to the flesh and bones.

    He began to refine his body to another level. This was just the second bolt of golden lightning and his pores had a trace of blood over them. Shi Lang did not fear any sort of pain now, all he cared was that if he did not stride with all his strength, he might fail.

    The heavenly lightning was the biggest chance for him to refine his body and spirit as much as he wanted because he did not know the situation outside the cage and he did not n to stay in this caged realm anymore. The memories he made with Amelia were stronger because even though he did not see her everyday, but the peace he felt after meeting her every time was much more effecting to him.

    Shi Lang knew very well that his emotional ties with her could very well be the reason of his demise, but that did not make a difference to him. He would walk the path he believed was right. He would give it his all to fulfil herst wish.

    As he finished absorbing the second bolt, a third bolt shaped like a python hit him. Shi Lang finally could not maintain his meditative stance and let out a slight groan. The lightning was stronger and more destructive. It caused the ground below him to evaporate. Thend could not withstand the devastation and was broken down into nothing but fumes of dry sand aroma.

    Shi Lang was levitating as he hurriedly inscribed the Dao Laws of Lightning, destruction, and ughter on the foundation tightly. Every moment he was reaching closer to the realm of the sovereign, but his physical body was starting to fall apart as well.

 Chapter 857: Immortal Sovereign (3)

    Shi Lang was absorbing the Golden python and inscribing the foundation with Dao Laws, while at the same time he was strengthening his body too. His speed was fast but the input on his body was even stronger.

    He decided to change his strategy otherwise, he would die from this pressure. As he finished absorbing the third golden lightning bolt, he retrieved a bottle of healing pills and swallowed them down in one gulp.

    These pills were refined by him in the cave inside the Titan Mountains. Shi Lang consumed them quickly and soon his body began to heal but the heavens did not want to give him any chance, the fourth lightning bolt charged at him in the shape of a leopard.

    Tian Long asked, "Why is the lightning shaped like objects?"

    The Dragon man scoffed and said, "Ignorant."

    Tian Long looked at the man and released his pressure. The might he disyed shocked the dragon. He did not expect this human to have such a strong aura that couldpete with a legendary beast. He looked carefully and found that almost every human sovereign was simr to a legendary beasts.

    He was baffled and thought, ''What the fuck happened? These humans are outrageously strong.''

    Allure did not bother to exin anything to them and asked, "Your Excellency, is there an order to these lightning bolts? They don''t seem random to me."

    Hou Bing was standing on Allure''s head, and she hummed lightly before saying, "The golden lightning is supreme among all sorts of lightning. It can destroy anything because it is made up from the perfect union of the five elements.

    The objects that you are asking about at the strength test. Shi Lang is strong and the golden lightning cannot push him to his extreme limits. This is why it is attacking him in the shapes of various objects."

    The dragon man nodded and said, "Her Excellency is correct, the order of these attacks is based on increasing strength. The sword, the spear, the python, the leopard, the tiger, the sage, the queen, the flood dragon and finally the dragon.

    Thest three not only test your cultivation but also your heart by casting various illusions. Once you are trapped in the illusions, your death is eminent."

    The people understood what was going on, their expressions turned solemn, and suddenly a soft voice sounded in the area, "Eldest Sister, I will ask master for a new sword when hees out."

    Everyone turned to look at the master of the voice and found Yu Xeidi standing behind Shi Tao. They all shook their heads thinking that the girl was taking things too lightly.

    However, when they sensed the aura of a golden core from her they were all stunned. This child was just a ten years old, but her battle intent was revolving around her unbound.

    Hunk chuckled and said, "Xiao Yu, I can give you a nice new sword."

    Yu Xeidi looked at him and asked, "Uncle, are you as strong as my Master?"

    Hunk choked and shook his head. Yu Xeidi nodded and turned to look at the situation in under the golden lightning. The Lightning Leopard was just about to attack Shi Lang with his ws when the Terran moved to the side and shot out with his fist. The extraordinarily simple punch looked slow, but when it collided with the body of the lightning leopard, it let out muffled booms

    The punch broke through the sound barrier, and the impact caused the lightning leopard to roar, but Shi Lang targeted its weak point and broke it down into smaller streaks which were then absorbed by him with ease.

    One of the young experts from the Martial Council yelled, "Fuck, even this is possible? Why have we never tried fighting the tribtion?"

    Someone looked at him and spoke in disdainful tone, "Do you think you are as monstrous of talent as the Shura Emperor? Wake up. Idiot."

    The people nodded, after all, even if many of them did not know Shi Lang, this man had created a lot of miracles that none of them could even imagine.

    ...

    Shi Lang absorbed the lightning and continued with the iing lightning tiger. This time the battlested for over a few minutes, and Shi Lang was wounded while fighting the beast. He absorbed the spiritual energy rushing in his body and his lightning was turning towards the golden color already.

    After the Tiger, a human shaped lightning appeared. The human was six feet tall and his body was simply outrageous. Many people shivered as the figure walked toward Shi Lang. The Terran opened his eyes and looked at his adversary and he grabbed onto his spear as he charged forward.

    His speed was fast, and the sage also reciprocated. The tribtion was sentient, and it was aware that Shi Lang would not go down easily. So to ensure the highest difficulty the Tribtion would evolve.

    The people who watched this could not help but shiver and take few more steps back. Shrapnel let out a whistle and said, "Boss, sure is made different."

    Carole said, "His code name is Ace, what else do you expect from him? Even till date people idolize him in the federation. Of course he is different."

    The people nodded, and the sage and Shi Lang shed. They began to exchange moves, and despite being injured Shi Lang fought to his level best and finally after five hundred moves, he managed to find a gap and stabbed the spear directly in its abdomen. He did not wait and twisted the spear.

    The sage broke apart and vanished. The lightning energy flew through the spear and entered Shi Lang''s body. The spear trembled, and the dragon man sighed, "How wasteful, to let the spear use the heavenly lightning to gain a spirit."

    Allure turned to look at him coldly and said, "The reason people call don''t like you dragons is because of your conceited and cynical idea of how the world should work. I saw your tribtion from my confines, you only had a purple tribtion when you ascended to the legendary realm. Right now, after thousands of years since that day, you have yet to go through another tribtion.

    Your blood is still an inch away fromplete refinement. Yet, here you are making remarks about someone who has reachedplete refinement. Have some shame and don''t embarrass all the spiritual beasts."

    The dragon man''s face turned red and he wanted to throw a tantrum when he spotted a small eye ring at him. Hou Bing''s gaze was akin to a knife that rested against his heart, as soon as he spoke, Hou Bing will kill him.

    The size of this little bird may appear cute but the might that resided inside her was enough to shake the world.

    Shi Lang stood in the void, he was not wearing his battle robe anymore. At the end of the first tribtion, it had vaporized.

    As he raised his head, he saw a female figure condense from lighting. Fairy Moon Jade mumbled, "Amelia?"

    Hou Bing replied, "The tribtion of love."

    The people understood what this round was going to test. Shi Tao shook her head and said, "The heavens made a mistake."

    Shi Lang stared at the figure made from golden lightning and said, "You think that just because you have taken her form, you can go deep in my heart. Shake my resolve and take me down? Are you overestimating yourself a bit too much?"

    The people were shocked, and Shi Lang moved forward. He appeared before the lightning Amelia and embraced her as he said, "Thank you for the gift."

    Then he tightened his grip so much that the lightning figure broke apart and he absorbed every shred of it to proceed to the next level. He gazed at the clouds and said, "Don''t try this next time, I will sh a hole in you."

    The clouds thundered and the next moment arge flood dragon charged at Shi Lang. The Terran did not flinch and the fight began. The spear was already busy with awakening the spiritual conscious and evolve into a heavenly artifact.

    So, the Shura held his sword and charged to y the lightning dragon. The battlested for a hour, and Shi Lang suffered many wounds, one of his hands were almost amputated, however, the effect of the healing pills was helping him recover faster. He used his superior body to divert all the healing properties to the arm.

    Then the world shook, a roar erupted from the depths of the dark clouds. Shi Lang let go of the sword in his hand and stood on the ground. His figure looked so lonely that Shi Tao could not help but clench her fists.

    He raised his head and said, "Come."

    A golden dragon with golden scales, ws and horns charged toward Shi Lang. The tail of the golden dragon was still hidden in the clouds. The condensation of golden lightning had reached such a level where the dragon looked real.

    Allure hummed and said, "I hope he could make it through."

    Hou Bing did not say anything, she was thinking the same thing but her dharma forbade her from helping Shi Lang. What she did not expect was for Shi Lang to sh with the Dragon head on. A blinding glow erupted from the point of contact. They all closed their eyes.

 Chapter 858: Heading Into The Future.

    The people had to close their eyes, even if they were all the cultivators of Immortal Sovereign realm they could not tolerate the brilliance of the golden light erupting from where Shi Lang was supposed to be.

    The Terran was shrouded in the halo of the golden lightning, his skin ked away, and his blood was vaporized. His jade bones seemed to be soft and tender, Shi Lang could not help but let out a roar. He was unwilling to perish.

    However, the golden lightning was unforgiving. It came at him with the intention of killing and eradicating the man as if he never existed in the first ce. Shi Lang struggled, the only thing he could do now was to cycle the energy of the golden lightning and absorb it as much as he could.

    The absorption promoted healing and replenished his blood quickly. The lightning dragon could sense it but although the Heavenly Tribtion was sentient, it could not perform any martial arts skill against Shi Lang.

    The heavens were strong and brutal strength rendered everything useless. Shi Lang was probably the first in this realm who fought back instead of enduring.

    After a few minutes when the blinding glow receded the people opened their eyes. They saw Shi Lang standing on the ground, his body was charged, and he did not seem to have any vitality left.

    Everyone gasped, but at this moment, five shadows flickered from the crowd and surrounded Shi Lang. Shi Tao sensed this and wanted to move when Allure said, "They won''t harm him."

    These five people were in reality were the clones who gained sentient under Allure''s guidance. However, their Dao Path was still connected to Shi Lang. Under the confused gazes of thousands of experts, the five clones melted into five drops of golden blood.

    These years, they have been cultivating the method of blood refinement. They evolved from Shi Lang, and thus they only had to refine one drop and even that took them a long time. When Shi Lang had met one of his clones in the past, the clone was stronger than him but that was just momentary.

    The clones could only grow stronger to a certain extent after which they would have to go back and assimte with Shi Lang. The people were surprised to see what was going on, the five drops of golden blood moved through the void and entered Shi Lang''s body.

    The drops of blood converged inside Shi Lang''s heart and began to heal it. Yes, the golden lightning dragon had almost killed him leaving a shred of his vitality and even a severely injured immortal soul.

    However, as the five drops of blood began to heal Shi Lang the clouds thundered. Everyone thought that the lightning will descend on Shi Lang again, but that did not happen. Even if the heavens were strong they were still bound by thews. The nine streaks have been survived and Shi Lang was now an Immortal Sovereign.

    The clouds parted and the golden radiance descended from the gaps in the clouds. Shi Lang was bathed in the golden glow and his body began to heal. The process was slow but it was thorough.

    ...

    Hou Bing let out a sigh and said, "I pray for the people who are going to cross his path from now on."

    Allure nodded and the dragon man was surprised. He did not expect Hou Bing to have such high expectations from Shi Lang. He looked at the young man covered in golden halo and asked, "Your Excellency, is he really so great?"

    Hou Bing chuckled and said, "Do you think if he was not great I would be here beside him?"

    Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin

    The dragon man realized that he has just asked a question that was self exnatory. Indeed, why would Hou Bing select anyone as a equal partner in a spiritual contact if he or she was not good?

    The surrounding people did not hear them talking, but when they saw Shi Lang waking up, they calmed down.

    ...

    Inside the golden cocoon, Shi Lang was akin to a new born baby. His body was recreated by the heavenly providence and he gradually woke up. After a few minutes, hended on the ground. Yan Xue was the first person to appear beside him with a ck and red robe. Shi Lang waspletely exposed after the recreation.

    The Terran looked at Yan Xue and said, "Thank you."

    Yan Xue shook her head. She knew that Shi Lang has closed his heart the moment Amelia left the world of living. However, she did not wish to move on, for her, he was everything. Also, she was an emotional person, Shi Lang needed her beside him, so even if her feelings never reached bore fruit. She would be there beside Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang put on the robe and looked at his spear thaty on the ground. He grabbed at the void and the spear flew back in his grip. The weapon trembled and an excited voice echoed in Shi Lang''s mind, "Greetings Master."

    The voice was akin to that of a child, but it was sure that the weapon has gained sentience. Shi Lang stroked the spear gently and said, "Good, golden lightning from the heavenly tribtion gave you life, so you should be called Tribtion Spear."

    The spear trembled and issued a sharp sound, as the voice sounded in Shi Lang''s mind, "Thank you, Master."

    Shi Lang nodded and stowed away the spear in his space ring. Then he looked at the red and golden sword and asked, "Raksha,e over."

    The sword transformed and the sword spirit appeared before everyone. The people instinctively avoided looking at thedy, the sharpness radiating from her was something none of them could match.

    Raksha said, "Howe you are never gentle with me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and ignored the frivolous spirit. Hou Bing flew over andnded on his shoulder. After a few minutes she said, "Your lightning had be very strong now."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It has but it''s still not enough."

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "Chasing after revenge blindly is not a good thing, Lang. You need to take things easy."

    The Terran nodded and said, "All I seem to have left is time, Hou Bing."

    Yan Xue heard him and said, "Lang, time will make you strong to avenge sister Amelia, and it will also make the world realize that none of the cultivators here are weak."

    Shi Lang nodded, he turned to look at everyone and sped his fist toward them. He did not say anything but his gesture was a greeting to his peer, the fellow sovereigns. The people did not take him lightly. Only Shi Lang was the only person who could greet them as equals even though he has just stepped in the realm of Sovereign.

    Yu Xeidi dashed out of the crowd and flung herself at Shi Lang. The Terran revealed a faint smile and caught her as he said, "Xiao Yu, are you happy that master came out of the tribtion safely."

    Yu Xeidi smiled in his arms and said, "Fellow Daoist Master, congrattions. I will catch up with you soon."

    Shi Lang could not help but chuckle, the three girls were the only source of family love in his life now. Although he had friends but for some reason he could not open his heart to them.

    Hao Mei walked over gracefully with Shi Tao. The girl bowed and congratted Shi Lang. The Terran patted her head gently and then looked at his daughter who seemed to have been through a battle.

    The two nodded at each other and Hao Mei said, "Master, Xiao Yu wants a new sword."

    Shi Lang looked at the girl in his arms and saw her sticking her tongue out at Hao Mei. He smiled and said, "When we get home, I will get you both a new sword. Also, Xiao Mei will get a new cauldron. Happy?"

    The two girls winked at each other and smiled. Allure walked over and said, "Your tribtion attracted guests from the Titan Mountain."

    Shi Lang was wearing a deadpan look. Then he looked at the man and asked Allure, "Who is he? I sense Dragon''s breath on him."

    The man heard this and chuckled as he said, "Young friend, you are indeed a talent. I am Long Jintian. The leader of the dragon n in the Titan mountains."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am Shi Lang."

    Long Jintian frowned for a second and then he calmed down. The holy phoenix was standing on the shoulder of this young man and not his head. He said, "Congrattions on your advancement."

    Shi Lang thanked him and after a few pleasantries, he said, "Hou Bing, lets head back home."

    Hou Bing nodded and Shi Lang said, "Tian Long,e along."

    The heavenly dragon sovereign nodded and followed him with Fairy Moon Jade. Allure waved her hand to open the void tunnel and Shi Lang said, "Seniors from the Martial Council, I wonder if you are interested in discussing about the future of this ce."

    Lao Xu and the rest were alerted and they also nodded after a few moments. They did want to transform this ce into a strong force so that they could break out of here.

    Shi Lang said, "Come along then."

 Chapter 859: Reform & Departure.

    Every big shot from the caged realm was gathered in the Asura Hall. Now that the demonic forces have been taken down, they all hade to listen to what Shi Lang had to say.

    Shi Lang sat on the futon like everyone else and he said, "You all might be thinking what n do we need but to go out. Right?"

    The reaction was mixed. There were people who wanted to go out of the caged realm, and there were also people who were cautious in nature and wanted to think it through. Shi Lang shook his head and said, "The world we live in now is a cage, however, this cage is also a protection for us. We need to maximize our potential and rise to a stronger standard before venturing out."

    The people understood where this was going, and Lao Xu asked, "Shura Sovereign, what do you mean?"

    Shi Lang gazed at him and said, "Elder, it would be better if Hou Bing told you all about the world outside the cage."

    Hou Bing hopped onto his shoulder and said, "The way of life is not simple out there. You will need to change your cultivation a bit."

    An expert raised his hand and asked, "Why so? Are we not strong enough?"

    Hou Bing shook her head and said, "Unfortunately, no. The martial council high chairs have received guidance from Shi Lang and that is why they have managed to increase their strengths. Can you sense that their aura is stronger than before?"

    The man nodded and Sovereign Amethyst said, "True, it was Shi Lang who guided us in a new way that helped us gain higher strength. It is something that we never expected to be possible."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "This level of strength is the what you need to have if you wish to be strong enough to live out there. Forget about making an identity, this is bare survival."

    The people were shocked, they did not expect something like this toe up. Hou Bing said, "Do you all know that above the realm of immortal god there are more realms of spiritual cultivation?"

    The crowd was stunned, they did not expect such a thing. Hou Bing said, "The people who came to check on the cage realm were at least four realms above the Immortal God realm."

    Tian Long looked at Shi Lang, he found the Terran was sitting calmly, his eyes were dull, as if staring in the void. He sighed and asked, "Senior, What are those realms?"

    Hou Bing said, "These realms are extremely hard to cultivate. The realm above Immortal God is called Dao Soldier. Then followed by Dao General, Dao Lord, Dao King, Dao Emperor, and Dao Sovereign."

    The people understood and Hou Bing continued talking to them about how the things worked when she used to roam the world. The things that she told them were shocking. In the end Hou Bing said, "I was sealed in this ce for more than hundreds of thousands years. Do you think the cruelty of the world outside would have lessened? They are stilling here and doing what they want.

    Out there is the world that is ruled and dictated by the strongest of the strong. Age, species, method of cultivation, nothing matters, only strength can make a difference."

    The people wore somber expressions, because they did not expect for the world outside to be such a thing. Shi Lang said, "You all do not have to feel said. If you all don''t mind, I would like to make a few suggestions."

    Old Man Yanshu said, "Young Friend, please go on."

    Shi Lang nodded to him in thanks and said, "We need to reform the entire caged realm. All the factions need to be disband and reformed in a collective army. The strong will hold the structure of officers and the rest will follow."

    As soon as he finished speaking someone raised their hand and asked, "Your Excellency, how will we decide who will sit at the top? This is a bit to vague."

    Shi Lang said, "Yes, good question. There will be a set of rules that everyone would have to follow. As for the one who sits at the top. Every five years, there will be apetition. The one who wins thepetition, will be the supreme general. This tournament will be open for everyone.

    If you think that you can defeat others then step up and fight for the seat of the supreme general."

    The more he spoke the more people understood the benefits of a collective army. The sects would have to give out there resources and that will help the soldiers to grow. Shi Lang mentioned the formation of the special divisions that would be led by Commander Silence and the rest of the federal forces.

    They will investigate any and everyone, and they will be watched by the supreme general and the rest of the generals.

    The army was designed to be self dependent. The entire meetingsted for a week, before the people left to tack actions. They had unanimously decided to form the army and inaugurate it within six months.

    In the meantime, Shi Lang would consolidate his cultivation foundation and spend some time with his people before he leaves for the outside world. He was going to be the pioneer in this journey and he was sure that things won''t be easy.

    As days passed, Shi Lang refined weapons and pills with Yu Xeidi and Hao Mei, the former has taken a liking to weapon refining and learned a lot of things. Hao Mei had been progressing in terms of alchemy but she was also advancing in terms ofbat. During the six months, Shi Lang suggested the eastern continent to be merged. He personally went to the titan mountains.

    He tried to negotiate but the legendary beasts were all arrogant, so he let Allure have a go at them. Thedy was ferocious and beat up the legendary beasts till the point they had no option but to submit. The legendary beasts turned their gazes to the dragon kin.

    A few juniors arrogantly came over and cursed Shi Lang, however, Long Jintian, the leader of the Dragons gave in to his suggestion and agreed to develop cordial rtions with the humans.

    Many experts thought that it would be an era of peace and that would cause their cultivation andbat skills to fall down, but the militaryw of the caged realm stated that they could challenge anyone they wanted and they could also step on the tform of life and death. This ce was made to settle life and death grudges of many people.

    Other than that the top talent list was created by the many tradingpanies. The soldiers were asked to fight each other and try to surpass each other. The battles were held in the simtion world. However, the effect of this battles did not negate physical damage. It only reduced the possibility of death during battle.

    The changes throughout the caged realm shook the old people. They could not help but say that they have stepped into the golden age. Another highlight of the six months was the introduction of gic serum. Shi Tao hade up with the idea to help the people awaken stronger genes and increase their cultivation potential.

    Everyday more and more mortals were joining the ranks of the Asura Hall, and the final and biggest thing to know was the that Shi Lang and the big shotsbined efforts to block the entry point of the caged realm. They erected multiple spirit canons, and thousands of killing arrays were stacked together to make sure that whoever tried to intrude the caged realm will die brutally.

    Old Man Yanshu was even nastier, he nted unstable spatial teleportation arrays in the stack to make it so that if anyone tried to barge in and manage to break the arrays, they would be sucked inside the spatial tunnel and die.

    ...

    Finally came the day when Shi Lang was going out to venture in the unknown. He said that he would leave a clone outside the caged realm. If anyone else goes out, they shouldmunicate with the clone to find out what is going on and then join the fray.

    The people agreed to this, and most of the high ranking people hade over to big Shi Lang a farewell and all the best in his journey.

    Hao Mei and Yu Xeidi stood over the Eastern Fortress wall holding his hands. They were feeling very heavy hearted, because Shi Lang meant a lot to them. The Terran said in a calm voice, "Mei, Yu, both of you have grown stronger, and when I am away you two will grow even stronger.

    I don''t know what to tell you, but I hope that when you leave this cage ande to look for me, you will be strong, for who knows whatys out there. Help each other, cherish each other.

    If youe at an impasse over anythingpromise with each other. Listen to Tao, she is older and stronger. However, if she is troubled, help her and be her counsel. Will you do that for me? Will you look after her?"

    The two of them nodded, and Shi Lang said, "It''s time I go."

    The girls let go of his hands and wished him well as Shi Lang looked at Shi Tao. He walked over to her, and hugged her tightly. He whispered in her ears, "I have never been a there in the time of your needs. I have always been selfish, but I love you my dear."

    Shi Tao closed her eyes and said, "You have never been gone. I love you too, Baba."

    The two hugged for a bit before Shi Lang vanished. He dashed through the entrance of the caged world with Hou Bing. Shi Tao took a deep breath and said, "Raise the barrier, seal the ce!"

 Chapter 860: New World.

    Shi Lang stood at a familiarndscape but the way he looked at things had changedpletely. He vanished from his ce and appeared above a city. He said, "Tsuu Ching,e out."

    His tone was calm yet his voice echoed all over the city and the people raised their heads up to see him in the sky. A few momentster, Tsuu Ching and the rest of the elders appeared in the sky. They were shocked to see the changes in Shi Lang.

    His aura was akin to a tide of blood that made them feel like they were drowning. Tsuu Ching asked, "Boss, what happened to you?"

    Tsuu Ching was shocked, Shi Lang had never been a cold and indifferent person in his eyes. However, this guy before him seemed to have changedpletely. He was concerned for his old friend.

    Shi Lang ignored the question and asked, "Did you know about the fact that some people from the outer world came in to check the caged world?"

    The faces of the people were filled with bewilderment. Shi Lang understood that his friend knew about this and recalled something before he asked, "When you said that there was something you wanted to tell me but you wanted me to reach the Immortal Sovereign Realm, were you talking about this?"

    Tsuu Ching hesitated but finally nodded. He said, "Over the years we have been here, we have been tormented by those people. Every time theye over, we have to hide our talented children by sealing their cultivation and sending them into hiding for ten years. I did not mean to deliberately hide it from you, but I did not think that this time they woulde five years ahead of the time."

    Shi Lang looked indifferent but his killing intent was materializing around him. Tsuu Ching and the rest were so shocked that their faces were drenched of color. Suddenly, a figure appeared before him. It was Tsuu Ching''s wife.

    Thedy said, "Elder brother, please forgive us, we did not mean to hide it from you. Please have mercy."

    Shi Lang woke up and said, "Sister-inw, I am not angry on any of you. I know very well that I was not strong enough at that time. However, when those people came, they took away the love and light of my life. I seek revenge, blood for blood, and life for life."

    Tsuu Ching and the rest were shocked. The former said, "Brother, if you wish to leave, you will have to ovee the barrier of that stands between this ce and the mainnd."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Tell me, what is this barrier?"

    Hou Bing was sitting on his shoulder and she suddenly said, "The vermillion canyon and the Phoenix mountains."

    Tsuu Ching nodded, and said, "Yes, that''s it."

    Hou Bing suddenly asked, "I doubt you have ever left this ce, tell me, how do you know about these two ces?"

    Tsuu Ching took out a book and caressed the cover gently. He said emotionally, "Once upon a time, I had a son who was talented far beyond me or any of the people in this city. He reached the realm of an Immortal King at the age of fifty. Then one day, the people from Juan family came.

    The elder was kind, and wanted to take my son as his disciple. We agreed, but after a decade, we heard the news that my son perished in the tribtion. I refuse to believe that he fell down in a tribtion. Boss, my son was born with a Sun Spiritual Body, how could he have perished in a tribtion?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "He was a disciple of the Juan Family, right?"

    Tsuu Ching nodded and Shi Lang said, "Old Tsuu, I will do what I can to find out the truth and if its true that he suffered unjustly then I will bring the culprit to your feet. However, when that might be possible, I have no idea."

    Tsuu Ching smiled and said, "Boss, I have waited for thousands of years, I am sure you will be faster than that."

    Shi Lang nodded and Tsuu Ching said, "This dairy was written by my son, he came to see us once, and forgot to take it back. You can read it, Boss."

    Shi Lang nodded and tapped hismunicator as he took the book from Tsuu Ching. After a few minutes, he returned the book and said, "I am going ahead, Old Tsuu, take care."

    Tsuu Ching nodded and wished him well before Shi Lang vanished from their sights. Thedy sighed and she almost fell out of the sky, Tsuu Ching grabbed her and asked, "Are you alright?"

    Thedy said, "I am fine, but Elder Brother isn''t. I could sense some strong pain and hatred hidden beneath his eyes. I hope he stays safe. Vengeance often takes one to their doom."

    Tsuu Ching shook his head and said, "My elder brother is not the one who would take things lying down. I could sense the void in his heart but know this, it is not a void that will consume him, but it''s the other way around. He will consume anyone who dares to stand in his way."

    ...

    Shi Lang was flying through the void, he did not know anything about this world so he did not opt to open any void tunnels. His speed was fast, and while flying he was absorbing a huge amount of spiritual energy.

    Hou Bing said, "The barrier of the Vermillion Canyon and Phoenix Mountain will be easy for us."

    Shi Lang asked, "Could it be that these two ced are rted to you?"

    Hou Bing shook her head as she flew next to him, "They are rted to the descendants who are blessed with my bloodline strains."

    Shi Lang nodded and soon he found himself standing in the void as he gazed at a canyon thaty before him. This ce was so grand that he could not see the end of it. He suddenly frowned and said, "There are strong auras locking on us."

    Hou Bing sat down on his shoulder and said, "Don''t worry, they will not intervene with me here."

    Shi Lang nodded and they had just entered the Vermillion Canyon when suddenly a golden light flickered before them.

    The Terran said, "Well, too much for no intervention."

    The blue bird asked in a booming voice, "Who dares to block my path?"

    Her voice was so strong that it shocked the entire canyon. The golden light turned into a bird, this bird was stronger than Shi Lang, yes, the Terran could tell that the bird has crossed the threshold of an Immortal Sovereign.

    The bird transformed into a beautiful girl and knelt on one knee as she said, "Your Excellency, my name is Kama, I am the guard of the eastern corner and also the Vermillion Canyon. Forgive me for the intrusion, but the n Leader had told us all to wait for your appearance."

    Hou Bing asked, "Tell me, what is it that your n leader wants from this seat?"

    Shi Lang looked at Hou Bing for a second and then turned his attention back to the surroundings and the girl before him. Kama was about to speak when Shi Lang vanished and appeared a few hundred meters away. The girl was surprised and eximed, "You can see the void bats."

    Hou Bing asked, "These things, what are they doing here?"

    Kama said, "Your Excellency, while you were gone the world has changed. There are people who follow the way of chaos and they bred the Void beasts to gain strength. However, while some ns were capable of controlling the void beasts, many of them failed and the void beasts were scattered all over the eastern continent."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "These beasts have pushed the ns here into a corner, right?"

    Kama agreed while she bowed her head in shame. Hou Bing looked at Shi Lang who was fighting in the distance and said, "Lang, how many do you think you can handle?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and then his figure began to flicker. He began to kill void bats as if it did not matter how many of them existed. Kama was shocked, while Hou Bing sighed and said, "As long as you don''t lose your way."

    Kama asked, "Your excellency, who is this human?"

    Hou Bing smiled and said, "You will know when the timees, Kama. Just let him kill these beasts first, then we will head over to the Phoenix Mountain, I suppose many of the ns are still living there."

    Kama nodded respectfully while she looked at the human who flickered around the void and used a weird weapon to kill the void bats all over the ce. After a half an hour he finished killing over a hundred void bats.

    He looked at Hou Bing and said, "There skin can be extracted to make camouge cloaks, they also hide spiritual fluctuations."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "We can extract this."

    Shi Lang replied, "What do we do now, it is a new world as she said."

    Hou Bing smiled and said, "Wee to the Immortal Realm, Lang."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked at the vast horizons before him. However, his eyes did not flicker with excitement like others. After a few seconds he said, "Where to now?"

 Chapter 861: Troubled Clans.

    Shi Lang collected all the void bats that he killed. Kama was surprised to see his actions but seeing that Hou Bing did notment, she fell silent as well.

    Hou Bing said, "Kama, lead the way."

    Kama bowed slightly and then she flew ahead of them. Shi Lang found that this ce was very big, bigger than most of thendscapes he has ever seen, however, he all this didn''t mean anything.

    Hou Bing said, "Lang, this canyon has some importance to it, can you guess what it is?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The hint of me Dao is lingering in the air. The habitants here worship you, so I think many of theme here to face their tribtions."

    Hou Bing was not stunned but Kama was surprised to find this human with such a keen perception. They flew for two days, Kama was stronger than Shi Lang by one major realm but he depended on his Lightning Dao Laws to match her speed.

    Kama was shocked, if someone asked what she felt when she looked at Shi Lang, the answer would be fear. Shi Lang did not give off any emotion, he was akin to a stone.

    The trionded at the foot of a mountain that reached above the clouds and even then the summit could not be seen. Hou Bing said, "Lang, you see these steps? They will be good for your cultivation. Go on, I will meet you at the summit."

    Shi Lang nodded and Hou Bing flew away from his shoulder and Kama followed him. Shi Lang proceeded to the staircase. Since Hou Bing had told him that this ce was good, then he should try it.

    ...

    Kama was flying behind Hou Bing and asked, "Your excellency, why did you send him to the Samsara steps? If he got trapped in an illusion, he would die."

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "Little one, you have no idea what he has been through and what he needs right now. Don''t worry, and if he is trapped, then it is his destiny."

    ...

    Shi Lang stepped on the first step, and he froze. In his mind, the scene did not change and he could continue with ease, however, he was at the fifth step when he sighed and said, "Break."

    A mini explosion of his spiritual energy bought him back to reality, he was still standing on the first step. He moved forward but this time it was not an illusion. It was the pressure on his physical body. Shi Lang did not feel much, and after a breath, he moved ahead.

    The third step was an illusion. Shi Lang continued for a few steps and then he concluded, the rhythm of the stair case was weird, one step would be physical pressure while the other would cast a strong illusion.

    Shi Lang was not much worried about the illusions because Shura sutra gave him the power of illusions. However, he wanted to learn these illusions to improve himself. It was so subtle that he could not even detect that he was inside an illusion.

    As for the pressure on his body, it was good as well, Shi Lang could sense every micro change in his body and it was working, he was getting stronger even if it was just a little bit. The pressure seemed to be like a machine that squeezed out the left over effects of the Heavenly Providence.

    He reached the hundredth step and sat down to cultivate. He was going toprehend the things he noted in the illusions. The pressure on his body would passively condense his foundation even more.

    ...

    Hou Bing appeared at the summit where a huge city could be seen. Although the scene was filled with people but the air seemed stuffy. Hou Bing asked, "Where is the n leader?"

    Kama bowed and said, "This way, your highness."

    Hou Bingnded on her shoulder and said, "Lead the way."

    Kama was frozen but then she smiled with ecstasy and led Hou Bing inside the City. The people saw a blue birding in and they all froze, soon they started whispering. The entire city was up inchaos when they saw this little bird.

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "Can you all go back to what you were doing? I am not used to this attention anymore."

    The people were frozen and their bloodline shivered. Hou Bing''s voice echoed in their minds, and they all cheered excitedly. Soon they all knelt down and weed her sincerely. Hou Bing shook her head.

    Kama ignored the people and walked over to the pce in the center of the city. Hou Bing raised her head to look at the pce and said, "Oh, you people have managed this very well."

    Kama replied, "This is what we must do."

    The girl then waved her hand and therge gong at the entrance rang nine times. This was the signal that the n leaders of various ns in the city have been summoned over to the Phoenix Pce by the deity.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not care about the turmoil of the city, he only kept moving forward on his way on the staircase. His speed was steady and his strength was increasing slowly, however, he was able to divert his mind from the constant thoughts of Amelia in herst moments. He had climbed five hundred stairs in a period of two days.

    Not once did he stop to take a rest, it was as if he was a machine. However, as the pressure on him increased the young man sat down on the ground and took a deep breath. This was the first time he sensed his physique to be reaching close to it''s limit. Originally, his body was refined to the point where anything but a medium level spiritual weapon might not be able to harm him.

    The forces from the stairway were on par with the pressure of a peak level Immortal God. Shi Lang was not as ufortable as he was when he faced Tsuu Ching. His realm has improved a lot since then and he did not feel weak, however, he also knew that when temping metal one needed to give it some time to cool down, otherwise the heat could burn it up along with the impurities.

    As he sat down on the stair he looked at the horizon before him and took out a pot of wine. He took a deep breath and drank some of the spirit wine and leaned against the mountain wall behind him. In his eyes the sun shone brightly.

    ...

    In the pce a group of men and women were kneeling before Hou Bing. The blue bird said, "I have been listening to all your problems. The biggest issue among you all is the fact that you do not have interpersonal harmony."

    The seven n leaders looked at each other and Hou Bing started to talk, "You all think that your bloodline is purer than that of the others. However, you forget the fact that only I am the True Phoenix."

    As she said this, a strong pressure was released from her tiny body and this pressure towered over the shoulders of the seven people, forcing them to prostrate. Their faces turned pale and Hou Bing asked, "What is the first rule of phoenix mountain?"

    One of the person said, "The mountain is governed by Your Excellency and that none other than you can hold the title of supreme."

    Hou Bing spoke coldly, "Do you think that just because I was out of the house you can run wild here? This is the Phoenix Dao Pce, and you are all beneath it. You strive to merge with the Dao, and that is something everyone else does. How dare you fight for supremacy and let the enemy get the upper hand? Have you grown senile? Useless Ipetent scums."

    Hou Bing was small, and while she was amiable most of the time, the arrogance of the holy beast was not to be underestimated. She signed the contract with Shi Lang because he avenged her grievance. Holy beasts were weak when they reincarnated or they gave birth to an offspring by sharing their power with them.

    This was why Hou Bing almost fell in that battle. However, Shi Lang gave her another chance to rise. However, these people, with stained bloodlines dared to fight for the title of supremacy before her. Do they even deserve that?

    She said, "I have a human friend, who freed me from that hellish caged realm curse. He is climbing the stairs to the summit and when hees over, I want you all to have finished dealing with your issues and not embarrass me before him. Understood?"

    The people nodded and replied, "Yes, your excellency."

    Hou Bing snorted, "Dismissed."

    ...

    Shi Lang spent the night resting and then he stood up again to move forward. The time he spent in the illusions grew longer but he was capable ofing out of them. After a week he finally finished reaching the summit. He found Kama standing at the peak, and she asked, "How did you find the trial?"

    Shi Lang did not wish to talk but he still did not forgive his manners and replied, "It helped me a lot."

    Kama smiled and said, "You are the second fastest human on this trial. Come, Her Excellency is waiting for you."

    Shi Lang nodded, and followed behind her.

 Chapter 862: Flame City.

    Shi Lang followed Kama, and on the way, he was scrutinized by a lot of people. Kama thought he would feel odd so she said, "You are the first human in this city after a very long time. So, they are just curious."

    Shi Lang nodded but did notment, it did not harm him even if the people looked at him. He was too weak in their eyes. Even a teenager here was as strong as an Immortal Emperor. He did not have the right to say anything.

    Kama bought him to the pce and said, "Her Excellency is waiting for you in her abode."

    Shi Lang and then they moved through the pce. They came to a grand garden pavilion at the back of the pce, and he found the Phoenix perched on a huge parasol tree.

    Hou Bing was no longer the small and cute bird, but she was in her natural form, a huge phoenix but her her feathers were still cerulean in color. The bird opened her eyes elegantly and her voice echoed in his mind, "How was the trial?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I gained some insights about illusions and my foundation consolidated a lot. Thank you."

    The phoenix shook her head and said, "It was just a coincidence that we had toe here. It hasn''t been long since you crossed the tribtion so the left over of providence could be pushed further."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Can I stay here?"

    The phoenix nodded, and said, "For theing days, I will need you to clean up as many void beasts as you can. The ns will help you. Train them so they can defend themselves against the void beasts. In the meantime, the rich spiritual energy of this ce will be beneficial for you. The cultivation path is about to evolve so you''ll need to learn from someone. I will teach you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Call me when you need me."

    Then he went to the side and sat down under a tree with his eyes closed and began to cultivate. Kama was surprised to see how calm he was about everything. Hou Bing said, "Kama, ask the ns to send their young warriors over. Lang will choose one from each n and they will form a team to hunt the void beasts."

    Kama hesitated a bit, she wanted to say something when Hou Bing said, "In terms of martial arts, Lang canpete with the strongest in the world. He is a cultivator with Lightning energy and I witnessed him cross the golden lightning tribtion. You saw him kill the void beasts with ease, didn''t you?"

    Kama was shocked and then she bowed her head as she said, "I will send the message right away, Your Excellency."

    Hou Bing thought of something and her feathers trembled. A light shot out from them and Kama caught it. The holy bird said, "If the people doubt you show them this token. You are not a member of the golden crow n anymore. You are the member of the Phoenix Pce and my messenger."

    Kama was shocked and then she bowed down to Hou Bing in thanks. Thetter said, "Go, when youe back I will give you the opportunity to improve your strength."

    Kama thanked her once more before leaving the ce. Hou Bing turned her gaze to look at Shi Lang and sighed before she went back to her previous state.

    After some time, Kama returned and told Hou Bing that the people will being over in the morning next day.

    Hou Bing nodded and dismissed her. The Phoenix looked at Shi Lang and said, "Lang."

    Her voice was very soft, and the Terran woke up a few momentster. He looked at her, and Hou Bing continued, "Tomorrow morning, there will be people over, and you can pick your team."

    Shi Lang thought of something and with a sigh he asked, "Can you tell me about the ns here? I would need to know about them before I do anything."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "This ce is called me city and it has seven regions all governed by seven different ns who maintain order in the city. They are called, Golden Crow, ming Sparrow, Sun Songbird, Burning Swallow, Amber Owls, Crimson Lark, and Inferno Falcons.

    Their strengths are basically the same, but they excel in different aspects...."

    She went on to describe the special powers of the seven ns and Shi Lang listened to her attentively. When Hou Bing was done, she asked, "Any more questions?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "None, I will test the candidates after I have picked them up."

    Hou Bing nodded and after some thought she said, "If they try to disobey you, bring them to me."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I will make them understand things on my own."

    Hou Bing nodded with a glimmer of joy in her beautiful eyes. The night was a fleeting matter, in the morning, many people came over. Every n leader bought over ten talents with them.

    Kama received them and looking at the expressions of the talents, she said, "n leaders, this is the Phoenix Pce, I hope you have told them not to offend Her Excellency."

    The people nodded and the leader of the Golden Crows said, "Kama, don''t worry, they won''t make a mess."

    The rest of the people nodded, if it was the past they would have gone at each other''s throat by insulting each other. However, Hou Bing had showed them their real ce and they had been tamed, but that was not the truth for their descendants. They all wore haughty and arrogant expressions.

    She sighed and said, "Follow me, please."

    ...

    Hou Bing did not care about any of the n elders, the power radiating from her, was enough to make them sweat in her presence. Kama waited for a few minutes, when she saw the young talents looking pale, she said, "Your Excellency, the n leaders are here for you."

    Hou Bing opened her eyes and said lightly, "Kama has already told you why I summoned you all. Lang, take it over."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up from the ground. The people were surprised and shocked to see a human inside the Phoenix Pce, a few of the young ones wanted to react but then they thought that this guy was a ve to the Holy Queen and so they looked at him arrogantly.

    Shi Lang did not say anything and said, "Hou Bing, I will take two, the rest are useless."

    The people were shocked, they did not expect this human to talk to the Holy Queen with such indifference. The n masters yelled, "How dare you talk to the Holy Queen in this manner? You uncouth human!!"

    Hou Bing looked at them and Shi Lang said, "How I talk to her has nothing to do with you lot. Your Holy Queen isn''t angry but you dare to show your might before her. Do you think that you are above her?"

    The five n masters were shocked and their faces turned pale. One of them said, "Don''t spew nonsense. Your Excellency we have no such intention."

    Hou Bing asked, "Lang why do you say that apart from the two, the rest are useless?"

    Shi Lang said, "The two people I selected do not fear you. There eyes are filled with respect and that is why your pressure does not harm them. Such people have the potential of bing strong and break past their limits because they want to prove themselves and theypete with themselves.

    Those who fear will only live in the shadows and so they are useless. Strength can be gained and talent can be developed but the desire to reach the peak is innate."

    Hou Bing nodded and said, "Whom have you selected?"

    Shi Lang pointed at two people, and Kama said, "Miss Yalin from Amber Owl n, Master Talon from Inferno Falcon n."

    Hou Bing looked at the two people who walked forward as Kama called their names. She said, "Good, they are indeed good children. Lang, train them into fine warriors. As for the rest of the ns, I expect to see the talents from your family by the evening and this time it mustn''t be anyone from the main family only."

    The five n masters sighed and bowed their heads. Hou Bing looked at the leader of Inferno Falcons and Amber Owls as she said, "They will stay in the Pce from now on and they will train under Shi Lang."

    Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    The two elders bowed to the Phoenix and then they greeted Shi Lang. The Terran returned the greeting and even called them senior. This left a good impression on them. Shi Lang did not care about the other five ns, he looked at the two young ones and said, "Take the rest today, tomorrow we being hell training."

    Then he returned to his spot and sat down under the tree. The me City was going to change now.

 Chapter 863: Strike Team.

    That evening all the talents were sent to the Phoenix pce and after a couple of hours of selection process one person from each tribe was selected. The city folks were surprised and then they were told that the Holy Queen has set up a team of people to kill the void beasts.

    The me City was tormented by these Void beasts because these creatures forced them to live inside the city only. The void beasts did not attack the city because of the powerful array guarding the people. However, as soon as any inhabitant flew off the peak, they would be hunted down.

    Initially many people tried to go out and hunt these things but none of them returned.

    ...

    The night passed and Kama arranged for all the seven selected people to gather in the garden. Hou Bing did not open her eyes to look at these people, she has left all the things rted to the task force to Shi Lang. She trusted him and his skills.

    The Terran stood up before the seven people, and said, "My name is Shi Lang, and I will be your instructor. If any of you have any questions or difficulties in the future you cane to me, and I will do my best to solve your troubles. However, if any of you have any objections thene up now and I will take your challenge fair and square. If you can defeat me I will give in to yourmand."

    The seven people were surprised and they turned to look at Hou Bing. They did not fear her but they respected her, she was the strongest entity and was sort of a goal for them. They had no problem following Shi Lang because Hou Bing said so, however, they did have doubts regarding his strength.

    So, as soon as Shi Lang said that he would allow them to challenge him and if they managed to beat him, they will be inmand. This notion of power triggered them, and a young man stepped up and said, "Sir, I would like to spar with you."

    They respected him because Kama had told them to not cross her as he climbed the mountain on his own and was now a distinguished guest of the Pce.

    Shi Lang waved his hand and invited the young man toe over, and asked, "Name and n."

    The young man replied, "Yara of the Crimson Larks."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Come."

    Yara was a dashing young man with a athletic build and he was almost as strong as Kama. As soon as Shi Lang gave the signal the young man vanished from his spot. He appeared next to the Terran and attacked with his right fist.

    Shi Lang appeared to be frozen, and just when everyone thought that he would be hit with the blow, he leaned back and the punch passed through the void,pletely missing its mark.

    Shi Lang raised his leg and directly kicked the young man square in the chest. The young man was forced to retreat a dozen of steps. The people did not expect this to happen. They could sense that Shi Lang was just in Immortal Sovereign realm and that too in the beginning phase.

    How did he win this exchange. When Yara was in shock, Shi Lang moved forward in one stride he appeared before Yara and his lightning covered fist was shot forth. Yara woke up, and he let out a punch of his own. The two fists shed and the space rippled.

    Yara was forced seven steps while Shi Lang only moved three before he turned around and a spear appeared in his hand. Yara could not react with the sudden change of this move, and raised his arm to block the spear, but the swipe turned into a stab and he froze as he sensed a cold tip resting against his throat.

    He raised his eyes to look at Shi Lang and gulped before he said, "I concede, Instructor."

    Shi Lang nodded and took back his weapon as he asked, "Anyone else?"

    The people were stunned, during this whole exchange, they saw that Yara was unable to gain the upper hand even once. It turned out that even if Shi Lang was weak in terms of cultivation. His battle prowess and cross realm ability to fight was stronger than what they imagined it to be.

    Shi Lang nodded and told Yara to go back and fall in the line before he said, "You all have a great potential and can grow into the experts that can shoulder the responsibility of leading your n. However, for that you will need to cultivate a few traits.

    What you are missingpared to the so called heir apparent of your n is something that you will have to find on your own. The biggest thing is the battle prowess, so in theing few months, we will be training to hunt the void beasts. But before that, you all must understand that you are a team and without helping and trusting each other, you will die just like many other predecessors have.

    Understood?"

    The group nodded and a girl raised her hand. Shi Lang nodded to her and the girl asked, "Sir, how did you manage to kill the Void Beast? We cannot even sense them let alone seeing them."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good question, let me give show you all something."

    He waved his hand and seven void bats appeared on the ground. He said, "You can see that their skin appears to be transparent. Right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You people rely on your innate abilities so much that you have forgotten the basics. Let me tell you, if you go out in the wild and try to look for these beasts with just your eyes and spiritual sense, you are wrong. These beasts can divert the spiritual energy on around their bodies and cancel the spiritual fluctuations of their bodies."

    The seven people were shocked, this was the first time they had seen a void beast and it was bizarre.

    Yara asked, "Sir, what can we do to sense these things?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Who is from the Amber Owl n?"

    A young girl stepped up and said, "I am, Sir. My name is Yalin."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "How far can you see?"

    Yalin thought for a bit and said, "I can see hundred kilometers away, sir."

    The Terran asked, "How well can you see?"

    Yalin was stumped for an answer and then she said, "If two people are fighting I can tell how they were fighting but I could not tell who they are."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I want you control your eyes and dte your pupil to the limit. Look for disturbance in the wind flow."

    Then he began to tell them about various methods that could be used to detect the presence of a void beast. The people were surprised and Shi Lang said, "Come along, I will take you out to hunt."

    The people were stunned but they were intelligent and knew that only when they faced the enemy would they be able to find out its weakness.

    Shi Lang looked at Hou Bing and said, "I am heading out."

    The bird opened her eyes and said, "Take your time, I will have someone prepare the cloak you told me about by the time youe back."

    Shi Lang nodded and then he led the people outside the pce. The city folk caught this sight and were perplexed. The seven people were somewhat known but they did not appear to be the strongest among the younger generation of their sect.

    Shi Lang took them all out of the city and they dived off the peak. Their speed was neck breaking and suddenly Shi Lang said, "They are here."

    The seven people also stopped in the void and Shi Lang said, "Get back to back, you need to protect each other and use your own methods to look for the void beasts."

    The people nodded and they formed a circle, while a fragment of spiritual sense was locked on to Shi Lang, the Terran moved from his position and his spear appeared in his hand. Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    He stabbed at a seemingly empty ce in the void but a screeching noise made the people open their eyes wide. They saw a void bat appear at the spear head. Shi Lang did not waste much time, and after storing the void bat in his space ring, he began to harvest more and more void beast.

    The Terran seemed to have forgotten the existence of the seven people. He just killed and kept on killing. Yara said, "Guys, its been a few hours, why hasn''t he stopped?"

    Talon frowned and said, "He is cultivating."

    The others were confused and the young man said, "He is cultivating the Dao of ughter. Look at his killing intent, it is attracting the void beasts."

    Suddenly, Yalin waved her hand and a screeching sound echoed in the surrounding. Everyone looked over and a void bat appeared in there sights. Shi Lang stopped killing and said, "Good, Yalin will lead and you will kill on hermand until you can see them on your own."

    He then appeared between the circr formation and closed his eyes toprehend the things he learned while killing the beasts. The seven people were surprised but they did not even have the time to react before the void bats came over to them.

    Yalin was forced to takemand and the rest followed.

 Chapter 864: Encounter.

    After a week, Shi Lang was sitting in the garden under the tree like always. Hou Bing asked him, "Lang, what do you think about these seven children?"

    Shi Lang replied after sipping on a cup of wine, "They are good."

    Hou Bing sighed and said, "Can you give me something more substantial?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and said, "They have good foundation. Unlike the rest of the geniuses in their ns, these seven have the least usage of elixirs, their skills are earned by themselves through hard work. Also, the most distinguishing trait they have is a battle sense."

    Hou Bing asked, "What do you mean? Doesn''t every cultivator has a battle sense."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "The people who have spent too much time on the sidelines watching the others fight, they develop a sense of what their enemy can do, and they have an easy time understanding the other people which aids them in sharpened teamwork."

    Hou Bing nodded and replied, "I see, to think that these kids would be so good." Stay connected via m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    Shi Lang drank his wine as he gazed at the moon in the sky. Suddenly, Kama came over and said, "Your Excellency, the n Leaders are here for you, they say it is urgent."

    Hou Bing furrowed her brows and said, "Fine, call them over."

    Shi Lang did not care about anything he kept drinking the wine from the pot in his hand. Kama returned a few momentster with seven people behind her. The seven men and women bowed their heads to Hou Bing, and thetter asked, "What is it that caused you toe over at this hour?"

    The leader of the Golden Crows said, "Your Excellency, a few human sects have asked for our help in dealing with the Void beasts. A passing cultivator found that the phoenix mountain was gradually recovering its degree of freedom so they want us to teach them."

    Hou Bing did not say anything she looked at Shi Lang and asked, "What do you think?"

    Shi Lang asked, "What is the name of this sect?"

    The n leader replied, "They are called Verdant Garden Holy Land."

    Shi Lang raised his head and asked calmly, "Do they have a force by the name Juan Family?"

    Hou Bing was alerted and the n leader nodded upon some thought as he said, "Juan Family has some standing in the Verdant Sect but they are not too strong."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Send Yara and Talon as the Emissary of the Holy Pce and have them chaperoned by the experts of your n. Teach them how to kill the void beasts. Establish a trade for Void Beast materials, it will be useful to your ns."

    The n leaders nodded and then Hou Bing said, "Do as he says, he has a better understanding of the humans than I do."

    The people nodded and they left. Hou Bing waited till they had left the pce premises, and asked, "Can you tell me what is going on? Why did you help them after knowing that Juan Family is a part of the Verdant Sect?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and his eyes turned red as the killing intent raged. The void seemed to shake, Kama who had just returned was shaken by this killing intent, she shivered and then she saw Shi Lang speak in a calm but cold voice, "I cannot let them die at the hands of someone else, Hou Bing. I have to protect them. So that I can kill them by my own two hands.

    There deaths will be examples to those who think they can act out of line and challenge someone''s dignity. They will beg for death but no one will show them any mercy."

    Then he raised his head to look at the moon and said, "I will make it so that no one dares to recall them even in there dreams, hahahahahahahaha! I will ughter them, all of them!"

    Heughed for a moment, and even Hou Bing was taken aback by the extent of his rage. She did not say anything to him. After all, he won''t be wrong to enact revenge, all she hoped was for him to spare the innocent.

    Hou Bing spotted Kama and said, "You did not see anything and you did not hear anything, understood Kama?"

    Thedy woke up and bowed her head inpliance. It was none of her business why Shi Lang hated the Juan family so much, plus now that Hou Bing has spoken she agreed with ease.

    ...

    It has already been a month, Shi Lang was sitting on the top of a mountain, after that night with Hou Bing, he decided to go out of the city and travel on his own. Hou Bing did not stop him and even gave him the map of the eastern continent of the immortal realm.

    Shi Lang hadunched a small terrain monitoring device in the void, and to make sure that no ones detect it, he had covered it with the void skin carefully. Shi Lang was a tech student, and though he might not be an expert at it, he still had the skill needed to do some simple things.

    He did this to have a better navigation aspect. He was sitting on the cliff with red aura circting around him along with a flicker of golden lightning every once in a while. He was not afraid of the ughter Dao consuming him because the golden lightning restrained it perfectly.

    The Dao Laws on his foundation have improved ever since he started toprehend the golden lightning. It was as if everything he had learned about lightning all these years was nothing but the tip of the iceberg.

    Shi Lang had traveled at least half a million kilometers away from the Phoenix mountain yet he was still in the wilderness and their was no sign of human poption. The Terran understood the vastness of the world during this journey.

    He did not kill much on his way just a few dozen void beasts. Spirit beasts below the realm of Beast Sovereign were nothing to him, and those in the realm above were far too much out of his reach.

    Shi Lang spent his nights traveling while he cultivated during the day. He did not wish to be spotted by the people of the verdant sect. His strength had increased to the middle level of the Immortal Sovereign realm, the biggest reason was the pure and dense spiritual energy in the void. It was at least five times richer than the best spot in the caged realm.

    His body seemed to be addicted and would gobble up as much as spiritual energy in one go before turning it all into lighting true essence. Shi Lang was eager to get strong enough so that he could kill the Juan family but he knew that it would not be a simple thing.

    When Yara and Talon had visited to the Verdant Garden Holy Land, they have found that the strongest person in the Juan Family was an elder of the Dao King realm. The sect master of the holynd was a half step Dao Emperor.

    Shi Lang did not wish to risk anything and he was sure that as long as he made a move, the people wille up to block him. He could take his time to kill the Juan Family disciples slowly but then he would be enemy to those shameless elders who woulde forward to cover up for their evil spawns.

    His mind was in chaos when suddenly he heard sounds of battle. He raised his head and then sensed the situation with his sensory ability. He found that seven people were fighting against a dozen or so men. The seven people wore armors while the other group was dressed in rags. Yet the surprising thing was that the seven people seemed weak.

    He found that there were a few children behind the seven men, all of them had pale faces. Shi Lang could not help but recall his disciples, and sighed as he stood up to move forward and take a look at the situation.

    The battle was happening only a few hundred kilometers, Shi Lang appeared there within a few minutes, he did not use the space tunnel, because that would alert the enemy.

    He stood in distance and heard the people. The children were panicking as the seven men were being pushed back, while the enemy rejoiced this situation. One of the ragged clothed person said loudly, "Duanmu Yan, why don''t you lot give up? We will collect the ransom and release you. Is there any point in dying?"

    Duanmu Yan appeared to be the leader of the armored men and said, "You sinful bandit, even if I am to die, you will not get things your way. I will take you all down with me."

    Just at this moment, the person Duanmu was facing, released a secret weapon and caught the former off guard. The short knife was stabbed in his chest, however, Duanmu Yan was an expert and he avoided any vital position, yet the impact was significant.

    The children mored, "Teacher Duanmu, oh lords we are done for."

    Shi Lang looked at the children who were scared silly, and retrieved his spear as he said, "Time to eat."

 Chapter 865: Bane Of The Bandits.

    Shi Lang gripped his spear and he vanished from his ce, the person he targeted was the strongest guy who was just talking to Duanmu Yan. The reason was simple, take down themander and the rest of the enemy can be dealt easily when they panic.

    Shi Lang was just a middle level Immortal Sovereign, if he needed to kill the enemy, then he would need to use all his strength, he never underestimated his enemy.

    The bandits and the armored party were suddenly surrounded by a domain of golden lightning. They were caught off guard, and suddenly Shi Lang appeared before the enemy and his eyes shed with red. He cast an illusion over his enemy, and then his spear stabbed forward with a dense intention to stab.

    The rest of the bandits did not even have the time to react when the attack waspleted and a hole appeared in the head of their leader. Shi Lang then flickered again and this time he aimed for the team that was fighting Duamnu Yan. Thetter was not the strongest person in the two teams.

    Shi Lang would have an easy time if this guy could help him killing the bandits with just hismanding ability. The second bandit was taken down the same way. The golden lightning shot through his head and then travelled through his entire body turning the internal organs to ashes.

    Shi Lang attacked in a very erratic manner, his spear was like the scythe of the death god. In a few minutes, he had taken down three out of twelve bandits. Duanmu Yan saw this and said, "Attack, help him."

    The pace of the battle turned quickly and the bandits were forced back. One of them yelled, "Retreat, Brother Chang is dead."

    The bandits rushed away quickly, Shi Lang watched them and took back his boundary. Duanmu Yan clicked his tongue and said, "Cowards."

    He took out the dagger stabbed in his chest and took a healing pill. It took him a few moments to calm down, his wound stopped bleeding and he looked at Shi Lang as he said, "Friend, thank you for lending a hand."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Take care of the children they are scared. I will leave now."

    Duanmu Yan was surprised that this man did not ask for any reward. He noticed that the cultivation realm of this young man was a realm below the bandit and two realms below him, yet he managed to take down four bandits.

    Duanmu Yan asked, "Friend, if you don''t mind you can travel with us."

    Shi Lang stopped in his tracks and then said, "Thank you but I prefer solitude. If fate permits, we shall cross paths again."

    That said, he vanished. One of the armored figures looked at Duanmu and said, "Captain, this guy does not seem to be normal."

    Duanmu Yan nodded and said, "I know, I could sense the essence of death on him. However, he is not like those dead beats, his mind is clear. You can see it if you look in his eyes."

    The people nodded, and Duanmu Yan looked at the children as he said, "I hope someone can deal with those bandits, they have been getting out of handstely."

    ...

    Shi Lang walked through the wilderness at a slow pace. He was going after the bandits. Earlier when they were inside his domain, the Terran had left a shred of his spiritual essence on their bodies. He wanted to find their strong hold. He also had the satellite monitor them, just in case those people removed the spiritual presence with some means.

    After traveling for a day and a night he located a small valley. He checked the data on hismunicator, the data showed a small settlement with seventy or so people inside. Shi Lang made a n and then he moved inside the valley. He was wearing the void beast skin cloak.

    This was his perfect cover and he was going to assassinate them. He did not have the strength to engage in frontalbat with these people. That would be foolishness. Shi Lang wasn''t invincible, the earlier encounter was a sess because those people were caught off guard.

    Your journey continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin

    Shi Lang moved around the ce with a dagger in his hand. His cloak could be said to be the most optimal tool for assassination, as long as he did not circte his true essence none of the people could sense him. They would be able to see him if he was to show before them but that was it.

    Shi Lang sneaked up to the closest watch tower and found a man guarding the tower, he crept closer and with an indifferent gaze, he brandished his knife and stabbed the man in the back of his head. Then he sent a shred of lightning energy through the knife and turned his brain to mush.

    The soul sea was crushed instantly, the enemy did not even have the time to whimper before he passed away. Shi Lang looked at the situation in the settlement and mumbled, ''Amy would have been able to take them out with just her rifle.''

    Amelia had the ability to shoot invisible spiritual energy shots at the enemy and take them down without gaining any attention. He shook his head and sighed, he had been trying to not remember Amelia at every corner of his life but somethings did not work as we wanted.

    Shi Lang focused on the task at hand and began to kill. He moved quickly and silently. The void cloak on his body was very helpful and within a few hours, Shi Lang killed almost sixty bandits. All of them had wounds in the back of their heads and their brains were mush.

    Shi Lang did not make a move on the remaining ten people. They were all in seclusion so he could tell that they were strong people. He could not take them on even if he wanted to. However, he had prepared a gift for them. He rigged the bodies of the dead bandits, and then he ced the spirit stones in the ground to create a bunch of killing arrays and illusion arrays.

    He came to the ce where many women and children were put captives. The prisoners were surprised and Shi Lang spoke to them using his spiritual sense. They calmed down, but to make sure they did not make a ruckus, he sealed their vocal points and bought them out of the valley two at a time. His speed was fast.

    He covered the people in his cloak to make avoid detection. After ten minutes, he gathered all thirty people outside the valley and fed them healing pills before he undid their seals. He said, "You all can go home now."

    The people were shocked but when they sensed that they have their cultivation unsealed, they all dashed out except for a girl with a scar on her face. Shi Lang did not bother with her, he tapped hismunicator and a loud explosion shocked the valley.

    One single phaser-nade went off. Following the explosion Shi Lang heard a the remaining banditse out and shout, "Who dares to mess with the Blood Knife Bandits?"

    Shi Lang did not reply, he made a few seals with his hands and triggered the illusion arrays. The illusion was simple the bandits thought began to fight the culprit and destroy the valley while triggering killing arrays.

    After three hours, Shi Lang walked inside the valley and found three survivors, all heavily injured. They saw Shi Lang at red at him with the intention to kill. The Terran was unbothered, and took out a bottle of pills and said, "Seniors, I was passing by when I heard the sounds of battle. I have some healing pills, they would help you."

    The bandits wereying on the ground bleeding from various spots. Shi Lang went a small distance close before he tossed them three pills. The bandits inspected the pills and then epted them quickly. They took a breath and the pills melted in their bodies, however, just when they were thinking that they would heal they all coughed up blood and red at Shi Lang.

    The Terran said, "Did you think that I would help you for nothing? Scum like you deserve to be cleaned."

    The bandit leader asked with hatred brimming from his gaze, "What the hell did you do?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I just sprinkled some Heart Thorn powder in the ce, you inhaled that over time, and now that you have consumed the healing pills, it triggered the poison of the heart thorn. So, you are as good as dead."

    The bandit leader wanted to say something when one of them fell on his back. Shi Lang flickered and appeared before him and stabbed the man in the forehead with his finger. The lightning energy did its work and the man died as his spirit scattered to the samsara.

    The bandit leader cursed Shi Lang, "You will die a horrible death."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I know, and I am not scared of it. Now, die."

    A few minutester, he left the valley, behind himy only headless corpses. Shi Lang had taken away the heads of the bandits to see if he could exchange them for a bounty. He was sure that his spirit stones might not work in this ce.

    However, the girl with the scar was waiting for him outside the valley, she had not moved even an inch from the movement he left. He stopped and asked, "What do you want?"

 Chapter 866: The Ling Family.

    Shi Lang looked at thedy before him, he could tell that she was strong, but her cultivation was sealed. He asked, "What do you want from me?"

    Thedy said, "I would like you to escort me back to my home, the Ling Family."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I have no reason to do so."

    Thedy said, "I can see that you are eager to grow strong. You took down a group of notorious bandits, but you only used low level skills."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brow and asked, "What does that have to do with you?"

    Thedy shook her head and said, "It has nothing to do with me, but still it has everything to do with me. I have stayed in this ce for seven years, I have faced a lot of humiliation. They have been exhorting my brother for over seven years but never released me. I owe you my life and dignity."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I did what I thought was right and you do not owe me anything for that."

    The Lady sighed and said, "My name is Ling Shui, I can tell that you are not from this world, and I am sure that others can do that too. Please let me help you. As a fellow cultivator, don''t you know that karma ties can effect the Dao Path you walk?"

    Shi Lang asked, "What do you mean by I am not from this world?"

    Ling Shui said, "The people from the caged realm has a seal cast on them. This seal can be seen by the guardians of the caged realm."

    Shi Lang grasped his spear and asked, "Are you rted to the Juan family of the Verdant Garden Holy Land."

    Ling Shui nodded and said, "If the rtion of hatred counts then, yes. I am connected to that bunch of scums."

    Shi Lang asked, "How can I trust you?"

    Ling Shui took a deep look at him and said, "I swear on my blood that I am not lying to you. I hate the Juan family from the bottom of my heart."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Fine, I trust you. Where is your house?"

    Ling Shui replied, "My house is inside the Verdant Garden Holy Land."

    Shi Lang raised his brows and Ling Shui said, "Let''s talk on the way."

    The Terran nodded and then they both moved. Shi Lang moved his hand and helped thedy undo her seal. Ling Shui let out a nasal sound as she channeled the spiritual energy through her body.

    She sighed as the energy gave her relief. She thanked Shi Lang and said, "You seem to hate the Juan Family a lot."

    Shi Lang nodded but did not say anything much. Ling Shui did not poke him much either. He saved her and that was enough for her to repay him. Shi Lang asked, "Can you tell me how to get rid of this mark?"

    Ling Shui nodded and replied, "My father managed to kill a Juan Family expert a few centuries ago and then we found a pill recipe that could help dispel this innate mark. This mark is actually a strain of energy that resides inside the body of the people who live inside the caged realm."

    Shi Lang nodded and Ling Shui continued telling him about the various things in this side of the world. They traveled for two days before they finally reached the top of a mountain. It was dark of the night and Shi Lang could see a small city settled inside the valley. The ce was glimmering with lights.

    He asked, "Is this the Verdant Garden Holy Land?"

    Ling Shui shook her head and pointed at the clouds above before she said, "That floating mass ofnd is the Verdant Garden Holy Land. This below is the Spirit Day City." Stay connected with m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    Shi Lang looked up and he was stunned, thend mass floating in the sky was evident to him, and he did not expect to ever see anything like this. This ce was even bigger than any of the space ships he has ever seen.

    Ling Shui said, "Come, my house is inside the city."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed Ling Shui. The two people approached the city gates, and the guard stopped them. He scrutinized the two people before eventually his eyes stopped at Ling Shui. Thedy said coldly, "Has the Spirit Day City forgot who I am?"

    The guard shivered and said, "Forgive my ignorance, Sixth Lady Ling. Wee home."

    Ling Shui nodded and said, "Send someone to collect the fee, and this is my friend, he saved my life. I will pay his fee as well."

    The guard nodded and then he turned around to look at a junior, who was instructed by telepathy. The junior nodded hurriedly and followed behind the two people. Ling Shui looked around in the city and said, "This ce hasn''t changed much."

    Shi Lang was scanning the entire ce with his sensory ability. He was cautious to not reveal his spiritual sense in this ce. The guard who stopped them at the gate was an Immortal Sovereign. Shi Lang could tell that most of the people in this ce were Dao Soldiers. He took a deep breath to calm down the turmoil in his heart.

    Ling Shui sensed this and said, "You will be my guest, you can cultivate in peace."

    Shi Lang did not respond, he was not sure what the situation of the Ling Family was but thisdy before him was definitely stronger than Dao General realm. After a few minutes, they arrived at the gates of a huge mansion. The guards were alerted and they said, "Stop, who are you?"

    Ling Shui raised his brow and asked, "Do I need to prove my identity to entire my own house?"

    The guards looked at her and thedy waved her hand. The next moment, water des appeared beside her. The guards carefully checked her face, and bowed, "Sixth Miss, wee back."

    Ling Shui nodded and walked inside the gates, she turned to look at Shi Lang and said, "Come in."

    Then she said something to the guards, who took out a few spirit stones and paid the City Guard.

    ...

    Shi Lang saw a huge mansion, it was akin to a pce, with huge gardens and training fields at the side. He walked behind Ling Shui, with his hands resting on the shaft of his spear. He was ready to counter any attack that may be hurled at him.

    The guards at the door have informed the people inside the mansion of her arrival and many people rushed at the doors of the mansion. They all cheered and greeted Ling Shui. Shi Lang stood at a distance, and suddenly he heard a calm voice, "Don''t resist."

    He sensed a flow of energy cover him. Ling Shui was looking at an old man who was staring at her with red eyes. She sighed and said, "Old man, are you going to cry now?"

    The old man snorted and said, "How dare you say something like that, Brat. You have not corrected your ways even after all that you faced?"

    Ling Shui smiled and shook her head. At this moment, a middle-aged man knelt on the ground beside her and said, "Youngest Sister, please ept my apology. I could not do anything to free you from those people earlier."

    Ling Shui shook her head and helped the man up as she said, "Third Brother, if not for those bastards, would I be in that situation? Forget it, the Blood de Bandits are dead."

    The people were shocked, and Old Man Ling asked, "What did you say? They are dead? How?"

    Ling Shui pointed at Shi Lang and said, "Father, Brothers, let us talk about this issue in the gathering hall. I suppose you would like to know him."

    The people exchanged their thoughts an quickly dismissed the crowd before regrouping at the meeting hall.

    Ling Shui looked at Shi Lang and said, "This is my father, the Patriarch of the Ling family, Ling Shijin. That is my third brother, Ling Hao. The first elder, second elder, and fourth elder. The rest of my siblings are no more, and the third elder is away for some work."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists to the people and bowed as he said in a calm voice, "Junior Shi Lang greets, Seniors."

    Ling Shijin waved his hand and Shi Lang stood up straight. The old man said, "Ling Shui is the pride of my family, you rescued her, please tell me anything that you may need. This would be the gratitude of the Ling family."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I have not rescued her in hopes of a reward, the verbal gratitude is more than enough."

    Ling Shijin shook his head and flicked his finger, as he said, "This is the pill that will help you get rid of that energy inside you."

    Shi Lang caught the jade bottle and bowed in thank you, when Ling Shui said, "He hates Juan family."

    The elders immediately became interested and Ling Hao asked, "Why do you hate them?"

 Chapter 867: Shocking Ling Family.

    Shi Lang looked at Ling Shijin who just asked him why he hate Juan Family. He looked around, not sure if he should talk in such an open space or not. It was not that he was scared, but he did not wish to fall before he could avenge Amelia.

    Ling Shijin said, "You can say whatever you want here. The family mansion is surrounded by multiple barriers. No one can peek inside."

    Shi Lang thought for a moment and said, "Juan Xuan killed my wife. He and his family needs to pay for his arrogance and insolence."

    As he spoke, the scenes of what happened shed in his mind and his eyes changed color. The people of the Ling family were shocked, they did not expect for his killing intent to have reached such a high level that it was almost materializing.

    However, Ling Shui''s eyes shed with something that no one else noticed. She saw a trace of sadness and regret hidden under Shi Lang''s blood red eyes. She said, ''Father, let''s not test him. His eyes are true.''

    Ling Shijin looked at Shi Lang and nodded. He said, "Young man, you can stay with us for as long as you want to."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and calmed his mind before he bowed to Ling Shijin, "Thank you for your grace senior, but I want to travel the world. I am afraid that if I stay here, I might end up doing something that will hinder my goal. I cannot take risks when I am so weak."

    Ling Shijin and the rest of the people were shocked. A young man asked, "You wish to travel? Do you know that the wilderness is very rough? You might die if you came across a Dao Beast."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I have my ways to go about things, Senior. I will keep your warning in my mind, but only when I have walked through enough blood and corpses can I stand atop Juan Family''s head and kill them."

    Third brother of Ling Shui wanted to say something when thedy herself said, "You are free to leave whenever you want to. However, youck two things, one is money to survive in this world and the second is techniques. Did you not pay attention to what I said earlier?"

    Shi Lang bowed his head and said, "I was about to ask you if their is a way to earn money?"

    Ling Shui said, "You can participate in the death battles of the Dao Arena."

    Her words made everyone in the Ling family look at her in confusion. Shi Lang nodded and after thinking for a bit he said, "May I ask for a ce where I can deal with this trace of energy inside me?"

    Ling Shijin snapped his fingers and an old man arrived beside him with a bowed head. The Ling family leader said, "Old Kan, take him to the garden pavilion."

    The butler nodded and looked at Shi Lang before silently gesturing him toe along. Shi Lang thanked the Ling Family master and greeted him before he left. Third Master Ling asked, "Xiao Shui, do you want him to die? Why did you tell him to go to the Dao Arena? Don''t you know that the people there fight with Dao Soldier and Dao General realm at the lowest. How will he survive against them?"

    Ling Shui replied, "He is cultivating the Dao of ughter. This is the only option left for him. Either he kills or he will be killed."

    Ling Shijin nodded and said, "Shui is correct, his killing intent for the Juan family is so strong that it was almost materializing. I think it is better that we let him go and do what he wants to do. Everyone has their own destiny."

    The rest of the people nodded and Ling Shui said, "Brother, give him five hundred spirit stones, when he leaves, that would be enough."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not care about anything he was sitting inside the pavilion with his eyes closed and the pill in his mouth. The pill slowly melted and the energy inside it travelled through his entire body. The Terran sensed a steam originating from the core of his body and then moving out of his body through his pores.

    The next moment, he felt as if a knot has been untied inside his body. Then he began to circte his spiritual energy ording to the lightning shura cultivation sutra. After every cycle, the spiritual energy would pass through the lightning me seed in his Dantian, before the refined energy will drip on the foundation stele.

    Shi Lang could sense that every drop was strengthening his foundation and making it smoother. He was a sovereign but he did not know how long will it take him to reach the next realm, he did not even know how strong Juan Xuan and the rest were. This ce was crawling with Immortal Sovereigns, even the guard were Immortal Sovereigns.

    Shi Lang shook away all these thoughts and focused on cultivation. He was levitating in the void, and he stopped caring about time and other things. He was not even worried if someone would disturb him.

    The night passed, and Ling Shui appeared to check on him. She was surprised to see that he was cultivating in such a setting. She did not disturb him and left the ce. However, for the next two weeks, Ling Shui visited Shi Lang regrly and was shocked to find that the young man was growing stronger at a blinding pace.

    She sucked in a cold breath and left the ce again. Shortly after she left, Shi Lang opened his eyes. He stood up on the ground and waved his hands to shake off the dust umted on his person.

    He picked up his spear and said, "It is time for you to feast."

    The spear trembled and Shi Lang left the pavilion. He spotted the butler who had bought him over to the pavilion and said, "Elder, I am leaving. Please convey my greetings and gratitude to the Family Master and Young Miss Ling."

    OId Man Kan could see his aura in a blink and was shocked. However, he still nodded with an indifferent face. He took out a storage bag and said, "These are five hundred top-spirit stones. Young Miss arranged them for you."

    Shi Lang did not have top grade stones on him and so he epted the bag before he left the mansion. The news of his departure reached Ling Shui and Ling Shijin. While thetter was calm and not bothered, Ling Shui said, "Father, arrange for the younger generation to watch him if he appears in the Dao Arena.

    We don''t have to interfere no matter what happens, however, his skills are good enough for the youngsters to learn from him."

    Ling Shijin asked, "Shui, do you think he is that good?"

    Ling Shui was one of the strongest and the most skilled cultivators of the Ling Family, she was injured in a ambush by the Juan Family, and ended up in the blood de prison.

    She said, "He eradicated the blood des without any aid. Do you think he is weak? The blood de were a force reared by the Juan Family and those bandits have been getting out of hand. None of the big families dare to make a move against them because everyone knew that Juan Family wille over to the door and make trouble. Explore more stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin

    However, Shi Lang used the means that are above Juan Families understanding."

    When she described the way he acted to the people they all could not help but raise their brows. The things he did definitely gave the impression that the Blood de were raided by a force who had been nning for a long time. Juan Family won''t be able to figure things out and was forced to eat this loss.

    Ling Shijin asked, "Why did you not tell him that the Blood de were nurtured by Juan family?"

    Ling Shui shook her head and said, "He is too unstable at the moment. If he knew the truth, he would have tortured those bandits and gave away a clue."

    Just when they were discussing the things, a messaging talisman appeared in the hall and caught mes. A soft voice echoed in the hall, "Grandpa, that man is fighting in the Dao Arena, he has five battle streak and all the people were killed brutally."

    Ling Shijin was surprised and then he sighed and he said, "Go, Shui lead the youngsters to watch the matches, but don''t leave the city."

    Ling Shui nodded and left the room. Third Master Ling smiled and said, "Father, are you not worried that she will fall for that man?"

    Ling Shijin shook his head and replied, "That man has a hole in his heart that could not be filled by anyone. He is only dedicated to his goal. Nothing like what you said will happen. Also, ce a bet on him, it has been some time since we have made the Dao Arena bleed."

    The strong were always like this, they all had their own ideas, just like Shi Lang, who was standing in the Arena with a bloody spear in his hand.

 Chapter 868: Dao Arena.

    A few hours before the Ling family sent their juniors over, Shi Lang came to the Dao Arena, he was stopped by a guard. The guard asked, "Brother, there is a fee to enter the arena."

    Shi Lang nodded and looked at the signboard at the side, he paid with one top spirit stone, and the guard gave him a token and said, "As long as you are inside the arena, this token will be with you, once youe out, it will return here, if you wish to enter, then you will have to pay the fee again."

    Shi Lang nodded and walked inside the Arena, he sensed the ce and found that inside this five floor building, there were five arenas, they all had levels. He moved around and suddenly a calm voice said, "Having trouble locating the suitable Arena?"

    Shi Lang looked at the side and found a young man looking at him calmly. This person was a Dao Soldier, and Shi Lang could tell that he was the disciple from the Ling family. He nodded and asked, "Are you following me?"

    The young man shook his head and said, "You are too rigid brother. Aunt Shui said that we shoulde here to look after you and help if you run into some hot shot."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "Where can I watch the fights of the immortal sovereign realm?"

    The young man smiled and said, "The lowest arena, also called the Sovereign Arena."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I am Shi Lang."

    The young man smiled and said, "I am Ling Hai. Come."

    Ling Hai led the young man to the sovereign arena, the ce was filled with a lot of people. A fight was going on in the arena at the moment.

    Shi Lang parted the crowd and moved forward toe to the edge of the viewing arena, as he was watching the fight, Ling Hai said, "The winner of the fight acquires a strong strain of spiritual energy and every time they win ten fights in a row, they gain a Dao Law fragment."

    Shi Lang raised his brow, he was surprised at the mention of Dao Law fragment, he asked, "How does that work?"

    Ling Hai smiled and said, "Dao Arena is operated by a super family called Yang family. They are a power that can even make many big sects to bow their heads. Even the Verdant Green Holy Land is nothing in the eyes of the Yang Family''s eyes. They guard the Battle Field of Thousand races, it is a ce that every cultivator want to head to but they are not capable."

    Shi Lang did not care about the stuff like thousand races, he wanted to know about the Dao Fragment, Ling Hai smiled and said, "The Yang Family guards collect hundreds of Dao Law fragments every day, then they send them back to the immortal realm. Of course, they consume a lot of the Dao Fragments by themselves."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Is it very difficult to fight and win ten fights in a row?"

    Ling Hai replied, "Yes, the Dao Arena Manager will call forth their best fighters as soon as youe to the fifth position."

    Shi Lang nodded and then he turned his head to look at the men in the Arena. They were fighting ferociously, soon the winner was decided, and the crowd cheered. One person near Shi Lang and Ling Hai said, "See, I told you blood hand will win, hahahaha, I am rich."

    The winner was called Blood Hand, he had killed this man with a fatal punch. His win seemed to have given him great confidence, and he raised his fist as he asked arrogantly, "Whose next?"

    Shi Lang looked around, and none of the people wanted to fight Blood Hand. Shi Lang looked at Ling Hai and took out the bag given by the third master Ling and said, "Bet them all on me to win."

    Ling Hai was shocked, but Shi Lang had already vanished from the ce.

    ...

    Blood hand saw someone flicker before him, and after looking at Shi Lang he chuckled and said, "Boy, I will say that you sure have the balls of steel toe forth when called to fight with me."

    The elder at the side of the Arena said, "Introduce yourself."

    Shi Lang replied, "Shura, Immortal Sovereign."

    The people looked at him and many of them chuckled. Blood Handughed and pointed at Shi Lang as he said, "Aren''t you afraid that someone will beat you up for this arrogant name?"

    Shi Lang did not say anything and stood silently. The elder said, "ce your bets now."

    Everyone hurried and many people ced their bet on Blood Hand, but some people thought about the indifference on Shi Lang''s face and bet on him.

    After five minutes, the elder said, "Let the battle begin."

    As soon as his words fell, Shi Lang moved, his figure seemed to have flickered and that was it. The people looked at Blood hand and found a hole in his forehead. The Arena fell silent. They could not understand how Shi Lang did it, but then the lightning energy appeared around Shi Lang, and the golden flicker appeared on his spear before going calm.

    Shi Lang looked at the presiding elder and narrowed his gaze. The elder woke up and said, "Winner, Shura!"

    The people were stunned, they did not even realize how Blood Hand died. An expert sucked in a cold breath and said, "One spear sealed the soul. He used a spear move to kill Blood hand and directly erased his immortal soul."

    The people began to mmer and Shi Lang stood in the arena silently. The elder asked, "Would you like to continue?"

    Shi Lang nodded silently, he saw two people drag Blood Hand away, and the elder waved his hand to remove the space ring possessed by Blood Hand before giving it to Shi Lang. The Terran did not even check things inside it and ced it back in his space ring.

    He came to the arena because he wanted toprehend the Dao Of ughter. He did not care who stood before him, they would die. It was as simple as that. After thinking for a bit, he looked at the elder and said, "I would like to fight only death battles."

    The elder was surprised but then nodded and said, "All the challengers who wish to fight him will have to fight the battle of death. Step in at your own discretion."

    Although the old man warned people, but who among the crowd did not consider themselves to be a genius? Were they afraid of death? As if.

    A young man stepped in the Arena and pointed his sword at Shi Lang and said, "You practice the Dao Of ughter, no wonder you are so crazy. Hahaha,e, I have always wanted to test someone like you."

    The crowd mumbled and suddenly, an old man from the crowd yelled, "Maniac Yun, its this bastard. Hahahaha, Shura is going to hell this time."

    The people searched their memories, and suddenly, they all cheered. The elder said, "ce your bets."

    After five minutes the battle began, however, this time Shi Lang did not attack at the forehead. He moved in closer, and what happened next gave the people a sour mouth. Shi Lang basically dissected Maniac Yun into multiple pieces.

    The elder repeated the process and then another fighter stepped in. The result was the same, abination of spear and fist rendered all the opponents helpless. The end result was the same, chopped up body parts and the arena filled with blood stains. Shi Lang himself was covered in blood.

    He was not killing his opponent quickly, but he was taking his time, it seemed as if he was a demon from hell, however, Shi Lang was unaffected. Ling Hai on the other hand was shocked, he could not believe that this guy was fighting the enemies at the peak of Sovereign realm with such ease.

    During the entire time, he had yet to use a spirit technique, he was directly using his martial arts and spiritual energy. He gulped and sent a message home. By the time the sixth match ended, Ling Shui arrived at the Arena with her family disciples. She was stunned to look at Shi Lang and so were the other disciples.

    One of them asked, "Aunt, how is he so strong?"

    Ling Shui shook her head and said, "All I know is that if he learns suitable lightning attributed spirit skills, his strength will only improve at a blinding pace."

    The young man wanted to say something when Ling Hai eximed, "Its, Wolf de. Shit the Dao Arena called this guy."

    They all looked in the Arena where Shi Lang was standing calmly in the face of a notorious assassin, wolf de. The elder said, "ce your bets."

    Soon, the bets were made and the old man said, "Begin!!!"

 Chapter 869: Dao Law Fragment Acquired.

    Shi Lang and Wolf de stood facing each other. They presiding elder said, "Begin!"

    The Terran and Wolf de moved quickly, and within a few seconds they exchanged a few dozen moves, however, none of them could gain the upper hand. Ling Shui asked, "Hai, who is this guy?"

    Ling Hai sighed and said, "He is the retainer of the Dao Arena, he is at the peak of Immortal Sovereign Realm. He has a streak of ny kills."

    Ling Shui thought for a bit and said, "Hmmm, his skills is thorough. To think an independent cultivator would master such a skill. Not easy."

    Ling Hai shook his head and said, "He is not an independent cultivator, Yang family recruits orphans, and then groom them, even the lowest one in the rank is capable of fighting a reputed family disciple to the draw. However, Wolf de and people like him are stronger ones, the reason theye here is to umte battle experience."

    Ling Shui nodded as they watched the battle in the Arena.

    ...

    Shi Lang was using his spear and he was dancing around in the ce dealing with Wolf de. His opponent was using a sword. Shi Lang could see through the gaps in the sword technique, but he did not rush to fight the man. He could see from the density of spiritual aura radiating from Wolf de''s body and his sword that he was a high level elite of the Dao Arena.

    Shi Lang did not attack as aggressively as he did in the earlier fights because he did not want to kill Wolf de, he wasn''t sure if the big forces behind this guy woulde at him. Shi Lang did not wish to trigger a trouble that he could not handle.

    He danced with his spear and the spear intent around him began to umte on the de. Wolf de did not back down, his sword intent began to condense around the sword as well, however, he obviously had his weaknesses.

    Shi Lang smiled and his spear head began to stab at the points that revealed weaknesses. Wolf de had a cold face, and his eyes were filled with confidence, however, as soon as the attack waspleted by Shi Lang, he sensed his sword intent disperse a bit.

    At first, he thought that it was a fluke, but as the battle progressed, he realized that as soon as he exposed a weakness, and Shi Lang countered it, the sword intent would be dispersed by the spear intent.

    He narrowed his eyes at Shi Lang, and asked, "How?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Intent Transformation."

    Wolf de thought for a bit and said, "I admit defeat."

    The entire Arena was in an uproar.

    "Ahhh, I bet thousand on this match, I lost it all. Wolf de you bastard, kill him!!"

    "No! My wife will kill me, Father Wolf de, please fight, don''t do this to your son."

    Many such cries of grief echoed in the Arena. The Ling Family were the least effected, however, Ling Hai still mumbled, "What was that? I am sure I saw that he dispersed..."

    Ling Shui red at him and asked, "Have you forgotten where to talk and what to talk about?"

    Ling Hai shivered and then bowed his head. Just now, he had seen through Shi Lang''s attack and effect, but when he was mulling over it, he forgot that he was still surrounded by the sects and other families in the eastern continent. The entire city was here, how could they divulge Shi Lang''s technique to the people so easily.

    The Terran was their ally now. Shi Lang watched Wolf de leave, and spoke with his spiritual sense, "Daoist Wolf de, your sword is filled with blood lust, but sometimes it is the blood lust that highlights the fatality in intent."

    Wolf de stopped in his tracks and after a few minutes, he cupped his fist at Shi Lang. This was his way of saying thanks so that he could improve. The rest of the matches were easy, Shi Lang had to fight with three beasts of the Dao realm. These beasts were creatures from the battlefield of the ten thousand races.

    The Terran returned to his way of killing. These beasts have long lost their spirituality and they were just going mad. Shi Lang used his tribtion spear and yed three beasts. The presiding elder was in an awe.

    He said, "Participant Shura has fought ten matches and as won them all. He is now the champion of the Arena."

    Many people had benefitted by staking on Shi Lang, they began to chant, "Shura, Shura, Shura..."

    The old man said, "Participant Shura, do you want to defend the Arena or withdraw?"

    Shi Lang said, "Withdraw."

    He was not a fool to defend the Arena in this state, he may look tough but his body was drained of spirit energy. The elder nodded, and said, "Follow me."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed the old man. He stored his spear in the space ring.

    ...

    Ling Shui asked, "What did you lot learn in this series of matches? We will discuss this when we get home."

    The rest of the people nodded and they quickly left the Dao Arena, their gains were not small. Ling Hai collected a lot of money and said, "Aunt, I will wait for him toe out. He won a lot so I will return it to him first."

    Ling Shui nodded and left the ce with the rest of the people.

    ...

    The elder bought Shi Lang to a room under the first floor. The Terran was on guard because he did not trust these people. They were strong and strong people were not to be trusted. Only his own capital could be trusted.

    As they approached the door, the elder said, "Arena Master, I have bought the champion of the Sovereign Arena."

    A cold and indifferent voice sounded, "Enter."

    The old man pushed open the door and gestured for Shi Lang to enter. The Terran walked in with his grip on the spear shaft tightening. Inside the room, Shi Lang found it hard to breath, this man was stronger than Ling family head, Ling Shijin.

    Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "I have seen the senior."

    The person sitting on the cushion behind a table opened his eyes and gazed at Shi Lang. The Terran felt as if he was stripped naked before this man. The man said, "Raise your head."

    Shi Lang raised his head and looked at the Arena Master, this guy was old, but his eyes were brimming with vitality. The two people looked at each other for a minute, before the old man said, "You are good. Pick any Dao Fragment that you want."

    Shi Lang looked at him in askance, and the old man waved his hand. Seven shards of ss were ced on the same table. The old man said, "There are elements like Fire, Water, Mud, and wood, however, the remaining three are special, one of them is a sword, other is spear and thest one is soul. Which one do you choose?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Soul."

    He wanted to study soul Dao, and see if he could understand anything about the souls. In his discussions and homework about the Dao Of Souls.

    The old man flicked his finger and a white crystal moved through the void slowly andnded before Shi Lang. The Terran took hold of the crystal, and the old man said, "You can refine this crystal to see try and understand the Dao of Souls."

    Shi Lang nodded and thanked the man before he left the ce. The old man watched his back and then closed his eyes slowly.

    ...

    Shi Lang came out of the Dao Arena and found Ling Hai standing on the side. He approached the man, and thetter said, "Brother, it would be nice if we left this ce quickly, some people are eye your Dao Law Fragment."

    Shi Lang nodded, and took out his visor mask and left the ce after putting it on. None of the people would be able to pursue his identity as long as he did not want them too.

    The two people were walking to the Ling Mansion when Ling Hai took out a bag as heavy as two humans and said, "These are your earnings, have fun."

    Shi Lang did not reveal any expression, to him money was just a mode to buy resources to grow stronger. Ling Hai sighed at his cold reaction and they both left the ce quickly. The Ling Family was one of the strong families and they were not to be offended in the Spirit Day city.

    Shi Lang sat with his legs crossed in the same pavilion as before. After digesting the things he hasprehended in the Arena, he took out a wine pot and began to drink. Ling Shui arrived at the moment and saw him staring at the moon while gulping the wine in a fervor.

    She sighed and said, "Daoist Shura how long was it before your wife passed away?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "One Year, Three months and seven days, and eighteen hours."

    Ling Shui was moved when she heard this. She did not expect for someone to love his Daopanion in such a manner. She asked, "Would you mind telling me about her?"

    Shi Lang did not answer, but drank a big mouthful of wine and said, "Me and my wife both ascended from a lower realm. She came after me in this world..."

 Chapter 870: Tutelage Of The Spirit Beast.

    Shi Lang spend the night telling Ling Shui about his and Amelia''s love story. Many times the tears of blood trickled down the corner of his eyes, however, his heart was not shaken. Ling Shui was moved, and she did not know if someone could control so much rage in their heart. The tears that trickled down his eyes were not of grief, but hate.

    Every word reminded him of how she was taken from him. Ling Shui looked at the sun breaking the dark of the night and asked, "What do you intend to do now?"

    Shi Lang said, "Cultivate till I reach the level where the Juan Family kneels and I have the authority to ignore them and skin Juan Xuan alive as he wails in agony."

    Ling Shui shivered at the cold description of his voice and she wanted to say something when he closed his eyes and absorbed the pure Yang energy from the morning sun.

    She shook his head and left him to his measures, after all, it was not her ce to tell him anything. Shi Lang did not care about her either. He did not even ask for anything in the house, the pavilion was the only ce he stayed.

    He focused on his cultivation and did not even touch the Dao Law fragment he earned from the Dao Arena. The reason was that he doubted that absorbing or refining this tiny two inch big crystal would be of any use. It was already night when Shi Lang stopped cultivating and used hismunicator to check the details written inside the journal of Tsuu Ching''s son.

    He found that outside the city there was a forest where the cultivators would venture to fight and temper themselves against the spirit beasts. It was an arena of a sorts, but there was no prize. Keeping your life intact would be a reward. Also, the spirit beasts rewarded the cultivators with cultivation techniques and martial arts techniques.

    The techniques were divided into clean categories, Cultivation Techniques, Martial Art Techniques, and finally, spiritual techniques. It was easy to understand the reasoning behind the division, because the system of this ce was much more refined.

    The techniques were graded in three realms, Human, Earth and Heavens. While the human level cultivation weremon and could be bought with money, Earth Level techniques were very expensive, and often attracted trouble, but the Heaven level cultivation techniques could only be found if you are fated to have them.

    Many of the heaven level techniques were under the custody of the big forces, and they all monopolized who gets to practice the techniques. Shi Lang did not care about all this but knowing the difference could help him understand how things work and information was power.

    After reading through the journal, he took out the void cloak, and decided to leave the Ling Family manner. He stood up and was just about to put on the cloak when he heard a soft giggle. It was like bells tinkling in the surroundings. He turned his head and found a bunch of toddlers running around each other with big smiles on their faces.

    Ling Shui appeared beside him and asked, "What are you thinking, Fellow Daoist?"

    Shi Lang looked at the children and said, "Before losing my wife, I used to look for the light in the hearts of the people, no matter what happened I used to think that time will change and happiness wille. In this world, the stronger you are the more enemies you have. The weak don''t have a chance and say in what happens and how it happens.

    Now that I look carefully in the ces where I see light, I also see the shadows cast by it. The intent to restore peace causes wars, and the incapability to save your loved ones begets hate. Light and dark are nexuses to each other that cannot be separated, and only when one learns this fact and finds bnce can they walk the path of cultivation and seek Dao.

    In a nutshell, none can choose either light or either dark, none shall stay biased or the emotions and karma will destroy you. Look at these children, they are so happy ying with each other but in a few years when they grow up, they will bepeting in blood battles to acquire resources.

    However, if they all choose different paths and helped each other grow, then at least the only enemy they will have to worry about would be outsiders."

    His monologue made Ling Shui think hard about the path of cultivation. Struggle was inevitable, it could not be avoided, but one should not be fighting with their own family. As she thought about it, she realized something, and raised her head to look at Shi Lang, only to find that the Terran was nowhere to be seen.

    She tried looking for him with her spiritual sense and found that Shi Lang seemed to have vanished from the city itself. While thedy was surprised but she was not shocked. This was to be expected of the cultivator who ascended from the lower realm and left the caged realm. He had means.

    ...

    Shi Lang was moving through the city at a quick pace. He was running atop the ceilings of the houses and the walls to reach the city gates undetected. Hou Bing had given him a robe and a cloak made from void beast skin, but Shi Lang only used the cloak the camouge on his battle suit was good enough to avoid the eyes of the people, and whenbined with the cloak, he was basically invisible.

    Shi Lang left the city and dashed through the woods, he was heading west, because the ce where people could challenge the beasts was located in that direction. His speed was fast, and his steps were as light as clouds. The Terran travelled for a week, before he reached a big clearing.

    He sensed the ce but their was no one there. Only a big que was leaning against the trees. Shi Lang thought about it and found that it has been a few hundred years, it was possible for the battlefield to have shifted somewhere else.

    However, since he did not know whom to ask about it. He decided to stay here and cultivate. He took off the cloak on his person and began to dance with his spear. The weapon shed with cold light and Shi Lang trained himself in spear movement.

    In his entire life, this was the first time when he was training in spear properly. He wanted to increase the familiarity with the weapon spirit of the tribtion spear. Also, the shockwaves created by his spear dance could attract some spirit beings to him.

    He danced for three days and two nights non-stop before he stopped and sat down in meditation. After a few hours, he opened his eyes and turned to look at his right. A light chuckle sounded and a feminine voice sounded, "I did not expect you to be able to detect me, aren''t you vignt, little human."

    Shi Lang cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Senior. May I be of any service to you?"

    The spirit beast was surprised and then ady wearing a white gown walked out of the tree line and said, "Surprisingly, your manners are quite something for a human. You have caught my interest, young one, tell me what are you doing here?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "I was told that humans and spirit beings used to spar with each other in this very ce. I came here seeking the same arena to train."

    Thedy opened her eyes wide and Shi Lang noticed that her pupil were vertical slits. Thedy asked, "How do you even know of this? You are not any more older than forty or fifty years in bone age. Why do you know of the ce that existed more than hundreds of years ago? Also, why are you not scared of a spirit beast like me?"

    Shi Lang cupped his fists and said, "Senior, I have lived inside the caged realm for all my life, I don''t know what the situation of this world is. I only came here because this was the only way for me."

    Thedy was taken aback, and then she asked, "What would you do if I killed you right now?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and spoke seriously, "I would try my best to fend off, but if I am still defeated and killed, then I will ept that it was my fate. However, if by any chance, I manage to survive, I will kill you and your n after getting enough strength, by hook or by crook. Then only will I be able to fight my real enemies."

    Thedy was stunned and then sheughed out loud, the void shook from the waves of her action. She said, "You are the first human, who managed to catch my attention. Fine, I will spare you, and since you want to train, I will train you. I am Lao Yuesha. Do you dare to ept me as your teacher?"

    Shi Lang knelt on one knee and bowed his head as he said, "Shi Lang greets Teacher Lao."

 Chapter 871 : Devil Training.

    Shi Lang followed Lao Yuesha, while maintaining his vignce. He could not figure out the goal of this woman, after all, she was at least an Dao General, why did she agree to teach him. This was a cruel world, and the strong did not even bother to look at the weak as if they were just ants for them to walk over.

    After following Lao Yuesha inside the forest, they arrived at a cave dwelling. Thedy said, "My realm form is that of a Myriad Phyton, I am the only one left of my n. This is where I live,e along."

    Shi Lang followed her inside and they both sat down before each other after reaching the depths of the cave. The two of them did not talk, while thedy was appraising Shi Lang, the Terran was thinking at a very fast speed.

    Lao Yuesha smiled and asked, "You have a lot of questions, ask away."

    Shi Lang nodded before he said, "Why did you agree to teach me?"

    Thedy replied, "You are the first human who caught my eye after the great purge."

    Shi Lang was confused and Lao Yuesha said, "The great purge was a mission started by the Verdant Green Holy Land, they wanted to secure the de Wood Forest and consume the resources of this ce. The spirit beasts were not happy with them taking everything and damaging the ce so the war began.

    After three months and countless deaths, when the Verdant Green Holy Land was almost at thest leg, their founding ancestor made a move.

    My n was caught up in it, and they lost their lives. In response to that, many Spirit Beast Ancestors came out of seclusion and they destroyed half the floating city which Verdant Green Sect was so proud of."

    Shi Lang gulped and Lao Yuesha said, "Ever since then, humans think twice before they set foot in the de wood forest."

    The Terran nodded and Lao Yuesha asked, "You said that you want to train, what do you exactly wish to train in? I can see that your foundation is solid, you know what it is like to kill, and what it is like to face death. So, tell me, how strong do you want to be and why?"

    Shi Lang revealed his story without hiding anything from Lao Yuesha. Thedy nodded and said, "You have a solid foundation, and can use your true essence very well. In the ancient times, even if the people absorbed spiritual energy they did not have any understanding of martial techniques. The people only learned about them after watching the nature.

    Among the plethora of creatures in this nature, a snake is blessed with the most elusive movement. Once a snake reaches a certain level, their speed will increase and it will be as quick as lightning and the flexibility in the body will provide it with the agility that would match the winds.

    I can see that your spiritual energy is lightning based. This won''t be difficult for you. However, the training will be strenuous."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. Lao Yuesha said, "For the night take some rest, we will being in the morning, also, don''t drink the dew falling from the stctites above. You will die."

    The Terran was took shocked, and thedy said, "Every morning one drop of dew will condense over at the tip of the stctite and it has the potency of an elixir that could promote an Immortal Sovereign the Dao Soldier realm, however, your body is not yet strong enough to handle the vitality."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded, he had not been an Immortal Sovereign for a long time and it was not suitable for him to break through so quickly. After much thinking he asked, "Teacher, where can I find Dao Law Fragments?"

    Lao Yuesha frowned and asked, "Where did you find that thing? The Dao Arena?"

    Shi Lang nodded and the Myriad Snake Lady replied, "Don''t tell me you consumed it?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and answered, "No, Teacher, I have not yet absorbed the fragment."

    Lao Yuesha sighed and replied, "Good that you did not do any such things, many people don''t know but these Dao Law fragments are what the name implies, they are fragmented, iplete. Humans have been trying to absorb them and find understanding about various Dao Paths, however, how can you find your own path by observing the path taken by someone else?"

    Shi Lang was surprised but then this logic seemed to make sense to him. He asked, "Then what is the use of the Dao Law Fragments?"

    Lao Yuesha smiled whispered, "The main ingredient of creating Dao Enlightenment Pill."

    The Terran was surprised and asked, "Do you know the form?"

    This time, Lao Yuesha was surprised and then she asked, "Do you understand Pill refinement?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I do have some experience of the pill refinement, however, I think the pill you mentioned must be among the most difficult form of the immortal ne, right?"

    Lao Yuesha nodded as she exined, "Yes, the people who can refine this pill can be counted on one hand. The ingredients are not difficult to find, you can find Dao Law Fragments from the Yang Family, they collect many of these from the corpses of the ten thousand races. However, the issueys in the pill me."

    Shi Lang was confused and asked, "What do you mean by Pill me, Teacher?"

    Lao Yuesha thought for a moment and said, "Every alchemist has a me, which is called spirit me. Condensed by spiritual energy or true essence. However, Pill mes are different, they are found in ces with extreme yang, and not everyone can master them, only a few people can have these mes to ept them as a master.Only a Pill me has the capability to melt the Dao Law Fragment."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath as he said, "I did not expect this thing to be so hard to melt."

    Lao Yuesha nodded and continued, "Many alchemy sects in the world have pill mes in their vaults, if you are a talent, they will give you a chance to collect these mes and grow stronger. However, such talents lose their freedom, and it is extremely rare toe across a natural pill me."

    Shi Lang nodded. He said, "The immortal world is simple and yet it is at the same time very crude. The strong have absolute authority and they can change the fate of many. They manipte the resources and ensure that no one else in the world grows as strong as they are."

    The Myriad Phyton smiled as she said, "You are an odd one, as a human you despise your kind. Why?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Because my kind has their head over the clouds. If they are so lost in the the vision for the future, they will eventually ruin the present. Their thoughts have tunneled into the future that could be changed by one wild creature creating chaos."

    Lao Yuesha was stunned and then she chuckled loudly, she remarked, "Kid, I have a good feeling about you."

    ...

    The two people chatted the night away, and in the morning, Lao Yuesha tossed out a spool of thread to Shi Lang. She said, "This spool is made from Crystal Silk Spider. You task is to run around every tree and tie this thread around the trees within seven kilometers. If the thread snapped, I will beat you up. Okay?"

    Shi Lang had long understood that to grow strong he needed to work hard. He nodded and stood up from the ground. He inspected the spool first and then he dashed out. He moved very slowly at first and then Lao Yuesha said, "Kid, you have two hours to do this task."

    Shi Lang sighed and ran fast, he wasing upon his seventh tree when his hand tugged on the spool and the delicate crystal-like thread, snapped.

    The Terran froze and Lao Yuesha appeared beside him. Before he could react, she punched him in the side and flung him off his feet. Shi Lang hit a lot of trees and then caused tremors. When he stood up, he was dazed, his entire body seemed to have been hit by a truck.

    He regained his orientation and stood up from the ground. Lao Yuesha was sitting on a huge boulder. She said, "Hmmm, good that you have collected yourself so quickly, now move."

    Shi Lang was back at it again, however, this time hested till the eleventh tree before the thread snapped and he was punched. For the entire day, Shi Lang was tossed around like a rag doll and Lao Yuesha seemed to be having fun, however, in the entire day, after being thrown around and beaten to the point where his soul was aching.

    Shi Lang had covered three hundred nine trees. He never repeated the same mistake, and Lao Yuesha mumbled, "This is going to be fun."

 Chapter 872 : Chance.

    Shi Lang had spend six months in the de Wood Forest. He perfected the movement technique and his strength also increased. His cultivation realm was now at the peak of Immortal Sovereign Realm. In the past six months, he has been given a lot of natural heavenly treasures by Lao Yuesha.

    His foundation was stable as she also sparred with him and his body absorbed the effect of the treasures to the maximum level. Shi Lang also learned a lot about the system in this world.

    His spear skills had grown beyond imagination. Lao Yuesha herself turned out to be an expert in spear art and she was crazy strong. Shi Lang had grown stronger and his intent was much sharper and condensed but he still could not see through her.

    Shi Lang was resting after the intense training session with Lao Yuesha. Thetter asked, "Xiao Lang, what do you intend to do after your training is over?"

    Shi Lang thought about it and said, "I would like to grow stronger. My strength is not yet good enough to fight against the Holy Land."

    Lao Yuesha nodded and said, "It is good that you know, as for getting stronger. Well, I will take you to trials for the Martial Spirit Hall."

    Shi Lang asked, "Martial Spirit Hall? What is it?"

    Lao Yuesha smiled and said, "The Martial Spirit Hall is one of the top ten forces in the immortal world and their pursuit is longevity and martial supremacy. Thousand years ago, they used to be so strong that even the Dao King realm experts longed to join them. Although with times there strength has declined a bit.

    However, if you manage to be a direct disciple of the Martial Spirit Hall, the Juan Family will amount to nothing but a stack of pebbles."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "Teacher, I don''t think it would be that easy for me to get in, would it?"

    Lao Yuesha replied, "Your perception is still on point. Martial Spirit Hall issues various tasks that have not beenpleted for over hundred years, and those who canplete these tasks alone, they can join the inner sect, those who team up can only enter the outer hall and if your team is bigger than two people, than you will enter as a handyman disciple."

    Shi Lang frowned and said, "They sure have high standards."

    Lao Yuesha smirked and asked, "What else do you expect from the top ten forces of the Immortal Realm? Even the handyman disciples there are Immortal Sovereigns."

    Shi Lang looked up at the tree branch where Lao Yuesha was sitting. She sensed his gaze and said, "Don''t think I am judging or demoralizing you. However, this is the truth. If you canplete the task on your own, and your strength is still at the peak of immortal Sovereign realm you will only enter the outer sect."

    Shi Lang thought about it and asked, "How far is this ce?"

    Lao Yuesha said, "If we travel at our fastest it will take us two months, the trials will begin in four months. What do you say? You will be able to train in the wilderness while traveling with me."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, I will."

    Lao Yuesha said, "We will move in the morning, till then meditate."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and entered the state of meditation. He peeked inside his Dantian and found a small rainbow colored bud peeking through his crystal clear foundation. This bug was condensation of his Dao Comprehension. It was not even as big as the nail of his finger, but the amount of energy contained in it destroy the entire gxy.

    The rainbow shine on the bud was called Dao Radiance. Lao Yuesha had told him that to reach the Dao Soldier level, he would need to grow this bud into three feet tall. It may sound easy but it was not. This bud had consumed a lot of elixirs.

    Shi Lang hade to understand the importance of pills in the path of cultivation. He had never been a fan of consuming pills but now he hade to understand that he needed to sharpen his alchemy skills as well.

    The recipes and me control skills were needed, on the other hand he also wanted to see if he can find a pill me. Shi Lang waited for the night, and in the morning, Lao Yuesha said, "Xiao Lang, it''s time to move. Keep up."

    Shi Lang opened his eyes and dashed in tow of Lao Yuesha. Thedy was wearing a white dress and it stood in stark contrast with the de wood forest. Shi Lang was wearing his battle armor and following her. However, he had not yet turned on the augmentation feature of the armor.

    He believed that other than the appearance of the suit most of the skills should be kept hidden. They could help him in the dire times of need. Lao Yuesha was fast, and Shi Lang was doing his best to keep up with her.

    On the way, Lao Yuesha had Shi Lang fight with many Beast lords. These matches were ferocious, Shi Lang would die if he was to lose but the Dao Beast would get to walk away. Many times Shi Lang wished he could y the beast lord, but he could not or the entire n of these beasts would wage a war against him.

    After a month when they came to the edge of the forest, Shi Lang was greeted with a calm pond, Lao Yuesha asked, "What do you think?"

    Shi Lang looked at her, and then he raised his left hand to check the scene on hismunicator. He asked, "Why is there such a big illusion array?"

    Lao Yueshaughed and said, "I do not understand what your artifact is, but its always amusing to see you raising such questions. If there is an illusion formation, then obviously, their would be people who want to hide something."

    Shi Lang sighed, and said, "What do you want to do now?"

    Lao Yuesha said, "This ce is still under the de Wood Forest and here lives the n of Fate Cats. They are allies of the entire forest and also the guardians. Since we havee across this situation we will need to help them."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Alright."

    He put on the hood of the Void Beast Cloak and his ck mask too. He said, "I am going in."

    Lao Yuesha nodded as Shi Lang took a step forward and vanished. They could tell that the ce was illusion because the pond was too calm. It was as if the water inside has frozen.

    ...

    Inside the illusion, Shi Lang appeared behind a tree, he sensed the region with his ability and found a dozen or so men and women walking in the region. They all seem to be searching for something. He did not know what they were looking for, but he was sure that something was definitely up.

    He slowly moved closer to the person who was moving alone through the woods, and heard him mumbling, "This Juan Xi is such an entitled bitch. She thinks of us as if we are her ves. She wants a cat so we have to go and hunt for a cat. Bitch."

    Shi Lang''s gaze turned cold, and suddenly he heard a faint voice, "Kan, can you stop messing around. Do not bad mouth her, if she found out, you will better wish to die."

    Another young man came over, and Kan replied, "Jun, do you really think this is how someone should act?"

    Jun shook his head but they appeared to be novices. Shi Lang took out a couple of needles, they were smeared with the poison from the de wood forest. This thing could even knock out a Dao King level spirit beast let alone these two young men. Shi Lang flicked his fingers and the needles stabbed in the back of there necks.

    The young men fell to their knees and after a few moments they were paralyzedpletely. Shi Lang had used a controlled dosage, and he had tried it on many beasts in the past.

    He appeared before the two men, and revealed his red eyes. The next moment, he was inside their minds and searched their souls. He found that they were servants in the Juan Family, and they were here with the young miss of the Juan family, this woman was Juan Xi, and she was loved by Juan Xian a lot. After all, they were both twins.

    Shi Lang narrowed his gaze and his fists clenched tightly. He took out a small knife and stabbed the two people in their foreheads. His eyes revealed an excited emotion, after all this travel had given him a chance to kill a member of the Juan Family, how could he not be excited.

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 Chapter 873: Juan Xi.

    Shi Lang finished searching the soul of the two people and then he vanished inside the woods. He did not bother hiding the corpses because if someone came here, they will definitely die, as he rigged them with phaser-nades.

    Shi Lang used his sensory ability to the max and began to hunt the group of Juan Family. He was as silent as a snake in the night. Lao Yuesha was also inside the illusion formation and she could see what he was doing and she was surprised.

    Just when she was marveling at the fact that Shi Lang was able to hold his own against the enemy a calm voice sounded next to her, "Rainbow worm, what are you doing here?"

    Lao Yuesha sighed and said, "Tabby, can you look at yourself before you call me names?"

    Beside her appeared a tabby cat with matted fur. She suddenly shook and her fur was cleaned. Her eyes looked drowsy and she perched herself on the tree branchzily.

    The cat yawned and asked, "What''s going on here? Who are these human trash?"

    She was condescending to the point where it was almost unbearable. Lao Yuesha replied, "They came here to look for you. Someone among them wants to take you as a pet."

    The cat did not bother and said, "They sent fifty Dao Soldiers and one Dao Lord, what makes them think they will can capture me?"

    Lao Yuesha smiled and said, "It could be that they have done their homework and know that you are onezy bitch."

    The cat red at her and said, "If you say thatst word again, I will scratch your scales off your boneless body, worm."

    She hated when someone called her bitch. Well, she was a cat after all. Lao Yuesha did not care and sat quietly, and the Tabby cat asked, "Who is that kid in the cloak?"

    Lao Yuesha replied, "That is my student, Shi Lang."

    The Tabby observed the situation silently for a few minutes, before she said, "This kid is strong."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang had killed five experts from the enemy side and he had rigged all of their corpses. He targeted the weak and decided to attract the strong into his trap. He hid behind a long tree and tapped the screen of hismunicator. The micro speakers he had hidden around the dead corpses emitted strong screaming sounds.

    The screams were meant for the stronger experts to walk in their trap. Shi Lang waited, and sure enough a few people came over and they found five people died. Apart from the first two, the rest of them were in different ces.

    One of them yelled, "Who dares to attack the Juan Family? Show yourselves, cowards."

    They all took out messaging talismans and shot them towards the east of the pool. Shi Lang concluded that the person who was capable of making decisions in this ce was located there, and if that person was there, then, he was sure that Juan Xi was also there.

    Shi Lang smiled coldly under his mask and then tapped hismunicator. The phaser-nades ced under the corpses were triggered and within a second, just when all the enemies were turning around, they were enveloped in a bright ice-blue light. They could not even scream before the phaser-nade vaporized their bodies.

    These bombs were unlike what they used to be in the federation. They were upgraded into a highly unstable spiritual energy that would swallow everything within ten meter range. Indeed, that''s what happened, after the bombs set off, ten meters around it had evaporated. The crater on the ground was as smooth as mirror.

    Shi Lang did not wait and moved to take down more enemies. They were fifty people, but most of them were just push overs lost in the charm of a powerful family they have joined.

    They did not even sense that death was right behind them. Shi Lang was very quick and thorough, he was trained in assassination and thus his skills were shining at the moment.

    After five hours, a loud voice echoed in the surroundings, "Who dares to act against my Juan family."

    Lao Yuesha smiled and said, "Killing forty eight people without getting noticed, he has surpassed your record, Tabby."

    The cat looked at Lao Yuesha and said, "Those things with vtile spirit energy, they are quite devastating. Your student has caused damage to my home. Go, deal with it and leave this ce before I scratch you."

    Lao Yuesha chuckled and vanished from her spot. When she reappeared, she was floating in the void before the Juan family expert. The expert was shocked, and asked, "Your Excellency, why have you killed the juniors of my family?"

    The Myriad Python twirled her hair and said, "Your people barged inside the de Wood Forest, cast an illusion around the sacred pond. Did you think you will be weed? Did you forget the pledge taken by the Verdant Holy Lord? They will not send humans in the forest to kill and plunder but maintain a cordial rtion. Is this how he honors his word?"

    The old man from the Juan Family frowned, and he wanted tosh out but the person before him was a Dao Empress. He was nothing but an ant. He thought about it and said, "I understand, Your Excellency, we will leave here immediately."

    Lao Yuesha hade to make a move but Shi Lang stopped her, he told her to wait and he will handle the old man. So, she waited. Just as the old man was about to turn around and leave, a pretty girl in her teens walked over from behind the tree.

    She was dressed in a ice blue dress and her figure could topple the cities and cause the emperors to wage war. She was Juan Xi.

    The old man appeared next to her and whispered a few words, the girl showed an unwilling expression but then she clenched her fist and nodded. The old man heaved a sigh of relief, he turned around to express the situation to Lao Yuesha, but just as he turned around, the youngdy took out a sharp dagger from her space ring and stabbed the old man in abdomen.

    The attack was madepletely out unannounced, and the old man did not have the time to even dodge it. He hadpletely lowered his guard against the youngdy, he did not expect this cruelty.

    He held the dagger which had already stabbed through his Dantian, and yelled, "Juan Xi you little slut."

    Yeah, this was the true face of the elder and the youngster, they were both the same. Mean and cruel.

    Juan Xi looked at him with indifferent eyes and said, "Old lecher, did you think I will forget how you looked at me? If not for my master, I would have been raped by you. Thankfully, that will not happen now."

    Old expert from the Juan family was confused, and he mumbled, "Master?"

    Shi Lang appeared behind him and without saying anything, he stabbed forward with his spear intent. The attack was aimed directly at the back of his head. The old man did not even know what happened to him when his soul sea was broken through and his Dao Soul was obliterated by the golden lightning.

    Shi Lang then moved forward and stabbed through the back of the old man and obliterated his Dao foundation and flower at the same time. He was cruel in his moves, and he did not give the other a slight chance.

    Lao Yuesha was stunned, and to shock her from the core of her heart, Juan Xi walked over to Shi Lang and knelt on the ground as she said, "Master, how did I perform?"

    Shi Lang did not even gaze at her and said, "This does not mean anything, if you want to win my favor, then you will have to go back to the Juan family and get stronger. So strong that when Ie back, you can do what I tell you to and Juan family stands like puppets and just watch you."

    Juan Xi raised her head to look at him and said, "Master, I will do that, I will grow stronger, I will never let anyonee close to me."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Leave, and tell the people not to step into the de Wood Forest."

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    Juan Xi left the ce. Lao Yuesha asked, "What did you do?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Soul Illusion, she is my puppet."

    Lao Yuesha smiled and praised him, she asked, "Are you really letting her go?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "She will die, right after Juan Xianes to look for her. The death of his beloved sister, I wonder if he will cough up a mouthful of blood."

    Lao Yuesha chuckled and then after greeting Tabby, they left the ce.

    ¡­

    Juan Xi left the forest and came back to the Juan Family mansion. However, her arrival created a big mor, because she returned alone. Juan Xi was summoned to the main hall where Juan Xian was also present.

    Juan Xi was scolded and she cried, Juan Xian could not stand it and defended her, and took her in her embrace. However, at that moment, Juan Xi screamed, her Dantian exploded, and the blood sttered all over the ce including Juan Xian.

    The people were shocked when Juan Xi said, "Juan Xian you bastard, you killed me!"

    Then her head exploded and the brain matter sshed on Juan Xian''s face. It is said that the entire verdant green holynd heard his angry screams, before he coughed up blood and fainted.

 Chapter 874: Eastern Heaven City.

    Shi Lang and Lao Yuesha had finished dealing with the Juan family people and left the ce after cleaning their tracks. Before leaving, Lao Yuesha asked him, "Xiao Lang, what do you think you would achieve by triggering Juan Xian like this?"

    Shi Lang replied with ease, "Some moves are not made to win the battle, but to let them know there is someone out there who is capable of attacking them. Now they will search for me, but with all the people in the expedition vanished, and no leads, they will fail miserably and go crazy thinking that the enemy is stronger than them, and they will panic.

    Some part of their brain, heart and soul will always be wary."

    Lao Yuesha did not expect him to think so far ahead. To her this move was just an act of vengeance, however, Shi Lang was able to look past his hatred and back his move with logic, this made her pray for his enemies.

    A calmer sea must be feared and respected for it can cause great waves of turmoil to the careless, and Shi Lang was a fitting personification of this idiom. His name meant a stone that created waves.

    The two of them traveled for another week, and were about to enter the city when Shi Lang received a message on hismunicator. He looked at the content and sent back a reply, "Happy Birthday Xiao Yu, Master is out traveling to a big city in the Easter Continent, don''t worry about me, I am fine. You all should look after each other, I will wait for you here."

    Fairy Moon Jade must havee out of the gateway tomunicate with Tsuu Ching and found some time to check on him. Shi Lang did not disappoint and replied right away. His disciples cared a lot about him. This was the least he could do for them.

    ...

    After one more night of travel the duo arrived at the summit of a mountain, and Shi Lang looked below as he asked, "That is the Easter Heaven City?"

    Lao Yuesha nodded and said, "Yes, that is the eastern heaven. All the big forces have their homes there."

    Shi Lang nodded, Lao Yuesha had told him this before, but even then, watching this behemoth of a city sparkling like a pond of stars in the dark of the night made him feel awe. He was from a lower realm but the concept of light and activity in his mind was even more clearer than the people in the immortal world.

    The myriad snake noticed this and asked, "What do you think? Is it good?"

    Shi Lang nodded slowly and said, "Indeed a marvelous ce."

    Lao Yuesha said, "This ce is ranked fifth in the biggest cities in the eastern continent."

    The Terran nodded, he could tell from the pride in her voice that she was flexing. He did notment, and just scanned the ce with the satellite in the void. He was going to have the Asura Hall grow into a force that would terrorize the people when theye forward.

    The recipe of the aura cleansing pill had already been sent back, and they were nning to set up a base outside the cage world in theing five years when the strongest of them have reached the peak of blood refining, and also Dao Spirit Fusion.

    Shi Lang had told the Martial Council before leaving, that anyone who is not strong enough when they go out, should stay inside and help those who have better potential. If they acted selfishly, he would look for them.

    It was not that he wanted to make the people to leave everything and care about his issues, but he only wanted the people to know that only the strong had a say in the world outside that cage.

    While he was thinking about various things, they had descended the mountain and came to the city gate. This city was thousands of kilometers wide in radius, and it was filled with people to the brim. Even from the city gate, Shi Lang could sense the vibrating sound waves.

    There was a camp at the city gates, and there were at least five hundred Dao Soldiers and five Dao Generals present. Shi Lang walked close to Lao Yuesha, but his steps were stable and his back was straight. The guard looked at the two of them as they entered the small office.

    Lao Yuesha looked at a soldier behind the table and took out a token. The soldier examined the token and said, "You may enter the city."

    She nodded, and just when she was about to move, the soldier said, "The city is on high alert, we will need to check yourpanion."

    Lao Yuesha was surprised and then asked, "Because of the Martial Spirit Hall selection?"

    The soldier nodded and ced a silver ball on the table. He said, "Boy, ce your hand on it and channel your spiritual energy."

    Shi Lang frowned and asked, "What is this ball?"

    The guard replied, "Spirit Testing Ball. Hurry up, we haven''t got the whole day."

    He did not wish to be talking to a weakling in the beginning of the Dao Soldier Realm. (In the previous chapter it was said that he was still at the peak of the Immortal Sovereign realm but that was a mistake. The budding Dao Flower in his foundation is the sign of Dao Soldier realm. Apologies.)

    Shi Lang did not mind it, the strong had the capability to be arrogant. He ced his right-hand on the ball and ran his spiritual energy through the silver ball, however, he could sense the multiple eyes located on his back.

    The guards would take immediate action if he had any ws. The ball glowed with white light and then it gradually dimmed. The guard took out a wooden token and said, "You may leave, this token will allow you to stay inside till you are done with the examination. After that, if you did not pass the exam you will have to leave the city or pay the fee to stay in."

    Shi Lang nodded and left after epting the token. As he left the few guards talked among themselves and one of them asked, "Ling Yuan, what do you think? That brat would make it through the Martial Spirit Hall?"

    Ling Yuan shook his head with an amused expression on his face.

    ...

    Lao Yuesha said, "Don''t mind them, they are all a rough bunch."

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "You think I would care about the people I am not going to meet for the second time?"

    The snakedy did not say anything, she realized that she was thinking a bit too much. She smiled and said, "Did you see? I am so caring towards you."

    Shi Lang rolled his eyes and remarked, "You did not seem to care when your punch caused my chest to cave in."

    Lao Yuesha was immediately humbled and snorted as she mumbled, "Ungrateful brat."

    She bought him to a brightly lit inn, this ce was white and many people were gathered outside. Thedy shook her head and said, "Move aside!"

    Her sonorous tone caused the people to move aside, and Shi Lang spotted ady who looked astoundingly simr to Amelia. His heart beat picked up pace, but just when his heart wanted to charge at the person, his mind and body did not flinch. On the contrary he raised his spear and moved forward.

    Lao Yuesha patted his shoulder and said, "Sister Yue, he snapped out of the mor, take it down."

    The face of thedy morphed and she assumed her real face. It waspletely different from Amelia. Shi Lang was still staring at her with his blood colored eyes and hair. Lao Yuesha sighed and said, "Xiao Lang, calm down."

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm his mind. He bowed to thedy and said, "I apologize for losing my calm, your illusion is very strong, Senior."

    Thedy gazed at him for a prolonged second and then shook her head before saying, "You did not do anything wrong. The face you saw is of someone you love and respect a lot, so it was amon and quick reaction to point your killing intent at me. Sister Yuesha, You have found a good student."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists in thanks, and Lao Yuesha said, "Go in, and tell them you are with me, they will give you a room."

    Shi Lang nodded and entered the building. Lady Yue asked, "Is this kid a genius?"

    Lao Yuesha locked her sense at him and after he was out of the earshot she nodded as she said, "If he can have some resources, he would be a pinnacle genius."

    These words shocked thedy before her. Lao Yuesha had never praised a young man this much, however, it was evident from her praise that she held Shi Lang in a high regard, otherwise he would not be allowed to step in the building.

 Chapter 875: Primary Task.

    Shi Lang entered the building and came to the counter. He reigned his spiritual energy but he sensed the ce with his ability and found that there were seven floors in this building however, from the outside only five were visible.

    A girl behind the counter was looking at Shi Lang with great curiosity and asked, "Hello, wee to the bright moon pavilion."

    Shi Lang bowed and cupped his fist to her, this delicate looking girl was strong beyond Dao Soldier realm. Even a simple attendant was stronger than him. He had to be respectful to her. He replied, "I was sent in by Teacher Lao Yuesha. She told me to report here and then I will be given a room to rest."

    The girl was surprised and then said, "Please raise your head. I am called Lao Ying. Elder Sister Lao is my senior sister, so you are partially my student too."

    Shi Lang was surprised and greeted her, "Student Shi Lang greets you, Teacher Aunt Lao."

    The effect of this greeting was a smile that could blind the entire city. Lao Ying took a deep breath and thought, ''What sort of a Teacher Aunt will act so undignified before a junior. Calm yourself.''

    She forced herself to calm down and said, "Come along with me, I will show you your room."

    Then she took him to the side alley and said, "The five floors are all rooms of the Bright Moon Pavilion."

    Shi Lang asked, "Is this ce a Inn? Or is it an organization that provides special services?"

    Lao Ying paused in her steps and asked, "What do you mean?"

    Shi Lang detected how serious she sounded and he said, "The fighting skills that Teacher Lao has are not normal. Thedy outside the building could invoke the deepest fears and desire in the hearts of the people is not normal. You are a dignified Dao General, you are capable ofmanding at least five hundred city guards, yet you are acting as an attendant.

    This behavior is not normal in my view but I am too weak to have any views. Thus I thought this ce was some sort of organization that deals with rather unconventional methods of infiltration and assassination."

    Thest words were spoken by Shi Lang using the spiritualmunication, and it caused Lao Ying to open her eyes wide as she looked at him from head to toe. She took a deep breath before she said, "You aren''t normal either, child. For now, rest, you will know the reality of the Bright Moon Pavilion when the time is right."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed her to the farthest room on the ground floor. The Terran sensed a slightly higher flow of spiritual energy inside the room. He thanked Lao Ying and went inside to cultivate.

    He began to absorb the spiritual energy and convert it into lightning which in turn nourished the dao flower in his Dantian. Shi Lang''s speed was faster in this environment because he did not have to worry about anything like he did in the wild.

    ...

    While he was cultivating, Lao Ying caught up with Lao Yuesha and told her what Shi Lang said. Lao Yuesha chuckled as she said, "Its not too hard for that kid to connect the dots. Well, let him cultivate, he will know when he joins the Martial Spirit Hall."

    Shi Lang was not disturbed by them, he was in the initial stages of the Dao Soldier Realm he needed to gain as much strength as possible. He was not strong enough to make his way through the Martial Spirit Hall''s test, however, he had the techniques that could make up for hisck of strength.

    If nothing else worked, Shi Lang would not hesitate to take out Raksha. The sword was a heavenly weapon, and it was certainly the strongest armament, however, he was not strong enough to keep it under his possession. Even if the sword spirit has be one with him. The greedy and the petty would always want more. They would not hesitateing after him.

    Shi Lang was not scared, but he was cautious. The Terran spent twenty days inside the room before Lao Yuesha came outside his room and knocked on the door. Shi Lang opened his eyes and came out. Lao Yuesha''s eyebrow twitched for a bit but then she asked, "Come along, it is time. There will be a meeting where you will get your first task."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed her slowly. On the way, he greeted Lao Ying, before they came out of the building. The entire city was bustling with noise and it made Shi Lang say, "If not for the sound istion array on the building, I swear it wouldn''t be easy to focus on cultivation."

    Lao Yuesha smiled but did not say anything. She led him through the crowd and they came to the center of the city. Shi Lang saw a white building, the doors of the ce were so magnificent that the Terran gasped. The doors only were seventy feet tall, and the entire ce was engraved with intricate patterns. Shi Lang asked, "Is this the Martial Spirit Hall?"

    Lao Yuesha nodded and said, "This is the ce, but we will not be entering it at the moment."

    Shi Lang looked at her in askance, and thedy turned to point at the small counter on the side. There was a big queue before the counter and an old man was sitting behind it with great indifference on his face.

    Lao Yuesha said, "Come, let''s queue up."

    The duo lined up, and while Shi Lang stood in the actual queue, Lao Yuesha stood on the side, and she spoke with her spiritual sense, "There are hundred people ahead of you, and that is when the task distribution has ten days to starts."

    Shi Lang was surprised and Lao Yuesha said, "The moment you ept the task, from that moment on you have a month to finish the task ande back to submit the result. Seventy percent of these people will not make it back, and mind you, they are all geniuses from various ns."

    Shi Lang nodded faintly and thedy continued to inform her about a few people who were standing at the front. They could be called the cream of the cream. Shi Lang could sense raging auras from their bodies and was surprised to find that these people were at the peak of Dao General realm.

    Lao Yuesha said, "The traditional power distribution of the Immortal Realm is like this, Two Peaks, Three Houses, Two Halls. They are more or less the same, and below themes, Twenty Lineages. The people ahead, are from the so called twenty lineages."

    Shi Lang understood, only now did he realize that the reason behind these twenty people looking so strong. He thought for a bit and asked, "They came soon because they wanted to keep an eye on people with better potential?"

    Lao Yuesha nodded and said, "Indeed, that''s what they intend to do. However, they will be choosing only one such person. They will thenplete two tasks within the period of thirty days. They will only waste one hour to wait, if they could not find thepanion then they will fly away."

    Shi Lang asked, "Why are you so sure?"

    He was indeed confused by this, and Lao Yuesha said, "It is because this is a pattern of the twenty lineages."

    Shi Lang nodded and then he looked around and sat down on the ground. Since he knew that it would take ten days for the task distribution to begin, he intended to utilize his time and not socialize. He began toprehend the Dao contained within his spiritual energy and also the Dao of his Alchemy path.

    Many people saw this, while some sneered at his weak strength, some were indifferent. There were a few people who nodded in approval, because they believed that only bymitment could one reach the higher level.

    Shi Lang did not care about what other people thought of him, he never had, and never would. He believed in his own path and the way he walked this path was up to him. Lao Yuesha stood beside him with a smile, she was guarding him and also creating a barrier that kept away the probing eyes.

    It was easy to peek at the secrets of a person when they were absorbing spiritual energy andprehending the secrets embedded in it. It was because spiritual energy inside the body of the cultivator would resonate with the outside. Shi Lang had cast a barrier, but it wasn''t strong enough to block the prying eyes of the old and dandy.

    ¡­

    Ten days passed in a blink, Shi Lang was still immersed inprehension and a figure appeared beside the old man behind the counter and bowed as he said, "Greetings Elder San."

    The old man half opened his eyes and said, "Oh, Xiao Tu, they sent you this time. Good, start the process, I will be here if there is any trouble. Be fair."

    Xiao Tu shivered at thest words and bowed to the old man. Then he looked at the people and said, "Everyone, thank you foring, the primary task distribution for the Martial Spirit Hall selection will now begin."

    Many people cheered and the primary task distribution began.

 Chapter 876: Crimson Soul Abyss.

    Shi Lang opened his eyes when Lao Yuesha took away her barrier. He stood up on the ground and his body crackled. He was reining his aura, but the changes were obvious. He was getting faster in hisprehension.

    Usually people came to a conjecture and then they had trouble approaching the topic in a greater length, but Shi Lang was the opposite, and so were the people in the Asura Hall. They were not afraid of exploring their ideas, and they would usually discuss such things with others.

    This would allow them to find their own shorings and move ahead. Shi Lang would always exchange his ideas with the sliver of Hou Bing''s spiritual consciousness. This was why he was growing faster, he knew that sess was bigger than his ego and pride.

    Lao Yuesha sensed his changes and patted on his shoulder. He looked at her and thedy said, "Concealment."

    Shi Lang nodded, and let her aura cover his body tightly to avoid any spiritual aura from leaking. His Dao nt had grown two inches in two days. People took months toprehend this much. Lao Yuesha almost wanted to yell, ''Monster.''

    The man standing beside the old man said, "Everyone,e forward and ept the scrolls. There are three colored scrolls, white, the easiest, yellow, the medium difficulty, and finally the scroll that we all jokingly call nightmare color, the red color."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and talked to Lao Yuesha, ''This guy is easily a Dao Lord, that too at the peak. If he is calling the red scroll a nightmare then I think it might be serious.''

    Lao Yuesha smiled and replied, ''It is true, the red scroll holds the most dangerous scrolls that the Martial Spirit Hall has. There are not many of them, only a few, but those who get them are very unlucky.''

    Shi Lang shrugged and said, ''Treasure and trouble always travel hand in hand. There is not other way around it. Since one is fighting the heavens, then why give up?''

    Lao Yuesha nodded to him, deep down she has seen how determined Shi Lang was first hand. He did not give up the training no matter how much he suffered under her hands. She knew that he might be driven by the desire to avenge his wife, but it was notpletely true. The hatred had not yet taken over his own being.

    She could not tell what it was that he wanted to do, but it was true that he was seeking for something silently and that was why he came to the biggest force selection without hesitation.

    Shi Lang was smart and he knew where he could find the resources and the best way to get stronger. As the two of them stood lost in their thoughts, soon the queue began to move.

    Shi Lang noticed that the twenty people stood at the side, watching the people. The elders behind them were guiding the young ones about the potential of the people. Soon, it was Shi Lang''s turn.

    Xiao Tu smiled at him and said, "Put your hand in the worm hole and you will feel a few scrolls, you can take one of them out, the selection ispletely random."

    Shi Lang nodded and put his hand in, and unlike the people who took a few seconds, he took out the first scroll he pulled out. He looked at the scroll and after the initial calm, there was a smile on his face. It was not the self depreciative or bitter smile but a smile filled with excitement.

    The people who saw his scroll were shocked, but when they saw his face, they thought he was dumb. Many elders who thought highly of him shook their heads, because Shi Lang got a red scroll.

    Xiao Tu himself was shocked, Shi Lang was the weakest person he saw till now, his Dao Flower had not even reached the one foot tall level, how could this guy have such a terrible fate.

    He wanted to say something, when he saw Shi Lang walking to the side. He hurriedly called out, "This brother, once you open the scroll, you won''t be able to find any teams."

    Shi Lang looked at him with a smile and said, "Thank you senior, but I prefer to walk my path alone."

    The old man, Elder San opened his eyes and said, "Boy, do you really think you can handle the difficulty of a red scroll? Even Dao Kings think twice when they ept these tasks."

    Shi Lang turned to look at the old man and cupped his fist as he said, "Elder, the heavens could not stop me from stepping up to what I am today, do you think this task is bigger and more dangerous than the heavens? On the path of Dao, one has to walk alone. If we rely too much on others we are either left behind, or worse. I don''t want that to happen to me.

    Please forgive me for not appreciating your advice."

    He was standing in defiance to alliances and teamwork. The people were shocked, and one of the twenty lineage disciples chuckled and said, "Brother, if you manage toplete this test, I will be your follower. Hahahaha, your guts are made of steel. You are a real man."

    Shi Lang smiled at the guy and cupped his fist to him. Elder San nodded and said, "Then go ahead, and do your best."

    The Terran nodded, and waved his hand to create a barrier around him. Then the people saw him open the scroll, read the content and after a few minutes, he put the scroll back in his space ring. He saw the people still looking at him and he cupped his fists to them before leaving the ce.

    Lao Yuesha had told him that as soon as he opened the scroll, she wouldn''t be of any help to him. Now, all she could do was watching his actions and that was it.

    Shi Lang walked through the big city. Lao Yuesha asked, ''What is the task?''

    The Terran asked, ''I thought, you cannot help me.''

    Lao Yuesha sighed, ''The elder who will track you might take a few moments, so tell me quickly.''

    Shi Lang replied, ''Retrieve seven hundred fallen disciples from the crimson soul abyss.''

    Lao Yuesha froze in her steps and her face turned pale, mind you she is a Dao Empress, if an expert who is almost at the peak of the food chain was this scared, what about Shi Lang? The Terran did not wait for her, time was a luxury and he was quite short on it. He did not even know where the Crimson Soul Abyss could be located. He looked for a ce where he could find some books.

    Sure enough, after asking around he found a big public library. The concept of knowledge was limited to schrs, alchemists, and formation masters. Shi Lang was going to use it. He stepped inside the library, and asked, the old librarian.

    "Old sir, could you tell me if there are aby books or journals that document the Crimson Soul Abyss?"

    The old man thought for a bit and then he disyed the simr shocked expression as Lao Yuesha behind him. He asked in a serious voice, "Young Man it is not advised to pry too much in the abyss, that ce is a sure death center."

    Shi Lang smiled and said, "I am just researching about the top mysterious sights that are powerful enough to cause the seven big forces at loss."

    The brows of the old man rxed a bit. He said, "If that''s the case, you can look for the seventh shelf in the far end of the library. They are all there. It is just a handful of documents, after all, no one lived long enough to tell the tale."

    Shi Lang nodded, and vanished from the spot. It did not take him long to locate a seemingly ancient book that said, "Bizarre ces of the Immortal realm."

    The Terran opened the book, and skimmed through it very quickly. After five minutes he found he location in the notes, and a few things to note about the Abyss. It was said that this ce was where the experts from one of the ten thousand races, the soul Scepters resided. They invaded from this ce and the seven forces came forward to repel them.

    Although they seeded in doing this, but they suffered great lose, none of their disciples made it back.

    Even the elders were closed to death when they came back and told the people about their sacrificial victory. This ce was a wound in the souls of the seven force leaders. The wounded elders warned the people to never go there until they have found a cure to the soul poison.

    Shi Lang thought about it and then he tapped hismunicator. He did not wish to waste time, the satellite hovering on his location was programmed and it flew over to scout the ce.

    However, this world of spiritual energy was not where the technology could run wild. The satellite found nothing but spiritual noise after hovering over the ce. Finally, there was a flicker in Shi Lang''s eyes. This ce had a semi natural array, that caused a spiritual storm. This was not an easy ce to enter.

    As Shi Lang was thinking a maturedy appeared in the library. She came to stand beside him and said, "My name is Lou Shin, I will be your invigting elder."

    Shi Lang bowed to her slightly and said, "Would it be alright if I did my own thing?"

    Lou Shin nodded, and Shi Lang left the library. Lou Shin spotted Lao Yuesha and the two nodded to each other, as if they were friends. The journey to the abyss had begun. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin

 Chapter 877: Lightning Storm.

    Shi Lang left the city, the location where the abys was located happened to be the west. He took out a small levitating bike from his space ring. He looked at Lao Yuesha and Lou Shin, who were scrutinizing the bike.

    He said, "Senior, I will not hide it from you, Ie from a lower realm. This device is called a lev bike. It does not use the spirit stones, and its speed isparable to the middle grade spirit ship. Is it alright if I use it?"

    Lou Shin was surprised by the fact that Shi Lang came from the lower realm. She asked, "Are you not worried that I might be one of the forces who would like to keep you inside the cage world?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "The cage had nothing to do with the seven forces. It was created by the three holynds of the east."

    Lou Shin nodded and said, "However, do you not hold the big forces guilty for not stepping in this matter?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I do not, an elephant does not have any interest in what an ant does as long as the ant does not be a threat to it."

    Lou Shin nodded and asked, "Good, go ahead, do whatever you want to. The only rule is to not harm the innocent."

    Shi Lang thanked her and hopped on the bike. He tapped the interaction console on it. The body of the lev-bike changed, it looked like a spearhead. Shi Lang did not care about the other people, he revved the engine and the bike shot off.

    Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha both were shocked. They did not expect for this artifact to have such a high speed. The former said, "What is this artifact? I cannot sense its spiritual energy fluctuations."

    Lao Yuesha shrugged and said, "I cannot speak, remember?"

    Lou Shin suddenly appeared surprised and then the two of them followed the bike. Shi Lang could see them in his rear view mirrors. He took a deep breath and said, "Initiate hyper drive."

    The on-boardputer replied, "Initiating, please select the coordinates."

    Shi Lang selected the coordinates and the lev bike rose in altitude. After they had cleared the clouds, the bike squeezed and vanished. Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha were shocked, but they were both Dao King and Dao Emperor realm figures respectively. They shot off too.

    The distance of the journey would take him five days on the usual was shortened to two days, because during the navigation he found really tall mountains were standing in his way and he had no choice but to bypass them.

    However, the capability of the artifact shocked the people. Shi Langnded on the ground and what stood before him was a marvel that captivated many people. There were many people who seemed to be camping outside the spirit storm. The energy was revolving around in a circr motion, creating a barrier around the abyss.

    It was a natural barrier, many people tried to disrupt the array but they could not even see through the cloud.

    Yes, the spiritual energy was so condensed in this ce that it had manifested itself into a cloudy wall that looked soft but couldn''t be prated by anything. Even Dao Gods or Dao Saints could not get through.

    Lou Shin watched Shi Lang watch the situation calmly. There was no fluctuation in his gaze or his heart. Many younger generation people hade here and once they caught the sight of the spirit storm they would sit down in meditation trying to absorb the spiritual energy in the region.

    If not for the fact that this was a graveyard for the seven sects, how could they have let this ce stay empty? Several Dao Emperors were guarding the ce, when they saw Shi Lang and the twodies appear they checked them, but Lou Shin revealed a token to their spiritual senses and the guards went silent.

    Shi Lang took out a de and shed his hand. Then he flung his hand letting the blood drops stter around him. He did not stop until a few minutester. Then Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha were shocked once more. They saw an army of blood clones rise around Shi Lang. Under their watch, the clones rushed toward the spirit storm.

    The people in the surroundings did not say anything. They shook their heads, after all if it was that easy to get through the vortex, they would have done it ages ago. However, Shi Lang did not care about the judgmental gazes, he was gathering data.

    Data about the spirit storm that would help him understand what was going on and how he could get through this challenge. He had given his clones a bunch of nano probes. Every clone scattered these clones before they were shredded away by the spirit storm.

    The data feed was incredible. Shi Lang smiled and said, "To think it would be like this."

    Lou Shin asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

    Shi Lang said, "The spirit storm is forming a vortex, it is getting faster on the inside and slower on the outside. That is what everyone thinks. However, there are multipleyers to this spirit storm. So while one on the outside in spinning in one direction, behind itys anotheryer, which is moving in opposite direction.

    For example, like this. Shi Lang drew a few circles on the ground to let them understand what was going on. He said, "The different directions are causing the spirit storm to generate a force that shreds everything as soon as it reaches the point of convergence."

    In a nutshell, what he meant was that the spirit storm was moving clockwise, and then counter clockwise, before anotheryer changed its direction again.

    Lou Shin was surprised and asked, "How did you find this out?"

    Shi Lang replied, "My clones transmit every detail they go through to me. I used them to arrive at this conjecture."

    Lou Shin nodded, this seemed to be true when it came to the cloning techniques. She said, "You can continue on the expedition. However, if you are in danger, you should give up. Only when you have your life can you make a difference and chase your dreams."

    Shi Lang agreed with her and raised his head to look at the spirit storm. He said, "I will try something, let''s see if it will work."

    He circted his spiritual energy around and inside his body. He was covered in golden lighting sparks. Thinking about it, he took off his battle suit. Lao Yuesha asked, "Why did you take that off?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The bigger you are, the faster you get cut."

    Lou Shin was surprised and asked, "If that is so, then what about weapons?"

    Shi Lang sighed, "You cannot change the direction of a weapon inside the storm. Now, I am off."

    He vanished from his spot. He did not move directly straight through the storm. He moved along the edges for a fewps. It took him three hours to finish a fewps, and his speed was already at the peak of his limit. Shi Lang was doing too many things at the same time.

    He was absorbing spiritual energy, he wasprehending the nature of spiritual energy, the sheer strength that could kill and erase anything in its path, and finally he was running at his fastest.

    The people guarding the ce were watching him. With every step he took, Shi Lang grew closer to the storm, and after five hours, he vanished inside the firstyer of the spirit storm. Everyone trained their ears to listen.

    They could not sense anything inside the storm, so they could only resort to hear his screams as he was shredded by the storm. However, they could not hear anything. The people of the seven big forces were guarding the ce and when they saw this, they all clenched their fists.

    Suddenly, Lao Yuesha said, "There, you can see his lightning sh for a moment if you focus on one point."

    The people took this hint and sure enough, every few minutes, they could see a lightning flicker inside the spirit storm. Lou Shin took out a journal and began to write down the details she observed. She was noting down the number and direction of theyers inside the storm. Shi Lang was using his life and she was going to put it to the best use.

    Even if the young man did not survive this task, he would have helped the Martial Spirit Hall a lot. Lao Yuesha was the same, but she was recording everything in her mind. Lou Shin had to show the data to the people of the sect but she did not.

    ...

    Inside the storm, Shi Lang was cursing the situation, his face was covered with cuts and his clothes had already vanished. Thankfully, when he was in the firstyer only, he took off his space ring and ced it inside the tattoo. Because he could tell that the spiritual energy of the storm was much more vtile than expected. Even his lightning was akin to a tamed beast before this thing.

    Now he was not running to get through the storm, but for his life.

 Chapter 878: Unity Of Man & Dao.

    Inside the spirit storm Shi Lang was moving along with the direction of the spiritual energy. His speed was quick and his steps were fine, but his body was getting sliced every few bits. Shi Lang was covered in lightning sparks, but it was notplete. Lightning sparkled over his body, but there were gaps and the spiritual energy passed through those gaps and left cuts.

    Shi Lang controlled his body, and made sure that no blood seeped out of the vessels. However, the scars had turned him into a red man. Every inch of his body was covered with a red tint from the cut.

    The Terran took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he ran forward. He had crossed fiveyers and did not know how many moreyersy ahead of him. If he wanted to get ahead, he would need toprehend the essence of this storm.

    Shi Lang could consume as much spiritual energy from the storm as he wished, and replenish his reserves while running. The trouble was the change in the barriers. The fouryers, with each having a different pace, and opposite directions, it almost killed him to cross through.He could not go any further without risking death or serious injury.

    ...

    Discover hidden content at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    Outside the spirit storm, Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha were watching the scene with great focus. They could see the lightning sh but it did not go any deeper. It was the second day, and Shi Lang was running at the same position. Many experts who were watching this were confused.

    They had no idea what was going on, and one of the experts who belonged to the martial spirit hall, came over to their side. The person asked, "Instructor Lou, what do you think is going on in there. Why is he not moving deeper?"

    His tone was calm, but his eyes were filled with anxiety which made Lao Yuesha look at him with surprise. The man sighed, "Please, don''t get me wrong, we have been guarding this ce for several centuries, but have never been able to get even a tenth closer to the storm as that kid has. We all hope for him to find a way to get in and bring back the remains of our people. That''s why, I am anxious."

    Lao Yuesha sighed and said, "Senior, you all should understand how difficult it is to even get as close as he is at the moment. I am sure that if not for the fact that he is facing some trouble, he would have gone forward very quickly. Give him some time, you all have waited for such a long time, what''s wrong a few more days."

    The man caught a hint and asked, "What do you mean by days?"

    He was curious, and Lou Shin sighed as she said, "Elder, he is a kid participating in the selection process, he got a red scroll for his primary task, so I hope you understand, that if he could not finish the task by a month, then even if he keeps running for ages and eons, it won''t make a difference."

    The old man was shocked. He did not expect such a thing. His eyes widened as he looked in the direction of the spirit storm. He mumbled, "I never believed in gods, but if he manages to get through and bring back the remains, he will be my god, and I will fight the sect for his recruitment."

    The twodies were slightly taken aback by the sentiment of this old sir, but it was something they understood. They have been guarding this ce because they were all waiting and trying to get in and bring back their fallenrades or juniors.

    ...

    Shi Lang was running blindly, he was pondering over the essence of spiritual energy and the meaning hidden behind it. He was thinking very quickly, much faster than he was running for sure. He did not know how many days it has been outside, all that remained in his mind was the thought to find the meaning behind the spiritual energy.

    Although this energy was all healing and it was wonderous, but the same energy can cause devastation beyond imaginations. Changingndscapes was a small thing, some older experts could even change the climate on their whim. Shi Lang ran, and he ran, if he was running in a straight line, he would have covered the federation many times by now.

    Suddenly, Shi Lang thought, ''The spiritual energy is the source of all being. It is a way to perceive the Dao. Dao is a path of life that leads one to transcend the shackles set upon them by the heaves.

    We walk the path that passes through us, we need spiritual energy and the energy is what we are made up off.''

    His thoughts became obscure, but as he thought more, the ideas streamlined. He was lost inprehension so he did not noticed the change around him. The cuts on his body had be less, and his body was even healing slowly.

    His mind was exploring the idea at a fast pace, and his aura was changing at a rate that would shock even the strongest of the experts in the world.

    ...

    Outside the spirit storm, Lao Yuesha and Lou Shin had been standing the entire time. They were more nervous then anyone. Lao Yuesha was worried about her student, while thetter was worried that the first invigting task will fail.

    Everyone in the world was driven by their own benefits and that was the truth. Lao Yuesha suddenly hummed, and Lou Shin noticed the subtle change too. The old man beside them smiled and said, "Finally, there is movement."

    They noticed the change in the spirit storm, Shi Lang''s lightning was moving deeper, and deeper. It was slow but it was sure. The old man said, "It is the seventh day, and finally he has move..."

    His words had not yet finished, when they saw the lightning figuree to a stand still. The people were shocked, and Lao Yuesha clenched her fist. However, the expected oue did note true. They all thought that Shi Lang would be shredded apart but that did not happen.

    Instead, they saw Shi Lang slowly moving deeper and deeper through the storm with a steady pace. Until he looked only as big as a sesame seed, they could see his lightning.

    The old man was excited to the point where his face was flushed with blood. He yelled, "He got in. He got through the spirit storm. HAHAHAHA, God bless my Martial Spirit Hall."

    Lou Shin asked, "Senior, how can you be so sure that he managed to get through the spirit storm."

    The old man chuckled, and said, "Instructor Lou, the spirit storm started before our eyes and expanded, back in the day. We know how far the actual abyss lies. That is why I know that he has reached the eye of the storm."

    Instructor Lou began to converse and record the situation. While Lao Yuesha sighed and let go of her fist. She was astounded by what Shi Lang managed to do, and at the same time, she was relieved that he was safe.

    ...

    While the people outside were celebrating his break through, Shi Lang was absorbing spiritual energy like a ck hole. His body healed quickly and the red marks vanished. After a few hours when he opened his eyes, his aura had changed. Shi Lang had understood something that not many people could, the Dao Flower in his Dantian was now two feet and ten inches big.

    He looked around and found himself standing in a deste in. The ground was made of solid dark rock, and every bit of spiritual energy was being sucked away. However, it did not effect Shi Lang much.

    He took out his space ring from the spiritual tattoo and put on a ck robe. Then he sensed the ce, and found the remains that were being mentioned in the scroll. Thousands of people and creatures wereying at the bottom of the abyss. It was a deep and narrow fissure in the ground that stretched over hundreds of kilometers. It gave off very eerie vibe, but Shi Lang couldn''t back off now.

    He took out his space ring, and checked the time. He heaved a sigh of relief when he found that he has twenty days left to finish his task.

    Two make sure that he is not caught off guard, he put on his battle suit, took out his spear and fixed it behind his back and his sword hung on his waist. Raksha said, "Kid, you sure have a sense of adventure, I swear this ce does not allow me much power."

    Shi Lang mumbled, "Let''s hope that we don''t need your power for anything."

    He sent out probes and found that nothing was out of the ordinary in this ce. Thinking about this, he dived into the fissure, and his battle suit illuminated the surroundings. He counted the seconds it took him to reach the ground, aplete minute, and this ce was filled with restrictions. One wrong move and the fissure will erupt with some kind of explosion.

    Shi Lang found thousands of spiritual array traps on the walls, he could estimate the dread of the situation those people who came here to fight must have felt.

 Chapter 879: Remnants Of The Fallen.

    Shi Lang stood at the bottom of the abyss and took a deep breath. He could not sense any spirit energy here, but the cold yin was really strong. He could not help but shiver as the energy tried to invade his body. He took a deep breath and circted the lightning spiritual energy through his body.

    His body warmed up and then he walked forward. It did not take long for him toe upon the remains of a person. He could not sense any decay on the corpse of the human expert. Thinking about this he knelt down on the ground next to the corpse. He mumbled a prayer and then probed the corpse with his spiritual energy.

    However, just when he did that, a blob of light flew out of the forehead of the corpse. Shi Lang was shocked and he ced his hand on the spear shaft ready to attack, but then one after the other such blobs flew out from the foreheads of the corpses. Shi Lang could feel his heart leaning up to his mouth.

    For as far as he could see, the abyss was filled with these glowing lights. A loud voice filled with battle intent echoed in the surroundings, "Who goes there?!"

    The roar was so loud that it made Shi Lang''s soul break into fragments. The Terran quickly bent his back and said, "Junior Shi Lang greets senior."

    The voice snorted and asked, "What is a weakling like you doing here?"

    Shi Lang raised his head and said, "I was sent here to bring back the fallen forces back to the sects."

    The voice asked, "Hmm, could they not find anyone else but a Dao Soldier to bring us back?"

    Shi Lang sighed, he forced himself to calm down as this person was getting on his nerves. He replied, "Sir, I came here because I drew the task scroll in selection process for the Martial Spirit Hall."

    The voice hummed and said, "Can you tell me what is going on with theck of spiritual energy around us?"

    Shi Lang replied, "There is a storm of spiritual energy surrounding the Abyss. It happened after the battle here ended. None of the experts are able toe in. The spirit storm is the reason why there is no spiritual energy in the surroundings."

    The voice hummed, Shi Lang sensed that some of the light blobs were gradually dimming down. He took a deep breath and asked, "Sir, can you tell me what is happening to here? How can you stillmunicate?"

    The voice of the person answered, "Well, after the war, none of us had much energy left. Many of our people were already waiting for us on the other side. At that moment, we could sense that the spiritual energy was already diminishing. However, none of us had the energy to investigate it. At ourst breaths we decided to seal away our spiritual presences in our bodies." Continue reading on m|v-l''e -NovelBin

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and bowed to the lighting blobs, "I cannot say much to you but I thank you for your sacrifice for the human race. Thank you, Senior."

    A boomingughter echoed in the surroundings, and the person said, "We did what we had to do. If not us, there would have been someone else. Well, don''t think much about it. I hope you have an image stone, I want to leave a few words for the people back home. From everyone."

    Shi Lang nodded and took out a few probes from hismunicator to record scene. The voice said, "My name is Shen Yu. I was an elder in the inner court of the Martial Spirit Hall. When we came here, we were seven. However, during the battle we grew to berades, and in ourst moments, we were brothers and sisters.

    We fought for humanity, and we hope that those outside can understand our sentiments. When faced with the ten thousand races, we should all stand together."

    The voice faded and Shen Yu said, "Young man, you can collect our space rings, we have all removed our spiritual senses and bindings on them. Inside the ringsy our identifications. As for the rest of the treasures, they have been used. We had decided to spend the eternity here. You can burry us here and bring back our identity jade tes."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and replied, "Your wish is mymand, senior."

    The light blob stopped speaking and gradually they all vanished. Shi Lang did not stop recording, he took a deep breath and began to bury the corpses one at a time. His speed was not slow, and when he came to deal with the corpses of the enemy he studied them and stored them in a space ring.

    Shi Lang worked for a week before he came to the end of the abyss. He was using spiritual energy was also low. During these seven days, he had beenprehending the secrets of the soul energy to the limit. Although it wasn''t much, it was still something that could help him.

    Now he had to climb up the walls of the Abyss to get out of the fissure. He bowed to the graves one more time and began to climb up the wall. His body was now used to the Yin energy and his lightning seed was now spinning quickly and converting it into true essence that nourished his Dao Flower.

    The climb out of the abyss was so harsh that his palms were cut open and the dark wall was covered with blood too. Shi Lang hung from a ridge and pulled himself over. After three days, he managed to reach the summit, and absorbed the spiritual energy whileying down on the ground.

    He took a deep breath and said, "Is it done?"

    He stood up from the ground and his body suddenly shivered. He frowned and then he looked at the space ring that he was wearing on his left hand. A strong dreadful energy was leaking out of it and it was causing him to shiver.

    Shi Lang took off the ring and ced in on the ground. He bit on his right thumb, then he squeezed it to drip the blood around the ring. He used his fingers to quickly make few seals as he said, "You think that a remnant will be able to threaten me? Fucking piece of shit, let''s see if I can seal you or not."

    He mumbled a chant, and the drops of blood around the ring began to squirm toward it. Soon, the ring was covered in the blood, it looked blood red. This blood was notmon and simple drops, but they were drops of blood that were engraved with Dao Principles.

    Shi Lang was took a deep breath, his face was pale but it was not something that could be avoided. This was the effect of performing a taboo blood sealing ritual. He picked up the ring and ced it inside a separate space ring.

    It was only at this moment did he look at the spirit storm. It was time to walk out andplete his task.

    ...

    Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha were getting anxious, they had been waiting for a long time, and asking the elders many questions. The elder whom they had been interacting with earlier had told them that inside the abyss there were remains of the soul scepter race experts. They were worried that these remnants might kill him or even worse possess him.

    Suddenly someone yelled, "I see him!"

    They all looked at the spirit storm, and found a figure moving through the Spirit Storm. All of them were shocked, because at this moment, Shi Lang waspletely unscathed, the spirit storm had no effect on him. A few minutester, he walked through and appeared before them. The elders guarding the ce immediately gathered around him.

    Shi Lang cupped his fist and greeted them with a bow. One of the old man eximed, "Unity of Dao & Man. Goodd you gained something all of us could only dream of."

    Shi Lang replied, "It was only a stroke of luck sir."

    Lou Shin asked, "Did you meet the goal?"

    Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Yes, Instructor Lou, I did not let down the seniors. Senior Shen Yu and the rest left a message for everyone. They wished to be buried there, and I helped them with it. However, I bought back their space rings and jade tes. Another thing that I did was to bring back the remains of those Soul Scepter bastards for the elders to study."

    The old men were looking at him as if they were watching a treasure. Shi Lang bowed to all the elders and said, "Seniors, if you do not mind, may I go back to the sect first to submit my task and then the elders there could help you with the rest."

    The people nodded, after all they understood that Shi Lang was a junior and he was just here to do a selection task. He had no authority to dabble in the business of the seven forces.

    The elder of the Martial Spirit Hall waved his hand and opened the worm hole. He said, "Go in, and submit your task."

    Shi Lang wasn''t surprised, he could understand that these people have been guarding this ce for centuries or eons, how could they not be eager to deal with this and get some relief of bringing there heroes back home.

    Lou Shin shook her head and said, "Senior, this is not good, he cannot use any help from other people."

    The old man said, "Who is the selecting elder?"

    Lou Shin replied, "Elder San."

    The old man replied, "Bring my token, the people with red scroll get exception. I will vouch for him."

    Followed by him, the six elders also took out their tokens and said, "Bring ours too, if the martial spirit hall does not ept him. We will take him in."

 Chapter 880: Unexpected.

    Shi Lang looked at the portal and then at the old men. He thought for a moment and asked, "Seniors, if you don''t mind, may I stay here for the rest of the nine days?"

    The old men were surprised and they asked, "Why?"

    Shi Lang replied calmly, "The spirit storm is very beneficial to my cultivation. I gained a lot inside the storm. My realm is on a brink of break through. So, I wish to spend some more time here and thenprehend Dao."

    The old men exchanged gazes and then they nodded. Shi Lang bowed with them and then he said, "Thank you, Elders."

    The old men smiled, and waved their hands at him. The old man in the lead said, "It''s not a big deal, you are the only person who has gone inside ande back from this storm. We have to thank you."

    Shi Lang then walked a bit closer to the spiritual storm and then began to cultivate. He absorbed the spiritual energy, and nourished his Dao Flower. Hisprehension was good and thus the results were good too. The people saw his strength growing at a pace visible to their naked eyes.

    The older men could not help butment, ''The younger generation will always surpass the older one.''

    Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha were surprised by this entire scene. They did not expect these old people to be so amiable with Shi Lang. One had to know that these people were existences whom many in the Immortal ne wanted to meet.

    The two looked at each other and Lou Shin asked, "Senior Lao, where did you find this guy? His talent and skills are terrible."

    Lao Yuesha shook her head and replied, "You are asking me? I swear to heavens, meeting this guy was just a coincidence. I was more captivated by his killing intent."

    Lou Shin was surprised and asked, "He has a killing intent?"

    Lao Yuesha told her about their encounter. She had purposefully removed the Bright Moon Pavilion from the narration but the rest was true. Lao Yuesha said, "He intends to go against the Juan Family, a member of the Verdant Green Holy Lang."

    Lou Shin looked at her and frowned, "Why are you telling me about it?"

    Lao Yuesha replied, "Killing those people is his only obsession and he will not stop. So, in future if someone from the Martial Spirit Hall wants to stop him, Shi Lang will be an enemy of that person, and looking at his talent, you really don''t want him to be an enemy."

    Lou Shin replied, "Its not that someone will stop him if he acts after strong enough. However, bing strong is not an easy task, and it would take a long time before he could reach the level where he can fight with them unbothered. I wonder if he would have that long of a patience."

    Lao Yuesha smiled and said, "Instructor Lou, take an advise from me, he might be out of anything, but patience is not like that."

    Lou Shin did not say anything to this statement. She thought that only time would tell if Shi Lang could bear the rage in his heart or not. Hatred was something that grew stronger with time. She was more worried if the hatred in his heart would be a demon in his mind.

    The old guardians all stood together, they were all looking at Shi Lang as if he was their own child. Nobody in the world could understand the importance of the task Shi Langpleted.

    However, the Terran was only focused on his cultivation. Five days passed in a blink, and Shi Lang stood up from the ground. He turned his head and walked back to Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha.

    Thedies were looking at him, and they saw him take out his lev bike. The old men furrowed his brow and Shi Lang said, "Elders, I will walk my own path. I will pass the trial without any help. You shouldn''t call favors for a junior like me."

    The people looked in his eyes and found that he appeared very serious. Shi Lang took a deep breath and jumped on his lev bike before left the ce at a high speed.

    Lou Shin and Lao Yuesha followed him. They were his guardians, however, they found that this entire trip did not need them to act at all. Shi Lang avoided Dao beastspletely, it was as if he could see all of them, and he also avoided the bandits hidden in many ces.

    It was as if only the task existed in his mind. He did not waver from his objective, and neither was he greedy with his benefits. The twodies were sure that if Shi Lang was to ask the old men about anything, they would have given it to him. Even if it was to kill the Juan Family.

    Shi Lang rode the lev bike and reached the Eastern Heaven City. There was still one more day before the deadline. He got off the lev bike and walked inside the city. He could sense many gazes pointed at his back. After he left, the news that he received the red scrollpletely. His appearance had also spread around, Shi Lang was a subject of great scrutiny.

    He quietly arrived at the square and approached the counter. The people of the twenty lineages were already here, Shi Lang could tell that these people have already finished their tasks. It did not matter to him, it seemed that these people were also here to check if hepleted his or not.

    "Hey, what do you think, did heplete it?"

    "What, are you dreaming? That was a nightmare task scroll. How could this weakling havepleted something that even the experts could notplete, he could? Are you eating a bit too much shit that your brain has turned into shit too?"

    Disciple Xiao Tu and Elder San were present on the ce. They sensed his approach. Shi Lang took out the red scroll and ced it on the counter. He cupped his fist, "The Junior Shi Lang, has returned to submit the result of his task."

    Xiao Tu nodded and said, "Don''t feel bad, it was just not fated, you could not havepleted..."

    His words had yet to finish when Shi Lang said, "Senior, I have finished my task. I have bought back the name tes of all the human experts. I have the image proof of thepletion."

    The square was dead silent. None of the people could believe what Shi Lang said. Elder San opened his eyes and said, "Show me the proof."

    Shi Lang took out a neat pile of the name tes and ced them on the counter. He said, "There are seven hundred tes from all the seven forces. As for the video message. Please see for yourself."

    Shi Lang yed the recording of the video from Shen Yu. He could almost see the pale faces of all the people around him. They were shocked so much that all that was happening seemed to be a dream.

    Elder San looked at Lou Shin, who said, "Elder, I swear on my Dao heart that his proof is authentic and he did get through the spirit storm. Also, I have the tokens from the seven guardian tokens, who vouch for him."

    Her words were like a bomb that exploded so loud that the people went deaf. They all could not believe her. However, Elder San nodded, he picked up the name te and channeled spiritual energy through the name te and the details recorded on it appeared in his mind. However, there was one more thing that other people did not notice.

    There was a small crest of the Martial Spirit Hall that was hovering over the te.

    Elder San said, "Xiao Tu, bring out the n records, we will match then all."

    Xiao Tu had just nodded, and vanished from his ce. Shi Lang watched everything with a calm face. Elder San asked, "Did you gain anything else?"

    Shi Lang nodded, took out a blood red space ring from his space ring and said, "The sealed remnants of the Soul Scepters. I hope the elders could find a way to defeat them in a way that could save lives."

    Elder San scanned the ring and looking at all the people he replied, "I will pass it on to the people in the sect."

    Xiao Tu appeared back with a small booklet, and they began to verify the names on the identity tes. There speed was astounding and after Xiao Tu was finished, he said, "Elder San, the holy elder has called him inside the Hall if the task is proven to have finished."

    Another bomb dropped and the people took a deep breath. This has never happened before. Howe the holy elder has asked for someone inside the Martial spirit hall.

 Chapter 881: Holy Elder.

    The people in the Martial square were shocked. Never had there been a disciple who was invited directly by the elders of the sect, let alone called over by the holy elder. Holy elder of the Martial Spirit Hall was the person who could outss the Hall Master on his own.

    Elder San opened his eyespletely and asked, "Xiao Tu, do you have his token?"

    Xiao Tu nodded with a wry smile and took out a ck token. On a circr token a dragon was carved even the hall master did not have a dragon token. He said, "Elder San, when I was taking out the record books, the Holy Elder said, if the records match, then send the person to him."

    Elder San stood up in a snap after he saw the token, and put on a respectful expression. He took a deep breath to look at the other people and said, "The following trial will be conducted by Xiao Tu. I wish you all, good luck."

    Continue reading at mvl

    The people were still dazed, but Elder San did not care for them, he took the token with both hands and then appeared beside Shi Lang. He looked at Lou Shin and said, "As the invigting instructor, you should follow me."

    Then he turned to look at Lao Yuesha and spoke hesitantly, "Fellow Daoist, I see that you have some connection to the boy but I apologize. I cannot let you enter the Hall."

    Lao Yuesha smiled and waved her hand as she said, "Shi Lang is my student, Elder San, I am happy that he is able to get inside, and get a chance to achieve something. Please don''t bother with the apology. I only hope for you to inform me if he manages to pass the trials."

    Elder San cupped his fist and said, "I will ry the news personally."

    That said, his spiritual energy covered Shi Lang and Lou Shin. While thetter bowed to Lao Yuesha and said, "I will look for you when things settle."

    Lao Yuesha nodded with a smile and Elder San vanished from the spot leaving behind subtle spatial fluctuations. Lao Yuesha looked at the dumbfounded and envious people and thought, ''I really came upon a treasure this time.''

    ...

    Elder San reappeared in a valley. Shi Lang stood stably behind him and his eyes began observing the ce quickly, and at the same time his sensory ability also got into y. However, this ce was so immense that even after pushing his ability to the peak all he could see was a small patch.

    He gulped, the spiritual energy in this ce was so pure that it was just slightly poorer than the spirit storm at the crimson abyss.

    Elder San raised the ck dragon token in both his hands and bowed his head to the valley as he said, "Third Door Guardian, Jian Hu is here at yourmands, Holy Elder."

    A calm voice echoed in the surroundings, "Come inside, Xiao Hu."

    Elder San took a deep breath and walked inside the valley. Lou Shin and Shi Lang walked behind him slowly. The valley was filled with many herbs and nts. Shi Lang mumbled their names as he walked in. Elder San said, "You have quite a good knowledge of spiritual herbs. Are you also an alchemist?"

    Shi Lang replied respectfully, "Yes, elder."

    Elder San could not help but ask, "How did you manage to pass through that spirit storm? Even I have ventured there, but I almost lost my arms when I tried to touch the barrier. That spiritual energy is the most vtile that I have seen in my life."

    Shi Lang replied, "Iprehended speed first, then I moved through the first few barriers, but then I got stuck at a point and tried toprehend on something even deeper. As a result I go it."

    Elder San smiled and did not mind him hiding a few things, after all, it was rude of him to even ask in the first ce. Shi Lang had given him a lot of face by answering vaguely. It did not matter whether one was a junior or a senior, they had no right to peer into each other secrets. Unless it was an enemy.

    After walking for an hour, they arrived at a small cottage. A muscr man was chopping wood with an axe. Shi Lang was shocked by this person, he could not sense even a faint trace of spiritual energy from his body, however, the axe movement gave him a mysterious feeling. Shi Lang could not help but think about the chopping action and how simr it looked to the action of ughter.

    The elder did not turn around and continued chopping his wood stakes. The more Shi Lang looked the more dazed his expression be. After chopping down ten wood stakes, the man stopped and turned to look at Elder San and Lou Shin. The two of them bowed their heads and cupped their fists to greet him.

    The man nodded with a smile. The two suddenly stiffened when they saw Shi Lang take out a red and golden sword from his space ring. The man said, "He isprehending the principle of ughter. Don''t worry,e in."

    Then Shi Lang was left undisturbed as the two people entered the garden before the wooden cottage. They were shocked, and the muscr man said in a soft voice, "What a talent. To be able to pick up the principles of Dao in such menial movements. The Martial Spirit Hall has been blessed."

    Elder San nodded but Lou Shin had aplicated expression on her face. The man asked, "Instructor Lou, what are you thinking about?"

    She stood up in attention and blurted out her thoughts, about the hatred Shi Lang held in his heart. The muscr man nodded and looked at Shi Lang as he said, "He holds this hatred because he lost someone special. However, it has not consumed him. I have high expectations from him."

    Lou Shin could not help but ask, "Your excellency, who so?"

    The man smiled and said, "He is an ascender, then he stayed in the cage built by those idiots. Yet, he managed to cultivate his Dao flower to almost three inches. Do you think he is not a talent? The sword in his hand is a heavenly spiritual artifact that has be one with his soul. I heard that he dabbles in alchemy, has a highprehension. Innate Lightning attribute Spiritual root.

    His lightning is so pure that it has turned into golden grade.

    You are worried about his hatred consuming him, but I am sure that someone who hase from being a mortal to a Dao Soldier realm, his resolve shouldn''t be so weak. Let me test him for you, if he passes this test, then he would be epted in the Martial Hall."

    Elder San was surprised and then he asked, "Your Excellency, the Hall Master has said that their should be no rule breaking."

    The muscr man smiled and said, "I will take him to be my direct disciple. Then it should not be in vition of the rules, right?"

    Elder San nodded but he asked in a softer tone, "But Your Excellency, are you really sure? You have not excepted a disciple in such a long time, but you are epting him as a disciple. Isn''t it a bit too hasty?"

    The man shook his head and said, "Xiao Jian, I have reached the limit of my cultivation in this realm. This child has a strong will and I can tell that he cultivates in virtue also. Let''s wait and see what happens when he wakes up. The illusion test will reveal all that we need to know."

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know what was going on around him. He was lost inprehension of the chopping move. He did not have the time to think if the muscr man did it intentionally or unintentionally. However, as heprehended his Dao Flower grew up to three feet and it was about to break through.

    The Terran finishedprehending the Dao Principle, and took a deep breath before he opened his eyes, then he put away his sword and made a seal with his hands. The three people were surprised by his action but they did not ask why he was suppressing his cultivation forcefully.

    After a few minutes, Shi Lang bowed to the muscr man and said, "Thank you for your lesson, Senior."

    The muscr man smiled and said, "Child, what you learned is your fortune, I did nothing. My name is Cao Ming. I am the Holy Elder of the Martial Spirit Hall. I called you here because I sensed some fate between us. I will test you personally."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes, elder."

    Cao Ming waved his hand and then Shi Lang fell unconscious. Cao Ming snapped his fingers, and a picture appeared in the void. It was a movie that showed everything from the movement, Shi Lang was born in the federation to his return from the Crimson Abyss. The three people watched all the scenes.

    While Cao Ming was curious, the other two were surprised to see that Shi Lang was a person who could effect the fate of the people beside him to this level.

    After three days, Cao Ming asked, "Instructor Lou, what do you think?"

    Lou Shin bowed her head and replied, "I apologize for judging him too soon. He is a genius. We need him more than him needing us."

    Cao Ming nodded and said, "Very well, it is settled. Xiao Jian, you will responsible for raising this matter to the elders. Instructor Lou, you will show him around. Although, he is my disciple, he will not have the honorifics of an elder. He will have to earn them with his strength."

    The people bowed and epted his instruction. Holy elder was an unpredictable existence. So, he must have his reasons. Shi Lang was now going to be put into a predicament.

 Chapter 882: Disciple Shi Lang.

    Shi Lang woke up from his sleep, while Cao Ming and the two were watching his life sh before them, he was fighting people and gradually bing stronger in his dream. He also realized many things that could be improved, throughout the dream he was aware that everything around him was an illusion.

    When he woke up he found Cao Ming looking at him with a smile. The man said, "While you were facing the illusion, we were watching your lives most important moments shing before us. Do you have a problem with that?"

    Shi Lang was surprised, but then he nodded slightly, and Cao

    Ming asked, "Why don''t you say anything?"

    The Terran replied in a calm tone, "You are the stronger one, I am not of the same status, in this world only the strong can express their anger."

    Cao Ming nodded and asked, "If you were stronger than me what would you do?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit, and replied, "I would go for the kill."

    Only Cao Ming out of the three was calm. Who asked, "Would you not worry if I have a strong force behind me?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "If I could not teach a lesson to someone who disrespected me and is weaker than me, then what is the point of all this strength? If more people are toe after me, then let it be. There are many ways to die, and dying while fighting for what you believe in is the best."

    Cao Ming smiled and asked, "I have one more question for you."

    Shi Lang bowed his head, and Cao Ming asked, "Would you like to be my disciple?"

    The Terran was surprised and answered, "Sir, I acknowledged another master earlier in my life, if you don''t mind that, I would be obliged to be your disciple."

    Cao Ming replied, "Honest to the core. Of course, I don''t mind it, after all, on the path of cultivation we meet many people who teach us one thing or the other in some way. I don''t mind you having another master."

    Shi Lang nodded and knelt on the ground before he knelt to the man nine times. He did it because he believed in an idiom, Master for a day, father for a life.

    Cao Ming nodded and said, "Good, Instructor Luo will get you through the registration process and the regtions. Although I am the Holy Elder and you are my direct disciple, you won''t get a single special privilege until you show that you are worthy of them."

    Shi Lang nodded, he was a soldier and even when he cultivator, he knew that everything can only be attained by his own effort.

    Lou Shin gestured for him to follow her out of the valley, when

    Cao Ming waved his hand, and said, "I see that youck martial arts and spirit techniques, after the registration, Lou Shin will take you to the sutra hall, take this token, you would be able to select one movement skill, one sword skill and one spear skill."

    Shi Lang thought of something and said, "Yes, Master."

    Cao Ming replied, "Do not worry, no one in the Martial Spirit Hall will try to snatch your sword. You people have united on a higher level and cannot exist away from each other."

    The Terran nodded and bowed his head. Cao Ming gave him a ck dragon token and Shi Lang left the valley with Lou Shin. The muscr man looked at Elder San and said, "Xiao Jian, the rest is left to you."

    Elder San bowed and said, "Yes, your excellency."

    The chubby man left he ce quickly. Cao Ming looked in the void and said, "Brother, since you havee here, why do you hide?"

    A middle-aged man appeared in the void. He had a faint smile on his face and said, "I wanted to see who is this genius the entire sect is going on about. Are you sure you want to have him as your direct disciple? He is still in the Dao Soldier realm and will take a lot of time before you could pass him your skills and knowledge."

    Cao Ming smiled and said, "You saw his speed andprehension and you still doubt him. You have be very cautious."

    The two chuckled, and the middle-aged man said, "Well, what can I say, the world is changing and the forces in the west are trying to make moves. It is better to be cautious."

    Cao Ming hummed and poured two cups of tea as he said, "Xiao Lang is strong, and his resolve and hunger is what we need to ensure that the hall continues. Believe me, when I say, his fate is greater than anything I have ever seen. I could not see through it, and even if he walks on the edge of life and death, it might not be the end."

    The middle-aged man nodded and asked, "I wonder if that guy knew what it means to hold the ck dragon token in the martial spirit hall."

    Cao Ming smiled and replied, "I wonder if he would curse me after he finds out."

    The two men looked at each other andughed out loud as they sipped tea.

    ¡­

    Lou Shin was walking ahead of Shi Lang as she said, "We will be going to the registration office. If you have any questions then ask or should I will tell you everything about the Martial Spirit Hall that you need to know."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Instructor, may I ask you something?"

    Lou Shin nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "The purpose of this ck dragon token is not only just to get me to the Sutra Hall, is it?"

    Lou Shin smiled and said, "I did not expect you to figure it out that quickly. What do you think it is?"

    Shi Lang replied, "The ck dragon token is simr to what Elder San received earlier. I saw how it did not even hold it with a single hand. I could see how all the other people were looking at the token."

    Lou Shin nodded and remarked, "You have quite an observation."

    She continued, "The ck dragon token is the war token of the Martial Spirit Hall. The holder of this token will have to face challenges from the people who are one minor realm above him.

    The holder cannot refuse to the challenge. Although, it would be once a week, it would still be something that will make you feel the pressure. You won''t be able to enter seclusion easily."

    Shi Lang asked, "What does the winner get?"

    Lou Shin replied, "Guidance from the Holy Elder himself."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is a chance worth fighting, but what about me? What do I get?"

    Lou Shin replied calmly, "You will get battle points. These points are different from contribution point, but they can still get you somethings that the contribution points cannot."

    Shi Lang thought and asked, "What is this something?"

    Lou Shin replied, "Legacy skills. However, that is something you will know after you have at least thousand battle points. If you lose even one challenge, your battle points will turn to zero. You will have to start from the bottom."

    Shi Lang nodded and did not say anything, he simply epted the fact that he would have to fight a lot of people.

    Lou Shin said, "You will have a separate dwelling, but your status will be that of an outer sect disciple. After you have reached the Dao Lord realm, you will be qualified to enter the inner sect. Also, if you want to pursue other skill branches like alchemy and such, you would need to go through a separate test."

    Shi Lang nodded, soon they reached the registration hall and the Terran sighed. The size of this ce was so grand that he had to move his ability at full capacity to be able to scan itpletely.

    Lou Shin bought him to a wooden counter and said, "Elder Ji, please register this disciple and give him the outer disciple robes and kit."

    Elder Ji was an old man who sat behind the counter, he was at the beginning of Dao Lord realm, however, he was quite ahead in his age. He looked at Lou Shin and nodded, before he took out a ledger and put in Shi Lang''s details after asking him. Then he took out a stone and said, "Leave a trace of your soul and true essence in this." Find adventures at mvl

    Shi Lang did as he was told, and then the old man gave him a jade te. He poured his spiritual energy inside the jade te and the old man carved his name on it. Elder Ji said, "It has been inscribed, here is the rule book, and the outer sect robes. One healing pill, and two spirit rejuvenation pills are given to you as a joining gift."

    Shi Lang bowed to him as he took the robes. Lou Shin said, "Put them on."

    Shi Lang nodded, he put on the robe, Lou Shin said, "Wear the token on your waist, it will is the rule you have to follow till you are inside the Hall."

    The Terran sighed and tied the ck dragon token. At this moment, Elder Ji opened his mouth and said, "Disciple Shi Lang has joined the Martial Spirit Hall, and he has acquired the war token."

    Shi Lang was shocked and so was the whole sect. The battle was about to begin.

 Chapter 883: Constant Battles.

    Shi Lang watched Elder Ji make a loud announcement and he was astounded, to think he thought that he would still have a few moments to rest after joining but now that his token has been revealed many people mighte at him.

    Lou Shin saw through his thoughts and said, "You are only in Dao Soldier realm. Until you step in to the Dao General Realm, it would be peaceful time. After all, you will have to fight just one minor realm higher."

    Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. After all, the logic did make some sense. The outer disciples were all Dao General at the minimum. However, before he could smile at her, a deep voice sounded from the depts of the sect.

    "Disciples with War Tokens can now be challenged by the disciples who are one major realm higher than the token holder. Disciple Shi Lang is a Dao Soldier, so initial phase Dao Generals can challenge him. He can only be challenged once a month.

    The Martial Spirit Hall is fair in treatment. We hope that the disciples can grow stronger with these exchanges."

    Shi Lang looked at Lou Shin and then he sighed. He closed his eyes once and his heart calmed down. He did not care why the person set such a rule. However, since they made such a rule, and he was weak, he would go forward at fight it out. Worse, he would lose his points.

    He looked at Lou Shin and asked, "Can you guide me to the alchemy hall? I wish to take a test and practice the skills to earn contribution points."

    Lou Shin asked, "Don''t you want to go to the Sutra Pavilion first?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and said, "Sutra Pavilion is where all the top disciples might go looking for me. If someone spot me on the way to the Alchemy pavilion and challenge me to a spar, I have a better chance to find a weak guy and cruise along for the next month."

    Lou Shin and Elder Ji were surprised as they heard this method. The old man shook his head and wanted to say something when Shi Lang looked at him and spoke with cupped fists, "My path is my own to walk. I am not afraid of climbing a mountain but I am not stupid enough to believe that I can cross it with a leap of faith. If you don''t respect the mountain, it will crush you."

    That said, he gestured for Lou Shin to lead the way. The instructor nodded and then she led him outside the registration hall. Elder Ji was surprised, he did not expect this kid to say such a thing. The old man began to think about the essence of this sentence and his mind wandered far away in thoughts. Heprehended something profound.

    ...

    Shi Lang moved alongside Instructor Lou. He did not talk the entire way. Lou Shin pointed at various routes leading to different mountains as they walked. She introduced all the important ces for him. Shi Lang nodded and listened attentively.

    Soon, they came to the front door of the alchemy pavilion. Outside the pavilion a youngdy with a sword on her back was walking in the opposite direction as them. Shi Lang did not pay her much of an attention, however, thedy greeted Lou Shin with a bow, and then her gaze scrutinized Shi Lang.

    The two were about to pass her when the girl asked, "Junior Brother Shi Lang, do you not want to greet me?"

    Shi Lang stopped and cupped his fist to greet her with a bow and said, "I apologize for my rudeness, Senior Sister, but I have just joined the sect and am not familiar with the people. I did not wish to be rude to walk up and talk to you out of the blue."

    The girl smiled and said, "You sure have a way with words, but that won''t get you a free pass. You carry the war token, so I have the right to challenge you. I wonder if you ept?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I ept."

    Thedy chuckled and said, "Very good, you are a strong man. I like it."

    She pricked her finger and flicked a drop of blood thatnded on the token. She said, "Every time someone challenges you, they would have to form a contract with their blood. Just like I did."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you for your advice."

    Then he took out his spear and asked, "Where shall we fight?"

    The girl smiled and pointed at the square. She said, "The squares in the martial spirit hall can be used as battle rings. The rules of the duel are simple. Either you step out of the ring, or you admit defeat."

    Shi Lang nodded and followed behind her. Lou Shin shook her head, suddenly she saw a middle aged man appear beside her. The man said, "Senior Sister Lou, are you worried about the new disciple? Don''t worry, Ming will not be too harsh on him."

    Lou Shin looked at the man with an amusing expression and asked, "Junior Brother Qai, do you think a young kid who haspleted a red scroll task at a Dao Soldier realm is someone easily taken down?"

    Qai froze and asked, "What did you say?"

    Lou Shin nodded and replied, "You heard me right, he finished a red scroll task, and that''s why the holy elder made an exception for his admission ahead of time. In three months when the people finish their procedures, Shi Lang''s achievement will be unveiled to everyone."

    Qai gulped and did not know what to say.

    ...

    Shi Lang spotted many disciples who were present in the square. They were indulged in their own world and things, and Shi Lang who gave off no spiritual fluctuation was basically akin to a mortal amidst and went unnoticed until they all saw him walking with the girl.

    A muscr guy rushed over and said, "Damn, Big sister Han Ming, you are so mean, you stole the first challenge."

    Shi Lang realized that he has did not know the name of this girl till now. Han Ming smiled and said, "Yao, next time be quicker."

    Many people presented their resentment to her openly. Shi Lang could not help but recall the times his ssmates would say simr things when he was spotted with Amelia. Those memories made him smile for a second before he remembered how Amelia was no longer in this world.

    His eyes turned cold and his aura shifted a bit. Everyone noticed this but they did not say much. They just thought that Shi Lang had entered the battle mode. Han Ming said, "Guys, give us some space. We are about to have a duel."

    The people cleared up the surroundings and Han Ming said, "Instructor, could you please be the judge."

    Lou Shin nodded and with a wave of her hand, a transparent spiritual barrier appeared around them. Shi Lang found that the ce was a hundred meters square, it was enough for him to move around and fight with ease.

    Lou Shin asked, "Shi Lang, do you know the rules?"

    Shi Lang nodded and Lou Shin said, "No maiming, no killing, and no crippling. However, since swords and fists don''t have eyes, some injuries are inevitable. Be careful."

    Shi Lang bowed to her slightly and then assumed his battle stance as he looked at Han Ming and said, "Junior Shi Lang seeks guidance, senior sister Han."

    Han Ming was surprised by the shift in his gaze but she did not back off and said, "Thank you for indulging me."

    Then she took out her staff, and assumed her battle stance. Lou Shin said, "Begin!"

    Shi Lang vanished from his spot about the same time as Han Ming, and the people were surprised. The young man from earlier, Yao,mented, "His reaction is quite fast."

    Suddenly, a plethora of green vines exploded from the ground below, and a disciple said, "It''s over, this is Senior Sister Han''s vine forest. He will be grappled and trapped inside."

    However, as soon as the person finished speaking, streaks of golden lightning shed in the ring and the vines were vaporized. They were constructed by spiritual energy. The people gasped, but then suddenly someone asked, "Why haven''t I heard any shes yet? Also, why can''t I see them clearly?"

    Someone exined, "Shi Lang is moving too fast. He is faster than Senior Sister Han and she is being forced to attack her while he is only dodging it all."

    Yao scoffed and opened his mouth when suddenly, a loud boom echoed in the surroundings. Shi Lang appeared in the void with his spear glowing with golden lightning, and Han Ming was pushed ten meters away.

    Shi Lang said, "Drunken Lightning Dragon."

    He moved forward with unsteady and unpredictable footwork, as if he was drunk and while he was wobbling around his spear was akin to a snake that would always find its, way around to strike Han Ming. After a few minutes, Shi Lang finished his dance, and his spear came to a stop.

    Han Ming was panting and she had cold sweat on her face. Just now, Shi Lang fought her with the intensity so strong that if it was a real life and death situation, she would have died.

 Chapter 884: Fame.

    Shi Lang was holding his spear a few inches away from Han Ming''s throat. The girl was panting and Shi Lang was pale. He was tired, to win the battle he had expended all of his true essence in one go. He asked, "Senior Sister Han, do you concede?"

    Han Ming looked at him and then nodded before she said, "I admit defeat."

    Shi Lang took back his spear and then he bowed his head. He turned around and walked toward the side. Lou Shin appeared beside him and asked, "Are you okay?"

    The Terran nodded and replied, "Yes, I am fine, can we go through the alchemy hall test though itnow?"

    Han Ming replied and then she led him to the Alchemy Hall. The disciples were all watching them leave but none of them came forward to stop him. The young man Yao asked, "Big sister Ming, did you manage to see through thatst move? I have never seen something like that ever before."

    Han Ming shook her head and said, "I have seen drunken fist, but this mix with the spear was something out of expectation. Also, his body movement was very mysterious. I could not keep up with him."

    Yao nodded and replied, "I could sense some traces of speed Dao in his footsteps. Although it exins his speed but what was the second element?"

    One person from the crowd yelled, "I got it, Senior Brother Yao, he hasprehendedws of Illusion. That''s why his steps were illusory."

    The people could not fathom such a thing. Han Ming gulped and said, "He was using three Daows at the same time. Also, his physique is at a level where normal spirit weapons cannot harm him. It might not be rare but it''s still something to take note of. As his spiritual cultivation increases, his physical abilities will only increase."

    Yao nodded and said, "Well, this exchange was not aplete waste, we managed to figure out a few things about him. We all know that a normal cultivator can never gain control of the War Token."

    The people around the square nodded.

    ...

    Shi Lang did not know that his battle has caused a stir among the disciples. He took out a jade bottle and took out a pill. Lou Shin looked at the pill and took a deep breath. She asked, "Is that a tribtion level pill?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Yes."

    He consumed the pill and extended the pill bottle to him. Lou Shin was surprised and Shi Lang said, "This is what I refined on my own."

    Lou Shin nodded and opened the pill bottle. She looked at the content of the bottle, and her soul trembled. She asked, "They are all tribtion pills."

    Shi Lang nodded and they had reached the Alchemy Hall. Lou Shin was still in a daze when the Terran asked her, "Instructor Lou, what do I need to do to enroll in the Alchemy Hall?"

    Thedy pointed at a counter and said, "You would need to go there and the attendant will tell you what you need to do."

    Shi Lang nodded and made his way to the pointed counter. A refined schrly person was reading a book behind the counter. Shi Lang gently knocked on the surface of the counter and asked, "Senior Brother, I am a new disciple. Can you tell me what do I need to do to join the Alchemy Hall?"

    The person raised his gaze from the book and pointed at the pill cauldron on the side. He said, "Refine the best pill that you can. If it is high grade, you will pass the test."

    Shi Lang bowed to him in thanks before he went to the side, and inspected the pill cauldron. He then took out a cloth and cleaned the inside of the cauldron to ensure that none of the residue damages his pills. He even collected the pill residue into a jade bottle.

    Then he waved his hand and a vermillion me lit up under the cauldron. In the meantime he took out some spirit herbs and gradually put them inside the cauldron.

    Some disciples saw him and one of them said, "Hey, look someone is testing to join the Alchemy Pavilion."

    The other disciple sneered and asked, "What do you mean someone? Look at his waist. He is the warring disciple."

    Everyone focused at Shi Lang''s waist and found a token dangling there. One of the disciples asked, "Can we go and challenge him?"

    However, he was retorted with a snort and a news, "You are a bit toote, he fought with Senior Sister Han, and she lost to him. There will be no more battles this month."

    Many disciples were sighing, but many of them were curious as to what Shi Lang could do with the pill refinement.

    Lou Shin furrowed her brows and said, "Do you all not know the biggest taboo of pill refinement? Shut up or get lost."

    The disciples saw an Instructor scolding them and they quickly calmed down. Shi Lang moved his hands and added herbs one by one. When he was done adding the herbs, he began to make seals with his hands. At first he was still slow, but as the process advanced, his hands turned into after images and a blur.

    Shi Lang did not care about the shock that other people had, all he cared about was the herb''s spiritual essence inside the cauldron. The spiritual energy inside the cauldron was following his fingers directions and swirling inside quickly before it condensed.

    After half an hour, the Alchemy Hall reception was blooming with a thick spiritual aroma. Shi Lang stopped making hand seals and said, "Condense."

    The calm word was as strong as amand from the heavens, and the spiritual essence condensed into pills. There were five pills inside the cauldron and as soon as they condensed they pushed open the cauldron lid and flew off in the void.

    The people were still confused when the pills flew away. Shi Lang looked at the man behind the counter and said, "Senior Brother, can you please follow me to verify the refining process?"

    The man was confused and Shi Lang said, "The pills would be going under a minor tribtion."

    Boom!

    Every disciple sensed their soul shiver. Someone asked in a low voice, "Did this guy just say that his pills will undergo a tribtion? Has he gone insane?"

    Many other people began to talk in hushed tones, but the man behind the counter stood up and nodded as he followed Shi Lang outside.

    The situation outside the Alchemy Hall was different, the disciples all saw five pills to fly out of the Alchemy Hall and they circled around each other in the void for a few minutes before lightning streaks descended upon them from the sky.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The entire sect heard these explosive sounds. Many of the elders hade out of their dwellings. After the lightning disappeared, the people saw five jade like blue pearls moving around in the void before the slowly descended before a youth.

    Shi Lang spread out his palm and the pills obediently fell on his palm. He then turned to look at the schrly guy and said, "Senior brother, these are five tribtion level Soul Rejuvenation pills."

    The people were now shocked at Shi Lang''s reaction. The schrly man wanted to say something when an old man appeared out of no where. Everyone was shocked and bowed to the old man.

    Shi Lang followed suit and the old man inspected one of the pills very intensely before he said, "Indeed, a tribtion pill. Hahahaha, my alchemy hall has a Tribtion Level Alchemist. Hahahahaha, we will crush the six big bastards in the annual alchemy meeting."

    Shi Lang did not even know what the old man was talking about. The old man sensed his questioning gaze and asked, "Kid, would you like to be my disciple?"

    The Terran thought for a bit and said, "Elder, thank you for your consideration but I have a master."

    His words caused many people to be startled while the old man was stunned. He asked, "Who is your master?"

    Shi Lang smiled warily and took out the ck Dragon Token, as he spoke with his spiritualmunication, "Holy Elder Cao Ming, is my master, Elder."

    The old man was shocked and the fear caused his face to turn pale. He shook his head and said, "Good, your master is a supreme existence. Well, whatever, you still have fate with my Alchemy hall. I am the Alchemy Chief Elder, Yang Bingshan. You can look for me if you ever need any help regarding alchemy. I will arrange for them to give you an identity token."

    Shi Lang cupped his fist and bowed as he said, "Thank you very much Elder. My name is Shi Lang, and I am obliged to be a disciple of the Alchemy Hall."

    What happened next was a tide of mes that spread across the Martial Spirit Hall and made Shi Lang famous.

 Chapter 885: Sutra Hall.

    After Shi Lang obtained the alchemy token, he went to the Sutra Hall with Lou Shin. The Terran stepped up to the Sutra Hall entrance and found a young man blocking his path. He tried to walk away and the young man asked, "Did you join the Martial Spirit Hall to run away from fights?"

    Shi Lang looked at the guy, and he replied with a deadpan expression, "You think a bit too much. I just fought a disciple with the best that I can do at this moment, if you think that is running away, then maybe you should get quicker to catch up to me."

    The young man frowned and a spiritual pressure radiated from his body. Shi Lang looked at the guy with an indifferent expression and said radiated his spiritual pressure to counter. The people were surprised to see such a wild disy of might.

    An old voice sounded, "Are you youngsters going to defy the rules of the Sutra Hall?"

    Shi Lang did not avert his gaze from the young man at all. However, hearing the old voice, the young man took back his aura and bowed his head as he said, "I apologize Elder Yan."

    The old voice asked, "Young man, aren''t you going to take back your pressure?"

    Shi Lang looked in the direction of the sutra hall, and took back his pressure. The young man sneered and asked, "Aren''t you going to apologize?"

    The Terran looked at him and said, "You started it, and you were in the wrong. I only defended myself. Since when did people had to apologize for defending themselves. If you want to create trouble for me, thene and find me after a month and challenge me like a man. Stop provoking me like this and save yourself some dignity."

    He did not have the habit of hiding his indifference and disdain toward the people who annoyed him. Then he walked around the young man, without caring about his expression. Shi Lang walked up to the elder and bowed properly to him before he took out his ck dragon token and said, "Disciple Shi Lang apologizes for the rudeness, Elder."

    The old man looked at him for a prolonged second and said, "Follow me."

    Shi Lang followed the old man under the gazes of many people. They were all clenching their fists, because they also had the intention to challenge him for a duel and that''s why they all came here. The young man whom Shi Lang just gave a dress down was their senior brother. One of the top ten in the outer sect.

    Shi Lang not only defied him, but also trampled the dignity of the entire outer sect, however, they could not do anything about it at the moment. The young man turned around to look at Shi Lang''s back with a glint in his eyes.

    Shi Lang suddenly stopped in his tracks, he was very sensitive to killing intent. He asked the elder in a sonorous voice, "Elder, it is forbidden to kill fellow disciples. Right?"

    The old man turned around to look at him in surprise, and Shi Lang said, "I just sensed that senior brother reveal his killing intent towards me."

    Every disciple on the staircase was looking at him as if they had seen a ghost. How dared Shi Lang reveal this to the elder. The old man said, "It is indeed forbidden to kill fellow disciples, but if you have a dispute that cannot be solved, you can apply for the battle with the outer sect elders. Why? What do you intend to do?"

    Shi Lang looked at the old man and said, "It''s not me, but him. If he wishes topete, than he should honor himself if not me. However, I do not sense any honor in his words, yet he dared to point killing intent at my back like a beast lurking in the dark. If he did that in a duel, do I have the right to protect myself?"

    The old man nodded and said, "You have the right to protect yourself."

    As he said this, Elder Yan looked at all the disciples and said, "This boy holds the war token, and his realm is one major level away from you. However, the sect master allowed him to fight one of you every month. Why do you think he did that? Learn to respect the strength of you enemy and the decision of your elders. Do you all understand?"

    His calm voice seemed to have grown a tentacle that was gripping around the throats of the disciples and they were all having trouble breathing. A few stronger disciples replied, "Thank you for your advice elder."

    The pressure vanished and so did Shi Lang and Elder Yan from their spots. The outer sect was bustling with activity, everyone immediately gave up everything and entered seclusion.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang and Elder Yan stood inside the building, and after gathering his wits, ShIng began to look around and Old Man Yan said, "Kid, you sure have a knack to steer up trouble."

    Shi Lang did not reply to the old man and stood silently. Elder Yan waved his hand and said, "Go, take the techniques His Excellency allowed you to."

    Shi Lang bowed in thanks and walked away to shuttle through the shelves. Elder Yan mumbled, "The Outer Sect will be lively soon."

    ¡­

    The Terran did not care about anything else, he began to search for the techniques that he was supposed to choose. One movement skill, one sword skill and one spear skill. He first targeted the wide collection of movement skills. He did not go to the high level onces, he dabbled with the basic level skills, and then decided to read them one by one.

    These skills described the essence of jumping, floating and gliding types of movement to him.

    Then Shi Lang looked for the advanced techniques, and found a few books. He shortlisted five of these skills because they suited his lightning attribute. After a few hours of deliberation, Shi Lang took the skill book called, "Lightning bouncing on clouds."

    This was a good step that emphasized evasion and agile movement on the field. They following this, he went to the sword section and like before, he read the basics first and then began to sort out the techniques ording to two things. Skills that werepatible with his Dao of lightning and also something aggressive that could pressurize the opponent to another level.

    After an hour he selected a sword skill called, Lightning shes. The name was ordinary, but the power contained in the skill was described to be so strong that it could leave the enemy with a cut so smooth that he wouldn''t realize of his death.

    Shi Lang was fascinated by the description, and then he decided to select this skill. The story in the spear department was the same, he read the basics, and then he went after the advanced techniques.

    The lightning snake biting spear skill was selected for its sheer power and prating ability. If Shi Lang mastered the spear art, he would be able to kill many people at once and find the chinks in their techniques to leave them with no chance but death or defeat.

    He bought the books to Elder Yan, and after scanning them. The old man copied the skills on the jade slips and said, "You can read them as much as you want but make sure that you do not spread them around. The consequences of that are very harsh."

    Shi Lang nodded and then he first ced back the books, and then took three jade slips with him before greeting the old man a good day and he left the sutra hall.

    Outside the sutra hall, many people were gathered together, the crowd was even bigger than it was earlier. Lou Shin appeared beside him, held his hand and said in a hushed voice, "Shi Lang, do note out of your cave abode after today until someone calls to challenge you."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "You do not have to tell me such a basic thing. At this moment, all I need is time."

    Lou Shin saw that he understood and bought him to a cave abode at a remote mountian. She said, "This is where you will stay, the formation outside willst for a month before someonees to find you for a challenge. I wish you good luck."

    Shi Lang nodded to her and went inside the cave. The sect master and the holy elder were still sitting together as they saw all this with their spiritual vision. Cao Ming remarked, "I did not expect him to be so aggressive."

    The sect master shook his head and replied, "They are young and they shall be left to discover their own paths, and Shi Lang seems to be the catalyst that we have been looking for. I look forward to the growth of the Martial Spirit Hall."

 Chapter 886: Facing Yuan Kai.

    Shi Lang entered the cave dwelling and made three blood clones. He sat on the ground toprehend Dao Laws, and nourish his Dao Flower, while at the same time, his clones began to practice the three techniques he had just acquired from the Sutra Hall.

    He has never used this skill of his much, but it increased hisprehension speed, and at this moment, this was the most needed thing. Time passed and Shi Lang grew stronger with each passing day.

    If other people were to see him, they would be shocked to see how quickly he was getting stronger. Shi Lang himself did not expect that after his visit to the Crimson soul abyss, his perception of Dao had be very acute. He did not care what was going on outside the cave.

    His aura grew thicker with each passing day. A month in the life of a cultivator was fleeting and for someone as focused on his growth as Shi Lang, even years could go by before he reaches a bottleneck.

    Shi Lang sensed someone outside the cave, and opened his eyes. He looked at his clones and waved his hands to dissolve them and assimte them back in his body. The experience they had umted and the skillprehension was inherited by Shi Lang. The Terran stood up and walked out of the cave.

    ...

    Outside the cave several young men and women were standing. They all have been cultivating outside the cave. Shi Lang came out and saw the scene and his eyes turned cold. The people were about to rush at him to challenge, when a guy yelled, "Stop! I will fight him to avenge the humiliation from the other day."

    Shi Lang looked at the man, and found him familiar. He searched his memory and recalled this was the guy he had an argument with on the Sutra Hall stairs. Shi Lang kept looking at him. The person came over to him and said, "You were quite a tough nutst time we met, do you still want to fight now?"

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and took out his war token. He said, "You should be aware of the procedure, right? Get on with it."

    The young man took a deep breath and then said, "Very well, you do have a set of balls."

    He poured his spiritual essence in the ck Dragon Token and said, "My name is Yuan Kai, I am a disciple of the outer sect."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "Can we fight somece else?"

    Yuan Kai nodded and led Shi Lang back to a big square outside the outer sect. The two people stood facing each other and an elder was standing beside him. Shi Lang took a deep breath and the elder stood around him, and said, "The rules are the same, are you ready?"

    Shi Lang took out his spear and nodded before the elder said, "Begin."

    The two of them vanished from their spots. In a blink, they shed at the air waves shook the void. The people took a deep breath, because Shi Lang''s power was on par with Yuan Kai. Even Yuan Kai himself was shocked at this. He did not expect for this young rookie to have such prowess.

    Shi Lang on the other hand was thinking about something else and trying to end this fight. He knew that the advantage would notst for long time. Shi Lang retreated half a step and said, "Heavenly snake slithering in the woods."

    His spear gave an impression of a golden snake that slithered through the forest and struck Yuan Kai repeatedly from all sides. The people were surprised and someone analyzed the situation and said, "Damn this guy, he is quite smart."

    Another guy nodded and said, "Indeed, if he did not fight with his best and quickly, then his advantage will disappear. Senior Brother Yuan Kai will have an upper hand for as long as he could oust this barrage."

    The analyst shook his head and replied, "Do you think if it were that simple for us to oust him, why would he have a War Token? The technique he is using belongs to the Sutra Hall. He must have acquired it a month ago. Watch his attacks carefully, he is moving very quickly and every move is getting sharper and stronger."

    ...

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    In the ring, Yuan Kai was feeling pressured, and Shi Lang narrowed his eyes as he stopped breathing and said, "Lightning fists."

    He flung his spear in the void and then dashed closer to Shi Lang, his fists turned into after images as they rained on Yuan Kai. Thetter sneered and said, "You think you could do better in close quarters? You gave up your spiritual weapon to fight but only to lose the match."

    Shi Lang watched the guy looking in his eyes and he cast Shura Realm Illusion. Yuan Kai smirked and stopped fight. In his mind, he defeated Shi Langpletely, but suddenly he woke up from a cold sensation on his neck. He looked down and eximed, "How?"

    Shi Lang did not reply to him and said, "Elder, is this enough?"

    The old man nodded and said, "Winner, Shi Lang."

    Everyone was looking at Shi Lang as if they had seen a ghost. The Terran had no intention of exining how he won the fight. Yuan Kai was standing in his spot and he mumbled, "How did it be like this? I won the fight."

    Yuan Kai was in disbelief and he turned to look at Shi Lang who said, "For the next month, please do not gather around my cave, I am not going anywhere, and fighting you is the only thing that I have to do for the next few months. I will not run away, I hope you all just do not hinder my cultivation by sucking up all the spiritual energy around the cave."

    The people were surprised, someone yelled, "What? Are you calling us all thieves?"

    Shi Lang looked at the person and said, "I wasn''t but now, I am calling you an idiot and if you are unhappy,e, I will fight you and I will beat you. The loser will run around the sect naked. Dare you ept?"

    The person was angry but then he fell silent, because Shi Lang did not leave him an option. If he was to ept the fight, he might lose, but if he did not, then he would appear to be a coward. He fell silent after this.

    Shi Lang thought for a minute and said, "If you are all done, then I shall go back to cultivate."

    The disciples were still trying to figure out how he won the match. Shi Lang did not care about it though.

    ...

    Cao Ming was sitting in the valley sipping on tea, and a youngdy appeared next to him. She bowed and said, "Master, he won the battle."

    Cao Ming nodded with a smile and said, "I know what is going on with Xiao Lang. However, he is still young, he has a lot to learn."

    Thedy nodded and said, "He is close to the perfection realm in both his attack techniques."

    Cao Ming nodded and replied, "This kid merged two techniques for spear and sword together and used it to overpower his opponent with them. His quick thinking to cast the illusion is also good."

    Thedy nodded and replied, "I had no idea if he would be able to pull it off, but he sure is a smart cookie."

    Cao Ming smiled and said, "My disciple is not a normal person, Xiao Mei. Well, for the next ten months, until he is leaving the sect for a mission, you don''t have toe and report to me about it."

    Thedy nodded and vanished from her spot. She was a Dao Empress, and her aura was much more condensed than Lao Yuesha. Cao Ming was about to go back to his tea when an old man appeared beside him.

    Cao Ming said, "Sword Elder, don''t even think about it. I will not yield my disciple to your training."

    The old man sighed and replied, "Holy Elder, this kid can do great deeds for the sect."

    Cao Ming rolled his eyes to him and said, "You can go and seek him, if you can convince him, then it is fine with me. However, I am warning you, don''t get your hopes up."

    The man smiled and chuckled as he said, "Hahaha, Holy Elder, I will get that child to side with the sword hall."

    Cao Ming raised his cup and said, "Yes, try your best."

    ...

    Shi Lang was unaware about it all, he was currently sitting in his cave,prehending more of his Dao Laws. He did not know that he was about to be visited by someone really troublesome.

    Within just a few minutes he entered deep meditation stage when suddenly the formation around his cave was disturbed. He opened his eyes with cold and rage flowing out of them.

 Chapter 887: Unyielding Shura.

    Outside the cave where Shi Lang was cultivating stood an old man. He was a Dao Lord, however, his spiritual aura was so restrained that if someone did not know his identity, they would call him a mortal. He had just disturbed the restriction array on the cave and was about to step in when a strong killing intent was locked on him.

    The old man raised his eyebrow and yelled, "Insolence!"

    Shi Lang came out of the cave and questioned in a cold tone, "Am I insolent or is it you? How dare you barge into my cave, don''t you understand the basic rules of cultivation old man?"

    The old man was shocked, he did not expect someone to talk to him in this manner. Although he was in the wrong, but this person was too much. He yelled, "How dare you talk to me in this manner? Do you have a death wish?"

    He wanted to scare Shi Lang back, but the Terran took a step forward and with an defying gaze he said, "Death wish? Do you dare to attack a disciple in the sect disregarding the rules? Are your superiors aware that you are so shameless and love bullying juniors, Old Man?"

    His voice was calm but it spread throughout the surroundings like fire in dry grass. Many disciples had retreated from outside his cave, but a few of them were still keeping an eye from a distance. They had rushed up when they heard themotion. One of the early arrivals said, "Fuck, Shi Lang got into trouble with Stone Brow Yama."

    The disciples who heard this were stunned and then they shook their heads. One of the new people asked, "Senior Brother, who is this Stone Brow Yama?"

    The young man looked at this guy and sighed as he said, "He is the deacon of Sword Hall. His personality is very rude and many times he causes troubles for the Outer Sect disciples."

    They all watched Shi Lang standing before the Elder. The former took a deep breath, and clenched his fists. Shi Lang did not even budge half a step and asked, "State your reason, why have youe here?"

    As he spoke, he was holding onto his spear, and his intent was tantly pping the old man in the face. Deacon Yama was left speechless. He clenched on the hilt of his sword and said, "You, hmph. The Sword Hall elder has summoned you for enrollment. Come with me."

    Shi Lang looked at him coldly and replied, "I am not interested, now, get lost and don''t bother my cultivation."

    He did not care about anything and waved his hand to recast the restriction as he retreated. Deacon Yama was stunned and his eyes opened wide as he watched Shi Lang. He waved his hand and undid the restriction as he yelled, "Bastard, who do you think you are to defy the decree of the Sword Hall?"

    He radiated a strong sword intent towards Shi Lang. However, the Terran said, "Get Lost!"

    His voice echoed in the mountains and the sword intent from his hand dashed at the iing attack. His sword intent was way stronger than his spear intent and he was truly angry with Deacon Yama.

    This man did not even state his purpose, rudely disturbed him, and even wanted to attack him now that Shi Lang had refused to go with him. He did not underestimate the elder and used his all to counter.

    The sword intent let out a sharp whistle and the two forces collided at the entrance of the cave. The impact caused the cave opening to widen as a lot of rock shattered and fell down on the ground. Inside the cave, Shi Lang''s figure was revealed. His ck hair had turned red, and his eyes were the same.

    His spear was now reced with his sword.He did not have any wounds, but his breathing was ragged.

    On the other hand, the attack heunched tore through the Deacon''s intent and dashed forward to injure the person. Yama did not expect this, and just when the sword intent was about to sh him open, a figure appeared before him and dispelled the sword intent.

    Shi Lang stepped out of his cave, and stared at the newer. He looked at the person with his cold re but did not attack. The people were shocked to see that he could take on a deacon if he held his sword. They did not expect this guy to hide such a card up his sleeves.

    The newer was a middle-aged man, who said, "Disciples should have some tolerance towards their elders."

    Shi Lang looked at the man and replied, "Someone who barges in my cave while I am cultivating and can cause me grieve injuries or even worse, is no elder of mine. If anything, he is my enemy."

    The disciples in the surroundings gulped their saliva. They could not handle Shi Lang standing up against elders of the sect. He was defying the hierarchy with brutal honesty. The middle-aged man frowned and said, "Even if he did such a thing, you should understand that it must be urgent."

    Shi Lang sneered and replied, "It is often the elders who are much calmer and wiser than the juniors, then why am I being lectured because someone who was born earlier than me is causing trouble? Could it be because of his cultivation realm? Would you allow me to have a death battle with this man? I will show you what it means to be strong."

    The middle-aged man''s gaze became cold, he wanted to say something before Shi Lang said, "What? You can lecture me on who is right and who is wrong because you are stronger than me, then why can''t I call him a weakling when he could not even take one blow from me? If this hypocrisy run inherent in the sword hall, then I don''t even want to think about you prideful bunch of had been(s)."

    The middle-aged man wanted to say something when Elder San appeared beside Shi Lang. He looked at the person before him and said, "Junior Brother Qui, does your sword hall have nothing better to do but make fuss with disciples these days?"

    The middle-aged man bowed his head and said, "Senior Brother, it is not our sword hall, but this child is too stubborn."

    Elder San smiled and replied, "So what if he is stubborn? That is his path to walk, why do you have to trouble him like this?"

    The other party could not answer, but Elder San asked with his spiritualmunication, ''Did your Hall Master, not tell you about his true identity? Do you want His Excellency the Holy Elder to y you like a chicken by attacking him?''

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    Elder Qui sighed, but then he froze and looked at Elder San with his eyes wide open. The elders and everyone knew that the Holy Elder has taken in a disciple, but he did not expect it to be Shi Lang. He trembled when he recalled how Deacon Yama had attacked Shi Lang on his watch, and a chill ran down his spine.

    Yes, Hall Master of the Sword Hall has sent these two people to invite Shi Lang for a conversation after hees out of his seclusion. However, Yama was rash in his actions and almost got seriously injured but Elder Qui saved him.

    Elder Qui looked at Shi Lang and said, "Disciple Shi Lang, the Hall Master of the Sword Hall invites you for a conversation."

    Everyone looked at the change in Elder Qui''s tune and they were stunned. How can a dignified instructor talk to the disciple like this. Shi Lang looked at Elder San, who smiled and said, "You can make your own decision. No one will bother you."

    Shi Lang nodded and then retreated inside the cave after casting a restriction array. Elder San chuckled and said, "Elder Qui, you lot ought to be careful. Hepleted a red scroll task with a weaker cultivation base. I hope you don''t bother with him or the consequences might be out of your control."

    Elder Qui nodded and then he looked at Deacon Yama, before he said, "Go back to the Hall Master, and tell him everything that happened here. I will wait for Shi Lang toe out of his seclusion."

    Deacon Yama was stunned, but Elder Qui did not give him a chance to ask anything and said, "If you dilly-dally, I will chop off your arm and present it to the Holy disciple as a token of apology."

    Deacon Yama was shocked and his soul trembled when he heard the term, Holy Disciple. He bowed and apologized before running away. Elder San looked at the disciples around the cave and said, "Little ones, go back and cultivate, if you only stare at him from the side, he will eventually surpass you, no?"

    The disciples woke up from their daze and all of them bowed before rushing away. However, after today, Shi Lang will be a legend in the Outer Sect.

 Chapter 888: Sword Elder.

    Shi Lang did not care about anything outside the cave, he sat down in meditation and began toprehend Dao Laws of ughter and sword. His killing intent was raging wildly so he decided to use this chance to his advantage. While he wasprehending Dao like a monster, the Martial Spirit hall was embroiled with news of his stand.

    ...

    Elder Jian Hu was sitting next to Elder Qui, outside Shi Lang''s cave. Thetter said, "You don''t have to stay here, Senior Brother. I will not harm him."

    Elder Jian Hu, also known as Elder San, shook his head and said, "I am here to save you all from him. You have no idea what this guy is capable of."

    Elder Qui furrowed his brows and said, "Aren''t you exaggerating a bit too much? That guy is the disciple of His Excellency and not his Excellency himself."

    Elder San shook his head and said, "He finished the samsara array within three days. Can you?"

    Elder Qui opened her eyes wide and asked in disbelief, "What did you say? Three days. How is that possible?"

    Elder San shrugged and replied calmly, "I have no idea, but I witnessed it. There is no way he could have cheated his way through, even the sect master could not let alone this child. However, one thing you should know, heprehended the unity of man and Dao. His potential is unfathomable. Your rashness could be the sole reason for him to turn away from the sword hall."

    Elder Qui wiped the non existent cold sweat on his face and said, "I am worried about the Hall Master. Yama will be in deep shit right now."

    ...

    Deacon Yama took a deep breath after he finished talking as he knelt before an old man. The old man looked at Deacon Yama with a cold gaze, his eyes were radiating a sharp aura that could turn anything to shreds. He looked at Deacon Yama and said, "How many times have you been told that your temper would be the dawn of your misfortune?"

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    Deacon Yama did not reply but kept his head down on the ground. The person before him was the Sword Elder. This guy was the strongest sword practitioner in the Martial Spirit Hall after the sect master. Although his cultivation base was at the peak of the Dao Emperor, his sword cultivation was also very high. Deacon Yama did not dare to say anything before him.

    The old man said, "You have disgraced the sword hall, and you will be punished. Since you like to act out so much then go and guard the Luan province. The barbarian bull tribe is acting out a lot there. You will guard that ce for a hundred years. If you wish toe back early, you must resolve the conflict."

    Deacon Yama almost pissed his pants because of the aura weighing on his back. He only had one way to live and that was to agree to the punishment. He replied, "Yes, Hall Master, I will leave right away."

    The old man waved his hand and Yama left the sword hall. However, his expression did not turn out well even after punishing the culprit. From the ount of the incident, he found that Shi Lang was even stronger than he had expected him to be. It would be even more difficult to recruit him.

    He sighed and stood up from his chair. An attending disciple looked at him, awaiting instructions, when the old man said, "I will be staying outside the Sword Hall, if it is something urgent, tell them to find me at the High moon peak."

    The disciple bowed and epted themand. The old man vanished from his ce and a few momentster, he appeared on the peak of High Moon mountain. Elder Qui and Elder San stood up before him and bowed as they said, "Greetings Master."

    Yes, they were the third and the fourth disciples of the Sword Elder. The old man looked at Elder Qui and said, "Why are you so dim witted in the ways of the world? Did you intend to kill him if not for your Senior Brother''s arrival? What did I tell you to do?"

    Elder Qui replied, "I apologize master, I thought he was just being rash."

    Sword Elder snorted and caused Elder Qui to kneel on the ground. He said, "Do you think I am a fool? I know your virtue like the back of my hand. You get along well with Yama because you are snobbish and petty like him. As soon as you found out his status you held back. You should be ashamed of yourself."

    Elder Qui did not have any resistance, he knelt and said, "I ept the punishment and will correct myself, Master."

    The Sword Elder said, "Hmph, at least you know this. Go to the central continent, and look for your first brother. Help him out and don''te back until you have stepped into peak, Dao King realm."

    Elder Qui nodded and agreed to the sentence without as much as a groan. He left the sect quickly too. If Shi Lang was to know that the two elders were transferred because they messed up with him, he wouldment that the Sword Hall was either looking out for him or they were desperate.

    The Sword Elder sat down on a boulder and Elder San stood beside him. They were gazing at the wide cave entrance behind the restriction array. Thetter asked, "Old Man, why are you so eager to recruit this kid? Don''t you know that he is a master of spear too?"

    The Sword Elder red at him and reprimanded, "How dare you talk to me like this?"

    Elder San rolled his eyes and said, "Oh,e on, the others aren''t here. If you hadn''t scammed me back then I would have been an archer and a top level one at that. Now, out with it, what do you want?"

    The sword elder cleared his throat and said, "He has the potential to reach the Sword Emperor realm. Look at his cultivation and you will understand. Why does he have to walk the path of a spear artist? What benefit is there?"

    Elder San looked at the old man and said, "If you could understand that, this child would have been your disciple and not His Excellency''s. Do not push him, if he refuses, walk away, and you might have a chance to be amiable with him."

    The old man stroked his beard and said after some thought, "I will ask him sincerely if he would like to join. As long as he can keep up with the realm progression target, I will not barre his other paths."

    Elder San shook his head and replied, "When hees out this time, he would have to go to the Alchemy Hall. You probably don''t know, but he is the golden disciple of the Alchemy Hall. He is a tribtion pill refiner."

    The sword elder sucked in a deep breath. He clenched his fists as his eyes turned golden. However, he did not say anything. The two elders stayed there watching the cave, and the disciples did not dare to approach Shi Lang''s cave, because they were scared by Elder San''s cold gaze.

    He was not doing anything to gain favor with the Holy Elder, but he wanted to see Shi Lang walk his own path. Elder San came from nothing, He had always been looking out for those like himself. Shi Lang hade this far and now he had such a huge wound in his heart that only hatred and revenge seemed to be his motivation.

    However, after he watched everything that Holy Elder showed him while testing the Terran made him realize that Shi Lang was an even bigger person than what he thought of him.

    He wanted to see where this young man could reach, Elder San did not want to clear his pathpletely, but he could still make sure that he avoided the unnecessary skirmish.

    Sword Elder looked at his third disciple and sighed, how could he not know what was going through his head? Thinking about this an idea lit up in his old skull. He thought, ''It may be fate but perhaps Shi Lang could be the straw that can save this drowning disciple of mine and help him rejuvenate his vigor once again.''

    One month passed in a blink and the restriction on the cave entrance was taken down by Shi Lang. Elder San smiled and waved his hand, while he said, "This is my master, the Master of the Sword Hall, Huang Jianxian."

    Shi Lang looked at the old man and bowed in greeting, "Disciple Shi Lang greets you, Hall Master. What can I do for you?"

    The hall master smiled and asked, "I came here only to ask you if you would like to visit the sword hall and take a tour? If you like to, you cane by to practice your skills and learn from other disciples. It would be helpful in yourprehension."

    Shi Lang was surprised because what the old man said was different from what he thought. However, since he could not call him out, he just thanked him for the opportunity before heading to the square for his monthly duel.

 Chapter 889: Sword Prowess.

    Shi Lang thanked the old man and the Sword Elder asked, "Are you going for your duel?"

    The Terran nodded and the old man said, "Today, I would be the referee."

    Shi Lang thanked him faintly and said, "I shall go ahead of you elder."

    The sword elder nodded as he stroked his beard. Elder San asked as soon as Shi Lang was out of the earshot, "What are you cooking in that ck skull of yours?"

    The Sword Elder had a vein popping up on his forehead and said, "Bastard, how big of a schemer do you think I am?"

    Elder San did not hesitate and said, "Undying one."

    Then he rushed away to the square, leaving behind his master fuming with rage.

    ...

    Shi Lang appeared in the square and found many people staying there. He was different from the past, his cultivation had reached the middle phase of Dao Soldier realm. Yes, if someone else was to see him they would call him a monster.

    He came to stand in the square and cupped his hands as he asked, "Junior Shi Lang seeks the monthly challenge from Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters."

    There were at least a few dozen girls and boys in the square. Everyone was here because they wanted to fight him. However,st time when Shi Lang defeated Yuan Kai, the normal disciples have stopped fighting him.

    A young girl walked up from the crowd and said, "Junior Brother Shi, you are quite the talk of the town, you know?"

    She smiled at him, but Shi Lang did not reply and watched her approach the square ring silently. The girl continued, "My name is Juan Ling. I am ranked ninth in the outer sect lower dragons."

    Shi Lang tilted his head in confusion and the girl smiled, "The rankings in the outer sect are divided in two categories, the lower dragons and the upper dragons. We have just stepped into the Dao General Realm, while the upper dragons are in the middle or the peak of Dao General Realm."

    The Terran understood and replied, "Thank you for imparting this knowledge to me, Senior Sister."

    Juan Ling shook her head and said, "I am here to challenge you, I only wanted you to know what the following duels will represent since you have beaten Yuan Kai, who was ranked tenth. If not for the match limitation, you would have been swarmed by the challenges every week.

    It may be a blessing in disguise, but if you did not improve exponentially till you step into the inner sect, the waves of battle will keeping at you. I hope you understand how we all crave for the opportunity to be taught by the Holy Elder."

    Shi Lang nodded solemnly and thought in his heart if Cao Ming had cheated him into fighting all these people. Juan Ling said, "Do you ept my challenge, Junior Brother Shi?"

    Shi Lang woke up from his stupor and said, "I do, Senior Sister."

    The two of them were looking around when a calm voice sounded, "Deacon Tu, let me be the judge for this battle."

    Deacon Tu looked beside him and bowed quickly. Followed by him, all the disciples in the square bowed to him. The sword elder looked at Shi Lang and Juan Ling, as he stroked his beard and asked, "Disciple Juan, you are from the sword hall?"

    Juan Ling bowed and replied positively. The old man said, "Good. Well, since you both are familiar with the rules, how about we begin the duel?"

    The two people nodded, and Shi Lang watched Juan Ling bring out a sword from her space ring. He could sense the sharp sword intent and could not help but frown. In his mind a calm voice sounded, "Lang, I need some workout."

    Shi Lang thought about it and grabbed the void before his body. After reaching the Dao Soldier realm, Raksha had been resting in his Dantian. As he grabbed the void, a red and golden sword materialized.

    The people were stunned but such a sword was not rare in the sect, in there eyes this spiritual sword was a high level heavenly artifact. They would be shocked if they were to see Shi Lang bring out a Dao Artifact.

    Juan Ling, had a different experience then the viewers. She could not help but look at Sword Elder, who was gazing at Shi Lang''s sword with astonishment and mumbled, "Sword and Man union."

    Everyone who was looking down on the sword, fell silent. They realized that Shi Lang was not yet done with his cards. This guy was even more unfathomable. Shi Lang caressed the de gently uncaring of the elder''s remark.

    Juan Ling took a deep breath and said, "Junior Brother, you really hid yourself well."

    Shi Lang shook his head but did not say anything. The Sword Elder said, "Begin!" Continue your adventure at mvl

    The battle began, Juan Ling yelled, "Dancing Tidal de."

    Shi Lang saw her move around, and was surprised. Raksha channeled her thoughts to him, "What, you did not expect a delicate girl to use a technique with the essence of tidal waves, right? Have you forgotten, that even one single drop of water can exert the pressure that could disrupt the Tsunami?"

    Shi Lang woke up from his daze and said, "You are misunderstanding me."

    Raksha asked, "What is it then?"

    The Terran replied, "Her movements are simr to the sword art that of Juan Xi."

    Raksha trembled and said, "You cannot kill her."

    Shi Lang took a deep breath and said, "I know. Lightning shes."

    His sword began to flicker, and the sharp intent shot from itbined with lightning. The destruction quotient of the Lightning Element was unleashed. Juan Ling did not expect that Shi Lang would fight her so aggressively right off the bat. His sword intent left micro fissures in the void as it moved toward Juan Ling.

    Sword Elder pursed his lips but then Juan Ling held her de andshed out at the iing attack. She did not change her attacking stance, because somethings attack was the best defense.

    The two attacks collided head on and the void shook. Many disciples covered their eyes, as the sharp shockwaves pricked their skins. They were all peak Dao Soldier or Dao General realm cultivators. Still they were pressured by this attack.

    Shi Lang saw that he could not defeat Juan Ling and his body turned into a phantom. He flickered around the duel ring and his sword intent attacked Juan Ling. This was a merciless way of the Lightning shes. One had to keep on shing at their enemy and they will gradually reach the sharpness level that could cut through everything that stands in his way.

    Juan Ling was superior to Shi Lang in terms of power, but the degree of finesse Shi Lang held was something that Juan Ling could handle. The attacks chased after Juan Ling who was dodging and diving all over the ce.

    Shi Lang suddenly moved, and appeared behind Juan Ling, he swipe kicked her legs, and disturbed her center of gravity. This caused Juan Ling to fail in defending herself. The attack razed past her shoulder and the sharp pain left her immobile.

    Shi Lang raised his sword and aimed at her neck before Sword Elder said, "Duel finish, winner, Shi Lang!"

    Juan Ling was shocked, but then she regained herposure and took out a healing pill before Shi Lang helped her to the side. He waited for her to heal herself. When Juan Ling woke up Shi Lang asked, "Senior Sister, do you know any Juan Family of the eastern holynd? The verdant green holynd?"

    Juan Ling was surprised but she shook her head and said, "They are not the main line of the Juan Family. Ie from the central continent. Those people you faced in the east have already been disowned for many centuries now."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "So, will the central continent Juan family interfere with the Eastern one if thetter was to run into trouble."

    Juan Ling did not know why Shi Lang was asking all this but she shook her head and said, "What for? If anything, the Central Continent Juan Family wants them dead."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "That will be handy. Thank you for your advice, I would like to go to the alchemy hall. I have toplete a few tasks."

    His sword prowess did not shine too much, but the glimmer was enough for the people to understand what Shi Lang was made of. His sword was much more horrible than his spear. The disciples began to discuss the duel among themselves as Shi Lang walked away. The sword elder looked at Juan Ling and said, "You executed the first move nicely, however, you waited for a bit too long in releasing the attack."

    Juan Ling stood up and cupped her fists as she said, "Thank you for your guidance, Hall master. I will pay attention to it next time."

    The old man nodded and vanished from the ce. Meanwhile Shi Lang appeared at the steps of the Alchemy Hall.

 Chapter 890: Gem Of The Alchemy Hall.

    Shi Lang had just arrived at the steps of the Alchemy Hall, when a guardian disciple looked at him and quickly rushed away. The Terran did not notice this, he simply climbed the stairs and stepped through the gates. He found ady sitting behind the counter wherest time he came to take a test.

    He approached the counter and said, "Senior Sister, I am here to ept pill refining tasks. Could you please help me?"

    Thedy behind the counter appeared to be in her thirties but she was a Dao Lord. Hearing his polite tone, she smiled faintly and said, "Junior Brother, you would need to bring out your alchemy hall token before I can help you."

    Shi Lang nodded and took out the golden token and ced it on the counter. Thedy paused for a moment, she did not expect toe across someone with such a token. She was about to touch the token when a calm voice sounded, "Here you are, I was wondering when would you show up kid."

    Everyone froze, the aura inside the hall just became heavy. Thedy behind the counter said, "Master, can you hide away your spiritual aura? The disciples are all scared."

    The old man was stunned and then he restrained his aura before he said, "Xiao Yue, what are you doing behind the counter? Sneaking out to have fun again?"

    Thedy shrugged her shoulders and said, "It is boring to research all the time. This is the guy you have been praising this days?"

    The old man was none other than the chief elder of the Alchemy Pavilion, Yang Bingshan. The disciples bowed to him and the old man waved his hands as he approached Shi Lang with steady steps and a big smile.

    He patted Shi Lang on the shoulder and said, "Young man, you have gotten stronger."

    Shi Lang bowed his head humbly but his expression did not change. The old man also did not mind it because he had already talked to Cao Ming and knew the situation with the former. He said, "Collect your token, ande with me. I will tutor you on advanced alchemy."

    Shi Lang nodded and took his token from the counter before he thanked thedy and followed the old man. He did not even ask why did thedy call Yang Bingshan master. She raised her brows and looked at the schr beside her and said, "Xiao Yan, hold the fort, I am leaving."

    The young man hurriedly dashes over and said, "Yes, Eldest Senior Sister."

    Thisdy was the first disciple of the Chief. She was the strongest alchemist and her realm cultivation realm was not known to anyone apart from Yang Bingshan.

    ...

    Shi Lang followed the old man who took him to the archive room. The entire Alchemy Hall had spatial formations in ce, which expanded the size of the buildings from the inside. The archive room was bigger than the what the entire Alchemy Hall looked from outside.

    Yang Bingshan said, "Before you can refine advanced pills, you will need to read through the documents inside the archives."

    Shi Lang furrowed his brows and the old man said, "This rule was set by the First Hall Master. It is because the advanced pills can be of conflicting nature and they would cause trouble if taken together. Once these pills are outside, they would be your representation. If someone suffered, the world will stop taking your pills altogether.

    Finding an alchemist is not a big deal, but finding one that could make sure the people will not suffer after consuming the pills."

    Shi Lang nodded, and Yang Bingshan said, "You can take as much time as you need. Once you finish, I will test you, and then you will be cleared to refine advanced pills."

    Shi Lang thought of something and asked, "May I use a special technique to read?"

    Yang Bingshan was surprised but nodded. Shi Lang raised his hands and controlled his blood vessels to force some blood out of his pores. Within a few minutes, his blood was dripping on to the floor.

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    Then the blood squirmed and fifty of his clones appeared inside the Archive Room. Yang Bingshan was shocked, and thedy who just came in eximed, "What in the world?!"

    Shi Lang waved his hands and the clones got to the work. They began to read the scrolls on the shelves. He turned to look at Yang Bingshan and said, "This is a technique that I learned from my Cultivation Sutra. I won''t be able to share it with the sect."

    The two people looked at him and did not doubt it. After all, this was an unique technique, even they could not figure out the secrets. They were both century old monsters.

    Yang Bingshan said, "Take your time, we will wait for you outside. When youe out, channel your spiritual energy in the golden token and I wille to you."

    Shi Lang bowed to the old man, as he left with thedy. The Terran then turned around and walked deeper inside the Archive hall. Although he had revealed the blood clone technique, he was not going to show them the horror of advanced technology.

    In the deepest part of the Archive room. Shi Lang sat down cross legged and raised his left hand. Themunicator on his hand was not a toy. He tapped the screen andunched the probes outside.

    The clones were also controlled to channel spiritual energy inside the scrolls, and the moment the text appeared, the scrolls were photographed by the probes and the data was seamlessly transmitted to Shi Lang''s brain with a nano brain node.

    The Terran closed his eyes, as the knowledge began to register in his brain and he began toprehend it. The pace was akin to that of a sponge absorbing knowledge. There were at least ten thousand scrolls on these shelves and none of them seemed to be sorted. The best an alchemist could do was to read as much as they could and then they would sort the knowledge in their heads.

    Shi Lang thought about this and instructed his clones to sort the scrolls in different categories and levels. After that, the clones handled everything, they all had basic intelligence and could be seen as biological robots.

    Days seemed to have grown wings, and it took Shi Lang twenty days to finish reading and memorizing the knowledge inside the archive hall. When he was done, he dissolved the clones and absorbed the blood again, thus it made the knowledge in his mind even deeper.

    He rubbed the center of his brows before he checked thebels on the shelves. He then nodded and left the archive room. There were not many people who would visit the archive hall. Apart from the elders, only their disciples woulde here, but these people would make copies of these scrolls and spend years reading them and memorizing them.

    Shi Lang did not understand why their spiritual energy did not develop their brain. Howe an entire body covered in Dao Laws and spiritual energy circuits running through it would have such an average intelligence.

    After thinking he decided to consult Hou Bing on this. He walked out of the room and then channeled spiritual energy in the token. After he was done with it, he waited for a few minutes, before Yang Bingshan woulde.

    Shi Lang turned his head around to look at the architecture and found that their was a big wall which was covered with glowing words. He walked over out of curiosity and began to read.

    ''What happens when the fallen star cotton rose root is mixed with rising wind grass essence?''

    There were many such questions but apart from Shi Lang no one was there. He could not figure out why, and then he thought, since he had nothing better to do, he would just answer the questions. Then he found instructions on the corner. One could use their spiritual energy to cast words in the void and then post them over the questions. If the answer was correct the question would vanish.

    Shi Lang understood that this was a challenge wall. He shrugged and began to write the words in the void, and they all flew over to the questions. At this point, a disciple noticed him and eximed, "Someone is taking on the hundred question wall..!!"

    Immediately, all the disciples stopped doing what they were doing and gathered around Shi Lang. At this moment, Yang Bingshan appeared and said, "Can you all have some decorum of an alchemist?"

    The disciples were scared off, Shi Lang stopped and turned around but Yang Bingshan smiled at him and said, "Child, go on, take up as many questions as you can."

    Shi Lang thought of something and nodded before he turned back to the wall and began to write. Yang Bingshan looked at thedy beside him and said, "Xiao Yue, go and call those old bastards. They need to see it. The Alchemy Hall has found a gem."

 Chapter 891: Thousand Year Question Wall.

    Yang Bingshan was watching Shi Lang solving the questions quickly and could not stop himself from smiling widely. If someone was to ask him, how happy was he, then he might not have been able to exin it with his words.

    This wall was the thorn in the hearts of many capable alchemists, however, they had been unable to solve the problems. Shi Lang was doing it, and he could not understand how. However, when he read the answers he nodded because they were correct.

    A few minutester, four old people arrived in the hall. They were the five advanced alchemists of the Martial Spirit Hall. They saw Shi Lang and they froze. Yang Bingshan said, "Now do you understand what I was talking about? Look at him."

    The four people were a group of two old men and two middle aged women. They were bbergasted, when suddenly, Xiao Yue, Yang Bingshan''s disciple came over and said, "Master, you need to see this."

    Yang Bingshan furrowed his brows and asked, "Xiao Yue, what is it?"

    Thedy gulped and said, "He sorted the archives. They are now kept in perfect arrangement, all the knowledge has been ssified and they are no longer scattered all over the ce."

    Yang Bingshan and the rest of the people were surprised, and one of thedy said, "We can check thatter, I want to see his answers. The lower level questions does not test his logic and reasoning much."

    The others nodded, Yang Bingshan also agreed, and said, "You guys call your disciples and have them inspect the archives."

    The old people frowned, one of them said, "They are in seclusion."

    Yang Bingshan looked at the man, and said, "Old Tang, they are memorizing the scrolls from the archive, if they can learn from an organized scrolls, it would cut out a lot of time. Think about it. This kid spent twenty days inside, and now that he hase out, he is solving the Thousand Year Question Wall."

    The old people thought about it and then they took out talismans and summoned their disciples. The man called, Old Tang asked, "Are you thinking about taking him as your disciple?"

    Yang Bingshan shook his head and replied, "He had already taken someone even powerful as his master."

    The four people looked at him and Yang Bingshan answered them with spiritualmunication. The people took a deep breath and then after a few minutes they said, "No wonder he is strong."

    ...

    Cao Ming was leaning on a rocking chair and a small bird was pecking grains on the ground next to him. Suddenly, he raised his head and looked in the direction of the alchemy hall and said, "Hmmm, Xiao Lang is causing waves again."

    The bird raised it''s head and remarked, "Hmmm, this boy is very good. Now I can fly over to rest on that wall."

    Cao Ming smiled at the bird and said, "Luan, you wish to cause chaos again?"

    The bird shook its head like a human and replied, "This boy has the aura of a phoenix on him."

    Cao Ming nodded and replied, "He knows your queen. Be good to him, you might climb the ranks."

    Luan fluttered his wings and replied, "What do you think of me? Am I someone who needs to climb up thedder?"

    Cao Ming smiled but did not say anything and closed his eyes to meditate again.

    ...

    The disciples were gathering over at the alchemy hall and they were all talking to each other in hushed voices, "Caleb, why are you fucking dragging me over to the alchemy hall? That warring disciple is about toe out and I need to practice so that I can see him in action myself."

    Caleb rolled his eyes and said, "Wake up you doofus, he is already challenging the lower dragons, you arete by a century already. The warring disciple is now solving questions on the thousand year question wall. He is umtion a lot of merit and you probably don''t know about the importance of the thousand year wall."

    The young man asked, "What do you mean?"

    Caleb sighed, "I don''t know how yousted in this sect for so long, Han. Anyhow, it is said that once someone manages to solve all the questions on the thousand year question wall, they would be rewarded by a treasure left behind by the founder of the Alchemy Hall."

    Han asked eagerly, "What is the treasure?"

    Caleb took a deep breath and replied, "It is the dream of every alchemist in the sect to just see this treasure once. This treasure is called the Samsara cauldron. It can be used to attack, defend, and it can refine the highest level of pills."

    Han looked at Caleb with wide eyes and asked, "Then why do you all dream to just look at it? Why not try to get it?"

    Han could not help it and smacked the back of Caleb''s head, "Idiot, even Hall Master Yang could not solve the final question. Who else do you think can get this cauldron?"

    Han and Caleb were not the only ones who were discussing about this. Many other disciples were gossiping and specting how far Shi Lang would be able to go.

    ...

    Inside the alchemy hall, one of the disciples asked, "How many questions are there?"

    Someone replied, "Seventy one. For every alchemist there are seventy different questions. Only one questions stays the same."

    Another disciple asked, "Senior Brother, what is that one question?"

    The disciple replied, "It was a question set by the first hall master. It can only be seen by those who can solve the seventy questions."

    The people nodded in understanding when from the another corner, a disciple said, "He has finished the first fifty questions."

    ...

    Yang Bingshan looked at Shi Lang and clenched his fists. Shi Lang was unbothered by the attention on the people on his back. He moved his hands faster and began to solve thest twenty questions that were even harder.

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    The elders watched his words, his actions were getting faster instead of getting slower. The elders noticed this and Yang Bingshan said, "Yeah, I can see it. It could be because of the knowledge inside the archived is linked to the higher levels that he is finding it easier to answer these questions."

    Old Tang said, "Hall master, would this kid be rewarded the rank of an elder too?"

    Yang Bingshan nodded and said, "This is the tradition of the Alchemy Hall, and I do not intend to discontinue it. However, the archives have finally been sorted, and we would need to think about another encouragement reward for the disciples who manage to solve these questions in the future."

    The second middle-ageddy said, "Is it me or can you guys also tell what is going on with him?"

    Yang Bingshan replied, "He isprehending advanced alchemy while solving the questions. I suspect, by the time he finishes, he might be able to refine advanced pills. Sister Eden, what do you think? Is he better than your treasured disciple?"

    Thedy thought for a bit and then faintly nodded. She said, "I admit it, Venus might begging in terms of talent and skillpared to him. However, she is still the second best disciple of the Alchemy Hall, none can deny it."

    Yang Bingshan nodded and said, "I did not intend to. Xiao Yue and Venus are tied for the second best now."

    Xiao Yue was standing beside the people, and beside her stood a very elegant woman. Thetter asked, "Senior Sister, what do you think of this child?"

    Xiao Yue shook here head and replied, "He is strong and skilled. However, it is not something that could be done because you were born slightly better than your peers, but you need put in a lot of hard work too. Venus, its going to be really tough for us in the future."

    Venus smiled, and replied, "I won''t have it any other way."

    ...

    Shi Lang finished dealing with the seventy questions and suddenly a pressure descended upon his shoulders. The people eximed when they saw a golden glow cover his body. Only Shi Lang didn''t know about this cocoon on his body. The rest of the people saw him basking in a golden glow. Even the four hall elders were shocked, and they bowed to the golden light.

    The Terran found himself standing in front of an old man. He bowed and cupped his fists as he asked, "Greetings, elder."

    The old man smiled and nodded faintly. He said, "The final question of this wall ising up, be ready."

    Shi Lang nodded and the old man asked, "How can you revive someone, whose body is destroyed, and the soul has entered the cycle of samsara?"

    The Terran was surprised but then after some thought, he said, "As of now I do not have any form that would allow me to answer you properly, but I will not give up. I will explore the field of alchemy to the best of my ability. One day I will find it and then I will make it."

    The old man was surprised and then he chuckled. He said, "Indeed, that is the spirit. Many alchemists just give up hope when they could note up with an answer. The true answer was that their is no answer. If you canpose a form like that, then it would be great. I look forward to your progress."

 Chapter 892: Samsara Cauldron.

    Shi Lang watched the old man vanish slowly with a faint smile on his face. The next moment he was surrounded by a soft golden glow and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked around and found that he was standing inside the Alchemy Hall.

    The people were looking at him with their eyes wide open, and this included even the elders. Yang Bingshan stepped forward and asked, "Xiao Lang, you cleared the final question."

    His voice was unsteady and Shi Lang could see that his body was trembling a bit. The Terran looked at the thousand years question wall and found it nk. He mumbled, "I guess I did."

    One of the old people asked, "How did you answer the final questions?"

    Shi Lang looked at him and hesitated. Yang Bingshan said, "If this answer involves a secret than you don''t have to share it with us. Old Tang just asked out of curiosity. We all have been waiting for ages to see this moment."

    The Terran looked at the eager gazes of the five elders and he said, "The question was actually very simple to answer, it is not a secret."

    His words sounded arrogant and many people put up a frown. A middle-aged man behind Old Tang asked, "What do you mean it was easy to handle? Are you being rude to our masters?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied calmly, "The first Hall master asked me a way to revive someone who has no physical body and their soul has entered the cycle of life and death."

    Yang Bingshan interjected, "Yes, it is the same question as always."

    The Terran looked at him and said, "I replied that at the moment I do not have a way to answer him with a solution. However, I also said that I would not give up on the path of alchemy and find a way that could make such a pill."

    The people were surprised and had peculiar expressions. They could not understand how it was so simple. However, Shi Lang said, "The essence of my answer is what I call the spirit of alchemy. Alchemists are seekers of a path that is often thought to be impossible to walk. Enjoy new chapters from §Þ??

    We can make pills that can extend lives and defy death. We can make pills that can give a dying warrior a second chance when he or she is about to fall. So why can''t we make a pill that can bring back someone who has already stepped on to the other side?

    The pills that we have tomorrow did note into existence on their own. Our forefathers created them. So, the true legacy that we have is not the forms they left for us, but the spirit of alchemy that tells us to seek more ways to refine pills that have yet to be found."

    Shi Lang finished speaking and the entire hall descended into silence. He looked at the faces of the elders and the true disciples, and the other disciples peculiarly. He stated a simple reason, and the people seemed to have entered a state of enlightenment.

    After a few minutes, the temperament of the people changed qualitatively. Yang Bingshan woke up from his epiphany and bowed to Shi Lang before he said, "I thank you for sharing your wisdom with us."

    Shi Lang was surprised and the next moment, all the elders and alchemists followed him as they expressed their gratitude with a bow. The young man watched them all in surprised and said, "Elders, please raise your heads. I have not done anything extraordinary. You all are my seniors. Please do not make it difficult for me."

    Yang Bingshan raised his head and smiled to him. The rest of the people also did the same. Although, Shi Lang''s words sounded flustered but his eyes were indifferent. Xiao Yue has been observing him for a long time, and she could not understand why his eyes never changed.

    Just when she was thinking of how to ask him about this, the Thousand Year Question Wall began to glow and vibrate slightly.

    The people looked at the wall, and gradually the vibrations grew stronger. It was so much that the disciples were beginning to panic. Yang Bingshan said, "Calm down."

    The wall began to crumble and gradually it vanished from the sights of the people. They found a small room behind the wall, it did not have much, but a rusty old cauldron on the floor.

    One disciple eximed, "Samsara Cauldron! It really exists!"

    Samsara Cauldron was a legendary treasure in the sect that many people had searched after. They were all eximing in their minds, as they saw the cauldron lying there.

    Suddenly, the old thick cauldron trembled and began to levitate in the void. It floated around the alchemy hall slowly, before it stopped above Shi Lang''s head.

    Yang Bingshan said, "Xiao Lang, use the drop of your heart blood andplete the recognition process."

    Shi Lang smiled faintly and spoke with his spiritual sense, "It is not that easy, Hall Master. This cauldron has a spirit of its own. It is a Legendary Dao artifact. I would have to tame it with effort."

    Yang Bingshan was surprised, and Shi Lang said, "The true spirit is in deep sleep. That''s why it only appears to be a high grade spiritual treasure."

    The old man was surprised, he looked at the cauldron deeply and nodded. Shi Lang then asked, "Hall Master, may I use a secluded refining room?"

    Yang Bingshan nodded, and looked around, before saying, "Follow me."

    ...

    A youngdy flew out of a cave as she looked in the direction of the Alchemy hall. She was about to rush over when an old man appeared beside her, and said, "Yao, what do you think?"

    Thedy looked at the old man and said, "Hall Master, the crimson peak will allow him to participate in the test. However, if he fails, you will lose the favor."

    The old man smiled and said, "Yao, you know why the Crimson peak was set up, don''t you? Shi Lang is the disciple of the Holy Elder, and has the talent that he needs toe here. You have seen his speed ofprehension and it is even more important that you let him take the test because while you are his protector, you are also, a practitioner of the ughter Dao."

    Lady Yao looked at the void before her and said, "My master asked me to be his protector. I understand that he has the skill, but it is also the decree of my master, that none shall climb the Crimson Peak unless they pass the test on the foot of the mountain."

    The old man nodded, and wanted to say something when he said, "Your master is calling for me. I wonder if he wants to celebrate the achievement of his disciple."

    Yao shrugged and bowed slightly before entering the cave again. She was the one who had been watching Shi Lang on Cao Ming''s instructions. She was a Dao Empress but only qualified to be a maid beside Cao Ming.

    ...

    Shi Lang stood inside the Master refining chamber. This ce was used by Yang Bingshan personally, and none other were allowed here. Yang Bingshan had his own stock of spirit herbs for refining.

    Shi Lang selected a few herbs and looking at the cauldron, he said, "Let me refine a pill first, and then I will use you. This is my first time with this form."

    The cauldron trembled and emitted vibrations as if agreeing with his words. Yang Bingshan and the four elders were watching the scene with such awe. This cauldron was their dream, and someone who was at least a few thousand years younger than him was interacting so casually with it. It would be a lie to say that they were not envious.

    Shi Lang took the herbs, followed the form and tried to refine a batch of pills, and he failed. It was not a surprise to him. The Terran had never followed this pill form and did not know many things about the way the herbs would react.

    Yang Bingshan and the other then watched him sit down on the ground and close his eyes. Inside his mind, the stimtion process hadmenced. Shi Lang was exploiting his Terran heritage to his advantage.

    Every minute detail of what happened during the pill refinement was ying in his mind like a movie over and over. He had improved a lot, now he did not need to watch anyone refine a pill.

    He only needed to understand the nature of the herbs before he could master the refinement process and reach the tribtion level.

    After a couple of hours, Shi Lang stood up from his spot on the ground and took another set of herbs. Yang Bingshan had told him to feel free to use the herbs.

    The Terran began to add herbs, and refine them slowly. He appeared really calm at the moment, and the elders were surprised. Soon, the essence of the herbs was extracted and Shi Lang was making hand seals to gather and blend them together.

    Old Tang said, "If he seeded in doing this, then I would acknowledge his genius."

    Thedy beside him said, "Master, he is using the Samsara Cauldron, he does not need your acknowledgement."

    The elders almostughed at this, but Yang Bingshan cleared his throat to make them all silent. The next moment, they saw the holy beast patterns and arrays engraved on the cauldron beginning to glow with an amber glow. The room was filled with a strong herbal scent, and Shi Lang yelled, "Condense."

    The cauldron began to rotate on its axis in the void. Then, a few lightning steaks shed from the window and hit the cauldron.

    Yang Bingshan sighed and said, "The tribtion shielding array of this cauldron is what every tribtion Alchemist yearns for. Today, I can say, that it is really one of a kind."

    The others nodded, as they saw the cauldron broke down the lightning energy and guided it to the pills inside. Shi Lang removed the lid and three jade-like pills started flying around him.

    The cauldron trembled and issued a soft whistle. Shi Lang then patted his chest and coughed up some blood that fell on the cauldron. The bonding with the Dao Artifact was confirmed and the Samsara Cauldron now belonged to Shi Lang.

 Chapter 893: Mad Refining.

    Shi Lang looked at the pills in his hands and then he turned to look at the people who were drained of color from their faces. He asked, "Hall Master, may I keep these pills?"

    The old man nodded and said, "Umm, can wee to watch you refine the pills?"

    Shi Lang nodded, he did not mind them learning from his refining actions. After all, they would eventually figure it out. Yang Bingshan saw his actions and said, "Thank you."

    He was an erratic personality, but he was saying thank you to this junior very frequently now. It was not a glorification, but the simplest and the most sincere manner of showing his gratitude. Shi Lang began to refine more pills and the old people began to observe and discuss.

    Xiao Yue was also entranced by Shi Lang''s movements. They did not expect him to be so skilled that even their masters would learn from him. For the next five days, the alchemy hall was covered in lighting tribtions. The people outside knew that it was because of Shi Lang refining pills.

    The Terran might not care, but his actions would change the path of Martial Spirit Hall. Shi Lang continued to refine pills before the end of the month came. Yang Bingshan and the others wanted to ask him a few questions when Shi Lang said, "Hall Master, Elders, I have to go to the square. It has been a month. I have to fight today."

    Yang Bingshan suddenly realized that Shi Lang was the warring disciple, as long as he does not be invincible, he would have to keep fighting everyone. He said, "Take the cauldron with you, it will help you with defense."

    Shi Lang patted the cauldron and the size of the artifact shrank into something that was sittingfortably in his palm. He said, "The artifact is strong, and it is a card. The people know that it is a heavenly spirit artifact. If Ie across a situation where I cannot handle the enemy, and my life is in danger, then and only then shall it be taken out."

    The alchemists looked at him in appreciation. They have seen many warriors who flex their treasures, but Shi Lang was different. Xiao Yue said, "Junior Brother, can Ie with you, to watch the match?"

    Shi Lang nodded and then left the refinement hall with Xiao Yue leaving behind Yang Bingshan and the rest of the people. The hall master said, "This young man does have the right to be taken in as a disciple by the Holy Elder."

    The rest of the elders nodded and then they began to discuss the things about alchemy.

    ...

    Shi Lang walked silently, he did not care about the gaze locked at his back. He could tell that Xiao Yue was curious about him, but it was not his duty to satisfy her. They quickly reached the square. During the past month, Shi Lang was busy refining and studying things. This was why thepetitor was very rxed, thinking that the Terran did not have any significant growth.

    He only found how wrong he was when Shi Lang defeated him within ten moves. This man fought with him using closebat techniques, and the Terran disyed mixed fighting styles withbination of his movement art.

    The people were left speechless, and Shi Lang walked away from the square after an hour. He was headed to his cave abode when a voice echoed in his mind, "Xiao Lang,e over."

    Shi Lang stopped and a figure run into his back. The Terran turned around and asked, "Senior Sister, is there something you need?"

    The person who run into his back was Xiao Yue, she nodded and asked as she backed away, "Why are your eyes dead?"

    Shi Lang looked at her and replied, "To me the world has lost color."

    Xiao Mei was surprised but the next moment, Shi Lang said, "I apologize, but I have to go visit my Master."

    That said, he bowed and left thedy standing in a daze. When Xiao Yue woke up, Shi Lang was long gone and she couldn''t help but mumble, "I wonder if time will cause the color to return to your life, kiddo."

    ¡­

    Shi Lang appeared outside the valley, and a calm voice sounded in his mind, "Come in, Xiao Lang."

    The Terran was not even the least surprised that his Master could locate him. Cao Ming was strong and the impression he gave Shi Lang was unfathomable. The Terran went inside the valley, and knelt before Cao Ming, before he asked, "Greetings Master."

    Cao Ming smiled faintly and asked, "Why are you kneeling?"

    Shi Lang shook his head and didn''t say anything. Cao Ming smiled and said, "Xiao Lang, for the nexting month, I want you to go to the foot of the crimson peak, and practice there."

    The Terran was confused and asked, "Master, where is this Crimson Peak?"

    Cao Ming smiled and looked at thedy beside him, as he said, "This is Yao Yao, you can call her Elder Yao. She also perceives the Dao of ughter and has a special ce in the Martial Spirit Hall."

    Only when Cao Ming told Shi Lang about the person was he able to sense her. She did not exist in his sensory radar. Shi Lang bowed and greeted thedy, "I have seen Elder Yao."

    Yao Yao only nodded to him and said, "For the next few months, you will cultivate below the mountain, and if you manage to keep your sanity, I will take you to the peak of the mountain."

    Shi Lang nodded and Cao Ming said, "Xiao Lang, don''t hold back. I will be here for you."

    The Terran bowed deeply to the man and said, "Thank you, Master."

    Cao Ming said, "Go, learn well."

    Shi Lang nodded, and left with Yao Yao. The old sect master appeared next to Cao Ming and asked, "Why didn''t you tell him the meaning of the Crimson Peak?"

    Cao Ming replied, "I am not his nanny, he needs to find out the answers on his own."

    The sect master sighed and shook his head, he asked, "Do you think he would be able to persist in that array?"

    Cao Ming merely smiled and said, "Come, let us y chess, let me see how much you have grown."

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    Shi Lang followed thedy silently, he did not show any impatience, and neither did he ask her about anything. After a few minutes, when Yao Yao stopped, the Terran found out that his destination was a Crimson-colored mountain.

    Yao Yao said, "Ie from a lineage that held absolute power in the Martial Spirit Hall. This ce was a secluded ce for cultivation. One of my elders was cultivating here when the Sect was invaded. The battle erupted on the peak and my elder yed seven hundred enemies. That night the blood was absorbed by the soil and the entire mountain turned into what it is today.

    I am here to y the remnant souls of those invaders. Every week I kill one, andprehend ughter Dao as I do it. However, that is only the foot of the mountain.

    I will tell you about the top of the mountain when we are done here."

    Shi Lang nodded and then walked up to the spot where Yao told him to. Then thedy said, "You have ten days to y a remnant spiritpletely."

    Shi Lang bowed and took out his spear. The foot of the big mountain was surrounded by mist, and Shi Lang walked inside that mist. The wind howled but the young man appeared uncaring. He moved slowly, but his steps were firm.

    He closed his eyes and then began to channel spiritual energy inside his body. Suddenly, he ducked, and avoided a w sh from behind his back. Shi Lang turned around quickly and stabbed his spear. The golden lightning from his body traveled through the spear and thennded on the remnant spirit.

    The creature let out a terrifying wail. However, Shi Lang did not stop. His lightning could immobilize the creature. He danced around and fought to his heart''s content. His actions were visible to Yao from outside the mist, and she could not help but sigh, "What a monster."

    Shi Lang did not hesitate in fighting with anything or anyone who was thrown at him. He was very skilled and calm. Yao did not know whether it was his desire to get stronger, or the desire to avenge his wife, or was it because he gave up hope on his life.

    His movement was getting very proficient with the passage of time in the mist cloud. On top of that, he was not getting tired. Yao knew why it was like that, the red mist had a strong spiritual attribute.

    However, she also frowned, because while this mist increased the rate ofprehension, it could also drive anyone mad.

 Chapter 894: Shura Heaven. (1)

    Shi Lang was surrounded by the blood-colored mist and was fighting against the remnant spirits hidden inside. While he was tackling the enemy, Lady Yao mumbled, "I wonder if he can figure it out."

    The Terran did not know that his actions were being watched by a lot of people. Yao was not the only person paying attention to him. At this moment, inside the Martial Spirit Hall''s council hall, a few figures were sitting around in a circr arrangement. In the center hovered a cluster of small mirrors, which were disying Shi Lang''s fights and his current actions inside the blood mist.

    An old manmented, "He sure has his ways with weapons."

    Another old man spoke in a heavy voice, "He has mastered physicalbat to another level as well. His body appears to be as strong as that of an Heavenly Spirit Artifact."

    Many elders nodded, and one old man said, "You all should see him with a sword. I am telling you, when he holds a sword he is apletely different monster."

    An olddy chuckled and said, "Brother Jian, you praise him quite a lot."

    The old man who spoke earlier was the Sword Elder himself. He looked at the olddy and said, "Sister Tamang, he has achieved Sword and Human unity. His skills with the sword are enough to go head to head with a Dao Lord level cultivator. If he was to fight desperately, I am sure he could have killed my fourth disciple."

    The elders were all shocked at this moment. The old man whoplimented Shi Lang first said, "No wonder you are no longer trying to convince him to join the Sword Hall."

    Old Man Jian did not hide and nodded as he said, "Brother Mao, I feel like this boy is destined for something more than petty struggle."

    Everyone could not rte with Sword Elder but Yang Bingshan spoke up and said, "We do not have many inner court disciples. However, even the ones I have in the Alchemy Hall, cannot create Tribtion Pills after just one try. The past month, he refined more then ten tribtion level pill cauldrons. Do you understand what that means?"

    A fat old man spoke with excitement, "The Martial Spirit Hall is about to get rich by auctioning those pills? Yes, finally some good news."

    Yang Bingshan held his forehead and said, "Fatty Yu, he is not hiding his skills. He showed his technique and passed on hisprehension to me and the four elders. We are now able to refine tribtion pills. Eight out of ten recipes. Did you all think that the Alchemy Hall had incurred heavenly wrath for there to be so many lighting strikes?"

    Everyone looked at him in surprise and Yang Bingshan took out a jade bottle and tossed it to the sect master. They all were the people of the same batch. They had no formalities among themselves.

    The sect master caught the bottle, opened the jade bottle and passed the pills to everyone with his spiritual energy. He said, "I think it is good to have him here. I would have given him the keys to the core region but the Holy Elder forbids it. You all should use to nurture him sincerely.

    Also, Brother Juan, inform your nsmen to dere that your lineage is different from the Juan family of the Verdant Green Holy Land."

    The middle-aged man among the elders raised his brow and asked, "Senior Brother, what is going on?"

    The Sect Master replied, "Shi Lang has taken a Dao Oath that he will destroy the Juan Family of the Verdant Green Holy Land. I cannot tell you why, that is his secret to tell."

    The people nodded, and suddenly the muscr old man said, "Oh, he figured out the restrictions in the mist."

    The Sect Master nodded and said, "Lady Yao sure is a strict tutor."

    The people nodded and they looked at the mirror to watch Shi Lang.

    ...

    The Terran was bleeding from his shoulder, after all of his effort, the remnant figure had managed to injure him. Shi Lang took a deep breath and blocked the wound as he took the defensive position. He could now see the w of the remnant spirit. However, the movement of this entity was so erratic and fast that he could not catch onto it with his sensory ability.

    His cold eyes were looking around in the mist trying to perceive the attacks, but then he realized something, there were not multiple enemies, just one. He thought for a bit while moving around and avoiding the attack, there was something that was stopping the remnant spirits from going crazy and ughter everything in their paths.

    In his mind, Raksha spoke, "Lang, let me out. Tribtion is a kid, he cannot take on any more of this energy."

    Shi Lang sighed and replied, "My spear skills are not evolving in the past few days. I cannot handle one of these undying ghosts."

    Raksha replied in a calm tone, "Lang, patience."

    The Terran took out the sword with a simple grab and stabbed his spear onto the ground. He said, "The environment here can nurture the spear."

    Raksha said, "The intent you stored inside will be sharper. You have grown smarter."

    Shi Lang did notment, he held the hilt in his hand and began to dance. The sword in his hand seemed to have eyes, Raksha and Shi Lang moved in such sync that they did not have to even look. The sword and man united could sense every thing around them.

    The Terran defended himself with great efficiency, although not every attack was blocked but he was able to move out of the way. After half an hour of fighting, he was able to sense the slight fluctuation in the killing intent pointed at his body.

    Every direction inside the mist was emitting a strong killing intent, and that''s why Shi Lang was having trouble sensing the enemy but now that difference has been adjusted, he channeled his spiritual energy to cover his body, and move around at a faster speed.

    His de emitted sword intent without holding back. He has mastered the level where he could channel and condense the intent to cut easily. The other elements of the intent werewere not there yet, but he would not be helpless in a desperate situation. To enhance his skill even further, he began to emit the intent to cut in all the directions his sword moved.

    Shi Lang mumbled, "Death Net Of Dancing Cherry Blossom."

    He created a to cut everything around him with his quick and agile sword. The intent wasced with lightning and it was akin to an intricate sphere of lightning amidst the blood-red mist.

    Shi Lang closed his eyes and said, "Raksha, don''t stop after killing one of them."

    The sword spirit rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up and move, I am hungry."

    The man and the sword shed in all directions and soon the remnant spirit began to wail. The lightning was tearing it inch by inch. Slowly but surely, the spirit was angry and injured. Shi Lang''s lightning was refined by the heavenly tribtions, and also the me seed inside his Dantian.

    The fire seed instilled the elements of purification in the lightning that enabled Shi Lang to slowly weaken and destroy the remnant spirit which had no conscious.

    Yao watched him move, and nodded. After five days, Shi Lang was still moving and the remnant spirit vanished with a loud wail. Yao said, "You cane out, you have passed the trial."

    Shi Lang replied, "Can I practice here some more?"

    Yao could sense the red eyes staring at her from behind the mist, but she could only nod. Shi Lang was refining the blood mist and hisprehension of ughterws was increasing very quickly. Yao said, "You can stay there for as long as you don''t lose your mind. If you did, I will kill you my self and you will be one of the spirits there."

    Shi Lang replied, "Yes, Elder Yao."

    ...

    Inside the mist, Shi Lang was getting stronger, and his strength was increasing, the euphoria was so strong that his eyes had turned red, and slowly, his skin was getting red as well. However, Raksha was no where full. Her battle hunger was at its peak, and she was getting sharper by absorbing the blood mist around the foot of the mountain.

    Shi Langmunicated with her, and said, "This mist is generated from the array, don''t absorb too much, the remnant spirits will go crazy."

    Raksha scoffed and said, "Why? Those old people could stop them."

    Shi Lang shook his head, "This ce is meant for training. Don''t act too greedy."

    The sword spirit and the human went back to back with the topic and finally Shi Lang said that he would stuff her back in the space ring and leave the ce. Only then did Raksha calmed down.

    They fought for four days this time, and managed to kill another Remnant Spirit, just as Shi Lang was about to leave the blood mist, he froze. His eyes looked dazed, he entered the state of enlightenment. Experience exclusive tales on §Þ??

 Chapter 895: Shura Heaven (2).

    Shi Lang stood inside the mist with a dazed expression on his face. He was standing at the border of the mist and the world outside. Yao was shocked, she did not expect something like this to happen. This guy had an epiphany at the worst ce possible in the whole area.

    However, if she disturbed him, it would cause him a huge lose, he might even suffer a backsh. Just when she was thinking if she should enter the mist and protect him, a ck figure flickered through the void and a bony w attacked at his back.

    At this moment, Yao moved, but she would not be able to reach him in time. The second of hesitation put Shi Lang in a dangerous situation. A sharp whistle echoed in the surroundings and a golden-red spear shot at the spear from inside the mist. The weapon emitted such a strong piercing attack that a fist sized hole was poked in the void.

    The void hole sucked in the remnant spear which turned into dust. Yao was shocked, she watched the scene with her eyes wide open. Shi Lang shivered and grabbed the void to hold his spear. He looked at his weapon and said, "You have grown in the face of adversity, Tribtion."

    Yao came to stand before him. She was shocked and asked, "Did you just use the space intent to poke a hole in the ce?"

    Shi Lang nodded, and said, "I did."

    That was it, he did not say anymore. Yao did not poke around much and after calming her mind she said, "Come along."

    Shi Lang bowed and followed to her slowly.

    ...

    In the Council Hall, the elders were watching the scene that just urred on a rey, and the Sword Elder asked, "Did he just merge the ughter intent with lightning element?"

    The rest of the people nodded. Sect Master smiled and said, "Looks like he found inspiration in the movement of the remnant spirits. They use space element in their attacks. Turns out this kid just exploited the test for his gain. Hahaha, crafty one."

    The old people all smiled. At this moment, the Martial Spirit Hall was one of the seven big powers, but the situation was not looking good for them. Within thest one year, they had been suffering hidden attacks from sides.

    The Sect Master said, "Brothers and Sisters, I hope that you call can select some outstanding disciples and send them to the crimson peak once a week. Lady Yao has agreed to teach them."

    The elders all nodded in agreement. The sect master stood up from the chair and said, "The uing Seven Star Tournament is very important for us because of various reasons. In the past one year, we have lost no less then fifteen core disciples, all Dao Lord realm cultivators.

    We need to avenge our disciples, and also to make sure that our position in the seven high powers does not shake. The tournament is only five years away. Please let us push forward as much as we can."

    ...

    While the elders were discussing the situation of the sect, Shi Lang was climbing the crimson mountain with Yao. He asked suddenly, "Elder Yao, may I ask you a question?"

    Yao nodded and Shi Lang asked, "Why are the people so desperate?"

    Yao stopped and asked, "What do you mean?"

    The Terran looked in her eyes and asked, "The Martial Spirit Hall is one of the strongest forces in this part of the Immortal World. Then why do I feel the disciples being so hungry to improve their strength. They seem to be pushing too hard. I have seen it in their eyes when they look at me.

    If not for the fact that the sect master intervened with my fate, I would have been fighting people like crazy."

    Yao turned around to walk and said, "You are aware of the outer court rankings and the inner court rankings already. Right?"

    Shi Lang nodded and Yao continued, "Master told me that you came from a lower world, so you must have seen all sort of power ys whether in open or in the shadows. This immortal world is no different than that. On the surface, the ce is very calm and is ruled by the strong and they all have cordial rtions with each other, but that is just bogus.

    Every now and then, when the disciples go out, they often sh with each other, and these shes cause blood shed. It has been going on like that from the very first time sun shone upon us humans. So, while they are cordial on the surface, in the shadows they all hold knives.

    In the past one year, three of the other six forces have been attacking us and we have lost fifteen core disciples. In the core region of the sect the disciples are ranked one from hundred. The fifteen deaths have disrupted the strength of the sect.

    This is why they are all desperate. They wish to avenge their senior brothers and also to win resources that will help them fight."

    Shi Lang nodded in understanding, it was not that difficult actually. He followed Yao to the peak of the mountain and thedy said, "You can cultivate here. There is no cultivation caves or homes on this peak except one. That cave belongs to me, and if you want to stay there, you will have to fight me and defeat me. Understood?"

    Shi Lang looked around and nodded, before he sat down. Lady Yao watched him and said, "I wille to check on you every seven days, and we will spar. I will test you, and every time you pass, I will teach you something."

    Shi Lang cupped his fists and then he closed his eyes to enter the meditative state. Yao watched him for a while before she left the summit. She had huge expectations from Shi Lang after she watched him deal with a remnant spirit with one blow.

    ...

    Shi Lang was meditating, and his true essence was rolling inside his body. The cells were getting drunk on power and getting stronger. His mind was dwelling on the skill heprehended at the edge of the blood mist. In that moment, he learned how to integrate the space element with his senses.

    Yes, he did not use it inbination with the lightning energy, but his own body. He had been watching the remnant spirits and their attack movements. He wanted to figure out how they were evading his sensory ability which could detect anything and everything. Shi Lang realized while fighting that these creatures were integrated with the space itself.

    The expert who yed them must have used space element talent and the intent of that element lingered in the soul of the remnant beasts. Shi Lang had been moving around and trying to imitate what these things were doing. However, he could not get any results until, he was about to step out of the boundary.

    Outside the mist there was a slight spatial energy and when the energy acted on his body, only then did he realize how it would work. At this moment, he was sensing the space element in the void around him and moving it through his body. The space element was rare for a reason, it was not easy to absorb.

    Shi Lang tried for a few hours, but since it was not that easy to absorb the energy, he took a deep breath and gave up the idea. Then he consolidated the space element energy in his body. He positioned the energy into a thin ring around the fire seed in his Dantian.

    The fire seed was spinning around at a high speed and the ring of silver energy was moving very quickly with it. Shi Lang intended to use this technique to develop a sense for the space energy. Since he could not absorb it, he intended to let it move through him and then use it for his technique.

    He sat crossed legs on the ground, and after a week, their was a faintyer of dust that was spinning around him slowly. The sheet of dust was moving slowly but it was there. It covered the distance of seven meters.

    Raksha appeared in his soul sea and said, "Very exquisite technique, what can you do?"

    Shi Lang replied, "I can sense everything in this range, and I can move anywhere."

    Raksha took a deep breath and said, "I see, then can I name it?"

    The Terran replied, "Go ahead."

    He had no interest in naming his techniques anymore. Raksha floated around in the soul sea and said, "Let''s call it Shura Heaven. What do you think?"

    Shi Lang did not respond, he kept on meditating, until Yao stepped in the seven meter range. Thedy saw him opening his eyes and standing up from the ground. He stretched a bit and then greeted thedy before she said, "Come, let us spar."

    Shi Lang nodded and took out Raksha from his space ring. Yao also held a de in her hand and said, "I will lower my cultivation..."

    The Terran replied, "Elder Yao, please fight at your full strength. The enemy will not care about my realm."

 Chapter 896: Cruel Training.

    Shi Lang and Yao stood against each other, both of them holding their weapons and they both shoot off from their spots. The Terran could sense Yao entering the range of Shura Heaven, and every single movement of her body. He could even sense the spiritual fluctuation from her body.

    His body moved quickly, but he was only able to parry the attacks and not dodge them. He was not yet strong enough to move as fast as Yao. However, him being able to parry the attacks already was enough to shock Yao.

    After ten blows exchanged the two of them moved apart. Yao stood ten meters away from him, and looked at Shi Lang with surprise on her face. She remarked, "You sure are talented."

    Shi Lang bowed his head and replied, "Thank you, Elder Yao."

    Yao nodded, and said, "From today onwards, there would be many peopleing over to train. You can watch them and learn from them. They are all Inner Sect disciples and they will be going to represent the sect in the seven star tournament."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "I am not strong enough to at the moment, even if I learn something new I would not be able to execute it. I would like to increase my strength as much as I can."

    Yao nodded and said, "You can enter the blood pond in the back."

    Shi Lang looked at her in askance and thedy said, "Inside the blood mist, there is a pond, if you can bathe in it, you would be able toprehend ughter Dao very quickly. The pond is actually a very thick condensation of the spiritual energy and the blood mist is makes it red."

    The Terran thought about it and then said, "I will go there right away."

    Yao nodded, and Shi Lang left the ce. While he was climbing down the mountain, he saw many people climbing up. He sped his hands and greeted the people. These disciples also greeted him back, one of the person asked, "I have heard a lot about you, Junior Brother Shi. I am Long Yang. I rank second in the lower dragon list of the inner court."

    Shi Lang greeted him back, but did not say much. He only greeted them out of courtesy but did not wish to talk to them. Suddenly, a familiar person appeared before him, "Hmm, Xiao Lang, are you also training here."

    Shi Lang bowed and greeted, "Instructor Ling. I was told by the Peak Master to go and train in the blood mist. My realm is low, and I need to improve that."

    Instructor Ling caught the hint and said, "Go quickly."

    Shi Lang bowed and dashed away quickly. His speed was so fast that the people only saw him flicker. Long Yang scratched his head and asked, "Instructor, did I make any mistakes?"

    The other disciples were also looking at her, and thedy shook her head while gazing in the direction Shi Lang had left. She said, "You did not make a mistake. He is just one of those who don''t talk much. He did not wish to offend you so he asked me. If you seem him in the future. Just greet him, or challenge him.

    Don''t have small talk."

    The people nodded, they were used to such temperaments. At least, Shi Lang did not disrespect them like the first in the list would have.

    ...

    Shi Lang entered the blood mist again and then he began to fight with the Remnant Spirits with his spear. Unlike before, now his spear was being channeled with ughter intent by Shi Lang and they were both growing stronger together.

    This ce was like a heaven''s gift to the Terran. His spirit was getting stronger with every hour. Yes, he wasprehending things that fast. While Shi Lang had dedicated himself to battle and learning, there was something else going on in the Martial Spirit Hall that created waves.

    ...

    A blue bird, so big that it covered the sky above the Martial Spirit Hall, appeared out of no where. The pressure caused many people to tremble. Suddenly, a blue streak shed through the sky and a small blue bird appeared before the big guy.

    The disciples saw the small bird and said, "Hey, is that not Senior Luan?"

    The other people nodded. Someone else asked, "Are we being attacked by this big guy?"

    Luan was one of the guardian beasts of the sect. The people thought since it appeared, they were under attack, but what happened next shocked him. Luan said, "Your Excellency, what brings you here?"

    The people were shocked by this address. Even the elders of the sect addressed Luan the same way. How strong was this big guy?

    A sweet voice echoed in the surroundings, "Hmm, well I came to find Lang, he seems to be training, no wonder he did not notice that my spiritual mark on him has gone dormant. Kid, pass on my message to him. I am will be waiting for him on the central ind."

    Luan epted themand, and then suddenly the big bird said, "Oye, Old Cao, if my partner suffered unnecessarily, I will shave your head off and poke a hole in it."

    A loudughter echoed in the sect and a middle-aged handsome man appeared in the sky. The disciples bowed and cupped their fists, "We have seen the Holy Elder."

    The man was wearing ck robes that were exclusive to him only. He nodded and waved his hand before he cupped his hand to greet the blue bird. He asked, "I did not expect for Senior Phoenix toe here."

    The blue bird was Hou Bing, she had regained her original strength, and was here to meet Shi Lang. She heard Cao Ming and said, "Get over with the sweet talk. You know very well why he is here. You better not drag him into your dirty business until he is finished resolving the knots in his heart. Even if you are his master, I will pay you back in kind if he suffered."

    Cao Ming has seen the situation where Shi Lang almost used his own life to save her. He nodded in understanding and said, "I am well aware of it senior. Do not worry, my disciple will not have to suffer something that is unnecessary."

    Hou Bing snorted and a few feathers from her wings shot over to Cao Ming. She said, "Give them to him. He will know what they are. Till then."

    The next moment, the behemoth of the bird vanished from the ce as if it had never appeared. Cao Ming looked at the people and made a hand seal. Suddenly, all the disciples and elders below the high table level went into daze. They woke up a few momentster, forgetting what just happenedpletely.

    Cao Ming and Luan returned to the valley. Luan asked, "I did not expect Her Excellency to have recovered ande here in person to meet him. Old Cao, that boy is special?"

    Cao Ming gazed at three feathers and kept them in his space ring. Luan asked, "What are they?"

    Cao Ming shook his head and said, "I don''t know. I cannot see through the seal on them. I will hand it over to Xiao Lang when hees out of his seclusion."

    Luan looked in the direction of the Crimson peak and said, "He is fighting like crazy spirits. I have never seen anyone like him. Old man, he is growing at a pace, that when hees out, he mighty waste to the rankings in the outer court."

    Cao Ming smiled faintly and said, "See, he found the blood pool, and this strength is what he earned. Plus, the rankers have been enjoying for a bit too long. They need to have some pressure."

    He took out a talisman and sent it directly to the sect master.

    ...

    In the blood mist, Shi Lang stood before a pond. The water inside was gurgling, and he could sense a seething heat emitting from the water. He took off his clothes and ced his foot inside the pool.

    The next moment, his entire body seemed to have been set on fire and his soul was burning. He wailed so loudly that it reached the summit of the Crimson Peak. The people training there were shocked.

    Long Yang opened his eyes and looked at Yao, who was looking down the summit with an anxious expression. He could not help but ask, "Elder, what was that?"

    Yao took a deep breath and said, "That was Xiao Lang, training in the ughter blood pool."

    Long Yang and the rest took a deep breath. The former asked, "Elder, how can you let him go to the forbidden ce? The water in that pool can burn the soul with the tide of ughter intent."

    Yao nodded and said, "I know, but I also know, that he can handle it. Come on, go back to your own tasks, do not mind him."

    The people could not calm down, because for the next one week, the mountain shook with his wails. It was not easy to get strong, and this pain was a price to pay.

 Chapter 897: Slaughter Spirit.

    Shi Lang was standing in the blood pond with just one of his foot dipped inside the seething water. He had been like that for a week, and his soul was burning, it was not quick, but the pain was too much. His body was shaking and it was filled with cracks. The water seemed to havee to life.

    It had climbed over his body and seeping inside through the bleeding cracks. Shi Lang''s consciousness was turning darker and he was forgetting who he was. The process was extremely painful.

    While he was suffering, on the summit, Long Yang could not help but step forth and say, "Elder, I apologize but I cannot stand this anymore. Junior Brother Shi Lang is suffering so much. Is there really no way to save him?"

    His concern was genuine. Long Yang was very powerful, but he had a nickname in the sect which was the Naive Dragon. He would always put others before him. Yao looked at him and shook her head. She said, "The blood pool is condensation of spiritual energy and is tainted with the intent to ughter. This contamination is not new, but has been there for ages.

    Anyone who steps in that pool can onlye out when they haveprehended the ughter Laws to the peak, or when they have been consumed by the ughter intent and be one of the remnant spirits."

    Long Yang gulped a mouthful of saliva. He took a few moments to think and asked, "Elder, how can there be no cure?"

    Yao shook her head, and someone among the disciples asked, "Even supreme yang treasures won''t work?"

    Yao smiled faintly and said, "It is not yin spirits but the remnant spirits. The strong desire to kill. Yang treasures cannot counter it. If we had a solution to this situation, then that ce would not have been a forbidden zone. If Shi Lang wants toe out, then he has to ovee this tribtion on his own."

    The other disciples who were sparing with each other came over, and began to discuss the situation for a few minutes before Elder Yao gave them a whooping.

    Shi Lang was unaware of this all and was trying his best to fight the ughter intent invading his mind. He could not defeat this thingpletely because it did not originate from a fixed source. The ughter intent was inside his body, another thing that was troublesome here was the fact that the intent was natural.

    He could not fight against the nature, he might have achieved the union of Dao and Man, but he was still not above the nature. Thinking about it, he decided to take a gamble. The Terran switched off all the nerve receptors and he began toprehend everything that he was sensing.

    He remembered everything that he could from the moments earlier when his soul was burning. Shi Lang was on a spurt, his strength was growing at a speed that even he could not imagine.

    The Dao nt inside his body had already reached the length of eight feet, and a small bulb was visible at the top of it. However, the situation inside his Dantian was a littleplex. Unlike the Dao nts other people had, Shi Lang''s Dao nt had many branches protruding from one stem.

    He did not know when this happened but he could understand that they were probably rted to the Dao Laws heprehended. Shi Lang did not care about it, he would talk about thister with his master. However, he forgot this problem.

    Inside his soul sea, the situation was dreadful. The surroundings were dark, and his Immortal Soul was covered with red cracks. It looked very fragile, but it was still sitting with his eyes closed.

    The darkness spread over quickly and gradually his entire Immortal Soul was about to turn into a crimson figure, a voice echoed in his mind, "Lang."

    The darkness was consuming everything, his body, his soul, his memories, and when it was about to reach the deepest part of his brain, the memories of his family and Amelia of all people erupted before the darkness could consume them.

    The immortal soul opened its eyes and a burst of rage flowed out of them. The Terran said, "Get out."

    He began to intent a ughter intent of his own and with only one thought. To destroy everything that affected Amelia. Her memories were now his reverse scale. He was not fighting the natural intent to save anything but to y the attacker and that was all.

    The pure sheer desire to y everything was the essence of ughter. To be indiscriminate, to be the destroyer, to consume everything that stopped him from achieving his goal. Friends, family, moral, pride, and even humanity. He gave it all up in that moment and stood on the ground as the personification of ughter Dao.

    The Dao nt inside his Dantian reached the nine feet mark, but the flower on the top did not bloom. His strength was now that of a peak Dao Soldier, but he was still far away from the Dao General Realm.

    ...

    It was thest day of the month, and Shi Lang was still inside the blood mist, however, there was no movement. Long Yang had been observing the situation whenever he could find a chance. He was very anxious for the past few days. Beside him stood Elder Yao with a solemn expression.

    Suddenly, she said, "All of you, step back from the edge. Now!"

    The disciples reacted quickly, and just as they stepped back, a strong wave of red energy shed around the entire crimson peak. The ce seemed to be surrounding by a red cloak. This change, alerted the entire sect.

    Elder Yao gulped and said, "No matter what happens, you all are to watch the cloak of light and try to perceive it. Understood? Unless this cloak vanishes none of you are to take an eye off."

    The disciples exchanged nces and then sat down on the ground as they looked at the cloak.

    ...

    Cao Ming opened his eyes and looked at the red cloak reaching through the clouds. He smiled and said, "Good."

    Then he closed his eyes andy on the rocking chair with a faint smile on his lips. The entire sect was alerted, and the disciples were panicking. They had never seen such a change and when such things happen in the forbidden region it meant something big was going on.

    The various elders appeared in the void, and the sect master said, "All the disciples are to look at the red cloak and perceive the secrets inside it as much as they can. This is a once in a lifetime opportunities."

    The disciples moved, and the elders exchanged nces with a smile on their faces. The sword elder said, "I did not expect that I will ever see the cloak of ughter again in my life."

    The rest of the people nodded, and the sect master said, "The cloak of ughter will help all our disciples gain some understanding of the ughter Dao. However, the one who triggered it, by crossing the trial of the blood pool will gain the Dao Spirit of ughter. Haha, I wonder what surprises he will bring us in the rest of the period here."

    The elders all knew what the Sect Master was talking about. Yang Bingshan said, "The medicine garden of Eden is about to open. I think, Xiao Lang will be a good choice."

    The sect master thought and said, "His alchemy skills are unmatched, but he would need to learn formation and prove his battle capacity. Only then will I send him in that hell hole you call a garden."

    Yang Bingshan chuckled as he nodded, and at this moment, Elder Juan said, "Sect Master, we can give him a free reign in there. Many small forces also send their treasured disciples there.

    The young fighting among themselves is fairpetition, and despite all the talent those brats from the six forces have, when have they ever been able to win against the warring disciple of my Martial Spirit Hall."

    His words triggered another serious discussion but they all supported him. As they were standing in the void, Shi Lang was eliminating the Intent of ughter inside the blood pond. Yes, he had pushing it out of his body, and now he was standing inside the pool with the water as high as his chin. However, it was no longer boiling and gushing like before.

    The blood pond seemed to have been tamed. The thick spiritual energy was flowing through Shi Lang''s body, and the red color of the pond was turning lighter as he absorbed the natural ughter essence inside his body to nurture the Dao Flower in the future.

    He was not greedy, but it was a message that he sensed when the final shred of ughter intent in his body had been yed. He absorbed the energy and consolidated it in his Dantian into a small seed that floated above the Dao nt.

    However, just when he thought it has ended the seed of ughter, rushed along his dragon meridian and entered his soul sea. Shi Lang was ready for another round of battle, when his memories began to restore, and the seed squirmed into a imitation of himself.

    There was one difference though, this Shi Lang was crimson red, and it held a sword and a spear with unkempt hair and eyes filled with nothing but blood lust as it looked at his Immortal Soul.

    Shi Lang was confused for a moment, but out of nowhere he sensed a strong connection with the crimson Shi Lang, and he realized that he has gained another opportunity, the ughter Spirit.

 Chapter 898: Invincible Realm.

    Shi Lang analyzed the red figure and tried to control it. At this moment, he realized that his soul sea has transformed into a cockpit. The golden figure stood up from the position and the crimson Shi Lang moved in to stand in its ce.

    That was when Shi Lang sensed an overwhelming ughter intent channeling through his body. His hair and eyes were dyed crimson, and his face was covered with some crimson glyphs. As he tried to throw a punch, the void around his fist twisted and was reduced into a spatial hole that consumed everything.

    The spatial holested for a few moments, before the void healed on its own. The intent of space was far more destructive among the rest of the intents, and it could render everything null.

    Shi Lang shivered in surprise, but then he woke up from the illusion. His strength was no where close to where he wanted it to be. Thinking about it, he sat down to consolidate his cultivation andprehension. His Dao Law runes were flowing through his body and moving inside his Dantian, strengthening the crimson branch of his Dao nt even more. However, there was still no sign of the flower.

    He took a deep breath and sensed thews in the Dao nt, it turned out, that his nt had branches that were condensed with the Dao of ughter, Dao of Indifference, Dao of lightning, the Dao of sword, the Dao of spear, the Dao of fist, followed by Dao of alchemy, Dao of fire, Dao of Time, Dao of forging, and finally the Dao of formation.

    A total of eleven Daows have beenprehended by him. Shi Lang did not know how to pursuit this path. He opened his eyes and walked out of the blood pond. The gurgling water was now calm like a kitten sleeping after a hectic day.

    He changed his clothes and checked his body before walking out of the blood mist. As soon as he stepped out of the blood mist, the red glowing cloak around the crimson mountain vanishedpletely.

    Shi Lang did not know what happened when he was cultivating and he made his way up the mountain. For some odd reason, the remnant spirits did not attack him when he came out.

    ...

    On the summit, Yao opened her eyes and found that all the disciples who were practicing under her tutge were going through a qualitative change after perceiving the truth of the red cloak. Thinking about this, Yao cast her gaze upon Long Yang, this naive young man had gained the most after Shi Lang from this episode. His aura had leaped to another realm and none would take him for granted.

    She smiled and then she found Shi Lang walking up from the other side. Suddenly, her back was covered in cold sweat. Yao was shocked, she could not understand what was it that cause such a reaction from her. It was as if Shi Lang was a demon who could kill her whenever he wanted to.

    She shook her head and the sensation vanished. She flickered from her position and appeared next to him. Shi Lang bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder. I have gained a lot."

    Yao nodded and said, "You should go and meet Master. He will be able to answer all your questions."

    Shi Lang nodded and then after a greeting he left the crimson peak. Yao did not hold him back because from what she could see, this guy had grown to a level where other people cannot even imagine. At least not normal people.

    ...

    In the forbidden valley, Luan, who was sleeping on the branch of a tree woke up with a snap. His eyes were filled with shock and he yelled, "Who dares to enter the Forbidden Valley?!"

    His voice shook every tree and even the mountains. At this moment, Cao Ming said, "Xiao Lang, do not worry,e over. The change in your aura is too much for Luan to understand."

    Shi Lang appeared from amidst the mist, and knelt beside Cao Ming as he said, "I apologize for causing trouble, Master."

    Cao Ming shook his head and patted Shi Lang''s head gently. Then he took his hand back and said, "You have acquired a very rare and powerful talent, Xiao Lang. Congrattions."

    Shi Lang bowed his head but did not speak. Cao Ming smiled faintly as he said, "Don''t you have a lot of questions? Go on, I will answer as many as I should."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked respectfully, "Master, why is my Dao Flower not blooming?"

    Cao Ming smiled and said, "When someone hasprehended multiple Dao Laws, the Dao nt use thesews as the roots, however, your understanding of Dao Laws is so high that they have condensed into branches. The rules of cultivation and heaven dictates that you can only advance to the nest realm when all your branches have reached the nine feet."

    Shi Lang got his answer and mumbled, "It will take a long time for me to achieve nine feet in all eleven branches."

    Luan opened his eyes and gawked at him. Cao Ming nodded and then he took out the three feathers from his space ring. He said, "Senior Phoenix came over when you were cultivating in seclusion and she left these for you."

    The Terran nodded and epted the three feathers with both hands, and the next moment, the feathers turned into crystal dust that entered his body through his nostrils. The crystal dust was nothing else but a consolidation of Dao Laws of time.

    The silver branch on his Dao nt began to grow at a terrifying pace, and the influence of this entire process was so much that the trees in the forbidden valley began to shed leaves and then grow anew over and over. Only after ny-times did they stop.

    Luan had grown one feet in size, only Cao Ming remained unaffected with his eyes filled with shock. He sighed and remarked, "I finally understand why the Phoenix cares so much about you, Xiao Lang. You are her champion."

    Shi Lang did not hear this, as he was still immersed in absorbing the remnant crystal dust. The pure energy was strengthening his body and even his soul sea. After a day when Shi Lang opened his eyes, Cao Ming smiled and said, "Two branches are already in the peak. Your luck does make people envious."

    Shi Lang did not smile and said, "Hou Bing left a message, she has the foresight and she knows that other than her, I cannot sense the Dao of Time anywhere else. This is why she left this."

    Cao Ming nodded, and then said, "Your situation is what we call the Invincible realm. You are at the peak of Dao Soldier Realm, but as you cultivate more branches, your strength will increase, gradually you will be able to fight with the people of Dao Lord Realm, but there are still some restrictions. You will discover them on your own, so be careful."

    Shi Lang nodded, he understood that there was no such thing as permanent invincibility. He had to pay a dire price for his strength after sacrificing the Dao Laws. This situation seemed to be simr as well.

    The two people entered deeper in their conversation and Shi Lang asked many questions. Cao Ming answered as many as he could but he also told Shi Lang that somethings were his own to discover, the path of cultivation varied for everyone and he won''t be able to answer everything.

    It was correct, the things he experienced might effect Shi Lang''s path and cause him to walk astray. The Terran himself was aware of this and thus he did not ask much on this.

    ...

    After a few days, Shi Lang came out of the Forbidden valley and he made his way to the square. He had yet to fight this month, however, on the way, many disciples came across him, but they did not bother him. It was as if he had be the god of gue and they wanted to avoid him.

    When he reached the square, he found Elder Yao standing there. She smiled at him as she said, "Your ughter intent is raging so much that forget about the disciples, even I break out in cold sweat when I see you. Try to reign it in."

    Shi Lang was struck in a daze, he realized that the ughter spirit in his soul sea was still sitting at the central position, thus his aura was majorly influenced by it. He closed his eyes and then his aura changed back to its original form.

    However, still none of the challengers stepped up. He waited for a day, before he stood up and wanted to leave. At this moment a calm voice echoed in the surroundings, "Junior Brother Shi, would you spar with me?"

    Shi Lang was surprised when he looked at the person who challenged him. It was Long Yang.

 Chapter 899: Titan Dragon.

    Shi Lang watched Long Yang walking over. Thetter had a calm expression and his eyes were filled with a strong battle intent. Shi Lang couldn''t understand what was going with this guy.

    Even Elder Yao had a confused expression on his face. She asked, "Long Yang, are you challenging him for a ck token challenge?"

    Long Yang shook his head and said, "Elder Yao, I only seek a chance to spar with him."

    Elder Yao thought for a bit and then nodded before she looked at Shi Lang while saying, "It is just a spar. You can refuse to it if you want to."

    Shi Lang looked at Long Yang and then he said, "Senior Brother Yang, please guide me."

    Long Yangughed loudly, "Hahahahaha, good, Junior Brother Shi, I didn''t make wrong assumptions about you."

    Shi Lang did not say anything, he came and stood inside the ring. Long Yang stood twenty meters away from him. Thetter raised his fists and said, "Junior Brother, I hope you don''t underestimate me."

    Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I don''t have the habit to underestimate my opponents, Senior Brother."

    Long Yang nodded and then he moved quickly. Shi Lang moved quickly too, and the two people shed using there physical body. The fists shed and the void shook. The people had trouble believing that Shi Lang could keep up with Long Yang in terms of physique. Even the people in the Inner Court had trouble matching his strength.

    Shi Lang was moving around and avoided all the attacksing at him. With Shura Heaven, he could avoid all the attacks that Long Yang was making at him. He could analyze the fighting style of the opponent using his sensory abilities. After exchanging fifty blows, none of the people managed tond any attack on the other person, and they backed off.

    The Terran did not take much time to react, and he vanished in a blink. Long Yang was still thinking about what he could do to attack Shi Lang. He was caught off-guard, Shi Lang moved in and his fists were covered with lightning as they flew through the void.

    The wind made a howling sound. It was something that none of the people expected. However, the next moment, Shi Lang was shocked, his fistnded on Long Yang''s ribcage. The blow emitted a nging sound.

    TANG!

    Shi Lang stepped back and he stood with his eyes wide open. He retreated quickly but this time Long Yang followed him, and his fists were covered with a silver glow.

    ...

    The two of them were fighting inside the ring, and the people discussed this with fervor.

    One of the people said, "Haha, I like how Shi Lang got to taste the Titan Dragon Body of Senior Brother Long."

    Another disciple replied, "However, you see, he is able to avoid the punches from Senior Brother Long. How fast do you need to do that?"

    The people were all discussing this, and someone else said, "He has a Lightning Spirit Attribute. That''s why he is so fast."

    However, there was something else that was going on here. Shi Lang was using the Dao Laws of Time. He was using this moment to learn more about this ability of his. When he was channeling this ability through his body, as soon as the fist reached as close as half a meter, the attack seemed to have slowed down.

    ...

    Shi Lang moved closer to the attacks on purpose and changed his movement using the lightning movement skill. Long Yang was surprised when he saw this. He was a ferocious fighter and his fists were not something that would miss so much, and at this moment he should have been able to predict how Shi Lang was moving, yet he could not connect.

    As he got frustration he yelled, "Titan Fist."

    His arms turned into flickers as they moved quickly, and the void was shaking from the momentum of the aura. Shi Lang realized that his time technique was falling behind and the fists were grazing his skin. Shi Lang replied Long Yang with his own attack, "Shura Fist."

    He blinked and his aura went under a change, the lightning energy in his body turned sharp. The two people fought with the intent of mutual destruction. Shi Lang could not avoid Long Yang, and he could not defeat him either. So, the best he could do was to enter the battle of attrition.

    ...

    Yao watched the battle and she was at a loss, an elder appeared beside her and asked, "Elder Yao, what do you think?"

    Thedy replied, "I have no idea what to say, Elder Meng. These two monsters are using each other as whetstones to sharpen the edges of their weapons. Shi Lang is not a body refiner like Titan Long, but he is keeping up with the onught. I would have digested this but look at Titan Long, Shi Lang is pushing him to use the Titan Fist to full extent. I doubt if anyone else has seen this."

    Elder Meng nodded and said, "He is a prodigy in the pugilist world. Refining the body to the level where he has reached is not something that can be done by just anyone. Long Yang has shed blood, sweat, and tears, far more than anyone else. There is a reason why he is called the Titan."

    Yao nodded and said, "I have heard the rumor. He ventured in the valley of the titans and absorbed the blood a fallen dragon. That surely is not an easy task to do."

    ...

    Tang! Tang! Tang!

    The two people were no longer paying attention to dodging the blows, they were now brawling. No part of their body was left untouched by the opponent. Shi Lang had a trail of blood leaking from the corner of his lips. However, his eyes were brimming with the intent to fight, and he showed no sign of slowing down in his attack.

    Long Yang was even worse, if his punches were akin to hammer banging against Shi Lang''s body. Shi Lang''s punch was absorbing a lot of vibration, but Long Yang was akin to a metal sheet and Shi Lang was like a sledgehammer. His body was strong but he was obsoletepared to the Terran.

    ...

    After half an hour, Yao took a deep breath and yelled, "Stop, have you two people lost your minds? Do you wish to suffer a critical injury? Or do you wish to cripple your arms? Stop the fight this instant!"

    Shi Lang and Long Yang did not look anything like their usual elegant self. Their hair were unkempt, clothes were torn. They were bleeding from various ces on their body, and their faces were covered with bruises. They both looked like a couple of kids who were caught by their mother while fighting over candy.

    Yao said, "You both, get your wounds tended and then get to your own work, You are not allowed to fight or spar with each other."

    ...

    The next period of time Shi Lang dedicated himself to learning Alchemy and improving his Dao Branch. He used alchemy to improve his understanding of Dao Laws. Practicing alchemy enabled him to understand thews of Fire through the refining process.

    The pill tribtions helped himprehend the Dao Laws of Lightning. The dao of indifference came to him with ease, it was his second nature now. In his free time, he would spar with disciples from the Inner Court. In the outer court the upper dragon listers came to challenge him once a month. The people knew they could not win the match at all, but it was still a chance worth trying.

    Shi Lang also did not back down, firstly it was against the rules. Warring disciples could not refuse to the challenge. However, he was still using these people to increase his capabilities. His battle prowess was increasing and in these battles he would only use the spear skills to fight.

    After three months, Shi Lang was called over by the Hall master Yang Bingshan. The Terran was confused but the old man greeted him with a smile and said, "Xiao Lang,e in."

    After exchanging the greeting, Shi Lang sat down on the chair as Yang Bingshan said, "The reason I called you over is a secret realm."

    The Terran asked, "Elder, why me?"

    Yang Bingshan smiled and said, "You would not be alone. A group of disciples will enter there with you. The sect has asked you to go there because you have a profound skill in alchemy. Also, your fighting skill is not bad either.

    Other than that, you are the disciple of the holy elder. As a warring disciples venturing in the unknown is necessary for you."

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "Can I talk to my master about this?"

    Yang Bingshan nodded and said, "You can but I would suggest that you go there. You can find many opportunities there and those are somethings that you need in order to break through."

 Chapter 900: Eden Garden.

    Shi Lang left after conversing with Yang Bingshan, and made his way to the library. He wanted to find out about the Eden Garden. On the way to the library many disciples saw him and greeted him. In the past few months Shi Lang had gained himself a good image with the outer court disciples.

    None of the people looked down on him because of his spiritual cultivation level. His battle prowess was known to many people and they all sought him for advice. Shi Lang did not hide anything but he was not overly friendly with people either. Everyone called him a cultivation maniac, in the past few weeks they have only seen him at leisure when he would gaze at the moon while sipping on his wine.

    Many girls in the outer court hade up with the theory that Shi Lang was suffering from the trauma of heartbreak. While they felt sad about it, they were also jealous of the one who could make Shi Lang love her so much.

    The Terran was not aware of this, he only walked his path. After he came to the library, he greeted the elder at the gates with a bow. The old man nodded and waved his hand to let Shi Lang inside. The Terran came inside the library and asked thedy behind the counter, "Senior Sister Lan, can you tell me where I can find the details about the Eden Garden?"

    Thedy behind the counter smiled and said, "You can find it in the secret realm venture section, Junior Brother Shi, are you going to the Eden Garden?"

    Shi Lang had been a frequent visitor of the library, he did not like to talk much with people so all that he wanted to learn was found in the library. Senior Sister Lan was the librarian and also a formation master.

    The Terran replied, "I haven''t decided yet. I was invited by Hall Master Yang, but I want to know more about the Eden Garden before I make a decision."

    Senior Sister Lan nodded and remarked, "I have never seen a youth with the caution like yours."

    Shi Lang did not reply, but in his mind he thought, ''Not many have a vendetta like mine either. I cannot die before I reach my goal.''

    Then he came to the section pointed out by Senior Sister Lan. He skimmed through the books, and to save time he did not bother with the rest of the journals. In a few minutes, he found a blue leather book which wasbeled as the Journal of Eden.

    Shi Lang picked up the book and began to read quickly. He found that the Garden Of Eden was a secret realm left behind by an ancient race that excelled in alchemy. The entire ce is filled with heavenly natural treasures.

    The problem was that for every treasure there existed a guardian beast, and in the Eden Garden, if one wanted to get a treasure, they would need to tame the beast or defeat it in a duel. If someone killed a beast, they would be expelled by the rules of the Garden.

    These beasts were all sentient beings so they did not make things difficult after losing the duel. It was also mentioned in the journal that the garden was divided by several sections, all the herbs were nted in different sections and were perfectly segregated.

    A few more key points were mentioned in the journal, and one of them was the fights between martial artists. Killing and looting was the easiest way to gain treasures. So, the Eden Garden was stained with the blood of the humans who sought fortune in the face of danger.

    After an hour, Shi Lang closed the book and ced it back on the shelf and left the library silently. Senior Sister Lan saw him but did not stop him after all, he did note here to chat her up. She was now used to his temperament.

    ¡­

    Shi Lang arrived at the entrance of the Forbidden Valley, and said, "Disciple Shi Lang seeks audience with master."

    A calm voice echoed in the surroundings, "Xiao Lang,e in."

    Shi Lang entered the valley and came to kneel beside Cao Ming, who was reading something. The Terran took initiative to brew tea for the man and did not disturb him. Luan watched this from the side without speaking. He has always been curious about this boy. However, even after such a long time, he could not see through this guy.

    Cao Ming took a sip of the tea and then said, "Xiao Lang, you have grown very patient."

    Shi Lang did notment, but bowed slightly, he asked, "Master, I have a question. May I?"

    Cao Ming nodded with a faint smile on his face, he was aware what Shi Lang wanted to ask, he was not unaware about what was going on in the sect.

    Shi Lang asked, "Master, should I go to Eden Garden?"

    Cao Ming asked, "What do you want to do?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, "I wanted to cultivate peacefully, but I understand that endeavors are needed to find out the ws in the foundation and fix them. However, I am being honest that I am afraid of dying."

    Cao Ming raised his brow as he looked at Shi Lang and so did Luan. The Terran continued, "Master, in my whole life I have known to keep the fear of failure at a bay. However, this time, I am afraid of dying and failing in avenging my wife. The dilemma is eating me up and I do not understand what to do."

    Cao Ming watched him, and sighed. He could see the grief and the pain pouring through the eyes of his disciple, how could he not feel sad. He said, "Xiao Lang, the answers and the ways to untangle the knots of your heart rest inside you. No one else can give you the direction to walk out of this. You have to be your own leader."

    Shi Lang replied, "I understand master."

    Cao Ming then said, "Xiao Lang, a warrior is not invincible, they are humans made of flesh and blood. If you really want toe back and avenge your wife, you need to save yourself first. I have no idea how you would do. If I were to be in your shoes, I might have the same feelings as you do, However, I will still move forward. Only then would I be able to reach my goal.

    While it is important to remember your goal, you have to remember who you are. If you change in the path then even if you reach the goal, will it make any difference?

    I have seen the moment when your wife asked you to stay happy and avenge her. She did not do it because she was selfish, in the end moments, our pride and ego all lose value for us. She did it because she wanted you to stay yourself. You guarded her with the hopes that she woulde back to you, right? Let me ask you, are you even yourself at the moment?

    Look deep inside you, what''s left is just a machine that is moving forward on a path where even if you achieve your goal, you will end up in a dead end."

    Then he stopped and took a sip from the tea cup. Shi Lang sat beside him in a daze, as Cao Ming''s words echoed in his mind. After much dwelling, Shi Lang stood up from the ground, for that faint moment, his aura was filled with vigor. He said, "Master, I will go to the Eden Garden. Thank you for your guidance."

    Cao Ming nodded in approval and said, "Xiao Lang, you have great potential. Remember, you stepped on the path of cultivation for yourself. The people we meet on the road are all ties of karma, they help us grow into what we are. To sever ties does not mean to forget them, but to do what you always meant to without getting affected by them too much. Do you understand what I mean?"

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Somewhat, I will ponder on your words and find what they mean on my way, Master."

    Cao Ming nodded, then he flicked his wrist, and a coin shot towards Shi Lang. The Terran caught it, and Cao Ming said, "It contains a shred of my strength. If you meet an enemy whom you cannot defeat, and cannot escape, use this coin. My avatar will hold the enemy back for a hundred breaths, you must escape by then."

    Shi Lang nodded and then Cao Ming said, "Leave behind your War Disciple Token. That thing is not meant to leave the sect grounds. Otherwise the entire cluster of people wille after you."

    The Terran took off the war disciple token and handed it to Cao Ming, who said, "When youe back, you can take it back."

    Shi Lang bowed and left the forbidden valley. He was headed to the alchemy hall to inform Yang Bingshan of his decision.

 Chapter 901: Hall Alliance.

    Shi Lang came to the alchemy hall and told Yang Bingshan that he would be joining the expedition. Yang Bingshan nodded and said, "Xiao Lang, I will inform you about the other people who will be in a team with you by tomorrow. The highest realm of cultivators that is allowed to cross the restriction in the Eden Garden is Dao General. Anyone stronger than that cannot go in so you are just fine."

    Shi Lang asked with hesitation, "Hall Master, I have the cultivation base of a Dao Soldier, but my prowess, will that not cause any issues?"

    Yang Bingshan shook his head and said, "It will not. There are loops in the restrictions, and such a restriction is what we can exploit. As long as you do not have the Dao fruit in your Dantian, you can go through the restriction with ease."

    Shi Lang thought about this, but decided to handle things as theye. He was not going to hesitate, the path of the shura was not only the one who always won, but also the path of fighting. Never giving up was the key essence of his path, and recently he has almost given up on him, let alone the other things.

    He bade farewell to the old man and left the ce. He wandered around the sect before he ended up at the bank of a wide river. This river flowed behind the Martial Spirit Hall, and provided a naturally defensive wall. Shi Lang found a boulder and sat down atop it. He just watched the water flowing in the river and gradually his thoughts calm down.

    In this moment, everything lost meaning to him, the chaos of his thoughts allowed him to attain peace. If someone was to see him, they would mistake him for a statue. The wind caressed his body, and his hair fluttered. Unknowingly they have grown till his waist. The leaves falling from the trees came down to rest on his shoulders and legs.

    A few birds also flew over to stand over his head and shoulders.

    Some of them sorted his hair, while some dealt with the dead leaves. Shi Lang had entered a state of epiphany. He wasprehending the Dao of nature, which was strengthening his Dao nt.

    ...

    In the river, a spirit beast was watching Hao Ren. It was a big crocodile with a turtle shell. It was a dragon turtle, one of the most rare beasts found in the Immortal world. The reason Martial Spirit Hall was safe all year round was because of this guy. The beast surfaced on the river, it was just the size of a normal crocodile but the pressure it gave made all the other things freeze.

    The beast did not approach Shi Lang, and only watched him. After a few hours, the eyes of the beast twinkled and it mumbled, "Hmmm, a good seed."

    Shi Lang did not notice anything that happened, and he sat on the boulder till he woke up when Yang Bingshan appeared next to him. The Terran came down from the boulder and asked, "I apologize Elder, I did not notice you."

    Yang Bingshan shook his head and said, "I saw you immersed inprehension and did not want to disturb you. I came just a few minutes. On the expedition, you will have seven leaders, and fourteen followers. A total of twenty one people will be forming a team. ording to the decision of the elders council. You have been selected to lead the two juniors from the Alchemy hall.

    Do you agree?"

    Shi Lang nodded without a fuss, he was the golden disciple of the alchemy hall and it was his responsibility to return the care they have shown him. Yang Bingshan smiled and said, "You will leave the sect tomorrow, and meet up with the contingent of the Broken Moon Hall."

    Shi Lang raised his brow and the old man said, "Broken Moon Hall is one of the seven forces that call the shots in the Eastern Continent. They are a mysterious bunch. However, do not underestimate them. They dwell in the shadows, but they have the same foundation as us, thus they have always maintained an amiable rtion with us."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I understand, Elder. I will go and prepare."

    Yang Bingshan nodded, and have him a token. He said, "You can go to the treasure hall, and use the points here to exchange for anything you need. The points should be enough to get you a decent bunch of treasures."

    Shi Lang did not understand why he was being given this token and the old man said, "The contribution points you have umted by giving alchemy lessons, and pill refining are not small."

    Yang Bingshan gave him a silver token and vanished from his spot. Shi Lang shook his head and made his way to the treasure pavilion. This ce stored many artifacts and pills that were refined by the disciples and elders of the sect. He had some curiosity to see what was going on inside and since he had the chance, he might as well explore.

    ...

    Shi Lang climbed the stairs of the Treasure Hall, many disciples were surprised to see him. His fame was not small, but his appearance here meant that the rumor was true, he was going on the expedition.

    Inside the hall, many disciples were selling their stuff, and many were buying the treasures. In Shi Lang''s mind, this ce was more of a trade center. He walked up to an empty purchase counter and asked, "Senior Brother, I would like to buy some treasures."

    The person behind the counter was a fat disciple who had a very amiable smile on his face. He replied jovially, "Junior Brother, tell me what can I get for you?"

    Shi Lang thought for a bit and asked, "An armor."

    The fat man nodded and quickly pulled out a catalog from heaven knows where and gave it to Shi Lang. The Terran looked through the whole catalog and after half an hour, he said, "I would like the blood moon armor."

    The fatty frowned and said, "Junior Brother, this is a soft armor and does not have much high quality defense, why not buy the broken titan armor? It is absolutely safe."

    Shi Lang did not care and said, "I have chosen based on my cultivation techniques. Please get me the armor."

    Fatty sighed and took out a dark red soft armor from the space vault in the desk and ced it on the counter top. Shi Lang inspected the armor and nodded before storing it away. Then he purchased for some array tes, and also, shelter tents. What surprised the fatty was how Shi Lang asked for spirit converging incense.

    He finally realized that this man was buying arge quantity of such things, meant he was going to some expedition, and he said, "Brother, how about buy some weapons?"

    Shi Lang looked at him and shook his head. He paid for the stuff he bought and left the Treasure Hall. Someone who knew Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Fatty Tang, you thought you can fool the battle god? Do you even know who was that person? He is Shi Lang, the undefeated warrior of the outer court."

    Fatty Tang was shocked and then he gulped. He said, "Yan, can you save me if hees to find trouble?"

    Yan shook his head, and said, "He does not bother people but do not go overboard the next time. Senior Brother Shi is the darling of all the elders."

    Fatty Tang nodded hurriedly.

    ...

    Shi Lang spent the night meditating and adjusting his mindset. In the morning, he was summoned by Yang Bingshan to gather at the central square. He wore his armor inside his battle suit and tidied up his hair with ab before fixing them at a spot. He took out Raksha and tied her to his waist.

    He stretched his body and jumped on his feet a few times before he headed out. Shi Lang was going on this expedition with the primary intention to find himself.

    When he arrived at the square he found many people gathered around a bunch. The elders were all standing in the void. Yang Bingshan smiled when he found Shi Lang, but his appearance shocked the people. They did not expect him to be so dashing in such an odd attire.

    Shi Lang stood behind the disciples of the Alchemy hall. The sect master said, "This whole expedition will be sessful as long as you people help each other. Do not forget that your individuality does not matter before the unity of this sect. Your glory bes the glory of the sect, but simr is true for the failure too. So go out and show them what you are made of. Do you understand?"

    The disciples were silent when suddenly a loud voice echoed in the surroundings, "Hoorah!"

    Everyone saw Shi Lang shouting and stomping his foot on the ground before he ced his hand on his heart. The disciples could not help but move with this gesture and they all followed him.

    The allied team of the Martial Spirit Hall took off from the sect under the envious and encouraging gazes of the disciples and the elders respectively. They were being led by Elder San who said, "We will be meeting with the Broken Moon Hall team soon, be ready, they always have some surprise prank nned."

 Chapter 902: Gathered.

    The team from the Martial Spirit Hall was stationed outside the City. They were surrounded by thick bushes andrge trees. They all stood in a formation, the pugilists, swordsmen, spear mean were on the outside, while the runemasters, formation masters, and beast tamers stood in the central ring, and in the core stood Alchemists.

    The Alchemists were treated as treasures, they had the power to procure pills that could bring people back from the doors of death. Elder San was standing in the void above the team. Suddenly, Shi Lang said, "Two teams in the east, three on the south, and two in the west are just waiting."

    His voice spread out through the group, but he made sure to use his spiritual senses tomunicate. Given his reputation, none of the people questioned him and immediately looked in the mentioned directions. A light chuckle spread out through the woods and a voice sounded, "Xiao Lang, you have grown stronger again."

    Shi Lang was surprised by this voice, and looked in the north. He found ady walking over gracefully. He mumbled, "Teacher Lao."

    Elder San appeared between him and Lao Yuesha as he asked with surprise, "To think the slithering ghost would be guarding and leading the team of youngsters herself. Broken Moon Hall sure is at the top of their game like always."

    Lao Yuesha chuckled and said, "Elder San, is the same not true for the Martial Spirit Hall?"

    The two people chuckled and cupped their fists in greetings. Then Elder San asked, "I remember you bringing Xiao Lang for the trial, but did not expect your bond to be so good. This brat actually addressed you as Teacher."

    Lao Yuesha nodded and said, "I found him in the woods one time, and his character impressed me, so I took him in as my student. The disciples of broken moon hall share the traits that he has, but we have never recruited a male disciple. That was the only decree left behind by the founding ancestor. Thus, I could only get him to the next best opportunity."

    Elder San nodded and said, "Call out your treasures, we will take the spirit vessel to travel."

    Lao Yuesha nodded and she let out a vessel as she came over to stand before the formation of the Martial Spirit Hall disciples, and said, "You kids have good reaction. I did not expect this batch to be so refined."

    The disciples all bowed in greetings. They heard the name, Slithering Ghost, when Elder San was talking to her. This person was not someone they could offend. Shi Lang cupped his fist to bow, and asked, "Greetings, Teacher Lao."

    Lao Yuesha smiled dotingly and said, "Good boy, Xiao Lang, have they been looking after you so well? You are at the peak of your realm in just a few months."

    Shi Lang nodded with a faint smile and that was it. The people around him were surprised to see his lips curl. They have never seen this cultivation maniac smiling. Soon the disciples gathered and they all exchanged greetings. Shi Lang could sense that all these girls had a faintyer of blood lust surrounding them.

    The males from the Martial Spirit Hall had initially wanted to mingle with them but the cold feeling made them freeze in their tracks. Elder San shook his head and took out a small boat from his space ring. He channeled his spiritual energy in the boat and it expanded into the size of a football field.

    The people flew up to the deck and Elder San took the captain position. The people retreated to sit down in various corners as they began to meditate. Shi Lang looked around and wanted to go and sit on the bow of the ship when Lao Yuesha said, "Kid,e, let me see how strong you have be."

    Shi Lang was surprised but he did not refuse and the two began to spar. Lao Yuesha did not hold back, but to her surprise, Shi Lang seemed to dodge her attacks and parry most of them with great efficiency. Even though his body was taking some burnt because of the strength difference between them, he was still doing something that none of the people on the ship could even imagine.

    A Dao Soldier was sparing against a Dao Empress and he was still standing on his feet after twenty moves. The people were sure that Lao Yuesha did not hold back after fifth blow. She was fighting with herplete physical strength, and normal Dao Soldiers would die from her sneeze, yet Shi Lang was on a roll.

    After thirty moves, Shi Lang could not take it anymore and coughed up some blood. Lao Yuesha took out a healing pill and fed it to him before she said, "Kid, I was right about you. You are a monster."

    The people nodded, including Elder San. Shi Lang scratched the back of his head, and then asked, "Teacher, may I talk to you?"

    Lao Yuesha smiled at him and nodded as the two of them came to the bow of the ship. Thedy asked, "You want to ask me about the Broken Moon Pce."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "I have grown curious about the world again."

    Lao Yuesha asked intriguingly, "Oh, what caused this change in you, my dear cultivation maniac?"

    Shi Lang smiled faintly at her mocking words, and said, "Only when I know the world better will I be able to avoid obstacles on the way to my goal."

    Lao Yuesha nodded and said, "Good thinking."

    She then said, "Broken Moon Hall was established by Lady Moon. She was the lover of the founder of the Martial Spirit Hall. However, before they could be bound in the bond of matrimony, the founder of the Martial Spirit Hall, Master Bai fell in battle.

    Lady Moon avenged him, but she could not bear to stay in the sect without Lord Bai, so she moved across the river where she started a Sect of her own, Broken Moon Hall."

    She saw Shi Lang listening intently and continued, "Lady Moon fought and watched over the sect for three generations before she couldn''t anymore and then she left to stay in the tomb of Master Bai. This is why the two halls are in an alliance. To respect the bond of their founding ancestors."

    Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Has there never been any conflict among the two sides?"

    Lao Yuesha smiled and said, "That is impossible, people always have conflicts, but the conflicts in the two halls are resolved by the discussion of the Holy Elders."

    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The Holy Elders are quite strong, it is only feasible for them to mediate the situations."

    Lao Yuesha nodded and asked, "Did you be the Holy Disciple of the Martial Spirit Hall?"

    She asked the question with her spiritual sense and Shi Lang replied, "I became the warring disciple. I wonder if you know about that?"

    Lao Yuesha''s anticipation turned into shock. She almost eximed and said, "Kid, you have outdone yourself."

    Shi Lang smiled and did not say anything. He wanted to cultivate, when a soft voice sounded behind him, "Junior Brother Shi, can I trouble you for something?"

    Thedy who called him was the person from the Alchemy hall, she was shy and introvert but was one of the top alchemists in the younger generation of the sect. She was the grand disciple of Hall Master Yang.

    Shi Lang excused himself and then asked the girl what it was about, and then they began to discuss Alchemy. His actions bought even more surprise to Lao Yuesha, and even the disciples of the Broken Moon Pce were shocked, they could not help but listen to the discussion as if it was a holy sermon.

    ...

    Time seemed to have grown wings, the journeysted for seven days before they reached a mountain. Suddenly, a disciple from the martial spirit hall said, "The three houses are here."

    Shi Lang mumbled, "Three Houses, Two sects, and Two Halls."

    The disciple nodded and said, "The houses infiltrate many small sects, they control the quantity of the cultivators. The two sects control two streams, martial arts and Buddhism. The two halls control business,ws, and assassination."

    Shi Lang was surprised and then asked, "This distribution makes us the strongest."

    Elder San patted his shoulder and said, "Xiao Lang, we would have been the strongest if this world was run by Laws. The two sect masters are as strong as the Holy Elders of the Two halls, while the three houses are even weaker. However, we stand on this rank because these two sects need our support for business as they stay in recluse all the time.

    We need the three houses to maintain this status quo."

    Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, "We are put in a bind, if the two parties decide to deal with each other directly, the two halls will be useless."

    The people nodded, and Elder San agreed, as he asked, "What would you do to solve this problem?"

    Shi Lang replied, "Confiscate the power from the houses and infiltrate them to get more information and data. Design a spywork to sharpen the sword from the shadows before it is out in the light."

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