As if he could sense Gu Zuo’s conflicted and dejected mood, Gongyi Tianheng couldn’t help laughing. Finally, he smiled and said: “Ah Zuo, don’t overthink it. No matter what kinds of skills the Third Prince has, the forces behind him can’t take the place of the entire Central Continent. We members of the Peripheral Continents come once every three hundred years, so there must be some reason for it. Although many perish, arrangements are certainly made for those who survive and walk out of the Roads of Death.”
At this time, Gu Zuo realized that his dear big brother had been joking with him just then. His face immediately reddened.
Okay, so he was just taking delight in making mischief… Still, he was scared for a moment!
Tianheng sighed again: “However, this is only this elder brother’s speculation. If the Central Continent has long hatched a conspiracy, then every person who refuses to surrender will be slapped to death. As such, you and I will have no other option but to be slapped to death, too.”
Gu Zuo: “…Although the possibility is vey small, isn’t this still the same as before?”
Tianheng changed the subject: “But no matter what happens, none of it will have any effect on us. Ah Zuo, at that time, you only need to hide inside the Divine Medicine Palace Hall. As for this elder brother, I have the Life-Substitution Beast Pearl, so I’ll be able to escape as well.”
Gu Zuo: “…”
Ah, don’t take such long breaths in between sentences!
After being teased by his big brother again, Gu Zuo recalled that he himself and his dear big brother were both people who possessed cheats. His heart suddenly became much more smooth and steady. In any case, so long as they didn’t lose their small lives, everything was possible. He also didn’t need to prematurely worry about other matters. When the boat reached the bridgehead, it would go straight with the current. One shouldn’t allow themselves to be tied down by what could happen.
Tianheng saw that Gu Zuo’s breathing had stabilized, and chuckled slightly: “Ah Zuo?”
Gu Zuo stretched his back: “Big brother?”
After being teased twice, was this going to be the third time?!
The corner of Tianheng’s mouth slightly curled up. His voice was gentle: “In fact, the various analyses Ah Zuo and I made before were just a type of excuse. Reducing our scope of understanding, narrowing our ambitions, and tarnishing our bearings — All of those are excuses. In actuality…” A serene and hidden light flickered in his eyes, “…Based on my heart, this elder brother just wants to cut loose for a while.”
Gu Zuo didn’t know how many times he had choked on this feeling of exasperation.
What was the matter with this matter-of-fact attitude of “I just suddenly want to beat all of them up”? Wasn’t this just a bit too nonchalant?! So, it didn’t matter if he thought it was reasonable previously? In fact, it was just a “Since I want to, I’ll just do it” type of scenario… It made him feel speechless from the bottom of his heart.
Suddenly, Gu Zuo remembered a matter he previously knew about.
Because he had been careful at all times in Qingyun Sect for so long, he had almost forgotten that his big brother was a gambler&#k2026; Tianheng was someone who would dare to bet on his own life even with a three percent chance of success. Wasn’t the present situation precisely the kind of moment that would stimulate him?
After a second of silence, Gu Zuo grunted and said: “I understand.”
Tianheng’s smiling expression deepened. He actions were like lightning. With a turn of his body, he had already killed a handful of approaching people at extremely fast speeds. Then, his body technique switched, and he immediately dashed away even faster!
That’s right. Because Gu Zuo was a pharmacist, he might’ve not understood completely. However, Tianheng had comprehended this long ago.
Obeying the commands of one’s heart, and doing what one wanted — This was the mentality that a martial artist who wanted to climb to the peak needed to possess. One didn’t blindly follow the rules of others nor conform to any so-called conventional reasoning. One would set their own rules, and break the barriers that surrounded them! It didn’t matter if they were strong or weak, and it didn’t matter if the ones they faced were strong or weak. A person only needed to act based on their own way of thinking. For example, if Tianheng’s heart still wanted to socialize like before, then what did direct confrontations and proving oneself matter? It was basically impossible to affect the heart of his path of martial arts! Along the same train of thought, if Tianheng didn’t want to socialize, then he would directly shed all pretenses of cordiality. They didn’t necessarily lack a way to survive.
It was just that one’s heart was a very complicated thing.
When Tianheng first realized that Gu Zuo possessed such a formidable secret, his heart had already chose to conceal this on his behalf. At this moment, as they were on the verge of approaching that vast world filled with countless miracles, Tianheng’s heart chose to carve out a bloody path for him.
A person’s heart was full of changes, and was closely related to the temperaments of each individual. If a martial artist wanted to clearly distinguish what their heart was and what “should” be done, then it really wasn’t that easy to do.
With regards to Tianheng, his heart was nothing more than a part of himself. Even if he lost, this also wasn’t a matter that he would regret.
But as for the hearts of other people, he wasn’t able to come to any conclusions.
Naturally, Tianheng wouldn’t give Gu Zuo an explanation since it would negatively affect his own judgment.
At this moment, Gu Zuo didn’t know that Tianheng’s clever mind had thought of so many things in the blink of an eye. Because Tianheng had already brought out his killing intent, Gu Zuo nervously and hurriedly recalled all kinds of cultivation methods. He strove to reduce the burden on Tianheng.
Only, poison pills couldn’t be used right now. Using a pill meant losing a pill. Later on, when there were too many people who needed to be disposed of, then he might reconsider… But then, what was he going to do now?
Gu Zuo turned his head, and a silvery light flickered in the space between his eyebrows. A sharp-pointed dagger sliced through the empty air and flew out in a flash. It effortlessly impaled the head of an Immortal Realm martial artist who excelled at speed!
That blood-curdling scream was ear-piercing. Gu Zuo shuddered as he felt the echoing cries of the wind against his ears. His big brother’s running speed also quickened!
Escape, escape, escape! Kill, kill, kill!
As Gu Zuo took out another medicine bottle, he silently cursed: Send everyone over to pursue us, if you dare! Humph!
“Send all of the guards of the Binglong Army’s Twelve Earthly Branches! Capture those two people dead or alive!”
Clad in a bright-yellow dragon robe, the Third Prince slapped out a palm and shattered a small hill in the surroundings. His face carried a dreadfully cold expression.
Argh! Just great!
He had never suffered such a great loss before. In a short two or three days, as many as several dozen people under him had perished! It was truly intolerable!
At this time, quite a few commanders encircled the Third Prince. All of them crawled on the ground, and didn’t dare to defend themselves in the least. They, the Binglong Army, had always been arrogant. Among the imperial armies, their strengths were also rather well-known. However, during this instance’s unimportant mission, they had suffered greatly. There was unwillingness in their hearts.
Currently, the Binglong Army would have a total of six hundred people, but close to two hundred had already died. Although there were many reserve troops training in the imperial barracks who could replace them at any time, the present mortality rate was truly too high.
When the Third Prince unleashed his anger, the ever-present commanders of the Bingzi Guards, Bingchou Guards, and Bingyin Guards, the first three of the Earthly Branches, walked forward.
The Third Commander said: “My prince, don’t be angry. This subordinate shall bring back the corpses of these two people!”
The Third Prince calmed down somewhat: “That’s fine. Those pieces of trash are quite helpless right now. Third Commander, this time, if you can’t accomplish this task, then simply bring me your own head instead!”
Naturally, the Third Commander made repeated assurances. Immediately following which, he turned around, and departed with terrifying power.
The two commanders who remained, the Grand Commander and the Second Commander, were the most trusted among the Third Prince’s confidants. While the others had many replacements and were all people who came later, these two had been the Third Prince’s loyal servants since childhood. At the present, they were still faithful and true. They could also speak in front of the Third Prince.
Just then, the Grand Commander spoke in a deep voice: “My prince, this subordinate has some suspicions. Among those two individuals, that pharmacist may already be a high-level or even a pseudo Golden-Level pharmacist. As for that martial artist, he’s probably a rare prodigy only seen once every thousand years on the Peripheral Continents. Only thus would they have such capabilities!”
The Second Commander also consoled: “Although the prodigies on the Peripheral Continents don’t count for much, a prodigy is, after all, a prodigy. Although every person in my Binglong Army has a resolute determination, they aren’t enough to best even the most common genius in terms of aptitude. It also wouldn’t be surprising to fall to a disadvantage against a prodigy.”
The Third Prince was advised like this by these two confidants. His fury just now had also been tossed to the side: “A prodigy? I previously heard people say that a Peripheral Continent prodigy had appeared this time, and at first, this highness believed that it was just a rumor. But now it looks like, even if that person truly isn’t a prodigy, he can also count as a quasi-prodigy. What you two are saying is reasonable. A prodigy originally can’t be judged with common sense. If the other person is a prodigy, whether this highness kills or subdues that prodigy, it’ll be a grand and happy matter!”
Hearing these words, the two commanders both spoke: “The prince is mighty, and will surely achieve his wish!”
The Third Prince faintly nodded his head: “Now I understand this matter. If there are some losses, it’ll be worth it for the sake of this goal. After this, you two shall make arrangements. The family members of those who died in battle must be properly reimbursed. This can’t be taken lightly.”
The two commanders wore smiling expressions: “The prince is benevolent and charitable!”
On the other side of things, Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng didn’t know that, due to their period of terrorizing, the Third Prince had become even more interested in them. It was to the point that he preferred to continue losing members of the Binglong Army to kill them. This was to satisfy the restless and agitated heart of his path of martial arts.
This time around, after Gu Zuo and Tianheng encountered any ancient cities, they didn’t properly rest in them. Rather, on every occasion, they crashed through the city gates and slaughtered a path onwards. Blood continuously splashed onto their bodies, and all of it dried into a black color. While it made them appear wretched, it also seemed to carry an icy, resentful energy. It intimidated people at the first glance.
When night fell, those monsters would attack. However, they were even more ruthless, and slew the monsters with extreme prejudice.
In each and every ancient city they passed through, there were the workers and soldiers of the Third Prince.
As the numbers of the dead in the Binglong Army rose, the conflicting views of both sides became more and more insoluble.
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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