Chapter 164: Chapter 25 Chaos [Second Update]
“Hmm?”
Zhang Xuan stood frozen on the spot.
Seeing the evil deeds of Lian Huo and the others, no one could stand idly by. In his mind, he’d long since labeled the so-called Hall Master as a devil incarnate capable of all manner of evil, but he never imagined that the villain would turn out to be himself…
“This can’t just be said carelessly, are you sure you’ve made no mistake?” Wrinkling his forehead, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but say.
Yu Fei said, “I’m certain. Unnecessary Hall had once invited me to join, but I refused… If my lord doesn’t believe me, you can ask around. Ling Buyang practices the Mo Dao lineage, and the people of Unnecessary Hall, they all use long sabers!”
Zhang Xuan looked around at the bodies, the fallen long sabers all featured double-edged blades, and although not as long as he had imagined, they were indeed 1.5 meters long, a type of Mo Dao indeed.
According to what he knew, one could only practice the fragments of the heavens with approval, and it seemed what the other party said was correct; Unnecessary Hall was indeed Ling Buyang’s “property”…
By this time, Sun Qiang had finished searching the bodies, collecting a total of over a hundred thousand Origin Notes, a not insignificant haul.
“I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first!”
After asking a few more questions and seeing that Yu Fei didn’t know much, Zhang Xuan no longer lingered. He and Sun Qiang leaped onto the back of the Phoenix Eagle and sped away.
“They’re leaving just like that?”
Yu Fei and Xiaohong exchanged a glance, each blinked, somewhat incredulous.
They had thought that after being saved by the other party, he would take the opportunity to ask for a favor, but it turned out he really just accepted one Origin Currency from them.
“To perform a kindness without seeking something in return, that is true righteousness. It’s just a pity that I don’t know the benefactor’s name… However, I’ve committed his face to memory. I’ll sketch it out later and ask Doctor Feng. With his high status and many strong figures he has seen, perhaps he will know,” Yu Fei said with a sigh, then his eyes lit up with excitement as he turned toward his wife, “With the Red Leaf Herb, Xiaozhuo can be saved!”
“Yes!”
Xiaoying picked up Xiaozhuo and smiled happily.
They had thought death was certain, yet they had found salvation in their direst hour; their benefactor was truly wonderful.
Being a master themselves, they couldn’t help but wonder, why was there such a vast difference in character compared to Ling Buyang?
…
Aboard the Phoenix Eagle.
“It seems that the gang presence in Han Yuan City is far from the simple structure I imagined! It’s possible that, just like that guy said, there are indeed powerful figures backing them, and these so-called powerful figures might be Fate Masters like Ling Buyang…” Zhang Xuan analyzed the information he had just received.
Unnecessary Hall, unranked among the many gangs, showed just how fearsome the other gangs were.
But still… Fate Masters openly establishing gangs to commit crimes, did they not fear the judgment of public opinion?
“Could it be that each power contains bad apples, and Lian Huo and his ilk are just one of them?… Anyway, I know too little right now. Once I’m in Han Yuan City, everything should become clear.”
With large forces came diverse membership, and it was inevitable that some bad elements would mix in.
Knowing that wild guesses were pointless, Zhang Xuan stopped thinking about it, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his Origin qi, filling the Suspended Realm and tempering his marrow.
As he absorbed more Origin qi, the Suspended Realm grew ever more vast, nearly doubling in size compared to when it first formed.
Not only that, but the Origin qi became denser as well, and in many places, rivers formed from the converging Origin qi, crisscrossing and joining into rivers that flowed towards depressions in the ground.
It looked as if continued absorption would eventually turn them into seas, given enough time.
As he absorbed more Origin qi and the area expanded, the stability of the Suspended Realm began to falter again. With no choice, Zhang Xuan threw in fifty thousand strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality to stabilize it once more.
This time it was fifty thousand; next time it might be a hundred thousand or even more. If this continued, no matter how much he had, it would never be enough!
“Young Master, we’ve arrived at Han Yuan City!”
After practicing for an unknown length of time, Sun Qiang’s voice rang out, and Zhang Xuan ceased his practice.
Looking up, a vast city loomed below, with stacked layers of buildings stretching out like an ocean, a stark contrast to Baiyan City which was far less expansive by comparison, not in the same league at all.
“Young Master, where shall we go now?” Sun Qiang asked.
Back in Han Yuan City, he would have to make one of two choices. First, to go directly to Heaven Mandate Hall—where if the disguise was not convincing, he could be easily exposed.
Second, to Ling Buyang’s residence, where his Life Guardians and disciples were, the ones closest to him, which made it even easier to be discovered.
Regardless, he had to pick one. It would be inappropriate to take a trip out and not return.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan instructed, “You rent a large place with a courtyard, settle down Xiaoyu and the others first. I will go straight to Heaven Mandate Hall.”
“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded.
The Black-scaled Phoenix Hawk landed outside the city, and after parting ways with Sun Qiang and the others, Zhang Xuan took control of the Phoenix Hawk, flying straight towards a tall building in the heart of the city.
Han Yuan City, as the capital of the Han Yuan Dynasty, naturally housed its royal family within its largest and tallest structure. The second tallest was the Heaven Mandate Hall, piercing the sky like a sword, clearly visible from afar as it split The Firmament.
Before he even got close, Zhang Xuan controlled the Black-scaled Phoenix Hawk to descend slowly.
“Elder Ling, you have returned…”
A young man hurried over to meet him.
Through Xu Xin’s memories, Zhang Xuan recognized him, the man was called Xie Feng, also a Life Guardian, stationed at the Heavenly Destiny Hall, responsible for taking care of and receiving incoming Fate Masters.
Zhang Xuan nodded, “Take good care of the Black-scaled Phoenix Hawk. If there’s any problem, it’s on you!”
Although the Black-scaled Phoenix Hawk was a Primordial Beast tamed by Ling Buyang, it was usually kept at the Heaven Mandate Hall, firstly because it could be well taken care of, and secondly, because there were specialized breeders that could spare him a lot of trouble. Of course, the most important reason was that this creature’s appetite was incredibly huge, and its diet was not something money could always buy; only the Heaven Mandate Hall could gather such supplies.
Elder Ling reassured, “I will give it the best care, it will not be mistreated…”
Xie Feng had a big smile on his face as he immediately gestured for someone to take the Phoenix Hawk away.
Zhang Xuan strode toward the towering hall in front of him. As soon as he entered, he immediately felt a strong rush of Origin qi.
Inside the Heavenly Destiny Hall, there was a special formation that attracted and stabilized Origin qi. Practicing here was much more efficient than practicing outside in the world.
“Ling Buyang, hadn’t you gone back to the Zhou Yi Dynasty to capture a Mandate Chaos Master? Why have you come back?”
He hadn’t gone far when a puzzled voice rang out. Zhang Xuan turned his head and immediately saw an elderly man in his fifties coming forward with eyes full of disbelief.
Zhang Xuan’s heart gave a thump.
This man was not in Xu Xin’s memories, which meant he didn’t recognize him.
However, daring to call him by his full name here instead of “Elder” meant that this man’s status was no lower than his own, and if he guessed correctly, this man must also be a Fate Master.
Moreover, from this man’s words, he confirmed two things: first, the other party was unaware of Ling Buyang’s death. Second, the other party seemed unclear about Ling Buyang’s trip to Baiyan City; otherwise, he would not have asked like this.
Feeling relieved, Zhang Xuan replied, “That Mandate Chaos Master somehow got wind of the plan earlier and has already escaped. My teacher let me come back first…”
“Hahaha, as I thought, I guessed right!”
The elder laughed, “In that case, you should own up to your bet. Hurry up and bring out the wager, or are you thinking of defaulting?”
Zhang Xuan frowned, but did not answer.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to respond, but rather that he didn’t know what to say.
He was completely unaware of the bet and wager mentioned by the other party. To ask would surely lead to a mistake.
“What’s the matter? Don’t think you can get away by playing dumb,” the elder said, looking displeased.
Knowing it would be even more suspicious to stay silent, Zhang Xuan thought for a moment and then said, “Do you have any proof of the said wager? If not, should I just believe anything you say?”
“Proof? You’re actually asking me for proof when we made a verbal agreement? Ling Buyang, as always, you have no shame!” The elder declared, flicking his sleeve with a huff. “I have no proof, but the Heavenly Destiny Hall Master knows about our bet. If that doesn’t work, we can ask him to decide!”
Zhang Xuan shook his head, “I still have things to deal with. Let’s talk about this small matter of the bet later.”
Since he didn’t know and couldn’t ask, it was best to delay it.
And certainly, he could not go to see the Hall Master.
Although Xu Xin’s memories did not provide much detail about the Heavenly Destiny Hall Master, and he had never met him, this must be someone far beyond the Dharma Form Realm, or else Ling Buyang would not have willingly served under him.
Faced with such power, and not understanding much about it, it was best not to meet unless absolutely certain, in order to avoid accidents.
The Disguise Ability, while powerful, was still insufficient before such absolute strength.
“Thinking of defaulting so easily? Not so fast!” When the elder saw him walk away, he snorted coldly and reached out to grab him.
With this move, he displayed his own strength: the Dharma Form Realm, Ninefold Source Pool, with immense soul energy, blocking everything around as if dragging one into his own realm.
Knowing that he couldn’t just walk away without retaliating, a frown crossed Zhang Xuan’s brow as he infused his palm with Heaven-Sentiment Sword Qi and met the elder’s grip.
It was the Xuanlong Palm that he had been practicing recently!
His massive strength in that palm collided with the elder’s hand, causing both to grunt simultaneously and take a step back.
A look of surprise appeared in the elder’s eyes, “No wonder you are so audacious, you actually learned a new palm art… not bad at all! How about this? I won’t take that new concubine you won on our last bet, we’ll exchange it for this palm art, how about that?”
“Concubine?”
Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.
The bet turned out to be about this… if the man hadn’t mentioned it, he would never have guessed in his dreams!
After all, wasn’t Ling Buyang’s thing… exploded? How could he take concubines?
No, if there’s a concubine, there must be a wife, and it seemed even concubines could be gambled…
Let me think this through; it’s a bit confusing!
In an instant, Zhang Xuan was bewildered.
ps: There’s a third update!