Fang Zhiyi glanced at her. "Have you all forgotten?"
This abrupt statement left everyone bewildered. Forgotten what?
But the next moment, Fang Zhiyi's figure vanished, reappearing right in front of Abbess Rowei. The Abbess was startled and immediately reached for her sword. However, she only managed to draw it halfway before Fang Zhiyi pressed it back into its scabbard. Then she felt his hand clamp onto her shoulder, and she was sent flying.
When someone tried to intervene, Fang Zhiyi merely used a single palm strike and a fist, and the would-be obstructors were laid flat on the ground.
Abbess Rowei landed, staggering back several steps unsteadily, only to be seized again by Fang Zhiyi. He then turned his head. "Hey, daughter-in-law, come here."
Yue's mouth was hanging open. It wasn't until Fang Zhiyi called a second time that she scurried forward.
"Mas... Master," her voice was tiny. She had heard from Li Xiuyu that his master was stubborn and hidebound. Meeting him today, she had thought he would choose to stand aside. Yet now, for the sake of Li Xiuyu and herself, he was actually confronting these sects. She couldn't quite figure him out.
"Come on, slap her," Fang Zhiyi motioned with his chin.
Abbess Rowei's eyes widened in shock. A domineering surge of true energy had sealed her pressure points, rendering her immobile. But her heart was filled with terror. How could Fang Zhiyi possess such power?
"This..." Yue hesitated.
Fang Zhiyi frowned. "Didn't she call you a 'demoness' earlier? And didn't she slap you a dozen times?"
Yue instinctively touched her face. It was already swollen, with blood at the corner of her mouth.
Fortunately, this girl wasn't like Li Xiuyu. Yue raised her hand and struck, a series of solid, real slaps—unlike the Abbess who used internal force—a dozen or more in quick succession. The sight made everyone watching wince.
Fang Zhiyi cracked his neck. "Who's next? Who wants to challenge me?" Only Little Hei, observing from the side, knew that Fang Zhiyi's current body had reached its limit. That display just now had pushed him to the brink.
But the effect of that move was now apparent. Anyone with half a brain could see it, and they remembered: Fang Zhiyi had once been a leading figure in the martial world, a sect master! That single move demonstrated strength surpassing Abbess Rowei's.
Instantly, the restless crowd fell dead silent. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
"Sect Master Fang, shielding the Evil Cult's Saintess is an unforgivable crime," another aged voice rang out. The crowd parted as an old man with a kindly face, accompanied by two guardians, walked forward.
Fang Zhiyi locked eyes with him.
This old man was no simple opponent. His current level was on par with this fellow.
The next moment, Fang Zhiyi suddenly smiled and beckoned the old man over. The old man looked suspiciously at this suddenly changed individual, but he was confident in his own abilities and strode forward.
Those behind watched in confusion as Fang Zhiyi and the Valley Master of the Cloud Pasture Valley put their heads together, almost craning their necks to see. Then Fang Zhiyi turned and walked to his young disciple, whispering for a while. Li Xiuyu kept nodding, but it was only after Fang Zhiyi gave him a few slaps that a look of clarity returned to Li Xiuyu's eyes.
He walked back to the Cloud Pasture Valley Master, said something quietly, and slung an arm around the old man's shoulders.
"Now, who dares to challenge us?"
The scene was utterly silent. The members of the various sects were dumbfounded. A suddenly aggressive Fang Zhiyi was already hard enough to deal with, but now the Cloud Pasture Valley Master had joined him? And what on earth had they talked about? The old man was now standing firmly by his side?
"Hmph! I refuse to believe your Cangyue Sect can slaughter all of us today!" A burly man pushed through the crowd and stepped out.
"Excellent! It's the Black Vajra, master of the Vajra Gate! His Iron Body skill has reached perfection. He has a seventy or eighty percent chance against Fang Zhiyi!"
"Listen up, the moment he makes a move, we all charge!"
"Our targets are Li Xiuyu and that demoness! If that fails, grab the child! We just need the information on Sun Kui's whereabouts!"
Their greed was now completely undisguised.
But to everyone's astonishment, in the blink of an eye, Black Vajra also wore a puzzled expression as he listened to Fang Zhiyi's whispers, with the Cloud Pasture Valley old man chiming in beside him occasionally. After a brief debate, Black Vajra crossed his arms and stood to Fang Zhiyi's right.
"Who else?!" Fang Zhiyi's voice was full of confidence.
The crowd collectively drew a sharp, cold breath. This wasn't right, was it? Is the Cangyue Sect an evil cult? What kind of evil cult brainwashes people this fast?
For a moment, the situation was awkward. The crowd could neither advance nor retreat comfortably.
Suddenly, a shifty-looking man pushed through. "Let this Hu Feng experience your superior skills!"
And then he was sent flying.
Fang Zhiyi clapped his hands. "Trash!" He looked at the crowd. "Anything else? If not, get lost!"
A dozen or so sects looked at each other. Before, there might have been a chance if they swarmed him; even if Fang Zhiyi was powerful, he couldn't protect so many people. But now... two sects had already switched sides. What were they to do?
Reluctantly, they had no choice but to retreat from the Cangyue Sect's main gate. However, everyone kept a wary eye, leaving people behind to watch. They wanted to know why the Cloud Pasture Valley and the Vajra Gate had defected. Only the Frost Flow Sect carried their master away hurriedly. Today was far too humiliating.
Watching the crowd disperse, Fang Zhiyi gave Yue a thumbs-up. Thankfully, this daughter-in-law was sharp. If that fool had been the one to speak, it would have been a fight to the death today. While he was confident he could kill most of them, his disciples would likely have perished.
"Sect Master Fang, now can you tell us about Sun Kui's treasure?" Black Vajra couldn't wait any longer.
Fang Zhiyi smiled. "We've been at it all afternoon. Everyone's hungry. We'll talk over food. The treasure isn't going anywhere." He glanced at Yue, who understood instantly and began to think.
The Cloud Pasture Valley Master said solemnly, "This old man is not here for the treasure. Sun Kui killed my disciple. I am only seeking justice for my pupil."
Fang Zhiyi nodded. "Understood, understood." Inwardly, he scoffed. Nonsense! No one stirs up such a fuss purely for justice. Trying to have it both ways.
At the dinner table, Li Xiuyu, having been secretly warned by his master, kept his head down and ate. The young Li Weiyang was directly ushered into a room by someone Fang Zhiyi arranged, lest the little rascal say the wrong thing again.
Yue began to speak about Sun Kui. According to her account, Sun Kui possessed a divine weapon, a chest of secret manuals, and also a treasure map.
Hearing this, the two men's eyes gleamed, and they pressed for Sun Kui's whereabouts incessantly. What was the point of roaming the martial world? Fame? And what was fame for? Of course, it was for wealth, for secret manuals, for divine weapons! And Sun Kui represented all of their desires.
Yue glanced at Fang Zhiyi and revealed one location, then added two more.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
