âDamn it, Fang Zhongjian, Sao Saint is coming for you!â
Killer intent flashed in Yang Zhenâs eyes. For the first time, he had such a strong desire to kill a man. Fang Zhongjian had abducted Feng Lingqiao right before his eyes, crossing Yang Zhenâs boundaries.
Yang Zhen was neither a good person nor a bad one. He was just a man, with his emotions and desires. He could be selfish, perhaps even more selfish than others, yet, he had a sense of conscience that was hard to suppress.
That was human beings, not a single one was purely good or bad. The only difference lied in the complexity.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath, recalling Feng Lingqiaoâs smile. It might not be the prettiest, but it was somewhat infectious. Even her words surprised Yang Zhen every time he thought of them.
âDuring my most helpless moments, if someone stays and chats with me, I wouldnât mind risking my life for them.â
What a magnanimous woman?
If anything happened to her, even if Heavenly Spring Sacred Land was a den of dragons and tigers, Yang Zhen would tread through!
By the time Yang Zhen landed, he had thoroughly suppressed his killing intent, slipping back into his nonchalant demeanor. Seeing Master Tie, he was taken aback.
âWhatâs wrong?â
Master Tie had a troubled look on his face, stammering as he tried to say something to Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen glanced at his cat which turned its nose up at him, signaling him to ask Master Tie himself.
Seeing Master Tieâs hesitation, Yang Zhen wondered aloud, âOld man, you donât seem like the kind to beat around the bush. What, you want the Mountain and River Map back?â
On hearing this, Master Tie waved his hands frantically, âNo, donât misunderstand, the Mountain and River Map is now yours. I⦠Iâ¦â
Master Tie was behaving like a skittish woman, which prompted Yang Zhen to turn to the demoness, âDemoness, you tell me, whatâs wrong with this old man?â
The demoness glared at Yang Zhen, âKid, Iâm old enough to be your grandmother. Canât you show some respect?â
Yang Zhen looked at the aging Master Tie and pretended to understand, âFine, if youâre not willing to speak, Sao Saint has people to save. I canât stay!â
âWait!â The demoness and Master Tie blurted out simultaneously. After exchanging a glance, Master Tie sighed, âIâll tell you.â
Yang Zhen waited for Master Tie to speak, highly puzzled. Whatever was troubling this old man couldnât be good news.
Master Tie took in a deep breath before speaking, âYang, youâve done enough already, and I thank you for it. But⦠I have one more favor to ask. I hope you can assist me. No matter the outcome, you can have my life whenever you want!â
Yang Zhen was taken aback, unable to hide his bewilderment. âWhy would I want your life? Itâs not like I can sell it.â
Master Tie hesitated, unsure of where to start.
Yang Zhen gestured impatiently, âSpit it out, what is it?â
Master Tie gritted his teeth, âThe people from Mountain River Academy⦠they may not be all dead.â
âWhat?â
Yang Zhen stared at Master Tie. âHow do you know?â
Master Tie pointed towards the mountains, to a seal lingering with an ancient aura, âThereâs another seal inside.â
Yang Zhen was surprised, his eyes wide open. He couldnât help to laugh, âThese people from Mountain River Academy are truly interesting. Are they all silk worms, creating layers after layers of seals?â
He eyed Master Tie and said, âYou want me to break this seal?â
Master Tie shook his head, âThis seal canât be broken now, the Mountain River Academyâs people are yet to wake up. But⦠even if they wake up with this seal, itâs not something we can break.â
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen suddenly understood.
There were three layers of restrictions within the Mountain and River Ruins, all of which were intricately related.
Master Tie had broken one layer, and with Yang Zhenâs help, another was broken too. Not only did they obtain the Ancient Demonic Pattern, but they also refined the Mountain and River Map. In this way, the last layer of the seal was virtually deadlocked; it was impossible for anyone from the outside to break it. If anyone tried to forcefully open it, the entire Ring World would likely collapse.
Thus, no matter how many people were still asleep within the third layer of the Ring World, they would likely be thrown into the endless void, to âcultivateâ Void Power.
Yang Zhen watched Master Tie with a bright smile and said, âIt canât be opened, and it canât be awakened, so old man, what exactly do you want me to do?â
Having spoken, Master Tie directly admitted, âI hope young friend Yang Zhen can help me set a magic array. It doesnât need to be extremely powerful; it just needs to create an Illusion Domain around the seal, making it undetectable to others. As for the rest, it depends on the fate of the Mountain River Academy.â
âThatâs it?â Yang Zhen was slightly startled before he turned and strode toward the seal: âLetâs go!â
âYouâ¦â Master Tieâs eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Yang Zhen in disbelief: âYou agreed?â
Seeing Master Tieâs expression, Yang Zhen smirked: âWhat, do you think you need to entice me with benefits?â
Master Tieâs face displayed a hint of embarrassment, and he awkwardly admitted: âI have nothing valuable left on me, the Final Void Academy is almost going bankruptâ¦â
âAlright, alright, I know youâre broke.â Yang Zhen waved his hand, went silent for a while as he stared at the seal, then commanded, âYou guys move back a little!â
Yang Zhen took a deep breath and produced several sacred-grade array disks from his storage ring. He casually threw them around the seal.
âThisâ¦this⦠these are sacred-grade array disks?â
Master Tie and the female demonâs eyes widened in shock. A sacred-grade array disk was considered an extremely valuable item even for strong fighters at the Mahayana phase. They hadnât expected Yang Zhen to casually use them like this.
The female demon and Master Tie exchanged glances, both feeling as if they were questioning their existence.
âCompared to young friend Yang, it seems like Iâve lived my entire life as a cat,â Master Tie sighed.
The wise-cracking cat wouldnât have it, and stared at Master Tie: âOld man, whatâs wrong with being a cat? Did a cat eat your rice or something?â
At this, the catâs eyes widened, âDamn it, donât look down on cats. Believe it or not, youâre not even as good as a cat!â
Clatter!
A crisp sound echoed as the wise-cracking cat also poured out a pile of sacred-grade array disks, some of which were even of better quality than those Yang Zhen had produced.
Master Tie and the female demonâs eyes almost bulged out of their heads. They looked at the cat in disbelief, apparently not expecting the cat to have so many array disks stored up.
Yang Zhen exclaimed in surprise, casually took two of the catâs array disks, and remarked, âDamn, arenât you a kylin? Oh wow, I didnât expect you to have this kind of illusionary array. Let me borrow it, Sao Saint!â
âWhat the hell, why should I?â The cat lunged towards the remaining array disks and hurriedly began to collect them: âDonât try to trick me. This is a one-way street, not happening, no way, no matter what.â
âEnough, one is enough!â
After setting up the array disks and array eye control, Yang Zhen casually launched the magic array.
Boom!
With a humming sound, the entire seal disappeared.
Master Tie and the female demon got up in a startle. Even Master Tie, who was a bit wobbly on his feet, stood upright in shock.
âWhatâ¦what is this?â