Chapter 134 - The Upheaval

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Zhang Shaochu continued, “Yunwu Commandery itself is a mess right now. Queen and the minister suggest turning you in to appease Square Commandery. But, the commanders and generals suggest fighting them to the death.”

“Even the large-scale family and Suzerain feel insecure now. They believe it is you who committed a fatal offense that brought a catastrophe to Yunwu Commandery. But, they have all been fooled. Square Commandery wanted to annex us ages ago. The death of Prince Huo Xing was only an excuse. Oh!”

“My ninth brother, the situation isn’t favorable to you. You should stay on the Western Campus and never return.”

Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “No, that I can not do. I’m going back.”

“No, you can’t,” said Zhang Shaochu. “You will become a target the moment you reach Yunwu City. Everyone will turn against you, they might even chop your head off and send it to Square Commandery, for appeasement.”

With a determined look, Zhang Ruochen stood up and said, “I must go back. I can’t imagine how much pressure my mother is suffering in the palace alone.”

Zhang Shaochu fell silent. Then, he clenched his fist, looking like he had just made a big decision. He said, “My ninth brother, I will go back with you. If the war is inevitable, I shall fight with you.”

“Very well! Let’s go!” said Zhang Ruochen.

When they stepped out of the dormitory, they found that Blackie was already waiting outside.

Sitting on the Two-headed Blood Lion, Blackie glanced at Zhang Shaochu and asked, “Will you come back, fatty?”

Hearing an even fatter cat calling him fatty, Zhang Shaochu was not happy at all. He tried his best to stare back at Blackie and said, “Who’s a fatty?”

“You. So what?” Blackie stood up and rubbed its paws, displaying a fierce look.

“My ninth brother, your cat does not have any manners.” Not to be outdone, Zhang Shaochu also showed an aggressive look and took out his Death Scythe. It looked like the fight was unavoidable.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t want to waste any more time. He said, “Come on, you two! We have to return to Yunwu City now.”

Blackie and Zhang Shaochu split up immediately, instead, they fixed each other with a hostile glare.

Zhang Ruochen got on the Two-headed Blood Lion and said, “It will take two days and two nights from the Western Campus to reach Yunwu City. I’ll be practicing in the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel during the time. Blackie, call me if anything happens.”

Zhang Shaochu was leading a second level inferior savage beast out for riding. As he emerged from the Savage Beast Palace, he accidentally heard Zhang Ruochen’s words. He asked in surprise, “What is a Time and Space Spinel?”

Before the sound of his voice had died away, Zhang Ruochen suddenly vanished into thin air.

There was only a spinel with a chain left on the Two-headed Blood Lion’s back.

“What was that?”

Zhang Shaochu was startled and cried out loud.

“Don’t fuss.”

Blackie glared at Zhang Shaochu with contempt. Then it picked up the Time and Space Spinel and hung it around its neck.

Zhang Shaochu was still suffering from shock and he continued searching for Zhang Ruochen as he asked, “Where is my brother?”

Blackie was impatient and piloted the Two-headed Blood Lion, waveringly, towards the school’s gate as it replied, “Why do you bother so much? Just shut your mouth and follow me. Everything will be fine!”

Zhang Shaochu was half in doubt. But, he still got on his savage beast, a Sabre-tooth Lightning Tiger, and followed up.

Zhang Ruochen raced against the clock to practice. He spent six days and refined two drops of the Half-Saint’s Essence, to improve his cultivation inside the internal space of Time and Space Spinel.

It wasn’t easy to reach the Final State of the Black Realm. Even if he refined all 27 drops of the Half-Saint’s Essence, he probably wouldn’t break through to it.

But, of course, if he refined all 27 drops, his physical quality would improve significantly, which would greatly help him reach the Ultimate Realm of the Black Realm.

“Bang! Bang!”

Zhang Ruochen started to practice his palm technique. He practiced the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm again and again. Through the practices, he allowed the efficacy of the Half-Saint’s Essence to completely infuse his body.

After practicing for a day and a night, Zhang Ruochen’s body was covered in sweat. The efficacy of the Half-Saint’s Essence had been completely infused.

“We are going back to Yunwu City.” Zhang Ruochen thought it had almost done, so he stopped practicing and walked out of the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel.

With a sharp “Whoosh” and a blink of white light, Zhang Ruochen suddenly appeared on the Two-headed Blood Lion.

Zhang Shaochu was riding his Sabre-tooth Lightning Tiger alongside, when he suddenly saw Zhang Ruochen appear. He was so shocked that he almost fell off and he asked with great surprise, “My ninth brother! Where have you been these last two days?”

Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “I secluded myself for refining.”

“Secluded? Where?” Zhang Shaochu looked around, searching for the place, but he found nothing.

Seeing that Zhang Shaochu didn’t realize the secret of the Time and Space Spinel, Zhang Ruochen decided not to tell him. It wasn’t necessary for Zhang Shaochu to know too much.

Zhang Ruochen pointed at the big belly of the Two-headed Blood Lion, and replied vaguely with a smile, “I have been staying in there. Of course, you can’t see me.”

“Really!?”

A delighted expression was on Zhang Shaochu’s round face. He said excitedly, “When I was a child, I heard that some prodigies were able to get into a savage beasts’ belly to practice. They would absorb the beasts’ blood for nutrition and, in this way, their cultivations was improved profoundly. Are you one of these prodigies, my ninth brother?”

Ha! He actually believed it!

Zhang Ruochen nodded and answered, “Yes. I accidentally found an ancient book in a cave. And, I learned this from that book.”

“Can you teach me?” said Zhang Shaochu eagerly, staring at Zhang Ruochen with a look of expectation.

“Er... Maybe later...” Zhang Ruochen quickly dismissed the subject. He looked ahead and asked, “Where are we now? How far is it to Yunwu City?”

Zhang Shaochu replied, “We are now at Mount Tianyue. We are 200 miles away from Yunwu City, after crossing the mountain.”

Zhang Ruochen had heard about Mount Tianyue before. It was an important defensive barrier to the west of Yunwu City. Mount Tianyue covered about 300 miles of the surrounding area, and its barren hills, turbulent rivers, savage beasts, and dangerous terrain made it easy to hold but hard to attack.

Three hundred years ago, Yunwu Commandery had built a gate into Mount Tian Yue, the Tian Yue Gate.

After three hundred years of improvements, the walls of the Tian Yue Gate were even stronger than the Yunwu City’s. There were a large number of arrays and one hundred and twenty thousand soldiers on it. It could defend against the savage beasts and ensure the safety of Yunwu City, which had a very important strategic significance.

Even though the road was dangerously steep, Zhang Ruochen and Zhang Shaochu were both riding second-level savage beasts. Therefore, they could still keep up the pace.

Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen’s ear moved slightly. He then looked to the bushes nearby and asked in a low voice, “Who’s there?”

“Clash!”

Zhang Ruochen drew out his Flash Shinning Sword and was posed for defense.

A man covered in blood climbed out from the bushes. He staggered and fell in front of the Two-headed Blood Lion. “Help... Help me...” The man implored.

He fainted away right after saying these words.

Zhang Shaochu was cautious about the man and he said, “My ninth brother, be careful. It could be a trap.”

Zhang Ruochen jumped off the Two-headed Blood Lion and walked to the man covered in blood. He felt a little uncomfortable when he saw the man’s wounds.

There must have been over thirty cuts on him, and one of his arms had been chopped off. But, the most severe wound was on his head. His skull had been hacked, the crushed bones were protruding and could be seen clearly. His head itself had been almost cut in half.

Fortunately, his strong cultivation and outstanding Body of Martial Arts helped him to survive.

Other warriors would have died from wounds so severe.

Zhang Ruochen brushed the man’s wild hair to the side and a familiar face appeared.

Upon seeing this face, Zhang Ruochen’s countenance fell and he cried, “How could it be?”

Zhang Shaochu reached over and looked at the middle-aged man lying on the ground. He said, “I think he looks a little bit like Liu Chengfeng.”

“That’s because he is Liu Chengfeng’s father, Liu Chuanshen, Manager of the Martial Market Bank in Yunwu Commandery,” said Zhang Ruochen seriously.

“What?”

Zhang Shaochu was so frightened that he even fell to the ground. He breathlessly said, “It is said that Liu Chuanshen is a legend of the Heaven Realm! He is a real master with extraordinary strength! You can even say he is the top warrior in Yunwu Commandery! Who could hurt him this severely?”

Zhang Ruochen also looked grave, knowing this was not a trivial matter. After carefully examining the wounds, he said, “If I’ve gotten it right, Liu Chuanshen must have encountered a bunch of warriors in the Earth Realm. What’s more, there must be another extremely strong warrior in the Heaven Realm, and this warrior must have chopped off his arm.”

Zhang Ruochen took out a bottle of recovery pills and immediately fed ten pills to Liu Chuanshen, but they didn’t seem to have an effect.

Zhang Ruochen’s pills were all second-class and they were very effective for warriors in the Black Relm, however, it might not be effective for a Martial Arts legend in the Heaven Realm.

The physical quality of the warriors in the Heaven Realm was strong and mere blood and Genuine Qi was enough to heal any common wounds. But, once they were badly wounded, common pills were not effective at all.

Zhang Shaochu asked, “Who would dare to attack the Manager of the Martial Market Bank? Are they not afraid of offending the Martial Market Bank?”

“I’m afraid that there might be an upheaval in Yunwu City.” Zhang Ruochen felt a gloomy foreboding.

“Boom!”

Just then, the loud and clear sound of iron heels’ came from the road ahead.

An awful foreboding atmosphere could be felt, even from a distance. Whole flocks of birds flew away, disappearing into the clouds.

Zhang Ruochen quickly sent Liu Chuanshen into the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel. Then, he jumped back onto the Two-headed Blood Lion and gave a glance to Zhang Shaochu, telling him with his eyes to stay calm.

Who are they? How dare they try to kill the Manager of the Martial Market Bank?