Chapter 197: The Siege (1)

Just as the atmosphere turned cold and awkward, Qingyue Yang suddenly laughed and said lightly, “Master Zuo, don’t misunderstand. Qingyue Ying didn’t mean she disagreed with your suggestion. She just said there might be some issues.”

At this moment, Zhu Yuwen also stood up and said, “A Yang is right.

Actually, we had already agreed to your request a long time ago. After all, we all greatly admire Master Zuo’s martial arts and abilities. However, you’ve just joined the corps, and taking such a big step right away might stir unrest among the members. Especially the matter of gathering Life Groves—it would burden the people and waste resources. Although I want to agree, I can’t do it easily.”

Seeing that Zuo Zhicheng showed no reaction, Zhu Yuwen continued, “All the Dao Arts materials in the corps and the Life Grove information we’ve collected over the years are available for you to read, but you cannot copy them or take them out.

As for gathering Life Groves… I think it’s better this way: we’ve been searching constantly and have probably located where the Dharma King of Destruction and the Dharma King of Daoyu are hiding. Why don’t you and A Yang lead the troops yourselves, raid that Dìyù Gate base, and take the lives of the Dharma King of Destruction and the Dharma King of Daoyu?

Afterward, three-tenths of the wealth from that base will be given to you to distribute, which you can use as funds for your work in gathering Life Groves. This way, it’s justified and proper. What do you think?”

Zuo Zhicheng knew that their earlier behavior was just a test to determine his character and limits. He deliberately acted very tough to make things easier in the future.

As for actually taking forceful action, that wasn’t possible anyway. Not to mention the entire manor was surrounded by Southern Bay’s Tiger Wolf Army. Just Qingyue Yang and Qingyue Ying, two Human Phase Masters, were enough to threaten Zuo Zhicheng’s life.

Zuo Zhicheng had a very accurate grasp of his current strength. In a one-on-one fight, he could probably defeat most Human Phase Masters. But if it were one against two, like before, at best he could kill one while severely injured, and whether he could beat the other would depend on luck.

So his earlier words were just to pressure Qingyue Ying with a tough attitude. That way, even if they fought, it would be a one-on-one duel, not an all-out battle with the Shadow Corps.

After all, regarding Southern Bay government matters, he only wanted to use their power to improve his own strength. He had no interest in competing for specific authority.

As for handling the Life Grove gathering himself, he was very willing. He knew it would be hard to get Zhu Yuwen to put in effort for something that offered him no benefit.

Moreover, by taking charge, Zuo Zhicheng could hide much of his progress in Dao Arts, especially matters related to transplanting Life Groves.

And the task of eliminating the Dharma King of Destruction and the Dharma King of Daoyu was something he eagerly wanted. For the Southern Bay government, this matter was also very significant. It meant they could truly compete with major sects like Dìyù Gate in terms of high-level combat power. From then on, they could hold their heads high in front of the Northern Wasteland government.

Seeing Zuo Zhicheng nod in agreement, Zhu Yuwen clapped his hands and said, “Great! With A Zuo and A Yang working together, success is guaranteed. I’ll wait here for your good news.”

…

In a manor south of Haijing, the Dharma King of Daoyu looked at the Dharma King of Destruction and asked, “How is your eye now?”

The Dharma King of Destruction opened his eyes. One was full of red blood vessels, and the other had been completely gouged out. Previously, Zuo Zhicheng had stabbed one eye with his jian, injuring it, but it had slowly started to heal. The other eye, however, was burned to a pulp by the Divine Light Sword and had to be removed.

As he opened his eyes, a shocking killing intent flashed in them. “We absolutely cannot let Zuo Zhicheng go. His potential is too great, and his future threat is immense.

Right now, he’s severely injured and won’t recover without one or two months of treatment. We must take this chance to eliminate him completely. In a few days, when my eye is better, we’ll go to his door and cut off his head.”

The manor they were in belonged to a wealthy family in Haijing. The manor was as large as a small town, filled with farmers, servants, slaves, gardeners, and laborers coming and going.

It looked like an ordinary wealthy family’s manor, but no one would have guessed that the owner, Duan Suling, had long joined Dìyù Gate, turning the place into one of their bases in Southern Bay.

In fact, as an ancient sect, Dìyù Gate had always been the strongest among the three major powers—Northern Wasteland, Central Governance, and Southern Bay—in terms of the number and strength of its masters. That was why they had such extensive influence across the colonies, even establishing a presence in Central Governance and Southern Bay.

If not for the internal conflict between the Yama Holy Son and Xiao Tianyou, and Zuo Zhicheng’s sudden rise, Zhu Yuwen probably wouldn’t have chosen to oppose Dìyù Gate.

As he spoke, in a secret room within the manor, the Dharma King of Destruction poured a golden liquid over himself. This was a secret technique he practiced.

The golden potion was made from precious ingredients like ginseng, lingzhi, and deer blood. He applied these herbs directly to his body every day during his training. The medicinal properties penetrated his bones and muscles, combined with the martial arts and Dao Arts of Indestructible Diamond and the Unbreakable Golden Body, to enhance his physical strength, explosive power, and resistance to damage.

He was now using this method to treat his injuries. Unfortunately, it had little effect on his eye wound. Though his right eye had partly recovered its sight, after all these days, he could still only see blurry objects up close, as if he were severely nearsighted.

The Dharma King of Daoyu stood guard nearby, protecting the Dharma King of Destruction during his practice. Outside the secret room, guards arranged by Duan Suling prevented anyone from entering.

Just as the Dharma King of Destruction was healing, a loud bell sound suddenly reached the secret room. It came from a large bell in the center of the manor, like those in temples, which required two strong men to ring. Once struck, the bell’s sound could travel dozens of miles, ensuring everyone in the manor heard it.

Hearing the sound, the Dharma King of Destruction immediately stopped his healing and practice and stood up. “What’s happening?”

Duan Suling had told him that this bell was never rung unless there was an emergency. However, the Dharma King of Destruction hadn’t learned the specific meanings behind the number of rings or the signals.

He and the Dharma King of Daoyu frowned and waited for a moment. Soon, Duan Suling ran into the secret room, her face filled with anxiety.

“Bad news! Qingyue Yang has brought over a thousand Tiger Wolf Army troops here. Damn it, how did they find out you were here?”