The First Marquis of Daxuan

"How did you come?"

Ning Hongchen looked at Su Mu, who appeared behind Du Rongcheng and knocked Du Rongcheng unconscious with a single palm strike, and said with some surprise.

"I suddenly remembered that there was something I wanted to resolve with the Azure Sky Sect, and it just so happens that I ran into you all."

Su Mu said with a smile, "If I hadn't happened to pass by, I would have missed a really exciting battle."

Old Ning, you're still got it!

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Ning Hongchen's face.

He was actually praised by a junior, but why did he feel a sense of satisfaction?
"I'm too old, I can't do it anymore."

Ning Hongchen waved his hand and said, "If this were back in the day, I could beat a kid like this to a pulp with just one hand."

"You're not doing badly now either."

Su Mu laughed and said, "Speaking of which, Lao Ning, what do you think of this kid's background?"

He kicked Du Rongcheng, who was lying on the ground, with his toe.

"His cultivation method is quite different from ours."

Ning Hongchen looked thoughtful and slowly said, "If I had to say, it does have some similarities to the Heavenly Dragon God Technique."

I now suspect that the "All Heavens Dragon God Technique" might originate from the Great Qian Dynasty.

"So, it turns out that the Great Qian Dynasty has actually been secretly eyeing us for a long time."

Su Mu pondered for a moment.

"The Heavenly Dragon God Technique is no ordinary cultivation method, so the possibility of it being leaked is unlikely."

Ning Hongchen nodded.

Since it couldn't have been leaked, there's only one possibility: the person who cultivated the Heavenly Dragon God Technique was sent by the Great Qian Dynasty.

Su Mu had previously suspected that Liu Rufeng and Du Rongcheng shared the same background, and now it could finally be confirmed.

"Liu Rufeng's visit is ill-intentioned."

Ning Hongchen said, "Fortunately, we struck first this time, and Mao Jiu will take care of him."

As she spoke, Ning Hongchen looked at Du Rongcheng on the ground and frowned slightly.

"This person must not be killed."

"Now that the Great Qian Dynasty has its eyes on this place, they won't let it go easily. Killing him would be troublesome if the Great Qian Dynasty sent someone smarter and more capable."

Ning Hongchen said.

"I think so too."

Su Mu chuckled to himself.

He had more contact with Du Rongcheng and knew very well that Du Rongcheng was a good-for-nothing.

Moreover, this guy is a benevolent benefactor; killing him would be such a waste.

Su Mu casually grabbed the three-pointed, double-edged sword and gently stroked the blade with his palm.

The blade trembled slightly, emitting a buzzing sound.

Su Mu's face showed a thoughtful expression.

Ning Hongchen simply stood quietly by her side.

After a while, Su Mu stopped what he was doing, a look of emotion on his face.

"Indeed, the road ahead is long and arduous."

Su Mu said, "I thought my weapon-forging skills had reached their peak, but now it seems I was just being narrow-minded."

The weapon-making techniques of the Great Qian Dynasty also have their merits.

"This three-pointed double-edged sword is indeed very powerful."

Ning Hongchen nodded in agreement. He had personally experienced the power of the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, and it was one of the most powerful weapons he had ever encountered in his life.

"It's a waste for this weapon to fall into the hands of this kid; he can't unleash the true power of the three-pointed double-edged sword at all."

Ning Hongchen said.

In Ning Hongchen's view, this kind of three-pointed double-edged sword is more suitable for martial artists like him and Su Mu who follow the path of physical martial arts.

As they spoke, Ning Hongchen began searching Du Rongcheng's body and quickly found a storage ring on him.

He didn't even glance at it before casually tossing the storage ring to Su Mu.

Just as Su Mu was about to check what was in the storage ring, a flash of light appeared, and Mao Jiu landed beside them.

"solved?"

Ning Hongchen asked when he saw Mao Jiu return.

Mao Jiu looked embarrassed. "He got away!"

"Ran?"

Ning Hongchen and Su Mu both looked astonished.

Cat Nine is a Celestial Venerable, and even a newly promoted Celestial Venerable is still a Celestial Venerable.

Although Liu Rufeng was strong, he was only at the Heavenly Fate Realm.

How did he manage to escape from Mao Jiu's clutches?

"Hmph, if it weren't for the weapon he was carrying, I would have captured him alive long ago."

Cat Nine said with a displeased look, "That guy has a treasure armor that can not only withstand my attacks, but also transform into a five-clawed golden dragon to fly through the sky and escape into the earth."

I was careless for a moment and let him escape.

"The weapon-making techniques of the Great Qian Dynasty are quite unique. We know too little about them, so it's normal to make this mistake."

Su Mu pondered for a moment and said, "But now it seems that Liu Rufeng is quite formidable."

That armor could withstand even your attacks; I'm afraid I can't break it either.

Soon Su Mu will be facing off against heroes from all over the world. He may not care about the others, but Liu Rufeng is a formidable opponent.

Su Mu hadn't taken Liu Rufeng seriously before, but now that Liu Rufeng had escaped unscathed from Mao Jiu's clutches, Su Mu had to be more cautious.

If Mao Jiu can't defeat Liu Rufeng, then Su Mu will probably have a hard time doing so as well.

Unless they can snatch the precious armor from Liu Rufeng.

"Does he have any weapons that can counter that armor?"

Ning Hongchen's heart stirred, and he pointed to Du Rongcheng, who had fainted on the ground.

Su Mu's gaze fell on the storage ring on his hand, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he could clearly see what was inside.

Immediately, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"I knew Du Rongcheng was a second-generation official in the Daqian Dynasty, but I never expected him to be so rich."

Su Mu clicked his tongue in amazement.

The storage ring contained a space a thousand feet in diameter, densely packed with all sorts of treasures.

Besides weapons and elixirs, there were also countless spirit stones.

Even the corners were piled high with delicacies.

Su Mu's divine sense was powerful, and he had already scanned those things clearly in the blink of an eye.

His focus was on the weapons.

Du Rongcheng carried as many as seventy or eighty weapons, of which only four were as powerful as the three-pointed double-edged sword.

A knife, a long stick, a bow, and a whip.

These weapons, along with that three-pointed double-edged sword, were indeed exceptionally powerful.

However, Su Mu felt that it was still a bit lacking to break through Liu Rufeng's protective armor.

"wrong."

Su Mu suddenly frowned. "Liu Rufeng has a treasure armor that can withstand the attacks of a Heavenly Venerable. There's no reason why Du Rongcheng shouldn't have one as well."

Could it be that Liu Rufeng's status is more prestigious than Du Rongcheng's?

"We don't know much about the Great Qian Dynasty, but I imagine the position of Minister of Works must be quite high. It's unlikely that Liu Rufeng's status is more prestigious than Du Rongcheng's."

It could also be due to Liu Rufeng's own good fortune.

Ning Hongchen pondered.

Su Mu nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly, the three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand slashed down at Du Rongcheng.

A sharp killing intent instantly filled the air.

Ning Hongchen's expression changed slightly.

"don't want--"

He said it subconsciously.

Didn't they just agree to spare Du Rongcheng's life?
Why did they suddenly turn on us and kill us?
Su Mu's murderous intent was genuine and not a joke.

Even if Du Rongcheng were awake, let alone now that he is unconscious, he would only face certain death in the face of Su Mu's murderous attack.

Seeing that Du Rongcheng was about to die at Su Mu's hands, Ning Hongchen was still hesitating whether to intervene.

Just then, a golden light suddenly burst forth from Du Rongcheng's body.

A sonorous sound.

That golden light blocked the three-pointed double-edged sword a foot away from Du Rongcheng's body.

The two forces were locked in a stalemate for a moment, then the three-pointed double-edged sword rose, and Su Mu took half a step back.

Du Rongcheng mumbled a few words as if in a nightmare, but did not wake up from his coma.

"He also has protective armor on him?"

Ning Hongchen's face showed a surprised expression.

The thought crossed his mind and he understood.

"This is his means of survival. You didn't have any killing intent when you attacked before, so this armor didn't activate."

Ning Hongchen said thoughtfully, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face.

He had fought with Du Rongcheng for a long time before, but he was unable to activate the life-saving armor on Du Rongcheng's body.

Doesn't this mean that he actually had no ability to threaten Du Rongcheng's life?
Fortunately, Ning Hongchen had also weathered many storms and quickly banished this sense of loss from her mind.

"I searched his entire body but found no trace of the armor. Could it be inside his body?"

Ning Hongchen pondered.

"Just try and you will find out."

As Su Mu spoke, he reached out and pressed his hand against Du Rongcheng's body.

boom!
There was a muffled sound.

Su Mu's hand was bounced up.

He frowned slightly.

"interesting."

He spoke slowly.

"What's going on? Why don't you let me try? I can definitely strip his armor off."

Cat Nine was eager to try the tunnel.

"No."

Su Mu shook his head. "I could try to forcibly remove his armor, but that would probably alert the armor's true owner, his father."

Su Mu doesn't want to alert the people behind Du Rongcheng right now.

Their internal affairs are still not sorted out. If they were to attract powerful figures from the Great Qian Dynasty, wouldn't that be asking for trouble? It would be best to keep Du Rongcheng around and let him accomplish something. That way, the Great Qian Dynasty shouldn't send anyone else over in the short term.

If it were someone else, they might not be as easy to deal with as Du Rongcheng.

Therefore, even if Su Mu temporarily abandons the armor on Du Rongcheng, he does not want to kill Du Rongcheng now.

“If you don’t strip off his armor, you don’t have any weapons that can break through Liu Rufeng’s defenses.”

Mao Jiu asked, "Then how will you deal with Liu Rufeng?"
If you hit someone and they aren't afraid, but if someone hits you and you can't help but dodge, aren't you bound to lose?
Are you really going to hand over the position of Lord of Yang to someone else?

"This is indeed a problem."

Su Mu pondered and said, "Liu Rufeng has protective armor, so under normal circumstances I really can't do anything to him."

The most powerful weapon in Su Mu's hand was comparable to the three-pointed double-edged sword in Du Rongcheng's hand, and it couldn't break through Liu Rufeng's armor.

The two martial artists were roughly equal in strength; one had protective armor while the other did not, so the outcome of the contest was obvious.

No matter how confident Su Mu was, he didn't think he was stronger than Mao Jiu.

but.

"There are still some days before the challenge, I still have time."

Su Mu said solemnly.

The seclusion preparation was originally just an excuse, but now it's going to be carried out in practice.

Even a Celestial Venerable's attack might not be able to break through Liu Rufeng's armor; at least a Celestial Venerable of Cat Nine's level couldn't do it.

Su Mu cannot raise his attack power to a level stronger than Mao Jiu in a short period of time.

Therefore, he can only place his hopes on weapons now.

He needs to forge a weapon that can pierce Liu Rufeng's armor in order to have any hope of winning.

"You will protect me while I go into seclusion to forge weapons."

Su Mu said seriously that he hadn't faced such a challenge in a long time.

For some reason, he felt his blood boiling and his energy surge.

…………

Some time after Su Mu, Ning Hongchen, and Mao Jiu left, a shadowy figure appeared where they had been standing.

The man was cautious, looking around, and it was none other than Liu Rufeng.

Only after confirming that the formidable enemy had left did Liu Rufeng breathe a sigh of relief.

Then he saw Du Rongcheng lying on the ground.

Liu Rufeng's expression changed drastically, and he lunged forward in a flash.

He risked his life to return in order to find Du Rongcheng.

Du Rongcheng's identity is extraordinary. If he really dies here, even if it has nothing to do with Liu Rufeng, he will inevitably be implicated.

More importantly, if Du Rongcheng is really dead, it would be difficult to explain why the Seven Absolute Dragon Scale Armor is on him.

Given the character of Du Bao, the Minister of Works, there's a high chance he'll make Liu Rufeng pay with his life.

With a pale face, Liu Rufeng placed his finger below Du Rongcheng's nose and, feeling that Du Rongcheng was still breathing, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

In truth, he was just too concerned to think clearly. Otherwise, with his cultivation level, he could have heard Du Rongcheng's breathing from a great distance and wouldn't have needed to test him like this.

After carefully checking Du Rongcheng and confirming that he was not injured, Liu Rufeng finally felt relieved and woke him up.

"Who? Who attacked me?"

Du Rongcheng jumped up and roared, "What kind of hero attacks someone from behind? If you're so capable, fight me openly for three hundred rounds!"

Seeing Du Rongcheng's appearance, Liu Rufeng felt a sense of helplessness.

"Junior Brother Du, the enemy is gone, don't get so agitated."

Liu Rufeng spoke up.

"They're gone? How did they leave? Did you chase them away, Senior Brother Liu?"

Du Rongcheng looked at Liu Rufeng and asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Liu, you have such abilities?"

Liu Rufeng's face darkened.

"Don't hit someone in the face. How can you talk like that?"
"It wasn't me. I was being chased by that Celestial Venerable. I finally managed to shake him off and then came back to help you, Junior Brother Du. But when I saw you lying unconscious on the ground, the enemies had already disappeared."

Liu Rufeng forced himself to calm down and asked, "Junior Brother Du, what happened before? Why did you faint? Why did they let you go?"

"Hmph, I was about to kill that little thief who blocked my way, but someone attacked me from behind."

Du Rongcheng sneered, "It's not that they let me go, it's that they simply couldn't kill me!"
"I am protected by the Mystic Light Immortal Armor; who can kill me?"

Liu Rufeng's pupils contracted, and the fire of jealousy in his heart almost burned his body to ashes.

Mystic Light Immortal Armor!

That was the fifth-ranked armor among the ten great armors of the Great Qian Dynasty, its power even surpassing that of the Seven Absolute Dragon Scale Armor.

Unexpectedly, Du Rongcheng owns two of the ten most precious armors in the Great Qian Dynasty!
How much did Du Bao embezzle to enable his son to live such a luxurious life?
While Liu Rufeng inwardly complained, he was also incredibly envious.

Why doesn't he have such a good father?

If Liu Rufeng had a family background like Du Rongcheng's, he would already be a Celestial Venerable by now, instead of wasting hundreds of years in the Heavenly Fate Realm.

Even though she was burning with jealousy inside, Liu Rufeng still wore a smile on her face.

"So Junior Brother Du has the Mysterious Light Immortal Armor protecting him, no wonder."

Liu Rufeng said, "I was wondering why Du Rongcheng was so kind as to lend him the Seven Absolute Dragon Scale Armor. It turns out this guy has something even better!"
"Alas, where is my three-pointed double-edged sword?"

Du Rongcheng suddenly exclaimed, "Where is my storage ring?"
Damn it, these guys are really here to rob us!

Du Rongcheng was so angry that he jumped up and down, and kept cursing.

Liu Rufeng's expression froze. Du Rongcheng's storage ring had been stolen?

Damn, these guys really know how to pick people!
With so many treasures, why can't I have Liu Rufeng?
"Fortunately I'm smart!"

After cursing for a while, Du Rongcheng said smugly, "My father told me that a cunning rabbit has three burrows. That storage ring is only a small part of my things. Most of the good stuff is hidden in the Xuan Guang Immortal Armor."

These peasants would never have imagined that the Mystic Light Immortal Armor also had pockets inside.

They can steal the storage ring, but the Mystic Light Immortal Armor is bound to my life; unless I die, no one can take it away.

Liu Rufeng remained silent.

Is this something to be proud of?
You just have a good father and lots of treasures, right?
Someone like me, Liu Rufeng, has absolutely no need to have multiple burrows...

"Junior Brother Du, how badly did you suffer? Among the treasures they stole, were there any that could counter the Seven Absolute Dragon Scale Armor?"

Liu Rufeng asked in a deep voice.

He couldn't control other things, but he had to complete his own task.

He's not like Du Rongcheng, a spoiled brat who just loafs around and waits to die; he still has to make a name for himself.

"That's not the case."

Du Rongcheng said, "To counter the Seven Absolute Dragon Scale Armor, you need a weapon of the level of one of the Ten Great Weapons. My father doesn't have many of those kinds of things, and he's unwilling to give them to me."

Liu Rufeng: "..."

Your father doesn't have many either.
How many of the Ten Great Soldiers are there in total? How many more does your dad want?!

The Great Qian Dynasty had a fondness for the number ten, so it selected the Ten Great Armored Armors, the Ten Great Famous Soldiers, and the Ten Great Masters, among other things.

Liu Rufeng also knew that there might be more than ten famous soldiers, perhaps eleven or twelve, thirteen or fourteen, but there wouldn't be too many.

Having even one weapon of this caliber is already incredibly lucky.

If someone had told him before that a person possessed several of the Ten Great Weapons, Liu Rufeng would never have believed it.

But now, he has no choice but to believe it.

Putting everything else aside, Du Rongcheng alone possesses two of the Ten Great Armored Armors!
This is truly a case of some people dying of drought while others are drowning in floods.

Liu Rufeng has worked so hard, braving wind and rain, risking his life for so many years, yet he hasn't even managed to get into the "Top Ten" list.

Du Rongcheng, this spoiled brat, is only successful because he has a good father!
“Even my father would have a hard time forging divine weapons of the level of the Ten Famous Soldiers, let alone anyone in this world.”

Du Rongcheng said, "So, Senior Brother Liu, you don't need to worry at all."

"No, no."

Liu Rufeng suddenly shook his head and said, "If I remember correctly, the Heavenly Net Umbrella should also be among the top ten famous soldiers, right?"
"Junior Brother Du, you've already given the Heavenly Net Umbrella to Venerable Jue Tian?"

"Yes."

Du Rongcheng's expression was somewhat stiff. He changed the subject, saying, "Jue Tianzun won't come to compete with you for the position of Yang Lord, so you don't need to worry."

Liu Rufeng narrowed his eyes slightly and asked why Du Rongcheng had suddenly come to help him and advised him to deal with Su Mu ahead of time.

Now it seems there's a problem here.

Could it be that Su Mu stole the Heavenly Net Umbrella?
"Junior Brother Du, tell me honestly, was the Heavenly Net Umbrella given to Su Mu by the Heavenly Venerable Jue Tianzun?"

Liu Rufeng asked in a deep voice.

He asked the question very tactfully, but he suspected that Du Rongcheng had already been robbed once.

He only mentioned Jue Tianzun to save face for Du Rongcheng.

"how do you know?"

Du Rongcheng blurted it out, only realizing his mistake after the words were out.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you. As you know, I've been trying to persuade Jue Tianzun to join our Great Qian Dynasty. I gave the Heavenly Net Umbrella to Jue Tianzun, and I can't interfere with how he decides to deal with it."

Liu Rufeng's face darkened, and the word "useless" stuck in his throat, about to burst out.

He managed to mess up something like this; calling him a piece of trash is an insult to the word "trash"!

Du Rongcheng, that good-for-nothing, encouraged him to deal with Su Mu ahead of time, probably because he wanted to snatch back the Heavenly Net Umbrella!
Liu Rufeng now finally understood why Du Rongcheng had been behaving so strangely.

The Heavenly Umbrella could not possibly have been given to Su Mu by the Heavenly Venerable. If it had passed through the Heavenly Venerable's hands, it would mean that the Heavenly Venerable had already agreed to his submission to the Great Qian Dynasty.

In fact, no.

So there's only one truth: Su Mu stole the Heavenly Net Umbrella, and Du Rongcheng lost his bargaining chip to recruit the Supreme Celestial!
Even Du Rongcheng couldn't handle such a big problem, which is why he came to Liu Rufeng for help!

Liu Rufeng was so angry he wanted to slap Du Rongcheng a few times, but he couldn't do that.

Minister of Works Du Bao was notorious for protecting his own. Even though everyone in the Great Qian Dynasty knew that Du Rongcheng was a good-for-nothing, Du Bao still invested a lot of resources in him.

Liu Rufeng had no powerful connections, so he really couldn't afford to offend this father and son.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Rufeng tried to calm herself down.

Although the Heavenly Net Umbrella might not be able to break through his Seven Absolute Dragon Scale Armor, with Su Mu protected by the Heavenly Net Umbrella, it would be difficult for me to defeat him.

Liu Rufeng couldn't accept a draw.

He's the man who's going to defeat Su Mu and seize the position of Yang Lord.

"Junior Brother Du, do you wish to reclaim the Heavenly Net Umbrella?"

Liu Rufeng said in a deep voice.

"Of course I want to, do you have a way?"

Du Rongcheng stopped pretending altogether.

"Have."

Liu Rufeng said seriously, "As long as you listen to me, I can help you get back the Heavenly Net Umbrella."

"Okay, as long as you can help me get back the Heavenly Net Umbrella, I will definitely cooperate with you."

Du Rongcheng said.

"I know you have the seven emotions and six desires scattered within you."

Liu Rufeng said in a deep voice, "Give them to me. The only way to subdue the beasts on the Heavenly Net Umbrella now is to use the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Powder!" (End of Chapter)