Promise!

Chapter 256, Great Battle

"Brother Zhuang, do you still remember the mastermind behind the round table meeting? Zhan Shengchu escaped by taking the place of Li Tao and has recently caused quite a stir outside."

Qin Douzhan sighed, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Zhuang Jin remembered that this was the biggest fish that slipped through the net at the round table meeting. It was just that Zhan Shengchu's double escaped. Instead of going far away and hiding his identity, he dared to cause trouble.

There might be something fishy going on here!
"I've been in seclusion these past few days and I really didn't know about this. Brother Qin, could you tell me about it?"

"The purge at the round table that day was just a stand-in for Zhan Shengchu by the Zhan family... Because he escaped, the Zhan family members were imprisoned but not killed. Perhaps for the sake of his family, Zhan Shengchu did not escape, but recently launched a revenge attack in the Funiu Mountains, slaughtering martial artists. Those innate corpse-slaying realm martial artists were practically massacred by him. In recent days, several innate martial artists have been killed, and the number of martial artists below the innate realm is countless. Now people are in a state of panic, and many dare not enter the mountains."

Qin Douzhan, amused, said, "It's already November, and the year-end energy tide is approaching. In fact, the Suspended Heaven Bureau and the three great families are the biggest beneficiaries of each energy tide. If martial artists dare not enter the mountains, they will inevitably suffer considerable losses."

If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. For them, not going out is not a big deal. But it's different for the Suspended Heaven Division and the three great families.

It can be said that the independent martial artists outside of the three major families do not have a very good impression of the Suspended Heaven Division and the families, especially after the recent purge at the Round Table Meeting, many people are watching them make a fool of themselves.

Zhuang Jin thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Of those who died at the hands of Zhan Shengchu, how many are from aristocratic families and how many are from outside of them?"

Upon being asked this question, Qin Douzhan's smile vanished instantly. Realizing something, his expression turned grim as he said, "Among the dead, most were rogue martial artists. Among those few innate martial artists, some had high talent, while others had exhausted their potential."

"The same applies to martial artists below the Innate Realm. Of the three great families, only one Innate Realm martial artist from the Cen family was injured but did not die. He was released to deliver a message."

He immediately understood that Zhan Shengchu might be manipulated by Xuantian Division, or perhaps they were in a deal, playing a role in their scheme.

During the roundtable discussion, some clever, cautious, and talented innate martial artists who had escaped the purge were not involved, but several of them died at the hands of Zhan Shengchu this time. Although there were also ordinary innate martial artists whose potential had been exhausted, who knows if it was just a cover-up?

—The Xuantian Division and the three great families, as the establishers of order, cannot be executed without cause. Zhan Shengchu is very much like a black glove.

Just like in the stock market, there are repeated fluctuations, shakeouts, and losses for retail investors. The roundtable discussion was a bait-and-switch tactic, and this recent series of small-scale cleansing moves is more like a supplement.

This led Zhuang Jin to further reflection: 'After repeated purges, those who posed the greatest threat are gone; the remaining innate martial artists will inevitably attract more attention.'

Upon realizing this, he felt immense pressure. If it weren't for his different situation and the cover provided by Shangguan Yunchang, he would have really wanted to run away from Cangzhou.

Qin Douzhan had obviously thought of these things as well: "Truth and falsehood are intertwined. Sometimes what we see is what others want us to see. Forget it, let's not think about these things. Let's just enjoy ourselves and pretend it has nothing to do with us."

"Exactly that."

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly and took a small sip of tea.

As for Zhan Shengchu, he is at the level of the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm and the Second Corpse-Slaying Realm. With his current level and trump cards, he is not afraid to face him.

However, just to be on the safe side, he didn't plan to leave the city until things were settled—it was one thing to be afraid of Zhan Shengchu, but there was no need to cause trouble for himself.

"Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, this matter will soon be resolved. The roundtable meeting and Zhan Shengchu's repeated purges should be enough. If we wait any longer, more people will become aware, and things won't be smooth sailing. Now that people are eager for stability, and the year-end energy surge is approaching, the three major families won't allow anything that seriously affects their interests to happen."

No matter how you look at it, this matter will most likely end before the tide of vitality, bringing it to a close.

'But how will it end? Will the Heavenly Bureau and the powerful families compromise, sending Zhan Shengchu's family away and keeping them at bay? Or will they discard them after they've served their purpose, like turning their backs on a powerful figure?'

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, but none of this mattered to him. He was just watching the show, the curtains opening and closing, while he remained an outsider, quietly cultivating, waiting to break free from his cocoon and become a butterfly, to break through to the Yin God realm and truly stand at the pinnacle of Cangzhou City.

……

The next day, Zhuang Jin met Shangguan Yunchang at Tongfu Teahouse on the fifth floor of Zhenxiufang. This was the place where the two first met, and Zhuang Jin planned to talk about his breakthrough and his marriage plans.

When Zhuang Jin saw Shangguan Yunchang, he immediately sensed something was different; Shangguan Yunchang had also broken through to the next level.

Because of their shared practice of the Yin-Yang Union Divine Technique, the two were quite familiar with each other. He was extremely perceptive of Shangguan Yunchang's spiritual power, sensing that she was merging with the heavens and earth. Furthermore, he felt that Shangguan Yunchang seemed to have a faint connection with the Suspended Heaven Mirror.

"Yun Chang, you?"

At this moment, he spoke without restraint. The 'power' formed by the two of them merging with the heavens and earth had isolated and sealed off this place, so there was no need to worry about the token monitoring or the surrounding people hearing it.

"I said that after becoming the designated head of the Shangguan family, my cultivation speed would be very fast. It turns out that you have also broken through."

Shangguan Yunchang was even more surprised. Zhuang Jin's speed was no less than hers. Seeing Zhuang Jin's expression, she immediately understood that Zhuang Jin was insecure because she had discovered him while he was concealing his aura. She took the initiative to explain to him: "Our cultivation of the Yin-Yang Union Technique is different from others."

"Furthermore, as the designated patriarch of the Shangguan family, I possess the authority of the Three-Part Suspended Heaven Realm."

She pointed to the silver diamond-shaped mark between her eyebrows: "Within the third ring of Cangzhou City, in some ways you can regard me as a crippled Yin God martial artist."

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this. Shangguan Yunchang had hinted at this point before, but it wasn't entirely a good thing; there seemed to be some price to pay later.

However, regardless of the cost, the heads of the three great families are all at the Yin God realm and also possess the authority of the Suspended Heaven Mirror. In this respect, their perception must be extremely terrifying, so it is best not to meet them within the three rings.

"I've come to discuss my breakthrough and my marriage plans; I have some ideas..."

He was speaking for a moment when his expression suddenly changed. He pointed towards the teahouse entrance, and sword energy whistled through the air like streaks of light.

There, a strange beast, resembling both a fox and a weasel, with its entire body shimmering with purple light and flashing with strange power, rapidly expanded and grew larger as it ran, almost bursting through the roof. Wherever it passed, the strong wind it generated blew people and tables away.

"How could a strange beast appear here?!"

"Enforcement team! Enforcement team!"

"Hide!"

……

This is Tongfu Teahouse on the fifth floor of Zhenxiufang, and it's naturally quite crowded. Exclamations of surprise erupt, with many scrambling under tables in panic, only to be swept away by the gusts of wind. This is merely a commotion; the true target of this fox-like, weasel-like beast is Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang. It lunges forward, enveloped in a fierce aura, and then meets Zhuang Jin's sword energy head-on.

Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!
The sword energy of the meridian-severing technique was not straightforward as before, but rather twisted like rays of light, enveloping the major acupoints on the beast's body and stabbing them simultaneously in an instant.

This was a combination of the Severing Meridian Divine Sword and the Myriad Swords Returning to the Source. Zhuang Jin made a hasty move, but it was still incredibly powerful. It collided with the strange beast that resembled a fox and a weasel, producing a metallic clang. Then, a burst of light erupted from above its right foreleg, roughly at the position of its armpit. Instantly, like a needle puncturing a balloon, the entire beast began to deflate. Its body shrank as it spun and flew backward, before crashing heavily to the ground.

"A sable fox!" someone behind exclaimed.

The man's face was covered in smooth, firm skin, seemingly eternally youthful, but his flesh was withered and shriveled, like skin and bones, which only accentuated his ferocious and ruthless expression. In his hand, several lightning dragons, half-condensed, roared and flew towards him as he unleashed his ultimate attack.

'A Flower Fox Sable, a beast at the Blood Exchange Realm... then this person must be Zhan Shengchu? Something's not right about him!'

'Also, isn't this person a swordsman from the Suspended Heaven Division and the Shangguan family? Why is he attacking me and Shangguan Yunchang here? Is this a backlash?'

'Even if there was a backlash, how could they have arrived here safely? What did the Shangguan family do? No, could it be a plot by another powerful family?'

Various thoughts flashed through Zhuang Jin's mind. Regardless of anything else, Zhan Shengchu's killing intent at this moment was real. Knowing that other moves would be difficult to deal with a nearly insane warrior who had severed two corpses, he shrugged his shoulders, and the upgraded version of the Ice Soul Divine Sword on his back fell into his hand. He directly used the Sword Return to Origin with the super-limit burst.

Beside her, Shangguan Yunchang, in perfect harmony, had already made her move when Zhuang Jin unleashed his sword energy to deal with the Flower Fox Sable. Behind her, snowflakes danced and swirled, condensing into a pair of ice phoenixes and ice dragons that flew away, soaring through the heavens like phoenixes dancing in the sky.

Zhan Shengchu's fully charged ultimate move, Thunder Dragon, collided with Ice Phoenix and Ice Phoenix. Amidst the rumbling sound, the entire floor shook and trembled, as if it were about to collapse.

Whoosh!
At this moment, the upgraded version of the Ice Soul Divine Sword in Zhuang Jin's hand, which contained almost all the innate vital energy of a first-stage corpse-slaying martial artist, was condensed into a single sword strike. After this sword returned to its origin, the sword body shattered directly.

Such a sword strike, exceeding all limits, condensed vast energy into a single point, like a laser beam. The 'momentum' of the three people merging into heaven and earth was instantly shattered under such high energy, striking with a thought.

hum!
The purple innate qi protecting Zhan Shengchu pierced through directly and collided with the lightning sphere that had condensed in front of his chest. The sphere then shattered, and Zhan Shengchu was thrown backward and crashed into the wall.

next moment.

Click!

Zhan Shengchu barely managed to block the blow, but it seems that... he suffered a fracture?!
—This is ridiculous! A martial artist at the Innate Corpse Severing Realm was bumped and broke a bone? Such an absurd thing actually happened in reality.

This is related to Zhan Shengchu's current state.

Zhan Shengchu was originally at the Two Corpses Severing Realm. Before coming here, he made a desperate attempt to break through to the Three Corpses Severing Realm. In the end, although he managed to kill the Lower Corpse Worm and the Red Worm and complete the final transformation of his innate Qi, he forced himself to do so. In the middle of the process, the Lower Corpse Worm and the Red Worm rebelled and backfired, causing osteoporosis and deficiency of Qi and blood. At this moment, he can only be considered to be at the half-step Three Corpses Severing Realm.

It was precisely because of this level of skill that he was able to barely block Zhuang Jin's Returning Origin Sword earlier.

“Venerable Zhan, please calm down. There may be a misunderstanding here. Why don’t you sit down and explain it in detail?”

"Misunderstanding? My Zhan family has fallen to this state thanks to you, Shangguan Yunchang and the Shangguan family! After we cooperated, we did all the dirty work for you and promised to leave, but in the blink of an eye, my entire clan was slaughtered. I don't care about the dirty tricks and schemes between your aristocratic families. All I know is that all 104 members of my family are dead!"

Zhan Shengchu's expression was ferocious: "I have already killed Cen Guangsheng, and your Shangguan family also has a share. Today I will take you, the future head of the Shangguan family, with me, along with this genius who is on good terms with your Shangguan family. It's worth it."

Swish!
He moved swiftly, lunging forward. His innate spiritual energy flickered erratically, and judging from his aura, he was about to self-destruct.

"Ugh!"

Hearing this, Zhuang Jin had already guessed many things. Although they were not yet married, he and Shangguan Yunchang were considered to be husband and wife. As husband and wife, they were one, and it was impossible for them to run away when facing external enemies. He stepped forward and used a secret method to draw energy from the Holy Spirit Pearl, instantly forming an energy shield.

This secret technique provides one-way protection and cannot provide comprehensive defense. Moreover, it is against the self-destruction of a half-step Three Corpse Severing martial artist. He is confident that the two of them will not die, but they will definitely suffer serious injuries.

"It doesn't matter."

Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin in front of her, her eyes flickering slightly. She took a step forward and stood side by side with him, holding his hand. The silver rhombus mark between her brows shone brightly. The Suspended Mirror in the center of the outer ring immediately sensed it and resonated with it. A light screen enveloped the two of them, like a barrier separating them.

This is precisely her ability to protect herself within the three rings by utilizing her authority over the Suspended Heaven Mirror; it is unbreakable for those below the Yin God level.

However, both of their efforts were in vain. Zhan Shengchu's self-destruction suddenly froze. Under the cover of a Yin God Domain, he was like an insect frozen in amber. The next moment, a figure appeared as if shrinking the earth to an inch, sealing and capturing him.

This was a beautiful woman whose appearance resembled Shangguan Yunchang by five or six points, but whose eyes were full of the marks of time and vicissitudes of life, and who exuded the majesty of someone who had long held a high position. This was Shangguan Yunchang's grandmother, the ancestor of the Shangguan family, and the head of the Suspended Heaven Division for the past ten years—the Yin God Grand Venerable Shangguan Jinfeng.

After dealing with Zhan Shengchu, Shangguan Jinfeng's gaze fell on Zhuang Jin's face: "Not bad, your mother-in-law has been watching you for several days. You are a responsible and capable person. It is no wonder that Chang'er treated you sincerely and even asked for the Corpse-Subduing Pill for you."

The original air of authority vanished instantly with that teasing tone, giving Zhuang Jin the impression that he was like a gossipmonger, enjoying the marriage prospects of younger generations.

……

Shangguan Jinfeng captured Zhan Shengchu, while the Xuantian Division's enforcement team cleaned up the mess, bringing Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang back to the Shangguan family. She intended to use a secret method to turn Zhan Shengchu into a puppet. Although the innate corpse-slaying realm martial artist mainly relies on outward spiritual power and the fusion of spirit with heaven and earth, after being turned into an inanimate puppet, it would be more than 20-30% of his strength remaining, but it would still be a considerable foundation.

Shangguan Yunchang was not stupid. She sensed something was amiss today. Before he went into seclusion to prepare his plan, she went to inquire and demand an explanation for herself and for Zhuang Jin.

Over here, Zhuang Jin was entertained by his father-in-law, Shangguan Yulin. This father-in-law was only at the first level of the Innate Qi Realm, and his attitude was quite good until Shangguan Yunchang came over and made room for the two of them.

Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin, her face inexplicably flushing slightly, and avoided his gaze: "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Zhuang Jin passed the 'test'. As the prospective son-in-law of the Shangguan family and a cultivator at the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm, he was second only to three or four people in the Shangguan family. Naturally, the Shangguan family valued him highly and would consider Zhuang Jin's feelings. This was not something that Shangguan Jinfeng or anyone else could explain. It was because the two of them had a foundation of trust that she came here, so as not to leave any lingering resentment.

Why is she blushing? Hmm, could it be...?

Zhuang Jin suddenly thought of something, but suppressed it for the moment and asked the core question: "When did our grandmother start keeping an eye on me? Also, isn't Zhan Shengchu your family's 'knife'? How come he's acting like this today?"

……

(End of this chapter)