In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Back at the upper level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, most of the members of the Nine Gates had arrived.

Looking at the Dragon-Slaying Saber that Zhang Xiaoshan brought, they all revealed a greedy look in their eyes.

The supreme martial arts weapon, the Dragon-Slaying Saber!

"Are you all waiting for the Dragon-Slaying Saber in my hand?"

If that's the case, then you should stop thinking about it. The Dragon Slayer Saber is a divine artifact that I placed in the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion as a treasure to guard the pavilion.

Not to mention that he will be taken directly into the secret chamber of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion later, guarded by the evil dragon that Zhang has subdued.

Furthermore, this sword is a divine weapon that is paired with the Dragon-Slaying Sword Technique, so apart from Uncle Gui, none of you have the right to wield it or lend it out.

Therefore, if any of you act in the name of the Dragon-Slaying Saber, you will bear the consequences yourself!

"I can't wait!"

Only a few people were acting impulsively and had this idea.

Lady Dongming, the Heavenly Official of Faqiu, the Snake King of Jiangdong... I was just curious to see this legendary divine weapon.

After all, they are only united, not an absolute whole.

Do you want them to make a mess and then have Ghost Street clean up their mess?

They're being kind by not handing you over directly.

They joined this place without the determination to fight to the death for Ghost Street; everything was about profit. Naturally, anything that went against their interests, even if it belonged to the top three, could be abandoned.

Not to mention a bunch of insignificant middle-class and low-class people!

"Please make yourselves at home!"

Looking at the Dragon-Slaying Saber on the table, Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hand, not restricting the behavior of the others.

You can just touch it; it won't break off a piece of metal.

Moreover, the Dragon Slayer Saber was made by elite Xuan Tie craftsmen, so even the sharpest weapons in everyone's hands could not leave a scratch on it.

Zhang Xiaoshan then led Gui Yanluo to the deepest secret chamber underground.

The empty, sealed room was now filled with knife marks.

These knife marks represent the Dragon-Slaying Saber Technique left behind by Zhang Xiaoshan, consisting of eight forms!

The power of these eight sword techniques, when combined with the Dragon Slayer Saber, is comparable to the legendary Tathagata Palm and the Heavenly Crippled Divine Skill, making them extremely domineering.

The final move, the Dragon-Slaying Technique, represents a qualitative leap in power compared to the previous eight moves.

After all, he had previously been wielding a forty-meter-long broadsword, but the ninth move was a direct unleashing of a blade aura that stretched for twenty or thirty feet. This was already one of Zhang Xiaoshan's strongest attack methods at the moment.

Furthermore, his moves are no longer limited to the Dragon Slayer Saber.

"Dragon-Slaying Saber Technique!"

Even Ghost Yama, staring at the eight forms of the Dragon-Slaying Saber Technique around him, was shaken to his core.

He had only heard of this sword technique before, but now, seeing the specific sword moves and internal energy cultivation methods, he realized that it far surpassed any other martial art he knew.

Of the eight sword techniques, the ninth was hidden by Zhang Xiaoshan.

Just like in the legend.

But at this point, Ghost Yama was already very satisfied, after all, these eight moves were enough for him to dominate the martial arts world.

What's more, there's also the Dragon Slayer Sword as a trump card.

"Uncle Gui, these eight sword techniques are enough to make you a force to be reckoned with in the martial world."

As for the ninth form? Without sufficient spiritual attainment and comprehension, one simply cannot grasp its mysteries.

Furthermore, the domineering power of the ninth move is far superior to that of the previous eight. When the time is right, I will pass it on to Uncle Gui!

"Thank you, sir!"

The Ghost King bowed respectfully.

The ninth move was a defense against him, and it was overt, so he was not surprised at all.

Besides, he hasn't even mastered the first eight forms yet, so the ninth form is still a long way off.

Such a unique skill would never have been passed on if it were him.

"In addition, I raised a wicked dragon in the Chaotic Demon Pool."

The Dragon-Slaying Saber is a token; without wielding it, that beast's bloodlust will ensure that even the most skilled warrior cannot escape its fate.

"My subordinate understands!"

Even without the evil dragon, Ghost Yama knew that the Chaotic Demon Pool was an extremely dangerous place.

"Uncle Ghost, the Dragon Slayer Saber will be your support for the future development of Ghost Street."

The Tianji Tower is now too reliant on the Zhang family. Once the royal family feels the time is right, they will definitely take action against the Zhang family, and the Zhang family may have no choice but to leave Lin'an Prefecture.

"And the Eight Dragon-Slaying Techniques are my trump card for you!"

"The royal family is taking action against the Zhang family?"

"Zhang Jian is too fat now!"

Now that His Majesty is on the throne, he is wary of the Zhang family's power and will naturally not take action against them.

But the successors were different. To the emperor, the Zhang family was like a big fish raised in a lake. Once the harvest season arrived, how could he possibly let go of this fish that he could eat for a lifetime?

The Zhang family now donates hundreds of thousands of taels of gold every year, and last time they donated nearly 30 million taels of gold to build a dam. They're just short of paying the emperor's military salaries.

This has already violated the emperor's taboo.

Once the Zhang family is overthrown, the Zhao Empire will have enough wealth to live on for ten years. Do you think you, as the emperor, wouldn't be tempted?"

Upon hearing this, Ghost Yama immediately understood Zhang Xiaoshan's concerns.

People without thought, he must worry about.

Undoubtedly, Zhang Xiaoshan had planned everything long ago; he was just waiting for the moment to strike.

Maybe three years, five years, ten years... or even forever!

Chapter 324 Three Years Passed By: The Nine Cauldrons Realm

A month later, Xie Xun, who had renounced worldly life, committed suicide at the Southern Shaolin Temple in front of all the heroes.

Entering the Buddhist order is merely an attitude; if Xie Xun wants to use the Southern Shaolin Temple as a shield against disaster, Zhang Xiaoshan doesn't believe he has truly repented.

Xie Xun's suicide in front of all the heroes was done under extremely favorable circumstances, which also demonstrates his remorse.

Otherwise, if Xie Xun was truly only concerned with survival, he could have simply hidden in the back.

After all, Buddhism is a path to salvation, and becoming a monk or nun means being a person outside the world.

However, this has nothing to do with Zhang Xiaoshan!

Whether Xie Xun truly committed suicide or it was a test from the Southern Shaolin Temple, it had little to do with him.

But time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye!

These were three years of peace and tranquility in the martial arts world, but also three years of bloodshed and turmoil.

The world was calm, but there was no large-scale fighting or bloody conspiracy that shook the world.

The bloodshed in the martial world remains undiminished, with the Dragon-Slaying Saber eyeing Ghost Street, the treasure of the Bottle Mountain Palace, and the quiet rise of several major forces...

The killings never stopped, but they never involved the Zhang family, nor did the Zhang family interfere.

Those who covet the Dragon-Slaying Saber in Ghost Street enter the secret chamber but never return, and few challengers can withstand the three strikes of Ghost Yama.

In recent years, especially, Ghost Yama's swordsmanship has reached a high level of mastery. Even the most outstanding swordsmen who come to challenge him are defeated by Ghost Yama with a single strike.

At this point, the title of Ghost King Yama had truly become the ruler of Ghost Street.

As for the Zhang family and the Golden-Faced Buddha, they basically no longer get involved in the affairs of Ghost Street.

"Young Master has not yet emerged from seclusion; it has been almost half a month!"

"Young Master's breakthrough to the Nine Cauldrons Realm is equivalent to breaking through the barrier between life and death in the Acquired Realm. How could it be so easy? We mustn't lose our composure and give others the impression that we have an opportunity to take advantage of us!"

"That's right. Now that you're breaking through, the most important thing is not to let you get distracted. The Zhang family has quite a few enemies outside!"

···

Inside the new mansion, a group of female relatives were gathered in the main hall.

Zhang Xiaoshan began his closed-door training to break through his limits half a month ago, and it has been half a month now.

Breaking through from the Eighth to the Ninth Cauldron realm requires not only 100,000 merits but also a vast amount of vital energy to support the strengthening of the physical body—Crimson Dragon Turtle, Dragon Fish Blood Glue, Thousand-Year Snake Gallbladder…

It can be said that Zhang Xiaoshan used every available resource in order to avoid any problems during the breakthrough.

In other words, there won't be any problems if you break through using merit.

The more abundant the qi and blood Zhang Xiaoshan prepared, the stronger his power would be after the breakthrough.

Just like building a foundation, a blade made of black iron is fundamentally different from a weapon made of fine steel.

Otherwise, if Zhang Xiaoshan were to break through to the Nine Cauldrons Realm solely using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he would inevitably suffer from a loss of blood and energy.

Or a 'mediocre' breakthrough.

Only after all these preparations were completed did Zhang Xiaoshan go into seclusion to break through his cultivation level.

During this period, the women in the villa, apart from their normal daily routines, have been protecting Zhang Xiaoshan.

Among them, the girls who seem to be the most boisterous are actually the most idle.

But her beautiful eyes kept glancing in the direction where Zhang Xiaoshan was in seclusion.

As for safety?

Not to mention Yaoyue, Lianxing, and Dongfang Bubai, whom Zhang Xiaoshan invited.

Even the four maids who were originally below the sixth level have now broken through to the seventh level of divine skill, which is the ultimate realm.

In addition, Liu Sheng Piaoxu, Murong Jiu, and Huang Rong are also at the peak of the eighth level and may break through the bottleneck of the ninth level at any time. Master Mingchen, who is chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall, is also at the ninth level of divine skill and is an unparalleled master in the martial arts world. Therefore, there are at least eight top masters and four grandmasters in the new mansion!

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan had a body double by his side.

With such powerful protectors, who could possibly disturb Zhang Xiaoshan's breakthrough?

However, the realm of willow catkins drifting in the wind seems to have been surpassed by later generations.

In reality, Zhang Xiaoshan had been helping Huang Rong, Murong Jiu, and Master Mingchen cultivate using the Nine Yang Divine Skill, making their cultivation speed several times faster than normal. On the contrary, Liu Sheng Piaoxu had always been an 'outsider'.

But all the women understood that this was Zhang Xiaoshan placing great hope in Liu Sheng Piaoxu.

Among all the female martial arts practitioners, only Liu Sheng Piaoxu possesses the best aptitude, and being a virgin, she has the potential to eventually break through to the Grandmaster level.

Even ten years from now, it will be worth it.

As for the Zhang family? Only the patriarch Zhang Yuan knew about Zhang Xiaoshan's breakthrough.

Moreover, upon hearing that Zhang Xiaoshan was preparing to break through to the Nine Cauldrons Realm, Zhang Yuan looked at his Iron Shirt skill, which had only just entered the mid-stage of the Seven Cauldrons Realm, and immediately felt that he was really not cut out for martial arts.

He was busy with business, while Zhang Xiaoshan was busy eating, drinking, and having fun, surrounded by beautiful women.

Even so, Zhang Xiaoshan was still able to break through a major realm within six years, and even cross the Eight Cauldrons Realm.

Through years of cultivation, he naturally knew that the higher the level, the slower the progress.

As it stands now, it would take him at least ten years to break through to the peak of the Seven Cauldrons Realm. Once he reaches the Eight Cauldrons Realm, there is basically no possibility of further progress.

Therefore, in terms of cultivation, he has already leaned towards the Pure Yang Finger or the Nine Yang Limitless Skill.

He is now at the eighth level of the Nine Yang Divine Skill. In the past few years, with various supplements, his internal energy cultivation speed has been extremely fast.

And what about Zhang Yuan's original bodyguard, Zen Master Juexin?

This period also marks a crucial time for the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill," as they are preparing for the final stage of skill transmission.

After three years of cultivating the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, Zen Master Juexin has reached the level of 80% (heavy) of the skill.

Ultimately, the choice was between destroying and rebuilding, taking a safer path to breakthrough, or potentially exhausting one's vital energy and dying after the transfer of power. Zen Master Juexin, undoubtedly concerned about the world's troubles before himself, decided to take this step first.

Whether you fail or not, you won't lose out.

Even if he dies from exhaustion of his vital energy, Juezhi, who has received the power from him, will inevitably reach an unparalleled level of strength.