Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

"Master!" the disciples cried out in unison, their sobs shaking the heavens.

“Therefore,” Zuo Ruotong raised her head, her eyes revealing a resolute determination, “from today onwards, I relinquish my position as the leader of the Sanyi Sect.”

He looked at Si Chong beside him and said, "Si Chong, you take over the responsibility of leading this department."

Si Chong shuddered, his face filled with sorrow, and as he looked at Zuo Ruotong's wrinkled face, tears streamed down his face again.

"Senior brother... I won't answer." Si Chong shook his head, his voice choked with emotion.

"Nonsense!" Zuo Ruotong frowned. "The Sanyi Sect cannot be without a sect leader. In my current state, I need to step back and start to sort out the path I went astray."

Si Chong took a step forward and knelt down directly in front of Zuo Ruotong, then glanced at Chengzhen, who was also filled with sorrow beside him.

“Senior brother, pass it on to Chengzhen.” Si Chong said very seriously, “Chengzhen has handled all the affairs of the sect over the years, and the disciples all respect him. He has a steady temperament and can keep things in order.”

"For so many years, it has been you, senior brother, who has been walking ahead while we follow behind. We only know how to enjoy the shade, but we don't know how much wind you have been braving."

“Now that the days are numbered… now that the days are numbered, you said you want to reorganize your mental cultivation method, then let me, your junior brother, accompany you. I will help you test your Qi, protect you, and carry you when you can no longer walk. I can't be the sect leader; I just want to accompany my senior brother through this final stage.”

After a moment, Zuo Ruotong sighed and reached out to pat Si Chong on the shoulder.

"Alright. Chengzhen, take over."

The atmosphere in the main hall did not ease after the handover of the position of sect leader.

Looking at those young faces, Zuo Ruotong spoke again, her tone becoming extremely desolate: "From today onwards, the Sanyi Sect will no longer claim to be the orthodox sect of the Xuanmen. Since we cannot find the truth, we are just an ordinary sect of strange people in this Jianghu. I will not take back the Reverse Life Triple Technique that you have practiced, but you must remember that this is no longer a shortcut to immortality, but a muddy road full of thorns."

"It's even possible... that in the end, all the training will be for nothing."

He pointed to the direction of the granary on the back mountain, "Sanyi has just undergone a major change and is severely weakened. If any of you feel that this dream has been shattered and that you no longer want to waste your time on this path, I will not blame you. You can go to the granary to collect your travel expenses and food, go down the mountain to find your own way, whether you want to start a family and make a living or seek refuge elsewhere, I will allow it."

The main hall was deathly silent.

After a long while, someone finally moved.

Shuiyun was the first to step forward. His eyes were red, and he suddenly knelt on the bluestone slab with a thud.

Immediately afterwards, Changqing, Lu Jin... one disciple after another knelt down.

"Please, Master, don't say such things again!"

In an instant, the entire hall was filled with wailing cries, and not a single disciple moved an inch toward the door.

......

Jiang Zhen stayed on the mountain for a few days.

In the past few days, he did not disturb Zuo Ruotong. Instead, after handing the gifts to the disciples of Sanyi Sect, he led his people to wander around Sanyi Sect.

The disciples of the Sanyi Sect held him in the highest esteem. Whenever he passed by, they would stop respectfully and bow in greeting.

The next morning.

At this moment, Chengzhen, Lu Jin, and several other core disciples were already waiting at the mountain gate.

With Si Chong's help, Zuo Ruotong walked to the mountain gate. Although she still looked old, Zuo Ruotong's complexion was better than a few days ago, a kind of composure that came from a completely at peace mind.

"Junior Brother Jiang..."

As he spoke, he seemed to bow deeply to Jiang Zhen with utmost solemnity.

"Alright, everyone, even after a thousand miles of farewell, we must part ways."

Jiang Zhen waved his hand, his gaze falling on Lu Jin: "Old Lu."

"Uncle-Master." Lu Jin quickly stepped forward.

"Alright, alright, I only use this seniority to mess with Zhang Zhiwei. Your formal way of addressing him makes me a little uncomfortable. Come to Shanghai to see me sometime."

Lu Jin nodded heavily.

Chapter 78 A Letter from Wugensheng, Somewhere in the Qinling Mountains

After leaving the Sanyi Gate, Jiang Zhen and his group returned directly to Shanghai.

A year is neither a long nor a short time.

Throughout the year, news of the Sanyi Sect occasionally drifted over on the wind. It was said that after Chengzhen took over as sect leader, he closed the mountain gates and no longer concerned himself with the troubles of the martial world. Si Chong lived a peaceful life with Zuo Ruotong in the back mountains.

But the end of one's life is often determined not by weather conditions, but by fate.

"Master." Bai Fu stood at the office door, holding a plain obituary in his hand, his voice low, "The Left Master of the Sanyi Sect has passed away."

Jiang Zhen stared at the three words "Zuo Ruotong" on the obituary and remained silent for a long time.

When did this happen?

"The night before last. They said he passed away peacefully, he just fell asleep and passed away."

Jiang Zhen sighed and tucked the obituary into his pocket.

"Go and prepare." He stood up. "Go and see Master Zuo off on his final journey."

A few days later, the entire mountainside of Sanyi Gate was covered in pure white.

Various sects in the martial arts world sent representatives, including the Lu family, Longhu Mountain, and the Tang Clan. After all, the name Zuo Ruotong carries considerable weight in the world of supernatural beings.

When Jiang Zhen led his men up the mountain, a considerable commotion arose in the crowd.

Putting aside his personal strength, the canal gang behind him alone is so large that it makes many people uneasy. Some step aside to make way, some bow their heads in greeting, and some stand at a distance with complicated expressions.

Incense was burning in the main hall, and the air was filled with swirling smoke.

Chengzhen stood in front of the mourning hall to greet the guests, her eyes deeply sunken, as if she hadn't slept for days. Upon seeing Jiang Zhen, she quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Uncle-Master, you've arrived."

Jiang Zhen nodded. Cheng Zhen stepped aside and led him into the mourning hall. On the memorial tablet was Zuo Ruotong's memorial tablet, the newly carved characters still wet with ink.

He stood still, straightened his clothes, and bowed before the memorial tablet. One bow, two bows, three bows.

As he straightened up, he saw Lu Jin in the crowd.

A year had passed, and Lu Jin seemed like a different person. He had grown taller, but he had also lost weight. He stood in the crowd with his back straight, his eyes red, but he didn't cry.

Jiang Zhen watched him from afar without going over.

After the memorial service, on their way back, Jiang Zhen, Ma Benzai, and Duanmu Ying walked together. During their conversation, the topic somehow veered towards Wugensheng.

“This guy is quite interesting,” Jiang Zhen said casually. “Although he hasn’t done anything particularly evil, it’s a pity he’s the leader of the Quanxing Sect.”

Ma Ben chimed in, "Although he's the leader of Quanxing Sect, I've heard he's not a bad person. At least he hasn't done anything heinous."

Duanmu Ying nodded in agreement: "Yes, compared to the other Quanxing people, this person is considered good."

Jiang Zhen paused in his steps.

A big question mark immediately appeared in his mind.

He looked at Ma Benzai suspiciously, then at Duanmu Ying. Both men remained calm; one was kicking pebbles on the roadside, the other was watching the sunset.

Although they spent most of their time in the canal gangs, they didn't stay there every day.

Duanmu Ying occasionally returns to Jishetang or goes out to visit other medical schools to exchange experiences and research materials, while Ma Benzai also occasionally returns to Tiangongtang or goes out to find materials. It's hard to guarantee that they won't run into Wugensheng outside.

These two... could they have already been hooked up with by Wugensheng?

Jiang Zhen pondered this in his heart, but didn't say much on the surface.

After returning from paying his respects at the Sanyi Gate, Jiang Zhen plunged headlong into the headquarters of the Canal Gang.

The world situation at this time had undergone earth-shattering changes.

The decline of the Japanese army on the Chinese battlefield was irreversible. Under the encirclement and suppression by the Grand Canal Gang and other forces, they had suffered a complete and utter defeat.

On the western front, the Japanese navy, which had been making a lot of noise, originally hoped to reverse its decline by launching a successful surprise attack on a port. However, before they could even celebrate for long, their retribution came.

Jiang Zhen sat in his office, listening to the piercing static from the radio.

"Boss! Big news!"

Bai Fu practically burst through the door, his face flushed crimson, the color rising to his ears, his entire face turning a deep purple.

"It's blown up! It's all blown up!"

"?"

Bai Fu took a breath, his voice trembling, whether from excitement or something else, it was hard to tell: "Our hometown in Japan... was bombed! Not ordinary bombs, but two things I've never seen before! The power..."

He tried to demonstrate, but found that he couldn't do it at all.

"I heard that one of these can wipe out an entire city, and when the mushroom cloud rises, it can be seen clearly from dozens of miles away!"

Jiang Zhen took the newspaper and looked at the blurry photos. Two enormous mushroom clouds—even through the ink, one could feel their destructive power.

Shortly afterward, Japan officially announced its unconditional surrender.

The day the news arrived, the Canal Gang set up over a thousand tables for a feast, stretching from their headquarters all the way to the street. The entire street was blocked by tables and chairs, and pedestrians could only squeeze through the gaps between people. Jiang Zhen ordered that the entire gang be rewarded for three days, with plenty of wine and meat.

Almost simultaneously with the news of the victory in the war came a report of good news from the Canal Gang Laboratory.

"We've got it!" Lin Zai and Duanmu Ying approached Jiang Zhen, their eyes shining brightly. "The penicillin purification process is completely stable!"

With the almost unlimited investment of the Canal Gang, penicillin was finally put into production and launched into the global market.

In an era when anti-inflammatory drugs were in short supply, the appearance of penicillin was nothing short of a miracle.

"Boss, this is last month's financial statement."

Jiang Zhen glanced at the number, and even though he had handled so much money that it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, he still couldn't help but marvel.

The wealth on the books of the Grand Canal Gang is doubling at an almost absurd rate.

Duanmu Ying and Lin Zhu have now become some of the most sought-after figures in the global pharmaceutical industry.

During this period, Jiang Zhen used the most primitive yet most effective methods to retain those Western experts.

We don't make empty promises. We only provide tangible results.

The enormous financial support, the freedom to never question the direction of research, and the extremely meticulous arrangements for their lives.

After being showered with sweet words and promises, those foreign experts were so happy that they never mentioned returning home again.

Jiang Zhen also told them to write to their colleagues they knew, and that the Canal Gang would accept anyone else who wanted to come.

It wasn't until one night, at two in the morning.