Azure Sky Platform

That night, Luo Zheng took out He Bing's Purple Azure Treasure Sword and placed it in front of him.

The Purple Azure Treasure Sword was not only of a good grade, but also exceptionally beautiful.

It was clear that He Bing had cherished this Purple Azure Treasure Sword dearly. Its Sword Sheath was inlaid with multicolored gems and lined with Golden Threads.

With a clang, Luo Zheng drew the blade from its Sword Sheath. Purple and azure light flashed across the sword, instantly enveloping the entire room.

"What a fine sword!"

Although the Purple Azure Treasure Sword and Xie Lang's Karma Fire Sword were both High-Grade Profound Artifacts, Luo Zheng could clearly feel that the Purple Azure Treasure Sword was a cut above the Karma Fire Sword in quality.

It was indeed a pity to melt down such a fine sword.

He Bing had even sent someone over to plead for him, hoping to redeem the Purple Azure Treasure Sword, but Luo Zheng had flatly refused.

To increase his strength, Luo Zheng had no choice but to do this.

After examining the Purple Azure Treasure Sword for a while, Luo Zheng gritted his teeth and began communicating with the Heaven and Earth Furnace in his mind.

A Black Flame, like a Little Flying Moth, burrowed out from between his brows. After tracing a strange arc through the air, it pounced toward the Purple Azure Treasure Sword.

The incomparably hard Purple Azure Treasure Sword was now like a candle. The Black Flame devoured it from hilt to tip, turning it into bead after bead of Iron Essence that glimmered with a metallic sheen.

Luo Zheng counted the beads of Iron Essence, and his eyes immediately lit up. Delighted, he said, "The Purple Azure Treasure Sword and the Karma Fire Sword are both High-Grade Profound Artifacts, but the Purple Azure Treasure Sword actually refined into ten drops of Iron Essence!"

As for the reason behind this, Luo Zheng could not understand it. He did not even know what this Iron Essence really was!

Luo Zheng had once looked through the weapon-refining classics in Xie Lang's Sumeru Ring, but he had found nothing about the origin or source of the Iron Essence. Perhaps those weapon-refining grandmasters could explain it...

After the Black Fire swept the ten drops of Iron Essence into the mouth of the Azure Dragon statue, two streaks of emerald light suddenly burst from between the two dim scales. Once the light faded, two more Dragon Scales had been illuminated.

There were now four Dragon Scales lit up on the Azure Dragon statue.

Luo Zheng clenched his fists. Now that he had entered the Marrow Refining Realm, with the power of these four Dragon Scales, he could probably contend with even a powerhouse of the Innate Secret Realm.

That night, after Luo Zheng finished all his preparations, he quietly left Little Rain Peak early the next morning.

He did not want to alarm Mo Can and the others. If they learned that he had accepted a mission, they would definitely try to stop him again. He did not want to waste his breath on this matter, because it was something he had no choice but to do.

However, Luo Zheng did not know that the moment he walked out of his small house, someone had already spotted him.

The man was stocky and dark-skinned. He was none other than Cao Lei, who had quarreled with Luo Zheng over Steward Zhu that day.

Afterward, Cao Lei had escorted Steward Zhu back. He had then received orders from Zhuge Feng to keep an eye on Luo Zheng. If Luo Zheng left Little Rain Peak and Cao Lei found a chance to act, he was to report it immediately.

Today, when Cao Lei saw Luo Zheng leave Little Rain Peak early in the morning, he realized that his opportunity had come and followed behind him.

After following for some distance, Cao Lei discovered that Luo Zheng was actually heading east of the Azure Cloud Sect.

He had originally thought Luo Zheng was leaving the Azure Cloud Sect, but there was no exit to the east. Cao Lei was immediately baffled.

Before long, however, Luo Zheng actually stepped onto the Azure Sky Platform, and Cao Lei finally understood. Luo Zheng had definitely accepted a mission—and it should be the Insect Tide mission.

This was precisely the period when the Insect Tide was raging. The Azure Cloud Sect had issued a mission to exterminate the blade insects, and quite a few disciples had accepted it.

The mission site was in the southern part of the empire. It was a long journey, and traveling on foot over mountains and across rivers would take far too long. If they arrived late, the Insect Tide would probably already be over.

Thus, after accepting the mission, the vast majority of disciples would head to the Azure Sky Platform.

There was a large Flying Carriage on the Azure Sky Platform. Those enormous Flying Carriages traveled a thousand li in a day and could take people to the southern part of the Imperial Capital in just one day.

Luo Zheng had come to the Azure Sky Platform today, so nine times out of ten, he had accepted the mission and intended to head to the Southern Region to exterminate the blade insects.

Cao Lei was also somewhat puzzled. Luo Zheng was actually in such a hurry to undertake a mission of this level.

"Since you're so eager to go see King Yama, I'll send you on your way!" With a trace of cold cruelty on his face, Cao Lei's figure slowly faded away. He would report this matter first.

The Azure Sky Platform was a large man-made terrace, about ten zhang high and perfectly square.

When Luo Zheng climbed up the Stepping Stones, he found that quite a few Azure Cloud Sect disciples were already waiting there.

These Azure Cloud Sect disciples had the same purpose as Luo Zheng. They had all accepted the Azure Cloud Sect's mission to exterminate the Insect Tide.

Most of the disciples there wore black robes. Only a small portion wore white robes. Yet every one of them faintly radiated a sharp aura—the aura of those tempered in a sea of blood. Their strength was anything but ordinary.

Whether they wore the white robes of Outer Sect Disciples or the black robes of Inner Sect Disciples, all of them showed a trace of surprise in their eyes when they saw Luo Zheng.

It was not that Luo Zheng was especially unusual. It was that his cultivation was far too low—he was only in the Marrow Refining Realm.

The Insect Tide mission was no simple matter. The blade insects were enormous in number, and every individual was ferocious. More frightening still, they did not fear death. Even when facing a powerful opponent, they would swarm forward and attack without regard for their lives.

Even Half-Step to the Innate Realm cultivators could lose their lives beneath the blade insects' assault if they were the slightest bit careless.

Thus, the minimum requirement for accepting this mission was Half-Step to the Innate Realm.

Now, a fellow in the Marrow Refining Realm had appeared. It was only natural for everyone to react so strangely.

Luo Zheng ignored their astonished gazes. He found a corner on the Azure Sky Platform and sat down, then closed his eyes to rest.

Opposite Luo Zheng, four or five Inner Sect Disciples kept casting glances at him while whispering among themselves.

Their voices were neither loud nor soft, and Luo Zheng could hear every word clearly. Clearly, they were doing it on purpose.

"When did someone in the Marrow Refining Realm become eligible to accept missions?"

"There are many ways to seek death. There are always people in this world who overestimate themselves."

"Heh heh, I'm going to toy with him a little!"

After a few of them exchanged remarks, a burly, reckless-looking man stepped out. He swaggered toward Luo Zheng with his legs spread wide and looked down at him. "Hey, kid, you're planning to go kill blade insects too?"

Luo Zheng opened his eyes and stared at the burly man. "Is there a problem?"

"Haha." The burly man gave a strange laugh. "You're only in the Marrow Refining Realm. With that scrawny frame of yours, a blade insect could probably split you in half with one strike!"

"Oh." Luo Zheng replied blandly, then closed his eyes again.

Seeing how indifferent Luo Zheng was, the burly man realized that his intimidation had apparently failed. His eyes swept downward and landed on the token at Luo Zheng's waist. He reached out with his fan-sized hand to pluck it off.

At the instant before the burly man touched the token, Luo Zheng's eyes snapped open. His body moved like a startled hare. With an extremely agile motion, he seized the burly man by the throat, using the force of rising to circle behind him. A broken throwing knife had already appeared in his hand, its tip pressed against the burly man's neck.

Although the throwing knife was broken, the might it radiated was astonishing, as though it could cut apart everything beneath heaven. Threads of razor-sharp aura spread across the burly man's skin, making him shudder uncontrollably.

The burly man's companions all changed color at the sight. How could they have imagined that this unremarkable-looking boy would be so fierce, subduing the burly man in the turn of a hand?

"Friend, this is the Azure Cloud Sect. What are you trying to do?"

"Don't act recklessly! Shan was only joking with you!"

Several of the burly man's companions came over, speaking nervously.

"Am I familiar with him? He still wanted to take my token?" Luo Zheng said expressionlessly.

One of them said, "This was Shan's fault. Let him go first, and we can discuss this. Shan, hurry and apologize."

The burly man named Shan had already been scared out of his wits. Only he could sense the killing intent Luo Zheng had released just now. If Luo Zheng had truly wanted to strike, Shan would probably already have been a dead man. Trembling, he said, "S-sorry. I only wanted to play a joke... I offended you..."

Only after hearing Shan's apology did Luo Zheng withdraw the throwing knife and put it into his Sumeru Ring. Without saying a word, he backed away several steps, his face filled with wariness.

Although they were all Azure Cloud Sect disciples, Luo Zheng's vigilance did not lessen in the slightest. Ever since entering the Azure Cloud Sect, he had been ambushed by all kinds of people. He understood that even in this sacred land of martial dao, the law of the jungle was still being carried out to the letter.

If he were a sheep, his only fate would be to be eaten.

The burly man moved his neck and rubbed it with his hand before finally letting out a breath. His gaze toward Luo Zheng now held a trace of awe.

However, the burly man seemed to be the sort who remembered food but forgot the beating. After sizing Luo Zheng up, he once again piled on a smile. "Friend, my name is Shan. The five of us often hunt blade insects. Those blade insects always appear in swarms, and it's troublesome for one person to deal with them alone."

Luo Zheng gave no comment.

Seeing this, the burly man added, "You see, people who go hunt blade insects all travel in groups. It's to avoid being attacked from both front and rear. Why don't you join us?"

Luo Zheng shook his head and immediately refused. "Thanks, but I'm used to being alone."

After saying this, Luo Zheng found another corner and sat down, closing his eyes once more.

The move Luo Zheng had just displayed attracted the attention of many people on the platform.

Most of them put away their contempt. Even the eyes of some Inner Sect Disciples who had entered the Innate Secret Realm flickered with solemnity.

Martial artists liked to place themselves in hypothetical danger. They wondered: if they had been that burly man just now, could they have dodged Luo Zheng's blade?

The vast majority of them reached the same conclusion in their hearts: they could not. Luo Zheng's reaction had been too fast, and his strike had come too suddenly.

Of course, Luo Zheng had no interest in guessing what these people were thinking. After sitting there and meditating for a while, he heard a trembling sound coming from the sky. He looked up and saw a huge object descending from above.

It was a giant Flying Carriage.