Escalation, Part Two

"Sky Peak Cave? Possibly the Moon King's Heir?!" Yan Shenjun finished speaking.

The Sky Peak Cave was alright, but when the Thousand Stone Sect Master heard the words "Moon King's Heir," his tone clearly showed emotional fluctuation.

What began as calm and languidness turned into slight surprise and doubt.

"Are you sure that's the Golden Toad Skill at the Sun Chasing Level?"

"It's confirmed, but it's a very important matter. The Sect Master can send someone to verify it multiple times," Yan Shenjun said earnestly.

"I will send someone else to handle this matter. As for that expert from the Great Dao Sect, you can observe him first and wait. Once everything is confirmed..." Thousand Stone Sect paused.

"If he is indeed the Crown Prince, we will certainly do our utmost to protect him. Of course, the premise is that he has indeed mastered the Golden Toad Skill to the Chasing Sun Realm."

"Understood, subordinate." Yan Shenjun nodded. "Then, Sect Master, should we inform the other thirteen sects about this?"

The Sensing Gate has a vast network of branches, with numerous experts scattered throughout the Great Ling Realm.

Some of them have already pledged allegiance to the government, some have gone into seclusion to pass on their teachings, and some have even collaborated with Secret Teaching.

The Thousand Stone Sect, on the other hand, belonged to the original Sensing Gate, which comprised Five Regions Thirteen Sects.

He is a member of one of the thirteen factions.

Meanwhile, the other two factions among the thirteen factions, which are also connected to the vicinity of the Thousand Stone Sect and are hiding in the shadows, have been trying to restore the former glory of the Holy Gate.

That's why Yan Shenjun asked at this point whether they should be notified.

"Prince Yan Yan Xi has already placed his bets on this matter ahead of time, and we are already far behind. We should wait until we confirm the truth before making any further statements," the Thousand Stone Sect Master said in a deep voice.

In fact, the two were focused on whether the Golden Toad Skill had truly reached the point of Sun Chasing.

Whether that person was truly a direct disciple of the Moon King is secondary.

Because even if he wasn't a direct disciple, such talent and level of mastery are no longer important.

It's best if it is, but if it isn't, it can also become yes.

Early June.

Another incident of a fleet being hijacked has been discovered in Ci Tong Port.

This time, by the time the Government Office ships arrived, only shipwrecks remained at sea.

In addition to looting, the enemy destroyed merchant ships, leaving no survivors.

Although these looting incidents were few in number, their proximity to the sea has already impacted the normal trade of Ci Tong Port.

The Jade Shop Association and the Hundred Merchants Association, two major forces, joined forces and dispatched escort ships to search everywhere, but still found nothing.

Combined with previous cases of merchant ship looting, the finger at this matter once again points to the Aloeswood Palace.

After waiting for a long time without any response, Jade Shop Association once again send her experts to the Aloeswood Palace to demand an explanation.

It was just getting light.

At the Chen Xiang Mountain.

First Squad five short, stocky Jade Shop Association experts, each carrying two swords and a long spear, stood solemnly at the foot of the mountain.

The leader was bald, with small, shrewd eyes, and was the only one among them with some fat.

This man was none other than Zhao Sunyi, the most loyal subordinate of Zhou Xueming, the leader of the Jade Shop Association.

This time, he personally led the team to investigate and question them. This was because of the previous incident.

"When Tie Sha led his team here before, they were ambushed and killed halfway. Tsk tsk, they couldn't find out who ambushed them even though they were only a short distance from the sea. That's interesting."

Now, the goods of the Hundred Merchants Association have also been looted, with all the targets pointing to the Aloeswood Palace.

At this point, anyone could see that something was wrong.

However, Aloeswood Palace has yet to offer any explanation.

"Let's go." He took the lead, with the four people following quickly behind, always on guard of their surroundings.

However, just as they reached the entrance to the stone steps of the Aloeswood Palace, they were blocked by several Great Ling Army soldiers.

"Halt!"

"Charge! Today I want to see just what kind of den of dragons and tigers this Aloeswood Palace is."

If no clues can be found, the best way to investigate is to confront the people from the Aloeswood Palace face to face.

Zhao Sunyi's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to rush in at the same speed.

Now that the young master of the Jade Shop Association is dead, even their goods have been stolen, and their prestige has been greatly diminished.

If no action is taken soon, even business on Jade Shop Island will be affected.

So he came.

The men strained their muscles, ready to force their way in.

As long as no one dies, Jade Shop Association plenty of ways to get them released from their posts if they force their way in.

Before Zhao Sunyi could react, First Squad men suddenly rushed over from the side.

"Who dares to trespass into the Aloeswood Palace?!" A loud shout rang out.

As soon as the words were spoken, several figures suddenly appeared in front of Zhao Sunyi and his companions, like phantoms.

The Shangguan Lian Yue, who was wearing armor and Helmet, holding a scimitar, and had a burly build!

"I received a message from the Dao Palace Temple on the Great Dao Sect road of Huo Province, and the provincial Garrison has come here to provide protection."

Shangguan Lian Yue's face was shrouded in a dark bronze pointed Helmet, making her expression impossible to discern.

However, this person was much more robust than ordinary martial artists, and just by standing on the steps, he exuded a chilling sense of threat.

Zhao Sunyi's pupils contracted, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Shangguan, we only wish to confront the master of the Aloeswood Palace face-to-face in order to understand the truth of the matter. Isn't it inappropriate for you to obstruct us like this?"

Before he arrived, he thought Shangguan Lian Yue was just a good-for-nothing.

But when I faced it, I realized something was wrong.

This level of oppressive power—he's no fool, he's a tiger! "A confrontation??" Shangguan Lian Yue laughed. "A confrontation with what?? Your Jade Shop Association is nothing but a bunch of trashy pirates, with countless enemies at sea. If you were robbed, you should accept your fate. What's the point of coming here to complain?"

"My lord, we..." Zhao Sunyi began, but suddenly his breath caught in his throat.

A flash of light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The blade flashed like a thunderclap, moving with incredible speed, like a beam of white light suddenly illuminating the forest.

It was so fast that he didn't even have time to react.

Although Zhao Sunyi rose to his position as External Medicine Super Grade by currying favor with Zhou Xueming, he still possesses considerable strength and martial arts skills.

But at this moment, he was completely unable to react.

Pfft!

In an instant, heads flew high into the air.

"Kill them! A bunch of trashy pirates dare to provoke Aloeswood Palace! They're courting death!" Shangguan Lian Yue roared.

Surrounding First Squad of soldiers, along with skilled military personnel, launched their attack simultaneously.

The men Zhao Sunyi brought had barely run a few steps when they were pierced by a hail of arrows and pinned to the ground.

There are no Spirit Guard, and no Spirit Vein.

Apart from the Great Spirit Court and other major powers, the number of Spirit Guards and Spirit Networks is extremely small among other forces.

Moreover, they are usually used as a trump card to keep hidden away.

They would never send out troops to take action as casually as the Thousand Sect Alliance or the Sensing Gate.

In just over ten seconds, Zhao Sunyi and the four experts he brought with him all fell into Blood Pool.

A hint of coldness flashed in Shangguan Lian Yue's eyes beneath her Helmet.

He picked up Zhao Sunyi's head, pierced it with a knife, and held it high.

Then he faced the crowd of onlookers below the mountain.

"Listen up, everyone!"

His voice was loud and clear as he surveyed the entire room.

"I don't care what ridiculous reasons you have. Anyone who dares to cause trouble at the Aloeswood Palace again is going against me! They're asking for death!"

"Whatever happens—the ship is hijacked, the cargo is stolen, the people are killed—none of that matters to me."

If you have a problem, go to the Government Office! Who the hell dares to come here causing trouble with baseless accusations again?

Bang.

He slammed the severed head on the knife to the ground.

"Such a head!"

The onlookers, startled by the rolling head, gasped softly and took several steps back.

Shangguan Lian Yue snorted coldly.

He couldn't be bothered with any of that nonsense. His orders were to protect Aloeswood Palace, and he didn't care about anything else.

Whether intentional or unintentional, his actions blocked the path for confrontation between the Hundred Merchants Association and the Jade Shop Association.

Originally, everyone in Ci Tong Port only suspected Aloeswood Palace, but after he stepped forward...

Gradually, some people began to believe that all of this might have been secretly orchestrated by the Aloeswood Palace.

Some believe that even if it wasn't the work of the Aloeswood Palace, given Shangguan Lian Yue's protectiveness and lack of explanation, it's clear that Aloeswood Palace must also be involved.

They may have played a shady role in it.

***Below the cliff of Sky Peak Cave.

Zhang Rongfang's expression was calm as he pointed out the key techniques for Ding Luo's Soul Scattering Finger cultivation.

He recorded the nodes of Qi and blood meridians he observed one by one, and found a set of operating rules from them.

The operating principles of this system are completely new, a direction that martial artists in this world have never touched before.

External forces disrupt the flow of Qi and blood, and the operation of meridians.

This is done to achieve different purposes and effects.

Zhang Rongfang named this system "Life Point Martial Path".

While teaching Ding Luo, another major advantage of Dark Light Vision became apparent.

That is, if Ding Luo makes any wrong movements or uses the wrong force, he can see it at a glance, and then remind, guide and correct it.

Thus, Ding Luo's progress far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists.

From the very beginning, we did not go in the wrong direction in the slightest.

The sun was shining brightly at that moment.

Zhang Rongfang stared intently as Ding Luo unleashed the Soul Scattering Finger technique, his hands behind his back.

In the gentle breeze of the forest, Ding Luo's every move clearly still retained traces of his previous martial arts style.

But the strength in his fingertips was gradually taking shape.

I estimate I'll be able to truly get the hang of it in another two months. I need to forget some of my old bad habits from martial arts training.

"Returning Body Finger!"

"Flying Flower Finger!"

"Piercing Finger!"

Each finger strike swept through the air, and its power was already faintly discernible.

Puff.

Ding Luo's final blow landed heavily on a large tree in front of him.

The bark cracked, and his fingertips became red and swollen.

"Your speed is still too slow. You need to speed up your movements. Otherwise, no matter how strong your finger techniques are, if you can't hit your opponent, or even if you deviate slightly or use the wrong force, you will find yourself in a desperate situation," Zhang Rongfang instructed in a deep voice.

"Yes." Ding Luo nodded.

Zhang Rongfang nodded, about to say something more.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked up to his right.

A faint, fleeting sound could be heard from there.

"You stay here, I'll go take a look."

Before he finished speaking, he flashed away and rushed towards the direction of the commotion in the blink of an eye.

In the woods, he and a figure in front of him moved swiftly, one after the other.

Not long after.

The figure in front slowly slowed down, stopped beside a tree hollow, and turned to look at him.

This man was none other than Yan Shenjun, the Protector the Thousand Stone Sect, whom he had just fought before! "I am Yan Shenjun, Protector of the Thousand Stone Sect. I have been observing you for some time," Yan Shenjun said to Zhang Rongfang in a deep voice.

"I haven't noticed for so long that you have an additional expert guarding you. Zhang Ying Daozi, could you please summon that Three Voids Expert from the Sky Peak Cave from last time?"

He had come here at night before and hadn't been able to see clearly what the person he was fighting looked like.

Of course, even if he could see it clearly, it wouldn't have mattered, because Zhang Rongfang was wearing a human Leather Mask at that time.

So when he was ordered to come and verify the situation for the second time, he was a little confused.

He wandered around the Sky Peak Cave for quite some time, but he still couldn't find the expert he had fought before.

Therefore, having no other choice, he had to show himself and lure Zhang Rongfang out to ask questions.

"The person you fought last time?" Zhang Rongfang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood what the other party meant.