The Gap (Part 1)

"If you have nothing to do, don't stay here. Go back to the Prefectural Office," Shangguan Feihe scolded.

"Thank you, Prefecture Lord!" Zhang Rongfang nodded.

Unconsciously, he suddenly smelled a faint scent of blood.

I followed the scent and looked to the side.

The young masters and ladies who had been there earlier, along with their bodyguards, had long since fallen into pools of Blood Pool. "My lord!" Zhang Zhenhai quickly approached from the side. "Are you alright?" She had suffered a minor injury to one arm, but was in good spirits.

"That person suddenly ran away on their own. Prefecture Lord Shangguan must have gone after them, right?" she said.

"Huh? Has the Prefecture Lord already left?" Zhang Rongfang turned around and realized that Shangguan Feihe had already left.

These Great Grandmaster were all far more skilled than him, and when they got serious, they were truly unpredictable and elusive.

"Go find the people first!" Zhang Rongfang immediately ran towards the depths of the Woodland where he had just sensed the number of people.

Zhang Zhenhai followed closely behind.

The two hadn't run far when they saw the group of the Rebel Sect being taken away in a large pit.

Everyone was drugged and collapsed to the ground, but they were still breathing and their hearts were still beating.

"It seems they don't intend to go all the way; it's just a warning." Zhang Rongfang understood instantly.

Both Ostandin and Tang Hu were likely forces deployed by the Great Bright Teaching Alliance to demonstrate their strength.

The purpose was to 'persuade' him, Daozi of the Great Dao Sect, to cooperate with their actions.

Master Yue arranged for a grandmaster to provide protection, and with Shangguan Feihe providing close protection, it was already very thoughtful.

But they still managed to find a loophole.

"Send someone over immediately to take them all back to rest. I'll handle the rest."

Zhang Rongfang gave the order in a deep voice, looking at his many subordinates in the large pit.

His mind raced with thoughts.

There are only two options now.

First, from today onwards, stay within a hundred meters of Prefecture Lord Shangguan, and do not stray even a step further. This will guarantee absolute safety.

But forget about any development; as for subordinate industries, it's all up to luck.

Second, try on your own to see if you can handle the attack from this Teaching Alliance.

His strength had now been exposed, and his opponents, knowing his true abilities, would definitely not let him go easily.

Or, like the others before him, they might regard him as a master who is actually a fake Daozi.

They will either try their best to win them over, or if that fails, they will try to ambush and kill them!

Now that he no longer hides his strength, such a situation is bound to occur.

He must prepare as soon as possible.

This is a paradox.

If he wanted absolute safety, the best option was to live next to Master Yue.

After all, Shangguan Feihe couldn't protect him alone forever.

He couldn't protect the others around him either.

However, once he gets close to Master Yue and moves into the Heavenly Sincerity Palace, he will inevitably have to face the complex situation of Gods and Buddhas in the Great Capital.

More importantly, even according to Master Yue's current words, he wasn't entirely at ease. After reaching the Refining Spirit, one had to be wary of even random Daoist Temple temples and monasteries. If they returned to the Heavenly Sincerity Palace... Zhang Rongfang watched as Zhang Zhenhai took out signal fireworks to contact the others.

Before long, hundreds of people arrived and dragged all the people who had been drugged in the pit back to the city.

"Sir, we must find a way to avoid this situation. Otherwise, if we can catch them once, we can catch them again," Zhang Zhenhai warned in a deep voice.

"This is Qingchuan Prefecture, the territory of the Jade Void Palace. The cost of them making a move here will be enormous. The people they've exposed can't be used a second time."

"Prefecture Lord Shangguan is no pushover. Strict control over Qingchuan Prefecture is definitely in place for the time being, but there shouldn't be any immediate concern about it happening again," Zhang Rongfang replied.

"But we can't place our hopes on others," Zhang Zhenhai replied.

She seemed to realize something too.

"My lord, you need not worry about us. We are ready to give anything for you!"

"It hasn't gotten to that point yet!" Zhang Rongfang. "You should reduce your manpower as much as possible and move to the area closer to the Prefectural Office. They've already made a move once; if they dare to attack the Prefectural Office again, it would be a provocation against the entire Great Dao Sect. So it's relatively safe there," Zhang Rongfang replied.

"And what about you!?"

"I'm with everyone. Don't rush. The longer it goes on, the more panicked they will become. With the Secret Teaching's roster about to be implemented, they will be the ones who are more panicked than us!" Zhang Rongfang saw this very clearly.

It's not him who's in a hurry now, it's the other party.

The longer he can hold out, the stronger he becomes.

Bang!

Suddenly, a huge explosion occurred in the distant city, accompanied by smoke and flames.

Thick smoke billowed into the clouds above the city, turning the sky black.

Zhang Rongfang and Zhang Zhenhai both turned their heads to look in that direction.

"That direction... is the Fireworks Workshop near the Shangguan Family!! How dare they!!" Zhang Zhenhai's pretty face instantly turned cold as she recognized the source of the explosion.

"Near the Shangguan Family!?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly realized something.

"They're insane!?"

"Of course he's not crazy."

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind him.

The figure wore a green coat, and golden hair shone brightly in the light.

It was none other than the East Proximity Teaching Lord had just left— Austan Ding Gaode! "A young Grandmaster, with Civilian Skill Nascent Soul, such talent. I went back and thought for ten minutes, and decided it would be best to deal with you as soon as possible."

Ostandin sighed softly and took a step forward to approach.

Several skilled members of the Rebel Sect beside him shouted and fired a barrage of crossbow bolts at him.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!!

A series of crossbow bolts grazed past him, but none hit.

"Step back!" Zhang Rongfang shouted hastily.

But it was too late.

Ostandin casually raised his left hand.

With a whoosh, a handful of pebbles shot out, accurately hitting four or five people nearby.

Without uttering a sound, these men had large holes pierced between their eyebrows and collapsed on the spot.

"Look, you still care about the lives of these mortals. How interesting," Ostandin laughed. "Only those who haven't yet seen enough of life and death would care so much about these material possessions."

"Time flies by, like flowing water or floating clouds. Human life is so fragile; even a slight gust of wind can blow it away."

"You go first." Zhang Rongfang gave Zhang Zhenhai a look, his heart filled with solemnity.

He hadn't expected the other party to be so decisive.

But since things have come to this, let's just start fighting.

From previously capturing but not killing, to now killing him without hesitation, it seems the Teaching Alliance has made a decision.

"My lord, please be careful!" Zhang Zhenhai gritted his teeth, knowing that staying behind would only be a burden. He slowly retreated to create distance, while leading the rest of the team to make way.

"Don't worry." Zhang Rongfang was cold. He took a step forward, blocking Zhang Zhenhai's path and facing Ostandin directly.

"That's really good." Ostandin clapped and laughed. "Some people in the Teaching Alliance believe that you are a Grandmaster from the Great Dao Sect disguised as Daozi. I'm not sure either. After all, a Grandmaster and Nascent Soul cultivator at only thirty-something years old is really too exaggerated."

So, I wanted to come and verify it myself.

"How do you want to prove it?" Zhang Rongfang asked, slightly bowing his head.

"It's very simple," Ostandin smiled slightly. "That is it."

Bang!

He suddenly transformed into a phantom and rushed towards Zhang Rongfang.

"I'll take you back!"

Swish! A hand chop shot straight towards Zhang Rongfang's neck.

Blood Lotus! Without hesitation, Zhang Rongfang unleashed his ultimate attack.

Its height suddenly increased to four meters, its body rapidly expanded, and Blood Lotus covered its entire body.

With both arms extended, they strike together towards the center of the body, grabbing at the target.

Whoosh! Their arms met again.

"Got it!" Zhang Rongfang felt a sense of relief. He was about to exert force.

Suddenly, a sharp pain came from the outside of his right arm.

He turned his head and saw that Ostandin had appeared on his right at some point, and was throwing a punch with his other hand, hitting his arm.

That attack just now... it was him!

"That move again." It's impossible to even see how he made it!

*Thud! Zhang Rongfang's grip on the arm was broken free, and a bloody gash appeared on the outside of his right arm.

He gave a low shout and reached forward with both arms again.

This grab was incredibly fast, with no trace of the previous probing and holding back.

Bang!

The grasp failed again.

Zhang Rongfang rushed forward, attempting to give chase.

But out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a blurry figure flash by to the side.

'Not good!'

He hurriedly raised his foot and swept it horizontally! Whoosh! His leg missed its mark, creating a large gust of wind.

A sharp pain shot through his chest.

Zhang Rongfang didn't even utter a sound before taking several steps back, revealing a gruesome gash on his chest.

Only then did his gaze catch the other person's figure.

Above! Ostandin, who had just disappeared, has reappeared above! He swooped down from the sky like a giant bird.

"Thunderbird".

Beneath his short blond hair, his purple eyes gleamed with a subtle Silver Light.

Laugh!!

The two passed each other in an instant.

Zhang Rongfang threw a punch with all his might at that moment.

Unfortunately, he staggered forward a few steps.

Pfft! Large, bloody gashes burst open all over its body.

Just like when he fought against Di Jiang.

A large amount of blood spurted out and scattered around.

"You lost." Ostandin smiled and turned to look at Zhang Rongfang was covered in blood.

"The gap between us is too big. You've already done a great job by being able to hold on until now."

"Is that so?" Zhang Rongfang raised his hand and opened his fist.

In the palm of his hand lay a money pouch.

"Hmm??" Ostandin's eyes narrowed slightly, his smile slowly fading. That was his money pouch.

Why are you doing this? No matter how hard you resist, the result will be the same in the end.

"You think you've got this in the bag?" Zhang Rongfang straightened up and took a deep breath.

"As long as I stall until Prefecture Lord Shangguan, you won't be able to escape!"

He took a sudden step, the ground exploded, and he rushed forward.

A complete set of the Great Dao Sect Flame Emperor Talisman was fully deployed.

Fists and palm strikes intertwined, instantly forming a wall of fist and palm shadows that pressed down on the opponent.

The force of the punches and kicks created a whistling wind and a lot of sharp, piercing sounds as the air was torn apart.

"Die!" Zhang Rongfang's eyes were calmer than ever before. He unleashed all the skills he had acquired.

After being instructed by Di Jiang, the Flame Emperor Talisman was gradually corrected, and now it was fully displayed in front of Ostandin.

The whistling air caused the other person's clothes to flutter.

"Cloudless." Ostandin tapped the sides of his neck with both hands.

Its body suddenly swelled to four meters in size, but its pores mysteriously contracted completely, making its skin smoother and tighter.

A silver flame pattern slowly appeared on his face, between his eyebrows. This was the Limit State of the Four Qi Four Gods Skill.

Whoosh! In an instant, he leaped forward and flashed away.

Bang!

The shadow of Zhang Rongfang's punch vanished instantly, and he staggered forward several steps, with five bloody holes appearing in his chest in an instant.