Undercurrents V

Zhang Rongfang listened, his face, which had been smiling, turned somber upon hearing the term "isolation investigation."

"Is it really necessary?" he asked, frowning.

"There's no other way; this is a necessary process. Don't worry, everything will be fine. We just need to verify some things," Zhou Yan said solemnly.

"That works. But when should we start?" Zhang Rongfang asked knowingly.

"Now, we will take you to another place for further examination," Zhou Yan replied.

"Well then, I'll go back and give some instructions and pack some clothes," Zhang Rongfang replied.

"I'm afraid that won't work," Yuan Cheng said with a sneer. "What if you run away halfway through? Where are we going to find you?"

Zhang Rongfang's expression hardened as he sensed the other party's malice.

"Then forget it."

He then laughed heartily.

"Then I will not cooperate with you. Please do as you wish."

Zhou Yan frowned immediately, sensing that something was wrong.

This trip, ostensibly made out of consideration for Yue Sect Leader, was indeed just a formality. He had made his intentions clear, but the other party's attitude remained unchanged. "Zhang Ying Daozi, let's not speak rashly. I am the one in charge of this trip. The investigation will only take three or four days, not long," he advised in a deep voice.

"Are you sure? Only three or four days?" Zhang Rongfang stared intently at the other man. "Can you guarantee that everything will be exactly the same when I come out in these three or four days?"

"I'll vouch for you!" Zhou Yan answered decisively.

"Alright! I'll trust you this once, General Zhou!" Zhang Rongfang nodded.

"Don't worry, Daozi. A few days will pass quickly as you focus on your studies in Civilian Skill and martial arts," said Yuan Cheng Yuancheng of the Western Sect with a smile.

This person speaks in a ambiguous manner, making it difficult to discern whether they are being good or bad, and it is truly hard to tell what their real attitude is.

Zhang Rongfang glanced at the man but said nothing more.

These individuals formed an extremely powerful lineup, likely to counter the local Great Grandmaster from the Jade Void Palace.

Otherwise, given his reputation, he wouldn't have sent so many experts.

Furthermore, the fact that Prefecture Lord Shangguan also reflects the attitude of Grandmaster Uncle Jin Yuyan.

Perhaps she's starting to doubt herself.

A guess flashed through Zhang Rongfang's mind.

But it doesn't matter, let's stall for time. The longer it drags on, the better for him. As long as he isn't proven to be guilty, no one will dare to touch him.

*** The Great Ling Sub-Country— He Country, located a thousand miles away from Ze Province.

The capital was Flavia.

Snowflakes fluttered and swirled across the vast White Sand Martial Arena.

Two tall figures were colliding and separating like cannonballs.

They resembled two brown bears clad in heavy armor.

One of them was wearing heavy brown leather armor that covered his entire body. His hair was disheveled and tied into numerous small braids. He had a rugged and powerful face, and a horizontal line was painted on the bridge of his nose with green paint.

The other person had short, crew cut hair and wore metal armor with horned shoulder guards. She carried a heavy warhammer and was clearly a woman, judging from the style of her armor.

However, this woman's muscular physique was even more impressive than the man's. She was 2.6 meters tall, with arms as long as an average person's thighs, and the warhammer in her hand was over a meter long with a flat head covered in thick leather, about the size of a watermelon.

Bang! The two collided and charged again. The enormous force of the impact sent up a large gust of air, scattering the surrounding snowflakes and sending snow powder flying up from the ground.

"Hahahaha!!" The man stopped, panting and laughing.

"That's enough, that's enough. It seems I'm getting old and can't do what I used to be."

"Your Prince is already very strong; Anise only benefited from Worship God," the woman replied calmly, her expression unchanged.

"That's still very strong. You're probably close to becoming a Grandmaster by now, just one step away. What a pity," the man sighed.

"There's nothing to regret. As a guard, my current strength is sufficient," Anise replied.

The two stopped fighting and turned to walk towards the rest area on the side, where they took Hot Towel from the maids and guards to wipe the sweat off their bodies.

"Your Prince is over seventy years old, yet you can still fight to such an extent with Captain Anise, it's truly remarkable!"

Inside the rest area, a tall man dressed in full heavy armor and wearing Helmet that obscured his face clapped his hands and spoke.

"Your Lord Kexiwo is too kind. Compared to your strength, this is nothing," the Prince said with a smile.

He was none other than the fourth son of the deceased Ling Zhi Emperor, King Mu Li — Bo'er Zhijin·Xia Lin.

"People often say that I led troops to Great Capital to vie for the throne, but who would have thought that I am still holding the He Country firmly in the past?" King Mu Li picked up a cup of ginseng tea, took a sip, rinsed his mouth, and spat it out.

"It's a pity about the Teaching Alliance. They were just one step away from creating a good situation," Kexiwo sighed.

As the only Spirit General in the Teaching Alliance, he had almost gathered all his forces to form another team to fight against the Great Dao Sect, but unfortunately Yue Dewen acted too quickly and ruthlessly.

"This is because we were outmatched, but it doesn't matter. The Teaching Alliance is meant to wear them down and hold them off. What we really need isn't that meager strength," King Mu Li comforted him.

"Now that Yan Shun Wang has gone into hiding, I am going to Great Capital in a false identity, and the other three are not to be underestimated either. This situation may not change in the short term. The specific breakthrough will depend on the stance of the Divine General, Snow Rainbow Pavilion, and those great Noble."

"The main thing is the Divine General, after all, the Flying Spirit Teaching Sect is behind the Four Divine General." Kexiwo nodded. "How many we can actually win over depends on everyone's abilities."

"It's difficult. Right now, neither side can suppress the other. We're locked in a stalemate, exchanging blows as we go. It's a matter of who can't hold on any longer and will reveal a weakness. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Someone will eventually give up and become impatient. At that time..." King Mu Li smiled and didn't continue.

Everyone understands that the decision to seize the throne still rests with the Divine General generals and the many Spirit Person Noble.

However, unlike before, the alliance of various sects led by the Great Dao Sect now possesses enormous influence and their strength should not be underestimated.

Therefore, the attitudes of the Divine General and Noble were ambiguous, sometimes leaning to one side and sometimes to the other, without taking a firm stand.

These people only want to take advantage of others, they are greedy and insatiable, and they want to maintain the balance of power.

Under such circumstances, sooner or later someone will be unable to withstand the pressure and will be forced out.

Those who persevere to the end will ascend to the throne.

"Yue Dewen is powerful, so the Divine General and Noble tend to side with the weaker party. Everyone knows what they're thinking. But there's nothing we can do about it."

"Everyone is gathering all available strength in preparation for the final battle," King Mu Li sighed.

"Being suppressed by a united front all along, the Great Dao Sect must be very unwilling, right?" Kexiwo laughed.

"Of course I'm unwilling, but I'll get used to it if I just keep enduring it." King Mu Li smiled again. "If you think about it, only Yan Shun Wang and I are the weakest, and they don't even take us seriously. But it's fine this way."

"Yes, that way no one will pay attention to us. Yan Shun Wang uses retreat as a strategy to advance; if he can do that, so can we," Kexiwo added with a laugh.

"The people who went to Qingchuan Prefecture should be arriving soon, right?" King Mu Li suddenly changed the subject.

"That's about enough. Yue Dewen killed so many of my experts this time, he should pay a price." Kexiwo nodded.

Recalling the humiliation of being suppressed and beaten by Yue Dewen, a shadow of gloom flashed in his eyes.

"Feng Tian is in charge of the National Patrol Division, which is subordinate to the Snow Rainbow Pavilion. In name, everyone involved in this matter is his man, but in reality, they are ours. After this is done, I want to see how Yue Dewen Snow Rainbow Pavilion Fierce General."

The fact that his own Daozi possessed a huge secret about the Eastern Sect's control over the Worship God is something that few people believe yet.

In addition, the Great Dao Sect was very powerful, and no one was willing to turn against it because of this vague and unfounded rumor.

But what if there is actual evidence to prove it?

What if we add even more chips?

The night was slightly cool, and the crescent moon was slowly obscured by the clouds.

Several nightingales flashed across the sky and swooped into the distant mountains and forests.

Zhang Rongfang stood in the private courtyard where he was isolated for investigation, looking up at the hazy night sky filled with clouds.

This is the second day of isolation.

He was brought to this courtyard, where he was provided with food and drink every day, but was not allowed to go out at will.

He didn't really care about any of that. With the Grain Avoidance Pill he carried with him, he could basically maintain his Attribute Points acquisition.

But there's one exception.

He lowered his head and looked towards the main gate of the courtyard. In the Dark Light Vision, he could clearly see a person standing guard outside through the door.

That person was none other than Daoist Congshan, one of the top experts in the Special Envoy Team and a member of the True One Sect.

The Special Envoy Team was specifically assigned to Prefecture Lord Shangguan; each member was an absolute master. Now, they've even assigned a separate person to watch over him.

This is something that's wrong in itself.

Zhang Rongfang pondered for a moment. There was too little information, too little to analyze, and no useful clues could be found.

He immediately planned to go back to his room to rest.

Tomorrow will be the third day, and according to Zhou Yan's promise, he will be free to leave the day after tomorrow.

It's not a big deal.

Snap.

Just as he turned around, a small piece of paper was gently tossed in from the side wall and landed at his feet.

Zhang Rongfang narrowed his eyes slightly, paused, and then picked up the crumpled paper with a flick of his toe.

He glanced at the Daoist Congshan outside, but the other man showed no reaction.

Judging from the strength of his breath, heartbeat, and flesh, this person is at least a Grandmaster.

He couldn't possibly not notice at such a close distance.

But he still didn't react, which meant that Zhang Rongfang took the crumpled paper and unfolded it.

There was only one line of small print above.

"Run! Zhou Yan is going to attack you!"

"?"

Zhang Rongfang recognized the source of the handwriting as Heavenly Maiden Tong Zhang!

How did she know she was here at a time like this? And how could she know Zhou Yan had a problem?

Or is this handwriting a forgery?

Zhang Rongfang's mind raced.

He put away the note, crumpled it up, and calmly returned to the house, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Knock knock knock.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Dao Child Zhang, are you asleep?" The voice of the Daoist Congshan came from outside.

"Please come in." Zhang Rongfang frowned, got out of bed, and went out.

The courtyard gate was slowly pushed open, and the Daoist Congshan strode in.

At this moment, he was completely different from before. He had a solemn expression and looked around to make sure no one was there.

"Dao Child Zhang, this situation is not good. I am a member of the Reverse Time Society and I received advance notice that Zhou Yan has probably switched sides to another force and is ready to make his move against you at any time!"

He lowered his voice and spoke quickly.

"Get ready now, I'll cover your escape!"