Ascending Origin Pill, Breakthrough, Accepting the Challenge

"In that case, it really is somewhat troublesome." Lu Yang frowned.

He was not afraid of being targeted by the demons of Wanlin Prefecture; it was just that the Sha Qi did indeed sound extremely thorny.

If time allowed, Lu Yang still wanted to grow just a little more.

After he broke through to the seventh level of the Xiantian Realm and reached the current limit of what the Returning Origin Secret Notes could cultivate to, then went to deal with that Lord Black Mountain, perhaps he would have a few more degrees of certainty.

Du Guiyuan said, "As for the County Yamen, don't concern yourself with it for now. Cultivate properly during this period. With your talent, there should still be a great deal of room for improvement."

"This subordinate obeys." Lu Yang cupped his fists.

After leaving Jing'an Gate, Lu Yang went straight to the Qianfeng Merchant Association.

He spent ten thousand taels of silver and directly bought ten days of time in a Cultivation Chamber.

However, just as he entered the chamber, the Communication Jade Slip he had obtained from Old Master White Crane lit up.

Lu Yang frowned and infused a stream of true qi into it.

A line of pitch-black characters appeared in midair.

[Lu Yang, I give you two days. If you do not leave the city and come to the appointment two days from now, I will destroy Qinghe Dam and flood Black Mountain County!]

A chill instantly surged into his heart.

In Lu Yang's impression, the Demon Race had always only known how to fight and kill. At most, they colluded with human traitors, striking from inside and outside to conduct a few "blood food" transactions.

He had also never expected that this Lord Black Mountain could actually come up with such a sinister and vicious move as "diverting water to flood the city."

Looking at it, this seemed more like something the human race would do.

If a great flood submerged the city, martial artists like them would still have some chance of survival.

But without a doubt, all of Black Mountain County would be destroyed. Large numbers of mortals and low-level martial artists would have nowhere to flee, and after the farmland was washed away by the flood, the surviving commoners would also fall into a large-scale famine.

Black Mountain County City's formation could block the Demon Race, but it could not block the heavenly might of nature!

This was a naked and blatant open scheme!

Lu Yang had no way to continue his seclusion. He turned and left the Qianfeng Merchant Association, then found his way to County Magistrate Du Guinian's residence again.

"My Lord, it seems that this time, I can only accept the battle!" Lu Yang said in a low voice.

Du Guinian's lips were faintly pale, and his expression was somewhat ugly as well. "I did not expect that Lord Black Mountain would actually use this move. It truly caught one off guard."

At this moment, Lu Yang naturally would not boost another's morale at his own expense. He smiled and said, "Lord Du, rest assured. That Lord Black Mountain has his methods, but I also have my trump cards. If we truly fight, whose hand the deer dies in remains unknown!"

"No rush," Du Guinian said solemnly. "Are there not still two days? Wait a while. Wang Liao will be here soon."

Hearing this, Lu Yang could only patiently sit down, bored out of his mind as he drank tea with Du Guinian.

After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, Wang Liao indeed arrived, holding an ancient-looking wooden box that emitted a faint, delicate fragrance.

"My Lord, the thing you requested has been found." Wang Liao offered up the wooden box with both hands.

Du Guinian opened the wooden box, and inside was an even more exquisite wooden box.

He opened the inner wooden box as well, and a palm-sized jade bottle immediately appeared before Lu Yang's eyes.

"This official used the wealth confiscated from the Four Great Families to purchase an [Ascending Origin Pill] for you at the Qianfeng Merchant Association. After taking it, you can raise yourself by one minor realm within the Xiantian Realm," Du Guinian said. "Since this battle cannot be avoided, then it will not be too late to go after you break through!"

Lu Yang's eyes instantly lit up, and he cupped his fists. "Many thanks, My Lord!"

If you can't find it by searching the book title, you can try searching the author. Perhaps it merely changed names!

The price of this [Ascending Origin Pill] was four or five times more expensive than a [Xiantian Pill]. If not for having confiscated the wealth of the Four Great Families, looking across the whole of Black Mountain County, there truly would not have been many people who could afford it.

Lu Yang knew that what Du Guinian had given him was a great gift.

If Black Mountain County had not already reached the juncture of life and death, Du Guinian would absolutely never have done this.

If he had been at his peak, then joining hands with Lu Yang, perhaps they still could have settled this crisis.

But now, he was still in a weakened period, and everything could only be pinned on Lu Yang.

Lu Yang knew that now was not the time for polite refusals. He immediately found a quiet room, sat down cross-legged, took out that [Ascending Origin Pill], and swallowed it in one gulp.

With Du Guinian and an entire yamen's worth of people here protecting him, Du Guinian's residence was the safest place.

As the Returning Origin Art circulated, the medicinal power of the [Ascending Origin Pill] quickly spread through his body, transforming into warm, gentle trickles that sank into Lu Yang's limbs and bones.

After a day and a night passed, Lu Yang rose to his full height. The aura around him had astonishingly already reached the peak of the seventh level of the Xiantian Realm!

The contents of the Returning Origin Secret Notes had also come to an end here.

Even if Du Guinian took out more pills, without the subsequent cultivation method, Lu Yang had no way to continue increasing his cultivation in a short period.

Lu Yang knew that he had already reached the best state he could at this stage.

If he wanted to improve further, he could only wait until he obtained the subsequent contents of the Returning Origin Art, or obtained more Experience Points and then improved his "Mighty Bull Strength."

These were clearly not things he could accomplish within a mere day.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Lu Yang stood atop the city wall and cupped his fists toward Du Guinian.

"My Lord, Brother Wang, there is no need to see me off any farther. Once I have beheaded that Lord Black Mountain, I will return and celebrate together with you two!" Lu Yang smiled freely, then turned and walked into the wind.

At this moment, inside a certain secret chamber of the Qianfeng Merchant Association.

When the screen of light dissipated, Xu Ya called into the darkness before her, "Granny, tell me, why doesn't Lord Black Mountain simply release the water and flood the city?"

"Heh heh. Unless he has absolutely no choice, he does not yet have the gall to release water and flood my Qianfeng Merchant Association!" the Old Woman said proudly.

Hearing this, Xu Ya smiled as well and said, "True. Although our association usually only does business and pays no mind to other matters, if anyone dares provoke us, be they human, demon, or devil, they will not come to a good end. But in that case, hasn't Lu Yang fallen into his trap?"

"Not entirely," the Old Woman said with a frown. "Lord Black Mountain dares not let Lu Yang continue cultivating. If that boy does not leave the city to answer the challenge, he may truly draw water in and flood the city. When that time comes, over in Wanlin Prefecture, I fear even stronger demons and devils will come to deal with us."

Xu Ya immediately said with some worry, "Granny, do you think Lu Yang can beat Lord Black Mountain?"

The Old Woman hesitated for a moment, then said, "Under normal circumstances, that boy is not yet a match for that Black Tiger. However, this child has already caused this old body to miscalculate once. He cannot be measured by common sense. Perhaps he still has other trump cards hidden away..."

Thirty li outside Black Mountain County, Shatter Stone Peak.

Lu Yang arrived as agreed, halfway up the mountain.

Dense demonic aura coiled around the wilderness. Even though there was not a single demon currently in sight, Lu Yang knew perfectly well that he had already been surrounded.

At this, he did not feel the slightest fear. Instead, a faint excitement stirred secretly in his heart.

Those were all fresh, juicy Experience Points!

If he could kill a few more before the duel, he would be even more confident in defeating Lord Black Mountain!

Lu Yang had calculated precisely that, given the Demon Race's craftiness and despicable nature, Lord Black Mountain would not come up and duel him right away. Instead, he would first use his subordinates to wear down Lu Yang's strength.

For anyone else, the situation would indeed become even more difficult because of this.

But for Lu Yang, who could seize Experience Points by slaying demons, it was exactly the opposite!