Zhao Jinnian unleashed Wild Ox Turning Over, whipping up a gale as he crashed toward Liu Chengfeng like a shooting star.
Liu Chengfeng gave a low shout and gripped his sword with both hands. His blood energy erupted, and with a ringing sword cry, he unleashed Two-Husband Fierce Man Slash in a savage sweep.
As the slash came down, blood energy poured like a raging waterfall. The sword cry left afterimages in its wake, and the air exploded like spring thunder.
The force of that slash was as fierce as ten tigers.
With a tremendous boom, Zhao Jinnian's Wild Ox Turning Over was split apart. He stumbled backward with heavy steps, his tiger's mouth torn open as blood sprayed wildly.
Liu Chengfeng lunged forward and chased after him, unleashing Two-Husband Fierce Man Slash once more, fierce and domineering.
Zhao Jinnian was horrified and let out a long roar.
He raised his hammer to meet the attack, guarding his front with a blow as heavy as a stone sinking into the sea, hoping to block the incoming sword.
How could he possibly withstand Liu Chengfeng's sword?
They were both at the fourth stage of the Blood Sea Divine Treasury, but the heart method and cultivation method Zhao Jinnian practiced were only middle-grade Human Scroll techniques.
Liu Chengfeng, on the other hand, practiced Innate methods. Even with all his strength, Zhao Jinnian could only muster six or seven thousand catties of force with his hammer.
Liu Chengfeng had surpassed ten thousand catties of force.
The sword struck home. Zhao Jinnian couldn't even hold on to his great hammer, and was sent flying. The sound of breaking bones rang out as blood sprayed from his mouth.
He crashed to the ground and couldn't even crawl back up.
"What kind of death would you like?"
Liu Chengfeng stepped closer, his face murderous.
Zhao Jinnian was scared out of his wits and shouted,
"Master, save me—"
Liu Chengfeng immediately sensed danger. A bad feeling rose in his heart, and he cried inwardly, This is bad.
In the time it took a spark to fly from flint, an old man slipped behind Liu Chengfeng, moving faster than a black panther at night.
The old man struck straight at Liu Chengfeng's back. A blast of fierce wind whipped up; before the palm even reached him, the wind cut toward his heart like a blade.
Liu Chengfeng had no time to turn around. He held his sword behind him in a reverse grip, its tip pointing down, and planted his feet against the earth, his body rooted like a mountain.
One man guarding the pass—that was the opening stance of Three Husbands Sword Technique.
Liu Chengfeng used the sword in reverse, his body rooted like a stone pillar, to block the incoming palm.
He guarded his front, blocking the green mountain. Yet Liu Chengfeng was still sent flying by the strike and slammed into a wall, his blood energy roiling.
His opponent was too powerful, a full major realm above Liu Chengfeng.
"You're still alive?"
The old man who had struck him was astonished. He had never seen someone at the fourth stage of the Blood Sea Divine Treasury survive one of his palms.
That was the power of Innate cultivation and heart methods.
The attacker was an old man in black, short and built like a leopard, his gaze keen as the cold gleam of blades.
"Who are you—"
Liu Chengfeng knew he had encountered an expert a full realm stronger than himself.
"Second Elder of the Ascending Wu Clan."
The old man glanced at Liu Chengfeng without concern. In his eyes, Liu Chengfeng was no different from a dead man.
"Young master, run—"
Seeing how powerful the enemy was, Zhou Yinfeng was alarmed and urged Liu Chengfeng to escape.
"Run? You're all leaving your lives here today."
The Second Elder of the Ascending Wu Clan sneered and started toward Liu Chengfeng.
"Then try it."
Liu Chengfeng gripped his sword with both hands, unafraid. He planted his feet on the earth, his body rooted, while the Sky Eye in his mind unfurled and shone straight down into the ground.
He turned the Heavenly Mound and roused Little Meng Mountain's Spirit Vein, drawing in its spiritual energy. In an instant, his blood energy was fully restored, bringing him to peak condition.
"You have some tricks."
Seeing Liu Chengfeng's blood energy surge even stronger in an instant, the Second Elder of the Wu Clan narrowed his eyes, his killing intent intensifying.
"Second Elder, is the territory of the Cloud Rising Sect really a place where you can run wild?"
Someone flew down from the sky on a sword, cutting across the heavens before landing in Zhao Family Village.
The man who had arrived on a flying sword was middle-aged, dressed in fine clothes and adorned with precious rings. His hair hung in a flowing topknot, and an aura of sharp, metallic energy surrounded him.
Whenever he opened his eyes, it was like spring thunder exploding.
Even the way he walked put pressure on those around him.
"Sect Master Nangong—"
At the sight of the middle-aged man, the Second Elder of the Wu Clan's expression changed drastically. The man's pressure forced him back several steps.
"When did the Wu Clan get to call the shots in Cloud Rising Sect territory?"
The middle-aged man was the sect master of the Cloud Rising Sect.
The Cloud Rising Sect was the foremost sect in the southeastern lands of Qiuchi Kingdom. It stood alongside the Ascending Wu Clan as one of the kingdom's two great sects, one in the east and the other in the west.
Little Meng Mountain and Ten Mile Village both fell within the Cloud Rising Sect's sphere of influence.
"Sect Master, do you know who his son is?"
Under the middle-aged man's pressure, the Second Elder of the Ascending Wu Clan couldn't help but feel his heart tremble.
"Zhao Tian. He possesses a divine descent and was accepted into the Ancient Kingdom Court. But that still doesn't give the Wu Clan a reason to run wild on my turf."
Nangong Pushe narrowed his eyes. Thunder exploded, and lightning flashed.
The Second Elder of the Wu Clan's expression changed drastically. Horrified, he didn't dare to fight Nangong Pushe. He grabbed Zhao Jinnian and turned to flee.
He leaped a hundred meters in a single bound, shooting away like a silver pill.
The Second Elder of the Wu Clan could leap a hundred meters, and he was fast, but Nangong Pushe flew after him even faster.
"Sect Master Nangong, don't bring trouble upon yourself! The Wu Clan just received the latest news: Zhao Tian wasn't kept at the Royal Court. He was sent to the Divine Dynasty instead!"
Realizing he was about to be caught, the Second Elder of the Wu Clan panicked and shouted out a shocking piece of news.
Nangong Pushe's expression changed drastically. He paused for a moment, watching the Second Elder of the Wu Clan escape with Zhao Jinnian.
By the time Liu Chengfeng caught up, they had long since vanished.
"Uncle, why didn't you chase them?"
Liu Chengfeng couldn't catch up either. Even if he could travel two thousand li in a day, he still couldn't catch the Second Elder of the Wu Clan.
"This Zhao Tian is no ordinary person."
"Uncle, what makes him so extraordinary?"
Liu Chengfeng knew Nangong Pushe. Back when he was with his master, Nangong Pushe had once come to visit him.
"Because he was sent to a Divine Dynasty. That's an incredible fortune. The Three Great Divine Dynasties rule the entire Green Meng Realm."
Nangong Pushe was worried too.
"Even a god won't stop me from killing that wicked servant."
Liu Chengfeng didn't care about any of that. He was determined to take Zhao Jinnian's life.
"There may still be a chance."
Nangong Pushe looked at the Mountain Ghost Coin hanging on Liu Chengfeng's chest, lost in thought.
That Mountain Ghost Coin had been left to Liu Chengfeng by his master, and he had always worn it close to his body.
His master had never told him where it came from.
His master had told him about peerless treasures like the Celestial Body, but when it came to this Mountain Ghost Coin, he had kept his mouth shut.
Liu Chengfeng rescued Zhou Yinfeng and bandaged his wounds.
Then he searched Zhao Family Village from top to bottom. There wasn't much money or anything valuable; Zhao Jinnian had kept all of that on him.
"You shouldn't keep wandering around outside. Come back to the Cloud Rising Sect with me. I've saved you a position as a minor guest elder."
"Go to the Cloud Rising Sect as a guest elder?"
"Don't you know? The cultivation method you practice and the Red Iron Sword in your hand were both given to you by the Cloud Rising Sect."
Nangong Pushe looked at Liu Chengfeng and smiled.
"Your master instructed us to have you stay at the Cloud Rising Sect for a while and learn the introductory cultivation methods."
Well, the old man had arranged everything down to the last detail.
"If I'm a guest elder, do I get any benefits?"
"You slippery little rascal, bargaining with me now?"
"Even without counting the cultivation methods, the Red Iron Sword you're using is worth ten or twenty thousand."
"With your Blood Sea Divine Treasury fortune, a guest elder in Qiuchi Kingdom would only earn thirty or forty thousand a year."
Nangong Pushe looked Liu Chengfeng up and down.
"Don't worry. Your uncle won't shortchange you. You'll have cultivation methods, Blood Medicine, and Mountain Pills aplenty."
Liu Chengfeng readily agreed. Once he obtained the Source of the Origin God, there'd be no reason for him to stay on Little Meng Mountain.
Just as he was about to leave, roars from strange beasts echoed across Little Meng Mountain. A moment later, light shot into the sky, followed by rumbling crashes.
Though they were dozens of li away, waves of wild, primeval energy still spread toward them. It seemed some powerful strange beasts were roaring in fury.
The birds and beasts nearby trembled and hid, too afraid to come out.
"A thousand-year-old strange beast battle. This is no small matter. I'll go take a look."
Nangong Pushe immediately flew toward Little Meng Mountain to see what was going on.
Liu Chengfeng decided not to join the excitement. He carried Zhou Yinfeng back to the Wu Dao Sect, stayed behind to look after him, and told him to rest and recover.
At the Wu Dao Sect, there were only the two of them. His nominal martial aunt, Ye Huijian, had disappeared to who knew where.
Ye Huijian had always been elusive. Even when she left, she never said goodbye to him, and Liu Chengfeng had grown used to it.
While Zhou Yinfeng recovered, Liu Chengfeng diligently practiced his cultivation methods.
He was already at the fourth stage of the Blood Sea Divine Treasury. He could draw true blood into his treasury, break through the Blood Sea Divine Treasury, and enter the next divine treasury.
Liu Chengfeng wanted to draw in better true blood, so he put that matter aside for the time being.
As he practiced, Liu Chengfeng had an idea: he took the Wild Ox Heart Method and Wild Ox Hammer Technique that Zhou Yinfeng practiced and tried to fuse them.
He wanted to see whether the heart method and cultivation method could break through and become Sage Scroll techniques.
The heart methods and cultivation methods for each divine treasury were divided into levels and grades.
From lowest to highest, they were Human Scroll, Sage Scroll, and God Scroll.
Each scroll was further divided into three grades: lower, middle, upper, and supreme, followed by Innate.
Liu Chengfeng used the Celestial Body to fuse them. He discovered that heart methods could only fuse with other heart methods; heart methods and cultivation methods couldn't be fused together.
He fused the Wild Ox Heart Method into his Innate Heart Method, but it didn't break through. The only change was that his blood energy grew more powerful, like an amalgamation of an enraged bear and a wild ox.
Liu Chengfeng named this new method Mad Kui Heart Method.
He fused Three Husbands Sword Technique with Wild Ox Hammer Technique, but that didn't produce a breakthrough either. All the moves ultimately merged into a single move.
Liu Chengfeng practiced hard, but Nangong Pushe never returned after entering Little Meng Mountain. This left him puzzled.
What had happened on Little Meng Mountain? Hadn't Ah Yuan been in charge of it? Were other strange beasts fighting over territory?
While Liu Chengfeng was wondering about this, something even more puzzling happened.
The strange beasts on Little Meng Mountain began multiplying. No one knew where these beasts had come from.
Before Liu Chengfeng could investigate, strange beasts began prowling around Ten Mile Village, and some even entered the village.
As soon as the strange beasts arrived, Ten Mile Village descended into chaos. They ate people as soon as they opened their mouths, and the villagers were terrified out of their wits.
"Take shelter in the manor and seal the gates."
Liu Chengfeng told Zhou Yinfeng to move all the tenant farmers and villagers of Ten Mile Village into the Wu Dao Sect. Then he drew his sword and went to kill the strange beasts that had entered the village.
At first, the beasts entering Ten Mile Village were ordinary ones. Later, even beasts with lifespans of three or four hundred years showed up, charging wildly through the village.
Countless villagers' homes were knocked down.
"Looking for death—"
Liu Chengfeng lost his temper too and began slaughtering them.
He killed all the strange beasts that had invaded Ten Mile Village: dozens of ordinary beasts and three three-hundred-year-old Mountain Snakes.
As soon as he finished, a tiger roared from behind the mountain.
Immediately afterward, rumbling crashes filled the air. More than twenty wild oxen charged down the mountain.
Each wild ox had a lifespan of four hundred years and stood ten meters tall. As they charged down, they trampled who knew how many houses to pieces.
"Then come on—"
Liu Chengfeng roared as well and charged forward like a gale.
The Red Iron Sword rang out. Its blade could shatter stone and split walls, and one slash cleaved a wild ox in two, sending blood gushing everywhere.
The other wild oxen weren't afraid of death at all. They charged Liu Chengfeng frantically.
Their horns were thick and razor-sharp, able to pierce metal and smash through walls. They were fearsome indeed.
Liu Chengfeng wasn't afraid. He turned and slashed, cutting down three wild oxen in one go.
Liu Chengfeng wondered why the strange beasts had suddenly invaded the village.
Ah Yuan, as Mountain Lord, had promised him that the beasts wouldn't come looking for trouble.
"Brother, I'm here!"
Suddenly, someone shouted and charged into the village.
He moved incredibly fast, even faster than Liu Chengfeng.
As soon as he rushed in, shadows filled the air and sand and stones flew. He raised a hand, a flash of cold light flickered, and a series of black stones shot out.
Screams rang out as three or four wild oxen were blinded.
"Good!"
With the wild oxen blinded, Liu Chengfeng went on an even fiercer rampage, slashing with his sword like a raging storm.
In the blink of an eye, he killed all the remaining wild oxen, and the village filled with the stench of blood.
The young man who had come to help couldn't help but click his tongue at Liu Chengfeng's ferocity.
The young man wore a gray robe with embroidered silk trim. He was nimble, and his eyes gleamed.
"Brother, I'm the Cloud Rising Sect's eldest disciple. The sect master sent word that a beast tide had erupted on Little Meng Mountain, so I came to help."
This young man was named Jiang Yu, and he was the eldest disciple of the Cloud Rising Sect.
Nangong Pushe had sent word, and Jiang Yu rushed over. He happened to arrive just as Liu Chengfeng was being surrounded.
"An aberrant beast tide?"
Liu Chengfeng thanked Jiang Yu, still puzzled. How could a beast tide have gone strange on Little Meng Mountain?
Where had all these aberrant beasts suddenly come from?
He had just finished killing the wild bull when another tiger's roar rang out.
At the rumble, he saw more aberrant beasts charging down the mountain from behind.
There were over a hundred in this wave: mountain snakes, earth jackals, moon wolves...
Each kind of aberrant beast stood several meters tall, some even ten. They charged down like a raging torrent, ready to drown all of Ten Mile Village.
"Good heavens, where did so many aberrant beasts come from?"
Jiang Yu cried out and hurled sharp black stones. They streaked like lightning, each stone deadly.
Liu Chengfeng looked through the Sky Eye and spotted a White Tiger aberrant beast holding court on the back mountain. It was directing this wave of beasts down the slopes.
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