When they reached the scene of the battle, they saw five people under attack by a pack of demon wolves.
One of them was none other than Princess Zixue, whom he had met at the Four Seasons Apothecary.
Last time, Princess Zixue, Zhu Tingting, had worn a purple dress. This time, she was dressed in a black martial outfit. Surrounded by wolves, the five of them were already in grave danger.
Zhu Tingting, however, remained perfectly calm, showing not the slightest sign of panic. The guards beside her were the ones shouting for help.
Zhou Cheng was surprised. What was Princess Zixue doing in the Green Demon Mountain Range in the middle of the night? And the guards she had brought weren't very strong; they seemed to be only at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining.
There were dozens of demon wolves, sixty or seventy in all. Zhu Tingting and the others were surrounded in the middle, with no chance of escape.
Zhou Cheng gave Qin Meng a look. Understanding at once, Qin Meng shot through the air and landed in front of the wolves, swinging the long saber in his hand.
In an instant, an unmatched streak of saber light shot across the night sky like a meteor.
Several screams rang out. A number of demon wolves were sent flying, and when their bodies hit the ground, wolf heads rolled everywhere.
Princess Zixue and the four others stared blankly at Qin Meng, who had descended from the sky.
Qin Meng's saber rose and fell, swift as a hare springing up and a falcon diving down. Every slash took the heads of several demon wolves. Before long, all sixty or seventy wolves lay dead.
The speed of it left Princess Zixue and the others dazzled.
Blood splattered across the ground all around them.
With the wolves dealt with, Qin Meng was about to leave. Princess Zixue came to her senses and cupped her fists in gratitude. "Thank you, senior, for saving us. May I ask your esteemed name?"
"If you want to thank someone, thank my young master." Qin Meng leaped back to Zhou Cheng's side.
Princess Zixue and the others looked toward Zhou Cheng in the distance. Since Zhou Cheng wore the Demon God Garment, demonic energy rising around him, they couldn't make out what he looked like.
Qin Meng and the others were wearing masks, too.
"Let's go." Zhou Cheng sprang into the air and vanished into the night after a few quick flashes.
Qin Meng, Lin Ru, Jiang Chen, and the others followed close behind.
Princess Zixue stared at the place where Zhou Cheng had disappeared, filled with suspicion and amazement.
The senior with the long saber who had just saved her was surely a Xiantian Grandmaster, yet he had called that mysterious man his young master!
What family did that young master belong to, to have a Xiantian Grandmaster following and protecting him?
Xiantian Grandmasters held exalted status. Even she, the daughter of Prince Rong, didn't have one accompanying her.
"Could that young master be the Demonic Cult's young master?" one of the guards beside Princess Zixue ventured, his voice full of doubt.
The Demonic Cult's young master, Nan Qinghe, was the son of the Prince of Southern Ming and was hailed as the greatest talent of the Great Feng Dynasty's younger generation. At seventeen, he had already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining.
Several Xiantian experts followed Nan Qinghe.
And Nan Qinghe never showed his true face.
Princess Zixue said nothing, but she knew that man couldn't possibly be Nan Qinghe.
After leaving, Zhou Cheng returned to the cave.
After spending several hours in the cave's gale, Zhou Cheng finally brought his Wind-Facing Willow Steps to the masterful level.
With the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Divine Beasts' help, Zhou Cheng's Roaming Dragon White Tiger Fist had reached the masterful level long ago. That meant all three of his martial techniques had now reached the masterful level.
However, once Wind-Facing Willow Steps reached the masterful level, Zhou Cheng discovered that the gale in the cave no longer helped him train it.
"Now that Wind-Facing Willow Steps has reached the masterful level, the gale is no longer effective. Only a storm can increase the speed at which Wind-Facing Willow Steps improves."
A storm?
Zhou Cheng was speechless.
A gale was already hard to find. Where was he supposed to find a storm?
The next day.
Abbot Huineng came to Zhou Mansion, but this time he didn't come to expound Buddhist teachings. He had come to bid Zhou Cheng farewell.
Shaolin, the Sun Moon Sword Sect, and the Ten Thousand Stars Sect had reached an agreement with the Great Feng Emperor on plans to eliminate the Demonic Cult. So Abbot Huineng had to return to Shaolin that day and make preparations as soon as possible.
After explaining why he had come, Abbot Huineng said, "Young Master Zhou, if you have time in the future, come to Shaolin. This old monk will explain Buddhist teachings to you again."
He didn't bring up the matter of accepting Zhou Cheng as his disciple again.
It wasn't that Huineng was unwilling to take Zhou Cheng on as a disciple. Rather, after spending these past few days together, Abbot Huineng had become increasingly convinced that he was unworthy of being Zhou Cheng's master.
Zhou Cheng didn't belong to Shaolin.
"Zhou Cheng will certainly visit Shaolin in the future and listen to Abbot Huineng's teachings again." Zhou Cheng cupped his fists and replied respectfully.
Abbot Huineng smiled. "Good. This old monk will await Young Master Zhou at Shaolin." Before leaving, he once more earnestly urged Zhou Cheng to diligently study Buddhist teachings and not waste his talent.
With his parents beside him, Zhou Cheng escorted Abbot Huineng, the head of the Martial Monk Hall, and the others out of the mansion.
Around noon, Zhou Li and the experts from the Sun Moon Sword Sect also left the Capital City and returned to the sect.
When Luo Shui learned that Zhou Li would be taking part in the campaign to eliminate the Demonic Cult in a few days, she held her son's hand tightly and told him to be careful.
After Abbot Huineng returned to Shaolin, Zhou Cheng resumed his previous cultivation routine. He went to Heavenly Dragon Temple during the day and hunted demon beasts at night. In the morning, he took an Ancient Body Refining Pill; in the evening, he soaked in a medicinal bath.
Three days later, his Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique progress reached 99.
But he still couldn't break through into the Qi Refining Realm.
Even after taking an Ancient Body Refining Pill, Zhou Cheng still couldn't raise it to 100.
Two more days passed.
Late at night.
Inside a cave in the Green Demon Mountain Range.
Zhou Cheng sat cross-legged on the stone bed, constantly circulating the Black Tortoise Divine Technique and the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique.
Just moments ago, his Black Tortoise Divine Technique had also reached 99 at the tenth level. He felt that tonight would be the night he broke through into the Qi Refining Realm.
As Zhou Cheng continued circulating the Black Tortoise Divine Technique and the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique, his whole body shone brighter and brighter. At last, golden light illuminated the entire cave.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out.
Blinding golden rays shot skyward one after another.
The world blazed with light.
The entire Green Demon Mountain Range was illuminated.
Everyone in the Green Demon Mountain Range—and every demon beast—looked up in alarm.
Even the Capital City, hundreds of miles away, could see the astonishing golden light.
Zhou Mansion.
Zhou Wei and Luo Shui were startled, too. They hurried out into the courtyard and stared toward the Green Demon Mountain Range.
As Zhou Wei, Luo Shui, and countless experts of the Great Feng Dynasty watched in shock and confusion, the enormous phantom of the Black Tortoise Divine Beast appeared in the sky.
The phantom was unimaginably vast, its presence filled with the might of a divine beast.
Then, in the heavens, a golden Buddha began to take shape, towering between heaven and earth.
At its appearance, ten thousand Buddhas bowed.
Profound Sanskrit reverberated through the world.
At that moment, in the Great Feng Imperial Palace, Emperor Zhu Xuan stood beside Saint Ancestor Taiming, unable to hide his shock.
"Grandfather, look. What's causing this heavenly phenomenon?" Zhu Xuan asked cautiously, still reeling.
Saint Ancestor Taiming said nothing. He had a vague idea of what might be happening, but he dared not believe it. It was simply too hard to imagine.
Only after a long while did he slowly say, "Someone must have broken through a realm, causing this heavenly phenomenon."
"What? A breakthrough caused this phenomenon?" Zhu Xuan and the Imperial Palace experts around him were stunned.
"Could someone be breaking through to the King Realm?" Zhu Xuan stammered.
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