Commoner's Alliance

"Heh." Liang Zhaohuang let out a dry laugh. He very much wanted to ask whether the other party was joking.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu." After several turns of thought, Liang Zhaohuang still decided to lay things out plainly. He said, "The Sun Family is inside Ludong County City. There are six county magnate clans in the city, and every one of them has Foundation Establishment cultivators holding the fort. Among them are even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

"If we attack the Sun Family, the other county magnate clans will not just sit by and watch."

"More than that, the county city is protected by a city-guarding formation. When the time comes, once the formation activates and traps us in the city, we won't even have anywhere to run."

He stopped just short of saying that going to attack the Sun Family was simply walking to their deaths.

Zhu Yuqing, however, did not look the slightest bit frightened. Instead, he said with complete confidence, "Since I proposed attacking the Sun Family, naturally I have a measure of certainty."

He did not explain in detail. Instead, he changed tack, looked at Liang Zhaohuang, and said:

"Besides, the Black Wind Bandits are the Sun Family's people. They attacked your Liang Family, and in the end all of them died here. Do you think the Sun Family will let you off?"

"Since you are fated to be mortal enemies, you might as well strike first and seize the advantage!"

It had to be said that Zhu Yuqing's words were precisely what Liang Zhaohuang was worried about. They could be said to have struck straight at the key point.

After pondering for a while, he did not rush to make a decision. Instead, he said:

"Before that, could Fellow Daoist Zhu explain to me what the 'Commoner's Alliance' is about?"

Earlier, the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Black Wind Bandits had said that the Zhu Family was colluding with the Commoner's Alliance. Now, looking again at Zhu Yuqing's completely confident appearance, Liang Zhaohuang could not help but think further.

Hearing Liang Zhaohuang's words, Zhu Yuqing did not answer immediately. Instead, he pondered for a while, as though thinking about how to say it.

"Eight thousand years ago, Emperor Jin Yang joined forces with many cultivation clans to establish the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, using the Nine-Rank System to divide the cultivation clans into nine ranks."

"From then on, the various cultivation clans all but monopolized the path of cultivation!"

"But outside these cultivation clans, there are commoner civilians whose numbers exceed theirs by a hundredfold, a thousandfold, even ten thousandfold."

"Among these commoner civilians, there are likewise many who pursue cultivation and longevity."

Zhu Yuqing said.

"The Commoner's Alliance is an alliance organization formed by some of those people. Its purpose is to overthrow the rule of the cultivation aristocratic families of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, to fully open the Dao of cultivation and spread it among all commoner civilians, so that everyone has the chance to step onto the path of cultivation."

"Er, a very lofty ideal."

Listening to Zhu Yuqing's explanation, Liang Zhaohuang could only sigh like that, though his heart was full of doubt as to whether such an ideal could truly be realized.

With the Commoner's Alliance's purpose, it could be said to stand in complete opposition to the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. It was thorough rebellion, revolt; that it could continue to exist at all was already a miracle.

Liang Zhaohuang only thought on it briefly before no longer digging deeper. It was imaginable that the waters behind the Commoner's Alliance were probably even deeper and murkier than the situation in Ludong County City.

The Liang Family could not even make sense of the situation in Ludong County City right now. If they rashly got involved in this, they would only be swallowed until not even bones were left.

More than that, the Liang Family's goal was to become a noble clan and join the ruling order of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. It could be said that they were precisely the target of the Commoner's Alliance's rebellion!

It was better not to get involved too deeply!

Thinking to this point, Liang Zhaohuang finally made his decision as well. Shaking his head, he said, "Apologies. As for the Sun Family's threat, we will resolve it ourselves."

"Attacking a county magnate clan is, in the end, far too risky. Our Liang Family is a poor, humble household; we will not get mixed up in it."

When Zhu Yuqing heard this, he seemed somewhat regretful. Shaking his head, he said, "Since that is the case, then forget it."

"However, before I make my move, if any news spreads, don't blame me for striking at your Liang Family!"

"I even dare to strike at an eighth-rank county magnate. Let alone your tiny poor household!"

When Liang Zhaohuang heard this, his expression darkened slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Rest assured. The Sun Family is also our Liang Family's blood feud."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuqing nodded and said no more. He turned and left.

Liang Zhaohuang watched the other party's departing back, thoughts turning several times in his heart. Only when the other party's figure vanished into the night did he withdraw his gaze and look toward the ground.

On the ground still lay the headless corpse of the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Black Wind Bandits. A Storage Bag hung at his waist, and a black bone sword had fallen beside him.

Liang Zhaohuang looked at that bone sword, and his heart stirred. The black Tiger Soul he had subdued into his Sea of Consciousness leaped out and pounced into the black Tiger Bone Sword.

"Roar!"

A tiger's roar rang out. Amid the fierceness and savagery, a rare trace of excitement and joy emerged.

Large swathes of black Sword Qi suddenly erupted from the black Tiger Bone Sword, transforming into black wind Sha Qi that swept up the bone sword. Like a living thing, it trembled and shook in the air.

"Roar!"

All at once, the black wind Sha Qi swelled and erupted. The black Tiger Bone Sword actually shook itself and transformed into a black tiger, raising its head and roaring!

However, it was only one roar. Afterward, that black tiger seemed to lose all its strength and transformed back into the Tiger Bone Sword's true body, falling to the ground.

Watching this, Liang Zhaohuang could not help but have his eyes light up.

There was a spirit within the sword!

The tiger bone and Tiger Soul had become one. The current Tiger Bone Sword was practically a demon tiger that had been refined into the shape of a sword!

It was even more ferocious than an ordinary second-rank demon tiger, and its attacks were stronger.

Liang Zhaohuang had never cultivated any sword arts, and the five-elements magic power in his body was not very compatible with the wind attribute within the Tiger Bone Sword. But by relying on the black tiger soul he had converted, he could also use this Tiger Bone Sword like a "beast under control."

Reaching out, he swept up the Tiger Bone Sword with a strand of magic power. Liang Zhaohuang poured his Spiritual Sense and magic power into it, slowly probing it and familiarizing himself with this unique Tiger Bone Sword.

He discovered that the black tiger formed from the Tiger Bone Sword, with soul and bone united as one, could even use a killing move like "Seven Kills of the Wind Tiger" by instinct.

Liang Zhaohuang could not help growing even more satisfied. Looking at the Tiger Bone Sword in his hand, he said joyfully, "From now on, you'll be called the 'Black Tiger Sword'!"

Roar!

A tiger's roar came from within the sword, as if acknowledging him.

After putting away the "Black Tiger Sword," Liang Zhaohuang picked up the Storage Bag from the waist of the corpse on the ground.

A Restriction sealed the opening of the Storage Bag. Though the Black Wind Bandit was dead, the Restriction still remained.

Seeing this, Liang Zhaohuang raised his hand and cast a beam of Five Elements Restriction-Breaking Spiritual Light, sweeping it over the Restriction at the opening. The spiritual light wore it down and corroded it, easily tearing open the Restriction sealing the Storage Bag.

His Spiritual Sense probed into the Storage Bag. The space inside was only about ten feet square, but there were quite a few things within.

The most abundant were Spirit Rice, demonic beast meat, spirit vegetables, spirit fruits, and spirit wine, taking up nearly three-quarters of the Storage Bag's space.

It looked as if that Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Black Wind Bandits had been carrying several months' worth of rations with him.

Liang Zhaohuang's heart could not help stirring as some guesses arose.

"Could these Black Wind Bandits be out in the wild all year round, so they carry this much food with them?"

As thoughts turned in his mind, his Spiritual Sense continued examining the contents of the Storage Bag.

Spirit stones, talismans, pills, ritual artifacts—everything was there. Liang Zhaohuang even saw a set of formation arrays!

With things this complete, who knew whether the Sun family had provided them, or the Black Wind Bandits had robbed them themselves.

Apart from these, there were also two jade slips.

He took out the jade slips and examined them one by one with his Spiritual Sense.

Inside one of them was a map recording the situation of a mountain range. Liang Zhaohuang quickly recognized it as the Huaiyang Mountain Range in the southwest of Yang Province.

"Could this be the Black Wind Bandits' lair?"

Liang Zhaohuang guessed inwardly, then looked at the other jade slip. To his surprise, it was another "log" jade slip!

Heartfelt thanks to book friend "Love Your Cai Kun" for the tip and support!

New book on the road—asking for all kinds of support!