Secret News

The classic the Zhu family had inherited was the Fire Virtue Scripture, and the Spirit Light they awakened was of the fire attribute, so what they sensed and cultivated was all fire-attribute spiritual energy.

Just like the Liang family's Five Talismans Scripture increased their talent for drawing talismans, the Zhu family's Fire Virtue Scripture could increase their talent for refining artifacts.

The Zhu family was also a rather famous artifact-refining clan in Ludong County, and all sorts of ritual artifacts they refined were quite popular.

And over all these years, the best ritual artifact the Zhu family had designed and refined was the Vermilion Plume Sword, red as fire and shaped like a plume.

Therefore, the Zhu family had never sold the Vermilion Plume Sword. They only allocated it to their own people to sacrifice-refine and use.

At this moment, when the person inside the earthen cave saw that the Vermilion Plume Sword had failed to break the newcomer's defense and kill him, she immediately controlled the Vermilion Plume Sword to fly up, turn in midair, and stab down once more.

"Fellow Daoist of the Zhu family! Stop! I'm not a Black Wind bandit!"

Liang Zhaohuang hurriedly raised his voice and shouted.

"Hmph! If you're not a Black Wind bandit, then you're a vulture! Either way, you deserve to die!"

A cold shout came from inside the earthen cave. It was a woman's voice.

At the same time, the Vermilion Plume Sword did not pause in the slightest, continuing to stab over fiercely.

Liang Zhaohuang's expression turned a little awkward. He had no way to deny that he had come to profit from the dead.

However, it was also impossible for him to let the other party attack him just because of that.

Seeing the Vermilion Plume Sword stab toward him, Liang Zhaohuang immediately urged the Five Lights Bracelet on his wrist to revolve. Golden light flared, and a Golden Blade Technique instantly chopped into the incoming Vermilion Plume Sword.

With a crisp clang, the golden blade shattered, and the stabbing Vermilion Plume Sword was knocked flying as well.

Yet the Zhu family woman inside the earthen cave did not give up. She controlled the Vermilion Plume Sword like a nimble flying bird, fluttering and leaping through the air as it attacked continuously from every direction.

Liang Zhaohuang activated the Five Lights Bracelet, using only a Golden Blade Technique to intercept again and again. A string of crisp clangs rang out in the air.

After more than a dozen consecutive strikes, all of them were precisely intercepted by Liang Zhaohuang.

"Hm?"

The woman inside the earthen cave also noticed something was wrong and let out a soft sound of surprise. Immediately after, the Vermilion Plume Sword in the air no longer stabbed down, but instead swayed in midair.

Red light blazed from the sword, like a bird spreading its tail. In an instant, the Vermilion Plume Sword transformed into more than a dozen copies that slashed down through the air.

Each Vermilion Plume Sword seemed both illusory and real, making it hard to distinguish clearly.

This was precisely the killing move that the Vermilion Plume Sword relied on to make its name: Illusion Screen Kill. It was a killing move the Zhu family had developed through a unique method combined with the Vermilion Plume Sword's special plume-feather design.

Qi Refining cultivators of the same level were often unable to tell whether the dozen or so sword-lights were true or false, let alone block them.

But this certainly did not include Liang Zhaohuang.

During the battle, five-colored Buddhist light had always filled his eyes as he operated the Five Elements Dharma Eye. Every trace of fire-attribute spiritual energy stirred by the woman opposite with each attack was seen by him with crystal clarity.

That was why Liang Zhaohuang was able to intercept every one of the other party's attacks with precision.

And this time was the same!

The "illusion" effect of the Illusion Screen Kill had no effect at all under his Five Elements Dharma Eye. The illusory sword-lights simply could not stir the fire-attribute spiritual energy. Only the true Vermilion Plume Sword could disturb the fire-attribute spiritual energy as it attacked.

Therefore, Liang Zhaohuang still only urged the Five Lights Bracelet to revolve. A Golden Blade Technique slashed out, precisely intercepting the true Vermilion Plume Sword amid the dozen or so sword-lights.

With a crisp clang, the dozen or so sword-lights collapsed and scattered, and the Vermilion Plume Sword was knocked flying again.

"Impossible!"

A cry of shock came from inside the earthen cave.

The Vermilion Plume Sword that had been knocked flying swayed in the air again, once more transforming into more than ten sword-lights that slashed toward him.

Liang Zhaohuang still answered with a Golden Blade Technique, precisely intercepting the true Vermilion Plume Sword while paying no attention at all to the illusory sword-lights.

"How can this be?"

The woman inside the earthen cave still refused to give up. The Vermilion Plume Sword transformed and attacked again, and was still directly intercepted and knocked flying by Liang Zhaohuang.

This time, the other party finally gave up. The Vermilion Plume Sword flew straight back into the earthen cave.

Immediately afterward, a figure shot out from inside the earthen cave and landed on the ground.

Only then did Liang Zhaohuang clearly see what the other party looked like. She was a woman who looked to be around twenty, tall and slender. Her appearance could only be considered delicate, but her eyes had more black than white, making her look extremely captivating.

At this moment, those very beautiful eyes were sizing Liang Zhaohuang up and down, her face showing quite a bit of curiosity.

"You're not a Foundation Establishment cultivator and have no spiritual sense. How did you see through the Illusion Screen Kill?"

The woman asked with a solemn expression. The family's most important killing move had been easily broken by someone, making it truly somewhat difficult for her to accept.

By now, Liang Zhaohuang had already dispersed the five-colored Buddhist light in his eyes. Hearing her, he smiled and said, "My apologies. This is a personal secret, so forgive me for being unable to reveal it."

Hearing this, the woman was slightly disappointed, but then she gave a helpless smile and said, "Forget it. The Zhu family no longer exists, so why be hung up on these things?"

"Fellow Daoist, please restrain your grief!" Liang Zhaohuang comforted her. "Fortunately, the Zhu family still has you alive. I believe the family can be reestablished very soon."

"Heh..." Hearing this, the woman gave a cold laugh, looked at Liang Zhaohuang, and suddenly saluted. "Zhu Yuqing of Vermilion Dragon Manor. May I ask what Fellow Daoist is called?"

"Liang Zhaohuang of Liangyuan Village. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhu." Liang Zhaohuang returned the salute.

"Fellow Daoist Liang, do you think this Black Wind bandit attack was an accident?" Zhu Yuqing looked at Liang Zhaohuang and suddenly spoke.

"What do you mean?" Liang Zhaohuang asked in puzzlement. "Could there be some hidden story?"

"Do you know how long it's been since the six county magnates of Ludong County last changed?" Zhu Yuqing asked.

Then, without waiting for Liang Zhaohuang to answer, he said directly, "Five hundred years! Ludong County has gone a full five hundred years without a new county magnate appearing!"

"In the villages and towns below the county, over these five hundred years, countless humble families have been like wild grass, burned and growing again, growing and burned again, replaced crop after crop beyond counting, yet not a single one has been able to grow into timber, break through the ninth rank, and become a new county magnate."

"Is it that all these humble families were no good?" Zhu Yuqing shook his head with a cold laugh. Then his tone suddenly changed, and he looked at Liang Zhaohuang. "Liangyuan Village, where your Liang Family is based, was still called Mulberry Garden Town over a hundred years ago."

"At that time, the Sang Family of Mulberry Garden Town planted spirit mulberries, raised spirit silkworms, reeled spirit silk, and the ritual robes they made were even famous beyond the county!"

"And the result? In one monster chaos, five humble families, including the Sang Family, were wiped out to the last door."

As Zhu Yuqing reached this point, his expression turned slightly cold, and the mockery in his eyes grew even stronger.

"Speaking of which, though the Sang Family was destroyed, the Mulberry Garden Town they left behind was a fine place, covered all over with spirit mulberries. At the time, several humble families wanted to take it, but in the end, it was actually assigned to your newly established Liang Family."

"To take this piece of land, your Liang Family must have paid no small price, right?"

Zhu Yuqing asked with pointed implication.

When Liang Zhaohuang heard this, his expression darkened slightly, but he said nothing.

This involved an old matter within the Liang Family, one that concerned their forebears, and he did not want to say anything.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuqing did not mind. He merely smiled and continued, "A monster chaos over a hundred years ago, a demonic disaster over two hundred years ago, the Commoner Rebellion three hundred years ago... haha... and now the Black Wind Bandits are stirring up trouble again!"

"Almost every hundred years or so, there will be one round of upheaval!"

"Every time there is one, several humble families will be wiped out to the last door!"

"Fellow Daoist Liang, do you think this could be a coincidence?" Zhu Yuqing looked at Liang Zhaohuang and asked with a cold laugh.