Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
“You can’t be sure? Rules are meant to be broken?” Green Jade frowned. She knew the meaning of these words but had no idea why Fang Zhengzhi had chosen to say them at this time.
Nevertheless, she did not intend to ask any further for she understood that Ling Yun Tower had given their orders.
The leaders had made their decision.
She only had to follow instructions.
“Surround them!”
Green Jade did not bother waiting for Fang Zhengzhi to continue and issued her orders. She waved a hand and signaled for two of her white-robed followers to make their moves.
The two of them flanked Fang Yuan from both sides and led more than a dozen girls to close in on Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang as well as Lin Mubai, who were all trapped in the middle.
In a blink, lines of green light had encircled Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang and Lin Mubai. These lines of light linked the white-robed women and the green-robed women into a net-like formation.
“Young Master Fang, His Majesty of the Great Xia, Princess Ping Yang, after you all!” With a grave look on her face, Green Jade adjusted her body to reveal the path leading up to the great doors of Ling Yun Tower.
Green Jade had made herself clear. There were no other alternative paths to Fang Zhengzhi and company other than the one she had pointed out.
Just as she had mentioned, some issues were non-negotiable. At this point, Fang Zhengzhi no longer had the freedom to choose.
“Sure enough, the Five Sects of the Holy Region.” Fang Yuan observed the sight before him with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Whether it was upon his first time stepping into the Heaven Dao Pavilion, or entering the Ying Yang Hall and the Nine Pinnacles Mountain, Fang Zhengzhi had been able to feel the raw power emanating from these places. He was experiencing the same feeling right now.
In order words, this was a place that was far removed from reality!
Even if Fang Zhengzhi displayed his mighty prowess of the Sage State, the Five Sects of the Holy Region would give him the cold shoulder.
Ling Yun Tower would set the rules.
Fang Zhengzhi had to follow the game rules of Ling Yun Tower. Regardless of whether Fang Zhengzhi approached these challenges respectfully or with rage, Ling Yun Tower would continue to judge him with a cold arrogance.
This was how the Five Sects of the Holy Region operated.
“Young Master Fang, His Majesty of the Great Xia, Princess Ping Yang, what are you all waiting for? Please proceed!” Green Jade spoke again after a momentary silence. She looked displeased.
“Hmph, we’re not heading up. What can you do to us?” Ping Yang was bursting with impatience. She glared at her surroundings and held even more tightly onto her Fire Kirin Spear.
“Princess Ping Yang, that’s where you’re wrong. If you don’t obey the rules of Ling Yun Tower, you will no longer be a guest of Ling Yun Tower and will be stripped of your guest right…” Green Jade cut her sentence short but it was a thinly veiled threat.
Ping Yang wanted to protest further but was stopped by Lin Mubai.
As the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, he was not impressed by the haughtiness of Ling Yun Tower. Still, he understood that Ling Yun Tower was a powerful entity in its own right.
For one, the formation set up by the two white-robed women and tens of green-robed women was definitely a more powerful defence mechanism than the one used by the Jade Bamboo Region.
Ling Yun Tower had an extremely strong comprehension of the “Dao”.
By virtue of this enlightenment, Ling Yun Tower revelled in their imperiousness. They might recognise the abilities of others, but would always have a higher regard for their own abilities.
Lin Mubai had put an end to the budding argument between Ping Yang and Green Jade. He then looked expectantly towards Fang Zhengzhi and willed him to make a decision.
“Ping Yang, how many levels can you overcome by yourself?” Fang Zhengzhi knew what Lin Mubai was playing at and smiled at the fuming Ping Yang.
“My powers can probably bring me up to at least the fourth level. Any higher though…” Ping Yang was not sure why Fang Yuan would ask her this question but answered him nevertheless.
“You are so weak!” Fang Yuan said scornfully.
“I’m weak?! I’m one of the strongest in the Holy Region. It’s just that I haven’t fully absorbed the Demon Pearl…” Ping Yang had grown angry at Fang Zhengzhi’s mocking tone.
“Hahaha… have you ever seen anyone destroy an entire tower with one punch?” Fang Yuan could not help but laugh at the indignance displayed on Ping Yang’s face.
“Huh?”
“No need to be surprised. I’ve never seen it happen before either. Would you like to see it happen?” Fang Yuan kept his eyes on Ping Yang, who was beginning to smile.
“Of course I do!” Ping Yang blinked. She had finally understood Fang Zhengzhi and gazed expectantly at the looming Ling Yun Tower.
The conversation between Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang had severely offended Green Jade. After all, no one had ever dared to speak about Ling Yun Tower in this way.
Knocking down the tower with one punch?
Did they really think that Ling Yun Tower was made out of tofu?
In Green Jade’s opinion, only two kinds of people would talk like that. They were either crazy or were naive fools.
“Fang Zhengzhi, you’ve already made a name for yourself. Why are you so intent on having a death wish?” Green Jade looked at Fang Yuan with a mixture of pity and helplessness.
Fang Yuan broke into a grin.
One could be confident and there was nothing wrong with that. However, overconfidence translates into hubris.
The Ling Yun Tower standing before them was one of the Five Sects of the Holy Region and could afford to be arrogant. Still, there was a limit to what others can tolerate.
Of course, from Ling Yun Tower’s perspective, there was nothing wrong with their attitude. Their reputation as one of the Five Sects of the Holy Region had endured for thousands of years.
How could such a place manage to maintain its humility?
In fact, Fang Zhengzhi had not planned to do anything else other than to fetch Ping Yang and leave.
Now that he had seen Ping Yang, he was getting some new ideas of his own. He wanted to help Ping Yang get up the Tower to demand an explanation.
Just an explanation.
It was probably going to be a demanding task, seeing how Ling Yun Tower had treated them with cold indifference.
Even after he had given them a glimpse of his power.
Nothing would change the way Ling Yun Tower conducted their business. They fancied themselves a god who could set their own rules.
If so…
Damn the rules!
Fang Zhengzhi had no interest in facing the obstacles on every level in the process of climbing the Tower.
You don’t want to receive us?
Easy!
We’ll wreck havoc until you are ready to see us!
If it still does not work, we’ll tear the Tower down. We’ll burn, kill, plunder, pillage…
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to find out how much exactly could the lofty Ling Yun Tower tolerate.
Fang Zhengzhi stepped forward with black flames rising from his body. He had taken on an imposing stance which gave off a ferocious aura.
“Fang Zhengzhi, don’t push your luck! You better think twice about making your next move!” Green Jade could not help but feel intimidated by Fang Zhengzhi’s display of power.
Although Green Jade had treated them in a condescending manner from the beginning, she had her misgivings regarding Fang Zhengzhi’s true strength.
“The five flowers… they look pretty good!” Fang Zhengzhi ignored Green Jade and focused on the five gigantic flowers adorning the Tower’s body.
The flowers had petals of red, blue, black, gold and green surrounding a crystalline pistil. They shimmered in the sun and were clearly not ordinary plants.
Although Fang Zhengzhi had no idea about the practical uses of the flowers, he was confident that he would meet someone who knew how to utilise them one day.
If it did not work out…
He would pluck them down before throwing them into the furnace to cultivate pills that he would consume. This way, he could make sure that his efforts were not in vain.
“Flowers?! How dare you!” Green Jade had been jolted in action by Fang Zhengzhi’s words and quickly drew her sword. “Detain Ping Yang and the Xia Emperor first!”
“Yes, my lady!” The two white-robed women and the accompanying green-robed women nodded in response to Green Jade’s orders and rushed towards Ping Yang and Lin Mubai.
“How can the great Ling Yun Tower be so stupid!”
“Kaboom!”
Just as Fang Zhengzhi finished speaking, a deafening crash rang out before Ling Yun Tower. A humongous black figure had materialised out of thin air in his place.
The figure was encased in black body armour and looked like a shadow that had solidified. It was more than thirty metres tall and blood-red lines cascaded down its black armour. Fang Zhengzhi’s transformation was complete!
Black flames rose up into the skies.
The most terrifying detail was that the black figure had five sets of different-coloured chains curled around its body. They were the Hell Near-Life Chains. A frightful bloodlust radiated outwards from the black figure.
“What… what is this?!”
The white-robed women and the green-robed women were all staring at the black figure dumbfoundedly. They all looked like they could not believe their eyes.
“It’s the Gifted Bloodline!”
“It looks like… the Bloodline of the Heaven God?!”
“That isn’t right. Fang Zhengzhi shouldn’t have the Gifted Bloodline!”
The two white-robed women exchanged a quick look and were aware of each other’s confusion about the sight before them.
Lin Mubai and Ping Yang were stunned as well.
They were the two people present who were the most familiar with Fang Zhengzhi. After all, Fang Zhengzhi had been born in the Great Xia Dynasty.
“The Xuan Heavenly Dao Body? The Gifted Bloodline? He has them?” Lin Mubai was shocked beyond belief.
He would not have been too surprised if Fang Zhengzhi had mastered any other technique for he was aware of Fang Zhengzhi’s high intelligence.
The Gifted Bloodline, however, was a huge stretch!
Lin Mubai had gone through Fang Zhengzhi’s folder before.
Everyone who had gone through the Law of Dao examinations would be screened for the Gifted Bloodline before anything else. Fang Zhengzhi’s folder had not indicated a positive result for the screening.
Was it acquired?
How could the Gifted Bloodline be acquired?
Lin Mubai felt like his entire worldview had been refreshed.
Ping Yang was confounded as well. She had spent a significant amount of time with Fang Zhengzhi but never knew that he had the Gifted Bloodline.
“This shameless fellow managed to keep me in the dark for so long?” Ping Yang was seething. She felt cheated on by Fang Zhengzhi.
Everything…
Fang Zhengzhi remained indifferent. He had never thought about explaining himself to Ping Yang and Lin Mubai in such a situation.
Of course, he did not know how Ping Yang and Lin Mubai felt about the whole thing. Right now, he was obsessed with the idea of knocking down Ling Yun Tower with one punch.
He could even snatch over few flowers in the process!
“Crack!” Fang Yuan bent his knees a little and launched himself off the ground towards the five flowers on the body of the Tower.
“No, stop!” Green Jade had broken out of her daze and prepared to clash with Fang Zhengzhi, albeit with a pale-looking face.
At the same time, the white-robed women and green-robed women looked at each other before pouncing towards Ping Yang and Lin Mubai.
“Buzz!” At that moment, a band of blue light encircled Fang Zhengzhi and expanded outwards like a ripple on the water.
Following that, Green Jade, along with her white-robed and green-robed followers, found themselves immobilised.
It felt as if they were stuck in limbo.
“It’s the Heavenly Dao!”
Green Jade and the other two white-robed women had incredulous looks on their faces. They were aware that Fang Zhengzhi knew how to utilise the Heavenly Dao, but they had no idea that Fang Zhengzhi could manipulate Heavenly Dao in such a way.
Of course, what they did not expect was that…
Fang Zhengzhi did not even bother to pay attention to them. He did not take the opportunity to incapacitate them while they were being restrained by the Heavenly Dao.
Instead, Fang Zhengzhi had skirted around Green Jade and scooped up the five flowers into his arms. It was as if Green Jade and company were invisible to him.
They were truly aggrieved!
“The flowers?!”
“The Pentcoloured Wonder Flowers have been stolen!”