Nothing earth-shaking happened. There was no heavy impact. There was just a small mark from the impact of the stone.
Fang Zhengzhi circled the interior and found nothing special.
He was preparing to leave.
Just as he was about to get to the entrance, Fang Zhengzhi eyed the black stone on the floor. He thought about it, then kept it in his Heart Protection Mirror.
"I'll use it as one of my secret weapons!"
Xing Yuanguo and Bai Xing were both shocked by what happened. Anyone would have been equally stunned by what happened.
How could they all have exited the world in the middle of the battle?
The throne room and altar had disappeared. The masked black robed men had followed suit. The entire space around them underwent a massive transformation in the blink of an eye.
They were back on Cang Ling Mountain in the blink of an eye.
An army camp was in front of them, a mountain of bodies at its entrance.
This was the army camp Xing Yuanguo was based at. Returning to it sent chills down his spine.
Bai Xing was lost.
However, he quickly recovered. His loss turned into awe, then fear. He realized that something impossible had just happened.
"The Vast World has been broken?!"
He had never expected this to happen. He knew that entering The Vast World was a one way trip.
He could not have done it. Xing Yuanguo could not have done it. Even the most powerful sages could not have achieved this.
There was only one possibility...
Someone moved the "energy stone" powering The Vast World.
However, how could the stone be moved? It was deep inside Cang Ling Mountain! Who had the power to move mountains within a hundred mile radius of this place?
"What just happened?" Bai Xing did not understand. However, he knew that there was a more pressing issue at hand. He took off.
His body turned into a ray of silver light as he summoned all his residual energy and fled the scene maniacally. He charged into the depths of Cang Ling Mountain.
Xing Yuanguo was equally confused.
However, he had a feeling that he had been released from The Vast World. This was not just because the masked black robed men had disappeared.
More importantly, the fiercely determined Bai Xing had just taken off.
Xing Yuanguo did not give chase. He did not know if this was just another one of Bai Xing's ploys. Furthermore, his first order of business was to ensure the survival of his 2000 wounded soldiers.
Bai Xing may have ran, but the army of beasts had not.
"Hold your ground!"
The 2000 soldiers leapt into action upon hearing the command. They formed a humongous three layered protective circle, their spears pointed outwards. They looked like an enormous porcupine.
"Roar!"
"Aroo!"
The fury of the 4000 beasts turned completely on the 2000 soldiers. However, without a leader, these beasts could not break the defences of the soldiers.
The intense battle raged on, but it was clear that the end was near.
These beasts were all intelligent creatures. After realizing that they could not break the defences, they decided to give up. After all, they did not have an unresolvable feud with these soldiers.
Chi Guyan stood in the middle of the circle, her eyes scanning the area. She spotted a soldier guarding Ping Yang.
"Your highness, I, Wen Dabao is here to protect you! Any beast intent on harming you will only do so over my dead body!" Wen Daobao hollered, his spear lowered. He beat back an advancing beast.
"Where is that shameless one? Is he dead? Where did he go..." Ping Yang kept murmuring to herself, ignoring Wen Dabao.
Furthermore, she was wielding the Blazing Qilin Spear and wore the Red Flame Flower Armor. She was in no danger whatsoever.
"Ping Yang!" Chi Guyan's body turned into a ray of light and she appeared right next to Ping Yang.
"Sister Yan... that... that shameless guy... is dead... dead!" Ping Yang's eyes turned misty when she saw Chi Guyan.
"Don't speak rubbish. That shameless thief is so lucky... how can he possibly be dead?!" Chi Guyan's expression changed even whilst she comforted Ping Yang.
"He really is dead, I saw it myself! He was struck to death!"
"How... how is this possible?!" The initially calm Chi Guyan became increasingly anxious when she heard Ping Yang's assertion.
She knew that Ping Yang would never lie to her.
A light mist covered the Northern Mountain Village at dawn. The villagers watched the four riding men anxiously. They could guess what was going to happen next.
However, none of their eyes showed any trace of fear.
The Northern Mountain Village was small, with only about 100 families. They had spent decades together. Even though their were small squabbles every now and then, they were always united when facing a foreign enemy.
They were all a family.
Furthermore, the enemy was looking for Fang Zhengzhi.
Eight years ago, when Zhang Pingyang brought Fang Zhengzhi into the village, the poor village had gone through tumultous changes. They were now one of the more influential villages.
In the past few years, the hunting squad had suffered no casualties. This was something unprecedented for the villagers.
All of them were extremely grateful towards Fang Zhengzhi and the Fang family. Even though Fang Zhengzhi was only 15 years old, Zhang Yangping wanted to make him the village elder.
Zhang Yangping knew that no one would object even though Fang Zhengzhi was only 15 years old!
Without Fang Zhengzhi, the Northern Mountain Village would not enjoy the successes it had. Who would ever agree to someone taking Fang Zhengzhi away?
The four men approached, the killing aura thick in the air.
"Good day villagers. Our general has heard that Young Master Fang is back in the village. We have come to pay him a visit, may we know where he is?" One of the deputies dismounted and looked at the villagers, smiling warmly as he did so.
"You four generals are here to see Zhengzhi?" Zhang Yangping stepped out upon hearing the deputies.
"Yes!" The deputy nodded.
"Since you're here to find Zhengzhi, you are a guest of the Northern Mountain Village. We do not have much delicacies in the village. However, we do have some meat, and I have a wine that has been aged for 30 years. Would you like to come in and have a seat?" Zhang Yangping motioned to the villagers, asking them to prepare the tables.
"Hold on!" The general spoke up, "You are the village elder here?"
"Yes, my name is Zhang Yangping. I am the elder here. Please tell me any requests you have!" Zhang Yangping bowed.
"We have come to meet with Young Master Fang with regard to some military matters. Since you are the leader here, please ask him to come out." The general waved Zhang Yangping away.
"General, you have come at the wrong time. He has already travelled towards the capital. You know that he is currently participating in the imperial examinations, so..."
"Smack!"
Before Zhang Yangping could finish, he was whipped. Even though he was tough, the 50 year old Zhang Yangping still fell to the ground.
"Don't try any tricks with me! I have orders to find Fang Zhengzhi, anyone who tries to stymie me shall be dealt with severely!" The general held his whip in one hand as he flashed the black military token. He glared at every villager, almost like a death god.
The villagers who were all preparing to lay out the food and wine stopped. They all stared at the general with hatred.
Villagers are troublemakers.
Even though they may fear the might of the army, they would not simply look the other way if their leader was humiliated so blatantly.
"What are you looking at! Are you all really going to go against a military order? Stand out and let me see how tough you are!" One of the deputies hollered. He knew what he had to do.
He dismounted and strode towards the villager.
He wanted to antagonize and infuriate them. So long as one of them fought back, they had an excuse to punish them according to martial law.
By then, wouldn't Fang Zhengzhi come out of hiding?
"General, Zhengzhi is young and immature. He may have antagonized the military, but it is my fault. I did not discipline him well enough. Why don't you punish me instead, I will confess to all the charges!" Zhang Pingyang leapt up and walked to the deputy.
"Scram!" The deputy kicked Zhang Pingyang back on the floor.
Zhang Pingyang may be tough, but he was just an ordinary man. After being whipped and kicked, he paled and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Sh*t!"
"Old man, old man, are you okay?!" A woman immediately fell to the ground and picked Zhang Pingyang up.
That was Zhang Pingyang's wife.
Behind her stood a tall, hulking youth. He looked to be in his twenties, and he wore a shirt made from striped hide.
Upon seeing Zhang Pingyang pale, he fell to his knees.
"What a useless bunch of scum!" The deputy cursed as he saw Zhang Pingyang vomit blood. His expression changed as he glanced at the general.
The general was calm. He did not even look at Zhang Pingyang. He mounted his horse and slammed his whip. The crisp sound echoed out.
"Your leader has defied a direct order and is harboring a criminal! This is the consequence of his actions! If you all hand over Fang Zhengzhi, I will spare all of you. Else, you will all... die!"
"Die!"
His last word echoed throughout the entire village. The expressions of all the villagers changed instantly as they retreated.
The deputy realized that things were going to take a turn for the worse. He no longer held back.
Furthermore, they were under direct orders.
The general had only brought along three deputies. His motive was simple. There was only one thing left to do, kill!
They would kill one to scare the others. This was the way the military did things.
These were just a bunch of villagers, insignificant when compared to the might of the army. Whilst they could not massacre an entire village, they could definitely kill one or two.
"Hand over Fang Zhengzhi!" The deputy strode forward and prepared to kick Zhang Yangping's wife away. Just as his leg extended, it was grabbed by a pair of arms.
"What?" The deputy was stunned. He shifted his weight about and kicked with all his might. A figure tumbled to the side.
"Don't harm my father!" The figure quickly rose. He knelt on the grass. This was Zhang Pingyang's son, Zhang Li.
"Brother Li, don't do it!"
"Li, come back quickly!"
All of the villagers were getting anxious.
"Oh, you aren't afraid to die. Okay then, I shall break a rule and accept your challenge. I will have my way with you!" The deputy smiled. He had found his target.
"Stop!" At this point, a voice rang out from the crowd.
A haggardly dressed man stepped out from the ground. He was determined, and furious.
One of this man's arms was made completely from a white metal.
There was a lady standing next to him. She was not dressed very well, but she had an elegance about her.
"Uncle Houde! Auntie Xuelian!" Zhang Li was slightly nervous when he saw the couple. They were Fang Zhengzhi's parents.
If this only affected the other villagers, it would not be as bad. However, if it implicated Fang Zhengzhi's parents, this was going to get very ugly.
They knew Fang Zhengzhi's character.
He would never let the attackers off.
But...
They were under direct orders from the military! How could one man go against the army?
"I will answer for my son's crimes! Come at me!" Fang Houde looked at the general fearlessly.