Chapter Forty-Seven: Who Is the Cunning One?

The Rong Kingdom originally had five practitioners of Qi, who were hired at great expense by the Rong clan. Later, upon discovering that Tong Gaolu harbored rebellious intentions, Rong Tuo acted decisively; during Tong’s hunting excursion, he ordered the five practitioners to jointly ambush and kill him.

To Rong Tuo, this seemed a simple task, easily accomplished. Five Qi cultivators against a single Tong Gaolu—a clear advantage. No matter how exceptional Tong Gaolu might be, he could not escape such a deadly assault and would surely perish.

Yet, Rong Tuo did not anticipate that in that encounter, Tong Gaolu would crush three of the five cultivators, leaving only Huang Zaichen and Qian Qi barely escaping with their lives. Qian Qi, having witnessed Tong Gaolu’s overwhelming power—like a force that hated heaven for lacking a handle and earth for lacking a ring—was so shaken that he defected to Tong Gaolu’s side.

Rong Tuo bellowed furiously, startling the short, middle-aged Qian Qi, who looked at Tong Gaolu in embarrassment, his gaze flickering.

“General, I…”

“Fickle villain, keeping you will only bring harm!”

Tong Gaolu sighed, a flash of light glinting in his hand as he firmly grasped a pair of purple-gold Demon-Breaking Hammers. With a sudden swing at the terrified Qian Qi, the air boomed like a muffled drum. Qian Qi hastily waved a small red flag, conjuring crimson clouds to shield himself, yet the hammer’s force shattered the red clouds and sent him flying several yards, blood spraying from his mouth and nose.

“What?!”

All three members of the Rong clan paled; Qian Qi, after all, was a fourth-level Qi cultivator, but he could not withstand even a single blow?

Rong Jin was the first to lose composure; with a hand gesture, she summoned a wild gust from her throat. Rong Tuo activated a chain talisman, spewing black lights that slithered like serpents toward their target. Rong Xuantao and Huang Zaichen also unleashed their own methods, filling the air with dazzling spiritual light.

Facing their combined assault, Tong Gaolu simply opened his mouth and let out a thunderous roar, shaking the emptiness and drowning all attacks in a wave of sound.

Among them, Huang Zaichen, the weakest, found his internal breath thrown into chaos by the roar, his vision darkening as he nearly fell from the sky.

Tong Gaolu ignored everything, advancing to the dying Qian Qi and with another swing, smashed him into a bloody pulp.

In the blink of an eye, a Qi practitioner had died…

Though there were four attackers besides Chen Heng, all were now gripped by fear, none daring to strike first.

“Weren’t you all intent on taking my life? Why just stand there?” Tong Gaolu, without wiping the blood from his face, looked at Chen Heng. “Or are you afraid?”

“Not at all. I simply wished to observe your martial arts, General.”

“And what do you think?” Tong Gaolu sneered.

“Excellent. They ought to belong to me!”

Chen Heng smiled, withdrawing an object from his sleeve and tossing it skyward; instantly, thunder roared and lightning flashed.

Tong Gaolu was taken aback for the first time.

“A Thunderfire Pearl! Isn’t this Daoist Yangshan’s talisman… Wait, did you capture Yi’er?!”

With a simple gesture, Chen Heng summoned countless bolts of lightning, while a green bamboo spike turned into a bright streak and shot directly at Tong Gaolu’s eyes.

Clang!

Tong Gaolu blocked the incoming thunder with his purple-gold hammer, barely withstanding the force. He marveled inwardly: this mid-grade talisman, driven by Chen Heng’s inner breath, was far more formidable than in Yangshan Daoist’s hands! Fortunately, his body was strong; anyone else would have been paralyzed instantly.

He realized his greatest asset was neither cultivation nor talismans, but his indestructible physique. Therefore, he refused to engage Chen Heng at a distance, instead aiming to close in and kill him.

But Chen Heng anticipated this, keeping his distance and engaging in a running battle. Thunderfire raged continuously, pinning Tong Gaolu down, while the bamboo spike occasionally struck, sparking against his skin but unable to pierce it.

Tong Gaolu’s body was indeed extraordinarily tough; neither the Thunderfire Pearl nor the bamboo spike could do more than make him look battered—they could not kill him.

“Will you just watch, fellow cultivator?” Tong Gaolu hurled a golden hammer into the sky, forming a fierce golden arc that made the air whistle.

Chen Heng dared not take the blow head-on, using a refined jade to block it for a moment; in that interval, he escaped in a flash and sent a message to Rong Tuo.

“You know I possess an ancestral talisman, but it requires me to be within half a yard to activate, and it takes several breaths… not good!”

Seeing Chen Heng evade the attack and pinned by lightning, Tong Gaolu, frustrated, lifted another golden hammer and threw it at Rong Tuo.

Aside from the Five-Light Sect’s Universe Pouch, he was a destitute wanderer, never having learned any true techniques.

If not for a stroke of luck in glimpsing the “Earth Gate Golden Seal,” the royal practitioners would have easily slain him.

Now, Tong Gaolu’s strength was enough to shake mountains and break cities; even Chen Heng and Rong Tuo could not take him lightly or withstand his blows.

As the golden hammer flew toward him, Rong Tuo shrieked, summoning a whirlwind of sand and stones; but the minor wind-and-mist spell was no match for the hammer’s power and was instantly blown apart.

In desperation, Rong Tuo tossed a small golden figurine from his bosom. As it exploded in midair, he used the confusion to escape, narrowly avoiding death.

“Close range… I understand. It seems there’s no other way.”

Chen Heng made a hand sign, retracting the pearl and bamboo spike, sending a mental message to Tu Shan Ge, then halted his light.

“Tong Gaolu, do you not care if your son lives?” Chen Heng called coldly.

With Chen Heng putting away his talismans, Tong Gaolu finally caught his breath. As he struggled to rise, he saw in the distance a yellow-robed youth escorting the maimed Tong Yi.

“What’s this?” Rong Tuo’s eyes lit up.

He knew that Chen Heng had summoned several people yesterday, and only now realized that Tong Yi was among them.

At that moment, he received a message from Chen Heng, immediately growing alert.

“Yi’er?” Tong Gaolu looked at his devastated son, his rage intensifying.

“If you want him to live, then cut off your own arm,” Chen Heng said, pointing at Tong Yi.

“You…”

Tong Gaolu’s face darkened. He paused, then sneered coldly.

“If I cut off my arm, what hope do my son and I have afterwards? Your inner breath is formidable—I cannot defeat you and can only be oppressed by your talismans! But can you break my body?”

Tong Gaolu’s gaze grew colder. “Kill him, then! He’s just a son; I can always have another!”

“Father…”

Tong Yi’s eyes shone when he first saw Tong Gaolu, but his father’s words left him stunned, his face twisting with bitter hatred.

“You old beast, you wretch! Are you just going to watch me die? What are you worth? A lowly stable hand…”

Tong Yi cursed viciously, spewing abuse until even Rong Tuo was dumbfounded and started laughing.

“…What a scoundrel!”

Tong Gaolu was furious, longing to tear out Tong Yi’s tongue.

“If you won’t cut off your arm, so be it.”

Suddenly, Chen Heng seized Tong Yi by the collar and hurled him toward Tong Gaolu.

“I’m merciful; I can’t bear to see families torn apart. Let you all be reunited.”

Tong Gaolu was secretly pleased, unsure what Chen Heng might be plotting, and quickly opened his arms to catch his son.

Whatever else, Tong Yi was his child… If not for his exceptional talent, Tong Gaolu might have killed him himself.

Just as Tong Gaolu embraced him—

Suddenly!

A surge of frigid, domineering true Qi exploded, rushing straight into his body!

His organs were nearly frozen, the chill rampaged like a wild dragon, turning his insides upside down!

Though Tong Gaolu’s body was formidable, he was still momentarily frozen, stuck in place.

Rong Tuo, forewarned by Chen Heng, wasted no time; he produced a crimson talisman and, suppressing his terror, moved to within half a yard of Tong Gaolu, activating his inner breath.

The talisman slowly floated up, intertwining with red spiritual light. After four or five breaths, it finally condensed into a blood-colored flying shuttle.

“Why… isn’t it ready yet?”

From afar, Huang Zaichen, riding the clouds, shivered uncontrollably. He had come only because courage and loyalty spurred him on.

But in the real battle, he, Rong Jin, and Rong Xuantao were mere spectators, unable to help.

“Damn it! Why isn’t it ready yet!”

Beside Tong Gaolu, Rong Tuo was just as anxious.

At this range, if Tong Gaolu recovered, a single slap would reduce him to pulp.

As everyone held their breath, the blood-colored shuttle finally solidified, emitting a clear, low hum. At that moment, Tong Gaolu’s eyelids began to tremble violently!

“Move! Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Rong Tuo screamed frantically, heart nearly bursting.

The shuttle leapt up, streaking like a rainbow, and with a grinding, sickening sound, slowly drilled through Tong Gaolu’s skull, then dissipated.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Tong Gaolu, just barely free of the frigid Qi’s grip, let out a sky-shattering scream, clutching his head and howling upward.

The sound waves tore the ground apart, cracking it in countless places. Rong Tuo felt his chest tighten, and seeing the berserk Tong Gaolu, dared not linger, fleeing in panic.

“Still alive? What a fine technique!”

Chen Heng praised, then summoned the “Solid Sinking Inkstone” he had obtained from Tong Ji Zhen, placing it above Tong Gaolu’s head and detonating it.

This explosion, powered by self-destruction, was only slightly weaker than the flying shuttle’s blow!

With the destruction of the blood-bound talisman, Chen Heng trembled, his face turning pale.

The others rejoiced, quickly joining in, bombarding Tong Gaolu’s body with dozens of attacks, sparks flying from his shell.

Finally, Chen Heng used the bamboo spike to pierce Tong Gaolu’s skull several times, ending his life.

“Truly a demonic body…”

Chen Heng struggled to Tong Gaolu’s side, collected his corpse, while Rong Tuo watched, eyes flickering.

“Then I shall take my leave. Don’t forget the terms you promised me,” Chen Heng said with a cupped salute. From his sleeve, several streams of cold blue true Qi drifted out, twisting like dragons and serpents, beautiful and chilling.

“He still has true Qi?”

Rong Tuo, already hesitant, saw this and abandoned any further schemes, hurriedly saluting and watching Chen Heng depart.

Chen Heng said nothing more, wrapping Tu Shan Ge in his inner breath, transforming into a white streak that soared into the sky.

After half a tea’s time, the white light descended beside a mountain stream. As Tu Shan Ge stared in alarm, Chen Heng’s breath faltered and he spat out several mouthfuls of blood.

“Master! Are you alright?”

Tu Shan Ge caught him, shouting.

“After fighting Tong Gaolu, my inner breath is spent. Destroying the talisman just now worsened my wounds…” Chen Heng coughed up blood again. “I only forced myself to hold on to intimidate Rong Tuo, fearing his greed.”

“Master, don’t you still have the frigid Qi?”

“That was just a decoy—it’s long gone… Where would I get so much frigid Qi?” Chen Heng smiled bitterly. “Guard me. I need to recover my inner breath.”

He produced a talisman coin and began absorbing spiritual energy.

Tu Shan Ge nodded hastily, preparing to conceal their surroundings with divine power, when suddenly the grass and trees rustled and a woman’s voice sounded.

“You’re wounded? At last, the moment I’ve been waiting for.”

From the wild forest, a blazing red light swept forth, attacking fiercely!

Tu Shan Ge tried to block it, but it was too late; he could only watch as the red light slashed toward Chen Heng’s head, his eyes nearly bursting.

Boom!

Countless streams of energy surged, condensed like metal, easily blocking the deadly red light.

“Master?”

Tu Shan Ge was stunned.

Nearby, Chen Heng was surrounded by a translucent armor, rising calmly from the ground, his breath vast and steady, completely unlike his previous weakened state—he seemed as if he had never been injured.

“You acted too quickly. I expected you to wait several breaths before striking.”

Chen Heng spoke coolly.

“You’re not wounded? You faked it to trick me!”

The woman’s voice was incredulous. “Wait, when did you notice me?!”

“You thought you hid well? If not for your talisman for flight, I would have killed you already.”

Chen Heng’s gaze deepened.

“Zhou Chuyu—is that your name? With mountains and water here, it’s the perfect place to bury you!”