Chapter 51

When the crowd saw the Chunyang disciple who had volunteered to go with Xu Zhi Nan to exchange hostages, they were all startled.

He had changed into Chen Xing Yong's clothes and hair crown, messed up his hair and pretended to have a broken hamstring, already resembling Chen Xing Yong by four to five points. The original taller and stronger body had shrunk to a moderately thin one, and even the facial bones had become feminine. At first glance, he looked like Chen Xing Yong himself.

In fact, with a little identification, one could tell that it was two different people, but with identical clothing, dishevelled hair and dim lights, it was enough to pass for the real thing.

"The Bone Shrinking Technique of the Chunyang Sect is so amazing." Zong Zi Heng looked at the disciple curiously, and for a moment it was difficult to tell the difference.

Xu Zhi Nan said, "It can't be done exactly the same, plus it won't last long, but it can still bluff people a bit."

"It will definitely be possible to fool the other party. Brother Xu, no matter how many people there are on the other side, as soon as we save your junior brother, we have to withdraw immediately."

The rescue had been planned out in full, Xu Zhi Nan will take his disciple disguised as Chen Xing Yong to exchange for Cheng Yan Zhi, and wait for an opportunity to send out a signal as soon as he was rescued, and those who were waiting outside the city would go to rescue him at once.

If all goes well, they would not only get the man back, but also catch the mysterious man.

"Don't worry, I'll improvise."

They sent Xu Zhi Nan and his disciple to the outskirts of the city, which was only two miles away from Dayang Slope and could be reached in an instant via sword flight.

Zong Zi Xiao looked a little complicated after learning that Xu Zhi Nan had given Zong Zi Heng a good sword.

He stroked Jun Lan: "It is indeed a good sword, he is a generous man."

"Well, Brother Xu is generous and righteous. Chunyang Sect will surely flourish under his command."

Zong Zi Xiao gently put Jun Lan back into its sheath, he gazed at Zong Zi Heng, "Big brother, will you ... blame Father?"

Zong Zi Heng was slightly stunned. The two brothers had never discussed such issues before. Even when Zong Zi Xiao was young, he was vaguely aware that his father treats his big brother and him very differently, and there were some words that he did not know either how to begin or how to end.

"I know that Father is not good to big brother, I ..." Zong Zi Xiao frowned, and was really stuck.

Zong Zi Heng said blandly, "Father actually does not treat big brother badly, it's just that big brother is the eldest son, so he has to be more strict in his upbringing." How could he tell his much-loved younger brother that because the Empress detested the mother and son and the Emperor still had to rely on the Wuliang Sect that is supporting her, thus he would never treat him well?

Perhaps his brother had grown up and understood long ago, but as a subject, loyalty and filial piety were the two mountains above his head that could only be tamed.

Zong Zi Xiao looked as if he wanted to say something but did not.

"Besides, it’s not that Father did not want to give me a sword. I should have gotten a good sword at the Jiaolong assembly three years ago, and I missed it myself." Zong Zi Heng stroked Zong Zi Xiao’s head, "Our Xiao Jiu must not miss out on the precious sword forged by Shen Nong Ding."

Zong Zi Xiao said with earnestness and certainty, "Big brother, what is mine is yours. Whatever we get as brothers in the future will not be divided. Even if you want my sword, I am willing to give it to you."

Zong Zi Heng laughed, "Good, when you get the divine sword, lend it to big brother for a sword dance."

A disciple from Chunyang Sect raised his head and stared in the direction of Dayang Slope, worrying, "Why has it been so long without any news? I wonder if Senior Brother has seen Senior Brother Cheng."

"Yeah, it's been almost an hour."

"Senior Brother is so powerful, he will be fine."

Zong Zi Heng was also anxious. Even if the fake Chen Xing Yong had muddled through, it didn't mean that the mysterious man would keep his promise and return Cheng Yan Zhi. If the fake Chen Xing Yong was discovered, the situation would be even more dangerous, and the only one who could adapt was Xu Zhi Nan, which was really worrying.

Qi Meng Sheng said, "Wait for another 5 minutes, if there is still no signal from Xu Zhen Ren, we will go over."

"Alright."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud bang was heard in the distance, and the incandescent flames appeared in the ink-stained night sky, shaking the earth.

They had been waiting for Xu Zhi Nan's signal fireworks, but this was the signal they were never expecting; it was an explosion!

The Zong brothers rose up with their swords.

Cultivators who fly in the air need the help of apparatuses most of the time; weapon cultivators use weapons, which is the simplest of all; the Cangyu Sect cultivates magic, so they can use frozen ice to fly. Only martial arts cultivators can use their physical bodies to fly.

They were all very fast, but when they arrived at Dayang Slope, they were still a step behind.

A huge crater had been blown out of Dayang Slope, and it looked as if a piece had been gouged out with a shovel from the top view. Several people had fallen on the ground, along with limbs that had fallen everywhere. Blood and mud mixed together, black and red splattered everywhere. It was simply unbearable.

The air was filled with the stench of burning and pungent odor.

"It's Thunderfire Stone!" Qi Meng Sheng exclaimed.

"Senior Brother!"

As soon as Zong Zi Heng landed on the ground, he ran with the others towards Xu Zhi Nan.

Xu Zhi Nan was half-covered in mud, his right arm had been blown away, and his body and face were covered in blood, but he was still crawling forward with one hand, not far from Cheng Yan Zhi, not knowing whether he is dead or alive.

The scene was a mixture of grief and anger.

"Brother Xu!" Zong Zi Heng rushed up and picked up Xu Zhi Nan, infusing his spiritual energy frantically as he looked at Xu Zhi Nan's miserable state, anger surging in his chest.

"My... My junior brother." Xu Zhi Nan said in a trembling voice, "I'm fine, go and see ...Yan Zhi..."

Zong Zi Heng said urgently, "Don't say anything, protect your heart chakra."

"Senior Brother Cheng, Senior Brother Cheng is still alive! But ..."

Xu Zhi Nan heard these words before he closed his eyes and passed out.

Zong Zi Xiao turned around quickly, "No, these people don't look like that mysterious person, where is he?"

Qi Meng Sheng took out two elixirs and fed them to Xu Zhi Nan and Cheng Yan Zhi respectively. She said in a deep voice, "Save the people first, take them back to the city. Bring back all the dead and alive, and send people around to search for any fish that have slipped through the net*."

---

"Senior Sister, it's confirmed, it's the formula for Thunderfire Stone."

Thunderfire Stone was a kind of explosive. It is a recipe formulated by a sect in Yongliang that specialized in making gunpowder and firearms, and its power was much more powerful than ordinary explosives. Exploding at such a close distance, if the Chunyang Sect people did not have the body of Vajra, they would have been blown apart, but the disciple who pretended to be Chen Xing Yong still did not survive. And the few suspected enemy cultivators at the scene, none of them left a whole body.

Qi Meng Sheng narrowed her pair of beautiful eyes, "Thunderfire Stones rarely appear in the Central Plains. Could this matter be related to Yongliang?"

Although the Thunderfire Stone was powerful, for the stereotypical and old-fashioned Central Plains sects that held themselves in high regard and it was disdainful to use them. It was destined to be swept into the ranks of heretical sects.

Zong Zi Heng said, "Thunderfire stones are indeed rare in the Central Plains, but I have heard that there are quite a number of people buying Thunderfire stones secretly. It's just that many immortal sects won't let people know because they are concerned about their face."

"Then it would be difficult to find out who used the Thunderfire Stone."

"Flying Plume Ambassador, have those limbs been pieced together yet? Can the mastermind be found?" A disciple of the Chunyang Sect said sadly, "My Senior Brother and Senior Brother Cheng were seriously injured and Junior Brother Wang was killed. This matter must be traced to the end!"

Qi Meng Sheng said, "It's been pieced, but none of them look like the mastermind."

"What?"

Zong Zi Xiao said, "I've already seen it at the scene. The person who was able to capture Cheng Yan Zhi must be a high-ranking cultivator, and a high-ranking cultivator's protective boundary would at least not let itself explode into pieces."

Zong Zi Heng was puzzled, "But the Thunderfire Stone must be used at close range, and Brother Xu was even injured by the blast. That mysterious person could not have had time to escape. Could there be someone else faster than the Chunyang Sect cultivators?"

Qi Meng Sheng said, "This point is indeed puzzling."

"Senior Brother is awake!"

At these words, the crowd got up and went to see Xu Zhi Nan.

Earlier, they had split up and gone to a nearby town to find a doctor to treat their injuries. Xu Zhi Nan had not been hurt in the vital areas, and his self-healing ability was so strong that even his missing limbs could grow back, but Cheng Yan Zhi's injuries were extremely serious, almost as if he was hanging on by a thread and could die at any moment.

The most frightening thing was that Cheng Yan Zhi's golden core had been dug out. Xu Zhi Nan woke up, but they didn't know how to tell him the bad news.

But Xu Zhi Nan acted unusually calm, if not for the fact that his face was ashen, he looked like he was waking up from a long dream without too many ups and downs, but this was even more depressing and saddening.

"Did Junior Brother Wang not get saved?" Xu Zhi Nan said in a soft voice.

The Chunyang Sect disciple sobbed softly.

"Yan Zhi's golden core was dug out."

"How did you know?" Qi Meng Sheng said in surprise.

"I saw it." Xu Zhi Nan opened his eyes, his gaze as cold as the deep winter, "After the explosion, I saw that man digging out Yan Zhi's core, and he tried to dig up mine, but when you guys arrived, he ran away."

"Ran away?" Zong Zi Xiao's eyes widened, "Could it be that he didn't put the Thunderfire stone there? Or was his cultivation so profound that he was only lightly injured?" The only people who could withstand the explosion of the Thunderfire stone at close range and still move freely were most likely the sect leaders of the major sects.

"No, he wasn't injured at all and was safe and sound." Xu Zhi Nan's lips trembled slightly.

This statement was followed by a few huffing sounds.

"Impossible." Qi Meng Sheng said categorically, "Nowadays, the highest cultivated patriarchs in the immortal cultivation world are the Chunyang Sect’s Sect Leader Immortal Lord..." She blurted out, then realized that it was inappropriate to say this in front of a room full of Chunyang Sect disciples.

But Xu Zhi Nan finished her sentence for her: "To be able to survive an explosion like that unharmed, even my master would not be able to do that."

"Could it be that there are really hermit experts in this world?" Zong Zi Heng's face turned a little white, "I don't believe it. If there really is such a person, how could he be in cahoots with such scum like Chen Xing Yong? And where is the need to dig out people's golden cores?"

"What Your Highness said is extremely true." Qi Meng Sheng said, "Another possibility is that he has a special magical treasure that allows him to take cover. For example, if he used the Gong Shu Ju, he would be able to stay away from the explosion instantly."

"But Gong Shu Ju is in my Qiankun Pouch." Xu Zhi Nan said.

"Brother Xu, tell us in detail what happened then. Having caught Chen Xing Yong, this matter is far from over, we must uncover the mysterious person behind the curtain."

Xu Zhi Nan sighed tersely, a pained look gazed between his brows, "At that time, I took Junior Brother Wang to Dayang Slope, and I did see the mysterious man with a few of his men and Yan Zhi. At that time, I thought that everything was still as I had expected."

"I tried to talk politely to the mysterious man, but he was very strict. We never exchanged moves from the beginning to the end, and I had no way of knowing his martial path. Then, he offered to exchange hostages. According to the plan, after exchanging Yan Zhi back, Junior Brother Wang would suddenly rise in revolt and sneak attack the mysterious person. I would set off the fireworks, you guys would come to the rescue, and we would kill them all. However, the mysterious man did not want to exchange back Chen Xing Yong, he wanted to exterminate Chen Xing Yong together with us."

"So, when he was very close to us, he suddenly threw out the Thunderfire stone. I only had time to protect myself and Yan Zhi at that time. Junior Brother Wang was the closest to him and failed to ..." Xu Zhi Nan's voice choked at the end of his sentence.

 

----

fish that have slipped through the net* [落网之鱼]---fugitive; criminal at large; runaway

 

Edited on 25 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

 

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