Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 232 - 224 Truth Surfaces (3/3)

Chapter 232: Chapter 224 Truth Surfaces (3/3)

Boom!

The earth fire surged, the air was scorchingly hot, and merely breathing in was enough to burn one’s stomach alive!

"Let’s go!" Zhou Heng, along with another person and a donkey, climbed down into the cavern. Having a freak like Zhou Heng who could absorb the power of flames, this time they were not sure how much easier it was compared to the last. Moreover, the earth fire this time was obviously much milder, except for the wind blades that were still dancing around, there were no burning boulders explosively flying out.

More than two hours later, they had gone endlessly deep underground, and could even clearly see the blazing earth fire!

It was a boiling pool of magma, flowing continuously in a dark red color, like a giant red python twisting its body, incredibly ferocious and terrifying!

Even Zhou Heng dared not touch it!

It was true that he could devour flames, but just as a person can’t become fat in one bite, if he were to enter such earth fire now, the only outcome would be that he couldn’t devour the flames fast enough and would be completely melted!

This was not just a hint of earth fire carried by a burning boulder, but the epicenter. If any being less than those in the Nascent Soul Realm with a deity-like presence inside ventured here, it would be a death sentence. Luckily, the heat was rising; if you lost your footing here, you’d be lifted by the hot air upwards. As long as no one forcefully blasted you down, there was basically no worry of falling into the lava.

"Look!"

Han Yiyao suddenly spoke, her gaze intensely fixed in the distance.

Zhou Heng followed her line of sight and saw a cave in the cavern wall, emanating a dazzling brilliance that formed the phantom of a green long sword outside of the cave!

A Peerless Magical Instrument!

The Martial Artist who had been ahead of Zhou Heng and the group had obviously discovered it earlier, crawling at a breakneck speed, merely a few dozen meters from the cave, using his hands and feet, flipping like a flying creature.

Zhou Heng and the group were not in a hurry, clearly, they were not the first to arrive here, but the Peerless Magical Instrument hadn’t been taken away, which only meant one thing: no one had been able to make the Peerless Magical Instrument recognize them as its master!

Such a level of treasure could not be forcibly taken even by a Nascent Soul Realm Expert; it depended solely on one’s fate!

Zhou Heng, having the Black Sword, had no great ambition for any other Magic Artifacts. To him, Peerless Magical Instrument and peerless materials were no different; they were all destined to be refined by him.

Therefore, he was not blinded by desire, but instead began to ponder.

Why had so many people come down without going up?

If the Peerless Magical Instrument chooses its owner itself, then there’s no need to desperately fight for it, doing so wouldn’t make the instrument recognize them as its master! Could it be that the instrument has an incredibly aggressive nature, viewing any approach as an affront and needing to kill to vent its rage?

He became cautious and said, "If we encounter danger later, the moment I say ’go’, you must trust me without any reservation, and not harbor any contrary feelings towards me!"

Only by doing so could he gather people into the Nine Mystic Trial Tower without bringing it out.

The Black Donkey, knowing that Zhou Heng possessed this treasure, agreed without hesitation. The donkey even had the intention of seizing the opportunity for personal gain, naturally not minding entering the tower. Han Yiyao, however, hesitated before nodding her head.

Although she had always privately cursed Zhou Heng as a lecher, she had long since stopped truly thinking that. Otherwise, how could she still be here in one piece?

This man must possess various mysteries, and since he instructed so cautiously, there must be his reasons.

"Ah—" A short cry suddenly came from within the cave, and then all returned to tranquility.

"It’s indeed not simple!"

The two people and one donkey all became alert. The person just now was an Open Heaven Realm existence. Although he wasn’t considered significant to them, if he had died just like that, what kind of danger was lurking in the cave?

What role did the Peerless Magical Instrument play in this?

If it was the Peerless Magical Instrument that killed someone, who would dare to go in? Who was confident enough to confront a Peerless Magical Instrument?

The safest option naturally was to turn back, but the Peerless Magical Instrument was right in front of them. Would it be too regrettable to give up at this moment? Would they regret it immensely when thinking back on this moment?

"Everyone, be careful!" Zhou Heng said. He had the Nine Mystic Trial Tower, and as long as he had time to react, he really didn’t need to fear any Peerless Magical Instrument.

The Black Donkey naturally trusted Zhou Heng, while Han Yiyao was filled with a determination to obtain the Peerless Magical Instrument, knowing the danger but absolutely unwilling to retreat.

They continued forward, moving very slowly, prioritizing stability above all, as they were facing a Peerless Magical Instrument after all!

About ten minutes later, they were merely a hundred meters away from the cave entrance. The projection of the green sword was as vivid as reality, exuding a terrifying oppressive force.

"Something’s not right!" Zhou Heng said in a deep voice.

"The oppressive force of that sword is indeed very powerful, but it’s still a distance away from being a Peerless Magical Instrument!" the Black Donkey added. It was an old monster from many years ago, with extensive experience.

"Heh, now I really want to know who’s inside this cave!" Zhou Heng laughed.

He took the lead, his figure twisting and turning as he leapt into the cave.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Laughter echoed immediately in the cave, revealing five masked figures.

It was indeed the Mao Family’s people!

There was no need for evidence; once he knew that the Peerless Magical Instrument was just bait, he immediately could determine that these people were from the Mao Family! Otherwise, even if they were also misled here, why would they need to wear masks?

Moreover, this place was not some vacation paradise; why else would they linger here and not leave?

The Mao Family’s force initially hunted Spirit Gathering Realm Martial Artists and then escalated their operations. They had even planned to wipe out all the Open Heaven Realm experts from the four major countries gathered here if not for Mei Yixiang’s intervention, they would have surely succeeded by now.

Now, they had tricked the people of the world with a peerless magical instrument, luring experts from both the Open Heaven Realm and the Mountains and Rivers Realm to this place and killing them!

What does the Mao Family want with so many hearts? How sinister!

"Strange, I can’t make out this kid’s cultivation realm," a masked person said.

"He must be carrying an item that conceals his aura, but what use is that!" another masked person retorted.

"Take him down quickly!" a third masked person coldly commanded, "There are two more outside!"

The five of them didn’t know how strong Zhou Heng was, but they didn’t take him lightly and launched an attack at the same time!

The cave was very spacious, and the five people ambushed from both sides and the back, effectively surrounding Zhou Heng in the middle. No wonder the previous Open Heaven Realm martial artist had only managed to scream tragically before he died!

—All five of them were experts of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, and their combined forces were more than enough to suppress any peer.

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!

Zhou Heng didn’t dodge or evade, and all five attacks simultaneously struck him.

"Oh no, this kid is too weak!"

"We might have killed him outright with such heavy blows!"

"It doesn’t matter; such a minor character is dead, so be it, he was useless anyway!"

"Eh!"

They suddenly halted, only to see Zhou Heng sending them a chilling smile, then banged out five punches of his own!

Immediately, a series of muffled groans ensued!

All five masked people staggered back almost at the same time. If one could see their faces, they would surely look utterly astonished.

They had each taken quite a hit from this strike!

The kid’s strength was not overwhelming, but his fists carried a terrifying power of flame, akin to the outside Earth Fire that could burn through anything! Although the power was much less intense, it wasn’t something they could easily withstand.

The five exchanged glances, only to see that each of their punched spots had been scorched. Not only had their clothing turned to ash, but their skin also showed burn marks, emitting a scent like roasted meat.

This kid... a monster?

From the first move, they could sense that Zhou Heng’s spiritual power level was merely at the First Layer Heaven of the Open Heaven Realm! Yet, his brutal strength was incredibly powerful and his body’s defensive power was extremely formidable!

Just that would have been enough, but how could a mere Open Heaven Realm martial artist release martial arts techniques that injured them all?

—They mistook Zhou Heng’s Purple Flame Bloodline for a martial arts technique.

Indeed, bloodline powers and martial arts techniques were extremely similar, but even if the Bloodline Power was comparable to an Upper Grade Heaven Level martial skill, how could it pose a threat to the Mountains and Rivers Realm when used by an Open Heaven Realm martial artist?

This was an absolute contradiction!

Zhou Heng flashed a smile, saying, "You are from the Mao Family, aren’t you?"

"You, you are that kid!" a masked person suddenly exclaimed.

Though his words were abrupt, both Zhou Heng and the other four immediately understood him—the Mao Family had suffered a major loss not long ago, where a hundred people were slaughtered by a single Land Cleaving Realm kid, leaving only five alive!

And among those five, four were from Open Heaven Realm, barely preserving the last person. After returning to the Mao Family, those four from the Open Heaven Realm instantly became the subject of ridicule, but they also left an impression of Zhou Heng in the minds of the Mountains and Rivers Realm experts, and even higher-level experts of the Mao Family.

Although they did not know Zhou Heng’s real name, his appearance had been sketched out early on.

"How is that possible, it hasn’t been long, how did this kid enter the Open Heaven Realm!"

"And, he possesses the physique and brutal strength of the Mountains and Rivers Realm!"

"This is too monstrous!"

The five exclaimed in shock, such a monster was truly unheard of. Even those few recognized geniuses of the Dynasty at the same stage as Zhou Heng did not have such an alarming rate of cultivation improvement, did they?

"You go take down the one and the donkey outside, that youngster will be dealt with by me!" At that moment, a voice came from deep within the cave, it wasn’t loud, but it possessed immense authority, "This youngster has incredibly vigorous blood and energy, and is also body cultivating, this heart is certainly more precious than that of the Mountains and Rivers Realm!"

"Yes, Elder Hao!" the five people immediately bowed respectfully, filled with reverence.

To have such experts from the Mountains and Rivers Realm lower their voices, then it could only be someone from the Spiritual Sea Realm!

Zhou Heng’s expression grew stern. The Mao Family indeed had a formidable influence, even able to dispatch an expert from the Spiritual Sea Realm, highlighting that the foundation of this family was not just limited to the Spiritual Sea Realm; it certainly possessed Nascent Soul Realm true ancestors!

However, among the three major clans of Bright Moon Country, there were no Mao surnames, meaning the Mao Family was certainly not from Bright Moon Country.

Possibly from one of the other three Imperial Dynasties, or even the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty!

Once he was in Bright Moon Country, he would definitely need to ask Mei Yixiang about this. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com, your support will be the biggest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)