Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 452 - 436 Before the Restriction (2/3)

Chapter 452: Chapter 436 Before the Restriction (2/3)

Zhou Heng and the Black Donkey were not walking very quickly—it was more like a leisurely stroll.

"Brother, don’t go any further!" Just then, a man jumped out from the bushes beside them and spoke to Zhou Heng. However, as his gaze swept over the Black Donkey’s floral-dressed appearance, a strange expression involuntarily appeared on his face.

——To see the Black Donkey in such a ridiculous state, hardly anyone could keep from gaping in astonishment! Those in the know might react better, but the uninformed would surely think Zhou Heng, this "owner," was a pervert.

Zhou Heng chuckled and asked, "Why not?"

The man blocking the way was a twenty-something youth, of average build and ordinary appearance, but looking as though he had just been beaten up, exuding an air of raggedness. He looked at Zhou Heng with great surprise and said, "This is the Lin Family’s territory, don’t you know?"

"The Lin Family?" Zhou Heng responded indifferently, this place was clearly unclaimed land; when had it become the territory of some family or power? If anyone truly had a claim, his lineage as the genuine bloodline of the Great Eternal Emperor should rightfully trump anyone else’s, shouldn’t it?

"Brother, if you’ve sneaked in here, shouldn’t you avoid the main roads? Isn’t this too ostentatious? Look at me, I barely made it to the front lines before I was discovered. Lucky for me, I’m quick-witted. I talked my way out with countless pleasantries, got beaten only once, and they took all my Spirit Stones. Otherwise, I’d be dead!" The youth had a look of misfortune on his face.

That’s really domineering!

Zhou Heng gave a slight smile. Some people had the right to be domineering, but did the Lin Family have it? He clasped his fists towards the young man and said, "My name is Zhou Heng. How should I address you, brother?"

"Huh?" The youth was startled, not expecting Zhou Heng to be in the mood to exchange names and forge relations at this moment. Couldn’t you wait until we were in a safe place to discuss these matters? He was now penniless, and another run-in with the Lin Family would spell certain death!

But it was his nature to be open and hospitable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have butted in and talked to Zhou Heng. Before he could even come to his senses, he had already returned the greeting with a clasped fist and said, "My name is Hong Tianfeng, my parents are still living, I’m unmarried, and I have a younger brother and sister, we live in..."

Zhou Heng couldn’t help but chuckle. He had only asked the man for his name, and Hong Tianfeng had rattled off his whole life story as if at a matchmaking session—quite amusing indeed.

"Brother Hong, since you’re here, why not go in for a visit? How about we go together?" Zhou Heng said with a smile.

"Actually, I just wanted to pay my respects at the Ancestral Mansion of the Great Eternal Emperor; I don’t have any grand ambitions!" Hong Tianfeng rubbed his head, displaying an honest smile, but then his expression turned anxious, "There’s a Lin Family checkpoint up ahead, we won’t be able to slip by! If they catch us again, they’ll definitely kill us!"

"No worries!" Zhou Heng waved his hand dismissively, "Brother Hong, dare you join me?"

Hong Tianfeng’s face showed a conflict. Going forward was clearly courting death, but how could he let this newly met friend walk into danger alone?

How could he be so lacking in brotherhood!

Without his guidance, Brother Zhou would surely be caught red-handed by the Lin Family with such reckless advancement, but if he was careful, he could show Brother Zhou the Lin Family’s strength, and Brother Zhou would naturally abandon the idea and leave with him.

"Alright!" Hong Tianfeng gritted his teeth and agreed.

That guy really had a sense of honor, though it seemed he was almost too honorable. They were merely acquaintances, yet he was willing to accompany Zhou Heng into an extremely dangerous situation. Maybe he was too nice of a guy, not knowing how to say no?

Zhou Heng nodded. Since the other had committed to "risk his life" to accompany him, he would definitely not let him down.

"Let’s go!"

The two men and a donkey set forth once more. At Hong Tianfeng’s insistent request, they didn’t take the mountain road but instead ventured into the vast forest. Hong Tianfeng had a special skill that could contain the aura emitted by Martial Artists within a thirty-foot radius—no wonder he had been able to infiltrate so close to the Restriction all by himself before.

Hong Tianfeng watched as the Black Donkey swaggered along with its large rear end twisting in its floral dress, and he couldn’t help but feel increasingly awkward, his originally decent face began to contort.

When the Black Donkey’s rear swung to the left, the left side of his face would twitch in sync; when it swung to the right, his right cheek followed suit, leading to a rich array of expressions.

"Donkey, why are you so quiet this time?" Zhou Heng couldn’t help but be curious; getting the Black Donkey to keep quiet was akin to killing it—how could it endure so long without speaking?

"Brother Zhou, are you talking to me?" Hong Tianfeng looked puzzled, touching his head, "But my surname is Hong, not Donkey!"

Zhou Heng kicked the Black Donkey lightly and laughed, "I’m speaking to this donkey!"

"What?" Hong Tianfeng was so shocked his face twisted. He felt this Brother Zhou was indeed odd—not only did he dress a Beast Pet in flowery clothes, he also talked to it as if it was a friend or lover!

A lover?

Hong Tianfeng jumped in fright. Could it be that Brother Zhou really had some strange fetish to put his mount in a floral dress? After all, mounts are meant to be ridden, yet he preferred to walk, speaking affectionately with the donkey...

How pitiful! How could this be!

His face was no longer twisted in disgust at the donkey’s rear; instead, he looked at Zhou Heng with eyes full of sympathy, occasionally sighing deeply.

Zhou Heng didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. No wonder the Black Donkey had kept silent; it was all to make Hong Tianfeng misunderstand. By now, the wretched donkey must have been laughing inside until his sides split!

Truly a beast filled with lowbrow humor!

He didn’t bother forcing the Black Donkey to talk. After all, his encounter with Hong Tianfeng was nothing more than a passing one. Since the other party had good intentions, he would grant him a favor in return, fulfilling his wish without any desire for a deep friendship.

—Xuanqian Star was destined to collapse, and Zhou Heng couldn’t take many people with him. Making another friend would only add to his heartache when the time came.

Hong Tianfeng was strong, possessing a cultivation level of the Heaven-Opening Realm. In the past, at just over thirty years of age, having such cultivation would have made him a genius, worthy of being accepted by any major sect.

But in these end times, no power had an interest in taking on disciples anymore; they were all in dire straits!

At their swift pace, they reached the Restriction in just half an hour.

It was a layer of mist, through which a purple dragon occasionally flashed, exuding an imposing and vast aura that commanded involuntary respect as if facing a towering mountain.

The mist shrouded the entire mountaintop. Through it, one could vaguely see the terrain with its mountains and rivers, flora and fauna, reminiscent of a celestial realm. If one listened carefully, they could even hear the sound of flowing water and the auspicious calls of divine beasts.

"Let’s go!"

Zhou Heng and the Black Donkey stepped forward, while behind them, Hong Tianfeng broke out in a nervous sweat. Wasn’t casually walking out at such a time courting death?

After a moment’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and followed—just in case they encountered those Lin Family patrollers again, he could still offer some flattering words to at least save their lives, if not his own.

Seeing Hong Tianfeng follow without much hesitation, Zhou Heng nodded inwardly, while a smile appeared on his face.

In this chaotic end of days, he had mostly witnessed blatant slaughter and plunder, man indistinguishable from beast; yet, Hong Tianfeng’s actions were like a refreshing spring, declaring that there was indeed a great difference between man and beast.

Zhou Heng approached the mist, reached out his hand, and immediately, a force bombarded him, pushing him forcefully back.

Powerful, yet gentle.

Indeed, it was the Great Eternal Emperor—domineering and mighty, yet harboring kindness. If it had been another Heavenly Venerate who had set up such a restriction, it would surely unleash a fatal attack. If not for Zhou Heng’s Divinity Transformation Realm and magic artifact-like physique, he would have been obliterated into dust at the touch.

"Wow, look at you, peasant! Last time, I let you off the hook, and you dare to come back? And you’ve even brought someone? Don’t you know how to spell ’death’?!" At that moment, a middle-aged man flew over from a distance, his aura of the Mountains and Rivers Realm undisguised, with four others following him, although they were only of the Heaven-Opening Realm.

Hong Tianfeng’s face immediately soured, but after a brief moment of shock, he conjured up a full-faced smile and said, "Lord Lin, don’t be angry. This is my brother who hasn’t seen much of the world. He insisted on seeing the Great Emperor’s Ancestral Mansion, so I boldly brought him here. Please let us through; we’ll be on our way! Right away!"

As he spoke, he retreated to Zhou Heng’s side and tugged at the hem of his clothes, signaling to leave quickly.

"Hold on!" Seeing this situation, the Lin Family middle-aged man arrogantly waved his hand, his eyes flashing with greed, "You should know the rules. To let you leave, I need to take on what risks!"

Naturally, he was demanding a bribe.

Hong Tianfeng’s face was filled with bitterness as he replied, "Lord Lin, you’re not unaware that I’ve already dedicated everything I had to you!"

"Hmph, what about him!" The Lin Family middle-aged man pointed at Zhou Heng. His eyesight was far superior to Hong Tianfeng’s, and he recognized at a glance that Zhou Heng’s clothes were made of Snow Silkworm Silk—an extremely fine material that money couldn’t always buy—otherwise, with his status, he wouldn’t covet a few Spirit Stones.

He certainly didn’t believe that Zhou Heng, who was mingling with Hong Tianfeng, could be any significant figure. In these chaotic times, for all he knew, Zhou Heng might have just stumbled upon it. And since he could find an item made of Snow Silkworm Silk, could there be other valuable items on Zhou Heng?

Since he had run into them, he would pluck clean even a miser down to his last feather!

"Brother Zhou—" Hong Tianfeng pulled at Zhou Heng’s clothes, meaning for him to produce something as a bribe to save their lives. After all, wealth was but a worldly possession; if life was lost, what use would a treasure trove be?

Zhou Heng glanced nonchalantly at the Lin Family middle-aged man and said indifferently, "Scram!"

"Scram?" The Lin Family middle-aged man’s eyes bulged in an instant, his expression turning cold as his killing intent began to surface.

Hong Tianfeng then plopped to the ground!(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)