Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 501 - 485 - Tearing the Face (3/3)

Chapter 501: 485 Chapter Tearing the Face (3/3)

It was one thing to lose to Zhou Heng, but to lose to a humble donkey as well?

Linghu Xuan was enraged and exerted all his strength in his limbs, trailing closely behind the Black Donkey. He was holding back a surge of unwillingness to accept defeat. How could he accept losing to a humble donkey?

Unfortunately, this kind of stubborn effort could only last for a short while—a half hour was okay, an hour was bearable, but any longer and it inevitably led to exhaustion and decline!

Even though Linghu Xuan was unwilling to admit defeat, how could he match the Black Donkey’s insatiable greed for treasures?

Not even close!

The Black Donkey had completely gone into a frenzy—its body exuding a heaven-shattering aura. It was as if nothing could stop it; for treasures, it would even dare to contest the heavenly king.

Although its posture was unbearably awkward, the humble donkey managed to twist its butt and glide all the way, leaving Linghu Xuan far behind.

Linghu Xuan felt like crying. It was too much of a blow—such a lazy, humble donkey could outpace him and erupt with a stronger will to fight under pressure. What else was there to commend him for?

If his family learned about this, he would inevitably face criticism from other clan members. Those ranked below him had been eyeing his position as Ninth Young Master, while those above him considered him a thorn in their side, closely watching so he wouldn’t surpass them. The moment an opportunity arose, they would all be too happy to kick him while he was down!

Linghu Xuan’s resolve to kill rose again. If he could seize the Star Core, it would be a great achievement, enough to make up for everything. And if he could obtain the treasured items of the Gold Devouring Clan, he could even break away and start his own faction!

The Black Donkey took ten whole hours to reach the end of the palace. After such a great depletion of mental strength, it fainted as soon as it arrived, but its greedy heart for wealth had reached an insatiable level. It reached out its hoof into the void, muttering "treasures" with a lecherous smile on its face, before it keeled over unconscious.

This made Zhou Heng shiver—the Black Donkey’s greed for wealth was an unstoppable resentment!

He looked at Linghu Xuan and Liu Anqi, who were still struggling to crawl, and a surge of killing intent flooded through him. At this distance, he was confident he could kill Linghu Xuan outright, but not Liu Anqi.

—Liu Anqi’s physique was also of Divinity Transformation Realm Magic Artifact level—only by getting close and slashing directly with the Black Sword could he break through!

So he would wait here, let Liu Anqi crawl up by himself and walk right into the trap!

Zhou Heng sat down cross-legged, casually sending a stream of Spiritual Power into the Black Donkey’s body to help it regulate its body and recover its Spiritual Power.

After all, he was a Divinity Transformation Realm Heavenly Venerate, with a terrifying level of Spiritual Power. As soon as he placed his hand on the Black Donkey, it groaned and woke up.

"Where’s the treasure——" The first thing the Black Donkey thought of upon waking was the treasure it had been preoccupied with.

"You better recover your Spiritual Power before being cheeky again," Zhou sighed. He really didn’t know whether saving the Black Donkey from the suppression under the blood-colored Stele and forming a bond with it was a good or a bad thing.

"Zhou, this seat is frail right now, I won’t bother with you. But once I’ve recovered my vitality, I’ll bite your ass off and show you why the flowers are so red!" Even though it was dispirited, the Black Donkey didn’t forget to keep up the banter, which was simply one of its motivations to keep going.

The other, naturally, was the treasure.

The Black Donkey also dignifiedly sat down cross-legged. In fact, it hadn’t spent much Spiritual Power, as the confrontation earlier was more on the level of consciousness. And with such tempering, its consciousness became sharp as a Hundred Refined Fine Sword!

Before long, a rumbling sound began emanating from the Black Donkey’s body, as if it was overflowing with the secrets of the grand dao!

This humble donkey was about to break through!

It had already been at the peak of the Nascent Soul’s Third Layer Heaven, but its deity wasn’t strong enough to take the final step. However, this battle of the mind was the best tempering for its deity, bringing the Black Donkey’s deity to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm.

It could become a Divine Infant now!

With Zhou Heng guarding him, the Black Donkey confidently began its assault on the Divine Infant Realm.

This kind of breakthrough opportunity did not come by wishful thinking; missing this fleeting moment of enlightenment meant not knowing when the next would come!

Zhou Heng did not disturb the Black Donkey and diligently guarded it, actually just keeping an eye on Liu Anqi and Linghu Xuan. As for Heavenly Venerate Qingyang and the other two who had run to another palace, they hadn’t appeared since they encountered something unknown.

He truly did not hope for any danger to befall those three—there were only a few Two Tribulations Quasi-Immortals in the world; the loss of one was the loss of future prey.

Either way, he had to wait for Linghu Xuan and Liu Anqi to come over. He might as well protect the Black Donkey as it broke through.

It must be said, the Black Donkey was extraordinary! Merely a day and a night later, the sound of grand dao chanting from it became incessant. A Divine Fetus appeared above its head, and a small black donkey was about to be hatched!

It was about to succeed!

At this time, Liu Anqi and Linghu Xuan were also getting closer, only a half dozen yards away from Zhou Heng.

It was about time!

Hum, the Black Sword appeared out of nowhere, and Zhou, brandishing the sword, stood ready, his gaze filled with murderous intent.

"Don’t get me wrong!" Linghu Xuan hastily said, "We are not trying to interfere with that damn donkey’s breakthrough!" He thought Zhou Heng had drawn his sword for that reason.

"Don’t you misunderstand either. I just want to kill you guys, nothing else!" Zhou Heng revealed a smile, his voice as calm as a light breeze and floating clouds, but the brimming intent to kill made it chilling to the bone.

"Humph, so you’re aware that your identity has been exposed and now you want to silence us!" Linghu Xuan, being smart enough to be appointed as the ninth successor in his family’s younger generation, immediately "understood" Zhou Heng’s intentions.

—The power that obliterated the Gold Devouring Clan still loomed in the Immortal Realm; once the "truth" of Zhou Heng being a member of the Gold Devouring Clan spread, he was sure to become everyone’s target, hunted relentlessly!

Moreover, Zhou Heng might still carry the entire wealth of the Gold Devouring Clan!

This capability to mock was even mightier than Black Donkey’s, tantamount to a no-difference bombardment with a map cannon! Not to mention the entire Immortal Realm, families at the level of the Linghu Family would certainly fight desperately!

Therefore, knowing his identity was compromised, Zhou Heng was resolved to fight to the death!

Zhou Heng was baffled by Linghu Xuan’s foresight—what identity of his could be exposed? He knew nothing of the fate that befell the Gold Devouring Clan and would never think in that direction.

Could it be that the Great Eternal Emperor had also stirred up turmoil in the Immortal Realm, making him face enemies everywhere before he even arrived?

Very likely!

Zhou Heng knew himself well, not one to be subservient. Maybe upon first arriving in the Immortal Realm, he’d align with a power to assess the situation, but once he was familiar with the circumstances of the Immortal Realm, he was bound to walk his own path.

Of course, if that power treated him sincerely, should he achieve something later, he would never be ungrateful.

However, many families, under the guise of recruiting talents, actually wanted obedient servants—they either persecuted the talents to death or forced them to rebel.

The Great Eternal Emperor was surely the latter, and with his untamed nature, in these seventy or a hundred thousand years, he must have offended countless people and powers!

Unless the Great Eternal Emperor could, like during his time in Xuanqian Star, suppress the Immortal Realm single-handedly and rebuild his legend, he was bound to face the fate of being chased and blocked by many!

This Old Ancestor... I wonder what cultivation level he has reached now!

Zhou Heng could be sure that the Great Eternal Emperor had indeed become an Immortal, but he wasn’t clear about how much lifespan Immortals actually had. Could they live for seventy or even a hundred thousand years?

Thinking too far ahead!

"Brother Zhou, I can represent the Linghu Family to offer you a place of refuge, ensuring your safety," Linghu Xuan said again immediately.

Unless he was sure he could kill Zhou Heng, he really didn’t want to turn against him. It would be best if he could convince Zhou Heng to go to the Immortal Realm with him. Once in the Linghu Family... whether to live or die would no longer be Zhou Heng’s decision to make.

In his view, as the last member of the Gold Devouring Clan, Zhou Heng would definitely be helpless in the Immortal Realm. This offer was truly like sending charcoal in snowy weather!

"Compared to that, I’d rather kill you guys!" Zhou Heng was not worried about himself. At worst, he’d simply use less of the Purple Flame Heavenly Dragon bloodline and try to silence them as much as he could.

"I swear by the heavens, I will never reveal Brother Zhou’s identity to outsiders. If I do, may I never become an Immortal!" Linghu Xuan made a grave vow, using becoming an Immortal as the oath was no trivial matter. As a member of a minor powerhouse in the Immortal Realm, Linghu Xuan was completely confident in achieving the position of an Immortal!

His vow was incredibly sincere! But listen carefully to his words, "I will never reveal Brother Zhou’s identity to outsiders," outsiders can’t be told, but his own people surely can!

Linghu Xuan had no choice—although the Immortal Palace seemed impressive, it was actually empty, lacking the Immortal Artifacts he imagined. Without Immortal Artifacts, how could he break through the Divinity Transformation Realm magic artifact body that Zhou Heng had?

Since he couldn’t kill Zhou Heng in the Mortal Realm, the only option left was to deceive him into ascending to the Immortal Realm.

"Moreover, you can’t kill me!" Linghu Xuan, in order to gain Zhou Heng’s trust, continued, "I have three secret patterns left by the family’s Old Ancestor on my body. They will automatically trigger when I suffer a fatal attack, not only saving my life but also capable of killing the enemy with a shock!"

"Oh?" Zhou Heng didn’t suspect Linghu Xuan was deceiving him, as such things were common in the Mortal Realm. However, this would certainly increase the difficulty of killing him!

"Brother Zhou, let’s be friends instead!" Linghu Xuan said very sincerely, looking at Zhou Heng as if he were looking at a tycoon—indeed, in his eyes, Zhou Heng truly appeared as a super tycoon radiating wealth from every pore.

These major clans’ offspring are really hard to kill!

Zhou Heng had lamented this more than once, in both the Mortal Realm and the Immortal Realm!

However, Linghu Xuan had just that much strength. Whether to kill him could be set aside for now—after all, he wasn’t the main focus!

The one he wanted to kill was Liu Baoqi!

This was a genuine Immortal. How abundant would that Life Essence Qi be?

Zhou Heng slowly raised the Black Sword, the Sword Intent of the Sky-soaring Nine Forms boiling within him. The Black Sword flickered with a dark ink-like spectral light.