On the long street, the weather gradually turned cooler.
The wide streets of Haojing City have seen a lot of rainfall recently, with water collected everywhere.
As early winter sets in, temperatures have begun to drop. Many citizens wore cotton-padded jackets, yet more were still clad in thin garments, busy on the streets.
In front of West Splendor Sect, many small sedans from official families were parked, and many servants led mules and horses, belonging to the families of military generals and noblemen.
Yu Yao and Qu Lian were also among the crowd, accompanied by two burly servant women, each holding a knife-wielding guard. All six were waiting for Zhang Yi and Zhang Zhao to come out.
As the doors of West Splendor Sect opened, the crowd's ears seemed to catch the sound of countless young boys cheering with joy coming from inside.
With the large doors swinging open, many young boys holding bamboo baskets and satchels emerged, most of them filled with food or writing materials.
Before long, Yu Yao and Qu Lian saw the robust Zhang Yi escorting Zhang Zhao out from inside.
Unlike the lean, small Zhang Zhao of Mother Xiao, Zhang Yi towered tall, looking like a seven or eight-year-old boy, his height shooting up quickly.
With one hand holding a satchel and the other helping Zhang Zhao with the bamboo basket, he shielded Zhang Zhao as they dashed out.
"Brother Yi, Brother Zhao!"
Seeing them, Yu Yao and Qu Lian waved their hands eagerly in greeting.
The two servant women, towering and brawny, had already approached, each taking one child.
"Two Mammas, Aunt Yu, Aunt Qu!"
At this moment, Zhang Yi was full of excitement, as if escaping a mountain by leaving the academy. Zhang Zhao's face, meanwhile, was flushed red in the cold wind, somewhat shy and reticent.
Noticing this, Yu Yao and Qu Lian quickly led the pair into the sedan to hurry back.
Along the way, Zhang Yi was quite lively, occasionally shouting greetings to some young boys beside him, having apparently made many friends within West Splendor Academy.
Zhang Zhao, on the other hand, preferred peace and quiet, hugging the hand warmer Yu Yao handed him, watching Zhang Yi greet other friends with curious eyes.
Finding the scene amusing, Yu Yao asked Zhang Yi about his experiences at the academy, and Zhang Yi animatedly recounted his tales from the academy, full of wonder and happiness in his words.
According to him, it was much more interesting than staying at home.
Little did they know that, in the shadows, several figures disguised as out-of-town merchants had set their sights on the group inside the sedan.
Tie Bi Daoist was disguised as an out-of-town merchant, with a caravan of guards following him, pretending to pass by here.
"Sir, should we grab one or grab both?"
Beside him, a middle-aged man with vigorous blood and energy asked with a sly look, not even glancing at the direction of the sedan, yet a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
Tie Bi Daoist's gaze shifted.
"Grabbing one is grabbing, grabbing two is also grabbing, take them all back. But if you encounter resistance, capture the eldest first; the bigger child's potential is better!"
There was a hint of greed in Tie Bi Daoist's eyes.
He glanced around, made a subtle gesture, signaling everyone to prepare to act.
This mission involved strong Body Refining Martial Artists enlisted from within the sect, each unafraid of the suppression of Dragon and Tiger Qi, allowing for easy retreat once the target was captured.
However, at that moment, Tie Bi Daoist's expression suddenly changed, seeing that, unbeknownst to him, many citizens were suddenly focusing their gazes on them. The street vendors, porters, and citizens began to close in.
Looking more closely, hidden weapons appeared in their seemingly innocuous bags!
Leading them was a tall, robust young martial artist, whose aura was like a blazing oven.
With just a slight perception, Tie Bi Daoist's expression changed drastically.
"A terrestrial Immortal Demon?"
The opponent's aura was vast and magnificent, their blood energy blending seamlessly, like a blazing red Golden Core. This kind of martial powerhouse was mythological, and he had run into them.
He was still a considerable distance from the Golden Core Realm, and even forming a Golden Core in this situation meant certain death when facing a mythical Body Refining martial artist, a terrestrial Immortal Demon.
He barely suppressed his inner panic, bowing his fists, "May I ask who you are, blocking our caravan's path?"
Zhao Hu glanced at him coldly, "No need for nonsense, we're Black-clothed Guards, and you've committed an offense!
Come with us to the Black-clothed Guard Office!"
With that, his potent blood energy surged like a flood, grabbing Tie Bi Daoist by the neck and knocking him unconscious with a slap.
The assassins within the caravan, wanting to move, found several, if not over a dozen, weapons silently pressing into their waists.
Seeing this, the many Death Warriors also realized that there was no need for action in such a situation.
"It seems we don't need to do anything anymore?"
At that moment, in the shadows, Wei Fang appeared from a nearby farmhouse door, accompanied by several Divine Generals. Each wore iron armor, distinct from ordinary Divine Generals, with vigorous blood energy, unlike ghostly physiques, but rather flesh bodies.
One was brimming with vitality, vaguely resonating with the Spiritual Mechanism in the void.
These were martial generals enough to rival celestial beings, seemingly also possessing some Divine Dao Techniques.
Seeing the Black-clothed Guard taking control, the City God King stroked his beard, chuckled lightly, and disappeared with the Divine Generals.
Zhao Hu's eyes flashed with purple, taking a glance in the direction of the departing City God King before swiftly leading everyone away.
...
At the Observatory Platform, Zhang Jian soon received a message from the Black-clothed Guard Office.
Below the Observatory Platform, Zhao Hu revealed a slight smile, cupping his hands, "Assistant Reader Zhang, the commander instructed that the Tie Bi Daoist's gang is to be dealt with by you!"
Receiving this, Zhang Jian's expression remained calm, speaking indifferently, "There are people behind them, continue to root out their backers; I trust your Black-clothed Guards have the means!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu showed a knowing smile.
"Please rest assured, Assistant Reader Zhang, it's our specialty!"
Pausing slightly, he added, "In the future, Black-clothed Guards will always accompany the two young masters of the Zhang Family for protection. If Mr. Zhang dislikes this, we'll remove them!"
Zhang Jian glanced at them and waved, "There's no need for your assistance in this matter; I have my arrangements!"
Zhang Jian directly refused.
Hearing this, Zhao Hu nodded, then left the Observatory Platform.
...
Over the Observatory Platform, after Zhao Hu left, Zhang Jian remained unchanged in expression.
These minor tribulations did not concern him.
Zhang Yi and Zhang Zhao's special physiques inevitably attracted some disputes. With his protection, there would be no issues.
Moreover, he secretly requested the City God King's help in overseeing, accompanied by a hundred deities, enough to deter any cultivators with ill intentions.
"Spirit Stealing?"
Chewing on the words, Zhang Jian sneered coldly.
Soon he refocused his attention on his own cultivation.
He was preparing to attempt Divine Travel Five Cities for the first time, to pass the hurdle.
The first city was called Wu Ming.
It contained the mystery of the first tribulation of Yin Spirit.
"Ignorance Karmic Fire!"
Ignorance Karmic Fire burned away Evil Qi.
This tribulation penetrated deep into the soul's imprint, necessitating a Nine Netherworld Hell trial for any accumulated Resentful Fiend in past lives, to forgive past transgressions. To overcome this tribulation, one could accumulate immense merit or seek various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to transform into passage Secret Treasures, or practice Dao Heart Secret Techniques to resist the burning of Ignorance Karmic Fire.
Surpassing this tribulation meant the soul's imprint is redeemed from the Nine Netherworld, truly beginning to escape life and death.