Chapter 231 - 229: Third Grade Martial Technique!
"The most important Martial Technique inheritance of the Chu Imperial Family..." Liang Zhao Long realized the gravity of the situation and took out the scroll given by Thief Ning Xinhu to hand it to Yang Jin for identification.
As expected, it was indeed just a ploy by Thief Ning Xinhu to divert disaster.
This scroll was a fake, vastly different from the genuine article and easily recognizable.
"Is the real scroll still with Ning Xinhu..." Liang Zhao Long’s eyes gleamed.
He gave Elder Hu the Third a look without much thought.
Elder Hu the Third understood and detained all the Golden Pavilion Sect cronies.
During which, they encountered resistance from some Golden Palace Sect Members, but ultimately, those who resisted were all mercilessly killed on the spot by Liang Zhao Long and others.
They were people who wandered in the Jianghu, how could they show any mercy to their enemies!
After a series of harsh interrogations, Liang Zhao Long also learned many details about this affair.
In short, the scroll was indeed stolen from the Imperial Palace by Thief Ning Xinhu, but the Golden Pavilion Sect was also coveting the Martial Arts Inheritance of the fallen Chu Imperial Family.
They happened to see Ning Xinhu stealing the scroll from the palace and immediately sent people to capture him, intending to seize the scroll.
Pushed to a dead end, Ning Xinhu ultimately thought of using the power of the Changming Association to shake off the pursuit of the Golden Pavilion Sect.
He knew of the Changming Association, had dealt with them in the past, and was aware of this relatively low-profile Jianghu gang that was spread everywhere with hidden, unfathomable strength!
Regardless of whether they could rival the Golden Pavilion Sect, helping him distract them even for a while met his objectives.
What Ning Xinhu didn’t expect was that Liang Zhao Long had already wiped out the squad of Golden Pavilion Sect pursuers.
Of course, even if he knew about this, he would definitely not be happy.
A pack of hungry wolves died, only to be replaced by a fierce tiger eyeing him; his situation had instead become more dangerous!
"He’s probably still in the city right now, so send word to the brothers at the four city gates to keep a close watch, especially the direction of the East City Gate. He might choose this gate to flee eastward away from the Imperial Capital," Liang Zhao Long speculated.
"He practices disguise techniques, so it’s really hard to catch him..." Elder Hu the Third expressed his concern.
"It’s indeed difficult, so some arrangements need to be made..." Liang Zhao Long said while taking out a detailed map of Yuchuan Prefecture.
"Anyway, no matter what, this crucial scroll concerning the imperial succession must be seized and given to Brother Song!"
Elder Hu the Third, seeing that Liang Zhao Long had a plan, simply nodded and awaited instructions.
"Additionally, make preparations, whether we catch Ning Xinhu or not this time, we must first abandon this business location in Yuchuan Prefecture and withdraw early."
"Zhao Long, are you worried about the Golden Pavilion Sect?" Elder Hu the Third asked vaguely.
"Better fewer affairs than more. An evacuated business residence doesn’t matter," Liang Zhao Long said.
"Okay." Elder Hu the Third nodded and went to arrange matters.
Meanwhile, beyond the mountains of Wangyue Prefecture, at the Da Han Border, lies a vast open wilderness.
The wilderness was shrouded in fog, obstructing vision, and the naked eye could not see anything.
Only occasionally, large shadows could be seen in the fog, appearing and then disappearing.
The fog seemed to connect heaven and earth, rolling like a gigantic beast, a white giant creature sprawling on the ground, swallowing the sun, moon, stars, and elemental energy!
This is the Outer Realm!
People standing at the border, looking toward this place, could feel the overwhelming pressure coming head-on, as if all the surrounding air was drawn away, causing suffocating pain.
Ordinary people would not dare to take another step upon reaching here, truly entering it.
Inside the fog, on some barren land.
A twisted vine extended upwards from the soil.
The root near the soil appeared black, and the surface of the vine became more purple as it went up.
It grew to a height of about six or seven meters, bearing three fruits.
The fruits had circles of purple lines on their surface, which looked compellingly disturbing.
The smell emitted by the fruits was repulsive, nauseating.
This is a self-protection mechanism of the fruit; not only do people find it unpleasant to look at, but most Fierce Beasts and Fog Beasts have no desire to eat these fruits and simply bypass them.
Only some powerful Fierce Beasts and Fog Beasts can understand the rich energy and nutrients these fruits contain and patiently wait near them despite their repulsion until the fruits mature to swallow them in one gulp.
"There really is a Tianluo fruit..."
A voice came from the fog, followed by a figure slowly walking out.
A tall and sturdy figure, clad in simple, form-fitting black attire, with a simple and casual headband tying back his hair.
He showed off a youthful and handsome face, with sharp brows and bright eyes.
Behind him was a slightly broader dragon-patterned long knife.
This person was Song Changming.
Five years had passed, yet his appearance hadn’t changed.
Time seemed to pause on him, untouched and unchanged...
Song Changming’s left hand still held onto a long object, resembling the thick tail of a Fierce Beast.
With his movements, the dragging sound was evident, extremely heavy, emerging from the fog, piece by piece.
It was the corpse of a giant Fierce Beast, like a lion or tiger, but with an elephant-like size.
If observed closely, one could find it was a powerful Extraterritorial Fog Beast, already dead in Song Changming’s hands, being dragged along the way.
Looking at the Wisteria and its three fruits, Song Changming’s face showed a smile.
It was indeed an unexpected gain.
Just as he was about to approach the Wisteria, abnormal waves rolled in the fog behind him.
Song Changming stopped and slightly raised his head to look.
Before him, the fog was covered by a huge shadow.
Four beast eyes within the shadow glowed faintly, gradually revealing a huge gaping mouth and then a hideous beast head.
It resembled a combination of crocodile and lizard, covered in numerous keratin particles, with two sharp protruding tusks under its mouth.
The length of this tusk seemed nearly as tall as Song Changming’s figure, indicating the beast’s enormous size.
The four beast eyes stared at the approaching Song Changming with fiery intensity.
It cautiously avoided the Wisteria and its three fruits, crawling forward with spiked paws.
If one of those paws landed on the body, though not crushed to pulp, it would pierce it into a thousand holes.
The tail behind it, over ten meters long, left a deep mark with each hit on the ground.
Song Changming did not know the name of this Extraterritorial Fog Beast, but observing its internal raging Scorching Mist Energy confirmed it was a formidable being among the Outer Domain Fog Beasts.
"I wondered why there were no Fierce Beasts or Fog Beasts in this area..." Song Changming murmured.
Most likely, the presence of this powerful Fog Beast caused other Fierce Beasts and Fog Beasts to avoid its territory.
Any fools who intruded were usually ended up as this beast’s food.
Song Changming let go of the Fog Beast’s tail he was dragging, facing this powerful beast calmly, without panic or fear.
On the contrary, this beast seemed extremely threatened, becoming more hideous and ferocious, as it gave warning growls, seemingly anxious.
Strong creatures typically have highly sensitive Perception, especially in sensing danger.
It was clear the beast sensed a threat from Song Changming!
"Taking you back would be enough to eat for a while." Song Changming suddenly said to the beast.
Roar!
Whether the beast could understand human speech or it simply couldn’t hold back its ferocity,
its front paw suddenly stepped hard, overturning a large patch of soil, as it rushed to bite.
Song Changming’s body flashed with Thunder Light, disappearing from the ground with a ’boom,’ letting the beast bite into the soil.
Song Changming leaped up twenty to thirty meters into the air, defying gravity’s effect.
Descending from the sky, a foot landed on the beast’s just raised front jaw.
For a moment, Inner Qi surged, Thunder Light burst!
The beast’s head smashed into the ground, buried in lengthy soil and rocks.
Song Changming then punched out again, hitting the beast’s eye socket.
Bang!
The seemingly solid beast hide cracked under Song Changming’s punch, bursting the internal flesh, bones, and even the eyeball like a firecracker.