Zhang Chen paused at the words, turned his head to look at Chen Xu, thinking that there was no saving this guy, his servile nature had already seeped into his bones.
Or perhaps, everyone in this era was beyond saving!
"To change these people’s mindset, we must use the strategy of keeping the populace ignorant, subduing their fear of royal power with faith." As Zhang Chen thought about this, he suddenly realized what Yellow Heaven Dao was doing—it was the same tactic!
"This Yellow Heaven Dao is interesting," Zhang Chen muttered to himself, but he felt no impulse to make decisions for the people; staying out of this was already difficult enough for him, his small shoulders couldn’t bear such weight.
As Zhang Cheng walked along the mountain path, he couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight on his heart, as if a huge stone were pressing down on it.
Arriving at the pit, Zhang Chen glanced towards it, ready to throw Zhong Xiang in, but Chen Xu hurriedly stopped him: "Sir, are you going to bury the nobleman alive? You absolutely can’t do that! The Zhong Family will investigate, and this matter will never be covered up. By then, even our nine clans won’t be enough to kill."
Zhang Chen glanced at Chen Xu without acknowledging his words, directly tossing Zhong Xiang into the pit, raising a cloud of dust.
"Sir, I beg you, please just let him go." Seeing Zhang Chen throw Zhong Xiang into the pit, Chen Xu was so frightened he knelt on the ground, his eyes full of pleading.
Zhang Chen could not afford to offend Zhong Xiang even more.
"Look at you, you coward." Zhang Chen scolded angrily, "Just watch, I’m not going to bury him alive; I just want this nobleman to do some things for us."
"Not burying him alive? That’s good! That’s good!" Chen Xu sighed in relief, patting his chest with lingering fear.
Zhang Chen entered the pit, then took out a torch, pointing it at Zhong Xiang who looked disheveled with a dirt-covered face, the jade crown lost somewhere, two streaks of tears mixed with dirt flowing down his cheeks, making him quite ridiculous.
"You’re a grown man, what’s with all the crying?" Zhang Chen took out a pickaxe, digging a fire-extinguishing hole in the side wall, the pickaxe, of course, brought by Fox Spirit.
After digging the fire-extinguishing hole, Zhang Chen looked again at the weeping Zhong Xiang:
"Tsk tsk tsk, even crying won’t help, today you’re gonna have to act as a toolman."
Zhang Chen hid the pickaxe, then approached Zhong Xiang, once again checking and reinforcing his Body-Stabilizing Rune and Sealing Rune.
The Body-Stabilizing Rune immobilized him, preventing movement. The Sealing Rune suppressed all his strength, preventing him from breaking the seals on the Body-Stabilizing Rune and Sealing Rune, at least delaying the seal’s erosion.
"This guy has a Qilin’s Heart protecting him, if he faces a life-or-death crisis, the mystery within him will certainly erupt to protect him." Zhang Chen took a dagger from his waist, standing opposite Zhong Xiang, hesitating; after all, the space was narrow, what if the flame Zhang Xiang unleashed was too strong and burned him?
"Better stay prepared with the Fire Extinguishing Rune’s Skill Points, it’s good to have precautions." Zhang Chen realized it still seemed unsafe, fearing Zhong Xiang’s flames might be similar to his own Light of the True God, the power already maxed out, and only the method of application strengthened through level ups.
Zhang Chen looked at the Golden Finger Interface:
[Skill 12 (Level One): Fire Extinguishing Rune (0/4000)]
[Can completely immunize against Level One flames, with minimal chance to lessen damage from high-level flames]
[Points: 119400]
"Upgrade!"
With a hundred thousand points left, when else to use them?
[Skill 12 (Level Two): Fire Extinguishing Rune (0/8000)]
[Can completely immunize against Level Two flames, slightly lessen high-level flame burns]
"Not too many points needed? It’s merely a doubling factor increase?" Zhang Chen was surprised; after all, it was an entry-level skill.
But realizing the Fire Extinguishing Rune was just a normal support skill, without any other uses except fire prevention, he could understand why it required so few points.
[Skill 12 (Level Three): Fire Extinguishing Rune (0/16000)]
[Skill 12 (Level Four): Fire Extinguishing Rune (0/32000)]
[Skill 12 (Level Five): Fire Extinguishing Rune (0/64000)]
[Can completely immunize against Level Five flames, decreases high-level flame burns by ten percent]
[Points: 27400]
"Only able to lessen the power of Level Five flames? I wonder what level Zhong Xiang’s flames are, but they’re definitely not ordinary flames."
Zhang Chen pondered silently.
Spending tens of thousands of points to upgrade the Fire Extinguishing Rune seemed wasteful, but when considering the Qilin’s Heart, Zhang Chen thought he shouldn’t see it as wasteful.
Flames that could instantly melt stone into magma, their power is apparent.
Moreover, Qilin is a creature of equal standing with the True Dragon, Zhang Chen thought the guy’s flames were at least level nine.
Feeling unsafe even after upgrading, Zhang Chen drew water from the ground, filling the fire-extinguishing compartment he dug with it, then looked at the pitiful Zhong Xiang, finally setting his gaze on Zhong Xiang’s butt.
He dared not stab at Zhong Xiang’s throat, fearing a too-large threat to his life might unleash flames too fierce, breaking through his Body-Stabilizing and Sealing Runes, leading to disastrous consequences?
Only stabbing Zhong Xiang’s butt wouldn’t present such a strong danger, the flames unleashed wouldn’t have such formidable power.
Thinking this, Zhang Chen mindlessly thrust the dagger into Zhong Xiang’s butt.
Seeing Zhang Chen stab towards his butt, Zhong Xiang’s eyes were wide with hatred, killing intent in his stare.
Then Zhang Chen thrust the dagger in, instantly melting it into metal liquid, while a vermilion flame erupted around Zhong Xiang.
Curiously, despite flames flickering around Zhong Xiang, melting rocks into magma instantly, Zhang Chen’s two talismans withstood the fiery blaze, although their power was being eroded, the pace was snail-like, literally validating the saying pure gold fears no fire: "The Golden Rune can last fifty breaths in flames, the Silver Rune for forty."
"Truly, the Golden and Silver Talismans are remarkable." Zhang Chen praised silently.
"You scoundrel, you’re doomed! Once I overcome your methods, I’ll hack you a thousand times and more! I will skin you and tan your hide atop the lamps, grind your bones to dust," Zhong Xiang cursed tearfully as the Body-Stabilizing Rune’s power diminished, exposing his speech capabilities.
"Heh, you fool, if I dared make a move, why wouldn’t I be prepared? You think I have just one talisman?" Zhang Chen sneered coldly.
With that, Zhang Chen pulled out the Golden and Silver Talismans, prepared to swap them out anytime.
And just how to swap?
He had long arranged it; with a thought, streams of water surged, enveloping him, transforming into ice.
Zhang Chen’s Law of Cause and Effect for Water Control Technique: All water within two meters may turn into ice.
As flames roared up, scorching airflow shot through narrow space, luckily Zhang Chen was prepared, triggering the Fire Extinguishing Run, as water enveloped him, transforming into icy barriers.
The temperature of the flame was indeed very high, melting, evaporating the ice visible to the naked eye, with terrifying heat radiation trespassing the ice onto Zhang Chen, yet blocked by the Fire Extinguishing Rune.
The other’s flames could indeed incinerate mountains and boil seas, but how could they hold against Zhang Chen’s heaven-defying Water Control?
As the ice melted, evaporated into vapor, Zhang Chen captured and reconsolidated it back into ice.
Flouting thermodynamic laws, directly solidified back into ice.
"This flame has surely reached above Level Ten, luckily my Water Control defies logic, and I upgraded my Fire Extinguishing Rune, otherwise today would have truly been a disaster."
Zhang Chen mused inwardly, startled.
Quick was the ice’s melting speed, or more precisely it was gasification, with the flame’s heat radiation hitting, vaporizing it. Luckily Zhang Chen kept the vapor structured, recondensed back to ice.
But even so, terrifying heat radiated through, cloaking Zhang Chen with a red light, absorbed by the Fire Extinguishing Rune.
"I just triggered a minuscule flame power from Zhong Xiang, good I stabbed the butt. If it were the throat, I doubt I could handle the power unleashed." Zhang Chen sighed with relief.