Chapter 389: Gradual Return (1)
Director Ji flew away with Bai Feng.
Down below on the ground, Liu Wenyan smiled. But immediately after, he cursed under his breath. Bai Feng had promised to help him with his characters before and nothing had been done yet. Well, he was probably screwed now.
Hong Tan was the only person apart from Bai Feng capable of attempting the method Bai Feng suggested. Where exactly was Hong Tan? Did he get lost somewhere?
Xia Yuwen was still blanking out on the ground. He was staring at the sky with a blank look in his eyes, his previous arrogance nowhere to be seen.
Marquis Xia waved his hand and said, "Carry him away. Send him back to the prefect's manor and have Xia Changqing save him. Only someone capable of handling failures will grow. Who has never failed before?"
At his command, a team of Martial Dragon Guards entered the warzone and carried Xia Yuwen away.
Marquis Xia smiled, "The fifth principal has tasted defeat before. My old man has tasted it before. Xia Longwu has tasted defeat before. Great Zhou King and Great Qin King have tasted defeat before as well. As long as you can stand back up after your defeat, there will still be hope. If you can't stand back up from this, well, the Xia Family is rich enough to look after you until you die from old age."
That was how cruel reality was. And that was how simple reality was. If he could stand up after this defeat, he would remain a genius of the Xia Family. If he couldn't, then he should prepare to live his remaining life as a retiree. The world never lacked geniuses.
At that time, Shan Tianhao had finally finished rebuilding his body. He was pale, but he still felt indignant. He was no fool. But he really wanted to get his hands on Bai Feng. And he was not alone.
How had Bai Feng split his Dragon Slaying Sword? Was that an ability unique to him or was the entire multiple character faction capable of that? Would that ability cause a major change in the status quo? Just what had the multiple character faction discovered? This was too important.
The multiple character faction had always been known for their combat prowess. Would this new discovery change anything? He really wanted to get his hands on Bai Feng.
Looking at Director Ji who was flying away, Shan Tianhao looked at Zhou Mingren and transmitted his voice, "Zhou Mingren! Why did you do nothing?"
Bai Feng's value had risen sharply after that fight. Just how had he split his Dragon Slaying Sword? As they contemplated, an even scarier possibility appeared in their minds. The ability to take the Dragon Slaying Sword apart signified that character techniques could now be disassembled. In that case, how about the foundational characters?
If that was the case...Shan Tianhao did not even dare to imagine what would happen.
Multiple character faction. Strongest in the same cultivation level.
So many people rejected the multiple character faction because of the sheer amount of resources their members required to grow and the sheer difficulty of forming 10 or more Divine Characters before the Skysoar Realm.
But...what if...they no longer needed to form their characters before the Skysoar Realm? Was that possible? None of them had an answer. None of them dared to imagine what would happen if that was the case.
Of course, this was still a guess. Nobody knew the truth. And they wouldn't be able to know more unless they could capture Bai Feng.
Zhou Mingren frowned, but he remained silent. For some reason, he had remained silent for an entire day. Even when Director Ji was speaking earlier, he had remained silent.
"Zhou Mingren!"
"The fifth principal's character is more important." Zhou Mingren finally spoke, "We will talk about Bai Feng after this. Do you want to offend Ji Hong for a mere Bai Feng?"
Shan Tianhao was still furious. He glared at Marquis Xia and forced himself to sound calm as he questioned, "Marquis Xia, the Xia Family had classified this zone as a warzone for us to settle our differences. And all of us have followed the rules you laid out. But now, the director of the Talent Fostering Bureau has gotten involved. Isn't this against the rules set up by the Xia Family?"
He must say something. Otherwise, the Xia Family might continue interfering. If that was the case, there would no longer be any need for them to keep fighting as that would simply be pointless.
Marquis Xia shrugged, "The Xia Family has not interfered. Do not misunderstand. Just consider Ji Hong a third party. Didn't you guys invite Xia Yuwen over to help you guys as well? A member of the Xia Family was nearly killed. Have I said anything about that?"
Marquis Xia smiled, "I'm a man of my word. You are free to kill as you wish in the warzone. If you're strong enough to kill Ji Hong, you can do so. I won't say a word as well. Shan Tianhao, what can I do if you're weaker than him? Maybe you can get Zhou Polong to back you up. Why are you telling me this? What can I do?"
Marquis Xia felt like he was being wrongly blamed here. He complained, "Just look at Xia Yuwen. Look at his condition. Have I said anything? You are free to fight as you wish in the warzone. When Ji Hong attacked you earlier, he entered the warzone before doing so, right? And our Xia Family has been abiding by our own rules. Stop slandering me. If you insist on slandering me...well, I am still the acting prefect of Great Xia. A Mountainsea of Great Zhou like you is actually insisting on smearing my name. Shan Tianhao, think carefully before you speak again."
At that warning, Shan Tianhao's expression changed. Inwardly, he cursed in rage. Could Ji Hong's interference even be considered within the rules? Third party? Bullshit!
Zhou Mingren frowned and asked, "Marquis, will there be more third parties after this?"
"Don't ask me." Marquis Xia smiled, "I don't really care. You guys are free to recruit as much help as you want. You can kill to your heart's content as long as you do it in the warzone. I'm only responsible for collecting fines from you guys for the damage caused.
"It would be even better if you can call every single troublemaker in Great Xia over. This would be a great chance for all of them to die. That way, we will no longer have a bunch of troublemakers creating trouble in Great Xia every single day. I'll be honest. Even if you get the Myriad Race Cult to help you, I won't interfere. I'm a man of my words. Of course, that's within the warzone. After leaving the warzone, I will still need to carry out my obligations and exterminate all of them."
Nobody said anything.
Bullshit.
Even if they really knew some cultists, those cultists were no fools. Why would they come here and throw their lives away? Only fools would come!
"Zhou Mingren, what are you waiting for? Capture Liu Wenyan!" Shan Tianhao knew that it was no longer possible for him to do anything against Ji Hong so he transmitted his voice to Zhou Mingren again, "Just what are you waiting for? If you keep waiting and something unexpected happens, will you take responsibility for that? Since Ji Hong can interfere, others can do the same!"
One mishap had already occurred. Thus, he couldn't understand what Zhou Mingren was still waiting for. Hong Tan? Hong Tan was on his way. Was Zhou Mingren really going to wait until Hong Tan was here before making a move? Was Zhou Mingren stupid?
Zhou Mingren shot Shan Tianhao a glance and said, "If you guys want to make a move, feel free to do it. I'm going to wait for Hong Tan."
"You!"
"Shan Tianhao, stop trying to order me around." Suddenly, Zhou Mingren's eyes turned cold, "You are not qualified to do so. Do you understand?"
Shan Tianhao frowned and cursed inwardly. Just what was Zhou Mingren waiting for?
He was still furious, but it was not the time to stop and think. He shouted, "Capture Liu Wenyan and get him to hand over the Divine Character!"
As he said that, he looked at the other Mountainseas. They nodded at each other before charging forward. Their aim? Liu Wenyan! If they waited longer, more unforeseen events might happen. None of them could accept returning without the fifth principal's character. As for Zhou Mingren, who knew what that bastard was thinking?
Beside Zhou Mingren, the elders looked at him doubtfully. Elder Sun transmitted his voice, "Old Zhou, what are you doing?"
Zhou Mingren frowned and said, "You guys can go as well. We don't want to drag this out too long. Just capture Liu Wenyan. There is no need to fight Wu Yuehua and the others to the death."
"You..."
They were somewhat unhappy. Zhou Mingren was the one who had insisted on digging up this grave. But now that it was time to fight, this fellow was dragging his feet. What the hell? They were furious and helpless, but they ultimately decided to join the fight after looking at each other.
More and more people joined the fight. Multiple Mountainseas from the single character faction were fighting. And from Liu Wenyan's side, He Ji, Wu Wenhai, Elder Fan, and other Mountainseas entered the fight.
...
Marquis Xia shot Zhou Mingren a look and raised his brow in surprise. But he only smiled and said nothing. Nearby, Old Hu also had a pensive smile on his face. Right that moment, Zhou Mingren finally moved. He inhaled deeply, to the point two visible streams of air could be seen in front of him.
Marquis Xia, Old Hu, and the others looked toward a certain direction.
There, someone gasping for breath in exhaustion could be seen walking toward them while smiling, "I'm not late, right?"
Hong Tan.
Beside the shabby small building, Liu Wenyan looked at Hong Tan and cursed, "You piece of trash. Why are you so late? I thought you lost your way somewhere."
"..."
Hong Tan laughed, "Senior Brother, it has been so many years. Why is your temper still the same? Please hold back a little on account of my age."
He then shifted his gaze to Zhou Mingren. At that moment, his aged face actually turned young while his back became perfectly straight. After flicking his sleeve, he smiled, "Old Zhou, have you been waiting for me?"
"I've been waiting for a while." Zhou Mingren calmly said, "If it wasn't for the sake of waiting for you, I would have killed Shan Tianhao long ago for running his mouth against me repeatedly. Ninth-stage Mountainsea Realm? There is nothing special about that. Hong Tan, I have been waiting many years for you."
Hong Tan moved toward Zhou Mingren one step at a time. With each step he took, his appearance turned younger than before. Eventually, his frail body transformed into a young and strong body.
He smiled, "Old Zhou, what is the point of waiting? If you want to spar, you only need to inform me. I'll be happy to oblige. Or you can also look for an opponent at the Allheaven Battlefield. Why are you creating trouble here to force my hand?"
Zhou Mingren's aura was also rising. He said, "There are things that need to end after so many years. The conflict between the single and multiple character factions has lasted a long time. But for me, that's really not that big of a deal."
As Zhou Mingren spoke, the surrounding experts gradually stopped fighting. They looked at the two. Elder Sun and the other elders had uncertain expressions. What was the meaning of those words?
Zhou Mingren calmly said, "I am certainly interested in exterminating the multiple character faction. But dealing with a cripple like Liu Wenyan is honestly pointless. A lot of people say that you, Hong Tan, are only focused on research. Your strength is nothing special. But...I don't think so."