Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Nie Changqing left Wudi City after he had won the life-or-death challenge that day. Then he went to the ruined temple and returned to South County.

Therefore, Du Longyang could not locate Nie Changqing outside of Wudi City at all.

Since Du Longyang could not find Nie Changqing, he could not reach Young Master Lu. How could he not be mad?

The Immortal Slaying Plan was extremely urgent, so Lu Fan’s help mattered a great deal. After all, it was not easy to find someone with such a strong fighting power as Lu Fan.

Due to the unusual situation in the Monster Realm, Du Longyang and other strong people had to advance the Immortal Slaying Plan.

Lake Island, Beiluo.

While Du Longyang was extremely anxious, Lu Fan was exploring the new strength he had got after his transformation. The transformation was not as influential as an upgrade of refining Qi level, but it was a transformation after all.

Both of his Soul Strength and Physique Strength surpassed a thousand points.

His Spiritual Sense and physical strength were greatly improved. Although it was not a qualitative change, he was still much stronger than before.

At least, Lu Fan clearly knew his own strength.

******

Capital city.

At nightfall, the prosperous capital city was sound asleep.

Since the collapse of the Great Zhou, the old capital city had been crumbling. Not until Western Liang had entered and hosted the capital city did the city’s vitality recover.

In the quiet capital city.

Two groups met in an alley that was not very narrow.

Spirit Qi was fluctuating. Apparently, both of the two groups had cultivators.

These two groups were gangs currently active in the capital city. It was fair to say the Black Dragon Gang and the Northern Tiger Gang were two of the the most powerful the gangs in the capital city.

Either of them had a big area under their control.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader was a very talented cultivator. He had not been cultivating for a long time, but he was already in Peak Qi Core. It was thanks to his great talent that the young rascal had climbed the ladder so fast in the Northern Tiger Gang.

He even took over the bars and whorehouses on several long streets of the capital city.

The same as the Northern Tiger Gang, the Black Dragon Gang was also a new rising power.

The Black Dragon Gang’s young leader Liu Yuanhao managed to expand the gang from only a few members to a big power with hundreds of members in a very short time.

And the two gangs agreed to meet here this day to have this fight.

They were afraid they would catch the attention of the Western Liang Army, who was in charge of the capital city at the moment, so they agreed to fight in this alley.

On this night, the moon was a crescent shape. The night was very dark.

In the alleyway, each gang member held in his hand a cold weapon. The weapons varied from an ax, knife, and even a hoe.

Liu Yuanhao, wearing a black robe, looked indifferently at the Northern Tiger Gang, who stood at the opposite side of the alleyway.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader was also looking at him with a cold smile.

This fight between the two gangs would decide who would unify the chaotic gangs in the capital city and hence become the emperor of the underground world.

Liu Yuanhao and the Northern Tiger Gang’s leader were both ambitious. The winner would lead hundreds of gangs of different sizes in the capital city. A lot of things could be achieved.

Almost all of the bars and whorehouses would be under his control.

Although it was not enough to make him as rich as an emperor, he would be a powerful man in the capital city.

Liu Yuanhao lifted his hand. He swung his arm forward gently.

Then the gangsters behind him all charged out, brandishing their weapons, extremely excited.

The Northern Tiger Gang also charged out, shouting and cursing.

The two parties were almost equal in number, and soon enough, they were grappling with one another in the alleyway.

Their aggressive energies met. Their weapons collided with clangs.

Blood splashed in an instant, seemingly extremely cold in the freezing night.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader acted.

As soon as he moved, fierce Spirit Qi swept over.

He was in Peak Qi Core. Even martial arts grandmasters in the past would not have the nerve to fight him.

He was like a real tiger.

Many gangsters of the Black Dragon Gang were sent flying, coughing up blood.

This was an extremely critical fight. The bloody fight between the two gangs broke out silently in this alleyway late at night. Blood tinted the ground of the valley red.

Wearing his black robe, Liu Yuanhao was laughing coldly.

Just like the Black Dragon Gang, the Northern Tiger Gang was also a powerful gang that rose to power in a very short time.

The Northern Tiger Gang regarded the Black Dragon Gang as their biggest enemy. However, the Black Dragon Gang led by Liu Yuanhao did not see the Northern Tiger Gang as a significant threat.

Liu Yuanhao was a man with very wild ambitions.

The Northern Tiger Gang was only a stepping stone on his way to realizing his ambition.

“Kill!” Liu Yuanhao growled.

When he opened his hands, pale flames were burning in his palms.

In Black Dragon Gang.

Several black-robed men suddenly took off each of their black robes, thus revealing their faces, cold expressions etched in each one. And on each of their foreheads, there was a black scale. Suddenly, strong energies broke out.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader was astonished.

His pupils involuntarily shrank when he had seen the black scales on those men’s foreheads.

He had seen such black scales when he had still been weak.

“Black Dragon Guard?!” The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader shouted in shock.

His shout made the alleyway much quieter.

Several gang members looked back, unable to believe it.

Black Dragon Guard?

The Great Zhou Dynasty’s Black Dragon Guard?

The Great Zhou Dynasty’s remnants?!

“Black Dragon Gang… Black Dragon Guard…”

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader stepped on the ground. He started to retreat.

Once again, he was seized by the fear of the Black Dragon Guard that used to occupy his heart.

Liu Yuanhao smiled coldly.

As Liu Yuanhao grew stronger, the Black Dragon Guards—who used to serve the young emperor and were forced into hiding after his death—finally recognized him. And they joined his Black Dragon Gang in the end…

To fight with Liu Yuanhao for his great goal.

“Surrender or die,” Liu Yuanhao said.

The eyes behind that black robe were extremely cold. His look was evil and mysterious.

He started to control the flames. One by one, a flame jumped down with extremely cold energy.

As the flames jumped, the dead bodies on the ground seemed to come back to life. One after the other, a dead man staggered to his feet.

He could control dead people?!

The Black Dragon Gang’s Young Leader could do that?

The heart of the Northern Tiger Gang’s leader sank. He instantly felt a little cold.

Although Liu Yuanhao was not a match for him in terms of strength, such a skill really frightened the Northern Tiger Gang’s leader.

And Liu Yuanhao was with those strong Black Dragon Guards, who were the first cultivators when the era of cultivators had just started… Those people were extremely strong.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader was thinking about retreating.

Not many Black Dragon Guards were still alive. There were only four in total.

They seemed to have a black scale embedded into their forehead. And the black scales also covered the other parts of their bodies. They looked like a black dragon had possessed them.

The gangsters here had been really impressed by the evil Black Dragon of the Great Zhou.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s members had lost the confidence to fight.

They all threw their weapons away and knelt down, holding their heads.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader felt the situation was hopeless for him.

The Northern Tiger Gang, who had defeated so many gangs and always been invincible, seemed to be suppressed entirely.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader did not want to surrender, but all of his subordinates knelt down.

He was extremely disappointed.

He kept snarling in anger.

“Surrender or die?” Liu Yuanhao said to the Northern Tiger Gang’s leader calmly, as several pale flame floated around him.

Liu Yuanhao did not want to kill this man in Peak Qi Core. He would rather bring the man into his gang and make good use of him.

It was not easy to find such a strong man.

The Northern Tiger Gang’s leader was still snarling, but gradually, his snarl became less and less.

He knelt down on the ground before Liu Yuanhao.

He did not want to die, so he chose to surrender.

Liu Yuanhao burst out laughing.

This night, the Black Dragon Gang took over all of the gangs in the capital city.

The four Black Dragon Guards landed behind Liu Yuanhao. Their energies were rising and falling.

“Thank you, uncles.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Liu Yuanhao’s lips.

“It’s said the Overlord is not in the Imperial Palace…”

“Western Liang’s main force isn’t in the capital city, either. And only a woman is in charge of the current capital city.”

“The Overlord won the world with such great effort. But he left the country to a woman? Let’s make a thorough preparation… Summon the old troops of the Great Zhou. We… We the Black Dragon Guard will restore the Great Zhou’s glory!” Liu Yuanhao said as he looked up at the dark clouds in the sky.

Kneeling on the ground, the Northern Tiger Gang’s leader trembled. He lifted his head and threw Liu Yuanhao an incredible look.

He had not expected the Black Dragon Gang to be so widely ambitious.

“From today on, the Black Dragon Gang will not stay as a gang anymore. We’ll become a power, a cultivator power!”

“What we inherited is the will of Black Dragon! What we represent is the Great Zhou’s glory!”

“From today on, we the Black Dragon Gang will officially be called the Black Dragon Sect!” Liu Yuanhao heroically said while opening his arms.

One by one, a flame floated out of the dead bodies under Liu Yuanhao’s control.

They flew into Liu Yuanhao’s body quickly.

Liu Yuanhao’s energy soared. In an instant, the pale flames burned more fiercely.

A flame swirl appeared over his head.

The four Black Dragon Guards and the Northern Tiger Gang’s leader kneeling on the ground all opened their eyes widely.

“Internal… Internal Organs!”

******

The Great Xuan State, North County.

Tantai Xuan was visiting the Great Xuan Dynasty Academy.

After so many preparations, the Great Xuan Dynasty Academy had finally been established. He acquired this mansion from an aristocratic family and rebuilt it into the academy.

The academy was well facilitated. And many students had enrolled.

But Tantai Xuan seemed worried when he was visiting the place.

Besides cultivation methods, the students of the academy would also study theories and knowledge of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy as well as riding, archery, and combat techniques.

They had kept books from the Great Zhou Dynasty Library Pavilion, so it was not difficult to impart the theories of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

But Tantai Xuan was not very satisfied with the impartation of cultivation methods and combat techniques…

Because they were all the old tricks used to train the Xuanwu Guard. There was nothing new.

In that case, what was the point of establishing the academy?

And how would the cultivators trained by them differ from the cultivators trained by an army?

When it was time to compete with the Overlord’s army…

Wouldn’t it be a competition between the Xiang Family’s Army and the Xuanwu Guard?

That was not something Tantai Xuan expected to see.

With a crane cloak draped over his shoulders, Mo Ju was walking next to Tantai Xuan slowly.

Looking at Mo Ju, Tantai Xuan said sincerely and earnestly, “Ju, I didn’t create the academy to copy the Xuanwu Guard. Cultivation should be diverse. It shouldn’t be limited to one mode.”

“You know White Jade City?”

“Young Master Lu really has a vision. His maid can refine elixirs. That’s one way to cultivate. Tianji School became Tianji Pavilion, specializing in calculating. That’s also one way to cultivate. Jiguan Pavilion focuses on tool refining. That’s another way to cultivate.”

“Cultivation should be interesting. It’s more than working hard.”

“We actually don’t have to worry about the fight with the Overlord’s army. One year is too short. If we lose, it’ll be fine… Even if the Overlord wins, what can he prove?”

“Despite the failure, the future cultivators of the Great Xuan State will be diverse. They will be making contributions in all walks of life. That’s the true meaning of cultivation,” Tantai Xuan said.

Mo Ju waved his feather fan lightly. He was stunned. It was a surprise for him that Tantai Xuan had analyzed the situation so thoroughly.

“Lord, the Giant is traveling around in person to investigate the strong points of the Hundred Schools of Thought of cultivators. White Jade City has opened the Book House to the public. The Giant should have gone there. When the Giant comes back, he will develop a new training plan based on the strong points of the the Hundred Schools of Thought of cultivators,” Mo Ju said.

Mo Beike’s opinion was quite similar to Tantai Xuan’s.

But Mo Beike was more ambitious. He thought that cultivation was more promising than the Hundred Schools of Philosophy in the past.

The whole world thought the era of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy had ended.

However…

Was it really over?

Mo Beike thought as long as there were people in the world, then the Hundred Schools of Philosophy would not disappear.

As long as people still thought, the era of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy would still continue.

Tantai Xuan nodded slightly.

“I hope so.”

Mo Ju waved his fan lightly. Looking at Tantai Xuan with curiosity, he said, “Lord, how did the alien nation that had invaded us end up?”

At the mention of the war against the alien nation, Tantai Xuan could not help but straighten up with a smile.

“The alien nation from the other end of the desert was strong indeed, especially their military formation. Unfortunately… They really chose a bad timing. Or this is a bad era for them.”

Tantai Xuan laughed complacently.

“The Xuanwu Guard is a cultivator army. That alien nation in the face of a cultivator army was pretty much the same as us in the face of White Jade City’s disciples…”

“The result was imaginable.”

“We captured almost half of their troops. The other half was driven back into the endless desert.”

“We seized all of their supplies. Without supplies, they won’t be able to walk out of the desert alive only with the water stored in their water bags,” Tantai Xuan said.

His voice was quite cold, but it was not a problem for him.

After all, it was that alien nation that invaded Tianhan Gate. Since they had the nerve to come, they should have been ready to sacrifice their lives.

“Ju thought the Five Barbarians were the only enemy of the Great Zhou beyond its territory. However, besides the Five Barbarians, there is another powerful alien nation coveting the Great Zhou’s territory. If the cultivators’ era hadn’t come, it would have been a disaster absolutely…” Mo Ju exclaimed, shaking his head.

Tantai Xuan nodded. “That’s why we must be strong. Not only us but also our descendants should be strong. Only when our descendants are strong, the Great Xuan will be stronger!”

******

In the boundless desert.

Sand was kicked up.

A sparse crowd was trekking in the desert. Each step they took was with great effort. Their footprints in the sand were erased by the wind very quickly.

King Yali was walking at the front.

King Yali, who used to be a hero, looked awful at the moment.

His lips were chapped. He opened the water bag to pour water into his mouth. He kept shaking the water back. In the end, a drop of water finally dripped into his mouth.

King Yali’s throat moved.

He heard someone flop onto the ground behind him.

It was a Madun soldier who passed out because of dehydration.

The crowd had been senseless. Nobody reacted.

Their water bags were all out of water. What happened to this Madun soldier would happen to them very soon.

King Yali was reluctant to accept such a result. He clenched his fist, but then, he opened his hand frustratedly.

“Cultivators…”

King Yali shook his head.

An ancient country had defeated the invincible Madun Army.

However, what made King Yali despair was that he had learned there were stronger countries in that ancient country.

Those people were as strong as gods. With a single movement, they completely cracked the military formation that even the strongest generals could not crack.

How dreadful that power was!

King Yali really could not complain about the loss of this war.

He had conquered too many countries. As a result, he had been too proud.

This failure really frustrated him.

All of their supplies had been captured.

They even could not walk out of the desert alive.

They needed water.

Without water, they would absolutely die.

However, along this route, unless they could walk out of the desert, there would not be any sources of water.

King Yali kept trekking. One by one, a soldier fell on the ground, devoured by the sand.

The numbers of soldiers behind King Yali were dwindling.

In the end, even the strong King Yali fell.

But a soldier caught him.

All of a sudden.

In the distance.

A general of Madun Kingdom trekked back excitedly.

He shouted with excitement in pleasant surprise.

“Your Majesty!”

“There is an oasis!”

The eyes of the sickly King Yali instantly lit up, like a momentary recovery of consciousness just before death.

He got to his feet.

Standing on a sandhill, he looked into the distance.

He saw a green land far away, just like what the general had said.

The one touch of green in the vast yellow was so exciting.

That was an oasis!

An oasis in the desert.

If there was an oasis, there was water!

King Yali and his soldiers all cheered up, as if they had gained infinite strengths again.

They all trekked toward that oasis.