Leaping up from the gurgling stream, Huang Tian landed on the bank. A surge of qi and blood flared within him, instantly driving off every drop of water and leaving his body dry.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew past, whipping his robes with a sharp rustle. He looked down at the dark-gold staff held in his hand.
"Not a bad piece of work. It will do for now."
Up to this point, his only Grandmaster-tier divine armament had been the Crimson Radiance Bow; now, he had this dark-gold staff as well.
Though he was not particularly fond of polearms, wielding one occasionally was fine. And if it truly proved unsuited to his taste, he could always sell it for some spirit elixirs or precious herbs to aid his cultivation.
"Speaking of spirit elixirs and precious herbs... it's time to collect the spoils."
He raised his head to gaze toward the Feihong Sect's headquarters. With a shift of his body, he shot into the air like a falcon and soared back toward the grounds.
A moment later, he landed once more on the bluestone square.
Not a soul was in sight across the plaza—or rather, not a living soul. Every disciple and servant of the Feihong Sect had fled without a trace.
A number of corpses lay scattered across the ground, belonging to Qian Shan, several elders, and the deacons and disciples who had remained loyal to their sect.
Beside the bodies stood the collapsed ruins of the Deliberation Hall, a grim heap of rubble and snapped bluestone buried in pale dust.
Huang Tian paid it no heed. With a single leap, he arrived at a secluded courtyard.
This was the treasury where Supreme Elder Ke Rujing kept his personal collection. Truth be told, when Ke Rujing had escaped into the tunnel, he had taken nothing with him except for the dark-gold staff that never left his side.
Decisive!
Willing to cut his losses!
Yet he still had not managed to escape.
Pushing the doors open, Huang Tian stepped into the main hall and made his way to the side chamber. He pressed a spot in a corner of the thick wall with precise, subtle force.
Rumble—
The wall slowly slid open, dislodging a light shower of dust.
Stepping inside, he found a smaller room furnished with a padauk rack. On the bottom of the rack lay a long box, while more than a dozen jade cases rested above it.
Walking forward, he first opened the long box below, revealing an iron fan that gleamed with an iridescent black sheen.
"Another Grandmaster-tier divine armament..."
He reached out and picked it up; its hefty weight conveyed a distinct sense of power.
After turning it over in his hands once or twice, Huang Tian placed it back into the long box, then rose and opened the dozen or so jade cases on the upper shelf one by one.
"Mm, not bad. Two Precious Elephant Sacred Fetus Pills, three Dragon-Tiger Great Restoration Pills, and nine precious herbs aged several centuries. Quite a bountiful harvest!" Huang Tian thought with satisfaction.
The effects of the Precious Elephant Sacred Fetus Pill needed no elaboration. Its value was astronomical; any fourth-rank martial artist desperate for a breakthrough would gladly offer their entire fortune for a single pill, yet no major power would ever agree to such a trade.
Treasured pills of this caliber were always dangled just out of reach; without offering one's life in service, making massive contributions, and belonging to the inner circle of direct confidants, one could never hope to obtain one.
They rarely appeared on the open market either, and whenever one did surface, it commanded an exorbitant price that ordinary fourth-rank martial artists could never afford.
As for the Dragon-Tiger Great Restoration Pill, it was an elixir effective even for third-rank martial artists, capable of accelerating the condensation of true qi and quickening the smelting of qi and blood.
"By my original estimate, breaking through to the fourth rank would have taken about three months. But with these resources, compressing it to under two months will be no problem at all!"
Another breakthrough within two months!
Once he reached the fourth rank, he ought to be capable of confronting peak first-rank Grandmasters. Although he had never genuinely fought a first-rank Grandmaster, the gap should not be too vast; at the very least, holding his ground against one for some time would present no issue.
By then, he would stand at the very pinnacle of the entire Qin Province!
No—even across Great Gan or the five states, anyone possessing first-rank combat strength was counted among the absolute mightiest of experts!
Though Celestial Beings existed above that realm, they seldom made a move. In practice, they served as strategic deterrents; only earth-shattering events could ever stir them to action.
A war between two nations, for instance.
Thirty years ago, when Great Gan went to war with the State of Lan, Wan Shenyang, Chief Commander of the Martial Restraint Guard, had fought the State Preceptor of Lan and wounded him. The morale of Great Gan's soldiers had soared as a result, leading to victory after victory and expanding the empire's territory by more than five thousand li!
Another example was a Void Realm divine armament, which surfaced only once in nearly ten thousand years!
According to internal intelligence from the Martial Restraint Guard, after news of the Thundering Lightning-Chasing Divine Sword's emergence spread, the Demonic Heart Bodhisattva—one of the Demonic Cult's five branch masters presiding over Great Gan—had seemingly set out from another province toward Yong Province to seek the armament master and seize the divine weapon. But midway through the journey, he had been intercepted by Du Changqiu, Chief Constable of the Six Doors. The two clashed in a clash of earthshaking scale.
The Kunyun Commandery seat lacked clearance to receive detailed reports on the exact process and outcome, but one thing was certain: the Demonic Heart Bodhisattva had not reached Yong Province to this day.
According to the deductions of Yu Jingcheng and Bai Yuanfu, the Bodhisattva had suffered significant injuries during the fight and temporarily retreated, while Du Changqiu had entered seclusion shortly after the clash, evidently wounded as well.
It had likely ended in mutual injury.
Aside from such momentous events, very little could draw the attention or intervention of a Celestial Being. Even the succession of a throne was hardly enough to concern them.
After all, a Celestial Being was the true bedrock of an entire realm. Whoever ascended the throne had to treat them with utmost respect and curry their favor.
Take Wan Shenyang, Chief Commander of the Martial Restraint Guard and ranked third on the Celestial Being Ranking: the current King of Gan had bestowed countless treasures and spirit herbs upon him just to keep him on the crown's side.
It was only because the King of Gan had repeatedly shown grace and bestowed favors when Wan Shenyang was rising in his early years that Wan Shenyang had been willing to accept the post of Chief Commander. To an expert who had nearly reached the limit of mortal martial might, power was not worth mentioning.
Only the martial path!
Only the Void Realm!
That was their greatest pursuit!
"Now that I've inspected Ke Rujing's private hoard, next is the Feihong Sect's treasury."
Huang Tian kept the jade bottles containing the Precious Elephant Sacred Fetus Pills and Dragon-Tiger Great Restoration Pills on his person, packed the remaining items into a large cloth bundle, and carried it along to the sect treasury.
Drawing on his memories, he breached it in just a few deft moves.
Compared to Ke Rujing's private stash, the items here were noticeably lower in quality, but they made up for it with sheer variety and immense quantity!
It made sense on reflection. As the Feihong Sect's Grandmaster, Ke Rujing would naturally claim any truly exceptional items for himself first, tossing whatever he deemed unremarkable into the sect treasury. As a result, the treasures in the public vault naturally could not compare to his personal hoard.
After a brief sweep, Huang Tian packed several dozen bottles of the more valuable medicinal pills and some fairly prized herbs into his bundle, then sealed the vault back up.
Next came the place he anticipated most...
The Feihong Sect's Scripture Pavilion!
For a great sect with seven hundred years of heritage, its collection of martial manuals and treatises was bound to be vast. To him, this was the greatest prize of all!
The Feihong Sect's Scripture Pavilion resembled that of the Martial Restraint Guard, standing three stories tall. The ground floor was the most spacious, lined with over a hundred brown wooden bookshelves, each holding dozens of scrolls and manuscripts.
"It's fortunate I acted swiftly, sending the disciples scattering in terror. Otherwise, some of them would have undoubtedly slipped in during the chaos and turned the place upside down..."
If some disciple had lost their mind and set the Scripture Pavilion ablaze, the loss would have been catastrophic.
Fortunately, Huang Tian's execution of Sect Master Qian Shan and several elders with a volley of arrows had been far too terrifying. The disciples had not even thought of sabotage; their only concern had been running for their lives.
Stepping up to a brown wooden shelf, Huang Tian pulled out a martial technique scroll. Standing right where he was, he began to flip through it, then moved on to another, and another. His mind raced at blistering speed, sparks of inspiration bursting forth without pause...
...
...
Meanwhile, utter turmoil gripped the small town.
Many townsfolk had witnessed with their own eyes the scene of Ke Rujing, the formidable Supreme Elder of the Feihong Sect, being beaten to death in the stream by Huang Tian. Panic had swept through the crowd, only deepened when fleeing Feihong Sect disciples revealed that the same ruthless man had earlier slaughtered their sect master and all the elders, practically wiping out the entire sect!
With such a monstrous killer right beside them, the townsfolk were terrified that he might not have quenched his bloodlust and would turn his blade on the town. Low as that probability was, the mere thought left them deeply unsettled. Many packed their belongings and bolted from the town.
Their flight only fueled the panic of others, prompting even those who were initially unconcerned to pack up and join the exodus.
Every exit of the town was jammed with ox carts, horse carriages, and commoners carrying bundles on their backs. The air was thick with the wailing of children and the clamor of desperate shouts.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold, Zhao Changguang and Zhao Changming were left dumbfounded.
The younger brother scratched his head, perplexed. "Why are they doing this? He didn't strike me as an evil man. Even if he isn't Huang Tian from the commandery's Martial Restraint Guard, he wouldn't just butcher innocent commoners, would he? Otherwise, with his strength, how could the disciples and servants of the Feihong Sect have ever escaped?"
Zhao Changguang sighed in emotional reflection. "One man's fear becomes ten men's fear; ten men's fear becomes a hundred's; and the fear of a hundred is like a mountain collapsing!"
Zhao Changming roughly understood. He meant that fear was contagious—and though he did not know the word 'contagious,' he grasped the meaning.
Gazing at the fleeing townsfolk, he pondered for a long time, then spoke abruptly, his eyes firm. "Second Brother, let's go to the Feihong Sect!"
Zhao Changguang jumped at his younger brother's suggestion. "What did you say? Enter the Feihong Sect right now?"
"Yes!"
"This... it must be in absolute chaos over there! Between the two of us, I have only just developed force, and you haven't even managed that much. If we go in and run into danger... Besides, why do you want to go in at all? Everyone else can't run away fast enough, yet you want to do the exact opposite?"
Zhao Changming replied, "Just as you said, Second Brother, the Feihong Sect disciples can't flee fast enough, so why would any of them remain in the sect? Right now, he is likely the only person left inside. Unless he raises a hand against us, where would any danger come from? We have no grudge with him, and his countenance is upright and fair—he doesn't look like a bloodthirsty man. As long as we don't offend him, he shouldn't do anything to us.
"As for why we should go to the Feihong Sect... to apprentice ourselves, of course! Second Brother, look at these panicked commoners, and those terrified disciples. If they had supreme strength, would they be this frightened? In this world, without strength, you are nothing! Forget wealth and honor—even your very life hinges on a stranger's whim!"
His words rang out with deep conviction. Zhao Changguang was quietly stunned; he had never imagined his younger brother possessed such insight.
"Second Brother, running into an expert like him might be the greatest opportunity of our lives. If we can become his disciples, it would change our destinies forever!"
Zhao Changming said solemnly, "Even if it's very likely he won't accept an apprentice, we must at least try. There's always a chance in ten thousand, and if we miss this opportunity, we may never encounter another for the rest of our days!"
Zhao Changguang's expression flickered at his words. Looking at the fleeing crowd once more, he gritted his teeth. "We go! We set out right now!"
Zhao Changming was overjoyed. Bringing nothing with them save for the saber Zhao Changguang carried at his hip, the two squeezed through the crowd and hurried toward the Feihong Sect's grounds.
Before long, having covered several li, they stood beside the stone monument engraved with the words 'Feihong Sect.' Next to it lay the corpses of Fang He and the other patrol disciples. Fang He in particular had been blasted into a mangled pulp by a soundwave of true qi, presenting a ghastly, gruesome sight.
Zhao Changguang felt his stomach churn at the sight and grew faint of heart. Hesitating, he said, "Little Brother, maybe we should turn back..."
Though Zhao Changming was also frightened, he spoke with resolute force. "Second Brother, once an arrow leaves the bow, there is no turning back. How can we stop nine-tenths of the way there? We've already reached the sect gates—are we going to turn tail now?! I'm only afraid that if we turn back today, I'll spend the rest of my life in regret every time I look back on it!"
Hearing this, Zhao Changguang flushed with shame. He had always felt his younger brother was overly ambitious and unlikely to achieve much, yet today he had been utterly outdone by him. He was right: they had already made it to the sect gates, so why shrink back now?
"Keep moving!"
Taking a deep breath, he drew his saber from his hip and slowly walked into the sect alongside Zhao Changming.
The moment they stepped onto the massive bluestone square, they were met by blackened scorch marks across the ground, corpses strewn about at random, and the Deliberation Hall, utterly destroyed and piled into a mountain of rubble!
The brothers exchanged a glance, both shocked and exhilarated. Even though they had not been present at the time, they could easily imagine from the remnants just how ferocious the battle had been!
Stepping over a charred corpse, Zhao Changguang looked around. "It's too quiet! Not a soul to be seen. Where could Brother Huang... Battalion Commander Huang be?"
Zhao Changming considered for a moment. "Either in the treasury, or in the Scripture Pavilion!"
Zhao Changguang was surprised. "How would you know?"
Zhao Changming explained, "Second Brother, you don't know much about Battalion Commander Huang. He's renowned for his love of studying various martial arts techniques. The Feihong Sect possesses over ten thousand scrolls—how could he not be tempted?"
With that, he stood on tiptoe, craned his neck in all directions, and pointed eastward. "The Scripture Pavilion should be that way!"
He strode quickly toward the east, and Zhao Changguang hurried to keep pace.
After walking for a short while, they rounded a corner at the end of the path and indeed caught sight of the towering, archaic Scripture Pavilion, its doors wide open.
Zhao Changming brightened. Just as he was about to rush inside, a thought struck him, and he turned back to look at his brother. "Second Brother, are my clothes clean?"
Zhao Changguang looked him up and down, then reached out and lightly brushed the dust from his shoulder. "All clean now. Your attire is proper."
Zhao Changming nodded. Facing the wide-open entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, he felt a knot of nervous tension tighten in his chest, a flurry of thoughts racing through his mind.
"Phew—"
Taking a deep, steadying breath, he stepped inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, he saw a familiar figure standing before a brown wooden bookshelf, flipping through a manuscript.
He stepped forward twice, then dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing heavily until his forehead flushed bright red: "This junior, Zhao Changming, begs to take you as my master! I wish to follow at your side and heed your teachings. I humbly pray for your grace!"
Chapter 109