Chapter 592: Evil Path Expert
Zhang Ruochen left the Wu Wang Inn and immediately departed from Qingyun Commandery City.
As Duanmu Ya had said, the Blood Cloud Sect was searching for him everywhere, and their influence in Qingyun Commandery City was quite substantial. Staying overnight in the city would be too risky.
Although Zhang Ruochen was now very powerful, if the Blood Cloud Sect activated the city-protecting grand formation to deal with him, it would still give him a lot of trouble.
Even so, Zhang Ruochen sensed that someone had followed him out of Qingyun Commandery City and was pursuing him from behind.
With Zhang Ruochen's speed, he could easily shake them off.
However, Zhang Ruochen had a different idea—he wanted to teach the Blood Cloud Sect a lesson.
After all, this was the Eastern Domain Evil Land, where everything was decided by strength. Only by beating them into submission would they back off. Constant tolerance and avoidance would only invite more trouble.
Zhang Ruochen deliberately slowed down, luring them to a desolate and remote wilderness before gradually coming to a stop.
The evil path martial artists of the Blood Cloud Sect seemed eager to make their move. There were thirteen of them in total, riding barbarian beast mounts as they rushed up from behind and surrounded Zhang Ruochen.
Among them, an old man in a green robe sitting on the back of a rhinoceros-sheep beast spoke coldly, "Kid, leave the sacred stone behind, and I, this humble Daoist, will spare your life."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the green-robed old man and said, "So, you are people of the Moon Worship Demon Sect?"
The only ones who knew that Zhang Ruochen had traded for a sacred stone at the Wu Wang Inn were Duanmu Ya and Mu Lingxi. Since they were after the sacred stone, they must be from the Moon Worship Demon Sect.
The green-robed old man seemed confident that he could handle Zhang Ruochen, so he spoke without restraint, stroking his beard and laughing, "So you obtained the sacred stone from the Moon Worship Demon Sect. That means you're no good person either. Even if I take the sacred stone, it's only right and proper."
Zhang Ruochen frowned, feeling a bit confused. From the green-robed old man's words, it seemed they were neither from the Blood Cloud Sect nor the Moon Worship Demon Sect.
If not these two major forces, had a third party appeared?
Zhang Ruochen observed them carefully and noticed they were all wearing Daoist robes.
Aside from the green-robed old man who had spoken to Zhang Ruochen, the rest were young people—both handsome young men and beautiful young women.
"You are people from the Liangyi Sect?" Zhang Ruochen suddenly realized.
In the Eastern Domain, only disciples of the Liangyi Sect could boldly appear in both the Eastern Domain Evil Land and the Eastern Domain Sacred Land. This was because they belonged neither to the imperial court's forces nor to the evil path forces.
Moreover, the Liangyi Sect's power was no weaker than that of the imperial court or the evil path. Neither side would easily offend them.
In terms of heritage, even the Chen Clan could not compare to the Liangyi Sect.
Among them, a young man in his twenties, riding a white dragon horse and wearing a blue Daoist robe, looked very handsome and had a steady aura. He said, "That's right, we are disciples of the Liangyi Sect. How could a demon like you deserve to possess a sacred stone? Hand over the sacred stone immediately, and I, this humble Daoist, will spare your life."
Zhang Ruochen looked at the young man and nodded slightly, saying, "To have reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection at such a young age is no small feat."
Beside the young man was a younger girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, quite pretty, with an oval face and round, sparkling eyes that made her look very cute.
However, she was now glaring angrily at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Senior Brother Lin Yue is a top expert on the Heavenly Ranking, with extraordinary strength and outstanding cultivation. How dare you judge him?"
Clearly, in the eyes of all the female disciples, Senior Brother Lin Yue was an exceptionally outstanding young hero.
Hearing Zhao Han'er's praise, Lin Yue immediately showed a proud expression, and his gaze toward Zhang Ruochen became even more contemptuous.
After all, a powerhouse on the Heavenly Ranking had already reached the peak of martial arts—shouldn't he possess a proud demeanor?
"Junior Sister, now that we are in the Eastern Domain Evil Land, we should keep a low profile. Even if I am on the Heavenly Ranking, we cannot become arrogant and complacent because of it." Lin Yue pretended to be serious, lightly scolding Zhao Han'er.
Zhao Han'er's eyes narrowed into crescent-shaped slits as she gazed adoringly at Lin Yue, utterly impressed, and said, "Senior Brother Lin Yue is not only a Heavenly Ranking expert but also so humble—how can one not admire him?"
The other female disciples also looked at Lin Yue with admiration, as if they were about to throw themselves into his arms.
The green-robed old man coughed dryly and said, "Lin Yue, you've been on the Heavenly Ranking for a while now. Today, you will make the first move and test the depth of this evil path martial artist's cultivation. Be careful not to be ambushed by him."
"Uncle Master, rest assured. No matter how powerful an evil path martial artist is, how formidable can they be? I'll take him down within three moves."
Lin Yue pulled out a long spear from its leather sheath, rode the dragon horse, and charged at Zhang Ruochen.
The green-robed old man said to the other disciples, "Among you, Lin Yue has the highest cultivation and the richest combat experience. During this training trip, you should all learn from Lin Yue how to engage in combat—it will benefit you greatly."
The young disciples of the Liangyi Sect all widened their eyes and began to observe closely how Senior Brother Lin Yue would kill the evil path martial artist.
"Wind and Rain Spear Art."
Lin Yue wanted to display graceful moves, so he quickly spun the long spear, stirring up a fierce wind.
With a very dashing and elegant thrust, twenty-seven spear shadows appeared in the wind, aimed at twenty-seven vital points on Zhang Ruochen's body.
Lin Yue curled his lips, thinking to himself, Even when killing someone, the movements must be beautiful.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, raised his hand, and condensed a spherical lightning bolt in his palm, which he quickly shot out.
"Boom!"
All the spear shadows shattered and vanished into nothing.
Lin Yue was struck by the spherical lightning bolt, screamed, and was sent flying backward.
With a thud, Lin Yue landed on the grass ten zhang away, his entire body charred black. Dazed and confused, he rolled his eyes and fainted.
Zhang Ruochen had held back; otherwise, this Heavenly Ranking expert, Senior Brother Lin Yue, would have turned into a pile of ashes.
The young disciples of the Liangyi Sect were all petrified, frozen in shock.
How could it be? Someone as powerful as Senior Brother Lin Yue was taken down by a single casual move from an evil path martial artist?
Zhang Ruochen said sarcastically, "The Liangyi Sect is supposed to be the foremost sect in the Eastern Domain. When did it become a band of robbers? Aren't you ashamed to disgrace your ancestors?"
The Sacred Bright Central Dynasty had a very good relationship with the Liangyi Sect. Even the Ming Emperor, in his youth, had studied under the Liangyi Sect.
Because of this connection, Zhang Ruochen did not want to become an enemy of the Liangyi Sect.
The green-robed old man said coldly, "The Liangyi Sect has always acted with integrity and honor, but for a demon cultivator like you, there's no need to stick to principles."
Zhang Ruochen just shook his head and sighed, too lazy to argue with him about what integrity and honor meant versus banditry. He could only tell himself that the Liangyi Sect's disciples were spread across the world, and inevitably, there would be both good and bad among them. Encountering a few rotten apples was normal.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm curious—how did you know I had a sacred stone on me?"
"If you can defeat me, old man, then you can ask that question."
The green-robed old man used a movement technique, turning into a streak of green light as he charged toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Solar Meridian Sword Wave."
He mobilized his true qi, concentrating power at the tip of his left thumb, and shot out a sword wave aimed at Zhang Ruochen's heart.
Clearly, he had also realized that Zhang Ruochen was a spiritual power master, so he chose to attack at close range, not giving Zhang Ruochen any chance to counterattack.
The Ten Meridian Sword Wave was a martial technique of the Liangyi Sect, so the green-robed old man could naturally use it.
The green-robed old man's cultivation was not low; he had reached the fifth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm and could convert his true qi into thin sacred qi. The Solar Meridian Sword Wave he unleashed naturally possessed extraordinary power.
His fingertip seemed to spout a fire dragon, releasing a powerful and vigorous sword energy.
"Wind and Thunder Finger."
Zhang Ruochen mobilized his spiritual power, pointed his finger forward, and a pillar of electricity shot from his fingertip, colliding with the green-robed old man's Solar Meridian Sword Wave.
In an instant, the Solar Meridian Sword Wave was shattered, scattering into flying sword energy.
"Pfft!"
The Wind and Thunder Finger struck the green-robed old man's chest, piercing through his thoracic cavity and leaving a wine-cup-sized bloody hole.
The electric light surged forward, enveloping the green-robed old man's body.
The green-robed old man's body trembled, his legs went weak, and like a piece of charcoal, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The young disciples of the Liangyi Sect were all terrified. Even their Uncle Master was no match for him.
Especially Zhao Han'er—she looked at Zhang Ruochen as if he were a demon or monster, her face turning pale with fear.
Lin Yue, who had been lying on the ground, had already woken up. However, when he saw Zhang Ruochen take down his Uncle Master with a single finger, he immediately buried his face back in the dirt and continued playing dead.
Zhang Ruochen walked over to the green-robed old man, crouched down, and said, "Speak. How did you know I had a sacred stone on me?"
Although the green-robed old man was severely injured, he had not fainted.
He just snorted coldly and turned his face away, unwilling to answer Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen smiled coldly and said, "Do you believe that I can kill all the Liangyi Sect disciples here right now? Including... that Senior Brother Lin Yue lying there pretending to be dead?"
"If you kill us, the Liangyi Sect will kill you too," the green-robed old man spat out a harsh threat.
"Very well."
Zhang Ruochen stood up, looked at the young Liangyi Sect disciples, and pointed a finger at each of them, saying, "You have angered me. Now, every single one of you will die. Let's start with Senior Brother Lin Yue."
Lin Yue was terrified. He dared not continue playing dead and quickly scrambled to his knees in front of Zhang Ruochen, trembling with fear, "Don't kill me! I'll tell you, I'll tell you... Uncle Master has a 'Treasure-Seeking Compass' on him. It can detect the location of spiritual crystal veins underground and also sense the aura of sacred stones. Believe me... if you don't believe me, search Uncle Master's body. You'll find it... you definitely will..."
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. Sure enough, it was the evil path's methods that could scare people. No wonder so many joined the evil path.
Evil path figures were ruthless and would stop at nothing, naturally instilling fear in others.
Lin Yue's fear was understandable.
However, this Senior Brother Lin Yue was hardly a hero. Zhang Ruochen hadn't even used heavy-handed tactics, yet he was already kneeling in fear.