Chapter 862: Qingli Commandery City
Yuanlong Half-Saint cast a casual glance toward the direction outside the city, letting out only a cold snort, utterly unconcerned by Zhao Shengyu’s threat. Would the Ministry of War dare to act against a Half-Saint of the Liangyi Sect without solid evidence?
However, that brat Zhang Ruochen was truly detestable. He had to be thoroughly investigated—how exactly had he managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Liangyi Sect’s disciples?
“Boom!”
Outside the city, a thunderous roar erupted, followed by a tremor that shook the ground.
Just moments ago, Zhao Shengyu had unleashed a crescent-shaped sacred artifact, striking through the air toward Zhang Ruochen. Zhang Ruochen controlled the Abyssal Ancient Sword, executing Sword Two, and clashed with Zhao Shengyu from a great distance.
The white clouds in the midair were completely scattered, revealing a sky as clear and blue as washed jade.
“Impressive.”
Zhang Ruochen flew backward several dozen zhang, his internal organs all displaced, a faint pain radiating from within.
Fortunately, Zhao Shengyu had launched his attack from a hundred li away, allowing Zhang Ruochen to block it. If they had been in close combat, that single strike would have left him severely injured.
Retracting the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Zhang Ruochen ceased his direct confrontation with Zhao Shengyu, using his speed to flee into the distance.
Zhang Ruochen’s speed far surpassed Zhao Shengyu’s, yet he did not immediately shake him off. Instead, he circled around the Wolf Plains, leading Zhao Shengyu in a chase.
After multiple tests, Zhang Ruochen finally confirmed two things.
First, Zhao Shengyu indeed possessed a treasure that could track his movements, allowing him to catch up even from a great distance.
Second, the effective range of that treasure was roughly a thousand li.
In other words, as long as Zhang Ruochen fled beyond a thousand li from Zhao Shengyu, the treasure would no longer be able to locate him.
With the results clear, Zhang Ruochen left the Wolf Plains and set out on his own path.
Having lost Zhang Ruochen’s trail, Zhao Shengyu searched for another two days and nights without success. Finally, he realized that Zhang Ruochen must have already left the Wolf Plains.
“That damned Zhang Ruochen, daring to toy with this king! If I ever get my hands on him, I’ll make sure he suffers a fate worse than death,” Zhao Shengyu growled through gritted teeth.
Zhao Gongming, the leader of the Four Diamond Guardians, arrived at the Wolf Plains and found Zhao Shengyu. “Reporting to the Northern Wolf King, Young Master Wan has reached the Wolf Army camp.”
“Young Master Wan arrived so quickly?” Zhao Shengyu’s expression turned grave.
Young Master Wan naturally referred to Wan Zhaoyi.
Although Wan Zhaoyi was nearly a hundred years old, his extraordinary talent kept him ageless, so the cultivators of the Wan Clan still called him “Young Master Wan.”
The Wolf Army camp was built on the edge of the Wolf Plains, nestled within a vast mountainous region, with tents stretching over three hundred li.
At the center of the camp stood a rather luxurious mansion—the Northern Wolf King’s residence of Zhao Shengyu.
At this moment, the mansion’s owner, Zhao Shengyu, knelt respectfully on one knee, bowing to the man seated above him. “Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation may not be high, but his escape speed is astonishing. Your subordinate failed to capture him—please punish me, Young Master.”
Wan Zhaoyi, clad in Azure Dragon Battle Armor, appeared to be in his twenties, with an upright spine. Even casually seated on the golden throne, he exuded a fierce, domineering aura.
As the number one figure on the “Heroes’ Ode,” he naturally possessed an overwhelming presence that forced even Zhao Shengyu to lower his head, not daring to meet his gaze.
After hearing Zhao Shengyu’s explanation, Wan Zhaoyi did not punish him. Instead, he revealed a faint smile. “This king has met Zhang Ruochen. That child is one of the top talents from the Kunlun Realm in the last century. Not long ago, Wan Ji led thirty thousand Leopard Army elites and still failed to capture him. Your failure was within my expectations.”
Zhao Shengyu breathed a slight sigh of relief, his tension easing.
Although Wan Zhaoyi was strict in military discipline and strong-willed, he was not a cruel man. This was why countless heroes and talents had flocked to his banner, willingly serving him.
Wan Zhaoyi’s expression turned serious. “However, since Zhang Ruochen has appeared in Qingli Commandery, he can’t have gone far. Spare no expense to capture him.”
“This king has already instructed the commanders of the thirty-six commanderies in Yuan Prefecture to activate all the Octagonal Saint Eyes. Once Zhang Ruochen’s trail is found, we will encircle and capture him with the force of a thunderbolt.”
Zhao Shengyu looked worried. “Young Master, Zhang Ruochen’s speed surpasses that of a seventh-step Half-Saint. The commanders of each commandery may not be able to hold him. Moreover, he surely carries a sacred decree issued by Xuanji Sword Saint. If he unleashes its power, who can stop him?”
Wan Zhaoyi replied, “Rest assured on that point. This time, I have selected ten top experts from the army specifically to deal with him. As soon as there is news of Zhang Ruochen, these ten experts will move out. No matter how fast he is, he will have no escape—neither to the heavens nor into the earth.”
Hearing this, Zhao Shengyu finally felt at ease.
Since Young Master Wan referred to them as the “ten top experts,” they were undoubtedly among the strongest Half-Saints. One or two might not be able to stop Zhang Ruochen, but with three or more acting together, even with a sacred decree, Zhang Ruochen would be unable to flee.
At the same time, Zhao Shengyu realized that Young Master Wan placed great importance on Zhang Ruochen.
Thus, Zhao Shengyu immediately ordered portraits of Zhang Ruochen to be drawn and distributed to the major cities of Qingli Commandery, offering a hefty reward for any information leading to his capture.
After leaving the Wolf Plains, Zhang Ruochen traveled westward at a leisurely pace, unperturbed by the Ministry of War’s pursuit, sticking to his original plan.
He would first visit the Nether King Sword Grave, then return to the Sacred Bright Imperial City. If necessary, he also wanted to check on the Bright Hall. He wondered how many of the old followers of the Sacred Bright Central Empire were still alive.
According to Xuanji Sword Saint, the Nether King Sword Grave was located in Yuan Prefecture, Taizhou. However, Xuanji had not specified its exact location, only telling Zhang Ruochen how to make contact.
The Central Domain consisted of only nine prefectures, but each prefecture was vast and boundless. Taizhou was divided into thirty-six prefectures, each further divided into thirty-six commanderies.
Although Qingli Commandery’s territory was quite expansive, it was merely one of the 1,296 commanderies in Taizhou.
Fortunately, Qingli Commandery was one of the thirty-six commanderies of Yuan Prefecture, so Zhang Ruochen did not need to travel far and wide. Thus, he decided to head to the commandery city of Qingli, where he might be able to contact the people of the Nether King Sword Grave.
After two days of travel, covering tens of thousands of li, Zhang Ruochen finally arrived at Qingli Commandery City.
Qingli Commandery City was a gathering place for top cultivators within a radius of a hundred thousand li, two to three times larger in scale than the Taiyin Ancient City.
The Central Domain and the Eastern Domain were extremely far apart, so their cultures and customs naturally differed greatly.
Upon arriving in Qingli Commandery City, Zhang Ruochen saw young gentlemen in Confucian robes everywhere on the streets. They were students of the Confucian path, studying various texts and classics, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, discussing world affairs with the passion of those who would shape the nation.
Some of these Confucian students cultivated spiritual power, entering the Dao through books, poetry, painting, and so on. Others cultivated the Confucian sacred scripture, “Righteous Qi.”
In the Central Domain, with strong support from the imperial court, the Confucian path had developed rapidly, seemingly on the verge of surpassing the Taiji Dao.
At this moment, several young men from prominent families, dressed in Confucian robes, stood beneath a tree that required two people to encircle, staring at a portrait on the trunk and discussing something with great fervor.
Curious, Zhang Ruochen approached.
When he saw the portrait, he was slightly startled.
The painting was vivid and lifelike, perfectly matching Zhang Ruochen’s appearance. Moreover, a peculiar spiritual power fluctuation emanated from it.
It could be inferred that only a painter with strong spiritual power could achieve such brushwork.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power was formidable. By naturally releasing it to shroud his body, ordinary people—unless they were spiritual power Half-Saints—could not clearly see his face.
Just then, a young Confucian student said, “Have you heard? To capture Zhang Ruochen, Wan Zhaoyi personally came to Qingli Commandery and visited the Wolf Army camp a couple of days ago.”
“Wan Zhaoyi is such a figure—how could he personally deal with a young junior? As far as I know, Wan Zhaoyi came to Yuan Prefecture for another purpose, related to the Nether King Sword Grave and the Undying Blood Clan.”
“However, Wan Zhaoyi did select ten top experts from the army specifically to deal with Zhang Ruochen. Five of them are stationed in the commandery city, reportedly being hosted by the Li Clan. I’m not sure if that’s true.”
“Li Min, you’re a spiritual power genius of the Li Clan—you must know the inside story. Did the Ministry of War really mobilize ten top experts to hunt down Zhang Ruochen?”
The Confucian students turned their gazes to a young girl among them, pressing her for answers.
Zhang Ruochen, also concerned about this issue, looked over as well.
The girl named Li Min appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a Confucian robe, holding a book in her hand. She looked delicate yet composed and elegant.
(Chapter 2.)