Chapter 350: This Seat Is Wang Daozhong

Chapter 350: I, Wang Daozhong, Am Here

Taking the Celestial Book was victory itself; Zhao Changhe dared not attempt to kill Yan Que.

That fellow had been electrocuted like that and struck with a palm, yet only spat blood... The Earth List was still the Earth List; it felt like if he fought to the death, the gap was too great, and he might just end up giving his life for nothing.

With the Celestial Book taken, the environment should gradually return to normal, and things like the Thunder Path would likely fade away. Better to take advantage of the Thunder Path still being there, serving as an obstacle, and flee first—after all, Yan Que didn’t know who he was.

Sure enough, Yan Que was blocked by the thunder and utterly unable to pursue. Zhao Changhe stuffed the Celestial Book into his ring and scurried down the mountain in a flash.

The environment hadn’t changed much in the short term; the trials were still ongoing, but having experienced them once made things much simpler. It had taken over two hours to climb the mountain, but less than half an hour to descend. He leaped over hills and crossed rivers, madly fleeing the secret realm. When he looked at the sky outside, the sun had only just poked half its head out.

But the moment he saw the sunlight, Zhao Changhe’s heart suddenly clenched in pain.

An intangible, formless pressure enveloped his entire body, suffocating him, as if he were at the very bottom of the deepest ocean, where the crushing water pressure could flatten a man into a meat patty.

This was not water pressure, nor air pressure.

It was soul pressure!

A terrifying soul-sound exploded in his mind, leaving him utterly unable to gather any thoughts. Only one concept remained: I am going to die.

The next moment, the pressure was suddenly cut off by something, and a strange explosive sound rang out before fading into silence.

Zhao Changhe gasped for breath and looked up at the sky.

In the sea of his soul, a faint, surprised “Eh?” lingered.

An ancient voice echoed across distant dimensions in his heart: “It’s actually you...”

The Blind Woman’s cold snort came through, but she did not reply.

“So you couldn’t resist either, and actually made a personal move. Ha... hahahaha...” The voice gradually faded: “Interesting... But this shouldn’t be. Are you sure you won’t regret it? Ha...”

The voice never appeared again, and Zhao Changhe couldn’t see the Blind Woman anywhere.

Yet the rain cleared and the sky brightened, the morning sun rising, as if nothing had ever happened.

Zhao Changhe let out a long sigh, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.

It was truly snatching food from a tiger’s mouth. He had gone head-to-head with an Earth List expert, and the Blind Woman had repelled a god or demon... But since it was for the Celestial Book, it was all worth it.

Zhao Changhe didn’t linger. He swiftly left the mountain, entered the city, and went straight to the post station. Mounting his dark steed, he galloped away without a trace. As for continuing his training—to hell with it.

From afar, he seemed to see dust and hoofbeats heading toward Kunlun. Zhao Changhe reined his horse and took a detour, charging southeast.

At the peak of Kunlun Mountain, amidst the hazy morning clouds and mist, Yuxu stood at the cliff’s edge, gazing into the distance. Everywhere he looked was pure white snow; it was unclear whether he could even see the departing figure.

A voice seemed to sound in his soul-sea: “Why not pursue?”

“If all of you couldn’t stop them, why send me?”

“That one won’t act against you.”

Yuxu leisurely took out his gourd of wine and took a sip: “That page of the Celestial Book is all about fate. Forcing it is not beautiful.”

“That page of the Celestial Book would greatly benefit you.”

“I lie in Kunlun; that itself is great benefit.”

“Foolish beyond belief!”

Yuxu chuckled: “What you wanted me to do, I have done. That I didn’t get it is the fault of Yan Que and the others, not mine. Now my debts are paid, and I am clean and at ease. Whether I am wise or foolish has nothing to do with you. Please go back.”

A wise man once concluded that everything can be reduced to “none of my business” and “none of your business.” Once you master these two phrases, you are invincible.

Take Yuxu at this moment, for example.

The other party was silent for a long while before saying coldly: “I hope you won’t regret it in the future.”

Yuxu still replied: “None of your business.”

“Rumble!”

A dull roar came from within the mountain, and the voice that had been conversing with Yuxu vanished. Yuxu seemed too lazy to even pay attention to the changes inside the mountain, drinking his wine as if nothing had happened.

It was precisely because the Celestial Book had been taken out of the space that the peculiarities within began to gradually disappear. Ice melted, snow thawed, thunder ceased, and the maze vanished, turning the place into a large-scale secret realm space that differed from ordinary ones only in its vastness.

Yan Que hid in the original location of the Celestial Book, trembling as he healed his wounds in a place where the thunder couldn’t reach. Only when the thunder disappeared did he take a deep breath and charge out of the secret realm in fury: “Wang Daozhong! I swear I will never rest until you are dead!”

Wang Daozhong was Zhao Changhe in disguise. This fact had been shouted by Yang Qianyuan when he was captured at the Golden Money Guild headquarters, and the main figures of the guild at the time had some idea. But aside from the Golden Money Guild, no other force knew that the Wang Daozhong who had appeared at the Golden Money Guild and the Zhao Changhe who had appeared at the Yukum Gang were the same person. The two factions were clearly hostile, so ordinary people wouldn’t connect them.

When Yan Que asked the various forces in the east of the city, the answer he got was that Wang Daozhong had indeed appeared at the Golden Money Guild.

As for the Golden Money Guild, which knew the truth, after Tian Lingzi had slaughtered countless of their elites, they had fallen into decline. During the two days when Zhao Changhe was tearing his hair out between Huangfu Qing and Xia Chichi, Chen Yi had already begun to absorb the Golden Money Guild. By now, they had been fully incorporated under his command. When Zhao Changhe was handing over the secret realm matters, he had asked Chen Yi to seal the mouths of the Golden Money Guild.

So when Yan Que went to ask the Golden Money Guild, the news he got was that Wang Daozhong had indeed appeared and even killed their acting leader, Yang Qianyuan.

But to find this Wang Daozhong? He was nowhere to be found.

While Yan Que was going mad, searching the entire city for news of Wang Daozhong, a lone rider entered the city east of Kunlun and stopped near the post station where Zhao Changhe had stayed. The rider looked around curiously: “Huh, this city actually has a post station.”

The post station had originally been a property of the Golden Money Guild, and now it was managed by an old member of the guild arranged by Chen Yi. Seeing a potential fat sheep, someone immediately came forward with a smile: “Sir, would you like to stay?”

“I might stop here for a bit.” The rider dismounted and asked, “Have you heard of Zhao Changhe?”

The Golden Money Guild man’s heart skipped a beat. Now that everyone was under Chen Yi, and Chen Yi had ordered them not to leak anything about Zhao Changhe, who would dare to speak carelessly? He immediately replied, “Never heard of him...”

The rider thought for a moment, then shook his head: “Forget it. How do I get to Yuxu Peak?”

The men instinctively bowed and asked cautiously, “Yuxu Peak is west of the city; just enter the mountains... May I ask who you are...”

The rider said proudly, “Wang Daozhong of Langya, here to pay respects to Kunlun. You may help me send word.”

The Golden Money Guild men exchanged glances, their gazes toward this man turning unfriendly.

Do they think we’re fools? We were just tricked, and now you come again—everyone’s Wang Daozhong now, is that it?

Now they had experience. The real Wang Daozhong of the Langya Wang clan traveled with great fanfare; it was unlikely he would come alone on a single horse. Anyone claiming to be Wang Daozhong like this was basically a fraud, just like Zhao Changhe last time.

The men exchanged meaningful glances and, without changing their expressions, took the rider’s horse, saying with a flattering smile, “Master Wang, please rest here. We’ll send word up the mountain right away...”

Wang Daozhong said casually, “First, feed my horse well.”

“Right away.” Someone brought a basket of croton beans and quietly dumped them into the horse’s trough.

They loaded Wang Daozhong’s wine and food with a full dose of knockout drugs. Meanwhile, someone else hurried off to notify Chen Yi and Ye Wuzong, just in case this really was Wang Daozhong...

Wang Daozhong, skilled and bold, was completely unaffected by ordinary knockout drugs. He ate and drank comfortably: “Boss, check...”

A furious roar came from afar: “Wang Daozhong has appeared? Where is he?”

A burly man, his body like a flash of blood, charged from the end of the long street: “Wang, die!”

A violent Blood Demon Palm struck from ten feet away. Wang Daozhong, baffled, turned his palm to meet it.

“Boom!”

They were evenly matched; both staggered.

“Excellent! The Heaven-Shaking Sea-Calming Palm! Excellent taste, excellent taste!” Yan Que’s expression was wild: “Take another palm from me!”

“Wait!” Wang Daozhong was confused: “Could this be Blood Demon Hand Yan Que, Brother Yan? I have never seen you before...”

“You haven’t seen me, but I have seen your palm technique! Don’t think you can fool me just by changing your face. Die!”

The clash between the 33rd and 35th on the Earth List erupted in the east of Kunlun City. In just a few moves, the post station collapsed.

The Golden Money Guild men didn’t care about the post station, but they watched with some astonishment.

A clash on the Earth Ranking—how many in this world are fortunate enough to witness it?

Er, no—since he can truly fight the Blood Demon Hand to a standstill, does that mean it really is Wang Daozhong?

The Gold Coin Clan members exchanged glances; the battle there was already tilting toward a victor.

Yan Que had come injured after all, his wounds unhealed, and he simply could not subdue Wang Daozhong. Wang Daozhong, for his part, could not be bothered with such a senseless fight; with a palm strike he forced Yan Que back, swiftly mounted his horse, and galloped off toward Yuxu Peak in the west of the city.

Yet Yuxu Peak, which had previously been unguarded, now had guards—whether Yuxu deliberately wished to avoid the Wang family, no one knew.

In any case, two fierce-looking burly men stood at the mountain path entrance, raising their hands to stop the horse: "Halt, there!"

Wang Daozhong said, "Wang Daozhong of Langya seeks an audience with Kunlun Yuxu on a matter for discussion."

The guard said, "Please present your identification."

Wang Daozhong reached into his bosom, his expression freezing on his face.

The money was gone—his identity papers, travel permits, tokens, everything was gone.

When had they vanished?

During the fight just now? Or when an old man passed by him during the meal?

But the old man hadn't touched him.

Seeing this, the guard began to sneer: "Impersonating the Langya Wang clan—you have quite the nerve, sir. Please turn back."

Wang Daozhong, both angry and anxious, was about to speak when Yan Que caught up from behind: "Help me take this bastard down, and there'll be rewards for you!"

Yan Que's prestige here was high; without a word, the guards drew their weapons and lunged at Wang Daozhong.

The duel had turned into a gang beating. Wang Daozhong knew this situation would not end well for him; he thought to himself that this entry into the city was utterly baffling, that he had no idea what madness had seized these people, and that it would be better to leave first and sort things out later.

So, taking advantage before Yan Que's palm wind arrived, he swept aside the guards' blades with a wave, reined his horse, and bolted away from the side.

He had not fled far when the horse suddenly went weak in the legs, collapsing to the ground, nearly throwing Wang Daozhong head over heels.

It was the croton oil from the earlier inn taking effect.

Fortunately, Wang Daozhong's martial skill was superb; he leaped into the air, avoiding a dusty, disgraceful end.

Turning his head to see Yan Que pursuing and his beloved horse foaming at the mouth on the ground, Wang Daozhong was filled with grief and fury, yet from beginning to end he felt as if trapped in a dream.

I just came to hunt down Zhao Changhe... Is this place insane?