Chapter 28: A Killing and a Breakthrough

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Apart from completing his daily chores and comprehending the Sambodhas, Jiang Ming also spent time studying Formations. He thought Formations were important. He had planted several mid-rank and low-rank weapons around Chuyang Peak to be used as Formation cores in case of a need. As it turned out, they came in handy today.

After Zou Yizhao triggered a Formation that isolated him from the world, Jiang Ming used his Great Akasa Step and traveled using the Akasa Network. As soon as he appeared before Zou Yizhao, he raised his hand and unleashed a wave of energy. The space around him seemed to still at once as he struck the defensive bell Zou Yizhao had brought out.

Crack!

The bell shattered immediately. The fragments fell on the head of the flustered Zou Yizhao.

‘It’s over!’ Zou Yizhao thought in despair. After all, someone who was capable of shattering his top-grade defensive bell with just a strike definitely possessed strength beyond his imagination. He had no hope of fighting against this person. Moreover, the space around him had stilled, rendering him immobile.

In the next moment, Zou Yizhao felt a hand landing on the crown of his head. A terrifying torrent of mana surged from the point of contact and neutralized the various powers in his body before shackling his Purple Mansion. Just like that, his cultivation base had been sealed.

‘Purple Mansion cultivators are… too weak,’ Jiang Ming thought to himself as he grabbed Zou Yizhao’s neck and dragged Zou Yizhao up the mountain.

After Jiang Ming came to the courtyard, he tossed Zou Yizhao to the ground.

“J-jiang Ming?!” Zou Yizhao exclaimed in shock and disbelief when he saw his assailant. Colors drained from his face immediately. He continued, “Impossible! How can you be so powerful? Y-you’re just a Qi Cultivation cultivator!”

“Shut up! I’ll be asking the questions, not you!” Jiang Ming said frostily, “Is the Yinmo Sect planning to take over Jiuyang Sect?”

“H-how do you know that?” Zou Yizhao stopped breathing for a moment when he heard this question. He shuddered as realization dawned on him. He cried out, “You killed Zuo Han!”

“That’s right. Now, talk!”

At this time, Zou Yizhao chuckled and said, “This won’t change anything. Jiuyang Sect is destined to be reduced to ashes! You won’t get any answers from me, kid!”

Jiang Ming’s expression grew frostier.

Zou Yizhao scoffed and turned his head to the side.

Crack!

Jiang Ming smacked his hand on Zuo Yizhao’s left leg, and a crisp cracking noise rang in the air instantly.

Zou Yizhao’s bones and muscles were destroyed, but he only grunted without any change in his expression. “There’s no need to waste your energy. With my cultivation base, physical pain won’t shake my will at all. Your best option is to hand me over to the Sect Master.”

“No, how am I supposed to explain the circumstances of your capture if I hand you over to the Sect Master? Moreover, I have no evidence to prove that you’re from Yinmo Sect…” Jiang Ming said as he looked at Zou Yizhao with a frown. Then, he pressed his hand down, destroying Zou Yizhao’s sea of consciousness and his Purple Mansion, effectively destroying Zou Yizhao’s cultivation base.

“It should be easier to interrogate you without your cultivation base.”

Jiang Ming was considering his next step when he saw Zou Yizhao suddenly jolt. Following that, blood trickled out of Zou Yizhao’s seven orifices before his eyes rolled back into his head, and he stopped breathing.

Jiang Ming was speechless when he saw this. “I should’ve been more careful! Forget it! It’s enough that I know the Yinmo Sect is up to no good.”

‘Yue Cheng hasn’t made any big movements. This shows that the Yinmo Sect isn’t so powerful to the point where they’re invincible. Moreover, if Yinmo Sect dares to try anything in the Eastern Region, the first to act would be the Qingyun Sect…’

Jiang Ming flicked his wrist.

Zou Yizhao’s corpse levitated. When Jiang Ming clenched his hand, his corpse was instantly reduced to a bloody pulp. Then, Jiang Ming spat fire from his mouth, reducing his remains to ashes.

After getting rid of the evidence, Jiang Ming claimed the storage ring and the low-grade Artifact sword that Zou Yizhao left behind.

With just a leap, he returned to the rooftop.

In truth, he was not bothered by Zou Yizhao at all. He treated this as a fun activity. After all, he was confident he would be able to kill Yue Cheng with a single strike.

Jiang Ming sensed his body. The liquid mana in his Purple Mansion was already full. This meant he could attempt to break through now. However, he was not in a hurry and decided to give himself another two days to prepare.

…

Zhiyang Peak.

“What’s taking him so long?”

Yue Cheng sat cross-legged on his seat in the great hall. He seemed like he was cultivating, but he was actually waiting for Zou Yizhao’s return. At the same time, he was also keeping an eye out for elders who might be heading to Chuyang Peak. He needed to be very cautious.

After waiting until daybreak, Zou Yizhao still had not returned.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Yue Cheng wore a sour expression on his face. At the same time, he began to feel uneasy as well.

First, Zuo Han was killed. Now, it seemed like Zuo Yizhao had vanished into thin air.

Since he had been monitoring the situation, he was sure there was no fight around Chuyang Peak. He did not sense any powerful aura. Nevertheless, he was rather sure that Zuo Yizhao would not be coming back. He wondered who was strong enough to get rid of Zou Yizhao without causing any commotion at all.

“What’s the meaning of this? Is the culprit the same person who killed Junior Brother Zuo Han?” Yue Cheng suddenly had the urge to flee. However, in the end, his rational thoughts won, and he remained seated.

Zuo Han went to Chuyang Peak previously to kill the two disciples on Chuyang Peak to push the blame to Lieyang Peak, but he died.

Zou Yizhao went to Chuyang Peak to set up a trap for Zi Linglong, and he had gone missing, most likely dead as well.

Both of them died without too much of a commotion as though the culprit did not want anyone to find out.

“Chuyang Peak must be hiding a huge secret…” Yue Cheng muttered to himself as a biting cold rose in his heart.

Various expressions flitted across Yue Cheng’s face as he thought to himself, ‘I’m no longer safe here. I should urge them to make a move within five years. Otherwise, I’ll f*cking quit!’

In any case, Yue Cheng decided that he would not act against Chuyang Peak anymore. He had already made two unsuccessful attempts, anything beyond that was too much. If he persisted, the culprit would definitely look for him.

“F*ck! How can I be unaware of someone like that in the sect?” Yue Cheng cursed. He felt as though he was going to go crazy, and it took some effort for him to calm down.

In any case, he was fine with the culprit wanting to keep a low profile.

…

Two days later.

Jiang Ming activated the Formation before he sat cross-legged outside his bedroom. He was going to attempt to break through tonight.

He had spent very little time in his current realm. His feat was unprecedented considering his Purple Mansion was almost completely filled due to the mana he accumulated as soon as he broke through.

His accumulations over the past few months helped propelled his current state to a certain extreme. Since he was already at the limit, the only thing left to do was to break through. There was no point hesitating.

“I’ll be entering the Dao Seed Realm from the Purple Mansion Realm. The key is to understand nature, its wonders and workings, and gain insight into the Sambodha of all creations. Following that, I’ll have to turn my Sambodha into a Dao Seed.”

While Jiang Ming was mulling over this matter, he held the Enlightening Stone in his hand.

Over the past few days, he had used up the Enlightening Tea Leaves and four Enlightening Stones to cultivate. The stones were more than 100 times more effective compared to the tea leaves. When he first used the stone, he instantly entered a meditative state. He had been surprised when he gained insight into nine Sambodhas in an hour.

Now that he was attempting a breakthrough, he decided to use his final Enlightening Stone.

“I’ve gained insight on 81 Sambodhas. Do I pick one to cultivate or do I cultivate all of them?” Jiang Ming was in a dilemma.

It would be easy if he chose to cultivate one Sambodha into a Dao Seed. Needless to say, if he had to separately cultivate all the other Sambodhas into Dao Seeds, it would take him a long time.

During the breakthrough, with the support from heaven and earth, he could try to cultivate all his Sambodhas into Dao Seeds at once. However, if he failed, he risked destroying his cultivation path.

‘The path of cultivation is fraught with dangers anyway. You can reach the heavens, but every step that leads you there comes with danger. Cultivation, by nature, goes against the will of the heavens. If one wishes to become an immortal, one must overcome trials and tribulations. This obstacle in front of me is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I shouldn’t hesitate too much over this minor risk,’ Jiang Ming thought to himself decisively.

With that, Jiang Ming steeled his resolve.