五月丁香五月丁香激情

Han Qianye nodded.

No wonder they dared to strike as soon as they left the black market. These individuals truly had such abilities.

Sun Lianxiang\'s eyes brightened. “Elder Ling was already injured after sparring with the Prince. Trying to protect that fat man won’t be so easy...”

Han Qianye grunted in acknowledgment, intending to continue the conversation when a rider on horseback hurriedly approached. A guard clad in golden armor dismounted and knelt.

He recognized this as a member of the emperor’s Golden Guard. Every one of them possessed cultivation at the Jade Bone Realm, making them true elites. Their urgent arrival clearly indicated significant news.

“Your Majesty, we will take our leave first…”

“No need! This is someone I sent to track Ling Buyang.”

Han Qianchou waved his hand and turned to the Golden Guard with a puzzled expression. “I told you to keep following him. Why have you returned so soon?”

The guard bowed, his face full of fear. “Your Majesty, it’s my failure… I lost him!”

Han Qianchou frowned. “Explain in detail!”

The Golden Guard quickly spoke. “Elder Ling deceived the black market’s Steward Chen but couldn’t fool me. I held my breath and followed him underwater. I tracked him to the shore, but after walking a short distance, Elder Ling suddenly sped up, and I lost him...”

Han Qianchou’s displeasure deepened. “His direction must lead into the city. If you keep pursuing him, you’ll find clues eventually. Why return so quickly?”

The Golden Guard continued, “Your Majesty, I chased him into the city but didn’t go far before I saw blood everywhere. Jade Scholar, Lame Zhang, Master Miaolian, and the others—all seven of them were dead. Knowing this was critical, I rushed back to report.”

“D-dead?”

Han Qianchou was stunned. “You mean the seven scattered cultivators attacking the fat man not only failed but were all killed instead?”

“Yes!”

The Golden Guard explained, “From the time Elder Ling left my sight to when I found their bodies, less than a hundred breaths had passed. I examined carefully—the seven experts were all killed simultaneously. The first and last deaths happened within ten breaths of each other!”

“…”

Han Qianchou’s mind reeled. He was momentarily speechless.

Beside him, Han Qianye was equally shaken.

Just moments ago, they had agreed that even if the seven attackers couldn’t seize their target, retreating unscathed wouldn’t be a problem. Now, this... These were seven Ninth Level Source Pool Realm experts! Even storming the imperial palace would take them at least an hour to repel, with countless casualties. Yet they couldn’t last even ten breaths against their opponent.

“Lead the way! I must see this for myself!”

Han Qianchou, still incredulous, waved his hand.

Han Qianye followed closely. Soon, they arrived at the alley where the fight had taken place.

The blood on the ground had yet to coagulate. The seven experts lay in disarray, their eyes filled with disbelief, as if they couldn’t accept their deaths even in their final moments.

“These two were crushed to death by a shoulder strike. These two were slain by sword energy... Master Miaolian, after using her Jade Needle Sword Technique, was struck by blade energy that severed her soul…”

Han Qianchou slowly moved along the bodies, analyzing the causes of death.

“Forget ten breaths—perhaps it wasn’t even five… All seven experts were killed!”

Han Qianye trembled.

Before this, he had thought the gap between himself and the opponent was not insurmountable, that with effort, he could catch up. But now, such delusions were thoroughly shattered.

This was no small gap—this was an insurmountable chasm!

“We must form a good relationship with Elder Ling… and never offend him!”

Han Qianchou, too, felt a wave of fear.

Thankfully, they hadn’t clashed earlier. Otherwise, there would have been no room for reconciliation.

On horseback, Zhang Xuan shook his head as he rode away.

Killing Jade Scholar and the others, he looted their corpses. Yet, their combined wealth barely amounted to a million Source Coins—truly impoverished!

No wonder they resorted to robbery.

Back at his residence, Zhang Xuan distributed the medicinal herbs he had acquired from the No Need Hall among Luo Ruoxi and the others. Then, he summoned Zheng Yang.

Although Zheng Yang had been cultivating for only a few days, with abundant resources, he had already reached the Fourth Level of the Source Pool Realm—Body Tempering. Seeing his teacher call for him alone, he looked confused.

“I recently learned a spear technique called Flowing Light. I’ll teach it to you…”

Zhang Xuan grabbed Zheng Yang’s spear and performed a swift thrust. The spear moved like a shooting star, stopping precisely before an oil lamp without extinguishing its flame—not even causing it to flicker.

Zheng Yang’s eyes widened.

He could extinguish a lamp or pierce a pinpoint target with his spear, but to move at such speed without disturbing the flame was unfathomable.

If this were in the Firmament, such precision could be achieved by bending space. But his teacher had made no spatial adjustments, leaving him baffled.

Zhang Xuan retracted the spear. “This is a Heaven’s Fate Martial Technique!”

Zheng Yang looked on curiously.

Zhang Xuan explained, “Everything in existence is bound by fate, from birth to death. For instance, if you hadn’t walked into my classroom in Tianxuan City, instead of being here in the Source World, you would likely be buried six feet under.”

Zheng Yang nodded.

The Firmament’s time flow differed greatly from the Master Teacher Continent—what felt like five years there equated to millennia here. Without Zhang Xuan’s guidance, he would have long perished.

Zhang Xuan continued, “Fate is intangible yet undeniable. It shapes destinies: some survive falls from cliffs with minor injuries, while others perish from simple missteps.

“The moment I thrust the spear, I determined the lamp’s fate—not to extinguish or waver. No matter how powerful the strike, the outcome was preordained…”

Zheng Yang understood.

Fate was unseen yet real.

Seeing comprehension dawn on his disciple, Zhang Xuan imparted the Flowing Light Spear Technique.

Despite Zheng Yang’s relatively low cultivation, his experience as a former Nine Sovereigns-level expert enabled him to master it within half an hour. At first, the lamp still flickered, but with practice, it ceased to waver altogether.

As Zheng Yang perfected the technique, Zhang Xuan felt a surge of Heaven’s Fate Energy rushing toward him. The Flowing Light Stream grew to rival the Mo Dao Water Stream, which had required tens of thousands of threads of Heaven’s Fate Energy to form.

“This is… the second stage of Heaven’s Fate?”

Zhang Xuan was astonished. By teaching Zheng Yang, he had unexpectedly gained cultivation progress himself!

He realized why Heaven’s Fate practitioners emphasized training disciples. Teaching Heaven’s Fate techniques yielded direct benefits.

Though the energy obtained could only enhance his Heaven’s Fate Streams, it was enough to significantly improve his strength.

Excited, Zhang Xuan resolved to teach more techniques to more disciples. Enhancing his streams would allow him to advance quickly, potentially reaching the Dharma Aspect Realm.

Gathering the others, Zhang Xuan began teaching the Mo Dao Heaven’s Fate technique, intending to see who could master it. Before long, Sun Qiang hurried in.

“Young Master, Hall Master Han Xiao of the Destiny Hall is here to see you. He’s waiting in the reception hall…”

Zhang Xuan nodded. Having decided not to conceal his return, he was unsurprised by Han Xiao’s visit. He instructed his disciples to continue practicing before heading to meet Han Xiao.

Author\'s Note