Inside the room.
Now, not only were there cracks on the ground, but even the walls and ceiling were shaken up with debris falling everywhere.
“As an early Primal Core adept, you might be able to beat a mid Primal Core adept, however no matter how strong your technique, the power of your moves, at any case, will be limited.”
When Tuo Ku struck the ground, his eyes were unfeeling, and he looked completely indifferent as if he were not talking about something of little consequence. “The power of an advanced Primal Core adept would be ten times of yours!
“And in the face of ten times the power, even your clever skills and methods would be entirely futile!”
With the way Tuo Ku spoke, it was apparent that he thought that Zhou Donghuang had defeated Zheng Yong by a mere sleight of hand and cunning artifice.
“Is that so?”
Swiftly leaping from the ground and surging forward, Tuo Ku brandished blades of silver light in his hands as the silver light from his body rose sharply. Zhou Donghuang smiled indifferently, and then threw the folding fan in his hand.
Swish!
The fan spun at lightning speed in mid-air.
At the same time, like a shadow, Zhou Donghuang leapt upwards and landed on the still-spinning fan to come face-to-face with Tuo Ku. The brilliant white light that was emitting from the folding fan under his feet grew stronger and stronger.
“The spirit weapon?”
At this moment, not only Tuo Ku, but also the Black Market’s two other Divine Light Sect elders Zheng Yong and the old monk in the red cassock, could all see that the fan at Zhou Donghuang’s feet was also a spirit weapon.
Instantly, their eyes only revealed a look of incredulity and disbelief.
This man had only just pulled out a spirit weapon, and it was already enough to shock then, who would have thought that he would be able to pull out yet another weapon. And from the looks of it, the power that this one had was no weaker than the first spirit weapon.
“If you can take my next attack, I will give you one spirit weapon at no charge.”
These calm words came just as Tuo Ku’s silver blade had been condensed and formed completely, ready to go against the white-cloaked youth who had stepped on the folding fan.
Suddenly, his heart faltered a little, and his pupils narrowed sharply.
He felt the confidence coming from this young man.
At the next moment, he did not dare to act rashly, and with mind and body at full alert, he stared at the youth before him and the weapon at his feet like he was about to face a great enemy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of the howls of many swords rang out, but they came from the folding fan at the feet of Zhou Donghuang, and each stick that made up its structure seemed to turn into a sharp sword loaded with essential core as they whizzed out.
In an instant, all eight blades from the fan flew out, and the fan vanished from beneath Zhou Donghuang’s feet.
Under the gaze of everyone in the room, the eight fan blades that flew out were suspended, forming a circle above Tuo Ku’s head, every blade seemingly connected by an inexplicable force.
This was really a type of sword spell.
“Is this a… spell?”
Tuo Ku was the third elder of the Divine Light Sect after all, and there were such techniques and spells practiced within the sect, and so he was able to recognize at a glance the very type of spell that Zhou Donghuang was currently demonstrating.
“It seems you are not so ignorant after all,” Zhou Donghuang replied without enthusiasm. “This technique is called the ‘Ambush of Flying Daggers,’ and using it, I can attack from all directions and leave no form of escape.”
The moment he said this, Zhou Donghuang leaped upwards, and in the blink of an eye was suddenly above the array of swords over Tuo Ku’s head, stepping over them as he regarded Tuo Ku from above.
Crash!
Crash! Boom!
Without any signs or warning, just as Tuo Ku was fully absorbed in the moment, the eight fan blades in the air flashed in unison and fell as one, and seemed to rain from the sky towards Tuo Ku.
“Humph!”
Tuo Ku bitterly snorted, as the silver light from his body rose further, setting off across his whole body as if he was bathed in a silvery light. “In the face of absolute power, any of these fancy, elaborate moves would be but entirely futile!”
Buzz! Buzz!
At the same time, four-foot blades of swords condensed and formed from the essential core emanating from Tuo Ku’s two hands. They seemed extremely sharp and menacing.
“Now that, I would love to see for myself!”
Zhou Donghuang laughed coldly.
For a Golden Essence adept to say this in front of him would have been acceptable.
But for a Silver Essence adept to doubt the force of power that he had just displayed with his sword technique?
That was just laughable!
“You’ll see it in a moment.”
Tuo sneered, and the Silver Essence from his body rose sharply once more. The two silver swords in his hands seemed to dance, and like a bulldozer seemed to easily deflect the rain of swords directed against him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The eight fan blades were all deflected in an instant but immediately came back together in full force.
“It is futile.”
The harder Tuo Ku fought, the more fearless he became, and he warred against the eight fan blades so fiercely, it was hard to tell who had the upper hand.
“Third elder, watch your feet!”
Zheng Yong’s hasty warning came across, and Tuo Ku’s face changed completely.
He had only just realized that the youth’s folding fan had not just ten blades, but in fact, ten in its structure.
The ones that came from eight sides, he was able to shield himself from completely.
But, only just barely so.
If the ambush were to come from ten sides, what else could he use as a defense?
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The ten swords silently but swiftly encircled beneath Tuo Ku and came whistling out toward him, one by one. Tired of dealing with the rain of swords against him, Tuo Ku had, in a blink of an eye and without warning, become a vulnerable target.
“Third Elder, watch out!”
The old monk in the red cassock, had for a brief moment, taken a step forward to help Tuo Ku.
Swish!
At that moment, one of the fan blades suddenly spun around in mid-air, and headed straight toward him.
“Humph! I, Tuo Ji, am after all a mid Primal Core adept. Did you think I wouldn’t be able to stop a single fan blade out of the eight from you, an early Primal Core adept?”
Tuo Ji snorted, and milky white essential core started to ebb from both his hands, transfiguring into two giant hands. The two giant hands reached for the oncoming fan blade, hoping to grab onto it and stop it in its tracks.
Hiss!
However, a soft hissing noise was followed by the sound of Tuo Ji moaning, and he saw that fresh blood gushed from both his hands. At the same time, there were bloodstains on his neck.
Tuo Ji bitterly took two steps back. He knew that if his opponent had been less merciful, he would already have been silenced with the quick of a blade.
Now, even if he had still dared to make another move, Zhou Donghuang would not necessarily let him off so easily the next time, but he didn’t have the cheek to come forth again.
Swish!
A single fan blade returned to its ambush formation with the other blades, and as they whistled about Tuo Ku, it seemed he was desperate and unable to cope with it all.
At that moment, no matter how strong his essential core was, it was completely unable to come against that force.
He could change tactics entirely and aim directly for the youth clothed in white to kill him off and break the sword spell. However, he was afraid that before he could even formulate the new attack, the swift and deadly fan blades would already be sticking into him like a pig.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
As the fan blades flashed past him, they left cuts on Tuo Ku across both his hands, legs, neck and forehead.
What was initially a brilliantly clean silver cassock, was instantly stained with blood and ripped to shreds, leaving Tuo Ku a sorry figure.
This time, Tuo Ku could only retreat from battle with a bitter smile on his face, as he looked at the young man still the in the air like a god in the sky. “I’m defeated, I’m not a worthy opponent.”
After seeing his moves first hand, Tuo Ku was clear about something.
Unless a Golden Essence adept from the Divine Light Sect could come forth to face-off with this man, no other man in the sect could come close to fighting him.
And under Tuo Ku and everyone else’s gaze, the eight fan blades returned to the young man and once again formed into a folding fan that he grabbed hold of.
As the youth, in his snow-white robes, landed on his feet holding the folding fan and returned to his seat once more, the three elders of the Divine Light Sect, led by Tuo Ku, did not dare underestimate the young man again.
“Young master… I am the third elder of the Divine Light Sect, Tuo Ku. May I ask for your respected name?”
Tuo Ku bowed in deference as he asked this.
“Zhou Donghuang.”
Zhou Donghuang made a sweeping glance across to Tuo Ku. “50,000 spirit stones. You had better prepare them quickly… I will leave for a few days, and then return to find you.”
As he said this, Zhou Donghuang stood up from his seat and prepared to leave.
“And also…”
Before leaving, Zhou Donghuang recalled something and said to Tuo Ku, “The last time I approached the Black Market searching for a few rare materials. There’s still a portion of that which hasn’t yet been found. If you find them and the Divine Light Sect has some, you can use them to claim back some of your spirit stones.”
Finishing his statement, Zhou Donghuang turned to leave the utterly destroyed room with Su Mo.
And when the both of them had left the room, Tuo Ku took a long sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted off of him.
“Third Elder.”
Zheng Yong was solemn as he asked, “You said… what kind of man is he? Not only does he have so many spirit weapons, but with the force of his early Primal Core techniques… and to possess that level of power, it truly is beyond anyone’s imagination!”
“Early Primal Core?”
Tuo Ku shook his head. “He is not quite so simply an early Primal Core adept. The way he fought with me, that pure violent force of his essential core, far exceeds any mid Primal Core adept’s ability even with the support of the spirit weapon. There must be another secret about him.
“Even though his essential core was truly that of an early Primal Core adept’s, but the vast amount he is able to generate is nothing any normal early adept can do. In fact, it is way more than what an early Primal Core adept can do!”
After that battle, Tuo Ku was riddled with questions.
“After this, you will help me manage the affairs of the Black Market, and I will head back to our Sect alone,” Tuo Ku said.
…
In the following few days, Zhou Donghuang brought Su Mo on a tour around the capital of the Shenguang Empire and bought a bunch of herbs and supplies.
A few days later, a giant black eagle with the wingspan of over 20 meters took Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo on his back from the Yuntai Inn and soared into the sky, leaving the Shenguang capital at a great speed as they headed into the Southeast.
“In the blink of an eye… another year has passed.”
As they left the southeastern land of the Shenguang Empire and entered into the deserted mountains, Zhou Donghuang looked at the direction of the Sixteen Countries of the East Valley. He fell into a daze, his eyes filled with a sense of nostalgia.
He remembered everything clearly.
A year ago, the day that he had left Qingshan town, was the 8th of January, Year 1230 of the Ziyun Era.
And now, it was already March 12, Year 1232 of the Ziyun Era.
“With the speed at which Big Gold can travel now, it will take less than a month for us to reach Qingshan town,” Zhou Donghuang thought.
Of course, there was no time to rest for Zhou Donghuang on the road back, and he assumed the Qi-gathering position on Big Gold’s back with Su Mo riding behind him.
