Chapter 491 - 25: Sixth Grade Melee

The two were positioned at what could be considered the highest point of the Zhou Mansion, a vantage point that allowed them to overlook almost the entire city.

A Martial Artist’s eyesight allowed them to take in the entire situation at the Qingyi Gang’s headquarters.

Amidst the towering flames, a man stood with a spear in hand, wreathed in Fierce Flame.

The surrounding houses were engulfed in a raging inferno, yet the man stood right in the middle of it, completely unaffected.

He was like a ’Fire God’.

Hong Qingyi!

The Gang Leader of the Qingyi Gang, a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist.

The spear in his hand was a Curious Object known as the Fire Separation Spear, which possessed the ability of Fire Control.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced must have also been related to fire; when combined, their power surged explosively.

"I have served the Divine Dynasty for many years, pacifying the people at home and suppressing bandits abroad. To think I would be reduced to this."

Staring straight ahead, Hong Qingyi spoke in a low, somber voice:

"The City Lord’s Mansion, the Zhou Family, the Sanhe Gang..."

"Good!"

"Very good indeed!"

This Gang Leader Hong was not powerfully built. On the contrary, he looked like a scrawny old man at first glance.

But standing there with his spear, his presence was so overwhelming that it felt suffocating, even from a great distance.

However, his aura fluctuated, a sign that the rumors of his severe injuries were likely true.

"You reap what you sow."

A current of water materialized from thin air, and a handsome man with long, flowing hair strode out, holding a long saber.

"Hong Qingyi, your actions are tyrannical and unreasonable. You allow your gang members to oppress the innocent, causing the people of Taiyuan Prefecture to boil with resentment."

"We are here today to enact justice on behalf of the heavens and take your life!"

"Hmph!" Hong Qingyi narrowed his eyes.

"The Qingyi Gang is merely the Divine Dynasty’s enforcer in Taiyuan Prefecture. Collecting tax silver and civil levies was also done on the Mansion Master’s orders."

"Besides..."

"Even if my Qingyi Gang was truly committing evil, it’s not the place of a mere Demon like you to pass judgment!"

A Demon!

That handsome young man was actually a Cyan Flood Dragon that had just undergone its Transformation.

Zhu Ju stroked his chin. Under the illumination of his Formless Divine Light, he could clearly see the Demon Qi on the field.

But...

"The Sanhe Gang is colluding with water Demons?"

"That’s perfectly normal."

Zhou Ruxuan, who was beside him, spoke with a calm voice, as if it were a matter of course.

"The Sanhe Gang is a branch of the Pai Sect. The Pai Sect has many members from the Demon Race, and the Sanhe Gang is no different."

"Even their core teachings are related to the Four Seas Dragon Race."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Although it’s said that humans and demons have been irreconcilable since ancient times, everyone from the top to the bottom of the Divine Dynasty and the major Sects has connections to the Demon Race. This is an unspoken consensus, something not discussed openly. Young Master Zhu, you will naturally understand once your Cultivation is high enough."

There are many things that those on the lower rungs of society can neither access nor understand.

Only those with sufficient Cultivation, or those from an Aristocratic Family, can understand the true workings of this world.

The reason Zhou Ruxuan had brought Zhu Ju here today was precisely to make him see certain things more clearly.

"I understand!"

Zhu Ju sighed softly.

"So, destroying the Qingyi Gang and killing Hong Qingyi... it’s not because they were committing evil deeds?"

"Of course not." Zhou Ruxuan shook her head.

"Hong Qingyi has been trying to advance to the Fifth Grade. If he were to succeed, no one in Taiyuan Prefecture would be able to control him. But the crucial point is..."

"His backer has fallen!"

Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.

’Kick a man when he’s down.’ It seemed that even a Sixth-Grade master was no exception to this rule.

"This world is just like that."

Zhou Ruxuan said, her expression complex.

"The weak are only fit to be manipulated, slaving away just to survive, while the true elites are the ones with ultimate power."

"One’s own strength, the strength of one’s family... only by understanding these things can you be considered truly grown up. Otherwise, you’ll spend your entire life scrambling for petty gains, just another useless, expendable peon at the bottom."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Zhu Ju.

’It was a principle she herself had only recently come to understand.’

Zhu Ju’s expression remained calm; he didn’t care for the so-called "workings of the world" that Zhou Ruxuan described.

’In a world where personal martial prowess can crush everything, pursuing one’s own strength is the only thing that truly matters.’

’Take today’s siege, for example, with all the major powers ganging up to kill Hong Qingyi.’

’The decision was surely made by a few top masters, and the grunts at the bottom probably don’t even know it’s happening.’

Compared to political machinations, he was more curious about the techniques of a Sixth-Grade master.

Zhou Ruxuan was different.

She understood the importance of relying on one’s family, but her insight wasn’t keen enough to comprehend the clash between Sixth-Grade Martial Artists.

BOOM!

A piercing blade of light appeared over the Qingyi Gang’s headquarters, sweeping out like a bolt of silk.

The blade light was fierce and domineering, like a raging tidal wave, its ostentatious display containing an indomitable power.

Well water and dew exploded in that instant, transforming into a surging torrent that merged with the blade light as it slashed toward Hong Qingyi.

"The Angry Flood Dragon Heart Method!"

Zhou Ruxuan explained,

"This Cultivation Technique grants the marvelous ability to control water. Cultivating it in water is twice as effective, and its power is even greater when bolstered by a water source."

Before she could finish speaking, a spear wreathed in Fierce Flame had already smashed through the water current and collided with the long saber.

CLANG...

The handsome young man trembled and was forced back abruptly.

Hong Qingyi didn’t press his advantage. With a flick of his Fire Separation Spear, hundreds of spear-afterimages spread out in all directions.

An area over a hundred feet across was transformed into a sea of fire.

「At the same time.」

Two other people charged into the fray.

One of them wielded a Treasure Sword, its Sword Light glinting coldly as it unleashed an attack carrying an extreme frost.

"The Cyan Frost Sword."

Zhou Ruxuan pursed her lips, both excited and nervous.

"My second brother’s Weapon."

The last person was tall and burly, fighting bare-fisted. His Fist Force erupted, creating ripples in the air that were visible to the naked eye.

Wherever the ripples passed, houses collapsed. Even metal objects were torn to shreds by the Strength.

"Pure Yang Gang Force!"

Zhou Ruxuan explained,

"This is a skill from the City Lord’s Mansion. Its grade is high, similar to the Giant Spirit legacy you’ve encountered, Young Master Zhu."

"Mm..."

"The Giant Spirit legacy is divided into a fundamental method and the Giant Spirit Fist. The Lu Family only inherited the Giant Spirit Fist technique."

Zhu Ju nodded slowly.

He cultivated the Giant Spirit Fist, but his Inner Power was the Dragon Elephant Force. It wasn’t that the Lu Family was being secretive; they simply never possessed the corresponding Inner Power technique.

The complete Giant Spirit Fist legacy led all the way to the Fourth Grade; it was impossible for a minor household like the Lu Family to have obtained it.

BOOM!

Powerful Qi roared.

At the Qingyi Gang’s headquarters, Fierce Flame billowed, water surged, frost ran rampant, and thick smoke rolled everywhere.

The figures of the combatants were completely swallowed by the chaos.

Zhou Ruxuan had already looked away, but Zhu Ju’s eyes shone brightly as he used his Formless Divine Light to continue observing the situation on the field.

’Lower Level Cultivation Techniques strengthen and condition the body, and offer some ability to extend one’s life.’

’But a Superior Mysterious Skill can manifest the mysteries of heaven and earth through one’s own power. Take Hong Qingyi’s Red Flame Divine Skill—his Qi Blood can transform into a Fierce Flame that incinerates all things. When he circulates his Cultivation Technique, the area over a hundred feet around him becomes a furnace.’

Zhou Ruxuan explained,

"Then there’s my family’s Profound Ice Force, which can freeze anything solid. Its Strength penetrates deep into the bone marrow, making injuries from it nearly impossible to heal with medicine."

"Young Master Zhu..."

"If you want to succeed in Martial Arts, in addition to diligent practice and natural Talent, you must also obtain a good legacy technique."

"Yes." Zhu Ju averted his gaze.

"I have learned a great deal."

He no longer needed to watch the battle.

Hong Qingyi’s defeat was already sealed. The combined assault of the three masters had aggravated his pre-existing injuries, leaving him no chance of survival.

A great figure of his generation...

...was about to meet his end.

"AHHH!"

A roar filled with indignation and grief rang out, only to be cut off abruptly.