I Cheated While Cultivating

However, for Zhou Heng, whose mental fortitude was extraordinarily strong and whose divine soul was no weaker than any Secret Sixth Rank, who was also adept in various illusion techniques and martial arts, these were hardly worth mentioning.

Facing these voluptuous women who approached him with swaying grace, he remained utterly unmoved. With a flick of his fingers, invisible sword qi erupted in succession, and in the blink of an eye, these women were struck into bloody messes.

Innate Formless Sword Finger.

Moreover, under Zhou Heng’s sword qi onslaught, the elegant manor was no exception to the destruction—it shattered on the spot. Soon after, everything before his eyes began to distort and gradually fade away.

Just as everything was vanishing, Zhou Heng suddenly felt a blast of wind from behind, followed by an unsurpassed and terrifying force attacking him.

This attack was exceedingly fast; he didn’t even have time to use the Five Elements Escape Skill before the strike landed on his back.

Dong!

The sound of a bell tolling resounded as the already advanced Golden Bell Cover was automatically triggered, emitting a dark golden light on Zhou Heng’s body and projecting an ethereal bell-shaped phantom.

Even so, it couldn’t completely withstand the dreadful force that struck with swift ferocity, and at best played only a diminishing role.

It was a folding fan.

The man who had previously been floating on auspicious clouds in the air had taken advantage of the brief moment Zhou Heng broke the illusion to get behind him, drawing his folding fan and striking directly.

Even though the strike wasn’t specifically infused with the energy of heaven and earth, the power of a Secret Sixth Rank expert, relying solely on innate true qi and physical strength, was more than enough to easily kill most warriors at the peak of the Seventh Rank.

As a result, after breaking through the Golden Bell Cover, the strike landed on Zhou Heng’s back, sending him flying sideways through the air.

The force penetrated Zhou Heng’s back and rampaged through his body, and no matter how he tried to resist with his inner breath, it was futile. Even the true qi in his sword pill could only neutralize it at a ratio of ten to one.

It seems the essence of the force in the attacker’s fan strike was even stronger than true qi!

“True Gang?!”

Zhou Heng, gritting his teeth, managed to squeeze the word out from his throat, with a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth.

He was sent flying thirty yards by the strike, and only managed to come to a stop by using the Thousand Catty Falling Method, standing on the ground with a somber expression.

Yet that single blow had already caused him severe injuries.

His meridians were in disarray, his inner qi dissipated, his organs damaged, the surge of blood nearly brought him to the point of vomiting it on the spot.

Fortunately, there was still quite a bit of true qi remaining in his sword pill after eroding away the True Gang, and it was rapidly seeping out to nourish and heal his body.

“Qiu Yuanchang, True Gang Realm, the Heavenly Palace really went all out.”

Zhou Heng looked coldly at the man casually waving his folding fan, who wore a relaxed expression, and spoke in a deep voice, “One in the True Energy Realm, one in the True Gang Realm, and more than twenty peak Seventh Rank warriors, all to assassinate me, Zhou Heng?”

Zhou Heng, having suffered a strike, naturally received a reward notification and learned the name of Qiu Yuanchang.

——Secret Sixth Rank has two levels; the first is to build the bridge between heaven and earth, step into the Innate Realm, and draw qi into the body to transform inner qi into true qi. What follows is the refinement of true qi into various types of True Gang based on the martial art practiced.

The essence of True Gang is far stronger than true qi; there is at least a tenfold difference in strength before and after the transformation into True Gang.

Liu He, who Zhou Heng had killed earlier, was at the True Energy level.

This Qiu Yuanchang before him had undoubtedly been able to refine True Gang, making him an immensely strong opponent.

This was the first time Zhou Heng had faced a Secret Sixth Rank in the True Gang Realm.

“Oh, for a Pure Yang Palace junior to actually know my name, I’m flattered, truly flattered,” Qiu Yuanchang started laughing and said, “However, knowing my name is no use to you, I’m not going to listen to your pleas for mercy.

“As for why such a force has been deployed to kill you, firstly, your strength is indeed exceptional and you’re no small matter, and here Liu He still fucking fell at your hand.

“Secondly, well, you refused an existence you shouldn’t have, harmed one you couldn’t afford to provoke, and we simply followed orders. I urge you to commit suicide quickly, lest I have to waste more methods on you.”

“Ha, my life is right here. If you have the ability, come and take it yourself!” Zhou Heng spat out as he spoke, and a purple sword pill flew out, lightly leaped and transformed into a longsword, hovering beside him, awaiting his command.

But he didn’t think he could overpower Qiu Yuanchang by normal means.

Having cultivated True Gang, a Secret Six Rank was simply too formidable. Even if he had mystical weaponry, Zhou Heng, at the peak of the Seventh Rank, could not overcome him, even with all sorts of secret skills and fundamental attribute enhancements, he was no match.

From ancient times to the present, instances of a Seventh Rank peaker overpowering a True Energy Realm Secret Six Rank with mystical weaponry were rumors of dubious authenticity at best. Not to mention facing a Secret Six Rank in the True Gang Realm, that was utterly unheard of.

The gap between the peak of the Seventh Rank and the Secret Six Rank was just that huge.

Vastly greater than heaven!

There was no possibility of turning the tables.

And because of this consensus throughout the ages, Qiu Yuanchang never worried he’d fall at the hands of Zhou Heng.

A Secret Six Rank who had cultivated True Gang had no possibility of failing to kill a Seventh Rank peaker.

Even if the foe possessed mystical weaponry, even if the foe mastered a Fourth Rank secret skill, or even a Third Rank divine skill, it would be of no help!

“Kid, you’re seeking your own death!”

Qiu Yuanchang grinned and snapped his folding fan shut immediately.

And at the moment the folding fan shut, with his speed, he should have already appeared in front of Zhou Heng, then slapped Zhou Heng’s head right into his abdomen.

That was how it should have been.

However, reality didn’t unfold in such a manner. The moment Qiu Yuanchang shut the folding fan, and lunged towards Zhou Heng, he suddenly discovered that the Zhou Heng in front of him had shrunk.

No!

His entire form had changed.

The human-shaped Zhou Heng was gone!

In his place was now seemingly an ordinary slender dog, staring at him with a fierce gleam in its eyes, fixing him with a deathly glare.

A shape-shifting card!

Sky-barking Dog!

“What?!” Qiu Yuanchang was baffled; he never thought Zhou Heng would resort to such tactics.

A shape-shifting technique?

An illusion technique?

Or something else?

But what use was that?

It was just a slender dog.

While the Secret Six Rank master who had cultivated True Gang was pondering, the slender dog suddenly moved, so fast that it surpassed his reaction limit.

The dog was like a black streak of light, flashing past Qiu Yuanchang’s shoulder.

The next instant.

The dog landed gracefully and transformed back into a human form, standing with his back towards Qiu Yuanchang.

At the same time, a head flew up, fell to the ground, and a headless body collapsed backward, blood flowing everywhere.

“Congratulations! You’ve killed a doomed enemy ‘Qiu Yuanchang,’ and your Fortune Bag [Gold] +1.”

The reward notification sounded.

Zhou Heng took a long breath of relief. He had finally taken care of another Secret Sixth Rank expert and had also gained a Gold Fortune Bag as a decent harvest.

However, he dared not linger. After a quick search of the body, he hastily departed.

He must return to the Purple Tenuity Palace as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if he encountered another Sect Fifth Rank or even an Absolute Fourth Rank evil expert, that would spell complete disaster, and he would have to use his special abilities again.

…

On a forest path, a caravan slowly made its way.

The caravan consisted of more than twenty people. Leading them was an Eighth Rank Warrior named Sun Liang, a trainer from the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall and one of the three Eighth Rank Warriors in the group.

This caravan was out to purchase daily necessities for the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall’s branch in a county below.

They had already finished the shopping and were on their way back to Huangtong Mansion City.

Sun Liang was very satisfied with this procurement, it could be said to be the most satisfactory one he had done in the last few months.

That was because they had an efficient new helper.

Xie Chong.

This youngster was said to come from a poor family, with no martial arts foundation to speak of. He had little hope of becoming an official apprentice, yet fortunately, Zhou Heng took notice of him and allowed him to join the martial arts hall.

Furthermore, after joining the martial arts hall, Xie Chong displayed an extraordinary martial arts talent.

In just one or two months, it’s said he’s about to master a Ninth Grade technique to a great level of proficiency.

He truly is a natural-born prodigy.

This time, taking Xie Chong out for procurement was arranged by Yu He, to have him run errands and help out so he could earn some silver coins to support his family, as the trip would not take many days.

But Xie Chong was immensely grateful to both Zhou Heng and Yu He. Since it was something arranged by Yu He, he naturally did his utmost to complete it, busily assisting Sun Liang throughout the trip and taking quite a load off his shoulders.

Moreover, because of his meticulous and serious nature, he was also handed the important task of observing the conditions along the sides of the road and ahead—vital for the caravan’s safety.

“If only this youngster could accompany us on every trip, that would be wonderful,” Sun Liang thought contentedly. But just at that moment, the caravan suddenly stopped.

It was Xie Chong signaling to halt.

“What’s the matter? Little Xie, has something happened?” Sun Liang asked, puzzled.

“Master Sun, I smell blood ahead,” Xie Chong said, his face cautious. “There might be a battle ahead, or someone might have been killed and their body discarded. Master Sun, can we take a detour?”

“That is…” Sun Liang glanced around and then shook his head. “This is the only way back. We can’t take a detour. Let’s go ahead together and scout the situation?”

“Yes, that’s all we can do,” Xie Chong nodded.

Immediately, the two instructed the rest of the people to watch over the caravan. Then, camouflaging themselves with the underbrush and trees, they moved slowly forward, soon coming upon a headless corpse lying in a pool of blood.

Not far from it was a head with a ferocious expression, eyes wide as if it had seen something unbelievable before dying.

“My goodness, this is a terrible way to die.”

Xie Chong didn’t recognize the person and exclaimed involuntarily.

But Sun Liang next to him was struck as if by thunder, his mouth agape and his face full of disbelief as he exclaimed, “This, this is ‘Compassionate Son’ Qiu Yuanchang, a Secret Sixth Rank powerhouse who had cultivated True Gang!

“`

“Twenty years ago, he was also a top twenty expert on the human ranking list, a true disciple of the heretical Yunxiao Heavenly Palace who had stepped into the Innate Realm even twenty years ago. He… he was actually beheaded?!”

“What, a Secret Sixth Rank powerhouse?!” Xie Chong’s face was full of shock, as a Secret Sixth Rank was completely unattainable for him, a very important figure indeed.

Who would have thought that on this trip out, he would actually come across a beheaded important figure on the way back.

“However, it’s good that he died, really good!” Sun Liang suddenly burst into laughter, looking at Qiu Yuanchang’s head with gritted teeth: “That beast caused harm to countless young girls when he roamed the martial world. Good riddance to him!”

“Heretical fiend, indeed deserving of death!” Xie Chong nodded, then looked around and suddenly shouted, “Master Sun, look there, there’s a pile of charred remains, ah, it’s human-shaped charred remains, could these be a group of people?!”

“What, people?! So many!” Sun Liang exclaimed with a surprised face, all these people looked as if they had been struck by lightning, turned to charcoal.

Having plenty of experience in the martial world, he picked up a branch nearby and, taking Xie Chong with him, walked over to poke around the charred remains and soon dug out some things that hadn’t yet carbonized from them.

Among them were several identity tokens, with “Yunxiao Heavenly Palace” written on them!

Hiss!!

Looking at these partially melted identity tokens, Sun Liang couldn’t help but gasp in horror and said, “A big incident has occurred, these people are likely Seventh Rank Warriors from Yunxiao Heavenly Palace.”

“Over twenty, all of them?!” Hearing this, Xie Chong’s eyes widened in shock: “No, it can’t be!”

There surely aren’t that many Seventh Rank Warriors in Huangtong Mansion City.

“It should be correct; I’ve seen this kind of token style when I traveled in my younger years,” said Sun Liang, now somewhat nervous. He looked around and after briefly pondering, said, “Struck by lightning, beheaded… Little Xie, I have a guess.”

“A guess? What is it?” Xie Chong asked, puzzled.

“The one who killed these heretical fiends is likely no other,” Sun Liang’s gaze turned towards the direction of Huangtong Mansion City, “than our Martial Hall Master, Zhou Heng!”

“Could our Hall Master already kill an important figure of the Secret Sixth Rank?” Xie Chong exclaimed in shock: “That’s too amazing!”

“This place is already close to Huangtong Mansion City, and within a hundred li, the only one proficient in the use of Thunder is the Hall Master alone,” Sun Liang’s eyes also filled with wonder, saying, “The Hall Master is truly a gifted genius, from the Peak of the Seventh Rank to kill a True Gang, unparalleled in all ages!”

…

While Sun Liang and Xie Chong discovered the bodies of Qiu Yuanchang and others, feeling utterly shocked,

Zhou Heng had already passed through Purple Tenuity Palace to Yong State, returning to Mount Taihua.

This time he did not go to find You Ziheng, but instead went directly to the Golden Top of Jade Void Peak to seek Yan Shouyi.

The abrupt mobilization of such a formidable force from Yunxiao Heavenly Palace to attack him, which clearly had the intent to kill, as well as the incoherent words previously spoken by Qiu Yuanchang, all made Zhou Heng feel puzzled.

He felt that it might have something to do with higher-level matters, so it was more direct to ask Yan Shouyi.

Yan Shouyi seemed to have sensed Zhou Heng coming and had been waiting outside the grand hall even earlier.

“Little brother, you’ve come,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile: “It seems you’ve recently experienced some things?”

“Brother, your insight is as sharp as ever,” Zhou Heng said, nodding slightly as he bowed with a clasped fist, then got straight to the point and recounted his recent encounters.

“About this matter… If I’m not mistaken, it should be related to a heretical spirit embodiment that you killed earlier,” Yan Shouyi said gravely.

“Heretical spirit embodiment? That Li You?” Zhou Heng was taken aback and asked, “Can this heretical spirit actually mobilize the power of Yunxiao Heavenly Palace to hunt me down?!”

“As for specifics, I do not know, but let me capture a Celestial Man from Yunxiao Heavenly Palace to inquire directly,” Yan Shouyi’s gaze suddenly turned cold, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“What?” Zhou Heng couldn’t help being stunned, almost thinking he had heard wrong.

“Heh, they dare to send a Middle Third Rank expert to intercept my apprentice,” Yan Shouyi’s scholarly air disappeared, and he scoffed coldly: “It’s been a long time since I made a move in the Central Plains, it seems some have forgotten what it means to be the number one on the heaven ranking list!

“Little brother, wait here for a moment, I will be back shortly.”

“`