Acquaintance shallow, conversations deep, although Zhou Heng had co to believe after these past few days that Lin Fuxiang was not a bad person, simply possessing a bit of a young lady's temperant, the "Moonshadow Heart Jue" was far too important!
He could now be certain that the person who died in the valley must have been an existence of the Spirit Gathering Realm, and for a treasure that an expert of the Spirit Gathering Realm cherished imnsely and even died for, how precious must the "Moonshadow Heart Jue" be?
He and Lin Fuxiang said their goodbyes at the entrance to the cave and parted ways.
One had to rush back to report the news of the Earth Rock Cloud Stone to the Nine Spirit Sect, while the other also had to attend his family's year-end celebration; since they had already set a ti for a future eting, and being young, there was not much sorrow in parting. Both briskly went off in opposite directions and soon disappeared into the forests at either end.
Without the annoying presence of a young miss, Zhou Heng's ears were suddenly much quieter. Focused solely on the martial path, he quickly put the graceful figure out of mind, only occasionally, a smile would unwittingly spread across his face when his fingers brushed the hilt of his sword at his waist.
Lin Fuxiang didn't ntion where the Nine Spirit Sect was, only telling Zhou Heng that even a blind man could find it, and that the Frost Cold Sword was the token. All he needed to do was show it, and soone would naturally take care of him.
Her tone, like those from White Jade Valley, suggested that the Nine Spirit Sect and White Jade Valley were household nas; his ignorance was nothing more than his own limited exposure!
It was true; Zhou Heng had always been isolated within the Zhou Family. Who would deal with him, a waste of a young master? And his father, Zhou Dinghai, who was usually away, would only express concern for his "illness" when he did return, not ntioning martial path matters that might upset him.
Although he was the son of a martial family, Zhou Heng had never truly entered this circle.
Letting Lin Fuxiang, or rather the Nine Spirit Sect, have the Earth Rock Cloud Stone didn't concern Zhou Heng. He had no ans to mine it, no sales channels, and without a powerful force to guard it, revealing such wealth would only attract disaster.
Body Refinent Realm was not the end of the martial path; above it were Spirit Gathering Realm experts, and as Lin Fuxiang had said, a hundred Body Refinent experts combined would not match up to one from the Spirit Gathering Realm!
The difference between the two was qualitative, a complete crushing!
If the Zhou Family were to obtain this Earth Rock Cloud Stone mine, the only outco would be to hand it over under the pressure of powerful forces, or be crushed to dust!
His mory was improving by the day; he looked up at the sky, and a three-dinsional topographic map appeared in his mind, clearly showing Origin Stone Town and his current location—he was confident the error would not exceed a hundred ters!
The black Broken Sword had been discreetly transforming his body, gradually making more evident changes over the past three months.
Zhou Heng walked briskly; although the mountain paths were steep, he was close to reaching the peak of the Body Refinent Sixth Layer, and with the marvelous Cloud Flying Step, he traveled as if on level ground, with the terrain hardly affecting his speed.
"There are ten days left until the new year, but with my current speed, I can return to Origin Stone Town within four days!"
Feeling certain in his heart, he was in no hurry, pondering that returning empty-handed seed improper; he should at least prepare a gift for his father!
"That stingy woman!" At this thought, Zhou Heng couldn't help but clench his fist. He had found an Earth Rock Cloud Stone mine, a fortune imnse beyond asure, yet when they parted, Lin Fuxiang stripped the fur from the Six-legged Giant Head Beast, rolled up the bones and teeth, and left him only a bloody carcass!
How could he possibly carry these several hundred jin of at back?
Zhou Heng only cut off a few chunks of the beast's best at; the rest had to be left behind. Though it pained him to waste so much, who could bla him when ti was of the essence?
Demon Beast at is a great supplent for Martial Artists!
By noon, Zhou Heng stopped to make a campfire, roasting the already-cleaned Demon Beast at. It wasn't long before the aroma filled the air. He bit into a piece and found the flesh tender and succulent, full of bounce even without any condints—delicious beyond compare!
No wonder Demon Beast at was so valuable. Not only a nutritional boon, it was a top-tier delicacy as well!
After eating, Zhou Heng didn't imdiately resu his journey, but began to ditate to refine the food in his stomach. Although it certainly couldn't compare to the energy released by the black sword, it was still Demon Beast at. Having only tasted it twice in his whole life, both occasions when he was very young, he couldn't afford to waste it.
With the Moonshadow Heart Jue in motion, the Demon Beast at quickly released a large amount of free energy under the influence of the technique, transforming into True Yuan Force and storing it in his muscles.
Such powerful energy—at least ten tis stronger than that of ordinary wild beasts!
When considering the amount, even though it wasn't as much as what the Black Sword could release, it wasn't far off; as long as he could get a continuous supply, the gains after one day wouldn't be insignificant!
"No wonder Lin Fuxiang reached the peak of the Body Refinent Ninth Layer at only eighteen, her cultivation speed even faster than my father's back in his day!"
"Rich in literature, wealthy in martial arts, I always thought the Zhou Family were wealthy folks, but compared to the real noble houses, we're no different from beggars!"
"I mustn't be complacent, though. Despite the Black Sword's help, in terms of True Yuan Force accumulation, I don't have much of an advantage compared to the true scions of noble families!"
"But I don't need to belittle myself. On the path of martial arts, accumulating True Yuan Force is a minor detail, what's most important is comprehension. Like Lin Fuxiang, she said she entered the Bone Refinent Realm at thirteen, and within two years reached the Bone Refining Realm Peak, yet until now, she's seen only a glimr of breaking through the Blood Refinent Realm!"
"I cultivate the Sky-soaring Nine Forms, and in terms of understanding, I'm confident I'm unrivaled in the world!"
Zhou Heng suddenly felt a surge of lofty ambition, and after a long howl, he leapt up and sped through the forests.
He was very close to entering the Bone Refinent Realm, with the breakthrough just a day or two away!
Who could believe that by the ti he returned to the Zhou Family, he would be a practitioner of the Bone Refinent Realm!
Considering his astonishing performance at the New Year's celebration, he wondered what expressions would be on the family mbers' faces?
Zhou Heng couldn't help but feel full of anticipation!
A day quickly passed, and Zhou Heng didn't travel through the night, as he had plenty of ti. After refining the stray energy released by the Black Sword in the deep of the night, he revealed a slight smile. Tomorrow, after absorbing the stray energy one more ti, he would be ready to make a push for the Bone Refinent Realm!
The cultivation of martial artists can to so extent replace sleep, so although sleep was still necessary, the ti required could be greatly reduced. Sleeping for three or four hours a day was sufficient, only after experiencing intense battles did one need more rest.
After waking up early in the morning, Zhou Heng felt refreshed and energized. He continued on his way after breakfast, deploying the Cloud Flying Step. He moved with such grace, it almost seed like he could ride the wind away.
After traveling for over ten li, he suddenly stopped, tilted his head slightly, and cald his mind. Mixed within the howling mountain wind were several faint cries of humans, the voices so distant they must have been quite far away.
After hesitating briefly, Zhou Heng imdiately changed his direction and headed towards the source of the cries.
In the rapid pace of the Cloud Flying Step, a distance of three to four li was no trouble at all. Zhou Heng erged from a small grove and saw five young n fighting a giant snake at the edge of the forest!
This giant snake was nearly ten ters long and as thick as a bucket, its entire body pitch black, but on its head was a golden yellow lump resembling a crown, looking incredibly bizarre!
Golden Crown Snake!
Zhou Heng's eyes lit up; the greatest use of the Golden Crown Snake was its gallbladder, capable of neutralizing all poisons—a thing worth a thousand pieces of gold!
However, an adult Golden Crown Snake was a creature of the Bone Refinent Realm. Although Zhou Heng was still so distance away, he could already feel the snake's formidable aura, no weaker than the Six-legged Giant Head Beast he encountered before!
Body Refinent Ninth Layer!
Zhou Heng gripped the long sword at his waist. If he didn't have this Divine Weapon, upon encountering a demon beast of Body Refinent Ninth Layer, he would have run without a second thought—there was no treasure worth risking his life for!
But with the Frost Cold Sword in hand, he felt much more confident. This Divine Weapon could definitely chop through the Golden Crown Snake's bones!
Looking again at the five youngsters, they were clearly at a disadvantage against this Body Refinent Ninth Layer demon beast. One of them, however, caught Zhou Heng's attention.
The youth had a stern expression, and although his aura was not as strong as the monster's, it definitely surpassed Zhou Heng's. Therefore, his cultivation level should be at least at the Body Refinent Seventh Layer or Eighth Layer. Logically, he should not be a match for the Golden Crown Snake.
Yet, with a green saber in his hand, he managed to wrestle with the Golden Crown Snake within the dance of his weapon. Even though he was shaken and forced to retreat after every exchange, he did not show signs of a significant disadvantage!
Hiss, if this youngster were to reach the Body Refinent Ninth Layer, could he overpower the demon beast in terms of strength?
But that alone was not enough; the Golden Crown Snake completely dominated the fight, its huge body moving with incredible agility and constantly weaving through the air, forcing the five young n to retreat continuously.
The situation had shifted from the five n trying to kill the snake for its treasure to the Golden Crown Snake refusing to let them go, wanting to make a al out of them!
—While demon beasts are a great tonic for martial artists, conversely, martial artists are also a tonic for demon beasts.
"Ah—" Amidst a scream, one of the young n was entangled by the Golden Crown Snake, and with a tightening of its body, the sound of his bones snapping could be heard, popping like fireworks.
His blood circulation was impeded, and his face turned bright red in an instant. As the snake tightened further, with a pop, his eyeballs burst, and blood sprayed wildly from his seven orifices, presenting an utterly tragic sight.
He didn't even struggle before he was instantly killed!
"Shi Hu!" the other four young n cried out, filled with rage.
Zhou Heng sighed internally. Unleashing the Cloud Flying Step, he leapt from the treetop, shooting toward the Golden Crown Snake like an arrow. With a ring, the Frost Cold Sword was drawn, a slash executed, and sword shadows fell like a cascading waterfall.
It was the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique!
Using the Sky-soaring First Form would indeed be powerful, but with his current cultivation, he could only execute five consecutive slashes. This did not guarantee he could kill the Golden Crown Snake, and if he ran out of strength, his life would be forfeit!
Sky-soaring Second Form?
It might be possible to kill the beast instantly, but it would also leave him completely weakened, entrusting his life to four strangers?
Of course, Zhou Heng would have none of that!
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