Chapter 155 - A Fight They Cannot Afford to Lose
Zhong Yue had the shock of his life and his mind went blank as if millions of galloping horses trampled over him and he couldn't bring himself to believe it! The whole situation was just far too surreal!
He knew that there was a human spy among the monsters and it was this spy that wiped out all the traces left behind by Zhong Yue when he was saving Jun Sixie, which made Lang Qingyun unable to prove that he was the one that saved Jun Sixie!
But now, just imagine the shock given to him by Gu Hongzi when he suddenly addressed Zhong Yue as ’Junior Martial Brother Zhong!
Is he really the spy placed in the monster race by the Swords Gate? There’s a possibility of this since none of the four aces of Swords Gate had died during the ambush and only senior martial Sister Jun Sixie had almost lost her life. There was also not a single strong monster Qi Practitioners that pursued me and Senior Martial Sister Jun, which means that someone had distracted the experts in the monsters in order to let us escape. As such, the Gu Xia City Lord, Gu Hongzi could very well be the spy!”
Zhong Yue recollected back his thoughts and he said with a blurred laugh, “What are you trying to say, city lord? I don’t understand.”
Gu Hongzi walked towards the direction of Gu Xia City and he said, “You worry that I am trying to expose you? Rest assured as there’s no need of this. I could kill you like an insect if I wanted to so what is the point of trying to expose you? I could kill you straight anyway. Junior Martial Brother Zhong, stay at Gu Xia City and treat your wounds. After that, we shall talk again.”
Zhong Yue was skeptical but he still followed behind Gu Hongzi as he grabbed the pile of spirit herbs and tossed them into his mouth.
Heavy injuries were inflicted to him, but after cultivating the【 Sun Moon Prodigious Emanation Art】, he managed to suppress his injuries and after walking for one day, he had recovered to a certain level by the time they arrived at somewhere near the city. However, there were still some of the more stubborn injuries that were not able to be treated easily. So continuous cultivation of 【 Sun Moon Prodigious Emanation Art】was required for his complete recovery.
Zhong Yue then returned to the Falcon Ridge and he secluded himself to treat his injuries.
Is Gu Hongzi really the spy placed in the monsters by the Swords Gate or is he trying to draw me out? If he really is a spy, then how did he manage to secure his foothold among the monsters? I managed to get into the monsters with the identity of a dragon and that was also after being covered by Ao Fenglou to prove that I am half-monster half-dragon. So how was Gu Zhongzi able to reach such a position without getting suspected at all?
The Gu Xia City is a very important strategic location for the monsters as this was the fortress that led into the Great Wilderness. It was also one of the six cities in the Eastern Barren; to become the city lord of this city fortress ... his identity and cover must’ve been impeccable!
Before he became the city lord of Gu Xia City, Gu Hongzi must have been investigated by the monsters and they must have found nothing wrong with his bloodline. This was also why Zhong Yue did not immediately admit that he was a human.
Besides, Gu Hongzi is one of the most talented young aces among the monsters and maybe only the likes of Lang Qingyun could compete with him. Could someone with such bright future and who is a city lord at the same time possibly be a spy for the humans? But since he asked me to treat my wounds first and that he will have a talk with me after a few days, I can only wait for the next few days.
He quietly treated himself and managed a full recovery after five days. Zhong Yue then checked on the condition of his body and found out that his cultivation base had increased dramatically along with his body physique, soul, and psyche. They became much stronger after the few ten thousand miles of pursuit!
The few ten thousand miles of pursuit was like a grindstone honing every aspect of his being. Each time he fought to the death, his opponents would be akin to hammers tempering hot iron, helping him refine his abilities: his soul, psyche and body physique.
Every time he unleashed his full power and fought with his life on the line, he would erupt with all his hidden strength, allowing him to deepen his understanding on the level of Rebirth and thereby solidifying his base!
In the few days where he treated his wounds, he also did not stop cultivating himself and now, his Yuan Shen again. There was now only a little gap before his Yuan Shen would reach the extreme limit of twenty feet!
And also thanks to the few ten thousand miles of pursuit, his speed of absorbing the essence of the beast god became faster, translating to an additional increase in his power base!
All these augmentations to his cultivation were obtained through firm and solid mean, not through shortcuts like the jade liquid or other precious items as he had previously used!
It would not be long until I reach the level of Awakening! I will return to the Swords Gate and prepare to advance into the Awakening level after I’m done with the matters with the monsters!
Zhong Yue got up and he headed towards the Gu Xia City and requested to meet up with Gu Hongzi.
“So I see that you have recovered completely?”
Gu Hongzi measured Zhong Yue and praised, “Such a strong body, no wonder you could escape from the mad pursuit of various monster factions and reach Gu Xia City with such perseverance! I have received accurate information that the death of a total of fifty-eight Awakening level Qi Practitioners was because of you on your way here! Among them, there was even someone like the Qing Long Keep Lord!
Zhong Yue’s expression changed a little bit and he shook his head, “I did not kill all of them, only four of them died by my hand. Most of them died because of their own squabbles, resulting in some of them being eaten by that old monster, Ha Minger. Most of them were killed by the Saint City Lord Shi Buyi, including the Qing Long Keep Lord.”
Gu Hongzi laughed and said, “Shi Buyi will not bear this sin and neither will the blind Ha Minger. This will leave you as the only scapegoat for everything that transpired back there. The death of these Qi Practitioners will be pinned onto you and even the blame for the death of the Qing Long Keep Lord will be directed towards the dragon faction behind you! This is both a bad and a good thing. From now on, your name will spread all over the world and you will become known by everyone as a ruthless and brutal man!”
“Ruthless and brutal…,” Zhong Yue said in a very low voice as his face darkened.
Gu Hongzi then said again, “When I first heard that a young dragon entered the Gu Xia City, I suspected whether or not this young dragon was a Swords Gate’s Qi Practitioner in disguise. But I confirmed my answer after I saw you saving Jun Sixie. When I saw you casting the【 Great Boundless Sword Qi】 from afar, it was that point that I was absolutely certain. I then went to ask the old man and he said that the young dragon must be you. I was also asked to take care of you as well.”
Old man?
Zhong Yue was stunned but he remained expressionless as he said, “I have no idea what the city lord is saying, could you please elaborate further?”
Gu Hongzi laughed and a Sword Qi flew out from his finger. Zhong Yue looked closely and he saw that the internal structure of this Sword Qi precisely the same as that of the【 Great Boundless Sword Qi】. The worry he carried in his heart was greatly eased by this point.
“I am the disciple of the old man, but his intentions for taking me in weren’t completely pure. He wanted me to infiltrate the monsters to become a higher up among them.”
Gu Hongzi then shook his head and he said, “I am a half-monster, the blood flowing inside me belongs to the blood of a human and a monster. My mother is a human but I have no idea who my father.”
This kind of situation was very common all over the monster land. The humans were treated like slaves and with that, half-breed monsters were very common in the monsters land. However, because the half-monster is the child of human and monster, they occupied one of the lower echelons of monster society, only slightly better than humans.
Zhong Yue saw innumerable strong Qi Practitioners in the new generations of the monster but he had yet to see any strong half-monster. This was all because of the lowly position of the half-monsters in the eyes of the pure-blood monsters that left them bereft of any resources for their cultivation. Consequently, there would be a pitifully small number of Qi Practitioners among the half-monsters.
“Then, my mother was eaten by the monsters and I got away because I was a half-monster. The monsters viewed me as neither monster nor human and I met the old man during my toughest time. He asked me if I wanted to do something for the humans and I said that I wanted to.”
“With that, he took me in as his disciple and he would come here to teach me for a month or two every year. He taught me how to cultivate and how to hide the human blood in me and how to look like a pure-blood monster.”
“I do not have a father and after encountering him and what he did for me, I felt like I truly had a father for once….”
Gu Hongzi laughed happily and tears could be seen in his eyes as he recalled the wonderful times back then. After a moment, he recollected back his thoughts and he said, “Then, I became stronger and my cultivation base became higher. Finally, I became a strong Qi Practitioner among the monsters and the city lord of this city, the city that leads to the Great Wilderness. Old man said that this city is the door to the Great Wilderness and the East Barren and I have been guarding this place ever since I became the city lord. Old man also said that he might not need me in his life anymore. However, he mentioned that the next Swords Gate’s headmaster might have use of my position in the future.”
Zhong Yue’s face changed rapidly and he replied in fear, “I never thought that Gu Hong City Lord had such a tragic life! I am a dragon and a monster, which makes me a half-dragon half-monster. It seems like we have something in common ... Is the city lord planning to shut my mouth forever by killing me after telling me so much?”
“You still don’t believe me. You really have grown a lot as compared to the old you.”
Gu Hongzi praised and looked at him as he said, “When you first came to the city, you were like an unripe apple. You left behind too many trails and I felt a little dumbfounded by the old man for sending some unreliable guy like you, as someone like that should just roll over and die. But when you came to the city for the second time, I saw a growing young man, developing and honing his capabilities at a pace that shocked even me. Hence, I destroyed the traces you left behind and I sent you to participate in the disciple selection battle. In the end, you grew even more and even became the final disciple of Shi Buyi. Not only that, you survived and returned to the city and used my strength to fend off your enemies. Such boldness is greatly astonishing!”
He then took out a sword token and hurled it towards Zhong Yue as he said, “This is the sword token that was returned to the old man by the girl that goes by the surname of Qiu. Old man then asked me to hand it over to you and he said that you would understand everything upon seeing this token.”
Zhong Yue took over the sword token and he confirmed that this was indeed Qiu Jiner’s sword token after measuring it carefully. As such, he slowly began to believe Gu Hongzi’s words.
“Then why did you not do something for the humans that are struggling in your territory?” Zhong Yue asked.
“I could not do anything for them as that would attract the suspicion of others. Sometimes, something will have to be sacrificed for a greater good.”
After a moment of silence, Gu Hongzi stood up and said, “If I want to stand my ground among the monsters, then I will have to act like one. I would only draw unnecessary attention if I were to show any modicum of pity towards the humans. In our quest for humanity’s future, there will always be sacrifices. Whether it be me, you, the old man or those humans. All of us must be prepared to die at any time for this goal….”
“Old man is dying soon and the chaos will spread all over the Great Wilderness. Now, the crucible for the fate of humanity has come. With the imminent chaos, I would not be able to sit here to do nothing. I will definitely participate in the battle. I’ve never had a father until this foolish old man took me in and treated me like a son. So I, too, view him as my father. He wanted me to stay here to guard the door to the Great Wilderness for the new headmaster of Swords Gate, but how could a son just let his father die in the battlefield alone?”
Gu Hongzi tapped Zhong Yue’s shoulder and he said with a smile, “Thank god there’s you now. You will replace me and become the next lord of the Gu Xia City. You will provide the haven for the humans here and be the vanguard that leads them out of this devastating land of monsters!”
Then, Gu Hongzi continued saying, “The old man is preparing for an inevitable battle that he cannot afford to lose. If he wins, peace will blossom all over the Great Wilderness and if the Swords Gate loses, the Great Wilderness will be destroyed and the only place for the humans left will be Gu Xia City.”