"You all are truly shameless."
Zheng Guanbao laughed in fury.
"Still dare to be disrespectful? Die."
The Sixth-Rank Martial King's eyes turned cold as he prepared to strike.
Hiss, hiss…
A chilling sound slithered through the air, making everyone's scalp tighten.
They all turned toward the nearby forest.
There, countless giant pythons had silently encircled them.
The most terrifying among them was a colossal serpent radiating the aura of a Seventh-Rank Monster King.
Even the Sixth-Rank Martial King stopped caring about Zheng Guanbao, his eyes fixed warily on the serpent king.
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, it seems your luck is quite good."
The Sixth-Rank Martial King said, "I won't fight you this time. Let's join hands and deal with these monster snakes first."
"My luck is indeed good."
Yang Cheng replied.
The Sixth-Rank Martial King assumed Yang Cheng agreed to cooperate and grinned. "Excellent. Since you agree, you'll take the front. We'll support from behind."
As he spoke, he was already preparing for Yang Cheng to refuse, planning to then threaten or coax him.
After all, taking the lead against the snake horde was extremely dangerous.
But Yang Cheng didn't refuse. He walked straight toward the serpent king.
"Hahaha, a wise man knows the times."
The Sixth-Rank Martial King laughed. "Crown Prince of Great Zhou, I must admit, you are very smart."
Hiss!
The serpent king looked down at Yang Cheng, its gaze cold as ice.
In the next instant, its massive tail lashed toward him.
"Courting death."
At the same moment, Yang Cheng's body moved like lightning, swift as the wind.
His chest felt clear and unburdened.
Yes—this feeling.
Since his rebirth, though he had fought battles, he had never unleashed himself like this, never indulged in such wanton slaughter.
Yet after cultivating the Asura Breathing Technique for more than 400 years in his past life, his soul had long grown accustomed to killing.
The long-lost sensation made every pore in his body open in release.
In a blink, he reached the serpent king.
The serpent's tail swept toward him.
They were less than one chi apart.
In that narrow space, Yang Cheng bent his body in an impossible arc.
The tail brushed past his nose, close enough for him to smell the foul stench of its scales.
And then—
Yang Cheng swung his sword through the air.
One strike.
He didn't even glance back. As he landed, he rolled and flipped to his feet in one fluid motion.
At the same time—
A massive section of the serpent's tail crashed to the ground.
Yang Cheng turned to face the serpent king.
Fear filled its eyes as it tried to retreat.
Yang Cheng gave it no chance.
He crouched slightly, then shot upward.
The ground beneath his feet cracked under the force.
In a flash, he was above the serpent king, one zhang away.
Swift as a storm!
Fierce as thunder!
Yang Cheng gripped the wooden sword in both hands, channeling his full strength, and struck down at the serpent's head.
Sword light blazed like a hanging crescent moon.
A massive, hideous head soared into the air.
Boom!
The head crashed to the ground.
A mighty Seventh-Rank Monster King, slain with only two strikes.
The Sword Pavilion disciples in the distance turned pale as sheets.
What kind of monster was this man?
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, what happened earlier was a misunderstanding. We were blind and offended you…"
The Sixth-Rank Martial King rushed to speak.
"Kill them."
Yang Cheng had no patience for their excuses. He gave the order.
Lin Shu and Shen Muxue struck instantly.
The Nineteen Tiger Generals followed without hesitation, charging into battle.
The strength of the Nineteen Tiger Generals was not far above the Sword Pavilion disciples'.
But Lin Shu and Shen Muxue were far too fierce, like two sharp blades cutting through the front lines, forcing the Sword Pavilion disciples to retreat again and again.
"Not good."
The Sixth-Rank Martial King felt his heart sink, realizing he desperately needed a way to break the deadlock.
In a flash, his eyes landed on Tang Xingyu.
The little girl looked only about ten years old.
He didn't believe everyone could be as monstrous as Yang Cheng. This might just be their weakness.
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, you've gone too far!"
He roared, acting as if he were going to strike at Yang Cheng.
But halfway there, he suddenly shifted and lunged straight at Tang Xingyu.
In the next instant, his sword pressed against her throat.
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, tell your people to stop immediately, or I'll kill her."
The Sixth-Rank Martial King threatened.
Lin Shu and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths, but their attacks didn't slow in the slightest.
Yang Cheng's tone was calm. "Do as you please."
The Martial King's heart sank. Did Yang Cheng really not care about the lives of those around him?
But he had no way out. He could only keep testing.
"You think pretending not to care will fool me?"
He gritted his teeth and decided to slice off the girl's ear as a warning.
But when he tried to move his sword, it wouldn't budge.
Looking down, he saw a small white hand gripping it tightly.
"You can't just put a sword against someone's neck. That's really dangerous. Don't you know that?"
The little girl, bright-eyed and fair, glared at him angrily.
The Martial King refused to believe it. He exploded with true qi, trying to yank the sword back.
But the girl's tiny hand was like forged iron. No matter how hard he pulled, the sword didn't move an inch.
"Looks like you don't understand at all."
Tang Xingyu gave a sudden tug, effortlessly snatched the sword, and smacked it against the Martial King's head.
"You… you…"
He stood frozen, mind blank.
"Tangtang, stop playing around."
Yang Cheng said helplessly.
By now Tang Xingyu was already a Second-Rank Martial King.
With her monstrous talent, her strength rivaled even a Ninth-Rank Martial King. Bullying a Sixth-Rank was child's play.
"Alright then."
She smiled sweetly at Yang Cheng, then her eyes turned cold. "How dare you scheme against Chengcheng and try to kill Dabaobao?"
Her figure blurred, flashing past the Martial King in an instant.
"I—"
The Martial King clutched his throat, but blood still gushed out.
Moments later—
Bang!
He collapsed lifeless to the ground.
The Sword Pavilion disciples saw it and their morale instantly crumbled.
Yang Cheng's gaze held no mercy.
If he let them go, they would only harbor hatred and join other enemies to strike back later.
Killing them all now meant fewer threats in the future.
In less than half an incense stick's time, every Sword Pavilion disciple had been slain.
Their belongings were stripped clean by Yang Cheng's people.
Then came the serpents.
While Lin Shu and the others fought the Sword Pavilion, Yang Cheng and Tang Xingyu dealt with the snake horde.
By now, all the serpents had been wiped out.
One by one, monster cores were dug out.
Yang Cheng and his men absorbed the energy within.
The Qingqiu Secret Realm was extremely rare. With such a precious opportunity, they had to use every moment to grow stronger.
Before long, Yang Cheng's cultivation was already nearing the Sixth-Rank Martial King.
The Tiger Generals at the Martial Master level also broke through one after another.
"Follow me."
Yang Cheng commanded.
In his previous life, after the Qingqiu Secret Realm had been explored, information about it spread everywhere.
Because of that, he knew this place inside and out—where the beasts were, where the greatest treasures lay.
"In the Qingqiu Secret Realm, there's a valley of Five-Colored Flowers. Those flowers can greatly boost one's spiritual power."
"In my past life, Yang Xiu was supposed to find it tomorrow. This time, I'll take it first."
"But outside the valley is a swarm of monster scorpions. Their king is a half-step Monster Emperor, not to be underestimated."
After two hours of fierce battles along the way, Yang Cheng finally led his people to the valley.