Chapter 411: From Metamorphosis Spirit Chicken to Beast-Taming Cultivation Chapter 410: Feigning Weakness to Strike

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Protagonist:

Yu Zhangsheng

Facing everyone's shock, Shen Xingchen merely smiled faintly, offering little explanation, and instead turned his head to look at Yu Zhangsheng, asking:

"Shi Haobo is already dead, so what are your plans next, Changsheng?"

"What plans?" A gloomy glint flashed in Yu Zhangsheng's eyes as he said lightly, "Then we'll just wait here. You all watch your concealment, leave this place for now. I'll wait nearby. Since Ji Chiyan has the guts to come hunt me, he should be prepared for the outcome."

Shen Xingchen thought for a moment, then nodded:

"Good. This is also a perfect opportunity to take the opportunity to warn those dishonest people, kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, and also warn those harboring crooked thoughts."

"That's how it is. Now the enemy from Qingzhou is in front, and if there are still ill-intentioned people from Wuzhou behind us, a backstab at a critical moment would be a true pincer attack. This group of people needs to be made honest as well."

Li Minghan thought for a while, likewise acknowledged Li Minghan's words, and spoke thus.

They all knew clearly that Yu Zhangsheng was safe and sound now, with no one provoking him, yet that didn't mean no one truly harbored ill will toward him. Qingzhou's side, due to faction issues, harboring hatred was still normal.

But the restless stirring on Wuzhou's side needed even more vigilance. Just a single Chi Huo Sect's top prodigy, upon hearing news of Yu Zhangsheng's severe injuries, went so far as to hunt him. One can imagine those who already had conflicts with Yu Zhangsheng harbored even more such thoughts.

Even a minor Shi Haobo and Lu Hongwei had the guts to strike at Yu Zhangsheng. If Yu Zhangsheng weren't actually not as severely injured as the rumors claimed, he would likely have struck by now.

"When the wall falls, everyone pushes; when the flower withers, butterflies scatter. If we don't give them a taste of some color to make them wary, who knows when they'll stab us in the back during the future showdown with Qingzhou."

"Rather than facing external worries and internal troubles then, better to sever their ideas now, to warn them and wake their alarm bells."

Yu Zhangsheng narrowed his eyes, tone indifferent, and spoke lightly.

He knew clearly in his heart that those scheming against his side were not just Ji Chiyan of the Chi Huo Sect; other sects' people were likely also searching for him with intent. Not to mention the so-called Second Prince of Qingzhou had issued a warrant for him, nursing a grudge, eyeing him like a tiger.

And blindly yielding wasn't the style of a fisherman; better to strike proactively and show his own flair.

"Once they know fear, these slanderous rumors will naturally collapse without attack, and there will be far fewer."

Yu Zhangsheng lowered his brows, gaze falling on his own fist. He pinched it, then the corner of his mouth slowly curved upward in an arc, like a cold laugh.

"Alright, do you need me to stay here and keep you company?"

Shen Xingchen didn't dwell on it further, nodded, and kindly asked.

"No need," Yu Zhangsheng pondered a moment, shook his head, "Too many, and the fish might not dare come. Just me alone is enough. You all find a place to hide for now. Come out when things are over."

"Good, then you be careful." Li Minghan spoke. Everyone had no objections, and after a simple reminder, they left Yu Zhangsheng alone here.

"Wait a moment!"

As they were leaving, Yu Zhangsheng waved at Li Minghan, suddenly seeming to think of something, and spoke.

Li Minghan froze, scratched his head, and curiously asked: "What's up, Changsheng? Anything you need my help with?"

"Indeed there is a matter needing you to lend a hand." Yu Zhangsheng smiled faintly, slowly exhaled a breath, and a strange glint appeared in his eyes.

"Whatever it is, just say it." Li Minghan froze, then patted his chest and swore resolutely.

"Hehe," Yu Zhangsheng laughed, "Alright, you now, go all out, hit me."

"Ah?" Li Minghan's expression suddenly blanked, a bit dumbfounded, looking at Yu Zhangsheng in surprise. For a moment, he couldn't figure it out.

So he tentatively asked: "You're sure?"

"Sure, don't dilly-dally, come on." Yu Zhangsheng nodded, meeting Li Minghan's gaze, and affirmed.

"Why? You're not thinking of giving up, are you? I don't dare." Li Minghan looked dejected, suspicious and uncertain.

"Nonsense, I tell you to do it so you do it. Naturally I have my reasons." Yu Zhangsheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, glared fiercely at Li Minghan, and continued: "Just hit me with all your strength. Beat me until I have no strength to fight back. The more miserable it looks, the better."

"If you don't act like a fish, how will it take the bait? Right?" Yu Zhangsheng smiled faintly, explaining a sentence to Li Minghan.

Simple words, paired with a gentle expression, truly made Li Minghan suck in a cold breath. He looked at Yu Zhangsheng with some palpitations in his heart, a strange look in his eyes.

"Who wouldn't be confused by this? Still, it had to be you!"

Li Minghan exclaimed a sentence. After figuring it out, he merely hesitated a moment, his face showing a trace of struggle as he spoke: "Alright then, you watch yourself. My strikes have no light or heavy."

Though the words were such, Yu Zhangsheng clearly read a trace of excitement in Li Minghan's eyes.

Yu Zhangsheng's heart jumped, but he still gritted his teeth and said: "Do it. No need to really hurt me, but the surface must look miserable enough."

"Okay." Li Minghan nodded obediently, then threw a punch...

Five minutes later.

"This is about right, looks okay."

Yu Zhangsheng lowered his head to look at his own injuries, nodded in satisfaction, and murmured. At this moment, he not only looked bruised and swollen, but his face was also densely covered in a layer of gloom, looking like a dying man. Wisps of black qi seeped from every pore of his body, emitting a rotting stench. His face was weak to the extreme, his whole body looking like he had breath but no strength.

Amidst light coughing, blood flowed from his five orifices. His body was skin and bones. His breathing was also extremely weak. The exposed skin all over his body showed wounds layered upon wounds, like knife scars and burns, looking ferocious and terrifying. With the slightest movement, there was a cracking sound. Coming from his bones, misaligning one after another. Thick death qi steamed and rose from his body.

His cultivation aura was weak to the extreme, only reaching the level of just entering Golden Core. From the outside, anyone could see this was a dying man.

"Wuu wuu wuu..."

Li Minghan sobbed in a low voice, wanting to cry but with no tears, looking resentfully at Yu Chuan... wait, Yu Zhangsheng, and said in a low voice: "I knew nothing good would come of this. You actually fought back. Never playing again next time."

Compared to Yu Zhangsheng's severe injuries, Li Minghan looked like the one truly bruised and swollen. One eye blood red, one eye pitch black. Mouth swollen into a sausage. Speech slurred through the sobbing.

"Cough cough..."

Yu Zhangsheng waved his hand, covering the unnaturalness in his eyes, and said in a weak tone: "Alright alright, hurry back. Who told you, brat, to really use vicious hands? I let you vent and you actually took a mile when given an inch."

Li Minghan touched his nose, face full of resentment, but his heart quietly let out a breath of relief. Finally, without looking back, he turned and left.

Yu Zhangsheng shook his head, curled his lip, then resumed his weak state. He walked with difficulty on the ground, breath non-existent. He occasionally looked left and right. His dust-covered face revealed indescribable fatigue, as if vigilant to the extreme. Drop by drop, fresh blood dripped from his palm onto the ground.

Thus, maintaining this state, Yu Zhangsheng wandered slowly and vigilantly. The surroundings also became quiet again. Only Yu Zhangsheng's spiritual sense, without a trace, extended along flowers, grasses, trees, wind, clouds, flowing water — a path spreading out. Within a radius of several kilometers, every rustle of wind and grass turned into streams of information surfacing in Yu Zhangsheng's mind.

The Myriad Spirits Art attached to the Divine Sense. Compared to pure Divine Sense, one of its benefits was becoming extremely hidden. Ordinary people cannot detect the Divine Sense's scan; they wouldn't know they've been spied on.

If the previous Divine Sense was an all-round surveillance, then the Divine Sense empowered by the Myriad Spirits Art made this surveillance invisible. One in the open, one in the dark. Comparing the two, the difference is clear. The latter is obviously more impossible to guard against.

On the surface all was calm, but beneath it clouds and winds were gathering; another half an hour passed, the surroundings were silent, everything appeared normal, save for Yu Zhangsheng, whose face showed weakness, his eyes lowered, a sharp light flashing within them.

The next moment, the trees ahead exploded, and with two sinister laughs, two burly figures appeared.

"Hahaha, isn't this Yu Zhangsheng, who is called the First Prodigy of our Wuzhou? What's wrong? Haven't seen you for so long, yet you've been beaten into such a state?"

The two who came were both middle-aged in appearance, their cultivation bases reaching the early stage of Golden Core; they were precisely the Inner Sect Disciples of this Ba Huang Sect expedition, Qi Yingyao and Lang Yingyi, their grotesque flesh jumping with their fierce laughter, looking quite ferocious.

"The Wuzhou Prodigies are nothing but what is spread from the outside world; I see that even if Yu Zhangsheng truly had some skill, how could he be beaten into such a miserable state by a mere Third Prince?"

Lang Yingyi coldly laughed repeatedly; although the two spoke endless belittlement of Yu Zhangsheng with their mouths, neither dared to approach easily, but exchanged a glance, both seeing the vigilance in each other's eyes.

Yu Zhangsheng's complexion instantly turned ugly; looking at the two who had suddenly appeared, he quietly retreated several steps, his expression turning fierce, and he snorted as he said:

"When did it become that anyone can casually discuss Yu Zhangsheng? Who are you two? Be sensible, and it would be best to leave quickly before I get angry."

"Cats and dogs?" Qi Yingyao heard this, not getting angry, only looking at Yu Zhangsheng with a provocative gaze, his eyes filled with pity and pathos.

"It seems you still don't understand the current situation? You yourself are in such a state, yet you're still putting on a brave front here. But since you say that, we are all the more relieved."

Qi Yingyao secretly let out a breath of relief, a smile appearing on his face; exchanging a glance with Lang Yingyi, the next moment, he stomped fiercely on the ground, no longer hesitating, and slammed a fist fiercely toward Yu Zhangsheng! "Such a prodigy, facing our provocation actually gives us three points! Afraid of causing trouble, it seems his serious injuries are indeed true; since that is the case, then this opportunity delivered to our door, we shall accept it!"

Qi Yingyao laughed and spoke; with this thought, his qi and blood seemed to boil. Cooperating with Lang Yingyi beside him, the violent punch wind shook the Void, turning into a surging tide, slamming fiercely toward Yu Zhangsheng! "Boom!"

The sound waves swept over, trees collapsed and flew; wherever the punch wind passed, rocks shattered, and the surrounding earth seemed to be flattened by an endless great force! The two attacked with a killing move; their Golden Core cultivation bases were displayed to the fullest. Although their words were full of contempt for Yu Zhangsheng, when they truly struck, they exerted twelve parts of spirit, holding nothing back, turning it into a single strike of fist force.

"You're courting death!"

Yu Zhangsheng flew into a rage, letting out a roar; as if his injuries worsened, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his aura declined, and a layer of coldness quickly covered his ashen face. Facing the two men's unstoppable fist, he did not choose to clash head-on; his body retreated swiftly, his arm raised to block in front of his chest!

The next moment, the two collided, accompanied by a crisp crackling sound; Yu Zhangsheng let out a groan, a mouthful of fresh blood spraying from his mouth and teeth; his body like a kite with a broken string, flew away.

"Pfft pfft!!"

Fresh blood covered the ground, falling upon the Void; Yu Zhangsheng's already ashen face turned even paler, a decaying aura seeping out from his body; all his bones hummed under this fist, many breaking, and his chest caved in completely, a mass of mangled flesh and blood.

His already weak aura almost disappeared at this moment; his body suddenly crashed down several trees and collapsed onto the ground, weakly gasping for breath.

"It seems he is indeed seriously injured and dying; or perhaps Yu Zhangsheng is not as extraordinary as the rumors say."

Qi Yingyao's eyes flashed with light; together with Lang Yingyi, they stepped forward slowly, their muscles swelling completely; with each step they took, they looked down at Yu Zhangsheng, contempt evident in their eyes.

"To avoid complications, your head is worth quite a bit, and there is also a Luoya Token... Rest easy on your journey!"

Lang Yingyi smiled lightly, not intending to let up; nodding at Qi Yingyao, he took a deep breath; their qi and blood surged, and they unleashed another full-strength fist! The fist light shook the heavens; though not as strong as Yu Zhangsheng, it was still quite formidable. Ba Huang Sect disciples' bodies were naturally strong, and those who could descend into the Abyss were all prodigies of various sects. At this moment, though only at the early stage of Golden Core, the might they unleashed together was more terrifying than an ordinary mid-stage Golden Core.

"Interesting. Although I, Yu Zhangsheng, am a tiger fallen to flatlands, I am not someone any cat or dog can bully. Just the two of you, and you still want to kill and seize treasure? A pipe dream!"

Yu Zhangsheng coldly laughed; after wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he struggled to his feet, raised his hand, and in an instant the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword appeared. Yu Zhangsheng roared in anger and slashed fiercely at the two! Boom!

Sword light streaked past, like purple lightning and green frost pervading the Void; in an instant it slashed across, a brilliant flash.

Sword light shone brilliantly, illuminating the two men's terrified faces; they opened their mouths to speak but stopped, yet as the sword light erupted, their bodies shattered with a boom, and the unspoken words dissipated into the world. (Chapter End)