Chapter 23: Mysterious Black Shadow

The black shadow let out a furious shout, its voice like thunder. Though its figure was vague, it exuded a suffocating pressure. Zhao Wushuang and the others involuntarily stepped back a few paces, cold sweat streaming.

"Who is it?" Long Aotian's expression changed, the long sword in his hand trembling slightly.

The black shadow slowly turned toward Zhang Jun, its voice suddenly becoming gentle: "Child, you have finally awakened the Zhang clan bloodline."

Zhang Jun stared at the black shadow before him, inexplicably feeling a kinship tied by blood. "You are…"

"I am Zhang Tianshu, your grandfather," the shadow measured Zhang Jun from head to toe, its tone filled with satisfaction, "Back then I secluded myself to protect the secret of the Nine Yang Classic; now, sensing your cultivation's awakening, I have manifested."

Zhao Wushuang's face turned ashen: "Zhang Tianshu? Impossible! You died long ago!"

Zhang Tianshu let out a cold snort and snapped a palm outward. An invisible wave of qi surged forth; Zhao Wushuang was struck as if by lightning, spitting blood, retreating several zhangs before crashing into the cave wall.

"Death? I have long transcended life and death," Zhang Tianshu stood with his hands behind his back. "If not for certain karmic considerations today, you would have already been scattered to pieces."

Lin Xue, astonished, watched the scene and whispered to Zhang Jun: "Is this really your grandfather?"

Zhang Jun was equally shocked, yet the familiar sensation in his blood grew stronger. The inscription on the jade ring, Elder Mo's words, and the astonishing power displayed by the old man before him—all pointed to the same truth…

"You truly are his descendant," Zhang Tianshu said, turning to Zhang Jun, his voice tinged with complex emotion. "That aura is identical to your father's."

"What exactly is the Nine Yang Classic?" Zhang Jun looked straight at Zhang Tianshu and asked, "Why are the Long family and the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion so obsessed with it?"

Zhang Tianshu sighed: "The Nine Yang Classic is not a martial manual but a celestial technique that can alter the human meridian structure. Those who successfully cultivate it can command both yin and yang qi, achieving an immortal body."

Everyone who heard this was shocked.

"Founding Ancestor Zhang Sanfeng, in his later years, comprehended the heavenly mechanism and devised this method. Because it was too defiant of Heaven, he split the core technique into three jade stones, entrusting each to a different sect for safekeeping," Zhang Tianshu continued, "Later, someone leaked the matter, attracting countless covetous seekers, and the three jade stones drifted to various places."

Zhang Jun suddenly understood: "So my parents…"

"They died protecting you and the jade stones," Zhang Tianshu said gravely, "But they passed the Mysterious Yin True Skill to you, laying the groundwork for the future awakening of the Zhang clan bloodline."

Suddenly, a cold flash shot from the darkness, aiming straight at Zhang Tianshu's back!

Lin Xue shouted, "Watch out!"

Zhang Tianshu neither dodged nor evaded, allowing the poisoned dark arrow to pierce his body. The onlookers were stunned, but then a golden stream of qi surged from within Zhang Tianshu, forcefully expelling the arrow.

"A mere poison arrow dares to harm me?" Zhang Tianshu sneered, his gaze turning to the corner.

Long Aotian emerged from the shadows, his face grim: "Indeed, an immortal body…"

Zhang Tianshu shook his head: "Not so; my cultivation has reached a certain realm, rendering poison ineffective."

He turned to Zhang Jun and Lin Xue: "Your internal arts complement each other; it is destiny. Now, I will teach you the Yin-Yang Harmony Manual, to help you advance further."

Zhang Tianshu extended both hands, placing them on Zhang Jun's and Lin Xue's foreheads. A strange energy surged into their bodies, causing the Mysterious Yin True Skill, the Yang-Robust Righteous Qi Manual, and the Cold Ice Heart Classic to instantly transform, the three arts like three streams merging into a raging river.

Warm currents coursed through their bodies; Zhang Jun felt his meridians reshaping, his power soaring. Lin Xue likewise showed delight as the potency of her Cold Ice Heart Classic surged.

"Enough," Zhang Tianshu withdrew his hands, "The Yin-Yang Harmony Manual is only the beginning; you must explore further on your own. When the three jade stones unite, the cultivation site of the Nine Yang Classic will reveal itself, where the astonishing secret of Founding Ancestor Zhang Sanfeng is hidden."

"Three jade stones?" Zhang Jun asked, "We only have two."

Zhang Tianshu gave a faint smile: "The third stone is in the Long family's possession."

Long Aotian heard this and sneered: "Want it? Dream on!"

Zhang Tianshu dismissed him: "Young member of the Long family, your ancestor Long Xiaoyun and I were once senior brothers of the same sect, but he coveted the Nine Yang Classic and went astray. Now your Long family colludes with the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion, utterly depraved!"

Zhao Wushuang had by now risen, wiping blood from his mouth corner: "Zhang Tianshu, after all these years we haven't seen each other, you still remain so ignorant of the world. With the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion and the Long family joining forces, do you think a single person can stand against them?"

"Who says I'm acting alone?" Zhang Tianshu brushed his sleeve lightly, and rapid footsteps echoed from outside the cave.

A squad of warriors clad in blue garments hurried forward, led by a figure wielding a long sword, exuding remarkable aura.

"Master! We have arrived!" the blue-clad warrior clasped his fists in salute.

Zhang Tianshu nodded: "Very well, today I will tell these ruffians that the heirs of the Zhang clan cannot be bullied!"

Zhao Wushuang's complexion changed dramatically: "Retreat!"

Long Aotian stared at Zhang Jun unwillingly, gritting his teeth: "We'll see!"

Seeing the enemy fall back, Zhang Jun felt a great weight lift from his heart, turning to Zhang Tianshu: "Grandfather, I still have a question…"

Zhang Tianshu raised his hand to halt him: "Child, what you ask must concern your mother."

Zhang Jun's heart jolted: "Could it be that she…"

"She hasn't died; instead she is imprisoned in a place you cannot imagine," Zhang Tianshu's words struck Zhang Jun like lightning, and the world seemed to freeze at that instant.

"My mother... still alive?" Zhang Jun's hands trembled slightly.

Liu Quan, standing nearby, was also shocked: "That's impossible! I saw with my own eyes back then…"

"What you saw was only the surface," Zhang Tianshu sighed, "The truth is far more complicated than you imagine."

Zhang Jun staggered back a step, his belief of over twenty years wavering. If his mother were still alive, where should his path of vengeance now lead?

Lin Xue gently supported Zhang Jun, sensing the turbulence in his internal breath, and quickly infused a strand of Cold Ice Heart Classic to stabilize him.

Zhang Tianshu looked at the two, nodding approvingly: "Yin and yang in harmony, a match made by Heaven."

"Grandfather, where exactly is my mother?" Zhang Jun asked urgently.

Zhang Tianshu gazed into the distance, his expression complex: "She is imprisoned deep within the Main Altar of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion; all these years I have been seeking a way to rescue her."

"Why not simply bring her out?"

"Because the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion implanted the 'Nine Yin Soul-Stealing Pill' within her; if she is forcibly removed, the toxin will activate and kill her," Zhang Tianshu said gravely, "Only by finding the Nine Yang Classic can this strange toxin be neutralized."

Zhang Jun clenched his fists, a resolute flame igniting in his eyes: "I will definitely rescue my mother!"

"That is the true Zhang clan bloodline!" Zhang Tianshu said contentedly, patting Zhang Jun's shoulder. "Now, you must quickly locate the Long family's jade stone; when the three stones unite, you will be able to glimpse the location of the classic."

Moonlight poured like water over the grass beyond the cave, heralding a brand‑new journey unfolding before Zhang Jun.