Chapter 136

On a tower at the edge of Great Dragon City, near the main thoroughfare, Li Meng sat firmly in a large chair.

Around him were a dozen or so close disciples of the Guest Hall, each wearing a restrained, subtle smile, just like the smiles they usually gave when receiving visiting dignitaries—appearing friendly yet tinged with an aloofness that came from deep within.

When a large group of figures silently walked out of Great Dragon City to surround the Wandering Troupe, Li Meng laughed heartily.

Those stubborn fools from the Discipline Hall and Heavenly King Hall have finally been transferred away this time.

Cooperation with Triple Linked City can now proceed smoothly.

Without a doubt, this will bring enormous benefits to the entire Six Paths Palace, especially substantial personal gains for Li Meng himself.

Triple Linked City is truly a colossal entity; although it is currently in a weakened state, thanks to its terrifying foundation, this colossus is rapidly recovering.

Isn't it just cooperating to capture a person and kill a few insignificant vagrants?

They have already begged Li Meng for this matter, so naturally he must cooperate. What's a few casualties among vagrants? Framing them as Changsheng Sect spies makes everything easy to resolve.

However, those old stubborn ones like Wang Ji and Wu Ri will certainly adhere to Six Paths Palace's harsh precepts and definitely won't allow outsiders to fight openly on its territory.

But the people of Triple Linked City are anxious; they want to catch the person immediately, can't wait, and have already paid such a price… so why not cooperate with them to settle the matter properly?

"A bunch of old fogeys, with Six Paths Palace in their hands, there's no future at all." Li Meng supported two metal balls weighing several hundred jin with one hand, his fingers spinning them rapidly, turning them into a hazy glow.

Li Meng's representation of the Six Paths Palace familial faction is naturally at odds with those like Wang Ji and Wu Ri, who are true disciples of the ascetic system.

What the familial faction craves is ever larger and better territory, ever more and better profits, numerous descendants to enjoy wealth and honor—to be exalted, command wind and rain, wield power and influence, and look down upon all beings; this is the innate benefit sought by the familial faction.

As for disciples like Wang Ji and Wu Ri of the ascetic lineage, many of them have a single line of heirs, and they prefer to take in ordinary people with potential as personal disciples.

They have no concept of territory size, no concept of gold‑coin income, no concept of progeny proliferation, and no concept of wealth and honor.

They stubbornly guard the ancient, stern inheritance of Six Paths Palace, single‑mindedly cultivating, single‑mindedly tormenting themselves and their student disciples, entirely forging themselves into one humanoid war machine after another.

They cling to the rules, while Li Meng's representation of the familial faction often violates them.

The antagonism between the two sides has deepened over time, especially in the last two or three centuries, with frequent violent clashes—not only between ordinary disciples and clan youths, but also between mid‑ and high‑level members of both sides.

Nevertheless, Six Paths Palace is a sect that venerates martial prowess above all.

The Discipline Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Arhat Hall, Vajra Hall, plus the Transmission Hall and Elder Hall that have long been controlled by the ascetic lineage—these six halls are wholly in the ascetics' grasp. After years of relentless ascetic practice, each of them possesses power terrifying as a monster.

In every clash, the familial faction suffers loss, loss, great loss, and bloody loss.

Naturally, the familial faction is unwilling to keep suffering such losses.

Therefore, the only recourse is to cause trouble for the ascetic disciples in other areas.

For example, when certain ascetic disciples are out risking life and limb for Six Paths Palace, since they are away from home year‑round, they naturally cannot supervise their own juniors.

Then, the familial faction, which controls nearly all external and internal channels and affairs of Six Paths Palace, can slightly employ a few clan juniors to turn the offspring of those ascetic elites into spoiled heirs… into worthless good‑for‑nothings…

That's quite easy.

Human nature's innate flaws lie here—wanting to learn well is fine, but wanting to learn badly isn't difficult, is it?

So…

Li Meng rubbed a few ribs on his right chest and gave a cold chuckle.

So, back then when I tried to discipline a certain junior martial nephew, that nephew—nearly twenty years younger than me—punched me and broke seven of my ribs, reducing me entirely to a laughingstock of the sect…

That martial nephew actually has three beloved precious daughters, and turning those three dim‑witted heiresses into utter wastrels who squandered the family fortune is also quite easy.

That martial nephew, so strong it makes Li Meng frown, humph… his several million gold‑dragon fortune sits in the guilds earning interest, yet aren't all of Six Paths Palace's guilds managed by his Guest Hall?

The three precious daughters want to withdraw the principal; the guilds naturally won't stop them, and as the martial nephew's heirs, their taking of the principal is completely reasonable, legal, and justified—there's no reason to block them.

As for the claim that several million gold dragons could be squandered in just a few years…

Hehe, within the familial faction, many spoiled heirs can't make money, but they're experts at spending it.

Who doesn't know how to spend money? Especially when a dozen or several dozen spoiled heirs are helping you spend it, you can't possibly slow down.

Indeed, that martial nephew, so mighty that a single punch could break a martial uncle's ribs clean through, has finally fallen into serious trouble and cannot extricate himself.

Seeing that, according to Six Paths Palace's rules, he could be demoted to a slave and driven at the sect's whim… Li Meng still hoped to summon him to the Guest Hall, thereafter commanding him to toil like an ox or horse, venturing into perilous places to risk life and death for Li Meng's sake.

"What's this kid's background? He can actually produce a complete Arhat Subduing Demon Blade!" Li Meng lifted a leg and lightly shook it: "If he has the full Arhat Subduing Demon Blade, then what about the Vajra Subduing Demon Fist? The Heavenly King Suppressing Demon Seal?"

"It's very likely he has them all… so we can't just let them leave Great Dragon City like that." Li Meng smiled.

The old stubborn ones Wang Ji of the Discipline Hall and Wu Ri of the Heavenly King Hall have been transferred to Six Paths City; now within Great Dragon City, Li Meng is the supreme authority—dealing with a few outsiders and one sect "traitor" shouldn't be that easy, right?

"Send a few people to watch them closely; as soon as the outside situation ends, launch immediately." Li Meng's smile grew brighter.

He glanced askance at a Li‑family disciple standing beside him, fell silent for a moment, then said: "A few people might not be enough; send three hundred to monitor them, especially allocate some to deal with the Iron Greatsword—absolutely cannot let them get away."

When that Li‑family disciple just came over to report, Li Meng was also startled.

With bare hands, he tore apart a set of Chonglou Realm's fine armor?

His own juniors judged that the kid's cultivation is above the fifteenth level of Chonglou Realm, but the well‑traveled Li Meng doesn't think so. Bare‑handed, like a knife slicing tofu, he ripped open the Chonglou Realm armor—this is not something a normal cultivation level could determine.

Either that kid's cultivation is extraordinarily high, or he possesses some terrifying divine ability or secret technique.

In short, he's not someone easy to deal with.

However, this is Six Paths Palace's territory; even if you were a true dragon that has crossed the river, you'd still have to coil for me.

"Sect Master's wisdom… this time linking up with Triple Linked City, annihilating the Changsheng Sect will be easy and natural; even if we were to expand Six Paths Palace's territory severalfold, or even swallow the domain of those madwomen of Wa Valley…"

Li Meng recalled those powerful, terrifying women of Wa Valley, their slender figures, their exquisite faces, and felt as if his whole body were burning with discomfort.

Many years ago, he once brought great wealth to Wa Valley to seek marriage with a Wa woman—what was the result?

That damned Wa old hag actually said Li Meng was born with a short‑lived appearance, unworthy of a Wa woman, and drove him out.

"A short‑lived appearance by birth?" Li Meng gave a cold snort.

He touched his protruding cheekbones, gritting his teeth. He is already over four hundred years old, and is on the verge of breaking through to the Life Pool Realm—once he does, his lifespan could be vastly extended, living past a thousand years being no problem.

Short‑lived appearance?

That damned old woman—sooner or later I'll pose her in every conceivable way and torment her at will.

Outside the city, a hundred or so silhouettes flew up into the high sky; Li Meng nodded and let out a soft laugh.

These people are Triple Linked City's court mages, innately strong in mental power, following the path of commanding external forces, summoning wind and rain—completely the opposite extreme from Six Paths Palace's arts.

These guys' methods, as seen by the Six Paths Palace, can only be considered heretical demonic ways, not an orthodox cultivation path.

However, they cannot withstand the opponent's orderly inheritance and overwhelming strength; as long as one is strong enough, it doesn't matter whether they are heretical demonic ways or an orthodox cultivation sect.

The current palace master of the Six Paths Palace is very open-minded, he has well balanced the ascetic lineage and the family power, unlike previous palace masters who merely favored the ascetic lineage and single-mindedly suppressed the family power.

Helping Three Linked City to surround and capture people on its own territory, those previous palace masters would definitely not agree.

This open-minded and pragmatic palace master made Li Meng very happy……That's right, the Six Paths Palace also needs friends; what's a small favor for a friend? Having helped a friend this time, the friend will surely return the favor next time.

What's more, these friends presented heavy gifts upon meeting.

Li Meng smiled contentedly, his gaze wandering toward the Drifting Theater Troupe.

About a hundred imperial court mages simultaneously raised their staffs and fiercely swung them down; the surrounding air violently undulated, and the magnitude of the undulation made even Li Meng, a half-step Life Pool Realm cultivator, change color.

The air within a hundred li was instantly evacuated to above the Drifting Theater Troupe, then condensed into a gale-force qi as hard as a steel plate, which fiercely slammed onto the ground.

By the campfire, Mo Zhang Wang lazily curled up beneath the belly of a gray rock lizard.

The gray rock lizard is a cold-blooded animal, its body temperature very low. But under the campfire's smoke-roasting, this side of its belly became soft and warm, smooth and delicate to the touch, just like the skin of the beautiful women who used to lie on his bed and let him enjoy them……

Well, to be honest, this layer of smooth soft skin on the gray rock lizard's belly is actually even smoother than the skin of a peerless beauty……

Mo Zhang Wang had fallen asleep, and a group of children of various sizes gathered around him, likewise falling into deep sleep.

At some point, Mo Zhang Wang began to have a nightmare.

He dreamed that he was being chased and killed by a well-trained cavalry, he was hacked until his whole body was covered in blood, and in panic he plunged headfirst into a roadside ditch.

That time, Mo Zhang Wang was severely wounded and near death, truly just a hair's breadth from actually dying.

When he woke up, he had already been picked up by a group of children from the Drifting Theater Troupe.

A group of children, a group of elders, and a group of women and children saved their own rations to feed Mo Zhang Wang, whose appetite had inexplicably increased a hundredfold.

The leader of the Drifting Theater Troupe then took out the few gold coins the troupe had at the time, bought life-saving wound medicine, and prepared a treatment for his wounds.

Strangely, after years of wandering east and west, hiding and roaming, Mo Zhang Wang ended up staying with the Drifting Theater Troupe.

With his innate divine powers awakened, Mo Zhang Wang no longer feared external harm; he followed the troupe east and west, scraping together meals, occasionally treating the kids to a free meal, since he didn't fear being beaten—let them hit if they want—and with his awakened feigned-death ability, eating those free meals one after another was quite comfortable.

How long have these good days lasted?

I hope they can continue like this—these humble, pitiful yet simple and honest people.

This damned world……the better a person is, the harder it is to survive, but Mo Zhang Wang hopes to forever live among these simple and honest people.

No need to worry that one day deadly poisonous worms will suddenly appear in his bed.

No need to worry that one day lethal poison will suddenly be mixed into his soup.

No need to worry that one day, while embracing a beautiful woman as he sleeps, she will silently draw a poisoned dagger and try to plunge it into his heart.

Even if he sleeps on muddy ground with only an ugly gray rock lizard beside him, this life is peaceful.

Although he lives in poverty, Mo Zhang Wang relishes it.

Then came firelight, blood-red hues, and terrifying roars……

Mo Zhang Wang leapt up in alarm, looking around in terror—half of the camp had already been reduced to ashes, countless members of the troupe had been crushed to pieces, blood-colored dust sprayed in all directions, and countless people had been instantly killed.

Wave after wave of nightmare-like figures closed in, wearing silver armor with golden patterns, blood-red capes, and towering figures soaring high in the sky……

The entire theater troupe's camp—only the small area around Mo Zhang Wang remained untouched.

As far as the eye could see, only the dozens of children nearest to Mo Zhang Wang and the three tents of the troupe leader remained unharmed.

A dozen or so troupe guards rushed out from the tents, and Mo Zhang Wang let out a heart-rending wail: 'No, no, no, don't kill…'

A sharp tearing-through-the-air sound came, and golden arrows flashing with blinding light precisely pierced the guards' throats and hearts, instantly killing them on the spot.

The ones who shot these arrows were at least elite archers of the Chonglou Realm.

The leader of the Drifting Theater Troupe rushed out of the tent with two maidservants, wielding a heavy wolf-tooth club and smashing an approaching warrior away with a single blow.

Mo Zhang Wang burst into tears, his voice hoarse from screaming: 'Don't……you……don't……troupe leader……'

A strong light fell from the sky, smashing the troupe leader's skull in one blow; then more strong lights kept falling, pulverizing her body bit by bit into dust.

Arrows rained down from all sides, and the children beside Mo Zhang Wang spat blood and collapsed one after another……