Chapter 182

On Mount Cangba, atop the towering and steep mountain peak shrouded in swirling clouds and mist, palaces stand tall in continuous rows, immortal cranes dance and birds soar.

A scene of immortal splendor.

This is where the Overlord Sect resides.

At this moment, in the Spirit Tablet Pavilion of the Hall of Merit, three elders were chatting happily with spring‑breeze smiles when suddenly they heard three "pop-pop-pop" sounds coming from behind them.

The three elders' faces instantly changed, for each time this sound rang out it signified that a true transmission disciple of the sect had died!

They hurriedly turned to inspect the densely packed spirit tablets recording the thoughts of the various true transmission disciples and elders, and saw that three in the seventh row had gone out!

The three elders exchanged a glance; one elder leapt up, snatched the three extinguished spirit tablets, gave them a brief look, and said solemnly: "They are the third‑generation true transmission disciples Hou Zhenfang, Jiang Li, and Song Tong!"

Another elder said in a deep voice: "They are ranked fifteenth, twenty‑third, and fifty‑sixth on the Earth Ranking!"

"This is no trivial matter—hurry to the Overlord Sage Hall!"

The three immediately headed for the Overlord Sect's Main Hall; along the way they had already sent a sound transmission of the matter.

Upon arriving at the Overlord Sage Hall, the five hall masters who oversee sect affairs had been waiting a while; the leading hall master said in a deep voice: "Could it be Hou Zhenfang and the other two?"

An elder from the Spirit Tablet Pavilion replied: "Yes!"

One hall master frowned and said: "A few days ago we received word that Hou Zhenfang and his companions seemed to be pursuing Heng Xian, and they had picked up some clues……"

Another female hall master said: "In the monster aberration incident in the capital of Sang Guo, nearly all the monsters were slaughtered, and even the last of the crimson‑silver demons were suppressed,

nowadays the only one capable of and daring enough to kill Hou Zhenfang and his group might be the free‑wandering Heng Xian!"

The leading hall master furrowed his brow slightly: "Notify the elders and disciples in the capital of Sang Guo that Heng Xian already has the ability to slay disciples ranked around the top ten on the Earth Ranking—do not be careless!

Quickly contact the other thirteen sects, calculate Heng Xian's whereabouts, and join forces to exterminate him!"

"Yes! I will personally rush to Sang Guo!"

……

The same scene also unfolded on Mount Chuling at the Divine Blade Palace.

"Has Dao Ba, ranked seventeenth on the Earth Ranking, died?"

"Just the day before yesterday we heard that Dao Ba was chasing after Heng Xian!"

"Damn it!"

A group of Divine Blade Palace elders exploded in rage.

The Ghost Blade True Person who once appeared in Donglan City lamented repeatedly: "This brat Heng Xian—I thought he had talent from the start, a pity he didn't follow me; sure enough, in just a year or two he's grown to this extent, sucking—"

A female elder snapped: "Is now the time to sigh over his talent?"

The Ghost Blade True Person shook his head: "This kid has something odd about him; otherwise the fourteen great sects couldn't possibly fail to trace his movements, leading the disciples to hunt blindly like a blind cat catching a dead rat, wandering aimlessly and needlessly sacrificing lives!"

That female elder frowned: "You mean the Tianyuan Sect outwardly shouts about fighting and killing, but secretly gave Heng Xian an extremely powerful concealment treasure?"

The Ghost Blade True Person blinked: "Senior Sister Jinxang Hua, I didn't say that!"

Elder Jinxang Hua snorted coldly: "I'll go to the capital of Sang Guo myself!"

Saying that, she vanished in a blink.

……

The deaths of the four true transmission disciples of the great sects, Hou Zhenfang among them, caused a huge uproar in the Dongyu cultivation world.

What weight do the true transmission disciples of the fourteen great sects carry?

It can be said that any one of them is worth ten cities.

Know that among the common folk, hardly one in ten thousand becomes a true cultivator, and it takes ten thousand cultivators to produce a true transmission disciple of a great sect.

Each true transmission disciple receives the sect's utmost devotion, with every technique and resource poured into their cultivation.

It can be said that each true transmission disciple will at least achieve late Qi Hai Realm, with more than half able to break through to Primordial Dan Realm without difficulty, and even a tiny fraction can reach Nascent Soul.

Every one is a future pillar of the sect!

Such a figure, if slain by ancient demons, would be deemed a heavenly disaster or demonic calamity; but if killed by fellow cultivators, it is hard for anyone to accept.

The key is that this person is Heng Xian.

This has caused many to reassess Heng Xian's cultivation and abilities!

The capital of Sang Guo has been rebuilt; this place serves as the headquarters where the fourteen great sects handle this "monster aberration" incident.

Elders and disciples from all the great sects have gathered together.

News of the fate of Hou Zhenfang and his three companions quickly caused an uproar!

Mainly because Heng Xian's escape route is extremely winding, the disciples of the great sects cannot catch him.

Moreover, even using powerful divination and mysterious tracking arts, they still cannot pinpoint where he is.

Cultivators who have attained Great Completion of the Primordial Dan Realm went to the Stillwater State and Goat Prefecture City where he once stayed, probed with their spiritual sense, and miraculously found not a trace of Heng Xian—as if he had never been there.

This guy is harder to deal with than an unfathomable, uncanny demon.

How strange and bizarre!

The faces of the great sects simply cannot let this go!

Consequently, many have turned their blame onto the Tianyuan Sect, the sect where Heng Xian cultivated, yet they still cannot find their own disciple?

What kind of joke is this?

There is only one explanation—the Tianyuan Sect is secretly harboring Heng Xian, or they gave him a secret concealment treasure!

Otherwise, how could someone from Heng Xian's humble origins be so cunning?

As for the Tianyuan Sect, they are either damned or damned, their feelings exceedingly complex.

First, our own discarded disciple cannot be found by the fourteen sects, yet he managed to counter‑kill four true transmission disciples midway—doesn't that indirectly show how awesome our Tianyuan Sect is?

Second, Heng Xian must certainly be dealt with, and this matter certainly needs an explanation.

Thus the various great sects argued and wrangled, finally agreeing unanimously to dispatch many elders and disciples to search in all directions from the site where Hou Zhenfang and his three companions died.

Upon discovery, they will immediately send a jade slip message.

Fine rain drizzled continuously; in the Hou family's backyard in Liu Shu Town, inside a solitary VIP room, the light was somewhat dim.

Heng Xian sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed.

A flower‑like maiden carefully applied medicine to his wound, her face flushing as she worked.

Across from him sat two 'experts'.

The fat man was called Hao Gou, the head of the Hou family.

This family numbers only fifty‑six; their highest cultivation is the fifth layer of Innate, they claim to be a cultivation clan, but in fact they run a brothel.

The thin man was called Sun Liuku, also a resident of Liu Shu Town, owner of a street‑side sesame oil shop.

The two have been at odds since childhood; a few days ago, while out, they met in a rice paddy, prepared to fight, but instead encountered Heng Xian.

Liu Shu Town lies 460 li southwest of the battlefield rice field where they fought; for now it is still relatively safe.

At this, the fat Hao Gou coughed, stepped forward, and said softly: 'Grandfather, how do you feel?'

Heng Xian opened his eyes: 'What do you mean, how?'

Hao Gou pointed at the girl applying medicine: 'My niece Hao Feifei, fifteen years old—I offer her to you as a concubine!'

The girl applying medicine blushed slightly, paused, then continued.

Given her status and looks, she will surely be sent off by her uncle to marry someday—perhaps to a doddering old man—but to wed such a handsome youth as Heng Xian is… truly a cause for great joy.

Heng Xian, however, looked at Hao Gou: 'I asked you to prepare trauma ointment, and you bring me a concubine?'

Hao Gou gave a dry laugh, pointing at the thin Sun Liuku: 'All set—Liuku has polished it for you!'

Sun Liuku immediately fawned forward, lifting a large sack of medicinal powder: 'Grandfather, it's purely hand‑ground—take a look.'

Heng Xian glanced at the sack, waved his hand: 'All of you, leave!'

Hao Gou and the other exchanged a glance, then hastily bowed and retreated.

Heng Xian glanced at the girl still earnestly applying medicine: 'You too, go out!'

The girl startled, then hastily bowed and retreated outward.

Heng Xian waved to shut the door, donned his clothes, sighed, walked to the window, and gazed at the pattering rain outside, lost in thought for a moment.

Then he took out the Storage Bags of Hou Zhenfang and the three others, examining them carefully.

The contents were abundant: low‑ and medium‑grade spirit crystals together numbered over a million, various cultivation manuals on jade slips, miscellaneous items, strange spiritual artifacts, and personal hobbies piled up like mountains.

Yet nothing was particularly valuable; these true disciples' money‑making methods were obviously inferior to his.

Just then, a slender figure swooshed onto the windowsill, grinning with a sly, hee‑hee laugh.

(End of chapter)