Chapter 180: Possession! Dao-Foundation Avatar

After resolving the teachers and students of the Martial Lecture Hall, Zhao Yu led his team to continue forward.

Soon, someone brought him a message, so he immediately ordered the team to change course; they would not go to the West City Gate, but instead turn toward Kaiping District.

The main administration building was located in Kaiping District, and the main force of the City Guard had already rushed there.

Zhao Yu's goal this time was not to harm Gu Zhenhui, nor to bathe the main administration building in blood.

Killing a group of officials would bring him absolutely no benefit, and would instead severely provoke the imperial court.

His true target was the City Guard!

This was also the foundation of his cooperation with the Tiger Blade Gang; from the very beginning, the other side had never intended to use the An Shen Sect to directly harm Gu Zhenhui and the officials of his faction. The traces would be too heavy, and even with the An Shen Sect as a scapegoat, the Tiger Blade Gang would find it hard to escape involvement.

Therefore, the goals of both sides were consistent: the City Guard.

As long as the City Guard was gone, Gu Zhenhui would have no more deterrent power in Xingcheng; as for Zhao Yu, what he wanted were the martial officers within the City Guard!

When the An Shen Sect and the Tiger Blade Gang joined forces to scheme against the four official martial masters of the Stop-Gong Institute, the Tiger Blade Gang wanted to eliminate Lu Sheng and have Huang Weiguang step down, so they could take the opportunity to arrange their own people and completely control the Inspectorate. Besides that, the targeted Wang Ping and the others were all official martial masters who did not stand on Yan Yichen's side; eliminating them in advance was necessary for today's plan to proceed smoothly.

It could be called killing several birds with one stone.

And the An Shen Sect, or rather Zhao Yu, wanted the four official martial masters themselves.

Zhao Yu indeed intended to train demonic martial masters, so he needed the bodies of strong individuals. However, demonic martial masters were only one part; his main purpose was to enhance himself.

He believed in the same concept as Yu Hu: in this world, only one's own strength is the most reliable!

What Zhao Yu cultivated was not the Martial Dao, but sorcery.

The Martial Dao and sorcery are two different paths, but essentially, both are the application of implants. To practice sorcery, one must first implant the corresponding implant into the brain. The first two stages of practicing sorcery are the same as the Martial Dao: the Embryo-Nurturing Stage and the Body-Breaking Stage.

Sorcerers in the Body-Breaking Stage can cast sorcery with the help of rituals and special materials; the next step up is the Spirit-Transformation Stage, where mages can mutate their own spiritual power, thereby casting sorcery directly without the aid of external objects.

Previously, Zhao Yu was a mage at the peak of the Spirit-Transformation Stage; he risked great danger to obtain the bodies of the four official martial masters just to assist himself in breaking through to the next realm—the Possession Stage!

The Dao-Foundation Stage of the Martial Dao involves incorporating more implants into the body to cultivate the foundation of the Martial Dao, while the Possession Stage of sorcery involves controlling more implants outside the body to refine a life-bound magic treasure; the two are fundamentally different.

Zhao Yu had once, by chance, obtained a Grade 3 superior implant, 【Corpse Cluster】; it was a sorcery-type implant, and it had a mutated attribute—the dark attribute.

But a Grade 3 superior implant was too powerful to be used for introductory practice, so Zhao Yu could only wait until he reached the peak of the Spirit-Transformation Stage to use 【Corpse Cluster】 to break through to the Possession Stage.

【Corpse Cluster】 has two extraordinary abilities: one is controlling corpses, and the other is strengthening corpses.

Therefore, to use 【Corpse Cluster】 to break through to the Possession Stage, the most critical point is needing the corpse of a strong individual, and it must be a complete corpse that has been dead for no more than 24 hours.

In that battle back then, it just so happened that Wang Ping committed suicide, and his cultivation was the highest among the four—at the peak of the Qi-Transformation Stage—so Zhao Yu used 【Corpse Cluster】 on Wang Ping.

Cultivating the Martial Dao foundation of a martial artist is very difficult; the most critical point is that the human body has limits. The vast majority of people have no way to carry so many implants, and different implants will conflict with each other; one wrong step could cause severe damage to the body.

And an implant like 【Corpse Cluster】 takes a different path: since humans have limits, then stop being human!

Simply turn a person into a corpse, and then use the corpse to train the Martial Dao foundation; wouldn't that solve the problem?

Since the person is already dead, there is no need to fear being trained to death.

Although Zhao Yu does not cultivate the Martial Dao, he can train the corpse controlled by 【Corpse Cluster】 into his own Martial Dao avatar, which is also a magic treasure for the Possession Stage.

When he cultivated 【Corpse Cluster】 to maturity within Wang Ping's body and fused it with the other's 【Red Qilin】 implant, he officially stepped into the Possession Stage and became a Great Mage!

Wang Ping was at the peak of the Qi-Transformation Stage while alive; after integrating the 【Corpse Cluster】 implant, influenced by 【Corpse Cluster】, his physical strength was greatly enhanced. Coupled with the Red Qilin Force integrating new innate Qi and further strengthening, his combat power officially reached the Dao-Foundation Stage.

Therefore, the 'magic treasure' of Zhao Yu, this Possession-Stage Great Mage, is a Dao-Foundation avatar!

It was precisely by relying on this powerful avatar that Zhao Yu was able to easily subdue those horse bandits in the Qiuping Mountains and have the confidence to kill his way back into Xingcheng.

Ten-plus minutes later, this group of people entered Kaiping District.

At this moment, there was not a single person on the streets; the upper-class people of Kaiping District had long since received the news and gone into hiding.

Looking at the stone-paved streets and the exquisite buildings and residences, the horse bandits in the team felt their breathing grow heavy, and some were itching to act.

Kaiping District is the most affluent area in all of Xingcheng; breaking into the home of any powerful person to loot would be enough for these horse bandits to eat for a year!

"Do not run around, continue forward!"

Zhao Yu sensed the restlessness of the crowd and immediately released another spell.

After breaking through to the Possession Stage, his sorcery effects were even stronger; the horse bandits present immediately quieted down and obediently continued forward.

"Report! The City Guard has been spotted!"

The scout at the very front sent back the message.

"Good, charge!"

Zhao Yu's spirit lifted, and he immediately gave the order.

For his Dao-Foundation avatar to continue growing stronger, it needed to integrate more implants, but other implants were different from 【Corpse Cluster】 and could not grow on a corpse, so he could only choose to fuse with implants already matured on the bodies of strong individuals.

Therefore, the avatar refined using 【Corpse Cluster】 could only follow the demonic path of cultivation.

This was the reason Zhao Yu sought out the City Guard; he needed the bodies of many strong individuals, living or dead!

Soon, the City Guard led by Wei Ge appeared in front of Zhao Yu's team.

The main forces of both sides confronted each other on a main thoroughfare in Kaiping District.

This main thoroughfare was twenty meters wide, enough for a dozen horses to ride abreast, suitable for a cavalry charge!

The City Guard also had cavalry; the reason they didn't use cavalry when going to Wuguang District was that the streets there were too narrow and unsuitable for cavalry.

Gu Zhenhui had Wei Ge bring all the City Guard's strength to Kaiping District, so Wei Ge naturally brought the cavalry as well.

At this moment, including himself, over fifty riders appeared at the very front of the team, and both men and horses were armored!

Raising fifty standard iron cavalry of the Great Lan Dynasty cost far more than the horse bandits raising hundreds of horses.

The horses raised by the horse bandits were far inferior to the standard warhorses of the Great Lan Dynasty in height, endurance, explosive power, and so on.

Not only that, the iron armor on the men and horses was something the horse bandits lacked.

Moreover, the fifty-plus iron cavalry on the City Guard side were either martial artists or martial masters, and the aura they exuded was astonishing!

So when the cavalry of both sides faced off on the main thoroughfare, the horse bandits were immediately panicked.

Even under the influence of sorcery, these horse bandits were not die-hard fanatics brainwashed over a long period; if Zhao Yu dared to order them to charge at the iron cavalry in front, some might mutiny on the spot!

"Kill—"

Also riding a warhorse and clad in full armor, Wei Ge took the lead, roaring as he charged forward.

The warhorse he rode was not an ordinary one, but a Grade 2 exotic beast—the Green Nightmare Horse!

This was an exotic beast with a mutated wind attribute; its speed at full burst was comparable to a speed-type martial master!

It was just that cultivating this kind of exotic beast was extremely difficult and costly, so the number had always been small; the entire Xingcheng City Guard only had three Green Nightmare Horses.

Riding the Green Nightmare Horse, Wei Ge dragged his giant blade with one hand, turning into a gust of wind as he launched the first charge toward the horse bandits ahead.

The horse bandits had guns, so he planned to charge up first and use his extraordinary ability to 'disarm' them all.

Just as he crossed half the distance, a black figure leaped high from the horse bandit team and landed at the very front.

Then, this figure engaged in a head-on collision with Wei Ge.

"Seeking death!"

Killing intent overflowed in Wei Ge's eyes; he used a burst of innate Qi to stimulate the Green Nightmare Horse beneath him, and the horse's speed immediately increased by another notch, leaving an afterimage on the street even while carrying several hundred pounds of weight.

On the other side, the figure shrouded in a black robe struck out a Red Qilin Force at Wei Ge; the dark red red snake emitted a sharp piercing sound as it collided with the charging Wei Ge.

"Wang Ping?!"

Wei Ge recognized this as the Red Qilin Force and was somewhat astonished.

He had no time to think, waving the giant blade in his hand with Earth-Magnetic Force attached to it, the black light slashing into the red snake.

Boom—

With an explosive sound, the red snake was slashed apart, exploding into a mass of crimson gas in the street.

And Wei Ge, riding the Green Nightmare Horse, was sent flying, man and horse together!

"My lord!"

The City Guard in the rear let out cries of alarm.

Wei Ge was already at the peak of the Qi-Transformation Stage, and riding the Green Nightmare Horse, his combat power was even a notch higher than normal; how could he be sent flying by a single move?!

"Dao-Foundation Stage?!"

Knocked off his horse, Wei Ge looked at the black-robed person in front with a face full of horror.

He glanced at the Green Nightmare Horse lying on the ground not far away; this Grade 2 exotic beast had stopped breathing completely after twitching a few times!

This scene caused a commotion among the City Guard in the rear.

"All units, charge!"

Wei Ge suddenly gave the order.

He was also a decisive person, knowing that today's battle could not be avoided no matter what; even if there was a Dao-Foundation Stage expert in front, the City Guard could only charge!

Including Wei Ge, the City Guard had three Force-Refining martial masters, seven martial masters, and eighty-three martial artists.

Such a force, combined with an iron cavalry charge, might not be unable to clash with a Dao-Foundation Stage expert!

Following Wei Ge's order, the fifty-plus iron cavalry launched a charge together.

The earth began to tremble, and the astonishing killing intent was like a monstrous wave, rushing toward them!

The horse bandits were in a commotion, and some were even so frightened they fell off their horses and onto the ground.

Zhao Yu's expression also changed, and he immediately turned to a man beside him and said:

"You must block this iron cavalry, otherwise the team will collapse!"

The other side did not speak, but stepped out from the crowd and charged toward the incoming iron cavalry.

This person was the very Force-Refining martial master who had previously fought Qi Zhongfa, using the Flame-Burst Force.

As he charged out, a dozen others also charged out.

These people were all experts arranged for Zhao Yu by Yu Hu, including one Force-Refining martial master, five martial masters, and twelve Body-Breaking Stage martial artists.

Moreover, these experts were all off the intelligence records and had never appeared in the Xingcheng territory before.

"You two go as well."

Zhao Yu turned his head and spoke to the two black-robed figures who had been following by his side.

"Yes."

One of the black-robed figures nodded and likewise charged out, their entire body enveloped in a jet-black force.

This was the Profound Stele Force, a type of force practiced by one of the four official martial masters who had been captured back then.

That official martial master was already dead, but the implant within his body had now been transferred to this Anshen Sect martial artist, turning this Anshen Sect martial artist into a demonic martial master.

When Zhao Yu retreated back then, he had taken away a total of nine martial artists at the Body-Breaking Realm, but now only two had survived to become demonic martial masters.

This was the success rate of refining demonic martial masters.

Having sent out one demonic martial master at the mid-stage of Qi Transformation, Zhao Yu still kept one demonic martial master by his side as a guard.

After all, he was not a martial artist; even though he was already a Great Mage, he would still be in danger if a martial master got close to him.

"Prepare for joint spellcasting!"

Zhao Yu suddenly ordered.

Then he began to chant loudly, and a powerful wave of spell energy radiated from his body.

At the same time, six sorcerers from the Anshen Sect in the ranks also joined in the chanting.

Zhao Yu had already constructed the ritual required for the spell for them; they only needed to inject their own mental energy into it to enhance the power of the spell.

It took only three seconds for this spell to be completed.

Zhao Yu pointed forward, and a purple-black ring of light exploded within the charging cavalry formation!

After being swept by the ring of light, both men and horses were overcome with intense drowsiness.

This spell was none other than the signature spell of the Anshen Sect—the Soul-Calming Spell.

Martial artists had strong blood and Qi, which specifically countered spells, so Zhao Yu did not expect this spell to have much of an effect on those martial artists and martial masters.

His true target was those warhorses!

Boom—

Boom—

Several warhorses that were charging knelt down on the spot, throwing the City Guard soldiers on their backs flying.

These few warhorses that suddenly fell immediately disrupted the charging formation, and in a chain reaction, several more warhorses fell to the ground.

The cavalry formation, which had originally been as imposing as a rainbow, instantly fell into chaos.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zhao Yu controlled his Dao Foundation clone to charge in!

Qingyuan Fist Stronghold.

Shangguan Xiao had already learned that the group of bandits who entered the city had gone to the Kaiping District, and the main force of the City Guard was also over there.

"Move out!"

She had already gathered all the elite forces of the Fist Stronghold and distributed weapons and equipment; at this command, she led everyone charging out of the Fist Stronghold.

"Great Leader, what about your martial nephew?"

Xiang Du came to Shangguan Xiao's side and asked in a low voice.

"Do not worry about him."

Shangguan Xiao said confidently.

And when the men and horses of the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold charged out of the stronghold, Yu Hu led the men and horses of the Tiger Blade Gang and also set out.

Not only that, Yan Yichen, the Head of the Zhige Academy, also set out with all the elites of the Zhige Academy.

Xingcheng, war clouds gathered!

(End of this chapter)