Chapter 143: Passing Through Several Hurdles! A New Heavenly Pride?

At the same time.

Everything that happened in the Tenth Branch Hall spread rapidly.

Countless martial artists who learned the news were shocked.

The dragon-and-tiger fight that everyone expected didn't happen; instead, Shentu Hong was knocked unconscious with one punch.

This made everyone find it hard to believe, and they ran to tell each other, and the matter soon spread throughout the entire Qingning Prefecture.

Second Branch Hall.

A group of Deputy Hall Masters sat on chairs, whispering about something.

When everyone received the intelligence, they were shocked.

"What? You mean Shentu Hong was knocked unconscious with one punch?"

Wan Houyu's eyes were strange.

Even with his own strength, he couldn't say he could do it one hundred percent.

Could it be that Shentu Hong underestimated the enemy?

He thought secretly.

The Third Deputy Hall Master, Nan Gonglei, and the remaining few were wrong at the first moment when they learned the intelligence.

After all, Shentu Hong's strength was not weak, and even they couldn't do it to knock the other party down with one punch.

The Deputy Hall Masters ranked lower were even more wary.

The strength Lu Zhangsheng displayed was already above them.

If they were challenged by the other party, their status would likely not be guaranteed.

One had to know that the ranking of Deputy Hall Masters was related to everyone's cultivation resources, which was extremely important.

Therefore, whenever they had time, they would fully collect information on their opponents.

Immediately after.

The black-clothed man who delivered the letter told the few people the whole process of the event.

After listening, Wan Houyu and the others attached great importance to it.

"Lu Zhangsheng's strength is very strong, but it is still within our acceptable range."

A moment later, everyone reached this conclusion directly.

They felt a sense of relief in their hearts.

The reason for this conclusion was still that Shentu Hong was careless.

It must be because he underestimated the enemy, was defeated, and didn't want to lose face, so he forcibly endured a blow and suffered internal organ injuries, which led to fainting.

Hmm... This seemed quite reasonable.

Several people were frantically filling in the blanks.

The Deputy Hall Masters ranked lower also felt relieved.

As long as their status was not shaken, the Shentu Hong matter wouldn't have much impact.

Wen family.

When Wen Zhanghe learned the intelligence, his expression was shocked.

Suddenly, he felt a mix of five flavors in his heart.

He hadn't expected Wen Zhiyuan to gamble correctly.

Lu Zhangsheng's strength also exceeded his own expectations.

"Family Head, regarding the punishment for Wen Zhiyuan, should we reconsider?"

The old man stood in the room, his eyes secretly looking at Wen Zhanghe.

"Forget it, the order has already been issued; let him be. This Hall Master Lu might not be able to go far..."

Wen Zhanghe waved his hand, looking indifferent.

As a family head, he wouldn't easily change the family's policy.

Just a Deputy Hall Master, he couldn't affect the overall situation.

Just as the entire Qingning Prefecture was discussing it.

Several hundred miles outside the Prefecture City, in an underground space.

A large group of people stood in the center of the open space, full of solemnity.

Zhao Yuanjing and Wei Shaoxuan were on the list, and there were quite a few experts from Changping County.

The baleful Qi in the air was rolling, extremely oppressive.

On the high platform in front, sat an elder, his aura as deep as an abyss.

It was the Heavenly Demon Gate Protector, Jiuchen, a terrifying expert who had already stepped into the Innate level.

"Protector, now the government has sent a large number of experts to guard the county city, and we find it difficult to breach it; how should we act next?"

Zhao Yuanjing cupped her hands, full of awe.

Since suffering losses in Lu Zhangsheng's hands several times, she had learned from her mistakes.

She began to fully retreat to improve her cultivation.

After several months, her own Martial Dao True Intent had improved quite a bit again.

Many people on the field also turned their gazes to Jiuchen.

Everyone had encountered quite a few problems, and attacking the county city had caused quite a few losses.

After all, the Dazhou Imperial Court was not to be trifled with.

"Hehehe... Even if they shrink back and don't come out, this Seat has a way..."

Jiuchen smiled coldly, his killing intent exposed.

The crowd under the platform was full of doubt.

Their primary goal was to throw the Dazhou into chaos and then establish a world dominated by demons.

As for these people, they would all transform into demon bodies and completely abandon their human bodies.

This was also the ultimate dream of everyone who swallowed demon blood essence.

However, now that the Imperial Court was weak, it had not yet reached the point of collapse.

No matter how much they stirred up trouble, it was difficult to achieve much.

"Could it be that we should ask for help from the experts in the gate and attack the county city fiercely again?"

An old man in red cupped his hands, full of awe.

Zhao Yuanjing and the others also looked at Jiuchen.

They were also quite puzzled in their hearts.

"Idiot."

Jiuchen's expression turned cold.

"We send experts; won't the Imperial Court send them too?"

"If we keep fighting like this, it will be difficult to hurt the other party's muscles and bones for decades."

"Even if we kill some of the Imperial Court's Tuotai Perfection martial artists, it will be of no avail."

Hearing this, the old man looked ashamed and angry.

He knew that what Jiuchen said was true.

The crowd under the platform remained silent, and for a time, the field became very quiet.

At this moment, Jiuchen smiled coldly: "Do you know what is most important to the Dazhou?"

He didn't beat around the bush anymore and prepared to state his own plan directly.

"People's hearts?"

"Martial artists?"

"Innate experts?"

The crowd under the platform spoke one after another.

"Although these are important, they are not the core."

Jiuchen's tone was gloomy.

"The most important thing is to let the bottom-level people have food to eat."

"Hehe... When people are hungry to a certain extent, they are no longer human."

"Does the Protector mean to fully intercept and kill the Imperial Court's grain transport team?"

Zhao Yuanjing's eyes lit up.

This method was feasible.

However, the difficulty of operating it specifically was a bit high.

"How can intercepting be as fast as destroying directly?"

Jiuchen looked cruel.

"What does the Protector mean?"

The crowd under the platform looked at each other, somewhat confused.

At this moment, Jiuchen took out a small porcelain bottle and placed it on the table.

"This item is made from blood essence; mix it with water and pour it into the fertile fields, and it will make the land barren for ten years."

"These things are prepared by experts in the gate; you don't need to worry about the quantity."

His tone was extremely cold.

Zhao Yuanjing and the others felt a sense of endless chill in their hearts.

Over the years, the Heavenly Demon Gate had been collecting blood essence on a large scale, likely for this day.

"Protector, after destroying all the fertile fields, what will we eat?"

The crowd looked somewhat nervous.

One had to know that even Innate experts needed to eat.

"Hehehe... By then, there will naturally be a large number of vegetation people; babies are even more tender."

Jiuchen smiled coldly and licked the corner of his mouth.

The crowd couldn't help but tighten their bodies.

It was not hard to imagine that if the Holy Gate's plan succeeded, the entire Dazhou's hundreds of millions of territories would be filled with bones.

This kind of scene was terrifying to the extreme.

By then, let alone the Imperial Court, the entire world would be in chaos.

Smoke and fire would rise everywhere, and their opportunity would naturally arrive.

"The Protector is wise."

The crowd bowed repeatedly, full of awe.

This absolute annihilation plan was simply impeccable.

One had to know that although the Dazhou's territory was vast, most of the mountains and swamps were not suitable for farming.

Fertile fields that could produce grain were only a minority; as long as they could destroy half of them, it would be enough to throw the world into chaos.

"You must act secretly; whoever makes a mistake, hmph..."

A fierce glint flashed in Jiuchen's eyes.

"We dare not."

The crowd cupped their hands hurriedly, full of fear.

Over the next few days.

Lu Zhangsheng, besides familiarizing himself with his own duties in the Tenth Branch Hall, was practicing martial arts with his family and mining.

His days were very peaceful.

After the battle with Shentu Hong, no martial artists came to challenge him again.

Which made him much quieter.

Such days passed in a flash for two months. This day, at noon.

The warm sun was shining brightly.

Lu Zhangsheng walked through the bustling crowd with his hands behind his back.

Amidst the awe-filled gazes of the crowd on both sides, he walked all the way toward the Tongtian Tower ahead.

After these days of familiarity, he also knew the general information within the Prefecture City Demon-Suppressing Division.

For their group of Deputy Hall Masters, if they wanted to improve their offering resources, besides the Deputy Hall Master ranking, it was to break through the Tongtian Tower.

According to one's own talent, for every level one rose, the cultivation resources would increase by about ten percent.

At the same time, for every rank one rose in the ranking, the resources would increase by ten percent accordingly.

There was also the mysterious Trial Land, which could also be exchanged for resource points.

It could be said that within the Demon-Suppressing Division, strength and talent were everything.

In a simple sentence: The Imperial Court does not raise mediocrity.

Lu Zhangsheng had been lying low for nearly half a year, so he decided to move around properly.

The position of the tenth Deputy Hall Master did not meet his own expectations at all.

Before long, he soon arrived in front of the Tongtian Tower.

At this moment, quite a few figures were already standing on the square, and quite a few people were breaking through inside the tower.

A group of people saw Lu Zhangsheng arrive and avoided him with awe.

Toward the Branch Hall Master, they didn't dare to offend him at all.

This kind of person was already close to the core of power within the Demon-Suppressing Division.

Lu Zhangsheng walked straight toward the Tongtian Tower, his expression as calm as water.

The breeze blew slowly, blowing his white long robe.

The whole person was like a young master walking out of a jade wall, his temperament extremely carefree, making everyone around feel somewhat inferior.

"Hum..."

When Lu Zhangsheng stepped into the Tongtian Tower, fluctuations appeared in the void ahead.

In the blink of an eye, he was teleported to an unfamiliar grassland.

A line of text appeared in the void ahead.

Challenger: Lu Zhangsheng.

Tenth Layer: Cleared.

Talent: Genius (Middle). Challenge again? Choose to make information public?

"Continue to challenge, public."

Lu Zhangsheng nodded faintly.

Hiding now had no meaning; at this moment, he was the only Deputy Hall Master challenging.

At the same time.

The news of Lu Zhangsheng challenging the Tongtian Tower again spread rapidly.

Countless martial artists flocked toward the Tongtian Tower, seemingly wanting to witness with their own eyes how strong this newly promoted genius was.

Of course, several other Deputy Hall Masters and some Inspectors were not present, all feeling that Lu Zhangsheng was just trying it out.

After all, everyone knew that Lu Zhangsheng had only challenged the Tenth Layer less than half a year ago, and it was impossible to have a huge breakthrough again.

Just as there was much discussion outside.

The space around Lu Zhangsheng rippled slightly, and he soon arrived in a desert.

The scorching sun was overhead, and even the air seemed to emit a sense of heat.

Eleventh Layer.

Challenger: Lu Zhangsheng.

At this moment, a subtitle appeared in the void ahead.

"Hum..."

A yellow figure suddenly appeared on the desert ahead, his expression very calm.

"Is this the gatekeeper? Or a Pseudo-Innate expert?"

Lu Zhangsheng looked at this person quietly.

The other party had a delicate face, like a graceful young master, holding a long sword, and his aura was quite extraordinary.

The moment the other party appeared, Lu Zhangsheng sensed the person's strength.

It was much stronger than the Tenth Layer guard.

"Your strength is very strong; this hurdle cannot stop you."

The man smiled slightly.

Hearing this, Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly; he hadn't expected this person to have such high intelligence.

Before this, he had always thought that this Tongtian Tower was full of virtual characters.

"Is it a bit surprising? I am also a challenger from a hundred years ago, and my information was recorded; at this moment, I am just a projection."

The young man carried his hands behind his back, his white robe fluttering in the breeze.

The whole person radiated a sense of being ethereal and detached from the world.

"Please enlighten me, brother."

Lu Zhangsheng cupped his hands, looking polite.

Anyone who could leave information here must also be a genius, worthy of his respect.

"Being able to discuss the Dao with a junior genius is also a great joy; let's fight."

The young man looked heroic.

The golden long sword in his hand was slowly raised, and his momentum was crazily rising.

A breeze blew by, and the sky seemed to become even more sultry.

"Slash."

Lu Zhangsheng slashed forward with one blade.

Killing True Intent was directly triggered, and his Qi and Blood had long been raised to the limit.

It gathered into a blood-colored furnace above his head, the vision extremely astonishing.

The young man also thrust out with one sword.

It was as if fire was bursting in the void, and the momentum was quite vast.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The two collided violently, fierce energy sweeping in all directions, and dust and smoke rolled everywhere around them.

"Crack..."

With a light sound, the man's long sword shattered instantly, and then the brilliant blade light directly cut through the man's chest.

In an instant, the man turned into dots of starlight and disappeared into the void.

With one blade, the man was defeated.

"Looking forward to our next meeting..."

In the void, only this sentence echoed.

Hearing this, Lu Zhangsheng suddenly felt a trace of doubt.

"Could it be that this was only a part of the other party's strength? Will I meet this person again later?"

He looked up at the void ahead.

The information had already undergone some changes.

Challenger: Lu Zhangsheng.

Eleventh Layer cleared.

Talent: Genius (Upper).

At the same time, the outside world had already received the information.

Many martial artists looked up at the changes in the information in the void, full of shock.

"This... Hall Master Lu has broken through again?"

A group of people had some disbelief in their eyes.

Only a few short months had passed, and they hadn't expected the other party's strength to have such a huge breakthrough.

One had to know that after reaching the genius level, every improvement was extremely difficult.

This information spread rapidly like a hurricane.

Countless martial artists flocked toward the Tongtian Tower.

Even several Deputy Hall Masters couldn't sit still and rushed toward the Tongtian Tower.

Before long, a large number of figures had already gathered on the square.

Qin Ruobing and Tong Yuhua and others were full of excitement.

As the leader of the group, the stronger Lu Zhangsheng was, the more they would benefit.

"Could it be that this person is really going to impact Heavenly Pride?"

Wan Houyu's gaze flickered.

Even he was only at the Quasi-Heavenly Pride level and had been unable to cross this chasm for years.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng pass the eleventh layer and not come out for a long time, he couldn't help but start to speculate.

"Impossible, this layer is his limit."

Nan Gonglei, standing to the side, looked gloomy.

As a newcomer, the other party's talent was already comparable to his own, which made him somewhat unable to accept it.

The crowd around stood on the square, waiting quietly.

More than half an hour later.

The information in the void changed again.

Challenger: Lu Zhangsheng.

Twelfth Layer: Cleared.

Talent: Heavenly Pride (Quasi). "Damn... what the hell is this? Did I see it wrong?"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

In an instant, the people on the field reacted; a new Quasi-Heavenly Pride was born.

Everyone looked at the information in the void with disbelief.

"He... succeeded?"

Everyone on the field instantly boiled over, and the cheers were earth-shattering.

Qin Ruobing and the others were all flushed with excitement.

No one had expected Lu Zhangsheng to break through two layers in a row; this simply refreshed history.

Except for that freak, the First Deputy Hall Master Ye Yiyang, no one had ever had such a feat.

"Could it be that a second Ye Wudi is about to appear in Qingning Prefecture?"

Everyone opened their mouths wide, and a monstrous wave seemed to surge in their hearts.

One had to know that although Quasi-Heavenly Pride had not yet completely stepped into the Heavenly Pride sequence, it was also extremely astonishing.

Only those with top-tier talent, temperament, and strength had a glimmer of hope of obtaining it.

As for the later layers of the Tongtian Tower, that was not something ordinary people could break through.

Except for some freaks, it was almost difficult for anyone to pass.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng pass through and still not come out, everyone was silently looking forward to it.

Their gazes were fixed on the void ahead, afraid of missing even a fraction.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====