Chapter 1184

Wei Zhuang could sense that, though Gai Nie's eyes remained closed, his breath was steady and his injuries were gradually healing on their own.

This meant Gai Nie would not leave just yet.

He was quite pleased by this.

"But, Yan Tanchu, when will my senior brother awaken?"

"I can't say for sure."

Yan Shisan shook his head and said,

"The spirit soul is the most elusive and unpredictable of matters.

Only a Shattered Realm powerhouse might truly understand it; even a Supreme Mythical Realm cultivator may know little."

A Shattered Realm powerhouse stands at the pinnacle of the Nine Provinces' martial artists.

Since ancient times to the present, few in the Wu Lin of the Nine Provinces have ever reached the Shattered Realm.

Hearing Yan Shisan say this, Wei Zhuang couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Enough. This Six Yang Soul-Melting Pill can not only heal Gai Nie's injuries—it will also greatly benefit him!"

Yan Shisan soothed him, then pointed toward the stone hut,

"But now, Cheng Jiao is about to successfully activate the Bing Mo Shen—will you just stand by and do nothing?"

Wei Zhuang froze at these words.

Originally, Wei Zhuang had come here partly because he had heard Gai Nie was here, and that was why he came willingly.

Second, after deliberation within the Qin Ting's inner court, he knew Cheng Jiao would stir up a storm of unprecedented scale.

Qin Huang Ying Zheng had not only led the Ying Mi Wei ahead to stop him, but also issued an edict ordering all Hundred Schools to hasten and lend aid.

Wei Zhuang, due to Liusha's superior intelligence network and its ties with Luowang,

received this order at the very first moment.

Coupled with his worry for Gai Nie, he arrived without delay.

Had Gai Nie awakened, the task of stopping Cheng Jiao would have fallen to both Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang together.

But now, with Gai Nie temporarily unconscious, this heavy burden rested solely on Wei Zhuang's shoulders.

"Yan Tanchu, will the Qinglong Society do nothing?"

Hearing this, Wei Zhuang gently placed Gai Nie aside before asking Yan Shisan.

The Qinglong Society was the supreme power in the Nine Provinces, the foremost force.

Whether the Great Qin, the Great Tang, or the Great Yuan, none dared defy the Qinglong Society's will.

Now, Cheng Jiao has freed the Lu Li tribe and prepares to activate the Bing Mo Shen of the demon god Chi You.

The Great Qin naturally bears the first blow.

But if the Great Qin cannot hold, no other force in the Nine Provinces may escape unscathed.

As the foremost power, the Qinglong Society bears the duty of maintaining order in the Nine Provinces.

That was why Wei Zhuang asked this.

"Hah! Are you teaching me how to do my job?"

The very moment before, Yan Shisan had been smiling and had saved Gai Nie.

Upon hearing Wei Zhuang's words, his expression instantly turned dark and hostile as he glared at Wei Zhuang.

Under that gaze, Wei Zhuang felt his heart tremble.

Rumor had it that when Guiguzi died on Mount Wudang, Yan Shisan was present.

Wei Zhuang truly did not know what level Yan Shisan, this Qinglong Society Tanchu, had reached.

But under that gaze, even as proud and aloof as Wei Zhuang, he dared not take it lightly.

He could only force a nervous smile and say,

"Yan Tanchu, forgive me—I spoke out of turn."

The killing intent that had filled the air vanished completely with those words.

Had Wei Zhuang's back hairs not stood on end, he might have thought it all a dream.

"Good."

After withdrawing his killing intent, Yan Shisan stood with his sword in hand,

"I'll only warn you once: if you don't act swiftly and let Cheng Jiao succeed,

your Great Qin realm will be thrown into chaos."

Wei Zhuang smiled bitterly inside—he knew Yan Shisan would not lift a finger.

He could only point to Gai Nie and say to Yan Shisan,

"Yan Tanchu, please watch over my senior brother for me. When I return, I shall repay you handsomely."

Stopping Cheng Jiao was Wei Zhuang's most urgent mission.

But Gai Nie was the person he cared for most.

If he left him unattended, especially with Fan Yuqi—the skull-headed one—right beside him,

what would happen if Fan Yuqi attacked after Wei Zhuang left?

"Wei Zhuang, go if you must—I will not strike Gai Nie again."

The skull-headed Fan Yuqi finally spoke.

"Hmph!"

Wei Zhuang naturally did not trust Fan Yuqi.

Yan Shisan gave a slight nod, acknowledging Wei Zhuang's request.

Wei Zhuang then steadied his resolve, straightened his robes, activated the Guiguzi Ascending Technique, and charged toward the stone hut.

At this moment, Cheng Jiao had been inside the stone house for a long time, and the situation had become extremely dire.

Wei Zhuang no longer cared about restraint; seeing these experts of Despair Shanzhuang, he directly unleashed the Sword Intent of Horizontal Across the Eight Directions.

A bold, dominating strike erupted forth.

For a moment, sword qi rained down, and sword intent surged like a dragon.

These experts of Despair Shanzhuang were nothing but misfits and rejects.

Aside from Master Ban and a handful of others, the vast majority were obscure figures from the martial world.

Now, as Wei Zhuang unleashed his full power with Horizontal Across the Eight Directions, most of the Despair Shanzhuang experts had no chance to withstand this technique.

Before the sword qi even reached them, most of the Despair Shanzhuang experts sensed something was wrong.

They immediately prepared to use lightness skill, slip away, and flee.

Yet before they had gone far, and before Wei Zhuang's sword qi arrived—

The stone house suddenly shook violently.

The next instant, the massive head of the Bing Mo Shen beside the stone house suddenly opened its eyes.

Those eyes were not of mortal flesh.

Yet once opened, both Wei Zhuang and the Despair Shanzhuang experts all felt a sudden heart-stopping dread.

Wei Zhuang's fully unleashed Horizontal Across the Eight Directions was, under this dread, silently undone.

"What is this…?"

Feeling the sword momentum of Horizontal Across the Eight Directions vanish, Wei Zhuang stood stunned.

Though Wei Zhuang was not yet a Supreme Path cultivator,

he had, with Fairy Chi Lian's aid, consumed an Immortal-grade Bu Si Qu Snake, greatly enhancing his cultivation.

He had just, during his duel with the Demon Soldier Wei Zhuang, comprehended the unification of Vertical and Horizontal Swords.

His sword heart was now nearly equal to Hearing Gai Nie's.

At this moment, his Horizontal Across the Eight Directions, though not his strongest technique, should have been unstoppable.

Who could have imagined that a single glance from the Bing Mo Shen had rendered it utterly void?

"Ha! Your Majesty has succeeded!"

"Exactly! Exactly! That little dog Wei Zhuang is finished."

"Quick, quick, quick! Let us unite our strength and kill Wei Zhuang to present the victory to Your Majesty!"

The Despair Shanzhuang experts, who had just been preparing to flee, now saw the incoming sword momentum vanish.

And seeing the Bing Mo Shen's eyes open, these opportunistic experts were ecstatic.