Chapter 969

Luo Jusheng was taken aback.

The Eastern Depot had thousands upon thousands of agents, and quite a few experts among them.

Asked suddenly about Chizu, Luo Jusheng truly didn't react right away.

It was Tiezhua Feiying, as a second-rank head, who knew a great deal about Eastern Depot personnel and reacted at once,

"He's still searching over there."

"Go quickly! Have him come see me at once."

Cao Zhengchun said.

"Yes, sir."

Tiezhua Feiying was puzzled, but still went immediately to find Chizu.

After quite a while, Chizu finally followed Tiezhua Feiying over.

"Chizu greets the Director."

Seeing Cao Zhengchun, Chizu dropped to his knees and bowed at once.

"Rise."

Cao Zhengchun casually flung out a wisp of true qi, lifting Chizu upright,

"You, you know Zhou Zhiruo?"

"Huh?"

Chizu's heart gave a sudden lurch; after a moment's thought he could only admit,

"This subordinate does indeed know her!"

"Oh? Then tell me everything you know about her, truthfully.

When you're done, this Director will reward you handsomely."

The three of them—Cao Zhengchun included—were immediately intrigued.

They hadn't expected that this Chizu, picked up casually, would actually know Zhou Zhiruo—wasn't that perfect?

"She is an outstanding disciple of the Emei Sect…"

Chizu thought for a moment, then said, steeling himself.

"The Emei Sect?"

Cao Zhengchun was startled by the words.

Earlier, Master Yeyu of the Emei Sect had shown not the slightest sign of knowing Zhou Zhiruo, had she?

Not only that, Zhou Zhiruo had publicly defeated Master Yeyu.

Could it be that, to let their own disciple rise to fame, the Emei Sect would go to such lengths?

Was that even possible?

Cao Zhengchun thought it over, then set aside his tangled thoughts for the moment and said,

"Continue…"

"That's all…"

Chizu's face was awkward; it took him a long while to squeeze out those two words.

"That's all?"

Tiezhua Feiying was exasperated—so that's all you knew?

Luo Jusheng was even more blunt, asking,

"How could you only know this much?

If that was the case, why were you so terrified of Zhou Zhiruo before?"

In the battle at the mountain hollow, Chizu had been the first to make a move.

Yet he hadn't even thrown out a single move or half-form; the moment he saw clearly it was Zhou Zhiruo, he retreated as if he'd seen a ghost.

Luo Jusheng had even rebuked him publicly.

"Uh! Actually it's mainly the jianghu rumors—that Zhou Zhiruo has mastered the Nine Yang Divine Art and the Nine Yin True Scripture.

Her strength is truly beyond what ordinary people can match.

My own Wu Gong cultivation is mediocre, so naturally I couldn't compare.

That's why, once I saw it was her, I felt panic in my heart."

Chizu laughed bitterly as he brought up a jianghu rumor.

"Nine Yang Divine Art? Nine Yin True Scripture? What are those?"

Cao Zhengchun, Luo Jusheng, and Tiezhua Feiying exchanged glances.

In the final battle at the mountain hollow, Zhou Zhiruo had been crushed in every way by Cao Zhengchun.

If not for the Nine Yang Divine Art's extremely fast qi recovery—nearly inexhaustible—

and the Nine Yin True Scripture's many marvelous techniques with moves that dazzled Cao Zhengchun, she would likely have been unable to hold on much longer.

Later, just as Cao Zhengchun was about to unleash Maha Wuliang and Zhou Zhiruo felt she was about to be defeated—

she suddenly realized she seemed to have vaguely, somehow, returned to the Nine Provinces.

Just as she was wondering, she noticed the Heavenly Dao Hundred Flowers Ranking that had appeared at the horizon, and her own name prominently in the list.

Looking at the past events mentioned on the Heavenly Dao Hundred Flowers Ranking, Zhou Zhiruo thought again of her old father, who had only been innocently slaughtered for seeing through the Yuan people's identity.

To escape, she had plunged into the bone-chilling river water.

That cold that pierced to the bone—even now, today, she still remembered it.

And her hatred for the Yuan people led by Zhao Min, she felt it etched into her very bones.

And later, the Heavenly Dao Hundred Flowers Ranking actually "saw through" the secret she carried on her!

Zhou Zhiruo's heart was filled with both astonishment and fear!

She had thought this secret was known to no one, a secret belonging solely to herself.

It was also a trump card that belonged to her alone.

It was precisely by relying on this secret that she had been able to achieve successive epiphanies.

With only the Mount Emei Nine Yang Art, she had comprehended the Nine Yang Divine Art.

How heaven-defying was that?

Only now did she realize that this secret had actually already been known to the Heavenly Dao...

Fortunately, fortunately, the Heavenly Dao had not made this secret public.

Next came the segment for distributing rewards.

A Divine-Grade Beauty-Preserving Pill was not bad, as far as Zhou Zhiruo was concerned.

What was truly important was actually that Heaven-Slaying Sword (Immortal Grade)!

This Heaven-Slaying Sword had not only been upgraded to Immortal Grade, but also carried the secret of "Heaven-Slaying, Dragon-Slaying" that the Heavenly Dao valued.

Originally, the message of the Nine Yin True Scripture hidden within the Heaven-Slaying Sword was already considered quite a remarkable secret.

What might the current Heaven-Slaying Sword be hiding?

There was no time to think further. After receiving the reward, Zhou Zhiruo once again withdrew from the Nine Provinces and came here.

She happened to see Cao Zhengchun gathering his Primordial Yuan Tiangang true essence, mobilizing boundless Heaven and Earth origin power.

Like a tidal wave, it surged toward her in attack.

Zhou Zhiruo did not even think, and immediately took up the newly acquired Heaven-Slaying Sword, executing the Great Demon-Subduing Heaven-Round Divine Sword!

In fact, this divine sword technique was also something Zhou Zhiruo had comprehended from the Great Demon-Subduing Fist of the Nine Yin True Scripture, using her secret.

With one sword strike, combined with the Heaven-Slaying Sword.

It actually shattered Cao Zhengchun's Maha Wuliang!

Cao Zhengchun was panic-stricken, preparing to unleash a second move.

Zhou Zhiruo gave him no chance, and immediately executed the second sword strike.

Though it was daytime, brilliant stars suddenly shone here.

This second sword strike was clearly far more terrifying than the first.

Cao Zhengchun was utterly shocked in his heart.

Zhou Zhiruo was even more confident of certain victory.

Who would have thought that the second sword strike had just been launched, and had not yet reached Cao Zhengchun.