My Apprentice Is Too Diligent

Chapter 86: The Truth!!! (Two-in-One Subscription Request)

No legs.

To move, either crawl with both hands or consume True Qi.

But True Qi is limited.

After all the bursts of power, Shi Houzhong's cultivation at the Eighth Layer of True Qi is almost depleted.

He cannot completely exhaust his True Qi and then slowly recover.

He will generally leave behind about thirty to forty percent as a reserve.

For example, he can transform his True Qi into a pair of "True Qi footprints" to temporarily act as legs.

However, these "True Qi footprints" are not real and lack a tangible sensation. It takes a lot of time to adapt to walking normally as before.

The current Shi Houzhong mostly crawls with his hands on the ground and then hides!

As expected.

When Chen Wuji followed the traces on the riverbank and searched less than a hundred zhang, he once again saw a trail left by crawling.

Following this trail, the Wind Chasing Boots silently flew a distance and arrived at the foot of a mountain, stopping outside a cave.

Chen Wuji stopped and used his powerful five senses to listen to the movements inside the cave.

In the next moment, he heard breathing and heartbeat, both gradually decreasing from rapid to slow.

Shi Houzhong!

He knew where this guy was.

Chen Wuji stepped back, moved slightly away from the cave, found a rock to sit on, adjusted his breath through cultivation, and swallowed a Returning Qi Pill to continue recovering his True Qi and mental state.

Until dawn, Chen Wuji did not move and continued to recover.

It wasn't until evening that he stopped cultivating, stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, and walked towards the cave.

This time, there was no concealment. The Wind Chasing Boots were no longer activated, and his feet stepped on the ground, approaching step by step.

When he approached the cave, Chen Wuji suddenly couldn't hear the breathing inside the cave, and the heartbeat became faint.

"Shi Houzhong, don't hide. I know you're inside."

Chen Wuji lightly shouted, True Qi swirling in his palm. "If you don't come out, you'll stay in the cave forever."

No movement.

The cave fell into silence.

"Fine."

Chen Wuji didn't insist. "Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish."

Boom!

He struck the cave entrance with a palm, causing it to collapse.

With a rumbling sound, a figure dashed out like lightning.

The moment he came out, he released black sword energy and headed straight for Chen Wuji.

Swish!

Chen Wuji swung the sword wrapped in flames, displaying the dazzling Thirteen Swords. The sword energy raged.

As they collided, tore apart, and turned into vigor, they cut through the ground, leaving behind deep gullies.

Soil and rocks were thrown into the air for a moment.

Hoo!

Chen Wuji's figure flickered, swiftly circling around Shi Houzhong, who was unsteady on his "True Qi footprints."

Seizing the opportunity, he condensed one-third of his mental power and invisibly released the "Soul Annihilation" technique.

"Ugh!"

Just as Shi Houzhong was about to use the Demon Wind Palm, he let out a muffled groan. His brain throbbed, his face twisted, and all his movements stopped.

Swish swish!

Chen Wuji didn't stop and continued to swing his sword, passing by both sides of Shi Houzhong.

"Splurt~" "Splurt~"

Blood splattered, accompanied by screams. Shi Houzhong's two arms flew into the air and fell to the ground with a "thud, thud."

Thud!

Losing balance, Shi Houzhong himself fell forward and collapsed on the ground.

"Wait, wait!"

Enduring the intense pain, with his face against the ground, Shi Houzhong urgently shouted, "Brother Qin, wait, I have important information about the 'Next Life Society.' I promise you won't know..."

Buzz!

The "Confusion" technique was instantly released, directly entering Shi Houzhong's brain.

The shouting abruptly stopped.

转为身体抖动，喉咙野兽般低吼，眼中满是挣扎。

But in the end, he still lost his spirit and lay motionless on the ground.

"Hu~"

Chen Wuji exhaled, adjusted his breath, and first stopped the bleeding for Shi Houzhong.

Then, standing aside, he calmly spoke, "Shi Houzhong, what is the latest news you have heard about 'Lai Sheng Hui'?"

"I... I know the true purpose of 'Lai Sheng Hui' coming to White Water County," Shi Houzhong replied in a daze.

Hmm?

"You didn't know before?" Chen Wuji was curious.

Shi Houzhong said, "I just found out about this news today."

"How did you find out?" Chen Wuji asked.

Shi Houzhong replied, "I accidentally encountered a member of 'Lai Sheng Hui' in the county town. After capturing him, I interrogated him and learned that he is the illegitimate child of Wu Qian. Wu Qian told him about the main purpose of 'Lai Sheng Hui' coming to White Water County."

Chen Wuji, "..."

"What is their purpose?" Chen Wuji asked again.

Shi Houzhong said, "To use the energy spring that is sealed, when it erupts again, to refine a damaged and dormant blood divine weapon and awaken the spirit of the divine weapon!"

!

Energy spring?

Sealed?

Erupting again?

Blood divine weapon!?

In just one sentence, there is so much information that it makes one dizzy.

Chen Wuji knows about the energy spring.

It is a place where the energy of heaven and earth converges, but White Water County has never had one.

Oh, right, it is currently sealed, but it will soon erupt again.

As for the blood divine weapon.

It is a type of divine weapon.

And divine weapons are terrifying weapons that are many times stronger than treasure weapons.

They are divided into two types.

One type is naturally nurtured, born in special environments.

Flowers, plants, trees, stones, wind, water, earth...

Any of these could be a divine weapon, with no fixed form.

Because they are born innately, these divine weapons are called heavenly divine weapons.

The second type is the blood divine weapon.

It is derived from treasure weapons.

Powerful Martial Masters, through tempering with their own blood, True Qi, and divine sense day and night, for dozens or even hundreds of years, eventually allow the treasure weapon to develop spirituality and possess a weapon spirit, thus transforming it into a divine weapon.

Due to their innate nature, heavenly divine weapons have been rare throughout history.

As for blood divine weapons, they are artificially created and appear once or twice every hundred years.

Even so, not everyone can possess a blood divine weapon.

Without a powerful force as a backing, even the Ascending Heaven Realm cannot keep a blood divine weapon.

It is surprising that "Lai Sheng Hui" possesses one, even if it is damaged and dormant.

And the leader of "Lai Sheng Hui," Tang Xianzong, is only at the half-step Ascending Heaven Realm.

...

His brain quickly turned, Chen Wuji took a deep breath, stabilized his mind, and continued to ask, "Tell me more! For example, where did the energy spring in White Water County come from?"

"Okay, okay."

Shi Houzhong dazedly began, "The story... starts five hundred years ago."

"Five hundred years ago, in this area of White Water County, the energy of heaven and earth was still abundant, and there were many sects and forces."

"But one day, a Great Monster, the Blackwater Snake Lord, came along the Tianmen River and entered White Water County, devouring and killing tens of thousands of people. None of the Martial Masters in the county were a match for it."

"It was the passing Red Cloud Knife King who discovered the surging Monster Qi and rushed over in time to stop it, saving the entire county from being completely wiped out."

"Because the Blackwater Snake Lord could control the power of water, any life with a high water content in the area where the energy of heaven and earth was located became a source of its monstrous power."

"For this reason, the Red Cloud Knife King, with his transcendent cultivation, gathered the energy of heaven and earth in White Water County to form a temporary spring and sealed it."

"Without the energy of heaven and earth, the power of the Blackwater Snake Lord greatly declined, and it was eventually killed by the Red Cloud Knife King. However, due to the excessive consumption of his own power, the Red Cloud Knife King had no more strength to undo the seal and left behind this seal, waiting for him to recover and come back to unseal it."

"However, I don't know if he forgot or encountered an accident, but after the Red Cloud Knife King left White Water County, he never returned."

"The energy of the world sealed in the temporary spring has remained sealed all this time."

"As time passed, future generations gradually forgot about it, but there is still a sealed temporary energy spring in White Water County."

"Until today, five hundred years later, 'Lai Sheng Hui' accidentally learned of this news and came to investigate in White Water County, only to discover that after five hundred years, the seal left by the King of Chi Xia's Blade, Red Cloud, had worn away and was about to dissipate on its own."

"Coincidentally, Tang Xianzong obtained a damaged and dormant Blood God Weapon from somewhere, and thought of awakening the spirit of the divine weapon through the re-eruption of the world's energy."

"And to awaken the spirit of the Blood God Weapon, besides a massive amount of world's energy, it also needs to stimulate the revival of the divine weapon."

"This requires the blood of the descendants of the person who tempered the Blood God Weapon back then..."

"Qi Zhongshan's ancestors were the ones who tempered the Blood God Weapon back then?" Chen Wuji couldn't help but interject.

"Yes...yes." Shi Houzhong paused for a moment and replied, "The Blood God Weapon that Tang Xianzong obtained is called 'Mo Tian Ji'. It was forged by Qi Zhongshan's ancestors, using their own essence blood, True Qi, and divine consciousness to temper and transform it."

"So, to awaken the 'Mo Tian Ji', it first needs to be guided by the Qi family's bloodline and fed with the flesh and blood of a thousand people to stimulate the revival of the divine weapon..."

"Feeding on flesh and blood? This 'Mo Tian Ji' doesn't sound like a good thing. Was Qi Zhongshan's ancestor a member of the Demon Dao?" Chen Wuji couldn't help but comment.

"I don't know." Shi Houzhong replied.

"...Where are Qi Zhongshan and his son, who were captured by 'Lai Sheng Hui'?" Chen Wuji asked again.

"I don't know." Shi Houzhong replied.

"...You said that this temporary energy spring is about to dissipate on its own. Can it be detonated in advance to make it disappear?" Chen Wuji inquired.

"It can." Shi Houzhong replied.

"It can?" Chen Wuji's eyes lit up. "How can it be done?"

"Go down to the bottom of the Crescent Bay Cave and unleash a full-force strike at the Ninth Layer of the True Qi Realm, and it will detonate the seal and dissipate it in advance."

"The Ninth Layer of the True Qi Realm?" Chen Wuji pondered. "No problem."

"Wait, you just said that we need to go down to the bottom of the Crescent Bay Cave? The location of the temporary energy spring is in Crescent Bay!?"

"Yes." Shi Houzhong replied dumbfoundedly.

Chen Wuji...

Finally, he understood!

Now everything was clear!

The legend of the treasure in Crescent Bay.

It turned out that it originated from the powerful seal left by the King of Chi Xia five hundred years ago!

Gathering the energy of the world in a temporary spring.

In a sense, Crescent Bay was indeed a treasure trove!

However, inside this treasure trove, there were no specific treasures, only the energy of the world sealed for five hundred years.

No, that's not right.

It should be the dispersing aura of the world's energy and its flowing mechanism.

And most importantly, the dragon veins of the earth.

It involved a wide range, not just pure world's energy.

If it were just world's energy, the King of Chi Xia wouldn't need to leave such a powerful seal.

After five hundred years, the seal was about to dissipate.

And once this seal disappeared, the energy of the world in White Water County would revive and return!

At that time, the area closest to Crescent Bay would receive the most abundant baptism of the world's energy.

Those who enjoyed this wave of world's energy baptism could greatly accelerate their cultivation and breakthroughs.

Thinking of this, numerous thoughts quickly flashed through Chen Wuji's mind.

After a while, he took a deep breath, stabilized his mind, walked towards Shi Houzhong, flipped him over, faced him upwards, squatted down to search his body, and asked, "When you sold me, what did you get from Wu Qian?"

"I got a Xuan Yuan Pill." Shi Houzhong replied.

"Xuan Yuan Pill?" Chen Wuji happened to find a porcelain bottle from Shi Houzhong's embrace, opened the lid, and poured out a pill, asking, "Is it this one?"

"Yes...yes." Shi Houzhong's eyes began to struggle, and his body trembled.

Chen Wuji sneered, seizing the opportunity before Shi Houzhong erupted, and swiftly made his move.

Smack!

His palm struck the forehead, cracking the skull.

The furious Shi Houzhong abruptly stopped, keeping his eyes open, as his vitality quickly faded away.

"Death came too easily."

Chen Wuji had never fully trusted Shi Houzhong and had always remained cautious around him.

As a result, Chen Wuji wasn't too angry about Shi Houzhong's betrayal.

He was just annoyed.

But now, with one palm strike killing Shi Houzhong, he felt a sense of relief.

He continued to search Shi Houzhong's body.

He found two porcelain bottles and opened the lids to sniff them.

One bottle contained three Qi Pills, while the other contained eight Qi Pills.

There were several silver notes totaling eight hundred and fifty taels.

There was also a secret manual, "Black Fiend Mantra"!

As for the "Demon Wind Palm," it wasn't carried by Shi Houzhong, and there were no abnormalities on his skin or hidden compartments in his clothes.

The gains were barely satisfactory...

Oh, there was also a black sword of treasure-grade quality, which fell to the ground not far away along with the severed arm.

Chen Wuji walked over, picked up the completely black sheathless long sword, and sensed the aura on the sword.

Cold, sharp, and focused.

Yes, Chen Wuji found that when he held the black sword, his mind could instantly concentrate without any distractions.

Just this alone was worthy of praise.

With a flick, Chen Wuji put away the black sword and tore off half of Shi Houzhong's clothes to wrap the sword.

Then, he lifted Shi Houzhong's corpse and threw it in front of the collapsed cave, using both palms to smash the nearby mountain wall and bury the body under the soil and rocks.

Hmm, before burying it, he completely smashed Shi Houzhong's head.

...

Originally, he wanted to save Qi Zhongshan and his son, but he didn't know where they were being held.

Chen Wuji had no choice but to give up.

He returned to the county town, to the Chen Family's courtyard.

Chen Wuji first found a map of White Water County and examined the geographical distribution of the mountains and rivers near Crescent Bay.

Without much consideration, he locked onto a location.

Azure Ox Mountain.

It was less than five li away in a straight line from Crescent Bay. When the energy of heaven and earth erupted from the bottom of Crescent Bay, Azure Ox Mountain was not in the first tier, but rather the second tier.

The energy of heaven and earth would return to White Water County.

The entire Southern Sun Prefecture would be shaken.

The first-tier location would be fiercely contested.

Chen Wuji was satisfied with occupying the second tier.

So...

Chen Wuji immediately had Han Ying take several hundred taels of silver notes to the county yamen to buy Azure Ox Mountain.

Money was not a problem.

Becoming the recognized owner of the mountain in public would give him a righteous advantage!

Chen Wuji himself entered the training room.

Members of "Life Will Come Again" who were killed would be marked with the character "生" because True Qi did not cover their entire bodies.

On the first night of teaming up with Shi Houzhong, Chen Wuji learned from him how to avoid leaving a mark.

That was to maintain True Qi covering the entire body when killing someone!

Chen Wuji never forgot.

So, he didn't have to worry about Tang Xianzong coming to his door.

Of course, before training, just in case, Chen Wuji focused his mind and inspected himself internally to make sure there were no marks.

Only then did he take out an Ascending Cloud Good Fortune Pill, consume and refine it, and enhance his cultivation.

Whether it was prematurely detonating the seal, saving the bewitched villagers, or occupying Azure Ox Mountain, he needed to reach the Ninth Layer of the True Qi Realm.

Buzz~

In the dantian space, the energy of the Good Fortune Pill was absorbed and refined, continuously generating new Primordial Origin True Qi, enhancing cultivation, and breaking through to the Ninth Layer.

He had already consumed one pill.

With the second pill, the absorption speed greatly increased, and with the assistance of the Ninth Layer's "Dragon Gate Primordial Origin Technique," it only took three days.

Chen Wuji successfully broke through and advanced to the True Qi Ninth Layer!

(End of this chapter)