“You’re one of their comrades!” Wang Chong smiled and finished the Wushang Village Chief’s words.
“What?”
The driver was dumbstruck, his face fraught with disbelief.
“You began to suspect all the way back then?!”
Wang Chong smiled in reply. This scoundrel wouldn’t be able to escape.
“Since that’s the case, why didn’t you kill me then instead of waiting until now?”
The carriage driver gnashed his teeth.
“Because we lacked a driver!”
Wang Chong finished with a winsome smile.
“Bastard!”
The carriage driver could no longer suppress his rage. Bang! He waved his palm, immediately spreading a black powder that was turned into a black smoke through his Stellar Energy, then it swept toward Wang Chong’s group as if it had a life of its own.
At the same time, countless flying needles, like the hairs of a bull, whistled through the air.
Chapter 1335 - The Formation Elder!
Chapter 1335: The Formation Elder!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Micyhrr
Bang!
When the black smoke and poison needles were still several dozen feet from Wang Chong, they suddenly ran into an invisible barrier and veered to the sides. Boom! With a shake of his sleeve, Wang Chong sent all the black smoke and poison needles skyward.
In the distance, the carriage driver had long ago taken to his heels.
But neither Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, nor the Wushang Village Chief moved to chase him. However, just as the carriage driver was about to get out of sight, countless black needles exploded from the sky in a torrential rain, striking the driver.
There was a wretched scream, and the driver managed to make it a few more steps before his body thumped to the ground.
A few moments later, his body began to rapidly stiffen and blacken, in the end turning into something akin to a withered tree trunk.
“Let’s go! They’ll be here soon. We have more pressing matters to attend to and don’t have time to mess around with them.”
The three of them gathered their things and cleaned up the area before quickly taking their leave.
Around two hours after Wang Chong’s group had left, a gust blew, causing hundreds of thousands of leaves to billow like waves. In a flash of light, three men wearing bamboo hats shot out from the trees and appeared next to the abandoned carriage. It only took a glance for the three men to grimace.
“We were exposed! These scoundrels are even warier than we imagined!” one of the men said.
The three of them quickly noticed a body at the edge of the forest.
“Let’s go!”
They exchanged glances before immediately lunging several thousand feet to the body of the carriage driver. The driver’s body, blackened by the poison, had been hung from a tree. Next to him, several words had been carved onto the tree with a sword: ‘A meager gift to show my respect!’
Beneath it was the signature of the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands.
“Bastard!”
A ball of flame as large as a fist obliterated both the tree and the body hanging from it.
……
Without the carriage, it took around four hours for Wang Chong’s group to finally arrive at the designated area, a crossroads at the edge of a mountain range. At this crossroads, three cedars loomed more than ten meters high into the sky, standing out across this region.
This was where the Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief had met that person on their last trip to the northwest.
After some time, the Demonic Emperor Old Man creased his brow. “Something’s not right! The appointed time has passed. Why isn’t he here yet?”
The Wushang Village Chief also frowned. “It doesn’t look good. Something has happened!”
The situation here was complicated, and it was common for the sects to fight each other. Wang Chong, who had been cultivating beneath a tree, now opened his eyes. He was also rather surprised by this situation.
Swoosh!
At this moment, a flapping of wings came from overhead, and a white messenger bird soon descended from the skies.
This bird immediately attracted the notice of all three.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man extended a hand to receive the bird. Taking its letter, he glanced at it and immediately grimaced.
“There’s been a problem! Let’s go!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man put away the letter and immediately rushed off.
Wang Chong and the Wushang Village Chief both tensed up and immediately went after the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
“Follow that bird!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man glanced at the sky. The messenger bird was able to find the recipient of the letter, and it could also find the sender of the letter.
“Master, what happened?” Wang Chong finally couldn’t help but ask.
This time, the Demonic Emperor Old Man did not hide anything. As it turned out, the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief had run into a formation master. The three of them had personalities that agreed with each other and had traveled together for a time. From a certain perspective, they could even be considered good friends.
“The Wushang Village Chief and I made a thorough investigation. Whether it’s the real treasure or a fake one, they’re normally surrounded by many formations. Neither of us is skilled in this path, so if we don’t have this person’s help, it will be very difficult to find the Origin Immortal Art.
“He’s a very punctual person, and if he says that he’ll be at a place at a certain time, he definitely won’t be late. And reality has verified my conclusion. He’s probably run into one of his enemies!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said. His body moved like a lightning bolt through the trees, unimpeded by the thick forest.
Wang Chong glanced thoughtfully at his master.
His master had a rather special personality, and very rarely did people earn his regard, much less become his friend. It was already rather surprising that he got along so well with the Wushang Village Chief and journeyed together with him to find the Origin Immortal Art.
If this formation elder was regarded by his master as a friend, he undoubtedly had his own astounding traits.
As he was thinking, the wind and trees continued to streak past him. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the ground became much more open.
In front of them, that white messenger bird that the three of them had been following suddenly stopped and began to spiral in the air, though it seemed unwilling to land.
This sight caused all three of them to fall silent.
“He must have run into his enemy here!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man was solemn, a rare hint of unease on his brow.
“Wait; there are no signs of fighting here!” Wang Chong suddenly said.
A few moments later, he had finished surveying the area. There were some footprints on the ground, but there were no signs of disorder, much less fighting. He could see no indications of someone who had run into their enemy and been defeated and captured.
With Wang Chong’s prompting, the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief immediately began to survey their surroundings. The two of them furrowed their brows even more tightly.
“Not only that, there’s something strange about that messenger bird…” Wang Chong said, looking up to the sky.
Even when normal messenger birds got lost, they would never just spiral in the air without landing. Such a situation had never happened before with any of the eagles and other birds Old Eagle had raised.
“Zhang Wenfu, old rascal…”
As everyone was thinking, an elderly voice spoke, tinged with shock and confusion.
“Why is it you two?!”
The moment this voice abruptly spoke, the world began to quake. And then, as Wang Chong watched on in shock, an area of nothing but sand
and gravel some one hundred feet from Wang Chong flashed with light. A large brown rock taller than a man appeared out of nowhere, and then a second, a third…
A few moments later, a stone formation had appeared in front of Wang Chong’s group. This stone formation was created from five or six large rocks, each one like a small mountain, that were distributed across the ground according to a specific pattern.
“This is…”
This astonishing sight caused even Wang Chong to widen his eyes in shock. At this moment, he seemed to think of something. But before Wang Chong could say anything, there was another flash of light, and as Wang Chong watched with dropped jaw, a short and aged man wearing a gray robe and stroking a white beard that seemed to be made of steel needles strode forward, a disdainful look in his eyes.
“Haha, old rascal, so you were hiding here like a turtle! Brother Fang and I thought that you had been dragged away by an enemy!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief laughed as they walked over to the short old man, affectionate looks on their faces.
It seems like this is the Formation Elder that Master spoke of! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
It was obvious that this was yet another talented individual that he had never heard about in his last life, and he had no idea how his master and the Village Chief had become acquainted with him.
“Hmph, how could that be? Those old bastards have been wanting to catch me for more than a few days, but in the end, they were still fooled by these rocks of mine into walking around in circles.”
The Formation Elder coldly huffed, scorn on his face.
“Haha, since that was the case, why’d you send a letter by bird asking for help?”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man heartily laughed, giving the elder no face whatsoever.
“Zhang Wenfu, you old bastard, don’t think that just because you were Demonic Emperor for a few years means that I’m afraid of you. When did this old man ever ask you for help?!”
The Formation Elder’s face went red, his eyes bulged, and his beard trembled. He immediately turned his eyes on Wang Chong, and then as if he had been jabbed, he jumped forward.
“Foul brat, what are you looking at? What’s that expression in your eyes?! Do you think that you’re better than me because you’re taller? Once I take off your head, we’ll be the same height!”
Veins bulged on the forehead of the Formation Elder, his face twisted in wrath. It was like Wang Chong had committed some outrageous crime against the world.
Wang Chong didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Though he had done nothing at all, the Formation Elder had suddenly decided to make trouble for him.
He heard the Wushang Village Chief whisper, “This person is extremely sensitive to the gazes of others because of his height. There’s no need for you to quarrel with him.”
Wang Chong turned in surprise and saw the usually stern Wushang Village Chief genially smiling.
“Zhang Wenfu, what’s going on? Didn’t I say before that this mission was extremely dangerous and that you weren’t to bring any useless good-for-nothings? This region is so dangerous, but you actually brought a brat who can’t be more than nineteen.”
The Formation Elder turned his anger on the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
“Brother Zhou, don’t misunderstand. This is Brother Wenfu’s disciple, not some outsider.”
The Wushang Village Chief smiled.
“Disciple?!”
The Formation Elder stared in a daze at Zhang Wenfu, and then he immediately exploded once more.
“Who cares if he’s your disciple?! I can’t look after any disciple. This old man doesn’t want to be dragging a burden behind him for this entire journey! Hurry and send him back!”
Chapter 1336 - The Righteous Alliance!
Chapter 1336: The Righteous Alliance!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boom! Wang Chong, with a smiling face, flicked a faint bolt of Sword Qi that immediately struck one of the formation rocks behind the Formation Elder. In an instant, the formation rock was pulverized.
“Senior, there’s no need to worry. Junior has the ability to protect himself,” Wang Chong said nonchalantly, drawing back his finger.
All was quiet. The Formation Elder’s mouth dropped open as he stared speechlessly at Wang Chong.
“How could this be!?”
The Formation Elder felt his mind raging in turmoil as he stared at the youth before him.
Although he had extracted these rocks from the ground, all of them were as tough as steel.
More importantly, when hiding from his foes, he had used his formation arts to fuse these rocks with the earthly energy for one hundred li around. He had only opened up the formation, not dispersed it, but a casual strike from this youth’s finger had still been enough to obliterate one of the rocks. Not even top-class experts were capable of such a feat.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man stroked his beard and gloated, “How is it? Still have something to say? You were already told that he was this old man’s disciple. You thought that he would be some nobody?”
Wang Chong seemed to understand his temperament well. With a single finger strike, he had managed to stop this old rascal’s ceaseless mouth.
“Hmph! Powerful martial arts don’t make you all that!”
The Formation Elder turned timid, his anger fading, but his mouth refused to surrender.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief only smiled at this. This was not their first time interacting with the Formation Elder, and they couldn’t be bothered to expose him at this time.
“Let’s go. The treasury will open this month. This news has already leaked, and the sects have sent many people. We need to hurry up!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man walked forward as he spoke.
……
As the four of them got on their way, the Formation Elder began to explain the situation in the northwest.
“The situation is rather complicated. It’s been a very long time since there has been any news of the Supreme and Infinite Origin Immortal Art, but recently, two treasure map pieces have appeared pointing to this place. I feel like someone is intentionally luring everyone here. I came here earlier than you two and observed for a period of time. There are more than twenty factions here, and even foreigners!”
“What!?”
The word ‘foreigners’ instinctively caused Wang Chong to crease his brow. As a King of the Great Tang, he was extremely sensitive to matters on this subject.
“Senior, do you know which empire these foreigners belong to?” Wang Chong asked.
The Formation Elder rolled his eyes and rudely answered, “How could I know that? All these foreigners look the same and I can’t speak Hu, so what does it matter to me?!”
Wang Chong inwardly chuckled and did not squabble. He understood that this elder was still holding a grudge over how Wang Chong had caused him to lose face in front of the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief.
“In addition, Zhang Wenfu, you have to be careful. It’s not just my enemies that have come this time, but that old foe of yours from the world of sects, and he’s brought ten-some people from his sect with him. They’ve put up posters about you everywhere, just sticking wooden posts in the ground and pasting posters on them. I fear that he might be partially responsible for all the experts gathering here this time.”
The Formation Elder gestured with his hands, and as he spoke, he shot a worried glance at the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man said nothing, but his entire body seemed to become much colder and more severe. Wang Chong’s expression also turned more solemn. His master had always remained quiet about what had happened with the sects, particularly with the conspiracy against him. Ever since Wang Chong had saved him, his master had apparently been trying to look past these wrongs.
Thus, not even Wang Chong knew specifically how
his master had been conspired against, only that his martial brother had probably played a pivotal role.
But after strolling around, it seemed like they had finally circled back to the beginning.
In the end, his master’s grudges in the world of martial arts could not be avoided!
Wang Chong suddenly stepped forward and whispered, “Master, that person who conspired against you back then… just what sort of person is he?”
“Chong-er, don’t concern yourself with this matter! The martial arts world is exceptionally murky, and it’s not good for you to get involved. Just let your master handle this matter!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said, though he appeared somewhat unfocused.
Wang Chong hesitated, but in the end, he did not further press his master. His master had been the number one individual of the evil path whose very name caused others to quail in fear, and his way of doing things had been fierce and vicious. It was obvious that this matter could not be explained in just two or three sentences.
Whoosh!
As the group ventured forward, a gust of wind blew several sheets of paper down from a mountain. As all of them raised their heads to look, a mere glance was enough for all of them to pale.
A person’s face had been drawn out with an ink brush on these papers. Although the brushwork was rather crude, the painter was clearly highly skilled. The appearance and temperament of the man depicted was seventy percent similar to the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
Swoosh!
Wang Chong reached out with his fingers, immediately drawing one of those papers into his hand.
‘Pursuit order! Demonic Emperor Zhang Wenfu, a cruel and vicious man who is numb to killing, a great demon of the martial arts world that everyone has the right to punish, is being hunted down by all the sects. Anyone who discovers any trace of him should immediately report the matter to their superiors or kill him on the spot. There is no need to show mercy when dealing with people of the crooked evil path. Any methods are acceptable in killing this devil. A body must be presented whether alive or dead. The alliance will richly reward anyone who provides information or kills this monster.’
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 839