CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 78: I’LL TAKE YOU THERE

The scorching sun blazed high in the sky.

Zhou Yuanzheng, clad in iron armor, traversed mountain ranges and finally stopped at a specific location.

According to the intelligence, this is where the Calamity resides.

He looked at the wasteland before him, his expression calm. Upon receiving news of the Calamity, Zhou Yuanzheng had come here directly. The wasteland before him was entirely different from the small courtyard mentioned in the intelligence reports, yet he wasn’t surprised.

He was waiting. Waiting for the right moment.

Time swiftly passed, day by day. Night fell, and once again, rain poured down.

In Zhou Yuanzheng’s line of sight, a small courtyard gradually materialized on the originally empty wasteland. From nothing to something, bit by bit, it solidified. The tranquility within the small courtyard, combined with the candlelight, created a sensory experience entirely distinct from the outside world.

It has finally appeared!

Zhou Yuanzheng loosened his limbs and strode towards the small courtyard. For several days, he had been waiting, waiting for the Calamity to appear. A young Calamity cannot fully manifest its Domain; it only reveals itself at specific times and in specific locations. The Domain’s manifestation before him required such a particular moment. This so-called moment, according to Zhou Yuanzheng’s deductions, was a rainy evening.

Sure enough, after several days of waiting, he finally encountered another rainy day.

Now, as the small courtyard appeared, the falling raindrops didn’t touch Zhou Yuanzheng’s body, as if repelled by an invisible barrier, parting around him.

Approaching the courtyard gate, he struck out with his palm, and the gate shattered instantly. The tremendous noise silenced whatever sounds had been coming from within.

Zhou Yuanzheng stepped inside, just in time to see Mo Zijin emerging from the main hall.

"Why did you destroy my gate, sir!" Seeing the newcomer, Mo Zijin’s face flushed with anger. Fueled by his rage, his expression began to twist into something horrifying.

In response, Zhou Yuanzheng’s expression remained indifferent. "Something long overdue for death shouldn’t be allowed to linger and bring misfortune to the world. If you won’t leave, then let me send you on your way!"

As his words fell, he took a step and vanished from the spot. In the next instant, his palm struck Mo Zijin’s body. The savage power instantly ripped Mo Zijin to pieces.

However, just as the fragmented body dissipated, a scholar appeared in another part of the courtyard—unmistakably the same Mo Zijin who had just been killed.

This unprovoked attack caused Mo Zijin’s anger to erupt. "You deserve to die!"

Calamities are said to be undying, but I refuse to believe it! Seeing Mo Zijin reborn, Zhou Yuanzheng’s expression grew uncharacteristically solemn, yet he showed no intention of stopping.

With another shift of his feet, he launched a palm strike through the air. The Palm Gang tore through the air, and before Mo Zijin could react, his body was obliterated once more.

Similarly, just as his body disintegrated, he was reborn elsewhere.

Witnessing this, Zhou Yuanzheng continued his attacks without pause. A young Calamity’s strength was only around the Resentment Level. As a Defender Envoy, eliminating a Resentment Level Strange Monster was by no means a difficult task for him.

If it were any other Demon Evil, it would have perished on the first strike. But the Mo Zijin before him was a Calamity that could be described as undying; no matter how many times he was annihilated, he still wouldn’t perish.

After striking repeatedly over a dozen times, Zhou Yuanzheng suddenly stopped. His momentum surged, and the surrounding air seemed to roil violently. True Qi gathered, coiling around his left arm. His left arm was enveloped in black True Qi, within which countless tormented souls seemed to wail and roar. A ferocious, violent aura swept through the entire courtyard.

This aura caused Mo Zijin’s expression to twist further.

"DIE—" Zhou Yuanzheng roared lowly, his left fist punching out ferociously.

At that moment, tormented souls howled, sweeping through everything like a fierce wind. From the outside, an observer would only see a terrifyingly destructive force instantly tear the entire courtyard to shreds. Everything inside the courtyard turned to ash.

Zhou Yuanzheng stood in place, the black True Qi around his left arm having somewhat diminished. His senses spread out, observing the changes in his surroundings.

Calamities are undying! That was a long-established conclusion. Experts from the Demon-Subduing Division had acted before, slaying some powerful Calamities multiple times, only for them to be reborn in the end. Some had once speculated whether destroying a Calamity’s Domain along with it might lead to its complete demise. This speculation had never been confirmed. The reason was that those Calamities were too powerful; slaying them once or twice was feasible, but destroying an entire Calamity Domain was simply impossible.

Now, facing a young Calamity, Zhou Yuanzheng acted to test whether a Calamity could still achieve immortality if its Domain was destroyed.

One breath.

Two breaths.

—

By the fifth breath, the surrounding space trembled. The courtyard, which had disintegrated into ash, reformed. The main hall was brightly lit. A scholar stood there, looking at Zhou Yuanzheng with a puzzled expression. "May I ask who you are, sir, and why have you come uninvited?"

HUFF!

Zhou Yuanzheng exhaled slowly, took a long, hard look at the person before him, then turned and left.

The Calamity cannot be extinguished! Even if its Domain was destroyed, it could still be reborn.

So he left, quite decisively. Since it couldn’t be destroyed, there was no point in wasting further effort.

—

On the plum blossom pile, Shen Changqing moved, his figure shifting like an illusion, a dazzling sight.

After a long while, he finally stopped and, with a light tap of his foot, descended from the plum blossom pile.

The Snare Trampling Gang Step is indeed an excellent Qinggong technique. Just a short period of practice has made my leg muscles much more resilient, and my movements significantly more agile.

Shen Changqing was quite satisfied with the changes in his body. Ever since acquiring the Snare Trampling Gang Step, he had brought a plum blossom pile from the Miscellaneous Items Hall. The Miscellaneous Items Hall was a department within the Demon-Subduing Division that stored many everyday items. Items for training, such as plum blossom piles, were also plentiful there.

In the past, Shen Changqing hadn’t practiced Qinggong techniques, so he naturally had no use for a plum blossom pile. Only after obtaining the Snare Trampling Gang Step did he bring a plum blossom pile back from the Miscellaneous Items Hall.

Almost half a month had passed since his return to the Demon-Subduing Division.

During this time, the reward from Zhou Yuanzheng had also arrived: five black Demon-Subduing Coins, representing five Merit Points. This reward was entirely an additional gain.

After receiving the Demon-Subduing Coins, Shen Changqing rarely left his quarters, dedicating himself entirely to practicing the Hundred Battles Blade Technique and the Snare Trampling Gang Step. In his spare time, he also practiced the Iron Sand Palm. For the sake of practicing the Iron Sand Palm, he had specifically procured an iron pot and iron sand to aid his training.

However, Shen Changqing’s primary focus was the Hundred Battles Blade Technique, followed by the Snare Trampling Gang Step, with the Iron Sand Palm being the lowest priority. His reasoning for this order was simple.

The Hundred Battles Blade Technique was the most powerful offensive Martial Art in his arsenal. After one fusion, it was far superior to ordinary Martial Arts. The Hundred Battles Blade Technique could be considered Shen Changqing’s most potent offensive tool, so he prioritized its training.

As for the Snare Trampling Gang Step, he wasn’t particularly focused on the Qinggong aspect alone. What he truly valued were the movement techniques embedded within this footwork. Movement techniques were also indispensable in combat. Especially when facing Demon Evil and Strange Monsters, whose attacks could come from any direction, superior movement techniques could often be critically important.

The remaining Iron Sand Palm, while somewhat supplementary, was still important, as Shen Changqing couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t end up in close-quarters combat with Demon Evil. If it came to close-quarters combat, the Iron Sand Palm would be more useful than the Hundred Battles Blade Technique.

The Hundred Battles Blade Technique was his primary offensive method, the Snare Trampling Gang Step provided evasive and offensive movement, and the Iron Sand Palm was his tool for close-quarters combat. These three Martial Arts largely covered his weaknesses. Combined with his Invincible Golden Body, which granted his Flesh exceptionally strong defense, Shen Changqing felt the Martial Arts he needed to practice were almost complete.

It’s not good to bite off more than one can chew. The panel isn’t omnipotent; aside from Outer Techniques and Inner Strength, I have to spend time and effort to master the rest. Focusing on three is already my limit.

He shook his head slightly. Three Martial Arts filled his daily schedule to the brim.

Unfortunately, even so, his gains over the past half month were not substantial.

Firstly, his Snare Trampling Gang Step, previously uninitiated, had officially advanced to the first level. As for the Iron Sand Palm, it remained at the third stage; a breakthrough to the fourth stage was still some way off. His progress with the Hundred Battles Blade Technique was also minimal.

However, despite the limited progress in these three Martial Arts, Shen Changqing could clearly feel his overall strength gradually increasing. Setting other things aside, the daily practice of these three Martial Arts alone enhanced his physical constitution. The Hundred Battles Blade Technique strengthened his arms. The Iron Sand Palm, while tempering his arms, also made his palms exceptionally tough.

It could be said that Shen Changqing’s hands now possessed defensive power significantly greater than any other part of his body—a direct benefit of practicing the Iron Sand Palm. At the same time, the Snare Trampling Gang Step also strengthened his leg muscles.

This kind of improvement couldn’t be achieved merely by leveling up Outer Techniques on the panel.

Thus, Shen Changqing understood that while the inability to directly upgrade these Martial Arts via the panel was a drawback in one sense, it also offered clear advantages.

That is—by personally training hard, I can reap significant benefits during the cultivation process itself.

At this moment, a pang of hunger struck him.

Shen Changqing returned to his bedroom, swallowed a few Satiety Pills, and then resumed his training. Thanks to the Satiety Pills, he no longer needed to go out for meals, allowing him to save that time for cultivation.

Quickly, a day passed.

When it was nearly Midnight, Shen Changqing finally concluded his day of arduous practice. He quickly washed himself and returned to his bedroom to begin meditating. Although his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi could no longer be improved through arduous practice, regular meditation and nourishing his Flesh with True Qi helped him recover from the day’s exertions more quickly than ordinary sleep.