I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 331: Chapter 51: The ‘Heavenly Curtain’ that Divides the Void

Qingwei Mountain, the gateway to the Zhi Xu Sect.

Jia Shen stood here with a gloomy face, as more than a dozen Zhi Xu Sect disciples stood ready in stern formation, looking extremely vigilant.

“Does your Sect Leader Chen intend to play the turtle, shrinking its head back into its shell?” The leader of Divine Monkey Village, a Secret Sixth Rank Loose Cultivator, was seething with intense rage.

Peng Kang was his subordinate, meant to be his future general controlling the entire region of the Six Mountains, yet now he had inexplicably exploded.

And right in front of him, splattering his face with blood.

This was clearly a provocation!

Yet, alongside his fury, Jia Shen also felt a tinge of joy, for he finally had a legitimate reason to act against the Zhi Xu Sect.

As a Secret Sixth Rank with over a century of life, he coveted the martial texts that might still exist within the Zhi Xu Sect.

Previously, he had not dared to act due to the relationship between the Zhi Xu Sect and the Pure Yang Palace, but now even if the Pure Yang Palace intervened, he had an excuse to brush them off.

He wouldn’t annihilate the Zhi Xu Sect, merely “borrow” some martial texts, and with a justified cause, it shouldn’t invite any criticism.

“Our Sect Leader is currently dealing with very important matters and asks that Leader Jia please wait for a moment,” said a Zhi Xu Sect disciple stepping forward to explain.

“Don’t tell me Sect Leader Chen thinks she can ignore me now that she has a Secret Sixth Rank assistant by her side,” Jia Shen said with a dark expression, “I would advise her not to…”

Before he could finish speaking, the vital energy of heaven and earth on Qingwei Mountain suddenly began to tremble violently, even the laws of nature seemed to be drawn by some force.

The sky changed color, and winds and clouds gathered.

In an instant, the area within three miles of Qingwei Mountain became eerily silent, extremely quiet, as if an invisible hand had suppressed everything.

Perceiving all this, Jia Shen’s face changed dramatically, and he looked incredulously towards the direction of the Zhi Xu Sect’s gate, his eyes wide, filled with shock.

“How is this possible? Is this Chen Yingyu? She, she has broken through to the Secret Sixth Rank?! How can this be?”

His face turned from green to white, and he gnashed his teeth in frustration.

After hesitating for a long time, Jia Shen saw that the phenomenon of heaven and earth was gradually expanding, and the intertwining with the laws was becoming more intricate; he could only snort coldly and leave with a flick of his sleeve.

With Chen Yingyu becoming a Secret Sixth Rank and in control of the many martial arts of the former Zhi Xu Sect, her strength was bound to be greater than that of an ordinary Secret Sixth Rank. Even he, as an experienced Secret Sixth Rank, might not be her match.

The plan to deal with the Zhi Xu Sect in the future must be adjusted.

…

Inside the Zhi Xu Sect.

The light around Chen Yingyu gradually receded, and her aura slowly settled. She opened her slowly closed eyes, brimming with divine light.

“Connecting with external phenomena, Innate True Qi, Secret Sixth Rank… Achieved!” she whispered to herself, her expression one of excitement, almost overcome with tears of joy.

As the youngest and weakest Sect Leader in the history of the Zhi Xu Sect, Chen Yingyu bore far too much responsibility on her shoulders, with the heavy burden often leaving her gasping for breath.

Especially when her cultivation realm had stagnated and the Secret Sixth Rank seemed out of reach, and the Zhi Xu sect was coveted by various enemies, her mental state had not relaxed for far too long.

Now, she had finally reached the Secret Sixth Rank, becoming a first-class powerhouse in the world of martial artists, signifying a fundamental change in the strength and status of the entire Zhi Xu sect.

At the very least, they could now firmly establish themselves in the land of the six mountains.

And all these changes stemmed from the young man before her, this junior uncle from Pure Yang Palace.

“Many thanks, Taoist Master, many thanks!” Chen Yingyu was overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down her face, as she bowed deeply and expressed her gratitude to Zhou Heng.

“There’s no need for such formalities, Sect Master Chen.” Zhou Heng tried to help Chen Yingyu to her feet.

But this time, Chen Yingyu refused, shaking her head and saying, “Taoist Master, this is not just me thanking you on my own behalf, but also on behalf of all the disciples of the Zhi Xu sect and our many ancestors.

“The complete lineage of the Zhi Xu sect had been lost for thousands of years. It was you who brought it back, who gave the Zhi Xu sect hope for revival, and because of this, I had the opportunity to obtain the Secret Sixth Rank martial arts and make a breakthrough.

“You are a benefactor to the Zhi Xu sect and to me. From now on, the Zhi Xu sect will honor you as our Second Ancestor, and you may peruse any of the martial arts and scriptures that the Zhi Xu sect passes down.

“Once I have sorted out these martial arts and scriptures, you may browse them at your leisure.”

“You want to honor me as the Second Ancestor?” Zhou Heng was startled by her words, but shook his head and said, “That won’t do, I am not worthy of such honor. Sect Master Chen, please do not mention this again.

“As for the martial arts, I do not ask for much, just one technique will suffice. However, when it comes to historical records, I would indeed like to take a look once Sect Master Chen has them sorted out.”

“You only want one technique?” Chen Yingyu asked in surprise.

“Yes, just one technique,” Zhou Heng nodded and said, “I would like the technique related to the Dao Yinyin Zun figure. Other than that, I ask for nothing else.”

“The Dao Yinyin Zun figure, that unique divine weapon, hasn’t it already…” Chen Yingyu opened her mouth slightly in surprise, then she once again bowed deeply, thanking him: “Such noble generosity, Taoist Master.”

Having received the Heart Transmission Seal from Zhou Heng, she knew that he could not freely peruse these secret martial arts manuscripts and historical records, which is why she offered Zhou Heng unrestricted access as a gesture of gratitude.

Chen Yingyu was very well aware of just how powerful the complete martial arts and Taoist formulas of the Zhi Xu sect were.

Even though she had only briefly glanced at some and not studied them in detail, she could feel that this was definitely one of the most top-tier legacies of the current age.

Chen Yingyu thought that Zhou Heng’s character was akin to that of a sage for being able to refuse the chance to peruse such a powerful legacy without a second thought, asking only for some techniques that the Zhi Xu sect had no use for.

“If Sect Master Chen continues to salute like this, I’ll feel embarrassed to visit again in the future,” Zhou Heng said with a laugh, helping Chen Yingyu to stand up.

Actually, for him, the complete lineage of the Zhi Xu sect wasn’t particularly tempting.

Although he walked a path that encapsulated everything, his energy and time were ultimately limited.

Now with the multitude of unique skills that the Fortune Bag had revealed and the strong backing of Pure Yang Palace, the heritage of the Zhi Xu sect wasn’t much help to him.

Moreover, if he really took the Zhi Xu sect’s complete lineage, he wouldn’t be able to ignore any future troubles that befell the sect and might even have to spend a lot of effort and pay a significant price.

There was no need for that.

Later, after a brief selection, Chen Yingyu sorted out the techniques related to the Dao Yinyin Zun figure from the Heart Transmission Seal, a total of three chapters, all of which she informed Zhou Heng.

With this, Zhou Heng had achieved his goal for the trip and immediately descended from Qingwei Mountain. He flew through the sky on his sword, turning into a purple streak of lightning as he headed towards the closest entrance to the Purple Tenuity Palace.

Atop Qingwei Mountain, in front of the Guardian Silence Hall.

Chen Yingyu watched as the swiftly receding purple sword light disappeared into the sky and once again bowed deeply in thanks.

“Many thanks!”

…

Yuzhou had been shrouded in white fog for over half a month now.

Entry and exit were not possible.

However, this white fog was not aggressive in nature; even ordinary people who encountered it were unharmed, merely pushed away by an invisible repelling force.

As a result, many people, especially near the prefectural cities along the border between Yuzhou and Jiangzhou, gathered, including numerous commoners and martial artists who stood by day after day, waiting for any changes in the white fog.

Their relatives, friends, disciples, and teachers, the people they were close to, were all trapped inside, unable to come out or establish contact.

This caused them great concern.

Among these people, the one with the highest status and cultivation realm was Pei Hongdao, the current Prefectural Governor of Pingzhou County. Even though he was a Great Grandmaster at the peak of the Fourth Rank, he had no solution to the white fog that enveloped an entire state’s land.

Pei Hongdao had tried to forcefully break through and had tried to analyze the nature of the fog, but no matter what, he could not create even the smallest opening in it.

In Hefeng Prefecture City, near the border of Yuzhou and Jiangzhou, Pei Hongdao had rented a small courtyard to live in; his son Pei Luoshu was also there.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Trapped inside Yuzhou was Pei Hongdao’s daughter, Pei Luoshu’s sister, Pei Luoling.

“Father, my sister won’t be in danger, right?” Pei Luoshu looked at the distant white fog that spanned the void like a canopy, his face filled with worry. “What in the world is this white fog?”

——Few people knew of the existence of the Unique Divine Weapon called the Heart Transmission Seal, primarily the high-ranking members of the Pure Yang Palace and the followers of the Taoist Sects, and even fewer knew its specific functions.

“I’m afraid it’s either the might of a treasure or the act of a powerful being,” Pei Hongdao sighed lightly and said, “I can feel that this white fog has a very high essence; it has surpassed the Absolute Fourth Rank, and is undoubtedly of the Upper Third Rank.

“It is just unclear whether this white fog is at the level of Celestial Man of the Upper Third Rank, or the Taoist Formulas of the Second Rank. If it’s the former, it might still be manageable, but if it’s the latter, then there might be a significant event transpiring within Yuzhou.”

“My sister won’t be in trouble, right?” Pei Luoshu expressed his worry.

“For the moment, she should still be safe; I can feel that she’s still alive,” Pei Hongdao said gravely. In fact, he too had no certainty, and was merely trying to comfort his son.

The fog’s ability to isolate was extremely strong; not to mention using Divine Sense to investigate the conditions inside Yuzhou, even trying to use the laws of fate to deduce information was futile.

All he could do now was faintly rely on their blood connection to confirm that Pei Luoling was not dead, but as for her current specific situation, he could not determine.

“Ah, let’s hope so.” Pei Luoshu clearly knew that his father was comforting him, but he did not express it; he too hoped that his sister was completely safe.

“Mhm, Luoling, although usually whimsical, always has her own ways to deal with emergencies. She won’t be in trouble,” Pei Hongdao nodded and looked towards the distant white fog, “but it’s unknown what this white fog really is or where it comes from… No, if there’s still no news today, I will go to the Capital City to petition and request the Celestial Man from the Zhao Family to come over.”

“Father, didn’t you say before that, after the fiasco at the Chaoyang Wine Party, the royal prestige of the Zhao Family was almost non-existent, and they themselves were reluctant to manage the country anymore?” Pei Luoshu voiced his concern: “It’s been more than half a month since the Yuzhou incident, and not a single person from the Zhao Family has shown up. Will they really care?”

“Da Qi can’t continue in this chaos, sigh…” Pei Hongdao sighed and said, “Your father knows that their control may not be great, but we can’t just watch with wide eyes, Luoling is still inside.”

“…Yes, Da Qi, Yuzhou, my sister, why has it come to this?” Pei Luoshu said dejectedly, “Why did it suddenly become like this?”

The father and son were both somewhat despondent.

“My lord! My lord! There is news, there is news from the White Mist!”

Just at this moment, a shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard, from one of Pei Hongdao’s men brought from Pingzhou County’s yamen, who were now investigating the situation outside the White Mist every day.

——With Pei Hongdao’s cultivation realm, even within Hefeng Prefecture City, he could clearly sense the changes in the White Mist; sending people over was mainly for exchanging information and scouting the area, which was not suitable for him to do personally.

“What news?” Pei Hongdao and Pei Luoshu immediately stood up upon hearing this and went outside without waiting, meeting the person who came to report.

“My lord, my lord! The little uncle from Pure Yang Palace has arrived.” The man said excitedly, “He, he says he wants to open the White Mist and go in to investigate the situation!”

“The little uncle from Pure Yang Palace?” Pei Hongdao was taken aback at first, then realized, “Are you talking about Zhou Heng? He can open the White Mist?”

“Zhou Heng?” Pei Luoshu was also very surprised and said in astonishment, “He should have broken through to the Secret Sixth Rank not long ago, right? Does he know what this White Mist is?”

“No matter what the situation is, let’s go over and see.” Pei Hongdao glanced at the distant White Mist, and his entire being turned into a gust of wind, sweeping up Pei Luoshu and flying towards the direction of the White Mist.

At this moment, in a place where the White Mist was dense along the border between Yuzhou and Jiangzhou, Zhou Heng stood less than three feet away from the White Mist, his gaze calmly fixed on what seemed to be an ordinary White Mist.

Behind him, there were densely gathered thousands of people, all looking at him with eyes full of anticipation, many with clenched fists and unwavering attention, not even daring to blink.

Fearing to miss the scene of Zhou Heng opening the White Mist, a moment that would uplift them.

But many were also worried and afraid that this might just be a false hope.

After all, the White Mist was too strange and too formidable.

Previously, even a Great Grandmaster of the Absolute Fourth Rank like Pei Hongdao had been helpless despite all his skills, and Zhou Heng was only at the Secret Sixth Rank, could he really do it?

The scene was silent, utterly quiet.

Pei Hongdao arrived here with Pei Luoshu, also holding his breath, not making a sound, and just quietly floating in mid-air, his gaze solemnly fixed on Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng seemed to feel their arrival, turned his head, and waved his hand, smiling and saying, “Senior Pei, Brother Luoshu, it’s been a long time.”

Pei Luoshu couldn’t hold it in and cried out, “Zhou Heng, my sister is trapped inside! She is stuck in there! You must open the White Mist, I beg you, I’m begging you!”

His voice broke the silence, setting off all the people present, and the voices of pleading rose one after another, boiling over, and even many knelt on the ground.

“Everyone, rest assured.” Zhou Heng said in a deep voice.

At the same time, he formed seals with his left hand, and his right hand shaped like a sword finger, raised high, pointing at the sky-like White Mist.

He made a downward slash!