"On my way to find you, I've already learned the news."
Geng Yiyang put away the Fire Seed of the Indestructible Sky Kirin Fire and turned to look at Chu Zheng:
"You didn't just kill Fang Jiong, there was also Ling Qi from the Tai Xu Holy Land, wasn't there?"
Chu Zheng fell silent for a moment, then nodded and explained:
"Ling Qi realized I possessed the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture and informed Fang Jiong, who happened to arrive. Fang Jiong, having gotten wind of the clue, came after me and thus perished under the Lihuo Spear."
"I was concerned that the news of the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture would leak and once again attract the attention of the Holy Land, so I had to take action first."
"With the cultivation of the Spirit Spring Realm, you dare provoke two great Holy Lands; once your Divine Infant forms, I'm afraid you won't even consider the Immortal Alliance within your sight."
Geng Yiyang shook his head, "Truly reckless."
With his experience, he had never heard of someone as wildly ignorant of the heavens and the earth as Chu Zheng.
The depth of the Holy Lands was simply beyond Chu Zheng's comprehension; to think he could commit such an earth-shattering act with just a weapon was nothing short of courting death.
"A cornered beast will still fight."
Chu Zheng shook his head, denying this. He didn't consider himself unusually courageous; he was just better at making swift decisions, choosing the best options available to him in the current situation as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, there was no time to contemplate; by the time he came to his senses, the situation had already turned into what it was now. Provoking powerful enemies when vulnerable was certainly not his intention.
With the knife already at his neck, he couldn't just offer it up to be sliced.
There were no sun or moon in the Small World, only two small Stars hanging above the sky, radiating dim yellow light.
Under the twilight, Geng Yiyang raised his hand to gather the bones of Ye Yulou and, noticing the scroll beneath his feet, bent down.
He slowly unrolled the scroll, looking at the woman painted inside, his turbid eyes filled with mixed feelings. After a long while, he let out a light sigh:
"A tragic entanglement."
Had it not been for his entanglement with the Demon Race, Ye Yulou's fate would not have been so bleak; he might have already become an Immortal, entered the Immortal Alliance, been granted the title of Immortal King or Venerable, and enjoyed the fruits of eternal life."
"Where did you find this Small World?"
Coming back to his senses, Geng Yiyang rolled up the scroll, placing it together with the bones of Ye Yulou.
"From the corpse of a Demon Race, on an ancient battlefield."
"Ancient battlefield, Demon Race corpse..."
Geng Yiyang immediately narrowed his eyes and turned to ask:
"Apart from the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture, what else did you get from Brother Ye's belongings?"
Chu Zheng did not hide anything, taking out everything from the Ethereal Ring.
With an invisible Divine Sense sweeping over them, Geng Yiyang raised his hand and took two things into his palm.
The Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture's Heritage Jade Token and that Cangyun Secret Realm Map.
"This map is related to the Cangyun Secret Realm, which contains secrets to Becoming an Immortal. However, it now looks quite outdated. Since Brother Ye left, this map has been updated no less than a hundred times. I'll get you a newer version later."
"Once your Soul Condenses, you can try entering the Secret Realm to test your luck. Some have found fragments of Immortal Treasures there, and even witnessed the remains of Immortals."
Geng Yiyang glanced at it and tossed the Cangyun Secret Realm Map aside. When he saw the Heritage Jade Token, his expression became serious:
"This Transmission Command has been used twice recently... Have you passed on the technique?"
Among these items, the Heritage Jade Token is the most precious, for the inheritance of Immortal Law is not so easily attained. Many details of the cultivation practice cannot be recorded through text and can only be transmitted through the divine power of the jade token.
Each complete Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture is left by a True Immortal and is extremely precious. Now, in the entire Taixuan Holy Land, including the one in Chu Zheng's possession, there are only three in existence.
For a moment, Geng Yiyang was somewhat at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to Chu Zheng, this young one's actions always seemed somewhat unpredictable.
The Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture, such a supreme Immortal Art, if attained by an ordinary person, they would likely keep it secret until death.
"Apart from me, indeed there is another person who has cultivated the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture."
Chu Zheng explained, "At the time, I did not know the name of Taixuan Holy Land; I just thought that no one would know, never expecting it would bring such trouble."
This statement came from the heart; he deeply underestimated the potential dangers the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture could bring. If he had known about the subsequent twists and turns earlier, many of his past choices would have changed.
But he couldn't predict that far ahead.
Without dwelling on those thoughts, Geng Yiyang pressed on, "Where is that person now?"
"Phantom Spirit Sect."
"Phantom Spirit Sect..."
Upon hearing this name, Geng Yiyang's expression became somewhat vacant:
"Illusory Spirit True Lord is quite a figure, who had the chance to establish a Holy Land, but alas, he did not survive the Immortal Tribulation; his Life-bound Spiritual Treasure was gravely damaged, its artifact spirit lost, its power reduced to a tenth of its original strength. The orthodoxy declined from there, which is truly regrettable."
As the words fell, Chu Zheng's view blurred, and a familiar thatched hut appeared before him.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble these people before you will bring?"
Geng Yiyang's soft whisper arose in his ear, and as Chu Zheng looked at the crowd of Martial Path Grandmasters, he fell silent.
He understood full well what Geng Yiyang was hinting at; this realm does not tolerate the Martial Path, as it would draw the attention of the Immortal Alliance.
But there was an extremely critical issue; it was he, not those Martial Path practitioners, who abetted the anomaly in the Heavenly Dao.
Even if all these Martial Path cultivators, including Song Lingxue, were to perish now, the changes in the Laws of the Heavenly Dao would remain irreversible, and the Immortal Alliance would still investigate to the end.
Unless Chu Zheng died first.
These secrets Chu Zheng could not possibly disclose to Geng Yiyang; after a long silence, that was all he could respond.
"That young girl is the youngest, but her Martial Path cultivation is the highest. The Immortal Alliance is likely searching for her. Counting the days, she has nine whole years left in this world."
Geng Yiyang looked toward Song Lingxue and spoke lightly, "After the Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects, I will hand her over to the Martial Hall; this too will be a stroke of good fortune for her."
He didn't ask Chu Zheng for his opinion, making his decision as he spoke.
Chu Zheng fell silent for a while, then spoke deliberately word by word, "She is my wife-to-be."
"That's even better."
Geng Yiyang's gaze swept over him; although his back was hunched, for a moment, Chu Zheng felt as if he were directly facing the sun in the starry sky, like he was being burnt by an intense fire.
"The Lihuo Spear is just an artifact spirit; it does not care for the life and death of others. It was your ability that persuaded it to kill Fang Jiong and Ling Qi."
"But for every misdeed, a price must be paid."
"You killed Fang Jiong and refined the Heavenly Star Flame; you must repay Taixuan with something much more valuable than his life."
"In this upcoming Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects, you will represent our Taixuan Holy Land. If you seize a spot within the top ten, I will spare your life. I might even appoint you as the Saint Heir; once you enter the Immortal Tribulation Realm, you will have a chance to join the Immortal Alliance, and by then, your wife will still be your wife."
"If you fail to achieve this, you will have only nine years of life left. You and she have only been husband and wife for a few days; if she remembers you for a hundred years, it would already be extraordinary. A thousand years later, your wife may not necessarily still be your wife."