Jiang Wang remained silent, his back to the city walls.

Back in the twenty-seventh city, Zhao Cang’s performance had been flawless, magnanimous and wise. Such a discerning man, how could he not see his own son’s true nature? Yet, Zhao Che had still grown into the person he was today.

It was then that Jiang Wang had sensed Zhao Cang’s killing intent. He had hoped it was merely an illusion, that the world held some warmth and positivity, despite the fact that almost everyone who had shown him such warmth had perished.

But the instant he saw Yin Guan, he understood. He was nothing more than bait. Perhaps Yin Guan was too well hidden, or perhaps divination had failed. Regardless, the Upper City had been unable to locate him.

Zhao Cang had deliberately broadcast his virtues in broad daylight, precisely to draw Yin Guan’s attention. He was using Jiang Wang, a mere traveler who had rendered service to Youguo, as a snare to lure Yin Guan into a trap.

The invitation to the Upper City, the gift of a Longevity Pill – all were merely meant to dispel vigilance. Both his own vigilance and that of Yin Guan, lurking in the shadows.

If even Fang Pengju would betray him, if even Dong A would deceive him, it was perhaps not surprising that Zhao Cang, the National Teacher of Youguo, would use him as bait.

Yet, he felt a surge of anger. Had doing good deeds become a prelude to calamity? Was there no retribution for good and evil, and did heaven and earth truly show favoritism?

Behind Jiang Wang, Yin Guan and Zheng Chaoyang collided with a thunderous roar!

One, a young cultivator barely in his twenties, a candidate for the Upper City cultivators of Youguo. The other, a veteran soldier-cultivator of immense power, the legendary commander of Youguo’s Burden Tablet Army.

One was of average build, his sleeves billowing. The other was bare-chested, imposing and robust. Even their hands presented a stark contrast: one’s palm was like floating fluff, the other’s fist like a mountain peak.

Their initial strike seemed to momentarily freeze time before they recoiled from each other. Yin Guan drifted back several *zhang*, while Zheng Chaoyang retreated seven steps.

An even match!

Zheng Chaoyang was utterly astonished. He couldn’t claim to have battled across the world, but within the limited confines of Youguo, he was undoubtedly a peerless master, standing among the absolute strongest. Countless battles had forged him on the battlefield, and apart from the National Teacher Zhao Cang, he could not fathom another opponent in Youguo.

Yet, facing this young man, merely a City Lord of a lower city, not even twenty years old, and who had never cultivated in the Upper City, he found himself in a stalemate? Could this… be true genius?

Iron-blooded and resolute as he was, Zheng Chaoyang found himself momentarily stunned.

Then, dark clouds obscured the sun, and black smoke billowed like a cage. It was curse, resentment, despair, pain. It was the embodiment of all things negative, struggled, and dark. An extremely violent evil energy erupted.

Yin Guan’s eyes began to glow green, his long hair stretching down to his feet.

“All are mere dirty tricks, practitioners of the crooked path!” Zheng Chaoyang roared, blasting out a fist, his blood energy erupting.

The blood energy soared like a wolf’s smoke, colliding with the dark clouds. Fist driving forward, killing intent sliced through space, transforming into long spears, sharp lances, keen swords… covering the heavens and earth.

The killing methods of a soldier family. Demolishing cities into ruins, condensing evil into weaponry! Cutting through dark resentment, severing cursed hatred.

“There are no crooked paths, only crooked people!” Yin Guan retorted, unwavering. “I, too, desired to learn righteous methods, but the Upper City is merely a gathering of mediocrities, huddling for warmth. How could a genius like me ascend?”

Zheng Chaoyang was speechless. A genius of Yin Guan’s caliber, appearing among any generation of Lower City Lords, would invariably be the most exceptional choice, sufficient to please the protective sacred beast of the nation.

This was also the reason for Su Quan’s “accidental” exposure of his talent. Such a favor was enough to ensure ample benefits for Su Quan from the Upper City, potentially even the relocation of his entire family.

Zheng Chaoyang had no words, but his fists and feet had to respond. Blood energy shattered evil, military wickedness drove back resentment. The entire sky was divided, half dark clouds, half crimson smoke.

His blood energy was almost tangible, enveloping each fist and foot. He advanced step by step, fist by fist, gradually closing the distance. He had always been disinclined to concern himself with matters beyond the battlefield. Zhao Cang had instructed him to come and potentially apprehend Yin Guan, the one attempting to overthrow the nation, and he had simply come.

Zhao Cang had to remain in the city, guarding the Upper City, ready to guide the protective sacred beast at any moment, and to guard against the possibility of Yin Guan still being within the city or having further contingencies. Given Yin Guan’s means of escaping the Upper City and provoking the sacred beast’s ferocity, only Zheng Chaoyang could pursue, and only he had a near certainty of success.

He had always trusted Zhao Cang’s judgment, so he had come without hesitation.

But Yin Guan was even stronger than he had judged! This transcended his very concept of genius. Based on their current exchange, if he unleashed his full power, fighting a life-and-death battle, he might still be able to subdue him.

But was it right to do so? For the first time, doubt crept into his thoughts as he wielded his fist. His resolve wavered, and Yin Guan’s attack grew even more ferocious.

“The mountains and rivers are peaceful, and the Baxia bears the tablet of merit! And you? Zheng Chaoyang, what tablet do you bear?”

Zheng Chaoyang could not answer. He simply could not. That colossal turtle beast of the Baxia bloodline, at full strength, possessed fighting power approaching the Second-Grade Cave True Realm. It was the strongest force in Youguo, having saved the nation from destruction multiple times throughout history. Thus, it had become the protective sacred beast.

But he was also aware of what a “protective sacred beast” required. As the commander of the Burden Tablet Army, the foremost military figure in Youguo, the matter of feeding genius cultivators to the protective sacred beast was impossible to conceal from him.

He had doubted before, wavered before. But if the protective sacred beast were to leave, could he, Zheng Chaoyang, defend the territory of Youguo? He could not. He was willing to fight to the death for Youguo, but even fighting to the death could not protect it. After all, he was merely at the peak of the Fourth-Grade Outer Tower Realm, stuck before Divine Arrival for decades.

The National Teacher Zhao Cang, leveraging the grand formation of the Upper City, could exhibit Divine Arrival fighting strength. But a single Divine Arrival Realm fighting strength was insufficient to protect a nation’s territory in this era of great contention.

Sacrificing one person every six months to save all of Youguo, was this not a worthy exchange? And so, he became increasingly unwilling to involve himself in worldly affairs, focusing solely on military matters and cultivation. But wasn’t this, in itself, a form of escape?

He had no answer to Yin Guan’s question. He was, after all, only skilled in combat.

Then let him fight!

Fists and palms, the power of blood energy and the power of curses. They collided thousands of times within a single breath. Zheng Chaoyang remained silent, his body like a mountain peak. Yin Guan’s eyes glowed even more intensely green, almost completely transforming into the wild eyes of a beast. His long hair danced wildly, like a demon or a monster.

He did not know where Yin Guan had learned these crooked and evil techniques. He did not know what this child… had experienced.

One intense exchange concluded. The two separated once more.

Seeing that his eyes were about to be completely consumed by green light, Yin Guan suddenly closed them. When he reopened them, his eyes had returned to normal, and his long hair had also settled.

He determined that he was currently unable to kill Zheng Chaoyang. But it was already enough. He no longer lingered in battle, turning directly and flying into the distance.

Only a sound remained, wrapped in evil force, rolling along, crossing a vast distance, and exploding in the sky above the twenty-seventh city!

“One day I will return, take down your tablet, and twist off your head!”

All who heard this voice, whether in the Upper City or the Lower City of the twenty-seventh city, were struck with panic. They all knew that Zheng Chaoyang himself had pursued Yin Guan, yet even Zheng Chaoyang had been unable to eliminate this evildoer!

Zheng Chaoyang silently retracted his blood energy, watching the direction of Yin Guan’s flight. Yin Guan did not look back once, not sparing the twenty-seventh city another glance.