Chapter 69: Am I Still Your Most Valued Disciple?

In a different location, Li Xiao was in the process of refining his magical sword when a vibration from his storage bag caught his attention. With a furrowed brow, he pulled out the small sword-shaped artifact.

Upon reading the message from Zhang Shen, Li Xiao was both amazed and dubious. 

“He actually defeated a warrior at the third layer of the True Core stage? His potential is even more formidable than I had predicted.”

Li Xiao couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself, thinking, “I wouldn’t have given him special attention if his potential wasn’t exceptional.”

After some thought, Li Xiao responded, “You needn’t worry about this incident. I’ll take care of it for you. Since Sun Xing was the instigator, you won’t face any repercussions for your actions.”

He added a final note to his message, “Except in special cases, Lin Yuan City typically doesn’t interfere in personal disputes between its members, except for the concerned parties’ backers.”

Li Xiao wasn’t interested in leveraging the situation to curry favor with Zhang Shen. He sensed that Zhang Shen’s future would be luminous, and attempting to exploit this situation and his knowledge for personal gain could backfire in the future. It was more prudent to earn gratitude through genuine assistance.

A month later, when Zhang Shen received the reply, he meticulously analyzed its content. 

“Good, there won’t be any fallout from this incident. However, the fact that they don’t mediate personal feuds among members indicates that internal conflicts and battles within our ranks are as intense as ever.”

Zhang Shen wasn’t particularly surprised by this. In a world where power was vested in individuals, absolute control was an unrealistic expectation.

“In ordinary society, even influential figures often resort to physical altercations during heated disputes, aiming to physically persuade their opponent. This tendency is even more pronounced among warriors who vie for dominance through martial strength. Considering this cutthroat environment, it looks like I’ll need to maintain a constant presence at the Ancient Covenant to avoid being undermined in my absence.”

For Zhang Shen, this wasn’t a hindrance but rather a matter of aligning with his priorities and what he deemed most significant.

Additionally, Zhang Shen knew that maintaining his post at the Ancient Covenant wouldn’t impede his cultivation progress.

“Now is the moment for a breakthrough,” Zhang Shen proclaimed with a voice echoing both firm resolve and palpable excitement.

During his five-year patrol duty, he had discreetly consumed various heavenly and earthly treasures, amassing sufficient experience points for a significant transformation.

He was on the cusp of a major leap.

Zhang Shen was acutely aware that his body was on the verge of a crucial metamorphosis. However, in the depths of his patrol area, it was not the appropriate time for such a transformation. He had ceased ingesting these potent treasures and refrained from engaging in martial arts training. He even deliberately restrained his martial cultivation, which was advancing at a snail’s pace, to avoid inadvertently reaching the maximum experience points and triggering an involuntary bodily evolution.

Now, within the secure confines of the Ancient Covenant, he no longer faced the risk of drawing unwanted attention.

Peeling an Innate Vermilion Fruit and popping it into his mouth, he savored its juicy sweetness. 

Zhang Shen prepared for the final push. As the fruit was digested, it provided the last sliver of needed experience points, causing his body to begin shaking uncontrollably.

A wave of excruciating pain surged from the core of his being.

This development took Zhang Shen by surprise. He had not expected such an intense physical reaction while transitioning from the ninth layer of the True Core to the Law Manifestation stage, having never encountered such phenomena in previous stages.

His entire body seemed to be undergoing a melting process, with each cell undergoing rapid division.

Despite the overwhelming pain, Zhang Shen bit down hard, suppressing any cries of agony. His formidable willpower kept him conscious through the ordeal.

There was no alteration in his spiritual energy. Instead, it was the surrounding spiritual energy that enveloped him, supplying all the necessary energy for this physical transformation, all thanks to the years of experience accumulation.

Lost in his painful struggle, Zhang Shen was oblivious to his body’s drastic changes. His form swelled, his limbs disappearing within an expanding mass of flesh that resembled a giant orb. This burgeoning orb continued to grow, eventually demolishing the architectural structures of his mountain and water residence, and ceased its expansion only when nearing the protective barrier of the cloud and fog formation.

The Shanshui residence, sprawling several hundred meters in height and covering about a mile in area, was nearly engulfed by an immense orb of flesh. For more than ten days, the transformations within this residence remained a secret to those outside.

***

Those residing in the Ancient Covenant, particularly near its headquarters, had been experiencing a growing sense of unease. The cause was unknown, the reason unclear, but there was a pervasive feeling of an impending disaster, as if a primordial, formidable beast was lurking, sending shivers of fear through their spines.

A vague sense of apprehension had taken hold of the hearts of the Ancient Covenant’s residents, casting a shadow of gloom over the entire area.

Usually hesitant to disturb Zhang Shen during his periods of secluded cultivation, the concerned individuals felt compelled to seek answers from him about these unusual happenings. Despite their patience, there was no response from Zhang Shen, which was deeply unsettling.

It was common for Zhang Shen to retreat into seclusion, but he typically responded to messages within three to four days. Now, with six days gone by and no communication from him, a sense of foreboding loomed over them.

Several senior figures who were in the know made their way to the Shanshui residence.

After thorough consideration, Zhang Tianlong, Zhang Yu, Li Zhi, and others decided to venture into the residence.

The residence’s cloud and fog formation, while serving as a protective barrier, was not particularly formidable. It primarily acted as a deterrent, warning outsiders against intruding without cause. It could deter ordinary people but was ineffective against martial artists.

However, as they approached, they were unexpectedly confronted by a pale, lifeless-looking man in green, moving in an eerie manner, who emerged from the barrier and stood in their way.

This unforeseen encounter sent their hearts racing, instantly filling them with a sense of dread.

A stranger in Zhang Shen’s Shanshui residence? It was something entirely unheard of.

“Master!” Li Zhi exclaimed in terror, as if witnessing the downfall of a figure she deeply respected.

In the next moment, she, along with Zhang Yu and others, were poised to rush in and see what was happening inside.

With a thunderous boom, the overwhelming aura of a True Core stage cultivator engulfed the area, rendering Li Zhi and others immobile. Under the crushing pressure, they could hear their bones creaking ominously.

“Who are you? What exactly are you? What has happened inside? How are the people inside?” Zhang Yu demanded, his voice laced with both desperation and struggle.

Normally, one would be discreet in the presence of a True Core stage powerhouse, but overwhelmed by urgency, Zhang Yu could no longer hold back.

Li Zhi felt the same urgency.

It was only Zhang Tianlong who, amidst his anxiety, harbored a glimmer of suspicion. The disjointed movements of the green-clad man stirred a peculiar sense of familiarity in him.

A sudden realization dawned on him.

Zhang Tianlong took out a token, summoning a guardian puppet in grey-black garb with a face marred by cracks. This puppet, a contingency plan given to him by Zhang Shen, had been disguised to evade detection.

True to his expectation, the appearance of the rugged puppet caused the green-clad man to halt his suppressive True Core aura.

This series of unexpected developments caught everyone by surprise.

Zhang Yu, filled with shock and bewilderment, alternated his gaze between the coarse puppet, the man in green, and Zhang Tianlong.

“Father, what’s going on here?” He was fraught with confusion and unanswered questions.

Li Zhi, too, looked on in perplexity.

Zhang Tianlong exhaled deeply, rising to his feet and dusting off his clothes.

“If my guess is correct, this is Shen’er’s protective guardian puppet.”

A guardian puppet? 

Both Zhang Yu and Li Zhi narrowed their eyes, taken aback by this unexpected explanation. Seeing that the green-clad man offered no rebuttal and noting his bizarre movements, they recognized the puppet-like resemblance.

Li Zhi pondered, realizing there were many secrets about their master they were yet to uncover.

However, with Zhang Shen still unresponsive to their messages, her concern deepened, and she felt compelled to venture inside to investigate further.

Li Zhi had previously entered the residence without issue, but this time she found herself blocked by the green-clad puppet. It wasn’t using its aura to suppress them, but simply stood in her path, effectively preventing her from moving forward.

“Zhi’er, I believe Shen’er is likely in a critical phase of his cultivation,” Zhang Tianlong surmised. “Since the guardian puppet is still here, it’s probable that nothing untoward has happened to him,” he added, trying to assuage her concerns.

Zhang Tianlong felt a sense of relief upon realizing that the figure in green was indeed a guardian puppet. When Zhang Shen had entrusted him with the rough-looking puppet, he had been briefed about the unique characteristics of these guardian puppets. If Zhang Shen had encountered any misfortune, this puppet would not be so calm.

Li Zhi gave the green-clad puppet a stern look, but its expression remained unchanging and lifeless, leaving her feeling somewhat disheartened.

After calming down, Li Zhi recognized that her initial reaction had been impulsive. Her master had always been her pillar of strength and security, and her worry had momentarily overwhelmed her reasoning.

“We should head back and wait for a while to assess the situation,” Zhang Tianlong proposed. 

Given the presence of the guardian puppet, their presence there was somewhat redundant. Their priority should be to conceal this incident and maintain stability within the Ancient Covenant.

Zhang Yu agreed, his face still etched with concern, but he understood that staying out of the way was crucial at this juncture. He also had his own questions for his father, particularly regarding the rough-looking puppet.

The green-clad puppet was evidently a True Core stage puppet, but what about the rough one? 

The fact that such a valuable resource was kept hidden from everyone, including his own son, made Zhang Yu question his standing. Was he no longer considered the most valued and trusted ‘son’ in his father’s eyes?