Just as Pei Xuanjing was about to kill Liu Ruilong, a loud shout suddenly sounded:
"Stop!"
Looking at the newcomer, Liu Ruilong's despairing eyes flashed with surprise and joy.
Unfortunately for Liu Ruilong, however, his joy was in vain, as Pei Xuanjing ignored the shout, his hand's movement without the slightest hesitation.
Whoosh!
With a swipe of the Flowing Flame Sword, Liu Ruilong's body was split in two.
In his eyes was a look of shock and confusion; he didn't understand why Pei Xuanjing was so unyielding, killing him despite hearing someone trying to intervene.
Pei Xuanjing shook his wrist, shaking off the blood on his sword. Only then did he raise his head and speak to a monk in the distance, "What did you say?"
The reason why he showed no mercy, even after hearing the monk's voice…
It was because he knew that the monk hadn't suddenly arrived; he had been there even before Pei Xuanjing had. One could argue that even if the monk wasn't on Liu Ruilong's side, there must have been some connection.
The burly monk, whose face was initially smiling, became gloomy after seeing Pei Xuanjing's unwavering decision to kill and hearing his sarcastic tone.
"Benefactor, don't you think your methods are a bit too brutal?" The monk spoke chastely, pointing at Liu Ruilong's corpse.
Pei Xuanjing, as if hearing a hilarious joke, sneered, "Since when did the monks of the Diamond Gate begin preaching mercy? Have the monks of the Diamond Gate turned vegetarian now?"
Perhaps the monks of the North and South Zen Sect might be vegetarian, but the monks of the Diamond Gate of the Northwest Dao have always been fond of meat and wine.
The monk before his eyes was from the Diamond Gate, and is the fifth-rank martial artist from the Diamond Gate, whose name was given to Pei Xuanjing by the government office's estimations.
"Are you provoking the Diamond Gate?" The monk's entire body surged with True Qi as he eyed Pei Xuanjing with a cold glint.
He felt greatly insulted and had the urge to take action.
"Are you courting death?" Pei Xuanjing refused to back down.
His inner True Qi began to circulate once more, the Divine Weapon in his hand buzzing softly, as if he was ready to strike at a moment's notice.
If that monk had just sat and watched his fight with Liu Ruilong earlier, Pei Xuanjing might not have cared.
But this monk had the audacity to play the good guy and try to mediate after he won. That meant that the monk had chosen to oppose him.
Well then, he was an enemy. And Pei Xuanjing naturally wouldn't care about him.
Furthermore, when contemplating about the various forces from the Northwest Dao would enter the forbidden Blessed Land, Gu Ji had mentioned that he may not be able to cover Pei Xuanjing if he offends other powers.
But if he encountered people from the Diamond Gate, he didn't need to worry. Even if he killed their successor, he would still be able to cover it.
Pei Xuanjing was intrigued at the time and asked why. Gu Ji then told him a rather secretive story.
The Diamond Gate was established by a renegade monk from the Zen Sect. Thus, they set up their sect in the Northwest Dao, and didn't dare to set foot in the Central Plains.
Such conditions were not too problematic. Unfortunately, towards the end of the last dynasty, the Diamond Gate was at its peak. The sect's gate master intended to return to the Central Plains and even got close to a big shot from the last dynasty, oppressing martial artists worldwide. They were unmatched.
Regrettably, it was a chaotic era. The Great Ming Emperor rose from insignificance, accomplished great deeds with a three-foot sword, overthrew the previous dynasty, and the Diamond Gate, for aiding a tyrant, was labeled as traitors.
Had it not been for some accidental reasons, the Diamond Gate might have been erased from history along with the previous dynasty.
After recuperating for years, the Diamond Gate regained some strength, but the black history remained. Both the martial arts world and the government office of the Great Ming disliked them.
Therefore, even if Pei Xuanjing offended them, with Gu Ji there, the Diamond Gate did not dare be rampant. If their black history was dug up, it would be serious trouble.
Hence, Pei Xuanjing was not afraid of offending them.
The monk was furious, but forcibly swallowed his anger, speaking in a frosty tone: "You shall pay dearly for today's deeds in the future."
Having said that, he decisively left.
Watching the monk retreat, Pei Xuanjing had a desire to attack but seeing the various injuries of the people sent by the government, he eventually decided against it.
"Diamond Gate, I'll remember you," He said to himself silently, remembering the grudge.
Pei Xuanjing turned around and spoke to the people sent by the government, "Those who are injured, tend to your injuries first. The rest of you clean up this place."
After saying that, he found a place to sit and carefully examined the new Divine Weapon he had acquired.
He had learned from the others that the name of the sword was 'Flowing Flame'. It was one of the Divine Weapons belonging to the Liu family, made of a thousand-year-old Mysterious Iron and refined with the essence of a hundred gold. It was considered a high-quality Divine Weapon among the Thousand Refinement Divine Weapons.
He had to admit, sometimes Pei Xuanjing felt that Liu Ruilong was his lucky charm.
When he first arrived in Anping Prefecture, his Pine Pattern Ancient Sword was not up to par, Liu Ruilong's provocation brought him a precious sword.
Not long ago, after exchanging hands with Li Yuzhen, Pei Xuanjing realized his difference with the geniuses from the big families. They had everything ready, while he had to figure everything out on his own.
However, not much later, even though Liu Ruilong had caused his precious sword to shatter, he quickly gave him another Thousand Refinement Divine Weapon. He was indeed a good samaritan.
Regrettably, Liu Ruilong was now dead. There was no longer anyone to bring him good things.
The next day, Pei Xuanjing, who had rested for the night, led the people from the government to go a certain direction.
According to them, in about half a month, a rare treasure would appear, and the place it would appear would be there.
What Pei Xuanjing didn't know was, while he was off searching for the treasure, the Diamond Gate's monk didn't sit idle either.
Originally, this monk was hired by the Liu family for a hefty sum to assist them in the fight. The plan was to have Liu Ruilong be a distraction while he ambushed Pei Xuanjing. They did not expect Pei Xuanjing's fourth -grade power to exceed everyone's expectations. Liu Ruilong was defeated too quickly, and the monk didn't get a chance to take action.
So, he tried to play the good guy to save Liu Ruilong's life in order to make another plan later.
However, Pei Xuanjing's decisive action was unexpected and foiled his plan.
Nevertheless, even if intimidated by Pei Xuanjing, this monk was not a good-natured fellow. He planned to gather some experts to jointly ambush Pei Xuanjing.
After all, even if some people were not interested in the rare treasure, a Thousand Refinement grade Divine Weapon could make many hearts flutter..
When the Forbidden Places and Blessed Lands first appeared is already impossible to investigate.
According to legend, traces of Forbidden Places and Blessed Lands began to intermittently open as early as the Pre-Qin Dynasty. It is said that some people have found opportunities within and ascended to an immortal existence.
Even some claim that the three Penglai Islands sought by Emperor Shi's envoy were a kind of
Forbidden Place and Blessed Land. The treasures hidden within could help one to become immortal.
Regrettably, this world's civilization stretches back so far into the mists of time, and in the Tianbao years of the Tang Dynasty, an unprecedented rebellion swept across the Great Tang. Not only did it bring a once glorious empire to its knees, but it also ignited countless ancient texts, causing them to disappear without a trace.
As a result, most of the current records can only trace as far back as Emperor Suzong of Tang's Zhide Era. Everything prior to that is a taboo subject for all the surviving books – deep mysteries hinted at only in fragments of shuffled notes and whispers of hearsay.
Even the most meticulous historians, who strive only for the truth, have left behind the names and policies of emperors from before Suzong's reign. Yet, they completely brushed over events connected to cultivation practices.
So, most of the veritable records about Forbidden Places and Blessed Lands originated after Emperor Suzong.
According to those records, the original Forbidden Places and Blessed Lands were not numerous, and the intervals between their openings were long – a minimum of a hundred years apart. If a cultivator was unlucky, they might go their entire lives without ever stepping foot inside one.
It wasn't until the last moments of the previous dynasty that the number of Forbidden Places and Blessed Lands began to increase. After the founder of the Great Ming overthrew the old regime, a variety of Forbidden Places and Blessed Lands began to spring up, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Because of this, some obstinate people believed that the establishment of the Great Ming was an unparalleled event in history, a splendid achievement granted by the favor of the heavens.
The Forbidden Place and Blessed Land in Anping Prefecture first appeared after the establishment of the Great Ming, and it has opened intermittently a dozen or so times since then.
After the explorations of people of various generations, our understanding of the Forbidden Place and Blessed Land gradually matured. The longstanding powers also possessed their own hand-drawn maps.
Although Gu Ji, the prefect, has not been in Anping Prefecture for long, the government office of Anping Prefecture possesses the most complete map since the opening of the Forbidden Place and Blessed Land.
Therefore, Pei Xuanjing saved himself a lot of trouble. After coordinating with the personnel dispatched by the prefect, they headed straight for the place where the treasure was foretold to appear.
Half a month later, Pei Xuanjing and the people under the prefect's command arrived in a plain in the Forbidden Place and Blessed Land.
"Master, according to our map, we're less than ten miles away," Gu San informed Pei Xuanjing.
Gu Da, Gu Er, Gu San…
These were the names that Gu Ji gave these people. Although Pei Xuanjing thought the names were a bit hastily given, he had to admit they were easy to remember.
In terms of why Gu San was talking to him instead of Gu Da…
It was because Gu Da and Gu Er were the strongest among these people. They were given special attention during the pursuit by the Liu family and got killed off as a result.
But that wasn't the point.
Pei Xuanjing glanced at the sky and gave a command, "Tell them to rest here for two hours. We'll leave once everyone has recuperated."
"Yes!" Gu San was an obedient executor. Upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's order, he had some doubts in his heart, but still followed the instructions without hesitation.
"Off you go!"
Pei Xuanjing waved his hand and found a place to sit down by himself.
He let these people rest, naturally he had his own considerations.
After half a month of continuous traveling, these people were already extremely tired. Moreover, with the treasure about to appear, they were inevitably going to encounter many rivals.
In their current state, if they were to encounter an unexpected situation, they'd end up confronting the enemy while completely drained.
Since the treasure would only appear at night, they had plenty of time now. It would be better to rest here for the time being, adjust their condition, and prepare for the upcoming events.
Two hours later, the sky gradually began to darken.
Pei Xuanjing stood up, hung the Flowing Flame Sword at his waist, and signaled Gu San, "Let's go!"
A ten-mile distance wasn't far to begin with.
The weakest among them was already a Seventh-grade martial artist, and they arrived at the destination after the time it took to burn one stick of incense.
The location of the treasure was in the center of a lake on the plain. When the moon reached the zenith of the sky and its glow covered the lake, the treasure would emerge from the water.
By the time Pei Xuanjing arrived, the area around the lake was already filled with numerous martial artists, at least hundreds of them, gathered in small groups.
Seeing Pei Xuanjing's arrival with Gu San, the already tense atmosphere simmered with an additional undercurrent.
Nothing else, but a man's reputation precedes him.
If before entering the Forbidden Place and Blessed Land, people thought Pei Xuanjing's rise was merely a stroke of luck and the incompetence of Anping Prefecture's major powers allowed an upstart to make a name for himself.
But one month after the opening of the Forbidden Place and Blessed Land, Pei Xuanjing, in this month, single-handedly and sword stroke by sword stroke killed countless people, creating an unparalleled reputation, that almost everyone dared not belittle.
In truth, he singlehandedly struck fear into the hearts of many, deterring them from causing further trouble.
Moreover, the story of Pei Xuanjing's confrontation with Li Yuzhen, intimidating the monks of Diamond Gate, mysteriously got out.
All these incidents have confirmed in people's minds that as long as Pei Xuanjing does not die prematurely, he will definitely be another Tie Qianshan.
About twenty years ago, Tie Qianshan was just the same. He rose from a nameless youth, step by step, through bloodshed and killing, carving out his own reputation and leading the small Tie Sect to its current stature — dominating the Northwest Dao.
Therefore, when Pei Xuanjing approached, the crowd that had surrounded the lakeside automatically cleared a path for him.
This is fame, this is strength, and this is what countless martial artists strive for throughout their entire lives.
Such is a man's way!
They wish they could take your place!
Seeing Pei Xuanjing's domineering appearance, countless people on the scene were filled with envy and jealousy, wishing they could replace him.
"Hehe." Pei Xuanjing chuckled lightly.
Without any hesitation, he led Gu San and the others towards the open area that had been cleared for him.
He found himself growing more accustomed to the law of the jungle in this world, without feeling the slightest discomfort.
This feeling was really comfortable, easy to immerse oneself in.
"Pei Xuanjing, you've finally arrived!" Suddenly, someone broke the silence.
Pei Xuanjing looked in the direction of the voice. The monk from the Diamond Gate was looking at him with an unfriendly gaze.
He glanced at the few people gathered around the monk and laughed, "What, did you find some more helping hands?"