Chapter 210: Figure in Black
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Zhang Ruochen pulled Huang Yanchen to the side. “Senior sister apprentice Huang, will Master Lei be angry at me for pretending to be his secret disciple?” he asked her in a low voice.
“He shouldn’t be.”
Huang Yanchen continued, “Perhaps you are not aware, but Master Lei looks upon you very favorably. It was he who gave the order for you to receive the privileges of a student of the Earth Board, and he has directed large amounts of practice resources to you. This matter caused quite the uproar in the Internal Academy.”
Zhang Ruochen did not understand. “I’ve never even met Master Lei, why does he look out for me so much?” he asked.
Huang Yanchen replied, “Master Lei is the head of the silver-robed elders. Although he is not a golden-robed elder, he holds great power. He is even more powerful than some of the golden-robed elders. He must recognize your potential and want to have you as a disciple. If you were to become his disciple, then you would gain a very powerful backer, and very few people in Omen Ridge would dare to bother you.”
“Of course, you shouldn’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. Master Lei also said that if you could not become one of the top 10 in the Internal Academy within a year, then your Earth Board privileges would be canceled.”
“I have never cared about that.” Zhang Ruochen smiled. “Although it is good to receive the privileges of the Earth Board, it has also put a target on my back. I have become someone everyone wants to challenge.”
Huang Yanchen replied, “Perhaps Master Lei is testing you. Although you are very powerful in your current cultivation, you are still very young. Compared to the top 10 students in the Internal Academy, you still have far to go.”
“If you can become one of the top 10 within a year, then Master Lei may personally accept you as a disciple. He might even ensure your entry to the Saint Academy.”
“Fate is the master of us all! The way of Martial Arts is to take one step at a time. How should I know what level I will be at in a year?” Zhang Ruochen smiled.
Chang Qiqi approached Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen. His face grew suspicious as he noticed their proximity. As he entered earshot, he called, “Junior sister apprentice Huang, junior brother Chen, what are you talking about?”
Zhang Ruochen turned around, smiled, and said, “We are discussing the recent situation in the Yunwu Commandery.”
Zhang Ruochen saw the suspicion in Chang Qiqi’s eyes and instantly understood. He immediately moved a few steps to distance himself from Huang Yanchen.
He realized that his current identity was that of Chen Ruo, a secret disciple of the Hall Master of the silver robed elders, while Huang Yanchen’s identity was that of Zhang Ruochen’s fiancée. It would not do to be so close to Huang Yanchen.
Chang Qiqi looked to be only about 1.6 meters. He had dark skin with an aquiline nose and bushy, black eyebrows. His eyes were narrow slits, and he carried an ancient bronze sword on his back. Everything about him was compact and lean.
A playful smile hovered on his face, and he said, “I am better informed than you about the current situation in the Yunwu Commandery. A month ago, the Martial Market School joined with the Martial Market Bank. With the additional strength of the official channels of the Yunwu Commandery, we managed to soundly defeat the black market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect. 30 of the branches were destroyed and tens of thousands of Evil Warriors were killed. It was a blood bath.”
“All of the heretics escaped towards Yunwu City, except for a few of the most hidden branches.”
“I suspect that the final battle will be at Yunwu City.”
Zhang Ruochen furrowed his brows, “The Martial Market School and the Martial Market Bank struck too hard. The black market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect are bound to retaliate. Evil Warriors from the surrounding commanderies are sure to come to their aid. It’s going to be chaos. I wonder if the Yunwu City army will be able to control it.”
Chang Qiqi smiled, “We are only in charge of defeating the warriors of the black market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect. As for the situation in Yunwu City, well, that is for the royal family to worry about.”
The black market, Martial Market School, Moon Worship Demonic Sec, and even the Yuntai Suzerain have all intervened. Yunwu City must be turned upside down right now. No matter how many masters the royal palace has, they will struggle to keep the peace.
Zhang Ruochen continued to worry about his relatives in Yunwu City.
“I must go to Yunwu City right away,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Ruochen had only just finished speaking when the leaves rustled in the treetops. A black shadow flashed by at an incredible speed.
A single dead leaf floated down.
“Who goes there?”
Zhang Ruochen’e eyes sharpened. His hand flashed out and caught the leaf between two fingers.
Spiritual Fire Genuine Qi flowed out of his body and enveloped the leaf.
He snapped his fingers and the flaming leaf spun and flew outwards. With a boom, it snapped off a tree branch as big around as a bowl.
The black shadow flew out from behind the tree and jumped 10 meters to the top of another tree.
The man wore a black robe and mask, and he was tall and slender with eyes like torches. He was certainly a master of Martial Arts.
“Haha! You are so naïve! Did you really think you could make it to Yunwu City?” The black robed warrior laughed.
“Who are you?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Your doom,” said the man in black .
Chang Qiqi rolled his eyes and replied, “Tch! Anyone can boast. We are three students of the Internal Academy, do you think you can kill us? Maybe if you are a legendary warrior from the Heaven Realm, but I doubt you are that strong.”
“So what if you are students of the Internal Academy? Over the years, we of the black market have killed plenty you guys,” the black robed figure retorted disdainfully.
“You’re from the black market?” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes flickered with skepticism.
The man hid his face behind a mask, but from his voice, it was clear that he couldn’t be older than 30. When did such a powerful young warrior join the black market?
“That’s right,” the black-clad figure replied clearly.
Zhang Ruochen continued to question him. “Which faction do you belong to?”
“What does it matter? You’ll be dead soon, anyway.”
He immersed his Genuine Qi into his voice and executed a sound wave martial technique, Mysterious Sound.
The air rippled like water from the pressure as wave after wave rushed towards Zhang Ruochen’s group.
At the moment the sound wave was released, all the birds in a 3 meter radius died and fell from their trees.
“Crack!”
The sound waves shattered a dead tree beside Zhang Ruochen.
Even at Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, he could feel his blood roiling and his ear drums pounding from the sound wave attack. The sound waves in the air were like sharp knives poking his skin.
Huang Yanchen’s face turned pale, and she retreated under the attack of the sound waves. She appeared to have already been injured.
Huang Yanchen had already reached the Advanced Stage of the Earth Realm, yet she was still unable to withstand the sound waves. If she had been a warrior with a lower cultivation, then she would have suffered heavier injuries.
Chang Qiqi had the highest martial cultivation of any of them. He had already reached the Medium State of the Earth Realm, and he was also a level two prodigy. His training was extensive, and he could defend against the sound wave attack of the black robed figure.
“Bring it on.”
Chang Qiqi rushed forward. The sword on his back flew out of its scabbard and landed in his hands. He raised his sword with both hands and carved out a 10 meter long sword blast.
The blast split the sound waves and sliced towards the man in black.
“Boom!”
Chang Qiqi’s attack knocked down a dozen of the big trees nearby and cleared out a wide swathe of forest.
The black-clad warrior once again leaped in the air. He gently alighted on the top of a tree like a big raven and laughed. “You live up to being the 41st warrior of the Internal Academy. Your broadsword technique is not bad.”
“A normal warrior at the Completion of the Earth Realm can only reach a speed of 120 meters per second, but his just reached at least 140 meters per second. He is no amateur. Junior sister apprentice Huang and junior brother Chen, you two leave first. I’ll take this guy on.” Chang Qiqi said, his expression serious. He hefted his broadsword and stared determinedly at the black-robed figure.
“Let’s get out of here!” Zhang Ruochen yelled.
Zhang Ruochen could see that the man in black was obviously very powerful. Even if they worked together, they might not be strong enough.
Huang Yanchen was a little worried. “Will elder brother Chang be able to take him on?”
“No.”
Zhang Ruochen continued, “But we are his target. He is not after elder brother Chang.”
“How do you know he wants us?” Huang Yanchen asked. She stared curiously at Zhang Ruochen.
“Let’s leave first. Then we’ll talk.”
Zhang Ruochen glanced back and saw that Chang Qiqi had begun to battle the black-clad man. “Don’t worry about elder brother Chang. Even Qing Huashan was not able to kill him. Elder brother Chang has shown he is very good at protecting himself.”
Without wasting any more time, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen both executed Shadow of the Wind Dragon and escaped as quickly as possible. In no time, they were hundreds of kilometers away.
Only two blurry shadows could be seen as they raced along the mountain trails.
“Zhang Ruochen, what is happening? How did you know that person came for us?” Huang Yanchen asked again.
“Because he is not an evil warrior of the black market.”
Zhang Ruochen continued, “He didn’t ask for elder brother Chang’s name, but he already knew his ranking at the Internal Academy. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Huang Yanchen realized Zahng Ruochen was right. “It is very strange. It seems that the he knows elder brother Chang. Could it be…is the man in black a student at the Martial Market School?”
“Not only students in the Martial Market School know of elder brother Chang.”
Zhang Ruochen went on, “There countless suzerains within the Devil Martial City. Any of them could have met elder brother Chang. We cannot determine this warrior’s identity yet, but since he named himself as an evil warrior of the black market, then his mission must be more than just killing three Internal students of the Martial Market School.”
Huang Yanchen replied, “You and elder brother Chang are not particularly special. It is unlikely that people are aiming to specifically kill you. I suspect he must have come for me.”
“Perhaps!”
They continued to travel quickly, moving at more than 100 meters per second. They didn’t dare to rest at all.
When night came, they were already over 300 kilometers away. Only they could have moved at such speeds. If it had been other warriors of the Earth Realm, they would probably have been exhausted by now.
After dark, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen rested briefly in a mountain spirit temple to restore some of their Genuine Qi.
Zhang Ruochen stood in front of the entrance to the temple and watched night fall with serious eyes.
The air was cold and dark clouds hid the sky. It looked as if a giant storm was brewing.
After Huang Yanchen replenished her Genuine Qi, she also walked out and said, as she saw Zhang Ruochen’s expression, “That man in black won’t be able to catch up so quickly. Besides, even if he did, we should be able to put up a fight given our strength. Ah, I forgot, you can’t use your space power on a whim.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, “I have a bad feeling. Tonight won’t be peaceful, perhaps a great enemy will appear. A power prevents us from returning to Yunwu City. Who could it be?”
“You have abnormal Spiritual Powers. Do you sense something?” Huang Yanchen asked.
She knew that people with great Spiritual Powers could sometimes foresee things to come. Coincidentally, Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power was freakishly strong.