Chapter 456: On the Eve of Battle
As soon as Zhou Tong finished speaking, his aura immediately locked onto Shen Yifeng.
Seeing this, the group of ten from the Dongxuan Academy voluntarily stepped back.
Similarly, other factions within a hundred-meter radius around Su Jingzhen and his three companions also retreated.
The Zhou family was eager to take the lead and make the first move against the Linjiang Branch of the Evil Moon Sect. Naturally, no one wanted to interfere.
At the same time, dozens more figures began approaching Zhou Tong’s group from behind. They were none other than dozens of Golden Core cultivators from the Zhou family.
“Wow, the Zhou family is really going all out against the Linjiang Branch of the Evil Moon Sect. But do they really need such a large force to deal with just one branch?”
“Last night, besides Zhou Xian and the other two Nascent Soul protectors, it’s said that there were also about ten Golden Core cultivators from the Zhou family in Holy City.
But Zhou Xian and the others died so quickly that these Golden Core cultivators didn’t even have time to come to their aid.”
“Looking at the Zhou family’s current formation, even if they left a Nascent Soul cultivator or a few Golden Core cultivators in Holy City, they might have still brought about two-thirds of their forces here.”
“If this entire group gets wiped out in Holy City, the Zhou family might just be erased from Qingzhou’s map.”
“……”
As the Zhou family’s dozens of Golden Core cultivators marched forward, many from the other factions present couldn’t help but look on with surprise. However, most were puzzled.
In the world of immortal cultivation, most cultivators are heartless and ungrateful.
It’s one thing that Zhou Xian and the two Nascent Soul cultivators were already dead and held no more value.
Moreover, they were killed by Shen Yifeng of the Evil Moon Sect. Even if they had been killed by a top faction like Spirit Sound Valley, which is on par with the Zhou family, it’s not normal for Zhou Tong, the Zhou family’s patriarch, to make such a big fuss.
Typically, they would leverage this incident to extract some benefits from the Evil Moon Sect to secure better opportunities for future development. For most cultivators, revenge is often just a pretext to gain advantages.
But the way Zhou Tong and the entire Zhou family were acting now was too out of the ordinary.
“Could the Zhou family be under some sort of threat? Maybe this so-called revenge is just a cover for completing a task assigned by someone else.
Or perhaps, someone gave the Zhou family the courage to take such an all-out approach.”
“I know a little about Zhou Tong. He wouldn’t go this far just for a worthless junior.
And in the Qingzhou region, there are only one or two forces with enough influence to push Zhou Tong to such an extent.”
“……”
As many top factions speculated, their gazes turned toward Tuoba Junlin and Zou Zeyu.
Coincidentally, both the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and the Evil Moon Sect had the power to manipulate the Zhou family.
And as fate would have it, both the Tuoba family of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and the Longyan Branch of the Evil Moon Sect are part of the Holy City system.
Some things are often better left unsaid.
Even though everyone knew the truth, there was nothing anyone could do about it.
No one had any concrete evidence, not even a shred.
The most important thing was that this could be seen as an internal struggle within the Evil Moon Sect, which ultimately benefited everyone.
“It’s a pity, though.
I’ve heard that the Linjiang Branch of the Evil Moon Sect was doing quite well, especially after they established a new Alchemy Hall and directly absorbed the third-largest alchemist group in Qingzhou, the Spiritual Medicine Sect.
But there are simply too few of them here now.
The Zhou family has been rooted in Holy City for thousands of years.
No matter how powerful Shen Yifeng is, he’s still just a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He can’t fight off so many enemies at once.”
“Heh, if these members of the Linjiang Branch of the Evil Moon Sect fall here, then there’s no need for them to continue their previous competition with the Longyan Branch. The Longyan Branch would win without a doubt.”
As the onlookers continued their discussion, the battlefield was completely cleared.
A space with a diameter of three hundred meters was left at the edge of the gray mist for the Zhou family and Shen Yifeng to fight.
It was more than enough room for a good battle.
“Brat, I won’t have any problem taking care of Zhou Tong, but what about the rest of them? What do you say?”
Shen Yifeng’s tone was calm, even slightly playful as he spoke.
Su Jingzhen was reminded of the time in that mysterious space within the Spiritual Medicine Sect, when they faced off against members of the Free and Unfettered Sect.
It seemed that Shen Yifeng had done the same thing back then—he handled the strongest enemy while leaving the rest to Su Jingzhen.
Su Jingzhen looked over at the Zhou family’s group.
Behind Zhou Tong were five Nascent Soul cultivators, their strength hidden, their exact abilities unknown.
Behind these Nascent Soul cultivators were nearly forty Golden Core cultivators. Combined, this force could even challenge an early-stage Soul Formation cultivator.
But who was he?
He was Su Jingzhen, the ultimate cheat!
There was no room for fear in Su Jingzhen’s heart.
He solemnly nodded to Shen Yifeng. “As long as the Master can hold off that Soul Formation stage cultivator and prevent him from attacking me, then leave the rest to your disciple.
There’s nothing to worry about.”
Su Jingzhen knew well that his strength couldn’t be hidden anymore.
Fortunately, after the journey to the Dantai Family’s ruins was over, his focus would shift entirely to the Luo River region.
Qingzhou would no longer be his primary battlefield.
With that in mind, there was no need to conceal his combat ability any longer.
Besides, today he would showcase his Flesh Body Nascent Embryo second-stage cultivation, and perhaps in just a few days, his combat strength would rise even further.
After all, the space within the black brick had already begun to open up for him.
In the future, he might enjoy the benefits of dual “golden fingers.”
After saying this to Shen Yifeng, Su Jingzhen turned his gaze to Ye Zhiqiu and Xuening nearby.
“Xuening, you and Miss Ye should go to Vice President Ouyang of the Alchemist Association and stay with him. Leave this situation to me and Master.”
The familiar smile Xuening knew so well still hung on Su Jingzhen’s face.
She glanced at the overwhelming momentum of the Zhou family cultivators, then looked back at Su Jingzhen and Shen Yifeng.
With a quiet nod, Xuening agreed.
She hadn’t formed her Golden Core yet, and her combat ability was limited.
If she stayed, she would only become a burden to Su Jingzhen and the others.
By stepping aside, Su Jingzhen and Shen Yifeng could fight without restraint.
“Brother Su, be careful!”
Xuening said with a serious expression.
As her words faded, a series of small golden characters appeared before Su Jingzhen:
[Emotional Connection +6]
[Emotional Connection +6]
[Available Points: 485]
Su Jingzhen’s smile grew even brighter.
“Go on. You’ve already seen what I’m capable of. Have faith in me, I won’t let you down.”
[Emotional Connection +6]
[Available Points: 491]
Without saying anything more, Xuening and Ye Zhiqiu flew toward the Alchemist Association.
The Zhou family didn’t stop them.
After all, neither Xuening nor Ye Zhiqiu belonged to the Linjiang Branch of the Evil Moon Sect, and both of their identities were special.
Even if they had stood still and allowed Zhou Tong to kill them, he wouldn’t have dared lay a hand on them.
Now, only Su Jingzhen and Shen Yifeng remained standing atop the roof.
At this moment, Zhou Tong’s face twisted into a cold sneer.
“In the cultivation world, there’s no such thing as fairness. So, don’t blame me for using many to overwhelm the few.”
With that, Zhou Tong didn’t waste any more time. His aura suddenly became sharp and fierce.
“Form the array! Kill them!”