Chapter 344: Zhong Ming’s Gift |
The scene before his eyes had occurred far too suddenly.
The abnormal movement of Zhong Ming caught Li Chunsong completely off guard, leaving him no time to react at all!
The development of events was, in truth, rather bizarre.
This place was filled with countless restrictions, with a large number of formations inscribed within it.
The iron rings worn on Zhong Ming’s limbs also imposed layer upon layer of restraints upon him.
In the past, he would occasionally fall into madness, causing the many powers within his body to become completely violent.
Even under such circumstances, he could still be firmly suppressed.
But now?
In merely an instant, everything laid out around him had been forcibly shattered!
This Sixth Elder of the Dao Gate immediately opened his mouth wide, and the half piece of Ding-sheng Pastry in his mouth fell to the ground.
Before the pastry even touched the floor, his figure had already flashed to Zhong Ming’s side, attempting to snatch Chu Huaixu back.
However, Zhong Ming suddenly swung his other hand, sending Li Chunsong flying. He crashed heavily into the wall, triggering lines of dark-gold restrictions to appear upon it.
Chu Huaixu felt that even breathing had become somewhat difficult.
He watched helplessly as Zhong Ming’s facial features grew increasingly distorted, increasingly ferocious.
Yet within Zhong Ming’s eyes, there was also endless struggle.
Chu Huaixu was not the type to sit and wait for death.
Even if the opponent was a peerless powerhouse of the Ninth Realm, he would still… struggle on the brink of death!
Of course, if necessary, he would use the 【Absolute Defense】 obtained from the Heaven-grade Treasure Chest.
It was just a pity that it was a one-time item. Merely thinking about using it made his heart ache a little.
However, just as he began to struggle, a trace of astonishment appeared on Zhong Ming’s face.
All of Chu Huaixu’s attack methods—he neither dodged nor evaded—yet none could harm him in the slightest.
Meanwhile, Zhong Ming’s constantly shifting gaze began to carefully examine Chu Huaixu, whom he held by the neck.
Until he saw the tokens hanging at the boy’s waist.
A token of a Dao Gate True Disciple, and two Xuanhuang Champion Tokens.
Upon seeing them, the pair of turbid eyes filled with endless struggle unexpectedly regained a brief moment of clarity!
Immediately after, he raised his left hand and forcefully pressed it against Chu Huaixu’s chest.
In the next instant, a series of system notifications sounded.
“【Ding! An unknown force is entering your body!】”
“【Warning! An unknown force is invading!】”
“【Warning!】”
The subsequent system notifications, Chu Huaixu could no longer hear clearly.
Because his entire body quickly went numb, and his Sea of Consciousness was violently shaken—he fainted on the spot.
Zhong Ming continued holding him like that, then turned his head to look at Li Chunsong lying in the corner.
After that, he tossed the unconscious Chu Huaixu toward him.
Li Chunsong, who had been heavily injured by a single palm strike, was like a useless waste before Zhong Ming.
At this moment, he hurriedly caught Chu Huaixu and, using his remaining strength, turned and ran.
The disturbance within this courtyard naturally drew the attention of Jiang Zhi and the others immediately.
These high-ranking members of the Dao Gate had already flown through the air and descended outside the courtyard.
Just as the injured Li Chunsong ran out carrying the unconscious Chu Huaixu, Xiang Yan immediately stepped forward to ask:
“Sixth Junior Brother, what happened?”
Before Li Chunsong could reply, a loud explosion sounded from inside the house, and the entire Gentleman Temple trembled!
“Not good! He’s about to break through the restrictions!” Jiang Zhi left these words and immediately rushed inside.
Xiang Yan’s expression turned grave as he followed right behind.
“Second Senior Brother, come with me!” he called to Tai Tingbai.
“Junior brothers and sisters, do not enter.”
“Sixth Junior Brother, take Chu Huaixu back first.” The Sect Master quickly made arrangements.
With Zhong Ming going berserk inside, those of the Seventh Realm had no power to fight and would only become a burden.
Chu Yinyin and the others looked anxious but helpless.
The moment Jiang Zhi entered the room, he saw Zhong Ming’s white hair dancing wildly in the air.
His expression was filled with endless struggle and pain, his internal qi extremely chaotic, radiating a violent force outward!
After a while, he even pressed both hands against his temples, letting out waves of roars.
“Fifth Senior Brother!” Jiang Zhi approached with concern.
Xiang Yan and Tai Tingbai stood behind him, their expressions extremely grave.
What surprised the three of them was that Zhong Ming—who was usually either insane or foolish—actually spoke at this moment.
Though his words were broken and somewhat slurred, it was still a complete and clear sentence!
“Don’t… come… closer!”
“Just… guard… me!”
In an instant, Jiang Zhi’s eyes widened, his pupils trembling violently!
Even the fingers of his left hand began to twitch unconsciously.
Xiang Yan and Tai Tingbai exchanged a glance, shock also appearing on their faces!
Everyone had thought Zhong Ming’s condition had suddenly worsened.
But from this, it seemed… he might actually be improving?
However, judging from the current situation, it could not yet be confirmed with certainty.
Zhong Ming’s expression continued to change, and his aura became increasingly chaotic.
He continuously unleashed his power outward, as if venting.
The restrictions here had become the perfect target for his release.
Jiang Zhi quickly made a decision.
“Reinforce the restrictions!” he ordered Xiang Yan and Tai Tingbai.
The three Eighth Realm great cultivators cast their techniques within the room, continuously strengthening the formations and restrictions.
As Zhong Ming kept releasing violent power outward, the surrounding temperature gradually began to drop.
Black qi started to seep out from his body.
The sweat produced on his body was actually black, oozing out from his pores.
This made Jiang Zhi frown deeply.
After about the time of one incense stick, a black mark began to appear at Zhong Ming’s brow.
This mark wriggled like a living thing.
It resembled a strange, misshapen tadpole.
As the black mark appeared, the black sweat flowing from his body increased and grew more viscous.
The old man’s screams became increasingly heart-wrenching.
Eventually, he clutched his head with both hands, wailing endlessly.
Clearly, aside from his body, most of the problem lay within his Sea of Consciousness.
Jiang Zhi and the others continued reinforcing the restrictions. Xiang Yan and Tai Tingbai were already nearly exhausted.
In the end, only Jiang Zhi remained, struggling to hold on.
“Fifth Senior Brother has been mad for so many years—how has his cultivation improved so much!” Jiang Zhi was greatly shocked.
He estimated that the other party had already reached the bottleneck of the Ninth Realm, Fifth Heaven.
He could break through to the Sixth Heaven at any moment!
Yet what was bizarre was that Zhong Ming spent almost every day either going mad or making Ding-sheng Pastry.
He had not cultivated for even a single day!
After entering the Ninth Realm, every step forward was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Even with day and night meditation and arduous comprehension, breakthroughs were extremely difficult.
Take Heavenly Net of Luo Heaven Valley as an example—already advanced in age, he had made no progress for a full ten years.
By his own words, he would likely be stuck there for life.
“How did Fifth Senior Brother achieve this?”
“Or is his condition truly special?” Jiang Zhi could not understand.
Though he held Zhong Ming in utmost respect, this clearly defied the laws of cultivation.
Time passed—about half an hour went by.
The black mark at Zhong Ming’s brow suddenly turned into strands of black smoke and dissipated into the air.
The black sweat on his body instantly evaporated, also turning into black mist.
The pain on the old man’s face eased.
His chaotic aura gradually became calm.
He staggered backward a few steps, then collapsed onto the ground, leaning against a cabinet behind him.
Jiang Zhi quickly stepped forward to check his condition.
“He’s actually fallen asleep?” he exclaimed in shock.
Tai Tingbai, the master of pill refining, immediately examined him.
“There’s no abnormality in the body—no need for pills.”
“Just some mental exhaustion. If medication must be used, a Return Spirit Pill will suffice,” Tai Tingbai said.
But Jiang Zhi raised his hand.
“No need!”
“Let Fifth Senior Brother sleep more—sleep deeply, sleep longer. That may be better,” he said softly.
Everyone then withdrew.
As soon as they exited, Nangong Yue and the others surrounded them.
“Little Martial Uncle, how is it?” Nangong Yue asked urgently.
“It’s fine. From the current situation, Fifth Senior Brother seems to have improved,” Jiang Zhi said. “At least, he had a moment of clarity.”
“This means Chu Huaixu’s recent efforts were not in vain,” he added with a sigh.
“Come, let’s go check on him.” He waved his hand.
Soon, everyone arrived at Chu Huaixu’s courtyard.
He was lying on the bed, while Han Shuangjiang was tending to him with concern.
Li Chunsong was meditating on a cushion in the room, healing his injuries.
He had already taken a pill, and his injuries had somewhat recovered.
As soon as Zhao Shuqin entered, he joked:
“Sixth Junior Brother, how many palms from Fifth Martial Uncle did you take? You’re injured this badly?”
“Just one!” Li Chunsong opened his eyes, annoyed. “You’re still laughing! Try taking one yourself! Hiss—!”
Jiang Zhi turned his head and said:
“Lower your voices!”
The two immediately shut up.
Everyone gathered around Chu Huaixu’s bed, examining his condition.
“No injuries,” Zhao Shuqin said.
Chu Yinyin rolled her eyes.
“That’s because they’ve already healed!”
In truth, Chu Huaixu had indeed suffered minor injuries.
His neck had been bruised purple and red.
Moreover, being so close to a Ninth Realm cultivator’s chaotic aura alone was enough to injure him.
“Currently, there are no abnormalities.”
“He should wake up soon,” Tai Tingbai said.
“Just… why did he faint?” he added, puzzled.
Everyone exchanged looks, equally confused.
Chu Huaixu’s body was practically exemplary among body cultivators.
His pain tolerance was high, and his recovery ability was strong.
His Sea of Consciousness had not been overexerted either—so why did he faint?
“Sixth Junior Brother, are you certain Fifth Martial Uncle only lightly pressed one palm, and you sensed no spiritual energy fluctuation?” Xiang Yan asked.
Li Chunsong nodded firmly.
The dead gambler said miserably:
“Little Martial Uncle, look at me!”
“I also only took a casual palm strike.”
“I’m this badly injured—if Fifth Martial Uncle had used spiritual energy, Chu Huaixu would already be a corpse!”
Everyone found that reasonable.
Han Shuangjiang, who had been tending to him, felt her heart tighten upon hearing this.
Nangong Yue noticed her expression and immediately comforted her:
“Shuangjiang, don’t worry. Today was just an accident.”
“And look—Huaixu isn’t really injured. He just doesn’t know why he hasn’t woken up.”
Han Shuangjiang nodded.
She truly did not want Chu Huaixu to keep putting himself in danger.
But she knew he was extremely strong-willed—he might not listen to others.
Many times, she worried deeply.
Yet she never said it, afraid of burdening him.
She could only silently cultivate harder—more diligently than ever.
But Chu Huaixu knew little of this. He would only think: “Her breakthroughs are so fast—this Body of Profound Yin is insanely powerful!”
He did not know that, for the girl, her original motivation for cultivation had been to control her own fate.
After meeting him, her greatest goal became keeping pace with him—and perhaps one day, protecting him in return.
Everything that had happened recently only added pressure upon Han Shuangjiang.
She urgently desired power!
After carefully checking Chu Huaixu again, Jiang Zhi and the others finally left at ease.
The sun set, and night fell.
Near midnight, Chu Huaixu finally woke up.
“You’re awake!” Han Shuangjiang immediately approached.
“How long was I unconscious?” he asked.
“Several hours—it’s already midnight,” Big Ice Block replied, sitting by the bed.
“Ow! My head hurts!” Chu Huaixu exaggeratedly placed his head onto his Dao companion’s soft, round thighs, using them as a pillow.
The Little Housekeeper always had the demeanor of a virtuous wife.
Seeing this, she simply smiled slightly, allowing him to rest on her lap while gently massaging his head.
Smelling the faint fragrance from the girl, Chu Huaixu felt refreshed.
He snuggled further in, almost burying his face against her abdomen.
He let out a deeply satisfied sound.
Han Shuangjiang looked down at him, a faint smile appearing on her face.
That smile made the cold-faced girl seem much more lively.
“Are you alright? Why did you suddenly faint?” she asked softly.
Her massage technique was excellent—something she had learned in 【Red Sleeves Beckon】.
“I’m not sure. Let me feel it carefully,” Chu Huaixu said, closing his eyes.
But he quickly opened them again.
Before that, he wanted to ask something.
“Did the Martial Ancestor and the others come earlier?” he asked.
“Of course—they were very worried when you fainted,” she replied.
“Did they say anything after checking me?”
Han Shuangjiang answered truthfully:
“They examined you thoroughly and said there was nothing abnormal.”
“They were all puzzled about why you were unconscious.”
“Given your condition, it shouldn’t be easy for you to faint.”
Chu Huaixu responded softly, then closed his eyes.
He could check the system’s notification history.
“Unknown force invasion?” he thought in surprise.
Anything labeled as unknown by the system likely did not belong to the Xuanhuang Realm’s power system!
That meant… it could only come from Kunlun Grotto-Heaven!
He continued reading.
The more he saw, the more shocked he became.
“【Ding! Unknown force has entered your Sea of Consciousness.】”
“【Force is being repelled…】”
“【System is attempting to merge.】”
“【Merge failed!】”
“【Force still resisting!】”
“【System attempting merge again!】”
“【Ding! Congratulations, merge successful!】”
What the hell merged?!
Chu Huaixu never expected that helping Zhong Ming would lead to such a bizarre situation.
After searching his body, he finally found the force—in his Sea of Consciousness!
Now, there were three distinct forces within it.
The first was the black small sword at the foundation—his Heart Sword.
He had essentially become a “Sword Person.”
The second was half a strand of Origin Power from the Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin.
Half circled the Heart Sword like a roaming dragon; the other half was within his Spirit Embryo.
As for the third—
It was what Zhong Ming had forcibly injected today.
He had no idea why Zhong Ming attacked him on sight…
Then suddenly gave him a “gift.”
“He must have sensed something from the start,” Chu Huaixu thought.
At this moment, within his Sea of Consciousness—
The black Heart Sword floated upright, hilt above, tip downward.
The strand of Origin Power coiled around it.
And beneath the sword tip—
A black lotus platform had appeared.