Chapter 90: Chapter 78: Planning
Chapter 90: Chapter 78: Planning
"If you had not come to this realm, I would have had no hope of escaping my predicament in this lifetime."
Lihuo Spear raised its hand and beckoned lightly, "Some things on the body of the man just now may be of use to you, consider it a repayment of your favor."
They were Fang Jiong's belongings.
A storage spirit ring and a purple flower hovering mid-air.
[Wind Spiritual Ring (Third Order): Engraved with triple arrays, it possesses effects such as 'Light Body', 'Gathering Spirit', and 'Enhance Strength'.]
[Heavenly Star Flame (Fifth Order): Extracted from meteor fires moving between cosmic spaces, refined into a seed, quite rare.]
Chu Zheng's gaze brightened slightly. The Wind Spiritual Ring was just ordinary, but this Heavenly Star Flame was genuinely a high-grade fire seed that could significantly accelerate his cultivation pace.
However, he no longer had the time to refine this fire seed at the moment.
Focusing his attention, Chu Zheng searched within the spirit ring for a while and pulled out a jade talisman.
This jade talisman bore the aura of Ling Qi.
"There is that person's aura on this jade talisman; I hope you can lend your assistance," he said.
With Chu Zheng's speed, there was no possibility of catching up with Ling Qi; he could only rely on Lihuo Spear.
As his words fell, Chu Zheng directly opened the passageway and took the first step into it.
Once he left this world, the initiative would be in Lihuo Spear's hands.
But Chu Zheng now had no other choice and could only hope that Lihuo Spear would honor its agreement.
Amidst the desolate mountains and forests, a crimson great spear slowly emerged from the void.
The vegetation in the surrounding mountains and forests ignited without any source of flame, giving rise to a blazing inferno.
In just a few breaths, the mountains were left with nothing but ash.
"The complete Heaven and Earth Laws..."
Lihuo Spear let out a sigh, its body quivering as it crazily drew in the spiritual energy from all around, like parched land welcoming a rainstorm.
Without dwelling on its emotions, after sensing for a moment, it directly lifted Chu Zheng and soared upwards into the skies, piercing through the nine heavens.
Crack—
A sound like thunder exploded in the void, fracturing it with web-like cracks.
A layer of firelight enveloped Chu Zheng, a gentle warmth that shielded him from the ripping spatial fluctuations all around.
The firelight entered the crack, and in the blink of an eye, it had already reappeared tens of thousands of miles away.
Moving through space in the blink of an eye, this is the power of Tongxuan, the divine skill of Pseudo-Immortals.
Chu Zheng's vision was blocked by the firelight, he couldn't see the outside world at all, and he couldn't even sense any jolting.
As to whether Lihuo Spear could catch up with Ling Qi, he had no confidence whatsoever and began to ponder other fallback plans.
If Ling Qi managed to get away and return to Tai Xu Holy Land, his situation would become extremely passive.
Ling Qi had seen Chu Zheng, and he had also seen Fang Jiong. Once the two sides communicated, Taixuan Holy Land would quickly lock on to his presence.
With his aura in Ling Qi's hands, tracking him down would not be difficult, and the situation could escalate rapidly.
Bowing his head, Chu Zheng searched in the Wind Spiritual Ring once again and quickly found a commandment.
"Disturbances in the Heavenly Dao of the Cangyun Realm... other Taoist orthodoxies... the Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects... Immortal Alliance... Martial Hall..."
As he read the contents of the commandment, Chu Zheng's expression changed slightly; this world was far more complex than he had thought.
The lofty Holy Lands were just dominators in this domain, still under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Alliance.
The situation for Song Lingxue was not as dangerous as he had previously imagined, and for her, it may even turn out to be an opportunity...
Before Chu Zheng could ponder further, the firelight before him suddenly dispersed, and in the nearby airspace, a familiar silver leopard appeared.
On the back of the silver leopard, there were two familiar figures.
Ling Qi, Song Lingxue.
So soon? It had been less than half a cup of tea's time.
Chu Zheng's heart slightly sank, as the Lihuo Spear, being a Spiritual Treasure, already possessed such inconceivable and magical prowess.
The pseudo-immortals within those Holy Lands, with their methods and divine skills, would only be more terrifying.
"Tongxuan Spiritual Treasure?!"
Seeing the giant fiery red spear that stretched between heaven and earth behind Chu Zheng, Ling Qi's heart suddenly sank.
He had not expected that Chu Zheng would actually produce such a perfectly intact weapon of slaughter.
In less than a day's time, something unknown and momentous must have happened to Chu Zheng.
He would have produced this Spiritual Treasure earlier if he could have, instead of waiting until this moment.
Thinking of Fang Jiong who had asked for directions earlier, Ling Qi's breathing hitched, his eyes full of disbelief, "You killed Fang Jiong..."
"No."
Chu Zheng shook his head in denial, his expression indifferent,
"You killed him. I am the successor that Fang Jiong found just before his death. When I reach the Taixuan Holy Land, I will report the truth and demand an explanation from the Tai Xu Holy Land."
Now that he has caught up with Ling Qi, Chu Zheng's plan for what comes next is gradually becoming clearer.
Song Lingxue's and his current situation was quite troublesome, for it was actually Chu Zheng whom the Holy Lands were seeking, and yet now it had become Song Lingxue.
If he cannot escape it, then he might as well face it head-on; proactively approach Taixuan—Song Lingxue wouldn't be in mortal danger, and he could also seek protection from the Holy Land.
He possessed Fang Jiong's legacy—all his belongings and, having absorbed the Heavenly Star Flame, he was indeed the true successor; the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture now had a source.
As long as he killed Ling Qi, there would be no evidence to the contrary, and he could deceive everyone.
No one would believe that a cultivator of the Spirit Spring Realm had the power to kill a peak expert of Divine Infant Seven Transformations.
"Little... fellow Daoist."
Ling Qi felt a tingling sensation on his scalp and began to explain, "I mean no harm. I have come to take this young lady back on the orders of the Immortal Alliance, and I won't hurt her..."
"What has that to do with me?"
Chu Zheng shook his head, cutting off his words.
Sensing the killing intent rising from Chu Zheng, a sliver of fierceness flashed in Ling Qi's eyes as he pointed at Song Lingxue beside him,
"If you insist on this, I will kill her first."
"Then go ahead."
Chu Zheng's gaze was cold, his expression unflustered, "If you return, the Taixuan Holy Land won't spare me. I have come here just to kill you; everything else is insignificant."
Seeing the cold look on his face, Ling Qi's heart grew cold; he could not tell whether Chu Zheng was telling the truth or not and found himself in a dilemma.
"If you can't bring yourself to do it, then I will help you."
Chu Zheng whispered, and a large spear appeared in the palm of his hand.
The next instant, the spear shot out like an arrow from a bow, directly aiming at Song Lingxue without the slightest pause, piercing through her Dantian and abdomen.
The colossal strength carried by the spear lifted her entire body, throwing her onto the back of the Silver Leopard. She fell like a broken-winged hawk to the ground, her fate unknown.
"You!"
Seeing this, Ling Qi's heart turned ice cold. With the Dantian shattered, such a grave injury would leave her with only days to live, even if she were desperately saved.
His expression drastically changed, he cast aside all hope and fled. The Silver Leopard beneath him burst forth with blinding divine light, transforming into a Divine Bird that swiftly took flight, spanning thousands of miles in an instant.
The Lihuo Spear was even faster.
In an instant, heavenly fire scorched the emptiness; the whole void was smelted. Ling Qi did not even have the chance to struggle and, along with the Divine Infant beneath him, was evaporated in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.
Chu Zheng did not linger, racing straight towards Song Lingxue.
On an empty hill, Song Lingxue lay among the broken stones, already unconscious.
[Song Lingxue (First Order): Dantian shattered, Aura dispersed, a great deal of Qi and blood lost, severely injured (repairable).]
Chu Zheng slowly exhaled, his expression gradually softening.