Volume Two: Travels Through Qi Chapter 128: Brother Zhang, Run!

Liu Hai, a genius at the fifth level of the Yuan Dan realm, blocked their path. Before Zhang Heng could even move, Yu Xiaochuan, who had been hiding behind him, stepped forward and turned to Zhang Heng.

"Brother Zhang, you must run!"

"Huh?" Zhang Heng was puzzled. Why run?

"Brother Zhang, I have heard of him. He is the son of the General's Mansion, a fifth-level Yuan Dan cultivator. Although you might not be able to beat him, he is certainly not as fast as you. Run now, don't worry about me!"

"Run? Do you think you can escape?" Liu Hai said coldly. With a clap of his hands, his subordinates rushed out, surrounding Zhang Heng and Yu Xiaochuan.

"Kid, aren't you very capable? Go on, keep acting tough, go on..." Liu Hai smiled triumphantly. But before he could finish, a massive fist appeared right before his face.

*Bang!* His body flew backward, completely out of his control.

Struggling to climb up from the ground, Liu Hai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He glared at Zhang Heng, who was now standing where he had been, and snarled, "You brat, how dare you ambush me? You have angered me!"

As he spoke, Liu Hai lunged toward Zhang Heng, a long sword appearing in his hand. He thrust it rapidly at Zhang Heng. Burning with rage, he had no intention of wasting time and went straight for the kill.

"It's over," Liu Hai smiled confidently.

His attack passed through the space where Zhang Heng had been, only for him to realize that Zhang Heng had already vanished.

"Yes, it is over," came Zhang Heng's cold voice.

*From behind?*

Liu Hai whirled around, but a massive foot was already coming toward his face. He scrambled to block, but in his haste, he could not muster much spiritual energy.

His fate was sealed. He was instantly kicked away, his body dragging a long trail of blood across the ground. Liu Hai lay gasping for breath, unable to rise again.

Zhang Heng did not want to waste time. After rendering Liu Hai combat-ineffective, he immediately utilized his "Minor Aurora Illusion" movement technique, attacking Liu Hai's underlings before they could even react.

Before long, a dozen Yuan Dan cultivators, now stripped of their fighting ability, were piled up before Yu Xiaochuan.

Yu Xiaochuan swore that all the shock he had experienced in the last twenty years combined did not equal this day. Zhang Heng was truly terrifying.

"Are these for me as well?" he asked, feeling numb.

"Hurry up, we still need to find others," Zhang Heng laughed, then slowly walked toward the broken Liu Hai.

"Brother Zhang, we've met before, give me a chance!" Seeing Zhang Heng approaching, Liu Hai could only bow his head and beg. If he were killed by Zhang Heng, he would lose his eligibility for the Imperial City Tournament.

"What do you think?" Zhang Heng smiled with contempt. He pointed a finger imbued with spiritual power. Liu Hai was finished.

In the arena, Liu Hai stood up in a fury, his cold eyes fixed on Zhang Heng inside the Qingtong Mirror.

He was a fifth-level Yuan Dan cultivator. Had he not encountered Zhang Heng, he would surely have passed all the preliminary rounds to compete against the true geniuses. He might even have been noticed by the Qi Emperor, granted a title, or perhaps even recruited by the masters of the great sects. Yet, all of this had been ruined by Zhang Heng.

The scene of Zhang Heng killing Liu Hai was witnessed by hundreds of thousands in the arena. Except for those who already knew of Zhang Heng's strength, everyone—including the Qi Emperor—was stunned.

A third-level Qi Sea cultivator had effortlessly killed a fifth-level Yuan Dan expert in seconds. They had never seen such a monstrous talent and began to argue heatedly about who this Zhang Heng really was.

"Master Wu, this is the little guy named Zhang Heng, isn't it?" The Qi Emperor had finally guessed correctly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Wu Hong admitted.

"Killing a fifth-level Yuan Dan with third-level Qi Sea strength—this is an eternal monster. If cultivated properly, he will surely reach the Tribulation Transcendence realm in the future."

"Qi Emperor, the boy Zhang Heng is not just terrifying in combat," Wu Hong said with a knowing smile.

Indeed, Qi Huaimin, the Qi Emperor, paused. The world was vast, and there were many geniuses! Given Wu Hong's status, he would have long since grown accustomed to them. How could he be impressed by mere combat strength alone?

Wu Hong grew more fond of Zhang Heng by the second, because from start to finish, Zhang Heng had not even used his most powerful sword techniques.

Inside the Qingtong Mirror, after Zhang Heng killed Liu Hai, Yu Xiaochuan finished off the others. Though they were Yuan Dan experts, they had been rendered extremely weak by Zhang Heng. Yu Xiaochuan used all his strength to finally defeat them.

Zhang Heng's score was now 1,024, ranking 59th. Yu Xiaochuan’s score was even higher—1,356, ranking 48th.

"Brother Zhang, thank you." Looking at his score and ranking, Yu Xiaochuan thanked him sincerely. He truly hadn't expected that the person he had randomly encountered was a hidden powerhouse.

"Brother Xiaochuan, we are teammates. Why be so formal? If you act like this again, I’ll kill you and leave you to cry by yourself," Zhang Heng joked coldly.

Yu Xiaochuan was speechless and asked awkwardly, "Brother Zhang, where shall we go next?"

"Let's just walk around," Zhang Heng said nonchalantly. With both their rankings around 50, there was no need to hunt for more points.

"Okay." Yu Xiaochuan nodded. Although he wanted to find a place to hide, with Zhang Heng's combat power, they would be safe as long as they didn't encounter supreme geniuses.

But the more one worried about something, the more likely it was to happen.

A peerless, graceful figure appeared before them—an otherworldly face, an exquisite form, and an icy aura so intense that one could feel the chill just by standing near her.

The person was looking at them calmly.

Mu Wanqing of the Spirit Feather Palace.

A super-genius at the ninth level of the Yuan Dan realm, the future hope of the Spirit Feather Palace, and one of the absolute top young cultivators. Few could rival her among her peers. Her combat power was heaven-defying; rumors even suggested she could cross realms to fight experts at the Void Return stage.

"She... she... she..." Yu Xiaochuan was too terrified to speak.

"Brother Zhang, run!"

Yu Xiaochuan stepped in front of Zhang Heng again. With Zhang Heng's speed, if he could block her for just a moment, Zhang Heng might have a slim chance of escape.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Heng asked, bewildered.

"Brother Zhang, I admit you are strong, but you are absolutely no match for her. She is Mu Wanqing! The peerless genius Mu Wanqing, the pinnacle of our generation. I will buy you some time, run quickly!"

Zhang Heng couldn't be bothered with him. He stepped around him and walked straight toward Mu Wanqing.

"Brother Zhang, this is no time to be stubborn, run!" Yu Xiaochuan persisted.

But what happened next left him completely stunned. He actually saw the Ice Goddess smile.

Mu Wanqing had smiled. How was that possible? She was notoriously cold; no one had ever heard of her smiling.

Her smile captivated all living things. Yu Xiaochuan felt as though he had fallen in love instantly.

"What are you doing here?" Zhang Heng asked curiously.

"And what are you doing here?"

"I've earned enough points, so I'm just walking around."

"I've also earned enough points, just walking around."

Her tone was cold, yet Zhang Heng detected a hint of cuteness in it.

Zhang Heng was speechless. However, Mu Wanqing wasn't wrong. She had over 6,000 points and was ranked second; there was no need for her to hunt anymore.

"Let's walk together then."

"Okay!"

Yu Xiaochuan never dreamed that one day he would be walking alongside the Ice Goddess. Even if there was someone between them.

They hadn't walked long before Yu Xiaochuan blocked Zhang Heng's path again.

"Brother Zhang, you must run!"