Longevity Martial Arts: Starting from Inner Core Skill

Hmm, this is a word of comfort.

But Zhu Xiao felt quite pleased upon hearing it.

"Is there really a chance to reach a higher realm?"

After investigating for so long, Zhu Xiao was well aware that achieving what the Qi Blood Martial Arts hadn’t achieved in eight or nine thousand years was not easy.

"If we can deal with the thing in the dark, maybe it’s possible. Currently, there’s a lot of evidence indicating that something in the darkness is preventing advancement. If that thing is resolved, it’s highly probable that we can progress further."

Speaking of this, Zhu Xiao’s attention shifted.

"Did you obtain any useful information this time?"

"The biggest revelation is that the forces at your level are deceptively deep. Seven powers have ruled this land for thousands of years. Moreover, the ’Heavenly Father’ and the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley fighting the same entity is likely an equal sign; they should be the same thing."

The most obvious characteristic of the Heavenly Father is the "Reaping Method."

And now, it’s confirmed from the Clan Elders that the birth of the dynasty and the Master of Destiny is mostly related to the "Reaping Method."

The enemy that the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley is facing is also related to the dynasty.

It’s difficult not to draw connections between these two entities.

"Do you want to confront that thing?"

"If I have the strength, of course, I will settle scores."

Being targeted twice and possibly more times in the future, Wang Sheng naturally wouldn’t let it slide so easily.

King Yong Nian suffered a slash from him, and if Wang Sheng could find that thing that targeted him, he would definitely have a word with it.

"When the time comes, count me in!" Zhu Xiao refused to be outdone; she, too, felt stifled by being stuck in her current realm.

"We’ll discuss it when the time comes. Right now, our strength may not be enough."

At least for now, the Heavenly Father still seems terrifying and not so easily dealt with.

This time, they’ve basically confirmed where that malevolent force comes from, identified the enemy, and what’s left is to grow stronger and find that thing.

"That’s true!"

The more they understood, the more terrifying they realized the "Heavenly Father" was.

Zhu Xiao was clear that her current strength was definitely not enough.

Eventually, the two had a meal and parted ways. Wang Sheng returned to Qingshan Village, while Zhu Xiao had some things to take care of. If the Clan Elders had such thoughts, what about the rest of the clan?

Although those people were unaware of these secrets,

who knows what Zhu Long’s lineage might do in secret.

She had to investigate and deal with these matters.

...

Upon returning to his village, Wang Sheng sorted through the information he had gathered, which was quite substantial.

He had essentially exposed the underbelly of the Overlord Level forces.

And he had also pinpointed the source of the malevolent force.

These pieces of information were already enough; what followed was the continuous improvement of oneself until he could unearth that thing.

Time flies in cultivation; more than a month passed quickly again.

This time, Wang Sheng took his people out, and it was timely as they returned for the new year, and the year 539 of the Great Zhou calendar had thus passed.

Since no new dynasty had emerged, the Great Zhou calendar remained in use.

After celebrating so many times, he had grown accustomed to the new year.

After the new year, they entered the year 540 of the Great Zhou calendar.

The new year began, and for the semi-secluded Qingshan Village, there was naturally no impact.

However, these past several months had been very "eventful" for Wang Sheng.

That’s because the malevolent force would descend from time to time.

Their target was naturally him and the two babies, which was incredibly annoying.

Clearly, he was being watched by something in the shadows.

And he had observed that as long as new babies were born in the area around Jiangyuan City, that force would descend.

It seemed that he and the two babies of Qingshan Village were merely incidental.

Obviously, as long as that force wasn’t infiltrated, it would keep coming incessantly.

Wang Sheng had no good solutions for the time being.

Ultimately, he could only sigh helplessly.

"Perhaps I’ll get used to it eventually!"

He had no way of dealing with this formless power at the moment and could only passively resist it.

"I wonder how the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley managed to summon that thing for the battle. I hope using Huangtian’s fishing strategy will work!"

Therefore, Wang Sheng specifically instructed the people of the Three Great Families to pay attention to the outside world, wanting to know the situation with Huangtian.

However, it seemed that Huangtian was still in its dormant period, and the people of the Three Great Families found no news of Huangtian.

Of course, although no news of Huangtian came through, other information was obtained.

Another significant event had occurred in the outside world.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had fallen, and countless monsters and demons emerged.

Twelve notorious bandits openly gathered to form a union of twelve great thieves.

Overlord Level forces sent people to wipe them out, only to discover upon arrival that the twelve great thieves comprised one Great Grandmaster and eleven Grandmasters.

In the end, the great thieves killed the enforcers sent to exterminate them and, fearing retaliation, ultimately scattered and fled.

According to the news, one of them had made his way to Shuzhou.

"It’s said that those twelve practice an evil Cultivation Technique, using human blood for their cultivation. Won’t their arrival in Shuzhou affect us?"

"Coming to Shuzhou is akin to seeking death. Currently, Shuzhou is home to two Overlord Level forces. Aren’t they afraid of being slain for undermining the foundation of Overlord Level powers?"

"That’s right, even if that Great Grandmaster came to Shuzhou, he would lie low and coil up, not stirring trouble."

This was the collective thought of many martial artists in Shuzhou who heard the news.

Any discerning person could see that Heavenly Saber City and Spirit Sword Valley regarded Shuzhou as their foundation and would certainly not allow the likes of the twelve great thieves to destroy it.

Thus, not many people were concerned about this incident.

Even Wang Sheng thought the same when he heard the news.

But in the 540th year of the Great Zhou calendar, in late January, a small town in Shuzhou was massacred; using some unknown method, nearly ten thousand people failed to escape, all slaughtered.

Soon news came that the deed was committed by the leader of the twelve great thieves, that Great Grandmaster, who had left his mark in the town, extremely arrogant.

As the news spread, the attitude of some people in Shuzhou gradually changed.

"He actually made a move, how dare he. Isn’t he afraid of the two Overlord Level forces?"

"Just wait, the people of Heavenly Saber City and Spirit Sword Valley will probably take action soon!"

Yet, when Wang Sheng learned of this shift in attitude a month later, another piece of news arrived.

Another massacre had occurred!

Another town had been bloodily slaughtered, this time with even more victims.

Now everyone was terrified; the twelve great thieves showed no fear of Overlord Level powers, apparently doing as they pleased.

Countless people expected Spirit Sword Valley and Heavenly Saber City to intervene, but the response from both powers left everyone in despair.

Their top Great Grandmasters were in closed-door cultivation, seeking to advance further and were utterly incapable of taking action, so they could only send Grandmaster Level martial artists.

If the twelve great thieves who came to Shuzhou were at the Grandmaster Level that would be one thing, but the one who came was the sole Great Grandmaster!

Wasn’t sending Grandmaster Level martial artists equivalent to delivering food to their doorstep?

In just a month’s time, people in Shuzhou had changed their attitude, each feeling precarious.

No one knew whether their own place of residence would be targeted by that Great Grandmaster, and many people fled towards major cities, believing that even a Great Grandmaster wouldn’t dare to attack a large city.

It wasn’t long before people knew who the leader of the twelve great thieves, that Great Grandmaster, was targeting next!

The first to learn of this were the people of Dishui County.

He had the audacity to issue an incredibly arrogant ultimatum!

"Hearing of the potent Guardian God in your land of Three Counties, allowing for continued peace, I hereby come to pay a visit, starting with Dishui County. In five days, I hope for a warm welcome. Any who flee will be disrespecting me and will be slain on the spot!"

This message was spread directly within Dishui County, and at first, nobody took it seriously, until a trading caravan left the city and their corpses were thrown back, with a letter attached.

The content of the letter was straightforward.

"As I said, leaving is an affront to me, consider this a warning."

At that, everyone believed!

The people of Dishui County felt as if they had returned to the years past when the Evil Flood Dragon roamed...