NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1338: A Seed
Tangyu smiled at the Golden Core Realm man: "Why, are you very afraid of me?"
The Golden Core Realm man felt he wanted to die. Could he not be afraid? Not being afraid would be strange. Of course, he was terrified. But this kind of thing he naturally didn't dare to say aloud. At this moment, his mind was also calculating cautiously. Originally, he wanted to use Youfeng Cave to trap the other party, but he hadn't expected that the other party didn't die and was standing in front of him unharmed. How could he not be afraid?
His heart was also wondering whether his little scheme had been seen through. If that were the case, then he probably wouldn't escape death today. Under such thoughts, he naturally became incredibly terrified.
"Sir, did you get the Four Directions Contemplation Map?" The Golden Core Realm man's thoughts shifted, and he immediately asked cautiously.
Tangyu smirked: "What Four Directions Contemplation Map, where is this thing, are you sure you're not lying to me?"
"What—" The Golden Core Realm man was almost scared out of his wits, his mouth quivering: "How, how is this possible? The information I received can't be wrong, there should be a Four Directions Contemplation Map in Youfeng Cave. Sir, I really didn't lie to you, every word I said is the absolute truth. I can swear to the heavens, swear by the heavenly way, if there's the slightest falsehood, may I be struck by lightning."
Crack—
Just as the Golden Core Realm man finished speaking, indeed a bolt of lightning struck down, directly hitting him and instantly burning him like a roast duck. The pain made the Golden Core Realm man scream and roll on the ground, completely dumbfounded. Beside him, the Mystic Law Realm man was also utterly dumbfounded, standing there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
Of course, it wasn't real lightning that struck him, but something Tangyu conjured. Tangyu looked at the Golden Core Realm man and said, "See, even the heavens struck you; do you still dare to say you weren't lying?"
"No no no—" The Golden Core Realm man kept saying no, shaking his head frantically, he was also dumbstruck, how could this be? He hadn't lied about the Youfeng Cave matter, how could he be struck by lightning? This wasn't reasonable, had the heavens made a mistake?
At this moment, he wanted to cry but had no tears, feeling he might as well be dead.
After toying with him for a while, Tangyu lost interest in wasting more time on such a petty person, and his face darkened slightly: "Stop complaining here, do you think your little tricks can escape my eyes? Weren't you trying to use Youfeng Cave to kill me? You really thought I didn't know?"
"What—" Upon hearing Tangyu's words, the Golden Core Realm man felt like he was struck by thunder, dumbfounded as if Five Thunderbolts Strike the Top. He knew, he truly knew, it was over, he was dead for sure this time.
Terrified, the Golden Core Realm man immediately knelt in front of Tangyu: "Sir, sir, I beg you to have mercy and spare us. I was truly foolish and deserve to die. But I really didn't lie to you, there really might be a Four Directions Contemplation Map in Youfeng Cave, and this information is absolutely true. Sir, just let us go as if releasing air." He sobbed pitiably, looking as pitiful as he could. However, Tangyu didn't bother, showing no mercy to such people.
Originally, he had already spared his life, yet he dared to play tricks again, wasn't he courting death?
"Die!" Tangyu coldly spat out two words from his lips and raised his hand to unleash a beam of light towards the Golden Core Realm man.
Pffft—
The beam of light pierced directly through the Golden Core Realm man's forehead, blasting his Golden Core, shattering his soul, leaving him dead beyond recovery. He didn't even have time to utter a final scream before he perished at Tangyu's hands. Killing a Golden Core Realm cultivator was as easy for Tangyu as crushing an ant.
After slaying the Golden Core Realm man, Tangyu turned his gaze to the Mystic Law Realm man, who knew his time had come. Before such a powerful figure, he had no ability to resist, so he simply closed his eyes, waiting for death to arrive. Nevertheless, what puzzled him was that after waiting for a long time, nothing seemed to happen, and death seemed not to come.
What was going on?
Confused, the Mystic Law Realm man slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing, became even more perplexed. Because Tangyu was nowhere to be seen, the space in front of him was empty, Tangyu had long since left. Not only that, but floating before him was a spell manual.
"'Great Buddha Art,' it can directly point to Zifu, allowing one to cultivate all the way to Zifu. This—this technique is so domineering, so profound, it's practically comparable to an Immortal Technique. Could it be that sir left this for me?" the Mystic Law Realm man was also somewhat stupefied. Not only did the senior not kill him, he even left an Immortal Technique manual for him? What was happening?
Tangyu didn't kill him because among the four, this man's nature was comparatively the best. Though he did take action last time, it was out of compulsion, and later on, he showed no ill intent. Overall, his character was decent; he simply fell in with the wrong crowd. So, Tangyu spared his life, seeing that this young person had significant talent. Tangyu had some appreciation for talent, not only sparing him but also leaving behind a spell manual for his cultivation.
It's also a matter of fate and opportunity, and as for whether he can achieve all his goals, that depends entirely on himself.
The Mystic Law Realm man looked around for a while longer, and only after confirming that the senior had indeed left, he knelt down with a thud, his eyes ablaze: "The great kindness and virtue of the senior, the younger generation will never forget. Someday, if I can achieve anything, I will definitely repay the senior for his teachings. Even if the senior doesn't acknowledge it, in my heart, I have already regarded him as my Master." After kowtowing three times, the Mystic Law Realm man then stood up, collected the Golden Core Realm man's corpse, and left.
Tangyu did not expect that a seed he casually planted would one day grow into a towering tree. But that's a story for another time, for now, let's leave it aside.
Having obtained the third Four Directions Contemplation Map, Tangyu was in a particularly good mood and found a quiet place to lay out the three maps.
With the three Four Directions Contemplation Maps displayed together, viewing them connectedly was indeed increasingly profound, giving Tangyu significant inspiration. Immersed in the three contemplation maps, it felt like ten days and nights, yet Tangyu was completely unaware of the passage of time.
"Wonderful, truly wonderful, it really surprised me that experts from this small world could create such a miraculous painting. This artistic conception is too profound. It is very helpful to cultivators of the Zifu Realm. With these Four Directions Contemplation Maps, training the mindset is simply a powerful tool, making efforts exceedingly rewarding. It can entirely enhance the probability of a Zifu Realm Ninth Layer cultivator breaking through to Seeking Immortal Realm by a hundred times. Its preciousness is probably no less than that of an Immortal Artifact."
Tangyu could not help but praise once again, full of admiration.
I really don't know who created these four contemplation maps.
"They are only three, and not yet complete. If I could collect all four, that would be the complete Four Directions Contemplation Map." Tangyu's heart itched at the thought, naturally longing for the fourth map. He even felt as if he wanted to turn over the entire Mystic Spirit Continent to search for it.
However, Tangyu also knew he couldn't do that, considering the Mystic Spirit Continent was home to Hongchen Palace's mysterious strongmen too. If they discovered his intentions, they'd likely come out and sabotage his efforts. If they intervened to prevent him from finding the fourth map, or even obtained it ahead of him, it would be extremely troublesome. Therefore, along this path, Tangyu was very cautious and discreet, striving not to leave any clues that might alert them.
Otherwise, if it fell into their hands, unable to act on Mystic Spirit Continent and unable to trace them back in the Cultivation World, retrieving that Four Directions Contemplation Map would be like reaching for the heavens.
So, Tangyu carefully deliberated on how to proceed with this matter appropriately.
"Searching must be done covertly, and every time it should be done cleanly and neatly. I can't afford to take such risks." Tangyu pursed his lips, put away the contemplation maps, and then prepared to return to Anyang County. This trip had taken about a month, and he wondered about the current situation in Anyang County.
Tangyu returned to Anyang County at the fastest speed, finding that the battles had ceased. However, looking around outside Anyang County, Tangyu saw obvious remnants of warfare, with the air still thick with the smell of blood.
An Shitong and Shi Jian came out to greet him, and judging by their faces, they seemed to have gained quite substantial achievements.
To Tangyu's delight, Shi Jian had already broken through to the Golden Core Realm Seventh Level. A month ago, Shi Jian was at the Golden Core Realm Sixth Layer Peak, and this breakthrough was a significant leap, giving Tangyu a pleasant surprise and great satisfaction.
An Shitong also reported this month's war situation to Tangyu. With Zhu Sanliang joining as a military adviser and the various pills Tangyu had refined, naturally, the army's strength improved rapidly. So, throughout this month, they were full of victories, winning every battle and achieving great triumphs. Hence, the ten-odd counties of Fiery Flame Country had all been conquered by Anyang County, greatly expanding Anyang County's strength.
This situation also angered the Fiery Flame Country, which even sent a troop to suppress Anyang County, but was repelled. The Fiery Flame Country, busy handling foreign enemies, had little energy to focus on Anyang County. Therefore, after conquering all the counties, Anyang County started consolidating and rejuvenating, striving to adjust to optimal conditions soon before preparing to battle Fiery Flame Country and founding a nation. Founding a nation is a giant leap forward, and thereafter, waging a national war eventually leading to the unification of the Mystic Spirit Continent would be within grasp.
This step is extremely vital, and An Shitong dared not overlook any detail.
To achieve this step, the priority is nurturing one's own Zifu Realm Great Power.
In this respect, Shi Jian is Tangyu's cultivation target, and given the present situation, Shi Jian indeed possesses the talent to rapidly advance into the Zifu Realm. Of course, this requires Tangyu to vigorously cultivate him, providing ample guidance and resources to aid his breakthrough. Militarily, it's already very strong, needing only proper organization and utilization.
Tangyu is very satisfied with such a situation. Next, it depends on when Shi Jian can have the ability to battle Zifu, then Fiery Flame Country can be taken down. However, there's no need to rush; having just captured over ten counties, the priority now is to integrate the forces of these counties entirely into Anyang County, fortifying Anyang County into an impenetrable wall.