parentshiftbook Chapter 155: Autumn Rain
Chapter 155: Autumn Rain
Half a month passed, and Zhang Ping still hadn't received any news, so he went to the Chu Prince's Mansion to find Chu Batian, who also hadn't received any letters from the capital.
Normally, half a month would be enough time for the letter to be delivered from the capital to the Southern Prince's residence. However, there has been no reply for a long time, and Chu Batian gradually became uneasy. He wrote another letter and sent it to Xiao Lin, who was still recuperating in the capital.
Xiao Lin and Xiao Ling'er are still in the capital. Not long ago, they wrote to say that their injuries had almost healed and they would be able to return to the Southern Prince's Mansion in a few months. However, they do not know the current situation.
Miao Caiyan was also full of worry. Zhang Ping comforted her for a few words, and when he saw Chu Batian looking at him again, he got up to say goodbye.
Unable to obtain any information from the Chu Prince's residence, Zhang Ping could only wait patiently. Apart from that, after returning to his residence, he devoted more time to improving his proficiency in beast patterns.
Since branding himself with "Yin Yang Divine Union Heavenly Capital Fate Crossing", he has not searched for any new beast patterns.
Even without new beast-patterned marks, his strength has still increased significantly.
The black dragon bloodline obtained from the unicorn fish has reached its full proficiency level, and the unlocked ability is quite interesting, named "Black Dragon Transformation".
[Black Dragon Transformation: Entering dragon form, the physical body is greatly enhanced]
This is another classic enhancement ability. Combined with the previous "Thor Transformation", even Zhang Ping himself can't say for sure what the upper limit of his strength is when he goes all out.
However, one thing is certain: if he were to encounter the black spear that the Demon Lord had used in the Southern Border Royal City again, he should be able to easily withstand it with his current strength.
However, while his strength improved, another problem also gave Zhang Ping a major headache.
After the Black Dragon Transformation and the Thunder God Transformation are combined, his current physical strength cannot support it, which will cause his body size to increase dramatically.
This situation is somewhat similar to his previous state when he used divine power, only it is more exaggerated now. Zhang Ping specifically tested it and found that when he fully activated the Black Dragon Transformation, his body size would increase to five meters tall, and a dragon-like phenomenon would appear on his body.
He certainly looked imposing, but... well, he didn't need to care about what others were saying now.
Getting back to the main point, besides the Black Dragon bloodline, the proficiency in Fire and Sky Flight has also reached perfection.
The abilities granted by the fire were not outstanding; they only enhanced the burning effect on his blood and qi, but did not unlock the ability to control fire as he had hoped.
Although it was all for naught, it makes sense when you think about it. This ability came from the Flaming Bird, which was just a demon at the Bone Forging Realm.
As for flying, his proficiency improved rapidly thanks to Zhang Ping's daily practice sessions. The ability to fly surprised and delighted Zhang Ping.
[Shuttle: A thousand meters in a single step, overcoming obstacles and breaking through barriers]
"Shuttle" is very similar to the legendary teleportation, which can cross a distance of thousands of meters in the blink of an eye. It is extremely useful for both pursuing the enemy and making a strategic retreat.
The only drawback is that it consumes a great deal of qi and blood.
He tried to travel using his teleportation ability, eventually covering about twenty miles, which meant he used it almost a hundred times in a row. At that speed, within the Body Refinement Realm, no one could stop him if he wanted to leave.
After these three beast patterns were perfected, the progress of the other beast patterns slowed down.
It's not that Zhang Ping didn't spend time on it; it's just that beast patterns like the Xuanwu Armor require participation in evenly matched battles to quickly improve proficiency. Otherwise, even if he activated the Xuanwu Armor all day, his proficiency wouldn't increase by more than a few points.
Dark clouds gathered, and another autumn rain fell.
Nangong Feiyan visited Zhang Ping again and found him.
"If I were to submit to you, could you help me break through to the Body Refinement Realm?"
When she said this, Nangong Feiyan's face was calm, but her eyes held seriousness, as well as a hint of stubbornness and unwillingness.
Zhang Ping didn't leave the cultivation room, but let her in. He then took out the map from before and told her that the Demon Lord was Wang Tian.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Feiyan's expression changed drastically, and she could no longer maintain her previous composure. She didn't ask Zhang Ping if it was true; she simply memorized the map's contents, thanked him sincerely, and then turned to leave.
Watching her retreating figure, Zhang Ping shook his head.
This woman is quite something, but she's too stubborn. If she were to willingly submit, he would be happy to allocate resources to help her break through to the Marrow Refining Realm first. As for the Body Refining Realm and beyond, with the power of dual cultivation to enhance her talent, she would surely be able to break through after leaving the old Wei-Zhao territory.
If Nangong Feiyan could become his subordinate, he wouldn't have to do many things personally.
Zhang Ping briefly recalled the scene of their first meeting, sighed for three seconds about the impermanence of life, and then returned to his cultivation.
......
Thunder, autumn rain.
Spring thunder brings life, summer thunder is powerful but weak, while autumn thunder seems soft and powerless.
Pedestrians hurried along the street, and the soft rumble of thunder brought a downpour. Large raindrops pounded against the eaves, making a "pat-pat" sound.
With nothing else to do, the man who had packed up his stall went home and found his wife, and together they joined in the "grand performance" created by the sound of the rain.
The dark clouds grew thicker and thicker, showing no sign of dissipating.
As darkness fell, a bright light suddenly pierced the night sky, penetrated the clouds, and landed inside the Chu King's residence.
A moment later, the light departed and flew towards the next city.
"Creak—"
The gates of the Chu King's mansion were suddenly pushed open, and Chu Batian braved the heavy rain, hurrying towards Zhang Ping's residence.
Amidst the thunder and rain of the night, Zhang Ping was cultivating when he suddenly heard Xiao Qing's shouts outside his cultivation room.
He frowned, stopped cultivating, and went outside. He immediately saw Chu Batian, who was soaking wet, sitting in the main hall.
Autumn was already more than halfway over, and although the Southern Prince's Mansion was located in the south of the Great Wei, the howling wind and rain outside already carried a chill.
However, Chu Batian's cultivation was not low, and his blood and qi were abundant, so this little bit of rain was nothing to him. What really concerned Zhang Ping was that Chu Batian would actually come in the middle of the night in the rain, so anxious that he even forgot to set up his blood and qi shield to protect himself from the rain.
"Your Highness, what has happened?"
Before Zhang Ping could even speak, Chu Batian had already jumped to his feet, his voice urgent: "Brother Zhang, something terrible has happened!"
His face was grave, his eyes filled with panic, and his usual composure was gone.
Even though he hadn't received a reply from Chu Hanwei before, he had never panicked like this, assuming that Chu Hanwei was in seclusion cultivating and had no time to reply. But now, he felt as if he had lost his anchor.
Zhang Ping's expression turned serious.
At this moment, Chu Batian handed over the bamboo scroll in his hand, and Zhang Ping took it and examined it carefully.
The bamboo scroll was made of a material similar to cardboard; it was a single piece, and when unfolded, it was half a meter wide and divided into several sections. He examined it one by one, his expression growing increasingly grim.
The document details the entire process of the Demon Lord appearing at the headquarters of the Demon Extermination Bureau and completing the map of the old Wei and Zhao territory. It even includes the incident of Chu Hanwei's Yangming Divine Sword going out of control.
Upon reaching the end, Zhang Ping learned that a group of high-ranking officials from the Demon Extermination Bureau, led by Hong Ri, had scaled back their operations to await confirmation of the battle plan. He couldn't help but want to swear!
The Demon Lord's move was incredibly insidious!
Martial artists are powerful and long-lived, but most of them are also cold-hearted.
Those old fogies nearing their end, trapped in the old Wei-Zhao territory and unable to break through to the Body Refinement Realm, will likely lose their dedication to guarding the front lines once they see a chance to leave. If the map the Demon Lord completed is real, these people will definitely flee at the first opportunity!
The ancestor of the Chu Batian family was this kind of person. He usually didn't care about family affairs. Now that he had a way out, he simply didn't even go home. Instead, he personally led the people sent by various parties to cross the Northern Plains and explore the mysterious Fallen Valley.
Chu Batian was so panicked because he learned of this news.
Looking at the bamboo scroll, Zhang Ping still had a question in his mind.
The map that the Demon Lord completed was the one he obtained from the Treasure Chest of Faith. How could the other party complete it?