The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 374 - 186: Guessing the Identity

Chapter 374: Chapter 186: Guessing the Identity

"Sword Swinging Clouds."

This move was intricate, swift, and yet it didn’t lack an overpowering majesty; Lin Zhanjie was confident in using it to confront any formidable enemy.

However, reality doesn’t change just because of confidence.

From within the curtain of Sword Qi that Lin Zhanjie had raised, a pair of hands suddenly reached out. The origin of these hands was unknown, as if emerging from the void, disregarding the surging Sword Qi. One palm struck Lin Zhanjie’s forehead, and the other hand crushed his throat.

"Hehe..."

Lin Zhanjie tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t believe that he, a Divine Origin Realm Martial Artist, was defeated and killed so easily.

The opponent’s hands were both bizarre and ghostly; Lin Zhanjie had never encountered such Martial Arts in his life.

Of course he hadn’t; after all, the origin of these hands—the "Black Heaven Book"—had only been cultivated by two people in the world.

Yan Nanfei was indeed Feng Jiu, and the Martial Arts he was using came from the "Black Heaven Book’s" Divine Skills, named "Heavenly Repair Tribulation Hand," known for being "neither completely divine nor material, and yet both divine and material."

"Heavenly Repair Tribulation Hand" combined divine and material aspects, using the hands to perceive all things, reflect inwardly to the divine, with hand and heart aligned, presence of divinity following the hands.

No matter how exquisite Lin Zhanjie’s swordsmanship was, once Feng Jiu made contact with his hands, he could perceive the pressure points, force points, and the trajectory of the True Qi within the sword, making it crystal clear in his heart.

After that, he needed only to find the right spot to exert a little force, to use the opponent’s technique against them, leveraging their own force, turning their spear against their shield.

Of course, aside from leveraging force, as long as the skill involved hands, Feng Jiu could quickly master it, even reaching a supernatural level in a short time.

After easily killing Lin Zhanjie, Feng Jiu, hidden beneath a mask, let out a slight breath.

These times had been exhausting for him, life-or-death affairs. Any Divine Origin Realm Martial Artists that the Azure Dragon Association needed to take care of had to be dealt with by Feng Jiu’s hands.

From near-death experiences at the beginning to easy kills now, Feng Jiu had made considerable progress in a short time. Yet he knew all too well the dangers involved.

This dangerous method of growing through battle was a bit too stimulating for someone who had not yet truly experienced a fight to the death.

However, the struggle for power in Northern Zhou had already escalated, and ultimately it couldn’t do without Feng Jiu’s intervention. It was better to accumulate experience against enemies now.

At least based on recent events, Feng Jiu’s progress was extremely gratifying, having already reached the expected level.

And so, there was no longer any need for Feng Jiu to follow the Azure Dragon Association around, killing people.

After all, having destroyed several families subjugated by the Cangsheng Sect, even the most insensitive would have grasped that someone was purposefully targeting them.

The counterattack was expected to arrive soon, and it would be swift and fierce, aiming to eliminate the people of the Azure Dragon Association with the force of a thunderbolt.

If Feng Jiu continued to follow them, his life would be in jeopardy.

Other cannon fodder dying wasn’t regrettable, even if Blood Bat No.1 and Ji Tang died, Qing Yu wouldn’t feel a hint of sorrow. The core of the Azure Dragon Association did not lie in these expendables, but in the Dragon Chief.

But if Feng Jiu died, Qing Yu’s long-time investment would be wasted. Even the future plans would be largely ruined.

So...

It was best to quit while ahead. Let the remaining task of eliminating families be carried out by those expendables. Regardless of how many of them died, Qing Yu wouldn’t mind.

"Let’s end it here."

Feng Jiu turned back to look at the Lin Mansion, which had begun to sparkle with flames, feeling an odd sense of reluctance.

Blood and fire will always be the indomitable romance of men and the driving force behind many young heroes eagerly stepping into worldly society. Even if it had been just a few days, a hint of attachment and aspiration had grown in Feng Jiu’s heart.

However, Feng Jiu was, after all, a man of cold heart. These passionate affairs of worldly society were never meant for someone like him. Thus, when it was time to let go, he wouldn’t hesitate.

..........................

The news of several families being wiped out eventually reached the Eastern Palace of the Imperial City.

At that moment, Eldest Prince Feng Guanyu was reviewing memorials when he saw the news, which instantly cleared his somewhat dizzy head, realizing the implications behind the message.

"Huyan Qian, what’s going on?" Feng Guanyu asked in a grave tone.

The robust middle-aged man who had delivered the message to Feng Guanyu replied, "You should have realized it as well; someone is targeting us. The families mentioned here that have been wiped out were all secretly loyal to our sect. The attacker is specifically eliminating our sect’s strength."

"Not just that," a pale-faced middle-aged scholar emerged from behind a golden pillar in the hall, "either the Azure Dragon Association or someone hiring them must have realized your involvement with the Cangsheng Sect, because these families that were annihilated were all loyal to you, the Eldest Prince. They are eradicating your support base, your viable power."

"You mean..." Feng Guanyu’s eyes flashed with sharpness, guessing what the pale scholar was implying, "the mastermind behind these families being wiped out is one of my brothers? Is it one of the other two Imperial Princes?"

"Most likely," replied the pale scholar, "according to Qiao Baixuan of the Fate Altar, the three nephews from the Zhang Family of Dragon Tiger Mountain who triggered the Northern Zhou Dragon Vein on the sixth of March sought his Yi Skill to divine the whereabouts of Gong Ziyu. Just when they were about to discover Gong Ziyu’s True Body, they encountered a backlash from the Dragon Vein, leading to the subsequent series of events.

Thus, it is now rumored in worldly society that Gong Ziyu’s True Body is one of the Northern Zhou Thirteen Princes.

And when we were subjugating mid-sized families in Northern Zhou, we also encountered others engaged in the same actions. Those people were from the Azure Dragon Association."

"Then there’s no mistake; it must be Gong Ziyu taking action, deliberately targeting us," exclaimed Huyan Qian.

The pale scholar continued, "But the question is... which prince could Gong Ziyu be?"

"The True Body of Gong Ziyu is highly likely to be one of the other two Imperial Princes," Feng Guanyu speculated.

Hearing this, the pale scholar analyzed, "Feng Jiu and Feng Qiwu are both cultivators of the ’Vast Righteous Qi’ from the Confucian path. Although there are examples of those who converted from ’Vast Righteous Qi’ to other practices, unless one reaches the Divine Origin Realm, one cannot survive the backlash of ’Vast Righteous Qi,’ so Feng Qiwu can be ruled out.

Feng Jiu is of the Divine Origin Realm and has the potential to change cultivation paths. His Realm aligns with that of Gong Ziyu, but as the son of a palace maid, his background and resources are insufficient to support a massive organization like the Azure Dragon Association. Moreover, as a scholar from the Mountain River Academy, before becoming an Imperial Prince, he practically spent all his time studying at the Academy and had no time to be the leader of assassins."

"Then the only suspect would be..."