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Chapter 444: One versus One | Butler! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Now that they were so close, Butler had finally seen the four Heavenly Jewels around Zhou Weiqing's wrist. His heart was filled with shame and irritating, as a Upper Level Zong Stage Master, he had actually been afraid of a mere four-Jeweled Low Level Zun Stage Master! That little brat's Heavenly Skill Image must be a fake, how could a four-Jeweled Master have a Skill that only a Heavenly God Tier Master could have? As for his gold war wolf mount's shivering, he rationalized it by attributing it to Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Change State aura. The only puzzling thing to him now was that… could it be the Heavenly Demon Sect had started cooperating with the ZhongTian Empire? Even if that was so, the Five Great Saint Lands were not supposed to join in ordinary wars. That was breaking the agreement between the Great Saint Lands!

All these thoughts flashed in Butler's heart in that instant, and Zhou Weiqing had already arrived before him, not allowing him anymore time to think deeper and further on that. With a cruel light in his eyes, he swung the massive spiked club in his hands in a wide sweep. At the same time, he invoked a Bloodthirst Skill, causing his already immense strength to grow further.

For Butler, being chosen to be honoured to ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain was not just some dumb luck, nor was it only because he was the heir to the wolfman tribe. Furthermore, his Elemental Jewel was of the Darkness Attribute. Although the WanShou Empire had a severe disadvantage in terms of Consolidated Equipment, they had a rich natural advantage in terms of Storing Skill. With the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens, the highest echelons of Heavenly Jewel Masters of the WanShou Empire would not lack good Skills to Store.

Once again, another enemy had underestimated Zhou Weiqing. On seeing the mere four Heavenly Jewels, Butler only chose to use his first Jewel's Elemental Skill, one that he had Stored so many years ago, the Bloodthirst Skill. Of course, though it was a lower ranked one, it had also grown with him to the nine-Jeweled stage, instantly giving him a burst of strength and killing intent. Seeing Zhou Weiqing's leg careening down, in Butler's eyes, if Zhou Weiqing did not have any Skill or change in direction, that leg would undoubtedly be instantly destroyed by his spiked club. Furthermore, he had prepared another Skill to use in case Zhou Weiqing had a backup plan once their strikes met, then his powerful Darkness Skill would be unleashed unhesitatingly to give Zhou Weiqing a massive blow. He wanted to kill this little brat as quickly as possible before charging into the enemy ranks to slaughter them and take revenge for his fallen tribesmen.

Butler's calculations were not bad, and his judgement was not wrong as well. Zhou Weiqing did indeed have a backup plan. Alas for Butler, that backup plan was far beyond his expectations.

A purple red vortex appeared stealthily over Butler's head before anyone knew what had happened. When the purple red light stained his entire body, it was also at the instant that his large spiked mace was about to impact with Zhou Weiqing's right leg.

In the next moment, Butler was totally stunned. To his shock, his spiked mace disappeared before his eyes. It was not just his spiked mace, as all his Consolidated Equipment did so as well, and along with that was the powerful Skill that he had prepared. In that instant, he seemed to have lost his link with them.

No matter how powerful a Heavenly Jewel Master was, to meet with something so inexplicable so suddenly, one would definitely be affected in some way, and a momentary pause of shock was unavoidable. This was all part of Zhou Weiqing's plan and expectations, and his right leg continued downward without pause, without any holding back.

Butler was truly a seasoned warrior who had been through many battles, and after a split second of being stunned, he recovered swiftly, realising something was off. At this time, it was too late for him to do anything else, and almost totally subconsciously, his arms lifted upwards in a block. He had lost his Consolidated Equipment and access to Stored Skills, but he could still use his powerful Heavenly Energy, and it burst forth immediately, covering his arms in white as they crossed in a lock to block Zhou Weiqing's right leg.

Another loud explosion, and Zhou Weiqing was sent flying back, while Butler's entire body shook violently. He could feel the bones of both his arms creaking with the sheer impact. Although his powerful Heavenly Energy had protected his arms from being broken by that downward kick from Zhou Weiqing, the terrifyingly powerful impact from the Demonic Right Leg, in his Demonic Change State, still caused both his arms to hurt. Furthermore, that power had been sent right through him all the way down to the gold war wolf below him, and its legs buckled and it crashed to the ground.

Ever since Zhou Weiqing had charged forward, that gold war wolf had lost its awe inspiring dignity and valiant look. It dared not even attack Zhou Weiqing; after all, it had only just reached the Zong Stage, and the aura around Zhou Weiqing could affect even a powerful Heavenly Beast like the Silver Emperor, let alone itself. The poor gold war wolf could not even bring forth thirty percent of its usual power.

Just as Butler was reeling in shock from the blow, as well as why his Consolidated Equipment and Stored Skills were blocked off from him, he suddenly felt a strange sensation on his arms. At that point, his Heavenly Energy protective aura had almost been shattered by Zhou Weiqing's kick, and as soon as that strange sensation appeared, he quickly looked down.

A tiny little pearl, glowing blue, black and grey in a strange swirl, was now stuck on his arm. When he looked at it, he could clearly see that the last dredges of his Heavenly Energy protective aura was eaten away by that strange pearl, opening a small hole in it, and the pearl wormed its way in.

Butler was not Han Tianyou after all, and furthermore he did not have any knowledge of the true power of the Dark Demon God Lightning, nor had he experienced it for himself yet. As such, he naturally would not cut off his arms to cut his losses just like that. Another violent explosion shook the entire battlefield, and even the wolf cavalry soldiers on the other side of the fire wall could clearly see the strange tri-coloured glow that rose all around Butler.

Butler was sent flying back from his gold war wolf by the abrupt explosion from the Dark Demon God Lightning. However, the explosion did not bring him any additional pain, instead a bone chilling cold.

The Dark Demon God Lightning was the most overbearing Yin-type Lightning, and the power generated after its explosion would only invade the enemy's body and innards. If it were any ordinary person, or someone with lower cultivation than Zhou Weiqing, the process of the explosion and the invasion would be enough to cause the person to melt into sludge.

However, it was unlikely that Zhou Weiqing would use this overbearing Skill against anyone weaker. Butler was after all a Nine-Jeweled powerhouse, and his meridian passageways had all been refined by over thirty levels of Heavenly Energy, and he was much tougher and stronger than any ordinary person. As a result, the Tri-Attribute Venom from the Dark Demon God Lightning could only enter his body slowly, attempting to circulate around.

A cold shiver ran over Butler's body, and he truly started to feel fear. Without hesitation, he punched out towards Zhou Weiqing, the thick Heavenly Energy causing the air to compress and explode outwards. Although Zhou Weiqing was at a distance of over twenty yards due to both of them being sent flying back, he could still feel the powerful backlash from that blow.

The gap between the Heavenly Energy and power levels of two were just too huge. Perhaps if Zhou Weiqing unleashed his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms and used their Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura, he could barely block the blow. However, would he really do such a thing? As the disciple of the God Eye Scoundrel, he would not do something so foolish like that.

In a flash of silver, Zhou Weiqing appeared ten yards to the side, and the fist of power from Butler naturally missed him. When Butler wanted to attack once more, the cold within his body abruptly flared up, growing stronger, and he did not dare continue attacking.

He could not possibly know what this Dark Demon God Lightning was, but he could sense that it definitely posed a threat to his life. Howling in rage, he summoned the gold war wolf to his side and he leaped onto it. This time, he did not charge towards Zhou Weiqing anymore, instead turning to flee.

The impression that Zhou Weiqing gave him was just a single one… Abnormal. That's right, abnormal, just too strange indeed. A mere four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, yet he could actually injure him… that sheer strength of his was just too overbearing. Even if he had the Demonic Change State, the gap between their Heavenly Energy was just too huge, yet he was still able to use his strength and skills to injure Butler. In that moment, Butler felt a sense of foreboding. He had also seen the wall of flames behind him, and as a leader, being separated from his own troops was yet another factor in that sense of unease. At this point, if another powerhouse came to attack him, he might be doomed. With all the factors combined, Butler did not hesitate to turn and flee. Who said that a beastmen would definitely be stupid? When it truly came down to life and death, sometimes face was not that important.

Seeing Butler turn tail and run, Zhou Weiqing did not give chase. Currently, he was panting with ragged breath, his chest tight and seized up, and his vital energy within was disrupted and in a mess, almost causing him to vomit out blood. His 'single' strike might have seemed easy enough, but it was a combination of many Skills and calculation, and it had taken a huge toll on him, especially on his spirit and vigour. Furthermore, the difference between the two of their power levels was just too huge, even with the Demonic Right Leg in the Demonic Change State, he had actually been injured by the reverberations and backlash of the impact. Luckily, his goal had only been to land the Dark Demon God Lightning on his enemy, not to truly clash head on. Otherwise, as a four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master against a Nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, he knew he did not stand a chance.

Butler had not lost in terms of strength, but in terms of strategy and underestimating his foe, allowing all of this which had happened to do so. He was also the first Heavenly Jewel Master to actually take the full power of the Dark Demon God Lightning head on.

As Zhou Weiqing fought in more battles and cultivated further, his combat experience was already considerable. Especially in terms of fighting against those stronger than himself, his experience in that was truly impressive, and he had already formed a set of methods for him to deal with that. Zhou Weiqing was clear what his advantages were – to catch others by surprise. He had just too many abilities and Skills that were far beyond the common knowledge of most Heavenly Jewel Masters. For example, his Demonic Change State, Demonic Right Leg, Dark Demon God Lightning, and even the Dragon Silencing Seal.

Zhou Weiqing understood that such powerhouses like Butler, as nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters, they were not just powerful, but also had much combat experience. As soon as Butler was familiarized with his own powers, approaches and styles, then he would stand no chance at all. As such, he could only use his advantages to the maximum, unleashing his all in a short period of time to damage his enemy.

Of course, even Zhou Weiqing had not expected his plan to work this well. He had never dreamed that just by unleashing the Demonic Change State and the Heavenly Skill Image, he had already given his foe a huge scare, causing Butler to make several errors in judgement. Furthermore, the effect of the Dragon Silencing Seal was just too overbearing, and with all his preparation in that, he had succeeded just so finely, causing Butler to take such a huge disadvantage at once.

In truth, Zhou Weiqing's plan was pretty good, but he had forgotten one thing. He had crafted it with Han Tianyou in mind, but he was after all a Heavenly King Stage powerhouse, and more so, one who had come from a Great Saint Lands. In terms of ability, vision and judgement calls, how could the wolfman tribe leader Butler be compared to Han Tianyou. Especially since Han Tianyou knew about him from Shen Little Demon and the other Heavenly Jewel Tournament Battle Team members. When Zhou Weiqing threw everything he had at someone, as long as he had sufficient preparation, and his enemy did not have enough knowledge about him or preparation, it was truly not an easy task to not fall for his traps.

Simply put, Butler had charged forth crazily and in a straightforward fashion, and in a moment of underestimating his foe, Zhou Weiqing had managed to make use of that moment to strike with all he had and poison him.

Chapter 445: Peerless Air Force! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The fight between Zhou Weiqing and Butler had ended in a matter of moments. In the majority of the onlookers' eyes, all they saw was Zhou Weiqing's right leg striking down like an axe before being sent flying back. The next thing they knew, Butler had been thrown off his war wolf, and when he got up, he mounted back on and fled.

In the entire battlefield, only a few could possibly know all the details that had happened. Yet, it was without question that Zhou Weiqing had come out the victor. In the eyes of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, their general had defeated the enemy general in an instant, seemingly so easily, and this was a major boost to their morale indeed. In that moment, the arrows seemed to fly faster and truer, arcing across the flame wall and finding their target with unerring aim.

Lin TianAo's massive body burst out from the ground, standing right beside Zhou Weiqing, a look of surprise and respect on his face. He had been Zhou Weiqing's backup plan. If Zhou Weiqing had not been able to succeed in defeating Butler in a short period of time, Lin TianAo would be his ace up the sleeve to block Butler. Zhou Weiqing believed that with the two of them working together, as long as his enemy was not at the Heavenly King Stage or higher, they would be able to block anyone for some time. Of course, by this point, this ace was no longer needed.

"Let's retreat as well." Zhou Weiqing nodded towards Lin TianAo, who also released his Ghost Demon Horse and mounted it. The two turned towards their own ranks and galloped back.

Previously, if Zhou Weiqing had let Little Red Bean loose on Butler, perhaps the two of them could have a small possibility of killing Butler. However, Zhou Weiqing knew that his current role was not just that of a Heavenly Jewel Master fighting, but also a commanding officer. As a commanding officer, sniping an enemy commander was a good thing, but the most important thing was still to take care of the big picture and ensuring everything went well. Zhou Weiqing's basic military knowledge might not be fully learned, but his grasp of the big picture and handling of the overall situation was far beyond ordinary. This was also the reason why he had been originally looked on favourably by the Fei Li Heavenly General Ming Yu during the academy applications.

Somewhat luckily for the Swift Wolf Regiment, none of them had seen their leader beaten; otherwise their morale would have suffered greatly. After all, the walls of flame had blocked their vision. Although it was in their path, it was not too huge, and the wolf cavalry soldiers had already split into two forces to charge around it.

On the battlefield, archers usually only had the advantage at the start. Even though the wolf cavalry soldiers had already lost a fifth of their forces, none of them believed that they would lose the actual battle. In their eyes, as soon as they entered the Peerless Battalion ranks, the fight would turn into a slaughter in their favour, and the battle would be over then.

Just as Zhou Weiqing had defeated Butler and sent him running, a fresh unit of troops appeared abruptly. The true trump card of the Peerless Battalion had finally entered the stage.

The Consolidated Wings behind Shangguan Fei'er's back spread wide open, and the dazzling dark gold light shone brilliantly in midair. Behind her, the three hundred Peerless Battalion soldiers also extended their black Consolidated Wings. Each of them had their Consolidated Bow in their hands as well.

"Cover the retreat. Ready, and Fire!" Shangguan Fei'er's orders were short and succinct. This was the first time the Peerless Battalion Air Force had actually appeared on the battlefield. From this advantage of height, three hundred arrows flew out like lightning, and in the midst of screams, three hundred wolf cavalry soldiers were shot off their mounts.

These three hundred airborne troops of the Peerless Battalion were the true elites of the entire Battalion. All of their personal cultivation level were at least at the three Jeweled stage or higher,, and they were all Physical Jewel Masters. Hence, they were all equipped with the three Consolidated Equipment – Bow and twin Wings. Also, since they were at least at the three-Jeweled cultivation level, their Heavenly Energy had a strong and thick foundation. Not only were they able to maintain flight for some time, the arrows they shot out from their Consolidated Bows were much stronger than the other Peerless Battalion soldiers. How could the Wolf Cavalry Soldiers withstand that? Three hundred arrows taking away three hundred wolf cavalry soldiers, and more so they were the ones that had reacted the fastest to turn around to surpass the flame walls. Indeed, these Peerless Battalion elites' accuracy and offensive prowess was shocking.

It was not that the Swift Wolf Regiment lacked powerhouses, however almost all of their officers had been the first few to enter the fire wall trap, and their war wolf mounts had all perished then. In order to bypass the flame wall they had to go around it, and their speed was naturally much slower now. The wolfman tribe war wolves would only listen to their personal owner, and even if they wanted to ride their subordinates' war wolves, it would be impossible. As such, the major powerhouses of the Swift Wolf Regiment were no longer at the forefront.

This entire battle, it could be said to be perfect choreographed in their plans, added to the fact that the Swift Wolf Regiment had underestimated their enemies, resulting in the current scene happening before them. Every step of the battlefield had been calculated and preplanned, down to their enemies' reactions all the way. For the Air Force that Shangguan Fei'er was leading to appear now was planned and could be said to be the perfect timing.

Previously, they had not joined the fight, and appeared now to cover their comrades' retreat. The Wolf Cavalry soldiers did not have any anti-air capabilities, so the Air Force would be totally safe. Between the wall of flames and their flying comrades, the Peerless Battalion soldiers on the ground would have more than sufficient time to retreat to the hillside. It could be said to be a perfect time for killing enemies and covering their comrades' retreat.

Shangguan Fei'er did not have a Consolidated Bow of her own; it was also the first time for her to be on a battlefield of such scale, and the excitement on her face could not be hidden. Under her command, the three hundred Peerless Battalion Air Force soldiers continuously peppered the wolf cavalry soldiers who streamed from both sides of the flame wall with arrows. With such a high ground advantage added to the fact they were powerful Physical Jewel Masters, it wasn't long before a thousand Wolf Cavalry soldiers had died under their hands.

Arrows being shot from the ground might still be able to be blocked through formations, but how could one block those that were shot from above? After all, the Wolf Cavalry soldiers never used shields, and they mainly depended on their own speed and valiant strength. Alas, now, they had become live targets.

Butler had just retreated to his Wolf Cavalry soldiers, and seeing the constant barrage of arrows from above, he almost puked out blood. Howling in rage, a strong green light burst forth abruptly from his body, forming a green tornado flying up into the sky towards the Peerless Battalion Air Force soldiers.

Shangguan Fei'er gave a cold smirk and said: "Ascend higher."

The three hundred Peerless Battalion soldiers flew upwards quickly. The tornado that Butler had unleashed could only reach up two hundred yards. Without a specialised anti-air Skill, it was not so easy to take care of an airborne troop. Furthermore, there was still Shangguan Fei'er leading the troop, specially to take care of such situations.

Still, Butler's tornado skill was not totally useless. At least, the strong winds had blown away most of the arrows descending from the skies, reducing the casualty rate of the Swift Wolf Regiment drastically.

However, after unleashing this Skill, Butler could sense the cold in his body growing stronger. Although the Dragon Silencing Seal had already ended after forty seconds, he had no choice but to continuously use a large amount of Heavenly Energy to suppress the Tri-Attribute venom in his body.

The Tornado Skill ultimately had a time limit, and when it vanished, the arrow barrage resumed.

However, the short period of respite had given the officers and other stronger members of the Swift Wolf Regiment time to react. They did not attempt to try attacking their enemies, instead launching all their ranged Skills up into the sky to block the descending arrows. For a moment, explosions rang out across the skies, and the casualty rate of the Swift Wolf Regiment dropped once more.

Chapter 446: Peerless Air Force! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The Swift Wolf Regiment finally got passed the flame wall. However, by this time, the main force of the Peerless Battalion had retreated back to the hillside, and the Peerless Battalion Air Force were still firing down from above.

Shangguan Fei'er took a look at the back, and since their mission was accomplished, she immediately shouted an order: "Switch!"

The Peerless Battalion Air Force Physical Jewel Masters did not have a high cultivation level, and using their Wings to fly and the Consolidated Bow to boot was a huge toll on their Heavenly Energy. They still needed to reserve some Heavenly Energy to fly back, and in order to ensure the safety of her men, Shangguan Fei'er decided to be more conservative.

Keeping their Consolidated Bows, the Peerless Battalion Air Force switched to the javelins on their back. Three hundred javelins rained down like metal forest. Four rounds in total.

These javelins did not have any imbued Skills, not even any imbued Heavenly Energy, just totally dependant on their skill and strength. However, the Peerless Battalion Air Force were at least three hundred yards high in the sky, and each of these javelins weighed about than five kilograms. With that in mind, the sheer force and impact of these javelins already held an insane killing force.

Four rounds in total, and a thousand two hundred javelins had been thrown down. Although the Swift Wolf Regiment officers were pretty strong, but facing such a rain of attacks and without their war wolves mounts, how could they take care of all of them.

Screams rang out all around once more, with many of the wolf cavalry soldiers totally pierced through along with their war wolf mounts, pinned down to the ground as their lives fled their eyes.

Shangguan Fei'er did not stay to look at the result. As soon as the four rounds of javelins were thrown, she immediately gave the order to retreat. Their Consolidated wings flapping, the three hundred Air Force soldiers flew back towards the hillside, leaving a sea of corpses behind them.

Butler was gnashing his teeth so hard that he almost broke them. From the start of the fight, both sides had not even met, and he had already lost forty percent of his Swift Wolf Regiment, and that was not even considering the injured. Such a massive blow, even when they had fought against the main army of the ZhongTian Empire, they had never suffered such losses.

The feeling that the Peerless Battalion gave him could be simplified into two words. Strange… weird… Indeed, they did not seem overly powerful, or with some special unbeatable formation, just… strange…

Such a fighting style from the Peerless Battalion was totally out of his previous experiences and expectations. Their attacks were almost unblockable, all ranged to boot.

The Swift Wolf Regiment was definitely not weak at all, but in front of the Peerless Battalion, it felt like they had all the strength in the world yet could not use any of it. That was the most terrible feeling for a fighter indeed.

A harsh cry emitted from Butler's mouth. The wolfmen tribe army usually issued their orders via these howls, and with his Heavenly Energy, the long howl could be easily heard from up to ten li away. Filled with humiliation, disgrace and unwillingness, Butler gave the order to retreat.

As the Regiment Commander of the Swift Wolf Regiment, he had to be logical and not lose himself to emotions. As such, he did not order his troops to continue charging. The Swift Wolf Regiment was just too important to his Wolfman tribe, and the entire tribe only had six such Regiments. It was because of these sixty thousand Wolf Cavalry soldiers that the Wolfman tribe was honoured as one of the greater tribes in the entire WanShou Empire.

Although the Peerless Battalion only numbered over a thousand men, they had already given the Swift Wolf Regiment just too huge a loss. Butler could not afford to lose any more! Furthermore, these cunning enemies had retreated to the hills, and such terrain would definitely be detrimental to the Wolf Cavalry soldiers fighting prowess, instead increasing the prowess of archers. Who knew what other traps or ambushes they had in that area as well. As such, Butler had to make the painful but accurate choice, instead of ordering a berserk charge forward like he wanted. Even if he managed to wipe out these enemies, it would not bring back his lost tribesmen, and they might have to pay an even heavier price in order to accomplish that. Weighing all of that, he could only grit his teeth and bear the burden of shame, leading his Swift Wolf Regiment to encircle the area before heading off back into the distance, leaving a field of corpses behind.

"The Swift Wolf Regiment retreated?" Zhou Weiqing stood on the hillside, looking curiously at the retreating figures of the Wolf Cavalry soldiers. This was the first true battle he had actually commandeered, and though he might seem confident and stable, only he knew that his clothes were totally drenched with sweat from both exhaustion and the sheer pressure.

At his side, Wei Feng cried out excitedly: "Battalion Commander, we have won! We… we have actually defeated a Regiment of ten thousand Wolf Cavalry soldiers! We have won, we have won…"

All the Peerless Battalion soldiers were dazed momentarily, before the entire hillside erupted into cheers. Every single one of them were jumping, yelling, screaming their hearts out with excitement and glee. They had won. This was the first true major victory of the Peerless Battalion. They were no longer the scared little turtles of the past, the Ruffian Battalion hiding away in the icy dredges of the north. They were now truly the Peerless Battalion, Peerless in all the lands!

The Company Leaders of the Peerless Battalion totally forgot about Zhou Weiqing's strength, and they swarmed forward. In the next instant, Zhou Weiqing had been tossed up in the air amidst the cheers.

Indeed, it was the arrival of this young Battalion Commander, Zhou Weiqing, which had brought them all they had today. The massive change of the Peerless Battalion had all been given by Zhou Weiqing, this unbelievable joy of victory! Not only could they eat their fill, dress warmly, no longer needing to suffer day and night… now they could have such honours as well.

So what if they were ruffians? So what if they were scoundrels? They were still human, they still had their emotions. This victory could only spark the fire in their hearts, reinforcing a true sense of belonging to the Peerless Battalion, increasing their respect and love for this Battalion Commander of theirs, Zhou Weiqing.

Shangguan Fei'er also led her Peerless Battalion Air Force, which had definitely provided one of the greater contributions in the fight, to land back down safely. Looking at the soldiers who were swarming about ready to throw her up in the air as well, she did not act as usual to teach them a lesson severely, instead spreading her Consolidated Wings to escape laughingly. Everyone was filled with pride and excitement, the atmosphere infectious and spreading like wildfire. This was a victory that belonged to all of them, a pride that they had earned indeed!

Half a year of intense training, it had undoubtedly given all of them a major boost in power, and also padded their pockets. However, sometimes profit wasn't everything. This major victory was a true treat to their spirits and morale. The WanShou Empire Wolf Cavalry soldiers, previously seemingly invincible in their eyes, actually seemed so weak now, and the battle had proven that their hard work and training had paid off indeed, all their toil was not wasted, and this sense of accomplishment was more important than anything.

The celebration continued for almost an hour before the dizzy Zhou Weiqing was finally allowed back on the ground. He gave the order to clear the battlefield and for a good meal to be cooked as celebration.

In truth, Zhou Weiqing had a slight sense of regret when he saw the Swift Wolf Regiment retreat earlier. After all, he still had a whole series of follow up plans against them. The Peerless Battalion could still retreat to their tunnels to recover their Heavenly Energy, and their series of tunnels had many exits. As long as they made proper use of the terrain, using guerrilla warfare to the max, he was confident in slaughtering the entire Swift Wolf Regiment.

Butler's wisdom and swift decision making had allowed him to keep his forces intact. Still, despite the regret, it was not a bad thing for the Peerless Battalion. At least, their underground base would still remain hidden, and there was always the possibility of using it in the future. Of course, they could no longer stay for long. They did not know if the WanShou Empire would send a larger force to take revenge.

Still, the celebratory meal had to be eaten, and many large cauldrons were brought out and fires started. The war wolves that had been freshly killed on the battlefield would now be a delicious meal for the Peerless Battalion soldiers.

The rich fragrance of well cooked meat wafted across the hills. The battlefield had been fully cleared, and the Swift Wolf Cavalry had left behind over four thousand one hundred corpses, as well as over two thousand war wolves. Some of the war wolves who had lost their owners had fled into the surroundings.

Such a battle with no losses, yet the Peerless Battalion had managed to kill almost three times their own number. More so, it had been against elite forces like the Wolf Cavalry Soldiers. It could be said that this was a magnificent victory indeed.

"Battalion Commander, how about a post battle speech for us all?" Wei Feng's emotions were still stirred, and he looked at Zhou Weiqing with a bright look in his eyes. If not for the fact that he was already very familiar with Wei Feng, Zhou Weiqing might have mistook his sexual orientation.

Zhou Weiqing stood up, right beside the large flag of the Peerless Battalion.

"Brothers, I will just say a few simple words, and will not keep you from your delicious meal for too long. This battle, we have won it beautifully. All of you are heroes, heroes of our Peerless Battalion!"

Zhou Weiqing's loud voice once again ignited the excitement of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, and once again, cheers filled the air.

"You have used your arrows to show our enemies how strong we are. However, there are two things I need to declare now. Firstly, we will have to leave this place and return to the Seventh Legion as per their invitation. We will join the Seventh Legion as a separate, autonomous Battalion. All of you do not need to worry, our Peerless Battalion will not be split up, and you will always be our brothers of me, Zhou Little Fatty. Secondly, when we return to the Seventh Legion, I want everyone to keep silent about this battle."

"As the saying goes, If a tree grows far above the forest canopy, the wind will destroy it. I do not want the northern army command to know too much about our fighting capabilities too quickly. Once that happens, we will be given the most dangerous missions. As I have said many times, each and every one of our brothers' lives are precious… priceless… and I do not want to have any needless sacrifices. Understood?"

"Understood." Including Wei Feng, everyone acknowledged the order.

Zhou Weiqing smiled and said: "Very good. I also have one last thing to say. Since we will be leaving for the Seventh Legion after this meal, we'll just have meat now. However, I have also prepared five hundred jugs of good wine; when we reach the Seventh Legion and camp there, you all can drink your fill as a reward for this victory."

Chapter 447: Heavenly Emperor Returns! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

"Long Live Battalion Commander, Long Live the Peerless Battalion!" Upon hearing that there would be wine to drink, not much else could bring up their spirits as much as that.

Was there a soldier that didn't love to drink? Sure, there was bound to be, but it was definitely a minority. Of course, amongst these ruffian soldiers, a large majority of them had been actually sentenced in the first place due to unruly behavior while drunk, thus ending up in the Ruffian Battalion.

Of course, the army rules actually banned drinking. As a result, this promise of Zhou Weiqing's was even more attractive to these ruffian soldiers than giving them gold!

They all enjoyed the piping hot, delicious meal. Although the wolf meat was not exactly the best tasting, in their excited, happy mood, everything just tasted better.

There was no wastage; the meat they could not finished was cooked and packed up, along with a large amount of other rations and supplies, filling up more than five hundred horse carts, which Zhou Weiqing had requisitioned from the Seventh Legion a few days ago.

The titanium alloy arrows, arrow tips and javelins which had been shot out previously were all recollected; after all these were all extremely expensive and valuable. As long as they could be reused or re-purposed, they naturally would not waste such important resources, or extra gold right?

Just as Zhou Weiqing was about to give the order to move out, a familiar piping voice rang out in his ear. "Little Fatty, ask the others to head out first. You stay here first."

Hearing the voice, Zhou Weiqing was overjoyed. Wasn't that his new teacher, the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor, Long Shiya?

He quickly asked Shangguan Fei'er to get Wei Feng and the others to lead the entire Peerless Battalion to the Seventh Legion, and he would join them later.

The mighty contingent of the Peerless Battalion, carts in tow, moved like a great flood in the direction of the northern army command base. When they had disappeared from Zhou Weiqing's sight, there was a flash before his eyes, and two men appeared by his side.

One was the familiar rotund sight of the Large Fatty Long Shiya, and the other was another seemingly middle aged man of about the same age as Long Shiya.

The middle aged man was not exactly handsome, but he had a unique air about him, as if a well polished jade with an inner shine, giving a profound deep feel about him. He was also wearing a similar black clothing as Long Shiya, and his bearing and aura did not seem to lose out to Long Shiya.

"Master." Zhou Weiqing bowed respectfully towards Long Shiya.

Long Shiya smiled faintly and nodded, saying: "Not bad, not bad at all. That fight earlier, you did very well. Very effective application of your Skills indeed. However, your victory was once again due to the surprise element of your unique Skill. Come, let your Teacher test you on your fruits of cultivation all this time. Six Ultimate Transform Skill, go."

This Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor was indeed a brusque and straightforward person. Having just met his disciple after all this time, he was teaching and testing him once more, not even introducing him to the middle aged man beside him first.

Zhou Weiqing agreed, lifting his right hand up. The Six Ultimate Transform Skill was the beginning level arts of Long Shiya's Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts. The more Zhou Weiqing dwelved into the intricacies of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, the more miraculous he realised it was, and the more respect and awe he held for this teacher of his. After all, Long Shiya had come up with this technique all by himself after much research and training.

A ball green light appeared around Zhou Weiqing's palm, a pure green that was not particularly intense. His fingers moved slightly, as if massaging the ball of green light energy, and in the next moment, it turned into a Wind Blade.

The Wind Blade was extremely small, much smaller than the ball of green light had previously been. The crescent shaped wind blade's length was only three inches, but despite its minute size, it was extremely solid and well formed, glowing in green gold light. If not for the swirling movement of the light, any onlooker might think it was an actual knife in his hands.

A hint of surprise flashed in Long Shiya's eyes, though Zhou Weiqing did not notice it as his full concentration was on the energy in his palm.

The reason why the green Wind Blade was so small was not because Zhou Weiqing did not use much Heavenly Energy, but because of the sheer amount of compression of energy upon it. With Zhou Weiqing's current cultivation level, if he did not use the compact compression skill of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, he could not possibly have his Wind Blade so small and compact. He had not Stored this Wind Blade Skill, and he was making use of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts to use his Wind Attribute Heavenly Energy to imitate the Wind Attribute Skill. If he made any slight error in his control, that Wind Blade would immediately dissipate into Heavenly Energy once more.

Zhou Weiqing's five fingers continued moving in a strange rhythm, and the Wind Blade once again formed back into the ball of green light into his palm, and it slowly warped to a bluish purple colour. In the entire process, Zhou Weiqing did not dismiss the Heavenly Energy and re-release it, instead transforming it entirely from the green light, and it was still the original ball of Heavenly Energy.

When the green light had fully transformed into the bluish purple light, Zhou Weiqing's face grew more serious. It was now Lightning Attribute Heavenly Energy, which was even more difficult to control than the Wind Attribute Heavenly Energy. As the bluish purple light flashed in Zhou Weiqing's hands, his five fingers began to move with increased speed, slowly causing the ball of light to form into a bluish purple lightning pearl.

In truth, after Zhou Weiqing had transformed the Heavenly Energy ball to the Lightning Attribute, he had to resort to some trickery as well. After all, the Lightning Attribute was quite a lot more active than the Wind Attribute, and Zhou Weiqing was not able to control it to form anything else. However, it was a lot easier for him to form a Lightning Pearl, as it whirled around, it was easier to just forcefully compress the Lightning Attribute. More so, Zhou Weiqing had the Dark Demon God Lightning Skill, and that definitely helped him in forming that Lightning Pearl.

Seeing the Lightning Pearl form, not only did the surprise in Long Shiya's eyes deepen, even the middle aged man beside him also showed some surprise. After all, the Lightning Attribute was a rare and powerful Attribute, considered one of the Attributes with the most explosive power. To be able to control the Lightning Attribute to such a degree was not easy indeed.

The middle aged man's voice rang in Long Shiya's ears: "This little fellow has only learned from you for less than half a year?! His talent for Heavenly Energy control is indeed impressive!"

Long Shiya did not reply, and on the surface his expression did not change as his gaze fixated upon Zhou Weiqing's hands.

The bluish purple Lightning Pearl slowly grew larger before it slowly dissipated back into the ball of Heavenly Energy. Once again, the transformation process started. This time, sweat beaded on Zhou Weiqing's forehead as his eyes widened. It was clear that he was fully focused on the transformation of energy in his hands.

In truth, Long Shiya had only asked him to show the Six Ultimate Transform Skill, which was to transform his Heavenly Energy freely among his Six Attributes. However, what Zhou Weiqing was doing was not just transforming his Heavenly Energy, but actually imitating one Skill for each Attribute before transforming to the next Attribute, and so on. That was a lot more difficult than Long Shiya's original request.

The reason why Zhou Weiqing chose to do so was that he wanted to test himself, to see how far his control had progressed.The other reason was that he wanted to prove himself to his teacher, that he had not slackened off at all for the past six months and had been training with all his might. Of course, another factor was that Zhou Weiqing's judgement of human nature was always accurate and pinpoint as usual. Perhaps if it was only Long Shiya alone here, he might not have gone this further step. However, now that Long Shiya had brought a friend along, with an outsider here, the stronger and more impressive Zhou Weiqing could display himself, it would bring even more face to Long Shiya. To bring face to his teacher, naturally Zhou Weiqing would not hesitate to go further.

This little cunning ploy of his, naturally Long Shiya could see through it. However, even if he saw through it, Long Shiya was still extremely delighted. Having his disciple work so hard to bring him face, how could he not be happy?

Silver light slowly consolidated. This time, it did not form into the shape of a ball of light. If we were to compare all of Zhou Weiqing's Six Attributes, it would be undoubtedly the Spatial Attribute that he had the most control over. After all, not counting his status as a Consolidating Equipment Master, just amongst his Skills, his Blink Skill was the optimum for escaping, while his Spatial Rend Skill was also extremely powerful in offense and defense, one of his most commonly used ones. Towards these two Skills, he had spent the most time and effort in improving, and as a result his understanding and control towards the Spatial Attribute Heavenly Energy was the deepest. Even so, after transforming the Heavenly Energy from Lightning Attribute to Spatial Attribute and coalescing it into a Skill, it caused sweat to form all around his head.

A dim light flashed as the silver light fully consolidated, and sweat began to drip from the sides of Zhou Weiqing's forehead. However, he had succeeded, and the thick silver light began to elongate, and if one were to look closely, right in the middle of the silver was a smatter of black. This was not just an ordinary compression of Heavenly Energy, clearly one of the Skills that Zhou Weiqing had Stored on his own… the Spatial Rend.

However, this time this Spatial Rend was clearly not unleashed from his own Stored Skill, but imitated out through control of his own Heavenly Energy. Of course, this was another minor trick, as he already had such a Skill and was much more familiar with it. Still, even if it was some trickery, being able to control Heavenly Energy to such a degree was truly a feat for his cultivation level.

At this point, the eyes of the middle aged man beside Long Shiya flashed with a brilliant light, as he grasped Long Shiya's large shoulders hard, a fawning smile at his mouth.

Long Shiya glared at him. How could he not understand what his good friend meant? Before coming here, he had not revealed Zhou Weiqing's Attributes to this best bro of his, exactly because he was afraid that he would constantly bug him about it. Long Shiya knew how important those Attributes that Zhou Weiqing had were for a Consolidating Equipment Master. The Spatial Attribute and Wind Attribute had already been shown, and since this middle aged man also knew that Zhou Weiqing was part of the Legacy of Strength, one could imagine how pleasing Zhou Weiqing was to the eye for him. His actions towards Long Shiya now were as clear as day indeed.

Having completed the Spatial Rend Skill, Zhou Weiqing did not continue further. Instead, he took a deep breath, and on his skin, the familiar tiger tattoos started to appear as his muscles bulged out. His clear eyes also started turning bloodshot. Indeed, he was entering his Demonic Change State.

Chapter 448: Heavenly Emperor Returns! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

In the Demonic Change State, Zhou Weiqing's control over Heavenly Energy was much stronger and finer, not just in the grasp of Heavenly Energy, but also when unleashing it, all the tiny subtle changes could be sensed with greater effect. At this point, Zhou Weiqing needed to depend on the Demonic Change State to continue the transformation of his Heavenly Energy, otherwise he might run into trouble in the further steps.

Seeing the tiger tattoos appear on Zhou Weiqing's skin, as well as the bursting of his shirt as his muscles bulged out, the middle aged man's eyes widened further, the surprise in them turning to sheer shock.

His mouth twitched, and Long Shiya could hear him mutter: "Truly richly endowed by nature."

Indeed, Zhou Weiqing had already displayed three Elemental Attributes, and now with the Demonic Change State, more so a controllable one, what else could he be described with? For any powerful Heavenly Jewel Master, if they could gain such a disciple, they would undoubtedly be on cloud nine. This was truly a talent that would invoke jealousy."

Long Shiya could not resist any further, and a pleased smirk crossed his lips.

In the Demonic Change State, Zhou Weiqing instantly felt more relaxed. Although this would greatly increase the drain of Heavenly Energy, it was also without question a great help to his control.

The silver light flashed and began to diffuse, slowly turning to a black colour, thick and deep. The Darkness Attribute, perhaps the closest or most intimate Attribute of Zhou Weiqing's. After all, his father also had the same Attribute. In the Demonic Change State, he could clearly sense the icy cold Darkness aura, and Zhou Weiqing slowly closed his eyes. At this point, he was no longer using his eyes to see, but his heart to sense his surroundings.

Seeing the change in Zhou Weiqing, Long Shiya couldn't help but nod in approval. This disciple of his was not only unbelievably talented, even his intelligence, perception and capability of understanding was extremely strong. Although Zhou Weiqing had only started on the transformation of the fourth Attribute, Long Shiya was already extremely satisfied. After just half a year of training, being able to do so much, it was clear that it wasn't just talent, but insanely hard work for Zhou Weiqing to be able to reach such a standard.

Previously, when he saw Zhou Weiqing fight with Butler, Long Shiya was still a little worried. After all, Zhou Weiqing already had such powerful Stored Skills, and immersing himself in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts would mean no improvement in power in the near future, perhaps even affecting his cultivation of Heavenly Energy. Would such a young man be able to keep at it with such so many short term drawbacks? In that moment, Long Shiya had began to question it.

After all, no matter who it was, when one had such an unbelievable talent, and had clearly always improved so quickly… If he had to change to another cultivation method that did not have much clear gains, it was definitely not an easy thing to take. This was also the reason why Long Shiya had instantly asked Zhou Weiqing to show him the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts as soon as he saw him, to show the fruits of his training. Long Shiya had finally found a disciple after so long, and he did not wish for his precious disciple to end up being a rotten log.

The truth had proven his worried were unfounded. Zhou Weiqing's willpower and tenacity was far beyond most of those around the same age, and his character much more stable. He was able to keep at the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, putting in much effort in its training, also able to bring his teacher much face. The more Long Shiya looked at his disciple, the more pleased he was. Even if he was trying to best not to show emotion, it was hard for him. It was as if he had gotten a true son at an old age, as smug and pleased as one could be.

The black light in Zhou Weiqing's hands started to shrink, changing at the same time, in a very strange way. This time, Zhou Weiqing did not seize the advantage by imitating a Skill that he had Stored, instead forming a small ball of black light.

The strange thing was that in the black ball, there was still a swirling dim green light. This was a Ball of Corrosion.

Long Shiya also had the Darkness Attribute, and with a single look he could tell that this time Zhou Weiqing was totally using his Heavenly Energy to imitate the Skill, and did not have such a Skill Stored. From this, Long Shiya was confident that Zhou Weiqing had already truly entered the threshold of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts.

Of course, this was not the end. How could a person who could enter the Demonic Change State not have the Demonic Attribute? The speed of transformation from the Darkness Attribute to the Demonic Attribute was much faster, as the black turned into grey, a thick grey forming a small whirlwind around Zhou Weiqing's palm, whirling at astonishing speed, causing the various elemental energies in the atmosphere to be drawn in towards it and making the whirlwind grow larger.

A pleased look appeared on Zhou Weiqing's face. This grey whirlpool was truly his greatest accomplishment thus far, and was also one of the greatest aid to his current power ever since he had started training in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts. What he was doing now was using the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts to imitate the Devour Skill of the Demonic Attribute.

After all, in order for Zhou Weiqing to use his personal Devour Skill, he had to use his palm to actually touch his opponent's body. Conversely, he was able to draw in the various Elemental Attribute Heavenly Energy directly from the atmosphere now. That was to say, this Devour Skill that he used with the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts was now able to go from range.

Of course, Devouring from the atmosphere was definitely not as good as Devouring directly from a Heavenly Jewel Master or Heavenly Beast, not only was the Heavenly Energy mixed with all sorts of Attributes, it was much tougher to draw and absorb, the entire process much slower as well, and the cleansing and re absorption process later was also much delayed.

Still, this was considered a Skill that Zhou Weiqing had created by himself! This external energy whirlpool, when combined with his internal Death Acupuncture Point energy whirlpools, it would undoubtedly be a great boost to his cultivation level.

Zhou Weiqing's Heavenly Energy was now at the nineteenth stage. He had actually successfully crafted this new Devour Whirlpool Skill a month ago. Originally, when he had started committing full on in training the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, his Heavenly Energy cultivation had slowed dramatically. Thanks to his Immortal Deity Technique, it was not as bad as Long Shiya had feared, but it was still only fully dependent on the normal draw of the energy whirlpools. At that point, he had still been quite some distance from breaking through his nineteenth death Acupuncture Point. However, after mastering this new Devour Whirlpool Skill, Zhou Weiqing had only used ten days before he had reached the Heavenly Energy requirement to break through the next stage. With the aid of the Demonic Change State and Solidified Dragon Spirit, he had actually managed to successfully break through, and was now only one stage away from his fifth Heavenly Jewel.

This was also one of the reasons why he had been more confident in facing Butler earlier today.

Upon seeing this Devour Whirlpool Skill, even Long Shiya was dumbfounded. After all, he did not have the Demonic Attribute of his own, but with his knowledge, experience and vision, how could he not see the miraculous use of this whirlpool? Envy… this teacher was almost starting to envy his own disciple… his talent was just too unbelievable. Long Shiya was now sure that if Zhou Weiqing continued training hard with his own guidance, he could definitely break through the Heavenly King Stage before the age of thirty.

The middle aged man beside Long Shiya finally couldn't hold back any longer, and he spoke out: "Fatty Long, where did you find such a monstrous little brat. Why do I not have your luck? My moral standing is clearly much better than you!!"

"Bullshit, what moral standing? Your Father, I, is the one with the true upright moral standing. Look, even the heavens are taking care of me… aren't you jealous now? Let me tell you, Weiqing is my disciple, don't even think about it, I will definitely not let you have him. Do you know how hard it has been before I finally found a disciple with six Attributes?"

"Six? You mean he still has another Attribute?! What is it?" The middle aged man exclaimed, his jaw agape.

Long Shiya said airly: "Look for yourself."

Indeed, it was being displayed right before his eyes right now. As soon as the grey whirlpool appeared in Zhou Weiqing's hands, the sweat on his forehead had actually lessened instead. With this Devour Whirlpool Skill, his Heavenly Energy was actually recuperating at a slightly faster speed than draining. Although it was only temporary, it was still sufficient for him to use. That was the reason why Zhou Weiqing had chosen to imitate that Skill as well, as it was the only way he could possibly complete the last, and most difficult, transformation and Skill.

The grey whirlpool slowly faded from sight, but it was only the light dissipating, and the whirlpool was still somehow there in compressed form. Zhou Weiqing had used another difficult control technique of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts; one that could only be used with sufficient Heavenly Energy, which luckily had been replenished by his Devour Whirlpool.

A similar Skill, but of different Attribute. This was the control technique that Zhou Weiqing was using. A similar whirlpool, but as the grey vanished, the whirlpool had turned transparent entirely, with only the twisting of light all around proving that it still existed, and both Long Shiya and the middle aged man could sense its power.

The Time Disorder Skill. Another Skill that Zhou Weiqing had Stored previously. Attempting to imitate any Time Attribute Skill was just too difficult, as it was one of the strongest and most difficult Elemental Attributes. After training for so long, this was the only one that Zhou Weiqing had succeeded in. As such, he could only use it out right now. At the same time, he could only succeed with the advantage from the 'similar Skill, different Attribute' technique, greatly lowering the difficulty.

Having finally completed all six transformations, Zhou Weiqing finally let go of his breath with a tiny sigh of relief as he carefully dismissed the invisible whirlpool in his palm. Once it was gone, his body sagged down in relief and his eyes opened wide once again. The sweat which had almost disappeared suddenly poured down abruptly, drenching him at once. It was clear how much spirit and mental toll it had taken on him just to complete the six transformations, and it showed in the sheer exhausted state he was left in.

Zhou Weiqing had not seen the pleased, smug look on Long Shiya's face, instead all he saw was the slightly furrowed brow on his face.

"Teacher, did I do anything wrongly?" Zhou Weiqing asked tentatively. He had been so confident that he had already done the best he could, and if this was still not enough, he had nothing left to give.

Chapter 449: Heavenly Emperor Returns! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Long Shiya glanced at him, his face impassive as he said calmly: "Overall, it is still okay. At least it proves that you have not wasted these last six months, and you have been working hard. Still, there is still a lot of room for improvement, many flaws that you have. Firstly, your transformation between Attributes is still very slow, not well practiced enough. Also, using that Devour Skill for your Demonic Attribute is a bit of trickery, if you used another skill, could you still continue on with that Time Disorder Skill after that? I'm sure it's not possible then right. You must remember, when you are Transforming between Attributes, you cannot just focus on your own personal Heavenly Energy, you must also make use of the aid of the Heavenly Energy in the atmosphere in the same time as you Transform. If you attempt to do everything with your own personal Heavenly Energy, how much do you have to waste to accomplish it? In actual combat, do you have that much energy to waste? Your following focus should be to concentrate on transformation and at the same time, the connection between your own Heavenly Energy and external Heavenly Energy. When you are finally able to fully integrate yourself into nature and the environment, only then will all the transformation become as easy as second nature. At that point, you will have somewhat mastered Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts."

As Zhou Weiqing listened, he nodded continuously. Indeed, the booklet that Long Shiya had given him had written about the transformation technique requiring the aid of the atmospheric Heavenly Energy. However, that was just too difficult, juggling fine control of both personal energy and atmospheric energy was no easy feat. At least, at his current level, Zhou Weiqing was unable to do so, and he could only use his own personal Heavenly Energy for now.

This was also the reason why his current training in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts did not have much aid to his personal power. The moment he actually mastered using the atmospheric energy to help in transformation and consolidating, that would be the true mastery. Of course, that was still a long ways off.

"I have learned much, I will definitely work hard in training towards that." Zhou Weiqing said with conviction.

Long Shiya nodded and said: "Alright, that's all then. These mistakes of yours cannot fully be blamed on you, after all, I was not beside you these few months to correct you. This time, since I am back, I will personally oversee your training for some time, at least until you have understood the profound mysteries of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, lest you go out in the future and say you are my disciple and get laughed at by others."

Zhou Weiqing was delighted and exclaimed: "That's great, with teacher's guidance, I am sure my training speed will be much faster."

At this point, the middle aged man beside Long Shiya could not stand it any longer. Coughing politely, he said: "Alright, enough already, Fatty Long. Stop acting so pitiful after you have gained such a huge advantage! Acting so much! With that Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts of yours, you can go try finding anyone else to train in it, even three to five years of training probably wouldn't reach that little rascal's standard. If you aren't satisfied with him, pass him to me, I am extremely satisfied. I will treat him like a precious treasure, how about that?"

Upon hearing the middle aged man say he wanted to steal his disciple, Long Shiya immediately glared at him with wide eyes. His tiny eyes, normally squeezed and hidden by his fats, were almost clearly visible. "Bullshit, don't daydream. There is no way that will happen. Weiqing is already my disciple, he won't change over. Hmph, if you want me to let go of him, it'll only happen if you can defeat me."

The middle aged man gave a humph and said: "I just can't stand how you have to act after getting such an advantage. Alright, alright, hurry up and introduce us, I want to chat with this little fellow."

Long Shiya looked at him guardedly before confirming he was not trying to steal his precious disciple, before he finally turned to Zhou Weiqing and said: "Weiqing, let me introduce you, this is the friend I told you about. You can call him Senior Uncle. His name is Duan Tianlang, and he has some fame in the Consolidating Equipment Master world… just that he has withdrawn into seclusion for several dozen years, so not many people may remember him now."

How intelligent was Zhou Weiqing, and how could he not see what was going on before him, but he restrained himself to prevent himself from laughing out loud. Long Shiya's acting had been pretty good, alas he had been revealed by Duan Tianlang so savagely. However, as a disciple, he naturally was smart enough to pretend he did not know anything, turning to greet Duan Tianlang respectfully, saying: "Greetings, Senior Uncle Duan.

Duan Tianlang nodded, saying urgently: "I heard Fatty Long say that you are this generation's Legacy of Strength holder of the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set? Quick, let me see your 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set, I cannot wait for it. The wishes of all the forefathers over all these years is finally going to be fulfilled. 'Hate Ground no Handle'… 'Hate Sky no Handle'… 'Hate Ground no Handle'… 'Hate Sky no Handle'!" As he began repeating himself, Zhou Weiqing could clearly see Duan Tianlang's eyes moisten, giving off the sense that he had experienced the many vicissitudes of life. It was clear how much his emotions were in turmoil.

A brilliant dark-gold light shone forth, and Zhou Weiqing released his Dual Legendary Hammers and the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms. Three God Tier Consolidated Equipment, all part of the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Set, causing the aura around Zhou Weiqing to strengthen substantially, giving a slight feeling as if he was a celestial being descended from heaven. Especially that massive hammers in his hands, giving a valiant look about him.

Seeing the three God Tier Consolidated Equipment that Zhou Weiqing had released, Duan Tianlang couldn't help but stare dazedly at them. Lifting his hands carefully, he stroked the lines of the Dual Legendary Hammers, especially the crying-face and smiling-face symbols. Muttering to himself, he said: "That's right, that's right… this is the Legendary Dual God Strength Hammers, the first piece of the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set. That ancestor once saw the Legendary Set design of the 'Hate Sky no Handle' Legendary Set, and in order to prove that he could create something a Legendary Set stronger than that for the Strength Attribute, his design was an improvement or addition to the 'Hate Sky no Handle' Set. This Legendary Dual God Strength Hammers is the best example, although in terms of mass, there is no change, he used such an ingenious trick to redesign it… one real one illusory… not only is there an increase in power and ways of using it, even from the appearance it is far superior in menacing power."

At this time, it was as if Duan Tianlang was lost in his own world as he muttered continuously with much excitement.

Zhou Weiqing looked towards Long Shiya. He did not are speak at all, with his cultivation level, if he tried to speak secretly, he could definitely be overheard. As such, he only mouthed a few words slowly towards his teacher, allowing Long Shiya to read his lips clearly.

When Long Shiya read Zhou Weiqing's lips, he couldn't help but be dazed momentarily, and his expression turned strange as his lips twitched. Finally, he subtly nodded towards Zhou Weiqing.

Zhou Weiqing had mouthed a few words towards Long Shiya: "Can I con him?"

If this was not his own disciple, Long Shiya would definitely think he was unbelievably wretched, this little brat wanted to con even his friend that he brought. However, after some thought, he quickly thought things through. Con him then, he might as well let his disciple get the advantage. With such a thought in mind, he kept silent, just selling his poor good bro to his own disciple like that.

Duan Tianlang examined it closely for almost fifteen minutes before he finally lifted his head up.

"I never imagined that I would live to actually see this 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set. I had thought that I would have to bring this regret into the ground. Child, thank you for letting me complete this lifetime wish of mine."

Zhou Weiqing said innocently: "Senior Uncle Duan, you are still very young!"

Duan Tianlang laughed heartily and said: "Young? Do you know how old both your teacher and I are? Fatty Long, if I don't remember wrongly, you should be two years older than me right? I am one hundred and sixteen this year, and you are one hundred and eighteen."

Although Zhou Weiqing had guessed that these two would not be young, but he will still shocked upon hearing that they were both above one hundred and ten years old.

Duan Tianlang sighed and continued: "I am different from Fatty Long, his cultivation level is much higher after focusing most of his time on cultivation… living to two hundred should not be a problem. However, I am mainly a Consolidating Equipment Master… to you, I should be another branch of the Legacy of Strength. I have spent all my life on Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, and it has taken a huge toll on my spirit. Although my cultivation level is not weak, but when I reached the God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master stage, reaching the peak of my capabilities… there is nothing left in the world for me to be reluctant to leave it."

"My remaining life is originally only a few years left… I never thought that you would actually bring me hope, and now I am a little unwilling to die."

Long Shiya said exasperatedly: "As long as you are not willing to die, who can make you die? You useless bum, remember what we agreed on, now that you have seen the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Set, you cannot seek death any longer."

Duan Tianlang looked at Long Shiya, then back to Zhou Weiqing, before saying in a sorrowful, plaintive manner: "So what if I have seen it? To us Consolidating Equipment Masters, looking at a final product isn't much use, especially for God Tier Consolidating Equipment and Sets, what is within is the most important. Although my wish is considered fulfilled, there is still nothing much for me to live for! Unless, there is the 'Hate Ground no Handle' set design for me to see… perhaps I might be able to live a few more years then."

What was Zhou Weiqing at the core? He was originally a little scoundrel, and upon listening to Duan Tianlang's words, how could he not understand. This senior was actually being shameless, trying to see if he actually had the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set design but not willing to ask it out directly…

If you are acting, then I shall as well? A helpless look crossed Zhou Weiqing's face as he said: "Senior Uncle Duan, actually… I do have the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set design."

Hearing his words, Duan Tianlang could no longer act any longer. Grabbing hold of Zhou Weiqing's shoulders, he asked urgently: "The whole set? All ten pieces?"

Zhou Weiqing nodded.

Without hesitation, Duan Tianlang said excitedly: "Quick, quick let me see. Don't say anything else, as long as you let me see the Legendary Set design, I swear that I will never spread it out. I am willing to take a blood oath, no matter what you want, as long as I have it or am able to get it, I will give it to you without question. My greatest wish of my life is to let the 'Hate Sky no Handle' and 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Sets reunite, to let them see the light of the sky together for once. Child, please count it as your Senior Uncle begging you."

Chapter 450: God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master Joins!

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

As he said that, Duan Tianlang did not hesitate and was about to kneel down towards Zhou Weiqing. Looking at him, it was definitely no act, even his tears were falling down.

How could Zhou Weiqing possibly dare to let him kneel and kowtow towards himself! He quickly knelt down first, grabbing hold of Duan Tianlang's waist, preventing him from kneeling down.

"Senior Uncle, please don't do that, I would not be able to take it! I'll show it to you…" Zhou Weiqing said hurriedly.

By this point, he could no longer care about conning Duan Tianlang, even feeling ashamed about wanting to do so. He could clearly tell that this Senior Uncle in front of him truly wanted the 'Hate Ground no Set' design so much that he was even willing to give his life for it, truly showing how much Consolidating Equipment Scrolls were to him. Towards powerhouses like him, sometimes their fame, reputation and face was even more important their lives, yet he was willing to kneel and kowtow to a junior like him. Zhou Weiqing's heartstrings had indeed been tugged. Asking himself inwardly, he knew that he might not have such a stubborn love towards something.

With that sense of respect, he agreed to show the legendary set design.

Hearing Zhou Weiqing's words, Duan Tianlang did not reveal any sense of delight. Instead, his body seemed to waver, his eyes rolling as he entered a trancelike state.

Long Shiya instantly saw that something was wrong, and in a flash he appeared behind Duan Tianlang's back, pressing his palms to his back, a serious look on his face. An overwhelming Heavenly Energy was drawn in from all sides, surging into Duan Tianlang as Long Shiya slapped out with his palms consecutively, striking over a hundred palms onto Duan Tianlang's back.

These few years, because Duan Tianlang did not feel like there was anything left to live for, he had not controlled or taken care of his body, and his life force was almost empty. This was also the reason why his Long Shiya had taken so long to return; when he had found Duan Tianlang, he was on the verge of dying, and he had used his powerful Heavenly Energy to renourish Duan Tianlang's body, dragging him back from the verge of death before bringing him back here. Of course, it was also because of the 'Hate Ground no Handle' set, otherwise Duan Tianlang might not have accepted Long Shiya's aid. Sometimes, living a long time may not be something to be happy about. Previously, after he had helped Long Shiya complete the entire set of 'Hate Sky no Handle, he no longer had any goals or targets to live for. In terms of creativity and design, he knew inwardly that he could not surpass his forefathers, and the only thing he could still think of was the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set.

This was the first time Zhou Weiqing had experienced a Heavenly Emperor's power first hand, and as Long Shiya manipulated the Heavenly Energy, he felt as if the entire atmosphere was like a massive Devour Whirlwind, with Long Shiya as the center, everything surging towards him. Yet, this was not Devouring, but some sort of draw or attraction, as if in that instant the entire world was in his grasp.

The hazed eyes of Duan Tianlang seemed to slowly recover as light began to return to them, and a faint white light rose from his skin. He slowly drew a deep breath, as long as whale whistling, drawing the immense Heavenly Energy that Long Shiya had drawn in into his own body before expelling his breath. Zhou Weiqing could faintly see that the breath he expelled out was a greyish colour.

With a new lease of life breathed into Duan Tianlang, Long Shiya slowly put his hands down. "Old friend, don't scare me like that. I spent so much effort to drag you back from the verge of death earlier, if you were to die now, could you be satisfied? The 'Hate Ground no Handle' design you've always hoped for is now in front of you!"

Duan Tianlang looked at Long Shiya, however his eyes did not have gratitude but a mild chagrin. "It's all you old thing, if you didn't drag me back from the brink, would I know about the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set? Perhaps, I would already be reunited with your sister in law. Now, I'll have to stay alive a few more years at least. Don't worry, I will take care now. As long as I don't want to die, even if hell tries to reach up and grab me, it won't be that easy."

Zhou Weiqing took out the stack of designs and brought it in front of Duan Tianlang respectfully. He trusted Long Shiya, and also believed that the story he had told was indeed true. However, he did not take out all the designs, just nine of the pieces. He might respect Duan Tianlang and trust in his teacher, but without Huyan Aobo's agreement he would not show everything."

"Senior Uncle, this is nine out of ten pieces of the entire 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set design. I'm sorry, as I have not gotten permission from my Legacy of Strength teacher, I cannot let you see them all now. Once I meet up with Master Huyan again and get his permission, I will pass you the last design piece to see."

Duan Tianlang nodded silently, his hands trembling as he took the nine design sheets from Zhou Weiqing's hands, his eyes reddening.

"How many years has it been… more than a thousand years…Hate Sky no Handle… Hate Ground no Handle… finally they reunite. Thank you Weiqing, you have truly fully fulfilled this last wish of your Senior Uncle. I am already so old, but I have gathered much over all these long years. The materials required for the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Set is not that much different from that of the 'Hate Sky no Handle' Legendary Set, and I will try to complete this set for you. I only hope that the heavens grant this old man enough time to succeed… once I can see you wear the full set of the 'Hate Ground no Handle', then I can truly die in peace."

Hearing his words, Zhou Weiqing was overjoyed. This meant he would have a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master by his side specially helping him to create his Legendary Set!

Before Long Shiya could even remind him, Zhou Weiqing had knelt down on the ground with a soft thud, kowtowing three times towards Duan Tianlang, who smiled faintly as he accepted the obeisance.

"Child, I accept your obeisance not because of your thanks. The Legacy of Strength has been split apart for far too long, and as the Sixty First Sect Leader of the main branch Legacy of Strength, I ask that you return to the main branch, to reunite both branches and form a whole and complete Legacy of Strength."

"Oei, oei, Old Duan, one must be honest and virtuous." Upon hearing his words, Long Shiya immediately exclaimed anxiously. To him, Zhou Weiqing was even more important than a wife, and he was afraid that his precious disciple was about to be snatched away from him."

Duan Tianlang gave a soft smile and said: "Alright, Fatty Long, don't give me that. Would I really steal your disciple? However, you also have to admit that Weiqing is part of my Legacy of Strength right? Although I am not taking him as an official disciple, I will still pass down all my knowledge as a Consolidating Equipment Master. Whether or not he has the time and energy to learn it, that will be his business."

Long Shiya stared at him with jaw agape before saying: "Old Duan, when have you become so shameless?"

Duan Tianlang laughed heartily, carefully keeping the designs in his hands. "What do you mean shameless? I am teaching him everything I know, whether or not he chooses to master it is his business, how is it shameless? I can't be bothered about you old thing. Okay, Weiqing, come help your Senior Uncle find a place to rest. I must take a bath and burn incense in preparation first before I take a good look at the brilliance of the 'Hate Ground no Handle'." As he spoke up to that point, his eyes gleamed with a brilliance, the sudden burst of aura no lesser than Long Shiya.

Zhou Weiqing quickly pulled his Single-Horned Ghost Demon Horse from the side, letting Long Shiya and Duan Tianlang mount it. Although Long Shiya was extremely large, Zhou Weiqing's Ghost Demon Horse was truly a magnificent steed, and had no problems carrying both of them. He himself followed by the side of his Ghost Demon Horse, circulating his Heavenly Energy as they headed towards the direction the Peerless Battalion had left.

Due to the speed of the horse carts with all their gear, the Peerless Battalion was travelling at a much slower pace. Before long, Zhou Weiqing and his two teachers had caught up with the main group. Naturally, at that point, someone let him have a Ghost Demon Horse to mount on as well; as the Battalion Commander, it wouldn't do for Zhou Weiqing to be running all the way along.

As for Long Shiya and Duan Tianlang, they naturally drew many curious gazes. Riding on the Ghost Demon Horse, Long Shiya appeared drowsy and about to fall asleep, while Duan Tianlang looked to be deep in thought, neither of them seeming to care about anything happening around them.

It did not take the entire troop long to reach close to the front of the northern army encampment. Of course, with so many gathered at once, they were stopped by the patrols, and Zhou Weiqing took out the plaque that Shen Ji had given him to get the patrolling soldiers to report back. In a jiffy, a group of riders could be seen coming from the Seventh Legion.

At this point, the Peerless Battalion soldiers had already kept all their titanium alloy mail, and were only dressed in their army uniforms. Zhou Weiqing did not want to reveal all his secrets so easily, especially such expensive equipment… even in the entire ZhongTian Empire, not a single army unit could be as well geared as the Peerless Battalion.

The one in front of the incoming riders was familiar to him, though her facial expression was not kind. It was the Regiment Commander Shen Bu, with her sister Shen Yi by her side. For the two sisters to see Zhou Weiqing, how could their expressions be nice. If not for Shen Ji giving them strict orders, they probably wished they could beat Zhou Weiqing up.

"Ohh, isn't this Regiment Commander Shen Bu? How do you do, how do you do, how could I trouble you to come all the way to receive us?" Seeing Shen Bu, Zhou Weiqing felt rather amused, knowing that the enmity between them would not be so easily resolved.

Shen Bu dismounted, heading towards Zhou Weiqing as she said coldly: "I have orders from Seventh Legion, Legion Commander Shen Ji to receive Battalion Commander Zhou. He has given the order that your First Special Battalion will camp right beside my Sixteenth Regiment. The space has already been cleared for you, and you all can head there to set up your camp."

Zhou Weiqing gave her a salute with palm in hand and said: "Thank you very much."

Although his words were of thanks, his expression was rather indifferent. Shen Bu already knew that they had changed names to the Peerless Battalion, yet she had emphasized the old name of First Special Battalion, clearly mocking them about still being the Ruffian Battalion, and Zhou Weiqing did not see the need to give her a good expression in return.

Shen Bu turned her horse around and said: "Alright, then follow me. Battalion Commander Zhou, I do need to remind you that this is the main northern army encampment. Please keep your soldiers in check, otherwise the military criminal code will still have to come in effect."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Do not worry about that Regiment Commander Shen Bu, as long as the female soldiers from your Sixteenth Regiment do not come looking for men here, our Peerless Battalion soldiers will behave themselves!"

His voice was not soft, and laughter instantly erupted around him. These ruffian soldiers of the Peerless Battalion had camped in the north, climbing their way through the threat of death, and they would not be afraid of anyone.

"You!" Shen Yi was about to have a fit of anger, but she was quickly restrained by Shen Bu, who turned to glare coldly at Zhou Weiqing before mounting up and heading towards the main camp.

The Peerless Battalion was situated right between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Regiments, and it was clear that the area had been specially cleared out for them. However, though the area had been cleared out, there was still much rubbish there. Although there was no smell due to the bitter winter cold, it was still an uncomfortable thing to look at.

Shen Bu acted like she did not see all the rubbish, saying impassively to Zhou Weiqing: "Please camp here Battalion Zhou, I will be heading off then."

Zhou Weiqing was still smiling as he said: "Alright then, Regiment Commander Shen Bu, I shall not send you off then."

Shen Bu ignored him, leading Shen Yi and her personal guards to turn and leave.

"Boss, what do we do?" Wei Feng sidled closer to Zhou Weiqing and asked.

Zhou Weiqing said calmly: "Do you still need to ask? This is an army camp, not a rubbish dump. Whoever these belong to, just throw it back to them."

———

God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master Joins! (2)

He paused for a moment, then raised his voice, saying: "Now, I will proclaim a new rule. Everyone listen carefully. From now on, without my orders, no one is allowed to leave our Peerless Battalion camp site, otherwise they will be punished accordingly. However, if anyone comes to our territory to cause trouble, no matter who it is, just beat them up. If you lose, you will be throwing our Peerless Battalion faces, and you better just go look for Trainer Shangguan to receive your punishment. Alright, now, go set up camp, and once it's done we shall drink."

Once they heard about drinking, cheers erupted, and the fatigue fled from the entire Peerless Battalion as everyone quickly burst into motion to clear the camp and started pitching tents. As for the rubbish, once they had collected it, they were not biased at all, throwing half each to the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Regiment.

Long Shiya looked on with a strange expression on his face before he turned to Zhou Weiqing and said: "Little Fatty, your army troop is allowed to drink wine?"

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Heh heh, my Peerless Battalion is very different from any ordinary army troop, and the way we control and teach them is very different as well. Master, let me first arrange for the two best tents for you and Senior Uncle to rest."

Long Shiya grinned as well and said: "Let Old Duan rest, why would Your Father, I, need to rest! I also want to go drink! Oh right, arrange for someone to get me a set of army uniform as well, otherwise I might stand out too much."

"Master, that isn't too good right?" Zhou Weiqing said in surprise.

Long Shiya smiled and said: "No problem, do I still care about such trivial things? Drinking with some soldiers, isn't that quite an interesting experience."

Long Shiya's size was impressive indeed, and even the largest sized army uniform was still tight on him, and the length of the sleeves and trousers had to be cut slightly to fit him.

Fine wine was perhaps one of the greatest attraction to these Peerless Battalion soldiers, who had not tasted wine in so many years, and in their fervor the camp was quickly settled in about an hour. Soon after, jars of fine wine was cracked open, and the strong fragrance of wine spread through the entire Peerless Battalion.

Although Zhou Weiqing had indeed prepared a large quantity of wine, he still gave the order that one jar was to be shared between three to four people, with an equal sharing, and nobody was to drink too much. After all, after so many years of not drinking, it would not do if anyone got alcohol poisoning.

"Fei'er, Fei'er, let's go drink as well!" Zhou Weiqing quickly turned to Shangguan Fei'er, who wasn't far off from him.

Shangguan Fei'er rolled her eyes and said: "Why must I drink with you?" Although she said that, she still walked to Zhou Weiqing's side. The soldiers nearby who witnessed this hid their smiles; in their eyes their Battalion Commander and Head Drill Master (Mistress) was already a matching pair.

As Shangguan Fei'er walked up to him, Zhou Weiqing boldly grabbed her hands and dragged her into his tent.

The tent was as simply decorated as previously, and there were four simple meat dishes on the table. Zhou Weiqing pulled her along to the table to take a seat, but still did not let go of her hand.

"What are you doing?" Shangguan Fei'er could clearly feel her face burning as she struggled slightly, trying to draw back her hand.

However, in terms of strength, she was naturally not Zhou Weiqing's match, and she was unable to do so.

Zhou Weiqing did not make a sound, just staring at her directly, his expression a mixture of dazed wonder and befuddlement as his heated gaze fixed on her, causing her to be in a fluster.

"You… are you thinking of Bing'er when you look at me?" Shangguan Fei'er lowered her head, not willing to look at him directly.

Zhou Weiqing started momentarily, but after a while he nodded slightly. "A little, I miss Bing'er." Shangguan Bing'er was his first and greatest love, her gentle demure bearing always soothing to him.

Shangguan Fei'er's eyes dulled slightly, though her lowered head would not allow Zhou Weiqing to see this.

"Fei'er, let's not run away from the truth anymore. I like you a lot, and have long since fallen in love with you." Right at that moment, the startling words rang out in Shangguan Fei'er's ears.

"Ahh?" Shangguan Fei'er lifted up her head in surprise.

Zhou Weiqing looked deeply in her eyes. "Liking someone is a slight love, love is a deep liking. At that time, when I was in severe danger, you endured all that pain and suffering and yet was unwilling to let go of me, no matter whether or not it meant your death. In that instant, I fell for you with all my heart. I know that I am an asshole, falling for so many, but if I give up on you, I know I will not be happy for the rest of my life. I will not allow such a thing to happen. Fei'er, I love you, and I will always be like now, holding on to you and not letting you escape."

Shangguan Fei'er did not expect that Zhou Weiqing would profess his love at such a moment, and she did not have any preparation in her heart at all. Looking at him, the normally eccentric Little Demon Girl of the Heaven's Expanse Palace was suddenly just like any ordinary girl, her heart racing as she bit lightly on her lower lip.

"But… you already have Bing'er. If it were any other person, I would beat her away… but definitely not Bing'er. We have lost her for so many years, and we finally found her… how could I possibly steal her man?"

Zhou Weiqing sighed and gave a bitter smile. "In truth, I have a bigger headache than you… that is the price of being a person with so many loves. However, no matter what, I will not let go of any of you so easily, definitely not; otherwise I will regret it for life. I know, I am very greedy, but no matter what, no matter how you all look at me for that, even if I have to bind you to me, I won't let any of you leave… I am originally a rogue, a scoundrel, so no matter how shameless I have to be, you all won't get rid of me so easily."

As he said that, Zhou Weiqing tugged on her hand suddenly, enveloping her in his embrace tightly, his emotions in flux as well.

"Fei'er, do you know? When I saw you die right in front of my eyes, in that moment my heart almost died at the same time. If that time I had not been able to revive you, I would have followed you into death. Please do not leave me… truly… I do love Bing'er deeply, perhaps the most, but I do love you the same. All the difficulties, the responsibilities, please let me shoulder them all. As long as you do not leave me… okay?"

Shangguan Fei'er could clearly sense the heat emanating from Zhou Weiqing's body, and more so, the fiery hot core within his heart. She was unable to speak… although logic told her that if the two of them were to try to be together, they would have to face untold difficulties and trials, but at this moment, she truly could not bring herself to refuse him. After all, in her heart, he had already imprinted himself deeply, almost irreplaceably.

Shangguan Fei'er nodded slightly, her beautiful countenance as red as a fresh apple, as if able to squeeze the juice from it.

Zhou Weiqing was unable to hold back any further, and his hot lips sought her quivering red luscious ones in a deep kiss.

These few months, he had been in deep closed door cultivation, training with all his might in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, his heart had not been at peace, constantly thinking about him and Shangguan Fei'er. The worries that she had… naturally he had thought of them as well. He had also tried his best to make himself forget her; after all nothing had actually happened yet between the two of them. However, Zhou Weiqing found that he could not do it. Shangguan Fei'er being willing to die for his sake… that image had been seared into his mind and heart, so very vivid. Ever since that time, Shangguan Fei'er's position in his heart was no lesser than Bing'er or Tian'er any longer, how could he give her up easily?

Finally, Zhou Weiqing had set his resolve… he would rather have more loves than to be disloyal to his loves and his heart. Even if others would call him a scoundrel, shameless… he would not give up his loves so easily. As such, this scene in front of them had played out due to that decision.

Shangguan Fei'er's lips started trembling, but that was quickly replaced by the heat. The Little Demon Girl was after all the Little Demon Girl of the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and once she slowly unlocked her heart under Zhou Weiqing's onslaught, she began to reciprocate crazily. Hadn't she also been repressing herself all these while? Once the shackles in her heart were unlocked, her suppressed emotions and feelings burst forth, perhaps even greater than Zhou Weiqing's.

Zhou Weiqing's hands had somehow wandered into her clothing, feeling the soft smooth skin and its slight trembling, it was as if a demon had taken over his heart.

Outside, cheers, laughter and the sound of talking could be heard, but in the tent, it was just the silence of springtime spreading.

Just as Zhou Weiqing had carried Shangguan Fei'er and was headed to the bed, all of a sudden, a cold humph rang out.

Zhou Weiqing's senses were extremely acute, and even in such a state immersed in his emotions, that was still true. That abrupt cold humph was just too sudden, as if an explosion in his ears, and both he and Shangguan Fei'er felt as if they were suddenly jolted awake, shuddering.

Only then did Shangguan Fei'er realised that her hands were also in Zhou Weiqing's shirt, stroking his chest, while Zhou Weiqing's hands were even more shameless, holding her by her buttocks, almost slipping into her pants.

"Who's there?" Zhou Weiqing shouted angrily. For someone to be interrupted at such a moment, who could be in a good mood?

There was no response… no sound at all. Both of them stayed in the same position, their Heavenly Energy released as the probed the area for any sign of anything. Zhou Weiqing even unleashed the Touch of Darkness, increasing his senses, spreading out to its maximum forty yard radius. No matter how strong an enemy was, as long as he was in the area, he should technically be discovered by Zhou Weiqing.

Yet, to their surprise, despite all their efforts, they could not sense anyone in the vicinity.

The two shared a glance, seeing the shock in each other's eyes, and naturally knew that the other had also not found any trace of anyone.

"What's going on? Did I imagine things?" Zhou Weiqing asked.

Shangguan Fei'er rolled her eyes at him and said exasperatedly: "Do you think we both imagine the same thing at once? There has to be someone… could it be your teacher? Otherwise, how could we not find someone?"

Zhou Weiqing felt the warmth in his hands and grinned, boldly stroking some more as he said: "Who cares about him, let's continue."

"Continue your head!" Shangguan Fei'er's face was totally red. Previously, she had been lost in her emotions, but now that she had calmed down, with Zhou Weiqing stroking her buttocks, how could a young virgin lass like her take it? The hand on Zhou Weiqing's chest pushed outwards, and her supple body slid out of Zhou Weiqing's evil grasp.