"A killing tribulation?"
Chen Jiuyang gazed in the direction of Longjing, flicked his saber, and smiled, "With these fists and this saber, I should be fine."
"Excellent."
Monk Puhui slowly smiled, "There's still time left. Benefactor Chen, shall we walk out together and chat?"
"Certainly."
As they spoke, the two slowly walked towards the outside of Pengzu's遗迹.
Monk Puhui said, "Greed fills their hearts, yet they disregard the crisis."
"Pengzu's遗迹 is good, but the best is Saint Wang's 'Guard Your Heart' formation."
"As long as one guards their true heart and passes through the Saint's formation, they will gain many benefits."
As they descended the mountain, they saw the corpses of over a thousand martial artists, all fallen under Saint Wang's illusionary formation, Guard Your Heart.
Each martial artist died silently.
If one cannot guard their true heart and is consumed by greed, who can they blame for their death?
Gamblers are not to be pitied.
Thousands more martial artists were undergoing the trial of the Guard Your Heart formation.
Monk Puhui remarked, "Saint Wang's formation consumes life essence, transforming it into sustenance for the mountain's protective array, and further strengthening the spiritual脉泉眼 beneath this mountain. The methods of a Confucian Saint are truly unfathomable."
Chen Jiuyang looked at the dense crowd of martial artists trapped in the Guard Your Heart formation and agreed, "Saint Wang's methods are indeed unfathomable."
Before long, they reached the foot of the mountain. Du Manying, dressed in a black constable's uniform, saw Chen Jiuyang and Monk Puhui and smiled, "For this great achievement, the contributions of you two are indispensable."
Monk Puhui clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you, Mr. Du, for showing me the other shore of the sea of suffering, thus allowing this old monk to cross it."
Chen Jiuyang replied, "Constable Du's dedication to the nation and its people earns my admiration."
Du Manying even dared to betray his own wife's family, which is why the martial arts world of Lingnan Province dared to challenge them. It is likely that the people of Lingnan's martial arts world still do not know the truth.
Du Manying stated, "The aristocratic families are like tumors; they must be eradicated. If all the aristocratic families in Long Country were like the Xuan Yang Marquis Chen family, how could our Long Country be so weak in the world?"
"If all the aristocratic families in Long Country were devoted to the nation, our Long Country's fortune would flourish, and we could cultivate kings of the Venerable realm and above. How could Long Country be stuck at this Heavenly realm bottleneck for centuries?"
"It is all because these aristocratic families drag down our Long Country's fortune; they are too selfish."
"Marquis Xuan Yang, your talent and disposition are excellent. When we reach Longjing, we should have opportunities to meet again."
"The area will be cleared now. I have already invited the Sword Bearer Palace's Gong Liexian to mobilize the army and eliminate these aristocratic martial artists. Some individuals only see greed before their eyes and die in the illusionary formation, but there are also some aristocratic martial artists who are observing, waiting to strike like a mantis preying on a cicada, with the oriole behind. Since that is the case, I shall send them on their way."
With a casual remark, he decided the fate of thousands of martial artists. Goodness does not belong in the military, and compassion does not belong in command. How could a legendary figure like Du Manying, a pillar of the nation, be soft-hearted?
At this moment, Gong Liexian, clad in dragon-patterned golden feather armor and holding a golden spear, approached with a formidable aura. He glanced at Chen Jiuyang and said, "Since you survived Saint Wang's formation, your disposition is indeed remarkable. You are currently facing a killing tribulation. I will give you a slightly more discreet route to buy you some time to reach Longjing."
As he spoke, a piece of paper floated before Chen Jiuyang.
Zhou Fangzun had leaked Chen Jiuyang's whereabouts in the Qinling Mountains, and a killing trap had been set for Chen Jiuyang outside the Qinling Mountains.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Chen, you may go. This old monk looks forward to our next meeting," Monk Puhui said to Chen Jiuyang.
Gong Liexian added, "If you successfully reach Longjing, I promise my Uncle Nantang will arrange for you to join the Sword Bearer Corps."
"No need."
Chen Jiuyang said indifferently, "I will walk my own path, and I will kill my own enemies. I do not need to borrow the Sword Bearer Corps to avoid them."
"Such arrogance." Gong Liexian looked at Chen Jiuyang deeply, "If you can survive, I will think highly of you."
"The wind blows ceaselessly for eight thousand li. This matter here is concluded. I must set sail." Chen Jiuyang cupped his fists towards Du Manying and Monk Puhui, "We shall meet again."
With that, Chen Jiuyang, carrying a saber, slowly departed.
Du Manying praised, "What a young hero. I was not as capable as him in my youth."
...
In late November, the Qinling Mountains were covered in heavy snow, the wind was biting, and the temperature had dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius.
Even ordinary Grandmaster martial artists could not endure such harsh conditions for long.
The distance from the Qinling Mountains to Longjing was approximately a thousand kilometers.
It was currently November 29th, and the Long Country Martial Ranking would be held on December 20th.
Apart from the vicinity of Pengzu's遗迹, many people resided in the deep mountains of the Qinling.
Some had lived in the Qinling Mountains for generations, earning a living by hunting and gathering herbs.
The grandfather and grandson duo, Zhu Jianfeng and Zhu Zizhen, were among them.
Zhu Zizhen graduated from university this year but couldn't find a good job. He returned to his rural hometown in the Qinling to learn a trade from his grandfather. He used to think there was nothing good about rural life, especially in inconvenient places like the Qinling. After four years of university, the socio-economic situation had changed, and universities were flooded with graduates. Without a skill, it was difficult to find work.
His grandfather, Zhu Jianfeng, only worked for three to four months a year, exclusively in winter, earning three to four hundred thousand yuan annually. Zhu Zizhen thought this was quite good.
Today was his first time going out with his grandfather.
Zhu Zizhen shivered from the cold and asked, "Grandpa, in this deep winter, what can we find to earn money in the Qinling?"
Zhu Jianfeng took a sip of strong liquor and took a puff of his cigarette, smiling, "There are many good things to earn money in the Qinling. An old ginseng root starts at fifty thousand Long coins. If we encounter Ganoderma lucidum or other medicinal herbs, we'll make a fortune. This kind of work is like 'three months without a sale, but when a sale comes, it lasts for three months'."
Zhu Zizhen looked at the falling snow, feeling so cold he could barely stand, and asked, "Grandpa, in this heavy snow, even if there are good things, we won't be able to find any good medicinal herbs."
Zhu Jianfeng smiled, "We certainly won't find them, but the birds and beasts in the Qinling can."
"In summer, the weather is hot, and the Qinling is filled with poisonous miasma and fierce beasts and insects, making it unsuitable for entering the mountains. These birds and beasts hibernate in winter, but even when hibernating, they will come out to find good food. Moreover, these birds and beasts have spiritual awareness."
Zhu Jianfeng patted a large bag of dried meat, "As soon as these birds and beasts appear, we follow them. After finding good things, we give them this dried meat to help them through the winter."
"Your words have broadened my horizons, sir. Animals lead you to treasures, and you give them dried meat to help them through winter. Truly, having an elder at home is like having a treasure."
At this moment, the grandfather and grandson, Zhu Jianfeng and Zhu Zizhen, saw a young man dressed in a single layer of luxurious clothing, with hair like a waterfall, a heroic and handsome appearance, and a handsome face, walking towards them in the midst of the heavy snow.
This young man wore a saber at his waist, which immediately made Zhu Zizhen tense up, "Who are you? You're not here to rob us, are you?"
Zhu Zizhen was, after all, just an ordinary university student who had recently graduated and had not seen much of the world.
However, Zhu Jianfeng had been a hunter for decades and had seen the world and all sorts of people. This young man, dressed so thinly, was unafraid of the cold wind and heavy snow, his complexion still ruddy, clearly not an ordinary person.
Every time he found good medicinal herbs in the Qinling, they were centuries old. Ordinary people used them to prolong life, but his old buyers consumed them like rice. The terrifying medicinal properties would cause people like them to die from explosive qi and blood if they ate them like that; their bodies simply couldn't withstand it.
But he knew that martial artists existed in this world. This young man was likely like his old buyers, martial artists, otherwise, how would he dare to walk alone in the Qinling Mountains with just a saber and a single layer of clothing?
He smiled and said, "Young man, you've seen a joke. My grandson just graduated from university and hasn't seen much of the world. Fate brings us together. Since we've met in the Qinling, why don't we sit down and share some food? I have plenty of wine and meat."
"I do have some time. What the old gentleman said is true, fate brings us together."
Chen Jiuyang sat down and smiled, "But this fate can be good or bad."
"The wind is strong and the snow is heavy. It will soon be restless. Why don't you two go home and rest?"
Zhu Zizhen said, "Going home right after coming out? How can we go home empty-handed... reason..."
*Swoosh!*
An arrow, carrying terrifying true qi, shot towards them, creating a terrifying air current. The massive tree trunks along its path were pierced.
"Clang!"
Chen Jiuyang slowly extended one hand, raised a finger, and blocked the arrow.
Zhu Zizhen and Zhu Jianfeng were instantly dumbfounded, and then a great terror surged into their hearts, their faces turning ashen, "Thank you for the reminder, young man. We will pack our things and go home now. We're going home."