Zhang Fei - The Abandoned Son

Zhang Xiaolong [3] and Yan Huo were already inside the cave, where the Sky Flame was located. The flame enveloped Yuan Tianling's body, but her dress remained intact despite the intense heat. "This little girl is only halfway through the process, so you still have to wait some time to take her away. Although Tian Yan did not choose you as his master, he will still fight by your side in the future, and you can use his flame to help you in various matters, including alchemy."

"Yeah." Zhang Xiaolong [3] nodded at Yan Huo. "Since the process is still long, I will return to the eastern forest to continue my seclusion."

"Master, can I stay here?" Huo Diqiu asked Zhang Xiaolong [3]. "I'll be back when your wife is done, and you can take her to your training room."

"Stay here, then." Zhang Xiaolong [3] immediately left the cave, leaving Huo Diqiu and Yan Huo behind.

"Are you really going to die, old man?"

Yan Huo nodded to Huo Diqiu as he looked at the sky flame. "Your brother has chosen his master, and they will merge into one soon. Once the process is complete, my task is complete, and I will enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"I see." Huo Diqiu nodded in understanding. "Thank you, old man. I know that you should have been able to reincarnate a long time ago, but you deliberately delayed it to accompany my brother."

"Hahaha." Yan Huo laughed as he walked out. "Your brother is like my biological son, so I can't leave him alone, especially since those people will force him to submit to them if I leave first. After this, I will follow my old friend, and we will meet again like he saw in the past."

Huo Diqiu released a soft sigh and bowed his head in respect to Yan Huo. "Once again, thank you, old man."

.

.

.

Meanwhile, Tian Jingxuan was walking into an underground room, where many people were imprisoned.

"What brought you here today, Jingxuan?" An old man as he walked up the last steps of the room below. He is none other than Jin Zhongli, the administrator of the punishment ground.

Tian Jingxuan released a soft sigh. "Old Jin, you must have known about the big fight a few days ago, right?"

"Yes."

Tian Jingxuan immediately continued. "A kid who recently arrived in our realm helped us win that fight, and I am grateful for his help. However, he is excessively greedy and harbors lofty ambitions to become the most powerful force in this realm. He had previously enslaved Leng Hua and Gu Changsheng, so the Leng and Gu Clans had fallen into his hands. After the battle ended, he enslaved Cao Yunbai, Bai Yundong, Cao Feihong, and Sima Huiqing, making their three clans subordinate to him as well. Additionally, he had established close ties with the Shangguan and Duanmu Clans, with their two leaders becoming his wives. Apart from them, the Chi, Lin, Yuan, Ren, Yin, and Ning clans also sided with him. The natural races are also already on his side because Jia Yuyan is his wife now, and I heard that the beast races are considering becoming his allies."

"Hmm?" Jin Zhongli's expression remained calm after Tian Jingxuan mentioned all that.

"I've discussed this matter with Ancestor Junfeng, but he doesn't care about our situation; instead, he went with Shangguan Lizhi to the Frozen Moon Realm." Tian Jingxuan let out a heavy sigh and then looked at Jin Zhongli with extreme seriousness. "Old Jin, I'm afraid he'll attack my Tian Clan and the remaining clans, such as the Qin and Shi clans. Therefore, I need your help to stop him, and you must imprison him here. This way, no one can free him, and he won't be able to do anything to us."

"Do you think I don't understand your character, Jingxuan? Do you think I've gone senile? Do you think I haven't noticed that kid's presence?" Tian Jingxuan frowned at Jin Zhongli. "I've been paying attention to him since he arrived in this realm, including when he underwent those tests. That kid isn't greedy, but you are. Your greed has caused you to be overly paranoid that he wants to attack you, even though he never planned anything like that. He conquered the Leng Clan, so it's his, but you and those two want to seize it from him."

"Old Jin, you—"

"Stop it, Jingxuan." Jin Zhongli then took out a piece of paper and gave it to Tian Jingxuan. "Before Tian Junfeng left, he had come to see me first, and he had already freed me from all my debts to your Tian Clan. Therefore, I no longer have the obligation to protect you and your clan, and since the problem between you and that kid arose because of your greed, you must resolve it yourself."

Tian Jingxuan's expression was awful after he read the contents of the letter, and he immediately tore it into pieces in a fit of rage.

"It's useless for you to tear it because Tian Junfeng has already removed your clan's mark from me." Jin Zhongli then walked next to Tian Jingxuan and grabbed his shoulder. "Do you still not understand your ancestor's reason for going to another realm with Shangguan Lizhi in a situation like this? You should have realized that none of us are worthy of being his opponent, especially with those powerful cultivators by his side. Even if they don't help him, he is not someone we can afford to underestimate. He has those four mythical beasts as his contract beasts, and you shouldn't forget Gu Changsheng and the others. Furthermore, you said it yourself that the other clans, along with the natural races and beast races, have decided to support him. Do you think your group can fight against them? If you don't want your Tian clan to be destroyed and many of your clan members to die, you should control your greed and back down before it's too late."

After he said all that, Jin Zhongli immediately left, leaving Tian Jingxuan, whose face had turned dark red from his overwhelming anger. His facial muscles were bulging out from under his skin, and his fists were clenched tightly.

A while later, Tian Jingxuan left the place as he glared fiercely at Jin Zhongli, who was already sitting relaxed on his old chair. 'This old traitor! I'll settle accounts with you after I get rid of that little bastard!'

Jin Zhongli could only shake his head after Tian Jingxuan left. "Tian Hong, your Tian Clan is facing great danger now, and its destruction is just around the corner, especially since your great-grandson has been blinded by his greed and envy. If your ancestor, Tian Kongquan, were still alive and knew about this matter, he would definitely feel embarrassed to have such a descendant."

"Hahaha." Jin Zhongli looked at Zhang Xiaolong [3], who had just appeared in front of him after canceling his invisibility. "You have made the right decision not to side with Tian Jingxuan, old man. In fact, Tian Kongquan has seen two possibilities for his clan: one is glory, and the other is destruction. However, the final result is still unclear, and it will be determined by Tian Jingxuan's next move."

At first, Zhang Xiaolong [3] wanted to return to the eastern forest, but he detected Tian Jingxuan's movements, and he decided to follow him.

Jin Zhongli was not too surprised by Zhang Xiaolong [3]'s arrival and asked him directly. "How did you know that, kid?"

Zhang Xiaolong [3] sat beside Jin Zhongli. "Naturally, I heard it from Tian Kongquan's soul remnant that was intentionally left in this realm before his death, but there is only one person who knows about it."

"Old Yan Huo." Zhang Xiaolong [3] gave Jin Zhongli a nod. "So, what is your purpose in coming to see me today? Are you thinking of persuading me to take your side?"

"Not really." Zhang Xiaolong [3] then explained his reason for meeting him, causing the old man to frown. "I have heard about your gravity techniques from many people, and I have long wanted to meet you because of that. However, there were too many problems before, so I only came here today."

"Do you really want to try my gravity techniques?" Jin Zhongli asked with surprise.

Zhang Xiaolong [3] immediately stood up from his seat and stood in front of Jin Zhongli. "Try making my body ten times heavier, old man."

"Phew." Jin Zhongli immediately stood up and grabbed Zhang Xiaolong [3]'s shoulder, but his expression turned shocked after he used his gravity technique on him. "Don't you feel anything?"

Zhang Xiaolong [3] shifted Jin Zhongli's hand away before running around the prison area, and the speed he displayed truly shocked the old man. After several rounds, he returned to the front of the old man. "Ten times gravity is too light for me, so I want you to use another technique of yours to make this area ten times heavier."

"I witnessed your speed competition with Qing Yun during the test, but I misjudged your speed at that time, and you deliberately did not use your true speed so as not to embarrass him." Zhang Xiaolong [3] responded to Jin Zhongli with a smile. "I don't know how you trained your speed and how far you trained it, but you should be prepared because twenty times gravity is truly heavy, and you might not be able to move."

"Don't worry about me, and please use it now." Zhang Xiaolong [3] casually replied.

Jin Zhongli didn't say anything else and used his second gravity technique, but he was once again rendered speechless once Zhang Xiaolong [3] started running, even though it wasn't as fast as before. 'This crazy kid! How could he still run under twenty times heavier gravity?'

Although Zhang Xiaolong [3] had not fully adapted to the twenty-two times heavier gravity in the training space, he had trained under that pressure for a month and a half based on the time flow outside, which equated to six months there due to the four times faster time flow. Thus, Jin Zhongli's twenty times heavier gravity did not have much effect on him.

"Not bad." Zhang Xiaolong [3] nodded in satisfaction after returning to Jin Zhongli. "Old man, I hope you are willing to join me, but you don't have to worry that I will ask you to attack the Tian Clan because I can do it myself; instead, I need your help to train my subordinates using your gravity techniques. This way, they will be ready when it's time for me to ascend to the Paradise Realm, and I will bring all of them there at that time."

Jin Zhongli himself had heard about the Paradise Realm from Tian Junfeng, so he was not surprised to hear about it from Zhang Xiaolong [3]. "Why don't you train them yourself? My gravity techniques are useless against you, so I'm sure you have a much better method to train them."

"That's true." Zhang Xiaolong [3] gave him a nod of agreement. "They are indeed my subordinates, but I can't let them reach my level, right? As their leader, I have to keep a distance between us, and I can stop them if they think of betraying me."

"Why did you take them as your subordinates if you don't have trust in them?"

"Have you ever been betrayed before, old man?"

"No."

Zhang Xiaolong [3] nodded slightly. "I have faith in my subordinates, but I don't fully trust them, and I only have faith in some of them, primarily due to my ability to see into their souls. Moreover, my big brother and ex-lover could betray me in the past, so it's not impossible for my subordinates to betray me one day, right?"

"You're right." Jin Zhongli agreed with that. "Even people who are related to us by blood can betray us, let alone those who are strangers to us."

"Haha." Zhang Xiaolong [3] softly laughed before taking out two bottles of pills and handing them to Jin Zhongli. "Naturally, I won't ask you to train them for nothing, and you can have these pills as payment. If the results of their training are to my liking, I will give you more pills. Additionally, I will take you to the Paradise Realm, and you will be able to develop more as a cultivator if you go there. In contrast, if you continue to stay here, your progress will stagnate, and you will eventually die like Tian Kongquan and the others, so the choice is yours."

After thinking about it, Jin Zhongli decided to accept Zhang Xiaolong [3]'s offer. "I will join you, but I will never help you fight the Tian Clan, especially since one of their late ancestors helped me a lot in the past."

"As I said before, I can deal with Tian Jingxuan and the Tian clan myself, so you don't have to think about that." Zhang Xiaolong [3] then walked away. "Old man, I'll go see Leng Xueyan first, and I'll take you to the natural races afterward."

After Zhang Xiaolong [3] left, Jin Zhongli immediately opened the two pill bottles, and the pills inside both amazed him even more. "Are there things he can't do?"

Jin Zhongli shook his head before sitting in his old chair again, and he immediately swallowed the pills one by one.

.

.

.

"What are you doing here?" Leng Xueyan questioned Zhang Xiaolong [3], who suddenly appeared in her study.

Zhang Xiaolong [3] approached Leng Xueyan directly and sat at her table, causing her to frown. "You may be the matriarch of this clan, but don't forget that I am the owner now."

"Humph!" Leng Xueyan snorted at him, but Zhang Xiaolong [3] suddenly picked her up and hugged her. "What are you doing? Quick! Let go of me!"

"Do you want to know the truth about me and my twin brother?" Leng Xueyang raised an eyebrow when Zhang Xiaolong [3] asked that, but she herself had long believed that they were the same person. Even though both of them had repeatedly denied it, she still believed in her intuition. "To be honest, your assumption that we are the same person is only partially accurate."

Leng Xueyan turned furious, but Zhang Xiaolong [3] immediately restricted her movements without using his soul link, especially since her soul replica had long been merged with his. "Let me go!"

"Hey! I actually didn't want to tell you the truth, but I changed my mind, so you should stay quiet and listen carefully." Leng Xueyan took a deep breath before nodding to Zhang Xiaolong [3]. "My real name is Zhang Fei, but I and the one you met in the Grand Royal Realm are two of my five clones."

"What?" Leng Xueyan screamed in shock. "You... you lied to me, right?"

"I'm telling you the truth, and you can ask Luolan and Lan'er if you don't believe me." Zhang Xiaolong [3] shook his head in response. "My real body, along with all my wives, family, and acquaintances, is in another realm now. Moreover, I've heard that this realm is dangerous, so I didn't bring my real body here; instead, I used this clone to enter here. As for my clone in the Grand Royal Realm, he had already traveled to that realm before you went there, especially since I had old problems with the Huangfu Clan. However, I didn't expect that Leng Hua would send you there, which was because he suspected you of having a relationship with me."

Leng Xueyan was not surprised to hear that because she had long expected it. "Then, why did you approach me there?"

"Didn't you approach me first and hug me because I resembled the man in your dream?" Leng Xueyan became embarrassed as she remembered the incident on the day Zhang Xiaolong [3] finished his tests. He then lifted her chin. "You also came to see me at my inn in that realm, remember?"

"Stop!" Leng Xueyan shouted with a face full of embarrassment. "What do you want from me? Did you approach me because you wanted to use me to—Ouch! Why are you flicking my forehead?"

"Foolish woman." Zhang Xiaolong [3] sighed softly. "Don't you already know some of my acquaintances? Do I need to use you with them by my side?"

- To Be Continued –