nagpurpolice Chapter 105 Fighting True Essence
Chapter 105 Fighting True Essence
Chapter 104 Fighting True Essence
The gates of the Qiao residence were tightly shut.
Liang Cheng stood at the bottom of the stone steps in front of the door and knocked on the door knocker.
After three knocks, footsteps came from inside the door, and the door opened a crack, revealing Uncle Wang's face.
"The True Story of Liang Zhen"
Wang Bo bowed, opened the door, and made way for him.
Liang Cheng stepped inside, and the door slammed shut behind him.
The front yard was deserted, with only Uncle Wang, hunched over, leading the way.
Passing through the front hall, we arrived at the main hall of the central courtyard. The hall was lit, but no one was there.
"Liang Zhenchuan, please wait a moment."
After Wang Bo finished speaking, he stepped outside the door.
Liang Cheng walked into the hall and stood still, calm and composed.
A moment later, the side curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man walked in. He had an ordinary face but shrewd eyes. He bowed and greeted the man as he entered.
"I've long admired Liang Zhenchuan's name. You can just call me Lao Jin."
"Old Jin?"
Liang Cheng did not return the gift. He thought Qian Wanjin would appear, but he did not expect this scene. He quickly calmed down.
"Where are my master and Senior Brother Zhou?"
Old Jin's smile remained unchanged: "Master Yang and Master Zhou are resting in the back room and are not in any danger. As long as Master Liang agrees to one thing, I will immediately escort the two of you away."
"explain."
"Did Mrs. Qiao give you something before she died? Just hand it over."
Liang Cheng shook his head.
"I did not take anything from Mrs. Joe."
Old Jin's smile faded: "Then I can only ask Master Yang and Master Zhou to stay a few more days. As for Miss Qiao's childbirth, it was already dangerous."
Liang Cheng was silent for a moment: "I need to see the person first."
"Can."
Old Jin simply stepped aside, without even haggling, and said, "Please come with me."
The three of them passed through the back hall and arrived at the backyard.
The west wing was brightly lit, from which faint moans of a woman could be heard. The east wing, however, had its doors and windows tightly shut, with four men in black standing guard outside. Their auras were steady, and they were all above the Transformation Realm.
Old Jin gestured, and a man unlocked the door.
Inside the room, Yang Wei and Zhou Hu were bound hand and foot with specially made iron chains and sat in chairs. Their clothes were tattered and their faces were injured, but their breathing was still steady, so they had not suffered too much torture.
"Master! Senior Brother!"
Yang Wei looked up, saw Liang Cheng, and anxiously shouted, "Liang Cheng, let's go!"
Zhou Hu struggled, the chains rattling: "Junior brother, run! They've laid an ambush—"
Liang Cheng felt somewhat relieved after confirming that the two were not in mortal danger.
He turned to Old Jin and said, "I don't have what you want, but I'm taking them with me."
"Then it depends on Liang Zhenchuan's skills."
Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from the west wing!
Immediately following was the midwife's panicked cry: "Oh no! She's hemorrhaging!"
Yang Wei's expression changed. Liang Cheng was about to move when Old Jin raised his hand to stop him: "Master Liang, please wait. Take out your things. We have already invited the best doctor to wait for you."
Sure enough, an elderly man carrying a medicine box appeared.
Liang Cheng stared at Lao Jin: "If anything happens to Qiao Zhi, you will all be executed along with her."
Old Jin shook his head: "Miss Qiao's life is in Liang Zhenchuan's hands."
Yang Wei looked worried. A painful scream came from the delivery room. Just then, Liang Cheng seized the opportunity when everyone was distracted by Qiao Zhi's screams and made his move instantly.
Old Jin immediately realized what was happening and activated his protective true qi instantly, revealing that he was also a True Qi Realm expert.
But this time, Liang Cheng pushed the Dragon Step to its limit, his Golden Armor Realm fully erupted, and the True Qi of the Broken Wave Technique within his body surged layer upon layer, each stronger than the last.
Old Jin's protective aura was instantly shattered, and he was grabbed by Liang Cheng, who held him by the throat. No one present had time to react.
"Quick, send him to save them."
Liang Cheng pointed at the doctor. Old Jin's face turned pale. Liang Cheng released his strength, and Old Jin spoke up in pain.
"Okay, let's save them."
The doctor accepted the order and hurriedly prepared to enter the delivery room with his medicine kit.
Just then, a cold laugh suddenly came from the roof of the east wing: "Jubaoxuan, you certainly know how to pick your timing."
Everyone looked up and saw a figure that had appeared on the courtyard wall at some point.
"Wu Zhenshan!"
Liang Cheng was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Wu Zhenshan, who had been in seclusion, would appear here. Old Jin was also taken aback by this situation.
But before he could take a single step, Wu Zhenshan suddenly grabbed the doctor, saying, "Liang Cheng, since you have the item, hand it over and I'll let him in."
Wu Zhenshan's voice was not loud. He gripped the old doctor's nape with one hand, his withered fingers tightening slightly. The doctor's face immediately turned purple, and he made a "hoarse" sound in his throat.
Liang Cheng stood still, his right hand still gripping Lao Jin's throat, his left hand hanging at his side, staring intently at Wu Zhenshan.
Wu Zhenshan has emerged from seclusion.
Moreover, it broke through.
His aura was as deep and still as a still pool, and the chilling aura around him was almost perfectly contained. If Liang Cheng hadn't cultivated the "Mysterious Yin Sword Technique" and had a keen sense of coldness, he would have hardly been able to perceive it.
He broke through silently without making a sound, and no one knew about it. His appearance here at this time means that all his actions were being observed by the other party.
"Treasurer Wu is quite the schemer."
Liang Cheng spoke slowly, his voice steady, "But now that you've shown yourself, aren't you afraid my Martial Academy will cause you trouble later?"
Wu Zhenshan's lips curled into a cold smile: "Bai Hong has gone to the border, Liang Cheng, no one can save you tonight."
"You were lucky before. I never expected you to be able to kill that good-for-nothing Xu Jinjiang, which caused you to miss a good opportunity and escape by sheer luck."
Liang Cheng's expression changed, then he shook his head. The True Yuan Realm cultivator from back then had an even more terrifying aura; he was definitely not Wu Zhenshan.
At this moment, Wu Zhenshan tightened his grip even more, the old doctor's eyes bulged out, his face turned bluish-purple, and his legs began to twitch.
"thing."
Wu Zhenshan stared at Liang Cheng, "Hand over what Madam Qiao gave you before she died, and I'll let this doctor go in and order someone to do it; otherwise, I'll hand it over."
Liang Cheng interrupted him directly.
Wu Zhenshan's eyes flickered.
Liang Cheng reached into his robes with his left hand, and a strange glint flashed in Lao Jin's eyes.
Yang Wei shouted urgently from inside the house, "Liang Cheng, don't believe him!"
Zhou Hu also struggled to stand up, the iron chains rattling loudly.
Liang Cheng locked his gaze on Wu Zhenshan and took out an object from his pocket. It was a flat object about the size of a palm, wrapped tightly in oilcloth.
A glint flashed in Wu Zhenshan's eyes, and he subconsciously loosened his grip on the doctor's hand: "Throw it over here."
Liang Cheng didn't move. "Release them."
Wu Zhenshan's face darkened: "Together?"
"No," Liang Cheng shook his head, "Release the people first, otherwise you won't get this thing either."
Seeing Liang Cheng's resolute attitude, Wu Zhenshan finally had no choice but to release the doctor. The old doctor's hands and feet trembled, and it took him a while to recover.
"Doctor, please help me save this person."
The old doctor, still shaken, nodded and carried his medicine kit into the delivery room.
"Can you give me the things now?"
Liang Cheng nodded, then suddenly stuffed the things into Lao Jin's arms and threw Lao Jin towards the tightly closed window of the west wing.
With a "crack," the window paper ripped, and before Old Jin could even react, he was thrown out of the window. He only came to his senses afterward.
Liang Cheng was using someone else to do his dirty work, but thinking that he had already obtained the Qiao family's belongings, he was reluctant to hand them over. So he gritted his teeth and rushed out of the Qiao residence.
Inside the room, Wu Zhenshan's expression suddenly changed: "You—!"
He instinctively chased after him.
Wu Zhenshan's figure darted out of the house, his gray shadow flashing in the night, chasing after Old Jin who was fleeing with the oilcloth bag.
"Leave!"
A cold shout came from behind him. Old Jin felt a powerful, chilling aura envelop him, and he felt as if he were sinking into a quagmire, his speed suddenly decreasing.
He was instantly filled with shock and regret.
To everyone's surprise, Wu Zhenshan had already quietly broken through to the True Essence Realm. He regretted that he shouldn't have been so greedy, as he had clearly fallen into Liang Cheng's trap.
He felt the oilcloth bag in his arms was burning hot, but he couldn't bear to throw it away. He gritted his teeth, turned around, and swiftly waved his hands, sending out several poisoned hidden weapons. At the same time, he protected his body with true qi, trying to withstand the attack and use the force to escape.
However, Wu Zhenshan simply raised his hand and pressed down in mid-air.
An invisible attack of true energy suddenly pressed down.
The hidden weapons crashed to the ground as if hitting an iron wall, and Lao Jin's protective inner energy shattered like paper.
"puff!"
As if struck by a heavy blow, Lao Jin was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall across the street. The bricks shattered, blood gushed from his mouth, his ribs were broken, and the oilcloth bag in his arms flew out of his hands and rolled to the ground.
Wu Zhenshan walked slowly closer, released his true essence directly, and without even glancing at Lao Jin, reached out and picked up the oilcloth bag.
Old Jin lay slumped among the rubble, his eyes filled with despair and regret. If he had known earlier that Wu Zhenshan was already at the True Yuan Realm, he would never have made such a choice.
It's a pity I didn't know that sooner.
Old Jin died of anger!
Wu Zhenshan then untied the oilcloth, glanced at it, and his face turned ashen. What was wrapped in the oilcloth was not some Qiao family secret treasure at all.
It was a jet-black iron plaque with twisted flame patterns engraved on the front and the three small characters "Bingxu Seven" on the back—a Zoroastrian token!
"Liang Cheng—"
Wu Zhenshan clenched his fingers, and the iron plate creaked under the pressure of his true energy, turning into a ball.
He whirled around, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "You dare to play me!"
His figure transformed into a gray shadow once more, shooting back to the Qiao residence at an even faster speed than before!
The backyard of the Qiao family mansion.
Just as Wu Zhenshan chased after him, Liang Cheng had already moved. He drew his sword first, the blade flashing like snow, and slashed at the four black-clad men guarding the gate!
Although the four men were skilled in internal energy cultivation, they had no chance to parry Liang Cheng's attack.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The four almost consecutive clanging sounds of metal clashing rang out, and the weapons in the hands of the four men snapped in response!
Liang Cheng's blade moved relentlessly, slicing across the throats of the four men. In a flash, all four fell to the ground. Liang Cheng then burst open the door to the side room, and with a flash of his blade, the specially made iron chains binding Yang Wei and Zhou Hu snapped.
"Master! Senior Brother! Let's go!"
Yang Wei and Zhou Hu broke free of their restraints. Although they were injured, they were able to move freely. The three of them rushed out of the east wing, and Liang Cheng immediately looked towards the west wing.
Inside the delivery room, the midwife's exclamations had turned into sobs, "He's out! He's out! It's a boy!"
Qiao Zhi gave birth!
But then, the midwife cried out in even greater terror, "Blood! So much blood! It won't stop!"
Liang Cheng's heart tightened, but he couldn't care less.
His gaze swept across the courtyard, and Uncle Wang, who had been standing in the corner just moments before, had vanished without a trace!
Without hesitation, Liang Cheng disregarded Wang Bo's whereabouts, took out a finger-thick red bamboo tube from his pocket, and pulled hard on the fuse at the bottom!
"Whoosh—snap!"
A blinding red flame shot into the sky and exploded in the night.
The moment the signal was sent out, a chilling and malevolent aura surged in from outside the mansion like a tidal wave!
Wu Zhenshan is back!
Moreover, the murderous aura was even stronger than when they left!
A gray shadow swept over the courtyard wall, and Wu Zhenshan landed. His gaze immediately locked onto Liang Cheng, then saw Yang Wei and Zhou Hu beside him, and glanced at the west wing, his eyes surging with murderous intent.
"Liang Cheng," Wu Zhenshan said hoarsely, enunciating each word clearly, "you dared to play me; you will die today."
Before he finished speaking, he moved. Without testing or wasting words, he unleashed the full power of the True Essence Realm!
His movements seemed slow, yet he seemed to shrink the distance to an inch in a single step, covering several meters in one stride. His right hand formed a claw with its five fingers, and the hazy true essence condensed into a tangible claw shadow, which slashed down with a piercing sound as it cut through the air!
Before the claws even arrived, the chilling, malevolent aura made Liang Cheng feel as if the blood in his body was about to freeze.
"Get out of the way!"
With a low roar, Liang Cheng pushed Yang Wei and Zhou Hu backward. He then took a deep breath, causing the nine true qi seeds within his body to spin wildly. The true qi of the Broken Wave Technique surged to its limit, and the pale blue energy on the Leading Blade erupted, accompanied by a thunderous roar!
Golden Armor Realm Perfection, Full Power Operation!
The Dragon Steps allowed him to maneuver and dodge the attack with ease, then he gripped the sword with both hands and slashed upwards with all his might against the hazy gray claw shadow!
【Wind and Thunder Slash - Mountain Breaker】!
"Clang!!!"
The moment the knife and claws clashed, a deafening explosion swept through the entire backyard!
The shockwave rippled and shattered the blue bricks on the ground. Yang Wei and Zhou Hu, who were nearby, were forced to retreat, their blood churning, and they coughed up blood again.
Liang Cheng's tiger's mouth split open, his arms trembled violently, and an unparalleled, chilling force came from the blade, making his throat taste sweet and blood rush to his head!
But he didn't retreat an inch, his feet sinking deep into the ground, carving out two furrows, and he withstood the claw attack!
A hint of surprise flashed in Wu Zhenshan's eyes.
Although he didn't use his full strength with that claw strike, it still contained seven-tenths of his true essence.
An ordinary person at the peak of the True Qi Realm would be severely injured or killed if they took the hit head-on, but Liang Cheng only coughed up blood. Although his aura fluctuated, there was no sign of it collapsing.
Moreover, the pale blue true energy on Liang Chengdao's knife, although far inferior in quality to his own true essence, was exceptionally condensed and pure.
Not to mention the opponent's formidable martial arts skills—
No wonder he was able to kill Xu Jinjiang—
Wu Zhenshan's killing intent intensified. "This boy must not be allowed to live!"
He changed his clawing stance, transforming it into a slapping motion. His true energy surged as he slapped Liang Cheng's chest with his palm!
Liang Cheng gritted his teeth and persevered, unleashing his Dragon Steps. His figure shifted half a foot to the side like a ghost, while simultaneously slashing diagonally with his blade, aiming for Wu Zhenshan's wrist.
At this critical moment, to seize a sliver of hope, we must take the offensive instead of the defensive!
Wu Zhenshan snorted coldly, flipped his wrist, and actually used his bare palm to directly confront the blade!
"clang!"
Another clang of metal!
Wu Zhenshan's palm was shrouded in gray mist, and his true essence covered it like refined iron. Liang Cheng felt the blade tremble violently, and a chilling, bone-piercing force surged upwards!
He decisively and forcefully circulated the true energy of the Broken Wave Technique, and layer upon layer of waves surged out, constantly washing away and dissolving the cold and icy force. At the same time, he used the force to retreat and widen the distance between the two.
In a flash, the two exchanged more than ten blows, and Liang Cheng was completely at a disadvantage. He suffered several more wounds, blood kept flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing became erratic.
But his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He discovered that although Wu Zhenshan was at the True Essence Realm, his True Essence was mixed and impure. The chilling and malevolent aura he exuded seemed terrifying, but it lacked the purity and harmony that True Essence should have. It was more like something piled up, and there was always a slight sense of disharmony and stagnation in its operation.
Moreover, although Wu Zhenshan's true essence was powerful, its quality was far inferior to that of the mysterious black-robed man who had attacked him.
In short, Wu Zhenshan's true essence was dark and turbid, with a malevolent aura that was overtly domineering but lacked purity.
"His breakthrough was problematic, or rather, he forced it through using some kind of trickery!"
Liang Cheng's mind raced with thoughts.
"His True Essence Realm is flawed!"
This discovery put Liang Cheng at ease.
If he were a true True Yuan Realm cultivator with a solid foundation and a natural progression, he would never have suffered only minor injuries. In that case, I might be able to handle the situation!
"Kid, you've got some sense."
Wu Zhenshan noticed the change in Liang Cheng's eyes and sneered, "Unfortunately, even if I have flaws, I'm still at the True Yuan Realm, enough to kill you."
He held nothing back at this moment. His body was filled with gray energy, and he unleashed his true essence with all his might. He struck out with both palms, and the palm shadows filled the sky, blocking all of Liang Cheng's escape routes!
Liang Cheng's pressure increased dramatically in an instant!
Liang Cheng gritted his teeth and pushed the Swimming Dragon Step to its limit, dodging and weaving within a small space, his blade flashing like a dragon as he desperately tried to defend himself.
However, Wu Zhenshan, at the True Yuan Realm, was using all his strength, but the gap was too great. His wounds continued to increase, blood stained his robes, and his movements began to slow down.
"Junior brother!"
Zhou Hu's eyes turned bloodshot as he watched, and he wanted to rush up to help, but Yang Wei held him back tightly.
"Don't make things worse!"
Yang Wei growled, his eyes bloodshot.
He certainly wanted to step forward and help.
But he knew even better that if they went up to fight at this level, they would only distract Liang Cheng.
Inside the west wing, Qiao Zhi's groans were barely audible, with only the midwife's tearful cries and the baby's faint sobs.
Just as Liang Cheng was once again sent flying, crashing into half of the artificial hill and struggling to get up, Wu Zhenshan approached with a sinister grin. Just as his gray palm was about to strike down, suddenly—
"Ugh."
A familiar sigh echoed in the courtyard.
Wu Zhenshan's hand, which had been clapping, stopped in mid-air.
It wasn't that he wanted to stop, but that he had no choice but to stop.
A powerful pressure silently enveloped him, and the surging gray true essence around him melted away and subsided like ice and snow under the scorching sun.
He struggles to even move a finger.
Liang Cheng slumped down in the rubble and looked up.
Under the old locust tree in the courtyard, a hunched figure has appeared out of nowhere.
Old Huang picked up his wine gourd, tilted his head back and took a swig, smacked his lips, and then slowly looked at Wu Zhenshan.
"Little Wu."
Old Huang's voice was calm, "You just broke through, and instead of going into seclusion to consolidate your realm, you're out fighting and killing. What kind of behavior is that?"
Wu Zhenshan's face turned deathly pale, and veins bulged on his forehead. He desperately tried to circulate his true energy to resist, but was horrified to find that the true energy he had painstakingly cultivated was completely unresponsive!
"Old Huang, I never expected this—"
Wu Zhenshan gave a bitter laugh.
He and Situ Lang had planned everything. After Bai Hong left the Martial Academy, there were no more True Yuan Realm experts. Who would have thought that there was still an unassuming expert like Elder Huang?
Old Huang shook his head and swayed over. He stopped in front of Wu Zhenshan, extended a withered finger, and pointed at Wu Zhenshan's lower abdomen, specifically the dantian area.
The movements were slow and casual.
But Wu Zhenshan's eyes revealed extreme fear!
He wanted to dodge, but his body wouldn't obey him at all!
"No!!"
"puff."
A soft sound.
Old Master Huang gently touched Wu Zhenshan's dantian with his finger.
Wu Zhenshan shuddered violently, as if all his bones had been removed, and collapsed softly to the ground. The gray true essence around him instantly dissipated and disappeared without a trace.
The once formidable aura deflated like a punctured balloon, quickly weakening and plummeting to the True Qi Realm level in the blink of an eye, and it continues to decline.
His face was ashen, his eyes filled with despair and resentment. He stared intently at Old Huang, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Master Huang destroyed his true essence foundation!
His martial arts origins have been sealed!
"I'll cripple your cultivation and seal your dantian."
Old Huang withdrew his finger, his tone still calm. After speaking, he stopped looking at Wu Zhenshan, who was limp as mud, turned around and walked to Liang Cheng's side, glancing at him.
"You're not dead yet, are you?"
Liang Chengqiang tried to stand up, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough up blood again.
Old Huang squatted down, his withered fingers quickly pressing on several major acupoints on the chest, and then stuffed a pill into the man's mouth.
The pill entered the stomach and transformed into a warm current, quickly spreading throughout the body and limbs, suppressing the injury and nourishing the internal organs.
Liang Cheng felt the cold, stinging pain in his chest lessen considerably, and his breathing became slightly smoother.
"Thank you, Elder Huang," Liang Cheng said in a hoarse voice.
"Don't thank me yet." Old Huang stood up. "Don't forget about the drug trials later."
He glanced at the west wing: "That girl inside is hopeless."
Liang Cheng felt a chill run down his spine and looked at Yang Wei.
Yang Wei had already rushed into the delivery room.
Old Huang sighed and disappeared into the courtyard. "Remember to come find me at the back mountain after you've finished your business."
Zhou Hu helped Liang Cheng up, and the two looked towards the direction of the Martial Arts Academy. Seeing Wu Zhenshan slumped on the ground with a look of despair, they couldn't help but feel relieved.
Tonight, it's finally over.