Volume 1, Chapter 516 – Another Path

Zhang Xiu had entered under their master far earlier than Zhao Yun.

Before Tong Yuan had ever stepped into the absolute peak, Zhang Xiu had already been following at his side, devoting himself to the martial path.

Not long after Zhao Yun entered the sect, Zhang Xiu left Penglai. From the moment he first stepped into the world, he had carved out immense fame for himself, and now he was one of the Great Han’s few marquis-ranked generals.

“Long time no see, Junior Brother.”

Zhang Xiu gave Zhao Yun a deep look. With a shake of the spearpoint in his hand, the flood dragon corpse hanging from the tip shattered instantly. Scales flew, flesh and bone split apart, and in the end it turned into streams of pure blood and qi that flowed into his mouth.

“It’s been a while since I last tasted a North Sea flood dragon… Master always said you were a dragon among men. It seems he was right. I never expected your martial skill to have reached this level.”

There seemed to be a trace of feeling in Zhang Xiu’s murmur, yet from beginning to end he never lowered the spear in his hand.

“Did Senior Brother come here to pay respects, or do you have some other purpose in mind?” Zhao Yun tightened his grip on the spear in his hand, and his expression gradually turned cold.

“All those at the absolute peak in the world have already been cut down. But among the fallen, aside from the Sword Saint, there is only Master. The Sword Saint was killed by Lu Bu. Then what was it that caused Master’s death?”

A cold smile touched Zhang Xiu’s lips. He turned and looked into the distance.

“What do you think, Second Junior Brother?”

Not far away stood a tall, broad-shouldered man clad in Silver Tiger Dark Armor. His blazing blood and qi rolled like magma, and fresh blood stained the armor, showing that he had clearly gone through battle not long ago.

Other than Zhao Yun, the only person Zhang Xiu could be calling Junior Brother was Zhang Ren.

Zhang Ren did not respond. He descended directly onto Penglai, stripping off his armor as he walked.

Inside the main hall, a simple mourning hall had been set up. Two crystal coffins stood side by side, and the eternal lamps before them burned steadily, sending up thin wisps of smoke.

Tearing off a strip of white silk and tying it around his forehead, Zhang Ren dropped to his knees and kowtowed respectfully.

“Your disciple Zhang Ren respectfully sees Master off. May you behold the realm of immortality after reincarnation…”

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Each kowtow struck the ground with a resounding thud.

Outside, Zhang Xiu was silent for a moment. He put away his spear, came before the coffins, and kowtowed to bid his master farewell.

“Master died with his blood and qi exhausted. He must have passed on his cultivation before he died.”

Zhang Ren rose and lifted his head, speaking softly. After glancing at the ice coffin, he turned to Zhao Yun.

“Your cultivation should not have advanced this quickly.”

At those words, Zhao Yun fell silent. Zhang Ren was not wrong. Though his consciousness had been unclear when Master passed on his cultivation, that power now rested within him all the same.

“Master always regarded you as half a son. It is only natural that he would do something like this.”

Zhang Ren continued, “I have no objection to Master’s decision. But neither you nor I can hold Penglai. Master made too many powerful enemies. Unless you reach the absolute peak, meeting them head-on is a dead end.”

Before Zhao Yun could speak, Zhang Xiu cut in from the side.

“Yield Penglai. Put down the Flowing Immortal Spear. Then in the future, you and I will still be brothers of the same sect.”

His tone was exceedingly cold and hard. With Tong Yuan’s coffin at his back, there was not the slightest warmth in his eyes.

“Every blade of grass and every tree in Penglai belongs to Master. No one has the right to lay a hand on it. Master personally passed the Flowing Immortal Spear into my hands, so on what grounds should I let it go?!”

Zhao Yun clenched his fists. Bloodstained robes hung from his shoulders, and a surging killing intent came with every word.

“I will kill every schemer and every man with evil intentions!”

The atmosphere between the two, which had eased somewhat with Zhang Ren’s arrival, tightened again at once.

“Master’s bones are not even cold yet. As fellow disciples, do you really have to cross weapons right now?!”

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Seeing the two of them drawn up like swords and bows, Zhang Ren let out an impatient roar. He felt even more helpless toward the single-minded Zhao Yun.

“How many can you kill by yourself? Once you die, Penglai will still change hands. Every blade of grass and every tree will be torn out by the roots. Master’s remains will be desecrated, and he will not even rest in peace after death. Have you thought about any of that?!”

At this moment, Zhao Yun made Zhang Ren think of himself before he had ever left Penglai, just as straightforward and impulsive, just as arrogant and untamed.

But many things in this world were contrary to one’s wishes by nature. It was impossible for everything to go as one desired.

Zhang Ren’s words made Zhao Yun’s face stiffen slightly. He naturally knew all this. He simply did not want to think too deeply about it.

Now that Master had passed away, all he wanted was to protect this patch of pure land that was Penglai.

Until… until he fell in battle.

“No more words. Since you are bent on dying, I will send you to accompany Master.”

Seeing that Zhang Ren still seemed ready to continue persuading him, Zhang Xiu cut him off and strode out of the hall. The blood and qi he had only just calmed began to boil once more.

Zhao Yun said nothing. He turned and stepped out of the hall after him.

Just as Zhang Ren was about to follow, a low whisper sounded by his ear.

“If I lose, then I ask Second Senior Brother to take Master and Master’s wife to the snowy summit of the Heavenly Mountain in the far south in my place.”

Zhang Ren halted for a long while, then let out a soft sigh.

…

Above Penglai, Zhang Xiu stood erect with a pale-gold spear in hand. His blood and qi billowed like beacon smoke, boundless and terrifying as it spread across the sky.

His martial skill had never been weak to begin with. After being tempered on the battlefield, he had long since broken into the realm of a great hero of the age.

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Though he was no match for a monster like Lu Bu, a figure like a god or demon, he was still more than enough to crush top-tier generals, and his spear had claimed countless souls.

Zhao Yun walked into the air alone. He had left Yulan behind on Penglai.

In a clash at the level of great heroes of the age, even if Yulan had not been wounded, it would still be unable to help and would only distract him.

A sharp cry split the air.

Without exchanging another word, two nearly identical phoenix cries exploded almost at the same time, and golden and silver spear-light blazed into the world.

Zhang Xiu and Zhao Yun vanished from sight, swallowed up by the phantoms of two divine phoenixes.

“Your spear arts and mine come from the same lineage. I have walked this path for ten times as many years as you. How can you possibly defeat me?!”

Amid the violent force pouring in all directions came Zhang Xiu’s stern shout.

“He saw you as the future Spear God. He taught you everything he had and painstakingly nurtured you. Even at the moment of his death, he was still thinking of you. Why?!”

Pfft!

The silver divine phoenix was ripped apart by golden claws. Zhao Yun’s body flew backward, and the already badly wounded flesh of his body split open with streak after streak of blood. Blood gushed forth like spring water.

The heavens were torn open with countless cracks. Cold tribulation wind whistled through the fissures, slicing across flesh and bone like steel blades.

“Zilong!”

Liu Bei and the others had rushed over without stopping and had only just arrived. Zhang Fei’s expression changed, and he was about to step in at once, only to be stopped by Zhao Yun raising a hand.

“This is a conflict between fellow disciples. It would not be proper for outsiders to interfere.”

Dark red blood slid down the silver spear, and the light in Zhao Yun’s brow had dimmed somewhat.

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“If we speak only of what Master taught, then I truly am inferior to you. But there is more than one road in this world.”

Boom!

In the distance, Zhang Xiu’s pupils contracted. A cold flash streaked across the sky, and a world-ending silver radiance was reflected in his eyes.

A thunder dragon wheeled through the nine heavens. In a single instant, Zhao Yun’s spear-tip was already at Zhang Xiu’s brow. Yet at the very moment it fell, a trace of hesitation rose in Zhao Yun’s heart.

Buzz.

The instant that trace of hesitation appeared, an extra shadow appeared behind Zhang Xiu and overlapped with the darkness.

Bang!

Zhang Xiu’s body exploded instantly, yet no blood splashed out. Grass fragments filled the air, covering the whole of heaven and earth.

“A life-substitution art. There is a sorcerer here!”

Liu Bei’s eyes widened slightly. As he swept his gaze through the void, he caught sight of a disappearing figure.

Zhuge Liang gathered a few strands of grass into his palm. After a while, understanding dawned on him.

“So it was him.”

“Master, do you know this man?” Liu Bei asked.

Zhuge Liang gave a slight nod. In the eyes he had not yet fully opened, interest shone brightly.

“Jia Wenhe.”