Chapter 205: Zhu Qianguang
Heavenly Wall Divine Kingdom
Zhu Qianguang didnât know if it had been too long since he had seen a cultivator, but he was really enthusiastic towards Lin Jiang. Basically, whenever Lin Jiang asked something, Zhu Qianguang would answer without holding back.
Zhu Qianguang had entered the Divine Kingdom ninety years ago, but it wasnât willingly. He was traveling outside when he got ambushed by his enemies. They chased him all the way to the vicinity of the Heavenly Wall, and in order to survive, Zhu Qianguang rushed into the Divine Kingdom. His enemies followed him.
Then his enemy died, killed by the ordinary army of the Divine Kingdom. His spiritual power quickly depleted during the battle, and he even ran out of spirit stones and elixirs. He fought and defeated tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers, but was ultimately killed by the Martial Arts Masters.
On the other hand, Zhu Qianguang, because he was injured, stayed low-key and managed to survive. He tried multiple times to leave, but was unsuccessful. So he found a way to stay in the Divine Kingdom.
"Brother Xiao, why donât you stay at my house in Jiangdu City for now? Iâve been here for several decades and have made some progress. We donât have to worry about food and drink, and I can guarantee your safety."
Zhu Qianguang assured Lin Jiang, pounding his chest, that he was doing well in Jiangdu City. He had connections with important people and was now the biggest cloth merchant in the city, and very wealthy.
"Thank you very much, Brother Zhu."
Lin Jiang happily agreed, and then followed Zhu Qianguang back to his house.
The Zhu family was indeed very wealthy. They had a large mansion in Jiangdu City and a large number of servants and staff. Zhu Qianguang continued to tell Lin Jiang about his situation in the Divine Kingdom.
The Zhu family originally made their fortune in the cultivation world by producing magic robes. They raised several different types of spiritual silkworms with various effects. When Zhu Qianguang went out, he carried hundreds of these spiritual silkworms with him, originally intending to trade them. However, when he entered the Divine Kingdom, many of these silkworms died, and the remaining ones degraded, but they were still much stronger than those in the Divine Kingdom.
The cloth made from the silk spun by these spiritual silkworms, whether in terms of color, softness, or durability, had excellent quality. Zhu Qianguang earned his fortune in the Divine Kingdom through this.
After becoming rich, they didnât have much else to do except for eating, drinking, and having fun. They had many children, and now the Zhu family has become a large clan. To change their status, they relied on early planning. They would assign their children to various places to work and wouldnât easily meet. Then, they would designate most of their wealth to a certain son, and that son would take over.
After settling into the Zhu family, Zhu Qianguang still showed enthusiasm towards Lin Jiang. That evening, he sent two maidservants over, who provided food and drinks just like Lin Jiang. He also invited Lin Jiang to daily feasts and discussed cultivation in the world and the Divine Kingdom.
Through these discussions, Lin Jiang grew to understand the Divine Kingdom even more. The Li familyâs rule in the Divine Kingdom was quite stable, supported by a Formation Spirit equivalent to the heavenly path of this realm. No one could overthrow the Li family. Zhu Qianguang emphasized several times not to become enemies with the Li family and to keep a low profile.
Lin Jiang casually made up an excuse, saying that his arrival in the Divine Kingdom was also unexpected, and he needed to find a way to leave. He asked Zhu Qianguang if he knew any other cultivators, to which Zhu Qianguang replied that he didnât. It had been many years since a cultivator appeared in Jiangdu City.
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In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. On this day, Zhu Qianguang hurriedly returned from outside and told Lin Jiang some news. He said he had heard about a hidden cultivator in a certain place and they could go and take a look. Lin Jiang gladly agreed.
The two of them mounted their horses and left Jiangdu City, heading north and entering the mountains.
"Brother Xiao, after gathering information from various sources, as long as we pass through this canyon, we can enter the mountains where cultivators exist."
"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhu. You have worked hard these past few months."
"Sadly, it was only after seeing Brother Xiao that my belief in returning to the cultivation world was ignited."
"Okay, letâs speed up and find other cultivators as soon as possible, so we can all leave the Divine Kingdom together."
"Great, Iâll show the way for Brother Xiao."
Zhu Qianguang nodded and continued galloping on his horse.
This canyon is very long, estimated to be over ten miles. In the middle, there is a small path that can accommodate only three to five people walking side by side. The cliffs on both sides are at least tens of meters high, making the terrain extremely treacherous.
Lin Jiang coldly looked at Zhu Qianguang, deliberately slowing down his pace. The two of them soon distanced themselves by about a hundred meters. When they reached the middle of the canyon, Lin Jiang heard a few dull sounds of "thud, thud." He immediately leaped from the back of his horse.
"Plop."
In the next moment, Lin Jiangâs horse was shot through by several crossbow bolts as thick as an adultâs thigh, while Lin Jiang himself was caught in a round of arrow rain from above.
Countless arrows came flying from both sides, some of them even more powerful, obviously shot by experts, directly aiming for Lin Jiang.
Lin Jiang was calm and descended slowly. He wielded his sword skillfully, sweeping away all the arrows.
When Lin Jiang landed, he saw soldiers dressed in bright armor all around him, as well as five Martial Arts Masters charging towards him.
"Bang!"
At first sight, Lin Jiang defeated one Martial Arts Master with a single palm strike. Over the past few months, Lin Jiang had been constantly using his spiritual power, and he also practiced martial arts. Back when he was with the Lin family, he had learned boxing and martial arts.
The remaining four fighters fearlessly continued their attack, but Lin Jiang swiftly defeated each of them with one sword strike.
"Indeed, they are demons."
Above the canyon, a group of experts surrounded a person. Witnessing Lin Jiangâs fierceness, they sighed in admiration.
"Brother Zhu, I treated you sincerely. Is this how you repay me?"
Lin Jiang looked at Zhu Qianguang, who was a hundred meters away, and spoke.
"Brother Xiao, weâre both experienced foxes, so letâs stop telling jokes. Have you ever believed in me as your brother?"
"Believe you? I would be a lifeless body by now, wouldnât I?"
"I want to know where my weakness lies. How did you discover it?"
"Brother Zhu must have been in the Divine Kingdom for too long, forgetting about the deceit and trickery between cultivators. Your appearance revealed all your flaws."
Lin Jiang said. Zhu Qianguangâs arrival may seem like a reunion in a foreign land, but to Lin Jiang, there were simply too many flaws. He himself came from the cultivation world and knew how difficult it was to perfectly integrate into Divine Kingdom society, let alone deal with nobles for decades. It seemed fake, especially since there havenât been any cultivators in Jiangdu City for years.
"Brother Xiao truly lives up to being an independent cultivator, having survived by the edge of the blade. Youâre quite perceptive, but why did you come here with me?"
"Tell me why youâve been scheming against cultivators."
"What else can I do? Surrender or die. I have no choice but to surrender. In this Divine Kingdom, the power of the Li family is beyond your imagination. Many cultivators who enter here meet their end, even those at the Nascent Soul stage or the Soul Changing Period."
"Itâs one thing to be a lackey for the boss, but to be a lackey for an ordinary person and still act so confidently, youâre the first Iâve ever seen."
"Ha ha"
Zhu Qianguang sneered. Outside, he could easily defeat many ordinary people, but here, he had no means. Without spiritual power or cultivation, he was just a stronger ordinary person. How many people could he fight? Ten or a hundred? The Li Family had thousands of ordinary soldiers and countless martial arts experts.
As the two of them spoke, the army of ordinary people had already completed their mobilization. The archers on both sides of the cliffs remained the same, but a large number of armed soldiers appeared in the front and back, advancing in layers.
"Brother Xiao, surrender. You canât win. Even if your spiritual power is fully restored, you canât outlast Prince Jiangdu. Prince Jiangdu is right above. Iâll help you plead for mercy. As long as you hand over your storage bag, your life will be spared."
"So many tactics, all for my storage bag?"
"Of course, for the Divine Kingdom, cultivatorsâ items are valuable."
Zhu Qianguang nodded. Cultivatorsâ spells and powers were useless here, but it didnât mean other things were useless. For example, swords and knives were also divine weapons in the Divine Kingdom. And medicine, as long as consumed quickly, was a miraculous elixir that could nourish the bodies of ordinary people. The Divine Kingdom yearned for cultivatorsâ items.
"Alright then, come and take it if youâre capable."
Lin Jiang nodded. He knew everything he needed to know. It was time to take action.
"Up"
On the steep cliff, a mighty general waved his hand, instantly countless arrows were shot from the bows and crossbows, while soldiers in front and behind the gorge advanced step by step, beginning the attack.
The Divine Kingdom had an effective way to deal with cultivators, they used ordinary soldiers to drain the cultivatorsâ spiritual power. As long as the cultivators ran out of spiritual power, there was nothing to fear.
"Blazing Skyfire"
Lin Jiang used all of his spiritual power to cast a spell, instantly, countless fireballs fell from the sky, spreading within a radius of hundreds of meters.
Meanwhile, Lin Jiang flew directly towards Prince Jiangdu, disregarding countless arrows. He was covered in arrows like a hedgehog, yet none could pierce through his defense.
"Protect the prince"
Prince Jiangduâs guards immediately roared in anger, several Martial Arts Masters charged towards Lin Jiang.
Lin Jiangâs spiritual power within his body was completely depleted, but he was not a helpless lamb, instead, he was a fierce tiger. Swinging his sword, the swords of several Martial Arts Masters all shattered, and Lin Jiang broke through their defenses, unstoppable.
"Your Highness, the evil spirits are strong, letâs leave first and then talk."
"No worries, we have the Grand Master with us."
Prince Jiangdu was fearless. Above the Martial Arts Master, there was the Grand Master of Martial Arts, who was even more powerful. A cultivator with little spiritual power was not a concern.