Chapter 313: Chapter 187: The People’s Aspiration, the Human Dao Treasure
’And twice, no less!’
I originally had three Heaven-Covering Leaves, but now there’s only one left.
They’ve used Divination and Deduction on me twice!
’Was it Xiao Xing?’
Gu Zheng’s eyes narrowed. ’Does that bastard suspect I took the Void Divine Stone?’
The matter of Ji Tianping and Jin Pang’s deaths was already in the past.
When it came to who might be targeting Gu Zheng now, Xiao Xing was the only major suspect.
This Half-King of the Xiao Family had previously been forced to leave the exit of the Shadow Realm due to various pressures.
But with the chance to ascend to a true King’s Body and form a Spirit Realm on the line, he clearly hadn’t given up hope.
Anyone who seemed suspicious would become his target.
It was hardly surprising that Gu Zheng had fallen into his line of sight.
’King Jing and Zhong Yi said they’d settle the score with Xiao Xing. Looks like that was ninety-nine percent empty promises.’
’Relying on others is just plain foolish!’
’I have to get stronger on my own.’
After a moment of thought, Gu Zheng put away all the Giant Snake Scale Armor.
Then, he took out the Celestial Gate Snow Lotus, dug out the Celestial Lotus Seed, and swallowed it to refine and absorb its energy.
Once he had accumulated enough energy, he activated the Nine Breaths Nine Insect Divine Skill to condense his fifth Divine Seed!
A Divine Seed’s ability to draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth surpassed that of ninety-nine percent of all True Skills.
With multiple Divine Seeds operating in unison, even a Half-King who had opened their Sea of Consciousness wouldn’t be able to gain an advantage.
’Three Divine Seeds were enough to suppress Xiao Xing. What about five?’
Before beginning the condensation process, Gu Zheng collected a large amount of Celestial Heart Toad Saliva. He infused it into the Great Sun Armor to wash away the Ten Thousand Souls Spider Silk.
Only when the Great Sun Armor was free of its tracking and binding abilities could it be considered true armor.
Gu Zheng possessed two sets of Great Sun Armor—one was a spoil of war, and the other was standard issue for his promotion to Demon-slaying Grand General.
Both sets of Great Sun Armor were now infused with the Celestial Heart Toad Saliva, which was slowly cleansing them.
The Nine Breaths Nine Insect Divine Skill activated, and his fifth Divine Seed rapidly condensed, successfully forming.
Five Divine Seeds, the Heaven-piercing Halberd, Shattering Void Sword Intent, the God-Hunting Arrow, and the Forbidden Sky Tower!
With all these assets combined, the threat from Xiao Xing was reduced to a minimum.
He also had the Equipment Effect from Electric Light Universe; if he really couldn’t win a fight, he could escape into the void.
The oppressive feeling from Xiao Xing instantly diminished by more than half.
Gu Zheng got back to work.
He began analyzing a Divine Will Map in his mind.
It was an ancient map of mountains and rivers, spiritually inscribed upon the skeleton of a powerful expert who had passed away in meditation within the Shadow Realm.
Nine locations on it were marked with nine small Tripod Cauldrons.
Another location was marked with the rough outline of a seal.
For the moment, Gu Zheng couldn’t determine where in the present world the regions with the small Tripod Cauldrons were located. He only knew they were within one of the Ten Dao of Great Zhou.
The nine small Tripod Cauldrons were located in nine different Dao domains.
However, their specific and detailed locations could not be determined for the time being, as too much time had passed.
However, Gu Zheng quickly recognized the location of the seal.
The Celestial Gate River!
The second-largest mountain range on the continent.
The Celestial Gate Mountain Range had existed since ancient times, and the Celestial Gate River, which flowed out from the convergence of its streams, had also been running for tens of thousands of years.
The location of the seal marked on the ancient map was right at the confluence of the Celestial Gate River and the mountain range, which was the river’s source.
’The seal is at the bottom of the river!’
’What kind of seal could be hidden at the bottom of a river for over ten thousand years?’
Gu Zheng’s interest was piqued.
The expert who had passed away in meditation was undoubtedly a titan of his era.
Whatever he left behind had to be a treasure.
’Since it’s a treasure and I know where it’s hidden, what reason do I have not to go and get it?’
To the Celestial Gate River!
Having made his decision, Gu Zheng took action immediately.
First, he sent Pang Hu back to his room in the county town, placed him on the bed, and gave some instructions to Gu Sihai.
Then, he took out several sets of Giant Snake Armor and had Gu Sihai hide them away, to be worn in times of crisis.
Gu Zheng had custom-made these sets of Giant Snake Armor to fit the figures of his family members.
He had even taken Zhou Dingding into account.
He warned his family not to leave the county town for a while.
After leaving, he sent a telepathic message to Zhang Meiyuan, telling him to remain highly vigilant for any suspicious individuals around the Gu Mansion over the next several days.
He was to report immediately if anything seemed amiss.
With everything taken care of, Gu Zheng leaped into the air and flew toward the Celestial Gate River using Wind Manipulation.
Using Qingshi County as a starting point, he headed straight northwest.
He left the territory of Fengzhou and continued northwest.
He flew until he left the borders of Jing Country, crossed a vast mountain range, and saw towering peaks rising in the distant north.
But to the south, at the end of the mountain range, a wide, surging river roared as it tumbled down from north to south.
Even at its narrowest point, the river was over five hundred meters wide.
This was the Celestial Gate River.
The Mian River, north of Fengzhou, was merely one of its tributaries.
To the west of the Celestial Gate River lay the territory of the Shang Country, which belonged to the Southern Sword Dao, one of the Ten Dao of Great Zhou.
Following the seal’s marker on the map in his mind, Gu Zheng flew over the river’s surface, facing into the biting wind.
WHOOSH~
SPLASH!
The surging river churned with waves, sending great plumes of spray into the air.
Beneath the churning surface, Gu Zheng could sense powerful auras.
They belonged to the Water Race, which had mutated under the nourishment of worldly energy after the Celestial Change.
Some were not yet Demon Fiends, but others already were.
Finding the seal was his priority, so Gu Zheng paid no mind to these newly-born Water Demons.
He followed the map until he arrived above the approximate location on the river’s surface.
Gu Zheng first circled the area once, then plunged straight into the river.
Activating his Underwater Walking Demon Techniques, he felt as if he were still walking on dry land. He trod upon the water itself, descending continuously toward the riverbed.
HUMMM~
He released the aura of his Heroic Body Realm, scattering the nearby Water Demons.
Gu Zheng descended all the way to the riverbed, over a hundred meters deep.
He continued along the riverbed, using Shadow to scan his surroundings.
Finally, at the base of an underwater hill, Gu Zheng "saw" something unusual.
It was a hidden cave entrance at the base of the hill.
