Chapter 334: Chapter 197: Killing a Half-King Again
He recalled the three "Gu Zhengs" into his body, leaving two God-Hunting Arrows. He held one of them in his hand.
The Death God Mantis recalled its Insect Tower, and he also retracted the Heaven-piercing Halberd into his Storage Leaf.
He had slain a Half-King once again.
Compared to the last time, Gu Zheng had used three Equipment Effects, plus the God-Hunting Arrow, the Death God Mantis, the Chaotic Heaven Shield, and the Heaven-piercing Halberd.
Of these, the God-Hunting Arrow and the Chaotic Heaven Shield had already been revealed before.
Therefore, having Beiming Bishang die by the God-Hunting Arrow was the most sensible explanation.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Behind them, the fight between Zhong Zhengao, Cao Qingsong, and the other two assassins was still raging.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng had already dealt with Beiming Bishang.
After a moment of thought, Gu Zheng had his Divine Wondrous surge and envelop all of Beiming Bishang’s remains. Then, carrying the still-unconscious Zhong Qishan, he flew back toward the others.
"Beiming Lang! Your mission is doomed to fail!"
Zhong Zhengao’s low roar echoed across the land. Wreathed in golden light, he wielded a long-handled great saber, unleashing a Sword Gang that stretched for dozens of yards.
SWISH! SWISH!
Pitch-black chains, flickering between solid and ethereal, darted about, constantly dodging the Sword Gang.
The translucent figure didn’t respond, merely continuing to move at high speed.
But suddenly, the assassin named Beiming Lang froze. He retreated dozens of yards, his gaze fixed on Gu Zheng as he flew back through the air.
"What, finally scared...?"
"Hm?"
Sensing something amiss, Zhong Zhengao turned his head. His eyes widened at the sight of Gu Zheng and Zhong Qishan—and the corpse floating beside Gu Zheng, severed in two, its head shattered.
"Beiming Bishang!?"
"You... You killed Beiming Bishang, a Half-King?"
WHOOSH!
It was Beiming Lang, who spun around and fled with lightning speed.
On the other side, the Beiming Family assassin fighting Cao Qingsong also faltered for a moment before turning to flee as well.
Their two semi-invisible bodies vanished in an instant.
"What happened?"
Panting for breath, Cao Qingsong leaped back to Gu Zheng and Zhong Zhengao’s side. "The Beiming Family assassins, they’re retreat... retreat..."
His words died in his throat.
Just like Zhong Zhengao, he froze, eyes wide and jaw agape. He stared at the corpse severed in two, its head shattered, his gaze a mixture of horror and utter shock.
"This... this is..."
"This is the Half-King assassin from before," Gu Zheng said calmly, keeping Beiming Bishang’s remains suspended in the air. "I got lucky. I managed to kill him with a God-Hunting Arrow."
’The God-Hunting Arrow!?’
Still in shock, Zhong Zhengao and Cao Qingsong froze at his words before taking a deep breath to compose themselves.
"...That’s still incredible."
Cao Qingsong glanced from Beiming Bishang’s mutilated corpse to Gu Zheng and sighed. "The fact that you could even make the God-Hunting Arrow effective is the crucial part. Not just anyone can lock onto a Half-King!"
"That’s true." Zhong Zhengao gave Gu Zheng a complicated look. "Anyone can get their hands on a God-Hunting Arrow, provided their family has one. But using it to kill a Half-King? Very few at the Heroic Body stage are capable of that."
Ancient Treasures like the God-Hunting Arrow were stockpiled by almost every Noble Family that hadn’t fallen into decline; the only difference was the quantity they possessed.
As a royal line, the Zhong Family had collected a great many.
Back then, Zhong Tiande had used a God-Hunting Arrow in a futile attempt to kill Zuo Lingfeng, but he hadn’t even been able to lock onto his shadow.
For Gu Zheng to kill a Half-King-level assassin like Beiming Bishang while only at the third stage of the Heroic Body, he must have used other methods!
But these were obviously Gu Zheng’s secret trump cards. Zhong Zhengao and Cao Qingsong would have to be complete fools to ask him about them.
The two could only marvel in silent admiration.
"His name was Beiming Bishang?"
Gu Zheng glanced at the sundered corpse. "Now that I’ve killed this Beiming Bishang, will the Beiming Family send more assassins after us?"
"No."
Zhong Zhengao shook his head. "The Beiming Family doesn’t stop until a mission is complete. However, if their agent is killed in the process, the mission is terminated immediately. There will be no follow-up."
"Good."
Gu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
That was exactly why he had brought Beiming Bishang’s bisected corpse back: to show Zhong Zhengao, Cao Qingsong, and the other two assassins from the Beiming Family.
Their strongest member, the Half-King Beiming Bishang, was dead!
The mission to escort Zhong Qishan to the Great Feng Country wasn’t over yet.
It wouldn’t be until Zhong Qishan was married.
For every day Zhong Qishan remained unmarried, Gu Zheng would have to stay by her side, guarding against further assassination attempts.
It was a huge hassle.
Now, with the Half-King Beiming Bishang dead, the result was perfect.
...
With the assassins gone, they no longer had to worry about what came next.
The procession set off once more, but they didn’t let down their guard.
The group advanced quickly, remaining ever vigilant of their surroundings.
Gu Zheng fell back to the rear of the group. As they traveled, he made his Divine Wondrous surge, washing away the mark Beiming Bishang had left on his Storage Pouch. Then, inside his "Shadow," he examined his spoils.
A look of delight immediately filled his eyes.
A Void Divine Stone!
Inside the Storage Pouch was a complete, untouched Void Divine Stone.
’Beiming Bishang hadn’t had time to use it yet?’
’Or could it be... this Void Divine Stone was his payment for this assassination mission?’
Gu Zheng mused to himself.
The payment to mobilize a Half-King-level assassin must be extremely valuable.
A Void Divine Stone certainly fit the bill.
"Heh."
At this thought, Gu Zheng chuckled to himself. ’The Beiming Family’s assassins must have an incredible reputation. They get paid before the kill is even confirmed. Of course, this Void Divine Stone could just be a deposit. Either way, I’ve come out on top!’
A Void Divine Stone!
Gu Zheng needed to refine five Divine Seeds to create his Domain, and he had been worried that one Void Divine Stone wouldn’t be enough.
Now, he had another one.
’What a happy coincidence!’
Besides the Void Divine Stone, the Storage Pouch also contained numerous bottles and jars, Earth Pills, a few daggers, and some chains—all of which were Middle-Grade Spiritual Soldiers.
After some thought, Gu Zheng took advantage of a rest break to divide a portion of these spoils between Cao Qingsong and Zhong Zhengao.
His reason for sharing was simple: he wanted them to keep his secret for the time being.
That he, Gu Zheng, had killed Beiming Bishang.
Killing a Half-King at the third stage of the Heroic Body, even with the aid of a God-Hunting Arrow, would cause a massive sensation if word got out.
Gu Zheng didn’t want that kind of attention.
Because the Void Divine Stone was involved!
Cao Qingsong and Zhong Zhengao didn’t know that Gu Zheng had acquired the Void Divine Stone.
But the person who had provided the Void Divine Stone knew!
If that person were to spread the word, it would inevitably attract covetous eyes.
For that reason, Gu Zheng didn’t plan on keeping it a secret for too long.
He just needed them to keep it quiet for now.
Once he advanced to the King’s Body, he wouldn’t have to worry about such trivial matters.
’Two Void Divine Stones should be just about enough!’
...
"Look, that’s Heaven’s Needle!"
Amidst the howling wind and sand of Huifeng Canyon, the procession arrived at the entrance to a path that stretched straight ahead, looking as if it had been carved right through the mountain pass and the sky above.
Zhong Zhengao pointed to the entrance ahead and shouted, "Everyone, put in one last push! We’re almost there!"
"Haha!"
A hearty laugh rang out from ahead right on cue.
"Zhong, you’ve finally arrived."
WHOOSH...
Amidst the whistling wind, a dark-silver Flying Ship over a hundred meters long materialized above the canyon ahead and swept rapidly toward the procession.
’A Flying Ship?’
Gu Zheng’s brows shot up. His Eyes of Golden Flame scanned the massive vessel as it rushed toward them. He saw streams of qi wrapping around its hull and a peculiar Life Qi permeating it, inside and out.
He even sensed a powerful consciousness, one that felt as if it could speak, emanating from the ship.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the very air vibrated, and the resonant voice of a man in his prime boomed out.
"Boy, what are you staring at?"
’Huh?’
’It can actually talk?’
Gu Zheng was astonished.
"A Land Flying Ship... the Ying Family. Are they a Half-demon Family, or..." Gu Zheng turned to ask Cao Qingsong, who had also stopped to watch the vessel approach.
"The Ying Family is a Spirit Beast Family."
Cao Qingsong answered instinctively.
’A Spirit Beast Family?’
’This ship is a Spirit Beast!?’
