Chapter 438: Chapter 249: The World in an Uproar
"Yeah, a duel isn’t a friendly spar. It decides not just a winner, but who lives and who dies! Has the Zhong Family gone nuts? Are they really going to have a falling out with Gu Zheng and challenge him to a duel?"
"No, if both sides agreed to a duel, it means they haven’t completely fallen out yet. Tsk tsk, there must be more to this. What did Gu Zheng do to make Zhong Zhengqiong willing to go so far as to duel him?"
"They say fame courts trouble, but why does being strong bring so many problems too? Gu Zheng just wiped out the Han Family a few days ago, and now he’s already up against the Zhong Family!"
"..."
The various Noble Families that received the news reacted in their own ways—with curiosity, doubt, and astonishment.
But all of them were very interested in the duel set to take place in ten days at Lion Peak on the Mian River, and planned to go watch.
The great Noble Families were mostly clear on Zhong Zhengqiong’s strength.
He was the second-strongest expert in the Zhong Family, second only to Zhong Duxiu.
As for Gu Zheng, he was the fastest-cultivating King’s Body in a thousand years, a monstrous talent.
He was also most likely at the second stage of the King’s Body.
It was no exaggeration to say that a duel between these two was a once-in-a-millennium event.
...
「Yue Country.」
Inside the Royal Palace of the Royal Capital.
"Hahaha, the Zhong Family must have water in their brains, actually dueling Gu Zheng! What are they thinking? Gu Zheng is from their Jing Country, a natural ally! To think they’d duel him... Zhong Zhengqiong and Zhong Duxiu have definitely lost their minds!"
Yong Xingzhou roared with laughter in the grand hall.
"I’m afraid it’s not that simple." Yong Xingzhen was more thoughtful. "The Zhong Family wouldn’t have made such a decision unless they were forced into a corner with no other choice."
"Yes. Once this duel is announced, Gu Zheng will no longer stay in Jing Country, regardless of the outcome," Patriarch Yong mused. "Perhaps we can find an opportunity to win him over to our side."
"Well..."
Yong Xingzhen frowned. "We should first find out why Gu Zheng and the Zhong Family have come to the point of a duel. We can talk about it after that."
"I’ll go find out."
Yong Xingzhou waved his hand. "A decisive battle at Lion Peak on the Mian River in ten days? How could I miss such a lively, grand event? Hahaha!"
Amidst his laughter, Yong Xingzhou transformed into an afterimage, rushing out of the grand hall and soaring into the sky.
...
「Shang Country.」
Inside the Royal Palace of the Royal Capital.
"Interesting, very interesting."
Yang Yidong paced back and forth in the grand hall, one hand behind his back and the other stroking his chin, muttering to himself.
"What’s so interesting about it?" Yang Sanyue said, speechless. "If you ask me, the right move is to take this opportunity to win Gu King over to our side. That Zhong Zhengqiong is no simple character. If Gu King loses, he most likely won’t be able to escape."
"I think it’s more important to first understand why Gu Zheng and the Zhong Family have resorted to a duel," King Shang said thoughtfully. "Only after we know the reason can we draw a conclusion."
"You just overthink things."
Yang Sanyue glanced at him. "Based on my few encounters with Gu King, he is by no means a despicable or sinister person. This situation with the Zhong Family was most likely caused by some external object."
"Whatever it is, it’s better to get a clear picture," King Shang replied with a chuckle.
"We do need to find out."
Yang Yidong stopped pacing and stroked his chin. "I’ll go investigate this. For the Zhong Family to be forced to resort to a duel, with Zhong Zhengqiong himself taking action, this matter is definitely not simple!"
...
「Yong Country.」
"Haha, the Zhong Family is going to suffer this time, they’re really going to suffer!"
Zheng Weiyang laughed, elated. "Gu Zheng has five King’s Bodies with him! No matter why the Zhong Family has come to blows with Gu Zheng, they won’t come out on top in the end! If Gu Zheng loses and the Zhong Family stops there, it’ll be one thing. But if the Zhong Family takes the opportunity to deliver a killing blow, they are doomed!"
"Neither Zhong Zhengqiong nor Zhong Duxiu will have a good end!"
Gu Zheng had brought back several hundred people from the Demon Realm, including over a hundred with Heroic Bodies and five with King’s Bodies.
The Zheng Family hadn’t told anyone about this.
For one, telling others would bring them no benefit and would needlessly offend Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng had just done them a huge favor, and they had established a friendly relationship. Leaking his secret at a time like this would be foolish.
For another, they wanted to watch the other families make a fool of themselves.
They hadn’t expected the punchline to arrive so soon.
The Zhong Family, for some unknown reason, had provoked Gu Zheng to the point of a duel. No matter the outcome, the Zhong Family’s power would be diminished.
Once the people under Gu Zheng’s command acted, Jing Country would be annihilated.
The destruction of Jing Country would naturally be a great thing for Yong Country.
After all, it meant one less potential rival.
"It’s a pity we can’t win Gu Zheng over."
Zheng Jiuyang sighed.
Gu Zheng was a "country" unto himself; he had no need to join any other Noble Family.
"If we can’t win him over, no one else can either."
Zheng Weichao chimed in, "With Gu Zheng’s power, no matter what terms anyone offers, they won’t be able to move him. We’re actually quite lucky to have befriended him and established a connection. As long as we maintain contact, it’s unlikely we’ll ever end up opposing him."
"That’s true," Zheng Jiuyang nodded.
"So, are we going to watch the duel at Lion Peak on the Mian River?" Zheng Weiyang asked.
"Is that even a question? Of course we’re going!" Zheng Jiuyang stood up. "I’ll go see it for myself!"
...
Kang Country, Xin Country, the Wind Kingdom, and Li Country.
The royal families of every country grew interested. They all discussed why Gu Zheng had fallen out with the Zhong Family, and all of them wanted to witness the duel at Lion Peak on the Mian River.
The outside world was in an uproar.
「Qingshi County.」
In a private courtyard in the county seat, Gu Zheng sat cross-legged on a roof, maintaining the circulation of the Daluo Celestial Inference Technique.
He had fought for this ten-day period.
His goal was to complete the Three Domains Unification within this time.
However, he was just shy of the final step, unable to grasp it.
Of the ten days, the first passed quickly, then the second, the third, the fourth...
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.
Gu Zheng still couldn’t grasp that final spark of integration.
With time running short, Gu Zheng couldn’t help but grow anxious.
Unable to grasp it on his own, he thought it over and had his avatar summon the four Clan Leaders of the Alien Races once more.
He didn’t tell them about his unique Cultivation Technique, the Daluo Celestial Inference Technique.
Instead, Gu Zheng’s avatar asked for their guidance on the relationship between the Domain, the Spirit Realm, and the Territory.
The Four Clans—Three Eyes, Two Ears, Toothless, and Hidden Spirit—had traditions dating back to ancient times and might know some secrets about space.
This was precisely what Gu Zheng wanted to find out. Hearing some information from others might trigger an epiphany.
"We don’t know much about the mysteries of the Domain," Sen Taibai said first. "Ever since we were trapped in the ’Ice Prison,’ the Domains of our four clans have all been Frozen Domains."
"That’s right. We have no special insights into the Domain, and the same goes for the Territory. The entire space of the ’Ice Prison’ is just a frozen world. But because of that, we have gained some understanding of the mysteries of the Spirit Realm Space."
Bo Taixing added, "As everyone knows, a so-called Spirit Realm Space is anchored to a greater world—this is true for the mortal world and for the Demon Realm. But according to our observations, the reason a Spirit Realm Space forms, and how it ultimately anchors itself to a greater world, is all related to a spatial anchor point!"
"A spatial anchor point?" Gu Zheng’s avatar quickly pressed. "Tell me more."
"Of course. ’Spatial anchor point’ is a name our four clans came up with. In reality, this anchor point refers to a specific object!"
Bo Taixing continued, "A special Marvel that possesses spatial power! It is this spatial Marvel that gathers power from the greater world, giving birth to a Spirit Realm Space. And because of it, the Spirit Realm Space can anchor itself to the greater world."
"In most cases, after giving birth to the Spirit Realm Space, this spatial Marvel will disintegrate and merge into the Spirit Realm. However, some rare spatial Marvels have managed to survive due to various fortunate circumstances."
"If you can find one of these rare spatial Marvels, then consolidating a Spirit Realm Space and anchoring it to a greater world becomes very easy."
"’Ice Prison’s’ formation was caused by the remnants of a rare spatial Marvel. Even the mutation of the ’Pupa Pool’ is related to this spatial Marvel. It’s just that we can’t find it," Wutai City chimed in.
"Um..."
Ji Taihao’s voice rang out hesitantly. "Um, I think I’ve seen one of those rare spatial Marvels again."
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