With Qingcheng Mountain's defeat and the downfall of those who kicked them while they were down, the reconstruction ceremony of the Five Dragons of Huaxia continued. Zhang Yang sat with the Sixth Prince, drinking and chatting, but in reality, they were both waiting. Waiting for the descendant of the Ink King, the wielder of black elemental energy, to appear. However, the descendant of the Ink King never showed up, not even after the reconstruction ceremony concluded. As the guests dispersed, Zhang Yang saw the Sixth Prince off.
"It seems the descendant of the Ink King won't be appearing today," the Sixth Prince said with some disappointment.
"Perhaps they are already here, but seeing our considerable strength, they are afraid to reveal themselves," Zhang Yang speculated.
The Sixth Prince nodded. Zhang Yang's words held some truth. The battle between Qingcheng Mountain and the Five Dragons of Huaxia earlier was indeed fierce. If the descendant of the Ink King were present, they would naturally be wary and hesitant to appear.
"Zhang Yang, I'll be returning to the capital then. Let's keep in touch," the Sixth Prince bid farewell.
"Alright," Zhang Yang nodded.
Suddenly, as the Sixth Prince was about to get into his car, Huang Zhanwang, who was accompanying him, received a phone call. After hanging up, his expression was one of utter shock, even more so than when Zhang Yang had defeated Qingniu Daoist.
"Your Highness, something has happened!" Huang Zhanwang exclaimed.
"What happened?" the Sixth Prince asked, curious. What could have caused Huang Zhanwang to lose his composure so suddenly?
"Qing... Qingcheng Mountain was almost annihilated, with countless disciples dead or injured." Huang Zhanwang relayed the report from his subordinate to everyone.
What?! Qingcheng Mountain attacked, nearly wiped out? Who dared to provoke Qingcheng Mountain? Wait!
"Is it the descendant of the Ink King?" the Sixth Prince inquired.
"Yes, highly likely. My subordinate said that when Qingcheng Mountain was attacked by a powerful enemy, the entire mountain was enveloped in black mist. When the mist dissipated, the ground was littered with corpses," Huang Zhanwang replied truthfully.
Hearing this, Zhang Yang and the Sixth Prince exchanged glances. They seemed to understand why the descendant of the Ink King hadn't appeared today. It was likely that the descendant of the Ink King had anticipated that Qingcheng Mountain would bring trouble to the reconstruction ceremony of the Five Dragons of Huaxia, and thus they took the opposite approach. Instead of troubling the Five Dragons of Huaxia, they turned around and annihilated the current overlord of the Central Plains, Qingcheng Mountain! This plan, executed with a clever timing difference, was truly unexpected.
"What is the current situation at Qingcheng Mountain?" the Sixth Prince asked.
"I'm not sure, but the God of War has requested aid from nearby forces, and the Huang family's ancestor has personally gone," Huang Zhanwang replied.
The Sixth Prince nodded and immediately bid farewell to Zhang Yang. "Zhang Yang, you don't need to see me off. I must rush to Qingcheng Mountain immediately to assess the situation."
"Wait." Suddenly, Zhang Yang stopped the Sixth Prince. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll go with you. Let's go take a look together."
"You're coming with me? What about here?" the Sixth Prince hesitated. The descendant of the Ink King, having annihilated Qingcheng Mountain, had a high probability of returning to cause trouble for the Five Dragons of Huaxia. If Zhang Yang left now, what would happen if something occurred at the Five Dragons of Huaxia?
Zhang Yang understood the Sixth Prince's concern and immediately shook his head. "With the underhanded tactics of these descendants of the Ink King, they certainly wouldn't do two major things in quick succession unless they wanted to become public enemies of the entire Huaxia. At this moment, Han Qingxuan and Ning Xiang, the couple, also walked up and smiled.
"Zhang Yang, if you want to go, then go. We're here, and it shouldn't be a problem." Han Qingxuan and his wife were arguably the strongest individuals among the Five Dragons of Huaxia. Their strength was formidable, and they likely possessed many hidden trump cards. Even Zhang Yang couldn't guarantee a sure victory against them. After all, these two were not simple people. His mother-in-law, Ning Xiang, was one of the few remaining guardians of the lineage. As for Han Qingxuan, he was even more mysterious; his strength seemed to change every time he acted. Who knew what his true power level was?
"Alright, then I'll be going. I'll entrust things here to Uncle and Aunt," Zhang Yang said. With these two experts present, Huo Zhu could handle matters concerning the Five Dragons of Huaxia, so things should be relatively stable.
At this moment, Luo Yiren and Han Xiyao also walked up hand in hand. "Zhang Yang, we want to go too. Take us with you." Seeing the two girls, Zhang Yang gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"I'm not going on vacation. This trip is fraught with danger, and the Five Dragons of Huaxia also need you. You should stay here and help," Zhang Yang said.
"We can't help much here anyway. Just let us go out for some fresh air," Han Xiyao said, having been unconscious for so long and unable to sit still.
"Yes, little brother, you're going out alone. We're afraid you'll misbehave, so we must keep a close eye on you." Luo Yiren teased, "And if needed... you know."
This... Zhang Yang's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. Seeing others smile without comment, he sighed and shook his head. He was truly helpless against Luo Yiren.
"Fine, I can take you, but you must listen to all my arrangements and absolutely not act alone. Otherwise, don't expect to go with me again," Zhang Yang said helplessly. Hearing this, the two girls immediately smiled and nodded happily.
Soon, everyone followed the Sixth Prince and departed. Unbeknownst to them, in a dark corner outside the base of the Five Dragons of Huaxia, Liao Zixia was watching everything. She had arrived long ago, but had not acted, feeling that the time was not right. Even the news that Zhang Yang and the others learned about Qingcheng Mountain's near annihilation was intelligence passed on by Liao Zixia. Now, seeing Zhang Yang leave, a hateful fire flickered in her eyes, and then she disappeared into the corner.
"What are you looking at? You seem so engrossed?" Ning Xiang followed Han Qingxuan's gaze but found nothing unusual. However, at that moment, a few girls with long legs walked past. Seeing this, Ning Xiang immediately grabbed a handful of Han Qingxuan's thigh flesh and twisted it hard!
"Ah! Honey, can't you give me some face in front of so many people?" Han Qingxuan grimaced in pain. He hopped around, trying to escape.
"Give you face? Humph! You're looking at other women in front of me, and you expect me to give you face!?" Ning Xiang said unhappily, increasing the force of her grip. Han Qingxuan gasped in pain but dared not retaliate. The other experts of the Five Dragons of Huaxia quickly turned away, pretending not to see. But their shrugged shoulders as they turned betrayed them. They hadn't expected Han Qingxuan to be afraid of his wife.
"Alas, I really wasn't looking at other women. I just suddenly felt a killing intent emerge from that corner, so I paid a little more attention," Han Qingxuan explained.
"Oh, really? Then I must have misunderstood you." Ning Xiang thought for a moment before letting go of Han Qingxuan. However, there was no hint of regret on her face. Han Qingxuan could only remain resigned. The persona of a peerless expert he had carefully cultivated during his fight with Qingcheng Mountain had collapsed in that moment. Although he was still a peerless expert, he had transformed from a cool and handsome peerless expert to a peerless expert who was afraid of his wife.
...
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang and the others took the Sixth Prince's private jet and soon arrived in the capital. The jet was incredibly fast. A journey that normally took an hour was completed in forty minutes. As soon as they disembarked, armored cars were waiting for them, transporting them to the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. Qingcheng Mountain was located south of the capital city. It had once been one of the two overlord forces of the Central Plains, alongside the Five Dragons of Huaxia. The Five Dragons of Huaxia were slightly stronger, but after their demise, Qingcheng Mountain became the sole overlord.
When Zhang Yang and his group arrived, many people were already there rescuing the injured. The scene was chaotic, with corpses strewn everywhere and blood staining the ground. The God of War of Huaxia, Xiao Zhan, as the overall commander, was making arrangements in an orderly fashion. Upon seeing the Sixth Prince and Zhang Yang arrive, he immediately walked forward.
"Your Highness, you're here," Xiao Zhan greeted.
"God of War Xiao, have you found any trace of the descendant of the Ink King?" the Sixth Prince asked directly.
"No, by the time we arrived, it was already like this. The enemy had already fled," Xiao Zhan replied. He was aware of the feud between the Sixth Prince and the descendant of the Ink King, so he understood why the Sixth Prince had personally come. As for Zhang Yang's arrival, Xiao Zhan was quite curious.
"Young friend Zhang, I didn't expect us to meet so soon," Xiao Zhan said with a smile.
"I happened to hear about what happened here, so I came to take a look. After all, the perpetrator today is also an enemy of the Five Dragons of Huaxia," Zhang Yang replied. While he said this, Zhang Yang's true reason for coming was different. During his fight with Qingniu Daoist in Jiangnan City, an item he carried had reacted strangely. It was a green box he had brought from the ancestral home of the Zhang family. Zhang Yang remembered clearly that when Qingniu Daoist used his martial arts, the green box in his embrace had trembled incessantly, reacting strongly. Zhang Yang was also very curious about this green box and had tried to open it numerous times without success. His intention in coming to Qingcheng Mountain was to secretly investigate and see if he could find any secrets related to the green box in Qingcheng Mountain. After all, none of them knew the secret of the green box, not even Zhang Lihe or Huo Zhu. But Zhang Yingxiong had sent Zhang Lihe to go undercover for so long; it was impossible that it was just for a useless box.
"Let's take a look around," the Sixth Prince said. Then he and Zhang Yang's group walked into Qingcheng Mountain.
At the same time, the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain and his entourage also arrived at Qingcheng Mountain. Upon seeing the corpses strewn everywhere, he instantly lost his composure!
"Ah! Descendants of the Ink King, you cowards! I will not rest until I have avenged this!" the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain roared. His imposing aura surged outwards uncontrollably, causing everyone on Qingcheng Mountain who was rescuing the injured to tremble and break out in a cold sweat.
"Such powerful pressure!" Zhang Yang's expression turned solemn, and he quickly circulated his true qi to mitigate the pressure.
"The Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain seems to have broken through. Has his strength reached that realm?" the Sixth Prince also exclaimed in shock.
"He probably has, otherwise, he wouldn't have such strong domain control," Xiao Zhan nodded in agreement. However, among these people, Xiao Zhan appeared the most relaxed. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he nullified the pressure emanating from the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain. Instantly, the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain turned into a green light and rushed directly towards the main hall of Qingcheng Mountain. Seeing this, Zhang Yang and the others followed closely behind.
As soon as they arrived, their expressions turned grim. Although they had no connection with the people of Qingcheng Mountain, seeing the dried corpses everywhere made it difficult not to feel anger. Zhang Yang checked the pulse of the nearest corpse and investigated. The vital energy nexus within these dried corpses had vanished. Their blood had been completely drained, and their deaths were extremely tragic!
"These descendants of the Ink King have vicious methods. Their killing techniques are very peculiar, and even..." Zhang Yang muttered to himself. Even the way these dried corpses in the hall died had some similarities to his crystal coffin. Could it be... that the descendants of the Ink King could also absorb others' vital energy and convert it into energy for their own advancement?
"Dead, all dead! They're all dead!" The Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain had gone mad, repeating the words incessantly, filled with self-blame. Those who had returned with him from Jiangnan City also wore grim expressions. If they hadn't left that day, they might not have escaped death. However, it couldn't be said for sure. If they hadn't gone to Jiangnan City, the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain would have been guarding Qingcheng Mountain, and perhaps the descendants of the Ink King would not have dared to act. Perhaps, the ones they would have gone after would have been the newly rebuilt Five Dragons of Huaxia.
Zhang Yang naturally thought of this as well. Strictly speaking, Qingcheng Mountain had taken the blow for the Five Dragons of Huaxia this time.
"Sect Master, please accept my condolences. What has happened has happened. Let's focus on rescuing those who are still alive," Zhang Yang sighed.
"Zhang Yang, thank you for putting aside past grievances and coming to help me," the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain said with a desolate smile. Zhang Yang shook his head and remained silent. Then, he unleashed his true qi, searching for any survivors on the mountain. At the same time, he was secretly looking for anything that could cause a change in the green box.
Currently, everyone on Qingcheng Mountain was fully engaged in the busy rescue efforts. By the time the battlefield was cleared, the sun had already set. Of the five thousand disciples and elders of Qingcheng Mountain, less than five hundred remained, with ten not surviving. These survivors were all sent to a special location for comprehensive treatment. Zhang Yang, having worked hard all day, found no clues and was very disappointed. The group sat in the main hall of Qingcheng Mountain, no one speaking, sharing in the sorrow.
"Sect Master, the descendants of the Ink King had no grievances with you. Why did they suddenly attack you?" the Sixth Prince asked. Having lived in the capital for many years, he naturally knew that Qingcheng Mountain was peaceful and had no desire for power or profit. Everyone in the sect was solely focused on cultivation. How could they have such a life-and-death conflict with the descendants of the Ink King?
"I don't know either," the Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain shook his head. He had pondered this all afternoon without understanding. In the past, the Five Dragons of Huaxia had conflicts with the descendants of the Ink King, leading to a life-and-death battle. But Qingcheng Mountain had no such history. Why had this happened? Suddenly! The Sect Master of Qingcheng Mountain thought of something and abruptly stood up from his seat, running towards the back of the hall.