"Zhang Tang, you really have to go this time. Name your price, as long as you agree to go!" Zhu Zhi said.
"I have no conditions, I just don't want to go." Zhang Yang shook his head repeatedly.
This infuriated Zhu Zhi. He glared at Zhang Yang and emphasized again.
"I can agree to any condition you have. Just say it! I've already been considerate. If you really refuse to go, I'll break ancestral rules and forcibly drag you there!"
This!
Zhang Yang feigned a startle and retreated a few steps, trying to hide back into his room.
Meanwhile, Hu Hantian and Hong Tao were already waiting.
"You brat, don't even think about running. Let's settle this first!"
The two of them glared at Zhang Yang in unison, putting on fierce expressions.
"You... how can you be so unreasonable?" Zhang Yang cried out aggrievedly.
But in his heart, he was overjoyed. He had been struggling with how to go to the Thorn Marsh in a way that was both natural and didn't arouse Zhu Zhi's suspicion.
Now that Zhu Zhi had come to his doorstep, he didn't mind extorting him a bit more.
"You were the one who didn't give me face first. I offered you to name your price, and you stubbornly refused. Don't blame us. At worst, I'll repent before the ancestral tablets for three days and three nights during the ancestral worship this year!" Zhu Zhi snorted coldly.
Clearly.
No matter what, he had to get the other party to agree today.
Immediately, Zhang Yang fell silent, his face filled with helplessness. He sighed and said,
"Why are you guys so shameless? It wasn't like this at first."
"Heh, you forced us into it!"
"..."
After a moment of thought, Zhang Yang suddenly spread his hands and said,
"I can go, but I want the Hao Ran Zheng Qi. I feel that if I absorb more of it, I might be able to break through to the Hunyuan realm. This way, I'll have more self-preservation ability when I go to the Thorn Marsh with you."
As soon as he said this.
It was Zhu Zhi's turn to fall silent.
He felt a bit displeased. Zhang Yang's condition was truly excessive!
At the same time, he was astonished. Why was this Hao Ran Zheng Qi so compatible with Zhang Yang that he could absorb it repeatedly without any bottlenecks?
"This condition isn't very suitable. Change it," Zhu Zhi said.
"You old geezer, you're trying to trick me again! You just said any condition was fine, and now you're going back on your word. If that's the case, I'm not going. Even if you tie me up, I'll find a chance to escape!" Zhang Yang suddenly jumped up, acting recklessly.
Zhu Zhi couldn't help but smile wryly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to agree, but the Hao Ran Zheng Qi in the Junzi Sword was limited each year.
Coupled with Zhang Yang's bottomless absorption method, Zhu Zhi was also worried that Zhang Yang would absorb all of this year's Hao Ran Zheng Qi.
"How about I let you pick a few more items from the treasure vault?" Zhu Zhi offered proactively.
"No! What do I need so many treasures for? I can't use them all! I only want the Hao Ran Zheng Qi!" Zhang Yang insisted stubbornly.
This...
Zhu Zhi fell silent.
He stared at Zhang Yang with his cloudy eyes, grinding his teeth!
"Fine, I agree, but not now. You can absorb the Hao Ran Zheng Qi after we return from the Thorn Marsh," Zhu Zhi agreed, but not entirely.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang immediately waved his hand and disagreed!
"No, I need to absorb the Hao Ran Zheng Qi before we depart. Otherwise, if I die in the Thorn Marsh, won't I be at a great loss?"
"You!" Zhu Zhi was furious.
But after thinking about it, he could only compromise.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you there now! Let's see how much you can absorb, you brat!"
"Heh heh, then let's go quickly. I can't wait."
Immediately, Zhang Yang smiled.
Following behind Zhu Zhi, the group headed towards the Junzi Sword.
"Get going, quickly!" Zhu Zhi kicked Zhang Yang's backside unhappily.
Zhang Yang didn't mind this at all and happily walked towards the Junzi Sword.
Then.
Zhu Zhi's expression turned serious. He channeled his Yuan Qi and activated the Junzi Sword.
Instantly, a surge of powerful Hao Ran Zheng Qi emanated from the Junzi Sword.
Zhang Yang's face lit up with joy. He quickly circulated the True Qi Golden Core within his body and began to absorb it madly.
The onlookers, seeing the almost tangible Hao Ran Zheng Qi continuously flowing into Zhang Yang's body, were filled with shock.
At this moment.
Zhang Yang was like a whale with its mouth wide open, voraciously feeding.
As long as it was Hao Ran Zheng Qi, he accepted it all.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhi's face was filled with heartache. He suddenly gritted his teeth and increased the output of Hao Ran Zheng Qi!
He wanted to disrupt Zhang Yang's rhythm and prevent him from absorbing the Hao Ran Zheng Qi.
However, Zhu Zhi's move was ineffective.
The more Hao Ran Zheng Qi there was, the faster Zhang Yang's absorption speed became.
Instantly.
Zhu Zhi panicked and quickly tried to restrain the release of Hao Ran Zheng Qi.
But! It was already too late.
At this moment, the Junzi Sword was completely out of Zhu Zhi's control, releasing Hao Ran Zheng Qi in large quantities, which poured into Zhang Yang's body.
"This is bad! Something's going to happen!" Zhu Zhi panicked.
The others also gathered around, looking worried.
"Is this year's Hao Ran Zheng Qi going to be depleted?"
"What is this Zhang Tang brat made of, to absorb so much Hao Ran Zheng Qi!"
"He's simply a monster. No one except the late emperor has ever done something like this!"
Zhu Zhi's face also showed a look of worry.
"If it's just absorption, then it's fine. I'm afraid this kid doesn't understand the principle of 'what waxes must wane.' If he explodes and dies, it'll be dangerous!"
Upon hearing Zhu Zhi's words, the others also reacted and shouted at Zhang Yang, telling him to stop.
But Zhang Yang, who was concentrating on absorbing and transforming the Hao Ran Zheng Qi, couldn't hear them at all.
This made everyone extremely anxious.
But now that the Hao Ran Zheng Qi completely enveloped Zhang Yang, they couldn't intervene to stop him.
Even Zhu Zhi couldn't do anything, let alone them.
Everyone could only watch Zhang Yang helplessly and pray for him.
This situation lasted for nearly half a day.
It wasn't until the Hao Ran Zheng Qi on the Junzi Sword became thin that Zhang Yang finally opened his eyes.
Boom!
Instantly, two sharp beams of light shot out from his eyes, incredibly intimidating.
"Haha, awesome!"
Zhang Yang twisted his neck and let out a loud laugh.
Absorbing so much Hao Ran Zheng Qi at once was truly exhilarating.
Immediately.
As the Hao Ran Zheng Qi disappeared, Zhu Zhi and the others rushed forward, scrutinizing Zhang Yang.
"You brat are truly a freak! Do you feel anything uncomfortable?" Zhu Zhi asked.
"Good boy, you actually didn't explode from absorbing so much Hao Ran Zheng Qi. You're truly blessed with immense luck!" Hu Hantian laughed heartily.
"Truly a monster. If I didn't know your identity, I'd suspect you weren't human," Hong Tao also praised him immensely.
Zhang Yang twitched the corners of his mouth.
How did these people's praises sound so much like insults?
"This is nothing yet. It seems the Junzi Sword's Hao Ran Zheng Qi is gone. Otherwise, I could have held on for much longer," Zhang Yang said with a smile.
This!
As soon as he said this, everyone was rendered speechless.
"Then have you broken through?"
At this moment, Zhu Tai asked the most crucial question.
The others also looked at Zhang Yang with curiosity, eagerly awaiting his answer.
If Zhang Yang had broken through now, it would truly be unbelievable.
In just a few days, he had advanced two realms consecutively.
Zhang Yang looked at their curious expressions and suddenly smiled mysteriously, uttering three words faintly.
"Guess?"
Guess?
Guess your sister!
The few of them were speechless and wished they could beat Zhang Yang up on the spot.
"It seems you've broken through, otherwise you wouldn't be this happy," Zhu Zhi said.
"Indeed. If you hadn't broken through to the Hunyuan realm, you wouldn't have been able to absorb the Hao Ran Zheng Qi for so long. It's just that you're like the Junzi Sword's own child, able to withstand so much Hao Ran Zheng Qi!"
Everyone looked at Zhang Yang with envy.
Why didn't they have Zhang Yang's ability?
Otherwise, they would have already caught up to Zhu Zhi's realm.
Regarding this.
Zhang Yang chuckled and didn't explain further.
He had already broken through the realms above Hunyuan before he came to Linhai City.
His current realm was the same as that of the Qingcheng Mountain Master and Xiao Zhan.
Within the Hunyuan realm and the realms above it, one had to accumulate enough Yuan Qi to fill the Golden Core in their body.
Only then could they break through to the next realm.
However, this process was very long.
Just like the ancestors of the six imperial uncle families in the Kyoto Imperial City, they had not yet taken that step.
So far, Zhang Yang had only seen two people achieve it.
One was the current Emperor, and the other was Zhu Zhi, who was in front of him.
However, Zhang Yang believed he would soon achieve it. The Hao Ran Zheng Qi from just now had already filled half of the Golden Core in his body.
With another half to go, he could break through!
If it weren't for the Junzi Sword suddenly becoming depleted, he might have broken through today.
After all, the "Carefree Immortal Scripture" that Zhang Yang cultivated was truly monstrous!
"Elder Grand, when do we depart?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile, his lips curved.
"Oh, you're not afraid of the Ink King's successor coming to settle the score with you now?" Zhu Zhi asked with a smile.
Now he was even more certain that Zhang Kuang had broken through.
"Heh heh, with a breakthrough, I naturally have more confidence. I can leave anytime. After all, if I take your benefits, I should also do the work." Zhang Yang said with a smile.
"Hahaha, then let's set it for tomorrow!" Zhu Zhi laughed.
With Zhang Yang's problem solved, he was also eager to head to the Thorn Marsh!
As soon as they retrieved the Green King Wood, the late emperor could be resurrected.
After confirming the time.
Zhang Yang and the others dispersed.
Upon returning to his resting place, Zhang Yang smiled.
After circling the central island for several days, he could finally stop hiding his cultivation.
With the Hao Ran Zheng Qi as an excuse, he could use most of his strength without fear of suspicion.
Suddenly.
The other nine members of the Ming Long Army rushed into Zhang Yang's room.
The nine of them stared at Zhang Yang, their faces filled with surprise, and asked.
"Zhang Tang, the entire central island is buzzing that you've broken through to the Hunyuan realm and reached the peak accumulation stage?"
"Is that true? In just a few days, how did you advance from the middle stage of the Hunyuan realm to this stage!"
"Quickly tell me it's a rumor, so I can feel better."
Hearing the purpose of their visit, Zhang Yang immediately smiled.
A mischievous thought arose in his mind, and he released a large amount of True Qi to envelop the nine of them.
"I don't know if I've broken through or not. You can feel it for yourselves."
Instantly.
The nine Ming Long Army members, enveloped by Zhang Yang's True Qi pressure, felt their legs tremble.
They felt a pressure from Zhang Yang similar to that of Hu Hantian and the others.
One by one, they lowered their heads and accepted reality.
"You've actually broken through. You're truly a monster, a great monster!"
"Exactly. Even a monstrous talent doesn't break through as fast as you. You're faster than eating!"
The few of them were very envious, but not jealous at all.
They had all heard that Zhang Yang's breakthrough was due to absorbing a large amount of Hao Ran Zheng Qi, something they couldn't achieve.
"I'm just a little ahead of you. You'll definitely catch up to me in the future. Of course, if you want to improve, you can come to me for sparring and training," Zhang Yang said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the few of them shivered and quickly walked out.
What a joke! They couldn't even defeat Zhang Yang before his breakthrough, let alone now.
Seeing the Ming Long Army's genuine reactions, Zhang Yang also smiled.
Overall, Zhang Yang felt that the past few days on the central island had been quite good.
At least.
The rumors from the outside world were all unconfirmed here.
But why did the current Emperor belittle the descendants of the Ming King on the central island so much?
Zhang Yang was very curious about this, and it seemed he could only find opportunities to inquire slowly.
...
The next morning.
Everyone on the central island and the surrounding islands woke up very early.
They knew that today was of great significance to their entire royal family.
Because ever since their defeat and escape from Kyoto to the central island, they had been dormant for too long.
But today, their royal family was finally going to embark on a distant expedition!
Although most people didn't know the inside story, their blood boiled with excitement upon hearing about the expedition.
This expedition was definitely of extraordinary significance!
So they spontaneously organized themselves to send off the soldiers about to embark on the expedition!
On the ship docked at the central island.
The soldiers preparing for the expedition had all boarded.
Zhu Zhi, Hu Hantian, and Hong Tao stood at the very front.
Behind them stood a hundred experts at the Hunyuan realm, and the ten Ming Long Army members led by Zhang Yang.
Whoosh~
A horn sounded, and the ship set sail.
The entire central island and the surrounding islands immediately erupted with unified and resounding cheers.
"May all our soldiers return victorious and uphold the might of the Ming King!"
"May all our soldiers be invincible and victorious in every battle!"
The cheers and blessings stirred the hearts of those on the ship.
Zhang Yang, however, felt a bit bored, as he had no sense of belonging to the central island.
So he found an empty long chair and lay down to sunbathe.
This time, Zhu Zhi chose the water route to the Thorn Marsh.
After all, once they left Linhai City, they would be under the jurisdiction of the current Emperor.
With so many Hunyuan realm experts appearing together, it would definitely attract the Emperor's high attention.
Not to mention the possibility of conflict, even just attracting the Emperor's notice would be troublesome.
"How long will it take us to reach the Thorn Marsh by sea?" Zhang Yang asked.
"I don't know. This is our first time out, and we've never heard of the Thorn Marsh before," Lu Gong said, waving his hand.
At this moment, a Ming Long Army member proudly stood up.
After clearing his throat a couple of times, he attracted Zhang Yang and the others' attention.
"Cough, cough, fortunately, I did some research in advance and found some information about the Thorn Marsh."
"It's located in the hinterland of the Far West. If we take the water route, at full throttle, it will take about seven days to reach the Far West."
"The entire Far West is covered in ice and snow. Only by passing through the outermost ice and snow region can we enter the swamp."
"However, before that, we will encounter a major problem. The water route is also not safe. Even with so many experts like us, there is still considerable risk."
"After all, if the ship has an accident, we'll have nowhere to run."
After this Ming Long Army member finished speaking, Zhang Yang became interested.
"There's danger at sea? What is it?"