Ouyang Zhi was determined to get that divine weapon!

Since he was a child, Madam Xu had instilled this idea into him. It had always been his goal, and it was also the greatest opportunity of his life.

The Zangbing Valley's centuries-long plan all rested on him!

This was a great secret passed down through the main line of the Ouyang clan for hundreds of years, never revealed to outsiders. Even Ouyang Tuo was completely unaware that a supremely ominous object was being forged beneath the Earth-Core Fire Vein.

The world said that the Ouyang lineage of Zangbing Valley were descendants of Ouyang Yezi, the most outstanding weapon-refining grandmaster in the world centuries ago. This was not wrong.

Ouyang Zhi was indeed a descendant of Ouyang Yezi.

Everyone knew that Ouyang Yezi forged eight divine weapons in his life, several of which were in the Shushan Sword Sect. But no one knew that Ouyang Yezi actually had a ninth divine weapon.

It was just that this divine weapon was too fierce and had never been successfully forged.

Later, after Ouyang Yezi passed away, his descendants coveted the power of this divine weapon and disregarded Ouyang Yezi's dying instructions. According to the weapon-forging methods passed down within the Ouyang clan,

they laid down a great formation throughout the entire Zangbing Valley.

This was the origin of Zangbing Valley.

Zangbing, Zangbing, hiding a divine weapon within!

For hundreds of years, every Valley Master of the Ouyang lineage had devoted their heart and soul to forging this object, so that the Ouyang clan could truly stand tall in the Jianghu and become a prominent family like the Five Surnames.

Instead of just being reduced to a heretical family that could only forge weapons.

Ouyang Zhi was the one who carried the hopes of the Ouyang clan.

Looking at the firm gaze in Ouyang Zhi's eyes, Madam Xu seemed to be in a daze, as if she was seeing Ouyang Ke again, who back then had defied a Huayang Realm expert for the sake of this divine weapon!

She knew the truth of what happened back then. Ouyang Ke had revealed everything to her when he was already resolved to die.

The divine weapon in the Earth-Core Fire Vein had never been successfully forged because it was missing several rare divine materials. Coincidentally, a Demonic Path expert had approached Ouyang Ke that year,

wanting him to help repair a divine weapon.

Ouyang Ke outwardly agreed, but in reality, he used the divine material left by the Demonic Path expert on that ominous object.

Later, the expert, seeing that the divine weapon repair had failed and caused great losses, was furious and wanted to kill Ouyang Ke directly. But Ouyang Ke had long been prepared.

He enlisted the help of an expert from the Shushan Sword Sect to protect Zangbing Valley, while he pleaded guilty to the expert with his death.

That was the truth back then!

As for rumors, they were just rumors after all...

And she was entrusted by Ouyang Ke to raise Ouyang Zhi. According to his calculations, not long after Ouyang Tuo reached adulthood, the ominous object at the level of a divine weapon would be successfully forged.

Looking at the posthumous son left behind by her sister, Madam Xu agreed...

She married Ouyang Ke and fulfilled the duties of a wife, but Ouyang Ke was obsessed with weapon-refining and was indifferent to her, the number one beauty of Shuzhou.

Perhaps in Ouyang Ke's eyes, that thing that carried the hopes of the Ouyang clan for hundreds of years was what he loved most.

"With the help of this divine weapon, our Zangbing Valley will surely become a top family in Shuzhou in a few decades," Madam Xu said solemnly, gazing at Ouyang Zhi.

"Mother, rest assured, my father's last wish will be fulfilled by your son!"

"Go, start preparing. Seven days from now, collect this ominous object," Madam Xu said softly.

"Your son takes his leave..."

Ouyang Zhi bowed and left the small courtyard.

Madam Xu watched Ouyang Zhi's departing figure, breathed a long sigh of relief, turned around, and continued to tease the fish. Only these little things could dispel the gloom in her heart.

For some reason, she always had a sense of unease in her heart.

It seemed that there would definitely be some twists and turns in the process of collecting that divine weapon.

"Perhaps I'm just overthinking it..."

Madam Xu thought to herself.

......

......

Zangbing Valley, inside a first-class courtyard.

Chen Yuan and Han Yu were tasting tea. This was spiritual tea he had obtained from his good brother Shangguan Yu, and it was quite good.

"What do you think of this tea?"

Chen Yuan poured a cup for Han Yu.

"Brother Chen has a refined taste." Han Yu picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and praised with a bright look in his eyes:

"The tea contains spiritual energy, which is beneficial to cultivation."

"Drink more tea when you're idle."

"Mm?"

"As the saying goes, ten thousand feet of mortal dust in three cups of wine, a great cause spanning a thousand years in a pot of tea."

Upon hearing this, Han Yu was quite shocked by Chen Yuan's literary talent. He had never heard of this saying, so it must have been something he said off the cuff.

After murmuring a few sentences, Han Yu dispelled the shock that this sentence brought.

The artistic conception contained in this sentence was not small, ten thousand feet of mortal dust, a great cause spanning a thousand years... It seemed that Chen Yuan had great ambitions. Thinking about it, he had his own foundation in Tangshan Prefecture,

so how could he not have ambitions?

He was quite surprised that he could speak so eloquently. In his impression, Chen Yuan was a decisive character who was extremely brave, but he shouldn't have any literary talent.

He didn't expect him to be both cultured and martial.

"It seems that Brother Chen is a tea lover."

Chen Yuan smiled and didn't speak.

He didn't love tea or wine, only the spiritual energy contained within.

That sentence just now was just something he said off the cuff. He didn't even expect to put on an invisible act in front of Han Yu, making his image even more stalwart.

Of course, this also allowed him to win him over faster.

But then again, tasting tea when you're idle can indeed calm your mind.

"Brother Chen, what do you think? Will there be any problems with the Zangbing Valley affair this time?"

Han Yu was cautious by nature, and it was precisely because of this steadiness that he had made it to where he was today.

Han Yu had already harbored doubts when Madam Xu wanted to ask for their help.

"What do you think?"

"I feel that it's not that simple." Han Yu said his thoughts in a deep voice.

"Tell me about it."

"Madam Xu, through Brother Chen's hand, first killed Ouyang Tuo, removing the hidden danger, and then..." Han Yu raised some of the doubts in his heart.

"How do you know that she used my hand to kill Ouyang Tuo, and not that I wanted to kill him myself?"

"Intuition and observation."

"Continue."

Chen Yuan became more interested in Han Yu.

This ordinary-looking, slightly dark-skinned guy seemed to be getting more and more interesting.

Han Yu smiled lightly and continued to talk about his views.

It had to be said that his observations were indeed meticulous. He not only noticed the hidden killing intent he had towards Ouyang Tuo, but also paid attention to the meaning in Madam Xu's eyes when she looked at him.

Adding in some of his own judgments, he came to a conclusion.

This time, Chen Yuan didn't refute, but nodded directly and said:

"You're right, it was indeed Madam Xu who killed Ouyang Tuo through my hand."

"In that case, this Madam Xu should indeed have great designs." Han Yu nodded in agreement.

"This matter is indeed not that simple, Brother Han must be careful and cautious when you are stationed at the formation core controlling the formation." Chen Yuan advised.

This was also because Han Yu had already pledged his allegiance to him, otherwise Chen Yuan definitely wouldn't have given this warning.

In his guess, the ominous weapon contained in the Earth-Core Fire Vein must be problematic, and even the formation they were guarding was closely related to that thing.

Don't ask why, it's just intuition.

And his intuition had always been very accurate.

"I understand." Han Yu nodded with a solemn expression.

"Come, let's continue drinking tea."

Chen Yuan smiled and then changed the topic, no longer mentioning anything about the formation.

It was impossible for him to reveal too much. As for how much Han Yu could comprehend, it all depended on him. Chen Yuan's first priority was to ensure that he obtained that divine weapon.

There could be absolutely no mistakes in this.

During the conversation, Chen Yuan also congratulated Han Yu.

After the battle in the martial arts arena, those spectators spread the news of what happened that day, and it wasn't just Chen Yuan and Jiang He who caused a sensation.

There was also Han Yu.

It was just that under the fame of the two of them, Han Yu was squeezed out and didn't receive much attention.

But his ranking was solid.

After the assessment of the Dengxian Tower, Han Yu successfully made it onto the Potential Dragon Ranking at number thirty-six, becoming a subordinate under Chen Yuan with extremely strong talent.

Chen Yuan treated him more as an equal.

And his duties, Chen Yuan had already thought about it, in the future he and Du Ming, the Commandant of the Martial Preparation Army, would jointly manage his foundation in Tangshan Prefecture.

As the two were talking, Yue Shan, who was guarding outside the door, walked up to Chen Yuan and said in a low voice:

"My lord, Madam Xu has arrived."

Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows and pondered:

"Please invite Madam Xu in."

Han Yu's eyes flashed and he said in a low voice:

"Since there is a guest visiting, then I will take my leave first."

Although he had already decided to pledge his allegiance to Chen Yuan, it wasn't yet a foregone conclusion, so he didn't refer to himself as a subordinate, and Chen Yuan naturally wouldn't force him to.

"Alright, you can go back first."

"Mm."

Han Yu left through the back door and didn't encounter Madam Xu. She leisurely came to Chen Yuan and glanced at the steaming teacup, and smiled:

"Did Fellow Daoist Han Yu just leave?"

"Madam, please."

Chen Yuan nodded and waved his hand to replace the teaware in front of him with new ones.

Madam Xu today was much the same as usual, still wearing a plain black dress, which clearly outlined her graceful figure. She slowly sat opposite Chen Yuan:

"Lord Chen has quite the refined taste."

"In between cultivation, one naturally has to do other things. I wonder what brings Madam here?"

"This concubine is here to thank Brother Chen."

"Oh?"

"Ouyang Tuo, that old thief, was a great problem for my son and me. Since Brother Chen has removed him, I naturally have to fulfill my promise. I wonder when Lord Chen is planning to go and choose a spiritual weapon?"

"There's no rush. Let's wait until after the Earth-Core Fire Vein shakes."

"Very well then." Madam Xu revealed a smile and didn't find it strange.

But Chen Yuan wanted to know more about that ominous weapon, so he probed:

"Before, Madam said that Zangbing Valley would cause an earth vein tremor every sixty years. But according to the information I know, it doesn't seem to be the case.

There has never been such a tremor in Zangbing Valley before."

Madam Xu's eyelids twitched unconsciously, but she quickly reacted:

"Where did Lord Chen hear this news? Have you forgotten what I said before? As long as there is a Dan Realm Grandmaster stationed, there will be no tremor.

But before, my husband passed away, and Zangbing Valley no longer has a Grandmaster, so I had to ask you all for help."

"Is that so? Perhaps I heard wrong."

"Does Lord Chen not believe what I said?" Madam Xu raised her head and asked, looking directly at Chen Yuan, seemingly wanting to see if he had noticed any problems.

"Has Madam forgotten what I said that night? I never trust anyone, especially women."

"Why do you say that?"

"I once heard a saying, the more beautiful a woman is, the more she lies. Madam is the number one beauty of Shuzhou, so are you also lying?"

Chen Yuan looked at her calmly and directly.

"Lord Chen is joking. What kind of beauty am I? I'm already old and fading. So, you should believe what I say. I'm a widow and an orphan,

how dare I deceive the renowned Demon Saber Chen Yuan?"

Madam Xu's beautiful eyes swirled, wanting to dispel Chen Yuan's confusion.

"A woman has two mouths, how can I know if what Madam says is true?"

"Hehe..."

Madam Xu chuckled twice and didn't understand the meaning of the sentence. Instead, she smiled lightly:

"Whether it's a man or a woman, there has always only been one mouth, how can there be two?"

"One horizontal, one vertical."

Chen Yuan smiled lightly and didn't say anything more.

Madam Xu glanced at him, her eyes flashing. This time, she understood a little, but she didn't want to say anything more about it. She wanted to remain dignified:

"There are still three days before the formation is activated. At that time, the location where Green Envoy Chen is stationed will be the most important formation core. I will entrust it to Green Envoy. The hundreds of people in my Zangbing Valley will also be entrusted to Green Envoy."

Chen Yuan squinted his eyes and nodded with a smile:

"Madam, rest assured, I will definitely not fail to live up to your trust."

"Then I thank you."

"But I have one more request, I hope Madam can agree."

"Green Envoy, please speak."

"Madam also knows that I am always cautious, but I don't know anything about this formation. Can I please ask Madam to draw out this formation first so I can take a look at it. That way, I will be more confident."

"This..." Madam Xu hesitated, her eyes flickering. She wanted to refuse. Ordinary people might not be able to see anything wrong with that formation, but this Chen Yuan didn't seem to be an ordinary person.

If he saw that there was a problem with this formation, it might not end well.

"What? Is Madam unwilling? Or is it that there really is a problem with this formation?" Chen Yuan's tone sank, and a faint dangerous aura emanated from his body, making Madam Xu, who was sitting to the side, feel a sense of suffocation.

She had a new understanding of Chen Yuan's strength.

Although they were both Profound Connection Realm warriors, she was actually frightened by even a wisp of his aura. The gap was indeed too great.

"Since Green Envoy wants to see it, I naturally won't refuse."

After taking a deep look at Chen Yuan, Madam Xu regretted coming here a little. But she had already been pushed to this point. If she didn't agree to Chen Yuan's request,

it might cause even bigger problems.

"Someone, bring pen, ink, paper, and inkstone..." Chen Yuan's lips curled into a smile.

Yan Qing immediately went to the room to get pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and placed them on the tea table. Chen Yuan handed over the brush and said:

"Madam, please."

"I have a brush on me, so I won't trouble Lord Chen." Madam Xu smiled lightly, took out a green-shafted brush from under her long sleeves, and dipped it in the inkstone.

Then, she bent down and sketched a simple formation diagram on the scroll with a few strokes.

Of course, she had made some reservations on some secrets, at least not letting Chen Yuan see the problem with this formation and the things in the Earth-Core Fire Vein at a glance.

Standing behind Madam Xu, Chen Yuan's eyes stared closely at the formation diagram she drew. Combining it with some guidance from the Destiny Altar, he already had a clear understanding of the things in the Earth-Core Fire Vein.

But he also knew that this woman definitely wouldn't draw it out so easily. There must still be omissions in it, but it was enough for him!

After a long time, Madam Xu stopped the brush in her hand and said lightly:

"Green Envoy, please take a look. This is the diagram of the formation to jointly suppress that great formation."

"No need. I just wanted to see if Madam would dare to draw it. Since you dare to draw it, then there must be no problem." Chen Yuan's words made Madam Xu's heart stir.

Just now, she was still doubtful if Chen Yuan had seen something, but now, it seemed that she was overthinking it.

"Is Green Envoy really not going to take a closer look?"

"Of course I'm going to take a look." Chen Yuan said with a smile.

"Mm?"

This sentence made Madam Xu confused again. She didn't understand why Chen Yuan's words had changed so quickly.

But soon she knew she was wrong, because Chen Yuan hadn't finished speaking just now. What he continued to say was:

"It's just that I want to see Madam's brush."

Madam Xu frowned:

"What's there to see about this brush?"

Chen Yuan said lightly: "This brush should be a spiritual weapon, right?"

Madam Xu's heart was startled: "How did Green Envoy see that?"

"Although the spirituality of this brush is weak, there are still some weak fluctuations if you sense it carefully. Zangbing Valley is indeed Zangbing Valley, even the brush for painting and calligraphy contains spirituality." He praised, successfully diverting Madam Xu's attention.

And didn't let her associate to other aspects.

"This thing is a relic that my husband once left behind. It was indeed a spiritual weapon before, but the spirituality has already been extinguished. Green Envoy Chen really has good eyes."

Saying that, she handed the brush in her hand to Chen Yuan.

After looking it over casually, Chen Yuan looked at the slight protrusions at the front of the brush, his eyes narrowed slightly, he paused for a moment and returned it to Madam Xu.

"Since this thing is Madam's deceased husband's relic, then I won't look at it any more."

"It doesn't matter, I have already faced it calmly."

"Hehe..."

After joking a few words casually, Chen Yuan obliterated the scroll on the table, successfully making Madam Xu put down the suspicion in her heart. The reason why it was so easy,

was actually also because Madam Xu felt that it was impossible for Chen Yuan to know this information.

This was an extremely secret inheritance of the Ouyang clan, which had never been passed down to outsiders. There was simply no chance for it to be leaked. Unless Chen Yuan had the help of the heavens, he would definitely be kept in the dark.

After staying for a while, Madam Xu proposed to leave.

No matter what, she was a widow, and coming here often would cause some gossip, which was very inappropriate. She was a person who cared about face.

Now that the goal was achieved, she naturally wouldn't stay any longer.

As long as Chen Yuan, the most important person, didn't become suspicious, then Zhi'er would have a great chance of taking away that divine weapon that had been refined for hundreds of years.

Looking at Madam Xu's departing figure, her graceful figure twisting, her charm was extremely beautiful.

The corners of Chen Yuan's mouth curled into a sneer. Now, everything was ready, only waiting for the opportunity! The only thing that was a little uncoordinated was that the big dragon raised up a little, but this thing was obviously not something that could be easily controlled by human will.

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