However, in many works, this line is blurred, especially in Jin Yong’s work.
Chapter 157: Underlying Dangers!
“Hahaha, the heavens are on my side!”
Initially, the Demonic Emperor Old Man was still feeling a little depressed, but at this very instant, all his negative emotions were swept clean.
“Chong-er! Do you know why that bastard betrayed me?” The Demonic Emperor Old Man abruptly turned to glance at Wang Chong.
“I don’t.”
Wang Chong was actually rather curious about this matter. He knew that the Demonic Emperor Old Man was betrayed by someone who was likely to be his disciple, but he hadn’t heard the details.
“Hmph. I treated that bastard as my own son. Even though I, Zhang Wenfu, am… I would never mistreat my disciple. It was due to that bastard’s lacking talent that I chose to impart him the Little Yinyang Art only. Yet, he suspected that I was withholding my secret arts from him, and he conspired with outsiders to backstab me.”
“That bastard never tried to consider the fact that given his root bone, talent, and that he has missed the ideal period for tempering one’s root bone, if I were to impart him my ultimate art, it’ll just a matter of time before his cultivation goes berserk.”
“I treated him so well, taking his welfare to be my priority, yet he backstabbed me!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s rage surged as he recalled the past.
Wang Chong fell silent. The Demonic Emperor Old Man wasn’t a good person, but Wang Chong could feel that he treated those whom he held dear kindly.
It might be karma that landed the Demonic Emperor Old Man in his current state, but regardless, his disciple shouldn’t have been the one holding the knife.
“Master, rest assured! I’ll surely avenge you!”
Wang Chong spoke in a heavy tone.
“Hahaha, good! Chong-er, I truly didn’t misjudge you. I’m content with just your words.”
Delight shone on the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s face. He took off his belt as he spoke, and Wang Chong realized that there were some inner workings to his belt.
It looked ordinary on the surface, but there were several hidden compartments to it.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man opened one of the compartments and took out a heavy, black thumb-sized pill of the size of a thumb.
“What’s that?”
Wang Chong was taken aback.
“This is the last Dragon Transcension Pill in my possession! Only those who have reached Tiger Bone 3-dan pinnacle can use it! Initially, as long as that bastard behaved obediently and cultivated his root bone to Tiger Bone 3-dan pinnacle, I would have given it to him. However, that bastard was simply too anxious, and so, he missed out on this Dragon Transcension Pill.”
As he spoke, the Demonic Emperor Old Man generously passed the Dragon Transcension Pill over to Wang Chong.
“I’ll officially give this Dragon Transcension Pill to you. Chong-er, once you assimilate this pill, you’ll be able to reach Dragon Bone realm. After which, I’ll impart you some martial arts.”
“Thank you, master!”
Wang Chong was delighted. He thought that it would take a lot of time and effort for him to reach Dragon Bone realm, and he didn’t expect such an opportunity to come his way. To think that he would obtain the legendary ‘Dragon Transcension Pill’ from the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
Swallowing the Dragon Transcension Pill, Wang Chong felt a deep aura gushing through his body. This aura felt incomparably powerful, and there was a trace of a violent and destructive power within it.
“The pills of the unorthodox ways are indeed different!”
Wang Chong only managed to formulate this thought before he ‘exploded’. Kachacha, the crisp sound of bones cracking echoed from his body, and this very moment, all he could feel was a blazing heat searing every single cell in his body.
“Hold your breath, guard your spirit, and slowly take in the medicinal energy. Don’t move recklessly!”
An imposing voice sounded in Wang Chong’s ears.
Wang Chong’s heart jolted, and he quickly stopped all motions. Then, a palm struck his mingmen from behind, and a surge of warm Origin Energy immediately seeped into his body.
(An acupoint)
Then, from another location, the palm struck once more, and another surge of Origin Energy seeped into his body.
Under the assistance of these external palm strikes, the burning inferno within Wang Chong’s body seemed to have been quenched with cool, refreshing spring water, alleviating the searing heat.
Time slowly passed, and Wang Chong soon reached an imperturbable state.
After an unknown period of time!
“Yin! ——”
A crisp roar of a dragon sounded, and the air behind Wang Chong blurred. Vaguely, one could make out the silhouette of a flood dragon.
The flood dragon danced in the air for a moment before disappearing.
At the same time, Wang Chong opened his eyes, and a piercing light glared out from within.
“Finally, Dragon Bone realm!”
Wang Chong relaxed his arms, overjoyed.
Even though Wang Chong had only reached Dragon Bone 1-dan, there was a significant qualitative improvement to his physical condition.
He could feel energy surging through his body, and his endurance, stamina, and burst strength were enhanced greatly. His cultivation was still Origin Energy Tier 7, but his foundation became extremely solid.
“Finally, I’ve reached the realm that I was unable to break through in my previous life!”
Wang Chong thought in exhilaration. Since the Dragon Bone was forged, he would no longer be limited by his root bone as he was in his previous life.
“Good, you’ve succeeded. To be able to reach the Dragon Bone realm at fifteen, you have a boundless future before you!”
An ancient voice sounded from behind him. The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s face had turned white, and his voice was trembling in weakness.
“Thank you, master!”
Upon seeing the weak state of the Demonic Emperor Old Man, Wang Chong felt touched.
“Master, don’t worry. Even if the entire world betrays you in the future, I’ll never betray you!”
“Hehe, I’ll take your word for it then. This is the foundation formula for 《Little Yinyang Art》. No matter what cultivation technique one cultivates, one has to build on it steadily. Be it unorthodox techniques or orthodox techniques, there is nothing that can escape this rule! After you master the foundation formula, I’ll teach you the complete 《Little Yinyang Art》. Then, once you master the 《Little Yinyang Art》, I’ll impart you my true ultimate art!”
“Thank you, master!”
After taking the foundation formula for the 《Little Yinyang Art》, Wang Chong instructed Shen Hai and Meng Long to stand guard at the Purple Bamboo Garden before leaving.
…
“Paying respect to master!”
Just as Wang Chong left the Purple Bamboo Garden, at another residence in the east of the capital, several hundred black-robed men were gathered together, and every single one of them exuded a powerful malevolent aura. Facing the roof, they kneeled and paid respect to a young black-robed man whose face was concealed with a ghost mask.
This courtyard was hidden deeply amidst trees, making it impossible for anyone to notice this location from the outside.
“Listen well!”
Standing on top of the roof, with his hands behind his back, the masked black-robed young man lifted his head coldly and gazed down on the others with a look of superiority.
“That old geezer isn’t dead yet! I want you all to infiltrate deep into Great Tang’s capital and search through the alleys in the region. It’s impossible for that old geezer to mask his malevolent aura given the creation plundering demonic art he cultivates. I’ve obtained a unique search tool that will allow you all to sense that old fellow as soon as he comes into a certain radius around you.”
Sou!
The masked black-robed young man flung his sleeves, and a black flame flew forth from his hands. The flame dissipated in midair, splitting into thousands of fragments. With a sound reminiscent of the wailing of ghosts, the fragments dived into the bodies of the black-robed men below.
Their bodies jolted, and their aura immediately changed slightly.
“Go!”
“Yes, master!”
The hundreds of black-robed men immediately scattered in all directions.
“You all are too careless!”
Not too long after the black-robed men scattered, a black silhouette appeared before the masked black-robed young man.
“A snake that doesn’t die will strike back. Do you all know what will happen to us if that old geezer survives?”
A black circle vaguely appeared in his eyes, giving him a bizarre and demonic appearance.
“How could I have expected that the old geezer would have cultivated a secret escaping art? I’ve been with him for so long, but I’ve never noticed it.”
The masked black-robed young man said indignantly.
“Even so, he can’t escape for long. His spirit sea was shattered, and on top of that, given the searching tool and my Origin Energy, we’ll definitely be able to find him within twenty days even if he were to burrow underground!”
“Let’s just hope so!”
The silhouette replied, and in the next instant, he vanished from the rooftop.
…
After finding the Demonic Emperor Old Man and acknowledging him as his teacher, Wang Chong was finally able to lay down a burden on his heart, and he felt much more relaxed. In the next few days, other than accompanying Su Zhengchen for chess matches in the Ghost Tree District and visiting the Demonic Emperor Old Man at the Purple Bamboo Garden, Wang Chong devoted all of his time to cultivating the foundation formula of 《Little Yinyang Art》.
“Have you met someone recently?”
Beneath the Chinese scholar tree, Su Zhengchen suddenly stared at Wang Chong and asked.
“What?”
Wang Chong’s heart skipped a beat. Su Zhengchen’s gaze felt as though it could peer straight into his heart, and he suddenly felt a bad premonition.
“Elder, are you pulling my leg? There are so many people walking to and fro the streets every day, of course I’ll meet with a lot of people every day!”
“Is that so?”
Su Zhengchen replied impassively. Then, he picked up a white stone and continued on with the chess match, not pursuing this matter any further, as though nothing had happened.
Hu!
Wang Chong heaved a deep sigh of relief within. Su Zhengchen was the war god, a top-notch expert. It was highly likely that his skills were par with the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
For a moment, Wang Chong forgot that these two men stood at two polar ends of the spectrum, and their relationship was like water and fire.
“How did I forget about Elder Su’s righteous personality? He bears a deep hatred for evildoers. Fortunately, I have only just started cultivating the 《Little Yinyang Art》, so perhaps he hasn’t realized anything yet.”
Wang Chong suddenly felt his hair stand on end. Being caught cultivating the 《Little Yinyang Art》 was a small matter; more importantly, if Su Zhengchen were to notice the existence of the Demonic Emperor Old Man, it would cause a calamity.
“Darn!”
Wang Chong thought.
“Your mind is wandering.”
A calm and nonchalant voice suddenly drifted by Wang Chong’s ear. Brought back to reality, Wang Chong realized that he had made a wrong move.
“Hehe, elder, you sure are incredible. To think that I would misread the situation… Come, come, eat a slice of braised beef!”
Wang Chong chuckled as he placed a large slice of braised beef into Su Zhengchen’s plate.
Su Zhengchen had an austere personality, and upon seeing Wang Chong place a piece of braised beef on his plate, his face froze.
“Haha, come, let’s continue with the match!”
Wang Chong felt that it was a close call. He hurriedly made a move to divert Su Zhengchen’s attention.
The match lasted from noon until early evening, and eventually, it ended in Su Zhengchen’s loss, as usual.
“Elder, you’ve lost again.”
Wang Chong burst into laughter. Then, just like the previous times, he bade his farewell and left.
Su Zhengchen smiled silently in response. When Wang Chong finally disappeared into the distance, the smile of Su Zhengchen’s face faded, replaced by graveness.
“Fang Hong!”
“Master, what is it?”
Behind the tree, the old servant Fang Hong appeared.
“That child seems to be dabbling in demonic arts recently. A person from the unorthodox ways must have approached him recently. Bring me a black kite, I need it!”
(Black kite is a bird species)
Su Zhengchen spouted coldly, and a hint of killing intent flashed across his face.
If the Great Tang wanted to soar to greater heights, then the grooming of the younger generation was of utmost importance. On top of dabbling in demonic arts, Wang Chong even tried to conceal the matter, not knowing that he had already seen through it.
That child’s gift didn’t come easily, and even Su Zhengchen had no choice but to admit that he wasn’t a match for him. In the future, he would surely become an important pillar of the royal court. He couldn’t allow anyone to lead him astray.
“Master, you said that he has cultivated demonic arts?”
Old servant Fang Hong was astonished.
“Un. Don’t reveal this matter before him, I’ll deal with it myself.”
Su Zhengchen replied.
“Yes, master!”
Old servant Fang Hong lowered his head.
Before long, a huge black kite was brought over. This was a special breed exclusive to the Su Residence, and it was very gifted in tracking. Huala! Su Zhengchen took off the collar around its neck and waved a black stone that Wang Chong held just awhile ago around its nose before releasing it. Hu! The black kite took off to the skies. It hovered around the area for a moment before darting straight to the direction where Wang Chong left…
Chapter 158: Myriad Spirit Sea Art!
Gululu!
A carriage bearing the Wang Clan’s insignia traveled on the streets. Wang Chong sat motionlessly in the carriage, silently cultivating the 《Little Yinyang Art》 foundation formula the Demonic Emperor Old Man gave him.
Even though it was just the foundation formula, this cultivation technique wasn’t as easy as Wang Chong imagined. In fact, it was more difficult than all the other cultivation techniques that Wang Chong had learned in his previous life. However, it was fortunate that the Demonic Emperor Old Man had warned him about it in advance. The first step was always the hardest one to make, and the cultivation of the 《Little Yinyang Art》 became easier the further one progressed. As long as Wang Chong broke through the initial bottleneck, the latter parts would be relatively easier.
Origin Energy coursed through his body, and under Wang Chong’s control, it charged through one acupoint after another.
None of the paths between the acupoints collided with the cultivation techniques Wang Chong cultivated before, and every single one of these paths was bizarre and peculiar.
“No wonder this cultivation technique is called a demonic art. Just the pathways for the Origin Energy is unorthodox in itself.”
Wang Chong mumbled.
An hour later, a slight crisp sound echoed. Wang Chong had succeeded in forging a path between two acupoints once more.
With the clearing of this path, Wang Chong’s Origin Energy grew slightly denser.
Weng!
Just as Wang Chong was immersing in his gains, he suddenly felt an interruption, and his Origin Energy turned chaotic.
“Hm? This feeling…”
Wang Chong’s eyebrows twitched. He reached out
and parted the window. Amidst the huge crowd outside, without any hesitation, his eyes fell on a cold-faced and suspicious man, who happened to be looking in his direction as well.
Wang Chong could sense a familiar aura from their body.
“They’re people from the unorthodox ways!”
A thought flashed across Wang Chong’s head, and he immediately understood what was going on.
The other party swiftly retracted his gaze, but this brief moment was more than sufficient for Wang Chong to realize that something was amiss.
“Turn around, head southwest!”
Wang Chong knocked on the carriage compartment and ordered.
This was the first time someone was tracking him in so many days.
“Let’s go over and take a look!”
In the crowd, two figures hurriedly followed the carriage. The carriage traveled through several alleys, but it didn’t seem to be headed for the Purple Bamboo Garden. Instead, it was traveling toward somewhere remote.
“Heh, he’s looking for it. I was just thinking that there wasn’t any opportunity to strike when he delivers one to my doorstep!”
“Even though he isn’t that old geezer, given how that brat is able to induce an Origin Energy disturbance similar to master’s, he must be related to him. As long as we capture him, we’ll be able to find the whereabouts of that old fellow!”
…
The duo hurriedly followed behind Wang Chong, and despite being on their own two feet, they were still able to catch up to the carriage easily.
Before long, they reached an area shrouded by trees. There were very little passers-by in the region, and vaguely, one could hear the high-pitched squeaking of pigs being slaughtered.
This was a butchery, and due to the stench from the huge amount of livestock here, no one, other than butchers and traders, would be here at such a late timing.
Jiya!
Around a thousand meters away from the butchery, Wang Chong’s carriage stopped.
“You’re courting death!”
Delighted, the two disciples of the unorthodox ways drew their swords, and without even thinking twice, they charged straight for the carriage. However, even though they were fast, Wang Chong was even faster!
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 124
