Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 593 - 573: Self-Help

Zhou Leng finished looking at Xu Qingjin’s social media circle, glanced at Rucheng once again, put on a hood to conceal his face, and ran toward West Sea Demon City.

Something that the Martial Saint, Blood of Tyranny, specifically emphasized could not be delayed even a fraction of a second.

As he ran, Zhou Leng checked some news related to himself, mainly about the outcome of the false accusation case.

Using the Demonized Watch while running at high speed was quite inconvenient.

When he came back from the Sea Siren World this time, he needed to buy an advanced combat Demon Brain.

After running for a while, Wang Boxiong’s call came in.

Zhou Leng answered the call.

"Hall Master."

"You’ve seen the handling results?"

"I have."

"Do you have any requests?"

Zhou Leng instantly understood that this was an inquiry from his superiors.

"Justice."

"Hmm?"

Zhou Leng did not respond.

"I understand. What will you do next?"

"Find a new direction for cultivation."

Until he advanced to the Grandmaster level, everything was uncertain.

Wang Boxiong pondered for a moment, then said, "If you have any problems with martial arts, reach out to me directly, and I’ll find a solution."

"None at the moment."

"Alright. Focus on your cultivation. I’ve assessed your body; it’s like a small giant. Under the Great Innate stage, no one can match you."

After exchanging a few words, Wang Boxiong reported to the higher-ups and then called his mentor, Zhu Shiji, explaining the course of events.

Outside Xiong City, by the Baiyang River.

Zhu Shiji stood up, scanned the empty fish nets and buckets, packed away the valuable fishing gear, and left only the fishing rod.

Wearing black cloth clothes and shoes, with the fishing rod over his shoulder, he moved gracefully, covering hundreds of meters with each step.

Xiong City, Lou Family.

Lou Shan Cauldron sat in his study, frowning deeply.

These days, he had been dealing with the aftermath of the Zhou Leng matter.

According to his plan, disposing of Zhou Leng would mean Lou Fei Qiong’s past mistakes could be overlooked, and he could smoothly pass the position to his son.

But now, without having dealt with Zhou Leng, the family’s Elders believed Lou Fei Qiong should be held accountable.

He was in a tug-of-war with the family elders, finding it difficult to prevail.

Suddenly, the study door seemed to open by the wind, and an elderly man with a fishing rod on his shoulder walked in.

The old man’s hair and beard were white, his appearance ordinary, with obvious age spots on his face but not a single wrinkle.

Seeing the old man, Lou Shan Cauldron was momentarily stunned, hurriedly stood up, and bowed deeply.

"Lou Shan Cauldron greets Martial Saint Shiji."

Zhu Shiji, with his right hand gripping the fishing rod, scanned the study—a world map, tall bookshelves, and numerous brand-new books.

"I’ve seen you before," Zhu Shiji said, not looking at Lou Shan Cauldron, and slowly walked toward the study’s window.

"I have met you three times," Lou Shan Cauldron said respectfully, slightly bowing his head.

"I’ve heard of your work, revitalizing a declining Lou Family quite splendidly."

"My abilities are insignificant," he replied.

Zhu Shiji moved to the window, gazing out.

"I previously accepted a registered disciple. Normally, I wouldn’t, but that little bastard Wang Huaixiong made the decision for me."

"Even though Wang Huaixiong is a little bastard, he is still my disciple, Zhu Shiji’s little bastard."

Lou Shan Cauldron remembered the rumor about Zhu Shiji taking Zhou Leng as a registered disciple, growing inexplicably nervous and dared not utter a word.

"The disciple I accepted isn’t an easy one, even more troublesome than Wang Huaixiong."

"Normally, I wouldn’t interfere in such trivial matters."

"But your actions were disgusting."

Lou Shan Cauldron’s expression changed slightly, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I’ve been waiting for the handling results." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"After the results, I had Wang Huaixiong ask that registered disciple about his views on the outcome."

"I just got his answer; he said he wants justice."

Lou Shan Cauldron grew increasingly anxious without knowing why.

Staring out the window, Zhu Shiji said slowly, "A child with severed martial paths truly can’t be my disciple."

"Whatever he did in the past is not my concern. No matter how great his achievements are, he earned them himself. I, Zhu Shiji, don’t take advantage of others."

"However, for someone with ruined martial art paths to still seek ’justice’ is quite impressive."

"Such a person is extremely rare."

"Throughout my life, I have met many people like this, but they met tragic ends."

"Even with his martial path severed, he never bowed to you, nor did he compromise with the higher-ups."

"Tell me, if I am inferior to him, what meaning does being a Martial Saint have?"

"He said he wants justice."

"I owe him an answer."

"My answer is self-help invites divine aid."

After speaking, Zhu Shiji extended his right hand, flicking a finger toward Lou Shan Cauldron’s forehead from five meters away.

A thumb-sized orb of white Qi force silently pierced the air between them, passed through Lou Shan Cauldron’s head, through the wall behind, through all the rooms of the Lou Family.

Leaving behind a series of smooth small holes, aligned perfectly.

Until it flew out of the Lou Family estate, causing a massive roar.

The white Qi force remained small, sweeping through its path with fierce winds, cracking the earth, shattering all plants.

Leaving a hundreds-meter-long brown trench on the ground amid the green forest.

The white Qi force then soared into the sky, vanishing without a trace.

Lou Shan Cauldron’s body slumped backward onto his chair, gazing up, the light in his eyes slowly dimming.

Under his skin, his entire body cracked open.

No blood flows from the hole in the center of the forehead.

Supporting his fishing rod, Zhu Shiji strolled out of the study.

In the suburbs of the capital, masters clashing instantly alarmed all sides.

The surveillance footage from the Lou Family spread across major forces.

Carrying his fishing rod, Zhu Shiji slowly walked in and out of the Lou Family, creating a silence that covered the entire Xiong City.

No force made any public statement.

The next day, the second page of the Xiong City Daily was filled with an interview with Martial Saint Zhu Shiji.

One sentence in the interview, seemingly unremarkable, quickly spread across the internet.

Zhu Shiji said, he recently accepted a registered disciple named Zhou Leng.

This was the first time Zhu Shiji publicly acknowledged Zhou Leng as his registered disciple.

Soon after, some partners of the Lou Family terminated their cooperation.

Most others observed, waiting for news from Zhao Palace.

Zhao Palace did not comment.

That night, elders of the Lou Family gathered for an internal meeting.

Overnight, the Lou Family elected a new Patriarch.

The new Patriarch and the elders unanimously agreed to abolish Lou Fei Qiong’s martial arts and expel him from the Lou Family, removing his name from the family register.

Approaching noon, Lou Fei Qiong carried his belongings and walked out of the Lou Family.

His complexion was slightly pale, wearing mourning on his arm, his gaze calm, as he walked away step by step.

Outside the West Sea Demon City defense line.

Zhou Leng finished checking the map, maneuvered past the defense line, heading towards the West Sea Demon City.

Since it was a human defense zone, he was soon spotted by a high-altitude airship.

Before long, a demonized drone flew over, addressing Zhou Leng.

"This is a combat zone, all Free Martial Artists please leave. If you insist on staying, this defense zone bears no responsibility."

Zhou Leng didn’t respond, just pointed ahead.

The West Sea Demon City ahead was like an enormous glass tank.

Inside the transparent Two Realms Barrier, it was filled with dark blue seawater.

The drone repeated the message dozens of times before retreating.

Zhou Leng accelerated forward.

From not far away, two Vitality Stage officers appeared, estimating Zhou Leng’s speed, shaking their heads helplessly.

"It’s an Innate Master."

"Either he’s prepared, or doesn’t know the dangers of the West Sea Demon City, either way, it’s not our business."

"That batch of ’Innate Demon Slaying Camp’ should be returning soon?"

"It’s been over ten days, barring any accidents, they should be coming back."

The two watched as the masked innate touched the Two Realms Barrier, passing through, entering the water.

"This person... is quite impressive."

"How so?"

"The water pressure in West Sea Demon City is extremely strong, even an Innate Master suddenly entering would experience temporary discomfort. But this person entered like it was nothing, impressive."

Talking, the two walked away.

Zhou Leng was in the depths of West Sea Demon City, looking around.

A vast expanse of darkness.

Ordinary people entering here have visual distance similar to nighttime, only seeing some natural light sources.

Ordinary Innates have a visual distance of barely ten meters.

Zhou Leng could see only a little over fifty meters ahead.

However, before entering, he wore demonized glasses, allowing him to vaguely see the scene hundreds of meters away.

Recalling the map of West Sea Demon City in his mind, Zhou Leng used the Demon Spirit Ring to transform into a sea siren resembling a sailfish.

Extending his arms, he swept the water, his body gliding forward gently, kicking the water with his feet.

A miraculous thing happened.

The water in front split automatically, while the water behind seemed like an engine, propelling him forward.

A human unexpectedly possessing an almost sea siren-like underwater talent.

Zhou Leng, in a freestyle swimming posture, quickly cut through the water, advancing rapidly.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, his speed was far slower here than on land.

On land, he could easily surpass the speed of sound, but not here.

Although even normal Grandmaster Fish Demons find reaching such speeds in water difficult.

But accustomed to land speeds, Zhou Leng couldn’t adapt.

After swimming for a long time, a flash of inspiration hit him, employing a Thousand-Pound Weight, his body sunk to the seafloor.

He stamped hard on the seabed, mud and sand churned, bubbles surged around.

Zhou Leng shot forward like a sharp sword, while sweeping both hands in the water, his speed far exceeding before.

Upon deceleration, he again landed on the sea bottom.

This way, half running half swimming, using his innate talent to harness the water, his speed increasingly fast.

Unfortunately, lacking True Qi, or else he could race on the water surface at high speed.

Occasionally encountering sea sirens, they glanced at this peculiar fish demon and hurriedly left.

Along the way, he constantly encountered remnants of old West Sea City architecture.

The collapsed Bright Pearl Tower, red brick Shanghai architecture overgrown with waterweed, only half of the Golden Trade Building remaining, the eerie Disneyland, the abandoned Tesla factory area, and the airport he spent a long time swimming out from...

Seeing those illuminated cities now appear this way, he sighed inwardly.

Since the Human Race is generally unsuited for underwater combat, besides a few bases, the sea sirens hardly set any defenses here.

In fact, they welcome humans entering, as it’s their home turf.

He smoothly exited West Sea Demon City, entering the Sea Siren World.

The Sea Siren World is incredibly peculiar, lacking a seabed, nor a sea surface.

In human descriptions, the Sea Siren World is like a giant water sphere, much larger than Earth.

The exterior of this vast water sphere is enclosed by formidable forces, the higher one ascends, the thinner the spiritual power within the seawater.