Su ming raised his finger slowly and pointed.
"Do you understand now? never walk a path that was never meant for you."
Zhang Yong stroked his chin, thinking aloud.
"No , it's the perseverance, like a moth towards the flame , you know it might not possible to reach it , but you still want to go through it"He looked up and asked with a smirk,"But is it really that hard to walk in a path you don't belong to?"
Su Ming raised his hands and replied plainly:
"That's why they say... walking a path not meant for you is like defying the heavens themselves."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong smiled faintly.
"Then I guess I'll practice the Sword Path even harder. After all, I intend to challenge the heavens either way."
Su Ming sighed and smiled as well, knowing deep down that no matter what he said, he couldn't change Zhang Yong's mind.
"Well, thinking about it now, even without the Sword Path, I'm strong enough to handle anyone. I'm not arrogant just confident."
As they reached the residential area of the sect, they were unexpectedly met by two shadowy figures standing directly in front of Zhang Yong's home.
"Huh? Two people at the door?" Zhang Yong and Su Ming were both caught off guard.
What truly raised their alertness was the fact that the two were dressed entirely in black
Zhang Yong narrowed his eyes and asked cautiously,
"What are you doing here?"
The two men exchanged glances before the one on the right spoke:
"Are you Zhang Yong?"
Zhang Yong's eyes sharpened.
'They're asking for my name? So they don't recognize my face? Unlikely. The question is who sent them? The only name that comes to mind... Zang Dan.'
While Su Ming stood quietly, analyzing the situation, Zhang Yong suddenly shifted his expression.
He placed a foolish grin on his face, closed his eyes with a smile, and clasped his hands in front of him.
"Oh, sorry! You must be looking for my twin brother—Zhang Yong. I'm Zhang Yan. We're twins, so people often mistake us."
Everyone froze.
Su Ming"..."
others within the Spiritual Sea"..."
The bats"..."
the trees"..."
the wind"..."
'What the—?! Since when does Zhang Yong act polite?! And who the hell is Zhang Yan?!' Su Ming thought, utterly shocked.
The two men exchanged whispers.
"Does Zhang Yong have a twin brother?" the one on the right asked.
The other shook his head.
"I think so. He joined with another guy on the same day. There's a chance it's his brother."
Still wearing his fake smile, Zhang Yong opened his eyes and sighed,
"Don't tell me that useless brother borrowed money again… what am I going to do with him?"
He stomped the ground in frustration.
Su Ming watched silently, realizing Zhang Yong was about to trick them again.
He truly was unpredictable—mad when in control, cautious when not.
It was astonishing how he balanced both extremes so well.
The man on the left spoke in a cold voice:
"You said Zhang Yong is your brother? Where is he now?"
Zhang Yong thought coldly to himself:
'Most likely these two are inner disciples... or perhaps outer ones hired by someone. But the former seems more likely. The sect is surrounded by formations and guards. Without a wooden token, outsiders are treated as intruders unless they have a recommendation or pass the entry trial. So they must be affiliated.'
He smiled politely and answered:
"Yeah, he joined the Tomb of Thieves competition. He should have returned by now."
He tapped his chin.
"Could he be... there?"
The man on the right stepped forward quickly.
"There? Where's that? Tell us."
Zhang Yong recoiled dramatically like a frightened cat.
"W-What? What do you want from my brother?"
The man on the left stepped in front of his partner, gently pulling him back.
"No need to be afraid, little brother. We just want to speak with him. You see, he borrowed an item from our master to use in the tomb. We're just here to retrieve it."
Zhang Yong exhaled in relief.
"Ah, I see. I thought he did something unforgivable for a second there. Please, follow me—I'll take you to him."
He turned and motioned for them to follow. The four of them walked down the marble steps, away from the sect.
"Could this brat be lying to us?" the man on the right whispered.
"I doubt it," replied the other. "He's trembling from a few words I said. There's no way this coward is the same guy who insulted Brother Zang. He's shown no aggression so far."
Su Ming walked beside Zhang Yong and whispered:
"What are you planning to do?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to test your strength after your breakthrough? Now's your chance."
They continued walking until they reached the edge of the forest.
"Where are you taking us?!" the man on the right snapped.
"Where is your damned brother?"
Zhang Yong stopped and smiled—a grin too wide to be called friendly.
"We're already here."
The two men looked at each other.
"Really? Where is he—?"
Before they could finish—
"Ask Yama."
Clack!
Zhang Yong's sword pierced through the chest of the man on the left.
"You're the leader, aren't you? Always best to take the head first."
Before the second man could process what happened, a golden light shot through his heart—
"Twilight Sword Intent."
Su Ming's strike was swift and clean.
The two collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Zhang Yong and Su Ming exchanged looks. Then Zhang Yong crouched beside the man he stabbed—he was still barely breathing.
"Tell me—who sent you?" he asked.
The man coughed blood and chuckled weakly.
"I… won't… tell you that..."
Before he lost consciousness, Zhang Yong channeled life energy into his body, stabilizing him just enough to keep him alive.
He pointed behind him.
"Was it him who sent you?"
Suddenly, a figure appeared—Zang Dan.
The man's eyes widened.
"Senior Brother! Run! This kid—"
But before he could finish, Zang Dan's figure vanished into thin air.
"Thanks for the confirmation," Zhang Yong said with a calm smile"You just saved me a lot of trouble."
With a single twist, Zhang Yong snapped the man's neck and ended it.
Su Ming stood in disbelief.
"Zhang Yong… What was that just now? I could've sworn I saw someone..."
Zhang Yong chuckled"I can create illusions."
"But… didn't you say your energy core was broken?"
Zhang Yong stood and stored the two bodies inside his inventory—one of the safest places to hide corpses, undetectable to nearly all techniques.
He motioned for Su Ming to follow, and the two returned to the sect.
Zhang Yong was able to create the illusion thanks to the Soul Bone of the Nightmare King.
It had two primary abilities:
—Nightmare Realm, which plunged the target into a mental nightmare
—Dream Realm, which manipulated sensory input and brought illusions into reality.
It used mental energy, not spiritual qi.
"So, now that you know who was behind them... what will you do?" Su Ming asked.
Zhang Yong laughed lightly.
"You've been with me long enough. You should know the answer by now."
"Obviously you won't let it go… But you do know he's an inner disciple, right?"
Zhang Yong scoffed.
"Inner disciple or pig—he dug his own grave the moment he broke our agreement and tried to kill me. Let's head to the techniques Tower."
Upon arrival, Zhang Yong handed over their tokens to the keeper.
"You have two hours inside the tower," the keeper said.
"If you overstay, there will be consequences."
As they entered, Su Ming asked,
"Why are we here again?"
Zhang Yong simply smiled and pressed a button on a small device.
---
Meanwhile…
In the inner sect, Zang Dan sat calmly, meditating. He was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Young master, I bring news," came the voice outside
Zang Dan stood, opened the door, and asked,
"What is it?"
A servant bowed.
"Young master, that outer disciple was sighted. We dispatched the Chu's brothers "
Zang Dan burst out laughing.
"Excellent! That lowlife tried to extort me? I'll show him what pain means. Those brothers are two of my finest. They'll drag him back here. I'll break every bone in his body!"
The servant bowed in admiration.
"Young master truly is the strongest and wisest."
"Of course I am!" Zang Dan laughed.
"I'm the most powerful, most handsome, most brilliant—"
BOOOOOOM!!!
Upon hearing the loud noise outside, Su Ming asked, "What is that vibration?"
A smile appeared on Zhang yong's face. "Earlier during my visit to Zang Dan, I asked Uni for a remote-controlled bomb kit with a high range, Using the hidden weapon throwing technique I got from Tang San on those bombs, I was able to easily plant them without anyone knowing anything. I didn't intend to use them, but I kept them as a safeguard, If Zhang Dan hadn't planned anything against me, I would have let him go.'
Seeing that smile, Su Ming swallowed. 'Zhang Yong is dangerous. I'm lucky that I'm not his enemy.'