174: Chapter 174 Preparation

Three days—not too long, yet not too short.

For the frontier town of Qingyan City, these three days felt like being slowly roasted over a low fire; the air itself drifted with a scent of restless anxiety.

In every street, alley, teahouse, and tavern, there was only one topic people whispered and spat about:

Chen Zilong, the mysterious Guard the Zhou Family had hidden for ten years, was going to have a life-and-death duel with the Xuan Yin Sect's elite disciple and young master of the Wang Family, Wang Bufan, at Duanlong Cliff to the west of the city!

Duanlong Cliff—the name itself sounded ominous.

It was a solitary peak ten miles outside the city. The summit had been leveled by either heavenly thunder or a great expert's sword strike in years unknown, leaving behind a flat platform a hundred yards wide. Not a blade of grass grew there, only hard, grayish-white rock.

Normally, not even a ghost would visit, but now it had become the focus of the entire city's attention.

"Have you heard? That Zhou Family Guard, heh, the one they picked up in the desert ten years ago, is actually a hidden expert! Even Elder Tian Yin of the Xuan Yin Sect politely called him 'Daoist'!"

"Wang Bufan is a solid Nascent Soul Early Stage expert who has cultivated for over a hundred years, and his Xuan Yin True Fire is incredibly fierce! How old does that Chen Zilong look? Can he even do it?"

"Whether he can or not, you can't miss this excitement for nothing! The Zhou Family and Wang Family have fought for so many years; this time, it looks like they're finally settling it!"

"Bets are open! Betting on Wang Bufan to win, 1.2 to 1! Betting on Chen Zilong to win, 5 to 1! Any takers?"

...

Rumors grew wings and flew all over the city.

The gates of the Zhou Residence were tightly shut, the atmosphere heavy.

The Wang Family estate, however, was decorated with lanterns and streamers.

Wang Bufan had sent word that in three days, he would "cleanse the sect's honor" on Duanlong Cliff.

And while he was at it, he would "marry" Zhou Xiao into his family—a double celebration.

During these three days, Chen Zilong went nowhere.

He locked himself in that simple side room, or rather, his underground cave-dwelling.

The medicinal herbs Zhou Xiao sent had already been prepared; they were of sufficient age and excellent quality.

He spent half a day using an ancient method recorded in the Nine Heavens Thunder Control True Canon, combined with several rare herbs, to brew a cauldron of "Purple Heavens Spirit-Nurturing Soup."

The soup was deep purple, its medicinal fragrance concentrated and lingering. Upon drinking it, a gentle yet majestic medicinal force rushed straight into his Sea of Consciousness, nourishing his Nascent Soul, which was still covered in fine cracks.

The effect was better than expected; his Nascent Soul stabilized considerably.

But it was still far from being completely healed and being able to use his full power without restraint.

"Nascent Soul Middle Stage... the power I can use is probably only at the peak of the Early Stage."

Chen Zilong looked inward at himself; the small golden figure—the Nascent Soul—within his dantian was much more solid than before.

His body was entwined with faint golden Buddhist light, purple thunder arcs, and a trace of deep demonic qi that was extremely difficult to detect.

The true methods of three different schools had reached a delicate balance within his body.

But his Nascent Soul had not yet recovered.

This balance was still very fragile. Forcing too much power could trigger old injuries or even lead to a cultivation backlash.

From his dantian, he summoned two things.

One was a small cauldron with three legs and two ears. It was neither metal nor jade, and its color was dark like ancient bronze.

The body of the cauldron was covered in intricate cloud and thunder patterns that made one's eyes dizzy, as well as patterns of the ancient sacred beast, the Kunpeng.

A vast and heavy aura emanated naturally from it.

This was his Lifebound Treasure—the "overlord cauldron."

Back then, to forge it, he had used almost all the heavenly treasures in Liu Mei's storage ring.

He had then nurtured it with his own essence blood and soul for a hundred years, and they were long since connected in heart and mind.

This cauldron could both attack and defend, and it could even assist in alchemy and equipment forging; its uses were endless.

The other item was a set of light armor.

The armor was a deep azure blue, with fine silver thunder patterns faintly flowing across the surface like living things.

This was the "five thunders heavenly heart armor." Although it wasn't a Lifebound Treasure, after years of sacrificial refining and tempering with heavenly thunder, its defensive power was astonishing.

It especially had extremely strong bonuses and resistance to lightning-based spells.

Lightly stroking the cool armor and the slightly warm cauldron, Chen Zilong's eyes were calm.

Ten years of lying low had almost made him forget this feeling of checking his artifacts before a battle.

It wasn't to fight for dominance or to make a name for himself, but simply to...

Resolve a trouble and settle a karmic debt.

The third day, the darkest moment before dawn.

Chen Zilong opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing through them before vanishing.

Pushing open the door, he found Zhou Xiao already waiting outside.

She had changed into a set of efficient martial attire, her eyes still slightly red.

But her gaze was firm.

"I'm going with you,"

she said in a tone that brooked no refusal.

Chen Zilong glanced at her and didn't object.

"Stay far back."

He only said those three words.

Zhou Ao and several loyal Zhou Family Guards were also waiting nearby, fully armed, their expressions solemn.

Zhou Yi did not come out; his body no longer allowed it.

The group silently left the Zhou Residence, merging into the night that had not yet fully dispersed.

Many people were already surging through the streets in the same direction, like people heading to a market fair.

Upon seeing them, the crowd automatically parted to make a path, their gazes falling on Chen Zilong with complexity.

Curiosity, doubt, sympathy, schadenfreude...

It was all there.

Below Duanlong Cliff, there was already a sea of people.

Almost all the prominent figures of Qingyan City had arrived.

Even more were rogue cultivators and mortals watching the excitement—a dense, black mass of people. The sound of their discussions hummed like a giant beehive.

The cliff face was steep, but for cultivators, it was nothing. Many used their various abilities to fly up or find a viewing position on a rocky outcrop.

Most mortals could only look up from the foot of the cliff, craning their necks.

The Wang Family had arrived long ago.

Wang Bufan was dressed in the magnificent attire of a Xuan Yin Sect disciple.

Black with gold trim, he stood in the center of the platform with his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised, enjoying the looks of awe or flattery cast from all directions.

Behind him, Elder Tian Yin sat with his eyes closed, resting his mind as if indifferent to everything around him.

But in the occasional slits of his opening eyes, the light was intimidating.

The elite Guards of the Wang Family were scattered around, looking aggressive.

When Chen Zilong's group walked onto the platform step by step along the steep stone stairs, all the noise suddenly went silent.

Countless gazes instantly focused on him.

Ordinary blue cloth robes, a somewhat plain face, a steady pace...

No matter how one looked at him, he didn't seem like someone who could stand against a favored son of heaven like Wang Bufan.

"You actually dared to come?"

Wang Bufan sneered, his voice exceptionally clear on the silent cliff top. "I thought you had long since fled Qingyan City with your tail between your legs."

Chen Zilong ignored him and walked straight to the other side of the platform, standing still fifty yards away from Wang Bufan.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator, this distance could be crossed in an instant.

Zhou Xiao and the others retreated to the edge of the platform, watching tensely.

Elder Tian Yin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Chen Zilong.

After lingering for a moment, he looked at Wang Bufan and said indifferently:

"Since this is a duel, life and death are left to fate. Let us begin."

There was no more idle talk; the atmosphere instantly tightened to the extreme.

Above and below the cliff, thousands of people held their breath.