74: King Li's tactics

Hearing this, Gu Chang remained calm on the surface, but he didn't miss a single piece of information.

"But it's a good thing it was an Outer Sect Disciple who died, otherwise Cloud Firmament Palace would never have let it go!"

"Tsk tsk, these large Schools are just different; even an Outer Sect Disciple is vastly different from us."

"Who cares? Come, come, come, drink! Eat!"

"..."

Based on the fragmented information they revealed, Gu Chang basically understood what Cloud Firmament Palace meant in this area.

In short, it was a Golden Core Sect, a behemoth that had stood here for thousands of years. Even the mundane states of Wu and Yue were established by this Sect's people, no wonder those Dynasties had endured for millennia.

Besides Cloud Firmament Palace, there were other forces nearby, such as the Meng Family, which controlled Qingling Mountain, and the Yao Beast forces deep in the Southern Wilderness. To the north, there were also several Golden Core Sects that could rival Cloud Firmament Palace.

In short, this world was far vaster than Gu Chang had imagined; what he had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Soon, they all ate and drank their fill and dispersed, and Gu Chang returned to his Immortal Cave.

"No one should have discovered that the matter of Cloud Firmament Palace was my doing. As long as I am careful not to expose my identity in the future, there should be no problem."

"Otherwise, with my current strength, it would be absolutely impossible to defeat this behemoth; it would be difficult even to save my life!"

The more he Cultivated, the clearer he understood how immense the advantages of a Cultivator were. Each Realm was a qualitative leap, and lower-level Cultivators had almost no power to resist when facing higher-level Cultivators.

Gu Chang's current Martial Dao strength could probably contend with a Cultivator at Qi Refining Great Perfection, but he was definitely no match for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, let alone an old monster at the Golden Core Stage.

"So, for now, I must remain low-key. Unless my Martial Dao Breakthroughs again, I absolutely cannot easily leave the Market."

After careful consideration, Gu Chang warned himself in his heart.

Immediately, he seized the opportunity while the effects of the spiritual meal and spiritual wine he had consumed were still active and immediately immersed himself in Cultivation.

"Hoo~ Breath~"

As he breathed, the abundant Spiritual Qi in the Immortal Cave was immediately absorbed into his body. Subsequently, the magical power within his body grew more and more, gradually surging towards a certain bottleneck.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, he felt as if he had broken through some invisible barrier. His entire body instantly lightened, and then he opened his eyes.

"Finally, Qi Refining second layer!"

It had been twenty days since he arrived at Qing Ling Market. During these days, he had been almost constantly drawing Talismans and Cultivating. Thanks to the abundant Spiritual Qi in this place and the spiritual meal he had eaten today, he had finally achieved a Breakthrough.

"But in reality, there isn't much difference from Qi Refining first layer; it's just that the magical power is slightly more abundant."

After getting up and moving his body, the joy in Gu Chang's heart quickly dissipated.

In short, if only his Cultivation strength was considered, he was still a weakling!

"But there are benefits after all. At the very least, my current magical power allows me to draw over twenty Talismans at once."

Immediately after, Gu Chang picked up his Talisman brush and began to draw Talismans. As he moved his wrist, Talismans quickly took shape.

"Twenty-three Talismans, nineteen of which are finished products. This success rate is almost reaching ninety percent!"

"It was not in vain that I spent so much effort on this."

Gu Chang was quite satisfied with this result. At this efficiency, just by drawing Talismans, he could earn over a hundred Spirit Stones every month.

Of course, in reality, he still couldn't be so conspicuous, but even if the income was halved, he could still get fifty Spirit Stones. He would only need to save up for a few months to buy the book "Complete Explanation of First-Order Talismans."

That night, Gu Chang once again entered the Reincarnation World.

This time, he still didn't rush to send troops to attack King Li. Instead, he continued to demand that his subordinates diligently govern their territory, develop industry, and strengthen the army.

By simply doing these three things well, defeating King Li would be a natural progression.

Originally, Gu Chang thought this would be another ordinary two months, until one day, while he was practicing martial arts, a commotion suddenly came from outside. Immediately after, several large, dark-skinned figures, resembling tall iron men, passed through the guards' defenses and appeared before Gu Chang.

There were five of these strange figures in total, each exuding an aura similar to a Spirit Refining Expert, but both their appearance and their internal essence had significant differences from a true Spirit Refining Expert.

In addition to these, there was one true Spirit Refining Expert, who had once fought against Gu Chang and seemed to be called Heavenly Cripple Old Man.

"Interesting, could this be what King Li created?"

Seeing the five strange iron men, Gu Chang showed a hint of interest, but then he focused his gaze on Heavenly Cripple Old Man.

"Click, click, click"

"King Wu, next year this day will be your death day!"

Heavenly Cripple Old Man looked like a severely deformed beggar, yet his strength was even greater than Zheng Lieya's.

At this moment, as he spoke, his deformed body rapidly changed, and at the same time, the five iron men surrounded Gu Chang.

"Death day? Big talk, let's fight!"

Gu Chang chuckled at the words. After all, it wasn't his first time dying; in fact, he had died so many times that he couldn't even remember.

"Hmph! Heavenly Cripple and Earthly Imperfection, Life-Draining Silk!"

Heavenly Cripple Old Man sneered and instantly unleashed his unique combat skill. Suddenly, a strange black silk web spread out like a spiderweb, and at the same time, the five iron men erupted with a roar, their strange bodies containing extremely violent energy.

"Boom! Rumble!"

In an instant, Gu Chang was subjected to a six-sided pincer attack. The massive body of the Martial Dao Divine Paragon instantly took shape, and then Gu Chang's killing moves also erupted directly.

"Roar!!!"

"Roar~~~"

Tiger roars and Dragon cries, swords and blades crisscrossing.

The massive Martial Dao Divine Paragon immediately displayed his terrifying power in the face of six-directional pressure.

"Bang bang! Clang clang!"

However, what surprised Gu Chang was that his attacks on those iron men actually produced metallic sounds. After being hit, the surfaces of these large figures only left cracks, truly resembling iron men.

"Hehe, die!"

Heavenly Cripple Old Man suddenly grabbed, and instantly, the black net landed on Gu Chang. These nets seemed to be made of silk threads, but in reality, they were made of the opponent's Zhengang Strength mixed with some kind of peerless poison.

Ordinary people, not to mention touching it, would likely turn into a puddle of blood just by smelling or getting close to it.

Martial Dao experts, upon contact, even with their tough and powerful bodies, could instantly be corroded away.

Even a Spirit Refining Expert, if entangled by these black threads, would likely suffer immediate internal injuries.

"Swish swish swish!"

"Clang clang!"

"Mere trifles!"

However, Gu Chang remained unmoved. His four wings spread behind him, and instantly, a large number of feathers shot out, attacking Heavenly Cripple Old Man and the five iron men like a storm.

The surrounding buildings were instantly destroyed upon contact with these crimson feathers. Everything around Gu Chang was annihilated.

After the deadly feathers hit those iron men, they instantly transformed into strength and merged into their bodies. These guys were not true Spirit Refining Experts; they had powerful physiques, but their reaction speed and Internal Energy were not as strong as a Spirit Refining Expert's.

As a large amount of Gu Chang's strength entered their bodies, these iron men's bodies immediately swelled and moved as if countless small rats were inside them.

"Pfft! Bang!"

Ultimately, these iron men could no longer withstand the high-pressure-like Zhengang Strength within their bodies and exploded with a roar.

This kind of death was almost identical to Gu Chang's own Breakthroughs in Cultivation; Zhengang Strength was the most lethal explosive for the fragile internal body.

Heavenly Cripple Old Man's reaction speed was significantly faster; he almost dodged all of Gu Chang's feather attacks.

However, now that the iron men's restraint was gone, facing Gu Chang, who was exerting his full power, how many blows could his strength withstand?

"God's Lamenting Blade! Kill!"

A crimson bloodline tore open in the sky, and Heavenly Cripple Old Man, along with the ground, split open.

This strike was a killing blow uniquely created by Gu Chang after absorbing a large number of blade combat techniques. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to conceal; one could only face it head-on.

If one could withstand it, one would naturally live; if not, one could only die!

As the smoke cleared, Li Ergou, Zhao Changkong, and others who had rushed over finally saw the terrifying scene before them.

Gu Chang's entire training ground had been completely destroyed, along with the surrounding buildings. The ground was covered in pits and shattered remains of corpses.

But what was most striking was the crack in the ground and the body of Heavenly Cripple Old Man, split in two.