Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 556 - 539: Inheritance

Rucheng.

Wang Boxiong, the new number one of the Martial Guard Bureau, frowned deeply.

Zhang Xinglie’s aunt was captured by the Demon Worship Sect in Rucheng; the situation could be big or small.

Yunhua Martial Arts Academy repeatedly urged inquiries, putting the Martial Guard System in a passive position; they even reported this to higher authorities.

The attention Yunhua Martial Arts Academy paid to Zhang Xinglie far surpassed that of anyone else.

Li Shenkong might be strong, but he would always be a member of the Li Clan, unable to be retained by Yunhua Martial Arts Academy.

But Zhang Xinglie, having no foundations, would inevitably be labeled as part of Yunhua’s faction, making him more important in the eyes of Yunhua Martial Arts Academy than Li Shenkong.

In front of Wang Boxiong, slides were quickly playing.

Displayed were photos of recently missing persons.

Initially, most of them were women.

Gradually, men started appearing more frequently.

By the end, they were almost entirely men.

"After White Lake, will it be Corpse King’s throne..."

Wang Boxiong showed a weary expression; in his eyes, a strong sense of helplessness lingered.

He continuously browsed through intelligence within the Martial Guard Bureau system, finally resting his gaze on a photograph, unmoving for a long time.

In the photograph, a grand entrance was situated right in the center.

On a vermilion gate, eighty-one gilded studs were embedded, its golden tiled glaze sparkling, with blue carved beams and wooden structures, grand and magnificent.

On the plaque, the two characters "Zhao Palace" stood out prominently.

Outside the Great Battlefield, and Perfect Garden.

The team led by Zhou Leng had stationed there and had not left since.

Soon after, an allied team of five races approached.

At the forefront were Zhang Xinglie and Mountain and River Origin.

The two teams met, both amazed and delighted.

The total number exceeded three hundred, being quite a formidable force even in the Great Battlefield.

Both sides exchanged information, and upon inquiry, they discovered Zhou Leng had entered the Perfect Garden to hunt down the Grandmaster of the Brilliant Demon Flower.

Zhang Xinglie and Mountain and River Origin discussed thereupon and decided to venture daringly to assist Zhou Leng.

They took several courageous Demon Spirit Masters, Giants, and Tree-men, forming a highly strong Great Innate team of fifteen people to venture deep into the Perfect Garden.

Deep within the Perfect Garden.

Zhao He secretly instructed others, strutted forward, laughingly meeting Zhou Leng.

"Encountering an old friend in a foreign land, meeting here shows we are destined."

Zhou Leng smiled and said, "What a coincidence."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the demons and conspicuous Demon Worshipers.

With an open demeanor, Zhao He said, "The National Mansion has always united all who can be united. In the Great Battlefield, demonic monsters are the biggest enemies. We fought several battles under the Ancient Beast Stone Wall and could not uphold it, so I found various parties and signed the Demon Contract, ceased the clashes, and proceeded with respective trials. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have met us now."

"Indeed, in special circumstances, joining forces with all sides is necessary." Zhou Leng said.

"I knew you are a reasonable person. So, how about joining us? You don’t need to sign the Demon Contract; we all trust you." Zhao He said.

Zhou Leng replied, "Unfortunately, I have my own team, otherwise, I might have joined you."

"Really? Aren’t you reconsidering? Here is the Perfect Garden, with Flower Demons rampant and all sides vying for dominance. Without significant strength, it’s impossible to protect oneself." Zhao He said.

"Regrettably, I have important tasks to undertake, unable to join you." Zhou Leng said.

Zhao He looked Zhou Leng up and down, sighing, "Your growth rate is indeed as I predicted, beyond imagination. I won’t force you, but consider joining the Zhao Family."

"Alright." Zhou Leng said.

Zhao He asked, "Since it’s difficult to meet, even if you are not joining, you are still one of us. Let’s have a meal together, and talk about matters of the Great Battlefield."

Initially refusing, Zhou Leng eventually agreed after Zhao He’s repeated invitations.

"Ming Xian, you two are good friends, you handle the reception while I arrange it." Zhao He beckoned Rao Mingxian over, personally leading others to set up camp locally, preparing a simple banquet to welcome Zhou Leng.

Rao Mingxian walked over with a smile, looking at Zhou Leng, who had clearly bulked up, and said, "You’ve grown to resemble a little giant now."

"You’ve also grown." Zhou Leng said.

Rao Mingxian spread his hands and said, "I haven’t even passed the First Layer trial; what kind of growth is that? You must have at least passed two layers, right?"

"More or less."

Knowing Zhou Leng’s temperament, Rao Mingxian didn’t delve further, and the two chatted together.

Rao Mingxian talked about the Ancient Beast Stone Wall and said, "It’s a pity you weren’t there, otherwise your gains would definitely have been vast. The place couldn’t be photographed; all our recording equipment was interfered with by mystical forces, and even the Demon Spirit Masters couldn’t record..."

Shortly, Zhao He finished preparations, inviting Zhou Leng to eat and drink together.

The banquet only involved the Humanoid Alliance tribes, while the Demons, Sea Sirens, Beastmen, and Giant Dragons camped at another location.

Most of the Demons didn’t care about Zhou Leng, even if they had seen the name on the hunting list.

However, they still occasionally glanced at Zhou Leng.

Because the luminous crown above Zhou Leng’s head was very strange.

Only a Hundred-Eyed Bow who had participated in the Dwarf World Divine Blood Lava frequently turned to look.

The group of Demons always suspected that Zhou Leng was the culprit who killed the Ten-Horned Demon Dragon.

Several Giant Dragons also occasionally looked at Zhou Leng, sometimes whispering softly.

"The aura of the Giant Dragon’s bloodline in that human is so strong."

"He either has a Giant Dragon bloodline or has completed a higher-level Giant Dragon trial."

"Let me find out." A White Dragon walked around the camp and returned.

"Turns out he’s a collaborator with the Red Eyes."

"No wonder, it’s rare indeed..."

On the other side, at a simple open-air banquet dominated by humans, everyone was drinking and chatting merrily, creating a lively atmosphere.

They had been cautious and tense all the way on the Great Battlefield, finally feeling the long-lost ease.

Zhou Leng was initially on guard, but after noticing that Zhao He and the others had no intention or sign of making a move, he relaxed a bit but did not trust them completely.

After all, there were too many rumors about the Zhao Family.

Truths and falsehoods were hard to distinguish.

Both sides shared some stories, but Zhou Leng only mentioned that he had been to many places without detailing the important gains.

After everyone finished eating and drinking, the gathering ended quickly without much delay.

Zhou Leng got up to say goodbye, and Zhao He and Rao Mingxian saw him off together.

After walking a short distance, Zhao He said, "Although you downplayed it, if it were someone else, they couldn’t have gone through so many dangerous places unscathed. Your gains in the Great Battlefield should far exceed ours."

"Not too bad, generally speaking," Zhou Leng replied.

Zhao He shook his head, "It’s far more than that. We haven’t even completed the First Layer trial of the Ancient Beast Stone Wall, while you’ve at least completed two layers. The gap is too large. That’s our difference; you can support a sky on your own, while we..."

Zhao He smiled bitterly, "We’re only pretending to be humble in front of the Giant Dragons and Demons, threatening them with desperate force so they’d cooperate. I know you blame us, but this is just our way of survival. Otherwise, we’d have died along the way."

Zhou Leng said nothing.

Rao Mingxian said helplessly, "For someone like you on the outside, drinking with us is already giving us a lot of face."

Zhao He said, "Those on the outside are all good men. The Human Race should focus externally, not against each other internally, not doing things that hurt loved ones and make foes happy."

Zhou Leng reflected, "Actually, it’s not easy for anyone. My dad and Uncle Li taught me from a young age that the Martial Mansion is actually challenging. It’s hard for everyone; we’re all of the Human Race and should think positively in situations. As I grew, I slowly understood that even for Zhao Family heirs, it isn’t easy."

Zhao He almost slapped his thigh, "Exactly! Everyone thinks we are noble, descendants of the Martial Clan, having whatever we want, but they don’t know our difficulties."

Zhou Leng added, "The hardest part for your Zhao Family is really living under the halo of Saint Zhao."

"Sigh, you’ve hit the mark. Our grandfather is both our motivation and pressure. The vision of a master is different, unlike some people," Zhao He remarked.

Zhou Leng said, "It was only while reading the ’East Monarch’s Collection’ that I realized. You Zhao Family members can only walk one path to its end, following Saint Zhao’s way. If Saint Zhao says the world belongs to the people and Martial Artists, you must say the world belongs to the people and Martial Artists. If Saint Zhao tells you what to do, you must do it that way. Doing the opposite would bring enormous trouble."

Rao Mingxian grew puzzled, Zhao He’s eyes flickered, and he smiled, "This is the first time I’ve heard that. Why would doing the opposite bring so much trouble?"

Zhou Leng smiled slightly and slowly said, "All your Zhao Family’s reasonable and legal reputation, status, identity, inheritance, etc., come from Saint Zhao. If you don’t do as Saint Zhao says and take a wrong path, it means betraying Saint Zhao."

"If you betray Saint Zhao, is there any inheritance left for you? None, the people won’t recognize you, and you’ll have nothing."

"You can’t overthrow Saint Zhao either; overthrowing Saint Zhao means denying your own inheritance. Moreover, you Zhao Family descendants, can you establish a new Human Race Martial Arts? You cannot."

"You are destined to follow Saint Zhao’s Martial Arts to its end. Once you make a mistake, a new Martial Clan will replace your Zhao Family and rise to the position of the first Martial Clan."

"Or perhaps someday, a new Martial Saint will create a new Martial Arts, completely surpassing Saint Zhao’s Martial Arts."

Rao Mingxian felt a jolt inside; although he didn’t quite understand, there was clearly more to Zhou Leng’s words.

Zhao He remained unfazed, remarking, "As expected of you, you pinpoint the fundamental problem of my Zhao Family. We descendants indeed can’t surpass our grandfather; we can only maintain what we have."

Rao Mingxian said, "Actually, Dragon Country’s development is quite good now."

Zhou Leng smiled, "Indeed, it’s the joint effort of all of us in Dragon Country that developed it. Saint Zhao always said, Dragon Country’s progress is not their achievement alone, but the achievement of all the people and Martial Artists. As long as everyone inherits Saint Zhao’s legacy, Dragon Country will only get better."

Rao Mingxian said, "You misspoke."

"Misspoke, misspoke," Zhou Leng said.

Zhao He reflected, "You might be worried about Grandpa’s health, unintentional mistakes, we actually worry too. But he, in front of us, once mocked himself, saying everyone dies, and he’s actually more at ease than us. He said, centuries later, when looking back, he, Zhao Dongjun, like those in books, is merely a renowned person from a certain era, that’s all."

"Did Saint Zhao really say that?" Zhou Leng asked.

"Those were indeed his exact words; I was there too, and remember it clearly."

"No wonder Saint Zhao..."

Zhou Leng reflected, while Zhao He smiled.

Rao Mingxian glanced at Zhou Leng questioningly; the words had no profound reasoning, yet felt particularly poignant.

After walking a while, Rao Mingxian and Zhao He’s gazes met and then parted.