Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 563 - 546: The High Wall
First grade in elementary school.
The mother holds the hands of two little boys, one on each side, as they walk toward the school.
At the school gate, the mother takes out a tissue, squats down, and wipes Zhang Xinglie’s nose clean.
"Little Xinglie, be good friends with Zhou Leng at school, study together, and cultivate together."
"Mm." Zhang Xinglie instinctively wipes under his nose where there is no snot, making a sniffling sound.
"Alright, we said we could come by ourselves." Xiaozhou Leng hugs Zhang Xinglie’s shoulder, carrying a large backpack, happily walking into the campus.
Evening of sixth grade.
A group of kids are leaving school.
Several middle school students approach, laughing.
"Hey, buddy, lend me some pocket money."
Zhou Leng and many kids are frightened by the tall, burly hooligans, sweating all over, bodies stiff.
Zhang Xinglie puts down his backpack, standing in front of Zhou Leng.
He raises his head, staring at the leading hooligan.
"What, looking for a beating?" That person pushes Zhang Xinglie’s shoulder with a hand.
Zhang Xinglie turns his head to look at Zhou Leng and the others, points to the leader, and says to the crowd, "Let’s focus on hitting this one in a moment, ignore the others. It’s not illegal to beat him to death, we’re young."
After saying this, Zhang Xinglie bends down and rushes forward, colliding with the opponent, both falling to the ground. Before the other could react, he locks his opponent’s leg using Joint Techniques.
A cracking sound rings out, the noise of bone breaking.
The leader of the hooligans rolls his eyes, fainting on the spot, leaving the other hooligans stunned.
Zhang Xinglie gets up, casually wipes the blood from his nose, looks at the few hooligans, and says, "Take him away."
Those hooligans have never seen such a fierce child, so they lift the person and leave in embarrassment.
Zhou Leng and the others rarely have actual fights, and by the time they react, the fight is over.
Zhang Xinglie picks up his backpack, inserts his arm into the strap, and asks, "Whose house is near? I want to wash my face before going home."
Beside the hospital bed of a senior in high school.
Zhang Xinglie, while eating fried chicken, brags and chats.
"Hey, no big deal. Martial Arts are so developed now; it can definitely be resolved."
"If it comes to the worst, let’s save some money and hire a Demon Spirit Master for treatment."
"You know Second Qing? His brain was hit to stupidity, met him on the road a few days ago, asked, and he’s cured, even his Inner Power advanced remarkably."
"Don’t worry, there’s always a way out."
Zhou Leng swallows a mouthful of saliva and says, "I get the logic, but could you stop eating fried chicken in front of the patient?"
"Or it would be eaten for nothing?" Zhang Xinglie licks his fingers covered in oil and crispy skin crumbs after speaking, feeling satisfied.
Last July.
The school playground at night.
"I always feel that someday you will be just like me, standing in a farther and higher place."
"I’ll be waiting for you in Xiongjing."
In the night breeze, Zhou Leng, who has just finished the written exam, watches the mighty silhouette gradually fade away.
Zhang Xinglie, like Xu Qingjin, accompanied Zhou Leng through a long childhood and adolescence, up until young adulthood.
In the end, Zhou Leng recalls the relics of Ancient River Sect, remembers Master Wu’s words.
"Your achievements in the future will far exceed others, but..."
"It won’t be long before you fall far behind those two."
"Those two may not understand Divine Text, which is a weakness, but their abilities and talents can soon compensate."
"You may be unconvinced, but some people can reach heights in certain realms that commoners can never achieve."
"Remember, remember with your life, that the future of your civilization rests upon their shoulders."
"Their life and death determine whether your civilization can break through the starry sky."
"Perhaps, years later, you will find that your greatest and even only meaningful existence is knowing Divine Text, and from here, pave the way for them to ascend the Ascension Divinity Ladder."
Zhou Leng continues to push forward, push forward.
Hours later, high in the sky, Demon Spirit birds hover.
Zhou Leng leaves the path of Demon creatures, sneaking over from the side.
Walking out to the forest’s edge, the view ahead suddenly opens wide.
Endless green grassland stretches out, white and yellow flowers shine brightly, scattered everywhere.
A few people are surrounded by a group of Demon creatures.
On the ground, lie corpses one after another.
In the encirclement, Zhang Xinglie, Mountain and River Origin, and a total of five people stand back to back, facing outward.
Blood-soaked throughout, injured all over.
Nearby the encirclement, stand twenty or thirty Demon creatures.
The Celestial Calamity Envoy Extreme Light is there, Zhao He is there, Deep Dark Fury is there, and the best elite of Demon Alliance, including Blood Axe’s Hoof and several individuals nearly as strong as the Undying Knight, infinitely close to Deep Dark Fury.
The Celestial Calamity Envoy sits on a giant chair, crosses his legs, silently watching.
Zhou Leng is at the side, locked in an inner conflict.
If strategic, one could fortify Wei to rescue Zhao and pretend to attack the Celestial Calamity Envoy, allowing Zhang Xinglie and Mountain and River Origin to escape.
If systematically, one could join the battle, fighting alongside Zhang Xinglie and Mountain and River Origin.
If...
For some reason, his feet feel as though filled with lead.
Many times, clearly wanting to attack the Celestial Calamity Envoy, yet inexplicably giving up.
Between himself and the Celestial Calamity Envoy stands an invisible high wall, vast as a planet, impassable.
No matter how impulsive the emotion, sparse reason perpetually hinders.
The power of God is omnipotent and omnipresent.
After hesitating for a long time, Zhou Leng decides to give up the raid on the Celestial Calamity Envoy, opting to directly fight alongside Zhang Xinglie and Mountain and River Origin.
As he steps forward, before his right foot even touches the ground, the Celestial Calamity Envoy with the giant figure turns his head, eyes sweeping across the grassland, penetrating the forest, meeting Zhou Leng’s gaze from miles away.
Zhou Leng’s heart nearly stops, though separated by several kilometers, it feels as though the other knew all along.
The powers of God are unfathomable.
The Celestial Calamity Envoy smiles slightly, says something, and four Great Innate beings behind him leave, charging forward.
At the forefront is the number one Great Innate Beastman, Blood Axe’s Hoof.
The son of the Demigod Beastman Blood Axe and Silver Eyes.
In terms of bloodline talent, it surpasses the Undying Knight.
Deep Dark Fury and Zhao He curiously looked over, yet could not see through the woods.
Zhou Leng walked out of the forest.
The gazes from all sides swept past.
Deep Dark Fury was stunned, Zhao He remained calm.
"Zhou Leng! Run quickly! Don’t worry about us! Don’t worry about us!" Zhang Xinglie was covered in blood, flowing like sweat, constantly adhering to his skin, drying into armor.
"Quickly go!" Mountain and River Origin shouted.
Zhou Leng seemed not to hear, walked on the grass, strolling leisurely, his posture carefree.
In a mottled camouflage suit, stepping on brown military boots, a war merit token hung on the surface of the magic spirit bag.
Like an ordinary soldier walking towards the battlefield.
Zhang Xinglie and Mountain and River Origin exchanged a glance and nodded lightly.
The two whispered to several others.
The hoof of the Blood Axe Tribe held the tribe’s emblematic double-edged blood-colored great axe, with an obsidian embedded in the center like an eye.
"I’ll handle him myself."
The hoof of the Blood Axe Tribe was over four meters tall, with green skin, beast-like face, red hair, and fangs, carrying a giant axe over three meters, striding forward.
He inherited his mother’s bloodline, a faint silver light emitting from his eyes.
From afar, Zhang Xinglie roared, "Blood Hoof, if you dare kill Zhou Leng, I’ll slaughter your Blood Axe Tribe."
The hoof of Blood Axe laughed heartily, "As long as you’re willing to be my stepfather and bear a litter of siblings, I’ll let him go."
Zhang Xinglie said nothing.
All sides fell silent, some Demons guessed the relationship between the two.
Blood Axe Silver Eye’s mother is a Demigod, being his stepfather means marrying a Demigod aunt, avoiding centuries of detours; indeed a generous offer.
Although Blood Axe Silver Eye’s three former husbands were all accidentally killed by her when she drank too much.
Mountain and River Origin and Zhou Leng hadn’t expected Zhang Xinglie to be far more promising than imagined.
Once thought he’d be nothing more than a Beastman groom, now it seems he’s starting as a Beastman prince.
Zhou Leng exchanged a glance with the hoof of Blood Axe Tribe, the ground beneath their feet cracked, both breaking the sound barrier, rushing toward each other.
As they drew near, everyone looked at Zhou Leng, a bit puzzled.
The hoof of Blood Axe Tribe’s three-meter-long giant axe was already long enough.
Yet Zhou Leng pulled out an eight-meter-long dragon bone knight’s spear; this length generally called a dragon spear, far beyond a human’s normal knight’s spear.
The hoof of Blood Axe smiled indifferently, a dragon spear is only good for charging, without a warhorse, it’s nothing substantial.
As the two sides closed in, Zhou Leng swung the dragon spear into action.
Not a thrust, not a jab, nor a pierce.
It was a smash.
Zhou Leng unexpectedly used the long dragon bone knight’s spear like a bat.
The hoof of Blood Axe saw the dragon spear smash down, raised his axe to parry.
Clang!
With a heavy metallic clash, immense strength was transmitted.
The hoof of Blood Axe’s legs sank deep into the earth, up to the knees.
Mountain and River Origin and Zhang Xinglie exchanged glances; this power had already surpassed theirs.
One possessed the Giant Bloodline.
One possessed the Innate Martial Body.
But at this moment, neither’s power matched Zhou Leng’s.
"Good!" Zhang Xinglie felt greatly pleased, fiercely attacking the surrounding Demons.
Deep Dark Fury nodded.
Zhao He’s eyes were deep, full of caution.
The genius Zhou Leng, whom he greatly wanted to recruit, but the Ten Realms’ brilliant genius Zhou Leng, always hid his strength, like an alarm ringing.
In the past, regarding Ma Xingkong, the Zhao Family never really participated.
Only at the end, to prevent its subordinate forces from suffering losses, the current patriarch Zhao Hao intervened to prevent escalation.
From the start, the Zhao Family never targeted Ma Xingkong.
Even if there were ten Ma Xingkongs, they wouldn’t topple the Zhao Family.
Thus, Zhao He never cared about the relationship between Zhou Leng and Ma Xingkong, nor the enmity between the Lou Family and Zhou Leng.
As long as Zhou Leng was strong enough, as long as willing to join the Zhao Family, they’d help resolve the Lou Family issue.
But now, Zhou Leng’s strength exceeds expectations.
Previously, he only considered Zhou Leng as a genius on par with Chen Fenghu and Wang Boxiong.
Now he realizes Zhou Leng has surpassed the tiger and bear of the past, nearly rivaling Li Shenkong.
Such a talent, if always working with the Zhao Family, would be fine.
But throughout, Zhou Leng has rejected his invitation.
Such a talent, once ascending to Grandmaster, would qualify to sit at the table.
Even if not in the main or deputy seat, he’d qualify to order.
This kind of person, repeatedly resisting the Zhao Family, yet coincidentally having old vendettas with subordinate forces like the Lou Family, if conflicts erupt, the consequences are unpredictable.
Zhao He looked at Zhou Leng, filled with contradictions.
On one hand, he knew Zhou Leng could never align with the Zhao Family.
On the other, he regretted; if he could’ve met Zhou Leng earlier, if the Zhao Family had fully supported, perhaps there’d be a chance to bring him under the Zhao Family.
"What a pity..."
Zhao He muttered.
What a pity, the master here is the Celestial Calamity Envoy.
"Oh?" The Celestial Calamity Envoy turned, looking at Zhao He.
Zhao He hadn’t expected the Celestial Calamity Envoy to turn his head because of this, hadn’t been watching before.
He hurriedly explained, "I already know Zhou Leng; earlier in the Tree-man World..."
Seeing the Celestial Calamity Envoy’s interest, Zhao He went all out recounting the previous events, praising Zhou Leng’s formidable strength and remarkable talent, slightly boasting his own insight as talent spotter.
From cultivation on the Tree of Life in the Tree-man World, to trials in the Demon Spirit World, then to the Divine Blood Lava in the Dwarf World, he thoroughly narrated.
As he spoke, he observed the Celestial Calamity Envoy, discovering him listening intently.
Only then did he vaguely understand, the Celestial Calamity Envoy had an impression of Zhou Leng, perhaps even a closer connection.
Finally, he said, "The reason I say it’s a pity, is because you are here."
When Zhao He finished speaking, the Celestial Calamity Envoy nodded, "He at Huqiu Fortress, braved and crowned the army; on the Dragon God Path, slew dragons like dogs."
