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Whoosh!

The sound of the wind blew past, bringing with it sheets of yellow sand that shattered the silence before Yellow Stone City.

Yet no one dared to make a sound, let alone speak; naturally, no one dared to answer Zhou Heng’s “question.”

Because the blood-drenched longsword still hovered in the air, with the head of the bandit who had been shouting earlier skewered on it, eyes bulging outward as if they could fall from their sockets at any moment.

Those eyes were filled with a mixture of horror, fear, and disbelief, delivering a massive shock to the gang of bandits, some of whom, being less courageous, even fell off their horses.

Everyone present, whether it was Jiang Yuying and the defenders of Yellow Stone City or the bandits who had come to besiege and plunder, were shocked as they looked towards Zhou Heng.

Sword control from the air, beheading at a distance!

Such techniques, such martial arts… Was this really martial arts?

It was simply too inconceivable?!

“You, you, are you, are you…” Jiang Yuying’s beautiful eyes widened, disbelievingly staring at Zhou Heng, her mouth slightly open, her face full of horror, “Great Grandmaster? Are you truly a Great Grandmaster?”

Apart from those of the Heavenly and Earthly Realm Great Grandmasters, she could not imagine what kind of martial artist would possess such powerful and bizarre techniques.

As for heroes like Guo, Yang, Liu, and others, they were all dumbfounded, standing still like clay statues, unable to move.

The sword strike from Zhou Heng earlier had completely exceeded their understanding of the Martial Path and martial arts.

It even gave them a feeling they often had when they first started learning martial arts—that there were such powerful techniques in the world, too incredible!

“Retreat!!”

The leading bandit bellowed, the first to turn and decisively call to his companions to leave this place.

At the same time, the bandits in front of him quickly retreated, covering his rear, while other bandits spread out to either side to protect his flanks.

Clearly, although these bandits were a disorganized mob, they were quite proficient in ensuring their leader’s safety.

Unfortunately, that’s only effective against normal pursuits.

Against Zhou Heng’s flying sword, such a “formation” was useless.

Clang!

The sword hummed, and silver light crisscrossed.

It was a speed far exceeding any galloping horse; in the blink of an eye, it caught up with the fleeing bandits.

The silver light moved like a fish in water, incredibly agile and swift, instantly passing over the necks of twenty or thirty bandits at the rear.

Then it flashed from left to right, drawing a wide arc to sever the necks of the bandits to the left, in front, and to the right—blood gushed like a fountain, and dozens of heads flew into the air like cut wheat.

Bodies, like dry grass blown by the wind, fell off their horses one after another. The horses, too, startled, ran wildly in all directions, trampling these headless corpses into the dust, mashing them into a pulp.

In just that moment, the bandits who had come to attack and plunder Yellow Stone City were reduced to only the five leaders, with the rest dead and dismembered.

Inside and outside Yellow Stone City, silence fell once again, and the countenances of those five bandit leaders turned to the color of earth, terrified to the extreme, no longer showing any of their previous arrogance.

“Is asking a single question really that difficult for you?” Zhou Heng wore a look of helplessness, shook his head lightly, and chuckled, “Since you don’t want to answer, I guess I’ll just have to deal with all of you.”

“What, what do you want to do?!” The strongest of the bandit leaders tried to appear calm as he asked Zhou Heng.

He was a peak martial artist in the Gang Qi Realm, and he thought that, even if Zhou Heng was a true Great Grandmaster, it wouldn’t be easy for him to use his mighty and strange sword technique to kill him.

This wasn’t presumptuousness but a judgment based on past experiences and knowledge.

Despite their strength, Great Grandmasters were still human and not invincible. There were historical records of instances where peak Gang Qi practitioners fought against Heavenly and Earthly Realm Great Grandmasters.

The powerful sword technique just now had only killed those in the Inner Qi Realm and hadn’t targeted the five of them. In his view, this must be evidence that Zhou Heng wasn’t ready to openly face so many strong practitioners of the Gang Qi Realm.

However, just as he was thinking this, a silver light tinged with traces of blood suddenly streaked through the air with a speed far surpassing the limits of the bandit leader’s reactions.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed out like a crimson ribbon, and the head of the large bandit leader was picked off by the sword edge, suspended in the air just like the first bandit who had been slain earlier.

“Did I allow you to speak?” Zhou Heng said indifferently, glancing at the headless body that had fallen from the horse’s back, then turning his gaze to the remaining four bandits.

The remaining four bandits tensed up completely, holding their breath and concentrating, not daring to make a sound. Zhou Heng’s displayed strength was really too formidable, simply inconceivable.

From over a hundred yards away, he could control his sword through the air and behead someone, and the head he took was of a peak Gang Qi Realm practitioner. Such skill, such strength, even a true Great Grandmaster might not be able to achieve.

It was truly like that of an Immortal, so powerful and overwhelming it appeared beyond the peak of magnificence, not of this mundane world, seemingly impossible for a mere mortal to possess.

“Who ordered you to repeatedly attack Yellow Stone City?” Zhou Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze slowly swept across the four remaining bandit leaders.

No one answered.

Nobody even made a sound.

At that moment, the Hero Guo at Zhou Heng’s side on the city wall spoke up, saying, “Esteemed Grandmaster, you have only recently arrived here and might not be aware of the situation.

“The bandits around Yellow Stone City are here because they had no place to stand in the Central Plains, which drove them to eke out a living in this god-forsaken desert.

“These people don’t engage in production, yet they still need things for their daily lives. Since they don’t produce anything themselves, they have no choice but to rob others, alas…”

By the end of his speech, the Hero Guo couldn’t help but sigh heavily, looking both sad and indignant, but he also made his view clear: the bandits’ acts of attacking the city and pillaging were spontaneous, and not under someone’s orders.

Which in effect was a denial of Zhou Heng’s previous inquiry.

Heroes Yang and Wu standing next to him nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Hero Guo’s description. It matched their shared perception, built upon years of cumulative experience and understanding.

Jiang Yuying, on the other hand, couldn’t help but furrow her brows. She had long held doubts about the true purpose of these bandits.

Although nominally they aimed to assault the city and loot, in practice, they had succeeded only twice over many years, yet they continued to attack time and again.

It was as if the bandits had set their sights solely on Yellow Stone City, completely ignoring other, relatively weaker cities, which clearly wasn’t normal behavior.

“Don’t worry, I have my own ways,” Zhou Heng said as he stood atop the walls of Yellow Stone City, smiling with his gaze settling on the second-in-command bandit leader. “Tell me.”

“Nothing to disclose,” the second-in-command turned his head away, but in the next instant, a flash of silver light followed, and blood sprayed from his neck as another head was impaled on the longsword.

Ssss!

The people on top of the Yellow Stone City walls couldn’t help but inhale a sharp breath of cold air as they looked at Zhou Heng with eyes filled with shock and fear. His actions were truly too decisive and ruthless.

After saying just one sentence, the second in command of the bandits was decapitated by Zhou Heng without any further questioning. Did he really just take the head of a peak Gang Qi Realm martial arts master like that?

Is this the power and method of a Great Grandmaster?

But it shouldn’t be like this.

According to common sense, even a Great Grandmaster of the Heavenly and Earthly Realm shouldn’t be able to crush and end the lives of two peak Gang Qi Realm opponents so easily.

This is too outrageous!

“Next, tell me who directed you to keep attacking Yellow Stone City,” Zhou Heng said, his gaze turning toward the third bandit leader.

This third leader was a beardless scholar with a pale face who looked to be around thirty. Seeing Zhou Heng’s gaze turn toward him, he became so frightened that his face turned deathly pale and his voice began to tremble.

“Great, Great Grandmaster, we really didn’t…” The third leader was trying to explain, but then came another flash of silver light, blood spurted out, and the longsword had skewered a third head.

The third rank bandit chief also died on the spot.

Now out of the five leaders of the bandits, only the fourth and the youngest one remained.

Their strengths were the weakest. They watched helplessly as those much stronger than themselves were easily decapitated. Despair had completely settled in their hearts.

Just at that moment, a thought crossed Zhou Heng’s mind, and the longsword that had collected the heads of the bandit’s main leader, second, and third leaders flew down from the sky, landing in front of the only remaining two bandit leaders—the last two bandits left.

Blood dripped continuously from the three severed necks. The faces were contorted with utterly terrified expressions, but the fear could still clearly be seen, as well as the blood-soaked eyes of the dead. These were the people they knew best.

Immediately, the fourth and fifth bandit leaders fell to their knees with a thud, crying out in unison, “It’s Prince Zhao Wu Zhuo! The Emperor’s sixth brother, who retains his title as ‘Prince Zhao’ and still resides in the Capital City, Wu Zhuo ah!”

The moment they finished shouting, both of them fainted, falling to the ground unconscious, as if their minds had suffered a tremendous shock they could no longer bear.

It seemed that exposing this “Prince Zhao” Wu Zhuo was an extremely important matter to them, someone whose identity they were desperate to keep hidden,

Unfortunately, when faced with extreme fear, no matter how important the secret, it becomes less so. To continue living, to survive—that is what truly matters.

“Prince Zhao” Wu Zhuo?!

As soon as this title was spoken, the expressions of the people on the walls of Yellow Stone City changed drastically, especially Jiang Yuying. Her face was full of shock and disbelief.

“How could it be him?” Jiang Yuying couldn’t comprehend it. Looking at the two unconscious men outside the city, she was full of doubt. This answer was totally unexpected.

She had not thought that these bandits who attacked Yellow Stone City from time to time were actually under someone’s orders; moreover, she didn’t expect that the person behind them would be “Prince Zhao” Wu Zhuo.

“Is there something wrong with this man?” Zhou Heng noticed the unusual expressions of Jiang Yuying and the others, and asked, “Is this ‘Prince Zhao’ Wu Zhuo out of the ordinary?”

“You do not know, sir. ‘Prince Zhao’ Wu Zhuo is not only a Great Grandmaster of the Heavenly and Earthly Realm but also… also the founder of Yellow Stone City,” Jiang Yuying replied with furrowed brows. “I had thought it would be… but how could it be Lord Wu Zhuo?”

The rest of the people were also in disbelief. To them, Prince Zhao Wu Zhuo, who established Yellow Stone City, had given them a home to settle down in—he was their great benefactor.

Why would such a person secretly instruct bandits to repeatedly attack Yellow Stone City?

What good would it do him? Why would he have any reason to do so?

It made no sense at all.

Therefore, the heroes Guo, Yang, Liu, and others did not believe the words spoken by the two bandits before they fainted, thinking they were talking nonsense and framing someone.

But Zhou Heng knew that the two bandit leaders were not lying, for under the surveillance of his Divine Sense, if the bandit leaders had lied, they would never have been able to deceive him.

Which means, the mastermind behind the continuous bandit attacks on Yellow Stone City was indeed this Prince Zhao Wu Zhuo, the founder of Yellow Stone City.

“But what reason would he have to do this?” Zhou Heng also felt some confusion in his heart, but he quickly thought of a possibility.

When Yellow Stone City was under attack, whether it was commoners or Martial Artists, they would undoubtedly experience panic, fear, and even despair, all sorts of negative emotions.

And these emotions were precisely what Evil Creatures needed.

Could it be that Evil Creatures had appeared in this Cave Sky world of Yang Fan?

Yes, if even ghost-like entities existed, it wouldn’t be strange for Evil Creatures to appear as well.

If this was truly the case, it could be almost certain—

That this Prince Zhao Wu Zhuo established Yellow Stone City to help this Evil Creature recover or to enhance its power.

And from this incident, Zhou Heng could discern another issue.

The Imperial Court seemed not to be very weak.

Although their control over the Martial arts world was not strong, the fact that Wu Zhuo could build a city in this desolate desert indicated that the Imperial Court still had considerable power at its disposal.

Such an Imperial Court, possessing a treasure that is coveted for the world’s destiny, did not seem impossible.

Perhaps it would be wise to focus on the Imperial Court first.

Should the investigation begin with the National Jade Seal?

“However, going to the Capital City would require a legitimate reason; otherwise, if I, a ‘suddenly appeared’ Great Grandmaster, rashly went to the Capital City, I would undoubtedly stand out like a beacon in the night,” he mused.

Zhou Heng’s heart moved slightly as he turned his gaze toward Jiang Yuying beside him and said with a light chuckle, “You doubted whether I was a Great Grandmaster before, now you should be able to confirm it, right?”

“Sir’s prowess is witnessed by all,” Jiang Yuying nodded earnestly and said, “If you are not a Great Grandmaster, then I fear no one else in this world would dare to claim the title.”

“Then would you be willing to accompany me to find that ‘Prince Zhao’ Wu Zhuo for some clear explanations?” Zhou Heng asked with a smile, this was the excuse he had found to go to the Imperial City.

“This…” At his words, Jiang Yuying hesitated slightly, but finally nodded and said, “Yes, I have some matters I wish to inquire about with Lord Wu Zhuo, and I thank you for being willing to go with me to the Capital City.”

“It’s a trifle,” Zhou Heng said with a light laugh.

…

Ten days later.

Zhou Heng and Jiang Yuying arrived at the center of the world, the Imperial Court’s capital city, the most bustling place.

Just as he had anticipated earlier, along the way, he did indeed receive quite a bit of covert attention, although it was not too severe.

After arriving at the Capital City, Zhou Heng was ostensibly there to visit Prince Zhao’s mansion with Jiang Yuying, but in secret, he snuck into the Imperial City.

Ready to take the National Jade Seal and investigate thoroughly.