Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Is My Blade Strike Illusion or Reality?

After speaking with You Ziheng, Zhou Heng descended the mountain.

However, since there were no Evil Sects in Yong State where Taihua Mount stood including the surrounding four states, You Ziheng had entrusted a large white crane to carry Zhou Heng westward, descending in Fangzhou territory.

Since Evil Sect members often gathered in the northwestern states, Zhou Heng, after descending from Taihua, went straight west, seeking out those who practiced evil methods and caused chaos; whenever he encountered one, he killed one, and if there were two, he killed them both.

In the wilderness, there were no shortages of Seventh Rank Warriors establishing evil cults with their evil methods, deceiving locals, and treating human life like grass; Zhou Heng eradicated their Sects without leaving any survivors.

After traveling in Fangzhou for more than ten days, Zhou Heng had killed over forty notorious Evil Sect experts and eradicated three small Evil Sect factions; his reputation began to spread, causing many from the Evil Sects to tremble upon hearing his name.

Yet, this also stirred up many individuals with outstanding abilities, itching to attack Zhou Heng in hopes of obtaining rewards.

…

October 26th, clear.

Zhou Heng was riding his horse to Qingquan Town in Sanshui County under the jurisdiction of Ganlu Mansion in Fangzhou, where he heard that the local people were afflicted with a strange illness that was incurable by medicine or stone, only treatable by healers from the True Medicine Sect.

The people of Qingquan Town treated the disciples of the True Medicine Sect as divine beings, offering daily sustenance; the locals also praised the True Medicine Sect, calling them a newly rising righteous Martial Path Sect destined to benefit the community in the future.

However, Zhou Heng had once saved a young man who escaped from Qingquan Town and learned from him the true situation there.

The True Medicine Sect, under the guise of healing, in reality, threatened the locals, demanding that every household offer up their wealth and even female family members; and if any household refused, someone in that family would fall gravely ill and die within days in a horrific manner.

The people of Qingquan Town had no choice but to comply with the demands of the True Medicine Sect to ensure peace and freedom from illness.

In Zhou Heng’s eyes, this was a clear act of an Evil Sect.

…

Zhou Heng reached the entrance archway of Qingquan Town and dismounted to lead his horse by the reins.

The entrance was guarded by two strong men, who became somewhat flustered upon seeing Zhou Heng leading his horse over.

One of them stepped forward and asked, “May I know where this young hero is headed?”

Zhou Heng had become experienced with such situations during his journey, and replied with a smile, “I come from Zhou Family Village three hundred miles away. I’m visiting friends in Sanshui County City and need to pass through this town. Could you gentlemen please grant me passage?”

His “achievements” over the past days had spread throughout Fangzhou, causing many small Evil Sects and common Evil Sect Warriors to flee upon hearing his name.

Therefore, starting from his recent encounters, he had stopped disclosing his identity, mostly fabricating stories about visiting relatives or friends, or claiming it was getting late and he wished to stay overnight, and so on.

In short, he tried his best to prevent those from the Evil Sects from discovering his identity, waiting until he entered these towns and villages to capture those Evil Sect individuals all at once.

Of course, even if his identity was discovered, it didn’t matter – it just meant he had to act faster and deal with some inconvenience.

The man who had approached Zhou Heng promptly shook his head, saying, “Young hero, please leave. You could take a detour. Our town has been struck by a plague, and it would be unfortunate if it were to infect you.”

The other man also nodded continuously, adding, “Yes, yes, if the young hero were to catch the plague, that wouldn’t be good. I know of another path to the county city; you could…”

This man gestured as if to show Zhou Heng the way.

“Hold on!”

Just at that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind the town’s entrance archway.

Following that, a middle-aged man dressed in a white brocade robe and wearing a healer’s cap appeared.

The two strong men guarding the entrance saw the man and immediately fell silent, lowering their heads in fear.

“You all are really something,” said the man with an amiable and smiling demeanor, walking to the front of the archway and smiling at Zhou Heng, “Qingquan Town has always been welcoming to guests; since when have we turned away visitors at the entrance?”

“But I heard that there’s a plague in the town,” Zhou Heng feigned difficulty, seemingly about to retreat, “Maybe I should take a detour.”

“There’s no need for that,” the man replied, gently shaking his head and smiling, “I am Wei Yang, a disciple of the True Medicine Sect. It’s true that Qingquan Town was recently plagued, but with the full effort of our True Medicine Sect, it has turned for the better. Young hero, you have no need to worry.”

“The True Medicine Sect?” Zhou Heng quickly clasped his hands in respect, “I’ve long heard of the esteemed True Medicine Sect. I am Zhou Kun from Zhou Family Village, three hundred miles away. I’m on my way to visit relatives in Sanshui County City. Thank you, Brother Wei, for the convenience.”

He had said such words many times in the past days, changing his identity each time, speaking without a hint of embarrassment, completely at ease.

As for the “long-heard admiration”… that was, of course, merely a polite statement.

“Ha-ha, Brother Zhou, there’s no need for formalities. Please, come into town. We have some excellent local specialties and food here. If you’re interested, Brother Zhou, you could enjoy them before you continue on your way,” Wei Yang said warmly, with a hospitable air.

“Then I must thank you,” Zhou Heng replied with a cheerful laugh, leading his horse into Qingquan Town.

Once Zhou Heng’s figure had vanished…

The two strong men guarding the archway immediately fell to their knees, knocking their foreheads on the ground before Wei Yang and crying out, “Master, master! We were wrong! We should not have stopped him! Spare us, please spare us!”

“No, no, you did well,” Wei Yang began to laugh, saying, “If you had welcomed him with open arms, Zhou Heng might have become suspicious. This is just perfect.”

He had actually recognized Zhou Heng from the start, knowing him as the Pure Yang Palace true disciple who had recently killed many from the Evil Sects but pretended to be unaware to let Zhou Heng into the town.

The alliance between the four major Evil Sects had issued a Killing Order, offering a very tempting reward.

After all, the True Medicine Sect was already on the path of the Evil Sect, so they were not afraid of being targeted by the righteous Sects. Killing Zhou Heng and obtaining the reward was what truly mattered.

If necessary, they could move to Northern Zhou or Southern Jin; in this vast world, there was always a place to stay.

The man’s true identity was that of the Vice Sect Leader of the True Medicine Sect.

At the Peak of the Seventh Rank, with his Inner Qi fully consolidated and able to manifest slightly, he was only a step away from reaching the Secret Six Rank, where he could bridge the gap between heaven and earth and revert his Qi to an Innate state.

However, both he and the Sect Leader of the True Medicine Sect had merely chanced upon their heritage, with their Martial Arts only reaching the Secret Six Rank, and no further path beyond that. This Killing Order issued by the four major Evil Sects against Zhou Heng appeared to them as an excellent opportunity.

“Zhou Heng, oh Zhou Heng, you’re casting yourself into the net. Don’t blame me!” Wei Yang chuckled merrily as he walked into the gate of the town.

The two strong men who had been guarding the gate were so scared they were sweating profusely, nearly collapsing.

…

Shortly after Wei Yang entered through the town gate archway, a figure appeared before him.

This was a man who looked to be in his thirties, with a pale and beardless face, delicate features, and dressed in the green robes of a scholar, embodying the aura of a literati. However, his eyes and gaze were even colder and more sinister than Wei Yang’s.

It was none other than Hong Jiaren, the sect master of the True Medicine Sect.

“Junior brother, Zhou Heng must already know that you have seen through his identity,” Hong Jiaren walked over and said in a deep voice.

“He never intended to hide it,” Wei Yang said with a light laugh. “This boy has been killing many experts from the evil paths and has destroyed several evil sects in the past ten days. He has already fostered a strong and confident attitude.

“With such confidence as his foundation, he certainly looks down upon our newly established True Medicine Sect. Pretending to be someone else was merely a gesture for appearances. He surely anticipated that his true identity would be discovered.

“But he is indifferent to this, probably thinking that if he were to be exposed on the spot, he would simply attack directly; if not, he would take us all down after entering the town without having to show his hand.”

“Heh, young age, but not small ambitions!” Hong Jiaren sneered upon hearing this and said, “This youngster doesn’t know that the True Medicine Sect has been operating here for several months and has already planted plague seeds in these people’s bodies. As soon as he gets close to anyone, he will contract the disease.

“The entire underground of Qingquan Town is also laid with formation talismans, creating a Plague Array Method. We only need to move our inner qi, make the hand gestures, and this boy will have an outbreak of the disease, dying on the spot!”

“A mere thief, ignorant of the heaven’s height and earth’s depth, thinks that just because he comes from the Pure Yang lineage, he is entitled to kill evil wherever he goes. He is truly seeking his own death,” Wei Yang also sneered in agreement.

“He must have come here after hearing about what that escaped Liu family boy said, little does he know that it was bait I purposely released,” Hong Jiaren laughed heartily. “I didn’t expect him to come so soon. It saves us brothers the trouble.”

“He’s fallen into the trap himself,” Wei Yang looked towards the direction of the town and said with a smile, “It seems our brotherhood is destined for a great opportunity to rise above the mundane world.”

At this moment, in the hearts of Wei Yang and Hong Jiaren, Zhou Heng was as good as dead.

…

“Human sacrifice, plague seeds, formation talismans and methods?” Zhou Heng led his horse while walking, sneering inwardly, “They are truly an evil sect.”

Even though he had traveled far, he could still hear the conversation between Wei and Hong very clearly.

This was because after stepping onto the Seventh Rank, his Innate Skill had greatly improved to a state of completion, further nurturing his Divine Soul with his inner qi. Additionally, the fundamental attribute of his spirit had increased after killing the Loose Immortal Yu Long, making his Divine Soul perception extremely strong.

Let alone this distance, even if it were much further, he would still be able to hear clearly.

This kind of perceptive ability had far surpassed that of an ordinary Peak of the Seventh Rank.

Zhou Heng led his horse into the middle of the town, only to find that every household had its doors tightly shut, and the streets were deserted, desolate like an abandoned mountain village.

There was even a sinister fog all around; not a single sign of life could be seen.

When he released his Divine Soul perception, he could see that inside these tightly closed houses, many families were peering through the cracks of their doors or windows at him, an “outsider,” their eyes filled with worry, yet none dared to speak out and warn him.

As Zhou Heng continued forward, he suddenly heard a family crying out in anguish. Approaching, he saw a young adult clutching at the legs of an older man, kneeling on the ground, begging bitterly.

“Father, father! My little sister already has someone she likes. How could you offer her to those thieves!” The young adult’s face was filled with sorrow, tears streaming down his face, and there was blood on his forehead, obviously from having just knocked his head until it bled.

“Son, do you think I want to do this?” The older man was also filled with grief, sighing and saying, “If we don’t give your sister to those gentlemen, your mother and grandmother will both die from the illness!”

At that moment, from a house not far away, a maiden in her prime, with delicate and lovely features, came out. Even in plain clothes, her graceful figure was evident.

“Father, I am willing to go,” the maiden furrowed her brows and her eyes filled with tears, then said to the young adult, “Brother, there’s no need to beg anymore. I am willing to go, to repay the grace of being raised by mother and grandmother.”

“Sister!” The young man’s face was filled with despair; he sat down dejectedly, looking haggard, “It’s my incompetence, my uselessness! I’ve traveled far and wide for many years, achieving nothing. Finally returning home, I can only watch my family suffer and am powerless to help.

“If I possessed profound mastery of the Martial Path, I would certainly slay those bandits and bring peace to Qingquan Town! But I am just a powerless, worthless good-for-nothing. It’s all my fault!”

“My son! Do not speak recklessly. If you attract the attention of those grand masters, our whole family will turn into pus and water!” The elder was incredibly frightened and hurriedly interrupted the young man.

“May I inquire, who exactly are these ‘grand masters’ you speak of?” Zhou Heng halted his reddish-brown horse at the entrance of the courtyard, walked in, and asked, “What can they do, and what have they done?”

“A foreigner?” Upon seeing Zhou Heng, the elder’s expression changed dramatically, and he exclaimed again and again, “It’s over, it’s all over. Young man, how did you come to Qingquan Town? This is a place of great suffering in the human world. Leave quickly, do not stay, lest you regret it profoundly!”

“Please hurry and leave, elder brother. If you are discovered by the grand masters here, you truly won’t be able to leave!” The girl also hastily cautioned, looking around nervously as if afraid someone might come.

Only the young man upon seeing Zhou Heng prostrated himself immediately, appealing desperately, “Daoist Zhou, ten days ago you exterminated the malevolent Evil Sect at You Family Village, and I witnessed your powerful martial arts. Please save my younger sister, save my family. I am willing to go through hell and high water in return, never daring to forget this life-saving grace. Please, I beg you!”

It turns out the young man had been traveling abroad until ten days ago, when he saw Zhou Heng executing a high-ranking member of the Evil Sect and witnessed Zhou Heng’s strength.

Upon seeing Zhou Heng this time, he immediately grasped at him like a lifeline.

“There’s no need for such formality.” Zhou Heng said with a faint smile, and with a wave of his right hand, he used his Inner Qi to remotely lift the young man to his feet, and said with a smile, “You all just tell me how many of those so-called ‘grand masters’ there are, where they came from, and what kind of abilities they have.”

The elder clearly had heard of Zhou Heng’s deeds from his son and a glimmer of hope flickered across his despairing face, “The elder one can answer Daoist’s questions, please listen to my explanation,” he said.

Qingquan Town was originally a thriving key town in Sanshui County, famous for its delicacies, with every household living in affluence.

Three months ago, an unexpected epidemic struck. People in the town kept falling sick and even dying. The doctors from the prefectural city came but failed to cure the illness, and their medicines were ineffective.

At that time, a sect from the Jianghu who called themselves the ‘True Medicine Sect’ claimed to have a method to eradicate the epidemic. Once employed, it proved effective, and the satisfied physicians and bailiffs from the prefectural city left.

But since then, the True Medicine Sect who originally seemed to have compassionate hearts as healers changed their tune. They forbade the townspeople from leaving and started demanding money and provisions from every household.

Later on, they even demanded the pretty women to be given to them for their amusement.

If anyone refused, the epidemic would recur, even more severe than before the treatment, and within a few days, the victims would die or, in more extreme cases, turn into pus, with no corpse left behind.

After recounting all this, the elder was about to plead for Zhou Heng’s help in freeing them from their misery, but just as he was about to speak, his face suddenly turned to one of terror, and he looked at Zhou Heng’s back, shaking.

The young man and the girl were also so frightened that they shuddered and collapsed on the ground, their faces ashen, and they dared not make a sound.

“Since you’ve explained so clearly, it seems your family really wants to die of the disease.” A voice mingled with faint laughter came from behind Zhou Heng; it was none other than Wei Yang dressed in a white brocade robe.

The elder and his family immediately knelt down, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

“You wish for them to die of the disease?” Zhou Heng suddenly turned around, looked at Wei Yang and smiled, “What if I don’t allow it?”

“Haha, you’ll die all the same, still thinking of protecting them?” Wei Yang scoffed, “Unaware that you’re in the tiger’s den, the dragon’s pool. It seems your Purple Thunder Sword is just a name in vain, and the true teachings of the Pure Yang Palace are not much after all, nothing but trash.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Heng grinned, raised his hand to hold the Purple Thunder Sword, and lifted it above his head, “Then have a taste of my sword and see whether it’s hollow or real!

“Winter Thunderbolt!!”