CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: THE PROTAGONIST MUST STAND AGAINST THE WORLD!

Two streets south of the Death Prison is the South City Gate. Passing through the South City Gate and walking south for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you’ll find a river. That river is a tributary of Wangchuan Lake, called the Jinshui River.

The waters of the Jinshui River flow gently, and the water quality is clear.

Depend on the mountain when close to it, rely on the water when near it.

The surrounding villages depend on the Jinshui River for their livelihoods, from food and clothing to housing and transportation.

Women rinse rice and wash vegetables and clothes in the river. Children play and frolic in the water, catching fish and shrimp.

As night falls and the weary birds return to their nests, the women and children all head home, leaving the lively Jinshui River finally quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, the calm surface of the lake suddenly burst open.

The protagonist suddenly emerged, his head poking out from the water.

He sniffed himself, finding the nauseating stench gone, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Recalling the events of last night, his stomach churned with disgust.

He couldn’t fathom why, in the sprawling Prince’s Mansion, there was no one to clean the lavatories?

The monks in the West Mountain Temple had lavatories that weren’t even as foul!

He had stayed in the lavatory for half the night, almost marinating in it.

After soaking in the Jinshui River for a day, he still couldn’t rid his body of that strange odor!

Taking a deep breath, he cast the nauseous thoughts from his mind, then looked at a black round stone on the riverbank.

On the stone lay a ring of ancient design!

The ring was even smellier than he was.

He tried several times to clean it, but couldn’t, so he simply left the ring on the stone to air out, hoping the wind would carry the stench away!

Looking at the ring, he smiled with relief.

Last night’s hardships were worth it!

He had saved the Arhat Ancestor Master.

At last, he had something to counter the Sixth Prince Zhao Yi.

Cleaned up, he didn’t bother changing clothes but prepared to go ashore to awaken the Residual Soul within the ring.

At that moment, a strong gust of wind struck, causing the willow trees along the riverbank to sway wildly.

He intended to protect the ring and had just made a move when he saw a tall figure, cloaked in black, appear above the round stone.

Seeing the visitor, he was initially stunned, then his expression changed: "Senior!"

Even as he spoke, the cloaked figure raised a hand, fingers forming a claw, with a golden-red glow shimmering in the palm.

Caught off guard, he was instantly pulled towards it by a raging force!

The cloaked figure wore a grim expression: "To think you couldn’t even evade the Dragon Capturing Technique, has your training these past years gone to the dogs?"

After scolding, the figure’s hand seized his Baihui acupoint, sensing for a moment, then erupted in fury!

"Useless!"

With a flick of the hand, the protagonist was flung like a kite with a broken string, crashing hard!

He rolled a few times on the ground and then spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wow".

Though beaten and coughing up blood, he dared not show any anger.

Looking at the furious cloaked figure, he wore a remorseful expression: "Senior..."

The figure looked at him coldly, no warmth in the tone.

"Useless, what’s the point of keeping you!"

His face changed: "Senior, I have my reasons!"

The figure snorted: "I’ve taught you the Dragon God Technique for three years, yet your True Qi can’t even complete a single Circulation! Among the Zhao Clan’s royal offspring, even the least talented surpass you ten thousandfold!"

He quickly explained: "Senior, I’ve been cultivating in the West Mountain Temple, avoiding attention, and dared not practice the Divine Technique. Additionally..."

He glanced at the cloaked figure’s feet.

There lay a ring of archaic style.

He continued: "Moreover, the Residual Soul of the Arhat Temple’s Master Huiyuan is with me. In life, he was a Tier Eight Ascension Realm monk. If I practice the Divine Technique, he’ll easily discover it, leaving no place for me within the Buddhist Sect!"

"Useless!"

The cloaked figure sneered: "You treat that garbage from the West Mountain Temple as treasure?"

Without further ado, the ring sunk into the stone.

"A mere Ascension Realm being, like an ant, dares to claim Buddha and Ancestor before me? Utterly reckless!"

Seeing the ring buried into the stone, he grimaced bitterly.

"Senior, I know Master Huiyuan is insignificant, but I have no resources to rely on except him!"

The figure smirked: "Useless is useless! As long as there’s Zhao Clan blood, the Dragon God Technique can be readily cultivated. I wasn’t aware such nonsense resources were required for its cultivation?"

At these words, he fell silent.

The cloaked figure was right; as a Zhao’s offspring, the Dragon God Technique requires no additional resources, allowing one to reach the Tier Nine Saint King Realm with ease, even living on mere food and water!

But then what?

The Zhao Clan doesn’t recognize illegitimate children.

He wasn’t registered with the Imperial Clan Court yet practiced the Dragon God Technique.

Once the news spread, Xuanzhen Temple would immediately purge him.

Even escaping Xuanzhen Temple’s pursuit, if he secretly mastered the Dragon God Technique to its peak, he still could achieve nothing.

In other places within the Cultivation Realm, a Tier Nine Saint King Realm could indeed establish a sect.

But in Shengjing City, it pales in comparison.

The Zhao Clan never lacks experts!

Once exposed, two dead ends await him.

One is self-destructing in madness.

The other is being purged by the Imperial Clan Court and Xuanzhen Temple!

If not for the cloaked figure’s forced initiation, he wouldn’t want to cultivate the fearsome Dragon God Technique!

Yet he couldn’t dare utter a word of this to the cloaked figure.

The protagonist, although having only interacted with the black-clad man a few times, is still haunted by his extremism and madness.

The black-clad man is determined to have the protagonist cultivate the "Dragon God Technique" to help him fulfill his grand plan of destroying the Great Xia Zhao Clan!

That’s right!

The crazed obsession of the black-clad man is to annihilate the Zhao Clan!

The first time the protagonist heard this from the black-clad man, he was dumbfounded.

It was obvious that the black-clad man belonged to the Zhao clan.

Yet he wanted to destroy the Zhao clan.

The protagonist looked at him like he was insane!

The black-clad man was not only crazy himself, but he also dragged others into madness.

The protagonist only slightly questioned him, and he gave the protagonist a lesson he would never forget.

He helped the protagonist with a spiritual infusion!

At first, the protagonist didn’t notice anything unusual.

Until a surge of self-operating True Qi appeared within him, he immediately thought of legends from the Cultivation Realm.

The technique of passing on skills with a spiritual infusion is unique under the heavens.

Dragon God Technique!

The protagonist almost broke down at that moment.

From the time he could remember, he was a monk and only wanted to be a good monk.

But suddenly someone told him he wasn’t a monk but a bastard of the Zhao clan.

His destiny was not to chant scriptures, but to destroy Great Xia.

The protagonist was driven to the brink of murder!

The protagonist unwillingly asked the black-clad man why he wanted to destroy the Great Xia Zhao royal family.

Weren’t they his relatives?

He still remembers the black-clad man’s response at that time.

The black-clad man had a solemn expression, with a compassionate look on his face.

He said the "Dragon God Technique" had harmed the Zhao clan for over a thousand years; it was time to bring it to an end.

As long as the Zhao clan was destroyed, the "Dragon God Technique" would be lost, and there would be no more disasters.

When the black-clad man said this, his eyes were full of fanaticism.

"The guilt is on me alone, but the merit will last for countless generations!"

The protagonist could only curse him as a madman in his heart, not knowing what else to say.

What made him most furious was...

This lunatic not only went mad himself but also wanted to drag him to die together.

It’s utterly heinous!

If he could defeat him, the protagonist would have torn this lunatic into pieces long ago!

The protagonist thought of another legend in the Cultivation Realm.

It was said that the Great Xia Zhao royal family produced all sorts of madmen.

This madman, who wanted to destroy the Zhao clan, already made his scalp tingle.

The protagonist could hardly imagine.

Faced with so many madmen every day, how difficult must it be to be the emperor of Great Xia!

Cough, cough!

The protagonist coughed up blood again, withdrew his thoughts, and smiled bitterly, saying, "Senior, it’s not that I don’t want to cultivate, it’s just that I’m utterly powerless!"

Upon hearing this, the black-clad man looked at the protagonist coldly.

"In that case, I’ll give you one more chance!"

The black-clad man said gravely, "Old Six said, only under pressure comes motivation. You weren’t seriously cultivating the ’Dragon God Technique’ before because the pressure wasn’t enough!"

Upon hearing this, the protagonist’s expression changed.

He looked at the black-clad man, and a foreboding feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

The protagonist quickly said, "Senior, I will definitely cultivate well and not disappoint you!"

The black-clad man’s eyes flashed, scrutinizing the protagonist: "I was just about to put pressure on you, and you actually took the initiative to request cultivation! It seems Old Six is right, without pressure, there really is no motivation!"

The protagonist’s unease grew stronger.

He looked at the black-clad man and said with difficulty, "Senior, what do you plan to do?"

The black-clad man: "Get ready!"

"Ready for what?" the protagonist asked blankly.

The black-clad man: "Prepare to run for your life!"

The protagonist: "..."

The black-clad man’s figure flickered and disappeared on the spot.

His voice drifted over in the wind.

"I will report your identity to Xuanzhen Temple and the Imperial Clan Court."

"From today onwards, you will face the pursuit of the two most terrifying organizations in Great Xia!"

"With such strong pressure, I believe you’ll quickly become someone good!"

The protagonist was instantly struck like a thunderbolt.

He trembled violently, then sat down on the ground.

Insane!

Is it really necessary?

ps: Please add to your favorites, and follow-up reading is welcome!

pps: Seeing everyone urging for the next Chapter, I just got back from the hospital, apologies.