Chapter 438 - Cheng Dongfeng: Walking With Jiang He
Chapter 438: Cheng Dongfeng: Walking With Jiang He
Too much! This was too much!
With him angered, the killing intent spilling from Jiang He’s body was overwhelming.
Once Wang Hou gave him directions, he used teleport and appeared in a flash on a barren planet.
The landscape of the planet resembled Mars and was just a little larger than Mars itself. Its surface was filled with yellowed sand and scarlet-brown stone, and there was no living thing present at all.
Withdrawing his aura slightly, Jiang He kept his presence equal to the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist’s.
He was afraid that if he fully released his aura, he would scare off the Golden Immortal, whose killing intent was broiling and whose origins was unknown.
On the other hand, it was inappropriate to completely withdraw his aura as well.
Would it not be embarrassing just in the case that fellow did not notice him?
Moreover, if he had completely withdrawn his aura, suddenly attacking his target would be no different from an ambush. Though Jiang He did not believe that there was anything wrong with an ambush, was there a reason for it since he could kill the other guy out in the open anyway?
As such, Jiang He stood proudly upon the highest peak of the dead planet.
“Jiang He, he is coming!”
“He is less than a hundred million kilometers away from you now…”
“He’s here!”
Wang Hou had just finished his first sentence through the Star Map’s acoustics system when his voice paused, before adding, “That Golden Immortal appears to be incredibly adept at some spatial shifting technique, and he has covered the distance almost a hundred million kilometers with a single shift…”
Ooom!
Even as Wang Hou spoke to him, the dimensions quaked once.
Then, the old Golden Immortal Fox with ashen gray hair stepped out of thin air.
His two aged, turbid eyes were erupting with two shots of twinkles as he looked toward the planet where Jiang He was from the distance. Instead of withholding his killing intent, it became even fiercer now as he asked solemnly, “And who might you be?”
At the same time, the old Daemon Fox’s mind was racing.
Human?
To his senses, the aura did have a human touch to it, but it might not actually be a person.
The other person was clearly a Golden Immortal as well, and there were just a handful of those individuals who returned to the homeworld from the celestial battlefield. The old man could not say that he was acquainted with all of them, but he could at least identify their auras—he did not know this person at all, and it was most likely that the other man was a scout sent by the Hundred Races Alliance.
Jiang He, on the other hand, merely appeared taken aback before asking with a frown, “Could it be that you are not a Golden Immortal from the Hundred Races Alliance?”
Then, before the old fox could say a word, Jiang He added, “Wait, are you one of the Foxes of Green Hill?”
The old fox nodded, uncertainty showing in his eyes—could the other man not actually be a scout from the Hundred Races Alliance?
He then promptly asked, “Who are you actually?”
Jiang He leapt off the mountain peak with a swish and vaulted above into outer space. Killing intent was released from his body as he stared tightly at the old fox, pressing the old fox further when he was not given an answer, “Did the Foxes of Green Hill send you alone back to the homeworld?”
“What is your purpose in returning?”
At those words, a thought sparked in the old fox’s mind, and he soon arrived at a conclusion.
In a flash, he had pulled away from Jiang He and asked seriously, “Are you that True Immortal human? No, no… you are no True Immortal for you must have hidden your abilities. How else could a True Immortal like you could have slain a Golden Immortal?”
His killing intent increased in further then.
The old fox nonchalantly waved his hand, and his mystic treasure—a grotto-heaven appeared in outer space.
And from the grotto-heaven, five Golden Immortals emerged, followed by a hundred True Immortals and a thousand Heavenly Immortals.
At the same time, when the old fox brought out the grotto-heaven, his immortal will had permeated within the mystic treasure, connecting himself with the other foxes of his clan. Once the five Golden Immortals flew out of the grotto-heaven, they had promptly stepped forward to assume positions around the old fox, cutting off any route of escape Jiang He would have.
Then, the one hundred True Immortals all assumed a battle formation, with their sheer presence bursting with the might of a Golden Immortal.
Even the one thousand Heavenly Immortals behind them were not goofing off. They had just flown out of the mystic grotto heaven, but each of them had invoked a mystic treasure each—it appeared to be a loop which resonated with each other through immortal strength, forming a net that covered every corner, and sealed dozen thousands of miles worth of space around Jiang He.
That left Jiang He blanking out at first, but he soon laughed out loud without control.
What the hell were these guys doing?
Were they afraid that he would run away?
Then, the old fox roared in rage, “Golden Immortal human, for what reason would you destroy the legacy which we, the Foxes of Green Hill, left on our homeworld?”
The other Daemon Foxes were beside themselves with rage.
To tell the truth, they were unaware of the cause that had led to the Foxes of Green Hill being wiped out even now.
Be that as it may, Jiang He was not at all bothered to offer explanation since the grudge between them was absolutely irreconcilable. “Your young ones were bent on killing me, but their ability proved lacking. It was therefore only naturally that I would wipe them down—or what, should I have kept them for fish food instead?”
Words were useless now that things had come to this.
“Kill him!”
The old Daemon Fox roared abruptly, its stooped figure abruptly straightening. Around him, Immortal Qi and Daemonic Qi weaved together, and the aura of the elite Golden Immortals erupted instantly, crashing down toward the direction of Jiang He.
Quickly waving his hand, the crutch he was holding shone with immortal radiance and it abruptly rose to the air as if it was sentient, before assuming the form of a gigantic one thousand-feet python that darted toward Jiang He.
Then, the old fox opened his maw, breathing out a surging breath of blood-colored Daemonic Qi, forming a pincer move on Jiang He with the giant python from front and behind.
The blood-hued Daemonic Qi was not actually Daemonic Qi, however, but the other form of a soul treasure.
Upon a closer look, one would discover a single blood-colored dagger inside the Daemonic Qi.
The dagger was overflowing with a frightening aura, and it turned out to be an acquired mediocre-grade soul treasure.
The other five Golden Immortal Foxes all attacked as well, each of them bursting out with godly moves and invoking mystic treasures as they charged toward Jiang He.
Laughing out loud, Jiang He did not hide his aura any longer. With the strengthening effect of the Strengthened Mutant Pepper, Jiang He’s aura elevated and he cut down the giant python with a single swing of his sword.
At the same time, he completely ignored the blood-hued dagger. He simply invoked his Primordial Bell and its shade shielded his body, blocking the dagger as well as the ensuing attacks of the other Golden Immortal Foxes.
“The Primordial Bell!”
One of the Golden Immortal Foxes cried out in shock.
“Wait, that is not right… the Primordial Bell is merely an inferior-grade acquired soul treasure. Even if that bell looks just the same as the Primordial Bell, it is a mediocre-grade acquired soul treasure…” Another Golden Immortal Fox muttered in surprise…
Shank!
A dull sound could be heard even as he spoke.
Looking down, he found that a sword flashing with golden light had pierced through his chest.
Shiiing!
In the next instant, a terrible sword light erupted from the body of the sword, consuming the Dameon Fox.
Kaboom!
A Golden Immortal Dao was left hovering in the air before it crumbled.
“No!”
The Golden Immortal who was closest to Jiang He charged toward him with an upraised sword. His eyes having gone red, he shrieked, “Fourth Brother… No! This place had already been sealed, how is it possible that you could cast a spatial shifting technique?”
Jiang He cut the Daemon Fox down with two slices, and another Golden Immortal Dao was hence left crumbling in outer space.
Without saying a word, he charged towards the next Golden Immortal Fox. However, there was a flash of fear in the Daemon Fox’s eyes and it promptly backed away in retreat and rallied with the four other Golden Immortal Foxes.
“No way!”
“This is impossible… Grand Luo! That is the power of a Grand Luo!”
The four Golden Immortal Foxes conversed with their immortal will, with one appearing rather hysterical as he shrieked, “What is going on here, Eldest Brother? Were we not told that the human a mere Heavenly Immortal? Why did he turn out to be a Grand Luo?”
“He is no Grand Luo!”
The old Immortal Fox with ashen gray hair replied gravely, “He is still in the realm of Golden Immortals, but his combat ability could match Grand Luo… Moreover, he might even be superior to an average Grand Luo since he could so easily cut down Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother!
“…”
Was that no different from a waste of breath?
The Golden Immortal Foxes were all losing their minds.
After all, in the split second when their immortal wills were communicating, Jiang He had already charged toward the formation of True Immortals.
With his current level of powers, fighting a True Immortal would be nothing less than a one-sided beatdown. In fact, a single swing of his sword was all it took for the battle formation which the True Immortals assume to collapse instantly, and a dozen of True Immortals who were weaker had their Immortal Dao severed and their immortal bodies blowing up directly.
Once the second sword strike made contact, the True Immortals were left coughing blood, with over eighty of them now dead.
As the remaining dozen tried to escape, they were all cut down by Jiang He with a shot of his Thundersword Qi from the distance.
“Run!”
As the four remaining Golden Immortals traded glances, the old Daemon Fox growled gravely, “Split up and escape—one fox escaping is one fox surviving!”
And yet…
It was already too late.
While he had been speaking and before he even managed to flee, Jiang He could be seen teleporting beside him and stabbing at him with a sword. Still, the old Golden Immortal was outstanding enough to invoke his blood-hued daemon saber and parried six trikes from Jiang He.
It was therefore such a pity…
Because even the likes of Modolo and the White Sky God King was being beaten up by Jiang He like grandkids.
The reason they could survive Jiang He’s assault was only because their equipment was too good—aside from the protection of acquired soul armor, their souls were protected respectively by Demonic Qi left by the Demon Ancestor and divine strength infused by the Ruler God.
On the other hand, aside from the mediocre-grade acquired soul treasure which was that blood-hued daemon blade, the old Daemon Fox’s combat armor was merely a premium-grade immortal item.
After six sword strikes made contact, the combat armor shattered.
The old Daemon Fox hacked blood, its gaze thereby turning turbid while its frame wobbled.
It could not even stand up straight now.
Jiang He’s Secret Art of the Chaos Thundersword contained Yuan Spirit attacks.
Aside from attacking the physical defenses of the old Golden Immortal Fox, the six sword strikes just now was an equivalent of six consecutive secret Yuan Spirit techniques hitting him in the soul. Though he was not seriously wounded physically, his Yuan Spirit was already injured severely and about to fall apart.
Shank.
Jiang He stabbed out again.
Kaboom!
A Golden Immortal Dao appeared and crumbled.
Quickly collecting the corpse of the old Golden Immortal Fox, he then caught up to the fourth Golden Immortal Fox in a flash and cut him down with two sword strikes.
In a flash, he cast another teleport to catch up to the fifth Golden Immortal Fox, even though he had already escaped dozens of thousand kilometers away. This one, however, proved to have some spine in him, and actually roared in rage when Jiang He caught up, “Golden Immortal human…”
“We, the Foxes of Green Hill, would never rest until you die!”
A single Golden Immortal Dao appeared in front of Jiang He before exploding resoundingly.
The immortal body of the Golden Immortal Fox hence incinerated and blew up instantly.
The violent force of the explosion consumed Jiang He at once, knocking him dazed even with the protection of the Primordial Clock. Hacking blood violently, his body was directly sent flying by the shockwave of the explosion, and he only stopped after flying out over 900 kilometers, with untold number of bones shattered.
Damn it!
Jiang He cursed quietly, then quickly took out a lunchbox containing one portion of stir-fried eggplant over beef and gobbled it.
That fox actually blew itself up.
Everything—its Golden Immortal Dao, physical body and soul—had all exploded.
“Damn it…”
Groping at the stir-fried eggplant and meat, Jiang He had a few mouthfuls of rice as well.
Others aside…
It had been a long time since he ate from a lunchbox—it was quite nostalgic.
Looking up at the distance, he found that the sixth Golden Immortal Fox was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang He only had a dozen bones broken and his internal organs left bleeding when the Golden Immortal Fox self-destructed. He was not actually really threatened since his current physique and qi could recover that level of injury in half a day, let alone the lunchbox of eggplant and rice.
The only bother was that the self-destruction of the Golden Immortal Fox had caused the dimensions within several dozen thousand of kilometers to collapse.
With that, the faint spatial ripples, which the sixth Golden Immortal Fox left when it escaped, was utterly concealed. There was no telling how many dozen thousand kilometers it had ran now, and tracking it down… was a real bother.
Since he was not going to catch up…
He gave up on chasing.
Since he had already made a grudge against the Foxes of Green Hill anyway, would he still have to fear that the remaining Golden Immortal Fox would run home to tell on him?
Jiang He hence continued to eat from his lunchbox while turning toward the Heavenly Immortal Foxes in the distance.
The battle just now was not at all violent. The shockwave from the fight did not really overflow and only killed or injured around a hundred Heavenly Immortal Foxes, with the ones remaining all scampering across all directions as if having lost their minds.
Invoking his Golden Radiance Sword, bright sword light erupted from the sword in the middle of outer space instantly. Shots of sword light interweaved…
Hence consuming every Heavenly Immortal Fox who was fleeing.
***
On the moon.
Wang Hou, who had linked up to the Star Map and studying what happened over there, felt his mouth twitched.
That…
Was such a joke.
Jiang He had fought halfway through when he stopped and ate from his lunchbox. What the hell was that godly plot?
Wang Hou was surprised by how Jiang He could cut down Golden Immortals as if he was merely cutting vegetables, but not all that astonished… After all, he had already killed more than eighty other Golden Immortals from the Hundred Races Alliance, and in comparison, just six Golden Immortal Foxes were nothing worth mentioning.
His own aura extending, Wang Hou soon managed to locate the last remaining Golden Immortal through the Star Map, who was burning its own essence in an attempt to escape through the endlessness of outer space. Linking up to Jiang He through the authority of the star map, he said, “Jiang He, I have tracked down the location of that Golden Immortal Fox. He is nine o’clock from your position, around 6,000 kilometers away. I would now use the authority of the Star Map to hold him back for a moment, so make haste in your attack and take him down.”
Huh?
Jiang He blinked a few times.
Oh, right.
He still had Wang Hou with him.
Having forgotten about his partner, he promptly put away his boxed lunch and vanished in a flash, hence reappearing 6,000 kilometers away.
There, a single vein of blood-colored radiance was remaining still in outer space as if it had frozen.
That blood-colored radiance was indeed the six Golden Immortal Fox.
Burning down his own essence, he had cast an outstanding technique to escape, which was how it had managed to flee this far in such a short time.
Jiang He approached it.
Within the blood-colored radiance, he could see that the Golden Immortal Fox was bleeding all over. Even so, its body was still struggling violent against what appears to be a formless Dao that was binding him, keeping him from moving an inch.
Gasp!
Jiang He inhaled sharply.
Was Wang Hou not exceedingly awesome?
Wait, no. It was the power of the Star Map.
But what was the actual grade of a treasure such as the Star Map?
A premium-grade innate soul treasure?
Leaving aside its function that could monitor the entire planetary system, it even possessed such a frightening capability even before Wang Hou had managed to claim full control of the Star Map’s authority.
Jiang He even estimated that, should Wang Hou become capable of utilizing the full power of the Star Map, he could perhaps rely on it to suppress and slay Golden Immortals even from a long distance away.
“No… the Star Map would not be a mere premium-grade innate soul treasure!”
“Both Modolo and the White Sky God King had treasures of that grade anyway, and yet theirs did not show such terrific power… could it be that the Star Map is an innate paragon treasure?”
Jiang He was a little thrilled at that.
It was the innate paragon treasure spoken of in legends…
Would he not be hitting the jackpot if he managed to get it?
Still, he decided to abandon the idea after some thought.
In the end, it was not too likely that the Star Map turns out to be an innate paragon treasure, since everyone from the various immortal sects had spoken about the crafting of Bronze Men and the forging of the Star Map.
“Jiang He!”
Back on the moon, blood was dripping out of the corner of Wang Hou’s mouth. His face was pale white even as he sat cross-legged meditatively, and he exclaimed in rage, “What are you doing? Hurry up and kill him, I can’t hold on any longer… Blargh!”
He vomited a mouthful of blood.
Over on the other side, the restrain over the body of the Golden Immortal Fox abruptly faded. A hopeful look appearing in his eyes then, he darted forward as he tried to escaped again.
Nonetheless, Jiang He darted in front of him in a flash and sent him flying backwards over a thousand kilometers with one kick. Then, sword in hand, he cut him down with two slashes.
Jiang He smiled after collecting the Golden Immortal Fox’s corpse. “The fight is over, the job is done… hold on, where am I right now, Minister Wang? How am I supposed to get home without brining a star map along with me?”
“Minister Wang…”
“Do you hear me, Minister Wang?”
Jiang He called out for a long while, and could not help become worried when Wang Hou did not respond. “Oh no, I think I heard Minister Wang coughing blood just now… he could not have been killed by the recoil from the power of the Star Map, could it?”
“If that was the case… does that not mean I would have a shot at controlling the Star Map?”
“Ahem~!”
A frail voice coughing blood could be heard beside Jiang He’s ears then, and it turned out that Wang Hou was laying prone on the moon without any strength, saying, “I could give it to you if you wanted it. Why the heck would you want me to die?”
Haha!
Jiang He laughed out loud and replied, “It’s just a joke. Moreover, why would I want such a trashy gimmick?”
“I, Jiang He, am a grandmaster in item crafting. What mystic treasure would I fail in refining?”
Returning to the location of the battle before, Jiang He collected all the corpses of the True Immortals and their mystic treasures, as well as taking off the Spatial Rings and mystic treasures they had been wielding.
He then sighed, “If such a situation would happen again, I should bring that dog Dumbo along. After all, it is a little demeaning to my status if I had to personally return to the battlefield and clean it up.”
After he was done clearing the battlefield, Jiang He turned back and returned to Earth.
Be that as it may…
Wang Hou had become silent once more.
It was lucky that Jiang He did recognize the general direction even though he did not bring a star map along. Moreover, he could vaguely sense the presence of his farm, and he soon managed to return to the Solar System.
He did not return directly to Earth, however, and headed to the moon for a while instead.
And that was where he found Wang Hou lying unconscious with a puddle of his own blood beside him.
Jiang He could not help laughing out loud.
This man…
Had he worn out his own spirit after invoking the authority of the Star Map by force?
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jiang He chuckled. “And here I was wondering if something had happened, but it turns out that he was only exhausted mentally. It is not a big deal, and he probably would recover after he gets home and has some sleep.”
Picking up Wang Hou and carrying him with one arm, he teleported back to the Martial Arts Department headquarters at Jingdu City.
“Tut, tut.”
“Moving around by teleporting really is convenient. Otherwise, I would be wasting at least a few minutes if I had to physically fly through space from the moon back to Earth.” Jiang He did not hide his appearance.
The position he had teleported was right above the sparring square of the Martial Arts Department.
Crowds were streaming across every direction.
Jiang He’s abrupt appearance, however, naturally drew some attention.
One of the martial artists turned toward him with widened eyes.
It was a young martial artist who was not an employee from the Martial Arts Department. He had come to take an assessment, but stared at Jiang He for three seconds before a look of disbelief appeared on his face. Rubbing his eyes with both his fist, he blinked firmly a few times.
“Jiang… Jiang He?”
The young martial artist cried out in surprise.
Jiang He nodded with a smile and said, “Yes, it is me.”
“Is that really you?”
The young martial artists appeared to be so thrilled that he almost jumped out, and he exclaimed, “Mister Jiang, I am a big fan of yours—I know everything about you, and I must have read that landmark work published by Grandmaster Cheng…”
Every person nearby promptly came flocking towards him in response.
That was when Wang Hou woke up.
He sneakily opened his eyes to survey his surroundings, but his whole face immediately turned green.
What the heck!
Why are there so many people?
Most importantly, Jiang He was carrying him…
Who was Wang Hou?
The chief of the Martial Arts Department headquarters and its highest authority, a giant in the Hua Nation, and a port in a storm… Where would he put his face if word of this gets out?
Luckily, everyone else had the eyes glued to Jiang He, and appeared not to have noticed that it was him whom Jiang He had been holding.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Wang Hou had shrugged free from Jiang He’s hold and instantly disappeared, leaving an afterimage.
Perplexed, Jiang He looked up around him, while Wang Hou spoke to him through secret acoustics, “Jiang He, I still have some matters to attend to so I will be going on ahead… remember, do not say a word about what had happened just now.”
Jiang He was left speechless.
Wang Hou had run away just like that?
I so kindly brought you back from the moon, while you slipped away without so much as a greeting, and neither did you treat me to some drinks…
Alright, considering the degree to which Wang Hou’s spirit was worn, he is in urgent need of sleep to recover.
Jiang He hence stopped nitpicking with the man, and instead smiled while returning the greeting of the people who were flocking toward him.
The young martial artist who noticed Jiang He first suddenly took out a pen and book out of nowhere. His eyes welling with passion, he asked, “Can I have an autograph, Mister Jiang?”
“Not a problem.”
Jiang He accepted the pen and paper with an affable smile.
Still, just as his gaze fell upon the cover of that book in his hand, his face dropped and his fingers flinched a little…
He dropped the book.
What the hell!!!
Jiang He was stunned.
It was only then that he remembered the youth had said something about his work which he had read ten times.
The problem here was… did someone write a book for him?
But why the hell was the title of that book ‘Walking With Jiang He’?
Hence, many a person’s name appeared rapidly through Jiang He’s mind… could this book be made up by one of them?
Someone had actually used my name to make money?
As the look on Jiang He’s face darkened, he lowered his head and picked up the book, when he suddenly remembered that the young martial artist seemed to have mention the name Grandmaster Cheng.
Could it be that doggone Cheng Dongfeng’s fault?
His eyes shifting, Jiang He checked the cover.
Aside from the title of the book ‘Walking With Jiang He’ labeled with large fonts, there was also the tiny words ‘Written by Jasmine’ labeled beneath.
“Jasmine… is that a pen name? It is such a feminine pen name… moreover, Grandmaster Cheng? Could I have misinterpreted that as Cheng Dongfeng?” Even as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang He brought the pen to bear and smiled, “Sorry that I dropped your book to the ground just now… now, about the autograph. Where should I sign?”
Upon receiving Jiang He’s apology, the young martial artist insisted that it was not an issue, and flipped to the first page where he pointed at an empty spot, “Please sign here, Mister Jiang. My book is an autographed edition signed by Grandmaster Cheng himself. It would be perfect if I could get your autograph as well.”
Autographed edition…
Wait, an autographed edition signed by Grandmaster Cheng himself?
Jiang He looked closer, and just as expected, he found the other autograph which was exceedingly unintelligible because of its exceeding artfulness. Still, after studying it carefully, Jiang He recognized the name…
It was Cheng Dongfeng!
What the hell!
Scowling, Jiang He signed the autograph despite his rage, after of which he promptly took to the skies and appeared in the skies above Lingzhou City in a flash.
His consciousness swept out, and found…
Within a spacious office at the Martial Arts Department, Cheng Dongfeng was sitting in front of his computer, his fingers leaving afterimages even as he typed rapidly on his keyboard with loud clacking sounds.
There was even a faint smile on the corner of his lips.
He only paused after a few minutes, and picked up the cup of Chinese herbal tea beside him for a sip while a look of bliss showed on his face. Sighing, he muttered, “Oh… why I did not notice a dozen years ago that I, Cheng Dongfeng, have such a profound talent for writing?”
“If I had invested myself into a career of web novels during the era when it was all the rage, would those so-called gods get to survive?”
“Truly, I was born in the wrong hour!”
He breathed another sigh, before adding, “Still, it is not as if there is nothing good for me in starting a literature career now. For one, I have exceedingly rich experience in life and have gone through many things, while secondly, I am a powerful divine-tier martial artist with exuberant spirit and a sharp mind. As long as I get inspired, it would not be difficult for me to write twenty or thirty thousand words in an hour, but that is a little too demanding for the keyboard.”
“You could order a custom-made keyboard.”
“Customized edition would not cut it either…”
Cheng Dongfeng replied by instinct when he heard someone speak, though he soon came to a realization in the next instant. Springing to his feet in astonishment, he looked outside the window before he exclaimed in shock, “Mister… Mister Jiang, you have returned?”
“Hmmm?”
Jiang He strode towards him from outside the window, his expression darkening right then.
Cheng Dongfeng promptly changed his tone and said, “Grandmaster Jiang He, why have you come?”
Even as he spoke, he subtly tried to hide several books on his desk.
Naturally, that did not slip Jiang He’s notice.
Jiang He’s face darkened and he almost blew up.
What the f*ck!
Aside from that book titled ‘Walking With Jiang He’, there is another one titled ‘Jiang He: An Autobiography’…
When did I ever write an autobiography???