The group continued advancing through the forest. After days of travel, the dense forest terrain gradually began to change.
The trees became less dense, and the scent of chimney smoke and people began to carry in the air.
Finally, they reached the edge of the forest, and before them stretched Blue Feather City, surrounded by high walls.
The city was lively and prosperous, with blue banners fluttering on the walls and the city gates wide open to merchants and travelers.
The group entered through the main gate, where guards wearing armor adorned with blue feathers inspected the arrivals with appraisal but caution.
Zhang Yong smiled, his red eyes gleaming with interest. 'Let's review the memory again. The girl Ling Mao... that girl holds the Seal.'
After the group settled into a comfortable inn within Blue Feather City, each became occupied with their own tasks. Wang Fei and Liu Yan set out to explore the local market and purchase supplies, while Liu Yin remained in the room to rest and recover from the journey's hardships.
As for Su Ming, he found a quiet corner in the inn's courtyard to continue his Sword Will training, the golden sword gleaming in his hands as it cut through the air with precise movements.
Zhang Yong, for his part, sat on the edge of the window in his room, contemplating the bustling city below him. His red eyes were half-closed as he carefully reviewed his memory. 'Ling Mao... yes, that girl from the Bao lineage. In Wu Rushian's memory, she possessed the Seal. She is the only remaining individual of the Bao lineage along with her brother , Once I obtain the seal...' Zhang Yong licked his lips slyly. 'I will open the path to the Sacred Ground.'
He rose quietly and headed toward the door. "Su Ming, I'm going to explore the city. Take care of yourself."
Su Ming nodded without breaking his focus, the golden sword's flash continuing to dance in the air.
Zhang Yong went out into the crowded streets. The city was full of sounds and colors: vendors' cries, the scents of spices and fresh food, and blue banners fluttering everywhere.
He knew that the Ling family resided in the western district of the city, a quieter area. They were not a bronze family; they were merely an ordinary family.
With confident steps, Zhang Yong made his way through the winding alleys, avoiding the main crowds. After a few turns, he finally arrived at a modest, simple house, surrounded by a low brick wall.
A faint scent of medicinal herbs permeated the air around the house. According to the memory he possessed, Ling Mao took care of her younger, sick brother.
Zhang Yong stood at a distance and observed the place from afar.
The inner courtyard was small but clean and tidy. A girl wearing a simple cotton dress sat on a low chair beside a bed, feeding a small child bitter herbal soup.
'Hmm, let's see then. No need to deceive her as Wu Rushian did. So, there is one way to do this with the least damage and greatest benefit.'
After confirming Ling Mao's location and her younger brother, Zhang Yong returned to the inn with quiet steps.
Night had fallen, and the city was submerged in relative silence, broken only by the sounds of the regular night guards. Zhang Yong sat in his room, his red eyes gleaming in the darkness with cold planning.
At dawn, before the city fully awoke, Zhang Yong moved like a shadow.
Using his mastery of distances and angles, he slipped into Ling Mao's house without leaving a trace.
The younger brother was sleeping peacefully in his small separate room.
Zhang Yong did not hesitate; he wrapped the child in a blanket with excessive gentleness and took him away in utter silence, leaving only a brief message on the child's empty pillow.
"If you want to see your brother alive again, come alone to the old forest outside the west wall at midnight. Tell no one."
Zhang Yong returned to his temporary hiding place in a small forest outside the city, where he had hidden the sleeping child under the effect of a simple sleeping powder he had made and used on him. Then he waited.
His expectations did not fail. As darkness fell, Ling Mao appeared at the edge of the old cemetery, trembling with fear but her eyes full of determination.
"You came! Now where is my brother?" she shouted in a trembling voice, trying to appear brave.
Zhang Yong emerged from the shadows, carrying the sleeping child in his arms. He smiled a cold smile. "Here he is. Safe and sound. Come forward."
Ling Mao approached cautiously, her eyes fixed on her sleeping brother. "Who are you? What do you want from us? We don't have any—"
Zhang Yong interrupted her in a calm, cold voice. "I want the seal. The Command Seal you are hiding."
Ling Mao was stunned. Her face paled. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Zhang Yong smiled a smile not devoid of pity. "Don't waste my time. The seal. Now. Otherwise..." He didn't finish his sentence, but a cold glance he cast at the sleeping child in his arms was enough.
Ling Mao trembled. Tears filled her eyes, but she realized she had no choice. With a trembling hand, she reached into her dress and pulled out a small pendant of pale blue stone, with a small metal seal hanging from it bearing mysterious engravings. "This... this is all my mother left me. They said it was valuable. Take it, but please, give me back my brother."
Zhang Yong took the pendant coldly. He examined the seal for a moment, confirming its authenticity. Then he looked at Ling Mao. "Thank you."
At that moment, Ling Mao caught a glint of killing intent in his red eyes. She screamed, "No! I gave you what—"
But she couldn't finish the sentence.
Yatsufusa's sword appeared in his hand and pierced the girl's heart directly, turning her into a lifeless corpse.
She didn't know anything about the seal, at least not yet, and she didn't need the knowledge.
According to Wu Rushian's memories, Wu Rushian did not meet Ling Mao, but she met her granddaughter. That would happen a hundred years or more from now.
At that time, the granddaughter had reached the Guru realm. One day, the seal began to glow and exploded, revealing a gateway that led to the Sacred Ground.
But Zhang Yong had now advanced the timing of that event, and this was for a specific reason.
Zhang Yong picked up the sleeping child, leaving him away from the city where a passerby would find him in the morning. Then he destroyed the evidence that could lead to him, from the simplest things to the deepest like the scent.
Then he disappeared into the darkness, the seal safe in his pocket, one step closer to his goal. The night had been fruitful.
The next day, the group gathered in the inn's dining hall for breakfast.
The scent of fresh food and hot noodles filled the place, while the warm morning light streamed through the windows.
Everyone sat around a table, eating their meal in peace.
Suddenly, a young man wearing strange clothes entered the restaurant. His clothes were a loose blue robe, and his brown hair was neatly styled, but he was wearing sunglasses. His confident gait made him look completely different from the city's inhabitants.
The young man went to a nearby table and sat down, then called the waiter loudly: "Hey man, they don't have hamburgers in this world. What lousy luck."
Zhang Yong stopped and looked at that young man. 'Hamburger?!' His eyes widened noticeably.
This word belonged only to Earth, to Zhang Yong's original world! How could he possibly hear such a word in this ancient world?
'No, I must be careful. This is an Acroverse . It's impossible for another transmigrator to exist unless they faced a transfer problem like I did,' Zhang Yong thought cautiously.
Ever since his fight with Arthur, he had developed a certain caution toward transmigrators like himself.
'Why is he here? Does he know about me? Perhaps that's why he came here. I must be careful no matter what.' Zhang Yong interlaced his fingers as he thought.
Zhang Yong opened his mouth and uttered, "Hmm, it's been a long time since I last watched One Piece."
After Zhang Yong uttered these words, the strange young man suddenly raised his head. The sunglasses hid his eyes, but the corner of his mouth rose in a faint smile.
"Oh? Could it be that there's someone here who knows straw hat?" the young man said in a quiet but clear voice.
Zhang Yong stood up slowly, walking toward the young man's table. "It's not common in this world to see someone wearing sunglasses."
Zhang Yong sat down across from the young man without waiting for an invitation. "I am Zhang Yong. And to whom do I have the honor?"
The young man slowly removed his sunglasses, revealing deep blue eyes. "You can call me 'Liu.' But there's a more important question here."
Zhang Yong extended his fingers into a blade shape, ready to pierce his neck at any moment.
Liu smiled mysteriously. "The Reverend or the Lord?"
Zhang Yong's expression was processed in an instant, then a question mark appeared above his head. "What?"
Liu looked at him seriously. "I want to know if you're a reader of 'Reverend insanity' or ' Lord of the mysteries'"
Zhang Yong's jaw dropped slightly before he composed himself. 'Wait, the look on his face... he's an otaku too!'
Zhang Yong smiled as he stared at him. "Of course, great Love is the greatest."
After hearing Zhang Yong's answer, surprise and joy mingled in Liu's blue eyes. He suddenly laughed out loud: "Great! Finally, I've found someone from the same homeland!"
Liu immediately stood up and waved his hand toward Zhang Yong, just as Zhang Yong did, and their hands met in a high-five.
"Long live great Love alliance!"
(Liu Zongli:
(Mission released)
(Difficulty: +B)
(Description: Challenge the Heavens)
(Required: Kill Liu Zongli)
(Reward:
50,000 Emotion Points
50,000 Experience Points
Soul Tree Seed
[Do you wish to accept the mission? Yes/No]
)
Both Zhang Yong and Liu Zongli looked to the side. While Zhang Yong stared at a corner, Liu did the same, and each noticed the other's action.
"Well, that was a short meeting," Zhang Yong sighed as he cracked his neck.
Liu Zongli's eyes widened. "Hey, you can't be serious. I mean, we don't have to fight, right?" He was breaking out in a cold sweat down his back as he looked at his purple system window.
(Mission)
(A final boss has appeared before you early, and it seems you cannot defeat him.)
(You have two options:)
(Option 1: Run as fast as you can and find a safe place until he leaves.)
(Reward: Earth-rank escape technique)
(Five Qi Gathering Pills)
(Option 2: Convince him not to kill you, earn his trust, and make him your friend.)
(Reward: Earth-rank offensive technique)
(Twenty Qi Gathering Pills)
Zhang Yong patted his shoulder with a cold smile. "No need for all that, Bro. There's no harm in going outside the city to fight, right?"
After Zhang Yong said these words, Liu Zongli felt darkness in his heart. He knew that the person before him was not simple, and his power was mysterious and immeasurable.
However, as a transmigrator, he also had his pride and power.
He smiled reluctantly: "Fine, since Bro Zhang wants that, let's go outside the city and exchange blows."
Wang Fei, Su Ming, and the other , in fact , didn't understand anything, They left the inn together and headed out of the city. Zhang Yong and Liu Zongli chose a barren land ten miles from the city.
The two stood facing each other, the wind blowing gently, stirring the edges of their clothes. Liu Zongli looked seriously and said, "Little Brother Zhang, let's exchange just one strike. There's no need to fight to the death."
Zhang Yong smiled: "Fine, as you wish. But there's something I've been wanting to ask since the beginning."
Liu Zongli looked at Zhang Yong in confusion. "Which is?"
Zhang Yong looked seriously at Liu Zongli. "Which is better, Aot or One Piece?" Zhang Yong asked with a serious expression, but his red eyes twinkled with faint mischief.
Liu Zongli froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Man! That's a tough question! But since you asked... Aot is at the top!"
Zhang Yong smiled a genuine smile this time. "Ah..." Zhang Yong raised his hands before him and clasped them together. "I thought I found a comrade, but I failed , the right answer was jjk"
In a world where other transmigrators might be potential enemies, sharing the same "culture" could build a bridge of trust, even if fragile.
But the mission still stood. Zhang Yong's system insisted on challenging him to kill Liu Zongli.
In an instant, Zhang Yong shot toward him with speed, raising his fist high and swinging it.
Liu Zongli raised his arms to block the strike, but one punch was enough to completely shatter his arms.
After Liu Zongli's arms were shattered, he did not panic, but smiled a bitter smile. "So strong... truly, this is unreasonable , why do you have to be so much OP"
Zhang Yong raised his hand and looked at it. 'There's something unexpected. Normally, I'm used to playing some trick to get rid of a son of fortune. But in this moment, I truly didn't need to. If this is what it means to be this powerful, you don't need to play tricks with the enemy and can defeat them directly.' Zhang Yong smiled as he expressed his admiration for this.
But suddenly, Zhang Yong noticed something strange. There was no blood flowing from Liu Zongli's wounds.
Instead, the edges of the wound began to shimmer with a faint blue light, and the shattered bones and muscles began to show signs of astonishing self-repair.
Zhang Yong cracked his fingers. Truly, a son of fortune who hadn't fully developed was easy to deal with. This Liu Zongli was only at the Great Master rank.
But That was all.
After Zhang Yong noticed Liu Zongli's self-recovery ability, his excitement rose slightly. "Impressive recovery ability, but it won't save you."
Liu Zongli said with a bitter smile, "Brother Zhang, do we have to be enemies? We're from the same homeland after all."
Zhang Yong shook his head: "Tch, what a fool you are. Just because we're the same doesn't mean I'll back down. You know this world is eat or be eaten... like every world in existence." As he spoke, a Death Qi sword appeared in his hand. The air around them suddenly became cold.
"I see... then, I won't back down either." Liu Zongli stood straight, his gaze becoming clear.
A blazing red flame aura exploded around Liu Zongli, leaving a hot air vortex in the surrounding area.
The temperature suddenly rose, and the air shimmered with heat.
Even the ground beneath his feet began to turn red and melt into volcanic lava.
"Take this!" Liu Zongli shouted, slapping his burning palms together.
The flame aura around him condensed into a giant fire dragon a hundred feet long, roaring loudly and flying toward Zhang Yong.
The fire dragon was so scorching that rocks on the ground melted directly under its heat.
The trees in the surrounding area instantly caught fire, turning the area into a fiery hell.
But Zhang Yong remained indifferent. He raised his Death Qi sword and cut.
With that simple swing, the fire dragon was cut in two.
What Zhang Yong did was simple: Death Qi is an antidote to spiritual Qi. If the attack had come from a Venerable, Zhang Yong would have taken it seriously.
But the attack was only from a Great Master, so it was easy to cut through like a knife through butter.
Liu Zongli had no time to react. Suddenly, Zhang Yong appeared before him. The twenty-meter distance between them had been crossed in an instant, and his hand holding the Death Qi sword was aimed at his neck.
"Game over," Zhang Yong whispered.
But at the last moment, a golden flame aura exploded from Liu Zongli's chest, forming a momentary protective shield around his body.
This was the "Heart of the Fire Emperor," a defensive innate treasure granted to him by his system.
Clang!
A sharp sound rang in the air. The Death Qi sword blade stopped for a moment, trapped within that golden flame shield.
Liu Zongli seized this precious opportunity and sprang away quickly, distancing himself from Zhang Yong by several tens of meters. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes reflected deep shock. The gap in power was immense.
"Brother Zhang! Does it have to be like this?!" Liu Zongli shouted, trying again. "I can be useful to you. Just let me live."
Zhang Yong ignored his words. His red eyes flickered with slight curiosity at that golden flame shield. "A good defensive treasure. How many strikes can it withstand?"
He raised his hand again, but this time, it was not a Death Qi sword that formed, but a silent black sphere of Death Qi, contracting in his palm. Then Zhang Yong began to compress it into a five-pointed star.
"Try this," Zhang Yong said calmly, then pushed the black sphere toward Liu Zongli.
Liu Zongli realized the extreme danger. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and all the golden flames around him condensed before him, forming a thick fire wall. At the same time, he tried to summon a weapon from his system—a blazing fire spear.
Fwoosh!
When the Death Qi star struck the fire wall, there was no explosion, only the sound of fire being extinguished by water.
The black star pierced through the wall as if it were paper, continuing relentlessly toward Liu Zongli.
"Argh!" Liu Zongli shouted, swinging the fire spear in an attempt to block the attack.
But the black Death Qi star did not slow down. It devoured the blazing fire spear in silence, turning it into flying ash in the air.
The star continued its advance, colliding with the golden Heart of the Fire Emperor shield.
Crack... crack... crack...
Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the golden shield, which began to crumble under the absolute power of Death Qi.
Liu Zongli's eyes reflected panic for the first time. He realized that this strike would be fatal.
"It can't end like this!" he shouted in a hoarse voice, pouring all his energy into the shield. "Explode!"
In the last moment before the black star completely shattered his shield, Liu Zongli chose to detonate his innate defensive treasure.
The Heart of the Fire Emperor exploded with immense force, releasing a shockwave of flames and blinding light that tried to push back the Death Qi star.
BOOM!
The earth shook. Smoke and dust rose, obscuring vision. Liu Zongli seized this opportunity, his wounded and bleeding body staggering, and leaped away in an attempt to flee. He knew that facing Zhang Yong directly was suicide.
But Zhang Yong was faster. Before Liu Zongli could get a few steps away, he found Zhang Yong already standing before him, emerging through the smoke, a cold look in his red eyes
"Wtf! Are you a terminator!"
The distance between them at that moment was ten meters, but suddenly Liu Zongli felt something strange.
He felt as if his neck had become empty before his mind could reach a conclusion. His head had been cut off by something he couldn't even see.
(Mission completed. The host has received:
50,000 Emotion Points
50,000 Experience Points
Soul Tree Seed
)
Zhang Yong turned and began to leave. He no longer needed to stay here.
The hot wind still blew, carrying with it the scent of blood and ash.