Chapter 592 - 355: Celestial General Invasion
It had been a long time since Zou Feng had truly let loose and slaughtered his enemies.
He’d been feeling pent-up at the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, long grown weary of the soulless, pulled-punch duels in the Battle Saint Hall.
Nothing was as satisfying as the current slaughter—a gory ballet of flying flesh, interwoven with screams and shrieks.
But even after powerfully dispatching two Cultivators from the Yama Underworld, Zou Feng was only just warming up.
After all, he had yet to unleash the Divine Skill that manifested after his Great Universal Hand advanced to the state of Innate Unity.
Just as Zou Feng thought these Cultivators from the Yama Underworld would finally give him a satisfying fight, he was stunned. The survivors didn’t see red and rush forward to avenge their comrades. Instead, they used every trick in the book to flee in every direction.
The same was true for the two Dao Foundation Realm Cultivators facing Su Qingyu.
Seeing they’d hooked a crocodile instead of a fish, they immediately turned and fled without a moment’s hesitation. This left Su Qingyu, who had been preparing to fight for her life, standing alone.
As a gentle breeze swept by, Su Qingyu had a rare thought: her bare feet felt a little cold...
"Don’t pursue a desperate foe," as the saying goes. Zou Feng wasn’t arrogant enough to stray far from the defensive Array’s barrier just to chase them down.
But the lack of a proper fight was like a fishbone caught in his throat—an uncomfortable, unresolved frustration.
"Brother Zou, are you all right?"
"Brother Zou, quick, take some Spirit Gathering Pills to recover..."
"Those bastards! Daring to provoke our Brother Zou—they were just courting death!"
The group of old-timers, who had previously been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly changed their tune, their enthusiasm now palpable.
Each of them was old enough to be Zou Feng’s grandfather, yet the name "Brother Zou" rolled off their tongues with perfect ease.
Moreover, while Zou Feng was busy unleashing his divine might, one of them had immediately used their connections to quickly inquire about his background.
The answer they received made them break out in an even colder sweat.
His other credentials didn’t matter. The fact that he was once first on the Sky-Climbing Ranking was enough to make a man piss his pants in fear.
The Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect never lacked prodigies, but to reach the top rank while still in the Inner Sect—the weight of such an achievement was self-evident.
A talent like that couldn’t be judged by common standards, even if he had only just established his Dao Foundation.
’Judging by the combat prowess he’s shown, he’s probably already equivalent to a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, maybe even higher...’
’And to think, they had dismissed him as a reckless hothead who’d just arrived and decided not to risk even an ounce of effort to support him!?’
Zou Feng was already deeply unsatisfied and in a foul mood. This sudden, hypocritical fawning immediately got on his last nerve.
"I finally get it," Zou Feng sneered. "I see why the Yama Underworld and the Ninefold Celestial Court love attacking the Celestial Hearing Tower at Yu Long Lake."
"After all, they can come and go as they please. Hah..."
After his sarcastic remark, Zou Feng ignored their awkward attempts to curry favor, turned with a flick of his sleeve, and walked away.
In response, the two leaders of the group just smiled sheepishly, not daring to show the slightest hint of displeasure.
However, one Spiritual Energy Realm disciple was not willing to accept Zou Feng’s taunt.
"Brother Zou, you may not be aware, but the attack we just faced can only be considered small-scale harassment. You can tell because there were no mid-stage or late-stage Dao Foundation Realm Cultivators among those who fled, nor did they use any powerful Spiritual Artifacts."
"But if we let our guard down, small-scale harassment can turn into a full-scale invasion, and by then..."
"Also, we just received a report. On the eastern defensive line, the Ninefold Celestial Court dispatched four Dao Foundation Realm Late Stage ’Celestial Generals,’ and we suffered heavy losses..."
The Spiritual Energy Realm disciple dared to speak so bluntly because he was stationed on the front lines day in and day out. His nerves were perpetually frayed, and he couldn’t stand being mocked by a prodigy who didn’t understand the situation.
His implication was clear: Zou Feng might be powerful, but only because he hadn’t yet faced a truly formidable opponent.
Zou Feng glanced back at the disciple. "You have a point," he said. "What’s your name?"
"Zhang Chi!" Having already spoken his mind, Zhang Chi answered without hesitation.
Zou Feng nodded. He said no more, simply waving to the still-dazed Su Qingyu before starting to walk again.
’He hadn’t asked for Zhang Chi’s name out of pettiness or to hold a grudge.’
’Instead, he felt this person was different from those jaded veterans and slackers. He hadn’t lost his spirit.’
’At the Spiritual Energy Realm, at least, one’s spirit is crucial. It meant he not only had a good chance at Foundation Establishment, but he also might not end up with a garbage Dao Foundation.’
’Therefore, since he would be staying in the Northern Domain for some time, this Zhang Chi might prove to be a useful person...’
Zou Feng had already stepped back inside the Array’s barrier when he realized Su Qingyu hadn’t followed. He couldn’t help but turn and call out, "Palace Master, let’s go!"
Su Qingyu finally snapped back to her senses as if waking from a dream, and then drifted over to him.
Her feelings were complicated right now.
That was only normal. After all, she had been prepared to fight for her life, only for it to end in an anticlimax.
And while she had always known Zou Feng was formidable, she never imagined he would become so powerful that she couldn’t even comprehend his limits anymore.
Just a few years ago, when they’d first met at Biyou Palace, Zou Feng was just a Little Poison Cultivator who would stare wide-eyed at her prison guards.
Now, however, he had grown into a titan of the Poison Dao...
’Besides, she was also in the Dao Foundation Realm, just like him. But when she compared her actual combat prowess to Zou Feng’s, her own Dao Foundation felt like a cheap imitation...’
It was partly her own fault for being in seclusion for so long. She hadn’t been there to witness Zou Feng’s "version updates," which was why she was now having trouble processing the enormous gap between them.
"Even if there had been mid-stage Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators here just now, you would have had no trouble killing them, would you?"