Chapter 166: The Yang Family

“The power within the Buddhist relics mainly helped me to create an inferior spirit weapon so that I consumed nothing. In other words, it was as if I had obtained a thousand more inferior-quality spirit stones to amass spirit energy. So, I will need at most two months to cultivate a spirit weapon.”

Zhou Donghuang clearly understood the current situation of his martial training.

The pace of his study was quick, and while using his using spirit stones to gather spirit energy was part of the reason, the aid of the Buddhist relics was also important. In fact, the relics were far more significant than the spirit stones.

Even if he had obtained a thousand more inferior spirit stones, without the help of the Buddhist relics he also would have needed to at least a month to finally produce an inferior spirit weapon.

“I might as well go for a stroll,” Zhou Donghuang said to Su Mo, rising at once.

Zhou Donghuang left the Yuntai Inn to walk and think.

Since coming to the Shenguang Empire more than half a year ago, he had not had the chance to take a good stroll; he simply wanted to go for a walk.

He planned to go to several of the herbal medicine shops within the capital of Shenguang to purchase some medicinal ingredients.

Although he was no longer the Lord of the Four Supremes, those two spirit weapons within his body could already produce inner Yuan and even condense and create Samadhi fire.

He could already open a furnace to forge core energy.

“Starting today, you will be unable to rely on my Buddhist relics to aid the progress of your practice. These Buddhist relics can only help you during the initial stages of forging a spirit weapon. Thereafter, you’ll have to depend on your natural ability along with core drugs, elixirs or spirit stones.”

Zhou Donghuang said this to Su Mo as they exited the courtyard of the inn.

“Buddha’s lifeblood relics?!”

On hearing Zhou Donghuang’s words, Su Mo froze in place, dumbstruck, “Master, what are you saying? I don’t understand. It was your Buddhist relics that made my power so intense! Are you a Buddhist monk?”

He lowered his voice, shaking his head. “No, that can’t be it. Master, in the past you had not entered into the Primal Core stage, and you definitely didn’t have those Buddhist relics.”

“These Buddhist relics are the ones left behind by that Buddhist monk during that year in the Shenguang Empire. It just so happened I managed to get my hands on them,” Zhou Donghuang said.

“What?!”

Su Mo was utterly shocked. He had never imagined that Ziyun’s long-sought-after Buddhist relics, Buddha’s lifeblood, had been taken and were in his master’s possession. And, more than that, his master had, with the Buddhist relics’ assistance, attained the spiritual level of Primal Core stage in such a short time.

“So master, are you saying that you are the one who got the inheritance of that monk of the Divine Light sect?” Su Mo asked curiously.

“Besides these relics… he… did he leave anything else behind?”

Zhou Donghuang responded disinterestedly as he and Su Mo exited the Yuntai Inn through the main gate.

Despite the passage of half a year, outside Yuntai’s main gate still stood the allies of the Yang family as well as Liu Xuanyu’s men, who were watching the people leaving the inn.

As soon as Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo left the inn, they were spotted by them.

“The target has appeared. The target has appeared!”

“It’s them. They’re finally here. They’ve finally shown up.”

The Yang family’s minions and the Liu Xuanyu allies had left behind some men to tail them. The rest returned quickly to the Yang family and the black market to report back with the information.

“Master, someone’s following us.”

Shortly after leaving the Yuntai Inn, Su Mo, who was closely following Zhou Donghuang, noticed the people following them.

By this time, Su Mo had entered the Primal Core stage and, luckily for them, his spiritual senses had reached the heightened level that came with this transformation. It was not hard for him to detect the two people furtively following.

“I noticed them when we first left the inn,” Zhou Donghuang said simply.

“Should we deal with it?” Su Mo said with an intimidating glint flashing in his eyes.

“Doesn’t matter; it’s up to you,” Zhou Donghuang said indifferently.

Behind Zhou Donghuang, Su Mo ceased speaking, came to a sudden stop, and pivoted toward their two pursuers.

Their position exposed, the two men behind them instantly looked to flee.

Though they were quick, Su Mo was far quicker, and in the blink of an eye, he grabbed hold of both of them, seizing them one by one, and dragged the two of them to an out-of-the-way alley, asking with a gleam in his eye, “Why are you following us? Who sent you?”

Once he received his answer, Su Mo killed them easily and without regard. He then caught up to the young man walking a little distance in front of him.

“Master, we’ve been spotted!”

Su Mo gave Zhou Donghuang a grave look and said, “Those two men were not normal hoodlums. One belonged to the Yang family. Half a year ago, when we came to the capital here in Shenguang, that person I fought and struck down was the Yang family’s eighth elder.

“I don’t know how the Yang family found out our whereabouts, but it turns out they have been watching us since then.

“However, the strongest in the Yang family is only a Connate-stage adept, nothing to worry about at all.”

Having said that, Su Mo paused, and then continued with fear in his eyes, “But the other person was a senior member belonging to the black market, a member of the Divine Light sect, one of the seventeenth elder Liu Xuanyu’s men. Over half a year ago, he wanted to capture me in exchange for a thousand spirit stones and space rings.

“I never expected that he would actually manage to find me.”

Su Mo continued gravely, “Even if you and I, being early Primal Core adepts, worked together, we would still be no match for him.

“I just questioned that man sent by Liu Xuanyu. Liu Xuanyu did not dare enter the Yuntai Inn to face me since Yuntai is an establishment under the control of the sixth elder of the Divine Light sect. Liu Xuanyu is the acting seventeenth elder of the Divine Light sect. He belongs to a different camp than the boss of the Yuntai Inn, so he wouldn’t want to start any trouble.

“Master, do you think we had better return to the inn and hide for some time? We can wait until you achieve the mid-rank level of Primal Core, and then we can stop hiding.”

Being that the adept in question was a mid Primal Core adept, it was natural that Su Mo was frightened.

“That won’t be necessary.”

In contrast to Su Mo’s fearfulness, Zhou Donghuang was calm and at ease, “If that measly mid Primal Core adept wants to commit suicide, I have no problem helping him go down that road!”

As his words faded, a voracious gleam flashed across Zhou Donghuang’s eyes.

As Zhou Donghuang’s words reached Su Mo’s ears, he once again felt a quiver in his body. While he felt Zhou Donghuang’s words were incredible, his face recovered its original color at once, and he was no longer fearful of that seventeenth elder, Liu Xuanyu.

Of course, his heart was like a raging and stormy ocean.

How could his master be unafraid of even a mid-ranking Primal Core master within the short space of six months?

In truth, in terms of Primal Core mastery, that sword his master wielded possessed no great, intimidating power at all.

In other words, this meant that his master must have some card up his sleeve.

“Master, um… do you intend to buy medicine?”

As they walked down the street, Su Mo realized that his master went straight ahead, neglecting every herbal medicine shop, until he finally entered one particular apothecary. His master wanted to buy medicine, but did he want to buy them to use as plain medicine or core drugs to refine spiritual energy?!

Primal Core adepts could use inner Yuan to cultivate Samadhi fire to refine their spiritual cores.

If an ordinary person had just reached the Primal Core Stage, he would not imagine that his opponent would have the ability to refine core drugs. After all, refining core drugs required skill, extensive study, and accumulation of qi.

Still, only half a year ago, his master could successfully create qi-gathering elixirs, so even if he could directly refine spiritual core drugs while in the Primal Core stage, Su Mo would not think it extraordinary in the least.

“Are you going to a core-forging master who sells the furnace you’ll need to use?”

After buying a large batch of medicinal materials, Zhou Donghuang spoke to the shopkeeper of the medicine shop and got straight to the point.

“Sir, within the capital, there are no medicinal shops selling furnaces. If you want core furnaces, try looking in weaponry shops. For the most part, public weapons shops carry core furnaces for sale,” the shopkeeper of the medicinal shop said.

“Understood.” Zhou Donghuang nodded.

As Su Mo gave a pile of gold notes to the shopkeeper, his chest quaked violently, and it took a long time for it to return to normal.

Although he had guessed it beforehand, actually hearing the young master say he wanted a core furnace struck fear in him. Could his master really refine core drugs upon entering the Primal Core stage?

“It seems that my master could very well be the reincarnation of some extraordinary freak of nature,” Su Mo then secretly thought. “Or perhaps… a strong, Primordial Soul has taken possession of him? Those martial adepts who have reached the Divine Essence stage are said to be able to shed their mortal bodies and take over those of other people. Afterward, the bodies of those who are supplanted are reborn with a new capacity and rank.”

Although Su Mo had killed the Yang family’s man who had been following them, their whereabouts had still been pinpointed by them.

The two left the herbal medicine shop but had not gotten far when they were stopped by a group of passers-by.

The man in front was an old man wearing a blue robe. There were also several other people standing behind him, all glaring menacingly at Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo.

“You two! I am the fourth elder of the Yang family, Yang Zhui. The head of our family requests that you come for a meeting at the Yang residence.” The old man in the blue robe stared at both of them with a grave expression as he spoke.

“You…” At that moment, Su Mo broke into scathing laughter, ready to cut down the man in front of him and resolve the situation. Zhou Donghuang cut in, interrupting his words, “Since they are showing such great kindness in inviting us, let’s go with them.”