Urban Martial Saint

When they arrived in Xi Hang at four-thirty, Huangfu Ziyu’s subordinates had already arranged vehicles to pick up Ye Qing and the others at the airport.

Huangfu Ziyu originally intended to return to Xi Hang to rebuild the Huangfu household but, after the last incident, she remained in Humeng City, waiting for the appearance of the Sun Shooting Bow, so she had not returned. Meanwhile, her subordinates in Xi Hang continued to develop their influence, so she still had considerable power there.

However, the location of the Shen Family Manor is extremely remote, and very few people know of its exact position. Moreover, since they were unaware of the current situation at the manor, Huangfu Ziyu dared not send anyone there to inquire. After all, if the Corpse Ghost Dragon had truly launched a sneak attack on Shen Family Manor, sending people there could be dangerous and might alert others to their movements. So, even though they had already arrived in Xi Hang, they still did not understand the situation at Shen Family Manor.

On this journey, Ye Qing had given Ding Lianshun two pieces of the Devouring Demon Flower. In fact, one piece was enough to almost completely heal Ding Lianshun’s injuries and directly cure the sorcery he was afflicted with. Eating the second piece restored all of his physical strength, putting him back in his peak state. By consuming the third piece, Ding Lianshun was even more astonished.

”Ye Qing, where on earth did you get this herb?” Ding Lianshun asked in surprise after swallowing the third piece of Devouring Demon Flower, ”This herb actually has the effect of enhancing one’s inner strength!”

”Is that so?” Ye Qing was taken aback. He had indeed recovered his stamina after consuming the Devouring Demon Flower. However, his inner strength hadn’t increased much; only his meridians became more resilient, which still counted as an enhancement in his power. But now, what Ding Lianshun said left Ye Qing amazed, knowing the Devouring Demon Flower could indeed increase one’s inner strength. Ye Qing was aware of this since Huangfu Ziyu’s inner strength had increased by over tenfold. However, the fact that it could also increase the inner strength of a Peak Master was truly astounding.

It’s important to understand that a Peak Master is called ’Peak’ because it means that no further progression is possible. ’Peak’ signifies that their inner strength has reached the human body’s pinnacle state, with no further advancement possible, thus the term ’Peak’. In other words, among all Peak Masters, the strength of one’s inner strength is the same, and the differences in overall power mostly lie in their Techniques and their comprehension of the rules of the world. No matter how much a Peak Master trains, their inner strength cannot increase.

But now, after Ding Lianshun consumed the Devouring Demon Flower, his inner strength actually improved. What could be the reason for this?

”Mr. Ding, are you mistaken?” Ye Qing asked in astonishment, looking at Ding Lianshun, ”Inner strength has recovered, right? How could it possibly have increased?”

”It’s true!” Ding Lianshun also looked incredulous, ”My own inner strength, I know it well. Over twenty years ago, I already reached the Peak state. For over twenty years, my inner strength has not advanced in the slightest. But just now, my inner strength clearly enhanced a bit, I surely wouldn’t be mistaken!”

”How is that possible?” Ye Qing asked with even more surprise, ”Aren’t Peak Masters at the human body’s limit regarding inner strength? How can it still improve?”

”That’s what I’m puzzled about,” Ding Lianshun said, looking at Ye Qing, ”Where did you obtain this herb? Being able to enhance the inner strength of a Peak Master practically breaks the martial arts understanding of thousands of years. You know, the concept of Peak Masters has been passed down for millennia; it’s the highest level of human inner strength training. That inner strength can increase, I’ve never heard such a thing!”

Upon hearing Ding Lianshun say this, Ye Qing was also very perplexed. However, he also realized that the value of the Devouring Demon Flower far exceeded the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill. To be able to enhance a Peak Master’s strength, what an incredible notion; it would completely alter the current realms of martial arts mastery!

No wonder over the years, countless people have risked their lives to enter Beimang Mountain to search for the Great Demon King’s secrets. Not to mention the life-extending Secret Technique of the Great Demon King or his extraordinary Cultivation Technique, just the Devouring Demon Flower alone is worth people fighting to the death over. For a Peak Master, the possibility of increasing inner strength is a miraculous concept.

After hearing what Ding Lianshun said, Ye Qing took out five more pieces of Devouring Demon Flower and gave them to him to consume.

Having been pleasantly surprised by consuming three pieces already, Ding Lianshun was now more astonished and excited when Ye Qing handed him five more pieces. You see, at his level, it had been years since his inner strength increased. With his inner strength now enhanced, the excitement in his heart was beyond words. Moreover, crucially, he now understood the profound value of the Devouring Demon Flower; to say it’s worth a king’s ransom is no exaggeration. These flowers could drive Peak Masters into a frenzy. Now that Ye Qing gave him so many, Ding Lianshun’s gratitude towards Ye Qing was immense.

”Ye Qing, thank you!” Ding Lianshun ate one more piece, leaving the remaining four untouched. These Devouring Demon Flowers not only boost inner strength but, more importantly, they can heal injuries and save lives, effective beyond the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill. So, he decided to keep them in reserve as life-saving medicine.

Seeing Ding Lianshun consume another piece, Ye Qing urgently asked, ”Mr. Ding, did your inner strength increase again this time?”

Ding Lianshun cultivated for a moment and nodded, ”The inner strength increased some more.”

”Oh, really?” Ye Qing was thrilled, ”Then you should eat more to boost your inner strength even further.”

”Forget it,” Ding Lianshun shook his head, ”Though inner strength has increased, the speed of increase is incredibly slow. For me, one of these herbs only slightly boosts inner strength. To see a significant increase, it would probably take thousands of these herbs for an apparent effect. I guess this herb is definitely precious and rare. Using them just to boost inner strength feels too wasteful; better to save them as life-preserving medicine!”

Initially thinking the Devouring Demon Flower could substantially boost inner strength, Ye Qing felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing Ding Lianshun’s words. It seemed the Devouring Demon Flower could indeed enhance one’s power, but it wasn’t something that could be achieved easily. For someone at Ding Lianshun’s level, only by consuming an entire Devouring Demon Flower could their inner strength significantly enhance. Eating just a piece or two would have negligible effects.

Although many Devouring Demon Flowers were inside the Demon Hideout Cave, Ye Qing himself couldn’t find the ones that were truly usable. If it weren’t for the Little White Fox bringing these along for him, he wouldn’t have known about this. Despite having taken a few hundred small pieces of the Devouring Demon Flower with him, these small pieces mainly excelled at healing and restoring stamina but had little effect on significantly boosting inner strength for Peak Masters and higher. For individuals like Huangfu Ziyu, whose inner strength was relatively weak, these small pieces could still rapidly increase their inner strength.

Furthermore, once these small pieces were consumed, Ye Qing wouldn’t find more Devouring Demon Flowers easily. After all, he had no idea how these Devouring Demon Flowers became so fragile and consumable as medicine. The ones he had seen were so resilient that even a Famed Instrument couldn’t cut through them!

After reaching Xi Hang, Ye Qing first had Huangfu Ziyu’s men take and hide the Famed Instruments. Then, as night fell, he, Huangfu Ziyu, and Ding Lianshun set off towards Xihang Shen Family Manor under the cloak of darkness.

All three were very familiar with the layout of Shen Family Manor, and this time they were exceptionally cautious and vigilant. They dared not take the main road, opting instead to approach from the hills behind.

From the hilltop, the three could glimpse the condition of Shen Family Manor from afar. Observed from a distance, Shen Family Manor was noticeably different from before. In the past, at this hour, the manor was relatively quiet at night with few lights. But the Shen Family Manor now was brightly lit, discernible from a vast distance. Inside the estate were people everywhere, drinking, playing games, laughing loudly, clearly not members of Shen Family Manor!

”Damn it, we’re too late!” Ye Qing’s face paled; he saw that Shen Family Manor had clearly suffered some misfortune. It’s uncertain what happened to the people inside—Shen Tianjun, Shen Qingyi, none of their conditions were known now.

Huangfu Ziyu was even more anxious than Ye Qing; seeing the situation, she quickly rushed down the mountain.

”Don’t lose your head!” Ding Lianshun hurriedly followed, whispering urgently, ”If Shen Family Manor is truly occupied by the Corpse Ghost Dragon’s men, then the Corpse Ghost Dragon could very well be here. Rushing in recklessly could alarm the Corpse Ghost Dragon, and not only would we fail to rescue anyone, but all three of us might get trapped here. To rescue people, we should strategize first!”

”Zi Yu, Mr. Ding is right!” Ye Qing stopped Huangfu Ziyu, whispering, ”Shen Family Manor is occupied, and we don’t know Uncle Shen’s condition. Better to find Uncle Shen first; otherwise, engaging the enemy rashly would certainly put us at a disadvantage!”

Huangfu Ziyu owed her life to Shen Tianjun, who treated her like his own daughter. Huangfu Ziyu completely regarded Shen Tianjun as her father. So, seeing the current plight of Shen Family Manor, her concern was paramount. Although she didn’t charge in recklessly after hearing Ye Qing’s words, she clutched the Sun Shooting Bow tightly, her knuckles cracking from the strain, indicating her emotional turmoil.

”I know of a secret passage into Shen Family Manor!” Ye Qing said, glancing at Huangfu Ziyu and Ding Lianshun, speaking softly, ”You two wait here; I’ll go in and take a look first!”

”No way!” Huangfu Ziyu and Ding Lianshun replied in unison, both objecting. Huangfu Ziyu gritted her teeth and said in a deep voice, ”If we go in, we’ll go in together!”