Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 169: Chapter 131: Stealing Celestial Secret in the Otherworld, an Immortal Sleeps Beside Me

Under the cover of night, the convoy drove into the city center.

Neon lights streaked past the car window, casting Zhai Jia’s face in shifting shades of red and green.

Zhai Yu had personally taken Copper Mountain for treatment. Because the incident had to be kept secret, Copper Mountain could only stay at the Police Headquarters’ base for the time being.

Zhai Jia, meanwhile, was taking Wan Ze back to the martial arts hall.

He was currently steering with one hand, his other arm resting on the open window, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips.

”Brother Yu took that big guy to the base himself, so you don’t have to worry. By the way, your friend is named Copper Mountain? What’s his story?”

”I met him back in Black Mountain... Master met him too. I originally wanted him to stay at the hall, but he wasn’t willing.” Wan Ze briefly explained Copper Mountain’s origins.

”Your friend’s got some rotten luck, then.” Zhai Jia shook his head with a laugh and didn’t ask any more questions.

The car then turned onto the street where the martial arts hall was located.

The streetlights were dim.

Old pagoda trees on either side cast long shadows on the ground.

Just then, his communicator vibrated.

Wan Ze glanced down.

It was Tie Qingyang.

The moment he answered, a loud, somewhat urgent voice came through. ”Younger Brother Wan, are you alright?”

Wan Ze leaned back in his seat, his tone relaxed as he chuckled. ”I’m fine. It’s all taken care of.”

The other end was silent for two seconds, then Tie Qingyang also laughed, as if a great weight had been lifted. ”Good. As long as it’s taken care of, that’s all that matters.”

He was tactful enough not to press for details, changing the subject. ”By the way, I had someone find two Martial Skills for you. They’re styles from the southern coastal region. They should arrive tomorrow—one is a Fist Technique, the other is Swordsmanship.”

Wan Ze thought for a moment. ”I’ll head over tomorrow, then.”

”Deal!” Tie Qingyang said cheerfully. ”Give me a call when you get here. We can have a couple of drinks.”

”Alright.”

After hanging up, Zhai Jia glanced at him. ”The guy from Tie Shizhe?”

”Yeah.”

”That old fox sure knows how to play the game.” Zhai Jia lit his cigarette and took a drag. ”He knows he owes you a favor, so he’s quick to repay it with gifts.”

Wan Ze just shook his head and smiled.

The car stopped in front of the martial arts hall.

”We’re here.” Zhai Jia killed the engine and turned to look at him. ”You sure you don’t need me to walk you in?”

”No need. You should head back and get some rest too, Brother Jia.”

Wan Ze pushed the car door open. A cool night breeze rushed in.

The sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty alley.

After a few steps, he pushed open the gate to the courtyard, crossed the open-air patio, and returned to his personal training room.

Wan Ze closed the door behind him, stored his mask in the deepest corner of a cabinet, and then sat down on a stool.

The night outside was dark and heavy, with the occasional chirp of insects.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

Then he opened his eyes.

At the edge of his vision, a data panel quietly unfolded.

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Tiger and Wolf Momentum 312%]

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Sword Momentum - Cold Demon 100%]

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Sword Momentum...]

...

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Exorcism 30%]

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Magic Sense 147%]

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Spiritual Form 795%]

Wan Ze stared at the two lines of numbers in his vision, the nerves that had been taut all night finally relaxing.

’This windfall was all thanks to the Secret Palace...’

He had long suspected that Magic Sense and Spiritual Form were inextricably linked to Qi Refiners.

The problem was, his channels for acquiring them were pitifully few, practically nonexistent.

Normally, he could run himself ragged, searching high and low, and still not find a single trace.

If he hadn’t stumbled into that warehouse by chance tonight, he never would have known the guys from the Secret Palace were... so loaded.

But Wan Ze was certain of one thing...

They definitely didn’t have a way to steal the Celestial Secret directly as he did.

Direct absorption... that was the biggest difference.

Wan Ze leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

Another question was turning over in his mind:

The Secret Palace had clearly come into contact with information related to Qi Refiners, otherwise they wouldn’t be so frantically collecting old artifacts.

But what about the Tail Society?

That group of guys who called themselves ”trace cleaners” were willing to hunt down and exterminate Tao Zhixi and her father, yet they turned a blind eye to the Secret Palace?

”Damn it.”

Wan Ze cursed under his breath.

Just a bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong.

He took a deep breath.

Closing his eyes, he replayed the night’s events in his mind, constantly analyzing his every move.

This was the first time he had clashed head-on with a Martial Artist in the late stage of Refining Viscera.

He had to admit, the Secret Palace’s Divinity Transformation definitely strengthened the Five Viscera and Six Bowels far more than it did for an ordinary Martial Artist.

It wasn’t as obvious with Jie Zhengyang, who was only in the Blood Tempering Realm.

But Black Panther, at Half-Step Refining Viscera, had been able to withstand his Power without his head exploding on the spot.

’Power...’

’As long as I possess ultimate Power, I don’t care if it’s Divinity Transformation or Demonic Transformation—I can crush them all!’

When Wan Ze opened his eyes again, the night outside was unchanged, but something within him was different.

After calming his emotions, Wan Ze wasted no more time.

He decisively activated his Spiritual Form.

HUMMM—

The void trembled.

That familiar yet strange sensation washed over him.

Wan Ze felt his body being lifted by an invisible force, yet it also felt like he was sinking into deep water. The air around him began to warp, and the outlines of the real world slowly blurred.

The moonlight solidified, forming a rope that tied itself around his wrist and pulled him through.

Wan Ze was fully prepared.

However...

Based on his previous experiences on the Gui Province River, he had expected to appear in some corner of this room.

But when he opened his eyes...

That wasn’t it.

His arrival point had changed.

He was in a room made of stone.

The four walls were made of rough-hewn stone blocks, with moss stuffed into the cracks. A chilling wind seeped in from an unknown source.

A small window let in a blood-red light, barely illuminating the room’s simple furnishings.

Against the wall was a stone bed, completely bare, without even a mattress.

Beside the bed was a crooked-legged wooden table, upon which sat a chipped ceramic bowl.