Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter: 952

AST 952 - Qing Shui, We Demon Gate Have Arrived!
“Sovereign, shall we report this to Demon Gate? We can get them to help us to deal with that lad and then let them send two of members to help suppress those restless people?” a thin old man stroked his beard and asked carefully.
“You think that they’ll help us?” the old man in the lead replied.
“Yes, definitely. We are in name a subsidiary of Demon Gate and such acts are like giving them a slap in the face. One can lose anything, but not their reputation. Therefore, we’ll just need to report the matter to them truthfully,” the thin old man said with great confidence.
The old man in the lead hesitated for a short while and nodded, “I’ll leave this matter to you. You must get this done right.”
The old man had said this with a great sense of helplessness. Marionette Sect had suffered a great blow and although they had only lost ten or so core members in all, the people who had died were all the most important people in the sect. This was especially true for the few Elders in the sect who had been the main supporting force for the sect.
Even a sect like the Marionette Sect wouldn’t have that many early Martial Emperors. This time around, with six of them gone, it was the equivalent of wiping out half of them.
There were many people under them, but not many of their words carried weight. Silence fell and they all went off after a while. The situation they were in at the moment wasn’t the most terrifying yet. It would spell trouble for them if other factions were to come look for trouble at this point. Marionette Sect had made quite a few enemies.
...
Qing Shui was contemplating going to visit Lady Duanmu since it was on the way. There was Hai Dongqing as well. Cold Ice City wasn’t that far away from where Di Qing was and Qing Shui also planned to drop by.
Qing Shui thought of Lady Duanmu and an indescribable feeling grew within him. In the end, he decided to drop by to pay her a visit before returning to Greencloud Continent. This time around, he might be staying for a while before heading to Demon Gate or Lion King's Ridge.
He had previously considered if he should be heading to Demon Gate as soon as possible, but he thought of what would happen if Huoyun Liu-Li was to know about her background. Based on his understanding of her, even if she knew about her origins, there was no way that she would let him head to Demon Gate without her.
He didn’t know if Hai Dongqing was still waiting for him, but he would drop by. If she was still the same as before, Qing Shui wouldn’t say anything. If she were to have gotten married or engaged to someone else, he wouldn’t have any dissatisfaction either.
What troubled Qing Shui the most was still Lady Duanmu and Di Qing. His relationship with Di Chen was now very clear and he was still slightly against being together with Di Qing. Even though they were half siblings, they were still sisters.
Qing Shui didn’t know if Lady Duanmu had been able to let things go. It had been so many years and he didn’t know if she had changed. Qing Shui shook his head bitterly.
Since he couldn’t be a man who gave his heart to only a single lady, he decided not to have regrets, nor let the ladies have regrets either.
The progress in Qing Shui’s cultivation had also let him undergo some changes in other areas. These weren’t drastic changes and even he himself didn’t feel anything. It was just that he had managed to straighten out his thoughts.
Tang Manor!
Qing Shui had stayed for half a day and Fifth Master Tang had played host to him warmly. Qing Shui looked at this old man. Back then, he had saved his grandson and had thus become good friends.
“Brother, I’m here to trouble you again,” after taking his seat, Qing Shui smiled and said.
“What are you saying? Treat this as your own home. If you continue to stand on ceremony with me, I’m going to be angry,” Tang Wude said seriously.
After a short polite exchange, they had a meal and drank wine. This time around, there was only the two of them.
“Younger brother, has your journey to Eastern Victory Divine Continent been smooth?” Tang Wude looked at Qing Shui. He knew that even if Qing Shui had not found the Sky Penetrating Grass, he would still have had other encounters.
“It was alright. Oh right, have there been any things going on recently?” Qing Shui asked casually, as he filled up Tang Wude’s cup with more wine.
“There haven’t been any interesting things, but there’s something which concerns you,” Tang Wude frowned and replied.
“Oh? What is it?” Qing Shui smiled and continued to look at Tang Wude.
“It seems that Demon Gate has the intention of coming after you. Rumor has it that you’ve killed quite a number of people from Marionette Sect and considering that Marionette Sect is a subsidiary of Demon Gate, killing people from Marionette Sect is the equivalent as having slapped Demon Gate in the face. This is why they’re bent on looking for you,” seeing that Qing Shui was very calm, he finished his words quickly.
Qing Shui wasn’t shocked to be hearing this, but he was still a little surprised. However, he wasn't too worried either. There weren’t any benefits to panicking and now that he could use formations, he was no longer scared of anyone. His mastery of the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation had also been improving daily.
“Brother, is Demon Gate far from here?”
“It’s not far, but not near either. It’s about a one-day journey.” Tang Wude didn’t know what Qing Shui was planning, but he still told him.
“Can you do me a favor?” Qing Shui hesitated a little before asking.
Tang Wude was stunned for a moment. Tang Manor wasn’t weak and might not be inferior even when against Demon Gate. At this stage, what other help could Qing Shui possibly ask for? Furthermore, he was still hesitating so much earlier.
However, recalling how Qing Shui had saved his grandson, being a person who treasured relationships, he gave it some thought before deciding, “Brother, just say the word. The branch I lead will definitely protect your safety even at the risk of our own lives.”
Qing Shui looked at Tang Wude and smiled, feeling very happy. Even though he hadn’t given his word immediately, this was after all a decision that couldn’t be made lightly. It was a decision that concerned the entire clan. When Tang Wude said this, Qing Shui was also astonished. If it was a sly and shrewd person, they would definitely first ask what the matter was.
“Brother, what are you thinking? I’ll deal with this myself. However, I’d like to trouble you help send a message to Demon Gate. Let them know that I’ll be waiting in Central Continent’s “Central Continent Inn” for them. I’ll give them two days. If they don’t come by then, I’ll leave.” Qing Shui smiled and said.
“Younger brother, Demon Gate is very strong…”
“Brother, don’t worry. If I were to need your help, I wouldn’t stand on ceremony either,” Qing Shui smiled and said.
“Alright!” Tang Wude replied helplessly and immediately gave out instructions to get the job done.
Central Continent Inn was the most special inn in Central Continent. It was because this inn was jointly set up by countless powerful factions in the area. There was also a huge arena set up not far away from it.
Central Continent Inn was only open to cultivators who were at least Martial Kings. This subconsciously caused it to be seen as a top notch inn. Moreover, considering how it was jointly set up by major influences in Central Continent, being able to patronize the inn itself was a strong representation of one’s status.
On the way here, Qing Shui hadn’t been there. However, the reason he chose that place was also because Demon Gate was one of the co-owners of the place. Furthermore, since they had an arena there, it was also quite convenient.
The reason Qing Shui had taken an active approach was because he knew that Demon Gate wouldn’t be sending their highest level cultivators. This time around, he wanted to give them a warning publicly, letting them be unable to do anything, even if they were to suffer a humiliation. Sometimes, one who had nothing to lose would even be able to beat those who did.
Qing Shui went to Central Continent Inn before it turned dark. The place was very grand but wasn’t very high. It just looked very sturdy, likely because it took up a lot of land.
It was very easy to enter. He would just need to prove that his ability was at least at Martial King. Moreover, with Tang Wude with him, there wasn’t any need for him to prove himself. There were two Peak Martial King cultivators standing guard at the entrance. And even though many people entered and exited the place every day, the two guards would be able to sense if they were Martial King level. Having stood here for a prolonged period had also caused their spiritual senses to be even more sensitive than before.
Upon entering, Qing Shui realized that the decoration was about the same as Heavenly Cloud Pavilion's but it was structured with a rectangular corridor concept, with the center being like a hall while the surroundings are all rooms.
A silk embroidered carpet was laid out along the corridors and this was the only thing around that seemed luxurious. After Qing Shui got his room, Tang Wude wanted to stay to accompany Qing Shui, but was persuaded by the latter to head back.
"Brother, you represent Tang Manor. It won't be good to let Demon Gate see you here now," Qing Shui advised Tang Wude to leave.
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm already prepared to fight them."
Qing Shui knew that Tang Manor's overall abilities were definitely not a match for Demon Gate. While there might be experts in Tang Manor, their abilities would definitely be not too far away from the Fifth Master Tang's.
"It won't be too late for you to come out when I need help. It's best to not have a direct confrontation between Tang Manor and Demon Gate. After all, if that were to happen, things would blow up very quickly," Qing Shui smiled and said.
Tang Wude eventually did leave!
Qing Shui's room was on the third floor and he went straight to the hall on the third floor. He found a location next to the corridor and took his seat. Although the Central Continent Inn was only open to those who were Martial King or above, it was still fully packed. At least 80% of the seats in this hall were filled.
"Did you guys hear? Members of Marionette Sect have been killed. To think that Marionette Sect is unable to fight against him and can only seek help from Demon Gate." Not long after Qing Shui sat down, he heard a voice which lit up his interest.
"3rd Brother, stop spouting rubbish. One is bound to have a slip of tongue if he speaks too much," a middle-aged man next to the young man spoke up.
"What's there to be afraid of? Everyone's talking about it. Moreover, it's not as if it's some big secret."
"That's right, 2nd Brother, 3rd Brother. It's said that the one who killed Marionette Sect's Grand Elder was a young man."
"That's right. But the young man is really unlucky to be coming across a big sect like Demon Gate. If I were him, I'd definitely not pass by here. Demon Gate has already sent out instructions to intercept that young man."
...
Qing Shui sat there, drinking wine while listening in on the conversations around him, but didn't say a word. Some people were curious about Qing Shui, but there were also many others who were like him, sitting there alone by themselves. Therefore, after seeing that Qing Shui hadn't had any actions for very long, they retrieved their gazes.
In the blink of an eye, one day passed by.
This time around, Qing Shui hadn't expected the other party to be so fast, arriving after just one day, bringing along great pageantry. In fact, before Demon Gate arrived, news had long since spread out.
When more than ten of Demon Gate's Divine Black Crows appeared in the far distance, a commotion broke out in the Central Continent Inn. After all, it was hard to meet people from Demon Gate. At the same time, many people secretly offered a silent tribute to that young man who had offended Demon Gate.
At this place, Demon Gate was a terrifying existence. Usually, only those who were so terrifying when they robbed people of their lives would be called demons.
Many people had already walked out of the Central Continent Inn and looked towards the black silhouettes which were closing in.
Qing Shui stood next to a window on the third floor, looking at the big black birds which were getting increasingly close. They were in so black a color that there were no other colors mixed in them and even the people on them were dressed in pitch black clothes.
The crows were 60 meters in size and specialized in speed and endurance. They were the best amongst all rides but they weren't good for battles.
"Qing Shui, Demon Gate has arrived!" an old sounding voice rang out.
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