At the top of San Cha Mountain, three massive pillars of light emerged, each signifying the entryway to one of the inheritances of the Three Kings. Numerous cultivators were waiting on the sidelines for this exact moment. Normally, the Rank 4 cultivators would duke it out to see who and Rank 4 cultivators would fight among themselves for the opportunity to enter first, then Rank 3 cultivators, followed by the others and so on.
However, this time things were different.
A Rank 5 Initial Stage aura resonated throughout the area as Fang Zheng emerged, closely followed by Tie Xue Leng.
Tie Xue Leng spoke in a voice that was soft, yet carried clearly across the mountain peak: "I have an announcement for all of you today. From this moment forth, only the righteous path may access the Three Kings Inheritance. Demonic path Gu Masters are explicitly forbidden from entering! Any who try will meet with the iron fist of righteous justice!"
Shock echoed across San Cha Mountain before several demonic Gu Masters stepped forward. Tie Xue Leng might have been Rank 5, but almost everyone knew about his heavy injuries. Those who didn't could infer it simply from the fact that he had not acted openly to suppress them until now. The demonic path could eventually win if they fought Tie Xue Leng, but those who fought him would also end up dying. No demonic path Gu Masters were willing to be sacrificial pawns. After all, if they fought and somehow managed to kill Tie Xue Leng in the process, who would benefit? Not those who fought him, but the rest of the demonic path. None of the demonic path Gu Masters present were generous enough to lay down their lives for others.
And so a stalemate had existed until now.
However, one thing had changed: the presence of Fang Zheng.
As the demonic path cultivators charged forward, Tie Xue Leng didn't even need to move. Fang Zheng simply sprung into action. Strength Path qi surged around him as he instantly activated several Gu worms within his aperture.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
In just a matter of a few blows, the demonic forces were driven back. Those who were lucky got off with a few broken bones. Those that were unlucky were functionally crippled, quickly healing themselves.
"This kid... he's at Rank 5 Initial Stage?!"
"He really reached Rank 5 initial stage?! How did he advance so fast?"
"Tch, that's what happens when you have the backing of a Gu Immortal!"
"It can't just be that - he had the backing of a Gu Immortal before, too. He must have found some treasure in the Three Kings Inheritance!"
"Indeed, he must possess some kind of secret regarding the inheritance!"
"Hold on! He cultivates Strength Path! There's no way he can deal with long-range attacks!" three overzealous Rank 3 peak stage demonic Gu Masters shouted, bombarding Fang Zheng from a distance.
In response, Fang Zheng simply took a deep breath and thrust his fist in their general direction.
A surge of Strength Qi gathered around his fist and expanded, turning into a massive fist-shaped projectile that slammed into the area where the three were standing. The attack was so fast that none of them had time to dodge, crushing them into meat paste in an instant.
There were no more challengers after that.
The wary demonic path Gu Masters glanced first at Tie Xue Leng and then at Fang Zheng. Both represented opposite ends of the spectrum. On one hand was Tie Xue Leng, a veteran Rank 5 expert who was near the end of his lifespan and could not unleash his full power without severe consequences. On the other hand, Fang Zheng was like a newborn who was learning to walk. He had just stepped into the realm of Rank 5. But combined, they were an extremely threatening duo.
"He just became a Rank 5 Gu Master. Most Rank 5 Gu Masters can scarcely gather a single Rank 5 Gu worm," one of them pointed out. "He must be fighting using only Rank 4 gu worms! He can't show full Rank 5 strength yet!"
Though this person said this, the fact remained that even if Fang Zheng was using Rank 4 Gu, he could still easily suppress the majority of the demonic path Gu Masters present. No one dared underestimate Fang Zheng; despite his tender age, he had already killed several demonic path experts.
And even if they could challenge Fang Zheng, he wasn't the only one they had to worry about. Standing behind him was Tie Xue Leng, a man who undoubtedly still had a few simple tricks up his sleeve without having to go all out.
Furthermore, there were other righteous path figures present. There was Tie Ruo Nan, who had recovered from her mild injuries after failing her refinement, and Qing Shu, who had already killed a Rank 4 Peak Stage demonic path Gu Master despite a gap of two minor realms.
Many of the demonic path Gu Masters gritted their teeth, glaring daggers at Fang Zheng. However, before such a formidable force, they could do nothing but withdraw.
"Nothing ever changes. Such has always been the case since ancient times - the righteous path always prevails over the demonic path," Fang Zheng said calmly. "My name is Gu Yue Fang Zheng, and I am here to represent the Gu Yue Clan and also my elder brother, Fang Yuan. This is what he would've wanted - the complete and utter dominance of good over evil! Now, those of you who know what's best for you stay back!"
Fang Zheng then turned to Tie Xue Leng and cupped his fists. "Senior Divine Investigator, as a way of giving face to the Tie clan, I would like you to be the first to enter the inheritance."
"I thank you kindly," Tie Xue Leng said, selecting one of the light pillars before disappearing into it.
The other Tie clansmen followed behind him.
Tie Ruo Nan glanced at Fang Zheng; she still harbored cold feelings toward him. Surprisingly, Fang Zheng seemed to hold no ill will towards her. His arrogance from the last time they had met were completely gone. He simply offered her a gentle smile. "After you, junior sister," he said, stepping aside to let her pick a light pillar without bothering her.
Most of the Tie clansmen held a very negative opinion of Fang Zheng especially after his duel with Tie Ruo Nan. However, Fang Zheng now had Tie Xue Leng's unspoken acknowledgement if not outright approval. They could do nothing but bow their heads, utter a few words of thanks, and choose a pillar for themselves.
"Fang Zheng... you truly are a capable man," a voice said, walking up toward him. It was none other than Yi Huo, the Blazing Inferno, the leader of the Shang clan forces on the mountain.
While Fang Zheng's actions were a victory for the righteous path, friction existed even between righteous path factions. Yi Huo was specifically here to advance the interests of the Shang clan. Fang Zheng, being the Insane Reverend, had ties with the Shang clan, yet they had been unable to capitalize on them here. Granted, Yi Huo understood why Fang Zheng had to let Tie Xue Leng go first - that was only natural given Tie Xue Leng's seniority and cultivation realm. But allowing the rest of the Tie clansmen to pass before them was another matter.
Fang Zheng was not oblivious to his concerns. He gave Yi Huo a small smirk before handing him an information-type gu worm.
"This is..." Yi Huo scanned the information stored inside, his eyes widening slightly. It contained key details that Fang Yuan had given Fang Zheng on how to navigate the Three Kings Inheritance - clues that would normally only be obvious to certain experts after a long time.
Yi Huo already knew a fraction of that information, which made him confident that the rest was accurate. In a contest like this, every drop of knowledge was worth more than an ocean of force. He nodded slowly and handed the gu worm to the other members of the Shang clan who were exploring the inheritance.
"As for Senior Tie Xue Leng," Fang Zheng said softly, "the sun sets upon every forest, yet it also rises upon the new saplings all the same."
Yi Huo immediately understood the meaning behind his statement. They could cooperate with Tie Xue Leng right now and borrow his prestige as a Divine Investigator to keep the demonic faction out of the Three Kings Inheritance. However, Tie Xue Leng was not long for this world. They only needed to bide their time, and soon enough, they would be the undisputed leaders on San Cha Mountain.
'This Fang Zheng is not nearly as simple as he makes himself out to be,' Yi Huo noted inwardly before leading the Shang clansmen and their allies into the inheritance.
"All right, everyone else line up in an orderly fashion to enter the inheritance," Fang Zheng declared. "I will not tolerate any form of cheating or disorderly conduct. Let's make two lines: women to my left, because men are always right."