Chapter 71: The Old Zhao

In the darkness of night, amidst the torrential rain, a surge of vital energy boiled over!
Zhang Ping's face was somewhat grim, and black blood slowly dripped from the long knife in his hand.
A thousand meters ahead of him, the Demon Lord's figure grew larger and larger in the rain, eventually swelling into a ten-meter giant.
Furthermore, the deep, bone-revealing knife wounds on the other party's body healed instantly and disappeared without a trace.
"Such a powerful self-healing ability!" Zhang Ping said with some surprise.
The two sides had been fighting for a whole day, and the heavy rain showed no sign of stopping; on the contrary, it grew heavier as the two fought.
Taking advantage of the environment, Zhang Ping's casual swings had already reached the pinnacle of the Marrow Infusion Realm. Any Marrow Infusion Realm martial artist from the Great Wei would not last more than two moves against him.
However, the Demon Lord was able to handle it with ease.
Despite being covered in knife wounds, he showed no signs of exhaustion.
The Demon Lord's face, tinged with a faint smile in the oppressive darkness,
"Confused?"
He stepped out of thin air, instantly closing the distance between the two to a hundred meters.
Seeing this, Zhang Ping became cautious and vigilant.
The Demon Lord didn't make a move. Instead, he put his hands behind his back, adopting a condescending attitude, and said:
"Once upon a time, this land was a beautiful place. From the east, by the sea, heroes gathered!"
"The flourishing martial arts civilization transformed into a dazzling galaxy, igniting flames from all sides and creating a magnificent golden age. How wonderful it was back then!"
He slowly extended his right hand, raindrops sliding down his fingertips, his eyes slightly unfocused, as if lost in memories.
Zhang Ping didn't reply. He stared at the Demon Lord, tightened his grip on the long sword, and pondered whether a sneak attack at this moment could severely injure the Demon Lord.
Seemingly having guessed his plan, the Demon Lord chuckled.
"You young people have no patience."
click-
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, strangely a dark red bolt, which took a long time to disappear into the world.
Zhang Ping narrowed his eyes, somewhat puzzled as to why the Demon Lord had stopped at this point. However, even he was somewhat exhausted after a day of intense fighting.
Holding the long sword to his chest with both hands, he fixed his gaze on the ordinary middle-aged man in front of him, and suddenly the thought of having a conversation came to mind.
"You seem to know a lot about the past, so you are an ancient demon who was sealed away and possessed Senior Wang Tian? But I'm puzzled, since you know the way out, why don't you leave on your own? Is it because of the restrictions of the seal?"
"Then I'm curious, why did you tell the Demon Extermination Bureau the route out and let a large number of warriors leave? With your strength, you shouldn't be afraid of the Demon Extermination Bureau's power."
Zhang Ping had many questions in his mind. From the appearance of the Demon Lord to the present, many things seemed inexplicable to him.
"You have many questions, and I cannot answer them all for you." The Demon Lord stood with his hands behind his back, adopting the demeanor of an elder.
"I can tell you a story."
Zhang Ping raised an eyebrow: "A story?"
Regardless of whether Zhang Ping had any thoughts on it, the Demon Lord spoke leisurely:
"The Great Domain of Myriad Spirits is vast and boundless. No one knows its size; even the strongest martial artists have not explored its entirety. Within that region lie deadly perilous places teeming with killing intent, and treasure troves overflowing with spiritual treasures and materials."
"Of course, there are also many peaceful areas with serene scenery and beautiful customs."
"The Zhao Kingdom of the East Sea is it."
The Demon Lord began to walk slowly in the rain. As he walked, the world behind him began to slowly change, quickly forming another world.
This power!!
Zhang Ping's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared in astonishment at the seemingly divine methods before him.
With each step, the world transforms!
Soon, the image began to change, from fluctuating to stable.
This is a vast plain on the edge of a continent, bordering an endless ocean.
This fertile land, stretching for miles, is home to trillions of people! Martial arts civilization, like a galaxy of stars, blossoms into wondrous flowers on this land.
The scene depicts towering human cities and mythical beast caves piled up on mountains.
Wide, well-connected roads led to a harmonious coexistence between humans and mythical beasts, where they engaged in trade and cooperation.
There are no aloof martial artists here; anyone can learn martial arts techniques through the martial arts academy established by the government, and obtain resource rewards through diligent practice.
The government here is powerful, intimidating the entire coastal region, and all forces submit to its rule.
Everything seemed so orderly, completely different from the martial arts world that Zhang Ping was seeing now.
The strange phenomena that appeared during the transformation made Zhang Ping unable to help but slightly open his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
The Demon Lord spoke first, saying, "This is Gu Zhao."
Ancient Zhao?
Zhang Ping's eyes flashed, and the name "the old land of Wei and Zhao" came to mind.
Judging from the scene of the illusion, it must have happened a very long time ago, so long ago that in the present-day Great Wei, there is no trace of anything similar.
He had assumed that the so-called former territory of Wei and Zhao referred to the Great Wei and its predecessor, but now it seemed that there might be some discrepancies.
However, while he was curious about the ancient Zhao era in the illusion, he was now more interested in what the Demon Lord was going to say next.
"Countless years have passed since the ancient Zhao dynasty, and the world has changed drastically."
The Demon Lord shook his head and muttered to himself.
The way he looked at Zhang Ping inexplicably carried a hint of admiration for his talent.
"The martial arts of that time were more prosperous than you can imagine. The sixth level of body refinement was just the starting point of martial arts. Only those at the third level of supernatural powers could be considered strong, and only those at the second level of spiritual power could be called invincible."
"If you lived in that era, you would be nothing special."
Zhang Ping completely ignored the last sentence.
"The three realms of supernatural powers, the two realms of spiritual power..."
Is this the cultivation level after the sixth stage of Body Refinement?
He suddenly realized that the Divine Power Realm referred to the collective name of three major realms.
After thinking it over, Zhang Ping couldn't help but feel a little curious and said:
"And then what happened? Was the powerful ancient Zhao dynasty destroyed by other forces? Or did it collapse due to its own decline?"
The Demon Lord's figure shifted slightly, and he said, "Gu Zhao occupies a strategic location and gathers geniuses from all over the world; no external force can destroy it."
Zhang Ping understood.
Since it wasn't destroyed by external forces, it must have been due to civil war.
Sure enough, the Demon Lord continued, "The extreme power led the former ruler of Zhao to seek a way to break through to the Spirit Heaven."
"To this end, he collected all kinds of rare treasures and magical materials from the East Sea, and finally found a way to break through through ancient relics."
His gaze suddenly fell on Zhang Ping. "That method is called the Chaos Method."
Chaos Theory?
Zhang Ping was confused, so the Demon Lord continued:
"Chaos is the beginning and end of all power. The five elements of wind and thunder, the interplay of yin and yang, and the convergence of all power can form chaos."
"It is easy to learn one characteristic of Qi and blood, but very few people can make Qi and blood accommodate multiple characteristics at the same time."
"But once you've gone this far, it would be foolish not to want to acquire chaotic properties."
His gaze lingered for a moment on the long sword in Zhang Ping's hand.
Zhang Ping naturally felt that gaze and suddenly gripped the hilt of his knife tighter.
No wonder, no wonder.
No wonder the Demon Lord has always treated him differently.
His power comes from the beast-patterned brand; he has almost never actively cultivated his qi and blood, let alone developed qi and blood attributes.
Because of the mixed power of the beast markings on his body, the Demon Lord actually believed that he wanted to acquire the chaotic characteristics and cultivate them at the same time.
Having figured this out, Zhang Ping's doubts were largely resolved.