Chapter 340
by post_apiChapter 340: I Can’t Read
The three holy treasures of the Golden Moon were each priceless, especially in a martial world where sacred weapons were rare. Their value guaranteed fierce competition.
Moreover, these three treasures formed a matching set. If a saint from the Cold Moon Dynasty personally intervened, it might even be possible to extract part of the Golden Moon Saint’s inheritance from them, potentially creating another future saint.
Therefore, to the Cold Moon Dynasty, their worth far exceeded that of ordinary sacred items.
Zhang Yang waved his hand casually.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three holy treasures of the Golden Moon flew and landed directly in front of the now-invisible Moon-Returning Dragon.
The atmosphere changed instantly. Everyone’s breathing became heavy; their eyes narrowed sharply.
Zhang Yang’s action was a direct challenge to Jin Liuli and, by extension, a bold provocation toward the Taixu Dynasty.
Lu Hengkong glanced at Zhang Yang with a conflicted expression. He remembered the bold words Zhang Yang had spoken in the Abyss of the Buried Immortals—about destroying the Supreme Emperor and the Taixu Dynasty. At the time, he had assumed it was all talk.
Now he realized—Zhang Yang truly dared to act on those words.
Marquis Xia Houzun’s expression shifted as well. He now viewed Zhang Yang through a different lens.
Of course, most people turned to watch Jin Liuli—curious about how this infamous, temperamental beauty would react.
She was, without a doubt, a true femme fatale.
While others might have hidden their venomous hearts behind a facade, this one was openly fierce and domineering.
A sinister smile crept across Jin Liuli’s beautiful face. She said nothing, but her smile spoke volumes.
The Hunters’ Guild members behind her radiated overwhelming pressure, looking as though they were ready to kill at a moment’s notice.
At last, everyone turned to the Moon-Returning Dragon.
Though he had considered the possibility, the Moon-Returning Dragon had never expected Zhang Yang to so openly hand the treasures to him.
“Brother Yue,” Zhang Yang began, “back on the Ghost Ship of the Buried Immortals, when I was deep in thought, Jin Zhihong tried to ambush me. You intervened. You never said anything about it, but I remember. I’ll always remember your kindness.”
He continued, “I’ve always been someone who repays favors. These three holy treasures of the Golden Moon are my thanks.”
The Moon-Returning Dragon could hardly believe what he was hearing.
How was this any different from a gift?
He rose to his feet, visibly excited.
“No need to be so moved between friends. It’s just a small trinket,” Zhang Yang said with a laugh. “Hurry up and take it.”
Eyes red with emotion, the Moon-Returning Dragon clasped his fists toward Zhang Yang. He understood that words were unnecessary—he would remember this gesture forever.
He accepted the three holy treasures of the Golden Moon.
Jin Liuli’s lips curled into a mocking smile, as if those treasures had been rightfully hers to begin with. She didn’t take the Moon-Returning Dragon seriously at all.
She exuded overwhelming confidence, the kind that brooked no challenge.
Her gaze then landed on the golden booklet.
That was the true nerve-stirrer.
Everyone else turned their attention toward it as well, eager to see how Zhang Yang would handle the matter.
Zhang Yang picked up the golden booklet.
The booklet itself was a holy treasure, imbued with protective properties.
He raised it and offered it to Demon Sword Yi.
Demon Sword Yi stood frozen for a moment, unable to make sense of what it meant to receive such a thing. It didn’t feel quite right.
At that moment, a graceful and bewitching figure stepped into the room.
Yaoruoxian had returned.
As soon as she arrived, her dazzling beauty immediately eclipsed Jin Liuli’s. Her unique celestial aura, flawless face, and graceful figure captured everyone’s attention.
It was as though she naturally drew all light and focus to herself, quietly stealing Jin Liuli’s brilliance.
Everyone watched as she walked directly up to Zhang Yang.
Jin Liuli’s eyes flashed with resentment. She was immensely proud of her own beauty and couldn’t tolerate being outshone, especially not by someone that beautiful.
But before she could react, something even more infuriating happened.
Yaoruoxian’s delicate fingers, graceful as finely carved jade, gently brushed across the golden booklet.
It was such a simple act.
Yet the protective energy around the golden booklet silently dissipated.
This was the power of her Saint’s laws.
The Saint’s laws could reduce all mysteries to nothingness.
Zhang Yang commented with a teasing smile, “The slave isn’t bad.”
A flicker of shame and anger flashed through Yaoruoxian’s gem-like eyes, but she kept her composure. She was trying to adjust to this identity, serving as Zhang Yang’s tribulation. By opening the golden booklet for him, she had only deepened the tension.
Her tribulation would unfold quietly and subtly.
No one fully understood the complex relationship between the two, not even Demon Sword Yi.
But what everyone did notice was that the golden booklet had been opened.
They were stunned by Yaoruoxian’s mystical power, but even more eager to see what Zhang Yang would do next.
Jin Liuli cast a venomous glance at Yaoruoxian, then redirected all her fury toward Zhang Yang. She leaned forward slightly, trying to intimidate him through sheer presence.
But Zhang Yang remained unfazed, murmuring, “Brother Yue, I recall someone in the Cold Moon Dynasty named Gu Qianmu?”
The Moon-Returning Dragon nodded. “That’s right.”
“Can you contact him? Just say an old friend from Mo City has something to say,” Zhang Yang instructed.
Though puzzled, the Moon-Returning Dragon retrieved a communication stone and whispered a message.
Soon after, he put the communication stone away and took out a Spirit Communication Stone. After infusing it with his true energy, the stone began to glow with a hazy light.
A figure gradually emerged within it.
It was Gu Qianmu, the Great Boundless whom Zhang Yang had once saved in Mo City.
“Do you remember me?” Zhang Yang asked with a smile.
Gu Qianmu’s eyes lit up. “Benefactor! How could I ever forget the grace of having my life saved? Please, allow me to pay my respects!”
His reaction left Jin Liuli, Lu Hengkong, Marquis Xia Houzun, and the others stunned. None of them understood the connection between Zhang Yang and this powerful figure.
Zhang Yang chuckled. “No need for that. I’m good friends with Brother Yue now, so there’s no need for formalities. That said, I do have something I need to ask.”
“Please speak, Benefactor,” Gu Qianmu said respectfully.
“I’m illiterate—can’t really read,” Zhang Yang said as he suddenly opened the golden booklet and held it up toward the projection. “Could you help me read what this says?”
That one line detonated the atmosphere like a spark in gunpowder.
Lu Hengkong and Marquis Xia Houzun instinctively stepped back, staring at Zhang Yang as if he had lost his mind.
This wasn’t just a provocation.
It was a direct challenge to Jin Liuli—and to the entire Taixu Dynasty.
It was practically a declaration of war.
They, being the Naturally Born Son and the First Marquis, would not have dared to act so boldly. This involved a direct conflict with a sacred place and the dynasty itself, a matter so grave that even a regional Lord of the Sacred Forest or a reigning emperor would not easily make such a decision.
To them, Zhang Yang’s actions appeared utterly mad.
However, Tiger Howl Wind, Chasing Wind, Mu Shan, and the others felt their blood boil with excitement. This meant Zhang Yang had gained full control over the Vast Forest. His position was not only solidified, he now wielded influence over the affairs of the sacred place and even the decisions made there.
Though it seemed reckless, Zhang Yang’s actions stirred a fierce passion within them.
It signified one thing clearly: they no longer feared the Taixu Dynasty.
“Seeking death!”
Jin Liuli finally could not hold back any longer. A cold glint flashed in her glass-like eyes, brimming with killing intent, as she charged forward, ready to strike.
Zhang Yang spoke lightly, “Slave, take her down.”
Like a celestial being, Yaoruoxian swiftly moved to intercept Jin Liuli.
“Get out of the way!” Jin Liuli shouted, swinging her hand with ruthless force.
She was proud, domineering, and fierce.
But who was Yaoruoxian?
She was a woman who once disregarded all life. Even though she had transformed after enduring the Nine Battles Tribulation and had come to understand compassion for all living beings, that did not mean her cold indifference had vanished overnight.
She still looked down on everyone.
She remained even colder, even prouder.
As holy light surged around her, she raised her fist and struck.
Boom!
Jin Liuli was sent flying backward.
The spectators from the Western Desert, unfamiliar with Yaoruoxian, were stunned.
Enraged, Jin Liuli let out a furious roar. Though she lacked the comprehension of a saint’s path, she had mastered the unique secret techniques of the Hunters’ Guild. With a sudden burst, her strength tripled as she charged at Yaoruoxian once more.
Yaoruoxian responded with another punch.
Boom!
Jin Liuli was knocked back again.
The domineering femme fatale turned fierce and feral. She could not bear to lose. She could not tolerate Zhang Yang’s open provocation, handing the contents of the golden booklet to the Cold Moon Dynasty. She could not stand that Yaoruoxian’s beauty overshadowed her.
And most of all, she absolutely could not accept being defeated by Yaoruoxian, again.
“Roar!”
She howled like a wild she-wolf, the glass-like energy within her body boiling over, her aura rising sharply once more.
Her combat power surged!
In that instant, a chilling killing intent flashed in Yaoruoxian’s otherwise calm eyes.
She was going to kill Jin Liuli.