Chapter 371

Chapter 371: A Tragic Transformation

Evening.

In front of the window at Bi Tian Pavilion. Zhang Yang gazed at the distant sky, where the sunset was at its most breathtaking, painting half the heavens in a soft golden hue. The bustling city of Crimson Flame Imperial Capital still teemed with life, its clamor filling the air as wisps of smoke curled toward the clouds.

Listening to the many sounds outside and feeling the warmth of ordinary life, he found great solace in this peaceful moment.

“I’ve noticed you’re quite different from others,” Bing Yuyan said lazily, leaning against the window and observing him. “While others devote themselves to martial arts, striving to stand out, yearning to escape the mundane and ascend to the heavens, you’ve always maintained the heart of an ordinary person.”

Zhang Yang chuckled. “Who isn’t ordinary?”

Bing Yuyan pouted. “I won’t argue with you.”

Zhang Yang laughed.

This goddess understood him better than most, though she occasionally turned into a teasing femme fatale.

“Since we’ve got some time, want to go shopping and get some candied hawthorn?” Zhang Yang asked.

Bing Yuyan’s eyes immediately lit up, but then she pouted again. “Are you having indecent thoughts about me? Let me tell you, this goddess is committed to seeking the Great Path for life. You’d better keep your fantasies in check, or you’ll end up crying.”

Smack!

Zhang Yang raised his hand and gave her a light slap.

“Let’s go.”

Bing Yuyan chased after him, waving her arms. “You’re taking advantage of me! I’ll make you pay for this!”

Just as they stepped down the stairs, a thunderous boom shook the air.

A radiant holy light burst from the neighboring Zi Tian Pavilion, illuminating the area.

“Brother Yue has achieved the Holy Body!” Zhang Yang exclaimed joyfully.

Bing Yuyan muttered, “Does that mean no candied hawthorn for me?”

For the moon-returning dragon, achieving the Holy Body had not been easy.

He had first inherited the bloodline pearl, then received aid from the Holy Weapon, the Moon Blade. Add to that his immense gains from both past and present lives, along with the moment he witnessed Zhang Yang shatter the Supreme Emperor’s Remnant Soul and release his inner shackles. All of these experiences culminated in today’s breakthrough, he had finally succeeded in cultivating the Holy Body.

From this moment on, the moon-returning dragon officially stepped into the ranks of the top Battle God-level geniuses of the Western Desert.

Zhang Yang instinctively wanted to congratulate him, but after a moment of thought, he took out a bead from his storage bag and placed it inside a box, smiling. “Let this be a gift.”

Bing Yuyan noticed and remarked, “You really are generous.”

Zhang Yang lightly flicked the inconspicuous mother bead hanging at his waist. Though it held great value to him, he had never been stingy. Friends should share and support one another.

Without using the door, the two soared into the air and arrived at Zi Tian Pavilion.

At that moment, the members of the Cold Moon Dynasty had already gathered where the moon-returning dragon had been in seclusion.

Leading the group were Duke Gu Qianmu, Liu Yuewu, Gu Jianyun, and six or seven other martial arts Lords from the Cold Moon Dynasty, most of whom Zhang Yang wasn’t familiar with.

Upon seeing him, they all greeted him respectfully.

Zhang Yang smiled and said, “We’re all friends, no need for formalities. Let’s go celebrate with Brother Yue.”

Everyone entered the room in high spirits.

The doors and windows were open.

The moon-returning dragon remained bathed in holy light, looking refreshed and full of spirit.

“Brother Yue, congratulations!” Zhang Yang said, casually placing the gift on the table.

The moon-returning dragon smiled and replied, “I owe this breakthrough, achieving the Holy Body in the Opening the Sky realm, to Brother Zhang.”

Zhang Yang responded, “You’re too modest. No matter how much help one receives, if their own ability is lacking, it’s meaningless. Your cultivation of the Holy Body is a testament to your own extraordinary potential.”

“I could never compare to you, Brother Zhang. Your Holy Body is peerless,” said the moon-returning dragon.

As the two exchanged compliments, Bing Yuyan watched with exasperation and said, “Alright, enough with the flattery. It’s not like everyone here doesn’t already know you both possess Holy Bodies.”

The two laughed, their joy echoing in the room.

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out from outside.

Everyone, still immersed in the happiness of the moon-returning dragon’s breakthrough, jumped in alarm and turned to look.

There, in the courtyard of Zi Tian Pavilion, lay a beautiful pregnant woman, seven or eight months along with a knife embedded in her abdomen. Her body had been thrown violently into the courtyard.

“Yuchan!!!”

At the sight of her, the moon-returning dragon’s vision blurred. He let out a heart-wrenching scream, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The Holy Body he had just cultivated showed signs of collapse. The holy light around him surged violently, now infused with rage, grief, and deep resentment.

The Holy Body had begun to rebel.

But the moon-returning dragon seemed unaware of it and cried out, “My child!”

He rushed out in madness.

Bing Yuyan saw the killing intent erupt in him but refrained from acting recklessly. She quickly raised a finger and pointed at his left temple, channeling her powerful Holy Body energy to stabilize his agitated mind.

Gu Qianmu also reacted swiftly, pressing a hand to the moon-returning dragon’s right temple and using a secret technique to soothe his emotional upheaval.

“You’re seeking death!”

Zhang Yang’s voice rang out in fury.

He had never witnessed such cruelty.

Killing a pregnant woman by stabbing her in the abdomen—without even sparing the child that was soon to be born.

Such a person had to be punished. Justice could not allow such cruelty to go unanswered.

Zhang Yang’s discerning eyes gleamed as he locked onto the murderer, who had tried to vanish into the crowd. Activating the Divine Gold Holy Body, holy light radiated around him like a ferocious beast emerging from slumber. He tore through the void, chasing after the killer at a terrifying speed, eight times the speed of sound.

Having already surpassed the third level of the Opening the Sky realm and achieved the Divine Gold Holy Body, Zhang Yang had long abandoned the Three Steps of Mountains and Rivers technique. Instead, he poured all his comprehension into the martial path of raw strength, using his own insights to derive his personal interpretation of the Saints’ laws.

With his foundation rooted in the Saintly Path, he believed he could forge a new way forward within the Opening the Sky realm.

Even so, his speed had reached a level that would put even masters of the Immeasurable Stage to shame.

He pursued the fleeing figure without hesitation.

Liu Yuewu, Gu Jianyun, and several others followed in hot pursuit.

Among them, Liu Yuewu called out loudly, “Ji Shaolong! Quickly, use your Black Lotus Life Energy to save Miss Yuchan!”

Then she continued the chase without pausing.

Ji Shaolong, the Black Cloak Duke of the Cold Moon Dynasty—was a man clad in black armor all his life.

Back at the Zi Tian Pavilion, heart-wrenching cries filled the air, each one piercing Zhang Yang’s chest like a blade.

He could hardly bear to imagine whether the moon-returning dragon would collapse under the weight of this grief.

Zhang Yang didn’t have many close friends. After Ye Kuanglan, the moon-returning dragon was the second. Their bond ran deep, and he felt the pain as if it were his own.

That grief fueled his speed, pushing him past the limits of his body and will.

The murderer was fast, frighteningly so, flitting across six or seven miles in the blink of an eye, like a phantom riding the wind.

As Zhang Yang chased relentlessly, he suddenly heard angry roars nearby. Glancing back, he was shocked to see a group of enemies emerge from the side, intercepting Liu Yuewu, Gu Jianyun, and the others.

His brow furrowed in concern.

This was a planned attack!

He surged forward with even greater determination.

Up ahead, the figure turned sharply down several narrow alleys, leapt over a wall, and entered a secluded, antiquated manor.

Zhang Yang followed closely behind.

The figure came to a stop, then turned around with a relaxed, cheerful smile.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Wind Dragon, one of the Three Hunters of the Hunters’ Guild. I acted on orders from the Black Cloaked Strategist to bring you here.”

Zhang Yang’s gaze turned razor-sharp.

This was his target!

But in the process, they had not only killed a defenseless pregnant woman, they had also shattered the spirit of the moon-returning dragon.

“I don’t care who you are,” Zhang Yang said coldly. “Just remember that you’re already dead. I’ll use your life to honor that woman and her unborn child.”

Wind Dragon burst into hearty laughter. “Let’s see if you can leave alive first.” His laughter stopped abruptly as he shouted, “I present… the Black Cloaked Strategist!”

Figures flickered across the rooftop.

A man cloaked entirely in black appeared.

Behind him stood a towering, muscular man, nearly two meters tall.

“Black Cloaked Strategist?” Zhang Yang scoffed. “Never heard of you.”

The Strategist replied with a sneer, opening a folding fan and waving it lazily. “To step into the Western Desert and challenge the Taixu Dynasty without knowing who I am… you must want to die without even knowing how.”

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes. “Are you really that formidable?”

Wind Dragon replied to him with a dramatic tone, “When the Strategist gets angry, the skies over the Western Desert turn red with blood!”