Chapter 686: Showtime and Liftoff: Zhou Zhiruo and Zhang Youji (Part 2)

“Yes, sir!”

The soldier quickly went inside and came back out a moment later.

“Sect Leader Zhou asks that Councillor Gao please wait a moment.”

“We’re here to give her… and she’s making us wait?!” Fang Tangtang was a little annoyed to hear this, and she pouted.

Gao Neng glanced at the time.

Of the two-hour window, one hour and fifteen minutes had already passed.

On the surface, that left forty-five minutes.

But who said the Eastern Region Alien Race Alliance Army would attack at precisely the two-hour mark?

Two hours was just the latest they were expected to attack.

So, time was actually quite tight…

“In that case, just have Sect Leader Zhou find me at the command center later.” Gao Neng nodded and turned to leave.

“Yes, sir!” the soldier immediately agreed.

“Wait!” Just then, a voice came from inside the military tent.

Then, the tent flap was pushed aside.

A woman in a long, gray-and-white dress walked out. On her forehead was a mark resembling a plum blossom.

Zhou Zhiruo.

The current Sect Leader of the Emei Ancient Sect.

Both her bearing and her looks were of the highest caliber.

However, Gao Neng could feel an overly sharp Sword Intent between Zhou Zhiruo’s brows.

In a sense, anyone who practices the sword will carry a certain Sword Intent.

There was nothing wrong with that.

But Zhou Zhiruo’s Sword Intent was a little too obvious, like a sword was constantly hanging over her head.

“I’ve always heard Councillor Gao has little patience. Seeing you today, it seems to be true.” Zhou Zhiruo’s gaze lingered on Gao Neng for a second before she looked away.

“Mm, and I’ve always heard Sect Leader Zhou is the person closest to becoming a Strongest. Seeing you today, I must say I’m greatly disappointed.” Gao Neng smiled slightly and nodded in response.

That was a direct counterattack!

Normally, Zhou Zhiruo should have been a little embarrassed at this point.

But that wasn’t what happened.

After Gao Neng’s blunt retort, Zhou Zhiruo seemed completely unfazed. Her expression remained calm, and she even performed a formal salute. “Zhou Zhiruo, Sect Leader of the Emei Ancient Sect, greets Councillor Gao, Supreme Military Commander of the Alliance. May I ask if Councillor Gao has come to see me personally for a military arrangement?”

“Just as I thought. You have a dual personality!” Gao Neng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“What?” This time, Zhou Zhiruo’s placid expression finally changed.

“I said you have a dual personality. A rather severe case, at that. The two personalities have already merged. Simply put, you’re not who you appear to be,” Gao Neng said again.

“Councillor Gao, I don’t understand what you mean.” Zhou Zhiruo’s body trembled slightly.

“To put it simply, your inner nature is actually gentle. But because you inherited the position of Sect Leader of the Emei Ancient Sect, you have to force yourself to show a ‘hard’ side, even keeping a Sword Intent perpetually suspended between your brows!”

“Nonsense!”

“Whether it’s nonsense or not, you know the truth in your heart. I originally came here today to help you achieve your breakthrough, but now I feel there’s not much point.” Gao Neng waved his hand dismissively.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve changed my mind. Goodbye, Sect Leader Zhou!”

“Wait!”

“Is there something else, Sect Leader Zhou?”

“Um… if you can really help me with my breakthrough, I’m willing to apologize for my earlier attitude. And whatever you ask, as long as it doesn’t violate my principles, I can agree to it as a condition for your help!” Zhou Zhiruo hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Fine. My condition is simple. Tell me, who is that man?” Gao Neng nodded.

“What man?” Zhou Zhiruo was visibly stunned. You could even see a flash of panic in her eyes, but that panic was mixed with anger.

The two emotions were both remarkably clear.

“Who is Zhou Jin’s father?” Gao Neng took a step forward.

“What are you talking about? What does Zhou Jin’s father have to do with me… I have nothing to do with Zhou Jin. I’m the Sect Leader of the Emei Ancient Sect, I…”

“I’m leaving.”

“W-wait… what do you know? No, how do you know about this? And what does this have to do with my breakthrough?” Zhou Zhiruo’s expression shifted, one moment cold, the next helpless.

“In short, you tell me who that man is, and I’ll help you break through!” Gao Neng had no intention of explaining himself to Zhou Zhiruo.

“What kind of logic is that? What do my private affairs have to do with you?”

“If they have nothing to do with me, then I’m leaving.”

“…” Zhou Zhiruo was speechless.

“Tangtang, let’s go.” Gao Neng grabbed Fang Tangtang and started to walk away.

The two of them kept walking.

When they were nearly thirty meters away, Zhou Zhiruo’s voice came from behind them again.

“The Emei Ancient Sect is the only one of the ten great sects without a Strongest. Because… in the last battle, my grandmaster… she… she fell. I am the most talented disciple in the Emei Ancient Sect. Only by inheriting the position of Sect Leader could the Emei Ancient Sect maintain its status among the ten great sects… For these eighteen years, I’ve been trying with all my might to break through, but I still haven’t succeeded. If I don’t break through, I can’t lay down this burden. I can’t pass the position of Sect Leader to the next disciple. But… I never actually wanted to be the Sect Leader of the Emei Ancient Sect, because… because…”

“…” Gao Neng stopped.

“I have no choice. I have to bear this burden. Unless I break through and become a Strongest… only then can I pass the Sect Leader position to someone else without anyone objecting.”

“So?” Gao Neng turned back to look at Zhou Zhiruo.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But… that man is actually very ordinary… He’s just a normal person… His name is Zhang Youji. There’s no way you’d know him…”

BZZZT!

A wave of energy surged out.

Zhou Zhiruo’s expression clearly froze.

“Did you use an Illusion Technique on her?” Fang Tangtang looked at Gao Neng, surprised.

“Yep. Strike while the iron is hot,” Gao Neng nodded. Then, hiding his aura, he slowly approached Zhou Zhiruo.

“Bind!”

An alloy chain bound Zhou Zhiruo.

Then, Gao Neng took out a bottle of ‘Holy Liquid’ and poured it directly into Zhou Zhiruo’s mouth.

GULP!

GULP!

Zhou Zhiruo swallowed instinctively.

Fang Tangtang watched this scene, a little confused. “Why give her the ‘Holy Liquid’ like this? Wouldn’t it be better to just hand it to her?”

“It’s hard to explain. Basically… she could have broken through on her own long ago. It’s only because she’s too desperate that she’s been unable to,” Gao Neng explained casually.

“I don’t get it?” Fang Tangtang blinked.

“Simply put, to make her break through, you need her to accept it herself and fulfill a ‘wish’ of hers. That wish is to satisfy her ‘desire for a normal life’. My Illusion Technique can only make her imagine things. To make it work in this situation, I have to evoke her memories of the past. With those memories… her Illusion Realm will make her dream of things she doesn’t want to dream about. Do you understand now?”

“I got maybe twenty percent of that!”

“It’s like the saying, ‘what you think about by day, you dream of by night.’ To help her break through, I need to make her have a dream. And to make her have that dream, I need to trigger her memories. Get it now?”

“Okay, I get it now. But there’s one more thing I don’t get.”

“What’s that?”

“How did you know she has a dual personality?”

“Heh heh.” Gao Neng chuckled.

‘I have the damn ‘Netherworld Ghost Eye’. I can see all of a person’s information at a glance.’

‘Zhou Zhiruo is only at the ninth rank.’

‘She hasn’t reached the Strongest realm.’

‘In front of me, she’s like an open book… What secret could she possibly have that I wouldn’t know?’

BOOM!

Just then, a massive explosion echoed from the distance.

And then, a messenger came running over at top speed.

“Rep… Reporting, Councillor Gao! The Eastern District’s alien races… they’re… they’re here!”