Chapter 481 - 456: Competing in Flight Speed

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"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

Looking at the gash on the ground, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The Punishment True Whip truly lived up to its name as a Fifth-Grade True Artifact; its power was terrifying. That single strike, using only thirty percent of his strength, had carved a gash twenty miles long. If he were to use his full power, creating a hundred-mile-long gash would be no difficult task!

With this Punishment True Whip, Zhaang Ye’s combat strength had at least doubled!

Zhaang Ye put away the Punishment True Whip and was about to return to Chaoyang Hall when he suddenly felt a slight stir in the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi outside Rising Sun Peak. Then, a clear voice drifted in: "Daoist Master Zhaangye, I am Feng Zhonghe, the Seventh Steward of the Green Cloud Sect’s Inner Sect. Now that you have advanced to the True Dao Realm, I have come personally to confirm it and get you registered."

’An Inner Sect Steward?’

A thought stirred in Zhaang Ye’s mind. He extended his profound Spiritual Sense, and the Mountain Protection Array slowly opened an entrance.

The Mountain Protection Array had already confirmed Zhaang Ye’s identity; he only needed a single thought to open it. Such were the wonders of Arrays.

As the Array opened, a middle-aged man in white robes walked in from the outside. He walked step by step, appearing to move slowly, but in the blink of an eye, he was already standing before Zhaang Ye. This miraculous ability, Shrinking Inches into Centimeters, made even Zhaang Ye’s eyes light up in silent admiration.

The white-robed middle-aged man, Feng Zhonghe, walked up to Zhaang Ye, his gaze immediately captivated by the twenty-mile-long gash on the ground. Feng Zhonghe sized up the gash, a trace of astonishment in his eyes. He said, "Zhaang Ye, did you create this gash?"

Zhaang Ye nodded. "I did."

Feng Zhonghe sized up Zhaang Ye again, sensing the powerful aura emanating from him. He chuckled and said, "To be able to create a twenty-mile gash in one strike, and with such a powerful aura... you have indeed reached the Innate Realm. Congratulations, Daoist Master Zhaangye. You are the third among this generation’s Inner Sect Disciples to advance to the True Dao."

"Oh?"

Zhaang Ye was secretly surprised by this. He asked, "Who was the first disciple to advance to the True Dao Realm?"

Feng Zhonghe smiled faintly. "The first to cultivate to the True Dao was Mo Luo. The second to reach the True Dao Realm was the Red Cliff Celestial Ape. Both of them advanced to the True Dao Realm a month ago."

A month ago. Zhaang Ye did a quick mental calculation and realized that Mo Luo and the Red Cliff Celestial Ape had indeed reached the True Dao a little earlier than him.

Feng Zhonghe then added, "According to the Sect’s rules, disciples who advance to the True Dao Realm receive rewards from the Sect. These rewards are mainly Elixirs and Essence Stones. In addition, you can enter the Sect’s Library Pavilion to select a Cultivation Technique. Daoist Master Zhaangye, when do you plan to collect your rewards and select your technique?"

Zhaang Ye’s eyes lit up slightly. "Let’s go now! I also won some rewards during the entrance competition, so I can collect them all at once."

Feng Zhonghe nodded. "Excellent. Let’s go."

Zhaang Ye followed Feng Zhonghe, quickly departing Rising Sun Peak and flying east. As they flew, Feng Zhonghe pointed eastward and explained, "To the east of the Green Cloud Mountain Range, there is a peak named Celestial Pillar Peak. The Sect’s Steward Hall is built upon it. Celestial Pillar Peak is considered the central hub of our Green Cloud Sect, handling all of the Sect’s major and minor affairs."

After introducing Celestial Pillar Peak, Feng Zhonghe, intent on testing Zhaang Ye’s strength, slowly increased his flight speed. He transformed into a streak of white light. The air, compressed by his high-speed advance, was then torn asunder, blasting outwards with a sound like muffled thunder!

"Hm?"

A glint flashed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He executed the Thunderbolt Body Technique and followed closely behind Feng Zhonghe.

After flying for a while, Feng Zhonghe glanced back and found Zhaang Ye following at a relaxed pace, the distance between them not having increased at all. This secretly astonished Feng Zhonghe. He thought, ’This Zhaang Ye has only just entered the True Dao Realm, yet his flying speed is already this fast. It’s incredible! I want to see just how fast he really is!’

SWOOSH!

The white light around Feng Zhonghe flared, and his body emitted a series of CRACKING sounds. Following this series of sounds, Feng Zhonghe’s entire body suddenly shrank, and shrank again, until he was the size of a seven or eight-year-old child!

This maneuver of Feng Zhonghe’s was to shrink his body to reduce air resistance, thereby achieving faster flight speeds. The move was extremely effective. After his body shrank, he transformed into a faint white streak. If an ordinary person were watching from the ground, they would see a flash of white light hurtling across the sky, its speed so fast the eye could barely follow!

After flying for tens of thousands of miles, Feng Zhonghe glanced back at Zhaang Ye and nearly coughed up blood in frustration.

He saw Zhaang Ye still flying along leisurely. Zhaang Ye’s flight didn’t create a grand spectacle like his own and didn’t even look fast. But this seemingly nonchalant flying posture concealed a speed that was actually unparalleled. Feng Zhonghe had used his ultimate trump card, yet he still couldn’t shake Zhaang Ye by a single step!

’This kid is a monster! He just reached the True Dao Realm, yet his flying speed is this fast and his technique is so masterful. It’s unbelievable!’

Feng Zhonghe couldn’t help but sigh with emotion inwardly.

Seeing Feng Zhonghe frequently looking back, Zhaang Ye smiled to himself. In the Barbaric World, a Martial Artist had to cultivate to the True Dao Realm to be able to fly through the air. But in the Land of Divine Abandonment, one only needed to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer to fly with ease. Zhaang Ye had lost count of how many times he had flown in the Land of Divine Abandonment. Both his flying skill and speed were far superior to those of an ordinary True Dao Expert.

Moreover, Zhaang Ye had already faintly grasped the Wind Realm. He had an extraordinary understanding of the wind, and his whole being was like a wisp of it. No matter how fast Feng Zhonghe flew, Zhaang Ye could easily keep up.

Seeing that he couldn’t shake Zhaang Ye, Feng Zhonghe felt a bit indignant. Spotting a cloud ahead, a smile touched the corners of his lips, and he flew straight toward it.

WHOOSH!

Feng Zhonghe’s figure entered the cloud. Like a fish, he moved through it with nimble grace, his speed not decreasing in the slightest.

Zhaang Ye’s brow twitched as he saw Feng Zhonghe fly straight into the cloud. The density of a cloud is much greater than that of the air. At high speeds, accidentally crashing into one is like hitting a stone wall. Even a cultivator who had reached the True Dao Realm would be dazed by the impact, possibly even falling from the sky.

Crashing into a cloud wasn’t a big deal; at worst, it would be a bit embarrassing. But if one were unlucky enough to hit a cloud carrying thunder and lightning, the trouble would be much greater. The power of the Thunder and lightning hidden within the clouds was incredible. If one recklessly smashed into it, even a True Dao Expert would be roasted crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!

If Zhaang Ye didn’t have experience with high-speed flight, he might have crashed headlong into the cloud. But during his time in the Land of Divine Abandonment, he had flown almost every day and had exceptionally rich experience. Seeing Feng Zhonghe fly into the cloud, Zhaang Ye knew at once that the man was trying to make him look foolish.

Zhaang Ye smiled slightly and thought to himself, ’Such a petty trick is hardly worth mentioning!’

RUMBLE!

A massive Tornado materialized around Zhaang Ye’s body, spinning wildly. In the face of this frantically spinning Tornado, the cloud was utterly defenseless. Before Zhaang Ye even got close, the cloud was torn apart and scattered by the whirlwind, unable to affect him in the slightest!

Amidst the rumbling sound, Zhaang Ye’s flight speed increased again and again, until he was flying right beside Feng Zhonghe! As Feng Zhonghe stared in astonishment, a smile touched Zhaang Ye’s lips. He slowly increased his speed again and actually surpassed Feng Zhonghe!

"Ugh, how can he be so fast!"

Feng Zhonghe felt a wave of frustration. He flew with all his might, trying to catch up to Zhaang Ye. But no matter how much power he used, he couldn’t catch him. Zhaang Ye flew leisurely about a thousand feet ahead of him. No matter how hard Feng Zhonghe tried, he just couldn’t close that thousand-foot gap!

Feng Zhonghe almost coughed up blood again!

"It’s infuriating to compare yourself to others!" After flying another hundred thousand miles or so, Feng Zhonghe knew he could never catch Zhaang Ye. He sighed, slowed his flight, and lost all will to compete on speed.

Sensing Feng Zhonghe slow down, Zhaang Ye smiled faintly and also reduced his speed, allowing Feng Zhonghe to catch up. When Feng Zhonghe drew level, he saw Zhaang Ye looking calm and composed, as if that high-speed flight had been nothing more than a casual stroll. He couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of admiration.

Feng Zhonghe chuckled and praised him, "Daoist Master Zhaangye, what a brilliant flying Body Technique! With a Body Technique like yours, few among the Inner Sect Disciples could ever hope to catch you."

Zhaang Ye chuckled as well. "Brother Feng, your Body Technique is quite impressive too. I had to use my full strength just now to avoid being left behind."

With the competition abandoned, the atmosphere between them became harmonious. They chatted as they flew, quickly crossing hundreds of thousands of miles. Just then, a colossal mountain peak appeared before them.

The peak was tens of thousands of yards high and perfectly straight, like a pillar erected toward the heavens. The entire mountain was wreathed in a faint purple haze, giving it a mysterious and magnificent appearance.

Feng Zhonghe pointed to the peak. "This is Celestial Pillar Peak. Come, let’s fly to the top!"

Zhaang Ye nodded and followed Feng Zhonghe toward Celestial Pillar Peak. Both of them were extremely fast, reaching the summit in just an hour.

Zhaang Ye was standing near the summit of Celestial Pillar Peak, about to admire the surrounding scenery, when two streaks of light suddenly flew in from the distance. The two streaks of light landed on Celestial Pillar Peak, and only then did Zhaang Ye realize that the newcomers were none other than Mo Luo and the Red Cliff Celestial Ape.

"Hm?"

Upon seeing Zhaang Ye, both Mo Luo and the Red Cliff Celestial Ape narrowed their eyes. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)