Chapter 3500 — Zhang Naipao Arrives

Since no one had ever disproved the rumors about Wei Zhao, there had to be something to them. Putting on airs when he was safely alone was one thing, but the moment he truly came face to face with Wei Zhao, he had no intention of risking his own neck.

Back at the Mystic and Earth ranks, there had always been a few soreheads who refused to accept their place and fancied themselves the strongest. But once they reached the Heaven rank, everyone grew prudent—their strength had been hard-won, and with no grudge between them, no one was eager to fight to the death.

That was precisely Lou Taixie's thinking now. Against those plainly weaker than himself—Xiao Che, say, who was a single minor grade below him—he could trample them as he pleased. But Wei Zhao's strength was still unknown; word had it he could kill a Heaven-rank Great Perfection expert in a single blow, which surely meant he was Great Perfection himself. Against an equal, Lou Taixie did not dare make trouble.

Wei Zhao glanced at him, faintly amused, then took Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi off to buy food.

Perhaps Han Jingyi did it on purpose—she whispered something to Wang Xinyan, and at once the two of them let loose their full auras, both at the peak Great Perfection of the late Heaven rank. Lou Taixie, who had just stepped aside, was stunned on the spot, then so terrified he nearly dropped to his knees.

These were no household dependents of Wei Zhao's—they were clearly two top-tier trial takers come to compete! What in the world kind of monstrous strength was this? At the thought, Lou Taixie wasted no time. "Please, ladies, after you—haha, I was only worried someone else might grab the seats first, so I held them especially for you great heroes. Please, order whatever you like..."

Xiao Che, watching from the side, was genuinely at a loss for words—yet for the first time he felt the weight of Wei Zhao's power. A man as arrogant as Lou Taixie had turned meek as a lamb. After all, he and Tu Xiaoshou were two Heaven-rank Great Perfection experts, and merely upon seeing Wei Zhao alone they had begun to lose their nerve. Now, seeing that the two girls Wei Zhao had brought were also at Great Perfection, he was so frightened he rather regretted the high-and-mighty words he had spoken before. It was fortunate Wei Zhao did not hold it against him—otherwise he would have been crippled before the trial even began.

To be sure, the Five Luminaries Sect had rules: no private fighting was permitted during the period when trial takers lodged at the inn beforehand. But rules were dead and people were living. Wei Zhao had killed several of the Five Luminaries Sect's finest in a single breath—did the sect's rules really mean anything to a man like that? Lou Taixie very much doubted it.

Without a sound, he withdrew with Tu Xiaoshou. But as he passed Xiao Che's table, he caught Xiao Che looking up at him, and fury flared at once. "What the hell are you staring at, you piece of shit? Looking for a beating?"

Xiao Che started, then lowered his head in some fear. He had only been glancing over idly—who would have thought Lou Taixie would vent his displeasure straight onto him? Yet knowing full well how it was, he dared not talk back, and could only say, "I wouldn't dare..."

"Wouldn't dare? You look like you'd dare plenty—you've got more nerve than anyone! You're laughing at me, aren't you?" Lou Taixie had finally found an outlet, and how could he let it slip so easily? Wei Zhao he dared not provoke, but Xiao Che was another matter—a lone cultivator at the peak of the late Heaven rank, and dealing with him would be no trouble at all.

"I wasn't—I just sensed the aura of a Heaven-rank Great Perfection and looked up to see..." Xiao Che said with a bitter smile.

"Weren't? You look like you very much were—you've got more nerve than anyone!" Lou Taixie slammed the table. "Get your ass up!"

"I..." A surge of humiliation welled up in Xiao Che's heart. The Xiao family had been in decline for many years, sunk even below ordinary clans. If not for a stroke of rare fortune, he could never have cultivated his way to the peak of the late Heaven rank. He meant to make a stunning name for himself in the Heaven-rank trial, reach Cloud-Tier Island, ascend to the Heavenly Dao, and return to restore the Xiao family!

Until the Xiao family was restored, every humiliation could be endured. He drew a deep breath and slowly rose to his feet.

But just then, as Lou Taixie was about to explode, something unexpected happened...

Wei Zhao turned his head and gave Lou Taixie a calm glance, then said, "Brother Xiao Che, I've ordered rather a lot of dishes. Give me a hand carrying them, would you?"

"Ah..." Xiao Che froze, and then gratitude flickered across his face. Wei Zhao was getting him out of this—he simply did not believe that three people like Wei Zhao were incapable of carrying a few dishes themselves.

Wei Zhao nodded at him and gestured for him to come over. Truthfully, Wei Zhao had not wanted to form cliques, but seeing Xiao Che bullied, he decided to lend a hand—after all, Xiao Che had kindly warned him before.

Even if he hadn't needed the warning, it had been well meant. And now helping Xiao Che cost Wei Zhao nothing more than a lift of the hand, which was why he had spoken up for him.

Of course, Wei Zhao had no intention of growing close to Xiao Che at present. Before they reached Cloud-Tier Island, he still meant to keep as low a profile as possible.

Lou Taixie was somewhat taken aback, but he soon understood that Wei Zhao was deliberately helping Xiao Che. He sighed in resignation and left the dining hall with Tu Xiaoshou. He had no face left to stay there; though his heart seethed with hatred, there was nothing he could do.

Revenge on Wei Zhao? He dared not, nor did he have the strength for it. That being so, he could only slink away quietly and see whether he might cause Wei Zhao some trouble during the trial. He was a man who nursed grudges—outwardly he had submitted, but inwardly not at all. Given the chance, he would certainly teach Wei Zhao a bloody lesson.

Yet just as he stepped out of the dining hall, meaning to wander about and clear his head, he heard a commotion at the inn's entrance. Two trial takers, one on either side like doormen, pushed open the inn's doors, and then two figures strode in one behind the other, swaggering with importance!

These two were none other than Zhang Naipao and Zhong Yongliang, whom Wei Zhao had not seen in a long while! Zhong Yongliang came first, Zhang Naipao behind—by whatever measure one cared to sort them, Zhong Yongliang was both Zhang Naipao's leader and the Mad Dragon Patriarch of the Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Sect, so naturally he walked in front.

It was worth noting that after a period of soul integration and bodily tempering, Zhong Yongliang had finally fully digested the original Mad Dragon Patriarch's legacy and once more set foot at the peak of the late Heaven rank. He meant to seize this trial as his opportunity: near the Cave of the Dragon of the Five Fiends, where the aura of the Five Fiends ran thick, he would use that pressure to force his potential to its limit and break through to Heaven-rank Great Perfection in one stroke!

Zhang Naipao, meanwhile, had already successfully overcome his inner demon and reached the peak Great Perfection of the late Heaven rank, becoming a true top-tier expert. He had come to this trial with two aims: first, to temper his ability to absorb and withstand the aura of the Five Fiends, and second, to work with Zhong Yongliang to do away with Wei Zhao!

As for the two who had opened the doors, one was unexpectedly the Dongfang family's Old Master Dongfang Badao, and the other was someone Wei Zhao did not recognize—no doubt a fine hand from some clan or other. RS