Volume One – The Borderlands of Chen, The Defiant Marquis’s Path to Immortality Chapter 36: Where Does Your Confidence Come From?

Zheng Liao could not resign himself; he stared upwards in fury, his teeth clenched as he spat, “All because of this?”

“Yes. If you hadn’t come to attack Chen, I wouldn’t have bothered with you.”

“Hah… Chen, what can a tiny kingdom like yours possibly do to me?” At this moment, Zheng Liao laughed, long and loud. “If I die here, then all of Chen will be buried with me. Do you think that by aligning yourself with Zheng Ze—that useless fool—you’ll be safe? How naive. You have no idea how vast this world truly is. Even the Zheng Kingdom is nothing in the grand scheme. Hah…”

“Your Highness?” Even Cao Ying and the others glanced nervously at Zheng Liao, suspecting he’d lost his mind.

Chen Yu’s brows knotted; perhaps only he, Jing Zhe, and Xue Han truly understood what Zheng Liao meant. Then again, he might simply be overthinking it.

“Kill me, and the Grand Advisor of Zheng—the one who is my master—will surely destroy Chen to avenge me. Hahaha…” Zheng Liao’s laughter was wild.

“The Grand Advisor of Zheng?” Chen Yu murmured, silently noting the name.

At this, Xue Han recalled something and spoke calmly to Chen Yu, “Right, I forgot to mention—Zheng Liao used the same technique as those talismans back then. And that Cai Shan said the Grand Advisor is his master.”

Xue Han’s words were not spoken in secret; the moment he spoke, Zheng Liao immediately recognized him.

“You! You were the one who ambushed me that time!” Zheng Liao roared with rage. “My senior brother was killed by you as well. Damn you… damn you… You dare defy us? You will die… My master will never spare you!”

But Xue Han merely shrugged indifferently, paying no heed to the threat.

“Brother, such an important matter—how could you wait until now to tell me?” Chen Yu smiled bitterly.

Zheng Liao noticed the trace of wariness in Chen Yu’s eyes and immediately seized upon it. “However, if you let me leave, I can promise not to attack Chen again, and I’ll resolve any grievances between you and my master.”

Chen Yu smiled, probing, “Oh? Is that so? But can you tell me—who is your master? Does he really dare claim he can destroy Chen? To be honest, even if he’s reached the Innate Realm, I wouldn’t be impressed. Does your master truly have the qualifications?”

“Hah… Ignorant. You are all so ignorant. Do you think the world is so small? You’re mistaken. You have no idea how powerful my master is. He is an immortal—a true immortal—who commands the powers of wind and fire. He is invincible in this world,” Zheng Liao boasted.

“Hah… An immortal? Your Highness, I believe you’re plagued by inner demons,” Chen Yu scoffed contemptuously. “Brother, have you ever seen an immortal?”

“Heh… Of course I have. Perhaps I am an immortal myself,” Xue Han replied with a laugh.

“Haha… Makes sense.”

Yet their expressions were pure mockery in the eyes of Zheng Liao and his people.

“You don’t understand,” Zheng Liao laughed instead of growing angry. “Do you even know what an immortal is? Where they come from?”

Chen Yu caught the key point instantly and pressed, “It’s the Nine Provinces, isn’t it?”

“Correct, exactly so.” Zheng Liao answered without thinking, but the moment the words left his lips, his face changed repeatedly. He stared at Chen Yu and Xue Han in disbelief, asking tentatively, “You know?”

The two smiled, but did not reply. Yet Zheng Liao understood in his heart, though he could hardly believe it. “How is it possible? How could they know? Could there be other immortals from the Nine Provinces besides my master? Impossible, impossible—my master said it was a journey of death and only a slim chance at survival. Besides, this is a land where all cultivation is forbidden; immortals couldn’t possibly come here. Unless, perhaps, someone else stumbled in as my master did?”

Countless thoughts flashed through Zheng Liao’s mind. After a moment’s reflection, he spoke to Chen Yu, “Since you know of the Nine Provinces, I’ll give you a chance at immortality.”

“Oh? How do you mean?” Chen Yu was interested.

“I can introduce you to my master. With your talents, you’re sure to catch his eye. If he takes you as disciples, you’ll naturally be able to go to the Nine Provinces and become immortals yourselves.”

“Is it really that simple?” Chen Yu sneered coldly. “I know more about the situation on this side of the Heavenly Severing Mountains than you do. Are you sure your master can leave?”

Zheng Liao realized Chen Yu wasn’t so easily deceived and understood that he must know some hidden truths. If only he could return to Zheng and report this, his master would surely be intrigued.

At that moment, Zheng Liao spoke gravely, “Since you mention the Heavenly Severing Mountains, I won’t hide the truth. My master has already tested the mountains; soon he will break through the suppression and return to the Nine Provinces.”

Chen Yu raised his brows, instantly understanding. So it was the old man he’d seen that day—the Grand Advisor of Zheng.

“Well, this is interesting,” Chen Yu and Xue Han exchanged a smile.

Zheng Liao thought he’d persuaded Chen Yu and quickly asked, “So, what do you say? Will you consider it?”

Now Chen Yu dropped all pretense, speaking frankly, “Hmm? As tempting as your offer sounds, your death is actually of greater benefit to me.”

Zheng Liao was shocked, his face draining of color. He cried out desperately, “Don’t you understand what I mean? Are you truly not afraid of my master?”

“Heh… Your Highness, I’ll say it again—your ambitions are too great. I have no intention of letting a tiger back into the mountains.” Chen Yu smiled, waving his arm lightly. “Kill!”

The black-armored cavalry, already poised to strike, released a volley of arrows without a moment’s hesitation. In the narrow valley, there was nowhere to hide. Wave after wave of arrows rained down, taking life after life.

“Ah… Chen Yu, Zheng Ze, you will die horribly! Even in death, I will drag you down with me!” Bloodied, Zheng Liao drew two talismans. Spraying blood, he recited incantations, and the yellow talisman transformed into a wild wind, blowing away the arrows and lifting him toward the mountaintop. The other talisman became a fiery serpent, lunging at Chen Yu and his men.

“Retreat at once…” Chen Yu and his companions had already sensed the danger and ordered everyone to withdraw, leaving only himself, Jing Zhe, and Xue Han to confront the threat.

“Die!” Zheng Liao snarled, his face twisted.

“I’ll handle this!” Chen Yu drew his sword and stepped forward, his body low, breathing technique circulating, eyes cold and locked onto his foe.

Zheng Liao felt as though a wild beast was staring him down—a sensation he’d experienced only from his master.

“You…”

“Righteous Sword.” Chen Yu leapt forward, his blade flashing brilliantly as it struck the fiery serpent.

Incredibly, the serpent was split in two by Chen Yu’s sword, and the blade finally pierced Zheng Liao’s heart.