Chapter 90: The Heavenly Lord
\n\u201cTroubles should be wiped out in one sweep.\u201d
\nHaving taken action, Zuo Meng intended to settle everything decisively. Mercy for enemies or leniency toward the weak had no place in his principles. With seven centuries of life\u2014including time in the Dream World\u2014his heart had hardened like stone. Witnessing an entire world\u2019s loves, hatreds, and struggles allowed him to gaze upon mortals with detached clarity, viewing them as insignificant as straw dogs beneath a sage\u2019s gaze.
\nPity existed within him, but it never swayed his decisions.
\nGu Fei stood frozen beside him. Her understanding of martial arts had been limited to basic swordsmanship and the Liuhe Sect\u2019s inner strength techniques. Now, her worldview crumbled.
\n*Who am I?*
\n*Where is this?*
\n*What just happened?*
\n*Is this even martial skill? Have I trained in lies all this time?*
\nZuo Meng strode outside, his demeanor as casual as a man finishing chores before a market trip. Gu Fei snapped out of her daze and scrambled after him.
\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d
\n\u201cTo the Headmaster\u2019s Hall.\u201d
\n*Settling troubles at the Headmaster\u2019s Hall?* He spoke like a discarded disciple discussing a stroll through the vegetable market!
\nIgnoring her turmoil, Zuo Meng reached the cliff\u2019s edge. With a light tap of his foot, he soared like a crimson arc toward the Liuhe Sect\u2019s main peak. As momentum waned, he stepped effortlessly on empty air\u2014as though climbing an invisible staircase\u2014before propelling himself again. Though he\u2019d never formally learned lightness skills, lifetimes of absorbed knowledge and his Thousand Years of Inner Strength made such feats trivial.
\n*Was that\u2026lightness skill?* Gu Fei\u2019s numbness deepened. Once this ended, she\u2019d abandon the sect for a quiet life. This world had grown too wild.
\nUnaware of her resolve, Zuo Meng cleared five peaks in two leaps, landing on the Headmaster\u2019s domain. The main peak\u2019s grandeur dwarfed Taiyuan Peak\u2019s austerity. Before the majestic hall hung a plaque: *Liuhe Sword Sect*.
\n\u201cSenior\u2026\u201d
\nThe gate disciples bowed nervously, awed by his display. Zuo Meng didn\u2019t linger. A footstep echoed, leaving only a Phantom Shadow where he\u2019d stood.
\nInside, the new Headmaster meditated on profound skills. Zuo Meng surveyed the hall like a buyer appraising future property.
\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d
\nThe sharp voice came late. The Headmaster\u2014narrow-faced, eagle-eyed, beard trailing to his chest\u2014glared in icy alarm.
\n*Sixty years of inner strength.* Zuo Meng assessed him instantly. Few in the real world merited his attention anymore. Centuries had shifted his mentality; all seemed juniors beneath his gaze.
\nWith six decades of cultivation and swordsmanship, this man dominated the Liuhe Sect. Most elders held barely half his strength. Only their unity and his political maneuvering delayed their defeat.
\n\u201cDo you not know,\u201d the Headmaster hissed, \u201cthat invading this hall is war against the Liuhe Sect?\u201d
\nBecause he couldn\u2019t gauge the depths of the situation, the new Headmaster suppressed his anger and spoke calmly, \u201cTaiyuan Peak belongs to me now. Don\u2019t bother me unless necessary. Any objections?\u201d
\nZuo Meng ignored the Headmaster\u2019s threats as if they were idle chatter. If this man knew his place, he could stay to handle chores. Killing everyone would only leave Zuo Meng stuck with tedious tasks later.
\nTaiyuan Peak?
\nThe new Headmaster frowned, roughly guessing the man\u2019s identity.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re Zuo Han Sheng\u2019s disciple?\u201d
\nWith this realization, the new Headmaster grew bolder. He hadn\u2019t feared Zuo Han Sheng, let alone his disciple. Though puzzled how Zuo Meng infiltrated the area, it didn\u2019t matter\u2014he felt certain he could crush him.
\n\u201cIf you\u2019d asked politely, I might\u2019ve handed over Taiyuan Peak. That worthless place means nothing to me.\u201d
\nHis confidence swelled, shifting his tone.
\n\u201cBut how shall we address your trespass into the Headmaster\u2019s quarters?\u201d
\nThe new Headmaster planned to capture Zuo Meng, use him to lure out Zuo Han Sheng, then leverage this to join the Heavenly Lord\u2019s faction. As he schemed, his inner energy stirred. With sixty years of cultivation, he stood as a martial world titan\u2014this was his pride.
\n\u201cScheming and plotting never suited me.\u201d
\nZuo Meng\u2019s patience frayed. He\u2019d hoped to spare his birth clan some dignity, but these old men had none. Why waste time?
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\nThe new Headmaster\u2019s heart lurched\u2014something felt wrong.
\nHummm!
\nA translucent Pressure erupted from Zuo Meng. The Headmaster\u2019s inner energy froze mid-strike. His body slammed backward as if crushed by a mountain, paralyzed.
\n\u201cTranscendent?!\u201d
\nThe new Headmaster nearly choked on blood. Wasn\u2019t this Zuo Han Sheng\u2019s disciple? How had he reached Transcendence?
\n\u201cA casual move, yet an unexpected prize. Besides Earthly Lord and Human Respect, another like you exists.\u201d
\nZuo Meng paused, eyeing the wall\u2019s deity statue.
\nThe image warped. A young Daoist in robes, holding a horsehair whisk, stepped from the painting. Zuo Meng sensed an aura surpassing even Human Respect\u2019s. This Transcendent radiated greater power\u2014A Thousand Years of Inner Strength strained under the pressure.
\n\u201cHeavenly Lord!\u201d
\nThe new Headmaster cried out like a rescued drowning man.
\n\u201cHas this one offended you, friend in the Dao?\u201d
\nHeavenly Lord ignored the Headmaster. Only Zuo Meng warranted his attention.
\nThough outwardly amiable, his nature mirrored the Dao itself\u2014detached, viewing all as straw dogs.
\nZuo Meng recognized the apathy of millennia-lived eyes.
\n*He\u2019s lived at least a thousand years.*
\nSuppressing his aura, Zuo Meng spoke: \u201cI meant to send him to rebirth, but since he\u2019s your pawn, I\u2019ll spare him.\u201d
\n\u201cUnnecessary.\u201d
\nHeavenly Lord flicked his whisk.
\nThe hopeful Headmaster stiffened. Blood seeped from his seven orifices as his breath stilled.
\nHeavenly Lord\u2019s act carried the indifference of crushing an ant.
\n\u201cOffending you makes this pawn disposable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 90: The Heavenly Lord \u201cTroubles should be wiped out in one sweep.\u201d Having taken action, Zuo Meng intended to settle everything decisively. Mercy for enemies or leniency toward the weak had no place in his principles. With seven centuries of life\u2014including time in the Dream World\u2014his heart had hardened like stone. Witnessing an entire world\u2019s loves, hatreds, and struggles allowed him to gaze\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1469","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}