"I see …" Hearing Lou Cheng's announcement, Yan Zheke was both excited and excited. Then she looked up and asked thoughtfully, "Then, are we going to seek breakthroughs with the help of life-and-death battles?"
Before Lou Cheng could answer, he turned his ear and pulled her to the most hidden spot of the sand dune.
Twenty seconds later, a few figures flitted past, stirring up a gust of sand as they headed for the port city of Fartouat.
"They're pretty strong …" Yan Zheke whispered as she looked over.
"There are three Dan stage experts. They don't look like Nile people. They're probably 'refugees' here on holiday." Lou Cheng rubbed his throbbing temples. "Ke, I'm going to take a nap. You continue to be on guard."
He didn't use the Wholeness Formula. He wanted to be in his best condition to face any possible situation in Fartouat.
"Okay." Yan Zheke agreed without hesitation. She had already forgotten about her previous question.
Lou Cheng sat down cross-legged and visualized the Confrontation Formula. He cleared his mind and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Just like that, under the scorching hot desert sun in the afternoon, he slept for a full hour. When he woke up, he was full of energy, full of vigor, and was a good man again.
"Ke, you should rest too. Recover to your peak condition." Lou Cheng didn't get up. He stretched his neck.
Yan Zheke nodded obediently. She hid in the shadows and leaned against Lou Cheng. After calming down her excited mind, she slowly fell asleep. The day's fatigue and tension had all melted away.
When she woke up, it was close to evening. The sun was setting in the west, dyeing the yellow sand crimson. It was as though the place had turned into a blazing sea of fire. It was a magnificent sight.
"So beautiful …" Yan Zheke opened her eyes. This was the first scene she saw. She felt like she was still in a dream.
This was the calm after chaos. This was the relaxation of wariness. In her eyes, this was the most beautiful scenery of her trip to Nile.
The two leaned against each other and looked at each other for a while. They got up at the same time and climbed up the sand dune. They looked at Fartouat again and saw that the lights of the port city were already lit up.
"The power hasn't been cut off yet. This means that even if there's chaos, it's only in certain areas. The overall situation is still orderly," Yan Zheke said logically.
"Let's go!" Lou Cheng smiled and squatted down.
The girl leaned over and asked curiously.
"Cheng, what's the difference between your path of martial arts and cultivation?"
She had been pondering about this matter before.
"To be more precise, it's a combination of Martial Arts and Cultivation. My final breakthrough will be more like Martial Arts. With the help of Dan Equilibrium, I'll be able to 'resonate' with the outside world in advance and establish a connection between my brain, spirit, and root pulp. The final step will still be the path of Martial Arts, but slightly different in details." Lou Cheng pondered as he rushed down the sand dune and headed for his destination like a hurricane.
Strangely enough, his words were not affected in the slightest by the violent wind.
Yan Zheke lowered her body and whispered in his ear,
"So you're the one who opened up a new path in the Martial Dao?"
"… You can say that." Lou Cheng hesitated but decided not to be modest.
"Opening up your own path and expanding your martial arts, our Cheng is now a true grandmaster ~" Yan Zheke's eyes sparkled as she praised him proudly.
"Let's wait until I've truly reached the Physical Invulnerability stage before saying that." Lou Cheng shook his head and laughed. He changed the topic thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, the breakthrough to Physical Invulnerability involves the brain. Does that mean I have to master this aspect completely before I can advance to the Forbidden Territory?"
"Perhaps …" Yan Zheke didn't know much about this. She sighed. "Since it involves the brain, it's no wonder there's a saying that if you don't reach Physical Invulnerability by the age of thirty, you'll never be able to reach it. A martial artist who can break through this limitation must have a strong and determined heart …"
Before reaching the Forbidden Territory, due to the complexity of the brain, even if an adult in his thirties looked energetic and was still growing, and his body showed signs of continuing to grow stronger, his plasticity in all aspects would begin to decrease. The changes to the essence of the mind from cultivation would gradually become negligible. If he couldn't resonate with the outside world now, it would be almost impossible for him to do so in the future.
"Yeah …" Lou Cheng sighed when he thought of his brother-in-law, Little Ming, and the people who were struggling to advance on this path.
The couple didn't chat further. They ran past a few sand dunes and stepped onto the road, nearing Fartouat.
Ten minutes later, Lou Cheng carried Yan Zheke on his back and entered the port city by taking the wrong route. They circled around the chaotic areas where gunshots rang out. After a few moments of searching, they finally found the heavily guarded Chinese consulate in Fartouat before nightfall.
The consulate was filled with people from both the local and nearby cities. They had escaped to this place. Some of them had laid down something and were sleeping on the floor. Some of them were holding cell phones with intermittent signal, bored and waiting anxiously.
"You're finally here! I thought something bad had happened! "Consul Mao Xiaobing greeted them. He held Lou Cheng's right hand with both hands and shook it vigorously.
He wasn't in a suit but was instead in casual wear. His sneakers were stained, and his usually neat slicked-back hair was disheveled. It was obvious that he was too busy to care about his image.
"I didn't dare to stay in a state of exhaustion for too long. I was afraid of encountering unexpected situations, so I rested whenever I had the chance. That's why we're so late," explained Lou Cheng.
Mao Xiaobing led them to the interior of the building and said as they walked.
As they walked, he said, "Everything's been arranged. The first batch of ships will arrive tomorrow morning from the other side of the Sea of Death. They'll help you evacuate to Acropolis and take a flight back to China."
"Okay," answered Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke in unison.
Yan Zheke's eyes darted around. Embarrassed, she requested, "Mr. Consul, is the landline still working? Is there a satellite phone? I want to let my family know that I'm safe. "
"Yes! I'll take you there. Elder Ji and Elder Shi have called a few times already, "said Mao Xiaobing as he led the couple into an office and pointed at a desk.
"Oh right, Ma Chaoyang and the rest who were with you previously have also arrived at KhuKhang and met up with the main force. I heard about it when I contacted them earlier," added Mao Xiaobing.
"That's good, that's good …" Yan Zheke heaved a sigh of relief. She picked up the phone and dialed home.
"Hello?" Ji Mingyu's solemn and tense voice came from the other end of the line.
"Mom, I'm at Fartouat. I'm at the consulate," said Yan Zheke hurriedly.
Phew … Ji Mingyu heaved a long sigh of relief. Concerned, she asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm already a Dan Stage Mighty One!" Yan Zheke couldn't help but boast.
Ji Mingyu couldn't help but laugh. She spat and said, "Are you mocking your mom's martial arts realm? Alright, thank Lou for me. "
"What are you thanking him for? There's no need for thanks between us! " Said Yan Zheke in a hushed voice as she glanced at Mao Xiaobing, who had left the room. Lou Cheng nodded with a smile.
"You're you, and I'm me. As a mother, can't I thank him for protecting my daughter?" said Ji Mingyu, amused.
After chatting for a while and talking to Yan Kai, Yan Zheke hung up the phone. She turned to Lou Cheng and said,
"It's your turn."
"Okay." Lou Cheng first informed his family that he was safe and told them that the tourists here weren't affected. Then, he called Geezer Shi.
"Heh, I knew you were fine. Nile is in a mess. Who would target you for no reason?" Said Shi Jianguo proudly. At the end of his sentence, he said in a serious tone, "Brat, I have something for you to do."
"What is it?" Lou Cheng was surprised.
"Go to KhuKhang or Deeka and help me find a man named Siris. He helped me before and can be considered as my savior. Now that he's in a mess, he's asking me for help through the embassy. Help me find him and evacuate with his family. I'll get the military to give you the specific information. How about it? Do you have the guts? Do you have the confidence to do it? "asked Geezer Shi with a sneer.
I'm confident that I can escape from a Physical Invulnerability expert … thought Lou Cheng.
"Don't worry, Master. I'll do my best!"
As long as my life isn't in danger!
"Good. At least you have some filial piety." Shi Jianguo clicked his tongue. "Alright, don't hang up. I'm with Geezer Ji. He has something to tell you too."
Ke Ke's grandpa? Lou Cheng waited in confusion. In the girl's confused eyes, he heard Ji Jianzhang's clear voice.
"Lou, I don't treat you as an outsider. I'll get straight to the point. Lin Que, sigh. After Lin Que broke through to the Inhuman stage, he snuck into the war-torn zone. With his current level, it's very dangerous for him to deal with the situation there. Moreover, it's very likely that he'll come to Nile and take advantage of the chaos to hone himself.
"Damn, my brother-in-law is really capricious … It's really like his style …" Lou Cheng criticized in his heart and answered sincerely,
"Yes, Senior Ji!"
After hanging up the phone, Shi Jianguo and Ji Jianzhang, who were in the military base, looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
"If we don't find something for him to do, this stinky brat will definitely follow your Little Yan back to China. He won't take advantage of the chaos in Nile. Cough, I mean, sharpen his skills with real weapons." Geezer Shi acted as if he knew his unfilial disciple like the back of his hand.
Ji Jianzhang sighed and smiled.
"We can only do so much. Whether he can make the great leap still depends on himself."
…
Lou Cheng had just put down the phone when Yan Zheke, who had been listening, covered her face and smiled bitterly.
"My brother is really … How could you bring him back …"
She didn't mention the mission. She understood and accepted.
"Knock him out and drag him away!" answered Lou Cheng without hesitation.
At this moment, Mao Xiaobing knocked on the door and entered.
He smiled and said, "I'll bring you to meet someone."
"Who is it?" asked Lou Cheng, hiding his confusion.
"You know each other." Mao Xiaobing smiled and turned to leave. Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke followed with a confused look.
When they reached the second floor, he pushed open the door of the small meeting room and revealed a figure inside. It was Peng Leyun, wearing a blue martial arts suit, with short hair, looking fresh and clean.
Only then did the Heavenly son of the era retract the light in his eyes. The surroundings were dark and the pressure outside the window was heavy.
"Priest?" shouted Lou Cheng in surprise and delight.
Then, his eyes turned cold and he blurted out,
"You've reached physical invulnerability?"
Priest seemed to be able to communicate with heaven and earth and summon lightning at any time!
"Yeah." Peng Leyun nodded with a smile. "Previously, in the war-torn zones, I fought with a few experts. Among them was Veigar. He improved quickly and fully developed his supernatural ability. He's almost at the level of a Physical Invulnerability expert. Hehe, we're not the only ones who have the opportunity to improve by leaps and bounds. Anyway, I've finally made the great leap in the pursuit."
"Congratulations!" Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke cupped their hands and smiled without any reservations.
"Aren't you going to be there soon?" Peng Leyun chuckled, feeling the interaction between Lou Cheng and the surroundings.
"Yes," admitted Lou Cheng frankly. Then, he asked, "Why are you in Nile?"
Peng Leyun smiled and said, "I've received a lot of favors from the military in the war-torn zones. This time, I'm here to help and save some people. Also, in this chaotic situation, it's convenient for me to challenge the famous experts in Nile."
He sounded eager, like a certain someone.
"Why do I feel like you've been infected by Ren Li?" teased Lou Cheng.
"… Maybe …" Peng Leyun fell into deep thought. After a long while, he came back to his senses and said, "Maybe we're both learning from each other …"
He suggested with great interest, "Second, uh, you're about to break through and need the stimulation of a battle of life and death. Why don't we do it together?"
"No need. I have a sect mission," replied Lou Cheng with a smile.
"Alright, I'll wait for Ren Li here. We agreed to meet at the Fartouat consulate. She's almost a day late … She's also about to break through," explained Peng Leyun.
"I don't think you can wait … Maybe she's already headed straight for the North Pole …" Lou Cheng was shocked that Ren Li could still get lost in the war-torn zones.
After chatting for a while, the couple bade farewell and left. Under Mao Xiaobing's arrangement, they had a small room to rest in.
Lou Cheng took advantage of his good condition to visualize the Cosmic Map again, adjusting his spirit and root pulp.
This time, he practiced until the wee hours of the morning. After sleeping for two hours, he woke up again and continued practicing.
At dawn, Yan Zheke, who had slept in her clothes, opened her eyes. She saw Lou Cheng practicing the routine in the small space. He looked relaxed, natural, and energetic.
"You're done?" asked Yan Zheke happily.
"Yeah." Lou Cheng stopped and nodded. He smiled and said, "Ke, didn't you ask me yesterday if I'm going to use the training of a battle of life and death to seek a breakthrough? I forgot to answer. I'll tell you the answer now. "
"Eh …" Yan Zheke's brain couldn't wrap around it.
Lou Cheng said slowly, "I really have to thank Ge Ge.
The experience of a battle of life and death with him allowed me to clearly understand what I'm worried about and what I'm reluctant to leave behind at the final juncture. During that painful and torturous trough, the blows of having my hopes dashed time and time again cleared my mind. I summarized the techniques and understood what I really want, what I'm protecting, and why I'm fighting. I've never felt so clear and determined before! With this, I took that courageous step and obtained a new life. "
"Since you've already taken that step, why do you still seek the stimulation of a battle of life and death?"
He paused for a moment and said calmly,
"That dragon gate, I'll open it myself!"
Yan Zheke was stunned at first, but then she was overjoyed. She saw a light gather in Lou Cheng's eyes. A light seemed to be blooming between his eyebrows, and the air around them began to swirl wildly!
…
In another room a few meters away, Peng Leyun, who was stretching his muscles, suddenly stopped. He opened the window with a heart full of doubt. He saw that in the scorching summer, in the country of the desert, a cold wind was blowing, and there was frost condensing!
His heart skipped a beat. He looked at the place where Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke were temporarily staying.
Jumping the dragon gate without a battle?
PS: It's a 4,000 word chapter, so it's a little late.
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