The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 52 The Thief of Heaven

The newcomer was Zhang Yunling. In an instant, his cultivation level exploded, and the aura of his dual cultivation of Dao and body caused even these early-stage Golden Core cultivators to stagger back several steps. Everyone looked at him in shock.

Zhang Yunling was dressed in the black Daoist robe of an inner disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. His sleeves fluttered and his long hair flowed in the wind. His cultivation level of Foundation Establishment Perfection alone made all the Golden Core cultivators around him extremely vigilant and dare not make any rash moves!

“The Pei Clan Chamber of Commerce has such a profound foundation that you petty thieves dare to provoke it. Return the Spirit Summoning Bracelet immediately, and I might be able to say a few good words for you in front of the Pei family.” Zhang Yunling extended his left hand, using both kindness and force, and even the purple-clad leader began to hesitate.

Only Zhang Yunling himself knew that although he could now rival a Golden Core cultivator, the enemy was simply too numerous. Outnumbered, the safest course of action was to buy time and wait for the Pei family's reinforcements to arrive.

Even so, Zhang Yunling still had the confidence to speak like this. He was no longer the ignorant and naive mortal scholar who had just entered the world of cultivation, but a true cultivator who was extraordinary and indifferent to life and death.

He has never killed anyone so far, but he has come to regard killing as the norm for his future, because if he doesn't kill others, he will be the one killed.

To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself!

The purple-robed leader used his divine sense to investigate. He had initially sensed the powerful aura emanating from Zhang Yunling and assumed he was someone with a higher cultivation level than them, but upon discovering he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he immediately relaxed his guard and arrogantly declared:

"Hmph! I thought it was someone important, but it turns out you're just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. How dare you spout such nonsense in front of me! Prepare to die!" The purple-clad leader gripped his short sword tightly again and lunged at Zhang Yunling.

Judging an enemy's strength solely by their cultivation level means that even someone who has cultivated to the Golden Core stage is merely a slightly stronger weakling.

Zhang Yunling used the Swift Ghost Step to react to the opponent's attack with lightning speed. At the same time, the spiritual power he had been gathering in his right hand while talking to the purple-clad leader was now emitting golden light on his index finger. Seizing the opportunity, he charged up his power and pointed his finger at the purple-clad man's waist. It was the True Yang Finger!

boom!!

The power contained in that finger strike was terrifying; it blasted a bloody hole in the purple-clad leader's abdomen! His body was also thrown back by the impact, crashing directly into the wall, barely clinging to life.

"The power of this finger strike is indeed remarkable, but the charging time required is also considerable. It seems I must use it as a backup plan." Zhang Yunling thought to himself, but on the surface, his expression was cold, and a sneer appeared on his lips. "Anyone who dares to disobey will die with him!"

The other men in black around them were stunned, sweating profusely. Two of them were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy.

Zhang Yunling strode to the purple-clad leader who had been crippled by his finger, reached out and snatched his storage bag, examined it with his divine sense, and then accepted it with satisfaction.

The Pei family members standing to the side were even more dumbfounded. Pei Yongjie was stunned for a moment before he recovered and knelt down on one knee before Zhang Yunling, saying excitedly, "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist! May I ask your name?"

“My name is Zhang Yunling, an inner disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. There’s no need to thank me too much. Just mention the Quanzhen Sect when the Pei family’s reinforcements arrive.” With that, Zhang Yunling strode away from the secret room.

"I, Pei Yongjie, will remember this kindness. If we meet again in the future, I will repay it handsomely!" Pei Yongjie is a man of great righteousness and generosity, and he admires people like Zhang Yunling who help others without asking for anything in return.

Looking at the other person's dashing departing figure, he began to admire him even more.

Stepping out of the secret room and onto the open ground where the Pei family had blasted the space open, Zhang Yunling walked out as he carefully considered his next move. It was already late outside.

As he was pondering, a long sword suddenly darted out from the shadows, aiming for Zhang Yunling's chest. Seeing this, Zhang Yunling quickly used the Divine Speed ​​Ghost Step, his body blurring as he barely managed to dodge the sword light. The sword tip finally touched his neck, and a chilling aura swept over him.

"You're quite interesting to be able to defeat a cultivator a realm higher than yourself with a single strike." The shadow dissipated, and the attacker was another person in black. Although she was completely covered in black cloth and veil, her voice still revealed her to be that of a female cultivator.

Zhang Yunling remained fearless, sneering, "The Pei family's experts will be here soon. The men in black in that room have already surrendered. You're still here thinking about assassinating me? Hmph! A dying man doesn't need to waste words."

But the woman in black laughed when she heard this. She took out a scroll from her bosom and waved it forcefully in the air. The scroll emitted waves of spatial fluctuations. Zhang Yunling sensed something was wrong and was about to use the Ghost Step technique to escape into the ground when he was directly pulled away by this force.

The woman was the same; as the two were drawn away, the scroll fell to the ground and began to burn, as if it were a disposable item.

With a thud, Zhang Yunling fell face-first to the ground, but he immediately leaped up, performed a backflip, and stood up. He once again condensed the True Yang Finger in his right hand and warily scanned his surroundings.

It seemed that this was another new secret room. The walls were made of stone, and an oil lamp was placed every two or three zhang, illuminating the entire stone room. Zhang Yunling had been surrounded by dozens of people.

The woman in black reappeared, standing in the middle of the group of men in black, her sword pointed at Zhang Yunling. She said, "You are not a member of the Pei family, and your strength is quite good. Why don't you join my Thief Heaven Sect now, worship the Thief Heaven Immortal Venerable together, and enjoy countless riches and honors? What do you say?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yunling did not agree, and instead asked the woman in black, "You act so furtively and secretly. Is your so-called wealth and glory only achieved through theft and robbery? I have long since joined a prestigious sect like Quanzhen Taoism. Why would I associate with a thief like you?"

As he said this, Zhang Yunling's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he, who had been so confident, began to reflect on his past actions.

Qiankun Qi Yun Dan, Banana Leaf Fan, Innate Skill...

It seems he obtained all of this through theft and robbery, and now it seems I have no right to look down on him.

“However… if you can clearly explain who that Celestial Thief is, I might consider joining you in the future.” Zhang Yunling scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and continued to add.

The woman in black raised her hand, signaling the disciples of the Thief Heaven Sect to make way. She led Zhang Yunling to a stone chair, which was her throne. Behind it was a tall figure wearing a dark purple robe, with long black hair cascading down his shoulders, and his right hand emitting a purple halo.

"As you can see, this is the only immortal we believe in, the only one in the Five Realms, the Heavenly Thief Immortal Venerable." The woman in black said with great pride, "You can consider joining us at any time. I am not worried that you will do bad things behind our backs because of your loyalty to the Quanzhen Sect. With the protection of the Heavenly Thief Immortal Venerable, we are not afraid of any power."

Having received no response from Zhang Yunling for a long time, the woman in black became somewhat puzzled. She turned to look at his expression and said, "What's wrong? Are you shocked? Perhaps you can infiltrate the Quanzhen Sect as my direct spy. I can then teach you the immortal techniques that the Heavenly Thief Immortal Venerable taught me. The benefits of this are self-evident. A wise person knows when to yield. Think it over carefully."

But Zhang Yunling suddenly turned around and shouted at the woman in black, "How do you know the person in the painting? Were you grabbed by a giant hand?"

"How do you know?" This time it was the woman in black who was surprised. "The Celestial Thief is incredibly powerful. Even someone with my cultivation level would have no chance of struggling against him."

In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme, and we are willing to serve it. Now that you have witnessed Lord Thief of Heaven's power and know how terrifying he is, why not quickly heed my advice and join our Thief of Heaven Sect?

Zhang Yunling burst into laughter, for the person in the painting was none other than his old acquaintance, the extraterrestrial demon Sun Jie.