Chapter 3442 — The Heaven Rank Trial and the Heaven Rank Assembly

"Oh?" Wei Zhao frowned slightly. "So the Center and the Five Luminaries Sect are working together, and the Center's people want to deal with the Song family—they want to seize Song Lingwei, is that it?"

"That's right! So none of this had anything to do with me! That Xiao Er wanted to avenge Xiao Yi, that's why he was so eager to strike. I tried to talk him out of it on the way here, told him that Chief Wei Zhao was unbelievably formidable, that he was no match at all, that fighting him would be like beating a dog—but he wouldn't believe me!" Kang Jingming explained. "There was no helping it, though. He'd spent too long in the Five Luminaries Sect and had no idea how formidable the outside world of cultivation really is, or how many experts there are. Ah, never mind him—he's dead, so let him be dead!"

"And what did you come here for?" Wei Zhao asked with a smile.

"I... well, heh heh, I came for the bodies, like I said..." Kang Jingming said hurriedly.

"Oh, the body isn't here." Wei Zhao waved a hand. "Next time I see you, bring me the elixir. We'll put today's debt on the tab for now. If you don't have the elixir, then you can only die—because you'll be of no value to me anymore."

"Yes, yes! Definitely, definitely!" Kang Jingming nodded frantically. He hadn't expected to actually escape with his life—what a stroke of luck!

"Then be on your way. I won't keep you for dinner." Wei Zhao had not killed Kang Jingming—partly for the sake of that Qi-Gathering Elixir, but mainly because he truly did not want to make things too rigid with the Five Luminaries Sect at this final juncture.

After all, the Five Luminaries Sect was the founding sect of the Inheritor Plan, and those Inheritors were all connected to Wei Zhao. He did not want to fall out with Ancestor Xuanchen too early. Xiao Er was dead now, but Kang Jingming had been let go—that could count as giving him some face.

Presumably they had been the ones to stir up trouble first, so Ancestor Xuanchen could only swallow his loss in silence. Who knew how many of Ancestor Xuanchen's disciples were even left now? They were probably just about all dead, weren't they?

"All right then, Chief Wei Zhao, I'll be going!" Kang Jingming felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty, and let out a breath of relief at once. He hurriedly turned and fled—though after two steps he suddenly remembered Xiao Er's body, yet did not dare turn back for it.

"Take this man's body back with you. It's no use to me." Wei Zhao said, "Also, take the bodies of those four overseas experts from before while you're at it. But this staff—a divine weapon of rare quality—is good. I'm confiscating it!"

"Of course, of course. Only right." How would Kang Jingming dare say no? He was already lucky to get the bodies back at all!

The Song family quickly carried out four woven silk bags and tossed them on the ground beside Xiao Er's body. Kang Jingming loaded everything into his car, then leaped in and sped away...

Watching Kang Jingming's departing back, Wei Zhao said nothing more. Instead he turned to the Song family and said, "He shouldn't be coming back. There can't be many experts left in the Five Luminaries Sect. Even if they still have a Heaven rank Great Perfection expert, with Little Rui and Second Grandfather fighting two against one, they'd still have a good chance of winning. Besides, they won't come to throw their lives away."

"Wow, brother-in-law, you're so handsome! You only broke through one level, and you can already one-shot a Heaven rank late-stage peak Great Perfection expert?" Song Lingwei looked at Wei Zhao, full of curiosity. "Did you know? Before, the Overseas Cultivators Association's mission was to have me kill you!"

"I know." Wei Zhao hadn't expected that after Song Lingwei learned his identity, she would show no awkwardness at all, but instead act like this. "So when do you plan to make your move? While I'm asleep?"

"Haha, how could I? I'm not that stupid!" Song Lingwei shook her head. "If I killed you, what would my sister do? Besides, I can't beat you anyway. What if you were dreaming and one-shot me with a palm? Where would I go to complain?"

"Heh heh." Wei Zhao smiled. He hadn't expected the awkwardness between them to be resolved so easily.

"So Young Hero Lingyi was Wei Zhao all along! No wonder the Overseas Cultivators Association suffered such a huge loss. This time, even the Five Luminaries Sect and the Fire Wolf Gang have taken heavy damage—they really ought to regret making an enemy of you!" Song Xianghua chimed in.

"It's not that much. I only managed to one-shot a Heaven rank Great Perfection expert after breaking through. Before that, I still had to trade a couple of blows..." Wei Zhao said, sweating a little.

"Brother-in-law, what heart technique and martial skill is this? How is it so powerful? Can I cultivate it?" Song Lingwei asked.

"If you can endure hardship, you could cultivate it too. The only thing is, this heart technique's mnemonic is of the utmost yang and utmost rigidity. You're a girl, so you probably can't cultivate it." Wei Zhao said, "And it seems that apart from me, it's very hard for anyone else to make progress in it."

What Wei Zhao meant was the matter of the jade pendant space. Without the jade pendant space, his Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art had been stuck at a standstill all along.

"All right, forget it then." Song Lingwei shook her head. "Brother-in-law, do you know about the Heaven rank trial?"

"The Heaven rank trial? What's that?" Wei Zhao shook his head. He seemed to have vaguely heard of it, but wasn't sure.

"It's a trial initiated and held by the Five Luminaries Sect! This trial, I hear, is the final determination of the list of candidates eligible to attend the Heaven Rank Assembly! Only cultivators who successfully pass the trial have the chance to be seated at the Heaven Rank Assembly!" Song Lingwei explained.

"The Heaven Rank Assembly? What does that mean?" Wei Zhao asked.

"The Heaven Rank Assembly is a great assembly where everyone discusses the plan to ascend to the Cloud Terrace Island. Only those seated at the assembly are qualified to take part in the plan to go up to the island!" Song Lingwei said.

"Oh? So that's how it is. In other words, if any cultivator wants to attend the Heaven Rank Assembly and gain the chance to ascend to the heavenly way, they must first go through the trial, right?" Wei Zhao had roughly grasped Song Lingwei's meaning.

To be honest, he had never known any of this before, and no one had ever told him.

"You could say so. But every ancient sect and every ancient clan has a fixed quota for attending the assembly! However, that person's strength must be at the Heaven rank late-stage peak Great Perfection level! If there is no such person, then the opportunity is considered automatically forfeited!" Song Lingwei said. "And as for the other cultivators, not everyone can take part in the Heaven rank trial either—there are conditions!"

"There are conditions too? What conditions?" Wei Zhao asked hurriedly. Although he felt that forcing his way into the Heaven Rank Assembly wouldn't be a problem either, if there were other feasible channels, it was still better to follow the normal course.

"For every ancient sect or ancient clan, the Five Luminaries Sect will arrange a fixed trial quota—that is to say, any Heaven rank expert can take part in the trial. After the trial ends, cultivators who successfully pass it have the chance to attend the Heaven Rank Assembly!" Song Lingwei explained.