Chapter 4187 — Xu Lingchong's New Partner

"But Su Zhaohe is only at the early Golden Core stage, and Xu Lingchong is an expert at the mid Golden Core stage!" Shangguan Lan'er could not help reminding him.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Wei Zhao smiled faintly. Though he was only at the early Golden Core stage, he had broken through perfectly and was the strongest of Golden Core cultivators; even facing a mid-stage expert he would be more than a match. He might not be able to kill the man in a single blow, but suppressing him would be no trouble at all—of this he was confident.

"Then you'd better be careful, little junior brother. I once caught a distant glimpse of Xu Lingchong, and I felt that this fellow really did seem different from before—from afar he carried an indescribable air of wickedness, neither yin nor yang, and he's been back several days now without once coming to pester me." Shangguan Lan'er blinked her big eyes as she spoke.

With the old Xu Lingchong, whether there was any business or not, he would come pestering her every few days. To be ignored like this now was as good as the sun rising in the west.

"As for that neither-yin-nor-yang business, you can't blame Xu Lingchong for it—the source of it lies with Little Bai." Wei Zhao could not help but smile. Xu Lingchong had been snipped clean off; if he could still be manly, that would truly be a ghost story.

As the two were talking, Zhong Yongliang came charging in along the distant forest path, winking and grimacing at Wei Zhao from afar. At the sight, Wei Zhao knew something was wrong; he said a word to Shangguan Lan'er and hurried over.

"Leader Wei Zhao, we're in big trouble this time!" Zhong Yongliang cried in his usual alarmist way.

"What is it?" Wei Zhao looked at him in surprise.

"Xu Lingchong is back, and he's transformed into a mid Golden Core expert—stronger than ever before! And his whole temperament has changed too!" Zhong Yongliang reported.

"Yes, I already know that. My senior sister just told me." Wei Zhao nodded, calm as ever.

"No, it's like this—I just heard it from his own mouth. He's now the deputy steward of Central North Island, and he's cultivated the Chrysanthemum Treasure Manual. The one who passed this divine art to him is a Central big shot called Lord Cannon!" Zhong Yongliang poured out everything he had seen and heard to Wei Zhao like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"What? The Chrysanthemum Treasure Manual? Lord Cannon?" After hearing it all, Wei Zhao's expression could not help turning a little strange.

Seeing Wei Zhao's face, Zhong Yongliang knew they were thinking the same thing, and said at once, "Leader Wei Zhao, you don't suppose this Lord Cannon is that little bastard Paozi?"

"That... is really hard to say..." Wei Zhao knitted his brows slightly and asked, "You know Zhang Naipao best of all—can you be sure it's him?"

"I'd bet it's him!" Zhong Yongliang nodded heavily, then ground his teeth. "But that little bastard had better not really turn traitor. Damn it, if he dares to betray us, I'll personally do him in!"

"Yes, there's no way to verify this for now. Let's just watch and see how things develop. You keep a close eye on Xu Lingchong, that's all." Wei Zhao thought for a moment.

Having suddenly learned this news, he felt things had become a little complicated. What on earth was this unfathomable Center? How was it that there was one on Central Island and one on North Island as well, and both so powerful?

Back in the mortal world, Wei Zhao had already heard the name of the Center. An Liwen seemed to have been mixed up with them, and Patriarch Xuanchen had also cooperated with the Center. But at that time there were only a few bio-humans, and he had not paid them much mind. How was it that now, upon reaching Cloud Terrace Island, the Center's power had grown so formidable?

Was the Center of the mortal world and the Center of Cloud Terrace Island the same bunch, or was it merely a coincidence of names, with the two having nothing to do with each other?

If the two Centers were one and the same, and could extend their tentacles into both the mortal world and Cloud Terrace Island at once, then this mysterious Center's power would be truly terrifying to hear of.

"All right, I'll do as you say, leader. By the way, Xu Lingchong has already reached the Welcome Pavilion. He wanted to see you, but found you weren't there, so he sent me out to keep watch. What do you plan to do, leader? Go back and meet him, or just ignore him altogether? I can simply say I couldn't find you." Zhong Yongliang asked.

"No need. I'll go back and meet him right now." Wei Zhao smiled faintly. "To be honest, I really am a little curious just what this Young Master Xu has turned into now."

With that, Wei Zhao turned and said a word to Shangguan Lan'er and Huang Xiaotao, then rose and returned to the Welcome Pavilion with Zhong Yongliang.

At the Welcome Pavilion, the cave dwelling's main door opened once more, and Xu Lingchong and Meng Zhou came out smiling, walking shoulder to shoulder, one on the left and one on the right.

"This man is my partner from now on. You are to call him Brother Meng!" Xu Lingchong instructed Kang Jingming and the others.

"What?!" Kang Jingming was stunned on the spot. Just then Zhong Yongliang returned, and at the sight he could not help but curl his lip—no matter how he looked at the relationship between these two, something felt off, a little strange.

Since when had Young Master Xu become so courteous to the worthy? Compared with before, Meng Zhou had indeed become more unfathomable, but in both strength and status he could hardly be mentioned in the same breath as Si Haitao. Yet Young Master Xu had always treated Si Haitao coldly—so why was he so warm to Meng Zhou alone?

And he was even to be called Brother Meng? Meng Zhou had once been nothing but a bit of cannon fodder—when had his status risen so high that he now trod directly over the heads of their sort?

"Well? Where's Wei Zhao?" Xu Lingchong stood shoulder to shoulder with Meng Zhou, paying no attention at all to the crowd's strange expressions, and turned to ask Zhong Yongliang.

"I saw him heading this way just now. He should be back by now," Zhong Yongliang nodded.

"Good. Let's go take a look!" A cold arc tugged at the corner of Xu Lingchong's mouth, and he at once led the group, striding ahead toward Wei Zhao's cave dwelling.

At the cave dwelling's entrance, Xu Lingchong and his party came face to face with Wei Zhao, who had deliberately returned.

Looking at Wei Zhao, who now seemed reborn and remade, Xu Lingchong's cold, vicious gaze could not help but freeze for an instant; and Wei Zhao, sizing him up from head to toe, was likewise startled in his heart.

Clad in wickedness from head to toe, Xu Lingchong's present neither-yin-nor-yang air made him seem remarkably well matched with Meng Zhou, who stood beside him now and carried an equally eerie aura.

Before either side had spoken a word, the cold aura around Xu Lingchong suddenly turned savage and frenzied. The powerful field of a mid Golden Core expert poured out without reserve, pressing down on Wei Zhao's head like a mountain flood bursting forth all at once.