Chapter 147: Great Six Paths Palace, Small Six Dao Hall
Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Great Six Paths Palace, Small Six Dao Hall
The Six Paths Palace?!
The name sent a shockwave through the crowd.
The Six Paths!
That word, "Dao," was not something just anyone could use.
Zhu Ge actually dared to name his faction the Six Paths Palace?
"The Six Paths Palace is located in the Six Paths Valley, which will serve as my Sect’s headquarters from now on."
Zhu Ge said coolly,
"My Six Paths Palace is divided into six paths: Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, Monsters, Gods... and Humans!"
"I am the master of the Six Paths Palace. I already have a Third Realm Sword and Axe Mantis, as well as several Second Realm Transformed Demon Beasts, who have pledged their loyalty. I also have followers among the Spirits, Monsters, and Gods."
"And for the Human Race, within the Great Six Paths Palace, I will establish the Six Dao Halls: the Halls of Martial Arts, Immortality, Scholarship, Craftsmanship, Agriculture, and Commerce."
"Those who wish to join must meet two requirements. First, you must travel alone from Jianshui City north to the Six Paths Valley within three days. Upon your arrival, you will be told the second requirement."
After speaking, Zhu Ge walked away, went to Mazhu’s side, and swung himself onto the horse. He then slowly urged the horse toward the city gates.
However, the information he left behind instantly sent the crowd into an uproar.
"What?! What?!"
"I didn’t mishear him, did I? I... I, I, I..."
"The Third Realm! An Essence-Devouring Realm Sword and Axe Mantis!"
"And he’s already subdued so many Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, Monsters, and Gods? He’s too strong..."
"No, I have to think about this... I’m going to pledge myself to him as a disciple!"
"That’s right! I’m going too! This Young Master Zhu’s Cultivation Technique must be incredibly powerful! I’m going to become his disciple too!"
The various First Realm Cultivators shouted and cried out, venting the shock in their hearts.
That was a Third Realm, an Essence-Devouring Realm existence, and it was subdued by Zhu Ge?!
If Zhu Ge had defeated the Fish Scale Hall Master so effortlessly just now, the onlookers could still understand it.
After all, power levels could vary greatly.
There’s a difference between one First Realm and another.
And there’s a difference between one Second Realm and another, too.
When Zhu Ge’s Martial Arts Heart beat, it was no different from a clap of thunder, so it was reasonable that he could defeat the Fish Scale Hall Master.
Everyone knew the Fish Scale Hall Master didn’t possess such a powerful Martial Arts Heart; his strengths lay in his experience and methods.
The thing was, everyone could see that Zhu Ge was also highly experienced—clearly a man who had taken countless lives—so defeating the Fish Scale Hall Master was understandable.
But no matter how strong the Fish Scale Hall Master was, he was still only in the Second Realm.
The Sword and Axe Mantis, however, was in the Third Realm!
An Essence-Devouring Realm Demon Beast!
And Zhu Ge, with only the power of the Second Realm, had taken down the Sword and Axe Mantis?
Not defeated, not killed, but subdued?!
Everyone knew that killing a Demon Beast was easy; subduing one was another matter entirely.
They didn’t know about Liu Jianjian, nor about the fortuitous opportunity she had obtained—the Demon Hunting Divine Technique—so naturally, they couldn’t guess how Zhu Ge had managed to subdue it.
But in their eyes, to subdue a Demon Beast a full realm higher than oneself—setting aside things like intelligence or charisma—one’s martial strength, at the very least, had to be overwhelming.
And not just a little stronger, but exceptionally, terrifyingly strong—so strong that the Sword and Axe Mantis would fall into despair, so strong it would willingly bow its head in submission.
"It seems he really wasn’t afraid of the City Lord after all," a Second Realm Martial Arts Hall master sighed.
"Indeed!" An old man beside him stroked his beard and smiled. "We all thought this Zhu Ge had a Third Realm master backing him. Who would have thought he himself possessed the power to rival the Third Realm."
"True," the Martial Arts Hall master said, shaking his head. "It’s a pity how Yu Busa died. It would have been better to die of exhaustion on the battlefield than to leave a legacy of infamy like this."
The old man chuckled lightly. "That Yu Busa failed to break through to the Third Realm for so long; he must have grown greedy for life and fearful of death. On top of that, he clung to his position as Jingzhe Official, amassing a boundless fortune. He deserved to die. Otherwise, I would be ashamed to be associated with the likes of him."
"That’s also true." The Martial Arts Hall master nodded slightly, then turned to a disciple beside him. "Kong’Er, go prepare two hundred sets of leather inner armor and have them sent to the Six Paths Palace. Record it as a congratulatory gift from my Martial Arts Hall."
"Yes, Master." A young man bowed in response, then turned, and with a few leaps, disappeared into the crowd.
The old man also took out a piece of paper and a brush. With a few quick strokes, he wrote several sentences—the gist of which was to prepare some congratulatory gifts to be sent—and when he finished, the paper simply flew away on its own.
Besides these two, many other onlookers began making their own arrangements.
Everyone knew what the emergence of a new power meant.
Especially when the one at the helm of this new power was a young man.
A young man who possessed a mysterious Cultivation Technique, a mysterious background, as well as ambition and power.
For people living in such chaotic times, an existence like that held a tremendous attraction.
And so, before Zhu Ge even reached the city gates, news of his deeds had already spread throughout Jianshui.
Countless people now knew of Zhu Ge’s existence.
Countless people also knew what he had done.
He had killed Yu Rui and Yu Busa, destroyed the Fish Scale Martial Arts Hall, and replaced Yu Busa as the new Jingzhe Official of Jianshui City.
He had power, a temper, wealth, ambition, and a need to recruit followers.
Who wouldn’t be tempted?
It wasn’t just some of the First Realm Cultivators; even ordinary people were drawn in by the news.
Now that the number of Demon Beasts besieging the city had dwindled, some Medicine Gatherers and hunters were starting to venture out of the city again.
And Zhu Ge’s Six Paths Valley was not far.
It only took Zhu Ge a few hours to get there. It might be a little slower for ordinary people, but three days was more than enough time.
This was the chance Zhu Ge was giving to ordinary people.
Of course, at this moment, Zhu Ge was oblivious to the storm brewing in Jianshui City.
Not that he would care even if he did know.
Those conniving sycophants spent most of their time and energy on internal strife.
They were loyal only to infighting, to extracting benefits from their own people, and to finding loopholes in the rules and laws to enrich themselves.
Zhu Ge, of course, wouldn’t waste his time on them.
But he also knew that there were surely many, many ambitious people who were still full of passion.
And so, the people he wanted to recruit this time were precisely those individuals.
Of course, burning passion alone wasn’t enough; they also needed to be vigilant, clever, or powerful.
Zhu Ge’s first test would naturally be to filter out those who were not strong, clever, or resourceful enough.
After all, just because the hordes of demons were no longer besieging Jianshui City didn’t mean the jungle was safe.
To reach the Six Paths Valley safely, one needed either intelligence or strength.
As for the second test, that would require Hua Xiaomei’s participation.
"Brother, I understand the method you described, but... won’t it cause us to recruit fewer people?" Hua Liusha asked curiously.
"No." Zhu Ge was riding Mazhu out of the city, galloping all the way back to the Six Paths Valley. "Xiaomei, here’s what I’m thinking..."
Along the way, he used his [Secret] trait to conceal his aura, while explaining to Hua Liusha in his mind the principle of "quality over quantity"—that a team’s value lies in its elite members, not its numbers.
When he returned to the Six Paths Valley, Liu Jianjian was still in the middle of her Cultivation.
The little hedgehog had been thoroughly exhausted by this ordeal.
Facing a whole crowd of Second Realm beasts whose Cultivation was comparable to her own, plus a Third Realm Sword and Axe Mantis, had completely drained her of Demon Qi.
Arriving at the entrance to the valley, Zhu Ge didn’t rush inside. Instead, he left two lines of writing on either side of the entrance:
"Those seeking to reach the heavens in a single step, please walk another path."
"Those who cling to life and fear death shall not enter my gates."