At this moment.
A group of over ten people walked directly towards the King's Tomb monument. The one leading them was named Zhou Ting.
He was a notorious, idle playboy known throughout Yanluo Kingdom. Although he had once been considered a Heavenly Genius of Fortune, his endowment of a hundred-plus natural-colored spirits paled in comparison to the dazzling fortunes possessed by the geniuses from the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects.
Even so, Zhou Ting's existence remained unprovoked.
Because he was the descendant of the infamous Blackhearted Old Master, Zhou Taihe.
Nowadays, the Blackhearted Old Master held sway over Yanluo Kingdom, casting a shadow so vast that even the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects regarded him with apprehension. Who would dare provoke his offspring?
Therefore.
Although many people despised Zhou Ting's arrogance and tyranny, they could only despise him in silence. No one dared to truly tear up the pretense and engage him in direct conflict, fearing to offend the Blackhearted Old Master behind him.
However.
That was only in the past.
The Zhou Ting of today was already far from his former self.
If before, everyone had feared the Blackhearted Old Master backing him,
then now, what truly made people apprehensive was his own strength.
Because nine years ago, during the Descent of the Heavenly Destiny, Zhou Ting had seized a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny. In other words, he was now a veritable Minor Mandate holder.
A Major Mandate, as everyone knew, referred to the true Heavenly Destiny, a fate bestowed by heaven.
As for a Minor Mandate, though it was merely a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny and not the true Heavenly Destiny, this alone placed him beyond the reach of many Heavenly Geniuses with great fortunes.
Do not underestimate a mere Breath of the Heavenly Destiny. When fused with oneself, it was comparable to any extraordinary great fortune. Soul, fleshly body, dantian Purple Palace, meridians, sinews, and bones would all undergo a qualitative transformation, and one's strength would increase severalfold.
This was indeed the case.
This Zhou Ting could at best be considered a second-rate genius in the past. Bullying Dharma Aspect Venerables was fine, but if he encountered an Earth Immortal—even a fake Earth Immortal of the Present-Ancient Era—he was no match.
Ever since he obtained a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny nine years ago and fused it with himself, his entire being had undergone a complete rebirth. His cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, his strength multiplied severalfold. It was said that the Zhou Ting of today could even defeat a Chixiao person with Earth Immortal cultivation.
An Ancient Era Earth Immortal was already a formidable existence.
A Chixiao person from the Ancient Era, possessing the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant, was even more terrifying. Even Heavenly Geniuses of great fortune from the Present-Ancient Era like Li Juncai, Lan Xingyu, Qiao Yu, and even Haoyang would regard an Earth Immortal-level Chixiao person with trepidation.
Yet now, a Chixiao person with Earth Immortal cultivation was simply no match for Zhou Ting.
One could imagine just how fearsome Zhou Ting's strength had become.
Although none of them had witnessed it with their own eyes, they all believed it to be true, because both the Taiji Sect and the Nandou Sect had Minor Mandate holders among them. They all knew how miraculous a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny was.
After all, it was a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny.
What was the Heavenly Destiny?
It was, after all, a fate bestowed by the heavens. Even a beggar on the verge of death could ascend to immortality on the spot, and becoming a world overlord within three to five days was not impossible. Undergoing a rebirth by possessing a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny was certainly no difficult matter.
As the saying goes, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.
In this Present-Ancient Era, an era of such frenzied fortune, no one should look down on anyone else. No one knew when fortune might descend upon whom. Once fortune descended, it was like a flood dragon entering the sea—truly unstoppable.
Take this Zhou Ting.
Who could have imagined that a good-for-nothing playboy from back then would actually obtain a Breath of the Heavenly Destiny and become an admired Minor Mandate holder?
"Heh, quite a crowd."
Zhou Ting, dressed in fine silks and jade-adorned robes, walked over leisurely. One hand was clasped behind his back, the other played with a somewhat sinister-looking small black snake in front of him. His gaze swept over Haoyang, Lan Xingyu, Li Juncai, Qiao Yu, and the others as he said with a smile, "You all have such refined tastes. With over a month still until the temple fair, you've already started gathering for excitement at the mausoleum."
"I say, Zhou Ting, what are you doing here!"
Due to the opposition between the Black Buddha Old Master and the Blackhearted Old Master, and also because the Blackhearted Old Master had led over fifty Chizitou branch lodges to pledge allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty, Haoyang had always despised these betrayers of Chizitou. This was especially true for Zhou Ting, who, in earlier years, had bullied disciples from the Chizitou branches under the Black Buddha Old Master's faction on numerous occasions. Among the many Heavenly Geniuses who had attacked and injured Old Master Fengxu three years ago, Zhou Ting was one of the masterminds.
"What this Young Lord does here is none of your concern!"
Haoyang despised Zhou Ting, and Zhou Ting despised Haoyang. In the past, he had harbored some apprehension towards Haoyang, but now, after fusing with the Breath of the Heavenly Destiny, he naturally did not regard Haoyang as worthy of his attention.
"This is the King's Tomb monument, and I am a member of Chizitou. Now, a traitor of Chizitou stands beneath the King's Tomb monument. You tell me if it concerns me or not."
Haoyang was not afraid of Zhou Ting. Even if Zhou Ting were only a Minor Mandate holder, Haoyang would not fear him even if he were a Major Mandate holder.
It wasn't that he possessed absolute confidence in being able to defeat Zhou Ting.
To be honest, he didn't know exactly how powerful Zhou Ting, who had fused with the Breath of the Heavenly Destiny, had become. But that didn't mean he would be afraid.
"Hmph! I warn you, Haoyang, you'd better speak to this Young Lord more respectfully in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
In the past, Zhou Ting, merely a second-rate Heavenly Genius, had dared to act arrogantly and tyrannically in Yanluo Kingdom. Now that he had become a Minor Mandate holder, he naturally ran amok without restraint. He snorted disdainfully, "What king or not king? Gu Tianlang was just a bit luckier, that's all. Forget about this Young Lord standing beneath his tombstone today; even if I were to chop his tombstone in half today, what of it!"
"Well, well."
Haoyang, still sitting on the ground holding his wine jar, sneered coldly, "Getting a Minor Mandate has inflated you to this extent? If you got a Major Mandate, wouldn't you dare betray your master and ancestors? And you dare chop the King's tombstone? Try chopping one for me to see!"
"You think this Young Lord doesn't dare?"
Zhou Ting made a move as if to strike. Across from him, Elder Qinghua and the others from the Meishan Branch immediately rushed forward. Haoyang also stood up in an instant, radiant light blazing around his body like flames, his eyes gleaming with ferocity as he stared fixedly at Zhou Ting.
Zhou Ting did not attack. Instead, he smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. This Young Lord was merely speaking. After all, Gu Tianlang was the Chixiao Sect Master my grandfather followed back in the day. How could I commit such a heinous act? So, I won't chop Gu Tianlang's tombstone. At least not today."
Then, shifting his tone, he stared at Haoyang and said meaningfully, "However, that's only for today. As for during this year's temple fair, this Young Lord cannot guarantee anything. If you all wish to see it then, this Young Lord certainly won't mind putting on a performance of chopping Gu Tianlang's tombstone for you."
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll wait and see if you have the guts!"