Chapter Sixty-Four: The Grand Competition of Nine Rocks

“Furthermore, all of you must return to the Fang family immediately. You are forbidden to linger here any longer. As for the wealth and magical treasures you brought, distribute them all among the people—do not keep a single item for yourselves. Those who disobey will meet the same fate!”
Jiang Feng's piercing gaze exuded a godlike aura. None of these weak cultivators dared look him in the eye, let alone defy his command.
Jiang Feng picked up the scattered magical artifacts from the ground, growing ever more amazed in his heart. Each of these underworld relics was a rare treasure, unmatched among thousands. Though some were of modest grade, their usefulness was extraordinary. For example, there was a canopy that could shroud the sky, plunging the world into endless darkness. In a sense, its effects resembled Fang Yichen’s profound arts of altering heaven and earth. Though far inferior, with proper refinement, it could certainly achieve a grand reversal of heaven and earth.
“Truly, fortune comes to those who seize it,” Jiang Feng mused. He had always possessed only a single Nine Heavens Steel Blade, but not long ago, Fang Yichen’s myriad arts had shattered it into countless fragments, leaving him completely bereft of any magical implements. Yet fate plays its tricks—just as the old saying goes, ‘A blessing may come from a loss.’ No sooner had he lost the Nine Heavens Steel Blade than he gained the Rivers and Mountains Bottle, and now, so many treasures besides. If he could find a supreme forge, he could merge these relics into one unparalleled artifact.
“What’s this?”
Jiang Feng was startled. Inside a relic called the ‘Banner of Soul Summoning and Ghost Repair,’ he discovered a jade token. The token didn’t appear to be a formidable artifact; it resembled more a pass or credential. He drew it out and was stunned by the bold inscription: ‘Jiuyan Grand Tournament!’
This was the grandest competition in Jiuyan Town. It was said that every year, the champion of the Jiuyan Grand Tournament would receive a supreme treasure, though its nature would only be revealed at the event. Even so, this unknown prize drew countless talented youths from Jiuyan Town to test their skills.
Fang Lingtai actually possessed the qualification to compete in the tournament!
“Hmph, Fang Lingtai, since you’re dead, I’ll take this entry for myself. I wonder whom the family will send to participate.” Jiang Feng weighed the prospect. He now considered himself the most outstanding youth of the Jiang family; surely he would be granted the right to compete. “Since there’s no one left in Wang Village whom I care about, and Yingying has been captured by Fang Yichen, I might as well return home, use the family’s strength to topple the Fang clan, rescue Yingying, and perhaps win the tournament and claim the treasure, bringing glory to my father.”
Thinking of his father, Jiang Feng felt a pang of guilt. Since childhood, his father had exhausted his connections and wits for Jiang Feng’s health, becoming the ridicule of the Jiang clan. This time, he was determined to win honor for his father at the Jiuyan Grand Tournament.
With this resolve, impatience stirred within him. Yet he worried that if he left now, the Fang family’s servants and kin would continue to wreak havoc, so he watched until they had distributed all their wealth before departing.
After the fierce battle and his lengthy stay in Wang Village, night had begun to fall. Relying on memory, he crossed the ocean and set out for home.
The night at sea was deeper still. The stars had set, leaving darkness in their wake—by his reckoning, it was the third watch. As the saying goes: ‘Ghosts at the third watch, thieves at the fourth.’ The third watch was when the world’s yin energy was heaviest, darkness enveloped the land, swallowing everything.
Waves surged relentlessly, cold seawater crashing against Jiang Feng, yet he cared nothing for the yin and darkness of heaven and earth. His mood was exhilarated; he had slain the Fang family’s heir and seized so many treasures and supreme relics. His power was poised for a great leap forward.
His immediate priority was to return to the Jiang family and report everything truthfully. If the Fang clan’s people arrived first, he would be at a disadvantage. He also needed to refine his new relics. During his flight, he consulted Jue within his mind, learning methods for refining magical artifacts. These dazzling relics excited him, but he couldn’t properly use them yet. Rather than wield them as they were, it would be better to forge them into a single, ideal implement, maximizing their power.

Regarding the refinement of magical artifacts, Jue offered a suggestion: merge all the relics into the Rivers and Mountains Bottle. Not only could the bottle contain underworld arts, boasting boundless space, but the Eight Sword Diagram within it was fiercely powerful. If mastered perfectly, it would become a peerless killing move.
Though he currently possessed only the supreme dark Wave Assault Sword, Jue believed that with patience, Jiang Feng could collect all eight flying swords and complete such a devastating formation.
Truthfully, though the idea was enticing, Jiang Feng hesitated. Elevating the Rivers and Mountains Bottle’s rank was fine, but without all eight swords, he couldn’t perform the full sword array.
“Foolish boy, you’ve already decided to oppose the Fang family—why hesitate? Just seize their arts directly!” Jue said viciously within his mind. He held no goodwill toward the Fang clan whatsoever.
Jiang Feng frowned, replying, “Seize? I already feel I’ve gone too far.”
“Too far? What’s too far about it? This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Those so-called noble families do nothing but sordid, shameful deeds. If you’re strong enough, people will respect you. Everything else will fade beneath your radiance, unknown to the world.”
Jue’s words echoed in Jiang Feng’s heart. The reasoning was simple, exposing the reality of the Underworld Continent. Yet Jiang Feng’s temperament was still immature; after much thought, he couldn’t fully grasp the concept. Even so, he felt more resolute than before.
“Anyway, the Fang family isn’t anything noble. At worst, I’ll just take what I need!”
With this realization, clarity filled his mind. The thrill of high-speed flight opened all his energy channels, letting him revel in the rush of air across his body. He couldn’t help but shout aloud, stirring waves upon the sea. Flying fish and birds, touched by his underworld power, emerged to join him in the boundless expanse.
After flying through the night, Jiang Feng finally returned to the Jiang family.
Gazing at the gilded gates, he was overwhelmed with emotion. Twice now, he had been the young master of the Jiang clan, giving him a complex mix of nostalgia and resentment. He knocked heavily several times—no answer. Perplexed, he pressed his ear to the gate and was stunned.
A familiar voice rang out within—not the one Jiang Feng had hoped for. It was Fang Yichen!
“Damn it, he beat me here!”
Jiang Feng cursed himself, angry that he’d spent the night enjoying the freedom of flight and neglected to rush home as quickly as possible. This allowed the cunning Fang Yichen to arrive first.
Without further thought, Jiang Feng kicked the gate. With a thunderous crash, the gilded doors collapsed—the force of his kick had utterly destroyed them.

The servants in the courtyard were terrified. They’d already heard from Master Fang Yichen that Jiang Feng had colluded with the Wang family, killed the Fang family heir, and plotted to seize the Jiang clan’s wealth to offer it to the Wangs!
“He could stoop to such vile deeds!”
From the main hall, Jiang Lei’s furious voice echoed. Jiang Feng paused, his heart sinking. He had already heard the honeyed words of that old scoundrel Fang Yichen. Seeing Jiang Lei believe his lies, Jiang Feng was deeply frustrated.
While Jiang Lei spoke, Fang Yichen quickly concealed his inscrutable smile. Turning, he saw Jiang Feng storming over, and was startled. The shock quickly vanished, replaced by feigned terror. “Jiang Feng, you dare return?”
Jiang Lei, too, noticed Jiang Feng’s presence. Enraged, he charged forward and slapped Jiang Feng across the face with a speed like lightning, unreasonable and swift.
The slap rang out. For an ordinary man, such a blow would leave flesh mangled and brains splattered. But Jiang Feng’s body, tempered many times by the Ghost Moon’s icy elixir, was no longer ordinary flesh. Still, the pain burned like fire, spreading from his face and stunning him completely.
Countless golden stars danced before his eyes. Jiang Feng froze, needing a moment to recover. He focused—standing before him was his uncle, Jiang Lei. This uncle, always domineering, had seen his status soar in the Jiang clan after Jiang Feng’s father disappeared.
Yet Jiang Lei’s motive for striking him wasn’t prompted by Fang Yichen’s slander. He knew well what sort of family the Fangs were, and he didn’t believe Jiang Feng could have killed Fang Lingtai. After all, Fang Lingtai possessed cultivation at the sixth stage of the Void Underworld realm, while Jiang Feng appeared to be only at the ninth stage of the Underworld Warrior realm. Though his progress was surprisingly rapid, killing Fang Lingtai was nothing short of a madman’s dream.
What Jiang Lei sought was merely to expel Jiang Feng from the clan, planting a seed of failure that would shame him from ever returning.
A single glance from Jiang Lei told Jiang Feng everything. He sneered coldly and said, “You trust the words of a petty villain, strike me without cause, and refuse to discern right from wrong! I’ll not quarrel over such trivialities. But this old scoundrel Fang Yichen has abducted Wang Yingying of the Wang family and stolen my treasures. My enmity with him is grave, and I must settle it. Jiang Lei, step aside.”
The crowd gasped in shock. What had Jiang Feng just called out—Jiang Lei? Heaven help us, what younger man would dare address his uncle by name?