I Cheated While Cultivating

“Have you ever heard of that Empress?” Zhou Heng cut to the chase and asked directly.

“The Empress, Your Majesty?” Wang He first paused, then smiled and said, “Of course, for the past two years the Empress has shaken the world, overpowering her contemporaries. Who hasn’t heard of her? Who doesn’t know?”

“Does the City Lord know any specific details about how the Empress fell at Seven Lords Mountain?” Zhou Heng inquired further.

This Wang He’s prowess was nearing the Peak of the Seventh Rank and being a City Lord, within this world, should be considered quite influential, perhaps privy to some secrets.

“Seven Lords Mountain…” Upon hearing this, Wang He’s expression changed slightly, as if contemplating something. After hesitating for a moment, he asked somewhat uncertainly, “Is Mr. Zhou a disciple of the Empress?”

When Zhou Heng killed the Demon King Black Hawk, he exhibited strength and methods clearly not of a demon slayer’s techniques. The powerful and violent physical strength, the exquisite skill, they were more akin to the so-called “Martial Arts” used by the Empress.

Therefore, Wang He suspected that Zhou Heng might be a disciple of that Empress, which would explain the similar methods, but could this disciple’s strength be a bit too overwhelming?

“No,” Zhou Heng shook his head, smiling, “If I’m not mistaken about her identity, I should be her Martial Uncle.”

“…” Wang He was instantly dumbfounded, staring at Zhou Heng with a shocked expression, almost doubting if he had misheard. Could there really be someone who dared to call themselves the Empress’s Martial Uncle?

Despite the Empress’s mysterious origins, to the extent that no one even knew her given name, only that her surname was Cheng, she had emerged out of nowhere and her divine might astounded everyone; a feat unparalleled through the ages!

With a single palm, she killed ten major Demon Kings, with one sword, she deterred the Demon Emperor, and with one hand, she defeated the feudal kings of twelve states!

Such exploits, such a presence, brought a rare calm to the long-chaotic world. The Empress’s reputation was celebrated far and wide, with countless people holding her in high esteem.

And now, this Mr. Zhou, who appeared to be under twenty, claimed to be that Empress’s Martial Uncle?

Had Zhou Heng not indeed demonstrated tremendous strength previously, and had he not been a great savior to him and the entirety of Changlin City, Wang He would have been compelled to question him.

Yet, a part of him believed it.

After all, the level of strength Zhou Heng displayed was extremely formidable and indeed very similar to the techniques demonstrated by the Empress.

Perhaps it was just a matter of seniority?

After a long while, Wang He finally managed to compose himself and said, “You, you mean in terms of seniority, you are the Empress’s Martial Uncle by the martial lineage?”

This was the only explanation he could think of.

“That’s right,” Zhou Heng smiled faintly, “I should belong to the same sect as her, sharing the same heritage. My purpose for coming here is to find her whereabouts. City Lord Wang, could you share with me what happened at Seven Lords Mountain?”

“This… just as the world has heard, the Empress did indeed fall at Seven Lords Mountain,” Wang He sighed softly, knowing he had to answer, “But it is said that those who took action were not only the Demon Emperor but also the Seven Demon Slayers.”

After revealing this information, he appeared somewhat defeated, his complexion turning pale as if the life had been drained out of him.

Wang He felt a sense of guilt because he was born into one of the Seven Lords Clan’s Wang Family.

“So the Empress was besieged at Seven Lords Mountain by the Seven Lords and the Demon Emperor?” Zhou Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he smiled at Wang He, “Then, did City Lord Wang participate in that siege?”

“No!” Wang He hurriedly shook his head, denying, “No, absolutely not. I have great respect for the Empress. Although the Family Head had asked me to go, I declined, using the excuse of preventing the Demon King’s attack on the city.”

“Is that so? I don’t believe it,” Zhou Heng said, his face one of disbelief. He stood up, his gaze indifferently fixed on Wang He, and without saying another word, just looked at him.

“Mr. Zhou, you can ask the citizens of the city, as well as the many officials and soldiers; they can all testify for me,” Wang He explained in a rushed manner: “Moreover, you are the eminent benefactor of me and of Changlin City. I would not deceive you.”

He was terrified he would be misunderstood by Zhou Heng as being complicit in the Empress’s downfall, which could spell immense trouble for both him and the entirety of Changlin City.

Mr. Zhou’s strength was indeed too great. Even this modest Changlin City, let alone the entire world, likely had no one who could withstand him.

Should such a powerful being misunderstand him, death would be certain.

“I still find it hard to believe, unless you provide me with detailed information on the Seven Lords Clan, including a map. Yes, on that map, the location of the Seven Lords Mountain and the past routes must be marked,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“…” Wang He fell silent and at the same time felt a sigh of relief in his heart, since he had understood Zhou Heng’s intention.

In reality, Zhou Heng hardly suspected him of being involved in the Seven Lords Mountain incident.

He simply used it as a pretext to make him hand over the information on the Seven Lords Clan and Seven Lords Mountain, to facilitate the investigation into the truth of what had transpired at Seven Lords Mountain.

But now that things had reached this point, he couldn’t well refuse.

Otherwise, Wang He feared that the original “possibly not suspected” might turn into “confirmed” suspicion of his involvement in the Seven Lords Mountain incident.

Therefore, after a brief silence, Wang He nodded and said, “The location of Seven Lords Mountain and the detailed information of the Seven Lords Clan are not much of a secret. Please wait a moment, sir.”

“I’ll wait here for you,” Zhou Heng continued to sit and said with a smile.

He wasn’t worried about any tricks from Wang He.

Firstly, he had saved the lives of Wang He and everyone in Changlin City, and he had already shown his unmatchable strength. As long as Wang He was sensible, he wouldn’t think of going against him.

Secondly, his Divine Soul perception was intense. By spreading it out, he could easily envelop the entire City Lord’s mansion, ensuring that no slight movement could escape his notice.

A moment later, Wang He came over with a wooden box which he opened to reveal several scrolls and an aged, rolled-up map.

“Mr. Zhou, here are the map and scrolls concerning the Seven Lords Clan that I have in my possession,” Wang He said as he respectfully pushed the box towards Zhou Heng, “Please have a look, sir.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Heng gave a slight nod.

He first unrolled the map in the box, which accurately depicted the direction and scale, and key regions and cities were marked with annotations.

Zhou Heng compared it to the route he had previously traveled and found that whether it was the distance or the direction of mountains and rivers, everything was precisely marked, with no errors or omissions.

Clearly, this map was far superior to the crude and error-riddled one from the Yao Family.

He also located the position of Seven Lords Mountain on it.

On the map, it was over four thousand li away from Changlin City, neither too far nor too close.

However, the journey would pass through eight mountain ranges and a large grassland, with several demon clan gathering spots, making the terrain immensely complex. Ensuring a smooth passage would be no easy task.

But that would not deter Zhou Heng; any who dared to block his path, be it human or demon, would be killed.

Furthermore, he had conceived a plan in his mind to gain fame as soon as possible.

Wherever he went, he would spread the name Zhou Heng until it was known by everyone.

With that, Cheng Jianjian, who was presumably recovering somewhere, should hear that he too had come to this world, and there might be a chance for them to reunite.

The fastest way to gain fame, naturally, was to be a demon slayer, pushing through all obstacles and shocking everyone along the way.

Beyond that, there were several other promising targets.

Having set the map aside, Zhou Heng’s gaze shifted to a scroll, the title of which read on the cover: “The Seven Lords Family Annals.”