Cao Zhengchun’s expression changed drastically when he saw Zhang Weihao suddenly appear. He became even more respectful and had no intention of resisting at this moment.

　　Even the Heavenly Prison can’t control such an existence. Unless you’re confident you can kill it with one blow, any schemes or plots you have are just a joke.

　　Even in the ninth level of the Heavenly Prison, people can come and go as they please without needing to go through the usual entry and exit methods. How can we deal with that?

　　Moreover, Cao Zhengchun vaguely guessed who killed Wan Sanqian and stole those gold, silver and rare treasures. Who else could it be but the person in front of him?

　　So that “Ding Peng” was actually in cahoots with him, a protector of the innate grandmaster.

　　Or perhaps someone else’s true master’s school has many similar experts, and they are not alone.

　　In “The Sentimental Swordsman and the Ruthless Sword”, many masters on the weapon ranking list prefer to challenge Li Xunhuan rather than the higher-ranked Tianji Laoren and Shangguan Jin Hong. The main reason is that Li Xunhuan is famous and a lone wolf, making him easier to bully and scheme against, and he is not afraid of being retaliated against by the sect behind him.

　　The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets is rarely seen, and he is clearly not alone. He has a very powerful family and force supporting him, which can be seen from Sun Tianji’s sister and brother-in-law.

　　Shangguan Jin Hong, on the other hand, possesses a vast personal force; you might be dead before you even see him.

　　Neither the other experts from the Money Gang nor Jing Wuming, who was always by their side, were easy targets.

　　The top three and fourth and fifth place on the weapons ranking are two completely different levels, and those after fifth place are on another level compared to fourth and fifth place.

　　You might think that anyone ranked 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th could go toe-to-toe with the top three, with a back-and-forth battle. But actually, it would only take the top three two or three moves, and the fourth or fifth-ranked players probably wouldn’t even need twenty moves to beat them.

　　The gap between film and variety show worlds isn’t that outrageous; there are quite a few experts at the same level. However, the top three do indeed have a significant gap compared to those who follow.

　　In Zhang Weihao’s view, it was almost at the level of oneness with heaven and man (Li Xunhuan could only reach this level by exerting all his strength), which was beyond the level of ordinary innate masters.

　　However, the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets is too old and burdened by his great reputation, fearing defeat. Therefore, although he possesses the realm of oneness with heaven and man, he cannot unleash it. Once his mentality becomes unstable, even a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm can kill him.

　　If Shangguan Jin Hong had already reached the state of “no ring in hand, but ring in heart” at this point, that would be the peak of a grandmaster. If he reached the state of “no ring in hand, no ring in heart, the ring is me, and I am the ring”, then he would enter the unity of heaven and man. The true peak of martial arts is to be able to comprehend the wonders of creation and reach the state of “no ring, no self, both ring and self forgotten”, then he would truly be all-powerful and indestructible.

　　That is, to truly enter the Dao through martial arts, refine emptiness and unite with the Dao, and enter the realm of the Innate Grandmaster.

　　Shangguan Jin Hong, who never fights a battle he is not sure of winning, was scared away by the martial arts theory expounded by the old man Tianji when he first met him. On the surface, the first one is stronger than the second one, and the difference in their levels is not small.

　　But before Sun Xiaohong got Li Xunhuan drunk and eloped with him, she begged her grandfather, Tianji Laoren, to deal with Shangguan Jin Hong. In her eyes, the “number one in the world” versus the “number two in the world” was a piece of cake!

　　However, once he regained his senses, Li Xunhuan immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. He took Sun Xiaohong back to the duel site and expressed his concerns: When a person’s martial arts reach their peak, a fear will arise in their heart, fearing that others will catch up with them, fearing that they will regress. At this time, they will often think of escaping and dare not do anything…

　　Unfortunately, the worst happened. Tianji Laoren was defeated by Shangguan Jin Hong. For Tianji Laoren, defeat meant death!

　　For Shangguan Jin Hong, the loss of a powerful rival means that Li Xunhuan is now the only obstacle in the world. Once Li Xunhuan is dealt with, the conquest of all the major sects and the unification of the martial arts world will be just around the corner!

　　This is the plot and setting in the novel, but reality is not that complicated. No matter how high your realm is, in the end it still depends on the data you produce, that is, your six dimensions. If your explosive power and attack power are not high enough, your endurance is not strong enough, and you are old, weak and declining, even if your realm is higher and your moves are more exquisite, if you cannot defeat your opponent in a few moves, then in the long run, you will definitely be finished.

　　Ding Peng’s Divine Blade Slash follows the same principle.

　　If you can withstand his divine blade strike, Ding Peng will at most fight you to a draw, but you will most likely kill him; if you can’t withstand it, then you won’t be a match for him in a single move.

　　Zhang Weihao is also a data-driven player. He seems very powerful, but he mainly dominates weaker opponents. If he encounters an opponent with similar attributes who he can’t crush in a few moves, he will most likely try to escape. He is not capable of fighting a hard battle with equal strength.

　　Deep down, he’s actually quite timid. He firmly believes that only those who survive will ultimately win, and he would never act rashly out of recklessness.

　　However, in the eyes of Cao Zhengchun and his group, Zhang Weihao was like the old man of the heavens before his boast was truly exposed. His power depended entirely on their imagination. Therefore, Cao Zhengchun really didn’t dare to have any other thoughts. He did whatever he was told without any carelessness.

　　However, this was the first time Cao Zhengchun had known that there was a secret passage between the castration room and the ninth floor of the imperial prison.

　　However, Cao Zhengchun was one of the top five eunuchs in the inner court. When he thought of the old story of Emperor Jianwen, he immediately felt that such a secret passage was very reasonable. At least it could ensure that the most important emperor could escape at the critical moment. If the palace was really attacked, what place would be safer than the nine layers of the Heavenly Prison?

　　Whether it’s looking for an opportunity to slip out of the city, or hiding here waiting for the situation to become clearer before making a move, this is the most ideal hiding place. Even he might need it someday.

　　Because this secret passage was so important, Cao Zhengchun did not intend to make a fuss about it and agreed with Zhang Weihao’s arrangement to smuggle Gu Santong out openly by faking his death.

　　When Zhang Weihai met Gu Santong in the ninth level of the Heavenly Prison, he reverted to his original appearance, but when he left, he reverted to the generic face he had when he entered the Heavenly Prison. Zhu Wushi is not as simple as he seems, so the news that Cao Zhengchun led people down to the ninth level of the Heavenly Prison and met Gu Santong is unlikely to have escaped his notice.