Daqian Martial Saint

Chen Ping’an stood tall and straight. A faint Golden Light flowed across his left palm.

A moment ago, when faced with Lu Shengyang’s sudden attack, he had used the Perfection Level Great Vajra Palm to knock the strike off course.

Lu Shengyang’s frigid voice echoed in his ears, but Chen Ping’an had no intention of explaining himself.

’Lu Shengyang of the Qiankun Bureau... he has quite the reputation.’

’A Profound Light Realm Spear Technique master! With his unpredictable Spear Technique, he can dominate anyone in the Same Realm.’

The man’s disguise was decent. At first, Chen Ping’an hadn’t noticed anything amiss. After all, in terms of both appearance and Realm, the man was identical to the Lu Shengyang that Chen Ping’an knew of.

But just now, during the pursuit, the man had revealed a flaw.

The man’s weapon was indeed a long spear, and he had used it to interfere with the scar-faced man’s escape. But it was this very point that tipped Chen Ping’an off.

Although the imitation was good, the details of his True Qi manipulation and execution exposed his Spear Technique as mediocre—nothing like the master of Spear Technique from the rumors.

An ordinary Profound Light Realm practitioner might not have had the eye for it, but Chen Ping’an’s Martial Arts Realm was now nearing the Perfection of the Profound Light Realm. His insight was sharp and his experience vast.

From these details, he had instantly determined that this man was not Lu Shengyang of the Qiankun Bureau.

Combining this with other details—like the sudden attack on Red Maple Market by the Ten Thousand Demons Sect villains and how a single long cry had startled the scar-faced man into retreating—Chen Ping’an’s mind raced. With a bit of deduction, he had a good grasp of their objective.

As the saying goes, the drinker’s heart is not in the cup. It was obvious the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s true target wasn’t Red Maple Market. It was him: Chen Ping’an, the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy!

Feigning an attack on Red Maple Market, having the Qiankun Bureau conveniently arrive to help, and luring him into a joint pursuit—this was a trap the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had laid specifically for him!

’Only...’

Chen Ping’an glanced at the two men and sensed a faint, almost imperceptible aura nearby. A slight smile touched the corners of his lips.

’Does the Ten Thousand Demons Sect really underestimate me this much?’

SWISH!

The scar-faced man’s figure shot forward, rapidly closing in on Chen Ping’an’s flank and blocking one of his escape routes.

"Chen Ping’an, it doesn’t matter if you’ve figured it out. Today is the day you die!"

The Profound Light flickered between the scar-faced man’s brows as True Qi surged around him. A gleam flowed along the blade of his Tiger-Headed Refined Steel Saber. Clearly, his words weren’t just idle threats; he was secretly building up power.

The Ten Thousand Demons Sect Elder disguised as Lu Shengyang didn’t expect an answer from Chen Ping’an. A series of sharp cracks suddenly echoed from his joints and bones.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

In just a few breaths, the middle-aged man with the square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and righteous aura vanished. In his place stood a slightly skinny, sallow-faced old man.

The elder, holding a Dark Red Soft Sword, stared coldly at Chen Ping’an. "Chen Ping’an, you don’t look the least bit nervous! Are you still holding on to some foolish hope of escaping with your life!? Abandon all illusions! You will die here today!"

As if to echo the old man’s words, a gust of wind howled and a gray-robed, white-haired elder shot out from a thicket behind Chen Ping’an, firmly blocking his path of retreat.

To Chen Ping’an’s right was a large rock that would require a detour. With the scar-faced man in front, the Yellow-Faced Elder to his left, and the gray-robed elder behind him, the three had formed an encirclement, trapping him in the middle like prey caught in a hunter’s snare.

"Elder Han!"

Seeing the gray-robed elder appear, the scar-faced man and the Yellow-Faced Elder greeted him.

"Elder Lu, Elder Sha."

The gray-robed elder responded.

He looked at Chen Ping’an, trapped in their midst, a flicker of delight in his eyes.

’After all that scheming, it’s finally time to reap the rewards!’

Ever since he learned that Chen Ping’an had appeared at Red Maple Market, he had been plotting a way to kill him. After much consideration, he had settled on this very plan.

First, Elder Lu, who was at the Profound Light Initial Realm, would conceal his aura and lead a team disguised as common bandits to attack Red Maple Market. Then, Elder Sha, another Profound Light Initial Realm expert, would disguise himself as Lu Shengyang of the Qiankun Bureau, conveniently appear nearby, and startle Elder Lu into retreating.

Meanwhile, he himself would lie in ambush here early on, serving as the final backup. As Elder Lu fled, he would naturally lure Chen Ping’an to this spot.

They had scouted the terrain here in advance. This location, with the large rock, was the burial ground they had tailor-made for Chen Ping’an.

Here, using the blind spot, Elder Lu would suddenly turn and launch a saber strike. At the same time, Elder Sha, disguised as Lu Shengyang of the Qiankun Bureau, would launch a surprise attack, ambushing Chen Ping’an when he least expected it.

Caught between a deliberate plot and his own unpreparedness, and with two Profound Light Realm experts attacking simultaneously, Chen Ping’an’s chances of survival were slim to none.

Furthermore, even if Chen Ping’an was lucky enough to survive that, he was there as the final failsafe, ready to strike decisively and finish him off completely.

So much effort, so many calculations! Spoken aloud, the plan sounded simple, but it was actually built upon multiple layers of consideration.

The first layer: Elder Lu would conceal his aura and disguise himself as a bandit to attack Red Maple Market. The purpose of this disguise wasn’t to deceive Chen Ping’an at all. On the contrary, it was designed for Chen Ping’an to see through.

When he discovered Elder Lu’s True Realm was the Profound Light Realm, he would immediately sense something was wrong, discard the theory of common bandits, and confirm Elder Lu’s identity as a villain from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

This was a small psychological trick. If they had exposed Elder Lu as a Ten Thousand Demons Sect villain from the start, Chen Ping’an’s train of thought would have shifted from the question of their identity to the question of their motive.

’For example, why are they here? What is their objective?’

If he thought too deeply, he might become suspicious of their actions and even grow hesitant later on.

But by using a layer of disguise and letting him "unwittingly" expose their Ten Thousand Demons Sect identity, a normal person’s first reaction would be a rush of satisfaction and accomplishment. Their thoughts would then focus primarily on the identity issue. For a short time, this would greatly diminish any consideration of their motive.

’Through the design of this first layer, we reduce the chance of our true objective being exposed, thereby increasing the likelihood that he will give chase!’

The second layer was having Elder Sha disguise himself as Lu Shengyang of the Qiankun Bureau. The choice of Lu Shengyang’s identity was perfect. For one, his reputation wasn’t as great as Cao Yingxiong’s, meaning fewer details about him would be public knowledge, thus reducing the risk of the disguise being exposed.

Second, as someone from the Qiankun Bureau, Chen Ping’an would naturally have a bit more trust in him due to his official standing. At least, he would have such an inclination when it came to matters involving the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

Third, Lu Shengyang’s appearance would further increase the probability of Chen Ping’an giving chase. Moreover, Lu Shengyang’s strength—at the Profound Light Initial Realm—was just right. From Chen Ping’an’s perspective, this would seem like a manageable situation. If the imposter were at the Profound Light Middle Realm, Chen Ping’an might overthink it or even become wary, which would interfere with the execution of their plan.

The third layer of the scheme was to reinforce Chen Ping’an’s belief in Lu Shengyang’s identity during the prolonged chase. At the very least, it would ensure that Chen Ping’an would not suspect he was in league with the Ten Thousand Demons Sect villain up ahead. By building this foundation of trust, when they reached the pre-selected location, the sudden betrayal would leave Chen Ping’an completely unable to react or defend himself.

With Elder Lu’s cooperation, the probability of Elder Sha killing Chen Ping’an with his own hands was extremely high.

As for the Fourth Layer of the scheme...

It was the current situation: the three of them forming an encirclement to trap Chen Ping’an, then using their overwhelming power to eliminate him completely!

For the gray-robed elder to have devised such a vicious plan in such a short time required years upon years of accumulated experience.

As the person in charge of this operation for the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, he relied not just on his strength, but on his mind.

The gray-robed elder looked at the unharmed Chen Ping’an in the center of their trap, and to be honest, he was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected that after so much scheming, Elder Sha’s sudden attack would fail to injure him in the slightest.

’Truly a rising star of the Garrison Commandant’s Office. It seems I’ve underestimated him.’

’However...’

’This is as far as he goes.’

’This rising star will fall here today!’

"Chen Ping’an, it’s time for you to go!"

The gray-robed elder held his Serrated Short Blade, his eyes flashing with a ruthless, determined glint.