Chapter 134 - 132: When Enemies Meet
After the Zhu Family was annihilated, Zhu Chengzong didn’t rush to investigate the killer—besides, he wouldn’t have been able to find them even if he tried.
The Blazing Sect’s sphere of influence was far away in Yong Province; they had no power near the Youning Border.
Moreover, he was merely a disciple of the Blazing Sect. Although he was a direct disciple of an Elder, he didn’t actually have much power within the Sect, nor could he mobilize its connections.
This didn’t mean, however, that Zhu Chengzong had let go of the hatred in his heart. It was just that the time was not yet right.
So after returning from the Murong Family, Zhu Chengzong had been cultivating desperately. He finally succeeded in reaching the Sea of Reincarnation Realm and could now be ranked among the forefront of the Blazing Sect’s younger generation.
Zhu Chengzong had also striven to participate in this Cauldron Opening Assembly, hoping to secure a high ranking and win a Divine Pill.
If he could replace the ’Celestial Brilliance Golden Feather’ Su Changhe’s position among the Blazing Sect’s younger generation, only then would he be able to convince the Sect to help him avenge his family.
Upon hearing Yao Tiancheng’s words, Zhu Chengzong’s spirits immediately lifted.
’Relying on the Sect to find the killer... who knows how many years that would take.’
’Surpassing Su Changhe is just an idea for now, a goal that’s still far from reach.’
’If the Nine Swords Alliance can find the killer, all I’ll need to do is use my connections to ask a few senior brothers at the Condensing Truth Realm to take action. They’ll be more than enough to kill the man who destroyed my family.’
"Brother Zuo, if the Nine Swords Alliance can truly help me find the man who annihilated my family, I, Zhu Chengzong, will be eternally grateful. I will surely do everything in my power to repay this great favor!"
Zhu Chengzong stood up and clasped his hands in a formal salute, his expression solemn.
"Brother Zhu, no need to be so polite. It is fate that we met today. When I return to the Nine Swords Alliance, I will immediately send people to find the killer who destroyed the Zhu Family.
By the way, Brother Zhu, could you tell me what happened back then? Did the killer leave any clues?"
Zhu Chengzong took a deep breath and recounted the story of his family’s annihilation to Zuo Feiyu.
Of course, he told a selective version of the story.
After all, the truth—that the Zhu Family had tried to force a young woman into marriage, annihilated her entire family when they failed, and was then wiped out in retaliation by someone she found—was far too humiliating.
Zhu Chengzong claimed it was a feud between two families. He said that while the Zhu Family had been victorious, they had a moment of weakness and spared an orphaned girl.
Who could have known that this same orphan girl would then find a powerful assassin to annihilate his Zhu Family?
Zuo Feiyu could tell there were holes in the story, but he didn’t expose them. He simply asked, "Do you have a description of the assassin, or any information about his Cultivation Technique?"
"We have a partial portrait. The assassin was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, so our family’s Guests could only see half of his face. It was drawn from memory, so I can’t be sure how accurate it is.
As for his Cultivation Technique, our family’s Guests were too weak to describe it. All they knew was that he used a saber—a very fast one!"
As he spoke, Zhu Chengzong took out a simple portrait sketched from the Guests’ descriptions.
Zuo Feiyu took the portrait, but he suddenly froze.
"What is it, Brother Zuo?"
Zuo Feiyu let out a long breath and said in a deep voice, "No need to search. I know who he is."
Although it was only half a face, and the drawing was somewhat distorted, how could he not recognize Chen Tian?
Everyone present was stunned. What a coincidence.
Zhu Chengzong was ecstatic. "Brother Zuo, you really know who he is?"
"Of course I do. Not only did he kill your whole family, Brother Zhu, he also killed two of my men, both renowned in the Jianghu, and he even defeated me once."
Zuo Feiyu made no effort to hide his defeat at Chen Yuan’s hands; he wasn’t a sore loser.
"That man is Chen Tian, the current Inspector of the Zhenwu Hall’s White Tiger Hall. He also goes by Chen Jiutian and is ranked forty-ninth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings."
Zuo Feiyu’s tone was ice-cold as he mentioned Chen Yuan’s name, and he gritted his teeth.
He was incredibly ambitious, believing himself to be the equal of any young prodigy from the top Sects and Noble Families. He was certain that he would, sooner or later, earn a place on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
To think that Chen Yuan had now ascended to the Hidden Dragon Rankings before he did... how could he accept that? Flames of jealous hatred flared within him.
Fortunately, his mental state was relatively stable after the scolding from Zuo Tianyuan. He felt a brief moment of imbalance before quickly regaining his composure.
’So what if he’s on the Hidden Dragon Rankings?’
’Every generation, a hundred people make it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, but not even half of them ever truly make it to the top.’
’I still have time. I still have a chance!’
Meanwhile, Zhu Chengzong was stunned.
He had originally assumed the man who destroyed the Zhu Family was an ordinary Loose Cultivator, but he never expected him to have such a significant background.
He had of course heard of the Ning Province Martial Hall. As one of the Seven Alliances of the World, even in its current weakened state, it had once been an overlord powerful enough to resist the armies of the Court at its peak.
And the man was even ranked forty-ninth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings!
The Hidden Dragon Rankings consists of one hundred names, but there are several distinct tiers within it.
The top three are considered the absolute pinnacle of the Jianghu’s younger generation, beings who tower over their peers. The rankings among them aren’t rigid, as they may have never even fought one another.
The top ten are generally heirs to major powers, while the top twenty are all prodigies who have reached the Condensing Truth Realm before the age of thirty.
As for the top fifty, they must have at least one publicly recognized, major achievement that shook the Jianghu, like Chen Yuan’s slaying of Feng Xieyun and the Little Prince.
The bottom fifty have the background and Realm sufficient for inclusion, and while they have some achievements to their name, none are particularly astonishing.
After his shock subsided, Zhu Chengzong said coldly, "So what if he’s from one of the Seven Alliances of the World? So what if it’s the Zhenwu Hall? The feud for my family’s extermination is irreconcilable. Even if he were the emperor’s own son, I swear I will kill him!"
His father had pooled all the family’s resources to help him rise above the rest, fighting hard to get him out of a small place like Lonely Mountain City and into the Blazing Sect.
But before he could return home in glory, his father was dead and his family was gone. How could he possibly let go of such a profound hatred?
Just then, Yao Tiancheng, who had been silent and staring at the portrait, suddenly pointed downstairs and said, "Is that Chen Jiutian from the Zhenwu Hall down there?"
Zuo Feiyu looked down, squinted his eyes, and said, "That’s him!"
After a pause, Zuo Feiyu added, "Brother Zhu, this Chen Tian is extraordinarily powerful, and his methods are cunning and ruthless.
And now that he’s an Inspector of the Zhenwu Hall, I advise you to be cautious."
If Zuo Feiyu had kept quiet, Zhu Chengzong might have been able to calmly consider how to deal with Chen Yuan.
But he had just sworn to kill Chen Yuan even if he were the emperor’s son. How could he possibly back down now?
Besides, the man who had destroyed his family was right before his very eyes. No matter how rational Zhu Chengzong tried to be, he couldn’t control the murderous intent boiling inside him.
And the moment he revealed his killing intent, Chen Yuan subconsciously looked up towards the Celestial Fragrance Building, his gaze meeting Zhu Chengzong’s and Zuo Feiyu’s.
’The moment I saw Zuo Feiyu, I knew it. He’s definitely roped in some more young Jianghu prodigies and is probably goading them into coming after me.’
Using others to commit murder—that was Zuo Feiyu’s usual trick.
In the original story, even though Zuo Feiyu obtained the inheritance of the Celestial Fire Hall, he rarely acted himself, which was why his ranking on the Hidden Dragon Rankings was not high.
Just then, Zhu Chengzong let out a furious roar and leaped directly out of the Celestial Fragrance Building’s window.
"Chen Jiutian! Do you remember the Zhu Family of Lonely Mountain City?"
Chen Yuan paused. ’I thought Zuo Feiyu was behind this, but it turns out to be an enemy of my own making.’
"Of course I remember."
’Strictly speaking, the Zhu Family was the first family I ever personally annihilated. Quite a memorable occasion, really.’
Zhu Chengzong’s face was a mask of murder. "You killed my family and annihilated my clan! Today, I will kill you as a sacrifice to the spirits of the entire Zhu Family!"
"Don’t be so quick with the accusations. I only killed your father, your fourth brother, and your second brother. It was your third brother who killed the rest of your family. And in the end, your eldest brother took your third brother down with him."
Chen Yuan shook his head gently. "Strictly speaking, your Zhu Family wiped itself out. Tsk, tsk... Truly heartless."
Watching Chen Yuan casually recount who he’d killed in his family, Zhu Chengzong could no longer restrain himself.
A powerful golden True Qi suddenly erupted from his body. He flipped his long sword and, with extreme, sharp killing intent, thrust toward Chen Yuan.
The moment the long sword thrust out, countless sword shadows around it instantly condensed into one, erupting with a blinding golden light.
The secret art of the Blazing Sect: Celestial Extreme Swordsmanship!
The moment Zhu Chengzong attacked, Chen Yuan’s saber, the Horizontal Blade Celestial Edge, was already unsheathed.
Boundless Blood Qi surged into the saber. He brought it down in a single slash. The blood-red edge instantly eclipsed the light of the sword, engulfing Zhu Chengzong’s attack like a surging river of blood.
He unleashed a full-force strike of the Blood Refining Divine Saber, its killing intent infinite. In an instant, it obliterated the power behind Zhu Chengzong’s sword.
Zhu Chengzong struck with hatred, and Chen Yuan struck with the intent to kill.
After destroying the Zhu Family, Chen Yuan had already prepared to settle this grudge with Zhu Chengzong in the future.
He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, that they would meet at the Cauldron Opening Assembly.
’With the hatred of a destroyed family between them, there was no room for reconciliation. It doesn’t matter if Zhu Chengzong is the direct disciple of an Elder or the Sect Leader himself. He has to die!’
Zhu Chengzong was stunned by Chen Yuan’s incredibly powerful slash.
The immense force roared toward him, directly shattering his Sword Momentum. The impact sent a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips.
Struggling to steady himself, Zhu Chengzong stared at Chen Yuan in horror.
If not for his Blazing Sect origins, his powerful Cultivation Technique, and his solid foundation, that single blow would have been enough to take him out of the fight.
’We’re both in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, and he’s only two minor stages higher. How can he be this powerful?’
’Is this the power of a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Rankings?’
But his Senior Brother Yao Tiancheng had been on the Hidden Dragon Rankings before, and his strength hadn’t been nearly this terrifying back when he was in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
"Junior Brother, don’t panic! I’m here to help you!"
When Yao Tiancheng and Qiao Huan saw that Zhu Chengzong couldn’t even block one of Chen Yuan’s moves, they immediately leaped into action.
As fellow disciples of the Blazing Sect who were on good terms, they couldn’t possibly stand by and watch Zhu Chengzong come to harm.
This was especially true for Yao Tiancheng, who was leading the group for the Cauldron Opening Assembly. If Zhu Chengzong were to die here, he would be held responsible upon their return to the Sect.