Chapter 66 - 65: True Villain and False Gentleman
After killing Elder Qi’s Dao, Chen Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing his churning Qi Blood.
Then, Chen Yuan took out an elixir he had obtained from Wei Guangming and swallowed it.
Killing two experts of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm in a row, both requiring him to invoke his killing intent and endure Blood Fiend Entering the Body, had consumed a great deal of Chen Yuan’s Qi Blood.
After partially refining the elixir to recover some of his strength, Chen Yuan cut off Elder Qi’s Dao’s head, grabbed it, and disappeared into the night.
「Pan Yang City, Iron Armor Sect.」
Zuo Feiyu rushed to the Iron Armor Sect as fast as he could and inspected Wei Guangming’s corpse.
After his examination, Zuo Feiyu’s expression turned grave, and his heart sank.
He then turned to the Iron Armor Sect disciple who had delivered the message, a flicker of anger in his eyes.
’You call this a sneak attack?’
’Wei Guangming was clearly killed by Chen Yuan in a head-on confrontation!’
He understood that the Iron Armor Sect disciple didn’t want their Sect Leader’s death to be too disgraceful, which was why he’d claimed it was a sneak attack.
But this had severely compromised Zuo Feiyu’s judgment.
That Chen Tian not only had extremely strong cultivation in the Qi Casting Realm, but he could even kill an expert of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm in a direct fight!
Even though it was an injured Sea of Reincarnation Realm expert, Wei Guangming’s explosive power was still astonishing. It wouldn’t have been easy for an ordinary Martial Artist of the same realm to kill him, yet today he had fallen at Chen Tian’s hands.
At this moment, a thought struck Zuo Feiyu, and he quickly asked, "Has Elder Qi’s Dao shown up?"
Several Iron Armor Sect disciples quickly shook their heads.
Many disciples of the Iron Armor Sect were monitoring the movements inside and outside Pan Yang City from the city gates. They hadn’t spotted Chen Yuan, but they hadn’t seen Elder Qi’s Dao either.
Hearing this, Zuo Feiyu’s heart sank again.
Among the three cities, Pan Yang City was in the center, with Zou City and Fanglin City on either side.
Elder Qi’s Dao should have been closer than Zuo Feiyu, and he could have taken a shortcut.
Yet now that he had arrived and Elder Qi’s Dao was still a no-show, Zuo Feiyu had a bad feeling.
’All this time, I thought we were the hunters, spreading a wide net to encircle and annihilate that Chen Tian.’
’But now it seems he’s been treating us as the prey, tearing our net to shreds and picking us off one by one!’
"Go! To Fanglin City!"
Wei Guangming was already dead. Elder Qi’s Dao couldn’t die too.
Otherwise, wouldn’t this whole trip be for nothing if he failed to recruit a single Sea of Reincarnation Realm expert?
Before leaving, Zuo Feiyu paused, took a small golden vial from his clothes, and crushed it.
A golden insect flew out, its wings buzzing, and vanished into the night in an instant.
Then, Zuo Feiyu, the Zou Family Patriarch, and the others galloped at full speed, arriving at a dense forest path near Fanglin City.
Just as they stepped into the woods, a sudden whistling sound cut through the air.
The cyan Dragon Scale Sword in Zuo Feiyu’s hand flew from its sheath, and he thrust it forward forcefully.
But then, Zuo Feiyu felt something was wrong.
Looking closely, he saw that what had been thrown at him was Elder Qi’s Dao’s severed head!
The Zou Family Patriarch and the others following Zuo Feiyu were instantly thrown into a panic.
They had already been terrified when they saw Wei Guangming’s body.
The Iron Armor Sect dominated Pan Yang City, and Wei Guangming had been an aggressive and powerful figure whom they previously wouldn’t have dared to provoke.
Yet now, that arrogant and domineering Sect Leader Wei had been beheaded right inside his own sect.
Although Elder Qi’s Dao was a Loose Cultivator, and the Yin Mountain Five Ghosts were notorious, his strength was undeniable. He possessed countless strange techniques, and many experts of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm had died at his hands.
But now, he too had been decapitated, his head tossed over like a piece of trash.
The Zou Family Patriarch was old. Though he had some ambition, he feared death more.
This person Zuo Feiyu wanted to kill... they couldn’t kill him, and they certainly didn’t dare to try!
"Master Zuo, this old man is cowardly and incompetent. I truly don’t dare get involved with such a powerful enemy any longer. It’s better for my Zou Family to remain frogs in a well for the rest of our lives. Farewell."
With that, the Zou Family Patriarch decisively turned and retreated with more than ten young disciples from his family.
At this life-and-death moment, he couldn’t care less about the Nine Swords Alliance or some "bright moon in the sky."
When the other Independent Martial Artists saw the Zou Family leaving, what reason did they have to stay? They all scattered as well.
The more courteous ones would bow and take their leave; the less scrupulous ones simply turned and fled without a word.
In an instant, Zuo Feiyu was left completely alone.
"Tsk, tsk, Zuo Feiyu. The people you’ve recruited recently aren’t very impressive, are they? They run at the first sign of trouble and can only fight when they have the upper hand. What use does your Nine Swords Alliance have for people like that?"
Chen Yuan stepped out from the darkness, sizing up Zuo Feiyu.
An upright posture, handsome and spirited features—he really did cut a fine figure.
Zuo Feiyu was also sizing up Chen Yuan.
Previously, he had assumed this person was just an Independent Martial Artist with decent skills.
Killing him in exchange for the allegiance of two Sea of Reincarnation Realm experts seemed like a worthwhile trade.
But he never expected this person to be so young and so powerful, capable of killing two Sea of Reincarnation Realm experts while only in the Qi Casting Realm.
He had misjudged his opponent, which led to the current situation.
After a moment of silence, Zuo Feiyu showed no anger, only a slight smile. "My Nine Swords Alliance is just starting out. We’re short on everything, including these opportunistic types who can only fight with the wind at their backs."
"At the very least, they can still fight when we have the advantage. As long as I can keep winning, they’ll still be quite useful."
Pausing, Zuo Feiyu shook his head slightly and said, "I’ve lost this round. I didn’t expect your strength to be so astonishing. I was too careless, and that’s why the tables have turned."
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
He had expected Zuo Feiyu to be furious, but instead, the man was remarkably calm.
’With such a mindset and bearing, it’s no wonder he achieved so much in the original story.’
Just then, Zuo Feiyu suddenly said, "Chen Tian, join my Nine Swords Alliance."
"What did you say?"
Chen Yuan asked in astonishment, "I killed your men, Wei Guangming and Elder Qi’s Dao, and you still want to recruit me into the Nine Swords Alliance?"
"It’s precisely because you were able to kill Wei Guangming and Elder Qi’s Dao that I want to recruit you."
Zuo Feiyu stared at Chen Yuan and said, "If you hadn’t been able to kill them, your value would naturally be less than those two Sea of Reincarnation Realm experts."
"I would have still used every means at my disposal to kill you in order to recruit them."
"But you *did* kill them, which proves that your strength and methods are superior. Moreover, you’re younger than them and have far greater potential!"
"My Nine Swords Alliance is just starting out. If you join now, I can guarantee you a great future."
"No matter how far the Nine Swords Alliance develops in the future, you will always be one of its Core Disciples!"
Zuo Feiyu’s gaze burned as he stared at Chen Yuan. He genuinely wanted to recruit him into the Nine Swords Alliance.
A young prodigy with such immense combat power had potential far greater than Wei Guangming and Elder Qi’s Dao combined.
He himself was also young. If he could recruit this person into the Nine Swords Alliance, they could grow together, and Chen Tian could become his right-hand man.
Chen Yuan looked at Zuo Feiyu. The man’s attitude was indeed beyond his expectations.
Even at a time like this, he was still thinking of recruiting him.
Zuo Feiyu truly had the makings of a ruthless overlord. He could suppress his own feelings and preferences, always prioritizing benefits above all else.
So what if he was an enemy? So what if he had been humiliated?
As long as Chen Yuan could join the Nine Swords Alliance and work for him, all of that could be ignored.
"Tsk, tsk. Wei Guangming and Elder Qi’s Dao are barely cold in their graves, and you’ve already sold them out without a second thought."
"If those men from before heard you say that, their hearts would turn cold. You, the Young Alliance Leader of the Nine Swords Alliance, are truly a cold-hearted person."
"If word of this gets out, your reputation for recruiting the worthy will be completely ruined."
Zuo Feiyu looked unconcerned. "They were only drawn by my father and the current power of the Nine Swords Alliance. Without that, my attempts to recruit the worthy would be useless anyway."
"If anyone dares to spread rumors, I’ll just have them killed. They’re nothing but a bunch of opportunists. I wouldn’t feel bad if they died."
"Chen Tian, I’m being frank with you. Join my Nine Swords Alliance, and all past grievances will be wiped clean."
"The Iron Armor Sect still has some disciples left. I can help you clean them up, too."
"And if I don’t join, are you going to kill me?"
A cold glint appeared in Zuo Feiyu’s eyes. "What do you think? If you’re not one of us, you’re an enemy!"
"You killed two of my Sea of Reincarnation Realm experts, shamed me, and ruined my plans. If I don’t kill you, how can my Nine Swords Alliance save face?"
Chen Yuan clapped his hands in mock approval. "There are plenty of true villains, and plenty of hypocrites."
"But someone like you, who’s a combination of both, is truly rare."
"It’s just a shame that your Nine Swords Alliance is too small to contain me."
Chen Yuan was telling the truth. The Nine Swords Alliance would indeed develop well in the future, but for him, it was still too slow.
Besides, given the personalities of Zuo Feiyu and his father, they could indeed recruit the worthy and welcome anyone into the Nine Swords Alliance.
But the prerequisite was that the person had to be obedient, sensible, and know how to be a dog.
"One shouldn’t be too greedy, Chen Tian. Since you don’t know what’s good for you, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"
Zuo Feiyu shook his head with regret.
The instant his voice fell, the cyan Dragon Scale Sword flew from Zuo Feiyu’s sheath. The sword’s ring was like a dragon’s cry, and its light moved like a wandering dragon, reaching Chen Yuan in the blink of an eye!
Nine Cyan Blade Swords, Wandering Dragon Sword Technique!
Piercing Sword Qi shot straight for his face. Chen Yuan drew his saber with a backhand motion, Demonic Qi surging and Saber Intent blazing. Celestial Demon Slash!
The saber and sword collided. A deafening CLANG echoed through the entire forest as Saber Aura and Sword Qi scattered in all directions, the display of power utterly astonishing.
After one exchange, both were forced back a step by the tremendous force of the other’s blow.
Chen Yuan and Zuo Feiyu looked up at the same time, both surprised by the other’s strength.
Although Zuo Feiyu had yet to make a name for himself, he had trained in martial arts since childhood. Zuo Tianyuan had only one son and held nothing back, piling all sorts of resources onto Zuo Feiyu.
Therefore, his foundation was incredibly solid, on par with young disciples from a Major Sect Family like the Murong Family.
The Nine Cyan Blade Swords was also a famous Fast Sword technique in the Jianghu.
Zuo Tianyuan had once traveled the Central Plains Martial Arts world, visiting the great Swordsmanship masters of the Major Sects. After returning, he dedicated himself to research and elevated the power of the Nine Cyan Blade Swords to a new level.
Chen Yuan wasn’t sure if Zuo Feiyu’s Nine Cyan Blade Swords had reached the Celestial Level, but it was definitely superior to the Autumn Water Shocking Swan Swordsmanship.
And while Zuo Feiyu had already overestimated Chen Yuan, he hadn’t expected his foundation and underlying strength to be so solid.
The fundamental reason Independent Martial Artists were inferior to those from Noble Sects was that they hadn’t undergone systematic Martial Dao Foundation Establishment in their youth, resulting in an unstable foundation and weak underlying strength later on.
Although Chen Yuan hadn’t gone through this either, he had undergone Blood Fiend Tempering Body induced by the Seven Kills Stele. This was equivalent to using the power of a Divine Artifact for his Foundation Establishment, making him what you could call a natural-born Commander-in-Chief.
On this point alone, even disciples from the top Noble Sects couldn’t compare to Chen Yuan.