Chapter 90 - 89: Trash
The White Tiger Hall had been searching for traces of the Blood God Sect for the past few days. They’d had some success here and there, but at most, it was a brief encounter. They had yet to capture anyone.
On one occasion, Feng Wushang had even taken action personally, but he too had come up empty-handed.
It was only then that the members of the White Tiger Hall realized just how deeply the Blood God Sect was hidden in Ning Province.
This time, Feng Wushang had dispatched Chen Yuan to support Pian Guan City in Linzhong Prefecture. It was a considerable distance from Kaiping Prefecture, where Linyuan City was located. After two days of hard riding, Chen Yuan finally arrived in Pian Guan City.
Previously, Inspector Du Tianfeng of Linzhong Prefecture had led several Guardian Envoys and picked up the trail of the Blood God Sect in Pian Guan City. But as soon as they gave chase, Du Tianfeng was severely wounded by Feng Xieyun. The man then vanished into the outskirts of Pian Guan City without a trace.
Inside the Pian Guan City Garrison Mansion, three Guardian Envoys sat facing each other, their expressions grim.
A few days prior, one Inspector at the Condensing Truth Realm and six Guardian Envoys at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm had set out to hunt down Feng Xieyun, only for one to be wounded and three to be killed.
Not only had they failed to earn any merit, they had lost face completely.
Now, news had come from the Main Hall that Chen Yuan was being sent to support them, which only added to their humiliation.
"By my count, that Chen Tian fellow should be arriving soon, shouldn’t he? Should we send someone to the gate to greet him?"
The oldest of the three, a Guardian Envoy in his fifties named Wu Bingjian, hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Welcome him? Why? He’s not an Inspector, let alone a Hall Master. Why should we go out of our way to greet him?"
Fei Bin, the master of this place and Guardian Envoy of Pian Guan Town, looked grim. "If you ask me, the Hall Master shouldn’t have sent this Chen Tian at all. So he got lucky and killed one of the Blood God Sect’s fiends? Does that make him more capable than us?
The one he killed was just a grunt from the Blood God Sect. We were up against their Saint Heir! And he had others secretly providing support. The difficulty isn’t even in the same league."
The last Guardian Envoy, Lin Hongxiao, tapped the table. "Alright, enough complaining. It’s our own fault for being incompetent. Not only did we fail to catch him, but he turned the tables on us. If they didn’t send reinforcements, what were you expecting? A commendation from the Hall Master?
Still, what was the Hall Master thinking? He could have sent a powerful Inspector at the Condensing Truth Realm. What’s the use of sending some young junior?"
Just as Fei Bin was about to say more, the doors to the Council Hall were suddenly pushed open, and Chen Yuan strode in with his men.
"As for whether I’m useful or not, you’ll all see for yourselves when the time comes."
Caught talking behind his back, Wu Bingjian laughed awkwardly. "Chen Zhenshou, please don’t be offended. We were just jesting, with no intention of slander."
Chen Yuan waved his hand magnanimously. "It doesn’t matter. I’m not a petty person.
Since the Hall Master sent me to track the Blood God Sect’s fiends, we shouldn’t delay. First, tell me the specific details of that battle and where you last tracked him. Then I’ll decide where to begin the investigation."
Fei Bin frowned. "Chen Tian, don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself? The Hall Master said you were here to *support* us, not take charge.
When it comes to seniority, any one of us three has been at this longer than you. Who do you think you are, ordering us around?"
Of the three men present, Wu Bingjian was a people-pleaser who had coasted to his position as Guardian Envoy on seniority alone; he didn’t want to offend anyone.
Lin Hongxiao was also dismissive of Chen Yuan, but only because he felt the younger man couldn’t be of much help.
Only Fei Bin felt a flicker of actual disgust toward Chen Yuan. He had once been one of Qi Yuanming’s White Tiger Guards and had only become a Guardian Envoy after earning significant merits.
Qi Yuanming had wanted to place him under his own command, but by then, all the smaller cities in Kaiping Prefecture were already assigned. Thus, Fei Bin could only be sent to Linzhong Prefecture.
In a way, Fei Bin owed his career to Qi Yuanming’s patronage.
When the Inspectors and Guardian Envoys of the Eight Prefectures and Forty-Two Cities last met for a council, Qi Yuanming had personally told Fei Bin about his grudge with Chen Yuan. It would be a miracle if Fei Bin’s attitude were anything but hostile.
Chen Yuan turned his head to stare at Fei Bin, his voice cold. "Putting it nicely, I’m here to support you. Putting it bluntly, I’m here to clean up your mess because you lot are a bunch of incompetent fools!
A whole group of you chased one man, Feng Xieyun, and he turned it into a massacre. You couldn’t even find a single trace of him afterward. Calling you a fool is a compliment!
And you want to talk to me about seniority? A pig that lives for a thousand years is still just an old pig. Trash like you, no matter how much seniority you have, is still trash!"
Wu Bingjian and Lin Hongxiao were both stunned.
Within Zhenwu Hall, everyone was a colleague. Even when conflicts arose, it was usually limited to a few sarcastic, backhanded remarks.
Who, like Chen Yuan, would start pointing fingers and cursing someone out at the slightest disagreement?
Fei Bin’s face instantly flushed crimson. With a surge of fury, his True Qi erupted, and he threw a punch straight at Chen Yuan.
"Chen Tian! You’re courting death!"
At such a close distance, Wu Bingjian and Lin Hongxiao couldn’t have stopped him even if they tried.
But a Buddha Light bloomed around Chen Yuan, and he let out a sharp, cold snort.
In that instant, a magnificent, righteous golden radiance burst forth. Like the toll of a great bell, the sound reverberated in Fei Bin’s ears.
The sound was like a clap of thunder, and the True Qi surrounding Fei Bin was instantly shattered by that single snort.
In reality, it wasn’t a snort, but a single syllable from the Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava—a Brahma Sound created by using the Buddha Light to vibrate the very air. It just happened to sound like a snort.
Fei Bin was merely at the Sea Realm Early Stage with mediocre strength. There was no need to use the complete Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava on him; a single syllable was enough to shatter his True Qi.
The next moment, Chen Yuan lashed out with a slap. Fei Bin had never imagined Chen Yuan would possess such a strange and divine Secret Technique, and he had no time to gather his True Qi to defend himself.
The slap sent Fei Bin flying. Blood instantly gushed from his mouth and nose, and half of his face swelled up.
Just as he tried to get back up and strike again, Chen Yuan’s foot came down, pinning his head firmly to the floor.
Feeling the immense power pressing down, Fei Bin dared not move a muscle.
He knew that if Chen Yuan applied any more force, his head would be crushed instantly!
"Spare him!"
"Lord Chen! There’s no need for this!"
Wu Bingjian and Lin Hongxiao rushed forward to help, but they froze in their tracks when Chen Yuan shot them a single glance.
Chen Yuan’s attack just now had terrified them as well.
That strange, divine Secret Technique, that extreme power... If they were in Fei Bin’s place, they would have fared no better. They’d be hard-pressed to last even three moves.
Chen Yuan had broken through to the Sea of Reincarnation Realm with a supreme foundation, and he was very satisfied with his current combat prowess.
Against an ordinary Martial Artist in the Sea Realm Early Stage, Chen Yuan could now achieve a completely dominant victory.
Only Martial Artists from factions with powerful inherited Cultivation Techniques, like the Blood God Sect, were worthy of fighting him now.
Wu Bingjian pleaded, "Lord Chen, Fei Bin has a foul mouth, it’s true, but with the threat of the Blood God Sect looming, this is no time for infighting.
Besides, if you were to kill Fei Bin, it would be difficult to explain to the Hall Master. He is a Guardian Envoy of a town, after all."
Lin Hongxiao, now thoroughly convinced, also chimed in. "Lord Chen, your strength is astonishing. We are sincerely impressed and willing to follow your commands."
When Chen Yuan had called Fei Bin useless, it had, by extension, included him.
But compared to Chen Yuan’s terrifying strength, Lin Hongxiao found he really couldn’t argue with the assessment.
Chen Yuan removed his foot from Fei Bin’s head.
He hadn’t planned on killing Fei Bin in front of everyone anyway.
He had killed Huo Tianying because Huo Tianying was only a Captain. As his newly appointed superior, even without giving Feng Wushang a "gift," killing him was of no great consequence.
But Fei Bin was a Guardian Envoy, the same rank as himself. Moreover, Feng Wushang had specifically sent him here to provide support.
If he killed Fei Bin in broad daylight, it would make Feng Wushang lose face as well.
Fei Bin got to his feet, his head bowed. His eyes were filled with venom, but he didn’t dare let it show in front of Chen Yuan, nor did he dare utter another word.
He had truly sensed a sliver of killing intent from Chen Yuan just now!
Besides, the man was notoriously audacious—he had killed Qi Yuanming’s brother-in-law, Huo Tianying, the moment he took office.
Fei Bin didn’t dare bet his own life on whether Chen Yuan would hesitate to kill him.
"Now, talk. What exactly happened during that battle?"
Wu Bingjian sighed. "Feng Xieyun is truly worthy of his title as the Blood God Sect’s Saint Heir. His strength is immense, and his Blood Secret Technique is incredibly bizarre.
At first, we were all pursuing him under the leadership of Inspector Lord Du, but he used a ’lure the tiger from the mountain’ stratagem to split us into three groups.
He killed the three members of one group first, then severely wounded Lord Du.
But Lord Du is a master of the Condensing Truth Realm, after all. Although Feng Xieyun wasn’t injured, he had to use some extremely taxing Secret Techniques. He must have been drained of combat strength afterward, otherwise he would have certainly killed us along with Lord Du.
Even so, the three of us didn’t dare to pursue. We had no choice but to retreat with Lord Du.
Afterward, we immediately mobilized men to investigate, but the trail had been quickly and thoroughly cleaned up. He disappeared somewhere around Pian Guan City.
That’s why I suspect other disciples of the Blood God Sect must have aided Feng Xieyun. He shouldn’t have had the strength left to come back and erase his trail. If he had, he would have tried to kill us first."
Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then tapped the table. "There’s no need for suspicion. Other Blood God Sect disciples definitely assisted Feng Xieyun.
The Blood God Sect has already broken up and scattered its members throughout Ning Province. It’s possible there are disciples in nearly every city, and local Jianghu Forces may also be colluding with them.
The biggest difference between the Blood God Sect and other Jianghu Forces is that they can’t simply retreat to the deep mountains and old forests to heal and cultivate.
Their cultivation requires them to absorb the Qi and Blood of Martial Artists. Healing is the same. If they lose that source of Qi Blood, their power will rapidly decay.
Ning Province is prosperous, with countless Jianghu People coming and going, making it the perfect place for the Blood God Sect to put down roots and develop in the shadows.
Other fugitives who flee into a city can only do their best to hide their tracks. But the Blood God Sect is different. To them, the thousands upon thousands of Martial Artists in this city are nothing but nourishment. They are all Elixirs!"