Hou Ming wanted to dismember Su Xin into pieces,but unfortunately,this idea was impossible to realize.When Hou Ming and others arrived at Feiying Gang with great momentum,they learned the news that Su Xin had left yesterday.
Hou Ming grabbed the gatekeeper and roared,"Where did Su Xin go?"
The gatekeeper was almost scared to tears,"I really don't know where the gang leader went.Early this morning,the gang announced that Su Leader had handed over the position to Li Leader and left the city on a fast horse."
Wu Daoyuan,standing behind Hou Ming,coldly said,"Since Su Xin dared to scheme against us,he definitely won't be foolishly waiting for us to find him here."
Hou Ming,with a mix of hatred and determination,threw the gatekeeper aside but then rallied,saying,"Right,Su Xin established Feiying Gang himself.Even if he's running for his life,he must have arranged the gang properly and passed it on to others.The current leader must be his former trusted subordinate,and he will surely know Su Xin's whereabouts."
A glint of killing intent flashed in Wu Daoyuan's eyes,"Alright,let's ask the current leader.If he doesn't cooperate,we'll slaughter Feiying Gang!"
Although the Qingcheng Sword Sect was a reputable martial sect,they had a history of wiping out opposing factions.Moreover,Feiying Gang was just a small martial faction with a questionable reputation,making it easier to justify their actions.
The group forcibly entered the hall of Feiying Gang.Although the disciples of Feiying Gang wanted to intercept them,Hou Ming's sword qi immediately cut them down.Seeing the brutality,the others fell silent,afraid to utter a word.
Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai,having heard the news,hurriedly came out of the hall.Hou Ming,upon seeing them,coldly demanded,"Where is Su Xin?Don't think I don't know;both of you were Su Xin's confidants,and you must know where he's hiding.If you don't speak,I'll slaughter Feiying Gang today!"
Huang Bingcheng wore a bitter expression,"I truly don't know where the boss went.You,esteemed guests of the Qingcheng Sword Sect,the boss offended you,so he must have gone as far away as possible.Even if we are his confidants,he wouldn't reveal such information to us."
Hou Ming said coldly,"At this point,you still dare to resist.You're seeking death!"With those words,he swung his sword towards Huang Bingcheng.The sword was surrounded by a layer of blue qi,chilling enough to be felt even from three steps away.
Seeing that Hou Ming was ready to attack,Li Huai swiftly drew his long sword and,with ghostly speed,appeared behind Hou Ming.His Seventy-Two Paths of Evil Exorcism sword technique unfolded,sharp and mysterious.
Surprisingly,Hou Ming was taken aback by Li Huai's peculiar speed.Such agility was unheard of,even among mid-stage innate martial artists.However,Hou Ming remained relatively calm.
No matter how fast Li Huai was,he was only a mid-stage innate martial artist without sufficient strength.No amount of speed could make up for the lack of power.Hou Ming's long sword traced a peculiar arc,suddenly changing direction.Countless fierce wind sword qis erupted,making it impossible for Li Huai to evade.He was sent flying,blood streaming from his mouth.
Hou Ming sneered,"A mere candlelight dares to contend with the sun and moon.Simply courting death!"
However,despite his words,Hou Ming was surprised that Li Huai's strength was significantly higher than an ordinary mid-stage innate martial artist.Any other person at that level would have perished under his attack.
Just as Hou Ming intended to strike Li Huai again,a melodious voice calmly intervened,"Hou Ming,I don't care about the grievances between your Qingcheng Sword Sect and Su Xin.However,the people of Feiying Gang are off-limits to you."
Xie Zhiyan walked into the hall.In Huang Bingcheng's eyes,she seemed like a celestial being,arriving just in time.
Hou Ming's expression turned extremely unpleasant,but Xie Zhiyan didn't pay much attention to him.Instead,she nodded gently at Wu Daoyuan and said,"Hello,Senior Wu."
Wu Daoyuan's face darkened,"I dare not pretend to be a senior in front of the Sword Master of Yijianmen.But what's the meaning of stopping us?Su Xin,from Feiying Gang,dared to kill disciples of my Yijianmen.Are you trying to oppose the Qingcheng Sword Sect for the sake of a small faction leader?"
Xie Zhiyan said indifferently,"Su Xin killed Fang Dongting;you can seek revenge from him.But Feiying Gang once helped me,so you cannot harm them."
Wu Daoyuan laughed in anger,"Very well!Truly befitting the Sword Master of Yijianmen,the disciple of the Master of the Mystic Heart Sword,Meng Jingxian!However,if your master were here,I'd turn and leave without a word.But since it's you,I just want to ask,why should I listen to you?"
Just as tensions rose,a coarse voice echoed from outside the hall,"Because Zhiyan is my disciple.Do you have a problem with that?"
A tall man carrying a giant sword on his back,with disheveled beard and middle-aged appearance,walked in.With each step,the air in the hall seemed to become heavier.When he reached Xie Zhiyan,even Wu Daoyuan remained silent,and Hou Ming's several innate Qi Sea realm disciples were almost forced to kneel on the ground by this formidable aura.
Seeing this middle-aged man,Xie Zhiyan immediately revealed a sweet smile,"Senior Chu,you finally arrived.Otherwise,I might not be able to control the senior brothers and senior uncles of the Qingcheng Sword Sect."
At the sight of this middle-aged man,Wu Daoyuan's expression immediately turned extremely unpleasant.
"'Iron-Blooded Sword Maniac'Chu Bufan!How come you're here?"Wu Daoyuan squeezed these words out through his teeth.Facing Xie Zhiyan,he could still ignore her,but when facing Chu Bufan,he couldn't summon the courage to confront him.
Not just because of Chu Bufan's strength,but also because he was simply a madman!
The'Iron-Blooded Sword Maniac'Chu Bufan,a renowned figure over a decade ago,was already among the top ten in the previous generation's rankings,reaching the pinnacle of the Divine Palace Realm.Originally,Chu Bufan could have reached the Yuan Shen Realm before the age of thirty,becoming one of the youngest martial arts masters of that generation.However,he felt his cultivation was not complete,so he forcibly discarded the cultivation of two minor realms,returning to the Qi Sea Realm to start over.He vowed not to break through to the Yuan Shen Realm until he achieved the unity of man and nature.
The fact that he would willingly abandon his martial arts achievements just for the sake of completeness was insane,to say the least.Yet,Chu Bufan did exactly that,and after re-cultivating,his strength became even more formidable,making him invincible among his peers.
His nickname,'Iron-Blooded Sword Maniac,'perfectly reflected his personality.Acting ruthlessly and being excessively arrogant,he didn't care about anyone.
He once clashed with the hall master of the Azure Blood Green Mountain Hall from the Seven Gangs of the World.In a fit of anger,he challenged over thirty hall entrances,unmatched among his peers.He even lured out several Yuan Shen Realm elders of the Azure Blood Green Mountain Hall,nearly sparking a large-scale conflict between the two factions.
Now,Chu Bufan stared at Wu Daoyuan and sneered,"Is it you who wants to bully the disciples of the Qingcheng Sword Sect?Zhiyan,don't worry;the Qingcheng Sword Sect is nothing.If anyone dares to say more,I'll personally cut them down!"
Wu Daoyuan angrily retorted,"Chu Bufan,have you lost all sense of reason?The leader of Feiying Gang killed disciples of my Qingcheng Sword Sect,and yet disciples of your Yijianmen are protecting Feiying Gang.Who's bullying whom?"
Chu Bufan coldly laughed,"I don't care about that much.If anyone dares to touch those cats and dogs and gets killed,I,Chu Bufan,will cut them down!Also,I heard that the treasure of the Mad Lion Du Yuansheng has been found by my Yijianmen disciples.If anyone dares to reach out,don't blame me for being impolite!"
Chu Bufan continuously referred to himself as'I,'completely dismissing Wu Daoyuan.Despite his face turning red with anger,Wu Daoyuan dared not say another word and left in frustration with his followers.
Both were peak Divine Palace Realm experts,but Wu Daoyuan lacked any confidence to confront Chu Bufan.
Strictly speaking,they were contemporaries,and Wu Daoyuan was even a bit older than Chu Bufan.However,when Chu Bufan proudly made a name for himself and became famous,Wu Daoyuan didn't even make it into the top fifty rankings.
Moreover,with Chu Bufan's personality,if he insisted on taking action today,Wu Daoyuan would indeed be killed by him.
After Wu Daoyuan left,Xie Zhiyan smiled at Chu Bufan,"Senior Chu,your timing is perfect."
Chu Bufan chuckled,rubbing his messy beard on his chin,"You,little girl,are enjoying this secretly.Luckily,I happened to be in Xiangnan for some business,or else you would have suffered.That brat Wu Daoyuan,I know him.No other skills,just bullying the weak and fearing the strong.He was even clamoring for my junior martial uncle to come.If my junior martial uncle comes out of seclusion,a mere glance from him could scare that brat into submission."
Xie Zhiyan laughed and turned to Huang Bingcheng,saying,"You don't need to worry.After this incident,the Qingcheng Sword Sect won't trouble you again.Besides,because of the treasure matter,we will stay in Changning Prefecture for some time."
Huang Bingcheng quickly responded,"Miss Xie's great kindness will be remembered by us."
Li Huai also bowed slightly in gratitude towards Xie Zhiyan.
If Xie Zhiyan hadn't spoken up just now,he would have been killed by Hou Ming.
"Alright,no need to be polite.These arrangements were made by your leader before he left."
Hearing Xie Zhiyan's words,Huang Bingcheng and the others suddenly realized that their leader had left some backup plans.
"By the way,is this senior just arriving in Changning Prefecture?I'll have someone prepare a banquet for you at the Shenglong Tower to welcome you."Huang Bingcheng fawned towards Chu Bufan.
This sir must be served well.He might be a powerful ally.
Although he didn't understand martial arts,he could see that while Wu Daoyuan was acting arrogantly just now,as soon as this sir arrived,he immediately became submissive.
Chu Bufan didn't refuse and directly waved his hand,saying,"Lead the way and remember to serve me good wine."
