Chapter 65: True Villains and Hypocrites

After slaying Old Daoist Qi, Chen Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing his boiling blood and Qi.

Then, Chen Yuan took out a Medicinal Pill he had obtained from Wei Guangming and swallowed it.

Slaying two Lunhai Realm experts in succession required him to trigger the descent of killing intent and let blood-red baleful energy enter his body; Chen Yuan’s blood and Qi consumption was quite significant.

After slightly refining the pill and recovering some strength, Chen Yuan directly chopped off Old Daoist Qi’s head and disappeared into the night, carrying it with him.

Panyang City, Iron Clad Gate.

Zuo Feiyu arrived at the Iron Clad Gate at top speed and inspected Wei Guangming’s corpse.

After finishing his inspection, Zuo Feiyu’s expression immediately became solemn, and his heart sank abruptly.

He then looked toward the Iron Clad Gate Disciple who had brought the news, a flicker of anger surging in his eyes.

“You call this a sneak attack?”

Wei Guangming was clearly killed by Chen Yuan in a head-on confrontation!

Although he understood that the Iron Clad Gate Disciple didn’t want their Sect Leader’s death to be too humiliating, hence claiming it was a sneak attack.

However, this had severely affected Zuo Feiyu’s judgment.

That Chen Tian not only possessed extremely powerful cultivation within the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could even kill a Lunhai Realm expert head-on!

Even though it was an injured Lunhai Realm expert, Wei Guangming’s explosive power was still astonishing; it was no easy feat for an ordinary Martial Artist of the same stage to kill him. Who would have thought he would die at Chen Tian’s hands today?

At this moment, Zuo Feiyu suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked, “Has Old Daoist Qi shown up?”

Several Iron Clad Gate Disciples quickly shook their heads.

Many Iron Clad Gate Disciples were monitoring the movements inside and outside Panyang City from the city walls. They hadn’t spotted Chen Yuan, but they hadn’t seen Old Daoist Qi either.

Hearing this, Zuo Feiyu’s heart sank even further.

Among the three cities, Panyang City was in the center, with Zou City and Fanglin City on either side.

In terms of distance, Old Daoist Qi should have been closer than Zuo Feiyu, and they could even take shortcuts.

Yet now that he had arrived, Old Daoist Qi still hadn’t appeared. Zuo Feiyu suddenly had a bad feeling.

He had always thought that he and his group were the hunters, spreading a large net to surround and suppress Chen Tian.

Now it seemed that the other party was treating them as prey, tearing his net to shreds and defeating them one by one!

“Go! To Fanglin City!”

Wei Guangming was already dead; Old Daoist Qi could not be allowed to die as well.

Otherwise, wouldn’t his trip be in vain if he failed to recruit even a single Lunhai Realm expert to his side?

Before leaving, Zuo Feiyu suddenly paused, took out a small golden bottle from his robes, and crushed it.

A golden flying insect fluttered out from it, vanishing into the night in an instant.

Subsequently, Zuo Feiyu led the Zou Family Head and others at full speed, arriving at the dense forest along the path near Fanglin City.

Just as they stepped into the forest, a whistling sound suddenly echoed.

Zuo Feiyu’s hand drew an Azure Dragon-Scale Sword, thrusting it forward with force.

However, Zuo Feiyu soon felt something was wrong.

Looking closely, the object thrown toward him turned out to be Old Daoist Qi’s head!

The Zou Family Head and the others following Zuo Feiyu were instantly thrown into a panic.

Seeing Wei Guangming’s corpse earlier had already chilled their hearts.

Iron Clad Gate dominated Panyang City, and Wei Guangming’s style was particularly aggressive; they hadn’t dared to provoke him before.

Yet now, that arrogant and overbearing Sect Leader Wei had his head cut off right inside the Iron Clad Gate.

Although Old Daoist Qi was a Loose Cultivator and the Yinshan Five Ghosts were notorious.

His strength was undeniable, possessing countless treacherous methods, and not a few Lunhai Realm experts had died at his hands.

Yet now, his head had also been severed and tossed over like trash.

The Zou Family Head was already quite old. Although he had some ambition, he feared death even more.

The person Zuo Feiyu wanted to kill was someone they couldn’t kill, and even more so, someone they didn’t dare to try to kill!

“Young Master Zuo, this old man is cowardly and incompetent. I truly dare not involve myself further with such a formidable enemy. My Zou Family is better off being a frog at the bottom of a well for the rest of our lives. Farewell.”

Having said that, the Zou Family Head decisively turned and retreated with more than ten young Disciples of the Zou Family.

In a life-or-death moment, he couldn’t care less about the Nine Sword Alliance or any bright moon in the sky.

When the other Loose Cultivators saw the Zou Family people leaving, they wondered what they were still doing there. They all began to disperse as well.

Those who were more polite would bow and bid farewell, while those who weren’t would say nothing and simply turn to flee.

In an instant, not a single person remained around Zuo Feiyu.

“Tsk tsk, Zuo Feiyu, the people you recruited lately aren’t that great. They flee when trouble arises and can only fight when the wind is in their favor. What use does your Nine Sword Alliance have for such people?”

Chen Yuan stepped out from the darkness, sizing up Zuo Feiyu.

With a tall stature and a handsome, elegant appearance, he truly had a good look for selling himself.

Zuo Feiyu was also sizing up Chen Yuan at this moment.

Previously, he had thought this person was just a Loose Cultivator with decent skills.

Trading his life for the loyalty of two Lunhai Realm experts was a very profitable deal.

He hadn’t expected this person to be so young and his strength so formidable, slaying two Lunhai Realm experts in a row with the strength of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He had misjudged the opponent, which led to the current situation.

After a moment of silence, Zuo Feiyu showed no anger, only a slight smile: “My Nine Sword Alliance has just started and lacks everything, even the kind of trash who can only fight when things go well and trim their sails to the wind.

At least they can still fight a winning battle. As long as I can keep winning, they are still very useful.”

Pausing, Zuo Feiyu shook his head slightly and said, “I lost this round. I didn’t expect your strength to be so startling. I underestimated the enemy too much, which led to this reversal of roles.”

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

He had thought Zuo Feiyu would be furious, but he didn’t expect the other party to be so calm.

With such a state of mind and bearing, it was no wonder he would have extraordinary achievements in the original plot.

At this moment, Zuo Feiyu suddenly said, “Chen Tian, join my Nine Sword Alliance.”

“What did you say?”

Chen Yuan said in surprise, “I killed your subordinates Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi, yet you still want to recruit me into the Nine Sword Alliance?”

“It is precisely because you could kill Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi that I want to recruit you.”

Zuo Feiyu gazed at Chen Yuan and said, “If you couldn’t kill them, then your value would naturally be inferior to these two Lunhai Realm experts.

I would still use every means to kill you in order to recruit those two.

But you were able to kill them, which is enough to prove that your strength and methods surpass theirs. Moreover, you are younger than them and have greater potential!

My Nine Sword Alliance has just begun. If you can join now, I guarantee you a bright future.

No matter how far the Nine Sword Alliance develops in the future, you will always be a Core Disciple of the Nine Sword Alliance!”

Zuo Feiyu stared at Chen Yuan with burning eyes; he truly wanted to recruit Chen Yuan into the Nine Sword Alliance.

A young talent with such powerful combat strength had potential and value far higher than Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi.

He was also young. If he could recruit the other party into the Nine Sword Alliance, they could grow together, and the other party could become his right-hand man.

Chen Yuan looked at Zuo Feiyu. The other party’s attitude was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.

Even at a time like this, he was still thinking of recruiting him.

Zuo Feiyu indeed had the potential of a formidable leader; he could suppress his own likes, dislikes, and anger, putting interests above all else.

So what if he was an enemy? So what if he had been slapped in the face?

As long as Chen Yuan could join the Nine Sword Alliance and work for him, all of this could be ignored.

“Tsk tsk, Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi have only just died, and you’ve already decisively sold them out.

If the people from before heard this, their hearts would grow cold. You, the Young Alliance Leader of the Nine Sword Alliance, truly have a cold and indifferent Heart-Nature.

If this gets out, your reputation for being humble and courteous to scholars will collapse completely.”

Zuo Feiyu looked indifferent: “They were originally here for my father and the current power of the Nine Sword Alliance. Without these, no amount of being humble and courteous would matter.

If anyone dares to talk nonsense, I’ll just kill them. They’re just a bunch of people who trim their sails to the wind; I won’t feel bad if they die.

Chen Tian, I am being open and honest with you. Join my Nine Sword Alliance, and past grievances will be wiped clean.

There are still some Disciples left in the Iron Clad Gate; I can also help you clean them up.”

“And if I don’t join, will you kill me?”

A cold light appeared in Zuo Feiyu’s eyes: “What do you think? If you can’t be one of us, then you’re an enemy!

You killed two Lunhai Realm experts under my command, damaged my reputation, and ruined my big plans. If I don’t kill you, where will the face of my Nine Sword Alliance remain?”

Chen Yuan clapped his hands in approval: “There are many true villains and many hypocrites.

But someone like you, who is a combination of both, is truly rare.

It’s just a pity that your Nine Sword Alliance is too small to contain me.”

Chen Yuan was telling the truth. The Nine Sword Alliance would indeed develop well in the future, but for Chen Yuan, it was still too slow.

Moreover, given the personalities of Zuo Feiyu and his father, they could indeed be humble and courteous to recruit anyone.

But the premise was that the other party 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, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Zuo Feiyu shook his head with regret.

The moment his voice fell, the Azure Dragon-Scale Sword in Zuo Feiyu’s hand was unsheathed. The sword’s hum sounded like a dragon’s roar, and the sword light was like a swimming dragon, reaching Chen Yuan’s face almost in an instant!

Azure Edge Nine Swords, Swimming Dragon Sword Style!

The piercing Sword Qi rushed toward his face. Chen Yuan drew his blade with a backhand, Devilish Qi surging, Saber Intent blazing—Heavenly Demon Slash!

Blade and sword collided, and a massive, clanging explosion instantly echoed through the entire dense forest. In an instant, blade glows and Sword Qi scattered in all directions, their power extremely startling.

After one move, both were forced back a step by the other’s immense strength.

Chen Yuan and Zuo Feiyu looked up at the same time, both feeling somewhat surprised by the other’s strength.

Although Zuo Feiyu hadn’t made a name for himself yet, he had practiced martial arts since childhood. Zuo Tianyuan only had this one son and held nothing back, piling all sorts of resources onto Zuo Feiyu.

Therefore, his strength and Foundation were incredibly solid, not inferior to young Disciples from major Sects and clans like the Murong Clan.

The Azure Edge Nine Swords was also a famous fast sword technique in the Jianghu.

Zuo Tianyuan had once traveled the Central Plains’ Martial Forest, visiting famous swordsmanship masters of various major Sects. After returning, he studied painstakingly and raised the power of the Azure Edge Nine Swords by another level.

Chen Yuan wasn’t quite sure if Zuo Feiyu’s Azure Edge Nine Swords was Heaven-Grade now, but it was certainly a notch above the Qiu Shui Jinghong Sword Technique.

And although Zuo Feiyu had overestimated Chen Yuan a lot, he didn’t expect Chen Yuan’s Foundation and heritage to be so solid as well.

The fundamental reason why Loose Cultivators were inferior to Martial Artists from clans and Sects was that they hadn’t undergone a systematic martial Dao Foundation Establishment in their childhood, leading to an unstable Foundation and weak heritage in the Late Stage.

Although Chen Yuan hadn’t experienced those things either, his Body Tempering with blood-red baleful energy triggered by the seven killing stele was equivalent to using the power of a Divine Artifact for Foundation Establishment; he could be called a natural Weapon Master.

On this point alone, even Disciples from top-tier clans and Sects couldn’t compare to Chen Yuan.