Chapter 89: Trash!

Over the past few days, White Tiger Hall had been searching for traces of the Blood God Cult. Although they had some successes, they mostly just caught brief glimpses and failed to capture anyone.

Once, Feng Wushang even took action himself, but he still ended up empty-handed.

Only then did the people of White Tiger Hall realize just how deeply the Blood God Cult was hidden in Ning Province.

This time, Feng Wushang sent Chen Yuan to reinforce Pianguan City in Linzhong Prefecture, which was quite a distance from Kaiping Prefecture where Linyuan City was located. Chen Yuan rode at full speed for two days before arriving in Pianguan City.

Previously, the Linzhong Prefecture Inspector, Du Tianfeng, had led several Garrison Commanders to track down traces of the Blood God Cult in Pianguan City. However, as soon as they caught up, Du Tianfeng was heavily injured by Feng Xieyun, who then vanished near Pianguan City without a trace.

Inside the Pianguan City Town Guard Headquarters, three Garrison Commanders sat facing each other, their expressions rather grim.

A few days ago, one Ningzhen Realm Inspector and six Lunhai Realm Garrison Commanders had pursued Feng Xieyun, only to end up with one injured and three dead.

Not only did they fail to earn any merit, but they also lost Face.

Now, news had even come from the Main Hall that Chen Yuan was being sent to reinforce them, making them feel even more embarrassed.

“Counting the days, Chen Tian should be arriving soon, right? Should we send someone to the city gate to welcome him?”

Among the three, the eldest Garrison Commander, Wu Bingjian, who was in his fifties, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Welcome him for what? He’s not an Inspector, nor is he a Hall Master. Do we really need to rush out to meet him?”

The master of this place, Pianguan City Garrison Commander Fei Bin, looked rather sullen. “If you ask me, the Hall Master was being redundant by sending Chen Tian. Just because he was lucky enough to kill one Blood God Cult heretic, does he think he’s more capable than us?”

“The one he killed was just a lackey of the Blood God Cult, but we encountered their Saint! And there were others secretly supporting him. The difficulty is on a completely different level.”

The last Garrison Commander, Lin Hongxiao, tapped the table and said, “Alright, stop complaining. It’s our own fault for being incompetent. Not only did we fail to catch anyone, but we were also counter-killed. If they didn’t send reinforcements, did you expect the Hall Master to reward you instead?”

“But the Hall Master is also at fault. Sending a powerful Ningzhen Realm Inspector would have been fine, but what’s the use of sending a young junior?”

Just as Fei Bin was about to say more, the doors of the Council Hall were suddenly pushed open, and Chen Yuan entered with his men.

“Whether I’m useful or not, you’ll see when the time comes for real action.”

Having been caught gossiping behind someone’s back, Wu Bingjian smiled awkwardly. “Garrison Commander Chen, don’t take offense. We were just joking, not intentionally disparaging you.”

Chen Yuan waved his hand magnanimously. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not a petty person.”

“Since the Hall Master sent me to track down the Blood God Cult heretics, there’s no time to lose. First, tell me the specific details of that battle and where you last tracked them. I’ll see where to start the investigation.”

Fei Bin frowned. “Chen Tian, aren’t you taking yourself a bit too seriously? The Hall Master only said you were here to reinforce us, not that you’d be in charge of everything.”

“In terms of seniority, which of the three of us isn’t more experienced than you? You really think you’re someone special, barking orders at us?”

Among the three present, Wu Bingjian was a pushover who had reached the position of Garrison Commander purely through seniority and didn’t want to offend anyone.

Lin Hongxiao also looked down on Chen Yuan, but he simply felt that Chen Yuan wouldn’t be of much help.

Only Fei Bin harbored a hint of loathing toward Chen Yuan, as he had once been a White Tiger Guard under Qi Yuanming before becoming a Garrison Commander through his own merits.

Qi Yuanming had originally wanted to place him under his own command, but since all the small cities under Kaiping Prefecture already had guardians, he could only arrange for him to go to Linzhong Prefecture.

It could be said that Qi Yuanming had shown him great kindness by recognizing his talent.

When the Inspectors and Garrison Commanders from the eight prefectures and forty-two cities went to the Branch Hall for a meeting last time, Qi Yuanming had already mentioned his grudge with Chen Yuan to him. It would be strange if Fei Bin had a good attitude toward him.

Chen Yuan turned to look at Fei Bin and said coldly, “If I give you Face, I’ll say I’m here to support you. If I don’t, it’s because you bunch of trash are incompetent, so I’m here to clean up your mess!”

“A whole group of people hunting one Feng Xieyun, yet you were counter-killed like this, and in the end, you couldn’t even find a trace of him. Calling you trash is a compliment!”

“And you’re talking to me about seniority? A turtle living for a thousand years is still just a turtle. A piece of trash like you, no matter how much seniority you have, is still trash!”

Wu Bingjian and Lin Hongxiao were both stunned.

In the Town Martial Hall, everyone was a colleague. Even if there were occasional conflicts, they usually just involved some sarcastic remarks.

Who would be like Chen Yuan, pointing at someone’s nose and cursing them directly over a disagreement?

Fei Bin’s Face turned beet red as anger surged. His True Qi exploded, and he threw a punch straight at Chen Yuan.

“Chen Tian! You’re looking for death!”

At such close range, even if Wu Bingjian and Lin Hongxiao wanted to stop him, they couldn’t.

But Buddhist light blossomed around Chen Yuan as he let out a sharp cold snort.

In an instant, a magnificent and grand golden light radiated outward, like the tolling of a great bell, ringing in Fei Bin’s ears.

The sound was like a burst of thunder. Fei Bin’s True Qi was instantly shattered by that single snort.

In truth, it wasn’t a snort, but a syllable from ‘Six-Syllable Vajra Mantra of Guru Rinpoche’. It was a Sanskrit sound produced by vibrating the void with Buddhist light, sounding somewhat similar to a snort.

This Fei Bin was only at the Early Stage of the Lunhai Realm with mediocre strength. Using the full’Six-Path Vajra Mantra of Padmasambhava’ was unnecessary; a single syllable was enough to shatter his True Qi.

In the next moment, Chen Yuan slapped him. Fei Bin never expected Chen Yuan to possess such a miraculous secret technique and had no time to gather his True Qi for defense again.

The slap sent Fei Bin flying. Blood instantly leaked from his nose and mouth, and half of his Face swelled up.

Just as he tried to stand up and strike again, Chen Yuan’s foot stepped firmly onto his head.

Feeling that immense power, Fei Bin didn’t dare to move an inch.

At this moment, if Chen Yuan applied pressure, he could crush his head instantly!

“Wait, spare him!”

“Lord Chen! There’s no need for this!”

Wu Bingjian and Lin Hongxiao rushed forward to help, but a single glance from Chen Yuan made them stop in their tracks.

Chen Yuan’s sudden display of power had terrified them as well.

With that incredibly mysterious secret technique and his peak strength, they estimated they wouldn’t fare much better than Fei Bin. They’d struggle to last even three moves.

Having made a Breakthrough to the Lunhai Realm with an incredibly strong foundation, Chen Yuan was very satisfied with his current combat performance.

Against ordinary Early Stage Lunhai Realm Martial Artists, Chen Yuan had basically reached a level of total dominance.

Only Lunhai Realm Martial Artists from the Blood God Cult, with their powerful Cultivation Techniques and legacies, were qualified to fight him.

Wu Bingjian pleaded, “Lord Chen, Fei Bin has a foul mouth, but with the threat of the Blood God Cult before us, now is not the time for internal strife.”

“Besides, if you really kill Fei Bin, it will be hard to explain to the Hall Master. He is, after all, a Garrison Commander.”

Lin Hongxiao was also completely convinced this time and added, “Lord Chen’s strength is truly stunning. We are thoroughly impressed and willing to follow your commands.”

When Chen Yuan called Fei Bin trash earlier, it technically included him too.

But compared to Chen Yuan’s terrifying strength, Lin Hongxiao really had no way to refute being called trash.

Chen Yuan released his foot from Fei Bin’s head.

He hadn’t intended to kill Fei Bin in public like this anyway.

He killed Bright and Valiant because he was just a Lieutenant. As a newly appointed superior, even if he didn’t give Feng Wushang a gift, killing him wouldn’t matter much.

But Fei Bin was a Garrison Commander of the same rank, and Feng Wushang had specifically sent him to reinforce them.

If he killed Fei Bin in public, it would reflect poorly on Feng Wushang.

Fei Bin stood up, lowering his head with a venomous look in his eyes, but he didn’t dare show it to Chen Yuan, nor did he dare say another word.

Because just now, he had truly sensed a hint of killing intent from Chen Yuan!

Moreover, this fellow was notoriously bold, having killed Qi Yuanming’s brother-in-law, Bright and Valiant, right upon taking office.

Fei Bin didn’t dare gamble his life on whether Chen Yuan would actually strike.

“Now tell me, what exactly happened during that battle?”

Wu Bingjian sighed. “That Feng Xieyun is truly worthy of being the Blood God Cult’s Saint. His strength is immense, and those Blood Secret Techniques are incredibly bizarre.”

“Initially, we were all pursuing him under Inspector Du’s lead, but he used a Lure-away tactic to split us into three groups. He killed three of us first, then heavily injured Lord Du.”

“However, Lord Du is a great Ningzhen Realm expert after all. Although Feng Xieyun wasn’t injured, he used some highly taxing secret techniques. He likely lost his combat strength afterward; otherwise, he would have surely killed us along with Lord Du.”

“Even so, the three of us didn’t dare pursue any further and had to retreat with Lord Du.”

“Afterward, we immediately mobilized men to investigate, but the traces of his escape were quickly cleaned up. The place where he disappeared was near Pianguan City.”

“So I suspect other Blood God Cult Disciples must have met up with Feng Xieyun. He shouldn’t have had the strength left to double back and clear the traces himself. If he did, he would have killed us first.”

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and tapped the table. “No need to suspect; there were definitely other Blood God Cult Disciples meeting him.”

“The Blood God Cult has already broken into small groups and scattered throughout Ning Province. There are likely Disciples in almost every city, and local Jianghu forces might also be in league with them.”

“The biggest difference between the Blood God Cult and other Jianghu forces is that they cannot heal or cultivate on their own in deep mountains or old forests.”

“Their cultivation requires absorbing the blood and Qi of Martial Artists, and healing likewise requires it. Once they lose that supplement, their power quickly withers.”

“Ning Province is prosperous, with countless Jianghu People passing through, making it perfect for the Blood God Cult to take root and develop in secret.”

“When others are hunted and flee into a city, they can only try to hide their traces. But the Blood God Cult is different. To them, the thousands of Martial Artists in the city are all nourishment—they are all Medicinal Pills!”