Martial Cultivator

Everyone froze in place, stunned by how things had developed.

No one had expected Ye Qingyun to suddenly explode with killing intent in the blink of an eye. No one thought that she would be completely outmatched by the black-robed young man. And certainly, no one thought that, after stopping her, the young man would kill the Lasting Joy Sect cultivator without saying a single word.

The other Lasting Joy Sect cultivators quickly came to their senses. The white-robed man's eyes flickered with a trace of fear at first but quickly let out a sigh of relief as he said, "Everyone saw it! This thief has a guilty conscience and killed to silence her!"

"Villa Master Yu, the destruction of the immortal spring's core has absolutely nothing to do with my Lasting Joy Sect!"

The white-robed man turned to face the Old Villa Master Yu Canghai, his eyes filled with too many emotions, emotions that only Yu Canghai could truly understand.

"Killing to silence someone isn't so simple. If I truly wanted to silence all witnesses, I would have to kill your entire group, then head to your so-called Lasting Joy Sect and wipe out your entire lineage. That would be killing to silence someone, ensuring no loose ends."

Chen Chao stared at that group of Lasting Joy Sect cultivators. His tone was calm as he said, "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me exactly what happened tonight. If I hear even a single lie, I'll personally break each of your necks."

Hearing this, the expressions of the Lasting Joy Sect disciples grew rather ugly. The white-robed man sneered coldly, "Do you think you can coerce us into a false confession?!"

"Justice lies in people's hearts. Laughable! Do you think my Lasting Joy Sect is something you can annihilate just because you say so?!"

Chen Chao could not be bothered with his nonsense. With a single step, he appeared near the cold pool, right beside the white-robed man. The latter had only just realized what was happening and was about to strike, but Chen Chao caught his arm, forcefully snapping it with a swift motion. The man cried out in agony, his screams echoing through the area.

"Whether the Lasting Joy Sect will be wiped out by me or not, you guys won't live to see it. Because if you all don't speak the truth, you'll definitely die tonight."

Chen Chao was expressionless. Several others rushed to attack him in unison, but with a surge of his qi, he sent them all flying back.

The white-robed man glared at Chen Chao with venomous hatred.

"Young sir, you mustn't!" The old villa master could not help but interject, trying to stop him. But Chen Chao ignored him and broke one of the man's legs with a single kick.

This time, he did not even bother asking any questions.

The white-robed man who was already unable to stand continued to howl in pain. Chen Chao simply looked at him coldly.

After a moment, Chen Chao sighed lightly.

Hearing that faint sigh, the white-robed man quickly caught on and stammered, "I'll talk... I'll talk..."

……

……

Half an incense stick worth of time later, Chen Chao turned to the Old Villa Master and said, "Old Villa Master, this is the truth of the matter."

The Old Villa Master Yu Canghai remained silent for a moment before shaking his head hesitantly, "I’m afraid this isn't enough to convince everyone."

Everyone present could see clearly that the so-called truth had been forcibly coerced by Chen Chao.

"That's Old Villa Master's matter to resolve. I have no intention of further involving myself in the affairs of the Divine Water Villa."

Chen Chao left the cold pool and walked ahead.

The retainers and guards of the Divine Water Villa exchanged looks, ultimately directing their gazes toward the Old Villa Master Yu Canghai.

The Old Villa Master's expression was complicated. Among everyone present, none understood the truth of the matter better than he did.

At this point, Chen Chao had already vaguely guessed some truth of the situation.

“I'm afraid that Sir cannot leave just yet!”

A voice rang out from within the dense forest.

A group of cultivators approached from a distance. Their attire varied, marking them as cultivators who had come to attend the Immortal Spring Gathering.

The commotion here had grown too large to ignore. Given that it concerned the Immortal Spring, something they all cared deeply about, it was only natural they came to investigate.

The person who spoke was none other than the female sect master of the Drooping Cloud Sect, Zhang Wantang.

The Old Villa Master furrowed his brows slightly, rather annoyed.

Chen Chao turned to look at the alluring female sect master and asked, "Why?"

Zhang Wantang said calmly, "The Drooping Cloud Sect has already agreed with the Divine Water Villa that the Old Villa Master's youngest son will become a legacy disciple of our sect, and the Divine Water Villa will offer this Immortal Spring as a gift of gratitude. A blood oath has been sworn and cannot be altered."

Hearing this, the onlookers were somewhat surprised, though most were not particularly shocked. It was common knowledge that while the fate of the Divine Water Villa's youngest son was to be announced at tomorrow's Immortal Spring Gathering, a decision would already be made beforehand.

However, none had expected that the prize would ultimately fall into the hands of the Drooping Cloud Sect.

That being said, what might have been a prize before had now likely turned into nothing.

After all, the Immortal Spring had been destroyed, yet the blood oath remained unchangeable. With no more immortal spring and the commitment of an inner sect legacy disciple position, the Drooping Cloud Sect was likely filled with regret at this moment!

"Logically speaking, this immortal spring now belongs to my Drooping Cloud Sect. Since Sir is involved in this matter, you shouldn't leave before everything has been clarified."

Zhang Wantang stared at Chen Chao. Despite being a woman, Zhang Wantang's commanding presence was no less imposing than that of any man.

Chen Chao glanced at the nearby Lasting Joy Sect cultivators and raised an eyebrow. "The matter is still unclear?"

"Forcing a confession through violence isn't enough to convince the masses."

Zhang Wantang said calmly, "The Drooping Cloud Sect requires an explanation."

Chen Chao stared at the female sect master before shifting his gaze to the silent Old Villa Master. He asked, "What does the Old Villa Master think?"

The Old Villa Master remained silent.

Chen Chao reached his hand out and shook his head. "Sect Master Zhang, what if I insist on leaving?"

Zhang Wantang was silent for a moment before replying, "Then I can only detain Sir."

Chen Chao sighed. "Sect Master Zhang, you won't be able to make me stay."

"I at least have to try."

Zhang Wantang took a step forward, followed closely by the members of the Drooping Cloud Sect.

This show of unity from the Drooping Cloud Sect clearly surpassed that of the so-called Lasting Joy Sect by several degrees.

Chen Chao's gaze swept past the members of the Drooping Cloud Sect and landed on Yu Chu within the crowd. Then, he smiled.

Yu Chu appeared somewhat anxious but inexplicably felt reassured upon seeing Chen Chao's smile.

The Old Villa Master Yu Canghai wore a complex expression, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

"Sect Master Zhang..."

Just as the Old Villa Master was about to speak, the villa steward hurriedly interjected, "Villa Master, you mustn't!"

However, the Old Villa Master ignored him, caught in an intense inner conflict. In the end, he sighed and said, "Sect Master Zhang, since the immortal spring's source has been destroyed, let's drop this matter altogether."

Zhang Wantang's expression froze. Originally, she had not been keen to provoke this mysterious young man to begin with, especially since she could not discern his cultivation realm at all. Moreover, judging by his reckless and uncompromising approach, it was evident that the power backing him was not insignificant. Otherwise, he would not have so boldly made such an irreconcilable enmity with the Lasting Joy Sect.

Although the Drooping Cloud Sect had managed to turn around its previous decline in recent years, it still faced a situation that required careful handling. Zhang Wantang's intense desire to obtain the immortal spring was due to its immense importance to the sect's development. Now that the immortal spring had been lost, although she was bound by the blood oath and could not say much, she had never been willing to engage in this losing deal. Since Yu Canghai had taken the initiative to speak up, she decided to let it go. This way, the reputation of the Drooping Cloud Sect would not suffer too much damage.

"Since Old Villa Master says so, we will follow your wishes."

Since the blood oath had been made by both parties, if both sides agreed, it could naturally be undone.

Zhang Wantang cupped her fists toward Chen Chao and said, "I apologize for any offense caused. I hope you can forgive me."

Chen Chao replied calmly, "There's no need to worry about it."

Zhang Wantang nodded and just said two words: "Let's go."

With that, the members of the Drooping Cloud Sect departed.

Many of the cultivators in the crowd had been expecting to watch a good show, but they were surprised by how abruptly the situation ended.

Chen Chao glanced at the Old Villa Master and was just about to speak, when suddenly a figure shot out of the crowd, charging straight at Yu Canghai.

"Old Man Yu, there's no one protecting you now, is there? Your Father will be taking your life today!"

The person who had charged out was tall and strong, like a small mountain. His qi was thick and his entire body surged with blood vitality. One look and it was clear that he was a Great Beyond Realm martial artist in his prime.

His sudden appearance and attack on the Old Villa Master made it clear that they had a long-standing grudge.

Old Villa Master Yu Canghai's expression stiffened, and in the blink of an eye, he quickly adopted a fist stance, hurriedly defending himself against the attack.

The man's punch slammed toward the Old Villa Master's forehead. The Old Villa Master crossed his arms in front of him, and in terms of response, there was no flaw. However, due to his old age and weakened condition, he no longer had the strength to withstand the blow. The punch sent him staggering back several steps, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, someone in the crowd exclaimed, "Is that the Eight-Armed Heavenly King, Meng Changlong?!"

In the White Deer Prefecture, great cultivators in the true sense were rare. Even if there were any, they would not show their faces in public. This martial artist, known as the Eight-Armed Heavenly King, was one of the few who held great renown in this White Deer Prefecture area.

He was a pure martial artist, his physique tempered to near perfection, and he had mastered his family's fist techniques. His attacks were fierce, and when fighting for his life, his punches seemed to come from all directions, as though eight arms were attacking at once, earning him the title of Eight-Armed Heavenly King.

Aside from this, purely in terms of being a martial artist, Meng Changlong was perhaps the top martial artist in the White Deer Prefecture.

At least in the Great Beyond Realm, he was considered the best.

If Old Villa Master Yu Canghai in his youth, he might have been able to exchange hundreds of blows with him. But now, it was clear that such a thing was impossible.

Fists fear the young and strong. Even though Old Villa Master Yu Canghai had earned renown in his youth, he was no match now.

Such is the way of the world - how can the waves at the front forever remain?

After just a few blows, the Old Villa Master was already vomiting blood, unable to defend himself.

Meng Changlong laughed coldly, preparing to deliver a fatal punch to finish off the old man. However, just as his punch was about to land, it was intercepted by a palm striking his elbow. Feeling the immense force, Meng Changlong was forced to raise his arm.

In the next moment, the Old Villa Master was pulled back several yards by someone gripping his collar.

When the Old Villa Master came to his senses, he saw a young man in black standing in front of him, a saber hanging at his side.