Then I'll cut you down!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the youth remained calm. As though slaughtering pigs and dogs, he followed the same pattern, and the younger brother, Sun Buyi, followed his elder brother down the same road.

At the sight of the six hundred merit newly added to his account, a pleased smile rose in Chen Yan's heart.

Why had he acted at this moment?

Was it not for the merit on the Sun brothers?

Anyone could guess with their toes that the wicked Sun brothers must have carried quite a few lives on their hands. Punishing evil men like them would surely earn merit.

And indeed, Chen Yan had not been wrong. Merit had entered his account.

And not a small amount, either—six hundred in total.

Three hundred per man, bringing Chen Yan's merit count close to the thousand mark once more.

His heart blossomed with delight, but his face remained as tranquil as wind and clouds. He rose to his feet and walked between the Black Robe Stranger and Evil Monk Yuantong.

Both the Black Robe Stranger and Evil Monk Yuantong fixed scrutinizing gazes upon the youth before them, wanting to see what he intended to do.

Chen Yan stepped between them, then suddenly extended a hand toward the Black Robe Stranger.

The abrupt gesture left the surrounding onlookers utterly baffled.

Chen Yan spoke in an even tone:

"The ill-gotten wealth the Sun brothers seized is on you, isn't it? Please hand it over. It's stolen property and needs to be investigated."

The moment Chen Yan said this, everyone on the outskirts broke into a cold sweat for him.

Though Evil Monk Yuantong appeared to have the greater reputation, when it came down to it, everyone present felt that the Black Robe Stranger was the more dangerous of the two.

There was no helping it—the overwhelming, densely packed black tide of poisonous insects was simply too terrifying.

They would rather be beaten to death by Yuantong's Zen staff than be slowly gnawed apart by centipedes and scorpions. Watching oneself die bit by bit was agony worse than death.

Not only were the bystanders shocked; even Evil Monk Yuantong was taken aback. He looked at the youth as though he were looking at an idiot.

He had thought the boy might be a ruthless character. Who would have expected him to be a lunatic? Shaking his head inwardly, Yuantong quietly pronounced the youth's death sentence.

Even Yuantong himself was not certain of defeating the Gu Sect successor before him. He had no idea where this youth got his confidence.

After Chen Yan finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Neither the Black Robe Stranger nor Chen Yan spoke, but their eyes quietly watched one another.

An indescribable pressure rose within the hall. Everyone felt the air pressure suddenly drop, crushing their chests and making it hard to breathe.

Just as everyone thought a great battle was about to erupt, the Black Robe Stranger suddenly spoke.

He uttered a single, simple word that no one had expected:

"Fine."

The Black Robe Stranger nodded. With a wave of his hand, a dense swarm of mosquitoes poured from beneath his black robe like fish and dragons surging forth. They carried a three-foot square chest and slowly flew it before the youth. After setting it down, they turned into a black line and flew back into the black robe.

The Black Robe Stranger's sudden concession caught everyone off guard, including Chen Yan himself.

Chen Yan raised a brow and gave the Black Robe Stranger a surprised look. The stranger stood quietly where he was, his face hidden behind an evil ghost mask. Only those dark eyes remained, silently watching him.

Still, Chen Yan truly sensed no hostility from the Black Robe Stranger. He nodded, opened the chest, and found neatly arranged rows of silver ingots—no fewer than ten thousand taels' worth.

With a wave of his hand, he stored them in his sleeve, then nodded to the Black Robe Stranger.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

But then the Black Robe Stranger's emotionless voice rang through the hall.

"Ling'er said you're dangerous. If I fight you, I might die. I cannot die yet."

He did not want to die, so he had handed it over willingly. It was that simple.

The Black Robe Stranger spoke calmly, but his words stirred monstrous waves in everyone's hearts.

The Black Robe Stranger had actually said he was no match for the youth!

This Gu Dao successor, who seemed the most dangerous, the most mysterious, and the most terrifying person there, had said that he might die if he fought the youth!

Those who heard it could scarcely believe their ears.

Even Evil Monk Yuantong, who stood closest, could not help narrowing his eyes. His bell-like leopard eyes were full of suspicion as he sized up the youth before him.

Could there be something about this youth that he had failed to see?

Yet no matter how he looked, the youth had only just entered the True Force realm. He had some strength, but not much.

So why had even the Gu Sect successor, whom Yuantong himself had to treat with caution, said he was no match for him?

If Yuantong had not known the two could not possibly be allies, he would have suspected that they were putting on an act together.

In contrast to everyone else's shock, Chen Yan remained far calmer.

After all, even he did not know where his own limits lay. But one thing was certain: the Black Robe Stranger and Evil Monk Yuantong were both powerful, perhaps even capable of contending with a Martial Grandmaster, but they were ultimately still beneath that level.

As for Chen Yan, once he activated First-Rank Divine Striking, even an ordinary Martial Grandmaster might not be his match.

He was merely curious about who this Ling'er the Black Robe Stranger mentioned was.

He had a feeling it was not some normal "thing"...

No longer paying attention to the Black Robe Stranger, Chen Yan turned and looked at Evil Monk Yuantong behind him.

Seeing the youth's gaze turn toward him, the Evil Monk narrowed his eyes and glared back.

Chen Yan's voice rang out:

"Fine wine and delicacies pass through your guts; murder and arson make you a household-ruining Buddha?"

"That's right. I am Yuantong. What instruction does this lord of the Flying Fish Guard have?"

Yuantong's iron-tower-like body loomed over him. His tiger and leopard eyes narrowed, dangerous light flickering within them.

He would not retreat because of a single remark from the Black Robe Stranger.

What a joke. All his life, Yuantong had never bowed behind another. How could he have been scared into submission?

But the moment the outermost onlookers heard the words "Flying Fish Guard," the way they looked at Chen Yan changed completely.

A man's name was like a tree's shadow.

Though the Flying Fish Guard's reputation had declined somewhat in recent years, to those of the martial world, they remained a name that made faces change at its mention.

Chen Yan's expression did not change in the slightest. He was not surprised that Yuantong had recognized his identity.

After all, with that gold-woven Flying Fish Dao Robe on him, anyone with an eye for such things would know what it represented.

Ignoring Yuantong's dangerous stare, he looked straight at Yuantong's face and asked earnestly:

"Are you wanted?"

Yuantong refused to yield. His aura did not lose an inch as he narrowed his eyes and said softly:

"What if I say I am..."

"You are?"

Chen Yan bared his teeth in a grin.

"Then..."

"I'll cut you down."

Before the word "you" had fully fallen, the youth's eyes abruptly turned cold, and he exerted force with explosive suddenness.

The next instant—

A flash of red light swept across his face, accompanied by the crackling grind of muscles and bones.

Shhk!

The blade scraped against its sheath with a piercing hum. A snow-white edge slashed out savagely, tracing a cold, gleaming arc like a crescent moon as it shot straight for Yuantong's neck!