Intention to Leave

Intention to Leave

"Grandfather!"

Xu Haoran suppressed his anger, stepped before the graying man, and bowed respectfully.

The man before him was the current head of the Shangguan Family, Shangguan Hong—Shangguan Yun's father and Xu Haoran's grandfather—a Martial Dao Grandmaster who had reached the Innate Realm.

"I know that the destruction of the Xu Family has filled your heart with rage. You want to kill Zhou Shan and avenge your father, mother, and younger brother. But first, calm yourself down," Shangguan Hong said. "You are currently at a critical stage of cultivation. The family spent a year gathering all sorts of rare materials and has already invited Yun Province's foremost alchemy master to refine a Profound Fire Pill for you."

"Once the Profound Fire Pill is successfully refined and you refine it, you will be able to open all eight extraordinary meridians in one stroke and break through to the Innate Realm. Once you become a Martial Dao Grandmaster, taking revenge will be as easy as turning over your hand. Why rush for the moment?"

"Moreover, Zhou Shan is also extraordinarily gifted and possesses Innate Divine Strength. Although your cultivation is higher than his and he certainly would not be your match, he commands the Black Armored Army. Killing him will not be so easy, and there is a strong chance he could escape."

"He is currently in Luyang County, but if he escapes to Qingyang Commandery City and Commander Fang Yuan intervenes, then it will be impossible for you to kill him. Besides, this is a grievance between your Xu Family and Zhou Shan. It would not be convenient for the Shangguan Family to interfere."

"Therefore, if you wish to kill Zhou Shan, you must be absolutely certain—one strike, one kill."

"Once you break through to the Innate Realm and become a Martial Dao Grandmaster, killing Zhou Shan will be as simple as crushing an ant."

"Yes. Haoran will follow Grandfather's arrangements."

Facing Shangguan Hong, an Innate Realm Grandmaster, Xu Haoran did not dare defy him.

Perhaps only after breaking through to the Innate Realm and becoming a Martial Dao Grandmaster himself would he gain some say within the Shangguan Family. Before that, everything had to follow the Shangguan Family's arrangements; his fate was not his own.

Even though he wished he could rush to Luyang County at once, tear out Zhou Shan's tendons, flay his skin, and avenge his dead father, mother, and younger brother, the Shangguan Family would not permit it. For now, he could only endure.

Elsewhere.

After paying a certain price, Xu Jianshan had invited Meng Yan, a deputy hall master of the Guiyuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. Without stopping for rest, they hurried to Luyang County City and headed straight for the Commandant's Residence where Zhou Shan was staying.

"Who are you?"

Outside the Commandant's Residence, two Black Armored Guards stopped Liu Jianshan and Meng Yan.

"This is the Commandant's Residence. No one may enter without being announced," one Black Armored Guard said.

"I am Meng Yan, deputy hall master of the Guiyuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. I have important business here." As he spoke, Meng Yan produced his identity token, then asked, "Is Commandant Zhou Shan in the residence?"

"He is. Deputy Hall Master Meng, please wait a moment. I will go in and report your arrival."

"There is no need. Take me directly to Commandant Zhou."

With that, Meng Yan and Liu Jianshan barged straight into the Commandant's Residence.

The two Black Armored Guards did not dare stop them.

Seeing this, the other Black Armored Guard could only hurry toward the courtyard where Zhou Shan was staying.

"Commandant, a deputy hall master named Meng Yan from the Guiyuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall has arrived!"

Upon reaching Zhou Shan's courtyard, the Black Armored Guard immediately reported.

"A deputy hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall, Meng Yan?"

Hearing this, Zhou Shan walked out of his room, his brows knitting slightly.

Although he had not entered the Guiyuan Sect to cultivate, he still knew something about its various departments. This Law Enforcement Hall was equivalent to the imperial court's Court of Judicial Review and Ministry of Justice, overseeing the sect's laws and regulations.

Disciples who violated sect rules were all tried by the Law Enforcement Hall.

Simply put, the Black Armored Army was responsible for maintaining local order. If members of the Black Armored Army violated regulations, the commander of a commandery would handle it first. But if someone reported the matter to the Law Enforcement Hall, the hall also had the authority to send people to investigate.

"Zhou Shan, your crimes have been exposed. Return to the Guiyuan Sect with me and cooperate with the investigation."

At that moment, Meng Yan, deputy hall master of the Guiyuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall, strode in with Liu Jianshan and spoke coldly.

Why did those words sound so familiar?

Zhou Shan felt a strange sensation in his heart.

When he had wiped out the Iron Palm Gang and arrested Xu Haoyu and the others, he had said similar things himself.

He had not expected the tables to turn so quickly. Now, he was the one about to be arrested.

Seeing Liu Jianshan standing beside Meng Yan, whose features bore four or five parts resemblance to Liu Jierong, whom he had killed, Zhou Shan more or less understood what was happening.

This was surely another scheme of the Liu Family.

But even when facing the Guiyuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall, Zhou Shan would not surrender without resistance.

If they dared make a move by force, then at worst, he would kill both of them and flee far away.

After all, he had already obtained the follow-up Cultivation Technique to the Golden Bell Shield, the Indestructible Vajra Skill. Zhou Shan had already begun to consider leaving. Remaining in the Black Armored Army meant obeying others' orders, which would instead become a shackle upon him.

As long as he lay low for a while longer, he would be able to break through to the Innate Realm and become a Martial Dao Grandmaster.

An Innate Realm Grandmaster might not be invincible, but within a commandery, they stood at the very peak of the pyramid. Even within a province, they would be a hegemon of one region.

It could be said that once Zhou Shan broke through to the Innate Realm, so long as he did not offend a force with a Grandmaster above the Innate Realm, or face several Grandmasters of the same level attacking together, there would basically be no threat to his life.

As for the favor Commander Fang Yuan had shown by gifting him the Indestructible Vajra Skill, he could repay it when the opportunity arose in the future.

Beyond that, there was nothing in the Black Armored Army worth Zhou Shan's attachment. He had joined it merely to use its power to obtain more advanced martial arts. Now that his goal had been achieved, it was time to leave.

Meng Yan's arrival at his door today only brought Zhou Shan's departure forward.

"I will not go to the Guiyun Sect."

Drawing back his thoughts, Zhou Shan spoke calmly.

"Insolence! This is an order from the Law Enforcement Hall, not a request for your opinion. Are you defying orders?" Liu Jianshan immediately said. "If you dare defy orders, then we will have no choice but to take you down by force."

"If you make a move, I naturally will not submit without resistance," Zhou Shan said calmly. "But once we start fighting, fists and feet have no eyes. If I accidentally beat you all to death on the spot, then you cannot blame me."

"Good, good, good. What boundless arrogance." Liu Jianshan laughed in fury. "Deputy Hall Master Meng, you saw it yourself. This Zhou Shan is so arrogant that he actually said he would beat us to death on the spot. He simply does not put the Law Enforcement Hall in his eyes."

"In my view, there is no need to go through the trouble of taking Zhou Shan back to the Guiyuan Sect for investigation. My son Liu Jierong and my grandson Liu Xuan were both killed by Zhou Shan. Kill him where he stands."

"Zhou Shan, I will ask you one last time. Do you intend to defy the Law Enforcement Hall's order?"

Zhou Shan's attitude had also made Meng Yan's expression turn incomparably grim.

As a deputy hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall, everyone in the sect treated him with courtesy. Even deputy hall masters from other halls were exceptionally polite to him.

Before this, even if a commander in the Black Armored Army had committed an offense, he could seize them whenever he pleased. Yet now, a mere commandant of the Black Armored Army dared speak to him like this. He was truly lawless.

(End of Chapter)