When he returned to the martial arts hall, Huo Yuanhong saw utter devastation within. Buildings had collapsed, and disciples wailed amid the ruins.
The two factions stood facing each other.
On one side, the leader was Transformation Strength master Zhuang Xiuyuan. Dozens stood behind him—disciples and stewards alike.
Beside Zhuang Xiuyuan stood the formidable Mo Wuji, confronting Old Xu.
"Zhuang Xiuyuan! When you were down and out on the streets, it was the Hall Master who took you in, accepted you as his adopted son, and taught you martial arts! Can you truly face the Hall Master after doing this?!"
The Transformation Strength master beside Old Xu shouted furiously.
"Of course I remember my adoptive father's kindness. That is precisely why I must find a way for Divine Spear Martial Hall to survive!"
Zhuang Xiuyuan said expressionlessly,
"My adoptive father has stubbornly gone his own way. For Huo Yuanhong's sake, he did not hesitate to defy the Martial Guild's rule against accepting Commoners, nor did he hesitate to push the Wu Family to the opposing side. He has even made enemies of so many aristocratic families that support the Martial Prohibition Decree. Divine Spear Martial Hall may look glorious, but in truth, it is hanging by a thread!
"Even the medicinal resources that should have been delivered this month have been cut off!
"If this continues, sooner or later, our hall will be utterly destroyed beneath the joint strangulation of aristocratic families pushed beyond endurance!
"I cannot stand by and watch that day arrive. I must preserve a seed of fire for the martial arts hall and leave behind its inheritance!"
Zhuang Xiuyuan spoke each word with deliberate weight. The disciples, hall masters, instructors, and others standing behind him all showed agreement.
"Heh, that sounds nice. Aren't you simply ungrateful? You lost faith in the martial arts hall's future, betrayed the Hall Master, and found yourself a new master..."
Someone on Old Xu's side sneered.
"Yes, I do not think highly of the martial arts hall's future." Zhuang Xiuyuan did not care in the slightest. He glanced at Huo Yuanhong, who had just entered, and said indifferently, "The hall's future depends on this commoner? My adoptive father truly has gone senile. He refuses to heed advice..."
"Even if he possesses the potential of a Martial Saint or a Peak Expert, he has only reached Heart-Mind Unity now. By the time he reaches Transformation Strength, reaches the peak, and truly possesses the power to influence the greater situation, who knows how many years will have passed..."
"Five years? Ten years? Or twenty?"
"Do you think the martial arts hall can hold out until then? Under the combined suppression of so many aristocratic families, it would already be impressive if it lasted even a year or half!"
As soon as those words were spoken, a commotion immediately swept through the hall.
Even quite a few disciples, stewards, and instructors on Old Xu's side revealed hesitation.
In this world, when Martial Immortals did not emerge, Peak Experts were the greater situation itself!
Li Shuxing was formidable. Across the entire world, he stood among the very pinnacle, but after all, there was only one of him.
Old Xu was old, with one foot already in the grave. His blood and qi had withered. He could barely hold Mo Wuji back, but if he truly fought with all his strength, he would likely pass away in meditation after a single battle. He could only serve as a deterrent of top-tier combat power whenever Li Shuxing was absent; he could not truly take action.
Meanwhile, the Aristocratic Family Alliance had gathered nearly all the Peak Experts of the Celestial Empire!
Standing against the Aristocratic Family Alliance, which possessed the overwhelming majority of Peak Experts, meant standing against the greater situation itself! Beneath the crushing wheels of the greater situation, they would surely be reduced to ashes like a mantis trying to block a chariot!
In the end, Zhuang Xiuyuan took nearly thirty percent of the martial arts hall's personnel and left under Mo Wuji's protection.
Before leaving, Zhuang Xiuyuan seemed to notice Huo Yuanhong's gaze fixed on him. He casually glanced this way, showed no reaction whatsoever, then left directly without looking back.
He was merely a tiny Heart-Mind Unity practitioner. Even if he had some thoughts or emotions, what could he possibly do to Zhuang Xiuyuan?
The only thing Zhuang Xiuyuan feared was Li Shuxing settling accounts after autumn. As for Huo Yuanhong, who had nearly died because Zhuang Xiuyuan sold out the information...
He had never regarded him as anything at all.
Afterward, people from the Inspection Bureau also came to investigate what had happened earlier.
Senior Sister Fang Yu arranged for experts to retrieve Huo Yuanhong's father while investigating who had ordered the assassination.
As for Fang Pingsheng, the Fang Family figure with real authority, he had already been summoned back by his clan and was no longer at the martial arts hall.
Huo Yuanhong first had his wounds bandaged at the Medical Hall established within the martial arts hall. After taking Golden Wound Medicine and the Martial Hall Secret Medicine that promoted flesh and skin regeneration, he returned to his Practice Room and sat quietly.
Before long, while the sky had not yet darkened, Senior Sister Fang Yu came looking for him.
"It has already been investigated. In this assassination attempt, the Blood Axe Society Leader incited the Three Oddities of Xiangxi and the Twin Chasing Wind Swords to act. As for where he found the nerve to assassinate you, he most likely wanted to attach himself to some aristocratic family and willingly become its blade..."
"The Blood Axe Society Leader and his son have already bought tickets for the nearest ship. They plan to flee overseas tonight..."
Senior Sister spoke softly as she handed over a file of investigation materials.
"With so many experts in our martial arts hall, are we simply going to watch him escape without anyone stopping him?"
Huo Yuanhong took the file, remained silent for a while, then spoke.
Senior Sister Fang Yu also fell silent, not knowing what to say.
They both understood that with Divine Spear Martial Hall's strength, any Dark Force instructor could easily kill the Blood Axe Society Leader.
But...
No one was willing to act.
No one thought highly of Huo Yuanhong. No one was willing to kill the Blood Axe Society Leader for a true disciple destined to fail at the Jinmen Grand Competition, thereby making an enemy of the Wu Family behind the Blood Axe Society.
When Li Shuxing was present, these instructors would show him respect and heed his orders. But now that Li Shuxing was absent, they could never possibly stand up for the disciple Li Shuxing had stubbornly taken in.
Old Xu might be willing, but he was simply too old. Barely keeping Mo Wuji and the others in check was already his limit. He did not dare make even the slightest move.
Once he acted and shattered the delicate balance between the already teetering experts, whether he won or lost, Old Xu was destined to die from exhaustion of blood and qi. The only difference was how many experts he could drag down with him.
At that point, Divine Spear Martial Hall would truly face catastrophe, with no top-tier power left to hold the fort.
Old Xu, so long as he did not act, was Old Xu at his most intimidating.
"We have already reached an agreement with the Wu Family. Neither side's higher-ups will enter the fray, and both sides will exercise restraint. This is already the best possible result..."
"Master is absent, and Old Xu is too old to fight anymore. It would not be good for us to make any moves either..."
Fang Yu sighed.
"I understand."
After Senior Sister left, Huo Yuanhong sat alone, reading through the information concerning the Blood Axe Society Leader.
There were three stages to cultivating Dark Force: Heart-Intent Harmony, Intent-Qi Harmony, and Qi-Strength Harmony.
That Society Leader was already in the middle to late stages of Intent-Qi Harmony.
He had surpassed Heart-Mind Unity and entered the middle stage of the next realm.
The gap of an entire major realm!
"The aristocratic families are too powerful. Even if they agreed with Old Xu not to intervene, merely those gangs and factions beneath them, willing to go mad in order to cling to an aristocratic family, are enough to give me more than I can swallow..."
"Those gang factions may not have Dark Force Martial Masters, but there are still quite a few at Heart-Mind Unity and Intent-Qi Unity..."
"Perhaps I will be fine, but what about the people around me?"
"My father, the carriage firm owner—can they withstand this..."
"If this continues..."
"People will die..."
"People will die..."
Huo Yuanhong sat quietly, gazing at the setting sun before him. For a long time, he said nothing.
Uncle Liu was dead.
He did not want the few people he still cared about—his father, the carriage firm owner...—to suffer anything as well.
He could not lose any more.
So...
Taking a step back opened up a vast sea and sky...
Wasn't that right...
"Disciple Huo!"
Just then, a disciple came running over, panting hard. "Disciple Huo, your father... your father is at the Medical Hall..."
Boom!
Huo Yuanhong instantly felt as if something had exploded within him. His head swam, and he felt the entire room spinning as heaven and earth turned upside down.
He could not hear what the disciple said afterward. He rushed straight toward the Medical Hall within the martial arts hall!
When he arrived at the Medical Hall, he saw his father lying on a bed.
There was no grave danger. His arm had merely been grazed by a sharp blade, but he had also been badly frightened, and his face was still deathly pale.
"A-Hong, the carriage firm is gone."
Father Huo's lips trembled as he spoke.
The carriage firm... or rather, the Chauffeur's Association, had been slaughtered clean by several masked men. Of the large group of rickshaw pullers inside at the time, only the carriage firm owner and Father Huo had survived under the protection of the experts Fang Yu sent.
"Disciple Huo, the Inspection Bureau has already classified this case. Chauffeur's Association Old Six's death has been deemed gang conflict, and the Inspection Bureau intends to pursue charges against him for murder as the leader of a violent group..."
"The Chauffeur's Association has also been classified as a violent group and ordered to disband. The carriage firm will be sealed by the Inspection Bureau!" The disciple who had hurried over said quietly from the side.
A violent group...
Huo Yuanhong's face remained expressionless. He only found it incomparably absurd.
The Blood Axe Society, which had harmed so many people, had not been classified as a violent group. Nothing had happened to it.
Yet the Chauffeur's Association, established only so rickshaw pullers could band together for warmth...
Those rickshaw pullers who earned their living through sheer labor...
Had become a violent group? Violent criminals?
Looking at the materials in his hand, Huo Yuanhong remained silent. He felt suffocated by an overwhelming oppression, almost unable to breathe.
Old Six's dream in this life...
Was to see the Chauffeur's Association recognized by the authorities and become a force that could stand in the open...
But now...
The Chauffeur's Association was gone.
Not only had Old Six failed to become the great hero he had yearned to be, he would now, as the leader of a violent group...
Be held accountable...
And become a murderer despised by all...
Old Six...
Had lost everything.
Beside Father Huo, the carriage firm owner lay on a bed covered in blood, his eyes empty and blank.
At his side stood a child, whom they had picked up from school on the way back to the martial arts hall.
This was Old Six's son.
Old Six was called Chen Dalin.
His son was called Chen Tu Lin.
Cold and withdrawn, he stood there quietly and looked at Huo Yuanhong.
"Your father was a great hero."
Huo Yuanhong walked over and spoke softly.
"You're lying."
Old Six's son looked at him coldly. "My classmates all say my dad was a gangster, that he was worthless and would get beaten to death sooner or later... The people in the textbooks are the real great heroes!"
"No."
Huo Yuanhong fell silent for a moment before touching Old Six's son on the head and saying softly, "Your father will be in the textbooks too. You will definitely see him there..."
"He truly was a great hero. He was a very brave man..."
At some unknown moment, Huo Yuanhong's voice had become hoarse.
He was only an ordinary person.
He only wanted to practice martial arts, pursue the martial path, take his revenge, then let those he cared about live good lives and watch himself become, step by step, the person they were proudest of...
And yet...
Even such a tiny wish had become an unattainable extravagance.
Old Six was dead. After his death, he had nothing left.
His father had sheltered him from wind and rain for most of his life, toiled for most of his life, and had finally reached the time when he should have been able to enjoy life...
And yet...
He had nearly died as well.
He had been terribly frightened. Even now, his eyes were filled with panic and terror, and his hands would not stop trembling.
Looking at the sight before him, Huo Yuanhong nearly suffocated.
It was as though he had been held beneath the water, his vision a boundless whiteness. He could not hear any sound. Only warped patches of light and shadow stretched and lengthened...
As though he had returned once more to that suffocating, oppressive evening when his dream of practicing martial arts had been shattered.
It felt as if the entire world were drifting away from him.
Empty and soundless.
After a long while...
He gradually came back to himself.
Then walked outside.
At this moment, the open space in the martial arts hall's outer courtyard had somehow filled with people, all gazing curiously toward the center of the yard.
Today was the day wandering entertainers came to perform and earn money at the martial arts hall.
This had been decided long ago. Despite the string of upheavals, quite a few wandering entertainers still came to the martial arts hall for reward money.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...!"
Two opera fighters stood on the stage, their faces covered in heavy makeup, fiercely battling with cudgels in hand and drawing bursts of cheers from the surrounding disciples.
They were performing a folk tale about a Mind Ape that caused havoc in Heaven, was pinned beneath a mountain for five hundred years, and one day shattered the mountain to emerge before soaring into the sky once more!
Beside the stage, at the center of the courtyard, stood a tall iron cage containing a fierce tiger.
It crouched there silently, watching the people outside who were examining it. It did not move, nor did it show any reaction.
"Hey! Hey! Come out!"
The animal trainer cracked his whip a few times, pulled the iron bolt, and opened the cage door.
The tiger lowered its head and walked out of the iron cage step by step, very quietly.
The instant it stepped out of the cage, suddenly!
Roar!
A heaven-shaking roar rang out. The tiger that had seemed so quiet suddenly erupted!
It knocked the animal trainer down in an instant and began tearing into him in a frenzy!
Fierce and mad!
"Beast!"
Several experts rushed forward in haste, attacking the tiger.
Tiger roars, the sounds of blades piercing flesh, and screams intertwined.
In the end, under the joint assault of several experts, the tiger was pierced through the neck by a Great Spear and finally died.
Huo Yuanhong stood to one side, watching silently. As he looked into the tiger's eyes gradually losing their light, he fell into a daze.
"Tiger in the Cage, Ape in the Mind..."
Huo Yuanhong murmured the words to himself.
He recalled the feeling when Old Six had met with disaster, when rage had set him ablaze...
He thought of the Mind Ape trapped beneath the mountain, yearning to soar into the heavens...
The tiger locked in its cage, about to break free...
A spark seemed to ignite within Huo Yuanhong's heart, sweeping through him in an instant and engulfing his entire body.
The flames in his heart illuminated faint words.
Killing Technique (Transcendent Skill): Tiger in the Cage, Ape in the Mind! Effect: Ignite the flames within the heart and unleash the fiercest demon. While active, strength doubles, willpower doubles, pain is ignored, and all negative status effects are ignored!
Looking at the dead tiger before him, Huo Yuanhong's gaze had already returned to calmness—a calmness frightening enough to chill the blood.
He touched the wound on his abdomen. With the healing medicine being absorbed hundreds of times faster, it had nearly healed and would not affect his ability to fight again.
In that case...
"Cough..." A light cough came from beside him. Old Xu slowly walked over. Seeming to have seen through Huo Yuanhong's thoughts, he said calmly,
"Go..."
"You are Li Shuxing's disciple, and I am here watching. Those Dark Force and Transformation Strength experts with status and standing will not dare lay a hand on you..."
"But you'll have to handle the rest yourself..."
"Thank you, Old Xu."
Huo Yuanhong slowly rose to his feet.
Running away was useless.
Practicing martial arts required both training and nourishment. Without good medicinal supplements not monopolized by major powers, it was like someone training their muscles madly without eating meat or replenishing nutrients—they would sooner or later drain themselves dry and die.
Besides, where in this world was there any place untouched by strife? Even the deep mountains and ancient forests had long been scoured by the great families' herb-gathering teams, fenced off as private family land.
He would not run, nor did he have anywhere to run to—unless he was willing to give up martial arts and grow old in mediocrity like an ordinary man.
He only hated it—hated that he had not trained fast enough, had not yet become a Peak Expert, a Martial Immortal, and slaughtered every last demon and monster!
Tonight, the Blood Axe Society Leader would flee overseas.
Old Xu was not worth making a move over an Intent-Qi Unity, and the Martial Arts Hall instructors were unwilling to act...
Then...
He would!
As a martial artist, as a common man...
He did not know what the hell the great families' grand scheme was...
He only knew that his enemy was about to flee overseas unscathed, to enjoy glory, wealth, and splendor...
Where there was one, there would be two. If he did not beat fear into them, did not kill until their courage shattered...
More and more gang members would follow suit...
More and more people would make moves against him and the people he cared about, then flee overseas...
"To hell with the vast sea and open sky..."
"If you choose to be a blade, you must be prepared to die..."
"I will let those gangs know that whoever dares become a blade for the great families, whoever dares touch my people..."
"Whoever..."
"Must die!"
Huo Yuanhong stood up with a blank expression.
He was going...
To kill.
Before you continue