Murder, Treasure Map, Demonic Cult

The middle-aged man was vicious at heart. He had left Bai Yan behind to hold off the pursuers while taking the chance to flee himself. He truly deserved death!

Bai Yan was not about to let himself be schemed against for nothing.

He immediately unleashed the Lightning-Fast Movement Steps, turning into a streak of lightning as he chased after the middle-aged man.

The man secretly rejoiced, feeling that Heaven had truly favored him.

At this critical moment between life and death, it had actually sent him a scapegoat.

But before he could rejoice for long, a flash of lightning streaked before his eyes.

When he looked up, he saw that the scapegoat he had cast behind him had appeared in front of him, one palm striking toward his head.

"Get lost!"

Fury rose in the middle-aged man's heart, and he immediately thrust out his palm.

Vigorous True Essence wrapped around his hand, radiating scorching heat.

This palm strike was supremely yang and unyieldingly fierce, carrying the force to split steles and shatter stone.

With his true qi released beyond his body, this man was undoubtedly an Innate Master. Judging by the depth of his true qi, he was at least in the late Innate stage.

The middle-aged man's palm technique was extraordinary. He had believed he could send Bai Yan flying—or even kill him—with a single strike.

Yet the instant their palms collided, an overbearing force of palm energy came crashing in, instantly shattering his True Essence.

The man's expression changed as his entire body was hurled backward, blood spraying from his mouth and nose as if it cost nothing.

After entering his body, that tyrannical palm force struck directly at his internal organs, instantly destroying his eight extraordinary meridians and dantian qi sea.

A string of crackling sounds rang out as every bone in the man's body snapped.

Before he even hit the ground, his breath had already ceased.

How could the full-level Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art be resisted by a mere late-stage Innate Master?

Bai Yan spun and landed, then looked at the people behind him.

"I don't know this man, and I'm not interested in what you're doing."

"If you understand, move aside."

The tall, thin man behind him clapped his hands, speaking with admiration.

"Fine skills, little brother. This old man nearly misjudged you."

"I never expected that at such a young age, you would already be an Innate Master—and possess such an impressive palm technique."

"But what a pity. We cannot allow you to leave here alive."

The short, fat man chimed in.

"Whether you know this man or have anything to do with him is irrelevant."

"Since you appeared here tonight, you were destined not to leave."

"If you must blame something, blame your bad luck."

"You saw what you should not have seen, so leave your life behind."

What they were doing could not see the light of day. Their actions were exceedingly secretive and absolutely could not be exposed.

Never mind whether Bai Yan knew that middle-aged man—even merely seeing the faces of the three of them had already set him on the path to death.

Therefore, no matter what, they would leave no survivors.

"Young gentleman, we had only just parted ways at Baiwei Tower, yet we've met again here. You and I really are quite fated."

At this moment, the seductive woman spoke.

Her burning gaze fixed on Bai Yan. She extended her tongue and repeatedly licked her lips; her two snow-white thighs, paired with those revealing clothes, made that secret place faintly visible, enough to set one's blood racing.

"At Baiwei Tower, big sister wasn't in a position to make a move. But here, I won't let you show off your might anymore."

"Come with big sister. I'll make you feel so good you'll think you've become immortal."

"If you can satisfy big sister, perhaps I might even save your life~"

The tall, thin man glanced at the woman and said in a low voice, "Business first. Once it's done, you can play for however many days you like."

"If we delay the Protector's great undertaking, even ten thousand deaths would not redeem our sin!"

The short, fat man also spoke.

"That's right. The sooner we kill him, the sooner we leave."

"This is Yongtang, territory of the Imperial Court. If we delay any longer, unforeseen changes may arise."

The short, fat man looked at the bewitching woman, a flash of greed passing through his eyes.

But it was quickly replaced by apprehension.

He knew the woman beside him very well.

Though she was incomparably beautiful.

She was still a snake—a venomous beauty of the deadliest kind.

Her art of harvesting yang to nourish yin was a steel blade that scraped flesh from bone. No one knew how many men had died beneath it.

"Little brother, be on your way. My hand is quick—I won't let you feel any pain."

Before the tall, thin man had finished speaking, he swung his blade down.

His blade was fast. With a flash of its edge, it had already reached Bai Yan's throat.

Clang!

The ring of metal striking metal sounded out.

The tall, thin man's blade stopped an inch before Bai Yan's throat.

No matter how hard the man pushed, the long blade could not advance another fraction.

Bai Yan pinched the blade between two fingers, his voice colder than ice. "I told you, I don't want to meddle in your shitty business. Can't you understand human speech?"

As the icy words fell, Bai Yan exerted force with his fingers.

With a sharp ping, the treasured blade forged of fine iron shattered at once.

Sensing that things had gone wrong, the tall, thin man immediately tried to flee.

But it was already too late. He was fast, but Bai Yan was faster.

Bai Yan grabbed half the blade tip and flicked it casually. The fragment shot forth like racing thunder, hurtling straight toward the tall, thin man's throat.

The tall, thin man's reaction was not slow either. He immediately raised the broken blade before him, attempting to block this thunderous strike.

Yet for all his calculations, he had overlooked one thing—the gap between their strength.

Psh—!

In an instant, the broken blade tip pierced through both the blade he held before himself and his throat.

Its remaining force unspent, the blade tip then flew directly toward the short, fat man behind him.

"Ghost Spirit!!"

The short, fat man and the seductive woman's faces changed drastically when they saw the tall, thin man killed.

But the life-taking blade tip had already arrived before them, leaving them not even a moment to think.

With nowhere to dodge, the short, fat man could only circulate his inner energy and thrust both palms forward.

He wore a pair of gloves thin as cicada wings. They were his signature weapon, impervious to blades and spears, water and fire alike, capable of catching any weapon under heaven.

The instant the short, fat man reached out, pain shot through his palm. Then darkness abruptly swallowed his vision, and his consciousness plunged as though into a bottomless abyss.

The blade tip had not only pierced through his glove, but also through his brow. It embedded itself deep in the wall behind him, sunk half an inch into the stone, still humming as it quivered.

In a single move, Bai Yan killed two men in succession!

In the span of a breath, the tall, thin man and the short, fat man had both perished, leaving only the woman.

Her entire body trembled like chaff in a sieve. The patch of snowy white at her chest rose and fell relentlessly with her ragged breathing, spring light spilling forth so dazzlingly that it made one's eyes swim.

But she had no mind to care about that now. The man before her was three parts more terrifying than an evil ghost, more vicious and fearsome than Yanluo himself.

"Such power is absolutely not something an Innate martial artist could possess!"

"Who exactly are you?!"

The seductive woman's voice trembled out of tune, her pupils widening to their limit in terror.

Too terrifying!

They had all misjudged him.

This young man was not a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. He was clearly a ferocious tiger that chose its prey and devoured it!

The last time she had seen such a terrifying expert was when she had met the Protector.

This young man possessed strength capable of rivaling the Protector!

At this moment, the seductive woman felt nothing but regret.

She regretted not agreeing to let Bai Yan leave earlier. She regretted trying to make a move against him in Baiwei Tower.

Unfortunately, regret came too late.

Just as the short, fat man had said: if there was anyone to blame, it was their own bad luck. They had provoked someone they should not have provoked, so they would have to leave their lives behind.

Seeing that Bai Yan neither answered nor attacked, the seductive woman's heart stirred. She hurriedly pulled the clothes at her chest down a little further and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Young master, spare your sister just this once. How about your sister keeps you company and makes you happy? If you like, your sister can be your..."

"I'll give you three breaths to tell me what you did tonight. I'll leave you an intact corpse."

Bai Yan cut her off directly, speaking coldly.

"Oh my, young master, you're so handsome. How can your words be so heartless? You'll break your sister's heart."

The seductive woman laughed sweetly and sauntered toward Bai Yan.

"Two breaths."

The seductive woman looked at Bai Yan with a face full of resentment, her eyes brimming with sorrow. "Sister and you are so fated to meet. What a lovely thing it would be for us to become fleeting lovers. Little sir, you truly don't understand romance."

"One breath."

Before the seductive woman could continue, Bai Yan raised his hand and struck out with his palm.

Roar—!

A golden dragon formed from True Essence tore through the air, piercing the seductive woman's chest.

With a bang, the seductive woman's body instantly exploded into a mist of blood that scattered on the wind. At the same time, a black-glinting dagger fell to the ground.

"You gaudy bitch, dying beneath the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms is letting you off easy."

Bai Yan withdrew his hand as the golden True Essence quietly faded away. His eyes were as cold as ice that had endured a thousand years, utterly without ripples.

He had noticed something wrong with this woman back at Baiwei Tower. He had not acted then mainly because he was afraid of smashing up the place and having to pay for it afterward. It simply was not worth it.

As for what this group was actually doing, Bai Yan had only asked in passing. It was best if they talked, but it did not matter if they did not. In Bai Yan's eyes, they were already a group of dead men.

He turned to look at the corpse of the middle-aged man he had killed first, his brow knitting slightly.

Tonight's unprovoked disaster had all begun because of this man.

If not for him, there would not have been so much trouble.

Bai Yan searched the middle-aged man's corpse for a while, then inspected the corpses of the tall, thin man and the short, fat man in turn. In the end, he found a stack of banknotes and a palm-sized piece of beast hide.

The banknotes totaled three thousand taels, an extra windfall that Bai Yan casually put away.

What truly deserved attention was that piece of beast hide.

He did not know what sort of beast the hide had come from, but it was exceptionally tough.

Not only did it lack the rank stench of wild beasts, it even carried a faint, delicate fragrance.

When he unfolded the beast hide, he found a fragment of jade wrapped inside.

The hide itself bore a drawing of mountains and rivers. A route marked in red ran across it, making it look like a treasure map.

He remembered the middle-aged man saying, "I got the goods."

Presumably, he had been referring to this jade fragment and treasure map.

That was also why the three men had pursued him to kill him.

Yet both the jade fragment and the treasure map were incomplete. This should only be one part of them.

"What secrets could these two things possibly hide?"

Bai Yan brushed the icy jade fragment with his fingertips, his brow slightly furrowed. "Are they worth this bunch risking their heads to fight over? A treasure vast enough to rival a nation, or a martial arts manual that can send someone soaring to the heavens in a single step?"

Unable to make sense of the connection, he simply folded up the jade fragment and beast hide together and tucked them close against his body.

No matter what use they had for now, anything coveted like this was surely no ordinary object. Keeping them would surely prove useful someday.

Then, Bai Yan planned to destroy the corpses and erase all traces.

But just then, he suddenly noticed a tiny tattoo near the short, fat man's ear—a blue lotus.

"Azure Lotus Sect?!"

"These people are from the Azure Lotus Sect!"

Bai Yan's expression changed slightly.