The night wind in Nujiang County carried a damp chill, rattling the window lattice.
In the secret chamber, Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the Cold Jade Bed.
His breathing was feather-light. Each time he exhaled, two streams of white vapor escaped his nostrils. They gathered into tiny ice crystals in the air, then fell with a soft patter.
After mastering the Profound Nether Hand, his whole body had become like a block of ice that would never melt, even after ten thousand years.
Even on this sweltering summer night, the temperature in the secret chamber was frighteningly low.
Suddenly.
Lu Chen's ear twitched.
A faint sound came from the courtyard.
It was very slight, like a wild cat jumping down from a wall. Ordinary people—and even most Body Tempering Realm martial artists—wouldn't have heard it.
But Lu Chen did.
His Iron Cloth Shirt had reached the Third Realm. His skin was extremely sensitive; he could feel even the slightest change in the air currents.
"They're here."
Lu Chen opened his eyes, his gaze pitch-black.
He didn't get up or change his posture. He still sat with his back to the door.
Since they want to play, I'll play along.
In the courtyard.
Two shadows crept along the base of the wall and slipped inside.
They were Flying Horse Merchant Association guards, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu.
Both had reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm and were hardened men who had seen blood in the Prefectural City. Steward Qian Tong had sent them to test the mettle of this "number one expert in Nujiang County."
"Big brother, this courtyard's eerily quiet."
Zhao Hu lowered his voice, tightened his grip on the poisoned dagger, and warily scanned their surroundings.
"What are you afraid of?"
Zhang Long sneered. "He's just some country bumpkin who rules the roost. Even if he killed the Water Ghost King, he probably got lucky or used some method that took them both down."
"The steward said it doesn't matter if we break his arms and legs, as long as we don't kill him."
The two exchanged a glance. With a blur of movement, they lunged straight for the main room.
They moved swiftly, clearly veterans of robbery and murder.
The moment they reached the door.
Zhang Long kicked it open. Like a fierce tiger charging down a mountain, he hurtled inside, his saber cleaving toward the figure in the room with a rush of wind.
"Get down, you bastard!"
The blow was so powerful it could split a man in two.
However.
The figure with his back to them didn't even turn his head.
The instant the blade was about to hit him.
Lu Chen moved.
He didn't draw a weapon or get up.
He simply swung one hand behind him and struck out with a palm, light as a feather.
The strike looked slow and unhurried, and didn't stir even a whisper of wind.
But to Zhang Long, it was terrifyingly fast. In an instant, it filled his entire field of vision.
What frightened him even more was that, as the palm came down, the stuffy room plunged into a freezing abyss!
A terrifying chill surged over him like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
"Not good!"
Zhang Long was horrified. Instinctively, he tried to pull back his saber and retreat.
Too late.
A muffled thud.
Lu Chen's palm landed squarely on the blade Zhang Long had raised across his chest.
There was no sharp clang of metal striking metal.
Only a teeth-grinding series of cracks.
Zhang Long felt a frigid force surge along the blade and race into his arm, burrowing into his organs.
This wasn't ordinary cold.
It was a chill that froze the marrow in his bones!
"Ahhh—!"
Zhang Long screamed. As if struck by a charging bull, he flew backward.
He spat out a mouthful of blood in midair. Before it hit the ground, it had already frozen into red shards of ice!
"Big brother!"
Zhao Hu was scared out of his wits.
He watched helplessly as Zhang Long crashed into the courtyard, half his body covered in black frost. The man curled into a shivering ball, unable even to stand.
"W-what kind of demonic art is this?!"
The dagger in Zhao Hu's hand shook violently.
Inside the room.
The figure remained seated cross-legged, as if he'd merely shooed away a fly.
Lu Chen drew back his hand and spoke calmly.
"Get lost."
Just one word.
Yet it slammed into the two men's hearts like a heavy hammer.
Zhao Hu swallowed, his scalp tingling as a chill shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
He was too strong!
They weren't even in the same league!
He hadn't even seen Lu Chen's face, and one of them had already been crippled with a single move!
That kind of power was the stuff of Meridian Connecting Realm experts, even in the Prefectural City!
"Go! Hurry!"
Daring not to linger, Zhao Hu hoisted Zhang Long over his shoulder and fled over the wall in a panic.
Like two dogs beaten from their home.
Yuelai Inn.
Qian Tong paced back and forth in his room, rapidly rolling his iron balls in one hand.
He was waiting for news.
Though he had confidence in his two guards, unease gnawed at him.
That Lu Chen had been far too composed.
He didn't seem like a young man who had only just risen to power. He seemed more like an old hand who'd been around for decades.
The door burst open.
Zhao Hu charged in with Zhang Long over his shoulder and dropped to his knees.
"Steward! Help! Please save my big brother!"
Qian Tong's expression changed, and he hurried over.
Zhang Long was already unconscious. His face was deathly pale, and his eyebrows and hair were coated in frost.
Most terrifying of all was his right arm.
The whole limb had turned a bluish-black, stiff as a frozen log and cold to the touch.
"What is this..."
Qian Tong's pupils contracted.
He knew what he was looking at.
No external martial art could have caused an injury like this.
This was Internal Energy!
And not just any Internal Energy—it was an exceptionally domineering, viciously sinister cold-type energy!
"What happened? Tell me!" Qian Tong barked.
Trembling, Zhao Hu recounted what had happened.
"One move?"
After listening, Qian Tong's expression darkened. "You're saying he never even turned his head, just struck Zhang Long with a backhanded palm and left him like this?"
"Y-yes!"
Zhao Hu's face was full of terror. "Steward, that man's terrifying! When he struck, I felt like I'd fallen into an icy pit!"
Qian Tong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He reached out and felt Zhang Long's pulse.
A faint but tenacious chill was rampaging through his meridians, devouring the life within him.
If they didn't treat him in time, losing the arm would be a minor matter. He could lose his life.
"What domineering cold energy... What vicious methods!"
Qian Tong took out a red pill, stuffed it into Zhang Long's mouth, and circulated his energy to help the man absorb its medicinal properties.
After a long while, Zhang Long's complexion finally improved, but he still couldn't feel his arm.
Qian Tong gazed out at the dark night beyond the window, his expression grave.
He had underestimated the "number one expert" of this little county.
This wasn't a matter of luck.
Lu Chen truly had the combat strength of someone in the Meridian Connecting Realm!
A method that could release cold energy outward was absolutely a Spirit Tier technique!
"Looks like we can't take it by force."
Qian Tong narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers against the tabletop.
If brute strength wouldn't work, he'd have to try another approach.
There was nothing in this world that money couldn't buy.
And if there was, the price simply wasn't high enough.
"Prepare a generous gift first thing tomorrow morning."
Qian Tong turned and instructed Zhao Hu. "I'll personally pay a visit to Hall Master Lu."
"Remember, be respectful. Bring along those few crates of Cloud Mist Tea and Blood Jade Marrow we brought with us."
Zhao Hu was stunned. "Steward, are we... are we just going to let this go?"
"Let it go?"
Qian Tong sneered, a crafty glint in his eyes.
"This is called courtesy before force."
"Since he's a man-eating tiger, we'll have to feed him meat until he's full. Then he'll do as he's told."
"As long as he's willing to take us underwater and into the Dragon Palace..."
Qian Tong left the rest unsaid. His narrowed eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Lu Chen's little courtyard.
After driving off two flies, Lu Chen didn't continue cultivating.
He went to the window and looked toward Yuelai Inn.
He had used only thirty percent of his strength in that palm.
It had been a show of strength, and a test as well.
If the Flying Horse Merchant Association's men were frightened into fleeing in the middle of the night, then they weren't worth worrying about.
But if they dared to come back tomorrow...
That meant they were determined to get whatever was inside the Dragon Palace.
"The Profound Nether Sect..."
Lu Chen touched the Beast Hide Map tucked against his chest.
Aside from the Profound Nether Hand and the Netherworld Stone, there had to be other secrets hidden in the Dragon Palace ruins.
Otherwise, a major merchant association from the Prefectural City wouldn't make such a fuss over these few things.
"Perfect."
Lu Chen sneered.
"I want to know what else is down there, too."
"If someone's willing to spend money and effort serving as cannon fodder, why would I refuse?"
The night wind swept a few fallen leaves into the air.
Lu Chen closed the window, locking the frigid air inside the room.
Tomorrow would be the real showdown.
Before you continue