Storm

Relying on his concealed strength, Shen Fan swiftly killed several Skin Refining Warriors, then quickly left the area and returned to the martial arts school.

He had originally thought there would be major trouble, but when he returned to the school, he found most people wearing looks of extreme panic.

"Have you heard? Martial Master Li Kaiyang was ambushed today and died violently in the street!"

"What? How is that possible? Master Li was a renowned Viscera Refining Master in our school. How could he have been killed?"

"Hmph, when martial artists are killed, they die. What's so strange about that?"

"The only ones who can kill Viscera Refiners are other Viscera Refiners or those at an even higher level. In other words, the enemy lurking in the shadows is extremely powerful!"

"I also heard that it wasn't just Master Li Kaiyang. Others from the school, even some ordinary disciples, were ambushed by many people!"

"Yeah, Senior Brother Zhao was hacked to death right in front of me. If I hadn't run fast, I'd probably have been finished long ago!" said a Skin Refining disciple, still shaken with fear.

But he had not expected the people around him to cast strange looks his way.

Indeed, though abandoning a fellow disciple did not violate the school's rules, it was still contemptible. In an instant, that disciple became the target of everyone's scorn, and quite a few people decided to teach this cold-blooded, faithless fellow a lesson...

Shen Fan quietly slipped away from the crowd. Having obtained the information he wanted, the heart he had been holding in suspense finally settled.

"It seems killing those people won't bring me trouble after all. Others from the school were attacked too, which means there must have been casualties. As for me, I'm merely a lucky fellow who happened to escape with his life!"

"But I still have to stay on guard. Who knows when I might go out one day and get beaten to death? Looks like I'll have to keep an even lower profile from now on!" Shen Fan warned himself inwardly.

Sure enough, after a day of developments, the Ox Demon Martial Arts School finally tallied the relevant casualties—

In this unrest, the Ox Demon Martial Arts School had suffered dozens of dead and wounded ordinary disciples. Even major figures at the Martial Master level had died: Martial Master Li Kaiyang and Vice Hall Master Zhang Wu!

With so many dead, the Ox Demon Martial Arts School's strength had been reduced by at least a tenth.

Though it was one of Laiyang City's dominant powers, Viscera Refiners were still absolute upper echelons. The entire school had fewer than twenty Viscera Refining Masters. They were the true guarantee that kept the school flourishing through the years.

Yet today, two such pillars had fallen at once. Anyone who said it did not pain them would be lying!

Thus, to avenge this blood feud and deter the petty vermin lurking in the shadows, the elites of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School poured out in full force. Under Headmaster Zhang Longyun's leadership, they swept through all of Laiyang City and hauled away every martial artist under suspicion!

Throughout it all, not a single one of the other dominant powers spoke out.

In truth, that was because none of those seized by the Ox Demon Martial Arts School belonged to any other major faction. They were all members of the motley rabble, martial artists from minor forces too insignificant to grace the stage.

It could be said that though Zhang Longyun was furious, he had still retained his reason.

Yet despite this grand and highly public mobilization, they achieved no results worth mentioning. Those they brought back were merely small fry at the Skin Refining and Muscle Refining levels. The truly powerful enemy had not been found at all!

At the very least, they had not found the martial artist who had killed Master Li and the Vice Hall Master.

Upon returning to the school, a middle-aged man clad in brocade robes, his face clouded with anger, sat upright in the main hall.

Though dressed in splendid brocade, he could not conceal his explosive muscles or astonishing strength.

This man was Zhang Longyun, the current Headmaster of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School. At Peak Viscera Refining, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest people in Laiyang City!

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Below the hall stood a group of the school's upper echelon. Every one of them was a Viscera Refining Master, radiating surging Qi-Blood Pressure!

But gathered together now, none of them looked pleased. Their former companions had met brutal deaths, yet they could not find the killers.

As powerful figures on the Martial Path, they simply could not endure such humiliation.

Martial Master Li Xuefeng suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "Headmaster, today's matter absolutely cannot end like this. We must avenge them!"

"Yes, yes! Old Li and Old Zhang were our good brothers, yet today they were murdered by villains. If we do not take revenge, our school's reputation will be dragged through the mud!"

"Right! We must find the killers and slice them into a thousand pieces!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could immediately find the killers and bring them to justice.

But Zhang Longyun's expression did not improve. He stared darkly at those before him, then slowly said:

"I will certainly avenge Old Zhang and Old Li, but how we do it is the question. Do you think someone who can kill beneath the very nose of our Ox Demon Martial Arts School, then flee without a trace, is some simple character?"

For a moment, the upper echelon was struck speechless. Clearly, they understood much more now.

"Headmaster, are you saying this matter is very likely the work of another—"

"Enough. I will investigate this matter. Let us leave it at that for now!" Zhang Longyun waved a hand, clearly unwilling to say more.

The other upper echelons of the school dispersed one after another. Before long, only Headmaster Zhang Longyun remained in the main hall.

"Lord City Lord, aren't you being a little too impatient? Do you really think that Realm makes you invincible? Even a rabbit will bite when driven to desperation, let alone us—the Ox Demon Martial Arts School is no rabbit!

If you want me dead, be careful not to shatter every tooth in your mouth!"

The candle flame on the table flickered ceaselessly, reflecting a face half flushed red and half pitch-black.

As one of Laiyang City's foremost figures, Zhang Longyun had naturally guessed the killer's identity at once. But he could not expose it immediately, because the killer was indeed so powerful that the Ox Demon Martial Arts School could not contend against them alone.

Therefore, Zhang Longyun needed to find helpers. The other Four Great Martial Arts Schools were the best candidates.

But this matter could not be rushed. Once exposed, the Ox Demon Martial Arts School would inevitably face even fiercer retaliation.

So they still had to proceed slowly in private. There was time yet. This was merely a test from the City Lord's Mansion; for the real move, they still had to wait until that one had stabilized his Realm!

At that thought, a flicker of longing and apprehension flashed through Zhang Longyun's eyes.

A new Realm, greater power, and—most maddening of all—Lifespan. Those were all things forever beyond his reach.

The government would always be the government. Even if Great Xia had rotted to the bone, it was still a great empire that had dominated this land for centuries. The depth of its foundations was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Zhang Longyun was certain that the one in the City Lord's Mansion cultivated a Martial Path Cultivation Method more advanced than theirs. Otherwise, he could never have entered that Realm.

Damn it, the Ox Demon Martial Arts School's foundations were too shallow. Although First-class Martial Arts offered the possibility of breaking through to Xiantian, that required reaching the consummate Realm first.

But how difficult was it to bring a first-class Cultivation Method to consummation? Zhang Longyun had struggled for decades, yet he remained stuck at the final step.

The Martial Path was difficult—harder and harder the farther one went!