Chen Guan was startled by the sight and hurried over to check on the man.
After checking his breathing, he found that the man was still alive and finally relaxed.
"Looks like he's been poisoned. The Blazing Flame Sect really is vicious and underhanded. Here, take an antidote pill!"
Mu Yuan sat quietly in a chair and watched. Then he took out some antidote pills and handed them around.
What puzzled him was why Chen Guan, whose cultivation was so low, showed no signs of poisoning.
Chen Guan was puzzled by this too.
But if he had to explain it, it was the effect of the system—though the system had yet to say a word!
"Lord Mu, why not let me go investigate? My movement technique lets me move without a sound, and a smaller group is less conspicuous!"
Chen Guan thought it over, then cupped his fists and volunteered.
Mu Yuan nodded with satisfaction. "That would be excellent! I'll leave this to you. The Phoenix Perch Sect disciples must be locked up in a well-hidden room. Be careful!"
After saying this,
Chen Guan nodded in agreement and left the room without a sound.
One of the Demon Suppressing Division officials nearby couldn't help speaking up. "Sir, isn't it too dangerous to send Brother Chen Guan alone? Besides, we have nothing else to do!"
"Not necessarily! Since Sun Shihu dared to poison us, he clearly isn't afraid of going to war with the Imperial Court. He may come looking for trouble tonight. Be ready to strike at any moment!"
Mu Yuan rose and gave his orders.
After leaving the room they had been assigned, Chen Guan used Whirlwind Wind Steps to head deeper into the Blazing Flame Sect.
Though he had now mastered Exquisite Leg,
he had only later learned from the System Panel that merging Whirlwind Wind Steps with Exquisite Leg required a thousand years of Demon Lifespan.
He didn't have enough Demon Lifespan left!
The Blazing Flame Sect's interior twisted and turned like a maze, nearly getting Chen Guan lost.
It seemed Sun Shihu had long since joined forces with demons. That was why he had turned the Blazing Flame Sect into such a place.
If even an old, established martial arts sect like the Blazing Flame Sect had allied with demons, then surely plenty of other sects had done the same.
"Come on, Master gave the order. Tonight, the Demon Suppressing Division people die inside our sect! When we strike, show no mercy!"
Just as Chen Guan was searching for a way through,
he heard the voices of Blazing Flame Sect disciples nearby. He quickly hid behind something and watched closely.
He saw nearly two hundred Blazing Flame Sect disciples charging toward the room where Mu Yuan was staying.
Chen Guan couldn't help hesitating.
With so many Blazing Flame Sect disciples, he wasn't sure whether he should go back and help.
But then he thought better of it.
With a master like Mu Yuan there, nothing could possibly go wrong. His task now was to hurry and rescue the Phoenix Perch Sect disciples.
And with the Blazing Flame Sect disciples all heading off to deal with Mu Yuan and the others, his mission should be easier.
After going through tremendous difficulty, he finally reached the deepest part of the Blazing Flame Sect.
A huge flame pattern lay in the middle of the area, surrounded by a series of locked rooms that looked like warehouses.
There were eight rooms in all, and he was at a loss.
He didn't know what kind of people were being held in them, or which room contained the Phoenix Perch Sect disciples.
Just as he was about to try the rooms one by one,
a clear female voice suddenly came from the third room. "Is anyone there? Please, come save us!"
Chen Guan knew that voice well. It belonged to Shen Mengjin.
He had never expected that Shen Mengjin had been captured by the Blazing Flame Sect as soon as she came down the mountain.
He strode straight over to the warehouse door. "Is that Miss Shen Mengjin inside?"
"That's me! Which great hero is out there? The Blazing Flame Sect has allied with demons. Please, save us!"
Hearing his voice, Shen Mengjin was overcome with joy.
Soon, cheers erupted from inside the warehouse. After all, hope had come when they were at their most desperate.
"Everyone, please stay calm. I'll open the door right away!"
Chen Guan quickly called back in agreement.
Golden light shimmered around his right fist as he slammed it hard into the lock.
The punch carried a thousand jin of force, yet the lock didn't budge.
Chen Guan was astonished.
"Hero, this lock is made from thousand-year cold iron. It's incredibly hard! Only something made from the same thousand-year cold iron can break it!"
Hearing the sounds outside, Shen Mengjin quickly called out a warning.
But Chen Guan had no weapon made of thousand-year cold iron. Even so, he had to find a way to open the warehouse door.
He thought for a moment, and his blood and qi surged instantly.
A golden dragon-and-elephant apparition shimmered around him.
He would never forget one saying: where there's a will, there's a way!
"Dragon Elephant Fist!"
Then he slammed another punch into the lock.
The dragon-and-elephant apparition gathered in the air and finally settled over his fist.
He could clearly feel that this punch was far more powerful than any attack he had ever used before.
With a bang, the lock shattered!
The warehouse door flew open, and he rushed inside, elated.
More than three hundred Phoenix Perch Sect disciples were imprisoned there.
They had once been sect disciples, but now they had been reduced to this miserable state.
Men and women, young and old, from the Phoenix Perch Sect were all locked up there. The stench inside the warehouse was nauseating.
Many of the injured were on their last breaths.
"It's you? An officer of the Demon Suppressing Division! Master, this is the man I told you about—the one who saved me on Tushan!"
The moment Shen Mengjin recognized him, she cried out excitedly.
An old woman with a face pale as paper stepped forward from within, her expression kind.
"So it's you, sir. Thank you for saving us. The Phoenix Perch Sect will never forget this life-saving kindness!"
The old woman quickly bowed as she spoke.
The surrounding Phoenix Perch Sect disciples also fell to their knees and thanked him.
"Please, there's no need to be so polite. The Blazing Flame Sect has allied with demons, and everyone has a right to destroy them! Lord Mu brought me here to wipe out the Blazing Flame Sect, and now the Phoenix Perch Sect has its chance for revenge!"
Chen Guan quickly helped them up and explained.
At the word "revenge," anger filled the eyes of the Phoenix Perch Sect disciples.
They had been reduced to this miserable state because of the Blazing Flame Sect. If they got the chance, they wouldn't spare a single one of its people.
"Disciples, follow me out of this warehouse! We'll destroy the Blazing Flame Sect and avenge our sect leader!"
The old woman drew a long sword from behind her. Her gaze was fierce as she looked outside and spoke.
The Phoenix Perch Sect disciples raised their arms and shouted in response.
But just then,
a long sword thrust toward Chen Guan, accompanied by a low voice. "You think the likes of you can take revenge on our Blazing Flame Sect? This is the perfect excuse to kill every last one of you today!"
Before you continue