Fishing in Troubled Waters

"Run! Something happened at Treasure Pavilion."

"People are being killed! So many are dead."

"What Seven Kill Sect? I've never heard of this faction before. Though more than twenty years ago, Marquis of Tiannan had a Seven Kill Army under his command."

"Forget all that. Run first."

Chen Xuan frowned and leaned out the window to look.

He saw a crowd fleeing in panic from the direction of Treasure Pavilion. Some were disheveled, some had blood all over their faces, and some were even barefoot, clearly running for their lives in desperation.

Chen Xuan's heart tightened.

Something had happened at Treasure Pavilion?

He recalled that when he had left Treasure Pavilion, the auction had still been underway, and the final item, the Seven Kill Sword, had yet to be sold.

It now seemed that someone had caused trouble at the auction.

"Seven Kill Sect..."

Chen Xuan muttered under his breath, and the rumors he had heard at the tavern flashed through his mind.

The Seven Kill Sword, the personal sword of the previous dynasty's Marquis of Tiannan.

He vaguely sensed that this matter was far from simple.

But it was none of his business.

He had already achieved his goal. The Marrow Cleansing Pill was in hand, his innate bones had improved, and he had successfully broken through to the Zhuqi Realm.

Tiannan Prefecture City would likely be anything but peaceful from here on out. If he stayed, he would only be dragged into needless trouble.

Atop a tall building in the city.

Three figures stood with their hands behind their backs, watching the Seven Kill Sect martial artists slaughter their way out of Treasure Pavilion and charge toward the city gates.

The man standing in the middle was in his forties. He had refined features and wore a long green robe, with a piece of mutton-fat white jade hanging from his waist. His entire person exuded a gentle, jade-like air.

This man was Guiyuan Sect Elder Shen Qianqiu.

To his left stood a man in his fifties, dressed in a white brocade robe with golden sword patterns embroidered on the cuffs, his arms wrapped around a treasured sword.

To Shen Qianqiu's right stood a middle-aged man in a blood-red robe. His face was gloomy, his gaze icy, and blood-colored true qi faintly circulated around him.

These two were, respectively, Ten Thousand Sword Mountain Villa Elder Liu Rufeng and Blood Fiend Devil Sect Elder Li Baichuan.

"The Seven Kill Sword must drink the blood of one hundred thousand people before Sword Venerable Shasheng's Legacy can be opened. Tiannan Prefecture is the perfect place for it. Let them kill."

Li Baichuan's voice was cold and sinister, like a frigid wind rising from beneath the earth, carrying a malice that made one's hair stand on end.

"One hundred thousand lives. None of our three sects can carry out such a deed openly, so this sin can only be borne by them."

Liu Rufeng's expression remained calm, as if he were merely stating something trivial.

To him, one hundred thousand lives were no more than a number, sacrifices necessary to open the legacy.

As an elder of Ten Thousand Sword Mountain Villa, he had long grown accustomed to the Life-and-Death Order. For the sake of the sect's interests, sacrificing a few commoners was not worth mentioning.

"Heh heh heh, and you people from Ten Thousand Sword Mountain Villa and Guiyuan Sect still call yourselves righteous. For Sword Venerable Shasheng's Legacy, aren't you still sacrificing one hundred thousand people? How is this any different from the devilish path?"

Li Baichuan sneered, his eyes full of mockery.

Though he came from the devilish path, what he despised most were the hypocritical faces of these righteous people. They clearly did the same cruel things, yet always found themselves a pile of high-sounding excuses.

"This world has always been one where the strong devour the weak. Those who accomplish great deeds do not fuss over trifles. Since the Seven Kill Sect is willing to do this dirty work for us, let them do it."

Shen Qianqiu spoke evenly, without the slightest ripple in his tone.

"Heh, a pack of hypocrites. They want to be whores and still put up a chastity arch."

Li Baichuan continued to hurl insults right in their faces.

Yet Liu Rufeng and Shen Qianqiu paid no attention to Li Baichuan's mockery.

At their level, their skins had long been tempered thicker than city walls. A few taunts like these meant nothing to them.

"We can have the people below begin the pursuit." Shen Qianqiu withdrew his gaze and said blandly, "Although this was a script arranged long ago, the act cannot look too fake. If we are putting on a show, we must see it through to the end. If the Seven Kill Sect discovers that we already knew their plan, unforeseen complications may arise."

"I'll take my leave first."

Li Baichuan found no pleasure in staying with the two hypocrites. His figure flashed, transforming into a streak of blood-red light that vanished from the spot.

He was going to arrange for the Blood Fiend Devil Sect disciples to give chase.

Of course, it was merely for show. The true purpose was to ensure that the Seven Kill Sect could smoothly complete its task of slaughtering one hundred thousand people.

At this moment, the city was in complete chaos.

Cries of battle and screams rang out everywhere.

After the Seven Kill Sect had massacred Treasure Pavilion, they fled toward the outskirts of the city. At the same time, Seven Kill Sect martial artists appeared in many places throughout the city, killing people everywhere and creating chaos.

These sect members were all deathsworn.

However, the chaos was mainly concentrated in the East Urban District, where Treasure Pavilion was located. The East Urban District gates had already been sealed, and no one was permitted to leave.

Chen Xuan followed the street, moving swiftly toward the southern city gate.

His steps were light as he wove freely through the crowd.

The heightened five senses brought by the Zhuqi Realm allowed him to anticipate the crowd's movements in advance and find the quickest route.

Panicked pedestrians were everywhere in the streets.

Some fled westward, some crouched by the roadside trembling, and some clutched children as they cried out. The entire East Urban District was like a pot of boiling porridge, chaos bubbling everywhere.

Just as Chen Xuan crossed a side street and neared the Treasure Pavilion area, a fierce clash suddenly erupted ahead.

"Clang! Clang! Clang—"

The sharp ring of blades colliding echoed through the air, mixed with furious shouts and miserable screams.

In an alley not far ahead, two groups of people were locked in a chaotic melee.

Both groups wore masks. Their martial arts styles were varied and disorderly, and they used different techniques, but their attacks were exceptionally vicious, every move aimed to kill.

Four or five corpses already lay on the ground, blood flowing everywhere.

"Hand over the Marrow Cleansing Pill. We spotted it first."

"Bullshit! First come, first served. Whoever grabs it owns it!"

"You're courting death!"

The battle grew increasingly fierce, and both sides had killed until their eyes ran red.

"Marrow Cleansing Pill?"

Chen Xuan's heart stirred as he looked into the distance.

That was the direction of Treasure Pavilion.

The main building of Treasure Pavilion had been cleaved open by the Seven Kill Sword, leaving a massive crack. The entire pavilion was on the verge of collapse, bricks and rubble scattered everywhere. Much of the rear wall had fallen, exposing a pitch-black passage within.

People constantly crawled in and out through that gap. Some entered empty-handed and emerged carrying items, but those who came out holding things were immediately blocked by people outside.

"The people in the auction hall were slaughtered by the Seven Kill Sect, but time was short, and some of the items they had bought were still there. The Seven Kill Sect martial artists hadn't taken them away, so these people are fishing in troubled waters, looting valuables from the dead."

Seeing this, Chen Xuan quickly understood what had happened.

More than merely fishing in troubled waters and looting valuables from the dead, he faintly sensed fluctuations of true qi deep within Treasure Pavilion. Zhuqi Realm cultivators were taking advantage of the fire to loot Treasure Pavilion.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan decisively tore a strip of cloth from a corpse nearby, covered his face with it, and darted forward.

Cultivation manuals, divine weapons, and such things would not help him much. He had only one goal: obtain Marrow Cleansing Pills.

If he could obtain five Marrow Cleansing Pills, that would be even better.

That way, his innate bone aptitude could rise from average to above average.