Humiliation

Chen Jingjing's face went pale at the words, her body already swaying. Zhang Rumeng caught her and held her steady, her expression worried as she looked at Chen Fan. 🐯☹  🎁♣

Golden Core Realm—this was the Golden Core Realm, an existence high above all others. How could Chen Fan have offended someone from the Immortal Sect?

Yang Feng and the others sucked in a breath upon hearing this. They turned to look at Chen Fan, who was standing with Mo Bai and the rest, but didn't rush to call him out. Instead, they faced the old woman again and said with a smile, "May I ask what business this senior has with a disciple of our peak? He's merely a Qi Refining Realm boy—why trouble yourself over him?"

Yang Feng still had some confidence in his heart. After all, Heavy Sword Peak was an affiliated sect of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. If a disciple were taken away so easily, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would lose face. So he figured the Immortal Sect wouldn't go too far.

"While This Seat is still speaking politely, don't be ungrateful." The old woman glared coldly at Yang Feng, slowly releasing her spiritual pressure.

"Chen Fan, aren't you coming out yet?" Mu Yunshui stepped forward in her flowing white robes, like a celestial maiden. Her appearance stunned the many disciples of Heavy Sword Peak into stillness, and even Yang Feng and the others nearly lost their composure.

Chen Fan's face was expressionless, but a hint of gravity flickered in his eyes. The Golden Core Realm—he truly couldn't fight that now.

"Brother, don't go." Chen Jingjing looked at Chen Fan with anxious pleading.

"Don't worry." Chen Fan shook his head, spoke two heavy words, and then strode toward the main square.

"What do you want with me?" He stood before the crowd neither humble nor arrogant, looking coldly at Mu Yunshui as he asked.

The old woman looked at Chen Fan, a chill flashing in her eyes as she let out a cold laugh. "So it's you, this little beast."

With that, she waved her hand, and a surge of immense energy shot straight at Chen Fan's face.

Chen Fan slowly circulated his qi to resist, but he was utterly powerless to contend with it. It felt like a mountain was crashing into him. His internal qi and blood shuddered, and he was sent flying dozens of meters, slamming hard into the mountain wall. A trickle of blood seeped from his mouth.

"Cough, cough..." Chen Fan's body was embedded deep in the rock, his qi and blood churning. He coughed up a few more strands of blood. One move from a Golden Core Realm cultivator had nearly killed him. The gap between Golden Core and Qi Refining was far too vast.

"Brother..."

"Chen Fan..."

Everyone cried out in alarm as they rushed toward Chen Fan.

Yang Feng and the others were stunned. They hadn't expected the old woman to act so decisively, without any regard for Heavy Sword Peak's dignity.

"Peak Master Yang, should we call the Young Sect Master?" Elder Lin leaned close to Yang Feng, watching the old woman as he asked in a low voice.

"Would he even show up? Forget it. Last time in the little hut, Chen Fan made him lose face. I think even if he came, he'd only kick him while he's down." Yang Feng frowned slightly, then shook his head.

"Still alive?" The old woman laughed coldly, murderous intent hard to hide in her eyes. She raised her hand to strike again, but a white-robed figure blocked her path.

"Elder Han, you agreed with me—we only came for the sword." Mu Yunshui stood before the old woman, speaking in a low voice.

"This little beast killed several disciples of my Immortal Sect. Do you think this matter can be brushed aside so easily?" The old woman said coldly.

Mu Yunshui frowned slightly at this, said nothing more, and simply stood silently before the old woman, meeting her gaze.

"Fine. Take the sword." The old woman finally backed down, but her eyes as she looked at Chen Fan were still blazing with killing intent.

Chen Fan had already pulled himself out of the mountain wall. He knew several of his ribs were broken. Too weak—he was still too weak. He stared coldly at the old woman.

"Chen Fan, how are you?" Zhang Rumeng asked with concern.

"Brother, I'll take you to the little hut to find the Little Medicine Boy's master," Chen Jingjing said, grabbing Chen Fan's arm.

"I'm fine." Chen Fan circulated the Blazing Heaven Sword Qi within him, frantically healing his injuries.

At that moment, Mu Yunshui and three male disciples walked over slowly. Her face was covered in frost, yet she looked like a lofty celestial maiden as she gazed at Chen Fan. "Return the sword to me, and we won't take your life."

"Take my life? You can't." Chen Fan shook his head with a cold smile, a killing intent flickering in his pitch-black eyes. He could go all out and use the Nine Palaces Sword Technique. Even if he couldn't defeat the old woman, taking Mu Yunshui and the others' lives would be more than enough.

"Chen Fan, is it? Don't be too arrogant. If not for Senior Martial Sister pleading for you, you'd have been killed by our Elder Han just now," one male disciple said, looking at Chen Fan with mockery in his eyes.

"Taking your life is as easy as turning over a hand. Don't think that just because you killed some of our sect members, you're invincible. Let me give you some advice—this isn't over. Senior Martial Sister pleaded for you, but that doesn't mean the other disciples will let you off. You'd better not step out of Heavy Sword City from now on," another male disciple said, staring coldly at Chen Fan.

"Enough, Chang Yue, Chang Xing." Mu Yunshui's voice was stern as she stopped the two. She continued looking at Chen Fan and said coldly, "Now is not the time for a war of words. Hand over that sword. It is closely tied to our sect."

"That sword is even more closely tied to me," Chen Fan said indifferently.

"If you keep being this stubborn, no one can save you. Remember, you've also killed several of my junior brothers and sisters. If you don't hand over the sword, the consequences might not stop with you alone. This matter is already slipping beyond my control." Mu Yunshui frowned, displeasure showing on her face, and her gaze swept briefly over Chen Jingjing and the others.

Chen Fan's face darkened. He naturally understood Mu Yunshui's implication. If he didn't hand over the sword, Chen Jingjing and the others would also be implicated.

That wasn't something he wanted to see. As for that sword...

Mu Yunshui took a step forward and said in a low voice, "If you weren't my junior sister's disciple, I would have killed you long ago. I'll advise you one last time—if you hesitate any longer, I'll wash my hands of this matter."

"Senior Martial Sister, there's no need to say more to him. Let us kill him on the spot and avenge Senior Martial Sister Qingyue." Chang Xing gripped his sword, seemingly eager to act.

"Do you dare?" Mo Bai stepped forward, killing intent blazing as he stared at Chang Xing. "Heavy Sword Peak may be small, but it's not a place to be bullied."

At these words, the surrounding disciples felt their blood boil, as if they would charge forward at Mo Bai's command. Beside him, Mo Hu wore an expression of excited battle lust.

"Mo Bai, don't meddle." At that moment, Elder Lin's voice came over faintly, like ice water dousing the crowd's heated blood.

"Elder Lin?" Mo Bai looked stunned, turning to Elder Lin in confusion.

"This man has already withdrawn from Heavy Sword Peak. This matter has nothing to do with us," Elder Lin said solemnly.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Yang Feng's face, but in the end, he said nothing. Offending the Immortal Sect over a single disciple wasn't a good choice—especially after seeing the Golden Core Realm cultivator's methods, they no longer sought that shred of face.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng clenched their small hands tightly. Elder Lin's words and Peak Master Yang's silence chilled their hearts.

"Elder Lin, my brother was just speaking in anger that day..." Chen Jingjing pleaded.

"Jingjing." Chen Fan stopped her, shaking his head. "Remember, no matter when or where, never beg anyone. This is a world where strength reigns. You have to grow strong to live the life you want." With that, Chen Fan suddenly reached out and patted her head.

"Especially, one should not beg for anything from the weak." Chen Fan's gaze swept coldly over Elder Lin and the others, finally settling on Mu Yunshui and her group.

Elder Lin returned Chen Fan's stare with equal coldness. In his eyes, now that Chen Fan had offended the Immortal Sect, no matter how astonishing his talent, it was useless. A genius strangled in the cradle was worse than an ordinary person.

"Chen Fan, what do you mean by that?" Chang Xing heard Chen Fan's words and saw his gaze land on them, immediately shouting in anger.

"Chang Xing, no need to waste words with him." Chang Yue's lips curled into a mocking smile, his eyes flicking sideways at Chen Fan. "If a dog bites us, we don't have to bite it back."

"Weng!"

A sharp sword hum suddenly rang out. Chen Fan's figure blurred and vanished from where he stood...

A cold gleam appeared before Chang Yue. The blade shot forward like lightning, about to slice across his throat, when a white figure intervened.

"Clang!" The jarring clash of metal rang out. Mu Yunshui had a sword in her hand from nowhere, blocking Chen Fan's strike.

Only then did Chang Yue react in shock, cold sweat pouring down his face, his eyes filled with lingering fear. Staring into Chen Fan's pitch-black, icy pupils, he swallowed hard.

"A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory." Chen Fan twirled the blade in his hand with a flourish and sheathed it.

"Chen Fan, this is my final bottom line." Mu Yunshui frowned deeply, looking at him with disgust.

Chen Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. If Chen Jingjing weren't here, he would have dared to go on a killing spree. But at this moment...

He looked at the old crone not far away, whose killing intent was thick, then finally pulled the sword strapped to his back. With a push of his palm, he tossed the entire blade into Chang Yue's arms.

Thud! Thud!

Chang Yue caught the sword but couldn't keep his footing, stumbling back several steps from the force.

"You copied this sword. Now I'm returning it to you." Chen Fan said coldly, his eyes sweeping over Mu Yunshui once more. "But when I condense my Nascent Soul, that will be the day I ascend the Immortal Sect to retrieve my sword—my true sword."

Chen Fan's voice was ice-cold, laced with thick killing intent. No one present had ever heard Chen Fan speak in such a tone—not Chen Jingjing, not Zhang Rumeng. Yet they could all clearly feel the blazing fury burning in his heart at that moment.

"Your true sword? Chen Fan, when this sword was forged, even your father probably wasn't born yet." Chang Xing sneered dismissively at Chen Fan's words, thinking he was bragging.

"I've heard of your performance at Heavy Sword Peak. Though it doesn't quite match the you now, one thing was said correctly—you're a show-off who cares about face. For the sake of your talent, I'll give you one piece of advice: don't let this vanity blind you, or in the end, you'll harm yourself and others." Mu Yunshui finished coldly, then turned and walked toward the old crone. Chang Xing, Chang Yue, and another male disciple quickly followed.

"Elder Han, the sword has been retrieved. It's time to return and report to the Sect Master." Mu Yunshui said flatly to the old crone.

The old crone gave Mu Yunshui a deep look, then summoned her Magic Tool, the Treasure Gourd. Once they all stepped onto it, the gourd shot into the air.

Mu Yunshui stood with his hands behind his back at one end of the Treasure Gourd, his expression icy as he stared ahead. Under the gaze of the crowd, they soared away.

"Today's humiliation is all because I am not strong enough. Foundation Establishment Realm—what is it? In the future, when I form my Golden Core and condense my Nascent Soul, I will repay this tenfold."

Watching the Immortal Sect party grow distant, Chen Fan made a vow in his heart. His clenched fists slowly relaxed, and a faint chill flickered in his eyes. "Immortal Sect, wait for me!"