Six Paths Jade Disk

"Brother, let me take you back to treat your injuries first." Chen Jingjing gripped Chen Fan's arm and spoke.

"It's fine, I've already recovered somewhat. Let's find Elder Li first and settle the inheritance matter." Chen Fan shook his head and said in a low voice. The broken ribs inside his body had been temporarily reconnected by Blazing Heaven True Qi, and a steady stream of true qi was continuously nourishing those bones.

"But... fine." Chen Jingjing wanted to say more, but seeing Chen Fan's resolute gaze, she could only nod and turn to look at Yang Feng and the others, searching among the many elders for Elder Li.

"He's not here." Chen Fan shook his head.

"You're looking for Elder Li? Strange, I saw him when I came out to find you." Mo Bai stood nearby, also muttering as he scanned the crowd.

Chen Fan's expression darkened slightly. His suspicion of this Elder Li was growing.

"Chen Fan, since you've withdrawn from Heavy Sword Peak, what business do you have here?" At that moment, Elder Lin and the others walked over with cold faces.

Chen Fan swept a glance at him and ignored him.

"Elder Lin, have you seen Elder Li by any chance?" Seeing Elder Lin's face darken as he was about to flare up, Mo Bai quickly stepped forward, shifting the topic while also asking about Elder Li's whereabouts.

"Elder Li? What do you want with him? He had urgent business and went down the mountain just now." Elder Lin frowned slightly, then turned to Chen Fan and said, "Chen Jingjing, next time don't bring random people up Heavy Sword Peak, understood?"

"Weng—"

A sword hum suddenly rang out, making the hearts of everyone on Heavy Sword Peak lurch as they all turned to look at Chen Fan.

Elder Lin's face changed color, and he retreated several steps. He had long heard that Chen Fan had killed a Qi Refining Ninth Layer disciple of the Immortal Sect. If he dared kill someone from the Immortal Sect, Elder Lin had no doubt Chen Fan would kill him here.

"Chen Fan, stop." Mo Bai quickly spoke to intervene. If Chen Fan actually made a move, he would be completely at odds with Heavy Sword Peak, and it might even drag in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, especially since the Young Sect Master was still on Heavy Sword Peak.

Chen Fan gave Elder Lin a cold look, his eyes carrying more of a warning. He wasn't truly about to start a slaughter, after all, Chen Jingjing still needed to stay here to cultivate. Compared to other places, Heavy Sword Peak was still the most suitable for Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng for now.

With a whoosh, seeing that Elder Lin had backed down, Chen Fan sheathed his sword.

Chen Jingjing and Mo Bai and the others saw this and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Vice Peak Master Yang Feng stood not far away, giving Chen Fan a deep look but paying him little further attention. In his eyes, this disciple had offended the Immortal Sect and earned the grudge of a Golden Core Realm cultivator—he likely wouldn't live long. He couldn't be bothered to care, his mind instead dwelling on the sword Chen Fan had returned to the Immortal Sect, which seemed truly extraordinary.

"Hmph." Elder Lin felt it was beneath his dignity to stay any longer. He wanted to continue with sarcastic remarks but feared provoking Chen Fan again, so he could only snort and walk toward the Inner Court.

"Jingjing, let's go down the mountain." Chen Fan said flatly.

"Mm." Chen Jingjing nodded, and Zhang Rumeng followed her toward the mountain gate.

"Chen Fan, take care." Mo Bai said to Chen Fan, a hint of worry in his voice that the Immortal Sect wouldn't let things go.

"Chen Fan, same as before—if you ever need me, Mo Hu, just say the word." Mo Hu patted his chest, carefree and loud.

"Mm. Farewell." Chen Fan nodded and turned to descend the mountain.

Far away on an unremarkable hilltop within the Inner Court of Heavy Sword Peak, Elder Li stood with his hands behind his back, half-squinting as he coldly watched Chen Fan and the others leave.

Inside a room in the Inner Court, the Young Sect Master lay on a rocking chair, leisurely eating fruit.

"Thump thump!"

Suddenly, the wooden door was knocked. The Young Sect Master lazily called out, "Come in."

The wooden door creaked open, and an old woman and an old man walked in—his two attendants, both at Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

"How did it go?" The Young Sect Master didn't even lift his eyelids, asking lazily.

"The Immortal Sect people have left. They only took a treasured sword from Chen Fan. It looked extraordinary in quality, but we were too far away to examine it closely." The old woman said in a low voice.

"I heard even a Golden Core Realm expert showed up. That sword must be something special. Chen Fan didn't get killed?" The Young Sect Master raised an eyebrow slightly.

"He withstood one blow from the Golden Core Realm. Later, Mu Yunshui stepped in, and that Golden Core elder didn't attack again." The old man replied.

"Oh? That ice beauty Mu Yunshui actually came too, and stuck up for that brat Chen Fan?" The Young Sect Master's eyes turned cold as he sat up straight in his chair.

The old woman and old man both nodded and said, "The two seem to have known each other before, but their relationship didn't appear friendly."

"A fairy like Mu Yunshui—how could she spare a thought for some country bumpkin like him?" The Young Sect Master shook his head.

"To be fair, this Chen Fan's talent is indeed extraordinary. Give him enough resources and time, and Foundation Establishment isn't hard. If we let him keep growing, he could become a real threat in the future." The old woman said gravely.

"Then find a chance to kill him. But before that, I still need to finish the task my father assigned." The Young Sect Master gave a cold smile and said, "A mere Heaven Ghost Sect dares to secretly hoard a treasure. If their disciple hadn't stumbled upon it by chance, that Sect Master would have kept hiding it. You two keep investigating these next few days. If there really is a treasure, I'll directly command Heavy Sword Peak to wipe out the Heaven Ghost Sect."

"A pity that Heaven Ghost Sect disciple only caught a glimpse. Otherwise, we'd know what kind of treasure could let that Sect Master rise from Qi Refining Ninth Layer to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage in just half a year."

"Whatever it is, we'll know in a few days." A glint of coldness flashed in the Young Sect Master's eyes.

After nightfall...

A figure slipped silently past the mountain gate of Heavy Sword Peak, heading down the mountain. His movements were utterly concealed, and no one could detect his presence.

Soon, after descending the mountain, he made straight for the outskirts of Heavy Sword City. But in a dark corner far out in the suburbs, a black-robed man was already waiting.

"Sect Master Su." The figure darted before the black-robed man, dropping to one knee and bowing his head respectfully.

"Rise. Why the urgent summons for This Seat?" The black-robed man said flatly.

Hearing this, the shadowy figure stood up. The faint moonlight fell, illuminating his face—it was none other than Elder Li of Heavy Sword Peak.

"That boy from the Chen Clan, Chen Nan's son, seems to have stumbled upon some fortune recently. In just a few dozen days, his cultivation has shot up to Qi Refining Layer 6. Before Chen Nan died, when he entrusted the Six Paths Jade Disk and other inheritances to me, he told the two siblings to come claim them at Qi Refining Layer 6. Now that the Chen boy has reached it so quickly and suddenly brought up the inheritance, I was caught completely off guard and nearly slipped up." Elder Li said with a frown.

"Do they know about the Six Paths Jade Disk?" The black-robed man's voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a chill.

"This is precisely what I've been pondering, which is why I've delayed meeting them. If they don't know about the Six Paths Jade Disk, then it's fine—I can fob them off with some random spiritual herbs. But if they do know of the disk's existence, I fear this matter will blow up and leak word."

"That Six Paths Jade Disk helped me step into Foundation Establishment Middle Stage—such a peerless treasure is unmatched in this world. If word gets out, I'm afraid my Heaven Ghost Sect will be completely wiped out. No, to be safe, regardless of whether they know about the Six Paths Jade Disk, find an opportunity to silence them."

"Sect Master Su, this..." Elder Li's eyes flickered with hesitation.

"You can't bring yourself to do it?"

Elder Li shook his head with a bitter smile. "Back then, I could make a move against Chen Nan, so why would I hesitate with these two siblings? It's just that I've heard Chen Fan killed a Qi Refining Ninth Layer disciple of the Immortal Sect a few days ago. I'm afraid I can't complete this task alone."

"Qi Refining Layer 6 killing Qi Refining Ninth Layer?" The black-robed man exclaimed in surprise, as if something occurred to him. He looked at Elder Li and asked, "What's the name of that Chen Clan boy?"

"Chen Fan. What is it, Sect Master Su?" Elder Li was puzzled by the black-robed man's reaction.

"No wonder. That girl Ziyue just broke through the Second Layer Heavenly Court. She originally encountered the Battle of Immortal Qi mission, which should have meant certain death, but instead she met some Qi Refining Layer 4 brat. In just one day, he shot up to Qi Refining Layer 6 and single-handedly killed five Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators and one Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator. That girl turned misfortune into fortune and passed that layer."

"What? Such a coincidence?" Elder Li exclaimed in surprise, though he wasn't all that astonished by Chen Fan's feat of killing Qi Refining Seventh and Eighth Layer cultivators.

"It seems this matter must remain confidential—that girl must not find out. In a few days, the Shushan Sect will be recruiting disciples. I've already sent someone to find a Shushan Token. When the time comes, we'll send that girl there to cultivate."

"This Shushan Token is a priceless treasure—only twenty tokens are released each year..." Elder Li said, eyes wide. The Shushan Sect was one of the top sects in the current Cultivation World, said to have been founded by descendants of multiple sword immortals from the Immortal Realm. Its status was even higher than sects like the Immortal Sect or the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, and to enter Shushan, besides having keen aptitude, one also needed a Shushan Token.

"Everyone says the Immortal Sect has close ties with the Immortal Palace, but that girl has always wanted to go to Shushan to cultivate the sword. Since she's set on becoming a sword cultivator, I'll exhaust everything I have to find this token for her." The black-robed man finished in a low voice, then turned his gaze back to Elder Li and said gravely:

"Hall Master Lin has recently broken through to Foundation Establishment Early Stage. When the time comes, find an opportunity to lure out the Chen siblings. I'll have him come out to assist you, and we'll wipe out the Chen Clan root and branch." The black-robed man spoke slowly.

"Hall Master Lin has already broken through to Foundation Establishment Early Stage?" A trace of envy flickered in Elder Li's eyes.

"Rest assured. Once your business at Heavy Sword Peak is concluded, the position of Heaven Ghost Sect Deputy Sect Master will be yours. Then I will certainly help you break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. You've worked hard all these years." The black-robed man placed his hand on Elder Li's shoulder and said in a deep voice.

"Thank you, Sect Master Su. Actually, back when you saved my life, I said that this life of mine is yours..."

Chen Fan sat quietly in his room at this moment, his divine sense invading the Heavenly Court, hooking onto a Demon Core he had dug out during his trial, slowly moving it away from the body that was in a meditative posture.

This time, the Green-feathered Bird didn't manifest, so there was no fear of it causing trouble. After Chen Fan drew the Demon Core out of the Heavenly Court body, the entire core emitted a faint blue glow within the Medicine Field. He wrapped it tightly with his divine sense, then abruptly pulled it back...