Qin Xian'er

Hearing the wind howl past his ears, Elder Li hung limply in Chen Fan's grasp as he raced forward at breakneck speed, his face ashen. He had never dreamed that Lin Shang, a dignified Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator, would be no match for this Qi Refining Eighth Layer brat.

He was bitterly unwilling to accept it. He had been so close to success. All he had needed to do was lie low on Heavy Sword Peak for a few more years, then join forces with the Heaven Ghost Sect once its influence had grown strong enough. After they wiped out Heavy Sword Peak, he could return openly to the Heaven Ghost Sect and become its vice sect master. Then he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and enjoy the pleasures of family life.

But now, everything had fallen apart. All the effort he had put in over the past dozen years had come to nothing tonight.

At the thought of it, a hint of ferocity crept onto Elder Li's face. He turned and glared at Chen Fan, who had him by the collar. "Chen Fan, if you kill me, Heavy Sword Peak won't let you off. The Heaven Ghost Sect won't spare you either."

Chen Fan's expression was cold. He ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed ahead as the forests on either side blurred past.

"Chen Fan, you have no idea how important I am to Heavy Sword Peak and the Heaven Ghost Sect. If you dare kill me, no one will be able to save you and your sister." Elder Li refused to give up and continued threatening him.

But Chen Fan paid him no heed at all. He sped up, and when they reached a small grove, he gripped Elder Li and, using his momentum, suddenly hurled him toward a tree trunk.

Bam!

A deafening crash rang out. The ancient tree shuddered, scattering leaves everywhere, as Elder Li slid down its trunk.

The impact not only left him seeing stars but also snapped several of his ribs.

Chen Fan turned into a black shadow and caught up at an unbelievable speed. Before Elder Li could even hit the ground, Chen Fan stomped down on him.

"You..." Elder Li was in so much pain that he couldn't even speak.

"Where is the Chen Clan's inheritance?" Chen Fan asked coldly.

At his words, the pain on Elder Li's face abruptly froze. He stared blankly for several breaths, then suddenly burst into laughter as he lay on the ground.

"Hahaha, Chen Fan, so you still want the inheritance..." For a moment, Elder Li forgot the agony wracking his body. A glimmer lit up in his eyes. He had found a way to stay alive.

"If you want the inheritance, you should show this old man some respect. Otherwise, you'll never learn its secrets." Elder Li sneered.

"The secrets of the inheritance? What about that Treasure Seeking Disk?" Chen Fan showed him no courtesy at all, keeping him pinned beneath his foot.

"So you know about that Jade Disc. Want to know where it is? Then take your foot off me, help me up, and kneel to kowtow. Keep going until I tell you to stop." Elder Li practically roared, shouting out all the fear in his heart.

"How noisy."

A cold glint flashed through Chen Fan's eyes. He moved his foot off Elder Li and watched him with a frosty expression.

"How noisy? You still dare show this old man disrespect?" When Elder Li saw Chen Fan take his foot away, delight spread across his face. Leaning against the tree trunk, he struggled to his feet.

"Kowtow. Kowtow to me..." Elder Li glared at Chen Fan with a wicked grin and shouted. But before he could finish, Chen Fan's palm slammed down on his head. A bone-chilling cold instantly flooded into his skull.

"S-Soul... Soul Searching Technique?" The smile on Elder Li's face froze. The fear that had just appeared in his eyes slowly faded, the light in them dimming until he was left staring blankly.

Chen Fan watched Elder Li expressionlessly. Of course, he didn't know any Soul Searching Technique. This was a kind of Divine Sense suppression. He had seized control of Elder Li's Divine Sense, leaving him muddled and defenseless, so he would answer every question truthfully.

"What is your name?" Chen Fan asked tentatively.

"Li Kai," Elder Li replied in a daze.

"Where did the Chen Clan's inheritance go?" Chen Fan asked impassively.

"I used some of the low-grade spirit herbs. The remaining Spirit Stones and the Six Paths Jade Disk are with Sect Master Su," Elder Li answered vacantly.

"Six Paths Jade Disk?" Chen Fan was taken aback. So that Treasure Seeking Disk was called the Six Paths Jade Disk. But he remembered hearing of a Dharma Treasure called the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk and wondered what connection the two had.

Elder Li answered every question. "That's right. There's a needle on the Jade Disc that can point toward treasures where spiritual energy is concentrated. The four ancient characters engraved on it spell out 'Six Paths Jade Disk.'"

"What is your relationship with the Heaven Ghost Sect's sect master?"

"He once saved my life and even provided me with spirit pills and medicines. That's how I achieved what I have today."

"Besides the Heaven Ghost Sect and Earth Ghost Sect sect masters, who else knows that you came here to ambush and kill my sister and me?" Chen Fan asked with a slight frown.

"No one else."

"Then you can disappear."

As soon as Chen Fan finished speaking, he withdrew his Divine Sense and, at the same time, flashed his sword across Elder Li's throat. Chen Fan had already turned to leave before blood began spurting from the cut.

After dealing with Elder Li, Chen Fan didn't linger. He slowly made his way back toward Heavy Sword City, his brow furrowed as he pondered everything along the way.

The Heaven Ghost Sect's sect master—the person Elder Li and the others called Sect Master Su—was said to have reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Chen Fan couldn't match him at his current level.

Sect Master Su possessed the Six Paths Jade Disk and had advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage in just half a year. He must have also become highly proficient in various Dao Cultivator spells. This was nothing like Lin Shang's half-baked Foundation Establishment cultivation. The gap in strength between them was far too great; Chen Fan couldn't fight him head-on.

Chen Fan knew he needed to keep increasing his cultivation, or he wouldn't be able to face what lay ahead. With both Lin Shang and Elder Li missing, even an idiot like Sect Master Su would realize something was wrong. He would naturally take action and might even personally make a move. If that happened, Chen Jingjing would be in the greatest danger.

It's time to let that girl improve her strength. Chen Fan's figure blurred, turning into a black shadow as he sped up even more...

Only when he saw the torches along Heavy Sword City's walls did Chen Fan stop and come to a halt. Two people were waiting for him in front of the city.

"My good disciple, you're back?" Qin Xian'er watched Chen Fan with a coy smile, her lips pursed.

Chen Fan frowned slightly and ignored her, continuing toward Heavy Sword City.

"You offended the Immortal Sect, and now you've gotten on the Heaven Ghost Sect's bad side. I'm afraid you'll have plenty of trouble ahead," Qin Xian'er said with a beaming smile.

"That's none of your business," Chen Fan said coolly, without breaking stride.

"I can help you deal with the Heaven Ghost Sect, and even the Immortal Sect. You don't have to worry about yourself, but what about your sister? And that pretty little girl, Zhang Rumeng, right?" Qin Xian'er shook her head and smiled, her eyes narrowed.

"I can handle it." Chen Fan happened to be passing by Qin Xian'er just then, but he suddenly stopped.

He turned and looked at Qin Xian'er coldly. "If you lay so much as a finger on either of them, I'll kill you."

"Chen Fan, watch your mouth!" Li Tieniu glared at him.

Chen Fan ignored him and walked off. He meant that warning.

"Chen Fan, our goal is the same: the Immortal Sect. Won't you consider working with me? Don't you want to get that sword back?" Qin Xian'er's sultry voice rang out again.

"You know where the sword is?" Chen Fan stopped once more.

"It's somewhere you could never imagine. If you don't work with me, you could search the entire Immortal Sect one day and still never find that sword." Qin Xian'er slowly turned around to face Chen Fan.

"When we were in Demon King Valley, you didn't know where the sword was," Chen Fan said, shaking his head.

"I couldn't remember back then. When I was little, I accidentally stumbled into a hidden place and saw that sword locked up inside. I've said all I have to say. The choice is yours."

"What are your terms?" Chen Fan frowned. He knew this witch wouldn't go to all this trouble just to cooperate with him as an equal.

"Guess." Qin Xian'er let her true, devilish nature show again. She smiled at Chen Fan like a mischievous yet alluring cat.

Chen Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. He turned and walked away without a moment's hesitation.

"Stop!" Only then did Qin Xian'er set aside her teasing. She crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her ample curves together, and leaned forward slightly. Her expression turned serious. "The condition is that you have to make... me... your... master."

Qin Xian'er emphasized the last four words one at a time, as though to make it clear she wasn't joking.

"You?" Chen Fan glanced at her and shook his head slightly. "You're not good enough."

"I'm not good enough?" Qin Xian'er froze. Then, as if she'd heard something hilarious, she burst out laughing. Her eyes turned cold as she looked at Chen Fan. "Why am I not good enough?"

Chen Fan said nothing. This time, he simply walked away, leaving Qin Xian'er and Li Tieniu with his back.

Several breaths later, a voice drifted back from far away. "You're too weak!"

Chen Fan was serious. In his previous life, he had already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. This threshold was no longer his life's goal; it was merely his first step. Besides, with his current cultivation and strength, if he used every means at his disposal, Qin Xian'er wasn't someone he couldn't defeat. She really was too weak to be his master.

Qin Xian'er didn't see it that way. Li Tieniu watched Chen Fan leave, well aware of Qin Xian'er's temperament. Although the girl's cultivation talent surpassed his, he had always thought of her as a younger sister. Being treated like this, she ought to be furious. Going by her usual habits, this was the sort of moment when she'd draw her sword and hack Chen Fan to pieces.

But several breaths later, Li Tieniu realized Qin Xian'er hadn't moved at all. She remained where she was, her face covered in frost.

"Sect Master?" Li Tieniu called tentatively.

The frost on Qin Xian'er's face didn't lessen. If anything, it grew colder. Then the corners of her mouth curled into a smile, making her look like a devilish witch descended upon the world.

Li Tieniu shivered and thought to himself that Chen Fan was done for.

By the time Chen Fan returned to Heavy Sword City, the sun had begun to rise, and a faint light touched the horizon.

The disciples of Heavy Sword Peak were also getting up early and heading up the mountain. Quite a few of them spotted Chen Fan along the way, but most acted as if they hadn't seen him. Compared to the reverence they'd shown just a few days earlier, they were like completely different people.

They believed Chen Fan had offended the Immortal Sect and wouldn't last much longer. He had also been beaten until he spat blood on Heavy Sword Peak, yet Heavy Sword Peak hadn't stepped in, officially severing ties with him. Most of the disciples felt that Chen Fan had been a flash in the pan and would soon fade away. Why waste their time trying to curry favor with him?

Of course, a small number of disciples still looked at him with reverence and respectfully called him Senior Martial Brother Chen. Chen Fan nodded and smiled in reply to each of them, committing that handful of people to memory.

Having lived two lifetimes, he had long since seen through how people and things could change. None of it had ever affected his mood. As he made his way home, he pondered how to improve Chen Jingjing's strength. After all, once the matter of the inheritance was settled, he would be going on a long journey to temper himself.