Enemies Gather

"The spiritual energy is so rich. It feels like we've stepped into the Immortal Realm. My whole body feels refreshed." Zhang Rumeng spread her arms, savoring the sudden change in the spiritual energy around them.

"This spiritual energy is actually flowing into my body on its own." Chen Jingjing's eyes widened in surprise.

"You've both completed the cleansing of your meridians and bones. They're much stronger now, and your foundations are stable. I'll teach you the Way of Talismans and the Sword Art, but first, you need to use this Qi Gathering Array to raise your cultivation," Chen Fan said.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng had no objections. They nodded repeatedly.

"This Qi Gathering Array can last three days, so make the most of your time and cultivate. I'll set up a Defensive Concealment Array outside it, then make a push for Qi Refining Ninth Layer," Chen Fan said gravely.

"Qi Refining Ninth Layer?" Zhang Rumeng cried out. That was the same realm as the elders of Heavy Sword Peak.

"Brother, if you were still at Heavy Sword Peak and reached Qi Refining Ninth Layer, you'd be qualified to become an elder there," Chen Jingjing said regretfully.

Everything at Heavy Sword Peak was determined by cultivation level. Aside from the distinction between the Inner Court and Outer Court, any disciple who reached Qi Refining Ninth Layer would automatically be promoted to an elder of the sect and become one of its senior administrators.

"Focus on cultivating. I suspect there'll be a fierce battle in a few days," Chen Fan said calmly. He had killed Elder Li, and only he knew that Elder Li was a member of the Demon Sect. Heavy Sword Peak didn't know that. Given the Demon Sect's methods, they would probably use someone else to do their dirty work and turn Heavy Sword Peak against him.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng didn't think that far. They assumed Chen Fan meant they would be fighting Monster Beasts in a few days. The thought frightened them, but they still followed his instructions and hurried to raise their cultivation.

Once seated cross-legged in the clearing, Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng slowly closed their eyes and entered a state of cultivation. The surging spiritual energy rushed toward them faster, streaming into their bodies through their pores.

Chen Fan, meanwhile, rubbed the Storage Ring on his hand and took out a yellow talisman.

"Go!" he murmured, pointing down with two fingers and pressing the talisman against the ground.

Boom!

A ripple of spiritual energy spread out from the talisman, and another layer of light enveloped the area, overlapping the outside of the Qi Gathering Array.

Anyone standing outside the array would have been astounded to find that Chen Fan and the two women had vanished!

This was the Concealment Array Talisman Chen Fan had made using a sheet of Mid-grade Talisman Paper. It could conceal an entire area and also offered a measure of defense. Anyone below the Foundation Establishment Realm would be virtually powerless against it.

Only after setting up the array did Chen Fan settle down on the ground with peace of mind. He circulated the Blazing Heaven Sword Art and began to cultivate.

Whoosh!

The moment he closed his eyes, more than half the spiritual energy in the Qi Gathering Array was drawn toward him, sweeping over his body. Combined with the Pseudo Immortal Qi he could sense coming from the Heavenly Court, the two colors of spiritual energy intertwined, slowly forming a cocoon of light around him.

The three of them cultivated in separate spots. Before long, the area had fallen silent once more.

Outside Demon King Valley, a crowd of Heavy Sword Peak disciples and elders had gathered, drawing the attention of countless Rogue Cultivators.

Among one small cluster in the crowd, Mo Bai and Mo Hu wore grave expressions.

"There's no way Chen Fan would do something like this. Something's wrong," Mo Bai said, frowning slightly as he shook his head.

"Earlier, I heard them say they were going to ask Elder Li for some inheritance. Could Elder Li have wanted to keep it for himself, so Chen Fan killed him in a fit of rage?" Mo Hu guessed. As far as he was concerned, Chen Fan never hesitated to kill.

"Don't make wild guesses," Mo Bai said sternly.

"Whatever happened, I'm still on his side," Mo Hu said firmly.

"Mo Hu, that's not right. If you're on his side, doesn't that mean you're opposing Heavy Sword Peak?" a mocking voice suddenly said.

The group turned to see a man in a black robe approaching, accompanied by two women. One of them was Nalan Yun, the very woman Chen Fan had once been infatuated with.

"Nalan Tian." Mo Hu narrowed his eyes at the man. "Didn't you take three years' leave to return to your family and handle some affairs? It's only been two years. Why are you back already?"

Nalan Tian smiled mildly and shook his head. "I thought it really would take three years to finish everything. But then I came across a great opportunity. My cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds over the past two years, and my family's affairs suddenly worked themselves out."

At Nalan Tian's words, Mo Bai and Mo Hu extended their Divine Senses toward him. Their expressions shifted, and they exclaimed in surprise, "Foundation Establishment Early Stage!"

The other disciples were just as shocked. Two years ago, Nalan Tian had only been at Qi Refining Eighth Layer. Now he had reached Foundation Establishment, which meant he had surpassed Heavy Sword Peak's elders and could be promoted to Vice Peak Master, standing as an equal to Yang Feng.

"Mo Bai, it's been a long time," Nalan Tian said, looking at him. He addressed him by name now; the title of Senior Brother was a thing of the past.

"It's good to have you back." Mo Bai merely nodded, paying little attention to the slight.

"Senior Brother, don't you know? This morning, Peak Master Yang promoted my brother to Vice Peak Master. From now on, you should call him Peak Master Nalan." Nalan Yun had regained her former arrogance. She had recently reached Qi Refining Layer 4 and entered the Inner Court. Now that her brother had returned in triumph, she had reclaimed her former standing.

Mo Bai, Mo Hu, and the others fell silent. They were shocked, but it was hard to call a former fellow disciple Vice Peak Master, especially when he had once been their sworn enemy.

Even Mo Bai, who was a pushover, couldn't bring himself to say it.

Nalan Tian didn't take offense. Instead, he smiled even more smugly. At only twenty-three, he had already reached Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Wherever he went, he would be hailed as a prodigy with a boundless future. He would no longer lose his temper so easily.

"I hear a disciple colluded with the Demon Sect and killed our Elder Li. Mo Hu, what you just said could be seen as a betrayal of the sect. But for the sake of our past as fellow disciples, I'll pretend I didn't hear it. Be careful what you say from now on." Nalan Tian chided Mo Hu in a condescending tone.

Mo Hu was furious, but Mo Bai held him down with one hand, stopping him from exploding.

"Brother, that disciple is called Chen Fan. He's shameless and tried to take liberties with me several times. I don't know what opportunity he came across, but his strength suddenly increased. Back then, Senior Brother Zhang Ting challenged him to a life-and-death duel to stand up for me, but Chen Fan used underhanded tricks to kill him." Nalan Yun thought of Chen Fan, her eyes full of venom.

"Chen Fan? Never heard of him. What realm is he at now?" Nalan Tian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When I saw him at Heavy Sword Peak some time ago, he was at Qi Refining Layer 6," Nalan Yun replied.

"Just Qi Refining Layer 6? Disciples, hear my command! Follow me into Demon King Valley and execute the traitor of Heavy Sword Peak!" Nalan Tian sneered, then pulled a token from his waist, raised it high, and shouted.

The disciples all looked up. Their expressions changed at once.

The Vice Peak Master Token!

Seeing Nalan Tian's cultivation, they gaped as realization dawned: Heavy Sword Peak was about to gain another Vice Peak Master—Peak Master Nalan!

Nalan Tian basked in their attention, the corners of his mouth curling upward. Beside him, Nalan Yun could barely contain her excitement. Even if the glory belonged to her brother, its reflected light was enough to make her shine.

Just then, the disciples looking up suddenly began to stir, pointing at the sky.

Nalan Yun looked up too and froze. A wheel-shaped flying vessel was spinning in the air, with three men and a woman standing on it. All four were in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"The Immortal Sect! Those are people from the Immortal Sect. I recognize one of them," one disciple said, recognizing a male cultivator who had been among the group that came to Heavy Sword Peak to demand a sword.

"Did they come for Chen Fan too?" The crowd began to piece things together.

Mo Bai and Mo Hu's expressions darkened. Nalan Tian was bad enough, but now there were four more Foundation Establishment experts. Chen Fan was in grave danger.

Nalan Yun, however, froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

She knew that Chen Fan would not escape this time.

The Young Sect Master had ordered his death. Her brother, Nalan Tian, wanted to kill him to establish his authority. Even the Immortal Sect had a grudge against him and had sent four Foundation Establishment experts.

"Chen Fan, Chen Fan, no one can save you this time." Nalan Yun sneered, her eyes glinting with viciousness.

In a corner by the entrance to Demon King Valley, two people sat beneath a large tree, watching everything unfold.

"These people don't know what they're getting into. They think a few Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators can kill Chen Fan? They'll probably never make it back." Li Tieniu shook his head. He still vividly remembered Chen Fan killing Lin Shang.

"Nalan Tian from Heavy Sword Peak is no threat, but the people from the Immortal Sect aren't ordinary disciples. Look closely," Qin Xian'er said.

"This... Why are they here?" Li Tieniu's eyes widened.

"It seems Elder Han secretly gave the order. Otherwise, Senior Sister would definitely have stopped her," Qin Xian'er said, shaking her head.

"Sect Master, are you going to step in this time?"

"That boy's far too arrogant. It's time he paid the price." A hint of amusement crossed Qin Xian'er's eyes.

"Wasn't he a key piece on the board?"

"A piece I can't control is no longer a good piece. Someone needs to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, this lesson will be written in blood."

Two days later, inside Demon King Valley.

Chen Jingjing opened her eyes. In just two days, she had risen from Qi Refining Layer 5 to Qi Refining Seventh Layer. The Marrow Cleansing Pill had greatly improved her aptitude, and the effects of the Qi Gathering Array had brought about this astonishing speed.

Soon, Zhang Rumeng opened her eyes as well. Like Chen Jingjing, she had advanced to Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and the True Qi in her body had undergone a qualitative leap.

The two were marveling at their cultivation when a strange sound suddenly reached their ears.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

It was the sound of air rushing by at high speed. They listened closely for a few breaths and finally identified where it came from. Following the sound, they looked toward Chen Fan—and stared in astonishment, their mouths falling open.