The world of The Outcast.
An inn.
Du Yang was on his way to the Sanyi Sect. Just as he was about to pick up his teacup, his brows furrowed.
"I never thought Immortal Zuo Ruotong of the Sanyi Sect would pass away just like that. That wicked child, Li Muxuan, really was that powerful."
"One of the two supreme masters of the righteous path, gone just like that. The world is truly unpredictable."
Snatches of conversation drifted through the inn.
The death of Zuo Ruotong, head of the Sanyi Sect, had undoubtedly sent a bombshell through the Inhuman world, leaving many people stunned.
The closer one got to the Sanyi Sect, the more this news spread.
Du Yang couldn't help feeling anxious.
Without Zuo Ruotong, the Sanyi Sect was like a ship adrift on the open sea with no rudder. Where would it go from here?
His mood was truly awful.
His master had passed away, and Triple Inverse Life couldn't lead to immortality. One devastating piece of news after another had struck him.
Du Yang wondered whether he should reveal to his fellow disciples the secret the sect had kept hidden for a thousand years.
If he told them, wouldn't that snuff out even their last glimmer of hope?
As he pondered, the tea in his cup began to vanish little by little, as if it were disappearing of its own accord.
After all, he knew what his fellow disciples were like. Many Inhumans had their eyes on the Sanyi Sect now, and they absolutely mustn't act rashly.
"The Sanyi Sect... The Sanyi Sect... Without that old man Zuo, I reckon this thousand-year-old sect will fall apart."
"His fate today was the retribution he deserved. That old man loved sticking his nose into other people's business wherever he went. He thought he was so upright, but he was nothing more than a hypocrite."
Du Yang immediately looked up toward the voice.
The man spouting such nonsense was a brawny fellow with his chest bared. His odd getup and the sword at his waist made him look like a vicious brute.
The people around him looked like a rowdy bunch of hooligans, the sort who roamed the jianghu as Inhumans. They were probably members of Quanxing.
Righteous factions, Quanxing, and all sorts of jianghu Inhumans had heard that Zuo Ruotong was dead and wanted to go make trouble at the Sanyi Sect.
They hadn't dared come while Immortal Daying was alive. Surely they'd dare now that he was dead?
Besides, the world was in such chaos that it was inevitable some Inhumans would bully the weak with their strength, or even burn, kill, and loot. They were hardly decent people.
Bandits and horse thieves were everywhere.
The brawny man laughed dismissively. "Don't go thinking that old man Zuo was as powerful as he claimed. One wicked child, Li Muxuan, was all it took to kill him. He was nothing but a defeated opponent of our sect leader."
"That old man was probably just trading on his reputation. He hasn't fought anyone in years, which only goes to show how humble he's become."
"He's never even fought me, Quanxing's Tyrant Saber, Wang Er. How can he call himself one of the supreme masters of the righteous path? The world was just fooled by him."
The Quanxing members around him readily agreed. They were determined to trample the so-called Sanyi Sect.
Even if they couldn't bring it down, they'd still turn the place upside down.
The members of Quanxing were arrogant to a fault, acting as if the heavens themselves ranked second to them.
And, in fact, that was exactly what they did.
They were going to surround the Sanyi Sect and slaughter its people to the last man.
Du Yang remained calm. Apparently, all the Quanxing members he'd encountered before were cut from the same cloth.
Quanxing's people struck ruthlessly and without hesitation. They were clearly headed there to surround and kill Sichong and the others.
If so, every one of them must have blood on their hands. He had no need to hold back.
The next moment, Du Yang rose and walked over to the Quanxing members. He asked them openly, "Gentlemen, were you just talking about the Sanyi Sect?"
The Quanxing members all turned to look at Du Yang, their faces full of irritation.
One of them immediately cursed him out:
"What's it to you? Get lost, and don't ruin our fun."
Du Yang politely asked again:
"You won't answer me, so I'll take that as a yes. May I ask what you gentlemen intend to do at the Sanyi Sect?"
One of them answered impatiently:
"Our sect leader defeated that old man Zuo, which means our Quanxing has crushed the Sanyi Sect. Of course we're going to press our advantage and slaughter them all, to settle the grudge we've held against them."
"It's none of your business. Get out of here."
At that, the brawny man stood up too, narrowed his eyes, and asked coldly:
"Why are you asking? Everyone knows the old man Zuo is dead. What, do you have some connection to the Sanyi Sect?"
At those words, all five or six Quanxing members stood up. They seemed much more alert now, staring straight at Du Yang.
That was true. If he had no connection to the Sanyi Sect, why would he ask what they planned to do there?
Du Yang simply nodded, then said lightly, "The Sanyi Sect is still a ways off. Why go to all that trouble? I might as well send you on your way myself."
His words set the Quanxing members roaring with laughter.
Of course they understood what he meant by "send you on your way"—he was sending them to their deaths.
For years, that had been Quanxing's line. Now it had been thrown right back at them.
The brawny Quanxing man reached for the long saber at his waist and sneered. "Kid, you're asking for trouble. Do you even know how to spell 'death'?"
The men had no fear of him. The youth had a clean-cut face, black hair, and dark eyes. He didn't look a day over twenty. Even if he was a disciple of the Sanyi Sect, he could only be an early-stage practitioner of Triple Inverse Life's second level.
With several capable fighters among them, why should they be afraid?
The men all broke into cruel smiles and drew weapons of various shapes and sizes.
On top of that, each of them carried a gun.
Clearly, they were well practiced at this sort of violent crime. They might even be bandits or horse thieves.
The moment the other patrons saw the tense standoff in the inn, they sensibly fled, afraid of getting splattered with blood.
The vicious-looking brawny man grinned excitedly and laughed wildly. "Kid, we don't care what your connection to the Sanyi Sect is. Even with the old man Zuo dead, you're still bold enough to act so arrogantly."
"You're staying right here today."
"It'd be a waste to kill you outright. Better to break your arms and legs first and make you suffer."
The Quanxing members all looked wildly arrogant, like the outlaws of the greenwood.
Then the brawny man circulated his qi and charged with his saber, moving two or three times faster than an ordinary person.
His strike was vicious, clearly aimed at taking a life.
Before the blade could even fall, the brawny man suddenly saw darkness. It felt as if something had slammed into him, and he went flying sideways.
For a moment, the Quanxing men had no idea what had happened. Then they saw their companion lying dozens of meters away, his fate unknown.
That single blow seemed to carry the force of a thousand jun.
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