Of Course, I'll Kill You

Chu Ziping leaped down from a tree more than ten paces behind Chen Yuan. Smiling without quite smiling, he looked at Chen Yuan. "Third Brother, your senses are sharp enough."

Chen Yuan said nothing, merely gazing calmly at Chu Ziping.

After parting ways with Skywind Rain-Listening Tower's spy, Chen Yuan had sensed someone watching him.

But at the time, Chen Yuan had been anxious to pursue Zuo Xinglie and had not investigated.

After all, priorities mattered. If Zuo Xinglie truly escaped without a trace, Chen Yuan would only be shooting himself in the foot, all his scheming for nothing.

The other party had trailed behind him all the way, but his aura was obvious, and his control over internal force was far inferior to Chen Yuan's. Chen Yuan had long since understood, only exposing him now.

"Why aren't you watching Eldest Brother? What are you following me for?"

Chu Ziping burst into laughter. "Eldest Brother is an idiot. What is there to watch? But Third Brother, you really have given me quite the surprise.

"I always thought you were an honest man. Foster Father thought you were an honest man too.

"Who would have thought that among us three brothers, you were the least honest one!

"For the sake of this cultivation art, you concealed things from Foster Father and made an enemy of Lan Prefecture's Mystic Whale Gang. Tsk, tsk. Third Brother, you truly have some nerve!

"Do you know what level of gang the Mystic Whale Gang is? You've stirred up enormous trouble this time!"

At first, Chu Ziping had not intended to follow Chen Yuan.

One of his men had reported that Chen Yuan had gone out again. Chu Ziping happened to have nothing to do, so he had followed out of curiosity to see what Chen Yuan had been up to these past few days.

Thus, by the time Chu Ziping caught up with Chen Yuan, Chen Yuan had already parted ways with Skywind Rain-Listening Tower's spy.

He had only heard Chen Yuan's conversation with Zuo Xinglie and did not know it had all been Chen Yuan's trap.

"So? What do you want?"

Chen Yuan still looked calmly at Chu Ziping.

Chu Ziping greedily eyed the cultivation art in Chen Yuan's hand.

Others in Linked Mountains City might not know about Zuo Xinglie or the Mystic Whale Gang, but Chu Ziping happened to know.

He had held power several years longer than Chen Yuan. Besides the monthly allowance distributed by the gang, he had invested in several merchant caravans in Linked Mountains City, selling Youzhou's various specialties in the south.

Those caravans had also traveled to the Nine-Dragon River in Lan Prefecture. He had heard of the grudge between the Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance and the Mystic Whale Gang from the caravan managers.

Whether it was the Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance or the Mystic Whale Gang, both were forces far stronger than the Heavenly Wolf Gang. Their cultivation arts were certainly formidable as well.

At the very least, they had to be stronger than the Azure Wood Method Foster Father had taught them, perhaps even stronger than the Black Fiend Art Foster Father kept hidden away.

"Third Brother, hand over the cultivation art. I'll help you keep this matter hidden and cover your tracks. By then, the Mystic Whale Gang definitely won't be able to trace it back to us.

"Also, from now on, you must stand on my side within the gang. Help me deal with that idiot Eldest Brother and take control of the Heavenly Wolf Gang!

"Don't worry. Once I become gang leader, I definitely won't treat you poorly. At the very least, the position of deputy gang leader will be yours!"

"Foster Father is still in the prime of life, yet you can't wait to take control of the Heavenly Wolf Gang?"

Chu Ziping sneered. "Third Brother, stop pretending. Foster Father has always been on guard against us.

"He won't teach us the Black Fiend Art and Northern Dipper Sky Wolf Slash until the day he dies.

"Follow me, and you might still have a chance to rise. Follow Foster Father, and you'll never rise in your entire life!

"Enough nonsense. Hand over the cultivation art. You have no choice."

Chen Yuan suddenly asked, "No one knows you came to find me?"

"Don't worry. My men only told me that you had left the Heavenly Wolf Gang. Following you was merely a whim of mine; I didn't tell anyone else.

"As long as you know the times, this will be a secret between the two of us. There absolutely won't be a third person who knows."

Chu Ziping thought Chen Yuan was worried that someone else might learn of the matter, which was why he was uneasy.

Chen Yuan nodded. "If that is the case, then it becomes much simpler. There is actually another path you can choose."

"What path?"

"Of course, I'll kill you."

Chen Yuan raised his head and shook it helplessly. "I truly hadn't planned to kill you. Nor did I want to create extra complications at a time like this. If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for being too curious and too greedy."

Before long, Jiang Kaitai would perform a blood sacrifice with the Seven Kill Stele. Chen Yuan truly did not want to stir up more trouble at such a time.

Chu Ziping and Qin Yuancheng were cannon fodder destined to be used by Jiang Kaitai for the blood sacrifice. Chen Yuan had not intended to alter their plotline either. Those who were meant to die could simply die.

If he killed Chu Ziping now, Chen Yuan feared it might affect the later course of events.

But Chu Ziping had insisted on letting greed cloud his mind, believing he could control Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan could only kill him and cut off future trouble at the root.

"Kill me?"

Chu Ziping sneered. "You overestimate yourself! Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He had not seen Chen Yuan fight Skywind Rain-Listening Tower's spy and still believed Chen Yuan was merely in the Body-Tempering Realm.

Meridian Opening and Body Tempering—one realm apart, their strength differed like heaven and earth!

Previously, Chu Ziping had not only wanted the cultivation art. He had also wanted to control Chen Yuan, have him work for him in the gang, and eliminate Eldest Brother.

Now that Chen Yuan refused to be controlled, he would kill him, seize the cultivation art, and then seek the position of gang leader!

Chu Ziping was decisive as well. Seeing that Chen Yuan would not submit to his control, he drew his saber in an instant.

The willow-leaf saber at his waist left its sheath. His body lunged like a wolf, carrying a howling gale as he slashed straight toward Chen Yuan.

The Heavenly Wolf Saber Art was a fast saber art, and the sabers it used tended toward lightness, thinness, and speed.

Chu Ziping's willow-leaf saber was slimmer than Chen Yuan's Wild Goose Feather Saber, and its speed was extremely swift as well.

Just as Chu Ziping thought he would soon finish Chen Yuan, a clear saber cry suddenly rang out.

A fierce saber shadow struck after yet arrived first—Heavenly Wolf Shadow Strike!

Every slash was faster than Chu Ziping's, striking his willow-leaf saber with bursts of ringing metallic explosions.

The force behind those strikes was so powerful that, from their very first exchange, Chu Ziping felt the tiger's mouths of both hands go slightly numb!

"How is this possible!? When did you enter the Meridian-Unblocking Realm?"

Chu Ziping's face was filled with disbelief.

Chen Yuan had cultivated martial arts for less than two years. How could he have entered the Meridian-Unblocking Realm already, with internal power even more profound than Chu Ziping's?

How could trash like the Azure Wood Method cultivate such deep internal power in less than two years?

Chen Yuan said nothing. His answer to Chu Ziping was a dazzlingly brilliant saber light, like the radiance of a bright moon descending.

Heavenly Wolf Swallowing the Moon!

Chu Ziping let out a roar. Power erupted throughout his body in an instant, and the willow-leaf saber in his hand danced wildly, unleashing piercing saber cries and howls.

Wolf Howls at Heaven and Earth!

The twin sabers collided, scattering sparks in all directions. Chu Ziping immediately grunted and was sent flying back several paces, the hand gripping his saber trembling faintly.

Both used the Heavenly Wolf Saber Art, but Chen Yuan's attainments in saber techniques were undoubtedly far greater than Chu Ziping's.

Just as Wen Rou had said, Chen Yuan's mastery of the Heavenly Wolf Saber Art had already reached the pinnacle of perfection. This saber art was now somewhat unworthy of him.

As for strength, after refining the Nine-Turn Nourishing Origin Pill, Chen Yuan had already reached the peak of the Meridian-Unblocking Realm.

Although Chu Ziping had cultivated martial arts longer, his talent had always been mediocre, and he practiced garbage like the Azure Wood Method. Even now, he was only at the late Meridian-Unblocking Realm.

With such a disparity, Chu Ziping was already in grave danger after only several exchanges.

Seeing himself forced into a desperate situation, Chu Ziping's force suddenly erupted. Pouring every ounce of power into his willow-leaf saber, he thrust toward Chen Yuan's waist.

Chen Yuan blocked with a backhand swing, knocking the willow-leaf saber aside. Then he turned and slashed downward. With a sharp metallic ring, Chu Ziping's willow-leaf saber was cut cleanly in two by Chen Yuan.

Yet Chu Ziping advanced instead of retreating, sliding like a swimming fish into the open space before Chen Yuan's chest and abdomen.

Taking advantage of the gap created when Chen Yuan had turned to break his saber, he fiercely struck Chen Yuan's chest with a palm force carrying sinister baleful energy!

Heart-Shattering Palm!

Over the years, Chu Ziping had invested in many merchant caravans and earned a great deal of private money.

He had not kept that money for pleasure. Part of it was used to win over gang members and other hall masters, while the other part went toward obtaining other cultivation arts to practice in secret.

He knew Jiang Kaitai did not trust adopted sons like them. Until the very end, Jiang Kaitai certainly would not teach them the cultivation arts he kept at the bottom of his chest.

Thus, Chu Ziping had begun secretly searching for other cultivation arts long ago.

The Heart-Shattering Palm was a high-grade Yellow Tier cultivation art. Its palm force was sinister, poisonous, and tyrannical. So long as it made close contact with flesh, its power could penetrate directly into the heart meridians and kill instantly.

However, this palm strike demanded extremely high internal power. With Chu Ziping's current cultivation, he could at most unleash one such strike, so he only dared to use it when he was certain it would hit.

Seeing that his palm was less than three inches from Chen Yuan's chest, a cold smile could not help appearing on Chu Ziping's lips.

But in the next moment, Chen Yuan's hand moved like a nimble serpent, his force like coiling silk, suddenly wrapping around Chu Ziping's arm.

The Silk-Winding Force flowed on without end, dissolving the tyrannical palm force of the Heart-Shattering Palm in an instant.

Then, without warning, it transformed from softness into hardness. His force twisted and strangled, rending metal and shattering jade!

Chu Ziping suddenly let out a miserable scream.

His entire right hand was twisted by Chen Yuan's Coiling Silk Shattered Jade Hand into the shape of a twisted rope. His wrist was torn apart directly, exposing ghastly veins and splintered bone!

Chu Ziping threw a punch at Chen Yuan with his left hand, but Chen Yuan seized it with the Coiling Silk Shattered Jade Hand as well. The bones in his left arm were crushed inch by inch, then the force traveled up along his shoulder to his neck!

Accompanied by a crisp crack of shattering bone, Chu Ziping's neck was crushed to powder by Chen Yuan's Shattered-Jade Force.

"Worthy of a high-grade Profound Tier grappling art. The power it reveals in actual combat is truly formidable."

Looking at Chu Ziping's corpse on the ground, Chen Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

This was his first time using the Coiling Silk Shattered Jade Hand in actual combat, and Chen Yuan was quite satisfied with its power.

As for how to dispose of the corpse, Chen Yuan thought for a moment, then carried it through the dense forest and tossed it into a nearby river.

Leaving it here for wild beasts to gnaw on would work too, but there were too many uncertain factors. Throwing it into the river was safer.

After returning to the Heavenly Wolf Gang, Chen Yuan immediately went into seclusion to cultivate the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula and the Autumn Water, Startling Swan Saber Art.

Before transmigrating, Chen Yuan had often gone into seclusion to cultivate and had been obsessed with martial arts.

Everyone in the gang had grown used to it. No one would find anything strange.