Mystic Whale Gang

Chen Yuan left Yellow Dragon Post. He had only ridden for a short while when he frowned slightly.

He could sense someone following him from behind, faint hoofbeats drifting over from the rear.

There were plenty of horses and travelers along the official road, but when Chen Yuan went fast, those behind him went fast; when Chen Yuan slowed, they slowed as well. They were definitely coming for him.

And from the sound of it, there seemed to be quite a few of them.

Chen Yuan was slightly puzzled. What faction was this now?

People from the Iron Garb Sect? Or people close to the Iron Garb Sect?

Probably not.

This was not the Iron Garb Sect's territory. Besides, Chen Yuan had slaughtered Iron Garb Sect members earlier. If they truly had ties to the Iron Garb Sect, they would not have stood idly by.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Yuan pretended not to notice. After galloping for several dozen li, he found a town and settled in for the night.

He had originally intended to find a blacksmith here anyway and have a sheath made for his Azure Dragon Blooddrinker.

After nightfall, Chen Yuan lay in bed with the lamp extinguished, resting. A faint sound came from outside, then vanished again.

Judging the timing, Chen Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, leapt straight out the window, and pursued the direction from which the sound had disappeared.

The intruder moved lightly. They had likely trained specifically in lightness skill.

But Chen Yuan's five senses were exceptionally keen. Unless the man could truly leave no trace upon snow, he could not hide from Chen Yuan.

These senses were not inborn. They had only emerged after he experienced the impact of Blood Fiend.

The core of the Seven Kill Stele's power was the Source of Killing Intent. This power was a primal force between Heaven and Earth, not something that could be cultivated after birth.

By fusing with the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment and allowing Blood Fiend to enter his body, Chen Yuan had likewise been tainted by a trace of that power. This had made his five senses sharp, as though he had been born with an agile spirit.

The benefits brought by fusing with the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment were not limited to the cultivation technique and power visible on the surface. There were also these subtle changes to his body.

Chen Yuan increasingly felt that his decision to take a gamble and snatch the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment from the Murong Clan's tiger jaws had been an exceedingly correct one.

The man investigating Chen Yuan wore black night clothes. Nimble as an ape, he slipped through a nearby inn's window in just a few movements.

Six people had gathered within that inn. Their clothes and appearance differed from those of Youzhou locals, more closely resembling the style of Lan Prefecture.

"How was it? Did you find anything?"

Seeing him return, the sturdy, mustached man leading the group hurriedly asked.

"Nothing useful."

The martial artist in night clothes shook his head. "That fellow went to sleep as soon as he entered the inn. I didn't dare enter his room, only observe from outside. But he truly is young. He looks barely over twenty. Could he really be a disciple Zuo Xinglie took in?"

"Even if he isn't Zuo Xinglie's disciple, he definitely has something to do with Zuo Xinglie!

"You all should have seen him fight at Yellow Dragon Post earlier. That saber technique was definitely the Autumn Water Startled Swan Saber!"

Hatred surfaced in the sturdy man's eyes. "My master died beneath that swift blade back then.

"With a flash like a startled swan, his head fell to the ground.

"I will never forget that strike for as long as I live!

"And the way his inner force moved was like surging, monstrous waves. Its explosive force was extremely powerful. There's a ninety percent chance it was the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula."

A short man looked troubled. "We thought Zuo Xinglie had already become crippled, that us brothers would have more than enough strength to capture him.

"Who would have thought he had trained such a powerful disciple?

"You all saw him act at Yellow Dragon Post. Even if all of us joined forces, we probably still wouldn't be enough for him to kill."

All six of them were in the Blood-Shifting Realm. Yet after years of working together, the brothers had developed seamless coordination. They even dared battle ordinary Qi Forging Realm martial artists.

But Chen Yuan was no ordinary man. He had already displayed astonishing combat strength at Yellow Dragon Post. They did not dare confront him head-on.

"It's fine. Third Brother, go back and send word. Have the gang dispatch experts. We'll keep following him from behind.

"Perhaps by following him, we can find Zuo Xinglie directly. Youzhou is so vast—it will save us brothers the time and effort of searching everywhere."

After listening for a while, Chen Yuan finally understood. These people had been sent by the Mystic Whale Gang to hunt down Zuo Xinglie. They had recognized his martial arts at Yellow Dragon Post and thus followed him.

It had to be said, that old fellow Zuo Xinglie really was shrewd as a ghost.

Knowing that the Mystic Whale Gang was still searching for him, he had immediately handed over his cultivation techniques to draw away the firepower. This move truly was effective.

In the original plot, they found Linked Mountains City not long afterward and discovered Zuo Xinglie there.

So be it. Chen Yuan had taken Zuo Xinglie's cultivation techniques and indeed received benefits from them. He might as well help him clean up these people.

Of course, the more important reason was that they had actually targeted him without knowing whether they lived or died.

Third Brother, dressed in night clothes, nodded and lifted the window open, about to leave.

The moment he poked his head outside, a hand wound around his neck like a spirit serpent and giant python.

With a crisp crack, Third Brother's head instantly went limp. He did not even let out a scream.

"Instead of using the perfectly good door, you insist on going through the window. What kind of habit is that?"

Chen Yuan stepped in through the window carrying Third Brother's corpse, giving the remaining five a chilling smile.

"No need to trouble yourselves searching for Zuo Xinglie. Today, I'll send you on your way."

The eldest brother's eyes filled with terror. Just as he was about to shout and flee—

The next moment, that dazzling saber light, flashing like a startled swan, lit up before his eyes.

This strike was incomparably familiar. He could not forget it even in his dreams.

Several years ago, he had merely been an ordinary Mystic Whale Gang member, following his master to suppress the Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance.

His master, who had taught him martial arts, wielded a superb spear, and whom he had regarded as an idol, had not even managed to thrust out a single spear before Zuo Xinglie. Before that Swan-Startling Saber Strike, his head had been severed, blood spraying all over his face.

He had not died only because he was too weak—so weak that Zuo Xinglie could not even be bothered to waste effort on him.

And now, facing such a strike again, terror surged up within the eldest brother once more. For a moment, he even forgot to fight back.

By the time he came back to himself, Chen Yuan had already slain four gang brothers in the blink of an eye. Their splashing blood drenched him again, exactly as it had back then.

With a grief-stricken roar, the eldest brother tried to seize the spear at his side, but for some reason, his hand suddenly trembled. He nearly failed to grip his weapon.

But it was already too late.

The Azure Dragon Blooddrinker was at his neck in an instant. Its icy edge pressed tightly against his throat and could easily slice it open.

With a clang, the spear fell to the floor.

Chen Yuan looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

The man was afraid. He was timid. He was so terrified that he no longer even had the courage to make a move.

This was the caliber of Mystic Whale Gang members who dominated the Nine-Dragon River? They seemed inferior even to the Iron Garb Sect.

At least those muscle-headed Iron Garb Sect members might not have been bright, but they truly did not fear death. They had dared use their flesh and blood to clash head-on with Chen Yuan.

Of course, Chen Yuan did not know that Zuo Xinglie had scared the man out of his wits long ago.

"Please, spare my life! I won't return to the Mystic Whale Gang. I swear I'll never reveal your or Zuo Xinglie's whereabouts!"

The eldest brother sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face. He bore no resemblance to the calm figure issuing orders earlier.

"It would have been one thing if you were looking for Zuo Xinglie. But you just had to set your sights on me. That means you were courting death."

Chen Yuan lightly shook his head, then suddenly asked, "You knew long ago that Zuo Xinglie had become crippled?"

The eldest brother hurriedly nodded. "Over the years, we tracked Zuo Xinglie's traces and found many clues. We could say with near certainty that he has become a cripple."

"If that's the case, why go to such lengths to hunt down Zuo Xinglie? You even chased him all the way from Lan Prefecture to Youzhou. Even the hatred of a wife being taken or a father being murdered would be no more than this, right? Besides, your Mystic Whale Gang already killed Zuo Xinglie's entire family. Was that not enough to vent your anger?"

This was something Chen Yuan had always found puzzling.

If the Mystic Whale Gang did not know Zuo Xinglie was crippled, it would be understandable. Fearing that he might rise again to settle old scores, it was normal to pull up the weeds by their roots.

But they clearly knew Zuo Xinglie had been crippled and could no longer threaten the Mystic Whale Gang at all. Was it worth pursuing him so relentlessly?

The Mystic Whale Gang's leader was being far too petty.

The eldest brother hesitated for a moment before saying, "Because Zuo Xinglie possesses a Heaven Tier cultivation technique that the gang leader has always wanted."

"A Heaven Tier cultivation technique? Tell me exactly what happened."

With all his brothers dead, the eldest brother had fallen into complete despair.

Even if he returned to the gang in such a state, he would still face severe punishment. He might as well pour everything out like beans from a bamboo tube and confess it all to Chen Yuan.

"The lower reaches of the Nine-Dragon River flow straight into the Eastern Sea. Back then, both the gang leader and Zuo Xinglie traveled to the Eastern Sea.

"They discovered a sect ruin on an island at the same time and found a Heaven Tier cultivation technique called the Son of Heaven Qi-Watching Art.

"Zuo Xinglie plotted an ambush against the gang leader and seized the cultivation technique. Only then did the gang leader mobilize the full strength of the Mystic Whale Gang to destroy the Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance.

"That bloody battle was not only for control over the Nine-Dragon River, but also for this Heaven Tier cultivation technique."

Chen Yuan immediately understood after hearing this.

No wonder the Mystic Whale Gang had pursued Zuo Xinglie so relentlessly all these years.

A crippled Zuo Xinglie was not worth the Mystic Whale Gang making such a tremendous fuss.

But a Zuo Xinglie carrying a Heaven Tier cultivation technique was worth the Mystic Whale Gang expending such effort to find.

Chen Yuan had heard of the Son of Heaven Qi-Watching Art.

This technique was an extraordinary Daoist School tome. It observed qi and contemplated the heavens, possessing boundless might. Even among the many Heaven Tier cultivation techniques, it ranked among the very best.

In the original plot, this cultivation technique had appeared only as background information.

Chen Yuan had never expected it to be on Zuo Xinglie. He had brushed shoulders with this top-tier Heaven Tier cultivation technique.

Speaking of which, the cultivation technique Chen Yuan sought this time—the one capable of resolving the problem of Blood Fiend losing control—also had some connection to the Son of Heaven Qi-Watching Art.