Mystic Whale Gang

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

He could sense people following behind him, the faint sound of hoofbeats carrying over from the rear.

There were plenty of horses and travelers on the official road, but when Chen Yuan sped up, those behind him sped up; when he slowed down, they slowed down. They were definitely after him.

And judging by the sound, there seemed to be quite a few of them.

Chen Yuan was slightly puzzled. What group was this?

People from the Ironclad Sect? Or people on good terms with the Ironclad Sect?

Probably not.

This was not the Ironclad Sect's territory, and Chen Yuan had just slaughtered their men at Yellow Dragon Post Station. If these people truly had ties to the Ironclad Sect, they would not have stood by and watched.

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

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

After night fell, Chen Yuan lay on the bed and extinguished the lamp to rest. A faint sound came from outside, then vanished again.

Estimating the timing, Chen Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, leaped straight out the window, and gave chase in the direction where the sound had disappeared.

The intruder moved lightly and must have specifically trained in qinggong.

However, Chen Yuan's five senses were exceptionally sharp. Unless that person could truly leave no trace upon snow, he could not hide from Chen Yuan.

Those heightened senses were not innate. They had only appeared after he experienced the impact of Blood Fiend energy.

The core power of the Seven Kill Stele was the Source of Killing Intent. This was a primordial force of heaven and earth, not something that could be cultivated after birth.

After merging with the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment and having blood fiend energy enter his body, Chen Yuan had likewise been tainted by a trace of that power. This had made his five senses keen, as though he had been born exceptionally perceptive.

The benefits brought by merging with the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment were not limited to the obvious power of his techniques, but also included 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 jaws had been extremely correct.

The person investigating Chen Yuan wore black night clothes. Agile as an ape, he slipped through the window of an inn not far away in just a few movements.

Six people had gathered inside that inn. Their clothing differed from that of Youzhou locals and more closely resembled the attire of Lan Prefecture.

"How was it? Did you find out anything?"

Seeing him return, the sturdy man with a small mustache who appeared to be the leader 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 and only observed from outside. But he really is young. He looks barely over twenty. Could he truly be a disciple taken in by Zuo Xinglie?"

"Even if he isn't Zuo Xinglie's disciple, he definitely has some connection to Zuo Xinglie!

"You all saw him act at Yellow Dragon Post Station. That saber technique was definitely the Autumn Water Startled Swan Saber!"

A flash of hatred appeared in the sturdy man's eyes. "My master died beneath that swift blade all those years ago.

"In a flash, a head fell to the ground.

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

"And the way he drove his internal energy was like surging, crashing waves, with astonishing explosive force. There is a ninety percent chance it was the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula."

A short man looked troubled. "We thought Zuo Xinglie had already been crippled, so the few of us brothers would have more than enough strength to capture him.

"But who would have thought that he had trained such a powerful disciple?

"You all saw him act at Yellow Dragon Post Station. Even if the few 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. However, the brothers had worked together for many years and coordinated seamlessly, so they dared to fight even ordinary Qi Forging Realm martial artists.

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

"It doesn't matter. Third Brother, go back and send word. Have the gang dispatch experts. The rest of us will keep following him.

"Perhaps following him will lead us straight to Zuo Xinglie. Youzhou is so vast; it will save us brothers the trouble of searching everywhere."

After listening for quite some time, 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 Station and thus followed him.

It had to be said that old Zuo Xinglie really was shrewd.

Knowing that the Mystic Whale Gang was still searching for him, he had immediately handed over his techniques to draw away the heat. It was indeed an effective move.

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 techniques and truly benefited from them. He might as well help clear out these people for him.

Of course, the more important reason was that they had foolishly set their sights on him.

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

The instant he stuck his head out, a hand coiled around his neck like a spirit serpent or giant python.

With a crisp crack, Third Brother's head went limp at once. He did not even manage a scream.

"There's a perfectly good door, yet you insist on using the window. What kind of habit is that?"

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

"No need to waste your effort looking for Zuo Xinglie. Today, I'll send you all on your way."

The leader's eyes were filled with terror. Just as he was about to shout for them to flee—

The next moment, dazzling saber light flashed before his eyes.

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

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

His master had taught him martial arts and possessed exquisite spear skills. The man he had regarded as an idol had not even managed to thrust out a single spear before Zuo Xinglie. Before that startling flash of a blade, his master's head had been severed, blood spraying all over him.

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

And now, facing such a strike again, terror surged up within the leader's heart. For a moment, he even forgot to make a move.

By the time he regained his senses, Chen Yuan had killed his four gang brothers in an instant. The splattering blood drenched him once more, exactly as it had back then.

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

But it was already too late.

The Azure Dragon Blooddrinker Saber was at his throat in an instant. Its icy edge pressed against his windpipe, capable of easily slicing open his throat.

With a clang, the spear fell to the floor.

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

The man was afraid. He had lost his nerve, so terrified that he no longer even had the courage to strike.

The Mystic Whale Gang, which dominated the Nine-Dragon River, had members of this caliber? They seemed inferior even to the Ironclad Sect.

At least those muscle-brained Ironclad Sect members might not have been clever, but they truly did not fear death. They dared to use their bodies to clash head-on with Chen Yuan.

Of course, Chen Yuan did not know that Zuo Xinglie had already scared the courage out of him years ago.

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

The leader wept and pleaded, completely unlike the calm figure who had issued orders before.

"It's fine if you were looking for Zuo Xinglie, but you just had to set your sights on me. That's courting death."

Chen Yuan shook his head lightly, then suddenly asked, "You already knew Zuo Xinglie had been crippled?"

The leader hurriedly nodded. "Over the years, while tracking Zuo Xinglie, we uncovered quite a few clues. We can be almost certain that he has become a cripple."

"If that's the case, why did you go to such lengths to hunt Zuo Xinglie? You even pursued him all the way from Lan Prefecture to Youzhou. Not even the hatred of a stolen wife or murdered father would warrant this, would it? Besides, your Mystic Whale Gang already killed Zuo Xinglie's entire family. Was that not enough to satisfy your hatred?"

This was a question that had long puzzled Chen Yuan.

If the Mystic Whale Gang did not know Zuo Xinglie had been crippled, then it was understandable. They might fear that he would come back for revenge, and wanting to eliminate the roots was only natural.

But they clearly knew Zuo Xinglie had been crippled and could no longer pose any threat to the Mystic Whale Gang, yet they still pursued him relentlessly. Was it worth it?

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

The leader hesitated before saying, "Because Zuo Xinglie possesses a heaven-grade technique that our gang leader has always wanted."

"A heaven-grade technique? Tell me exactly what happened."

With all his brothers dead, the leader was completely hopeless.

Returning to the gang in such a state would only bring severe punishment. So he simply poured everything out to Chen Yuan.

"The lower reaches of the Nine-Dragon River lead directly into the Eastern Sea. Back then, both our 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-grade technique called the 'Emperor's Aura-Observing Art.'

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

"That bloody battle was not merely to fight over control of the Nine-Dragon River. It was also to fight over that heaven-grade technique."

Chen Yuan immediately understood.

No wonder the Mystic Whale Gang had pursued him without relent all these years.

A crippled Zuo Xinglie was not worth the Mystic Whale Gang making such a massive effort.

But Zuo Xinglie, who possessed a heaven-grade technique, was worth the Mystic Whale Gang going to such lengths to find.

Chen Yuan had heard of the Emperor's Aura-Observing Art.

This technique was a Daoist tome of wonders. It observed qi and gazed upon heaven, possessing endless might. Even among heaven-grade techniques, it ranked among the very best.

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

Chen Yuan had never imagined that it was actually in Zuo Xinglie's possession. He had brushed past this top-tier heaven-grade technique without ever knowing it.

Come to think of it, the technique Chen Yuan was searching for this time—the one that could solve the problem of blood fiend energy losing control—also had some connection to the Emperor's Aura-Observing Art.