Wang Zhenfeng

Back to the matter at hand.

Xiao Yuanjun asked, "Where are you now? Have you run into any danger?"

She had actually wanted to contact Zhang Yuan for some time. With [Myriad Coexistence], she could easily draw his consciousness into her Dao Domain.

Yet she had tried several times over the past few days, only to return empty-handed each time, unable to pull his consciousness in.

Only today, when the connection through [Myriad Coexistence] suddenly deepened a little, had she finally gained an opportunity to speak with him.

It was strange. In principle, a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being should have been able to influence someone in the Qi Refinement Realm with ease. Yet Zhang Yuan's consciousness stood as firm as a mountain, utterly impossible to shake.

"I'm in Liu Family Village, near Dragon Creek City in the Ao Kingdom. I'm staying at a villager named Chen Qinkuai's home. There hasn't been any danger," Zhang Yuan said.

Xiao Yuanjun had already attained the rank of Heavenly Being and could be considered his strongest backer. If she could come over, his safety would have another layer of protection.

"You've traveled quite far. Even I've never been to the Ao Kingdom," Xiao Yuanjun said in surprise.

The Bian Kingdom was no short distance from the Ao Kingdom. Zhang Yuan must not have stopped walking since leaving the Bian Kingdom's Capital City.

"Then stay in that Liu Family Village for now. A [Thunderstrike Baleful Force] has just emerged here. Once I've collected it, I'll come find you."

"You can also keep an ear out for news of [Gale Baleful Force] and try sensing it."

With that, Xiao Yuanjun touched a finger to Zhang Yuan's brow.

The temple scenery receded like the tide. Zhang Yuan's consciousness gradually sank, crossing that expanse of chaotic space once more before returning to Chen Qinkuai's home.

Sitting cross-legged, Zhang Yuan abruptly opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

The sun had set behind the western hills, and the side room was pitch-black. He had sat on the bed for an entire day.

[Gale Baleful Force]... I can keep an ear out for it, but there's no need to force the issue.

Zhang Yuan recalled Xiao Yuanjun's words and thought to himself.

The black-robed old man he had killed earlier possessed the divine ability [Mirage Wind], which contained a strand of [Gale Baleful Force]. Judging from that, [Gale Baleful Force] was not particularly rare.

Everything else could wait until Xiao Yuanjun arrived.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Yuan rose and left the eastern side room to stretch his limbs in the yard.

The main bedroom and western side room were both dark, with faint sounds of breathing coming from within. It seemed Chen Qinkuai and Chen Xinqiao had already gone to bed.

As he entered the yard, Zhang Yuan suddenly slowed his steps. His gaze shifted slightly as he opened all five senses.

Something's wrong.

There seemed to be more than just Chen Qinkuai's and Chen Xinqiao's breathing nearby. Someone else was in the yard... above it.

With a thought, Zhang Yuan unleashed [Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace] and vanished from where he stood. At the same time, [Myriad Coexistence] formed ten iron chains that shot toward the eastern side room's roof and the entrance.

Boom!

The eastern side room's roof collapsed with a crash.

A figure landed on the ground in front of Zhang Yuan.

At the same time, someone pushed open the gate to Chen Qinkuai's home. The ratlike Liu Junmao walked in, peering cautiously around, with the Liu Family Elderly Woman and Liu Yulan following behind him.

Fear filled Liu Yulan's eyes as she glanced at the blood-red-robed figure standing in the yard.

"Master Jun, are you sure this will be all right?"

Liu Junmao glanced at her and whispered, "Long hair, short wits. This is an immortal from the Wang Household of Dragon Creek City. What could possibly go wrong?"

In truth, he was not confident either.

He had informed the Wang Household that a cultivator was protecting Chen Xinqiao, so they had sent a cultivator along, determined to bring her back.

But who the hell knew whether the Wang Household's cultivator or the one in the yard was stronger?

Had the Wang Household's cultivator not insisted that he come, he would never have set a single foot inside the yard.

Hearing Liu Junmao's words, Liu Yulan breathed a sigh of relief, anticipation rising within her.

Getting those fifty taels of silver had truly taken the strength of nine oxen and two tigers.

Zhang Yuan glanced at Liu Junmao and the two women. Once he confirmed that none of them posed a threat, he turned his attention to the young man opposite him.

The young man wore a long robe and stood tall, his bearing imposing. He cradled a Three-Foot Sword in his arms, his gaze brimming with disdain as he looked at Zhang Yuan.

Another Aristocratic Clan scion.

The moment Zhang Yuan saw that look, he understood the man's background.

The Wang Household of Dragon Creek City.

"Wang Zhenfeng of the Wang Household of Dragon Creek City. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?" Wang Zhenfeng introduced himself haughtily.

Zhang Yuan chuckled, refusing to be outdone, and declared in a ringing voice, "I am Li Huixi of the Eastern Bian Li Clan!"

Wang Zhenfeng hesitated for a moment, then immediately frowned.

Others might not know, but he did: the younger generation of the Eastern Bian Li Clan all used the generational character "Jie" in their names. Even younger members of a senior generation would belong to the "Hou" generation.

"Hui" was an inauspicious character. Whether the Eastern Bian Li Clan's genealogy even included such a generation was doubtful!

He's toying with me!

"You refuse the toast, only to drink the penalty wine!" Wang Zhenfeng frowned, drew his sword, and slashed forward.

Whoosh!

A streak of sword qi arrived in an instant!

Tsk. Li Huixi's name really is useless. It's never intimidated anyone I've met. How humiliating.

Seeing Wang Zhenfeng attack without another word after hearing the name, Zhang Yuan could not help grumbling inwardly.

His figure flashed as he dodged the sword qi.

The sword qi was exceptionally sharp, carving a sword mark into the ground and splitting the earth three inches deep.

"Not a divine ability, but an Outer Dao method."

Zhang Yuan took a glance, then looked at the labels above Wang Zhenfeng's head: three blue and one gray.

[Dual-Path Practitioner][Outer Dao Sword Cultivator][Scion of the Foundation-Building Lineage, the Wang Household of Dragon Creek City][Disdain]

Zhang Yuan could not help giving Wang Zhenfeng another look.

This was the first cultivator he had met who practiced both the sha ingestion gang devoration path and the outer qi refinement path. He found it rather novel.

Still, it seemed Wang Zhenfeng's cultivation in both paths was mediocre. He did not have even a single purple label.

That makes things easy.

Having ascertained his opponent's strength, Zhang Yuan manifested countless iron chains and simultaneously applied [Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace] to them.

The chains flickered between substance and illusion, truth and falsehood, as they hurtled toward Wang Zhenfeng.

Wang Zhenfeng frowned.

When they first met, Zhang Yuan had concealed his aura, leaving Wang Zhenfeng unable to determine his cultivation realm. That was why he had tested him with Outer Dao sword qi.

But now, he could see that this man was truly no ordinary opponent.

At least a six-turn qi refinement Perfected Being!

So young, with such an otherworldly bearing—nothing like a Rogue Cultivator. Could he really be from the Eastern Bian Li Clan?

For a moment, Wang Zhenfeng could not decide. But with the chains bearing down on him, he drew his sword and slashed again.

This time, it was not sword qi, but a streak of snow-white sword light.

This was an offensive divine ability.

The sword light flashed and vanished. Every iron chain manifested by [Myriad Coexistence] snapped apart, their imago collapsing and scattering between Heaven and Earth.

This isn't good.

Zhang Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he secretly sensed the sword light from moments before and thought to himself.

The sword-light divine ability was called [Heaven-Splitting Slash]. Judging by its performance, it could sever all things—even karma!

This divine ability was the natural bane of the iron chains manifested by [Myriad Coexistence].

Wang Zhenfeng sheathed his sword and said, "Regardless of who you are, fellow Daoist, you need only hand over the girl today to gain the friendship of our Wang Household of Dragon Creek City. Consider it for yourself."

Although their Wang Household could not count as a first-rank Aristocratic Clan within Dragon Creek City, it was at least among the second-rank Aristocratic Clans!

Simply handing over one useless mortal would make him an honored guest of their Wang Household. Countless people could only dream of such good fortune.

If the other man was smart, Wang Zhenfeng believed he would know which choice to make.