Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Killing and Plotting
"Doesn’t matter. This is even better. He’s asking to die, which saves us the trouble. We can just tell Xie Yu we drove him to his death."
"Even if his willpower is top-notch, at most it just means he can endure a little more. It doesn’t mean he can actually ignore the damage from the Sword Intent."
Despite their surprise, the two of them broke into laughter.
Without giving it much more thought, they steeled themselves and continued their pursuit.
Even though they were sure Zhang Chi would die if he went any further, they wanted to see it with their own eyes to be certain.
They also wanted to get their hands on the contents of Zhang Chi’s Storage Bag.
After all, Zhang Chi was an Alchemy Master. He was bound to be quite wealthy.
"Huh? Something’s not right. Where’d that kid go? Could he have spotted us and deliberately changed direction to escape?"
But after advancing a little further, they found that Zhang Chi had vanished without a trace, and a sense of foreboding suddenly washed over them.
"We can’t go any further. Otherwise, regardless of whether he dies, we’ll be in danger!"
"Alright, let’s head back first!"
And so, the two men decisively gave up and prepared to leave the Sword Testing Valley.
But just as they turned, they saw a young cultivator with an imposing figure standing behind them. He had appeared at some unknown moment and was now watching them coldly.
"This is bad!"
"It’s you?"
The two men jumped in fright, the hairs on their arms standing on end.
Moreover, they recognized him at a glance: the young cultivator was none other than Zhang Chi.
Zhang Chi had ventured this deep into the Sword Testing Valley and seemed completely unharmed. He had even appeared behind them without a sound, and they hadn’t noticed him at all. Something was clearly wrong.
Unfortunately for them, before the two could react, Zhang Chi had already raised his hand and unleashed his Bamboo Leaf Flying Sword.
RUMBLE...
Instantly, the air crackled with wind and thunder as the Sword Light shot forth.
"Damn it, we were wrong! The one who killed the Demon Rats wasn’t Chen Bufan, it was Zhang Chi!"
"How is this possible? How could he have mastered the Entry Level of the Sword Control Technique so quickly? No, this seems to be even beyond the Entry Level!"
The two were utterly horrified. It finally dawned on them that Zhang Chi had deceived them.
But it was already too late.
The Sword Light, like a Flood Dragon, closed in an instant. With a single casual sweep, it struck them with an immense force that sent them flying backward.
Before they even hit the ground, the Sword Light shadowed them, striking again and sending them flying once more.
The Sword Light continued its bombardment, and in the blink of an eye, they were knocked deeper into the Sword Testing Valley.
Meanwhile, the immense force of the Sword Light’s impacts knocked them unconscious. Then, under the influence of the valley’s Sword Intent, they soon stopped breathing.
The golden light from the Spirit Talismans on their bodies also dissipated in an instant.
If left here, it wouldn’t be long before the fierce winds destroyed their corpses, leaving no trace behind. Even their Magic Robes would only slightly slow the process.
Zhang Chi, meanwhile, used the Wind Manipulation Technique to follow from afar.
Once he saw they were dead, he waved his hand to recall his Flying Sword. It began to circle him slowly, ready to defend or strike again at a moment’s notice.
After waiting a moment longer to confirm they weren’t feigning death, he finally approached the fallen bodies and removed their Storage Bags.
In truth, even with their Vajra Talismans, the two couldn’t have blocked Zhang Chi’s Sword Light.
However, Zhang Chi had deliberately controlled his power. He didn’t break through their Protective Spiritual Light, but merely knocked them back, all so he could use the valley’s Sword Intent to finish them off.
This way, he not only eliminated his opponents but also left almost no trace of his involvement.
POP!
Since the Storage Bags were now ownerless, Zhang Chi sent a surge of Spiritual Power into them. In the blink of an eye, he erased the original Spiritual Power imprints and successfully opened them.
’What’s the deal with these two? As far as I know, they don’t come from a prominent family, do they?’
’Could it be that all this stuff is actually their payment from the Xie Family for the mission?’
’Whatever. In any case, it’s all mine now, haha!’
Upon inspecting the contents, Zhang Chi was pleasantly surprised.
It turned out the Storage Bags contained far more than he had anticipated.
But he had no time to take a detailed inventory, so he immediately transferred all the goods into his own Storage Bag.
Of course, he didn’t take their Storage Bags or the standard-issue items within, such as the Golden Bamboo Leaf Flying Swords.
These items could easily be traced back to their owners, and the Sect might even be able to locate them using a Secret Technique.
Next, Zhang Chi put the two Storage Bags back where he found them, cleaned up the area, and then carried the two bodies deeper into the Sword Testing Valley.
’Alright, this spot should do.’
’Junior Martial Uncle Chen, my apologies, but you’ll have to be the scapegoat for this. Don’t worry, though. I’ll be sure to repay you tenfold in the future!’
A moment later, Zhang Chi had gone more than four hundred yards deeper before he threw the two bodies to the ground.
---
’Hmm? Someone’s passing by? Could it be one of the Junior Martial Uncles from the Sect?’
’But as far as I know, there aren’t many Junior Martial Uncles who are masters of the Sword Dao with skill greater than mine. And none of them should be in cultivation in seclusion here recently, right?’
’Besides, this person’s aura doesn’t seem particularly strong. Could it be one of my fellow Foundation Establishment disciples who’s been hiding their true strength?’
At this moment, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in white robes entered the Sword Testing Valley from the south. He had just arrived at a depth of two hundred yards and had only been cultivating for a short time when a look of surprise crossed his face.
This cultivator was none other than Chen Bufan.
He used to only be able to cultivate at a depth of one hundred yards. Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, his Divine Soul was stronger, so he had moved to a depth of two hundred yards.
Moreover, even after reaching Foundation Establishment, he had not stopped practicing his Sword Control Technique for a single day.
He believed that among his peers in the Sect, the number of cultivators who could match his skill was few and far between.
But just now, he had spotted a figure in the distance quickly passing by, heading deeper into the valley.
’I’ll go take a look. We’re all from the same Sect. They probably won’t mind an introduction, right?’
Chen Bufan was extremely proud and competitive, so he quickly made his decision and immediately followed in the direction the figure had gone.
As it happened, while he could only cultivate at a depth of two hundred yards, he could actually venture deeper—up to a maximum of five hundred yards.
It was just that he couldn’t stay long at such a depth. He even needed to rely on external aids for protection, to say nothing of practicing his Sword Control Technique.
And so, he soon arrived at a depth of four hundred yards, only to find the person had long since vanished.
’Did I imagine it? Or do they not want to be seen?’
Chen Bufan couldn’t help but feel puzzled and a little frustrated.
In this valley, both his sight and his Divine Thought were hampered by the gales of Sword Intent. His detection range was extremely limited, so he had been completely unable to get a clear look at the figure.
’Hmm? Why are there two Outer Disciples here? And they’re both dead? Were they insane, coming all the way out here? Could they have heard about the changes to the Sect assessment and gotten desperate?’
Chen Bufan was about to look around a bit more before leaving if he still couldn’t find anyone.
But just then, he suddenly noticed two corpses lying on the ground not far away.
’Could that have been them I saw earlier?’
’Impossible. They couldn’t have moved that fast. And even if it was them, they wouldn’t have died so silently.’
’Someone must have deliberately lured me here!’
’This is bad! Someone is trying to frame me!’
Chen Bufan’s mind raced. His expression shifted, and he immediately decided to get away from this place.
SWOOSH...
But at that exact moment, a dazzling Escape Light streaked across the horizon, then descended directly into the Sword Testing Valley from high above.
"So it was you!"
The next moment, two angry voices rang out simultaneously.
