Chapter 29: Chapter 28: Profound Whale Gang
Chen Yuan left the Yellow Dragon Posthouse. After riding for just a moment, he frowned slightly.
He could sense someone following him; the faint sound of hooves drifted from behind.
The official road was bustling with horses and pedestrians, but when Chen Yuan sped up, so did the people behind him. When he slowed down, they slowed down too. They were definitely after him.
And from the sound of it, there seemed to be quite a few of them.
Chen Yuan was a little puzzled. ’Who could this be now?’
’Men from the Iron Armor Sect? Or someone on good terms with them?’
’Probably not.’
This wasn’t the Iron Armor Sect’s territory. Besides, when Chen Yuan had just slaughtered the Iron Armor Sect’s men, if these people were truly allied with the sect, they wouldn’t have just stood by and watched.
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yuan acted as if he hadn’t noticed anything. He galloped for many miles before finding a town to stay in for the night.
He had planned on coming here anyway to find a blacksmith to forge a scabbard for his Cyan Dragon Blood-Drinking Saber.
After nightfall, Chen Yuan lay in bed with the lights out, resting. A faint sound came from outside, then vanished.
Estimating the time that had passed, Chen Yuan’s eyes snapped open. He leaped straight out the window, giving chase in the direction the sound had disappeared.
The person’s movements were very light; they must have specialized in a Lightweight Skill.
But Chen Yuan’s five senses were exceptionally sharp. Unless this person could truly walk on snow without leaving a trace, they couldn’t possibly elude him.
These heightened senses weren’t innate; they had only appeared after he withstood the impact of the Blood Fiend.
The core of the Seven Kills Stele’s power was the Killing Intent Origin. This was a Power of Origin from the very heavens and earth, not something that could be cultivated through training.
By fusing with the Seven Kills Stele Fragment and undergoing Blood Fiend Entering the Body, Chen Yuan had been tinged with a trace of this power. This was what made his senses so keen, as if he were born with a preternatural alertness.
The benefits of fusing with the Seven Kills Stele Fragment weren’t just the obvious power from the Cultivation Technique, but also these subtle physical changes.
Chen Yuan felt more and more certain that his decision to take a gamble and snatch the Seven Kills Stele Fragment from the Murong Family—like pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth—had been absolutely correct.
The person scouting Chen Yuan wore black Night Clothes. With the agility of a monkey, he slipped through the window of a nearby inn in just a few movements.
Inside the inn, six people were gathered. Their clothes were different from those of You Province locals, more akin to the attire of Lan Province.
"Well? Did you find out anything?"
Seeing him return, a sturdy, mustachioed man who seemed to be the leader asked hurriedly.
"Nothing useful."
The Martial Artist in the Night Clothes shook his head. "The guy went into the inn and went straight to sleep. I didn’t dare go inside his room, only observe from outside. But he’s really young, looks like he’s barely in his twenties. Could he really be Zuo Xinglie’s disciple?"
"Even if he’s not Zuo Xinglie’s disciple, he’s definitely connected to him!
You all saw him in action back at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse. That Saber Technique is undoubtedly the Autumn Water Shocking Saber!"
A hint of hatred flickered in the sturdy man’s eyes. "My master died by that very fast saber years ago.
A flash of the Shocking Swan, and a head fell to the ground.
I’ll never forget that slash for the rest of my life!
And the way he channeled his Inner Strength was like surging waves, incredibly explosive. There’s a ninety percent chance it’s the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique."
A short, stout man said with a worried expression, "We thought Zuo Xinglie was already crippled, that the few of us brothers would be more than enough to capture him.
Who would have thought he’d trained such a powerful disciple?
You all saw him fight back at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse. All of us together probably wouldn’t be enough for him to kill."
All six of them were in the Blood Movement Realm. However, they had worked together as brothers for many years, their coordination seamless. They would even dare to fight an ordinary Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist.
The problem was, Chen Yuan was no ordinary opponent. He had displayed astonishing combat power at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse, and they didn’t dare face him head-on.
"Don’t worry. Third Brother, you go back and send a message. Have the gang send experts. The rest of us will keep tailing him from a distance.
Who knows, by following him, we might even find Zuo Xinglie directly. You Province is huge; it’ll save us brothers the time and effort of searching."
Chen Yuan listened for a long while. So, these men were from the Profound Whale Gang, sent to hunt down and kill Zuo Xinglie. They had recognized his Martial Arts at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse and had been following him ever since.
’I have to admit, that old fox Zuo Xinglie is a crafty one.’
’Knowing the Profound Whale Gang was still after him, he immediately gave away his Cultivation Technique to draw their fire. A truly effective move.’
’In the original story, they would have found Lianshan City soon after and discovered Zuo Xinglie.’
’Oh well. I took Zuo Xinglie’s Cultivation Technique and benefited from it, so I might as well help him clean up this mess.’
’Of course, the more important reason is that they were foolish enough to target me.’
The man in the Night Clothes, Third Brother, nodded, then opened the window to leave.
The moment he stuck his head out, a hand coiled around his neck like a phantom python.
With a crisp ’CRACK,’ Third Brother’s head slumped limply to the side. He didn’t even have time to scream.
"Why use the window when there’s a perfectly good door? What kind of habit is that?"
Chen Yuan stepped through the window, dangling Third Brother’s corpse. He flashed a chilling grin at the remaining five men.
"No need to trouble yourselves looking for Zuo Xinglie. I’ll be sending you on your way today."
The leader of the group had eyes full of terror. He was just about to shout an order to flee.
In the next instant, the brilliant light of the Shocking Saber flashed before his eyes.
That slash was painfully familiar, something he couldn’t forget even in his dreams.
Years ago, he had been just an ordinary member of the Profound Whale Gang, following his master to besiege the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance.
His master—the man who had taught him his skills, whose Spear Technique was exquisite, whom he had idolized—hadn’t even managed to thrust his spear once before Zuo Xinglie. He was beheaded by that very Shocking Swan Slash, his blood spraying all over the man’s face.
He hadn’t died, but only because he was too weak—so weak that Zuo Xinglie couldn’t be bothered to waste his energy on him.
Now, facing that same slash again, the fear in the leader’s heart surged once more, and for a moment, he even forgot to fight back.
By the time he came to his senses, four of his gang brothers had been cut down by Chen Yuan in the blink of an eye. Splattering blood drenched him once again, exactly like that day years ago.
He let out a furious, grief-stricken roar and tried to grab the Long Spear at his side, but for some reason, his hand trembled so violently he almost failed to grip his Weapon.
But it was too late.
In an instant, the Cyan Dragon Blood-Drinking Saber was resting against his neck. The cold blade pressed against his windpipe, ready to slice through his throat with ease.
CLANG. The Long Spear fell to the floor.
Chen Yuan looked at the man, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
’He’s scared. Terrified. So afraid he doesn’t even have the courage to strike.’
’Is this the standard for the Profound Whale Gang, the so-called hegemons of the Jiulong River? They seem even worse than the Iron Armor Sect.’
’At least those muscle-heads from the Iron Armor Sect, while not very bright, were truly fearless. They dared to take me on with their bare bodies.’
Of course, Chen Yuan didn’t know that Zuo Xinglie had scared the courage right out of this man years ago.
"Please, spare my life! I won’t go back to the Profound Whale Gang! I swear I’ll never reveal your or Zuo Xinglie’s whereabouts!"
Tears and snot streamed down the leader’s face, a stark contrast to his calm demeanor when he was giving orders earlier.
"I don’t care that you were looking for Zuo Xinglie. But you made the mistake of targeting me. That was a death wish."
Chen Yuan shook his head gently and suddenly asked, "You knew all along that Zuo Xinglie was crippled?"
The leader nodded quickly. "Over the years of tracking Zuo Xinglie, we’ve found many clues. We were almost certain he’s a cripple."
"If that’s the case, why are you still going to such lengths to hunt him down? You even chased him all the way from Lan Province to You Province. A blood feud for a stolen wife or a murdered father would hardly warrant this much effort, right? Besides, your Profound Whale Gang already killed Zuo Xinglie’s entire family. Isn’t that enough to quench your hatred?"
This was a question that had been puzzling Chen Yuan.
If the Profound Whale Gang didn’t know Zuo Xinglie was crippled, it would be understandable. Fearing his revenge and wanting to eliminate him completely would be normal.
But they knew he was crippled and posed no threat to the Profound Whale Gang. Was it really worth pursuing him so relentlessly?
The Gang Leader of the Profound Whale Gang seemed a bit too petty.
The leader hesitated for a moment, then said, "Because Zuo Xinglie has a Celestial Level Technique that the Gang Leader has always wanted."
"A Celestial Level Technique? Explain in detail."
With all his brothers dead, the leader was utterly despondent.
He would be severely punished if he returned to the gang in this state anyway, so he decided to spill the beans and told Chen Yuan everything.
"The Jiulong River flows down into the Eastern Sea. Back then, both the Gang Leader and Zuo Xinglie had traveled to the Eastern Sea.
On an island, they discovered the ruins of a Sect and found a Celestial Level Technique called the *Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill*.
Zuo Xinglie plotted a sneak attack on the Gang Leader and seized the Cultivation Technique. Only then did the Gang Leader pour all of the Profound Whale Gang’s resources into destroying the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance.
That bloody war wasn’t just about controlling the Jiulong River; it was also about fighting for this Celestial Level Technique."
Understanding dawned on Chen Yuan.
No wonder the Profound Whale Gang had been in hot pursuit all these years.
A crippled Zuo Xinglie wasn’t worth such a massive effort from the Profound Whale Gang.
But a Zuo Xinglie who possessed a Celestial Level Technique was certainly worth the trouble.
Chen Yuan had heard of the *Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill*.
It was a legendary scripture of the Daoist Sects. It involved observing qi and gazing at the heavens, possessing boundless power. Even among the many Celestial Level Techniques, it ranked among the very best.
’In the original story, this technique only ever appeared as part of the background.’
Chen Yuan never imagined that Zuo Xinglie actually possessed it. He had, in a way, just brushed past this supreme Celestial Level Technique.
Come to think of it, the Cultivation Technique Chen Yuan was searching for—one that could solve the problem of his Blood Fiend going out of control—was also somewhat related to the *Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill*.
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