After knocking for a while without receiving a response, Ye Chu lost interest in continuing. With a light leap through the nearby window, he left the villa.
Why didn't he go downstairs? How would he explain if Han Mengjuan caught sight of him? Would he admit his wife had locked him out?
Ye Chu still cared about his pride.
Inside, Jiang Junyao furrowed her brows when the noise ceased.
She stepped forward and opened the door, only to find the place empty. A flicker of irritation crossed her face.
Ye Chu's behavior tonight left her faintly displeased—it was not so much his actions, but his reckless boldness that unsettled her.
If he dared swindle Qian Xin today, who knew what he might attempt tomorrow?
Should he one day offend those who must never be crossed, she would have no time to clean up the mess.
She had only intended to chastise him a little, yet he vanished altogether.
…
Ye Chu left the villa and found a secluded park, where he sat cross-legged to cultivate.
In recent days, endless matters had kept him from his training.
As the essence of heaven and earth surged into his body, it immediately stirred the wrathful dragon aura in his dantian.
A shadowy black dragon, half-real and half-illusory, awoke from slumber and rampaged within him.
Agony twisted Ye Chu's features. As his strength grew, so too did the ferocity of the dragon's aura.
The spiritual essence that nourished his body simultaneously fed the dragon's malice.
He had no way to halt it, for the aura was bound to him, born of the same root.
To resolve it, he must dissolve its resentment and earn its acknowledgment.
According to his master, if he could fully tame this dragon aura, his combat power would soar immeasurably.
"It seems I must settle matters with Huangfu Shiyue quickly," he thought darkly.
Otherwise, if every cultivation session brought such torment, even he would find it unbearable.
As for Jiang Junyao—he had not considered it.
That woman was as haughty as a queen; she would not be subdued so easily.
Just as Ye Chu focused on his practice, a sudden chill of danger prickled from behind.
Without hesitation, he rolled aside like a startled beast.
Whoosh!
A bamboo arrow tore through the air, embedding itself into a tree.
Had he reacted a heartbeat slower, it would have pierced him.
The arrowhead glistened black—clearly poisoned.
The attacker intended his death.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Ye Chu's voice thundered as his gaze locked upon an ancient tree dozens of meters away.
"Kekeke… not bad. To think you evaded my poisoned arrow."
A sinister laugh echoed, and from the treetop descended a black-robed elder.
His hair was withered, his face a map of wrinkles, and when he grinned, yellowed teeth gleamed hideously. Coupled with his eerie garb, his appearance chilled the blood.
"Who are you?" Ye Chu demanded coldly. He was certain he had never met this man.
The elder sneered, his voice venomous: "Boy, you dare slay my Heart-Devouring Gu—have you decided how you wish to die?"
This was indeed the man who had cursed Li Jingxuan. When he discovered his gu destroyed, his fury and disbelief nearly consumed him. For days he had tracked the lingering aura, and tonight his hunt bore fruit.
Ye Chu's eyes narrowed. "So you are the one who cast the gu."
"Kekeke… brat, you ruined my design. Prepare to die."
Arrows whistled forth like a storm, each aimed for a vital point.
"Hmph. Trifling tricks."
Ye Chu's cold snort cut through the air as he wove nimbly, evading the deadly rain.
In a blink, he surged forward, closing in on the elder.
"Arrogant whelp!"
The black-robed figure scoffed, pulling forth a handful of green powder which he flung outward. The air filled with noxious mist, enveloping Ye Chu.
At the same time, more bamboo arrows flew.
"Kekeke… you are finished. My Ten-Thousand-Ants Heart-Eating Poison will have you writhing to death."
The elder laughed cruelly, retreating swiftly to widen the gap.
A sudden blur cut through the haze—Ye Chu, unscathed, bursting forth like lightning.
The elder's eyes widened. He tried to evade, but it was too late.
Crack!
Agony exploded in his chest as Ye Chu's fist smashed into him, hurling him across the ground.
He crashed heavily, coughing a mouthful of blood.
Ye Chu strode toward him, his voice like ice: "Who are you? Why did you curse the mayor's wife?"
The elder struggled, but Ye Chu's blow had shattered his organs. Every attempt to rise only worsened the injury; more blood poured forth, his face paling rapidly.
"An Open-Vein Grandmaster? Impossible… You… who are you?"
His eyes were wild with terror. Only a cultivator who had opened three or more veins could deliver such devastation. But Ye Chu was barely in his twenties—how could he be such a master?
He did not know Ye Chu had held back. Otherwise, that single punch would have ended him outright.
"My name is irrelevant. Speak truthfully—or death will be a luxury you cannot grasp."
The elder's lips twisted into a chilling smile. "Fool. You have already inhaled my poison. Soon you will die screaming, and you will join me in the grave."
"Is that so?" A mocking gleam flickered in Ye Chu's eyes. "Such feeble venom cannot harm me."
The elder's face twitched—something was amiss. By now, his victim should be writhing. Yet Ye Chu stood unscathed.
"Impossible! The Ten-Thousand-Ants Heart-Eating Poison—none can cure it but the Sacred Sect!" His voice cracked into hysteria.
Ye Chu's gaze grew colder. As the Medicine Emperor's personal disciple, he had long tempered his body against toxins; no poison under heaven could touch him.
"What Sacred Sect? Speak." His voice sharpened with spiritual force, battering the elder's will. For a moment, the man's mind faltered, but he rallied and snatched a black pill, swallowing it in desperation.
Black blood seeped from his lips, his vitality fading swiftly.
"Boy… you dare oppose the Sacred Sect… you are doomed. I'll wait for you below."
His head slumped, and he breathed no more.
Ye Chu's face darkened. He searched the corpse carefully, finding only powders and poisons.
With a flick of his finger, a spark of flame consumed the remains until only ash remained.
For a while, he stood frowning. He had stumbled into a hidden struggle.
Sacred Sect? What was it?
His master had spoken of two powerful cults in the southern frontiers—the Five Venoms Sect and the Gu-Witch Sect.
But which one was this Sacred Sect?
After pondering fruitlessly, Ye Chu abandoned the thought and moved on to continue his cultivation elsewhere.
…
In Jinling City, within a lavish villa—
A middle-aged man abruptly opened his eyes from meditation. He retrieved a glass vial from his waist pouch.
Inside lay a black gu insect, lifeless.
"So… even the Ninth Elder has been slain. When did Jiangdu breed such a formidable expert?"
His eyes grew cold. "No matter who it is—whoever dares slay one of my Sacred Sect must perish."
He dialed a number. On the other end, a voice answered respectfully:
"Branch Master, your command?"
"Investigate at once. Find out who killed the Ninth Elder in Jiangdu. And as for the Li family—the net is ready. Seize the item at all costs."