Chapter 630: Vile Traitor
“That is natural. The Wan Clan’s wealth about rivals the nation’s. The ten great sects and eight Noble Clans do business with them. Now that the Wan Clan’s Young Master is getting married, they have to give them some face.”
“I heard that the bride is a top-grade beauty. She is the person behind the Feng Yu Merchant Association. With this strong alliance, the Wan Clan will only get stronger in the future.”
“Let’s stop talking and get in quick. The wedding is tomorrow. We have to go and take a look.”
When Xiao Chen, Feng Tianming, and the others were not far from the city, they heard the discussions of the people around them.
Feng Tianming sighed and said, “At least we did not arrive late. If it had taken us one more day, it would really be too late to do anything.”
Xiao Chen said calmly, “Let’s enter the city and find somewhere to sit first. During the wedding tomorrow, all we have to do is clarify things with the Wan Clan’s people.”
After a while, the group paid the entry toll and successfully entered the city.
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Even though night had fallen, Wan Clan City was still brightly lit and very bustling. Lanterns and banners festooned the city; jubilee filled the streets.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes and cultivated in his room at the inn. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and his lips curled up. Smiling faintly, he said, “You finally revealed your tail.”
Xiao Chen’s Spirit Sense caught one of Feng Tianming’s guards sneakily opening the door and checking for people.
Then, that guard quickly slipped out of the inn and made his way through the city.
Xiao Chen opened the window and followed using his Spiritual Sense. His eyes turned cold as a faint murderous intent appeared in their depths.
Aside from Xiao Chen and Feng Tianming, only the five guards knew about the plan to break through at the Black Smoke Mountain Range.
Although Feng Tianming did not doubt these guards who had followed him for many years, Xiao Chen did.
There could not have been such a coincidence, where the Imperial Dragon received ten shots from Ancient Demonic Energy Cannons just when its defenses were at its weakest.
There must have been an informant. When Xiao Chen released the scarlet throne, he had been observing the expressions of the five guards. He did not fail to notice the emotional fluctuations of this guard called Zhang Heng.
Indeed, the moment the group arrived in Wan Clan City, this Zhang Heng could not hold himself back.
This person was very cautious. It was like he felt someone was following him. He sent out his perception several times to check the area. He performed many feints, trying to lure his stalker out.
Unfortunately, Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense could track Zhang Heng from five kilometers away. With Zhang Heng’s perception, he would not be able to detect Xiao Chen.
When he failed to detect anyone despite several attempts, Zhang Heng felt that he was overthinking this. So he started to move at full speed.
After a while, Zhang Heng arrived at an isolated pavilion. Cultivators dressed in the Wan Clan’s uniform stood guard in front of it.
Zhang Heng handed over a token, and the guards immediately let him inside. Guards filled every corner of this pavilion. Clearly, this was an important place for the Wan Clan.
However, Xiao Chen had his Spiritual Sense; he did not need to enter the pavilion. He drifted down onto a roof and followed Zhang Heng, seeing the situation inside clearly.
Zhang Heng came to a room in the pavilion, and two people were already inside waiting. Xiao Chen recalled the appearance of one of them.
This person was the Martial God Palace’s welcoming envoy. The person standing beside him wore luxurious clothes and a decorative hat.
Like Wan Feng, that person was a handsome youth. However, that person also gave off a mundane feeling. Between the two, that person’s aura was much weaker.
When the two spoke, Xiao Chen found out who was that person. Wan Feng called him Wan Shan, the person marrying Feng Feixue.
When Wan Shan saw Zhang Heng, he was surprised. “The news I received was that you crashed near Black Smoke Mountain Range. How did you arrive in Wan Clan City so fast?”
Zhang Heng did not hide anything. He said, “Xiao Chen had a strange throne Secret Treasure. When it flew, it did not consume Spiritual Energy. Furthermore, it moved very fast. Without that throne, Feng Tianming would not have been able to arrive so quickly.”
Wan Shan frowned slightly and said, “The King Grade True Dragon genius, the White Robed Bladesman Xiao Chen?”
Zhang Heng nodded and said, “That’s right. It is him. The Xiao Clan’s and the Feng Clan’s ancestors seem to have had some kind of marriage arrangement. So Feng Tianming brought him over.”
“These ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones are for you as well as a Void Breaking Pill. Tell me where they are staying, and you may leave.”
Wan Shan had not expected this matter to involve Xiao Chen. He felt a headache coming as he took out a spatial ring and tossed it to Zhang Heng, then waved him away.
When Zhang Heng received the benefits that he sought, he revealed an excited expression. He took his leave, feeling satisfied.
“Cousin, this Xiao Chen is not easy to deal with. Previously, Sima Lingxuan, who advanced to Martial Monarch, did not last even one move against him. I have no idea what the limits to his strength are.”
[TL Note: Cousin, in this case, refers to an older male patrilineal cousin, or an older male cousin on the father’s side.]
Wan Shan looked at Wan Feng at the side and added, “Furthermore, my grandfather says that it is not convenient to make a move against him. Xiao Chen has the Luck of the Sky Dome Realm. Even when Martial Sages attack him, there will be consequences.”
Wan Feng smiled faintly and said, “How strong can a lower-realm Martial Monarch be? Rest assured. Just go enjoy your beauty, and leave this Xiao Chen to me.”
Seeing that Wan Shan still seemed to be worried, Wan Feng added softly, “In terms of the Sky Dome Realm, that Zhang Heng from earlier is a peak Inferior Grade Martial Monarch. I am also an Inferior Grade Martial Monarch. However, I would not need even ten percent of my strength to defeat him.”
He can defeat a peak Inferior Grade Martial Monarch with less than ten percent of his strength?
Wan Shan exclaimed, “Really?”
Wan Feng stopped smiling and said with a serious expression, “The Kunlun Realm is a big world that you cannot imagine. A Martial Monarch is nothing there.
“Don’t worry. If Xiao Chen wants to cause trouble, I will be the first person to object. You better move fast and quickly swallow up the Feng Clan. When I return, I have to take away a million Superior Grade Spirit Stones. There are too many people I have to pay off.”
Wan Shan nodded and said, “No problem. With the wealth the Feng Clan accumulated over the past thousand years, they should definitely be capable of taking out a million Superior Grade Spirit Stones.”
Standing on a roof, Xiao Chen withdrew his Spiritual Sense, revealing a contemplative gaze. It turned out that this Wan Clan had already decided to swallow up the Feng Clan.
The Wan Clan probably had some special method to send some collected resources to Wan Feng in the upper realm. Otherwise, he would not have been able to advance so fast.
Xiao Chen casually looked around and found Zhang Heng. He smiled faintly and collected his thoughts.
“Xiu!”
Xiao Chen gently leaped up. Then he silently landed before Zhang Heng, like a white-clothed spirit of the night under the full moon.
After obtaining ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones and a Void Breaking Pill for breaking through bottlenecks, Zhang Heng was in a happy mood.
When Xiao Chen appeared suddenly, Zhang Heng startled and shouted, “Young Master Xiao, why are you here?!”
Xiao Chen stared at Zhang Heng without saying a word. Hiding his killing intent, he silently placed his hand on his saber’s hilt.
Zhang Heng was feeling guilty. When Xiao Chen stared at him like that, he felt an overwhelming mental pressure that made him tremble.
A deadly silence spread throughout the place. Xiao Chen said calmly, “Shatter all your meridians yourself. Don’t force me to take action.”
At this moment, Zhang Heng realized that Xiao Chen had discovered his actions. His initial feelings of having a tail were not a figment of his imagination.
A ruthless look flashed in Zhang Heng’s eyes as he suddenly attacked. His Quintessence surged out, and his fist tore through space as he sent a punch at Xiao Chen.
However, Zhang Heng’s move suddenly changed, and he fled backwards. The punch turned out to be just a feint to try and trick Xiao Chen, to create an opportunity to escape.
“Azure Dragon Tail Whip!”
However, while the plan seemed good, the reality was cruel. The fist wind only struck the afterimage Xiao Chen left behind. As for the real Xiao Chen, he moved in an arc and instantly drew his saber.
“Ka ca!”
A resplendent purple saber light lit up the dark night. Zhang Heng cried out painfully; his arm was already chopped off.
The explosive speed of the Azure Dragon Tail Whip was not something Zhang Heng could escape. When Xiao Chen attacked, Zhang Heng did not even have a chance to defend himself.
“Bang! Bang!”
Xiao Chen sheathed his saber and punched with his right hand. He shattered Zhang Heng’s dantian and delivered a blow to Zhang Heng’s nape, knocking him unconscious.
All these movements were completed in an instant, as fast as a spark flew. Zhang Heng did not feel any pain before he fainted.
Xiao Chen carried Zhang Heng on his back and returned to the inn. Then he tossed Zhang Heng into Feng Tianming’s room.
Seeing Zhang Heng’s body, Feng Tianming was astonished. He asked, “What’s the matter? Were you two attacked?”
Xiao Chen recounted everything he had seen in detail. Then he took out the ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones and the Void Breaking Pill from Zhang Heng’s spatial ring.
“You ingrate!”
With the evidence presented, Feng Tianming had no choice but to believe the facts at hand. He instantly felt enraged as he sent a palm strike towards Zhang Heng.
Xiao Chen stopped Feng Tianming, saying, “Keep him alive. He is still useful. This place is no longer safe. We have to move elsewhere.”
With a quick thought, Feng Tianming understood. He called the remaining four guards to carry Zhang Heng, and they promptly left this inn.
Ten minutes after this group’s departure, the Wan Clan elders led a sizable army to this place.
However, they did not find any trace of Xiao Chen’s group. They could not help but be disappointed.
“We are too late. Continue to search. We cannot let them show up tomorrow,” the elder leading the army said.
Given a situation where no one knew anything, Wan Clan’s people could kill them. However, they could not take action against the bride’s father in front of everyone.
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Early the next morning, before dawn, the entire Wan Clan City became bustling. The streets filled with many people.
“The Drifting Snow Sword Pavilion’s people are here. The tenth rank of the True Dragon Ranking, Liu Xiaoyun, came personally.”
“Of the eight Noble Clans, Bai Qi and the scions of the Qian Clan and Wang Clan are here already.”
“Sima Lingxuan has also shown up personally.”
“The Supreme Sky Sect’s Yue Chenxi is also here!”
“Almost all the ten great sects and eight Noble Clans are here. The Wan Clan’s reputation is indeed great enough.”
Many cultivators gathered on the second floor of an inn at areas near the windows. They looked at the crowd below, searching for famous people. Occasionally, there would be exclamations of surprise.
Xiao Chen was inside this inn, wearing a conical bamboo hat. He also felt surprised at the people passing by below. He had not expected the Wan Clan to have so much influence.
Nearly all the renowned sects and Noble Clans in the entire Great Jin Nation were here. Many of them even sent their heirs.
Feng Tianming, who also wore a bamboo hat, sighed and said, “Originally, with the Wan Clan’s reputation, they would not be worthy of the ten great sects and the eight Noble Clans coming personally. However, this time, the welcoming envoy is unexpectedly related to the Wan Clan.”