A silhouette darted around like a phantom in a small courtyard, drawing blurs in the air and stirring up a whistling sound of wind.
Chen Fan was practicing Ghostly Shadow Steps.
Suddenly, a series of fierce knocking sounds echoed from the door.
Chen Fan furrowed his brow.
This was no ordinary knocking; it was as if someone was trying to smash the door. It was on the verge of breaking.
Chen Fan asked coldly as he went to answer the door.
A loud bang reverberated through the air as he got closer, and the door shattered. The wooden splinters and fragments flew toward his face, posing a threat of disfigurement if he failed to dodge them.
Chen Fan took a quick step aside, evading the incoming projectiles.
“Trash, how dare you make me, Master Hou, knock for so long. Are you looking to die?” An arrogant and overbearing voice resounded, accompanied by the arrival of a figure exuding an air of superiority.
Chen Fan exuded a chilling aura as he stared coldly at the other person. “Who are you?”
“I’m someone you can’t afford to mess with!” replied the self-proclaimed Master Hou, raising his head condescendingly.
A cold light flashed in Chen Fan’s eyes.
This person’s cultivation was merely at the sixth level, yet he dared to talk to him that way. Was he looking to die?
Master Hou ignored Chen Fan’s cold gaze, gestured with his chin, and commanded, “Come with me, trash. Brother Zhong wants to see you.”
“Brother Zhong?” Chen Fan looked confused.
“Big Brother Zhong Li!”
Master Hou said impatiently, “Stop wasting time and just come with me quickly. Brother Zhong wants to see you. That’s a blessing you must have accumulated over three lifetimes. Don’t make Brother Zhong wait for too long.”
“Three lifetimes worth of luck...” Chen Fan scoffed. He stepped towards “Master Hou,” his cold intent enveloping him, sending chills into Master Hou’s heart. Fear flickered in his eyes.
He knew about what had happened at the outer sect plaza yesterday.
Chen Fan had effortlessly killed Zhao Hu, someone with the same cultivation level as Master Hou. He knew that he wouldn't be able to escape if Chen Fan intended to kill him.
However, remembering his identity, Master Hou straightened his back and extended his neck. “Trash, what are you trying to do?”
“What am I trying to do?”
A cold light flashed across Chen Fan’s eyes.
The clear and crisp sound of a slap rang out. The sound was accompanied by Master Hou stumbling as two bloody teeth flew out of his mouth.
“A mere sixth-level cultivator dares to call me trash to my face. Are you tired of living?” Chen Fan said eerily.
Another slap landed on his face.
“You what? I even killed Zhao Hu, and you dare act arrogant with me? You best believe I can kill you right now!”
Deep fear filled Master Hou's eyes as he shrank back. The cold expression on Chen Fan's face emanated a chilling killing intent.
“If Zhong Li wants to see me, tell him to come to me. What nonsense is this?” Chen Fan said coldly.
He was no longer the same person as before; he wouldn't simply accept whatever was thrown at him.
“You... just you wait! I’ll go back and tell Brother Zhong,” Master Hou said, his eyes gleaming with resentment.
“Did I say you could leave?”
Chen Fan's icy words froze Master Hou in place.
“You... what do you want?”
Chen Fan smiled coldly, “A dog like you destroyed my courtyard door and wants to leave just like that?”
“What do you want, then?”
“You can leave after paying twenty primeval stones.”
“Twenty primeval stones? Why don’t you go rob?!” Master Hou exploded.
Chen Fan’s voice turned even colder. “That’s fine. I'll just cripple the leg you used to kick down my door.”
"You, you, you..." Master Hou trembled with anger. However, as Chen Fan approached, fear overtook him, and he quickly shouted, "I'll pay, I'll pay!"
Then, he hurriedly took out twenty primeval stones from his storage pouch and ran away in fear.
“Ah, trash, just you wait! Brother Zhong won’t let you off. You're done for! You’re done for, you know that!?”
An angry roar echoed, reaching Chen Fan's ears. He smiled faintly, not taking the threat to heart.
Encountering vile characters was like encountering ghosts. One mustn’t act weak in front of them. If one gave them an inch, they would want a mile, but if you put up a strong front, they wouldn’t dare come near you.
“That guy’s really bold, daring to beat up Hou Qing and even extort him. Doesn’t he know Senior Brother Zhong Li has Hou Qing’s back?”
“Hehe, a good show’s coming right up. This guy acts so boldly. Senior Brother Zhong Li definitely won't let him off easily. He’s the Heaven’s Alliance leader for the outer sect. He deserves the number one stop in the outer sect.”
“I heard he killed Zhao Hu in front of everyone in the outer sect plaza yesterday. Not only that, he crippled Wang Hu and even swindled Lin Hu out of many primeval stones. I never expected to see the day when that trash would make a comeback. From what I can tell, his cultivation is at least at the sixth level.”
“I heard he stumbled upon some incredibly fortunate encounter. He escaped to Qingyang Mountain Range to save his life and happened upon the relics of an ancient cultivator in a cavern by chance. That’s how he turned from trash to a genius. Otherwise, why would his cultivation suddenly soar when he failed to enter the Qi Gathering realm for three years? That must be the reason.”
A group of people gathered outside the courtyard.
Observing Hou Qing, battered and bruised from Chen Fan's slaps, struggling to speak and leaving in a sorry state, the onlookers began discussing in hushed tones. They reveled in Chen Fan's impending misfortune and felt envious of his newfound luck.
Chen Fan ignored these people and continued practicing Ghostly Shadow Steps.
Meanwhile, in a picturesque location within the outer sect:
There was a loft with carved beams and painted pillars. This place was the main hall of the Heaven's Alliance in the outer sect, serving as Zhong Li's residence.
Hou Qing burst into the hall, his face filled with urgency and fury. Seeing the youth sitting on the praying mat, he knelt and said, “Brother Zhong, I was incompetent. Please punish me!”
Zhong Li ceased his meditation, opening his eyes to gaze at Hou Qing kneeling on the floor. A light shone in his eyes, and he said softly, “Get up. Tell me what happened.”
"Yes," Hou Qing replied, remaining in his kneeling position.
“Brother Zhong, I went to summon Chen Fan as you’ve instructed. That trash refused and dared to question your authority and told you to go meet him instead. I couldn’t take it and got into a scuffle with him. But that trash is stronger than I am. Not only did he slap me, he even forced me to kneel before him and extorted fifty primeval stones from me...”
Hou Qing recounted what had transpired, exaggerating the events. He shifted two steps forward, still kneeling, and said, “Brother Zhong, you have to avenge me. That trash has crossed the line, thinking he can act unruly just because he came across some fortuitous encounter and got rid of his title as trash. So be it if he beat me up, but he even insulted you. You can’t let him off. You have to kill him!”
A cold light flashed in Zhong Li’s eyes when he heard Hou Qing’s account, and an overwhelming aura erupted from him.
Hou Qing felt like he was about to suffocate under the aura. Horror appeared on his face as he trembled all over.
“Who does he think I am? And I should be the one going to him? Hmph, very well. Okay, let’s go. I’ll personally tell him who I am! He dares beat up someone from my Heaven’s Alliance? How daring of him! Not even the gods can save him now!”
Zhong Li stood up from the praying mat.
An even more powerful aura surged from him. The red sandalwood tables and chairs in the room all shattered under this aura.
Sensing Zhong Li’s anger, Hou Qing smiled widely. You’re dead, trash. You’re dead, for sure.