In a garden of a mansion within the Core Area, Leng Wuzui was feeding a fierce beast.
It was a ninth-rank Fierce Beast, as large as an elephant, with a body shaped like an ape's but armed with razor-sharp fangs and a ferocious bearing. Yet before Leng Wuzui, this fierce beast was remarkably docile.
It simply ate the food on the ground obediently, making no move to attack Leng Wuzui. It even let him stroke its fur without the slightest reaction.
It wasn't that this fierce beast had gained intelligence and shed its savage nature. Rather, it had been utterly suppressed by Leng Wuzui's power. It was his pet—a pet conquered by force alone.
"Junior Brother Leng, we've found the person you were looking for." Gao Le and Liu Bing stood behind Leng Wuzui and spoke, their attitudes toward him exceedingly respectful—almost fearful.
"What's that kid's background?" Leng Wuzui asked while toying with the fierce beast, not even turning his head.
"His name is Chu Feng. He's only fifteen years old, from the Chu Family in Kaoshan Town. He has Spirit Martial Seventh Stage cultivation, and today he entered the Core Area and became a Core Disciple."
"However, this kid is wild and unruly. Not long ago he openly talked back to Gong Luyun and was disciplined by him. If Elder Li, who guards the Green Dragon Garden, hadn't intervened, he'd probably be dead by now." Gao Le recounted.
"Elder Li? He actually stepped in?" At the mention of Elder Li, Leng Wuzui's gaze flickered.
"That's right. Just as you said, Elder Li has indeed been hiding his strength. He's at least a Xuan Wu Realm expert," Liu Bing chimed in.
"Of course. He might hide it from others, but he can't escape my perception. My Mental Power already discovered he's no ordinary man. But why would he save that Chu Feng? Could there be some connection between them?" Leng Wuzui fell into thought.
"That shouldn't be the case. Chu Feng's background is quite ordinary. Besides, he made a life-and-death agreement with Gong Luyun to fight in a year. Even if we don't deal with him, Gong Luyun will kill him a year from now," Gao Le continued.
"Oh? So he really is an arrogant brat. But we need to take care of him quickly. This can't drag on." Leng Wuzui warned with a grave expression.
"Rest easy. The kid has already left the Azure Dragon Sect and returned to his family. He probably wants to personally deliver the Azure Dragon Flag to his clan—after all, the Chu Family is just a small force, and the Azure Dragon Flag would be a huge help to them."
"We've already sent the Zhao Brothers to assassinate him. The kid may have some tricks up his sleeve, but both Zhao Brothers are at Yuan Martial Third Stage. They work together seamlessly—more than enough to handle him." Liu Bing explained.
"Bastards!" Hearing this, Leng Wuzui's face twisted not with satisfaction but with fury. He shot to his feet and pointed at the two, berating them: "Don't you understand what it means to let things fester? Or have you grown too lazy to handle even this little task for me—do I have to do it myself?"
Seeing Leng Wuzui like this, Gao Le and Liu Bing's faces changed drastically. They stumbled backward in terror, then answered in unison: "We'll go take care of him right away."
Gao Le and Liu Bing rushed out of the Azure Dragon Sect. Riding fast horses, they galloped toward the Chu Family at full speed. In Liu Bing's hand was a triangular yellow talisman.
The talisman pulsed with a faint glow at regular intervals, and as the two pressed forward, the glow grew brighter and brighter. Seeing this, Liu Bing frowned, suddenly reined in his horse, and said tensely: "Something's wrong."
"What is it?" Gao Le tensed up as well.
"This is a tracking talisman for the Zhao Brothers. They were supposed to tail that Chu Feng and strike once he left the Azure Dragon Sect's territory. But right now, the talisman shows they're nearby," Liu Bing explained.
"What? You mean—?" Gao Le's brow furrowed deeply, unease settling in.
The two leaped off their horses and began searching the area according to the talisman's guidance. They quickly entered a patch of woods, and the glow on the tracking talisman grew ever brighter—no longer blinking on and off, but blazing with steady light.
After advancing two thousand meters through the forest, they were stunned to discover two figures lying in the grass just ahead. Both wore plain clothes, but they were unmistakably the Zhao Brothers.
Only now the two were long dead. What was most eerie was that their bodies bore not a single visible wound.
Gao Le crouched down, placed his hands on their chests, groped around for a moment, then furrowed his brow and said gravely: "Every organ has been shattered. They were crushed to death by sheer pressure."
"How is that possible? That Chu Feng is only Spirit Martial Seventh Stage—how could he possibly wield such terrifying pressure? The Zhao Brothers were both Yuan Martial Third Stage experts!" Liu Bing's face went pale.
To crush someone to death with pressure alone required at least three stages above the opponent. There was no way Chu Feng could manage that. This meant he had a helper—and that person was at least Yuan Martial Sixth Stage.
"So Leng Wuzui was right. We underestimated that Chu Feng," Gao Le sighed helplessly, his gaze flickering uncertainly as his mind raced.
"What do we do? There's a hidden expert by Chu Feng's side, at least Yuan Martial Sixth Stage, possibly even stronger. If that person is at Yuan Martial Ninth Stage, even the two of us together might not be able to handle him."
Liu Bing was at a loss. After all, he and Gao Le were both only Yuan Martial Eighth Stage. Facing an enemy of unknown power, they naturally had no confidence.
"If we go back like this, Leng Wuzui will definitely punish us. You know what he's capable of—we're just his puppets, and he won't show us an ounce of mercy. Surely you don't want to taste that poison again, the kind that burrows into your bones?"
"No! Of course not!" At the word "poison," Liu Bing's face turned ashen, his body began to tremble, and his eyes filled with raw terror.
"Then we have no choice but to kill Chu Feng. Otherwise, Leng Wuzui will definitely stop giving us the antidote. Just thinking about that pain, I'd rather be killed outright," Gao Le said firmly. Liu Bing hesitated no longer and nodded in agreement.
Chu Feng had no idea that Leng Wuzui was plotting against him, nor did he know that two assassins sent after him had already been quietly dealt with.
His spirits were high, because after several days of traveling, he had finally returned to Kaoshan Town. Just imagining the joy on Chu Yuan's face when he told him the news of becoming a Core Disciple made Chu Feng unable to suppress a grin.
"That aura—Uncle!"
Suddenly, Chu Feng's expression changed dramatically. He sensed several auras clashing together not far away—clearly, a fight was underway. And among them was one he recognized: his uncle, Chu Renyi.