The bodies of Protector Luo and his subordinates were discovered by an old woodcutter who had gone up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs.

From a distance, he saw what looked like strips of cloth hanging from the trees near the mountaintop. But when he drew closer, he realized that what hung from the trees was no cloth at all.

They were one headless corpse after another.

The old woodcutter had spent his whole life making a living by chopping wood and gathering herbs in the mountains. He had never seen anything like this. He immediately dropped the herb basket on his back and the little iron shovel in his hand, then ran back to the village in a panic. He shut the gate and refused to come out.

It took three days for the old woodcutter to finally recover somewhat. Then he told the village head what he had seen on the mountain.

The village head brought several able-bodied young men up the mountain to take a look. When they found the old woodcutter had been telling the truth, they immediately decided to report it to the authorities.

The constable sent from a nearby county office to investigate the case came from a Martial Arts Family and had some experience. He immediately recognized the robes worn by the corpses hanging from the trees as the daoist robes of cultivators. So he did not let his men take the bodies down. Instead, he went straight to the Stationed Envoy Residence of the Kongshan Sect in the nearest city and reported the matter to the sect’s stationed envoy disciples.

After several twists and turns, Protector Huang was the first to learn of the matter. He led people to the barren mountain.

And then came the present.

Chen Yan and Yang Cheng, the two Passable God Realm cultivators, led a group of Qi Sea Realm cultivators to the barren mountain. They stared at the roughly twenty headless corpses suspended from the trees, and the hill of heads piled beneath them.

Chen Yan was no longer the green, so-called “genius” he had once been.

During his twelve years as the Dao Sect Wanderer of the Kongshan Sect, he had seen quite a lot of the world.

Even faced with such a gruesome scene, he remained impassive, as though it stirred not a ripple in his heart.

“Protector Ma.”

Chen Yan spoke.

“Here, Manager Chen.”

The middle-aged man addressed as Protector Ma stepped forward.

“Immediately order everyone not to act on their own. Their safety comes first. Then send word to the sect at once. Tell them the situation may be even more dangerous than we thought, and that they need to send fellow sect disciples of the Fifth Realm or higher to assist us.”

Chen Yan said.

This was no time to show off. Chen Yan knew very well that he and Elder Yang alone, two Passable God Realm cultivators, could not protect all the Kongshan Sect disciples.

The enemy was hidden, while they were out in the open.

They needed more Passable God Realm cultivators to ensure the disciples’ safety.

“Yes!”

Protector Ma replied. He bowed once more toward Chen Yan, then backed away.

The most important thing now was to collect the traces of true qi remaining on this barren mountain.

The true qi left behind at the scene might help them hunt down Ding Qiu more effectively.

And that was exactly what happened.

As Chen Yan had hoped, the Kongshan Sect sent reinforcements.

Of the three newly dispatched Passable God Realm cultivators, two were core members of the Hall of Prudent Discipline, while the other was a Swordsman from Yibai Peak.

Chen Yan also ordered tighter control over all the rogue cultivators, cultivation families, and cultivation sects within the borders of the Qingque Kingdom. These thunderous methods soon yielded more clues.

With Passable God Realm cultivators stationed among them, the Kongshan Sect disciples also went on to destroy several locations that might have been hideouts for the Ding Bandits.

Chen Yan continued to advance steadily, gradually narrowing the area in which Ding Qiu could hide.

And by now, Ding Qiu was at the end of his rope.

......

Two months later.

A middle-aged man in coarse black clothes stood before a sheer cliff, a profound-black greatsword resting on his shoulder. His cheeks were covered in unkempt stubble.

Standing before him was a tall, handsome young man in spotless daoist robes embroidered with gilded cloud crane patterns.

During the chase not long ago, Ding Qiu had shaken off all the Kongshan Sect pursuers. The only one who had managed to track him here was Chen Yan.

“You have nowhere left to run, Ding Qiu.”

Chen Yan’s voice was ice-cold.

The middle-aged man standing before him looked almost exactly as Chen Yan had imagined.

Cruel. Brutal.

“Yeah... But I never planned to run again.”

Ding Qiu gave a disdainful smile. His gaze at Chen Yan held nothing but killing intent and hatred.

“So you’re Chen Yan, that little bastard the old geezers of the Kongshan Sect think so highly of?”

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow slightly.

“That kind of trick won’t provoke me.”

“Provoke you?”

Ding Qiu’s smile widened, his eyes full of contempt.

“Why would I need to provoke you? I’m just enjoying cursing you out, that’s all!”

“Is that so?”

Chen Yan remained calm, as though he had let Ding Qiu’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“I’ve heard plenty about you. But what left the deepest impression on me was the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry back then. Qin Qingyu kicked you to death like a stray dog! Hahahahahaha!”

Ding Qiu burst into loud laughter.

“It’s true that I’m no match for Fellow Daoist Qin. Everyone in the world knows that, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Chen Yan spoke slowly.

“You’re not just inferior to Qin Qingyu. You’re inferior to me, too!”

As he spoke, Ding Qiu swung the greatsword from his shoulder.

An immensely powerful wave of sword energy slashed toward Chen Yan, as if it would tear the very air apart.

To Chen Yan, an attack of such overwhelming force posed no threat at all.

The gap between them was simply too great.

Ding Qiu was a rogue cultivator who had struggled through countless hardships just to break into the Passable God Realm. Compared with a heaven-chosen talent from one of the Five Great Sects, he fell far short in the purity of his true qi, the strength of his spiritual sense, and his ability to use spells.

Chen Yan stood perfectly still and effortlessly blocked Ding Qiu’s slash with nothing but his Protective True Qi.

The next moment, Chen Yan appeared right in front of Ding Qiu.

He raised a palm and struck Ding Qiu in the chest. As the blow landed, he drove his true qi into Ding Qiu’s meridians.

Ding Qiu’s true qi instantly fell into chaos and his meridians were damaged. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees.

Just one palm had completely stripped Ding Qiu of his ability to fight back.

“Stop struggling. I’ll take you back to the Kongshan Sect... As for how you die, the sect will decide.”

Chen Yan’s voice was calm.

He was just about to seal Ding Qiu’s Martial Spring, then lift him up and take him back to the Kongshan Sect, when Ding Qiu, still kneeling on the ground, suddenly let out a piercing scream.

His face flushed, and his muscles began to writhe and twist.

“Ughhhhhh!”

Wrinkles began to form across Ding Qiu’s face, and his features started changing into a shape completely different from before.

In just a few breaths, the “Ding Qiu” before him was no longer “Ding Qiu.”

Chen Yan stared in shock at the completely unfamiliar face of an old man.

“Who are you...?”

“It’s been so many years. You’ve grown up so much.”

“Ding Qiu” said with a smile.

His voice was slow and aged, bearing none of the roughness of the original.

So many years?

Chen Yan was completely bewildered.

“That makes sense. Of course you don’t know me. After all, the ‘me’ you see now isn’t the ‘him’ from back then...”

As he spoke, “Ding Qiu,” who should have been gravely wounded, slowly stood up as though nothing had happened.

“Who are you?”

Chen Yan could not help taking half a step back.

“Since you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Ding Qiu” paused for a moment. His smile broadened, and each word he spoke seemed to strike Chen Yan in the chest, making his breathing feel heavy.

“I...

“am called Fan Mowen.”

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