Chapter 26 Grandmaster Assassin

Chen Fan sneered.

"Is this your Jiangshan Sect's strongest disciple?"

Though Senior Brother Fan was not severely injured by that single strike, he suffered immense humiliation.

With a flushed face, he climbed to his feet and snapped, "Chen Fan, do not push me!"

Chen Fan stepped forward, sword in hand. "I am pushing you... So what?!"

Senior Brother Fan's face turned completely crimson. With an angry roar, he produced a blood-red pill from his robes and swallowed it whole.

Instantly, veins bulged across his entire body, his eyes turned bloodshot in a split second, and his aura shifted dramatically.

Zhang Fan's expression changed drastically as he cried out, "Junior Brother, be careful! That's a forbidden drug, the Mad Demon Longevity-Reducing Pill! It doubles his strength!"

An overbearing aura radiated from Senior Brother Fan as he glared sharply at Chen Fan.

"Chen Fan, even at the cost of my lifespans and my own potential, I will not allow you to humiliate my sect and trample upon its dignity."

"Too much talk!" Chen Fan took a single step, once again dissolving into a blur of motion.

Swish!

Lightning flashed, and Chen Fan's figure transformed into an illusion once more.

Senior Brother Fan's eyes widened. He swung his steel saber horizontally, sending a blade aura bursting and expanding outward!

It was full of formidable might.

However, that terrifying blade aura was instantly smashed into powder by the lightning-engulfed black sword!

The lightning-wrapped black longsword advanced as if unimpeded, piercing directly through Senior Brother Fan's left chest.

Swish!!

Fresh blood gushed out in streams while black lightning coiled around the blade, radiating into Senior Brother Fan's surroundings. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by numbness throughout his entire body, leaving him completely unable to unleash even a shred of his strength.

"I am trampling on your dignity. So what?"

Chen Fan slowly withdrew his sword, scattering a spray of blood. With a blank expression, Senior Brother Fan was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and twitching uncontrollably.

Even after taking the pill to double his strength, he was still killed in a single strike by Chen Fan.

The gap in strength was simply too vast!

The surrounding scene fell into an eerie silence!

Everyone was rendered speechless; the shock brought by Chen Fan's strength was simply too overwhelming.

Senior Brother Fan had already been close to the level of a Bright Moon Tower disciple. With his strength doubled, he should have easily reached the threshold of the Bright Moon Tower, yet he couldn't even block a single sword strike from Chen Fan.

Just how terrifyingly strong had Chen Fan become?

...

Meanwhile.

Inside a tall pavilion within the Jiangshan Sect, two men stood overlooking the scene from above.

These two individuals were none of other than the Master and Deputy Master of the Jiangshan Sect.

The Deputy Master, a burly man with a thick beard, watched the spectacle with unconcealed indignation.

"Sect Master, we must rely on you now! Chen Fan's strength has reached such a terrifying level that none of our disciples can stop him, and I am no match for him either... If you do not step in, our Jiangshan Sect's reputation will be utterly ruined!"

However, the Jiangshan Sect Master merely sighed and shook his head.

"I cannot intervene. Chen Fan has already comprehended the intent... He is only sixteen years old. If I enter the fray, win or lose, our Jiangshan Sect will only suffer even greater humiliation."

It would have been one thing if Chen Fan had merely defeated the disciple surnamed Fan, but he had obliterated the opponent—who had consumed the Mad Demon Longevity-Reducing Pill—with a single sword strike.

This was already a gap as vast as heaven and earth!

The bearded man gritted his teeth. "Are we just supposed to let a wet-behind-the-ears brat humiliate us like this? Our plaque has been cut down, and you can just sit here and do nothing?"

The Jiangshan Sect Master glared at him.

"You don't need to provoke me. As long as I do not step down there, the Jiangshan Sect can at least preserve this last shred of dignity. Besides... do you not understand what it signifies that Chen Fan has comprehended the intent at only sixteen years old?"

The burly man paused upon hearing this, his expression turning to one of sheer horror as realization dawned upon him. "I am over forty years old, and I still have no direction on how to achieve the unity of martial arts..."

The Jiangshan Sect Master sneered.

"Even across the entire Great Qian Dynasty, how many can achieve unity before the age of thirty? Chen Fan is not merely a top-tier genius in Qinghe County; looking across the entire Great Qian, he has no peer. Even though Dong Guzhi offended the Nineteenth Prince, do you think... the Martial Academy will fail to protect Chen Fan?"

The Nineteenth Prince was relatively trusted and favored by the Emperor, but his martial arts prowess had failed to cross into the Grandmaster realm, making him far too weak.

The head of any regional Martial Academy was virtually a master of the tenth stage. Under the protection of such a figure, the Nineteenth Prince could not possibly touch him.

Given the talent Chen Fan had displayed, short of assassinating the current Crown Prince, the imperial family would never truly do anything to him!

"Then we..." The face of the bearded man turned exceedingly ugly.

The Jiangshan Sect Master sighed.

"The Martial Academies across Great Qian compete with one another, yet they share honor and disgrace. With talent reaching Chen Fan's level, he is destined to enter the true core ranks of the Martial Academy in advance... Unless he dies prematurely, he is a monster capable of stepping into the tenth-stage realm in the future. We can no longer afford to offend him."

Looking at the bleak scene below, the Deputy Master let out a bitter laugh, his initial anger transforming into helplessness.

The Jiangshan Sect Master cast one final glance at Chen Fan before turning around.

"Return all the resources we seized from the White Cloud Dojo over these past few days. Furthermore, send a gift to the White Cloud Dojo to express our apologies."

...

Chen Fan had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of a Grandmaster stepping in. He was confident that with his current progress in the Intent of Lightning, even if he couldn't win, ensuring an unyielding stance would not be difficult.

Not to mention, he had also comprehended the Intent of Slaughter.

However, to his surprise, he had nearly swept through all the sixth-stage martial artists of the Jiangshan Sect, yet still failed to draw out the Jiangshan Sect Master.

"Is he unaware, or is he feigning ignorance?"

As the sun began to set, casting a slanting crimson glow, Chen Fan looked at the defeated soldiers before him and shook his head in disappointment.

"Is this the strength of your Jiangshan Sect... Truly disappointing. With strength like this, there is no need for your plaque to remain hanging."

He resolutely turned away, blood dripping from the chipped black sword in his hand.

Wherever he walked, everyone automatically cleared a path, countless Jiangshan Sect disciples wearing expressions of profound humiliation.

Meanwhile, Yun Wei had also summoned elders from her clan to help guard the perimeter, but in the end, the Grandmasters of the Jiangshan Sect never made a move...

Once Chen Fan's figure vanished from sight, the remaining disciples of the Jiangshan Sect burst into heated discussions.

"It's suffocating. Being a disciple of the Jiangshan Sect is truly suffocating!"

Some disciples directly tore off their sect uniforms and walked away.

With the first person leaving, naturally, a second followed.

As one of the Four Sects and Two Dojos, to be blockaded at their own gates by a sixteen-year-old youth with no one able to stop him was an unprecedented event in the entire Swallow Capital City.

Such humiliation was simply more than some could endure.

Before long, the bearded Deputy Master appeared before the remaining disciples, his expression remarkably grim as he spoke in a loud voice:

"The Sect Master has not yet returned, which is why this brat Chen Fan has been allowed to act so arrogantly. Rest assured, once the Sect Master returns, he will definitely make that brat pay!"

Only then did the expressions of the disciples soften slightly.

In truth, those words were merely spoken for comfort, designed solely to appease the emotions of the disciples.

In reality, the Jiangshan Sect Master had been present the entire time, but simply unwilling to step out and offend Chen Fan, and even intended to send gifts to apologize to the White Cloud Dojo.

After a lengthy speech filled with empty platitudes, the Deputy Master finally managed to stabilize the emotions of his disciples.

Yet no matter how he spun it, after Chen Fan's rampage, the Jiangshan Sect was destined to suffer a severe vitality blow, losing at least one or two tenths of its disciples!

...

"What? Chen Fan isn't dead? He returned to Swallow Capital City and single-handedly challenged the entire Jiangshan Sect?!"

Within the Blue Purity Sect, Sect Master Ye Wushuang's eyes flashed when he received the news.

With Chen Fan causing such a high-profile commotion and challenging the Jiangshan Sect single-handedly, the news naturally spread like wildfire.

Ye Wushuang's face beamed with joy.

"Splendid! The resources our Ye family provided to this brat are secondary; that foolish girl Yun Xin thought he had perished and was utterly heartbroken."

He hurriedly stood up.

"I must return at once and share this wonderful news with Yun Xin!"

Compared to the investments made by the Ye family, Ye Wushuang cared far more about his daughter's state of mind.

Concurrently, the other factions among the Four Sects and Two Dojos had also received the news.

Each and every one of them felt a severe headache coming on.

Unlike the Blue Purity Sect, which maintained friendly ties with the White Cloud Dojo, they had all participated in the recent assault against the White Cloud Dojo.

"To think Chen Fan is still alive. The Jiangshan Sect is the weakest among us, lacking even a single Bright Moon Tower disciple, so it's no surprise they were defeated by Chen Fan alone..."

After all, they had not witnessed Chen Fan's battle firsthand and thus remained ignorant of the true terror of his strength.

Nor did they understand the real reason why the Jiangshan Sect Master chose not to intervene...

...

Meanwhile, within the Chen Family Estate.

Chen Feiteng, the head of the Chen family, clutched a slip of paper in his hand, a look of wild elation flashing across his eyes.

"Hahaha, not only is this Chen Fan not dead, but he has actively returned to Swallow Capital City! With Dong Guzhi currently unconscious, and the White Cloud Dojo's other Grandmaster having already departed, no one can protect him. Chen Fan's life... is mine to take!"

Though he had heard the news of Chen Fan single-handedly challenging the Jiangshan Sect, he knew the Jiangshan Sect Master had not intervened. Therefore, even while trying to overestimate Chen Fan's strength, he refused to believe the youth had reached the tier of the Ten Great Masters, dismissing him entirely!

As a Hall Master of the Netherworld Sect, he had coveted Chen Fan—a third-tier target—for a long time. Having missed the opportunity last time, he had been filled with annoyance, and naturally, he had no intention of letting it slip away this time.

Cloaked in the cover of night, he immediately disguised himself, changed his robes, and headed toward the White Cloud Dojo.

With no Grandmaster stationed at the White Cloud Dojo, absolutely no one could save Chen Fan's life!

...

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

At the White Cloud Dojo, fewer than one in ten disciples remained. Within the spacious training ground, only Chen Fan stood alone.

At this moment, he held a longsword, gently stroking its blade.

This sword was a gift sent by the Jiangshan Sect as an apology, and it was a top-tier treasured weapon.

Chen Fan's black sword had sustained damage, and he indeed wished to replace his weapon; the Jiangshan Sect's compensation had arrived rather timely.

The value of a top-tier treasured weapon was slightly inferior to ordinary earth-grade pills, but it was still immensely valuable.

Through this battle, although his challenge to the dojo had succeeded, the Jiangshan Sect Master ultimately had not actually stepped out. No matter how thoroughly the Jiangshan Sect's pride was tarnished, the sect itself managed to survive...

Now that the Jiangshan Sect had bowed its head, it was naturally impossible for Chen Fan to relentlessly press the issue.

Yet he couldn't help but sneer inwardly:

"If they knew this would happen, why bother in the first place?"

Regardless of the future of the White Cloud Dojo, the Jiangshan Sect had suffered a massive blow.

Yet even now, the fury in Chen Fan's heart had not completely dissipated.

He produced a primordial stone, slowly recovering his true qi as he awaited the arrival of tomorrow morning to head to the next martial dojo.

Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Senior Brother Chen! Someone is here to see you—"

He turned his head toward the entrance of the training ground to see a young disciple guiding a figure inward from the main gates.

Chen Fan's gaze narrowed slightly as he glanced at the young disciple before fixing his eyes on the figure beside him.

The person wore a grey robe, sported a beard, and was advanced in years, yet he was completely unfamiliar to Chen Fan.

A trace of caution arose in Chen Fan's heart as he arched an eyebrow. "Are you sent by the Four Sects and Two Dojos?"

The man stepped forward. "Indeed. I am an instructor from the Mengzheng Sect, and I have come here in order to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a terrifying surge of force erupted from his body, causing the surrounding space to freeze. At the same time, a blood-red short blade slipped out from his sleeve, stabbing straight toward Chen Fan!

Swish!!

The ambient spiritual energy surged wildly, and Chen Fan felt a crushing pressure envelop his entire body. The short blade in the man's hand lunged forward like a blood-red viper striking at its prey.

It felt as though it would swallow Chen Fan whole in the very next instant!