Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Self-Rainbow Sect

Early the next morning.

White Cloud Dojo.

Sitting in the quiet room, Chen Fan opened his eyes, carefully wiped the weapon in his hand, and immediately stood up.

His trip to the Chen family mansion yesterday had yielded remarkable results.

That middle-aged man turned out indeed to be a spy of the Netherworld Sect. Knowing he could not withstand severe torture and realizing he had no way out, he confessed everything about Chen Feiteng to Chen Fan without waiting for any harsh interrogation.

Chen Feiteng was not only a spy for the Netherworld Sect but also a hall master within the organization.

Of course, this was merely the lowest-ranking position among grandmasters.

Nominally, the middle-aged man was Chen Feiteng's son, but in reality, he was merely one of his subordinates.

There were a few other members of the Chen family who were also Netherworld Sect spies, but they were predominantly ordinary people with no blood relation to the main family.

Unfortunately, individuals engaged in such espionage work operated with an extremely high level of secrecy. With Chen Feiteng already dead, apart from the few spies under his direct command, this middle-aged man knew absolutely nothing about the other forces of the Netherworld Sect outside the city of Yandu!

Naturally, because he understood Chen Feiteng deeply, he was well aware of the hiding places where Chen Feiteng kept some of his treasures.

Chen Fan certainly did not let those slip by.

While their value was not low, they did not contain what Chen Fan truly desired.

There was no extra spiritual energy to be found, though there was a single Earth-grade pill, which was not intended for healing wounds.

As for the various bank notes, jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy works, Chen Fan did not stand on ceremony and took them all.

Chen Fan also understood that Chen Feiteng's truly precious possessions might still be concealed elsewhere, but with the old man dead, it would be extremely difficult for him to track them down.

After spending the entire night completely emptying the Chen family's assets, Chen Fan promptly delivered Chen Feiteng's son to the martial academy's office in Yandu City...

The grandmaster stationed in Yandu City by the martial academy took action that very night, proceeding directly to the City Lord's Mansion to jointly purge the Netherworld Sect spies hidden within Yandu City!

An ordinary undercover agent of the Netherworld Sect did not amount to much, but capturing one alive was a rare feat, especially given the considerable amount of intelligence he possessed.

"By uprooting this hidden stronghold of the Netherworld Sect in Yandu City, I should be able to obtain quite a few Source Points once I return to the martial academy..."

However, since Chen Fan had not exposed the fact that he had killed Chen Feiteng himself, the reward would at best equate to completing ten missions—amounting to roughly ten thousand Source Points. While this would be enough to sustain his cultivation for a long time, it was still far from enough to exchange for a spirit weapon or an Earth-grade pill!

With a shake of his head, he grasped his sword and walked out of the dojo.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw dozens of disciples standing at the entrance of the dojo.

Among them were not only the various disciples of Dong Guzhi, but also those disciples of the White Cloud Dojo who had chosen not to leave.

"Junior Brother Chen Fan!"

"Chen Fan!"

These people had naturally heard of what Chen Fan had done the previous day, and they knew precisely why he was heading out again.

A surge of warmth welled up in Chen Fan's heart.

This was a realistic world, but not everyone in it was cold and indifferent.

Human beings were, after all, creatures bound by emotional ties.

Chen Fan looked at them, smiled slightly, and walked straight through the front gates.

Heading towards the second of the Four Gates and Two Dojos, he set off in the direction of the Zihong Sect.

The disciples behind him wore flushed faces as they closely followed his steps.

They had endured an unbearable amount of suppression these past few days. Those who chose not to leave under such circumstances either had ulterior motives or still harbored deep emotional attachment to the White Cloud Dojo.

The Zihong Sect possessed strength slightly superior to the Jiangshan Sect, yet it was vastly inferior to the White Cloud Dojo. Their sect master possessed only the strength of the seventh stage and had no second grandmaster, but they did have one disciple who had managed to enter the Bright Moon Tower within the martial academy.

Senior Brother Tao Xian had been injured by that very person.

Although the Zihong Sect ranked near the bottom among the Four Gates and Two Dojos in terms of strength, they had exerted the most pressure on the White Cloud Dojo!

Senior Brother Tao had also been defeated by a martial academy disciple belonging to the Zihong Sect.

A procession of several dozen people marched imposingly toward the Zihong Sect.

As Chen Fan departed, numerous scouts keeping watch on him quickly dispatched intelligence reports to various prominent families in Yandu City.

The major powers and aristocratic families were well aware that Chen Fan's target this time was the Zihong Sect.

Families unconnected to the conflict were quite content to sit back and watch the show, while the remaining members of the Four Gates and Two Dojos found themselves in an exceptionally awkward position. They chose to remain on the sidelines, waiting to gauge Chen Fan's true current strength before deciding their next move.

...

When Chen Fan arrived at the Zihong Sect, he found that the sect's main gates were wide open, with very few disciples visible.

Not far past the entrance, within an open courtyard platform, stood a towering martial ring. A youth dressed in tight martial attire sat high upon the ring, looking down condescendingly at Chen Fan and his group.

"Chen Fan, you've finally come. I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

On the other side of the ring, numerous Zihong Sect disciples glared across the space, united in their shared hostility and guarded vigilance.

The plaque bearing the name of the Zihong Sect hung proudly above the hall not far behind them.

Having caught wind of the previous day's news, the Zihong Sect had made preparations well in advance.

Zhang Fan stepped forward once again, whispering urgently into Chen Fan's ear:

"Be careful, this is Peng Wansha, the Bright Moon Tower disciple who injured Senior Brother Tao. Word is that he ranks among the top hundred disciples in the martial academy, making him even stronger than Senior Brother Tao!"

They had sent their strongest disciple right from the start; it seemed the opponent was well aware that an ordinary sixth-stage martial artist would be no match for Chen Fan.

Chen Fan nodded slightly, a cold smile playing on his lips as he gazed at Peng Wansha: "Is this the method you chose to deal with me?"

Peng Wansha's expression turned icy, though he remained unperturbed as he replied: "Your talent is indeed peerless, Chen Fan, but aren't you being far too arrogant and conceited? Do you genuinely believe you can sweep through all the other Four Gates and Two Dojos in Yandu City?"

"If you turn back now, the grievances between our Zihong Sect and your White Cloud Dojo will be written off once and for all. But if you dare take another step forward, don't blame me for being discourteous."

The Zihong Sect was still unaware of Chen Fan's true strength; otherwise, they certainly would not have chosen such a method to respond!

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and then leaped onto the platform.

"I don't know whether I can sweep through all the dojos, but I do know that your Zihong Sect definitely cannot stop me!"

The sword in his hand raised slightly.

"Hmph, some say you are a once-in-a-generation genius of Qinghe County, but to me, that sounds vastly exaggerated. Defeating a few disciples from the martial academy's Starry Sky Tower has puffed you up with such pride? With a mindset like yours, you should visit the Hall of Self-Reflection a few more times!"

Chen Fan shook his head with a cold laugh, cutting off any further idle talk as he took a step forward.

Crackling sound echoed as blue-purple lightning flashed.

Chen Fan's figure vanished instantly from the spot, and simultaneously, a streak of blue-purple sword light slashed horizontally across the air.

Peng Wansha's expression shifted drastically in that very instant. He hastily raised his saber to block.

Slash!!

Chen Fan's sword Qi cleaved through the air, arriving in a fraction of a second. In the blink of an eye, Peng Wansha's right arm, still tightly gripping the long saber, was severed and sent flying high into the air.

With a heavy thud, it landed far away in the distance.

Puff!!

A massive mouthful of blood spewed from Peng Wansha's mouth as his body was blasted backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.

At this moment, the stump of his right shoulder was completely charred black. Having been directly targeted by Chen Fan's lightning force, reattaching his arm would be an impossible feat.

"Your strength, your conceptual intent..."

Half-kneeling on the ground, Peng Wansha stared at Chen Fan in a daze of shock and disbelief. Another mouthful of blood surged up, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground, losing consciousness entirely.

Chen Fan's expression remained cold. Behind him, some of the White Cloud Dojo disciples cheered, while others looked on with a hint of worry, feeling that Chen Fan's methods were perhaps a bit too ruthless!

Peng Wansha was the most valued disciple of the Zihong Sect, and to have him crippled right at the outset was far more severe than the injuries Peng Wansha had inflicted upon Tao Xian.

For a martial academy prodigy, losing an arm was a devastating blow. Not only would his strength plummet drastically, but it might also permanently halt his cultivation progress right here...

Of course, even without losing an arm, Peng Wansha's chances of advancing to the grandmaster realm in the future were already slim; losing an arm simply made that prospect even more impossible.