Chapter 148: Chapter 148: As Formidable as Ever

You Shengnan’s eyes flew open.

A young man holding a long saber had appeared before her.

"Junior Brother Bai!"

She couldn’t speak, but the words were already echoing in her mind.

’How could it be him?!’

You Shengnan never would have imagined that the person who appeared in her room would be Bai Yuan, who was supposed to be paralyzed in bed.

’Was he faking his illness?’

When she thought about her junior brother’s insidious and cunning nature, she suddenly felt it was highly likely!

Bai Yuan was the one who had defeated the Blood Refining Martial Master Li Zhu in a single move on the Dragon Gate Platform. His combat prowess was extraordinary. Perhaps she could actually survive tonight!

A glimmer of hope suddenly shot through You Shengnan’s eyes.

If there was a chance to live, who would want to die?

The sudden appearance of the young man momentarily stunned the three Soul-Chasing Tower assassins who had come to kill You Shengnan, but their movements didn’t pause for long.

The gleam of sabers fell once more.

Two at the Blood Refining Pass, one at the Strong Organ Pass.

Such a team was deployed just to deal with two at the Strong Organ Pass and one half-crippled individual at the Blood Refining Pass on Wan Jun Peak. The Soul-Chasing Tower’s arrangements were already cautious enough.

CLANG!

The long saber at Bai Yuan’s waist flew from its sheath, and four blades tangled in the air.

The three Soul-Chasing Tower assassins felt an extreme, icy chill travel from their palms, which gripped their sabers, causing their movements to slow involuntarily by a fraction.

But that fraction of a second was enough to cost them their lives.

Bai Yuan gripped his saber with both hands, putting power into his waist.

A horizontal sweep!

THUD, THUD, THUD!

One swing... three heads.

The three Soul-Chasing Tower assassins had only lasted two moves against Bai Yuan before becoming three headless corpses.

Reinforcement Points +1029

Bai Yuan flicked his right wrist, and not a single stain of blood remained on the long saber.

’A saber forged from Celestial Meteorite Iron really is useful; it even saves me the trouble of wiping it clean.’

After dealing with the three Soul-Chasing Tower assassins, Bai Yuan took a small pill from his waist.

Although it looked like a pill, the scent of vegetables it gave off revealed that it wasn’t medicine, but food. To be precise, it was a vegetable ball that Bai Yuan had made by drying, crushing, and rolling up Spirit Vegetables.

This was precisely the antitoxic dish Bai Yuan had developed himself.

The first thing a poisoner must learn is how to create antidotes. Otherwise, poisoning oneself while testing concoctions would be a fatal mistake.

Moreover, if a poisoner were to be poisoned by someone else first, they would be at a disadvantage before they could even make a move.

Therefore, a master of poison is often also a master of antidotes.

Bai Yuan, however, had taken a different path: using food to counteract poison.

As soon as You Shengnan swallowed Bai Yuan’s Antitoxic Pill, she felt a warm current spread from her throat throughout her body.

The paralyzing, numbing sensation instantly vanished.

She hurriedly got to her feet.

"Junior Brother Bai."

The words in her heart could finally be spoken aloud.

Bai Yuan asked, "Senior Sister, are you feeling unwell?"

You Shengnan shook her head.

Just then, the courtyard gate was suddenly smashed open, and a giant of a man, built like a black bear, rushed into the small courtyard radiating killing intent.

It was Xiongshan.

The commotion from Bai Yuan’s fight just now had not been quiet, and Xiongshan, who was only a wall away, naturally noticed it.

"Junior Brother Bai?!"

Xiongshan looked at Bai Yuan, then at the corpses on the ground.

Although he looked simple and clumsy, his mind was extremely sharp. He quickly realized that this Junior Brother Bai of his had been faking his illness.

’As expected of the man who defeated Li Zhu in one move!’

Xiongshan stared at the three bodies on the ground and couldn’t help but grin.

’Given the Soul-Chasing Tower’s methods, when they strike, they strike to kill. So, at least two of these three must have been Blood Refining Martial Masters.’

It had been no more than twenty breaths from the moment the commotion started, yet Bai Yuan had already finished the fight.

’But this is just like Old Dong’s style.’

’Bai Yuan inherited Old Dong’s legacy. The arena isn’t his true stage; only a life-and-death battle can bring out his full strength.’

’Killing has never been about trading blows in a formal duel.’

Only You Shengnan knew, however, that her junior brother had directly annihilated the three masters from the Soul-Chasing Tower head-on, and with just one move...

About half an incense stick’s time after Xiongshan appeared, a white-bearded old man materialized outside the small courtyard.

When You Shengnan and Xiongshan saw the newcomer, they bowed respectfully. "Elder Ge."

The visitor was none other than Supreme Elder Ge Zhen.

Most of the Divine Mansion Sect’s Supreme Elders were former high-ranking figures who had stepped down to a more leisurely role after their age advanced and their Qi and Blood declined.

Therefore, although the Supreme Elders held high status, their actual strength was not necessarily greater than that of the Thirteen Peaks Peak Masters.

However, there were exceptions.

And that exception was Ge Zhen, who stood before them now.

Ten years ago, Ge Zhen had been the Peak Master of Nine Revolutions Peak, but he had voluntarily abdicated his position before his Qi and Blood had even begun to wane.

In terms of strength, half of the Thirteen Peaks Peak Masters were no match for him.

With the Soul-Chasing Tower causing trouble recently, and with both Murong Tian and Dong Wanjun away from the mountain, he had emerged from the Supreme Elder Hall to guard the Divine Mansion Sect.

Although Ge Zhen hadn’t managed to break through the Perception realm and reverse his aging like Sect Leader Murong Tian, his perceptive abilities were still terrifyingly powerful.

That was how he was able to detect the disturbance on Wan Jun Peak.

Not long after Ge Zhen’s arrival, a dozen more figures appeared in the small courtyard on the mountainside of Wan Jun Peak. All of them were powerful experts from the Divine Mansion Sect tasked with guarding the mountain gate.

"Soul-Chasing Tower..." one of the burly, middle-aged men said through gritted teeth.

Bai Yuan recognized the man. He seemed to be a Vice Commander of the Divine Mansion Army, Yu Hui’s second-in-command.

This time, he had not gone down the mountain with Murong Tian and Dong Wanjun, but had been assigned to guard Shenfu Mountain.

The Divine Mansion Army was Dong Wanjun’s personal force, and Wan Jun Peak was where Old Dong’s legacy was passed down, so his indignation was natural.

Ge Zhen spoke flatly, "Take them away. Have the forensic doctors examine them."

Since the three young ones on Wan Jun Peak were unharmed, he had no intention of staying any longer.

He gave the order and drifted away.

Before leaving, he gave Bai Yuan another look.

As a Supreme Elder of the Divine Mansion Sect, he didn’t interfere in the sect’s internal affairs, but he was still very well-informed.

Of course, he knew about this little fellow who had been crippled right after being promoted to a True Disciple.

’Faking his illness...’

’If Old Dong hadn’t helped cover for him, Bai Yuan alone certainly couldn’t have convinced everyone.’

’The results are obvious, too. He took out three Soul-Chasing Tower masters through trickery.’

’But now that he’s made his move, it’s impossible for him to keep faking it.’

After Ge Zhen left, the Divine Mansion Army’s Vice Commander, Liu Li, walked up with a smile.

"Commander Bai, you’ve been hiding your talents well."

Bai Yuan replied, "It was all my master’s idea."

Liu Li chuckled.

’Our Grand Commander is truly brilliant and formidable. Not only is he skilled at killing, but his mind is just as sharp.’

"Come by the Divine Mansion Army more often when you have time."

Liu Li clapped Bai Yuan on the shoulder.

Bai Yuan was the Commander of the Wei Camp, one of the thirty-six camps of the Divine Mansion Army. Technically, that made him Liu Li’s subordinate, so Liu Li naturally felt a closer connection to him.

With that, he directed the Divine Mansion Army soldiers who had come with him to carry away the three Soul-Chasing Tower assassins Bai Yuan had killed.

The forensic doctors of the Divine Mansion Sect were even more skilled than those at the Prefecture Patrol Office.

They could find clues even from a body turned to ash, let alone from three such complete corpses.

The Soul-Chasing Tower had sent assassins to commit murder, so the Divine Mansion Sect naturally had to take precautions.

But there were always some who slipped through the net.

Taking these bodies to the forensic doctors was intended to find out how they had managed to infiltrate the Divine Mansion Sect.

...

「Three days later.」

A secret letter from Old Dong appeared in Bai Yuan’s hands.

"Commander Bai Yuan of the Wei Camp is to take his soldiers and guard the counties of Cao Gu and Qinghe."

Bai Yuan silently put the letter away.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised by Old Dong’s arrangements.

The Divine Mansion Sect was short on manpower right now. Since his fake illness had been exposed, there was no reason for him to continue lying in bed.

Even if Old Dong agreed to it, Murong Tian would never allow it.

The other fifteen True Disciples had all been assigned to guard different regions; he naturally couldn’t be an exception.

Not to mention, he was also the Commander of a camp in the Divine Mansion Army.

’Qinghe!’

Bai Yuan thought of the word "Qinghe" in the letter, and ripples stirred in his heart.

He had originally planned to return to Qinghe for a visit after his promotion to True Disciple, but he had never found the right opportunity.

Now, the arrangement suited his wishes perfectly.

Qinghe was located in the southern part of Huanglong Prefecture, and the south was precisely the area Old Dong was defending. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Clearly, Old Dong had arranged this on purpose.

Just as Bai Yuan was preparing to pack and leave, You Shengnan and Xiongshan appeared in his room.

"Junior Brother Bai, we received orders from Master to head south with you and quell the unrest."

You Shengnan said with a smile.

Given her temperament, she had long been unwilling to stay cooped up in a small courtyard all day. This was the perfect opportunity to get out and about.

However, the place she and Xiongshan were going was different from Bai Yuan’s destination.

The three of them discussed their plans.

The next day, they descended the mountain together and headed for the Divine Mansion Army’s encampment.

...

"Commander Bai, we meet again."

The Grand Commander of the Divine Mansion Army looked at the vigorous and lively Bai Yuan and roared with laughter.

He had long since heard about what happened on Wan Jun Peak that night and was even more pleased with Bai Yuan.

With Bai Yuan’s current strength, he could rank extremely high among the thirty-six camps of the Divine Mansion Army.

How could Grand Commander Dong’s True Disciple be an ordinary person?

"Commander Yu, this is a secret letter from my master."

Bai Yuan took out the secret letter Old Dong had given him and handed it to Commander Yu.

Liu Li, who was standing to the side, spoke up.

"No need. We’ve already received word from Grand Commander Dong. We’ve been waiting for you."

He waved his hand with a smile.

Yu Hui looked at Bai Yuan with admiration.

’This young man became Dong Wanjun’s True Disciple at such a young age. He might soon become a Vice Commander like Liu Li, or even a Commander-in-Chief, perhaps even taking over after Grand Commander Dong grows old.’

’With Bai Yuan’s talent and disposition, it’s not impossible.’

’As long as a True Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect doesn’t die prematurely, they all eventually become major powerhouses.’

For once, Yu Hui offered Bai Yuan a few extra words of advice.

If it had been any of the other thirty-five Camp Masters, he would have just kicked them out the door with a curse, showing none of his current good temper.

He would never have been in such a good mood.

Bai Yuan received the Divine Mansion Army’s Tiger Talisman from Yu Hui’s hands, then went with You Shengnan and Xiongshan to the South of Huanglong Prefecture.

Zhao Han stared at the Tiger Talisman in Bai Yuan’s hand, his expression solemn.

A hint of excitement could even be seen in his eyes.

He was already itching to get back to the front lines.

The truth was, Zhao Han had been transferred out of the Slaughter Camp and into the cushy Wei Camp because he had made a mistake.

To others, the Wei Camp might have been a safe and profitable assignment, but to Zhao Han, who was used to the blood of the battlefield, he felt like a caged bird on display.

It was utterly frustrating.

Now that he finally had a chance to go to war, he was naturally thrilled.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Han barked his assent, deftly taking the Tiger Talisman to assemble the soldiers of the Wei Camp.

He was showing the proper awareness of a subordinate.

Although Bai Yuan had previously been his subordinate, the army was a place where strength mattered most. Bai Yuan was stronger than him, so it was only right that he was ranked higher. Thus, Zhao Han felt no insubordination whatsoever.

As for whether Bai Yuan would give him a hard time because of his previous attitude, that wasn’t something he was considering.

Since he had made a mistake, he could only endure the consequences.

Zhao Han was a blood-soaked soldier, not one of those sissies hiding on Shenfu Mountain. He wasn’t going to cry about it all day.

In just an hour,

the hundred or so men of the Wei Camp, from top to bottom, appeared before Bai Yuan.

Zhao Han’s abilities were indeed impressive.

Although the Wei Camp rarely saw combat, its discipline was strict, in no way inferior to the other camps.

The duties of the Divine Mansion Army’s thirty-six camps were never fixed. The Wei Camp, for example, had once been a valiant company that fought on the front lines; it had only been reassigned to guard Huanglong Prefecture’s South City three years ago.

Many of the Wei Camp’s veterans were just like Zhao Han.

The greatsabers at their waists were thirsting for action.

"Move out!"

Bai Yuan roared.

He could hardly wait to return to Qinghe.