Once Qian Chen made up his mind, he had no desire to waste further breath on him. Raising his hand with a flick, the Black Gold Baleful Hook transformed into a sinuous streak of sword-light, lightning-swift as it slashed straight at Pei Junhu.
Pei Junhu had originally presumed upon his status, thinking Qian Chen was a mere wandering cultivator who could not afford to offend an immortal sect, putting on an unyielding act only to haggle for better benefits. He had never expected Qian Chen to strike with such absolute decisiveness, exuding the bearing of a "resolute Dao heart" and treating him as if he were nobody at all. A cold sneer immediately rose in Pei Junhu's heart: *You brought this death upon yourself! Junior Sister Guan cannot blame me for this!*
The sword pouch on his back also spewed forth a beam of sword-light. Pure and upright without a hint of evil, clear and unpolluted, it was a bona fide flying sword, easily three shades more precious than Qian Chen's Black Gold Baleful Hook, which clearly stemmed from heterodox origins.
The sword-light surged forward, trailing an azure sword-ray thirty feet long.
Releasing the sword-light, Pei Junhu wore a faint look of pride. The flying sword in his grip was a treasure of the Jinchuan Sect, a magical implement bearing over twenty layers of restrictions. What made it even rarer was that it harmonized perfectly with his cultivation method; its name was the Clear Swan Sword. Such a flying sword possessed an exquisite luster and the power to ward off evil, impervious to defilement by demonic arts. Paired with the sword arts he had meticulously cultivated for more than forty years, once he achieved the unity of body and sword, it truly possessed the might to contend against Core Formation cultivators.
During several sect assessments, the moment he unleashed his flying sword, his opponents would crumble within a few bouts.
Ordinary protective spells of the heterodox path were slashed apart by this sword-light like flimsy paper...
He harbored no thought of holding back either. Seeing that Qian Chen carried quite remarkable magical implements, and since this fool had dared strike at him with no regard for his own life, he would simply kill him as well. That way, he would have items to reward his junior martial brothers and sisters with later on...
That flying hook in particular suited his appetite nicely.
To his surprise, Qian Chen's sword-light flashed as he merged body and sword, the glow blazing even more intensely than before. In an instant, Qian Chen closed in right before Pei Junhu. Pei Junhu immediately released a banner-screen magical implement; the winding landscape depicted on the screen transformed into flowing, dripping ink that shielded him, while the Clear Swan Sword twisted around, aiming to shear Qian Chen—who was fused with the sword-light—in two at the waist.
Yet right at that moment, the hook-light shuddered and abruptly split in two. Qian Chen flashed out of the sword-light, appearing to fall back, while the streak of the black-gold flying hook struck like lightning toward Pei Junhu.
Pei Junhu thought to himself that Qian Chen had panicked. Relying on his protective implement, he continued driving his sword-light toward Qian Chen, who seemingly had no magical implements left to shield him.
Using himself as bait, Qian Chen lured the flying sword away. Only when the sword-light descended upon his head did the Heavenly Net Umbrella manifest, pouring down its Primeval Azure Qi to guard him securely. At the same time, the Dragon Sparrow Ring slipped from his wrist and looped down, ensnaring the sword-light to capture it.
This turn of events happened in a fraction of an instant. How could Pei Junhu have foreseen that Qian Chen would suddenly produce two more magical implements?
The spiritual radiance of that umbrella-shaped implement stood unshakeable beneath the sword-light, its quality undeniably extraordinary...
Seeing that the black-gold hook-light was mottled and dim, an implement of the heterodox path, Pei Junhu was confident it could not breach his protective spiritual screen. He thus poured most of his magical power into the Clear Swan Sword to break free from the Dragon Sparrow Ring. But right then, billows of core qi surged behind Qian Chen, condensing into a massive hand covering an entire mu, which pressed down and grasped the Clear Swan Sword tight.
Only now did Pei Junhu truly panic.
He cried out in horror, "A Returned Dan Real Man!"
He frantically stammered an explanation: "Senior, stop! My uncle is Anyangzi, Sect Master of the Jinchuan Sect, and a Core Formation great cultivator!"
Yet at that moment, the Ice Soul Divine Needle concealed within the light of the Black Gold Baleful Hook shot forth, instantly piercing Pei Junhu's protective spiritual screen, which lacked sufficient magical power to sustain it. It sank into his chest, freezing his heart into solid ice in an instant. The panic on Pei Junhu's face froze solid alongside it.
"This is the Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqi. I've sent it for you to see... Are you satisfied?"
With a press of the Innate Primordial Qi Seizing Hand formed from his core qi, Qian Chen reeled the Clear Swan Sword—now devoid of its master's control—into the Dragon Sparrow Ring. Looking at Pei Junhu's face, over which a thin sheet of frost was spreading, Qian Chen said calmly, "Besides... can a mere Core Formation cultivator even be called a great cultivator?"
When Pei Junhu had begged for mercy earlier, Guan Pingxuan was already gripped by panic and indecision. Seeing Qian Chen's sword-light loop around, she had wanted to invoke the silk-bolt magical implement in her hand to protect Pei Junhu, but at that moment, a hand rested upon her shoulder. "Senior Sister, think carefully. That fellow daoist is also someone with a resolute Dao heart. If Senior Sister makes a move, I fear you will have to keep Senior Brother Pei company!"
In the brief span of that single sentence, Pei Junhu was slain by Qian Chen.
Guan Pingxuan had completely lost her composure, her voice trembling. "Do... do you know who Senior Brother Pei was? Judging by your loose core qi, you are merely an inferior-grade Core Formation cultivator, yet you dare kill the nephew of the Jinchuan Sect's sect leader? How could the Sect Master ever forgive you?"
Qian Chen swept a calm gaze over her, sending a chill through her entire body and leaving her flustered and helpless.
"Just as Fellow Daoist Pei said, the struggle for the Great Dao is a fight to the death. There is absolutely no reason to stay one's hand... What is more, I have suffered somewhat of a loss. Had Fellow Daoist Pei killed me, he would have instantly obtained the Ice Soul Cold Light Gang, whereas after killing Fellow Daoist Pei, I have yet to conclude this struggle for the Great Dao!"
Guan Pingxuan was stunned for a long while before recovering her senses, gasping in horror, "You want to fight your way into the Jinchuan Sect?!"
The look on her face, as if seeing a madman, gave Cui Dan immense satisfaction. He laughed boisterously: "Why should you be allowed to kick down our door, while we aren't allowed to strike back?"
Having said that, he suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Casting a glance at Qian Chen, he added, "Besides, Senior Brother Qian wouldn't necessarily fear that Sect Master Jin!"
"Right, Senior Brother?" Cui Dan turned back, grinning ingratiatingly.
Qian Chen smiled and nodded. His gaze toward Guan Pingxuan remained calm and indifferent, reducing the woman to speechless terror. Only one thought echoed in her mind: *He wants to kill me too... Of course! He has already killed Senior Brother Pei, why would he balk at adding me to the tally?*
Just then, Junior Sister Yan standing beside her spoke up: "It is not Sect Master Jin, but Sect Master Pei."
"Oh?" Intrigued, Qian Chen stayed the sword-light he was about to thrust out, listening as the Yan maiden continued: "Within the Jinchuan Sect, there are three great clans: the Pei, Wang, and Wen families. Deep rivalries divide them. Though the Pei family holds great sway at present, the other two clans are still not entirely convinced. If you, Fellow Daoist Qian, only seek trouble with the Pei family, the Core Formation Real Men of the other two clans may not necessarily intervene.
"In contrast, the clans within our White Deer Sect are more harmonious, bound by intermarriage and sharing common breath. Though there are squabbles, they are kept beneath the surface. Fellow Daoist Qian, my senior sister has no 'struggle for the Great Dao' with you. Killing her would only force the White Deer Sect onto the Jinchuan Sect's side... Why do so merely out of fleeting spite?
"If Fellow Daoist Qian can show mercy, I will do my utmost to keep the White Deer Sect out of this affair, ensuring we never take part in it again!"
The girl swore with earnest conviction, though her heart was filled with trepidation.
Hearing this, Qian Chen merely smiled faintly and asked, "Where is the Jinchuan Sect?"
...
The Jinchuan Sect lay to the southwest of the Jiuzhen Great Marsh. Among the dozens of rivers flowing into the marsh was the Jinsha River, named for having once produced grains of Geng Metal sand. The Jinchuan Sect was the collective name for a sect grounds spanning hundreds of li where the river mouth converged with the great marsh. Over a dozen spiritual mountains nestled within it; without someone to guide the way, one would truly have to slaughter their way through the entire Jinchuan Sect to find the target.
Holding his umbrella, Qian Chen arrived outside the Jinchuan Sect. Looking upon the restrictions blanketing the mountain range, he casually produced the calling card Junior Sister Yan had given him and sent it into the barrier. Before long, someone called out inquisitively: "Who are you, and why do you carry a visiting card from the White Deer Sect?"
Qian Chen replied calmly, "I am the wanderer Qian Chen. Having had a wager with your esteemed sect's Pei Junhu, I was fortunate enough to win. However, he did not have his stake on him, so I had no choice but to take the liberty of coming to your door to claim it."
"Senior Brother Pei?" The person sounded somewhat astonished and uncertain.
Just then, another person laughed. "What kind of figure is Senior Brother Pei? How could he lose to a wandering cultivator like you?"
"What did he wager with you?"
"Our lives!" Qian Chen revealed the gleam of the Clear Swan Sword and cast Pei Junhu's severed head into the barrier.
Shortly thereafter, bells tolled thunderously, and chaos erupted across the Jinchuan Sect. Someone cried out in panic: "Senior Brother Pei has been killed! Senior Brother Pei has been killed!"
Another voice hastily added, "The killer has already reached the mountain gate!"
Standing outside the mountain gate, Qian Chen sighed softly in his heart. *Killing someone from a cultivator clan is always troublesome. Those two from the Mount Mei Sect earlier were so neat and tidy by comparison. But within clans, everyone is bound by kinship and the members are numerous. Who knows how many uncles Pei Junhu has? And I hear that uncle of his who serves as sect leader will almost certainly seek vengeance for him.*
*Now, I can only kill that uncle of his first, then trample through this mountain gate of the Jinchuan Sect...*
*...and reclaim my Extreme Yin True Sha fair and square!*
Chapter 71