163: Chapter 163 The Fate Talisman, Departure

Lu Yuzhou slumped on the floor.

As a proper direct descendant of the Lu family, he was usually high and mighty, treating human life as worthless.

Right now, he looked just like a stray dog, his entire body trembling like a sieve.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have deliberately made things difficult for you today."

Lu Yuzhou's teeth chattered, and he couldn't even speak a complete sentence properly.

Watching Chen Ran approach step by step, he scrambled backward desperately until his back was pressed firmly against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

"Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!"

"Silver, Cultivation Technique, women!"

"My Lu family has plenty of money! As long as you spare me, I'll give you fifty thousand taels... no, one hundred thousand taels of silver!"

Lu Yuzhou incoherently threw out every bargaining chip he could think of.

He didn't want to die.

He still had a bright future ahead, and endless wealth and glory to enjoy.

Chen Ran stopped walking and looked down at Lu Yuzhou from above.

"You don't know you were wrong; you just know you are about to die."

Chen Ran's tone was calm.

Lu Yuzhou froze.

"You... you can't kill me!"

Lu Yuzhou completely broke down and began to scream hysterically.

Chen Ran shook his head.

"Noisy."

He couldn't be bothered to listen to this nonsense anymore. He raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and struck directly at Lu Yuzhou's crown.

A fierce wind rushed at his face. Just as Chen Ran's fingers were about to touch Lu Yuzhou's scalp, a sudden change occurred.

Inside the lapel of Lu Yuzhou's chest, a jade talisman he wore close to his body suddenly shattered.

A blinding white light suddenly erupted.

Immediately after, a fiercely unmatched Sword Qi shot out from the white light, heading straight for Chen Ran's face.

This Sword Qi was extremely fast, carrying a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air.

Its power was far greater than the full-strength strike of that Uncle Fu from earlier.

This was a life-saving trump card sealed by a Lu family Elder within the jade talisman.

Once the wearer encountered a life-or-death crisis, it would automatically trigger, unleashing a strike comparable to that of a Grandmaster.

Before the Sword Qi arrived, a chilling killing intent had already enveloped Chen Ran.

Lu Yuzhou suddenly opened his eyes, a light of wild joy erupting within them.

"Go to hell!"

He roared frantically in his heart.

However.

Facing this terrifying Sword Qi, Chen Ran flipped his wrist and slapped directly toward it.

Bang!

A deafening muffled sound rang out.

Chen Ran's palm steadily pressed down on the Sword Qi.

The violent Sword Qi struggled frantically in his palm, attempting to cut through his flesh.

But Chen Ran's palm was as if cast from ten-thousand-year-old black iron, indestructible.

Chen Ran clenched his five fingers tightly.

Crack.

The fierce Sword Qi was actually crushed by him into specks of light that dissipated into the air.

The wild joy on Lu Yuzhou's face froze.

He stared blankly at this scene, his brain completely ceasing to think.

Chen Ran did not give Lu Yuzhou any time to react.

After crushing the Sword Qi, his palm followed through and slammed heavily onto the top of Lu Yuzhou's head.

Splat.

It was just like crushing a watermelon.

Lu Yuzhou's head was driven directly into his chest cavity, and blood mixed with red and white matter splattered all over the floor.

The headless corpse swayed for a moment before collapsing softly into a pool of blood.

The building fell completely silent.

Chen Ran looked around.

The entire hall was in a mess, with severed limbs everywhere, and blood had almost dyed the entire floor red.

The stench of blood was overwhelming.

"A bit too conspicuous."

Chen Ran frowned slightly.

After all, this was the capital region. Leaving so many corpses would inevitably attract some unnecessary trouble.

Although he wasn't afraid of trouble, he didn't want to be watched by people like flies all day long.

Chen Ran's mind stirred.

In his palm, a trace of eerie Crimson Blood light suddenly flared up.

Blood Transformation Great Art.

The Crimson Blood True Qi surged out, turning into an invisible net that instantly enveloped the entire hall.

The blood, corpses, and severed limbs on the ground.

The moment they touched the Crimson Blood True Qi, they melted rapidly, like ice meeting a blazing fire.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

The hair-raising sound of melting echoed through the silent hall.

In just a dozen breaths of time.

The corpses and blood covering the floor disappeared completely.

Even the bloodstains that had seeped into the cracks of the wooden floor were extracted clean.

Except for the smashed tables and chairs and the mess on the floor, there was no trace left of anyone having died in the entire hall.

After cleaning up the scene, Chen Ran nodded with satisfaction.

Without lingering any longer, his figure flashed and merged into the night outside.

He disappeared completely.

Dawn was breaking, and the sky was still somewhat dim.

Ten miles outside the capital, by a remote official road.

An inn that should have been packed with guests was now deathly silent.

In the inn's backyard, over a dozen corpses lay strewn about.

These corpses were all carrying weapons, most with expressions of terror. Looking closely, each person here had been killed with a single blow.

Second floor, Heaven-grade guest room.

There was no light in the room, only a faint glimmer shining in through the window lattice.

Jiang Mengli, in a red dress, sat quietly by the window.

The night breeze blew through her long hair, revealing that face—stunningly beautiful yet cold as frost.

On the table in front of her lay a copy of the newly printed imperial gazette.

The front-page headline was written in eye-catching large characters:

"The first day of the World Martial Arts Tournament concludes with Perfection, Prodigies from all walks of life reveal their sharp edge!"

Below it, densely packed with reports of the exciting duels on the arena today, as well as several young talents who had performed exceptionally well.

Jiang Mengli's gaze swept over the content of the newspaper, and she let out a cold laugh.

"A bunch of clowns."

She extended a slender finger and tapped lightly on the newspaper.

Whoosh.

A ball of crimson flame ignited out of thin air.

In the blink of an eye, that copy of the imperial gazette turned into a pile of ash.

Jiang Mengli turned her head, her gaze looking toward the direction of the capital.

At the end of the morning mist, the massive silhouette of the capital loomed faintly.

Her risky return to the capital this time was not purely for the sake of the Martial Arts Tournament.

She was here for a secret treasure.

A secret treasure left behind by the previous dynasty's royal family.

According to rumors, that secret treasure not only hid wealth that could rival a nation but also countless divine Cultivation Techniques and Secret Manuals, and fine weapons collected by the previous dynasty's royal family.

The Red Lotus Demonic Cult wanted to overthrow the Great Wei Dynasty, and this secret treasure was an indispensable aid.

And this secret treasure was hidden deep underground in the capital.

More importantly, the key to opening the secret treasure,

must be the Bloodline of the royal successors of the past dynasties.

In other words,

she had to be present in person to open it.

When she first infiltrated the capital, it was to investigate the specific location of the secret treasure.

Unfortunately, the news leaked.

She was ambushed by the joint forces of Six Doors and the Demon Suppression Division.

Although she fought to break through the encirclement, she was eventually heavily injured and exhausted, and was locked into that pitch-black prison.

Those days in the prison were the darkest times of her life.

Until...

she met that man.

Thinking of the little Jailer who was responsible for guarding her back then,

a rare trace of bewilderment appeared on Jiang Mengli's cold, frost-like face.

Chen Ran's appearance involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Jiang Mengli looked at the woods outside the window, her eyes gradually losing focus.

She became dazed.

She didn't know how he was doing now.

Was he still working as that little Jailer in the prison?

Or had he already left that damn place?

Having left the capital for over several months, she didn't know Chen Ran's current situation either.

"Saintess?"

An old voice suddenly rang out in the room, interrupting Jiang Mengli's thoughts.

Jiang Mengli suddenly snapped back to reality.

The trace of softness in her eyes vanished, and she returned to her high and mighty coldness.

In the shadows of the room, a hunched figure had appeared at some point.

It was an old man wearing a black robe, with an enchanting red lotus embroidered on his chest.

"What is it?"

Jiang Mengli's voice was cold and clear.

The Transmission Elder bowed slightly, his attitude extremely respectful.

"Reporting to the Saintess, the cult's elite have all infiltrated into position."

"The secret agents within the capital have also been activated and can provide support at any time."

"May I ask Saintess, when shall we make our move?"

Jiang Mengli did not answer immediately.

She stood up, walked to the window, and cast her gaze toward the direction of the capital again.

"No rush."

Jiang Mengli said indifferently.

"The capital is currently a mix of dragons and snakes, with various forces gathered, and the defenses are extremely strict."

"Making a move now would only alert the enemy."

The Transmission Elder frowned slightly.

"Then, what is the Saintess's intention..."

A murderous intent flashed in Jiang Mengli's eyes.

"Wait."

"Wait until the day of the Martial Arts Tournament finals."

"That day, everyone's attention will be focused on the arena, and the defenses inside the capital will inevitably become empty."

"That will be the best time for us to open the secret treasure."

Upon hearing this, the Transmission Elder's eyes showed realization, and he quickly lowered his head.

"The Saintess is wise."

"This old man will go and make arrangements immediately, telling the people below to continue lying low, never revealing a single flaw."

Jiang Mengli waved her hand.

The Elder bowed again, his figure slowly merging into the shadows and disappearing.

The room returned to silence once again.

Jiang Mengli stood alone by the window.

She raised her hand and touched her chest, feeling that constantly beating, active Blood Seed.

"It won't be many days before we meet again."