The First Demon of the Chan Sect

North of the Cold Origin Ancient City, the cold wind whistled, the atmosphere tense. Everyone's gaze was focused on the tiny Daoist floating in the Heavenly Vault, held by a golden hand.

At this moment, the tiny Daoist had a vacant look in his eyes. His face was expressionless, and he appeared as if bereft of all spiritual intelligence, showing no signs of consciousness.

The Golden Boat City Lord's eyes were sharp as lightning, but his voice gradually softened, "Who are you?"

"Shi Mu!" The Daoist's mouth mechanically opened as he spoke, his voice flat and devoid of any emotional fluctuations.

"What do these two unresolved cases in the north of the city have to do with you?" continued the interrogation by the Golden Boat City Lord.

A trace of struggle appeared on the face of the tiny Daoist, but after a moment, his expression calmed down again, and he said, "Both individuals were killed by Ying Shisan under the orders of a superior!"

The Golden Boat City Lord pressed on, "Who is this superior? And who is Ying Shisan?"

The True Yuan within the tiny Daoist surged abruptly, oscillating wildly, the struggle on his face becoming even more apparent.

"The su-superior is..." He tried to speak.

"Shoo!"

At that moment, a soft sound emerged from a tavern miles away, accompanied by a dazzling red light that streaked across the sky, arriving instantly and targeting the top of Shi Mu's skull.

"Hmph, showing your true colors!" sneered the Golden Boat City Lord, his lips curling in mocking amusement as his fingers rapidly shifted their gestures and flicked lightly towards the Void.

"Buzz!"

The surrounding void became stagnant within a radius, everything coming to a standstill. The red light that had entered the area also halted, suspended in mid-air.

"Such precise control of the Space Law!" Watching the tiny red needle hover in mid-air, Li Qingming's pupils constricted, deeply impressed by such precise manipulation of the Law.

Seeing that the attack had failed, a dark shadow suddenly sprang from the upper floors of the distant tavern, rushing toward the northern city gate at high speed.

"Think you can escape? Return!" The Golden Boat City Lord smiled coldly and flicked his hand.

"Shoo!"

The tiny red needle reversed direction with a speed tens of thousands of times faster than before, and almost instantly, it struck the dark shadow's thigh before disappearing.

"Crack!"

The tiny needle was ruthless, seemingly sealed with some kind of secret technique. The shadow that was hit, continued on inertia, crashing to the ground after a few yards.

Shortly after, with a "bang," intense red flames erupted from his body, burning him to ashes within moments, without even time for a scream.

Watching the flames gradually fade, Li Qingquan gasped in awe, "Such skilled movements, such a merciless needle!"

Long Xuhu nodded, "This guy is skilled. Missing with one strike and instantly escaping shows he often does this!"

"Alright!" Li Qingming patted both their shoulders, "Let's see if the Golden Boat City Lord can extract some useful information from Shi Mu!"

...

Meanwhile, at the exact moment of the tragic event, near the East Gate in a vast mansion, a breeze passed without stirring a ripple, seemingly uninvolved with the happenings in the north.

And in this seemingly peaceful mansion resided the temporary abode of the Desert King, Lord Hun Tian, housing most of his over three hundred followers.

Eastern wing of the mansion.

"Young Master, the master is worried about your safety and has specially commanded this old servant to lead the Shadow Demon Thirteen Guards to secretly infiltrate Han Yuan City to protect you!" A person, fully clad in a black robe, respectfully stood by Lord Hun Tian's side, his voice carrying a somber and deadly intent.

Lord Hun Tian sat cross-legged on a soft couch, half-squinting, and said, "Is that so? So the incidents just now were all your doing?"

The Black Robed Man bent even lower, bowing his body and giving a light cough, saying, "Cough! Without the Young Master's permission, taking the liberty of using your men to carry out assassinations, this is indeed the old servant's fault!"

"Humph!" Lord Hun Tian snorted coldly and said, "You old folks have no regard for me as the Young Master. If it weren't for my father holding you back, you would probably have already seized power and divided up the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons!"

The Black Robed Man trembled all over, kneeling on the ground with a "thud," knocking his head like pounding garlic, "Young Master has discerning eyes! This servant harbors no such thoughts; it's just that upon hearing those Sub-Saints pressured the Young Master at the Beast Fighting Arena, I wanted to kill them to relieve the Young Master's anger, and hence I acted rashly! I beg for your forgiveness!"

Lord Hun Tian rose up from his meditation, came to the Black Robed Man's side, and stared coldly at him for a long while, saying, "Stand up! Was it done cleanly?"

The Black Robed Man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stood up, saying, "Please rest assured, Young Master! It was Ying Shisan who acted this time. Although he only possesses Late Sub-Saint Cultivation, he acts cautiously and ruthlessly, and won't leave any loose ends! Currently, he is still in the north of the city waiting to see the results and will not return until it's confirmed safe!"

"What about my subordinate?" Lord Hun Tian's expression shifted slightly, as if he remembered something.

The Black Robed Man paused briefly, saying, "Please be at ease, Young Master! Ying Shisan only sought to gather some information from him and asked him to stir trouble at the right time. There won't be any mishaps!"

"He's not dead?" Lord Hun Tian's gaze faltered, and he suddenly burst forth with rage.

The Black Robed Man's eyes flickered, saying, "You mean… no way!"

"Worthless, they're all damn worthless!" Lord Hun Tian angrily kicked the old man, sending him flying out of the eastern wing with immense force.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Numerous figures burst forth from various rooms, each with a tense expression, fearing that something might happen to Lord Hun Tian.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Someone, protect the lord completely!"

They each surged with True Yuan, standing guard outside Lord Hun Tian, glaring down at the Black Robed Man on the ground.

"This has nothing to do with you, all back off!" Lord Hun Tian stepped out of the house with a dark expression and gestured with his hand.

Although the followers were perplexed, they still bowed and withdrew.

Once everyone had retreated, the Black Robed Man, in fear, got up and knelt before Lord Hun Tian, saying, "Young Master, please calm down! Young Master, please calm down!"

…

North of Han Yuan Ancient City, still shoulder to shoulder, but eerily silent.

No longer hindered, the Golden Boat City Lord intensified his efforts, reapplying the Curse Seal to Shi Mu, continuing to probe the earlier questions.

Shi Mu mumbled in a daze, "It was Lord Hun Tian, Lord Hun Tian sent Ying Shisan to assassinate them. As for Ying Shisan, I am not sure. I only know that they came to Han Yuan Ancient City later!"

"Whoosh!"

"Hun Tian, always that brat Hun Tian!"

"I knew it was him, never keeps trouble away!"

Once Shi Mu uttered the words "Hun Tian," everyone present from various factions erupted, loudly cursing with excitement stirring amongst them. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to recommend and vote monthly at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)