Chapter 229 - 227: Blood Hand Poison Master

Luo Tian suddenly calling out to "Brother Qi" left Ke Yuexuan, Yuwen Xuan, and the others completely baffled.

There was no one here with the surname Qi.

And how could Qi Nan possibly be here?

But then, the two figures in black revealed looks of utter shock, which only made the situation stranger.

"Brother Qi... How did he..."

Yu Muling’s heart leaped into her throat.

’We’re here to murder Luo Tian! Even if the Lower Sect is chaotic and the higher-ups are lax with management, killing a fellow disciple is a capital offense!’

’How did Luo Tian see through our disguises?’

’Perhaps the boy just suspects I’m behind this and is trying to bluff us. Don’t give anything away!’

Qi Nan calmly sent a voice transmission.

But their dumbfounded expressions moments ago had already given them away.

"Brother Qi, why are you dressed in black and hiding your face? Could it be you’re up to something shady?"

The corner of Luo Tian’s mouth curved up.

His expression was playful, as if he were watching a clown perform.

Qi Nan’s gaze darkened. Seeing Luo Tian’s look of certainty, he gave up on the pretense.

"How did you see through it?"

Qi Nan ripped off his face covering, and Yu Muling did the same.

"Qi Nan!"

"Why is Brother Qi here?"

When Qi Nan revealed his face, the other Yunxiao Sect disciples were all incredibly shocked.

This was their squad’s mission. Why had Qi Nan shown up?

And he was dressed in black, his face covered! A moment ago, he even seemed to be communicating with the Black Death Bandits!

For a moment, the sheer amount of new information overloaded their minds.

’This whole thing... was it a setup by Qi Nan?’

Ke Yuexuan was the quickest to react.

’Qi Nan must be behind this mission. There’s no one from the Chilong Dynasty’s faction in our entire squad.’

And the fact they had found the Black Death Bandits so smoothly was probably "thanks" to Qi Nan’s efforts.

Ke Yuexuan even guessed the gist of the conversation Qi Nan, disguised in black, had with the Black Death Bandits.

All of this was for the sole purpose of dealing with Luo Tian.

But what baffled Ke Yuexuan the most was this:

How did Luo Tian see through Qi Nan’s disguise? The other eight members of the team hadn’t noticed a thing.

"How did I see through it?"

Faced with Qi Nan’s question, Luo Tian couldn’t help but smile. "Before we set out on the mission, the Eighth Prince told me that you and Yu Muling were planning to move against me."

Luo Tian unhesitatingly threw the blame onto the Eighth Prince, hoping to stir up some internal strife among the geniuses of the Chilong Dynasty.

The real reason, of course, was that Luo Tian possessed Spiritual Sense, rendering Qi Nan’s disguise completely useless against him.

"The Eighth Prince?"

Qi Nan was stunned for a moment, unwilling to believe it.

’The Eighth Prince hates Luo Tian’s guts. Why would he tip him off?’

’Could it be because I complained that he was dragging me down? Is that guy getting revenge on me like this?’

Qi Nan couldn’t think of any other reason, so he started to believe Luo Tian’s story.

"Brother Qi, why were you following us in disguise? What is your objective?"

Ke Yuexuan questioned him.

The others had also figured it out by now—Qi Nan wanted to deal with Luo Tian—but they didn’t dare to ask, not wanting to offend him.

Ke Yuexuan, however, was bold. It even seemed like she was seizing this opportunity to challenge Qi Nan.

Harming a fellow sect member was a capital crime!

"Heh, I was just worried that my junior brothers and sisters might run into some trouble on their first mission, so I followed you secretly. Your senior brother here truly had the best of intentions!"

Qi Nan sneered. Naturally, he wouldn’t admit to the attempted murder.

Ke Yuexuan was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Qi Nan to give such an answer.

’Disgusting!’

’He clearly came to kill Luo Tian, yet he claims he was here to protect us!’

Ke Yuexuan thought to herself that she had never met such a shameless person.

"We have indeed run into some trouble. This cliff face is covered by a Concealment Array, and we have no idea what’s inside the cave. We’d like to ask Brother Qi to come take a look with us," Luo Tian said with a smile.

He seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that Qi Nan had just tried to have him murdered.

Even Ke Yuexuan was surprised. ’Is Luo Tian afraid of Qi Nan?’

"But of course! Who else but your senior brother would do this? There might be unknown dangers inside. It wouldn’t be good if you went in alone and ran into trouble!"

Qi Nan put on a benevolent and caring expression.

In reality, he was only after the opportunities within the cave.

He suspected it might hide Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, or even the legacy of a powerful Martial Artist.

Even if there were none of those, the goods plundered by the Black Death Bandits should be stashed inside.

He absolutely could not let Luo Tian get his hands on these potential treasures and opportunities. Otherwise, Qi Nan would never get his revenge and would have to worry about Luo Tian’s retaliation in the future.

"Let’s go in together."

Qi Nan took charge as the leader and gave the order.

’Brother Qi, you’re amazing!’

Yu Muling sent a secret voice transmission.

’You got exposed, but nothing happened.’

"Hmph, they lack hard evidence. Even if we intended to murder Luo Tian, we never actually went through with it. So there’s no need to worry too much," Qi Nan replied.

But no matter how he spun it, his plan this time had been a complete and utter failure.

Worse yet, if they had actually made their move and Luo Tian had exposed them then, the situation would have been even more disastrous.

The only consolation was that although his plan was exposed, Luo Tian could do nothing to him.

But what Qi Nan didn’t know...

...was that Luo Tian had sensed a potential crisis hidden in the cave within the cliff.

That was why he chose this moment to expose Qi Nan’s identity—to borrow their strength.

Otherwise, Luo Tian would have waited for the right opportunity to seize leverage that would be enough to kill Qi Nan.

BUZZ!

As the group approached the cliff face, they didn’t collide with it but passed right through, entering a dark, damp cave thick with the overwhelming stench of blood.

"Black Death Bandits, get out here and die!"

Qi Nan shouted.

This was also a way to probe for danger.

He believed there were treasures here, but he wasn’t naive enough to think there were no dangers.

After just a few steps, the view suddenly opened up.

The bloody smell in the air grew even thicker. A ghostly red light filled the surroundings, creating a grim and gory atmosphere.

WHOOSH!

Four crimson flames suddenly flickered to life on the surrounding rock walls, bathing the entire cavern in a blood-red glow.

The group immediately saw a small, blood-colored lake, as well as the Black Death Bandits surrounding it.

But besides them, there was an additional figure: a withered old man whose eyes glowed a ghastly red. Just looking at him sent a chill down one’s spine.

"As expected of Yunxiao Sect disciples. You’ve got guts, actually daring to come in here!"

The Dragon Leader grinned.

These Yunxiao Sect disciples had caused them so much misery. Now, they could finally get their revenge!

But the withered old man shot the Dragon Leader a glare, his face darkening as he snorted, "Hmph, a bunch of incompetent fools. I have to come clean up your mess!"

The Dragon Leader instantly bowed his head and groveled, admitting his fault like a son before his father.

Qi Nan’s gaze immediately fixed on the withered old man.

He paid no mind to anyone else present, but this old man alone gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.

"I am Qi Nan, son of General Qi Rufei of the Chilong Dynasty and a current disciple of the Yunxiao Sect. May I ask for your esteemed name, sir?"

The usually arrogant Qi Nan asked with solemn politeness.

"Hehehe, the Blood Hand Poison Master!"

The withered old man cackled, revealing his name without a care in the world.

’Blood Hand Poison Master?’

Some of the Yunxiao Sect disciples, including Luo Tian, had never heard of him.

But Qi Nan’s face changed drastically. "You’re the infamous... I mean, the renowned Blood Hand Poison Master from the Southern Domain?"

It turned out the Blood Hand Poison Master wasn’t from the Eastern Domain, but from the Southern Domain.

He was an Alchemist who had walked a crooked path. He once massacred thirteen villages and towns just to refine a single Marvelous Pill, causing a massive uproar.

It was through this incident that Qi Nan had learned of the Blood Hand Poison Master’s reputation!

This was an extremely cruel and vicious High Tier Spirit Sea Realm expert, with a glorious record of killing three cultivators at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm!

It was said that several major nations in the Southern Domain had tried to hunt down the Blood Hand Poison Master multiple times, but all their attempts ended in failure.

After that, the Blood Hand Poison Master vanished without a trace.

To think he had actually fled to the Eastern Domain!

"I never thought I’d meet the senior Blood Hand Poison Master. It is an honor. If Lord Blood Hand Poison Master has no further instructions, I won’t disturb you any longer and will take my leave!"

Qi Nan wore a fawning smile, his respect like that of a servant to his master.

The other Yunxiao Sect disciples didn’t know of the Blood Hand Poison Master’s reputation, but from Qi Nan’s reaction, they could tell this was an incredibly powerful Martial Artist!

"Hehehe, as it happens, I do have one thing for you to do!"

The Blood Hand Poison Master cackled.

"Please speak, Senior!"

Qi Nan had a bad feeling.

"Kill every Yunxiao Sect disciple by your side, and I’ll let you go!"

The Blood Hand Poison Master’s hoarse voice echoed through the cave, sending a chill down the spine of every Yunxiao Sect disciple.

"Brother Qi, don’t believe him!"

Yu Muling cried out in panic.

But after a few moments of contemplation, Qi Nan said, "Senior, I accept!"

At these words, terror filled the faces of all the Yunxiao Sect disciples.

The Blood Hand Poison Master alone was more than they could handle. With Qi Nan now betraying them, what chance of survival did they have?

SWISH!

But Qi Nan suddenly pushed his speed to the limit and bolted straight for the exit.

He was no fool. The Blood Hand Poison Master was notoriously vicious; his massacres almost never left any survivors!

Qi Nan didn’t believe for a second that the Blood Hand Poison Master would spare him after he killed all the other Yunxiao Sect disciples.

"Run!"

Yu Muling also snapped to her senses and followed close behind Qi Nan.

The squad led by Luo Tian followed, with a few of them scrambling frantically toward the cave entrance.

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

The Blood Hand Poison Master let out a sharp roar and transformed into a blood-red afterimage, unleashing a speed that completely overwhelmed everyone present.

He instantly caught up to the fleeing Qi Nan and the others. With a wave of his sleeve, his pale, withered claws slashed through the air, leaving five crimson streaks of light.

"Not good!"

Qi Nan hadn’t expected the Blood Hand Poison Master to react so quickly, chasing after him the very instant he tried to flee.

Clearly, the cunning old fox had never believed Qi Nan’s words at all!

SHINK!

Qi Nan immediately unleashed a dazzling silver blade-light, wreathed in a black whirlwind, to meet the attack, while simultaneously retreating frantically!

BOOM! CRUNCH!

An explosion erupted. Qi Nan’s attack was torn apart by the crimson claw marks.

One of the claw marks grazed Qi Nan’s arm, instantly tearing open a bloody gash from which a rotting stench emanated.

"Brother Qi, save me!"

Yu Muling shrieked for help.

But Qi Nan could barely save himself, let alone her.

Besides, even if Qi Nan wanted to, it was too late.

SHRED!

Yu Muling was enveloped by the Blood Hand Poison Master’s attack. Her slender, beautiful body was torn into several pieces and scattered across the ground.

Beside her, two other fleeing Yunxiao Sect disciples were reduced to a pile of mangled flesh and bone.