Chapter 395 - 374: Searching the Meridians

Zhaang Ye hadn’t made a move because the Spiritual Power of the woman in the long, green dress had been locked tightly onto him. But now that this black-clothed man was attacking Fang Caiying, intending to beat her until she coughed up blood, Zhaang Ye could no longer sit back and do nothing.

BAM!

Zhaang Ye’s palm and the black-clothed man’s claw-like hand collided heavily, a thunderous crack exploding from the point of impact. The man in black’s fingers clamped onto Zhaang Ye’s palm, but it felt like grabbing a piece of impossibly hard Profound Iron. A dull ache spread through his fingers, and a tremendous force blasted him back two steps.

When the black-clothed man grabbed him, a numbing pain shot through Zhaang Ye’s palm as a sharp surge of Innate True Qi rushed up his arm. This man’s Innate True Qi was incredibly vigorous, like a roaring river. The moment their hands met, Zhaang Ye’s body trembled, and he was forced to take two involuntary steps back.

HISS!

"Zhaang Ye actually took a blow from that man!"

Seeing Zhaang Ye not only withstand the black-clothed man’s attack head-on but also force him back two steps, all the young experts in the crowd gasped in shock.

The crowd had a deep understanding of the black-clothed man’s power. He had boasted he would beat them all until they coughed up blood, and indeed, dozens of young experts had been left spitting blood. Even someone as powerful as Yangx Guyuan couldn’t take a single blow from him. Yet Zhaang Ye had met the man head-on and fought him to a standstill. Such strength was almost unimaginable!

A look of surprise flashed across the black-clothed man’s face before he burst into loud laughter. His laughter left Zhaang Ye and all the other young experts completely bewildered.

The True Hall Masters, who had been standing silently by the cliff’s edge, all frowned at the sound of his laughter. This Sect Envoy had been extremely heavy-handed while testing the young disciples’ potential, beating dozens of True Hall Disciples until they spat blood. This had already left the Hall Masters deeply dissatisfied. If not for the rule forbidding them from interfering with the Sect Envoys’ inspection, they would have sent him flying long ago.

Now, this man’s inexplicable laughter made the Hall Masters even more displeased. Yangx Guyuan’s master, Yangx Poshan, watched the laughing man and frowned deeply. "Why do I get the feeling that these Sect Envoys are a bit strange this time?" he said. "In my opinion, it seems they have another purpose..."

The other Hall Masters nearby nodded slightly. One of them said slowly, "Whatever his purpose is, he’ll reveal it eventually. Let’s just watch and see how things unfold."

As the Hall Masters were speaking, the black-clothed man abruptly stopped laughing. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, locking tightly onto Zhaang Ye. He bellowed, "Zhaang Ye, do you admit your guilt!"

Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed slightly. "What crime have I committed?" he asked lightly.

The man in black sneered. "You still dare claim innocence! Let me ask you, inside the Little World, did you or did you not kill a young expert with the surname Gu? I’ll have you know, that young expert was Gu Yunsong, the only son of our Green Cloud Sect’s Fourth Elder. Now do you remember?"

"He killed the only son of a Sect Elder!" Hearing the black-clothed young man’s words, the young experts erupted into an uproar. They all stared at Zhaang Ye with incredulous eyes, their voices a flurry of discussion.

"Zhaang Ye is on another level! Not only did he kill Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang, but he even dared to kill the son of the Fourth Elder of the Sect. He’s completely fearless!"

"The Green Cloud Sect only has ten elders in total. The Fourth Elder’s status is incredibly noble. If Zhaang Ye really did kill his only son, he’s a dead man for sure this time!"

"Yeah, that’s right! I heard that among the ten great elders of the Green Cloud Sect, even the weakest has a Cultivation at the True Dao Eighth Layer, and they have no shortage of True Dao Experts among their disciples. All they have to do is lift a finger, and Zhaang Ye is finished."

...

While the young experts were reeling in shock, the Hall Masters of the Thirteen Countries True Hall also drew a sharp breath. The expression of Zhaang Ye’s master, the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall, changed drastically. As a True Dao Expert himself, he knew exactly how immense the power of a Sect Elder was. If Zhaang Ye had truly killed an Elder’s only son, then even he would be powerless to protect him!

All eyes turned to Zhaang Ye, awaiting his response.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged, but his mind flashed back to the Little World, to the robed young man, Gu Yunsong, who he and the Purple-haired Wild Boar had killed together. ’I can’t believe Gu Yunsong had a background like that!’ he thought. ’But the moment he entered the Little World, he teamed up with Fu Songcheng to try and kill me. Even if I’d known he was an Elder’s son beforehand, I would have killed him all the same.’

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant. Zhaang Ye said calmly, "Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. While many have died by my hand, I have never killed anyone named Gu Yunsong."

What Zhaang Ye said was the truth. Although he had dealt Gu Yunsong a fatal blow, Gu Yunsong had actually been scared to death by the Purple-haired Wild Boar. He hadn’t died by Zhaang Ye’s hand.

The black-clothed man gave a sinister smile and glanced at the young experts in the crowd. "Still trying to argue? Junior Brother Gu’s Cultivation had reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak. His body was filled with Innate True Qi as vast as a river, and he was only a hair’s breadth away from the Half-step True Dao realm. Among all the young experts who entered the Little World, your strength is the greatest, enough to kill a Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak expert. Only you had the power to kill Junior Brother Gu. In other words, the murderer is you!"

As he spoke, the black-clothed man advanced on Zhaang Ye step by step. He was a Half-Step True Dao Expert. His Spiritual Power combined with his Innate True Qi, forming a terrifyingly powerful aura. Under the pressure of this aura, an ordinary Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak expert’s Heart Spirit would immediately be shaken.

Facing the black-clothed man’s overwhelming aura, Zhaang Ye remained perfectly calm. "I will repeat myself," he said lightly. "I did not kill Gu Yunsong."

The man stared into Zhaang Ye’s eyes, continuing to press forward step by step. "If you didn’t kill Junior Brother Gu, are you saying he killed himself?" he said menacingly. "Let me tell you, I’ve already tested every young expert here, and you are the prime suspect. Zhaang Ye, you’ve got some nerve!"

Zhaang Ye’s brow twitched. He spoke, enunciating each word carefully, "Sir, there are the Five Great Fierce Beasts in the Little World. Any one of them could easily kill a Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak expert. Gu Yunsong was powerful, but he wasn’t necessarily stronger than those Fierce Beasts. It’s very likely he was killed by one of them. For you to decide I’m the killer based solely on my strength is far too subjective."

The black-clothed man sneered. "We’ll find out soon enough if you’re the murderer or not. I’ll just capture you and use a technique to search your Meridians."

Zhaang Ye’s expression changed slightly. A Martial Artist’s Meridians were their greatest secret and also the most fragile part of their body. If someone used a technique to search them, the Meridians would certainly be damaged, and they would never be able to cultivate to the True Dao Realm in their entire life. For this black-clothed man to threaten to capture him and search his Meridians right off the bat was simply too vicious! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)