Chapter 137: The Divine Flood Dragon Form

“I see.”

Lu Yan’s heart stirred.

He was certain that the grotesque old man had left some corrupt aura inside Zhao Hao. That was why Zhao Hao had continued helping him.

“You are both suspects now. Why not come with us to see a Grandmaster and let him decide? We can examine your bodies. Whoever is found to possess corrupt aura will be the one possessed.”

The Fifth-Level Martial Marquis spoke.

“Very well. Let us go before the Grandmaster,” Zhao Hao said calmly.

“Aren’t you afraid of appearing before the Grandmaster?” Lu Yan stared at him.

“My conscience is clear. What have I to fear?” Zhao Hao replied, righteous and unyielding.

Lu Yan’s brows furrowed. He did not want to be examined by a group of Grandmasters. If that happened, his secrets might well be exposed.

Zhao Hao was fearless. Could it be that he had no corrupt aura within him?

Impossible. If he did not, there would have been no reason for him to help the grotesque old man earlier.

The head!

Lu Yan’s eyes lit up.

The corrupt aura was very likely hidden inside Zhao Hao’s head.

Although Grandmasters were powerful and their inner force was sufficiently mysterious, they could probe deep into the internal organs. Even if the corrupt aura were hidden within the five viscera and six bowels, it would be impossible to evade their detection.

But if it was hidden inside the head, even a Grandmaster would have no way to investigate it.

The head was far more fragile, and it involved the mind and consciousness, as well as cultivation at a higher level. Grandmasters were not qualified to meddle in such matters.

A forced examination would only destroy a person’s consciousness. At best, it would drive him insane; at worst, it would kill him.

Zhao Hao was not afraid of being examined. The corrupt aura was most likely hidden in his head.

Lu Yan did not want to be examined. In that case, there was only one option.

A resolute glint flashed through Lu Yan’s eyes. He suddenly moved, his palm thrusting forward like a blade.

Splurt!

His palm pierced straight through Zhao Hao’s heart.

Zhao Hao’s eyes bulged wide, filled with disbelief. He had never imagined that Lu Yan would dare to kill him in full view of everyone.

He was a member of the Zhao Clan!

Even the other Limit-Breaking martial artists and Martial Marquis present looked shocked.

“Rest in peace. The corrupt aura in your head will prove my innocence.”

Lu Yan whispered into Zhao Hao’s ear.

Zhao Hao’s pupils widened as he let out an unwilling roar.

With his palm wrapped in bone force, Lu Yan slashed across Zhao Hao’s neck like a blade.

Zhao Hao’s head flew through the air, rolled three or four times across the ground, and came to a stop at the feet of the Fifth-Level Martial Marquis.

“I suspect that the grotesque creature left corrupt aura inside Zhao Hao’s head. Splitting his skull open will be enough to prove my innocence,” Lu Yan said.

“What if your guess is wrong?” the Fifth-Level Martial Marquis asked.

“I will accept whatever punishment follows. Someone, lend me a blade!”

Lu Yan’s voice rang out.

“Senior, catch!”

A Limit-Breaking martial artist threw him a blade.

Lu Yan caught it and immediately hurled it back. The battle blade spun through the air and landed precisely on Zhao Hao’s skull.

With a sharp crack, the blade split his head in two.

A wisp of gray energy flew out from Zhao Hao’s brain, twisting like a small snake.

The Fifth-Level Martial Marquis seized the corrupt aura in one hand and smiled.

“Indeed, it is corrupt aura, and it comes from the same source as the grotesque creature earlier. It seems we have wronged you, Brother. A Fifth-Level Martial Marquis would not be possessed so easily.”

Lu Yan secretly let out a sigh of relief.

It really was hidden in his head.

The grotesque creature’s place of possession was probably the head as well. No wonder even a Grandmaster would find it difficult to detect.

Although killing Zhao Hao had been dangerous, in such circumstances, Lu Yan had no choice but to stake everything on a desperate gamble.

If there had been no corrupt aura in Zhao Hao’s head, he would have fled immediately. As for the Tempering Heart Art, he could forget about it.

“Sir, would you be willing to testify on my behalf?” Lu Yan asked.

“Of course.”

“Let us go. Everyone here is a witness. We will appear before the Grandmaster.”

A Grandmaster was stationed on the city wall—and he was a member of the Zhao Clan.

The group soon found him and gave him a detailed account of what had happened.

Lu Yan also described the assassination attempt against him.

The Grandmaster even sent people to summon Tofu’s family as witnesses.

Tofu had already regained consciousness. He had suffered only superficial injuries and was otherwise unharmed.

With so many people testifying on his behalf, Lu Yan naturally cleared himself of suspicion.

As for the killing of Zhao Hao, Zhao Hao had concealed the fact that he was possessed, colluded with the grotesque creature, and assassinated martial artists within the city. That was already a capital offense.

He deserved to die.

Those were the Grandmaster’s exact words.

After taking his leave of the Grandmaster, Lu Yan brought Tofu’s family home.

A massive castle had been built upon the Zhao Clan’s bloodline land, forming an entire city within the city.

In one of the estate’s courtyards—

Boom!

A burly figure struck a rockery with a single punch.

The rockery, three meters high and weighing tens of thousands of pounds, let out a thunderous boom before exploding into countless pieces. Broken stones rained across the ground.

As the dust billowed, it revealed a powerful, heavily built figure.

He was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his fifties. His upper body was bare, revealing muscles as hard as forged steel. Most astonishing of all, his skin was covered in black scales that gleamed with a metallic luster, as though he were wearing armor.

A dense killing intent surged from the man and did not dissipate for a long time.

“Hao’er…”

The middle-aged man murmured, his eyes icy cold.

His name was Zhao Yi, and he was Zhao Hao’s father.

“My lord, Hao’er died so horribly. You must avenge him!”

A middle-aged woman who still retained her charm walked over, seized Zhao Yi’s arm, and wept bitterly.

“Hao’er was merely forced by that grotesque creature. He had no choice—what crime did he commit? Besides, the grotesque creature was already dead, and the true culprit had been killed. Hao’er was still young. He only made a small mistake. What right did that Lu Ren have to kill him? And he even… even left him without a complete corpse. My poor Hao’er…”

The woman burst into loud sobs.

She was Zhao Hao’s biological mother.

“You are right. You are right…”

Zhao Yi muttered, the killing intent in his eyes growing even stronger.

His thoughts were identical to the woman’s.

In his mind, the grotesque creature had already been killed. Lu Ren had no right to kill Zhao Hao. He should have handed Zhao Hao over to the Zhao Clan and allowed the clan to investigate and punish him.

If that had happened, given Zhao Yi’s position and a little maneuvering, it would not have been difficult to save Zhao Hao’s life.

But now, everything was too late.

“Even if we assume that Hao’er really was possessed, he was still a direct descendant of the Zhao Clan. Only the Zhao Clan had the right to punish him. What is Lu Ren, and what right did he have to kill Hao’er? And in front of everyone, too! My lord, you must kill Lu Ren and avenge Hao’er!”

The middle-aged woman wailed, her face twisted with hatred and madness.

They did not care whether Lu Yan had acted in self-defense or to prove his innocence. They did not even consider it.

Zhao Yi remained silent for a long while before saying, “The clan elders personally delivered their judgment. If I act, I will certainly be punished.”

At present, the Zhao Clan needed the strength of the great aristocratic families to resist the demons and monsters. The evidence that Zhao Hao had been possessed was conclusive, and there had been many witnesses present. If Zhao Yi retaliated, it would surely chill the hearts of the great clans, harming their efforts against the demons and monsters. He would certainly be punished by the higher-ups of the Zhao Clan.

“Then what are we supposed to do? Are we just going to let Lu Ren go? How can Hao’er rest in peace in the underworld?”

The middle-aged woman shrieked.

“If I cannot act personally, that does not mean there is nothing I can do.”

Zhao Yi entered the bedroom. Before long, he emerged with a dark-red token in his hand. A crescent moon was engraved upon it.

“Ten years ago, I obtained this Darkmoon Token by chance. At last, it can serve a purpose.”

Zhao Yi murmured.

“The Darkmoon Token? The Darkmoon Assassins?”

The middle-aged woman gasped softly, a trace of fear appearing on her face.

“Exactly. The Darkmoon organization has branches throughout the land. There is one even in Ling King City. As long as we hire them, Lu Ren will certainly die.”

Zhao Yi spoke with grim satisfaction.

“Good. Excellent. Then no one will be able to trace this back to you, my lord.”

The middle-aged woman’s expression eased, as though Lu Ren were already a dead man.

The Darkmoon organization was the foremost assassin organization in Xuan Province.

Its assassins rarely failed, and they could often kill stronger opponents despite being weaker themselves. They had once created a precedent in which a First-Level Martial Marquis successfully assassinated a Fifth-Level Martial Marquis.

As long as the Darkmoon organization took action, Lu Ren was doomed.

The following day, inside a private room at the Ten Fragrance Pavilion, Lu Yan sat across from Zhao Sirong.

This time, Zhao Sirong had invited him to dinner and asked to speak with him.

Zhao Sirong drank three cups in succession, then let out a long sigh.

“From the looks of it, something must have gone wrong when Zhao Hao split off from us to pursue the grotesque creature. He was ambushed and possessed.”

“Before that, had you ever been separated?” Lu Yan asked.

“No,” Zhao Sirong replied.

“Then that settles it. That was the only opportunity. It seems Lin Qiuyu was also killed by Zhao Hao and the grotesque creature.”

“Brother Lu, Zhao Hao was possessed, aided evil, and slaughtered his fellow practitioners. He deserved to die. But you beheaded him in front of everyone. I fear that someone close to him may hold a grudge and seek revenge. You must be careful.”

“You mean Zhao Hao’s family?” Lu Yan asked.

Zhao Sirong nodded.

“Zhao Hao’s father is Zhao Yi. He is a Fifth-Level Martial Marquis, and his combat strength is extraordinary. He ranks thirty-third on the Martial Marquis Ranking.”

“The Martial Marquis Ranking?” Lu Yan asked in confusion.

“You have never heard of it?”

“No.”

“That is understandable. The Martial Marquis Ranking was jointly created by the great aristocratic families under the authority of Grandmasters. It circulates only among Martial Marquis. It lists the thirty-six most powerful Martial Marquis in the six eastern commanderies of Ling Province.”

“These thirty-six individuals either possess extraordinary comprehension and have cultivated first-rate martial arts to an extremely profound level, or they have mastered two or more first-rate martial arts and reached considerable attainments in all of them.”

“Others possess innate or acquired martial bodies, giving them bones of tremendous strength and dominance.”

“Zhao Yi possesses an innate martial body and has cultivated two strands of bone force.”

Zhao Sirong explained.

“Two strands of bone force?”

Lu Yan murmured, unwilling to take the matter lightly.

Two strands of bone force were nothing extraordinary, but Zhao Yi’s cultivation was profound. He had reached the fifth level of the Martial Marquis realm.

Lu Yan, on the other hand, was only a Third-Level Martial Marquis.

If they truly fought, it was still impossible to say who would emerge victorious.

“What martial art does Zhao Yi cultivate, and how far has he cultivated it?” Lu Yan asked.

As for this potential enemy, he naturally had to understand him as thoroughly as possible.

“Zhao Yi cultivates a first-rate martial art called the Divine Flood Dragon Form. Once mastered, it is said to grant the strength of a flood dragon and cover the body in scales, making one impervious to blades and spears. Apart from being somewhat slow, it has no weaknesses and is extremely formidable. However, I do not know what level he has reached.”

“Thank you for the warning, Sirong. I will be careful. Come, let me toast you.”

Lu Yan raised his cup.

Zhao Sirong lifted hers and clinked it against his.

“Brother Lu, why not leave Ling King City for a while and lie low? Zhao Yi would not dare attack you openly, but I am afraid he may resort to covert methods.”

“I have yet to obtain the Tempering Heart Art. How could I leave? Do not worry, Sirong. I know what I am doing.”

Lu Yan smiled.

After three rounds of wine, the two parted ways.

Lu Yan returned to his residence, found Tofu’s family, and bid them farewell.

End of Chapter