Chapter 87: Too Strange...

Tang Rixin knew Chu Tian’s strength all too well. Even if they all bound themselves together, they still could not hope to match him.

The moment the five experts in inner force rushed forward together, Tang Rixin himself retreated sharply, turning and sprinting in another direction at full speed. He had never intended to fight Chu Tian to the death.

He had sent his men to surround and attack Chu Tian not because he expected them to win, but only to hold him off.

Unfortunately for them, Chu Tian did not take a few mere inner-force martial artists seriously at all.

“Seeking death!”

A surge of protective true energy erupted from Chu Tian’s body, like a hurricane raging around him, and he drove straight at the five experts.

Boom!

In an instant, the three men in front could not withstand the impact of that gale and were sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

The remaining two shifted aside at once, raising their sabers together and thrusting toward Chu Tian’s waist.

The next second, Chu Tian’s figure flashed.

Clang!

The two steel blades stabbed into empty air and collided with one another, sending sparks flying.

Chu Tian, who had stood amid them just moments before, was now half a meter farther back, having easily avoided both blades.

Then he raised his index finger and traced a light arc through the air.

Swoosh!

A streak of sword energy tore through the air and in an instant severed the throats of the two inner-force experts, blood gushing out like a fountain.

The three wounded experts did not escape Chu Tian’s sword-finger either.

In almost the blink of an eye, Chu Tian had finished off all six inner-force experts.

But Tang Rixin had seized the chance to flee.

Chu Tian did not rush after him. After all, Han Bao was already gravely wounded. If he left him here alone, it would be no different from leaving him to die.

Chu Tian turned his gaze to Han Bao. There was a deep saber wound across Han Bao’s chest, still seeping blood. For him to have held on until now was nothing short of a miracle.

“Hall Master!”

Han Bao clutched his chest and struggled painfully to his feet.

“Take this.”

Chu Tian drew a pill from his robe and tossed it to Han Bao.

Han Bao did not hesitate in the slightest and swallowed it at once.

The pill melted the instant it touched his tongue, and a surge of pure medicinal force flooded into his body.

Han Bao closed his eyes, and his qi and blood began recovering rapidly.

The ferocious wound on his chest, once a saber cut nearly two fingers wide, shrank to barely half a finger’s width and healed before the eye, at a visibly rapid pace.

Only after half an hour did Han Bao, now somewhat pale, slowly open his eyes.

“Thank you, Hall Master, for saving my life!”

Han Bao drew a ragged breath and hurriedly bowed in gratitude.

“You were injured because you were doing my bidding. Saving you is only right.”

Chu Tian waved a hand and did not think much of it.

At that, Han Bao was deeply moved.

At the very least, when the Dark God Hall had once done work for Wu Xingyan, it had never received such generous treatment. There had only been coercion, threats, and killing.

Compared with that, Chu Tian was already remarkably humane.

“Who were those men? Why did they try to kill you?”

Chu Tian asked.

“Hall Master, I’m not entirely sure either, but it seemed they knew I was heading to Mount Tai Chi, so they specifically lay in ambush for me along the way.”

Han Bao shook his head, a trace of confusion flashing through him as well.

“Hall Master... h-how did you find me?”

Han Bao had not yet had the chance to tell Chu Tian his exact location, yet Chu Tian had still found his trail. Such a method was truly astonishing.

“I have my own means.”

Chu Tian gave no further explanation. Before this, he had suspected that Han Bao had leaked the news of the jade thumb ring, so before sending him to Mount Tai Chi, he had secretly planted a spiritual mark on him.

If Han Bao truly fled, even if he ran to the ends of the earth, Chu Tian would still be able to find him.

It had originally been only a precaution against Han Bao. Unexpectedly, it had instead saved Han Bao’s life. One might call that a matter of fate.

“You rest here for now. I’ll go and investigate Mount Tai Chi myself.”

After speaking, Chu Tian’s figure flashed, and he vanished from Han Bao’s sight.

In the mountain forest, a cool breeze seemed to sweep by, carrying the scent of blood back into Han Bao’s nostrils.

He looked over the corpses on the ground. The bodies of the six inner-force experts had already turned cold.

This was the first time Han Bao had personally witnessed Chu Tian in action. No wonder Chu Tian possessed the Dark God Hall’s jade thumb ring; his strength was indeed beyond the reach of ordinary men.

At dawn, at Mount Tai Chi.

Chu Tian had already reached the foot of the mountain. He felt that something must have gone wrong here, and he needed to investigate personally.

He had previously drained the mountain of its spiritual energy, leaving the vegetation withered and ruined. Even now, the mountain remained deathly silent, showing no sign of recovering its vitality.

After a moment, Chu Tian went straight up the mountain, not bothering to conceal his movements.

“Who goes there?”

Suddenly, the two guards halfway up the mountain spotted Chu Tian and shouted their challenge.

Chu Tian gave no reply.

He flicked his finger, and two bursts of force shot out, piercing the throats of the two guards.

Chu Tian continued at an unhurried pace, stepping past the two corpses and heading once more toward the summit.

This time, he found no more enemies, and not a trace of Tang Rixin either.

The cave dwelling where Wu Xingyan had once lived had already been utterly blasted apart by Chu Tian and remained nothing but ruins to this day.

Mount Tai Chi seemed unchanged from the last time he had left. Had he simply been overthinking it?

But then why had the mysterious men led by Tang Rixin intercepted and killed Han Bao on the road?

Chu Tian pondered for a while, yet still could not find an answer, and was about to leave.

But just then, he suddenly stopped, because he sensed something unusual.

A moment ago, it seemed he had once again detected Tang Rixin’s aura.

Although Chu Tian and Tang Rixin had met only once, a cultivator’s senses were keen beyond measure. Even with only that single encounter, he could still catch Tang Rixin’s trail.

This meant Tang Rixin must have been to Mount Tai Chi before. He must have had some purpose here.

Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art!

Chu Tian’s body shook, and wisps of black energy spread from him, surging wildly in all directions.

He devoured the surrounding traces of aura, sensing the faint residue Tang Rixin had left behind.

In the end, Chu Tian’s gaze locked onto the rear of the cave dwelling.

He went straight there, and beyond it stood an ancient-style temple.

The old temple was not especially grand, as though it had been newly built.

Chu Tian was certain that when he had last come to Mount Tai Chi, this temple did not exist at all.

In other words, it had been built only recently.

Chu Tian frowned, pushed open the wooden door of the temple, and stepped inside.

The temple was empty, with no statues placed within, which made it all the more strange.

Aside from the front entrance, the other three sides were all walls, with no other exit at all. It was far too eerie...