Chapter Ninety-Eight: Master Bifeng

(Page 1/3) (Second Update)
Scanning the area, no figures could be seen.
Sweeping his spiritual awareness, there was likewise no sign of any cultivators lurking nearby. Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean none were present; it could be that Fang Junmei’s spiritual perception was still weak, or that the other party had concealed themselves by other means.
Standing firm in the sky, his pupils narrowed.
After a moment of contemplation, Fang Junmei descended toward the ruins of the Graystone Village. He couldn’t just walk away without a care, especially not without knowing who the enemy was. Besides, the thousand or so people in Golden Light Village were still waiting for him to rescue them.
Silently, he landed among the ruins.
...
A mountain breeze stirred up dust and carried the lingering scent of charred wood.
Everything in the outer world appeared before Fang Junmei’s eyes in slow-motion, slowed down by three breaths. The Three Breaths Divine Stone had quietly activated, and the Disregard Sword was already gripped tightly in his hand.
If the calamity in Golden Light Village was the work of a cultivator, there was a high chance that someone was secretly watching, even monitoring Fang Junmei’s comings and goings.
Danger could strike at any moment.
Fang Junmei walked slowly through the ruins, his gaze and spiritual perception sweeping once more.
The assailant had struck cleanly; not even a fragment of bone remained.
“If a mortal had done this, it wouldn’t have been burned so thoroughly, nor would there have been any need. Even the stones were cracked... This person must possess an extraordinary fire-based spell or a fire-class magical item.”
His eyes flickered as thoughts raced through his mind.
After a cup of tea’s worth of time spent thoroughly scanning the Graystone Village, no clue was found.
Fang Junmei did not linger further and turned to return toward Golden Light Village.
...
Swish!
Having only traveled a few miles from the Graystone Village, he suddenly saw a blood-red glow soaring up from the wilderness below, hurtling straight toward him.
Looking closer, inside the red light was a slender flying needle-like magical weapon, each needle as fine as an ox hair, dripping with what seemed like blood, emanating the aura of a mid-grade magical treasure.
The needle shot with terrifying speed.
Clang!
Just as Fang Junmei noticed, the needle was already a dozen yards away. His eyes flashed sharply as he drew the Disregard Sword.
With a flick of the blade, dozens of sword shadows shot out!
Clang clang—
A clash of sounds and sparks erupted.
Though seeming simultaneous, the strikes actually had an order, but they were simply too fast to discern. In an instant, dozens of sword strikes flew, their speed and precision truly awe-inspiring.
The blood-red flying needle was driven back.

(Page 2/3)
A startled exclamation came from below. The attacker seemed surprised by Fang Junmei’s reaction.
“Pray tell, which sect do you belong to, meddling in the affairs of mere mortals?”
The blood-red flying needle ceased its attack and veered downward. The attacker appeared to realize Fang Junmei was not to be trifled with.
Fang Junmei steadied himself and looked down.
Beneath the thick greenery on the mountain plain stood an elderly man, slight in build and dressed in dark green robes. Standing beside a tree trunk in the shade, he was hardly conspicuous.
The old man’s face was deeply wrinkled, with a goat-like beard and a dark expression. Most peculiar were his eyes, which burned with two green ghostly flames—bright yet profound, with an eerie, chilling malevolence.
He was at the same late Dust Stage cultivation level as Fang Junmei, but his aura was noticeably more robust.
“Isn’t it too late to investigate your opponent’s background after striking first?” Fang Junmei asked calmly.
The old man laughed heartily, tossing the bundle of blood-red needles in his hand. “We merely crossed paths and exchanged a single move. You were unharmed—do you intend to hold a grudge against an old man? If so, I’m willing to apologize first!”
He then bowed slightly, exuding the air of a seasoned veteran.
Fang Junmei ignored the pretense and asked, “Did you kill all the mortals in Graystone Village?”
The old man’s pupils contracted, and his voice turned colder. “Friend, I am Bi Fengzi of Wanman Mountain. I see you’re just a passerby—why meddle in these trivial matters?”
He named himself to intimidate Fang Junmei.
“Here’s a proposal: You go your own way and stop interfering with these mortal villages. In return, I’ll offer some spirit stones as compensation for attacking you earlier.”
After intimidation came the offer of benefit.
This man seemed to prefer giving some advantage to persuade Fang Junmei to leave rather than engage in a prolonged fight.
But Fang Junmei smiled brightly. “What if I refuse?”
“Then weigh carefully whether you can afford to provoke Wanman Mountain.”
Bi Fengzi’s gaze grew cold, arrogance soaring sky-high.
Fang Junmei pretended to ponder before saying, “...It seems I can.”
Bi Fengzi’s eyes blazed with keen light as he scrutinized Fang Junmei, recalling the stance from his earlier sword strikes. Quickly, he shouted, “Could you be from the Peach Blossom Sword Sect?”
In the Great River Kingdom, there were three sword-using sects: the Luofu Sword Sect had perished, leaving only the Peach Blossom Sword Sect and the Desperate Sword Palace on the Dao and Demon sides respectively. There was no other guess.
“Enough with the nonsense! Hand over the method to dispel that Gu technique!”
Fang Junmei barked, sending the Disregard Sword shooting forward like lightning!
“Preposterous! Do you think I’m truly afraid of you?”
Bi Fengzi’s ferocity surged. With a fierce shout, he waved his hand and released a swirl of green mist from his sleeve. After rolling twice, it condensed into a green mist dragon that lunged at the Disregard Sword.
Fang Junmei’s first real battle since leaving the mountains had finally begun.
...

(Page 3/3)
Hum—
The moment the Disregard Sword touched the green mist dragon, a sharp sword wail echoed. White mist steamed off the blade’s surface as if it were being violently corroded.
The green mist dragon opened its mouth wide, swallowing the sword whole and chewing vigorously, as if intent on crushing it.
Inside the dragon’s belly, the sword wriggled left and right but could not escape.
Bi Fengzi watched smugly, letting out a cold snort. He guessed that no matter how wealthy Fang Junmei’s background, he was still only a late Dust Stage cultivator. This Disregard Sword was likely his best weapon; without it, a sword cultivator’s power would surely be diminished.
Fang Junmei floated in the sky, expressionless.
“Dòng jí!”
Suddenly, Fang Junmei shouted and formed a complex hand seal.
Whoosh!
The sword’s radiance surged explosively, condensing into an ephemeral finger of light that pointed at the green mist dragon’s body.
Bang!
A thunderous explosion shattered the mist dragon into clouds of smoke. The Disregard Sword shot like lightning directly at Bi Fengzi’s heart. As a magical treasure, the sword possessed exclusive effects—“Dòng jí” was one such special technique.
Bi Fengzi’s face changed in shock as his spell was broken, and he quickly dodged aside.
Tear—
His arm’s garment tore, revealing a bleeding wound.
Wounded, the old man’s murderous intent ignited. Dodging the Disregard Sword’s relentless pursuit, he finally unleashed the flaming technique Fang Junmei had suspected earlier.
Whoosh!
With a wave of his hand, streams of jade-green flames streaked through the sky like green meteors, speeding toward Fang Junmei. The jade flames carried a strange, foul stench of decayed bones.
This flame was one of Wanman Mountain’s infamous techniques, called Jade Scale Bone Fire, forged from the bones of highly venomous scale beasts. Once it touches flesh, unless extinguished by a miraculous method, the fire will never go out until it has completely incinerated the bones. It was a sinister and insidious technique. Overconfident and careless cultivators often fell victim to it.
Bi Fengzi had likely caused countless deaths with this technique.
Fang Junmei was unaware of the flame’s true danger but was careful to avoid contact. With the aid of the Three Breaths Divine Stone, he clearly tracked every trace of the Jade Scale Bone Fire, dodging like the wind.
Swish swish—
All the jade flames missed; Fang Junmei’s flawless evasion made Bi Fengzi’s whole body tense with fear.
“How can this kid’s perception be so sharp?” Bi Fengzi thought.
Unwilling to accept defeat, he continued unleashing the Jade Scale Bone Fire and fired the blood-red needles again, attempting to disrupt Fang Junmei’s movements and buy his flames time.