As it turned out, among the original owner’s servants was a clever and quick-witted maid named Yu Wan.

This Yu Wan was not content with a mundane life. She was normally well-behaved and wore no makeup, but on this journey, she suddenly started dressing up and attempted to seduce the original owner with her beauty.

The original owner was young and naive, unaware of the wickedness in people’s hearts. Furthermore, his family had heard that preserving his vital essence would aid in future breakthroughs, so they had always been strict with him, forbidding him from any reckless behavior.

Yu Wan, however, had been plotting for a long time and was quite cunning. Her seduction, therefore, was an immediate success.

Having tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, the original owner immediately forgot his family’s warnings. At the disciple recruitment ceremony, he spent a hundred Spirit Stones to secure Yu Wan a chance to take the Entry Level test.

The original owner genuinely cared for Yu Wan, wanting them to support each other and walk the path of cultivation together.

As it happened, when his Spirit Root was tested, the original owner was quite lucky and was found to have a Middle Grade one.

Yu Wan’s result, however, was heaven-defyingly good—she actually possessed a Celestial Grade Spirit Root.

Consequently, Yu Wan was immediately recognized by the Cyan Cloud Sect as a Nascent Soul Seed and was even accepted as a Direct Disciple by a Supreme Elder of the Nascent Soul Realm.

The original owner should have risen to prominence along with her.

Instead, in front of her new master, Yu Wan accused the original owner of all sorts of "evil deeds," even falsely claiming that he had recently raped her.

The Supreme Elder flew into a thunderous rage. Without even listening to the original owner’s defense, she had him thrown into the mines on the spot.

In fact, if the Cyan Cloud Sect, as a top Immortal Sect of the Righteous Dao, hadn’t been so concerned with its reputation and the need to avoid excessive cruelty, the original owner would likely have been annihilated on the spot.

Afterward, the Cyan Cloud Sect suppressed all news of the incident, and the truth was soon forgotten by nearly everyone.

Now, next to the tavern where Zhang Chi was, there stood a lavish, grand courtyard—the Gu Mansion.

But this Gu Mansion had already changed hands; it was now the Yu Mansion.

Its occupants were none other than Yu Wan’s parents, brothers, and other relatives.

Most of them were originally servants of the Gu Family, but they had now transformed into influential figures in the Chen Kingdom.

The entire Gu Family had been sentenced to death by the Chen Kingdom Royal Family on charges of treason.

The citizens of the Chen Kingdom all believed it to be true.

But Zhang Chi could guess that Yu Wan must have been the one pulling the strings.

’I originally didn’t want to get too entangled with Yu Wan.’

’After all, I’m not the original owner.’

’The most I could do was get revenge for him once I became powerful enough.’

’Before coming back, I thought the Gu Family was still here, so I just planned to leave them with some sort of benefit.’

’If the Gu Family was in trouble, I’d lend a hand.’

’Instead, I’ve encountered the worst-case scenario.’

The Gu Family was not only disgraced but had their entire clan exterminated—their bones ground to dust, not even leaving a grave behind.

It was a fate so cruel that not even Zhang Chi, let alone the original owner, could tolerate it.

"Yu Wan, since you broke the rules first, don’t blame me for repaying blood with blood on the original owner’s behalf!"

"You’re a Nascent Soul Seed, aren’t you? Then I’ll forge a Heart Demon for you and see how you handle that!"

Zhang Chi quickly made his decision. Leaving a silver ingot on the table, he strode away.

’Alright, it’s time to make my move.’

Next, Zhang Chi left the city, leaving the Four-legged Spirit Snake near the Yu Mansion. Deep in the night, he communicated with it through his will. The Four-legged Spirit Snake immediately dissolved into a series of black shadows, moving with lightning speed.

In moments, the members of the Yu Family were bitten and poisoned, their bodies dropping one after another.

Whether asleep or awake, none had time to even scream before they died.

"Who’s there—ah..."

The Yu Family was protected by Armored Warriors and mortal Martial Artists dispatched by the Chen Kingdom’s elite.

Their keen senses allowed them to quickly detect the disturbance, but they too were unable to escape death.

’Original owner, this is as much as I can do for you for now. As for Yu Wan, the Cyan Cloud Sect, and the Chen Family... I’ll deal with them when my Cultivation is higher.’

At the same time, Zhang Chi’s mind cleared, and a wave of refreshment washed over him.

Even his Divine Soul and body seemed to sync more perfectly as a result.

Only then did Zhang Chi recall the Four-legged Spirit Snake and melt into the darkness of the night.

---

"What? The entire Yu Family is dead?"

"How is that possible? The Yu Family was so heavily guarded. Who could have killed them? Could it be the dark work of some Cultivator?"

"But are they insane? Daring to kill the family of a top prodigy from the Cyan Cloud Sect?"

"Damn it! Investigate immediately! We must find the murderer, capture them, and deliver them to the Cyan Cloud Sect to face justice. Otherwise, the Cyan Cloud Sect will undoubtedly vent its anger on our Chen Family!"

"Oh, and have all regions heighten their security to prevent the culprit from striking again!"

The next morning, the situation at the Yu Family residence was finally discovered and reported to the Chen Kingdom Royal Family.

The upper echelons of the Chen Family were horrified. They hastily convened a meeting, their faces pale and some even trembling with fear.

Unfortunately, a thorough investigation yielded no results.

The only thing they found was that the Yu Family had died from poison.

But the poison was too potent, and the Yu Family were all mortals.

By the time they arrived to inspect the scene, the bodies of the Yu Family had already decomposed, leaving no further clues.

They were filled with immense regret.

The Immortal Cultivation Realm had an unwritten rule: Cultivators were not to kill mortals without just cause.

They never thought anyone would dare to harm the Yu Family, who were under the protection of both the Cyan Cloud Sect and the Chen Family.

Thus, they had never assigned a Cultivator to guard the Yu Family residence.

But now, it was clear they had been far too careless.

In the end, they had no choice but to report the news to the Cyan Cloud Sect.

---

"Someone killed Wan’Er’s entire family? Could it be that that little bastard didn’t die? Impossible. It must be some other Cultivator trying to shatter Wan’Er’s Dao heart!"

"Investigate! Find out who did this at once! No matter who the murderer is, I will tear them to shreds!"

"And the Chen Family! They couldn’t even protect Wan’Er’s relatives. Useless trash! They must be severely punished!"

Within a Floating Palace high above the clouds, deep in the mountains of the Cyan Cloud Sect, an old woman with white hair but a youthful face was roaring in fury.

The old woman’s aura was as vast as the ocean and as oppressive as a prison. She was a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse, and also Yu Wan’s master.

Yu Wan was a beautiful, slender young woman with fair skin, dressed in green robes.

She stood to the side, weeping pitifully, her eyes swollen from crying.

"This was likely the work of some Evil Cultivator, but it couldn’t have been that little bastard. He died a long time ago. Besides, that mine has already been destroyed."

The Cyan Cloud Sect Leader, a middle-aged-looking Golden Core Powerhouse who was also present, immediately replied.

"The mine was destroyed?"

The Nascent Soul Elder looked puzzled.

"Yes. For some unknown reason, Xiao Yunhong, the Young Master of the Profound Yin Sect, was captured and forced into that mine, becoming one of the Mining Slaves."

"A few days ago, the Profound Yin Sect dispatched three Golden Core Cultivators. While rescuing Xiao Yunhong, they also blasted the mine to rubble."

"Our sect’s disciples stationed there and all the Mining Slaves were killed, except for a few of Xiao Yunhong’s followers. Xiao Yunhong even went so far as to exterminate the entire clans of many of them!" the Cyan Cloud Sect Leader continued.

"Demon Cultivators? They dared to touch a mine belonging to my Cyan Cloud Sect? How utterly lawless!"

Understanding dawned on the Nascent Soul Elder, but it was quickly replaced by fury.

"Yes. We sent people as soon as we heard, but unfortunately, we couldn’t stop them. Besides, we were also in the wrong. There’s no need to wage war over a single mine," the Cyan Cloud Sect Leader said with a sigh.

"Forget it, that’s a trivial matter. Let them go. Wait... could it be that Xiao Yunhong killed Wan’Er’s family?"

The Nascent Soul Elder also felt helpless, but then an idea suddenly struck her.

"Are you suggesting that boy met Xiao Yunhong in the mines and told him about his grudge with Wan’Er, and Xiao Yunhong then killed her family for him?" the Sect Leader asked, stunned.

"Exactly. Perhaps the boy himself didn’t have the standing to persuade Xiao Yunhong, but Xiao Yunhong would never pass up such a perfect opportunity to retaliate against our Cyan Cloud Sect."

"By killing Wan’Er’s family, he’d cause her to develop a Heart Demon. That is undoubtedly the greatest possible revenge against our Cyan Cloud Sect!"

"Damn it! Where is that Xiao Yunhong? Find him and capture him for me, at any cost! And don’t let those Golden Core Cultivators who were with him get away either!"

The more the Nascent Soul Elder considered it, the more likely it seemed, and her killing intent flared.