Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Slaying a Grandmaster with a Sword, Destroying the Corpse to Erase the Traces

Cyan Yuan Pavilion.

Inside the pitch-black room.

The black-robed man was currently circulating his Power, trying to force the poison from his body. The spreading toxins were invading his Five Viscera and Six Viscera. The poison was extremely potent.

He had never imagined someone was still hiding by the wall. He hadn’t detected anyone when he entered, though he had still cautiously checked near the bed and the clothes rack. There had to be a technique for Concealing Breath involved, one that made a person’s presence faint.

The black-robed man’s guess was correct. Unfortunately, the person wasn’t by the bed or the clothes rack but hiding in a corner. Their method for Concealing Breath was so powerful that even he, an Inner Master, had failed to notice them.

Then, he was struck by a Hidden Weapon. It was a Hidden Weapon that even an Inner Master couldn’t dodge, as the attacker was too close and the angle too covert. Being hit by a Hidden Weapon wouldn’t have been a major issue—he had managed to avoid a fatal blow. But he never expected the weapon to be coated in Poison, and an extremely virulent one at that.

The only thing the black-robed man felt fortunate about was that this person was a Pharmacist, and their Cultivation was only at the External Refining Copper Skin Realm. ’Even with all these tricks,’ he thought, ’he’s ultimately no match for me.’

Even while poisoned, the Combat Power of a Grandmaster at the stage of Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens far surpassed that of someone at External Refining Copper Skin. The gap between the two was immense—even greater than one might expect.

"Kid, if you’d stayed hidden and kept quiet, you might have survived this."

"Now, even after using such despicable methods, you’ll still die at my hands. I’ll be sure to ’take good care’ of you. I won’t let you die an easy death."

The black-robed man looked as if he wanted to eat Yang Chan alive.

Pharmacists were generally known to have weak Combat Power, which was why the black-robed man remained so calm despite being poisoned.

In his eyes, Yang Chan posed very little threat.

"You talk too much."

A Sharp Weapon Level Long Sword appeared in Yang Chan’s hand. This was the Weapon he had obtained before leaving the Cyan Yuan Sect by trading in the many First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pills he had refined. It was meant specifically for dealing with experts at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level.

Against an Inner Master, Weapons of the Hundred Refinements or Thousand Refinements Level were largely ineffective. Only something at the Sharp Weapon Level could injure them. That was why he had swapped all his Hidden Weapons for ones at the Sharp Weapon Level, and why they had been so effective.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Chan, holding the Sharp Sword, charged directly at the black-robed man who was still trying to expel the poison.

’Flood Dragon Demon Martial Seal, activate!’

’Demon Suppressing!’

Instantly, the Flood Dragon Demon Martial Seal merged into Yang Chan’s body. Then, his Demon Suppressing Sword Intent erupted, cloaking the Sharp Sword in his hand. Only a Weapon of such a high level could withstand that kind of Sword Intent.

He executed a sword technique, simultaneously using the Wind-Stepping Technique to appear instantly before the black-robed man.

His sword pierced through the black-robed man’s neck.

"You... you’re an Inner Master? And you’ve even grasped Sword In—"

The black-robed man’s eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn’t finish his sentence before the words died in his throat forever.

Even with an Inner Master’s immense Life Force, being decapitated by a sword was still a fatal blow. After all, Inner Masters had not yet reached the realm of Flesh Derivation; their healing abilities weren’t that advanced.

He died without having used a single one of his skills, which filled him with bitter resentment.

’If I had fought Yang Chan head-on, I definitely wouldn’t have died. If I couldn’t win, I could have at least escaped. There were reinforcements on the way... and...’

But there were no ’what ifs’ anymore.

His consciousness sank into darkness and then vanished completely.

"Sigh. Another Inner Master dead by my hand. Of all the people to mess with, you had to choose me. Now you’re dead for it."

Yang Chan sighed as he looked down at the corpse.

He pulled on a pair of gloves used for searching corpses, then cautiously prodded the body with his Long Sword, checking for any hidden traps or Hidden Weapons.

’I secured victory with these kinds of tactics; I’m not about to fall for them myself. That would be a true joke.’

’There are silver notes and jewels, but they’re not worth much. Just a small windfall, I guess.’

’His Weapon is Sharp Weapon Level, about the same as mine. Carrying it would expose my identity, so I’d better leave it.’

’He didn’t bring a Cultivation Technique with him. Makes sense. Who brings a valuable technique along when they’re out to kill someone? Is this a delivery service?’

’A Celestial Sword Sect Identity Token. Useless. I could keep it as a trophy, but there’s no benefit to taking it now. Better to get rid of it.’

After stabbing the black-robed man one more time in the heart and confirming there were no traps on the body, Yang Chan finally began to search it.

This was a precaution in case the man wasn’t completely dead. If his Life Force was astounding, he might still be able to launch a final, desperate attack. To be safe, it was always best to make sure. Ideally, he’d burn the body to ashes and scatter them to the wind.

But now wasn’t the right time.

There was nothing of value on the black-robed man.

To Yang Chan, it was all common stuff that was of no real use to him.

The silver notes and gold and silver jewelry had some use, but in the end, Yang Chan only took the silver notes. They were generic and untraceable, a decent trophy from the encounter.

He left the jewelry. It could potentially be traced back to him.

The sounds of fighting began to erupt from the direction of Elder Yan’s room. It was clear the people from the Celestial Sword Sect had made their move. The din of clashing weapons and the flicker of flames grew more intense. Yang Chan glanced at the corpse on the floor, then at the adjacent room which was already on fire, and an idea began to form.

He couldn’t leave the body of this Inner Master behind. The wound from when he’d killed him still held traces of his Demon Suppressing Sword Intent. Furthermore, the sheer power used to sever the head could reveal hints of his Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship techniques. Any of these clues could expose him.

As for this corpse, Yang Chan had only one choice: destroy the body and eliminate all traces, making it vanish completely.

Taking what he needed, Yang Chan poured the alcohol he found in the room over the corpse, then set it alight to destroy the evidence.

’Looks like I’ll need to refine some concoctions for destroying bodies and erasing evidence next time. Poisons for dealing with corpses, like Corpse-Dissolving Water or Corpse Rot Powder. They’re very effective and much more convenient.’

Yang Chan thought to himself as he watched the roaring flames.

’My preparations for this trip to White Jade City were insufficient. I thought things here weren’t that bad; with so many guards around, I didn’t expect to run into much danger.’

’But the current situation proves I was too careless. Preparing Hidden Weapons and Poison isn’t enough. I also need something to dispose of bodies quickly, to truly leave no trace.’

Yang Chan watched as the black-robed man’s body slowly blackened in the flames. The neck was burned beyond recognition, and with it, the lingering traces of his Demon Suppressing Sword Intent vanished. He let out a long sigh of relief.

Although he wanted to wait until the body was reduced to ash, the traces left by the black-robed man had already been erased.

He had also hidden the Weapon and Identity Token inside the wall of the adjacent room, stashing them in separate locations. If anyone found them in the future, he would be long gone from White Jade City. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

In ten or twenty years, it would matter even less. By then, his Cultivation would be immense—he might not have a single rival in the entire Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.

Hiding these items bought him more time to remain hidden.

After readying his Hidden Weapons, Yang Chan crept toward the sounds of battle. If he could escape White Jade City, he naturally wouldn’t go near the fighting. But for now, his only option was to assess the situation.