Chapter 196: Chapter 114: Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand’s Second Limit Break, a New Trait! Cultivating Seven-Star Bead Slash

This was precisely what Chu Fan and Cao Feng had intended.

Cao Feng was in the open, drawing all the attention and stabilizing morale.

Chu Fan was in the shadows, a panther lurking in the darkness with its claws retracted, waiting to deal a fatal blow to his enemies.

The sharpest blade in this Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branch was never Li Qingxue.

It was Chu Fan!

Outside, the situation was precarious, and rumors were spreading everywhere...

At the center of the whirlpool, Chu Fan calmed down after a brief period of turmoil.

He knew well that the foundation of strength lay within oneself.

’I have to focus on my cultivation and become stronger. Only then can I find true peace of mind in this world fraught with danger.’

But as the saying goes, the tree may prefer stillness, but the wind will not cease.

Things had progressed to this point; it was difficult for him to stay out of it.

Because of his actions, Cao Feng and Li Qingxue had been pushed to the center of the storm.

Everyone’s eyes were now fixed on the two of them!

"Moon Worship Sect..."

The afternoon sun shone through the window lattice. Inside, Chu Fan, who was practicing "Entering Force," furrowed his brow and murmured the name.

When he cultivated to the point of exhaustion, his concentration would inevitably drop, and all sorts of distracting thoughts would surface in his mind.

Chu Fan simply stopped cultivating to take a short break.

A bigger storm could arrive at any moment...

Chu Fan was desperate to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

He had helped Master Cao seize the Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branch and cut off the enemy’s supply route for "medicinal ingredients." The Moon Worship Sect would certainly not let the matter rest.

Chu Fan had suspected from the beginning that the Moon Worship Sect was behind the Demon Fiend at the Blood Saber Sect.

In a single night, a great serpent had massacred the Blood Saber Sect, crippling one of the three major gangs. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Chu Fan didn’t know when or how this sinister Moon Worship Sect would retaliate.

He, on the other hand, was quite safe.

Neither the Seven Stars Gang nor the Moon Worship Sect would suspect him.

But Cao Feng and Li Qingxue were out in the open. If danger came, they would be the first to bear the brunt of it...

’Count on the County Magistrate’s Office?’

’I might as well count on a stray dog on the street.’

Something this major had happened, yet there hadn’t been the slightest peep from the County Magistrate’s Office.

’Who knows how many benefits the Seven Stars Gang gave County Magistrate Zhang Yunpeng.’

When news of such a heinous crime spread, the County Magistrate’s Office had no reaction whatsoever!

’Perhaps they just need some time?’

’Or maybe, they don’t want to get involved at all?’

Chu Fan would never dare pin his hopes on the County Magistrate’s Office.

How many Mortal Transformation experts did the Cyan Yang City County Magistrate’s Office even have?

Cyan Yang Ancient City was able to maintain its balance thanks to the deterrent power of the imperial court and the military forces stationed outside the city.

But mobilizing that army...

Although Chu Fan didn’t understand the court’s regulations, he knew it would be extremely troublesome.

At the very least, he and Master Cao didn’t have that kind of influence.

Chu Fan’s only hope now lay with the Demon Suppression Bureau.

He couldn’t care less about becoming a Demon Suppression Guard.

But no matter what, he had to get the message to the Demon Suppression Bureau as soon as possible!

Only when people from the Demon Suppression Bureau arrived could they deal with the Moon Worship Sect!

Chu Fan’s palm lightly touched his chest.

The Paperman carrying the Divine Sense Avatar of Demon Suppression Envoy Yue Mankong was hidden in his robes.

He was nourishing the Paperman with his vital energy and could sense its weakness.

In his perception, the Paperman was like a bubble, ready to pop at any moment...

’Looks like I’ll have to keep nourishing it with my vital energy for a few more days.’

Chu Fan was afraid that if he forcefully awakened the Paperman, it might never wake up again.

He raised his head and glanced out the window.

The faint morning light dispersed the stench of blood, but it couldn’t dispel the tension and restlessness in the air.

Zhao Tianxing was arduously training in the Twelve Forms Fist, sweat pouring down like rain.

Chu Fan got up and went outside.

Zhao Tianxing immediately ran over, his face alight with excitement. "I broke through to Bone Marrow Forging this morning!"

"Hey, not bad!" Chu Fan smiled and patted his shoulder.

If it weren’t for all this, Zhao Tianxing’s breakthrough to Bone Marrow Forging would have certainly shaken the entire Seven Stars Gang.

"Even though you’ve left me in the dust, I won’t give up!"

Zhao Tianxing grinned. "Are you heading out? I need to keep training to get used to the power of Bone Marrow Forging and refine the medicinal energy from those Treasure Plants I ate earlier."

"You keep training. I need to see Master Cao about something." Chu Fan turned and left the courtyard.

Before he even reached Master Cao’s home, he saw that sentries had been posted around the residence.

At each post were experts from the Cao and Li Families, all of them brimming with vital energy.

When they saw Chu Fan approach, most of them smiled and greeted him.

Two of them didn’t greet him—

They were the ones who had been unhappy about Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing handling the corpses and taking the spoils last night. They’d been beaten up three times for it and were now bruised and swollen, glaring at Chu Fan and rolling their eyes.

Chu Fan couldn’t be bothered with them and walked straight into Cao Feng’s house, where he saw a group from the Cao and Li Families gathered around Master Cao, discussing matters.

Li Qingxue was off to the side, polishing her Long Saber without a word.

Seeing Chu Fan arrive, the expressions on the faces of the Cao and Li family members turned complicated.

Cao Feng was a little too good to these two disciples of his.

They were a bit unhappy about it but couldn’t really act on it.

"Fan, you’re here!"

Seeing him enter, Cao Feng immediately beckoned to him, then turned his head and said, "All of you, go about your business. I need to have a word with Fan."

"This..." The looks everyone gave Chu Fan became even more complicated.

They were in the middle of discussing important matters, but as soon as Chu Fan arrived, Cao Feng sent them away.

’No matter how talented this disciple is, he’s still an outsider.’

The group pouted and left the room.

Chu Fan glanced at the saber Li Qingxue was polishing.

He was no stranger to that saber—he had touched it when he first joined the Seven Stars Gang.

The blade was long and narrow with a graceful curve, gleaming with a cold, moon-like luster in the morning light. It was the "Cold Moon Lone Shadow Saber."

"Come, come, sit!" Cao Feng beckoned, patting the chair beside him.

Chu Fan greeted them both and sat down.

Cao Feng immediately asked, "Are you feeling any discomfort now?"

Li Qingxue’s hand, polishing the saber, paused, and she looked over, her face full of worry.

Chu Fan had once merged with a Resentful Spirit. Although he showed no abnormalities now, his body had surely been contaminated.

This contamination was like a gangrene clinging to his bones, something that would haunt him for life and could flare up any day.

"Are you talking about the contamination, Master?" Chu Fan shook his head. "For a while after merging with the Resentful Spirit, my mind was indeed a mess. I couldn’t suppress my negative emotions, and my killing intent was hard to control. But after a night’s rest, it has all subsided."