Chapter 145 Investigating Pan Fubang

When Wu Tian stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion, the sky had already grown completely dark. He intended to head straight back to the Small Bridge Courtyard to sleep, but after taking only a few steps, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.

"Now that I have reached the fourth-tier Martial King realm, although I may not be a match for Pan Fubang, I certainly won't fall easily into his hands. Besides, I possess the Black Dragon Saber, the Dark Divine Armor, and the *Classic of Heaven and Earth*. Even if I cannot defeat him, escaping from him should pose no problem at all. Tonight is a fine opportunity to go and test this Pan Fubang."

With this thought in mind, Wu Tian headed to a deserted corner, cast a disguise technique to alter his facial features, and even changed his clothes, masquerading as another disciple to make his way toward Pan Fubang's residence.

Pan Fubang was an elder of the Twelfth Gate of the Heaven-Shattering Sect and possessed his own estate. Wu Tian strolled around the vicinity of Pan Fubang's residence disguised as an ordinary disciple. He hid in a dark corner, staring at the front gates of the estate, where guards stood in strict vigilance and disciples frequently entered and exited.

Wu Tian watched the entrance for quite a while before finally selecting a target—a disciple at the fifth-tier Martial Spirit realm, whose crucial advantage was that he was completely alone. Seeing this disciple emerge, Wu Tian followed closely behind him. Upon reaching a secluded, deserted area, Wu Tian lunged forward abruptly, knocking the disciple unconscious before he could even react, and dragged him into a hidden nook.

Wu Tian searched the disciple's body for a moment until he found a token—specifically, the pass token required to move about within the Twelfth Gate.

Holding the token, Wu Tian cast more than a dozen disguise spells until he finally transformed into the exact appearance of that disciple, after which he swaggered brazenly toward the outer courtyard of the Twelfth Gate. Presenting the token, Wu Tian successfully slipped inside.

"The layout of the sixteen gate courtyards in the Heaven-Shattering Sect is largely similar. Judging by the situation at our own gate, the elder's quarters should be located at the very innermost part of the estate. I'll walk inside first and see what I can find," Wu Tian thought to himself as he walked.

Wu Tian proceeded directly toward the innermost section. Along the way, he encountered numerous disciples, all of whom he greeted with a polite smile. Since the disciples in each gate were numerous and many were only nodding acquaintances, no one saw through Wu Tian's disguise.

Having crossed a large courtyard and traversed several corridors, Wu Tian finally caught sight of a small courtyard. A plaque stood erected at its entrance bearing the inscription: "Restricted Elder's Ground; Disciples Prohibited from Entering Without Summons!"

"This must be the place. Pan Fubang should reside within this small courtyard. If I can get inside, I might be able to unearth some valuable intelligence," Wu Tian muttered to himself, standing at the entrance of the courtyard.

"Oh? Junior Brother Wu, why are you here?" Suddenly, a strange voice rang out from behind Wu Tian.

Wu Tian's body instantly stiffened. *Damn it, has my identity been exposed?*

"Junior Brother Wu, Master asked you to buy some 'Qingxin Grass.' How is it that you've returned so quickly?" The disciple who had called out to him walked over, asking with a puzzled expression.

Wu Tian let out an immediate sigh of relief. It turned out this disciple also shared the surname Wu, giving him a brief scare.

"Ah, I've already bought it," Wu Tian replied with a smile. Fortunately, there happened to be Qingxin Grass inside his spatial ring.

The disciple cast a curious glance at Wu Tian, then waved his hand and said, "Since you've bought it, take it inside and present it to Master. He is waiting to use it."

"Yes, Senior Brother," Wu Tian said, cupping his fists in salute. He had just been pondering how to gain entry into the courtyard, and now he had been handed a ready-made excuse to go in.

With that, Wu Tian pushed open the gate to the small courtyard. Two attendants were sweeping and cleaning inside. Wu Tian cupped his fists and asked, "Pardon me, is Master inside?"

"Yes, Elder Pan is in his room. You may go in," the attendant nodded.

Wu Tian crossed the courtyard, arrived at the doorway of the room, and gently knocked on the door.

"Enter," Pan Fubang's voice sounded from within.

Wu Tian gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, instantly catching sight of Pan Fubang in the act of placing a letter into a desk drawer.

"Master, the Qingxin Grass you requested has been bought." Wu Tian produced a stalk of Qingxin Grass and respectfully presented it to Pan Fubang. As he handed it over, Wu Tian covertly scanned Pan Fubang's room to see if any valuable information was lying around.

"Just leave it on the desk," Pan Fubang said, casting a faint glance at Wu Tian. However, when his gaze fell upon Wu Tian, his brows twitched slightly, and a trace of doubt flashed through his eyes.

Wu Tian placed the Qingxin Grass on the desk. During this process, he failed to spot any other useful intelligence; the only suspicious thing was the letter Pan Fubang had just tucked into the drawer. However, with Pan Fubang right in front of him, it was impossible for Wu Tian to inspect it openly. He would simply have to find another opportunity to sneak back in and take a look.

After setting down the Qingxin Grass, Wu Tian cupped his fists toward Pan Fubang and said, "Master, this disciple will take his leave."

With those words, Wu Tian turned to walk out of Pan Fubang's room.

Just as Wu Tian was about to step across the threshold, Pan Fubang suddenly shouted, "Stop right there!"

Wu Tian instantly halted his footsteps, turned around with a look of feigned bewilderment, and asked, "Does Master have any other instructions?"

"The Qingxin Grass I asked for was two stalks, not one! From the time you left until you returned, not even half an incense stick's worth of time passed—it is utterly impossible to travel at such a speed!" Pan Fubang's expression shifted drastically as he spoke. "You are not my disciple! Just what kind of person are you?"

"I am truly your disciple, genuine and without a doubt!" Wu Tian replied with an earnest expression.

"Hmph! Although your appearance is identical to that of my disciple, your mannerisms cannot deceive my eyes. Since you refuse to speak the truth, I will force you to spill it!" Pan Fubang let out a cold snort, his right hand curling into a tiger claw as he flashed instantly before Wu Tian.

"What the hell! You're truly vicious, trying to murder even your own disciple—you've completely lost your mind!" Wu Tian had long since prepared himself and sidestepped instantly to evade Pan Fubang's attack.

"To think you can actually dodge my attack; it seems you really are not my disciple!" A cold gleam flashed in Pan Fubang's eyes as he stared icily at Wu Tian.

Wu Tian came to a sudden realization, then narrowed his eyes and pointed at Pan Fubang. "Old man, your previous move was merely a test. You certainly harbor deep scheming!"

"Disguising yourself as my disciple—what exactly is your intention? Confess honestly at once, or this lord shall take your wretched life!" Pan Fubang pointed a warning finger at Wu Tian.

"Hehe, if you tell me to confess and I simply confess, wouldn't I lose all my face?" Wu Tian stood with his hands on his hips, grinning playfully.

"Courting death!" A look of fury washed over Pan Fubang's face. With a single leap, leaving a trail of afterimages behind, a violent gale of wind blasted toward Wu Tian.

*Boom!* With a deafening explosion, the spot where Wu Tian had just been standing was blasted into a massive crater.

"Holy shit! Did you have to go that all-out? I almost met my maker right there." Wu Tian stared speechlessly at Pan Fubang after dodging the blow.

Seeing that Wu Tian had evaded the attack with ease, Pan Fubang's gaze grew grave. Anyone capable of dodging his strike so effortlessly was definitely no ordinary character.

"You managed to dodge that strike by sheer luck, but you won't be so fortunate next time!" Pan Fubang narrowed his eyes, a violent and turbulent aura suddenly erupting from his body.

With a whoosh, Pan Fubang vanished and reappeared instantly behind Wu Tian, his tiger-clawed hand lunging straight for Wu Tian's temple with lethal intent.