Chapter 72: Wu Tian's Fury

As the four men in black descended from the rooftop, Long Zhan quietly slipped away through the side door. His task was complete; what happened next was no longer his concern.

With a ringing clash, the sword in the black-clad man’s hand was deflected by Master Ye with all his strength. Gasping for breath, Master Ye dodged to the side.

“To think you can still forcefully use your vital energy after being poisoned with the Heaven-rank low-grade ‘Dissipating Qi Pill.’ As expected of the master of the Qitian Sect. But now, your cultivation is less than a tenth of your peak. No matter how hard you struggle, it is futile!” The man in black sneered coldly. Though surprised, he was still assured of victory.

He gestured to the other three, commanding, “Kill!”

In an instant, sword energy crisscrossed the study. The walls, floor, tables, and chairs were left in utter ruin. Though Master Ye managed to parry the first wave of attacks, his entire body was covered in wounds.

“Assassins! There are assassins! Assassins have entered the master’s chambers!” A shout rang out from outside the study, clearly indicating that the disciples of Qitian Sect had noticed the commotion inside.

“The Qingyang Sword Technique! You are from the Nie family!” Master Ye’s eyes widened in shock as he dodged another attack.

“Master Ye, your eyes are indeed sharp. You saw through it so quickly! Yes, I am Nie Yuntian! You killed my son, Xiang’er. Today, I will settle this debt with you! I will use your soul to honor my dead son!” Nie Yuntian’s eyes were bloodshot as he pointed his sword at Master Ye, roaring with fury. “Someone is coming from outside. Kill him with a single strike—formation!”

At once, Nie Yuntian and the other three formed a triangular battle array and thrust their swords at Master Ye in unison.

“Form-shifting Phantom Array! Kill!”

Nie Yuntian’s sinister voice echoed as the four-man formation burst forth a violent surge of sword energy, rushing toward Master Ye. Gravely injured as he already was, Master Ye had no hope of withstanding it; he could only desperately evade. But the sword energy was far too swift.

With a thunderous boom, the combined vital energy of the four men seemed to form a colossal sword, slashing through everything in its path, leaving chaos in its wake.

A sharp crack sounded as Master Ye’s sword broke. Nie Yuntian’s blade pierced Master Ye’s heart.

“Master Ye, this is the fate you deserve for killing my son. It’s a pity—if you were at your full strength, I could never have succeeded so easily. But you were betrayed by your own disciple. How pitiful!” Nie Yuntian glared at Master Ye with hatred, ruthlessly pulling his sword from Master Ye’s chest.

“Ugh!” Master Ye spat out a mouthful of blood. He tried to speak but couldn’t utter a word. He could only glare at Nie Yuntian before collapsing to the ground.

With a thunderous crash, the study’s doors were kicked open, and the elders of Qitian Sect stormed inside.

“Master!” On seeing their leader lying in a pool of blood, their faces turned ashen.

“Retreat!” Having achieved his goal, Nie Yuntian didn’t pause for a moment. He led the three men in black and fled swiftly.

“After them! Catch the assassins, quickly!” Hao Hu of the Hall of Justice roared, then hurried to Master Ye’s side. “Master, please hold on!”

Hao Hu checked Master Ye’s breath. Finding it still faintly present, he quickly carried him to safety for treatment.

The alarm bell of Qitian Sect rang out, echoing clearly across the sect and sending the whole place into an uproar.

Not long after leaving the study, Wu Tian heard the alarm. He looked back toward Master Ye’s chambers in confusion. “Could something have happened? I’d better go check!”

Wu Tian returned to Master Ye’s study, where crowds of disciples had already gathered.

“What happened?” Wu Tian asked an elder nearby.

“The master was just attacked by assassins and gravely wounded. His fate is uncertain. Elder Hao and several other high-level elders are doing their utmost to save him, hoping he’ll pull through!”

“What? The master was assassinated?” Wu Tian’s face changed dramatically. “Master Ye’s cultivation is so profound—how could a few mere assassins succeed?”

“He must have been poisoned, his energy suppressed. Otherwise, no assassin could have succeeded!” The elder nodded grimly. “And the poisoner must be from within Qitian Sect; otherwise, the master would not have been caught off guard. Unfortunately, the scene is completely destroyed. There’s not a clue to be found!”

“Poisoned?” Wu Tian frowned, a sudden thought flashing through his mind. His eyes widened. “Damn! Now I see what was wrong. When I left Master Ye’s room, I saw that bastard Long Zhan bringing a cup of ginseng tea inside. The master must have been poisoned by him!”

Filled with fury, Wu Tian set out to find Long Zhan. He had just felt the warmth and care from Master Ye—a rarity in this foreign world—so how could Wu Tian not be angry at seeing him poisoned and gravely injured?

“Long Zhan, get out here! Long Zhan, you bastard!” Wu Tian stormed into Long Zhan’s quarters, kicking the door open in his rage.

“What the hell, Wu Tian! Are you crazy, kicking down my door?” Long Zhan jumped in shock, cursing irritably when he saw Wu Tian charging in.

“Don’t play dumb with me! Did you poison Master Ye?” Wu Tian grabbed Long Zhan by the collar.

“Poison? What poison? Wu Tian, what are you talking about? I have no idea.” Long Zhan looked utterly bewildered.

“Damn it! Master Ye was poisoned and then assassinated—his life hangs by a thread! You were carrying ginseng tea into his room. If you didn’t poison him, who did?”

“Wu Tian, you’re saying the master was attacked? When did this happen?” Long Zhan exclaimed in shock, shaking off Wu Tian’s grip. “I had nothing to do with it! You accuse me, but you were in the room too—why don’t you say you did it?”

“Still pretending? I’ll kill you!” Wu Tian drew his Black Dragon Blade, ready to strike.

“Wu Tian, don’t be rash! We don’t know the truth yet—our priority is to save Master Ye. The rest can wait,” interrupted the elder Wu Tian had spoken with earlier, rushing in just in time to hold him back.

“It was this bastard! I’m sure of it!” Wu Tian shouted angrily, pointing at Long Zhan.

“Why don’t you say it was you? You were there too—why blame me?” Long Zhan replied confidently. Master Ye was as good as dead; there would be no witness.

“Don’t get cocky, Long Zhan! When I uncover the truth, you’ll be the first to die!”