Following the voice of Qian Duoduo, Zhong Yun pushed aside the dense branches and leaves, and the scene before him made his blood boil with anger.
Qian Duoduo was directing a group of men in black to besiege Fatty Wang, every move vicious and fatal.
Although Fatty Wang was nimble, he was gradually running out of physical strength, and his body was stained with injuries in multiple places.
"Qian Duoduo, you despicable wretch!"
With an angry roar, Zhong Yun leaped out, channeling Spiritual Qi in his palm into sharp swords of Qi that forced back the men in black besieging Fatty Wang.
"Oh, if it isn't our genius Zhong! What's this, finally willing to tear yourself away from the land of tenderness?"
Qian Duoduo showed no fear at all, his face still wearing that nauseating, fake smile.
"I thought you were too busy climbing up in the world to remember old friends like us!"
"Cut the crap!"
Zhong Yun couldn't be bothered to waste any more words with him. He turned to Fatty Wang and said, "You go first, I'll cover our rear!"
Knowing that staying behind would only drag Zhong Yun down, Fatty Wang gritted his teeth, nodded, and turned to break through the encirclement.
However, those men in black chased after him like ghosts, refusing to give Fatty Wang any chance of escape.
"Want to leave? Not that easy!"
Qian Duoduo sneered. With a wave of his folded fan, an invisible barrier materialized out of thin air, trapping Fatty Wang inside.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Zhong Yun felt extremely anxious, but he had no time to worry about Fatty Wang, for the men in black had already surrounded him tightly.
"Zhong Yun, a mere menial disciple like you dares to ruin my plans?"
Qian Duoduo said triumphantly, "I advise you to surrender obediently and save yourself from physical suffering!"
Only then did Zhong Yun realize that these men in black all had steady breathing and ruthless moves; they were by no means ordinary thugs.
He cursed inwardly, realizing that he had run into a tough crowd this time.
"Attack!"
At Qian Duoduo's command, the men in black pounced on Zhong Yun like fierce tigers descending the mountain.
Daring not to lower his guard, Zhong Yun gave it everything he had, engaging the men in black in a fierce battle.
For a moment, swords of Qi surged through the dense forest, Spiritual Qi roiled, trees snapped, and fallen leaves flew everywhere.
Relying on his agile footwork and exquisite swordsmanship, Zhong Yun managed to barely fend off the attacks of the men in black.
However, two fists could not match four hands. He gradually felt his stamina waning, and scars began to appear on his body.
Qian Duoduo watched the battle from the sidelines, a cold smile lingering on his face as if victory were already in his grasp.
Just then, an icy voice suddenly rang out: "Stop!"
Hearing the voice, everyone looked over to see a woman in white descending from the sky, as pure and aloof as a goddess from the highest heavens.
It was none other than Shen Yao.
"Senior Sister Shen!" Zhong Yun felt a surge of joy in his heart, as if he saw hope.
However, a flash of greedy light crossed Qian Duoduo's eyes. He licked his lips and muttered to himself, "Talk about iron shoes found for a thousand miles only to find them without effort..."
This meaningful sentence foretold that an even greater crisis was about to descend...
The sudden appearance of Shen Yao instantly froze the tense atmosphere.
A trace of greed flashed through Qian Duoduo's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, replacing it with a flattering smile: "So it's Fairy Shen. What wind blows you here today?"
Ignoring Qian Duoduo's flattery, Shen Yao swept her icy gaze across the men in black and finally landed on Zhong Yun, a hint of hard-to-detect concern in her tone: "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
Zhong Yun shook his head, though he felt a bitter premonition in his heart. While Shen Yao's appearance temporarily relieved the crisis, it simultaneously pushed him into another abyss.
What kind of person was Qian Duoduo?
He was notoriously vindictive. Growing close to Shen Yao right in front of him was undoubtedly pouring oil on fire.
Sure enough, the smile on Qian Duoduo's face gradually vanished, and his gaze turned chillingly cold: "Fairy Shen, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. This person stole a treasure from the Qian family, and I must take him back today!"
"Qian Duoduo, stop framing me!" Zhong Yun yelled angrily, "When did I ever steal your things?"
"Hmph, whether you stole something or not will become clear once we get to the Qian family!" Qian Duoduo snorted coldly and cut off the talk. With a wave of his folded fan, the men in black swarmed forward again, surrounding Zhong Yun and Shen Yao tightly.
"Since you're asking for death, don't blame me for being impolite!" A cold gleam flashed in Shen Yao's eyes as her long sword left its scabbard. A fierce beam of sword Qi tore through the air, instantly striking down several men in black.
"So formidable!" Zhong Yun was secretly startled. He knew Shen Yao was strong, but he never expected her to be this terrifying.
However, those men in black seemed well-prepared, each casting defensive artifacts to withstand Shen Yao's attack.
"Fairy Shen, I advise you to surrender so we don't damage our cordial relations." Qian Duoduo sneered from the side, "You should know that the Qian family is not to be trifled with!"
"Hmph, I'd like to see just how capable your Qian family is!" Shen Yao gave a cold snort and swung her sword to attack once more.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle. For a time, sword Qi crossed and recrossed, Spiritual Qi surged, and the entire dense forest seemed to transform into a massive battlefield.
Although Zhong Yun's strength was inferior to Shen Yao and the men in black, he was no slouch either. Channeling Spiritual Qi into his palms, he formed streams of fierce sword Qi that constantly harassed the men in black, easing the pressure on Shen Yao.
However, right at that moment, an accident occurred.
A man in black suddenly launched a sneak attack on Shen Yao from behind. Caught off guard, Shen Yao was struck on the shoulder by a palm strike. She let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Senior Sister Shen!" Seeing this, Zhong Yun was greatly alarmed and rushed to Shen Yao's side to shield her.
"Are you alright?" Zhong Yun asked anxiously.
"I'm fine." Shen Yao shook her head, though her face looked somewhat pale.
"Hahaha, Fairy Shen, you're not so special after all!" Seeing this, Qian Duoduo laughed triumphantly, "Today, neither of you is leaving here alive!"
"Want to kill us? We'll see if you have what it takes!" Zhong Yun let out an angry roar, knowing that if he wanted to survive today, he would have to fight to the death!
Shielding Shen Yao behind him, he churned his Spiritual Qi crazily, preparing to unleash his most powerful strike.
However, at that very instant, a miserable scream rang out.
"Fatty Wang!" Zhong Yun's heart sank. He whipped his head around to see Fatty Wang pierced through the chest by a blade from a man in black, blood staining his clothes red.
"No!" With eyes splitting and veins bulging, Zhong Yun wanted to rush over to save Fatty Wang, but the men in black entangled him too tightly for him to break free.
"Hahaha, this is the price of betraying me!" Qian Duoduo said triumphantly.
"You'll die a horrible death!" Zhong Yun's eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage and grief.
He tried his utmost to break through the encirclement of the men in black, but it was all in vain.
In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Fatty Wang collapsed in a pool of blood, his breathing growing weaker and weaker until it stopped entirely.
"Fatty Wang!" Consumed by grief, Zhong Yun roared up to the heavens.
Looking at the scene before her, Shen Yao also felt a wave of grief and powerlessness.
"Let's go!" Having achieved his goal, Qian Duoduo no longer wished to prolong the fight, and he led the men in black away.
Zhong Yun collapsed to the ground, his eyes vacant. The image of Fatty Wang's tragic death replayed endlessly in his mind, filled with remorse and self-blame.
Whose fault was all of this, really?
If he hadn't transmigrated to this world, perhaps Fatty Wang wouldn't have died.
If he hadn't joined the Qingyun Sect, perhaps he wouldn't have met Qian Duoduo.
If...
Yet, there were no "ifs" in this world—only cruel reality.
Shen Yao walked silently to Zhong Yun's side and gently patted his shoulder. She said nothing, but her eyes were filled with worry and comfort.
Zhong Yun took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He knew now was not the time for grief; he had to pull himself together and avenge Fatty Wang!
"Qian Duoduo, I will definitely kill you!" Zhong Yun said through clenched teeth, his eyes burning with the flames of hatred.
Yet, he had no idea that an even greater crisis was waiting for him ahead...
In the distance, inside a hidden cave, several men in black were reporting the situation to a gloomy-looking middle-aged man.
"Elder Li, we have eliminated Fatty Wang according to your instructions, and severely injured Shen Yao, but..." Pausing here, one of the men in black hesitated in his tone.
"But what?" Elder Li, the middle-aged man, frowned and asked.
"But we didn't kill Zhong Yun." The man in black said with his head lowered.
"What?" Elder Li abruptly stood up and raged, "Didn't I tell you to kill Zhong Yun at all costs? Why is he still alive?"
"We... we don't know either." The man in black said tremblingly, "Although Zhong Yun's strength isn't high, he's extremely cunning. Every time we tried to kill him, he managed to escape."
"Useless! A bunch of trash!" With an angry roar, Elder Li smashed the stone table beside him with a single palm strike.
"Elder Li, what should we do now?" Asked a man in black.
"What else can we do?" A ruthless glint flashed across Elder Li's eyes. "Since we can't kill Zhong Yun, then kill everyone related to him! I refuse to believe he can still escape a net cast from the heavens and earth!"
"Yes!" The men in black answered in unison, cruel expressions surfacing in their eyes.
An even larger conspiracy was quietly unfolding...
Dusk gathered, and the setting sun was like blood.
Deep within the dense forest, a lingering smell of blood hung in the air, bearing witness to the fierce and bloody battle that had taken place here.
Carrying the unconscious Shen Yao on his back, Zhong Yun stumbled through the dense forest like a startled bird.
Fatty Wang's death was branded as deeply as a hot iron onto his heart, burning with agony.
He swore to make Qian Duoduo and that mysterious organization pay in blood!
Right now, however, the top priority was to escape this place of right and wrong and find a safe spot to settle Shen Yao.
"Cough, cough..." Shen Yao's weak cough pulled Zhong Yun back from his thoughts. He hurriedly stopped, gently set Shen Yao down, and asked with concern, "Senior Sister Shen, how are you feeling?"
A bitter, weak smile tugged at Shen Yao's pale face. "I'm fine, won't die yet—just overconsumed my spiritual power and need to regulate my breathing for a bit."
Hearing this, Zhong Yun finally relaxed slightly. Looking around, he found this place to be a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only a narrow exit. Easy to defend and hard to attack, it made a fine hiding place.
He helped Shen Yao into the valley, found a dry and flat spot, and had her sit cross-legged to regulate her breathing. He then kept a vigilant watch over the surroundings to guard against any contingencies.
Meanwhile, in a secluded cave dozens of miles away from the valley, several men in black knelt on the ground, trembling.
Before them, Elder Li wore an ashen face, his eyes seemingly burning with a raging fire.
"Useless! A bunch of trash!" Elder Li roared, "With so many of you, you couldn't even deal with a greenhorn? What use do I have for you?"
"Elder Li, please calm your anger; we did our best..." A man in black said tremblingly. "It was this subordinate's failure. Please give us another chance, Elder Li, and we will definitely bring back Zhong Yun's head to atone for our crime!"
"A chance?" Elder Li sneered. "You don't have a chance anymore! I've received word that the Qingyun Sect has already sent people to reinforce Zhong Yun. If we let them join forces, killing him will become even harder than ascending to heaven!"
"What? The Qingyun Sect sent people?" Hearing this, the men in black turned pale with shock. Although they were members of the mysterious organization, they didn't dare easily provoke a behemoth like the Qingyun Sect.
"Elder Li, what should we do now?" A man in black asked.
A ruthless look flashed in Elder Li's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: immediately mobilize all experts to set an ambush along the path the reinforcement team must take. Ensure we wipe them out completely!"
"Yes!" The men in black acknowledged the order and left, and the cave returned to silence.
Elder Li stared at the pitch-black night sky outside the cave, a cold smile hooking the corner of his mouth.
"Zhong Yun, even if you're lucky enough to escape this disaster, don't ever dream of slipping out of my palm!"
Yet, what he did not know was that while he was meticulously plotting the ambush, Zhong Yun had stumbled upon a heaven-shaking secret by pure coincidence.
Seeking food and a water source, Zhong Yun had left the valley. As he stealthily threaded through the dense forest, he suddenly spotted a faint flicker of fire ahead.
Could it be Qian Duoduo's men?
With a start, Zhong Yun quickened his caution, lightening his footsteps as he crept toward the fire.
Soon, he arrived at the mouth of a cave. Through the firelight at the entrance, he could vaguely make out figures moving inside.
Hiding behind a giant boulder, he carefully observed the situation inside the cave and was shocked to find that these people were not Qian Duoduo's subordinates, but men in uniform black attire—members of that mysterious organization!
What shocked him even more was that from their conversation, he actually overheard secrets concerning his own birth!
Zhong Yun held his breath, his muscles tense all over for fear that the slightest sound might alert the men in black inside the cave. Every single word they spoke exploded in his ears like rolling thunder.
"The bloodline power within that kid is truly extraordinary. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, this old man wouldn't believe such heaven-defying talent truly exists in this world." An aged voice drifted from inside the cave, carrying a trace of greed and wariness in its tone.
"Elder Li, how should we deal with that kid then? Should we..." Another voice lowered a fraction, seeming to hint at something.
"Don't act rashly!" The aged voice interrupted. "That kid's background is extraordinary, and it involves too much behind the scenes. We cannot make any reckless moves, or it will bring catastrophic disaster to the organization!"
"Then Elder Li means..."
"Contain him first, and I will report to the higher-ups before making a decision."
Turbulent waves crashed in Zhong Yun's heart. He had never imagined that such an astonishing secret lay hidden behind his ordinary origins. And the target of this mysterious organization seemed to be precisely the "bloodline power" within him.
"It seems that if I want to survive, I must figure all of this out!" A sharp glint flashed in Zhong Yun's eyes, and he decided to use this opportunity to infiltrate the stronghold and uncover the truth.
However, just as Zhong Yun was preparing to make a move, he keenly sensed that the surrounding guards had grown much tighter—clearly, Qian Duoduo had sensed something and stepped up precautions.
"Damn it!" Zhong Yun cursed inwardly, knowing he had to be even more cautious, or the consequences of exposure would be unimaginable.