I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 68 - 67: Thoroughly Muddying the Waters of Cyan Yang Ancient City

Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Thoroughly Muddying the Waters of Cyan Yang Ancient City

Chu Fan fell silent for a moment before speaking calmly, "Master Cao, you know..."

"It wasn’t that I intentionally investigated you." Cao Feng smiled faintly. "When I had Cao Yan assist you, he had already found out that it was the Huang Family’s Huang Yu who hired Liu Da and other ruffians to try and seize your ancestral home."

"After Liu Da and the others died, I knew..."

"Regardless of whether the Huang Family knew you were behind it, they would have come after you for the house sooner or later."

"But that Huang Yu was a Small Leader in the Blood Saber Sect, already at the peak of the Blood Refining Realm and pushing for a breakthrough to the Bone Marrow Forging Realm. He was quite powerful..."

"I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle him, so I had Cao Yan keep an eye on the Huang Family."

"I also wanted to see what methods you’d use to deal with it."

At this, a hint of gratification appeared in Cao Feng’s eyes. "What I didn’t expect, however, was how ruthless you could be. Your Cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, and you actually wiped out Huang Yu and the Huang Family all by yourself, without me having to worry in the slightest."

Li Qingxue, who was walking behind them, could no longer hold back. "Huang Yu of the Blood Saber Sect... was he really the one who killed him?"

"Huang Yu was no weakling! Even though he was only in the Blood Refining Realm, he could hold his own against Zhou Ye, who’s in the Bone Marrow Forging Realm!"

"Who else could it be?" Cao Feng laughed and patted Chu Fan’s shoulder, his voice filled with pride. "And that’s not the extent of this kid’s strength, either."

Zhao Tianxing looked at Chu Fan, then back at Cao Feng.

His face was a picture of shock and disbelief. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised that Chu Fan had easily defeated Ling Feng.

But for Master Cao to say that Chu Fan had not only killed Huang Yu of the Blood Refining Realm, but had also annihilated the entire Huang Clan...

Such power, such ruthlessness... It was terrifying!

Zhao Tianxing stammered, "I just feel... completely useless."

"There’s no need to put yourself down." Cao Feng patted Zhao Tianxing’s shoulder again, his tone softening. "Everyone is different. We all have different talents and walk different paths."

Zhao Tianxing narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Master Cao, why does that sound so familiar?"

"I feel like someone else said the same thing not long ago..."

The group walked into the courtyard as they spoke.

The cold wind gradually died down.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting a faint warmth upon the ground.

Once inside, Cao Feng sat down in a chair. His expression suddenly turned serious. "Since you two have demonstrated your strength today, go to the Deacon Hall and register as being in the Blood Nourishing Realm."

"From this day forward, you both can be considered true disciples of the Seven Stars Gang."

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Tianxing nodded, a thrill of excitement running through him.

He had broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm just twenty-three days after joining the Seven Stars Gang, but on Cao Feng’s advice, he had kept it a secret.

Even though he had lost to Ling Feng today, registering his Blood Nourishing Realm days before his opponent would be a small victory in itself!

"Master Cao..."

Chu Fan, however, hesitated. "After becoming a disciple of the Seven Stars Gang, will I have to go to the Seven Stars Castle?"

"I have some personal matters to attend to, so I’d like to postpone going to the Seven Stars Castle."

Seven Stars Castle was over a hundred li from Cyan Yang Ancient City. Traveling back and forth would be a real hassle.

’With the Demon Suppression Stele still at home, I can’t rest easy.’

"Is it because of the Moon Worship Sect’s ’key’?" Cao Feng’s words were startling.

"Yes." Chu Fan wasn’t flustered, merely nodding slightly.

’Since Master Cao had Cao Yan keeping an eye on Huang Yu and the Huang Family, it’s not surprising he knows about this. I shouldn’t be shocked.’

Zhao Tianxing and Li Qingxue were both taken aback. "What key?"

"Chu Fan..." Cao Feng ignored Li Qingxue and Zhao Tianxing, his expression grave. "This gambit of yours is far too risky."

"You deliberately left a few of the Huang Family’s servants alive to lure in the Blood Saber Sect. You want to use their power to fight the Moon Worship Sect—a classic ’driving the tiger to devour the wolf’ stratagem—and then swoop in to reap the rewards."

"But since when is anything in this world ever that simple?"

The look in Li Qingxue’s eyes changed. "Second Uncle, what is going on?"

"How did he get involved with the Moon Worship Sect?"

"And now he’s trying to make a tiger devour a wolf?"

Zhao Tianxing opened his mouth to speak, but seeing the grave expressions on Cao Feng’s and Li Qingxue’s faces, he thought better of it and remained silent.

Cao Feng explained, "The Moon Worship Sect is searching for a treasure. Huang Yu found out about it, which is why he started making moves in the North City, forcibly seizing private residences."

"That’s exactly why Huang Yu targeted Chu Fan’s ancestral home."

"Huang Yu didn’t want anyone else from the Blood Saber Sect involved, so he had the Huang Family servants stand guard at those residences to monitor the Moon Worship Sect’s activities."

"His plan was thorough, and none of the other powers in Cyan Yang Ancient City had any idea..."

"But he never expected a variable like Chu Fan to disrupt his plans."

"Shortly after Huang Yu was wounded by members of the Moon Worship Sect, Chu Fan seized the opportunity, striking while his enemy was weak. He went straight to his door and finished him off."

Li Qingxue couldn’t help but glance at Chu Fan again.

Chu Fan remained silent.

Cao Feng continued, "From the surviving members of the Huang Family, Chu Fan learned about the Moon Worship Sect’s search for the ’key.’ That’s why, after annihilating the family, he deliberately spared the servants who were guarding those residences."

"Sure enough, a few days later, driven by greed, those servants went to the Blood Saber Sect, hoping to trade information about the ’key’ for silver coins."

"But the idiots ran into the domineering and ruthless Tang Xiao. Now, Tang Xiao has had all of those servants killed. Not one is left alive."

"This ’key’ the Moon Worship Sect is looking for... what is it, exactly?" Zhao Tianxing asked. "For them to go to such lengths, it must be an incredibly rare treasure, right?"

"Master Cao, aren’t you curious about what kind of treasure it might be?"

"Don’t you want to get your hands on it?"

"Curious? Of course I am..." Cao Feng said calmly. "Anything the Moon Worship Sect pursues so obsessively is certainly no ordinary item. It could be a Magical Artifact from a bygone era or a secret treasure capable of reshaping the entire martial world. But you all must remember this..."

"The greatest treasures in this world always come with deadly temptations and heaven-defying risks!"

"Tianxing, do you know what takes more lives in the martial world than any blade or poison?"

Zhao Tianxing was taken aback. "Please enlighten me, Master Cao."

Cao Feng tapped a finger on the wooden table. "The two things that kill most easily," he said coolly, "are curiosity and greed."

"The world is like a vast net. The more novel something appears, the more likely it is to hide a man-devouring hook."

"The most colorful fish in the deep pools are often the most venomous; the ancient insects in the darkest caves are often the most deadly."

"A little curiosity can be harmless. But if you insist on prying into secrets best left alone or seeking treasures not meant for you, it’s like snatching a hot iron with your bare hands or picking a poison flower from a cliff’s edge. You will inevitably bring disaster upon yourself and die without a proper burial."

Realization dawned on Zhao Tianxing, and he nodded repeatedly.

Cao Feng went on, "As for the dangers of greed, they have been known since antiquity. I need not say more."

"The origins of the Moon Worship Sect are far more mysterious and sinister than you can imagine. They vanished without a trace hundreds of years ago. For them to reappear in the martial world now, they must be plotting something enormous."

"A power like that? Forget about you, who have just reached the Blood Nourishing Realm. Even a Martial Artist who has passed all five stages of Foundation Establishment and reached Mortal Transformation would not dare to provoke them!"

"Furthermore, the Moon Worship Sect arrived in Cyan Yang Ancient City two years ago. With their resources, they’ve been searching for two years and have found nothing. What makes you think you can succeed where they have failed?"

He looked at Chu Fan, his gaze heavy. "Chu Fan, the bait you’ve laid has worked. Let the Blood Saber Sect or some other power be the ones to clash with the Moon Worship Sect. You must not get involved any further."

"I understand." Chu Fan nodded, saying no more.

’From the very beginning, he had never intended to fight the Moon Worship Sect for some treasure.’

’Because that treasure was very likely the Demon Suppression Stele in his house!’

’Everything he had done was simply for self-preservation.’

’And the first step to self-preservation was to completely muddle the waters in Cyan Yang Ancient City!’