Chapter 43: The Pursuit of the Six Major Gangs

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately interrupted by the leader of the Blazing Fire Sect, "That is utterly impossible! Emperor Baixuan is righteous and upright, and in the past, he even swore a solemn oath never to nurture this poisonous creature again. Sect Master Pan, please refrain from talking nonsense."

Pan Tianlong's face flushed red and green under Chen Pingcan's rebukes, but he quickly forced an awkward smile and said, "Brother Chen, what are you saying? This younger brother was merely guessing. Naturally, everyone trusts Emperor Baixuan's character."

Only then did the Blazing Fire Sect Master, Chen Pingcan, let out a cold snort and drop the matter.

Truth be told, the relationship between these two palaces and six sects was far from as harmonious as it appeared on the surface. Among them, the Divine Rest Palace and the Emperor Palace maintained the closest ties. Moreover, Chen Lie, the chief disciple of Divine Rest Palace, was the only son of the Blazing Fire Sect Master, Chen Pingcan. Having once been saved by a miraculous elixir bestowed by Shennongzi, he had taken the latter as his revered master. Consequently, the ties between these two palaces and the Blazing Fire Sect had always been exceptionally warm. As for the remaining five sects, the Heavenly Morning, Sun-Worshipping, and Wandering Dragon sects formed an alliance, while the final two sects—the Divine Sect and the Thunder-Suppressive Sect—had consistently remained aloof, maintaining little to no involvement with the other factions.

Seeing Pan Tianlong of the Wandering Dragon Sect point the finger at Baixuan, Chen Pingcan struck back immediately before Shennongzi could even open his mouth.

Yifeng, the master of the Divine Sect who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up, "Everyone, I do not believe this is the time for infighting. Since the Corpse-Corrosive Venomous Ants are reviled and hunted down by the entire martial arts world, they naturally exist in a way that should not be tolerated. Our most urgent priority is to find the young man who nurtured this toxic creature." This Yifeng possessed an ethereal, immortal demeanor, radiating the air of a true grandmaster.

The crowd fell silent until Sun Tian昌, seated at the very center, spoke once more, "My Heavenly Morning Sect has already dispatched all our personnel to conduct the search. I hope that all the sect masters, as well as the venerable Palace Master Shennong, can send out men to help track down this individual and hand him over to me for punishment!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, save for Shennongzi, who slowly rose to his feet, walked noncommittally straight out of the main hall, and vanished beyond the doorway.

Meanwhile, Tong Jin had already returned to the Emperor Palace. Keeping a low profile, he quietly felt his way back to his temporary quarters. By now, his hands were gradually regaining sensation, accompanied by wave upon wave of excruciating pain. Cold sweat drenched his back. Hardening his heart, he pressed his left hand against the wall, extended his right arm, and pushed upward with all his might. *Crack.* Tong Jin let out a muffled groan through clenched teeth, and immediately felt his left hand regain its mobility. He subjected his right hand to the same treatment; the blinding pain filled his eyes with bloodshot veins, and a fierce anger raged in his heart—he swore that unless he exacted revenge for this, his hatred would never be quelled.

The tattered manual of the Enraged Sun Palm still lay discarded on the table, untouched. Treating it like a supreme treasure, he picked it up and carefully tucked it into his bosom. This time, he would certainly not treat the manual like worthless scrap paper and toss it aside.

After hesitating for a long time, Tong Jin stealthily fetched brush and paper, wrote a farewell letter, and placed it on the table. Only then did he nod in satisfaction, intending to slip away out of the Emperor Palace.

Unexpectedly, just as he pushed open the door, a wave of delicate fragrance assailed his senses. "Little brother, where are you planning to go?" Immediately afterward came a fit of crisp, silvery laughter, and Tong Jin knew instantly that something was amiss.

The newcomer was none other than Fairy Tianfeng. Dressed in pink martial attire that accentuated her sloping shoulders and slender waist, her cheeks possessed the rosy luster of polished jade. Although she was smiling, the trace of simmering fury in her eyes made Tong Jin's heart flutter with guilt.

"Sister Tianfeng, I... I was just going out for a stroll," Tong Jin said, forcing a calm composure.

"Hahaha, a stroll? A stroll to accompany the people from the Heavenly Morning Sect?" Fairy Tianfeng chuckled at his clumsy lie.

Realizing his disguise was useless, Tong Jin sighed instead and said, "Ah, I won't keep it from you, Sister Tianfeng. This younger brother intends to leave this place."

To his surprise, Fairy Tianfeng raised her hand and flicked him smartly on the forehead. "You stir up trouble and then try to grease your heels and run? Is that how a real man behaves?"

Tong Jin let out an "ouch," rubbed his head, and said with a wronged expression, "I simply don't wish to bring trouble to Senior Baixuan. A man should bear responsibility for his own actions. Once I leave the Emperor Palace, those scumbags from the Heavenly Morning Sect won't come looking for trouble here."

Tianfeng rolled her eyes. "Whether you leave or stay is a question for later. First, tell me the whole story from beginning to end." With that, she walked into the room on her own and seated herself on a wooden chair.

Catching the lingering fragrance drifting through the room, Tong Jin felt the agitation in his heart subside slightly. He turned back and sat at the table, then recounted the entire affair in detail—from leaving the valley to discovering Su Tan's critical injuries, down to slaying Sun Hao.

Sitting opposite Tong Jin, Fairy Tianfeng slammed her palm heavily onto the table upon hearing that Sun Hao had secretly sneaked into the Emperor Palace to spy on her, and later, provoked merely by a few teasing remarks between herself and Su Tan, had led men to intercept and brutally beat Su Tan to the brink of death. She took a few deep breaths to steady her emotions before listening to the rest of Tong Jin's account.

"Well killed! Haha!" When she heard the outcome, Fairy Tianfeng burst into hearty laughter, leaving Tong Jin somewhat dumbfounded and not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, *If it was so well killed, why didn't you go kill him yourself, little aunt-grandmother?*

Fairy Tianfeng paused in thought for a moment before saying, "You will stay temporarily in the Emperor Palace to avoid the spotlight."

"Ah, Sister Tianfeng need not keep me. If I, Tong Jin, wish to flee, I doubt the Heavenly Morning Sect will find it all that easy to capture me," Tong Jin said with a resolute look, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Fairy Tianfeng looked at Tong Jin with a smile, a hint of admiration shining in her eyes. "Do you know that all six major sects have now dispatched their people out, determined to capture you and hand you over to the Heavenly Morning Sect for punishment simply because you used the Corpse-Corrosive Venomous Ants?" She merely guessed that the Divine Rest Palace would never join this manhunt, though she was unaware that although the Blazing Fire Sect had sent out search parties, Sect Master Chen Pingcan had issued a secret order: anyone who encountered this person was to invite him back to the sect politely and strictly refrain from harming him.

Hearing this, Tong Jin froze, a jolt of shock gripping his heart. With all six major factions sending people to hunt him down simultaneously, this situation was undeniably grave.

"However, you don't need to be afraid. Stay obediently within our Emperor Palace, and absolutely no one will be able to break in and harm you. As for everything else, we will wait until Master returns before deciding our next move," Tianfeng said.

This time, Tong Jin did not insist on leaving. He was well aware of what an alliance of the six major factions meant—the terrifying scale of the enemies he was up against. Nodding thoughtfully, he replied, "I will listen to Sister Tianfeng."

Only then did Fairy Tianfeng nod in satisfaction. After giving a few final instructions, she turned and left the room.

Meanwhile, inside the Divine Rest Palace.

A bruised and battered Su Tan was kneeling on the ground, trails of blood mixed with dried tears streaming down his face. Seated before him on a wooden chair was Shennongzi.

"Tan'er, you were far too foolish. How could you keep such a major matter from your master? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've brought upon our young friend Tong this time?" Shennongzi did not scold him; instead, his tone was earnest and filled with deep concern.

Su Tan choked out, "Disciple knows he was wrong, but disciple truly had no idea Brother Tong would go seek revenge against Sun Hao." As he spoke, a fit of violent coughing wracked his body, and stagnant blood that had not yet dispersed welled up, spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Shennongzi let out a long sigh, drew a medicinal pill from his robes, and had Su Tan swallow it before speaking. "You are not to go anywhere for the next few days. There is no guarantee the Heavenly Morning Sect won't vent their fury upon you. As for young friend Tong's affair, I shall handle it myself."

Su Tan bowed deeply.

After leaving the Divine Rest Palace, Shennongzi headed straight for the Emperor Palace. In his estimation, since the Heavenly Morning Sect and the other five major factions had still failed to discover Tong Jin's whereabouts by now, the young man must have hidden himself inside the Emperor Palace.

A subtle sense of urgency weighed upon Shennongzi's heart; whether Tong Jin could be protected depended on finding a flawless solution as swiftly as possible. Yet, for all his profound cultivation, he failed to notice a pair of cold, sinister eyes lurking in the shadows, watching him as he departed the Divine Rest Palace.