Chapter 601 - 171: Shadow Divine Techniques, Path of Deceitful Killing; Soaring Resentment, Becoming a Demon in a Single Thought

When Tang Yu finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the pavilion, broken only by the mournful whisper of the wind through the pine forest. CRACK! With a sharp crack, the exquisite white porcelain teacup in Zhang Ling’Er’s hand was crushed to pieces. Scalding tea mixed with sharp porcelain shards dripped from between her fingers, spattering across the stone table. "So, you’re telling me..." She ground her teeth, her voice seeming to squeeze out from between them, filled with endless shame and indignation. "That I, Zhang Ling’Er, was actually defeated by a country bumpkin who has only been cultivating for a little over eight months?" The moment she said it, her cheeks burned as if she had been slapped in public, and the wave of humiliation threatened to drown her. Tang Yu’s expression remained impassive as she reported the facts. "I have repeatedly cross-referenced intelligence from three sources and secretly investigated his past activities. There are no mistakes." "His parents were ordinary cultivators in Cyan Yang Ancient City. They transformed into Fallen Demons for some reason years ago and both perished. They never passed on any foundational Martial Dao training to him." "Two years after his parents’ death, his ancestral home was coveted by a local landlord who repeatedly pressured him. With no other options and seeking to protect himself, he had no choice but to join the Seven Stars Gang." "During the fight at the Wang Residence, the Fist Technique he used was the Seven Stars Gang’s entry-level Martial Art, the’Twelve Forms Fist.’" "As for his bizarrely fast Body Technique, he obtained it after killing a Moon Worship Cultist. It’s called the’Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step’..." "Silence!" Zhang Ling’Er slammed her hand on the stone table and shot to her feet, cutting Tang Yu off. "I’ve seen the’Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step’ before! It’s nothing more than a mid-grade Martial Art. Though its footwork is strange and distorted, it doesn’t possess such an impossibly demonic speed!" "A lowly brat at the Third Heaven of the Divine Power Realm, relying on nothing but a mid-grade Step Technique, can actually outpace me, someone at the Third Heaven of the Acupoint Realm?" "Do you think that’s possible? Are you spouting nonsense, or are you deliberately trying to deceive me?!" Tang Yu remained silent, slowly lowering her head. As a battle-hardened Shadow Guard who had seen all the storms the martial world had to offer, she naturally knew how illogical this was. The more clearly she investigated, the thicker the fog of mystery surrounding the young man named Chu Fan became. Everything about him was bizarre. Zhang Ling’Er took a deep breath, forcing down the rage churning within her. She asked again, "You didn’t find any evidence that he cultivated some top-tier Qinggong Secret Skill? Something like a secret from an Ancient Noble Family, or a long-lost Ancient Technique?" "I did not." Tang Yu shook her head, her tone firm. "According to my investigation, he primarily cultivated the’Twelve Forms Fist’ and the’Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber’ at the Seven Stars Gang. Both are Lower Grade Martial Arts." "Later, he learned the Blood Saber Sect’s’Nine Blood Soul Blades’ and seized the’Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand’ from a Moon Worship Cultist. Aside from these, he has not been seen using any other Martial Arts." At this point, Tang Yu paused, a flicker of imperceptible awe in her eyes. "However, his talent for the Martial Dao is truly astonishing. He seems to have perfectly fused the fierce power of the’Twelve Forms Fist’ with the frigid power of the’Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand’ to create a completely new and formidable martial style of his own..." "Enough!" Zhang Ling’Er’s expression grew even uglier. She shrieked, "Are you saying those mongrel, low-grade Martial Arts are worthy of being compared to the Secret Skills my Zhang Family has passed down for a thousand years?" "They are not," Tang Yu answered crisply. "The’Twelve Forms Fist’ is just a Lower Grade technique, only suitable for low-level Martial Artists in a remote place like Cyan Yang Ancient City to use for their Foundation Establishment." "The’Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step’ and’Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand’ are of a slightly higher grade, but they are still only mid-grade. They can’t hold a candle to the Zhang Family’s Secret Skills." "If that’s the case!" Zhang Ling’Er’s eyes were bloodshot as she stared daggers at Tang Yu, her voice growing hoarse. "Then you tell me, why could he overwhelm me with that garbage?" "Why was I, armed with two Ancient Treasures gifted by my family, beaten so badly that I had to flee in disgrace, losing all face?!" Tang Yu fell silent once more. Although she hadn’t witnessed the battle at the Wang Residence in North City firsthand, she had reconstructed the events clearly from the young lady’s account. Yet every time she ran through the scenario, the result was utterly baffling and impossible to believe. On the path of the Martial Dao, one’s Realm is an insurmountable chasm. For a mere cultivator at the Third Heaven of the Divine Power Realm to defeat someone at the Third Heaven of the Acupoint Realm—a gap of an entire major Realm—was practically impossible. If Chu Fan were a Body Cultivator focused on tempering his physique... One must understand that Body Cultivation is a lesser path. It takes over a decade of tempering one’s body to see even minor results. After only seven or eight months of cultivation, even if he soaked in medicinal baths every day, how much could he possibly have achieved? How could he possibly crush the young lady, a cultivator at the Third Heaven of the Acupoint Realm, in both speed and strength? "Unless..." A thought suddenly struck Zhang Ling’Er. A glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes as she asked urgently, "Did he use some profound Concealing Breath Secret Technique to hide his true Cultivation?" "Absolutely not." Tang Yu shattered her illusion. "I have already investigated in secret. His Cultivation Realm is, without a doubt, the Third Heaven of the Divine Power Realm. There is no falsehood." She paused, then continued, "Right now, there is only one person who can explain his strangeness—the Demon Suppression Envoy, Yue Mankong." Zhang Ling’Er was taken aback, her eyes filled with confusion. "The Demon Suppression Envoy, Yue Mankong?" Tang Yu said grimly, "According to reliable intelligence, when Chu Fan was in Cyan Yang Ancient City foiling the Moon Worship Sect’s plot, Yue Mankong’s Paperman avatar was attached to his body for a long time. There must be a connection between them." "I dare to speculate that the gaps in our knowledge are related to Yue Mankong." "Perhaps Yue Mankong took a liking to his talent and privately taught him some unknown Divine Skill or even a long-lost Forbidden Technique." "Otherwise, with only eight months of cultivation, it would be impossible for his Cultivation to have progressed by such an absurd degree. It would be even more impossible for him to cross Realms and kill the young lady’s personal guard, Qing Ling." Upon hearing this, realization dawned in Zhang Ling’Er’s eyes, quickly followed by a deep, seething jealousy. She gritted her teeth. "That must be it! I thought Chu Fan was just bizarre, but I completely forgot about his connection to Yue Mankong... So, he’s being backed by one of those madmen from the Demon Suppression Bureau!"