Chapter 167: Chapter 116: Hundred Ghosts Hall Master

The newcomer was dressed all in black, his face slightly pale.

He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a plain, unremarkable face.

He silently looked up in the direction Fang Shuwen and Miao Feichan had departed, murmuring softly:

"Such terrifying youngsters."

He then began walking unhurriedly toward the Cold Ice Pavilion.

As he passed the Bone King’s mangled corpse, he gave it a brief glance from the corner of his eye.

"A pity."

Though he said it was a pity, his tone held no such sentiment.

Because of the recent battle, the Cold Ice Pavilion was severely damaged. The exterior was covered in cracks, and the main gate had been shattered.

The interior was in complete disarray.

The man’s gaze first swept over the Yuqing Fruit, but he paid it no mind.

He leaped into the water and did not surface for a long time.

After a good while, ripples spread across the water’s surface as a frigid air rolled out. Suddenly, with a BUZZ, a broad-bladed saber flew out of the water. An instant later, a figure flashed out and snatched the saber from the air.

A flicker of unaccustomed excitement crossed his plain, unremarkable face.

His gaze deepened as it scanned the saber’s blade. Suddenly, he formed his fingers into a blade-hand and struck. With a sharp DING...

The broad-bladed saber was easily shattered by his two fingers.

Half of the blade fell, hitting the ground with a BANG.

A pale red metal sliver was revealed inside the remaining half of the blade.

It was embedded entirely within the blade, completely fused with its body.

The man pinched the object and with a gentle tug, pulled it free from the blade.

Looking at the pale red piece of iron in his hand, he slowly exhaled.

"It’s exactly as described. Asura Iron... the Asura Palace.

"Finally... I can go take a look..."

But his words suddenly caught in his throat.

Without warning, his footwork shifted. His figure vanished, reappearing in a flash over thirty yards away.

A muffled BOOM echoed out.

A massive palm print, ten feet wide, had been seared into the ground where he just stood.

Fang Shuwen looked regretfully at the middle-aged man, now over thirty yards away.

"A pity..."

The middle-aged man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. ’That was too close...’

He had appeared calm and unhurried, but in reality, he was on high alert, constantly mindful of his surroundings.

And yet, he hadn’t sensed Fang Shuwen’s return until the very moment he struck.

It wasn’t until Vajra Tower Throwing was descending upon his head that he realized with a start and scrambled to dodge.

’If I’d been even a fraction of a second later,’ he thought, anger flaring within him, ’I would have been severely injured by that young man, if not killed.’

"A fine junior of the Jianghu you are! Have you no martial honor, sneak-attacking me from behind?"

"Don’t use that tired old line."

Fang Shuwen waved his hand dismissively.

The middle-aged man looked completely baffled, having no idea what those words meant.

Fang Shuwen, on the other hand, glanced at the Yuqing Fruit...

’In truth,’ he thought, ’if I hadn’t been worried about this fruit, I would have used Stunning Spear directly.’

’Had I used that technique, he would never have escaped unscathed, even if he managed to dodge.’

’But doing so would have inevitably damaged the Yuqing Fruit.’

’This fruit has to be saved for Zhou Qingmei to increase her Power. I can’t let it be destroyed by my own hand.’

The middle-aged man’s brow furrowed.

"You shouldn’t be here..."

"The Hundred Ghosts Hall... Hall Master?"

Fang Shuwen ignored the other’s words, asking a question instead of answering.

"So what if I am?"

"So it is you!"

Fang Shuwen nodded, then threw a punch without any warning.

He channeled Stunning Spear through his Four Seas Dragon Fist!

His fist shot out like a spear, led by a single point of piercing light.

The Hundred Ghosts Hall Master’s eyes narrowed. He immediately retreated, refusing to engage Fang Shuwen at all. In an instant, he had covered thirty yards. Then, with a push of his toes, he vaulted into the distance.

Fang Shuwen was stunned for a moment, then his expression darkened.

"Where do you think you’re going!?"

"Stay and wait for death?"

The Hundred Ghosts Hall Master roared with laughter, his feet moving even faster.

For a moment, Fang Shuwen was at a loss for words. He could only give chase.

Using Soaring High, then Ascending the Clouds, he stepped through the air itself. His body became a blur as he pursued him relentlessly.

Just a moment ago, he and Miao Feichan had been chasing the Vermilion Bird Hall Master.

’But something had felt off... The entire affair felt... discordant.’

’Thinking it over, he had identified a problem.’

’The Bone King and the Vermilion Bird Hall Master’s objective had been far too specific. Their feint was aimed squarely at the Cold Ice Pond.’

’This meant they were certain the Hundred-Pound Saber was here.’

’And they must have only learned this within the last few days.’

’The reasoning was simple: on the night Xu Wenwan disappeared, she had been stationed at the Cold Ice Pavilion. If the Hundred Ghosts Hall had known the Hundred-Pound Saber was in the Cold Ice Pond back then, they surely would have seized the opportunity to take it.’

’But they hadn’t. Instead, they waited until today.’

’That raised a critical question.’

’How had they managed to pinpoint the Hundred-Pound Saber’s hiding place in just a few days?’

Fang Shuwen mulled it over. The most likely source, he concluded, was Yu Yaoguang.

’Yu Yaoguang claimed that her battle with the Hundred Ghosts Hall Master had left them both severely wounded.’

’She also said she’d deduced from their fight that the Hundred Ghosts Hall was after the Asura Iron.’

’If that were true, why hadn’t she taken any new precautions for the Hundred-Pound Saber hidden within Yuqing Pavilion after her encounter? Instead, she simply dove into the Cold Ice Pond to recuperate. Could that act itself have been a giveaway?’

’This vulnerability exposed two possibilities.’

’First: Yuqing Pavilion’s method for hiding the Hundred-Pound Saber was so good that Yu Yaoguang was certain her enemy could never find it.’

’Second... the Hundred-Pound Saber was in the Cold Ice Pond itself. Yu Yaoguang claimed she was recuperating, but in reality, she was also guarding the saber.’