At the very moment Li Hong died.

「In Jinyun Valley.」

Amidst the Mountain of Books and Sea of Knowledge, Tributor Li remained seated at his desk, motionless for who knew how long. He looked like skin draped over a skeleton, and even his hair was snow-white—a clear sign that his Heart Power was utterly exhausted.

CRACK!

Just then, a crisp sound echoed through the silent Alchemy Room.

His eyes snapped open, and he looked toward the sound. In an instant, his dull, lifeless eyes turned sinister and terrifying.

There, on the stone platform of the Alchemy Room’s altar, a palm-sized Jade Token was instantly covered in cracks.

Right before his eyes, it shattered on the spot, turning to dust.

This was a Life Jade Token the two brothers had found in some ancient ruins. As long as the person lived, the jade would remain intact; if the person died, the jade would be destroyed!

"Xiaohu!!!"

"Hm!?"

Hearing the roar, Master Hu, who was guarding the courtyard, immediately rushed inside. He saw Tributor Li, his face ashen, slowly rising to his feet. His voice was hoarse.

"My brother, Li Hong. Where is he now?"

Master Hu was stunned and confused, but he quickly replied, "Steward... Steward Li has been outside the mountain searching for the pill-thieving Demon Beast. He hasn’t returned. Tributor, do you need him for something? I can go find him for you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Tributor Li burst out the door and his figure vanished into the night.

...

「On Wild Pigeon Mountain.」

A wind seemed to rise, and heavy snow began to fall from the gloomy sky.

Lu Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his cold gaze sweeping over the entire mountain forest. He watched the bewildered Loose Cultivators and the crowd of Jinyun Valley disciples.

"What’s going on?"

a Loose Cultivator asked.

"I don’t know. Where’s the Demon Beast? Who set off the signal?" Chu Gong asked, looking around.

His words left everyone even more stunned.

When they arrived, they had seen a chaotic battle and assumed someone had cornered the Demon Beast. Before they even had a chance to ask, they were forced into the fray. Thinking back now, they realized they hadn’t even seen a shadow of the Demon Beast.

"Could someone have set off the Signal Arrow on purpose?"

Looking at the corpses littering the ground, Lu Yi grew suspicious and faintly uneasy. He scanned the crowd and saw that most of the disciples were present, but a few were missing.

"Where is Tributor Chen?"

Lu Yi asked.

Ordinary disciples were expendable, but a Tributor was different. The valley spent a great deal of money to retain them.

"Huh? Tributor Chen isn’t here yet?"

Chu Gong exclaimed in surprise. The few disciples who had traveled with him exchanged glances. Seeing Lu Yi’s questioning gaze, Chu Gong quickly explained the reason and added:

"...Senior Brother Hu went back to meet up with him. Logically, he should have arrived by now!"

"Hm?"

Lu Yi froze, then hurriedly shouted:

"Where are they? Take me there."

...

"Didn’t expect this, did you? I have Divine Sense."

Gazing at the lifeless corpse, Chen Che slowly calmed his boiling Qi and Blood and True Essence. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

He let out a long breath and began circulating the Energy-Introducing Technique. His empty meridians gradually filled once more.

’In this world, my strength is comparable to an Eighth Layer Cultivator, but in a true life-and-death battle, there are still too many variables!’

’These Tribulation Cultivators, who live on the edge, mostly have trump cards they can bet their lives on. But for me, Divine Sense is my strongest weapon...’

’Yes, I need to increase the strength of my Divine Sense. Once it’s powerful enough, I could even shatter an opponent’s consciousness directly.’

Chen Che reviewed the battle.

This was something Old Li had taught him. Every outstanding Xianmen High School student must promptly review and summarize their lessons.

"Dao... Daoist Brother!"

Without even glancing at the corpse on the ground, Hu Yao, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly darted over, almost throwing his arms around him.

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

Chen Che smiled and shook his head. Overall, he was quite satisfied with this battle.

With Li Hong dead, at least he no longer had to be on guard day and night.

Unfortunately, there was still Tributor Li.

’What method can I use to get rid of him?’

"It’s good that you’re okay! Dammit, my strength wasn’t enough to help!"

Hu Yao said, but his heart was filled with hatred and regret.

Just now, when Li Hong used that Secret Technique, he had been completely overwhelmed by the man’s aura. In that moment, it was as if he had lost control of his own body, trembling like a quail, completely devoid of the dignity of a Jinyun Valley disciple.

For the first time, he craved power so desperately.

"But with Li Hong dead, I’m afraid we won’t be able to hide it. How are we going to handle this?"

"There’s no handling it. They’re already here!"

Chen Che said pointedly.

Just as Hu Yao was feeling confused, he heard a commotion in the distance. A large group of Jinyun Valley disciples came rushing through the woods. Lu Yi was at the very front, reaching the ruined temple in just a few breaths.

"Steward Li?"

The crowd stirred upon seeing the corpse.

Lu Yi glanced at it, then turned to the two of them, his expression grim.

"What happened?"

"Master, it was Li Hong! That scoundrel colluded with Loose Cultivators from outside the valley to try and murder Tributor Chen! He was the one who fired the Signal Arrow on Wild Pigeon Mountain! As for Li Hong, Tributor Chen..."

Before Chen Che could even speak, Hu Yao blurted everything out. But when it came to the matter of killing Li Hong, the words on the tip of his tongue changed:

"...the two of us worked together to kill him!"

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in an uproar. Many disciples showed looks of resentment; they had rushed around all night for nothing, and it turned out Li Hong was behind it all.

Chen Che remained silent, glancing at Hu Yao out of the corner of his eye. ’I wasn’t wrong about him,’ he thought.

’He even dares to share the blame for something this serious.’

"Is that so?"

Lu Yi glanced at the corpse on the ground and was mostly convinced. However, he still questioned several other people. Before long, the whole matter became clear. Only then did he look back at Chen Che and Hu Yao and nod.

"Steward Li slaughtered his fellow sect members. He was slain by the combined efforts of Tributor Chen and Hu Yao. He deserved it; death was too good for him."

The moment he spoke, Chu Gong and the others in the crowd couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

With that one sentence, he had essentially passed final judgment on their actions.

At the same time, it also meant they would not be punished.

"A fine ’he deserved it, death was too good for him’! But have you asked me?"

A cold sneer echoed out. Everyone looked over in astonishment, only to see the ashen-faced Tributor Li approaching slowly. He gnashed his teeth as he stared at Chen Che, killing intent churning within him.

The two brothers had lost their father at a young age and had relied on each other ever since.

His own talent was lacking.

So, he had poured all his hopes into Li Hong. He had even gone so far as to embezzle Materials to help Li Hong reach Foundation Establishment.

But today, all those hopes had turned to dust.

"Tributor Li, all the evidence is here. If you are not satisfied, you can ask the Valley Master to make a ruling!"

Lu Yi’s eyes were half-closed.

"Let Ye Jingzhou make a ruling?"

His brother’s death, combined with the many days spent trying to complete the Pill Formula, caused the emotions he had been suppressing for so long to finally burst forth:

"Hahaha..."

Tributor Li looked like a madman, his voice a hoarse scream:

"What can Ye Jingzhou do? Nothing more than suppress this matter, give me some compensation at most, or give this little bastard some meaningless punishment. Maybe after all this, he’d even make me work with him to complete the Pill Formula!"

"All I want is revenge! Can Ye Jingzhou give me my revenge?"

Amidst the crazed laughter, Lu Yi remained silent, because the man was telling the truth.

"Chen Che!"

Tributor Li waved his hand, and a Pill Furnace suddenly appeared, crashing to the ground and sending dust flying. He pointed a finger at him.

"Our feud was suppressed last time. After today, Ye Jingzhou won’t let us fight again. If I don’t die tonight, I will spend every moment from now on trying to poison you, thinking only of killing you!"

"Of course, you’re definitely thinking of killing me too. In that case, let’s settle this with Dan Fighting—a duel to the death!"

Lu Yi’s expression changed. The man was forcing Chen Che into a life-or-death duel.

Dan Fighting?

Most Pill Masters are not skilled in combat.

However, they have their own way of settling grudges: Dan Fighting.

And there are many forms of Dan Fighting. One is to refine the same type of Pill, and then judge whose is of a higher Grade. Another is to refine poison, with the one who fails to concoct it having to consume the other’s.

Or, Tributor Li’s method...

"We will refine this furnace of Pills together. Whoever loses, dies..."

"Tributor Li has gone mad! Tributor Chen, don’t agree to this! I will report this to the Valley Master and let him decide."

Lu Yi wanted to stop Tributor Li, but he saw the man press his palm against the Pill Furnace.

BOOM!

Pill Fire surged forth.

He immediately stopped in his tracks. The appearance of the Pill Fire meant the Alchemy process had already begun. If he interfered now, the man would surely suffer a backlash and go berserk. He could only look at Chen Che, hoping that Chen Che would choose to de-escalate and take a step back.

CLANG!

Before Lu Yi’s words could even fade, Chen Che had already struck with his sword.

Lu Yi’s face paled. He wanted to intervene, but it was too late. A flash of sword light pierced through Tributor Li’s brow. Tributor Li’s eyes went wide, disbelief still lingering in them. He clearly had not expected his opponent to attack so suddenly.

Blood soaked the Pill Furnace, and the furnace fire quietly dissipated.

"My Cultivation is higher than yours. My strength is greater than yours..."

As everyone watched in horror, Chen Che slowly sheathed his sword:

"I don’t need Dan Fighting to decide who lives and who dies!"