The blizzard was fierce, nearly sealing the mountain paths.

After he left the Market, the sky had already turned pitch-black, with only a few scattered lights twinkling in the distance.

A thick layer of snow blanketed the ground. As Chen Che walked, he left no footprints behind. He didn’t head directly for Ji Xianlong’s residence. Instead, he took a few winding detours to ensure no one was following before finally making his way toward the main street.

’Ji Xianlong, I spared your life once, but you clearly didn’t cherish it.’

Ji Xianlong lived in a large residence on the main street.

This area was the closest to Jinyun Valley and had relatively abundant Spiritual Qi, making it a prime choice for wealthy Loose Cultivators.

From a distance, he could still see lights on inside.

"Boss, why hasn’t that Zhao Deyou made his move? Is he too gutless to go through with it? What if he turns around and sells us out? After all, the man’s a Tributor!"

"Men die for wealth! A hundred Spirit Stones... he might not earn that much in his entire life. There’s no way he isn’t tempted. He’s probably already done the deed. Besides, so what if the guy’s a Tributor? We’ve got backing, too!"

"That’s true. Tsk. In a few days, we’ll sell them the materials we’ve been buying up. I refuse to believe they won’t go bankrupt! Heh heh..."

...

’They have backing, too?’

Chen Che’s Divine Sense washed over the area, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

He had long suspected that Ji Xianlong didn’t have the nerve for this; someone had to be pulling the strings.

’If I’m not mistaken, it must be the Li Brothers!’

In all of Jinyun Valley, they were the only ones with a strong enough motive.

Especially Li Hong. A few days ago, Chen Che had forced him to cough up one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones right in front of Meng Qingxuan. Chen Che knew Li Hong wouldn’t just let that go and had been on his guard, but he never expected this to be his countermove.

Just as he was mulling this over, the large, closed doors creaked open.

A middle-aged Cultivator in a straw raincoat pushed the door open, looking back over his shoulder as he spoke. "I’ll send men to watch the Market immediately. I won’t let Zhao Deyou or his family get out of there alive!"

He finished speaking and turned his head, coming face-to-face with Chen Che. His pupils shrank.

"Chen..."

...

Chen Che had originally planned to sneak in, but seeing this, he abandoned all pretense of stealth.

He shot forward in a single step, his right palm slamming directly into the man’s chest.

Back on the Earth Element Star, Chen Che had always held back, but there was no need for that here. With a surge of Qi and Blood and True Essence, his palm strike caved the man’s chest in. A corresponding handprint even appeared on his back as his entire body was sent flying.

THUMP!

After hitting the ground, he tumbled several times before coming to a stop.

"What was that?"

One moment they were talking, the next, a man was dead.

The classically decorated main hall, where seven or eight men were seated, had been bustling with noise, but it fell deathly silent in an instant. Everyone looked up to see Chen Che stepping silently into the courtyard. With a wave of his hand, the two large doors behind him slammed shut. SLAM!

Ji Xianlong, who was at the head of the group, had been wreathed in smiles. Upon seeing this, his expression froze.

"T-Tributor Chen..."

"Mm."

Chen Che nodded slightly, not even glancing at the corpse at his feet as he started walking slowly toward the main hall.

The courtyard was large, with a bluestone path leading directly to the main hall, stretching for dozens of feet. For a Cultivator, a single Vertical Jumping Technique could have crossed the distance in an instant, but Chen Che deliberately followed the path, moving forward slowly, one step at a time.

His pace was slow, but to the men watching, it was like the advance of a stalking tiger. Every footfall seemed to land directly on their hearts.

SLAP!

In the main hall, one of the Loose Cultivators finally broke under the oppressive atmosphere, his right hand slapping down on the hilt of the long saber at his waist.

SHING!

Chen Che formed a sword-finger with his right hand and swiped through the air. The Pure Jun Sword on his back shot from its scabbard with a clear ring, and a flash of sword light pierced straight through the man’s skull.

SPLASH. Blood sprayed across the dining table.

"Tributor Chen, what is the meaning of this? We have no quarrel with you! Why have you burst into my home to kill...?"

Ji Xianlong asked, his voice trembling.

"Staging a protest with a coffin, bribing my staff, maliciously hiking prices to squeeze me out... If that doesn’t count as a quarrel, then you tell me: what does?"

As he spoke, he took several more steps. Seeing another man furtively drawing a weapon, Chen Che dispatched him with a backhanded flick of his sword. Instantly, another body hit the floor.

By now, Chen Che had stepped into the main hall.

"Get him!"

Hearing Chen Che list his crimes, Ji Xianlong knew the jig was up and roared in fury.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The men drew their weapons, but before they could even attack, a few dull thuds sounded out, and their screams were cut short.

They were no match for him.

Chen Che’s expression was calm. ’It makes sense,’ he thought. ’Ji Xianlong is just the owner of a small shop. He might have a bit of money, but how could he possibly afford to hire Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators?’

’And he dared to challenge me with such paltry resources?’

"It was Li Hong!"

Inside the room, his forehead beaded with sweat, Ji Xianlong had retreated until his back was against the wall.

"He’s the one who came to me, who told me to deal with you. All of these plots, including what happened today, were his idea. He’s a Steward, and his brother is a Tributor! I didn’t dare to cross him."

"So you dared to cross me instead?" Chen Che watched him quietly.

Ji Xianlong’s scalp prickled with terror, and a chill shot through his entire body.

"I was forced into it!"

Ji Xianlong’s face was a mask of despair. "...Tributor Chen, I know I was wrong! I never should have gone against you. I beg you, spare my life! I’ll leave the Market right now! I’ll never set foot in Yunzhou again for the rest of my life!"

"No."

SHING!

The sword flashed out and returned to its sheath.

A head flew into the air as blood gushed a few feet high, splattering across the floor.

’So it really was Li Hong pulling the strings.’

Chen Che sneered, his eyes filled with killing intent. His gaze swept over the blood-soaked dining table, and his eyebrows shot up.

The food and wine had been served, but no one had touched their chopsticks. A thought suddenly struck him.

’...Could it be that Li Hong was planning to come here tonight?’

He looked around the large courtyard.

It was enclosed by high walls of blue brick and green tile, over ten feet tall, making it impossible to see in or out.

Chen Che had wanted to deal with Li Hong for a long time.

However, with his current strength, while he could probably defeat Li Hong in a direct confrontation, he couldn’t guarantee a quick end to the fight. If Li Hong was determined to flee, Chen Che couldn’t be sure he could run him down. And if the affair reached the ears of Jinyun Valley, the situation would become difficult to manage.

Besides...

If he failed once, his opponent would be on guard for a second attempt.

’If I can use the terrain to my advantage and supplement it with a sneak attack using my Divine Sense, I might be able to kill him quickly.’

Having come to this conclusion, Chen Che made his decision.

He immediately began to clean up the blood and any other traces of the magical combat in the courtyard to prevent his target from noticing anything was amiss.

Then, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he stood in the middle of the courtyard, his eyes slightly closed, and waited for Li Hong’s arrival.

’As long as those two remained In the Valley, they would always be a threat.’

’This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate one of them and save myself future trouble.’

The blizzard grew stronger, and the sky grew darker still.

Finally, at the very edge of Chen Che’s Divine Sense, a burly figure appeared, striding through the blizzard at the far end of the main street.

...It was Li Hong.

’He’s here.’

Chen Che’s eyes snapped open, and he tightened his grip on the longsword at his back.

"Hm?"

However, to his surprise, Li Hong stopped at the head of the street. He paused in thought for a moment, then, without any hesitation, turned and walked away.