Chapter 167: Blood Entanglement Art

"Th... This is too insane! Senior Brother Meng actually got killed!"
"That is Senior Brother Meng! How could a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage fall so easily..."

Meng Yujiang's death clearly caught everyone present off guard.
Han Dan, who had regained consciousness during the battle between Zhang Dabao and Meng Yujiang, turned pale with fright, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Despite his injuries, Meng Yujiang was still a member of the Chu Sect and a powerhouse at the Foundation Establishment stage!
Even heavily wounded, he was not someone a low-level lackey like him could ever hope to deal with.
Even an opponent of equal strength would likely have to risk their life and expend tremendous effort to eliminate a severely injured Meng Yujiang.
Yet, this person had casually crushed Meng Yujiang into a bloody pulp with a single, effortless palm strike!
Could it be that he had actually been holding back earlier?
At this thought, a chill rushed straight from Han Dan's spine to the top of his head, and his legs began to shake violently.

"Boss, you told me to be careful and not slap him to death just now, but it looks like you didn't control your strength properly after all!"
Seeing Li Jiansan instantly annihilate Meng Yujiang with a single palm strike, Zhang Dabao was stunned for a moment before looking at Li Jiansan with a mix of dissatisfaction and disdain.
Li Jiansan paused, then gave an indifferent wave of his hand.
"My apologies, my hand slipped just now."

Hearing this, everyone's facial muscles twitched involuntarily. Look at that—is that something a human being would say?
However, none of them dared to voice these thoughts aloud, terrified that this terrifying individual might snuff them out on a whim.

Han Dan turned pale as death. Seeing Li Jiansan cast his gaze toward him, he shuddered violently, dropped to his knees with a loud thump, and began kowtowing frantically.
"Grandfathers, have mercy! It was this humble one who was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please spare me! I accidentally offended you great ones, so please show mercy and spare this dog's life!"

Seeing this fellow begging for mercy without an ounce of dignity, Zixuan and the others cast looks of utter contempt in his direction.
Just moments ago, this same fellow had been flaunting the prestige of the Chu Sect, yet now he was abasing himself and begging on his knees without the slightest shred of self-respect. It was utterly disgusting.

Zhang Dabao trotted over, delivered a kick straight to the fellow's face, pointed right at his nose, and cursed vehemently,
"Damn it! You didn't even bother to check who Lord Zhang Dabao is, yet you still dared to come shaking me down for benefits! If it weren't for my boss here, I would certainly have made you understand Lord Zhang Dabao's principles!"

Having witnessed Meng Yujiang's death with his own eyes, Han Dan knew all too well that these people were not to be trifled with. Taking advantage of the fat man's kick, he rolled on the ground a few times, sprawled out flat, and continued his frantic kowtowing and pleading.
His eyes darted around as a thought struck him, and he immediately burst into a tearful, snot-filled wailing,
"Have mercy, Lords! I am merely a lowly errand boy in the Chu Sect. Everything I did was ordered from above! I was just following instructions, and whatever spoils I managed to collect had to be handed upward anyway. How could I ever dare to pocket your money?"

"This..."
Zhang Dabao was momentarily left speechless.
There was truth to what Han Dan was saying, though it was certainly embellished.
The Chu Sect was indeed tasked with arranging accommodations for newcomers, and it was true that they could demand a small hardship fee, though it was meant to resemble a tip more than anything else.
According to standard rules, the personnel in charge were permitted to negotiate a modest service fee with the newcomers.
However, as the influence and power of the Chu Sect expanded, this voluntary appreciation fee had transformed into a mandatory shakedown.
Except during special holiday events when the Azure Dragon Academy exercised strict supervision, Chu Sect disciples and underlings frequently exploited the sect's intimidating reputation to line their own pockets.
Consequently, every year during the enrollment of new students, the lower ranks and members of the Chu Sect would reap a handsome harvest of illicit gains.
Although the countless newcomers harbored deep resentment, who among them dared to provoke a colossal behemoth like the Chu Sect?
Therefore, most freshmen simply paid the extortion fee to avoid trouble, and over time, this practice evolved into the current state of affairs.

"Hmph, so this is the Chu Sect? How utterly ridiculous."
Li Jiansan let out a cold snort, looking at Han Dan with undisguised disdain.
"You..."
"Damn it, brother, shut your mouth already! That guy is not someone we can afford to provoke."

Among the crowd, quite a few people had already joined the Chu Sect. Hearing these words, anger flared across their faces.
However, upon recalling Li Jiansan's tyrannical strength, most of them forced themselves to swallow their fury and clamped their mouths shut.

"What is the meaning of this commotion? Why are you all gathering and causing a disturbance here?"
Just as everyone was wondering how to handle the situation, an aged yet resonant voice echoed through the air.
Looking toward the source of the sound, the crowd saw an elderly man with graying hair and a long white beard approaching from not far away, accompanied by several young men dressed in cyan robes.
The old man looked aged in the face and wore plain cloth garments, yet as he walked, a faint, dignified aura emanated from him. Embroidered upon his chest was the purple character for "Chu".

"Greetings, Elder Yuanmu."
Upon the old man's arrival, the surrounding Chu Sect members immediately bowed respectfully, straightening their postures only after the elder gave a slight wave of his hand.

"Brother, who is this old man?"
A thin, dark-complexioned young man asked in bewilderment, leaning over to whisper to a nearby man.
"Watch your mouth!"
Startled, the man immediately took a step to the right, widening the distance between them. Seeing that the elder's entourage had not noticed the commotion on their side, he quietly stepped back in.
"You must be a newcomer, right? No wonder you don't know."
Ensuring no one was paying attention, he leaned close to the other man's ear and whispered,
"That man is Elder Yuanmu, one of the elders of the Chu Sect. While he looks benevolent on the surface, he is by no means a good person. Regardless of whether you join the Chu Sect in the future, brother, make sure you never cross paths with him, or you'll undoubtedly end up in a miserable state."
"I see. Many thanks, brother."

Although the conversation had been conducted in hushed tones, it was entirely useless against Li Jiansan's acute hearing. He had effortlessly caught every word of their exchange, prompting a soft, faint hum of disdain.

"What is going on here? Who was fighting? Step forward at once!"
Scanning the surroundings, the elder immediately took in the situation, as the multiple pools of blood on the ground and the shattered structures nearby clearly pointed to a violent altercation.

A Chu Sect disciple, emboldened by the elder's arrival, stepped forward eagerly.
"Reporting to the Elder, the ones who clashed here just now were Senior Brother Meng Yujiang and this young brother over here."

Elder Yuanmu cast a sidelong glance at Li Jiansan. Noticing that Li Jiansan possessed the cultivation base of the peak fourth stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
On the surface, the strength of the fourth stage of Foundation Establishment marked him as an extraordinary talent. However, having spent many years at the Azure Dragon Academy, he had witnessed countless so-called geniuses and prodigies, so he naturally did not hold Li Jiansan in high regard.
Giving Li Jiansan an indifferent look, he turned back to the disciple and asked,
"Where is Meng Yujiang?"
"This... Senior Brother Meng..."
The disciple faltered, his expression twisting awkwardly as he struggled to find the words.
"I asked you, where is Meng Yujiang!"
Seeing the disciple stammering and refusing to answer, Elder Yuanmu deepened his tone, and a faint pressure of intimidation settled over the unfortunate man.
"Reporting to the Elder... Senior... Senior Brother Meng is dead."