"I just don't understand, I really don't understand..."
Fu Piaoyao watched the two figures, who had gradually disappeared into the roadside mountains and forests while locked in combat, and shook her head helplessly.
She couldn't comprehend why Chu Fan, after saying so much and successfully diverting Old Man Ding's anger towards the Changsheng Sect, intending to settle the score with them, suddenly declared that the Four Great Vajras of the Changsheng Sect had acted at his request.
With no change in the situation, what was the difference between this and a pointless endeavor?
Having witnessed that even the Four Great Vajras couldn't subdue Chu Fan, Fu Piaoyao no longer worried about Old Man Ding harming him.
Furthermore, she had long since discerned that Chu Fan was not someone who would stubbornly maintain appearances.
If he knew he couldn't defeat Old Man Ding, he wouldn't have revealed the true truth to provoke Old Man Ding, and would have quietly awaited the end of this sudden confrontation.
Muffled thuds continuously emanated from the depths of the forest, occasionally accompanied by roars of anger.
The roars attracted quite a few of the fellow passengers, who all stood with Fu Piaoyao, craning their necks to peer into the depths of the woods.
After five or six minutes, the commotion within the forest suddenly ceased.
After waiting for two minutes and still seeing no sign of Chu Fan's return, Fu Piaoyao began to grow anxious. Just as she was about to venture into the forest to investigate, a heavy palm was placed on her shoulder.
"Get in the car!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Fu Piaoyao couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
Turning around and seeing that Chu Fan's complexion was only slightly paler than before, and that there were no other injuries on his body, her uneasy heart immediately relaxed. She quickly urged everyone to board the vehicle.
Once seated in the car, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Did he die?"
"Otherwise?"
Only after confirming that Old Man Ding was truly dead did Fu Piaoyao's heart finally settle completely.
The Ding family had always been a colossal mountain weighing on her heart.
Although this invisible mountain had disappeared when the Ding family was annihilated, she hadn't expected the Ding family to have a Grandmaster expert.
Even though the matter hadn't yet unfolded, as long as Old Man Ding was alive, he would continue to put pressure on Fu Piaoyao.
She surmised that if Old Man Ding survived, he would undoubtedly pursue them relentlessly.
If the original cause of the current outcome was due to the conflict between herself and Ding Wuchang, Old Man Ding might very well find his way to the Qingshen Sect.
After regaining her composure, Fu Piaoyao indignantly exclaimed, "This Changsheng Sect is truly detestable!"
"They just gave us their assurance, and in the next moment, they sold us out!"
"Can you tolerate this insult?"
To this, Chu Fan directly replied, "If you can't swallow this insult, then turn back now and destroy the Changsheng Sect."
Fu Piaoyao rolled her beautiful eyes, thinking to herself, if I possessed the strength to destroy the Changsheng Sect, would I be sitting here saying these things?
Seeing Chu Fan turn his gaze back out the window, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation, she could only suppress her questions for the time being.
Little did she know, Chu Fan acted this way for his own calculated reasons.
The Changsheng Sect's diversion of trouble clearly harbored two objectives.
The first objective was that engaging with Old Man Ding, even if they ultimately managed to kill him, would inevitably come at a heavy price for the Changsheng Sect, severely weakening their strength.
The second objective was to use Old Man Ding to thoroughly test Chu Fan's true strength.
If Chu Fan could slay Old Man Ding, it would not only resolve the invisible crisis for the Changsheng Sect but also allow them to ascertain Chu Fan's power level, killing two birds with one stone.
Chu Fan was too lazy to dwell on being manipulated.
Following Huo Dong's plan, directly killing the enraged Old Man Ding would, in effect, completely deter the Changsheng Sect, ensuring they obediently assisted the Yunshan Sect in its expansion according to his demands.
Moreover, Chu Fan also knew that even if Old Man Ding returned and destroyed the Changsheng Sect, he would eventually return to face Chu Fan.
Ultimately, the destruction of the Ding family was closely related to him.
The only difference was that he hadn't personally taken action.
He would have to face him sooner or later, so it was better to take advantage of the current time and place to resolve this trouble once and for all.
The bus continued its journey.
Old Man Ding, who had arrived in a fury, vanished like a coin dropped into the vast ocean, without causing any ripples.
More than ten minutes after the bus departed, the people dispatched by the Changsheng Sect discovered Old Man Ding's corpse in the forest.
Beside the body was a message: "This must not happen again!"
The Changsheng Sect members who had come to investigate the outcome quickly took photos of the scene, processed the evidence, and returned to the Changsheng Sect, presenting the photos to Huo Dong.
Gazing at Old Man Ding's mangled corpse, Huo Dong couldn't help but exclaim, "Too powerful, truly too powerful! With such strength, what tier of Grandmaster is he?"
Huo Dong found it impossible to ascertain Chu Fan's true strength level, which could pulverize Old Man Ding into such a state.
When his gaze shifted to the warning beside the body, Huo Dong felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head.
"There won't be a next time!"
"I wouldn't dare have a next time!" Huo Dong murmured to himself, making a silent promise as he stood by the window.
Just as Chu Fan had surmised, Huo Dong's manipulation of facts, diverting the trouble towards Chu Fan, was driven by two objectives.
Old Man Ding, having been in seclusion for twenty years, posed a significant threat to the Changsheng Sect, especially when spurred by the revenge for his kin.
If the two parties truly clashed, the outcome would be unpredictable.
Conversely, delivering him to Chu Fan would present less difficulty than the Changsheng Sect would face.
In addition, it would thoroughly ascertain Chu Fan's strength level.
If Chu Fan could deal with Old Man Ding, it would signify that he was worthy of the Changsheng Sect's allegiance.
Otherwise, if he was merely a superficial figure, pretending to be profound and unable to handle Old Man Ding, the Changsheng Sect would no longer need to comply with Chu Fan's demands to support the Yunshan Sect's expansion.
Half an hour later.
Huo Dong personally led two elders from the Changsheng Sect north towards the Yunshan Sect.
Having understood Chu Fan's strength, Huo Dong made a secret decision that would undoubtedly be opposed by all previous generations of the Changsheng Sect: to humble themselves, form an alliance with the Yunshan Sect, and even dissolve their own identity to merge with the Yunshan Sect.
Everyone had their own calculations.
Huo Dong's intuition told him that this was a rare opportunity.
The future of the Dragon God Kingdom would undoubtedly be thrown into turmoil by Chu Fan.
Standing with the Yunshan Sect at this juncture, the heights they could reach in the future were immeasurable.
However, if they missed this chance, adding splendor to an already adorned situation would not be as simple as it was now.
Within the Yunshan Sect, all members were elated, secretly rejoicing at the decision to submit to Chu Fan.
This was because, shortly after seeing the Qingshen Sect pledge its allegiance, they were then welcomed by the Changsheng Sect's proactive alliance.
Such an event would have been unthinkable in the past.
Liu Yunqing was also very pleased.
He knew that his gamble had paid off.
In a short period, the Yunshan Sect would become the strongest force within hundreds of miles.
Simultaneously, the future Yunshan Sect would reach heights that they had previously only been able to dream of glimpsing in illusions.
Despite his joy, Liu Yunqing had not forgotten the requirements listed by Chu Fan.
Anyone wishing to join the Yunshan Sect would need to undergo an assessment of their character.
Chu Fan paid no mind to the affairs transpiring within the Yunshan Sect, nor did he have the inclination to do so.
Casting a wide net was merely a casual undertaking.
When he would eventually reel it in was a matter for later consideration.
He traveled south without much rest, taking ten days to finally arrive at the largest city in the southern region.