Chapter 1 How Did This Happen?

Chen Xiao asked with surprise, never expecting that the Hidden Sword Pavilion would be so tyrannical that he could encounter victims of its actions in a random restaurant.

But thinking about how arrogantly Ding Yi behaved, the nature of this Hidden Sword Pavilion was predictable.

The waiter shook his head and sighed, "Mr. Chen, this matter has nothing to do with you. It's best not to ask. I've said all I can. Do what you think is best."

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Chen Xiao didn't press him. However, before leaving, he took out ten thousand yuan in cash and gave it to the waiter.

Consider it a reward for his kind reminder.

After leaving the hotel, Chen Xiao and Gu Zhendong headed straight for Mount Yiwu.

At the same time, Ding Yi had returned home. After briefly treating his injuries, he immediately made a phone call.

In the phone call, he said with a sobbing voice, "Third Master Wang! This subordinate is incompetent and failed to help Old Pavilion Master Wang retrieve the spiritual artifact, disappointing Third Master Wang."

After speaking, he burst into tears on the phone.

On a small overseas island in Jiaodong, in a luxurious villa, a middle-aged man with a cigar in his mouth, upon hearing Ding Yi's words, his face darkened, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes.

"Hmm? Didn't I tell you that you could mention the name of our Hidden Sword Pavilion when necessary!"

On the other end, Ding Yi said hatefully, "Third Master Wang, I listened to your instructions and mentioned the name of the Hidden Sword Pavilion, but it would have been better if I hadn't mentioned it. After I did, that brat not only injured me, but also crippled all my martial arts. Third Master Wang, you must avenge this subordinate!"

The middle-aged man took a deep puff of his cigar. "Who is so bold as to not take my Hidden Sword Pavilion seriously? Does he have a death wish?"

Ding Yi said, "Reporting to Third Master, that kid is none other than Chen Xiao, the newly emerging strongman in Jiangbei! He's still in Qingcheng right now!"

"Chen Xiao?"

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then became furious. "Instead of staying put in Jiangbei, that Jiangbei big shot dares to cause trouble in Jiaodong? Does he think there's no one in Jiaodong? That ignorant piece of trash! Ding Yi, keep a close eye on that kid's whereabouts. I'll head over there right now and chop off his head!"

...

Chen Xiao had no idea that trouble was already coming his way. At this moment, he was moving quickly, heading towards the main peak of Mount Yiwu.

The mountain road was rugged and steep, mostly cliffs and precipices. Cars couldn't drive up here at all, so they could only rely on their own legs to climb the mountain.

Fortunately, Chen Xiao and Gu Zhendong were no ordinary people. Otherwise, they wouldn't even think about reaching the summit before tomorrow morning.

And the Maha Sect was located on the summit of Mount Yiwu's main peak.

Hurrying as fast as they could, the two of them climbed to the summit before dark. After walking a bit further, a dilapidated mountain gate appeared before them.

Seeing the dilapidated state of the mountain gate, Gu Zhendong was dumbfounded.

Chen Xiao was also stunned. "Uncle Gu, this wouldn't be the Maha Sect, would it?"

Gu Zhendong nodded. "This is indeed the Maha Sect, but how could it have become so dilapidated?"

Inside the mountain gate, the path was overgrown with weeds, and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time.

Chen Xiao's heart had already grown cold, but he still said, "Uncle Gu, let's go in and take a look."

Gu Zhendong nodded. "Yes, let's go in and take a look first."

The two of them stepped into the mountain gate, but the further they went, the colder their hearts became.

Because the courtyards on the mountain had long been deserted, and almost all the courtyards had signs of being burned.

They were even overgrown with weeds, and it was unknown how many years they had been abandoned.

"Chen Xiao, I didn't know it would be like this. I'm really sorry."

Gu Zhendong said with a face full of apology.

Chen Xiao forced a smile. "Uncle Gu, don't say that. It's not your fault either."

Gu Zhendong looked dejected. "I never thought the Maha Sect would have fallen to such a state. I wonder where my Brother Li is now, and why the Maha Sect has fallen to this state."

Just then, Chen Xiao suddenly asked, "Uncle Gu, is the Brother Li you're talking about named Li Muzhi?"

Gu Zhendong was slightly stunned. "How do you know?"

Chen Xiao sighed and pointed with his hand. "You'll know when you look over there."

Following the direction Chen Xiao was pointing, they saw a tombstone hidden in the weeds.

Gu Zhendong hurried over to take a look, and his expression changed drastically, and he instantly became呆滞.

On the tombstone were carved several large characters: "Grave of the Benevolent Father Li Muzhi!"

Gu Zhendong couldn't help but shed tears. "I never thought that last farewell would be their last."

Looking further ahead, there were twenty or more tombstones of all sizes. The entire Li family, as well as all the disciples of the Maha Sect, were all buried here.

Clearly, the Maha Sect had been wiped out.

Gu Zhendong's eyes turned red, and he was about to burst with rage. "Who was so vicious as to exterminate the entire family!"

Chen Xiao shook his head. "Uncle Gu, what you said is biased. If the entire family had really been exterminated, no one would have erected tombstones for them. From the words on the tombstone, it can be seen that at least Li Muzhi's child is still alive."

Gu Zhendong was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

"Even if that child was lucky enough to survive, who knows where he is now? Chen Xiao, let's go down the mountain."

Chen Xiao said, "Now that we're here, let's help sweep the graves."

Gu Zhendong and the deceased Li Muzhi were, after all, acquaintances. They didn't have incense, so they couldn't offer incense, but they could at least help clear the weeds around the graves.

Just as Chen Xiao bent down to pull weeds, he suddenly heard a 'squeak, squeak' sound.

Chen Xiao looked up and saw a little fox looking at him, baring its teeth at him.

The little fox was completely black, without a single stray hair. Its eyes were blood-red, like two rubies embedded in its head.

"Uncle Gu, look quickly."

Chen Xiao pointed with his hand, and Gu Zhendong looked over and was also stunned. "This little fox is very strange. Could it be a spirit fox from the mountains?"

Chen Xiao nodded. "I can sense pure spiritual energy on it. Its cultivation is no less than that of a Jindan (Golden Core) stage cultivator."

Gu Zhendong was shocked when he heard Chen Xiao's words. "What? A Jindan stage cultivator? Is this little beast so powerful?"

Chen Xiao smiled slightly. "I'm just saying that its cultivation is comparable to a Jindan stage cultivator, but I don't know if it has intelligence. If it doesn't have intelligence, then no matter how high its cultivation is, it won't be able to unleash its power, and it will be useless."

Gu Zhendong muttered, "Looking at this little beast's bared teeth, it's obviously untamed and probably hasn't developed any intelligence yet."

If you said it didn't have intelligence, it seemed to be able to understand Gu Zhendong's words.

Gu Zhendong called it a little beast with every other word, which made the little fox very unhappy.

After the little fox bared its teeth at Gu Zhendong for a while, it suddenly pounced on him.

The little fox was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it had already pounced at Gu Zhendong's feet and bit him on the calf!