Jiuyuan Prefecture City.

Inside a rather luxurious restaurant, Chen Yuan and his party of over ten were seated at two tables. The Five Elements Ghost Children, dressed in black robes, eerily concealed their faces, obediently sitting beside Zhao Beishan.

Chen Yuan, along with Yue Shan, Mo Donghe, and others, occupied a table, lowered his gaze to his meal, and perked up his ears to listen to the bustling discussions around him.

Since leaving Nanling Prefecture, Chen Yuan and his group had changed into ordinary Jianghu traveler attire and hurried toward Jiuyuan Prefecture because the Yuan Kong Token pointed to the Yuan Kong Realm, located within Jiuyuan Prefecture.

After about eight or nine days, they finally arrived.

Today was their second day in Jiuyuan Prefecture. After a night of rest, Chen Yuan immediately decided to observe the situation. After making inquiries, they came to this, the most upscale restaurant in Jiuyuan Prefecture City.

It was said that a significant power in Jiuyuan Prefecture controlled it.

Its information network was the most sensitive.

Soon after sitting down, Chen Yuan knew he had come to the right place because several tables around him were whispering about matters of his concern, occasionally mentioning the words "Yuan Kong Realm."

Chen Yuan sensed the cultivation levels of those discussing the Yuan Kong Realm. The weakest was at the Qi Gathering Realm, and there was even a Profound Connection Realm expert.

It was an old man with a sallow complexion and hunched back, who suppressed his aura to a very low level. If Chen Yuan's perception wasn't strong, he would have had difficulty noticing him.

The old man seemed to sense something and exchanged a silent glance with Chen Yuan before both withdrew their gazes tacitly.

Of course, the main reason Chen Yuan could quickly identify this person was because of the Yuan Kong Token's anomaly, a slight burning sensation, as if like attracting like.

He had a Yuan Kong Token!

However, it wasn't a big deal to him. He had no interest in snatching it because he already had one. This thing was just like a ticket.

Even if he snatched it, it would be useless. All his subordinates were only at the Coagulating Meridian Realm. Entering the Yuan Kong Realm would be like sending them to their deaths and would only create enemies for no reason.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but he just didn't see the point.

"More and more people have been arriving these days. I wonder who has such a treasure as the Yuan Kong Token!" Someone at the table next to Chen Yuan muttered.

Their faces showed a hint of envy.

"If the news hadn't spread, we wouldn't have known that the Yuan Kong Realm would be in Jiuyuan Prefecture this time." Another person nodded.

Chen Yuan's heart stirred as he realized someone was intentionally leaking information about the Yuan Kong Realm, and it was already spreading....

"It is said that the Jiuyuan Prefecture's Sky Patrol Envoy has released a statement that they are willing to exchange ten Yuan Crystals for a Yuan Kong Token."

"Heh... whoever takes that seriously is a fool. What if they get the Yuan Kong Token and refuse to give it back? They could just arbitrarily accuse you of a crime and throw you in jail.

These Imperial Watchdogs, humph."

Someone seemed to have a strong opinion about the Sky Patrol Department, speaking indignantly.

"Brother Wang, be careful what you say. It is said that the Sky Patrol Department has many spies; who knows if there are any around." Another man at the same table quickly stopped him.

The person who spoke earlier also knew that loose lips sink ships. He looked around nervously, relieved when he saw that no one had heard his grumbling.

The bustle in the restaurant continued.

Chen Yuan quietly drank his wine, occasionally opening his Heaven's Eye, hoping to find his Child of Destiny, but unfortunately, he hadn't discovered anything unusual since entering Jiuyuan Prefecture.

From a distance, a somewhat familiar voice made Chen Yuan involuntarily raise his head and turn his gaze.

"Junior Sister Xiao, the Yuan Kong Realm is too dangerous. It's not suitable for you to enter."

"Senior Brother Gu, I have already broken through to the Profound Connection Realm. Why can't I enter?"

A clear, female voice sounded.

"Before leaving the mountain gate, the sect leader already gave the order that this trip is all..." Gu Hao, dressed in a green robe and carrying a sword, hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly seemed to sense something and looked up in Chen Yuan's direction.

Then, his heart jolted, and he frowned almost imperceptibly. Of course, he remembered who the person he was looking at was. If it wasn't for him, Liu Changkong's death wouldn't have been so smooth.

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Gu Hao!

Liu Changkong's senior brother. He was the one Liu Changkong relied on to dare challenge him in public, and he was also the reason Tang Qian and the Fanan of Jinshan Temple came forward to put pressure on him.

He had already verified this with Shi Yunlong.

He thought he would meet him in Qingzhou City in the future, but he didn't expect it would be today.

He undoubtedly wanted to kill him.

No one who opposed him could live!

Moreover, he always felt that Gu Hao's role in his battle with Liu Changkong was a bit fake. He never retaliated afterward, as if that matter had really passed.

But the more it was like this, the more he thought about it.

If there was a chance, he would definitely meet him.

He was not the same as he was then. At twenty-one, he stood like a nobody; at twenty-two, he was a Hidden Dragon rising, breaking through to the Profound Connection Realm, and rising to the top fifty of the Hidden Dragon List.

In addition to the Dao God Palace behind him, he was no less inferior to him in any way now.

On the Hidden Dragon List rankings, Gu Hao was only two places above him.

Forty on the Hidden Dragon List, Flying Rain Sword, Gu Hao!

While Chen Yuan stared at Gu Hao, Gu Hao was also staring at him.

The atmosphere between the two was a bit tense. Gu Hao's expression was calm, but a slight, almost imperceptible surprise flashed past. Although he wasn't in Nanling Prefecture, he had obviously heard of Chen Yuan's name.

What truly made him take it seriously was when Chen Yuan entered the top 100 of the Hidden Dragon List. At first, he thought it was just someone with the same name and didn't associate it with him.

But as more and more information reached his hands, he was certain that Demon Blade Chen Yuan was the Sky Patrol Envoy who killed Liu Changkong.

What surprised him was that Chen Yuan grew so quickly that he was now on the same level as him....

The silent staring between the two also attracted the attention of many people. Yue Shan and the others silently gripped their weapons. The Xiao Junior Sister beside Gu Hao looked at the two suspiciously, wondering what they were thinking.

In the end, it was Gu Hao who broke the silence. He nodded slightly, stepped forward a few steps, and said faintly:

"It's true that we meet everywhere in life, Lord Chen, long time no see."

Chen Yuan curled his lips, squeezed out a smile:

"It's rare that Brother Gu still remembers Chen."

"The name of the Demon Blade has spread throughout Qingzhou. How could Gu forget?" Gu Hao looked at Chen Yuan with a fake smile.

'Demon Blade...' The woman surnamed Xiao frowned and looked at Gu Hao and asked:

"He is?"

Gu Hao turned his gaze and introduced warmly, "This is Lord Chen Yuan, the forty-second on the Hidden Dragon List, nicknamed the Demon Blade. By the way, Junior Brother Liu challenged him before."

A subtle chill flashed in the eyes of the woman surnamed Xiao as she stared directly at Chen Yuan: "You killed Junior Brother Liu?"

Chen Yuan nodded indifferently and sneered, "I not only killed him, but I also had his entire family exterminated. Do you have a problem with that?"

"You..." The woman surnamed Xiao choked.

Seeing this, Gu Hao's heart sank, knowing that Junior Sister Xiao hadn't forgotten about that guy surnamed Liu yet. Then he said:

"Lord Chen, this is my junior sister, Xiao Qingmu." (mu)

Chen Yuan glanced at Xiao Qingmu. She was tall, dressed in a purple dress, with willow eyebrows and skin as smooth as jade. Her appearance was considered top-notch, but after knowing his identity, her face turned cold, and she seemed to have a strong opinion of him.

"Lord Chen, as an official of the imperial court, how can you act so cruelly?" Xiao Qingmu said in a deep voice.

"The Liu family colluded with Demonic Path fiends, harming the common people. What's wrong with exterminating his entire family? If you want to talk about cruelty, you might as well go to Cao County and ask about the evil deeds the Liu family has done."

"This official has always been at odds with evil. How can I sit idly by and watch the Liu family harm others?"

Chen Yuan's face straightened, and his aura changed instantly, becoming extremely righteous.

Xiao Qingmu frowned, indeed shocked by Chen Yuan's behavior. Could it be that the Liu family really deserved it?

Gu Hao sneered in his heart. How could others not know how things really were? This was just Chen Yuan's rhetoric. Besides, which Sky Patrol Envoy didn't act like this?

After Chen Yuan revealed his identity, the man at that table who had a strong complaint against the Sky Patrol Department's face suddenly changed. Under his fear, he quickly winked at several friends around him and left the restaurant.

"Lord Chen is exaggerating, isn't he? As far as Gu knows, the Liu family was only given a crime and was not really colluding with Demonic Path fiends."

Gu Hao interjected in a timely manner.

It was impossible for him to reconcile with Chen Yuan. Not only that, but he also had to show hostility. One was to make Junior Sister Xiao fall for him, and the other was to show it to outsiders.

The fact that he almost fought Tao Qingyuan, the Nanling Sky Patrol Envoy, for his junior brother had won him a lot of fame, shaping himself into a good senior brother who stood up for his junior brothers.

Even the sect leader had asked about it once, praising his behavior of protecting the disciples of the sect.

Now, facing the murderer who killed Junior Brother Liu, it was even more impossible for him to show a warm color. If there was a chance, defeating Chen Yuan in public would add to his reputation.

Of course, facing the rising Chen Yuan, he was still very cautious in his heart.

Chen Yuan smiled, looking directly at Gu Hao, and said word by word:

"I said that he colluded with Demonic Path fiends, and the Liu family colluded with Demonic Path fiends. You want to stand up for the Liu family? You can, but are you ready to die?"

Hearing Chen Yuan's threatening words, Gu Hao's face couldn't help showing a hint of anger. He turned his head and glanced at the Xiao Junior Sister beside him, seeing that he was looking at him intently, and then said:

"Everyone says that Demon Blade Chen Yuan is ruthless and arrogant. Today, Gu has seen it. What, Lord Chen wants to try whether the precious sword in my hand is sharp?"

"Shua!"

Half of the Wild Goose Blade in Chen Yuan's hand was instantly drawn. He looked calm, slowly got up and said:

"My blade has never been blunt!"