Chen Yuan now had some trust in Ouyang Zhi, but he didn't tell him that the Soul Control Gu had been解除 (jiěchú - undone/released), preferring to maintain the current situation.

"Uh... Father... Marquis, you are right."

Following Chen Yuan's previous admonition, Ouyang Zhi no longer dared to call Chen Yuan "Father," but in his heart, he still regarded him as such.

It wasn't that he was truly perverted, willing to acknowledge someone younger than himself as his father.

Rather, it was due to Chen Yuan's current status.

In the beginning, Ouyang Zhi was indeed unwilling, feeling it was a great humiliation that not only did his mother recommend herself to Chen Yuan's bed, and the Ouyang clan's heirloom divine weapon fell into his hands, but he himself also had to be forced to call him "Father" to save his life.

No one would be willing.

But, no one expected the changes in the world to come so quickly.

In less than two years, Chen Yuan first topped the Hidden Dragon Rankings, shaking the Jianghu with his might, then became unstoppable, defeating the geniuses of Dongying, and being ennobled as the Martial Might Marquis.

Now, he was even carrying overwhelming merit to become the youngest Ten Thousand Household Marquis in the court's history!

Commanding the three southern prefectures, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, suppressing the southern Jianghu.

A Transformation Yang realm cultivator, with boundless power, many were eager to curry favor with him, but he was able to become his only adopted son. Even though the reputation wasn't great, in the face of real benefits, some face was nothing.

He now wished he could call him "Father."

If the world were to change drastically in the future, and Chen Yuan were to rise another level, wouldn't he also rise with him, truly revitalizing the already declining Ouyang clan?

Therefore, after receiving a message from his mother, he immediately put down all his affairs and came to pay his respects, and also to ask his "Father" for a favor.

He had thanked him earlier because of this matter.

With the support of Chen Yuan's secretly provided massive resources, Hidden Weapon Valley had long since been transformed, gathering casting masters, and its reputation now resounded throughout the Shu prefecture Jianghu.

Not only that, but Hidden Weapon Valley also had Core Realm experts stationed, and had already occupied a prefecture all to itself.

But as the saying goes, a big tree attracts the wind. The expansion of Hidden Weapon Valley's power naturally attracted the covetous eyes of some people, but because of Chen Yuan's might, no one dared to act.

But now it was different. A top sect in Shu prefecture, seemingly because of the unstable situation in the world, needed to forge a batch of treasured weapons and spiritual weapons, but the price offered wasn't high.

And because Hidden Weapon Valley was busy day and night forging weapons for Chen Yuan's soldiers, they simply refused, thus offending that top force.

They directly threatened that if they didn't create what they wanted within three months, they would make sure Hidden Weapon Valley couldn't stay in Shu prefecture.

The implication was that they were ready to take action.

Therefore, this time Ouyang Zhi came not only to pay his respects to Chen Yuan, but also to ask for help.

Chen Yuan naturally had to protect Hidden Weapon Valley, and couldn't possibly let a large batch of weapons go to that top force. He had been thinking of wiping out some aristocratic families and sects in Shu prefecture to plunder resources.

Wasn't this now being delivered to his door?

"It just so happens that I have nothing to do lately, so you can accompany this Marquis on a trip to Thousand Blade Mountain!" Chen Yuan stood up and said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

With Chen Yuan's order, the Shu prefecture Sky Patrol Department immediately gathered. Golden Envoy Lu Renyi dared not be negligent in the slightest, and he also set out for Shu prefecture with Ouyang Zhi!

Among the various regions of the Central Plains, the West was unremarkable, with a low profile. The North, due to the threat of barbarians for hundreds of years, didn't have many Jianghu forces, and the resources could only be considered average.

The true essence of the land was only in the East and South.

The East was adjacent to the East Sea, rich in products, and had the number one city in the world, Martial Emperor City, sitting there, which was very prosperous, but Martial Emperor City occupied more than half of the East Sea's resources, leaving only scraps for other forces.

The South was different. To be fair, the South had four prefectures: Qing, Shu, Blood, and South. This place was vibrant and diverse. More than half of the Five Great Families were here, as well as Mount Shu, the Seven Kill Hall, Heavenly Demon Palace, and Biyou Palace, occupying nearly half of the top immortal sects. In addition, the area was vast and the population was large, making it a truly fertile land.

Otherwise, Chen Yuan wouldn't have been thinking about accumulating strength in the South.

And Thousand Blade Sect was just an ordinary top force in the southern Jianghu. It was considered top because its mountain gate had a Transformation Yang True Man sitting there, but it was considered ordinary because, in the South, a Transformation Yang True Man really wasn't much.

At most, it could only deter an area, and it couldn't be considered a truly top force.

Chen Yuan had never taken it seriously.

Chen Yuan regarded Shu prefecture as his own territory, and with the world on the verge of chaos, he had long intended to cleanse the Shu prefecture Jianghu, plunder resources for his own use, and see if he could encounter his own Child of Destiny.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Yuan made his move.

He had been thinking about what kind of excuse to use to make a move, but now Thousand Blade Sect had主动送上门 (zhǔ dòng sòng shàng mén -主动送上门 literally means "voluntarily deliver themselves to the door," idiomatically meaning "asking for trouble"), how could he not happily accept it?

There were no truly good people in the Jianghu in the real sense, only positions. Even the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path were the same. Which Jianghu force's hands weren't stained with blood?

If killing was truly discussed, it was just eliminating harm for the people!

Thousand Blade Sect's strength was considered first-rate in Shu prefecture. The sect master had a Refined Spirit cultivation base, with several Core Realm elders below him. Its strength was comparable to the Qingyun Sword Sect of Qing prefecture in the past. It had abundant resources, but compared to Chen Yuan, it was far behind.

And at this moment, Thousand Blade Sect probably couldn't imagine that just bullying and coercing Hidden Weapon Valley would bring about the disaster of annihilation!

Inside Thousand Blade Sect.

Sect Master Chou Qianchi sat in the main hall of the mountain gate with a solemn expression and a furrowed brow. Today, he had just emerged from seclusion and learned from an elder about what had happened a few days ago.

Guardian Elder Xie Kunshan had actually had a conflict with Hidden Weapon Valley, threatening that if they didn't act according to Thousand Blade Sect's wishes, they wouldn't be able to stay in Shu prefecture!

It was extremely foolish!

The previous Hidden Weapon Valley had long declined, only relying on some favor from Mount Shu to gain a foothold in Shu prefecture. Threatening them was just threatening them, and they didn't dare to say anything.

But, was it the same now as before?

Who was the Valley Master of Hidden Weapon Valley?

It was Ouyang Zhi!

Who was his mother?

It was Xu Wenxiu, the once famous number one beauty of Shu prefecture.

Then who was her man?

It was now the notoriously fierce Wu An Marquis, Chen Yuan, who oversaw the three southern prefectures!

Could he be provoked easily?

Didn't they see the fate of Guangming Temple in Qing prefecture?

After hearing this, Chou Qianchi instantly felt uneasy, and his years of experience also detected something was wrong. He felt there was a conspiracy.

Thousand Blade Sect was the pawn!

He immediately ordered someone to summon Xie Kunshan to ask for clarification and see if he could salvage the situation. He didn't want to be a reckless fool and offend Chen Yuan.

"Sect Master, Elder Xie has arrived!"

A disciple at the door said in a deep voice.

"Let him in!"

Chou Qianchi said with a gloomy expression.

"Yes."

Soon, Xie Kunshan, wearing a blue robe and with a ruddy complexion, entered the hall. He saw the gloomy-faced sect master at the head of the hall, and his brow furrowed slightly, but it quickly disappeared. He bowed and said with a smile:

"Sect Master, you... you have emerged from seclusion?"

"Hmph!" Chou Qianchi stared at Xie Kunshan with a gloomy face and asked:

"Kunshan, what exactly happened with Hidden Weapon Valley?"

"Hidden Weapon Valley?" Xie Kunshan raised an eyebrow and pretended to smile:

"Why did this little matter alarm the Sect Master?"

"Tell the truth to this seat."

Xie Kunshan's eyes flickered, and he quickly said:

"Sect Master, this disciple is acting according to your wishes. Didn't you say before your seclusion that you needed a batch of treasure weapons and spiritual weapons to deal with the changing situation in the future?"

"Did this seat tell you to be at odds with Hidden Weapon Valley?"

"Sect Master, you don't know, that Ouyang Zhi is too arrogant, not putting my Thousand Blade Mountain in his eyes at all. Not only did he increase the price several times over, but he was also unwilling to forge weapons for my Thousand Blade Sect, uttering threats.

If this disciple backed down, wouldn't it damage the prestige of my Thousand Blade Sect?"

Chou Qianchi was so angry that he laughed, pointing at Xie Kunshan and saying:

"So, all of this was instructed by this seat?"

"This..."

"Bang!" Chou Qianchi shattered the armrest beside him with a palm, and said in a deep voice:

"Do you know who is behind Hidden Weapon Valley?"

"It is... it is Martial Might Marquis."

"Knowing that, you still dare to provoke them?"

"Sect Master, calm your anger. It's really not that this disciple deliberately suppressed them, but that Ouyang Zhi was too much, relying on Chen Yuan to not put my Thousand Blade Sect in his eyes.

It is tolerable, but what is not tolerable! Even if Chen Yuan's name fills the world, even if he oversees the South, he can't go too far. This disciple... this disciple only said a few harsh words, but didn't actually take action..."

Xie Kunshan quickly explained, with an innocent expression on his face.

Chou Qianchi's eyes narrowed, and a cold light emanated from his body:

"Is that really so? Or are you taking revenge, wanting to push my Thousand Blade Sect into eternal damnation!"

Not long ago, the battle of Liangshan, which shook the world, had just occurred. The situation throughout the world was turbulent, and it was impossible to say when the world would be in great chaos.

Was this the time to make enemies?

He might accidentally touch the court's sore spot. He had told his subordinates to buy a batch of weapons for future planning, but he hadn't specifically named Hidden Weapon Valley.

The entire Shu prefecture, the entire South, had more than just Hidden Weapon Valley!

"Sect Master, why do you say that? This disciple is loyal to you, and has absolutely no intention of harming Thousand Blade Sect." Xie Kunshan immediately knelt on one knee, hoping that Chou Qianchi would see the truth.

"Do you think this seat doesn't know your little thoughts? Back then, when Xu Wenxiu was widowed, you were always thinking about her. Now that she has become Chen Yuan's woman, don't you have any resentment?"

"This disciple absolutely doesn't have this intention. Since that woman Xu Wenxiu has already belonged to someone else, how can this disciple have Chen Yuan's habit of liking other men's wives?"

Xie Kunshan quickly explained, but after hearing Chou Qianchi's words, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Bastard!"

A touch of ruthlessness flashed in Chou Qianchi's eyes. He grabbed with one hand, and the surrounding heaven and earth's origin energy was instantly emptied. Xie Kunshan on the ground was suppressed on the spot, his neck directly grabbed by him, and he asked with a sinister gaze:

"Those words just now were just this seat testing you. You really are different. Tell me... who is the person behind you, what do they want Thousand Blade Sect to do?"

"No, this disciple... this disciple doesn't have anyone behind me..." At this moment, Xie Kunshan seemed to have his secret exposed, his heart tightened, and he subconsciously became flustered.

"You think this seat doesn't know if you don't say? Under soul searching, you can't keep any secrets. Confess now, and this seat can spare your life, otherwise..."

The original Chou Qianchi didn't believe that Xie Kunshan would mess around. At first, he just thought he was handling things improperly, but he clearly sensed the flustered look and the change in aura just now.

He was completely sure that Xie Kunshan's move to bully Hidden Weapon Valley was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

"This disciple has absolutely no ulterior motives. Even if the Sect Master searches my soul, it will be the same." Xie Kunshan's true core was suppressed, and his face was somewhat crimson under the enormous pressure.

"Good, good, good, then this seat will grant your wish!" Chou Qianchi's eyes narrowed, and he said "good" three times in a row.

But before he could act, a faint voice suddenly came from outside Thousand Blade Mountain:

"Chou Qianchi, roll out and meet your death!"

The voice was indifferent, but it contained a killing intent, causing Chou Qianchi's heart to suddenly jump, vaguely feeling uneasy. He had already guessed who the person outside was, and his face suddenly darkened.

He had just emerged from seclusion, and Chen Yuan had come.

To say that this was just a coincidence was absolutely impossible!

"If Thousand Blade Sect suffers losses today, your Xie family line will be removed from the list!" With a cold snort, Chou Qianchi grabbed Xie Kunshan and stepped out, instantly arriving near the mountain gate.

At the same time, the disciples of the entire Thousand Blade Sect also knew that a strong enemy was attacking, and they all put down their tasks at hand, holding weapons and rushing to the vicinity of the mountain gate with solemn faces, preparing to resist the enemy.

Streams of light flickered, soaring into the sky, and the mountain-protecting formation was activated.

Outside the mountain gate, nearly a thousand Sky Patrol Guards stood with indifferent faces, holding their sword hilts and arranged in several formations, led by the Shu prefecture Golden Envoy Lu Renyi and several deputy envoys. As for Chen Yuan, he stood in the void with Ouyang Zhi.

"Father... Marquis, why not attack directly?" Ouyang Zhi looked suspicious. Their group had eliminated all the patrol disciples outside Thousand Blade Mountain.

They could have caught the other party completely off guard, but Chen Yuan stopped before the final attack, which was really strange.

"Don't talk nonsense. Attacking directly is banditry." Chen Yuan replied.

"Then now..."

"Now... it's that this Marquis has received secret intelligence that Thousand Blade Sect is colluding with demons from the No-Life Sect, to eliminate harm for the people, and to perform meritorious service for the court!" Chen Yuan said, looking ahead.

Ouyang Zhi: "..."

Outside the void, hundreds of feet away, ripples arose, and Thousand Blade Sect's Sect Master Chou Qianchi stepped out, carrying Xie Kunshan. He saw the young man in front of him at a glance.

Although his appearance was young, his aura was not weak at all, and he instantly guessed who this person was.

The current Ten Thousand Household Marquis, Sky Patrol Department Heaven-Ranked Divine Envoy, Chen Yuan!

"Is that Martial Might Marquis Chen, in person?" With origin energy binding Xie Kunshan, Chou Qianchi raised his hand in salute. Although he was somewhat stern about this person directly attacking his sect, he wore a smile on his face.

"Precisely this official!"

"I wonder why Lord Chen has come to my Thousand Blade Mountain with so many Sky Patrol Guards? Is there anything that has been done improperly?" Chou Qianchi asked with a smile.

"You know very well what this official has come here to do. What, do you want this official to list them one by one?" Chen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, showing extraordinary demeanor.

"This..." Chou Qianchi's eyes flickered, and he finally smiled awkwardly, feeling that Chen Yuan was really not giving him face. Whatever happened, he could have said it in private, but now he had brought people to his door, and even if he retreated in the end, Thousand Blade Sect's reputation would be greatly damaged.

But it was too late to think so much at this time. His face turned serious, and he continued:

"This official has some guesses as to why Lord Chen has come. It should be about the matter of the elder in the sect bullying Hidden Weapon Valley, but there are other secrets involved. I hope Lord Chen will investigate carefully."

Chen Yuan's power was too strong, and with the destruction of Guangming Temple as an example, it could be said that he was under someone's roof, and had no choice but to bow his head. Even if he was an elder of the Jianghu, he couldn't match the rising Wu An Marquis.

His original intention was to find a mediator to reconcile, so that they could turn hostility into friendship and preserve each other's faces.

"Hmm?"

Chen Yuan's gaze suddenly fell on Xie Kunshan, who was being suppressed. Ouyang Zhi was the same, and a strange meaning flashed in his eyes. He still remembered this person's arrogant attitude before. He didn't expect that after a few days, he would be so pathetic...

"Before this old man went into seclusion, he felt that the situation in the world was unstable recently, so he asked his disciples to forge a batch of spiritual weapons and treasure blades, but this Xie Kunshan directly contacted Hidden Weapon Valley, thus leading to a conflict. It seems simple, but my Thousand Blade Sect is at fault. Can't Lord Chen, with his intelligence and wisdom, see something?"

Then, before Chen Yuan could say anything, he continued:

"This old man knows the reputation of Martial Might Marquis. How could he not know who is behind Hidden Weapon Valley, how could he provoke them for no reason? To tell the truth, all of this was deliberately created by Xie Kunshan for his own selfish gain.

Therefore, this old man suspects that there may be a hand in the dark trying to provoke hostility between you and me, so as to reap the benefits. If Lord Chen doesn't believe it, you can search this person's soul, and you'll know at a glance!"

Chen Yuan sneered. He wasn't really reckless. How could he not see that there were some problems here? But this was both important and unimportant, because he himself was preparing to cleanse Shu prefecture with blood to lay the foundation for the future.

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Zhi immediately recounted Xie Kunshan's resume, and deliberately mentioned that he had pursued his mother in the past, but was rejected.

Chen Yuan nodded, his face unchanged. He raised his hand to stop Chou Qianchi from continuing, and said:

"Sect Master Chou seems to have misunderstood. This official has nothing to do with Hidden Weapon Valley. How could I abuse my power and make enemies with Thousand Blade Sect for the sake of a Jianghu force?"

Chou Qianchi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Chen Yuan had also heard the danger in it and given him a way out. He then bowed and said:

"Thousand Blade Sect also has its own faults in this matter. Xie Kunshan's words before were just his own nonsense and cannot represent Thousand Blade Sect. This old man is willing to compensate Hidden Weapon Valley until Valley Master Ouyang is satisfied."

"No, you didn't understand what this official meant. This official has come here today with sufficient evidence to prove that your Thousand Blade Sect is colluding with demons from the No-Life Sect, intending to rebel.

I have come to destroy your sect!"

Chou Qianchi: "???"

"Lord Chen, you..."

"Enough, there's no need to say more. Now the evidence is conclusive. Everyone in your Thousand Blade Sect will be诛绝 (zhū jué - exterminated/executed), to serve as a warning to others!"

Hearing Chen Yuan say this, Chou Qianchi also became somewhat angry and immediately asked in a cold voice:

"Then where is the evidence?"

Chen Yuan's lips curled into a light smile:

"This official's words are the evidence!"