Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Reactions from All Sides

“Not good!”

Just when Bai Jingfei was feeling restless, an urgent voice echoed from outside.

A spy from the Bai family rushed in, his face full of panic.

“What’s going on?” Bai Jingfei quickly asked.

“Ma Sandao is dead. His head was somehow hung on the city gate!” The spy said breathlessly, looking extremely flustered.

“Impossible!” Bai Jingfei exclaimed and then hurriedly left the Bai family.

Atop the city gate of Changting Town, a head was hanging.

Swaying in the wind.

Many people were gathered around it.

Even the disciples from Dao Mountain’s ancient land stationed in Changting Town found it unbelievable.

When exactly was the head hung up there?

When Bai Jingfei arrived, he spotted Zhao Yiqiu from afar amidst the crowd.

Zhao Yiqiu also saw Bai Jingfei but didn’t speak; instead, he turned and boarded a carriage.

When Bai Jingfei realized that the head indeed belonged to Ma Sandao, his entire face turned pale.

Ma Sandao is dead!

Wasn’t he an Innate Realm expert?

In their eyes, Innate Realm experts were immensely powerful, beyond their imagination.

The Innate and Postnatal are a dividing line. Even a group of Postnatal Peak strongmen couldn’t hope to kill an Innate powerhouse.

The physical strength of an Innate powerhouse isn’t something a Postnatal Martial Artist can easily shake.

How did Ma Sandao die so easily?

Last night, a spy saw with their own eyes, Ma Sandao entering the Yan family.

But when next seen, Ma Sandao was nothing more than a head.

What exactly happened within the Yan family?

Who killed Ma Sandao?

For a moment, an unknown terror swept over Bai Jingfei’s body.

Could it be that within the Yan family, there is a hidden, even more formidable expert?

If that’s the case, haven’t they stirred up big trouble!

Bai Jingfei almost collapsed to the ground, but quickly got into a carriage.

He had to grab hold of the carriage twice before barely getting in.

That day, the entire Changting Town was extremely quiet. Even the ordinary townsfolk could feel the oppressive atmosphere in Changting Town, though they had no idea what had transpired.

Meanwhile, Li Changqing hardly considered this an issue.

Through this incident, Li Changqing vaguely understood his own positioning. The Five Extremes Seal he copied from Xu Muhai was just one form, immobilization.

Typical Innate Martial Artists should not be able to withstand it.

And Ah Fei, the dog, could even kill typical Innates, though Li Changqing wasn’t sure about anything stronger.

Sitting in the small courtyard, Li Changqing fiddled with the dagger in his hand, finding it quite bizarre.

“Great Patron.”

At this moment, Yan Botao walked in from outside, bowing respectfully to Li Changqing.

“Sit down,” Li Changqing said casually.

“Thank you, Great Patron.” Yan Botao also took a seat.

“Clan Leader Yan, I want to ask you, the Innate who died last night, was he very formidable?” Li Changqing looked up and asked.

Yan Botao was stunned. What kind of question was that?

What does formidable mean? What does not formidable mean?

To me, of course, he’s formidable, but to you, he’s not even as good as your dog.

“Reporting to the Great Patron, that person was an Innate Realm expert, and indeed quite powerful,” Yan Botao quickly said.

“Since he was Innate, how does he compare with Xu Muhai?” Li Changqing asked.

“There’s no comparison,” Yan Botao shook his head. “Among the Thirty-Six Peaks of the Dao Mountain, Peak Master Mu Hai’s strength is in the forefront. Though also in the Innate Realm, Ma Sandao isn’t even fit to carry Peak Master Mu Hai’s shoes.”

“This Ma Sandao was just an ordinary Innate. But Peak Master Mu Hai’s cultivation is likely already at the pinnacle of Innate Perfection, if not already at the Innate Great Perfection Realm,” Yan Botao speculated.

“After all, I haven’t reached the Innate Realm myself, so I can’t say for sure; I can only guess.”

“Innate Realm, Innate Perfection,” Li Changqing murmured, “I remember reading that after that comes Innate Great Perfection and Innate Peak Realm.”

“Yes.”

“Are there many Innate Peak experts?”

“They… are as rare as phoenix feathers,” Yan Botao thought for a moment. Such beings are likely the top experts of each major sect.

“Alright, just wanted to ask,” Li Changqing wanted to confirm how dangerous this world truly was. If Innate Peaks were everywhere, being low-key would be necessary.

“Great Patron, what are you holding in your hand…” Yan Botao looked curiously at the dagger in Li Changqing’s hand.

“This? I found it on Ma Sandao,” Li Changqing tossed the dagger to Yan Botao and asked, “Do you recognize this thing?”

Yan Botao examined it for a long time, then clicked his tongue and said, “This is a Painting Treasure.”

“A Painting Treasure?” Li Changqing was surprised; he had seen Mu Qingge take out a Painting Treasure before and had seen other Painting Treasures, and asked in astonishment, “Aren’t Painting Treasures supposed to be within scrolls?”

“Not necessarily.”

Yan Botao explained, “Normally, Painting Treasures are indeed within scrolls, but they can also exist independently of them.”

“But if they leave the scroll, the spiritual power contained is fixed, and once expended, the Painting Treasure becomes useless.”

“If they remain within the scroll, they can draw on the spiritual power of heaven and earth through the scroll, continuously replenishing the Painting Treasure, allowing for prolonged use.”

Li Changqing was enlightened, realizing the truth.

The scroll acts like a power bank for the Painting Treasure.

“How do you use this thing?” Li Changqing asked curiously.

“By infusing your Innate True Essence into it, you can use it,” Yan Botao returned the dagger to Li Changqing.

“Was last night’s issue handled?” Li Changqing put away the dagger.

“Just about,” Yan Botao said. “Now we just wait for the reactions of the other families; barring unforeseen circumstances, they should behave well now.”

“Hmm, a small Changting Town, divided among so many enterprises, without centralized management it won’t work,” Li Changqing said lightly. “Otherwise, how can we expand outward? Always nestling in this small town isn’t beneficial to the development of the Yan family.”

“Thank you, Great Patron, for your guidance,” Yan Botao said, very excited.

At the Dao Mountain’s ancient land.

Xu Muhai returned to Mu Hai Peak.

Only to find that Lord Zhou was staying at Mu Hai Peak.

“Master, you’re finally back. Junior Brother has had an accident!” Lord Zhou rushed to say upon seeing Xu Muhai return.

“What happened to Li Hengsheng!”

Hearing Li Hengsheng had an accident upon returning, Xu Muhai was almost scared to death.

If anything happened to Li Hengsheng, how would he explain to Li Changqing?

“Junior Brother went to Futu Pavilion for the first time and comprehended a new martial art, at the Painting Saint level!” Lord Zhou quickly said.

“Huh?”

Hearing this, Xu Muhai was stunned.

This is called an accident?

Wait a minute.

He comprehended a new martial art of the Painting Saint’s masterpiece?

Who?

Li Hengsheng?

“Which painting?” Xu Muhai couldn’t help but ask.

“Ten Thousand Green Wind and Sunset Map.”

“That painting?” Xu Muhai frowned slightly. There’s not much martial art in the Ten Thousand Green Wind and Sunset Map, but comprehending a Painting Saint masterpiece is still quite impressive.

“I’ll go to visit Cyan Rain Mountain,” Xu Muhai also wanted to see how Li Hengsheng’s cultivation was progressing lately.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep