Normally, for sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, outsiders would never be involved in internal conflicts.

But if the Celestial Charm Sect was involved, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau had the power to step in. Even the emperor himself didn’t have the authority to do so, but the Imperial Supervisory Bureau did.

The Imperial Supervisory Bureau had been established through a collaboration between the immortal sects and the imperial court, with the purpose of eradicating the various evil entities that plagued the nine provinces. When needed, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau could summon the immortal sects to join the fight at a moment’s notice. Disciples from the immortal sects would often join the Imperial Supervisory Bureau for training. As a result, the two entities shared a mutually dependent relationship.

The Celestial Charm Sect, being a group that caused chaos across the world, had always been a primary target of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

The Whale Gang, now split into two factions, was unable to resolve their internal conflict.

If both sides persisted in their claims and refused to back down, neither side would trust someone from the opposing faction to investigate the matter. It would be ideal if the trustworthy Imperial Supervisory Bureau intervened and conducted the investigation.

Both the people on Xu Bashan’s side and those on Jiang Shenting’s side would agree to it.

If anyone was against the Imperial Supervisory Bureau's investigation, it would likely be the one who had actually colluded with the Celestial Charm Sect.

And so, while Jiang Shenting verbally agreed, he secretly activated a divine technique.

As Li Chengfeng shouted, Jiang Shenting transformed into a sweeping whirlwind.

It was only when the others extended their divine senses and scanned the area that they realized this body of Jiang Shenting was a clone!

He had used the Immortal Art External Manifestation!

This immortal art not only allowed one to create a clone with cultivation similar to the original body, but it also enabled the clone to remain in place and maintain its posture while the true form escaped.

That was exactly what Jiang Shenting did. The moment Li Chengfeng entered the scene, he sensed that something was wrong and had his true form traverse the earth and escape.

With Li Chengfeng’s sharp senses, he noticed something amiss the moment the clone spoke.

Immediately, he went after the true form of Jiang Shenting.

Although Jiang Shenting traversed the earth quickly, Li Chengfeng had transformed into a whirlwind and was even faster.

In the blink of an eye, he had caught up to Jiang Shenting!

Though everything happened in an instant, Jiang Shenting had already escaped beyond Giant Whale Mountain Manor, and Li Chengfeng, from mid-air, slashed out a black line on the ground.

This cut off Jiang Shenting's passageway underground and he was forced to emerge from the ground.

As he was injured, he had no intention of fighting Li Chengfeng. In an instant, he multiplied into many clones and countless Jiang Shentings fled in all directions!

Scattered like stars across the sky!

Every eminent figure who had roamed the martial world for years possessed a unique escape technique, and this was Jiang Shenting's divine method of evasion. It wasn't merely a simple disguise; as long as one of his forms escaped, he could slip away unscathed!

Unfortunately for him, he ran into Li Chengfeng.

Li Chengfeng, clad in a white robe, suddenly multiplied into countless clones. Each wielded a sword and darted out with incredible speed, leaving behind a blur of afterimages that danced back and forth!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

In the blink of an eye, all of Jiang Shenting's forms were sliced apart.

The countless white shadows converged back into a single white-clad figure, now standing before the last true form of Jiang Shenting.

One strike!

Swoosh—

Jiang Shenting had no way to avoid it. As the swordlight flashed before his eyes, he realized in a daze that Li Chengfeng hadn't struck him directly but had instead created a black fissure behind him.

Then, Li Chengfeng kicked out.

Bang.

He sent Jiang Shenting hurtling straight into the fissure.

After all, Jiang Shenting had only recently achieved the seventh realm and stood little chance against these top-tier Eminent Ones.

After capturing Jiang Shenting, Li Chengfeng returned to Giant Whale Mountain Manor.

The elders of the Eastern Whale Division were immediately devastated. Many of them had no idea that Jiang Shenting was colluding with the Celestial Charm Sect; they truly believed him to be a righteous and talented leader.

As for who among them might have been Jiang Shenting's accomplices, that would have to await further investigation by the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

After handling the situation over there, Li Chengfeng approached Di Nufeng.

“Elder Sister Feng,” he called out.

“Oh, Little Feng,” Di Nufeng said as she smiled warmly at him. “I was the one who chased that little snake here, but it gave you a chance to achieve great merit.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” Li Chengfeng replied with an unusual degree of politeness. “However, since this matter involves you and your disciple, we may need to ask for more details afterward.”

"No problem, I'm happy to stop by the Imperial Supervisory Bureau to cooperate with your investigation," Di Nufeng responded confidently. Then, she suddenly asked, "How’s Little Yu doing? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Li Chengfeng replied.

"Hehe..." Di Nufeng grinned. "It's been so many years since I last saw her. I miss her so much."

Li Chengfeng's expression immediately became wary as he responded, "We've been married for a long time."

"She's married now?" Di Nufeng's smile grew even brighter.[1]

"..." Li Chengfeng looked utterly shocked and confused.

Chu Liang, standing nearby, wanted to suggest that his esteemed teacher tone it down a bit. However, as a junior, he knew better than to interject while his teacher was conversing with someone else.

Just then, Li Chengfeng's gaze shifted to him, perhaps to steer the conversation or out of genuine interest.

"This must be your disciple?" he remarked. "I've heard of how he slayed the Taowu with the Violet and Azure Twin Swords during the Mount Shu battle. And now he's subdued the South Sea Inferno Dragon. As expected, the heroes of tomorrow are found among the youth of today."

Chu Liang quickly responded modestly.

"Hehe," Di Nufeng chuckled as she gave Chu Liang a pat on the shoulder. She then said, "He's my disciple. Of course he will take after me."

"Hmm..." Li Chengfeng blinked and then said, "I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

Since the Inferno Dragon was mentioned, Chu Liang decided to go take a closer look at this massive creature.

After having its head stepped on by Di Nufeng, the Inferno Dragon obediently lay on the ground, not daring to move recklessly.

In truth, it naturally disliked the aura around Di Nufeng. After all, both the Inferno Dragon and the Divine Phoenix were celestial beasts of the fire path, and they had always been rivals.

But it didn't dare to act aggressively toward her.

It lay there, feeling aggrieved.

Chu Liang stepped forward and looked into its golden eyes as he asked, "Do you want to come home with me? The Mount Shu Sect is big and comfortable..."

"Roar..." The South-Sea Inferno Dragon seemed to have thought about it with its limited intelligence but ultimately shook its head.

Chu Liang sighed softly. As expected, it was a proud True Dragon, not something that could be easily subdued. If it had followed him that easily, there wouldn't be only three sects in the world guarded by True Dragons.

If he could take this dragon back to the Silver Sword Peak, the Silver Sword Peak would be guarded by two vicious beasts—his teacher and the Inferno Dragon. Who would dare provoke them?

Unfortunately, this beautiful vision could only remain a fantasy.

The Inferno Dragon let out a low hum, then opened its mouth and released a crimson-gold glow that shot toward Chu Liang. He felt a warm current flow through his body, finally settling on his wrist with a sizzling sound.

Chu Liang raised his wrist and saw a patch of crimson-gold scales on his right wrist.

This is...

Did the Inferno Dragon just impart knowledge to me?

Chu Liang had previously experienced receiving the teachings of the White Dragon, so he immediately recognized what this was. It was the foundation of the Inferno Dragon’s cultivation. With this, he would be able to cultivate the Art of the Inferno Dragon, which was entirely different from the White Dragon’s technique.

The White Dragon’s technique enhanced his qi and blood, which Chu Liang referred to as the Secret Dragon Blood Technique. The purpose of this technique was to strengthen his physical strength.

But the Dao of the Inferno Dragon was like a fire seed. This was the cultivation of Divine Dragon Fire.

In essence, what the Inferno Dragon had given him was like a fire seed.

It became clear that each True Dragon had a unique cultivation path, much like how humans cultivated different arts and techniques.

At present, Chu Liang’s cultivation levels were quite varied.

Roughly, he was at the peak of the fourth realm with Mount Shu’s techniques, the second realm with the White Dragon’s techniques, and the first realm with the Inferno Dragon’s techniques…

After bestowing the crimson scale upon Chu Liang, the Inferno Dragon raised its head and let out a long cry, then soared into the sky, flying southward.

This commotion caught the attention of everyone around.

On the other side, Xu Bashan had just finished dealing with the gang’s matters. Seeing the scene unfold, he remarked, "It’s all thanks to Chu Liang and that Inferno Dragon that you and I are able to reunite."

"Indeed," Xu Hongqiu said as she nodded gently in agreement.

Xu Bashan suddenly asked, "What do you think of Young Hero Chu as a person?"

"Hmm?" Xu Hongqiu was caught off guard by the sudden question. She hesitated for a moment, lowering her gaze before softly replying, "I don’t really know; I’ve only interacted with him once or twice. He seems gentle and refined, but sometimes there's a hint of cunning about him, and at other times, he appears quite heroic..."

"I’d like for the two of you to have a more intimate relationship. Would you be willing to do that?"

"Ah, this...?" Xu Hongqiu’s eyes flickered with a touch of panic. "Where did this come from...? It’s not that I’m unwilling, but it all feels a bit too sudden. After all, we’ve only met twice... Of course, I’ll leave the decision to you, but..."

"Oh, come now, we're people of the martial world. Why overthink it?" Xu Bashan waved his hand dismissively and strode over to Chu Liang.

As he approached, he laughed heartily and said, "Brother Chu, today, you alone saved the lives of my daughter and me. I won’t waste words on thanking you...

"I, Xu Bashan, propose we become sworn brothers. Even though we bear different surnames, we will be brothers nonetheless. What do you think?"

Ha? Xu Hongqiu was utterly bewildered.

1. Remember that tiger that loves married women? Same situation applies here. ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT

LD: Here’s a reminder that “intimate” has more than one meaning… There’s the intimacy of friendship… and, of course, the one that Xu Hongqiu was thinking about. :p

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