Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 295 The Whereabouts of the Two Relics

"You...you are..."

When Zhou Miaoyun heard that familiar tone, she was first stunned, and memories flooded back like a tide.

Back then in the dilapidated house, the mysterious person whose body was charred black and unable to move, who could only communicate with her through ventriloquism, spoke in this very tone and manner.

Now, however, it's no longer a dull, diaphragmatic voice; it's clear and steady, yet she still recognizes it quickly.

"It's you?"

"You...you've recovered?"

Zhou Miaoyun's eyes widened as her gaze swept over Chen Zhan's mask. Chen Zhan was completely different from the charred-faced man she had seen before.

When she took Chen Zhan in, she was covered in wounds, her skin was charred and black, and her breathing was extremely slow and weak, making her seem almost inhuman.

She and Ding Baiying both privately referred to Chen Zhan as "weirdo".

But now that people are face to face, you can't say things like that.

Chen Zhan smiled faintly and nodded, saying, "Thank you for taking me in back then, young lady. I'm fine now."

Ding Baiying's grip on the long sword loosened slightly, her eyes filled with shock.

Although she had never spoken directly with Chen Zhan, she had seen him once when he was in the bamboo house. Later, when Jin Yichuan infiltrated the Embroidered Uniform Guard, at Zhou Miaoyun's request, Jin Yichuan also paid close attention to Chen Zhan.

Later, Chen Zhan took the initiative to leave the imperial prison and even sought out Jin Yichuan.

Ding Baiying recalled the day she overheard 'Black Stone's' interrogation, was then chased by King Yama, and was later rescued by a mysterious master. The next day, Jin Yichuan came to report that Chen Zhan had disappeared and had come to him to inquire about Guangyuan Temple.

Then, recalling the Black Stone's destruction a few days ago and the corpse of King Yama hanging on the city wall.

Jin Yichuan had also reported on the matter of King Chakravartin, but Shen Tong told his subordinates that King Chakravartin was killed with the help of a mysterious expert, without mentioning any information about the mysterious expert.

Jin Yichuan naturally didn't know either, but it wasn't hard to guess.

What a coincidence!

Chen Zhan is probably the one hiding in the end, waiting for his chance. King Yama will likely die at Chen Zhan's hands.

Ding Baiying understood everything in an instant.

"Thank you for your help that day." Ding Baiying sheathed her long sword, bowed deeply to Chen Zhan, and spoke sincerely.
“If it weren’t for you stopping King Yama, the three of us would have died on the spot.”

"The Wheel King, he must have died at your hands, right?"

Chen Zhan nodded and went inside.

“Miss Zhou has been kind to me. Saving you was just a coincidence, nothing special.”

Ding Xiu and Ding Tai also struggled to sit up, their eyes filled with awe as they looked at Chen Zhan. They still vividly remembered the terror of the Wheel King that day.

The four of them worked together, but were tricked by King Yama.

Now, Chen Zhan himself has admitted that the death of King Zhuanlun was related to him.

Chen Zhan sat down inside the room, and the others dared not neglect him. Chen Zhan gestured for them to make themselves at home before continuing to apply the medicine.

“Miss Zhou, I was seriously injured at the time, and you came to my rescue. I will remember this kindness.”

Zhou Miaoyun shook her head: "I saved you once, but you have saved us several times. And we abandoned you back then. I hope you don't blame us."

"It's alright, it's actually better to recuperate in the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Speaking of this, Chen Zhan continued, "How did you end up in such a predicament?"

Chen Zhan roughly knew their purpose, or rather, Ding Baiying was among the first to know that the "Buddha's Relic" was in Guangyuan Temple, but knowing it was one thing, they didn't have the strength to obtain it.

Mentioning this matter, Ding Baiying's face flashed with a hint of hatred and helplessness as she slowly said, "When we learned about the relic that day, we already knew that we could not touch it. Guangyuan Temple is a sacred Buddhist site. Let alone those at the Acquired Realm, even those at the Innate Realm would have a ten-fold chance of death if they went there."

"But I was unwilling to give up, so I thought I would come here to see what was going on. After the various forces fought and both sides were injured, I might be able to fish in troubled waters. Even if I couldn't, it would be good to see the Wheel King killed."

"Moreover, the Eastern Depot will also be coming."

She paused here, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Everyone knows that my Qi family has a great feud with the Eastern Depot, so I want to take this opportunity to deal with the Eastern Depot agents!"

Chen Zhan roughly understood the group's route over the past few days, but Ding Baiying hadn't yet explained how she got injured.

Ding Baiying took a deep breath, her fingertips clenched until they turned white, her tone filled with barely concealed disgust: "We hid in the dilapidated temple outside the town for many days, only daring to sneak into the town late at night to gather information, and we were never exposed. When we returned from the town during the day, just after 9 pm, we vaguely heard screams coming from the neighboring Li family village. The sound was extremely shrill, unlike ordinary fighting."

“We didn’t want to meddle, but the screams were so loud and clear, mixed with the cries of women and children, that we couldn’t bear to watch.”

She paused, her Adam's apple bobbing, as if recalling the horrific scene: "When I arrived at the village entrance, I saw blood everywhere, several houses burned black, and three strange men in dark red robes holding down villagers and sucking their blood!"

"Two other people were holding copper bowls and drawing blood from the remaining villagers. The blood in the bowls was black, and they were chanting something like, 'Offering to the Dharma King to help him break through!'"

Zhou Miaoyun's face turned pale, and she interjected, "Those people... they're not human at all. Their teeth are sharp and long, and they make a 'gurgling' sound when they suck human blood. Their eyes are green and it makes your scalp tingle."

"Seeing this, we had no choice but to launch a sneak attack," Ding Xiu said through gritted teeth.

"Ding Tai knocked one down with his iron shield, and I took the opportunity to stab him in the back with my sword. But the strange man only let out a scream and turned around to try to pounce on me again. In the end, my master finished him off with a blow."

Ding Baiying picked up the conversation, a hint of apprehension flashing in her eyes: "The remaining four people's martial arts are extremely strange, their moves are insidious, and they even carry a bloody smell, as if they have cultivated some kind of demonic art. Their lightness skill is even more bizarre, their feet seem to generate wind, and their speed is ridiculously fast. Even when the three of us joined forces, we couldn't even touch the hem of their clothes."

"They don't fight us head-on, they just ambush us from the shadows. Their palm strikes are rotten and make your veins go numb just from being grazed by them."

“I blocked one of their palms, and now my internal energy is disordered, I feel cold all over, and I can’t muster any strength. We fought and retreated, and it took us three miles to shake them off. If it weren’t for Miss Zhou finding this house, we would probably be dead in the wilderness by now.”

These words were spoken by Ding Xiu. After he finished speaking, he revealed his back, on which was a clear palm print, bluish-black, emanating a chilling aura.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Chen Zhan's eyes.

'Dark red robes, drinking human blood, offering sacrifices to the Dharma King…'

Han Tiange once said that the Nanyang lineage practiced demonic arts and acted extremely, and now it seems that they are even more evil than rumored.

"Were those people wearing iron rings engraved with skulls on their hands?" Chen Zhan asked. "Exactly! How did you know, Mr. Chen?" Ding Baiying was taken aback, then nodded.

"They are members of the Southeast Asian heretical sect."

"The Demonic Sect??? They've already reached the vicinity of the capital?" Ding Baiying's expression changed drastically.

The Demonic Cult had been wreaking havoc along the coast for several months. The Embroidered Uniform Guard sent a commander of a thousand men to investigate, and later sent two more commanders of a hundred men, but both were wiped out.

Ding Baiying had heard Jin Yichuan mention this matter, but since it happened on the coast, she hadn't paid much attention to it.

Meanwhile, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also preoccupied with events such as the Black Stone assassination attempt, and could only focus on the vicinity of the capital.

But what I didn't expect was how quickly the evil cult acted.

“The villagers of Lijiazhuang…” Zhou Miaoyun’s eyes reddened and her voice choked with emotion.

"I'm afraid there are no survivors."

Chen Zhan's tone was calm, yet carried a hint of coldness, "The Nanyang Demonic Sect acts ruthlessly and leaves no survivors. Their appearance at this time is to prepare for the Guangyuan Temple Conference tomorrow."

If my guess is correct, practicing demonic arts leads to rapid progress, but it also has various side effects.

The Nanyang evil cult would not have shown itself unless forced to, especially not in such a serious case as drinking human blood.

"Is the Demonic Sect also after the Buddha's Relic?" Ding Baiying asked.

Having spent a long time traveling the martial world, she naturally knew of the infamous reputation of the Demonic Sect. It was said that several villages along the coast had already been completely wiped out.

Thinking back to the methods used during the day, it really did resemble the actions of the legendary demonic cult.

Chen Zhan's fingertips traced the edge of the table, his expression unchanged. Since Ding Baiying had asked such a question, it meant that she did not know the connection between the Demonic Sect and the relic. Chen Zhan did not intend to reveal it to the others.

"Miss Zhou, hurry up and leave. With your cultivation at the Acquired Realm, you're not even cannon fodder in this competition."

Ding Baiying fell silent.

How could she not know her own inadequacy? Back then, even the four of them combined were no match for King Yama. Now that all the forces have gathered, it's even less their place as acquired experts.

However, the deep-seated hatred between the Qi family and the Eastern Depot left her with a lingering sense of resentment.

“What you say is absolutely right, sir.” Ding Baiying nodded slowly. “Tomorrow I will take them to the capital, away from this place of trouble, and no longer hope to fish in troubled waters.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Miaoyun's face showed a hint of relief. She had never wanted Ding Baiying and the other two to be in danger again, but now that Chen Zhan had persuaded her, she could finally put her mind at ease.

Chen Zhan got up to leave. He needed to meet up with Han Tiange tomorrow and head to Guangyuan Temple, so there was no need to stay any longer.

As he turned to leave, Ding Baiying suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Chen, please wait!"

Chen Zhan turned around, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Ding Baiying took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and said in a deep voice, "Since you are so deeply involved with the matter of the relic, perhaps I have something that can be of some benefit to you."

She looked at Zhou Miaoyun, and seeing the latter nod in agreement, she continued, "My ancestor, Qi Jiguang, was a strange man. In the ancestral records he left behind, there is a story about a strange event."

"Decades ago, our ancestor led the navy to patrol the East China Sea. In a cave on a deserted island, he discovered a fist-sized spherical object. It was pure white, warm to the touch, and would not get wet even when soaked in seawater."

"Our ancestor thought it was an ordinary treasure, nothing particularly extraordinary, so he brought it back to the army for safekeeping and didn't pay much attention to it."

Ding Baiying said solemnly, "But later, the Qi family was framed by the Eastern Depot, the whole family was executed, and all the property in the mansion was confiscated. The spherical object also fell into the hands of Wang An, the then director of the Eastern Depot."

"Last year, while organizing my ancestors' notes, we found some more information. My ancestors carefully examined the information and concluded that the bright white bead was very likely the legendary Buddha relic that has been passed down for hundreds of years!"

But at this point, Ding Baiying became somewhat puzzled: "It is said that relics can revive the dead and restore flesh to bones, which is quite similar to the spherical object described by our ancestor. However, according to our ancestor's records, this object fell into the hands of the Eastern Depot, so how could it involve Putuo Temple and even Guangyuan Temple?"

Once items enter the Eastern Depot, regardless of their authenticity, they are extremely difficult to circulate again.

Chen Zhan's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

Wang An!

Moreover, Ding Baiying's words precisely confirmed Han Tiange's statement.

Relics were originally sacred objects of demonic cults, not Buddhist treasures.

The relic that Qi Jiguang discovered in the East China Sea may have been one of the lost relics of the Demonic Sect. It is unknown why it ended up on a deserted island and was acquired by the Qi family.

According to Han Tiange, three of the five relics have already been used, leaving two, which is just right.
One from Guangyuan Temple, and one in Wang An's possession!
"Are you sure that object is a completely white, spherical object?" Chen Zhan asked.
"It can't be wrong."

Ding Baiying affirmed, "Our ancestors' records contain illustrations of this object, and they also record that it can repel poisonous insects. Carrying it with you can calm your mind and make wounds heal faster, which perfectly matches the effects of a relic."

Chen Zhan remained silent for a moment, having already made up his mind.

"Thanks for letting me know."

"This matter is indeed useful to me. You will be heading to the capital tomorrow. You can keep this waist token as a backup. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will not make things difficult for you."

Chen Zhan gave Shen Tong's waist token to Ding Baiying and the others.

Shen Tong is now a favorite of Commander Xu Long, and his future is widely recognized as limitless. Everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard gives him some face.

And it was he who helped Shen Tong get his position.

This is nothing.

Ding Baiying bowed and thanked him, "Thank you for the reminder, sir. I will pay more attention later."

Chen Zhan said no more, put on the Impermanence Ghost Mask, and with a flicker, disappeared outside the door, leaving only a faint afterimage.

Inside the room, Ding Xiu looked in the direction Chen Zhan had left and couldn't help but say, "This man's martial arts skills are truly remarkable."

Ding Baiying sighed and said, "It's almost impossible for us to take revenge through martial arts unless His Highness gains power and we use the court's influence."

(End of this chapter)