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

Chapter 316 Fishing
Chen Zhan observed their reactions, gently stroking the blood-red relic in his sleeve with his fingertips, and slowly said, "I only guessed it based on clues. Wang An, a young eunuch who entered the palace in his teens, was able to climb step by step to the position of Grand Eunuch, in control of the Eastern Depot, and wield power over the court for decades. This was not only due to his ruthlessness, but also to the absolute trust of the current emperor."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xu Long's hand gripping the Seven Star Sword, and continued, "Furthermore, his Flaming True Skill is no ordinary martial art. It is domineering and fierce, and its cultivation is extremely taxing. Without a massive amount of rare and precious materials and a continuous supply of royal resources, even with the highest talent, it would be impossible for a eunuch like him to reach the intermediate stage of the Profound Realm."

These words hit the nail on the head. Xu Long and Shen Tong were both veterans in the court and naturally knew the difficulties of martial arts cultivation.

After reaching the Innate Realm, the resources required for each subsequent advancement are astronomical. Wang An, a mere eunuch, would never have achieved such cultivation without the emperor's secret support.

"He went to great lengths to set up Guangyuan Temple, determined to obtain the method to activate the Buddha's relic."

"It's probably not just for his own breakthrough. The current emperor has been bedridden with illness for many years, and his body is already depleted. Wang An's thoughts about the old emperor are probably not just loyalty between the emperor and his subject. He wants the relic, most likely because he wants to use the blood and essence within it to prolong the emperor's life."

"So, instead of rummaging through the Eastern Depot's chests and cabinets or waiting for Liu Ting, the Yunnan General, to return to the capital, why not... ask His Majesty, right?"

The air in the sealed room was completely frozen, and even the sound of the night patrol's clapper seemed unable to penetrate.

Shen Tong's Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Sweat beaded on Xu Long's forehead. Chen Zhan was right, but these words could only be kept in his heart. If they were spoken aloud, it would be a heinous crime that would implicate nine generations of his family.

Xu Long was already losing control of his anger. Chen Zhan was a wanted criminal, yet he had spoken disrespectfully to His Majesty.

"Your Excellency, isn't this going a bit too far? Although His Majesty is frail and sickly, such slander is unacceptable!"

As soon as Xu Long finished speaking, a powerful aura surged around him, and the true energy of the Profound Realm was released outwards without reservation.

The blue brick floor of the secret room began to tremble slightly, the cold tea on the table rippled, and even the candlelight was forced to shake violently by an invisible force, almost going out.

He no longer concealed his cultivation level. His eyes were wide open, the Seven Star Sword hummed, and the patterns on the scabbard glowed faintly. He was like a volcano about to erupt, exuding a terrifying pressure.

Chen Zhan remained seated, motionless, as if the overwhelming true energy was merely a gentle breeze.

He glanced at Xu Long, his tone as indifferent as if he were commenting on an ordinary object: "I didn't expect the Commander to be a master of profound knowledge, but he is indeed much inferior to Wang An."

These words were like a needle, instantly piercing Xu Long's imposing aura.

Shen Tong, standing to the side, was even more shocked, his pupils shrinking sharply. He had known Xu Long for some time, yet he had never realized that his superior was a master of the Tongxuan Realm.

However, given that he hasn't reached the Innate Realm, this is normal.

Xu Long's face turned ashen from Chen Zhan's mockery, the veins on his sword-wielding hand bulging, and he shouted sharply:
"Outside the Heavenly Prison, there are thousands of Eastern Depot agents at your disposal, and thousands of Embroidered Uniform Guards deployed in layers of defense. Add to that my profound cultivation, and if we fight to the death, do you think I can't wear you down?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhan suddenly chuckled softly: "Why risk it?"

"If I want to leave, the eighteen-story prison can't stop me, and even the Forbidden City in the imperial palace can't confine me."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xu Long's tense face. "The old emperor only sent you to arrest me because he wanted some psychological comfort after his trusted confidant died. You don't really think you can catch me, do you?"

These words were too blunt, directly exposing the true nature of the imperial court's arrest.

Xu Long felt a surge of blood rush to his head and roared, "You!!! You're too arrogant! Who are you? Do you want to overthrow the Ming Dynasty? Are you a Mongol spy or a Jurchen traitor!"

The confrontation between experts at the Tongxuan Realm was already on the verge of erupting, and now, provoked by Chen Zhan's few words, it completely spiraled out of control. The air in the secret room seemed to be ignited by the two people's aura.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Shen Tong broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said, "Gentlemen, fighting here will not benefit either of you, so why bother?"

In fact, both Xu Long and Shen Tong knew that if a real fight broke out, the Eastern Depot could certainly mobilize thousands of troops, but if they fought desperately, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot would inevitably suffer heavy losses, and neither of them could bear that responsibility.

Whether they can severely injure or kill Chen Zhan remains to be seen.

Xu Long's eyes twitched violently. He weighed the pros and cons in an instant and suppressed his true energy, but then Chen Zhan made an excessive request.

This caused his anger to surge again.

Chen Zhan laughed and said, "Since we're not going to fight, bring out the martial arts manuals treasured by the Eastern Depot for us to see."

Xu Long slammed his hand down on the stone table with a loud "smack," causing it to shake and dust to fall. But this time he didn't use his true energy: "Does Your Excellency consider the Eastern Depot your own home?"

Seeing Xu Long slamming his fist on the table in anger, Chen Zhan was not annoyed at all. Instead, he composed himself, his previously nonchalant expression softening, and spoke calmly:
"Commander, don't be impatient. I am not a robber who forcibly takes things. Since you have asked for something, I naturally have something worthwhile to offer in exchange."

Upon hearing this, Xu Long's tense expression eased slightly, and he quickly exchanged a glance with Shen Tong.

Both of them understood that if Chen Zhan really wanted to seize it by force, he wouldn't have shown himself to them earlier; he would have simply sneaked into the East Depot's warehouse and taken action.

Seeing this, Shen Tong quickly chimed in, "Senior, why don't you tell me your conditions? If they are reasonable, the commander is not an unreasonable person."

Chen Zhan nodded slightly: "The conditions are very simple. Wang An is dead, and your Embroidered Uniform Guard has received the imperial order, so you have to give the emperor an explanation. Now it is rumored in the martial arts world that the Demonic Sect is the culprit, so let the Demonic Sect be the 'scapegoat'. No, it's not entirely a scapegoat."

"I did kill Wang An, but the Demonic Sect was also involved in the Guangyuan Temple affair, so they can't escape responsibility. I'll help you completely wipe out the Demonic Sect's forces and clean up the mess left by Wang An's death, how about that?"

The candlelight in the secret room illuminated Chen Zhan's face. His words both clarified the facts and offered the safest solution. Upon hearing this, Xu Long's pupils contracted slightly, and his mind raced with calculations.

Eradicating the demonic cult has been a long-held wish of the imperial court, but the cult's influence is deeply entrenched and many experts are lurking in the shadows, making it difficult to completely eliminate.

Now that Chen Zhan has taken the initiative to take action, with his strength, he will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort. If the explanation for Wang An's death can be attributed to the chaos caused by the Demonic Sect, it will not only save face for the court but also give the emperor a way out. This is much more reliable than exposing Chen Zhan, this "ancient beast".

Shen Tong instantly understood the crux of the matter: "Senior, are you serious? Are you willing to help us wipe out the Demonic Sect?"

"Of course I take it seriously."

"However, the two branches of the Demonic Sect are quite different. The Southeast Asian Demonic Sect went too far, so we just wiped them out and massacred them. The Persian Holy Sect is better; they haven't caused any trouble in the Central Plains in recent years."

The two understood Chen Zhan's meaning and nodded, saying, "Being far away in Persia, far from the Central Plains, is not a big deal."

Chen Zhan then asked, "Any clues about the Demonic Sect?"

Shen Tong had been in charge of the Eastern Depot for over a day and naturally had figured out what happened at Guangyuan Temple that day.

On that day, Wang An ordered the Eastern Depot agents to escort the members of the Demonic Sect away first. They were robbed at the foot of the mountain, and both Dharma Kings were taken away. The perpetrators were three people, one woman and two men.

The woman is the most skilled in martial arts, with a ghostly figure and a strange sonic technique that is impossible to defend against.

Dozens of agents from the Eastern Depot were killed, but not a single enemy was spared.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that the woman is definitely a member of the Demonic Sect, and the techniques and martial arts she uses all come from the Demonic Sect.

After listening to Shen Tong's account and combining it with the news he had heard the night before, Chen Zhan roughly guessed the situation of the Nanyang Demonic Sect. The Holy Maiden had the highest martial arts skills, and the rest were various Dharma Kings and ordinary followers.

"The other party should still be near the capital. Try to lure them out," Chen Zhan said.

"Huh? Me?"

Shen Tong gave a wry smile and shook his head helplessly: "That's probably not easy. The higher-ups of the Demonic Sect are all as cunning as foxes, extremely vigilant, and their whereabouts are unpredictable. Let alone luring them out on their own, even if we were to search for them, it would be difficult to find their traces. Not to mention that their martial arts skills are extremely high. If we are not careful, we will suffer losses."

His words were not an excuse. Over the years, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot had joined forces to suppress the Demonic Sect, but each time they had mobilized a large force and achieved little. This was because the Demonic Sect's leaders were too good at hiding and were ruthless and decisive. Once they sensed something was wrong, they would immediately withdraw and never give anyone the opportunity to surround them.

Over the years, several members of the church have been arrested, but none of the higher-ups have been arrested.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhan said nothing more, but simply tossed a round object towards Shen Tong, carrying a wisp of warm air.

Shen Tong subconsciously reached out to take it, and his hand touched something warm and smooth, with a faint flow of qi and blood. When he looked down, his pupils suddenly dilated, and he even stopped breathing for a moment.

Lying in his palm was none other than the blood-red Buddha relic that Chen Zhan had taken out earlier!
"this…"

Shen Tong felt the warmth in his palm, and the touch subtly stirred his own blood and qi. He had seen Chen Zhan place it on the table before, but he didn't dare to take it. Now that he had it in his hand, he instantly understood that this thing was definitely not fake.

Chen Zhan leaned back in his chair, his expression calm. "Using this should be easier, right?"

Xu Long was also somewhat flustered, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He had been in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for many years and had seen many rare treasures, but the entire Ming Dynasty knew how precious the Buddha Relic was. Wang An had set up a grand scheme at Guangyuan Temple for the method of opening it, and the three Buddhist sects and the demonic sects had fought bloody battles for it.

Chen Zhan, however, threw it out directly as bait.

Xu Long and Shen Tong exchanged a glance, both seeing interest in each other's eyes.

Indeed, with the Buddha's relic as bait, let alone the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult, even the most hidden high-ranking members of the Demonic Cult would be unable to resist coming to their door.

They already knew the origin of the relic, and such a treasure would probably be more beneficial to the members of the demonic sect.

"Senior...you trust me so much?" Shen Tong asked in surprise.

Shen Tong tightened his grip on the relic, a hint of worry creeping into his heart: "But this relic is far too precious. If it falls into the hands of the Demonic Sect, I fear..."

"It's alright, use the relics as you like, I'll take care of it if you lose them," Chen Zhan said with a smile.

Chen Zhan had already refined more than half of the blood and energy within the relic, creating a bloodline connection that he could sense no matter where the relic was.

If he were actually robbed, Chen Zhan would have an even easier time coming to his door.

Chen Zhan's confident tone instantly put Xu Long and Shen Tong's minds at ease.

“Good, with this relic, it’s only a matter of time before we draw out the Demonic Sect,” Shen Tong said.

"Now, can we take a look at the martial arts manuals collected by the Eastern Depot?" Chen Zhan asked Xu Long.

(End of this chapter)