The burly cultivator, frightened nearly to the point of losing his soul, hurriedly dashed out of the crowd. He fell to his knees before Fang Chen, repeatedly kowtowing and explaining, "I have no connection with Deacon Miao. Senior, please investigate thoroughly!"

Fang Chen nodded. "Those who assist the offenders are equally as guilty.”

The burly cultivator’s face turned ashen. Many nearby cultivators averted their gazes, feeling a sense of guilt and discomfort.

"You don’t need to argue. You’ve been targeting my sect recently. Looks like Deacon Miao had bribed you," Elder Xu said, approaching with his long knife.

The cultivator’s eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce intent. "Damn it! If I die, I’ll take someone down with me!”

Like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, he unleashed a terrifying burst of power.

Elder Xu was caught off guard, and the long knife was swiftly snatched away. However, before the cultivator could strike, the knife seemed to develop its own consciousness and directly pierced through his chest.

His vitality seeped away. With a thud, he fell to the ground. The long knife also vanished immediately.

He had forgotten that this knife was merely a product formed from Fang Chen’s metal element energy.

"Elder Xu, remember that no matter who you face, even if they have surrendered, never let your guard down," Fang Chen said softly.

Elder Xu’s face turned pale upon hearing this. He nodded quickly. "I was indeed too careless."

***

"Surnamed Li, are you going to tell me or not? How did you know about the danger of my ambush? How did the Langya Clan get the news beforehand?"

"You say you're not a spy—who would believe that? If you had confessed properly, you wouldn’t have to suffer this kind of punishment."

In a secluded courtyard of the Parting Fiery Dao Sect, Li Daoye was stripped naked and bound to a stone pillar. He was almost completely covered in wounds.

A young man with a dark expression stood before him, holding a whip that exuded a spiritual aura, clearly not an ordinary item.

Nearby, many young disciples of the Parting Fiery Dao Sect stood watching with smirks on their faces, occasionally chatting and pointing at Li Daoye.

Li Daoye’s eyes were wide with disbelief. "Didn't I tell you? Are you dumb? I can use a Divination Technique. I predicted that your journey would be dangerous, but you insisted on going against my advice, causing harm not only to others but also to my master!"

How could there be such a fool in the world?

Someone sneered, "What nonsense technique is that? You’re just at the Foundation Building Realm. How can you foresee something at the Golden Core Realm? If there were no spies among us, the Young Sect Master’s mission would have been foolproof! Besides your master, he had also brought another Golden Core Realm cultivator. How hard is it to suppress a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator?"

"Exactly. Divination Technique? It’s just a trick to deceive mortals. We cultivators don’t fall for such lies!"

"Young Sect Master, I think we should just execute him and the remaining Grand Thousand Dao Sect cultivators. Keeping them would only pose a threat to us."

"Execute them all? That won’t do. They still have their uses. Many of the superiors are keeping an eye on them. Had it not been for the current war between the Qin and Langya Clans, it would have been difficult for us to get a hold of them," the young man said with a slight shake of his head.

"Since that's the case, why are you still holding me? Release me and give me a few healing pills," Li Daoye demanded.

"Release you? You caused me to fail this mission. I was on the verge of capturing a significant figure from the Langya Clan. If I had succeeded, how much do you think would be rewarded to our sect?"

The young man sneered. "Even though we must keep your sect around, it doesn’t mean I’m afraid to take action against you. Since you know the Divination Technique, why not use it to predict whether I will kill you or not? If you get it right, you live. If you get it wrong, well… then you die."

Li Daoye’s expression changed. "Are you for real?"

"Hahaha—"

Laughter erupted. They looked at Li Daoye as if he were a fool.

The young man nodded seriously. "It’s true. As long as you can predict it correctly.”

"Very well," Li Daoye replied.

He closed his eyes slowly, and strands of white mist began to appear around him, swirling around him. After a while, the mist entered his seven orifices.

Watching this scene, the mocking expressions in the eyes of those around him grew stronger. Such lowly tricks were something they were all familiar with. This kind of charade was merely a way to deceive ordinary people.

"Have you figured it out?" the young man asked with a faint smile.

Li Daoye suddenly opened his eyes, exclaiming with joy, "I won't be dying today!"

"Oh? You made a mistake in your calculations," the young man replied with a shake of his head. "Like I said earlier, you die if you get it wrong."

With that, the young man produced a long sword from thin air and aimed it straight at Li Daoye’s forehead.

Li Daoye looked bewildered. "Did I really make a mistake?"

At that moment, a surge of spiritual energy swept through, instantly knocking the sword from the young man’s hand.

Everyone was momentarily stunned and turned to see the source of the interference. They quickly began to bow and pay their respects.

"Greetings, Ancestor!" they all shouted.

They immediately recognized Wu Cuocai’s identity and the figures behind him, including Sect Leader Zhang and others. They were surprised and concerned.

Did this matter attract the attention of the Ancestor?

The young man looked uncertain, noticing that his father was signaling him. He was confused about what was happening.

Li Daoye was overjoyed as he spotted Fang Chen among the crowd and hurriedly called out, "My lord, I'm here!"

"Daoist Li, what are you saying? This is Martial Uncle," Elder Xu scolded immediately.

Li Daoye quickly corrected himself. "Yes, yes, that’s Martial Uncle."

Li Daoye looked at the young man with a smirk. "See? I told you, I’ve divined that I won’t be dying today."

The young man and others looked on with uncertainty.

"Ancestor, Father... what is going on?" the young man asked in a low voice.

"Put him down first."

Before Wu Cuocai could speak, Sect Leader Zhang commanded sternly, "Who allowed you to torture him? The matter is still under investigation, and you have no evidence. How dare you treat a Daoist from the Grand Thousand Dao Sect like this?"

The young man was slightly startled. He understood his father’s temperament well. His father’s reaction indicated that the Grand Thousand Dao Sect had a powerful backing. This backing was strong enough to make them reconsider their approaches.

He glanced at Fang Chen and ordered his subordinates to release Li Daoye.

Remembering that he was naked, Li Daoye hurriedly grabbed a Daoist robe from a nearby Parting Fiery Dao Sect disciple before putting it on and rushing to Fang Chen’s side.

"Daoist Fang, now that the misunderstanding is fully resolved and no one has been harmed, we can consider it a happy ending," Wu Cuocai said with a smile.

Fang Chen remained indifferent, and coldly addressed the young man, "Tell me, did you see Pei Qingfeng die with your own eyes?"

The young man’s eyes shifted. "You are?"

Sect Leader Zhang’s face darkened with anger. "When he asks you a question, you answer it. Speak up!"

"Yes, Father!" the young man replied, a trace of nervousness in his voice.

He nodded and answered, "I don’t know if he’s alive or not.”

He glanced at Li Daoye. “All I know is that someone leaked our ambush."

"Martial Uncle, this kid is a fool who doesn’t listen to anyone but himself. I warned him that this mission would be dangerous, but he refused to listen and even threatened Master. If Master did not go, he would have acted against me and Elder Xu." Li Daoye sneered. "It’s his fault Master got captured."

"Captured?"

Fang Chen looked at Li Daoye, who slightly nodded.

Fang Chen understood that Pei Qingfeng was likely still alive. Li Daoye might be unreliable in some respects, but his divination skills were impressive.

Fang Chen smiled. "Little Wu, you heard it. It’s his fault that my nephew has been captured. Once you deal with him, our misunderstandings will be resolved."

Wu Cuocai was momentarily stunned.

Sect Leader Zhang's face showed a mix of shock and anger. Suppressing his rage, he clasped his hands and said, "Senior, my son is indeed incompetent, but he doesn’t deserve to lose his life."

The young man finally realized that Fang Chen intended to take his life. "Father, Ancestor, what is going on here!? How can our sect allow anyone to casually come and bully us?"

What kind of joke is this?

"How can you be even less than junior? He is right. Our sect will not tolerate being bullied by outsiders."

An elderly figure had appeared suddenly behind the group, sighing softly.

Wu Cuocai and the others were overjoyed upon seeing the newcomer.

The strongest person in the Parting Fiery Dao Sect had emerged!