Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 15 Life and Death Line

At the main gate of the courtyard, a middle-aged man in a gray robe appeared. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and his face exuded an air of authority. At this moment, a thin layer of anger appeared on his face.

Du Fan was on the side of the pavilion and was not discovered by the middle-aged man in gray robes, secretly feeling fortunate.

The man's figure blurred for a moment, and then he appeared in front of the attic room door. Without knocking, he kicked the door open, causing the woman inside to scream.

"Father, you... why are you here?" Wu Hao was clearly not expected to see this, and asked in a panic, somewhat at a loss.

"Why can't I come? Are you ashamed of what you've done?" the gray-robed middle-aged man snorted coldly, speaking irritably.

"Deacon Wu, I truly love Senior Brother Wu, I..." the woman in palace attire said in a trembling voice.

"Junior Sister Chu Qian, you are too shameless. For the sake of Steward Chu, you should leave immediately, and I will pretend I didn't see what happened tonight." The middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and turned his back to the two of them.

The room was quiet for the time being, with only the rustling sound of a woman dressing coming from inside.

"Niece takes her leave." After a while, Chu Qian straightened her clothes, walked nervously to the middle-aged man's side, bowed, and hurriedly walked away.

Du Fan held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

"Dad, at least let me finish before you come in." After Chu Qian left, Wu Hao was quite depressed and had nowhere to vent his frustration, feeling very stifled.

"You bastard, how dare you speak to me like that!" Wu Hao's father glared at him, exasperated.

"You know about my relationship with Junior Sister Chu Qian, so why are you interfering with me today? Do you really think Yao Ruoxi is your daughter-in-law?" Wu Hao asked, puzzled.

"That girl from the Yao family is only meant to be a sacrifice for your breakthrough, so I naturally don't care whether she lives or dies. However, you and I are well-known in the Zishan Sect, and almost everyone in the sect knows that you are about to marry a woman from the Yao family. If your shameful affair is discovered and spread at this time, it will be extremely detrimental to you, and even my reputation will be affected. You'd better not ruin things!" The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed, and his expression turned gloomy.

"Father, are you going to make a move? But the sect leader is at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and his strength is unfathomable. Besides, if the ancestor finds out, he probably won't let you off the hook, and there are three other Golden Core elders as well." Wu Hao's face lit up with joy at first, but after a moment of contemplation, he said with some worry.

"Hmph, what use is high cultivation if even his most trusted disciple is one of my people, secretly plotting against us? Then he'll be powerless to reverse the situation. As for the Ancestor and the three elders, you don't need to worry. They secretly left half a month ago and won't be back for a year. By the time they return, the situation will be settled. No matter who becomes the sect leader, as long as that person is a member of the Purple Mountain Sect and has the ability to bring glory to our sect, the Ancestor and elders won't mind who holds the position. When I, Wu Cangyuan, hold absolute power over the Purple Mountain Sect, that will be the time for you to live freely." Wu Cangyuan finished speaking and smiled arrogantly.

"But even if the sect leader falls, there are other people qualified to succeed him besides Father. Have you considered this matter, Father? Don't let us do the work for others." Wu Hao had calmed down and spoke in detail.

"Although our sect has dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators, only a handful are currently within the sect and qualified to compete for them. At this point, it will come down to their individual methods and strength, especially since this strength isn't limited to those within the sect but also extends to the outside world. This is another important reason why I'm so eager for you to marry the daughter of the Yao family. The Yao family is usually insignificant in the eyes of our Purple Mountain Sect, but at crucial moments, they can be a bargaining chip for measuring strength. So, at this critical juncture, you brat, don't cause any trouble. Bear with it. Once things are settled, you can do whatever you want." Wu Cangyuan glared at him and warned in a deep voice.

"Yes, Father, don't worry, Hao'er knows what's important. But I've met that old fellow from the Yao family. He's not only cunning and shrewd, but his cultivation level is also beyond my comprehension. Father, shouldn't you keep an eye on him?" Wu Hao readily agreed, but then, as if remembering something, he said solemnly.

"What's so strange about you not understanding? He started trying to reach the Foundation Establishment stage decades ago. It was I who secretly intervened, working with his brother Yao Lingtian to interfere and sabotage him at the crucial moment of his advancement. Otherwise, it's uncertain whether he would be a Foundation Establishment cultivator by now. Normally, I wouldn't care about sparing his life, but this is a critical time, and we can't afford any changes. After you marry Yao Ruoxi, I will eliminate this person and support Yao Lingtian to succeed as the head of the Yao family. That way, everything will be foolproof." Wu Hao's eyes flashed coldly, and his words were chilling.

As the two continued their conversation, Du Fan felt increasingly cold inside. A chill ran down his spine, making it difficult to breathe, and his fingers trembled slightly.

"Who is it!" A sharp shout suddenly came out, and Wu Cangyuan's expression changed drastically. At the same time, an invisible divine sense swept out wildly.

Du Fan was shocked. Without thinking, he reached for his trouser leg with one hand and pulled it up, and a dagger appeared in his hand.

This dagger was a trophy found on the body of the Black Tiger Gang leader after he was killed. Hu Daniu saw that it was of high quality and asserted that it was made of fine iron, so he gave it to Du Fan for self-defense.

At that moment, Du Fan did not hesitate to plunge the dagger into the edge of his heart. Blood splattered as the dagger instantly disappeared into Du Fan's body, with only the hilt protruding and the blade only half an inch away from his heart.

At the same time, Du Fan suddenly shouted and pushed off with both legs, his body shooting backward, lying backward in mid-air.

A whooshing sound rang out in the void in front of Du Fan, and then suddenly a gray-robed middle-aged man appeared outside the pavilion, staring intently at Du Fan who was in mid-air, his eyes narrowed.

With a loud thud, Du Fan landed heavily on the ground, kicking up some dust.

"Father, what's wrong? Oh, you're Du Fan, the steward of the Yao family!" Only then did Wu Hao appear outside, wearing an outer coat. When he saw Du Fan clearly, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Speak, what happened? One wrong word and you're dead!" Wu Cangyuan stared at Du Fan and spoke coldly, word by word.

"Master, I am Du Fan, the steward of the Yao family. I was ordered by the Yao family head to escort medicinal herbs to the Zishan Sect. Since it was late, a master arranged for us to stay here for the night and leave early the next morning. I couldn't sleep at night, so I took a walk in the courtyard. At that time, I noticed a masked man in black sneaking around outside my courtyard. Judging from his appearance, he was very unfamiliar with the terrain of the Zishan Sect. I determined that this person was not a member of the Zishan Sect and was likely to harm the sect. So I followed him, hoping to find an opportunity to warn the Zishan Sect. However, after following him here, I was accidentally discovered by him. He stabbed me with this dagger and then disappeared." Du Fan coughed up blood, his face pale and panicked, but he still insisted on telling the story, and his expression did not seem fake.

A cold glint flashed in Wu Hao's eyes. Just as he was about to say something, Wu Cangyuan waved his hand to stop him. After a moment of uncertainty, his palm suddenly rose towards Du Fan. With another move, the dagger in Du Fan's chest trembled and disappeared. The next moment, it flashed and appeared in Wu Cangyuan's hand. He stared intently at it.

"Ah!" Before Du Fan could even let out a scream, Wu Cangyuan frowned, quickly made a hand seal with his other hand, and then flicked it forward. A transparent air shield appeared out of thin air around Du Fan, isolating his scream from spreading.

"This is... a dagger from the Black Tiger Gang!" Wu Cangyuan said with a glint in his eyes.

"Black Tiger Gang? This is a powerful force in Tianxiang Kingdom. The gang leader and several deputy gang leaders are all cultivators, but their cultivation levels are not high, all below the first level of Qi Refining. They are affiliated with the Thundercloud Sect. Father, this matter is a bit complicated." Wu Hao was a proud son of the Purple Mountain Sect and had a quick mind. In an instant, he thought of a possibility.

"When did you arrive here?" Wu Changyuan asked Du Fan after a long silence.

"I just followed them here when they discovered me, cough..." Du Fan said honestly, then coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Wu Cangyuan nodded, and with a flick of his wrist, a yellow pill appeared out of thin air in his palm. Instantly, a fragrant aroma spread out, and with a flick of his wrist, the pill shot straight towards Du Fan, disappearing into Du Fan's mouth in a flash.

Before Du Fan could react, the pill slid down his throat and into his stomach. The moment it entered his stomach, the pill dissolved and turned into streams of heat that spread throughout his spleen and stomach, making Du Fan feel extremely comfortable. His knife wound on his chest healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he felt a slight tingling sensation.

Du Fan's face lit up with joy. He struggled to his feet and bowed deeply to Wu Changyuan.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Alright, this is none of your business. The pills I gave you earlier will make up for your efforts tonight. Leave immediately and do not wander around." Wu Changyuan said calmly, his face expressionless.

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Du Fan replied respectfully, and with even more gratitude, he turned and left.

"Dad, do you really believe what he said?" Wu Hao asked doubtfully after Du Fan disappeared.

"What this person said is mostly true; this dagger does indeed belong to the Black Tiger Gang. Also, you didn't notice that the dagger was less than half an inch from that person's heart. The murderer clearly intended to kill him, but accidentally missed. Furthermore, the Thundercloud Sect and my Purple Mountain Sect have been at odds for many years, engaging in open and covert struggles. It's not impossible that they would send someone to spy on my Purple Mountain Sect. It's just that I don't know why they only sent a low-level person, and they didn't even detect any ordinary mortals following them." Wu Cangyuan frowned and pondered.

"Should we report this to the relevant stewards in the sect?" Wu Hao asked hesitantly.

"No need. I have other plans for this matter. Just take care of yourself these days. Remember, you must not act on your own to cause trouble for that Yao family steward. I don't want that old fox to become suspicious." Wu Cangyuan solemnly instructed before turning and leaving.

"Respectfully seeing off Father." After Wu Cangyuan disappeared, Wu Hao's eyes flashed with a cold light. Every time he thought of the scene at the Yao family that day, when Yao Ruoxi pleaded for Du Fan and asked him to test his spiritual root, he felt extremely uncomfortable. He wanted Du Fan to die, and to die a terrible death.

"Du Fan!" Wu Hao squeezed out the two words from his throat, his tone filled with boundless hatred.