Chapter 200: Simple and Brutal

"Comrade Ding!"

"Big Brother!"

"Huan Ge!"

"Captain!"

……

At that moment, various forms of address filled Ding Huan's ears; he had already seen Liu Yinzhu and Guan Nai.

He felt some confusion over why these two had come here, yet still stepped forward one by one to pay his respects:

"Greetings, Elder Liu, greetings, Immortal Guan. I never expected to meet both of you here—how truly unforeseen life's encounters can be."

Liu Yinzhu was deeply astonished; the last time she saw Ding Huan, he had seemed to be in the early stage of Qi Refinement.

How could it be that now he appeared utterly ordinary? Could one's cultivation truly regress?

No—it was something indescribable that clung to Ding Huan, a sense of boundless vastness.

How could this be? Ding Huan, no matter how strong, was still merely a Qi Refinement cultivator. She valued him not for his cultivation, but for his methods.

Liu Yinzhu forced herself to clear her mind, and when she looked again, Ding Huan was simply an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator once more.

Sigh—Xifeng City was still much like a mortal city; here, it was exceedingly difficult for Ding Huan to advance his cultivation.

Ding Huan's recent absence was likely an attempt to find a path to Foundation Establishment; no need to ask—he failed.

"Comrade Ding, I've been waiting for you a long time; today at last I've seen you," Liu Yinzhu said with a smile.

Guan Nai rushed forward eagerly to bow: "Guan Nai greets Brother Ding."

Uh…

Ding Huan stared at Guan Nai in disbelief; this woman had always held herself in high esteem—how could she possibly call him "brother"?

"Single Peng and Qiu Xingyuan of the Burning Star Lord State greet Elder Ding."

The man and woman from the Burning Star Lord State, upon seeing Ding Huan return, even the True Dan cultivator earlier had bowed respectfully—clearly Ding Huan was no ordinary figure.

So they dared not delay, quickly stepping forward to pay their respects.

Ding Huan's gaze settled on the two:

"I heard you came to demand accountability, claiming I killed the Xifeng City mayor?"

"Never, Elder, you misunderstand—it was Cui Hu who forcibly demanded we come, and he himself provided the pretext," Single Peng hastily explained.

He knew that if Cui Hu lived today, they would suffer terribly—likely even die.

He also knew that if he tried to take responsibility himself, they would die right here in this Ding Mou's hands.

This man had dared kill Mayor Xue Bo—would he hesitate to kill two minor figures from the Burning Star Lord State?

"Yes, several patrol guards and this beast lord were all killed or injured by Cui Hu," Qiu Xingyuan quickly added her statement.

Cui Hu, seeing Ding Huan's gaze sweep over him, turned pale and hurried forward to bow:

"Greetings, Comrade Ding. This matter was a misunderstanding on my part, and I am willing to make amends."

His teeth had been nearly all knocked out by Liu Yinzhu, so Cui Hu now spoke with a pronounced lisp.

"My beast companion was killed by you—you call it a misunderstanding? Should I kill you too, and call it a misunderstanding as well?"

Ding Huan looked at Cui Hu standing before him and chuckled.

Cui Hu sneered inwardly: You kill me? If not for this True Dan cultivator here, I'd slap you dead, you insignificant ant.

"I accept blame. If striking me once will ease your anger, I have no objection to standing here and letting you strike."

Cui Hu spoke with humility and deference.

Everyone knew he was acting out of desperation.

Old Six, hearing Ding Huan say he had been killed, immediately rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Huan Ge said he was dead—if he still looked around, Huan Ge would surely curse him as foolish, maybe even call him a pig.

He despised pigs most of all.

Ding Huan turned to Liu Yinzhu:

"Elder Liu, do you have a crystal recording orb?"

Liu Yinzhu immediately pulled out a crystal orb and handed it to Ding Huan; she did not know what he intended to do.

Ding Huan swept his spiritual sense over it and immediately understood how to use it.

He smiled at Cui Hu:

"Then say again what you just said—include the reason, and what if you die?"

Cui Hu didn't care; even if Ding Huan struck him with full force, what could it possibly do? Once he returned to his sect, he'd make that woman pay.

As for Ding Huan—he was already a dead man in his eyes.

You want a way to save face? Fine, I'll give it to you now—I'll collect double back later.

"I killed people in Xifeng City without cause, and killed Comrade Ding's beast companion.

I accept blame. If striking me once will ease your anger, I have no objection to standing here and letting you strike.

If I cannot withstand this blow and am killed by Comrade Ding, it is my own fault, and has nothing to do with anyone else."

The moment Cui Hu finished speaking, Ding Huan threw a punch.

Cui Hu sneered—pathetic…

But as soon as he thought this, his heart lurched—a wave of death enveloped his entire soul.

Cui Hu was filled with terror; how could he stand still and let Ding Huan strike? He frantically channeled his true energy, desperate to break free from the deathly restraint.

Then he realized all his efforts were futile—he could only watch helplessly as Ding Huan's fist drew near his forehead.

Far away, Liu Yinzhu sighed; she too had assumed Ding Huan, as the controller of Xifeng City, was merely offering a face-saving excuse.

There was no other choice—Ding Huan had not yet joined the Purple Mist Valley, and the man he faced was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

When Ding Huan threw this punch, she immediately sensed something was off.

Her spiritual sense could not detect where the killing intent lay—facing this punch, she even felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. What kind of punch was this?

"Puff!" It was like a watermelon shattered, exploding in a burst of colors.

Ding Huan swept his hand, and the blood was scattered across the ground.

After Ding Huan agreed to Cui Hu's demand, Shan Peng and Qiu Xingyuan were already waiting for death, for if Cui Hu lived, they would surely die.

Only when they saw Cui Hu's brains splattered did they realize how ruthless Ding Huan was.

"Everyone, return to your duties—Xifeng City will not change," Ding Huan waved to the onlookers.

Though Ding Huan had never stepped out before, who in Xifeng City did not know his name? So as soon as he spoke, everyone quickly left.

After Ding Huan took Cui Hu's storage bag, the corpse on the ground was automatically cleared by the city patrol.

"Yan Mei, take Lao Liu's body back. Elder Liu and Lady Cuan, please return to Huicheng for a talk."

After arriving here, Ding Huan swiftly resolved the matter and directly invited Liu Yinzhu and Guan Cuan to return to Huicheng for a discussion.

Liu Yinzhu sighed inwardly—she had truly not misjudged him.

The way he handled affairs, the speed of his actions—she could never have done such a thing. It seemed crude and blunt, yet left room to maneuver.

If she were in Ding Huan's position, would she dare kill Cui Hu? She certainly would not.

But if Ding Huan thought exactly as she did, why would she have sought him out?

She was certain that if Ding Huan had no intention of residing in Xifeng City, he wouldn't have even used the crystal ball to record Cui Hu's image.

This was the helplessness of weakness.

…

Yan Mei followed behind Ding Huan with Lao Liu's body; Liu Yinzhu and Guan Cuan also followed, and the group headed to Ding Huan's residence in the Great Crystal District.

Back at the small courtyard, after everyone sat down in the reception hall, Ding Huan asked:

"Elder Liu and Lady Cuan, you came here specifically for me—surely you have something to say? Please speak. If I, Ding Huan, can help, I will not delay."

Liu Yinzhu was acceptable; for small matters, Ding Huan had no objection to helping her, but for big matters, he could not assist.

As for Guan Cuan, logically, after crossing the Lost Marsh, they were even.

Then again, without Guan Cuan, he would never have arrived at the Dao Cultivation World—he'd still be in the Mortal World seeking opportunities.

So he intended to help where he could.

"Lady Cuan, you speak first," Liu Yinzhu said, knowing her own matters with Ding Huan would take more than a moment.

Guan Cuan quickly rose and bowed deeply to Ding Huan:

"Big Brother Ding, since entering the Yanyue Sect, my cultivation has steadily improved. But lately, I've had a strange feeling—as if my body no longer belongs to me."

This sensation was peculiar. I examined myself carefully but found nothing abnormal. I vaguely feel this is not a good sign.

In the Dao Cultivation World, I have no friends. Among those I know, only Big Brother Ding has the greatest ability—so I've come, bold-faced, to seek your advice."

Hearing this, Liu Yinzhu was startled—was Guan Cuan being possessed? No, possession involved first devouring the soul before seizing control of the body—how could it be reversed?

Ding Huan stared at Guan Cuan; she blushed under his gaze and quickly lowered her head.

She soon realized that though Ding Huan stared at her, there was nothing disrespectful in his gaze—he seemed to be pondering something.

Ding Huan was indeed pondering—he was calculating Guan Cuan's future.

As he calculated, Ding Huan was greatly pleased: it seemed that after forging his Dao Foundation and condensing the Star Cloud, his calculations had become far clearer.

Strength changes everything.

Soon, Ding Huan frowned.

Guan Cuan was about to leave the Dao Cultivation World and enter a higher realm. And with her departure, her future vision abruptly ended.

Killed? Unlikely—wasn't she the Shao Sect's Lady? Even if she left the Dao Cultivation World and entered the Ascension Realm, wouldn't someone protect her?

For Ding Huan, if Guan Cuan was entering a realm higher than the Dao Cultivation World, where else could it be but the Ascension Realm?

Guan Cuan watched Ding Huan anxiously—he had always done this before, pausing to think before making any decision.

"Lady Cuan, extend your wrist to me." After a long while, Ding Huan suddenly spoke.