Chapter 239: His Heart Deserves Death!

Yan Song, the elder of Black Water Gate standing behind Xie Baichuan, seemed utterly enraged by the insults of a young Xu family disciple, and suddenly let out a thunderous roar.

"You brat, how dare you! This is too much!"

As the words fell, he unleashed a palm strike without warning—sudden and violent.

That palm shot forward like lightning, brimming with the crushing True Qi of a Complete Primordial cultivator, aimed directly at the Xu family disciple who had insulted him.

That Xu family disciple was merely at Postnatal Seventh Layer—how could he possibly withstand a furious strike from a Complete Primordial expert?

"Boom!"

A muffled thud rang out; the Xu family disciple never even screamed—he flew backward like a severed kite, dead before he hit the air, his chest deeply caved in.

Thump~

The corpse slammed onto the ground, kicking up dust.

"…"

The entire scene fell dead silent.

Both sides locked in standoff were frozen in shock.

But the next second—

"You little whelp, how dare you!!"

Xu Ziluo roared, shattering the silence; his eyes blazed with fury, his ring-hilt great blade erupting in blinding blade-light as he charged at Xie Baichuan like a mad tiger.

"Xie Baichuan! Die!"

Xie Baichuan was equally stunned and furious—he had never expected Yan Song to act so impulsively, and he tried to explain.

"Brother Xu, wait! This matter—"

But it was already too late!

"Kill! Avenge Xiao Wu!"

"Kill every last Black Water Gate scum!"

…

Over a hundred Xu family warriors, someone shouted first, then all of them surged forward like a breached dam, weapons raised, launching a furious assault on the Black Water Gate crowd.

Seeing the enemy had already struck, Black Water Gate could not stand idly by; Xie Baichuan swallowed his words and roared, charging toward Xu Ziluo.

"Kill!"

Instantly, the standoff spiraled out of control.

Blade glints and sword shadows crisscrossed; the thunderous clashes of True Qi, the sharp clangs of steel, the dying screams, the furious roars…

All sounds merged together, echoing across the shores of Black Water Lake.

The Xu family and Black Water Gate clashed in chaotic melee, blood staining the lakeside grass red.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

…

"So they're already fighting? And they're going for kills?"

On the slope, a Town Guard Corps soldier watched the two factions slaughter each other and couldn't help speaking.

"The Xu family and Black Water Gate have long-standing grudges; now Black Water Gate is suspected of stealing the Xu family's ancestral treasure—Xu Ziluo has every reason to want blood."

Yu Shoujiang spoke calmly, then turned to Chen Mu for orders, "My lord, should we intervene?"

"Intervene in what?"

Chen Mu snorted. "Let them kill. Kill until they're satisfied—they'll stop on their own."

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Yu Shoujiang's eyes flickered briefly; he replied and stepped aside, falling silent.

As long as civilians weren't harmed, the Town Guard Corps rarely interfered in battles between martial sects.

To Chen Mu, neither Black Water Gate nor the Xu family held any favor—he didn't care if they died.

On the contrary, deaths would trigger follow-up actions from Jing'an Prince's people.

Collect martial cultivator's essence blood!

Once they moved, Zhao Fuzhou could trace them to the end.

…

Chen Mu and Yu Shoujiang and others stood atop the slope, calmly overlooking the slaughter below at Black Water Lake.

Both Xu family and Black Water Gate were blood-drunk; blood splattered endlessly across the grass, screams and roars never ceasing.

Only after each side lost over a dozen corpses, paying a heavy price, did this sudden brawl temporarily subside.

Xu Ziluo's aura was sharp and raging, his eyes bloodshot; he glared fiercely at Xie Baichuan and spat out a threat.

"Xie Baichuan! This isn't over! We're leaving!"

With that, he ordered men to carry the bodies of their fallen, and led the remaining forces away from Black Water Lake—defeated, bitter, and furious.

Xie Baichuan's face turned as dark as a soot-blackened pot; after watching the Xu family depart, he spun around, his gaze sharp as a blade, locking onto Elder Yan Song behind him, and demanded sharply,

"Elder Yan! Why did you act so impulsively just now? You struck first—and killed an Xu family member outright! Do you know what consequences this will bring?!"

Yan Song's face twitched slightly; he bowed and clasped his fists, speaking apologetically, "Lord, forgive me—I acted rashly."

He then added, "That Xu family brat spat vile words, insulting our ancestors—his insults were unbearable. I lost control from rage…"

This excuse clearly failed to satisfy Xie Baichuan—acting on impulse to kill, right before Xu Ziluo's eyes, was tantamount to pushing the feud to an irreconcilable, life-and-death impasse.

But the deed was done; the dead could not be revived. Pursuing Yan Song's responsibility now would only demoralize the rest of the sect members.

Xie Baichuan could only suppress his anger, glared bitterly at Yan Song, let out a heavy snort, fell silent, and then issued a solemn order.

"Clean up the battlefield, recover the bodies, and treat them with proper respect!"

As he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, smoothed his slightly disheveled robes, and strode toward the slope where Chen Mu and Yu Shoujiang stood.

Before he reached them, Xie Baichuan bowed his fists in salute to Chen Mu and Yu Shoujiang, forcing a bitter smile onto his face.

"Censor Chen, Lord Yu, I apologize for the embarrassment. My family has suffered this unjust calamity, and I've disturbed your esteemed presence."

Yu Shoujiang merely nodded slightly, saying nothing, his gaze still calm.

Chen Mu, however, wore a faint, almost imperceptible smile, as if the earlier slaughter had been nothing but a farce; he regarded Xie Baichuan with keen interest and asked, "Lord Xie, I'm curious—was the lost treasure of the Xu family truly not taken by your sect?"

"Truly not!"

Xie Baichuan's expression turned serious; without hesitation, he declared firmly, "I, Xie Baichuan, swear by heaven—no one in the Black Water Sect has taken so much as a single item from the Xu family!"

"This is clearly a malicious frame-up, meant to incite conflict between our two families—such malice deserves death!"

Here, Xie Baichuan paused, changed his tone, and looked pleadingly at Chen Mu and Yu Shoujiang. "Censor Chen, Lord Yu—you are officials of the government, your words carry the most weight. Could you please help clarify in the city that the Black Water Sect is entirely innocent, and that the Xu family's precious treasure could not possibly be in our possession? It would help quell unnecessary rumors."

"Lord Xie, it's not that I'm unwilling to help."

Chen Mu shook his head with a smile. "Without evidence, I cannot prove the Xu treasure is in your possession, nor can I prove it isn't. If I were to speak rashly, wouldn't I be favoring one side? I won't speak without solid proof."

Beside him, Yu Shoujiang spoke at the right moment, his tone calm but firm.

"Censor Chen speaks truly. The Town Guard Office acts on evidence. Until we have conclusive proof, we cannot comment on this matter!"