Top-tier Unruly Master

"Who are you calling?" Just as the middle-aged man had hung up the phone, Ding Fan was already standing behind him without him knowing when he had arrived.

The middle-aged man was taken aback, as he had clearly seen Ding Fan and Cheng Bufan leave; he thought they had not discovered him at all. But from the current situation, it seemed that they had noticed him from the start.

"It seems that I've underestimated you," said the middle-aged man, his trail discovered by Ding Fan, yet he didn't show any signs of nervousness, remaining composed.

"Standing low naturally means seeing low. There's nothing strange about that," Ding Fan remarked. "If you want to leave here alive, then you'd better tell me. Who were you just calling?"

The man smiled faintly. "Many people want my life, but I don't think you have what it takes."

The middle-aged man was absolutely confident in his movement technique. Although his cultivation was subpar compared to others, his movement technique was freakishly good. Once, when two Earth Level Grade Nine martial artists were hunting him, he had managed to escape purely through his movement technique, which spoke volumes of its prowess.

Even now, facing two powerhouses like Ding Fan and Cheng Bufan, he felt no fear and was confident he could escape their grasp.

Shoo, shoo...

With a sudden movement, the middle-aged man launched two Wind Blades and his figure flickered.

The Wind Blades were merely a cover so he could find a chance to escape.

However, the middle-aged man had overestimated himself.

Just as he launched the two Wind Blades and attempted to flee, he suddenly felt his neck being firmly grasped.

He was startled, slightly turning his head, only to realize that Ding Fan was already standing in front of him, gripping his throat with a firm right hand.

The middle-aged man was in disbelief.

He vividly remembered Ding Fan standing several steps away; he had used the Wind Blade Technique as a feint. Even if Ding Fan had seen through the ruse meant to buy time, it was impossible for him to be in front of the middle-aged man before he had made a move.

The middle-aged man was known for his movement technique, but without even moving, Ding Fan was already in front of him. It was clear who had the superior technique.

"You're with Jin Minchong, aren't you?" Ding Fan asked in a calm tone that didn't conceal his killing intent.

Being at the peak of Qi Cultivation, the killing aura Ding Fan emitted was not something others could withstand.

"...I am a Ghost Warrior... Do you think I would tell you?" the middle-aged man snorted, addressing Ding Fan.

Ghost Warrior?

Ding Fan's eyebrows furrowed deeply.

He had been to Changsheng; and the reason why Zixuan used only the Soul Control Technique was to prevent the spread of the Obsidian poison.

Although Ding Fan did not understand the Soul Control Technique, he could clearly sense that this man in front of him was not from Changsheng.

"You're lying; you're not a Ghost Warrior," Ding Fan said with an icy tone.

"I have no need to lie to you. Otherwise, why would a dignified Earth Level Fifth Grade martial artist like me engage in such petty tracking tasks?" the man responded.

Ding Fan looked at the middle-aged man; the latter didn't seem to be lying.

"I'm in your hands now, so just kill me..." The man remained composed, seemingly indifferent to life and death.

"Younger brother, let's take him back to the room first," Cheng Bufan said.

This was, after all, a hotel; making too much noise would not be good.

Ding Fan immediately sealed several major points on the middle-aged man's body with his True Qi and then took him to his room.

"You should believe that I have enough ways to make a Ghost Warrior talk," Ding Fan said once they were in the room.

The middle-aged man shook his head indifferently, unconcerned.

Ding Fan didn't hesitate and swiftly executed a Hand Blade Technique, and with just one slash, the man's arms were severed.

Although the middle-aged man was not weak in his cultivation, the sudden amputation of his arms by force still caused him to scream in pain.

Ding Fan had quickly set up a simple isolation Formation in the room, so he wasn't worried about being heard from outside.

"Stop wasting time; I won't say anything," the man said, his face pale, but his eyes resolute.

Cheng Bufan was anxious to find Jin Minchong and was struggling with the lack of leads when this middle-aged man appeared; Cheng Bufan could guess that there must be a significant connection between him and Jin Minchong.

But the middle-aged man's persistent silence was making Cheng Bufan increasingly anxious.

Ding Fan, not wanting to waste more time with the man, immediately took out his Golden Needles.

The middle-aged man looked at Ding Fan as he brought out the Golden Needle, his lips curling into a slight sneer. Clearly, he held it in contempt.

Swish, swish, swish... Ding Fan pinched the Golden Needle between his fingers and swiftly began to perform acupuncture on the middle-aged man.

As Ding Fan inserted more needles, the man's expression grew increasingly weary. "What... What exactly are you going to do to me?"

Having encountered Ghost Warriors before, Ding Fan naturally knew that their primary souls were controlled by others. It was very difficult to extract any information from their mouths. Against such people, one could only resort to the Soul Capturing Technique.

However, this middle-aged man seemed to be a person of very strong will, and Ding Fan knew that simply using the Soul Capturing Technique would not be enough to control him.

Therefore, Ding Fan decided to sever the man's arms directly. While the man was in unbearable pain and his mind wavered, he combined acupuncture to fatigue the man's consciousness. As long as the man's consciousness weakened, Ding Fan would be able to use the Soul Capturing Technique.

As expected, shortly after Ding Fan finished placing the Golden Needles, the middle-aged man had already become drowsy.

Ding Fan immediately inserted two Golden Needles into the man's neck.

"What exactly is the story with you Ghost Warriors?" Ding Fan asked.

"We serve... We serve Bian Zhimu..." The man's speech was slow, sounding a bit like that of a demented child.

"Bian Zhimu?" Ding Fan's eyebrows knitted slightly.

Going by the surname, this man seemed to be from the same Sect as Bian Zixuan.

"What's the connection between Bian Zhimu and Bian Zixuan?" Ding Fan asked.

"I don't know..." The middle-aged man shook his head.

Ding Fan mused for a moment, then as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "So, when Jin Minchong went to Changsheng, was that arranged by Bian Zhimu as well?"

Ding Fan remembered that Bian Zixuan had mentioned before that it started with an old acquaintance speaking of a friend plagued by inner demons, and only then was Changsheng recommended.

With three generations of the Bian family stationed in Changsheng without leaving, they should have very few friends outside. Furthermore, those who knew that Changsheng could treat inner demons must have had close interactions with the Bian family.

Thus, the only explanation for all this was that Bian Zhimu and Bian Zixuan had a deep connection. Moreover, Bian Zhimu's sending Jin Minchong to Changsheng was undoubtedly with ill intentions.

"Yes, it was Bian Zhimu who arranged for Jin Minchong to go to Changsheng," said the middle-aged man.

"Then where is Jin Minchong now?" Ding Fan asked.

"I don't know right now, but it seems that after Jin Minchong's downfall in Changsheng, he was called back by Bian Zhimu," the man honestly replied.

"Called back? Called back to where?" Ding Fan pressed.

"I don't know."

The middle-aged man's mind was controlled, so he couldn't possibly lie: to know was to know, and not to know was just that.

"How many of you are in Yungang?" Ding Fan inquired.

"Including me, there are three in total."

"Where are they now?" Ding Fan urgently asked.

"In a private villa outside the northern city of Yungang..." The middle-aged man's face turned paler as he completed his sentence, his eyes rolling back incessantly.

"I... it's so hard... I..."

Those controlled by the Soul Capturing Technique for extended periods suffer severe damage to their sea of consciousness. Generally, once the sea of consciousness is gravely injured, recovery is quite difficult. Being controlled by the Soul Capturing Technique for a long time, most people would end up insane or idiotic.

Seeing the middle-aged man's reaction, Ding Fan knew that the man's capacity to endure had reached its limit, and he could no longer maintain control.

Ding Fan immediately retracted the Soul Capturing Technique, and the middle-aged man fell to the ground with a thud.

At this point, in order not to leave any problems behind, Ding Fan used the Wind Blade Technique to instantly strike down the middle-aged man. Afterwards, he released Zizi to burn the body with the Nine Luminaries Fire until nothing was left.

Zizi was quite satisfied with such post-battle cleanup work, managing to collect quite a few Spirit Stones and Pills from the middle-aged man's body. Although Ding Fan couldn't care less about them, for Zizi, they were excellent cultivation resources.

While Zizi was cleaning the battlefield, Ding Fan pondered for a while, then turned to ask Cheng Bufan.

"Brother Cheng, can you tell me about this Peiyuan Stone matter? I know it's your Sect's secret, but I always feel there is a huge secret hidden in it," Ding Fan asked Cheng Bufan, who was beside him.

Two groups of Ghost Warriors had appeared, and both their masters bore the surname Bian. Jin Minchong had gone to Quanzhen Xuanmen, stolen the Peiyuan Stone, and upon arriving at Changsheng, Bian Zixuan then claimed that the Peiyuan Stone was a treasure left by their ancestors.

Connecting all these incidents, Ding Fan felt that this situation could not be so simple; there had to be an extraordinary trick involved.

In a subtle way, Ding Fan felt that the Peiyuan Stone might very well be the key in this mystery...