<h4>Chapter 369 - The Competition Begins</h4>


    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>


    Zhang Tao and the two female core disciples flew to the tform on the mountain peak andnded.


    The trio immediately greeted Yuan Kun, “Senior Brother Yuan Kun.”


    “Mmm.” Yuan Kun nodded and said, “Speak. What brings you to me?”


    A hint of icy resentment flickered in Zhang Tao''s eyes as he replied, “Senior Brother Yuan Kun, as you know, Junior Sister Tao, Junior Sister Yao, and I have been investigating the deaths of Lei Tao and the othe—”


    A sharp light shed in Yuan Kun’s eyes. He interrupted Zhang Tao and said, “Oh, did you discover some leads? Their deaths are inconsequential; what matters is that someone dared to steal from Senior Brother Duan Jingtian!”


    "We have indeed uncovered some clues recently," Zhang Tao responded.


    “borate. The Fountain of Life is crucial to Senior Brother Duan Jingtian''s cultivation. Your efforts in this matter will be generously rewarded,” Yuan Kun said.


    Zhang Tao said, “We found out that after Lei Tao’s group set off for the Fiendish Corpse Mountain Range, that little bastard Chen Fan overheard a conversation between our members and left the sect. Based on his trail, he also journeyed to the Fiendish Corpse Mountain Range.


    “Earlier, the junior sisters and I visited him to question him, but he was too arrogant andpletely disregarded our Heaven’s Alliance. Most importantly, that little bastard’s already at the ninth level of the Yuanfu realm!


    “So, I’m about eighty to ny percent sure that he stole the fountain liquid from us.”


    An icy, chilling light shot out from Yuan Kun’s eyes. His terrifying Illusory Core realm pressure erupted, putting those nearby under heavy pressure.


    “Is it really him?”


    Beads of sweat appeared on Zhang Tao’s forehead. He nodded and said, “Considering all the evidence we''ve gathered, there''s a strong likelihood, around eighty to ny percent. There’s simply no other way to exin his cultivation speed.”


    A cold light shed in Yuan Kun’s eyes; a short momentter, he asked, “That’s all nothing but words. Do we have any tangible evidence? Hard evidence that links him to the fountain and the deaths?”


    Zhang Tao shook his head and said, “There isn’t.”


    Yuan Kun frowned and said, “Thatplicates things.”


    If they had solid evidence, he could immediately capture Chen Fan and call for his punishment without any dy, regardless of Wei Buyu''s interference.


    However, if he made a move against Chen Fan without any evidence, Wei Buyu could use that against him. Then, even Duan Jingtian wouldn’t be able to save him.


    “Forget it. Don’t make a move on him for now. He is Wei Buyu’s personal disciple and in the High Elder’s faction. We’ll have to take responsibility if we touch him without any evidence.”


    After pondering for a moment, Yuan Kun added, “Besides, the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition is merely a month away. If you cross paths with him then, you''ll have the opportunity to settle the matter, and Wei Buyu won''t be able to intervene.”


    “That’s our only option.”


    “We’ll just let that little bastard go free for a month.”


    The other executives of Heaven’s Alliance nodded one after another, their eyes cold.


    ......


    The sun faithfully rose and set, continuing its endless cycle. As time passed, a month slipped away unnoticed.


    Summer faded into memory, yielding to the arrival of autumn. A chill rose across thends. The autumn wind blew everywhere. The nts rustled, showing a bleak scene.


    With the arrival of autumn, although thends appeared somber, the entire Spring Autumn Sect was extraordinarily lively. Countless inner sect disciples were boiling with excitement, eagerly anticipating the uing martial artspetition between the four great sects.


    Today, Chen Fan woke up early and leaped to the top of his loft, looking at the bustling inner sect. Streams of people flowed back and forth, with asional streaks of light darting across the sky andnding in the sect.


    asionally, he would see light clusters flying toward the amodations the Spring Autumn Sect had arranged for their guests. They were all disciples from the three other great sects.


    Meanwhile, numerous elders stood watch from a distance, tirelessly receiving the influx of guests.


    Sometimes, Chen Fan sensed powerful auras shaking the heavens but saw no one. However, he knew that it signaled the arrival of a Core Formation realm expert.


    “Core Formation realm...” A sharp light shed across Chen Fan’s eyes.


    “The martial artspetition is a rare and grand asion for all four sects. Even their respective Sect Leaders would show up, though I wonder if I can see them this time?”


    The leaders of the four great sects all had cultivations above the Core Formation realm, standing as formidable beings in the Divine Nascent realm. Their strength was awe-inspiring, capable of reshapingndscapes with a mere gesture.


    Under normal circumstances, even core disciples or holy disciples rarely had the opportunity to meet their Sect Leader.


    Chen Fan had never seen a Divine Nascent realm powerhouse before. Thus, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of anticipation.


    Looking at the bustling crowd in the distance, Chen Fan suddenly felt the urge to roar to the skies.


    After a month of undisturbed cultivation, he was now at the peak of the ninth level. He stood on the brink of condensing an Illusory Core, his cultivation unusually robust.


    He could even deal with a Core Formation realm expert at the peak of the first level now. Moreover, his martial arts had seen remarkable improvement over the past month.


    Although he hadn’t mastered Prairie Fire Hundred Strikes, each thrust of his spear now fragmented into sixty to seventy spear silhouettes, demonstrating incredible power.


    Simrly, his proficiency with the Northern Star Reaper Hand had grown substantially. It could be said that he had achieved minor mastery of the technique.


    As for the Great Brahma Sacred Palm, although he had only scratched the surface, he had already gleaned significant insights into its workings.


    All in all, his strength had improved by a lot.


    Suddenly, the sound of horns being blown could be heard in the distance.


    <i>Woo, woo, woo. Woo, woo, woo...</i>


    Intense war drum beats also rang out, dispersing the clouds in the sky.


    <i>Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump!</i>


    The autumn windpletely calmed down amidst the beats of the war drums. The sun''s rays were hitting the ground, and everyone felt their blood boiling.


    “It’s the beating of the heavenly dragon war drums, the call to gather!”


    Chen Fan’s gaze became stern. It was a rallying call, summoning all inner sect disciples to gather at the central battlefield for the start of the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition.


    “No matter who it is, no one can stop me from taking the top spot!”


    A sharp light appeared in Chen Fan’s eyes and shot out, nearly piercing through space. It was very fierce.


    He was determined to get first ce in the martial artspetition!