"Did you understand what I said?"
Huangfu Yan asked coldly, his eyes narrowed into a straight line, glinting with cold light.
Chu Qingluan quickly nodded, her survival instincts kicking in.
The strength Huangfu Yan had displayed far surpassed Chu Qingluan's understanding, and it was not the kind of power a peak Martial Saint should possess.
To save her life, Chu Qingluan lowered her head and obeyed everything Huangfu Yan said, daring not to resist in the slightest.
"I'll believe you for now,"
Huangfu Yan said indifferently, "Qingluan, you must remember that I'm doing this for your own good."
As he spoke, his fingers gently pinched Chu Qingluan's chin.
Chu Qingluan didn't dare to breathe, her eyes wide open, only able to nod.
"It seems I've truly frightened you,"
Huangfu Yan shook his head helplessly, "Don't be afraid. As long as you listen to me obediently from now on, I won't treat you like this again."
Chu Qingluan could only nod, saying nothing.
"Forget it, you can go. Remember what I told you!"
Huangfu Yan finally let Chu Qingluan leave. Chu Qingluan felt as if she had been granted a great pardon and quickly walked away.
Watching Chu Qingluan's retreating figure, which was like a startled rabbit, Huangfu Yan's gaze deepened, revealing a sharp glint.
Chu Qingluan was extremely fortunate that Huangfu Yan had spared her. The moment she escaped, she immediately went to her father to report him.
She wasn't foolish enough to obey Huangfu Yan obediently!
"Father, Huangfu Yan is problematic!"
Chu Qingluan stated directly, speaking anxiously.
"What is it, Qingluan? What did he say to you just now?"
Chu He asked with a frown.
Chu Qingluan dared not hide anything and told her father everything that had just happened.
After hearing his daughter's words, Chu He's expression turned grim.
He remained silent for a while before asking, "Qingluan, is what you're saying true? This matter is of great importance, and you must not deceive your father!"
"Father, how could I possibly deceive you about something like this? If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't even be able to make it up."
Chu Qingluan had never seen her father so serious, which made her ask, "Father, what exactly is going on with Huangfu Yan?"
Chu He clasped his hands behind his back and sighed, "If Huangfu Yan is as you say, then I fear he has fallen into the demonic path. The changes you described in him are exactly what a martial artist looks like after cultivating the Ghost Dao!"
"Ghost Dao? Father, you mean Huangfu Yan is cultivating the Ghost Dao? Then he's not human, not ghost, right?"
Chu Qingluan was filled with shock. As the daughter of the Hall Master of the God Slaying Hall, she had naturally heard of the Ghost Dao.
The Ghost Dao cultivates evil spirits and souls. Broadly speaking, it is a branch of spiritual power cultivation, which can, to a certain extent, compensate for the deficiency of martial artists who only cultivate their bodies and not their minds.
The power gained from cultivating the Ghost Dao far surpasses that of martial artists who only cultivate the martial path.
But there is no such thing as having the best of both worlds. After martial artists cultivate the Ghost Dao, they may suffer from qi deviation and become neither human nor ghost, or worse, completely lose their humanity and become walking corpses.
Therefore, cultivating the Ghost Dao has always been a taboo in the martial arts world!
Chu He said with a sense of relief, "Qingluan, it's fortunate that Huangfu Yan hasn't completely lost his humanity. Otherwise, you would have been in danger just now..."
Chu Qingluan also looked back with lingering fear and suggested, "Father, what should we do now? Should we apprehend Huangfu Yan first?"
"Absolutely not!"
Chu He raised his hand, rejecting Chu Qingluan's suggestion.
"Huangfu Yan cultivating the Ghost Dao likely means he is cultivating with Huangfu Xiao. If both father and son cultivate the Ghost Dao, then perhaps the entire Lingxiao Hall has already fallen... This matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration!"
Huangfu Xiao was Huangfu Yan's father, and also the Hall Master of Lingxiao Hall.
"Careful consideration? Father, how much longer? In a few months, I'm supposed to marry into Lingxiao Hall."
The thought of marrying into a den of ghosts sent shivers down Chu Qingluan's spine.
"It won't be that long."
Chu He smiled slightly. Chu Qingluan was his most proud daughter, and he would never let her be in danger!
"After this Martial Arts Convention concludes, I will consult with the elders and visit Huangfu Xiao at Lingxiao Hall. We will secretly gather evidence of their cultivation of the Ghost Dao. Once the evidence is conclusive, I will contact all our martial arts colleagues to jointly eliminate this cancerous tumor of an ancient martial sect!"
Chu Qingluan had no objections to her father's plan, as it was the best solution at the moment.
At this moment, Chu He's tone suddenly shifted, and he asked, "By the way, Qingluan, what do you think of Chen Xiao?"
"Father, I think Mr. Chen is quite good."
Chu Qingluan's pretty face blushed at the question. She thought her father was looking for a new fiancé for her.
However, Chu He frowned slightly upon hearing this, "Quite good? Qingluan, I mean, have you realized that he is not a martial artist?"
"Ah..."
Chu Qingluan finally understood that she had misunderstood her father, and her face turned even redder.
"Father, you mean Mr. Chen is not a martial artist? Then he is... Father, you don't mean to say he is a cultivator, do you?"
Chu He nodded and said indifferently, "He previously used a doppelganger to deceive the Four Protectors. The techniques he used at that time resembled the manifestation of divine sense by cultivators... And manifesting divine sense is something that at least a cultivator at the Soul Transformation realm can achieve."
"What? Soul Transformation realm cultivator?"
Chu Qingluan cried out in shock.
Her father's words were too astonishing.
Chu He had told her that the Soul Transformation realm of cultivators was equivalent to the Martial Emperor realm in martial arts... but in terms of actual combat power, three Martial Emperors combined might not be able to defeat a single cultivator at the Soul Transformation realm.
Chu Qingluan was so surprised because she had thought that even if Chen Xiao was powerful, he would at most be at the Martial Emperor level.
Her father, fighting with all his might, might not be his match.
But if Chen Xiao was a cultivator at the Soul Transformation realm, the situation would be entirely different.
Her father would have no chance of winning against him.
No wonder her father had made peace with him earlier; it wasn't for the sake of the bigger picture, but simply because he knew he couldn't win...
"What kind of monstrous talent is he? How can he be so young yet so strong? Father, you believe he is a peerless genius now, right!"
Chu Qingluan asked blankly, still not fully recovered from the shock.
Chu He remained noncommittal, saying indifferently, "Actually, it's just my guess, and I can't be entirely sure. However, it's not difficult to find out what he cultivates. Tomorrow, the answer will be revealed!"
Chu Qingluan was slightly taken aback and said seriously, "Father, have you made up your mind?"
Chu He nodded solemnly, "That's right. I've decided to open the Phoenix Spring to all martial artists tomorrow!"