Chapter 6: Tuoba Ye’s Fear

“Please, everyone, do not be alarmed. My name is Huangfu Meng.”
The beautiful woman spoke up: “We are in pursuit of the criminal, Tuoba Ye. Tuoba Ye is guilty of arson, murder, and pillage—his crimes are innumerable and deserving of death a thousand times over. According to our information, Tuoba Ye has already fled to this town of Qingshui.”
A great villain has entered Qingshui Town?
At once, the townspeople grew even more fearful.
Qingshui Town was home to ordinary folk—none of them were cultivators. For a devil like Tuoba Ye, taking the life of a resident here would be no more difficult than drinking a cup of water.
“Rest assured, everyone. I give you my word: we will capture this notorious criminal, Tuoba Ye, and execute him!”
Huangfu Meng continued, “However, I am unfamiliar with the layout of Qingshui Town, so I require the assistance of a local resident.”
At once, everyone instinctively shrank back, retreating several steps.
Tuoba Ye was far too terrifying. If one went to assist these officials and happened to encounter him—if he suddenly attacked—would these people really be able to save you in time?
Chen Changsheng glanced around, let out a helpless chuckle, and said, “I am willing to help you.”
“Ah, Young Master Chen…”
“Young Master Chen, please don’t! It’s far too dangerous.”
The surrounding townspeople all cried out in unison, trying to dissuade Chen Changsheng.
“It’s alright. I trust these officials to protect my life,” Chen Changsheng replied with a calm smile.
These government officials were all cultivators, without a doubt. It was rare to encounter so many cultivators at once—he wanted to seize the opportunity to see them in action.
“Young master, excellent,” Huangfu Meng nodded approvingly at Chen Changsheng, then waved her hand. “Let’s move out!”
With a sweep, the group set off.
The townsfolk watched as Chen Changsheng and his daughter departed, shaking their heads and sighing, worry etched upon their faces.
That father and daughter were ordinary people, just like them—not cultivators. Could they possibly return alive?
Before long, Chen Changsheng and his daughter, along with Huangfu Meng and her officials, arrived in front of a manor.
The manor was sizable but long abandoned; its owner had moved away years ago.
“According to our intelligence, the notorious criminal Tuoba Ye is most likely hiding within this abandoned manor. We’ll search inside.”

Huangfu Meng gave a wave of her hand.
“Wait a moment,” Chen Changsheng interjected. He affectionately ruffled Chen Die’er’s hair. “Die’er, you wait outside. Don’t wander off. Your father and these officials will go in to look for the villain.”
Since a villain lurked within, he dared not take Chen Die’er inside.
“Understood,” Chen Die’er nodded, then reached out her little hand. “Daddy, give me the snacks. If I have to wait here doing nothing, I’ll be bored without something to eat.”
Chen Changsheng chuckled, handing over all the snacks he’d bought earlier, and pinched her rosy cheek.
What a little glutton!
“Let’s head in,” Chen Changsheng said to Huangfu Meng.
“Very well, let’s go in together.”
At her call, the group entered the manor.
Chen Die’er took out a flower roll, biting into it with a crisp crunch, chewing as she kept her gaze fixed on Chen Changsheng.
She had never seen the notorious Tuoba Ye, nor did she know how formidable these officials were, or whether they could subdue him. But she had no worry at all for her father’s safety.
She knew her father—he would walk out of this manor alive. Even if all these people perished, he would survive.
The manor before them, abandoned for so long, was strewn with rotting refuse. Even the air was tinged with a faint mustiness.
“Spread out and search!”
Huangfu Meng gestured to the others, then glanced at Chen Changsheng. “Young Master Chen, stay with me at all times—do not stray more than three meters from my side.”
According to their intelligence, Tuoba Ye was exceedingly strong and ruthless. Chen Changsheng was just a mortal; unless he was kept close, she would not be at ease.
“Thank you for your protection, Miss Huangfu,” Chen Changsheng nodded, feeling his sense of security rise rapidly. Huangfu Meng was the leader, and surely the strongest of them all—naturally, it was safest to stay close to her.
With a whoosh, the group dispersed.
“Miss Huangfu, are you certain you can protect me? I can’t die—if I do, my daughter will be an orphan.”
Chen Changsheng stuck close to Huangfu Meng, still a little anxious. This was, after all, his first time coming so close to a great villain of the cultivation world. No one knew how powerful Tuoba Ye truly was, nor whether these people could really handle him.
For a moment, a hint of resentment rose in his heart. It was all that wretched system’s fault—if only it had taught him to cultivate, would he have fallen so low as to need a beauty’s protection?

“Don’t worry. Your life is safe with me,” Huangfu Meng answered with great confidence, her full chest subtly lifting as she gripped her sword tightly.
But just then, a tall figure suddenly leapt out from somewhere.
“Hahaha! Just the two of you want to deal with me? Utterly laughable!”
With a sinister laugh, the imposing figure brandished a gleaming warblade, murderous intent written all over his face, and charged at Chen Changsheng like the wind. “I’ll kill you first—the woman can stay for my amusement.”
Tuoba Ye!
Chen Changsheng froze. He had never witnessed such a scene. Seeing the glint of the warblade in Tuoba Ye’s hands, his mind went completely blank.
Heavens, was Tuoba Ye really this ferocious? If he’d known he was just cannon fodder, he would never have come—what a regret!
Huangfu Meng was also caught off guard; she hadn’t expected Tuoba Ye to be so savage, charging out in the blink of an eye.
The key point was that Tuoba Ye was much stronger than she’d imagined—she was no match for him at all.
“Ah!”
But suddenly, Tuoba Ye let out a startled cry. Raising his warblade high, he stood there motionless, as if struck dumb.
His face twisted; his eyes bulged with endless shock and terror.
In his vision, Chen Changsheng—also frozen in place—radiated with countless divine rays, more dazzling than the sun itself.
Within those myriad rays, the sound of the Great Dao boomed like massive bells and drums, deafening and earth-shattering.
Tuoba Ye felt as though his very being was about to erupt and shatter into dust.
“I—I—I… I’ve seen a ghost!”
His mouth hung open. In Chen Changsheng’s presence, he felt smaller and more fragile than an ant; with a mere breath, Chen could wipe him from existence.
Crack!
The warblade in his hand suddenly shattered into dust, as if it were made of paper, fragments fluttering to the ground—only to vanish before they even landed.
Next, blood gushed from Tuoba Ye’s eyes, nose, and ears as his body convulsed violently.
With a spurt, a mouthful of thick blood burst from his lips.