The arena was momentarily silent, the wind whistling. Zhao Beishan, Qian Xishan, and the others exchanged glances, swallowed hard, and were somewhat inexplicably terrified.

For some reason, they felt a sense of fear when they looked at the blood-stained figure in green in the arena.

The way Chen Yuan had acted earlier, killing indiscriminately, had given them a great shock. Some were even torn in half by Chen Yuan, and Yu Wancheng was almost hammered into a pile of mush.

Especially when Chen Yuan grabbed Yu Wancheng's shoulder and slammed him into the ground, he didn't seem like the calm, even gentle, benefactor Wang in their impressions.

Chen Yuan slowly turned around, looked at the Yunshan Four Ghosts, and smiled:

"I got a little carried away just now. Don't mind."

He was certainly not a demon, just wanting to shock the Yunshan Four Ghosts and experience the pleasure of power.

The Yunshan Four Ghosts may have once had a sense of justice, unable to stand the practices of those above them and becoming bandits in a fit of pique, but years of bandit life would definitely change their mentality somewhat.

If he wanted to subdue them, he had to entice them with benefits and impress them with power!

When they were at the inn before, Chen Yuan felt that the reason they were so polite was definitely because he had shown his power. What he needed to do now was to deepen their impression.

"Se... Senior."

"Benefactor Wang..."

The four men were a little at a loss.

"Thank you, Benefactor Wang, for your help in saving us brothers!"

In the end, Zhao Beishan, with the demeanor of a big brother, said very respectfully.

Chen Yuan smiled and said:

"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Chen Yuan, and I'm from the Sky Survey Division!"

......

......

North of Nanling City.

In a restaurant, Chen Yuan sat in the seat of honor, with the four Zhao Beishan brothers lined up below him. They were still recovering from the shock.

Wang Ping was an alias, and their benefactor's true identity was an inspector of the Sky Survey Division in Nanling Prefecture!

A member of the imperial court!

"So, Benefactor, you've come to us brothers. I wonder what for..."

Zhao Beishan's eyes flickered, wondering what he was thinking.

Hearing his words, Qian Xishan, Sun Nanshan, and the others also looked at Chen Yuan with some doubt.

Could it be that the government was also going to take action against them, the water bandits?

And then the benefactor thought of them and informed them?

"What do you think is the reason I'm looking for you?" Chen Yuan did not answer, but instead asked.

Zhao Beishan looked around:

"This... we are dull, and we hope that Chen... Benefactor will speak frankly. If there is anything you need our brothers to do, please ask. We will never refuse."

"Yes, Benefactor, just ask."

"Since Benefactor saved our lives, our lives are yours."

Several people echoed.

In their opinion, Chen Yuan would not visit the Three Treasures Hall without a purpose. He must have something he needed them to do, and they would try their best to repay this kindness.

After all, without Chen Yuan, they would have died twice already.

"There's no need to be so nervous. I'm actually giving you a chance to clear your names. Do you plan to be Yunjiang water bandits for the rest of your lives?"

"Without resources and cultivation techniques, I'm afraid you will never be able to break through to the Condensing Core Realm."

Chen Yuan smiled.

"What does Benefactor mean?"

Zhao Beishan had vaguely caught something.

Chen Yuan smiled without saying a word.

Zhao Beishan's eyes flickered, and he exchanged glances with his brothers for a few breaths, nodding secretly.

Then, the four stood up and knelt down on one knee to Chen Yuan, saying in a low voice:

"We four are dull and are willing to submit to Benefactor from now on. We hope that Benefactor will take us in!"

"Please rise."

Chen Yuan smiled and helped the four up one by one.

"From now on, we brothers will go through fire and water for Benefactor."

"We will go up the mountain of knives and down into the sea of fire without hesitation!"

"Without Benefactor, we would have no way to survive. We only wish to submit sincerely."

The few men did not say much, but each expressed their meaning.

"It's not that dangerous. From now on, you will follow me. Resources, cultivation techniques, status, you will have them all!"

Chen Yuan's expression became serious.

As long as these Yunshan Four Ghosts were truly loyal to him and had no ulterior motives, Chen Yuan would not be stingy in nurturing them.

Although Yue Shan and the others could be trusted, they were still ultimately people of the imperial court.

And Chen Yuan...

He was actually just using the power of the imperial court to climb up, and he did not have the belief of serving the country faithfully. The Daoshen Palace he joined did not seem like a righteous organization, and perhaps they were plotting something.

But Chen Yuan still joined without hesitation.

As long as the benefits were great enough, betraying the imperial court would not put any psychological pressure on Chen Yuan.

Most things in this world are illusory. Only benefits are eternal!

"Greetings, Lord!"

Zhao Beishan nodded solemnly, abandoning the title of Benefactor and calling him Lord. This meant that from now on, they were Chen Yuan's subordinates.

He did not know if his brothers' choice was the right one, but for now, it was the most appropriate.

After all, there was still the pressure of the Azure Flood Dragon Society above them.

Yu Wancheng was dead. Even if they cleaned up the battlefield afterward, the people of the Azure Flood Dragon Society could easily deduce that Yu Wancheng's death was related to them, the Yunjiang Four Ghosts.

If Chen Yuan had not taken them in, they would have temporarily left Nanling Prefecture.

To avoid their sharp edge.

"Greetings, Lord!"

"Greetings, Lord!"

After Zhao Beishan spoke, the others immediately changed their address.

After chatting for a while, Chen Yuan also learned from Zhao Beishan the reason why Yu Wancheng intercepted them. The Azure Flood Dragon Society was preparing to dominate Yunjiang and completely control it.

To wipe out all the water bandits on Yunjiang.

Either submit and join the Azure Flood Dragon Society, or... die.

And his brothers had had conflicts with the Azure Flood Dragon Society before, and they simply could not stand their practices, so they never thought about joining the Azure Flood Dragon Society.

Faced with the threat of the Azure Flood Dragon Society, they directly refused.

Then they were hunted down.

At first, it was just Azure Flood Dragon Society members below the Condensing Core Realm searching for their traces. After confirming their location, they attracted the pursuit of Yu Wancheng, the vice leader of the Azure Flood Dragon Society's Blood Killing Hall.

And Chen Yuan's encounter was not exactly accidental.

They had already been hunted down for the past few days, but they had been maneuvering in the mountains. After encountering Yu Wancheng, they were unable to resist and retreated to the riverbank while fighting.

"It's the Blood Killing Hall again!"

A cold light flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes.

The Azure Flood Dragon Society had three main halls: the Blood Killing Hall, the Flying Eagle Hall, and the Cloud Water Hall.

Among these three halls, the Blood Killing Hall had the strongest strength, with one leader and one vice leader. The Flying Eagle Hall was second, and the Cloud Water Hall was not good at fighting and focused on business.

The Azure Flood Dragon Society had three or four Condensing Core Realm martial artists on the surface. The strength of the Sky Survey Division alone could not suppress so many Jianghu forces.

It should be known that the Azure Flood Dragon Society was only a third-tier force among the five major forces.

The strength of the Divine Firmament Hall and the Golden Mountain Temple above it was even greater.

The Jianghu forces in Nanling Prefecture had already put great pressure on the imperial court.

After a moment of silence, Chen Yuan said in a low voice:

"The news of Yu Wancheng's death will definitely spread in the next few days. You can temporarily do something for me."

"Lord, please instruct us."

"Go to Qinghe County and help me find out about Ren Changyi and the Ren family."

"Yes, sir."

Having the Yunjiang Four Ghosts go ahead and investigate was also for Chen Yuan to be more cautious. If things changed, Chen Yuan needed to plan again.

Plan before acting!

......

......

After the Yunjiang Four Ghosts left Nanling Prefecture City, Chen Yuan did not busy himself with other things, but instead turned his attention back to cultivation.

Cultivation relies on diligence.

Even though he possessed the Profound Azure Sutra, such an extremely mystical Taoist cultivation technique that was helping Chen Yuan cultivate at all times, he did not slack off in the slightest.

His goal was not just Qi Absorption.

The Qi Absorption level was more than enough to protect himself, but in the entire Nanling Prefecture, it was only at a mid-level and not enough to stand at the pinnacle. Only the powerhouses of the Profound Connection Realm could have a place.

In a few days of cultivation, Chen Yuan's cultivation had improved again. At this moment, the vortex of Qi in his dantian had already occupied two-fifths, which was a significant increase in cultivation.

If others were to find out, they would be shocked to what extent.

After all, Chen Yuan had only entered the Condensing Core Realm for nearly twenty days. For many people, this time was just a process of cultivation.

Of course, the further one goes in cultivation, the more difficult it becomes, and it takes more time.

And the Azure Flood Dragon Society was furious during these few days. They discovered the death of Yu Wancheng and issued the Azure Flood Dragon Edict in Nanling Prefecture, hunting down the Yunjiang Four Ghosts.

As long as their heads were brought to the Azure Flood Dragon Society, they would receive a reward of a thousand taels of silver, plus three Profound Spirit Pills.

The reward was extremely generous, causing many people to inquire about the Yunjiang Four Ghosts, but unfortunately, they had no trace because they had already left Nanling Prefecture City a few days ago.

There were also some comments within the Sky Survey Division saying why Chen Yuan had been an inspector for more than half a month and had not yet carried out any missions? Chen Yuan knew that Nie Qiyun must have been pulling the strings behind this.

Perhaps the other inspectors were also fanning the flames.

On this day.

Chen Yuan summoned Yue Shan, Yang Feng, Mo Donghe, and the others.

"Lord, are we going to start carrying out the mission?"

Yue Shan asked with cupped fists.

His face was a little unnatural. He had also heard the comments within the Sky Survey Division these days and was somewhat indignant for Chen Yuan.

The situation within the Sky Survey Division was very clear to everyone. After Zhang Xuan left, the other inspectors were vaguely dissatisfied with Chen Yuan.

"That's right, the mission was issued a few days ago, but it wasn't time to act yet. Now... it's about time."

"May I ask, Lord, what is this mission?"

Mo Donghe asked in a solemn voice.

Chen Yuan stood up and said lightly:

"Qinghe County, bring back a head!"

After that, Chen Yuan briefly explained the mission.

Mo Donghe, on his usually calm face, squeezed out a smile. He liked exterminating families the most!

"Are we leaving now?"

Yue Shan asked.

Chen Yuan nodded:

"Go dispatch manpower, immediately, depart!"