Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

Stepping outside, Jiang Xingtai surveyed the crowd and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Zhou Clan has already departed. We must catch up with them quickly to prevent any potential disasters!"

Then, he turned to Qiu Liaoxi and offered, "Alchemist Qiu, since you’re at the Soul Refining realm, I’ll take you with me."

Du Bailei also gave instructions to two of his trusted cultivators, "You two, come with me." The pair quickly stepped forward, allowing Du Bailei to grab them by the shoulders.

Seeing this, Qiu Liaoxi, worried about her disciple, set aside her hesitations and nodded in agreement with Jiang Xingtai.

"Ning Xian, allow me to carry you," Jiang Chen proposed gently to Ning Xian. "Though I’m only at the Spiritual Awakening realm, I’ve mastered the Starry Abyss Sect’s body forging techniques. Trust me, my speed is quite impressive."

Before Ning Xian could react, Jiang Chen smoothly lifted her onto his back. Instantly, a warm, tender sensation spread between them.

"Ah!" Ning Xian involuntarily gasped, taken aback by the sudden movement. She barely registered Jiang Chen’s words, "Hold on tight."

In the next moment, they were moving at an astonishing speed. The landscape around them blurred into indistinct streaks, and Ning Xian felt her heart skip a beat. Her body tensed instinctively, and she tightened her grip on Jiang Chen’s shoulders, steadying herself.

Simultaneously, Jiang Xingtai and Du Bailei set off with their respective companions. As for the others, their slightly delayed arrival was of little consequence, so they followed at their own pace.

Jiang Xingtai and Du Bailei, being cultivators at the Mysterious Platform realm, were traveling at a fast pace. Jiang Chen, however, was only at the Early-stage Spiritual Awakening realm. If he tried to speed up, he could risk exposing his true capabilities.

Therefore, despite using the Clear Sky Flash technique, Jiang Chen gradually lagged behind the two powerful Mysterious Platform realm experts.

"Jiang Chen, don’t worry. We’ll catch up with the Zhou Clan first. You take your time," Jiang Xingtai shouted back at Jiang Chen, before pushing his speed to the limit and racing ahead.

Seeing this, Du Bailei gave Jiang Chen an acknowledging nod and quickly followed Jiang Xingtai.

Suddenly, Jiang Chen and Ning Xian were the only ones left in the area.

’Hehe! Time for another private moment!’ Jiang Chen thought to himself, feeling a secret delight in his heart.

He kept using the Clear Sky Flash technique, which caused his body to surge forward abruptly each time he activated it.

With every sudden movement, he found himself gripping Ning Xian’s long, slender legs more securely. Ning Xian, reacting instinctively, held on tightly to Jiang Chen’s back, making sure she wouldn’t fall off.

In these moments, the two of them grew closer, so close that they could almost sense each other’s breathing...

Nonetheless, happy moments are often short-lived.

Soon enough, Jiang Chen noticed a valley nearby, ravaged by flames. The valley was a scene of recent conflict, strewn with the remains of demonic beasts and the heavy scent of blood.

In the valley, there was a group of people, clearly divided into two factions. On one side stood the Zhou Clan, led by Zhou Ruiyu. On the other side were Jiang Xingtai, Du Bailei, Qiu Liaoxi, and a few others. Lin Feng, however, was missing.

With a swift "Whoosh," Jiang Chen smoothly landed behind Jiang Xingtai’s group. Though reluctant, he carefully let Ning Xian down.

Zhou Ruiyu’s brow creased as he turned to Jiang Xingtai, asking in a cold voice, "Jiang Xingtai, what’s going on here?"

The Jiang and Zhou Clans were the leading families in Autumn Glory City, and they were connected by marriage. Though no key members of either clan were wed to each other, this marital link did ease some of the tension between them.

So, even in his anger, Zhou Ruiyu stopped and waited when Jiang Xingtai called out to him, showing a measure of patience.

"Ah, my dear in-law," Jiang Xingtai began earnestly, "this situation is quite peculiar!"

"Lin Feng is only at the Soul Refining realm; how could he possibly defeat those at the Spiritual Awakening realm? Moreover, there were two at the Spiritual Awakening realm, along with a group of cultivators at the Soul Refining and Original Movement realms!"

"There are many uncertainties here. We must be cautious!" he urged, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

Upon hearing these words, the Zhou Clan members grew quiet. Indeed, this was the most puzzling aspect of the whole matter.

"Sigh," Zhou Ruiyu first let out a heavy sigh, then shared his thoughts, "I understand this seems far-fetched. But the image Bao He sent to my transmission jade token with the Image Projection Stone just before his death showed Lin Feng!"

"Before coming here, I did some checking and found out that after parting with you all, Lin Feng went towards the outskirts of the city."

"Also, if this was a setup, it’s too clumsy. Who would kill two people at the Spiritual Awakening realm and then try to blame it on someone at the Soul Refining realm?"

"As I see it, it’s more likely that Lin Feng hid his true strength and is responsible for the death of my grandson and the two esteemed guests of our clan!" he concluded, his voice rising with emotion as he spoke.

By the end of his speech, Zhou Ruiyu’s eyes were filled with rage, and he emanated a palpable sense of fury. True, Zhou Yihe might have had only average talent and had to stay at home because he couldn’t join a top sect. But he was his grandson, nonetheless!

Moreover, Zhou Ruiyu had only just learned from someone in the Zhou Clan that Zhou Yihe had come here to bring him a spiritual plant, protected by the Entwined Silk Vajra Python, as a surprise filial gift.

But now, his grandson had met with a tragic and early death, his body cruelly dismembered!

At this point, to keep the crime scene intact for investigation, they hadn’t yet gathered the scattered remains. Zhou Yihe’s body was still lying in a crevice in the valley, deprived of a dignified burial.

Jiang Chen suddenly stepped forward and, with a respectful fist and palm salute, said, "Patriarch Zhou, please calm down! This must be some kind of misunderstanding."

"I know Lin Feng well, and he’s not a person capable of such cruelty," he added confidently.

Zhou Ruiyu shook his head and replied somberly, "Alas, Jiang Chen, sometimes one can know someone for years and still not truly understand their character."

"Whether Lin Feng is guilty or not, once I capture him and get the truth out of him, all will become clear," he declared, his eyes shining with a determined resolve.

However, Jiang Chen continued, "Patriarch Zhou, in the Soul Refining realm, having the ability to consecutively kill two individuals at the Spiritual Awakening realm, especially one in the Middle-stage, is extremely rare, even in our Starry Abyss Sect. Such feats are few and far between."

"Although Lin Feng was once a part of our sect as an inner disciple, he couldn’t have pulled off such an act. Moreover, he was expelled due to a shattered Dantian. It’s only because of a secret medicine from the Jiang Clan’s treasury that he recently recovered," he explained, shedding light on Lin Feng’s history.

After a brief pause, Jiang Chen added, "Considering he was expelled less than ten days ago, how could he possibly heal from such severe injuries and become strong enough to kill two at the Spiritual Awakening realm in such a short time?"

"As for what I’ve just said, Patriarch Zhou, you can look into it yourself to confirm its truth," he concluded, offering a way for verification.

Given how the situation had developed, the Zhou Clan, with their influence, could easily investigate Lin Feng’s past.

Jiang Chen realized it was better to disclose Lin Feng’s Dantian recovery himself, rather than letting the Zhou Clan discover it and become curious about the secret behind it. This way, he could take responsibility for Lin Feng’s healing.

His revelation clearly made an impact.

"What!? Is this true!?" Zhou Ruiyu and the other Zhou Clan members looked at each other in astonishment.

Jiang Chen’s confident assertion suggested he wasn’t afraid of any scrutiny. This raised a new question: Could it be that Lin Feng wasn’t the actual murderer?

Just then, Zhou Ruiyu stared intently at Jiang Chen and said, "If what you’re telling us is true, then it’s less likely that Lin Feng is the murderer."

"However," he continued thoughtfully, "to be absolutely certain, I need to examine the battle site and inspect the injuries on the bodies."

"Alright! Please, go ahead with your investigation," Jiang Chen responded, nodding vigorously, and thought to himself, ’Lin Feng, as the protagonist, how could he not know how to clean up a battlefield properly?’