Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 60 Devouring Abyss
He walked out of the cultivation technique pavilion step by step without looking back. The corridor was quiet and deserted, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing on the stone slabs.

Looking back, he realized that he had almost lost control at that moment.

It wasn't because of sorcery or enchantment, but because deep down, there was indeed a trace of desire and tenderness within her.

He closed his eyes, as if trying to suppress the alluring fragrance between his lips and teeth, the tenderness that his fingertips had just touched, and the emotions surging in those blue-gold eyes into the depths of his heart.

Too much softness will cause it to lose its edge;
Getting too emotional can cause you to lose sight of your original intentions.

There is only one day left until the Qingyun Arena.

The Wang family has not yet been eradicated. They are like a beast lurking in the shadows, ready to tear through the defenses and devour all the weak at any moment.

What troubled Chu Ning even more was her elder sister.

Seven days have passed since Director Lei Wanjun moved her to a safe place, and there has been no communication with him. Given Lei Wanjun's methods and caution, it's impossible for him to disappear without a trace, unless... he intentionally cut off contact, or—something unexpected happened.

Chu Ning placed her hand on her chest, her fingertips gently brushing over the warm, soft mass.

"Xiaoxue, can you hear me?"

no respond.

It slept so soundly that its tail didn't even twitch.

He gave a wry smile and gently tucked her into the innermost layer of his robe. The comforting weight, though light, felt like a piece of jade pressing on his heart, reminding him that he was not alone.

He glanced back at the martial arts pavilion in the night. The wooden door had slowly closed, as if shutting out all the nightmarish emotions from just moments before. But the lingering echo of the woman's soft humming seemed to still resonate in his ears, like a nightmare haunting him, impossible to shake off.

He never looked back a second time.

Chu Ning turned and left, walking out of the cultivation technique pavilion.

A night breeze swept by, brushing against his face and lifting the hem of his black robe. The murderous intent and sharpness that had gathered between his brows quietly disappeared into the depths of the night, like a divine weapon sheathed, waiting to be unsheathed once more.

Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar, as loud as thunder.

"Report——"

A dark figure broke through the night, warhorses neighing, their iron hooves pounding the bluestone. A black-armored guard leaped from his horse, his armor clanging, and knelt on one knee, his voice as cold as iron:
"Reporting to the Inspector, a peak ninth-rank elder of the Wang family has appeared and has been spotted in the east of the city!"

Chu Ning's expression tightened slightly, but a faint smile appeared on his eyebrows.

"The Wang family... finally couldn't sit still any longer."

His voice was deep and husky, like a surging tide, yet it concealed a murderous intent that had been brewing for a long time.

"I've been waiting for them for a long time."

He lowered his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them, and spoke softly, yet his words were like a frost-covered blade being drawn from its sheath.

"Send word to the Black-Armored Guards—"

He looked up at the night sky, his expression cold and murderous.

"Tonight will be the end for the Wang family."

After saying that, he did not leave immediately, but turned around and went straight to Li Jing'an's residence.

The lamp in the courtyard was still lit, and the lights inside the window flickered on and off.

Chu Ning pushed open the door and entered, and sure enough, she saw Li Jing'an still grinding ink at his desk, his plain robe disheveled, his hair slightly loose, his figure calm and composed. Chu Ning's lips curled up, suppressing the surging murderous intent, and he put on a nonchalant demeanor, slowly approaching.

"Old Li, come on, let's go have some fun?"

Li Jing'an didn't even look up, only saying indifferently, "It's so late, I'm not going."

Chu Ning scratched his white hair, revealing a helpless yet sly smile: "Listen to me... the Wang family is no small matter. I can fight them alone, but... tsk, it's a bit lonely."

Li Jing'an glanced at Chu Ning, his tone slightly amused: "When have you ever been afraid of being alone?"

Chu Ning didn't reply, but narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone becoming a bit indifferent, as if casually asking, "Old Li, you are the inspector of the First-Rank Pavilion, with unfathomable cultivation, yet you came to Qingyang County to be a constable, hiding your identity... Isn't that a bit of a waste of your talents?"

The words were not heavy, but carried a hint of inquiry, sincerity, and even a touch of teasing in the night breeze.

Li Jing'an did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment, gazing at the distant, deep blue night sky, before softly saying, "Some things can only be clearly seen from the bottom up."

Chu Ning listened quietly without interrupting.

He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold: "Do you think the Inspectorate is just here to 'convict murderers'? What's more important to us is the 'causal investigation law'. You can kill someone, but have you thought about where the source is, what the cause and effect are, and whether it's worth touching? It's easy to remove a cancerous tumor, but it's connected to the lifeblood of the entire system."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes, his tone turning somber: "But the Wang family... you know they are poisoning the people and taking lives. With your strength, you could have eliminated them long ago, so why... have you not taken action?"

His eyes were serious, and his words carried a mixture of confusion and the stubbornness and questioning of a young man. He truly regarded Li Jing'an as an elder, which was why he dared to speak so frankly.

After a long silence, Li Jing'an slowly said, "It's not that I don't want to kill, it's that I can't kill."

"It is true that the Wang family is a malignant tumor, but if you rashly remove it, the entire power structure of Qingzhou will instantly collapse. Commerce, grain supply, personnel, and military equipment will all be entangled with it. What will happen to the people then? How will Qingzhou maintain its stability? This move will not only affect one family or clan, but the very foundation of the entire prefecture."

"What you see is evil, but you don't see how much profit and how many connections they have behind it. It's not that I'm afraid to take action, but the cost of taking action is too high."

Chu Ning frowned, seemingly understanding but not quite. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled, a smile with a touch of youthful slyness: "You make perfect sense, but tonight, you still have to come with me."

After a long silence, Li Jing'an finally spoke, his gaze as deep as an ancient well, his tone calm yet sharp: "Do you want me to help you collect the corpse, or to help you kill someone?"

Chu Ning shrugged, smiled, and winked: "It's best if they all come along. If I kill too many people and there are too many corpses to collect... that would be too ugly."

Li Jing'an raised an eyebrow: "Reason?"

Chu Ning spread his hands, looking completely self-righteous: "Because I'm your student. You can't just stand by and watch me get beaten up, or even killed, can you?"

Li Jing'an was taken aback, then chuckled, a rare tenderness appearing in his eyes, like the wind rippling across an ancient well.

"Are you worried about Wang Lin, the patriarch of the Wang family?"

Chu Ning's face stiffened, then he chuckled dryly and scratched his head: "Hehe, you see through things the most."

He stopped smiling and became serious: "Old Li, tell me the truth—who exactly is Wang Lin? I always feel... you know more about him than I do."

Li Jing'an lowered his head in thought. The night wind brushed against his sleeves, and the remaining arcs of lightning on the lightning pillar flickered like electric snakes. The world seemed to fall into a brief silence.

"Wang Lin's real name has long been lost to history. Thirty years ago, he was a first-class wanted man in my First-Class Pavilion's secret files, codenamed 'Swallowing Abyss'."

"Twenty years ago, he cut open the belly of the dragon, took the reverse scale into his body, refined it into a body, abandoned his name and changed his surname to 'Wang Lin', and from then on he hid in the deep mountains, hiding in the Wang family, waiting for the right opportunity."

Chu Ning's brow twitched: "'Swallowing Abyss'? Isn't that the number one villain on the Seven Provinces' Evil List? Legend has it that he died in the battle of Lingyuan!"

(End of this chapter)