48: Chapter 48 Killing Han Pei

Xiuchun Market.

Tianyun Tower.

For the sake of Li Qing, Manager Chai Jie had specially come to Xiuchun Market from Pingjiang City.

At this moment, Manager Chai Jie was sitting by the window, leisurely drinking spiritual tea, waiting for the arrival of Deacon Han Pei.

But the next second.

"Boom!"

"Crash!"

With a loud bang, the teacup in Manager Chai Jie's hand shattered on the floor, frightening him.

He jerked his head up, his voice trembling slightly:

"Chai Servant, what on earth happened? Where did such a huge commotion come from?"

Before his words had even faded, the figure of Chai Servant appeared silently in the room.

His expression was not good either, as it was clear the explosion had also given him quite a shock.

He bowed respectfully to Manager Chai Jie and replied:

"Master, there was a violent explosion inside Xiuchun Market. The sound came directly from within the market!"

Manager Chai Jie's brows instantly furrowed, his heart filled with both shock and suspicion.

What kind of place was Xiuchun Market? It was territory personally garrisoned by people from the Houtu Sect, with strict security.

Who would have the audacity to cause such a major explosion here?

Could it be—Deacon Han Pei.

Could something have gone wrong on Deacon Han Pei's end?

As soon as this thought emerged, Manager Chai Jie immediately shook his head, negating it in his heart.

Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could a tiny Qi Refining Stage 7 Loose Cultivator cause something to happen to Deacon Han Pei?

But before he could calm himself down, Chai Servant cautiously added:

"Master, I carefully observed the direction. The center of the explosion seems to be exactly where that Loose Cultivator, Li Qing, lives!"

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, striking Manager Chai Jie and leaving him frozen in place.

A bone-chilling panic instantly spread throughout his entire body.

Something was wrong; something truly major had happened!

Meanwhile, the entire Xiuchun Market had been completely ignited by this loud bang.

The originally quiet Xiuchun Market instantly turned into a chaotic mess.

Many people pushed open their doors and ran out, stretching their necks to peer in the direction of the explosion, chattering and discussing, their faces filled with terror and curiosity.

"My god, what is this commotion? It almost collapsed my house!"

"Could it be that a powerful enemy has come to cause trouble? Xiuchun Market is Houtu Sect territory!"

"Hurry and pack your things! If a fight breaks out, we won't be able to save our own lives!"

Some Cultivators with slightly better backgrounds directly summoned their flying Magical Artifacts, hovering in mid-air, ready to turn around and flee the moment the situation turned sour.

The entire Xiuchun Market was in a state of panic, and the atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

The Houtu Sect Disciples in Xiuchun Market dared not delay in the slightest.

Team after team, carrying their Magical Artifacts and striding forward, rushed toward the location of the explosion like madmen.

The small courtyard where Li Qing lived had completely disappeared by now.

All that remained was a pitch-black, smoldering crater, the surrounding ground left uneven by the power of the explosion.

Deacon Han Pei was sprawled at the edge of the crater, completely devoid of strength, his face as pale as paper.

He was regretting it so much that his intestines were turning green.

Just a moment ago, in order to quickly finish off Li Qing, he had taken out his trump card, a thunderstorm bead, and thrown it out.

However, the power of this thunderstorm bead had far exceeded his expectations.

In his urgency at that time, he had crushed several defensive Talismans in succession, but they still hadn't blocked the terrifying power of the explosion.

If not for the High Grade Magical Artifact robe he was wearing, he would have long since been blown to smithereens.

Deacon Han Pei secretly rejoiced in his heart.

Fortunately, that Loose Cultivator named Li Qing had been hit directly by the thunderstorm bead and must be dead beyond a doubt.

Now he just needed to wait quietly; the Houtu Sect Disciples would arrive soon, and by then he would be rescued and able to heal and recover.

Just as he let out a sigh of relief, an incredibly irritable and highly inappropriate curse suddenly rang out:

"Damn it, my small courtyard!"

Deacon Han Pei froze abruptly.

He turned his head stiffly, his eyes instantly widening into circles, his face filled with an expression of having seen a ghost.

Standing at the edge of the crater was a young man, his body covered in dust and his hair somewhat disheveled.

It was none other than Li Qing, whom he thought had been blown to death!

Li Qing was also fuming with rage at this moment.

During the instant the thunderstorm bead exploded, he had felt a fatal danger and, without a second thought, had flashed into his Immortal Cave, which was how he saved his life.

Even so, he had still been affected by the aftershock of the thunderstorm bead, leaving his whole body aching and his Qi and blood surging.

Li Qing stared fixedly at the culprit, Deacon Han Pei, his desire to kill him no longer repressible.

"It's all because of you! I was Cultivating honestly; did I provoke you or offend you? You insisted on coming to my door to bully me, and now you've even blown up my courtyard. You are simply going too far!"

"Go to hell!"

Li Qing stopped talking nonsense.

Spiritual power surged at his fingertips, and a yellow, earthen-colored pointed cone instantly condensed.

With a whistling sound, it shot straight toward Deacon Han Pei.

Deacon Han Pei was frightened to the point of his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

He didn't even have the strength to resist now and could only desperately open his mouth to beg for mercy:

"Fellow Daoist, spare my life... spare my life!"

But before he could finish his words, the earthen cone let out a "squelch" sound and pierced fiercely through his throat.

Fresh blood instantly sprayed out.

Deacon Han Pei's body twitched twice, his eyes wide open, and he completely lost all signs of life.

A Qi Refining Perfection Houtu Sect Outer Sect Deacon had died just like that at the hands of a Qi Refining Stage 7 Loose Cultivator.

Li Qing panted a few times, bent down to pick up the Storage Pouch that Deacon Han Pei had dropped on the ground, and casually tied it to his waist.

He had just wanted to open it to see what was inside and if it could compensate for his losses, when a series of hurried footsteps came from the distance, followed immediately by a stern shout:

"Audacious maniac, how dare you kill someone in public at Xiuchun Market! Surrender immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

The Houtu Sect Disciples had arrived!

Li Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly sobered up.

He had actually forgotten that this was inside Xiuchun Market, where fighting was prohibited.

If he didn't run now, when would he?

Li Qing turned to run, but just at that moment, one of the Houtu Sect Disciples rushing in the front suddenly saw the face of Deacon Han Pei on the ground.

He was so scared that his footsteps faltered on the spot, and his voice even went out of tune:

"Deacon... Deacon Han? You killed Deacon Han?"

The other few Disciples also stopped in their tracks instantly, their faces pale, each of them cautiously retreating, not daring to step forward at all.

They all knew in their hearts that Deacon Han was a top-tier expert at Qi Refining Perfection and a top-tier existence in Xiuchun Market.

Anyone who could kill Deacon Han must have a Cultivation level of at least Qi Refining Perfection, or even higher!

For small Disciples like them at the Middle to Late Stage of Qi Refining, going up there would simply be throwing their lives away; they didn't even have the qualifications to fight back.

Li Qing looked at this scene before him and was also a bit dazed.

Wasn't it one of Manager Chai Jie's people?

How could it be someone from the Houtu Sect, and a Deacon at that?

What that person said was actually true!

It's over!

The trouble is huge now!

Li Qing had only one thought in his heart: escape, escape far away!

He no longer hesitated, used Shadow Evasion, and flew off in the direction of the Yunling Mountain Range, his speed astonishingly fast.

Those few Houtu Sect Disciples looked at each other, none of them daring to chase after him; they could only watch helplessly as Li Qing's figure disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, Manager Chai Jie at Tianyun Tower soon received the news from his subordinates, learning that Deacon Han Pei had been killed and the murderer, Li Qing, had fled into the Yunling Mountain Range.

He was so angry on the spot that his face turned livid, and he slammed his fist on the table.

He couldn't figure out for the life of him how an inconspicuous Qi Refining Stage 7 Loose Cultivator could actually kill a Qi Refining Perfection Deacon Han Pei and then calmly escape right under the noses of the Houtu Sect Disciples.

In his heart, he suddenly felt a bit of regret for plotting to get Li Qing's secret.