Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Upon hearing that Gu Chen was going to deal with the Blood Robes Tower, Luo Feng was immediately taken aback and said, "What, Brother Gu, you're going to deal with the Blood Robes Tower?!"

Gu Chen nodded, saying, "That's right."

Upon hearing this, Luo Feng tentatively asked, "Brother Gu, may I ask whether this is your own decision or the Jing Tian Department's?"

If it was the Jing Tian Department, then everything would be easy to discuss, but if it was Gu Chen himself, Luo Feng was ready to persuade him otherwise.

After all, the Blood Robes Tower was an assassin organization with a fearsome reputation in the Jianghu, and even one of their subordinate strongholds was full of hidden dangers, with countless assassins lurking within. Gu Chen alone, I'm afraid, would not be able to cope with it.

Although the Blood Robes Tower and the Red Dust Tower were hostile toward each other, and people would naturally like to see someone confront the Blood Robes Tower, Luo Feng had come to regard Gu Chen as a friend and naturally did not want him to take risks.

Gu Chen was very calm and had nothing to hide from Luo Feng. He said, "It's my own decision."

"This..." Upon hearing that, Luo Feng hesitated for a moment.

Seeing Luo Feng's hesitation, Gu Chen said, "Don't worry, you just need to inform me about the locations of several strongholds of the Blood Robes Tower in Qiongtian Mansion. Although I am dealing with it on my own, mobilizing the army of Qiongtian Mansion to assist from the side should not be difficult. I never do anything without assurance."

Reassured by these words, Luo Feng nodded and said, "Alright, Brother Gu. However, the strongholds of the Blood Robes Tower are extremely secretive, and not even the Red Dust Tower is likely to know them all. I can only do my best. I will send a message to the headquarters and inform you as soon as I have news."

"In that case, I thank you," said Gu Chen. "When the time comes, you can let me know about the costs of the intelligence."

Although the two were friends, business transactions should still be clearly settled. Gu Chen did not want to take advantage of Luo Feng for no reason.

Moreover, the Red Dust Tower made a living by selling intelligence. To uncover information on the well-concealed strongholds of the Blood Robes Tower would likely be costly, but Gu Chen was certainly able to afford it.

Upon hearing this, Luo Feng gave a slight smile and said, "Brother Gu, what are you talking about? It's just a small matter. There's no need to discuss these things between brothers."

Hearing this, Gu Chen did not say anything more, keeping the kindness in his heart.

"Alright, Brother Gu, we are here today to relax and have fun. Let me tell you, sometimes you have to enjoy yourself. If you like gentle and amiable women, I can take you to them," Luo Feng said with a smile.

The Pavilion of Flowers was extensive and covered a large area. Under Luo Feng's lead, Gu Chen followed him to a small courtyard which was already bursting with people.

This small courtyard, named Snow Stacking Garden, belonged to one of the courtesans of the Pavilion of Flowers. Now, many warriors had gathered here.

There were a total of ten small courtyards within the Pavilion of Flowers, each belonging to a courtesan of the Pavilion of Flowers, and only a courtesan could own her small courtyard within the Pavilion of Flowers.

Inside the Snow Stacking Garden, the sound of a zither could be faintly heard. The zither music was clear, and the notes seemed to dance like a babbling brook, very pleasing to the ear.

In the garden, a woman with a clean and beautiful appearance, soft facial features, and picturesque eyebrows and eyes was sitting there, her delicate, jade-like fingers playing the zither.

By her side sat many young and promising men, with the members from the Sunset Sword Sect, including Xue Jun, seated at the forefront, right beside the courtesan.

It turned out that while Gu Chen and Luo Feng had been discussing the Blood Robes Tower, they had already come here first.

Gu Chen and Luo Feng had excellent eyesight and immediately saw Xue Jun and Shi Sen sitting there.

Luo Feng muttered softly, "Indeed, it's a small world."

Out of the many choices among the courtesans and the hundreds of singers in the Pavilion of Flowers, it just so happened that the Sunset Sword Sect's Xue Jun and others had made the same choice as Gu Chen.

Of course, this was mainly because the courtesan of the Snow Stacking Garden, even among the courtesans of the Pavilion of Flowers, was ranked in the top three, worthy of the title.

And for that reason, Xue Jun and others came well-recommended, and upon seeing her, they were instantly smitten.

The courtesan was named Autumn Snow, beautiful in appearance with a gentle nature. Her black hair was pinned up with a jade hairpin, her skin fair, and she especially excelled in playing the zither.

Xue Jun and Shi Sen, keen-eyed as they were, spotted Gu Chen and Luo Feng standing at the entrance to the Snow Stacking Garden.

Shi Sen sneered, "I'm sorry, Lord Gu, but there are no seats left here. Perhaps you'd better find another place."

Dong Liang, sitting beside them, also had a darkened expression and did not speak.

At that moment, the courtesan Autumn Snow also raised her head to look toward Gu Chen standing at the doorway.

The courtesan's eyes were as clear as water, complementing her exquisite appearance, no wonder she was pursued by countless people in Qiongtian Mansion, ranking among the top three courtesans of the Pavilion of Flowers.

Upon hearing Shi Sen, Luo Feng was not willing to show weakness and retorted, "If it's full, it's no big deal. You can just give up your seats."

"How arrogant!" said Shi Sen coldly.

The others around also turned their attention to Gu Chen and Luo Feng, wondering who these two were. They dared to speak so boldly to the true disciples of the Sunset Sword Sect, with such a presumptuous attitude.

Suddenly, someone recognized Gu Chen and conveyed his identity to those around them.

Upon learning of his identity, everyone's eyes became more intense. No wonder Shi Sen had addressed him as Lord Gu. So, this was Gu Chen, who had stirred up a lot of buzz in the Jianghu recently.

Moreover, many among them had heard of the grudge between Gu Chen and the Sunset Sword Sect.

The rise of Gu Chen's reputation in the Jianghu began by stepping on the Sunset Sword Sect, one could say, their enmity had been festering for a long time.

The Pavilion of Flowers had a rule because the number of people each courtesan's small courtyard could accommodate was limited, not all followers could be hosted. Thus, to ensure that the courtesans did not miss out on talented individuals, the Pavilion of Flowers set a rule.

That was, positions could be obtained through competition—the stronger the strength, the closer the seat to the front.

When the members of the Sunset Sword Sect arrived, due to their renown, they were given seats by the others without even needing to compete.

And this challenge, in order not to harm the good atmosphere, was divided into a literary contest and a martial contest.

Seeing an opportunity to teach Gu Chen a lesson so quickly, Shi Sen said coldly, "I'm sure you're aware of the rules of Pavilion of Flowers. When all positions are filled, if one wishes to obtain a spot, one must prove their strength. Even if Lord Gu comes from Jing Tian Department, he cannot ignore the rules and use his power to oppress others, can he?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen immediately knew Shi Sen's intention. He spoke indifferently, "Do you wish to compete with me?"

"Indeed."

Shi Sen stood up, his body strong and powerful, and looking towards Gu Chen, he said, "Does Lord Gu dare to?"

At that moment, Dong Liang beside him spoke up, "I've heard that not long ago, Lord Gu killed hundreds of demon sect warriors with a single sword strike in Xu'an County, earning the title of 'Soul-Shocking Blade' from the world. It's just a pity that the only witnesses to that event were from Jing Tian Department.

I'm sure everyone present would like to witness Lord Gu's true strength for themselves."

His words were tinged with sarcasm, clearly implying that since the only witnesses to the battle were from Jing Tian Department, he did not believe in Gu Chen's strength nor the events that transpired in Xu'an County.

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's expression remained calm, as he turned his gaze towards Dong Liang and said, "What about you, do you also wish to battle with me?"

Dong Liang, on hearing this, stiffened, as he thought it was no joke. He was well aware of his own talents or the lack thereof in martial arts, having given up long ago and just indulging in food and play. How could he possibly be a match for Gu Chen?

If he were to enter the fray, he probably couldn't even withstand a single palm strike from Gu Chen.

Seeing that Dong Liang stayed silent, Gu Chen said, "If you're not brave enough, then sit quietly in your place and keep your mouth shut."

At Gu Chen's words, Dong Liang's face alternated between red and white, but he couldn't say anything in response.

At this point, Shi Sen said in a gloomy tone, "Why must Lord Gu bully others? If you have the guts, just fight me. We'll speak through our strength."

Then, Autumn Snow, the top courtesan, spoke up. Her voice was exceedingly gentle, just like the music from her zither before. She said, "Since both gentlemen are willing to grace Snow Stacking Garden, you are, of course, honored guests of Autumn Snow. If you really must compete, I hope you can choose a literary contest and avoid harming the harmony here."

A literary contest involved not using internal power, just purely comparing techniques and physical prowess.

Upon hearing this, Shi Sen smiled slightly and said, "I have no objections, and I'm willing to save face for Miss Autumn Snow."

Having said this, he turned to look at Gu Chen.

Little did they know, he was only half a step away from breaking through to the third level of the Vajra Stage, possessing a body as mighty as that of a primal dragon, with brute strength being his forte.

He didn't believe that Gu Chen, who had only recently advanced to the Vajra Stage, could match him in terms of physical strength.

Gu Chen didn't mind at all, confident in his strength no matter what was compared. Moreover, with Shi Sen provoking him repeatedly, Gu Chen was willing to teach the man a lesson.

Hearing that both agreed to compete, the crowd hurriedly cleared a space for them.

Xue Jun observed Gu Chen, who was full of confidence, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Yet, he thought of how Shi Sen was about to step into the strength of a primal dragon, harnessing the force of a hundred and fifty thousand jin. Surely, Shi Sen had no reason to lose to Gu Chen.

"Lord Gu, have you thought it through? If you lose to me, the reputation you've just started to build will be gone," Shi Sen said with a smile at the corner of his mouth, extremely confident.

Gu Chen, growing impatient, said, "If we're going to fight, let's fight. Why waste words?"

Shi Sen immediately huffed coldly. A stomp of his foot and he burst forth toward Gu Chen, his palm the size of a fan sweeping towards Gu Chen's face.

The challenge had been accepted by Gu Chen himself. Under the watchful eyes of the public, even if he seriously injured Gu Chen, Jing Tian Department couldn't say a thing.

As the fierce wind approached, Gu Chen neither dodged nor fled. He stood his ground, his feet rooted in place, and returned a palm strike to Shi Sen, who was within arm's reach.

Bang!

The palms collided, and Shi Sen's body trembled immediately, feeling a force much stronger than his own emanating from Gu Chen's palm.

"Impossible!"

Shi Sen's pupils dilated; how could Gu Chen, who had only recently advanced to the Vajra Stage, possess strength greater than his own?

Unbeknownst to him, even without using the Superior Martial Skill "Golden Bell Shield", Gu Chen's strength was nearly eighteen thousand jin, much stronger than Shi Sen.

If Gu Chen reached the strength of a primal dragon, his physical strength would undergo yet another tremendous surge.

The overpowering force sent Shi Sen's body stiffening; seeing this, Gu Chen didn't hesitate and smacked down with another palm strike.

"Puh!"

This palm strike, employing a taste of his own medicine, struck Shi Sen's swollen face, leaving half of his teeth knocked out by Gu Chen's slap.

Seeing Shi Sen's miserable condition, the members of Sunset Sword Sect could no longer sit still; Xue Jun's face changed immediately.

"Enough!" he exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen ignored him. After all, the challenge had been initiated by Shi Sen. He couldn't simply say stop and end it—that's not how things worked! What did they take him for? It wasn't that easy to back out.

In Gu Chen's eyes, Xue Jun was nothing special. Although Xue Jun might have had stronger physical strength due to being at the Vajra Stage, once Gu Chen employed "Golden Bell Shield", who would win and who would lose was not yet determined.

Moreover, with Gu Chen's cultivation, he didn't need to rely on physical strength alone to suppress both Xue Jun and Shi Sen.

Bang!

Gu Chen struck with another palm, making Shi Sen's face intimately contact the ground. Seeing stars, Shi Sen's mouth filled with blood.

Xue Jun's expression changed in shock; he never expected Gu Chen's strength to have improved so quickly. Could it be that Gu Chen had achieved the strength of a primal dragon immediately upon breaking through to the Vajra Stage? But that was impossible!