Chapter 21: The Power of the Dark Temple

The leader of the black-clad men, whose arm had been broken, tried to block Chu Tian’s path, but he was no match for Chu Tian even for a single round. With just one punch, Chu Tian knocked him to the ground, then chased after the last fleeing assailant.

That man had already reached the base of the wall, and, leaping upward, was about to vault over and escape. But Chu Tian seized his calf, pulling him down from mid-air. The black-clad man crashed to the ground, his face hitting hard, blood streaming across his features. Chu Tian then flung his body against the wall with force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A succession of heavy impacts resounded, shattering the man’s bones, leaving him a mangled heap of flesh and blood. Only then did Chu Tian release him and turn toward Liu Qingxue and Ye Binglan.

In the blink of an eye, the four arrogant martial experts had all been effortlessly subdued by Chu Tian. His strength once again left the two stunningly beautiful senior sisters in awe.

“You… who are you really? Why are you protecting Liu Qingxue?” The leader of the black-clad men, gravely wounded yet barely clinging to life, struggled to lift his head, his gaze fixed on Chu Tian as if staring at a demon.

It was no wonder—the brutality of Chu Tian’s methods, crushing a man to death, was terrifying.

“You have no right to know who I am.” Chu Tian gripped the man’s throat in his right hand, lifting him off the ground.

“Tell me who is behind all this, and I’ll spare your life.” Chu Tian’s fingers tightened, pressing for the truth.

The man convulsed, his throat trapped as if in a vice, gasping for air. Suddenly, his eyes widened, blood trickled from his lips, his head slumped, and his breath ceased.

“He bit his tongue and killed himself?” Chu Tian was momentarily startled, then tossed the corpse aside, his eyes clouded with contemplation.

Who could be targeting his senior sister? To hire four martial experts and compel them to die rather than reveal even a hint about their employer—there must be a formidable, sinister force lurking behind this. Chu Tian could not help but worry.

If their target had been him, he would not be troubled in the least. But if they were after Liu Qingxue, he had to uncover the true culprit. He could not allow his senior sister to remain in danger.

With this thought, Chu Tian turned to the remaining three black-clad bodies.

He found, to his surprise, that the other three had likewise perished. Clearly, they were trained as death warriors—a force prepared to die for their mission.

“Can you guess who sent these assassins?” Chu Tian frowned, looking at Liu Qingxue and Ye Binglan.

“Could they be agents from the Song family?” Ye Binglan wondered aloud.

“I don’t think so. Even if Song Tao wanted revenge, he couldn’t hire so many martial experts,” Liu Qingxue replied, shaking her head, lost in thought.

“And what about these bodies? We can’t just leave them in the backyard,” Ye Binglan said, troubled, her tone sour as she surveyed the carnage.

“You two go rest. I’ll take care of them,” Chu Tian volunteered to handle the grisly task.

The two women exchanged a glance, then turned back toward the villa.

Watching their retreating figures, Chu Tian steeled his resolve. Whoever dared threaten his senior sister would not escape so easily. Determination glittered coldly in his eyes as he took out his phone and dialed a long-unused number.

“Lord of the Palace, what are your orders?” The line connected, and a voice—deeply respectful, tinged with fervor and anticipation—answered.

The jade ring Chu Tian possessed was not only a symbol of the successor to Mount Taiji, but also conferred upon him the title of master of the Shadow Sanctuary. Whoever held the jade ring commanded the entire organization.

The Shadow Sanctuary’s influence extended across Central Province, its legacy centuries old. Its loyalty was to the ring, not the bearer. Chu Tian, having obtained the ring, was now the new master—unless someone challenged him, killed him, and took his place.

Chu Tian exhaled softly and instructed, “Send someone to Yunhe Villa immediately and dispose of the four bodies in the backyard.”

“As you command.”

Twenty minutes later, a team of mysterious figures arrived at the villa. They quietly removed the four corpses and cleaned away all traces of blood, leaving Liu Qingxue and Ye Binglan undisturbed inside.

Chu Tian stood in the backyard, silently overseeing the operation.

Whether in his past or present life, the efficiency of the Shadow Sanctuary had never disappointed him.

At that moment, a square-faced man in his forties approached Chu Tian.

“Han Bao, head of the Shadow Sanctuary’s Tianmen City branch, greets the Lord of the Palace.” The man bowed deeply, his demeanor humble and deferential, not daring to show the slightest disrespect, though it was their first meeting.

“You arrived quickly,” Chu Tian remarked with a faint smile, unclear whether it was genuine praise or subtle sarcasm.

“To serve the Lord is my honor,” Han Bao replied, anxious, feeling immense pressure.

Despite Chu Tian’s restrained aura and appearance as an ordinary high school student, anyone who could lead the Shadow Sanctuary was far from ordinary. Han Bao dared not lower his guard; even the slightest movement from Chu Tian sent his nerves on edge.

“No need to be so tense. I’m not blaming you,” Chu Tian said with a light laugh, waving his hand.

“Yes, sir.” Han Bao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though he kept his composure; the cold sweat on his brow finally began to fade.

“I have a few more tasks for you, besides cleaning up the bodies.

First, investigate the identities of these assassins, especially the mastermind behind them.

Second, assign people to protect my two senior sisters in secret. They must not be discovered, nor must they allow any harm to befall them.

Third, tomorrow is the listing conference for Qingxue Group. I anticipate the Song family will cause trouble. I want every piece of dirt and leverage on them, ready to counterattack. I do not want anything to go wrong at tomorrow’s event.”

Chu Tian laid out his three requests, paying particular attention to the listing conference. If Liu Qingxue was truly the target, their adversaries would surely act during the event.

“Rest assured, Lord, I will not fail you!” Han Bao bowed, his heart thrumming with excitement.

“One more thing…” Chu Tian lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously as he shared further instructions with Han Bao.