HISS!

Chen Ku was actually able to withstand Ma Mingfeng's Skill of Witnessing.

On the riverbank, the crowd watched Chen Ku. At the very moment Ma Mingfeng pounced, Chen Ku first froze. Then, his face grew numb, he trembled all over, his face turned red, and sweat poured down like rain. For an instant, it was as if he had been possessed by the Devil.

But it lasted only an instant before Chen Ku pulled himself out of the trance.

This left everyone in disbelief.

This kind of Spirit Witness Skill could only be resisted by someone with a strong spirit or equipped with special Materials to counteract a Psychic Ability. Ordinarily, an average person had no way to handle it.

BANG!

Watching Ma Mingfeng flee into the water, Chen Ku's face was covered with sweat, a look of lingering fear etched upon it.

That was too close.

To others, it looked like he broke free from control in just a moment or two. But in reality, if Ma Mingfeng had not been some distance away, those couple of moments would have been enough for Chen Ku to die many times over!

Had he not, at the last moment, quickly switched his three Transformations (other than the Flower Fox Mink) into human experts, gaining the support of three human spirits, and used the first method his master had taught for dealing with Spiritual Attacks—'profound life force'—to forcefully break free, he would now be a corpse.

The consequence was that after Chen Ku stepped onto the ice surface, from beneath the ice, an Evil Qi coiled, shrinking back. It was the 'Centipede Viper' Incarnation that Chen Ku had previously released into the Dragon River.

After being dismantled by Chen Ku, the Centipede Viper Incarnation could only retreat into the Transformation Diagram.

As a result, he now lacked even the ability to dive into the water and chase Ma Mingfeng.

But with so many people on the bank, Chen Ku found it inappropriate to retrieve the Centipede Viper Incarnation's Evil Qi in front of everyone.

So he took a deep breath, turned to Kou Ming, who was watching Ma Mingfeng escape with a sullen face, and said, "Senior Brother, we let Ma Mingfeng escape."

Drawing a deep breath, Kou Ming slowly replied, "That man is a rare genius, one in ten thousand. His Spiritual Endowment, even within the Prefecture City, is extremely rare. Not only can he perform Spirit Witness on others, but his reaction speed is also several times faster than that of an ordinary Mystic Barrier Third Layer cultivator. If not for your sudden attack, Junior Brother, which killed his three companions and distracted him, even I would have had no hope of harming a single hair on him in such a short time."

"So, it's only natural that we couldn't capture him."

Chen Ku very much agreed.

He had already experienced the reaction speed of an ordinary Mystic Barrier Third Layer cultivator when facing Yan Longhao. He knew an arrow shot without warning could be dodged simply by their ability to 'Sense Danger and Evade.'

Ma Mingfeng's reaction speed was significantly higher than Yan Longhao's, not just slightly. This was evident from his timely decision on the most effective escape route just now.

However, Chen Ku observed that Kou Ming didn't seem to mind Ma Mingfeng's escape; in fact, he looked rather confident of victory.

Could it be? Was the silver needle that hit Ma Mingfeng's shoulder well poisoned?

Thinking this, it didn't seem impossible.

He had come to understand this senior brother quite well. Despite his gentle appearance, he was decisive in action and cunning in strategy.

He had intended to kill from the very beginning.

Besides, as the foremost Disciple of the Medicine King Hall, it seemed entirely expected for him to use poisoned needles.

"What shall we do next?" Chen Ku stowed away his staff.

With a slight smile, Kou Ming said, "Junior Brother, your work for today is done. Just wait until we return to the city; the streets and alleys will be singing of your prowess. As for what happens here, I will take care of the aftermath. You can return to the city with Junior Sister Huo first."

Saying this, he patted Chen Ku on the shoulder.

Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he walked over to the Shopkeeper, Junior Pavilion Master, Young Escort Head, and Young Housekeeper of the four powers on the riverbank.

Chen Ku watched as Kou Ming turned and left.

He glanced at the hole in the ice where Ma Mingfeng had escaped into the water. Without any change in expression, he strode over. In that single stride, he reabsorbed the Centipede Viper Incarnation into his body, then went ashore to Huo Xiaoxia's side.

On the riverbank, Chen Ku saw that the eyes of the various Shopkeepers, looking at the three of them, revealed an indescribable shock and fear.

The Jianghu was not only about social intricacies and worldly wisdom; it was also impossible to avoid conflict and killing. Social standing and influence also needed to be established on the basis of strength.

This Riverside meeting was implicitly agreed by everyone to be a contest where the strength of the younger generation would determine the division of interests among various industries.

Now, Chen Ku alone had swept over seven geniuses with a single staff strike, uprooting the younger generation of two major powers in one fell swoop.

As witnesses to all this, the other members of the smaller assembly now surely understood how to choose sides at the upcoming major assembly and which power to support.

Next, it should be Senior Brother's turn to carefully discuss with those four families, form an alliance at the major assembly, and re-divide the profits of other industries.

Chen Ku exhaled a breath, saying, "Senior Sister Huo, we're probably not adept at this sort of thing, so let's head back first."

Huo Xiaoxia felt a bit perplexed.

Me? But I haven't done anything!

She felt that being appointed Young Shopkeeper was just like following her senior brothers around; she hadn't really done anything and felt completely like a decorative vase.

"'Look at it this way,' Chen Ku chuckled. 'Those four families didn't do much either. They just showed up to fill a spot, a show of strength in numbers...'"

"'Let's go back.'"

With that, he slung the staff over his shoulder and took the lead, heading back towards the city.

Huo Xiaoxia watched the youth walking freely ahead, staff slung over his shoulder, and a strong sense of admiration blossomed in her heart.

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