In this moment, the Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu directly betrayed the Third Hall Master.
Chen Ping’s lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a mocking smile. He said, “Oh? All your immortal stones? That does show some sincerity. However, how can I trust you?”
The Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu hurriedly replied, “I… I can take you to the storehouse. All the immortal stones are there. Once you have them, please let me go.”
Chen Ping pondered for a moment before saying, “Very well. Since you are so sincere, I shall provisionally trust you this once. But you had best not play any tricks, otherwise your fate will be grim.”
The Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu felt as if granted a pardon. He nodded vigorously and said, “I dare not, I dare not. I shall lead you there honestly.”
Thus, the Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu led Chen Ping and Hu Mazi towards the storehouse of the Sixth Hall.
By now, the Sixth Hall lay in ruins. Broken walls and remnants littered the ground everywhere, and the air was thick with a pungent, charred odour.
The Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu weaved left and right through the rubble before finally arriving at the storehouse.
With trembling hands, he opened the heavy door.
At once, a dazzling light emanated from within. It revealed piles upon piles of various immortal stones: white ones, blue ones, purple ones, all radiating a kaleidoscope of colours.
The Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu gazed at these stones, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes, but he forced himself to say, “Chen Ping, these are all the immortal stones. Take them. I hope you will honour your word and release me.”
Chen Ping regarded the stones, his heart surging with excitement, yet he did not reach for them immediately. Instead, he gave a cold laugh and said, “Sixth Hall Master, do you truly believe I would release you so easily? All is fair in war; you should understand that principle.”
Upon hearing this, the Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu’s face drained of colour. His eyes widened in disbelief as he said, “You… you go back on your word. You… you shall meet a wretched end!”
Chen Ping snorted coldly and said, “Sixth Hall Master, you have committed countless evils and deserve death a thousand times over. Today, I shall act on heaven’s behalf and send you on your way.”
With that, he swung the Dragon Slaying Sword in his hand. A razor-sharp streak of sword qi shot towards the Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu.
The Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu’s eyes bulged in terror. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.
The sword qi pierced his body in an instant. He let out a agonised cry before his form slumped slowly to the ground. Blood gushed from his wound, staining the earth beneath him crimson.
Hu Mazi stared at the Sixth Hall Master Jin Fu’s corpse and hesitated before saying, “Chen Ping, is not this a bit too ruthless on our part?”
Chen Ping looked at Hu Mazi gravely and said, “Master Hu, to show mercy to one’s enemies is to be cruel to oneself. The Sixth Hall Master has wrought much evil; his death is well deserved.
Moreover, now that we have taken his immortal stones, he would never let it rest. If we spared him, he would surely seek revenge later. Thus, only by killing him can we find peace.”
Hu Mazi nodded upon hearing Chen Ping’s words and said, “You are right; I was thinking too simplistically. So, how shall we handle these immortal stones?”
Chen Ping eyed the stones in the storehouse and said, “These immortal stones are of great importance to us. We can use them to enhance our strength.
However, this place is no longer safe. We must leave at once.”
Chen Ping and Hu Mazi gathered all the immortal stones from the storehouse, then swiftly departed the ruins of the Sixth Hall.
The pair found a relatively secure spot. Chen Ping then produced the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, which emitted a mysterious glow, as if harbouring boundless power.
He placed all the immortal stones into the pagoda.
“Master Hu, let us enter the Demon Suppressing Pagoda to cultivate. The flow of time inside differs from the outside world; we can rapidly advance our cultivation there.”
