Chapter 69

Falling, falling.

Continuously falling, as if from a high mountain peak, as if from the top of the clouds, plunging into an endless abyss.

Chen Zong suddenly woke up, immediately feeling utterly drained, as if he were in a state of collapse, with waves of pain emanating from within his body. He knew he had suffered internal injuries.

Sunlight filtered down from the sky, illuminating the pit, and Chen Zong lay quietly for a while, gradually regaining some strength before he managed to turn his head to look around.

The pit was not large, roughly the size of a room, but it was very deep, at least ten meters high. The sword scabbard lay on one side, the sword was embedded in the ground, and not far away, a man in black lay, his blood already dried.

The bundle was spread out, scattered on the ground, but it was still some distance away, out of reach.

Lying quietly on the somewhat cold ground of the pit, Chen Zong looked up at the sky outside the pit, which was only a small patch of blue, indicating clear weather, perfect for hiking.

"They must have already set off," Chen Zong thought to himself.

Time slowly passed, and gradually, Chen Zong felt his strength returning, allowing him to move slowly. He inched over to a bottle of energy pills, struggled to open it, and took one pill, swallowing it.

As the energy pill dissolved in his stomach, a warm current gradually spread, slowly dispelling the weakness, and his strength recovered more.

He took two more energy pills, and his body, like a dry sponge absorbing water, rapidly absorbed the warm current, quickly recovering.

When all three energy pills were fully absorbed, Chen Zong's strength was finally completely restored, and he could move freely, but the feeling of weakness remained, a weakness in his qi and blood. Every movement caused a wave of pain to surge from within.

The Blood Burning Technique had instantly drained all of Chen Zong's qi and blood, granting him a thousand pounds of increased strength. Fortunately, Chen Zong did not deliberately sustain it, stopping the technique after performing the Heavenly Light and Cloud Shadow Sword. Otherwise, not only his qi and blood but also his entire body of blood would have been burned, with severe consequences.

He took a Beast Blood Pill, and as it dissolved, his qi and blood gradually recovered. Chen Zong quickly circulated the second level of the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique to accelerate the recovery of his qi and blood.

After this, not only was his qi and blood fully restored, but he also made some progress, reaching the peak of the second level of the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique, just a step away from the third level.

"This can be considered an unexpected surprise," Chen Zong thought, finding a silver lining in his misfortune.

Although his strength and qi and blood were fully restored, his internal injuries would not heal so easily. Without suitable medicine, he could only rely on his own healing ability. Fortunately, a martial artist's healing ability far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and his internal injuries were not particularly severe. As long as he did not engage in high-intensity training for a period, he could gradually recover.

However, Chen Zong could not determine when he would fully recover.

Picking up the sword scabbard and drawing the sword, he sheathed it. His gaze fell on the body of the man in black not far away, a straight wound slicing diagonally across his chest, almost severing it, a fatal injury. Chen Zong recalled the events.

The man in black had struck his chest with a palm like a knife, while Chen Zong had used the Blood Burning Technique to unleash his strongest attack, the Heavenly Light and Cloud Shadow Sword. The man in black clearly did not expect that a mere fifth-level Qi and Blood Realm practitioner, who could be killed with a casual strike, could wield such a terrifying sword technique.

Underestimating Chen Zong, combined with poor visibility in the dark, ultimately led to his death.

Under normal circumstances, they would have both perished, but the man in black's attack had been aimed at Chen Zong's chest, which was protected by a black iron plate that opened the stone chamber in the mountain. Chen Zong was wearing a silver-threaded inner armor, which deflected some of the force, so the palm strike, though painful, did not cause significant harm.

"Are they from the Yang family or the Fine Rain Gang?" At this moment, Chen Zong had the time to think. Removing the man's mask, he saw an unfamiliar face. After searching the man's body, he found nothing.

"It's probably the Fine Rain Gang."

After much consideration, Chen Zong believed the Fine Rain Gang was more likely to be responsible. He had some conflicts with Yang Feiyu of the Yang family, but not to this extent. However, the son of the Fine Rain Gang's leader had died by his sword, creating a deeper grudge.

"There's a seventy to eighty percent chance it's the Fine Rain Gang," Chen Zong concluded. "Whether or not it's you, once I enter the Seven Stars Martial Academy and improve my cultivation, I will find you to confirm."

As for now, with only fifth-level Qi and Blood Realm cultivation, attempting to storm the Fine Rain Gang alone would be a death sentence.

Of course, he could report the matter to the Chen family, and they would take action. However, after much consideration, Chen Zong decided to handle it himself. Additionally, he needed to hurry to the Seven Stars Martial Academy, as there was a time limit. If he missed the enrollment period, it would be a tragic outcome. Weighing the pros and cons, the latter was more important, as it related to his future goals.

Repacking the bundle and slinging it over his shoulder, Chen Zong looked around.

The pit seemed to be man-made, with uneven but not large walls, making it difficult to climb.

After a trial, Chen Zong found that he could climb, but it was very difficult and would exacerbate his internal injuries.

"This is troublesome," Chen Zong muttered to himself, deciding to rest for a while to allow his internal injuries to heal more.

Unable to practice sword techniques, Chen Zong cultivated the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique, hoping to break through to the third level, but the gap between the peak of the second level and the third level was significant, making it difficult to break through.

After a few more hours, Chen Zong tried climbing again.

The few hours had not significantly improved his condition, but he gritted his teeth and persisted, as waiting any longer was not an option.

He drew his sword and firmly embedded it in the pit wall, took an energy pill, rested briefly, and continued climbing.

Pain surged from within, like being cut by a knife, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Finally, he climbed out of the pit, sprawling on the ground, gasping for breath, his face pale from the intense pain.

The sunlight was blinding. After a brief rest, the pain gradually subsided, and Chen Zong forced himself to stand, looking around and judging the direction of the sun based on his experience on Fulong Mountain.

"It should be this way," Chen Zong decided and set off in the determined direction.

"One black-clothed man is dead, what about the other?"

"Is he still in the mountains?"

While thinking, Chen Zong paid close attention to his surroundings.

Killing one was a stroke of luck; encountering the other would likely result in his death.

Having survived a great calamity, he hoped his luck would not be too bad.

Just as he thought this, Chen Zong froze. A black figure slowly emerged from around a corner, leaning against a rock, the other black-clothed man.

The man in black was equally surprised to see Chen Zong, his eyes instantly bursting with intense killing intent and hatred, suffocating and overwhelming.

The man in black immediately rushed toward Chen Zong. Chen Zong敏锐地发现，这黑衣人的动作似乎有些僵硬，速度也没有那么快。

“难道，他被黑蜂尾针扎过？”一个念头闪过，如果真是这样，或许自己有机会。

他拔剑，化作一道奔雷，划破空气，似乎有噼里啪啦的声音响起，刺向黑衣人。

黑衣人双掌拍出，势大力沉，仿佛能开碑裂石般轰向陈宗，但陈宗明显看出黑衣人的动作有些僵硬，出手之间力道不畅，破绽明显，也没有动用气血之力。

剑光刺眼夺目，从双掌缝隙中掠过，直奔面门，黑衣人一惊连忙闪避，却似乎反应慢了一线，任由那剑光掠过脖子，切开一道伤口。

陈宗终于确定，这黑衣人很可能被黑蜂尾针扎过，毒素侵入体内，虽然不致命，但影响了他的气血运行和身体灵活，变得麻木迟钝。

既然如此，陈宗便不会放过这次机会。

“你是细雨帮的人吧。”

“细雨帮帮主一边送礼道歉，一边暗中派人出来截杀我，是怕被陈家知道，将整个细雨帮铲除吧。”

“你的同伴，已经在黄泉路上等你。”

三句话，黑衣人的瞳孔瞬间收缩，大受震动，出手之势也随之微微一顿。

陈宗立刻抓住机会，真剑八式展开。

乱剑式迷眼，疾剑式破空，在黑衣人身上破开几道伤口，爆剑式如巨炮轰击，重重刺在黑衣人的身上，牵动内伤，陈宗也吐出一口血液，面色发白。

黑衣人昨夜被不少黑蜂尾针扎中，一身毒素麻痹身躯，如今又被爆剑式直接击中，身受重创倒地。

陈宗走过去，防备对方反扑，一剑挑开对方的黑色面巾，又是一张黑色面孔。

“是不是细雨帮帮主派你们来截杀我的？”陈宗剑指对方咽喉，不徐不疾问道：“老实交代，可活命。”

这人却满脸恨意杀意的盯着陈宗，一言不发。

陈宗呼出一口气，右臂轻轻往前一送，锋锐的剑尖破开咽喉，直接刺入。

对方的一切反应进一步证实了陈宗的推测，这两人与细雨帮有关系。

搜索一番，同样没有什么收获，陈宗再次取出一粒精力丸服用，热流弥漫开去，尽管无法治疗内伤，却也能让身体好受一些。

为杀此人，内伤随之加剧，这下子痊愈的时间又变得更长了。

“希望接下来，能够顺利越过黑蜂山吧。”陈宗暗道，若能追上其他人，与另外四个陈氏族堂子弟汇合，会更安全一些。

只是不清楚，他们四个现在是否已经越过黑蜂山了。

……

“陈治，陈宗根本不知道到哪里去，说不定已经被那两个黑衣人杀了。”陈治说道。

“不可能。”陈重怒目反驳：“陈宗都可以在伏龙山内生存一个多月，不可能轻易死掉。”

“就算如此，我们也已经找了大半天了，根本就没有找到，再继续找下去，万一错过了时间……”陈治再次说道，陈开岳和陈文择两人沉默以对。

“要走，你们先走，我再找找。”陈重沉着脸色说道。

“我觉得可以再找找看，以一个小时为限，如果找不到的话，我们只能先动身。”陈文择说道，陈开岳和陈治立刻同意，陈重想了想，也点头同意。

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Falling, falling.

Continuously falling, as if from a high mountain peak, as if from the top of the clouds, plunging into an endless abyss.

Chen Zong suddenly woke up, immediately feeling utterly drained, as if he were in a state of collapse, with waves of pain emanating from within his body. He knew he had suffered internal injuries.

Sunlight filtered down from the sky, illuminating the pit, and Chen Zong lay quietly for a while, gradually regaining some strength before he managed to turn his head to look around.

The pit was not large, roughly the size of a room, but it was very deep, at least ten meters high. The sword scabbard lay on one side, the sword was embedded in the ground, and not far away, a man in black lay, his blood already dried.

The bundle was spread out, scattered on the ground, but it was still some distance away, out of reach.

Lying quietly on the somewhat cold ground of the pit, Chen Zong looked up at the sky outside the pit, which was only a small patch of blue, indicating clear weather, perfect for hiking.

"They must have already set off," Chen Zong thought to himself.

Time slowly passed, and gradually, Chen Zong felt his strength returning, allowing him to move slowly. He inched over to a bottle of energy pills, struggled to open it, and took one pill, swallowing it.

As the energy pill dissolved in his stomach, a warm current gradually spread, slowly dispelling the weakness, and his strength recovered more.

He took two more energy pills, and his body, like a dry sponge absorbing water, rapidly absorbed the warm current, quickly recovering.

When all three energy pills were fully absorbed, Chen Zong's strength was finally completely restored, and he could move freely, but the feeling of weakness remained, a weakness in his qi and blood. Every movement caused a wave of pain to surge from within.

The Blood Burning Technique had instantly drained all of Chen Zong's qi and blood, granting him a thousand pounds of increased strength. Fortunately, Chen Zong did not deliberately sustain it, stopping the technique after performing the Heavenly Light and Cloud Shadow Sword. Otherwise, not only his qi and blood but also his entire body of blood would have been burned, with severe consequences.

He took a Beast Blood Pill, and as it dissolved, his qi and blood gradually recovered. Chen Zong quickly circulated the second level of the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique to accelerate the recovery of his qi and blood.

After this, not only was his qi and blood fully restored, but he also made some progress, reaching the peak of the second level of the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique, just a step away from the third level.

"This can be considered an unexpected surprise," Chen Zong thought, finding a silver lining in his misfortune.

Although his strength and qi and blood were fully restored, his internal injuries would not heal so easily. Without suitable medicine, he could only rely on his own healing ability. Fortunately, a martial artist's healing ability far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and his internal injuries were not particularly severe. As long as he did not engage in high-intensity training for a period, he could gradually recover.

However, Chen Zong could not determine when he would fully recover.

Picking up the sword scabbard and drawing the sword, he sheathed it. His gaze fell on the body of the man in black not far away, a straight wound slicing diagonally across his chest, almost severing it, a fatal injury. Chen Zong recalled the events.

The man in black had struck his chest with a palm like a knife, while Chen Zong had used the Blood Burning Technique to unleash his strongest attack, the Heavenly Light and Cloud Shadow Sword. The man in black clearly did not expect that a mere fifth-level Qi and Blood Realm practitioner, who could be killed with a casual strike, could wield such a terrifying sword technique.

Underestimating Chen Zong, combined with poor visibility in the dark, ultimately led to his death.

Under normal circumstances, they would have both perished, but the man in black's attack had been aimed at Chen Zong's chest, which was protected by a black iron plate that opened the stone chamber in the mountain. Chen Zong was wearing a silver-threaded inner armor, which deflected some of the force, so the palm strike, though painful, did not cause significant harm.

"Are they from the Yang family or the Fine Rain Gang?" At this moment, Chen Zong had the time to think. Removing the man's mask, he saw an unfamiliar face. After searching the man's body, he found nothing.

"It's probably the Fine Rain Gang."

After much consideration, Chen Zong believed the Fine Rain Gang was more likely to be responsible. He had some conflicts with Yang Feiyu of the Yang family, but not to this extent. However, the son of the Fine Rain Gang's leader had died by his sword, creating a deeper grudge.

"There's a seventy to eighty percent chance it's the Fine Rain Gang," Chen Zong concluded. "Whether or not it's you, once I enter the Seven Stars Martial Academy and improve my cultivation, I will find you to confirm."

As for now, with only fifth-level Qi and Blood Realm cultivation, attempting to storm the Fine Rain Gang alone would be a death sentence.

Of course, he could report the matter to the Chen family, and they would take action. However, after much consideration, Chen Zong decided to handle it himself. Additionally, he needed to hurry to the Seven Stars Martial Academy, as there was a time limit. If he missed the enrollment period, it would be a tragic outcome. Weighing the pros and cons, the latter was more important, as it related to his future goals.

Repacking the bundle and slinging it over his shoulder, Chen Zong looked around.

The pit seemed to be man-made, with uneven but not large walls, making it difficult to climb.

After a trial, Chen Zong found that he could climb, but it was very difficult and would exacerbate his internal injuries.

"This is troublesome," Chen Zong muttered to himself, deciding to rest for a while to allow his internal injuries to heal more.

Unable to practice sword techniques, Chen Zong cultivated the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique, hoping to break through to the third level, but the gap between the peak of the second level and the third level was significant, making it difficult to break through.

After a few more hours, Chen Zong tried climbing again.

The few hours had not significantly improved his condition, but he gritted his teeth and persisted, as waiting any longer was not an option.

He drew his sword and firmly embedded it in the pit wall, took an energy pill, rested briefly, and continued climbing.

Pain surged from within, like being cut by a knife, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Finally, he climbed out of the pit, sprawling on the ground, gasping for breath, his face pale from the intense pain.

The sunlight was blinding. After a brief rest, the pain gradually subsided, and Chen Zong forced himself to stand, looking around and judging the direction of the sun based on his experience on Fulong Mountain.

"It should be this way," Chen Zong decided and set off in the determined direction.

"One black-clothed man is dead, what about the other?"

"Is he still in the mountains?"

While thinking, Chen Zong paid close attention to his surroundings.

Killing one was a stroke of luck; encountering the other would likely result in his death.

Having survived a great calamity, he hoped his luck would not be too bad.

Just as he thought this, Chen Zong froze. A black figure slowly emerged from around a corner, leaning against a rock, the other black-clothed man.

The man in black was equally surprised to see Chen Zong, his eyes instantly bursting with intense killing intent and hatred, suffocating and overwhelming.

The man in black immediately rushed toward Chen Zong. Chen Zong敏锐地发现，这黑衣人的动作似乎有些僵硬，速度也没有那么快。

“难道，他被黑蜂尾针扎过？”一个念头闪过，如果真是这样，或许自己有机会。

He drew his sword, transforming into a bolt of lightning, slicing through the air with a crackling sound, and thrust it at the man in black.

The man in black struck with both palms, powerful and heavy, as if capable of shattering stone, but Chen Zong clearly saw that his movements were somewhat stiff, his strikes lacking power, with obvious weaknesses and no use of qi and blood.

The sword's light was blinding, piercing through the gaps between the palms and heading straight for the face. The man in black was startled and tried to dodge, but his reaction was a bit slow, allowing the sword to slice across his neck, leaving a wound.

Chen Zong finally confirmed that this man in black had likely been stung by black bees, with toxins in his body affecting his qi and blood flow and making his body numb and sluggish.

Given this, Chen Zong would not miss this opportunity.

"Are you from the Fine Rain Gang?"

"The leader of the Fine Rain Gang sent gifts and apologies while secretly sending people to intercept and kill me, fearing that the Chen family would find out and destroy the entire Fine Rain Gang."

"Your companion is already on the path to the underworld."

These three sentences caused the man in black's pupils to instantly contract, greatly shocking him, and his attack momentarily paused.

Chen Zong immediately seized the opportunity and unleashed the Eight True Sword Techniques.

The Chaotic Sword Technique blinded him, the Swift Sword Technique pierced the air, leaving several wounds on the man in black, and the Explosive Sword Technique struck like a cannon, heavily piercing the man in black, exacerbating his internal injuries. Chen Zong also spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.

The man in black had been stung by many black bees the previous night, with toxins numbing his body. Now, being directly hit by the Explosive Sword Technique, he suffered severe injuries and fell to the ground.

Chen Zong approached, guarding against any counterattack, and with a sword, he lifted the man's black mask, revealing another black face.

"Was it the leader of the Fine Rain Gang who sent you to intercept and kill me?" Chen Zong pointed his sword at the man's throat, calmly asking, "If you confess, you may live."

The man glared at Chen Zong with intense hatred and killing intent, saying nothing.

Chen Zong exhaled, gently pushing his right arm forward, and the sharp tip of the sword pierced through the throat, directly entering.

The man's reactions further confirmed Chen Zong's suspicions, indicating that these two were indeed associated with the Fine Rain Gang.

After searching the man, Chen Zong found nothing. He took another energy pill, and the warm current spread, though it could not heal his internal injuries, it made his body feel better.

Killing this man exacerbated his internal injuries, prolonging his recovery time.

"Hopefully, I can successfully cross the Black Bee Mountain next," Chen Zong thought. If he could catch up with the others and join the other four Chen family clan members, it would be safer.

However, he was unsure if the other four had already crossed the Black Bee Mountain.

...

"Chen Zhi, Chen Zong has no idea where to go. He might have already been killed by those two black-clothed men," Chen Zhi said.

"Impossible," Chen Zhong angrily retorted. "Chen Zong survived for over a month in Fulong Mountain. He cannot be easily killed."

"Even so, we have been searching for half a day and found nothing. If we