Deep in the night, Gu Chen sat crossed-legged in his inn room, polishing his inner breath and nurturing his meridians.
Two days had passed since his battle where he had killed Qin Mu, and the reason he had yet to leave Phoenix Sun City was that the Jing Tian Department had sent him a message, ordering him to await further instructions for his next mission.
Since the point value for his martial skill had reset to zero, he could no longer rely on the panel to boost his power and unblock his meridians, leading Gu Chen to attempt it on his own.
However, with his current achievement in the Meridian Unblock Stage, it was difficult for him to advance even a little bit. Despite the continuous cultivation over two days and nights, he had yet to unblock even a single meridian.
Of course, Gu Chen had always held onto the Meridian Unblock Pills, not consuming them, and planned to use them when his point value was replenished.
At that moment, a tiny crack suddenly opened in the window of the room and wisps of thick smoke seeped in.
Gu Chen, who was meditating with his eyes closed, felt a slight movement in his eyebrows and suddenly opened his eyes.
"Who?!" Gu Chen's eyes turned frosty as he scanned the area near the window.
With a bang, the door was kicked open, and several men dressed in black wielding knives rushed in, aiming at Gu Chen and slashing fiercely.
Gu Chen's eyes darkened as he reacted, slapping back with his hand and sending the men flying with a forceful blow, spitting blood as they were hurled backward.
Whoosh!
But at that moment, a shadow flashed by the window and rushed into the room with a ferocious move, extending inner breath through his palm aimed at Gu Chen's fontanelle.
An Exterior Breath Stage martial artist!
The projection of inner breath outwards was a clear mark of an Exterior Breath Stage martial artist, and Gu Chen also sensed a faint cold aura from this person.
"A demonic sect martial artist?" Gu Chen's brows sharply rose as he lifted his other palm over his head and clashed directly with the attacker.
Bang!
The cot where Gu Chen was seated instantly collapsed, but with a swift change in motion, he stood his ground firmly.
The Exterior Breath Stage martial artist, having taken a palm strike from Gu Chen, vibrated all over, but still refused to retreat, engaging Gu Chen in a contest of power.
At the same time, his body emitted countless strands of dark qi, which took advantage of the situation to infiltrate Gu Chen's body.
At the doorway, another group of men in black brandishing knives launched an attack, trying to strike Gu Chen's body while he was entangled in a power struggle with their leader.
It's known that in the world of martial arts, a clash of inner breath is extremely dangerous: a single lapse could allow the opponent's inner breath to invade one's body, leading to madness or even shattered meridians and death.
Moreover, this was a moment that demanded full concentration, making it very difficult to divert attention to counter other attacks.
The timing of these demonic sect warriors was very well-chosen.
Seeing the assaults of those demonic sect warriors entering his field of vision, Gu Chen remained calm and collected, showing no signs of panic.
Crack!
Numerous swords struck Gu Chen but caused him no harm; however, the blades themselves burst apart from the middle, breaking in two.
Gu Chen's Horizontal Training, having reached perfection, was not something ordinary weapons could damage.
But the group persisted, one after the other, pressing their palms against Gu Chen's body, sending countless strands of inner breath attacking his innards at the same time.
And this stronghold was none other than a well-known brothel in Phoenix Sun City.
After nightfall, Gu Chen arrived there, looking at the fragrance-filled pavilion in front of him, and strode in.
It had been so long since he had come to this world, and this was only his second time visiting such a place of pleasure.
The first time was in Ning City, and both times Gu Chen's purpose for visiting the brothel was the same: to kill.
"Good evening, sir. You look unfamiliar, is this your first time here?" A servant from the brothel greeted him with an ingratiating smile.
Without a word, Gu Chen walked straight in. Seeing this, the servant still smiled. He had seen many such stern customers before, but once inside, they would change and become all smiles.
Gu Chen glanced around. The brothel was big, much larger than the Yi Xiang Building in Ning City, but of course, Ning City was far smaller than Phoenix Sun City.
"Sir, if it's your first time playing here, would you like me to introduce you to someone?" The servant asked humbly, still sporting a fawning smile.
Upon seeing such a handsome young master like Gu Chen enter, a brightly dressed woman's eyes lit up, and she hurried over.
But before she could speak, suddenly, the brothel's doors were kicked open with brute force, and a group of officers stormed in.
The brothel servant's face paled as he exclaimed, "What are you doing here, officers?"
Nearly a hundred officers entered, their expressions cold and serious. Upon seeing Gu Chen, they saluted him and stood behind him.
"This... Sir, what is..." No longer could the brothel servant fail to recognize that Gu Chen was a high official, and his face became filled with panic.
Gu Chen ignored him and, turning his back to the officers, said indifferently, "Seal off this place."
"Yes!"
The officers nodded and began the task of sealing off the establishment with a formidable air. The entire brothel was thrown into chaos; many customers were forced out of private rooms, half-dressed and disheveled.
There was incessant shouting and cursing, but Gu Chen seemed deaf to it all as he walked further in.
"Sir, please, let's talk this over... you..." The brothel servant tried to block his path with all his might, but was no match for Gu Chen.
The Evil Heart Sect martial artists were hidden within the brothel's underground chamber.
Everyone looked on in fear, unsure of what Gu Chen was about to do.
When they saw the direction Gu Chen was heading, the servant's face changed dramatically, and without caring about anything else, he blocked Gu Chen's path, his eyes revealing a flash of ruthlessness.
Without a word, Gu Chen's face emotionless, he launched a palm strike.
"Thud!"
The servant's eyes bulged, and before he could utter a word, he met an untimely death.
"Xiao Yuan!"
A shout came as countless black-clad figures appeared. With such a commotion, the Evil Heart Sect martial artists had been alarmed for some time. Despite all their calculations, they hadn't anticipated that Gu Chen could find this place.
Among them, there were actually two martial artists at the External Qi Stage, one of whom possessed an aura that was all too familiar to Gu Chen.
Seeing this, a cold smile flickered in Gu Chen's severe eyes.