"I don’t know either."

The man in red rotated his hand and said slowly,

"I’m just following orders."

"You’re quite frank."

Fang Shuwen smiled.

"There’s nothing that can’t be said to a man who’s about to die."

The red-robed man’s tone was casual, as if the person beside him wasn’t a living, breathing man, but a corpse that had been dead for a long time.

Fang Shuwen then said,

"Since there’s nothing that can’t be said, why don’t you tell me where this Divine Fire Seal came from?"

"And who are you people?"

"Oh, right. Back at Zhuji Pavilion, I managed to squeeze six words out of that man in black."

"...What words?"

"Wanli Jing, the sovereign on the throne."

Fang Shuwen spread his hands.

"Since I’m about to die anyway, why don’t you tell me what those six words really mean?"

"I can’t say."

The red-robed man’s reply was swift, but it wasn’t the answer Fang Shuwen wanted to hear.

Fang Shuwen scoffed.

"Now this is no fun. You just said there’s nothing that can’t be said to a dying man, and now you’re going back on your word..."

"Because if I say it, even I will die."

The red-robed man said helplessly,

"You can’t just drag me down with you because you’re going to die, can you?"

"I see."

Fang Shuwen stroked his chin.

"Back in the main hall of Zhuji Pavilion’s front mountain, after that man in black said those six words, a Fire Force erupted from his body. It instantly consumed him, leaving not even a trace behind."

"And now you’re saying the same... It seems that so-called Divine Fire Seal can control your mouths, preventing you from easily revealing secrets."

"Interesting. Very interesting indeed."

"This world truly has all sorts of wondrous Divine Techniques and strange arts..."

"So, you’ve all been implanted with that so-called Divine Fire Seal?"

"Was it the work of that ’sovereign on the throne’?"

"You’re a dead man. What’s the point of asking so much?"

The red-robed man spoke with a smile, but the killing intent radiating from him grew stronger.

Fang Shuwen asked helplessly,

"Is not dying an option?"

"No."

The red-robed man had barely finished speaking when Fang Shuwen was already leaping into action.

He suddenly unleashed Vajra Tower Throwing, a technique from the Great Black Heaven God Palm. But his target wasn’t the man in red. The strike flew past the members of the Lu’an Escort Agency and landed viciously amidst the group of red-clothed men.

However, this group was no ordinary band of Jianghu people. Even though Fang Shuwen and the red-robed man had been talking and laughing in a seemingly friendly manner, they had actually been on high alert the entire time.

When he struck, apart from a few who were too slow to dodge and were smashed into the ground by Fang Shuwen’s palm, dying with blood streaming from their seven orifices, most of the men had already scattered to the sides.

Fang Shuwen paid it no mind. Without pausing after the first strike, he spun and instantly executed Twin Golden Lotus. The red-clothed men on both sides were just about to form an encirclement when the Palm Power washed over them.

THUD THUD THUD, THUD THUD THUD!

In an instant, a bloody mist filled the air. The seven or eight red-clothed men who had just charged forward all had their chests caved in, the Palm Power blasting out from their backs. A rain of blood sprayed over the faces and heads of the men behind them.

Their faces were covered by masks, but their eyes were not.

Without a moment to think, they all retreated, raising their hands to wipe their eyes.

Seizing the opportunity, Fang Shuwen said,

"You all should back up a bit."

Mo Beidou was about to say something more, but Lu Guiyan grabbed him and pulled him back.

’Now is not the time to rush up and help.’

’They would only be getting in the way...’

At the same time, the remaining red-clothed men had gathered together.

Seven or eight corpses now lay scattered on the ground.

Yet, facing him, there were still at least twenty of them left standing.

The red-robed man stood in their midst and said with resignation,

"Why bother with this futile resistance?"

"No matter how high your Martial Arts skill, you can’t possibly kill every single one of us, can you?"

Fang Shuwen gave a silent laugh but said nothing more.

But out of nowhere, a wind began to stir, gathering behind him.

’Time to test out the Celestial Intent Four Symbols Technique I just acquired.’

Killing intent filled the forest, and the flames of the torches crackled in the wind.

An intense sense of crisis suddenly rose in the red-robed man’s heart. He reacted instantly, shouting to his men:

"Join forces!!"

The red-clothed men instantly shifted their positions, leaving only one man at the front. His palms were crossed, facing inward and pointing down.

The men behind him each placed a hand on the back of the person in front of them. Streams of fiery True Qi converged, and the palms of the man at the very front began to glow an ever-deeper red.

He abruptly brought his hands up to his waist, palms facing upward.

Actual flames now blazed and churned between his hands.

Faint, ethereal dragon roars echoed as the man was about to thrust his palms forward.

But behind Fang Shuwen, a colossal Dharma Aspect had risen at some unknown moment.

It was wreathed in howling wind. As Fang Shuwen sent out a palm strike, the Dharma Aspect thundered forward, mirroring his attack.

A powerful gale surged forth, concealing the Palm Technique within.

The pupils of the red-clothed man at the front contracted violently. He could feel the approaching force—part palm, part blade—was overwhelmingly powerful and impossible to resist.

’Even with the combined power of all the red-clothed men here, we might not be his match.’

This realization, even more than his opponent’s Martial Arts, terrified him to his very soul.

But at this moment, retreat was no longer an option.

The fiery light gathered in his palms was an arrow nocked on a bowstring—it had to be released.

With a furious roar, he thrust out both palms.

The dragon’s roar erupted as his Palm Power shot forth like a fiery dragon, meeting Fang Shuwen’s Palm Technique head-on.

But before it could even get close, the flames engulfing the Palm Power were suppressed by the wind, unable to rise. The moment the two streams of True Qi collided, the fully charged fiery Palm Power was struck by Fang Shuwen’s Wind God’s Fury and instantly disintegrated into a sky full of wild flames, unable to hold its form.

Then, caught in the gale, the flames were swept back toward their source.

In an instant, the sky full of fire descended upon the group of red-clothed men.

Immediately, miserable screams rose and fell, a chorus of agony.

The red-clothed man at the very front, however, did not suffer such a fate.

The moment the two streams of True Qi clashed, he had already been killed on the spot by the impact of Fang Shuwen’s Inner Strength.

After unleashing his palm strike, Fang Shuwen merely swept his gaze over the men and narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Fire Force contained within their Palm Technique was extraordinary. This group had gathered all their power to face him, and now they suffered a True Qi backlash. With their meridians burned and green smoke spewing from their seven orifices, death was inevitable.

He paid them no further mind and leaped, heading straight for the original red-robed man.

The red-robed man had been so certain of victory that he had dared to run his mouth with Fang Shuwen.

Who could have known that once Fang Shuwen decided to act, he would do so with such devastating force, utterly routing them?

Terrified to his soul, he didn’t dare to face Fang Shuwen. He just turned and ran.

But before he could take two steps, he heard the ominous sound of wind behind him. He had no choice but to channel all his Inner Strength and whip around with a palm strike.

His usually invincible Fire Force collapsed the instant it met Fang Shuwen’s attack. The immense power sent him flying backward. He tumbled for thirty or fifty feet before landing and spitting out a mouthful of blood with a violent retch.

When he looked up again, Fang Shuwen was already standing right in front of him.

The red-robed man gave a dry laugh.

"...On second thought... I think not dying is also an option."