The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

There were plenty of ways to verify if someone was of the Human Race; there was absolutely no need to probe their body with Divine Sense. Xu Fu's request was clearly malicious.

Chen Dong's gaze turned colder. 'If you harbor ill intentions toward me, then I'll be nothing but malicious to you.'

So, Chen Dong smiled faintly. "Fine."

Murong Qing was stunned that Chen Dong had agreed. She rushed forward and grabbed his arm. "No, absolutely not! I'll talk them out of it…"

Chen Dong took Murong Qing's hand and smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. If they want to check, let them. I have nothing to hide, so there's nothing to fear."

Murong Qing froze for a moment. 'The Chen Dong I know wouldn't agree to this so easily. If he did, he must have a perfect way of handling it.'

With that thought, Murong Qing quickly tried to dissuade Xu Fu. "Senior Brother Xu Fu, you absolutely cannot do this! Even if we must inspect him, let's use a different method."

Seeing Murong Qing defend Chen Dong only made Xu Fu more jealous. He had spent all this time trying to curry favor with Murong Qing, only to be met with a cold shoulder. And now, she was fiercely protecting this man. This strengthened Xu Fu's resolve. 'Human or demon, it doesn't matter. I'll use my Divine Sense to kill him without a trace.'

Xu Fu cultivated a technique called the Evil God Devouring Heart. He rarely used it because it required his Divine Sense to enter another's body, so no one on the team knew he possessed it. From the moment he suggested the Divine Sense probe, he had planned to use the Evil God Devouring Heart, planting it inside Chen Dong's body to activate the Secret Technique at the opportune moment.

'Once this man is dead, the obstacle between me and Murong Qing will disappear!'

A triumphant smirk began to form on Xu Fu's face, but he put on a righteous facade. "Murong, no need to say more. He has already agreed. You want to prove his identity is legitimate, don't you? Afterward, we can even let him join our team and bring him along!"

What he didn't know was that Murong Qing's intervention was for his own good. After all, she felt the team had taken good care of her, and she didn't want to see a rift form between them and Chen Dong.

Upon hearing this, Murong Qing fell silent.

Chen Dong smiled. "Don't worry about me." He then walked straight up to Xu Fu, closed his eyes, and a faint smile touched his lips. "Let's do this."

A vicious glint flashed in Xu Fu's eyes. 'What an idiot. You deserve to die!' He first cast a series of restrictive seals on Chen Dong to ensure he couldn't use his Spiritual Qi. Then, he raised a hand to Chen Dong's head, and his Divine Sense surged forth, carrying the dark, shadowy form of the Evil God Devouring Heart Secret Technique.

But the moment his Divine Sense entered Chen Dong's body, his first sensation was heat. The temperature skyrocketed, and in an instant, he felt as if he had been plunged into a world of fire. Amidst the raging inferno, the cry of a True Phoenix echoed as his Divine Sense was set ablaze. The Evil God Devouring Heart Secret Technique was incinerated into nothingness.

To an outside observer, neither man moved a muscle. But Xu Fu's entire body had turned beet-red, sweat poured down his face, and his hair began to singe and turn yellow. Chen Dong, in contrast, looked completely serene.

The squad members grew suspicious. 'Why would checking someone's identity with Divine Sense make a person look like they're being roasted alive?' Besides, Xu Fu was a Sixth-Layer Golden Core cultivator with a Top-grade Golden Core, while Chen Dong appeared to be in the Early-stage Golden Core realm. Even if Chen Dong had a First-grade Golden Core, his Divine Sense couldn't possibly be stronger than Xu Fu's—especially since his cultivation was suppressed. If anyone should be showing a strange reaction, it should be Chen Dong.

Just as the others were debating whether to intervene, flames suddenly erupted from Xu Fu's body, engulfing him completely.

Zhang Tashan's expression changed drastically. He instantly attacked, channeling Spiritual Power into his palm and striking at Chen Dong's Dantian.

Murong Qing was already on alert. She cried out, "Brother Tashan, don't!"

At the same time, she conjured an ice shield in front of Chen Dong. But she was only a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator; even with her unique techniques, her shield was shattered by a single palm strike from the Eighth-Layer Golden Core, Zhang Tashan.

The force of Zhang Tashan's palm continued onward. Just as it was about to strike Chen Dong, a Fire Technique flared to life, blocking the blow.

Chen Dong's eyes snapped open. He unleashed a lightning technique, and though Zhang Tashan instantly summoned his Protective Spiritual Qi, he was still knocked back several meters.

Xu Fu, still motionless, continued to burn like a wooden effigy.

Jiang Hongqin, who had been observing the entire time, gave a cold shout. "Form the Array!"

The remaining nine Cultivators instantly moved to their positions, and in a flash, a combat Array formed, trapping Chen Dong within it.

Chen Dong recognized it as nothing more than a run-of-the-mill Third-tier Array. 'An Array set by a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators and two Golden Core cultivators wouldn't stand a chance against a Nascent Soul expert,' he mused. 'How did this squad even make it this far?'

Just as Chen Dong was about to teach this troublesome squad a lesson, Murong Qing cried out, "Chen Dong, stop! Sister Jiang saved my life!"

At her words, Chen Dong dispersed the lightning technique he was channeling. In a single flash, he was outside the Array.

The squad members were utterly horrified. 'The Third-tier Array was broken just like that?! And wasn't he sealed? How can he still use Spiritual Qi?'

Amid their shock, Chen Dong spoke. "If you don't get out of the way, that man, Xu Fu, is going to burn to death."

They could no longer fathom Chen Dong's true strength, and he didn't seem to be from the Demon Race. Seeing that he listened to Murong Qing, and concerned for Xu Fu's life, they had no choice but to step aside.

With a casual wave of his hand, Chen Dong retracted the Heart Fire from Xu Fu's body. Outwardly, Xu Fu had no injuries, but his Divine Sense had been severely damaged. Chen Dong had only struck so ruthlessly because he had sensed the malicious Secret Technique within Xu Fu's own Divine Sense.

Zhang Tashan and his wife, Jiang Hongqin, fed Xu Fu a few medicinal pills. He slowly regained consciousness, but it was obvious to everyone that he was grievously injured.

Because of this, Jiang Hongqin's impression of Chen Dong was now extremely poor. She questioned him in a cold voice, "Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?"