Chapter Nineteen: The Rising of Dark Intentions
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“Name.”
“Li San… I’ll voluntarily reveal information. You’ll let me go, won’t you?”
“Where are the others from Qinglu Mountain now?”
“On Niujiao Mountain, about ten miles from here… A promise once made cannot be retracted. You surely won’t kill me, right?”
Li San, a disciple of Qinglu Mountain, knelt with his knees together, hands clutching his head, nervously looking up at Chen Xuan, who was interrogating him.
Chen Xuan stood with arms crossed, his gaze oppressive, and asked succinctly:
“How many of them? What are their strengths?”
“There are six others. Senior Brother Shen Lingfeng is the strongest. He’s a direct disciple of Qinglu Mountain, having undergone two transformations. This trip to the Southern Wasteland is to seek the opportunity for a third transformation… Junior Brother Wang Chan is a prodigy, ‘Yellow Millet Dream’; he’s been progressing rapidly lately…”
Li San spilled the beans without reservation, betraying his fellow disciples as if with no psychological burden.
He had been kicked earlier, breaking countless bones. Captured, there was no escape; he could only hope Chen Xuan would show mercy.
Li San knew such hope was slim, but when death loomed, a sliver of relief emerged in his heart.
After all, better the fellow cultivator die than me. Betraying Qinglu disciples is only natural!
“Shen Lingfeng, second transformation…”
Chen Xuan’s heart sank. Qinglu Mountain’s people were incredibly formidable. This made matters complicated.
According to Li San, the strongest, Senior Brother Shen Lingfeng, was extraordinarily gifted with a deep background, cultivated intensively by Qinglu Mountain since childhood. After the first transformation, his energy output exceeded six thousand jin; now, after the second transformation, his energy surpassed ten thousand jin, making his combat power formidable, rivaling some elders in the sect.
He was a dominant figure among the youth of Chiya City, not to be underestimated.
Seeing Chen Xuan stunned, Li San muttered softly, “I trust you’re a man of your word; that’s why I risked betraying my fellow disciples to tell you all this…”
“You may leave…”
Chen Xuan waved his hand, signaling Li San that he could go.
“…What?”
Li San’s eyes widened, frozen on the spot. This man truly was releasing a tiger back into the wild—wasn’t he afraid he’d return to warn the others?
“Still not gone?”
Chen Xuan furrowed his brows and scolded sharply.
“I’m going now. Don’t worry; my lips are sealed. I won’t leak any information about you when I return!”
Li San shouted excitedly, rolling on the ground like a worm until he reached the edge of the forest. Then, overjoyed, he scrambled up and fled desperately into the woods.
“The people of Qinglu Mountain, truly all talented…”
Chen Xuan chuckled softly as he climbed a tall tree, gazing toward the direction Li San fled. Then he turned his eyes to the chaotic battlefield below, littered with the corpses of Qi cultivators, a wave of puzzlement washing over him.
Why hadn’t Little Underworld and the Mysterious Cat Lady come?
Senior Brother Chu of Qinglu Mountain carried some kind of trick…
At some place under the night sky, something serious must be unfolding, Chen Xuan thought as he looked into the distance.
…
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Beneath a crimson sky, a temple stood solemn and forbidding.
Its eaves pierced the sky. A mysterious cat with a jade pendant around her neck crouched, peering into the temple’s happenings.
Her feline face was furrowed in concern before she looked southward toward the Southern Wasteland mountains, a trace of anxiety flickering in her eyes.
Hurry!
Faster!!
“Six six six six six six—”
In the solemn, cold temple, a human voice suddenly erupted, as if stuck in the throat, increasing in frequency until it became a piercing screech.
“Desire desire desire desire desire desire—”
“Bang!”
A muffled sound like a neck snapping, and then a square, basin-sized object flew out from the temple.
A monk’s severed head crashed onto the ground.
Its scalp gleamed brightly, marked with twelve precepts scars, straight as if carved by a blade. The ascetic monk’s hollow eyes were empty; his mouth, like a zipper, opened wide, spewing golden-white blood along with a screeching voice like thunder.
“Every day every day every day—”
Finally, it was almost over!
A flicker of joy crossed the Mysterious Cat Lady’s eyes. Once she handled this matter, the restless spirits in the Southern Wasteland mountains were still waiting for her!
“Damn your head…”
A soft, clear voice, like wind chimes, floated from the temple: “Monks of the Hanging Temple, I am your mother…”
The Mysterious Cat Lady leapt down from the eaves, her jade pendant swaying lightly as she prepared to commence the cleanup.
In her sight, a graceful figure emerged, bare feet stepping out from the temple.
A delicate, glowing white hand picked up the ascetic monk’s head…
The Six Desires Heaven!
…
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Across the vast wilderness, darkness shrouded the land.
Escape!
Li San, like a wounded beast, raced swiftly through the forest, glancing back repeatedly, his joy growing.
“He actually let me leave Little Stone Lake!”
“Such a foolish man exists in the world!”
“Ha ha… Qinglu Mountain avenges every grudge. Once I report to Senior Brother Shen, we’ll come together. You won’t live through tonight!”
Li San’s body trembled as he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
In the distance, on a small hill, an orange campfire flickered in the night. Several familiar figures appeared.
He saw Senior Brother Shen and Junior Brother Wang Chan!
Moreover, in the dancing firelight, he imagined that rebellious man kneeling, kowtowing to him, begging for mercy—a scene of great satisfaction.
Li San’s taut nerves finally relaxed. At that moment, a chill suddenly rose from behind, goosebumps breaking out on the back of his neck.
“Crack!”
A large hand reached from the darkness and twisted Li San’s neck.
“You…”
Li San’s eyes bulged, blood frothing at his lips as he mumbled incoherently. Then his spine snapped completely, and his head hung lifelessly.
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Chen Xuan released his grip: “Sorry, I caught you again…”
He had been tailing Li San stealthily for over ten miles, arriving at Qinglu Mountain’s resting place.
Although Li San had betrayed his comrades, revealing much information, Chen Xuan could never trust him outright; he had to verify personally.
Standing beside the corpse, Chen Xuan looked up, his eyes fixed on a peak several hundred meters away.
“Junior Brother Wang Chan, it’s time we meet.”
…
By the flickering campfire, figures clad in azure robes were illuminated.
A slender, delicate youth of around sixteen or seventeen, with long hair flowing over his shoulders, still bearing a hint of youthful innocence, emanated an ethereal aura. His hands were clasped behind his back as he gazed toward a darkened area below the mountain, a strange smile curling at his lips.
Wang Chan!
“Junior Brother Wang Chan, what are you looking at?”
A young man named Shen Lingfeng approached. His sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes made him strikingly handsome.
Wang Chan turned around, wearing an innocent, pure smile: “Senior Brother Shen.”
“Ah, haha, Junior Brother Wang.”
Shen Lingfeng shivered inexplicably, thinking to himself: “You’re an old soul who’s lived centuries in dreams; why pretend to be so youthful in reality?”
Wang Chan took a piece of paper filled with tiny characters from his sleeve and smiled as he handed it over.
“Senior Brother Shen, I wrote a new trick. Would you like to study it?”
Shen Lingfeng glanced at it and immediately gasped.
This casually written trick was more exquisite than any Qinglu Mountain inheritance. He was captivated, reading with relish for a moment before reluctantly tossing the paper into the fire.
“Shhhh…”
The flames swallowed the paper like a burning butterfly, turning it to ashes.
“Junior Brother Wang Chan, why bother showing me these? In the end, it’s all but a fleeting illusion.”
Shen Lingfeng smiled bitterly, then continued to ask, “What were you just looking at? Could it be another rare treasure about to appear?”
When one attains enlightenment, even their dogs and chickens rise to immortality. He’d gained much good fortune lately!
Wang Chan looked at the eager Shen Lingfeng, then pointed to a corner below the mountain, whispering:
“At this very moment, a fearless person stands there, coldly watching us…”
Shen Lingfeng’s eyes dimmed with confusion. The night was dark, the moon faint, and the forest shadowy—nothing visible.
“Who dares provoke us? Do they seek death?”
Wang Chan looked at Shen Lingfeng, his eyes filled with ultimate pity and disdain, like a celestial being looking down on pathetic ants.
His hair fluttered in the wind, his aura pure and ethereal. His voice was indifferent:
“Senior Brother Shen, soon, you will die at that person’s hands…”