Chapter Forty-One: I Was a Good Man, But You Forced My Hand

"Just to show off how cool you are? I’m clearly this strong, and clearly this gentle, yet you just had to be brainless enough to provoke me. Do you even have a brain? I’m asking you, do you have a brain? Keep acting cool, go on, keep acting cool for me—are you still feeling cool?"

Chen Xuan sneered as he swung his hand, slapping the man across the face repeatedly.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

Blood splattered wildly, accompanied by piercing wails. The youth in green robes begged for mercy in a shrill voice.

There was no telling how many times he had been struck, but every blow was immensely powerful—strong enough to shatter stone tablets. Had the youth not possessed inner energy to resist, his skull would have long since been smashed to pieces, leaving him dead. Even so, he was beaten until he fell unconscious.

"Trash!"

Chen Xuan gave a cold snort, his final palm strike landing directly on the crown of the green-robed youth’s head. With a *crack*, his skull split open.

"I hate sycophants more than anything in this life!"

He stood up tall, looking at the young girl screaming on the ground with disgust. "And you, did you eat dung? You’ve been yapping and cursing non-stop the whole way!"

*Bang!*

With a kick, he sent the girl flying, shaking her to death on the spot.

The remaining two youths were filled with terror and immense pain. One was suffering from the virulent poison of the [Soul-Dissolving Art], rolling on the ground, while the other had nearly ninety percent of his inner energy drained by the same technique, leaving his limbs limp and useless.

"Spare me, please, have mercy..."

Senior Brother Zhou gasped for air, pleading bitterly, "I am Zhou Tianhe, the nephew of the Cui family head. Please, spare me."

"Good boy, I won't kill you," Chen Xuan said with a beaming smile. "But you have to praise me a bit first."

"You... you possess peerless divine arts, you... you are as elegant as a jade tree in the wind, you are wealthy beyond measure, you hold great power, you are dashing and romantic... you... you... you..."

Senior Brother Zhou ran out of words, his face deathly pale.

"Don't stop. If you stop, I'll kill you," Chen Xuan’s face darkened.

"You kill without blinking, you are clear about gratitude and grudges, you are the greatest of heroes, you..."

*Bang!*

Chen Xuan brought a palm down on Senior Brother Zhou’s forehead, scolding, "You’re the one who kills without blinking! I am a public-spirited, model student; I help old ladies across the street once or twice every week! How dare you slander me like this? How can I tolerate you?"

Senior Brother Zhou’s eyes bulged, blood leaked from his seven orifices, and he collapsed to the ground, dead.

The other youth on the ground was still screaming in agony, but even through the pain, he tried desperately to beg for his life. The desire to survive rose in his heart again and again, but he couldn't get the words out; the potent poison surging through his body turned his screams into a hoarse rasp.

"You seem to be in quite a bit of pain. You probably want me to end it for you, right? Very well, I’ll be a good man to the end and see this through. Who else but me is so public-spirited? Amitabha, Amitabha!"

Chen Xuan chanted a Buddhist phrase, picked up a long sword, and drove it into the man’s heart, ending his life instantly.

"I am a good man at heart, why must you force my hand..." he sighed.

His massive frame rapidly shrank, returning to its normal state, leaving him with a slight sense of vertigo. He took a deep breath, circulating his inner energy a few times until the dizziness faded. He then began to search the bodies, soon wearing a joyous grin.

While he didn't find any martial arts manuals, there were plenty of bank notes. He gathered over two thousand taels, making him feel like he had struck it rich in an instant.

He took down the bundle on his back, stowed the money, stripped the clothes off one of the corpses to replace his own, and then used "Five-Poison Water" to quickly dispose of the evidence.

"I must say, I was a bit brutal just now. I transformed just like that. It’s a good thing no one saw me, otherwise my reputation would have been ruined."

He stroked his chin, muttering to himself. Truth be told, he didn't want to kill, but there was no choice—his identity had been exposed, and he had to silence them.

After finishing, Chen Xuan headed toward the dilapidated temple ahead. It was empty and overgrown with weeds; it was hard to tell how long it had been since anyone lived there. He gently pushed open the half-hidden temple door, walked inside, and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Finally, he took out the "Soul-Chasing Powder" that Gao Ziling had given him, sprinkled it in a corner of the temple, lit a fire-starter, and ignited it. A strange, fragrant smoke drifted upward, curling into the air.

Chen Xuan waited quietly. Time passed quickly. About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind and turned around. A figure leaped in from the distance and landed lightly in the temple.

Chen Xuan looked surprised. "Liu Dashan!" It was actually him coming for the rendezvous.

"It’s you, the lad Chen Xuan!" Liu Dashan recognized him as well, his eyes showing astonishment as he hurried over.

"Gao Ziling told me to come," Chen Xuan said.

"Good, very good. But you must remember: never reveal the identity of my niece. Her status is of great importance. By the way, let me tell you the specific details..."

Liu Dashan whispered into Chen Xuan’s ear, "Lead your entire unit to Gourd Valley in the western mountains. Tell them you’ve discovered members of the Five Poisons Sect there. Once they enter, I will seal the valley entrance, set it ablaze, and release the toxins to wipe them all out in one go!"

Chen Xuan’s eyes flashed. How ruthless!

"That group of righteous sect members doesn't have a single good soul among them; it wouldn't be a pity if they all died. Chen Xuan, you’ve just entered the martial world; you don't know their treachery. Truth be told, I used to be part of the righteous path, but I joined the Five Poisons Sect because I was disillusioned with them. I can only tell you that the waters of the righteous path are far deeper than those of the unorthodox sects, so do not be soft-hearted," Liu Dashan said gravely.

He was worried that Chen Xuan, still a youth, might be unable to commit such a cruel act. Although Chen Xuan had joined the Five Poisons Sect, he wasn't a veteran demonic master. Killing one or two people was fine, but trapping so many at once might cause some psychological resistance.

Chen Xuan took a light breath, his heart churning. Without Liu Dashan saying it, he already knew that the "righteous" weren't all good birds. Like the people he had just killed—constantly infighting—not to mention Wang Shutian, who indulged his subordinates in kidnapping women... However, there were some good people among the righteous, so one couldn't generalize.

"Nephew Chen, once the Five Poisons Sect is destroyed, they will soon discover your identity. They won't let you go; the righteous path has always believed in cutting weeds to pull out the roots to prevent future trouble!" Liu Dashan added in a low voice, seeing Chen Xuan’s silence.

"Fine, I know what to do," Chen Xuan nodded.

Liu Dashan nodded slightly. As long as Chen Xuan understood.

"This is the antidote. After you lead them into the valley, take it yourself. It will keep you alive!" Liu Dashan took a purple jade bottle from his robes and whispered, "Remember, the Five Poisons Sect will always be on your side."

Chen Xuan inwardly curled his lip. *Pah!* As if I’d believe that.

He had been used as a human shield for poison before. If he hadn't proven his value, he would have died countless times over. Thus, he preferred being a free-roaming rogue cultivator—to hell with righteous or evil!

"Goodman Liu, I heard the righteous alliance is besieging us to obtain a certain opportunity. Is that true or false?" Chen Xuan asked the moment he saw an opening.

"It is true, but we all got it wrong, and they did too. It’s not appearing in the Five Poisons Sect, but north of Yun Province. They came to the wrong place," Liu Dashan said.

"The wrong place?" Chen Xuan’s eyes widened in surprise.

"We only just realized it. The opportunity was recorded on an ancient piece of animal hide, and the writing was from tens of thousands of years ago. There was a mistake in the translation, but we didn't notice it at the time. The news leaked, the three major families found out, and that’s why they united the various sects in Yun Province to besiege us," Liu Dashan explained.

"What kind of opportunity is it, exactly?"

"The first wave of fortune from the revival of heaven and earth’s divinity!" Liu Dashan said in a low tone.

"Hmm?" Chen Xuan’s eyes flashed. How profound! "Divinity revival? Could it be a spiritual energy revival?" *Hiss!* He knew this world wasn't simple! Otherwise, how could a green monster infant exist?

"What happens after obtaining it?" Chen Xuan asked.

Liu Dashan narrowed his eyes. "Do you know how long martial artists lived in ancient times? Powerhouses at the peak of the Qi-Storage Realm could easily live to be two hundred. Those in the Awakening Realm could live for over a thousand years. But after the Middle Ages, the world changed drastically, and the lifespans of martial artists were as if sealed; the peak Qi-Storage experts had no difference from ordinary people—eighty or ninety was the limit. Even the Awakening Realm experts on the Heavenly Ranking would return to dust after at most three hundred years. This revival of divinity is very likely to push this era back to the ancient times, so this first wave of fortune is of the utmost importance!"

Chen Xuan was stunned.

"Where is it located?"

"It’s not clear yet, only that it is north of Yun Province. Alright, don't ask any more questions. Do your job well, and you will know in the future." Liu Dashan said this and turned to leave.

Watching his figure, Chen Xuan felt unsettled. It seemed his understanding of this world was still too shallow. It was divided into Ancient, Middle, and Present eras.

Suddenly, he looked at the jade bottle in his hand, hesitating. Was this really an antidote? After the deed was done, would Liu Dashan kill him to silence him?

He exited the temple, looked around, shot down a bird, poured out one pill from the bottle, and fed it to the bird. After observing it for a long time, he let the bird fly away.

It seemed it wasn't poisoned.