Chapter 281: Rebirth - I Became the Grandpa (Part 5)
The Liu Family.
Ever since Liu Yuehong married Chen Xuan, the strongest expert in Stone Mountain City, the Liu Family's status had risen dramatically.
However, the death of the patriarch's son, Liu Rufeng, had dealt them a heavy blow. The once lively Liu Rufeng had become nothing more than cold cultivation resources.
The Liu Family patriarch had gone into seclusion and reached the peak of the Spirit Vein realm, only a step away from the Spirit Sea. Then disaster struck the Liu Family.
"It's you!"
The Liu Family members stared in shock as a familiar figure strode openly into their territory.
"Dongfang… Yunxing!"
Dongfang Yunxing gripped a blood-stained black sword. Alone with his blade, he had slaughtered his way into the Liu Family estate. The entire compound had already turned into a river of blood without a sound.
"Dongfang Yunxing, you have some nerve! You were lucky enough to escape last time, yet you dare come back to die!"
"Lord Chen Xuan has been looking for you for a long time. Who would have thought you'd deliver yourself to us?"
"Killing you will surely please Lord Chen Xuan!"
"..."
Inside the Heaven's Mandate Pearl, Su Chen: "..."
Did these people really think they could stop him from taking Dongfang Yunxing away?
Outside, Dongfang Yunxing looked at the Liu Family members' ugly expressions and felt only sorrow in his heart.
Back when the Dongfang still stood, these people had never acted this way. The direct enemies were hateful, but these backstabbers were even more despicable.
The Liu Family elders charged at him like wolves and tigers, hoping to capture Dongfang Yunxing and curry favor with Chen Xuan.
They were wrong.
Dongfang Yunxing faced their techniques without dodging or retreating. His physical body was so strong that he withstood their combined attack with only a single step backward. His bronze-colored skin glowed with a smooth luster.
Before the Liu Family elders could react, Dongfang Yunxing swung his pitch-black sword and sliced one elder clean in half at the waist. He moved through the crowd like a ghost. The Liu Family elders were no match for him at all.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere. Like a god of slaughter incarnate, Dongfang Yunxing showed no mercy and refused to let anyone escape.
"His mentality is quite good," Su Chen thought with satisfaction.
Once a grudge was formed, one must eradicate the roots completely. That was the true principle.
Dongfang Yunxing showed not a shred of compassion. He killed every member of the Liu Family with ruthless efficiency. He slaughtered until the Liu Family trembled in terror, weeping, begging for mercy, and fleeing in panic.
"No… this is an array!"
The fleeing Liu Family members fell into despair.
At some point, the entire estate had been trapped by a terrifying formation. No one could escape.
The array was naturally Su Chen's work. After destroying the Purple Clothes Hunting Party, he had spent a large amount of the plundered resources and even some of his own energy to set up a fourth-grade formation, ensuring the complete annihilation of the Liu Family. Even a Spirit Sea realm expert would need considerable time to break a fourth-grade array, let alone one crafted by Su Chen.
The commotion alerted the Liu Family patriarch, who had been preparing to break through to the Spirit Sea realm. Sensing something wrong, he immediately emerged from seclusion.
What greeted him was a scene of utter horror. The entire Liu Family—his clansmen and relatives—lay dead in pools of blood.
A handsome youth, clothes drenched in blood and a black sword in hand, had just beheaded a Liu Family woman.
When the youth turned toward the patriarch, a bright smile appeared on his face.
"Dongfang Yunxing…"
The Liu Family patriarch ground his teeth in fury.
The tragic sight of his family ignited his killing intent to the limit and clouded his judgment.
"I will kill you!"
The patriarch attacked. As a peak ninth-layer Spirit Vein realm expert, his strike shook the ground. A majestic lion phantom roared, radiating kingly authority.
Dongfang Yunxing had crossed seven minor realms, yet he showed no fear. His black sword sang like a dragon.
The lion formed from the patriarch's qi actually showed a trace of fear in its eyes.
The two forces collided. Dongfang Yunxing staggered back three steps, while the Liu Family patriarch was forced back one.
Shock filled the patriarch's eyes. In such a short time, the boy he once could have crushed with ease was now capable of exchanging blows with him.
Dongfang Yunxing showed no fear. In a single swift step, he closed the distance and unleashed several consecutive sword strikes.
Through countless brushes with death, he had learned one truth: against a stronger opponent, charging forward without regard for life was sometimes the only way to seize a slim chance of survival.
Shock filled the Liu Family patriarch's eyes, but it quickly turned to greed. For Dongfang Yunxing to grow so powerful in such a short time, he must possess some enormous opportunity or secret.
Blades clashed and swords flashed. The longer they fought, the more alarmed the patriarch became. This youth fought as if he had completely abandoned any thought of survival, trading injury for injury in a frenzied style. If this continued, he might actually die.
He grew afraid. No matter how great the opportunity, one needed to be alive to enjoy it.
Dongfang Yunxing seized the moment. His black sword trembled as a dragon rune condensed along its blade.
The instant the patriarch hesitated and tried to force Dongfang Yunxing back, the youth struck. A black beam of light erupted.
Incredulity filled the patriarch's eyes. This boy still had a hidden card!
Dongfang Yunxing was covered in wounds. The intense pain made him draw a sharp breath, but his final sword strike had pierced straight through the patriarch and severed his life force.
The Liu Family had been annihilated by Dongfang Yunxing's hand.
Yet Liu Yuehong was not among them. With Chen Xuan's help, she had joined a major sect.
Because of this, the energy the Heaven's Mandate Pearl gained from destroying the Liu Family was even less than what it had absorbed from the Purple Clothes Hunting Party.
Not a single member of the Liu Family survived.
After crushing the patriarch's bones to powder and scattering his ashes, Dongfang Yunxing's vision darkened. He had pushed himself to the absolute limit, sustaining his body through sheer willpower alone.
Su Chen emerged from the pearl.
This little fellow had surprised him. He sensed a ruthless determination in Dongfang Yunxing—the willingness to pay any price for cultivation. Su Chen found himself somewhat impressed.
"Lucky little guy. Let me see just how far you can go in the end."
Su Chen watched with interest. Over endless years, he had experienced too much and grown numb to most things. Very few matters could still pique his curiosity.
A small character who had offended a child of destiny had somehow obtained the Heaven's Mandate Pearl's inheritance through a twist of fate.
Su Chen refined the Liu Family's resources into a single pill and fed it to the unconscious youth. Its energy slowly merged into his body.
...
Stone Mountain City was shaken.
Following the destruction of the Purple Clothes Hunting Party, the entire Liu Family had now been wiped out.
"Someone actually dared to attack Lord Chen Xuan's relatives!"
Chen Xuan was a legend in Stone Mountain City. Even after he left, no one dared defy him. Now, two forces closely tied to him had been destroyed. Anyone with eyes could see that someone was taking revenge on Chen Xuan.
A bloody storm was inevitable.
...
When Dongfang Yunxing woke up, he discovered that most of his injuries had already healed. He groped around his body until his fingers found the familiar round pearl. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Su Chen floated out of the Heaven's Mandate Pearl, calm and ethereal, every bit the image of a transcendent expert.
"Master," Dongfang Yunxing said excitedly. He knew his master must have acted again to heal his wounds so quickly. The debt of gratitude he owed was deeper than any river.
Su Chen nodded. "I saw everything you did. Your performance satisfied me."
The praise filled Dongfang Yunxing with excitement. It was his master's recognition.
"Master, I have destroyed both the Purple Clothes Hunting Party and the Liu Family," he said. "Should we target the Chen Family next?"
This was the step-by-step approach Su Chen had taught him.
Su Chen shook his head. "I scanned Stone Mountain City. The Chen Family has a Spirit Sea realm expert. With your current strength, you are still far from being his match."
Dongfang Yunxing was surprised. The Spirit Sea realm was a height only his Dongfang ancestor had once reached. After the ancestor was gravely injured, Chen Xuan seized the chance to kill him and destroy the family.
The Chen Family's ancestor was merely at the peak of Spirit Vein and nearing the end of his lifespan.
Dongfang Yunxing fell silent. He desperately wanted to slaughter every one of Chen Xuan's relatives, but Su Chen had taught him that only the living had hope. Attacking the Chen Family now would be suicide.
"You have already destroyed two forces close to Chen Xuan," Su Chen continued. "The Chen Family is not foolish. They will be on high alert and have set up layers of defenses. Everyone now believes your next target will be the Chen Family."
"At a time like this, you should…" Su Chen narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Go kill that girl from the Liu Family. She has joined a nearby sect. No one will expect your next target to be her instead of the Chen Family. This will be your opportunity."
Dongfang Yunxing looked at his master with admiration. He was so transcendent and upright. Yet a trace of doubt lingered in his heart. His master was clearly an unrivaled powerhouse, so why did his methods feel so…
In the end, the means did not matter to Dongfang Yunxing. All that mattered was avenging the ninety-nine members of his Dongfang. Even if he had to become a great demon returned from hell, he would not hesitate.
Chapter 282: Rebirth - I Became the Grandpa (Part 6)
[Ding! Host's beloved Yuan Ziyi has been killed. Favorability reset to zero.]
[Detecting that someone dares oppose the honorable transmigrator host, the system issues a special mission: locate the disrespectful offender and avenge beloved Yuan Ziyi. Reward: cultivation increased by three minor realms.]
Ever since leaving Stone Mountain City, Chen Xuan had been cruising through life with constant cheats. During one chance encounter, he saved a princess from the Great Wind Dynasty who was being pursued. The moment he saw her, he fell in love at first sight. He had been steadily raising her favorability ever since.
Just as things were getting intimate, the system's notification suddenly rang in his mind.
Chen Xuan felt irritated. The alert had ruined the moment.
But then—
"What?!"
Fury surged through him.
Although he had long forgotten his former woman Yuan Ziyi after meeting this 92-point beauty from the Great Wind Dynasty, she had still been his woman. The purple-clad huntress was bold and passionate in a unique way, and he had spared no effort to claim her.
Now someone dared to kill one of Chen Xuan's women!
"Young Master Chen… what's wrong?"
Princess Yun Mengyan of the Great Wind Dynasty was startled. The man who had been grinning playfully moments ago suddenly looked like a vengeful ghost.
She had nearly given herself to him earlier in a moment of impulse, but now that she had regained her senses, a wave of lingering fear washed over her.
Chen Xuan quickly composed himself and forced a smile. "It's nothing, Mengyan. I just remembered something unpleasant. Let's continue."
Yun Mengyan cited discomfort and gently refused him.
Chen Xuan's face darkened.
That damned system had ruined everything.
[Ding! Detected that the Liu Family, connected to the transmigrator host, has been annihilated… Confirmed that the perpetrator is the same person who killed beloved Yuan Ziyi. Mission upgraded: slay the enemy. Reward increased to four minor realms of cultivation.]
Chen Xuan paused.
This stingy system was actually offering four minor realms this time. He was currently at the third layer of Spirit Sea. Adding four more layers would bring him straight to the seventh layer.
As for the Liu Family's destruction, he did not care. The system had already confirmed that Liu Yuehong was still alive, and she was the only one in the Liu Family who mattered to him—his white moonlight.
"I need to return to Stone Mountain City," Chen Xuan thought.
There was still one person there he valued more than anyone else in this life—even more than Liu Yuehong. His personal maid, Little Blue.
What Chen Xuan failed to notice was that the princess, whose favorability toward him had reached 80, now looked at him with a faint trace of vigilance in her eyes.
...
On the road back to Stone Mountain City, Chen Xuan remained unaware that Dongfang Yunxing was also heading toward the Four Symbols Mansion.
Dongfang Yunxing's target was the Vermilion Bird Mansion—one of the Four Symbols Mansions—where Liu Yuehong had joined.
"Master, will this really work?" Dongfang Yunxing asked nervously.
Following Su Chen's instructions, he had bribed one of Liu Yuehong's close girlfriends with pills to lure her out of the Vermilion Bird Mansion.
How could a good friend betray her?
If the woman warned Liu Yuehong and the Vermilion Bird Mansion's experts surrounded them, he would have no escape.
The Vermilion Bird Mansion was one of the Four Symbols Martial Mansions, with unfathomable foundations. Legend even claimed its mansion master was a Profound Connection realm king.
Su Chen replied calmly, "She will obey… Sometimes, the most terrifying things in this world are not your great enemies on the path of cultivation, but the people closest to you. Human hearts are far more frightening and complicated than you can imagine."
There seemed to be deeper meaning in his words.
Dongfang Yunxing only half-understood, but he soon spotted two graceful figures walking slowly toward the designated location.
Everything was proceeding exactly as his master had predicted. The plan… had succeeded!
"Little Qing, are you saying there's Flame Sparrow Grass here?"
Flame Sparrow Grass was a rare spiritual herb. Liu Yuehong had searched for it for a long time. With it, she could refine the spirit vein Chen Xuan had left her and break through to the Spirit Vein realm.
Song Qing was Liu Yuehong's close friend. After learning of her need, she had been helping search for the herb and had finally found some.
Liu Yuehong followed Song Qing to the location, but she saw no sign of the Flame Sparrow Grass. Doubt crept into her heart.
Just as she began to question her friend, the smile vanished from Song Qing's face.
She shouted toward the surroundings, "I've brought the person. What are you waiting for?"
Liu Yuehong sensed danger and tried to retreat, but it was already too late.
A slender youth slowly stepped out from the shadows into the sunlight. The light illuminated the face beneath the black hood—handsome, familiar, yet strangely distant.
"It's you, Dongfang Yunxing!"
Upon recognizing the figure, Liu Yuehong could hardly believe her eyes. She never imagined Dongfang Yunxing would appear here.
Especially not with Song Qing suddenly attacking her without warning.
"Song Qing, what are you doing?!"
Caught off guard by her friend's strike, Liu Yuehong was sent flying. She smashed through several trees in succession.
"Liu Yuehong, you treacherous bitch!" Song Qing cursed. Her once lovely face was now twisted with jealousy and malice. "Ever since you came to the Vermilion Bird Mansion, everyone has favored you. You became the number one beauty here. All of that glory should have been mine, but you stole it! And you still dare ask what I'm doing? You call yourself my best friend, yet you wouldn't even give me the spot as Elder Si's disciple!"
Song Qing's voice burned with resentment. Without Liu Yuehong, she had been the center of attention at the Vermilion Bird Mansion. Now she was reduced to a mere green leaf beside her. How could she accept it?
Dongfang Yunxing watched Song Qing's expression and sighed inwardly. Just as his master had said, the human heart was truly terrifying.
Liu Yuehong spat out a mouthful of blood after taking the heavy blow. She quickly took out a precious disk. It was a treasure Chen Xuan had given her—the same one that had saved her life from Dongfang Yunxing once before.
A protective barrier formed around her. Even a Spirit Vein realm expert would find it difficult to break. After all, it was crafted by the master artificer Chen Xuan; its quality was guaranteed.
Song Qing's cultivation was weaker than hers, only at the seventh layer of Spirit Gathering. And Dongfang Yunxing appeared even weaker.
Liu Yuehong sneered, "Dongfang Yunxing, you madman. The Dongfang was wiped out by Young Master Chen. A remnant like you will die by his hand sooner or later."
Dongfang Yunxing smiled in return.
"Is this the trump card you're so proud of right now?"
He reached out and tore at the air with sudden force. The supposedly indestructible disk that could withstand Spirit Vein realm attacks shattered instantly.
Liu Yuehong froze in shock.
"Your… your cultivation… Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Dongfang Yunxing looked down at the collapsed Liu Yuehong and spoke calmly, "I have already exterminated the entire Liu Family. Your relatives have all been sent to accompany the souls of my Dongfang's dead. Now you are the last remnant of the Liu Family. I don't know whether Chen Xuan can kill me, but you—this last remnant of the Liu Family—will die by my hand first."
Liu Yuehong's eyes widened in disbelief as she died by Dongfang Yunxing's hand. Before her death, her lips moved weakly.
"I'll… be waiting for you… down below…"
Dongfang Yunxing's face remained expressionless.
Although Chen Xuan had carried out the destruction of the Dongfang, Liu Yuehong was the root cause. Dongfang Yunxing did not forget to deliver the final blow. He crushed her bones to powder and scattered her ashes. With this, he had finally given a proper account to the ninety-nine members of his Dongfang.
As if a knot in his heart had been untied, Dongfang Yunxing broke through once more, reaching the third layer of the Spirit Vein realm. Moreover, he discovered that his cultivation speed had become noticeably faster.
This was not the first time he had felt this way. Both his Talent and comprehension were improving. Though the wonderful sensation was tempting, Dongfang Yunxing did not let himself become lost in it.
His gaze turned toward Song Qing. Moments earlier, his master's voice had sounded in his mind: kill her and eliminate all future trouble. Though he did not fully understand why, Dongfang Yunxing did not hesitate. Until her final breath, a vicious smile still clung to Song Qing's face.
Dongfang Yunxing trusted that his master would never harm him.
Su Chen had not misled him.
"That woman will return to the Vermilion Bird Mansion and shift all the blame for Liu Yuehong's death onto you without hesitation," Su Chen had warned. "You will face a full-scale hunt from the mansion. Always finish what you start. Eradicate the roots and leave no future troubles behind."
Dongfang Yunxing firmly remembered his master's principle. He reduced Song Qing's remains to dust as well.
...
Stone Mountain City.
News that the departed number one expert, Chen Xuan, had returned shook the entire city.
Chen Xuan had been investigating the destruction of the Liu Family and the Purple Clothes Hunting Party, but the culprit was cunning and ruthless. Not a single survivor or trace had been left behind, leaving Chen Xuan with nothing.
He began reflecting on all the people he had ever offended.
There were quite a few.
No matter.
"Could it be the last survivor of the Dongfang?" The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
He still remembered that when he wiped out the Dongfang, one survivor had remained. That was why the system mission had stalled at 99% completion, preventing him from claiming the grand prize.
That survivor had disguised himself as a lowly horse groom and tried to assassinate Liu Yuehong. If not for the protective treasure Chen Xuan had given her, the consequences could have been disastrous. In the end, the survivor had still killed Liu Yuehong's younger brother, and Chen Xuan had compensated the Liu Family with resources for it.
After that incident, the Dongfang remnant had vanished without a trace.
As his strength grew, Chen Xuan no longer cared much about the so-called grand prize and had stopped paying attention to the matter.
He quickly shook his head. He was probably overthinking it. Even the Dongfang's top genius, Dongfang Yunhai, had died by his hand. How could an unknown second young master with mediocre talent possibly rise up so quickly in such a short time?
Chen Xuan had only achieved his current heights because of the system. Unless that second young master also had a system—which was impossible—the culprit had to be someone else.
[Ding! Beloved Liu Yuehong, whose favorability toward the honored transmigrator host reached 100, has been killed. The perpetrator is the same person who killed Yuan Ziyi and annihilated the Liu Family. Mission upgraded once more: slay the enemy and uphold the transmigrator's dignity. Reward: cultivation increased by six minor realms.]
Chen Xuan's pupils contracted sharply as a stab of pain pierced his heart.
He had been tricked!