Chapter 59: The Consequences of My Anger

All the disciples of the Jade Pool stood frozen, their minds utterly blank. This man… How dare he? In front of so many of us, he killed one of our own? Has he gone mad?

“Xu Zhe!” One disciple finally recovered, her voice sharp and shrill. She summoned a flying sword, which transformed into a streak of light and slashed toward Xu Zhe. “Give me back Senior Sister Zheng’s life!” The flying sword, wrapped in murderous intent, struck down fiercely.

Xu Zhe showed no intention of dodging. He stood calmly, raised a hand, and flicked his fingers.

Clang!

The flying sword collided with his finger, sparking violently, but was instantly swept aside, spinning several times in midair before crashing to the ground.

The crisp ring of metal silenced everyone once more.

“A body in the Golden Form Realm!” They stared at Xu Zhe in disbelief, their faces filled with shock.

“How is this possible?”
“Word was he only had a Bronze Skin body; how could he have achieved the Golden Form so suddenly?”
“The Golden Form Realm is said to rival the power of the Core Formation stage…”

Many looked to the disciple who had just attacked. She was in the middle stage of Core Formation, a fierce sword cultivator whose flying sword could cleave anything—yet Xu Zhe brushed it aside with a wave of his hand.

Was the legendary Golden Form Realm truly this powerful?

“Xu Zhe, don’t think you’re safe just because you have the Golden Form body. Those above the Nascent Soul stage could easily kill you,” the disciple shouted angrily, her face twisted with rage and frustration.

Having her sword swept away so easily felt like a tremendous insult.

“I disagree,” Xu Zhe replied, shaking his head lightly. “Above the Nascent Soul stage, they might break my defenses, but to say they could easily kill me—that’s impossible.”

“Exactly!” Qu Hongxiu called out, pride etched on her face. “Your Senior Sister Zheng was a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, yet my Uncle Xu slaughtered her with ease. To think those above Nascent Soul could kill Uncle Xu easily—dream on!”

By now, she understood completely: Uncle Xu was an unfathomable abyss. She could never see through his true strength or secrets. She had thought he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he possessed a chilling fire lotus capable of annihilating Core Formation cultivators. She had believed he’d be helpless against a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, but he had a treasure-grade flying sword that crushed his opponent’s life sword. She’d thought the Four Symbols Sword Array would be his doom, but his Golden Form body shattered it, inflicting backlash on its caster.

It all felt unreal, like a dream. Yet she had accepted it, surrendering to blind adoration for Xu Zhe.

“So what if they’re above Nascent Soul? Uncle Xu can kill Nascent Soul cultivators now, and soon he’ll show you he can slay those at the Out-of-Body stage as well!” Qu Hongxiu continued to shout, venting her anger.

Xu Zhe nodded silently, not replying. Soon, if he could step into the Core Formation stage, with his Golden Form body, even against Out-of-Body stage opponents… If he could wield a true treasure, he should be able to kill them.

The Jade Pool disciples looked on with strange expressions. Some couldn’t help but laugh, mocking and disdainful.

“Qu Hongxiu, are you trying to distance yourself? Pin Senior Sister Zheng’s death on Xu Zhe alone?”

“How laughable. Even with a Golden Form body, Xu Zhe could never be Senior Sister Zheng’s match.”

“When we arrived, only you two and Senior Sister Zheng were here. She must have been ambushed by both of you, wounded, and finally killed by Xu Zhe.”

“Right. It’s too late to clear yourself now. Not just Xu Zhe, your Vermilion Bird Army will have to answer to us as well.”

Several Jade Pool women spoke in succession, their eyes fierce and merciless.

“Hmph, Qu Hongxiu, you really think a mere Golden Form body is something impressive?”

The Jade Pool sword cultivator whose flying sword had been swatted aside seized the moment, sneering coldly. She stepped forward, retrieved her fallen sword.

“I didn’t know he’d reached the Golden Form, so I struck casually to teach him a lesson. If I unleashed my killing move, what could a Golden Form body do? Ridiculous!”

She was desperate to salvage her dignity. If word of this spread back to the Jade Pool, she’d be a laughingstock.

“Do you want to try?” Suddenly, Xu Zhe’s voice rang out coldly.

The sword cultivator froze, anger flaring within, but outwardly she maintained her mocking smile.

“You’re not worthy. If I draw my sword to kill you, the Vermilion Bird Army will use it as leverage to erase the matter of Senior Sister Zheng’s death. Wouldn’t she have died in vain?” she barked, righteous and logical.

Xu Zhe fell silent. He tilted his head, gazing at the sky, and sighed.

He began to walk slowly toward the sword cultivator.

“Your Senior Sister Zheng disguised herself as one of the ‘Soul Shocker’ assassins and tried to kill us. Yet when you arrived, you accused and threatened me without discerning right from wrong. I felt uneasy, my thoughts blocked, so I killed her.

“By rights, that should have been the end of it. But you continue to provoke me. You act disrespectfully, strike at me—I could ignore it.

“But… you’ve gone too far. Especially you. You’re rude and utterly lacking self-awareness.”

Xu Zhe stared calmly at the sword cultivator. “Since you’ve already attacked, you know my strength, yet you pretend not to and insult me.”

He spoke, word by word, and by now stood right before her.

She was visibly shaken, a flicker of unease in her eyes, though she forced herself to remain calm. “You… what are you planning? Are you going to kill me right in front of my sisters?”

She was panicked, hoping her words would rally her peers to her aid.

Clearly, her ploy worked. The Jade Pool disciples quickly began forming hand seals.

“Xu Zhe, you dare! You killed Senior Sister Zheng and now you want to keep rampaging?”

“We have several Nascent Soul sisters nearby. Do you really think we’ll let you continue your violence?”

As they spoke, the women pressed forward, encircling him.

Xu Zhe ignored them, keeping his gaze fixed on the sword cultivator. “I’ll give you a chance to apologize.”

“Apologize?” She forced a laugh, feigning calm. “Who do you think you are—”

Bang!

Before she could finish, Xu Zhe punched her. Her beautiful face caved in, and she was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing into a sea of flames.

“Aaah…”

Only then did she scream, writhing in agony within the fire.

“Sister Liu!”

“Xu Zhe, you wretch! How dare you?”

“Outrageous!”

The other Jade Pool women were shocked, furious. No one expected Xu Zhe to strike so suddenly.

“My good temper does not mean I’ll tolerate being insulted. My reluctance for slaughter does not mean I am soft-hearted,” Xu Zhe said calmly. “You may disrespect me, you may insult me, but you must be prepared for the consequences of my anger. After all…”

As he spoke, Xu Zhe blurred, transforming into an indistinct shadow, and appeared before the disciple who had just extinguished the flames on herself.

He landed, lifted his foot, and casually kicked forward.

Bang!

The sword cultivator was sent flying again, crashing into the sea of fire. This time, she was completely silent.

Everyone heard clearly the crack of her skull as Xu Zhe’s foot landed.

All the Jade Pool disciples were dumbstruck, their scalps tingling, chills running down their spines.

This man was terrifying—so terrifying that their sister, a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, hadn’t even had a chance to resist.

One punch, one kick—dead on the spot!

What kind of monster was this Xu Tianjiao?!

“After all… even your Lord Lin would not dare speak to me like this,” Xu Zhe finally finished his earlier words.

His face remained serene, as if nothing had happened.

He brushed the dust from his clothes, turned to Qu Hongxiu. “Little Qu, time to go.”

“Huh? Oh, yes!” Qu Hongxiu had been stunned, but now she rushed over, her face full of adoration.

Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at Xu Zhe.

The Jade Pool disciples stood in silence, exchanging glances. None dared to block Xu Zhe and Qu Hongxiu’s departure—not even to speak up.

Each felt as if waking from a dream, realizing that Xu Tianjiao was not as easy to bully as they’d imagined.

In fact… he seemed even more terrifying than any of the previous ninety-nine prodigies!

He inspired a deep, visceral fear, the same feeling they’d had before the cold Lord Lin—but even stronger.

“Sister, are we just going to let them leave?”

After Xu Zhe and Qu Hongxiu had gone, a timid voice finally spoke up.

An older disciple’s face was grim. “We’re not Nascent Soul sisters. How could we stop them?”

“So… what do we do now?”

“Send out a request for aid. This is beyond us now. Tell everything to the senior sisters.”

“Alright!”

Many disciples breathed sighs of relief.

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, several figures darted away in different directions.

To the east, a disciple from the Dao of Destiny ran.

“Jackpot, jackpot! So much information in the footage—my luck has finally turned!”

To the west, several assassins disguised as “Soul Shocker” agents moved swiftly.

“Transmit the message immediately. Xu Zhe survived, has achieved the Golden Form, and his power is overwhelming. Third Squad has been wiped out, the leader—a Jade Pool disciple—dead. Recommend suspending the Southern Chaos operation and gathering all squads to ensure Xu Zhe is eliminated.”

…

【Ahem, recommendation votes, monthly votes—you know what I mean?】